Bad Assery

For those of you who like your vampire movies to be REALLY FUCKING GOOD, I present to you: Near Dark.

Fright Night and The Lost Boys are in there too, for good measure.

The Wrong House (2010)

I'm a procrastinator. I can own up to it. It doesn't help that my personal life has been kinda crazy in the last few months, on top of taking care of a new baby, but, nevertheless, I probably could have written this review about 2 months ago when I watched The Wrong House for the first time! Hopefully Shawn French and Sue Stevens won't stalk me, kidnap me, and beat me senseless before killing me for it. Actually, they can kidnap me if they want, I wouldn't complain too much about chillin in Maine with cool people :D

So. The Wrong House. To make a long story short, I really liked it. Usually, indie horror flicks don't have much appeal to me - they tend to be goofy, poorly acted, with some of the worst special effects ever. This is not the case with The Wrong House. In fact, I watched it a second time - something I rarely do unless I really love a movie. Enough of my opinions for now, if you haven't heard of it, you probably wanna know just what it's about, right? So here's your synopsis, transcribed from the press release:

An isolated house in the woods looks like an easy mark to a group of friends camping in the Maine wilderness. The thieves haul away several ounces of pot and hallucinogenic mushrooms in the heist. But when the homeowners track them down, the thieves learn too late that there are some people you just shouldn't mess with... and that they picked The Wrong House.

The story was inspired by a rash of area burglaries around the Limerick, Maine home of husband/wife producers Shawn French and Sue Stevens (who play serial killers in the film). They initially started working on the script to vent frustration, but once the story fell into place, they knew they had to shoot this movie.

Makes sense, you know - even though I know pot & shroomheads to be pretty mellow people who wouldn't hurt a fly, if someone came on their private property and stole their stash, they're not gonna call the cops, right? So, the couple (Shawn French & Sue Stevens) take matters into their own hands. Hell, they even try to give the meddling thieves a break, but, if they followed through with all that there wouldn't have been much of a movie, right? What follows is a tense and absorbing storm of kidnapping, hallucinogenic induced torture, realistic looking fight scenes, and gore galore! There's even a freaky clown! WTF?! LOVE IT!

The thieves are all played really well, they seem naturally comfortable with each other on screen. It almost seems as though these actors/actresses are playing themselves - they are very natural and not at all hammy or over the top. Kris, played by Stacy Ann Strang, is especially likeable, she's funny and interesting, and clearly has more going on upstairs than most horror movie victims. Her sort-of boyfriend, Derek, played by Brendan Potter, was very natural, and did a great job in the fight scenes. Ashley, played by Megan Mathieu, while she doesn't want to be involved in the crime, still has no problems stealing something a little more personal than the couple's stash, and while it's not really mentioned directly she definitely pays for it more than the others! Her performance was good, but her character was not quite as likeable as Kris. Donny, played by Daniel Galloway is very convincing as a selfish dickhead whose idea it is to rob The Wrong House - I dunno what he's like in real life, but he plays douchebag really well right up until they make him scream like a little bitch. Happy fun times! Jake, played by Julian Brand, is also realistic and natural, the other nice guy of the group alongside Derek. As for the homeowners, Sue Stevens plays psychotic excellently - she makes torture look like fun. She doesn't go all Sheri Moon Zombie on us though, she remains completely convincing while being cruel and intense. Shawn French is more subdued in his psychoticness, he's very calm and cool while doling out the punishments, like he's had to deal with this before, and he probably has.

So all in all, kids... Revenge flicks are fun and The Wrong House is no exception. You can get your copy online, available through http://www.thewronghousemovie.com and http://www.amazon.com

Fright Rags releasing design for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Tomorrow, Friday October 1st, Fright Rags is releasing a t-shirt for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. More specifically, it's for their friend who is currently battling an aggressive breast cancer. She is only 34 years old,
and her husband lost his job over a year ago and they are struggling to keep their house, pay the bills,
and take care of their two small boys.
This shirt will be available throughout the month of October and ALL PROCEEDS will be donated to this family.

Please spread the word via whatever means you may utilize, we'd love for as many people to know about this as possible to help not only these folks, but also to raise awareness for Breast Cancer.

