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31 Days of Horror 5 |OT| The October Movie Marathon
- Thread starter ThirstyFly
- Start date
Fox Mulder
Member
I failed this year due to work, might fit two more in tonight for 29 total. Did enjoy watching a bunch of Vincent Price stuff this year.
Watched the Thing earlier. What an awesome movie. I hadn't watched it on my 4k TV yet and holy shit the amount of detail in the background was incredible. My old DLP just wasn't as clear. Pretty cool looking at books on shelves and the stuff around the other camp. Nothing that adds anything to the movie just an amazing amount of detail to look at since I've watched this many times now.
Watching the Fly with Vincent Price now. Have never seen this before. I have seen the newer one but didn't care for it. May need to watch that again at some point and give it another chance. I grew up watching old 50's movies on weekend TV so this is a nice throwback. May try and find some old monster movies soon. I love all the old school tech they used for science and this guy's lab is awesome.
Have a couple friends coming by and will be rewatching both Rubber and Zombeavers when they show up. Love these two stupid ass movies!
Might do some sort of a wrap up tomorrow, very glad I did this. Got to learn about some bad ass new movies.
Watching the Fly with Vincent Price now. Have never seen this before. I have seen the newer one but didn't care for it. May need to watch that again at some point and give it another chance. I grew up watching old 50's movies on weekend TV so this is a nice throwback. May try and find some old monster movies soon. I love all the old school tech they used for science and this guy's lab is awesome.
Have a couple friends coming by and will be rewatching both Rubber and Zombeavers when they show up. Love these two stupid ass movies!
Might do some sort of a wrap up tomorrow, very glad I did this. Got to learn about some bad ass new movies.
#31 - Warlock (1989)
Decent fantasy/horror film. Richard E. Grant is more entertaining as the witch hunter than Julian Sands as the warlock, but both actors are delightfully hammy. Kassandra, whom the warlock curses to age rapidly, has some good one-liners throughout to keep things lighthearted. The movie feels a little long and the visual effects are hit or miss (the flying scene was hilariously bad), but there are worse ways to spend ~1h40m.
viewing list
...and that's a wrap.
Decent fantasy/horror film. Richard E. Grant is more entertaining as the witch hunter than Julian Sands as the warlock, but both actors are delightfully hammy. Kassandra, whom the warlock curses to age rapidly, has some good one-liners throughout to keep things lighthearted. The movie feels a little long and the visual effects are hit or miss (the flying scene was hilariously bad), but there are worse ways to spend ~1h40m.
viewing list
...and that's a wrap.
Rhomega Beta
Member
26. The Others "The children have a very serious allergy to light."
I heard of this because of the plot twist, which isn't as famous as Citizen Kane's or The Empire Strikes Back's, but it's still fairly well known. Regardless, I find this to be a pretty good movie, even with the ending spoiled. The movie seems very hushed, with little background music and everyone speaking in low voices or whispers. Grace even notes that silence is prided upon in the house, so there's no phone, radio, or even electricity (this is shortly after WWII). What I find the most interesting about the movie is that even though the children report seeing several ghosts throughout the house, we never see them ourselves. It's more about Grace's reaction to the hauntings around the house. Also noteworthy is the fog. This is Jersey, near England, so I'm not too surprised, but it makes the house feel like its in its own separate world. Indeed, few scenes take place outside, and only once off the property.
Oh, and for Doctor Who fans, don't get excited about Christopher Eccleston being in this. He's only in a few scenes and talks very little.
Part of the ending does bother me though.
Full list
I heard of this because of the plot twist, which isn't as famous as Citizen Kane's or The Empire Strikes Back's, but it's still fairly well known. Regardless, I find this to be a pretty good movie, even with the ending spoiled. The movie seems very hushed, with little background music and everyone speaking in low voices or whispers. Grace even notes that silence is prided upon in the house, so there's no phone, radio, or even electricity (this is shortly after WWII). What I find the most interesting about the movie is that even though the children report seeing several ghosts throughout the house, we never see them ourselves. It's more about Grace's reaction to the hauntings around the house. Also noteworthy is the fog. This is Jersey, near England, so I'm not too surprised, but it makes the house feel like its in its own separate world. Indeed, few scenes take place outside, and only once off the property.
Oh, and for Doctor Who fans, don't get excited about Christopher Eccleston being in this. He's only in a few scenes and talks very little.
Part of the ending does bother me though.
The family is very Catholic, and yet they don't go to heaven, hell, limbo, or whatever. They just decide to stick around as ghosts. All Grace can say is that she doesn't know what the afterlife is supposed to be, but to me that implies that heaven, hell, and God aren't real at all. I think being dead entitles you to some answers.
Full list
canoli2006
Member
Evil Dead films are becoming a yearly watch for me since they are all so fantastic in every way. The remake of The Fly surprised me as to how good it was. I consider myself a fan of the original but the remake is much better. You're Next is always a fun ride.
Violence Jack
Member
47. Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors My favorite NOES sequel. I loved the dream sequences near the end where everyone got their powers, and it was the first time Freddy started providing his one-liners. One of the best horror sequels ever. 8/10
48. Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master I think this film gets hated on way too much within the series, but I always thought it was quite good. I like the character of Alice and decided to go with her instead of Kristen from Part 3. 7/10.
49. Trick r Treat My must-see Halloween film. It's still enjoyable to watch every year. My favorite story is probably the Red Riding Hood sequence. I can't wait for part 2. 8.5/10
I might try to get to 50, but I'm getting tired. I've been watching horror movies for almost 12 hours. 49 movies still broke my previous record anyway.
48. Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master I think this film gets hated on way too much within the series, but I always thought it was quite good. I like the character of Alice and decided to go with her instead of Kristen from Part 3. 7/10.
49. Trick r Treat My must-see Halloween film. It's still enjoyable to watch every year. My favorite story is probably the Red Riding Hood sequence. I can't wait for part 2. 8.5/10
I might try to get to 50, but I'm getting tired. I've been watching horror movies for almost 12 hours. 49 movies still broke my previous record anyway.
GAF help me choose a horror movie to see tonight!
The options are:
1 - The Kill List
I've always wanted to see this movie. Heard great things about it. Plus the main actor is a guy I love, Neil Maskell, who played Arby on Utopia (TV series).
2 - Blood Tomahawk.
Seems to be the horror movie of the moment. Heard great things about it, also I can't never get enough of Kurt Russell's beard.
I can't choose GAF!!! Help me!
The options are:
1 - The Kill List
I've always wanted to see this movie. Heard great things about it. Plus the main actor is a guy I love, Neil Maskell, who played Arby on Utopia (TV series).
2 - Blood Tomahawk.
Seems to be the horror movie of the moment. Heard great things about it, also I can't never get enough of Kurt Russell's beard.
I can't choose GAF!!! Help me!
Violence Jack
Member
mariachi507
Member
25. Lifeforce
"I'd say she's perfect. I've been in space for six months and she looks perfect to me."
Space Vampires? Space Vampires.
Tobe Hooper is such an odd director for me. I will say one thing for him, you never know what you're going to get with one of his films. Lifeforce is one of those films that works in many aspects but sometimes it doesn't. All in all it's good fun. Mathilda May walking around the whole movie naked helps a little as well. This is actually one of those kind of films that could benefit from a remake in my opinion. Mathilda is kind of irreplaceable though.
7/10
26. Bay of Blood (Twitch of the Death Nerve)
"If you kill for killing sake, you become a monster."
Mario Bava, you beautiful beautiful man you. You never let me down, and I'm happy to say that you brought the goods with Bay of Blood. If there was ever a film that could be labeled as the proto-slasher, it has to be this one. There is a good 20 minutes in the middle of flick that is basically a Friday the 13th film. In fact, Friday as a series has probably took every kill from this movie at one time or another.
Amazing gore, cool music, great visuals. Bava is legit.
8/10
27. Black Sabbath
"Why did you go and call your friend, Mary?"
I just couldn't stop at Bay of Blood for my Bava fix. This spot was originally reserved for Videodrome, but I decided to push it for next year in what I think will be a list dominated with lots of body horror. I had previously seen the last segment of this film "drops of water" in the AIP version before I figured out what I was watching. (The AIP version runs the stories out of order). The differences between the picture/colors and violence has told me that I made the right decision in waiting for the director's original vision. I do wish that I could have heard Karloff speak in his original voice, but it's something I willing to trade for a superior film. There is probably not any aspect in any of the films three stories that will surprise the modern horror fan. As a matter of fact, the stories are all predictable nowadays and are the kind of stories that have been told time after time. That being said, the way they are executed is above and beyond what most directors are capable of. Mario Bava is an absolute virtuoso of the horror genre, and his talents are on full display with this terrific anthology of terror.
One thing I have to note. I've now seen four Bava flicks, three Fulci's, three Argento's, and two Soavi's. If I had to pick one as the king of Italian horror I believe I'm leaning towards Bava.
9/10
28. We Are Still Here
"It's still Dagmar's house."
I decided to put this towards the end of my list after I had watched a few Fulci flicks. The reason being I heard this is a throwback to the kind of film he would make. After watching the movie I do wish I had seen House by the Cemetery before I watched We Are Still Here, as I've read that is the movie the filmmakers mainly pulled from. I still enjoyed the film though. There are some good scares and some great throwback gore. I wouldn't say that the visuals are up to par with Fulci's talent but it was still a nice homage. I also liked how tight the runtime was, but I was still hoping that the story would have been fleshed out a little bit more before the movie ended. I was left a little confused by the ending at first, but I think i've figured it out since then. Good flick.
7.5/10
Next: Only three slots left on my list, and with a certain horror icon making his return this month, there was only three films that could fill those slots.
"I'd say she's perfect. I've been in space for six months and she looks perfect to me."
Space Vampires? Space Vampires.
Tobe Hooper is such an odd director for me. I will say one thing for him, you never know what you're going to get with one of his films. Lifeforce is one of those films that works in many aspects but sometimes it doesn't. All in all it's good fun. Mathilda May walking around the whole movie naked helps a little as well. This is actually one of those kind of films that could benefit from a remake in my opinion. Mathilda is kind of irreplaceable though.
7/10
26. Bay of Blood (Twitch of the Death Nerve)
"If you kill for killing sake, you become a monster."
