Author Archives: The Dark Projector

Sundance Film Festival 2021: Eight For Silver

For the third Sundance screening of the week, we were presented with Sean Ellis’ Eight For Silver, a werewolf film set in the 19th century. Ellis’ period horror film breathes some new life into the werewolf sub-genre, which made for a very interesting and unique vision. John McBride (Boyd Holbrook) arrives in a small British village that is being attacked by a mysterious creature to assist the Laurent family (Alistair Petrie and Kelly Reilly) after Seamus (Petrie) has massacred a Romani clan that was inhabiting land that they had a claim to near his home. The massacre leads to the Romani leader cursing the land before her death. To not spoil anything else, I will just describe the rest as a very intense and well-performed horror spectacle.

I absolutely loved the misty and moody visuals that fill every frame of the film. Ellis is well-known for his mastery of photography, and it is just so impressive that he wrote, directed, and shot the film. It looks incredible. The village, the fields, and the forest are all perfectly encapsulated in stark and immersive images. The only flaw with the visuals of the film lies in the few instances of a foggy filter being applied over a couple of the action sequences, which was a bit distracting. Aside from that, the werewolves were shown in brief flashes and in carefully constructed frames to make them quite effective.

In the Q&A for the film, Ellis discusses critical horror films like Alien (1979), The Thing (1982), and The Exorcist (1973) as being big influences for the feel of the film, and it’s easy to see that when looking at the incredibly effective and disturbing practical gore effects in Eight For Silver. Petrie and Reilly join Ellis in the Q&A and describe how they constructed their narratives in terms of a family drama instead of looking at it as a horror film.

Eight For Silver was a thrilling and intense werewolf film that I feel will definitely stand ahead of the mediocre werewolf fare that we’re normally given. With strong performances, beautiful images, and intense practical gore effects, it is very easy to give this film the highest recommendation.

Here’s to three more Sundance screenings this week. As a funny note, there were characters named Edward and Jacob here, which I like to think was an intentional joke referencing everyone’s favorite love triangle! Ha!

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Sundance Film Festival 2021: In The Earth

For the second Sundance screening of the week, we were presented with Ben Wheatley’s experimental plague horror film. I had absolutely no expectations for this film, as I’ve only seen Wheatley’s earlier film A Field in England (2013). Martin (Joel Fry) is able to get out of the city following the seemingly global pandemic, that is clearly modeled after COVID-19, and sets out to find a doctor who has been missing when he joins forces with Alma (Ellora Torchia). What follows is an incredibly experimental take on horror and science fiction, focusing on nature, psychology, and possibly magic. Honestly, this one didn’t do a whole lot for me, but it serves as a very interesting experiment of the COVID age.

Wheatley’s film features very interesting visuals and beautiful shots of nature, but very little character development for the two main protagonists in the film, leaving the viewer with little to connect with outside of being able to comprehend the isolation of quarantine and the trauma of plague. The base concept of the film is interesting, and I do like the idea of it being an experiment to create something relevant during COVID-19. It was fun seeing pumps of hand sanitizer, people wearing masks, and social distance being respected between the actors. But ultimately, it didn’t add up to more than a visual experiment that addresses the psychological impact of isolation and the pandemic.

In the Q&A following the film, Wheatley discusses how this was the first production to film following the initial lockdown in the UK in 2020. He stated that while writing the film in March of 2020, he was at home in lockdown watching films that were being released on streaming platforms that had been shot prior to the pandemic and how it was so weird seeing sequences with large crowds and no reference to the events of the world. That is something that I have often thought about when viewing films during the pandemic. It is odd seeing large crowds and social events in films and how it is just not something that is happening right now. Once again, Heidi Zwicker did a nice job moderating the Q&A. Wheatley and Torchia both gave detailed accounts of how different it was preparing for and shooting the film during a pandemic, touching upon the many Zoom meetings and how some folks hadn’t met until their first day of shooting.

