I'm Nuts about Fortress

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Looking Back at a Year of Repertory Hosting '11 (part 2)

And so here we find ourselves, staring down the barrel of 2012 with both hammers cocked and a twitchy inebriant manning the trigger which brings about a new year. Sincerely it's my hope that you look back at the year that was with delightful fondness but I understand if you need a little reminder about why you should appreciate the machinations of 2011. Before we delve into the second half of the year in horror, cult and scifi at The Colonial Theater, if you missed part one, check it out here and get up to speed.

Picking up were we left off, July is always an exciting month at The Colonial. In addition to the monthly First Friday Fright Night (FFFN) and Colonial Cult Cinema (CCC) shows, Blobfest is always held during the second weekend of the month this year's was one for the ages. It was also a sad time, a partings of ways. Bob Trate, creator and longtime host of FFFN, relocated to the greener pastures of Los Angeles but not before hosting one last film, the classicist of films: The Planet of the Apes.

With the departure of Mr.Trate, a gap was left to be filled. Joel Rickenback, host of eminent podcast You've Got Geek and local horror cinephile extraordinaire Nick Lombardo joined me (I'd been hosting the MST3K shows to this point) to continue to bring you a steady diet of the weird and wonderful. We also took this opportunity to refocus FFFN into a horror specific endeavor, spinning off cult, scifi, action and peculiar films into a new series dubbed Colonial Cult Cinema, which would kick off in August. We also made the conscious decision to only bring you films in 35mm print, the way they're meant to be seen (accept in the case of MST3K, which as a TV show was never actually committed to film and obviously baring print shipping issues). 

With all that having been said, let's bring you fully up to speed on 2011.

July

The Planet of the Apes - If it's possible to point out a film that holds up better than this one, I haven't come across it. This highly influential cultural touchstone is a phenomenal adventure which got even more love at the end of the month from the Exhumed Films crew, who ran the entire original Apes saga on the last day of the month. Happily, I attended both screenings.

MST3K episode #509 - The Girl in Lovers' Lane - This underrated episode marks the one year anniversary of our MST3K shows. Another invention exchange took place, this time more Gizmonic hopefuls strutted their homespun inventions. The winner? Charcoal boxer shorts which you never need change. Eeewww.

August
The Fog - No, not the remake. What's your boggle? John Carpenter's original masterpiece, which instilled in me the lifelong desire to live in a retrofitted lighthouse (I still want to). An all star cast, a perfectly crafted atmosphere, superb special effects and a master of film making at the top of his game, The Fog is a personal favorite of mine.

Jaws - Our most popular screening from 2010 makes a triumphant return to help kick off our Colonial Cult Cinema series and, just as before, it rocked the house. Side note: I love the voice over gentleman on this trailer. Love it.

September
Pieces - Despite the tag line in the trailer, Pieces really isn't exactly what you think that it is as depicted there. It's wacky, it's absurd, hell it's madcap. More than what it is, this film is an appetizer of that which we plan to bring you more of: slightly off the beaten track and more rarely screened in 35mm.

MST3K episode #1011 - The Horrors of Spider Island - Mike and the 'bots shred this former German nudie flick, which had all the naughty bits stripped out and a bad English dub track added before it was released into the American market. While this isn't as well remembered of an episode as some of the more popular ones, it is a personal favorite of mine and the riffing is super tight.

October
An American Werewolf in London - John Landis' monster man classic is a fantastic blend of humor and horror and contains the absolute coolest transformation ever captured, indeed it was revolutionary at the time. It was a sad night for the Phillies, who were knocked out of the playoffs while the film was unspooling. It's a good thing we had Landis to keep our mind off it. 

Friday the 13th - originally, this night was supposed to hold a screening of Walter Hill's amazing gang actioner, The Warriors, but the print for it was accidentally shipped to the wrong theater. Luckily, local print collector (and 1/4 of Exhumed Films) Harry Guerrero stepped in and with an rarely screened, pristine 35mm print of the UK cut of Friday the 13th. (we rescheduled The Warriors once the print was again available in November)
November
Nightbreed - One of our more unusual selections was undoubtably Clive Barker's seldom run Nightbreed. Why did we run it? Because you needed to see it. Because David Cronenberg plays an incredibly creepy and intelligent serial killer. Just because. Hopefully you didn't miss it. 

