31 Days of Halloween Movies (2018) - Horror Fans Unite!!!!!!

[jeddy3]

9/5 - Alien vs. Predator (2004)
9/7 - Annihilation (2018)
9/10 - Upgrade (2018)
9/11 - A Quiet Place (2018)
Cooties (2014)
9/12 - I Am Legend (2007)
9/13 - Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983)
Signs (2002)
9/17 - The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Annabelle: Creation (2017)
9/18 - mother! (2017)

[mpstjohn]

Previously this month...

[Show spoiler]Marrowbone 1/2
Happy Death Day
It (2017) 1/2 28 Weeks Later
The Fly
Frighteners
Arachnophobia
Darkman
C.H.U.D. 1/2
Exorcist III 1/2
Unfriended 2: Dark Web 1/2
Revenge 1/2
An American Werewolf in London 1/2
All Hallow's Eve
The First Purge
Hereditary
Return of the Living Dead
Ouija: Origin of Evil
The Lost Boys

Upgrade 1/2
Mandy
Horns 1/2
Dead Alive

[Lacit170]

Originally Posted by jeddy3

9/7 - Annihilation (2018)

9/18 - mother! (2017)

what did you think of these?

i liked annihilation a lot more than i thought i would.... solid sci fi flick...

and Mother a lot less than i thought...has a cool trippy ending but otherwise kind of bland...

[charlieray1]

SEPTEMBER WARM-UP

Blue = blu-ray, * = first time viewing

Previous Films:

[Show spoiler]

