Music Video Tuesday! The Nightmare Before Christmas: "This is Halloween"

This really isn't a music video but who the hell cares? Oogie Boogie will come get you if you make a stink.

Nothing gets me in the Halloween spirit like listening to some tracks from The Nightmare Before Christmas. And seeing as how tomorrow is the big day and I haven't listened to the soundtrack at all this year, I figured I'd post my favorite tune right here on the blog for all to enjoy.

The song speaks to the most primal fears in all of us - "the shadow on the moon at night" the monsters under the bed and the stairs - cripes.

Next year marks the film's 20th anniversary and its songs have been covered by various artists - check out versions of "Halloween" by Marilyn Manson and Panic! at the Disco below.

Really bummed that October is almost over. I'll squeeze all the fun out of tomorrow as I can, but after that I'll be slipping into my annual post Halloween funk. Hope you guys have a great All Hallows Eve!

Zombie Prize Pack!

Zombie fans! If you want to enter to win a copy of Dawn of the Dead (1978) plus some other zombie goodies, email your name and mailing address to totheescapehatch[at]gmail.com, plus the correct answers to the following questions:

1. Where does the majority of Dawn of the Dead (1978) take place?
2. What brings the dead back to life in Return of the Living Dead?
3. In Shaun of the Dead, the soundtrack to what superhero film is used as a weapon against a zombie?

Get your emails in by 5:00 p.m. EST tomorrow, Friday, October 26th to enter the contest! Please use the subject line "Zombie Prize Pack". We'll pick a winner out of the folks that get all three questions right and announce them here on the blog on Halloween, Wednesday, October 31.

P.S. Open to U.S. residents only. And we’re assuming you’re over 18 or have parents that don’t mind us mailing you zombie prizes. Sorry, comments are disabled on this post.

Music Video Monday, Halloween Edition! MGMT: Kids

Today's Music Video Monday! is a dedication of sorts to the Halloween movies that scared the living hell out of me when I was a kid.  These movies are as follows:

• The Exorcist - this is actually the first horror film I remember seeing and I watched it specifically because my parents told me I couldn't.  I don't need to discuss how scary this movie is.  I'll just say that for a long time, I was terribly frightened of becoming that innocent little girl who randomly falls victim to demonic possession.  

• The Amityville Horror - if possession wasn't scary enough, this one left me to worry about a ghostly "imaginary friend" who would take over my house with evil, terrorize my stepfather and lock my babysitter in my closet. 

• A Nightmare on Elm Street - in some ways, this one takes the cake.  I mean, for a long time when I got scared, I did what most kids did - told myself that if I shut my eyes and fell asleep, the fear would go away.  This movie blew that all to hell. 

• Jaws - okay, so this one wasn't directed so much AT kids.  But as a child who spent entire summers at the beach, it put a pretty healthy fear in me.  Hell, it even made me afraid of my parents' swimming pool (true story).

If you're wondering what this music video, by one of the most talented, hipster-friendly bands to hit the music scene in recent years, has to do with scaring kids, all you have to do is watch it.  The entire video is made up of different things terrifying a poor crying toddler.  The first time I watched it, I was actually pretty disturbed - not only by the imagery, but also by what must have been done to keep this kid crying during the long period of filming.  But the more I thought about it, I realized that the very things that scared me most when I was a kid (the terrifying films listed above), sort of aimed to do just that - make me AFRAID.

While I'm not sure what MGMT's exact message is with this song and video (they may argue the negligent mother is scarier than any of the monsters), I decided to celebrate the coming holiday with a Halloween tradition we all know and enjoy - scaring kids!

Happy Monday!

Favorite Scene Friday! Jeepers Creepers: Wrapped and Roped in a Sheet

Jeepers Creepers disturbed me. I knew little to nothing about the film before I sat down to watch it 11 years ago, it's filled with scares, and the ending is twisted and chilling.

Wikipedia

If you're unfamiliar with the film, it follows siblings Trish (Gina Phillips) and Darry (Justin Long), driving home together during a college break. Soon into the film, the pair has a run-in with a mystery motorist in a run-down (but souped-up) truck. Before passing the siblings and leaving them in his dust, the driver gets on their tail and maniacally swerves around the road behind them, all while blaring his deafening horn.

This week's scene happens after the truck driver (dubbed "BEATNGU" since it's his license plate number) passes the siblings. Lazily driving and chatting after their encounter with BEATNGU, Trish and Darry suddenly come across his truck, parked next to a boarded-up, dilapidated building. The mystery driver is throwing something down a pipe...wrapped and roped in a sheet. Just a note before you watch the clip - it should be set to start around 9:20 and it ends around the 13:00 minute mark, so feel free to wander off after that point.

