Out There Halloween Mega Tape

Last updated
Out There Halloween Mega Tape
Directed by Chris LaMartina
Written byChris LaMartina
Produced byChris LaMartina
Melissa LaMartina
Starring
  • Melissa LaMartina
  • Ted Geoghegan
  • Katie Hidalgo
  • Shawn Jones
  • Mikael Simpson
  • Michael Varrati
Edited byChris LaMartina
Distributed byChris LaMartina
Release date
  • August 20, 2022 (2022-08-20)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Out There Halloween Mega Tape is a 2022 comedy horror film that was written and directed by Chris LaMartina. It is a sequel to his 2013 film WNUF Halloween Special ; in initial promotional materials the film had the early title of WNUF Halloween Sequel.

Contents

The film's production was one of several movies impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The film premiered in August 2022 and was released directly to DVD by LaMartina.

Synopsis

The film is set in the 1990s and presents itself as a copy of an episode of a daily talk show, as well as a recording of a live investigation into alien encounters. The first portion shows a Ricki Lake and Jerry Springer-esque talk show led by host Ivy Sparks, who features strange and unusual guests. [1] The second portion is set some time later and also features a now disgraced Sparks, who is part of a live investigation into a farm rumored to be the site of inexplicable phenomena and alien encounters. The film also showcases several faux commercials, similar to the ones seen in the WNUF Halloween Special.

Cast

Production

After finishing WNUF Halloween Special LaMantina wanted to create additional spoof commercials and after completing Call Girl of Cthulhu, began to consider creating another a spiritual sequel. He started writing the script around 2018 and chose to set it during the 1990s after reflecting on "the cultural evolution of local 80s UHF stations being bought up by big corporate media companies in the 1990s". LaMantina experienced some difficulties trying to replicate the feel of a video shot and recorded during the 1990s, as there had been several technological advances and changes since the 1980s. He began by creating spoof commercials as tests around 2015, before he had fully come up with the movie's concept or script. [2]

Filming took place during the COVID-19 lockdown, forcing LaMantina to tweak or restyle several elements in order to follow lockdown protocol. [2] Advertisements shot for the commercial segments included one focused around a politician named Dandridge who was running for Senate. LaMantina brought back Dandridge's political advertisement from the first film as "At Halloween, you always have election coverage, so obviously there are political ads, and now we have this [recurring character] Dandridge running for Senate", further noting that if there were a third film he would feature Dandridge running for President of the United States. [3]

Release

Out There Halloween Mega Tape premiered in both on August 20, 2022 in Long Beach, California and Baltimore, Maryland. [4] [5]

LaMartina decided against releasing the film through any VOD or streaming service, instead choosing to independently sell copies via his website in DVD format. A VHS copy was made available as part of a limited collector's set. [6] [2] LaMantina chose to release the film in this fashion due to two factors: "One was social media’s desire for urgency and the second was piracy." He argued that fans would want to see the film as quickly as possible and that the format also kept the movie from being easily bootlegged. [2]

Reception

Out There Halloween Mega Tape was praised by Dread Central and Nashville Scene , the latter of which commented that the movie was more polished than its predecessor and that it was "structurally innovative and deeply rewatchable". [1] [7]

Awards

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VHS</span> Consumer-level analog videotape recording and cassette form standard

VHS is a standard for consumer-level analog video recording on tape cassettes invented in 1976 by the Victor Company of Japan and was the competitor to the ill-fated Sony Betamax system. Originally VHS was an initialism for Vertical Helical Scan but was later changed to the more consumer-friendly Video Home System.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Videotape</span> Magnetic tape used for storing video and sound simultaneously

Videotape is magnetic tape used for storing video and usually sound in addition. Information stored can be in the form of either an analog or digital signal. Videotape is used in both video tape recorders (VTRs) and, more commonly, videocassette recorders (VCRs) and camcorders. Videotapes have also been used for storing scientific or medical data, such as the data produced by an electrocardiogram.

A slasher film is a subgenre of horror films involving a killer stalking and murdering a group of people, usually by use of bladed or sharp tools such as knives, chainsaws, scalpels, etc. Although the term "slasher" may occasionally be used informally as a generic term for any horror film involving murder, film analysts cite an established set of characteristics which set slasher films apart from other horror subgenres, such as monster movies, splatter films, supernatural and psychological horror films.

