Halloween 2020: October 30th

Lady in White (1988)

As I've pointed out in the past, horror movies actually set around the holiday of Halloween are not as common as you might think. Perhaps some filmmakers think the combination is too obvious. Perhaps they don't want to invite unflattering comparisons to John Carpenter. As someone who loves both horror and the October season, any time a move combines the two, it gets my attention. An eighties genre film set around Halloween that I've long heard about is 1988's “Lady in White.” After learning that the film was director Frank LaLoggia's follow-up to oddball flick “Fear No Evil,” this one was launched even further up my list. With October nearly over, now seems like the right time to give this one a try.

Successful horror writer Frank Scarlatti returns to his childhood home town. This awakens memories of events that happened two decades prior. After a pair of bullies locked ten year old Frankie in his school overnight, in the weeks before Halloween, he sees a ghostly girl re-enact her own murder. Afterwards, he's attacked by a strange man and nearly dies. The local authorities connect the crime to a string of child murders. A black janitor is arrested, despite a lack of evidence. Frankie continues to see the little ghost girl, who leads him to more clues about her own demise. Soon, he connects the girl's death to another local legend: That of the ghostly Lady in White that roams the cliffsides. 

LaLoggia showed his own off-beat style in “Fear No Evil” but it's pretty clear who he's emulating in “Lady in White.” The story is awash with nostalgia for wholesome small town American life. The simple shops, sixties fashion, and boyish adventures are emphasized throughout the film's opening montage. The shots of boys riding their bikes around make the Spielbergian influence all the more obvious. The closeness Frankie feels with his family, as well as the warm glow of the film's Halloween and Christmas settings, similarly recall “E.T.” LaLoggia makes a passing attempt to acknowledge that his childhood life wasn't so perfect. The subplot about a black man persecuted by an unfair system, that continues to abuse him even after he's cleared of all charges, never really meshes with the rest of the story. Mostly, “Lady in White” idealizes the time and place it is set in.

If “Lady in White” sets out to heavily invoke anther filmmaker's style, LaLoggia at least makes sure the movie looks good while doing it. Russell Carpenter, who would go on to become James Cameron's cinematographer, creates a frequently gorgeous looking film. There's a lot of deep blues in the night time scenes, creating a fittingly spooky atmosphere. That autumnal warmth is pivotal to a few moments. Several scenes, in the forest or cliffside, even layer on some fog. As effective as “Lady in White's” nighttime scenery is, the film approaches its ghosts in the cheesiest way possible. Extremely unconvincing photography effects are used to make the actresses transparent. Moreover, an unsightly sappy streak emerges whenever the ghost girl pleas for help. The finale even features the Lady in White casting lightning bolts from her finger, a moment so overwrought it made me laugh out loud.

So the ghosts are more laughable than scary. Which almost works in “Lady in White's” favor, as the ghosts aren't who little Freddie should be afraid of anyway. “Lady in White” predominantly feels like a family movie. Yet the scenes focused on the child murderer have a deeply sinister power to them. The attack scene in the school is uncomfortable, because the young boy feels like he's really in danger. Later, the reveal of the killer is directly followed by an intense moment where Freddie locks himself in a car, while the man is outside. “Lady in White” never once dances around the dead kids at its story's center. Its child killer is a threatening presence, far scarier than anything else the movie has up its sleeve. The weird tonal clash – warm-and-fuzzy childhood adventure, intense horror movie thrills – is almost an effective metaphor for the death of innocence. Yet “Lady in White's” sappy streak keeps the two sides from blending. (Also, the identity of the killer is immediately obvious to everyone but the characters.)

