1 Oct - Happy Birthday to Me (1981) ½
2 Oct - Brainscan (1994) [First Time Watch] -
3 Oct - Blair Witch (2016) [First Time Watch] - ½ 4 Oct - Dead Silence [First Time Watch] -½ 5 Oct - Truth or Dare (2018) [First Time Watch] - 6 Oct - Frozen (2010) [First Time Watch] - ½ 7 Oct - House of 1000 Corpses [First Time Watch] -½
8 Oct - Donkey Punch [First Time Watch] -½
Not as good as I remember, and what is it with Julian Morris always playing psychopaths.
9 Oct - FearDotCom - ½
What in the hell was this supposed to be....
10 Oct - The Covenant [First Time Watch] -
Hot guys + magic = trashy fun.
11 Oct - The Hitcher [First Time Watch] -
Underrated remake. Sophia Bush was serving Final Girl realness.
12 Oct - The Haunting [First Time Watch] -½
A totally forgettable remake. Netflix wipped with the floor with it.
13 Oct - Down a Dark Hall [First Time Watch] -
Uma Therman chewing up scenery with her best Olympe Maxime impression was fun.
14 Oct - Unfriended: Dark Web [First Time Watch] -
Wow, so much better than the original.
P.S Spotify never loads that fast on MAC.
15 Oct - Blood Fest [First Time Watch] -½
SCREAM at the chick videoing herself with a selfie stick getting her arm sawed off. It’s ridiculous B-movie fun.
16 Oct - Slender Man [First Time Watch] - ½
Drab with shoddy directing, lousy jump scares, laughable product placement and a lifeless plot.
The only thing horrifying is it’s existence!
17 Oct - The Belko Experiment [First Time Watch] -
This was more lit than I was expecting. Fitz gone rouge.
Last edited by SororityRow; 10-19-2018 at 07:55 AM.
It's been twenty years since her brother, Michael Myers, returned to Haddonfield and brutally murdered her friends, and Laurie Strode now lives a quiet life as the head of a private school in California, under the new name of Kari Tate. But when her son, John, and his friends decide to stay behind and throw their own Halloween party while the rest of their class goes on a field trip, she soon discovers that Michael has found her, and he will stop at nothing until he kills the last remaining members of the Myers family.
I remember the hype behind Halloween H20 when it hit theaters. When Jamie Lee Curtis decided to return to the Halloween franchise for its 20th anniversary, it was a huge event. Her character had been killed off-screen in Halloween 4, which explained that she had died in a car accident, so this one decided that she had faked her death; however, it mostly ignores the sequels after Halloween 2. By Halloween 6, the storyline had gotten rather odd, with a crazy cult controlling everything that Michael did, so it was probably for the best that this one ignored all that came before and did its own thing.
When I go to watch a Halloween sequel, this is usually one of the first ones that I grab. Maybe it's nostalgia, but I just love how this one plays out. It's not as violent as some of the sequels, and it is obviously influenced by Scream's success, but it gives us likable characters, it moves at a non-stop pace, and it gives us a definitive ending that could have been the end of the Halloween franchise. While it's not perfect, it sure is a lot of fun.
1. House on Haunted Hill
2. The Gorgon
3. The Mummy (1959)
4. The Brides of Dracula
5. The Curse of the Werewolf
6. [REC]
7. [REC] 2
8. [REC] 3: Genesis
9. [REC] 4: Apocalypse
10. The Mummy's Tomb
11. House
12. The Changeling
13. Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man
14. The Black Cat
15. A Quiet Place
16. The Evil Dead
17. Demons
18. Demons 2
19. Pumpkinhead
20. Pumpkinhead 2: Blood Wings
21. Midnight Son
22. The Amityville Horror
23. The Beyond
24. Halloween (2007)
01/10: (1) Alien (Directors Cut)
02/10: (2) Friday the 13th (1980)
03/10: (3) Van Helsing
04/10: (4) 28 Days Later
05/10: (5) Ghostbusters (1984)
06/10: -
07/10: -
08/10: (6) The Amityville Horror (1979)
09/10: (7) Sleepy Hollow
10/10: (8) Happy Death Day / (9) World War Z (Extended Cut)
11/10: (10) The Haunting (1963) / (11) Salems Lot
12/10: (12) A Quiet Place / (13) The VVitch
13/10: (14) A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
14/10: (Intermission) Paranormal Witness Season 3, Episode 4: Dining With the Dead
15/10: -
16/10: -
17/10: (15) Bram Stokers Dracula
18/10: -
19/10: (16) Halloween (2018)
Underrated remake. Sophia Bush was serving Final Girl realness.
