REVIEW: Unsettling, Tasteful, Bold: 3 Spooky Season Essential Movies
By Anne Czajkowski and Sophie Kunstman
October 2021
After the spooky season, it’s time to unwind and reflect on some of the classic movies. You may be squeamish, immune, or indifferent, but we will unload the levels of all of the emotions in three mandatory watches. John Carpenter’s Halloween, Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride, and Jim Sharman’s Rocky Horror Picture Show, all movies from across the spooky spectrum. Ready?
Halloween (1978)
Sophie:
A silent, still man creeps into your backyard and stares. With a film filled with the simplicity of this action, Halloween still kept me anticipating a next move. The jumpscares were tame enough to create a horror movie for those who shiver at the genre, and the attacks—for a slasher movie—did not make me duck and cover in disgust. With a killer screechy score—made with notes virtually anyone gets chills to—the corny dialogue and 70s acting can be denoted. In addition to Michael Meyers building the suspense, Jamie Lee Curtis plays the perfect skeptical babysitter who just wants to keep children safe—we would all be lucky to have her. In addition to watching the 1978 version, I watched Halloween (2018) and Halloween Kills (2021). If you dig well-executed parallelism and don’t mind gorier kills, the experience of frustration, anger, and evil is worth watching the other movies in the saga. Overall, a well worth saga that did not disappoint the hype of it being a classic.
Anne:
Halloween was a bit underwhelming. Considering it’s a cult classic slasher film—and consistently ranks as one of the best movies in the horror genre—I expected much more than the predictable and improbable film I got. Corny dialogue aside, Halloween has some major logistical issues. How does Michael Meyers (the main antagonist) know how to drive? Michael, now 21, escapes after 15 years in a mental hospital at the beginning of the film. This begs the question, where and when did he learn to drive? Despite other logistically-questionable situations, Halloween was overall enjoyable due to the incredible cinematography, especially considering the $350,000 budget. I particularly enjoyed Jamie Lee Curtis’s acting, and the iconic soundtrack by John Carpenter. All things considered, Halloween is a film you watch once to say you’ve seen it, and never speak of again.
Corpse Bride (2005)
Sophie:
While being an intense fan of Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas, this was another phenomenal breath of Tim Burton’s art. My first impression was that the plot of the movie could afford improvement. While the thought of being dragged to the dead sounds intriguing, it felt more like a game of cat-and-mouse. However, the visuals of the movie made up for the underwhelming story. The graphics read as a dream, as the stop-motion animation, blues, greens, and purples create a story book effect—a classic Burton move. Stellar musical intermissions, the character’s signature bulging eyes, and the voices of Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter will put you in the mood for a joyous, innocent movie that you can enjoy as a highschooler and a little kid.
Anne:
As a devout Tim Burton fan and a lover of all things Victorian, it should come as no surprise that I enjoyed this film. The plot was difficult to follow in some instances, especially concerning the semantics of going back and forth between the world of the dead and the living world (affectionately called “upstairs” by the dead.) Nonetheless, this movie is worth watching solely for the visuals. The muted greys, blues, and greens of an unnamed Victorian village where our main character, Victor Van Dort (voiced by Johnny Depp), resides, contrasts perfectly with the bold colors of the land of the dead. The premise of the film is quite smart: Victor, the son of a wealthy fish merchant, is set to marry Victoria, the daughter of a bankrupt aristocratic family. While practicing his vows, however, he accidentally marries Emily, our Corpse Bride.
