It’s the eve of All Hallow’s Eve, and while ghosts and goblins will be looking for tricks or treats tomorrow night, Oct. 30 is historically associated with a little bit of mischief…
With references dating back to the late 1700s in England, Mischief Night is an opportunity for kids and teens to engage in a little bit of vandalism and chicanery. On Oct. 30, it was common to hear stories about yards being toilet papered, cars getting egged and other (mostly harmless) pranks, though they can escalate to more harmful acts of vandalism like spray painting or destroying jack-o-lanterns.
Depending on which part of the country (or world) you’re in, you may not have heard of Mischief Night. Maybe you’ve heard it called Devil’s Night, or maybe it’s Cabbage Night. You may have also heard it called Gate Night or even Goosey Night (which is prevalent in Northern New Jersey, where I grew up). The various names spread throughout different parts of the continent (and even in the United Kingdom), seemingly at random. I guess that makes sense, considering the night is supposed to be a little chaotic.
While there have been a number of movies called Mischief Night or even based around the concept, probably the most well-known “Mischief Night/Devil’s Night” movie is 1994’s THE CROW, starring Brandon Lee and Ernie Hudson. The Miramax film, based on the comic book by James O’Barr, begins on Oct. 30 in Detroit, where Eric Draven and his fiancee has been killed on the eve of their Halloween wedding. One year later, Draven comes back to life and, guided by a crow, sets out to avenge the murders.
Brandon Lee, the son of martial arts master Bruce Lee, was killed during the filming of THE CROW after an accident involving a prop gun. With Lee’s untimely passing and the underground following of its comic book namesake, THE CROW became an instant cult hit, spawning a number of sequels, a syndicated TV series. The property has stayed in the public consciousness all these years later, as talk of rebooting the franchise continues to this day.
At last check, Jason Momoa, who is getting ready to debut as Aquaman next month in JUSTICE LEAGUE, was attached to star as Eric Draven, though the movie has been in pre-production for quite some time. Last month, it was announced that Sony picked up the rights to the film after spending nearly a decade at Relativity. According to a Hollywood reporter piece, the studio would like to keep Momoa on to star in THE CROW REBORN.
What are your memories of Mischief Night? What about THE CROW? Discuss it here.