Cinema Views of Kevin J. Walker, Film Critic

Halloween Horror Flicks Part III

By Kevin J. Walker http://www.GeoCities.com/walkerworld_2000/cinema_views http://cinemaviews.tripod.com

What we now call Hallowe’en is the night of All Hallows Eve, formerly known among the peasants in Germanic central Europe as "Walpurgis Nacht," now far evolved into a spooky holiday from its modest agricultural origins.

This is why people put coloured wild corn cobs rushes of grain grasses on their doors and poles of the neighborhood. It is an acknowledgement of the Pagan gods and goddesses of the harvest

By the way, did you ever wonder why children dress up as hob-goblins, and knock on doors at night for treats? Some of the answers were in the pleasant diversion "Halloween 4: Season of the Witch" which I like because it was a total departure from the overworked series.

If you ever looked this stuff up you'll know why some people, especially conscientious Christians, do not participate in what is now called All Hallow's Evening, abbreviated and corrupted over hundreds of years to Hallowe'en.

The Catholics call November 1ro All Saints Day. It was the early church’s partly successful attempt to make the Pagans they were converting forget about the Old Ways. All I knew at Marquette U. was we got the day off from school. Catholics have lots of holidays.

It was a partways successful attempt by the Holy Roman Empire to wean off the peasants from their uneasy mix of Paganism and Catholic Christianity that still grip some places such as Louisiana and Haiti.

People there think nothing of consulting psychics like Miss Cleo and her Tarot cards and then going off to the Parish church on Sunday. And how many devout Christians do you know who start their day off by reading their horoscopes?

This means lots of good source material for film however.

Hallowe'en also gives Cinema Views a chance to fashion another one of its collections of the horror films that are coming out, like “Doom” and "Saw II." And they’ll be trickling out for awhile because some miss their targeted before Halloween release date, but these films are always on time for we fans.

The Millennium Fever five years ago made for more than the usual crop of such films, such as the religiously accented “Stigmata” about a Gospel written by Jesus, and two remakes of 1960s horror films “The House On Haunted Hill” and “The Haunting.” Lost Souls” with Winona Ryder and Ben Chapin was about the coming of the AntiChrist on the century’s end.

Halle Berry’s "Gothika," Snoop Dogg’s “Bone”, Kevin Bacon’s “Stir Of Echoes” and the Governator’s “End Of Days” is reviewed, and The Film That Wouldn’t Die, “The Blair Witch Project,” again out on video in time for Walpurgis Nacht, the old European pagan New years Eve.

When we were just little Shorties we knew that Vincent Price was the one. Also Boris Karloff, and Bela Lugosi. Of course, there was also Christopher Lee, versus his nemesis Peter Cushing, the fearless Vampire Slayer Von Helsing before Buffy’s mama was even born. He inspired Hugh Jackman of the X-Men’s Wolverine’s “Van Helsing” movie.

In Milwaukee we remember fondly “Shock Theatre,” and WITI Channel 6’s “Nightmare Theatre” with Dr. Cadaverino and his servant the headless Igor. (Underneath his cape, he was a Brotha!). And remember when the TV rerun of “Abbot & Costello Meet the Wolfman” came on? Remember that fight at the end between Lon Chaney Jr.’s Wolfman and Frankenstein?! Next school day it was the talk of the McKinley Grade school playground!

Enough reminiscing, its time for more of the Cinema Views capsule reviews of Halloween Horror flicks.

ALIEN SERIES -- The first Horror Hybrid mixing science fiction and horror, which also introduced the first modern SF action heroine in the form of Warrant Officer Ellen Ripley, masterfully played by Sigourney Weaver in four movies.

The second and fourth are the best of the series, with the most action. The Colonial Marines in “Aliens” are the direct ancestors of The Rock’s commandos of “DOOM” sent through the Ark to battle some escaped genetic gene-spliced monsters who are threatening the outpost on Mars in the mid 21st century.

BONES – [Read the BWP review. Click on MovieReviews].

SIGNS -- It was marketed as horror from the mind of M. Night Shamayalan but this story about an Anti-Theist former Anglican priest whose farmstead is being overrun with aliens who used his cornfield to carve their circles in is actually one of the very best invasion flicks, well-paced, and inexpensive but with the kinds of scares that Night is justly known for.

The director makes another of his cameo appearances as the neighbor who’s heading out to the lake country because the invaders don’t seem to like water. (Batter up! -- That’s an inside joke for those who’ve seen the movie). This makes it an excellent candidate for the Hybrid Horror Cinema Views list, and indeed “Signs” and “Aliens” inspired the category, along with “Event Horizon.”