If you’re a big fan of Wheatley’s work, you might find yourself interested in this and able to draw comparisons to themes touched upon in some of his other, more experimental, features. Personally, this was a one-and-done for me, but it was definitely interesting to see a film made during the pandemic that was shot outside of Zoom.

Here’s to four more Sundance screenings this week!

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Sundance Film Festival 2021: Censor

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This week I find myself lucky enough to be friends with someone who has passes for six films being shown virtually in the Sundance Film Festival. Honestly, it has always been a dream of mine to go to a legitimate film festival, so this is a really amazing and fun opportunity in the middle of a hellish pandemic. So, a huge thanks to my friend Lee for making this possible.

Starting off our screenings of the festival is Prano Bailey-Bond’s feature film debut Censor (2021). The film focuses on Enid (Niamh Algar), a troubled woman who censors “video nasties” during the height of the moral panic of Thatcher-era Britain in the 1980s. Enid watches with distaste all of the shocking and disturbing horror films of the time to censor out the bits that would warp the minds of children and “drive people to commit violence themselves”, as was so often the thought process behind the conservative British politicians of the time who sought to stamp out the violent horror films. Adding to her discomfort, Enid is suffering from the trauma of her sister disappearing when she was a young girl. Constantly attempting to find her and trying to recall new information that might lead to her sister’s rescue, Enid goes on a psychological journey that takes the viewer on an intense and disturbing ride through the glory days of horror films past. (Note: That’s all I’m going to say about the plot, so as to not spoil anything for anyone!) At a brisk 84 minutes, there is not a moment in the film that drags, and I found myself captivated and entranced for the entire feature.

Prano Bailey-Bond achieves great things in her first feature. This is an incredibly strong start to what I hope is a very successful career. She has also directed three shorts that I need to seek out online to watch immediately. She has a very keen eye for 80s-fused visuals that harken back to the VHS genre classics that her film both honors and critiques. It’s beyond refreshing to see such a unique and bold female perspective on horror from someone who so clearly loves the genre. I’m incredibly excited to see her future work in horror. I’ve included her introduction to the film below where she briefly discusses the influences of the film and her process.

Bailey-Bond introduces the film for Sundance.

Niamh Algar’s performance as Enid is the very backbone of the film. In Enid, Algar has captured such a conflicted and complex sense of the character. The way Algar is positioned throughout the film, often in powerful and commanding poses that really reminded me of Katherine Hepburn’s stance in her classical films of the 30s, counters the increasing paranoia of the character and we physically see her mental state change over the course of the narrative through her physicality. I loved her period clothing that really captured her sense of morality through costume, as well. This was the first film that I’ve seen Algar in, and again, I’m very excited to see more of her work, also.

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Zwicker, Bailey-Bond, and Algar in the Q&A following the film

The film was followed by a lively Q&A session with Bailey-Bond and Algar where they answered questions from fans and questions prepared by Sundance Senior Programmer, Heidi Zwicker. This was a fun opportunity to see Bailey-Bond really showcase her knowledge of the horror films of the time, as she was asked what films have greatly influenced her (The Evil Dead (1981), Suspiria (1977), the films of Lucio Fulci, and Let’s Scare Jessica To Death (1971) were the films she name-dropped). It’s just always such a treat to see a filmmaker get to gush about the films that made them who they are. Algar also had great comments about her immersion into the genre to prepare for the role. I wasn’t aware that the Q&A would be included with the pass, at first, so this was a really exciting treat as it made it a more personable experience overall. Bailey-Bond and Algar were both great in the Q&A and Zwicker did a really nice job moderating.

