And That's It for Our First Scare Series

Boo.

Three weeks are nowhere near enough to get a good look at the vastness of classic horror. During our First Scare series at Nerds of a Feather, we've made our best effort to use the available time to fill some important gaps in our personal horror libraries. I'm going to need even more time to digest what I've learned; I still don't have fully formed thoughts about what makes horror so popular, or how the successive trends in horror have come and gone, or where the line is between the horror I can tolerate and the one I can't force myself to watch. Nevertheless, this brief round of exploration has been fruitful.

I had originally planned to include more monster movies (i.e. Attack of the Giant [Insert Species]), but the bulk of my watching activity ended up centering on the evolution of cinematic Dracula (1931, 1958, 1974 and 1979). Much like the experiment I did years ago with the different versions of Carrie, this repetitive journey through the beats of the same basic story has shown me the shifting worries of their respective societies. Most notably, inasmuch as any adaptation of Dracula allows, I could notice the female roles evolving over the decades from highly prized models of chastity to more autonomous agents in possession of their own desires. This transformation is fully ripe by the time Coppola tries his hand at making a Dracula movie in the '90s.

It's important to be aware of this history, because much of contemporary horror has to do with foregrounding women's fears. There are two parallel consequences of this trend: on one hand, it exposes the uncomfortable fact that daily life for women under patriarchy is a 24/7 horror story; on the other hand, it demands of male moviegoers the development of an added meta level of empathy. In horror there's an important difference between the aesthetic experience of being personally scared and the aesthetic experience of watching someone else be scared, and it all comes down to which character you identify with, an outcome that isn't always open to the viewer's conscious choice. In the standard horror dynamic of the chaser chasing the chased, whose perspective do you automatically adopt?

For these reasons I count myself fortunate to have been joined by two women in reviewing movies for First Scare. I found it interesting to read, in Haley's review of the movie Phantasm, about the mental jump of identifying with a boy protagonist in the '70s while writing as a woman in the 21st century. At the same time, when Ann Michelle writes about Interview with the Vampire, she opts for taking the side of the women that are mistreated all through the movie.

The unsurprising lesson here is that different stories evoke different modes of empathy. Haley finds a sense of recognition in the shared experience of a girls' sleepover in House, while Ann Michelle feels drawn to the deep interiority of the boy protagonist of The Sixth Sense. But the real merit of horror is in forcing us to understand the nonhuman perspective, as in the case of a ghost in Kill, Baby Kill or a carnivorous plant in Little Shop of Horrors.

And then there's just the plainly bonkers.

Keep these ideas in mind when you dress up tonight. Putting on a mask is more than a cosmetic choice. It's another form of empathy, one that brings the Other's perspective not only into your mind, but into your speech and movements, and furthermore invites those watching you to participate in the same game when they interact with you.

If you'll allow me to borrow a trope from another genre for a moment, in many martial arts movies you'll hear the deepity-sounding lesson, "be the sword." Well, dear reader: tonight, when you put on your witch hats and your werewolf fangs and your fairy wings and your hero capes, I invite you to wield that uniquely human superpower of putting yourself in the Other's shoes. When you dress up to be spooky, open yourself to the gift of being spooked. Be the mask.

POSTED BY: Arturo Serrano, multiclass Trekkie/Whovian/Moonie/Miraculer, accumulating experience points for still more obsessions.

Thursday Morning Superhero

It is officially October and horror season has arrived. In addition to some amazing spooky comic adaptations hitting Netflix in the near future (Locke and Key season 2 and Sandman), ComiXology is celebrating with exclusive Scott Snyder books for Scottober! If you are a horror fan, I wanted to share some recent comics that I have really been enjoying that are well worth your time. If you are looking for some older classics you can do no wrong with Locke and Key, The Sixth Gun, Harrow County, Nailbiter, and Baby Teeth.

I can't help myself.  I am far too excited about the second season of Locke and Key and wanted to share the new trailer here before delving into some new books.

We Have Demons - Only available on ComiXology from Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo

I was introduced to the dynamic duo of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo when the New 52 launched with their incredible Court of Owls run.  Scottober features eight exclusive, creator owned books from Snyder in a partnership with ComiXology.  This book features Lam, a pastor's daughter, discovering that there is more to her father, and the world she lives in, then she previously understood. This includes a secret society that I cannot wait to learn more about and of course it also involves demons given the title.  I thoroughly enjoyed the first book and cannot wait to read more.

