The Spookening is here!
At Robot Butt, we celebrate the month of October by completely dousing ourselves in horror all the way up until the holiest day of the year: Halloween.
Here is what we’re watching, reading, and listening to this year:
Movies
Splice (2009): Great use of special effects in this creature horror, which takes some surprising turns and feels like a meditation on the terrors of parenthood. Even scarier is that it will make you wonder what has happened to Adrien Brody’s career the past few years. – Steve
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956): Rewatched this for the third or fourth time and I still just don’t see the big deal. Overall, it’s well made, but it’s pretty slow and the tacked-on intro and conclusion takes what could have and should have been a nice, dark tale and turns it into some very sanitized “good always prevails” 1950s nonsense. – David
Escape Room (2019): For essentially being a PG-13 Saw, Escape Room has some really inspired set pieces. Ultimately, it’s a pretty tame experience, but I appreciate the bonkers ending that aims to expand and explain this world of completely improbable, murderous escape rooms. – Steve
Invaders from Mars (1986): If you’re hankering to see some of the worst child acting this side of a school play, you are in luck! The main kid in this is brutal, while the script is just sort of there. The selling point, though, is Stan Winston’s effects, which deliver some bizarre and inspired creature designs (though one of them might as well be Krang from Ninja Turtles). Worth the slog for that effects work. – David
Child’s Play (2019): This had every reason to be a forgettable remake, but here’s the thing: It’s not! With a modern twist on the Chucky formula, practical effects, a great score, and an obvious effort put forth to make something genuinely fun, this new Child’s Play succeeds. Not to mention you’ve got Mark Hamill basically just doing the Joker for half the movie. What’s most surprising, though, is that the movie actually aims to make Chucky a sympathetic figure, pitting the evil more on the obvious Amazon-like company he comes from. Just another reminder that, one way or another, Jeff Bezos will be the death of us all. – Steve
Phantasm (1979): I’m watching this entire series this year, and this first entry definitely has some things going for it. While some of the acting is weak, its best feature is its utter weirdness as the plot unfolds in a dreamlike story that keeps doubling down with bizarre turns. Some solid effects work (murder ball!), a great villain in the Tall Man (who has the actual villain name of Angus Scrimm), and the wild ride of it all make it a horror staple. – David
Train to Busan (2016): It’s incredibly hard to make a zombie movie these days that stands out from the hundreds of dreadful entries that are doomed to become ones you scroll past when looking for something to watch on Netflix. However, Train to Busan is not only a good zombie movie, this Korean take on the genre deserves to be considered one of the best ever made. Great characters and even better action set pieces will have you putting this one in the yearly Halloween rotation. – Steve
Universal Monsters: I’ve always loved the James Whale Universal Monster movies – Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, and The Invisible Man. Each of those had a lot going for it, were usually more exciting, and had some terrific makeup and effects work. In fact, Invisible Man used a sort of rudimentary green screen technique for invisibility, shooting Claude Rains in a black velvet suit against a black velvet background, then layering the footage with a new background – simply nuts. Whale aside, the others I’ve never been as keen on, so this year I decided to give them another chance. – David
The Mummy (1932): We’ll start with the bottom of the barrel. The image of the shuffling mummy going after someone sure as hell doesn’t come from this movie. After a brief bit shown in that costume, Boris Karloff just sort of leaves the frame, appearing for the rest of the movie as a normal dude in a fez, looking like your shriner great uncle. Virtually nothing happens in the plot, let alone anything scary. The Mummy’s backstory shown in flashback is kind of interesting, where we learn he attempted to conquer death, but it doesn’t do much to save this *puts on sunglasses* lifeless film. – David
The Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954): Somewhat better than The Mummy is this entry, though it still leaves a lot to be desired. Its greatest strength is its monster design, which still largely holds up (though was arguably perfected in The Monster Squad). There are a few solid and unsettling scenes, such as the Creature observing part of the central expedition beneath their boat, but the bulk of the film drags. It also has the problem of a lot of Universal Monster movies, in that the monster’s attack of choice is “jostle them around a bit like a 65-year-old pro wrestler.” – David
The Wolf Man (1941): Atmospheric, well shot, and featuring some terrific makeup effects, this movie has a lot of elements working in its favor. Unfortunately, not much happens for most of it, the effects work is only used a couple times, and nobody has ever accused Lon Chaney, Jr. of being a great actor. What you’re left with is a good horror classic to throw on in the background, but not anything amazing. – David
Dracula (1931): Following my big three of the James Whale films, I’d say this is the next best in the Universal Monsters series. A good bit of that has to do with the man behind the camera, Tod Browning, director of the underrated The Unknown and the classic Freaks. While not everything works, such as some fairly stilted “scary” scenes and numerous rubber bats, there’s a lot to enjoy. Lugosi gives it his all, the sets and atmosphere are spot on, the plot keeps moving, and there’s even some bits that are still fairly funny. Most interesting of all, though, is watching the origins of so many of our popular notions of vampires and Dracula, as the film created just about as much of that as Bram Stoker, with its deviations from his text. The ending, though, is incredibly weak, as Dracula just sort of dies, pretty much all offscreen. It’s particularly weird how after Lugosi was built up in every scene leading up to it that they wouldn’t give him an effective death scene. – David
An American Werewolf in London (1981): Let’s get this out of the way: This movie has the best werewolf transformation scene ever put on film and will likely never be topped, that is until the Republican Party’s man/wolf genetic hybrids are finally legalized (support Proposition 204!). I’ve often said to fellow film buffs, though, that there’s never been a truly great werewolf movie on par with the great films for zombies, vampires, ghosts, and other creatures. While this movie arguably comes the closest, and features a lot of fun effects (with some bonkers Nazi werewolves in one bit), I still think it’s not totally there.
