Welcome to the 827th edition of my series. I know next Sunday is Halloween so I'm sure there will be some celebration all week. I hope everyone enjoys their holiday however celebrated. I hope that whenever Trick or Treating starts, that everyone will remain safe. I don't have much else to say so onto my selections.
Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981): Steve Miner directed this sequel which has Jason, played by Warrington Gillette, picking up right where his mother left off. Camp Crystal Lake is still shut down but Jason stalks a camp that is very close to it. Amy Steel, John Furey, Adrienne King, Kirsten Baker, Stuart Charno, Walt Gorney, Betsy Palmer and many others co-star in this sequel. This continues with all the killing but the hockey mask was not introduced yet. I think just about everyone who has wanted to see this has already but to the younger generation who enjoys horror should probably take a look at this franchise and where it started.
The VelociPastor (2018): Brandon Steere wrote and directed this horror comedy. Greg Cohan stars as Father Doug Jones who after losing his parents, travels to China where somehow he inherits a power to turn into a dinosaur. When a hooker named Carol, played by Alyssa Kempinski, discovers this, she convinces him to fight crime and some ninjas. Claire Hsu, Nicholas M. Garofolo, Jesse Turits, Aurelio Voltaire, and many others co-star in this B-Movie. I don't think there is much else to explain here. This may not be very good but it was good as we get all kinds of laughs.
Back to the Future (1985): Robert Zemeckis directed and co-wrote this iconic '80s film. Michael J. Fox stars as Marty McFly to accidentally gets sent back in time due to the time machine of his eccentric inventor friend Doc, played by Christopher Lloyd. He finds himself sent back to the era of when his own parents, played by Crispin Glover and Lea Thompson, where he must fix things that might compromise his own existence. Thomas F. Wilson, Claudia Wells, Marc McClure, Wendie Jo Sperber, George DiCenzo, Frances Lee McCain, James Tolkan, J.J. Cohen, Harry Waters Jr., Casey Siemaszko, Billy Zane, Donald Fullilove, Lisa Freeman, Jason Hervey, and many others co-star in this sci-fi film. This is a timeless classic that many quote and has spawned to good sequels. There is also the very iconic music score from Alan Silvestri. To those reboot haters, Zemeckis has said that he will not be allowing any reboot or remake of this film.
The Adams Family Goes to School (1964): This is technically the first episode of the tv series THE ADDAMS FAMILY which was directed by Arthur Hiller and like always, I will consider it my short film for the week. This centers around the unusual family lead by the couple Gomez and Morticia Addams, played by John Astin and Carolyn Jones, whose children Pugsley and Wednesday, played by Ken Weatherwax and Lisa Loring, are forced to attend school. Ted Cassidy, Jackie Coogan, Marie Blake, Allyn Joslyn, Madge Blake, and Nydia Westman co-star in this episode. This is the series that started this creepy, cooky, serious, and spooky family that has been brought back through many generations. This still delivers many laughs after all these years.
Wife vs. Secretary (1928): Clarence Brown directed this romantic comedy. Clark Gable stars as publishing executive Van Stanhope whose wife Linda, played by Myrna Loy, believes her husband's relationship with his secretary Whitey, played by Jean Harlow, is more than professional. James Stewart co-stars as Dave who is Whitey's boyfriend and has his own jealousy and concern. May Robson, George Barbier, Hobart Cavanaugh, Tom Dugan, Gilbert Emery, Marjorie Gateson, Gloria Holden, and many others co-star in this film. This is a pretty funny and well done romantic comedy of misunderstanding. Gable, Loy, and Harlow are quite the trio and are worth a look.
The Harvey Girls (1946): This is my western musical romantic comedy which I see that was a lot to take in. George Sidney directed this musical where Judy Garland stars as Susan Bradley who comes to a town as a mail order bride. When that does not work out, she joins the new Harvey house group that is opening up and is a real-life restaurant chain where some still exist in the Santa Fe area. They find themselves in a rivalry with the saloon across the street which was run by Ned Trent, played by John Hodiak, who becomes her uneasy love interest and the jealous saloon singer Em, played by Angela Lansbury. Ray Bolger, Preston Foster, Virginia O'Brien, Kenny Baker, Marjorie Main, Chill Wills, Selena Royle, Cyd Charisse, Ruth Brady, Jack Lambert, Edward Earle, Morris Ankrum, and many others co-star in this musical. This is a pretty decent and rather underrated musical with some good numbers and have a WIZARD OF OZ reunion between Garland and Bolger.
Shadow in the Cloud (2020): This is my WWII horror movie for the week which was directed and co-written by Roseanne Liang. Chloe Grace Moretz stars as WWII pilot Maude Garrett who boards a plane with some top secret documents and fights a gremlin on board. Nick Robinson, Beulah Koale, Taylor John Smith, Callan Mulvey, Benedict Wall, and many others co-star in this horror movie. This movie made me realize that like Liam Neeson, Moretz is not someone I want to piss off. I am not sure of the realism of a female WWII fighter pilot nor am I going to do any research on it. The beginning had a good animated sequence that paid tribute to a lot of the WWII propaganda shorts from this era. This is essentially a B-movie so enjoyable if taken for just that.
The Curse of Frankenstein (1957): Terence Fisher directed this film based on the classic novel from Mary Shelley. Peter Cushing stars as Baron Victor Frankenstein who at a young age becomes fascinated by science and reanimation. Along with his friend Paul Krempe, played by Robert Urquhart, they are able to bring a dog back to life and Victor becomes obsessed with human life as he tries to create a human, played by Christopher Lee, but does not have the intended results. Hazel Court co-stars as Victor's love interest Elizabeth. Melvyn Hayes, Valerie Gaunt, Fred Johnson, and many others co-star in this film. This is my favorite adaptation of the Frankenstein franchise. This is also the first time Cushing and Lee actually met and would start quite the on-screen rivalry with Hammer Films though they were very close friends in real life.
Cops vs. Thugs (1975): This is my Japanese film for the week which was directed by Kinji Fukasaku. This centers around a couple rival Yakuza gangs. Mob boss Hirotani uses his friendship with the corrupt cop Kuno to stage a land deal that erupts in violence. This is based on a true story where the names are changed. Words cannot describe this movie very well and is full of a lot of gun violence. Fukasaku would go onto directed the iconic Japanese film BATTLE ROYALE. This is a very compelling film with some well-done action scenes that aren't for everyone.
Marrowbone (2017): I end the week with this horror mystery which was written and directed by Sergio G. Sanchez. A family is moved from England to a place in rural Maine where siblings Jack, played by George Mackay, Jane, played by Mia Goth, Billy, played by Charlie Heaton, and Sam, played by Matthew Stagg, where their mother, played by Nicola Harrison, passes unexpectedly. To avoid being separated, they let their mother's death go unreported while something more sinister seems to be happening within the home. Anya Taylor-Joy, Kyle Soller, Tom Fisher, Paul Jesson, Robert Strange, and many others co-star in this film. This is a pretty complex horror film that might need an additional viewing for more understanding. It is more of a psychological horror movie than anything or as I put a horror mystery.
Well, that is it for this week but continue on with "My Own Madness" and stay tuned for next week.
MY OWN MADNESS: WOMEN IN HORROR
This is week four of five of my new segment. As I have mentioned in previous weeks, this was inspired by the Madness which is a contest I have been a part of for a few years. In the previous years, they wanted summaries like these but this year they took a new approach which does not require summaries. I have always enjoyed putting these together so I came up with this one and the Madness still plays into some of my selections which focus on battles. I have adopted their wild card philosophy where a list of names happen depending on the theme where any of their work can be used regardless of genre. I decided to use a theme I have been asking for years to have with women in horror so I gathered all the female wild cards we have used in the past to use for my wild cards. These are really more women who have been in horror, sci-fi, and fantasy. If I do it this way next year, I plan to do this same theme but put a little more thought into my wild card names. I categorize mostly by actor, sometimes I might have a separate category.
ADRIENNE BARBEAU
Adrienne is a wild card and returns this week for her time as Catwoman.
Batman: The Animated Series: Almost Got 'Im S1, E35 (1992): The Joker, the Penguin, Two-Face, Killer Croc, and Poison Ivy are all playing cards and reflecting on stories of how they almost got Batman. Catwoman plays into the Joker's story.
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ALYSSA KEMPINSKI
Alyssa is not a wild card but this independent actress is not a stranger to horror so I decided she would be a category.