Silver Coin - From Michael Walsh and an amazing cast of collaborators

Michael Walsh has teamed up with a variety of a-list creators in this shared universe that revolves around the mysterious silver coin and stories associated with it throughout the ages.  The first book was set in the 70's and focused on the impact the silver coin had as a guitar pick for one of the band members, and others have included tales of summer camp, home invasions, and future scavengers.  The only spoiler is that things don't tend to end well for those who are connected with this cursed item, but I have loved the range and depth of stories that have been featured thus far. They connect, but each can be enjoyed on its own and the trade just dropped this week!

The Lot - from Marguerite Bennet and Renato Guedes and the good folk with Bad Idea 

Centered around a cursed soundstage, Aviva Copeland makes the grave mistake of unlocking the door of this studio asset for the first time in 50 years.  She is unaware of its violent and satanic past and unleashes an unknown horror that grown restless in all of these years locked away.  This book might be a bit tricky to track down, as it is only in print and sold at certain retailers, but you should be able to find it online. The art from Guedes is stunning and this book is horrifying and a lot of fun. 

POSTED BY MIKE N. aka Victor Domashev -- comic guy, proudly raising nerdy kids, and Nerds of a Feather contributor since 2012.

Thursday Morning Superhero: Halloween Edition

Happy Halloween!!!  It is the best night of the year and I can't wait to pass out comic books and raid my kids' candy stashes!  In honor of this spooky holiday I thought I would recommend five books that would be appropriate to enjoy on Halloween.

Locke and Key: Welcome to Keyhouse - This is the book that kicked things off for Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez's epic horror story that centers around house and its magical keys. The story centers around the Locke family and the return of a dark force named Dodge. This is by and far my favorite comic book series and would make for some great Halloween reading.

Batman: The Long Halloween - While the entire story doesn't take place on Halloween, Joesph Loeb's classic Batman story features a mysterious killer only know as Holiday.  Holiday murders one person a month on the holiday associated with that month. It is a dark and gritty book that features other classic Batman villains and is considered a classic for good reason.

Nailbiter - Joshua Williamson and Mike Henderson introduced us to the town of Buckaroo, Oregon, a town that has created a wealth of deadly serial killers. An FBI agent has gone missing and Nicholas Finch uncovers the reasons behind the creation of so many serial killers.  Edward Charles Warren, the Nailbiter, is the most current serial killer and it appears that he might be helping Finch in his investigation.  That is, if we can trust someone who enjoys chewing off his victim's nails.

The Sandman Volume 1: Preludes and Nocturnes - One of Neil Gaiman's best comics (which is saying a lot!) features mankind's attempt to capture the physical embodiment of Death, but accidentally traps her brother Dream instead.  I first read this on the way to my first SDCC and will never forget the horror that Dream instilled in humans who had taken his objects of power. Just writing this small recap makes me want to revisit this series.

The Sixth Gun - If you are looking for a book that deals with the occult set in the time period following the Civil War then you have found what you are looking for in The Sixth Gun. You cannot have a list of Halloween titles without including Cullen Bunn. This series centers around Drake Sinclair, his history with the guns, and a cast of characters that is difficult to capture in a brief summary.  The six guns represent six weapons that have existed throughout the history of mankind. Each weapon grants its owner tremendous power, but at a cost. If one individual should wield all six guns, that person has the ability to reshape the earth in his or her own vision.



POSTED BY MIKE N. aka Victor Domashev -- comic guy, proudly raising nerdy kids, and Nerds of a Feather contributor since 2012.

Thursday Morning Superhero

Halloween is rapidly approaching and this is your weekly reminder to head to your local comic book store to place your order for the Halloween ComicFest mini bundles.  They are great to hand out on Halloween and should be enough to prevent the troublemakers in your neighborhood from egging or teepeeing your house.

Pick of the Week:
Redneck #24 - Holy hell that was one intense issue! Donny Cates mentioned that there is going to be some downtime prior to issue #25 and I think I will heed his advice and re-read this series. Things started out as Perry stepped in to save Greg from Carrona, but when you are attempting to stop a potential war by taking out an elder things are not going to go as planned. Flash to JV and July fighting off a gaggle of demons when July makes a desperate call and cries out to Bartlett. Bartlett's return was absolutely epic, from how he burst out of his coffin and declared that the Bowmans would not be running anymore.  Lisandro Estherren's work throughout this series is Eisner worthy and this issue highlights the range that he brings to this book. The gory scenes deliver, yet there is a softer side that you see when the Bowman family is speaking to one another. I cannot freaking wait for issue #25.