Overall, I just really loved this film. It checked off all of my horror genre boxes, showcased all female perspectives in the genre, featured stunning visuals and a riveting narrative, and was both thought-provoking and entertaining in equal measure. It’s definitely one that I’ll be thinking about for a long time, and it’s one that I can wholeheartedly recommend to anyone who is a fan of the video nasty era and is yearning for female representation within the genre. It also has a sequence that played with aspect ratio in a way that I had never seen before, so the film tech geek in me was just giddy in all regards. So, in closing, this is a film that you should definitely rush out to rent or purchase when it is eventually released if you enjoy horror films that pay tribute to the genre’s greats and feature a strong female perspective.

Here’s to five more exciting Sundance Film Festival screenings this week!

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Review: The Kid Detective (2020)

Adam Brody as Adult Abe Applebaum

When I was growing up, I was constantly reading books featuring kid sleuths like Encyclopedia Brown, Nate the Great, the Hardy Boys, the Boxcar Children, and Cam Jansen. You could say that mysteries were among my favorites as a kid. It was always a fun challenge to see if you could uncover the identity of the thief of the chocolate bars, find out who had stolen the school mascot’s uniform, or see who was behind the haunting of the movie theatre before the sleuth(s) in the book explains everything in the closing of the story. Publishers knew that mysteries were a key element to selling more Scholastic Book Fair product, so nearly every popular kids book series in the 90s had an accompanying line of mystery books, as well, i.e. The Baby-Sitters Club Mysteries (and Super Mysteries), The Wishbone Mysteries (and also Super Mysteries), and many more. That brings us to 2020’s The Kid Detective, a Canadian neo-noir film released theatrically on October 16th, and now available to rent on Amazon Prime, VUDU, etc.

Adam Brody’s Abe Applebaum, once the king of solving small-scale mysteries as a child, is now 31. After being unable to solve the disappearance of his former detective assistant and friend, Abe has just kind of stumbled through life. Attempting to cling to his youthful glory days, he tries to solve mysteries but the cases are few and far between. He’s turned to alcohol to help cope with depression and the knowledge that he’s not become the impressive adult that his parents want him to be. Caroline (Sophie Nélisse), a high school student, arrives in his office one day to hire him to find out who murdered her boyfriend. This is the first time that he is offered an “adult” case and he is eager to accept it to prove that he is still the same Abe Applebaum that the community loved when he was a kid.

Jesse Noah Gruman as Young Abe Applebaum

The Kid Detective fits very nicely into the neo-noir genre, alongside films like Brick (Rian Johnson, 2005) and Knives Out (Rian Johnson, 2019), in that it does feature elements of comedy, primarily through Brody’s incredibly strong performance, but also because it is not afraid to go to the darker side of the genre. There were moments where I laughed out loud at Brody’s dialogue, but there were also times when I was shocked by the intensity of the events unfolding. While it does have a small section in the middle of the film that slows down a bit, it manages to pick the pieces back up again to deliver a very strong and effective conclusion. I had mainly expected the film to focus primarily on the laughs as the trailer really pitches the comedy, but it was the combination of comedy and gritty noir mystery that really hit the film home for me.

Sophie Nélisse as Caroline and Abe on the Case

The film features so many intimate moments with Brody’s Abe that it serves as a really great character study on this very specific character trope from 90s young adult literature. Adam Brody delivers a very memorable performance that is full of tragedy, funny quips, and moody moments of contemplation. He has very engaging chemistry with Nélisse’s Caroline, as well, as the pair work together throughout the film to find out who murdered her boyfriend. It would have hit a tiny bit harder if there had been a fun cameo role by a veteran performer as one of Abe’s parents or as one of his former clients. But as it stands, the performances are solid across the board, with Brody and Nélisse doing all of the heavy lifting here.

The Kid Detective is writer-director Evan Morgan’s first feature film credit, and it is a very impressive first outing. The film really oozes neo-noir style through its use of color, very striking cinematography, and overall moody ambience. I am really looking forward to what Morgan does next. Personally, I would really love a series of Abe Applebaum films, as this character is just so engaging and relatable. It’s such a shame that the film couldn’t have been released theatrically outside of the pandemic, where it would have had a better chance at the box office. Here’s hoping that the streaming rentals and physical media purchases will still make the film a success. This is a very entertaining neo-noir that is worth checking out because of it’s strong lead performances, intense mystery, and nostalgic look at 90s YA mysteries.

