John Carpenter's Halloween

Happy Halloween!!! This is our final post for the month of October, and we are going out with a BANG as we review the most notorious Halloween film of all-time - John Carpenter's Halloween! When it comes to horror movies there are some that are memorable, some that are forgettable and some that reach the level known as timeless. When looking at the John Carpenter's 1978 classic known as "Halloween", there are few that can say this isn't a classic and a must-watch on Halloween night.

On Halloween night in 1963, in a small town called Haddonfield, IL, a small six year old boy named Michael Myers murders his older sister Judith, in an unprovoked attack. Michael puts on a clown mask (and through Michael's perspective) we get to see him go up the stairs and stab his sister with a butcher knife. Michael then heads outside at the exact moment his parents come home. Michael's father takes off Michael's mask and both parents stare in shock as they see their son standing there holding a bloody butcher knife. At this point we have no knowledge what triggered Michael to commit such a horrific act. We are left to wonder, what was the reason???


We move forward fifteen years to October 30th, 1978 where we see Dr. Sam Loomis (who would become the ultimate protagonist in the Halloween franchise) and a nurse driving to a mental hospital in the middle of the night. We are informed that Dr. Loomis is in the process of having Michael Myers brought to court to be committed for life and feels that Michael is pure evil. As they approach Smith's Grove mental hospital they see several patients wandering around the premise unwatched. Dr. Loomis tells the nurse to pull up to the front gate so he can find out what's going on. As he goes to the gate Michael jumps on the car and forces the nurse out. Michael then takes the opportunity to steal the car and escape the hospital.

The next day is Halloween and we are introduced to Laurie Strobe ( Jamie Lee Curtis) who is a high school girl making her way to school. She is approached by a young boy named Tommy Doyle, who we learn she is suppose to babysit that night. As Laurie talks to Tommy and makes her way to school she appears to be watched by Michael Myers from a voyeuristic perspective. This is the first clip of several that provide us with a unique perspective where we are seeing things through Michael Myers eyes. This gives the viewer a unique and rather suspicious feeling as we try to learn why Michael is watching Laurie.


From this point forward a chilling and suspenseful plot begins with Michael Myers watching and almost analyzing Laurie and her friends (Annie and Lynda) on Halloween night. No gore or blood, just simply a build up, but enough to keep you glued to the screen wondering what is going to happen. Dr. Loomis and the local Sheriff head to Michael Myers childhood house to watch for him while we learn more about Michael Myers. Dr Loomis informs the Sheriff that he feels Michael is pure evil and has no logic or feeling a normal person would, almost like a monster. The Sheriff is doubtful of Michael's arrival but also angry that Dr. Loomis let someone of Michael's mental status escape knowing what could happen.


Michael Myers slowly begins to attack Laurie's friends as the opportunity arises. Unlike standard horror movies, the rash of killings doesn't begin till a good 45 minutes into the movie. Annie is the first fatality and Lynda and her boyfriend are next to feel Michael's wrath.


In my opinion, one of the best scenes in Halloween is Halloween night when Laurie goes to check on her friends and sees the fate that has resulted due to Michael Myers. In her state of fear, Michael appears out of the darkness and attacks her. She is able to get away and run back to the house she is babysitting at but Michael starts to follow her. Laurie tries to survive the best she can, but Michael will not stop or stay down. Laurie tells the kids she is babysitting for to run to the neighbors and call the police. When the kids head out screaming Dr. Loomis hears them and heads to that house.



Michael begins to strangle Laurie, but Dr. Loomis fires several shots at Michael causing him to fall off the balcony. Dr. Loomis goes to look at Michael's body, but it's gone. The movie closes out with shots of all the key locations of the movie and hearing Michael's deep breathing, making us wonder where Michael could be as the movie fades out.



Halloween is a unique approach to horror movies. There is no bloodbath or forced back to back killing sprees, but rather the opportunity to learn who the characters are and seeing things from Michael Myers perspective. The movie is simple and does not have a lot of high budget value, but it provides an edge-of-your-seat horror flick that has become a staple every Halloween night on television. The series has had seven sequels, most of which have had mixed reviews, but the original Halloween has ranked as one of the top five best horror movies of all-time with reviews written by Fangoria, Wicked Magazine and other horror publications. Watch the trailer for this classic, influential horror film that no Halloween would be complete without!


