GUEST FILM REVIEW: Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982) – Holen’s Halloween Extravaganza 2024 part 5

HALLOWEEN III:  SEASON OF THE WITCH (1982 Universal)

Directed by Tommy Lee Wallace

I’m sure most of you know by now that Halloween was supposed to be an anthology series, but the first film proved so popular the studio wanted Michael Meyers back for the sequel, and got him. This third entry was supposed to right the ship with a whole new story, but after two films with Michael, fans just couldn’t accept this and the movie was critically and commercially panned at release. Philistines!

Decades later the movie has had a bit of a resurgence, with plenty of loyal fans flocking to it every autumn. If you go into it thinking of it as Season of the Witch as opposed to Halloween III, it might help you appreciate the many merits of this film. It may make me a horror pariah, but it’s my favorite in the series. I’ve never been crazy about the original. I think Bob Clark did the same concept better years earlier in Black Christmas. The other Halloween sequels range from fine to shit to fucking shit.

Absolute legend Tom Atkins takes over for Jamie Lee Curtis as protagonist in this outing, playing an alcoholic doctor who’s also a licentious Lothario. There’s nary a woman in this movie he doesn’t or hasn’t previously screwed. Age, race, relationship status matter not to this man. He’s an equal opportunity womanizer, and that’s why we love him.

The mystery begins when a crazed man being chased runs into his hospital spouting incoherent nonsense, only to be assassinated by a man who blows himself up to avoid further questioning. His buxom young daughter shows up to investigate, and Tom abandons his kids on Halloween and ignores his estranged wife to get to the bottom of this young… I mean… the bottom of the mystery.

Signs point toward an Irish Halloween mask company. Spooky witchcraft, sacrificial rites, and robots abound in honor of Samhain. I always liked that this took the series in a new direction of horror. A kind of mystery thriller instead of a slasher, with a healthy dose of ‘80s camp. Even with the camp, the villainous old man from Robocop’s plan is remarkably sinister. I don’t remember Michael being willing to kill kids; this guy’s taking out thousands of those little fucks.

I find it hard to articulate why I get a kick out of this one so much. I suppose I have a weak spot for older, overweight, alcoholic, grizzled guy protagonists being incredibly politically incorrect by today’s standards. See also Nick Nolte in 48 Hours and George C. Scott in just about everything. Tom Atkins’ character is in that studied tradition, although a steady influx of vaginal variety seems to keep him from being as world-weary as the aforementioned.

Season of the Witch is a perfectly solid horror film, and I’m convinced it’s abysmal reputation is solely due to fans expecting more Michael bullshit. The Carpenter score slaps, the cinematography is vibrant and colorful, and the story progresses logically, however absurd it gets at points. Watch it, or Harrison will curse you with the scent of cabbage.

4/5

The Contrarians Live: YELLOW Album Covers tonight at 7:00 PM EST!

A sequel to last week’s show!  Last Wednesday, we covered brown album covers.  This week we’re following that up with yellow album covers!  I will be joining the Contrarians LIVE tonight at 7:00 PM EST for this excellent topic idea.  Each of us has ten picks.  The final panel is TBA but I will be with at least the following people:

  • Grant Arthur
  • John “Johnny Homework” Clauser
  • Jamie Laszlo

40 unique picks for yellow cover art.  Yes, we will see Stryper.

THE CONTRARIANS – Yellow Album Covers – Wed. October 30 7:00 PM EST

 

Tim’s Vinyl Confessions Ep. 571: Sammy Hagar Deep Dive #3 (Musical Chairs)

To coincide with his new book RED ON BLACK: The Listener’s Guide to Sammy Hagar, Tim Durling and I took a deep dive on album #3:  Musical Chairs.

Here’s what Tim has to say about this episode:

“@GrabAStackofRocK‬’s Mike Ladano joins me for this look through Sammy’s third album, his second to be released in 1977. For the most part, we agree on this one. Be sure and subscribe to Mike’s channel for great content.“

This is the last show recorded at the cottage in 2024, in front of a nice fireplace.  I unboxed my copy of the book on this show.  Buy your own by clicking below!

Purchase RED ON BLACK: The Listener’s Guide to Sammy Hagar.

#1161: The Last Note of Freedom: Season 2024 Comes to an End

RECORD STORE TALES #1161: The Last Note of Freedom: Season 2024 Comes to an End

As much as Record Store Tales is about music, and personal music history, it has also become a related sub-story about mental health and seasonal affective disorder.  It was only during the early years of publishing Record Store Tales that I was forced to deal with it.  This has been a musical journey, and a rocky road of personal struggle, triumph, setbacks, and triumph all over again.  A big part of my problem is my seasonal affective disorder, which I have been open about for years.  I get depressed in the winter:  facts!  My genes are Mediterranean, and I was not built for snow or months of dark skies.  And so, it is sad to say that the cottage season of 2024 is officially at its end.  But what a year it was.

