Scream! and Misty - Halloween Special (2017)

Scream! and Misty - Halloween Special (2017)

Authors: Guy Adams / Grainne McEntee / Feek / Kek-W / Hannah Berry / Alec Worley | Artists: John Stokes / Frazer Irving / Tristan Jones / Henry Flint / Simon Coleby / Warwick Fraser-Coombe / Ben Willsher / DaNi / Mike Hoffman | Page Count: 52

'His thirst for blood could be sated, but his longing for something else took hold. He wanted to be part of the hedonism, the nihilism, the dawning of another cycle in life's great illusion.'

Both Scream! and Misty have enjoyed a revived success of late, with two collected editions each (so far), so it made sense for publisher Rebellion to give us more. But what I wasn't expecting was that they'd give us NEW stories set in those worlds!

And they've been updated, set now in the current era of ubiquitous mobile phones and internet access. I can't speak with regards Misty, because I didn't read it back in the day, but the Scream! stuff works just as well despite the cultural and social sea-change since its original run (1984).

There are six stories included, two for each of the titles already mentioned, and two others that feature or bring together characters from other long-dead comics (e.g. Thunder, Buster, Speed, and Jet) that were not deemed important enough, it seems, to get a mention on the front cover and whose surprise inclusion makes it feel like we're getting less of what was advertised by the eye-catching cover art.

The Osterman Weekend (1983)

The Osterman Weekend (1983)

Dir. Sam Peckinpah

A government agency seeks to use one man to catch a group of other men in a political game of cat and mouse. Or is it cat and cat? Maybe it's mouse and mouse?

It's an adaptation of a 1972 Robert Ludlum novel of the same name, so there are the usual scenes of important men getting nervous over dodgy dealings and a twisty-turny ending. It makes you aware that not everyone sees friendship in the same way, and may even stir you to question if the people who claim to be your friends really are when they aren't beside you.

There's an unusual car chase and a few scattered moments where Peckinpah piqued my interest technically, but despite a strong cast his cinematic swansong isn't as memorable as much of what preceded it.

Child's Play / Chucky Movie Collection (1988—)

Child's Play (1988)

Dir. Tom Holland

Charles Lee Ray, aka the Lakeshore Strangler, is hunted by police. As a last resort, and thanks to some convenient knowledge of voodoo magic, the killer manages to transfer his consciousness to a popular kid's toy, the Good Guys doll.

Six-year-old Andy Barclay (Alex Vincent) loves the Good Guys franchise; he watches the cartoon on TV, eats the breakfast cereal, and wears the branded clothing. Andy's mom, Karen, a single parent, does her best to give the boy what he wants, and what Andy really, really wants is a Good Guys doll, naturally.

That's the basic set-up. Young Alex Vincent isn't annoying at all, which is not something that can be said for a lot of kids in films, and actress Catherine Hicks is believable as a mother with a 'compensating for absent father' attitude. But the most memorable character is the doll, Chucky, voiced by Brad Dourif. He's a sadistic, vindictive, foul-mouthed and merciless little shit. If you're a fan of black humour, he's also pretty damn funny at times.

Now and Forever (2007)

Now and Forever (2007)

Author: Ray Bradbury  |  Page Count: 240

'For even the thundering rocket, which rips the soul on Earth, walks silently some few miles high, treads the stars without footfall, as if in awe of the great cathedral of space.'

The book contains two previously unpublished Ray Bradbury novellas, both of which are preceded by a short introduction from the author, just a few pages in length, giving a brief but welcome insight into some of the circumstances, people, or locations that influenced each story's genesis and evolution. Thereafter the stories themselves do the work, split into perfectly structured chapters, not too short and not too long.

The first novella is titled Somewhere a Band is Playing, a bittersweet story set in a small town in Arizona. The second is Leviathan '99, set far above any town, aboard a ship in deep space. They're really quite different from each other, but both are thoroughly entertaining.

The Dracula File (2017)

The Dracula File (2017)

Authors: Gerry Finley-Day / Simon Furman | Illustrators: Eric Bradbury / Keith Page / Geoff Senior | Page Count: 96

'As the agent reeled back, a fearful shape rose to its full height..."You will raise no alarm this day!"'

Collected editions of stories from the short-lived Scream! comic continue to return to store shelves thanks to Rebellion's acquisition, of which, at time of writing, The Dracula File is the most recent.

However, unlike last year's Monster (2016) softcover collection, TDF is a hardback, which is a change that I have mixed feelings about. I prefer HB editions over PB, as a rule, but what I like even more is that companies stick to one format, design, and size, so that each successive book can sit nicely beside the first. Is such consistency really too much to ask of a publisher that's as respected and successful as they currently are? I think not.

Regardless, the book itself is an impressive edition, with a fair amount of bonus content at the back, including covers featuring the fearsome vampire and even some never-before-seen and unlettered pages of original art from back in the day.

Children of the Dog Star (1984)

Children of the Dog Star (1984)

Dir. Chris Bailey | 6 episodes, approx 28 minutes each.

While staying at her uncle's New Zealand farm, twelve-year-old Gretchen is drawn to the unusual "brass daisy" weathervane located atop the barn.

Neither her aunt nor uncle knows when, why or how it got there. Gretchen later learns that local Maori legends tell of something unnatural sleeping nearby that mustn't be awakened. When she begins to experience strange dreams she suspects that all the separate incidents may somehow be connected.

Children of the Dog Star was a mid-80s children's TV show that wasn't afraid to offer lofty concepts to its young target audience, while simultaneously keeping things simple by utilising basic character types/traits that would connect with a wide range of viewers; types such as the inquisitive child, the neglected child, and the misunderstood child that frequently finds trouble even when not seeking it.

Supernatural: Season 03 (2008)

Supernatural: Season 03 (2008)

16 episodes, approx 42 mins each

We've come a long way since Dean the hunter called upon Sam the pre-law student to help him find their missing father.

The simplistic Dean = acceptance / Sam = denial standings that served as a basic foundation for Season 01 have evolved. The brothers are now more complex characters with attributes and emotional responses that give rise to even deeper inner conflicts, an element that's crucial to all good drama, regardless of the genre it's tethered to.

Unfortunately, Season 03 doesn't make best use of that growth. The Writers Guild of America strike (November '07 - February '08) had a direct impact on the show. Series creator Eric Kripke has revealed that the strike caused a number of things to be truncated, changed or pushed back in order to accommodate the problematic schedule. The planned number of episodes also took a hit, reduced from the usual 22 to just 16.