It's fitting that adult Freddie is a horror author in the framing device. “Lady in White” definitely feels like one of those wannabe Stephen King novels that emerged in the wake of “IT's” literary success. That extends to the novel-like length too. The film runs around two hours in all its versions, with the most recent extended cut – which is different from the previously released director's cut, which is what I watched – actually stretching out to 127 minutes. I don't think adding more to “Lady in White” is the solution to fixing it though. The movie's issues lie in its indecisiveness, in its inability to decide whether it wants to be a nostalgic slice of Americana, a discussion of the woes of the sixties, a fluffy kids-on-bikes adventure, or a harsh thriller about dead kids. I do wish Frank LaLoggia got to make more movies though, as the dude clearly has some quirks of his own. [6/10]

Deathdream (1974)

It's time, once again, to marvel at the weird fucking career Bob Clark had. He's most famous film is “A Christmas Story,” a beloved seasonal classic for whatever reason. His previous hits, the first two “Porky's” movies, were far less wholesome. Late in his career, he directed utterly despised family comedy trash like two “Baby Geniuses” movies and “Karate Dog.” Before any of that shit, he made low-budget horror movies in Canada. “Black Christmas” is, of course, a classic and secretly one of the most influential horror films of the seventies. “Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things” has a cult following but is about as rough as a hippy-zombie-horror/comedy can get. The film that really established that Clark knew what he was doing was “Deathdream,” known in Canada as “Dead of Night.” 

In the jungles of Vietnam, Andy Brooks is shot dead. Back home, his alcoholic father Charles begins to doubt his son will return but his mother, Cathy, harbors delusions he will. Even after being informed their child is dead, Andy does come home. He acts strangely, moody and prone to violent outbursts. When the dead body of a trucker, who picked up a hitchhiking soldier, is found, the authorities begin to suspect Andy. This confirms Charles' worst fear: That his son didn't come home. Instead, Andy has become a blood-sucking ghoul. 

Some critics like the argue that almost every major horror film of the seventies is about Vietnam. Some of these interpretations are a stretch but “Deathdream” is explicitly about the war. Andy's parents are shaken by his personality change after returning home. He spends most of his time up in his room. Kids roughhousing with him triggers a violent episode, that concludes with Andy strangling the family dog to death. In our modern age, we recognize these as clear symptoms of PTSD. His father is himself a veteran but he's only frustrated and angered by his son's condition, a reflection of the older generations stubbornly refusing to accept the evolution of mental health. The only thing that calms Andy, that returns him to “normal,” are injections... Of blood, not heroin, but the parallels are clear. “Deathdream” is about boys coming home from Vietnam transformed and how unwilling the people at home were to accept that change.

Yet “Deathdream” isn't just about PTSD and how the Vietnam War broke a generation of young men. It's more keenly about the destruction of the American family unit. Andy's disappearance has already forced a wedge between Charles and his wife. In the first scene, she's almost delusional in her insistence that Andy will return home. As the boy shows his mental wounds, his father rejects him. His mother, meanwhile, protects him. Dad rages, stopping just short of calling his son a pussy, of accusing his wife of coddling him and not turning him into a “real” man. Even though dad's fear that something wrong with his son turns out to be well-founded, “Deathdream” still reveals the rotten heart of the nuclear family. Dad's masculinity is toxic, Mom is smothering, and it's left the son broken. 

No matter how serious “Deathdream's” objectives may be, Bob Clark never lost sight of making a scary horror movie. From its opening scene – a dark and slow images of Andy dying overseas – an eerie feeling floats over “Deathdream.” The sound design often emphasizes this, as the sound of Andy's creaking rocking chair highlights many scenes. Clark's visual direction is sometimes tacky. There's crash zooms or odd swerves. Yet, during the best moments, Clark's direction creates a sense of frenzied tension. Such as Andy's attack on the family doctor or the climatic car chase. There's also some grisly special effects, as Andy begins to decompose if he goes too long without blood. His bulging eyes and peeling skin, provided by Tom Savini in one of his first credits, are certainly striking.

