VHS Revival: A Retro Movie Magazine

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Hell Hath No Fury: VHS Revival’s Bumper Halloween Quiz

Test your mettle with VHS Revival’s bumper Halloween quiz

It’s that time of the year again; I can feel it in the air. Lanterns are burning, leaves are plentiful and everyone is feeling just a little devilish as they dust off their favourite costumes and prepare to embrace the darkness. Halloween is a time for fun and thrills, an occasion to bask in the opulence of candy-laced nightmares. More importantly, it is a time to celebrate the rich and wonderful annals of horror cinema, and what better way to prepare for your annual frightfest than with a little horror trivia?

Think you know your stuff? VHS Revival tests your mettle with its bumper Halloween quiz. Don’t get scared now!

 
1. Which season was John Carpenter’s Halloween filmed during?
Spring
Correct! Halloween was filmed in 20 days over a four-week period in May 1978. Shot in the palm-laden suburbs of South Pasadena and Hollywood, California, crew members were forced to paint leaves brown in an attempt to recreate a leafy Halloween suburb. And a fine job they did too!
Summer
Sorry, Incorrect.
Autumn/Fall
Sorry, Incorrect.
Winter
Sorry, Incorrect.
 
2. Actress/Singer-Songwriter Ronee Sue Blakely would play Nancy’s mum in the original A Nightmare on Elm Street, but which of these musical titans did she famously tour with?
Marvin Gaye
Sorry, Incorrect.
Bob Dylan
Correct! Blakely toured with Bob Dylan’s travelling Rolling Thunder Revue, singing a set of original solo songs and accompanying herself on piano. She also sang with Dylan and other headlining musicians on the tour and would sing backup vocals on Dylan’s album Desire, as well as contributing to The Bootleg Series Vol. 5: Bob Dylan Live 1975, The Rolling Thunder Revue.
Jimi Hendrix
Sorry, Incorrect.
Stevie Wonder
Sorry, Incorrect.
 
3. Suspiria Actress Jessica Harper was cast as the movie’s pure-as-snow protagonist, Suzy Harper, for possessing which desirable feature?
Big Eyes
Correct! Director Dario Argento proclaimed as much at the Texas Frightmare Weekend in Dallas, Texas in May 2017. This was no doubt based on his fascination with Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which also influenced the director’s use of colour. Disney heroines typically possess big eyes to enhance their purity.  
Pale Skin
Sorry, Incorrect.
A Graceful Walk
Sorry, Incorrect.
Full Lips
Sorry, Incorrect.
 
4. 1987’s EC Comics inspired horror anthology Creepshow 2 featured three segments, but how many was it initially set to have?
Three
Sorry, Incorrect.
Four
Sorry, Incorrect.
Five
Correct! As well as Old Chief Woodenhead, The Raft and The Hitchhiker, Pinfall and Cat from Hell were scheduled to appear in the movie before budgetary restrictions committed them to the scrapheap. Cat from Hell would later appear in Tales from the Darkside: The Movie.
Seven
Sorry, Incorrect.
 
5. Which of these slasher movies featured a villain who was inspired by a real-life urban legend?
Prom Night (1980)
Sorry, Incorrect.
The Burning (1981)
Correct! Although details are hard to come by, Cropsy (spelled Cropsey) was the subject of many a campfire tale for kids in and around New Jersey and upstate New York during the mid-1970s.
Sleepaway Camp (1983)
Sorry, Incorrect.
I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
Sorry, Incorrect.
 
6. Which of these horror movies did actor Chris Sarandon not star in?
Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)
Correct! Sarandon would instead star in Michael Winner’s 1977 Jeffrey Konvitz adaptation The Sentinel — the actor’s first appearance in a horror movie.
Fright Night (1985)
Sorry, Incorrect.
Child’s Play (1988)
Sorry, Incorrect.
Tales From the Crypt: Bordello of Blood (1996)
Sorry, Incorrect.
 
