WGA Victory & The House On Oak Street
Has anyone ever told you you look like a cross between Quasimodo and Charlie Brown?
*Day 75 of the SAG strikes.*
Congratulations are in order for the WGA as their 146-day strike has come to an end! Despite studios initially ignoring their pleas, they've come to an agreement that gave them exactly what they were asking for and protects them from the impending threat of AI on the industry. Unfortunately, SAG has yet to meet a fair deal, and since they are still on strike, I can't go back to covering studio films just yet. However, with the WGA strike coming to an end, we're that much closer to seeing our favorite shows make a return and a slew of new movies coming our way.Â
This is also good news for SAG because if the AMPTP was willing to compromise with the WGA in order to get the industry going again, they're likely to give the SAG members what they want, too. After all, nothing can really move forward if there are no actors to star in the TV shows and movies. Should SAG come to a fair deal with the AMPTP, the strikes will end, and I will return to covering studio films. If this happens soon, I'll be able to start my Halloween series, which I was planning to start up after my Summer series, which I unfortunately had to cancel.Â
Luckily, I searched all over YouTube for something Halloween-related to cover until I found The House on Oak Street, shared on YouTube by Throwback Pictures on April 29th, 2017. Ironically, this was the same year, but several months before, the second adaptation of Stephen King's IT hit theaters, and the opening shot looks straight out of one of King's stories. There's definitely a lot of King inspiration as the film follows a group of young kids who find themselves in a pretty terrifying situation on Halloween.
I also felt the film took a lot of inspiration from Goosebumps and could act as a starting point for a reboot anthology series. It's hard to pinpoint the time period of the film, though the most unbearable character in the film, Derek, seems to be driving a pretty modern Land Rover model, meaning the film is likely set in 2017. Think of the most insufferable guy you went to high school with, and that's Derek's character. He doesn't care enough about his brother, whom he refers to as "little punk," to drive him home and allows him to ride his bike instead as he talks to his girlfriend, Lacey, on the phone.
Later, he berates his girlfriend for most of their car ride on the way to a Halloween party they never make it to and lets the air out of his brother's bike tires because he's mad his friends' bikes were blocking the road where he was driving. Though, he's hardly a main character in the film. Instead, he's a side character whose main purpose is to get the viewer to root for his brother Brand and his friends over him.
Meanwhile, Brand and his friends Murphy, Vince, and Tony argue over who gets which Halloween candy bag before ending up at the haunting house on Oak Street, where a young boy with a distorted face carves pumpkins and hides from his master. In the end, the film is pretty reminiscent of a Stephen King story as the heart of it lies in friendship and sticking together to defeat evil. The boy, named Mort, is actually part of a circus sideshow, but Brand convinces his friends that this is inhumane and they should help him.Â
The film leaves a few questions unanswered as it ends, though it seems the master gets to Derek and Lacey before they have a chance to catch Brand and his friends. While Lacey was pretty innocent, other than willingly associating herself with Derek, her boyfriend kind of had it coming as his only reason for entering the house was because Lacey pushed him to check on Brand after Derek declared, "Who cares?" when Lacey expressed concern he could be in danger.
However, the message of friendship and sticking together shines through even though Brand and his friends aren't able to save Mort. The character threatens to slit his throat, ultimately ending his master's sideshow, if he tries to hurt Brand and his friends. This allows them to escape, ultimately leaving Mort with the master, continuing the sideshow.Â
Had this been an episode of Goosebumps, it probably would have been split into two parts, with the second half resolving Mort's situation in a creepy yet satisfying way. However, short films tend to end on cliffhangers, with most of the issues up to the audience's interpretation of what might happen next.
"Has anyone ever told you you look like a cross between Quasimodo and Charlie Brown? One's really ugly, and the other's kinda cute."-Tony, The House On Oak Street.
The House on Oak Street received a lot of positive feedback in its comment section, with one viewer even comparing the dynamic between Brand and his friends to Stephen King's Stand By Me. I can definitely see the similarities, and what I like most is the portrayal of the middle school children. In recent years, it seems filmmakers have delved too deep into social media platforms, and their only way of relating to the younger generations is by dropping TikTok and Instagram references every five minutes. Given TikTok hadn't become what it is today until 2018-2019, there were still other social media platforms flooding middle schoolers' minds in 2017. Luckily, none of these made it into The House on Oak Street.Â
Instead, the film, written, directed, and produced by Kyle Misak, sent a different message about the children. Kids do still have an imagination, a yearning for adventure, and the will to help others who need it. Films like The House on Oak Street continue to inspire the younger generations to spend more time exploring (though they should be safe and probably not venture into mysterious homes on Halloween night) and less time with technology.
As for the cast, Bradlee Curtis-Chase has the perfect boy-next-door charm of Bill Denbrough from King's IT or the main character of a Goosebumps episode, though he's missing the classic 90s middle part. Overall, this felt like the perfect way to kick off the fall season without covering any classic Halloween or horror films produced by major studios.