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pitcairn55 · Oct 29, 2016

29/10/16
Film Extra Credit 2
The League of Gentlemen Christmas Special

My last little piece of Christmas viewing of the month is also for me unequivocally the best piece of Christmas viewing there is ever likely to be.

For the uninitiated, the League of Gentlemen is a British comedy troupe who started in the mid-nineties, first on stage and then radio, before moving on to TV. Their three TV series represent my all time favourite British comedy. It’s weird, dark and sinister, and always very, very funny. Members Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton have done quite a lot of serious acting over here in the UK since the League stopped regularly performing together, but Mark Gatiss is probably the best known internationally, for his involvement with Doctor Who, and his role as Mycroft Holmes in Sherlock. He’s also had a small part in Game of Thrones, playing Tycho Nestoris. Gatiss is a big horror fan, and wrote and presented a fantastic three part documentary series called A History of Horror for the BBC back in 2010. He followed this up two years later with a one off documentary film called Horror Europa, which I somehow managed to miss.

Anyway, The League of Gentlemen’s finest hour was their one Christmas special, from 2000. It’s a comedy horror anthology, with three different stories linked by the fact that they are all presented as confessions to the village priest. It features murderous secret societies, cursed veterinarians, and in the best and most hilariously disturbing story, German vampire choirboys. It’s wonderful, very strange, and if you have even a slight interest in offbeat British humour, unreservedly recommended.

Films I've watched so far

EmpressInYellow · Oct 30, 2016

I'm behind on write-ups, but I decided to go with an extended theme for several films: Subway Horror

First up, Creep (2004)

Summary - Not to be confused with the more recent film with the creepy guy in a wolf mask, this is Christopher Smith's 2004 debut feature. In it, a well-to-do woman in London (played by Franka Potente) gets stuck in the London Underground overnight and finds herself stalked by a creepy degenerate mutant killer. That's pretty much the movie.

Thoughts - I really like everything I've seen by Smith before this (Triangle, Severance), so I was looking forward to seeing how he did in his debut. The answer is: it's okay. It's a perfectly competent example of this kind of film with a few interesting twists (like the fact that Potente's character is strangely unsympathetic for much of the film). There's also at least one genuinely uncomfortable bit about halfway in involving what I'll refer to as "cargo cult medicine". A lot of the backstory is implied rather than explained at length, which is refreshing. The ending, while not exactly mind-blowing, works pretty well (which is more than can be said for a lot of horror films).

It doesn't have quite the edge that his later films did, and in a lot of ways it feels a bit "safe", but it's still perfectly fine for what it's doing, which is your basic "creepy killer in a subway" scenario.

I followed that up with:

The Midnight Meat Train

Summary - In this adaptation of a Clive Barker short story, Bradley Cooper plays a photographer in New York who's eager for his big break. As he makes an effort to shoot the "real city", he stumbles across a serial killer (played by Vinnie Jones) who murders and butchers passengers on the late train down in the subway. His obsession with the killer grows, unnerving his girlfriend and drawing him further into danger as Jones begins to notice his scrutiny.

Thoughts - I didn't think much of the other Ryuhei Kitamura film I watched this month (No One Lives), but I'd heard decent things about this one, and the Barker pedigree suggested a certain amount of promise. Overall, I liked it well enough. The problem is that the movie has a wildly inconsistent tone, often feeling like two (or three!) entirely different films that were jammed together.

Sometimes, it's this moody (and beautifully shot) dark meditation on the city, when Cooper is stalking around and photographing people. Everything is dark and a bit grimy and cold and unflatteringly bathed in fluorescent light. There's that Barker sense of body as meat, of physicality being both repulsive and oddly alluring.

And then there's these cartoonish, almost comedic explosions of violence with eyeballs flying at the screen like a gimmick in a 3d movie. There's extended fight scenes with elements that border on slapstick. There's an ending that, while more or less true to the short story, is shot in such a way as to come off as...grandiosely ridiculous.

To be clear, that last bit has entirely to do with how the ending is framed. I think it would have been possible to do it in a slightly more low-key way, with less silly effects and less melodrama, that would have better served the horror of the moment.

None of this makes it a bad film. It was entertaining, and it generally looks fantastic. I just liked the film promised by that first version more than I did the film presented by the second. Kitamura's over-the-top approach to violence (and fondness for jumping around in tone) clashes with the story and undermines the moodier, more existential horror-y bits.

If I continue with this theme, there's a few more I'm gonna try to hit:

Death Line (aka. Raw Meat), easily the oldest film I will have watched this month. Kind of the grandfather of the subway horror film.
The End of the Line - a weird Canadian horror film from 2007 involving religious zealots that've set up shop down in the subway
The Tunnel - a 2011 Australian found footage film involving the investigation of some old abandoned train tunnels

Fallout-NL · Oct 30, 2016

mariachi507 said:
19. The Thing (Rewatch)

I mean, it's The Thing. An argument can be made for it being the greatest horror film of all time. It's quality never diminishes on rewatches. In fact, I love how well thought out the script is, trying to figure out who is infected and when is like putting together a puzzle.

Verdict: 10/10

Hell yeah

Penguin · Oct 30, 2016

Not really counting these since rewatches in the background, but checking out FearFest so seen Friday the 13th, 2, 3, 7, 8 and the remake. And now the original Halloween.

Fox Mulder · Oct 30, 2016

#26 The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (1960)

Not really a horror movie by Hammer standards. Hyde is well done and I thought it was two actors for a few scenes. Jekyll is a boring after thought the whole film really.

I still love the 1931 adaptation the most.

ThirstyFly · Oct 30, 2016

Universal Monsters I Need to Class This Up a Bit Double Feature

26) The Invisible Man (1933) (Oct 26)

So the Invisible Man is a bit of a shit bucket, huh?

Not much to say about this one. I was surprised to see they started with him already invisible so there wasn't 20 minutes of dull setup which I liked and it was short, which is a godsend this late in a 31 day marathon.

Claude Rains was great in the title role. Chilling voice and fantastic maniacal laugh. Obviously the majority of the effects work doesn't stand up, but there are a few that still look good and it rarely pulls you out of the movie. Maybe a little too silly here and there and definitely no Bride of Frankenstein, but I'd still rank it as one of my fave Universal Monster movies.

Rating:

out 5 "What's in the basket?"

27) Son of Frankenstein (1939) (Oct 27)

WELL, HELLO!

Okay, full disclosure, I had some distractions while watching this and it took me 3 sittings to get though the film, so I'm sure that tainted my opinion a bit.

Son of Frankenstein is a tough one. It's not Wolf von Frankenstein's movie at all, or even the monster's. There's no doubt that this is Ygor and Krogh's movie. Frankenstein and the monster are easily the least interesting part and even though Ygor and Krogh are great, that disappointed me.

I didn't really think the Caligari-esque sets really fit the tone of the movie or Universal's style and I feel Karloff made the wrong choice with not wanting the monster to speak anymore. I did appreciate the full score and it was fun seeing where so much of Young Frankenstein came from though. I also don't really understand the timeline if the monster had

ripped off Krogh's arm when he was a child.

And speaking of kids, holy shit the kid in this was grating as hell.

Overall, it's fun and it originated a lot of iconic stuff but I feel it's a little lacking.

Rating:

out 5 "What's in the basket?"

