Bats, Cats & Gats. Oh my!

The Long Halloween, Parts One & Two

2021

This is the second (and third) Batman entry for this year's Horrorfest. This movie takes place early in Bats' vigilante career, when he was just beating up thugs and not doing detective work. It centers around a character nicknamed "Holiday" who is systematically eliminating all those close to mobster Carmine Falcone. The killer strikes on a holiday using a pistol - with a baby bottle nipple as a silencer - and leaves a gift related to the day. The first killing happens on October 31st and goes on all year,  so Falcone's henchmen have dubbed it "The Long Halloween."

There are plenty of suspects, not the least of which is troubled DA, Harvey Dent. The foreshadowing of Dent's unraveling is so well done, that alone makes watching the movie worth it. It's full of side shots and innuendo, and outright mentions of his questionable - sometimes volatile - mental state. All the usual crazies are there as well, alongside character we haven't yet met in other DC animated fare, like Commissioner Gordon's wife and son.

The theme of sacrificing family and romantic relationships plays a huge role in driving the story arc and creating an undertone for the movie. It wasn't a horror movie per sé, but there were some grizzly scenes and the undercurrent of emotional emptiness, abandonment and lack of fulfillment conjured up a feeling of dread. That said, I don't think it was hard to figure out who the killer was before the first movie was halfway through.