Month: October 2016

Revenge of the Halloween Sequel!

Horror is certainly a genre known for rampant sequelization. Even the franchises that never got to stretch their legs into the 4’s, 5’s and beyond, typically got at least one ill-advised sequel.

This year I started noticing a little trend. For some reason, that second installment had a bizarre tendency to cram Halloween into the mix.

Why? Is it more horror-y? Is it just more fun? Is it a lazy solution to the problem of developing a new story? Whatever the reason, The Shindig certainly isn’t complaining.

This 2016 iteration of the countdown features 8 second installments, only 3 of which are sequels to already established Halloween films. If you count C.H.U.D. 2 (featured on the original 2013 lineup) that’s 6 horrors sequels that just up and decided to shove Halloween onto the menu. That’s pretty awesome.

There’s probably even more too, who knows? But 8 is good enough for us, and definitely enough to declare this list The Revenge of the Halloween Sequel!

 

Audio

Ghostbusters

TRACK #134:

Ghostbusters by Run D.M.C.

Since everyone got so pissed off this summer about the Ghostbusters remake, and even more pissed off about the new song by Fall Out Boy ft. Missy Elliot (definitely not featured on the Shindig), I thought we’d take a look at another Ghostbusters Theme reiteration that surely pissed off purists in its day.

I’ve said it before and I’ll probably say it again, but when it comes to Monster Raps, no movie’s got that shit on lock like Ghostbusters 2.

A prime example of this is Run D.M.C.’s Ghostbusters, which (as sacrilegious as it may sound) I actually enjoy a little more than Ray Parker Jr.’s seminal theme.

Don’t get me wrong, Ray’s original Title Track is an unrivaled classic, both for Halloween playlists and just generally speaking. It also serves as the basis for Reverend Run and Co.’s sonic sequel. This jam however is way less played-out, awesomely 8o’s in its own distinct way and just plain old fashioned ridiculous in the best way possible.

Sampled up with tons of clips of the boys bustin’ and schillin’.

You can click this glowing text to watch the official video. It’s pretty great.

So, who you gonna call?

You call the Ghostbusters, well that’s who you call!

 

ART OF THE HALLOWEEN MASK!

Sculptor, precison striker, mask-smith and full time Halloweener Mikey Rotella is bringing the Halloween Mask out of the Woolworth’s and into the Gallery at Lethal Amounts.

See!

Original Don Posts, Top Stone, Distoritions Unlimited and Be Something Studios masks. Most older than you!

Consider!

A whole plastic pumpkin’s worth of brand new, modern masks from famous mask-makers like Jordu Schell, Norman Cabrera, Pete Infelise, Graham Schofield, Wayne Anderson and more. All up for sale!

Shriek!

At the horrifying mask-related 2D art!

Gasp!

At a special Halloween montage!

and

Jam!

To musical accompaniment from the Halloween Shindig vault brought to you live by DJ Easy C!

 

It’s a Halloween Extravaganza of festive proportions for the ages!

It all starts Saturday Night

October 15th @ Lethal Amounts in L.A.

Come get your latex fix this October!

 

Check out the Official Lethal Amounts page.

and

Check in at the Art of the Halloween Mask Event Page!

 

Oct. 1st: Kenny and Company (1976)

We’re gonna kick off the season and our countdown with this fun, non-horror Halloween debut from Mr. Phantasm himself.

Before Don Coscarelli, Michael Baldwin and Reggie Bannister stared down death in the form of an inter-dimensional undertaker with flying spheres, they tackled death in a much different way with a family movie framed (no doubt quite intentionally) by Halloween.

Kenny and Company is a good-natured, casual and often amusing tale where very authentic and (actually) young kids in the 70’s do a bunch a shit you’d never see kids doing in a family movie nowadays. They build stuff, daydream, play outside, trick or treat alone, get shot at, look at nudie mags and face bullies without intervention from a committee of concerned buttinskis.

It’s also a mediation on coming-of-age while learning about death that feels loosely parallel to Phantasm.

But most importantly to us, it’s all surrounded by Halloween, culminating in a lot fun hi-jinx and ambiance as the kids go trick or treating.

Starting off with a great animated pumpkin, the film makes no bones about its Halloween intentions, but it is not a film based on Halloween itself, but rather uses it to mirror death (and Kenny’s awakening to it); the age-old ending of the seasons.

There’s nothing scary or horrific about Kenny and Company, but it’s an entertaining glimpse into an America that no longer exists. It also provides plenty of festive imagery for an autumn evening, and heralds in the the month of October nicely.

For Phantasm fans it’s should prove especially interesting to see Michael (who’s quite good here as Doug) and Reggie being directed by Don outside of their usual Tall Man adventure.

This one gets 2 Jack-O-Lanterns, a Paper mache bear head and a Bill Malone mask up. Dig in!

Designation: Treat!

Return of the 31 Days of Halloween Horror 2: Revenge of the Halloween Sequels: Trick or Treat?

Back in October of 2013, The Shindig featured a countdown of 31 Halloween-specific movies for readers to sink their teeth into.We decided it was high time to shove our hands into that candy dish once again and pull out another 31 Halloween flicks to frighten up your festivities.

31 more?

Sure. Hell, you could probably make three separate lists of 31 and still have leftovers. But the pickins are sure to get slimmer with each successive grab.

So we’re going have to dig a bit deeper this year, as most of the heavy hitters got pulled last time. And while there’s bound to be a few small tootsie rolls and some off-brand bullshit nobody wants, I’ll bet there’s still a couple of king-sized Snickers down there at the bottom.

Truth be told, there was a bunch of shitty Halloween candy down there this year and we could not pull out 31 more films we could wholly recommend. As such, we’ve decided to break up the offerings into “Tricks” and “Treats.” Some of these will undoubtedly have open wrappers and look particularly suspicious, so consume at your own risk.

Now, come on Weeners! Let’s go souling this season and see what we mummers can scare up for Samhain.