WNUF Halloween Heaven

I found WNUF Halloween Special only after it made the jump to bluray, thanks to boutique label Terror Vision. Upon my first viewing I was enthralled. I may have been hypnotized with magical nostalgia (I use that word a lot) as I sort of drifted off (but not dozed off) into this subconscious trip back in time, or so I imagined. The film is a supposed found-footage tape of fictional news station WNUF of a Halloween Special produced in 1987. It follows Frank Stewart as he visits the purportedly haunted Webber House. The brilliance of this film is the authenticity with which it appears to be a product of the '80s.

2nd slipcover option

And so as I watched the film, that stupor had set in, as I was half-tired, and my brain was fooled into comfortable fantasy. The commercials felt so real, like half-forgotten moments of long lost life. Or maybe a tape ejected from one VHS dimension into an adjacent dimension here. I had begun to believe that this was indeed a tape that had been found, and WNUV had been changed to WNUF to avoid criminal litigation. Such is the depths of creativity created by Chris LaMartina and co. It's beautiful. It's earnest. It's warm. It's Halloween in a time capsule saved specifically for me and my viewing pleasure, or anyone else desperate for a return to that better time.

Watching this I imagined what other Elton would have been doing the night this aired after Trick or Treating, and staying up late to watch this special, vampire cape still on in defiance of Halloween's witching hour nears. As the night wears on, glutted on 15 Reese Cups and a dozen Mr. Goodbar minis, and getting more and more under the covers as the ending reveals the horror that's in store for our host.

This was a locally produced film here in Baltimore, so I immediately felt this sort of kinship with the movie solely on this shared experience. Chris LaMartina and his team used stock footage and new-but-old "commercials" spliced throughout the "broadcast". Chris also used a nifty VCR technique to throw the tape back and forth over with recordings to give it the authentic tracking lines throughout, and to give that feeling that there was something underneath it all.

Now, you can find more info about the making of this movie in Wikipedia. I don't have more info that what's provided on their page. But it seems that WNUF is I assumed based off of local station WNUV. WNUF TV28's city behind their news anchors Debra Merritt and Gavin Gordon is a picture of Baltimore. Another bumper shows downtown Baltimore via news copter as their Anywhere, USA downtown city. But I immediately recognized my town, and researched the film in depth. I had no idea this was a local project at the time. Now, I'm completely addicted to this lil gem.

I missed out on the VHS tapes Chris left around conventions and around town. This would have been a very cool piece collectible to own and display. The idea of finding one of these tapes and putting it in, watching it and the unfolding bewilderment had to be monumental. I was raised with a VCR and Halloween, so this just feels like a love letter to me, and that sounds selfish but that's OK. It's how I perceive the film, not necessarily how you will. But for those of you born before Bush 2 was in the White House or dressed up as Dracula four consecutive years for Halloween, you'll probably find a reason to love this movie. At least I genuinely hope so.

There is a vinyl produced for the film that adds additional Frank Stewart investigations to the lore. It gives us some more insight into the features that Frank Stewart investigated in his tenure at WNUF. The vinyl is super rare, only 200 pressed, at least of the orange vinyl I received. You can buy it digitally, but the vinyl is just too cool to miss out on. It comes complete with a Frank Stewart Fan Club certificate and a jack-o'-lantern cut-out mask (as if). However, if you haven't watched the movie yet, maybe hold off on looking at the front cover of the vinyl, as it spoils the ending...