Tuesday, October 15, 2013

SnapShot: The Day After Halloween


Snapshot: The Day After Halloween Directed By Simon Wincer. Starring Sigrid Thornton (1979). 
Alot of people shit on this movie, they felt cheated at the time because it wasn't an actual sequel to Halloween, but you may be shocked to find out that I didn't hate this film!
   It begins with a grinning charred corpse found in a burning apartment as firemen in loud oxygen tanks move in. Brian May (not the Queen virtuoso, but the composer) does the piano driven score, which makes everything seem more thrilling than it is. May scored The Mad Max series, Cloak & Dagger, Turkey Shoot, Roadgames and alot of Ozploits.  
   I remember as a kid going to the horror video section and seeing this among wall to wall Mondos, slashers, euro trash horror; all fascinating and hideous at that age. I vowed to see all of the films that scared me as a kid (this cover was pretty cool, not scary). I never rented this, though the box art looks a lot like Demented and it's very misleading because there's no mention of anything Halloween related. The way they sold this film was genius, to take a syrupy Australian melodrama and market it as a sequel to Halloween! 
Wait, It's not a sequel?

   The real title is Snapshot Or One Minute More (this even played on TCM a few years ago and has seen been re-released on DVD from Scorpion Releasing), for what it is, its not bad in a weird "lifetime movie" story of lesbian jealously and betrayal. Although I understand how anyone searching for the next slasher film would be up in arms pissed off and ready to yell in the streets. 
   Madeline (Chantal Contouri) is a brash upper class role model for Angela (Sigrid Thornton), she takes a raggedy girl from the sticks and brings her into the world of modeling . Angela gets anxious when she has to get topless for a photo shoot in some cold water, but it pays off. The scene breaks out into an ultra smaltzy montage as she sheds her inhibitions to a cheesy disco song. This came out at the same time as the famous first slasher film and there's a lot of disco scenes (like Prom Night) and creeps looking for teenage jailbait.
Cher stop crushing Sonny's balls!
   Maddie is very protective of Angie, it's a little odd that she's always lurking in the background and rightly so, because Mr. Whippy (or Daryl, Angie's slimy ex-boyfriend is on the prowl). He's a potential stalker, still not over their break up and Angie blows him off by telling him that "she's a dyke". Little does she know later on her homophobia will come back to bite her! 
   She moves into a zero budget version of Australian Top Model with hairy dudes in cabby hats and frumpy girls. After a cologne ad that propels her into minor celebrity status, she delves further into the sleazy world of nudie pictures. 
   Mr. Whippy returns and leaves a giant severed pigs head on her pillow! Or did he?
They leave the audience with a lot of suspects that could be stalking her, it could be a few or just one and there's a decent element of mystery. 
Wait, I'm not taking over for Jamie Lee Curtis?
   There are all these slightly interesting touches to keep the film bobbing along a sea of mediocrity and if you know its not a slasher movie going in, there's less disappointment. I found it hilarious that the creepy ex boyfriend that drives the ice cream truck is named Daryl, because in the mid 80's the director made a film starring Barret Oliver about a robot boy with the same name. The last three minutes are pretty action packed, judge for yourself because a lot of people talk so much trash about this film that its gotten a bad reputation. You'll always find an honest opinion here at TOG, no sucking up too dull melodramas for promises of cash, if I sort of like a lesbian soap opera then so be it! 
Better Than A Sharp Stick In The Eye!     


Breakfast in bed?

Did Jamie Lee Curtis have to put up with this bullshit?

Wait am I Michael Myers or Freddy?

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