Welcome ladies and gentlemen, ghouls and ghosts, to the third round in this holiday edition of Film Club. With things coming to an end, we’ll have both the semi-finals, as well as the finals take place, right here, right now. It’s all below, so without further ado, let’s see who pushes their way into the finals, and from there, who wins it all to be crowned the king of Halloween.
First up we have Halloween Vs The Exorcist, another bit bout that will see one of these classics end up with a chance to win it all!
Branden Chowen – “Halloween. Why? Each round of this tournament to decide our favorite horror movie has had one match that some could argue could have been the finals. This round is no different, and I imagine this will be a much closer match up than the final round (where the winner of this match up is sure to clean house in the finals). The Exorcist is a wonderful movie that can scare its audience on his or her first viewing, or fifteenth viewing. Halloween is a horror classic that gave birth to the imitators like Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street, and even modern series like Saw. Unfortunately, one has to lose. Michael Myers is the most notorious serial killer in horror history, and without him, I not only wouldn’t be writing for IP Movies, I wouldn’t be as obsessed with the horror genre as I am today. Thanks to AMC and the marathons they play near this time of year, Michael Myers was keeping me up long before I knew who the Ghostface killer was (Scream). Halloween is a horror staple, and if I had to live without one of these films, it would have to be The Exorcist. Forgive me Linda Blair, but Halloween earns my vote.”
Well, that means in some bizarre way Halloween gave birth to you as well, doesn’t it? Doesn’t Mike Myers hunt his family members? Hm, maybe I shouldn’t have brought this point up on the Internet…though he doesn’t know how to use the Internet, does he?
Josh Begley – “Halloween: The Exorcist scares me more, but Halloween is still king for obvious reasons. The killer is iconic (I know, it’s hard to get more iconic than Satan, but I’m thinking of it in more of a pop culture kind of way), the scares great, and the pacing is faster. Kind of like The Mist, The Exorcist is a bit heavy for a goodtime Halloween night movie fest.”
And if Marty McFly has taught us anything, it’s that heavy things are usually bad things.
Jenny Rushing Alme – “Halloween! Michael Meyers is unstoppable! Just like Denzel Washington and Chris Pine. ;)”
Wait, is this the MTV Movie Awards? What’s with the random movie plug? I’ll let it slide this time, but you watch yourself missy!
Robert Saucedo – “John Carpenter created the perfect slasher film with his first entry in the Michael Myers’ film series. Straight and to the point, the series did not hassle with unnecessary baggage like motivation (that would come later in the series, unfortunately) — it was just about the instant terror of the thing that goes bump in the night. Halloween also has the right balance of scares throughout the film. The Exorcist is scary but it’s horror tends to be rear-loaded – making kids who attempt to watch more likely to loose interest before the film gets to the “good” stuff. Halloween, on the other hand, will scare kids from moment one and not let go. And really, isn’t this all about scaring kids in the end?”
Well saod Rob, well said. In the end, isn’t everything about scaring kids? And with that, Halloween TKOs The Exorcist, and surprising to some, but likely not many, finds itself in the finals of this competition.
Finally we have Trick ‘r Treat taking on The Mist. Both films could be considered the underdogs of the tournament, and yet here they are, battling it out for a spot in the finals against Halloween. Let’s hear what the judges have to say.
Robert Saucedo – “As much as I love Trick ‘r’ Treat as a great fluffy horror movie that captures the Halloween spirit, I am in love with Frank Darabont’s take on Stephen King’s story. Sure the film’s subdued use of creature effects are fun but the real meat of the story is the human terror that surfaces when the survivors are trapped in the supermarket story. It’s that religious ferocity and deadly suspicion that sends chills up my back.”
You’re in love with something that filled with deadly suspicion and sends chills up your back? Well, according to most talk shows this is actually your average marriage, so I guess it’s all good!
Josh Begley – “As much as I love The Mist, Trick’r Treat earns this one just by being so much fun. My wife and I recently bought it on Blu-ray and it was just as enjoyable–maybe even more so–as the first time we watched it. The Mist is great, but it’s a heavier movie and the sheer fun of Trick’r Treat makes it a better Halloween pick.”
While I understand your statements, and your points are all valid, I’d have to say that the actual weight of a film shouldn’t make or break your decision here. I mean, if a movie feels heavy to you, you may want to start working out or something…
Branden Chowen – “How in the world Saw lost to Trick’r Treat I’ll never understand, but that just leaves the door open for The Mist – the underdog that shocked in round one – to get a shoo-in to the finals. That isn’t to say that Trick’r Treat is a bad movie; on the contrary, in fact. It is a solid horror film, that has a good mix of comedy and never takes itself too seriously. One of the coolest looking bad guys in recent horror comes from Trick’r Treat (the cover character), but this isn’t enough to justify it being a better movie than The Mist. I had low expectations heading into The Mist, and I was pleasantly blown away. The female religious zealot is one of the most despicable characters I can remember in a Stephen King adaptation, and is wonderfully acted by Marcia Gay Harden. Her performance alone would set The Mist over Trick’r Treat. Some may find The Mist’s ending a bit melodramatic, but it didn’t feel out of place for me, given the rest of the film. Trick’r Treat is a good movie, but The Mist is great, which is why I give my vote to The Mist.”
