Friday, October 23, 2015

Octoberfest Five: 5 Pairs Of Favorite Horror Siblings


Sookie and Jason Stackhouse ~ True Blood

Vampire-magnet Sookie and her womanizing brother Jason were quite often at odds - with Jason trying to protect Sookie from all the supernatural love affairs she was falling into or Sookie sorting out all Jason's missteps, lame ideas, drunken binges, "V"-induced stupors, ridiculous choices in love interests, and poorly thought-out decisions.  Jason's head isn't always screwed on too tight, especially when his libido is involved! The two of them were nonetheless the heart of the show and despite all the differences of opinion and lifestyles, are devoted to their family and each other./ CH


Sally and Franklin Hardesty - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Seems to me Sally is a pretty decent sister, bringing her brother along on the little excursion to the town their grandparents lived in to check out claims that grave robbing was going on.  But it's obvious immediately that Franklin is probably one of the most annoying people on the planet.  Constantly whining and moaning makes for a hell of a bad road trip! But the worst of it comes when Sally and Franklin are waiting for their friends to return from the farmhouse (which of course will be a long-ass wait).  Franklin keeps on caterwauling about wanting to leave - even suggesting they take off without the rest of the group.  They continue arguing back and forth until Sally decides to head out and look for her boyfriend herself.  Naturally Franklin whimpers incessantly about being left alone so she drags him with her, wheelchair and all, into the darkness.  Spoiler alert: eventually we don't have to listen to Franklin anymore - and that my friends, is perhaps the best part of the movie! / CH

Lewis and Fuller Thomas - Joyride

It's not always easy to reconnect with a sibling you haven't seen in a while, let alone with one who has been in prison.  But Lewis (Paul Walker) is on a road trip home for the summer when he finds out from his mother that his delinquent brother Fuller (Steve Zahn) is being released from jail so he detours to pick him up.  The two actors play off each other exceptionally well and their brotherly banter continues even after they get on the wrong side of a long-distance truck driver.  Add Lewis's love interest Venna (Leelee Sobieski) into the mix and the two bros and their antics making a play for the girl lead to a highly enjoyable film - even more so when the murderous truck driver has intentions to kill the trio after they tease him with a CB radio.  Great thriller, great cast!  /CH


Damon and Stefan Salvatore - The Vampire Diaries

Some people would have thought of the Winchester brothers of Supernatural fame to highlight in a sibling post - but no one bickers better (and looks better doing it) than the Salvatore brothers, especially since they are both in love with the same girl (or they were until last year).  Their constant quarreling and bantering is actually pretty endearing, showing off the witty sarcasm of Damon Ian Somerhalder) in contrast to "voice of reason" Stefan (Paul Wesley).  Though these two sometimes act as though they can't stand the sight of each other, and a huge part of the show is the way these two actors bounce off each other, the Civil War-era brothers are actually very close (they've been vampires together for 150 years after all) and are a perfect team to fight the rapidly escalating evils of their hometown of Mystic Falls.  But the squabbling reaches epic heights when they both become enamored of the same young lady, Elena.  Her inevitable choice was bound to hurt one of them profoundly, but they have managed to keep their bond intact and this season are battling the demons (inner and real-life alike) without their lady-love.  It shall be intriguing to see how their dynamic changes - but let's hope they keep up the bickering, as it's certainly a big part of their charm! / CH

Trish and Darry Jenner - Jeepers Creepers

Trish and Darry are my two favorite horror siblings. It’s so refreshing to see a man and woman interacting platonically, which is exactly the reason Victor Salva made the characters siblings. He didn’t want there to be any romance distracting the audience from the building tension. Trish and Darry are just so fun to watch together, and we do have to thank their respective actors for that. Gina Phillips and Justin Long have great chemistry and give some much needed energy and personality to these dull, dime-a-dozen budget actors we see so often in horror films. These two make a great team and keep each other sane through a horrifying situation. They have a genuine bond which, I believe, grows throughout the course of the film. /MR



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