By Dan Auty on Jan 16, 2019 12:08 am
While John Carpenter's 1978 Halloween didn't invent the slasher genre (1971's Bay of Blood and 1974's Black Christmas came before it), it help make it a commercial force. Along with Friday the 13th, Carpenter's movie set the rules and conventions for what would soon become briefly-lived but extremely profitable sub-genre in the 1980s, with dozens of cheaply made imitations appearing almost weekly. And while Carpenter had very little further involvement in the series, the movie's producers knew that in Michael Myers--aka the Shape---they had a classic horror villain, so the sequels, reboots, and remakes have kept on coming. For all the twists and plot inventions that filmmakers have been throwing at us over the years--from sibling surprises and unwanted backstories to psychic connections and strange cults--the Halloween movies remain popular for one simple reason. We like to see Michael kill people. Few of the directors that followed in Carpenter's wake have his cinematic craft, and the tension and scares of that first film were quickly replaced by violence and gore. But with his expressionless mask, incredible strength, and wide variety of killing tools, Michael remained a perfect bad guy throughout, and even the weaker movies are enlivened by some juicy kills. Forty years later, Michael has returned to the screen for an tenth time, in David Gordon Green's Halloween, which is now available on Blu-ray. The has some of the nastiest deaths to date, and the movie very much honors the great legacy of Carpenter's original; it's notable that this is the first film for decades that he's had any creative involvement in. So here's The Shape's most brutal kills in the series so far.
18. Halloween Resurrection - Laurie's Last Stand
The worst movie in the entire series, the woeful Halloween: Resurrection offers very little in the way of satisfying kills. In fact, the only death of any note is that of Laurie Strode. Jamie Lee Curtis returned for a short appearance at the start of the film, and engages Michael in a fight to the death on a hospital rooftop. Both Laurie and her brother end up hanging from the roof; Michael stabs her in the back several times and she plummets to the ground.
17. Halloween (1978) - Bye Bye Bob
Poor Bob. All Lynda's likeable boyfriend wants is a post-sex beer on Halloween, but unfortunately Michael is waiting for him in the kitchen. Myers strangles Bob, lifting him clear off the ground, before plunging a knife into him, pinning him to a door. Michael's quizzical turn of the head, as he looks at his victim, is a great touch too.
16. Halloween: H20 - No More Marion
1998's superb reboot, Halloween: H20, is actually much more restrained than any of the later movies, relying more on old-fashioned tension than gore. There's a great death in the scary opening sequence however, when Marion Chambers--Michael's nurse from the original--is attacked while cops investigate the house next door. "In here, goddamn it!" she screams out of the window, just before Michael cuts her throat.
15. Halloween II - Nasty Needle
While the first Halloween is a model of subtlety and restraint, 1981's first sequel was definitely not. With the slasher movie craze in full swing, director Rick Rosenthal and producer Carpenter seriously upped the brutality. Much of the movie takes place in a hospital, where Michael has tracked Laurie. In one scene he grabs a nurse called Janet and in excruciating close-up, inserts a hypodermic needle into her temple.
14. Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers - Gardening Time
Halloween 5 sees Michael continue to hunt his niece Jamie, with whom he seems to have developed a weird telepathic connection. One of the earliest kills is a juicy moment when he targets a flashy, mullet-sporting guy named Mike and plunges a gardening claw deep into his forehead.
13. Halloween (1978) - Annie Strangled
It takes a full 55 minutes before the adult Michael starts killing the teenagers of Haddonfield in the original Halloween, as Carpenter wrings every drop of tension out of the movie (and the audience). When Michael does finally strike, it's sudden and shocking. Annie, sitting in her car, is grabbed from the backseat and brutally strangled. Michael seals the deal with his knife and she slumps against the car's horn.
12. Halloween II - Scalpel Lift
Another of Halloween II's hospital-based nurse kills. This one happens towards the end of the movie and is particularly eerie because it happens almost silently and is witnessed by a catatonic Laurie, who just stands here, looking on blankly. Nurse Franco approaches Laurie, but Michael steps out from beyond and stabs her with a scalpel, lifting her clean off the ground and letting her hang there before she falls to the ground.
11. Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers - Thumb Head
After the non-Myers movie Halloween III: Season of the Witch failed at the box office, the idea of an ongoing horror anthology series was abandoned, and normal service resumed. The Return of Michael Myers is a surprisingly decent sequel, which gets to the point early on. The seemingly-dead Michael wakes up in an ambulance and kills one of the unlucky paramedics by jamming his thumb right through his forehead. Ow!
10. Halloween (1978) - Prank Call
Lynda's demise is given a blackly funny twist, by having Michael wear a sheet and Bob's glasses to trick her into thinking he's her now-dead boyfriend. With Bob--I mean Michael--just standing there in the doorway, Lynda gets on the phone with Laurie. Unfortunately, the phone cord provides a handy murder weapon, and Myers strangles her mid-conversation.
9. Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers - Shotgun Impalement
Michael loves pretending to be other people to trick his victims--he does it in the original movie (when he dresses as Bob) and in Halloween II (when he nearly gets frisky with nurse Janet), and again the fourth movie. This time he kills the cop who is guarding Kelly, and sits down in his chair. When Kelly comes offering him some coffee he rises, wielding the dead cop's shotgun. But his being Michael Myers, he doesn't do anything as old-fashioned as actually shoot her, but instead impales her on the barrel.
8. Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers - Forking Spitz
It's a slasher tradition that masked killers love to target horny teenagers, and Halloween 5 ticks that box in gruesome style. The unlucky couple in this case are Sam and Spitz who head to a barn in their Halloween gear for a literal roll in the hay. Unfortunately, Michael is already there and impales Spitz with a pitchfork while he's getting down to business.
7. Halloween (2007) - Judith Dies
Rob Zombie had already made a name for himself for such gritty, violent shockers as The Devil's Rejects and House of 1000 Corpses when he took on the Halloween remake, so it was no surprise that the brutality level is high. While the murder of Judith Myers in Carpenter's original is fleeting, in Zombie's version it's excruciating, as a bloody Judith staggers then crawls down the hallway, young Michael walking purposely behind her.
6. Halloween 6: The Curse Of Michael Myers - Jamie Gets Threshed
Jamie Lloyd was a recurring character across parts 4, 5, and 6; she's daughter of Laurie Strode who becomes a target of her psychotic uncle Michael. Sadly, she doesn't make it past the twenty-minute mark in her third movie. Michael has discovered that Jamie has had her own child, and corners her in a barn, where he picks his niece up and impales her gorily on a corn thresher. "You can't have the baby Michael," she tells him, before he before he turns the machine and lets the spinning knives tear her apart.
5. Halloween 6: The Curse Of Michael Myers - Face Vs Bars
Halloween 6 is not a good film--it was reshot and reedited, and what was released in 1995 is considered by many fans to be one of the worst movies in the series (a subsequent director's cut improved things somewhat). Nevertheless, it does contain some ludicrous moments of over-the-top gore. Towards the end of the movie, Michael catches up with one of the doctors working for the movie's Halloween cult, and slams his face repeatedly through some metal bars. While the original scene is fairly tame, the director's cut delivers the full gory goods, and you see doc's entire head fall to the floor in three bloody chunks.
4. Halloween 2 - Misty Meets Mirror
Rob Zombie's Halloween 2 showed just how far the brutality of a Michael Myers killing spree could be pushed. One of the most shocking scenes--because it combines nudity and extreme violence, always a controversial combination--comes when a dancer called Misty runs into Michael. He's already killed her boss, hanging his mutilated body from a string of fairy lights. He then grabs Misty, and repeatedly smashes her into one of the stripclub's mirrored walls, before dropping her lifeless body to the floor.
3. Halloween 6: The Curse Of Michael Myers - Heading Off
This has to be the silliest death in the entire series, and it was added after reshoots. Nevertheless, it's hugely satisfying. Laurie's uncle John is introduced as an alcoholic, abusive scumbag, making him one of Michael's few victims that is utterly deserving of his demise. And he gets a good one--attacked in his flooded basement, Michael lifts John off the ground and impales him on a fuse box. As the volts surge through his body, John's face starts to blister before his entire head erupts. Sure, it's dumb, but you gotta have an exploding head in there somewhere, right?