This shirt will be on sale for $19.95 and it will go live on the site around 10:00am EST on Friday, October 1.
The link to the product page is: http://www.fright-rags.com/we-belong-alive-p-392.html

trailer post in the meantime

I have my hands full with a baby and a delicious ice cream cone, but I do have a blog to write today - it's coming later though. For now, I want to share some video madness with you. Respeck!

Skool is in session!

The big deal around here this week is that I started up a Tumblr blog as a companion to this blog. If you're not on the Fright Skool Facebook fan page, or Tumblr, then you ain't gettin the goodies. I'm posting all kinds of cool shit there that you will not get here - at least not until I find a widget that will do it for me, heh heh!)

Go. Now. Follow. I'll show you boobs.

(I never said they were my boobs though.)

http://frightskool101.tumblr.com/

Also... I may be writing for some other sites besides Damned Society so I guess you could say things are picking up for me. I'm open to opportunities, in case you were wondering - and writin' ain't the only thing I do with these fingers! (I make art and dabble in graphic design, ya pervert! Geeze!)

Woot! The First Ever Billy Loves Stu Meme for Horror Bloggers

Blogger is being a jerk and not allowing me to reformat my text colors. I'm dealing with it, so should you :P

1: In Ten Words or Less, Describe Your Blog:

nutzoid writergrrl horrorfan pimpin scary stuff on tha realz

2: During What Cinematic Era Where you Born?

F: The Halloween Era (Late 70's to Early 80's) 1976 to be specific.

                                         

3: The Carrie Compatibility Question:

  (gay men and straight women - make your choice from section A)

    A: Billy Nolan or Tommy Ross, who would you take to the prom?

  (straight guys and lesbians - make your choice from section B)

    B: Sue Snell or Chris Hargensen, who would you take to the prom?

 Ok, well since I'm bisexual and I already have a guy, I'm gonna have to say Chris Hargensen because I really have a thing for bitchy chicks, only because me and my duct tape REALLY wanna teach them a lesson. Nancy Allen was hot as hell back then, too. Tommy Ross had one bitchin 'fro though.

4: You have been given an ungodly amount of money, and total control of a major motion picture studio - what would your dream Horror project be?

I haven't written it yet, but if my nightmares and vivid imagination are any indicator, it'll be scarier than most of the stuff that passes for horror these days.

5: What horror film "franchise" that others have embraced, left you cold?

Friday the 13th. They're great for a few laughs - Jason isn't scary. Also, how many fucking movies can they make about a machete-wielding psycho who walks while his victims run? It gets so boring! HOWEVER, F13 part 4 is classic because of Crispin Hellion Glover's amazingness.

6:  Is Michael Bay the Antichrist?

No, he just has more money than he knows what to do with, and can't seem to hire a talented writing/directing team to save his life.

7: Dracula, The Wolf Man, The Frankenstein Monster - which one of these classic villains scares you, and why?

Dracula, just because of all the bullshit romantic garbage he's unwittingly created over the decades. Hello? Twilight! EW!

8: Tell me about a scene from a NON HORROR Film that scares the crap out of you:

that boat ride in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory... Me no likey multi-legged insects!

9: Baby Jane Hudson invites you over to her house for lunch.  What do you bring?

A few joints of the kind bud... Alcoholics aren't my bag, baby. I suppose I oughta bring some snacks too, we're gonna need em!

10: So, between you and me, do you have any ulterior motives for blogging?  Come, on you can tell me, it will be our little secret, I won't tell a soul.

I'm trying to be a work at home mom. The thought of leaving my infant son in the care of anyone else scares the piss out of me. I'm a decent writer, and I love horror, so I figure if I stick to it long enough, either I'll get a paid gig or my Ad Sense will start bringing checks to my mailbox...

11: What would you have brought to Rosemary Woodhouse's baby shower?

Cloth Diapers made from the Shroud of Turin!

 

12: Godzilla vs The Cloverfield Monster, who wins?

Gamera!

 

13: If you found out that Rob Zombie was reading your blog, what would you post in hopes that he read it?

Give me your wife, please! Duct tape optional!

14: What is your favorite NON HORROR FILM, and why?

Probably Summer School... I loved it as a kid, Dean Cameron is an underrated comedic genius, I wish there had been a spinoff or sequel JUST about Chainsaw & Dave.

 

15: If blogging technology did not exist, what would you be doing?

