01. Before I Wake (3/5)
02. 47 Meters Down (3/5)
03. Little Evil (3/5)
04. Sharknado (2/5)
05. The Shallows (3/5)
06. The Lodgers (1/5)
07. IT 2018 (4/5)
08. Apostle (2/5)
09. Halloween 1978 (5/5)
10. Halloween 2018 (4/5)
11. Death Note (4/5)
12. Resident Evil Retribution (3/5)
13. Death Machine (1/5)
14. The First Purge (2/5)
15. Ghost Stories (5/5)
16. Summer of 84 (5/5)
17. A Quiet Place (5/5)
18. The Autopsy of Jane Doe (5/5)
19. Tau (4/5)
20. The 'Burbs (6/5) 21. Evil Dead 1981 (2/5)
Went to the movies today for a special event showing Evil Dead. Wow, It's been many years since I've seen this and I've seen Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness WAY more often than this. I had forgotten just how low budget this movie is, and I guess that's part of the charm, but it was literally 70 minutes of screaming in MONO.
The effects are dogshit and I had totally forgotten about the stopmotion claymation.
The Necronomicon also looks redicilous in this one lol
It was hard to sit through.
And that ladies and gentlemen concludes my weaksauce attempt at the 31 days of horror 2018. It was a blast and I wish I had time to watch more movies... Maybe next year?
I took out her eyes in case my image had been imprinted upon them, and washed the blood from my hands with the gin in her chamberpot.
This splendidly melodramatic Victorian murder mystery, set amongst the slums, music halls, and opium dens of 1880s London, is one of my absolute favourite films of the month. The story of a Jack The Ripper-esque serial killer and the detective who hunts him is twisty, gripping, and beautifully performed by an outstanding ensemble cast. The incomparable Bill Nighy is especially good as the inspector trying to catch the Limehouse Golem (as the press have dubbed the killer), and Olivia Cooke is also fantastic as a famous music hall star accused of slaying her husband, a man who just happens to be a prime suspect in the Golem case.
While the movie's darkly sumptuous sets do end up fairly blood-splattered, I'd hesitate to really call it a horror movie. You'll also work out who the killer is before Bill Nighy manages to. Neither of those things bothered me though. This is a fantastic film, and highly recommended.
Tell him he's about to copulate with a creature from outer space.
I used to see this on the shelf in the video store when I was a lad, but of course being R rated I wasn't allowed to rent it. Well twenty plus years later here we are. I cannot declare it was worth the wait.
An alien hybrid disguised as a woman escapes from a lab, and looks to procreate with a man. A not very developed team tries to track her down in time. This was pretty much shlock, mostly an excuse for a lot of blood and nudity. The dialogue is poor and the plot is barebones at best. Despite only being an hour and fifty, it's still too long by about 15-20 minutes. The whole second act is real drawn out and repetitive.
On the plus side, there are some great practical effects and creature design (from HR Giger no less) throughout the film, at least til the climax when a lot of extremely hokey 90s CG shows up.
For a comedy horror starring Nick Frost and Simon Pegg this was a bit of a disappointment. Shaun of the Dead it ain't. The story of monsters unleashed beneath an English private school isn't terrible, but it is pretty much the definition of a rainy Sunday afternoon Netflix movie. The first hour of the film is not nearly funny nor gory enough, but it keeps your interest with appealing characters and decent acting. Asa Butterfield is particularly great, and the best thing in the film by a long way. In fact all the pupils are more entertaining than the staff. Simon Pegg's lovelorn cricket teacher (at least I think he was a cricket teacher) is just annoying, and while Nick Frost's stoner eco warrior is a lot more fun, he's still a lazy stereotype. Michael Sheen is pretty good as the weirdly sleazy headmaster, but he isn't really given enough to do. The action and the comedy do improve dramatically in the splattery final act, and the film ends very literally with a bang, but it still wasn't really worth the price of admission.
#31. Terrifier: Credit where credit is due, that was one hell of a creepy clown. Perhaps that isn't overly hard to pull since clowns are inherently creepy. As far as slasher films go, this one was alright. The effects were good and it was competently made. They had a kill scene like that one from Bone Tomahawk so that was messed up. In your in the mood for some gore, it's not bad.
And that does it. Full list:
#1. Hold the Dark
#2. Insidious
#3. Resolution
#4. The Endless
#5. The Return of the Living Dead
#6. Halloween (1978)
#7. Trick r' Treat
#8. Psycho (1960)
#9. In the Mouth of Madness
#10. Red Dragon
#11. The Fly
#12. Premonition
#13. Apostle
#14. The Conjuring
#15. Errementari: The Devil and The Blacksmith
#16. The Autopsy of Jane Doe
#17. Friday the 13th (1980)
#18. 30 Days of Night
#19. Killer Klowns from Outer Space
#20. Ring
#21. Cure
#22. Possession
#23. Gremlins
#24. Pulse
#25. The Birds
#26. Jason X
#27. REC
#28. Ghost Stories
#29. I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House
#30. Christine
#31. Terrifier
At the start of the month, I was hesitant if I'd be able to stay committed to it after always wanting to over the years on the previous site. Really glad I did. I'm also happy that everything I watched was a first time viewing. I enjoyed reading through the thread and watching a lot of your suggestions. Resolution and The Endless were the two main standouts for me. Psycho was also great although that's wasn't surprising; it's a classic for a reason.
Hopefully, I'll be able to do next year. Wouldn't mind a whole month of first watches again so I'll be reading your lists to help me find the obscure stuff. Or watch the many horror classics I still haven't watched.
25. Halloween (2018): My first theatrical 31 Days entry, and it's so nice to see the jack o'lantern unsquash itself, take form, and glow on the big screen. I like this a lot more than Halloween II. There's quite a few jump scare chords and I wish it would follow the original more by using tension, having Michael be seen, but distant and unmoving. I do like the callbacks, like the classroom lecture on fate while Alyson looks out the window. There's also some clunky exposition to fill in the time gap, and there is an angle brought into the movie that I wish went somewhere. Regardless, it was cool to see Michael put on the mask and kill some more. The climax is a tense battle and it's fun to see that Laurie (mostly) isn't stupid. A worthwhile addition to the franchise. I'm sure it's better than the other movies I haven't seen.
Thus ends my 4th year of spooky movies. I'll be sorting out my rankings tomorrow.
Logged 90 films this month but realized I couldn't be arsed to cross post them here from Letterboxd after the first week or so. Here's some of my favorite watches.
Horror Of Dracula
Faust
Eyes Without A Face
City Of The Dead
Elvira's Halloween Special
Dead Ringers
Stoker
The Curse Of Frankenstein
1. Wrong Turn (N)
2. Valentine (N)
3. Urban Legend (N)
4. Ghost Team One (N)
5. Constantine (R)
6. Monster House (R)
7. Warm Bodies (R)
8. Scream 2 (R)
9. Most Likely to Die (N)
10. Tragedy Girls (N)
11. The Windmill (N)
12. All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (N)
13. The House on Sorority Row (N)
14. The Invisible Maniac (N)
15. Clown (N)
16. Halloween (R)
17. Ruin Me (N)
18. Hide and Go Shriek (n)
19. Hatchet (N)
20. Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (NR)
21. Drag Me to Hell (N)
22. The Funhouse Massacre (N)
23. Revenge (N)
24. The Witch (N)
25. Caesar and Otto's Summer Camp Massacre (N)
26. Sleepaway Camp 2 (N)
27. Last Girl Standing (N)
28. The Scarehouse (N)
29. As Above, So Below (n)
30. Stage Fright (N)
31. Creep 2 (N)
32. Friday the 13th (R)
33. Scream (R)
34. Halloween h20 (N)
35. Stage Fright (N)
36, Black Christmas (1974) (N)
37. My Bloody Valentine (1980s) (N)
38. Halloween (2018) (N)
39. Dead Body (N)
40. Murder Party (N)
41. No One Lives (N)
42. Summer of 84 (N)
43. Jason X (R)
44. Cherry Falls (N) - An interesting subversion of the slasher genre with the killer targeting virgins instead of the usual suspects. Granted more than meets the eye, but figured out the killer from first scene and was waiting for everyone else to catch-up in the movie. The design was also whatever.
