Er... Halloween...

Ok, it's the LEAST I can do:

Here are some Halloween ideas for the kiddies.

Go here for some KidsFlix official Halloweenness.

And, I had all intentions (two months ago) of following up on some titles I've not covered, such as:

Tower of Terror (Disney, made for tv)

Hocus Pocus (Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Midler, rated PG)

The Witches Saving the world from witches is a tall order for a boy they've turned into a mouse!

Halloweentown High (Apparently there is a series of Halloweentown movies?)

Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949) (Two animated versions of the Sleepy Hollow/Headless Horseman story and of The Wind in the Willows ... together in one film? I'm not sure.)

The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (!) Oh come on, it's Don Knotts!

Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein ... Meet the Mummy ... Meet Jekyll and Hyde ... (I'm tempted to just say, GO! on these ...)

Something Wicked This Way Comes (For older kids? A Ray Bradbury adaptation)

But. As you can see, I'm providing zero in the way of a real thumbs up or down on these, as I did for these films.

If you see any of the titles above, drop me a note! (Or better yet, post here!)

Happy All Hallows Eve, everyone .... We will be enjoying a double feature of Earth vs. the Spider / War of the Colossal Beast (1958), and with a little nudging, I may be convinced to report on them here. We're just so darn happy that son K wanted to stay home and watch "a really good -- or really bad -- monster movie from the '50s" instead of going to the skatepark, where I'm sure a few costumes and lots of junk food will be livening things up.

What more could we ask for?

HALLOWEEN PT. III

Well, I’m terribly sorry to disappoint, but I didn’t get a chance to view many classic monster movies for Halloween.

We did finally get to the original Frankenstein (1931) and (the slightly superior) Bride of Frankenstein (1935), and I enthusiastically recommend them both, for kids about nine and up; they are beautiful, and I’d forgotten how expressive Boris Karloff managed to be as the monster – with virtually no dialog but rather lots of body language, facial longshots and closeups. There are moments in both that might be slightly scary for the younger set; don’t discount the possibility just because these are old, or black and white, films. In fact, I vaguely remember seeing Frankenstein when I was just about nine, I think, and found it a little scary myself, but mostly pretty compelling. The whole concept of “mob mentality” registered deeply with me at the time, too.

Anyway, I’d say you’re safe with kids in the age range mentioned above on these classics.

Just to let you know how hard I’ve been working for you, I did manage to get my hands on a weird, Canadian TV show I’d stumbled on, called The Hilarious House of Frightenstein, and a Vincent Price classic film, House on Haunted Hill.

Verdict: You can pass on both of these! Um, for the kids, anyway. House on Haunted Hill is a lot of fun for the grown-ups, as creepy dinner party host Price pays his guests to spend the night in a haunted mansion (maybe you can throw back a highball everytime the guests do for the heck of it). UPDATED: I wrote originally that the movie is "actually too scary for younger kids and there are a lot of mature themes, such as adultery and drunkenness, that would make your kids’ grandmother frown at your entertainment choices." I hereby amend that to say that older kids may get a kick out of it, probably won't find it too scary and -- compared to what they see in current movies -- the PG-feel of the movie is probably ok.

The Canadian TV series, The Hilarious House of Frightenstein, is just plain weird, and if you came across it for free at the library or for a quarter at a yard sale, and your kids are young enough to appreciate completely goofy humor they won’t understand, then you should go for it. Otherwise, let’s just say that it was done in 1971, it shows its age, and its creator was no doubt a big fan of the American TV show "Laugh In." The costumes and characters will probably entrance the kids, but the one-liners and the dated lingo (“I’m going to lay a heavy one on you now!”) will just perplex them. I watched two episodes after K left the room mumbling about how dumb it was, just because I couldn’t figure it out. There were educational segments (live animals and factoids), flat jokes and good jokes, appearances by Vincent Price, and kaleidoscope effects set to Sly & the Family Stone’s “I Wanna Take You Higher,” which just had me laughing out loud.

What the heck?

Ok, so I enjoyed it. Don’t tell anyone. (Aw, come on, it had a cooking segment with Grizelda the Ghastly Gourmet!)

Have a happy and safe Halloween everyone, and don’t be surprised if we get to some classic vampire and werewolf movies in the spring.

HALLOWEEN PT. II

Ok, an update on Beetle Juice and Ghost Busters, which people can't believe I'd never seen before. I'm telling you, ask me anything about popular culture from the '80s and I probably won't know the answer. I spent my days working at poorly paying, creative, fun jobs, and my nights crawling around punk clubs and oddball performance venues. (I once went to an "art performance" where the "artists" came on stage, and then proceeded to unfold a small pile of cardboard boxes -- in the dark. I left before the lights came back on, but learned later that was pretty much the gist of it.)

Anyway, the funny thing is: K was reluctant to watch Beetle Juice with me, and I think he was a little nervous about the scary stuff, but didn't want to say it. I think we forget that these films, which broke ground so long ago, still pack a visual punch for kids. And it is a Tim Burton film, after all.

