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31 Days of Horror 7 |OT| The October Movie Marathon

So I got the new Arrow blu-ray of Don't Torture a Duckling today. I have a ton of new BDs for movies I've already seen so I don't want to include them in my numbered viewings, but I may cover them as bonus movies, along with all the Chucky flicks leading up to Cult since I ordered the new set. Gonna be a long month for me.

Whilst I'm not sure I'll be able to take part in this (I'd love to! Mostly time related) this should be a good thread to ask, what are good recent slasher films ? I love me some slasher horror film action, like Halloween/Freddy/Jason etc but haven't seen one in ages. I fancy some madman/woman stalking and killing action. Also was the Wolf Creek sequel any good ? I heard there was that and a television mini series ?. Really enjoyed the first film, John Jarret is an amazingly nasty piece of shit in that film.

I've seen the Wolf Creek 2 but for the life of me I can't remember anything about it. I also watched them back to back so that doesn't help. I think I liked it, but it was overall kind of sillier and more comedic than the original? Hopefully someone can back me up on that.

As for recent slashers, just off the top of my head the go-to pick is easily You're Next. Hush is also enjoyable and if you like stalking, that's the movie for you. If you want something a little more oldschool, (and I'm getting a little older here with release dates so you may have seen these), the first two Hatchet movies are okay. I didn't care for the 3rd though. Curse of Chucky was also really good. I don't know about the new one, Cult of Chucky becasue I'm attempting to avoid reviews/opinions until I get to watch it. I love the 2009 reboot of Friday the 13th too.

I may be crazy, but I thought Girl House was waaaay better than a movie about some wacko killing cam girls should be. Maybe check out a trailer for that one too and see if it's something you'd like.

I'm actually in US and I don't want to deal with other region bluray so yea that sucks. I can get the SD version on Amazon video for like 5 bucks and I think I'm just going to that for now.

As for Tales this doesn't sound like a ringing endorsement so far. The bluray has yet to drop under $30 since I've been keeping an eye on it. That's way too much for mediocrity so thanks for the help.

Yeah, dealing with region nonsense is a headache. I'm still waiting on Region A releases for Dagon, Beyond Re-Animator and Cemetery Man myself. Beyond Re-Animator is the only one that doesn't have a foreign BD release.

And Tales is definitely a "wait until it's on your streaming service of choice" type movie. Definitely not worth a blind buy at $30.

The odds of Dagon getting a blu-ray release are pretty good! S.T. Joshi said he did interviews for blu-ray releases of Dagon and Beyond Re-Animator. Lionsgate owns both titles, so they'll likely be released as part of their Vestron line next year.

Well, looks like I won't be waiting much longer for Dagon and Beyond Re-Animator! Yeeeeesss!

Whoever mentioned Society...I just....

Yup. That's the correct reaction.

Have you seen Frank Henenlotter's Brain Damage? That's another good one for mindfuckery.
 

Big_Al

Unconfirmed Member
I've seen the Wolf Creek 2 but for the life of me I can't remember anything about it. I also watched them back to back so that doesn't help. I think I liked it, but it was overall kind of sillier and more comedic than the original? Hopefully someone can back me up on that.

As for recent slashers, just off the top of my head the go-to pick is easily You're Next. Hush is also enjoyable and if you like stalking, that's the movie for you. If you want something a little more oldschool, (and I'm getting a little older here with release dates so you may have seen these), the first two Hatchet movies are okay. I didn't care for the 3rd though. Curse of Chucky was also really good. I don't know about the new one, Cult of Chucky becasue I'm attempting to avoid reviews/opinions until I get to watch it. I love the 2009 reboot of Friday the 13th too.

I may be crazy, but I thought Girl House was waaaay better than a movie about some wacko killing cam girls should be. Maybe check out a trailer for that one too and see if it's something you'd like.


Thanks very much much for all the suggestions :)

I've seen You're Next and that was excellent, really enjoyed that. Not seen Hush, the Hatchet films or Girl House so I'll definitely look into those! I was actually planning on watching all of the Childs Play films again as I've not seen anything past Bride Of Chucky, I've always loved Brad Dourif though so I'm sure I'll enjoy them. Not watched horror films in ages so actually looking forward to watching a few. I think the last horror film I seen was the turkish film Baskin, that was a fun mindfuck.
 
