2022 Halloween Marathon: Week 9 Reviews

Here are some quick reviews from the final movies. Thanks to everyone who followed along! Check out the full schedule here.

He Knows You’re Alone (1980) – 8/10 – This one is mostly known for one of its supporting actors named Tom Hanks, and I hadn’t seen it since the days of our scary movie marathons more than 20 years ago. So I didn’t know what to expect. It starts out OK, with a Scream-like film inside of a film, a pretty good kill, and the Breakfast Club principal, and it picks up from there. Tom Hanks’s part is pretty small, just a couple of scenes, but he’s really good, obviously. Heading into the third act, I was already thinking it was a 7/10, but a great kill and a perfect ending bumped it up even higher. If you like slashers, especially early ’80s slashers, and somehow haven’t seen this, definitely check it out.

The Monster Squad (1987) – 10/10 – I don’t really know what I hoped to accomplish by signing myself up to post a short review of what I consider a perfect film, but there’s not really much to say here. Not only does it still hold up, but if we’re remaking and rebooting all of these horror films, this one should be at the top of someone’s list. In fact, let’s get a whole Netflix series going. I’d love to live in a society where the Universal Monsters are once again as popular (and as widely marketed) as Stranger Things. I won’t rest until I can buy a Dracula-themed frozen pizza from Walmart, OK?

Well, after two months, we’ve reached the end of our marathon! Halloween will be over in another hour or so, and our first bonus episode of the holiday season will be available in the morning. And related to this marathon, we’ll be discussing Anna and the Apocalypse on our first full episode this weekend.

2022 Halloween Marathon: Week 8 Reviews

Here are some quick reviews from this week’s movies. Check out the full schedule here. Joe Bob’s Haunted Halloween Hangout on Shudder featured Elvira’s Haunted Hills and Popcorn.

Elvira’s Haunted Hills (2001) – 5/10 – I appreciate Elvira as a horror host, but I’m sometimes not a huge fan of the comedic style. I don’t know if I’d ever seen this one, but it was fun enough at times, as usual. It’d be a lot cooler, of course, if she could do something like this with the Universal monsters.

Popcorn (1991) – 6/10 – This was the first time I’d seen this one in a while, and it holds up pretty well. I really like the movies within the movie. Is there a DVD release that has them all as shorts? If not, there really should be.

Terror Train (2022) – 5/10 – This is probably more like a 4/10, but I really appreciate Tubi making it and would be totally fine with them making more stuff like this. The original Terror Train is one of my favorites, so I went into this with very low expectations. However, it managed to be better than it had any right to be. It starts as a very close remake (set on Halloween instead of New Year’s Eve), but it starts to change things just enough to let you know the plot twist will be a little different this time. Worth a watch for slasher fans.

House of Wax (2005) – 5/10 – OK, I know everybody hated this movie when it came out, but I thought it was actually not terrible this time. It feels very 2005, whether that’s a good or bad thing. I personally have found myself to be more tolerant (maybe nostalgic?) for some of the early-aughts stuff I’ve revisited lately. And I know a lot of the hate involved Paris Hilton, but honestly her character is barely even in the film.

Season 4 Preview

It’s almost Halloween, which means it’s almost time for our Christmas episodes to begin! The first episode will be available on the main podcast feed on November 9th, while Patreon supporters will get weekly bonus episodes beginning November 1st. Also, the main episodes will post two days earlier on the Patreon each week.

We’ve got a fun season planned, and this short episode lists everything we’ll be covering in the Season 4 episodes:

1. Anna and the Apocalypse (2017)
2. Cricket on the Hearth (1967); The Beatles Christmas collection
3. Frosty the Snowman (1969); The 4 Seasons Greetings (1962)
4. The Bishop’s Wife (1947)
5. How I Met Your Mother – “How Lily Stole Christmas” (2006); Twisted Sister – A Twisted Christmas (2006)
6. Beavis and Butt-Head Christmas episodes; Kenny and Dolly – Once Upon a Christmas (1984)
7. Fred Claus (2007)
8. The Simpsons – “Miracle on Evergreen Terrace” (1997); Elvis Sings the Wonderful World of Christmas (1971)

Of course, the weekly bonus episodes will cover a number of other topics, and we can’t wait to start sharing some of these with you.

Please be sure to reach out (snowinsouthtown@gmail.com) if you’d like to offer any feedback or share your thoughts on any of the things we’re planning to cover. And also be sure to check out the Patreon if you’d like to get access to our bonus content.

We’ll see you all soon!

Patreon – https://www.patreon.com/snowinsouthtown
Email – snowinsouthtown@gmail.com
Twitter – @snowinsouthtown
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/snowinsouthtown

2022 Halloween Marathon: Week 7 Reviews

Here are some quick reviews from this week’s movies. Check out the full schedule here.

Midnight Club (2022) – 8/10 – I’m going to rank this one right behind Mike Flanagan’s last three series: The Haunting of Hill House (10/10), The Haunting of Bly Manor (9/10), and Midnight Mass (8.5/10). That being said, this one has the possibility of continuing beyond this season, so that could changes things later.

This definitely wasn’t a fun, Halloween-time watch. I think in the darker, colder days of January and February, I likely would’ve enjoyed it a little more. Still, I’m giving it an 8/10 because I think it’s really good.

