Halloween Horror Month 2023

[New Radical]

Day 19

Wolfen (1981)

Violent murders are taking place in New York City and the viewer sees a wolf or wolves before each occurs.

First time watch from me. It feels as much a murder mystery as it does horror. I was drawn into the story and it kept my attention. Very well acted by a top cast and visually interesting through landscape shots and unique camera angles. Good special effects also.

Very good film (not the Werewolf film I've always thought this was though )


A Nightmare On Elm Street 3 - Dream Warriors (1987)

Probably the film that truly made Freddy Krueger so iconic (though perhaps at the expense of him being scary) in pop culture.

There are so many memorable creative moments in this one, it's well acted and the story clever. The special effects are tremendous.

It must be 30 years since I first saw this, I've watched it so many times but never bore of it, it breezed by. A fun watch.

[CouncilSpectre]

Day 20 Part 1:



Not the actual 4K disc, I watched the 4K/DV version on iTunes.

Still such a fun horror/vampire flick. For me Chris Sarandon absolutely makes the movie as without him being able to pull off Dandrige's perfect balance of charm and menace it just wouldn't work. Thankfully, he absolutely nails it and in doing so crafts a truly great character that often steals the show! 8.5/10



PSYCHO IV

It's a shame that this one is a TVM really, as there are certain times where the (lack of) production budget shows. That said, a decent cast with Olivia Hussey, Henry Thomas and CCH Pounder joining Anthony Perkins manage to make up for this and play out a compelling hour and a half in the Norman Bates saga. 8.5/10

Personally, I'm not sure PSYCHO should be lumped in with all the other "slasher" franchises as it's a class apart for me. Not to denigrate the likes of HALLOWEEN or F13, as they're both great at what they do, but PSYCHO has a lot more class throughout. I mean, you have Anthony Perkins as a constant through-line across the series of films which elevates it enough, but then you also had Hitchcock and Stefano's involvement as well. For me, the quality rarely dips across the four films here. Yes, obviously the original film is a masterpiece, but the rest are as good as sequels have any right to be, even IV, the TVM.

I know people have identified a number of issues with this set, but personally, it's one of my releases of the year.

[BlueGeekReviews]

12. Spirits of The Dead - an anthology film based on the works of Edgar Allen Poe and starring the likes of Jane Fonda (the same year Barbarella came out), Bridgette Bardot and Terrance Stamp. The first segment is the best of the 3 imo

[BlueGeekReviews]

13. Flavia The Heretic - really didn’t know what to make of this, too many graphic scenes of ladies getting tortured for my liking

[CrockettandTubbs]

Watched, Oct 20th:



Forgot to add this to my collection. Bought it years ago in Oxfam!

[ravenus]

Originally Posted by BlueGeekReviews

12. Spirits of The Dead - an anthology film based on the works of Edgar Allen Poe and starring the likes of Jane Fonda (the same year Barbarella came out), Bridgette Bardot and Terrance Stamp. The first segment is the best of the 3 imo

That's an interesting one for sure. I like the one with Alain Delon. I remember getting the Arrow blu for some 6 quid (it was cheap for a long time before it went OOS), and it turned out a solid blind-buy.

[Stewynewy]

Originally Posted by Stewynewy

October 20th:
21. Curtains (1983) 5.5/10
22. V/H/S 85 (2023) 3/10

Sadly this years V/H/S might be the worst one, it is definitely this or Viral. I don't get why they have these films set in specific years, when the filmmakers don't bother replicating the look of the video equipment of that year, just slap a filter over the screen and it's ok (apparently).

All the segments are variations of things we've seen before, all have lame stories and nothing endings. The only segment that was enjoyable was the wraparound, but only because the ending especially was great.

It feels like they're running out of ideas, which is incredible seeing as the only rules of the shorts are, have it be found footage and have it set in a specific year.

[Ben_C]

After a tiring week, what better way to unwind than with a Fulci double bill of The House by the Cemetery and City of the Living Dead. THbtC is pretty deranged, but CotLD is just another level of unhinged - a nightmarish fever dream of gut spewing, head drilling, blood crying, brain squishing, maggot raining madness.

[Mattmck99]

1. Lady in a Cage (1964)
2. Stepfather 2 (1987)
3. When a Stranger Calls (1979)
4. Scream 3 (2000)
5. Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
6. The Most Dangerous Game (1932)
7. The Lost Boys (1987)
8. Leprechaun (1993)
9. Pin (1988)
10. Scream 4 (2011)

11.
- watched via Lionsgate+

A solid enough entry and return to the status quo after the different direction of the third instalment. Parts of this one are ingrained in my mind, especially that atmospheric opening scene in Jamie’s room which scared the shit out of me when I caught it one time on TV as a kid. There is some whacky elements in this, notably the redneck militia boys who suddenly abandon their beers and jump into action after calling the police station and receiving no answer. Donald Pleasance is wonderfully unhinged in this, waltzing around hyping up how dangerous Michael Myers is. Overall, not the strongest of the sequels, but ultimately entertaining and rewatchable.

[BlueGeekReviews]

Originally Posted by ravenus

That's an interesting one for sure. I like the one with Alain Delon. I remember getting the Arrow blu for some 6 quid (it was cheap for a long time before it went OOS), and it turned out a solid blind-buy.