Thanks very much much for all the suggestions :)

I've seen You're Next and that was excellent, really enjoyed that. Not seen Hush, the Hatchet films or Girl House so I'll definitely look into those! I was actually planning on watching all of the Childs Play films again as I've not seen anything past Bride Of Chucky, I've always loved Brad Dourif though so I'm sure I'll enjoy them. Not watched horror films in ages so actually looking forward to watching a few. I think the last horror film I seen was the turkish film Baskin, that was a fun mindfuck.

Seed of Chucky is usually regarded as the worst in the series, especially coming off of Bride which I thought was hilarious. Seed has this problem of not being as funny as it thinks it is. I've warmed up a little bit to it since my first viewing in theaters though. That being said, I thought Curse was a hell of a rebound. It stars Dourif's daughter as well. I think I'm almost more excited to watch Cult than an I am anything else next month.
 

Big_Al

Unconfirmed Member
Seed of Chucky is usually regarded as the worst in the series, especially coming off of Bride which I thought was hilarious. Seed has this problem of not being as funny as it thinks it is. I've warmed up a little bit to it since my first viewing in theaters though. That being said, I thought Curse was a hell of a rebound. It stars Dourif's daughter as well. I think I'm almost more excited to watch Cult than an I am anything else next month.

Yeah I've read opinions on GAF and even friends of mine that have seen the rest have said Seed is the worst but they thought it was still OK. Then again I'll admit I always really liked Childs Play 3 and I know that's not very well liked by a lot of the fans too. Childs Play 1 and 2 are by far my favourites though still. Shall be interesting to see if that list changes :)
 
I will finally do it this time!
Every year when I catch this thread it's always after the 1st, but now i can participate.

I've never seen Cannibal Holocaust and people on Gaf talk about it being gory/graphic as hell.
Does anyone here recommend watching it? Is it a must for horror fans?


His favorite horror movie of all time is the Descent if that helps a bit on what to recommend?
The only thing I can recommend that's reminiscent of The Descent is As Above, So Below.
It's no where near as good as The Descent but it's different.
 

lordxar

Member
I've never seen Cannibal Holocaust and people on Gaf talk about it being gory/graphic as hell.
Does anyone here recommend watching it? Is it a must for horror fans?

Watched it last year for the first time. Personally I found it to be an amazing experience that has been copied and watered down over the years but without equal. It's fucking brutal but with an actual point. There is animal violence which if you've ever gone hunting or fishing, it's about like that. Now killing vs food vs killing animals for art is a whole separate conversation. What's done is done and if it bothers someone there is a cut without the animal stuff. Shudder has the full deal fyi.

For me it's the caliber of films like Rosemary's Baby, Repulsion, the Thing, or the Shining. Something iconic. Except so far out there I really can't recommend it to anyone. The film really earns it's brutality and cruelty reputation.

I'd also add Cannibal Ferox is a very shitty copy of CH. It's like the b version and directly copies a lot of the story.
 

FiggyCal

Banned
IT was crazy good btw. One of the best horror movies I've seen in a long time.

I will finally do it this time!
Every year when I catch this thread it's always after the 1st, but now i can participate.

I've never seen Cannibal Holocaust and people on Gaf talk about it being gory/graphic as hell.
Does anyone here recommend watching it? Is it a must for horror fans?

It's not a good movie, no. The only redeemable qualities are the gore, but why subject yourself to it? I would pass.
 

Aizo

Banned
Started my 31 Days of Horror a bit after midnight October 1st in Japan. I’m a bit early.

Videodrome.
First time seeing Cronenberg. Weird gap for a Horror fan to have, right? Well, that’s why I’m here, I guess. Tetsuo is another movie that would obviously be popular among fans of Cronenberg.

The music is creepy, and I just love the overall tone of the film. The special effects have aged really well! Everything has this very organic feel, suiting for body horror. It’s obviously difficult to say for certain what was real, but it sure was interesting trying to figure it out.

I thought the film was brilliant. Long live the new flesh.
 
I think I’m going to do a prelude tonight since the better half is home sick. Thinking of checking out Suspiria for the first time, worth it?
 