45. Wrong Turn 2 (N) - I've only seen one, but this is a marked improvement over the original in many ways. Really fun film. Curious to check out the rest of the series at some point.
46. Friday the 13th Part 3 (R) - One the 3D gimmick just becomes more silly the further away from the movie we are, also I forget how goofy Jason originally was. The supernatural element kind of helped him later on.
47. The Final Girls (R) - Just a fun genre movie. Solid comedic cast as well.
Final Tally: 47 Movies
New: 37 Movies
Slashers: 39 Movies
A blazing whirlwind of colour and gore, Mandy takes a very standard story for horror films and puts it through a new lens. A cult of evildoers kill a man's wife, and he comes looking for revenge. That's a thousand 80 minute revenge flicks there. But Mandy stands out by really taking its time, and drenching everything in psychedelic visuals. The gore is top notch when it eventually comes, ending all the better for the catharsis factor.
Cage is pretty great, successfully straddling the line between his notorious crazed mugging and genuine emotion. It's probably not for everyone, as its very slow paced and has an otherworldly tone, but it worked for me. Also there is a swordfight with chainsaws. That might pique your curiosity.
Halloween:
H40 didn't have to do a whole heck of a lot to be the best film since the original as the batting average of the series is not what one would call ready for the majors. But does it matter much when the best is still standing the long shadow of that most essential of slasher films, so frequently imitated and never equaled? It's then quite interesting that the screenwriters here use that very legacy and the discussions that have ensued about what it all really meant in the end as a big jumping off point, starting with a pair of podcasters that are trying to get to the bottom of what makes both Michael Myers and Laurie Strode tick after all these years. The film isn't blatantly meta, but it does give it an intriguing intellectual edge all the same as we see so much longing for answers and insight into the two leads. This does lead to an issue with there being a few too many characters dividing attention at times, but they do at least serve some kind of function by the time their fates are settled. There are some bits of humor that don't entirely work with the format, a particular one involving a young black child that is really on the nose comes to mind, but they do little to dissuade from the interest the script generates on its own merits.
Forty years in an institution has done little to dull Michael's instincts and certainly his strength, as his inevitable escape brings with him a wave of carnage that really hasn't been seen before in a Halloween film: what he lacks in number of showcase moments, he more than makes up for in sheer ruthlessness and efficiency, giving him a nasty edge that makes him a damn credible threat and bring back some of the same elemental qualities that he had in the original, with a far more gruesome playfulness and an unsparing attitude to anyone that he targets. On the other end, Jamie Lee Curtis returns to Laurie once more, and the film doesn't waste any of your time by presenting her as anything other than the kind of person she would be in her situation: traumatized and broken, but doing everything she can to make sure understand the danger and how to keep themselves when it does happen. It's a surprisingly elegant characterization that Curtis plays beautifully, and though she's not as nimble as she was in H20, she brings a great physical presence with her that makes her feel like a credible threat to Michael's near-supernatural strength. The rest of the cast is more than fine, though the chemistry that Judy Greer and Andi Matichak have with Curtis as her daughter and granddaughter is a real highlight and helps give the film's finale a really great emotional investment.
What of the direction, then? David Gordon Green has long wanted to make a horror film, and it's hard to imagine how giddy he must have been when he was approached to craft his own take on the series. He makes a surprising yet correct choice: he literally does just that with making his own take. There are certainly nods throughout to other films in the series and familiar shots that are ever so subverted, but rather than aping Carpenter's techniques, he puts his own signature on the film from start to finish, with its more intimate character focus than we got in the original and a good sense to handle the more brutal violence in ways that gets the point across without feeling like he's catering to gorehounds exclusively. It's an unexpected delight after so many journeymen have been through the series to get something stylish again without it being Carpenter's style wholesale, while still crafting some damn fine sequences of suspense and terror that hold up quite favorably to the original, culminating in a killer climax that pulls out all the stops to deliver on everything you could want in a final showdown. And whatever magic he had that managed to rub off on Carpenter and company to turn in the soundtrack that they pulled off here may just be the most valuable commodity on the face of the planet, as even my highest expectations for Carpenter's return to the world of soundtracks did not prepare me for the peerless work that they turn in here, and it might actually be not only the strongest soundtrack in the entire series, but perhaps the strongest one that Carpenter has composed in his long and storied career.
It shouldn't come as a surprise that this isn't as good as the original, as there's no way to match not only its genre-defining techniques, but also its iconography that's become famous the world over. It's also not a bad thing to not be as good as a masterpiece, as taken on its own merits, it's a great follow-up to that film that is respectful without being enslaved to it and also finding ways to make its continued discussion over the years an important part of its story. When I started my marathon this year, I was wondering just how the journey would ultimately end, now having seen so many films now to get a sense of the way the genre has grown and evolved over the course of 122 years. It turns out that this was the best possible way to end it, not only for a genuinely entertaining and exciting film to be capper, but one that takes everything that has come before and does everything it can to do something we haven't seen before. To some, that might just be as simple as making a Halloween sequel that doesn't suck, but for me, it was great to see a real passion for doing something new with something that only seems so old because it's so well worn. That's a real testament to the endurance of the genre I love so much as much as it is a nice summary of this film.
I remember seeing this the first time a few years ago. The big twist at the end was something new and I thoroughly loved it! A few months or year ago I bought the bluray but didn't feel like watching it and I'm glad I held off. This was the perfect end cap for my marathon. All month long I've watched a variety of monster movies and this has pretty much every one of those. What I really wanted was the merman as a companion to Creature from the Black Lagoon. I completely forgot how it was used in this film, but I knew there was one.
I still believe this movie holds up incredibly well, but the cgi cracks are definitely starting to show. That doesn't really take anything away, but it was kind of sad to see that some of the creature effects have not aged as well as I'd remembered.
A good cap to a good month! This movie is worth three and a half zombie redneck torture family members.
I will try and recap my month later. It's bed time for now. What I can say is that it was a pretty even month for me. Not many great standouts, but not too many stinkers either. I know last year I hated slogging through the Saw movies. This time around I think the old/new thing worked really well and I'm considering making a list like that for next year just to get some ideas of what to gather in the next months. Anyway, happy Halloween!
Suspiria (1977) is one of the most influential horror films ever created, so it's no secret that 40ish years later, everyone expects big things from the much anticipated reimagining.
Coming fresh off the heels of the Academy Nominated film "Call Me By Your Name," director Luca Guadagnino brings Suspiria back to the silver screen with a lot more world and character building than it's predecessor. Gone are Argento's bright and vibrant colors that audiences have grown to associate Suspiria with and in its place a more realistic setting with a much bleaker color scheme. Argento was also known for his creative ways of lighting a scene, almost making the world resemble an "Alice in Wonderland" feel. These are two of many things that made the original special that don't standout as prominently in this new film.
That's not to say that Guadagnino didn't use an array of colors in this new world because I would be wrong to say so. The blues, reds and greens make a return, but in a fashion that blends them into the world a bit more discreetly. The main characters are largely the same, with a couple new welcome additions. Jessica Harper, who played Susie Bannion in the original adaption, makes a return in a new role this time around. Also, you'll be happy to know that the term "feeling the cut" returns in this film. Argento was all about watching the knife go in, and Guadagnino keeps up the tradition!
But this IS a much different film and Guadagnino's direction is largely the reason for this. The film is a lot slower paced than the original, and with a runtime of around two and a half hours, some parts of the movie can seem quite dragged out and a little dull. There are also a lot more camera cuts in this rendition. It was actually something that took me a bit to get used to. There are many fast cuts from here to there that in the beginning is almost naeuseating. Once the first chapter (the film has 6 chapters and an epilogue), i didn't bother me as much. Also, this film is quite graphic... like very graphic. If you're familiar with Guadanino's former works, you'll know what to expect, so expect that plus more.
Goblin. No Goblin this time around, but there are two standout tracks by Thom Yorke of Radiohead ( who composed the entire soundtrack) that I really like: The Hooks and Volk. Paired with the scenes they play in, those songs truly took my breath away in the theater.
The coven members now all have on-screen names, and with that, comes a lot of individuality, which I found to be a big positive. Blanc and Tanner were really the only two to have that sort of individuality in the original. I actually found Ingrid Caven's character to be among one of my favorites and of course, Tilda Swinson's performance is amazing. Probably my favorite of hers that I've ever seen.