SKELETON KEY -- Leaving things alone is the lesson learned in this film, as Louisiana is the backdrop for modern sorcery, kidnapping, posession and murder. “You know the Black ones don’t last” we hear, and now we know why. Kate Hudson is the stupid naive White girl who ignores her friend’s advice and starts poking around in the old attic of the couple she’s come to as a in-house health aide. But they can’t harm you if you don’t believe, right? Right?

CONSTANTINE – [Read the review on BWP].

HELLRAISER III -- this is one of the increasing hybrid horror flicks. It takes place in space, where they built a gigantic trap for the Hell-Spawned Cenobites, the guardians of the damned, and put it in space where its supposed to be! But I would like them to bring back Uncle Frank the freak, and his spunky and capable niece Kirstie, the thick girl who went to Hell and back as she fought the plans of Frank and her evil stepmom.

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER -- Long before it was a hit TV series Buffy was a movie starring Kristy Swanson of John Singleton’s “Higher Learning” as the high schooler by day, and killer of vampires by night. This is a quirky teen flick with its tongue very much in its cheek.

It was the first post-arrest for being a pervert for Paul Rueben’s of "Pee Wee’s Playhouse," who plays Rutger Hauer’s Renfrew-like assistant.

I like the understated part where Buffy’s walking briskly down the halls of the school in her long prom dress and you can see she wore her athletic shoes underneath it, just in case she had to kick some bloodsucker ay-ess ess!

FRIGHT NIGHT -- a teenager who’s neighborhood is beset with a suave vampire tries to save his girl, played by later Bundy family neighbor Marcy D’arcy, he approaches the TV host of his town’s horror show for his expert help. Michael Nouri is the slick vampire, reprising his TV episodic role, and also known from “Flashdance.”

GOTHIKA [Read the BWP review at MovieReviews]

INNOCENT BLOOD -- How about this for a hybrid: a Vampire gangster flick!?! A neck is a neck, but things get complicated when a foxy female vampire in town for a few days to kill botches the prey and he spreads the undead powers among his crew. (He ate lots of garlic on his meal, and breathed in her face before she could suck him dry. The movie also shows that there are some definite benefits to having a vampire for a girlfriend. In a manner of speaking.

URBAN LEGEND -- A little something different was this film which fell prey to the dreaded Sequelitis, about a killer or killers who uses the various urban legends about: checking the backseat; watching your ankles in the parking lot; waking up in a strange room with your kidneys gone, and so forth. “Waiting to Exhale” co-star and original “Dreamgirl” on stage plays the campus security chief.

I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER -- Brandy in her first horror film role is the friend of the heroine who is stalked while on a Caribbean trip in this sequel, and unable to leave because of a hurricane bearing down on them.

SCREAMS -- The series reinvigorated the teen scream horror drama, which has been around since the 1950s, by skewering the very cliches and stereotypes it used itself: promiscuous teens always get slain, sequels tamper with the basic premise, et cetera.

IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS -- Before “Stay” and “Jacob’s Ladder” there was this film that made hallucinations out of reality, and vice versa. An investigator played by Sam Neill (“Event Horizon”) is trying to find a writer who has disappeared. But this is somebody who may be better off left along, as the trail gets weirder and weirder the closer Neill gets.

EXORCIST: THE BEGINNING -- This entertaining and dark movie goes back to the beginning, where the old priest and master Exorcist first fought the Evil One. The action takes place in Africa, after the village has a horrific atrocity -- another one of many in its history. The very ground is cursed it seems, as well it might be. After all, the fallen Lucifer had to land somewhere after he was cast out of heaven!

JOHN CARPENTER’S VAMPIRES -- Talk about hybrids! There have been Vampire Westerns before, but Carpenter puts his hand to it in this story about modern vampire hunters in the American West who discover the den of the master vampire, the one who if they wipe him out they can erase his scourge from the earth.

James Wood is the leader of the group, Daniel Baldwin is his partner, and Sheryl Lee plays a hooker who has been bitten and can lead them to the master bloodsucker.

BRAM STOKERS DRACULA -- An ornate version of the author’s book, which had a lot more sex and debauchery than we’ve been let on. Stoker’s “Lair of the White Worm” was full of it, and concerned a female vampire who used her sex as a weapon, draining her men dry. It was made into an art-ish movie.

Here, in BSD Winona Ryder is the object of affection for Vlad the Impaler of the Transylvanian crown of Dracul, who is convinced she is the reincarnation of his beloved. Big production values, and lots of action. Keanu Reeves is Ryder’s fiance who is held captive by a trio of lascivious vamp babes who nip him all over. They know they can’t kill him, but they can still nibble on him a little, and lap up the spilt blood.