Rating: 4/5

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The Calming Power of 90s Nostalgia- A Look at The Orange Years: The Nickelodeon Story

The original cast of Nickelodeon’s All That

The world is a dark place right now. At every turn, we’re greeted with a new tragedy, violence, or people attempting to strip entire groups of people of their rights. And that’s not even including the plague that we’re living through. It’s hard to not think negatively all of the time. So, when something positive comes along, I think it is deserving of the highest praise. That is definitely the case with the newly released nostalgic documentary The Orange Years: The Nickelodeon Story. When I look back on my childhood, as I’m sure many who grew up in the 90s would agree, it is blatantly clear that Nickelodeon was a very critical part of my formative years. Watching TV was something that my parents and I did as a family and Nickelodeon was on nearly every night.

Stick Stickly- One of the many iconic Nickelodeon hosts

Enter Scott Barber and Adam Sweeney’s The Orange Years: The Nickelodeon Story. Coming in at just 102 minutes, this feature-length nostalgia generator sets out to highlight the origin of the children’s programming titan and how it was responsible for creating iconic television shows that serve as the backbone of an entire generation’s pop culture adolescence. Barber and Sweeney’s film is a broad overview of just how exactly Nickelodeon became the successful brand that it is, examining the early beginnings through the creation of the classic SNICK Saturday evening lineup. So, if you’re looking for a Spongebob Squarepants gush fest, this is not the documentary for you. Instead, we get a look at the earlier shows from the network like Hey Dude, Salute Your Shorts, The Adventures of Pete and Pete, Clarissa Explains It All, Double Dare, and Guts, as well as the classic Nicktoons like Rugrats, Doug, and Ren and Stimpy.

The cast of Hey Dude

With so many programs and specific points to address, The Orange Years never gets too in-depth. But we get interviews with original cast members and creators of each of the shows highlighting how they came to be, how they contributed to the 90s Nickelodeon zeitgeist, and, in the case of some shows, how they were able to get away with some of the things that they did. The interview with former network head Geraldine Laybourne was a particular highlight here, because you can see just how much she cared about not talking down to kids as viewers and how she refused to see them as a consumerist opportunity, which the documentary goes on to note is a symptom of modern Nickelodeon. Overall, we’re treated to a few interviewees from each of the programs discussed. Highlights include: Marc Summers (Double Dare), Melissa Joan Hart (Clarissa Explains It All), Kenan Thompson (All That and Kenan and Kel), Lori Beth Denberg (All That), Larisa Oleynik (The Secret World of Alex Mack), Venus DeMilo Thomas (Salute Your Shorts), and many more. It’s legitimately a who’s who of my childhood.

Kenan Thompson, as interviewed in The Orange Years

The documentary works hard to provide the viewer with fun anecdotes from the sets, Nickelodeon history, entertaining memories from the cast members, and insight into just how these things came to fruition in the first place. The Orange Years prides itself on reigniting your love for your childhood and greeting you with familiar faces from the past. There are so many genuinely sweet moments with cast members talking about their time at Nickelodeon without reverting to the disingenuous and overly saccharine, as is often the case with attempts at igniting nostalgia. My only complaint is that I just wanted it to keep going. This is definitely a documentary that could lead to a more exhaustive product in the future. I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed. You can see just how excited the interviewees are as they speak about their shows and you know that they could just keep going if the time was given.

The cast of Are You Afraid of the Dark?

