The Orphanage (2007) A well-made, creepy, slow burn Spanish 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. The audio is definitely an upgrade, and the 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/Alma. 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 4 we saw this 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. Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) I've seen this many times, but I still have such mixed emotions about it! It's fun to watch, and as eye-candy it's an easy 5 skulls, but as an adaptation of Dracula ... well, it's far more concerned with over-the-top style than substance. It's fun (and occasionally very good, when it calms down a bit) but I wish more of the talent and money had been aimed at the story instead of the flash. (Although it's fun to watch Keanu's hair constantly change color!) The Fly (1986) 1/2 Watching this last night, I was really admiring it -- it has a literate, witty script, great performances and incredible make-up. I always forget how good it really is. Then the final act hits and pulls me out of the movie. All the sympathy the film has built for the characters is forgotten under a ton of (incredibly well-done) gore. It's still fun in a "Ewww! Look at that!" way, but it's so much more than that before the ick hits the fan. A 5 skull movie that loses 1 and 1/2 under the glop. (Fun fact: I never noticed before that Jeff G says "Help Me, please help me" to Geena D -- that must be a nod to the original film.) A Quiet Place (2018) 1/2 Who would have thought that a PG-13 film with no profanity, no gore, and no nudity would become such a big hit -- and be so intense? When this came out last spring it was a real breath of fresh air, and it plays just as well at home. Incredibly fun old-school monster movie with an amazing sound design. Yeah, it's got a few plot holes ... but who cares? The most fun I've had at a monster movie in ages. Psycho (1960) Not a lot to say about this movie, except that it still holds up. Big time. It doesn't matter that everyone knows the reveal -- the acting, the cinematography, the tight construction all really work. Why on earth didn't Tony Perkins get nominated for an Oscar? A classic that I admire more every time I see it. *Psycho IV (1990) A first time watch, and a disappointing one. The worst of the sequels by a long shot, and surprisingly, where it fails most is the writing. Joseph Stefano, who did the original Psycho script, also wrote this, but it has some truly cringe-worthy dialogue. ("That's all that thing of yours is for, making wee-wee!") Sadly there was potential here, and a few decent ideas, and even a decent moment or two, but it never takes off. It's always good to see Anthony Perkins as Norman, and it's worth owning just for that, but Tony AND Norman both deserved a far better farewell. City Of The Dead (1960) Quick! Name the movie: a 1960 black and white thriller with a pretty blonde that stays in a lonely hotel, and disappears from the movie halfway through after being
[Show spoiler]stabbed to death by the owner.
The second half of the film has her sibling searching for her and finding out the shocking truth about the innkeeper. Psycho, you say? Nope. City Of The Dead! A fun, old school horror movie with fantastic atmosphere, and Christopher Lee to boot. A low-budget, but very effective and eerie little film, with an especially chilling prologue set in the 1700's. A real Halloween treat, and a great blu-ray too! Fade To Black (1980) : (Amazon Prime) I'm tempted to call this a first viewing -- it's been over 30 years, and I didn't remember much of it ... if I had, I wouldn't have watched again. There's actually a very good idea here: a movie obsessed kid, killing his enemies in the style of characters from films. There are several cool movie clips, movie references and memorabilia, plus a few nice shots. And Dennis Christopher is pretty good. But everyone else is awful, and the script is a complete mess. A missed opportunity, but at least it was fun to watch. The House That Dripped Blood (1971) Another old Amicus anthology movie ... but one of the lesser ones. The best story is probably the third, about Christopher Lee and his voo-doo practicing daughter, but none of the four tales have quite the punch of the stories in Asylum, or Tales From The Crypt. Still, a good time ... and a wonderful blu-ray. Great colors on all those cheesy 70's era ascots that everyone wears in this. The Sentinel (1977) 1/2 Geez, what an incoherent mess! Very campy movie (with an amazing cast!) that tries really hard to horrify ... and misses. A few decent moments, but mostly silly. HOWEVER: If you've always wanted to see Beverly D'Angelo as a mute, nude, cymbal-playing, brain-eating lesbian from Hell ... this film gets my highest recommendation. The Undying Monster (1947) The first 15 minutes of this are so good, and so atmospheric and so well shot that it could easily give the best Universal horrors a run for their money. Unfortunately, it settles into a talky mystery film. It perks up near the end, but it never lives up to the promise of those wonderful opening scenes. Black Sabbath (Italian version - 1963) This is absolutely one of the best (and scariest!) anthology films ever made ... and the original Italian version is the way to see it. The American version completely rewrites one of the stories (The Telephone) to remove the lesbian element of the story. They did a clever editing job, but it's not the same story, and not as good. In the original, all three stories are really strong, and surprisingly creepy. The dead witch in A Drop Of Water is still frightening after all these years. Karloff is great as a Wurdalack (Romanian vampire) preying on his family. Sometimes They Come Back (1991) :1/2 Really enjoyable TV movie. Almost gave it 4 skulls because I really like the story and the film works well for me ...but there's enough cheese in it that 3 1/2 is more realistic. A great way to wrap up September!
