Halloween Discussion Forums, Costumes, Horror!

Every year I run a Halloween Film. This is my 9th year and I thought it might be fun to get input from Halloween fans on this board and to share what goes into the festival. I will apologize in advance for the long post.

There’s a very good chance that whatever your favorite is, it isn’t here. That’s because I have guideline that’s really more of rule about not running the same film very often. I do make exceptions but not very often.

Also my criteria for picking films is a little different. It’s not straight up horror. This is mainly because back in the day (which for me is the 60’s) there was a very cool program called Sci-Fi Theater that ran locally every Saturday and they ran classic SF films and monster movies so some of those make the cut. In addition, I am not a huge fan of slasher films. I have ran Halloween in the past and I am doing Nightmare on Elm Street this year but in general, I am not a fan. Nothing wrong with them, just not for me.

Here’s this year’s schedule:

2006 9th Annual Rugerian Hell-O-Ween Film Festival
Start - Stop - Title - Date - Running Time

FRIDAY 27th
7:00 - 8:45 - Deep Blue Sea (1998) 105
9:00 - 10:31 - Phantoms (1998) 91
10:45 - 12:15 - Warlock (1991) 90

SATURDAY 28th
8:00 - 9:40 - Mysterious Island (1961) 100
9:45 - 11:39 - Gattaca (1997) - 106
11:45 - 1:18 - Day of the Triffids (1963) - 93
1:30 - 3:40 - Andromeda Strain (1971) - 131
3:45 - 5:16 - Quiet Earth (1985) - 91
5:30 - 6:17 - Call of Cthulhu (2005) - 47
6:18 - 7:00 - Dinner
7:00 - 9:05 - Silent Hill (2006) - 125
9:15 - 10:46 - Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) - 91
11:00 - 12:31 - Undead (2003) - 97
12:46 2:16 - Lost Skeleton of Cadevra (2001) 90

SUNDAY 29th
10:00 - 11:46 - Underworld: Evolution (2006) - 106
12:00 - 2:11 - War of the Worlds (2005) - 121
2:15 - 3:46 - Dead Birds (2005) 91
4:00 - 5:46 - It Came From Outer Space (1951) - 81
6:00 - 7:00 - Dinner
7:00 - 8:51 - Alien vs. Predator (2004) - 101
9:00 - 10:53 - House of Wax (2005) - 113



I will do separate posts to talk about the films, why they were chosen, art selection, music choices and menu planning. I hope you find it interesting as I do writing about it, but if not then this a good thread to skip.

In addition to the festival I do a Souvenir soundtrack CD and this year I came up with two main contenders so I am also creating a separate thread for poll on which of the two candidates you Halloween folk like best.

Here’s a link:

http://www.halloween.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=2865#2865

More Dog Soldiers, all the time.

No Dog Soldiers this year, maybe next year. If people vote for it anyway.

Deep Blue Sea (1999) – Deep Blue Sea or “Smart Sharks” is a film in the classic tradition of “Nature Gone Awry” like the Them, Day of the Tarantulas and the Deadly Mantis or any other film where giant smart critters demote man to the bottom of the food chain. Although, nature again does have some help in this case from some overzealous and ambitious scientists who just can’t see, to stop attempting to know things that man was not meant to know.

The basic plot revolves around a remote state-of-the-art ocean research facility off the coast of Baja, Mexico, the crew is in the midst of a study on sharks. The sharks hold the key to a possible cure for Alzheimer's disease and other brain dysfunctions. The scientists have enlarged the brains of the beasts, making them smarter and faster. Sharks are considered one of nature’s best honed killing machines and making them faster and smarter, well, doesn’t seem too bright. But hubris will out and, of course, things go wrong. (After Jurassic Park we routinely expect any remote facility to collapse and we are seldom disappointed.)

Renny Harlin is capable action director and this film was an attempt to recapture some of his box office clout that had been stripped away by disappointing box office receipts for previous films. He takes no chances with the plot and certainly strains credibility with his clever fish. Saying that the smartest guys in the facility are the sharks is very cliché but nonetheless true. But Harlin delivers the goods and provides viewers with a big action picture that rooms from set piece to set piece, cut with some pretty good dialogue. It is witty and snappy, as we have come to expect from action films and some of the lines are quite good.

LL Cool J does a good turn as a character actor and Samuel L. Jackson does his thing, which is always fun to watch, as people who saw Snakes on a Plane will tell you. Saffron Burrows is attractive enough but not convincing as a research scientist. She seems a little light to carry off that much brain power.

The sharks are CGI and aren’t bad, certainly more convincing than Bruce in Jaws. The sets look great and convincing but the idea that this was sub base in World War II is ridiculous.

I choose this film to open the festival because I like to open with a film that is fast paced and light. This gets the attendees in the mood and if you need to hit the buffet, you won’t miss anything important in plot (ha!).

I <heart> smart sharks!