One element of the documentary that I really appreciated was the discussion on diversity at Nickelodeon at this point in time. Geraldine Laybourne talks about how they wanted all children to feel represented on the network. All That was the standout program for this, as it featured a very racially diverse cast from the beginning, as well, as highlighting Hip-Hop and R&B musicians in their music showcase every episode. Looking back, I remember this being the first exposure I had to so many of the iconic singers and rappers that were featured. The documentary also reminds us of Nick News with Linda Ellerbee and just how effective it was at communicating real world news in an accessible way to children. The example they use is the AIDS special with guest Magic Johnson. Host Linda Ellerbee introduces Magic Johnson, who had recently been diagnosed as HIV-positive, but goes on to ask the children in the program to raise their hand if they too have HIV. Two young children raise their hands. One begins crying as she explains how she just wants people to view her as normal. There is a truly emotional and heart-wrenching moment where Magic Johnson explains to her that she is normal and comforts her. With the AIDS epidemic still raging, the importance of this discussion simply cannot be denied. Nick News gave a young face to HIV and humanized the epidemic to a generation who had simply seen those suffering from it vilified in the press.

Magic Johnson speaking with children about HIV on Nick News

The brief Nick News segment of the documentary is one of the few emotional moments of the film. The rest are there to make you think fondly of the shows loved by 90s kids. As we’re nearing the end of 2020, I can’t really think of a time when a fresh and loving nostalgia trip is more vital. For these 102 minutes, I was able to escape from the negativity and bitterness of the world. And I am confident that if you grew up during this era, that you too will welcome the escape to a time when, as the creator of The Adventures of Pete and Pete states, ice cream was the most important thing in the world. The Orange Years: The Nickelodeon Story is a very welcome and incredibly pleasant time capsule; one that could not have arrived at a better time.

The Orange Years: The Nickelodeon Story is available to purchase on DVD and Blu-ray and is available to buy on iTunes.

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Review: Camp Twilight (2020)

Camp Twilight has been experiencing a string of missing campers recently. It’s nestled in a large state park. Naturally this is the place that Ms. Bloom (Sleepaway Camp icon Felissa Rose) and Mr. Warner (Barry Jay Minoff) decide to take their failing students for their extra credit class trip. Tensions between the students are high, as their phones are taken from them for the weekend and they are deep in some relationship drama. Will the weekend help them connect or will it be a blood bath?

One thing that really rang true here was Ms. Bloom’s enthusiasm as a field trip chaperone. I’ve been on many field trips where there have been parents and teachers that are just as excited as she is here. Felissa Rose is clearly just having a great time in this one and it shows. I also really loved her sundresses and her big sun hat (as shown below). Her performance definitely shines through and adds a layer of fun and humor to the project. The teenagers were a bit rough at first, for me, but I ended up liking some of them as the film progressed.

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Violence wise, the film is very limited in terms of blood. There are usually a few splashes of it with each death. But this isn’t a film that you’re watching to see high quality practical gore effects. One thing that is interesting, though, is the intimacy of some of the deaths. They give the actors a chance to really have some fun with their last moments on screen. That being said, a few of the students are far better than the others. There are also some fun references to famous horror films here, mainly a brief homage to Psycho and Misery. In terms of slasher character tropes, you’ve got the hapless park rangers, the randy students (and the randy teachers for that matter), and angsty drama that leads to murder. Honestly, there was less diversity in terms of character tropes than I was expecting. All three of the guys are jocks and two of the girls are considered “loose” by the guys, leaving the other girl to be the more virginal character.

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The film also features some well-executed drone shots that showcase the beautiful Florida terrain. The state park that they visit here looks really great. At about 45 minutes in, there’s a nice montage of the students and the faculty canoeing, speed-boating, and swimming that really highlights the location they chose. Aside from Felissa Rose, the setting is really the strongest element of the film. For horror fans, though, there are a bunch of fun cameos from the likes of Linnea Quigley, Vernon Wells, and Camille Keaton. 

