Horror Movie Guide: Abbott & Costello Double Bill.

So, here we go with my inaugural post of the Horror Movie Guide Checklist. The first two listings in the book were a pair of Abbott & Costello flicks, the 1948 picture where they Meet Frankenstein and then Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde five years later.

Full disclosure; I was never a Universal monster guy. I started consuming horror movies in 1979 so my Dracula & Wolfman were Jason and Michael. That's not to say I don't like appreciate those old films, I just didn't seek out titles from the silver era until much later in life. As for Abbott & Costello, I was partial to The Three Stooges as a kid so this may have been my first exposure to A&C beyond Who's On First?

I enjoyed both movies and found them very amusing. I tried coming at it from the angle of how mind-blowing it must have been to have all these famous characters on-screen at once, much like Freddy vs. Jason, Alien vs. Predator, and more explosively, the MCU. I wonder, were there detractors upset that, formerly terrifying characters like Dracula and Frankenstein's Monster, were now being played for laughs. Not unlike Freddy in the last eighties.

I thought the difference the tone between the two pictures was interesting. I mean, sure they are goofy overall, but inversely. Frankenstein starts wacky and then gets darker. I sure didn't expect all the baddies to die at the end (except for the Invisible Man/Vincent Price cameo at the outset) and I was certainly shocked to see the female lead get pitched out a window to her doom. I also dug the old school animations, as well. And I'm going to assume that face-changing transition technique was still wowing audiences because they USED IT A LOT. In both movies.

Jekyll and Hyde was grim from the top with a man being killed in the street and then a subsequent brawl at a suffrage rally. Having those women's right activists moonlighting as burlesque dancers was sure a bizarre subplot. Shoehorned musical numbers are always a good way to know you are watching a movie from the fifties.

I was surprised to see Boris Karloff show up, considering they got someone else to play the Monster in the previous film. Maybe he was just too old for that shit. I was also aware that Abbott & Costello disappeared for a good chunk of the picture for some reason. I think I was more impressed with the action beats in this one, that rooftop chase was kinda dope, as was unexpected monster outbreak finale.

The HMG definitely gave Frank a sizable edge, but I think they both exist on their own merits.

I find it odd that the other A&C crossovers weren't included in the book. Maybe they wanted to save space? Who knows?

TIFF 2022

TIFF has come and gone this year. Obviously the last few years have been hybrids, but this edition was as close to being as normal as it could be. The Midnight Madness program itself however, is still in a state of flux after being ousted from its home at the Ryerson Theatre. 

When I heard this year's screenings would take place at the Royal Alex Theatre I was a bit concerned. Not only was it not a movie house (they literally had to install the screen for the fest), but how were the sightlines gonna be? The Bloor was basically ruined after their renovations so how was this going to fare? Add in some Ticketmaster fuckery that led to me not being able to pick seats in anything other than the front row (some TIFF screenings are assigned seating now) and I was downright worried.

It turns out it was much ado about nothing because front row actually worked out great. The screen was placed deep into the stage and was the perfect size for how far I was in relation to it. I can't say the same for the peeps in the back and the balconies, but for me it was all good. It also got me closer to Mia and Ester, but more on that later. I saw a total of five midnights over the course of the fest and here's the skinny;

First up was Tim Story's The Blackening. Based on a popular YouTube sketch, the premise is simply, “If the black character dies first in a slasher movie, what happens when the entire cast is black?” This movie was really funny and crowd was into it. It's the kind of comedy where you miss stuff because the ambient laughter is drowning out the subsequent jokes. I definitely recommend for those who like horror spoofs that are a little more refined than the Scary Movie series. 

Next up was Sick. Written by Kevin Williamson, I would definitely say that this is Scream-adjacent. This is the first slasher I've seen to take place during the Covid era and it uses it well. I liked the lead actress Gideon Adlon, she had a Monica Keena-vibe to her. Although this was likely my least favourite of the '22 MM crop, the lengthy chase sequence was a standout. 

Day five of the fest brought my most anticipated screening of Ti West's Pearl. I thought X was a nice surprise - the '22 TCM we deserved - and this was a fitting companion to it. Mia Goth was stellar in this, just completely unhinged and my vote for performance of the year. 

Director Ti West & Actors Mia Goth & Corenswet

I loved how West leaned into the era in which it was set. Where X was a grimy, sweaty love letter to the 70's, Pearl is a boisterous ballad to Hollywood's infancy. Once you clock into the kind of movie West and Goth are making here (much like this year's Orphan: First Kill) you can really revel in the ride. With it being set in 1919, there was also some clever play with our parallel pandemics. And marketing was kind enough to hand us Pearl handkerchiefs on our way out.

And to top it off, after the credits rolled and that MaXXXine stinger played, the crowd lost their fucking shit. 