PREVIOUSLY WATCHED IN OCTOBER
[Show spoiler]
Dark Night Of The Scarecrow (1981) 1/2 Started off October with a fun one. Not exactly a classic, but quite good for a 1981 TV movie. Lots of effective moments and a good story over-all. Surprisingly good blu-ray too. The Fly (1958) Hadn't seen this in a few years -- what a great movie! Watched the remake in September, and I have to admit, I prefer the original. The remake starts off incredibly well, but it gets lost in the gore. This movie, while cheesier, is just fun all the way through, and it really is well-constructed. The mystery framework is well done. I imagine audiences in the 50's did a lot of screaming at the big reveal and at the famous "help me!" scene. Favorite moment: When the cat disappears and you can still hear it's "disembodied cat atoms" yowling. Bucket Of Blood (1960) 1/2 Campy, ultra low-budget fun from Roger Corman. This was one of his early quickies (and it shows) but it's quite enjoyable with a strong sense of humor. Dick Miller is great. Spider Baby (1967) 1/2 If ever a film deserved to be called a cult classic, it's Spider Baby. Lon Chaney is actually quite good, as are Jill Banner, Sid Haig and Beverly Washburn. Funny, sleazy, sexy and creepy all at once. No other film is quite like this. * Frankenstein (2004) 1/2 Really interesting TV adaptation of Mary Shelly's novel, supposedly the most faithful version. I've never read the book, so I enjoyed seeing how much it differed from the classic Karloff film. A few weak spots, and the monster is too normal looking for the horrified reactions he gets in the film, but it's a great story. Well worth watching. Straitjacket (1964) I had forgotten how cheesy this is! Fun, though. Over the hill Joan Crawford camping it up for William Castle, with severed heads-a-flyin'. What's not to love? A Game Of Death (1945) 1/2 Really interesting double feature last night -- the original Most Dangerous Game, and this film - it's remake, made 13 years later, by the same studio, even using quite a bit of the same footage! It's a very close remake, with one interesting plot change in the middle. It's was directed by Robert Wise at the beginning of his career. Pretty good! In fact I was going to give it 4 skulls ... until we watched the original afterwards: The Most Dangerous Game (1932) Very, very similar to it's remake ... but just better. More tightly paced, punchier, more style to the direction ... and it has the lovely Fay Wray. I liked the character of the brother better in the remake, but otherwise this version was the clear winner. An all-time classic thriller.
Creepshow (1982) 1/2 Fun anthology that really captures that comic book feel. Steven King is very funny in it, and Hal Holbrook and Adrienne Barbeau are amusing too. Their story, The Crate, is the best in the film, although all the tales work well. Not as good a movie as Dead Of Night or Ghost Stories, but it's much more tongue in cheek than those and it's very successful at what it does. One of the better horror anthologies.
Last edited by charlieray1; 10-09-2018 at 04:56 PM.
10/1 - Piranha (1978)
10/2 - A Nightmare on Elm Street 4 The Dream Master (1988)
10/3 - Psycho (1960)
10/5 - Christine (1983)
10/6 - Piranha II The Spawning (aka Piranha II Flying Killers) (1982)
10/7 - Watched a matinee of the following with the kids, they enjoyed the silliness of it...
Then followed it up later in the evening with this...
I've seen this a few times over the years, typical Hammer fare where Lee cameos in and out of the movie and lets the supporting cast do all the heavy lifting. According to IMDB, this was the very first movie to receive an MPAA rating. Not sure if that's true or not, but it is funny that it's rated G. PG would be more apt these days, but there were some weird ratings in those early days.
