By Melissa Antoinette Garza
Admittedly, this aired in April and isn’t a Halloween special. Nonetheless, it’s a fantastic way to bring in the the best holiday of the year.
The special begins with a restful sweet Steven (Alice Cooper) trapped in a surreal nightmare. To kick off the fantasy, Dream Steven in a top hat, a gorgeous black and red suit and sexy eye and mouth make-up, sings WELCOME TO MY NIGHTMARE. Dancers in masks and costumes break out in a haunting little number that is freaky, insane and something I adored both in youth and as an adult today.
Steven then meets the dashing and eccentric Spirit of the Nightmare (Vincent Price), who dresses like a flamboyant dark angel that I’d party with any day of the week . The spirit introduces him to the nightmare. He’s entertaining, magical and absolutely fine. His maniacal laughter and eccentric captivating charisma is as incomparable as the songs that Alice sings throughout.
On the record, I could have watched Vincent Price leading Alice Cooper around on a collar and chain for hours rather than the few short moments we got. It’s delightfully sinful!
DEVIL’S FOOD and SOME FOLKS are the two tunes that immediately follow. WELCOME TO MY NIGHTMARE. Both give stunning visuals and an insane, psychedelically diabolical rock-n-roll feel that fits perfectly.
Next we slow down with the somber and sad ONLY WOMEN BLEED. It’s sung against a blood red backdrop, which is then beautifully contrasted with the white as snow set design of COLD ETHYL.
THE BLACK WIDOW and YEARS AGO follow with equally bizarre and trippy imagery and dance routines.
DEPARTMENT OF YOUTH is up next with a leather-clad Steven belting out this rebellious anthem like a dashing cult leader with unbelievably powerful allure.
YEARS AGO, STEVEN and THE AWAKENING all keep the party going and the tale flowing. They’re magical to view and amazing to hear.
Next is my favorite Alice Cooper song and considering he’s one of my favorite artists, it says a lot. BALLAD OF DWIGHT FRY is the anthem for all us weirdos and fun nutjobs. The song is a magnificent homage to the late great horror icon Dwight Frye. Who didn’t root for Renfield in DRACULA (1931) and Fritz in FRANKENSTEIN (1931)? I always did. On a side note, in elementary school, I’d often scare others kids by singing this song and wrapping my arms around me as if I were in the straight jacket Alice wore. Believe it or not, I didn’t have many friends. Their loss, I was fucking awesome!
ESCAPE comes up next where we see Alice run away from a chasing awesome Cyclops. I love that Cyclops! I saw him at one of the Alice Cooper concerts I went to and I was nearly as excited to see him as the death and resurrection of Cooper I knew was coming. It was at a Halloween show and if you ever have a chance to see him on that day, do it. My husband and I saw him twice on Halloween and again on a different day. All of the concerts were great, but the spectaculars he does for the holiday are mind-bending, electric and make for a lifetime of fond memories.
We end with a reprise of THE AWAKENING as the monsters, creatures, and the Spirit bid adieu.
Interwoven between the songs, we see the gleefully wicked interactions between The Spirit and Steven including one where they sit upon a see-saw together. There is something absolutely awesome about the 70s. I live for that decade! As absolutely hypnotic and strange as the production is, it’s organic and unaffected. The music is sensational and the wraparound story is delightful.
I can’t recommend this enough. Halloween or not, watch this. It’s a necessity for anyone with good tastes and thankfully was given a wide release.
Scared Stiff Rating: 9/10