The Orphanage (2007) A well-made, creepy, slow burn horror film. Very effective, and surprisingly moving at the end. This got our annual MonsterFest off to a great start!
Village Of The Damned (1960) Hadn't seen this in a few years. I forgot how very well-made and effective it is. Terrific movie, and a great looking new blu-ray from Warner Archive.
*The Devil's Daughter (1973) 1/2 (YouTube) My wife and I are old enough to have seen a lot of silly 70's TV movies as kids and we have a soft-spot for them. This is a completely predictable "Rosemary's Baby" rip-off -- campy, and a LOT of nostalgic fun. Decent cast too, with Shelly Winters, Joseph Cotton and a post "Dark Shadows" Jonathon Frid. We liked it ... but if you grew up after the '70's, you'll want to knock a couple of skulls off.
The Dead Zone (1983) Easily my favorite SK adaptation -- great story, great cast. Brooke Adams is beautiful! A favorite. Imported the Australian blu-ray. A little disappointing. Sound is definitely an upgrade, picture is too, but it's subtle.
Ghost Story (1981) 1/2 Another old favorite. I'm a sucker for slow-burn, well-crafted ghost stories ... and this one has those qualities in spades. Cool to see these old-time actors -- the cast is excellent -- along side Alice Krige, who is perfection as Eva/Anna. Loses half a star for over-reliance on shock cuts to gooey dead faces. They get a bit repetitive after a while, and they're not necessary in this movie -- it's strength is "eerie", not shock.
*The Little Stranger (2018) theatrical Gee, I wanted to love this. It looked like the kind of subtle ghost story that's right up my alley, but I guess even subtle can be overdone. EVERYTHING is laid between the lines, to the point that I really didn't understand what happened in the film. Had to read about it afterwards to figure out what I missed. Good premise, well made and well acted ... but it needs at least a LITTLE more overt storytelling. A big disappointment.
*Cronos (1993) :1/2 This didn't do much for me either. Some nice moments early on, but mostly gooey and pointless. *sigh*
*Cat Creature (1973) youtube 1/2 OK, I knew this wasn't going to be good, but I thought it would be entertaining. As I said (see: The Devil's Daughter) I have a fondness for campy 70's TV movie horror. I don't mind if they're silly, over-acted, unbelievable ... but this one was dull. How do you take a plot about a 2,000 year old cat creature stalking Los Angeles and make it boring? Simple: all "cop investigation" and very little cat. Interesting cast though -- Peter Lorre Jr? Who knew? (NOTE: OK, this is weird! Peter Lorre Jr wasn't related to Peter Lorre! Check this out: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0521137/bio)
The Grudge (2004) 1/2 The best of the weekend ... and the only one I had seen before. Not a great movie by any means, but fun and entertaining. (Are you listening, Cat Creature?)
The Fog (1980) A favorite, and IMO, one of JC's best films. However, I might skip this one for the next few years. No fault of the movie, but I've seen it many times and it's become so familiar that it didn't do as much for me this year. Still, it earns it's 4 skulls.
Asylum (1972) Boy, did I enjoy this! Never had the DVD, so I hadn't seen it since the VHS days. I love all the old Amicus anthologies, and although I had forgotten some of it, this is one of the best. The wrap around story is much better than most, and each tale worked quite well. Decent blu-ray too -- some nice extras.
Silence Of The Lambs (1991) What a powerful movie this is. Jody Foster and, especially, Anthony Hopkins are so perfect in their roles. Controlled, understated, underplayed and completely chilling. Also, for a film with such gruesome subject matter, it's surprisingly restrained -- it's dark and oppressive, but most of the violence is off-screen. A smart, well-made, grim thriller. My wife and I tend to stick to lighter, "fun" horror movies, but this one is too good to miss.
*Ghost Stories (2018) 1/2 I can't stop thinking about this movie! Too many jump scares perhaps, but there is a lot more here than shock. This film demands to be watched closely with no distractions, and the closer you watch, the more you'll get out of it. Plus, it's a lot of fun! I hate it when people say "You didn't get it" if you don't like a certain movie. However, in this case, if all you see is what's in plain sight ... you didn't get it. Or at least you missed the best part. A new classic.
Trick Or Treat (2007) 1/2 I love the way this movie looks, and the way the stories intertwine. I like the Sam character, and all the Halloween iconography too. It's a fun film, that loses half a skull for me for being a bit too sleazy in spots. (Really don't enjoy hearing a 10 year old say "butt-f***.") Still, very enjoyable.
The Funhouse (1981) 1/2 This gets off to a really lunk-headed start -- dumb characters, cheesy dialogue -- but once they get inside the funhouse and the main story starts, it really goes! We see the "monster" close enough and long enough to realize that it's an immobile mask, but this works as a fun, simple horror movie. Captures the whole garish carnival atmosphere nicely too. Turn off your brain and go for a ride.
*Unsane (2018) (Amazon streaming) 1/2 This has ... *ahem* ... a few problems. It's impossible to like the main character -- she's obnoxious -- and it's really, really far-fetched. Unless, of course, she imagined the whole thing (which I tend to believe. She's obviously nuts.) I like the ambiguity of the ending, but this was pretty "meh.". The most impressive thing was that the whole movie was shot on an iPhone! Looked pretty good too.
Near Dark (1987) I've always liked this one -- it's a really cool reworking of the whole vampire mythology. Great cast -- Lance Henriksen is amazing. So is Bill Paxton -- first time I've seen it since he died. Funny that neither of the leads, Adrian Pasdar (Caleb) or Jenny Wright (Mae), went on to much movie success. They're both quite good -- and she was gorgeous! A favorite ... even if the whole

[Show spoiler]"vampires are cured by a transfusion" idea

is a little unconvincing!

Repulsion (1965) 1/2 This movie takes its time -- there's a lot of mundane details of our main character's life. But there's also a growing sense of unease, the sense that things are not right. By the final third of the movie, she has left all reality behind and what happens is all the more shocking because the first half of the film is so restrained. Maybe not a "fun" movie -- but a disturbing and effective portrait of mental illness. Very chilling.

[jeddy3]

Originally Posted by Lacit170

what did you think of these?

i liked annihilation a lot more than i thought i would.... solid sci fi flick...

and Mother a lot less than i thought...has a cool trippy ending but otherwise kind of bland...

First time viewing of both. Really enjoyed Ex Machina so Annihilation was going to be a must see at some point and I did enjoy it though not as much as Ex Machina. The flashbacks at times got tiresome but the action/horror on the journey through the shimmer was pretty intense, with some inspiration I'm sure from John Carpenter's The Thing. Didn't think the ending quite nailed it but still enjoyed the ride.

