Filmmaker Bob Clark and his son, Ariel Hanrath-Clark, were killed by a drunk driver in 2007. He left behind a rich heritage of films, including the 1983 Christmas-season classic, A Christmas Story, plus such delights as Black Christmas (1974), Murder by Decree (1979), Turk 182 (1985), Porky’s (1981), Baby Geniuses (1989) … and more.
Clark had to start somewhere as a filmmaker. That start is covered by VCI Entertainment with the announcement this past week that the 1972 film that launched his career — and established him forever as a genre-fan favorite — will be celebrating its 50th Anniversary on Oct. 11 (just in time for Halloween-season viewing) as a 4K Ultra HD edition (VCI’s first for the format).
Of course, we are speaking of his collaboration with Alan Ormsby, Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things.
This is a new 4K film restoration from the 35mm archival print … 50th Anniversary Blu-ray and DVD editions will also be available on Oct. 11.
Alan (played by screenwriter, Alan Ormsby … as a writer, My Bodyguard, Cat People, Popcorn, The Substitute, etc.) is an ego-maniac stage producer, who decides to inject a little “method acting” experience into his rag-tag group of actors by making them accompany him to an island off the coast of Florida, which has long been used as graveyard. The island is now abandoned … the last caretaker “left” two years ago.
Genre fans will immediately recognize this as the classic “haunted house” conceit, complete with “victim pool” … a ghost story to be treasured.
Indeed, Alan takes his entourage — Paul (Paul Cronin), Terry (Jane Daly … in her film debut … The Black Marble, North Dallas Forty, etc.), Jeff (Jeff Gillen — as the demented Santa Claus in A Christmas Story), Anya (Anya Ormsby) and Val (Valerie Mamches) — to the abandoned caretaker’s cottage, they start a fire in the fireplace and Alan proceeds to tell them the creepy history of the island (setting the mood).
He soon produces a book of spells (the grimoire), other props from an “abandoned” chest that is in the cottage and tells the gathering that they will unearth a recently buried criminal by the name of Orville and bring him back from the dead. Go along with this madness, or you are fired!!
Reluctantly, they march down to the gravesite, dig up Orville and poor Jeff is assigned the task of retrieving the stiff from the coffin — jolt of jolts, Orville grabs Jeff by the throat!!
It is a set-up, the whole thing, the caretaker’s cottage, the convenient chest of props, the book of spells and the gravesite were all pre-staged by Alan and his two assistants, Roy (Roy Engleman) and Emerson (Robert Philip). It was quite the practical joke. A good laugh … right?
But our boy Alan isn’t done yet. Time for some impromptu acting … a little
skit back at the cottage with the corpse of Orville (Seth Sklarey), but what
has really happened is that the “victim pool” has expanded by two … and the
little skit is actually a ritual, gulp (horror of horrors), that works!!
Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things is a work of pure genius; a horror gem … a ghost story (or is it a “ghoul” story?) that plays out neatly in three acts (the third is a killer)!!
Bonus features include the vintage commentary track featuring Alan Ormsby, Jane Daly (as Terry) and Anya Cronin (aka: Anya Ormsby).
There is also a newly-prepared feature-length documentary titled Dreaming of Death: Bob Clark’s Horror Films, featuring long-time collaborator Ken Goch (Porky’s, A Christmas Story, Turk 182, etc.), actors Richard Backus (as Andy in Clark’s 1974 horror film, Dead of Night … also known as Deathdream), Lynne Griffin and Art Hindle from Black Christmas, composer Paul Zaza (A Christmas Story, Murder by Decree, Porky’s … plus the music for such films as director Paul Lynch’s Prom Night, George Mihalka’s My Bloody Valentine and Rex Bromfield’s Melanie), who are Chris Alexander (former Fangoria editor) and Simon Fitzjohn author of “Bob Clark: I'm Going to Kill You!”
Other bonus features include a newly-minted introduction by Alan Ormsby, a pair of vintage featurettes — “Memories of Bob Clark” and “Confessions of a Grave Digger” — and two music videos. Plus, the Los Angeles Grindhouse Festival, May 22, 2007 Q&A session with Alan Ormsby, Ken Goch and more.
And, as an extra touch, VCI Entertainment has commissioned artist Simon Pritchard for an original oil painting that will serve as cover art for this 50th Anniversary celebration of Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things.
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