Final Halloween Bash

I'm sorry to say I cannot offer reviews of the movies Black Christmas and Halloween, which I watched at the bash, as it was far too loud and chaotic to understand most of it - what a hell of a party! But here's some reviews of the other stuff I've watched since:

Dellamorte Dellamore - 5/5

Well, this is awesome. Dellamorte Dellamore is an Italian flick about zombies - but it isn't quite what you're thinking. This is an intelligent little film that blends in heavy, morose romance and some blackened comedy into the traditional George Romero mold.

It's really quite fascinating, the movie treading into dark waters with heavy political and social commentary squeezing its way into the fold alongside a well fit message of isolation and disappointment in one's career. Francesco Dellamorte is a very entertaining character to watch on screen, a sterling performance delivered by Mr. Rupert Everett indeed, and the side characters range from silly to agitating to downright creepy. There are a lot of small plotlines running through the first three quarters of the film, and it all makes for a package that is entertaining as well as stimulating, appealing to both those who love humor and those who love the dark, introspective side of film.

Another thing I like about this movie is the fact that it's marketed like one of those cheap 50s horror flicks. I mean, it's just great, paying homage to the classic shlock while also moving forward into the future. Dellamorte Dellamore packs a funny, gory, sexy and intelligent film that will knock all you Romero lovers off your seats. Highly recommended!

Halloween 2 - 4.25/5

Halloween was one of the best horror movies ever, and following it up would indeed be a difficult task, but Halloween 2 did the job fairly well. One thing I loved about the first one was how it captured the essence of Halloween perfectly, and this one is no different, just as Halloween-ish as ever, except now in a hospital instead of an old suburban home. The acting is good for slasher films especially, and the kills are cool, keeping to the spirit of the original. And I must also note how sleek and mature the whole thing is, compared to its companions at the time, with a sinister mood and a lot of black, completely hopeless moments that will leave you on the edge of your seat.

My only complaint here is the fact that they took away pretty much all of the mystique that made our slasher a horrifying enemy. Here they gave him a name, and a background, and with it he lost a lot of the mysterious allure behind him. The scariest part of the original Halloween was the fact that this was just some creepy mother****er going around cutting up teenagers on Halloween, and we just don't have that here.

It's still a good movie, though, so check it out if you want another film to satisfy your Halloween thirst.

Suspiria - 4.75/5

Colorful, ethereal, bizarre and sinister, Suspiria is a carnival of strange, bloody fantasy. Made by horror master Dario Argento, this movie has a cult following in many circles, and now I can see why. This is an extremely abstract little flick, with lots of bright, neon lighting covering up what would otherwise be a generic sort of slasher flick. Also doing the job is the mystique layered over the whole thing like whipped cream frosting. I won't spoil it for those of you who haven't seen it yet, but let me just say this is probably like nothing else you've seen before, with several downright ****ing scary moments!

The acting here is really atrocious, though, so that's why it didn't get a perfect score. Seriously, it's really bad, but the movie is good enough to where it doesn't matter.

If you want a suspenseful, unique romp through superstitions and urban myths, this will be your ticket. Pick it up today.

Happy Halloween!

Horror Review 4: Silent Night, Deadly Night

Silent Night, Deadly Night - 4.75/5

This is fucking golden, man. Silent Night, Deadly Night is a slasher film in the vein of Halloween, but only this time WITH CHRISTMAS INSTEAD! Filled with delicious bloody slashing (in the typical creative Friday the 13th/Nightmare on Elm St. fashion, making for a lot of fun), gratuitous nudity and cheap filmmaking (although strangely more effective here than on counterparts like Friday III or The Burning, with some genuinely creepy and dark moments that will stay in your head for a long time), this movie just sleighs (pun intended).

In addition to being slasher gold, it's also very funny. With lines like "Let's get shitfaced!" from the ever-lovable store manager character, "It's just your imagination, Mr. Simms" (listen to the way the older female employee says this; it made me burst out laughing), and the great scene in which the police bust in on the "Santa Claus," in addition to some of the killings themselves, this packs a gamut of laughs for everyone.

And, hell, it's a movie about a serial killing Santa Claus.

Process that for a few seconds.

This is gold for the bad movie fans. Highly recommended.

Next: Dellamorte Dellamore

Horror Review 3: The Wizard of Gore (1970)

The Wizard of Gore (1970) - 3.25/5

While its strange, mystical sense of suspense aids it, this movie is pretty mediocre in all other aspects, and yet I still find myself enjoying it. It's got terrible acting, bad picture quality and shaky, flawed transitions between scenes (and even stranger ones when it tries to demonstrate the Wizard's "power"), but it's still enjoyable. I wouldn't call this a horror movie so much as a strange combination of fantasy and gore, but it fits my Halloween bill well enough. The Wizard of Gore doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but then, like Phantasm, it isn't really supposed to.