<i>Freddys Nightmares</i> American horror anthology television series (1988–1990)

Freddy's Nightmares is an American horror anthology television series, which aired in syndication from October 1988 until March 1990. A spin-off from the A Nightmare on Elm Street film series, each episode is introduced by Freddy Krueger, and features two different stories, with eight of them throughout the series actually having Freddy Krueger as the main antagonist. The pilot episode was directed by Tobe Hooper, and begins with Krueger's prosecution on child-murdering charges.

<i>Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers</i> 1988 American slasher film

Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers is a 1988 American slasher film directed by Dwight H. Little, written by Alan B. McElroy, and starring Donald Pleasence, Ellie Cornell, and Danielle Harris in her film debut. Awakening from a ten year coma, Michael Myers returns to Haddonfield, Illinois, to kill his seven-year-old niece, Jamie Lloyd, with Dr. Loomis pursuing him once again.

<i>Friday the 13th Part 2</i> 1981 American film

Friday the 13th Part 2 is a 1981 American slasher film produced and directed by Steve Miner in his directorial debut, and written by Ron Kurz. It is a direct sequel to Friday the 13th (1980), and the second installment in the franchise. Adrienne King, Betsy Palmer, and Walt Gorney reprise their respective roles from the first film as Alice Hardy, Pamela Voorhees, and Crazy Ralph. Amy Steel and John Furey also star. Taking place five years after the first film, Part 2 follows a similar premise, with an unknown stalker killing a group of camp counselors at a training camp near Crystal Lake. The film marks the debut of Jason Voorhees as the series' main antagonist.

<i>Phantasm II</i> 1988 film by Don Coscarelli

Phantasm II is a 1988 American science fantasy action-horror film and the sequel to Phantasm (1979). It was written and directed by Don Coscarelli and stars Angus Scrimm, James LeGros and Reggie Bannister. The first film's protagonist, Mike, recently released from a mental institution, recruits Reggie and some new friends in an effort to defeat the villain Tall Man.

Halloween is an American slasher media franchise that consists of thirteen films, as well as novels, comic books, a video game and other merchandise. The films primarily focus on Michael Myers, who was committed to a sanitarium as a child for the murder of his sister, Judith Myers. Fifteen years later, he escapes to stalk and kill the people of the fictional town of Haddonfield, Illinois. Michael's killings occur on the holiday of Halloween, on which all of the films primarily take place. Throughout the series various protagonists try to stop Myers including, most notably, babysitter Laurie Strode and psychiatrist Dr. Samuel Loomis. The original Halloween, released in 1978, was written by John Carpenter and Debra Hill—the film's director and producer respectively. The film, itself inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho and Bob Clark's Black Christmas, is known to have inspired a long line of slasher films.

<i>Halloween Is Grinch Night</i> American TV series or program

Halloween Is Grinch Night is a 1977 children's animated Halloween television special and is a prequel to the 1966 television special How the Grinch Stole Christmas! It premiered on ABC on October 28, 1977. The original voice actor for the Grinch, Boris Karloff, by then deceased, was replaced by Hans Conried, though Thurl Ravenscroft, who sang on the original special, again provided singing vocals. The songs and score were written by Sesame Street composer Joe Raposo.

<i>Sorority House Massacre</i> 1986 film

Sorority House Massacre is a 1986 American slasher film written and directed by Carol Frank, and starring Angela O'Neill, Wendy Martel, Pamela Ross, and Nicole Rio. It follows a sorority pledge who experiences déjà vu in the sorority house when a murderer begins killing the residents over Memorial Day weekend. It is the second film in the Massacre franchise and a spin-off set in the same realm as The Slumber Party Massacre trilogy; like its predecessor, it was entirely written and directed by a woman.

<i>Absurd</i> (film) 1981 Italian film

Absurd is a 1981 Italian slasher film directed, lensed and co-produced by Joe D'Amato and starring George Eastman, who also wrote the story and screenplay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Home video</span> Prerecorded video media that are either sold, rented, or streamed for home entertainment

Home video is recorded media sold or rented for home viewing. The term originates from the VHS and Betamax era, when the predominant medium was videotapes, but has carried over to optical disc formats such as DVD and Blu-ray. In a different usage, "home video" refers to amateur video recordings, also known as home movies.

