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31 Days of Horror 5 |OT| The October Movie Marathon
- Thread starter ThirstyFly
- Start date
One last call for voting on your favorite horror movies. Ending in about 48 hours.
I have been slacking on leaving comments about movies, but I have been watching!
31 Days of Horror
Pre-31 Days of Horror 1 - Behind the Mask
Pre-31 Days of Horror 2 - Unfriended
Day 1 - The Hills Have Eyes (2006)
Day 2 - The Thing (1982)
Day 3 - The Cabinet of Dr. Calagari
Day 3 Double Feature - Dead Silence
Day 4 - Black Death
Day 5 - Maniac Cop
Day 6 - The Omen (1976)
Day 7 - Creep (2014)
Day 8 - The Taking of Deborah Logan
Day 9 - The Return of the Living Dead
Day 10 - ATM
Day 10 Double Feature - From Dusk Till Dawn
Day 11 - The People Under the Stairs
Day 11 Double Feature - The Strangers
Day 12 - Stake Land
Day 13 - Fright Night (2011)
Day 14 - The Ward
Day 15 - Tales from the Darkside: The Movie
Day 16 - Cube
Day 17 - Dark Skies
Day 18 - The Theatre Bizarre
Day 19 - The Monster Squad
Day 20 - Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead
Day 21 - Night of the Demons
The Monster Squad
This movie was just fun all around. I have to admit that I was falling in and out of sleep due to having a long day, but I was still able to follow the plot of the movie. The monsters were great, though, the werewolf was sort of odd looking. I would love to see a more modern take on this film. Anyways, if you like monsters and you want something that's all around fun, check this out.
Rating: Watch
Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead
I have seen this on a lot of lists and read about it while researching movies last month. I decided to give it a shot and it blew my expectations out of water. For a zombie flick, this had a lot of originality. They were not afraid to explore something different. It's on Netflix so check it out.
Rating: Watch
Night of the Demons
The intro was great and the music was outstanding. It feels like they took a lot from a lot of movies that came out at the time and put it in one film. Night of the Demons feels heavily inspired by The Evil Dead. Hell, the demon chasing the kids was shot in a similar manner as the force. It wasn't a bad movie by any means, but it wasn't really original. The characters can get annoying and there's definitely a lot of stupidity that doesn't make any sense.
There are a few other instances where the movie didn't make any sense, but I let it slide. This movie definitely isn't for everyone.
Rating: Watch at your own risk
31 Days of Horror
Pre-31 Days of Horror 1 - Behind the Mask
Pre-31 Days of Horror 2 - Unfriended
Day 1 - The Hills Have Eyes (2006)
Day 2 - The Thing (1982)
Day 3 - The Cabinet of Dr. Calagari
Day 3 Double Feature - Dead Silence
Day 4 - Black Death
Day 5 - Maniac Cop
Day 6 - The Omen (1976)
Day 7 - Creep (2014)
Day 8 - The Taking of Deborah Logan
Day 9 - The Return of the Living Dead
Day 10 - ATM
Day 10 Double Feature - From Dusk Till Dawn
Day 11 - The People Under the Stairs
Day 11 Double Feature - The Strangers
Day 12 - Stake Land
Day 13 - Fright Night (2011)
Day 14 - The Ward
Day 15 - Tales from the Darkside: The Movie
Day 16 - Cube
Day 17 - Dark Skies
Day 18 - The Theatre Bizarre
Day 19 - The Monster Squad
Day 20 - Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead
Day 21 - Night of the Demons
The Monster Squad
This movie was just fun all around. I have to admit that I was falling in and out of sleep due to having a long day, but I was still able to follow the plot of the movie. The monsters were great, though, the werewolf was sort of odd looking. I would love to see a more modern take on this film. Anyways, if you like monsters and you want something that's all around fun, check this out.
Rating: Watch
Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead
I have seen this on a lot of lists and read about it while researching movies last month. I decided to give it a shot and it blew my expectations out of water. For a zombie flick, this had a lot of originality. They were not afraid to explore something different. It's on Netflix so check it out.
Rating: Watch
Night of the Demons
The intro was great and the music was outstanding. It feels like they took a lot from a lot of movies that came out at the time and put it in one film. Night of the Demons feels heavily inspired by The Evil Dead. Hell, the demon chasing the kids was shot in a similar manner as the force. It wasn't a bad movie by any means, but it wasn't really original. The characters can get annoying and there's definitely a lot of stupidity that doesn't make any sense.
Yeah...demons disappear after Halloween night and that occurs at dawn of the morning...but isn't it November 1st as soon as it hits 12:00 am? Movie logic.
Rating: Watch at your own risk
#21 - Demons (1985)
What do you get when Dario Argento produces a movie directed by Mario Bava's son, Lamberto? A very gory movie, that's what. I liked this one - it takes place at a movie theater during the premiere of a slasher movie. Someone in the audience mutates into a demon from the film, and the victims of her attacks also transform into bloodthirsty demons. It's a fun, over-the-top, campy, gory horror movie...essentially a zombie movie but the zombies are demons.
viewing list
What do you get when Dario Argento produces a movie directed by Mario Bava's son, Lamberto? A very gory movie, that's what. I liked this one - it takes place at a movie theater during the premiere of a slasher movie. Someone in the audience mutates into a demon from the film, and the victims of her attacks also transform into bloodthirsty demons. It's a fun, over-the-top, campy, gory horror movie...essentially a zombie movie but the zombies are demons.
viewing list
Fancy Clown
Member
Word, I saw it on your greatest horror films list. I'm excited to check it out, sound like it's right up my alley.
My watched list has pretty much deviated from my original list. I wish US Netflix had more horror films during October. I don't like that a lot of pre-70s movies are missing from Netflix. Not enough foreign representation either so it makes it harder for me to find Japanese horror movies. =/
#37 - Sisters
A nice taut thriller for the most part, but it falls apart at the end.
I mostly enjoyed it though. The split screen stuff is cool and it can be pretty funny at times.
#38 - The Revenge of Frankenstein
It's interesting that they chose to do away with Christopher Lee's monster and instead focus more on the doctor himself. It all works pretty well, though the reason Frankenstein's new experiment goes wrong is dubious at best. Still, it's silly fun that doesn't really concern itself with being anything other than spectacle, which it's very good at.
#39 - The Mummy (1932)
This movie seems to have gotten a bad rap recently compared to other Universal horror movies. While it's certainly not as snappy as James Whale's work, it works very well in its own way. Yes, it's slow and austere, but that works in its favor. It maintains a wonderful atmosphere with its moody lighting and a great performance from Karloff. It's not surprising the film looks great, considering director Karl Freund was a master cinematographer who had previously worked with the likes of Lang and Murnau. It's certainly not the best Universal horror movie, it may even be the worst (not counting the sequels, aside from Bride), but it's still a good film.
