"Howl At The Moon" was today's prompt. Instead of watching a movie that was just a werewolf movie, I thought I'd watch one of my favorite Halloween movies, which has a werewolf story. Plus I need to have at least one Ohio movie in the mix.
Plot
Sinister things are out on Halloween in a small Ohio town. If you wish to survive, you'd do best to keep the ancient traditions.
Review
If you haven't watched this anthology, do so asap. It's a series of interwoven stories told in a non-linear fashion. There are some great faux comic covers and panels which is a nice nod to movies like Creepshow. I love how the stories connect and if you watch closely you'll see the characters cross paths. I also appreciate that no one is off limits. this one isn't afraid to kill kids. As I spoke in my Terrifier 3 post, that's normally a deal breaker, but I didn't mind the way it's done here. It didn't feel gratuitous. Plus this movie gave us Sam. He's my favorite Halloween character and I love that there's tons of Sam merch, even if there is only one movie featuring him. Now that I've got my overall thoughts out, I'll break this down by story.
Opening
Couple, Henry and Emma, return home from a night of drunken fun. Emma blows out a jack-o-lantern and this is where we're presented with our first rule of Halloween. I have to say of all the characters killed in this one (obviously outside of the bus children) I feel like Emma got the worst out of it. Other than not liking Halloween, she really didn't do anything deserving up the punishment she got. Yes she broke a rule, but what she got in return was excessive.
Principal
Principal Steven Wilkins (played by Dylan Baker) poisons a student from his school. While disposing of the body he's interrupted by his curmudgeon neighbor and son. Baker is fun in this one, as well as being quite sinister at times. I think of the stories, this was the most suspenseful for me (at least the last scene).
Halloween School Bus Massacre
A group of teens get a neurodivergent savant to do a ritual at the site of the local urban legend, the "Halloween School Bus Massacre." However, this is all a trick. This one is creepy because we see the massacre. I love Rhonda, the neurodivergent girl. Honestly, next to Sam, she's my favorite in the movie. Overall this is my favorite segment. The set up and setting is memorable and eerie.
Surprise Party
More spoilers in talking about the segment, but this is our werewolf story. This one stars Anna Paquin as a virginal young woman celebrating with her sister and her friends. On the way to the celebration she's stalked by a vampire. There are tons of werewolf references in this one and once you know what's happening, they're charming. Also, the vampire is a previously introduced character and its cool to see him go from predator to prey.
Sam
Principal Wilkins grumpy neighbor, Mr. Kreeg (played by Brian Cox). He's visited and terrorized by Sam. This is the most action packed segment which ends with a revelation about who Kreeg is that ties the stories up nicely. While we don't get any concrete details about who or what he is, we see that Sam seems to be immortal. Cox is fantastic in this one and is the kind of jerk you love to hate and see get his.
Conclusion
The closing segment gives us one more glimpse of the surviving characters and wraps the film back around to the beginning. The film ends perfectly with the line "trick or treat."
Your Game
Here are some spells and stats I've previously post on here.
New Spells - Always Check Your Candy, Jack-o-Lantern's Protection
New Monster Stats - School Bus Massacre Children
Movies Watched: 25
New to Me: 15.66
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