Despite the film being just over an hour long, I grew attached to the main characters, and truly sympathized with Victor’s dilemma. For being so short, the film also has significant character development. In fact, I would argue that Corpse Bride is a character study, therefore focused on character development rather than being plot-heavy. The film also evokes a feeling central to fall—that is, death—quite beautifully, while still staying light enough to appeal to all audiences. The costuming was also fairly period-accurate, which you don’t see often for animated films. Corpse Bride had a comforting effect on us, and I will definitely be rewatching it throughout fall and into winter; you should too.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Sophie:
One of the first things I thought after finishing this film was a smack to the face from Frank-n-Furter with joy, color, and music. Rocky Horror Picture Show, a flamboyant visual experience and several music performances, made it feel like the entire thing was big and bold like a sharpie written on a wall out of rebellion. However, it was fortunate that the art spoke loud, as the plot was scrambled and filled with too many flying parts. I appreciate the sentiment of “don't dream it, be it” and obvious themes of expression; however, I found myself lost and having to pause to catch my brain up to the screen. I recommend the risque film for anyone looking to watch it without an intention of understanding on the first go, but if you are looking for a narrative, this may not be for you.
Anne:
I would call The Rocky Horror Picture Show an experience rather than a film, due to the practically nonexistent plot. Though this is definitely not to say that it isn’t worth watching. The stunning visuals alone are enough to draw you into the film—the opening credits are accompanied by a floating mouth with bright red lips singing one of the film’s many songs, “Science Fiction Double Feature.” Although the film’s most notable character, Dr Frank-N-Furter, who is portrayed by Tim Curry, doesn’t appear until around 25 minutes into the film, the other characters are interesting and enjoyable enough for you to not lose interest.
For the rest of the film, prepare to be bombarded with glitzy, colorful, and most of the time scandalously-clad people engaging in, talking/singing about, or dealing with the repercussions of sex. The film is definitely outdated in how it refers to and portrays transgender individuals. For example, Frank-N-Furter sings a whole song about how he is a “sweet transvestite.” The character of Frank-N-Furter is also extremely sexual, having sexual relations with three characters over the course of the film. The portrayal of trans people as hypersexual in this film and others leads to a prejudice against them in real life. Still, the film is quite progressive for how it portrays sexuality and gender identity considering it was released in 1975. I love Rocky Horror because of its superb costuming and makeup, captivating set design, catchy musical numbers, and most importantly: it’s kitschy. That being said, if you like a comprehensive plotline, Rocky Horror is probably not the film for you.
October 2021
After the spooky season, it’s time to unwind and reflect on some of the classic movies. You may be squeamish, immune, or indifferent, but we will unload the levels of all of the emotions in three mandatory watches. John Carpenter’s Halloween, Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride, and Jim Sharman’s Rocky Horror Picture Show, all movies from across the spooky spectrum. Ready?
Halloween (1978)
Sophie:
A silent, still man creeps into your backyard and stares. With a film filled with the simplicity of this action, Halloween still kept me anticipating a next move. The jumpscares were tame enough to create a horror movie for those who shiver at the genre, and the attacks—for a slasher movie—did not make me duck and cover in disgust. With a killer screechy score—made with notes virtually anyone gets chills to—the corny dialogue and 70s acting can be denoted. In addition to Michael Meyers building the suspense, Jamie Lee Curtis plays the perfect skeptical babysitter who just wants to keep children safe—we would all be lucky to have her. In addition to watching the 1978 version, I watched Halloween (2018) and Halloween Kills (2021). If you dig well-executed parallelism and don’t mind gorier kills, the experience of frustration, anger, and evil is worth watching the other movies in the saga. Overall, a well worth saga that did not disappoint the hype of it being a classic.
Anne:
Halloween was a bit underwhelming. Considering it’s a cult classic slasher film—and consistently ranks as one of the best movies in the horror genre—I expected much more than the predictable and improbable film I got. Corny dialogue aside, Halloween has some major logistical issues. How does Michael Meyers (the main antagonist) know how to drive? Michael, now 21, escapes after 15 years in a mental hospital at the beginning of the film. This begs the question, where and when did he learn to drive? Despite other logistically-questionable situations, Halloween was overall enjoyable due to the incredible cinematography, especially considering the $350,000 budget. I particularly enjoyed Jamie Lee Curtis’s acting, and the iconic soundtrack by John Carpenter. All things considered, Halloween is a film you watch once to say you’ve seen it, and never speak of again.
