13 Nights of Hallowe'en 2009: Night #11 A Nightmare on Elm Street

Anyone who knows me had to know when I did favourites and classics that this movie would be near to the top of the list. In fact it would be second if I didn't have a more topical movie for the night before Halloween. Freddy Krueger is the man, the most iconic figure of all horror movies, known around the entire world. There is a reason for that, and this movie is the genesis of all of it. What makes A Nightmare on Elm Street such a great movie? Well aside from Freddy brought to amazing unlife by Robert Englund there is also the supremely deft hand of director Wes Craven guided here and there by Robert Shaye head of New Line Cinema. The story is very well done weaving its local mythos. The script is also very thematic and literate. Everything is just done right.

The success of A Nightmare on Elm is both critical and financial. New Line Cinema has earned the nickname of The House that Freddy Built. There is so much that can be done, and to a degree has, with Freddy Krueger. Lurking in nightmares, able to kill in dreams, but beyond that able to take control of the dreams and do as he wishes. It gives the filmmakers great latitude. There is an endless parade of ideas. A Nightmare on Elm Street also stands as one of the film franchises where the villain's foil is female and should to his reckoning be as easy pickings as the rest--starting of course with Heather Langenkamp's Nancy. This never seems particularly vexing to Freddy even though Robert Englund sees Freddy, and portrays him, with a sort of cowboy ethos right down to the gunslingers stance he adopts.

Mood: excited.

Music: Welcome to My Nightmare by Alice Cooper off of Welcome to My Nightmare.

13 Nights of Hallowe'en 2009: Night #1 Strangeland

Hello, and welcome to the first of the thirteen nights of Hallowe’en.

What we do with these thirteen nights is we watch a horror movie or other kind of movie fitting to the festive spirit of All Hallows Eve. The full list of this years movies is available at WraithStop™. Tonight is the first night running to Hallowe’en, which is the thirteenth night. Come back to this blog every day for a heads up about that night’s movie.

Tonight’s movie is "Strangeland" which was written by and stars Dee Snider who is most famously known for the glam metal band Twisted Sister. Yes, a twisted movie from Twisted Sister, including even a song from a briefly re-united Twisted Sister. It's not just being cute to call this a twisted movie. Strangeland is about Captain Howdy, a cyber-stalker looking to help people by providing them the physical trials and pain of primitive cultures. The movie made the circuit of tradeshows revolving around tattoos, piercings, and body modification, rather than the film festivals. One thing you may notice is that Genevieve is played by Linda Cardellini from the last seasons of ER. Also included in the cast is Robert Englund, the original man of your nightmare, Freddy Krueger, in a role that really surprises.

By now some might be wondering from where they know that name, Captain Howdy. In the Exorcist, Regan MacNeil (played by Linda Blair) said with her Ouija board that she spoke to someone named Captain Howdy. Similarly that name is a song title from Twisted Sister's album "Stay Hungry" and the remixed "Still Hungry". While still on the topic of music, Strangeland has an awesome soundtrack available that is just full of great songs from a number of great bands. As for the movie itself, don't worry it's not gorno, though it could be easy to imagine as a step in that direction, this was 1998 after all. No instead it's a horror in the thriller vein and it certainly has its twists and turns. It is not your run of the mill retread plot. Enjoy, like all of this year's movies it's one of my favourites.

Mood: excited.

Music: Captain Howdy by Twisted Sister off of Still Hungry.

13 Nights of Hallowe'en: Night #8 The Mangler

For those who think that the movie from last night had
a good pedigree, this one will be mind blowing. The movie is “The Mangler”. Let’s start from the considerable bottom and move up. At the bottom on this impressive horror chain is Ted Levine, instantly recognised at the drop of this line... “It rubs the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again.” Rising higher we come to the director of this movie. It is none other than Tobe Hooper director of “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre”. Hooper also has credit for work on “The Mangler” screenplay. Next up is an actor whose work nearly everyone knows but yet many do not know his face. Even from this movie they won’t know his face. He is of course Robert Englund, famous for he of the burned face and finger-knives, Freddy Krueger!

One might think that this is enough of a collection of horror’s best. How could it get any better? Easy. “The Mangler” is based on one of the short stories of Stephen King. The movie takes the story and adds onto it in nice ways. Some people don’t like that. Numerous people do not like the movie at all. However, when the complaints involve the idea that Englund is terrible in everything, then obviously they are not the right audience for “The Mangler”. It could be said quite insultingly these people don’t know horror, on that count at least. Same situation for complaints essentially about King’s story. “The Mangler” is a blood drenched, body mangling, capering and leering, antacid chewing, masterpiece. Watch it for what it is and you won’t be left flat... or pressed and folded.

Mood: frivolous.
Music: House of 1000 Corpses by Rob Zombie off of Sinister Urge.

13 Nights of Halloween: Night #11: Dead & Buried

Tonight I have a movie for you that I had never heard of until I
tripped across it looking around online for new and different horror movies. It's called " Dead & Buried". As the tagline and PR materials point out it is from the writers of "Alien", in particular Dan O'Bannon. What's nice to see, and he's the only nameable actor in it I'm aware of, is a small part played by Robert Englund. The DVD edition I bought was the two disc uncut widescreen from Blue Underground. I haven't listened to them yet but the DVD comes with three commentary tracks. There are also a lot of extras on the second disc. The featurettes all contain bits of one particular scene that had an impact on everyone cast and audience.

This scene involved a special effect by Stan Winston, who did most of the special effects for this movie, with notable exception of the one that no one likes the looks of. Stan's effects are pretty spectacular even aside this haunting one that just grips everyone. You'll know it when you see it, and I won't mention the nickname I've given it for fear of tainting your impression of it. There is also one scene where it turns out the Oscar for acting should go to a dummy, but I doubt anyone can spot it, nor should they try. Besides the cool effects we have an even cooler story in this movie. I've likely said too much already, so go watch and ignore what I've said until the credits roll.

Mood: hurried.
Music: Halloween Theme 2007 by Tyler Bates.

13 Nights of Halloween: Night #9: 976-EVIL

Just a reminder, the full list of movies is available at Wraithstop so you can watch along.

Woo boy! Do I have a treat for you tonight with the movie "976-EVIL".
The first reason I have to be so excited about this one is because of Robert Englund. You know him, the man of your nightmares, the one and only man behind the makeup and glove of Freddy Krueger. Wait though, there's more, in a huge twist, Mr. Englund is the director of this movie and is the man behind the camera instead of in front of it. So what does Mr. Englund have in store for us--not to knock the scriptwriters, but who are they? Well one scriptwriter, Brian Helgeland was a writer for "Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master " that came out the year before. The other scriptwriter, Rhet Topham, wrote on "Trick or Treat"

So, back to the movie, just to get it out of your system, I saw some strong parallels between parts of it and parts of "Carrie", but it's only one element so never fear, I didn't think it held any kind of rip-off factor. This was one of those movies that I desperately wanted on DVD and thankfully didn't have to wait too long for it to be released. It's also the kind of movie that makes you think, think about how it is that these actors can step from in front of the camera to behind it, and rock just as hard when they make the millions of directorial decisions as they do when they just take direction and focus on a single character. I don’t know but I'm glad they can do it, and I think Robert Englund did an excellent job.

Mood: even.
Music: This Is Halloween by Danny Elfman