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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 29, 1990)
Monday, October 29, 1 990 The Battalion Page 5 ■H- m « % Stockpile videos, candy corn, fear for spirited night :: S„ ■ -.i- . ■ • fer' % By DON ATKINSON JR. Renting horror movies on Hal- iween night is becoming as much a adition of the holiday as carving a icko’lantern. What follows is my list of scariest ]ms available on videocassette. In ampiling this list, I have avoided any of the so-called “slasher flicks” ecause they are rarely scary, just iry. Happy screaming! • The Exorcist” (1973) — In my linion, one of the most frightening ms ever made. On the surface, “The Exorcist” is |a simple tale of good versus evil, a tdegirl (Linda Blair) possessed by a emon. But what the film really eals with is how scared we are of ite and how we try to fend it off by lacing our faith in technology, /hen the possession first occurs, icdical science tries everything pos- ibleto help but with no results. The ight of a small girl being subjected jSj )the cold, antiseptic technology of hospital is horrifying on a more ubliminal level. H • “Psycho” (1960) — The passage f time has done little to diminish Iv'ihfe ie impact of this Alfred Hitchcock jasterpiece. Probably the most amazing thing bout “Psycho” is that it shows very ttle blood and gore during the kill- ;s. The violence is mostly implied, saving the viewer’s imagination to ill in the rest. The film ends with one of the »ost famous plot-twists in cinema istory. Just in case you haven’t seen Be film before, I won’t reveal it whi Im; • “Halloween” (1978) — Director John Carpenter meant this film to be a tribute to “Psycho” in more ways than just the violent theme. “Hallow een” stars Jamie Lee Curtis, the daughter of Janet Leigh (she played the shower-scene victim in “Psy cho”). Also, both films feature a character named Sam Loomis. However, what Carpenter didn’t count on was that “Halloween” would be one of the most imitated horror films made. After “Hallow een” was released, subsequent hor ror films were filled with horny teen agers, lurching camera angles and seemingly indestructable villians. Fortunately, most of the imitators faded away into obscurity. Even by current standards, “Halloween” re mains a truly chilling tale of horror. • “The Shining” (1980) — Jack Nicholson achieved immortality in this Stanley Kubrick film with two words: “Heeeeere’sJohnny'!!!” The film follows the crack-up of Jack Torrance, a reforming alco holic locked in for the winter with his family in a mountain hotel. As the evil spirits begin to possess him, viewers may find themselves laugh ing more than being scared, but “The Shining” manages to sneak in a few shocks along the way. • “Phantasm” (1979) — Most of the budget of this film was obviously spent on special effects, but who cares? The end result is a nightmar ish trip through some of our worst fears. The film deals with a ghostly mor tuary where strange things seem to happen to dead bodies. Angus Scrimm turns in a fantastic perfor mance as The Tall Man, an odd mortician with a booming voice. • “Creepshow” (1982) — Stephen King paid homage in this film to all the horror comic books he read as a While “Creepshow” provides a good many jolts, the overall effect is that of cornball comedy. King him self turns in a performance as a goofy farmer beseiged by greenery from another world. Directed by George Romero (“Night of the Living Dead”), “Creepshow” is definitely worth renting. • “Terror in the Aisles” (1984) — The perfect Halloween movie! Fea turing some of the scariest moments from other horror films, “Terror in the Aisles” manages to discuss the nature of terror and jolt viewers at Culture celebrates Day of Dead' By SANDRA MEDINA Special to The Battalion While our Western culture mourns the death of loved ones, in the Mexican culture death is a cause for celebration on Dia De Los Muer- tos, The Day of The Dead. Most Westerners see death as a sad and tragic event, while Mexicans accept death and see it as a journey to a better place. They see life, death and resur rection as stages in a cosmic process. Death is not the natural end of life, but rather a phase of an infinite cy cle. For Mexicans, death is a mirror that reflects one’s life. If their death lacks sentiment or meaning, their life lacked it too. These beliefs are why Mexicans and Mexican Americans celebrate “Dia De Los Muertos.” On October 31, the eve of “All Souls Day,” Mexicans and Mexican Americans will take time to celebrate the death of loved ones. In Mexico, the celebration is very important. Entire cities close down. Nobody goes to work or school so they can pay tribute to the dead. Families get together and go to the cemetery to visit the graves of loved ones. They spend the day decorating and cleaning the graves. Family picnics are commonplace in the cemeteries. Food is served to each member of the family and a plate is also served for the deseased. Although Dia De Los Muertos is not celebrated as extensively in the United States, Mexican Americans do remember their loved ones by vis iting and taking flowers to their graves. In order for Texas A&M stuc ents to understand the tradition behind Dia De Los Muertos, The Commit tee for Awareness of Mexican- American Culture will be sponsoring their own celebration. Richard Garza, CAMAC member and organizer, says this event will be an evening full of fun for everyone. Activities will include a local priest speaking to the audience about the religious aspect behind the holiday. Robert Villarreal, CAMAC member, will speak about the folklore and tra dition of this celebration. The tradi tional Dia De Los Muertos dances will be performed by the Ballet Folklorico group of CAMAC. Tradi tional food will also be served. The