Underrated? The original was FAR superior by a country mile. It had the dread, tension, intensity and suspense that the remake failed to capture.
Though Sean Bean's a really good actor, he's no Rutger Hauer.
Despite a nicely staged chase set piece, the remake is inferior on every level.
Underrated? The original was FAR superior by a country mile. It had the dread, tension, intensity and suspense that the remake failed to capture.
Though Sean Bean's a really good actor, he's no Rutger Hauer.
Despite a nicely staged chase set piece, the remake is inferior on every level.
A remake can be inferior to the original and still be underrated. Most people say this movie sucks... it doesn't.
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)
9/19 - The Sixth Sense (1999)
9/22 - Hannibal (2001)
9/25 - Hereditary (2018)
9/27 - Poltergeist (1982)
10/1 - Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers [Producer's Cut] (1995)
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
10/2 - The Black Room (2017)
10/6 - Suspiria (1977)
10/7 - The Cabin in the Woods (2012)
10/8 - Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993)
Jason X (2001)
10/9 - The Haunted World of El Superbeasto (2009)
10/14 - The Evil Dead (1981)
10/15 - Evil Dead II (1987)
Army of Darkness (1992)
Get Out (2017)
10/16 - The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
10/17 - The Belko Experiment (2016)
10/18 - Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Zombieland (2009)
I saw this at midnight screening in Dolby Cinema. The original score and sound effects were great as were all of the nods to the original film. I enjoyed it and thought it was really good, but not great. I certainly don’t think of it as “the true sequel” like some people are calling it. I prefer Laurie Strode’s character arc in H2O. It’s a fun curiosity and you could tell Jamie Lee had a blast making this movie.
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 its "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. Masque Of The Red Death (1964) What a great movie! Probably Roger Corman's best film. Price is wonderful, and the sets are fantastic. Great blu-ray too, with fantastic color. Might be a little padded in the middle (I'm talking to you, dream sequence) but it's still too good to get less than 5 skulls. It Follows (2015) 1/2 Whaddya know? An original idea in a horror movie! Very enjoyable - and creepy - film, with some interesting quirks to mull over. For example, when is this set? The kids watch old black and white movies on CRT TV's, phones have cords, and only one cell phone is ever seen but it seems contemporary in other ways. It's got a number of plot holes (like how does the first guy know what's going on when he thinks he "must have gotten it" from a one-night stand, who obviously didn't tell him) but it certainly works. One of the better horrors in recent years. * Magic (1978) (Amazon streaming) I actually saw this back in the 70's(!) when I was in high school, but I didn't remember any of it -- so I'm calling it a first time viewing. Good film! Anthony Hopkins is great. I expected this to be one of those "evil doll is really alive" films, but that's not what it is at all. A terrific, slow-burn suspense thriller. Well worth seeing -- I won't wait another 40 years to watch it again! Tales From The Crypt (1972) One of the best of the old Amicus anthologies. Every story is a winner. Joan Collins was quite the eyeful back in the day! Fun, fun movie -- and an excellent blu-ray! *Horror At 37,000 Feet (1973) (YouTube) Capt Kirk, Jed Clampett, the Rifleman, the Professor from Gilligan's Island and a few other out-of-work TV actors battle some oozing, chanting Druid glop on an airliner that's stuck in