I usually try to recommend good movies to check out but this time I recommend a bad one. Although, this is way into the “entertainingly bad” section. The movie is filled with padding, the acting as awful, and there are a few things that don’t make much sense. If you love unintentional comedies, this one is for you.
I’m a big fan of M Night. His directing is amazing compared to so many directors that don’t get half the flak he does. He continues to make unique, original movies in a time where there is nothing but remakes and rampant unoriginality.
The movies I have come from all over. I got a tons of VHS movies from when West Coast Video and Hollywood videos were going out of business. I bought tons more from flea markets. There was a place nearby that had a warehouse full of ex-rental VHS tapes that they sold dirt cheap. Also, ebay.
I have Laserdiscs and some CED Videodiscs.
If the movie is on DVD I try to use that because the quality is obviously better and often it is in widescreen. However, some are so rare that they never made the jump.
Even though the source for this was an old VHS I’m pretty sure it will never be on DVD. With a name like Hack-O-Ween I just had to do it for this year’s all horror October.
I’m guessing the “comedian” is the director’s brother. Or his daughter’s boyfriend or something. I mean, this has all the hallmarks of low-budget 80’s slasher fair, and a relative/friend being given an inexplicable cameo fits in just as well as random nudity and Karo syrup.
And that title. My God, but that’s a perfect title. When I was a kid, the local video store had two partitioned off areas of videos. One was the adult movies which, for some reason, had swinging saloon doors, and the other was horror which was sectioned off with these awesomely cheesy plastic chains hanging down from the door frame. I was always too chicken to rent horror (and too young to ever see the porn room), but I loved looking in the horror section because they always had the best box covers. I picture this one having a jack-o-lantern with an axe through it and blood oozing out.
The comedian was a guy named Bill Tucker. I agree he was either related to the director in some way or the director thought he was so funny he decided to give him a big spotlight in the movie. I wanted to show his whole set because it was so awful. He goes on to do all these bad jokes about girls in nudie magazines and this terrible impression of a turkey a few days before Thanksgiving. I think what made it stand out from other random cameos is the length. It goes on for 3-4 uninterrupted minutes, in what should be heading towards the third act. If you are gearing up for the big finale the last thing you want to do is slow the pace down for no reason. (on the plus side, it just added to to epic badness of this film)
I bought the film on title alone. I saw it and I knew I had to have it.
LOL! My video store had the swinging saloon doors too! I think it must have been the standard for the time. They didn’t have the horror sectioned off but for some reason they did have some movies behind the counter you had to ask for. One was a very weird movie called Liquid Sky. They were movies considered “hard R” which is the only time I ever heard that term.
Horror has some of the best covers. I think in many cases they spent more on the cover than on the movie. There are some that stuck with me for years before I finally saw the movie. The cover for Rest in Pieces scared the crap out of me as a kid and I didn’t see it until years later. Same with Phenomena but that was more so because bugs freak me the hell out.
I remember a standee for Dead Alive. It had a section in the mouth that you were supposed to put your hand in and get candy. I never did have the nerve for it.
Really? That’s sweet! I never saw a standee for Dead Alive.
I used to have one for Independence Day that was huge. It was one of the alien ships over a building. It had this laser that lit up and all the windows in the building would glow like it was being destroyed. It was awesome. Unfortunately, it was ruined in one of the times I moved.
I still have a wonderful standee for Leviathan I got in Canada. I have a bunch of other stuff but that is my only standee.
I wish I had gotten a chance to get it from them when they closed, but I didn’t have anywhere to store it. On the other hand, I did get my dad this awesome Iron Man from the toys r us I use to wageslave at. It dominates his toy room.
I hear ya. There are a few things I had to pass up because at the time I just didn’t have the room. Thankfully now I have a decent sized house and a wife that doesn’t mind when I bring home a 9 foot banner of Dogma.
He stand a good five feet. He was part of one of those displays you see when you first walk in the store when something is the featured toy. It was right when the first movie came out.
Cecil on said:
That’s fantastic. At least you got something super cool out of TRU. I know some folks that worked there and all they got was grief.
I never understood places like that where they would have cool stuff they could give to the employees but most of the time they have it destroyed. It’s like they just want to take their ball and go home.
follow:
Awesome, love these reviews. Keep them coming man!