You can see Clark's future in comedy sometimes in “Deathdream.” The film's supporting cast is filled out with quirky characters. Like a stuttering dinner cook, a bartender who doesn't know what the word “nuptials” mean, and a deputy who can't stop adjusting the blinds. Yet most of the acting is deathly serious. Richard Backus comes off as somewhat flat in a few scenes, perhaps a fitting affectation for a shell-shocked young-man-turned-ghoul. However, Backus can still summon a disquieting quality in several scenes, such as when he confronts the doctor. John Marley and Lynn Carlin are both heartbreaking as the parents, both driven to the edge of emotional stability by their son's condition. You might excuse the performances of being overdone but I think hysterics such as these are probably perfectly understandable in this situation. 

“Deathdream's” final images are ultimately more sad than scary. While a low budget horror movie couldn't possibly grapple with what the Vietnam War inflicted on America's servicemen, Clark successfully touches on the sense of loss families felt. Clark would next make “Black Christmas,” a scarier and more self-assured horror picture than this one. Yet even that classic doesn't have the strange, unnerving power “Deathdream” has. Fusing the still-fresh wounds of the war with the darkly lit story of a bloodsucking ghoul made for a compelling combination. By the way, I much prefer the American title of “Deathdream” to the Canadian “Dead of Night.” “Deadthdream” is far more evocative and even accurate, considering Andy's family might as well have dreamt this death. It's certainly far superior to the original generic title. [8/10]

I Was a Teenage Frankenstein (1957)

“I Was a Teenage Werewolf” is regarded as something of a classic of fifties drive-in monster movies. (I reviewed it five years back.) Moreover, it was a huge money-maker for American International Pictures. The film was a hit largely because it mashed up a classic monster with a more modern setting. The idea of a follow-up, giving another horror icon a similar update, must have occurred to the producers immediately. Less than eight months after “Teenage Werewolf” came out, two follow-ups of sorts were playing drive-in double features. "Blood of Dracula" – which broke with the naming device but was essentially “I Was a Teenage Vampire” – and  “I Was a Teenage Frankenstein” were out by November of 1957. While not as highly regarded as the werewolf original, “I Was a Teenage Frankenstein” seems to have a small cult following of its own.

Professor Frankenstein – who is indeed a descendant of that Frankenstein – has recently traveled to America. He makes important connections with two people. He proposes to Margaret, his secretary. Dr. Karlton, a physicist, becomes Frankenstein's somewhat unwilling assistant in his wild scheme to fuse dead body parts together and create new life. When a bus of teenage athletes crash, Frankenstein gathers the bodies and stitches them together into one cadaver. The monster is physically fit but hideously ugly. Moreover, he's lonely and every attempt he makes to escape Frankenstein's basement results in death. It's not long before the doctor is manipulating the naïve monster to do evil deeds.

You can tell that “I Was a Teenage Frankenstein” was rushed out to capitalize on the previous film's success. This one clearly misunderstands why “Teenage Werewolf” was so successful. That film worked because it focused on the teenagers. There's almost no young people in this movie at all, except for the monster and a few of his victims. The focus is entirely on Professor Frankenstein and associates. The lack of teenagers in the story also means the film lacks the original's teenage energy. “I Was a Teenage Frankenstein” is flatly told, most of the scenes taking place in a few gray, boxy rooms. The script is talky, focused on conversations between the professors and his partners. There's little of the teenage angst that distinguished “Teenage Werewolf.” It's a much more standard monster movie and a rather boring one at that. 

What does make “I Was  Teenage Frankenstein” distinct is its grim tone. This Frankenstein Monster isn't very sympathetic. He's sad because the professor won't let him out of the basement. Yet the first thing he does, upon escape, is strangled a comely coed to death. Later, he's more than happy to murder a high school jock if it means he'll get a normal face. He's an unrepentant killer, selfish and shallow in his motivations. Professor Frankenstein, meanwhile, is similarly ruthless. He feeds his enemies to alligators. When his fiancée gets too close to the truth, he has no problem killing her too. There's almost no one to root for in this movie. All its main characters are calculating psychopath.