The film is good. It might even be great, but I really need some time for it to settle. When the credits rolled, I was kind of lost. I still am. I did enjoy the film, although I ultimately prefer the original, but the pacing really got to me.
There are some very creative ideas displayed in this film and it's one of the few horror remakes that truly stands on its own. It's such a different film than the original that with a few tweaks to the script, it could have been its own thing.
I went in with low expectations and came out not knowing what to think except that I do appreciate that Guadagnino did his own thing with having to worry about pleasing loyalists of the original. Both films have their own place in history, so if you don't like one, hopefully the other is more up your alley.
I can't imagine a better way to end 31 Nights of Horror than with this film though. None other would have my mind spiraling like it is right now.
I have a last minute recommendation: Stuart Gordon's ridiculous Jeffrey Combs-led pair of trashy Lovecraft adaptations.
Re-Animator:
From Beyond
Fan art:
Re-Animator has its cult following and gets its due, but From Beyond is one of the most under-rated, over-looked pieces of camp horror schlock in cinema.
The sequel to the Iron Man comes with a lot more coherence but it's not necessarily a positive. After an encounter with some cyber skinheads who try to abduct his son, a salaryman finds himself turning back and forth into a gun laden machine.
The director takes a second look at some of the ideas and themes of the first film but this time with a proper budget and production crew. As a result, though it's all still crazy, weird and gritty by the standards of most films, in comparison to the first Tetsuo it's made much more conventionally. There's a more clear story and characters, with a much larger amount of action.
As a result, it's not as incomprehensible, but it's also a lot less memorable. The addition of a lot more story removes the nightmarish fever quality, and despite the higher budget, the transformations aren't as creative as the insane, gruesome ones in the Iron Man, mostly limited to manifesting guns out of skin. That being said, it's still a cool trip, and the climactic transformations are all quite impressive and elaborate.
Decent, but not the one of a kind film Tetsuo 1 was.
The story of a woman who fears her new baby is in danger from a demonic entity, Still/Born is quite enjoyable for the first hour or so. I had some misgivings about the lead actress (mainly because she only has two facial expressions: everything's fine, or I'm-shitting-myself-in-bug-eyed terror), but I was still having fun with the movie. Sadly, the third act goes off the rails a bit, and several things happen that really took me out of the film.
How did Mary get from the hospital to her house, barefoot, dressed in her hospital gown, with no purse or apparent method of paying for her transport? If she ran all the way, how come she wasn't out of breath? How come her feat were still clean and undamaged?
Also, I'm just going to go ahead and say that the iPhone on speakerphone conversation, through a plate glass window, with one party in a moving car and other not even standing close to the window, just wouldn't have worked.
Lastly, if you were rushing to try and defuse a deadly situation, and you had your mother-in-law in the car with you, no normal person would take the time to unstrap and remove their baby from the car seat and carry said baby blindly into that deadly situation.
Despite that I did still enjoy the film, and there is a fantastically unsettling reveal right at the end that I loved, even though I half guessed it already.
When we realized we were behind on the day where we shot her running sequence, we decided to push it to a pick up day that never came. Ultimately decided that it didn't really matter.
Here's the script so you know what you missed:
EXT. SUBURBIA - MOMENTS LATER 119
Barefoot and still in her hospital gown, MARY RUNS LIKE HELL through the suburbs. A NEIGHBOR'S vehicle follows behind her, its headlights backlighting her. They create elongated, twisted shadows on
the pavement as she ---
120 EXT. HOUSE - CONTINUOUS 120
--arrives at her house, totally out of breath.
And now you know.
As for the others, dramatic suspension of disbelief. The iPhone thing very rarely comes up which I am thankful for.
1 - It Comes At Night (2017)
2 - Happy Death Day (2017)
3 - Trick r Treat (2007)
4 - Cube (1997)
5 - The Wolfman (2010)
6 - The Town That Dreaded Sundown (2014)
7 - The Invitation (2015)
8 - Dog Soldiers (2002)
9 - 30 Days of Night (2007)
10 - Re-Animator (1985)
11 - The Void (2016)
12 - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
13 - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
14 - The Belko Experiment (2016)
15 - The Howling (1981)
16 - Videodrome (1983)
17 - Night of the Comet (1984)
18 - Terrifier (2017)
19 - House of 1000 Corpses (2003)
20 - The Devil's Rejects (2005)
21 - Mayhem (2017)
22 - Creep (2014)
23 - Tragedy Girls (2017)
24 - Supernova (2000)
25 - The Call of Cthulu (2005)
26 - Cronos (1993)
27 - Don't Breathe (2016)
28 - Tetsuo the Iron Man (1989)
29 - Species (1995)
30 - Mandy (2018)
31 - Tetsuo II: Body Hammer (1992)
In 2016 and 2017, I had a more structured marathon, at least for part of the month, concentrating on several franchises or directors. This year was entirely freeform, just picking random films.
I think I might return to having a little more structure next year, and add in some series of films. Overall however, a fun month and a fine number of good to excellent films with only a couple of duds.
#39 - Trick r Treat (2007) - Since my original review for this got eaten by a website error before I could post it, I'm going to give a shortened version. Watching Trick r Treat on Halloween has been a cherished tradition of mine for the past 9 years since its DVD release. It is simply one of the best horror anthologies ever made that's chock full of the Halloween spirit.
There are four tales of fright included that are interwoven within each other while taking place during one Halloween night. A principal confronts a mischievous child that's going around smashing pumpkins and stealing candy. Segment two deals with 5 kids collecting pumpkins to present to the souls of children lost during a tragedy many years ago. Story number three includes four young women looking to acquire dates not only for their big party, but also for their friend who's still a virgin. The final segment is about a cranky, old man who is terrorized by a small being wearing an orange jumpsuit and a burlap sack over their head.
Trick r Treat is best thought of as a comic book brought to the big screen. The film is quickly paced, and quite short logging in at only 82 minutes long. There's not a lot of depth or character development here. The focus here is about recreating the fun and brief entertainment of reading a comic instead of more straight-laced, serious horror. The performances are great, with Principal Wilkins (played by Dylan Baker) as the standout. The death scenes are mostly left to the viewer's imagination with the exception of one. But it's in the opening portion of the film, and really sets the tone with what's to come. At the end of each segment, the horror comes from an unexpected twist that can be quite shocking (even if one of them is very predictable). The director did a fantastic job creating the perfect atmosphere and setting for a Halloween tale, and it definitely works to put the viewer in the spirit of the season.
Trick r Treat is a fun horror romp that doesn't expect itself nor the viewer to take it seriously. If you're looking for a slow burn horror film to fill you with dread and suspense, you'll probably want to search elsewhere. But if you want a quick paced, entertaining tale to get you into a Halloween mood, this is your best bet. Recommended to those who love the Halloween season.
8 chocolate bars filled with razor blades out of 10.
Finishing up one more film just before bed to get to 40. I'm not done with Halloween just yet!
#39 - Trick r Treat (2007) - Since my original review for this got eaten by a website error before I could post it, I'm going to give a shortened version. Watching Trick r Treat on Halloween has been a cherished tradition of mine for the past 9 years since its DVD release. It is simply one of the best horror anthologies ever made that's chock full of the Halloween spirit.
There are four tales of fright included that are interwoven within each other while taking place during one Halloween night. A principal confronts a mischievous child that's going around smashing pumpkins and stealing candy. Segment two deals with 5 kids collecting pumpkins to present to the souls of children lost during a tragedy many years ago. Story number three includes four young women looking to acquire dates not only for their big party, but also for their friend who's still a virgin. The final segment is about a cranky, old man who is terrorized by a small being wearing an orange jumpsuit and a burlap sack over their head.
Trick r Treat is best thought of as a comic book brought to the big screen. The film is quickly paced, and quite short logging in at only 82 minutes long. There's not a lot of depth or character development here. The focus here is about recreating the fun and brief entertainment of reading a comic instead of more straight-laced, serious horror. The performances are great, with Principal Wilkins (played by Dylan Baker) as the standout. The death scenes are mostly left to the viewer's imagination with the exception of one. But it's in the opening portion of the film, and really sets the tone with what's to come. At the end of each segment, the horror comes from an unexpected twist that can be quite shocking (even if one of them is very predictable). The director did a fantastic job creating the perfect atmosphere and setting for a Halloween tale, and it definitely works to put the viewer in the spirit of the season.
