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Stay up very, very late (and early) with CUFF’s 2019 Halloween movie marathon — their funniest night of horror yet

Stay up very, very late with CUFF’s Halloween movie marathon — their funniest night of horror yet

Just so you know, on Saturday night, the awesome maniacs at CUFF are once again treating us to a full 12 hours of horror movie glee at the Globe Cinema. It’s a yearly tradition that looks particularly good this time around, with an extremely appealing lineup of films that look a lot funnier than usual. Oh, there’s still plenty of gore and gasps, but while eschewing any specific theme (other than “good horror films that will be fun to watch with a group“), I notice plenty of chuckles in the lineup. A lineup consisting of…

EXTRA ORDINARY (2019) at 7 p.m.

A last minute addition to the event, this brand-new flick features shy Irish villagers dealing with ghosts and possession. The trailer, featuring Will Forte as a goofy Satanist, is awash with reassuring accolades, and looks delightful. 

THE EVIL DEAD (1981) at 8:45 p.m.

Surely I don’t need to tell you how good this one is. Surely you’ve all seen this masterpiece a dozen times. Well now, you can see it in a theatre, with a cheering crowd, still rowdy and not yet too exhausted to appreciate this sparkling new 4K restoration. Worth the ticket price all by itself!

BUBBA HO-TEP (2002) at 10:15 p.m.

Two Bruce Campbell flicks back to back? Why CUFF, you spoil us! Don Coscarelli’s cult hit strikes a completely different tone from the rest of the evening, giving us a funny, ludicrous horror plot (a still-living Elvis Presley fights a mummy in a rest home!!) while actually being a heartbreaking meditation on how our most-beloved heroes are doomed to be forgotten someday. Strange, introspective, and a cult fave.

FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 2 (1981) at 12:15 a.m.

Right after the midnight costume party, (…oh yeah, there’s a midnight costume party! Come as Elvis!) we plunge right into the most famous slasher franchise of the ’80s. So, is Part 2 a good movie? Don’t ask me — I’m the guy who still has never seen any of the Friday The 13TH films. (Wait, do Jason X and Freddy vs. Jason count? They were funny!) 

THE SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE (1982) at 1:45 a.m.

I’ve never been a fan of ’80s slasher films, to be honest (hence, my Friday The 13TH virginity). Having two of them in a row after midnight sounds like a bit of a slog. But it might not be, since this particular flick (originally planned as a parody) is well-loved by fans of the sub-genre. Did enough humour (both intentional and unintentional) make it through to be noticed by an increasingly sleepy audience? We shall see.

IDLE HANDS (1999) at 3:15 a.m.

Yay! This one’s a blast! Sure, the only people left in the audience are diehard lunatics determined to make it all the way until morning (and the free breakfast!), but they’re sure to love this under-appreciated horror-comedy gem about a possessed hand. 

CREEPSHOW (1982) at 5 a.m.

Almost finished! And the last flick of the evening (er, morning) is an absolutely inspired choice. Five deliciously creepy tales to cap things off before you finally get to step out into daylight. Congratulations, you made it! (You freak.)

If you’d like to go, here’s a reminder that theYYSCENE is giving away a pair of passes to the entire marathon. Click here to find out how to win.

(Illustration courtesy Tom Bagley.)

The 2019 Halloween Horror Movie Marathon begins at 7 p.m. on Saturday, October 26 at the Globe Cinema. Tickets are $20, or $18 for CUFF members. Ages 18+ only. Concession stand will be open all night, with bar service until 2 a.m. Costumes are encouraged, and a free breakfast will be provided in the morning prior to the final film. For details, go to https://www.calgaryundergroundfilm.org/halloween-movie-marathon-2019 or check out the event page on Facebook.  

John Tebbutt is the Video Vulture. He has been writing about obscure and ridiculous cinema since 1997. You can keep up with his nonsense on his website, Facebook, Twitter and through episodes of a program he’s doing with NUTV.

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