ITS HALLOWEEN! It's a Saturday. We get an extra hour after midnight and the moon is full.
Again, today I am going to end with some movies around the same theme; or more accurately movies with the same title.
Oh no, must be the season of the witch!
Ok, this is a repeat from 2012, but the topic and time period was just too perfect to ignore. While this month has largely been about European Horror prior to The Exorcist, this one from Horror Master George Romero could not be ignored.
Besides, bored housewife turns to witchcraft? Yeah, that is great stuff, to be honest. There is still a lot of fun in this movie. A nice slice of Occult Americana. Neat little bits on Rosemary's Baby, Voodoo, ritual tools, and Tarot Cards. Even an honest to Goddess coven and ritual initiation. If anything this movie is better with another watch. The movie even has enough sense to know when to take itself seriously and when to not.
The new special edition Blu-Ray art makes Joan look a little scarier than she is but hey, that is fine really.
A wonderful example of the Swinging 70s and horror prior to The Exorcist.
New View: No
Witches: Yes
Features the Donovan Song: Yes
Now I remember seeing this one in the theaters. I loved the poster and thought it was really cool. But for the life of me when rewatching it I could remember any of it. This movie is best watched as disconnected from the rest of the Halloween/Michael Meyers franchise. It fits in with the original vision of the franchise as separate, unrelated movies in an anthology. Much like "Creepshow" and "American Horror Story."
The story is. Well it's dreadful, to be honest. It wasn't well liked then and it has not aged well either. I do like the idea of the masks being haunted/possessed/curse or whatever it was they were. Though seriously, trying to get a chip from the megaliths at Stonehenge? Yeah, not likely. Though I would totally use a bunch of cursed masks in a game.
I think I remember why I don't recall this one as well. It's kinda dull and I might have spaced out a lot while it was on.
New View: I am going to say No, even though I can't remember much of it.
Witches: None, but it does have Dick Warlock in it. So that is something.
Features the Donovan Song: No
Did Halloween III leave such a bad taste in everyone's mouth that this title had to wait nearly 30 years to be reused? I guess.
My first "first time view" today and one of my last (!) new movies of the season. Make no mistake, this one is not good. It is a little indie film from England. The actors are mostly unknowns. Mary Blackwell travels back to her hometown of Maiden Hollow to clear out her recently deceased father's house. There is a priest who becomes obsessed with Alice (Beth Kingston) who looks like his dead wife.
Or that's what I think. There are times when the music soundtrack overwhelms the voice track. Calling this a "slow burn" is charitable. Calling it boring might be closer.
Which is too bad, because I had hoped for some English folk horror. The "village justice" scene at the end is the closest we ever get to that. Actually, I felt the whole scene was overdone to be honest.
The movie was finished in 2009 but not released till 2014.
The tag line is "Don't look behind" which makes no sense. Given how times the question is asked the tag line should be "Did You Have Breakfast?"
New View: Yes
Witches: Not really
Features the Donovan Song: No
This one is pure horror-action cheese. I saw it when it came out but I am a little surprised in never made it into my Horror Movie Challenge till now.
So this one has a lot of good going for it on paper. Nicholas Cage and Ron Perlman star as Teutonic Knights. There is a girl, Anna, played by Claire Foy in her first movie role, being accused of witchcraft and they need to take her to a monastery.
It goes about as you would suspect. Knights take the witch in a cage. She protests she isn't a witch. Crazy shit happens on the way.
It's a fun romp and Cage never fails to amuse and Ron Perlman is always fun. The demon effects are also really good. After spend so much time in the 1970's horror it is nice to see a really scary looking monster.
In some ways this movie could be considered part of a series along with Vin Diesel's "The Last Witchhunter." There is a similar vibe to them both.
New View: No
Witches: Yes
Features the Donovan Song: Sort of. It's on the soundtrack, but it is a symphonic instrumental.
Judgment: If your "Season of the Witch" movie does not feature the song by Donovan, then your movie is going to suck.
I started early while waiting for Trick or Treaters. I might be able to get in one more tonight! The new Craft movie is out now!
NIGHT SHIFT and Old-school Content: The "Season of the Witch" is a potent concept for me.
I used it for the name of my Willow & Tara series (essentially "Buffy, Season 8") and it is coming around again in relation to my War of the Witch Queens.
Watched: 59New: 40
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