2. Halloween 2 - Stab Frenzy
For all their flaws, Rob Zombie's Halloween movies are masterclasses in how to deliver shocking brutality. One of the most agonisingly prolonged kills in the franchise comes near the beginning of Halloween 2, as Michael searches for Laurie in Haddonfield hospital. A poor nurse called Daniels (an early role for Oscar-nominated Hidden Figures star Octavia Spencer) gets in his way. aving been stabbed once, she attempts to crawl away, but Michael quickly catches up to her. It's the savagery of this scene that shocks, combined with the close-ups on Spencer's face as she is knifed over and over and over by Michael.
1. Halloween II - Karen Gets Boiled
As infamous for the creepy build-up as for the brutal payoff, this is another of the notorious Halloween II kills that went far beyond the levels of the original. Nurse Karen is taking a break from her hospital duties and running a hot bath when Michael enters the room behind her. Her lays a hand on her bare shoulder, but believing it to be her Paramedic lover Bud, she starts to stroke and then--ugh--nibble on his hand. As she turns, she sees it's in fact Michael, who proceeds to submerge her in the boiling water repeatedly until her face blisters in gruesome style.
By Mat Elfring on Jan 15, 2019 10:09 pm
After numerous days of waking up early, staying up late, and getting mad at the internet about over-speculation of its release, the Spider-Man: Far From Home trailer is finally here! The friendly neighborhood web-slinger is heading to Europe, but wherever he goes, he tends to find trouble. However, Spider-Man also seems to have a ton of help in the second Sony/Marvel movie. Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is here to help guide Parker along and Spidey finds a new ally in Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal) as he battles giant, elemental monsters. There hasn't been a lot of news released about the movie. We know it takes place after Infinity War/Endgame, Colbie Smolders returns as Maria Hill, and Peter Parker has been un-Thanos snapped. So this new teaser truly is our first real look at the new movie, which is one of three Marvel films set for 2019. While this new trailer was a tad vague, it did give us a decent amount of insight into the film. Below, you'll find a breakdown of the Far From Home trailer, followed by some cool Easter eggs hidden throughout it. Spider-Man: Far From Home will hit theaters on July 5, but before we can get some more web-slinging, Captain Marvel is coming on March 8. Recently, the third trailer for the Brie Larson-led movie was released, and it gives a bit of explanation to who and what the Skrulls are. Finally, sandwiched between these two movies is Avengers: Endgame. The fourth Avengers movie's first trailer was released in December, and it got everyone exceptionally pumped, especially Ant-Man fans. Endgame hits theaters on April 26.
Spider-Man Helping The Homeless
The trailer opens with Spidey at a Salvation Army event, helping the homeless, which Aunt May is hosting. Aside from kicking supervillain's butts, Spider-Man has seemed to step into the role of helping all those in need through community service as well as crime fighting, which is something that sets him apart from the rest of the heroes in the MCU.
Aunt May Knows Peter Is Spider-Man
If you think back to Spider-Man: Homecoming, you'll remember that Aunt May saw Peter in the Spider-Man costume during the mid-credit sequence. Now, she seems strangely ok with Peter as the webhead, as the two embrace each other.
Happy Hogan And Aunt May's Meet Cute
While it was established that Happy and May have met each other before in Homecoming, there is a little bit of awkward romantic chemistry going on between the two, and Peter watches it all unfold--much to his dismay
Peter Is Headed To Europe
As we already knew, Peter is going to Europe on vacation. The only new information here is that it's with his friends from school and not so much of an actual school trip. Even Flash will be there, and he calls Peter a "dickwad" later in the trailer, while praising Spider-Man in the same breath.
Spidey Is Staying At Home
Peter decides he needs a vacation from being Spider-Man as well. With that, he leaves his Spider-Man costume in his closet and closes the door. But how does he get it later on in the movie? Well, in the international trailer, you find out that Aunt May packed the superhero suit without Peter knowing, and an Italian customs agent spots it when going through his luggage.
Peter Meets Nick Fury
Surprise! Nick Fury and Spider-Man finally meet, after Fury invades his and Ned's room. Also, Ned gets shot with a tranquilizer dart. The rest of the trailer is pretty vague as to what Fury's role will be in the movie, but it seems like he'll be filling in for Tony Stark.
