Halloween Review: Tales of Halloween

I was amused to find that, in my original review of Tales of Halloween, I noted that I didn’t expect to watch it again.  Well, two years later, I did just because I needed a review for Halloween.  It seems that, in the intervening years, my views have changed somewhat.

Firstly, I found myself less inclined to compare this film to Trick ‘RTreat.  Going in this time I knew what to expect, and it wasn’t Trick ‘R Treat.  I found myself comparing it to the short scary stories that get passed around on the internet every October (and, if you’re a horror nerd, year-round).  By that standard these still aren’t classics, but they are good.

I was somewhat surprised to learn that the tale I found the most memorable this time was one I didn’t even mention my first time reviewing it, Lucky McKee’s “Ding Dong.”  A man (Marc Senter) deals with the literal witch he married (Pollyanna McIntosh) and her craving for children on Halloween.  This story hits hard as both a fantastic story, and a great metaphor for spousal abuse.

I also have to ask myself how I didn’t mention that the killer in “Friday the 31^st” (Nick Principe) was such an obvious Jason homage.  I guess I just figured my readers would assume it, since most horror parodies draw something from Jason, but this example is so blatant I’m not sure why it isn’t lawsuit worthy, right down to the head of his mother on display in his house.

Most of my discussions of the other segments from my first review are still valid.  Most of them are still goofy, with plenty of morality tales sprinkled in.  The tones vary a lot in keeping with the different directors, but I don’t think any of them ever become truly bad.  The different tones actually help us to see many different perspectives of Halloween, and that goes a long way towards giving this film its own identity.

Aside from that, it’s still a fun movie.  If you plan a lineup of movies for the season, this is definitely a worthy edition.  I’m curious to see how it ages.