Mario Bava, you beautiful beautiful man you. You never let me down, and I'm happy to say that you brought the goods with Bay of Blood. If there was ever a film that could be labeled as the proto-slasher, it has to be this one. There is a good 20 minutes in the middle of flick that is basically a Friday the 13th film. In fact, Friday as a series has probably took every kill from this movie at one time or another.
All of these characters are awful people, it was fun to see them sneak behind each others back and murder each other. The normally ridiculous ending works because of the absurdity that came before. I don't want to make it sound like a spoof though because many of these scenes are not played for laughs. The beginning of the film made me believe I was about to watch a straight up giallo. Then Bava turned that on his head in the only way he could.
8/10
27. Black Sabbath
"Why did you go and call your friend, Mary?"
I just couldn't stop at Bay of Blood for my Bava fix. This spot was originally reserved for Videodrome, but I decided to push it for next year in what I think will be a list dominated with lots of body horror. I had previously seen the last segment of this film "drops of water" in the AIP version before I figured out what I was watching. (The AIP version runs the stories out of order). The differences between the picture/colors and violence has told me that I made the right decision in waiting for the director's original vision. I do wish that I could have heard Karloff speak in his original voice, but it's something I willing to trade for a superior film. There is probably not any aspect in any of the films three stories that will surprise the modern horror fan. As a matter of fact, the stories are all predictable nowadays and are the kind of stories that have been told time after time. That being said, the way they are executed is above and beyond what most directors are capable of. Mario Bava is an absolute virtuoso of the horror genre, and his talents are on full display with this terrific anthology of terror.
One thing I have to note. I've now seen four Bava flicks, three Fulci's, three Argento's, and two Soavi's. If I had to pick one as the king of Italian horror I believe I'm leaning towards Bava.
9/10
28. We Are Still Here
"It's still Dagmar's house."
I decided to put this towards the end of my list after I had watched a few Fulci flicks. The reason being I heard this is a throwback to the kind of film he would make. After watching the movie I do wish I had seen House by the Cemetery before I watched We Are Still Here, as I've read that is the movie the filmmakers mainly pulled from. I still enjoyed the film though. There are some good scares and some great throwback gore. I wouldn't say that the visuals are up to par with Fulci's talent but it was still a nice homage. I also liked how tight the runtime was, but I was still hoping that the story would have been fleshed out a little bit more before the movie ended. I was left a little confused by the ending at first, but I think i've figured it out since then. Good flick.
7.5/10
Next: Only three slots left on my list, and with a certain horror icon making his return this month, there was only three films that could fill those slots.
Yeah not many people have seen it but most that did seen to love Kill List! Seems like I'll finally see it today!
Yeah, I meant Bone Tomahawk! Lol! Not really a spoiler, but just in case
from what I heard seems like there is not much horror until the last third of the movie but then it get's to Eli Roth's levels of gore
October 31
After nearly 15 years, I have finally rewatched The Exorcist, this time in its original theatrical version. While I don't have the greatest memory of the extended version, I do remember quite a bit more of an effort to throw more at the audience, particularly the spider walk, so I was more than pleased to see a much more restrained and subtle work of terror this go-around. While it is a slow burn to begin with, I was impressed with how well Friedkin tells the story through the very careful editing before things turn demonic, instantly catching you up on the time lapse between shots in logical yet clever ways, as well as a strong parallel between the lives of the MacNeils and Father Karras that drives the narrative of the film early on. It's also a great looking film from beginning to end, and while its most famous shots get all the press, the overall look and feel of the film feels rather genuine yet having a nice sense of style, thanks to strong lighting and a great use of geography of the MacNeil residence inside and out. The rest of its technical virtues remain unimpeachable (it's crazy how eerie Max Von Sydow's makeup looks in comparison to the man being that age these days; Dick Smith was truly a genius), and because it doesn't really call much attention to its time period, there's a timeless quality to it that helps it feel a lot younger than its 42 years of age. The performances are all superb around, with everyone playing off of each other well and creating believable relationships with one another. And it's still one of the most physically draining and terrifying films out there, going places that few films today even dare to (the crucifix stabbing scene is still so very effective, and I will never not get the creeps during the spinal tap sequence), which helps tremendously in that timeless quality I mentioned. It's safe to say I prefer its original theatrical cut, but no matter how you cut it, it's a masterpiece of horror for good reason.
Proving that there are times where you can snort too much coke before making a film, Exorcist II: The Heretic is the kind of misfire that needs to be seen to be believed. Extended tap dance numbers, footage of a menacing superimposed locust that never seems to make up its mind on being supersized or not, a major plot element being a pair of strobe lights glued onto a dynamite plunger, James Earl Jones in a locust costume threatening to spit out jaguars and about 400 other things just as strange and bizarre all line up to make a film that on paper is filled with too much incident, and yet its execution feels tired and rather pedestrian. Who knows just how much John Boorman was really invested into the production, as it has none of the spark of his previous films and seems to be little more than an excuse to play around with some then ultra-modern apartments and sets that wind up dating the film badly, with a surplus of reflective surfaces that gets old really quickly and utterly botching a recreation of what could have happened in the final confrontation between Father Merrin and Pazuzu, making it look like a wretched made-for-TV movie moment, complete with poor Max Von Sydow not giving even a faint damn. The dumpster fire of a story suffers from not having a central thread, thereby failing to pull any of the rather disparate elements together and having them pile up in a car wreck that could potentially be seen from space. It's a scientific explanation for evil, but not really, and there's a holy healer version of the X-Men that Father Merrin was trying to put together, or something, and I guess Regan's caretaker is probably evil for some reason? It's so hard to keep everything straight that by the time the lunatic finale comes around, with its special effects spectacle being undone by poor studio sets standing in for the original on-location Georgetown shots (that matte painting is a crime against humanity, holy shit) that you just have to sit down and let everything fail. The cast seems perpetually fighting against a script that simply refuses to let them be proper actors, although what appears to be a frequently inebriated Richard Burton suffers worse from shots where he's literally just standing around and not knowing what he needs to be doing when he's not delivering a line; I don't want to knock on him too hard since it did sound like it was a really rough patch in his life, but his lines are often delivered with a dose of over-seriousness that requires him to be a lot more hammy than he actually is, though he does acquit himself somewhat in the finale, where he seems more eager to embrace the absurdity of it all. In a way, the film does work as more of a sustained reel of bad ideas, as if it were the celluloid equivalent of what's going on with all the diseases plaguing Mr. Burns as they all cancel each other out somehow. And as uninteresting as the filmmaking often feels, it's not a boring film by any stretch. It's definitely not a good film, but the car wreck quality is very real here. It's bad in a way that can't really be explained through text, and while it's tempting to suggest that it should go unseen by even the morbidly curious, there's really no proper way to understand it without experiencing it firsthand. Sometimes, one must meet a hurricane head on.
Write-up for November 1: Final thoughts on the entire month, a little bit of an awards show, and a tease of what's to come next year for the eighth annual marathon I'll be holding.
After nearly 15 years, I have finally rewatched The Exorcist, this time in its original theatrical version. While I don't have the greatest memory of the extended version, I do remember quite a bit more of an effort to throw more at the audience, particularly the spider walk, so I was more than pleased to see a much more restrained and subtle work of terror this go-around. While it is a slow burn to begin with, I was impressed with how well Friedkin tells the story through the very careful editing before things turn demonic, instantly catching you up on the time lapse between shots in logical yet clever ways, as well as a strong parallel between the lives of the MacNeils and Father Karras that drives the narrative of the film early on. It's also a great looking film from beginning to end, and while its most famous shots get all the press, the overall look and feel of the film feels rather genuine yet having a nice sense of style, thanks to strong lighting and a great use of geography of the MacNeil residence inside and out. The rest of its technical virtues remain unimpeachable (it's crazy how eerie Max Von Sydow's makeup looks in comparison to the man being that age these days; Dick Smith was truly a genius), and because it doesn't really call much attention to its time period, there's a timeless quality to it that helps it feel a lot younger than its 42 years of age. The performances are all superb around, with everyone playing off of each other well and creating believable relationships with one another. And it's still one of the most physically draining and terrifying films out there, going places that few films today even dare to (the crucifix stabbing scene is still so very effective, and I will never not get the creeps during the spinal tap sequence), which helps tremendously in that timeless quality I mentioned. It's safe to say I prefer its original theatrical cut, but no matter how you cut it, it's a masterpiece of horror for good reason.
Proving that there are times where you can snort too much coke before making a film, Exorcist II: The Heretic is the kind of misfire that needs to be seen to be believed. Extended tap dance numbers, footage of a menacing superimposed locust that never seems to make up its mind on being supersized or not, a major plot element being a pair of strobe lights glued onto a dynamite plunger, James Earl Jones in a locust costume threatening to spit out jaguars and about 400 other things just as strange and bizarre all line up to make a film that on paper is filled with too much incident, and yet its execution feels tired and rather pedestrian. Who knows just how much John Boorman was really invested into the production, as it has none of the spark of his previous films and seems to be little more than an excuse to play around with some then ultra-modern apartments and sets that wind up dating the film badly, with a surplus of reflective surfaces that gets old really quickly and utterly botching a recreation of what could have happened in the final confrontation between Father Merrin and Pazuzu, making it look like a wretched made-for-TV movie moment, complete with poor Max Von Sydow not giving even a faint damn. The dumpster fire of a story suffers from not having a central thread, thereby failing to pull any of the rather disparate elements together and having them pile up in a car wreck that could potentially be seen from space. It's a scientific explanation for evil, but not really, and there's a holy healer version of the X-Men that Father Merrin was trying to put together, or something, and I guess Regan's caretaker is probably evil for some reason? It's so hard to keep everything straight that by the time the lunatic finale comes around, with its special effects spectacle being undone by poor studio sets standing in for the original on-location Georgetown shots (that matte painting is a crime against humanity, holy shit) that you just have to sit down and let everything fail. The cast seems perpetually fighting against a script that simply refuses to let them be proper actors, although what appears to be a frequently inebriated Richard Burton suffers worse from shots where he's literally just standing around and not knowing what he needs to be doing when he's not delivering a line; I don't want to knock on him too hard since it did sound like it was a really rough patch in his life, but his lines are often delivered with a dose of over-seriousness that requires him to be a lot more hammy than he actually is, though he does acquit himself somewhat in the finale, where he seems more eager to embrace the absurdity of it all. In a way, the film does work as more of a sustained reel of bad ideas, as if it were the celluloid equivalent of what's going on with all the diseases plaguing Mr. Burns as they all cancel each other out somehow. And as uninteresting as the filmmaking often feels, it's not a boring film by any stretch. It's definitely not a good film, but the car wreck quality is very real here. It's bad in a way that can't really be explained through text, and while it's tempting to suggest that it should go unseen by even the morbidly curious, there's really no proper way to understand it without experiencing it firsthand. Sometimes, one must meet a hurricane head on.