celebration will be Oct. 31 at 7 p.m. in 224 MSC. Everyone is in vited to attend. For more informa tion contact Richard Garza or Georgette Lopez-Aguado at 845- 1515. Sandra Medina ■ mm wm tmmmmmm JLAWOffoJ \fouth creates sonic boom in Houston \1LY 1 University! -larvey Rd. mmmmmmm" 0 * E jet country k>! fl aker: orst of I Travel By JOHN RICHTER HOUSTON — Sonic Youth con- ms have been always cast in a leg- ndary, illuminating light. Long ansidered the ultimate New York- ri group, the band is revered for its Saotic stage shows and thundering of feedback and noise, punc tated by the “anything in reach is a id (including screwdrivers, drums- cks, beer bottles, and other gui- irs)” style of guitarists Lee Renaldo nd Thurston Moore. Frenetic was an understatement Sonic Youth terminology. At least was before the group signed on to Wen Records this year. The tour- ircuit word for “Goo” was the band otten soft, mellowed out. Sonic duth’s name and pride were taken vain as the horrid tag “conservati- erept into early reviews. Enough of that elitism, already. I I saw. And Sonic Youth still Mquers a crowd. Playing to a jam-packed Numbers Houston, the Sonic gang stormed irough a short, but powerful 14- ng set that focused heavily on its test release, Goo. The band must reading its own reviews, because • Jnservative doesn’t fit the tag when odies are flyin’, drumsticks are eakin’ (on instruments they aren’t tieant to be tweakin’), and mayhem sarrising the way the Sonic’s chaotic loom did this weekend. Scrambling between feedback rushers such as “Silver Rocket” and Mary Christ,” and trippier psyche- dia such as “Tunic” and “Eric’s rip,” the Sonics ripped with the petting “Tom Violent” and never lopped. Other gems included the Goo sin- k “Kool Thing,” “Catholic Block” cm ’87’s Sister and “The Bed- >om,” a scorchin’ new instrumental. Moore acted as spokesperson for Je band, directing some fun sar- ism to the front row and club (he iund the Halloween decorations in resting). Meanwhile, wife, bassist id singer Kim Gordon stood aloof, irely recognizing the audience, but Worming her sultry, angry vocal arts wonderfully. A great attribute of the Sonics is liat despite the noise and extracur- Concert Review ricular activity that surfaces on their albums, it’s all reproducable on stage. The band’s recorded mayhem sounds even cooler sped up, encom passed in a peripherial layer of dis tortion and graced with the group’s caustic miming. It’s also wonderful to be able to stumble across a group before the show at a record store (Houston’s Sound Exchange) and again several times during the opening bands’ sets and never once sense the pretension of major label status and sold-out ve nues (even if it is only clubs). In con trast to my East Coast critiquing brethren, the calls of “sold out” sound like baseless whining. Opening act, Laughing Hyenas, is another matter. Actually, N.Y.’s Gumball opened the night with a pretty decent set, displaying a Youth-inspired psychedelic grunge. The Laughing Hyenas, though, raise the term “screamers” to a new level. Maybe I am getting old, but I was totally confused by the audience’s warm reaction to this repulsing group of delinquents. The lead throat and bass player (who looked like Red Sovine on acid) popped pills together between songs and the throat nuzzled a beer the entire set. The ugly side is the band just plain sucked, even joking about the total incomprehension of the throat’s lyrics (which were constant screams, not even an occasional howl). The bright side is that I find some sadistic pleasure in seeing an occasional bad band and in this re gard the Hyenas were a bonanza of entertainment. But, I’m perplexed by the overall reaction (which was a sustained, moderate applause), and even more distressed by the Hyenas’ critical praise. I don’t know, maybe I’m los ing touch. I N R I T Y GLEY DISTRICT JUDGE A Change for the Better! Class of ‘74 Political Advertising paid tor by The J D. Langley Campaign, Juanita B Murray, Treasurer P 0 Box 3785 Bryan, TX 77805. Class of ‘61 FOR JUSTICE 10th COURT of APPEALS Political Ad Paid By Committee to Elect Bill Vance, Kart M. May, Treasurer 5400 Bosque, Suite 490 Waco, TX 76710 ACOUSTIC STAGE Every Tues. Night I Hosted By Dream Horse Frank C. Lewis, Jr. ;*gp> Republican . for County Commissioner Supports: Precinct 4 • Strong Christian family values • A&M Student voting rights • Stronger law enforcement • Better Fire Protection • Lowering taxes • Rural Roads Improvements Pol. adv. paid for by campaign to elect Frank C. Lewis, Jr, Supervisor of Academic Computing Consulting Services at The University of Houston The Academic Computing User Services department is looking for a person who will be responsible for the supervision and accountability of the academic computing consulting staff. The position will be responsible for software consukjng and analysis of complex academic user programs. Requires good communication, teaching, analytical and interpersonal skills. The position will require a good working knowledge of VMS, CMS and UNIX operating systems. Work will require good conceptual knowledge of DECNET, RSCS, and TCP/IP network protocols/systems. A degree in computer science or closely related field is preferred. Managerial and/or supervisory experience in a campus environment is highly desirable. For additional information contact Jares at U.H. education. Send Resumes to: The University of Houston Human Resources Department Houston, Texas 77204-2770 U.H. is an Equal Opportunity Employer v CASH! Paid for Gold, Silver and Diamonds. Rolex Watches, Rare Coins Don’t Get Ripped Off! Get Our No-Obligation High-Cash Offer Before You Sell! Buy, Sell, Trade. Ooi Unc. Formerly Of Texas Coin Exchange "Very Personal Investments" 404 University Dr. East 846-8916 College Station