Trick r Treat is a fun horror romp that doesn't expect itself nor the viewer to take it seriously. If you're looking for a slow burn horror film to fill you with dread and suspense, you'll probably want to search elsewhere. But if you want a quick paced, entertaining tale to get you into a Halloween mood, this is your best bet. Recommended to those who love the Halloween season.
8 chocolate bars filled with razor blades out of 10.
Finishing up one more film just before bed to get to 40. I'm not done with Halloween just yet!
So glad I finally got around to this one, meant to watch it last year. A campy slasher flick slathered with 80s cheese, Sleepaway Camp was a fun time with a great protagonist and a pretty gnarly ending. I can see why so many people recommend it, nice way to cap off the marathon.
#40 - Hellraiser (1987) - Clive Barker is my favorite horror creator. I say creator because he does much more than create horror films. His books, certain art pieces, his video game collaborations, his overall ideas really speak to me and have made me the horror fan that I am today. I finally got to meet Clive in person, and that was a dream come true. Hellraiser was the first horror film I watched uncut at the age of 6, and it remains my favorite horror film of all time.
Larry and Julia are a couple looking to rebuild their marriage that just moved into a house previously squatted in by Frank: Larry's brother and the man Julia had an affair with just before her wedding. Frank purchases a puzzle box in Morocco to search for the greatest pleasure known to man. Once the box is opened, beings from within known as Cenobites provide pleasure in return for extreme pain. Frank's body is torn to pieces by the Cenobites in the attic of the house that Larry moved into. Due to an accident while moving furniture, Larry's blood happened to bring Frank back as a skinless man who must feed on the blood others to make himself whole. Frank plans to accomplish this by asking Julia to kill for him so that they can be together again. However, Larry's daughter Kirsty might end up inadvertently being the key towards stopping their evil schemes before her father finds out.
I like to refer to Hellraiser as a gory soap opera filled with imaginative effects, while making it feel like it's been pulled from a nightmare. There are twists and turns throughout the film to keep the viewer engaged. The performances are really great. Hard to think of a weak link in the group. This film had a budget of just $1 million, so for the practical effects to be as effective as they are is a work of genius. The death scenes are dark and gory, with incredible attention to detail. The reason why Hellraiser sticks out to me is that it was an original concept (Clive wrote the book and helmed the movie adaptation) during an age of slasher films that started becoming more formulaic and similar as time went on. It was the horror film for those who wanted something different and fresh.
I won't sit here and call Hellraiser a masterpiece. It's a great film, and nearly perfect in my eyes, but it's not a flawless film. It is however, Clive's greatest work, and one of the defining supernatural horror films ever made. Recommended to those who love gory, gothic horror.
9.5 chains plus a giant hook shoved into your skin out of 10.
And on that note, another October marathon is complete. Need to get some rest now.
FINALLY!!! For the first year ever I completed this challenge
31. The Conjuring
This movie has since become a mainstay of the core of my horror collection. It's one of the few horror films with non-bland, likeable characters (regardless of how you feel about the real Warrens). I didn't find myself getting angry or pissed at their actions. Everything was either fairly rational or explained. The ghosts were definitely creepy and you can see how this launched its own cinematic universe without shoving the idea of a cinematic universe down our throats (looking at you DC and Universal)
A kind of interesting twist on vampires, the analogy to drug addiction is a pretty good one but it's not genre changing, an ok 90 min time waster.
99. The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)
The mystery is better than the solution in this. The movie is gripping and tense but sadly starts to become genre generic as we get answers. Still Cox and Hirsch have excellent chemistry
100. Dead Body (2015)
This is a nifty little slasher. Don't let the first 20 min fool you. This shit gets violent. I grooved.
101. Viral (2016)
I was hoping from the Netflix synopsis for something more horror comedy and sarcastic, akin to Tragedy Girls, The Final Girls, The Babysitter. Instead it's just your basic viral zombie type thang. Acting is pretty good, characters likeable but plot is weak, infected design boring.
Meh
And there we are.
I close at 101 horror films in the month of October
Synopsis: During a secure transfer from one asylum to another, Michael Myers escapes and decides to return to Haddonfield, where fifteen years earlier he killed his sister on Halloween night. Pursued by his doctor, he revisits his hometown to continue where he left off.
Review: The classic that introduced the world to the infamous Michael Myers. What more can be said about this great horror film? The pacing, the characters, the story and the style of the movie are all on point. Jamie Lee Curtis knocks it out of the park as Laurie and we all are witness to the birth of the scream queen. Then the eerie music, building tension and fear. I believe the movie wastes no time on anything that doesn't build up the horrific capabilities of Michael and his non-stop determination of killing who he wants to and in contrast, the determination of Dr. Loomis in trying to stop him. We get a scary and terrifying ride watching who will win first and all the victims lost along the way. This is a classic that must be watched.
- 10/10
* And with that, another horror and fun filled October challenge has come to an end. I always enjoy this challenge and am already looking forward to next year. Thanks to all those involved and who participated. It's always great to learn and be exposed to horror films I had not known before and read the various reviews and opinions about the many I have seen. Happy Halloween!
I pulled this off while working 40 hours+ every week. I feel pretty accomplished.
In terms of movies I hadn't seen before:
Bad Times at the El Royale, Halloween 2018, Eyes of My Mother, The Babysitter, Tragedy Girls, You Might be the Killer , Creep, Creep 2, The Devil's Candy, Ruin Me, Stitches, Bed of the Dead, Bite, The Windmill, Don't Kill It, and Dead Body to a lesser extent in terms of good.
Even then I had to re read my list to think about many of these... price paid for watching so many
In terms of bad Intruder, Seven in Heaven, American Poltergeist 1&2, Halloweed, and Wildflower
When we realized we were behind on the day where we shot her running sequence, we decided to push it to a pick up day that never came. Ultimately decided that it didn't really matter.
Here's the script so you know what you missed:
EXT. SUBURBIA - MOMENTS LATER 119
Barefoot and still in her hospital gown, MARY RUNS LIKE HELL through the suburbs. A NEIGHBOR'S vehicle follows behind her, its headlights backlighting her. They create elongated, twisted shadows on
the pavement as she ---
120 EXT. HOUSE - CONTINUOUS 120
--arrives at her house, totally out of breath.
And now you know.
As for the others, dramatic suspension of disbelief. The iPhone thing very rarely comes up which I am thankful for.
This Clive Barker quote about Hellraiser will never stop blowing my mind...
"The week before filming started, I went to the library at Crouch End, where I was living in London, to get a book about directing. They had one – but it was out. Luckily, the crew were very gentle with me. You can only go that far into darkness if everybody's on board. I had Richard Marden, who had worked with David Lean, as editor, and Bob Keen, who had done special effects on Star Wars and came up with Frank's resurrection scene. We had a nice working rhythm."
I've been going though Hammer's vampire movies during the marathon starting with the Karnstein trilogy and then going back and doing the Dracula series. After 8 of these fairly similar Gothic vampire movies, I've long since run out of things to say about them. Thankfully this one has a little more originality than a lot of the others and a rather unique set up.
Taking place immediately after the finale of Dracula Has Risen from the Grave, a shopkeeper witnesses Dracula's final moments as his corpse decays into powered blood and a collection of tacky fashion accessories. Elsewhere, three distinguished gentlemen who have formed a secret circle to enjoy the more unusual aspects of life have become bored with their usual pleasures. Upon meeting the disgraced Lord Courtley who has been disowned by his father for practising the black arts, the gentlemen seek Courtley's advice to find new excitement. Courtley's suggestion: To sell their souls to the devil and resurrect the most evil man of all time. Count Dracula.
The setup with the three "gentlemen" really makes this one. Their bumbling not only resurrects Dracula, but also brings his wrath upon them. Perhaps a bit out of character for him, Dracula vows revenge on them and he basically becomes a slasher villain, only he has his enchanted underlings do the dirty work. It's really bizarre and a nice change of pace from the other Hammer Dracula offerings.