Ridley327 · Oct 30, 2016

October 29, film 1

More weird than scary, Mystics in Bali assumes that a potential viewer has a pretty good knowledge of how Indonesian black magic works, which is pretty much lost on anyone outside of the country. Instead, you have to hold on for dear life as it throws all kinds of rituals at you prior to the more universally recognized horror elements crop up. Well, as universally recognized as transforming into pigs and snakes, barfing up live mice and disembodied heads thirsty for the blood of newborn infants get. There is a strong novelty in all that, but it's painfully clear without any research that the version of the film in wide circulation now was heavily edited down from its original incarnation, as there are gigantic reams of story and motivations visibly cut out of the film. Further research confirms that a whopping half-hour was lopped out of it, and as a result, we have a film that gets to the crazy in short order but feels rather piecemeal and flying by on hopes and prayers. It's hard to blame the film specifically for this problem, but with this being the only version available, it's as equally difficult to recommend for anything beyond the sheer oddness on display. It's never unwatchable, but I'd say this works better as a Youtube clip reel of its greatest moments than as an entire feature. Perhaps one day someone can uncover its original version, doubtful as I suspect that might be, so we can really see what this film is made of.

Blader · Oct 30, 2016

They Live
I was expecting this to be a pretty dopey b-movie with a wooden performance from a guy who I knew was a wrestler and that was it. But this was pretty damn entertaining! Roddy Piper is a charismatic, affable lead and Keith David complements him really nicely. I kind of enjoyed the first half hour the most, and was almost a little disappointed when it shifted from commentary on 80s blue-collar America to alien invasion action movie. Maybe I'm just getting older. Actually, the whole movie has a bit of a tonal whiplash after that reveal, and even Piper's character feels like he a completely different man after he puts on the glasses. But hey, the action is pretty good and the movie is still entertaining, so it works.

Not a great film, but a fun one, a better one than I expected, and definitely on the higher end of John Carpenter movies for me.
7/10

gabbo · Oct 30, 2016

#22 Don't Breathe

Was able to catch this with the GF. Not exactly horror. Certainly a thriller through and through, and at times frightening (the basement in the dark). The fear in their performances was palpable. If that was actually shot in complete blackness, more movies should use this technique. The twist was somewhat unnecessary, but I guess they needed a reason to keep them there longer and make Stephen Lang less a complete victim in the scenario. That ending is so bitter-sweet.
Jane Levy should be in more movies. She's really good in this, and Stephen Lang is second only to Keira Knightley for Cable imo.

Definitely worth watching. Highly recommend this

Rhomega Beta · Oct 30, 2016

29. They Live (1988)

I'm surprised people don't talk about the pre-sunglasses scenes much, what with the mysterious goings-on at the church, the weird TV show, and the sudden police raid. The movie works as a criticism of Reaganism (though originally, this was a 1963 short story). There's the famous overly drawn-out fight scene. The quality does go downhill in the 3rd act though, and then the movie just kind of stops. Good movie, but doesn't live up to its potential.

Full list

jackal27 · Oct 30, 2016

Let's talk about some ones I forgot to share.

The Awakening

Man, I really enjoyed this movie! Ghost movies aren't typically my thing, but I dug the lead character in this one and the twists really got me. The setting was genuinely unsettling, especially thinking about historically what boarding schools were actually like in these days. Not a ton of special effects in this one, but I hardly even noticed. Unfortunately this one relies on jump scares on a few occasions, which I'm not a fan of. Still, it earns a recommendation from me.
4/5

Dementia 13

Well this came out of nowhere! Saw this on a local Horror Host show and couldn't believe how much I enjoyed it. A Roger Corman funded, Francis Ford Coppola directed, Psycho knock-off. This really feels like the earliest slasher film I've ever seen. It really did give me some Halloween or Friday the 13th vibes. It's plot follows a few of the same beats as Psycho, but it also stands alone and feels well made. I had a whole lot of fun with it despite its unlikeable characters and low budget. Also, the lead in this one is drop-dead gorgeous.
3/5

Carnival of Souls

Yet another one from out of nowhere! Also saw this on a local Horror Host show. I've known about this film for years, but it just never interested me based on the content. Boy was I wrong. I really enjoyed this movie and I think that it's very well made, especially with the resources they had to work with. Candace Hilligoss gave a really solid performance selling her panic as well her numbness to everything happening around her. I always thought that the ghouls would feel cheesy, but they are very effective. I will say that most of the soundtrack grated on my nerves though. Genuinely creepy and spooky however. Would get spooked again.
4/5

The Blob (1988)

This one was a repeat viewing for me, but a first for my wife. The Blob is one of my favorites from the 80s, but doesn't seem to get its fair shake for some reason. There seem to be a lot of people who don't like this movie, but I absolutely love it. The practical effects are incredible and look just as good today aside from a couple scenes of shoddy stop-motion. Some folks do not enjoy the lead characters, but I liked them ok. The girl especially surprised me with how much active she is in the plot. I wish that she didn't get damsel'd a couple of times, but she still gets the job done. This move is 80s-tastic. Mullets included.
Side-note: Holy COW did the Stranger Things folks love this one!
4.5/5

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night

Thanks to my pretentious actress sister-in-law for recommending this one. Ok. Look. I like a lot of movies. I like all kinds classic films, art films, foreign films, stuff I consider to be pretty pretentious or get called pretentious for liking, but boy... This movie sure did love itself. It was shot beautifully and I actually did dig several things about it. Great soundtrack, great costume design, solid setting. However, there is just not much here. I wasn't in love with any of the characters, I wasn't feeling the pacing, and things just didn't move in a compelling direction for me. This movie also seemed to be obsessed with creating "moments" rather than scenes. It's the Batman v Superman complex. Maybe this is all because I was expecting a horror movie (since that's what it was recommended to me as), but this one just didn't do it for me, not like I had hoped it would. Still, Sheila Vand... She kept me interested throughout.
2.5/5

Fox Mulder · Oct 30, 2016

#27 The Gorgon (1964)

It's a hammer film take on the gorgon tale. It's not a topic covered much with all the Dracula and Frankenstein stuff, so it was neat to see even if it is average.

Plus it has Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing together.

Ridley327 · Oct 30, 2016

October 29, film 2

Audacious to a degree that few films could ever aspire to be, let alone match, The Boxer's Omen is spiritual warfare taken to its most graphic extreme. This is one film to recommend not having a full stomach for, as its focus on regurgitation, shared regurgitation and the ingredients therein (including a part of a chicken that will forever be seared into my memory) will scare off even the most hardened folks, to say nothing of the intense imagery as the duels themselves invoke more and more arcane types of magical offenses. I can't imagine it hurts to be more familiar with Buddhism and Southeast Asian black magic rituals to get a deeper appreciation of what's on display, but the action is surprisingly easy to follow and understand, even as you may have trouble keeping your breakfast down. But through it all, it's a really well made film with some truly remarkable camera work and well-realized sequences that do the near-impossible task of justifying the insane excesses the film goes to. I don't think entertaining is the right word for this, but it's such an exciting film for the senses that it becomes easy to get caught up in it. It's for the brave, but those willing to embark on it will be left with a surprisingly rewarding experience.

Film for Oct 30: Wait, film as in singular?! Yep, we reach the end of the original list of films with Pumpkinhead, Stan Winston's directorial debut and a showcase for Lance Henriksen as a vengeful father who might be in over his head with the demonic deal he's made. While that promises to be an entertaining time, the need for at least one more film for Halloween itself is most paramount!

