Shocktoberween Close To Wrapping Up

SO....
What are your plans for Halloween?


It's an important holiday -- to me, THE important holiday -- so one should always have a plan for what they'll be doing. You can't approach the only celebration of the year that really matters with a willy nilly attitude! Set your goals, man!!!

Anyway, I'll be doing the same thing this Halloween that I always do on Halloween: watching Night of the Living Dead. It's a tradition I've observed for going on 20 years now (my God, has it been that long since I was in the sixth grade?), and I hold it sacred. I've already warned the wife -- "I watch Night of the Living Dead on Halloween, and don't you give me no nevermind about it, woman!"

She's OK with that, as long as we watch The Crow on Devil's Night (or, to you non-Michiganders, the night before Halloween, October 30th). I figure that makes for a lovely weekend of cinematic bonding for us. The Crow on Saturday, NOTLD on Sunday. Ah, fine films and fine company all around.


And how about costumes? Do you dress up on Halloween? Believe it or not, I generally do not. To me, Halloween is more of a spiritual holiday than a time for partying. I consider moping around in the darkness to be more exciting and meaningful than dressing up and hanging out with a bunch of drunks. As with most things in life, I prefer to experience Halloween alone.

But I don't blame YOU at all if you feel differently. Hey, it's friggin' HALLOWEEN, for goodness sake! Go out, drink, and be merry. Have some brews!


Ladies -- remember that this is the PERFECT time for you get show a little skin (or a whole LOT of skin). On Halloween, you can dress as risky as you want, and no one will judge. This is your best opportunity to flaunt it, and I heartily encourage you to do so. Ever wanna dress up as a naughty maid, nurse, or cartoon character??? THEN I SAY DO IT!!!

...Please?

And fellas -- do the exact opposite of the ladies. Try to dress a little modestly, will ya? No one wants to see whatever it is that you think you've got. Let's just keep it under wraps this year.

(Oh, dear God. Kill it with fire!!!)

And let's not forget them Trick or Treaters. I don't get many in my neck of the woods, but still keep a little candy on hand just in case a few do show up. I remember one year when I was living alone in my apartment, I was sitting there on Halloween watching Night of the Living Dead when, totally unexpected, some Trick or Treaters did show up to my door. Like an idiot, I actually answered, and then had to panic for a second when I realized I had no candy for them. Fortunately, I was able to rustle up some pre-packaged Rice Krispy Treats and a Willy Wonka candy bar from the kitchen on the fly. I was like, "You hit the jackpot, kid!" to the boy who got the Wonka Bar. Those things are, like, three dollars each. The little snot probably didn't even appreciate it.


Anyway, whatever your Halloween plans, I hope you enjoy yourself. And try to work a horror flick into the mix somewhere, as well. Here's a good one that you might want to consider.

Re-Animator (1985)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089885/


Netflix description:
Based on a story by H.P. Lovecraft, this campy send-up that spawned a similarly outlandish sequel follows an egotistical medical student named Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs), who develops a serum that miraculously revives the dead. Together with his obdurate roommate, Dan (Bruce Abbott), and his girlfriend, Megan (Barbara Crampton), West reanimates a corpse -- but he doesn't factor in certain complications.

First of all, Re-Animator is a blast. Let's get that out of the way right now.

It's about a medical student named Herbert who discovers a way to resurrect the dead. He's got this glowing green serum that can, you know, re-animate a corpse when injected into its neck. Apparently, the dude's been working on this crap for years.

Herbert actually perfects the serum in a lab he's set up in the basement of a home he shares with another student named Dan. His first successful experiment is on Dan's cat. Herby kills the poor animal and re-animates it with hysterical results. The cat goes nuts, and our two medical student heroes have to kill it all over again.

Things get out of hand, however, when Herbert gets the idea of sneaking into a morgue and injecting the serum into a fresh human corpse. It works, but as was the case with Test Subject Fluffy, the reanimated body goes completely insane, attacking everyone in sight. Herbert now becomes even more obsessed; he wants a fresher body...and the only way to get one is...

You guessed it -- MURDER!


Herbert kills and resurrects a dean at his medical school, who promptly goes ballistic, and then follows that up with the murderization of a professor. Now, that second victim, when re-animated, actually maintains his sanity somewhat. Of course, the problem with him is that his head is totally detached from his body, making for some amusing moments featuring a decapitated body walking around, bumping into file cabinets and knocking stuff over. Hilarious!

Needless to say, the situation only gets crazier from there. I won't spoil the rest for you, but Re-Animator is a film that takes weirdness to a new level. One bad decision leads to another until there are completely unhinged zombies wandering around all over the place, and blood is spewing in every direction. Heck, at one point, we even witness a pretty young lady almost being sexually assaulted by a severed head (don't worry -- someone saves her). You don't see THAT every day!


I had myself a fine old time with Re-Animator. It's one of those early to mid-80s horror flicks that observes no rules and just revels in its own abandonment of taste. Blood covers everything; body parts are chopped off with joy; abominations are celebrated; nakedness is abundant....This movie actually reminded me somewhat of the great Basket Case -- if anything, in spirit. It's in very special class that many horror fans hold dear.

I liked all performances, the plot moved along nicely, and the overall film was shot with skill. Really, there's little to dislike about Re-Animator. It'll make you laugh, cry, and puke. Hey, this one is a real hoot. Check it out immediately if you haven't already seen it a million times.

4 out of 5.

b.