10 Horror Films To Get You In The Mood For Halloween

Audiences that expected more of the same from this sequel were aghast at seeing a goofy comedy whose tone, pacing and story were all different. There was no build-up, no atmosphere, none of the original’s claustrophobia and, most unforgivably, the family members all behaved like clowns.

What they failed to appreciate was that director Tobe Hooper was sending up the critics who’d either missed the original’s black humour or “read” the film the wrong way. Dumbfounded by readings from Marxists (who ascribed the actions of the film’s antagonists to economic woes), feminists (who noted the lack of a matriarch) and Freudians (who were awed by the phallic power tools), Hooper resolved to show them the error of their ways.

Some even read the first film as a grim(m) fairy tale, so Hooper has a character construct a house not out of gingerbread but take-out fries, which perfectly sums up his movie. It’s junk food. It’s not deep, it’s not clever and it’s certainly not good for you but boy is it tasty. As silly, throwaway filmmaking goes, it’s some sort of masterpiece.