Hooptober 7.0

77/39 - Bonus Watch
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Halloween proper I decided I needed to watch movies taking place on Halloween itself.   I just picked up the Scream Factory disc of this one and had rewatched the original Halloween more recently, so this stand alone gem it was.

I haven’t seen it in years, and while I remembered most of the beats, I had forgotten how gnarly and nasty it is at times.  Unapologetically killing and threatening kids is the centerpiece of the film.  I can’t imagine too many filmmakers doing that today.   But the movie is also akin to Invasion Of The Body Snatchers and evokes the evil small town mythology as well as the evil corporation one.  Bonkers ideas of mixing witchcraft, Stonehenge, computers and the growing addiction to TV...oh and inter dimensional insects and robots.

Tom Atkins is an unlikely leading man here as a doctor more comfortable grabbing a six pack than a stethoscope, yet he works as our Everyman lead.  He joins up with the luscious Stacey Nelkin who he has to ask how old she is (after bedding her) in another anachronistic flourish.  Dan O’Herlihy shows up midway through the movie and thereupon chews up every last bit of scenery as only he could.  The scene of him looking up at Tom Atkins and giving him the slow clap is priceless.

The movie also isn’t afraid to stick with a chilling nihilistic ending.   Oh...and that jingle!  Sure it’s just a twisted version of London Bridges, but it’s a bona fide ear worm and after I came upstairs singing it to my wife and daughter, I had to have the uncomfortable conversation of explaining the plot of the movie.

Dean Cundey shoots the hell out of this.  The various shots of the masked kids walking through the dusk are iconic.  The score is another barebones Carpenter gem too.

Sure, this would have been better off dropping the Halloween III title, but I doubt it would have fared that much better at the box office given how dark it was.  Maybe in the 70s.  Either way, it’s stood the test of time more than most of the other Halloween sequels an reboots and that says something.

Silver Shamrock forever!