Corpse Bride (2005)
Sophie:
While being an intense fan of Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas, this was another phenomenal breath of Tim Burton’s art. My first impression was that the plot of the movie could afford improvement. While the thought of being dragged to the dead sounds intriguing, it felt more like a game of cat-and-mouse. However, the visuals of the movie made up for the underwhelming story. The graphics read as a dream, as the stop-motion animation, blues, greens, and purples create a story book effect—a classic Burton move. Stellar musical intermissions, the character’s signature bulging eyes, and the voices of Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter will put you in the mood for a joyous, innocent movie that you can enjoy as a highschooler and a little kid.
Anne:
As a devout Tim Burton fan and a lover of all things Victorian, it should come as no surprise that I enjoyed this film. The plot was difficult to follow in some instances, especially concerning the semantics of going back and forth between the world of the dead and the living world (affectionately called “upstairs” by the dead.) Nonetheless, this movie is worth watching solely for the visuals. The muted greys, blues, and greens of an unnamed Victorian village where our main character, Victor Van Dort (voiced by Johnny Depp), resides, contrasts perfectly with the bold colors of the land of the dead. The premise of the film is quite smart: Victor, the son of a wealthy fish merchant, is set to marry Victoria, the daughter of a bankrupt aristocratic family. While practicing his vows, however, he accidentally marries Emily, our Corpse Bride.
Despite the film being just over an hour long, I grew attached to the main characters, and truly sympathized with Victor’s dilemma. For being so short, the film also has significant character development. In fact, I would argue that Corpse Bride is a character study, therefore focused on character development rather than being plot-heavy. The film also evokes a feeling central to fall—that is, death—quite beautifully, while still staying light enough to appeal to all audiences. The costuming was also fairly period-accurate, which you don’t see often for animated films. Corpse Bride had a comforting effect on us, and I will definitely be rewatching it throughout fall and into winter; you should too.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Sophie:
One of the first things I thought after finishing this film was a smack to the face from Frank-n-Furter with joy, color, and music. Rocky Horror Picture Show, a flamboyant visual experience and several music performances, made it feel like the entire thing was big and bold like a sharpie written on a wall out of rebellion. However, it was fortunate that the art spoke loud, as the plot was scrambled and filled with too many flying parts. I appreciate the sentiment of “don't dream it, be it” and obvious themes of expression; however, I found myself lost and having to pause to catch my brain up to the screen. I recommend the risque film for anyone looking to watch it without an intention of understanding on the first go, but if you are looking for a narrative, this may not be for you.
Anne:
I would call The Rocky Horror Picture Show an experience rather than a film, due to the practically nonexistent plot. Though this is definitely not to say that it isn’t worth watching. The stunning visuals alone are enough to draw you into the film—the opening credits are accompanied by a floating mouth with bright red lips singing one of the film’s many songs, “Science Fiction Double Feature.” Although the film’s most notable character, Dr Frank-N-Furter, who is portrayed by Tim Curry, doesn’t appear until around 25 minutes into the film, the other characters are interesting and enjoyable enough for you to not lose interest.
For the rest of the film, prepare to be bombarded with glitzy, colorful, and most of the time scandalously-clad people engaging in, talking/singing about, or dealing with the repercussions of sex. The film is definitely outdated in how it refers to and portrays transgender individuals. For example, Frank-N-Furter sings a whole song about how he is a “sweet transvestite.” The character of Frank-N-Furter is also extremely sexual, having sexual relations with three characters over the course of the film. The portrayal of trans people as hypersexual in this film and others leads to a prejudice against them in real life. Still, the film is quite progressive for how it portrays sexuality and gender identity considering it was released in 1975. I love Rocky Horror because of its superb costuming and makeup, captivating set design, catchy musical numbers, and most importantly: it’s kitschy. That being said, if you like a comprehensive plotline, Rocky Horror is probably not the film for you.