Welcome to the second episode of Alcoholloween, as we finish up HORROR OCTORBOR!, our month of Stephen King films, with the 1982 horror anthology Creepshow! Here, dated and wacky cartoon transitions from George A. Romero (Night of the Living Dead) speed us along five tales of terror. Prepare for two hours of: a vengeful father who just wants his cake; a dumb yokel (a blissfully rare acting role from King himself) finding a meteor with strange properties; a vengeful husband takes his sadistic jollies from torturing his wife and her lover; a strange Yeti in a crate helps a weak-willed husband solve the problem of his shrewish wife; and finally, a Scrooge-like germophobe deals with a pernicious bug problem. The film is full of 80s kitsch, so be prepared for that - we'll help you along the way with our custom cocktail and drinking rules!
This week on Alcohollywood, we check in to the Overlook Hotel with 1980s Stanley Kubrick film The Shining, as we continue HORROR OCTORBOR! Watch the slow but intense haunting of the Torrances, who care for the hotel by themselves, with the help of fantastic cinematography, chilling performances and a haunting sense of atmosphere that makes thus truly one of the best Stephen King adaptations to date (even if King himself doesn't think so). Along with this, we can descend into alcoholism right with Jack along with our drinking game and custom cocktail!
This week on Alcohollywood, we're headed back to the 1980s with the Stephen King-written werewolf flick Silver Bullet, starring Gary Busey as alcoholic-yet-fun uncle Red, who helps handicapped Corey Haim track down a werewolf that's killing the increasingly-simpleminded denizens of his small Maine town. Luckily, they've got the help of their spunky sister, a bunch of unfounded assumptions, and Corey's flipping-sweet motorized wheelchair, the "Silver Bullet"! Keep a look out for other actors who probably shouldn't be here, including Terry O'Quinn as the well-meaning town sheriff, Everett McGill as a preacher with a terrible secret (SPOILER: he's the werewolf), and Lawrence Tierney as the town bartender. Bite into our custom cocktail and drinking rules for Silver Bullet!
This week on Alcohollywood, we’re continuing HORROR OCTORBOR! by sitting through the three-hour miniseries IT, starring a bevy of B-level actors at the height of their popularity in the early nineties, plus a “special appearance” by Tim Curry as the titular character! Let’s get the Stephen King checklist out: After a group of seven kids (check) in a small town in Maine (check) destroy a creature that preys on their everyday fears (check), the kids – one of whom is a famous horror author (check) – must return to this town as adults to defeat the monster and recapture their childhood. This one’s a bit of a slog, but it terrified audiences in 1990, so we thought we’d check it out. Will Pennywise the Clown steal these kids’ souls, or will he be defeated by a slingshot and naive belief? Check out our rules, drink and review below!
This week on Alcohollywood, we start HORROR OCTORBOR!, where we celebrate Halloween by reviewing and drinking to Stephen King adaptations! To begin, we tackle the 2007 thriller 1408, starring John Cusack, Samuel L. Jackson and one evil fucking room. In typical Stephen King fashion, the main character is a cynical horror writer (Cusack) with family issues who investigates a notoriously scary hotel room in New York – you can guess what happens next. The movie is, if nothing else, great for fridge freakouts, Samuel L. Jackson’s sly performance, and some great, atmospheric direction from Mikael Halfstrom. Check it out along with our review and drinking game, and our custom cocktail!