mem·o·ry·less·ness

Steve with Kane Hodder / Steve with Lisa Wilcox, 03/08/08

Here I am with Kane Hodder, who starred as Jason Voorhees in Friday the 13th parts VII-IX and Jason X and as Victor Crowley in Hatchet and Hatchet II, and with Lisa Wilcox, who starred as Alice in A Nightmare on Elm Street parts 4 and 5.  These was taken at Texas Fear Fest 2 in 2008.

Steve with Robert Englund, 03/08/08

Here I am with Robert Englund.  This was taken at Texas Fear Fest 2 in 2008.  I had never posted these on here, so here they are.  More old horror convention pictures coming soon.

October Horror Films 2011 | Day 31 #2 | Halloween (dir. Rob Zombie; Dimension Films/Nightfall Productions/Spectacle Entertainment Group/Trancas International Films/The Weinstein Company 2007)

Brief review:  Rob Zombie’s Halloween remake is the second film we watched on Halloween.  

<spoilers>The story is basically the same as the original, but there is a lot more exposition:  the first act is about Michael as a child and includes his abusive/alcoholic stepfather (mother’s boyfriend?), school bullies, the fact that he tortures animals, etc.  It is also explicit that Laurie Strode is his sister, a fact that isn’t established until the original film’s sequel.  Personally, I think it’s scarier not knowing why he’s chasing her, but I understand why Zombie included this - it’s a well known part of Michael Myers’s story.  I also like the dynamic between Laurie and Tommy, the boy she’s babysitting.  Their interactions are funnier than those in the original film.  It works both ways, but this is an example of a difference between the two films.</spoilers>

We saw this when it came out and had seen it at least once since.  I like this film (I think I like its sequel more, though). It’s similar to the original, but different enough that it’s still interesting and enjoyable.  I recommend Halloween (2007) to fans of the original, slasher films in general, and Rob Zombie. 

Bonus:  There are lots of horror icons (Sid Haig, Bill Moseley, Dee Wallace, etc.) with cameos/small roles, plus Malcolm McDowell plays Dr. Loomis.

Block:  Halloween!

Trailer:

October Horror Films 2011 | Day 31 #1 | Halloween (dir. John Carpenter; Compass International Pictures/Falcon International Pictures 1978)

Brief review:  The first film we watched on Halloween was John Carpenter’s Halloween.  This is another one that it’s difficult to say anything about that hasn’t already been said.  I know it’s not the first slasher movie, but I think it’s one of the best.  It certainly influenced all slasher films that came after it.

It’s about an escaped mental patient (Michael Myers) who, at age six, killed his sister on Halloween night.  Fifteen years later, he escapes and returns to his hometown.  Once there, he terrorizes a babysitter (played by Jamie Lee Curtis), killing two of her friends.  Myers is pursued by Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence, who is awesome), his psychiatrist.

Halloween is one of my favorite movies.  I first saw it in the early 1990s, and I think I like it more each time I see it.  I also notice new things, like the painting (a giant picture of a kitten) on the wall in the hallway of the Wallace house.  The music (also by Carpenter) adds a lot to the visuals (which are really good to begin with).  The pacing is great and some of the shots are excellent.  I recommend Halloween to fans of slasher films (and all films, really), John Carpenter, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Donald Pleasence.

Block:  Halloween!

Trailer:

mylesandmyles:

No, Zombie, we’re going to eat you!

Happy Halloween from Steve and Liz!

(photoset for our cake tribute to Lucio Fulci’s 1979 film Zombie)

October Horror Films 2011 | Day 30 | Hatchet (dir. Adam Green; ArieScope Pictures/High Seas Entertainment/Radioaktive Film 2007)

Brief review:  Hatchet is about a group of people on a “haunted swamp tour” near New Orleans.  The film stars Kane Hodder as Victor Crowley, a deformed man who was accidentally killed by getting hit in the face by a hatchet while his father was trying to rescue him from a burning house.  His ghost roams the woods near the house, searching for his father and killing anyone who gets close to the house.

I really like Hatchet.  I had seen it previously, during its theatrical run (2007).  We also watched Hatchet II last October.  It’s a cool-yet-simple story that, though derivative of 1980s slasher films (which seems to be what writer/director Adam Green was going for, based on the tagline “Old School American Horror”), still feels new.  When I first saw the poster, I thought it was an adaptation of the 1987 novel with the same name (which I liked), until I saw the rating.  In my opinion, this is among the best slasher movies of the last ten years (and it’s probably the best that isn’t a remake or a sequel).  I recommend Hatchet to fans of Kane Hodder and fans of 1980s slasher movies and other “Old School American Horror.”

Bonus:  This film features appearances by Robert Englund, Joshua Leonard, and Tony Todd. Also, the credits (opening and closing) are accompanied by a Marilyn Manson song (the same song; the opening is he album version and the closing is a remix).

Trailer: