What I Watched In October

Sometimes what you need in October is a straightforward, simple slasher film. HELL FEST (2018)  fits that bill perfectly. It's not overly clever and it's not anything it doesn't need to be. It's just an uncomplicated thrill ride built on the bones established in the 80's for this type of story. The film starts by establishing it's slasher bona fides with a pre-credit stalk and kill scene that sets up the killer's modus operandi - killing random people he perceives as jerks on Halloween night - and then sets up more victims. This group of likable characters are introduced effectively and then we are off into the story. The basics of a slasher are tension followed by release and this film knows that very well. The story takes place over the course of one Halloween night as we follow these happy folks around a large, professionally run haunted amusement park. Needless to say, things don't end well for most of them. This isn't a great film but it is exactly what it claims to be and that is a good thing. 

At this point why would anyone care about the timeline of the HALLOWEEN films? Before going out to see the new one I took it upon myself to verbally describe the various sub-lines and divergent tracks that this sad series has stumbled down. Short version - there is a classic film, a pretty good sequel, an excellent non sequitur, a bunch of pointless sequels, a new sequel that ignored the pointless ones, a terrible remake and it's even more idiotic sequel. (Trust me - that is the short version.) So where does the 2018 HALLOWEEN film stand? At about the midpoint, I guess.

By ignoring the original sequel (not to mention 1998's pretty good H20) the creators have set themselves a nice table. In the center of this table they have placed the excellent Jamie Lee Curtis reprising her role for the fourth time. Here is the first problem. For this story to work her character has to be right about Michael Myers returning. But since this film posits that he has been locked up for the last forty years this is madness. She is basing her entire reason for living as she has on something that she has zero evidence for believing. In this timeline she has no history of Michael resurrecting himself multiple times or surviving being burned to death or whatever. She has held this insane belief for decades based on ...... nothing. In fact, without a specific spoiler I won't reveal she would have lived the rest of her life without ever seeing Myers again. In this film Laurie Strode is crazy. Not well prepared, not smart. She's off her rocker. Which is only a problem if you want to see a drama about an older woman's struggles with mental health and poorly handled grief. But we came here for a horror show, so...... how does it do?

It's not bad. There are some good ideas, some bad ones and a lot of style that effectively kept me entertained. The teenager characters are strong and their dialog is the best written of the series since the near perfect original. The interpersonal dynamics of the three generations of family are well done with some well crafted scenes for each actress. The script holds two nice surprises that are well thought out. I especially like that the first of these surprises solves one of the odder problems I had with the beginning of the film. I enjoyed this new film about as much as I did the last Jamie Lee Curtis return to the series H20. It's a shame they negate each other but what the hell. This is all just campfire tale telling stuff. Best to have fun seeing what new eyes can bring to this concept. It's miles better than the Zombie remake, that's for sure!

The List 

AND GOD SAID TO CAIN (1970) - 7 (rewatch)

HELL FEST (2018) - 6

WISHMASTER (1997) - 6 (better than I anticipated) 

THE CORPSE VANISHES (1942) - 4 (rewatch on Blu) 

ISLAND OF TERROR (1966) - 8 (rewatch on Blu) 

CAMPFIRE TALES (1991) - 3 (low budget anthology horror film) 

CATHY'S CURSE (1976) - 2 (low budget mess) 

ASYLUM (1972) - 8 (rewatch) 

HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL (1958) - 7 (rewatch) 

THE STEPFATHER (2009) - 6 (not bad remake) 

SWIMFAN (2002) - 6 (solid 'from-Hell' film) 

THE SOUND (2017) - 6 (interesting paranormal story that gets weak near the end) 

BRIDES OF DRACULA (1968) - 8 (rewatch) 

CALLING DR. DEATH (1943) - 5 (rewatch) 

BAD NIGHT AT THE EL ROYALE (2018) - 9 

THE DUNWICH HORROR (1970) - 7 (rewatch)

THE PREMATURE BURIAL (1962) - 8 (rewatch) 

THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN (1942) - 8 (rewatch) 

IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS (1994) - 9 (rewatch) 

DEVIL'S DUE (2014) - 4 (late period found footage horror) 

SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE III (1990) - 3 

FRANKENSTEIN - THE TRUE STORY (1973) - 9

GHOST STORIES (2018) - 9 

HALLOWEEN (2018) - 7 

AMITYVILLE: THE AWAKENING (2017) - 6 

JIGSAW (2017) - 5 (well made but as silly as the rest of the series) 

FINAL GIRL (2015) - 7 (interesting thriller) 

FRIDAY THE 13TH PART VIII: JASON TAKES MANHATTAN (1989) - 3 (rewatch) 

BLACK NOON (1971) - 5 (horror western TV movie - a little too long) 

OFFERINGS (1989) - 3 (terrible Halloween copy) 

GHOULIES II (1988) - 5 

WISHMASTER 2: EVIL NEVER DIES (1999) - 5 

THE DEVIL'S CANDY (2015) - 6 

PET SEMETARY II (1992) - 3 

THE BABY'S ROOM (2006) - 7 (Spanish horror) 

HALLOWEEN II (1981) - 7 (rewatch) 

GRAVEYARD OF HORROR (1971) - 4 

TERRIFIER (2016) - 6 (OTT gory evil clown tale) 

THE MUMMY'S SHROUD (1967) - 7 (rewatch) 

THE CABIN IN THE WOODS (2012) - 9 (rewatch)

TALOS THE MUMMY (1998) - 7 (finally watched the full two hour version) 

THE CONJURING 2 (2016) - 7