Didn't know what to expect from mother! hearing that it was quite disturbing and something you would never want to see a second time. I don't think either of these things are true. I was captivated throughout and thought the performance from the 4 main characters was solid. Somewhat early on it seemed to resemble Rosemary's Baby but obviously bizarre/dreamlike throughout with a number of analogies or metaphors to play with.

[chad_1138]

(*denotes first time viewing)

09/01 - *Demon House
09/02 - *The Babysitter
09/03 - *The Ritual
09/04 - *Death Note
09/05 - *American Fable
09/07 - *The Nun
09/07 - *The Bye Bye Man
09/08 - *Before I Wake
09/10 - *Mercy
09/11 - Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
09/12 - Predator (4K)
09/13 - *Ghost Stories
09/15 - Predator 2 (4K)
09/16 - Predators (4k)
09/17 - Zombieland
09/18 - Lake Placid

[cgpublic]

”You have to be taught to leave us alone."

The Village of the Dammed [1960; First Watch (2018 Warner Archive Collection Blu-ray)]



Rating: 

Analysis: When I read the news of WAC releasing this childhood favorite (lovingly restored and never looking better), I posted the following anecdote:

“My Dad dragged my brother and me to a triple-bill matinee with VotD, The Day of the Triffids and something else that we skipped out on, all for a buck at one of those broke down movie joints in the Village back in the late 60s/early 70s. My Mom let him have it after my brother and me couldn't get to sleep because we kept imagining those eyes."

Thanks Dad!

[assydingo]

9/19 Fear Clinic (2014)

The ideas are interesting, the cast gives solid performances, particularly Robert Englund and Fiona Dourif, and the effects are pretty decent. Unfortunately the good elements don't manage to overcome the pacing issues or the half-baked plot.

[hagios]

9/19

Cup of tea theatre



The Wolf Man (1941)



Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943)

[MassiveMovieBuff]

9/19
Sisters (First time viewing) 1/2
Misery
Gerald's Game

[samlop10]

Previous:

1. Predator 2

2. Deep Blue Sea

3. Razorback

4. Revenge

5. The Nun

6. Halloween 6: The Curse of Micheal Myers (Producer's Cut)

7. Slither

8. Raising Cain (Director's Cut)

9. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

10. Detention



Current:

11. The Predator



Is it a B-movie? 100%. However, it is probably the best kind of B-movie there is. It is completely over the top with non-stop action and some fun irreverent humor (if you’ve seen a Shane Black movie before you know what to expect). Shane Black knows it’s a B-movie and he simply tried to deliver the best he could, and given that I think he succeeds.

The film wastes no time and it opens with a Predator ship going after another one. Suddenly, a portal opens next to Earth, the first spaceship goes through, and then it closes. It lands somewhere in Mexico while McKenna, a sniper, is on a mission to execute someone. After the ship crashes, he gets a couple of items, including a Predator helmet, from the ship, and the next day mails them to his home to have evidence that an alien species exists. As that is happening the government summons Dr. Bracket on Halloween day. She is taken to a lab where she is shown the Predator and is asked to examine it, and his devices, to try to figure out why they’re coming to earth more frequently since 1987. The government gets McKenna, and they decide they’ll silence him by branding him deranged. McKenna’s son gets hold of the Predator items that were mailed. He decides to use the helmet as a Halloween mask, and as he uses it, his location is found. As McKenna is being transported with a group of mentally unstable veterans, the Predator in the lab escapes.

The film is bananas, in the best possible way. People are killed every which way and the humor comes often and is pretty effective, provided you like Shane Black’s humor. The plot is definitely nothing to write about. It’s simply there to have scientists, killers, and the government fighting each other and the Predators while they behave like crazy mofos. It works. Each of the veterans is a vivid character in their own way, and their interaction is entertaining and fun to watch as they work together to fight the Predator. Olivia Munn kicks ass. She may be the only woman in the ‘team’, but she more than holds her own, being smart, logical, and physically agile. She also helps amplify the dynamics in the team as the veterans try to figure out how to interact with her without offending her.