7. Which of these A Nightmare on Elm Street instalments was the first to not feature a version of composer Charles Bernstein’s original theme?
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985)
Correct! Bernstein would be replaced by Christopher Young, who two years later would provide the score for Clive Barker’s astonishing directorial debut Hellraiser.
A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: The Dream Warriors (1987)
Sorry, Incorrect.
A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)
Sorry, Incorrect.
Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994)
Sorry, Incorrect.
 
8. Which of these horror-themed movies contributed to the MPAA’s establishing of the PG-13 rating?
Poltergeist (1982)
Sorry, Incorrect.
Gremlins (1984)
Correct! Alongside Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Gremlins was one of two movies to directly influence the MPAA’s founding of the PG-13 rating, which states: Parents strongly cautioned – some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
The Monster Squad (1987)
Sorry, Incorrect.
Beetlejuice (1988)
Sorry, Incorrect.
 
9. How many horror movies has legendary filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola directed?
One
Sorry, Incorrect.
Two
Sorry, Incorrect.
Three
Correct! Though most synonymous with Bram Stoker adaptation Dracula, Coppola would also write and direct 1963 independent black and white horror Dementia 13 and 2011’s little-known critical and commercial flop Twixt
Four
Sorry, Incorrect.
 
10. Which of these horror authors was involved with the 1983 anthology spin-off Twilight Zone: The Movie?
Richard Matheson
Correct! Matheson would write or co-write the screenplay for segments “Kick the Can”, “It’s a Good Life” and “Nightmare at 20,000 ft”, the latter based on one of the author’s short stories.
Stephen King
Sorry, Incorrect.
Clive Barker
Sorry, Incorrect.
Jack Ketchum
Sorry, Incorrect.
 
11. Which of these Friday the 13th Final Girls did not defeat the indomitable Jason Voorhees?
Ginny Field: Friday the 13th Part II (1981)
Sorry, Incorrect.
Chris Higgins: Friday the 13th Part III 3-D (1982)
Sorry, Incorrect.
Pamela Roberts: A New Beginning (1985)
Correct! The fifth instalment would see Melanie Kinnaman’s Pam slug it out not with Jason, but with vengeful copycat killer Roy Burns, who did a wonderful job of hiding a full head of hair during a then record breaking killing spree of 19. Top marks, Roy!
Rennie Wickham: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)
Sorry, Incorrect.
 
12. Which of these 1981 Golden Age slashers fared best at the US domestic box office?
My Bloody Valentine
Correct! My Bloody Valentine grossed $5,672,031 at the US box office, more than double its nearest competitor Hell Night ($2,300,000). It also had the largest budget of the four at approximately $2,300,000 and would prove a huge disappointment to Paramount Pictures, who were looking to repeat the unbridled success of 1980’s Friday the 13th ($59,800,000). Two months later, Friday the 13th Part 2 would reap a rather impressive $21,700,000 from a budget of only $1,200,000.
Final Exam
Sorry, Incorrect.
Hell Night
Sorry, Incorrect.
The Prowler
Sorry, Incorrect.
 
13. Which decade would see the most Stephen King works adapted for the big screen?
1970s
Sorry, Incorrect.
1980s
Correct! The 1980s would see the most Stephen King works adapted for the big screen with a grand total of 14. The second most fruitful decade for the horror author in cinematic terms was the 1990s, with a total of 12 adapted works. If you guessed the 1990s, it’s not surprising, as that particular decade saw the most King works adapted for television (9), all of which were later released on VHS. Incredibly, none of King’s works were adapted for television during the 1980s.
1990s
Sorry, Incorrect.
2000s
Sorry, Incorrect.
 
14. Which of these 90s horror movies was released first (US)?
The Craft
Correct! Released on May 3, 1996, Andrew Fleming’s supernatural horror The Craft would feature Neve Campbell a whole seven months before she achieved scream queen status in Wes Craven’s game-changing meta-slasher Scream, which, released in late December, would marginally miss out on a Halloween billing. Released on October 25, 1996, Tom Holland’s troubled Stephen King adaptation Thinner would have no such problems, though Peter Jackson’s The Frighteners would come closest, opening in US theatres on July 19, 1996.
Scream
Sorry, incorrect.
Stephen King’s Thinner
Sorry, Incorrect.
The Frighteners
Sorry, Incorrect.
 
