Halloween 2019: October 30th

Trick (2019)

Depending on who you ask, the director/writer team of Patrick Lussier and Todd Farmer are either geniuses or total hacks. In-between the two of them, they have created flashy, trashy horror flicks like “Jason X,” “Dracula 2000,” “My Bloody Valentine 3D,” and “Drive Angry.” At one point, they were so successful that they had been chosen to reboot iconic franchises like “Halloween” and “Hellraiser.” It seems like the duo has had more trouble getting their projects off the ground recently. The two has largely worked in television since 2011. However, the infamous twosome return this year with “Trick,” an original slasher flick set around the Halloween holiday. What the hell, I'll give it a shot.

In 2015, high school student Patrick Weaver – known to all his friends as "Trick" – goes on an inexplicable rampage on Halloween night. He slashes several of his friends to death while wearing a pumpkin mask. Injured, he ends up at a local hospital where he escapes, getting shot and tossed out a window by Detective Mike Denver. Trick disappears after that... Until Halloween of next year, where he kills more people at another party. For the next two years, Trick reappears on October 31st to claim more victims. Denver becomes obsessed with tracking down the killer, believing Patrick Weaver is still responsible. Meanwhile, Trick becomes a cult figure on the internet. As Halloween approaches, Denver and his former partner prepare for the killer's inevitable return.

At the very least, “Trick” is trying to put a clever spin on the slasher genre. The film is attempting to show how a Michael Myers-like figure would emerge in the modern age. Trick's violence is unprompted, without explanation, a seemingly normal teen turning vicious killer. Like Myers or Jason, he reappears every year on the same day. He can seemingly shrug off any wound, always slipping away from the cops at the last minute. Rather accurately, the film posits that such a killer would immediately become a figure of fascination among internet denizens, even attracting obsessive fan-girls. The film eventually reveals why Trick is capable of these amazing feats, the filmmakers clearly finding this twist far more clever than the audience does. (Let's just say I've seen it done before and in a film one of the co-stars here appeared in.) Still, coming at the slasher premise from this angle – attempting to squeeze an entire series into one film, basically – is almost a fresh take on the genre.

That last act reveal – which goes on for way too long, the film smothering any remaining plot points – is not the only time “Trick” thinks itself more impressive than it actually is. The killer has another gimmick. He always spins his knife, spin-the-bottle style, when selecting his victim. The murderer swoops, leaps, spins, and flicks his blade around like a henchman in a “John Wick” movie. Trick also builds elaborate, Jigsaw-style death traps that people are repeatedly caught off-guard by. He's also a genius plotter, seemingly always one step ahead of his cop adversary. The point is clear: We are suppose to think Trick is cool and bad-ass. It's a good example of a movie trying too hard to impress the audience, without realizing that kind of style eventually becomes silly-looking.

Despite hyping up its killer like he's a big deal, the gore in “Trick” is actually pretty underwhelming. There's lots of stabbing, slashing, a disemboweling or two. None of its that memorable. The decapitations we do get are hampered by obviously fake-looking blood. That's not the only janky special effect, as CGI muzzle flashes afflict the guns in the film several times. Eventually, “Trick's” plot degrades into one endless chase scene after another. The scenery changes – a dock, a haunted attraction, a midnight double feature, a hospital – but “Trick” never gets any closer to building some actual tension.

Omar Epps gives an okay performance as Denver, staying grounded no matter how obsessed he becomes with wanting to capture the killer. Yet the only truly memorable performance is from Tom Atkins, returning from “My Bloody Valentine 3D,” as the folksy and lovably smart-ass owner of a local diner. But that's just Tom Atkins being cool. Lussier's direction is frequently overdone, with images flashing on-screen, handheld shots, and over-editing. “Trick” has a decent premise and some bitchin' Hallowen atmosphere – a hallway full of jack o'lantern is a nice touch – but the film is ultimately almost a textbook definition of “trying too hard.” [5/10]

Gog (1954)

One of the first movies I watched during 2019's Halloween Horror-fest Blog-a-thon was a killer robot flick. So it only seems fair to me that one of the last movies I watch this year also be a killer robot film. In the 1950s, Hungarian playwright and filmmaker Ivan Tors – who later became famous for producing animal adventure shows like “Flipper” and “Gentle Ben” – would produce a trilogy of science fiction films. The connecting fiber between these films was the Office of Scientific Investigation, a fictional organization meant to decipher sci-fi mysteries. The third, and most famous of these films, is 1954's “Gog.” Unlike the other two, “The Magnetic Monster” and “Riders to the Stars,” “Gog” was filmed in color and presented in 3D. It also features a pretty cool killer robot, perhaps its greatest claim to fame.

Deep within the New Mexico desert, there is a top secret, high-tech, underground facility designated with designing space stations. The nuclear-powered lab is operated by a super-computer called NOVAC. But something is going wrong down there. Two scientists and a monkey are killed when a freezing chamber malfunctions. Prototypes all over the property are beginning to act up fatally, without warning. Dr. David Sheppard and Joanna Merritt, agents with the OSI, are sent in to investigate. They begin to suspect that a mysterious robot jet flying over the base might be a cause of the deadly malfunctions. Soon, they are fighting for their lives against the berserk machines, specifically two robots named Gog and Magog.