Write-up for November 1: Final thoughts on the entire month, a little bit of an awards show, and a tease of what's to come next year for the eighth annual marathon I'll be holding.
Rhomega Beta
Member
28. The Nightmare Before Christmas "Jack, please, I'm only an elected official here! I can't make decisions by myself!" (rewatch)
I don't watch this movie a lot, but recently I've come to appreciate it more and more. Tim Burton shines in his character and setting designs. The songs are classic and memorable. What I've noticed this time around is that while the citizens of Halloweentown don't really "get" Christmas, Jack doesn't really get it either, even though he thinks he does. I do think the best scene is "What's This?", showing how Jack reacts to a world that is completely alien and different to what he's used to. In the end, I do have some questions.
1. How is that they spend all year preparing for the next Halloween only for it to be a 3-minute musical number. It's not like there's an audience to appreciate it. Surely they could've done more.
2. Halloweentown seems to only exist as this one small town. So why is there both a King and a Mayor? Doesn't the mayor seem superfluous?
3. When Jack first sees Christmas Town, it's a small village. When he comes back, it's a full-blown city. Did he go to some other part of the realm or what? That's always bothered me.
Full list
This will conclude my 31 Days of Horror. I've beaten my old record (27 to 20). I'll be back tomorrow with my Letterboxd list and rankings.
I don't watch this movie a lot, but recently I've come to appreciate it more and more. Tim Burton shines in his character and setting designs. The songs are classic and memorable. What I've noticed this time around is that while the citizens of Halloweentown don't really "get" Christmas, Jack doesn't really get it either, even though he thinks he does. I do think the best scene is "What's This?", showing how Jack reacts to a world that is completely alien and different to what he's used to. In the end, I do have some questions.
1. How is that they spend all year preparing for the next Halloween only for it to be a 3-minute musical number. It's not like there's an audience to appreciate it. Surely they could've done more.
2. Halloweentown seems to only exist as this one small town. So why is there both a King and a Mayor? Doesn't the mayor seem superfluous?
3. When Jack first sees Christmas Town, it's a small village. When he comes back, it's a full-blown city. Did he go to some other part of the realm or what? That's always bothered me.
Full list
This will conclude my 31 Days of Horror. I've beaten my old record (27 to 20). I'll be back tomorrow with my Letterboxd list and rankings.
Fox Mulder
Member
Evil Dead films are becoming a yearly watch for me since they are all so fantastic in every way. The remake of The Fly surprised me as to how good it was. I consider myself a fan of the original but the remake is much better. You're Next is always a fun ride.
I gotta work in the morning, but had to wrap up tonight with you're next. It's great and earned a spot on my yearly repeat viewing list.
canoli2006
Member
Film 24: Beetlejuice (1988)
Film 25: Underworld (2003)
Beetlejuice is one of my all time favorite movies and it's a watch I look forward to every Halloween.
Underworld is still a great movie and lots of fun. Didn't care much for the sequels though.
Film 25: Underworld (2003)
Beetlejuice is one of my all time favorite movies and it's a watch I look forward to every Halloween.
Underworld is still a great movie and lots of fun. Didn't care much for the sequels though.
ThirstyFly
Member
Edit:
Finished off my month with Amer and I'm finishing off season one of Tales from the Crypt now. It's pretty late so reviews and summary for the month to be posted tomorrow. I also watched You're Next at a friends house, but it's a rewatch so I won't be counting it. It's still awesome though.
Even though I've only seen a couple of Bava's, I'd have to go with him just because he was so influential and pioneered so much. Just look at how often Bood and Black Lace was imitated.
Soavi only doing 4 horror movies before disappearing in made-for-TV land is something I consider a huge tragedy. He seemed to quit right when he had broken away from Argento's influence and created something fully his own. At least he left in style with Dellamorte Dellamore.
Finished off my month with Amer and I'm finishing off season one of Tales from the Crypt now. It's pretty late so reviews and summary for the month to be posted tomorrow. I also watched You're Next at a friends house, but it's a rewatch so I won't be counting it. It's still awesome though.
Even though I've only seen a couple of Bava's, I'd have to go with him just because he was so influential and pioneered so much. Just look at how often Bood and Black Lace was imitated.
Soavi only doing 4 horror movies before disappearing in made-for-TV land is something I consider a huge tragedy. He seemed to quit right when he had broken away from Argento's influence and created something fully his own. At least he left in style with Dellamorte Dellamore.
* indicates a re-watch
October 31:
The Thing (2011) - Ironic but nobody seems to have a real human reaction to any of the shit going down, I guess it fits with the clinical and scientific vibe of the film but everyone is cold and distant to the situation. The story beats follow the 82 Carpenter film a little too closely which makes hard to not compare it with the film, the film isn't that good to begin with but it makes it feel that much more unnecessary.
The Thing (1982) * - I figured since I watched the crappy remake prequel to this I should probably re-watch this one, still fanfuckingtastic, great way to end the month.
I was planning on watching one more film to end the night but I'm slightly tired of watching films at the moment, I've seen an absurd number of films this month.
Looking at the tally of Horror films from this month:
13 Re-Watches
27 New
October 31:
The Thing (2011) - Ironic but nobody seems to have a real human reaction to any of the shit going down, I guess it fits with the clinical and scientific vibe of the film but everyone is cold and distant to the situation. The story beats follow the 82 Carpenter film a little too closely which makes hard to not compare it with the film, the film isn't that good to begin with but it makes it feel that much more unnecessary.
The Thing (1982) * - I figured since I watched the crappy remake prequel to this I should probably re-watch this one, still fanfuckingtastic, great way to end the month.
I was planning on watching one more film to end the night but I'm slightly tired of watching films at the moment, I've seen an absurd number of films this month.
Looking at the tally of Horror films from this month:
13 Re-Watches
27 New
Pre October
1. Unfriended
2. The Gift
3. Poltergeist Remake
4. The Visit
5. The Strangers
October
1. Joyride
2. The Faculty
3. The Fog(carpenter )
4. From Dusk Till Dawn
5. Misery
6. Prom Night original
7. Christine
8. Body bags
9. Gremlins
10. Insidious
11. House of wax 3D
12. Burnt Offerings
13. It follows
14. The Babadook
15. The Tourist Trap
16. The Conjuring
17. Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter
18. Insidious chapter 2
19. Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
20. Goosebumps
21. Fright Night(original)
22. Black Christmas(original)
23. Circle
24. Invasion of the body snatchers 1978
25. Return of the living dead
26. An American Werewolf in London
27. From Beyond
28. Army of Darkness
29. Friday the 13th part 4
30. In the mouth of madness
31. Halloween
32. Beetlejuice.
It was a pretty solid month, I didn't watch near as much as last October, which was around 50 something, but I watched a lot more films I've never seen this year. It's always sad to see October go, but I can't wait for next year
1. Unfriended
2. The Gift
3. Poltergeist Remake
4. The Visit
5. The Strangers
October
1. Joyride
2. The Faculty
3. The Fog(carpenter )
4. From Dusk Till Dawn
5. Misery
6. Prom Night original
7. Christine
8. Body bags
9. Gremlins
10. Insidious
11. House of wax 3D
12. Burnt Offerings
13. It follows
14. The Babadook
15. The Tourist Trap
16. The Conjuring
17. Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter
18. Insidious chapter 2
19. Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
20. Goosebumps
21. Fright Night(original)
22. Black Christmas(original)
23. Circle
24. Invasion of the body snatchers 1978
25. Return of the living dead
26. An American Werewolf in London
27. From Beyond
28. Army of Darkness
29. Friday the 13th part 4
30. In the mouth of madness
31. Halloween
32. Beetlejuice.
It was a pretty solid month, I didn't watch near as much as last October, which was around 50 something, but I watched a lot more films I've never seen this year. It's always sad to see October go, but I can't wait for next year
The final batch!
#54 - The Brides of Dracula (1963)
Considering Dracula doesn't appear in this film, the title is a bit misleading, but at least we still have Cushing kicking ass as Van Helsing, not to mention more sexy vampire ladies. The plot meanders a bit, but it's largely a satisfying vampire movie and a worthy followup to the first film with excellent sets, cinematography, and score, despite the lack of Christopher Lee's memorable performance. And
is so goofy it's brilliant.
#55 - The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971)
Wow, the sets and costumes in this movie are amazing. There's no dialogue for the first ten minutes. Vincent Price's face isn't shown until about 13 minutes in, and we don't hear his voice until the second act; definitely an odd use of a legend like Price, but very effective. Clever script, great pacing, well-executed kills, and an odd vibe that mixes the feel of old and new horror all work together to create a horror classic. Pretty funny too.
#56 - Day of the Dead (1985)
I'm already well-acquainted with Night and Dawn, but for whatever reason I hadn't gotten around to Day until now. This one tends to get some hate, but I liked it. It introduces fresh elements to the genre that manage to keep it interesting, and Savini's gore effects are incredible.
#54 - The Brides of Dracula (1963)
Considering Dracula doesn't appear in this film, the title is a bit misleading, but at least we still have Cushing kicking ass as Van Helsing, not to mention more sexy vampire ladies. The plot meanders a bit, but it's largely a satisfying vampire movie and a worthy followup to the first film with excellent sets, cinematography, and score, despite the lack of Christopher Lee's memorable performance. And
turning the windmill so it forms a cross
#55 - The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971)
Wow, the sets and costumes in this movie are amazing. There's no dialogue for the first ten minutes. Vincent Price's face isn't shown until about 13 minutes in, and we don't hear his voice until the second act; definitely an odd use of a legend like Price, but very effective. Clever script, great pacing, well-executed kills, and an odd vibe that mixes the feel of old and new horror all work together to create a horror classic. Pretty funny too.