The Rest:
Secrets of Sinister House #1 - While I normally balk at a $10 comic, I was tempted into picking up this collection of horror stories from DC based on the fact that it contains eight different stories and a wealth of talent, including John Layman, Rafael Albuquerque, and Phil Hester to name a few. I was particularly impressed with Albuquerque's vampire Batman story and Layman's take on a haunted house in "House of the Dead." The collection featured some basic horror tropes set in the DC Universe and was simply delightful. This ended up being the perfect Halloween book for the week and I look forward to the other DC horror plans they have for the rest of the month.


Star Wars: Target Vader #4 - The trap is set and the cyborg Beilert Valance is taking his one shot at taking out Darth Vader. He has an EMP device that should shut down Vader's electronics, but he needs to get close enough for it to be in contact with Vader.  Using a team of misfit bounty hunters, what could possibly go wrong?  Based on the events of the last book, I wasn't sure how they were going to extend this series to six issues and after the sheer number of limbs that were sliced off at the start of this one I had even less doubt, but the twist at the end when Valance is ready to trigger the EMP device has me ready for the fifth issue.  I like that there were snippets of each bounty hunter's past sprinkled throughout.  I have definitely enjoyed this series more than I expected to.


POSTED BY MIKE N. aka Victor Domashev -- comic guy, proudly raising nerdy kids, and Nerds of a Feather contributor since 2012.

Thursday Morning Superhero

I hope you all had a wonderful and spooky Halloween and were able to hand out a lot of comics to your trick-or-treaters!  In honor of the holiday this edition of TMS will focus on a special issue of Wytches that debuted yesterday. It has been quite some time since we have had any Wytches material, but Scott Snyder said that we can expect two arcs in 2019 and that this one-shot serves as a prequel to the first arc and introduces us to a new character who will play a bigger role in 2019.

Wytches: Bad egg Halloween special - Wytches are creatures that have been around for centuries. It is not known if they are unique creatures of their own or are genetic mutations of humans. They live underground in burrows and feed on human flesh. They thrive with the help of humans who incubate their young in holes in the ground in exchange for tinctures that can cure disease and offer other benefits.

Sebastian learns early on that his parents are part of a group called Irons, who have been attempting to stop the wytches for generations. His mom specializes in younger wytches and his dad specializes in the old wytches that are burrowed deep beneath the earth.

This story thrives because of the relationships that Snyder develops. In order for horror to be effective you have to care about the characters and feel genuine concern for their well being. Snyder hits the nail on the head as we see the story through the eyes of a child trying to make sense to the world in which he is born. It is hard enough on a kid when you are the new person at school, but for Sebastian, this is a common occurrence due to the lifestyle of members of the Irons.

This one-shot focuses on a brief stint in a small town in the Midwest in which Sebastian develops a bond with the kid next door despite instructions not to make friends. At moments this book feels whimsical due to the friendship the two possess, but we are frequently reminded of the horror in which they dwell.

Co-created by the extremely talented Jock, I can't think of an artist more appropriate to set the mood in this series. One of the scariest elements of the wtches is that Jock never gives you a clear glimpse of what they look like. Not knowing and seeing the reaction of the kids when they first see them is what makes this book genuinely creepy.

After reading this one-shot I am very excited about the prospects of returning to this series in 2019. This has always been a very personal story from Snyder and you can sense the care he puts into the narration.  Hope you all had a happy Halloween!

POSTED BY MIKE N. aka Victor Domashev -- comic guy, proudly raising nerdy kids, and Nerds of a Feather contributor since 2012.

Thursday Morning Superhero: Halloween ComicFest Edition

This Saturday marks the return of Halloween ComicFest!  Participating stores will be giving out free comics and typically have other fun activities that are delightfully bewitching. In addition to the comics, stores will also have some exclusive collectibles for sale.

The item on the top of my list is the Funko Pop! of Star-Lord.  This look is based on the Guardians of the Galaxy comic from Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning.  In addition to the Pop!, stores will have limited numbers of exclusive Deadpool merchandise, including a lovely version of the Merc with the Mouth dressed in a lovely pink dress.  Check out all of the exclusives here.  In keeping with my annual tradition here at Nerds of a Feather, my top five comics are the following.  In no particular order.