That’s it. You and Rob went from being arch Film Club rivals in your opinions to becoming sidekicks! Will no match to come break up this rocky new friendship that I’ve created from nothing more than quotes for my own personal amusement?
Mike Noyes – “Trick’r Treat.”
Wait, are you voting, or are you dressed up like a Care Bear and at my door right now with a bag?
And on that note, with the rest of the votes tabulated, these two underdogs have battled it out to our first ever DRAW. It looks like our first ever Film Club will feature our first ever Triple Threat main event!
And after all of that, it comes down to this moment: Who will walk away the ultimate Halloween film of all-time? Which is the one horror film that can’t be missed each and every year? We’ve got three fantastic selections, and while only one can win, I’m sure the true winners here are the readers, as both Trick’r Treat and The Mist may walk out of here with more fans than they had before, and likely a good handful of people who haven’t even heard of one, or both of them, that are now willing to go give them a chance.
Do so, and do so quickly, as you won’t be disappointed by either film. Both are brilliant, and both are worthy to be going up against the original, the creator, the man who’s so scary and deserving of the spot he’s in now that they named his movie after the holiday he’s trying to win. Will he do it? Will one of these underdogs do the impossible? Let’s find out. Judges?
Mike Noyes – “Halloween!!!!! No contest!!!!!!!”
Whoa Mike, calm down there. All I gave you were some pop rocks and half a granola bar, how’d you get this hyper this quickly? Ah well, suppose it doesn’t matter, as we’re almost done here for the day, so you can take a nap when you come off the sugar high.
Josh Begley – “Halloween. As much as I enjoyed the other movies, this one is synonymous with the holiday for me, and not just because of the name. I figure I don’t need to go any further in my explanation because I’ll just be repeating myself.”
No need at all Josh. We all now know your true fears and will happily act upon them in the future whenever we can get our hands on a white mask and an old mechanics jumpsuit.
Jenny Rushing Alme – “Halloween is the obvious choice, which makes it not as interesting. It will seem like a cop out answer to this long game we’ve been playing. Trick r Treat hasn’t been out long enough to win the top spot. The Mist is the perfect choice for 2010 because:
1. Frank Darabont wrote the screenplay and directed, who’s The Walking Dead is getting great ratings on AMC.
2. Rob Saucedo did a Thomas Jane tribute at his Halloween marathon at the Alamo Drafthouse (West Oaks Mall location).
3. Thomas Jane is one of the most underrated, underused actors out there.
4. Creatures be damned, Marcia Gay Harden is one of the scariest villains of all time.
5. The ending STILL makes me want to cry and gives me shivers just thinking about it.
6. Stephen King wrote a different ending, and thought Darabont’s was far superior.
The Mist, all the way!”
What valid points you bring up, as even Stephen King himself is a big fan of Darabont’s film, as well as the final portion people keep talking about. That’s not something that happens every day either!
Robert Saucedo – “Wow, what a tough choice. All three films are amazing in their own right but — when push comes to shove — I’ve got to go with Frank Darabont’s story of survival. And really, it all comes down to that final, unmentionable scene. Devastating in its horror, it’s what sets The Mist apart from the rest of the crowd.”
That’s two for The Mist, and it looks like poor ol’ Sam will have to continue to prove himself as the Prince of Halloween, because right now, the crown is being decided in a battle between Thomas Jane and Mike Myers. “Yeah baby, yeah!”
Branden Chowen – “What an interesting tournament this has become. This is the same tournament that had Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and The Exorcist involved, and the finals have come down to a Stephen King adaptation, a direct-to-DVD horror anthology, and the King of horror movies. Not only does this tell me there is an eclectic bunch at IP Movies, but also that the correct movie is going to win. That movie is, of course, the King itself, Halloween. Michael Myers is a household name, and stands on a much higher level than the other two movies. John Carpenter’s masterpiece may have been voted out (The Thing), but his legacy will be right it should be by the end of this tournament: on top.”
Ladies and gentlemen, this one is OVER! No, I’m not talking about the tournament, although that has come to an end as well, I’m talking about the unified team of Chowen and Saucedo, who have once again become Film Club: Halloween Edition rivals with Chowen delivering the killing blow to Frank Darabont’s masterpiece of a film.
It was a close battle, and a shocking one, with Frank Darabont’s The Mist so incredibly close to upsetting the entire board and walking away with the prize. As I stated before, the film truly is a winner today, as well as Trick’r Treat, and a few others that people may have learned about just through Film Club. Make no mistake about it, all sixteen films voted on today are worth your time, so go grab some popcorn and prepared to get scared!
