Film Fest: Halloween 2
The October scary movie film watching continues with the Sleepaway Camp trilogy (1983, 1988, and 1989), Cronos (1993), The Babdook (2014), and The Gift (2015). None of these actually reference the night of Halloween on October 31st, but are intended to give some frights, jumps, and creeps. I had seen a couple of the Sleepaway Camp movies when I was younger, all the others were a first time viewing.
Sleepaway Camp
1983, R, 1h 24m
Distributor – United Film
Budget / Worldwide Box Office – $350,000 / $11 million
IMDB – 6.3
Sleepaway Camp 2: Unhappy Campers
1988, R, 1h 20m
IMDB – 5.8
Sleepaway Camp 3: Teenage Wasteland
1989, R, 1h 20m
IMDB – 5.3
Sleepaway Camp is a series of low budget horror movies, the first of which had a more serious tone in 1983 (only 3 years after the original Friday the 13th). After the first, the lead role (Felissa Rose) was recast (Pamela Springsteen) as the following 2 were more humorous films. All three had the premise of young campers and their counsellors dying at an alarming rate at a summer camp, and although the character of Angela Baker is not fleshed out (no one was), the films center on her ongoing deadly visits to summer camps (I wonder what she does in the winter?). While the first focused more on the gruesome murders, the sequels focussed more on exposing female campers, and less on showing off the carnage, (usually cutting away at the time of hitting/stabbing, but not of changing clothes). The first was filmed in New York, the sequels in Georgia, and inspired more sequels, (Return to Sleepaway Camp in 2008, Sleepaway Camp IV: The Survivor in 2012, and another has been rumored). Some moments poked fun at the far more popular slasher franchises of the era, as well as character names in the second include nearly the entire brat-pack, and some of the images (or intended deaths off camera) can linger in your mind for some time afterward. Robert Hiltzik wrote and directed the original, (he also made Return to Sleepaway Camp in 2008) and Felissa Rose continued appearing in low budget horror beginning with Nikos the Impaler (2003). Both sequels were directed by Michael A. Simpson (Funland, 1987 comedy crime about a killer clown mascot), written by Fritz Gordon (only writing credits), and Pamela Springsteen appeared in one more film, then stopped acting (The Gumshoe Kid, 1990 crime comedy).
Cronos
1993, 18A, 1h 34m
Distributor – October Films
Budget / Worldwide Box Office – $2 million / $620,000+
IMDB – 6.7
Cronos is a horror film about a device that seems to allow it’s owner to live forever. Found by an innocent shop keeper (Federico Luppi), and sought after by a dying man who sends his nephew (Ron Perlman) after it, Cronos was put on the map by it’s first time feature writer/director Guillermo del Toro in his native Mexico. Half of the dialogue was in Spanish, was grounded by a loving relationship between a young girl and her grandfather, and had makeup special effects that gave weight to the cost of using the device (using del Toro’s own special effects company, Necropia). With a detailed backstory, intriguing sets, and clever cuts of the camerawork, Cronos is both disturbing and intriguing. Quite the world traveller, Guillermo del Toro then co-wrote and directed Mimic (1997 sci-fi horror starring Mira Sorvino, filmed primarily in Ontario) and The Devil’s Backbone (2001 horror drama about a haunted school, filmed in Spain). Lead Federico Luppi was previously in Killing Granddad (1993 dramedy filmed in Argentina), would later work with del Toro again in Pan’s Labyrinth (2006 fantasy with his signature visual style), and passed away at the age of 83 on October 20, 2017. Ron Perlman was previously in The Adventures of Huck Finn (1993 adventure with Elijah Wood) and would later star in two films of del Toro’s, Hellboy (2004) and Hellboy 2: The Golden Army (2008), among other films of his. The DVD comes with 2 commentaries, 2 interviews, and 2 photo/art galleries.
The Babadook
2014, 14A, 1h 33m
Distributor – Umbrella Entertainment
Budget / Worldwide Box Office (in millions) – $2 / $7.5
IMDB – 6.8
The Babadook is a dramatic horror from Australia about a widowed mother who is challenged by her son’s fears about a monster which may or may not be real. Written and directed by Jennifer Kent, who is now making The Nightingale (a drama about a woman seeking revenge for the murder of her family), The Babadook movie features a unique book that tells the story of the Babadook (which the characters read). The book itself is creepier than some horror films, the mother (Essie Davis) looks so tortured missing her husband while dealing with her boy, and their drama helps build the tension throughout the film. Two thousand replicas of the book in the film were sold and signed by the director, some funding of the film was made possible through Kickstarter, and is based on a short film also made by Jennifer Kent. They used a restricted color palette when filming the movie and avoided filming near windows as most of the film was shot on a soundstage. Some sound effects used were from the video games Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness, Mortal Kombat, and Resident Evil, and other sound effects were used to help increase the creepy vibe of the film. Essie Davis was previously in Burning Man (2011 romance drama with Matthew Goode), The Slap (2011 dramatic mini-series with Jonathan LaPaglia), and was next in Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries (2012-2015 crime series as the lead sleuth, Phryne Fisher), and episodes of Game of Thrones (2016 adventure fantasy as a travelling actress). The Blu-ray comes with behind the scenes on the book, the set, the stunts, special effects, and cast and crew interviews.
The Gift
2015, 14A, 1h 48m
Distributor – STX Entertainment
Budget / Worldwide Box Office (in millions) – $5 / $59
IMDB – 7.1
The Gift is a dramatic thriller about a couple (Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall) who meet someone from the husband’s past whose gifts and presence increasingly upset the couple as more is revealed. The film is paced to reveal secrets throughout, Bateman stretches himself into un-comedic territory, Joel Edgerton is the seemingly pleasant yet creepy instigator of the plot, and Hall plays the lead female role as someone struggling being stuck in the middle of something she does not understand. Filmed in California, The Gift was written and directed by Joel Edgerton who is now making Boy Erased (drama about a church-supported gay conversion program also starring Nicole Kidman and Russell Crowe, Edgerton and Kidman are from Australia and Crowe is from New Zealand). Edgerton was previously in Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014 action adventure opposite Christian Bale) and was next in Black Mass (2015 crime drama starring Johnny Depp). Jason Bateman was previously in Horrible Bosses 2 (2014 comedy with Jason Sudeikis) and was next in The Family Fang (2015 comedy mystery with Nicole Kidman). Rebecca Hall was previously in Tumbledown (2015 rom-com with Jason Sudeikis) and was next in Christine (2016 drama about true life tv reporter Christine Chubbuck who struggled with depression and career frustrations). The Blu-ray comes with an alternate ending, deleted scenes, 2 featurettes, and a commentary.
Links
Sleepaway Camp
Sleepaway Camp 2: Unhappy Campers
Sleepaway Camp 3: Teenage Wasteland
Cronos
The Babadook
The Gift