This Is Halloween 4! - A Bit of 80's Randomness

Well, we’re getting closer to All Hallow’s Eve, so it’s time to get back into posting about some horror movies. Today’s bunch is a random lot from the 1980’s. I have a couple of more posts about a somewhat beloved franchise coming up, so I wanted to get these added since they don’t really tie in at all. The only hint I can give is that this franchise involves cool ladies surviving the odds. Yes, that is quite vague!

I’ve been meaning to talk about a couple of these for years, so now is the best time to do so. It’s a mixture of overall weirdness. We got vampires, sexy were-cats, de-evolving scientists, and even more sexy werewolves... the 1980’s were weird. First, it’s The Lost Boys from 1987 because I might as well get the best out of the way. Next is Altered States from 1980, a movie straddling the fence between sci-fi and horror. Next is a new viewing for me. For some reason, Cat People from 1982 piqued my interest. Finally, I save the “best” for last with Howling 2: Your Sister is a Werewolf from 1985. 

The Lost Boys

Lost Boys was released in 1987 and was directed by Joel Schumacher. I ended up showing it to Liz last week since Andy was visiting his aunt, and he doesn’t do scary just yet. We already learned that with Vampire Diaries. Anyway, the movie revolves around a divorced mom and her teenage sons moving to  the “Murder Capital of the World.” Folk have been going missing or dying without reason, and the boys find out why. Michael (Jason Patric) falls for a local girl and gets pulled into a motorcycle gang of vampires. Meanwhile, Sam (Corey Haim) ends up getting involved with a couple of young vampire slayers.

So, the boys are either thinking about the cute girl or the awesome saxophone player. I was probably thinking about both when I saw this movie.

It's been years since I’ve watched this, and it still rocks. I can see why someone said that Joel Schumacher needed to direct a Batman film because this is cool, dark, and campy all at the same time. It’s full of an awesome cast of fun characters. Michael and Sam are good as our protagonists, we get a tag team of hilarious vampire hunters in Edgar and Allen (ha ha), and the vampire gang led by David (Kiefer Sutherland) are some fun villains if you ignore the outrageous mullets.

Look, I said with Flatliners, and I’m saying it here… where was this Schumacher during the Batman movies? He would’ve rocked!

The tone varies from dark to cheesy in a good way. We’re deal with these dank vampires and laugh at the absurdity of the Frog brothers. The whole look of the film works as well. I also got to credit the soundtrack for bringing the eeriness and the funk. Who knew that a shirtless, mulleted buff dude could bring the funk? There’s really nothing wrong with the movie. The story isn’t too deep and it kinda ends abruptly, but those are really the only issues I have. If you haven’t watched this, you’re doing yourself a disservice.

Altered States

Altered States was released in 1980. I somehow watched most of this movie on TV years ago when I was a kid. Some of it stuck with me for some reason. I didn’t know the title back then, so it took me years to find out what it was and eventually watch it in full on HBO Max. It stars William Hurt as Eddie Jessup, a scientist who’s trying to unlock his layered consciousness using some drugs and an isolation chamber. As he keeps on doing these experiments on himself, he starts to go through changes. Even when his family and colleagues try to sway him from doing these experiments, Eddie keeps on and these mental and physical changes get much worse for everyone.

If you're wondering, his hallucinations get much worse. Imagine a weird goat.

Who knew that taking psychotropic drugs and chilling in a hyperbaric chamber could be so bad? While I can’t call it great, it was an interesting watch. We got Hurt playing a guy who basically wants to know the secrets of the universe, and he’s willing to do anything to get those answers. It was his first credited role, and he played it well. I also liked his wife, Emily (Blair Brown), since she tries to tie him down to some normalcy. We get to see their relationship come together and go through some trying times mainly because of Eddie’s obsession with his work. Their story is the better part of the movie for me.

At least William Hurt (RIP) got to engage in some Hulk-like transformations.

As Eddie goes through his experiments, he sees some pretty trippy visions and ends up going through some really freakish transformations. While the movie didn’t fare well with some special effects, the practical transformations were nice. The ending is also one hell of a trip. Think a darker version of A-Ha’s “Take on Me” music video. I don’t have too many qualms about the movie. It does throw a lot of concepts at you added in with the trippiness, and it doesn’t always pan out well. Still, the weirdness and the love story made this one a decent watch for me. I’d skip the LSD for this one though.