#56 - Day of the Dead (1985)
I'm already well-acquainted with Night and Dawn, but for whatever reason I hadn't gotten around to Day until now. This one tends to get some hate, but I liked it. It introduces fresh elements to the genre that manage to keep it interesting, and Savini's gore effects are incredible.
Rhomega Beta
Member
Rankings:
1. The Shining
2. The Babadook
3. Oculus
4. The Nightmare Before Christmas
5. The Monster Squad
6. Corpse Bride
7. Nightmares in Red, White, and Blue
8. The Omen
9. Tales From The Darkside: The Movie
10. The Others
11. A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
12. Scream 2
13. An American Werewolf in London
14. Scream 3
15. The Fly (1958)
16. Carnival of Souls
17. The Last Man On Earth
18. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
19. The House of the Devil
20. The Evil Dead
21. Re-Animator
22. The City of the Dead
23. Hotel Transylvania
24. John Dies At The End
25. Room 237
26. V/H/S
27. Creep
Letterboxd list
1. The Shining
2. The Babadook
3. Oculus
4. The Nightmare Before Christmas
5. The Monster Squad
6. Corpse Bride
7. Nightmares in Red, White, and Blue
8. The Omen
9. Tales From The Darkside: The Movie
10. The Others
11. A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
12. Scream 2
13. An American Werewolf in London
14. Scream 3
15. The Fly (1958)
16. Carnival of Souls
17. The Last Man On Earth
18. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
19. The House of the Devil
20. The Evil Dead
21. Re-Animator
22. The City of the Dead
23. Hotel Transylvania
24. John Dies At The End
25. Room 237
26. V/H/S
27. Creep
Letterboxd list
And the wrap-up post. My goal this year was to watch at least one film from each decade from the 1890s to the 2010s and I definitely achieved that. It's been a great month and I already can't wait until next year.
Top Five:
Orlacs Hände (The Hands of Orlac) [1924]
Tokaido Yotsuya kaidan (The Ghost of Yotsuya) [1959]
Spalovač Mrtvol (The Cremator) [1969]
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde [1931]
Kyôfu kikei ningen: Edogawa Rampo zenshû (Horrors of Malformed Men) [1969] (I originally had The Wicker Man here but I changed my mind because Horrors was just such crazy fun)
Bottom Five:
Srpski film (A Serbian Film) [2010]
Sleepaway Camp IV: The Survivor [1992 / 2002 / 2012 / alternate timeline where God is dead]
Cat People [1982]
The Editor [2015]
Bram Stoker's Dracula [1992]
The Final List (+ is good, - is bad, ~ is average; titles link to review posts):
00. Assorted Shorts [1890s-1900s]; Méliès's Barbe-bleue (Bluebeard) [1902] was the standout.
01. The Wolf Man [1941] +
02. Der Student von Prag (The Student of Prague) [1913] ~
03. Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari (The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari) [1920] +
04. Genuine [1920] +
05. Srpski film (A Serbian Film) [2010] -
06. The Avenging Conscience [1914] -
07. Unheimliche Geschichten (Uncanny Stories) [1919] ~
08. The Leopard Man [1943] +
09. Reazione a catena (A Bay of Blood) [1971] +
10. Invasion of the Body Snatchers [1956] +
11. The Curse of the Cat People [1944] +
12. The Blob [1958] ~
13. The Thing from Another World [1951] +
14. Invasion of the Body Snatchers [1978] +
15. The Blob [1988] +
16. Cat People [1982] -
17. The Thing [2011] +
18. The Editor [2015] -
19. The Serpent and the Rainbow [1988] +
20. London After Midnight (reconstruction) [1927 / 2002] +
21. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde [1920] +
22. Orlacs Hände (The Hands of Orlac) [1924] +
23. L'étrange couleur des larmes de ton corps (The Strange Color of Your Body's Tears) [2013] +
24. Sleepaway Camp IV: The Survivor [1992 / 2002 / 2012] -
25. Return to Sleepaway Camp [2008] ~
26. The Final Girls [2015] +
27. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde [1931] +
28. The Invisible Man [1933] +
29. Creep [2014] ~
30. Alraune [1928] ~
31. Alraune [1930] +
32. Village of the Damned [1960] +
33. The Wicker Man [1973] +
34. Deliria (Stage Fright: Aquarius) [1987] +
35. Kyôfu kikei ningen: Edogawa Rampo zenshû (Horrors of Malformed Men) [1969] +
36. The Omen [1976] -
37. Sisters [1973] +
38. The Revenge of Frankenstein [1958] +
39. The Mummy [1932] +
40. The Mummy [1959] +
41. Bram Stoker's Dracula [1992] -
42. The Unknown [1927] -
43. Tokaido Yotsuya kaidan (The Ghost of Yotsuya) [1959] +
44. Kyûketsu dokuro-sen (The Living Skeleton) [1968] +
45. Gojira [1954] +
46. Borei Kaibyo Yashiki (Black Cat Mansion / The Mansion of the Ghost Cat) [1958] +
47. Der Golem, wie er in die Welt kam (The Golem: How He Came into the World) [1920] +
48. Spalovač Mrtvol (The Cremator) [1969] +
49. Shiryô no wana (Evil Dead Trap) [1988] +
50. Saw [2004] ~
51. The Burning [1981] ~
52. Tras el cristal (In a Glass Cage) [1989] +
53. Crimson Peak [2015] +
54. The Brides of Dracula [1960] +
55. The Abominable Dr. Phibes [1971] +
56. Day of the Dead [1985] +
Letterboxd list with exact ratings for each film
Top Five:
Orlacs Hände (The Hands of Orlac) [1924]
Tokaido Yotsuya kaidan (The Ghost of Yotsuya) [1959]
Spalovač Mrtvol (The Cremator) [1969]
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde [1931]
Kyôfu kikei ningen: Edogawa Rampo zenshû (Horrors of Malformed Men) [1969] (I originally had The Wicker Man here but I changed my mind because Horrors was just such crazy fun)
Bottom Five:
Srpski film (A Serbian Film) [2010]
Sleepaway Camp IV: The Survivor [1992 / 2002 / 2012 / alternate timeline where God is dead]
Cat People [1982]
The Editor [2015]
Bram Stoker's Dracula [1992]
The Final List (+ is good, - is bad, ~ is average; titles link to review posts):
00. Assorted Shorts [1890s-1900s]; Méliès's Barbe-bleue (Bluebeard) [1902] was the standout.
01. The Wolf Man [1941] +
02. Der Student von Prag (The Student of Prague) [1913] ~
03. Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari (The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari) [1920] +
04. Genuine [1920] +
05. Srpski film (A Serbian Film) [2010] -
06. The Avenging Conscience [1914] -
07. Unheimliche Geschichten (Uncanny Stories) [1919] ~
08. The Leopard Man [1943] +
09. Reazione a catena (A Bay of Blood) [1971] +
10. Invasion of the Body Snatchers [1956] +
11. The Curse of the Cat People [1944] +
12. The Blob [1958] ~
13. The Thing from Another World [1951] +
14. Invasion of the Body Snatchers [1978] +
15. The Blob [1988] +
16. Cat People [1982] -
17. The Thing [2011] +
18. The Editor [2015] -
19. The Serpent and the Rainbow [1988] +
20. London After Midnight (reconstruction) [1927 / 2002] +
21. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde [1920] +
22. Orlacs Hände (The Hands of Orlac) [1924] +
23. L'étrange couleur des larmes de ton corps (The Strange Color of Your Body's Tears) [2013] +
24. Sleepaway Camp IV: The Survivor [1992 / 2002 / 2012] -
25. Return to Sleepaway Camp [2008] ~
26. The Final Girls [2015] +
27. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde [1931] +
28. The Invisible Man [1933] +
29. Creep [2014] ~
30. Alraune [1928] ~
31. Alraune [1930] +
32. Village of the Damned [1960] +
33. The Wicker Man [1973] +
34. Deliria (Stage Fright: Aquarius) [1987] +
35. Kyôfu kikei ningen: Edogawa Rampo zenshû (Horrors of Malformed Men) [1969] +
36. The Omen [1976] -
37. Sisters [1973] +
38. The Revenge of Frankenstein [1958] +
39. The Mummy [1932] +
40. The Mummy [1959] +
41. Bram Stoker's Dracula [1992] -
42. The Unknown [1927] -
43. Tokaido Yotsuya kaidan (The Ghost of Yotsuya) [1959] +
44. Kyûketsu dokuro-sen (The Living Skeleton) [1968] +
45. Gojira [1954] +
46. Borei Kaibyo Yashiki (Black Cat Mansion / The Mansion of the Ghost Cat) [1958] +
47. Der Golem, wie er in die Welt kam (The Golem: How He Came into the World) [1920] +
48. Spalovač Mrtvol (The Cremator) [1969] +
49. Shiryô no wana (Evil Dead Trap) [1988] +
50. Saw [2004] ~
51. The Burning [1981] ~
52. Tras el cristal (In a Glass Cage) [1989] +
53. Crimson Peak [2015] +
54. The Brides of Dracula [1960] +
55. The Abominable Dr. Phibes [1971] +
56. Day of the Dead [1985] +
Letterboxd list with exact ratings for each film
TheSlySoul
Member
Guess I can end it with my recommendations from all the new stuff.
- ABCs of Death 2
- V/H/S 2
- The Babadook
- The Circle
- The Den
- The Loved Ones
- Tales From The Dark 1 & 2
- The Omen
- Goosebumps
- Masters of Horror (TV Series)
Overall a good month.
- ABCs of Death 2
- V/H/S 2
- The Babadook
- The Circle
- The Den
- The Loved Ones
- Tales From The Dark 1 & 2
- The Omen
- Goosebumps
- Masters of Horror (TV Series)
Overall a good month.
mariachi507
Member
I would actually go insane if I tried that.
#29 - All the Colors of the Dark (1972)
This was quite cool. A psychedelic and very stylish giallo style thriller riddled with paranoia. It really is a beautiful movie, with very interesting camerawork and stunning colors. Also beautiful: Edwige Fenech. Those eyes, man. Plotwise this wasn't that complex, but it really nailed the atmosphere and really reminded me of not only Rosemary's Baby, but the entire apartment trilogy from Polanski. Very interesting. 7/10
The Wrap-up
Another year is in the books for the Halloween Horror Movie Marathon, and the overall feeling is that it was an overwhelming success. While it's true that the slate this year wound up with a stinker or two (I did end it with the first Exorcist sequel, after all!), the peaks were so high and more frequent that I really do think this is about the best time I've had running one. Here's a handy link to all the films I saw this month, from the core 36 (expanded to 38 by the end) to the four bonus films. If you do prefer you cataloging more local to this website, though, I've got your back there, too.