Rydeen · Oct 30, 2016

Ridley327 said:
October 29, film 2
Audacious to a degree that few films could ever aspire to be, let alone match, The Boxer's Omen is spiritual warfare taken to its most graphic extreme. This is one film to recommend not having a full stomach for, as its focus on regurgitation, shared regurgitation and the ingredients therein (including a part of a chicken that will forever be seared into my memory) will scare off even the most hardened folks, to say nothing of the intense imagery as the duels themselves invoke more and more arcane types of magical offenses. I can't imagine it hurts to be more familiar with Buddhism and Southeast Asian black magic rituals to get a deeper appreciation of what's on display, but the action is surprisingly easy to follow and understand, even as you may have trouble keeping your breakfast down. But through it all, it's a really well made film with some truly remarkable camera work and well-realized sequences that do the near-impossible task of justifying the insane excesses the film goes to. I don't think entertaining is the right word for this, but it's such an exciting film for the senses that it becomes easy to get caught up in it. It's for the brave, but those willing to embark on it will be left with a surprisingly rewarding experience.

Awesome, somebody else has seen this! If you liked this, check out the first Peacock King movie, directed by the director of Riki-Oh, Lam Nah Choi. It's not as grotesque, but it is as imaginative, with a similar emphasis on Buddhism defeating the black arts.

Last night, I was "lucky" enough to experience The Pit, which is an odd little Canadian exploitation film that feels like a made-for-TV after school special from the late 70's most of the time, except for awkward female nudity and some quick gore. It follows a young boy named Jamie who's coming of age and has raging hormones, which leads to him acting out in odd ways, including talking to his Teddy bear, who tells him to throw "nasty people" into a pit filled with bizarre troll-like creatures Jamie calls Tra-la-logs.

The movie's strangely tame most of the time, it almost feels like it was meant to be made for TV until it's budget was increased to a theatrical release, which meant the nudity and small amounts of gore feel forced in.

The movie does a bad job of setting up where this is taking place: The cast is clearly all Canadian, with a lot of "surry's" and "mums", but it was shot in Wisconsin, with plenty of farmland and cows to match. Also the movie almost never takes Jamie's kills seriously, they're almost all played for laughs, with ill-fitting 70's stock music breaking any tension the scenes could've had.

The Tra-la-logs look impressively creepy when they're actually covered by shadows in the pit, with their yellow eyes glowing and greasy hair catching what little light is in the dark. Once they get out of their hole, they look horrifically silly, like inbred Ewoks.

Would recommend to fans of offbeat cinema with sudden and awkward shifts in tone, but don't expect to be scared, it's worth a watch at least for being a unique beast at a time when horror basically amounted to proto-slasher movies.

Plasticine · Oct 30, 2016

Legion [Oct 26]

William Peter Blatty's director's cut of Exorcist III is one of those holy grails in the horror genre. The original elements remain lost to the salt mines of Utah or wherever Morgan Creek shipped them, but Scream Factory has done the next best thing. Utilizing a video copy of the work print they've assembled something approximating that long lost version. While not nearly as nimble or artful as a polished cut, the version here gets the point across. Stripped of all the studio mandated flash and pyrotechnics, the resulting Legion version is more thoughtful and creepier than the theatrical version. The differences in the first half are minimal. The real meat comes in the latter half, which features Brad Dourif's complete performance as Patient X. Gone are the wonky voice modulations and the jarring jumps between Dourif and Jason Miller. The re-instated scenes are powerful, disturbing and skin-crawlingly evil. Maybe someday the master material will surface that will smooth out the awkward cuts and transition between source material. But for now, this will more than do.

The Thing [Oct 28]

Very rarely does it all come together like this. A director at the height of his considerable powers. A make-up man doing once in a lifetime quality work. A cast utterly tuned into their performances. Just sheer perfection from top to bottom. A master class in tension, paranoia and horror. So many layers, it's possible to watch a thousand times and walk away with something different. The greatest horror movie of all time.

Body Snatchers [Oct 28]

Well executed remake of a remake, updating the material for nineties sensibilities. This time out, the story is focused on a teenage girl caught in the midst of a family drama. The script smartly takes advantage of this dynamic, a child mistrustful of a stepparent until finally getting down to business. Cool makeup effects give the pod people more of a horror slant, as they literally suck the life out of the person they replace. Director Abel Ferrara handles the material well, wrenching as much human emotion and fear as possible. Largely a winner, despite a dire green screen effect in the end, and some questionable voice over work by lead Gabriela Anwar.

Contamination [Oct 29]

Cheapjack Alien knock-off like only the Italians could make. Alien eggs from Mars have found their way to Earth. Instead of unleashing a penis monster when they hatch, these green babies cause the human body to explode in amazing slow motion. The effects work is wet, glistening and always thrilling. Loaded with good old fashion sexist bullshit that will no doubt give many modern viewers pause. Since it's an 80s Italian gore flick, the plot includes a ton of illogical points and plot holes. The great Ian McCulloch is on hand to save the earth as only Ian McCulloch can do. All set to a righteous Goblin soundtrack.

Previously viewed:

1. The Exorcist
2. The Neon Demon
3. Chopping Mall
4. Most Likely to Die
5. Bats
6. Knucklebones
7. The Guardian
8. Fender Bender
9. House
10, The Crazies
11. From the Dark
12. The Brood
13. Shin Godzilla
14. Slugs
15. Dark Floors
16. All Through the House
17. Funhouse Massacre
18. Burial Ground

First time viewings bold

Divius · Oct 30, 2016

#27 - Ginger Snaps (2000)
Super funny dark comedic coming-of-age monster movie. It plays it all straight to the best effect. It's a rather sweet tale, in a twisted sort of way. Katharine Isabelle is super cute. The 00s style of movie is on point. Legit good and really fun. 7.5/10

Divius · Oct 30, 2016

#28 - Under the Shadow (2016)
This was on my radar and I decided to watch it, without knowing it was a horror movie. When it turned out to be one, tada! An impromptu add to my list this year. This movie is a slow burner that takes a while to get going on the horror end of things, it starts out as a well crafted social-family drama that slowly blends into something more intense and terrifying. The *thing* terrorizing the protagonist(s) is more a symbolic monster than anything else, which works perfectly because of the really interesting backdrop (the political and religious minefield that is Tehran in the 80s) against which is movie is situated. 7/10

ehead · Oct 30, 2016

Oct. 26

Saw 2 (2005)

Its okay, same as the previous film even though it had more "creative" puzzles. I still can't believe Jigsaw's statement that he's not killing the victims, that it was their choice not his. That's just bull.

Oct. 27

The Seventh Sign (1988)

This is probably the only cosmic level movie I saw for this marathon. It was quite predictable but enjoyable nonetheless. Being predictable, I didn't feel the urgency when the catastrophes were happening. What I didn't predict was Demi Moore's bathroom scene. Heyoooo.

Oct. 29

The Twilight Zone Season 1 Episodes 1-6 (1959)

I remember seeing old episodes of The Twilight Zone when I was a kid back in the 90s. I didn't fully grasp the concepts of the episodes I saw but the opening theme and the imagery they used were so memorable I knew I had to watch it when I have the chance. Now that I do, I feel so happy to fully appreciate it. I only managed to see the first 6 episodes of season 1 (wish I had more time) but every episode is so enjoyable. My favorite out of the six is Walking Distance - a short but sweet tale of time travel. I will be watching more of this for sure even after October.

Zombine · Oct 30, 2016

I've done a horrible job at posting, a great job at keeping up. Will do some quick recaps right now:

#16

Killer Klowns From Outerspace

First time viewing. Heard a lot of people talk about this being a cult horror classic and it's absolutely terrible. I had a super hard time getting through this film. I don't think it even remotely has the sort of let's that Toxic Avenger or Dead Alive (Braindead) has, and doesn't really deserve its status as anything. The costumes are great, but this is a really annoying movie.