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Raggedy Ann & Andy in the Pumpkin Who Couldn't Smile

One of my very favorite Halloween specials that I looked forward to watching every year as a child has pretty much fallen into obscurity. It's such a shame, because it is one of the sweetest, most charming little animated specials ever made and I still love it immensely. I am referring to Raggedy Ann & Andy In The Pumpkin Who Couldn't Smile, written, produced and directed by none other than Chuck Jones and released in 1979.


The special starts out on the evening of Halloween. We are immediately introduced to a glum pumpkin that no one has bought and time is quickly running out as the sun begins to set. He begins sobbing uncontrollably at the thought of missing out on the opportunity to make some child happy and fulfill his ultimate purpose.


Next we find Raggedy Ann (June Foray) and Andy (Daws Butler) looking out a window and talking about a sad boy next door named Ralph who lives with his stern Aunt Agatha (June Foray), that forbids him from partaking in any of the Halloween festivities. Raggedy Ann decides to give the aunt the benefit of the doubt, but begins to devise a plan to find a pumpkin to bring the boy a bit joy on the spooky holiday. It doesn't take long to figure out where this is going, but the journey of uniting these two misfits is the focus.


Enter Raggedy Arthur, a skateboard riding rag doll dog! He joins Raggedy Ann and Andy as they begin their journey into the unknown in search for the prized gourd! Time is running out and just as they begin to get hopeless they stumble upon the glum pumpkin, who is still having a pity party and doesn't see that his saviors have arrived.


It all seems to good to be true, as the dolls explain their predicament and how needed he is. He begins to cry tears of joy at the news - tears in the form of pumpkin seeds (awww)! They quickly grab a wooden beam to scoot him off the platform and onto the skateboard. Here begins a difficult trek back to town, wrought with a zany chain of events that stun a homeowner, jogger and police officer. It's quite a funny, clever classic Chuck Jones scene that still gets a laugh out of me!


They finally make it to Ralph's house and decide to use a rope and pulley to haul the pumpkin up to the boy's room on the 2nd floor. Ralph is in bed sleeping when we wakes up to see a beautifully glum looking jack-o-lantern facing him in the window. It's a very touching moment as he is overcome with joy at seeing the pumpkin! He brings him to the bed and wraps his arms around his new friend and all seems to be well, until they remember Aunt Agatha.


Raggedy Ann and Andy know that there is no chance Ralph will be able to keep the pumpkin unless something is done to soften Aunt Agatha's heart and help her remember what it is like to be child again. The two sneak into her bedroom, where she is fast asleep, and Ann begins whispering in her ear to conjure up her own fun Halloween memories from the past.


* * * SPOILER ALERT * * *
Just like Scrooge, Aunt Agatha suddenly wakes from her stupor and realizes the error of her ways. She instantly seeks to make things right with Ralph and whisks him off to enjoy the last bit of Halloween with some trick-or-treating. He dresses up like a pirate and she joins the fun by dressing up as a witch (just as she did as a little girl). Best of all, even the glum pumpkin comes along for the fun and it's a very happy ending for all!


This special is quite difficult to find, especially in any decent quality. Most copies were released by companies looking for a quick cash-in who did nothing to restore to the sound or picture. In fact, the sound is so bad on some copies that it makes it virtually impossible to watch. To my knowledge it has never been released on DVD at all. While I still have my VHS copy, which also includes the hard-to-find Christmas special, 'Raggedy Ann & Andy in the Great Santa Claus Caper', I was fortunate to get my hands on a decent digital transfer, but it's still a far cry from the restoration it deserves. In the meantime, you can watch the special in its entirety on YouTube. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I do and make it part of your own yearly traditional Halloween viewing!


