The Midnight Hour: A Movie Review

The Midnight Hour was released as a made for TV movie in 1985. I was 5 years old when I first saw it, and let me be honest in saying that I can still recall the memory of the movie scaring the hell out of me, and at times making me laugh.
I have come across a few reviews saying that this flick is okay for little ones to watch. I would say go ahead and let them watch it, that's if you want them up all night, imagining some huge werewolf ripping at them under the covers, and end up sleeping in your room or screaming the moment it is lights out time. In my opinion this movie is a way too scary for some younger children. Especially if your child is sensitive to scary movies. I would avoid showing it to them.
Let me discuss The Midnight Hour though. This movie is my all time favorite horror. There doesn't go a year that my family doesn't gather around the television to watch this on Halloween.
The movie:
Bill is the main character, he is your average nerdy type teenager, with a small group of friends; all whom need a costume for Melissa's Halloween party.
They decide that its a good idea to go and borrow some clothes/costumes, from the towns local wax museum for authentic historical costumes.
2 of the teens have ancestors in the museum, as wax figures. So naturally they decide to wear their ancestors original clothes to Melissa's party.
While searching the museum, they stumble upon a trunk hidden in the corner of the basement. They open the trunk, and realize there are some cool props inside for them to use for the Halloween party. Bill though urges them not to take anything and to leave it alone, however he's a one man army up against the rest of the group, and they take the trunk.
After leaving the museum one of the teens thinks it would be a cool night to go to the local graveyard and hang out with everyone, seeing how Halloween is right around the corner, they figure it would be fun.
At the local cemetery they end up opening the trunk they stole. Inside is a scroll, sealed shut with wax stamp, a few weird candle sticks, and some old historical objects.
Melissa grabs the scroll, opens it up and begins reading it as she sways back and forth, in a trance like state. Everyone looks at her with eyes bulging, and some you can tell are scared.
Finally after completing reading it, she faints, only to get up saying, "Just kidding!".
They leave quickly afterward, seeing how no one saw the humor in Melissa's joke, and they all head for home.
There is then a small cut in the scene, and you now get to see the graveyard beginning to, what looks like; breathe. Dirt goes flying up, you get to see some corpses ripping at the wood inside their coffins to get out. Some zombies rise up in anger in huge clouds of smoke, and other risen dead just seem to roam aimlessly.
This is the best visual I think I've ever seen in any rising dead horror movie. The make-up and costumes are perfect, the mood of the movie is always up to par, and the music will take you right back to the big 80's and it sets that creepy horror mood when the music plays in the graveyard scene.
Oddly however, a werewolf is somehow mixed in, as well as Melissa's ancestor; the witch, who comes back as a vampire which is strange. There's even a little midget thrown in. I think he was the coolest little zombie, and his costume and make-up were done spectacular. It's an awesome scene. One must see the movie to fully appreciate it.
Slowly the zombies begin to move out from the graveyard and into town. Uh oh!
In the zombie mix arises a 1950's cheerleader still in uniform. Shes the only one that seems like she doesn't belong in the group of half rotten zombies.
The teens are completely unaware of it at first. Till Melissa's Halloween party. This is where the ghouls were able to blend perfectly within the crowd of costumed teens. As each teen at the party is bitten or killed, they turn into a zombie themselves. Not cute zombies either. I mean full fledged scary running zombies that scare the hell out of you. Bill however got lucky, because he left the party early and headed for home.
Bill meets up with Sandy on the street, as he rides home. She asks him for directions to the malt shop. It seems she is not aware she's dead, and she is talking about shops and places that once existed when she was alive in the 50's. Bill does not think anything of her odd questions, and he takes a liking in her.
A small romance is shared between the two, up until they realize they have to save the town from the zombies. This is where the movie turns from semi-scary, to full blown horror fest.
In order to save the town, and themselves they have to get the ring off of a dead ancestors finger in the graveyard to seal the scroll before midnight.
This tasks proves not so easy, seeing how they have an entire mob of undead chasing them. All of whom were once Bills friends. The chase is probably the scariest part in the movie.
The ending is full of suspense, and will have you actually anticipating the result. I'm telling you the ending is frightening, but I will not ruin it.
Its just a great 80's horror film that's owed a lot of past due credit. I wish they'd play it on TV every year, however they do not. You can buy it on DVD for about $60 or more; that's if you can find it. The DVD is no longer being made. Another reason I'm glad my mom taped it, when it was shown in the 80's.
You can though still find copies of it at www.ebay.com.
I highly, highly recommend you buy The Midnight Hour, it is totally worth the money, and is a film you will cherish for years and years. Like I said, it's one of them movies that you pop into the player every Halloween.