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31 for 31: Through the Decades Challenge – Week 2

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It’s almost time for Halloween which means it’s time to watch a crap ton of horror flicks! This year with my 31 films in 31 days of October I wanted to branch out a bit. I realized that most of the films I watch are generally from the 80s (with a sprinkling of late 70s). To push myself outside my norm, I’m donning this year’s adventure “31 for 31: Through the Decades Challenge”. Simply put, each day will correlate to a specific decade, and I must watch at least one film a day. No exceptions! Of course, I couldn’t leave well enough alone. I had to make a further set of rules for myself to ensure I’m getting lots of variety. Those rules as follows:

  1. One film must be watched from each decade (50s – 10’s)
  2. One film must be watched from a major horror franchise.
  3. One film must be watched from one of our late-great masters (Craven, Romero, or Hooper).
  4. One film must be watched that deals with witches or witchcraft.
  5. One film must be watched that deals with the undead.
  6. One film must be watched that stars either Christopher Lee or Vincent Price.
  7. One film must be watched that contains sci-fi/horror elements.
  8. One film must be watched that is a remake.
  9. One film must be watched that is from Italy.
  10. One film must be watched that takes place during Halloween.

This past week was a lot of fun. Overall, I managed to catch some awesome films I’d never seen before as well as cram in some always reliable classics. I even had the chance to work in a few bonus watches. Let’s dig in!


October 8th – Night of the Demon (1957)

Rules Met: 1, 4, 10

“American professor John Holden arrives in London for a parapsychology conference, only to find himself investigating the mysterious actions of Devil-worshiper Julian Karswell.”

Directed by Jacques Tourneur (amazing Val Lewton productions Cat People, The Leopard Man), Night of the Demon is an atmospheric creepfest. The director relies heavily upon his skill to illicit fear based off the power of suggestion alone. Nonetheless, Night also happens to be a bonafide creature feature (apparently Tourneur lost that battle with the producer). The film uses witchcraft as a springboard to build an escalating sense of dread while creating an interesting mythos all its own. Ultimately, the titular “demon” may seem terribly dated but it remains a truly impressive effect given the time period. The story even takes place during Halloween!


October 9th – Planet of the Vampires (1965)

Rules Met: 1, 7, 9

“After landing on a mysterious planet, a team of astronauts begin to turn on each other, swayed by the uncertain influence of the planet and its strange inhabitants.”

Mario Bava is the godfather of Italian horror cinema. His films were often duplicated or ripped off. One need only look to the first two Friday the 13th films to see numerous deaths lifted straight from Bava’s Bay of Blood. For years now, critics have claimed that when Ridley Scott and Dan O’Bannon crafted Alien, the duo stole a lot from this 1965 sci-fi/horror mashup. Truthfully, Planet of the Vampires, Bava’s candy-colored tale of a crew lured to a desolate planet only to discover the remains of a long-dead civilization…that maybe aren’t so long-dead after all, has a lot more in common with PrometheusPlanet is a fun film that gets a lot of mileage out of gorgeous cinematography and the high camp value of its 60s idea of the future.


October 10th – Horror Express (1972)

Rules Met: 1, 6

“In 1906, in China, a British anthropologist discovers a frozen prehistoric creature and must transport it to Europe by train.”

Horror Express is possibly the coolest discovery I’ve made this year so far. This Spanish production brings Hammer’s biggest names, Lee and Cushing, together on a train ride filled with plenty of bloody mayhem. From a cryptoid monster, body jumping shenanigans, and mindless zombies, Horror Express crams a whole lot of genre into one tight package. This film also happens to be in the public domain, so you can pull up one of a myriad of copies online right now!


October 11th – Deadly Friend (1986)

Deadly Friend 1986

Rules Met: 1, 3

“After his friend is killed by her abusive father, the new kid in town attempts to save her by implanting robotic microchips into her brain.”

Wes Craven always wanted to step outside the horror genre. Working on a script based off the novel Friend, Deadly Friend works best as a coming of age tale. The first half featuring adorable Matthew Labyorteaux and Kristy Swanson meet cute-ing as next door neighbors and dealing with life’s various growing pains (abusive father, first love, the pressure of robotic science over achievement) is great stuff. Once the more horrific Frankenstein elements come into play, the story loses a great deal of footing. It’s no surprise to note Craven’s original cut (unreleased to this day) was much more focused on their characters and their relationships. Reshoots forced numerous fake out nightmare sequences and gorier deaths onto the production. I’m sure we can all agree that the only good to come of that was death by basketball.