Probably being more productive with my art. I should get off this damn box! 

thanks to Pax Romano of Billy Loves Stu for creating this meme, and Kristy Jett for alerting me to this meme...

Repulsive Roundup... Michelle's week in horror and other weirdness

O hai my fellow horror fiends! It's been a long, hot week here in my 3rd floor apartment with minimal AC, so I've been short on brain waves and long on reading and relaxing! Last night while my munchkin and I slept, however, my lovely partner in crime and parenthood rearranged our living area and put our AC in the room we spend the most time in, so I am feeling sharp and ready to write at you! (Hopefully said munchkin will stay sated long enough to allow me use of both hands for a while!) :)
Aside from the heat, it's been a nicely horror filled week here at Fright Skool!  I've got a nice compendium of blogs and handmade goodies to share with you from around the web. Let's get started!

 So as many of you likely know, The Blood Sprayer is having it's Italian Horror Week, if you haven't checked it out yet, you need to go there now! The world's finest horror bloggers are contributing their thoughts about all aspects of the Giallo genre that we horror fiends know and love!



Highlights so far include:
American Horror Posters Italian-ized Parte Uno
Dear Lucio Fulci Thank You For The Easiest Drinking Game...
Sergio Martino Italy's Unsung Exploitation King

Keep an eye on The Blood Sprayer all week, there's much more where this came from already and more to come all week long!



Since there's so much Italian Horror love happening around here at the moment, let's continue to Handmade Horrors keeping in line with this theme shall we? Here's what I could drudge up to showcase for you...

Suspiria pendant necklace by thebookhousegirrrl on Etsy

Lucio Fulci 5 button set by PinMoonStore on Etsy

Nightmare Castle lightbox by morbiddecor on Etsy (love their shop!!!)

That's about it for now... I didn't watch much of anything yet this week, aside from the first hour or so of Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy... I probably should write up a review of that, but all I'm going to do is go on and on about how amazing and awesome it is and chances are if you're reading this, you already know!

Tribute to Horror in Music Part 1: Nomeansno

Nomeansno is one of my all-time favorite bands. I love their dark sense of humor, their killer bass riffs, and their refusal to die - they've been around almost all of my life and I ain't no spring chicken!
The reason I'm here telling you about these guys at the moment, however, is because they know how to turn a punk song into a horror show that you can't get out of your head. I'm not going to get too wordy about it, I'll let the music speak for itself.

And now ladies and gentlemen, I give you Nomeansno...

To begin, since it's Father's Day, here's a chilling tale about an abusive father that won't leave you with happy feelings when you listen...


One of my favorites, this is what happens when a ransom note becomes an epic punk song:


"Have you heard the news? The dead walk!"


I could definitely include quite a few other songs here, but for now, I will just encourage you to listen to more of this most excellent Canadian band's music. You can find out more at:
http://www.nomeanswhatever.com/
http://www.manicpogo.com/

I'm about to watch...

Saw 6. I'm shit at roman numerals, what is it? VI? Yeah? OK, whatever, who cares. Anyway... I missed it in the theater, as I miss most movies in the theater these days. I watched Saw 5 in the theater and that was the last time I saw it (get it? SAW it??? AHHH I crack myself up. Not really.) I'll let you know what I think of it, normally at this point in a horror franchise everything is boring and redundant but I keep hearing good things about this one. Plus, I did something I never do - I followed a reality show. Scream Queens, to be exact. Mostly because I love James Gunn, but also because I couldn't resist a horror related reality show. So of course I'm curious to see how the winner, Tanedra Howard did in the film. I heard she's barely in it, which is too bad. She was pretty damn good for someone with no experience, I was rooting for her. So as soon as I'm done writing here, I'mma hit play and check it out.

EDIT: I watched it. Not bad. I hope it's the end though. That is all.

I also watched Let Sleeping Corpses Lie a few days ago, but honestly it doesn't merit a review from me. I was kind of bored. But hey, that's me. I can't be dazzled every time, I guess.

handmade from the dripping, still beating heart...

Some of y'all may or may not know this about me, but I have got a big ole soft spot for anything handmade by a person - maybe because I'm a creative type myself, and definitely because I believe in giving real people my business as opposed to corporations. Besides, you can't deny the power of something that is one of a kind and skillfully crafted. Just look at Freddy Krueger's glove!

