Six years before Robert Englund strapped on the infamous glove, the Freddy Krueger actor had an uncredited role in the iconic John Carpenter “immortal classic”, Halloween.
Six degrees of slasher separation is a beautiful thing, isn’t it?
As most seasoned Halloween fans are aware, the 1978 slasher classic was filmed in Pasadena, CA- and beyond the occasional slip up of a palm tree in the background, Carpenter and the crew did a bang-up jib of making audiences believe we were looking at a small town somewhere in the Midwest- the fictional Haddonfield. Hell, I was fooled as a kid before I actually knew better, because I thought Haddonfield was a real place until I was like, twelve.
To be young and naïve is also, such a beautiful thing.
Anyways, during filming Englund was a struggling actor in the Hollywood area, and through an interview with Access, spilled the blood beans on his connection tot he Halloween franchise- that he actually worked on set for one day as a volunteer with his roommate, throwing leaves around set to give the film its Fall ambience!
“I actually had a roommate back when they did the original Halloween, the John Carpenter one. And he conned me into going to Pasadena one day with garbage bags full of dead leaves and we were working on the set of the original Halloween movie. Throwing the dead leaves around so it looked like Autumn, so it looked like Fall back in the Midwest.“
Needless to say, it’s a pretty cool tidbit of horror trivia, and obviously the town of Pasadena, I mean, Haddonfield, was obviously spared a slasher duo of unbridled terror that day. That was more or less saved for the kids of Elm Street when Krueger met up with Voorhees in 2004.
Without skipping a beat, 80s’ kids know that My Buddy jingle- and we also know without a doubt, THIS, without a doubt, is the true inspiration behind the Child’s Play franchise. Sure, the Cabbage Patch Kids as originally stated, served as some inspiration for good ol’ Chuck. But My Buddy was in itself, was inspired by the Xavier Roberts’ line. Also, looking at this pair side-by-side, it’s beyond obvious we know where he got his look from.
In the earlier part of the decade, Cabbage Patch Dolls rules the ugly doll market with a mighty fist; crushing any and all competitors that stood in their creepy, cabbage-dwelling way. Although considered non-gender specific, the dolls were mostly marketed towards little girls. The boys had their GI JOES and HE-MAN, and that seemed to be the way it just was. Up until Hasbro launched a market campaign with a doll, directly marketed to boys as, “A little boy’s special friend! Rough and tough, yet soft and cuddly.”
The My Buddy doll was officially stocked on store shelves in 1985 and actually sold fairly well – ranking in eighth place officially as the top-ten selling toys for that year. But it didn’t last long. And neither did his off-shoot Kid Sister either- which I TOTALLY HAD.
And intro the theme song that will probably be stuck in your head the rest of the day. In which case, was most certainly the biggest selling point of this doll. It truly was the perfect combination for creating a memorable identity for a toy while cleverly referencing the doll’s name throughout the “earworm” so much so, all kids’ would remember the name My Buddy or Kid Sister when asking for an oversized bundle of plastic and stuffing with sewn-on clothing.
Then, 1988 happened and in comes Chucky to permanently bury that pussy My Buddy/ Kid Sister duo forever into the hallowed grounds of unwanted toys.
Now while, it has already been confirmed via Don Mancini himself that the Cabbage Patch Kids served as some sort of muse for Chucky, along with other things, (NOT that garbage Robert the Doll story that has been circulating for years); it wasn’t until fairly recently that Mancini himself admitted to there being an inspiration from My Buddy as well. This could be due to any possible lawsuits that could have come his way and towards the studios with such an admission. Which, of course, is fair enough. However, we all knew better anyway.
Hell, everything from the look itself, the fake toy box, all the way down to the commercials screamed this was a blatant killer copy-cat. Come on… Even in the original pitched script Chucky’s name was “Buddy”; which of course, was later actually utilized in the reboot of the franchise in 2019.
Now don’t get it twisted. I’m certainly not giving the guy (Mancini) any shit. I’m eternally grateful to have such a marvelous, witty, pint-sized horror maniac in the horror movie legends roster. But, let’s face facts. Chucky was directly inspired by My Buddy- who in turn, had a hand in the down-fall of the doll.