October 12th – House on Haunted Hill (1999)

Rules Met: 1, 8

“An amusement park mogul offers a group of diverse people $1,000,000 to spend the night in a haunted house with a horrifying past.:

The first of what was to be a string of updates to old William Castle films by production company Dark Castle, House on Haunted Hill came at a time when horror was still raking it in at the box office. At the time, most genre films featured WB stars in fairly bloodless films. William Malone’s take on the old dark house motif was a breath of fresh air amongst the norm. While Haunted Hill hasn’t aged too gracefully, it still remains the closest example of bringing the thrills of a seasonal haunted house attraction to life in cinematic form. Every couple of scenes are punctuated by a surprising twist or grand guignol gore gag. The main drawback is the characters are all generally unlikable or plain bland. Thankfully, the bitchier characters are played with gleeful zest (Geoffrey Rush and Famke Janssen) and the vanilla leads (Ali Larter and Taye Diggs) have decent chemistry. It’s the perfect brainless flick for an All Hallow’s movie night.


October 13th – Freddy vs Jason (2003)

Rules Met: 1, 2

After an unbelievable amount of time in development hell, Freddy vs Jason finally came out to a starving crowd of slasher fans. For most, it was everything they wanted. Freddy cracked wise and Jason sliced up a bunch of folks. For me, I found it underwhelming. I wasn’t really sure why I didn’t care for it at the time. I mean, it’s a perfectly serviceable popcorn hack n’ slash. I realized upon this rewatch that the script actually presents some interesting ideas (the Hypnocil, the idea that Freddy needs Jason to bring fear back to Springwood), but overall everything is rushed through so quickly it hardly has time to register any impact. Director Ronny Yu is a master stylist. The film is way more beautiful than it has any right to be. The problem is that any tension that might have existed is completely absent due to the need to keep things moving at such a quick pace. Despite these complaints, the film really does shine during the climax. Yu knows how to choreograph an amazing fight, and Freddy and Jason’s showdown is enough to keep this film in many a horror lover’s heart for years to come.


October 14th – The Babysitter (2017)

Rules Met: 1

“The events of one evening take an unexpected turn for the worst for a young boy trying to spy on his babysitter.”

McG attempts to channel Sam Raimi by way of John Hughes in the newest Netflix horror release. The Babysitter is a quick ride that runs through its plot points with all the delicacy of a machine gun. Overall, I enjoyed the viewing. The main issue is that it tries to balance two distinct tones: over the top gory horror/comedy and coming of age tale. While I’m sure there’s a film that could pull that off exceptionally well – this isn’t it. Regarding the horror element, we’re introduced to an ancient satanic text and sacrifice ritual but the payoff is just a run of the mill murder spree. Where are the demons? Where’s the Satan of it all? Instead of going full hog, we get half-assed attempts at emotional depth that simply don’t land. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a perfectly fun film that would probably play best amongst a rowdy group of friends. It’s just not the instant classic is so desperately wants to be.


BONUS WATCH:

  • The Haunting (1963) – I’d never seen this chilling gothic horror, and it’s plainly clear why it is so frequently at the top of “Scariest Films Ever Made” lists. The camerawork alone is astounding and its influence can be clearly traced to a number of our favorite genre works. Beyond that, there are moments of genuine blood cooling terror and heavy homosexual and emotional subtext that makes this one haunted house film worth peeling back the layers on.
  • Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street (1980/1984) – I’m extremely lucky to have near me a Coyote Drive-in. They’re a small chain that has been popping up with high quality, multi screen drive-ins. While it’s always fun to see the newest horror release there, they occasionally host some classic double features. As a special event this past Friday the 13th they showed…Friday the 13th! It played as part of a double bill with the original Nightmare. These may be films that I’ve seen a hundred times before, but seeing them on a massive screen with the special magic of a drive-in theater coursing through the air was a truly awesome thing to behold. One of my friends had never seen either of them. Over 30 years later, Nightmare on Elm Street still succeeds at frightening viewers. She had to go home and watch Will and Grace to try and clear her mind of the dream demon.

Alright, so who is doing the “Through the Decades Challenge?” What have you watched for your 31 for 31?

Editorials

‘Leprechaun Returns’ – The Charm of the Franchise’s Legacy Sequel

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leprechaun returns

The erratic Leprechaun franchise is not known for sticking with a single concept for too long. The namesake (originally played by Warwick Davis) has gone to L.A., Las Vegas, space, and the ‘hood (not once but twice). And after an eleven-year holiday since the Davis era ended, the character received a drastic makeover in a now-unmentionable reboot. The critical failure of said film would have implied it was time to pack away the green top hat and shillelagh, and say goodbye to the nefarious imp. Instead, the Leprechaun series tried its luck again.

The general consensus for the Leprechaun films was never positive, and the darker yet blander Leprechaun: Origins certainly did not sway opinions. Just because the 2014 installment took itself seriously did not mean viewers would. After all, creator Mark Jones conceived a gruesome horror-comedy back in the early nineties, and that format is what was expected of any future ventures. So as horror legacy sequels (“legacyquels”) became more common in the 2010s, Leprechaun Returns followed suit while also going back to what made the ‘93 film work. This eighth entry echoed Halloween (2018) by ignoring all the previous sequels as well as being a direct continuation of the original. Even ardent fans can surely understand the decision to wipe the slate clean, so to speak.