1/5

#17

Jeepers Creepers

Modern. Horror. Classic.

I haven't seen this film in a long...long time. I forgot how absolutely enjoyable this is, with a very unique setting. Love the emphasis on practical effects, and I love how sentient the monster is. Everyone needs to drop what they are doing and give this movie a chance

5/5

#18

Return of The Living Dead 2

"It's a sequel...no it's a reboot...why are these characters the same but with different names? Oh they're new characters with a similar origin? That...makes no sense. Is that a Michael Jackson zombie? Who is that little kid? Wow this sucks."

-my thought process for years trying to figure this movie out.

1/5

#19

Final Destination

AMAZING modern horror movie. Most people write this film off as totally schlocky like it's sequels, but I would genuinely rank this movie right up there with Scream or Jeepers Creepers. Great premise, great trope-y characters, fun deaths all around. Give it a chance! It holds up perfectly.

4/5

#20

Friday The 13: Part I

This film was made with the single purpose of ripping off Halloween, but instead it ended up adding to the genre and carving out its own camper sized niche. The first film, as many people are aware, does not have Jason as the killer. This is a "prequel" with much more in common with Sleepaway Camp than it does with the other films in the franchise. Friday: PT I borrows the first person camera from the beginning of Halloween, and rolls with it as the killers perspective from the very beginning. It's only near the end of the film that we find out it's Jason's mother, trying to get her vengeance on any camp counselor she can find because she holds them responsible for her deformed son drowning in Crystal Lake.

Even though the film was created entirely to profit off of Halloween's success, there's some incredibly progressive moments in this film. The movie does everything in it's power to trick you into believing that the first girl you meet is the main character, then about 10 minutes into the film she unfortunately gets into a truck with Jason's mother and meets her end very quickly.

From this point forward, the film is anyone's to steal, and they really keep you on your toes the entire time.

I do have one problem with this film (which one reflect in my final score) and it has to do with the infamous snake scene. Tom Savini believed that it would be cool to have the cast get spooked by a snake in the film. Instead of creating one, they "borrowed" a harmless live snake from an owner who believed that it would be in a movie, only to find out that they KILLED it on screen. One of the few movies that still is in huge trouble for animal abuse, and it's entirely unacceptable and has sort of made Savini drop down a few pegs in my book. Yes they were young and stupid, but it was still entirely fucked up and wrong.

With that aside, this is a classic, and everyone deserve to watch this if only to see Kevon Bacon's goofy ass get killed.

5/5

I'll continue on later with 21-26, then I will post 27-31 individually. Didn't want to clog up the thread too bad with a super post.

pitcairn55 · Oct 30, 2016

30/10/16
Film 34
The Blob (1988)

Not a great deal to say about this that hasnt been said multiple times in the thread already. I cant actually believe its taken me so long to see it; even my twenty one year old son got there before I did, and then lent me the dvd with a strong recommendation. Shameful on my part I feel. Also cant believe it took me the whole film to realise that Meg was played by Shawnee Smith, aka Amanda Young out of the Saw movies. I did recognise David McCrane though, and now I have a strong urge to watch the original RoboCop.

Anyway, The Blob is just fantastic, and I loved every minute.

Films I've watched so far

Violence Jack · Oct 30, 2016

#36 Innocent Blood (1992) - One of my favorite underrated horror films of all time. The late Robert Loggia was brilliant as Sal the Shark. Loved the horror cameos in the film from Argento and Raimi. Why this film never got as much love as Landis' other films, I'll never know. Top 5 vampire movie for me.

I likely won't get to everything on my list since my wedding is this weekend, but I'm going to try to at least squeeze in The Howling, Halloween 3, and Trick r Treat tonight and tomorrow.

Fancy Clown · Oct 30, 2016

35) The Fury - (Brian De Palma, 1978)

"You go to Hell!"

De Palma decided to follow up Carrie with another tale of murderous telekinetic teens in this ponderous Hollywood thriller, and the results could not be more different. It's certainly not a bad movie, and it has a number of classic De Palma moments (the ending is pretty great), and John Cassavetes is fantastic as the villain, but it's too bloated and unfocused, and more importantly it feels aesthetically dulled, like all his edges have been filed off for a more Hollywood production. He swaps out Pino Donaggio for John Williams, ditches his split-screen, colored lights, and a more experimental edits and framing, and overall it doesn't hold on to its identity nearly as well. It's also more of a thriller than a horror film, but eh I'm gonna count it anyway. It reminds me of Scanners in that it's also a film by a hugely talented director in the middle of a hot streak about telekinetics who can make people explode with their minds and is a lot more boring than it should be.

Divius · Oct 30, 2016

For next year I'm definitely watching horror franchises

Halloween / Nightmare on Elm Street / Friday the 13th / Child's Play / Final Destination / Hellraiser / The Texas Chainsaw Massacre / etc

For most of those I've only seen the first entry. Should be fun. Or horrifically terrible. Or a mix of both.

pitcairn55 · Oct 30, 2016

30/10/16
Film 35
Youre Next

Loved this movie. Second best slasher of the month, after the original Black Christmas. Wasnt expecting it to be as funny as it was either; I mean its not what youd call a comedy horror at all, but there are several blackly humorous moments, like when Crispian is still arguing with his brother - Im not fat anymore! - even after

their sisters boyfriend has taken an crossbow bolt to the skull!

Talking of Crispian,

I was sure he was dodgy and I was initially a bit disappointed that they went for the most obvious inside man, Felix with the goth girlfriend. Never occurred to me the brothers were teaming up until Felixs phone started ringing,

shortly after the superb head vs mixer moment.

Leading lady Sharni Vinson was suitably awesome, and it was fun to see Ti West in the movie too. And of course any film is enlivened by the presence of the lovely Barbara Crampton,

though I was sad to see her dispatched so soon

.

Very entertaining.

Films I've watched so far

Divius · Oct 30, 2016

#29 - American Mary (2012)
Dark comedic body horror movie about a med student discovering an underground society that I'm sure exists in some form. I really dug the concept and interesting premise, but somewhere along the road it kind of bleeds out (pun intended) and then the ending felt off as well. Started out nicely, ended quite poor. Well, not really poor, but just meh. Funnily enough this stars Katharine Isabelle in the titular role who I recently saw in Ginger Snaps. Her raw sex appeal does a lot to keep this movie watchable along the way, even when the plot fails do to so. 6/10

lordxar · Oct 30, 2016

I set my theme for this month a while back and knew it was going to be the history of horror and in the spirit of watching something new I saw the Rocky Horror Picture Show on bluray for ten bucks and though hell yea, I've heard of this movie over the years, knew a little about it, and knew it was a cult classic so what better film to add to the list? Over the last several months as I prepared for this month I wanted to have a party at some point and planned on watching this...then it hit me, why watch this alone when I could combine ideas because this is a much better experience with interaction. So I planned a party and got the required props. Well that party was last night and as I sit here hung over and feeling like shit I can say the party was a glorious success! A friend of mine had his girlfriend dress him in drag, I had a simple costume, and I had masks from Shipadick I made people wear who didn't have costumes. It was awesome. We threw rubber toast at the tv, tossed shredded newspaper confetti, rang cat toy noise makers, got drunk, and had an awesome time!

