Author: edtwilley

edtwilley

Oct. 4th: The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949) & Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Friday Night Double Feature!

We’ll start off this double feature with the 1949 Disney classic The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.

Though wonderful in and of itself, The Wind in the Willows adaptation isn’t exactly necessary viewing for our purposes, and one could skip straight to the incredibly faithful adaptation of Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

Positively brimming with Halloween and autumnal atmosphere, the tale of Ichabod and The Headless Horseman is essential holiday viewing. Its classical animation is further enhanced by some fantastic sound design and Bing Crosby’s great narration. Plus, ole Bing gives us a Halloween song for the ages.

 

If just viewing the Disney cartoon feels a bit brief however, follow it up directly with 1999’s undervalued Sleepy Hollow.

Sure, it may not be a terribly faithful adaption, but Tim Burton’s love letter to the classic Universal and Hammer Horror’s of old is rich with a sinister beauty I think no fan of Halloween can deny.

Factor that together with a fine performance from Johnny Depp plus 18 awesome decapitations from Kevin Yagher and you have a truly memorable horror effort from the typically more quirky, light and sentimental Burton.

Now I’m not sure, off-hand, if Halloween is actually ever mentioned in this live action revamp, but few movies look as much like Halloween as Sleepy Hollow.

While it’s certainly not my favorite Tim Burton film (that would be Ed Wood) or without it’s share of flaws (some poor plotting with a sticky 3rd act that disappointingly grounds the supernatural aspects more than I would have liked) there aren’t many movies that I think are as gorgeous to view. Half the time I watch it without the sound just to look at it. If I had to pick a movie to live inside forever, I’d choose Sleepy Hollow, without question.

With its incredibly seasoned and talented supporting cast, beautiful cinematography and absolutely jaw-drawing production and set design, Sleepy Hollow is in a Gothic class all of its own, and should definitely grace your eyes at some point in October for a truly seasonal escape.

Oct. 3rd: Spaced Invaders (1990)

Skewing away from the Horror a bit for night #3, we have the decidedly childish but exceedingly Halloweeny Spaced Invaders.

An inept group of Martians intercept a radio transmission from Earth and believe an invasion is underway. Not wishing to miss out on the spoils, they land in Illinois and eagerly attempt to meet up with their comrades. They are, of course, mistaken.

Not only does this silly film take place entirely on Halloween (leading everyone to assume these Martians are simply children in really kick-ass costumes) but the radio transmission they receive is merely a Halloween broadcast of Orson Welles’ War Of The Worlds. Now that’s just damned Halloweeny.

While not the ideal pick for All Hallo’s itself, there’s more Halloweeniness on display here than most horror movies taking place on the same night. Some funny gags, some great voice-over acting and some great animatronic work and you’ve got a perfect recipe for a light, non-horror October evening. So why not the 3rd?

Oct. 2nd: Idle Hands (1999)

Jumping in a different direction for night number 2 comes this late 90’s horror-comedy which got slammed by critics upon it’s initial release.

Fair enough. Any movie that feels this caked in the stank of the late 90’s (the worst part of that decade) and features The Offspring ought to get taken down a peg. But it’s not entirely unenjoyable, and its got some fun moments of gore, humor and of course, Halloween sprinkled throughout.

The story, if you’re unfamiliar, involves a young stoner named Anton, whom’s “idle hands” do the Devil’s work when one becomes possessed right before Halloween.

Tragedy ensues when Anton’s hand kills his parents and his best pals. So naturally, much like its clear inspiration Evil Dead 2, he lops it off.

Problem solved, right? Nah.

That only makes matters worse, as the marauding hand goes on a rampage all over town leading up to a pretty fun high school Halloween party that could only take place in the fictional confines of Hollywood.

Some great make-up effects, fun supporting characters, and a wonderful physical performance from Devon Sawa make this horror comedy a fun watch. With the added touch of ambiance and Halloween, it’s a sure-fire October bet.

So take a few rips tonight and join Anton, his zombie buddies and a disembodied hand for some Halloween havoc.

Oct. 1st: Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)

Such a great movie this is to usher in the season that even it’s title sets the mood for what is to come.

This adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s story of the same name was brought to us by Disney during a period where they produced more mature titles to offset their image of being  strictly purveyors of children’s animation.