The year of drones!  Every year I want to level up my video-making abilities.  I never know what exactly that will be until I stumble upon it.  One year, it was the discovery of super-slow-mo videos.  This year I took the skies!  My cottage videos were dominated by drones this year.  A satisfying artistic triumph, and a super fun hobby that I highly recommend.

I called this chapter “The Last Note of Freedom” because that’s the song that I chose to use in my last cottage drone video of the year.  The same David Coverdale song that was inexplicably used in my high school graduation slideshow.  It always signals endings and beginnings to me, besides being a great song.  A good one one which to end the summer 2024 flying season.  Maybe this winter we’ll see if I can fly in the snow.

Meanwhile, back at home, this was also the summer that we discovered deep dish pizza.  I have always been curious but wary.  This summer, we found not one but two local places that serve up (and deliver) reasonably authentic deep dish.  (The “delivery” part is important because I don’t really enjoy going out to eat.)  And so, along with droning, deep dish pizza will become a winter activity when we have the blues.  I very much enjoy the thick gooey cheese, and the tomato sauce was a lot more enjoyable than I expected.  While it is not for everyone, and definitely a very different kind of pizza, I would say that deep dish is indeed pizza.  (There’s a whole debate about this.)

More food experiments will happen as we hunker down for another cold winter.  I’ve always wanted to try one of those ramen places, and soup is perfect for winter.  We also have to try a few “indoor steaks” when we start to go into beef withdrawl.

Yes, I’m optimistic.

And so as we say goodbye to summer and the cottage, we look forward to what comes this winter.  Lots of music, lots of new things, and always with a focus on creativity.

 

Rock Daydream Nation: Van Halen with David Lee Roth: Best Song, Worst Song, Every Album

“One of the best shows I have EVER been a part of!” – Mike

“It’s definitely a top shelf RDN show for sure!” – Peter

The pleasure is always mine when I get to be a part of Rock Daydream Nation.  I absolutely love Peter’s show; it challenges us and it entertains you.  This was a relatively easy show for me.  All I had to do was listen to Van Halen all week, and pick my favourite and least favourite songs from the Roth albums.  That’s it!  Beats workin’!

Tim Durling joined us for this amazing showcase of tunes, with some surprises.  What was clear is this:  least favourites are all but irrelevant.  They’re all favourites to different degrees!  I learned that I tend to gravitate to the more melodic side of Van Halen.  Meanwhile, Peter was able to glean some meaning behind some of Roth’s lyrics.

Top shelf RDN is right.  Top Jimmy would be proud.

 

We Love Paul Di’Anno: A Thorough and Engrossing Tribute to the Iron Maiden frontman with Pete Jones, Johnny Metal, Metal Roger & Harrison Kopp

This week, we lost the monolith of metal known as Paul Di’Anno.  Born as Paul Andrews, he gripped the world in 1980 fronting the almighty Iron Maiden.  The spark was brief but bright.  His two Iron Maiden albums, plus some EPs and singles, carved an identity.  Those who get it loved him.  Some of them followed Paul into solo outings and new bands.  And this show has a wealth of appreciation for it all.

With Professor Pete Jones on board as surprise guest, we talked about all things Paul.  Pete was there from the very beginning, buying the first album in store upon sight.  He goes deep into the music and the early Iron Maiden sound, supplanted by the late great Clive Burr on drums.  Harrison Kopp, in a mighty return to Grab A Stack of Rock after nearly nine months away, gave us a run through Paul’s career, highlighting live songs and memorable tracks suck as “Marshall Lockjaw”.   Johnny Metal and Metal Roger contributed their own personal stories and what Paul’s music meant to them.  As John said so well:  thank you.

Meanwhile, I let the boys do most of the talking.  Instead, I presented an interview I did with Paul’s old guitar player Steph Honde.  He tells a tale of picking up Paul at the airport, and playing live without rehearsal.  I also played Bruce Dickinson’s tribute to Di’Anno, and friend Brian Richards’ thoughts about the tribute from the perspective of an audience member that night.  Finally, I read a loving statement from friend Thor Blackmore, towards the end of the show.

I know we will all miss Paul Di’Anno.

Paul Di’Anno Tribute on Grab A Stack of Rock with Harrison, Johnny Metal, and Metal Roger

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man
Episode 75:  Paul Di’Anno Tribute

We had a completely different show planned this week.  Then, in the early hours of Monday morning, John Snow informed us that former Iron Maiden singer Paul Di’Anno had passed.

It was like that moment the record scratches and the needle comes off.  The shock set in, and then I realized, we need to change the show this week.  We need to pay tribute to (not the original singer, but) the first recorded Iron Maiden lead singer.  Paul filled some shoes:  Paul Mario Day and Den Wilcock preceeded him in Iron Maiden, but it was Di’Anno who helped put them on the center stage.  Paul’s punk look and snarl differentiated Iron Maiden from the rest of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal.  They were clearly different from the pack, and their intense and sweaty live shows proved it.