Leprechaun Returns “continued the [franchise’s] trend of not being consistent by deciding to be consistent.” The retconning of Steven Kostanski and Suzanne Keilly’s film was met with little to no pushback from the fandom, who had already become accustomed to seeing something new and different with every chapter. Only now the “new and different” was familiar. With the severe route of Origins a mere speck in the rearview mirror, director Kotanski implemented a “back to basics” approach that garnered better reception than Zach Lipovsky’s own undertaking. The one-two punch of preposterous humor and grisly horror was in full force again.

LEPRECHAUN

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

With Warwick Davis sitting this film out — his own choice — there was the foremost challenge of finding his replacement. Returns found Davis’ successor in Linden Porco, who admirably filled those blood-stained, buckled shoes. And what would a legacy sequel be without a returning character? Jennifer Aniston obviously did not reprise her final girl role of Tory Redding. So, the film did the next best thing and fetched another of Lubdan’s past victims: Ozzie, the likable oaf played by Mark Holton. Returns also created an extension of Tory’s character by giving her a teenage daughter, Lila (Taylor Spreitler).

It has been twenty-five years since the events of the ‘93 film. The incident is unknown to all but its survivors. Interested in her late mother’s history there in Devil’s Lake, North Dakota, Lila transferred to the local university and pledged a sorority — really the only one on campus — whose few members now reside in Tory Redding’s old home. The farmhouse-turned-sorority-house is still a work in progress; Lila’s fellow Alpha Epsilon sisters were in the midst of renovating the place when a ghost of the past found its way into the present.

The Psycho Goreman and The Void director’s penchant for visceral special effects is noted early on as the Leprechaun tears not only into the modern age, but also through poor Ozzie’s abdomen. The portal from 1993 to 2018 is soaked with blood and guts as the Leprechaun forces his way into the story. Davis’ iconic depiction of the wee antagonist is missed, however, Linden Porco is not simply keeping the seat warm in case his predecessor ever resumes the part. His enthusiastic performance is accentuated by a rotten-looking mug that adds to his innate menace.

LEPRECHAUN RETURNS sequel

Pictured: Taylor Spreitler, Pepi Sonuga, and Sai Bennett as Lila, Katie and Rose in Leprechaun Returns.

The obligatory fodder is mostly young this time around. Apart from one luckless postman and Ozzie — the premature passing of the latter character removed the chance of caring about anyone in the film — the Leprechaun’s potential prey are all college aged. Lila is this story’s token trauma kid with caregiver baggage; her mother thought “monsters were always trying to get her.” Lila’s habit of mentioning Tory’s mental health problem does not make a good first impression with the resident mean girl and apparent alcoholic of the sorority, Meredith (Emily Reid). Then there are the nicer but no less cursorily written of the Alpha Epsilon gals: eco-conscious and ex-obsessive Katie (Pepi Sonuga), and uptight overachiever Rose (Sai Bennett). Rounding out the main cast are a pair of destined-to-die bros (Oliver Llewellyn Jenkins, Ben McGregor). Lila and her peers range from disposable to plain irritating, so rooting for any one of them is next to impossible. Even so, their overstated personalities make their inevitable fates more satisfying.

Where Returns excels is its death sequences. Unlike Jones’ film, this one is not afraid of killing off members of the main cast. Lila, admittedly, wears too much plot armor, yet with her mother’s spirit looming over her and the whole story — comedian Heather McDonald put her bang-on Aniston impersonation to good use as well as provided a surprisingly emotional moment in the film — her immunity can be overlooked. Still, the other characters’ brutal demises make up for Lila’s imperviousness. The Leprechaun’s killer set-pieces also happen to demonstrate the time period, seeing as he uses solar panels and a drone in several supporting characters’ executions. A premortem selfie and the antagonist’s snarky mention of global warming additionally add to this film’s particular timestamp.

Critics were quick to say Leprechaun Returns did not break new ground. Sure, there is no one jetting off to space, or the wacky notion of Lubdan becoming a record producer. This reset, however, is still quite charming and entertaining despite its lack of risk-taking. And with yet another reboot in the works, who knows where the most wicked Leprechaun ever to exist will end up next.


Horror contemplates in great detail how young people handle inordinate situations and all of life’s unexpected challenges. While the genre forces characters of every age to face their fears, it is especially interested in how youths might fare in life-or-death scenarios.

The column Young Blood is dedicated to horror stories for and about teenagers, as well as other young folks on the brink of terror.

Leprechaun Returns movie

Pictured: Linden Porco as The Leprechaun in Leprechaun Returns.

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