The Steve Buscemi Detail You Didn't Notice In Hubie Halloween
With the Halloween season in full swing, spooky movies are all the rage on streaming right now in preparation for the 31st. One brand-new effort isn't exactly scary – in fact, it's quite the opposite, but it fits the seasonal aesthetic nonetheless. That film is Adam Sandler's latest Netflix exclusive Hubie Halloween.
Released on October 7, 2020, this Happy Madison production has received largely positive reactions from fans; however, those more critical of the film cite it as just another run-of-the-mill Sandler project. While they may intend this as a critique, this isn't necessarily a bad thing, but their observation is far from incorrect, as evidenced by one key area.
A hallmark of the majority of Sandler's original works is the inclusion (in some capacity) of his longtime friends and comedy collaborators. A handful didn't clear their schedules for Hubie Halloween, but there were still plenty of Sandler's usual troupe to fill out the cast list. The likes of Kevin James, Rob Schneider, and Maya Rudolph all made sure to sign on for the cameo-filled Hubie Halloween in parts of varying size and importance. Big-screen regular Steve Buscemi decided to drop in, too, for a turn as Hubie Dubois' kindly neighbor.
This particular appearance deserves a more thorough discussion than the others. Upon closer inspection, Buscemi's entire Hubie Halloween character calls back to a previous character from another of Adam Sandler's Halloween hits.
Steve Buscemi's Hubie Halloween character calls back to his character from Hotel Transylvania
A journeyman of the cinema, Buscemi is no stranger to Adam Sandler's goofy creations. From Crazy Eyes in Mr. Deeds to the homeless guy in Big Daddy, there isn't a persona too odd for Buscemi to try out. He carried on the tradition for Hubie Halloween, bringing to life the eccentric Walter Lambert, a man who wholeheartedly believes he's a werewolf, despite not actually being one.
Oddly enough, this isn't the first time Buscemi has tested out his half-wolf, half-man acting chops. In the Hotel Transylvania film series, which features Sandler voicing the lead character Count "Drac" Dracula, Buscemi lends his voice to Wayne — a true werewolf.
The similarities don't end at their physical form, real or fake, either. Both characters wear similar clothing, donning a simple blue button-down shirt for the majority of their time on screen. Also, in a stroke of strange coincidence, both of Buscemi's roles are inverse of one another: Walter appears as a man but leans into his "werewolf" side, and Wayne looks like a werewolf but prefers to dress and act like a human man.
Whether or not Sandler or Buscemi did any of this on purpose is anyone's guess, but it's still a nice nod to their shared history in the comedy-horror genre.
Hubie Halloween is currently streaming on Netflix.