The Warriors - Ah! The harrowing tale of a group of hardcore soldiers, trapped miles behind enemy lines, forced to bop their way all the way back home. The Warriors is a venerated cult classic, with a passionate following. Many attended in costume. Awesome!

MST3K episode #424 - Manos: The Hands of Fate - This is the seminal episode, one of the most popular and most peculiar. The Satellite of Love crews' take has granted Manos it's own cult following which has led to a sequel, a hand puppet play (Manos: The Hands of Felt) and, most recently, a film restoration project. Not at all shabby for a film made by a fertilizer salesman on a bet.December
Silent Night, Deadly Night - The film that taught us not to be naughty, lest Santa punish us. Or maybe the lesson was that wicked nuns breed psycho serial killers. Perhaps the best lesson is to never steal a kid's sled in the middle of the night or you'll loose your head. Santa Nick welcomed the Yule tide revellers to the Colonial in true Christmas fashion and good times were had by all! (and to all a good night!)

Die Hard - If I had to choose a favorite Christmas film, this would undoubtably be it. It clicks on so many levels, I honestly can't think of one thing I'd change. Sadly, there was a print shipping error and we didn't find out until just the day before the show that we wouldn't have one (in fact the only one) in time for the show. And while we always want to show you a 35mm print, that simply wasn't possible. Rather than cancel the show, we projected it via Blu-ray and a packed house enjoyed Christmas Bruce Willis style.

It's been a crazy and exciting year for Horror, cult and Scifi film buffs this year and we're absolutely prepared to kick butt and take names in twenty-twelve. Here's what we've got on tap for you (this is just what I can share with you so far!)

First Friday Fright Night

Friday the 13th part VII - January 13th

My Bloody Valentine - February 3rd

Night of the Creeps - March 2nd

Colonial Cult Cinema

The Big Lebowski - January 20th

MST3K: Time Chasers - February 17th

Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure - March 16th

MST3K: Mitchell - April 20th

The Room - May 18th

See you at the movies!

Looking Back at a Year of Repertory Hosting '11 (part 1)

As some of you may know, I help select and host repertory cult and horror film showings at the humblingly atmospheric Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville, PA. If you're unfamiliar with this spectacular venue, the Colonial is famously remembered as the theater featured in the 1958 Steve McQueen horror flick The Blob, which they gloriously celebrate each year with a weekend festival dubbed "Blobfest". As you can imagine, it's the perfect local for a monthly late night horror show, which was started in mid-2008 by then local cinofile, Bob Trate. First Friday Fright Night (FFFN) has been an enormous draw for the theater and has been going strong for the past three years.

I've been a rabid attendee since I first heard about it prior to their 3rd show, a 35mm print of the immensely popular Evil Dead, in June '08. In July 2010 I began hosting a bimonthly showing of Mystery Science Theater 3000 episodes which was not my first hosting duty at the Colonial but has grown to be my favorite (I love coming up with absurd, embarrassing and fun contests for the pre-show prizes!).

I'm bringing this up because it would become the jumping off point for an entirely separate cult film series (Colonial Cult Cinema) in the middle of this past year (which we'll discuss to in part 2 of this retrospective).

And so it's with all this in mind that I'd like to take a look back at all the cult and horror which has been lovingly showcased at the Colonial Theatre in 2011. Consider this my own "end of year list".

January

Dark City - Ah Dark City! Such a fantastic work, summoning qualities both noir and scifi then painting with a brush of gothic mystery- this flick is an amazing ride which didn't get the recognition it deserved upon release in 1998. The director's cut was screened on Blu-Ray, since there isn't a 35mm print of this version.




MST3K episode #813 "Jack Frost" - This Mike episode centers on lambasting a badly translated dub of what appears to be a beautifully shot Russo-Finnish fairy tale piece. As is typical of all the MST3K shows which I host, there was a pre-show contest for prizes. In this case, I held a "Ricochet-off", where those brave souls who joined me on stage had to out "Ricochet!" each other in the manner of Mike's invention from the Starfighters episode.



