8 minute read
City Voices
Horror
Continued from Page 9
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ed film the director made that
blew up in a way no one expected, not even the studio who funded it. They didn’t even think they could turn a profit on the movie because they shelved it before it ever saw the theater. This movie
has four interwoven Hallow-
een stories, the connecting thread of which is a little boy named Sam who is, in essence, the spirit of Halloween. Never blow out your candles before midnight, check your candy, never trick or treat alone. The
actors in it are all top-notch, from Anna Paquin, who at the time was hot on “True Blood,” Dylan Baker from the “SpiderMan” movies, Brian Cox and many others.
“Hocus Pocus” (1993): The Disney Cult Classic was a disaster at the box office, having been released in the summer
and not October. It found its
second life in video rental
stores (a place you had to go and rent a film in person and not stroll through streaming apps.) The plot is about a virgin who releases the three Sanderson sisters — witches
that eat kids’ souls — on Hal-
loween night and he, his kid sister and the girl next door need to stop them before the end of Halloween. If this were
a straight-up horror movie, I can see them really upping the violence and bloodshed. It’s a
classic movie based on a story the writer told his daughter about a stray cat they saw one day and he created a legend for Halloween every year.
“Trick” (2019): On Halloween night in 2015, Patrick “Trick” Weaver massacred his
classmates at a costume party. After being arrested, he managed to escape police custody, but not before being shot five times by Detective Mike Denver. Everyone believes Trick must be dead, but when a masked killer reappears the following Halloween, a manhunt begins. This could be called a ripped off version of “Halloween,” but that’s up for interpretation. Directed by Patrick Lussier, it’s a good attempt at making a new slasher that’s not wearing a Capt. Kirk mask.
The Disney film “Hocus Pocus” is a Halloween favorite. DISNEY+
“Once Bitten” (1985): A vampire comedy that may not have much to do with the holi-
day Halloween as much as it has to do with the principal villain, the Countess, needing to drink the blood of a virgin three times by Halloween night or else she will lose her beauty. It gave us Jim Carey, and is notable for a great dance sequence between Countess (Playboy Playmate of the Year Laura Hutton) and Carey and his girlfriend Robin, played by Karen Kopins. There is a Halloween dance at Mark and
Robin’s school, and Mark wins best costume for being dressed as a vampire … Uh
sure.
“Night of the Demons” (1988): A group of friends get together on Halloween night for a party they will never forget and one by one each of their party members get horribly killed or turned into a demon in this ‘80s horror classic
that is important for one big note of having a female protagonist, and you can count on one hand the number of
female bad girls in Horror in the ‘80s ( Mrs. Voorheese from “Friday the 13th,” Reginne Dandridge from “Fright Night Part 2”). Using the night of Halloween as the setting helps the film with its spirit world connection tie together in a great way for people to be possessed. Ignore the 2010 remake.
“Monster House” (2006) After his neighbor across the street, Mr. Nickerback, has a heart attack, DJ and his friends think his house is
haunted, but it’s actually alive. After it nearly kills a dog, his babysitter’s boyfriend and a couple of idiot cops, it’s up to him; the new girl in town, Jenny; and his best friend Chowder to stop this house from eating anyone else once and for all on Halloween night. They discover that the legend of the house and the old man’s wife is more than they thought, and they learn a lesson about believing in and perpetrating rumors about people; as well as about growing up, puberty and friendship. The fact the film takes place on Oct. 30 and 31 ties to the legend of what happened to his neighbor’s wife in a very unique way.
“Hell Fest” (2018) On Halloween night, four friends and their dates go to Hell Fest, a spooky horror theme park based on Universal Studios
Orlando’s “Halloween Horror
Nights.” This slasher movie at a theme park on Halloween night is a throwback to classic ‘80s horror movies in all the
best ways, with annoying characters you can’t wait to see die but also a vast and real-
ly well put together landscape of a film that’s not just a set in a warehouse.
“Tales of Halloween” (2015) Ten short stories revolve around ghosts, ghouls, monsters, the devil, aliens, and axe murderers who terror-
ize a suburb on Halloween
night. Take “Trick r Treat” up to 100 this is what you get. The thing I loved about this was the package came with a soundtrack for all the shorts and you have a great list of talent involved like Lin Shaye, Barry Bostwick, Adrian Barbeau, Adam Green, John Landis, Joe Dante and more. You get some good with some bad, but overall a great collection of horror shorts that really show the spirit of the holiday.
