Halloween 2019: October 25th

Dead & Buried (1981)

Here are two underappreciated names in the horror genre for you: Dan O'Bannon and Gary Sherman. O'Bannon, of course, wrote “Alien” and directed “Return of the Living Dead,” in addition to having a hand in a number of notable genre credits. Gary Sherman, meanwhile, was involved with cult classics like “Raw Meat,” “Vice Squad,” and “Lisa.” Despite contributing to classics of varying degrees, neither Sherman nor O'Bannon are the household names among horror fans they should be. Naturally, the two would collaborate early in the names with “Dead & Buried,” another underrated horror gem.

Welcome to Potter's Bluff, a seaside Rhode Island town. The peacefulness of the isolated community is disturbed when a motorist is found brutally burned. Sheriff Dan Gillis is unnerved by the crime, suspecting the body has been moved. The town's residents, including mortician William Dobbs, assure him that nothing unusual has happened. Yet the burned man is struck dead in his hospital bed. And then more dead bodies, seemingly victims of mob violence, begin to pile up. Gillis begins to suspect black magic is involved but the truth is far more terrifying than he could ever imagine.

On one level, there's not much to “Dead & Buried.” This is a straight example of a “town with a dark secret” narrative, with one of the residents being the person who uncovers the mystery. Yet Sherman adds a surprisingly spooky atmosphere of dread to the proceedings. The foggy New England setting goes a long way. Potter's Bluff is always wet and dreary, the roar of the ocean never far from your ears. The town is seemingly composed primarily of abandoned buildings. Within this setting, Sherman engineers a number of effective moments. A mutilated body, that sure seems dead, springs to life with a horrified scream. Our protagonist comes across a black-and-white film reel, which is presented in the starkest, creepiest way possible. “Dead & Buried” is even oddly poetic at times, such as when we see a dead body stripped down to the bone and then built back up again, in a series of slow, cross-fades.

Yet horror fans will probably be most drawn to “Dead & Buried” for its especially intense attack sequences. Somehow, the film repeatedly catches the viewer off-guard. The opening scene let's your guard down, a photography session growing increasingly erotic, before exploding into intense violence. The hospital stabbing is similarly sustained, the tension drawn out before delivering the squirm-inducing image of a hypodermic to the eye. A drunkard being sliced apart with a harpoon is frenzied in its delivery. The film's mood and suspense combine as a family is stalked through an empty house, before the violent mob explodes through a window. It's impressive how “Dead & Buried” manages to deliver its scares with maximum impact each time.

The first time I saw “Dead & Buried,” I knew almost nothing about it. This is the best way to approach the film. The film operates as a mystery, no immediate cause for the violent attacks being evident. While the audience knows the townsfolk have grown deadly, Sheriff Gillis can only guess. The story unravels in an interesting way, slowly leaving hints at something larger. Such as a suggestion of black magic. Or a single shot of some odd scratches on someone's arm. By the time the funeral director is rising from his own cold locker, we've realized that “Dead & Buried” is a zombie film of a very unusual sort. Yet even that doesn't prepare us for the twist ending, visually conveyed to be as shocking as possible.

Finally, what holds “Dead & Buried” together is an especially strong cast. James Farentio is likable as Sheriff Gillis, a man genuinely motivated by a desire to help other people and increasingly baffled by the violence he sees. Farentino panics extremely well and that comes in handy during the film's last act. Jack Albertson, Grandpa Joe himself, makes the town's sinister undertaker an especially memorable character. His monologue about how his work is an art form, or quirks like his obsession with jazz music, are especially endearing. Though his part is small, Robert Englund is immediately recognizable as a typical Potter's Bluff resident.

Dan O'Bannon's involvement in “Dead & Buried” was heavily trumpeted, as the film was advertised as coming from “the creators of 'Alien.'” (O'Bannon would disown the finished film, claiming his script was not used and he only got attached to the film for promotional reasons.) This did little to draw in audiences, as “Dead & Buried” disappeared from theaters quickly. Yet it was increasingly rediscovered on video and cable, where horror fans found it to be a suitably grisly and original feature. A zombie movie unlike any other, “Dead & Buried” is fantastically scary and beautifully assembled, a true eighties classic that everyone should check out. [9/10]

Critters Attack! (2019)

Someone seems determined to resurrect the “Critters” franchise. Part four came out in 1992 and, for two whole decades, there was nary a peep. By the early nineties, the public's hunger for low budget “Gremlins” rip-offs must've surely run dry anyway. And yet, for some reason, we've gotten two new “Critters” bits of media this year. Hot on the heels of the long delayed web-series “A New Binge,” came a brand new movie. “Critters Attack!” was produced by the same production company as “A New Binge,” making me suspect a licensing deal was about to expire or something. However, the film is unrelated to the web-show and, in fact, only loosely connects with the original four “Critters” series.

Two unidentified flying objects crash-land over the rural countryside. Those ravenous Crites have returned to Earth. The first capsule contains a white, female, seemingly benevolent Crite. The second capsule contains a whole mess of hungry, mischievous, black-furred males. Meanwhile, frustrated twenty-something Drea – who longs to get into college but has difficult being accepted – takes a job babysitting the kids of the school administrator. While hiking through the woods, they come across the female Crite. This attacks the evil critters, who are already devouring all in their way, to them. Meanwhile, a familiar face also detects the Crites' presence on Earth and begins to track them.