DRACULA 2000 -- Like Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a faithful translation of the book, this is a modern remake of the original film “Nosferatu.” Instead of a ghost ship there is a cargo airplane carrying the ornate casket, which brotherman and his crew heisted because they figured it must be valuable -- why else did they bury it underground in a high-tech vault?

But once they removed the spell-holding bindings then its on! This is a modern day updating of the vampire legend “presented” by Wes Craven. Christopher Plummer stars in the story about a Vampyre Hunter who travels from London to New Orleans (where all the stylish bloodsuckers be at, as in Anne Rice’s “Interview with The Vampire”) to rescue his daughter.

This is similar to the earlier “Vampire In Brooklyn” as there is a female vampire legacy. Also with Gerard Butler and Justine Waddell.

YOU’LL SEE DEAD PEOPLE!:

THE OTHERS -- Nicole Kidman stars as the mother of two little ones living in a haunted house with some very odd servants as they take refuge from the targeted cities in World War II. This is a very well done horror ghost flick, that uses the Twitchy Movement camera tricks seen in “Gothika” and those Japanese films. Very effective, and OK for the kiddies with its absence of blood, but the suspense might get to them if they’re not hardcore. You know them best.

WHITE NOISE -- Michael Keaton as EVP investigator of electronic voice phenomena, as seen in “Sixth Sense” and the book “Legion” which was sorta like Exorcist 3 from author William Peter Blatty. John the widower thinks he hears the voice of his dead wife through the TV set late one night, and can’t let it go. Especially not after he sees the images, sprinkled before him like bread crumbs.

He should have listened to the blind seer who told him there was a difference between investigating and meddling, and he was meddling! Leave it alone, John. Nothing good can come of this. Actually, this is real world spooky, and those of us who work with electronic equipment have noticed in the dead of night those faint voices on what’s supposed to be a clean tape.

We dismiss it as insufficient erasure if they’ve been used, or walkie talkie cross talk. The Sixth Sense showed this, in the scene where Bruce Willis psychiatrist is replaying his therapy recordings. But there are those who have followed the voices and what they report is disturbing: that these are messages, and the life energy of the Departed. Listen to the Art Bell show on Coast To Coast AM for more on this, or go to their website.

ZOMBIE MOVIES:

28 DAYS LATER -- A Sistah is the Man of Action in this chilling Zombie-like story. I say Zombie-like because the people aren’t really dead, just deranged. But it shares the attributed of zombie genre such as a society gone bust, and the besieged normal bands of people trying to stay alive against thousands perhaps millions of beings who want to kill them. Infected blood from a virus called Rage turns people into maddened murderers in England. The actress is the same as the island officer in “After The Sunset” who romances FBI agent Woody Harrellson who is after ace thieves played by Pierce Brosnan and Salma Hayek.

SHAUN OF THE DEAD -- A comedic romp on the zombie genre from England, where a regular guy finds his inner hero and takes his band to their favourite pub to make their last stand. Dark, and funny in a disrespectful sort of way.

LAND OF THE DEAD -- [See full BWP Review] Latest in George Romero’s Living Dead series. In the future years after the outbreak or whatever reanimates the dead, a city full of Normalites tried to survive.

DAWN OF THE DEAD -- Ving Rhames stars in this remake as a Milwaukee area policeman who leads a band of citizens to a fortified shopping mall. This one is even darker than the original by horror master Romero. Instead of a helicopter being part of their master plan for escape after the mall threatens to be overrun, they have a convoy of fortified trucks!

The poignant part about their neighbor Andy, sending various scribbled whiteboard messages, some witty and acerbic, from his rooftop redoubt will stay with you. Trust me on this, I know. Rent this movie, but don’t let your kids watch it! You’ve been warned.

JACOB’S LADDER -- Ving Rhames again in a bit part early on in his career in a story about a secret government program, and using American GIs in Vietnam as their guinea pigs. Stars Tim Robbins and also an early appearance of “Home alone” star and friend of Michael Jackson. In a Hollywood 6 degrees of separation thing, his brother co-stars in “Signs.”

PRINCE OF DARKNESS -- a green vat in New Orleans holds the essence of The Evil One, which has been guarded by a religious order for generations. Now a team of graduate students and their professor have been poking at it. Nothing good can come from this!

Donald Pleasance, the late great British actor in many such films, including the psychiatrist to Michael Myers. Co-starring BD Wong, now in the strange “STAY” with Ewan MacGregor and Naomi Watts.

NEXT: More capsules, and an 8-pack of reviews of “The Village”, “Sixth Sense,” “The Blair Witch Project” and others. --kjw

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kevin j. walker, p.o. box 1324-53201 milwaukee, wis. usa 53201 http://www.GeoCities.com/walkerworld_2000/cinema_views http://cinemaviews.tripod.com