So the movie you ask? It was terrible. I hate song and dance flicks so this really sucked for me to get through but alcohol, props, and audience participation helped immensely. On the flip side I do own this and had a blast throwing the party so I may do this again one day.

Night Train to Terror. I needed something to lay on the couch and be miserably hung over to and this seemed to fit the bill. I will say this is an absolutely insane film. Like its all over the damn place as far as pacing, editing, effects, all of it. Your getting new cast members periodically for no apparent reason but once you settle into this its actually pretty fun and I firmly believe the people who made this had a blast making it. You've got claymation, awesome practical effects, some 80's style dancers on the train because who gives a shit about making sense and you have God vs the Devil picking and choosing between souls to keep. Maybe I'm still a little drunk from last night but I thought this was a lot of fun to watch, I mean its a terrible movie but I think its in the so bad its good realm and I'd recommend it.

Divius · Oct 30, 2016

#30 - Deadgirl (2008)
So far I didn't have any zombie movies on my list yet so I felt like there really shou-oh god, oh no. Oh what are you doing to th-that is so wrong. Please, stop! Anyway, fun concept but it didn't really go anywhere. Not half bad though. 5/10

pitcairn55 · Oct 30, 2016

30/10/16
Film 36
Deathgasm

Ridiculous New Zealand horror comedy that takes the notion of heavy metal being the devil’s music quite literally. It’s dumb, but the characters are quite appealing, and I did laugh a fair bit. It’s also easily the goriest film I’ve watched this month, so that’s something. And it’s not often you get to see death by dildo. Can’t really say it’s a film I completely recommend though, unless you’re a metal head.

Films I've watched so far

Ridley327 · Oct 30, 2016

I thought Deathgasm was endlessly irritating, though the music video shoot was pretty funny.

pitcairn55 · Oct 30, 2016

Ridley327 said:
I thought Deathgasm was endlessly irritating, though the music video shoot was pretty funny.

I was warned it was total garbage before I watched it. I ended up liking it more than I expected to, mainly because of all the gory slapstick I think. I do worry about my taste sometimes...

MattyH · Oct 30, 2016

#30 - Tales Of Halloween im a sucker for anthology films and this promises to be as good as trick r treat

Rhomega Beta · Oct 30, 2016

30. Psycho (1960)

My first Alfred Hitchcock movie, though I've seen part of Rear Window. Even before the Bates Motel, the movie is a bit tense with Marion trying to get to California, accidentally running across her boss, dealing with a cop, and trying to rush through a car sale. I really like the halfway plot switch because you're so invested in Marion's story. I can imagine what it must have been like back in 1960: "Ok, we know Mrs. Bates did it, the characters just need to prove it.", but then comes the twist and it's not what you expect at all (unless you knew about it already). Good movie, will have to check out the rest of Hitchcock's library.

Full list

EmpressInYellow · Oct 30, 2016

MattyH said:
#30 - Tales Of Halloween im a sucker for anthology films and this promises to be as good as trick r treat

It's really, really good. In some ways, I think it's actually better than Trick r' Treat (by virtue of having a larger number of shorter stories).

Plasticine · Oct 30, 2016

Eight Legged Freaks [Oct 29]

Big budget Hollywood throwback to the drive-in days of giant atomic monsters. Toxic waste fueled mutant spiders go on a rampage in a small desert town. Much like Tremors, the focus here is on light, fun and breezy monster mayhem with little in the way of scares. The spiders themselves come replete with Gremlin-like comedic sound effects that give them something resembling personalities. The nearly fifteen year old CGI effects still looks better than your garden variety Syfy monster-fest. Usually cast as a dork, David Arquette is in rare heroic form here. He shotgun blasts spiders, spews one liners and even races away from a massive explosion on a motorcycle. Remains a high-water mark in Scarlett Johansson's filmography.

Ticks [Oct 29]

Ticks, mutated by toxic shit spewed by an illegal weed operation, infest the countryside. Can't think of a better argument for legalization and regulation than that! Lots of gooey practical effects by KNB in this fast-paced B-movie romp. Master thespian Clint Howard is on hand to writhe around on the ground, screaming the flick's signature line, I'm infested! Still starring on The Fresh Prince at the time, Alfonso Ribeiro took the role of a street punk with a heart of gold with an eye to help avoid being typecast after the show went off the air. He shoots basketball, threatens Seth Green, mourns his tick-infested pooch and transforms into a human-size tick. Now that's range!

Wild Zero [Oct 29]

Affable goofball Ace stumbles into a Mexican standoff between his favorite band Guitar Wolf and a sleazy concert promoter and inadvertently saves the day. Impressed by Ace's timing, Guitar Wolf himself gives Ace a magical whistle to call for the band whenever he needs help. Soon UFOs are flying overhead, vengeful promoters in hot pants and Sony Bono wigs are on the rampage, naked women are wielding shotguns and the blood-thirsty dead are rising from their graves. Never a dull moment, Wild Zero is crazy as a shit house rat, but laser focused on transforming Guitar Wolf into the coolest fucking band on the planet. Blood is spilled by the gallon, heads explode in crappy CGI and Guitar Wolf pulls a samurai sword from his guitar neck and mows down zombies with magical guitar picks. Because why not? Amidst all the chaos is a sugar sweet love story between Ace and super cute Tobio. When Ace discovers Tobio is transgendered he flips the fuck out, which isn't unexpected in a movie like this from 1999. But what happens next is surprising. A vision of Guitar Wolf appears before Ace and the guitarist bellows, Love has no borders, nationalities or genders! DO IT! Ace realizes the infinite wisdom to these words, and gets past his initial shock. Ace realizes he loves Tobio and will stop at nothing to save her from the shambling horde of undead. Endlessly quotable, action packed and fueled by a kick-ass soundtrack, Wild Zero is a master-class in how to create a movie based around a rock band. Guitar Wolf fucking rocks!

Junk [Oct 29]

Following a robbery, a gang of jewel thieves meet up with their buyer in an abandoned facility. Unfortunately for them, the place houses a top secret government research facility that has just been overrun by zombies. Don't ya just hate it when that happens? Super slick, tightly edited, this is an action-packed slab of gore-drenched action horror. The queen zombie spends most of her screen time waltzing around in the buff until she decides its time to get decked out in some skin tight leather for the big third act throw down. Despite being a DV Japanese cheapo, the hyper-charged filmmaking puts this one on a different level from similar low budget gut munchers. Top of the shelf zombie action for undead fanatics.

Previously viewed:

1. The Exorcist
2. The Neon Demon
3. Chopping Mall
4. Most Likely to Die
5. Bats
6. Knucklebones
7. The Guardian
8. Fender Bender
9. House
10, The Crazies
11. From the Dark
12. The Brood
13. Shin Godzilla
14. Slugs
15. Dark Floors
16. All Through the House
17. Funhouse Massacre
18. Burial Ground
19. Legion
20. The Thing
21. Body Snatchers
22. Contamination

First time viewings bold

GK86 · Oct 30, 2016

Sleepaway Camp II - Not as fun as the first one. Skip it.

The Uninvited - Decent. I enjoyed it for what it was. The Asian version is better.

All Cheerleaders Die - A mess where characters seem to do things for no reason.

Event Horizon - I love the gore, the effects, the plot. A classic.

The Crow - I have not seen this movie in close to 15 years. All I remember is someone running around looking like Sting from wrestling and loving it as a kid/teen. Now I love it for the ridiculousness of it all. Between the camera shots, the flashbacks, the music, the deaths, it was all good fun.

Plasticine · Oct 30, 2016

pitcairn55 said:
Ridiculous New Zealand horror comedy that takes the notion of heavy metal being the devils music quite literally. Its dumb, but the characters are quite appealing, and I did laugh a fair bit. Its also easily the goriest film Ive watched this month, so thats something. And its not often you get to see death by dildo. Cant really say its a film I completely recommend though, unless youre a metal head.

Ridley327 said:
I thought Deathgasm was endlessly irritating, though the music video shoot was pretty funny.

I love Deathgasm

pitcairn55 · Oct 30, 2016

30/10/16
Film 37
It Follows

My fourth film of the day turns out not only to be the best, but one of the best of the whole month. It Follows is incredibly stylish, brilliantly acted and for me at least, genuinely unnerving. The central idea of the movie is so simple, yet so powerful, and it really got under my skin. Despite its supernatural emphasis, the movie feels very realistic, and I think thats mainly to do with the excellence of the cast, who have a real chemistry together. Ill be watching it again, very soon I think.

What a great film.

Films I've watched so far

Fox Mulder · Oct 31, 2016

#28 Day of the Dead (1985)

Bub is cool.

Ridley327 · Oct 31, 2016

October 30

In the world of Pumpkinhead, revenge is deviously simple: just a little blood and a lot of hate in your heart is all it takes to summon its physical manifestation, and regardless of the level of culpability, your fate is all but guaranteed to end in death. A far more somber film than most of its ilk, the focus on the destructive and fruitless nature of revenge is a welcome change of pace for at a time where everyone wanted their own handful of carnage candy. It's a surprisingly ambitious genre film from a thematic standpoint, particularly for a first time director like Stan Winston, and I did find myself appreciating its aims. In particular, the fact that the targeted group of youths is by and large not only not responsible for the transgression, but actually tried their best to assist, adds a lot to the film. Its accuracy is a bit spotty, however, as the fertile idea of the film is executed in a disappointingly boring way, relying on some painful slasher tropes to get the action moving, including one of the most amazingly bad displays of a person falling for a trap. While Pumpkinhead itself is a neat little creation, though it's hard to not look at it and not think of it as the naked mole rat version of a xenomorph, Winston never seems to know the best way to show it in action without looking like a lumbering, slow automaton, which is highly surprising given the incredible résumé he had already put together by the time he got around to directing a film for himself. Throw in some dopey acting from anyone not named Lance Henriksen (who, for his part, does give his role the necessary gravitas in order for it to work), and there's plenty to hobble this film. It is a shame, though, as the thought process behind the film is a really strong one, and for a little while, it does seem like it's ready and able to break away from the pack of stupid teenager horror films of the time. Until it straight up becomes one. I love the idea of the film too much to ever hate it, but I can't lie about how disappointing it becomes when it can't figure out the best path forward.

Film for Halloween: Thanks to my ingenuity, willingness to see this whole marathon through and to send it off properly and, most important of all, a free rental for FandangoNow, we have an appropriate conclusion to this year's marathon! Actually, it's more like five, as we dive into the meeting of the masters of horror in Creepshow. With George Romero in the director's chair, Stephen King with the pen, and a shared love for old horror comics from the 50s, this highly influential anthology film seems like the perfect movie for the holiday, like a bag full of promising bits of candy. Hopefully, no one was able to sneak in some razor blades!

DeathoftheEndless · Oct 31, 2016

29. Creepshow

Creepshow is the best horror anthology I've seen. The stories are pulpy and fun, with great acting and special effects. Its presented as the tales of a comic book in the style of Tales From the Crypt and Vault of Horror. Its a fun party movie.

30. An American Werewolf in London

This is one of the best and most creative werewolf movies in existence. A guy gets scratched by a werewolf and begins seeing visions of horrible violence and his dead friend. It has a good sense of humor, some excellent special effects, and likable characters. I'd be hard pressed to choose between this and the original The Wolfman.

gabbo · Oct 31, 2016

#23 The Beyond

A hotel over a gate to hell. High jinx ensue!
Like Zombi (the only other Fulci film I've seen), this film works better as a series of gory vignettes and less as a narrative film, although unlike Zombi, this one is much more dreamlike and surreal in it's visuals which help it get by. Makeup and gore FX are on-point, as one would expect from Italian horror films from the period.

If you're a fan of his work, or the genre he works with, it's your bag. Otherwise, watch once and then forget about it. Slightly unnerving because of its dream-like quality, but not hard to take (the man loves driving things into eyes though for those with a trigger for that)

mariachi507 · Oct 31, 2016

ISP issues are resolved!

22. Carnival of Souls

A low-budget effort with a focus in creating atmosphere over general tropes. Despite some unevenness, I found the acting surprisingly effective. The black and white photography was very crisp and the organ heavy score was effective in creating the mood. The ending of the story is obvious, but it is more about the road getting there. Good little creepy film.

Verdict: 7.5/10

23. The Exorcist 3: Legion (Director's Cut)

I've long been interested in seeing William Peter Blatty's original cut of The Exorcist 3. I always thought the premise of the film and the novel it's based off of was an interesting direction to take for a sequel to "The Most Horrifying Film Ever Made". Blatty saw no point in trying to repeat himself, so instead he based the story around two minor characters from the first film/novel and wrote a sort of whodunnit as a police procedural. The studio putting out the film, however, decided they would rather keep things as close to the first film as possible. As a result, Blatty was forced to reshoot a good part of the film and add an exorcism.

The original materials cut from The Exorcist 3 are all but lost at this point, fortunately Scream Factory has made use of VHS dailies to construct the film as closely as they can to it's original vision. There are still scenes missing so parts from the theatrical version were used to fill in the gaps. This is more an approximation of Blatty's original cut than it is a full blown new film like the release of Nightbreed a couple of years ago.

It can be a sort of difficult watch as the scenes shift from HD to crude VHS, but I'm glad this version was constructed. Anyone that isn't a fan of The Exorcist 3 is not going to be swayed by this new version, but in many ways I consider the new cut to be an improvement. Brad Dourif's original performance as Damien Karras is far more subtle and creepy compared to the theatrical cut. The other newly included scenes allow the film to be more focused and coherent. It gives more of an opportunity to get to know these characters and see them interact with each other, which is one of Blatty's strengths. There are many moments throughout where the horror is taken to 11 (the hallway scene), but the film is very atmospheric and actually manages to get under your skin. The ending of this "director's cut" is the complete opposite of the special effect driven exorcism in the original version. I always considered the exorcism to be out of place in the movie, and the original ending fit's the story much better. However, it's very abrupt and still isn't very satisfying. It was a problem with the novel and it is still a problem in the film. The Exorcist 3 is an incredibly flawed film, but it manages to be an interesting one.

Verdict: 7/10

Lothar · Oct 31, 2016

Rhomega Beta said:
30. Psycho (1960)

My first Alfred Hitchcock movie, though I've seen part of Rear Window. Even before the Bates Motel, the movie is a bit tense with Marion trying to get to California, accidentally running across her boss, dealing with a cop, and trying to rush through a car sale. I really like the halfway plot switch because you're so invested in Marion's story. I can imagine what it must have been like back in 1960: "Ok, we know Mrs. Bates did it, the characters just need to prove it.", but then comes the twist and it's not what you expect at all (unless you knew about it already). Good movie, will have to check out the rest of Hitchcock's library.

Full list

Anyone seeing Psycho for the first time, be sure to watch Psycho 2. It's very very good and not what most would probably expect.

GhaleonEB · Oct 31, 2016

#21: They Look Like People | via Netflix streaming

I haven't had much luck with Netflix's horror streaming section lately, but I rolled the dice on this one as it was characterized as a slow burner in several of the more positive reviews. I'm glad I did. It's a slow burn psychological horror/thriller of uncommon quality. TLLP is entirely a character study, and it takes its time in getting us to know, and care about, them. The payoff comes as the tension ratchets up in the third act and I was horrified at the thought of something bad happening to any of them.

It's been a long time since I saw a film where I liked every character it put on screen, without exception, so much. Margaret Ying Drake, who plays Mara, deserves particular mention, in a role where she has to juggle some very complex relationships and makes it all feel natural. In the end I appreciated how seriously the film takes it subject matter.

Very slow burn, mostly psychological horror film, but one I recommend for fans of such. My only major critique is there are some pacing issues, and at 80 minutes it felt like a much longer film. But that's not enough to derail what is a superb set of performances and a strong, empathetic script.

**** out of five

Tomorrow: Trick'r Treat time.

EmpressInYellow · Oct 31, 2016

I went ahead and did the rest of the subway movies, which technically put me at 31. Anything beyond that is extra credit.

Deathline (aka. Raw Meat)

Plot - After a well-connected politician disappears in the London Underground, a police inspector (played by an irritable Donald Pleasence) investigates and uncovers the remnants of a community of degenerate cannibals living there, left over from a long-ago cave in during construction. In between, lots of people get stabbed and cut and generally brutalized, and the remaining cannibal makes lots of sad grunting noises and inarticulately attempts to communicate with garbled cries of "Mind the doors!"

Thoughts - This film is a lot darker and more gruesome than I expected. The cannibal abattoir is particularly nasty, and there's enough cheap blood effects to make it feel like a lost Fulci film. Pleasence is amusingly snarky, and the stuff with the lone remaining cannibal is actually pretty depressing. In fact, the film spends probably more time than any of the other subway films on trying to humanize the degenerate murderous cannibals.

It does suffer a little bit from age, though. The fight scenes are clumsy in the way of old Doctor Who, and the sound feels like a guy sitting next to a microphone making funny effects instead of something that's happening organically in the world of the film. It's not entirely fair to hold that against the movie, though; the biggest problem is simply that it doesn't feel like there's much of an arc. Stuff happens, but it doesn't ever really feel like the film is building towards anything, and Pleasence's character really doesn't accomplish very much before the film just sort of ends.

It might be worth seeing for historical value (and for Pleasence), but don't expect anything that'll haunt you for days afterward.

End of the Line

Plot - A young woman gets trapped, along with several others, on a subway line when an apocalyptic quasi-Christian cult decides that the apocalypse has come and the time to harvest souls is upon them. This cult believes that demons will soon possess those left standing and that God's will is for them to kill everyone they can (with cross-shaped daggers!), thus saving their souls from the demon horde. Naturally, the non-believers are a little less keen on this idea. Cue people being hunted through subway tunnels by eerily cheerful, slowly advancing religious types singing hymns and promising salvation, like a Chick tract version of Night of the Living Dead.

Thoughts - This is a weird movie. There are things to like here: the basic premise has a lot of promise, and some of the effects actually aren't bad. It's also way, way more violent than you'd expect, sometimes to the point of self-parody. The ending raises some potentially interesting questions, and I'm told there are details that reveal themselves on a second watch.

As with so many horror films, though, it's let down by a poor script and poorer acting. The film feels really uneven both in presentation and tone. The snarky Wikipedia entry for the film describes it as a "lost 'Are You Afraid of the Dark?' episode", and to be honest, that description isn't far off the mark for significant chunks of the film.

It's also way, way too reliant on cheap jump scares, especially early on. It's like the filmmaker didn't have the conviction of the slow build he was working towards, so instead he had to throw in some scary faces and loud noises to keep the audience's attention. I get why a couple of them might have been there from a plot perspective, but they still felt...jarring, and not in the way he likely intended.

I dunno. It might be worth a shot for the weird premise alone, but other elements of the film hold it back.

The Tunnel

Plot - A found-ish footage film in which a TV news crew (including Long John Silver from "Black Sails") ventures into the abandoned train tunnels of New South Wales. A planned government initiative to convert the tunnels into part of the city's water system has been postponed indefinitely with no comment from the relevant agencies, though the agencies also deny the claims that there are homeless communities living down in the tunnels. The crew's investigation into the story takes a darker turn when reports surface of homeless people actually disappearing down in the tunnels. Unable to get official permission to explore, the crew sneaks in and begins to have a look around. Then, of course, found footage stuff happens.

All of this is interspersed with present-day interviews with the survivors of the trip.

Thoughts - I liked this one, but then again, found footage is sort of my comfort food. It doesn't do a whole lot with the formula that's new, but the inclusion of the present-day interviews does make for a nice change of pace. I do feel like the slickly-produced opening and closing credit scenes kind of detract from what the film was doing, but they're not a deal-breaker. There's some effective use of night vision cameras and lighting, and there are a few memorable scenes that really take advantage of those two elements.

There were a couple of characters who I honestly found a little bit interchangeable, but for the most part, the cast was decent. I feel like the ending could've been stronger, but the presence of the interviews tied the filmmaker's hands in some respects. Given that it was apparently done a fairly small budget, it's an admirable effort. The characters have actual motivations and (for the most part) personalities, even if there are aspects of the premise that walk the line between "homage" and "copy" when it comes to The Blair Witch Project.

EmpressInYellow · Oct 31, 2016

And the first couple of the bonus round:

The Gallows

Plot - It's your average found footage film. This time, a trio of high school students breaks into their school at night to try to sabotage the following day's performance of a play called "The Gallows". See, one of the students is the male lead and doesn't want to go through with the show (despite having a crush on his co-star). To complicate matters, the last performance of this play was back in the mid-90s, and the kid playing the male lead in that production died when the prop gallows experienced some sort of failure and actually hanged him.

From there, things go pretty predictably, with lots of dark hallways and screaming and people continuing to film even when it doesn't make a ton of sense.

Thoughts - This film illustrates an important part of horror filmmaking: if the audience does not care about your characters, they probably won't care about your scares. If the characters are paper-thin and uninteresting, then the film has no stakes, which means no tension. These characters are as thin as they come. I literally couldn't tell you much of anything about most of them - there's the sort of obnoxious cheerleader, the really obnoxious jock/camera guy, the former jock/reluctant actor (who gets a bit more development simply by virtue of having a romantic interest in his co-star), and his co-star, who...likes drama? That's pretty much the extent of their characterization.

It's a shame, too, because it's not an awful premise, and with better writing and some actually care put into the structure of the film, it could've been interesting. As it is, you'll probably have forgotten half of the film by the time it ends.

The Devil's Dolls

Plot - After a notorious serial killer is finally killed, his possessions (including a box full of small wooden "worry dolls") are taken into police custody. Unfortunately, they quickly find their way into the hands of the arresting officer's young daughter, and from there, they spread out in to the population. I say "unfortunately" because these dolls contain the worries and pain and anxieties of those who've held them before (including the killer), and they quickly drive whoever possesses one to acts of violence. Now, our heroic (but tormented!) police detective must race against time to save his daughter and track down the remaining dolls.

