Happy Halloween: It’s William Bibbiani’s Favorite Spooky Music Videos!

I was recently asked to write a review of “Elvira’s MTV Halloween Special” and I was delighted to discover that it concluded with Elvira hosting her favorite spooky music videos. It reminded me that there was a time when MTV vj’s were considered the coolest people on television, and many was the time I fantasized about being gainfully employed as a hip trendsetter whose whole job was to say what music video was about to be played next.

Years went by and I grew up, and discovered that I just wasn’t cool. Also, MTV fell into a stinky quagmire of pointless, non-musical programming. But the fantasy remained and it’s been reawakened. So, inspired by Elvira, I’ve decided to share with you my own favorite (not necessarily the best) spooky music videos to watch and enjoy on Halloween. 

William Bibbiani Reviews 'Elvira's MTV Halloween Special' (1986)

[The following article was sponsored and assigned by our Patreon subscriber Salem Horror Fest. To learn how to sponsor and assign articles to William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold for publication at Critically Acclaimed, visit our Patreon page.]

It’s staggeringly passé to suggest that, in the wake of media like “Stranger Things” and “It” and “[Insert Nostalgia Property Here],” nostalgia for the 1980s is at an all-time high. Of course it. People love the 1980s. Or rather, they love the stuff they remember about it, a.k.a. the stuff that still glitters. 

The 1980s were a time when media consumption was escalating, thanks to the increasing availability of home video and cable television. Filmmakers, producers and artists were struggling to create enough content to occupy that vast new landscape, and for every all-time classic we still remember today there’s a well-intentioned, amiable but slapdash outing like “Elvira’s MTV Halloween Special.”

Witney Seibold Reviews 'The Visitor' (1979)

[The following article was sponsored and assigned by our Patreon subscriber Anthony Peronto. To learn how to sponsor and assign articles to William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold for publication at Critically Acclaimed, visit our Patreon page.]

I first encountered Michael J. Paradise's “The Visitor” at an after-hours, by-invite-only screening curated by my local video store. 

You see: The managers of said video store would, on a weekly basis, acquire whatever 35mm prints they could get a hold of for cheap and/or free. These prints consisted of obscure German comedies, weird sex films, lost genre oddities, sci-fi epics with missing reels, and, in one baffling bout of programming, “My Giant.” Then, in conjunction with a helpful projectionist at the movie theater next door (where I worked at the time), the store managers would invite over employees and friends of employees to view said films, eager to talk aloud in the theater and openly discuss the insanity on screen. These were magical nights of baffling cinematic exploration, and I'm glad to have been invited on several occasions.

It was in this milieu that I was introduced to Michael J. Paradise's 1979 sci-fi epic “The Visitor,” perhaps one of the most baffling films ever produced. It was such a moving experience that I rushed to my (now long-neglected) criticism blog to review it. That was in 2007. The time has now come to re-visit “The Visitor” and see what new lessons can be learned. Luckily, the film is just as brain-melting as it always was.

Canceled Too Soon #120: 'Kolchak: The Night Stalker' (1974-1975)

He's the best reporter in the world, but you'd never believe a word he's written. He's "Kolchak: The Night Stalker," and from his humble office in Chicago he blows the lid off bizarre supernatural and sci-fi conspiracies, including headless biker ghosts, metal-eating aliens, satan-worshipping politicians and killer moss monsters.

Kolchak, as played by Darren McGavin, is one of the most iconic heroes in sci-fi/horror, and helped inspire the blockbuster 1990s TV series "The X-Files," but the original series only lasted one season! Was this iconic show Canceled Too Soon?

William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold review the whole series, including the two TV movies, and break it down monster by monster, guest star by guest star in this very special episode of Canceled Too Soon, as our monthlong Scarytober event comes to an end!

Give it a listen!

William Bibbiani Decides: Is 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' a Christmas Movie or a Halloween Movie?

There was a time when "The Nightmare Before Christmas" was considered too odd to categorize. The stop-motion animated film sprang from the mind of Tim Burton but came to the big screen courtesy of Henry Selick, and tells the story of a skeleton named Jack, who lives in Halloweentown, but who gets burnt out on the spooky holiday and decides to take over Christmas instead. The songs were bizarre, the imagery was ghoulish, and although it had obvious kid appeal it was considered too freaky to be family-friendly when it first came out 25 years ago.

Nowadays, long after people finally got used to "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and embraced its harmlessly eerie oddness, the only issue we seem to have is whether it's technically a Christmas movie or technically a Halloween movie. Debates rage every year whether it's more of one or more of another, and in his latest article for IGN, William Bibbiani examines both sides of the argument and comes to a decisive conclusion.

Yes, obviously it's both, but if you really think "The Nightmare Before Christmas" has to be more focused on one holiday than the other, Bibbs has the answer.

Read: William Bibbiani Decides If 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' is a Christmas Movie or a Halloween Movie

Top Photo: Disney

Critically Acclaimed #51: The 'Tales from the Crypt' Movies

One of the scariest comic books ever produced became a hit HBO series and five motion pictures! It's "Tales from the Crypt," and its particular brand of ironic horror punishment pulp has become a beloved pop culture brand that endures to this day, even though the franchise itself slumbers.

In the final episode of our Scarytober event at Critically Acclaimed, film critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold reveal the history of the "Tales from the Crypt" movies, from the two anthology films in the 1970s to the uneven standalone movies in the 1990s. They also review the brand new releases "Suspiria" and "Invisible," and lament the loss of FilmStruck.

Give it a listen at Podcast One!

Witney Seibold Declares 'The Death of FilmStruck is a Terrible Thing'

The unexpected demise of FilmStruck, a digital streaming service offering high quality art house, classic and cult films from The Criterion Collection and Warner Archive, has left the motion picture industry and its fans reeling. Touted as the streaming service for real connoisseurs, which could act as a proper archive for important motion pictures, FilmStruck seemed likely to become a valuable, permanent institution.

But... no more. In his latest editorial at IGN, Witney Seibold bemoans the loss of FilmStruck and considers just how difficult it's going to be for film fans to access these films in the future.

Read: Witney Seibold Declares 'The Death of FilmStruck is a Terrible Thing'

Top Photo: FilmStruck