15. Which of these 80s horror movies was released last (US)?
Evil Dead II
Sorry, Incorrect.
The Fly
Sorry, Incorrect.
Near Dark
Correct! Released on October 2, 1987, Kathryn Bigelow’s neo-western vampire film, Near Dark, would trail Sam Raimi’s quasi Evil Dead sequel by just seven months. David Cronenberg’s first mainstream smash, The Fly, was released on August 15, 1986, while Stuart Gordon’s Lovecraftian romp Re-Animator hit theatres on October 18, 1985
Re-animator
Sorry, Incorrect.
 
16. How many actors have played the character Jason Voorhees?
3
Sorry, Incorrect.
4
Sorry, Incorrect.
9
Correct! Jason Voorhees has been played by a total of 9 actors: Ari Lehman, Warrington Gillette, Steve Dash, Richard Brooker, Ted White, C.J. Graham, Kane Hodder, Ken Kirzinger and Derek Mears. There were other, uncredited stand-ins for various scenes and a couple of unremarkable child Jasons, but I haven’t included them (I don’t want to be that guy). Nor have I included notorious copycat killer Roy Burns, as technically this isn’t Jason (the masked version was played by Tom Morga). For years, it was believed that Warrington Gillette played Jason throughout Friday the 13th Part 2, when in reality stuntman Steve Dash was under the mask for the majority of the movie, Gillette playing the unmasked Jason in the final scene. Franchise favourite Kane Hodder currently holds the record for playing Jason the most times (4), starring in Friday the 13th: The New Blood (1988), Jason Takes Manhattan (1989), Jason Goes to Hell (1993) and Jason X (2001). He is currently the only actor to have played the character on more than one occasion.
8
Sorry, Incorrect.
 
17. Which of these world class filmmakers was first to direct a picture in the horror genre?
Dario Argento
Sorry, Incorrect.
George A. Romero
Correct! Romero was the first to embrace the horror genre with his hugely influential, low-budget outing Night of the Living Dead (1968), a movie that would carve a commercial path for many of his peers. Not far behind was Dario Argento, who would turn to horror with L’uccello dalle piume di cristallo aka The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) after several credits as a screenwriter, mostly for Spaghetti Westerns working with the likes of Sergio Leone. Next in line was Wes Craven with exploitation flick and future ‘video nasty’ The Last House on the Left (1972), followed closely by Hooper, who in 1974 gave us the hugely controversial The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. 
Wes Craven
Sorry, Incorrect.
Tobe Hooper
Sorry, Incorrect.
 
18. What was the highest-grossing horror film of the 1980s (in the US and not adjusted for inflation)?
A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master
Sorry, Incorrect.
Gremlins
Sorry, Incorrect.
Ghostbusters
Correct! Though commercial magnate Steven Spielberg was in some way involved with both Poltergeist and Gremlins, it was Ivan Reitman’s offbeat horror comedy that people were most eager to see on the big screen during the 1980s, the movie grossing a whopping $229,242,989 during its initial theatrical run. Coming in at a distant second was Joe Dante’s controversial Gremlins, the second highest grossing film of the decade with a box office return of $148,168,459. Surprisingly, Tobe Hooper/Spielberg project Poltergeist would come in at a lowly 6th with a gross of $76,606,280, while A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master would reach its 80s apotheosis with a very healthy return of $49,369,899, just missing out on the top 10 as the 11th most successful movie of the decade.   
Poltergeist
Sorry, Incorrect.
 