All the performances range from good to excellent, with Munn, Holbrook (McKenna), and Brown being the standouts. Character development is fair. The film won’t win any awards for its script, but the characters and plot are enough to drive the crazy action, dynamics, and humor. Directing is pretty good. As non-stop action as the film is, the pacing feels fast and fun without exhausting the audience. The more suburban setting is used well and it helps make the film feel fresh and not a redo of other entries in the franchise, while it helps to amplify the humor by juxtaposing the over the top concept of an alien coming to earth to kill another alien with something so familiar as the suburbs. I’ve read negative criticisms about the special effects during the last act of the film. It’s nothing to write home about, but it’s not terrible either, at least not in my opinion, especially given the B-movie canvas on which the film was created upon.

It is definitely not as good as the original, but I do think it’s the best sequel so far. It’s a very different Predator movie, and while it doesn’t try to match or outdo the first, it uses its core concepts while infusing it with the best kind of B-movie elements to deliver something that is very fun, entertaining, and feels fresh. It’s a B-movie with an expensive budget, and I’m not complaining one bit. If you’re fine with the B-movie lens through which it was created, then I’d recommend it. And definitely watch it in IMAX or a Dolby Cinema, the visuals and sound just amplify the entertainment factor.


Technical review is for the presentation in Laser IMAX:

PQ: 4.5 / 5
Image was pretty darn good. The expanded dynamic range of the laser projection really gave the image more pop and nuance, especially in nighttime scenes, which were most of the movie, with all the tech devices from the Predators, their green shiny blood, and other more common objects like lights. Detail was good, not outstanding but fair. It did get a little soft in some special effects but given the budget, that's not really a surprise.

AQ: 4.5 / 5
Unfortunately it doesn't seem this got the 12 channel treatment so it was just a 6 channel mix playing. Given that it was excellent. It had great directionality at the front and the surrounds were pretty active throughout. The low end was also very prominent given all the action. Dialogue stayed well prioritized, and despite all the commotion it had some nice atmospherics. The Dolby Atmos mix should sound excellent given how this one sounded on just a 6 channel mix.

[samlop10]

Previous:

1. Predator 2

2. Deep Blue Sea

3. Razorback

4. Revenge

5. The Nun

6. Halloween 6: The Curse of Micheal Myers (Producer's Cut)

7. Slither

8. Raising Cain (Director's Cut)

9. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

10. Detention

11. The Predator



Current:

12. Mandy



As psychedelic as it gets.

A throwback to the 70s-style sub-genre of revenge films, Mandy oozes with its style and pacing. The imagery combined with the music and editing work extremely well to elevate the minimalistic plot of the film. Cage, Riseborough, and Roache give excellent performances. Cage succeeds as the broken man

[Show spoiler]seeking revenge for the brutal murder of his wife

. Riseborough is great at playing a quiet but enigmatic artist. And Roache is excellent as the narcissistic and insane leader of a cult.

While the film is pretty engrossing throughout (if a film was alive and was high on drugs, this would be the end product), there are a few times in which "too much of a good thing is bad", and that can be felt a bit in a few sequences in which the over-stylized nature of some scenes can halt the film and feel a little redundant. They don't ruin the movie but they do feel like they were there to showoff the psychedelic style instead of providing something important to the plot or a character. Also, while the second half of the film, in which Nicholas Cage goes crazy on his revenge, succeeds in using his acting persona to manifest the character's arc (we all know how over-the-top he can be), it does clash with its tones a bit. By then he is a broken man with nothing to lose, and given the tone of tragedy, anger, and sadness of the film, it was weird to see that it was a little comedic at times as well. It was genuinely funny, but it just didn't mesh as well with its other more 'downer' tones which are what fuel his revenge. It was still fairly enjoyable but I am not sure the slightly comedic moments worked in the films favor, as funny as they were. Overall, it is still very much worth watching if you know what you're getting into, and I can see it having good replay value due to the uniqueness of its expressionistic style and pacing (something like Suspiria but for a 70s revenge film) combined with the great performances.