Films for next year: Why mess with a winning formula? The eighth annual marathon will naturally be all about the 80s! As much a hallowed decade for horror as the 70s were, the 80s saw an even more wide range of variety, especially as the video revolution made it easier than ever for budding filmmakers to get their films off the ground, as well as studios being hungry for pick-ups in the wake of the dual success of Halloween and Friday the 13th. While it's obviously too far in advance to have a list finalized, you can expect a particular emphasis on relatively obscure films from all over the world. No matter the language, everyone gets scared by the same things.
Another year is in the books for the Halloween Horror Movie Marathon, and the overall feeling is that it was an overwhelming success. While it's true that the slate this year wound up with a stinker or two (I did end it with the first Exorcist sequel, after all!), the peaks were so high and more frequent that I really do think this is about the best time I've had running one. Here's a handy link to all the films I saw this month, from the core 36 (expanded to 38 by the end) to the four bonus films. If you do prefer you cataloging more local to this website, though, I've got your back there, too.
- The Omen (highly recommended)
Blue Sunshine (flawed but recommended)
The Abominable Dr. Phibes/Dr. Phibes Rises Again (absolute must-see/highly recommended)
Nosferatu the Vampyre (absolute must-see)
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (highly recommended; rewatch)
Sisters (flawed, but recommended)
Deliverance (absolute must-see)
Lisa and the Devil (flawed, but recommended)
Deathdream (recommended)
The Hills Have Eyes (skip it)
Vampyros Lesbos/She Killed in Ecstasy (recommended/recommended)
Hands of the Ripper (highly recommended)
Horror Express (recommended)
The Cars That Ate Paris (skip it)
Lemora: A Child's Tale of the Supernatural (recommended)
Let's Scare Jessica to Death (highly recommended)
Tourist Trap (skip it)
Crimson Peak (highly recommended)
Ganja & Hess/J.D.'s Revenge (flawed, but recommended, both
The Crazies (recommended)
Who Can Kill a Child? (recommended)
And Soon the Darkness (absolute must-see)
Demons of the Mind (an uncommonly angry skip it)
Kingdom of the Spiders (recommended)
Demon Seed (recommended)
Orca: The Killer Whale/Piranha (recommended, both)
Dracula/Drácula/Daughters of Darkness (recommended, rewatch/highly recommended/highly recommended)
Straw Dogs (absolute must-see)
Tombs of the Blind Dead/Return of the Blind Dead (skip it/flawed, but recommended)
The Ghost Galleon/Night of the Seagulls (skip it with extreme prejudice/not terrible, but pointless)
Halloween (absolute must-see, rewatch)
The Wicker Man (absolute must-see)
The Exorcist/Exorcist II: The Heretic (absolute must-see, rewatch/awful in a way that needs to be seen to be believed)
Films for next year: Why mess with a winning formula? The eighth annual marathon will naturally be all about the 80s! As much a hallowed decade for horror as the 70s were, the 80s saw an even more wide range of variety, especially as the video revolution made it easier than ever for budding filmmakers to get their films off the ground, as well as studios being hungry for pick-ups in the wake of the dual success of Halloween and Friday the 13th. While it's obviously too far in advance to have a list finalized, you can expect a particular emphasis on relatively obscure films from all over the world. No matter the language, everyone gets scared by the same things.
Got through 39 movies, part of me wish it could have been an even 40, but the last 5 movies were really only because a marathon was on IFC last night.
I went in with the goal of doing mostly remakes and reboots, and think wasn't too bad at completing that since roughly half of the movies I watched were reboots. What I didn't count on was some of them being hard to track down, and well not planning out the month better since so much other stuff would come up would just find a movie on Netflix or on-demand before bed many days.
Still... so many home invasion movies.So many ways to torture people!
Solid month. Was fun.
Not gonna promise any theme for next year yet
Ok so I just sat down with my Letterboxd list and ranked the movies I watched. I pushed the ones I saw before to the bottom just so it wouldn't cloud my ranking the new stuff. So even with less to sort it was tough ranking these. Dark was the Night won my top spot though. It was so unexpectedly good. Late Phases easily fit into number two.
After that my new favorite directors hit with Fulci, Argento, and Bava. It may seem odd putting Argento's Dracula so high vs say some of his other stuff but I really liked the whole experience a lot, the color, the style. I only watched two Bava films and Planet of the Vampires really took it home for me. A Bay of Blood was ok, it kind of blended in with other stuff though. And probably that PotV seems to have an Alien tie in also helps. Now Fulci though, I really dug a lot of what I watched of his. However he does what he does really sits well with me in his horror movies. Very much looking forward to other stuff he's done.
As to the most effective horror movie for me, I'd give that to Knock Knock which sits at number 8.
So like a good horror movie, it broaches a topic you don't really think about and puts you in that position mentally.
I can see people not liking this movie or thinking its not very good but for me as far as horror goes, this one did the best job of making me uncomfortable watching it in a good way.
The middle was hard to sort out but I think their in about as good an order as I can come up with. Five stars didn't guarantee a higher spot and fewer stars didn't mean a lower spot. Some movies I liked at the time but then better came along and blew them out of the water. Though the two stars and below did suck and did hit the bottom.
Which brings me to the shittiest movies I wasted my time on. Zombie Apocalypse and Abe Lincoln vs Zombies actually beat out a Carpenter film of all things. The Ward was a total piece of shit. Taking the worst possible waste of my time was the ABC's of Death 2. This depressing monstrosity had no redeeming qualities. The first one had some bad bits but overall I loved the idea and found it very enjoyable with a nice mix. Part two was just cruel and hard to watch as in too goddamn mean for me. Knock Knock was a hard watch for me because it was good horror, this was a hard watch because it was just being shitty and out of the 26 shorts I can only remember like one or two only because they were so damn cruel not because I actually enjoyed them.
I don't know but this one just felt like a total waste of time. I'm sure someone else would love it but this just isn't my style. This is why I won't watch A Serbian Film or Human Centipede type stuff. Just the synopsis is enough to send me away.
This was my first GAF 31 days of Halloween and I thoroughly loved it! Looking forward to next year. I ended up with 66 movies overall, 52 never watched and 14 rewatches.
http://letterboxd.com/lordxar/list/gaf-31-days-of-halloween-s5/detail/
After that my new favorite directors hit with Fulci, Argento, and Bava. It may seem odd putting Argento's Dracula so high vs say some of his other stuff but I really liked the whole experience a lot, the color, the style. I only watched two Bava films and Planet of the Vampires really took it home for me. A Bay of Blood was ok, it kind of blended in with other stuff though. And probably that PotV seems to have an Alien tie in also helps. Now Fulci though, I really dug a lot of what I watched of his. However he does what he does really sits well with me in his horror movies. Very much looking forward to other stuff he's done.
As to the most effective horror movie for me, I'd give that to Knock Knock which sits at number 8.
Never dreamed of cheating on my wife which is why this one kind of hit home. You have a good marriage and some dumb shit like this happens to ruin it. Well...not the violence and all but the out of the blue hot and horny chick(s). Get drunk one night and fuck up everything.
Then it piles on insult to injury with the chicks just mind fucking the hell out him because he did cheat.
The middle was hard to sort out but I think their in about as good an order as I can come up with. Five stars didn't guarantee a higher spot and fewer stars didn't mean a lower spot. Some movies I liked at the time but then better came along and blew them out of the water. Though the two stars and below did suck and did hit the bottom.
Which brings me to the shittiest movies I wasted my time on. Zombie Apocalypse and Abe Lincoln vs Zombies actually beat out a Carpenter film of all things. The Ward was a total piece of shit. Taking the worst possible waste of my time was the ABC's of Death 2. This depressing monstrosity had no redeeming qualities. The first one had some bad bits but overall I loved the idea and found it very enjoyable with a nice mix. Part two was just cruel and hard to watch as in too goddamn mean for me. Knock Knock was a hard watch for me because it was good horror, this was a hard watch because it was just being shitty and out of the 26 shorts I can only remember like one or two only because they were so damn cruel not because I actually enjoyed them.
I don't have kids but the baby sitter one killing the kid and playing his ribs like a xylophone was the worst. Now you take a film like Cooties, which is child violence and basically the same thing and I'm ok with that. Probably the comedic nature I guess.
This was my first GAF 31 days of Halloween and I thoroughly loved it! Looking forward to next year. I ended up with 66 movies overall, 52 never watched and 14 rewatches.
http://letterboxd.com/lordxar/list/gaf-31-days-of-halloween-s5/detail/
And that's the end of my first year of 31 Days of Horror. As someone not especially well versed in the horror genre, the month was, if nothing else, an educational experience. And thankfully, not one with very many films I actually thought were bad -- there was a lot of stuff I was so-so on, but a strong handful of movies that I thought were legitimately good or at least really entertaining.
Here's my top 10 of the marathon:
1. Black Christmas (1974)
2. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
3. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
4. The Wicker Man (1973)
5. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
6. Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
7. Horror of Dracula (1958)
8. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
9. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
10. Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994)
Everything I watched for the month, in order and with ratings.
See you guys next year!
Here's my top 10 of the marathon:
1. Black Christmas (1974)
2. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
3. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
4. The Wicker Man (1973)
5. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
6. Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
7. Horror of Dracula (1958)
8. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
9. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
10. Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994)
Everything I watched for the month, in order and with ratings.
See you guys next year!
#30 - Shadow of the Vampire (2000)
I love movies about making movies and meta movies, so this was right up my ally. Shadow of the Vampire was a lot of fun, with a very unique angle which I thought was hilarious. Loved the sets/locations and make-up, plus the performances were good all around. Especially Willem Dafoe, he was perfect. Very well done satire and made me want to rewatch Murnau's Nosferatu. 7/10
Violence Jack
Member
Challenge comes to an end with 49 movies for the month. That's a new record. I pretty much gave up on gaming for the month, and watched films during my downtime at work. Here's my final list.
