Well, well, well…Devil’s Night is upon us again, folks. The eve of All Hallows’ Eve is when the veil that separates us from what lies beyond starts to become thinner. The air grows quieter and the shadows deepen. It’s time to call out to that darkness to reunite with two old favorites that are mandatory to visit tonight. Each is an example of finding new life after death but in completely different ways.
The Crow (1994)
Our first fire of the evening was set in 1994 by director, Alex Proyas (Dark City), and it’s an adaptation of the classic 1989 comic book by James O’Barr. This is the final performance of Brandon Lee who died during filming and the tragedy set an even darker tone for the film, one that casts a long shadow over its legacy for all time.
However, it has found a place in the black hearts of many for this reason and because it’s an unforgettable performance by the actor. Co-starring Ernie “Winston” Hudson, Rochelle Davis, Michael Wincott, Michael Massee, Tony “Candyman” Todd, and Jerry from Twin Peaks, this is The Crow.
“People once believed that when someone dies, a crow carries their soul to the land of the dead, but sometimes something so bad happens that a terrible sadness is carried with it, and the soul can’t rest. Then sometimes —just sometimes—the crow can bring that soul back…” to kick some serious ass.
It’s a fiery Devil’s Night in the city of Detroit when local musician, Eric Draven (Lee), and his fiancée Shelly (Sofia Shinas) are murdered in their high-rise loft on the eve of their Halloween wedding. The top G in town, Top Dollar (Wincott), wanted their building cleared so he could torch it, but the couple refused to leave.
So, he called his extermination squad to evict them by force led by T-Bird (“Jerry”), the men do just that, and then some before throwing Eric out the 6th-floor window to the street far below. RIP.
A year passes, and a crow resurrects the roadkill rocker to seek revenge on T-Bird, and his crew of dirtbags. Bestowed with supernatural abilities (including Wolverine’s rapid healing), he targets the crew one by one before reaching the boss level, and Top Dollar. With the aid of the crow, an empathetic cop (Hudson), and his third wheel teen friend Sarah (Davis), he’s going to show them all that today’s not a good day to be a bad guy.
Except for a few scenes, it’s hard to tell that they used early CGI, and a stunt double for a few of the scenes. Not only is this a good movie, but The Crow did for the Goth scene what Cheech & Chong did for stoners. It gave them a cinematic representative.
Plus, the movie’s soundtrack remains one of the greatest of all time. Eric’s resurrected look has become the Halloween costume staple for unoriginal people, and it helped reignite the career of a pro wrestling “Icon” (STIIIINNGGG!!!). Vengeance takes flight on Paramount+ but the trailer is right here:
Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
“It’s time, boys and girls! It’s time! Time for the big giveaway. Halloween has come! All you lucky kids with Silver Shamrock masks, gather ’round your TV set, put on your masks, and watch. All witches! All skeletons! All Jack-O-Lanterns! Gather ’round, and watch. Watch the magic pumpkin.”
Watch…what is quite possibly the most underrated horror film ever made. This came out at the height of the early 80s “Slasher-Mania” which set off a multitude of film franchises throughout that wonderful decade.
Most of them were just copying the first film of this particular series, and a lot of them thrived off of the stolen idea. The ironic part is that its director, John Carpenter, never wanted his creation to become an ongoing franchise with Michael Myers as the figurehead, but instead wanted each entry to be a different story.
After the success of the first two movies featuring Myers, Carpenter took it back to the original concept. What he didn’t expect was the backlash from normie fans who just wanted to see their favorite killer take out a bunch of stupid teens over and over again.
This led to negative reviews from critics and their excuses for doing so hold about as much weight as a single sheet of wet Kleenex. Then the mindless masses (who just wanted the same old recycled crap) got their wish when the following sequels took it back to the Myers saga, but at least we got the extremely awesome Danielle Harris out of the deal.
Halloween III: Season of the Witch takes it back to Carpenter’s original vision, and his fingerprints are all over it (especially the music), so prepare for the criminally undervalued piece of 80s Horror cinema.
The original American Horror Chad, Tom Atkins, is a drunken divorcee doctor named Daniel Challis from Northern California who stumbles into a dark, ancient business when a local shop owner is brought into his hospital. The man claims to have been attacked by men in suits, and the Jack-O-Lantern he was clutching makes the story less believable.
That’s until one of the suited men shows up, kills the shop owner, and sets himself on fire in his car while Dr. Dan watches in half-buzzed horror.
The daughter of the murdered shop owner (Stacey Nelkin) arrives the next morning, and the two start following clues that trace back to the mask her father was carrying. They take a trip out to the Silver Shamrock Novelties factory in the creepy small town of Santa Mira where the mask was manufactured.
The place was founded in 1887 by Irish immigrants, and became the only local industry following World War II when a man named Conal Cochran (Dan O’Herlihy) took over the factory. Why does this matter? You’ll find out!
Let’s just say that it doesn’t involve babysitters, butcher knives, or Annie’s famous chewing. There’s also a chance that the Silver Shamrock TV jingle will be stuck in your head afterward, but you’ll be okay.
Even though John Carpenter didn’t direct Halloween III: Season of the Witch, it feels just like one of his movies. It’s currently available to rent on VUDU. Don’t forget to wear your mask. Here’s the trailer:
