Halloween. All Hallow's Eve. All Ween's Hallow. Whatever you may call it, Halloween is one of the biggest events of the school year. Therefore, I decided it would be a crime not to write about Halloween on the Friday of the festivities. Here are some things you should listen to and/or watch if you have some downtime over the weekend.
Funny Halloween songs
If there is one thing I love about Halloween, it is the novelty songs.
Aside from Christmas, Halloween has one of the widest selections of first-rate novelty songs. One of the all-time classics is the Warren Zevon hit "Werewolves of London." How could anyone hear the lyric "Little old lady got mutilated late last night" and not crack a smile?
Another spectacular spooky novelty song is Weird Al Yankovic's "Nature Trail to Hell," from his hugely successful In 3-D album. My favorite moment is when the song seems to conclude and then suddenly blasts back with another chorus. It is delightfully repetitive.
I will give an (though I hesitate to use this phrase) honorable mention to the simply titled "Halloween" from Stephen Lynch's third album The Craig Machine. I am not going to describe details from the song, but, to put it lightly, he tortures children. It is one of the most disturbing songs you will ever hear, but also, one of the funniest songs you will ever hear.
However, my absolutely favorite Halloween song is the wonderfully campy and extremely upbeat Oingo Boingo song "Dead Man's Party." It energetically celebrates a party at which you, as described in the song, "leave your body and soul at the door." Seriously, who could ask for anything more?
Funny Halloween movies
If there are two things I love about Halloween, they are the songs and the funny horror movies.
There are countless unintentionally funny horror movies, but I will stick to the ones that are a little more deliberate and could just as well fit into the comedy genre.
One recent movie that is both deliberately hilarious and, at times, reasonably scary is "Slither," which was just released on DVD Tuesday. It is essentially a parody of, and tribute to, B-movies. I went to see this movie at the theater, and at the moment when the slug jumped into the bathtub and began to wiggle its tail back and forth to propel itself forward, the crowd guffawed, and I joined in. This movie must be seen to be completely understood.
The epitome of supernatural comedies, though, would have to be "Ghostbusters," the original and its sequel. I think I am in the minority of people who think "Ghostbusters II" was better than the first. I guess I just find something about an evil painting, responsive ectoplasmic slime and a walking Statue of Liberty especially amusing.
Still, hands down, the best horror parody ever made is "Young Frankenstein." I believe it is Mel Brooks' greatest film. In fact, I would even say it is one of the greatest films ever made. Gene Wilder gives a remarkably brilliant performance as Dr. Frederick Frankenstein (initially pronounced "fronk-en-steen"), the grandson of the infamous scientist.
The movie also features Marty Feldman in the part he was born to play, Igor (pronounced "eye-gore"). My favorite moment is when Dr. Frankenstein is choked by his monster and attempting to gesture "sedative," but Igor instead comes up with "seda-give." I lose it every time when Wilder calmly regains his composure and then irately shouts, "Seda-give!?!"
Funny Halloween TV specials
If there are three things I love about Halloween, they are the songs, the movies and the cheesy television specials.
As a child, I was a sucker for corny sitcom Halloween specials. "Home Improvement" and "Roseanne" are two shows that stand out in my memory for having consistently impressive Halloween episodes. To be honest, I haven't seen them in quite a long time, so this opinion is being based on my memory, which is questionable at best. I can only assume they'd at least be good for a cheap laugh — arguably the best kind of laugh.
Of course, who can forget the "Simpsons Treehouse of Horror" specials? This year will mark the 17th chapter of the annual series. Once again, the special will air after Halloween, which enrages me to no end. Why would I want to watch a Halloween special after Halloween? I mean, I still will, but that is not the point. Anyway, my favorite of the installments would have to be "Treehouse of Horror V." It features probably the best segment of all, a not-so-subtle, but hilarious, send up of "The Shining."
Even now, the ultimate Halloween special is, and forever will be, "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown." As if Charlie Brown isn't pathetic enough with his hysterically holey ghost costume, at every door he trick-or-treats at, all he gets is a rock. A rock? Pure genius. Plus, who doesn't get a warm, nostalgic feeling while watching it? That's right, I'll admit it. In fact, if you do not love this special, you have no soul. Nevertheless, don't expect an invitation to my dead men's party.