One of my favorite places on the net is Etsy - and lest you think that it's all just lace doilys and pastel patchwork quilts, fear not! Or be afraid, I don't care! I plan to showcase some of the cool horror related finds that I come across right here, so if you want to get some cool swag from cool people, stay tuned!

At the moment, I have a widget in the sidebar over this way ---->
it contains items from all over the site that I have marked as a favorite. Every day I will choose 4 items to display. If you have a horror themed Etsy shop and you'd like to be showcased, post your link in the discussions tab on our Facebook page (this way, even if I don't pick your items for a showcase, you're still getting some promotion!) http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=104601316255463&topic=17

Aftermath/High Tension (updated review from 2005)

  (original review written in 2005, updated and added to because dammit, I can...)

I first saw this 30 minute film several years back on a crappy video dub. It has finally made its way here on DVD, along with two other short films by director Nacho Cerda. Quite possibly one of the most disturbing films about necrophilia, (as if there's such a thing as a film about necrophilia that isn't disturbing...) this film will dig deep under your skin. Not much disturbs me, dear readers, but this one made me feel more than a little dirty watching it. Highly recommended for those of you who are losing faith in the horror genre - this is absolutely not for the squeamish, and it may make you want to reconsider how your body is disposed of after your death!

I'm not going to tell you too much about it, 30 minutes is not a long running time and I know you folks dislike your spoilers. I would like to add, however, that the DVD release of this comes with another of Cerda's short films called Genesis, which is very strange and creepy but not quite as visceral and disturbing as Aftermath.

Next up is a movie that I'm sure most of you have seen already given the extreme hype that surrounded it upon its release - High Tension (aka Haute Tension).

 

I had been hearing rave reviews about this film since it was first released, however, I heard many people speaking of cut versions, and being the purist I am, I decided to wait to see it until I could get a definitive uncut version to watch. Oh, and not to mention free - I work at a video store, and that equals free rental city, baby. I'm done taking $20 chances on films that may or may not rule. In the case of High Tension it would have been worth it. Despite a couple of unrealistic deaths (suspension of disbelief is definitely necessary to fully enjoy this film) I thought it was excellent. From beginning to end, there is, just like the title implies, high tension. This film has tons of suspense, and an equal amount of gore, with a twist ending that I truthfully did not see coming. Considering that this is one of the first horror films to come out of France (at least, according to the writers/directors of this film) it's really quite impressive, and it comes highly recommended... Though I know lots of you probably saw this long before it got it's much overdue release in the US, just go rent it and watch it again - especially if you have not watched the original, uncut director's cut version.

Terror On Tape!

Remember the Mom and Pop video store that you used to go to back in the day? I had a few of them because my family moved to a new town sometime around 1989 when I was 13. This particular video compilation, Terror On Tape, was on the wooden shelves of Hennessy News in Scituate MA. These days, Hennessy doesn't have much of a video section anymore, but when I was growing up, they were the place to go for your horror flicks - the other video rental store up the road got rid of their horror section and beefed up their kids section, but the lady who owned it was great and I would often rent non horror movies from her, just because I enjoyed stopping by and chatting with her now and then. Anyway, I'm getting off track here.
VHS is pretty much long gone at this point, and "Big Box" covers like the one Terror On Tape came in are valuable, desired collector's items for fans of the genre. All the movies showcased in this awesomely trashy compilation were those flicks! So you can imagine how I wish I had rented this one back when I had the chance - it's not an easy one to find, and I don't even have a VCR anymore anyway! I remember there was a picture on the back of a girl sitting in a chair, and I think she might have been dead, but it's been so many years I don't remember too well - but I remember it freaked me out a little! As an adult, I've actively searched out stuff like this that bothered me as a kid, it never bothers me now, in fact I enjoy finally seeing them because it's amusing how much more active my imagination is compared to how cheesy these movies end up being! Well, someone out there was kind enough to rip it and upload it to the internet, and I watched it this afternoon.
Terror On Tape is a hilarious video compilation of some of the goriest scenes from Continental Video's distribution collection from back in the early-mid 80's. Hosted by Cameron Mitchell, who plays a creepy video store clerk. He shows 3 different customers scenes from these schlockfests, often with amusing results!
Lots of outrageous gore and sex scenes are highlighted from various titles: (cut from Imdb.com)
Blood Feast (1963)
Two Thousand Maniacs! (1964)
Color Me Blood Red (1965)
Ghost Story (1974)
L'ossessa (1974)
Frozen Scream (1975)
Suicide Cult (1975)
To the Devil a Daughter (1976)
Ruby (1977)
Cauchemares (1977)
Prey (1978)
Vampire Hookers (1978)
The Kidnapping of the President (1980)
Incubo sulla città contaminata (1980)
Nightmare (1981)
Blood Tide (1982)
The Slayer (1982)
The Deadly Spawn (1983)
Scalps (1983)

