It’s Halloween which means it’s time for myannual reminderto give 1982’sHalloween III: Season of the Witchanother shot if you haven’t lately. Best remembered as the onlyHalloweenmovie that doesn’t feature Michael Myers, writer/directorTommy Lee Wallace’s film is often overlooked or simply written off for this reason. This is a wrong that I’m trying to right becauseSeason of the Witchis a well-made horror/sci-fi film that I believe enjoys an entirely different fate if it’s released under any other name than the popularHalloweenfranchise.
StarringTom Atkinsas a medical doctor who uncovers a plot to mass murder children on Halloween night as part of the Gaelic festival Samhain, Wallace’s movie is creepy, weird, gory, fun, slightly ridiculous, and extremely watchable all at once. It even has a touch of social critique embedded by positioning the powerful company Silver Shamrock Novelties as the ultimate evil and society at large as witless consumers who blissfully march to their deaths in exchange for Silver Shamrock’s coveted Halloween masks. I’m not saying it’s the best horror film ever made, or even the best film in the franchise (John Carpenter’s original is untouchable in that respect). Just that it’s much better than most give it credit for. Give it a watch/rewatch and let me know if you agree.
Before you run off to your Halloween plans, stick with me a few more minutes for this week’sTop 5:
Covering All Hallows' Eve
Let’s face the facts: Halloween is the best holiday of the year. It features all the festive vibes of the others minus the awkward family time. When’s the last time you were cornered into discussing politics with your Confederate flag-waiving third cousin during Halloween? I rest my case.
To help celebrate the greatness that is All Hallows' Eve, this past week we rolled out four different features relevant to the holiday. Watch our video for the “weirdest horror movie kills” above, check outAdam’s rankingof eachHalloweenfilm, peruse what we think are the20 best horror soundtracks, andconsult our listof the best movies to watch on Halloween not named “Halloween”.
With the movie just over nine months away from release, Warner Bros. hit the promo trail hard for David Ayer’sSuicide Squadthis week.Click hereto browse all of our recent coverage or check out some of my personal favorites such as Jared Letodiscussing his approachto playing The Joker, Will Smith onDeadshot’s love trianglewith Harley and Joker, andthis batchof new high quality images from the film.
‘Our Brand Is Crisis’ Coverage
Can we all just agree that politics are the worst? All right, really Katherine Heigl movies are the worst. But politics are a close second. I hate being cynical, but the constant self-promotion, posturing, and truth-bending inherent in the political process is a huge turn-off for me. These loathsome things can, however, make for good comedic drama.
Enter David Gordon Green’sOur Brand Is Crisis. Featuring a stellar cast and apparently a keen eye on the salesmanship of politics, this is one that I need to check out soon. For more on the film, check outMatt’s review, Steve’s video interview withAnthony Mackie, watch the cast play"Save or Kill", and watch the casttalk about memorable momentsfrom shooting the film.
‘Supergirl’ Takes Flight
CBS’Supergirlseries premiered this past Monday night to ahuge audience(beating out both NBC’sThe Voiceand ABC’sDancing with the Stars) and rave reviews. You canclick hereto browse all of ourSupergirlcoverage of late or save yourself a bit of time and check out these highlights:Dave’s reviewof the pilot from Comic-Con, ourvideo recap show, and Christina’sconference call interviewwith star Melissa Benoist and executive producer Andrew Kreisberg.
Hollywood’s Diversity Problem Confirmed
Speaking of female representation and empowerment, we shouldn’t be shocked to learn that, on the whole, Hollywood does a poor job of supporting either of those things. Surprised or not, it’s unsettling when the actual numbers are put in front of you. Check outthis studyfrom the Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film and ask yourself whether or not it’s simply a lack of interest in the profession that leads to 85% of the top 700 films released in 2014 being directed by males.