mid-air. Quality cheese! I can't help myself with these campy 70's TV horrors. Worth watching just to see the Shat as an alcoholic former priest who finds his faith again just in time to get thrown out of the airplane. * The Spiral Staircase (1945) 1/2 A first viewing, and I bet I will like it even better next time. It has style and atmosphere to spare, and a great gothic mood. Unfortunately, the story wasn't quite as impressive - after a wonderful opening not a lot happens until the end. Still, this was so well done that it was very enjoyable. Great PQ too! BTW - why this called The Spiral Staircase? There is one in the house, but it's certainly not central to the plot. The Vampire's Ghost (1945) 1/2 A fun little obscure B from the 40's. Really different for a vintage vampire movie -- it's set in the wilds of Africa, the vampire wears white, runs a bar and walks around in the daylight wearing sunglasses! Some low-budget shortcomings - mostly the acting from some of the supporting cast - but a good, and very original film. A nice change of pace, and a really beautiful blu-ray. War Of The Worlds (1953) (DVD) A wonderfully well-made film with a smart script, fine performances, great color and fantastic special effects. I don't care that you can see the wires -- the ship design is ultra-cool and the models of Los Angeles are flawless. It's of it's time (especially the main female role -- she's there to be pretty and get rescued) but it's still full of wonder, and miles ahead of the Spielberg remake. I can't imagine how amazing this must have been in 1953. WHERE IS THE BLU-RAY?! * WNUF Halloween Special 1987 (Amazon streaming) (2013) Well, that was different! Probably only deserves 2 skulls as entertainment, but I give it one extra for originality and the convincing look of a small-time 80's TV broadcast. Too long, and the actual "story" ends pretty weak, but it's amazing what can be done by people with no money (supposedly a $1,500 budget!) and a lot of creativity. Love the commercials! Trilogy Of Terror (1975) 1/2 If you grew up in the 70's, that creepy little doll is seared indelibly into your brain. Of course, the third segment is great and why the film is remembered, but it's all enjoyable. The first story is fairly good, the second is pretty obvious. What I had forgotten - and what is surprising for 70's TV - is how sleazy some of it is! Subtle (and some not so subtle) references to date rape, masochism and gang rape. The entire first story makes you squirm in this in these days of Cosby and the #MeToo movement. Angel Heart (1987) (Amazon streaming) 1/2 This is another almost first viewing ... it's been over 30 years and I remembered next to nothing about it. A disappointment. Great cast, wonderful look, but it wears out it's welcome, and it's so convoluted that a character at the end has to make a long speech explaining everything that happened. It certainly had it's moments, but it's less than the sum of its parts ... and it has a sex scene so ridiculously over the top that even Michael Douglas must have rolled his eyes.
The Thing From Another World (1951) (DVD) This film often gets put down because "the remake is so much better", but you really can't compare them fairly. They are very different films from completely different eras. The later film is great, but taking this one on it's own, it's extremely well done. Great cast, smart realistic dialogue, terrific story, lots of suspense. For it's era, it's pretty grim -- the idea of the (never shown) dead crew members strung up by their heels, throats slit, to feed to growing plant aliens is creepy. One of the best alien invader film ever made. Where is the blu-ray?!
Last edited by charlieray1; 10-19-2018 at 05:30 PM.
Who Can Kill a Child? (1976, 112 minutes) ✰✰✰ The beach setting is great and does a good job of pushing some intense themes that stagger between exploitation and metaphor. It's a weighty film because of the premise and statements it seems to try to make about politics. Format: Blu-ray [Mondo Macabro standard]. Delirium [Photo of Gioria] (1987, 94 minutes) ✰✰✰✰✰ Dated fashionista drama pops across giallo tropes that feel routine at times despite standout hallucinatory visuals (like the eye woman, or a half bee lady]. Lamberto Bava generally does a good job of updating giallo conventions; as is the case here with a pulpy vibe, red herrings, and some usual kills. Format: Blu-ray [Code Red]. 1st Viewing Shock Waves (1977, 85 minutes) ✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰ I was warned about Shock Waves, but I had to see it for myself, it's a cool premise and Peter Crushing does what he can when on screen but so little happens. Shots of zombie nazis often don't even appear to be done at the same time as other actors, and these fiends literally push people. I am usually a sucker for aquatic/swamp settings but little is done here and sometimes comically misplaced (like row boating through a shallow river). Format: Blu-ray [Blue Underground]. 1st Viewing Victor Crowley (2017, 85 minutes) ✰✰✰✰✰✰ I was never a fan of the Hatchet movies, too much of the "humor" I find to be obnoxious. I like the practical effects and horror luminary cameos so want to enjoy these more than I do. In VC so much of the start is just random (like a plane crashes) and it just doesn't quite work; more of the same if you're a fan and it's last third is much better than what proceeds it. [Hatchet 3 is still the highlight of the series] Format: Digital [Vudu HD]. 1st Viewing The Haunting of Helena (2012, 84 minutes) ✰✰✰✰✰ Nicely paced and not too subtle but formulaic, much of what we've seen before to the point that as plot develops it's easy to think 'oh, they made another xyz type of film.' It is occasionally creepy with ghosts that seem unusually mean spirited to also be portrayed as victims so some of the tone is odd and drags a bit as we wait out what feels predictable for too long before a really great twist. Format: Digital [Vudu HD]. 1st Viewing Daemonium: Soldier of the Underworld (2015, 112 minutes) ✰✰✰✰ Hellacious cosplay display with an obvious green screen quality and daemons that action pose and freeze for cool gunshots; it's a very ambitious film with a lot of action pop bang popcorn action fun of biblical level. There are homages to Star Wars and Thundercats and an over the top road warrior vibe. Format: Digital [Netflix]. 1st Viewing The Ballerina (2017, 107 minutes) ½✰✰✰✰ Relentlessly melancholy supernatural film about grief with some odd plot elements (like a homeless father and daughter living in the woods) that seem forced and defy common sense to a fault, regardless of the engineered aspects so far this might be the most emotional horror film I've seen recently. Some of the supernatural visuals are straight forward, but I suppose they're not going to scares and it does different things than you might expect going in. Format: Digital [Vudu HD]. 1st Viewing Sacrilege (2017, 96 minutes) ½✰✰✰✰ An 'evil' music box compels hallucinatory imagery and some strange haunting elements. Frights are hit or miss and some of the acting amateur (like when a pivotal character dies and things just carry on). Sacrilege throws everything into the mix and some of the scary imagery is effective despite cheap production values and it is 'entertaining' even if it's some half formed hodge podge of stuff hung on the same types of tropes we've become familiar with. The cover art featuring a nun is just shameless marketing with nothing to do with the film, oddly it contains many horror tropes except nuns. I'm glad I saw it because even through it's got some flaws it's much better than I expected but I'm not sure I can explain it, the gradually developing premise takes some iffy tactics but really gels well with some cool twists. Sacrilege left me feeling more uneasy than most other horror films.Format: Digital [Vudu HD]. 1st Viewing The Haunted House of Kirby Road (2016, 83 minutes) ½✰✰✰✰✰✰✰✰ Stoner comedy, teen drama comedy... within the first 5 minutes there's complaints about not having enough pot and 'jokes' about texting penis ascii art. Someone told me this was good; I hope the supernatural forces from the last movie get them because the ones in here are the weakest yet. The crew goes on to check out some Youtube style videos and 'lol' get instruction on how to use condoms at a gas station, until noting continues to happen for over half it's already short run time. Format: Digital [Vudu HD]. 1st Viewing Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008, 98 minutes) ✰✰✰✰✰✰ I want to like Repo more than I do & it's got great production values. Constant subtle background music mixing in different sound effects is it's strength, a slow steady unending song. Shakesphere tragedy more than as a musical. The songs are so subdued and 'sing songy' dialogue more than jamming melodic beats,would have struck better if the songs had been more empathic, crescendos nicely to a frantic carnival like conclusion. Format: Digital [Vudu HD]. Unfriended: Dark Web (2018, 93 minutes) ✰✰✰✰ I like the Unfriended films, doesn't necessarily seem original that they're based on computer interface but format actually gives a lot of information with all the windows. Tense with nice twists but plays on the worst mythology of the internet, this dark web nonsense, twisting it into supernatural implausible items - it's stupid but very well executed. Format: Digital [Vudu HD]. 1st Viewing Insidious: The Last Key (2018, 103 minutes) ✰✰✰✰✰✰✰ Insidious in the worst ways; it's premise is very convoluted (like a plot point it finding a whistle under a bed, the same bed that's been in the house over 40 years since one person was a kid - no one even moved the furniture despite habitation?) and offers little original to the a franchise that once started off very strong. Some visuals are fantasy enough to be interesting but lot to slog through. I cannot tell if I respect that these all tie into one another or if it just shows how forced the plot is. Format: Digital [Vudu HD]. 1st Viewing The Vault (2017, 91 minutes) ½✰✰✰✰ Frustrated angst filled bank robbers kick things off with a boom in an epic heist but then they're impotently trying to decide how to escape stalling the film at a mid-point until some overly dim lit weirdness happens. Could be creepy, but too dark and heavily edited to see other than flashes of generic. I love the premise and there's some nice twists but I wish some frights had been better delivered. Format: Digital [Vudu HD]. 1st Viewing Jeepers Creepers 3 (2017, 102 minutes) ½✰✰✰✰ Ably balances horror, action, and comedy but some of the effects are dodgy. I'm glad they made another JC film, this one is no exception to them being well paced chase sequences. Creeper has changed from a mystical horror beast to something that gets much more direct screen time during daylight scenes complete with an in depth exploration of his vehicle, from the opening scene, this is probably necessary to prevent being a rehash and there are some clever references to earlier films. Format: Digital [Vudu HD]. 1st Viewing The Forest of Lost Souls (2018, 70 minutes) ✰✰ Black and white Portuguese film with artful shot compositions in a scenic forest and a thematic focus on bleak sadness that matches the drab colors of the film. Gradual subtle plot that is both shocking and nicely cryptic building on itself from abstract themes of the suicide forest (length of sadness) to more base slasher elements but with an arthouse slow mo style which I found to be a good metaphor for suicide/sadness devastating loved ones (which is my interpretation, not an obvious part of the film).Format: Digital [Amazon Prime]. 1st Viewing
[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: Dracula (Spanish version, 1931): Bram Stokers Dracula (1992):
10/10/18: ParaNorman (2012): Dr. Giggles * (1992): The Cabin In The Woods (2012):
10/11/18: The Omen (1976): Damien: Omen II (1978): The Final Conflict: Omen III (1981):
10/12/18: Corpse Bride (2005): Hush (2016): A Quiet Place (2018):
10/13/18: Trick r Treat (2009): Ghost Stories * (2018):
10/14/18: The Mephisto Waltz * (1971): Dark Shadows (2012):
10/15/18: Night Of The Creeps (1986): Slither (2006):
10/16/18: Creature From The Black Lagoon (1954): The Monster Squad (1987):
10/17/18: The Island Of Dr. Moreau * (1977): The Relic (1997): The Lift * (1983):
10/18/18: Magic (1978): The Silence Of The Lambs (1991):
10/19/18:
The night(s) HE came home!
-Halloween (1978):
-Halloween II (1981):
With the latest for reals sequel to Halloween dropping today, it was time to revisit the film that created its own horror subgenre (the slasher movie) and the one decent follow-up of the dozen or do sequels and remakes its generated over the last 40(!) years. Writer/director John Carpenter put his name on the map with his beautifully-constructed spook show about a madman, Michael Myers confined to a mental hospital for fifteen years after murdering his big sister on Halloween night in 1963 who escapes from incarceration on the day before Halloween in 1978 and heads back to his hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois for a little seasonal slicing and dicing, with a meek, virginal babysitter (Jamie Lee Curtis in her film debut) his prime target. Essentially a filmed variation of that old campfire standard that ends with the line, and there, on the car door handle, was this razor..sharp hook!, Halloween has a plot as spare and stripped-down as possible, with none of the red herrings and subplots that would confuse and bloat latter entries in the franchise (not to mention the countless imitators that would spring up like weeds in the wake of its spectacular box-office success). Carpenter also keeps the films violence surprisingly restrained, with none of the ooky, gross-out gags that would become commonplace in the Rob Bottin/Rick Baker/Tom Savini era where the makeup designer would become one of the key F/X artists that genre fans would keep an eye out for in the credits of movie posters. Instead, he favors drawing the suspense out with elegantly-constructed camera setups, with the specter of Myers hovering around in the margins and goosed along with his own spooky electronic score until he finally strikes. While the films wave of sequels and rip-offs has dulled the edge of Myers butcher knife a tad over the decades, the original is still a film that works like gangbusters.
