B2
VALLEY
Sunday, October 21, 2012
MIAMI VALLEY SUNDAY NEWS • WWW.TDN-NET.COM
Horror • Continued from B1 Every horror fan has his own origin story, and for Wilkinson, Dr. Creep — who actually became a large part of his horror family later on — was a major player. “It all started mostly through Shock Theater with Dr. Creep,” Wilkinson said. “Watching that … and kind of being a latchkey kid. My mom liked to play bingo and such with her friends, so she’d drop me off at the Troy Dixie Drivein, get picked up by them — and I’d sit in the car and watch movies all night long. Letting movies like Jaws and Friday the 13th be my babysitter was pretty fantastic.” And it was clear to Wilkinson early on that horror movies were going to be a major part of his life. “I fell into the films,” he said. “I’ve never understood how people could just watch movies. I get absorbed into them.” Cantrell got started early, too — although not through horror films in the traditional sense. “It was probably The Wizard of Oz,” she said. “The Wicked Witch of the West, she terrified me. Whenever she was on screen, I’d hide behind my dad. “I love horror movies because I love being scared.” It was in college, though, that Crouse joined his horror family — by force, in a way. “I really wasn’t particularly all that into horror,” Crouse said. “Then I met him in college. He’d bring over another movie every day and be like, ‘you’ve got to see this movie!’ He kept hammering me over the head with it — and after a while, I was like, ‘You know what? This stuff is pretty awesome!’” “And when we started hitting the conventions and meeting the people that were in the movies, that was the proverbial nail in his coffin,” Wilkinson said with a laugh. And their screen saver at Around About Books is a virtual who’s-who of horror, with pictures of themselves with the likes of John Carpenter, Linda Blair and many, many more. “You can never watch the movie the same way again after meeting them,” Crouse said, referring to how nice and downto-earth even the biggest of horror stars are.
“Geoffrey Lewis called me, too, and said hello. It was really cool.” Even the surgery couldn’t keep Cantrell away, though. “I go in on my scooter, and I have a great time,” she said. “We just met Val Kilmer, and they let him come out of his booth to me. He shook my hand, he put his arm around me — he was very down to earth and nice. And they’re all that way, too. “It’s all these people you’ve seen on the big screen your whole life and wondered what they’re like in real life. And then you meet them and find out they’re just like you. It’s the most awesome feeling in the world.” And once Halloween season hits, Wilkinson, Crouse and Cantrell welcome new family members to the fold — even if a majority of them only remain for the month of October. “I love getting to see the reaction of people that are not all that into horror and bringing them to ‘the dark side,’” Wilkinson said, adding a jokingly-ominous voice to the last part. “It’s fun to be responsible STAFF PHOTO/ANTHONY WEBER for scares. A decoration hangs at the stairwell going to an upper level at Around About Books in downtown Troy. “Getting scared fires off certain chemicals and endorphins talk about horror. were walking down the street “That’s the sad thing,” in your brain. It’s a neat feeling “Here he is, the man that’s Cantrell said. “You think about right out here, and Barry was — and I love sharing that with created all of these faces and feeling down. He had his head how this guy stood there and people and watching them expedown and said, ‘No one remem- amazing special effects from talked with you and laughed rience it for the first time.” Creepshow to Friday the 13th, bers Dr. Creep.’ He was calling with you and hung out with The season isn’t just about and we’re talking about our you, and then you go and watch me ‘son’ by this point, and I putting on their own events, grandkids. How much more the movies and they’re trying to said to him, ‘Pops, that’s just though — they get to experidown to earth can you get?” not true.’ scare you.” ence things, too. And that extended family “Then this guy comes run“The one that was most sur“We always like to go down prising was the cast of House of ning across the street to us and can be supportive in times of to Foy’s in Fairborn at least stops us. He’s like, ‘Excuse me, great need — even if they’ve 1,000 Corpses and The Devil’s once every October,” Crouse never met before. Rejects,” Wilkinson said. “You’re but are you Dr. Creep?’ Out of said. “We’ve been petitioning In 2006, the group was plan- the city of Troy to let us makeup and everything, and he just expecting those people to be crazy — but then they’re not, still recognizes him. The guy is ning to go to a convention, and ‘Fairborn it up’ downtown durCantrell was particularly excit- ing Halloween.” geeking out and asks for his not at all. They’re just horror ed to meet Russell Steiner, the autograph and gets it, and fans, like us.” “We plan on going to actor who delivered the classic “I would love to be able to go after he runs off, I’m like, ‘Horrorama’ this year, too,” line “They’re coming to get you, Wilkinson said, referring to an back in time now, after meeting ‘See?’” Barbara” in the original Night And that bond of family Bill Mosely, and see the look on all-night horror movie my face the first time I saw The takes instantaneous hold, even of the Living Dead. But she marathon put on by Copp wasn’t able to make it due to between fan and superstar. Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2,” Friday night at the Englewood deteriorating health, and the “It was interesting when I Crouse said. Cinema. “They’ve got a fantastic Imagine their faces the first met Tom Savini,” Cantrell said, next year she had part of her lineup of movies this year, and leg surgically amputated. referring to a famous makeup time they met Dr. Creep, the it’s always lots of fun.” “That was right before her and special effects artist. man that introduced them to Because, like any other holi“Everyone always asks him the surgery,” Wilkinson said. “She their lives — directly or indiday, Halloween is all about famrectly. Hobart quickly became a same questions, and he can be really wanted to meet him but ily get-togethers. couldn’t come. So we told him close part of their family, partic- short with people at times. “The saw is family,” Cantrell about it — and he called her.” When I met him, I knew he’d ularly for Wilkinson. said, quoting a line from The “He did the voice and every- Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. just had a new little grand“We were all the sons of Dr. daughter, so I asked him about thing,” Cantrell said. “I answer Creep, me, Dave, (local horror “Horror is family, but it’s the filmmaker) Andy (Copp) and all her. And we just stood there for the phone and hear, ‘They’re family you create,” Wilkinson a good long while talking about coming to get you, Sue,’ and I of those guys,” Wilkinson said. said. “Which, for some of us, is about flipped out. our grandkids. We never did “I remember this one time we the best family we’ve got.”