The end is a bit sloppy and feels like they didn't know what to do with it, but fun characters and performances make this one an easy recommendation for fans of the series.
Recommended. 3 / 5
28) Hellraiser: Judgment (2018) (Oct 28)
Hellraiser is another series I've been going though yearly with the marathon, starting with the original way back during my first year in 2011. I'm rather forgiving of the lesser films in the series and think they all at least have something interesting about them, yes, even Hellraiser: Revelations. When I started hearing praise for this one, I was pretty excited since that's rare for anything in the series after the second movie.
Two brother police detectives are trying catch a serial killer who cruelly mutilates his victims while Pinhead and the Cenobites are now some kind of bureaucratic gatekeepers for both heaven and hell.
Yeah... so... after a promising and disgustingly icky intro, this one quickly falls apart. Admittedly, it's been a while since I've watched them and read the book, but the mythology in this doesn't really fit in with the earlier works, in my opinion. The whole audit thing just feels so out of place. Is Pinhead an office drone now? Does he show up in dungarees on Casual Fridays? The Cenobites working under an angel is so weird. I don't recall heaven and God being an active part of the series before. Perhaps worst of all, Lemarchand's Boxes are seemingly just shoved in because they had to get the Lament Configuration in there somewhere. People are summoned or collected for judgment though other means.
And then there's the budgetary issues. As poor as they were, the previous STV sequels (excluding Revelations) still looked like movies. This was shot on digital and looks super cheap, with dreadful acting to match. The only real pros I found here were the makeup effects were pretty good (though the new creatures don't feel "Hellraiser" at all) and the actor portraying Pinhead was a massive upgrade from the disastrous Revelations guy.
This was just boring as hell. Maybe there's some clever ideas in it somewhere, but everything is buried under the slow pacing, godawful performances and ugly look of the film.
Skip it. 1 / 5
29) Hack-O-Lantern (1988) (Oct 29)
Hack-O-Lantern is part slasher, part Satanic cult movie and part 80s hair metal music video – and that's not even including the part where the movie stops dead in its tracks so a random guy can do his stand up comedy act!
Tommy, a young boy is visited by his badly acted Grandpa before Halloween and given gifts including a pumpkin and a strange necklace. Upon discovering Tommy had been visited by his grandfather, his badly acted mother smashes the pumpkin in anger as Tommy is forbidden from seeing the old man. Years later, Tommy is now a badly acted adult who lives in his badly acted mothers basement and angrily lifts heavy things. Over the years, Grandpa has been preparing Tommy to be inducted into his Satanic cult where he wears a plaid shirt until his robes. Talk about a fashion faux pas! With Halloween around the corner, it's time for Tommy's ceremony. Oh, and there's some random murders and shit too.
This one is a trip. It's an explosion of 80s cheese with everything you'd expect from the time. Delightfully goofy with one of the most bizarre performances I've ever seen thanks to Grandpa's actor, this is a lot of fun. The real surprise here is that there's an actual real plot with foreshadowing and character motivation and everything! You may not notice it because of how inept everything else is, but it's there, I swear!
Films like this are hard to score because it's clearly awful, but for the right type of viewer it'll be a great time. If you're into stuff like Juan Piquer Simón's Pieces or other awful(ly fun) 80s slashers, check it out.
Recommended for cheese fans, avoid for people who want actual quality. 2.5 / 5
Bonus 04) The Return of the Living Dead (1985) (Oct 29) (rewatch)
In honour of James Karen who passed away on Oct 23rd, I just had to fit in a viewing of The Return of the Living Dead.
Not much new to say about this masterpiece. It's a riot from start to finish. James Karen is so great in this and Thom Mathews plays off him wonderfully. They're such a fantastic comedy duo, it's easy to see why they were brought back for the sequel where they again steal all the scenes they're in.
If I were to say anything constructive about The Return of the Living Dead, it would be the final act isn't quite as strong as the rest of the movie, and the direction falls apart a bit with the slow motion/still shots and reused footage in the ending.
Highly recommended.
30) Bone Tomahawk (2015) (Oct 30)
A hard as nails, no nonsense sheriff and his posse set out to rescue a group kidnapped from town by a pack of cannibalistic troglodytes.
This is one I've had sitting in my pile for years and I'm glad I finally got to it. I loved it. It's a slow burn western that focuses mostly on the cast of characters and their trek across the land, but when the horror action kicks in, it's swift and brutal as hell. Very powerful stuff. Kurt Russell is perfect in his role and the character fits him like a glove, but the real star of this one is Richard Jenkins as Chicory, his faithful backup deputy. I really don't want to say too much more about this one because if you haven't seen it, you need to. Really great movie with a fantastic ending.
Highly recommended. 4 / 5
31) Spirits of the Dead (1968) (Oct 31)
I wanted to end off with an anthology, so I went with Spirits of the Dead which features adaptations of three stories by Edgar Allan Poe from three European directors. The segments are as follows: Metzengerstein (directed by Roger Vadim) – Yikes. We're off to a bad start here. Jane Fonda plays a cruel and sadistic countess who becomes enamoured with her reclusive cousin. If I say anything else I'd risk spoiling it because there's so little to this one. Slow and dreary, this feels mostly like it was put together as an excuse to ogle Jane Fonda for 40 minutes (Roger Vadim also directed Barbarella). I'm sure there's worse ways you could spend your time, but other than Fonda and some interesting period costuming there isn't anything worthwhile here. William Wilson (directed by Louis Malle) – An improvement over the previous story. Alain Delon plays a cruel and sadistic man (I'm detecting a morality theme here) who his haunted by his better half double. Nothing too surprising or shocking here for modern audiences, but there's a nicely shot card game with Brigitte Bardot and the pacing is much better. Toby Dammit (directed by Federico Fellini) – Thankfully this is the strongest of the bunch. Terence Stamp plays Toby Dammit, a pale faced English actor with one of the coolest names ever, who has been flown in to Italy for a role. Drunk and haunted by visions of his personal Devil, Dammit is praised and idolized by the Italian press while he sits, lost in his own disinterest as he waits for the Ferrari he was promised for his participation. I can't say much more than that, but this one is super Italian, and ends the film strongly.
One weak story, one passable and one decent with with a strong end. Overall, this is safe to skip. 2 / 5
Bonus 05) The Haunting of Hill House (2018) (TV Season 1)
I wasn't planning on watching The Haunting of Hill House for the marathon as I try to keep things movie related, but I had it recommended to me so I threw it in as a bonus viewing.
As I said before, I'm not really a fan of haunted house/paranormal movies so all the SCARY FACES stuff was mostly boring to me, but I was really engaged by the drama and mystery of the story and 10 the episodes just flew by.
While I emotionally liked the ending, it was very bittersweet and maybe a bit too happy/cheesy. I think something darker and more bleak would have fit the rest of the material better.
Overall, I really enjoyed The Haunting of Hill House and hopefully Netflix is smart enough to have Mike Flanagan do something new next year instead of trying to make a second season for this.
Highly recommended. 4 / 5
Postmortem:
Number of New Movies Watched: 31 Number of Bonus Movies/TV Seasons: 5 Number of Aborted Viewings: 1 Highlights: Alligator, Seven Deaths in the Cat's Eye, Jacob's Ladder, Rabid, Starry Eyes, I Am a Hero, Seoul Station, Bone Tomahawk Best of Animal Attacks Weekdays: Alligator Best of Giallo Week: Seven Deaths in the Cat's Eye Best of Body Horror Weekdays: Jacob's Ladder Best of Satanic Panic Weekdays: The Masque of the Red Death Best Overall: I Am a Hero Biggest Surprise: Alligator Complete Crap: Thirsty for Love, Sex and Murder Unwatchable Garbage: The Human Centipede III (Final Sequence) Biggest Disappointment: Shakma Best Kill: Frogs
Lizards creating a makeshift gas chamber.
Most Messed Up Kill: Bone Tomahawk
The troglodytes preparing their meal of Deputy Nick.
