As you know by now, nothing warms our hearts at Last Movie Outpost quite as much as an Outposter contribution. If you cast your mind back to last year, you may remember a most excellent Halloween season where Outposter BlastofSilencejj gave us 31 chills for the 31 days of spooky season. Well, October is back, and so is BlastofSilencejj. Halloween approaches.
My 31 Chills of Halloween: The Sequel.
Last year’s countdown to All Hallows Eve articles didn’t need a sequel and should have gotten the axe, but the fine gents at LMO allowed me to return and dig my own grave. I bring you a cauldron full of unpredictable randomness. Like last Halloween, here is my mixtape of spooky-themed films/shows/media. 31 random choices made, not all of them good. I’ll keep it interesting, though. Add your lists and comments below.
1. Totally Killer (2023)
Director: Nahnatchka Khan
The Sweet 16 Killer returns on Halloween night to claim another victim, 35 years after a shocking murder spree in 1987 that left three teens dead.
Present-day teenager Jaime (Kiernan Shipka) tends to roll her eyes at her overprotective parents taking the town’s dangerous past lightly. However, when the killer re-emerges to target her family, she will have to take action against the masked, knife-wielding terror.
After a brief showdown with the killer, Jaime ends up in a time machine created by her friend… stick with me here… she travels to 1987 to stop the murders. Totally Killer starts to find its footing at this moment. The sheltered Jaime is in for some surprises as she learns the ’80s were a little harder-core than the society she’s used to. A stunned Jaime then meets her teenage mom, who is part of a mean girl clique called The Mollys. The take-no-prisoners ’80s-style dialog soon starts to toughen her up, though, as she tries to convince these teens from the past that a killer is on the loose.
Landing on the fun side of the genre, this horror comedy delivered for me. I really like Kiernan Shipka; she was great in The Blackcoat’s Daughter and Longlegs. Here she once again impresses. Totally Killer feels like a TGIF TV movie, except with gore and language. That’s probably why it hit me the right way. Watch it on Prime.
2. Sleepaway Camp (1983)
Director Robert Hiltzik
Choosing a classic early on is never a bad idea. Sleepaway Camp defied critics upon release to become a favorite for horror fans.
After Angela’s sibling and dad are killed in a boating accident, she moves in with her oddball aunt and cousin, Ricky. The aunt sends Angela and Ricky away to spend the summer at Camp Arawak. Once they arrive, shy Angela is bullied, but her fiery cousin does his best to protect her. Meanwhile, bizarre, violent accidents keep happening at the camp. Who is causing these accidents that are killing campers and staff?
I bet the ending of Sleepaway Camp gave audiences in the 80’s quite a jolt. Unafraid to bump up against taboo subjects, even today, it shocks. Watch it on Tubi.
3. Weapons (2025)
Director Zach Cregger
All but one child from the same class goes missing on the same night, leaving townsfolk to suspect their teacher, Justine (Julia Garner). This updated Pied Piper film is episodic in structure, and that works for the most part. Josh Brolin is a determined parent, left trying to figure out what happened as incompetent police and a teacher, trying to drink her troubles away, don’t offer much help.
With a well filmed, creepy atmosphere, solid actors all bringing it, and a great villain played perfectly by Amy Madigan, this should have done more for me. Yet somehow, as the credits rolled, I sat there unsatisfied. Weapons felt stuck in the mud as the tropes unfolded. The uneven ending certainly didn’t help. A comedy skit, after so much energy was put forth, building dread felt wasted and just didn’t land. I’m harder on this one because of the potential it had.
Weapons is well-made but surface-level for me. It’s elevated by veteran actors doing heavy lifting and a good atmosphere. I would definitely be willing to watch it again. Let’s look at the bright side, Jordan Peele tried to get his hands on this and couldn’t. We can all be thankful for that! Available to rent on various streaming sites.
4. The Devil’s Castle (1896)
Director Georges Melies
Considered the first horror movie, the French film Le Manor du Diable depicts an encounter with the Devil and his assistants by two cavaliers. Spectres, skeletons, bats, and tricks abound as they teleport on and off screen.
Melies, a magician and toy maker by trade, is mostly known for his 1902 film A Trip to the Moon,where he puts a rocket in the moon’s eye. Wait, I thought that was The Smashing Pumpkins? Watching The Devil’s Castle does remind me that I need to revisit Scorsese’s loving homage to Georges, Hugo.
Upon release, this film was intended for amusement, and that is likely how audiences viewed it even back then. It’s probably creepy now because of the thought of it being so old and the overall look of it. Clocking in at a whopping 3 minutes and 22 seconds, an epic for that time, it was consequently responsible for the first theater disturbing pee break. In all seriousness, this short film really is a wonder, to think about someone doing effects work in editing over 100 years ago. Set a moment aside and watch it on YouTube.
5. Willow Creek (2013)
Director Bobcat Goldthwait
Bobcat Goldthwait and found footage doesn’t exactly sound promising, but add Bigfoot, and this may just have a chance. A couple go on a trip to Willow Creek and heads into the forest in search of the famous Patterson-Gimlin filming location.
The two leads have chemistry and definitely act like a real couple, but this movie is a bit of a slog even by found footage standards. It does feel like a documentary, though, which, for the people involved, is likely a mission accomplished.
Most found footage films are famous for what they don’t show, and for Willow Creek, this is the case. It has a short runtime and, outside of a painfully slow part in a tent, stays moving. As a Bigfoot fan, though, the ratio of naked obese women to Bigfoot on screen was not in my favor. This Halloween, you can see it on Tubi or Amazon Prime if you must.
6. The Conjuring 2 (2016)
Director James Wan
Here comes the nun. Ed and Lorraine head across the pond to investigate London’s own Amityville horror.
The Hodgson family has a poltergeist problem. The Warrens are here to save the day.
James Wan can shoot! He always knows where to move the camera and when to go for a stunning shot or go grimy. He uses both to great effect here. The Conjuring 2 tells a pretty good ghost story, but it’s a bit more of a spooky fun house movie than the original. Still enjoyable though. On HBO Max or to rent on Amazon this Halloween.
7. Moon Garden (2022)
Director Ryan Steven Harris
After an accident leaves her comatose, 5-year-old Emma tracks through a dark, dreamy fantasy world to get back to reality.
Moon Garden does a great job of capturing the imagination of a child. It is loaded with awesome practical effects and Gilliamesque wonder. If you enjoy a mix of whimsy with your scare, check this colorful, sincere gem out. If Alex Proyas were asked to make a surreal hand-made industrial children’s film, it would look like this. Stream it on Prime.