Johnny Boo and the Spooky Tree - Written and illustrated by James Kochalka, Johnny Boo stories are a favorite in my house. The series features a ghost named Johnny Boo and his pet ghost Squiggle. The two interact with a colorful cast of characters and this book is the first chapter in an upcoming spooky story that I hope involves the Ice Cream Monster. I preordered three bundles of this book to pass out to trick-or-treaters and it already has rave reviews from my children.





Goosebumps: Monsters at Midnight - Based in the monstrous world created by R.L. Stine, this comic is penned by Jenny Lambert and illustrated by Chris Fenoglio.  One of the highlights each Halloween season is reading spooky stories and Goosebumps is synonymous with age appropriate horror. This full-size comic features a pair of children who find themselves in an upside down world after exploring a local library. It appears to feature Slappy the Dummy and that is more than enough reason to pick this title up.

Ms. Marvel #1 - If you haven't checked out this series from G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona now is the perfect time to get the debut issue for free! This story introduces some much needed diversity into the world of mainstream comics and Kamala Khan is a welcome change to the typical superhero. Find out why it is exciting to have Marvel's first Muslim character with her own book!






Jughead: The Hunger - Geared towards older readers, this spooky book is set in the Riverdale universe. It has been oddly satisfying to watch Archie re-brand itself as Riverdale geared towards teenagers. While I have not gone down that rabbit hole, I am very intrigued to read a book featuring Jughead as a werewolf and Betty as a werewolf hunter. From talking to friends who have enjoyed this reboot it sounds like this title doesn't take itself too seriously and has its tongue firmly planted in its cheek.

Over the Garden Wall and Into the Unknown - It has been delightful to see this quirky cartoon get an extended life in the form of a comic book. While the brothers Wirt and Greg have returned home from The Unknown, someone else has accompanied them on their journey.  Now they need to find a way to get their friend back to the Unknown.  Flipping the script and allowing for a stranger to interact in our world should be an interesting twist that is recommended to readers of all ages.





Check out the entire library of comics that might be given away at your local comic book store by clicking here.  Make sure you keep in mind that some stores may not have all of the titles and some may give away more comics than others. The idea is to have fun and pick up at least one free book. It wouldn't hurt to pick something else out as well as the stores purchase all of the books that we get to enjoy for this event for free.  Happy Halloween!

POSTED BY MIKE N. aka Victor Domashev -- comic guy, proudly raising nerdy kids, and Nerds of a Feather contributor since 2012.

The Six Best Horror Movies (if you're a weenie)

I don't mind Halloween, in and of itself. There are costumes, booze, it's fall. All great things. But then every show and movie list is a non-stop gore fest and, folks, I do not do gore. Event Horizon might be a great movie, but I watched it from behind a pillow.

That's how I spend most horror movies (also out: GoT, Walking Dead, etc), and thus, most of October. So, in the event you are a weenie like me who does want to watch something creepy, I give you: The Six Best Horror Movies for Weenies.

A quick note, though: This isn't a joke list, where I just pick crappy horror movies. I am going for legitimate creep factor here, just without gore.

1. Psycho (1960). Sometimes the obvious answer is the right one. While it gets credit for essentially jump-starting the gore-splattered slasher genre, Psycho is so much more than that. It s layers of creepiness, with one of the all-time great twists and, of course, brilliant directing from the master.

2. Alien (1979). Chloe has already written the definitive piece on why Alien is one of the best movies of all time. It relies on feelings of isolation and fear of the unseen to keep you on the edge of your seat, and your head spinning after the credits roll. It's okay, though, Aliens is also the best sequel ever, so you can keep the party going.

3. Predator (1987). Like Alien, Predator relies more on the feeling of being stalked by, well, a predator than sheer shock value. Gorier than the other on this list, what with flayed corpses here and there, it ends up being Arnie at his best vs on ugly mother... Also, Predators is vastly underrated, if more of an action movie than horror.

4. Sunshine (2007). If this belongs on a horror movie list is justifiably up for debate, but this isn't that horror movie list, so here we are. And just like its place on this list, there are people who love this movie, and those that hate it. It is certainly flawed, but the whole thing is beautifully nihilistic and claustrophobic. It is a movie that traps you right along with the crew and makes you feel completely hemmed in and hopeless. For that, I give it a spot on this list and almost forgive its stupid third act.

