Original Coverage & Source Attribution: www.texarkanagazette.com
In October, thoughts turn to all things spooky, and that means scary movies.
Streaming technology has made more horror films available to more people than ever before — so many that choosing one to add a few chills to the season can be daunting.
Here are few Halloween-themed recommendations for horror-heads and dabblers alike, with some very minor spoilers.
“HALLOWEEN” (1978, R)
John Carpenter’s all-time classic introduced the world to both Jamie Lee Curtis in her first movie role and iconic masked killer Michael Myers. From its chilling one-shot opening to the closing histrionics of Donald Pleasance as Dr. Loomis (“I shot him six times!”), “Halloween” still holds up 45 years after its release.
If somehow you’ve missed it until now, put it at the top of your watch list.
“HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH” (1982, R)
“Halloween” has spawned a long list of sequels and reboots, and fans have no shortage of opinions as to their relative quality. “Halloween III” stands out among them as unique, the only film in the franchise that has nothing to do with Michael Myers.
Producers John Carpenter and Debra Hill envisioned turning the “Halloween” franchise into an anthology series of movies linked only by the holiday, the first of which to be “Season of the Witch.” The sci-fi-tinged story involves Halloween masks that are much more dangerous than they seem, not to mention a commercial jingle likely to stick in your head.
The movie was neither a critical nor a commercial success, leading to “The Return of Michael Myers” as the series’ fourth entry. But it’s always had its champions and is well worth a watch.
“PUMPKINHEAD” (1988, R)
Many horror fans list this sleeper as one of their favorites of the ’80s, citing an engaging central performance by Lance Henriksen and remarkable visuals by practical special effects guru Stan Winston, also making his directorial debut. “Cult following” is a phrase sure to turn up in any of its recent reviews.
The titular monster isn’t really related to pumpkins or Halloween, though the movie was released in October. Instead, Pumpkinhead is a legendary, demonic agent of vengeance conjured by a witch at the request of grieving father Ed Hurley (Henriksen).
“Pumpkinhead” is a cautionary tale with fairy-tale echoes. Revenge, of course, has a price, as Hurley soon learns in gruesome fashion.
“TRICK ‘R TREAT” (2007, R)
Another lesser-known Halloween horror with a devoted following, “Trick ‘r Treat” is usually described as an anthology movie, that is, a collection of short films sometimes bound by a theme or framing story.
But this movie is much more than that, a series of terrifying vignettes cleverly interlinked in the vein of “Pulp Fiction.” Threading through them all is Sam, a child-sized trick-or-treater with a burlap ball for a head who deserves horror icon status alongside the likes of Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees.
Look for Academy Award-winner Anna Paquin and “Succession” star Brian Cox in key roles.
“HELL HOUSE LLC” (2015, NR)
Though movies such as 1980’s “Cannibal Holocaust” truly pioneered the form, in 1999, “The Blair Witch Project” popularized so-called found footage horror. Such movies purport to be amateur, impromptu video shot by the characters themselves. The found footage sub-genre has been a staple of horror cinema ever since, with varying success.
“Hell House LLC” uses the form to tell the story of a Halloween haunted house attraction gone very, very wrong, thanks to its staging in a building with a dark past. If Pennywise in “It” triggered your fear of clowns, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
