Trick & Treat for October 29th:

BRIDE OF CHUCKY (1998; with Jennifer Tilly, Brad Dourif; directed by Ronny Yu)

Here’s an example of how it’s often best to leave well enough alone. It applies here in terms of this movie’s story, and the movie itself. A sequel to the mysteriously successful CHILD’S PLAY movies, BRIDE OF CHUCKY features Jennifer Tilly as Tiffany, the former girlfriend of a serial killer who became embodied within an extremely disturbing-looking doll named, of course, Chucky. Tiffany tampers in the doll’s domain when she decides to put Chucky back together again. Chucky shows his gratitude to Tiffany by tossing an electrical device into her bathwater, like James Bond did in the prologue to GOLDFINGER. This causes Tiffany to cast her fate with Chucky as his bride (long story), unlike in GOLDFINGER.  The happy couple, for better or (mostly) worse, make their way to New Jersey for a honeymoon from Hell. We suggest you ease your pain by chewing on Chuckles, as you watch, jaw agape, Chucky and company chew the scenery.  

Who wants to wait until the 31st to wallow in Halloween indulgences and scary movies?! Home Projectionist doesn’t! And so we’ll have pairings of 31 Frights and 31 Bites every one of October’s 31 nights: a scary, snack size movie “trick”, and a delicious “treat” to go along with it.

Trick & Treat for October 26th:

INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1956; with Kevin McCarthy, Dana Wynter; directed by Don Siegel)

“You don’t seem like yourself.” That’s an expression most of us have addressed a friend or family member with. Maybe they seem distracted, distant or moody. Most of the time, they eventually will be more like themselves again. But what if your spouse or sibling really wasn’t his or herself? What if some sort of entity had entered their physical beings while they were sleeping, transforming them into a cold, unfeeling sort of person–a person who almost wasn’t human anymore? That’s basically what transpires in this outstanding, classic bit of 50s celluloid paranoia. (Director Don Siegel insists he wasn’t doing a Commie/red scare parable, but judge for yourself). We’re in a middle-class, small community, not unlike those of 1950s TV shows like Father Knows Best, where the townsfolk are warm and friendly. But then the town’s doctor (Kevin McCarthy, perfectly cast) gradually realizes he can’t brush off complaints he’s getting about strange changes in temperaments. There’s something going on, and that something involves pods–squishy, gelatinous, creamy pods, growing in greenhouses, trucking around in trucks, waiting silently for the unsuspecting to nod off, peeling their outer layers and taking over people and their personalities, one at a time. Now, go ahead and enjoy your Cadbury’s Creme Egg bedtime snack. But don’t say we didn’t warn you. 

Who wants to wait until the 31st to wallow in Halloween indulgences and scary movies?! Home Projectionist doesn’t! And so we’ll have pairings of 31 Frights and 31 Bites every one of October’s 31 nights: a scary, snack size movie “trick”, and a delicious “treat” to go along with it.

Trick & Treat for October 23rd:

THE MUMMY (1932; starring Boris Karloff; directed by Karl Freund)
THE MUMMY’S HAND  (1940; starring Tom Tyler; directed by Christy Cabanne)

Boris Karloff’s follow-up to FRANKENSTEIN answers the unasked question, “What are you like now that you’ve come out of your shell?” The shell in this case is not the candy-coated one of a certain candy, but a very, very old mummy’s case. Within which is THE MUMMY: an equally, very, very old Mr. Imhotep (Karloff) who’d just like to sleep-in. But he’s disturbed not by the paws of a cat but by a group of British explorers. Would you be in a good mood if you were awakened from a comfy nap? No! Would you subsequently wreak havoc upon the person or persons who disturbed you? Who knows?! But you probably wouldn’t be quite as upset as Imhotep. Karloff, when not engaged in a slow pursuit of slow-moving Britishers, disguises himself as a creepy Egyptologist, with an unforgettable stare. But it’s the Mummy you’ll really remember. 