The creepiest part of this scene for me - and the movie as a whole - is the fact that it was filmed in and around Ocala, Florida, which is less than an hour and a half from where I grew up. So that shadowy, rickety building BEATNGU's dumping something under? Those twisted, tangled trees and vines that mask his dirty deeds? I drove by stuff like that all the time. Sometimes I wonder how close I've come to that exact spot. And sometimes - and this is the most disturbing thought of all  - I wonder if I might happen upon it some lazy afternoon while visiting home. Maybe that building still exists, despite what happens in the film. Maybe that pipe is real.

This scene proves that terrifying moments aren't reserved for the darkness. Happy Halloween, friends. And happy driving...

CONTEST: Zombie Prize Package!

Since it’s such a great time of year, we’re feeling a little generous. We’ve got a copy of Dawn of the Dead (1978) and a few mystery zombie goodies to give away, and all you have to do is answer a few questions about the living dead...

On October 25th at 5:00 p.m. EST we’ll post three zombie movie questions right here on the blog. Email your three correct answers along with your name and mailing address to totheescapehatch[at]gmail.com by 5:00 p.m. EST on October 26th to enter the drawing for the prize pack!

Since we run this blog on the cheap, we have to limit the contest to U.S. residents only. And since part of the prize package is a DVD you'd need a region-free DVD player anywayi’mrambling

So anyway, bone up (no pun intended...?) on your zombie movie trivia and tune in here on October 25th at 5:00 p.m. to enter to win some zombie swag!

Music Video Monday!: I'll Always Be There

It's late and actually not even Monday anymore, but I wanted to give you a music video before I turned in. I'm keeping my message simple tonight. Just tell the people in your life how much you care about them each and everyday. Today's MVM comes from the dreamy duo known as Beach House. "Take Care" is the closing track on their very successful 2010 album, Teen Dream. I'll be back again next Monday, but until then, remember to live your soundtrack out loud.

Favorite Scene Friday: A Nightmare In The Escape Hatch

October is officially in full swing and you know what that means:  Horror Movies Galore!  We love horror movies here in the Hatch and we love to share them with you even more.  As I was trekking through my memories of such movies, I couldn’t help but to keep coming back to Freddy and his manicure fetish.  There are officially 9 movies featuring the charcoaled character and while half of them may be uber-lame, half of them are really unforgettable.  I didn’t care much for the most recent in this series, the remake starring Jackie Earle Haley (in his defense, he had a lot to live up to), to be honest I was kind of bored throughout the whole thing.  Maybe I need to give it another chance.  My personal favorites are numbers 1, 3, and 7 (New Nightmare) and while all three contain at least one or two scenes of “okay, they could’ve done without that” the majority of their run-times make for vividly appalling entertainment, but you know, in a good way.  

Not only does he have 9 movies on his IMDB page, Freddy has also appeared in television, “Freddy’s Nightmares” – 44 episodes; video games, a 1989 NES game based on the original movie and more recently in the 2011/12 version of “Mortal Kombat (Komplete Edition)”; and music, most notably (see below – couldn’t find an official video, but the lyrics alone are fun as hell) the hilarious “A Nightmare On My Street” by none other than DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince.  That’s a helluva resume and what we here in the Hatch refer to as an Icon.  So today’s Favorite Scene Friday is not only one scene from one movie, but Freddy’s entire kill list.  Some are horrific, some are funny, some are weirder than they should be, and some are just downright delightful.  So if you’ve got 10 minutes to spare, check out which kills you like best and post them below (disclaimer:  not included are the kills from the Earle Haley version).  I’ve also included, due to my lack of memory, a few music videos to make up for missing this past Monday.  I hope you enjoy them and at the same time forgive the cloud that stands in place of what most refer to as:  my memory.  Happy Friday, Killers and don’t forget to SCREAM!!!

 

Batch o' Hatch: Night of the Podcast, The Walking Dead Season 3 at Sun-Ray, and Tweets

Night of the Podcast

Like a zombie crawling out of the grave, I’ll be returning to the Nerd Lunch Podcast next Tuesday! I won’t completely spoil the topic, but I will say it involves the living dead...

Nerd Lunch

New episodes of the podcast typically go live one week after they’re recorded, so look for it here or over at Nerd Lunch on Tuesday the 23rd.