Maria Hill & Nick Fury Take On Magnum
Some people have been calling the monster in this scene "Sandman." Actor Tom Holland has stated the group of superpowered monsters he fights is "The Elementals," so Magnum--who will be played by Numan Acar--was the "Master of Earth" for that group, and so it stands to reason that's who the former members of SHIELD are fighting.
Here's Molten Man
While Far From Home will stick close to the comic roots for the Elementals, there have been some rumors that the character Hellfire--from the comics--will be replaced by Spider-Man villain Molten Man. There was an alleged leak of an upcoming Lego set which included Molten Man, and these leaks are usually a good indicator of what's happening in movies. Anyway, there's a quick shot of him--whoever he is--in all his fiery glory.
More Spidey-Suits
It's our first look at the Stealth Suit. Why does Peter have this suit? We don't know, but it looks exceptionally simple and almost like it was quickly pieced together. It looks as though he puts it on in the aftermath of a giant battle, as there is a bunch of destruction behind him.
Here's Hydro Man
Again, in the comics, the water Elemental member was Hydron, but because Hydro Man is such a predominant Spider-Man villain, he'll be switched in for this role. And again, there was an alleged leak for the movie via a Lego set which has Hydro Man in it. Anyway, he looks like a giant wave of water with a vague human form. It's perfect.
Here's Mysterio
We finally get our first look at the Mysterio costume, and it looks fantastic. It's almost entirely based on the 616 version of the character, with nothing coming from the Ultimate version. The gold chestplate is an excellent addition, and he almost looks heroic.
Easter Eggs: Behind The Counter
The deli owner has a few images behind the counter, two of which are newspapers. Both of those stories are about how his deli was destroyed--in Homecoming--and how Spider-Man saved him. He also has two pictures, one with Spider-Man and one with former U.S. President Barack Obama.
Easter Eggs: Spider-Man's Birthdate
The Marvel cinematic universe doesn't have years, apparently. Or they don't print them on passports. On Peter's passport, you can clearly see Peter Parker's birthday is August 10.
Easter Eggs: The BFP
The suitcase Peter takes to Europe with him has "BFP" inscribed on it. This case originally belonged to Peter's late uncle and May's husband, Ben Parker.. What's the "F" stand for? Well, that we're not sure of, so let's just say "Francis."
Easter Eggs: How Mysterio Got His Name
We're going to make a couple assumptions here, but let's roll with it. Mysterio--more than likely--gets his name because of an Italian news report showing him battling a large water monster. "Una creatura fatta d'acqua emerge dal canal grande e minaccia l'intera citta." This translates to, "a creature made of water emerges from the big canal and threatens the whole city." Under that is where we get his superhero/villain name: "L'uomo di misterio ha combattuto con la…" This translates to "the mystery man fought with the…" So, Mysterio's name is just "the mystery man" in Italian.
By Kevin Wong on Jan 15, 2019 05:40 am
Here's the latest theories about HBO's True Detective from the internet hive mind
When True Detective debuted back in 2014, it was critically acclaimed, a grim detective thriller about dark secrets and the damaged people who keep them. But then, Season 2 went off the rails; whereas Season 1 was lean, focused, and sharply edited, Season 2 was a messy sprawl that kept adding side characters and side plots long after losing the audience's patience. The first two episodes of Season 3, which debuted on Sunday, January 13, represent a return to form. The plot, which focuses around the kidnapping of two young children, is the sort of personal, close-to-home story that viewers can relate to. Detective Wayne Hays (played by Mahershala Ali) is perfectly cast. Ali plays Hays at three different stages in his life: at the time of the crime, a decade after the crime, and the modern day. Every iteration of this character is portrayed with depth and sensitivity. Here are some current theories on True Detective; it's a combination of our personal insights plus the theorycrafting of superfans on Reddit. And caution: Massive spoilers ahead!
1. The Paternity Theory
Tom, the father of the two children, has a difficult, estranged relationship with his wife Lucy. At his son Will's funeral, Tom's parents spill the beans: There's suspicion and rumors that Julie might not be Tom's daughter. If so, maybe Julie's real father is responsible for taking her and killing her brother. And perhaps Lucy knows something that she's not telling. It's worth speculating if Dan, Lucy's cousin, is the father. But regardless, there's a good chance he's connected to the crime. During his search of Tom's house, Wayne discovered a peephole drilled into the wall that connects Will's room (where Dan was crashing for awhile) to Julie's room. It's extremely gross, and it's a massive indicator that something is amiss.