Aizo

Banned
I think I’m going to do a prelude tonight since the better half is home sick. Thinking of checking out Suspiria for the first time, worth it?
It’s my favorite horror film along with Rosemary’s Baby and Audition. It’s for sure worth it!
 
Here's the (hopefully) final version of my list. Again, I won't be watching all of it, but I'll be picking and choosing 31 movies as I go.

31 Days of Horror 7 (2017) – Rough List

The Haunting (Series I Watch Yearly During the Marathon)
* Phantasm IV: Oblivion (1998)
* Phantasm: Ravager (2016)
* The Kiss of the Vampire (1963) [Hammer]
* Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966) [Hammer]
* The Wolf Man (1941) [Universal Monsters]
- Phantom of the Opera (1943) [Universal Monsters]

Thanks for the Scares (In Memoriam)
[NEW] - Martin (1978) [Romero]
[NEW] * The Funhouse (1981) [Hooper]

It Came from Italy (Italian Horror)
* Hatchet for the Honeymoon (1970) [Bava] (giallo)
* Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971) [Argento] (giallo)
- Giallo (2009) [Argento] (giallo)
- Dracula 3D (2012) [Argento]
- The Black Cat (1981) [Fulci] (animal attack)
- Aenigma (1987) [Fulci]
- Touch of Death (1988) [Fulci]
* A Cat in the Brain (1990) [Fulci]
* Death Smiles on a Murderer (1973) [D'Amato]
- Seven Deaths in the Cat's Eye (1973) [Margheriti] (giallo)
- Cannibal Apocalypse (1980) [Margheriti] (cannibal, video nasty)
- Alien from the Deep (1989) [Margheriti] (alien)
[NEW] * The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh (1971) [Martino] (giallo)
- The Doll of Satan (1969) [Casapinta] (giallo)
- Sex of the Witch (1973) [Pannacciò] (giallo)
- Contamination (1980) [Cozzi] (alien)

From Beyond (Foreign)
- Eyes Without a Face (1960)
- Count Dracula (1970) [Franco]
- The House That Screamed (1970)
- Red Nights (2010) (neo giallo)
- I Am a Hero (2015) (zombie)
[NEW] * What We Become (2015) (zombie)

Spare Parts (Everything Else)
- Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) (sci-fi)
- Village of the Damned (1960) (sci-fi)
* Blood Feast (1963) (video nasty)
* Rosemary's Baby (1968)
- Don't Look Now (1973)
- The Sentinel (1977)
- Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) (sci-fi)
- Possession (1981)
- The Entity (1982)
- Raw Force (1982) (b-movie cheese)
- The Mutilator (1984) (slasher)
- Special Effects (1984)
- Sorority House Massacre (1986) (slasher)
* Blood Diner (1987) (comedy)
- The Stepfather (1987)
- The Lair of the White Worm (1988)
- The Unholy (1988)
[NEW] - Shakma (1990) (animal attack)
- Innocent Blood (1992) (comedy)
[NEW] - The Babadook (2014)
[NEW] - The Final Girls (2015) (comedy)
- Patchwork (2015) (comedy)
* The Blackcoat's Daughter (2015)
- The Greasy Strangler (2016) (comedy)
- The Love Witch (2016) (comedy)
- The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)
- Raw (2016)
[NEW] - Gerald's Game (2017)

Still Buried (Movies Awaiting Release, or I Need to Get)
* The Crazies (1973) [Romero] – Have the upcoming BD set on order
* Cult of Chucky (2017) – Have the upcoming BD set on order
- Spider Baby or, The Maddest Story Ever Told (1967) – Need to get

The Hunger Continues (Bonus Re-Watches)
[NEW] * Night of the Living Dead (1968) [Romero] (zombie)
[NEW] * The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) [Hooper]
[NEW] - Don't Torture a Duckling (1972) (giallo)
[NEW] - Re-Animator (1985) (zombie)
[NEW] - Bride of Re-Animator (1989) (zombie)
[NEW] - Child's Play (1988)
[NEW] - Child's Play 2 (1990)
[NEW] - Child's Play 3 (1991)
[NEW] - Bride of Chucky (1998)
[NEW] - Seed of Chucky (2004)
[NEW] - Curse of Chucky (2013)


* Denotes a high priority/guaranteed viewing.

