pumpktoberfest #31 - shock the pumpky.

film: shocker
beer: shock top pumpkin wheat

i swear that pumpktoberfest 2011 isn't going to be comprised solely of wes craven films but if there's a horror film that pairs better with today's pumpkin beer than his 1989 gem shocker, i haven't seen it. does anybody out there make a serial killer-themed pumpkin beer? as far as i know, the answer is no, so back-to-back wes craven films it is. personally, this was one of the first films i saw by craven & somewhere in my parents' house there's a poster from the film, so it's always held a special place in my heart. though it's not the best horror film ever made, it's filled with just the right combo of horror, hilarity and late 80's nostalgia & music for my tastes. "no more mr nice guy" performed by megadeth? yes yes double yes!

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interview! matt barclay, bierkraft.

logo via bierkraft's facebook page

over the last two pumpktoberfests, i've bought a good portion of my pumpkin beers at bierkraft in park slope, brooklyn. during pumpktoberfest, they always seem to have around a dozen different pumpkin beers on hand, so if you're looking to get your pumpkin on this holiday season, they've got you covered.

last week, i sat down with matt barclay of bierkraft to get his thoughts on the pumpkin beer phenomenon, what makes a good pumpkin beer & which horror films rule.

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pumpktoberfest #30 - robot overlords.

film: deadly friend
beer: sixpoint autumnation

the 80's were a pretty sweet time for horror director wes craven. during the decade, craven launched the nightmare on elm street franchise & directed a total of nine films including such classics as swamp thing (1982) & the serpent and the rainbow (1988). amongst that success, he directed a few questionable films, including halloween of '86's deadly friend, which was based on the novel friend by diana henstell. the plot's pretty simple. paul, a college student studying neurology, moves to a new town with his mom & his remote-controlled robot named "BB" (voiced by comedian charles fleischer). eventually, things take a turn for the EVIL. coincidentally, what other robot-centric film came out five months before deadly friend? that's right...the KING of all robot films, short circuit.

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pumpktoberfest #29 - every time i turn around.

film: invitation to hell
beer: sixpoint pumpkin brewster

wow. how time flies when you're spending your days drinking copious amounts of pumpkin beer & watching horror films. with this here entry, we've come to the end of another pumpktoberfest season. frowny face. to close out the season, we're bringing you a film from a genre that i like to describe as "suburban horror," wes craven's invitation to hell. it's a 1984 made-for-tv movie that came out a few months before he hit the jackpot with a nightmare on elm street & stars robert urich as matt winslow & susan lucci as jessica jones, the head of a mysterious country club in a matt's housing development. when matt moves there for a job with his wife (joanna cassidy), son (barret oliver, bastian from the neverending story) & daughter (soleil moon-frye/punky brewster), he discovers that something's not quite right about the place.

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pumpktoberfest #28 - jolly.

film: santa's slay
beer: jolly pumpkin la parcela no 1 pumpkin ale

are you ready for more pumpktoberfest? you better be, cause it's coming at you fast & furious, this time with a heaping helping of holiday horror in the form of the kinda-hilarious 2005 film santa's slay. former professional wrestler bill goldberg plays santa claus with a twist--he's actually a child of satan who's decided to "spread some christmas fear" during the holiday season. it turns out that back in the day, christmas was the time of year when santa would wreak havoc on the world. then, a thousand years ago an angel challenged him to a game of curling that he lost. as a result, he had to be nice for the next thousand years. OBVIOUSLY. 2005 is when that agreement finally came to an end.

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