The Walking Dead Season 3 at Sun-Ray Cinema

While we’re on the topic of zombies, this Sunday the 14th marks the return of The Walking Dead on AMC. Our friends at Sun-Ray Cinema are showing the premiere (for free!) and we’re throwing in a copy of the second season on DVD! So if you wanna see some zed-word TV on the big screen and possibly win The Walking Dead Season 2 on DVD, head to Sun-Ray this Sunday at 9:00 p.m.

Sun-Ray

Tweets

Some tweets are just too great to confine to Twitter, so I figured I'd start sharing some of my favorites in each Batch o' Hatch. So without further ado, here’s some tweets! From Twitter!

Holy moly is it frigging time I can see #Looper yet???
— Pete Turner (@ilovethatfilm) September 24, 2012

Pete over at I Love That Film couldn’t wait to see Looper. He later took part in a group review of the film - check it out here!

Ever have a "I wish Sam Beckett would quantum leap into me and deal with my problems" kind of day?
— CT (from Nerd Lunch) (@nerdlunch) September 27, 2012

CT from Nerd Lunch shares my love of Quantum Leap. And yes, I do have days like that.

And so AWESOME-tober-fest 2012 begins. blog.paxholley.net/2012/10/01/awe… #Halloween
— Paxton Holley (@paxtonholley) October 1, 2012

This was Pax at Cavalcade of Awesome kicking off AWESOME-tober-fest 2012! Tune into Cavalcade throughout the month for more Movie Maniac mania.

Thanks for tuning in! Stay scary, my friends.

Escape by Moving to China: Looper

*spoilers abound!*

There’s a lot packed into Looper. To take it all in, you almost need more...time. *tomato flies by head*

In the film, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is Joe, a criminal in 2044 Kansas that assassinates targets sent back in time by the mob of 2074. The criminals of the future must send their targets back because it’s virtually impossible to dispose of a body in the future.

So the Looper program is so secretive that, when the mob wants to terminate a Looper’s contract, they actually send them back to 2044 for assassination by their younger self. This is known as “closing your loop”. The film really gains steam when Joe’s friend and fellow looper Seth (Paul Dano) allows his future self to escape upon being sent back for assassination. This is known as “letting your loop run”.

Before Seth is abducted by the mob (you can’t just let your loop run, people), he informs Joe that his future self told him that there’s a new boss in the future, closing loops left and right. He’s known as The Rainmaker. It isn’t long before Old Joe is sent back from 2074 for assassination. But wouldn’t you know it - he escapes.

The rest of the movie is a tangled web of Old Joe trying to kill the 2044 version of The Rainmaker (there are larger reasons as to why Old Joe travels to the past but I’ll let you see that for yourself) and Young Joe trying to kill and/or stop Old Joe. Before that unfolds, however, we see an alternate reality where Young Joe successfully kills Old Joe when he was sent back for assassination. The life that we see play out for Joe shows us his motivation for trying to kill The Rainmaker and change the past.

Director Rian Johnson and Joseph Gordon-Levitt again make for a great team and both of them are at the top of their game when it comes to telling Looper’s story. You know that there’s more to Young Joe when he slams on his brakes to avoid hitting a vagrant child. You can practically taste the backstory.

I only have a few complaints with the story (excluding my qualms with the time travel logic - I won’t go into all that for the sake of my sanity and yours). The third act of the movie kinda drags. A lot of it is due to time invested in Sara (Emily Blunt) a farmer whose son may or may not be The Rainmaker. We really can’t do without any of this part of the story, but I almost felt like Sara's tale was another movie in and of itself.

I almost wanted a little closure between the young and old versions of Joe. It’s not that I had a problem with their adversarial relationship, it’s just that they never come to understand each other. The last complaint I’ll lodge is that, if time travel in the future is controlled by the mob, wouldn’t there be some sort of government anti-time travel agency?

Wikipedia

As a technical piece of work, this film is the tits. The design is fantastic and the makeup and prosthetics used to turn Gordon-Levitt into a young Bruce Willis are very well done. Expect an Oscar nod for this film in the makeup department. One visual that I enjoyed was the repeated image of a cloudy, swirling cup of coffee - a perfect metaphor for the murky effects of time traveling throughout the film. 

IMDb

I really enjoyed Looper and the fact that the film has no shortage of great actors is a big reason why. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis are technically bad guys here, but good luck disliking either of them. Emily Blunt is fantastic. I really don’t need to say any more than that, but I will add that her relationship with her son (played by Pierce Gagnon, a truly adorable and gifted little actor) in the film is a huge part of the emotional core of the film and one scene near the movie's climax had me choking up a bit.