Best Character: Cheddar Goblin in Mandy Worst Character: Coopersmith in Evilspeak Cutest Dog: Freddy in Evilspeak Least Cute Dog: Nicodemus in Daughters of Satan Most Icky: Hack-O-Lantern (thanks to Grandpa) Best Fashion Sense: Jane Fonda in Spirits of the Dead Worst Fashion Sense: Grandpa in Hack-O-Lantern Number of Movies That Start With "The" in the Title: 11 Most "What the FUCK?": Beyond the Black Rainbow Boy, that Escalated Quickly: The Food of the Gods Boy, that Escalated Slowly: The Perfume of the Lady in Black Please Don't Make Any More Movies: Tom Six
My sixth 31doh was a pretty good one, with 39 films in the bag, none of which I'd seen before. As usual the thread has given me some great recommendations for future viewing. However for me I think the marathon works best with a clear theme, which I didn't have this time round. I don't think I've got the stamina to be as laser-focussed as Crazy Godzilla Guy, but I do know that crappy movies are somehow more enjoyable if you watch them for a specific reason.
With this in mind I have a theme for next year lined up, and have started collecting movies already. I'll probably end up watching more rubbish than I did this year, but at least it will be rubbish I researched first!
If anyone's interested, here's the films I watched this time round, in approximate order of enjoyment .
So I didn't get anywhere near 31 movies this month, but that's OK. I did watch a lot of horror shorts plus a couple of movies in the week or so leading up to October, not to mention a Netflix series and a half, so I guess I'll sort of half-count those.
The final list, including pre-October watches and short films, with ratings:
1. Il Caso Valdemar (short) - 7/10 2. The Demon (short) - 8/10 3. A Short Vision (short) - 7/10 4. The Games of Angels (short) - 7/10 5. Witch's Cradle (short) - 8/10 6. Prelude (short) - 9/10 7. Silver Slime (short) - 7/10 8. The Ravishing of Frank N. Stein (short) - 10/10 9. Beneath the Skin (short) - 6/10 10. Possibly in Michigan (short) - 10/10 11. Down to the Cellar (short) - 8/10 12. The Pit, the Pendulum and Hope (short) - 9/10 13. Geometria (short) - 7/10 14. Chainsaw Scumfuck (short) - 6/10 15. Thanatopsis (short) - 8/10 16. Flora (short) - 6/10 17. Return of the Blind Dead - 5/10 18. Kitchen Sink (short) - 7/10 19. The Restaurant of Many Orders (short) - 7/10 20. The Ghost Galleon - 3/10 21. Night of the Seagulls - 5/10 22. Resolution (rewatch) - 8/10 23. StageFright: Aquarius / Deliria (rewatch) - 8/10 24. Revenge (first official watch of October) - 7/10 25. Terrifier - 5/10 26. The Endless - 7/10 27. Isabelle aux Dombes (short) - 7/10 28. The Last Warning - 5/10 29. The Last Performance - 7/10 30. Demons 2 - 6/10 31. The Church - 8/10 32. Street Trash - 2/10 33. Gothic - 6/10 34. The Lair of the White Worm - 6/10 35. The House That Dripped Blood - 6/10 36. The Howling - 6/10 37. Murders in the Rue Morgue - 5/10 38. Terrified - 5/10 39. A Warning to the Curious - 7/10 40. Mark of the Vampire - 6/10 41. The House with Laughing Windows - 4/10 42. Halloween (2018) - 6/10
Which amounts to just 18 feature length films watched in the month of October, but oh well.
Bonus series: I watched The Haunting of Hill House and liked it a lot despite some unevenness and the fact that the ghosts are less interesting than the character drama and psychological element (except when they intersect in interesting ways, Episode 5 being a great example) - a problem it shares with Flanagan's fairly similar film Oculus. I'm currently more than halfway through The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and I'm enjoying it even more; it's just good Halloween fun.
In terms of quality, I had much better luck with the shorts this year than with the feature films.
Top 5 Short Films of the Marathon:
The Ravishing of Frank N. Stein
Possibly in Michigan
The Pit, the Pendulum and Hope
Prelude
Thanatopsis
Top 5 Feature Films of the Marathon (omitting rewatches):
The Church
The Endless
The Last Performance
A Warning to the Curious
Revenge
And I didn't actually dislike any of the shorts I watched, so I'll just list the...
Bottom 5 Feature Films of the Marathon:
Street Trash
The Ghost Galleon
The House with Laughing Windows
The Last Warning
Terrified (this one is about tied with Night of the Seagulls - neither of them is actually bad though, just mediocre)
Best musical number(s): Possibly in Michigan Most uncomfortable sound design: The Pit, the Pendulum and Hope Best Satan: The Church Best scene featuring templars brutally massacring peasants set to Philip Glass: Also The Church Best splattering via subway: The Church, again Most impressive effects for its time and budget: Il Caso Valdemar (1936 and gory as hell!) Funniest twist ending: Geometria Coolest progression and resolution: The Ravishing of Frank N. Stein Most rape played for laughs: Street Trash Best shadow: Conrad Veidt's in The Last Performance gives Max Schreck's Count Orlok a run for his money. Best use of photographs of actual mummies superimposed over the faces of characters to convey the fragility and transience of life: Possibly in Michigan, runner-up Beneath the Skin Most unabashedly indie: Chainsaw Scumfuck Most stylish giallo: Silver Slime Most dreams within dreams: Revenge Biggest improvement over its "prequels": The Church Most delightfully over the top performances: Gothic Most committed performance in spite of (because of?) its absurdity: Amanda Donohoe in The Lair of the White Worm
Find my complete list on letterboxd or click the images below to see what I thought about it.
BEST VIEWINGS
Demons
The Phantom Carriage
The Virgin Spring
Ghostwatch
Cure
The Blackcoat's Daughter
Hereditary
WORST VIEWINGS
Nothing? Honestly... there wasn't a bad movie in the bunch. I did not really care for Salò, but even that was an interesting watch.
BONUS VIEWINGS
Halloween (Tradition)
The Craft (Don't ask)
House of Wax (2005)
Cat People (1942) and Cat People (1982)
Once again I would like to extend a big THANKS to Ridley327 for narrating my list, it was fun not having to research the movies myself and jump in completely blind. He did a bang up job as well, there was a huge variety of styles and (as mentioned above) not a bad movie between them.
Divius Thank you for your kind words! Variety was definitely a key component, as it is for me on my own lists, so I'm glad I found a way to make something really appealing, especially as it seems that it ended so strongly.
I flubbed in the last stretch and only made it to 29 movies this year (thanks in no small part to Red Dead 2) but at least I ended on a high with Phantom of the Paradise!
Best new watches:
Honorable mention: Tales from the Crypt
5. Wake in Fright
4. The Body Snatcher
3. The Wicker Man
2. Phantom of the Paradise
1. Misery
Best rewatch:
Return of the Living Dead (with Creepshow close behind)
Worst movie:
Halloween 4
And since my mini-theme was anthologies, here they are ranked:
11. Southbound
10. Creepshow 2
9. Trilogy of Terror
8. From Beyond the Grave
7. Body Bags
6. The House that Dripped Blood
5. Tales from the Darkside: The Movie
4. Tales of Terror
3. Asylum
2. Tales from the Crypt
1. Creepshow
1. The Conjuring
2. King Kong (1933)
3. Godzilla (1954)
4. Nosferatu the Vampyre
5. Night of the Comet
6. Halloween (1978)
7. The Conjuring 2
8. 28 Days Later
9. Jacob's Ladder
10. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1932)
11. The Devil's Backbone
12. The Phantom Carriage
13. Halloween (2018)
14. Twilight Zone: The Movie
15. 28 Weeks Later
16. Carrie
17. Child's Play
18. A Quiet Place
19. Annihilation
20. Return of the Living Dead
21. Scream 4
22. The Thing From Another World
23. Son of Dracula
24. It Comes At Night
25. The Mothman Prophecies
Being a fan of Black Swan I was eager to see the film that served as it's main influence (the influence being even more blatant than I thought with a couple of scenes lifted straight from it). Despite it's seemingly simple plot of an idol singer who changes her career to be an actor, the film takes a dark turn very quickly focusing on fear, paranoia and sense of self.
The film nails the visuals and atmosphere of what makes 'Silent Hill' so un-nerving, including some clever re-using and re-mixing music from the games themselves. However, the CGI really doesn't hold up, everything has that out of place plasticy look, and at 2 hours more than overstays its welcome.