Needless to say, good times! Now I just have to run down this list and see how many of these I can find to watch. I've already seen the Herschell Gordon Lewis titles, along with Nightmare and Cathy's Curse (aka Cauchemares - wtf is that?) Those are worth a revisit, anyway.

So... who's up for a movie night?

Nightmare On Elm Street... zzzzzzzz

My sentiments exactly.

I'm not anti remake, generally speaking. See, I love watching horror movies so much that I'm willing to give them all a chance. As a life long fan of the Elm Street series - and especially of the first movie, I was looking forward to the remake, hoping that they would make it even more visceral and nightmarish than was possible back in 1984. What I got was a snoozefest of biblical proportions.

None of the actors - NONE of them, not even Jackie Earle Haley, gave a performance worth looking at. The "kids" were boring and predictable and I didn't care if they lived or died, in fact, I was glad to see them go, when they did go. The death scenes were dull compared to the original! The Kris death scene was so lame I almost wanted to cry. What was burned into my memory as a child and still freaks me out a little to this day was dumbed down and had almost no blood in it. And the way it screeched to an abrupt halt was so anticlimactic! They did it better in Wes Craven's New Nightmare, to be completely honest!

Freddy had a couple of minorly creepy moments, but nothing compared to the original, yet again. I hate to compare this to the original, but since they attempted to borrow from it's script so many times and fell flat with everything they took, it's hard not to. The exception was the body bag scene, but even that was kinda lame, especially Nancy's reaction to it. I'm sorry, but if I ever saw my dead friend, bloody in a bag standing in front of me and screaming with blood pouring from her mouth, I think I'd be a lot more shook up than she was!

Probably the freakiest shot in the whole flick.

At any rate, I did go into this with an open mind, I really hoped I would like it, but it just plain bored the crap out of me. I will probably watch it again when it's released on DVD, more or less to see what they cut out of it, since the deleted stuff actually looks like it could have made the movie a little more frightening. But again, the characters were played so dull that it was hard to give a shit about any of them. Nancy was especially disappointing - she's a far cry from the heroine Nancy of the original series. She doesn't grow a pair until the very end, and even then... Blah.

A Horror Movie Survey for a snowy day

I haven't watched any horror flicks since I last wrote - at least not any worth mentioning, I guess. But I took this survey from a MySpace bulletin a friend posted this morning, so I figured I'd share it with yas.

Best horror film ever made:
Oh jeeze, that's tough. I guess the original Nightmare On Elm Street is my first pick. It's the first film that ever scared the poo poo out of my pants, so yeah.


Best villain: Freddy Krueger... He's cool when he's funny but I do prefer him when he's creepy as fuck.


Favorite horror director: Wes Craven, John Carpenter, and Dario Argento

Favorite horror movie score: Suspiria and Profondo Rosso.... Goblin freakin rules.


Creepiest setting: The setting in Evil Dead Trap was pretty freaky. Something about huge abandoned buildings creeps me out...

Most annoying hero/heroine: The chick in Freddy vs Jason. Seriously, that bitch can not act.


Movie you wish you could burn: I dunno. Even the ones I didn't like that much aren't burn worthy.


Movie you wish you had thought of: It's not a horror movie, but I had the idea to animate over video like Waking Life and A Scanner Darkly about 4 years before Waking Life came out. My plotline was totally different, but the animation technique was exactly the same as what I dreamed up. Too bad I didn't have the resources to do it at the time.
But I like Richard Linklater's movies, so it's okay that he got it out there first :)


Best place to watch horror: I love going to all night horror marathons like Exhumed Films in Philly.
It's a blast to watch old horror flicks with a bunch of folks who are into it!

