Gabe’s Haunted Double-Features: October 9th

IT (2017)

There was a LOT of hype for this remake. In an era where most movies are reboots, remakes or loose reinterpretations, this had a very thin margin of error. One of Stephen King’s more popular books-turned-film, IT is a surprisingly deep story that doesn’t bother to fill in a lot of information about origins and such but instead, makes you live through the moment. I dig that sometimes. It’s like after watching the very first ‘Matrix’ film, you are left with a TON of questions about where everything came from and how it exists in the current timeline. IT is the story of a killer clown, well an alien posing as a clown, who terrorizes the town of Derry, Maine once every 23 years. Pretty simple concept but here’s where it takes a fun twist. The clown isn’t nearly the only form that IT takes on during the filming.

It’s later explained that it does whatever it can to scare it’s victims because the taste of fear on them makes them yummier to consume. Simple, but I can’t fault anyone for wanting more seasoning. If you have time, I’d recommend watching the first part of the original mini-series because Tim Curry is a delight. The second half of the 1990 series is awful. The kids who play “The Losers Club” in this remake all do pretty well considering there is a disproportionate amount of character building between them.

Spoopy Fact: Stephen King bases all of his stories in Maine. Oh, and the cosmic being that is the universal balance of “IT” is a giant space turtle. Look it up.

 

All Hallows’ Eve (2013)

This one was off of my radar for a very long time but it wasn’t until I watched one of it’s spin-off films (‘Terrifier’- also a fun watch) that I was pulled into the world of this anthology flick. This collection of three films is intense. Less relying on writing and story than it is on shock. Sometimes, that’s what I want in a scary movie. I just want it to feel relentless and for the most part, these stories are reliant more on set pieces than universe building. It is also worth noting that the film was never theatrically released.

The thread that ties all the stories together is the character of Art the Clown. He is sort of the unofficial mascot. He is silent and creepy. The perfect combination for a scary clown. If you are squeamish or sensitive to some intense subject matter, this may be one to skip. But if you want a good scare to end the night, check this one out.

Spoopy Fact: Art the Clown’s stand-alone film ‘Terrifier’ was created almost three years after the character was introduced.