February

The Fifth Element - I adore this film. It's marvelous scifi never feels forced and all parts humor and action are as tightly woven strands, marking this as a crowd pleaser that holds up very well. And I'll just throw this out there: Chris Tucker at his absolute best.



March

In the Mouth of Madness - Our first true horror film of the year is commonly held, as host Bob Trate noted at the time, to be the last "good" John Carpenter film (I disagree, but we'll table that until another time). Drawing heavily from H.P. Lovecraft's body of work, we're treated to that special sort of madness which lies outside the limits of man's mortal bounds. Sam Neill turns in an amazing performance.




MST3K episode #417 "Crash of the Moons" - This wonderful episode contains exactly what I always think of when conjuring images of what MST3K means for me: Black and White 50's science fiction with cardboard sets and campy premise. Sure there are better episodes out there, but I dearly love the fun Joel and the bots' have with the adventures of space ranger Rocky Jones. Before the show our contest was an honest to goodness invention exchange. As I recall, the winner created the "Nerdvent Calendar" - in homage to both Advent calendars (with little gifts contained in each day) and all things geek leading up to Blobfest itself. Marvelous!



April

The Terminator - Our third scifi film of the year in the Fright Night spot is a true classic, catapulting it's director James Cameron and star Michael Biehn Arnold Schwarzenegger on to super stardom. Even better, the 35mm print was very clear and well preserved!



May

Maniac - This was an experience, more than just a screening. We were able to showcase a brand new 35mm print of this niche classic. If that wasn't cool enough, we had director William Lustig on hand. He both introduced the film and stuck around for an incredibly informative question and answer session at the conclusion (moderated by cohost to be Joel Rickenbach of You've Got Geek podcast fame). Even more fun for us was the chance to have dinner with Bill Lustig before the show. He was pleasant company and quite the affable chap! Hopefully he'll come back this year for Blobfest (he was floored when he found out he was hosting his movie at "The Blob theater"!)




MST3K episode #1008 "Final Justice" - This Joe Don Baker stinker is perfect fodder which we punctuated with a preshow Cowboy and/or JDB costume contest. Thankfully, no one dressed as Joe Don.



June

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzi across the 8th Dimension - Which is more an impossible situation? For me to do this film justice in simple text form or for you to never have seen it? This amazing original film works so many angles, you might think you're being taken in by some nefarious con. You are being taken for a ride, but you aren't being grifted out of anything but your ignorance. Topping off my first chance to see this gem in 35mm was a showcase of props and collectibles on display thanks to Film Buff Online writer (and dear friend), Rich Drees.

There you have it, part one of our year in repertory review for the Colonial Theatre. Look for part two coming shortly, detailing the changing of the guard that took place and how the Colonial Cult Cinema night took shape.

Top 5 Reasons to Purchase MST3K Volume 22

Oh to be a MSTie!

With the home release fate of our favorite cow-town puppet show in the loving care of Shout! Factory, fans of Mystery Science Theater 3000 have been enjoying consistent, rapid fire releases loaded with excellent and interesting special features. This year alone, we've had four major releases: three box sets and a special two disc edition of the Manos: The Hands of Fate. Shout! has also been awesome enough to produce eight reprints of episodes released in previous box sets by Rhino, which are now out of print. Admittedly, these reprints are bare bones in nature, but for those who missed out on the now unavailable box sets for whatever reason, these are a great way to acquire official version of these much loved episodes.

We haven't had it this good since the hay day of Comedy Central, giving us annual Turkey Day marathons. If you're a true MSTie, you won't require any convincing from the likes of me. Instead, please consider this more a list of the best 5 things about this most recent of box sets, tendered reverently from Shout! Factory's hands into your waiting mandibles for consumption.

Quickly, before we jump into your waiting maw of doom, here are the four episodes featured in this set (in case you suck at Amazon.com):

-306: Time of the Apes - A Japanese tv series attempting to cash in on the American Apes mania of the time, truncated into a crummy, nonsensical flick.

-314: Mighty Jack - Mish-mash of episodes five and six of a Japanese tv show set aboard a flying submarine that gently banks from side to side.

-610: The Violent Years - Despite it's violence, this is a truly boring entry in the "teenagers in rebellion sub genre". The overly long preceding short(Young Man's Fancy) is actually more entertaining and better riffed than the main attraction.