Later in the week was the dream pair of Jaume Balagueró (REC) & Álex de la Iglesia's (Perdita Durango) newest offering, Venus. Basically part-crime, past-haunted house, part-cosmic horror, I really enjoyed this one. I can admit to having a bias because the lead Ester Expósito was absolutely scorching.

Director Jaume Balagueró & Actress Ester Expósito 

I'm not lying when I said I was actually having trouble reading the subtitles because it meant I had to take my eyes off her. She's just one of those women where it seems like there is a beam of light shining down on them from above. So I'm a fan. Other than that, there is some good gore and a handful of solid set pieces. 

Last on the list was the latest in the V/H/S series, '99. I enjoyed the last iteration and the good thing about anthologies is if you're not digging the story, you got a new one coming up right behind. Fortunately, V/H/S/99 was particularly strong with high points being Flying Lotus' dark and disgusting take on 90's Nickelodeon game shows, Joseph & Vanessa Winter's literal foray into hell and Johannes Robert's entry definitely took home the prize for most intense audience reaction.

It was a fun week and I wouldn't be opposed to MM staying at the RAT (love that acronym!). Stay tuned tomorrow where I run down what happened at this year's Horror-Rama.

PG For Short!

Psycho Goreman is now streaming on Shudder. And what better way to celebrate than a 90s themed rap video.

Road Trip To Gigax!

In honour of National Canadian Film Day, I took a trip down the QEW to pick up the Psycho Goreman Reel Meal Deal currently being offered at Lester D's diner in St. Catharines, Ontario.

So friggin' great! For those who don't about PG, it's awesome and you should watch it! 

Gifrific: Totally Tubular!

Source: Psycho Goreman (2020)

PG!

Ahead of its premiere at SXSW later this month, here's the brand new trailer for Steve Kostanski's Psycho Goreman.

It looks like everything I expected it to be! Look for it to hit a screen near you later this year.

Short of the Week #76: Zandavi Lives

This week short is the latest from my pal Mike Pereira, Zandavi Lives. Enjoy!

This was the third short to feature his recurring monster hunter Nash Caruthers, played by Timothy Paul McCarthy. For more, click here.

Short of the Week #74: Deathbox

This week I give you my pal Mike Pereira's newly posted short Deathbox from 2015.

Look out for his upcoming debut feature Shout For The Devil to be unleashed next year.

Short of the Week #57: The Procedure

We played Calvin Reeder's The Procedure 2 at Little Terrors a few weeks back so I thought I'd post Part One in case you have never had the pleasure. Go on, try not to laugh. I dare you.

Short of the Week #47: We Summoned A Demon

After tearing up the festival circuit for the last eighteen months, Chris McInroy's hilariously gory short film We Summoned A Demon is now online. Enjoy!

Short of the Week #45: Greener Grass

It's time to weird things up here with Paul Briganti's 2015 short Greener Grass.

This short cracks me up every time.

More Trick Than Treat.

In keeping with the Halloween spirit, this week's VHS is Gary Graver's 1982 flick Trick or Treats.

Linda (Jaqueline Giroux) spends Halloween night babysitting a mischievous ten-year-old (Chris Graver) unaware that his father (Peter Jason) has just escaped from an institution and is making his way back there.

I've seen this movie a few times now and every time I watch it the same questions enter in my mind, how? and why? being chief among them. Trick or Treats is such an enigma to me when I try to pin down where Graver was coming from when he made this. On a surface level, I assume the goal was to make a cheap Halloween ripoff, but very little of Carpenter's classic comes through in the finished product. If anything I'd say Trick or Treats has more in common with Mickey Rose's 1981 spoof Student Bodies, but since Graver never fully commits to comedy within his horror construct you end up with something completely schizophrenic.

Take the opening scene for example, where “millionaire industrialist” Malcolm O' Keefe was carted off to the loony bin in a struggle that took four full minutes to play out. I recall the first time I watched this I was like “this movie is amazing”, until I realized that the whole movie was mainly just absurd, aimless vignettes like this one with very little actual horror to be found. On that note, perhaps the most horrifying thing about this universe is that you could just call up a number and when two dudes showed up with a straitjacket you just pointed and they'd take that person away.

Call 1-800-Got-Crzy

What followed after that was a parade of head shaking scenes with often awkward exchanges designed to fill time rather than forward the threadbare plot. While the meat of the picture was Linda continuously falling for the pranks played on her by her charge, it was kind of hard to tell while being bombarded by visiting trick or treaters, calls from her boyfriend and the B story-line of the husband escaping the asylum in ridiculous fashion and making his way across town.

At one point it seemed like Trick or Treats had completely jumped movies by showing two women editing a bad (worse) horror movie to the point they lamented how editors were not appreciated in the industry. This was an odd declaration considering how poorly paced this movie actually was. But wait, there finally was a connection as one of them showed up at the babysitter's place only to be dispatched for no other reason that to remind us that we're watching a horror movie.

Peter Jason as Malcolm O'Keefe.