Thoughts - Eh. Not great, not awful. Honestly, it's pretty by-the-numbers. I was actually expecting something a little more interesting from the trailers than just "the dolls make people really upset". The kills range from somewhat prosaic to (at the very beginning) ridiculously over the top. From the start, you know the dolls are responsible, so it's just a matter of ticking boxes until you reach the end. Yep, that guy flipped out. Okay, now that one too. None of it really had any weight or sense of menace to it. Once again, I didn't really feel anything for any of the characters and so didn't have much investment in anything that happened beyond a mild curiosity.

Then there's the final act, which is just...dumb. Like, "this almost seems like deliberate self-parody" dumb.

I'm not always this negative, I promise! I'm not sure if I've just been mostly unlucky this month, or if circumstances are conspiring to make me more jaded about this stuff than I usually am.

Rhomega Beta · Oct 31, 2016

31. Trick 'r Treat (2007)

The Halloween-est Halloween movie out there. Almost everyone's in costume, the streets are decorated with jack'o lanterns, lights, and whatever. This is an anthology movie with a comic book motif like Creepshow, but the motif only comes in at the beginning and end, instead of bridging the stories. Speaking of stories, I really like the collection because they're all interconnected, rather than just being a series of random ones strung together. Characters that appear in one can be part of others. In the end, lessons learned are to be wary of women in sexy costumes, check your candy, and above all, don't hate Halloween.

Full list

And thus ends my 31 Days of Horror. In my third year, I've finally gotten 31 horror movies (previous years had 20 and 27). I picked out a good bunch too. Nothing's been rated less than 3 stars. I'll be back later with rankings. Happy Halloween, have fun, be safe, get lots of candy, and don't forget to wear your mask during the giveaway at 9!

Happy, happy Halloween, Halloween, Halloween!
Happy, happy Halloween! Sil-ver Shamrock!

excelsiorlef · Oct 31, 2016

Woah I kept up my watching but man did I fall behind on my reports here so sorry.

October 20th

28. The Collector (2009): Saw meets Home Alone. It was alright, likeable protagonist, some nasty gore, the concept is absurd as all hell and makes the Saw traps look believable but whatever it did the trick. It's a nice combo of the by gone slasher era and the early 2000s Saw torture porn era.

October 21st :

29. Dolls (1987): An underrated gem from the creative team behind Re-Animator. Great gore, great transformation scenes, super funny and a nice movie where you get to root for the creatures and "villains" for a change. Probably the most fun out of any of the movies I've watched

Oct 22nd

30. Ouija (2014)

Inoffensive but a bit sterile horror flick. Run of the mill ghost shit, with third act twist that's alright. Not bad not great, enjoyed it for what it is, lookign forward toseeing the prequel as i hear it's hella better

31. Rocky Horror Picture Show (2016)

Yeah ok maybe this doesn't fully count but I'm gonna count it anyway. ANother case of I enjoyed it for what it is, I loved the costumes and thought Columbia whilst some flat line delivery had a ton of character and an amazing voice. The guy who played Brad was outstanding and Adam Lambert was incredible as Eddie. Milan was a pretty solid Magenta and the guy who played Riff Raff sounded great but looked like a cheap cosplay. I loved Laverne Cox's presence but it was a bit too much of a Tim Curry impression at times. Victoria Justice sucked and her Janet was horrible.

Edit oh God that's my 31..... LOL

Guess everything from here on is bonus and I still have a marathon of random shit planned for today... maybe I can hit 50 lol.

Oct 23rd

32. The Collection (2012):

If the traps were ridiculous in The Collector they were absurd here. Creative team makes amends for low body count of Collector by quadrupling that number (at least) in the opening gore sequence which my god was so ridiculous I loved it. A solid follow up that I think I might have enjoyed a bit more than The Collector as it bought in full scale to its absurd concept.

Oct 24

33. Trick R Treat (2007)

Funny, gory, classic. A unique take on the anthology concept as it's different stories but waved together. Another movie with some groovy transformation sequences. A love letter to Halloween horror. Can't recommend it enough.

34. Krampus (2015)

Not what was expecting given it came from the same guy who did Trick R Treat. Much more a dysfunctional family drama/comedy told within the narrative framing of a monster movie. Still loved it though, excellent cast, always love me some Adam Scott and a major wtf last frame that is hella open to interpretation .

Oct 25th.

35. The Invitation (2015)

Awesome, awesome, awesome. Slow build, you know where it's going but still presents it in a way where you question it and then a boom shit goes nuts in the last act. Terrific ending, great performances. Loved it.

36. Most Likely to Die (2015)

Pretty much a typical modern slasher, charmless and mediocre. Kills were unremarkable. Costume was great but the whole movie is just meh, teetered close to breaking my one rule of enjoyment... being boring.

Oct 26th.

37. They're Watching (2016)

A surprisingly charming found footage film, that I almost skipped because I hate found footage. The camera crew of a Home Renovations show was a charming framing. Another slow build film with literally the most batshit insane last reel. Fucking loved it even if the CGI was PSX quality.

38. Emilie (2015)

This was a groovy urban thrillers. Amazing performance from Sarah Bolger, one of the better psycho babysitter movies I've seen and to boot it had likeable child actors which is always a bonus. I loved this movie it is tight, it's creepy and it's another slow burn.

Oct 27.

39. The Pact (2012)

Came for Agnes Bruckner, was sad to find out she had what amounts to a cameo, that said the movie does some cool things with it's ghost/haunting and finds a nice line between the horrors of the living and the horrors of the dead.

Oct 28.

40. I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives in the House (2016)

I wanted to love this movie so badly. It's beautiful, amazing cinematography, a perfect slow burn that I love so much, great prosaic narration delivered in perfectly creepy ghost hushed whispered tones... but the main character then delivers literally all her lines in that voice and it is infuriating... that and fuck all happens in this movie. Like Literally nothing. Still recommend it because it's fucking beautiful but don't go in expecting any story like at all.

Oct 29 .

41. The Pact 2:

It was alright, nowhere near as good as the original and the ending has the worst sequel bait I've ever seen. Still some groovy atmosphere and a likeable protagonist makes it worth a watch if you liked the first one.

Oct 30.

42. The Blackcoat's Daughter aka February (2015)

Also from Oz Pekins who directed I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House, I much preferred this even if it is not as cinematically gorgeous. A great performance from Kiernan Shipka and an understated one from Emma Roberts. The film veers dangerously close to relying so much on show don't tell that they don't really show as the twist only makes sense if you catch a 10 second flash of a scene 40 minutes prior, maybe that's my fault though as I have a tendency to read and watch movies at the same time so it's actually probably less missable than I feel it was. That said the twist also relies on a significant suspension if disbelief and pretty much comes not as a result of something within the movie itself but instead how it was constructed, might feel cheap to some people. Still another great slow burn with some of the most brutal stabbings I've seen committed on film.

MattyH · Oct 31, 2016

began the night with
1 Hocus Pocus
2 WNUF Halloween Special
3 Trick R treat

and finally settling in for the annual tradition of Ghostwatch aka that time the BBC pulled a war of the worlds and scared the shit out of everyone (its available digitally on BBC website now btw)

gabbo · Oct 31, 2016

#24 The Vanishing

Certainly not horror (I may have messed up including this, my bad if so), but definitely a taught thriller with more evil than all the other films combined, the human kind. And watching it via flashback to see it grow and grow makes it all the more unnerving. It's a double character study really, and one of them is completely void of humanity.

Good performances and tension basically from the get go. it's weird to think how situations like this seem less possible with the wider availability and use of cell phones. At least. that's my hope. Apparently the remake is terrible, so stick with the original Dutch version.

It was a bit weird , i thought the protagonist looked a lot like Stephen Colbert for much of the film.

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