JOSH’S FAVE FIVE HORROR MOVIES to-rights criminal thanks to a technicality. Vigilante the hallways calling out justice doing nothing but my name. The sound of lit- creating a never-ending tle girls singing “one, two, circle of violence. Parents Freddie’s coming for you” and adults in positions of followed me everywhere. authority never truly lisMy imagination was runtening to or believing their ning wild. I was utterly children — even when terrified. they’re right. And I’d never felt more And yes, the movie’s alive. resolution is painfully Sure, it’d be easy now anti-climactic, but what to write the movie off as could the filmmakers do? just another slasher flick They created the most — but the original awesome and unstoppable Nightmare dealt with force imaginable in Freddy some very adult themes. Krueger. How could anyThe inability of the justice one ever sleep soundly system to convict a deadagain?
• Continued from B1
Troy Public Broadcasting presents...
Terror On The Square! OCTOBER 27TH
Special note: Whatever you do … Don’t. Watch. The remake. 2. The Cabin in the Woods (2011) This movie’s presence on the list is a bit of a misnomer. Cabin is technically a horror movie, but there’s nothing really scary about it. Instead, Cabin is both an homage to and a critique of the entire horror genre as a whole. Writers Joss Whedon — simply the most brilliant writer of our generation — and fellow Buffy the Vampire Slayer veteran Drew Goddard crafted a masterpiece that falls somewhere between satire and celebration. They took every overused cliche they could from every triedand-true horror movie formula in existence and twisted them into something completely new. Naysayers can point to the Scream movies and comedies like Shaun of
the Dead or Tucker and Dale vs. Evil as pioneering meta-horror all they want, but Cabin digs deeper than any of those ever could have even dreamed of. To talk about the plot beyond “group of teens goes to a remote cabin in the woods and bad things happen” would be to spoil the creative turns the story takes. Which would be a shame, because even people who aren’t fans of horror would find something to enjoy here. It’s funny, it’s clever, it’s imaginative, it references countless horror movies from throughout the years and it’s original. There aren’t many movies made in the past 20 years that can claim all of that. Watch it. 3. Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn (1987) Some horror movies end up being unintentionally funny. Some are funny by design.
1ST ANNUAL TROY 5K HALLOWEEN FUN RUN/WALK at Duke Park 2:30 sign up or sign up early at keysports.net 6:00 PM •Ghost Tours •Zombie Walk •Zombie Ball at Le Doux's Ticket information call Around About Books at 937-339-1707 For information on the 5K, call 937-339-4445 or email mike@troy5.com
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Evil Dead 2 is a little of both. In ways a retelling of the original Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2 starts off with a young couple heading to a remote cabin in the woods (sound familiar?). They mess around with the wrong tape recorder, awaken an ancient evil that seeks to possess the living, and cheesy and goofy Ash — the role that turned Bruce Campbell into the B-movie god he is today — must become a chainsaw-wielding hero and banish the evil before it overtakes the entire world. If you don’t quite understand the term “campy,” this movie is the perfect introduction. Beyond the gore and scares — of which there is plenty — there’s slapstick humor, over-the-top bad acting and tongue-incheek fun that gives Evil Dead 2 the charm that has made it such a cult success. Groovy. 4. Night of the Living Dead (1968) The original zombie movie. Accept no modern substitutes with fast-running zombies like 28 Days Later or the Dawn of the Dead remake. Death doesn’t move fast. Death slowly shambles your way, cutting off every escape and enveloping your world until there’s nowhere to run. Don’t look for shocking jump-out-of-your-seats moments here. This movie explores the very reason humans are afraid of death in the first place — they don’t understand it, but it’s inevitable for us all. Night of the Living Dead was groundbreaking for other reasons, too —
like having a black star, for one. It follows a group of survivors that gets trapped in a house together, and it shows the gradual breakdown of their collective mental state as the shambling, relentless horde of the risen dead keeps them pinned down at every turn. And the shocking ending is just too perfect. No one knows zombies like George Romero. Seriously. Accept no substitutes. 5. Alien (1979) Aside from horror, science-fiction and fantasy are the only other genres that truly capture my imagination. Put two of them together, and you have pure magic. Ridley Scott’s Alien is the definitive sci fi-horror experience. From the hauntingly beautiful H.R. Giger-designed creatures to the dingy, rusty clunker feel of the space freighter Nostromo to the androidgone-mad character, the movie just has so much going for it. And it just doesn’t get better than the chest-bursting scene — particularly knowing that the actors had no clue what was going to happen when it was shot. And then there’s Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley, the original horror movie heroine. No damsel in distress here. No rescuing the princess. Just lots of kicking butt. James Cameron, as he did with the Terminator series, later took this great sci fi-horror movie and turned it into something it was never meant to be — a straight action film. While the sequels to both are enjoyable, they’ll never, ever come close to the level of greatness that the originals achieved.