There is a 2007 remake of this around, and I might just be inclined to check it out, to see what modern filmmaking could do for this little gem...

Next: Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984)

Horror Review 2: The Burning (1981)

The Burning (1981) - 3.5/5

Of all the Friday the 13th ripoff movies that came out in the early 80s, this one seems to get a lot of recognition, being a similar camp story with boobs, blood and gore all around, and a deadly killer who you don't see until the end. The acting is pretty shitty, but some of the characters are enjoyable to watch while they're on screen. The movie starts off a bit shakily, with an extremely sloppy and amateurish scene where a prostitute is murdered, but after that it gets better. Also notable is the strange soundtrack, featuring a wide variety of different types of music that don't always work perfectly with the story, but they are pretty cool anyway.

The real star here is Tom Savini and his special effects and makeup work. Seriously, some of the gore here, on this uncut version, is just awesome, with the standout being the raft scene, in which the killer bloodily dismembers and disfigures about seven people in a span of a few seconds - and then the scene later on in which the others find the raft and are subsequently grossed out. Gross? Yes. Cool? Definitely yes.

Another interesting thing about The Burning is how Friday the 13th IV, a much more popular film, got so much influence from it. Just look at the ending, and you'll see what I mean. The Burning is a pretty bad movie, but I liked it, and so will you, if you're looking for B-grade slasher glory.

Next: The Wizard of Gore (1970)

Mentally retarded teenagers and healthy teenagers together in schools

I've been thinking about an incident which happened to me some time during the beginning of the school year.

At the beginning of this semester, I was placed at a locker by the attendance office. Several other people were placed there, too, including a boy who I soon discovered myself was a "special needs" student who looked like he was Native or a weird combination of Portugese and something else. Before I knew he had an illness, I thought he was strange... he kept snapping at everything, slammed lockers all the time... even followed me and called me names like "babe" and "honey", which made me want to beat the living shit out of him. I was starting to feel a lack of safety when I was around him. I considered moving to a different locker, which was around the time that I found out he had a mental condition, and thus, he wasn't really accountable for his behaviour.

I still moved to a new locker. I lied to the school and gave them a bullshit reason which I cannot recall right now, but it solved my problem. I never see the guy following me anymore, and when I see him, I ignore him. It may make me seem like a jackass, but what if someone kept following you and called you names that provided for really awkward situations? And, this may make me seem like an even bigger jackass, but what if he tried to hit me? I think I'd have the right to hit him back in defense. But anyway, this thought is leading to our subject of the day:

There have been schools set up exclusively for special needs students in the past few years. Not only has this prevented awkward interaction between mentally retarded and healthy teenagers, but it has allowed for such special needs students to get an education more specific to them. Kind of like what women's colleges like Brescia (Canadian university-level college in London, Ontario) do for women. So, my question is... how would you feel about a system that permanently separates special needs students from regular highschools and regular elementary schools?

And by the way, don't say I don't understand the consequences of using the word "retarded." It's a word that's medically valid. If you think I'm insensitive for it, I'll tell you in advance that my brother is mentally retarded with Asperger's Syndrome, a form of Autism.

Horror Review 1: Phantasm (1979)

Phantasm (1979) - 4/5

This is a much-revered horror classic, and it's easy to see why. It's supernatural, it's edgy and it's also very dark and grainy, both in picture quality and mood! What they don't tell you is how this movie basically comes off as a long, elaborate crack fantasy, filled with bright lights, magic and...well, yellow mustard blood. But it is pretty creepy at times, with decent performances from all the actors for their respective genre and some very good atmospheric moments, like pretty much every time you see the Tall Man.

And speaking of Angus Scrimm, he is damned creepy here. Seriously, you would be running and screaming too if you saw this guy running after you. That's right, running. He puts the typical laughable horror stereotype of walking serial killers catching their sprinting victims down with ease. Great performance.

Phantasm doesn't make much sense, and it is pretty thin at times in terms of plot, but it is a fun watch, and essential if you're a B-horror fan. Get this one this Halloween, and make sure to keep the lights on...

Next: The Burning (1981)

Emile Durkheim - the life and times, told in a class presentation.

For a course I'm taking, Challenges and Changes in Society, I had to act as a social scientist. I was picked to act as the father of sociology, Emile Durkheim. Here is my ultra-groovy script:

I was born for this, right? Anyway, at the 3rd paragraph, I went up to my friend who acted as Karl Marx the previous day for his social scientist presentation, and he was quite... shocked, I guess? Everyone was laughing. We all had a good time.