#40 - The Mummy (1959)
As usual, I can't say I'm a fan of whitewashing roles as is always the case in these sorts of movies. Could have at least used someone other than Lee to play Kharis in the flashback and just had him play the mummy monster. The same is of course true of the 1932 film, but this one was almost 30 years later so it's kind of saddening that that sort of thing was still going on. But aside from the expected insensitivity that was an unfortunate product of the time, it's a very fun movie. Apparently it has a lot more in common with the sequels to the Universal film, none of which I've seen. Oh well. As usual, the film is very well made; lush sets, striking colors, just the right amount of over the top acting...very entertaining, which is all these Hammer horror films really need to be. I find it funny that this several thousand year old Egyptian mummy somehow understands English. I don't think it's quite as good as Horror of Dracula or Curse of Frankenstein - my biggest gripe is its overuse of flashbacks - but it's still good.
I wish they would release a comprehensive Hammer horror Blu-ray collection. There are some, but there are also some pretty big gaps. I wouldn't mind having an "early Hammer" collection including the first couple of films in each of the major horror series, or maybe they could just break it down by series with a Dracula collection, a Frankenstein collection, a Mummy collection, a non-Dracula vampire collection, etc.
A nice taut thriller for the most part, but it falls apart at the end.
Sorry, that's not how hypnosis works and using it that way in a thriller is cheap.
#38 - The Revenge of Frankenstein
It's interesting that they chose to do away with Christopher Lee's monster and instead focus more on the doctor himself. It all works pretty well, though the reason Frankenstein's new experiment goes wrong is dubious at best. Still, it's silly fun that doesn't really concern itself with being anything other than spectacle, which it's very good at.
#39 - The Mummy (1932)
This movie seems to have gotten a bad rap recently compared to other Universal horror movies. While it's certainly not as snappy as James Whale's work, it works very well in its own way. Yes, it's slow and austere, but that works in its favor. It maintains a wonderful atmosphere with its moody lighting and a great performance from Karloff. It's not surprising the film looks great, considering director Karl Freund was a master cinematographer who had previously worked with the likes of Lang and Murnau. It's certainly not the best Universal horror movie, it may even be the worst (not counting the sequels, aside from Bride), but it's still a good film.
#40 - The Mummy (1959)
As usual, I can't say I'm a fan of whitewashing roles as is always the case in these sorts of movies. Could have at least used someone other than Lee to play Kharis in the flashback and just had him play the mummy monster. The same is of course true of the 1932 film, but this one was almost 30 years later so it's kind of saddening that that sort of thing was still going on. But aside from the expected insensitivity that was an unfortunate product of the time, it's a very fun movie. Apparently it has a lot more in common with the sequels to the Universal film, none of which I've seen. Oh well. As usual, the film is very well made; lush sets, striking colors, just the right amount of over the top acting...very entertaining, which is all these Hammer horror films really need to be. I find it funny that this several thousand year old Egyptian mummy somehow understands English. I don't think it's quite as good as Horror of Dracula or Curse of Frankenstein - my biggest gripe is its overuse of flashbacks - but it's still good.
I wish they would release a comprehensive Hammer horror Blu-ray collection. There are some, but there are also some pretty big gaps. I wouldn't mind having an "early Hammer" collection including the first couple of films in each of the major horror series, or maybe they could just break it down by series with a Dracula collection, a Frankenstein collection, a Mummy collection, a non-Dracula vampire collection, etc.
pitcairn55
Member
Somehow today I will find a way of choosing whether Alien or The Thing is my favourite. I've had my top ten list sorted for ages, but putting them in order is hard...
Couldn't sleep so I poked around on Netflix and found Argentos Dracula. A very vibrant film as far as color. Love the audio and Draculas theme is a nice touch. Pretty cool for a 70's movie...wait wut? Made in 2012? Didn't realize this was recent. May not finish it tonight but I'm digging this a lot.
kurisu_1974
Banned
#20 Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996)
And this is where the franchise went to die... horrible bric-à-brac movie with sequences in space, in the 17th century and in present day 90s, all equally misguided and cheap looking. The worldbuilding and themes of the first two movies are now completely abandoned, only to be replaced by generic demons and a more traditional idea of Hell and suffering. It's a damned shame.
And this is where the franchise went to die... horrible bric-à-brac movie with sequences in space, in the 17th century and in present day 90s, all equally misguided and cheap looking. The worldbuilding and themes of the first two movies are now completely abandoned, only to be replaced by generic demons and a more traditional idea of Hell and suffering. It's a damned shame.
walkmetothelake
Banned
What a difference a change in character and haircut can make. I crush pretty hard on Cillian Murphy in 28 Days Later but it's not happening here at all (even when things seem normal.) This was a surprisingly fun thriller. Not groundbreaking by any means but better than most similar films.
One of the more enjoyable slashers I've seen. The score is great and the kills were pretty creative/memorable.
---
OP
tav7623
Member
21. Tales from the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight (watched 10/21/15) - It had been a long time (at least 10 years) since I had seen this movie and I remember liking it better than the other TftC Presents movie Bordello of Blood. So when I heard that it (along with Bordello of Blood) was getting a Blu Ray release via Scream Factory I decided to pick it up. After watching it I gotta say, that it for the most part (outside some poor looking stop motion animation in the intro sequence) really holds up well.
#31. Shakma (1990)
Viewed On: VOD
Wow, this one was quite the surprise. This forgotten, low-budget, single location creature feature slasher hybrid was really great. Some med students are playing a DnD-ish game using their entire office after hours like one big level. A wild baboon breaks free and starts killing off the nerds one by one. Some parts are typical 80s teen slasher humor but the violence is actually pretty brutal with some great effects. It may be a bit long and drag in some parts, but when it's on it's ON. And the ending is badass. Highly recommend, it's on Amazon Prime streaming.
I give this film 4 bags of popcorn (out of 5)
#32. Burn, Witch, Burn (1962)
Viewed On: VOD
Another great little surprise for me. This moody supernatural thriller may also go by another (much more inferior) name: Night of the Eagle. The film starts off as a domestic thriller that delves into the superstitious, witchcraft, and black magic while still keeping it very grounded. Some parts even feel like a classic haunted house film. There are some great performances here and the film is quite atmospheric and unnerving. Highly recommend. Burn Witch! Buuuuuuuurrrrn!
I give this film 4 bags of popcorn (out of 5)
#33. Shadow of the Vampire (2000)
Viewed On: Blu-Ray
Loved this one too. I loved the premise, Merhige was inspired by all the creepy rumors and tales of cast members thinking Max Schrek was an actual vampire when filming the classic Nosferatu. One of the best movies about movies I've seen in a while. It does a great job of portraying how fearful the crew would have been in that setting, shooting a film like that. Living up to the title, most shots are in the shadow of night and create a terrifying atmosphere. John Malkovich is amazing as Murnau, but is only topped by Dafoe in his portrayal of "the creature".
