I first found out about "Last Halloween," a short film from director John Stewart Muller, while Googling around for info about "The Last Halloween," the obscure TV special. The short was written by and co-stars Leslie Andrews, the talented star of "Sick Girl," a movie I have to defend way too frequently and should probably get around to reviewing eventually. The short features a couple arguing and breaking up following a Halloween party. Experienced horror short viewers will spend the run time waiting for the kicker. What's the morbid twist on this otherwise simply dramatic seeming material? Leslie Andrews charms me in everything I've seen her in. The same goes for this, even if Andrews has very little to work with. Kit Williamson is a lot less interesting as the foul-mouth, philandering boyfriend. Director Muller is clearly a horror fan, slipping music from "Suspiria" and a poster of "The Thing" into the short. At only six minutes long, a bit too much of this is spent on the opening dance scenes. Of course, indie shorts like this hang on their last minute shock. "Last Halloween" has a pretty good one. It's funny and morbidly amusing, probably more so then the rest of the film. Is "Last Halloween" worth checking if you're not a Leslie Andrews fan? Probably not. Eh.
2 Reviews
A fun little "slice of life" short that breaks no new ground yet surprises.
hoboboxerjoe11 January 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Using ambiguous dialog to create a surprise twist in a short is nothing new. In fact, it's one of the oldest tricks in the book. No criticism there, can't fault anyone for using what works. The delivery is where you get the punch. Here the delivery was great, for someone who is an amateur film maker. Leslie Andrews is someone whom I think has been vastly overlooked. She would've been PERFECT for the roll of Sydney Prescott's cousin in Scream 4. She could, and should, still be introduced to the franchise if they continue it.
Another movie franchise worth looking at (not to overly digress) is the Behind the Mask: Leslie Vernon one. She'd make a great opponent to Leslie, in fact, why not have her character from Sick Girl cross over entirely? I think that would be a blast! Both are so predatory and she does the role soooo well.
Here she takes a "Dexter" scenario and flips it on it's head. She plays the girlfriend of a man who has issues, women issues. He can't keep his hands off of them! (and can't keep their hands off of them too, he-he, little inside joke.) They have your typical "I'm leaving you, I can't trust you." dialog, and it seems so...bland, but there is this weirdness behind it that you don't get just yet, until the reveal. Obviously they are both sick, in fact, this could almost be a slice of life piece about Sick Girl (aka Izzy). Who is a predator and an ultimate survivor. She would attach to someone who is twisted like her, and I could totally see her NOT killing him but merely leaving him. As only with another killer can she have anything remotely close to a real emotional connection.
It's not Izzy, though, (in my head I pretend it is). But she might as well be. Or even a twisted Sydney Prescott, a girl pushed over the edge, or a girl just too apathetic to truly care about a man who is killing and mutilating other women. She shows no remorse for their death, merely anger that he "Cheated" on her by killing them. The subtext here is very interesting and I think Leslie has a great future as a writer (I'd love to work with her, personally).
IF there was an intended social commentary, I'd read it as: "Our society has grown apathetic, the girl represents that, and the boyfriend represents our government/corporate masters. It's not the blood on their hands that bothers us so much as it is they have turned their attention away from us. Making us both equally sick, and equally lost. When the boyfriend's final words are "I miss her already" it signifies his addiction to betrayal and avoiding accountability. While having no problem stamping accountability onto everyone but himself. This is representative of our government, our society-us-we are, as the government is, the same thing. We're both sick, too sick to get better, and we are both of us addicted to the pain of the other person. When one breaks the cycle, the other just falls further down. We are left with that, no answer, no conclusion, because there can't be any, outside of the true end, death."
Another movie franchise worth looking at (not to overly digress) is the Behind the Mask: Leslie Vernon one. She'd make a great opponent to Leslie, in fact, why not have her character from Sick Girl cross over entirely? I think that would be a blast! Both are so predatory and she does the role soooo well.
Here she takes a "Dexter" scenario and flips it on it's head. She plays the girlfriend of a man who has issues, women issues. He can't keep his hands off of them! (and can't keep their hands off of them too, he-he, little inside joke.) They have your typical "I'm leaving you, I can't trust you." dialog, and it seems so...bland, but there is this weirdness behind it that you don't get just yet, until the reveal. Obviously they are both sick, in fact, this could almost be a slice of life piece about Sick Girl (aka Izzy). Who is a predator and an ultimate survivor. She would attach to someone who is twisted like her, and I could totally see her NOT killing him but merely leaving him. As only with another killer can she have anything remotely close to a real emotional connection.
It's not Izzy, though, (in my head I pretend it is). But she might as well be. Or even a twisted Sydney Prescott, a girl pushed over the edge, or a girl just too apathetic to truly care about a man who is killing and mutilating other women. She shows no remorse for their death, merely anger that he "Cheated" on her by killing them. The subtext here is very interesting and I think Leslie has a great future as a writer (I'd love to work with her, personally).
IF there was an intended social commentary, I'd read it as: "Our society has grown apathetic, the girl represents that, and the boyfriend represents our government/corporate masters. It's not the blood on their hands that bothers us so much as it is they have turned their attention away from us. Making us both equally sick, and equally lost. When the boyfriend's final words are "I miss her already" it signifies his addiction to betrayal and avoiding accountability. While having no problem stamping accountability onto everyone but himself. This is representative of our government, our society-us-we are, as the government is, the same thing. We're both sick, too sick to get better, and we are both of us addicted to the pain of the other person. When one breaks the cycle, the other just falls further down. We are left with that, no answer, no conclusion, because there can't be any, outside of the true end, death."
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