For those of you who have been following, the theme of this year’s list of Friday Night Frights has consisted of Horror Movie Part 2’s (in one case, a Two). And tonight’s entry is arguably no different. I say arguably because some may find it a bit sacrilege that anyone could consider this 1985 film to be an actual follow up to the 1939 cinematic musical original The Wizard of Oz. A movie that is a timeless, child friendly and magical stone cold classic held dearly by many generations including yours truly. And it’s one that I ahem return to annually. The other arguable aspect is whether or not Return to Oz could be considered a horror movie.

Well my friends, here we are with some arguments.

It’s a cold, overcast morning here in the bay area. The sidewalks are covered with fallen, dried up leaves and cawing sounds from crows the size of small dogs fill the air. The perfect atmosphere for, yep you guessed it: Hitting the art supply and hardware stores for those last minute Halloween craft decoration projects and throwing some pumpkin bread into the oven.

I can clearly remember my first time seeing Creepshow 2. It was back in the sixth grade and a friend of mine managed to talk the guy who worked at our tiny neighborhood video store into letting us rent it. This despite the fact that it was rated R and we were only 11 years old. We took it back to his place since his parents weren’t home (my friend, not the video store guy) and popped it into the VCR. We were clearly doing something “bad” which only heightened that viewing. It also meant that even if the movie ended up not being any good (spoiler alert, it’s pretty good) it was still going to be fun. Oh and there’s also that minor detail about it being one of my earliest memories of seeing a woman topless.

I’ve got a serious soft spot for the original Pet Sematary. I can clearly remember counting down the days until the end of August when it would finally premiere on HBO back in 1989 (this also ended up being the night before I’d start the 4th grade). There was something about it that I was completely drawn to from the second it started. The simple yet beautifully atmospheric score along with the gorgeous location that it was shot in. The somber performances, not to mention the dread of the story itself. Every element added together really created an impeccable tone, making it one of those movies that I throw on every now and then simply enjoying a sense of “being there.”

I couldn’t get enough of it, I wanted more and 3 years later, was about to experience that whole “be careful what you wish for” thing.

As a kid the VHS box cover for The Texas Chain Saw Massacre 2 scared the everloving bejesus outta me. I grew up on a steady diet of scary movies and trips to The Video Park in my hometown were a regular occurrence, specifically the haunted castle themed horror section. Apart from staying up past my bedtime on Saturdays to catch the Whitey Gleason hosted "Fright Night Theater" (of which I'll go into further detail someday, I'm sure) a great way to score a quick creepy fix was by staring at those great VHS covers and reading the summaries on the back. This is how I first came across many movies that would eventually become all time personal favorites (Your Creepshows, Your The Gates, Your Phantasms and Pet Sematarys, etc.)

But there was something that felt so…off about this particular box which really got under my skin. So much so that I couldn't even bring myself to read the back of it.

It’s an unusually overcast and brisk day here in the bay area, so by my guess and if the several Halloween decorations that have managed to strategically place themselves around the house are any indication: We have officially entered the spooky season! My plan this year is to post something horror related every Friday leading up to that greatest holiday of holidays. This doesn’t mean that other creepy content won’t be posted on other days over the next 2 months, just that each Friday until October 31st, you can count on some kind of trick or treat to read, watch or even listen to! Beginning right now with yep, House II: The Second Story.

Let’s dig in.

Gate II is of course the follow up to The Gate (not sure why they dropped the The) which starred an adorable, young Stephen Dorff. In that first movie, he and his heavy metal loving neighbor Terry accidentally open up a gateway to Hell by playing one of his records backwards and then burying a dog in the backyard, which also inadvertently doubles as the sacrifice necessary to conjuring up the portal. Y’know, standard kid’s fare (that movie was rated PG!). It’s an all timer for me and one that I have very fond memories of. There’s a lot of strong imagery in there that’s stuck with me ever since they were burned into my brain during those formative years.