Cat People

Cat People was released in 1982 and is a new watch for me. Honestly, the only reason I thought this might be a watch was because Annette O’Toole was in it, and let’s say it was a bit surprising on that front. In the movie, a young woman named Irena (Nastassja Kinski) comes to New Orleans to meet her long lost brother, Paul (Malcom McDowell). While she’s getting to know her kinda clingy brother, she gets a job and falls in love with the local zoologist. Things take a turn for the worst when she finds out that she and her brother aren’t exactly normal. Insert death, leopards, sex, 80’s synth, and David Bowie. You gotta have Bowie!

You know things are awry when Malcom McDowell is that close behind you. Irena, RUN!

Saying that this movie is weird is an understatement. The movie is a remake of the 1942 classic and adds that 80’s flair to it with the horror, synth music, and pretty women. I thought the acting from everyone was pretty good with Malcolm McDowell being the highlight. Kinski also does a good job as Irena, and I’m not saying that because she pretty ether. She helps carry this weird and sometimes off-putting movie. It tries to deal with some darker subjects, and it’s mostly handled well. I don’t know how one can handle incest other than with a quick “ew”.

Yep, we got Clark Kent's mom and Kevin McCallister's dad in one movie Let's just hope Kevin and Clark didn't watch this movie.

The special effects are well done here for 1982. We get some practical, well-placed cuts and good prosthetics. The music adds to the moodiness, and we got a nice incorporation of David Bowie’s “Cat People” here. David Bowie and erotic horror go together well for some reason. One qualm I had about the film is that it takes so long for them to get moving. The first half of the movie moves so slowly, but things do pick up in the second half. It is a bit a gratuitous with the nudity and violence, so I’m letting you know now. Overall, it’ an interesting, weird film.

Howling 2: Your Sister is a Werewolf

Finally, I must add a bad movie to the bunch. Howling 2 was released in 1985, a few years after the original Howling. That first one may be the only good Howling movie because the rest aren’t too good. My dad’s a werewolf fan, so I’ve seen the first one, this one, Howling 4, Howling 5, and Howling 6. This movie picks up after the first movie with Ben (Reb Brown) finding out that his dead sister became a werewolf. Ben is approached by Stefan Croscoe (Christopher Lee!), a mysterious man, about all of this. They, along with another reporter, go to Transylvania to stop Stierba, an immortal Werewolf queen who wants to take over and cause havoc.

Why yes, this is a movie where Captain America and Count Dracula join forces to kill a hot werewolf witch.

This is a horrible movie, but it is one heck of a “fun” time! If you were a fan of the original Howling, you have my condolences. The list of good things here is low but it’s something. The only person who seems to be giving his all is Christopher Lee because he really steals the show as this mysterious werewolf hunter. I can give a little credit to Reb Brown and Cybil Danning for making it a little more interesting. You’ll see what I mean when concerning Danning. Also, I gotta give props to the new wave group, Babel, for making a memorable and catchy theme song.

I know that Christopher Lee later apologized to the original Howling director for starring in this, but he does his best to make it all work. Sir Lee, you rocked!

After that, it turns to garbage. Outside of Lee, the acting is horrible. The reporter lady served no purpose other than giving us some more bad acting. The story is so wacky especially when compared to the first movie. The werewolves feel more like vampires here since Stefan starts pulling out metal stakes and holy water! The special effects are cheap and tacky. Even the werewolves looked horrible since they looked like they were wearing gorilla costumes at times. The nudity is tacky and gratuitous, but I guess some scuzzball would like that. Overall, I say skip it and watch The Spoony One’s pretty hilarious review on YouTube. If you must watch it, don’t do it around the kids.

This movie is so extra in the worst way, but I can't hate it.

………………………………………….

In the end, the 80’s were a fun and weird time. We have one awesome movie, two generally decent movies, and a movie that is quite horrid. Still, there’s fun to be had with all four of them. I will say that they aren’t really family-friendly. Lost Boys is close, but you still got violence and some swearing. Well, I gotta try to get some sleep since Aaron will be waking both of us up at some point. Next time will be a step into some sci-fi horror. Until then, Peace, God Bless, and be careful out there… It’s Election Season!