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Garfield's Halloween Adventure

This October we will be reviewing a few of our very favorite Halloween specials and movies. Keep an eye out for these in the weeks to come, as we go back in time to reminisce on those classic films that had such a great impact on us over the years!

Garfield's Halloween Adventure is a half hour animated Halloween special based on the popular Garfield comic strip by Jim Davis. It originally aired in 1985 on CBS before 'It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown'. As a child I always remember these playing back to back, sometimes reversed, and it became a tradition I looked forward to every year. In fact, to this day I still insist on watching Garfield and Peanuts Holiday specials back to back, because that's what keeps the universe balanced for me! I was excited to even find this promo ad from the first year it aired, which definitely brought back memories (isn't YouTube great?):


The strange thing about this seemingly harmless kiddie special is that it's actually pretty scary. Even as an adult it still gives me chills! As a child I would be so spooked by the ghostly images, that after it aired I would go to bed, throw the covers over my head and try my best not to think of it. Even looking at the illustrations in the paperback version sent chills down my spine. Perhaps that is because the supernatural has always disturbed me, but I also credit Jim Davis with writing an effective Halloween tale, just scary enough to give a kid the creeps, but not overly scary that it becomes inappropriate. After all, isn't it the things that scare us as kids that usually has the strongest effect? And so it is with Garfield's Halloween Adventure...


The story begins early Halloween morning in which Garfield is abruptly awoken by The Binky the Clown Show, as he screams his ear piercing catchphrase, "HEYYYY KIDS!", to motivate them to do some jumping jacks. Garfield is of course having none of that, so he shuts off the TV immediately, but not before hearing him mention that "this is the night you can get a lot of CANDY!" Well, all that "CANDY, CANDY, CANDY, CANDY" definitely gets Garfield's attention and he's ready to go...after a quick nap, of course!


Soon after Garfield wakes up for the day, he heads up to the attic in search of something to wear. There is a cute little musical number here called "What Should I Be?" that features Garfield putting together various items of clothing in an old chest to make costumes. After going through a series of changes, Garfield finally selects the perfect costume and promises Odie his very own piece of Halloween candy if he helps him go door to door. Odie unwittingly agrees and off they go into the night dressed as fearsome pirates, in search of their plunder!


It doesn't take long for Garfield and Odie to finish trick-or-treating at all the nearby homes, but the night is still young and Garfield is becoming increasingly obsessed with how much candy he can collect. They come to a dock on the river and notice many more houses on the other side that are ripe for the picking. This gives Garfield a brilliant idea, and as luck would have it, tied to the end of the dock is a row boat with oars, so they decide to climb aboard and set sail for more treasure, as any good pirates would do.


They start out smoothly, but a current quickly takes them off course, down the river and further from the houses. They begin to panic, but eventually the boat lands on an island with a path that leads to a spooky old house, fitting the description of any classic haunted house. There's a light on in the window, so they foolishly decide to investigate.


The house appears deserted, yet there is a crackling fire lit in the fireplace. They decide to cozy up to and get warm, and just as their nerves begin to settle, they turn around and sitting in an arm chair is a creepy old man staring down at them! This of course causes them to scream in panic, but the old man quiets them down just long enough to tell them a dreaded tale of pirates and stolen treasure. A perfectly eerie tale for a spooky Halloween such as this!


He tells them of a ruthless band of Pirates who ended up on the island as they were running from government troops. They had amassed far too much treasure to carry with them, so they buried it under the house, but not before signing a contract in blood swearing to return from the grave in one hundred years on Halloween night at midnight to reclaim it. Wouldn't you know that the hundred year anniversary was that very night! Just moments before the clock strikes midnight they turn to leave, but the old man is nowhere to be seen. They head out to the boat, only to discover he has taken off in it, with their hard earned bags of candy along with it. Just then the clock strikes midnight and Garfield and Odie are stuck in search of a place to hide!


They see a ghost ship then appear on the water and find a small cabinet to hide in just before the ghost pirates enter the house to reclaim their ill gotten gains. They do their best to remain quiet through the ordeal, hoping for the moment to pass, but suddenly Odie sneezes and the doors to the cabinet fly open. The pair are discovered by the vicious ghosts who then begin to pursue them! The suspense and design of the ghosts in this scene are what always scared me most. The glowing, transparent figures looked as I imagined ghosts could look in real life.