Flanagan can tell great stories, and we’re all benefiting from his relationship with Netflix. (I’m really looking forward to his House of Usher and wish that could’ve been the October release, but I’m guessing we’ll see that in the spring.) I could even see someone liking Midnight Club better than Midnight Mass, especially if he or she grew up reading Christopher Pike’s books (which I didn’t). But to me, if I had to start one of the four series over again right now, I’d choose one of the other three.

I thought last year’s Fear Street 1994 did a pretty good job with the music, so I was anxious to see how Midnight Club handled that. The mid-’90s was a crucial time for me as both a music fan and as a songwriter in the beginning stage of starting to figure things out. And Midnight Club almost nails it. I heard old favorites and was reminded of songs I hadn’t heard or thought about in over 20 years. (You guys remember The Flys??)

But yeah, my number one complaint about the entire series, the thing I’ve texted friends about the most so far, involves a song from 1997 being used solely for its emotional impact. (I won’t name the song in case anyone might see that as a spoiler, but Flanagan addresses his decision to use it here.)

Otherwise, if you like Flanagan’s work, Christopher Pike’s books, music from 1994, ghost stories, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, and/or good (and sometimes fun) storytelling, you’ll likely dig this.

The Curse of Bridge Hollow (2022) – 5/10 – This was totally fine for throwing on the TV and watching as a family. I love Rob Riggle, so that was a plus for me. It’s always fun to see John Michael Higgins pop up. And Marlon Wayans and all the others were fine. It has some fun moments, especially if you like Halloween decorations, and it’s 10 times better than that Spirit Halloween movie that I tried to watch and turned off after 15 minutes.

2022 Halloween Marathon: Week 6 Reviews

Here are some quick reviews from this week’s movies. Check out the full schedule here.

We made it halfway through Midnight Club this week, so I’ll add my full thoughts for that show with next week’s reviews. But since we got to watch Halloween Ends on Peacock a little earlier than expected, I’ll focus on that here…

Halloween Ends (2022) – 8/10* – This is a tough one to rate. It is not at all what I was expecting as the last installment of this trilogy, and it feels a lot like the original Halloween III (1982), which I love, or Zombie’s Halloween II (2009), which I hate. Meaning, it just doesn’t really fit here. As a Halloween movie, I’d give it a 6/10. Which is still way better than Zombie’s sequel (0/10 forever).

Now, as a 2022 slasher, or even as something like a Halloween spinoff, it’s actually really cool. I’ll watch again this weekend for sure, but after my initial viewing, I’d give it an 8/10. It looks GREAT. It FEELS like Halloween. And most importantly, it’s simply better than most horror stuff that comes out these days. And while I was in a constant state of asking what the heck was happening in my Halloween sequel/finale, I was never bored, even with a longer running time (1:51??) than I like to see.

Don’t listen to what others are saying, but also don’t expect a movie like the previous two. Just be ready for a crazy film about a slasher killing people in Haddonfield on Halloween.

Sleeping With the Enemy (1991) – 8/10 – I’m watching these “yuppie nightmares” to follow along with the Gourley & Rust podcast (see Pacific Heights from Week 4 and the review below this one), and it’s been really fun revisiting this stuff. (There are a few later that I either haven’t seen or don’t remember.) I mostly remembered this one, but it was a lot of fun to see it for the first time in maybe 20 years. It seemed short to me (I always expect these things to drag on), with only a few little plot issues, which is always good. And it’s just a great movie overall, with the ability to appeal to fans of multiple genres.

The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992) – 8.5/10 – This has been my favorite one to revisit so far, and I think a lot of the credit goes to Ernie Hudson. I don’t think I appreciated his contributions when I watched this as a kid, but he really steals the show, in my opinion. (I haven’t heard G&R’s episode of this one yet, but I’m hoping they feel the same.) The acting is really good all around, in my opinion, and while I have a few more issues with the plot for this one, it’s still got more enough going for it to help me ignore some of the silly details.

2022 Halloween Marathon: Week 5 Reviews

Here are some quick reviews from this week’s movies. Check out the full schedule here.

Tricks or Treats (1982) – 3/10 – This really wants to be Halloween, but instead of Carpenter’s score and Blue Oyster Cult we get stuff that sounds more like Vince Guaraldi and bad early-’80s pop music. The acting is rough at times, and the plot is a bit absurd. (More people hiring babysitters ON Halloween night??) But it’s still a 1982 slasher film set on Halloween night, and there are some really cool visuals, including the classic Beistle decorations. There are also a ton of trick-or-treaters, which is always good, and the jerk kid has a great record collection. Overall though, it’s mostly boring.

Cemetery del Terror (1985) – 3/10 – This one also wants to be Halloween and even has a shady version of Loomis! My favorite thing about it is the one character who keeps telling everyone that she had tickets for “the rock concert” tonight. She never tells us who was playing at the rock concert. It was likely just printed as “ROCK CONCERT” on the tickets. At least the deranged killer does start to get busy around halfway through, but it’s mostly just boring attempts at gore and not much creativity. And the music… Anything that sounds decent is ripped off from Halloween and other movies, but most of it is just generic ’80s crap. Then there’s the end, which just spirals out of control, with hand-to-hand combat between the killer and fake Loomis. It’s a ride, but often not a fun one.

Not a great couple of weeks, but things should pick up now!