Best first time viewing - Prince of Darkness and Stage Fright Aquarius (tie)
Worst first time viewing - A Cat in the Brain. I almost chose Onibaba, but I don't consider it a horror film.
- I Walked With A Zombie (1943) - 6/10
- Murder-Rock Dancing Death (1984) - 6/10
- Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) - 5/10
- Stage Fright Aquarius (1987) - 8/10
- Creature From The Black Lagoon (1954) - 7/10
- Masque of Red Death (1964) - 7/10
- The Pit and the Pendulum (1961) - 6.5/10
- Kill Baby.... Kill! (1966) - 7/10
- The Body Snatcher (1945) - 8/10
- The Whip And The Body (1963) - 7.5/10
- Prince of Darkness (1987) - 8/10
- Triangle (2009) - 8/10
- The Mummy (1932) - 5.5/10
- Blood and Black Lace (1966) - 8/10
- Cronos (1993) - 7.5/10
- Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) - 5.5/10
- Crimson Peak (2015) - 7.5/10
- Bay of Blood (1971) - 8/10
- Ginger Snaps (2000) - 8/10
- The Invisible Man (1933) - 8.5/10
- The Devil's Backbone (2001) - 7.5/10
- Resident Evil (2002) - 7/10
- Re-Animator (1985) - 8.5/10
- Witchfinder General (1968) - 8/10
- Let Sleeping Corpses Lie (1974) - 8/10
- Alone (2007) - 8/10
- Eraserhead (1977) - 7/10
- The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988) - 7.5/10
- Ringu (1998) - 5.5/10
- Night of the Demons (1988) - 7/10
- Dr. Giggles (1992) - 5/10
- Cabin in the Woods (2012) - 8.5/10
- A Cat in the Brain (1990) - 4/10
- Genocyber (1993) - 8/10
- What Happened to Solange (1972) - 7.5/10
- Martin (1977) - 7/10
- House of Wax (1953) - 8/10
- Onibaba (1964) - 5/10
- Don't Torture A Duckling (1972) - 8/10
- Opera (1987) - 8.5/10
- Creep (2014) - 6/10
- Halloween (1978) - 9/10
- You're Next (2013) - 8/10
- Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982) - 7.5/10
- The Beyond (1980) - 8.5/10
- Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985) - 7.5/10
- Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987) - 8/10
- Nightmare on Elm Street 4: Dream Master (1988) - 7/10
- Trick r Treat (2007) - 8.5/10
Best first time viewing - Prince of Darkness and Stage Fright Aquarius (tie)
Worst first time viewing - A Cat in the Brain. I almost chose Onibaba, but I don't consider it a horror film.
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
Day 23 - Friday the 13th Part III
Day 24 - Black Christmas (1974)
Day 25 - Kill List
Day 26 - Ravenous
Day 27 - 30 Days of Night
Day 28 - We Are Still Here
Day 29 - Would You Rather
Day 30 - Videodrome
Day 30 Double Feature - Grabbers
Day 31 - House of Wax (1953)
Day 31 Double Feature - Halloween (1978)
House of Wax (1953)
I have been meaning to checkout Vincent Price films for a while. House of Wax is the first Vincent Price movie I have ever seen. I was kind of annoyed by the behavior of most of the characters. Some of acting felt too melodramatic to me, but Vincent Price was amazing. I haven't seen the remake but I can't imagine House of Wax without Vincent Price in the main role. The one thing that bothered me was the outside set. I have been on a WB Studios tour so a lot of it looked familiar and I struggled to suspend disbelief while watching the movie. Still, I thought it was well shot and Vincent Price really sold me on his performance.
Rating: Watch
Halloween (1978)
Classic slasher with one of the most iconic figures in the horror genre and most iconic score. Everything about it is perfect to me. Dr. Loomis is the fucking man. Carpenter knows how to build tension without relying on cheap scare tactics leading to the final act. Even some of the "jump" scares don't feel cheap. To this day, I'm still amazed that the original Halloween movie was considered an indie movie. If you haven't seen it, check it out. Also check out Black Christmas. I think these are two of the greatest slashers to ever be made.
Rating: Must Watch
Total Movies Watched: 39
That's quite a bit for me. I was able to get in more double features this year than last year. If I had to recommend one movie on my list for everyone to watch, it has to be Black Christmas (1974). Out of all the movies I've watched this year, this one disturbed me the most.
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
Day 23 - Friday the 13th Part III
Day 24 - Black Christmas (1974)
Day 25 - Kill List
Day 26 - Ravenous
Day 27 - 30 Days of Night
Day 28 - We Are Still Here
Day 29 - Would You Rather
Day 30 - Videodrome
Day 30 Double Feature - Grabbers
Day 31 - House of Wax (1953)
Day 31 Double Feature - Halloween (1978)
House of Wax (1953)
I have been meaning to checkout Vincent Price films for a while. House of Wax is the first Vincent Price movie I have ever seen. I was kind of annoyed by the behavior of most of the characters. Some of acting felt too melodramatic to me, but Vincent Price was amazing. I haven't seen the remake but I can't imagine House of Wax without Vincent Price in the main role. The one thing that bothered me was the outside set. I have been on a WB Studios tour so a lot of it looked familiar and I struggled to suspend disbelief while watching the movie. Still, I thought it was well shot and Vincent Price really sold me on his performance.
Rating: Watch
Halloween (1978)
Classic slasher with one of the most iconic figures in the horror genre and most iconic score. Everything about it is perfect to me. Dr. Loomis is the fucking man. Carpenter knows how to build tension without relying on cheap scare tactics leading to the final act. Even some of the "jump" scares don't feel cheap. To this day, I'm still amazed that the original Halloween movie was considered an indie movie. If you haven't seen it, check it out. Also check out Black Christmas. I think these are two of the greatest slashers to ever be made.
Rating: Must Watch
Total Movies Watched: 39
That's quite a bit for me. I was able to get in more double features this year than last year. If I had to recommend one movie on my list for everyone to watch, it has to be Black Christmas (1974). Out of all the movies I've watched this year, this one disturbed me the most.
pitcairn55
Member
Can't believe it's all over for another year. I swear doing this makes October pass by quicker than any other month.
I'm thinking 'GAF recommends' might be my theme for next time, with the original Black Christmas being first on the list. I wonder how long it'll take me to trawl through the previous four threads...
Anyway, cheers everybody. It's been bloody great. Looking forward to next year already.
I'm thinking 'GAF recommends' might be my theme for next time, with the original Black Christmas being first on the list. I wonder how long it'll take me to trawl through the previous four threads...
Anyway, cheers everybody. It's been bloody great. Looking forward to next year already.
ThirstyFly
Member
I forgot to take notes of what I wanted to watch based on this years' thread so I'm going to have to go through it all again too. Good thing some of you guys include summaries at the end so that should make it easier.
A new Black Christmas blu-ray is coming out this month too. Gonna grab that, it's been years since I've seen it.
flipping_heck
Member
Though i knew i wasn't going to get to 31, it was nice seeinga bunch of nice new horror films
So to finish off
Day 22: Hausu (1977)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQ_Yo06kIIA
A weird and wacky Japanese horror film about a bucnh of teenage girls who visits an old house and strange things happen to them.
Seeing is believing in this film, this is very wacky stuff here.. complete strange and abstract, this is something completely unique and different for anyone who enjoys films.
The less said, the better as it is completely crazy!
Overall: 7.5/10
Day 23: Dead Alive (1992)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8LIug1cP04
To finish off Halloween, this compeltely gruesome and gory zombie, romantic comedy. Before Shaun of the Dead with its amazing take on the Zom-Rom-Com genre, this film was the first one to completely take the genre and make it a completely bloody masterpiece in physical effects with great comedic moments and certainly inventive death scenes.
recommended watch
overall: 9/10
So to finish off
Day 22: Hausu (1977)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQ_Yo06kIIA
A weird and wacky Japanese horror film about a bucnh of teenage girls who visits an old house and strange things happen to them.
Seeing is believing in this film, this is very wacky stuff here.. complete strange and abstract, this is something completely unique and different for anyone who enjoys films.
The less said, the better as it is completely crazy!
Overall: 7.5/10
Day 23: Dead Alive (1992)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8LIug1cP04
To finish off Halloween, this compeltely gruesome and gory zombie, romantic comedy. Before Shaun of the Dead with its amazing take on the Zom-Rom-Com genre, this film was the first one to completely take the genre and make it a completely bloody masterpiece in physical effects with great comedic moments and certainly inventive death scenes.
recommended watch
overall: 9/10
Plasticine
Member
Here's the final handful of movies I watched last month. No reviews because I watched Ash Vs Evil Dead for a second time last night instead of working on them. I'm doing NaNoWriMo, so I won't have time to catch up.
25. Shocker (October 29)
26. Body Parts (October 29)
27. The Bride of Re-Animator (October 30)
28. Relic (October 30)
29. John Carpenter's Vampires (October 30)
30 Army of Darkness (October 31)
31. Trick r Treat (October 31)
The only new watch was Body Parts. It was bug fuck crazy. I honestly no idea where it was headed and that's a good thing.
Shocker really bummed me out. I remember liking it better than I did, but then I haven't seen it since I was in high school. Not enough slashing, and the whole body jumping aspect left me cold, except one sequence where Pinker took over a little girl.
25. Shocker (October 29)
26. Body Parts (October 29)
27. The Bride of Re-Animator (October 30)
28. Relic (October 30)
29. John Carpenter's Vampires (October 30)
30 Army of Darkness (October 31)
31. Trick r Treat (October 31)
The only new watch was Body Parts. It was bug fuck crazy. I honestly no idea where it was headed and that's a good thing.
Shocker really bummed me out. I remember liking it better than I did, but then I haven't seen it since I was in high school. Not enough slashing, and the whole body jumping aspect left me cold, except one sequence where Pinker took over a little girl.
#31 - The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
One of those movies I watched years ago when I was exploring essential cinema, and I liked it back then but didn't fully understand its relevance and influence. This being my second watch, I only now recognize how much ahead of its time this movie was. It was made nearly 100 (!) years ago and still holds up. The sets, the lighting, the plot twists! Oh my! 7.5/10
ThirstyFly
Member
31) Amer (2009) (Oct 31)
Since the previous two giallo homages and the one legit giallo I had selected for this year turned out to be disappointing in different ways, I decided to save Amer for my last movie. If it turned out to be good then I'd get to end on a high note, if it turned out disappointing, well, then at least the marathon would be over and I could move on with my life.
