October Horror Challenge - Tales of Halloween (2015)

I'd say a majority of the movies I've talked about this month could be considered "Underrated." I thought I'd talk about a horror anthology I never see folks talking about. Though the stories tend to me more humorous in nature, I feel Tales of Halloween is a spiritual sequel to Trick'R'Treat. 

Plot

This anthology film features 10 interwoven shorts taking place on Halloween night. Adrienne Barbeau serves as the town's DJ and her voice connects the tales.

Review

This one is a who's who of horror.

Sweet Tooth: After trick-or-treating, Mikey is told about a local urban legend, Sweet Tooth. A child that murdered his parents and ate the candy from their stomachs, Sweet Tooth is now a monster the goes trick or treating. This is a solid short and Sweet Tooth is a great monster.

The Night Billy Raised Hell: Dressed as the Devil, Billy tries to trick-or-treat early and is talked into pranking his neighbor (played by Barry Bostwick). His neighbor, actually a demon named Mr. Abbadon, catches him and decided to show him the true meaning of trick. The pair head through the town wreaking havoc on all that try to enjoy the holiday. The ending has a fun twist.   Barry Bostwick is amazing in this one and Adrianne Curry has a nice cameo as herself. This one was directed by Repo! The Genetic Opera and Saw II director, Darren Lynn Bousman.

Trick: Two couples are drinking and getting stoned on Halloween night when they are slowly and brutally picked off by trick or treaters. This one is really nasty, but has a fantastic twist.

The Weak and the Wicked: Three bullies attempt to torture a teen, when another dressed as a demon interrupts them. He hands the lead bully a piece of paper and warms them that a demon will "spilled the blood of the wicked where the wicked have harmed the weak." After a chase to the remains of a trailer, we learn the bullies killed the teen's parents in a fire. The Demon of All Hallow's Eve is summoned to get retribution. This was a cool idea. I love the final shot. 

Grim Grinning Ghost: Lynn leaves a party hosted by her mother (horror icon, Lin Shaye). Actually the party is full of horror icons, including Mick Garris, Barbara Crampton, Stuart Gordon, and Lisa Marie. As she heads home she finds herself being followed by the ghost her mother spoke of. Honestly, besides the cameos, I thought this one was just kind of dull. 

Ding Dong: Jack (Marc Senter) is the submissive husband to Bobbie (Pollyanna McIntosh), a demonic witch that longs to be a mother. Not wanting a child to be mistreated as he is, Jack does his best to stop Bobbie from kidnapping a child. This one was directed by Lucky McKee, who also directed May and The Woman. 

This Means War: Boris (Dana Gould) is an old school Halloween fan who's known for his elaborate traditional decorations, which he hasn't changed in 20 years. When his neighbor (James Duval) across the street interferes with folks coming to his house because of his loud, gory displays, the two neighbors go to war. This is hands down my favorite segment. I love Duval and Gould and this just fun as hell.

Friday the 31th: A Jason/Leatherface serious killer hunts and kills a teen. A small alien beams down and tries to trick or treat. When the alien continues to ask, it is stomped by the slasher. This doesn't kill it though and it animates the teen's corpse. The pair then fight, hacking away at each other. Didn't see this one coming. The alien has an adorable Claymation design. 

The Ransom of Rusty Rex: Hand (Star Wars' Sam Witwer) and Dutch (Jose Pablo Cantillo) kidnap millionaire Jebediah Rex's (John Landis) son Rusty. The pair quickly find they've fucked up because Rusty is a monster that will not leave them alone. This entry has grown on me over the years. 

Bad Seed: A genetically modified super-pumpkin goes on a killing spree. This one ends the film and if you listen closely, you find out how some of the stories turned out. It's an insane, but entertaining way to close out the movie and was directed by the director of The Descent and Dog Soldiers, Neil Marshall.

In Your Game: 

Killer Pumpkin (Plant Abomination)
Armor Class: 12
Hit Dice: 2
Move: 12
Actions: 1
Attack: Bite (d6)
Special: On a natural attack roll of 20, the target must make a Critical Saving throw of be decapitated as the Killer Pumpkin bites their head off.
Bonuses: +2 to Attack rolls

Alignment: Evil

Morale: 7

Madness: - 
Terror: 10

HDE: 2

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First Time View: 3

Total Watched (Including Non-Challenge Horror Movies): 22