“Ernest Scared Stupid” (1991) Ernest, played once again by the late great Jim Varney, is working as a garbage collector in a small Missouri
town. Despite the warnings of superstitious local Old Lady Hackmore, played by the late great Eartha Kitt, he accidentally unleashes devious troll Trantor, a slimy creature confined under a tree for 200
years. The troll and his ilk were responsible for the deaths
of several chil-
dren, and Ernest’s ancestor
was the troll
hunter who
stopped him. The night of Halloween is
key to the plot line, as the troll continues
to suck up the souls of kids
and turn them
into wood dolls
and only through specific ways for a PG movie can the
trolls be
stopped. The opening sequence of Ernest reacting to classic
black and
white hor-
ror movies
clips is my favorite
part of the movie and
worth a watch
every Hallow-
een
WORCESTERIA
Is it worth it to win the Worcester, Boston and New England Music Awards?
Victor D. Infante
Worcester Magazine USA TODAY NETWORK
Annie Brobst had a good night Oct. 17 at the New England Music Awardsin Malden. The Danvers singer-songwriter took home three trophies: Country Artist of the Year, Song of the Year for her song, “Red Wine on My Mind,” and Overall Artist of the Year. She didn’t take home Album of the Year –that went to the fabulous blues band Erin Harpe and the Delta Swingers for “Meet Me in the Middle,” but short of that, it was pretty much a clean sweep. And why not? Brobst – a regular fixture at regional events such as Local Country Fest at Indian Ranch – has been killing it in the wake of her recent album, “Where We Holler.”
Other artists who took home awards include favorites such as Oompa, Danielle Miraglia & the Glory Junkies, Adam Ezra and Senseless Optimism, but does that bode well for their chances at the upcoming Boston Music Awards? There’s not always a direct correlation. Different groups of people decide the nominees by different methods. The New England Music Awards have two votes: Fans submit their nominations, and then the top scorers in each category get put on a short list, and then there’s another round of voting from there. The first round of votes in the Boston Music Awards, which is underway now, is a closed ballot, with only 400 or so music professionals, called the Nominating Committee, make nominations, with the public voting from the resultant shortlist. (In the interest of disclosure, I’m a member of the BMA Nominating Committee, and no, I won’t tell you who I voted for.)
Personally, I’m most fond of the BMA method, as it circumvents early ballot box stuffing and the voters are less likely to nominate a band that hasn’t done anything in three or four years. On the other hand, the wild west NEMA method is probably more likely to result in surprise nominations, which can be useful for new voices. Both methods have their pros and cons. The BMA shortlist will be online Nov. 5, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see Brobst on it in a couple of categories, along with most of the other Massachusetts winners.
On the other hand, Brobst only appears in one category on the Worcester Music Awards shortlist: Best Cover Band. No, this isn’t because she’s being snubbed, but because last year’s WMAs were canceled, the same shortlist is being repeated. “2020 was a big year for music,” says organizer Michael Brevde, in an email, “and we had already outlined the nominees prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. We felt it was the best decision to use the list from 2020 for this year’s awards.”
Which? One supposes that’s as good a method as any other. All of these awards and “best of” lists are always, on some level, an exercise in Dada, and I say that as someone who puts one such listout every year. At the end of the day, none of them can be a perfect arbiter of what music’s the best or most important, but taken together, they can make a pretty good snapshot of what’s out there, and which acts music fans are loving. And honestly, music can be a thankless job with little-to-no money involved, so it’s nice to reward a year of hard work with a moment of applause in the spotlight, even if it’s an act you or I might not personally have chosen as “the best” in any given year.
The Boston Music Awards ceremony will be held Dec. 8 at Brighton Music Hall. Brevde says that the Worcester Music Awards ceremony is being planned for the first half of November, with information still to come, saying, “We look forward to bringing back this fanfavorite ceremony and hope people will enjoy this year’s event.” That’s pretty quick, considering the nomination deadline was Oct. 25, but hey: It’s only rock ‘n’ roll, but I still like it.
Annie Brobst took home three trophies at the New England
Music Awards. MATTHEW ALLEN FIKE
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