Now to decide on movie #1...
 

AudioNoir

Banned
Definitely going for 31 movies. Just have to hit IMDB for all the ones I haven't seen before in case of kid/baby scares and stuff :(

I hate being that sensitive now, but it is what it is.
 

Aizo

Banned
Thanks. I watched The Wailing during last year's marathon. I loved it and it was my top pick of the month.
I watched that with a Korean girl, a Japanese guy, and a French guy with English subs. The Japanese guy can’t understand English or Korean, but he was still so intrigued by the movie that he sat down and watched the whole thing with us. Near the end he had my Korean friend and I translate all the important stuff into Japanese for him hahaha.

I think that shows how damn good the movie is. Someone who couldn’t understand it couldn’t even look away. Great film.
 
Thanks a ton! Now to find a way to watch it, lol.

Suspiria's strengths lay in its visuals and sound. I want to tell you to hold off until the new Synapse restoration hits on BD, but that's not cheap.

Now to decide on movie #1...

You've got a lot of good stuff on there plus many more I haven't seen. It's going to be a good month.

I've got #1 locked in and am just waiting on the clock.
 
I watched that with a Korean girl, a Japanese guy, and a French guy with English subs. The Japanese guy can’t understand English or Korean, but he was still so intrigued by the movie that he sat down and watched the whole thing with us. Near the end he had my Korean friend and I translate all the important stuff into Japanese for him hahaha.

I think that shows how damn good the movie is. Someone who couldn’t understand it couldn’t even look away. Great film.

Oh god, that's hilarious. I'd love to hear a Japanese person's opinion on the film after viewing it too.

You've got a lot of good stuff on there plus many more I haven't seen. It's going to be a good month.

I've got #1 locked in and am just waiting on the clock.

Yeah, I made sure I put some classics in there, but I think we all know I'm going to choose the wrong stuff to watch and my final list is going to be a parade of endless trash!

I'm thinking I'm going to start with Gerald's Game tomorrow. I imagine that'll be a popular pick this year since it just came out and is on Netflix.
 
My son was born early, so thus begins the quest to 50 again. Going to add quite a few movies to my list tonight.

Happy viewing fellow horror guys and ghouls.
 

Aizo

Banned
Oh god, that's hilarious. I'd love to hear a Japanese person's opinion on the film after viewing it too.
He was mostly really impressed and was trying to figure it out. It was interesting talking about the cultural differences between myself, the Korean, and the Japanese during the film.
 
Let it Begin!

MkexHp3.gif


Edit: Congrats!
 

zeemumu

Member
I don't have an official list because I could never be expected to stick to it so I'm gonna wing it. My horror library is large enough that I can just keep pulling random movies. The only one I'm sure of is that I'm starting with Dead Silence tomorrow
 

Ridley327

Member
Just one more little preview before the big show!


Though not a part of my marathon this year, what 90s-themed horror movie programming would be complete without giving this a gander? Of all the "brilliant serial killer with a strange attachment to our trouble hero/heroine" films the 90s produced, and you would have an easier time pointing out the American quasi-horror films that weren't of that kind, what I continue to appreciate about this film is that through its patience and lack of catering to a specific crowd, it's still a damn scary film. The dearly departed Jonathan Demme did not skimp at all in that department, using the relative lack of violence and the glimmers of the grisly crime scenes to great effect, creating a lot of tension in the mundane procedural elements as we in the audience seek the closure, and yet dread it as the capabilities of Buffalo Bill are spooled out piecemeal, making him all too dangerous and credible a threat to anyone that crosses paths with him. And helping to sell that mix of dogged determination and palpable fear when its necessary is Jodie Foster's brilliant performance, which I feel might truly be the best female performance in any of the genres that the film touches, let alone horror. I've never been a massive fan of Anthony Hopkins' portrayal of Lector here (I still prefer Brian Cox's more sly and reserved interpretation in Manhunter), but I think I was able to connect more to the inhuman aspect this time around, as if he's enjoying parading around as a human being and using the English language as a weapon like any other blade or nightstick; after all, as Clarice so succinctly states, they don't have a name for what he is. Often imitated is putting it mildly, but it's always a pleasure to come around on a film when you realize just how rarely equaled it actually is.