5. The Silence of the Lambs (1991). The best thing a horror movie can do, for my money, is stick with you and haunt you. This is that movie. A stunning film by any standard, with brilliant directing, acting and score, this movie haunts your dreams in ways Freddy can only wish for. There are no supernatural, immortal monsters or demons here, no inbred barely-human murder families, just a movie informed by real serial killers, and performances given by actors who studied the monsters they were imitating, and every bit of those shows and it's scarier than any made-up monster.

6. Les Diaboliques (1955) Editors note: This comes courtesy friend o' the blog E. Catherine Tobler, who told me about this movie, but I haven't seen it yet, but sounds too good to omit. Her words: I first saw Les Diaboliques when I was in junior high--every year, our art class was rewarded with a film we would probably otherwise never see. We knew nothing about it, so as the black and white images began to unfold, we could only imagine where we might go.

The story, set at boarding school on the outskirts of Paris, is one of horror, obsession, and revenge, the perfect thing to show junior high art students, right? Simone Signoret is flawless and cold, Vera Clouzot timid and hard. Wife and mistress conspire to kill the man who has overwhelmed their lives--but everyone is a devil and who may you trust in such a conspiracy? (Three may keep a secret if two are dead, thank you Ben Franklin.)

This film never shows you a thing all the way--the pool that shimmers in the school yard is a haze of sunlight, or a tangle of weeds and trash, never revealing what lurks beneath the water. That's always more frightening than seeing the monster, right--or is it? Because the monster in this film... Well. That'd be saying too much, and the film itself cautions viewers to not tell others what they have seen. A note: the 1996 remake is terrible, erasing all the wonder of the 1955 original. More Editors notes: remakes of good movies are always terrible.

Feel free to chime in with your favorite horror movies, gory or otherwise! And have a safe and happy Halloween, everyone.

-DESR
Dean is the author of the 3024AD series of science fiction stories (which should be on YOUR summer reading list). You can read his other ramblings and musings on a variety of topics (mostly writing) on his blog. When not holed up in his office
tweeting obnoxiously writing, he can be found watching or playing sports, or in his natural habitat of a bookstore.

Thursday Morning Superhero: Halloween Comic Fest Edition

Halloween is next Monday and it can only mean one thing.  Candy!!  Well, that and free comic books!  This Saturday is Halloween Comic Fest and participating comic book stores will be holding costume contests, passing out free mini comics, and some will even have mini comic packs you can purchase to hand out on Halloween.  Handing out comics has become a tradition in my house and I look forward to it every year.  To find a participating location try the store finder here.  Per usual when Halloween Comic Fest rolls around, I am forgoing my normal comic book wrap-up and will highlight some of the great titles you can get for free this weekend.   Just know that Saga remains a must purchase and it would have likely been my pick of the week.

Johnny Boo and the Pumpkin Tiger - We love James Kolchaka in our household and Johnny Boo has been a staple in my kids' lives for the past 7 years!  I am so happy that we get a new Johnny Boo story just in time for Halloween.  Johnny Boo is the coolest ghost in town and goes on wacky adventures with his pet ghost Squiggle.  This title will be fun for the whole family.  Some stores will be selling this in packs of 25 and it is a great title to hand out on Halloween.





Grumpy Cat and Pokey - Grumpy Cat and her brother Pokey have different attitudes when it comes to Halloween.  Pokey is quite excited, but it comes as no surprise that Grumpy isn't too excited about the upcoming holiday.  Having read a few of the Grumpy Cat comics before, you know that you will get hit with a heavy dose of sarcasm and cuteness, in another great all-ages title.  This is one you should be proud to hand out to trick-or-treaters!

Pokemon Pocket Comics XY - While not really keeping in the spirit of the holiday, it is hard to have a more timely comic than this one.  I can only imagine that trick-or-treaters will be trying to catch a Ghastly or two and other spooky Pokemon on Pokemon Go as they trek across the neighborhood collecting actual candy and transferring caught Pokemon into virtual candy.  Imagine how excited they will be to see this title hit their plastic bucket or pillowcase on Halloween night.  You will have the coolest house on the block!





Archie's Madhouse - We all get trick-or-treaters that are a bit too old to be going from house to house collecting candy.  For a reference point see the amazing Freaks and Geeks Halloween episode.  One of the best.  Anyhoo, Archie is a classic and one that will be appropriate to hand out to the older kids who ring your doorbell.  Archie has seen a resurgence as of late and this title collects a variety of stories that are sure to entertain.