This week on Grab A Stack of Rock, Harrison Kopp will make an early unscheduled return, joining myself, John Clauser, and Metal Roger in tribute.  24 hours after our show, Roger will be seeing Iron Maiden themselves in Toronto.  All of us will be talking about the man, the myth, and the albums!  As an added bonus we will also be running a clip from my 2021 interview with his former guitar player Steph Honde, on playing live with Paul!  We will also be playing Bruce Dickinson’s tribute to Paul from Minnesota.

“I know you’d have gone insane if you saw what I saw,” but tonight, please join us and see our Tribute to Paul Di’Anno.  As usual there will be lots of physical products, including two VERY RARE Iron Maiden box sets, some vinyl, and double CD sets.

Friday October 25 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 8:00 P.M. Atlantic.   Enjoy on YouTube or on Facebook!

The Contrarians Live: BROWN Album Covers tonight at 7:00 PM EST!

A sequel to last week’s show!  Last Wednesday, we saw quite a few brown album covers when we looked at minimalist album art.  This week we’re following that up with brown album covers!  I will be joining the Contrarians LIVE tonight at 7:00 PM EST for this excellent topic idea.  Each of us has ten picks.  I will have the honour of sitting on a panel with:

  • Grant Arthur
  • Tim Durling
  • John “Johnny Homework” Clauser
  • Jamie Laszlo
  • Peter “The Professor” Jones.

60 unique picks for brown cover art.  I’ve given my list a twist:  all Canadian artists!

THE CONTRARIANS – Brown Album Covers – Wed. October 23 7:00 PM EST

GUEST FILM REVIEW: Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986) – Holen’s Halloween Extravaganza 2024 part 4

HENRY:  PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER (1986 Maljack Productions)

Directed by John McNaughton

Originally shown at the Chicago International Film Festival in 1986, this controversial low budget portrait of a serial killer took until 1990 to see a wider release. Saddled with the onus of an X rating, the indignation of puritans, and the schlock tagline “he’s not Freddy, he’s not Jason… he’s real,” you’d be excused for dismissing it as exploitative trash from a distance. However, you’d be remiss not to change that opinion after watching the thing.

The film was met with lavish praise from most prominent critics at the time, something few horror movies can ever claim. It’s a bleak, stark, and clinical look at violence and psychopathy. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is a high brow look at a low brow existence of purposeless violence and squalor.

Michael Rooker plays the titular killer with icy perfection. There’s nothing exploitative about it, Henry doesn’t even seem to particularly enjoy the killings. It’s just something to do, a compulsion. He lives with his old prison buddy Otis, an oaf who eventually joins him on his homicidal streak. Unlike Henry, Otis gets off on the killing, giving him a sense of power and thrill. There are times Otis wants to kill out of frustration or passion, but Henry has to hold him back, informing him that’s the easiest way to get caught.

Henry’s modus operandi is to appear as if he has none. His killings are random with a different weapon every time, living as a vagabond to avoid any police suspicion. Otis lacks the discipline to play by Henry’s demented rules for an extended period, and the relationship begins to turn sour.

Joining them in the dynamic is Otis’ sister Becky who comes to live with the two of them. Henry feels protective of her, and she begins to fall for Henry. Incapable of reciprocating any healthy emotional bond with another person causes things go sour between them as well, although Becky doesn’t have the sense to realize this before it’s too late. He comes to view her as dead weight, baggage that will hold him down, and his lifestyle requires that he travel often and light.

Shot on grimy looking 16mm film, the haggard and grainy look compliments the frigid nature of the piece perfectly. When the two leads acquire a camcorder and begin to film the murders, it lends itself even more to a documentary feel. It’s easy to sensationalize material like this, but this grounded approach and the cast’s nuanced performances bring a disturbing verisimilitude. It’s a perfect watch if you’re looking for a psychological approach to ultra violence this Halloween, and it works as a grim character study any other time of year as well.

4.5/5

Rest in Peace Paul Di’Anno (1958 – 2024)

Paul Di’Anno was one of the first singers I knew and loved. He’s running free now, with Clive Burr, and no longer in pain.

Paul has clearly not been in good physical shape lately. Once walking with a cane, Paul had been in a wheelchair for some time now. Paul has now lost his wheels, and is free to fly.

When Iron Maiden released their debut album in 1980, they were building on five years of battles in the clubs, building their repertoire and their reputation. Much of it had to do with Paul Di’Anno, the short(er) haired lead singer with the punk rock attitude. His sneer was embedded in those first two Maiden albums, both legendary.  Replacing him seemed impossible at the time!

I can’t believe we have to do this, but on Friday we will be paying tribute to Paul on Grab A Stack of Rock.

This sucks!