Can’t believe you like M. Night Shyamalan though. Your reasons for why he’s a good director are a bit off.
Anyway, excellent review. So funny. Where do you find these movies? Do you just own them on VHS or something?
Thanks!
I’m a big fan of M Night. His directing is amazing compared to so many directors that don’t get half the flak he does. He continues to make unique, original movies in a time where there is nothing but remakes and rampant unoriginality.
The movies I have come from all over. I got a tons of VHS movies from when West Coast Video and Hollywood videos were going out of business. I bought tons more from flea markets. There was a place nearby that had a warehouse full of ex-rental VHS tapes that they sold dirt cheap. Also, ebay.
I have Laserdiscs and some CED Videodiscs.
If the movie is on DVD I try to use that because the quality is obviously better and often it is in widescreen. However, some are so rare that they never made the jump.
Even though the source for this was an old VHS I’m pretty sure it will never be on DVD. With a name like Hack-O-Ween I just had to do it for this year’s all horror October.
I’m guessing the “comedian” is the director’s brother. Or his daughter’s boyfriend or something. I mean, this has all the hallmarks of low-budget 80’s slasher fair, and a relative/friend being given an inexplicable cameo fits in just as well as random nudity and Karo syrup.
And that title. My God, but that’s a perfect title. When I was a kid, the local video store had two partitioned off areas of videos. One was the adult movies which, for some reason, had swinging saloon doors, and the other was horror which was sectioned off with these awesomely cheesy plastic chains hanging down from the door frame. I was always too chicken to rent horror (and too young to ever see the porn room), but I loved looking in the horror section because they always had the best box covers. I picture this one having a jack-o-lantern with an axe through it and blood oozing out.
The comedian was a guy named Bill Tucker. I agree he was either related to the director in some way or the director thought he was so funny he decided to give him a big spotlight in the movie. I wanted to show his whole set because it was so awful. He goes on to do all these bad jokes about girls in nudie magazines and this terrible impression of a turkey a few days before Thanksgiving. I think what made it stand out from other random cameos is the length. It goes on for 3-4 uninterrupted minutes, in what should be heading towards the third act. If you are gearing up for the big finale the last thing you want to do is slow the pace down for no reason. (on the plus side, it just added to to epic badness of this film)
I bought the film on title alone. I saw it and I knew I had to have it.
LOL! My video store had the swinging saloon doors too! I think it must have been the standard for the time. They didn’t have the horror sectioned off but for some reason they did have some movies behind the counter you had to ask for. One was a very weird movie called Liquid Sky. They were movies considered “hard R” which is the only time I ever heard that term.
Horror has some of the best covers. I think in many cases they spent more on the cover than on the movie. There are some that stuck with me for years before I finally saw the movie. The cover for Rest in Pieces scared the crap out of me as a kid and I didn’t see it until years later. Same with Phenomena but that was more so because bugs freak me the hell out.
I remember a standee for Dead Alive. It had a section in the mouth that you were supposed to put your hand in and get candy. I never did have the nerve for it.
Really? That’s sweet! I never saw a standee for Dead Alive.
I used to have one for Independence Day that was huge. It was one of the alien ships over a building. It had this laser that lit up and all the windows in the building would glow like it was being destroyed. It was awesome. Unfortunately, it was ruined in one of the times I moved.
I still have a wonderful standee for Leviathan I got in Canada. I have a bunch of other stuff but that is my only standee.
I wish I had gotten a chance to get it from them when they closed, but I didn’t have anywhere to store it. On the other hand, I did get my dad this awesome Iron Man from the toys r us I use to wageslave at. It dominates his toy room.
I hear ya. There are a few things I had to pass up because at the time I just didn’t have the room. Thankfully now I have a decent sized house and a wife that doesn’t mind when I bring home a 9 foot banner of Dogma.
How big is the Iron Man?
He stand a good five feet. He was part of one of those displays you see when you first walk in the store when something is the featured toy. It was right when the first movie came out.
That’s fantastic. At least you got something super cool out of TRU. I know some folks that worked there and all they got was grief.
I never understood places like that where they would have cool stuff they could give to the employees but most of the time they have it destroyed. It’s like they just want to take their ball and go home.