I give this film 5 bags of popcorn (out of 5)
#34. Gravy (2015)
Viewed On: Blu-Ray
I enjoyed this one as well. This is one of the new films ScreamFactory has released. It's a horror-comedy that very much reminds me of Jeremy Saulnier's Murder Party. A group of employees at a Mexican restaurant are all trapped inside right before closing time on Halloween night. They are imprisoned by a bunch of crazy people who wish to play "games" and murder them and force the chef to cook them up into delectable dishes. That's pretty much all you need to know. It's pretty funny, but sometime obnoxious, and has some great gore in it too. Not for everyone
I give this film 4 bags of popcorn (out of 5)
My watched list so far
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
So that was pretty damn good, ending notwithstanding. While it doesn't feel as raw or scathing as Night, you can definitely Romero came a long way as a filmmaker during the decade in between films -- this film is shot, edited and paced much stronger than Night, and just feels more refined in general (not 'clean', but just more assured if that makes sense). Great sense of world building here, and the mall setting and the hundreds of zombie extras on screen all help to increase the scale and scope of this thing.
My only real issue is with the
ending, which feels like it was demanded by a producer. But it's not that big a deal either.
Wikipedia edit -- holy shit Peter was Kenan's dad?!
So that was pretty damn good, ending notwithstanding. While it doesn't feel as raw or scathing as Night, you can definitely Romero came a long way as a filmmaker during the decade in between films -- this film is shot, edited and paced much stronger than Night, and just feels more refined in general (not 'clean', but just more assured if that makes sense). Great sense of world building here, and the mall setting and the hundreds of zombie extras on screen all help to increase the scale and scope of this thing.
My only real issue is with the
relatively happy
Wikipedia edit -- holy shit Peter was Kenan's dad?!
#18 - City of the Living Dead (1980)
I've been in somewhat of a slump, so I turned to Fulci in hopes to pull me out of it. And ofcourse he does. This was lovely and right up my alley. Gore! Maggots! Worms! Some of the scenes will stay with me for sure. Multiple people recommended this to me last year and I thank you all. 8/10
#19 - Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
There was one thing that annoyed the shit out of me, every time the creature shows (part of) itself there is this annoying and way too loud sound cue. It was so annoying that I started to pay attention to it, and then it annoyed me even more. Otherwise a totally fine movie, loved the creature design and the suspense as well as the excitement of adventure in the underwater scenes. 6/10
obin_gam
Member
Remeber to say Oh hi Mark! to Greg Sestero in Retro Puppet Master
Bravo...brav-fucking-oh... Argentos Dracula was awesome! Cheesey as all hell and shitty acting galore but I loved it. The praying mantis was kind of a wtf addition but otherwise I liked his take on the old classic. Plus it has Rutger Hauer and some nice boobs to look at. Five howling werewolves!!
#41 - Bram Stoker's Dracula
This was a pretty big gap in my horror film knowledge so I'm glad to finally cross it off the list. That said...
C'mon, don't call it Bram Stoker's Dracula if you're going to significantly stray from the source material. I'm generally not a fan of Dracula adaptations that delve too deeply into his backstory or focus on his human side. Our first introduction to Dracula should be a mysterious and menacing one; that's why the beginning of the story with Harker going to the castle totally oblivious to what awaits him is so effective. You don't need all this extra stuff to try to make the story more "epic" or "tragic" or whatever. I think another problem is that there's no buildup, it just drops us in and says "HEY, IT'S GONNA BE SUPER DANGEROUS AND STUFF!" with the cinematography and sound and everything. It's almost cartoonish. Give us some foreshadowing, build the tension until the moment Harker discovers the truth about Dracula. I understand Coppola may not have wanted to retread the same plot points that other adaptations have, but come on. Also some of the visual things like Dracula's shadow doing weird things...not a fan.
Oldman does a good job with the interpretation of Dracula he was given, but man, never once is he anything close to scary; he's just silly. Hopkins's Van Helsing is equally ridiculous. Oh, and the sound design is way over the top. What's with the random whispery sounds going on all the damn time? Is that supposed to be diegetic? If so then why isn't Harker freaked out by it? And then there's the issue of both Mina and Lucy being awful characters. Especially Mina. What an irredeemable piece of shit character. The entire romance subplot was just horrible, and it was far more disturbing than any evil shit Dracula himself might do because it's just so fucking wrong, and yet by the end we're supposed to feel something for Dracula and Mina and their relationship with its Love Conquers All conclusion? I don't fucking think so. I dunno, almost everything in this movie points to it being some kind of parody. That said, it has some cool moments, and there's a lot that is pretty faithful to the book - moments I haven't seen addressed in other adaptations - plus it looks pretty great for the most part. I won't say anything about Keanu's performance. We...we all know.
So I guess to boil it down to one complaint, I found the movie far too indulgent. Show some restraint; it works wonders in horror.
#42 - The Unknown (1927)
What with the circus freak angle and all, this feels like an inferior precursor to Browning's masterpiece Freaks (which I love almost all of, except for the absolutely horrible disgusting ending that pretty much ruins the entire movie). The (nearly) one sole woman in the film is characterized by one single trait, her fear of men's hands. Luckily for her, Alonzo, played by Lon Chaney, has no arms! Or so it seems... So essentially the movie is about two dudes harrassing and manipulating a boring one-dimensional woman. I can't say that's a very good setup for a movie unless the payoff is damn good, which it's not in this case. We get some poetic justice for one man, but our "happy ending" is just gross and disingenuous.
Chaney's performance is excellent as one would expect, but it can't save this film. Furthermore, the climactic scene is very well executed, but again, it's in service of a troublesome plot. Lesson to take from this movie:
I hate to say it, but with every Browning film I watch I become more disillusioned with him.
This was a pretty big gap in my horror film knowledge so I'm glad to finally cross it off the list. That said...
C'mon, don't call it Bram Stoker's Dracula if you're going to significantly stray from the source material. I'm generally not a fan of Dracula adaptations that delve too deeply into his backstory or focus on his human side. Our first introduction to Dracula should be a mysterious and menacing one; that's why the beginning of the story with Harker going to the castle totally oblivious to what awaits him is so effective. You don't need all this extra stuff to try to make the story more "epic" or "tragic" or whatever. I think another problem is that there's no buildup, it just drops us in and says "HEY, IT'S GONNA BE SUPER DANGEROUS AND STUFF!" with the cinematography and sound and everything. It's almost cartoonish. Give us some foreshadowing, build the tension until the moment Harker discovers the truth about Dracula. I understand Coppola may not have wanted to retread the same plot points that other adaptations have, but come on. Also some of the visual things like Dracula's shadow doing weird things...not a fan.
