Tuesday's Overlooked Film, "Maximum Overdrive"

Tuesday's Overlooked theme of killer cars rolls on (see what I did there?) with the 1986 Stephen King vehicle (I did it again!) Maximum Overdrive.

The movie is about a strange mist (what is it about Stephen King and mists?) that covers the entire planet and grants all forms of electronic technology the ability to think for itself. The machines, of course, opt to be evil and revolt against humanity. No machines get more satisfaction out of this than automobiles, which wreck havoc on the desert town the movie focuses on. It's up to Emilio Estevez and his ragtag band of townsfolk to wrestle control back from the vehicles, most notably a nasty tractor trailer that bears the hideous grin of the Green Goblin from Marvel Comics. Costars include Pat Hingle (Batman) and Yeardley Smith (The Simpsons).

Subtlety goes out the car window with this one, as the cars destroy every human they can as brutally as possible. You can tell King, making his directorial debut here, is having a blast killing off the humans with fiendish glee. If you enjoy  horror that goes straight for the jugular--literally--this will be up your alley.

Here is the film's trailer, which King chews up defiantly. Enjoy!

Bunnicula the Vampire Rabbit (1982)

Starting off Week 3 of this year's Countdown to Halloween is the 1982 animated adaptation of the beloved children's book Bunnicula, The Vampire Rabbit.

Bunnicula is exactly what the title says he is, a vampire rabbit--who sucks the juice out of vegetables. There are worse types of vampires you could run into.

This one is strictly for the kids, or young at heart, so if you have little ones who would love some not-so-scary fun, this is a good bet.

Enjoy!

The Frozen Dead (1966)

What better way to kick off a Halloween weekend than with a cheesy horror movie? Today I offer the 1966 film The Frozen Dead. In this one, a mad scientist is keeping the bodies of Nazi soldiers frozen alive so he can revive them to strong young soldiers who can resurrect the Nazi movement to take over the world.

Sound outrageous? It is, and it's why it was chosen for an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000. Here is the movie in its original glory. The star is Dana Andrews, who obviously had fallen on hard times here from his days as a leading man in such high class films like Laura.

Have fun with this one, and have a great Halloween weekend. Enjoy!

"Halloween Party" School Film Strip from 1953

This is a cute school film strip created by Encyclopedia Britannica in 1953 to show school kids the proper way to celebrate Halloween in postwar, pre-rock 'n' roll America. I love stuff like this. It's a window to an America that, for better or worse (or both ways at the same time) doesn't exist anymore, yet you can feel the Halloween in this. 

It really emcompasses a children's sense of Halloween, which is more about candy and costumes rather than pumpkin spice lattes and Hellraiser movies--nothing against those things, or course. I love the innocence of this, and it's a feeling that I look for every time Halloween returns. I wasn't around in 1953, but this film strip and things like it are what really tickle my Halloween nostalgia spot.

Enjoy!

The Mighty Heroes, "The Scarecrow"

Today at the Countdown, I present one of many cartoons I have in the queue, this time featuring previous Countdown stars The Mighty Heroes!

Today, the Heroes fight the sinister Scarecrow and his army of straw monsters. As Count Floyd would say, "Scary kids!" Enjoy!

Tuesday's Overlooked Film, "The Car"

The second installment of Tuesday's Overlooked Film in this year's Countdown to Halloween continues the theme of "killer cars" established last week with Christine by featuring the 1977 horror movie The Car.

The plot is pretty straightforward: a mysterious killer car is, well, killing people for no apparent reason in a small Southwestern town, and it's up to the newly installed sheriff (James Brolin) to stop it. End of plot!

The driverless car doesn't have an origin--it kills because it can. The only hint as it its origin is it's unwillingness to drive onto consecrated ground. Apparently, the devil likes to drive a 1971 Lincoln Continental. The car, by the way, was customized for the movie by legendary Hollywood car designer George Barris, who also designed the Batmobile for the 1966 Batman TV series and the Dragula for The Munsters.

Here is the movie's trailer. Seems like a good flick to put on so you can laugh at it for an hour or two. Thanks!

Halloween TV Commercials 2016 Edition

We're already ten days into October, so the Halloween season will be over before we know it. Let's go full steam ahead into the Countdown from here on out.

Today I present my annual collection of Halloween TV commercials. Every commercial is either tied directly to Halloween or is at least in some way spooky, creepy, or even funny (in a spooky way). Roll that beautiful bean footage!

That's a gif of a skeleton juggling Funyuns, by the way.

Snickers has had several fun Halloween commercials in recent years. Here's another example!



In 1986 when this commercial aired, the influence of E.T. on popular culture was still in full force three years after its release. Here, an alien and an Elliot stand-in enjoy a bowl of Campbell's Soup.



Godzilla must be really parched, breathing fire all the time and whatnot. No wonder he wanted a Dr. Pepper so badly.



Back in the 90s, Pizza Hut let its pizza do the talking for itself--literally! Mr. Pizza Head was a staple of Pizza Hut advertising during that decade. Here is a Halloween-themed example.



This next commercial features two things that go perfectly with Halloween--Frankenstein and Reese's Cups.



The creatures in this commercial for Atari's Atlantis game don't play around!



Finally, the best Halloween commercials are often local commercials. They don't usually have the high production values of national commercials, but they more than make up for it in creativity and charm. A perfect example is this commercial for a company called iParty, based in New England. A spoof of old fashioned horror movies with a mad scientist, this commercial is funny and admirable for the length it goes to sell itself on a clearly small budget. I love it!



Thanks!