Halloween Day By Day: He Knows You're Alone (1980)

Few can argue that John Carpenter's Halloween is one of the most influential films of all time. It's a lean, mean, technically brilliant scare machine that established a formula for genre flicks to come.

Yes, it spawned many imitators. Some were good, most were bad, and then there's ones like He Knows You're Alone.

Given that last sentence, you're probably thinking director Armand Mastroianni's Halloween clone -- and it is very much a clone -- is a dud. And it's not. Granted, it's not really scary or even suspenseful, and Mastroianni apes Carpenter's style to a T, but it's this latter point that is half the fun of watching the movie.

So many shots are set up and framed to replicate what Carpenter did effectively in Halloween. The hope being, obviously, that the same impact will be felt here. There's the POV shots, the moments where the killer suddenly appears in frame (complete with musical stinger) or materialized from the background, that I honestly hope Carpenter got some royalties from this.

Ditto the music by Alexander and Mark Peskanov. It's like someone said "copy John Carpenter's score from Halloween," and they did.

While all this ripping off should make me hate He Knows You're Alone, I still had a good time with it. In fact, it's like a game. Watch the movie and see how many sequences and filmmaking techniques copy Halloween. It kinda fun, actually.

There is a bit of originality here. The opening sequences in a movie theatre is quite good, as are some of the stalk-and-kill moments. And I especially enjoyed the performances by Caitlin O'Heaney and Don Scardino. They are a pair of likeable leads, and I actually found myself rooting for them, which doesn't happen often in these Halloween ripoffs.

I'm tempted to give this a Bad, because it really is a desperate Halloween clone. But I've seen it twice, and enjoyed both viewings, which means it's a Good in my book. Shame on me!

PS: this was Tom Hanks' first film. Yup, THAT Tom Hanks.

Comments

#CocktailHour: Slushtail

Summer approaches, inspiring thoughts of sunshine, backyard parties, and having a tip and sip with friends. With that in mind, I bring you this week sunny beverage. To make a slushtail, mix a can of frozen orange juice, a can of frozen lemonade (or limeade), a can of pineapple juice, a couple cups of black tea (or English Breakfast), and two cups of bourbon- such as Southern Comfort, in a pitcher. When it's all nicely mixed, put it in the freezer until it's a nice slushy consistency. Scoop the slush into a cocktail glass, and pour in some Sprite or 7-Up. Add a little umbrella for some frivolous fun, and a straw. Voila! Ready to enjoy. This is a very refreshing drink. The fruit juices, Sprite, and bourbon- when chilled makes for a great punch-like drink. The bourbon doesn't overwhelm juices. In fact, they are all nicely balanced in terms of flavors. The sourness of the citrus fruits contrasts well with the slightly sweeter Southern Comfort. It was refreshing enou

Unlock your fate with The Puzzle

When my dad wasn't working, building stuff or being my dad, he was making puzzles. It was a guaranteed way for him to unwind. So it was with great interest that I sat down to watch Italian filmmaker Davide Melini's award-winning short The Puzzle. You see, the mother in the five-minute film likes to relax with puzzles just like my dad. Unfortunately, her good-for-nothing son keeps harassing her for money. Losing herself in her favourite passtime, the mother soon discovers that completing this puzzle might unlock a nightmare. The Puzzle has been an official selection at more European film festivals than you can shake a stick at, and was voted Third Best Italian Film at the Rome International Film Festival in 2008. Having watched it, I'm not surprised. It's a tight little film that hits you hard in the final few seconds. You can tell Melini cut his teeth as an assistant director for legendary Italian filmmaker Dario Argento. But enough chit chat on my part. See if yo

The Animated Addict: "The Adventures of Tintin" (2011)

If you're a 40 + white dude, like myself, you may remember a comic series called " The Adventures of Tintin ". I know I remember them. This series, dating back to 1929, got turned into a animated feature film by Steven Spielberg in 2011. After buying a model of ship called The Unicorn, teenaged journalist Tintin finds himself on adventure that will take him from the high seas, to the low deserts, and from the distant past to the present. With his trusty dog, Snowy, by his side, Tintin uncovers a story connecting two men across the centuries.. . The story is really quite good. It's well crafted, and high paced- with just enough slow moments to build and develop the world and the characters. This is the sort of adventure story you'd find in the old serials of the 1930's and '40's. In fact, it felt like it was the sort of tale that you'd find Indiana Jones undertaking. I found myself swept up, and swept along as our hero swung from one e

Search This Blog