Best person to watch it with: Joe has been my main horror buddy since 1995, so i have to go with him :)

Movie that really made you scream: none, but I remember when I was 12 I watched "Bad Dreams" with my aunt and my teeth were chattering the whole time because I kept anticipating really disturbing images.


Movie that haunted you for days: Nightmare on Elm Street, definitely... I was 11, my brother was watching it, and I chose the body bag scene to peek in and see what was happening.
Needless to say, it bugged the shit outta me for more than just a few days!

The title of your ideal horror movie: I don't know, I never gave it much thought, and I could be here all day trying to come up with the answers to the questions about my ideal horror movie that I direct. When I come up with a kickass horror movie idea, I will let you fuckers know and recruit y'all to be in it.

Trailer Park of Terror

Honestly, I didn't have high hopes for this one. And, I've been out of the loop with the comic book scene for I don't even know how many years.

I'm actually not even halfway through watching this flick, but lemme tell ya - I can already say it comes highly recommended!



If you love it, buy it - but since you can watch it online anyway, I'm gonna be gracious enough to link ya.
http://watch-movies.net/movies/trailer_park_of_terror/

Russian amateur tribute to Stephen King

From RussiaToday:

A film festival for amateur directors dedicated to bestselling horror writer Stephen King is to be held in Southern Russia. There are no multi-million dollar budgets for the home-made flicks, but there is plenty of ketchup.



Interesting. I wonder what the Master thinks of it.

Welcome to my Nightmare

...or something like that.
It's my first post, so I guess I'll make it somewhat introductory.

I don't like writing reviews most of the time, although I am moved to do so once in a while. I'll likely just be sharing cool horror shit I come across, and my thoughts about it. Some flicks just need to be seen, and I'll let ya know all my top picks so your next movie night is a screaming success.

I've been fascinated with horror films since I was practically a toddler. My older brother was into sci-fi and horror, and so while I wasn't allowed to watch, I heard plenty of it from the other room. My dad had a part time job at a video store back in the early 80's, and while my mom talked to him, I would go check out the VHS tapes on the shelves. This place had them set up library style, with only the titles facing out. I would go to the horror section and let my imagination run absolutely wild as I looked at the names of the movies. I would get myself really psyched up about it and my morbid curiosity often got the best of me as I would slowly pull the most grotesque titles out of their places on the shelf to peek at the artwork on the covers. I would get such an adrenaline rush from looking at this stuff - it scared the crap outta me, but I just HAD to look! The one that intrigued me most, and subsequently gave me the most childhood nightmares, was this one:


Now keep in mind, the imagination of a young aquarius is pretty vivid. Trust and believe, in my young mind, this film would drive me insane with fear if I watched ANY of it. I read horror novels until I was 13, and then I started to actually watch horror movies, cutting my teeth on "A Nightmare On Elm Street 3" and going on to watch everything horror I could find. I didn't watch "Pieces" until I was 19. Now, if you've seen this flick, you can imagine my complete surprise at just how silly my imagination was when I discovered how insanely CHEESY and HILARIOUS "Pieces" really is. I mean sure, it's got tons of gore and the special effects are probably the best thing about this movie. But had I watched it when I was 7 years old and terrified of the Frankenstein girl on the cover, I might have seen things very differently!

At any rate, almost 14 years later, there is nary a horror film I haven't watched, including a lot of foreign stuff. I can't say I have had any nightmares from anything I have watched, not since I was a morbidly fascinated child pulling VHS tapes slowly off the shelves. I like most of the horror films I watch, but even the ones that are the most extreme barely affect my psyche. I don't get that adrenaline rush like I used to. Maybe it's because I can't watch a film without wondering how certain special effects are achieved, who knows? But I have a great appreciation for the genre and while I don't get scared, I still love to watch.

I love that so many horror films are really a reflection of where our society is, how we tick, what scares us. It's endlessly fascinating to see how filmmakers can tap into those primal fears and exploit them for our enjoyment.

Well, now you know me a little better. Now for the fun shit... I want to share with you a three part analysis of John Carpenter's "Halloween", created by Rob Ager. (http://www.youtube.com/user/robag88) Check out his YouTube page for analysis of other great horror films.







And, just for shits n' giggles, here is Siskel & Ebert's take on Halloween - in my opinion one of the most on point reviews of this film yet: