MONSTERFEST 2024
Blue = blu-ray, * = first viewing
September Warm-upThe list so far:
[Show spoiler]
THE SPELL (1977) 1/2 1970's TV movies appeal mainly to those of us that grew up with them. They have limitations on budget, FX, and gore, but to this former 70s kid they're cheesy fun. This one gets dismissed as a Carrie knock-off (though it was actually written before Carrie) but other than a few surface similarities they're not that much alike. The subject is witchcraft, not telekinesis, and the final revelation is far from Carrie's storyline. Over-all rather good for what it is. Well-acted with some effective moments and a fun surprise ending. WARNING: the Scream-Factory blu-ray only contains the extended version. Unfortunately, the additional scenes were obviously not part of the original movie. They add nothing, they're spliced crudely into the film, and the tagged on ending spoils the very satisfying original conclusion, and lowers my rating by 1/2 skull. I wish the added footage wasn't there, or was a bonus to the original film. *HORRORS OF THE BLACK MUSEUM (1959) 1/2 First time viewing this early slasher/gore flick. Not exactly good, but very entertaining! Michael Gough hams it up nicely, and if there are no surprises, there are plenty of smiles at this once-shocking film. Best remembered for those horrible loaded binoculars! LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL[/B] (streaming) (2023) 1/2 Really clever, and very well-done! The recreation of the 70s TV show is totally convincing. It loses me a bit at the ending when the faux-documentary approach is suddenly abandoned. It turns quite dark and, IMO, a bit less fun. Still there's much to like here, and I loved it until the ending. *AFRAID (2024) (Theatrical) 1/2 This is getting absolutely TERRIBLE reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, but my wife and I really enjoyed it. It's a bit silly in parts, but always engrossing, and very well-acted with convincing family relationships. It has a wonderful sense of paranoia, and it doesn't over-stay its welcome. Instead of endless climaxes, it comes to a swift, satisfying, and unsettling conclusion ...and stops. Bravo! Obviously I'm alone on this one, but I found it far more enjoyable than most theatrical horrors I have seen this year. I'm sure I'll add it to the collection when it comes out. *MOON OF THE WOLF (Streaming) 1972 Another of those 70s TV horrors, this time set in the Louisana bayou and starring David Janssen as a southern sheriff. We had never seen it before, but despite a cool setting, decent story and good acting, it was just too tame. There's more investigation footage than werewolf action, and when the climax did come, it was undercut by weak werewolf make-up. It was fun for our September warm-up, but I doubt we'd watch it again. *THE PSYCHIC (1977) 1/2 First time viewing, and a pretty good film. It's one of those Italian productions where everyone is ridiculously overdressed and badly dubbed. The plot gets a bit murky in spots, but over-all this is quite enjoyable. Very suspenseful as different parts of our herione's vision come to pass. Well worth watching!
TV EPISODES
ROUTE 66: LIZARD'S LEG & OWLET'S WING (1962) 1/2 This Halloween episode itself isn't great, but it guest stars Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr, and Peter Lorre. Chaney appears as the Hunchback (his dad's old role), the Mummy, and the Wolf Man. Karloff dons his Frankenstein monster make-up one last time. The story is nothing, but it's worth it to see these guys in something close to the make-ups that made them famous. Nostalgic fun. Cool blu-ray, with vintage horror commercials, a clip of Vampira, an episode of Suspence with Bela Lugosi, and two episodes of the Karlff show, The Veil. TWILIGHT ZONE: JESS-BELLE (1962) One of the best of the 1 hour episodes - a tale of witchcraft and a Were-cat. Great script by Earl Hamner, with a strong folk-tale favor. Really good.
THE MUMMY (1932) One of the Founding Fathers of Fear. Moves a bit slower than some, but it's so well shot and edited. Basically an Egyptian-themed re-write of Dracula, with Van Sloan and Manners back in their Van Helsing/Harker roles, the Nubian servent for Renfield, Zita Johann in the Mina role and under the control of the monster. and an amulat replacing the cross. Probably not quite as strong as Frankenstein, but wonderful and still deserving of 5 skulls.
DEAD CALM (1988) An impossibly young Nicole Kidman stuck at sea with bonkers Billy Zane, while Sam Neill fights to escape a watery would-be grave. Really quite a good thriller (after a completely unnecessary opening with the death of a child.) Good performances all around. The final moments lapse into been-there-done-that killer cliches, but it's so much fun getting there that it doesn't matter. A minor classic.
Last edited by charlieray1; 09-10-2024 at 11:21 PM.
This was not only Tim Burton's glorious comeback, but it's also better than the first one.
Yep, starting out this year with a hot take.
The script is pretty barebones and it does feel rushed (not that suprising coming from the Smallville writers) but holy shit, after years of meh films, does it feel like such a rush when Tim finally gets his creative juices running like mad on a frantic film that can get completely unhinged Returns-style.
#4 * The Cat And The Canary (1939) [Blu-ray] #3 * Joshua (2007) [Blu-ray] #2 * Kongo (1932) [DVD] #1 * The Legend Of The 7 Golden Vampires (1974) [Blu-ray]
Well not really a horror film, more like action but enough elements to include for spooky season so what the hell. Ridiculously fun vampire, karate film. Seen it countless times already but still enjoy it just the same.
MONSTERFEST 2024
Blue = blu-ray, * = first viewing
September Warm-upThe list so far:
[Show spoiler]
THE SPELL (1977) 1/2 1970's TV movies appeal mainly to those of us that grew up with them. They have limitations on budget, FX, and gore, but to this former 70s kid they're cheesy fun. This one gets dismissed as a Carrie knock-off (though it was actually written before Carrie) but other than a few surface similarities they're not that much alike. The subject is witchcraft, not telekinesis, and the final revelation is far from Carrie's storyline. Over-all rather good for what it is. Well-acted with some effective moments and a fun surprise ending. WARNING: the Scream-Factory blu-ray only contains the extended version. Unfortunately, the additional scenes were obviously not part of the original movie. They add nothing, they're spliced crudely into the film, and the tagged on ending spoils the very satisfying original conclusion, and lowers my rating by 1/2 skull. I wish the added footage wasn't there, or was a bonus to the original film. *HORRORS OF THE BLACK MUSEUM (1959) 1/2 First time viewing this early slasher/gore flick. Not exactly good, but very entertaining! Michael Gough hams it up nicely, and if there are no surprises, there are plenty of smiles at this once-shocking film. Best remembered for those horrible loaded binoculars! LATE NIGHT WITH THE DEVIL[/B] (streaming) (2023) 1/2 Really clever, and very well-done! The recreation of the 70s TV show is totally convincing. It loses me a bit at the ending when the faux-documentary approach is suddenly abandoned. It turns quite dark and, IMO, a bit less fun. Still there's much to like here, and I loved it until the ending. *AFRAID (2024) (Theatrical) 1/2 This is getting absolutely TERRIBLE reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, but my wife and I really enjoyed it. It's a bit silly in parts, but always engrossing, and very well-acted with convincing family relationships. It has a wonderful sense of paranoia, and it doesn't over-stay its welcome. Instead of endless climaxes, it comes to a swift, satisfying, and unsettling conclusion ...and stops. Bravo! Obviously I'm alone on this one, but I found it far more enjoyable than most theatrical horrors I have seen this year. I'm sure I'll add it to the collection when it comes out. *MOON OF THE WOLF (Streaming) 1972 Another of those 70s TV horrors, this time set in the Louisana bayou and starring David Janssen as a southern sheriff. We had never seen it before, but despite a cool setting, decent story and good acting, it was just too tame. There's more investigation footage than werewolf action, and when the climax did come, it was undercut by weak werewolf make-up. It was fun for our September warm-up, but I doubt we'd watch it again. *THE PSYCHIC (1977) 1/2 First time viewing, and a pretty good film. It's one of those Italian productions where everyone is ridiculously overdressed and badly dubbed. The plot gets a bit murky in spots, but over-all this is quite enjoyable. Very suspenseful as different parts of our herione's vision come to pass. Well worth watching! THE MUMMY (1932) One of the Founding Fathers of Fear. Moves a bit slower than some, but it's so well shot and edited. Basically an Egyptian-themed re-write of Dracula, with Van Sloan and Manners back in their Van Helsing/Harker roles, the Nubian servent for Renfield, Zita Johann in the Mina role and under the control of the monster. and an amulat replacing the cross. Probably not quite as strong as Frankenstein, but wonderful and still deserving of 5 skulls. DEAD CALM (1988) An impossibly young Nicole Kidman stuck at sea with bonkers Billy Zane, while Sam Neill fights to eascape a watery would-be grave. Really quite a good thriller (after a completely unnecessary opening with the death of a child.) Good performances all around. The final moments lapse into been-there-done-that killer cliches, but it's so much fun getting there that it doesn't matter. A minor classic.
TV EPISODES
ROUTE 66: LIZARD'S LEG & OWLET'S WING (1962) 1/2 This Halloween episode itself isn't great, but it guest stars Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr, and Peter Lorre. Chaney appears as the Hunchback (his dad's old role), the Mummy, and the Wolf Man. Karloff dons his Frankenstein monster make-up one last time. The story is nothing, but it's worth it to see these guys in something close to the make-ups that made them famous. Nostalgic fun. Cool blu-ray, with vintage horror commercials, a clip of Vampira, an episode of Suspence with Bela Lugosi, and two episodes of the Karlff show, The Veil. TWILIGHT ZONE: JESS-BELLE (1962) One of the best of the 1 hour episodes - a tale of witchcraft and a Were-cat. Great script by Earl Hamner, with a strong folk-tale favor. Really good.
DEMENTIA 13 (Director's Cut) (1963) I doubt anyone would call this a great film, but Francis Ford Coppola's directorial debut is certainly interesting. This print removes the silly "Dementia 13 test" prologue, and an additional murder added by another director at Roger Corman's insistance to pad the running time. While the story is a bit muddled, it's plain to see the potential of young Coppola. Some great shots and cool scenes. A fun, worthwhile curio. Wonderful print too!
*SPEAK NO EVIL (2022) (On Shudder) I hated this film. We watched it in preparation for the remake opening this week, but now I doubt I'll even see it. The premise is fine (though the bombastic score screams "HORROR MOVIE!" before anything sinister even happens.) The behaviour of our protaganists gets dumber as it goes, however the film doesn't really derail until the scenes at the end. At that point I was done with it. Why was this made? Not for the poorly developed characters. Not for the plot, which becomes nonsense half-way through when our heroes begin doing thing that NO ONE would ever do. Not for the backstory - there isn't one! No explanation at all for these people and what they do. That just leaves the pointless - and utterly tasteless - cruelty at the end. If watching suffering is all there is, count me out. This isn't entertainment.
Last edited by charlieray1; 09-10-2024 at 11:23 PM.
Well this is a bit awkward since it was just in the last post and not exactly getting high praise
I won't turn this into an argument since we all have different tastes so I'll just leave my small verdict here:
Very atmospheric film, very tense when it wants to be. It is not a happy film and I have a young kid so some of where the story takes the viewer is quite unpleasant to watch. I think it very well succeeds at what it wanted to be although I have to pull one skull just for
[Show spoiler]how much I felt the characters in the end, the victims more specific, didn't quite act desperate enough to do what is necessary but the film does point out a few key scenes and little things that they could have done if they didn't lack courage. However therein lies the whole film, in the lack of taking action and the ending does point out this is why they were "chosen". More of a disagreement between myself and the victim family I would say than a critique.
Can't say I enjoyed it but I did like it. I do agree that I don't have to see the soon to be released remake though.
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Strip Nude for Your Killer ⭐⭐⭐⭐
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