Camp Twilight is not the best slasher film I’ve ever seen. But it is a fun time. It is very successful in the moments when Felissa Rose is on screen and while it does slow down a bit when focusing more on the students, it still features a decent climax and conclusion (no spoilers here). The build-up to the conclusion, however, can get a bit messy. There are moments that take you away from the main narrative for a bit, mainly in service of trying to make you guess who the killer is. The ending actually took a turn that I honestly wasn’t expecting. Overall, I had a fun time watching this one. If you’re looking for a slasher film that revels in the fun a bit more than in the kills, this is one to watch. Also, this is a must-watch if you’re a fan of Felissa Rose! It’s a film that you can just tell the cast and crew enjoyed making. While not scary, it was a fun watch. 

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Rating: 2.5 Stars out of 5. 

Camp Twilight is released digitally on November 1st. 

  • Directed By: Brandon Amelotte
  • Written By: Brandon Amelotte and Felissa Rose
  • Starring: Felissa Rose, Barry Jay Minoff, Brooklyn Haley, and Cougar MacDowall.
  • Running Time: 93 min.
  • Rating: Not Rated (at the time of review)
 
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Review: Love and Monsters (2020)

Love and Monsters (Michael Matthews, 2020) is the latest teen-targeted post-apocalyptic fare. I know what you’re thinking. Aren’t we done with that? Wasn’t the death of the Divergent franchise the nail in the coffin for the YA-focused movement? And I’ll be honest. I thought we were kind of done with it. I haven’t seen one that’s been really great in a bit. But, here we are. And once again, Dylan O’Brien (Teen Wolf, The Maze Runner series, American Assassin) is here to take us on a new post-apocalyptic journey.

I was actually a fan of all three of Wes Ball’s Maze Runner trilogy films, so I knew going in that O’Brien was more than capable of holding his own with this material. It turns out that by adding comedy and fun CGI-monster designs to the mix, we are treated to a film that takes a step beyond the popular YA trilogy. O’Brien’s Joel is your typical awkward and unsure twenty-something protagonist here, cooling off his intensity from the Maze Runner films. This is definitely the key to the success of this film. Joel is just such a likable protagonist. We are always rooting for him and we see him develop throughout the narrative of the film.

The film starts with the destruction of 90% of the population of Earth due to mutating creatures. Joel is living with his ragtag family of survivors, serving as the bunker’s cook. He is too nervous to go outside on any of their dangerous scavenging missions for food and he gets a reputation for not being the bravest person in the group. He is great at using the communications equipment though. We discover that he’s been communicating with Aimee (Jessica Henwick, Underwater, Iron Fist, and Game of Thrones), a girl that he had been dating prior to the end of the world. Once his bunker is breached by a monster, he decides to go out on his own and travel the 85 miles to her bunker to be with her.

The journey is one that will thoroughly test him and force him to prove that he is, in fact, capable and able to protect himself. Along the way, he meets Clyde (Michael Rooker, The Walking Dead, Mallrats, and Guardians of the Galaxy), young Minnow (Ariana Greenblatt, Avengers: Infinity War and Scoob), and a very good dog named Boy. His road is full of challenges, encounters with vicious monsters, and dangerous terrain.

Matthews has fused the perfect blend of comedy, action, and world building to create a film that is enjoyable but also heartfelt. It reminded me of the fun zombie-romance Warm Bodies (2013) in that regard. The monsters are threatening but not too terrifying for kids. Screenwriters Brian Duffield and Matthew Robinson give us naturalistic dialogue and provide the characters with charm and wit alongside the weapons they wield.

Overall, this is just a really fun film that distracted me from the state of the world right now. Which, if it can do that, I think it deserves some decent praise. It works perfectly well on its own, but also has the potential to create a new franchise from this original and engaging world. If you’re looking for a film to watch on another night in because of Covid-19, look no further. It’s definitely worth the watch and is definitely much better than some of the other alternatives right now. Looking at you Hubie Halloween.

Rating: 4 Stars out of 5

Love and Monsters is currently showing in theatres that are open and is available to rent from Amazon, VUDU, Google Play, iTunes, and Fandango.