Set in Green Town, Illinois in late October, two young boys encounter Mr. Dark’s Pandemonium Carnival, which enters their burg under the cover of night and sets up with supernatural speed.

Seemingly magical at first, soon Mr. Dark’s carnival exudes a sinister force that seems to infect the whole town and it inhabitants.

Light, creepy and perfectly Halloweeny, the film builds slowly with tons atmosphere and is the perfect way to start any October off right. Something Wicked This Way Comes indeed.

31 Days of Halloween Horror

Halloweeners rejoice! Your season is upon yo!

For the christening of our hallowed month, I thought I’d begin my 31 days of Halloween Horror movie list.

Numerous bloggers and Internet “news” outlets will surely be posting similar lists, if not in truncated form, with a dozen or so horror movies perfect for the holiday.

Anyone halfway versed in horror can toss anywhere from 5 to 31 suitable genre movies your way in the spirit of the season. Hell, one could conjure completely different lists of movies a few years running and still knock it out of the park each time.

But how many of those lists will be exclusively Halloween movies? Welp, at least 1, cause that’s how The Shindig rolls.

So forget about Freddy and Friday, pass on Pinhead and leave Leatherface in the lurch. This year, celebrate the eve of all Hallo’s with 31 tailor-made titles.

Like the playlist, the order here is by no means rankly or definitive. You could sock any one of these titles closer to, or further away from Halloween as you’d like. I’ve place them in terms of personal preference during the month and generally Halloweeniness, simply for orderings sake.

Unfortunately, I’m not sure how many gifs and songs I’ll be able to post this month, a disappointing sensation for a Halloween themed blog, I know, but this movie list is my consolation, as fashioning simple text posts once a day is something I can probably manage.

So keep an eye on The Shindig for suggestions on filling your October movie nights with maximum Halloweeniness.

Audio

Halloween (She Get So Mean)

TRACK# 80:

Halloween (She Get So Mean) by The Ghastly Ones (feat. Rob Zombie)

If White Zombie was a garage band in the late 60’s, they might have sounded a whole lot like our next divisible by 20 track.

From the Zombie A Go-Go released holiday mix Halloween Hootenanny comes this great Halloween track from perennial spooksters The Ghastly Ones.

Providing some uncharacteristic lyrical accompaniment for the Ghastly’s this time around is the man himself, Mr. Rob Zombie.

Since the song is titled Halloween (She Get So Mean) I’ve led the track in with every Halloweener’s favorite Halloween avenger Rhonda from Trick R Treat, as she schools us all on the sinister origins of our Hallowed holiday.

Enjoy!

 

Audio

The Trioxin Theme (Main Title)

TRACK #79:

The Trioxin Theme (Main Title) by Francis Haines

It seems as though I’ve been ignoring my Horror Themes category. Better sock one in here before the playlist ends up with a giant lyric-less cluster somewhere in the middle.

And if you need a go-to Horror Theme, then Francis Haines’ Return of the Living Dead Main Title Theme will do just fine.

Perfectly creepy, perfectly Halloweeny, The Trioxin Theme is just the break we need from the rock to bring a little ambiance back into the mix.

As soundtracks go (official, purchasable albums that is) The Return of the Living Dead is a great one. Not only is the music awesome, but it chock full of so many great samples from the movie I don’t even need to bust out my DVD to lead them in. Just grab 2 tracks, splice ’em a little and we’re good to go.

From one of the greatest zombie movies ever made, here’s the synthy and spooky Trioxin Theme from The Return of the Living Dead.

 

Audio

It’s Alive

TRACK #78:

It’s Alive by Bobby “Boris” Pickett

Cause you can’t not follow that sample with anything else.

Right on the heels of one Frankenstein song comes this lesser known effort from Bobby “Boris” Pickett.

As stated previously, Bobby tried to recreate his Monster Mash success several times over the course of his career. File this one under the “Heavy Metal” attempt, though there’s little metal going on here.

Finding information on this track is a bit tricky but it seems to have originated off the Dr. Demento show.

Bobby has brought his (actual?) son along for the ride, who takes his own stab dear old dad’s monster making.

