While I'm slightly ashamed to give any fresh attention to the movie where John Landis killed three people through an excess of arrogance and negligence, the final two portions of Twilight Zone: The Movie -- the one called "It's a Good Life" directed by Joe Dante which will be the subject of our post today, as well as the fourth and final segment where Mad Max and Babe genius George Miller reworked the infamous "Nightmare at 20,000" feet story -- are too good to live unloved in the world, and are worthy of seeking out.
Dante's in particular brings me great joy -- the man who made the Gremlins movies unleashed on the story of a tyrannical boy with the ability to wish anything into existence with a cast that includes Kathleen Quinlin, Dick Miller, Nancy Cartwright, and the fellow on display in these gifs, the great "best friend of Monty Clift" Kevin McCarthy??? Yes please. Forced to do "a trick" for the boy's captive audience all seems alright at first until...
... all is very much not alright. (Sidenote: I deeply love the smooth arm movement McCarthy does in the above shot -- what a goddamned professional.) It should be noted that the monster effects in this segment were created by the legend Rob Bottin, who did the monsters in John Carpenter's The Thing -- you can very much see the bridge between those abominations and the Looney Tunes cartoons Dante is referencing throughout this segment -- that rabbit in the hat looks exactly like what would have happened if Bugs Bunny had been taken over by the defrosted alien parasite.
I have heard a lot of people my age had nightmares about this segment and the monster rabbit in particular, but I don't remember seeing this as a kid and if I did I apparently wasn't bothered by it. Man what a hard ass I was. Anyway this thirteenth bunny rabbit is my gift to you, here on Halloween! Check out all the "13 Bunnies of Halloween" right here -- now back into the hat with them until whatever nonsense I decide to count down in 2024...
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2 comments:
I'd like to throw in Anya dressed as a bunny Halloween costume in Season 4 of "Buffy" as an honorary Bunny of Halloween. Like she sings later, "bunnies aren't as cute as everybody supposes..."
Yes -- Anya was on my long list! I had about 10 more options that I wrote out off the top of my head and just did the ones I felt like doing each day. But Anya's bunny loathing was a favorite character quirk of my favorite Buffy character
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