In addition to these titles there are other mini-comics and even a handful of full-size comics.  For a full list of comics click here and don't forget to dress up, have fun, and read more comics.  Happy Halloween!

POSTED BY MIKE N. aka Victor Domashev -- comic guy, proudly raising nerdy kids, and Nerds of a Feather contributor since 2012. 

HALLOWEEN SPECIAL: Halloweenies!

Ah, fall, when thoughts turn to lists of scary movies on every single blog (including this one!). But, some of us, when scary movies come on, hide behind pillows, run from the room or change the channel (and/or are really sick of dimly lit jump scares and gore being passed off as horror, seriously, stop it). If you are one of those, Nerds of a Feather is happy to give you our picks for all you Halloweenies out there.

Mike

ParaNorman (dir. by Chris Butler and Sam Fell, 2012)

One of the most beautifully animated films ever made, ParaNorman is a tale about boy who can speak to ghosts and accidentally awakens the dead who begin to terrorize his town.  Norman, along with the help from his friends, most solve the secret of the town witch and why she is filled with so much hate.  Despite its PG rating, there are some genuine scary moments in this classic I watch with my family every Halloween. 


 

Tia

Hocus Pocus (dir. by Kenny Ortega, 1993)

Just because I don’t like anxiety and gore doesn’t mean I don’t love me a good Halloween movie. Hocus pocus is the story of the Sanderson sisters, three turn of the 17th century witches who were accidentally resurrected by mischievous teenagers in 1990’s Salem Massachusetts. It was made by Disney and features a singing Bette Midler. Need I say more?





Vance

Burn, Witch, Burn (aka Night of the Eagle) (dir. Sidney Hayers, 1962)

I reviewed this film a couple of years ago but want to single it out again because it's an excellent film that sits right on the tipping point between campy fun and genuinely a little creepy. A young, up-and-coming professor who teaches something along the lines of mythology and is a resolute skeptic discovers his wife has been secretly dabbling in the occult and casting protective spells over him, but when he makes her give it up, they soon discover that those charms were the only thing keeping him safe from another group that wants to see him destroyed. Co-written by Richard Matheson, it has a great dose of Halloween chills and tons of atmosphere, without anything that's going to keep you up at night.

Charles

The Haloween Tree (dir. Mario Piluso, 1993)
What's that, a cartoon based on my favorite Halloween book? Written and narrated by Ray Bradbury himself? With Leonard Nimoy as a creepy guy who is so totally Death? Sign me up! The premise is simple enough, a group of kids traveling through time to learn about the origins of Halloween and also hopefully save their dying friend's soul from its one-way trip to the afterlife. I loved this movie when it came out, and while age has not been the kindest to the animation, I think it holds up pretty well thanks to some delicious overacting on the part of Mr. Spock--I mean, Nimoy and the incredible descriptions courtesy of one of the formative voices in science fiction. A must watch every Halloween!

Dean

The Corpse Bride (dir. Mike Johnson & Tim Burton, 2005)

The Nightmare Before Christmas is probably the easy choice here, thanks to its themes and Hot Topic-driven popularity (also being a pretty good flick), but for my money The Corpse Bride is an even better movie. Without having to pour characters in Halloween/Christmas molds, there is more room for them to develop and have personalities. My main (only) complaint about Nightmare is that the Jack and Sally love story feels forced and shoehorned. In Corpse Bride, it is obviously center stage, but also feels organic and true, and the ultimate resolution is better than shoving the two leads together. The constant creepiness made (mostly) adorable is perfect, and it has a better soundtrack. There, I said it.

The G

Fright Night (dir. Tom Holland, 1985)

Technically this is a horror movie, but it isn't scary and it is super campy.  So Halloweenie it is! Anyhoo, Fright Night is the story of some kid who thinks his neighbor is a vampire, and so solicits the help of his idol, a TV host and ex-vampire hunter, to take care of business. Oh, and did I mention that the TV show said ex-vampire hunter hosts is also called Fright Night? Extra points for that. And for the fact that there's a character named "Evil Ed."




Zhaoyun

Monster High: Ghouls Rule (dir. Mike Fetterly and Steve Sacks, 2012)

Considering it’s a one-hour TV special based off of a line of toys, my expectations were low, to say the least. To my surprise, Ghouls Rule turned out to be a reasonably interesting (yet not particularly dark or scary) story of prejudice, with a strong anti-discrimination theme. Monsters and “normies” (that's us humans) have to learn to live in peace, but factions within each group find it more convenient to stir up animosity, and only our intrepid “ghoulfriend” heroines—Draculaura, Frankie, Clawdeen, and the rest—can save the day (or rather, the night, since the story is about Halloween). We are monsters, we are proud!


