Buttkickin’ Halloween Songs: “Nature Trail To Hell” — “Weird” Al Yankovic (1984)

Coming this Christmas to a theater near you
The most horrifying film to hit the screen
There’s a homicidal maniac who finds a Cub Scout troop
And he hacks up two or three in every scene…

Howling winds. Screaming victims. Backwards messages. Impending doom. And a chilling final minor chord on piano that lingers like a final terrifying zinger on the soul.

Yup. It’s “Weird Al” time.

Let’s lighten things up a smidge. Nature Trail To Hell joins our Halloween Playlist because (a) it’s fun and spooky, and (b) it lampoons all the terrible (yet still enjoyable) slasher flicks from the glory days of the 1980s. We’re talking the Friday the 13thHalloweenNightmare on Elm StreetChucky, and god knows what else that could be considered second-rate to those behemoths of the era.

Often in 3D, of course, Terrible 1980s 3D.

See severed heads that almost fall right in your lap
See that bloody hatchet coming right at you
No, you’ll never see hideous effects like these again
Till we bring you “Nature Trail to Hell: Part Two.”

It’s almost impossible to parody anything that often and easily descends into self-parody on a regular clip. And while I’d admit Nature Trail To Hell isn’t one of Al’s best lampoons, it certainly is one entertaining riff on terrible horror movies, and that zany satirical spirit combined with your standard Halloween tropes (organ music, sound effects, etc.) makes it a worthwhile addition to our Halloween playlist.

And coming after three darker tunes, getting zany-fied sounds pretty good right now. Especially in 3D. Terrible 1980s 3D.

So bring the kids along, it’s good clean family fun
What have you got to lose
If you like the six o’clock news, then you’ll love
Nature Trail to Hell
In 3-D…

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