Welcome to day four of your Halloween marathon.
These days when I say, “Halloween Movie Marathon,” what I really mean is “October Entertainment Extravaganza.” There are simply too many movies, television specials, sitcom episodes, and old commercials to jam it all into a single day. Over the years my list has grown exponentially and has even spilled into September viewing in a mad dash to jam everything in before November comes knocking. To help space it all out, I’m curating seven full days of 1980s Halloween goodness for your viewing pleasure. Today’s list will be for October 28th.
Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981)
This made for TV movie first aired on October 24th, 1981 on CBS. I wonder if the audience knew what a perfect Halloween treat they were in for, because for a television movie, Dark Night of the Scarecrow really delivers. At its heart, the movie is a revenge flick masquerading as a mystery (who is the killer?) with some great slasher elements throughout.
I’ll admit to being a little late to the party on this one. I’ve only watched it maybe three times in my life, with the first viewing being well over a decade ago. I’m not sure what took me so long to revisit the movie, but I’m glad I finally did.
You’re sure to recognize a lot of the cast in this one with heavy hitters like Charles Durning, Lane Smith, and Larry Drake. Give it a shot, and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Trick Or Treat (1986)
We’re not talking about the newer movie Trick ‘r Treat, which is a personal favorite of mine too, but the revenge-flick-gone-wrong movie of 1986 with notable cameos Gene Simmons and Ozzy Osbourne.
We’re plunked into the world of metalhead Eddie Weinbauer, who’s being mercilessly bullied at school. He escapes into his music, especially the music of his idol, Sammi Curr, for solace. I won’t say much more about this one except that we get into a supernaturally-charged revenge cycle, leading to some fun mayhem.
There are some undeniably corny moments in this movie, but as a whole it’s an incredible addition to any Halloween marathon, and one that I’d put right up there in my top 10 of must-watches for the season.
Mr. Boogedy (1986)
I can’t tell you how hard it was been for me to stick solely in the 1980s for this marathon list. There are so many great movies and television specials I watch that fall outside our limited viewing scope, and sometimes I’m not even aware of it until I start researching for these articles.
For instance, this slot had been reserved for Winnie the Pooh: Boo to you Too! which I would have sworn was made in the ‘80s, but I’ve come to discover was actually made in 1996. So in place of that old favorite, I’ve swapped in Mr. Boogedy, a pretty corny movie that was actually filmed as a television pilot and then subsequently aired as a Disney Sunday Movie episode (45-minute run time).
I didn’t see this one until I was an adult, so that could be one of the reasons I tend not to reach for this short movie too often. Still, despite some minor annoyances it makes for fun Halloween viewing. Plus we get cast members like David Faustino and John Astin!
We’ve reached the end of our fourth day of Halloween viewing, and I think it was a good one. Before you start watching, maybe whip up a batch of cinnamon crunch popcorn (recipe below). This particular recipe uses a Whirley Pop (or similar) popper, and I’m fairly certain you actually need a popper of this style to make this recipe. There are other similar recipes out there that use a regular pot or even microwaved popcorn, but they aren’t nearly as good (in my opinion), because this recipe has you popping the popcorn in a mixture of oil and sugar which gives it a unique kettle corn coating.
Also worth noting is that you can easily turn this into a Pumpkin Spice Crunch Popcorn by substituting equal parts pumpkin spice for the cinnamon.
Be sure to come back and follow along with the marathon:
More coming soon!
Breathe deep of the night.
Cinnamon Crunch Popcorn
Recipe Ingredients:
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
1/4 cup popping corn
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup granulated sugar
Cooking Instructions:
In a measuring cup, mix cinnamon, salt, and 1 Tablespoon of sugar. Have this spice mixture ready by the popper.
Put oil, popping corn, and sugar into the popper. Fasten the lid securely. Use medium-high heat. Popping should start in about 2-3 minutes. Continue stirring until popping almost stops.
Remove quickly from heat, open lid, and pour in spice mixture over hot popcorn. Close lid and continue stirring (no heat) until thoroughly mixed. Pour into large bowl. Continue stirring with a large spoon. Cool and store in an airtight container. Serves six (or one Halloween Fiend).
Contributor: Wabash Valley Farms
I love the Winnie the Pooh Halloween and Christmas specials, too, and both feel like they came from the '80s to me as well (though I know they were mid-90s). Pooh always takes me back to my childhood, so I guess it will always feel like '70s and '80s to me plus they do an excellent job of keeping the characters true to the originals.