Yeah it was a blind buy for me as well off EBay, think I paid around £4 odd including postage

[CavebobSpongeman]

Originally Posted by Ben_C

After a tiring week, what better way to unwind than with a Fulci double bill of The House by the Cemetery and City of the Living Dead. THbtC is pretty deranged, but CotLD is just another level of unhinged - a nightmarish fever dream of gut spewing, head drilling, blood crying, brain squishing, maggot raining madness.

I need to watch CotLD again before the month is out. Loved it when I first saw it last year.

[zallzed]

Watched Day 20

#37 The Blair Witch Project (1999) - Sky TV



#38 Phenomena (1985) - Arrow 4K Standard Edition 1/2



Not Argento’s best, but enjoyable nevertheless

[Ben_C]

Originally Posted by CavebobSpongeman

I need to watch CotLD again before the month is out. Loved it when I first saw it last year.

I think it was only the second time I’ve watched it, and I reckon I enjoyed it a bit more than House by the Cemetery (which is also good fun though).
An Arrow UHD of City next year would be good. Would rather that than importing the US version tbh.

[Vault of Horror]

1. Torture Garden (1967) - UK Indicator standard edition
2. Frontier(s) (2007) - UK Second Sight standard edition
3. Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982) - US Universal Studios
4. Murders in the Zoo (1933) - UK Eureka part of the "Creeping Horror" set
5. Dracula AD1972 (1972) - US Warner Archive
6. The Bay (2012) - UK Momentum
7. Sleepaway Camp (1983) - US Shout Factory
8. Doctor Jekyll & Sister Hyde (1971) - UK Studio Canal
9. Candyman (1992) UK Theatrical cut - UK Arrow limited edition
10. Scream of the Demon Lover (1970) - US Severin part of the "Danza Macabre" set
11. Mausoleum (1983) - US Vinegar Syndrome
12. The Faculty (1998) - UK Lionsgate
13. Shivers (1975) - UK Arrow dual format edition
14. Dead of Night (1945) - UK Studio Canal Vintage Classics
15. The Howling (1980) - UK Studio Canal
16. Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984) - US Paramount part of the "Friday the 13th 8-film" set
17. The Horrible Dr Hitchcock (1962) - Italian cut UK Radiance
18. Session 9 (2001) - US Shout Factory
19. Carrie (1976) - UK Arrow standard edition RIP PIPER LAURIE
20. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) - UK Warner Bros part of the Nightmare on Elm Street collection
21. The Loved Ones (2009) - UK Optimum
22. Rabid (1977) - UK Arrow dual format edition

[Lord-Oakbeard]

(43) The Invisible Man (1933) Blu-ray.


From …



(44) The Devil’s Rejects (2005) DVD.






Claudia Rains excels as a murderous and mad scientist in The Invisible Man. It’s one of the greatest Golden age Universal horror films that is full of chills, dark humour, amazing special effects, and quirky characters brilliantly directed by James Whale. A true classic.

First time watch of The Devil’s Rejects: Badly acted, gory, brutally violent and sometimes uncomfortable to watch. Not a lot in storyline to see here and a typical in yer face Rob Zombie horror film that gets boring after a while. The soundtrack is very good though.

[zallzed]

Watched Day 21

#39 Zombie Flesh Eaters (1979) - Arrow Blu-ray 1/2



Cool zombie movie this is bags of fun

#40 Doom (2005) - UK 4K Disc



Karl Urban goes full fps mode, lol

[BlueGeekReviews]

14. The Snorkel - Hammer thriller

Also watch the final 2 episodes of Creepshow season 4

[Dickieduvet]

Day 21

342645_large.jpg

[CrockettandTubbs]

Watched, Oct 21st:



A classic, no doubt about it

Watched the theatrical, 127 minute, version

[CavebobSpongeman]

52. NoES 2: Freddy's Revenge-Yeah, not so enamored with this one. I love the transformation scene but the idea of bringing Freddy into the real world was a huge misstep. Luckily they right the ship with the next film. 6/10.

53. NoES 3: Dream Warriors-Now THIS is more like it. I remember watching this on MTV of all places back in the day and I was blown away by it, pretty sure this was the first NoES film I ever watched. It has characters you genuinely care about, Freddy is equally scary and fun and it has some of the best/most iconic kills of the franchise (

[Show spoiler]Phillip's

death still and forever will freak me out). Obviously you have the brilliant Patricia Arquette, an appearance from Larry Fishburne and the returning Heather Langenkamp. I love it! 9/10.

54. NoES 4: The Dream Master-This one was alright. There are some cool ideas and 1 or 2 awesome kills, including one of my favourites of the franchise but I found it quite hard to care about anything that was going on. I also didn't see the point of bringing back these characters

[Show spoiler]just to kill them off less than halfway through

.I remember the next film being of similar quality but we'll see. 6/10.

55. NoES 5: The Dream Child-I don't know what THAT was. I mean seriously, I think I fell asleep. I mean, I didn't HATE it but it was terribly forgettable. I thought

[Show spoiler]Dan's

death scene was really awesome but that's the only thing that stands out. 5/10.

56. Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare-This was shite. It was entertaining in parts, I laughed a couple of times but other than that I was bored shitless. I agree with Jeff Katz, this is one of the most iconic horror villains and THAT'S how he dies? In a film like this? F*** RIGHT off.
4/10.

57. Wes Craven's New Nightmare-This goes without saying but this is easily the best NoES film since 3. At nearly 2 hours it's a bit long but it's clever, it's got an interesting story and it's actually scary for the first time in 3 movies. 8/10.