Well, having no place else to go, Garfield and Odie run back to the river and decide to make a swim for it, but get swept up into the current once again. All seems to be lost as Garfield proves not to be a great swimmer and begins to go under. Odie saves the day and rescues Garfield, dragging him back onto the shore, ending up just where they started from! They decide to count their losses and head for home when lo and behold! They find the row boat with their bags of candy still in tact and are glad for a happy ending to the dreadful night after all.


Once safe at home, Garfield rethinks his greedy attitude. As a show of gratitude to Odie for saving his life, Garfield does the most difficult thing in the world for him; he gives Odie his half of the candy. This is a great sentimental moment between the two characters, as Garfield rarely shows his true affection for Odie. Usually he expresses disdain for the brainless pup, but most Garfield specials expose Garfield's softer side at some point toward his furry companion. It shows that just like members in our own family, they may drive us nuts, but deep down we really love them.


Just before bedding down for the night, Garfield decides to unwind with a little TV. He suddenly comes across an all-night pirate movie marathon, hosted by none other than the old man in the creepy house. This is a great twist, which allows the special to still end on an eerie note. Deciding he has had enough, Garfield shuts off the TV and does what he does best...goes to sleep.


Despite being well written and winning an Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program in 1986, this special has sadly faded into obscurity. However, it still remains a personal favorite of mine and one that I can't skip or else it just won't feel like Halloween. Though it was once easy to find on DVD on the Garfield Holiday Celebration set, it is now out of print and quite expensive to find a new copy of. Used is a bit cheaper, but the good news is, it is available to rent on Amazon free to Prime members and only $1.99 for non-members! It's totally worth that, especially if it means sharing it with your own kids. I, for one, think it is still deserving of being called a classic!

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The Way Way Back

Currently playing in theaters is the wonderful indie film, The Way Way Back, Directed and Written by Nat Faxon (The Descendants). It's a funny, poignant coming of age story about an awkward 14 year old boy named Duncan (Liam James) who starts to come into his own over Summer vacation. He is traveling with his mother (Toni Collette), her overbearing boyfriend (Steve Carell) and his insufferable teenage daughter. It doesn't take long before Duncan begins to feel like the outcast of the bunch, as his mother's boyfriend picks on him relentlessly with his mother standing idly by. His father has apparently taken off to start a new life in California with his new wife, leaving Duncan without a true father figure to help him find his way into manhood.


While trying to avoid spending time with the family, Duncan makes a friend in angsty, but pretty, neighbor Susanna (AnnaSophia Robb). They share much in common, but not being used to dealing with girls, he clumsily struggles to keep up with conversation. It isn't until he meets Owen (Sam Rockwell) that he begins to find the confidence boost he needs. Owen is the juvenile, yet kindhearted, owner of a local waterpark who gives Duncan a job, while offering him the mentorship he is lacking. The experience brings about self discovery and a bit of happiness in the midst of chaos.

The thing I loved most about this movie was its focus on the importance of a good man in a boy's life. I think sometimes we overlook this necessity and forget the impact an absent father can have on a young man. How life-changing it can be when someone is willing to step up and be a mentor and friend in their absence. The teen years are a particularly tender age, but while female sensitivity is understood, we can forget that boys are sensitive in their own ways, though they may not be as vocal. Rather, they often become introverted.


Another notable theme to the movie is that people are not always who they appear to be. Sometimes those who seem to have it all together are a mess and sometimes the people who look like a mess are the ones who are more in tune with reality. Everyone has a story and it's best to examine all the facts before passing judgement.

Along with these wonderfully touching themes, this film is not without its humor and romance. There are many fun moments which make it the perfect summer film you will want to watch again and again. It is shaping up to be one of the best movies of the year, so if you love great writing and acting, be sure to catch this one in the theater while you can...because like the Summer, it may be gone before you know it!


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