Oldman does a good job with the interpretation of Dracula he was given, but man, never once is he anything close to scary; he's just silly. Hopkins's Van Helsing is equally ridiculous. Oh, and the sound design is way over the top. What's with the random whispery sounds going on all the damn time? Is that supposed to be diegetic? If so then why isn't Harker freaked out by it? And then there's the issue of both Mina and Lucy being awful characters. Especially Mina. What an irredeemable piece of shit character. The entire romance subplot was just horrible, and it was far more disturbing than any evil shit Dracula himself might do because it's just so fucking wrong, and yet by the end we're supposed to feel something for Dracula and Mina and their relationship with its Love Conquers All conclusion? I don't fucking think so. I dunno, almost everything in this movie points to it being some kind of parody. That said, it has some cool moments, and there's a lot that is pretty faithful to the book - moments I haven't seen addressed in other adaptations - plus it looks pretty great for the most part. I won't say anything about Keanu's performance. We...we all know.
So I guess to boil it down to one complaint, I found the movie far too indulgent. Show some restraint; it works wonders in horror.
#42 - The Unknown (1927)
What with the circus freak angle and all, this feels like an inferior precursor to Browning's masterpiece Freaks (which I love almost all of, except for the absolutely horrible disgusting ending that pretty much ruins the entire movie). The (nearly) one sole woman in the film is characterized by one single trait, her fear of men's hands. Luckily for her, Alonzo, played by Lon Chaney, has no arms! Or so it seems... So essentially the movie is about two dudes harrassing and manipulating a boring one-dimensional woman. I can't say that's a very good setup for a movie unless the payoff is damn good, which it's not in this case. We get some poetic justice for one man, but our "happy ending" is just gross and disingenuous.
Chaney's performance is excellent as one would expect, but it can't save this film. Furthermore, the climactic scene is very well executed, but again, it's in service of a troublesome plot. Lesson to take from this movie:
Never be such a huge simp that you cut off your goddamn arms for a girl, you idiot.
canoli2006
Member
Film 17: Eaten Alive (1976)
Gentleman, I present to you one of the worst movies I've ever seen. I thought this would have been interesting since its directed by Tobe Hooper and co-stars Robert Englund in what I suspect is one of his first roles. It's kinda like Psycho in which the story is about a scythe wielding hotel owner. Just to add insult to injury, he feeds his victims to an African crocodile. One girl goes missing, concerned family goes to look for her, and hilarity ensues.
.
Gentleman, I present to you one of the worst movies I've ever seen. I thought this would have been interesting since its directed by Tobe Hooper and co-stars Robert Englund in what I suspect is one of his first roles. It's kinda like Psycho in which the story is about a scythe wielding hotel owner. Just to add insult to injury, he feeds his victims to an African crocodile. One girl goes missing, concerned family goes to look for her, and hilarity ensues.
Oh and Freddy dies at the end
John Dunbar
correct about everything
25. Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994): This has a pretty fun premise, and works as a trial run for Scream. But while it deserves a lot of credit for doing something different with the series, it feels too long and it runs out of steam way before the end. There was some good stuff along the way though, as I liked the babysitter and actually felt sort of bad when she died although I felt even worse that her death was an inferior version of a kill from the first movie. I also thought it was fucked up in a good way that the "real" Heather gets her husband killed and the kid is left fatherless. The ending I thought was particularly terrible: the final "fight" takes place in the dream world which should be Freddy's domain, but he gets beaten by a lady and a kid? Since it's technically not the movie Freddy but some ancient monster, you can of course argue that he's not necessarily as powerful, but the fight was simply too awful to be overlooked. I think it broke some kind of record when it comes to the bad guy uselessly grabbing and tossing people around and then turning his attention to someone else before finishing them. He must have grabbed and smacked Heather three or four times, and ultimately just leaves her lying in a puddle. I bet she won't come back to stab you in the back. Movie is definitely an improvement over the few preceding ones, and Craven's three are probably the best in the series, but this is definitely the weakest of his trio.
October 21
If there's a description that best fits Demons of the Mind, it's that things happen. It never really regards any kind of logic or attempts any kind of pacing; things just happen, and that's that. While I can't imagine it would be that hard to work a fully formed story out of the concept (which is a kind of Before the Fall of the House of Usher in a way), the script doesn't seem interested in any of that at all, quickly ejecting relationships between characters soon after they're introduced and finding it more and more difficult to justify why the film winds up with as large a cast as it does. Good performances could make up for that, but it's a bit spotty to say the least; while I liked the quiet, still madness that Gillian Hills is able to convey and the always welcomed Patrick Magee, few others do more than show up and read their lines... other than Robert Hardy, who decided that there wasn't going to be a single scene where he wouldn't chew up all the scenery and some of the camera equipment to go with it. It's such a grossly miscalculated bit of ham that one has to wonder if he had something on the filmmakers and Hammer that forced their hand into being OK with his masterwork of unbearable camp. It's a shame it feels so hobbled by the script and Hardy's performance, as it's clear that the underlying story could work out better than it did here, and being a Hammer production, the technical merits are certainly strong, with director Peter Sykes doing well in making the whole film look more expensive than it likely was and coming up with some nice moments of dreamlike menace, particularly in the film's introduction, and Harry Robertson's score is a strong one that fits the film well without being distracting (not that it could with Hardy's line deliveries). There are quite a few good things going on here, but the stuff that anchors it down does a good job of sinking to Marianas Trench-like depths. Truly frustrating.
Film for October 22: Today, bear witness to the rise of all spider-kind in, umm, Kingdom of the Spiders! See! Farm animals fall victim to eight-legged predators! Watch! As Arizona is overrun with atrocious arachnids from every angle! Tremble! As Star Trek's William Shatner plays a veterinarian named Rack Hansen! These are spiders you do not want crawling up your waterspout! Wait, I don't think we can sneak that past the MPAA...
If there's a description that best fits Demons of the Mind, it's that things happen. It never really regards any kind of logic or attempts any kind of pacing; things just happen, and that's that. While I can't imagine it would be that hard to work a fully formed story out of the concept (which is a kind of Before the Fall of the House of Usher in a way), the script doesn't seem interested in any of that at all, quickly ejecting relationships between characters soon after they're introduced and finding it more and more difficult to justify why the film winds up with as large a cast as it does. Good performances could make up for that, but it's a bit spotty to say the least; while I liked the quiet, still madness that Gillian Hills is able to convey and the always welcomed Patrick Magee, few others do more than show up and read their lines... other than Robert Hardy, who decided that there wasn't going to be a single scene where he wouldn't chew up all the scenery and some of the camera equipment to go with it. It's such a grossly miscalculated bit of ham that one has to wonder if he had something on the filmmakers and Hammer that forced their hand into being OK with his masterwork of unbearable camp. It's a shame it feels so hobbled by the script and Hardy's performance, as it's clear that the underlying story could work out better than it did here, and being a Hammer production, the technical merits are certainly strong, with director Peter Sykes doing well in making the whole film look more expensive than it likely was and coming up with some nice moments of dreamlike menace, particularly in the film's introduction, and Harry Robertson's score is a strong one that fits the film well without being distracting (not that it could with Hardy's line deliveries). There are quite a few good things going on here, but the stuff that anchors it down does a good job of sinking to Marianas Trench-like depths. Truly frustrating.
