MACABRE DAILY'S OCTOBER STAFF PICKS: DRIVE-IN DOUBLE FEATURE

Horror’s Hallowed Month is upon us, and we at Macabre Daily are as psyched as you are to celebrate a month entirely dedicated to Halloween and Horror! We know a lot of you are watching 31 (maybe more?) films, and often it can be hard to know which movies to watch, which ones to rewatch, and which ones to recommend to your friends.

Well, the diabolical staff at Macabre Daily have come together to bring you a theme for each week of October, and our staff recommendations to go with it! Each Monday in October we will announce a new theme, and that Friday we will share our recommendations.

This week’s theme is, DRIVE-IN DOUBLE FEATURES!

What movies would not just make a great double-feature, but would be even better in a drive-in theater setting? Our staff will share their drive-in double features this Friday!

Rawhead Rex (1986) / Lifeforce (1985)

Directed by George Palou & Tobe Hooper

Rich Harris on his double feature: The 1980s spewed up a handful of curious Anglo-American joint ventures which yielded mixed results. We’re all acutely aware of how wonderful AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON is, and how unique and powerful HELLRAISER is, but we often forget about two other experiments in unbridled, cocaine-fuelled madness which were carried out in the name of cinema; GEORGE PAVLOU’s adaptation of CLIVE BARKER’s RAWHEAD REX and TOBE HOOPER’s CANON backed sci-fi horror opus LIFEFORCE. Neither is good, but both are as entertaining as greasing up a quadruple amputee and asking him to fuck his way out of a sleeping bag.  

Dead Alive (1992) / Madman (1981)

Directed by Peter Jackson & Joe Giannone

Lowell Greenblat on his double feature: Speaks for itself?

Blood Rage (1987) / Sisters (1972)

Directed by John Grissmer & Brian De Palma

Dana Vargas on her double feature: Twins in horror have a storied history. "The Shining" is an obvious example, but then there are also films like "Goodnight Mommy" and "Dead Ringers." The duality of the good twin vs. the evil twin has provided some rich ground for horror films, and my two pics for a Drive-In Double Feature are a classic (if maybe unconventional) double bill of twin terror. 

Up first as the bloody and wild amuse-bouche is the terrifically fun slasher, BLOOD RAGE. A psychotic twin named Terry frames his twin Todd for murder, sending him to an institution for most of his life. When Todd breaks out on Thanksgiving to head to the home of his mother and Terry, the body count starts to pile up. BLOOD RAGE is a rollicking, gore-filled, fun time, with fantastic performances from Mark Soper and Louise Lasser. It's the perfect kick-off to a twin horror double feature.

Now, after the punch out of the gate, we're gonna cool things down a bit for the grown-ups who are still awake for the second movie. To this, I add in Brian De Palma's most Hitchcockian film, SISTERS, starring the supremely underrated Margot Kidder. This story of a model named Danielle who was separated from her unhinged conjoined twin Dominique was De Palma's first foray into horror voyeurism and his split screen is in full and great effect in this underrated gem. I also considered James Wan's MALIGNANT as a companion movie to watch with SISTERS, but the similarities are a little too close for me personally to not feel like you're watching the same movie twice (though it still would make for a great dual watch). Kidder steals the whole show as usual, and the sudden and brutal moments are sporadic but absolutely shocking. Though both films are tonally and visually on opposite ends of the spectrum, they are equally fantastic examples of twin horror (and just great horror in general).

Candyman (1992) / Candyman (2021)

Directed by Bernard Rose & Nia DaCosta

Christopher Boise on his double feature:Because of the timeline and how well they work together. The new "Candyman" film is a straight continuation of the events from the first film. I feel they tie in super well together.

Hack-O-Lantern (1988) / Doom Asylum (1987)

Directed by Jag Mundhra & Richard Friedman 

Nick Bankhead on his double feature:Heavy Metal. Punk. Satan. Boobs.

Waxwork (1988) / The Monster Squad (1987)

Directed by Anthony Hickcox & Fred Dekker 

Matt Orozco on his double feature:Anytime I get the chance to put Waxwork on the big screen, I’m taking it! Both films feature interpretations of well-recognized monsters from both Universal and the genre overall while also maintaining a playful tone despite being targeted at different audiences. Waxwork is like The Monster Squad for adults and has amazing effects paired with great characters and some genuinely funny one-liners. In-kind, The Monster Squad features killer effects, memorable characters, and some authentically funny jokes throughout!

House (1985) / Evil Dead 2 (1987)

Directed by Steven Miner & Sam Raimi

Sam Santiago on his double feature:Both films push the boundary for gore as well as imagination. The 80s truly gave us some amazing haunted house films and these two are just silly enough and just shocking enough to go hand in hand for an awesome spooky double feature.

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