19. What was the highest-grossing horror film of the 1990s (in the US and not adjusted for inflation)?
The Blair Witch Project
Sorry, Incorrect.
Scream
Sorry, Incorrect.
Interview with the Vampire
Sorry, Incorrect.
The Sixth Sense
Correct! Raking in a whopping $293,506,292 domestically, M. Night Shyamalan’s breakthrough smash, The Sixth Sense, was the runaway commercial winner during the 1990s, though super low-budget handheld horror The Blair Witch Project would fare just as impressively in relative terms, ushering in an era of viral marketing and becoming the second most successful film of the decade with a US domestic gross of $140,539,099. The movie would out-muscle both Neil Jordan’s Gothic horror, Interview With the Vampire ($105,264,608), and Wes Craven’s hugely influential Scream ($103,046,663), the third and fourth most successful films of the 90s, respectively. 
 
20. Which of the following US horror movie posters is currently the most expensive based on collector purchases?
The Black Cat (1934)
Sorry, Incorrect.
The Mummy (1932)
Correct! Featuring the legendary Boris Karloff, the poster for Universal’s Golden Age horror The Mummy was sold for an eye-watering $435,500 in 1997. It has since been put up for auction at Sotheby’s and is expected to bring in anything between $1 million and $1.5 million this time around, which would smash the non-horror record currently held by an international” version of a poster for Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, which sold for $690,000 back in 2005.
The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
Sorry, Incorrect.
Dracula (1931)
Sorry, Incorrect.
 
21. Which of these four actors never starred in a Hammer Horror production?
Bela Lugosi
Sorry, Incorrect.
Vincent Price
Correct! Though it is a common misconception that the legendary Price starred in Hammer Horror movies, his films were actually for other notable studios such as Roger Corman’s American International Pictures. The fact that he starred alongside Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing in many other films could go some way to explaining this rather widespread case of The Mandela Effect.
Christopher Lee
Sorry, Incorrect.
Peter Cushing
Sorry, Incorrect.
 
22. What is considered the first ever zombie movie?
I Walked With a Zombie
Sorry, Incorrect.
Night of the Living Dead
Sorry, Incorrect.
Creature with the Atom Brain
Sorry, Incorrect.
White Zombie
Correct! Released way back in 1932, this pre Hays Code zombie feature starred the inimitable Bela Lugosi as a Haitian voodoo chieftain and commander of an army of zombies. Bela, you swine!
 
23. Who was the first Universal Studios monster?
Dracula
Sorry, Incorrect.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Correct! Though Frankenstein and Dracula are the most recognisable Universal Monsters, it was The Hunchback of Notre Dame who would set the horror train rolling with Wallace Worsley’s 1923 silent classic.
The Phantom of the Opera
Sorry, Incorrect.
Frankenstein
Sorry, Incorrect.
 
24. Who is widely considered the most influential giallo director?
Umberto Lenzi
Sorry, Incorrect.
Lucio Fulci
Sorry, Incorrect.
Dario Argento
Sorry, Incorrect.
Mario Bava
Correct! Though Argento is considered by many to be the father of giallo cinema, it was Bava’s The Girl Who Knew Too Much and Blood and Black Lace that laid the preliminary work. With high-profile admirers that include Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola and Argento himself, his innovations with impressionistic imagery and colour palletes continue to resonate throughout cinema more than a half-century later.
 
25. John Larroquette was responsible for the infamous opening narration for 1974’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but how was he paid for his time on a notoriously low-budget project?
With a Rare Baseball Card
Sorry, Incorrect.
With Liquor
Sorry, Incorrect.
With LSD
Sorry, Incorrect.
With a Marijuana Joint
Correct! Though I couldn’t fault you for choosing any of the inebriating options (this was the 70s after all), according to Larroquette, payment for his involvement in a movie that would spawn a decades-long franchise was made with a single joint. I’m sure he enjoyed it too. 
 