10/8 - The Evil Dead (1982) - the original classic, still a creepy AF film.
The premise is so simple that there aren't any cracks for the story to fall through. A group of young employees are hanging out at the mall and have to try and survive a night trapped in with malfunctioning and deadly Wall-Es (called Protectors). Chopping Mall's three robot amigos have an innocent charm, as they don't come off as really comprehending what they're doing, and the human characters are thinly developed but somewhat likable as well.
Scream 3 I didn't truly appreciate this film until I watched the abominable Scream 4. This is a much better ending to the series. Although it doesn't have the almost constant suspense of the first two movies, there are a couple of intense scenes and it has arguably the best finale of the trilogy. Plus, it co-stars Parker Posey.
12. ALIEN COVENANT
I added this one to my collection just after last year's marathon. I thought it was a good continuation of Prometheus and a pretty strong entry in the Alien saga. The new creature is pretty cool and different enough to be memorable. I like the creature changing depending on where it comes from and who it infects. I hear it is up in the air as to whether we will get another sequel. Ridley Scott was hoping for it but I'm hearing this wasn't as successful as they had hoped. If the storyline does end with this, it was a pretty cool two movie ride.
[Show spoiler]
1. HALLOWEEN 3
2+3. PHANTASM 1+2
4. CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON
5. HALLOWEEN
6. DRACULA 1931
7. ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN
8. THE INVISIBLE MAN
9+10. FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 5+6
11. ZOMBIELAND
SEPTEMBER
1. 10 CLOVERFIELD LANE
2. THE MUMMY 1959
3. SALEM'S LOT
4+5. FRIDAY THE 13TH 1+2
6. THE MUMMY 1932
7. THE THING 1982
8. SHAUN OF THE DEAD
9. FREDDY VS. JASON
10. THE PURGE
11. LAND OF THE DEAD
12. RAMPAGE
13-15. POLTERGEIST 1+2+2015
16. ALIEN VS. PREDATOR
17. THE MEG
18. DAWN OF THE DEAD 2004
19. THE PURGE ANARCHY
20+21. FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 3+4
22. THE THING 2011
23. PROMETHEUS
24. THE PURGE ELECTION YEAR
This is my favorite Dee Wallace role. She's incredible in this film. It's more grounded in reality than a lot of other horror films, so you can really put yourself in the place of the characters. The stunt work with the dog(s) and practical effects are impressive as well.
Afterwards I watched Dog Days: The Making of Cujo, which is on the Lionsgate BD. It's really informative with very good interviews of the cast and crew. The full documentary is on YouTube.
What I've Watched So Far:
[Show spoiler]
September
Fade to Black*
Slaughter High*
Truth or Dare*
The Howling*
Cult of Chucky*
Maximim Overdrive*
Predator 2
My Boyfriend's Back*
The Predator*
The Nun*
He's Out There*
Jurassic Park: 25th Anniversary
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom 3D
The House with a Clock in It's Walls* w/Thriller - IMAX
Slither*
The House with a Clock in It's Walls w/ Thriller - IMAX
Buffy the Vampire Slayer*
The Craft
October
Scream
Scream 2
Village of the Damned (1960)
Graveyard Shift*
Silver Bullet*
The Dead Zone*
Rampage 3D
The Lost Boys
Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters 3D*
The Faculty
Disturbing Behavior
The City of the Dead*
Cujo
9/7 - The Nun (Theater Showing)
9/8 - Day of the Dead: Bloodline
9/10 - Verónica
9/28 - Killer Klowns from Outer Space
9/29 - BEDEVILED
9/30 - Cabin Fever (2016)
10/1 - All Hallows' Eve
10/2 - The Diabolical
10/3 - The First Purge
10/4 - Slaughter High
10/5 - Tales from the Hood
10/6 - Hell Fest (Theater Showing)
10/7 - Malevolent (2018 Netflix original movie)
10/8 - X-Ray
Documentaries:
10/6 - Haunters: The Art of the Scare
TV Shows:
9/8 - The Purge: Season 1 - Episode 1 - What Is America?
9/10 - Fear The Walking Dead: Season 4 - Episode 13 - Blackjack
9/11 - The Purge: Season 1 - Episode 2 - Take What's Yours
9/13 - American Horror Story: Season 8 - Episode 1 - The End
9/18 - Fear The Walking Dead: Season 4 - Episode 14 - MM54
9/18 - The Purge: Season 1 - Episode 3 - The Urge to Purge
9/24 - Fear The Walking Dead: Season 4 - Episode 15 - I Lose People ...