Film for October 22: Today, bear witness to the rise of all spider-kind in, umm, Kingdom of the Spiders! See! Farm animals fall victim to eight-legged predators! Watch! As Arizona is overrun with atrocious arachnids from every angle! Tremble! As Star Trek's William Shatner plays a veterinarian named Rack Hansen! These are spiders you do not want crawling up your waterspout! Wait, I don't think we can sneak that past the MPAA...
internetwolf
Banned
I watched Howl, knock knock, and grave enounters yesterday.
Well, I am sold.
Any of them any good? Heard terrible things about Knock Knock
It really does just hop around without any regard for what came before it. Sometimes people get killed, but no one seems to care until about 10 minutes before the whole thing ends.
Also, even in a month where I've seen two Jess Franco films, this movie has the most shamelessly gratuitous scene of full frontal nudity that I can think of.
internetwolf
Banned
Well, I am sold.
Any of them any good? Heard terrible things about Knock Knock
I can usually enjoy the "terrible" movies but knock knock was TRASH. I'd recommend making it into a drinking game. I'd rate it lower if some of the dialogue didn't crack me up. 5/10
Howl felt like a budget film and was nothing special. "Werewolf on a train" is all I need to say. 4/10
Grave Encounters is a classic found footage film. I loved it but I love most found footage films I watch. It's a ghost hunter team's night in a mental institute. 7/10
flipping_heck
Member
15: Pontypool (2008)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ehq2a8lum_4
An interesting Canadian horror film with the main emphasis on infection, and interestingly, how infection can be passed on.
Based solely at a radio station in 'Pontypool', the radio DJ and his team need to report and survive against the angry mob of infected people. What is very effective about this film is the screenplay, loved the dialogue between the characters and I thought how the idea of transmitting infection in this film was creative and well done.
it's scarier what you don't see than it is what you do see in this film.
Overall: Interesting, creative and fun. 8.5/10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ehq2a8lum_4
An interesting Canadian horror film with the main emphasis on infection, and interestingly, how infection can be passed on.
Based solely at a radio station in 'Pontypool', the radio DJ and his team need to report and survive against the angry mob of infected people. What is very effective about this film is the screenplay, loved the dialogue between the characters and I thought how the idea of transmitting infection in this film was creative and well done.
it's scarier what you don't see than it is what you do see in this film.
Overall: Interesting, creative and fun. 8.5/10
I really like this film! I dig the concept and it feels really unique. Rewatched it a few days ago, but I won't count it on my list this year.
internetwolf
Banned
Pontypool was cool but the whole
thing made no sense to me.
"infected word"
Ivan A Nguyen
Member
25. Nightmare on Elm Street 4: Dream Master (1988)
[Or, Dream Sucubus]
Our hero, Freddy, is back from the dead again. Summoned by the people that buried him, he saves us all from the over powered dream warriors from Elm Street. He finishes taking care of the last of the Elm Street children and becomes connected to a dream succubus who is summoned by his last foe. Freddy tries valliantly to keep the dream powers from spreading, but is playing into the hands of the dream sucbus who absorbs the powers of who ever he kills. Will Freddy be able to end her reign of terror or will he be forced to kill and kill again as she pulls all of her friends into her dreams?
This fourth entry gets 2 letter man's jackets out of 5.
26. Evil Dead (2013)
[Or, Evil Dead 3]
This movie should have been called Evil Dead 3. It's another remake of the same movie. This is by far the best version yet. I am sure that by the time they come out with Evil Dead 4 they will have perfected the story they are trying to tell.
Evil Dead 3 gets a solid 4 McGuiver Defibrillators out of 5.
27. Circle (2015)
[Or, Real time horror for the soul]
Alien abductions, a magic Gantz ball that kills people, and two minute rounds to make a deadly decision. Circle, at it's heart, is a death game. A super natrual death game perpetrated by aliens, but the decisions are all too human. I loved this movie. I didn't think it would work, but the movie does great work of changing character deaths into transitions of conversations. Nothing is more final than a plasma strike to the chest. If you have the time, start up this movie, and enjoy one of the better examples of the ugliness of human nature.
Go see Circle now. It's a rare 5 alien invasions out of 5.
[Or, Dream Sucubus]
Our hero, Freddy, is back from the dead again. Summoned by the people that buried him, he saves us all from the over powered dream warriors from Elm Street. He finishes taking care of the last of the Elm Street children and becomes connected to a dream succubus who is summoned by his last foe. Freddy tries valliantly to keep the dream powers from spreading, but is playing into the hands of the dream sucbus who absorbs the powers of who ever he kills. Will Freddy be able to end her reign of terror or will he be forced to kill and kill again as she pulls all of her friends into her dreams?
This fourth entry gets 2 letter man's jackets out of 5.
26. Evil Dead (2013)
[Or, Evil Dead 3]
This movie should have been called Evil Dead 3. It's another remake of the same movie. This is by far the best version yet. I am sure that by the time they come out with Evil Dead 4 they will have perfected the story they are trying to tell.
Evil Dead 3 gets a solid 4 McGuiver Defibrillators out of 5.
27. Circle (2015)
[Or, Real time horror for the soul]
Alien abductions, a magic Gantz ball that kills people, and two minute rounds to make a deadly decision. Circle, at it's heart, is a death game. A super natrual death game perpetrated by aliens, but the decisions are all too human. I loved this movie. I didn't think it would work, but the movie does great work of changing character deaths into transitions of conversations. Nothing is more final than a plasma strike to the chest. If you have the time, start up this movie, and enjoy one of the better examples of the ugliness of human nature.
Go see Circle now. It's a rare 5 alien invasions out of 5.
Marty Chinn
Member
21) Housebound
Man this movie couldn't figure out if it wanted to be comedic or a serious horror movie. It keeps switching in tone and is kind of a mess because of it. The description made it sound like it was going to be a bit more comedic. I really just couldn't get into this one nor care. I'm pretty disappointed. It feels like they could have had something there if it wasn't all over the map.
Man this movie couldn't figure out if it wanted to be comedic or a serious horror movie. It keeps switching in tone and is kind of a mess because of it. The description made it sound like it was going to be a bit more comedic. I really just couldn't get into this one nor care. I'm pretty disappointed. It feels like they could have had something there if it wasn't all over the map.
Rhomega Beta
Member
15. Corpse Bride "With this candle, I will light your way in darkness. With this ring, I ask you to be mine."
If there's one thing that can be said about Tim Burton, it's that he has imagination. Corpse Bride has that unique character design and bleak atmosphere that reminds me of The Nightmare Before Christmas. Also like TNBC, this is surprisingly a musical, but doesn't have as many songs. This was surprisingly a good movie, having the living world be almost black-and-white, while the dead world has more color to it. Similarly, the living are dull aristocrats looking to marry their children for money, while the dead are more friendly and lively. It doesn't quite reach classic status, but I do highly recommend it.