-702: The Brute Man - The final performance of Rando Hatton, who's disfigurement lead to him playing the rough thug in many films. Here he's "The Creeper", a shadowed monster who steals in order to fund the surgery of a blind woman he loves.

If you're looking for five hundred words each on episodes you've probably seen a dozen times, I'm certain any number of other reviewers of this set can hook you up. Now let's get to the good stuff.

1. More Sandy Frank episodes!
Sandy Frank is best known for importing (and hilariously poorly dubbing) the Gamera films and several Japanese TV shows and films to the American market. No less than eleven of these Sandy Frank imports were riffed as episodes for MST3K and on many occasions the mockery extended beyond the meterial to teasing the film distributor himself. This perceived animosity had led to the belief that all 11 Sandy Frank episodes would never see home release. A myth dispelled like so much Gamera flatulence with Shout! Factory's special five disc set revolving around the giant friend of children turtle monster in July. MST3K Box Set 22 contains two Sandy Frank episodes: Mighty Jack and Time of the Apes. Keep your fingers crossed that the two Fugitive Alien episodes are forth coming as they're excellent.

2. The Making of MST3K (1997)
This, the second such special, has an unfair advantage over it's predecessor: It isn't narrated by the hated (by MSTies far and wide) Penn Gillett. Twenty-five minutes in running time, this special was filmed during season 8 and features some awesome insights from the cast and crew (much of which you likely already know from years of scouring the Internet, but still, it's great to get an official release of this). Mike and the bots riff the behind the scenes footage itself, as you'd expect them to, and the history of the show up to that point is illuminated for your personal edification.

3. Four new mini posters from Steve Vance
As with all of the Shout! Factory releases, artist Steve Vance graces us with his interpretation of Servo and Crow taking on the episode in question. While they're also on the individual DVD's display cases, it's always awesome to receive them bundled in as separate posters too. This time around, it really feels like Mr.Vance stepped up his game in an effort to include more details and action in the background. Kudos to him; I love these little posters.

4. The DVD Menus of MST3K
Hopefully you've spied with you little eyes the steady evolution of the DVD menus from static images accompanied by music from the film being riffed? Surely you've noticed that the menus themselves are now entertaining short form comedy in their own right with 3d renderings of Tom, Crow and the SOL? This fascinating extra takes you behind the propulsion pushing it forward. A man - in point of fact - not a fuel source as such. This extra gives a detailed glimpse behind that creative process.

5. Turn Down your Lights were applicable
This prompt would be seen just prior to the theme song for each episode of the show from the first episode of season 2 (201 - Rocketship XM) through the fourth episode of season four (404 - Teenagers from Outer Space) but had been noticeably absent from most of the home video releases (It was included on the previous set as all five Gamera episodes began with it). Shout! Factory has again listened to the MSTie outcry and has included it on both Sandy Frank episodes, allowing these episodes to begin as they're supposed to!

As always, Shout! Factory takes the ball and (insert relevant sports metaphor here- depending on the ball taken). They Rule. There's more special features I didn't mention including: an introduction to The Brute Man by Mary Jo, introductions to Might Jack and Time of the Apes by Japanese cinophile August Ragone, Ed-ucation: Archival Interviews with Delores Fuller and Kathy Wood and the MST Hour Wraps for Time of the Apes.

The only thing missing is an announcement detailing the next set's episodes! God it feels good to be a MSTie.

The Trailer Dump, Issue No. 10

Oh boy do I loves me some cheesy trailers. The menacing voice over, the focus on action, one liners, scares and nudity. It's a whole 80 minute bad movie with the 50 boring minutes having been stripped out, leaving us with a bombastically edited look at the remaining awesome bits, made from concentrate. Enjoy.

Deathsport - 1978

Leprechaun in Space - 1997

Demonic Toys - 1992

Undead - 2003

The 31 Days of Halloween: Day 23

Halloween is the best time of the year. It's a wonderfully indulgent time, where your inner ghoul is given societal license to be put on display. To celebrate it to it's wicked fullest, the Midnight Cheese will be posting every day in October with excellent ways to enjoy the season. Whether it's horror films, video games, books or activities, check back every day for some new Halloween fun.