I feel like Looper isn’t so much about time travel as it is the effects and consequences of it. One of the best (and most disturbing) parts of the film involves the aforementioned Old Seth. What does the mob do if you escape upon being sent back for assassination? Let’s just say it involves disappearing body parts. This is the dark side of time travel. There is a reason, it would seem, that it is illegal.

The greatest element of the film is the two versions of Joe. Old Joe and Young Joe both order steak and eggs in a diner scene. At the beginning of the film, Young Joe is learning French. We see the payoff when Old Joe travels back from 2074.

I mentioned that Blunt and her character's son are a huge component of the heart of the film, and Young Joe's character arc makes up the rest. In the diner scene, Old Joe accuses Young Joe of being selfish. You might be surprised to find out how wrong Old Joe turns out to be.

Obsessive Cinematic Disorder: Bruce Willis Likes to Time Travel

*spoilers for 12 Monkeys, The Kid, and Looper abound!*

When you think of Bruce Willis, what comes to mind? Action? Violence? Bald swagger? How about time travel?

Wikipedia

Bruce Willis looooooooves to time travel. In a 30+ year career, Willis has starred in three time travel films. I’d wager to guess that he’s time traveled more than any other major film star. All that’s left is for some random person to find Bruno in some old-timey photo.

It could happen.

Let’s take a look, shall we?

12 Monkeys

12 Monkeys is a time travel movie in which Bruce Willis plays Cole, a prisoner from a virus-ravaged future. He’s sent back in time by a group of scientists to gather information on a disease that killed 5 billion people in 1996.

Wikipedia

Other than one other character (possibly two), Willis’ Cole is the only time traveler in the film. Let’s take a look at his escapades.

1. Present (2035) to April 1990

Cole is accidentally sent to 1990 Baltimore, six years before the virus hits. He’s arrested and institutionalized. He meets a psychiatrist named Dr. Kathryn Railly (Madeleine Stowe) and a fellow patient named Jeffrey Goines (Brad Pitt).

2. 1990 to Present

Cole is pulled from the institution back to the present.

3. Present to October 1917

Cole is accidentally and briefly sent to WWI where he encounters Jose, a fellow time-traveling prisoner from the present. Cole is shot in the leg during the conflict.

Sending Cole back.

4. October 1917 to November 1996, Baltimore

Cole makes it to 1996 Baltimore and abducts Dr. Railly. Clues about the virus lead him to suspect that Jeffrey Goines is responsible for the outbreak. Cole finds him at a party at the home of his father, virologist Dr. Goines. After speaking with Jeffrey, Cole is convinced that he accidentally planted the idea for unleashing a killer virus into Jeffrey’s head back in 1990. Cole escapes the party and flees with Dr. Railly to the woods outside the Goines house.

5. November 1996 to Present

Cole is pulled from 1996 back to the present. Thinking they’ve solved the mystery of the virus by connecting it to Goines, the scientists issue him a pardon. However, Cole tricks them into sending him back one last time.

6. Present to December 1996

Cole travels back to December 1996, just before the virus strikes. He and Dr. Railly make it to the airport and attempt to stop Dr. Goines’ assistant, who is actually the one responsible for purposely unleashing the virus. Cole attempts to kill him but is shot. His young self witnesses his own death and this scene goes on to replay in his dreams throughout his life.

12 Monkeys is a cerebral, haunting film. The time travel is used effectively to advance the story and it never becomes overly muddled. The film seems to say that the future is set in stone. Nothing that Cole does in the past changes anything. In fact, his actions seem fitted into the past before he even does them. The fact that Cole dreams of his death (having seen it as a boy) throughout his life is an example of this.

The Kid

The Kid follows a work-obsessed image consultant named Russ (Willis) who one day finds that his eight year old self from 1968 - known as Rusty (Spencer Breslin) - has somehow ended up in 2000, days before his 40th birthday. Russ decides that Rusty has been transported to the present so that he can help him.

Wikipedia

The 70 year old version of Russ (Old Russ) also time travels throughout this movie in a red plane/truck. In fact, Old Russ is responsible for all of the time travel shenanigans. I’ll be going through this movie’s time travel in the order it happens in the film, as opposed to the order it happens in Russ/Rusty’s life. I think?

1. Old Russ travels from 2030 to 1968

The Russ from 2030 - who has somehow either discovered or invented time travel - travels from 2030 to 1968 in order to retrieve his eight year old self.

2./3. Old Russ and Rusty Travel from 1968 to 2000

Old Russ takes Rusty to the year 2000 and leaves him at Russ’ house. Rusty’s trip marks the first time Russ/Rusty travels through time.

