WHEATON'S HALLOWEEN RECOMMENDATIONS

Special to PollyStaffle.com

The Halloween season is well upon us, at time of writing 2010. I've been asked to make a list of top five recommendations for the season, which of course should stand for any Halloween season, so I will just go through a few horror films I own or have seen, tell you witch ones would be good for the season.

1. Ghoulies (1984, Luca Bercovici)

Possibly the best film of all fucking time. The image of the monster coming out of the toilet seat was iconic when I was a child in the 80s, although I did not see the film, spearheaded by executive producer Charles Band, until late 2006 I believe. Both very funny low brow humor and some creepy little monsters, this film will satisfy both the light heated festive spirit of the season and the horror thematics. Poor Jonathan Graves has inherited his fathers home, becomes obsessed with the occult, his wacky New Wave friends come over to party, and things get out of hand with a bunch of little monsters, much more cute then actually scary, start wrecking havoc. Lots of weird 80s teenage sex and drugs humor. Five stars out of five. (For more Ghoulies fun, click here.)

2. Evil Dead (1982, Sam Raimi)

Some what comedic zombie flick made on a small budget in the 80's, teenagers go up to the cabin in the woods, they find an old book, the undead rise and cause trouble for a very young Bruce Campbell in a film which jump started both his career and that of director Sam Raimi, now unfortunately a big time Hollywood hack. Go for the original. It’s pretty sweet.

3. Halloween 3: Season of the Witch (1982, Tommy Lee Wallace)

Previously reviewed on World of Wheaton... “I think it’s a great little film. John Carpenter himself co-scored the excellent early gothic/industrial feeling electronic soundtrack. Those Silver Shamrock commercials are eerie as all get out.” (Click here for the full review).

4. The Fog (1979, John Carpenter)

A truly elegant film in which a ship full of the undead roll into a California town to extract revenge for a century old crime. A beautiful score by director John Carpenter himself.

5. Phantasm (1979, Don Coscarelli)

Scary as fuck 70's horror film with an amazing analog synthesizer incidental score. Involves a young man taking care of his adolescent brother, and this scary undertaker who turns corpses into dwarfs that he appears to use as slaves in another dimension. Fucking sweet!

- William Wheaton, October 2010

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