Hocus Pocus

"I put a spell on you and now you're mine"

This fun Halloween adventure film from Disney put a spell on me as a youth. You could easily write it off for any number of reasons without ever giving it so much as a chance. "It has Bet Midler" in it- so what? She chews up the scenery in such hammy fashion that you could sell her at the deli counter. "It also costars Sarah Jessica Parker"- Yeah but this is before she was annoying and she clearly has an excellent time in her role as the ditsy witch sister. "BUT IT'S FROM DISNEY!" So are Nation Treasure, Sky High and the Pirates of the Caribbean films. Are you done now? Can I stop debunking your doubts and move on to why you should watch Hocus Pocus?

Thanks.



Fun, adventure filled films seem to be a dying breed. Much lauded classics of the genre were a mainstay of the 80's and a holdover in the early 90's. Hocus Pocus came out in 1993 and fused the adventure film with a huge helping of Halloween flavor. It does take the easy road by setting itself in Salem, Massachusetts - but the film makers takes the standard tropes and do an excellent job mixing in some new twists.

The Sanderson sisters (Midler, Parker and Kathy Najimy) are a trio of wicked witches living in a cottage in the woods near in Salem. Our story begins in 1693, with the aged sisters preparing a potion which will restore their youth by stealing it from children. Young Thackery Binx fails to save his sister from this fate and is cursed by the witches into the form of an immortal cat (who can speak). Shortly on the heels of all this spell slinging, the villagers arrive and convict the witches to be hanged. Just before they can be, Winifred (Midler) recites a spell which will allow them to be revived if ever a black candle is lit by a virgin on Halloween.

From here we flash forward to present day, with our protagonist Max, who hates Halloween, is forced to take his sister trick or treating. As you can imagine, in hanging out with the girl he's crushing on at the town's witch museum, Max lights the candle and unknowingly bring the Sanderson Sisters back to life. What follows is a fun chase all around town and the witches need their spell book back to absorb Max's sisters life force before the sun rises. Binx, in cat form, guide the kids in the quest to beat the Sandersons.

There's a lot to love packed in here. The fish out of water nature of witches encountering modern technology and misunderstanding it is hysterical. Watching as Winifred begins to catch on and use the technology to her advantage - specifically the scene where she mixes magic and technology to curse all of the town children's parents to dance until they die - shows that she's not just the one dimensional antagonist that she could have easily been made into. There's a fun zombie played by an unknown Doug Jones (Abe Sapien of Hellboy fame) that's unlike nearly all shambler portrayals as you think of them. Of course, the Salem/witch historical aspect is really cool too, even though it's extremely inaccurate.



Of course the nature of Hocus Pocus means that the perfect time of year to check it out is right around the witching season. If you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about and if you haven't then drop a few preconceived notions and check it out.

The 31 Days of Halloween: Day 20

Halloween is the best time of the year. It's a wonderfully indulgent time, where your inner ghoul is given societal license to be put on display. To celebrate it to it's wicked fullest, the Midnight Cheese will be posting every day in October with excellent ways to enjoy the season. Whether it's horror films, video games, books or activities, check back every day for some new Halloween fun.

The Sixth Sense

What is Halloween without a great ghost story?
Today we're discussing M.Night Shamalamadingdong's The Sixth Sense, which is a fantastic example of a modern urban ghost story. The plot follows the tribulations of a child who can see the spirits of the dead (Haley Joel Osment) and his world weary child psychologist (Bruce Willis) - with personal problems of his own. No one really believes that the dead are seeking out and speaking with Cole (Osment) to help them resolve their corporeal hang ups, except for Dr. Crowe(Willis). The ghost moments are excellently built up to, with tremendous exploitation of the soundtrack and by using less-is-more, corner of your eye flashes of these emanations. When you do finally see them for more than a moment it's really unsettling.



We're also given great insight into the pain of Dr. Crowe's failing marriage. His wife feels that she is second always to his work. Performances such as this one make it clear that Willis has the acting chops that he's so seldom given credit for. And while the resolution of this film might be all over the Internet, we recommend you watch it anyway - perhaps introduce it to some friends who have never seen it. Everyone's life is a little bit better with a good ghost story or two.

The 31 Days of Halloween: Day 17

Halloween is the best time of the year. It's a wonderfully indulgent time, where your inner ghoul is given societal license to be put on display. To celebrate it to it's wicked fullest, the Midnight Cheese will be posting every day in October with excellent ways to enjoy the season. Whether it's horror films, video games, books or activities, check back every day for some new Halloween fun.

The Nightmare Before Christmas

It's pretty late in the day, I bet you think I forgot about you; that I perhaps threw in the towel after making it halfway through the month, celebrating so many things scary and Halloween related. No dice, Sherlock. I simply spent my morning re-watching the premier of The Walking Dead's second season (and it's many abrupt commercial breaks. That's some atrocious pacing, AMC). So strap on your safety helmet and ride the G's cause we're going back in.

The Nightmare Before Christmas got it's genesis in the delightfully twisted mind of Tim Burton. It showed up in the early 90's and let us all know that while CGI was up and coming, stop motion was well worth remembering still. Look, I know that you've seen this wondrous bout of imagination and wicked story telling. Rather than drone on about how it reverently teases all things Halloween (it does), I'm going to have you check out one of the songs from the film.

Below is the opening song, "The is Halloween". This anthem of the season should be near and dear to your heart light, Neil Diamond. Turn it on and enjoy.



(Try not to kill the clerk at Best Buy in your mad rush to purchase a copy and watch it today. Not because I care about Best Buy clerks in particular but more specifically because at this time of year he's liable to come back as a zombie and start the apocalypse, all thanks to your haste)

The 31 Days of Halloween: Day 8

Halloween is the best time of the year. It's a wonderfully indulgent time, where your inner ghoul is given societal license to be put on display. To celebrate it to it's wicked fullest, the Midnight Cheese will be posting every day in October with excellent ways to enjoy the season. Whether it's horror films, video games, books or activities, check back every day for some new Halloween fun.

Popcorn

"Saturday night at the movies, who cares what we came to see!"

1991's low budget slasher film is actually a brilliant love letter to William Castle-esk gimmickry and 50's giant monster flicks. There's so much to laude and enjoy in Popcorn that it's surprising how little known it actually is. It would help if there was a proper DVD release of it, which there isn't, but you can catch it on Netflix instant streaming. So why should you seek Popcorn out?

It's early Saturday morning so I'm gonna do this list style:

• The setting is a classic, old school movie theatre
• Really cool gimmicks for the fictional in film movie festival films; Mosquito in Projecto-o-Vision! Attack of the Amazing Electrified man in Shock-o-Scope! And The Stench in Aroma-Rama!
• Takes place on Halloween, the Horrorthon staff and attendees are all in costumes.
• The kills, while there aren't an over abundance, are all creative and gleefully evil.
• Excellent cinematography, great use of the setting, good performance from all the principals.

More than anything, Popcorn takes great pains to revel in it's love of 50's horror tropes; simultaneously it lampoons, emulates and aggrandizes all that made that era great, whilst still forming a successful 80's slasher film. It's a tall task, which most filmmakers would fail at. Check out Popcorn and if you dig it, search for the Kickster program that's currently working to give it the Proper DVD release it deserves.

The 31 Days of Halloween: Day 7

Halloween is the best time of the year. It's a wonderfully indulgent time, where your inner ghoul is given societal license to be put on display. To celebrate it to it's wicked fullest, the Midnight Cheese will be posting every day in October with excellent ways to enjoy the season. Whether it's horror films, video games, books or activities, check back every day for some new Halloween fun.

Are You Afraid of the Dark?

Yeah, I'm totally going there. I don't want to hear any back sass. Strap on your nostalgia helmet and let's declare this meeting of the Midnight Society open.


Are you Afraid of the Dark was a horror anthology TV series that ran for seven seasons in the 90's on Nickelodeon. It followed the 'Midnight Society, a group of kids who met around a fire in the woods and would take turns telling spooky tales about ghosts, monsters, the undead and more. The tales were a take off of the old EC Comics stories, various Tales from the Crypt sources and urban legends, though toned down for a younger audience. It ran in the late evenings on Saturdays as part of Nickelodeon's "SNICK" lineup.