English Scribbler

Beetlejuice (1988, Tim Burton)

My true Halloweenie childhood love is actually the 7min PBS Danse Macabre cartoon which awoke me to classical music and All Hallows' Eve all at once at an American School in Switzerland in 1983... But for a true pumpkin fest film that is fun more than terrifying it has to be Burton's Beetlejuice. Genuinely creepy and (for a kid) scary at times, it is also hilarious and it never loses its impish, rebellious glee with wild model effects, superb music and a warm heart - and Keaton is just incredible. Yes, both my Halloween film choices have Winona Ryder in, but that in no way should cause inference re my teenage years...

HALLOWEEN SPECIAL: Scary Movies

Just in time for Halloween, we are celebrating the best scary/spooky films out there! Here are some of the films that scared, disturbed or unnerved us in the best possible way...


The G

Let the Right One In (dir. by Tomas Alfredson, 2008) 

I gravitate toward brooding horror, and Let the Right One In is exactly that. It's the story of a bullied kid, his coming-of-age romance with a vampire, and how the pressure-cooker of early teenagehood can lead otherwise good kids down dark paths (though, in this case, our horror is tempered by sympathy for the protagonists). It's beautifully shot, capturing the emotional desolation felt by Oskar and Eli through a bleak, snow-packed landscape poked with anonymous tower block apartments. 




English Scribbler

Bram Stoker's Dracula (dir. Francis Ford Coppola, 1992)

For me at least, Halloween has matured from being a vague childhood event of pumpkin carving and that thing in ET to a global festival of chocolate ghosts and movie marathons at indie cinemas. It certainly still feels more joyfully American, and more fun, than some of the Japanese/Euro horror films closer to my fearful heart. So to my choice, Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) - a confection of 'boo!' moments and cool costumes that results in guilty giggles rather than any haunting dread or terror. It is a bag of high camp and decadent fright candy thrown at the big screen with glee and fanboy passion, yet with incredibly spooky visuals and sound and enough gothic gore and genuine menace from Oldman's Count to grant it horror status (and of course Keanu - never better). 


Brian

Event Horizon (dir. Paul W.S. Anderson, 1997)

Event Horizon combines two of my favorite things: space sci-fi, and space madness. The vessel Event Horizon mysteriously returns after being lost in space on its maiden voyage, and the search-and-rescue team that responds to it finds it's gone far beyond the reaches of space. It's got great performances from Laurence Fishburne and Sam Neill, as well as really classic gore horror imagery. Weak ending, but otherwise a fantastic sci-fi/horror film.





Vance

The Babadook (dir. Jennifer Kent, 2014) 

This is a movie that does a masterful job at evoking a sense of pervasive dread, so even when things aren't really happening, the tension continues to mount. The result is as effective an example of a contained, low-budget horror movie as I've seen in recent years. Not a lot of jump scares, not much gore, but this is a movie that can definitely tweak you. The plot concerns a single mother with a special needs son who is obsessed with monsters. So when he plucks a mysterious pop-up book called Mr. Babadook off the shelf at bedtime and he then begins seeing the frightening character from the book and going into convulsions, it's hard to know what's really happening and what's only in his head -- and it's impossible for his beleaguered, exhausted mother to know. The mother's fatigue, frustration, and helplessness feel deeply lived-in, and the core conflicts of the movie are visceral and primal. This, to me, is an excellent example of why we need more female writers and directors making films, because I don't think we ever would have seen this story from a male filmmaker, or if we had, I doubt it would've felt as emotionally on-point. 


Zhaoyun

Audition (dir. Takashi Miike, 1999)

When screened at a 2000 film festival, Audition made such a forceful and unsettling impact on the audience that many fled from the theater, and one viewer denounced Mr. Miike as “evil” for daring to make this film. Miike, after all, is the Lars von Trier of Asia, and he definitely lives up to his reputation for sadistic suffering in Audition. But the truly scary part comes after we’ve begun to identify with/root for the protagonist…and then he is totally and horrifically (if not, thankfully, literally) emasculated. The blood content is actually low, especially compared to the deep ocean of sadism into which the characters—and the viewers—must dive. We must watch in horror, unable to look away, as the ultimate femme fatale goes to work...