13 Halloween Movies That One Should Never Forget

Sometimes, the best Halloween Movies are those which can withstand the test of time than to follow the trends.

Halloween Movies - Haxan. Witchcraft through the AgesSome horror flicks come and go as part of the must watch tradition when All Hallow’s Eve approaches. Others are just plain forgotten over the years, if not in the passing of a century. If there’s ever a list that need to bring the ‘classics’ back, the hope is to bring the movies from the yesteryear back to the fore. These Halloween movies are the ones I loved watching while growing up. Whether it’s themed for the season or not, I feel certain films should never get discarded in favour for new ones. A couple of comedic films are added just so some folks will not come out scarred after a marathon view of these movies.

Häxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages (1929)

If this classic silent film is viewed along with The Wicker Man, then just maybe the third Halloween film can be better appreciated. Although very dated in its special effects technology and very primeval, this movie is just as effective now for its haunting terror. I love this film because it is very atmospheric. It blends a documentary and fiction together as the history of witchcraft is explored. While the Wiccans of today proclaim that they are not witches, there are similarities that must be studied.

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Achieving Deathgasm, A Movie Review

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

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Metalheads will certainly love the pointed stab at which bands truly belong to this musical subgenre in the movie Deathgasm. This film is now out on Video on Demand (VOD) in select markets, and it’s worth checking out for the absurdities that goes on. I had to laugh when Poison‘s Look What the Cat Dragged In is hurriedly put back in the record stacks in favour of one of Autopsy‘s albums when this film’s hero Brodie (Milo Cawthorne) meets Zakk (James Blake) for the first time.

From bashing glam metal to loving death metal, that’s a detail few will pick up on and I have to praise that kind of attention to detail by writer/director Jason Lei Howden in a movie that’s truly dedicated to the music. From its Frank Frazetta-style cut scenes of the heroes posing powerfully atop a mountain to the anime-inspired gore-fest that goes on, this movie is a gem coming out of Kiwi-land that also unleashed the vampire mockumentary What We Do In Shadows last year. I suppose more tentacles could be used, but I’m glad this film did not go down that vein.

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[Victoria Fringe Festival ’15] Tracking the Birdmann’s Flight to Vancouver Fringe, A Review

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LOCATION:
Performance Works
1218 Cartwright St.
Vancouver, BC

SHOWTIMES:
Sep 11 | 10:40 pm
Sep 12 | 4:30 pm
Sep 13 | 12:10 pm
Sep 14 | 6:55 pm
Sep 17 | 8:30 pm
Sep 19 | 7:25 pm

DURATION: 50 minutes

The nose knows that even on the last day of this act’s performance at the Victoria Fringe Festival, The Birdmann in Momentous Timing must not be missed. If he has flown the coup in one city, at least his show can be found at the next stop. In this festival circuit’s case, that’s Vancouver Fringe Festival, in British Columbia! This product is certainly offbeat, blending a variety of stage shows — balancing acts, dance, magic tricks and standup — into one show. A few bits felt unneeded (like the lacklustre transmogrifying box of tricks) and others more compelling, like being able to juggle plastic bags. If there’s a metaphor behind an ironing board and a clothes iron, no one is telling about what it is.

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[Victoria Fringe Festival ’15] Dirk Darrow Returns to Victoria with Two Ruby Knockers, A Review

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

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VENUE:
Victoria Event Centre
1415 Broad Street

PERFORMANCE DATES:
Sept 2 | 6:15 pm
Sept 4 | 10:00 pm
Sept 5 | 4:45 pm
Sept 6 | 6:30 pm

LENGTH:
60 minutes

Any criticisms I had before about Tim Motley‘s characterization of the gumshoe, Dirk Darrow, are moot after seeing him in 2 Ruby Knockers, 1 Jaded Dick. This newest show by this Australian performer is a solid tribute (done as a parody, complete with puns) to the noir stylings from the golden age of cinema, with a few terrific magic acts buried within. When compared to what I wrote on 28DLA.com years ago investigating the supernatural aspects that drew me to this show, there were other parts in the production I had to question. This review is reprinted with permission (see below) where I noted his jokes included modern cultural references. I love the fact this new act stayed 100% in period.

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[Victoria Fringe Festival ’15] Camel Camel, I Got Your Back, A Review

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

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VENUE:
Metro Studio Theatre
1411 Quadra St.
Victoria, BC

PERFORMANCE DATES:
Sept 1 | 8:15 pm
Sept 2 | 6:30 pm
Sept 4 | 8:45 pm
Sept 5 | 4:00 pm

LENGTH: 60 minutes

I’m surprised that reference to Ukrainian poet Oleg Navolska and his works are not accessible online. When the Fringe Theatre play Camel Camel is loosely based on his writings, something of his work should be available somewhere to look at. While I have yet to hit the University of Victoria campus library to see if any librarian (or a Professor of Ukrainian studies) knows of him, I have hope the source material is somewhere. I’m fascinated with the Surrealist movement and when this style has influenced various mediums (art, film and literature), I certainly want to know more.

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[Victoria Fringe Festival ’15] God is a Scottish Drag Queen 2, A Review

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

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VENUE:
Downtown Activity Centre
755 Pandora Ave.
Victoria, BC

PERFORMANCE DATES:
Aug 28 | 8:00 pm
Aug 29 | 6:15 pm
Sept 1 | 9:45 pm
Sept 2 | 6:15 pm
Sept 4 | 10:15 pm
Sept 5 | 2:00 pm

LENGTH: 60 minutes

Honestly, what can I say about Mike Delamont that I haven’t said before? This master of comedy has a quick wit and love for pop culture to make his show, God is a Scottish Drag Queen II, a joy to see. I reviewed the first version many years ago when it premiered at the 2011 Fringe. It’s reprinted below and what I said then still applies now to his wonderful stand up comedy act. Over the years, this institute of the Victoria theatrical entertainment scene has taken his act on the road and slips into the role (or should I say dress robes?) easily. He also answers why the show hasn’t emerged earlier; when Fringe selection happens by lottery, he had to wait until his submission was finally pulled out of the hat.

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