AAAaaawwoo! I bid you.... welcome to issue #6 of Count Floyd's Movie News. Ah Halloween, the season where smashing pumpkins is not just the name of a band. Teepee is hung from the rafters with glee. I love the smell of rotten eggs in the morning. The kids of Mellonville are so cute and well behaved. It's my favorite time of year.
Speaking of Mellonville, I occasionally like to attend the local cineplex called The Odious. I recently sat in on a showing of "Wishmaster" produced by Wes Craven. The story opens in Persia in the year 1127 AD where we see a lavish party thrown by a rich pasha. A shadowy figure asks the pasha to make his second wish. The pasha wishes to be shown wonders that no one has ever been seen before. Before our eyes the guests begin writhing in pain and are being transformed into horrible shapes. The shadowy figure then tells the pasha that he could make it all go away by making his 3rd wish. Just before the pasha could speak the pasha's magician breaks into the room and recites an ancient incantation which sucks the figure into a beautiful gem where he is trapped forever. Or is he? The gem is implanted in a statue and is forgotten about. Now we flash to the present where we see a rich industrialist, played by Robert Englund of Freddy fame, waiting for a cargo ship to be unloaded. The crate he is waiting for falls off the crane and crashes to the dock. The crate contained a statue that has been smashed to bits. A dock worker arrives on the scene first and notices a gem protruding from a broken piece of masonry. He snatches the gem before anyone notices it. Of course this is where the real fun begins.
We find out during the course of the film that the shadowy figure trapped in the gem is a Djinn. Today we call them genies and think they are cute figures. The original Djinn were evil creatures created after the angels but before mankind. They roamed the spaces between the worlds. The Djinn's power comes from the granting of wishes. If the person who awakens the Djinn makes three wishes the Djinn would then be able to open a portal to the space between the worlds allowing all types of hideous creatures to come to Earth to dominate mankind.
The special effects are very well done but it's not for the squeamish. The film was peppered with horror film cameos like Kane Hodder who appeared as Jason in several of the "Friday the 13th" films. Angus Scrimm, who played the mortician in the "Phantasm" movies, provides the opening narration. Reggie Bannister, who played the older brother with the fast car in the "Phantasm" films, falls victim to the Djinn who has transformed himself into the likeness of actor Andrew Divoff.
Overall the film worked for me. I enjoy ancient lore and learning about the history of the Djinn was interesting. The horror effects are well done and on the gory side as I mention earlier. I enjoyed the film but I would probably have enjoyed it more at the lower priced matinee. "Be careful what you wish for."
OOH it was a scary scary movie. I (ding dong)... excuse me. someone is at the castle door. (CCrreeaakk) "Trick or treat" Hey, you guys seem a little old to be out trick or treating. Besides it's not Halloween yet. "We're out on Beggar's night. Fork it over buttmunch." You guys come back on Halloween and next time wear a costume. (Slam) As I was saying (splat....splat,splat,splat). Oh man, enjoy the movie news while I clean up the mess.
Since this is our first Halloween together I feel honorbound to recommend the original unholy three: "Dracula"', "Frankenstein" and "The Mummy".
"Dracula", made in 1931, was the first film allowed by the estate of Bram Stoker to use the name Count Dracula in a film. "Nosferatu" was the first movie based on the book but the makers of that film could not get permission from the author's wife to use the Dracula name. Executives at Universal were reluctant to use Bela Lugosi, who was winning wide acclaim in the stage production of "Dracula", because of his thick accent. Cooler heads prevailed and Lugosi was allowed to give us a performance of a lifetime, This gothic tale, directed by Todd Browning, is rich in atmosphere and holds up well lo these many years. Character actor Dwight Frye gives a spectacular performance as Renfield, the bug eating henchman of Count Dracula. This is the film that started it all.
"Frankenstein" was also made in 1931. Universal originally wanted Bela Lugosi, fresh from his triumph in "Dracula", to play the part of Frankenstein's monster. Lugosi turned down the role once he learned that he would be covered in pounds of makeup and padding because he feared that no one would recognize him. That decision would haunt him for the rest of his life. The film's director, James Whale, was scrambling to find a replacement for the lead role. One day while having lunch in the studio commissary Whale noticed an actor sitting across the way and felt that he had an interesting face. That actor was Boris Karloff who would shoot to horror stardom after the release of this film. "Frankenstein" is another Universal classic with an excellent supporting cast including Colin Clive and Dwight Frye.
"The Mummy" was directed by Karl Freund and was released in 1932. The movie stars Boris Karloff who had to endure 8 hours a day in the makeup chair to be transformed into the mummy. The film takes place during an archaeological dig in 1921 where a 4000 year old mummy comes to life in search of his royal sweetheart. My fondest memory of this film was when I was standing in line at one of those college-sponsored haunted houses. They projected the film onto the outside of the house which lent to the eerie feeling complete with Halloween sound effects for accompaniment.
These three films set the pace for horror films for 25 years until the 1950's brought us radiation and it's effect on various and sundry animal life.
EVILVISION - This spot is reserved for my ramblings on what's happening on television. First up I'd like to recommend "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". As long as there have been vampires there have been slayers. In each generation a slayer has been chosen to do battle with the undead. These slayers have been female according to the lore of the film and the TV series. Unlike the film, Buffy is not a Valley girl but a serious, straightforward killer of vampires. Buffy, played by Sarah Michelle Gellar, attends high school in Sunnydale. Lately Sunnydale has been anything but sunny. The town seems to emanate something that attracts the undead. Buffy is aided by her classmates Willow, a computer whiz, and Xander who adds sexual tension because Willow likes Xander and Xander likes Buffy. Overseeing all of this is The Watcher, called Giles, who is the school librarian. He brings some adult balance to the show and he is helpful in researching the various demons that they come across in their adventures. The part of Giles is played by Anthony Stewart Head. Some of you ladies out there may remember him from the Tasters Choice commercials with that couple who never seemed to be able to get it together. You can find Buffy on The WB network. Check your local listings. I give "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" 2 fangs up.
Congratulations go to Donna C. who becomes the new Triviameister of Mellonville for being the first person to answer the following trivia question correctly: "Who was originally picked to play Indiana Jones (before Harrison Ford got the part) but could not due to contractual reasons?". The answer is Tom Selleck who was working on "Magnum P.I." at the time. The following people also answered the trivia question correctly and deserve a special Halloween howl: Sharon C., Kymmit, Jeff C., Larry V., Tritone, Irene P., Steve R., Gmp 712, Richard M., Eduardo M., Jon F. AAAaaawwoooo!
To become the new Triviameister just be the first person to answer the following question correctly and you will have the option to ask the trivia question in the next issue. "Who is the only character that speaks in Mel Brook's "Silent Movie"? Click here to submit your answer. Good luck.
Wow, what a response. The question was "What one movie would you take to a deserted island assuming that you had your solar powered TV and VCR?". Each answer was unique and there were no duplicate answers. The survey SAYS:
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The Haunted Survey question is: "What Horror Movie Host do you remember the most, and include the city they broadcast from, if you remember". To submit your answer please click here.
Count Floyd will return in issue #7 titled "You Only Live Twice Because The Bad Guys Can't Shoot Straight" due out around 11-15-97 or so.
