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IT'S A HAUNTED HAPPENIN'
Produced by Owen Cooper
Directed by Pat Bishow
Written by Jon Sanborne and Pat Bishow
Directors of Photography - Travis Kray and Cameron MumfordThe Soultanglers:
Lydia - Ginette Marte
Zera - Jaime Andrews
Riley - Jessica JollyThe Darlings:
Emma - Karla Bruning
Tabitha - Nicole Benisch
Contessa - Tonye Briggs
Sandy - Sandy LiebI didn't think it possible, but director Pat Bishow did it. With his newest production, the retro horror-musical IT'S A HAUNTED HAPPENIN', Bishow totally surpasses the sheer uber-cutie babeness of his last two films combined. He packs his picture with so many gorgeous women that's its easy for a slave-to-his-hormones reviewer like myself to overlook any shortcoming the movie might possess.
One part BEACH BLANKET BINGO, two parts, SCOOBY-DOO, this is a truer testament to JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS than that horrible Rachel Lee Cook vehicle released by Hollywood a few years ago. Pure bubblegum fun, IT'S A HAUNTED HAPPENIN' possesses a goofily-retro visual flavor that one would find in those old Sid and Marty Kroft programs, like The Buggaloos or Sigmund the Sea Monster. It took me a while to get into the spirit of the production, but once I did, I enjoyed every minute.
The story revolves around two girl bands competing in the annual Ghoul-A-Gogo All-Girl Rockfest - the rocking Soultanglers and the flower-pop Darlings. At opposing ends of the musical spectrum, it doesn't take much for the usually good-natured gals to succumb to competition-induced cattiness. To Bishow's credit, when the verbal barbs start flying, he keeps the meanness to a minimum and disallows any true negativity to come through. At times the girls sound a little on the Swiss side of cheesy, but IT'S A HAUNTED HAPPENIN' is all about the positiveness of girl power and solidarity.
Only about 1 or 2 songs are original, all the rest of the music the girls lip sync. I'm not sure if Bishow secured the rights to the tunes, one of which even comes from The Clash, but he has a good ear for selecting music, all of which is appropriately fitting for their respective bands. At times Bishow's rough filmmaking style doesn't always lend itself to properly showcasing the song selection, but there is one music video which introduces the Darlings that perfectly captures the song's 1960s roots.
I think that's what Bishow is trying to do with IT'S A HAUNTED HAPPENIN' - capture the spirit of entertainment from that 1960's time-frame. At one point, for no real reason, the Soultanglers stop to ask for directions to the festival. In Bishow's cameo, he's seen running a shop specializing in nostalgic toys from the 60's and 70's. One of the girls mater-of-factly states that she never knew there was a market for such items that go against today's ultra-modern glitz and gloss. But obviously there is, and the same question can be applied to Bishow's style of videomaking. His earlier efforts, EL-FRENETICO AND GO-GIRL and THE GIRLS FROM H.A.R.M. both contain that same retro-vibe found in HAUNTED. He's found a large enough audience to keep making his movies.
To the actresses credit, they are the ones that make HAUNTED HAPPENIN' work. Each one brings the right amount of lovable wholesomeness and spunky charm to their characters that it's hard not to like them. All the girls seem like they get the joke and know not to take any of the events too seriously. As Lydia, the leader of the Soultanglers, Ginette Marte is the rock and roller type who's all action. As Emma, the leader of the Darlings, Karla Bruning is a Betty straight from the pages of Archie who exudes pure sweetness. The rest of the gals fall into the same Saturday morning cartoon tradition of character types, and Bishow doesn't care. He just has fun with it all, and so do the girls.
So will you.