by Fiona Underhill

I’ve been tasked by MJ’s fearless leader to come up with something “spooky” themed for October’s column. But, as I’m not great at being told what to do, I’ve decided on something of a twist to this theme. Brad Pitt is having a huge ‘moment’ in film in 2019, with the double-whammy of Once Upon A Time in Hollywood and Ad Astra, he’s all but guaranteed an Oscar nomination at the 2020 ceremony. So I’ve decided to look back on, what for me, is still the peak of his career – the mid-90s. The whole decade was strong for Pitt – from 1992’s Robert Redford-directed A River Runs Through It (a personal favorite) to ending with his iconic role as Tyler Durden in 1999’s Fight Club. However, he had a 4-film run right in the middle of the decade which is one of the strongest streaks of any actor’s career. From the Southern Gothic of 1994’s Interview with the Vampire, to 1995’s Seven and Twelve Monkeys (for which he received a Supporting Actor nomination) and rounding out with 1996’s Sleepers. It may seem natural for me to focus on Pitt’s gentile vampire Louis for a Halloween-themed article, especially as I do dearly love that film and Pitt’s performance (his rapport with Kirsten Dunst is a particular highlight). However, I’ve decided instead to explore the more grounded and realistic horrors of David Fincher’s Seven and Barry Levinson’s Sleepers.