  • Director: Michael Matthews
  • Starring: Dylan O’Brien, Jessica Henwick, Michael Rooker, Ariana Greenblatt, and Dan Ewing.
  • Rated PG-13 for Action/Violence, Language, and Some Suggestive Material.
  • Running Time: 109 minutes.
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Revisiting the Cookie Woman: A Case For Halloween 5- The Revenge of Michael Myers

The Halloween franchise is one of the most oft-viewed of the classic slasher series. Every October, it only feels right to dust the films off and do an annual re-watch of films that I’ve seen so many times. While the films have been retconned twice at this point (originally with Halloween: H20 pretending that the films 4-6 simply don’t exist, and again with Halloween (2018) ignoring all but the first entry), the middle films often become overlooked. While I obviously love the Jamie Lee Curtis films the most, because Laurie Strode is the driving force behind the franchise for me, I also have some of the most fun watching these controversial entries.

John Carpenter’s Halloween is an undisputed horror masterpiece. There’s a reason that it has gone on to become the phenomenon that it has. With hardly any money at all, Carpenter was able to construct a timeless tale of terror that truly stands the test of time. The task of following that up with a number of sequels is a seemingly impossible one. None of the ten films that have followed have been able to live up to the stunning original. That’s not to say that I don’t love them. Because I truly do. This is my favorite of the horror franchises. Every year it’s like a comfortable visit with friends when you visit these strange characters. Also, I truly love the direction of the new trilogy of films produced by Blumhouse with Jamie Lee Curtis returning to her iconic final girl role. It is honestly the first time that Michael Myers has legitimately felt like original Michael to me.

With this month’s slated Halloween Kills being pushed back to next October, now is the perfect time to revisit these films and reacquaint yourself with why they are so loved and so much fun. Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers along with its sequel (Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers) are often viewed as the weak links in the Halloween chain. It should be obvious to fans that Halloween: Resurrection is the true disaster here, so why punish these earlier films so harshly? Also, I’m one of the folks who legitimately hates the Rob Zombie directed remake duo, so I won’t be acknowledging them here.

Let’s get to the real focus: Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers. Released on October 13th 1989, it would prove to be the weakest performing of the franchise at that point in time, and would go on to even be out-performed by Halloween 6. Directed by Swiss/French director Dominique Othenin-Girard, the film had a troubled production due to many script issues and being forced into production without a final draft. Anyone who has seen the new Fantastic Four remake, Star Wars’ Solo origin film, and more, knows that studio interference and lack of faith in the filmmaker rarely results in a polished and flawless product. Many fans are quick to admit that Halloween 5 is clearly not their favorite, especially with how it disregards the successful storyline of its predecessor. Othenin-Girard’s film chose to tread new ground and break away from the mold a bit.

In one of the documentaries that focus on the making of this particular film, multiple members of the cast and crew of the film speak about how the director’s European film style makes its way into the film. And when looking at it, narratively you can see how the film steps away from the traditional mold of the 80s slasher film. We see the final girl from Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, Rachel Carruthers (Ellie Cornell) killed incredibly early in this film to be replaced by her friend Tina Williams (Wendy Foxworth). This was a controversial choice as fans really connected with the Rachel character and were rooting for her and her adopted sister Jamie (Danielle Harris), the daughter of Laurie Strode and niece of Michael Myers. But instead of simply focusing on Tina, Halloween 5 is really Jamie’s story and she becomes the final girl while battling her evil uncle.

Of the cliques of Halloween franchise teen victims, I truly feel that this bunch is the most enjoyable, second only to Laurie and her original friends. Are they the best actors of the series? Probably not. Are they given strong character arcs? No, with the exception of Tina. Many franchise fans brush Wendy Foxworth’s Tina off as simply another annoying victim of Michael’s. I think that is unfair and doesn’t give the character the respect she deserves. Yes, she blurts out odd dialogue on occasion that is definitely not the best. Yes, she has bad taste in boyfriends. But what Halloween character doesn’t? Of all of Michael’s victims, Tina is given a really odd and parental role in this film. With the absence of Rachel, Tina becomes the primary caregiver of Jamie, who is still mute and traumatized from her encounter with Michael in the previous film.

