In Memoriam 1942 – 2013 “Roger Ebert loved movies.”

RogerEbert.com

Thumb_mljmahzhhd7luzjhrqlzsacggkk

Man of Steel

The title "Man of Steel" tells you what you're in for when you buy a ticket to this immense summer blockbuster: a radical break from…

Thumb_bnmohvuoeki7s3o14ty9frtcmvn

Fill the Void

Claustrophobia isn't often considered a cinematic asset beyond tales of suspense and horror. But "Fill the Void," an award-winning Israeli drama about a naive 18-year-old…

Other Reviews
Review Archives
Thumb_xbepftvyieurxopaxyzgtgtkwgw

Ballad of Narayama

"The Ballad of Narayama" is a Japanese film of great beauty and elegant artifice, telling a story of startling cruelty. What a space it opens…

Thumb_jrluxpegcv11ostmz1fqha1bkxq

Monsieur Hire

Patrice Leconte's "Monsieur Hire" is a tragedy about loneliness and erotomania, told about two solitary people who have nothing else in common. It involves a…

Other Reviews
Great Movie Archives
Other Articles
Chaz's Blog Archives
Other Articles
Blog Archives
Square_thumb_beforemidnight-2013-2

Before Midnight Interviews

Katherine Tulich talks to Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater about returning once again to the characters from "Before Sunrise" and "Before Sunset" for…

Other Articles
Far Flunger Archives

Reviews

The American Scream

The American Scream Movie Review
  |  

You've seen houses with pumpkins in the windows and skeletons hanging from the trees, but you may never have seen such elaborate displays as the ones constructed by Victor Bariteau, Manny Souza, and Matthew and Richard Brodeur. On their lawns, corpses rise from graves, skeletons dance, dead victims hang from wrecked cars, ghosts float and eerie music haunts the air. In some cases, there are "tours" with scary blasts of air and grotesque faces popping out of the dark.

These displays are a labor of love, presented for free, although we discover that the haunted house hobby has inspired a small industry, annual conventions and inspirational talks by haunters. When Victor Bariteau's IT job is outsourced and he gets a year's severance, he decides to invest the whole amount in creating Ghoulie Manor, a year-round attraction, even while admitting that people who have tried similar ventures tell him not to count on making any money.

All three families have cluttered home workshops in which they make ghastly masks, animated props and yawning graves. They also haunt, if that is the word, local garage sales. What looks like a shabby old sofa to you may look to these guys like it belongs in a creepy Victorian parlor.

This all costs a fair amount of money, although Bariteau enlists the labor of neighbors, ordering them around like an impatient drill sergeant. The father-and-son team of Matthew and Richard Brodeur are a mystery; there's no hint of how they earn their income, if any, and although Matthew's wife seems affectionate, she also seems mystified.

Most enthusiastic are Bariteau's wife and one of his daughters, who helps him paint and nail. Wandering around his almost-finished yard one year, a few days before D-Day of Halloween, he thinks one day they may remember their participation fondly. "And if they don't, they can throw out all this stuff. I won't need it anymore."

Popular Blog Posts

Now, "Voyager": in praise of the Trekkiest "Trek" of all

As we mourn Abrams’ macho Star Trek obliteration, it’s a good time to revisit that most Star Trek-ian of accomplishme...

Laterally speaking: a celebration of right-to-left and left-to-right camera moves

Lateral tracking shots can get to the heart of a film more quickly and succinctly than any other technique. What are ...

Crying on the Outside

I cried yesterday at a retreat while listening to Michael Buble's rendition of "Smile." The tears came from out of no...

Meet the new editor of RogerEbert.com: Matt Zoller Seitz

Please help me welcome the new Editor-in-chief for Rogerebert.com, Matt Zoller Seitz. What Roger and I found refresh...

Reveal Comments
comments powered by Disqus