Dee-doo-doo-dee-doo-doo-dee-doo-dee-doo! This time we're doing not one, not two, but THREE spooky VHS selections with Sean's own specially curated "chillogy" (or "thrillogy") of select films in the Halloween series, specifically John Carpenter's classic 1978 original, Rick Rosenthal's direct sequel Halloween II, and Steve Miner's polished Halloween: H20, all starring Jamie Lee Curtis in her breakout role of Laurie Strode. Topics include Dean Cundey's beautiful cinematography, Donald Pleasance as Michael Myers' deranged hype man Dr. Loomis, the music, the masks, those other sequels, and so much more!
Posts filed under Halloween
Episode 35: THE WITCHES
Happy Halloween! For the spookiest month of the year, Lyndsey selects her VHS copy of 1990's The Witches, based on the Roald Dahl book of the same name and starring Angelica Huston as the grand high witch.
THIRTEEN FOR HALLOWEEN: Tapeheads Horror Picks on VHS!
With October finally upon us, there's nothing the hosts of Tapeheads like more than popping a few spooky tapes into the VCR to usher in the Halloween season!
Here are thirteen tapes to check out leading up to October 31st. Some of these films have been featured on our show, others have not. As the beloved VHS format died in 2006, you won't find contemporary treasures like Trick 'R Treat on this list, but the ghosts of these thirteen tapes can be found roaming your local yard sale.
Happy haunting!
1. Hocus Pocus (1993)
Covered in our 10th episode, Hocus Pocus is the perfect kiddie-friendly Halloween flick to ease you into the spooky season.
2. Pumpkinhead (1989)
Kick it up a notch with Lance Henriksen awakening an ancient revenge demon (and instantly regretting it).
3. Frankenstein (1931)
Despite its many differences from the novel, James Whale’s classic is still the definitive film adaptation of Mary Shelley's masterpiece, with Boris Karloff giving an unforgettable performance as The Monster.
4. Amityville 4: The Evil Escapes (1989)
This campy made-for-TV entry in the long-running Amityville Horror series focuses on a possessed lamp. No, seriously.
That damn lamp from Amityville 4: The Evil Escapes.
5. Ginger Snaps (2000)
If our American Werewolf in London episode whetted your appetite for wolves, check out this excellent horror flick about a death-obsessed Canadian girl who runs afoul of a werewolf.
6. The Witches (1990)
A never-better Angelica Huston is the grand high witch... and she wants to turn all the kids in England into mice! Listen to the episode here!
7. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
George A. Romero’s racially-charged zombie classic only gets better (and more relevant) with age.
8. Child's Play (1988)
As you may recall from our Child's Play episode, Chucky is one of the meanest (and chattiest) slashers out there. Give his inaugural feature a watch and maybe even pop in some of those sequels too!
Meet Chucky, your friend 'til the end from Child's Play!
9. Idle Hands (1999)
It may just be Evil Dead II’s "possessed hand" gag stretched to feature length, but this late-nineties horror comedy is extremely entertaining.
10. Dead of Night (1945)
The 1940’s gave us one of the best horror anthology films of all time, right up there with Trick 'R Treat and Creepshow! This one gets bonus points for a truly chilling wraparound story too.
11. Jeepers Creepers II (2003)
If you can, try to forget the serious controversy surrounding this film's director and enjoy this silly sequel on its own terms: a huge bat monster slaughtering a bunch of dumb kids on a school bus.
Jeepers Creepers II: That's Not A Scarecrow!
12. Scream (1996)
In 1996, the late master of horror Wes Craven gave us a self-knowing slasher masterpiece. This Halloween season, it's due for a re-watch.
13. Halloween (1978)
Needless to say, John Carpenter’s original classic is the perfect horror film for October 31st. For extra credit, do what we did in Episode 36 and make it a triple feature with Rick Rosenthal’s immediate follow-up Halloween II and Steve Miner’s woefully underrated Halloween: H20.
Episode 10: HOCUS POCUS
In another very special Halloween episode, Lyndsey selects the wild and witchy Disney tape Hocus Pocus, starring Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy as the dreaded Sanderson sisters, with supporting turns from Omri Katz, Thora Birch, and Charles Rocket. Boo!
Talking points: Fuller House taping at AT&T Park. The Mystery of the Mary-Kate and Ashley Cruise Ship Cake Smash. Trailer talk. Children's sports movies. Hocus Pocus as a cult movie. Why was this released in July? Quick recap. Virgin. Salem. Fish out of water. California dude. Binx the cat. Child actors that aren't annoying. Ice and Jay. Billy Butcherson. Another racist children's horror movie. Gary Marshall as Satan. Hocus Pocus as a made-for-TV movie. Casting choices. Buy it/rent it/tape over it. James Bond.
Episode 09: DOUBLE, DOUBLE, TOIL AND TROUBLE
Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen use witchcraft to fight evil Cloris Leachman as Sean makes an out-of-character selection in a very special Halloween episode of Tapeheads.
Talking points: The kids of today aren't getting spooked. An in-depth history of the Olsen Twins and Dualstar. Stilted performances. Trailer talk. A Little Princess. The Secret Garden. Black Beauty. Babies at Play. The Adventures of Mary-Kate and Ashley. Our First Video. Sleepover Party. The fan club. To Grandmother's House We Go. Quick recap. Children's Halloween party. Phil Fondacaro as Oskar the Clown. Asian jack-o-lantern. The hidden connection between Aunt Agatha and Lynn. The troubling Mr. N. Is this movie racist? Jurgen Wolff. Stranger danger. Witches gathering. Setting the clock forward. Lack of witch costumes. Buy it/rent it/tape over it. More witches.
