Editorials
‘Tamara’ – Digging Up ‘Final Destination’ Creator’s 2006 Revenge Horror Movie
High school is hell for people like Jenna Dewan’s put-upon character in the 2006 horror movie Tamara. The pathetic namesake doesn’t have any friends to call her own, and she spends most of her time daydreaming about her hunky teacher when she’s not playing with the dark arts. Now, Tamara thinks her life is finally starting to improve when her crush comes a-calling, but as things tend to go in these kinds of movies, the sudden attention isn’t real. No, someone is out to humiliate her. And like other wronged women in the horror genre, Tamara won’t rest until she gets her revenge.
Before Tamara Riley takes the stage as a violent vixen from beyond the grave, Dewan plays a smart yet frequently bullied girl at Hafton High School. The performance is convincing, quickly endearing her to viewers. Director Jeremy Haft’s movie then goes down a familiar path to reach the revenge portion of the story; here Tamara’s classmates lash out after she writes an exposé about steroid use among the football team. The article is praised by the object of Tamara’s affection, Mr. Natolly (Matthew Marsden), but jocks Shawn and Patrick (Bryan Clark and Gil Hacohen) use it as motivation for a cruel and foreboding prank.
For those who can’t wait for the carnage to occur, the vengeance parts of Tamara come along sooner than later. After the audience absorbs just how unhappy Tamara’s life is, at home and school, they are forced to watch her die. Shawn and Patrick’s scheme includes preying on Tamara’s unrequited feelings for Mr. Natolly; they lure her to a seedy motel for a secret dalliance between the student and teacher. And with a few classmates waiting in another room (Katie Stuart, Chad Faust, Marc Devigne and Melissa Elias), three of them unaware of the hosts’ hidden agenda, Tamara’s utter embarrassment is caught on video.
Jeffrey Reddick’s screenplay for Tamara channels Carrie at first, but the act of burying Tamara’s body and then taking a vow of secrecy — Tamara died from an accidental blow to the head — is a callback to movies like Prom Night and I Know What You Did Last Summer. The main difference, though, is Tamara doesn’t hide the identity of its angry avenger. No sooner than the following Monday does Tamara show up to Mr. Natolly’s class, fully made-over and itching to kill. The fact that Tamara doesn’t disclose the others’ crime creates a short-lived amount of tension before the story moves on to the actual payback.
Dewan is clearly having fun as her foxy character parades around the school, reveling in her transformation, and making Shawn and the other wrongdoers sweat. The audience is also undoubtedly enjoying the show. Reddick’s penchant for outlandish death sequences eventually comes out as Tamara delivers tailor-made punishments to all those connected to her premature passing. First up is the token nerd whose involvement in the prank wasn’t exactly malicious, yet like the others, he didn’t do the right thing in the end. His public demise is the appetizer before the remaining offenders are tracked down at an ill-fated house party.
One distinct visual aspect placing Tamara squarely in the noughties decade is its level of lingering violence. The moderate use of practical effects and makeup manages to cause a few winces from time to time. Tamara’s killing spree is neither brief nor unimaginative — no one would expect anything less from Reddick, the creator of the Final Destination franchise. And the ensuing murders are as enthusiastic as they are customized. From Tamara compelling her perverted, drunken father to literally eat beer bottles, to her preying on someone’s eating disorder, the movie gets damn nasty at certain points.
Thoughts of other horror movies crop up when watching Tamara. Carrie is the go-to comparison, but this movie’s back end shows more traces of the sequel, The Rage: Carrie 2. Going a touch deeper into the history of teen-horror, Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night 2 is an even more accurate spiritual companion; these two movies would make for a killer double feature. And while Tamara isn’t granting wishes, her magic powers echo those of other masters of manifestation, such as The Djinn of Wishmaster. She has the potency of Death from the Final Destination series, but Tamara’s knack for bizarre butchery makes her more like Damien from the Omen series.
Tamara feels like something out of straight-to-video, nineties horror. It’s lurid, gory and darkly amusing. Despite its mean streak, though, this movie has an emotional element; after Tamara gets the vengeance out of her system, she realizes what’s been missing since she came back from the dead. In the same moment, viewers remember why they cared about Tamara in the first place. So if the body count and gruesomeness don’t win you over, perhaps Jenna Dewan’s persuasive performance as the titular villain will.
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.
No conversation about cartoons based on live-action movies is ever complete without mentioning The Real Ghostbusters.
This animated continuation is, warts and all, a notable example of turning a hit movie into a hit series. And although the new target demographic skewed a little younger, even kids-at-heart could partake in the further adventures of Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, Winston Zeddemore and Egon Spengler.
For a good part of its run, the show required fans to wait at least a week for more Ghostbustin’. That’s torture for a kiddo. Luckily, though, the entire series, or at least most of it, is now available for streaming.
So, as you revisit The Real Ghostbusters on Tubi—for now it’s just the first five seasons there—use this guide to help prioritize some must-see episodes.
The Boogieman Cometh
“The Boogieman Cometh” (Season 1)
Season One’s “The Boogieman Cometh” is a classic episode featuring one of the show’s more iconic villains. It’s hard to forget the unique character design used for the Boogieman (whose creepy voice was provided by Ray and Slimer’s actor, Frank Welker). In this story, Egon is reunited with that bump-in-the-night entity who haunted his own childhood, all while trying to keep him away from his latest targets: the brother and sister claiming to have the Boogieman in their closet. Although the Ghostbusters do save the day here, the Boogieman eventually returns (“The Bogeyman Is Back“). That same episode also features the love-’em-or-hate-’em Junior Ghostbusters.