While the series was released on DVD a few years ago, they're well out of print and selling for ridiculous prices online. However, many of the episodes are available in pieces on YouTube. I was watching a few last week and it felt like a kid all over again. This show was woven into my childhood as an integral dose of horror. Yeah it was fun and goofy, but it was usually good for a scare or two. All of the episodes don't hold as well as some stand outs do (it was early 90's kids' television after all). Below are several episodes that really kept their charm and which I recommend you watch while you rock your Halloween nostalgia vibe.

The Tale of the Midnight Madness
(Link to the fist part)
Why you should watch it: This tale takes place in a turn of the 19th century movie theater that is struggling to stay afloat while competing with new multiplex theaters. One of the employees is passionate about keeping it going, for it's historical significance. He's offered a too good to be true solution in the form of a mysteriously compelling vampire movie from recurring series antagonist, the delightfully evil Dr.Vink.

The Tale of the Dead Man's Float
(Link to the first part)
Why you should watch it: I know; It's a stupid title. Hear me out: Two students find an abandoned swimming pool in their high school that was built on top of a graveyard. How this all happens, no clue, but damn is this a fun episode. It appeals to the kid in me that always hoped I would find some mysteriously abandoned part of my school.

The Tale of Water Demons
(Link to the first part)
Why you should watch it: Excellent episode that was likely inspired by John Carpenter's The Fog. Some kids deliver food to an old man, who stole items from a shipwreck and is haunted by it's victims.

The second and third parts of each episodes will be linked to the right in the "related videos" sections. If you want to search for more episodes to watch, just type "AYAOTD" in YouTube's search field.

I now declare this meeting of the Midnight Society, closed.

The 31 Days of Halloween: Day 5

Halloween is the best time of the year. It's a wonderfully indulgent time, where your inner ghoul is given societal license to be put on display. To celebrate it to it's wicked fullest, the Midnight Cheese will be posting every day in October with excellent ways to enjoy the season. Whether it's horror films, video games, books or activities, check back every day for some new Halloween fun.

Sleepy Hollow

Reach back deep into your memory. Do you recall The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr.Toad? If at least as old as I am, you'll recall this famous Disney cartoon, made in 1949, which showed every year on one of the local TV stations. Perhaps these may jog your memory:




I don't know for certain when the Headless Horseman became enmeshed with Halloween, but if I had to wager a guess, it is very likely that The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad is at the center of it.

It was a yearly treat for me and shaped my mind's image the Headless Horseman, the town of Sleepy Hollow and all that's involved in this classic folk tale. After reading the book in grade school, I still had the images instilled from this cartoon hardwired into my brain. It wasn't until 1999 that the wild vision of Tim Burton rewired everything about the way I envisioned Ichabod Crane and the Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

Burton started by making some pretty radical changes to the mythos. Ichabod Crane transformed from a timid school teacher to a squeamish forensic science wielding investigator from New York City, though he still held on to the cowardly, sheepish traits established in the folk tale and portrayed in the '49 cartoon. He confirms on screen that the Horseman is in fact a vengeful ghost, where as it was heavily implied originally that he was a costumed local bully, in competition for the hand of a wealthy land baron's daughter. And Burton also gave Crane a compelling back story, shown in dream sequence flashback, which I won't spoil for you here.

As you could have expected, Sleepy Hollow's setting is heavily Gothic, as is usual with Tim Burton films. It even toes the line with some early, steampunk-esk futurism, mostly with regards to Ichabod Crane's pseudo-forensics. Everything is dark and dreary in this town without hope. The atmosphere is so realized that it can almost be viewed as a character in itself.

The last link that makes Sleepy Hollow so successful is it's ridiculously star studded cast. Just check this out: Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Christopher Walken, Christopher Lee, Miranda Richardson, Michael Gough(Alfred!) and even Casper Van Dien (who clearly doesn't want to live forever)! In particular, Walken stands out as the Hessian mercenary turned headless ghost of vengeance.

If you want to watch the very best version of the classic folk tale come alive, check out Sleepy Hollow. It totally couldn't hurt to check out The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad as well, for old times' sake.