A film where the idea of the film is more entertaining that the film itself. The "behind the scenes" filming of Nosferatu is merely the backdrop to the excellent performances of Willem Dafoe as the greedy title vampire and John Malkovich as the perfectionist movie maker who went as far as hiring a real vampire to get the most out of his film.
I've seen a lot of thriller/crime films from the 90's but this one (and the other Hannibal movies) strangely eluded me. There's not much I can add that hasn't been said many times over the years. Hopkins excels in his brief appearance as Hannibal and even Jodie Foster, who I'm normally not a fan of, had great chemistry.
This is supposed to be one of the vampire films to watch, it's the one that romanticised the creatures and gave them more character beyond blood-sucking beasts. Tom Cruise hams it up in the best possible way as the eccentric older vampire Lestat, and Dunst's performance tops anything I've seen her in as an adult.
A fun slasher movie that doesn't hide it's influences (Groundhog Day was mentioned several times in the movie), and one that shows genuine character growth in it's lead, you went from thinking "yeah maybe she deserves it" to wanting to give her a chance by the end.
A last minute swap so I didn't know much about this movie besides the poster and basic premise. It's a horror movie that sheds it coat over the run time, with most of the horror elements appearing near the beginning, as the two leads begin to get to know and understand each other, becoming more human.
More psychological than straight up scares, Barry Keoghan is a total creep as he stalks Colin Farrell and his family believing him to be the cause of his father's death and that it called for "an eye for an eye". It's a very slow start but once Keoghan reveals his true purposes for getting close to the family the whole thing shifts gears into a very tense race against the clock.
I knew this was supposed to be bad before I watched it but I did so out of morbid curiosity, sometimes things aren't as bad as you would be led to believe. This was just as bad as that and I spent the whole film hoping that one or all of them would stay flat-lined so I wouldn't have to hear them complaining anymore.
While the first Alien movie showed us just how dangerous even one Xenomorph is, the sequel ramped things up and threw the rest of the nest at Ripley and her jaded crew of soldiers. While there is less tensions and scares, we see just how devastating a force the Aliens can be, how destructive and intelligent they are... until they get face to face with Ripley that is.
Controversial opinion in here but I didn't like The Thing. I can see the fantastic work put into all of the effects but I found the designs to be a bit silly and repulsive for the sake of being repulsive. Like many horror films there's also the decisions of the characters, while having good ideas like testing the blood to find the Thing, there's also bad ones like splitting up and leaving people alone when they know they shouldn't, etc.
It's quite a demanding watch, the long length and grim mood, but it's probably one of the films that stuck with me when it ended. The main actor would be my only knock against it, he acted too comedic in some cases but pulled it back for the emotional family scenes.
Set in a resort used by rich people to cure themselves of the stress of life, it's very quickly established that something really isn't right and not all is what it appears. The character decisions are questionable (due to the hardened determination to get answers not matter what) and the mystery and intrigue stumble in the final act but this film worked for it's design, atmosphere and some disturbing imagery.
This was one of the first films I added to my list, it's a brand new release and was being seriously hyped pretty much everywhere. I was left disappointed, it's a rather simple revenge film that uses everything around it to try and prop it up into something insane and wacky to stand out.
I had sat down and was ready to watch the next film on my list only to find that Netflix had removed it at some point, so a little lost I popped this one on after seeing that it had ok review scores. Very middle of the road haunted house movie, nothing too exciting, some decent scares.
Close but no cigar. I've made an easy 29, without ever pushing myself to watch anything. While I always watch horror - all year, whenever - this year I got to explore and rediscover Children's Horror with my Daughter. So my takeaways about what was worthwhile are very different. Sitting in a cottage in the middle of the woods with the rain pouring into the breezy autumn night's air while watching Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown with your kid is an impossible moment to beat. I've also done festivals and been to non-horror movies a lot, so I do not get to complain about having 29 movies. Here's the end list:
Started strong with new stuff - Black Christmas and Suspiria being new favorites - and got to re-explore all time favorites in new contexts. Like Under the Skin in a group watch. Or my daughter's first time with every animated film on the list. Some rewatches surprised me too: Raw became even more startling the second time round. I'm now sure Misery's in league with some of Hitchcock's best work.
Excellent month of films. Only regret is not making a theme. Next time!
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. There are obvious issues, with that including the length and the quantity of subplots. Ebert was probably onto something when he said if the film could cut down it would have been a very good thriller. What's good is good though. The performance of Ella, the monkey, is the highlight. This film also broke ground by featuring the first sex scene involving a quadriplegic character. The characters are all fleshed out pretty well, which honestly is because of the length, so in a way I'm contradicting myself. Some subplots are unessential though and I don't particularly like the last scene, which was mandated by the studio. It presents an ending for the character that didn't agree with the rest of the film. He never learned to cope or found happiness with his condition, instead all of that gets taken away by the end. It's a shame.
Whoa, the atmosphere here is great. The visuals striking, and there is a dream like tone throughout. I kept getting distracted by one of the little ones so I'm probably going to watch this again in a couple of days before I decide on my final thoughts. I noticed that this was panned for years and only has found appreciation recently, which is confusing to me. There's a lot to love here and it presents a rather different take to vampirism.
This is my first Sergio Martino film, and despite the sleazy nature of the film it's obvious that the man is talented. Quite a few moments are dread inducing and he has great command over his camera movements. Basically, it's a fun giallo with a wonderful final act and has some genuine scares and tension. Good stuff.
Here's my final list. Changed some ratings after having last-minute changes of heart regarding a few of them. 40 films is the least I've watched in the last couple of years, but I blame that on having to constantly travel in October while also trying to take care of a sick kid and wife. Donated $40 to my local charity of choice.
First-time Viewings
Son of Frankenstein - 6/10
Mad Love (1935) - 8/10
Terrifier - 5/10
Don't Look Now (1973) - 8.5/10
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) - 8.5/10
Jigsaw - 5/10
The Invitation - 7/10
Cult of Chucky - 6/10
The Black Cat (1934) - 6/10
The Phantom of the Opera (1925) - 7/10
Curse of the Werewolf (1961) - 6/10
Let's Scare Jessica to Death - 7/10
Spider Baby (1968) - 7/10
Alice, Sweet Alice (1976) - 7/10
Terrified - 8.5/10
Mayhem - 8/10
Leviathan: The Story of Hellraiser and Hellraiser 2 - 5/10
The Blackcoat's Daughter - 6/10
Halloween (2018) - 8/10
Late Phases: Night of the Lone Wolf - 8.5/10
Repeat Viewings
Blood and Black Lace - 8/10
Night Angel - 7/10
Black Sabbath - 8/10
Creepshow 2 - 7/10
Hellraiser - 9.5/10
The Invisible Man - 9/10
Silver Bullet - 8/10
Sleepaway Camp - 8.5/10
Christine - 8/10
Oculus - 7/10
The VVitch - 6/10
City of the Living Dead - 7/10
Wicked City - 8/10
Halloween (1978) - 10/10
Halloween III: Season of the Witch - 7/10
The Monster Squad - 7/10
Don't Torture A Duckling - 8.5/10
Stagefright - 8.5/10
Trick r Treat - 8/10
An American Werewolf in London - 9.5/10
Top 5 First Time Viewings
1. Terrified
2. Don't Look Now
3. Halloween (2018)
4. Late Phases: Night of the Lone Wolf
5. Mayhem
Top 5 Repeat Viewings
1. Halloween (1978)
2. An American Werewolf in London
3. Hellraiser
4. The Invisible Man
5. Sleepaway Camp
Bottom 3 First Time Viewings
1. Terrifier
2. Leviathan: The Story of Hellraiser
3. Jigsaw
Bottom 3 Repeat Viewings
1. The VVitch
2. The Monster Squad
3. Creepshow 2
Best Story
Don't Look Now
Best Actor
Nick Damici - Late Phases: Night of the Lone Wolf
Best Actress
(tie) Bette Davis & Joan Crawford - What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?
Best Soundtrack
Halloween (2018)
Best Makeup & Practical Effects
Terrified
Best Movie
Late Phases: Night of the Lone Wolf
This was fun as always guys. Look forward to seeing you all again next year!