Just like with Freddy, every kid in the late 80s’ early 90s’ knew all about Chucky; and we closely associated the plastic terror with the My Buddy doll. My younger brother had a My Buddy doll prior to the movie coming out, as I did as well with his sister companion. However, shortly after seeing the movie, we got rid of those fuckin’ nightmare inducing wads of stuffing on the fact it resembled it TOO much; and it did give my brother several nightmares. He did NOT want that thing in his room anymore; and unfortunately, that same scenario rang true for many other kids as well. Whether it was the kids themselves, or parents making that association, the My Buddy toy line suffered. Hasbro subsidiary Playskool continued manufacturing the doll into the 1990s, while changing up his look a bit to distance the toy’s legacy away from the Child’s Play series. But, it didn’t have the effect the toymakers’ thought it would and My Buddy went completely off line in the 90s’ due to poor sales.
Prior to the upcoming Child’s Play series coming in October from SyFy, Chucky’s kill count sits at 74. Let’s just make it 75 because My Buddy deserves at least that.
They will make cemeteries their cathedrals and the cities will be your tombs… in 4K UHD and remastered Blu-ray!
Regarded by horror fans the world over as two of the greatest Italian horror films ever made, Lamberto Bava’s Demons films are not only major cinematic nightmare fuel, but also hugely entertaining splatterfests of the highest order. Synapse’s 2013 Blu-rays remain two of their most popular releases, and now they’re bringing these favorites to 4K UHD and remastered Blu-ray in brand-new spectacular 4K restorations! These horrific splatter classics produced by Dario Argento (Suspiria) have never looked or sounded better and are packed with hours of special features, making this the ultimate home video release of these horror favorites.
In Demons, a masked man offers tickets to a horror movie sneak preview at the mysterious Metropol cinema. When a patron is scratched by a prop displayed in the theatre lobby, she transforms into a flesh-ripping demon! One by one, the audience members mutate into horrible creatures hell-bent on destroying the world! Can anyone escape this gory orgy of terror? In 1986’s ambitious sequel Demons 2, the apocalyptic terror continues! A televised horror film spells doom for the residents of a luxury high-rise apartment, as demons are unleashed through the TV screen at a young girl’s birthday party. As more and more residents are infected and transformed into blood-thirsty demons, a young couple fights to survive as they try to escape Hell on Earth.
DEMONS 1 & 2 – LIMITED EDITION 4K (2160p) TWO-DISC UHD BLU-RAY THIS 6000 PIECE LIMITED EDITION CONTAINS:
New 4K restorations of both Demons and Demons 2 from the original 35mm camera negatives!
4K (2160p) UHD Blu-ray presentations of both films in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Limited edition o-card/slipcover packaging featuring new artwork by Juan José Saldarriaga and Chris MacGibbon
Reproduction of the original movie ticket from Demons
A special Demons 2 birthday party invitation
Included fold-out poster of Demons artwork from Wes Benscoter
Reversible cover art
4K UHD All-region playback
DISC 1 (4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY) DEMONS
● Two versions of the film: the full-length original cut in English and Italian, and the shorter U.S. version featuring alternate dubbing and sound effects
● Uncompressed DTS-HD MA English & Italian 5.1/2.0 audio mixes on the original cut derived from the archival audio masters
● Uncompressed DTS-HD MA English 2.0 U.S. theatrical mono audio newly remastered in 2021 by Synapse Films
● New audio commentary by critics Kat Ellinger and Heather Drain, co-hosts of the Hell’s Belles podcast
● Audio commentary with director Lamberto Bava, SPFX artist Sergio Stivaletti, composer Claudio Simonetti and actress Geretta Geretta
● Produced by Dario Argento: a new visual essay by author and critic Michael Mackenzie exploring the legendary filmmaker’s career as a producer
● Dario’s Demon Days: interview with writer/producer Dario Argento