Late Night Double Feature Picture Shows

Ah the double feature, that wonderful staple of drive-ins and late night horror/scifi programming. Like many of the topics brought up here on the Midnight Cheese, double features are a lost art in many ways. Luckily the folks at Shout! Factory remember them and know how to put together a great DVD experience. On a whim, I snagged The Evil and Twice Dead together as a double feature, a part of the Roger Corman's Cult Classic series. I popped open a brew and greedily tore the cellophane armor from the case, then stretched out on the couch to enjoy a night of low budget horror.

Let's start there, with the cover: it sets the mood, depicting the brick wall of an 80's second run theater, with the one sheet posters plastered up very slap-dash. I don't know about you but for me the little things like this really make the over all experience that much more satisfying. Which is why when the menu loaded, I actually giggled a little. Where I was expecting a selection menu with just the titles of both films to select, I was instead treated with the visage of an old, neoned to the nines, movie house frontage. By selecting the ticket, a classic style "admit one" type ticket, you advance into the theatre. The lobby looks like exactly what you would expect to find in a place that would show a double billing of The Evil and Twice Dead. There's a snack bar on the left, by selecting that, you're given access to the scene selection menu. Similarly the rest room door on the right grants you access to the special features, not too much here beyond director commentaries and an interview with Jill Whitlow, who played Robin in Twice Dead. Interestingly she was also in Swamp Thing and Night of the Creeps, and she has some fascinating thoughts to share. The main attraction, though, is obviously the double doors at the center of the lobby. They lead into the theaters and kick off our double feature. However before we get our 'Cheese on, we're given the choice of just selecting one of the films or the "Roger Corman Experience". Sounds awesome, right? It totally is. By selecting it, both films play straight on through. But more than that, we're treated to a fully programed theater double feature experience. There are 70's bumpers announcing the upcoming attractions, several exploitation trailers, even a snack bar solicitation and there's more of them between the films.

Got your popcorn? Good. The show is underway. First up, we've got The Evil, which is the story of a doctor, Richard Crenna of Rambo fame, who purchase an enormous old mansion, which he plans to open as a drug rehabilitation clinic, with the help of his friends. So they set about cleaning up this long abandoned, built on cursed Native American land, monument to horror film set location. And wouldn't you know, before long one of our intrepid protagonists accidentally unleashes the titular evil. It's a little bit ghostly mansion, a couple parts demonic spirit with a few sprinkles of the eternal struggle between good and evil thrown in for good measure. It all works out in the end, if you believe in the standard 80% attrition rate, which I do. This is a pretty interesting movie, nothing special. It's exactly what you'd expect from double feature fodder.

After some more trailers and an enticement to procure more noshables from the united snack bar of your kitchen, our second feature kicks in. Twice Dead is the tale of an east coast family who inherits a mansion in L.A. Formerly the mansion belonged to a famous Hollywood actor, who lost his love and hung himself. Unfortunately it's now the haunt of a stereotypical late 80's, early 90's gang of punks. They resent being ejected from their hang out and begin a campaign of harassment against the family kids. There's a few problems here, but mostly the issue is that Twice Dead is schizophrenic; it doesn't know if it's a ghost story or if it's a gang revenge tale. It's both, kind of. It's also very made for TVish, very Saturday afternoon matinee. It isn't as strong as The Evil but it's also a taste of nostalgia for me, recalling USA Up All Night, which needs to come back (damnit).

It's obvious that Shout! Factory put some honest effort into the presentation here and if, like me, you pine for the schlock of yesteryear, check out this double feature DVD.

The Trailer Dump, Issue no.3

It's that time of the week again; the time to tuck in and focus on the movie appetizer sampler that is The Trailer Dump. This week's focus is a little more early 90's cheese as recommended by Noel, with one or two surprises thrown in by me. Bon appetite!

Dead Heat

Good cop Dead cop.

Night of the Creeps

If you scream, you're dead!

Arena

See how many Deep Space Nine alumni you can spot.

Intermission!

Aged cheddar? Ew

Slumber Party Massacre 2

(mildly NSFW)

A real Rock 'n Roll nightmare

Captain America

At least it's not Nick Fury: Agent of Shield!

Which one was your favorite this week?