As a horror movie, “I Was a Teenage Frankenstein” is largely campy. The Frankenstein Monster has a memorably absurd appearance. His body looks pretty normal, chiseled and muscular. It's his goofy exaggerated face, with its bulging eyeball and crooked chin, that is horrific. It also looks like a fancy Halloween mask, more comical than scary. The attack scenes are rushed and forgettable. The killing of the girl in the nightgown is so awkwardly filmed, I didn't even realized she was dead. The alligators munching on the dead bodies is an especially morbid touch and it's not too surprising that Professor Frankenstein ends up fed to them himself. About the only novel idea “Teenage Frankenstein” has occurs at the very end. When the monster is tossed into the electric equipment, the film goes from black-and-white to color. That's a cool visual punctuation point and admittedly caught me off-guard. 

Unlike “I Was a Teenage Werewolf,” which is generally regarded as a decent movie, this one is only remembered for a few things. First off, that title is certainly as unforgettable as the other “Teenage” monster movie. Secondly, the Frankenstein make-up is so gruesomely goofy that you see merchandise of from time-to-time. Lastly, there's one really funny line of dialogue. “I know you have a civil tongue in your head because I sewed it back myself.” Monster kids and psychobillies will latch onto just about any campy drive-in creature feature, so I'm not too surprised this one has some fans, even with its lackluster quality. I, however, found little to love here. I wonder if “Blood of Dracula” is better? [5/10]

Creepshow Animated Special (2020)

Throughout the Halloween season, horror streaming service Shudder has been premiering a number of new films and special event programming. Among the surprise announcement has been an animated special of their “Creepshow” series, as a special Halloween treat. “Creepshow Animated Special” is composed of two stories. “Survivor Type,” adapted from one of Stephen King's most notorious stories, concerns a scumbag doctor/drug dealer who washes up on an isolated island. With a broken ankle and nothing to keep him company besides seagulls and two pounds of heroin, he's soon forced to take gruesome measures to survive. “Twittering from the Circus of the Dead,” based on a Joe Hill story, is about a teenage girl tweeting during a long family car ride. Eventually, they stop off at a roadside attraction: A circus in which zombies are the star attraction. She soon discovers the horrors are far from staged.

“Creepshow Animated Special” was made essentially to fill the gap between seasons one and two of the show, due to COVID pausing production. One assumed the animation format was chosen as a homage to classic Halloween specials but this “Creepshow” episode is not “animated” like a traditional cartoon. It's more like a motion comic, with voice over narration and limited movement as the camera floats over quasi-stationary artwork. This is fitting, considering “Creepshow's” comic book roots. All things considered, it's done fairly well. “Survival Type's” gore is still cringe-inducing enough even in ink and pencil. The foot being chopped still made me cringe. The zombie carnage in “Circus of the Dead” is also pretty damn graphic. You assume that these two stories were chosen because they'd be too gruesome, or too expensive, to do in live action. 

“Survivor Type” is a classic King story, one of his most sickening tales. This is a good representation of the text. Kiefer Sutherland voices our protagonist, an unscrupulous doctor willing to do anything to insure his future, and does a good job of balancing the character's positive and (mostly) negative qualities. The story already fits the E.C. Comics structure but this punishment is so macabre, so grisly that you honestly feel sorry for the guy anyway. The increasingly drug-addled mindset of the protagonist is convincingly conveyed here. King's sick joke conclusion is maintained, to great effect. I do wish the isolation of the island location was emphasized a little more.

I haven't read the Joe Hill story that inspired the second half, though this does seem in-line with the work of his I have read. Up-and-coming scream queen Joey King voices our snotty teenage narrator. Hill's voice work is strong and the script does a good job of making her seem like a smart-ass teenager without making her obnoxious. The animation format does create a chance to bring her mental hypothetical situations to life. Once the family arrives at the zombie circus, the segment doubles-down on gory horror at the cost of believably. I imagine the family would have left the big top long before the situation became as grave as it did. If Hill stretches this scenario pass its logical end point, the final segment – where the bloody tweets are re-purposed as advertising – is a smart variation on the typical “gotcha” ending. While obviously something of a compromise, “Creepshow Animated Special” is still an entertaining double-header from the still evolving television series. [7/10]