Mr. Sandman, Dream Me a Dream
“Mr. Sandman, Dream Me a Dream” (Season 1)
You could say the namesake of “Mr. Sandman, Dream Me a Dream” had good intentions for putting mankind to sleep for the next few centuries—he wanted to end war and keep everyone dreaming. Sounds nice until you remember that whole free will business. But when it seems like the Ghostbusters have lost to their latest foe, the last one standing, Winston, gains a sudden ally. Janine’s dream of becoming a Ghostbuster is manifested, and she helps put this rogue spirit to bed.
When Halloween Was Forever
“When Halloween Was Forever” (Season 1)
Before the show’s execs capitalized on Slimer’s popularity by making him the focus of later episodes, early stories like “When Halloween Was Forever” better utilized that gooey ghost. Here, the spirit of Halloween itself, Samhain, hopes to make the holiday a permanent thing by stopping time. And who does the embodiment of All Hallows’ Eve use in his nefarious plot? Slimer, of course. Thankfully, the lil’ green bud knows where he really belongs, and Samhain is banished (at least until Season 3’s “Halloween II 1/2“).
Night Game
“Night Game” (Season 2)
Because Season Two was rather long, in comparison to other seasons, it accumulated quite a few solid episodes. One of the most beloved, though, is that ultimate good-versus-evil story, “Night Game“. Winston gets to shine here as he participates in a battle that was 500 years in the making. Except this time, the fighting is done on the baseball field. The other-dimensional settings in The Real Ghostbusters are always great, but the one here is particularly memorable.
Drool, the Dog-Faced Goblin
“Drool, the Dog-Faced Goblin” (Season 2)
Not all ghosts and whatnot were bad in The Real Ghostbusters. As “Drool, the Dog-Faced Goblin” showed, some were actually benevolent. Sadly, it took a lot of convincing, and one very heroic act, for Peter and the others to see past this goblin’s grotesque appearance. The heroes find more than one shapeshifter at a sideshow carnival in the Poconos; a sinister Class-4er called the Metamorph does a swell job of menacing the Ghostbusters before they finally realize Drool’s not their culprit. The good guys indeed win here, but that victory is a bittersweet one.
The Collect Call of Cathulhu
“The Collect Call of Cathulhu” (Season 2)
While “The Collect Call of Cathulhu” does misspell “Cthulhu” in the title (probably to avoid legal issues), it is clearly the Old One in this Lovecraft-inspired episode. The story kicks off with the Necronomicon being stolen by the deity’s modern-day cult, who then raise their ancient god at Coney Island. From there, the Ghostbusters’ typical methods don’t work on the big guy, so they seek advice from an old issue of Weird Tales (or “Wierd Tales”, as it’s spelled on screen). That build-up to the finale comes with a decent amount of dread before the Ghostbusters, as well as a scholar named Alice, face off with one of the show’s most powerful entities.
Knock, Knock
“Knock, Knock” (Season 2)
A number of Real Ghostbusters episodes could be reworked into big-screen features, but perhaps “Knock, Knock” is the most hopeful. It helps that this story feels in step with the first two movies. Here, some ignorant construction workers accidentally uncover and open an ancient door in the subway. What’s behind said door is none other than those unspeakable evils that only the Ghostbusters can quell. A good deal of the imagery here is prime for adaptation.
The Grundel
“The Grundel” (Season 3)
One of the darker episodes, which was written by the prominent J. Michael Straczynski, is “The Grundel“. Here, a boy is being influenced by the titular entity, a type of ghost who ultimately turns his targets into new Grundels. The episode does have something of an after-school special quality to it, but that doesn’t take away from the eerier moments. For more Grundel lore, be sure to check out the episode “Grundelesque” from the sequel series, Extreme Ghostbusters.
Standing Room Only
“Standing Room Only” (Season 4)
It’s no secret that The Real Ghostbusters experienced multiple changes after the second season. Out of all of them, though, retooling the show so that Slimer would get more of the spotlight is maybe the most egregious. Thankfully, Season Four (the first to be called Slimer! and the Real Ghostbusters) didn’t completely obey that new directive; episodes like “Standing Room Only” felt more like the old days. The focus here was on the well-being of the city and its people, rather than on the series’ green mascot (or the Junior Ghostbusters). In the episode, Peter’s new ghost attractor isn’t to blame for the ensuing chaos; the ghost-eating Mee-Krah is what’s really imperiling everyone. And the Ghostbusters must dish out everything they have to avoid a doomsday situation.
The Halloween Door
“The Halloween Door” (Season 5)
While many fans will skip the later seasons in their rewatches, episodes like “The Halloween Door” are still worth checking out. This colorful helping of Halloween pandemonium premiered on primetime, so the animation is better than usual. And save for a random musical moment, it’s an enjoyable event. Here, a group of anti-Halloweeners tries to cancel the holiday, but they only end up making things worse by unleashing a baddie named Boogaloo.
The first five seasons of The Real Ghostbusters are available on Tubi, starting on July 15.
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