The Midnight Hour, as my subtitle indicates, was a made-for-TV horror movie (I should probably use that term very loosely here) directed by Jack Bender; unbelievably, the same guy responsible for many episodes of the hit TV show Lost, The HBO original series The Sopranos, and Ally Mcbeal. One could say that's quite a resume for a television director and they'd be right...but when it comes to The Midnight Hour, all I seem to hear are screeching car tires and someone getting thrown out of the passenger seat face first into the asphalt - I was no longer on board.
The premise here is a simple one - a group of kids steal historical relics from the town registry and decide to dabble in black magic; conjuring up the dead accidentally, causing a chain of events that unfold throughout the film's duration. It sounds like fun, right? The Midnight Hour is a title that deserves my favorite format - the checklist! So without further adieu....
1.) Lavar Burton. Yes, the man most people from my generation are familiar with who starred as the host of Reading Rainbow, initially broadcast in June of 1983. If any of you are Star Trek: The Next Generation fans, he also played Geordi La Forge - the blind, visor- wearing Chief Engineering Officer of the Enterprise. His role as Vinnie Davis in The Midnight Hour actually occurred a year before auditioning for the part in Star Trek. I'm not a huge Lavar Burton fan but I thought it was comical that he chose a part in this movie...recognizing a familiar face is always an added bonus. Which leads me to my next point....
2.) Random song and dance routine. Indeed, if this film didn't exude enough 80's energy already, this 3-minute-long sequence definitely pushed things over the edge. It was obvious they were paying tribute to Michael Jackon's video, Thriller, which was released a year prior. Obviously it didn't take long for people to imitate his famous dance scene. What made things even more hilarious is Lavar Burton's dance moves...I had to put things into perspective quickly; otherwise, the shame I felt while watching would've caused me to leap from the balcony to my demise. Since my balcony is only one story high I'm sure all I would suffer is a sprained ankle...left alone to wallow in further humiliation.
3.) 20-something-year-olds who play highschoolers. One could argue that there isn't a huge difference in age...but seriously? I definitely recall that while in highschool, people weren't sporting full facial hair and appearing old enough to be someone's father. This small detail was always so funny to me and I'll never not comment on it.
4.) A good ol' smattering of zombies, vampires, and a werewolf. Why is there always just one Wolfman? Surely some other creature created him in order for him to exist as well, right? Can there be only one? Do they just meet up in an abandon warehouse somewhere and fight it out with swords, with the victor decapitating their opponent in order to remain the "one"? Hey that sounds like a great premise for a set of movies...possibly even a television series....
So after all of these points, how was I left feeling? Disappointed, actually. This film was released on November 1st of 1985 - it's obvious they timed the season of Halloween with it's release. I can imagine families sitting at home watching this...it's appropriate, tame, and lighthearted. Perhaps I wasn't in the mood for something of this nature but normally if it's too family friendly I tend to steer clear. Fans should learn to appreciate horror in many formats but the "safe for TV and grandma" target audience features don't interest me. I compare so many 80's horror films like this one to Fright Night; a film that actually got the balance right.
The premise here is a simple one - a group of kids steal historical relics from the town registry and decide to dabble in black magic; conjuring up the dead accidentally, causing a chain of events that unfold throughout the film's duration. It sounds like fun, right? The Midnight Hour is a title that deserves my favorite format - the checklist! So without further adieu....
1.) Lavar Burton. Yes, the man most people from my generation are familiar with who starred as the host of Reading Rainbow, initially broadcast in June of 1983. If any of you are Star Trek: The Next Generation fans, he also played Geordi La Forge - the blind, visor- wearing Chief Engineering Officer of the Enterprise. His role as Vinnie Davis in The Midnight Hour actually occurred a year before auditioning for the part in Star Trek. I'm not a huge Lavar Burton fan but I thought it was comical that he chose a part in this movie...recognizing a familiar face is always an added bonus. Which leads me to my next point....
2.) Random song and dance routine. Indeed, if this film didn't exude enough 80's energy already, this 3-minute-long sequence definitely pushed things over the edge. It was obvious they were paying tribute to Michael Jackon's video, Thriller, which was released a year prior. Obviously it didn't take long for people to imitate his famous dance scene. What made things even more hilarious is Lavar Burton's dance moves...I had to put things into perspective quickly; otherwise, the shame I felt while watching would've caused me to leap from the balcony to my demise. Since my balcony is only one story high I'm sure all I would suffer is a sprained ankle...left alone to wallow in further humiliation.
3.) 20-something-year-olds who play highschoolers. One could argue that there isn't a huge difference in age...but seriously? I definitely recall that while in highschool, people weren't sporting full facial hair and appearing old enough to be someone's father. This small detail was always so funny to me and I'll never not comment on it.
4.) A good ol' smattering of zombies, vampires, and a werewolf. Why is there always just one Wolfman? Surely some other creature created him in order for him to exist as well, right? Can there be only one? Do they just meet up in an abandon warehouse somewhere and fight it out with swords, with the victor decapitating their opponent in order to remain the "one"? Hey that sounds like a great premise for a set of movies...possibly even a television series....
So after all of these points, how was I left feeling? Disappointed, actually. This film was released on November 1st of 1985 - it's obvious they timed the season of Halloween with it's release. I can imagine families sitting at home watching this...it's appropriate, tame, and lighthearted. Perhaps I wasn't in the mood for something of this nature but normally if it's too family friendly I tend to steer clear. Fans should learn to appreciate horror in many formats but the "safe for TV and grandma" target audience features don't interest me. I compare so many 80's horror films like this one to Fright Night; a film that actually got the balance right.