26. Who was the inspiration for the iconic mask worn by Michael Myers in John Carpenter’s Halloween?
Frankenstein’s Monster
Sorry, Incorrect.
Darth Vader
Sorry, Incorrect.
The Incredible Hulk
Sorry, Incorrect.
Captain Kirk
Correct! Surprisingly, it was the least likely of all options that inspired the iconic look of the indomitable ‘shape’. Strapped for cash and underwhelmed by more conventional mask designs, Carpenter and his crew cut the eyes out of a William Shatner mask and sprayed it white. The rest, as they say, is history. 
 
27. Which of the following films was the first American postmodern vampire flick of the 1980s?
The Hunger
Correct! Released on 29th April 1983, Tony Scott’s heavily stylised erotic horror film pre-dates Tom Holland’s horror-comedy Fright Night by almost two years. Kathryn Bigelow’s neo-western Near Dark and Joel Schumacher’s brat-pack laden The Lost Boys were both released in 1987.
Near Dark
Sorry, Incorrect.
The Lost Boys
Sorry, Incorrect.
Fright Night
Sorry, Incorrect.
 
28. How many horror movies has Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson directed?
One
Sorry, Incorrect.
Two
Sorry, Incorrect.
Three
Correct! Though none of them are strictly horror, instead employing elements of comedy and sci-fi, Peter Jackson has directed three horror movies: Bad Taste (1987), Braindead aka Dead Alive (1992) and The Frighteners (1996).
Four
Sorry, Incorrect.
 
29. Hows many films are there in the Critters franchise?
Two
Sorry, Incorrect.
Three
Sorry, Incorrect.
Five
Correct! Though the devilish Gremlins derivative would originally spawn three sequels in 1988’s Critters 2: The Main Course, 1991’s Critters 3 and 1992’s Critters 4, Syfy would revive the series in 2019 with Critters Attack! Syfy have also purchased the rights to 80s cult classic Killer Klowns From Outer Space with a view to producing sequels for both properties.
Four
Sorry, Incorrect.
 
30. Which of these kitsch horror classics features a magic, laser-shooting crystal with the power to reanimate the dead?
Rawhead Rex (1986)
Sorry, Incorrect.
Uninvited (1988)
Sorry, Incorrect.
Hellgate (1989)
Correct! Hellgate also features beautiful zombie hitchhikers, evil goldfish, rubber bats on strings posing as the real article and a dangerous biker villain named Zonk. Intrigued yet? You’d better be!
Bride of Re-animator (1990)
Sorry, Incorrect.
 
31. Finally, which horror movie ranks highest on the American Film Institute’s 100 Greatest Movies list?
Frankenstein (1931)
Sorry, Incorrect.
Psycho (1960)
Correct! We couldn’t have a Halloween quiz without the master of suspense. Still, it’s rather disheartening that of all the movies included on the AFI Top 100 List, only two are horror movies: 1931’s Frankenstein and Psycho. Both iconic films but talk about snobbery! Oh well, there’s always VHS Revival for your weekly horror fix. Happy Halloween!
The Exorcist (1973)
Sorry, Incorrect.
Don’t Look Now (1973)
Sorry, Incorrect.

18 comments

    1. It was tricky putting it together. Took me twelve hours in the end; much longer than expected. The fact that you enjoyed it makes it worth it. 13 is an admirable score. I didn’t know the answer to a lot of these questions until researching the quiz yesterday. Instead of a throwaway quiz, I thought I’d do something a bit more informative. That way we all learn a thing or two. Thanks for taking part. 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  6. OKAY. I got 1/2 correct.
    So, I designed and made the mask( ski mask style) for Prom Night 1.
    It was my first movie project, ever. Lots of fun, and I met Leslie Neilson & Jamie Lee.

    Like

    Reply

      1. Well, not really. I had just graduated.
        I am still in touch with the Costume Designer, who could attest.
        I did design costumes for a Disney Christmas TV movie that starred Leslie Neilson. There is a cute story about on set, on Prom Night that I reminded him of. We had a good laugh, and I do have a pic of us together, him in part of his Santa costume.
        How was I to know it would be a cult classic? LOL! I didn’t even want to be part of filmmaking. Here’s what happened. https://resamcconaghy.com/

        Like

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