● Defining an Era in Music: interview with Claudio Simonetti
● Splatter Spaghetti Style: interview with long-time Argento collaborator Luigi Cozzi
● Carnage at the Cinema: Lamberto Bava and His Splatter Masterpiece
● Dario and Demons: Producing Monster Mayhem● Monstrous Memories: Luigi Cozzi on Demons
● Profondo Jones: The Critical Perspective
● Splatter Stunt Rock: interview with Ottaviano Dell’Acqua
● Stivaletti Q & A at the 2019 UK ‘Festival of Fantastic Films’
● Original Italian and English international theatrical trailers● U.S. theatrical trailer
● Newly translated optional English SDH subtitles for the English version
● Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian version
DISC 2 (4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY) DEMONS 2
● Uncompressed DTS-HD MA English 5.1 & Italian 5.1/2.0 audio mixes derived from the original archival audio masters
● Uncompressed DTS-HD MA English 2.0 true stereo theatrical mix remastered in 2021 by Synapse Films● New audio commentary by film critic Travis Crawford
● Bava to Bava: interview with Luigi Cozzi on the history of Italian horror
● Creating Creature Carnage: interview with Sergio Stivaletti
● Demonic Influences: Federico Zampaglione Speaks
● The ‘Demons’ Generation: Roy Bava discusses a legacy in lacerations
● The New Blood of Italian Horror featuring Sergio Stivaletti
● Screaming for a Sequel: The Delirious Legacy of DEMONS 2 with Lamberto Bava
● A Soundtrack for Splatter: interview with composer Simon Boswell
● Together and Apart: a new visual essay on the space and technology in DEMONS and DEMONS 2 by author and critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
● Original Italian and English theatrical trailers
● Newly translated optional English SDH subtitles for the English version
Bonus Material included:
DEMONS: Two versions of the film: the full-length original cut in English and Italian, and the shorter U.S. version featuring alternate dubbing and sound effects
DEMONS: Uncompressed DTS-HD MA English & Italian 5.1/2.0 audio mixes on the original cut derived from the archival audio masters
DEMONS: Uncompressed DTS-HD MA English 2.0 U.S. theatrical mono audio newly remastered in 2021 by Synapse Films
DEMONS: New audio commentary by critics Kat Ellinger and Heather Drain, co-hosts of the Hell’s Belles podcast
DEMONS: Audio commentary with director Lamberto Bava, SPFX artist Sergio Stivaletti, composer Claudio Simonetti and actress Geretta Geretta
DEMONS: Produced by Dario Argento: a new visual essay by author and critic Michael Mackenzie exploring the legendary filmmaker’s career as a producer
DEMONS: Dario’s Demon Days
DEMONS: Defining an Era in Music
DEMONS: Dario and Demons: Producing Monster Mayhem
DEMONS: Splatter Stunt Rock
DEMONS: Original Italian & English International Trailers and U.S. Trailer
DEMONS: Newly translated optional English SDH subtitles for the English version
DEMONS: Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian version
DEMONS 2: Uncompressed DTS-HD MA English 5.1 & Italian 5.1/2.0 audio mixes derived from the original archival audio masters
DEMONS 2: Uncompressed DTS-HD MA English 2.0 true stereo theatrical mix remastered in 2021 by Synapse Films
DEMONS 2: New audio commentary by film critic Travis Crawford
DEMONS 2: Creating Creature Carnage: interview with Sergio Stivaletti
DEMONS 2: The ‘Demons’ Generation: Roy Bava discusses a legacy in lacerations
DEMONS 2: Screaming for a Sequel: The Delirious Legacy of DEMONS 2 with Lamberto Bava
DEMONS 2: A Soundtrack for Splatter: interview with composer Simon Boswell
DEMONS 2: Together and Apart: a new visual essay on the space and technology in DEMONS and DEMONS 2 by author and critic Alexandra Heller-Nicholas
DEMONS 2: Original Italian and English theatrical trailers
DEMONS 2: Newly translated optional English SDH subtitles for the English version
DEMONS 2: Newly translated English subtitles for the Italian version
Limited Edition O-Card/Slipcover packaging featuring new artwork by Juan José Saldarriaga and Chris MacGibbon
Reproduction of the original movie ticket from Demons
A special Demons 2 birthday party invitation
Included fold-out poster of Demons artwork from Wes Benscoter