Considering they ended up appealing most to horror fans, it might be hard to remember that the “Critters” movies were basically intended for kids. Despite featuring some bloody gnawings and even some occasional nudity, each of the original four “Critters” movies were rated PG. “Critters Attack!,” meanwhile, is rated R. There's a certain novelty to seeing the first R-rated Crites adventure. The nasty little monster truly chew their victims to pieces. One guy has his leg gnawed down to the bone. A showering park ranger splatters blood on the curtain. Lots of red stuff is smeared around as they chomp through the town. The monsters get their share too, lots of green blood being splattered as Crites as sliced in half, stabbed with pitchforks, or split down the middle.

The “Critters” series never had an especially deep mythology. The premise is basically the same in each movie, simply the setting being changed. “Critters Attacks!” does attempt to mix things up slightly. The addition of an adorable, good Crite – the white female being nicknamed Bianca – pays off nicely when she starts fighting back against the other Crites. Having Dee Wallace return, this time as one of the series' bounty hunters, is a nice touch. (Though supposedly some weird copyright situation prevented her from officially playing the same character she did in the original.) However, these additions to “Critters'” lore mostly just make the series more of a “Gremlins” rip-off than ever before. Bianca essentially fits the same role as Gizmo, even making similar cooing noises. The Crites fiddle with technology more than ever and gain a devastating weakness, in the form of high-pitched sound.

While “Critters Attack!” has some potentially interesting idea, it's ultimately undone by sheer dourness. Truly, is the “Critters” franchise not the story of a young girl struggling to get into a nice college? Simply put, too many scenes are devoted to Drea angsting about her inability to get into a fancy university. While decent Critters action is doled out throughout, it's sandwiched between loooong scenes of the characters talking among themselves about her schooling situation. Subplots that seem important, such as Drea's uncle or a bag-pipe playing boy with a crush, are discarded bluntly. This causes “Critters Attack!” to feel overly serious and sluggish, even when there are decent gags like the Crites pocketing some sushi or coughing up bubbles.

Supposedly, “Critters Attack!” is a result of Syfy Channel purchasing the rights to the series and will apparently proceed more new sequels. What makes a “Gremlin” rip-off being revived in 2019 so weird, is that “Critters” and “Gremlins” are both now owned by Warner Brothers. Why focus on the knock-off when you could be using the original “Critters Attack!” is less crude, in both content and production values, than “A New Binge.” Yet the web series was ultimately far more entertaining. It did wacky, new things with this series and created some character you could actually be invested in. As opposed to this sequel, which largely goes through the motions with a non-committal cast and a group of generic heroes. [5/10]

Are You Afraid of the Dark?: Tale of the Dead Man's Float

For horror fans of a certain age, “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” was a pivotal show. Broadcast on Nickelodeon, which was best known for wacky cartoons and children's game shows at the time, the series is renown for its menacing monsters-of-the-week and creepy opening. Despite being a young horror fan, I was never a regular watcher of “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” No specific reason, I just missed the boat on this one. I will say that opening – a series of seemingly benevolent childhood attractions but seen late at night, through a dark filter, while a heart beats on the soundtrack – is amazingly spooky

Does the selected episode, “Tale of the Dead Man's Float,” stand up to that opening? Both yes and no. The story begins in 1954, where a little boy drowns in the school pool after being dragged down by an invisible force. The pool is closed, the area boarded up, and the incident is forgotten about... Except by the life guard that day, a kid named Charlie, who still feels guilty all these years later. In the modern age, science nerd Zeke befriends swimming champ Clorice, the two harboring crushes on each other. They uncover the secret pool and unknowingly awaken the entity living inside. Using science, Zeke makes the monster invisible but that can't kill it.

In many ways, “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” is exactly the kiddie bullshit I was expecting. The framing device, devoted to the Midnight Society telling the tale around camp fire, is full of wacky child-friendly slapstick. The early scenes of the actual episode feature goofy music and lots of adolescent drama. Moments devoted to Zeke being gently mocked or Clorice considering her crush on the boy are disposable. However, “Tale of the Dead Man's Float” does feature an amazingly gross monster. The creature looks like a bloody, rotting corpse – and is said to smell like one too – and it's surprisingly graphic for a kid's program. The scenes around the abandoned pool are surprisingly dark in their direction too. Science being used to defeat the creature was probably and attempt to teach kids about chemistry but it's incorporated into the story fairly organically. I don't know if I'm going to seek out the rest of this show just yet but this episode was alright. [6/10]

Curve (2016)

“Curve,” a 2016 short film from director Tim Egan, has a minimalistic but undeniably catchy premise. A woman awakens against a smooth, stone wall above a black, deep pit. The wall is steeply curved, making her situation precarious indeed. That's it. Egan refreshingly resists the need to expand the idea any further than that. No explanation for who the woman is, how she got in this scenario, or what exactly the purpose of this fatal experiment is. There's only chilling suggestions at something more: Strange sounds from within the pit, bloody hand prints on the opposing wall, suggesting other people have been through this experience.

Instead, the focus is on the suspense of what the woman does. Egan's camera watches patiently as she attempts to re-situate herself without slipping any further down the wall. The short's sound design is excellent, as we hear every squeak and creak she makes against the curve. Even though we know nothing about this woman, the intimate direction makes this a highly tense experience anyway. The ending might seem moot – either she falls into the pit or she doesn't, right? – but Egan still throws in a fantastically cruel twist. Some have even read into the nine minute short, seeing either a story about depression or the indomitable will to survive inside the human spirit. It's hard to see too much in such a brief film, with so little on its bones narratively, but just as an exercise in form and tension, “Curve” is very successful. [7/10]