Animosity (2017): Alyssa co-stars as Nicole in horror mystery film. This is pretty good but rather convoluted so may need more than one viewing.
The VelociPastor (2018): Alyssa stars as Carol the hooker who convinces the pastor to use his new gift to kill the bad guys.
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ANGELA LANSBURY
Angela is one of the wild cards and can use anything she has been in.
The Harvey Girls (1946): Having Angela in this movie makes it qualify where we pretty much get to see Lansbury vs. Garland.
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ANYA TAYLOR-JOY
Anya is not one of my wild cards but I do tend to feature her a lot for a lot of her other work so I think she's kind of a sleeper in this genre.
Marrowbone (2017): Anya co-stars in this complex horror movie as Annie, who is a local and Jack's love interest. 
Morgan (2016): Anya stars as a humanoid of the title name who is going wrong as a creation and risk-management consultant Lee must decide if the humanoid should be terminated.
The New Mutants (2020): Anya co-stars as Illyana Rasputin who is part of a group of teen mutants being held in a secret facility. This is part of the X-Men franchise which was intended to go further but things just did not work out. 
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BETSY PALMER
Betsy is a wild card and would be considered if I do this next year having such an iconic role.
Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981): Betsy has more of a cameo in this sequel to the franchise.
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CHARMED
I finish season one this week so I think I will just stop here for right now in this series.
Charmed: Out of Sight S1, E19 (1999): The sisters look to rescue a young boy that was abducted by a Grimlock.
Charmed: The Power of Two S1, E20 (1999): While Piper is vacationing, Prue and Phoebe must take on a ghostly serial killer while working out their own sisterly differences.
Charmed: Love Hurts S1, E21 (1999): Leo returns to San Francisco needing the sisters' help in protecting a young woman from a darklighter.
Charmed: Deja Vu All Over Again S1, E22 (1999): In this first season finale, the sisters must take on a warlock that is determined to kill them and when failing, time demon Tempus, played by David Carradine, resets time.
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CHLOE GRACE MORETZ
Chloe is not a wild card but found enough work and felt she should get her own category.
Kick-Ass (2010): Chloe gets to be a pre-teen superhero Hit Girl being trained by her own dad, played by Nicolas Cage in one of his best roles in my opinion.
Kick-Ass 2 (2013): Chloe reprises her role as Hit Girl who is trying to live a normal life as Mindy Macready but finds that she's Hit Girl living as Mindy.
Shadow in the Cloud (2020): Chloe goes into battle with a gremlin like creature in this WWII horror movie.
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ELIJAH WOOD
One of the few men I am giving a category for but has done a lot for horror, fantasy, and sci-fi through the years. I also learned he can play quite the serial killer with these selections
Maniac (2012): Elijah Wood stars as Frank who owns a mannequin shop and has a much darker side to him.
Sin City (2005): Elijah plays serial killer Kevin in this film based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller.
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EMMANUELLE CHRIQUI
Emmanuelle is not a wild card but decided to make her into a category for the first time.
Superman and Lois: Loyal Subjects S1, E9 (2021): Emmanuelle co-stars in this newer CW series as Lana Lang Cushing. In this series Clark and Lois, played by Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch, move back to Smallville with their teen twin sons. Lana is trying to help Lois in finding evidence to bring down her boss Morgan Edge in this episode.
Wrong Turn (2003): This has always been a favorite of mine and is almost an annual watch for me on the madness. I usually make a category of Eliza Dushku but I decided this is the year Emmanuelle gets her due.
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HAZEL COURT
Hazel is an actress from the earlier era and carved out quite a career in the horror genre so decided I'd make a category out of her.
The Curse of Frankenstein (1957): Hazel plays the confused fiance of Victor Frankenstein who might harbor a few secrets.
The Raven (1963): Hazel co-stars as Lenore in this Roger Corman/Vincent Price classic. This is rounded out well by Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre, and a young Jack Nicholson.
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JENNIFER ANISTON
Jennifer is not a wild card but is a friend to many and made a category for her.
The Iron Giant (1999): Jennifer provides the voice as the single mother who befriends the title character. This is a great animated homage to the world of sci-fi.
Leprechaun (1993): This is the first of the franchise of the murderous leprechaun. Jennifer co-stars as Tory in one of her earlier roles before she would be known for FRIENDS.