Some of that has to do with the humor, or lack of it. Though billed as a horror/comedy, any laughs it has are fairly tepid, which is quite surprising considering it’s by John Landis, director of Animal House and The Blues Brothers. The other major issue is the lead, who is neither funny nor particularly interesting. He’s sort of a black hole in the center of the film and just plays as a bland everyman. I can see how a really great actor or skilled comedian could have elevated the role, but in this dude’s hands it’s all pretty flat. – David
The Omen (1976): Richard Donner’s first major film sees him reveling in the genre tropes he’d become known for throughout his career. Featuring some strong and unsettling scenes, a terrific Jerry Goldsmith score, and a supporting actor credit for Gregory Peck’s eyebrows, the film stands out as one of the better horror entries of the 1970s. It also features some goddamn baboons just wailing on a car! – David
Phantasm II (1988): While not as outwardly weird as the first, or at least not weird in any new ways, this second entry ups the gore considerably and has some pretty solid effects work. And this go-round, not only do we get murder balls, but also some chainsaw fu (as Joe Bob Briggs would call it), a homemade fire extinguisher flametrower, and two double-barreled shotguns bound together to form a quadruple-barreled shotgun that would make Moe Syzlak proud. If you can’t tell from that description, the overall tone in this one is more “midnight movie,” making it fit in nicely with many movies of its era like Evil Dead 2, Dead Alive, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, and Re-Animator. Fun stuff. – David
Poltergeist (2015): I have three surprises. The first thing you’ll be surprised by is that there was a Poltergeist remake in 2015. The second thing is that it stars Sam Rockwell. The third thing is that it’s not totally awful. Unfortunately, it’s not all that great either. While Rockwell and others are good, certain scares are interesting, and they do visualize the spirit world in the film (something the original never did), this is very much a movie that you will forget within minutes of watching it. In fact, the best parts actually aren’t the horror aspects, but the character-building. Like the original film, the movie does a good job establishing the family as real and likable people early on, all of whom are struggling in different ways. Most of these struggles are totally dropped once the ghosts hit, though, and the ghost bits are all fairly tepid. Some of this could be excused if the third act wowed you, but it really doesn’t.
I only sought this out because its director, Gil Kenan, is co-writing Ghostbusters 2020 and I wanted to see how he handled this. He also directed the fun animated film Monster House and the semi-charming City of Ember. Judging from those films and this, he certainly has a talent for both working with children and giving them characters with an authentic voice and personality. Those instincts should serve the long-gestating Ghostbusters sequel well considering the kid and family focus. – David
Hush (2016): A solid film from Mike Flanagan, the man who has to make a new horror movie every year or the devil will claim his soul, as per their agreement. There’s a couple of fun inversions to the standard “killer stalks woman” formula, though I feel more could have been done with the ending. Elements were in place to have a sort of Wait Until Dark showdown with the power dynamics flipped, pertaining to the main character’s deafness, but the bit we get is all over pretty quickly. Overall, though, it’s well crafted. – David
Before I Wake (2016): Another Mike Flanagan joint, but this one’s full of pulled punches. The horror aspects are very minimal, with the film instead preferring a teetering-on-sappy drama. The most interesting part of the movie, when the parents are essentially exploiting the kid’s dream gift, could have been an excellent movie on its own, with the parents becoming more and more horrific themselves as they go down the rabbit hole. But that ain’t what we get. Hope you like butterflies. – David
I Trapped the Devil (2019): What if when visiting an estranged family member for the holidays you find they believe they trapped the devil in their cellar? That’s the basic premise for the very aptly titled I Trapped the Devil, a movie made by people who if nothing else have certainly watched a lot of A24 horror films.