Full list
If there's one thing that can be said about Tim Burton, it's that he has imagination. Corpse Bride has that unique character design and bleak atmosphere that reminds me of The Nightmare Before Christmas. Also like TNBC, this is surprisingly a musical, but doesn't have as many songs. This was surprisingly a good movie, having the living world be almost black-and-white, while the dead world has more color to it. Similarly, the living are dull aristocrats looking to marry their children for money, while the dead are more friendly and lively. It doesn't quite reach classic status, but I do highly recommend it.
Full list
Infernostew
Member
15) Scream 4 - Welp, this was super disappointing. I can't stand Emma Roberts so finding out she was the lead was a bummer. The intro sequence was real cool until they actually got to
The story was pretty bad and fell flat compared to Scream and Scream 2. At least it wasn't worse than Scream 3 though. 5/10
16) The Serpent and the Rainbow - I keep saying that voodoo is an under used subject in horror and this film proves it can definitely work. The story could've been quite a bit stronger. It centers around Bill Pullman trying to get some zombie powder thing for some pharmaceutical company so they can save or exploit people or something. Some really awesomely frightening scenes in this one which makes the watch more than worth it. I liked the characters quite a bit and with a better story this could've been insanely good. 6/10
17) People Under the Stairs - It's been a few years since I saw this last but since I'm doing Wes and super hyped for Twin Peaks I had to see Big Ed Hurly and Nadine terrorizing people. I love the setting and atmosphere in this film and how deliciously fucked up it is. I mean, this playings like it could be a Goonies like film but Craven doesn't pull any punches. Everett McGill running around in a studded gimp suit chasing around people with a shotgun is priceless! 7/10
18) New Nightmare - The Nightmare series is able to end on a high(er) note at least. Not that I thought Freddy's Dead was the worst entry but it was still a bad way to end the series. This meta horror thriller brings back Heather Langenkamp playing herself as she tries to bring an end to a force that keeps haunting her dreams. Really cool story and I can't think of this idea being done in any capacity before this film. Unfortunately, there's a kid in the film... and he's terrible! Still happy that I've finally seen all the films after all this time. 7/10 1>3>New Nightmare>4>Freddy's Dead>5>2
19) Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy - I've never felt like 4 hours have flown away so quickly ever in my life. Super interesting and well made doc chronicling every Nightmare films (minus the remake that we pretend doesn't exist) and Freddy vs Jason (which is crap) which interviews from most of the cast and crew from each film. Highlight was definitely the segment on Nightmare 2. Just watch it, dammit! I would recommend watching every one of the films beforehand. 9/10
20) Crimson Peak - Del Toro's Hollywood films strikes again... super disappointed with this film. I'll get this out of the way, the film is beautiful. Great imagery, acting is superb, costumes, editing... they're all fantastic. But it's all for not when the story is boring, predictable, unentertaining... I can't even use the "It's a turn your brain off film" excuse. I really wanted to like it, the trailers looked great but I had to fight to keep my eyes open throughout the whole film. I even dozed off for a minute or so. I came in expecting a horror film and it's not, which is fine but it's hardly a thriller... or a gothic romance... (
). What was the point of having ghosts in the film anyway?
Can't she just find this out organically? Was it just to use CGI or for trailer purposes? "If we put ghosts in this film, it'll look like horror in the trailer!" I'm starting to hate when
Please, please make a Spanish language indie film next. 5/10
killing the 2 chicks.
16) The Serpent and the Rainbow - I keep saying that voodoo is an under used subject in horror and this film proves it can definitely work. The story could've been quite a bit stronger. It centers around Bill Pullman trying to get some zombie powder thing for some pharmaceutical company so they can save or exploit people or something. Some really awesomely frightening scenes in this one which makes the watch more than worth it. I liked the characters quite a bit and with a better story this could've been insanely good. 6/10
17) People Under the Stairs - It's been a few years since I saw this last but since I'm doing Wes and super hyped for Twin Peaks I had to see Big Ed Hurly and Nadine terrorizing people. I love the setting and atmosphere in this film and how deliciously fucked up it is. I mean, this playings like it could be a Goonies like film but Craven doesn't pull any punches. Everett McGill running around in a studded gimp suit chasing around people with a shotgun is priceless! 7/10
18) New Nightmare - The Nightmare series is able to end on a high(er) note at least. Not that I thought Freddy's Dead was the worst entry but it was still a bad way to end the series. This meta horror thriller brings back Heather Langenkamp playing herself as she tries to bring an end to a force that keeps haunting her dreams. Really cool story and I can't think of this idea being done in any capacity before this film. Unfortunately, there's a kid in the film... and he's terrible! Still happy that I've finally seen all the films after all this time. 7/10 1>3>New Nightmare>4>Freddy's Dead>5>2
19) Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy - I've never felt like 4 hours have flown away so quickly ever in my life. Super interesting and well made doc chronicling every Nightmare films (minus the remake that we pretend doesn't exist) and Freddy vs Jason (which is crap) which interviews from most of the cast and crew from each film. Highlight was definitely the segment on Nightmare 2. Just watch it, dammit! I would recommend watching every one of the films beforehand. 9/10
20) Crimson Peak - Del Toro's Hollywood films strikes again... super disappointed with this film. I'll get this out of the way, the film is beautiful. Great imagery, acting is superb, costumes, editing... they're all fantastic. But it's all for not when the story is boring, predictable, unentertaining... I can't even use the "It's a turn your brain off film" excuse. I really wanted to like it, the trailers looked great but I had to fight to keep my eyes open throughout the whole film. I even dozed off for a minute or so. I came in expecting a horror film and it's not, which is fine but it's hardly a thriller... or a gothic romance... (
the romantic element of the film was shit
To like warn her not to go to a place that she ended up going anyway? To point her to a room where he husband is banging his sister?
films show a character at the beginning of the film as the narrator and the film ends right where it begin.
