“Oh, and…”

Trick Or Treat…

Eco-Shocktober Saturday Night ’72

Eco-Horror Spooktacular…and LIVE!

I know things have not been as fast-paced around the blog here as SHOCKTOBER! dictates, but I’ve been engaged with preparing my ECO-HORROR SPOOKTACULAR on Saturday, October 29th at the Other Cinema in beautiful San Francisco. I can’t imagine a cooler Halloween event than watching a parade of vengeful critters and creatures run amok through the pop environmental landscape of the 1970′s – but then, I’m strange that way. I know our own Frank Booth will be there — how about you? Save The Earth!

Favorite Scene Theatre: Beetlejuice (1988)

Next to the brilliant ED WOOD (1994), my favorite Tim Burton film remains BEETLJUICE, a manic rollercoaster ride about a cute ghostly couple trying to rid their home of the living by invoking the gross spirit of the titular character, played with reckless abandon by Michael Keaton. This movie is all kinds of wonderful, from Danny Elfman’s fantastic circus-score to a plethora of terrific actors including Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Catherine O’Hara, Winona Ryder, and Jeffrey Jones. But as in NIGHT SHIFT, this is Keaton’s spookshow all the way, turning in what I think is one of the greatest comedic personas of the decade and beyond. He is so fully subsumed in the role that he simply becomes Beetlejuice. Here’s a great moment from his toy graveyard debut and both Davis and Baldwin provide expert support. I particularly like the way the scene veers from Burton’s quick edit effects to a handheld verite style, all capturing the many bizarro facets of Michael Keaton’s best film performance. It’s Showtime!

Night Of The Living Dead

If America isn’t scared yet by this pack of hateful, ignorant GOP zombies…My scorecard:

Cain: I was for TARP until I saw it was not popular.

Bachmann: Bomb Iran and bake cakes.

Perry: I’ll kick yer teeth in.

Romney: PRIVATE SECTOR.

Santorum: Taxpayers who hate the government should give them a blank check for defense.

Paul: Reagan traded arms with terrorists.

Newt: Damn media!

America: Eek.

Film RIP

“An article at the moviemaking technology website Creative Cow reports that the three major manufacturers of motion picture film cameras — Aaton, ARRI and Panavision — have all ceased production of new cameras within the last year, and will only make digital movie cameras from now on. As the article’s author, Debra Kaufman, poignantly puts it, “Someone, somewhere in the world is now holding the last film camera ever to roll off the line.” – Matt Zoller Seitz

But like zombies, the format will never die.

Saturday Morning Toy ’76

Fright Day Song: The J.Geils Band

You mean you don’t remember the MTV World Premiere of the non-hit tune, “Fright Night,” from the 1985 classic?

At least you had something I never had — a choice.

Forgotten Films: Evilspeak (1981)

To honor Steve Jobs in pure SHOCKTOBER! style, this seems like the perfect fit. I never saw this nasty clever low-budget film in the theater tho the ads were every during late night creature features. A film perhaps too far ahead of its time in accurately prophecizing that The Geek Shall Inherit The Earth. In this case, poor Clint Howard as military school schlub, Stanley Coopersmith, a proto-Flounder, with less of Stephen Furst’s charm, and more sinister in a malevolent puppydog way. Yet the elite bullies who torture “Cooperdick” even go after his puppydog in a shameless sop to justified vengeance in the form of an ancient occult spirit possessing our nerd hero’s state-o’the-art Apple II — turning him into a floating demonic force with a righteous broadsword, which he uses to satisfying effect in the film’s wild, gory, totally satisfying climax. Pulpily written by Joseph Garofalo and Eric Weston, spritely directed by Luc Weston (featuring Peckinpah regular, R. G. Armstrong), EVILSPEAK is a perfect specimen of late 70′s/early 80′s horror, with a surplus of nudity and splatter amid outrageous set pieces (all I can say is: pigs in a shower). This is the kind of film that HBO was made for. Anchor Bay released a fantastic, uncut DVD in 2004 and thus, I command you to break out the floppy and boot up EVILSPEAK…

You Axed For It!

Orchestral Manoeuvering In The Dark

This will be the lone non-theme related post for SHOCKTOBER! but in a sense, OMD, whose acronym forms one of my favorite band names as well as favorite bands, represents some spectral autumnal vibe. Their early Eno-Kraftwerkian songs such as “Genetic Engineering” were the analog roots of their arctic synth pan-global airwave warning melodies that fused with pure dance music such as “Enola Gay” and “Electricity.” Their big claim to American fame came via John Hughes although they already had a cult Yank base of clove-smoking, black-clad new romantics. Andy McCluskey and Paul Humprheys wrote smart, engaging post-modern pop tinged with the fear of Future Shock (speaking of, my ECO-HORROR SPOOKTACULAR will be in a venue in SF. But you know this. And so maybe this post has come full circle). I’ve followed the band’s trajectory over the years, no fairweather fan am I, loved their mostly unnoticed 90′s discs, few tho they were. I’m glad they’re finding success back on the road after reforming in 2007 to a legion of sold-out shows and adoring fans, as their appearance at The Warfield proved last night. Under a veil of drizzle, aprops OMD ambiance, the band started in epic old-school style with a stunning version of “Stanlow,” an industrial lullaby from 1980′s seminal, “Organisation.” McCluskey sounded incredible live (and on bass) as did Humphreys on one big gray synth backed up by Martin Cooper on keys and saxophone, and Malcolm Holmes on strong, subtle drums. I had expected a lower-key show given the band’s thematics but was quite surprised by McCluskey’s sheer physical energy and presence, doing the best new wave dancing I’ve seen since the video for Duran Duran’s “Planet Earth.” The wily dancing crowd even vocally provided the synth leads for a song or two. The standout was one of their best tunes, “Statues,” a melancholic somber meditation delivered under chiascuro lighting and expert musicianship. As we walked from the theatre into the rain-slicked streets, I thought about the distance from those wistful days of awe and angst to a new century of hope and rage, all those lives connected by sonic electricity…It was a great show.

Scary Breakfast

Most terrifying cereal spokesman ever. And whatever happened to Krinkles….No, stay back…Krinkles…NO!

My Shocktober Symphony