13 Nights of Hallowe'en 2009: Night #9 Evil Dead

If I've had great movies and classics up to this point welcome to the next step up. I am one of the ones who prefers the original Evil Dead to the more comedic sequel as a matter of preferring pure horror movies overall. I rather believe that Evil Dead is indeed the Ultimate Experience in Grueling Horror. Not that there aren't rougher movies, though those tend to lack the elements I require to call a movie horror rather than a sub-genre or related one. Not that there aren't more horrific movies, they lack the grueling bit. I think this because, well, it's Evil Dead and its vicious, and violent, and rakes poor Ash over the coals even though the rest of his friends really get it too. Director Sam Raimi and his friends actor Bruce Campbell and Robert Tapert created an institution.

I was rather late to the party watching Evil Dead. I didn't see it until my early college days. I remember seeing the second one in the local video store but never the first so thankfully I did not see them out of order. I would not suggest seeing the trilogy out of order. I had from a source I no longer recall heard something about an alternate version of the scene with Cheryl in the woods ending with two Cheryls. Where this bizarre and by all accounts imaginary alternate scene was dreamed up, I do not know and seems limited to whomever it was that told me the tale. Cheryl's woods scene as it stands in the movie is one of those moments everyone talks about. It is also one of the scenes that got it labelled as another of the video nasties.

Mood: taunted.

Music: Perfect Crime by Guns N' Roses off of Use Your Illusion I.

13 Nights of Hallowe'en 2009: Night #5 Shocker

How do you follow up an enormously successful film about arazor-gloved, burned man who kills you in your dreams. Obviously you move from fire to electricity and have your supernatural killer do his thing by possessing people and going anywhere electrons can. Tonight I suggest Shocker from director Wes Craven for our viewing pleasure. Yes the cheese is there, some of it stringy and gooey, but don't let that dissuade you from this quirky gem. Horace Pinker is no Freddy Krueger, but then again who is? Mitch Pileggi who you might recall from the X-Files or more recently on Stargate: Antlantis plays Horace a man turned high voltage engine of slaughter when his death sentence is fulfilled. It's hard to imagine him as the same actor, which says much of his acting skill.

Shocker is another movie with a killer soundtrack. One of the coolest bands on the album is the Dudes of Wrath comprising band members from KISS, Def Leppard, Quiet Riot, and Motley Crue. An absolute can't miss song called "Demon Bell - The Ballad Of Horace Pinker" by Dangerous Toys also has an awesome presence in its scene in the movie. As for the film itself, I've seen complaints about one of the side-plots even though it circles back and fulfills a need in the story. I rather like it even if the ghostly element is somewhat at odds with the other supernatural elements in the plot. He's hard to miss but Ted Raimi has--for him--a rather lengthy role. Also keep an eye for a brief scene with Heather Langenkamp and one with Wes himself. They're really easy to miss.

Mood: electric.

Music: My Last Words by Megadeth off of Peace Sells...But Who's Buying?