WNUF Halloween Special

I love Halloween.  I know, I know...what else is new?  I don't understand why it can't be a year-round deal.  Goddamn it, I'm sick of--woah!  Sorry.  I'm passionate when it comes to our (yes, our...we might as well claim ownership) ghoulish celebrations, and as 2013's WNUF Halloween Special demonstrates, I'm not the only one.  You may have heard a faint clangor about it resounding throughout the web.  The makers of WNUF launched a rather brassy advertising campaign to call attention to their mockumentary, even going so far as to distribute copies onto random tables at genre-adjacent conventions, sans label.

The horror community responded in kind.  I referred to WNUF as a mockumentary, but truth be told, that classification requires some explaining.  It actually doubles as a "found footage" flick.  But wait!  Before I lose your interest altogether, this isn't your typical camcorder patchwork.  It purports to be a slice of local television, or to be specific, a Samhain-inspired special wherein WNUF (the ersatz channel in question) airs field pieces that cover topics such as trick-or-treating safety and the vociferous tantrums of faith-based groups who believe that All Hallow's Eve fosters the devil's deeds.  Shit, was that a run-on sentence?  My deepest apologies to those I've offended with my careless, inconsiderate grammar.  It ain't right.

I could sell you on the plot, but WNUF's crowning features have precious little to do with ghouls and broomsticks.  Sure, the Halloween appurtenances are gobs of fun, and I would be first in line to see Sarcophagus (a fictional mummy movie set to premiere on WNUF), but I'll remember other aspects of this spook-a-minute simulacrum above anything else.  Like the dead-center adverts.  Man, these commercials are scary accurate.  From promos for rug emporiums to werewolf hotlines to church bake sales.  It's all here to serve as breathers in between broadcasts of the news and reporter Frank Stewart's probe into a gravely haunted house.

Flanked by paranormal investigators and a circumspect priest, Frank (played by a game Paul Fahrenkopf) is keen on exorcising this spectral dwelling.  The whole situation leans on camp, but the circumstantial comedy works.  Sadly, the fabricated bits are dampened by stagy acting.  I wanted to believe that I was watching a 100% legitimate videotape from 1987, but a handful of lazy performances took me out of the atmosphere.  What's more, I felt that the ad breaks, while entertaining, arrived too frequently.  Eh, these are negligible annoyances.  Make no mistake, I'm recommending the hell out of WNUF Halloween Special.

PS-Be on the lookout for Out There Halloween Mega Tape.  Yep, there is a sequel!  I can't find a release date, but I know that it's currently surfing the festival circuit.