I don't want to go into the story details because this is definitely one you want to go in fresh for, but man, this movie is a trip. It starts out fairly slow and minimal but before you know it you're in full-on Suspiria eye fucking mode, then a bit of a slowdown, then just off-the-rails crazy town. It's a rollercoaster of emotions and showcases a love for everything good about Italian film from the 60s-80s, not just gialli. My only real complaint is that the second act isn't as strong as the insane first and third acts. This was easily the most intense, gripping and unsettling movie I've watched this month. Just pure lunacy in the best possible way. It makes me wish I were a film student so I could write an essay on the themes and imagery. Good God that
Adam's apple stab
Man, am I glad I saved this for my last movie because holy shit, am I done. This film wrecked me.
Many, many thinks to everyone who covered this during the marathon last year for bringing it to my attention. I may have missed it if it wasn't for the praise in the thread.
Rating:
out of 5 Michaels from Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror.
[BONUS] Tales from the Crypt (TV, 1989)
s01e04 - Only Sin Deep - Lea Thompson plays a hooker whose greed allows her to be tricked into pawning her beauty at the local voodoo pawn shop… Yeah. This one wasn't very good. There's a weird disconnect between Fred Dekker's camp dialogue and Howard Deutch's straightforward direction.
s01e05 - Lover Come Hack to Me - A trophy husband plans to kill his rich wife on their honeymoon for her fortune, only this is Tales from the Crypt, so things don't go as smoothy as he would have liked. Slow to start, but finishes with a strong, funny ending.
s01e06 - Collection Completed - A newly retired man attempts to cope with being home along with his wife whose growing collection of pets is driving him insane. This was my favourite of the season. Fun lead cast, good humour and a nice, dark ending (even if you can see it coming a mile away).
Season 1 overall… meh. Not so great. It's pretty inconsistent and even the better episodes are just okay. Let's just consider this average and call it a day.
Rating (Full Season):
out of 5 Michaels from Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror.
Final Viewed List (2015):
01) The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) (Oct 1) - 3.5 / 5
02) Dr. Caligari (1989) (Oct 2) - 2 / 5
03) Bride of Frankenstein (1935) (Oct 3) - 4.5 / 5
04) WolfCop (2014) (Oct 4) - 2.5 / 5
05) Tales from the Crypt (1972) (Oct 5) - 2.5 / 5
06) The Editor (2014) (Oct 6) - 3 / 5
07) Swamp Thing (1982) (Oct 7) - 2.5 / 5
08) Lust for a Vampire (1971) (Oct 8) - 3 / 5
09) Zombeavers (2014) (Oct 9) - 4.5 / 5
10) The Battery (2012) (Oct 10) - 4 / 5
11) Hellraiser: Revelations (2011) (Oct 11) - 2 / 5
12) Kill List (2011) (Oct 12) - 4 / 5
13) Berberian Sound Studio (2012) (Oct 13) - 2.5 / 5
14) Deadly Friend (1986) (Oct 14) - 2.5 / 5
15) Creep (2014) (Oct 15) - 1 / 5
16) The Vault of Horror (1973) (Oct 16) + Tales from the Crypt s01e01 - 3.5 / 5
17) Horror of Dracula (1958) (Oct 17) + Tales from the Crypt s01e02 - 4.5 / 5
18) Lost After Dark (2014) (Oct 18) - 1 / 5
19) Girl House (2014) (Oct 21) - 3.5 / 5
20) Nightbreed: The Director's Cut (1990) (Oct 22) - 3 / 5
21) Black Sabbath (I tre volti della paura) (1963) (Oct 23) - 5 / 5
22) Muck (2014) (Oct 23) - 2 / 5
23) Slaughter Hotel (La bestia uccide a sangue freddo) (1971) (Oct 24) - 2 / 5
24) Housebound (2014) (Oct 25) - 5 / 5
25) Graduation Day (1981) (Oct 25) + Tales from the Crypt s01e03 - 3 / 5
26) Ginger Snaps (2000) (Oct 26) - 3.5 / 5
27) Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers (1988) (Oct 27) - 2.5 / 5
28) The Hills Have Eyes (1977) (Oct 28) - 4 / 5
29) A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014) (Oct 29) - 4 / 5
30) Phantasm (1979) (Oct 30) - 3 / 5
31) Amer (2009) (Oct 31) + Tales from the Crypt s01e04-06 - 5 / 5 + 2.5 / 5
Postmortem:
Highlights: Bride of Frankenstein, Zombeavers, Horror of Dracula, Black Sabbath, Housebound, Amer
Best Overall: Amer
Complete Crap: Lost After Dark
Biggest Surprises: Zombeavers, Housebound
Biggest Disappointments: The Editor, Berberian Sound Studio
Best Character: Dr. Pretorius in Bride of Frankenstein
Worst Character: That Haley Joel Osment-looking mother fucker in Zombeavers. Fuck that guy!
Best Vanna White: Vanna White in Graduation Day
Worst Vanna White: Vanna White in Graduation Day
Best Wes Wednesday: The Hills Have Eyes
Number of Crap Films That Think They're Being Clever By Referencing Wes Craven's Name: 3
Thanks to everyone for participating! It's always a blast to see all the returning ghouls from previous years and the fresh meat for the new.
ph1l0z0ph3r
Member
My last two for the month.
#30 - Halloween: Resurrection [2002]
#31 - Nightmares in Red, White, and Blue [2009]
Finally got to do atleast 31 movies in a month. Was alot of fun and can't wait for next year. Highlights were Starry Eyes, It Follows, and The Final Girls. Now to start on the Christmas/Holiday movies.
#30 - Halloween: Resurrection [2002]
Absolute shit. Jamie Lee Curtis up front and center in promotional materials but in the movie all of five minutes. Acting was terrible and all over the place. Would not recommend unless your watching the series as a unit. 2/10
#31 - Nightmares in Red, White, and Blue [2009]
Decent enough documentary but I felt like it didn't spend enough time on each decade in film. 6.5
Finally got to do atleast 31 movies in a month. Was alot of fun and can't wait for next year. Highlights were Starry Eyes, It Follows, and The Final Girls. Now to start on the Christmas/Holiday movies.
THE WRAP-UP
Click the pictures to see what I thought of the movies!
THE CONCLUSION:
A whole bunch of mediocre movies had me in a slump but luckily it picked up towards the end. Another year, another 31 horror movies. See you guys next year.
ps: I'll pick something better for the 'obligatory' viewing stuff next year
My previous years: 2011 / 2012 / 2013 / 2014
Click the pictures to see what I thought of the movies!
THE CONCLUSION:
A whole bunch of mediocre movies had me in a slump but luckily it picked up towards the end. Another year, another 31 horror movies. See you guys next year.
ps: I'll pick something better for the 'obligatory' viewing stuff next year
My previous years: 2011 / 2012 / 2013 / 2014
tav7623
Member
29. The Mutilator (watched 10/31/15) - Prior to attending this year's Myers House NC Halloween Bash I had never seen this 80's slasher film and at first I didn't really care for it, but it started to get better (mostly due to a bad/poor copy filled with audio issues that cause the female actors to sound like deep sounding men which made their dialogue even funnier) as it progressed.
30. Halloween III: Season of the Witch (watched 10/31/15) - This movie was the second half of the double bill at this year's Myers House NC Halloween Bash and was also another movie that I hadn't seen (though unlike The Mutilator I had seen parts here and there of Halloween 3) before. Overall I enjoyed it even though it was a (fairly) Micheal Myers free affair and can see why some really like this movie.
Well that does it for another October, hope y'all had a great Halloween and I can't wait to try this again next year.
For my final tally and thoughts on all the movies I watched as part of this thread/event check out my OP for this thread
30. Halloween III: Season of the Witch (watched 10/31/15) - This movie was the second half of the double bill at this year's Myers House NC Halloween Bash and was also another movie that I hadn't seen (though unlike The Mutilator I had seen parts here and there of Halloween 3) before. Overall I enjoyed it even though it was a (fairly) Micheal Myers free affair and can see why some really like this movie.
Well that does it for another October, hope y'all had a great Halloween and I can't wait to try this again next year.
For my final tally and thoughts on all the movies I watched as part of this thread/event check out my OP for this thread
ThirstyFly
Member
Heh, you're not the only one that's glad
Edit: I do still wish someone would do a modern take with a more traditional giallo formula, but that doesn't look like it's going to be happening any time soon. I'll be going back and watching some of the legitimate period gialli I've missed next.
ps: I'll pick something better for the 'obligatory' viewing stuff next year
I may not have enjoyed Creep, but I'm still glad I watched it. I was curious about it and wondered if it would get past my personal biases, so now I know. And at the end of the day, it was interesting to read everyone's opinions on it.
The Strange Color of Your Body's Tears doesn't really make any sense, but it has more pure giallo imagery throughout compared to Amer.
It's kind of cool that every year there seems to be a movie that kind of catches on in this thread and that a lot of people end up watching. Last year I'd say that happened with Amer and Excision. This year, maybe Stage Fright?
By the way, for anyone who doesn't already know about it, feel free to visit the Horror-GAF thread any time of the year!
It's kind of cool that every year there seems to be a movie that kind of catches on in this thread and that a lot of people end up watching. Last year I'd say that happened with Amer and Excision. This year, maybe Stage Fright?
By the way, for anyone who doesn't already know about it, feel free to visit the Horror-GAF thread any time of the year!
mariachi507
Member
29-31. The Evil Dead Trilogy
"One by one we will take you!"
I had never watched the entire trilogy back to back before, and with the premier of Ash vs. Evil Dead upon us I figured what better time than now. Each film is so different from what came before but at the same time they are able to maintain a high quality throughout. The Evil Dead (first one) is such a cool little movie, it really feels like a bunch of friends got ahold of some money and decided to make a picture. I've read, maybe on this site, of this sage having reverse "Spider-man 3" syndrome. Basically, the hilarity of the last two movies of the franchise have made some people reflect poorly on the first. I believe there is some truth to that for many people. Not for me though as The Evil Dead remains an effective exercise in horror. It's a testament to Raimi and crew that they were able to pull it off. I loved the sequels since I was a teen. Evil Dead 2 should be held as the standard for horror-comedies everywhere. Army of Darkness falters just a bit, but is just more evidence that these filmmakers were out of their mind.