He creates a monster that’s the right shade of green and ready for some rocking. And even though he was implanted with a brain labeled, as Fritz claims, “Musician: heavy metal, not blues,” the song is a certainly a far cry from anything resembling metal.

It’s a Shindigger all the same, and how could it not be? Anytime Bobby Pickett decides to sing about monsters rocking out, we gotta represent.

 

Audio

Making A Monster

TRACK #77:

Making A Monster by Blitzkid

Perennial spooksters Blitzkid are back at #77 with their ode to Mary Shelley’s classic cautionary tale of scientific hubris gone wrong.

Sympathetically written from the Monster’s perspective, the song actually has a bit more in common with the source material than the 1931 film used to lead-in the track. But a clip sample that perfect can’t be ignored, not by The Shindig at least.

Here’s Shindig All-Stars Blitzkid with a Franken-Weener of monstrous proportions!

 

Audio

Rockula

TRACK #76:

He’s Rockula by Dean Cameron

I’m gonna wrap up this Vampire block with a Title Track of ridiculous proportions, from one of my favorite sub-genres, 80’s Monster Comedies.

Though technically released in 1990, Rockula was written and filmed in the late 80’s and has all the trappings of an 80’s Monster Comedy, and as such is filed accordingly by the Shindig.

If you’ve never seen Rockula, here’s the jist:

Ralph (played by Dean Cameron, aka Summer School’s Chainsaw) is a typically 80’s “friendly” vampire. Ralph’s got a problem though. See, 400 years ago Ralph failed to save his beloved Mona from a ham bone wielding pirate who murdered her on Halloween. After which, a terrible curse befell Ralph. He must relive this trauma ever 22 years, as Mona is reincarnated and Ralph is given another chance to prevent this tragedy. A chance which he always seems to squander.

However, in the late 80’s, Mona is resurrected as a musician, so Ralph becomes Rockula to win her heart, and maybe to keep a close eye on her to finally prevent that whole Halloween/ham bone/pirate murder thing.

Sound great? No? Well it is, and it features a couple of great tunes performed by Dean Cameron (and one by Toni “Oh Mickey” Basil, who plays Ralph’s Vampire mom.) Tunes that, of course, are featured on the Shindig.

From Rockula, performed by Rockula, it’s the triple threat, Rockula!

 

Audio

Soul Dracula

TRACK #75:

Soul Dracula by Hot Blood

Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your perspective) there was more than one disco Dracula tune.

In fact, there was a whole album. It was even called Disco Dracula. It was the only effort from weird German band called Hot Blood and there’s a couple of vampire themed tracks on this sucker. Hell, there’s even a Frankenstein song called “Baby Frankie Stein.”

Mostly a funky instrumental, this lyrically sparse number does repeatedly feature the the titular phrase “Soul Dracula,” which is honestly enough for the Shindig. However, Hot Blood puts a little pepper on the porridge by using a goofy Dracula voice. Bonus.

Leading this track in is a clip from Blacula, cause lets face it, Blacula is the soulest motherfuckin Dracula around. To quote James Brown “Eddie Murphy, eat your heart out.”

And because it is mostly an instrumental, we went ahead and saddled the whole track with some Blacula clips, cause Blacula is awesome, and he deserves it.

Enjoy!

 

Audio

Drac’s Back

TRACK #74:

Drac’s Back by Red Lipstique

Disco was no stranger to novelty tracks. And as all you Shindiggers know, novelty tracks were no stranger to monster songs.

Though originally recorded in 1979 by Andy Forray, The Shindig prefers this slightly more up-tempo version by Red Lipstique.

Never heard of Red Lipstique? Well, that’s because they weren’t really a real band. It was a pseudonym The Bollocks Brother’s used when they released several singles, including this cover of Andy Forray’s disco hit.

Never heard of The Bollocks Brothers? Well, I hadn’t either.

However, I have heard of this song, and it’s definitely Shindig material, no matter what band records it, or what name they use.

So c’mon Weeners, sing along…

“I wanna suck your OOOOOHHHH!”

Dracula, Drac’s back!

(side note: I could think of nothing more fitting to lead this track in than a clip from Hammer’s Dracula A.D. 1972, which finds Christopher Lee’s Drac being resurrected into London of the early 70’s. Not quite the disco era but still appropriate.)