Out There Halloween Mega Tape (2022)

Only available through mail-order from Trader Tony's Tape Dungeon, this rare videocassette recording features a pair of 1990s specials that were only ever broadcast once. The first involves a trashy daytime talk show, while the other investigates alien encounters. Maybe it's just an era I look back more fondly on, but I found this a lot more colorful and fun than WNUF Halloween Special, although it also suffers from an abundance of manufactured ad breaks, which instinctually cause me to space out. It's something that holds up better in your memory than the reality of the experience. Was it worth the $19.99? Not really.

2½ dramatizations out of 5

WNUF Halloween Special (2013)

Framed as a lost videotape recording of a local access television broadcast from 1987, complete with news segments and period-accurate commercials, this is a faithful recreation of American television of that era. What this means is that it's hampered with an excess of commercials, which are presented as authentic, but take away from the main thrust of the film, involving a journalist investigating strange occurrences at a haunted house. If this immediately brings to mind Ghostwatch, you're not far off. You might not look back as fondly on it, but it's a nice break from the traditional found footage genre.

2½ missing cats out of 5