9/24 - American Horror Story: Season 8 - Episode 2 - The Morning After
9/25 - The Purge: Season 1 - Episode 4 - Release the Beast
9/26 - American Horror Story: Season 8 - Episode 3 - Forbidden Fruit
10/1 - Fear The Walking Dead: Season 4 - Episode 16 - ... I Lose Myself
10/3 - The Purge: Season 1 - Episode 5 - Rise Up
10/7 - American Horror Story: Season 8 - Episode 4 - Could It Be... Satan?
10/7 - The Walking Dead: Season 9 - Episode 1 - A New Beginning
Non-Horror Halloween:
9/29 - G.I. Joe: Season 3 - Episode 18 - The Phantom Brigade
9/29 - Duck Tales: Season 1- Episode 26 - Curse of Castle McDuck
Really hated this the first time I saw it, gave it another chance and was blown away by it. Over the years, it's become one of my favorite Halloween movies. Double dipped on the new Shout edition, and it looks fantastic. Well worth it for this new classic!
Last edited by sandman slim; 10-09-2018 at 11:25 PM.
Red = Theatrical Blue = Blu-ray Black = Streaming/TV/Other
* = Rewatch
02/09 - Upgrade (2018, Dir. Leigh Whannell) 10/09 - A Quiet Place (2018, Dir. John Krasinski) 11/09 - Ghost Stories (2018, Dir. Jeremy Dyson & Andy Nyman) 12/09 - Resolution (2012, Dir. Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead) 16/09 - The Endless (2018, Dir. Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead) 17/09 - Under the Shadow (2016, Dir. Babak Anvari) 18/09 - Ninja III: The Domination (1984, Sam Firstenberg) 19/09 - Thelma (2017, Joachim Trier) 20/09 - The Crow (1994, Alex Proyas 23/09 - Climax (2018, Gaspar Noe) 24/09 - A Cure For Wellness* (2017, Gore Verbinski) 26/09 - mother!* (2017, Darren Aronofsky) 28/09 - Phase IV (1974, Saul Bass) 29/09 - Revenge (2018, Coralie Fargeat) 30/09 - Hold the Dark (2018, Jeremy Saulnier) 30/09 - The Funhouse (1981, Tobe Hooper)
————— 01/10 - Confessions (2010, Tetsuya Nakashima) 01/10 - The Blob (1958, Irvin Yeaworth & Russell Doughten) 02/10 - Dead Ringers (1988, David Cronenberg) 02/10 - Sleepwalker (1984, Saxon Logan) 03/10 - Venom (2018, Ruben Fleischer) 04/10 - Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986, John McNaughton) 06/10 - Creepshow (1982, George A. Romero) 06/10 - Shocker (1989, Wes Craven) 07/10 - The Toxic Avenger (1984, Lloyd Kaufman & Michael Herz) 07/10 - Street Trash (1987, James M. Muro) 08/10 - Kill, Baby...Kill! (1966, Mario Bava) 09/10 - The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1963, Mario Bava) 09/10 - The Cat O’Nine Tails (Dario Argento, 1971)
Even though I graded Frankenstein as my favorite classic monster, The Invisible Man would be my favorite film. Maybe not scary per se, but the film does a pretty apt job of capturing the havoc and mass hysteria an invisible person could actually cause. And the film works best as a horror-comedy--I love goofy films like this and there's been a lot of real doozies that have come over the decades.
I never understood all the hate this movie gets. Well, wait, maybe I do. It's schlocky, in a lot of the same ways Deep Blue Sea is. Over-the-top acting and dialogue. Over-the-top gore and sex. Well, that's just Paul Verhoeven to the core, so what's the problem? And yeah Kevin Bacon's character is an irredeemable scumbag, but isn't that the point?
I still enjoy the film. The special effects were phenomenal back in the day and I think a lot of them still hold up. The film's a blast, and it really hammers in the theme that invisible people will abuse power.
Holds up okay, but I don't think it'll ever creep me out the same way it did the first time I saw it.