October 22
There was never going to be a point where Kingdom of the Spiders was ever destined for anything than being an entire supermarket's worth of cheese, but would it be the right kind of cheese? Things kick off tremendously with an allegedly suspenseful scene with a calf being stalked from grass level that's played just cheeky enough to let you in on the joke while avoiding the need to hog all the fun for itself, and William Shatner's tremendously named Rack Hansen enters the scene soon after as a bit of a slightly boozy-looking horndog of a vet that's big on flirting and short of belief that spiders, of all things!, could be responsible for all the wildlife murders. The film does make a tactical error by focusing more on the characters for a big chunk of the second act, despite their paper thinness, and being pretty short on more attempts at spectacle and starts lifting more from Jaws than it really had the ability to even half-ass, right down to a defiant and business-minded mayor that even look like a hick version of Murray Hamilton. This all changes in the delightfully batshit insane third act, which somehow manages to over-deliver on the goods, going from one jaw-dropping, guffaw-inducing scene after another, as thousands of actual spiders finally turn their attention to mankind, in a kind of retarded version of Phase IV, complete with strategic planning that involves the likes of biplane hijacking and fuse box shorting in order to allow their eventual domination of mankind to go unimpeded. The surprisingly bloody and occasionally gory film (one of the finest violent pest-related overreactions this side of Slugs) isn't scary for even a second, but it's hard not to get caught up in its goofball charm when its aiming so squarely at pleasing and succeeding, as well as marveling at the fact that a film of this kind couldn't be made today as it was, with the spiders crawling over all the actors as well as seeing them get stomped, sprayed with fire extinguishers and other absurd methods of dispatching (though that's not to say that they went out of their way to do so, especially with Shatner's labored attempts to avoid touching them in one scene that makes it look like he's playing the world's strangest game of hopscotch). It's the kind of film that won't ever be considered a good one, and it's a little iffy for a while if it can live up to its potential as a cheese-ball classic, but when it gets fun, it gets really damn fun in a way that better films can't really be.
Film for October 23: In Demon Seed, Julie Christie leads in a sci-fi/horror hybrid that aims to be as disturbing as it is thought-provoking, working as a kind of reverse Frankenstein fable about a supercomputer with sinister designs on the wife of his creator.
There was never going to be a point where Kingdom of the Spiders was ever destined for anything than being an entire supermarket's worth of cheese, but would it be the right kind of cheese? Things kick off tremendously with an allegedly suspenseful scene with a calf being stalked from grass level that's played just cheeky enough to let you in on the joke while avoiding the need to hog all the fun for itself, and William Shatner's tremendously named Rack Hansen enters the scene soon after as a bit of a slightly boozy-looking horndog of a vet that's big on flirting and short of belief that spiders, of all things!, could be responsible for all the wildlife murders. The film does make a tactical error by focusing more on the characters for a big chunk of the second act, despite their paper thinness, and being pretty short on more attempts at spectacle and starts lifting more from Jaws than it really had the ability to even half-ass, right down to a defiant and business-minded mayor that even look like a hick version of Murray Hamilton. This all changes in the delightfully batshit insane third act, which somehow manages to over-deliver on the goods, going from one jaw-dropping, guffaw-inducing scene after another, as thousands of actual spiders finally turn their attention to mankind, in a kind of retarded version of Phase IV, complete with strategic planning that involves the likes of biplane hijacking and fuse box shorting in order to allow their eventual domination of mankind to go unimpeded. The surprisingly bloody and occasionally gory film (one of the finest violent pest-related overreactions this side of Slugs) isn't scary for even a second, but it's hard not to get caught up in its goofball charm when its aiming so squarely at pleasing and succeeding, as well as marveling at the fact that a film of this kind couldn't be made today as it was, with the spiders crawling over all the actors as well as seeing them get stomped, sprayed with fire extinguishers and other absurd methods of dispatching (though that's not to say that they went out of their way to do so, especially with Shatner's labored attempts to avoid touching them in one scene that makes it look like he's playing the world's strangest game of hopscotch). It's the kind of film that won't ever be considered a good one, and it's a little iffy for a while if it can live up to its potential as a cheese-ball classic, but when it gets fun, it gets really damn fun in a way that better films can't really be.
Film for October 23: In Demon Seed, Julie Christie leads in a sci-fi/horror hybrid that aims to be as disturbing as it is thought-provoking, working as a kind of reverse Frankenstein fable about a supercomputer with sinister designs on the wife of his creator.
ThirstyFly
Member
19) Girl House (2014) (Oct 21)
Like Lost After Dark, Girl House is a Canadian, old school slasher, though unlike Lost After Dark, it takes place in modern day and uses technology as a plot device.
The plot follows a Kylie Atkins (Ali Cobrin), a college student struggling to pay her tuition after the passing of her father. Deciding to join GirlHouse, a camgirl house, she becomes the infatuation of Loverboy, an obsessive fan who driven to violence by being bullied by women.
Maybe I'm being a little generous with this one because I'm coming off Lost After Dark which was absolutely awful, but I really enjoyed this. The production values are pretty damn good for a low budget Canadian flick. Especially notable is the cinematography and lighting during the night/dark scenes where everything is lit so you can actually still see what's going on. More filmmakers need to take note of this. I'm so sick of the idea that horror media has to be impossible to see to make it scary, like Lost After Dark which takes place almost entirely at night and is lit/colour corrected so badly you're left watching moving blue and black smears for much of the run time.
Since it's a movie about a camgirl house, technology plays a big part, but aside from some annoying “bleeps and bloops” sound effects whenever something computer-y is shown on screen, it's kept pretty realistic and never feels like it'll become a dated embarrassment like the use of technology in Halloween: Resurrection.
It could probably be a little more excessive though. After the fucking bonkers opening scene the kills are all saved for the finale so there isn't a lot of tension to be had. Likeable leads keep it from being a slog though and when the shit does hit the fan, while not being too gory, it's very brutal. Loverboy is an absolute monster. It's also lighter on the sex and nudity than you'd expect a movie about camgirls to be, but I'll leave that up to you to decide if that's a pro or a con.
Rating:
out of 5 Michaels from Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror.
tav7623
Member
22. Ju-On: The Grudge (watched on 10/22/15) - I had tivo'd this movie the other day cause I was curious to see how it differed/compared to the American remake (which I vaguely remember watching about 8-9 years ago), but didn't end up watching it til today (Oct 22nd) after playing a few chapters of the latest Fatal Frame game, Maiden of Black Water, earlier. After watching this movie I did notice some of the stuff that made it into the American remake as well as a few things that I don't recall seeing in the remake (
and honestly based on the differences between the two movies I think I might prefer the remake over the original. Though the reason for that is not because I feel the American remake is superior, but rather that I feel the American remake (at least not that recall) doesn't jump around in time (without giving you any indication that it has done so until you see bits of dialogue that indicates it) like the original which led to a lot of confusion for me.
like the girl Rika waking up to find Toshio on her chest and the creepy ghost girl standing over her head or the bit involving the school girls or the jumps/gaps of time that happen
ThirstyFly
Member
20) Nightbreed: The Director's Cut (1990) (Oct 22)
Nightbreed may not be a great movie, but it captures the feel of its generation so well and reminded me of the kind of movies I grew up with that I couldn't help but enjoy it.
It obviously feels very pieced together (because it is) and too long for what it is, but I'm a sucker for dark fantasy stories. The dynamic between Boone and Decker was the best part and I would have liked to see more of it.
From some random sampling of comments on IMDb, it sounds like after all this fuss the theatrical release is still the better version? Unfortunately I purchased the standard edition Blu-ray because the limited edition with the theatrical cut was stupid expensive, so unless I track down an old DVD, it doesn't look like I'll be watching that anytime soon. I'm definitely disappointed by the way Scream Factory handled this release.
