The Cathode Ray Mission: October 2018

Here we go again. Another year, another Halloween list. How long have I been doing these anyway? Wow! Since the blogs beginning it appears. How time files. This year since I end up recommending so much other stuff besides movies and TV shows every year, I’m retitling the sucker. So, here we go. 2018’s Halloween picks.

10) Dick Briefer's Frankenstein

Artist Dick Briefer who worked with the likes of Will Eisner on some of the earliest comic books created a weird, macabre version of the Frankenstein monster in the 1940’s. Putting a unique spin on Mary Shelley's creation. Updating his origin to the ‘40’s and having the monster climb the Empire State building in one issue and in another Victor Frankenstein makes a crocodile man to fight his rampaging creature! This collection collects the more straightforward horror run with the monster and the later comical Charles Addams style run. And some later ones where Briefer returned to straight up horror. If you dig comics from the golden age, classic horror comics or the antics of the Addams Family, dig this monster up!

9) Prom Night (1980)

Pure 80' slasher goodness. This is one of those films I always end up watching a couple a times every year. There’s a crazy amount of ‘80’s hair style action in this sucker. You get a pretty cool killer. A extra funky disco number that has to been to be seen to be believed. There's also a snazzy soundtrack. The stalk n' slash scenes are excellent. Stand outs are an attack on the van of a couple of pot smoking post-coital teens. And an extended case scene though the school, as the "evil bitch" character tries to escape the killer. There's also a good assortment of red herrings on hand.

8) Witches by Dante Tomaselli

There was a time way back when Disney used to put out creepy sound FX records. Witches is like the sound FX of someone’s descent into madness and damnation. Filled with spine tingling synth music and strange soundbites. Witches is perfect for a chilly October night spent in a candlelit rooming reading horror stories or making your own.

7) Baron Blood (1972)

A creepy old castle with a well stocked torture chamber, a fog ensconced countryside and a badly deformed undead evil Baron. Plus a really groovy score and psychic shenanigans. Some very red blood. And the sexy Luciano Pigozzi! I mean Elke Sommer of course! This is classic Mario Bava.

6) Norm Breyfogle’s Batman Run

This year we lost a great artist, Norm Breyfogle. His run on the Batman titles is a personal favorite. His style was moody, gritty and had a hint of the exaggerated style Todd McFarlane would use. His run leaned more towards detective stories and straight up horror. Introducing villains like Ventriloquist, Ratcatcher, Jeremiah Arkham, Mr. Zsasz and the intro of the third Robin, Tim Drake. Amazing work. Amazing talent. Gone too soon.

5) The Chilling (1989)

The tale of nice girl Mary. Hard luck security guard Vince. And the doberman he saves from the frozen dead. Finding time along the way to pantomime Freddy Kruger. Throw in a drunk husband out of a Lifetime film. And there’s also one of the worst bank robberies ever filmed. To sweeten the pot (Like I have to) the film takes place on Halloween. It’s all fairly cheesy and I love it.

4) Tomie (1998)

Much like Tomie's severed head this film has grown on me over the many years. She nothing like all The Ring clones out there. Tomie is her own monster. Not a long haired ghost but a living breathing women who's only love is for herself. Tomie's franchise like her will not die. There seems to be a new one every few years or so. And that's just fine by me.

3) The Poughkeepsie Tapes (2007)

Very few horror films are able to make me tense. The first time I watched Poughkeepsie Tapes I wasn’t quite sure how far they're going to go. I've watched plenty of horror films over my lifetime, rarely though do I worry what's going to happen to a character. There's a couple moments here where I was thinking to myself "Go! Get out of that damn house!" Having seen the horrible fate of a few of the killer's victims by the time a couple girl scouts show up at the killer’s selling cookies your skin will be crawling.

2) The Varrow Mission (1978)

Aliens, a haunted house, a Halloween haunted house contest and '70's teenagers. All the ingredients for a quirky low budget good time. This one is a real oddity. A fun watch if you can find it.

1) Halloween II (2009)

With a new Halloween out. Another Halloween II (sort off) I felt like it was right to have something from the franchise to the list. Usually it’s Halloween II or III. This year I’m going with the follow up to Rob Zombie’s much maligned remake. Zombie’s take on Halloween wasn’t bad. Yes it was tad too long. And had too much redneck nonsense. Why was Michael Myers’ family white trash?
The sequel free of all the origin shit focused on a new story. We got to see the aftermath of his return home. Laurie suffering PTSD and Loomis using the murders to sell books. I don’t mind the arty dream sequences. Nor Mountain Man Michael. The soundtrack for this one is damn good. Nights In White Satin baby. And this film might have old MM’s most brutal and gory kills. Brad Dourif, Danielle Harris, Scout Taylor-Compton and Angela Trimbur are all excellent. Dourif and Harris the standouts. I freaking love this one.

There you have it. Have a safe and spooky Halloween folks!