Body Count: 15 Films and 1 TV series
[Show spoiler]
09/03: Village of the Damned (1960)
09/03: Frankenstein (1931)
09/03: Son of Frankenstein
09/22: The Wolf Man (1941)
09/22: Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man
09/22: House of Frankenstein
09/22: House of Dracula
09/26: Happy Death Day
09/27: Slaughter High
09/30: Hotel Transylvania 3
--------------------------------------------------
10/01: House on Haunted Hill (1999)
10/01: Flatliners (2017)
10/02: Beyond Re-Animator
10/02 - 10/03: Devilman OVA
10/03: Incarnate
10/04: Van Helsing
10/05: Deep Rising
10/05: The Ruins
10/06: The Invisible Man (1933)
10/06: The Invisible Man Returns
10/06: The Invisible Woman
10/07: Hollow Man
10/01 - 10/07: Ash vs Evil Dead Season 1
10/08: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
10/09: Insidious
Funny that you mentioned that. Regal is going to re-release this for Halloween weekend along with a few other select titles. I know that IT is on said list.
Sept. 30/Oct. 1.
1. The Strangers (2008)
2. Evil Dead II (1987)
3. Don't Breathe (2016)
4. Halloween 5: The Curse of Michael Myers (1989)
5. Zombie 3 (1988)*
6. Night of the Living Dead (1990)
7. One Missed Call (2003)
8. Dark Water (2002)
Oct. 2
9. Hush (2016)*
10. The Vampire Doll (1970)*
11. The Thing (1982)
Oct. 3
12. The Boneyard (1991)
13. The Howling (1981)
Oct. 4
14. Vampire Circus (1972)*
15. The Thing (2011)
Oct. 5
16. The Gorgon (1964)
Oct. 6
17. Army of Darkness (1992)
18. Zombie 4: After Death (1989)*
19. Ringu (1998)
20. Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)
21. The Hills Have Eyes (1977)
22. Vamp (1986)
Oct. 7
23. 13 Ghosts (1960)*
24. The Babysitter (2017)*
25. Gerald's Game (2017)*
26. Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977)
Oct. 8
27. Trailer Park of Terror (2008)
28. The Mummy's Hand (1940)
29. Ju-On (2002)
01/10 - Mandy (2018)
01/10 - Blood Fest (2018)
01/10 - Stay Alive (2006)
02/10 - The Town That Dreaded Sundown (2014)
02/10 - IT (2017)
03/10 - Society (1989)
04/10 – Hellraiser (1987)
04/10 - Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988)
05/10 - Ghostwatch (1992)
05/10 - Night Of The Demons (1988)
06/10 - The Prowler (1981) w/Joe Bob Briggs
06/10 - Psycho (1998)
06/10 - Psycho II (1983)
07/10 - Psycho III (1986)
08/10 - Psycho IV: The Beginning (1990)
09/10 – From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
09/10 – Urban Legend (1998)
It's another one of those movies that with a little fine tuning could have been much better. They should remake this and change it quite liberally. If it were up to me I'd keep the same origin/motivation for the killer but
[Show spoiler]invert it so it's a guy because there's no way that tiny little woman could do what she did
, I'd get the killer a better getup than a Parka coat FFS, I'd make it more gory and playful in tone and lastly use a different set of urban legends. I think there's good potential for a fun and successful franchise if it was rebooted properly.
[Show spoiler]9/06/18: The Little Stranger * (2018):
9/07/18: The Nun * (2018):
9/10/18: Predator (1987):
9/11/18: Predator 2 (1990):
9/12/18: Predators (2010):
9/14/18:The Predator * (2018):
9/21/18: Fade To Black * (1980):
9/23/18: The Hidden (1987):
9/24/18: Season Of The Witch * (1972):
9/25/18: Assassination Nation * (2018):
9/27/18: Thriller (1983): The House With A Clock In Its Walls * (2018):
10/01/18: Night School * (1981): Body Bags * (1993): Pumpkinhead * (1988):
10/02/18: Raising Cain (1992): Split (2017):
10/03/18: Eyes Of A Stranger * (1981): Hell Fest * (2018): Someone's Watching Me! (1978):
10/04/18: Misery (1990):
10/05/18: X: The Man With The X-Ray Eyes * (1963): Body Parts * (1991):
10/06/18: Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (2011): Island Claws * (1980): The Bride * (1985):
10/07/18: Carrie (1976): The Fury (1978): Jennifer * (1978):
10/08/18: Twice-Told Tales * (1963): All The Boys Love Mandy Lane * (2006): Hideaway * (1995):
10/09/18:
Fangs for the memories…
-Dracula (Spanish version, 1931):
-Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992):
Had a double-Drac sandwich today, starting off with a fascinating oddity…a full-length Spanish language version of Dracula, made at the same time as the famous 1931 version with Bela Lugosi, shot late at night on the same Universal sets and utilizing many of the same props. And yet it’s not just a Xerox of the version fans have been familiar with for decades. Nearly a half-hour longer, and with much more elaborate, flowing camerawork and more subtle, spectral details (like when the Count walks through a floor-to-ceiling cobweb without disturbing it), it’s quite the interesting companion piece to the Universal film. Carlos Villarias cuts an impressive figure as Drac, with his vulpine smile and popping eyes, even if he can’t hope to match the magnetic charisma of Lugosi’s oft-imitated performance. Contained as an extra feature on the Blu-Ray of the Universal film, it’s certainly worth a view.