Preview for Oct 1: What better way to kick off a 90s marathon than with the end! As temporary an ending as these turned out to be, the big slasher icons of the 80s did receive finales, to the point where two of the films contained the word "final" just before the franchise's name. Their reputation preceded them enough that I've been reluctant to tackle them until now, but with the proper means to enjoy them at their fullest, it is finally time to catch Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare with its "no one could have possibly thought this was a good idea" intention of its 3D finale, the uncut version of Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday, and in that ever so rare a phenomenon, the producer's cut that began to make some sense of the myriad of series-long crazy plot threads that finally unraveled in Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers. One thing's for sure: it can't get any worse from this point forward!
 

matt360

Member
Started my 31 Days of Horror a bit after midnight October 1st in Japan. I’m a bit early.

Videodrome.
First time seeing Cronenberg. Weird gap for a Horror fan to have, right? Well, that’s why I’m here, I guess. Tetsuo is another movie that would obviously be popular among fans of Cronenberg.

The music is creepy, and I just love the overall tone of the film. The special effects have aged really well! Everything has this very organic feel, suiting for body horror. It’s obviously difficult to say for certain what was real, but it sure was interesting trying to figure it out.

I thought the film was brilliant. Long live the new flesh.

Cool to know there are others in Japan participating! I just wish I had some friends nearby who are as into horror as I am. I also just watched Videodrome either last year or the year before as a part of this thread.
 
Silence is one of those films that I always sleep on, that is until I rewatch it and get blown away from how well put together it really is. Those intense close-ups are incredible as well, just the "screaming of the lambs" scene alone probably cemented the Oscars for both Hopkins and Foster.

One thing's for sure: it can't get any worse from this point forward!

You got that right. Freddy's Dead is the clear winner from that pile, and considering it's probably the worst Elm Street (haven't seen the remake) that's saying something.
 

Aizo

Banned
Cool to know there are others in Japan participating! I just wish I had some friends nearby who are as into horror as I am. I also just watched Videodrome either last year or the year before as a part of this thread.
Got any Horror films screening this month in... Hiroshima, was it?
 

Steamlord

Member
Freddy's Dead was actually my least favorite of those three. It's just this bizarro fever dream of relentless awfulness, and not in the way a NoES movie should be.
 
Freddy's Dead was actually my least favorite of those three. It's just this bizarro fever dream of relentless awfulness, and not in the way a NoES movie should be.

You just don't like playing with power Steamlord.

Then again, it's like being asked if you'd rather get kicked in the shin, hit your funny bone, or stub your toe.
 

Get'sMad

Member
always love lurking this thread every year for reccs

don't know if I'll make it to the 31 but I'm going to attempt 1 every day but kind of just wing what I watch each night and keep a list of them and it see how it turns out in the end.

starting out late at night/early this morning here with Pumpkinhead....which I've seen before but I figured I'd start the month out right.
 

gabbo

Member
To kick things off:
So my girlfriend and I started a bit out of order this being the Tom Savini remake, but hey, Barbara kicks ass in this version. (This will hopefully be the only one seen out of order for a series). It's like the original with feminism actually existing. Barbara basically carries the film, since Ben is less grounded and more over the top (but sympathetic at the same time). Tony Todd is excellent.

The movie was less interested in having the same anti-war/race themes, and seemed more interested in pushing a female empowerment story wrapped in Night of the Living Dead. It's much less gory than I remember, and having seen it a few times, less tense, but still entertaining. The sadness of Barbara seeing Ben at the end, and then the cheer moments later (albeit for reasons that Funny Games would say are terrible) all add up to a great start.
 
30 minutes till kick off here in PST time zone.


Can't wait


To kick things off:

So my girlfriend and I started a bit out of order this being the Tom Savini remake, but hey, Barbara kicks ass in this version. (This will hopefully be the only one seen out of order for a series). It's like the original with feminism actually existing. Barbara basically carries the film, since Ben is less grounded and more over the top (but sympathetic at the same time). Tony Todd is excellent.

