31 Days, 31 Horror Movies: Tales of Halloween

October! It couldn't come fast enough for me this year. I generally look forward to the "Month of Halloween," but it's been a crappy year overall, and I've attached way more anticipation and expectation to 31 Days than I probably should have. You can't put that much on a month and have it all turn out well - so I'm trying to temper things now that the blessed event is actually here.

But instead of taking things easy and watching one film to start off, I decided Sunday still counts as the weekend and am jumping in with a themed double-feature! So without further ado:

Dark Comedy Anthologies With a Holiday Theme

There are generally two types of horror anthologies (to make a gross generalization). The type that takes both the genre and the tales it tells with utter seriousness (I'm thinking Trilogy of Terror or V/H/S) and the type that approaches the genre with tongue firmly in cheek (like Trick 'r Treat or Creepshow). My preference between the two depends on my mood at the time, but if I had to choose I'd probably come down on the side of the anthologies that include a sense of humor. I'm not sure I can articulate why, beyond the fact that I loved reading old horror comics when I was a kid and they generally had a wicked sense of humor to them.

Tales of Halloween (2015)

I can't remember who first recommended this film - probably Calliope towards the end of 2015's thread. I know it's been mentioned several times since, and it's been on my list since 2015. Somehow, I've never gotten around to it. When it popped up on Netflix months ago I actually made myself wait on it, with the hope of watching it for this thread. Yay for self-control!

The Format

As mentioned, it's streaming on Netflix. It looks pretty good , but the cinematography isn't such that you'd need a higher quality presentation. I do think I'm going to have to find the Blu-ray, though, for the extras. (Including some additional short films, including an early one by Neil Marshall.)

The Film

There's no real framing sequence for Tales of Halloween, but the pieces are connected - they all take place in the same town and the voice of Adrienne Barbeau (reprising Stevie from The Fog? I like to think so) as the local radio DJ is often heard in the background. Some characters also appear in multiple stories, often in the background. This isn't as tight as, say, Trick 'r Treat, but it's fun to pick out the various repeat characters and guess where this puts each piece in the timeline.

"Sweet Tooth"
An urban legend about a child with an... all-consuming love of sweets, turns out to be more than just a legend. It's just okay and is really more of a one-note horror joke than a real story. It's nicely gory, although the effects are pretty low-budget. I was a little worried about the movie at this point, because I expect the initial story in an anthology to set the tone, and this was a little lower quality than I had expected. It wasn't bad, just a bit threadbare.

I told you candy would rot your teeth!

"The Night Billy Raised Hell"

Now I'm starting to get an idea of how this is going to go. This is actually one of my favorite pieces, with a 'trick' on a neighbor going horribly wrong for one Halloween-loving kid. Barry Bostwick is hilarious as the 'devilish' neighbor and most of the fun in is his expressions and various mannerisms. I found the fun to be a little let down by the over-use of sound effects and generally broad humor, but it's still a standout.

Second most gratuitous use of Adrianne Curry in a film.

 

"Trick"

I wanted to like this one more than I did. The beginning is promising, with a lot of unexpected violence and the sense that all of the kids in town have gone mad. Things aren't quite what they seem however, though you might be forgiven if you're confused as to what's really going on. The effects and the production are flat and cheesy and visually confusing. There's something there, but it seems half-baked.

"The Weak and the Wicked"

Another half-developed idea that seems rushed. I like the characters and the basic premise has a long pedigree (a demon summoned for revenge), but parts seem to go on too long (the chase) and other parts don't last long enough to satisfy (the end). This is also the least humorous segment - or if it's trying to be funny, it fails.

"I was told this was a sequel to Donny Darko."

"Grim Grinning Ghost"

Really, these are all just vignettes so far. They're short, with a limited plot, characterization and time frame. This is another bog-standard idea - the thing that follows you that you must not look at. The acting is fine and I like the framing and cinematography better than most of the other stories. I also laughed at how they managed to get the main character to lose her car AND her phone - two things that would have severely truncated an already short story.

"Ding Dong"

Things really start to improve with this one. The humor - though very broad - is more wicked and on point. (Particularly the kid dressed as Hansel.) Pollyanna McIntosh is a little too cartoonish in her role as a woman who REALLY wants kids in the worst way (And holy cow is this vastly different than her Walking Dead role), but overall this works for me as a piece better than some of the previous bits.

Just me and my wife on Halloween, greeting the trick or treaters...

"This Means War"

A bit of a step back. Another vignette with a thin premise - modern horror vs classic horror in a literal fight to the death over yard decorating. It's... fine, I guess. Some fun bits. Doesn't overstay it's welcome at least. John Skipp is one of the directors.

"Friday the 31st"

Over the top, but in the most entertaining way. A lot of fun taking the premise of the disfigured serial killer (in the Jason vein) and the final girl and adding some alien abduction and splatstick comedy. I enjoyed the hell out of this segment, even if the humor remains very much of the loud guffaw variety. I actually wish this segment was a bit longer and was disappointed that it was over.

I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest never dressing as the 'slutty' version of a beloved
movie character. It's just asking to be in a slasher flick.

"The Ransom of Rusty Rex"

Two hapless loser kidnap the wrong rich kid. I enjoyed this one as well and - despite some slapstick - it's one of the more restrained stories. Awesome cameo by John Landis and good work by Sam Witwer and Jose Pablo Cantillo anchor the shenanigans. Witwer in particular has fun with his role and has great expressions.

"Bad Seed"

Super fun, and my favorite of the bunch. Playing with the cop thriller tropes and the super-silly 'animated vegetable' sub-genre. This one is written and directed by Neil Marshall and - while still being super-low-budget - manages to squeeze quite a bit of what little money they had. This is another piece I wish had been a bit longer. Had the most laughs for me.

"Nobody move! All you gourds are suspects in a murder investigation!"

The Bottom Line

I think I expected more of Tales of Halloween than it could reasonably provide - I'd been hearing about it and thinking about watching it for too long and my mind made it into something it couldn't live up to. The segments suffer from being very short and very low budget, but its exuberant sense of humor makes it enjoyable despite that. You get the sense that everyone involved was having a good time and definitely getting into the Halloween spirit.  It's fun, and overall is a decent addition to the list of horror anthologies.


FYI - looking like I might not get to watch AND write up the second film, so look for Holidays tomorrow.