Francis Ford Coppola’s extravagant 1992 take on the material, despite featuring the author’s name in the title, was dubbed “MTV’s Dracula” by more than one critic at the time, and it’s a lavish yet frustrating spectacle, about one-third exceptional, one-third hyperbolic, and one-third absolutely insane. One the plus side are the performances by Gary Oldman as Drac (in a variety of guises – from wizened, Yoda-esque crone to dapper ladykiller to frightful bats and wolves – all courtesy of Oscar-winning makeup wizard Greg Cannom) and a ravishing Winona Ryder as Mina, the reincarnation of his centuries-lost love (yep, it’s that old vampire chestnut). Their scenes of courtship, set to the most passionate passages of Wojciech Kilar’s superb score, are easily the best-acted and most compelling sequences in the film. On the other hand, the rest of the performances range from clichéd ciphers (Cary Elwes as – what else? – a stuffy British prig, The Rocketeer’s Bill Campbell as an American cowboy stereotype so broad you expect him to start taking potshots at Bugs Bunny) to riotously miscast (a wincingly stilted Keanu Reeves as Mina’s intended beau, Jonathan Harker) to just plain riotous (Anthony Hopkins as Abraham Van Helsing, gnawing the scenery with hammy hilarity). And Coppola, taking a page from the overheated stylings of early-90’s Oliver Stone, jams the movie with admittedly-impressive visual hyperbole that feels like a two-hour compilation reel for a television miniseries. There’s always something interesting to look at, and the cast is clad in stunning, Oscar-winning costumes by Eiko Ishioka, and yet the film lurches from one extreme of emotion to another that it shuffles between being exhilarating and exhausting. It’s a shame, because the Oldman/Ryder core of the film is so moving and well-acted you wish the movie would breathe a little to allow it to flower like it should. It’s hard to think of another movie with so much great stuff in it that you can’t quite bring yourself to love.
I enjoyed this more than I probably should have. Of course, I liked the first one as well. I usually like found footage movie and I like how this one takes a different approach with the whole computer set-up. This one too has more likable characters than the first one. I actually cared about these kids and felt something when something happened to them.
Oh, the horror so far this year:
[Show spoiler]Drag Me to Hell*: The Boy*:: Last Shift*:1/2 Little Evil*: The Collection*:1/2 A Quiet Place*:1/2 As Above, So Below:1/2 It (2017):1/2 Thriller: The House With a Clock in Its Walls*: Dreamcatcher: Hereditary*: The Village:1/2 Friday the 13th (1980): Hell Fest*:1/2 Chernobyl Diaries:1/2 Before I Wake*: Fright Night (2011)*: Van Helsing: I Know What You Did Last Summer: I Still Know What You Did Last Summer:1/2 Wishbone: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: Tales of Halloween*:1/2 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning:1/2 Children of the Corn*: The VVitch*:
All countries
Argentina
Austria
Belgium
Brazil
Bulgaria
Chile
China
Colombia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Estonia
Denmark
Finland
Greece
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
Indonesia
Ireland
Israel
India
Latvia
Lithuania
Malaysia
New Zealand
Norway
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Singapore
South Africa
South Korea
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Thailand
Turkey
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
Still, it earns it's 4 skulls.
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.
31 Days Of Horror 
And yeah Kevin Bacon's character is an irredeemable scumbag, but isn't that the point?
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