2. The Amelia Theory
One of the leading theories at the moment is that Amelia, the English teacher at Will's school, is involved in the crime. There are several clues which suggest something might be off with her. First, she admits to Wayne, over drinks, that she pretends to be other people when visiting a different city. She seems to know Will well; she says he's studious and sensitive, which makes her worry about him. The film language is also suggestive. At the press conference, when the press and police discuss whether the kids knew their attacker, the camera pans over to Amelia. Amelia later publishes a best-selling book about the crime, and marries the lead detective on the case. What better way to hide in plain sight than to get as close to the investigation as possible?
3. Dead Rebecca Theory
We see that Wayne has a son and daughter in the '90s timeline, but by the time we reach 2015, the daughter, Rebecca, appears estranged from the family. When Wayne asks about her at dinner, his son tells him that his daughter doesn't like coming home, and that she's in LA. But what if she's not? Some fans are speculating that Rebecca is dead, and Wayne, in the late stages of dementia, has forgotten this. So, rather than upsetting him with bad news (which he'll forget anyway), the family has decided to lie about it. This would explain the awkward look around the dinner table during this conversation, and it would also explain why the son storms off from the table in frustration. He's probably had to have this conversation many times before.
4. Steve McQueen Theory
Thanks to Season 1's outcome, plus the weird straw dolls in the woods, there's good reason to suspect that a cult could also be involved in this killing, or even worse, a pedophile ring, which the documentarian mentions as an online theory near the end of the second episode. The prosecutor made the decision to squander his detectives' best lead in Episode 2, which suggests that if there is a cult or ring, it might reach the upper echelons of power. One symbolic clue in Episode 1 may have been the death of actor Steve McQueen on the night the children disappeared. McQueen had a notorious relationship with Charles Manson; he was actually supposed to be at Sharon Tate's mansion the night Manson's followers killed her. Lastly, here's an interesting trivia tidbit: In the show, Wayne says that Steve McQueen died on the day of a full moon. But the almanac says otherwise; it was actually a new moon. Is this a careless research mistake? Or is it a sign that Hays, with his increasing dementia, is an unreliable narrator, and may have the fundamental facts of the case wrong?
5. The Interviewer Theory
This is a left-field theory, but it deserves mention. Some Redditors think that the documentarian who's interviewing Wayne in 2015 is actually the missing girl Julie, all grown up. This will lead to a twisty conclusion when it's revealed that the mystery solution has been sitting in front of Hays this entire time. If this is the actual twist, it will be the death of the show. It is way too contrived and hacky for the writers to even attempt, let alone follow through on. Plus, Julie would be 45 in 2015, and the documentarian looks much younger than that. It's not out of the realm of all possibility, but it seems highly improbable for True Detective to resort to something so cheap.
6. The Memphis Three Theory
In 1994, three boys, who became known as the West Memphis Three, were convicted for the murders of three children, and police suspected there were occult overtones to the killings. The West Memphis Three were later re-sentenced to time served and freed in 2011, based on new forensic evidence that couldn't be linked to any of them. There are obvious parallels between this real life event and the three teenage boys in the purple Volkswagen, who are currently suspected in the two children's disappearance. Even if they didn't do it, one of them might be (wrongly) convicted for the crime before the end of the show. Show creator Nick Pizzolatto, for his part, denies the connection, and says that True Detective doesn't directly allude to this crime at all.
7. Lynch Mob Theory
The "Trash Man," Brett Woodard, witnesses the two kids on the road before their disappearance during his regular drive through the neighborhood. He's a traumatized Vietnam War veteran who rummages through people's trash to find and sell scrap. Because he's on the outer fringe of the community, the townspeople suspect him of committing the crime almost immediately. And he might not meet a good end. In the 2015 timeline, the documentarian comforts Wayne by saying that she knows it's hard to think of what happened to Woodard. It wouldn't be surprising if Woodard became a lynch mob victim at a later time, given the current level of fear and paranoia.
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