The central premise is a good one, though. A man and his wife decide to drop in unannounced to visit his brother for Christmas, only to find him acting cagey and clearly hiding something he does not want to talk about. The early stretches are intriguing, playing off the anxiety that can come with the holidays when you haven’t seen someone in a long time. How well do you know this person you haven’t spoken to in months or years? Are they the same person you grew up with, or have they changed in ways you can’t imagine?
Cool premise with a lot of potential, but I Trapped the Devil doesn’t really know what it wants to do after establishing this conceit. Even by horror movie standards characters make decisions that make no sense, and while it is certainly going for an indie/prestige horror vibe, it doesn’t have the polish or slickness necessary to be engaging. Combined with an attempt to be a slow burn, you end up thinking about all the things in the movie that don’t add up (if he wasn’t expecting visitors and is so concerned about the devil he has in his basement, why did this guy put up so many Christmas decorations?). It all leads to an ending that feels more like staying on the bus too long and reaching the end of the line; less a destination than an arbitrary end point. – Tim
The Hole in the Ground (2019): A nice freshman effort that takes the changeling mythology and develops it in some effective ways. There are some unsettling moments, some good monster effects, and a solid throughline of paranoia and dread that really makes you sympathetic to the main character. In the end, you might feel like more could have been done with the story, but regardless, an impressive first film. – David
The Forest (2016): The Aokigahara Forest is an actual place in Japan, often referred to as the “Suicide Forest” because it is often cited as one of the world’s most-used sites for those wishing to commit suicide. It has a lot of historical and cultural significance to Japan, and I could see a really disturbing and unsettling horror movie being set here. The Forest is not that movie. Not only is it a toothless, run-of-the-mill PG-13 offering with little in the way of actual scares, it removes any actual cultural significance the setting might provide by turning the focus on a white American girl searching for her sister. This decision places the unique setting at a distance and as a result just feels like any other forest.
On top of that, The Forest is ill-equipped to handle a theme as heavy as suicide, essentially blaming depression on ghosts and supernatural forces in such a trivializing way it makes the ending of Lights Out seem nuanced in comparison. At least that movie had legitimate scares throughout its runtime. Most of The Forest is bland when it isn’t offensive, and by the time it gets to some creepy imagery we are heading into a thrown-together ending that comes out of nowhere. Natalie Dormer deserves better. – Tim
Halloween (2018): The newest sequel/reboot to the slasher institution really shouldn’t be good. Since the original Halloween pioneered the genre, they tend to be pretty predictable. Funny thing about this movie, though: it is good. It does share a familiar outline with both the original Halloween and slashers in general, but it throws in enough new wrinkles and twists that allow it to distinguish itself. Not all these wrinkles pay off as well as others (looking at you, radio journalists), but overall it hits more than it misses.
A lot of what helps is the character work, which the fact that I am saying that about a slasher movie is something impressive in itself. The movie actually takes the time to introduce and craft characters you like and can invest in, and gives a new take on Laurie Strode that works remarkably well. And of course, there is Michael Myers, who the film treats and shoots like the true danger he is. A pleasant Halloween surprise. – Tim
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962): Straddling drama and horror-thriller, this movie has rightfully gone on to become a classic despite gaining a mixed response during its original release. The film contains some tense and suspenseful moments, sharp cinematography from the eye of the great Robert Aldrich, and an impressive and restrained supporting performance from Joan Crawford.
