Archive for March 8th, 2010

We’re still recovering from the late hour but without a doubt, it was so worth it.  Josh and Kenny really put together a first class tribute here worthy of being a pitch to a full length prequel for the original franchise.  At the very least, the tribute would be great as an extra on the next edition of the “Halloween” DVD.

Any body of work is always more than just a sum of the parts but in this case, many parts alone are well worth mentioning.  One of those parts was a major issue that had to be overcome with filming in rural North Carolina as opposed to California.  In the original “Halloween”, Haddonfield, Illinois is a suburban area with neat little rows of middle class houses, where everyone in the neighborhood knows one another.  In Judith, Kenny and Josh do an excellent job of transitioning the viewers mind to the fact that Haddonfield may very well be in a rural area.  In fact, that transition even lends more to the spooky factor.  The very first part of the film is a collection of imagery that really accomplishes the task without effort.  There’s a scarecrow in a field made of hay rolls, a blinking portable arrow sign with Halloween wishes for Haddonfield.  Further reinforcing the rural believability is D’arcy Mims bouncing down the backroads barefoot in an older pickup.  Coming from a rural area, I can personally attest to having seen this very scene many times.

The dialogue between D’arcy and Deborah Myers feels natural, much as you would expect a teen/friends Mom conversation to go.  The viewer introduction to Judith and her initial interaction with D’arcy was very inventive. From there, we are introduced to an angry Michael Myers as the story defines him as a troubled young man relegated to living in the attic. All of that simmers together and is served up in a dish of bloody horror goodness.

To say I loved Judith would be an understatement.  Judith forced me to reevaluate the way I have enjoyed other remakes.  I tend to be a purist with regards to the classic horror movies.  To touch something as beholden as a “Halloween” takes guts and to change something from the original takes something much stronger.  I have to admit, I enjoyed and appreciated the development of Judith as she was let to the gallows.  I would have to say, I enjoyed Judith’s passing more in this outing than I did in the John Carpenter original.

I had originally not been a huge fan of Rob Zombie’s “Halloween” but, I have to say, given my incredible enjoyment of “Judith”, I have committed to shedding my purist attitude and rewatching “Halloween” with a fresh perspective.  It’s next in my rental queue!

Our evening with Judith was a fun night to say the least.  In addition to finally having a chance to meet Kenny and Josh, we met Greg and his lovely wife from over at The Creepture Feature Horror Show Podcast.  They are super nice folks.  Greg does the show with a friend of his and they are just getting started so if you like horror (and who doesn’t), check them out.  Another of the high points of the night was the refreshments.  Swank Cake Designs created a cool cake for the event.  I have to say, it was the most amazing thing I have ever eaten in my 40+ years of eating on this planet.  I want to have an event good enough to need a cake like this one day.  ;)

If you have the good fortune to be near where “Judith: A Halloween Tribute Short Film“, I urge you to take advantage of it.  It’s really a great fan tribute to the greatest franchise in the history of Horror.  Great Job Kenny and Josh!  Also a great job goes out to the awesome cast.  Sarah Stephenson who brought Judith Myers to life, Ana Gilmore who played D’arcy Mims, Barbara Weetman playing Deborah Myers, Tara Nicole Azarian playing Jamie Perry and, of course, Michael Myers himself played by Alex Fisher.

Thanks again to Kenny and Josh for having us out and it was great chatting with you guys afterwards at the Myers House NC.  Cool House Kenny!