Halloween is a couple of weeks away, and we’re in a horror movie mood. Here’s what’s happening on the big screen this weekend.
Smile 2
Parker Finn’s grinning breakout hit gets a sequel. A mysterious entity is stalking pop star Skye Riley (Naomi Scott), possessing her friends, and causing murderous hallucinations. Say cheese!
Time Warp Drive-In: King of Horror
Saturday night at the Malco Summer Drive-In. October’s edition of the Time Warp Drive-In celebrates Stephen King. No writer has been adapted more than King, partially because he has a very liberal attitude towards licensing his stories, but mostly because he’s a really good writer!
Leading off the program is Creepshow. Directed by George Romero, creator of Night of the Living Dead, this 1982 anthology features five short stories, two of which were written by King. One of them, “The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill” stars King in a rare, non-cameo acting role. Creepshow is a daringly unconventional film which deserves a revival.
The second King-related film on the Time Warp bill is Pet Semetary. Directed by Mary Lambert, a former music video director who had previously helped Madonna become a superstar, Pet Sematary is a classic chiller, featuring a great performance by Fred Gwynne, who was famous as Herman Munster.
And did I mention it has a theme song by The Ramones?
Memphian Kathy Bates recently got a big role in the revival of Matlock. She’s always been one of our great actors, and the role that proved it to the world was as the sinister fangirl in Misery. The sledgehammer scene still gives me the willies.
Terrifier 3
The top earning movie at the box office in the world right now is an independent slasher film. The creators of the Terrifier series, writer/director Damien Leone and producer Phil Falcone, opted not to sell their three-quel to a big studio, and it’s paid off handsomely. David Howard Thornton returns as Art The Clown, who is not one of those crying on the inside kind of clowns. He’s more of a stabby kind of clown. This time, he’s here to ruin Christmas, and not even decapitation can stop him.