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LEA THOMPSON
Lea is not a wild card but found a couple of good selections for her from her '80s era so made her into a category.
Back to the Future (1984): Lea plays Marty's mother in the modern era and has the hots for her own son when she meets him in the early era when she is in high school.
Howard the Duck (1986): Lea plays struggling musician Beverly who befriends a humanoid duck named Howard that is somehow brought from his planet of the ducks to Cleveland. Howard must help an alien attack coming. This is based on a Marvel comic and this was a huge flop when it came out but has reached more of a cult status over the years. 
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LISA LORING
Lisa is not a wild card but found a couple selections that are older and newer so made a category out of her.
The Addams Family: The Addams Family Goes to School S1, E1 (1964): This is the first episode of the series where Lisa plays Wednesday.
Doctor Spine (2015): This is about a chiropractor named Dr. Spine whose mind is split into multiple personalities by a shrink. Lisa plays the part of Miss Rhonda in this independent horror movie. Yes, Joe Estevez, who plays Dr. Spine Sr., is the younger brother of Martin Sheen.
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MELANIE SCROFANO
Melanie is not a wild card but decided to make a category of her with the selections I came across
Ready or Not (2019): Melanie co-stars as Emilie who is part of the murderous family the bride must take on for survival. This would have been a perfect selection for the Madness this year. This is a pretty fun and bizarre horror comedy.
Wynonna Earp: Purgatory S1, E1 (2016): Melanie stars as the title character in this series who is the great-great-granddaughter of lawman Wyatt Earp. She must fight the paranormal in this rather popular series.
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RACHEL SKARSTEN
Rachel is not a wild card but with her work on WB/CW I thought I'd give her due.
Batwoman: Rebirth S2, E16 (2021): Rachel would return to the superhero genre but would be the villainous Alice throughout the series.
Birds of Prey: Premier S1, E1 (2002): This was a short lived WB series where Rachel would play a teenage Dinah Lance who comes into Gotham City. She would join the wheelchair bound Barbara Gordon aka Oracle and Batgirl, played by Dina Meyer and Helena Kyle aka Huntress, played by Ashley Scott. Helena is the daughter of Batman and Catwoman where the Joker murdered Catwoman, paralyzed Batgirl, and Batman disappears. The character of Helena would be rewrote and usually presented as the loose cannon daughter of a gangster. The series seems to have diverted a lot from the comic book with some of Dinah's abilities I have never heard and I don't think Helena was ever a metahuman. Still watchable though in my opinion.
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Rachel is a wild card this year after being one last year.
CB4 (1993): Rachel co-stars as Deliha in this rap comedy and is the girlfriend to Chris Rock who rises in the rap industry but at a price.
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SHERI MOON ZOMBIE
I decided to give Rob Zombie's wife Sheri her won category with a couple of Rob's movies.
The Lords of Salem (2012): Sheri stars as dj Heidi who gets "a gift for the lords" and appears to be the subject of revenge from Salem witches.
31 (2016): Sheri co-stars in this movie as Charly who is forced into a very violent game of survival among psychotic clowns.
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SUPERHEROES
Batman: The Animated Series: I am the Night S1, E34 (1992): Bruce begins to question his value as Batman on the anniversary of his parents' death and Commissioner Gordon being seriously wounded.
The Flash: Masquerade S7, E13 (2021): Barry and Cecile end up in a mental mindscape and Cecile must confront her past for them to get out.
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WILD CARD WEDNESDAY
In the Madness this year, they are having a tournament for movies that are battles. I have a nickname in the Madness called "King of the Loophole" where I would feature a lot of movies for names that are wild cards. Elizabeth has enough respect for me to give me my own segment which I never asked for called Wild Card Wednesday in which I can come up with a selections that are non-genre. For these to work they had to have the word "vs" in the title. These below are the first three weeks and the last one will be on there next week.
Cops vs. Thugs (1975): This Japanese action film was this week's "Wild Card Wednesday" and Elizabeth was excited about the director who directed one of the main films of focus in BATTLE ROYALE.
The People vs. Fritz Bauer (2015): This is week two of "Wild Card Wednesday" which is a Crime Drama based on a true story. Fritz Bauer was a man who worked tirelessly to capture Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann in 1960.
Wife vs. Secretary (1936): This romantic comedy was week one of "Wild Card Wednesday" and was quite the comedic battle.
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