<i>Elviras Movie Macabre</i> American hosted horror movie television program

Elvira's Movie Macabre, or simply Movie Macabre, is an American hosted horror movie television program that originally aired locally from 1981 to 1986. The show features B movies, particularly those in the horror and science fiction genres, and is hosted by Elvira, a character with a black dress and heaven bump hairstyle, played by Cassandra Peterson. Elvira occasionally interrupts the films with comments and jokes, and in some episodes receives phone calls from a character called "the Breather".

Red Letter Media, LLC is an American film and video production company operated by independent filmmakers Mike Stoklasa and Jay Bauman. It was formed by Stoklasa in 2004 while he was living in Scottsdale, Arizona, but has long been based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It attracted significant attention in 2009 through Stoklasa's 70-minute video review of the 1999 film Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. The review was posted in seven parts on YouTube, and was presented by his character "Harry S. Plinkett". While Stoklasa had published other video reviews of several Star Trek films before that, his Phantom Menace and subsequent Star Wars prequel reviews were praised for both content and presentation.

<i>WNUF Halloween Special</i> 2013 American comedy horror film

WNUF Halloween Special is a 2013 American comedy horror film directed primarily by Chris LaMartina, who also helped to co-write the film. Parody commercials are shown throughout the film, some of which were written and directed by persons other than LaMartina. Its plot follows a television personality that decides to investigate strange supernatural occurrences at a house purported to be haunted.

Chris LaMartina is an American director, writer, and producer that works out of Baltimore, Maryland.

Chester Novell Turner is an American filmmaker known for his blaxploitation horror films Black Devil Doll From Hell and Tales from the QuadeaD Zone. Since their releases in the 1980s, Turner's movies have developed cult followings and are considered to be much sought after collector's items. A copy of Black Devil Doll From Hell is currently archived by the Yale University Library and Turner's other movie was featured as part of a horror film symposium hosted by Yale University in 2016.

<i>The Barn</i> (film) 2016 American horror film

The Barn is a 2016 American horror film written and directed by Justin M. Seaman, and starring Mitchell Musolino, Will Stout, Lexi Dripps, Cortland Woodard, Nikki Howell, Nickolaus Joshua, Linnea Quigley, and Ari Lehman. The film is set on Halloween night 1989 and follows two teenage friends that end up accidentally resurrecting a deadly curse. A sequel, The Barn Part II, was released in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Art the Clown</span> Fictional character in the Terrifier franchise

Art the Clown is the main antagonist in the Terrifier franchise and related media. He first appeared in the short films The 9th Circle (2009) and Terrifier (2011) before making his feature film debut in All Hallows' Eve (2013). In these early appearances, Art was portrayed by retired actor Mike Giannelli. In the canon Terrifier film series, David Howard Thornton was cast in the role; portraying Art in Terrifier (2016), Terrifier 2 (2022), and Terrifier 3.

<i>10/31</i> (film) 2017 American horror anthology film

10/31 is a 2017 American anthology horror film consisting of five Halloween-themed short stories directed by Justin M. Seaman, Zane Hershberger, John William Holt, Brett DeJager, and Rocky Gray, along with a wraparound story directed by Hunter Johnson. The film is executive produced by P. J. Starks.

References

  1. 1 2 Shawhan, Jason. "Child-Size Horror and Canadian Comedy Icons, Now Available to Stream". Nashville Scene. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  2. 1 2 3 4 King, Pat (2022-10-07). "A Mixtape Monster Mash: An Interview With 'WNUF Halloween Special' Director Chris Lamartina". Dread Central. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
  3. ↑ "They Don't Make TV Like This Anymore". BmoreArt. 2022-08-19. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  4. ↑ Gingold, Michael (2022-07-26). ""WNUF HALLOWEEN SPECIAL" sequel gets a title, poster and premiere". Rue Morgue. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
  5. ↑ Squires, John (2022-07-26). "'Out There Halloween Mega Tape': 'WNUF Halloween Special' Sequel Gets Official Poster!". Bloody Disgusting!. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
  6. ↑ Hamman, Cody (2022-09-07). "Out There Halloween Mega Tape: WNUF Halloween Special sequel now on DVD and VHS". JoBlo. Retrieved 2022-10-07.
  7. 1 2 Baldwin, Daniel (2022-10-24). "Ethereal Thrills and Nostalgic Zeal: Day Three of Nightmares Film Festival 2022". Dread Central. Retrieved 2022-10-25.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.