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[JohnIan101]

Past Tense - Death Has Come To Your Little Town Part II


In the original, played by Donald Pleasence, Loomis was scared of Michael. He knew what kind of man or rather what Michael's wasn't. There are moments where he's like a child frighten of the dark. But he knows he's the town's best bet to put this jinn back in the bottle. There was awe and respect, mixed with panic.

And here?

McDowell's Loomis is downright flippant - an arrogant ass. And should've died.



Left to right; Danielle Harris as Annie Brackett, Scout Taylor-Compton as Laurie Strode and Kristina Klebe as Lynda Van Der Klok.

The only good thing was Danielle Harris as Annie, yes she's still playing a teen here (was thirty at the time), but she looks the part. Her attack was so brutal (made me flinch) - one of the few highlights. This what it should've been, an unstoppable killing machine on the loose.

Fear Michael.



This is such a lost opportunity, if there is any genuine justice, years from now they'll look back on this remake as a cautionary tale for future filmmakers - what NOT to do.

...Shari Moon Zombie.

Dude, we get it, your wife wants to be in the movies, like Lucy Ricardo. That's totally okay - just give her bit roles. That's cool. Don't give her any more major part, please.

Shaky cam. Man, that should've been at best a short lived fad. Or have a legitimate reason to be there, as in "Cloverfield" (2008).

I like these quotes.

What's happening in the movie industry is exactly what happened in the music industry. We're getting prepackaged "art" devoid of any and all originality. Executives are more worried about making stuff that'll have kitsch value or that America will feel safe knowing about, and so we are left with an absolute overload of banality.

- 24200124

What next? A remake of JAWS from the shark's POV? The original HALLOWEEN was a great piece of pop filmmaking... a perfectly calculated, tight little work that didn't waste a breath on anything unnecessary.

- Blue Meanie 1138

People excusing garbage just for the sake of excusing garbage. Ignoring horrible performances, ungodly writing, and a total lack of atmosphere while using ****ing box office numbers as a point of exhaltation.

- IndustryKiller!

Why do I own it then? There is just enough, barely enough elements that make me want to keep it. But make no mistake, this is a crappy movie. The sequel, "Halloween 2" (2009) is EVEN worse. And it still made money! I'm reminded of a comment Uncle Bill said on the dead podcast "Dead Pit", paraphrasing...

'If you feed sh!t [movies] to enough people for long enough, they develop a taste for it.' Which is why we have a rise in mediocre cinema in Hollywood; formulaic without passion.

Wanna know something else? I didn't care about the new Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor-Compton), uber vanilla.

Going back to Ms. Harris. She's a very attractive woman, I wish she hadn't gotten addicted to tattoos. Her back and side is tatted.



I am glad that another attempt was made at a sequel, not another reboot. The now opened "Halloween" 2018 movie. Which jumps over the eight sequels and Rob Zombie flicks, though I did enjoy "Halloween II" (1981) - that was a direct continuation of the first.

And I'm liking John Carpenter's involvement. He was creative consultant and executive producer. Plus wears the composer hat too. The guy knows how to make good synthwave.

- - - - - - - - - -

Tangent.

My favorite holiday isn't Christmas, it's Halloween. And for the past years I've seen it diminish. In the past retailers would have these big seasonal displays. I recall one year the grocery store Stater Bros. had a huge haunted pirate ship in the store. The deck at arms reach - they had various Halloween items for sale. Quite impressive.

The last time I saw such a thing was more than seven years ago at a 99 Cent Only, they turned one of their store pillars into a haunted tree. Quite sway.

So what happened?

Talking with a friend of mine, he said something I had not considered... Christmas.

Each year Christmas is being offered earlier and earlier, this year accessories were on sale in September. Halloween is being pushed to the wayside, becoming less and less relevant. This saddens me. Don't know what can be done. Retailers have pretty much made their decision.

My heart sinks. I can't be the only one who cares.

- - - - - - - - - -

Recommendations.

Debated if I should do a write up for week four. But there are six more days to Halloween - so here's three more. Enjoy.

"Cooties" (2014)
Clint Hadson has fallen on hard times. Dreams of making it big as a horror author has faltered. No choice, but to gain work where he can. He returns home to Ft. Chicken, Illinois; working as a substitute teacher at his former middle school. Clint reunites with his high school crush, Lucy McCormick now an English teacher; only to learn she's taken, dating the P.E. teacher, Wade Johnson. But his life gets significantly worse on an epidemic level. Tainted chicken nuggets served for lunch have turned the kids into homicidal psychos. A contagion that only effects children, pre-puberty. It turns into a siege as the infected attempt to kill all adults. Worse yet, they discover more tainted chicken nuggets are on their way to other schools.
Lionsgate - 2015 - R

"Dean Koontz's Phantoms" (1998)
Jennifer Pailey and her sister Lisa arrive for a ski vacation in the mountain resort town of Snowfield, Colorado. The seemingly implausible has happened; four hundred plus residents have died or simply disappeared in the middle of their daily activities. Unnerved the pair decide to leave town, but cannot when their jeep which had worked moments earlier, refuses to start. Setting out on foot, they soon find three cops who have just returned to town and they too become trapped. Searching for the missing citizens, the group uncovers an ancient beast responsible for mass extinctions. Based on the Dean Koontz's novel of the same name.
Dimension Home Video - 1998 - R

"Freaks Of Nature" (2015)
Set in an alternate universe where vampires, zombies and humans co-exist (for the most part); society has found a way to tolerate each other with various government programs. Dag Parker is navigating high school life, trying win the affections of classmate Lorelei (a vampire) as well as enjoying his friends Petra Lane and Josh Fadem. Life gets turned upside down when a massive alien ship arrives with hostile intent. The Dillford town folks prepare for war with each other and the invaders as peace is broken - each group no longer wishing to help the other. Our friends set out to save the town and the world. A horror comedy.
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment - 2016 - R

The monstrous roar softens with each triumphed blow; the fiend is broken and beaten. It slinks back into the dark, but like with all tales; evil can be vanquished, but not wholly defeated. This beast will surely rise out next year, ready to terrorize and indulge in dreadful delights.

And with that - the 4th Annual Limited Edition Horror is put to rest.

Have a safe and fun Halloween; hot ladies - do wear sexy costumes. Not only for yourself, but for everyone else; you're doing a public service. Repeating myself, never a cliché, don't drink and drive.

I have a new update for the "Night Of The Living Dead DVD Retrospective" - this month is the movie's 50th anniversary. A three parter.

See you here on November 8th, 2018 for the next, regular Past Tense installment.