Ash vs. Evil Dead delivered the goods by the way.
The Evil Dead: 9/10
Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn: 9.5/10
Army of Darkness: The Medieval Dead: 8.5/10
Reflections
I'd like to that this was my personal favorite 31 days of horror ever, but I say that every time I do it. I love horror, I've always loved horror, and I always will.
Favorite first-time watches of the month:
1. Night of the Hunter
2. Black Sabbath
3. Alice Sweet Alice
4. Little Shop of Horrors
5. The Beyond
Biggest Disappointment:
1. Nightbreed
2. Tremors 5
Next Year?
I spent a third of my cinematic journey in Italy this month, it was a great ride and it's safe to assume I'll be building upon that next year. I plan on having a body-horror centerpiece with David Cronenberg as the main attraction. In terms of his horror movies I've only seen The Fly so there is plenty to look forward to.
1. The Blob 8/10
2. Stagefright 9/10
3. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari 7/10
4. Nightbreed 4/10
5. Zombie 8/10
6. Unfriended 7.5/10
7. The Hills Have Eyes (Craven) 7.5/10
8. Christine 8/10
9. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 7/10
10. Misery 8.5/10
11. Don't Torture a Duckling 7.5/10
12. Alice Sweet Alice 8.5/10
13. Night of the Hunter 9/10
14. The Bird with the Crystal Plumage 8/10
15. Little Shop of Horrors 8.5/10
16. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 8/10
17. Tremors 5 5.5/10
18. Housebound 8/10
19. Trick r' Treat 9/10
20. Prince of Darkness 8/10
21. Re-Animator 9/10
22. The Beyond 8.5/10
23. The Taking of Deborah Logan 7.5/10
24. Cube 6/10
25. Lifeforce 7/10
26. Bay of Blood (Twitch of the Death Nerve) 8/10
27. Black Sabbath 9/10
28. We Are Still Here 7.5/10
29. The Evil Dead 9/10
30. Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn 9.5/10
31. Army of Darkness 8.5/10
"One by one we will take you!"
I had never watched the entire trilogy back to back before, and with the premier of Ash vs. Evil Dead upon us I figured what better time than now. Each film is so different from what came before but at the same time they are able to maintain a high quality throughout. The Evil Dead (first one) is such a cool little movie, it really feels like a bunch of friends got ahold of some money and decided to make a picture. I've read, maybe on this site, of this sage having reverse "Spider-man 3" syndrome. Basically, the hilarity of the last two movies of the franchise have made some people reflect poorly on the first. I believe there is some truth to that for many people. Not for me though as The Evil Dead remains an effective exercise in horror. It's a testament to Raimi and crew that they were able to pull it off. I loved the sequels since I was a teen. Evil Dead 2 should be held as the standard for horror-comedies everywhere. Army of Darkness falters just a bit, but is just more evidence that these filmmakers were out of their mind.
Ash vs. Evil Dead delivered the goods by the way.
The Evil Dead: 9/10
Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn: 9.5/10
Army of Darkness: The Medieval Dead: 8.5/10
Reflections
I'd like to that this was my personal favorite 31 days of horror ever, but I say that every time I do it. I love horror, I've always loved horror, and I always will.
Favorite first-time watches of the month:
1. Night of the Hunter
2. Black Sabbath
3. Alice Sweet Alice
4. Little Shop of Horrors
5. The Beyond
Biggest Disappointment:
1. Nightbreed
2. Tremors 5
Next Year?
I spent a third of my cinematic journey in Italy this month, it was a great ride and it's safe to assume I'll be building upon that next year. I plan on having a body-horror centerpiece with David Cronenberg as the main attraction. In terms of his horror movies I've only seen The Fly so there is plenty to look forward to.
1. The Blob 8/10
2. Stagefright 9/10
3. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari 7/10
4. Nightbreed 4/10
5. Zombie 8/10
6. Unfriended 7.5/10
7. The Hills Have Eyes (Craven) 7.5/10
8. Christine 8/10
9. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 7/10
10. Misery 8.5/10
11. Don't Torture a Duckling 7.5/10
12. Alice Sweet Alice 8.5/10
13. Night of the Hunter 9/10
14. The Bird with the Crystal Plumage 8/10
15. Little Shop of Horrors 8.5/10
16. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 8/10
17. Tremors 5 5.5/10
18. Housebound 8/10
19. Trick r' Treat 9/10
20. Prince of Darkness 8/10
21. Re-Animator 9/10
22. The Beyond 8.5/10
23. The Taking of Deborah Logan 7.5/10
24. Cube 6/10
25. Lifeforce 7/10
26. Bay of Blood (Twitch of the Death Nerve) 8/10
27. Black Sabbath 9/10
28. We Are Still Here 7.5/10
29. The Evil Dead 9/10
30. Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn 9.5/10
31. Army of Darkness 8.5/10
Splatterpunk
Member
Sorry for the late bump, only now do I have a couple of minutes to write about the last 4 I watched.
Cat People, 1942
My first Val Lewton film, and certainly not the last. I'm guilty of dismissing them as typical schlocky 40/50s b-movies (come on, Cat People, I Walked With a Zombie, the Body Snatcher - they were marketed as such) which I enjoy sometimes but don't really take seriously or frankly watch all that often. Completely wrong. This is nuanced and artistic and eerie.
The gist: A woman fears that she is of a cursed bloodline.
Coolest part: The paranoid following scenes.
Verdict: 4 sketches out of 5.
Carnival of Souls, 1962
I was going to watch this awhile ago, but when I saw that there was a rifftrax of it I kind of ignored it (yet again like above kinda judging a book by its cover). I finally sat down and watched it, and kind of regret being an idiot about it earlier, cause this is right up my alley, mysterious, surreal, disqueting and hallucinatory. Despite being only about 80 mins it does have some pacing issues with several scenes running just a bit too long. And the soundtrack (100% organ music) does get a little grating after awhile. These are minor quibbles though, I really enjoyed it.
The gist: A church organist finds herself haunted by the spectre of a man dressed in black.
Coolest part: The silence scenes.
Verdict: 4 things in the corner of your eye out of 5.
Black Sunday, 1960
I had this film sneak by my Netflix queue after I swore off Italian horror. Thankfully I might add, because somehow it turned out to be great. Went in with fairly low expectations, and was really surprised. The whole movie is drenched in atmosphere. Really, the whole art direction is amazing. I love the castle, the gargoyles, the masks, the fog, the forest, the crypt.. just great stuff all around. Looks great on bluray to boot. I'm now cautiously curious to watch more Bava films, though not particularly more giallo. I'm at least going to watch Black Sabbath.
The gist: A witch's curse comes back to revisit an ancient household.
Coolest part: The scene with the black horses drawing a carriage down a misty road late at night.
Verdict: 4 broken crosses out of 5.
Videodrome, 1983
Rewatch, that I luckily got to see on the big screen on Halloween. Haven't seen it in awhile, and it still holds up - actually it was even better than I remember it being. Not really much else to say about it, except that it definitely earned its place on my list of top ten horror movies.
The gist: A TV exec for a sleazy channel on the hunt for new programming uncovers a disturbing new show.
Coolest part: Where to start.
Verdict: 5 scrambled signals out of 5.
Overall a good marathon, I think I watched maybe about 20 films? I really wanted to watch Bone Tomahawk, but I think it was literally in one theatre here for about a week. Oh well.
Worst movie: Opera.
Best non-Videdrome movie: Black Sunday, it really impressed me.
Film that every horror fan should watch: Henry, Portrait of a Serial Killer.
Cat People, 1942
My first Val Lewton film, and certainly not the last. I'm guilty of dismissing them as typical schlocky 40/50s b-movies (come on, Cat People, I Walked With a Zombie, the Body Snatcher - they were marketed as such) which I enjoy sometimes but don't really take seriously or frankly watch all that often. Completely wrong. This is nuanced and artistic and eerie.
The gist: A woman fears that she is of a cursed bloodline.
Coolest part: The paranoid following scenes.
Verdict: 4 sketches out of 5.
Carnival of Souls, 1962
I was going to watch this awhile ago, but when I saw that there was a rifftrax of it I kind of ignored it (yet again like above kinda judging a book by its cover). I finally sat down and watched it, and kind of regret being an idiot about it earlier, cause this is right up my alley, mysterious, surreal, disqueting and hallucinatory. Despite being only about 80 mins it does have some pacing issues with several scenes running just a bit too long. And the soundtrack (100% organ music) does get a little grating after awhile. These are minor quibbles though, I really enjoyed it.
The gist: A church organist finds herself haunted by the spectre of a man dressed in black.
Coolest part: The silence scenes.
Verdict: 4 things in the corner of your eye out of 5.
Black Sunday, 1960
I had this film sneak by my Netflix queue after I swore off Italian horror. Thankfully I might add, because somehow it turned out to be great. Went in with fairly low expectations, and was really surprised. The whole movie is drenched in atmosphere. Really, the whole art direction is amazing. I love the castle, the gargoyles, the masks, the fog, the forest, the crypt.. just great stuff all around. Looks great on bluray to boot. I'm now cautiously curious to watch more Bava films, though not particularly more giallo. I'm at least going to watch Black Sabbath.
The gist: A witch's curse comes back to revisit an ancient household.
Coolest part: The scene with the black horses drawing a carriage down a misty road late at night.
Verdict: 4 broken crosses out of 5.
Videodrome, 1983
Rewatch, that I luckily got to see on the big screen on Halloween. Haven't seen it in awhile, and it still holds up - actually it was even better than I remember it being. Not really much else to say about it, except that it definitely earned its place on my list of top ten horror movies.
The gist: A TV exec for a sleazy channel on the hunt for new programming uncovers a disturbing new show.
Coolest part: Where to start.
Verdict: 5 scrambled signals out of 5.
Overall a good marathon, I think I watched maybe about 20 films? I really wanted to watch Bone Tomahawk, but I think it was literally in one theatre here for about a week. Oh well.
Worst movie: Opera.
Best non-Videdrome movie: Black Sunday, it really impressed me.
Film that every horror fan should watch: Henry, Portrait of a Serial Killer.
canoli2006
Member
I'm looking forward to the new thread this year.