The technical review is for the presentation in regular projection:

PQ: 4.5 / 5
I'm not sure whether this was shot on actual film or if the effect was added in post-production, but either way, Mandy is one grainy film. It really helps with the style, however. It helps it really capture that 70s style of revenge films, not only with its setting and characters but also in the technical aspect with its imagery and sound. The grain is akin to something shot on 16mm, and given all the heavy post-processing it went through to give it that psychedelic element, fine detail is not abundant and there is some black crush throughout. It should definitely still benefit from a blu-ray transfer to capture the grain, but it is definitely not demo material either. Having said that, the film goes crazy with its colors and imagery, and it was impressive to see how well it meshed with the story and Cage's character. Like mentioned above, it was not always in service of either, but the majority was and that is commendable given how crazy the film looks.

AQ: 4 / 5
The synth score is mainly what drives this mix. Dialogue is pretty clear and well balanced with the music, but apart from a few 'action' sequences (a car crash, a few bloody fights), the mix is not too complex. Most of the action, in terms of sound, is very front-centered, which I guess given the intended style, makes sense for this film. The score does envelop the viewer nicely thanks to the surrounds, and directionality at the front is good. It is an overall pretty good mix but nothing outstanding.

[Pizzamorg]

I wasn't going to start this early but since everyone else has...

17/09/2018 - You're Next.
18/09/2018 - THE Predator.
19/09/2018 - Housebound.

[prkchopexpress]

first time watches in bold

Originally Posted by prkchopexpress

original post

[Show spoiler]hannibal tv series complete.
season 1 and 2 - 4.25 of 5 stars
season 3 - 3.75 of 5 stars
perfect blue - 5/5
predator 2 - 3/5
truth or dare 2018 - .25/5
slice - 3/5
the sorority house massacre - 1.75/5
halloween II - 2/5
vampire clay - 4.5/5
mandy 2018 - 5/5
the predator - 2.75/5
mom and dad 4.5/5
it stains the sand red - 4.5/5
the great alligator - 4/5
prom night 3 - the last kiss 1.5/5
prom night 4 - deliver us from evil - .5/5
the house of the devil - 1.5/5
the autopsy of jane doe - 2/5
necronomicon - 3/5
the uninvited 5/5
splinter 3.75/5

among the living - 3.5/5
from the guys who made inside. more good than bad. has some moments. but doesn't entirely work. I just felt it wound up being so meh. it's on shudder in the us if you're curious.
body melt - 3/5
eh. this is entertaining, but not as crazy as you'd expect from the title.
magic - 4.5/5
man, how hot is ann margret in this? you might think this is bad if that's my first thought. but she is totally the best part of this movie. I mean, burgess meredith is pretty good too. and hopkins is solid. but ann margret is totally the best thing in this movie and the movie wouldn't work without her. overlooked in all this, a really great jerry goldsmith score. but this is still a solid genre flick that I have looked over for like forever.

[oilers73]

Re-Animator - 3/5 (on a scale of 0 to 5). Random thoughts: Am I the only person who thinks Rainn Wilson used Herbert West as inspiration for his portrayal of Dwight on The Office? Also, Meagan Halsey is a spoiled brat. A grown woman who still calls her father "daddy". Yuck!

[KenHurd]

Originally Posted by cgpublic

”You have to be taught to leave us alone."

The Village of the Dammed [1960; First Watch (2018 Warner Archive Collection Blu-ray)]

Rating: 

Analysis: When I read the news of WAC releasing this childhood favorite (lovingly restored and never looking better), I posted the following anecdote:

Thanks Dad!

I need to see this version. I've only seen John Carpenter's remake.

[cgpublic]

Originally Posted by KenHurd

I need to see this version. I've only seen John Carpenter's remake.

Carpenter is the best, but even he would agree his film is no match for the original. It's one of those perfectly executed films that can not be improved upon.

[cgpublic]

Originally Posted by samlop10

As psychedelic as it gets.

Nice review; this is definitely on my watch list.

[kingdoxie]

Corn1.jpgCorn.jpg

Children of the Corn (1984)

[nodeerforamonth]

Shouldn't this go through Halloween?

Only movies, right? Not tv shows or haunted house tours, right?