Another bizarre thing about this movie was how many character actors Graver was able to get onscreen. While perhaps David Carradine, Paul Bartel and Carrie Snodgrass owed him favours, Steve Railsback and Catherine “Log Lady” Coulson showing up at metered intervals must have just been good luck. Again, I have to wonder why Graver felt so compelled to make this movie. Imdb states he sunk some of his own money into it and employed other cost cutting measures such as using Snodgrass's home to shoot and even cast his own son as the brat.

Despite its many flaws, Trick or Treats has significance to me because the dynamic between Linda & Christopher was one of the main inspirations behind my second short film, Lively. As meandering as the plot was, I still can't help but laugh at all the improv, miscues and random ADR. I have no idea what Graver originally intended, but the result is a glorious mess.

Short of the Week #27: Chairs

The newest episode of Poppy Seed Place entitled “Chairs” dropped last week. Here it is below.

I love these little vignettes, they never cease to make me smile.

Short of the Week #25: Kookie

Last week, my favourite short film from 2016, Justin Harding's Kookie, dropped online.

I adore this short for many reasons, but foremost is how adeptly Harding is able to juggles laughs and scares. He's also super productive, as since Kookie premiered around this time two years ago, Harding has made two more short films and a feature, all while working a full time job within the biz. That's some mad mojo!

Where There's A Will...

Short of the Week #19: Fun

One of my favourite shorts last year was Greg Kovacs' Fun. Recalling the children show puppetry of his 2013 effort Tasha & Friends, this will surely win you over. Check it out below.

Wasn't that fun?! And at three-and-a-half minutes completely economical too. Recently, Kovacs revealed that this short was actually the pilot episode for his new web series called Poppy Seed Place. Who knows what depravity these little rascals are going to get up to! 

For more episodes of PSP, CLICK HERE.

Short of the Week #13: Killer Kart

Here's a oldie, but a goodie in Floridian James Feeney's short film Killer Kart from 2012.

Welcome To Potter's Bluff

This week it's Gary Sherman's 1981 horror film Dead & Buried.

I have to admit that I cheated this week. I did not watch a VHS, but rather attended a special screening of the film at The Royal with Sherman himself in attendance. Considering I've spent almost every night this week at that theatre, there's been no time for anything else.

It had been about twenty-five years since I'd seen this movie, so it really was like watching it for the first time. And it's great. Dead & Buried is a really well put together film with good pacing and lively performances. I was a little awestruck by the large number of character actors that included the likes of James Farentino and Jack Albertson in his last onscreen role, as well as Melody Anderson (fresh off her role in Flash Gordon), Lisa Blount and Robert Englund three full years before putting on the Freddy glove.

Dead & Buried was based on a novel by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro and adapted by Dan O' Bannon & Ronald Shusett. Even though O'Bannon later disowned the film when he stated his contributions were cast aside, I can't help but see the shared sensibilities between Sherman & O'Bannon. Sherman's previous horror effort Death Line had a wonderful balance of horror and humour, as did O'Bannon's 1985 classic, Return of the Living Dead.

Sherman is a rare breed of filmmaker and part of the movement that began with George Romero in 1968 where the work can viewed on two levels. Dead & Buried was a deliberate attempt at political subtext (specifically totalitarianism), but it can also just be viewed as a straight up horror film, as well. I also really love that EC Comics style ending. It contributed to the feeling that though this movie may have been contemporary, its themes and lore were from a much older era.

Lastly, I must comment on the top notch special effects supplied by Stan Winston. Sherman has long had a love for in-camera effects – crescendoing in 1988's Poltergeist III but more on that later – and he paired up perfectly with a guru like Winston. The eyeball insertion involving Lisa Marie was so seamless, I actually had to ask Sherman himself how it was achieved. And yet despite all the effects, in a feat of clever foreshadowing, there is a deliberate lack of red throughout the film.

Dead & Buried was a solid film. It may not be as well known as some of the horror flicks from that era, but it should be. If you haven't taken the trip to Potter's Bluff, there's no time like the present. Especially when a little birdie told me there is a newly-minted 4K resto coming soon.

Short of the Week #5: Dead Hearts

This week is a 2014 short I absolutely adore from Stephen Martin entitled Dead Hearts. The Wes Anderson-style whimsy is unmistakable, but Martin's sixteen-minute opus affected me more than anything from his oeuvre. Enjoy!

Return of the Crites.

There was some very exciting news this week that one of my favourite horror franchises is being resurrected. Blue Ribbon Content, the digital television arm of Warner Brothers is producing a Critters television series for Verizon's go90.

As we know, horror is cyclical and I have been anticipating the resurgence of creature features as fans and emerging filmmakers pine for a return to practical effects. I hope this is a step in the right direction.

BRC is also producing a comedy series called Golden Revenge that has an intriguing premise that sees discarded pets seek vengeance against the owners who abandoned them. Both projects are expected to go into production this year. I have no idea how I'll be able to watch these, but I will certainly be keeping an eye out.