I'll just say that if, like me, you weren't familiar with this Halloween... classic, that you may want to pass on it for the kids. It was entertaining enough for me (wow, was that Dick Cavett?!), the animation is now dated but charming, and it has that quirky, artistic Burton flair for sure. But there is adult language (shocking -- it's hard to remember that PG films have changed since the '80s!), and some adult and sexual humor that just ain't appropriate. Your 14-year old will like it, but probably enjoy it more without you in the room.

I was going try to see Ghost Busters ... with K ... for you. (I know, I know, who hasn't seen it... blah, blah, blah.) But then I looked it up on IMDB (Internet Movie Dababase), and read the "parental guide" comments. We will pass.

Amazing the difference between PG movies then and now! Come on, Shrek is PG, for cryin' out loud; compare the parental guides between those two films on IMDB, and you might be surprised.


Don't miss Halloween Films Part III.

HALLOWEEN FILMS Part I

I'll write about kid-friendly Halloween movies in a few parts, as I research, remember and revisit some films that may or may not be appropriate for kids. Mostly what I’ll do here is present you with some lists – including Disney and Pixar titles, since Halloween movies are slim pickins’ for the kiddies – to help you when you’re in a rush out the door, or looking for something on Netflix. (It’s not as easy as you might think to find family-friendly Halloween films grouped together on Netflix.)

I haven’t seen many of these films. The G-rated Halloween movies we can assume are safe for everyone.

G-Rated:
It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit
Monsters, Inc.
Pooh's Heffalump Halloween Movie
My Friends Tigger & Pooh: Hundred Acre Wood Haunt
Blackbeard’s Ghost
Bedknobs and Broomsticks
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Mickey's Treat
Max & Ruby: Perfect Pumpkin (2008)
Dora the Explorer: Dora's Halloween
The Haunted Pumpkin of Sleepy Hollow (2004)

Added:
Arthur's Scary Stories
Hilarious House of Frankenstein (1971): This is a Canadian TV show that aired back in the ‘70s. (See Halloween Films Part II.)


Here are some vintage classics you can get on Netflix, all for the younger set:

Casper: Trick or Treat (1945); Casper & Wendy: Scare Up Some Fun (1945); Best of Casper Vol. 1 & 2 (1952); Scooby-Doo titles such as Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School, Scooby-Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf; Scooby-Doo Meets the Boo Brothers (and, yes, there are more!).

Next up is a list of movies with a PG rating. I can’t vouch for many of these... in fact, I’ve only seen Monster House and the rather annoying Scooby Doo film from the list below. I have to admit I’ve never seen Ghost Busters or Beetlejuice (I lived in a serious non-commercial bubble in the ‘80s and early ‘90s), so I can’t (yet) give you any details that might help you decide if they’re ok for your eight -or ten-year-old. They’re at the top of my Netflix list, so maybe I’ll get to them soon and can let you know what I think if you haven’t seen them, either. (NOTE: See update on these films in Part II.)

Monster House
The Haunted Mansion (Eddie Murphy)
Ghost Busters
Beetlejuice
Hocus Pocus
The Witches (1990)
Scooby-Doo (live action, 2002) The gang is confronted with a mysterious force on Spooky Island! This was a bit loud and scary for younger kids, if you haven’t seen it yet.

The Corpse Bride / Nightmare Before Christmas

We recently revisited the Tim Burton films Nightmare Before Christmas and The Corpse Bride. I have to recommend these with reservations, despite their beautiful animation, clever writing, fantastic music and lyrics and so much more. IF you have tougher kids who’ve been around the block, they’re going to be fine. If you have kids that have not been exposed to much beyond the occasional PG movie, the delightfully quirky yet inarguably macabre imaginations of Burton & Co. might be bit too much. For example, Nightmare starts off with a song calling out all the monsters from our childhood (the ones under the bed, under the stairs, etc) and some kids may not do well to have that idea planted in their heads. It’s a wonderful, catchy song, but it does really set the tone for the creepy, crawly, ghastly faces and wickedness that follows. I loved every minute of it, having not seen it since its original 1993 release, and K enjoyed it, too, but admitted some of the images were pretty nightmarish.

We caught Corpse Bride on a long flight last year. K was 10 and we hesitated to let him watch it but, after some begging on his part, I figured I’d watch it along with him and keep an eye on him. Corpse Bride is actually a little softer and safer (Nightmare’s whole point, after all, was to play up Halloween as a celebration of all things horrible, with Jack the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town longing for something different – so he tries on Christmas for size, with disastrous results; how clever is that for a story?!). K had no problem with Corpse Bride, and seemed rather captivated by the animation. It’s a surprisingly sweet and touching story about love, and though the music isn’t as strong and the story lags a little here and there, I’ll say it’s a fine movie for kids in the 9-10-year-old range, and if you haven’t seen it, you will enjoy it, too.

I'm sure I've left out some titles that you wish I hadn't! Please let me know what I've missed.


NEXT: Kid-Friendly Halloween Films Part II