In a world of sex-obsessed characters, Tina cares more about Jamie than physical intimacy with her boyfriend Mikey, a car-obsessed jackass. Through Jamie’s odd psychological connection with her uncle, she is able to see that Tina is in danger after he has killed her boyfriend. Myers dons the mask that Tina bought for Mikey and drives his car to pick her up. This is honestly one of the creepier scenes in this part of the franchise. Michael is wearing a particularly creepy mask in the driver’s seat of the car and adds to the tension by tightly gripping the steering wheel and shooting creepy looks to Tina. Eventually the sound of Michael’s gloves on the steering wheel and a side-glance seem to warn Tina that something isn’t right. She states that she wants to stop at the gas station. This action, along with Jamie sensing where the car is, saves Tina’s life. While many fans brush Tina off as a stupid character, I think this moment proves that she is definitely more capable than some of her counterparts. There are multiple moments in the film where we see Tina sensing that something isn’t right. She feels Michael’s eyes on her when he is watching her leave Rachel’s house at the beginning of the film. She knows something is wrong in the barn at the farm party before discovering the dead bodies of her friends. To that end, however, she does foolishly decide to leave Jamie and go to the farm party, though. So, there are definitely limits here. However, I maintain that she exhibits more thought than the majority of Michael’s victims throughout the franchise.

 

Another point of contention with the fans of the franchise is the buffoonish cops that are entrusted with protecting the city of Haddonfield in this film. They are definitely two of the most incapable law enforcement agents in film that I can think of. Not only do they continually just toss unfunny jokes and remarks back and forth, but they are also accompanied with literal honking horn and whistle sound effects. This is something that I just find incredibly funny because of how severely unfunny it is. Say what you will, but I feel like it only adds to the entertaining vibes that this film delivers.

Is it scary? Absolutely not. Does it attempt to expand on the mythology of the franchise of the fourth film? Definitely not. But what it does do is give us a film where you can clearly tell the cast was having a really fun time making it. And the real-life relationships between the actors really come across in the film. Is it messy? Obviously. But that does not mean it is lacking any merit. We have another great and increasingly deranged performance from veteran Donald Pleasance as Dr. Loomis, a strong performance by Danielle Harris who is forced to express emotions without any words for the majority of the film, and a respectable replacement for Rachel in Tina, who literally and willingly gives her life to save Jamie. Also, it would be a shame to not mention Jamie’s awkward friend Billy who likes cookies and somehow can understand her non-sign language gestures.

Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers is a hot mess of a film. Narratively, it is all over the place. It strays from the format of the 80s slasher. It drifts off in random tangents at times. It removes the voice of the main character. There are so many questions raised, like did Michael really live in the hut with that homeless guy for a whole year and then just kill him after being fed and taken care of for that lengthy period of time? Even for Michael, that’s pretty harsh. In spite of (and because of) the craziness, the film stands out as one of the franchise’s fun entries. The mask looks better than in 4, Michael wields a scythe for a bit, Loomis loses more of his mind, Tina dances a lot, and Jamie and Billy have countless awkward moments with each other. All in all, Halloween 5, a film that I used to brush off as a weak entry in my favorite franchise, has become one that I truly enjoy watching, even more so than 4.

It’s time to forget about petty reasons for hating on this film. Is it great? No. But is it just a fun watch? Absolutely. And it’s one of the highlights of the franchise re-watch for me. So, instead of skipping over these middle entries in the franchise, I challenge you to really give them a go. You know what you’re in for. And they really help set the mood for fall and for Halloween in general.

Until next time, folks!

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