The movie was less interested in having the same anti-war/race themes, and seemed more interested in pushing a female empowerment story wrapped in Night of the Living Dead. It's much less gory than I remember, and having seen it a few times, less tense, but still entertaining. The sadness of Barbara seeing Ben at the end, and then the cheer moments later (albeit for reasons that Funny Games would say are terrible) all add up to a great start.

NOTLD 90 is low key one of the best remakes ever, especially for horror.


2am Edit:

1. Gerald's Game (2017)

Beautiful sound design, beautiful cinematography, fantastic acting and 85% of a great plot make bail out the 15% of this movie that is so absurd and so ridiculous that it felt like parody. A must see but be warned the ending is ridiculous.
Basically what was already the most incongruous and utterly excisable sub plot all of a sudden became the main focus
and the last 15 minutes descended into what can only be described as Law and Order SVU on steroids. It is absurd.

Some really fantastic artistic choices, there is almost no musical score at the start of the film what little music was diegetic, really helped to make the portion of the film that was set in complete reality feel actually grounded in said reality. Bringing score in more and more as Jessie's grasp on reality started to slip was genius. As the movie shifted from reality into dillusion, as Jessie stopped inhabiting it, the artificial elements of cinema (that we take for granted) started to creep in. It helped create a clear distinction in the film from the grounded life of a husband and wife struggling with martial issues and the surreality of everything that came after it all went horribly wrong.
It's interesting that we never return to that purely diagetic world except for a brief moment after the car crash. Even once she's returned to reality and moved on, even as we learn of what she's done in the past 6 month, even as she goes to confront the now very real man we still have musical score. It's as if the movie is self aware enough to differentiate between relateable reality: Wife and husband trying desperately to stop themselves from falling out of love with each other, and the more cinematic reality: everything to do with who the Moonlit Man.

Also it's amazing what context does for gory scenes. The specific highlight of this movie is gory as fuck and were this in a slasher flick I'd have loved it... instead I felt ill. Job well done.
 
October 01
Film #1
Zombie Flesh-Eaters aka Zombie, Zombi 2, The Island of the Living Dead, Sanguella and a whole load of other names


Zombie Flesh-Eaters - I'm running with the UK title, being a Brit - is a film I have wanted to see properly since it first appeared on the shelves of my local video store when I was but a youngster. Of course, if I had seen it then, it would have been the severely cut version, as the film fell foul of the 'video nasty' hysteria encouraged by that esteemed bastion of good sense, the Daily Mail. It didn't get released uncut in this country until 2005, and it's taken me another 12 years to get around to watching it in all its gruesome glory.

Happily, it was worth the wait. I got up early this morning to watch it before breakfast, and I was not disappointed. It's a great movie, with some great gore, though as my childhood self would have put it, the zombies in the film are truly manky. I mean, really truly fucking manky. This has been said before, but I find it weird that although they are less realistic than in more recent movies, the walking dead in ZFE (and other films in the genre from this time) are way more nauseating and unnerving to me, than any from the modern era.


Though I really loved the movie, it's not easy to ignore some of its less ideal elements. It's a got a bit of a white-saviour thing going on for a start, though admittedly,
the white people in the film don't really do a great deal of actual saving in the end
. Plus the script has the men be men and the women be mostly topless and/or dizzy. I'm not going to object to the nudity, gratuitous though literally all of it is, but the way the film makes sure the girlies don't have to worry their pretty little heads about anything grates a bit. Though having said that the topless
shark attack
scene clearly took some metaphorical balls on the part of the actress at least. I might have to research how that was filmed.

Verdict: Icky to the max, but thoroughly recommended. My favourite Fulci movie so far, and a great start to the month.

This afternoon's viewing: The Stendhal Syndrome
 
1. (New) Jason Goes to Hell - I get that they have to freshen Jason up but it comes off like a not good version of "The Hidden" for being a badass Jason is in some weak movies. This was the only one in the series I had never seen. I did love the open.
 
Freddy's Dead was actually my least favorite of those three. It's just this bizarro fever dream of relentless awfulness, and not in the way a NoES movie should be.

Is even worse when you find out about the other proposed scripts for the films. But Bob Shay wanted to thank Rachel Talalay and Michael DeLuda for all their work on the series so they went with the shitty script.
 
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