The film really belongs to Bette Davis though, as anyone who’s seen it could tell you. Caked in makeup and clad in frumpy dresses, she wanders through the frame looking like a cross between the Joker and Leatherface, while her performance veers from grizzled madwoman to naive child often within moments. She keeps your attention straight through, in spite of the film’s running time – its major hurdle. A solid 20-30 minutes likely could have been cut to make a leaner, less uneven end product, but when Davis is shining none of that matters. – David
Damien: Omen II (1978): This Omen follow-up hits most of the same beats as the first but to lesser results. Some of that has to do with the inherent repetition, and some has to do with the absence of Richard Donner’s sharp eye and direction. Jerry Goldsmith does return though, delivering up a satisfying new score that builds upon the first film’s. – David
The Taking of Deborah Logan (2014): While this one occasionally falls into the same old found footage tropes of cheap jump scares, an annoying-as-hell cameraman, and the camera itself conveniently shorting out during a key climactic moment, there are some legitimately creepy moments throughout that makes this worth checking out. – Steve
The Witch (2016): Wouldst thou like TO WATCH ONE OF THE BEST HORROR MOVIES OF ALL TIME? Simply put, The Witch kicks ass on every possible level, and has immediately vaulted itself into must-watch territory each and every October. If you’re a fan of horror, you are obligated to see this terrifying master stroke. – Steve
The Hole (2009): A mostly light family/horror film from Joe Dante, director of the Gremlins movies, among others. While I wouldn’t call it amazing, it’s decent, having a few effective scenes and working well within the confines of the family-friendly box it’s in. Definitely stronger than some previous Dante efforts. – David
In the Tall Grass (2019): Vincenzo Natali, director of the cult classic Cube and the very underrated Splice returns to familiar territory with this adaptation of the King boys’ novella. While not as satisfying as either of those films, the movie has the same solid cinematography, tension, and effective scenes Natali is skilled at producing. There’s nothing I would really knock the movie for, aside from the possible inconsistencies of the time loop, but there’s also nothing I would say makes it a certified classic. A fun, on-in-the-background selection for the Spookening. – David
Omen III: The Final Conflict (1981): The final theatrical Omen film of the original series finds Sam Neill as the grown-up version of everyone’s favorite fledgling Antichrist. Somewhat better than the second entry, in that the stakes are higher and Neill’s roguish charm is well-utilized, but ultimately just an okay movie overall. And while it seems like it’s building to something grand and hopefully horrific, what we get is really neither. – David
Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead (1994): After the fun and more expensive second entry, this third go-round returns the series to its low-budget roots. There are some decent gore effects and a couple interesting developments for the murder ball mythology, but it seems like the script was being written about a day ahead of each shoot. The addition of a very Home Alone trap-setting kid (who point-blank murders a gangster in one moment) is an odd choice. But then again, what isn’t in this series? – David
Beetlejuice (1988): Though you’ve likely caught parts of it on TV from time to time, when was the last time you watched this start to finish? It had been a while for me, so it definitely felt pretty fresh on the rewatch. Not only does it remain consistently funny, but it constantly keeps you guessing as it unfurls a bizarre afterlife made up of choices you couldn’t easily predict. The scale model meeting, the waiting room, the sandworms, the handbook – all fairly odd in their own right but put together they form a wonderful bit of world-building. I kind of wish I had been able to see this in the theater originally if for no other reason than to watch the reaction of the Day-O scene. Also, while Keaton deservedly is our primary focus when we think back to this (ahh, well, I attended Juilliard…), Catherine O’Hara’s high-strung, neurotic stepmother is a real treat. – David
The Blob (1988): Saw this at a drive-in and it’s as fun and gory as ever. Not only does it feature some of the best practical effects work of the ‘80s, if not ever, the filmmakers take the simple premise and play with it by inverting a number of standard horror movie tropes and “rules,” meaning anyone coming to it for the first time has a few surprises in store. – David
Television
Mindhunter, Season 2 (2019): David Fincher returns with the second season of what might as well be his Zodiac shared universe. This season is arguably stronger than the first, showing the FBI applying their tactics to a major ongoing case in the Atlanta Child Murders. Mood, characters, and the noir aspects all draw you in. Definitely one for your list. – David
What We Do in the Shadows, Season 1 (2019) – While I enjoyed the movie the show is based on, this FX comedy is just sublime. Everything works here – the new characters, the writing, the effects, the soundtrack – to not just create a fun mockumentary, but to establish one of the best new sitcoms of the year. I loved Matt Berry when I first saw him in Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace, and I’m hoping this is the beginning of seeing him in more over here in the States (though you’ll enjoy every character this show throws at you). You’ll breeze through all ten of these episodes. – Steve
Soundtracks
Alien: Covenant (2017): Ridley Scott might be trying to destroy all you love about the Alien franchise, but at least the scores continue to impress. Alien: Covenant has some really spooky thematic elements throughout its soundtrack, and it draws, smartly, from the spine-tingling aspects of its predecessors, especially Aliens. – Steve
Halloween (2018): John Carpenter is back, baby! Pretty much everything about 2018’s Halloween kicks supreme ass, and the score is no exception. Carpenter blesses us with an updated version of his iconic theme, and there is plenty of new stuff to like throughout. – Steve
Albums
Reign in Blood – Slayer (1986) – No October is complete without music that features decapitated bodies, burning flesh, and the realm of Satan. And nobody covers that territory better than Slayer, whose Reign in Blood contains some of the band’s biggest, most influential hits, which you can now hear… in… Google commercials…
The Number of the Beast – Iron Maiden (1982) – This album, of course, infuriated social conservatives and religious groups, and not just because this one introduced the band’s new lead singer, Bruce Dickinson! With Dickinson at the helm, Iron Maiden really took off in a new direction, and this album serves as an especially good bridge between ’70s rock and the burgeoning thrash metal scene.