IMDb

4./5./6. Old Russ, Russ and Rusty Travel from 2000 to 1968

Old Russ transports Russ and Rusty from 2000 to the year 1968. Rusty stands up to some bullies but his mom - who we learn is dying of a terminal disease - has to pick him up from school because of the fight. Rusty/Russ’ father is furious at his son. He traumatizes him by telling him that his mother is dying and that he should grow up.

7. Old Russ Travels from 1968 to 2030

Meanwhile, Old Russ travels back to 2030 to gather his family.

8. Old Russ and Family Travel from 2030 to 1968

Old Russ and his family travel to 1968 to meet Russ and Rusty at a restaurant called the Skyway Diner.

9. Old Russ and Family Travel from 1968 to ?

Old Russ and his family travel to parts and times unknown after talking with his eight and 40 year old selves.

10. Russ Travels back to 2000

Old Russ transports Russ back to the year 2000, leaving Rusty in 1968 and both of them confident in their futures.

IMDb

The time travel in The Kid is kind of confusing. It’s not clear if Old Russ is changing the past or if his time traveling was always a part of history. Russ obviously doesn’t remember encountering his 40 year old self when he was eight but, then again, he seems to imply that his memory of the time is fuzzy. And Old Russ remembers seeing Rusty when he was 40 *eye starts to twitch from mental stress*

The Skyway Diner also seems to randomly travel through space and time throughout the film and I’m not even gonna get into that.

Looper

Looper revolves around Joe, a criminal in the year 2044 who assassinates targets sent back in time by the mob of 2074. Joe’s world is turned upside when his future self is sent back for termination.

Wikipedia

Although there is quite a bit of time travel in Looper, Bruce Willis only travels through time once.

1A. 2074 to 2044

Old Joe is sent back to 2044. Young Joe kills him.

1B. 2074 to 2044

Old Joe, after incapacitating/murdering his captors in 2074, travels back to 2044 to change his future. This is technically the same trip as 1A, it just happens differently. Therefore, Joe only travels through time once.

Looper’s time travel is the complete opposite to the kind found in 12 Monkeys. Whereas Cole couldn’t change the past, Old Joe’s trip has countless ramifications to history.

IMDb

It’s interesting comparing 12 Monkeys, The Kid, and Looper because the tone varies between the three. Whereas 12 Monkeys and Looper represent the dark side of time travel, The Kid portrays it as mostly carefree and fun. In fact, you could consider The Kid and Looper to be polar opposites of one another, with the former portraying Bruce’s character and his younger self as friends and the latter portraying the two versions of Bruce as enemies. There’s even scenes in both films where the two versions of the characters share a meal at a diner. Only one ends in violence, however.

All told, Bruce Willis travels through time about 17 times in his films - that we know of. I need to go lie down now.

Favorite Scene Friday!: Your Mother's In Here

This is the best time of year, because it has everything I love, cooler weather, pumpkin flavored everything (can't wait to taste the maple and caramel pumpkin ale at Bold City Tap Room) and scary movies. I'm not easily creeped out by a movie, so when I am, it instantly becomes one of my favorites. Today's scene comes from one of those favorites, The Exorcist. It's on the short list of movies that give me that uncomfortable feeling every time I watch it. You know the one where you don't wanna be alone and every bump in the night is an axe wielding maniac out to kill you. Little Linda Blair freaks the shit out of me and I'm not ashamed to admit it, but in my defense, the last time I watched The Exorcist, it was around 1:00 am, I was by myself, with full surround sound and the lights off.

There's nothing I can really add to the scene except, if you have a weak stomach you might not wanna watch. The scene is so classic that even if you haven't seen the movie, I'm sure you've heard about it. To lighten things up a little, I've also included a parody of the scene from Scary Movie 2. Just as stomach turning, but with much more levity. I hope this gets you in the Halloween mood. Enjoy your Friday and the pea soup!

The Exorcist 

Scary Movie 2

Music Video Monday! Band of Horses: "Is There a Ghost"

Happy October, folks! On this fine Monday I'm bringing you a ghostly music video by Band of Horses. Okay, there are no actual ghosts in the video, only pillow thieves.

Wikipedia

Despite it's lack of paranormal activity, "Is There a Ghost" is top notch. I much prefer this sound to the stripped-down, folksy tunes on BoH's new album "Mirage Rock". Speaking of, check out Pat's review here.

I hope you enjoy your Monday, your week, and, by all means, your October and Halloween. I think it's gonna be a good one. Off to find my pillow.



BONUS

Since my music video doesn't include any actual ghosts, here are some I found on YouTube. Don't blame me for any nightmares.