I always overload on movies and feel the slog by the end of the month. So I'm glad its over and sorry to see it gone at the same time. Have to pull down all my decorations but can get back to my normal schedule without feeling guilty for not watching something. This year I only took in 39 movies during the month. Put in a few on my other list back in September and didn't quite finish that list, but I did finish the one for this forum which is the one I really care about since its 100% personalized. Overall it was a decent month. I'm getting better at my selections and knowing when to expect a bad movie is part of the fun as is that bad movie that turns out to be really good. Last year was a total slog at the beginning trying to get through all the Saw movies so having a nice, even month was pretty cool.
The ones only horror fans can appreciate ie your a bit off to like these. Out of everything, I think these are most memorable and its probably no coincidence that their the most graphic.
Terrifier 2016
The Children 2008
The Loved Ones 2009
Deadgirl 2008
Most enjoyable.
The Dead 2010
The Cabin in the Woods 2012
Them! 1954
The Love Witch 2016
Maniac 1980
The garbage. Take your pick for biggest piece of shit. Their all pretty bad.
Henry II: Portrait of a Serial Killer 1996
Tales from the Hood 2 2018
The Chamber 2016
The Dead 2: India 2013
The middle of the pack. I could move quite a few of these up to most enjoyable, but I stuck with the top standouts for that section. All of these have something to offer even if their not the absolute best.
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors 1987
Creature from the Black Lagoon 1954
The Revenge of Frankenstein 1958
Tales from the Hood 1995
Dracula 1931
Monkey Shines 1988
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night 2014
Phase IV 1974
The Reef 2010
Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich 2018
The Shallows 2016
The Raven 1963
Phantom of the Opera 1943
Halloween 2018
The Mummy's Hand 1940
The Fearless Vampire Killers 1967
Werewolf of London 1935
The eh...their ok and worth a watch once I guess.
The Invisible Man Returns 1940
The Mummy 1959
Burnt Offerings 1976
Tourist Trap 1979
The Howling 1981
Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key 1972
Microwave Massacre 1983
Unseen Evil 2002
Hellraiser is another series I've been going though yearly with the marathon, starting with the original way back during my first year in 2011. I'm rather forgiving of the lesser films in the series and think they all at least have something interesting about them, yes, even Hellraiser: Revelations. When I started hearing praise for this one, I was pretty excited since that's rare for anything in the series after the second movie.
Two brother police detectives are trying catch a serial killer who cruelly mutilates his victims while Pinhead and the Cenobites are now some kind of bureaucratic gatekeepers for both heaven and hell.
Yeah... so... after a promising and disgustingly icky intro, this one quickly falls apart. Admittedly, it's been a while since I've watched them and read the book, but the mythology in this doesn't really fit in with the earlier works, in my opinion. The whole audit thing just feels so out of place. Is Pinhead an office drone now? Does he show up in dungarees on Casual Fridays? The Cenobites working under an angel is so weird. I don't recall heaven and God being an active part of the series before. Perhaps worst of all, Lemarchand's Boxes are seemingly just shoved in because they had to get the Lament Configuration in there somewhere. People are summoned or collected for judgment though other means.
And then there's the budgetary issues. As poor as they were, the previous STV sequels (excluding Revelations) still looked like movies. This was shot on digital and looks super cheap, with dreadful acting to match. The only real pros I found here were the makeup effects were pretty good (though the new creatures don't feel "Hellraiser" at all) and the actor portraying Pinhead was a massive upgrade from the disastrous Revelations guy.
This was just boring as hell. Maybe there's some clever ideas in it somewhere, but everything is buried under the slow pacing, godawful performances and ugly look of the film.
Skip it. 1 / 5
It was tough, but despite my hectic schedule I was able to cram in the majority of these movies in the last ten days. Overall, this is up there with my better horrorthons. It may not stack up to some of the others when it comes to overall quality of the films, but in terms of entertainment and fun it was up there. My somewhat "gimmick" of keeping categories proved to be successful in keeping things fresh. These categories included such attributes like a Fulci movie, Argento, Hammer Horror, Universal, Japanese, Cult 80's, Slasher, Ghost, Video Nasty, Exploitation, Carpenter, De Palma, Vampires, etc. Mixed in with that was the biggest horror titles released in the past year which gave me plenty to look forward to. Not only was this a success, but it was so much that I'm going to keep this gimmick going for next year. This not only makes these things more enjoyable, but also contributes to the longevity of future horrorthons so I don't watch all of the good stuff at once and instead spread it out for years to come.
31 Days of Horror 2018 Film Rankings (According to My Scores):
1. Hereditary
2. Spider Baby
3. Cure
4. Halloween (2018)
5. House of Usher (Corman)
6. Curse of the Cat People
7. Kill, Baby Kill
8. Images
9. Annihilation
10. Vampyr
11. The Vampire Lovers
12. The Church
13. MonkeyShines
14. Torso
15. City of the Living Dead
16. Prom Night 2: Hello Mary Lou
17. Someone's Watching Me
18. Dressed to Kill
19. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
20. The Cat O'Nine Tails
21. A Quiet Place
22. The Invisible Man Returns
23. Ghost Stories
24. Happy Death Day
25. Basket Case 2
26. Grizzly
27. Demons 2: Demon Harder
28. Street Trash
29. It
30. Prom Night
31. Puppet Master: The Littlest Reich
Considering I enjoyed every single one of these, even Puppet Master which got the only "negative" rating, that's a pretty good year.
Well, I guess that buries our first full 31 Days of Horror on ResetEra. Thanks to everyone for participating and congratulations to everyone who made it to 31 movies and survived. A special "holy shit!" to those of you who flew past 31 movies. You're all crazy and I love it.
It was great to see all the returning faces and all the new, fresh meat. There's tons of excellent reviews to scour for next year's massacre, so get to work! There's only 11 more months of sanity before the madness begins anew.
For next year, I'm considering doing a Dracula vs. Frankenstein theme, where I'll only watch Gothic Vampire and Frankenstein related films. I'm not really sure how feasible it is because I'm already out of things to say about Hammer's Dracula films, but we'll see what I come up with. There's certainly enough of those films thanks to the 70s to fill a month.
This is my first Sergio Martino film, and despite the sleazy nature of the film it's obvious that the man is talented. Quite a few moments are dread inducing and he has great command over his camera movements. Basically, it's a fun giallo with a wonderful final act and has some genuine scares and tension. Good stuff.
As much as I love Torso (I can't wait to watch the new blu-ray!), I think Martino's gialli with Edwige Fenech are his best work. Be sure to check out The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh and All the Colors of the Dark. I haven't gotten to Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key yet, so I can't comment on that one.
RIDLEY'S HALLOWEEN HORROR MOVIE MARATHON 2018: THE HISTORY OF HORROR EDITION - THE WRAP-UP
For my tenth marathon, I watched 130 films in less than six weeks.
I never would have though to myself in a million years that such a feat would be attempted by myself, let alone completed, but once I hit the 60 film mark at the end of week two, I knew that my crazy dream of watching 122 films would be crushed with ease. And somehow, even with eight additional films to consider, I managed to do detailed write-ups on each and every film, so the amount of time I put into this was not only massive, but rewarding every step of the way. Honestly, I can't think of anything else I've done in any other hobby that I've devoted this many resources to ensuring total success, so this is a zenith for any kind of enthusiast activity that I've participated in. And not only that, but finding the time to help out Divius with his own list on top of it and by all accounts doing a great job with that as well was another big win.
So, what's next?
Truthfully, I don't know right now. I feel like it's pointless to try and chase this marathon down in the future because I don't know what it would accomplish to try to watch more and more films in a tight time frame when the historical format isn't going to be topped for structure and variety, but I certainly not feeling like the retiring type. I do have a thought germinating on what to do next, but this thread isn't the proper place to discuss it. I don't know what the next decade of marathons will bring, but I do know this: I'm going to love finding out.
Until then, why not check out what my favorite films were, as well as the ones you would do well to avoid?
So apparently not sinusitis after all, but something called status migrainosus. Never knew a goddamn migraine could be this terrible. Have been in hospital for the last couple of days. In other words, my Halloween was quite scary.
Though I didn't quite make it to 31, here's the best and worst of my marathon.