“Gog” doesn't get as much tension out of its underground setting as you'd hope. This being an upbeat 1950s sci-fi flick, the facility is not claustrophobic. Rather, it's brightly colored and roomy. However, that isn't to say “Gog” doesn't have its tense moments. The rather slow first act is largely devoted to introduced all the gizmos that are then turned into dangerous weapons. It's necessary though, or else these sequences probably wouldn't be as suspenseful as they are. A fight with a solar-powered death ray inside a very small room is probably the film's highlights. A sequence involving a series of out-of-control tuning forks is certainly a novel threat. “Gog” stacks up a surprisingly high body count, as it thinks up more high-tech ways to kill its various supporting characters.

While some of the technology-run-amok moments in “Gog” are genuinely suspenseful, many come off as silly. A gyroscope spinning two astronauts to their deaths looks like a piece of playground equipment gone horribly wrong. This double-edge sword is no more apparent than with the titular robot. From a design prospective, Gog and Magog are kind of cool. They don't seem practical by any means but their spherical heads, multiple antennas, six flailing arms, and tank-like bodies make for a memorable sight. The only problem is the damn things don't move around very well. The murderous machines are incredibly awkward whenever they have to move. This makes their eventually defeat by the human heroes, bludgeoned or burned into submission, seem inevitable. In order to utilize the 3-D effect, the film repeatedly thrust the robot's limbs towards the camera, which doesn't make them look any less goofy.

Yet this is the campy but still oddly grim world “Gog” inhabits. The movie reflects the time it was made in some very strange ways. The story is built around the concept of sending man into space, if it's even possible, which was still something scientist where trying to figure out at the time. This leads to a ludicrous sequence of potential astronauts doing ballet in a zero-g environment, while wearing outfits that look like glittery bathing suits. This gee-whiz space age optimism is paired with a Cold War tension. The saboteurs that cause the facility's machines to go nuts are never identified. They are only referred to as “America's enemies.” The film reflects an era when people were still a little too nervous to even mention the Soviet Union – and, thus, imply the Cold War and the concept of nuclear destruction – in their ultimately light-hearted sci-fi monster movies.

That mixture of camp and political concerns is also reflected in some of the movie's minor plot points. The fear of exposure to radiation runs throughout the entire movie... Until its heroine collapses from exactly that at the end. In the next scene, she's making out with the hero, assured that “it's nothing serious. Just a little too much radiation.” I'm sure that's the attitude she'll have when she develops cancer in a few years. This oddball contrast – and those lovably dorky killer robots – is what makes “Gog” way more interesting than it probably would've been otherwise. Should I give the other films in the OSI trilogy a look? I've never heard a word about them, good or bad. [6/10]

The Real Ghostbusters: Halloween II ½

The first season of “The Real Ghostbusters” introduced a couple of iconic villains that would reoccur throughout the show's run. Such as the Boogeyman. Or, most pressing to tonight's topic, Samhain. Yes, the pumpkin-headed ghost of Halloween from “When Halloween Was Forever” would return in season three episode “Halloween II ½.” This time, the spirit of Halloween is freed when two imp henchmen of his break into the Firehouse and sabotage the Containment Unit. Freed again, Samhain turns the Ghostbusters' headquarters into his own base, capturing the Junior Ghostbusters in the process. It's up to Ray, Winston, Venkman, Egon, Slimer, and Janine to save the day once again.

Obviously, a pumpkin-headed pagan god associated with October 31st was too cool a villain not to brain back. Sadly, Samhein’s second appearance is not up to snuff. This is another season three episode focused on the Junior Ghostbusters. These characters were introduced early in the show's run, as an obvious attempt to appeal to the younger viewers. And they are super annoying. They take up so much time, they practically steal the spotlight from the main heroes.

The third season would also re-design Janine, giving her a less stylized look and a less grating voice. This softening really begins to show its strain. (Kath Soucie uses nearly the exact same voice she’d use later on “Rugrats.”) Slimer, too often an obnoxious comic relief character on this show, is also given an extended role. All this makes sure “Halloween II ½” is packed full of annoying elements. Samhain isn’t as threatening as last time either, mostly taking over the firehouse and sending lesser ghosts out to do his bidding. His defeat is almost comical. It’s a fairly weak episode but does have some decent Halloween atmosphere, such as they opening scene devoted to the trick-or-treaters. [5/10]

Spooky Club (2016)

Here's your required bit of punk rock-influenced, Halloween-themed, absurdist comedy. The titular organization of the Stas' brothers' 2016 short are made up of four Halloween-obsessed weirdos. Each have a totally useless but spooky superpower. For example: Franklin can stop his heart for a second, Marge can temporarily go stop-motion, and Whitby vomits at least once a day. On Halloween day, the Spooky Club decides to steal back the missing skull of Vincent Price and cremate it, just like the rest of him was. This quest will both be easier and more difficult than anyone the group imagines.

“Spooky Club” packs its brief four minute run time with as many gags as possible. Which is your favorite? The hilarious on-screen realization of someone going stop-motion for few seconds? How about the relative ease with which Vincent Price's skull is received? (The actual break-in occurs totally off-screen.) Maybe the best gag is the not-so-intimidating guard dog that the Spooky Club treats like a major threat. The Stas brother's visual sense is energetic, the movie driven by a rowdy rock soundtrack. The aggressively wacky tone occasionally pauses for moments of quiet comedy or even oddball pathos. Such as the final sequence or the unexpected death of one of the members. The cast is committed, especially Simon J. Curd as the very enthusiastic Franklin. The makers of “Spooky Club” haven't tried their hands at features yet but I hope they do someday. [7/10]