Tuesday, October 02, 2018

Looking for some Halloween thrills at the Movie Trailer Park

One sure sign that Halloween season is upon us is the arrival of suitably scary movies at our local multiplex. Granted, these days truth is scarier than fiction but that's all the more reason to enjoy a cinematic fear fest with some fresh popcorn on hand.

The most iconic movie for this time of year is John Carpenter's Halloween and yes, Virginia, we are getting a new film with that very name. Directing this particular Halloween is David Gordon Green(who co-wrote the script with Danny McBride and Jeff Fradley) and his take on this classic slasher is to recapture the spirit of the original.

In order to achieve that goal, this film ignores all of the prior sequels(including the ones with Jamie Lee Curtis) and sets itself 40 years after the infamous Haddonfield slaughter spree. Reprising the role of Laurie is Jamie Lee Curtis, whose family finds her way too cautious on Halloween night yet as it turns out, her decades long preparations for the return of Michael Myers were not in vain.

Reinvention is nothing new to this series, with the latest attempts by Rob Zombie getting a rather mixed treat bag of reviews from critics and audiences alike. However, the people behind this revamp do seem sincere about their love of old school scares, so it might be worth checking out there:


Already out in theaters is Hell Fest, starring Amy Forsyth as Natalie, one of a group of friends eager to visit a horror theme park that starts up around October. During their tour of the attractions, a death takes place that at first, all of them think is just a part of the show but soon turns out to be all too real.

As they are stalked by the mysterious Other through out the night, no one who officially works there is willing to believe them. One by one, Natalie's companions are hunted down and it becomes clear to her that she is the only one who can stop the Other before the night is truly over for them all.

While this movie hasn't gotten the best reviews(it did manage to make the box office top ten this past weekend), word of mouth has been pretty good and this might be a spooky sleeper in the making:


However, if you're looking for something a bit more kid friendly, then Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween should be your best bet in that department.

Jack Black does return as horror writer R.L. Stine but the main focus of the plot appears to be about two young friends, Sonny and Sam(played by Jeremy Ray Taylor and Caleel Harris) who go into Stine's abandoned residence and find a certain book that shouldn't be opened.

Once the boys realized that they have unleashed sinister living dummy Slappy,who plans to create a permanent Halloween on Earth with the help of some of his bad to the bone buddies, they seek out Stine to save the day. They wind up doing battle with those forces of evil as well, with Sonny's sister Sarah(Madison Iseman) tagging along for the fright fight there.

While I haven't seen the first movie, I'm sure that won't be necessary for anyone to enjoy this. This does sound like a Hocus Pocus/Monster Squad type of film where the pre-teen set get to be the heroes in a monster mash realm, so this might be a treat for kids of all ages(for a matinee at the very least):


No doubt, there will be a couple of other fear flicks coming out just in time for Halloween movie going and you can always catch a good scary movie on TV or online as well. True, you don't have to wait until October to chill out with a horror film but it is a fun tradition to uphold.

Speaking of waiting, that new remake of Suspiria is receiving a limited release on Oct.26 with a wider one set for early November. Sounds like a missed opportunity to me yet the original version is still available for true All Hallow's Eve viewing parties,only you might want to eat before the movie starts(you have been warned!):


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