Not much else to say about this one. How's that new Hellraiser coming, Barker?
Rating:
out of 5 Michaels from Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror.
31 Days of Horror
Pre-31 Days of Horror 1 - Behind the Mask
Pre-31 Days of Horror 2 - Unfriended
Day 1 - The Hills Have Eyes (2006)
Day 2 - The Thing (1982)
Day 3 - The Cabinet of Dr. Calagari
Day 3 Double Feature - Dead Silence
Day 4 - Black Death
Day 5 - Maniac Cop
Day 6 - The Omen (1976)
Day 7 - Creep (2014)
Day 8 - The Taking of Deborah Logan
Day 9 - The Return of the Living Dead
Day 10 - ATM
Day 10 Double Feature - From Dusk Till Dawn
Day 11 - The People Under the Stairs
Day 11 Double Feature - The Strangers
Day 12 - Stake Land
Day 13 - Fright Night (2011)
Day 14 - The Ward
Day 15 - Tales from the Darkside: The Movie
Day 16 - Cube
Day 17 - Dark Skies
Day 18 - The Theatre Bizarre
Day 19 - The Monster Squad
Day 20 - Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead
Day 21 - Night of the Demons
Day 22 - Suspiria
Suspiria
This is the first Argento I've had the pleasure of viewing. I have seen this on countless lists over the past several years and have had it in my queue for as long as I could remember. I didn't think it was great but I thought it was fresh compared to a lot of movies that came out in the decades to follow.
The use of colors and music worked well for the movie. It really had awesome aesthetics that takes you out of your comfort zone. Some of the acting felt a bit rough and the death scenes were a bit awkwardly shot, but I had to keep reminding myself that it's a film that released in the late 70s. When comparing it to films that came out around the same time, it truly steps it up in all departments. Practical effects were great and the story was concise and not overbearing and all over the place. I can't emphasize enough how well the music was in this movie. It sounded familiar and like something I've heard before. I just can't put my finger on it.
I suggest people check it out. I really enjoyed it.
Rating: Watch
Which Argento movie should I check out next
?
Pre-31 Days of Horror 1 - Behind the Mask
Pre-31 Days of Horror 2 - Unfriended
Day 1 - The Hills Have Eyes (2006)
Day 2 - The Thing (1982)
Day 3 - The Cabinet of Dr. Calagari
Day 3 Double Feature - Dead Silence
Day 4 - Black Death
Day 5 - Maniac Cop
Day 6 - The Omen (1976)
Day 7 - Creep (2014)
Day 8 - The Taking of Deborah Logan
Day 9 - The Return of the Living Dead
Day 10 - ATM
Day 10 Double Feature - From Dusk Till Dawn
Day 11 - The People Under the Stairs
Day 11 Double Feature - The Strangers
Day 12 - Stake Land
Day 13 - Fright Night (2011)
Day 14 - The Ward
Day 15 - Tales from the Darkside: The Movie
Day 16 - Cube
Day 17 - Dark Skies
Day 18 - The Theatre Bizarre
Day 19 - The Monster Squad
Day 20 - Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead
Day 21 - Night of the Demons
Day 22 - Suspiria
Suspiria
This is the first Argento I've had the pleasure of viewing. I have seen this on countless lists over the past several years and have had it in my queue for as long as I could remember. I didn't think it was great but I thought it was fresh compared to a lot of movies that came out in the decades to follow.
The use of colors and music worked well for the movie. It really had awesome aesthetics that takes you out of your comfort zone. Some of the acting felt a bit rough and the death scenes were a bit awkwardly shot, but I had to keep reminding myself that it's a film that released in the late 70s. When comparing it to films that came out around the same time, it truly steps it up in all departments. Practical effects were great and the story was concise and not overbearing and all over the place. I can't emphasize enough how well the music was in this movie. It sounded familiar and like something I've heard before. I just can't put my finger on it.
I suggest people check it out. I really enjoyed it.
Rating: Watch
Which Argento movie should I check out next
year
walkmetothelake
Banned
Yikes.
Kind of an improvement on the previous entry? Still yikes.
None of the Leprechaun films were very good but at least none of the other ones were boring on top of things. Not sure why they even bothered getting the WWE guy to play the Leprechaun.
Hasn't held up too well for me but this is easily the best major horror remake (out of ANOES/Ft13/Halloween/TCM) so take that as you will.
---
OP
TheSlySoul
Member
Been lazy watching movies, have not watched anything since the 17th. Going to marathon stuff on my DVR.
Ex Machina. I watched this last night and have been torn on including it in this list but it's a thriller so kind of fits in Halloween type flicks. This was a good movie but a bit slow and could have been better as a short, maybe half the length it is. The ending was pretty cool but getting there is kind of boring. Three homicidal, naked robot chicks.
Violence Jack
Member
29. Ringu (1998) - This might be the only time where I'll ever say that I preferred the American remake of a J-horror film. I found this to be quite boring, but the scares are in the right places. Of course, I saw the remake first, so that might have something to do with my judgment of this film. 5.5/10.
internetwolf
Banned
Nothing to do at work today so I need a good movie to watch!
Fancy Clown
Member
20. Killer Klowns from Outer Space. Sorta like Night of the Creeps only not as good. Still, a fun goofy time, and one that I'm sure would be improved by a factor of how drunk you are and how many people you're with.
21. The Evil Dead (Rewatch). Still a pretty great time, but is only a rough sketch of what would be refined in Evil Dead II. Super impressive for its budget, and there are some pretty gnarly gore scenes (that pencil in the ankle ugh).
22. Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn (Rewatch). I watched this back to back with the first (which I'm not sure is really a great way to watch them if its your first time considering II is basically just a remake) which was interesting to really examine how Raimi tackles the same story with a slightly larger budget and more experience. The faster pace is the most notable difference, and while I appreciate the slow build of the more classically horror original, the rapid fire editing and pace of this one feels more in line with the crazy kinetic visual style of the series. This one looks better, is more fun, ever scene is memorable, the ending is great. It takes the solid groundwork of the original and makes it classic.
21. The Evil Dead (Rewatch). Still a pretty great time, but is only a rough sketch of what would be refined in Evil Dead II. Super impressive for its budget, and there are some pretty gnarly gore scenes (that pencil in the ankle ugh).
22. Evil Dead II: Dead by Dawn (Rewatch). I watched this back to back with the first (which I'm not sure is really a great way to watch them if its your first time considering II is basically just a remake) which was interesting to really examine how Raimi tackles the same story with a slightly larger budget and more experience. The faster pace is the most notable difference, and while I appreciate the slow build of the more classically horror original, the rapid fire editing and pace of this one feels more in line with the crazy kinetic visual style of the series. This one looks better, is more fun, ever scene is memorable, the ending is great. It takes the solid groundwork of the original and makes it classic.
ThirstyFly
Member
Full review when I'm on my computer, but Black Sabbath... Holeeeeeee shit.