Just as there have been umpteen, needless and pointless sequels (Coconut flavor??) to the original (and still the best) M&Ms, the same is true of the Mummy franchise. One particular spinoff to the Karloff classic (although not the worst) is THE MUMMY’S HAND. The bandaged fellow in this variation is encased in more or less the same shell, but the innards are different, and any hopes of having the intrigue of the original quickly unravels. Tom Tyler is just no match for Boris, the musical score is a rehash from SON OF FRANKENSTEIN and the plot: it melts in THE MUMMY’S HAND. 

Who wants to wait until the 31st to wallow in Halloween indulgences and scary movies?! Home Projectionist doesn’t! And so we’ll have pairings of 31 Frights and 31 Bites every one of October’s 31 nights: a scary, snack size movie “trick”, and a delicious “treat” to go along with it.

Trick & Treat for October 20th:

THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT (1999; with Heather Donahue)

When you first bit into a Milk Shake bar, given its name you probably thought you’d experience the taste of a real milk shake. You probably were a little disappointed that you’d been tricked. The same might go for a first viewing of this film. They apparently do not make the Milk Shake anymore. It’s this writer’s opinion that the same should go for further iterations of BLAIR WITCH. We’re supposedly watching found footage showing a trio of college kids who went on a camping trip in the woods. They ran into some trouble, and not the “I forgot to bring hot dog buns” kind. It’s all recorded on tape by a camera that, you’ll quickly see, does not have the “Steadicam” feature. (Incidentally, even though they brought a camcorder, they don’t have phones.) And so, like the more recent film CLOVERFIELD, we get something more approaching “Jitterycam”. Very quickly, we wish the witches would just do their thing and put these kids and the audience out of is nauseous misery. The movie’s totally dependent on you believing this is a documentary. Good luck with that, and good luck pretending you’re drinking a Milk Shake and not eating one. 

Who wants to wait until the 31st to wallow in Halloween indulgences and scary movies?! Home Projectionist doesn’t! And so we’ll have pairings of 31 Frights and 31 Bites every one of October’s 31 nights: a scary, snack size movie “trick”, and a delicious “treat” to go along with it.

Trick & Treat for October 19th:

ATTACK OF THE 50 FT. WOMAN (1958; with Allison Hayes; directed by Nathan Juran)

It’s a shame that the Amazing Colossal Man perished in a tragic fall from atop Hoover Dam in 1957. Nancy Archer and the colossal Glenn Manning had something in common besides enjoying long walks. More importantly, the attacks Nancy inflicts on her hometown (and on us) during this film might have been prevented. In what might be one of the most unbelievable of all 1950s sci-fi movies (which is saying an amazingly lot), Nancy (Allison Hayes), the wife of the wealthy, philandering Harry, goes on quite a tear when she discovers Harry at a local diner with the town floozy, Honey Parker. Harry quickly discerns that Nancy has a big chip on her shoulder–a chip that in fact is literally a city bus.

You see, there was this alien spaceship Nancy happened to see one day. Out of this spacecraft stepped a weird alien (is there any other kind?), dressed like a Frenchman from the 1600s. Astonishingly, authorities do not believe Nancy’s story. Her encounter with the alien left some minor side effects–namely that she’s a bit taller. Which would be fine except that she’s about 45 feet taller. Always a fussy clothes shopper with nothing to wear, Nancy’s really in a pickle now, settling for a very large beach towel. She also has a newfound problem with trees and houses, and decides to do some urban renewal. Nowadays, Nancy could turn her bad luck and her unique new assets into a lucrative movie/TV deal, and possibly a very large Playboy spread. This being 1958 however, Nancy and her sarong must be dealt with by the use of force. This is a whopper of a tale for sure. But if you can suspend disbelief for 90 minutes, it’s one with some sweet, funny rewards. 

Who wants to wait until the 31st to wallow in Halloween indulgences and scary movies?! Home Projectionist doesn’t! And so we’ll have pairings of 31 Frights and 31 Bites every one of October’s 31 nights: a scary, snack size movie “trick”, and a delicious “treat” to go along with it.