Books
The Hellbound Heart (1986) – My first foray into Clive Barker’s written works, this gory novella serves as the excellent beginning of what would become the (mostly good if you only count the theatrical releases!) Hellraiser franchise. The first Hellraiser also rightly makes Pinhead the de facto Cenobite leader, and a terrifying one at that, whereas in the book he’s got the voice of an… excited girl?!
The Best of H.P. Lovecraft – H.P. Lovecraft: Rereading some of these for the Spookening and still loving them. If you’ve never dug into the tales from the father of cosmic horror, this is a great place to start. Favorites include “Pickman’s Model,” “The Outsider,” “The Music of Erich Zann,” “The Colour Out of Space,” and “The Shadow Over Innsmouth.” The novella “The Call of Cthulhu” is also contained in this collection and stands out as a rare piece of written fiction that actually scared me at points. Lovecraft’s influence on horror rivals that of Poe’s or any other, so you’re likely to see a lot of “roots” when you read these stories. I just hope we can finally get some Lovecraft film adaptations in the coming years that live up to his body of work. Most so far haven’t. – David
Batman: Arkahm Asylum (A Serious House on Serious Earth) – Grant Morrison and David McKean (1989): Still probably the most haunting Batman story (thanks in no small part to McKean’s paintings), Arkham Asylum has a much more surreal and abstract feel to it, especially coming on the heels of Frank Miller’s grittier The Dark Knight Returns and Alan Moore’s darker The Killing Joke. This is not the badass crimefighter Batman; this is Batman facing his own inner fears of who he is and who he can become, as he is forced to humor the Joker’s request to join everyone at Arkham after the rogues break free and take hostages.
The idea of Batman being just as crazy as his villains has always been central to his character and the best Batman stories. And over the years writers have returned to Batman having to face his enemies within the confines of the asylum multiple times, but Morrison did that first here. Batman’s emotional and psychological journey pairs perfectly with McKean’s gorgeous yet nightmare-inducing artwork for a story that fully commits to its exploration of madness. Sometimes the scariest thing is realizing what our own minds are capable of. – Tim
Podcasts
The Magnus Archives (2016-Present): Presented as (mostly) a series of recorded statements from the archivist of the Magnum Institute, The Magnus Archives offers that sweet X-Files spot of standalone “monster of the week” episodes while also building up a larger narrative, only it’s better because Chris Carter isn’t around to Chris Carter things up. While the meta-narrative is fun on its own, full of eldritch-esque lore and mythology, it is the episodic aspect that really makes this a must-listen. By framing it as various statements taken from individuals who have experienced strange goings-on, Magnus Archives is able to jump around and play with various horror types, and since each episode is only 20-25 minutes, it has the benefit of an anthology series where if you don’t find a particular story scary it won’t take long to come across one you will. – Tim
Games
Bloodborne (2015): Not only does this game create a foreboding atmosphere with fantastic world design and terrifying creatures, it’s hard as fuck. I’ve actually talked about Bloodborne before and the fact that I am still chipping away at it now is a testament to how frustratingly satisfying it is to overcome the terrors of its world.
That difficulty (often frustrating but never unfair) actually helps underscore the nerve-wracking nature of the game. There is no world map. There are no tutorials. You are forced to navigate this Victorian-esque nightmare city completely on your own after being thrown headfirst into the waters. The only way to even understand what is going on and what your objective is requires you to go out of your way to explore areas, opening yourself up to new risks and scares. And because of the way the game takes away your method for upgrading skills every time you die, every new area or new corner turns into a tense calculation of just how much you feel like pressing your luck. It might just be a member of the village mob. Or it might be someone with a nest of giant snakes for a head. Only one way to find out! It’s maddeningly fun. – Tim