As for those sequels, the only one I find tolerable is the belated 1981 entry Halloween II, a more luxe production (produced by Universal, and with a significantly larger budget) that retains the services of Carpenter as producer, co-screenwriter (with producer Debra Hill) and co-composer (with Alan Howarth), not to mention Dean Cundey as cinematographer. It picks up literally where the first movie concluded, with Donald Pleasances Dr. Loomis in a particularly manic state of mind as he tries to contain Myers reign of murder as he makes his way inexorably to the local hospital, where Curtis Laurie Strode has been admitted due to the injuries she received in the previous film. Director Rick Rosenthal does an adequate job aping Carpenters Panaglide sleekness (Carpenter stepped in for significant reshoots to up the levels of graphic violence to appease horror audiences used to sterner stuff at that point in time. A later TV edit of the film comes closer to the more steady, measured pace Rosenthal originally intended), and the film works for the most part, delivering enough jolts to send the viewer home sated. That said, the Return Of The Jedi-style retcon revolving around why Myers is so hell-bent on hunting Laurie down brings the proceedings down a peg, adding a pesky motive to what was previously a disturbingly random, it-could-happen-to-YOU spate of homicidal bloodlust. Still, considering how bad the later sequels got (I bailed after the fifth entry, because I couldnt take it anymore), this is as reasonably good as can be expected. With the new film ignoring all of the sequels and acting as a direct sequel to the original (the Halloween series has become the Choose Your Own Adventure of horror franchises, with endless continuity options), itll be interesting to see if theres any gas left in the tank, but, as always, I hope for the best.
Disappointing sequel considering that more or less the same people made it that delivered the highly entertaining original over 20 years ago! The stories aren't as good, the political attitude is rampant and borderline obnoxious, Keith David tries hard but he's nowhere near Clarence Williams III, the ending is an inferior copy... etc etc. It's not a bad movie, I had no problem watching it on Netflix, but it's not worth owning on blu ray.
besides the stories and kills not being anything special.... the bolded was probably my biggest problem with the movie...
9/28 Sinister 4/5
9/29 The Boy 3/5
10/10 Lights Out 2.5/5
10/11 Tales From The Hood 2 2.5/5
10/12 Blumhouses Truth or Dare 3/5
10/13 It Follows 4.5/5
10/14 Hotel Transylvania 4/5
10/17 The Ritual 3.5/5
10/18 - Mom and Dad - .5
This role was perfect for Nic Cage! i liked this movie a lot, had a lot of fun to watching everything unfold into mayhem....will be adding to the collection for sure...
20. ANNIHILATION
Thanks to everyone who watched and suggested this one. This is director Alex Garland's follow up to Ex Machina and similarly we get a pretty cool mystery movie with some bizarre sci-fi moments. It reminded me of a long episode of The Twilight Zone or Tales From The Darkside. I'm a fan of Natalie Portman and Oscar Isaac and enjoyed seeing them but the whole cast was pretty good. I wouldn't mind checking it out again some time.
[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
12. ALIEN COVENANT
13. VAN HELSING
14-16. SCREAM 1-3
17. EVENT HORIZON
18. PHANTOM OF THE OPERA 1943
19. THE MUMMY 2017
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
Such an awesome movie. The two leads were great, and great together. The kills were inventive, the story works, and the movie is laugh out loud funny throughout. Happy Death Day practically invents its own genre: the feel good horror movie. Director Christopher Landon also did another recent fave, Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse; will be watching anything he does in the future.
The thing about old ghost movies is not many jump scares. I kind of appreciate that and this movie did that well. Many ghostly scenes without needing loud bangs.
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 ONine Tails (Dario Argento, 1971) 10/10 - Black Sunday (Mario Bava, 1960) 13/10 - Black Sabbath (Mario Bava, 1963) 14/10 - The Haunting (Robert Wise, 1963) 15/10 - Spider Baby (Jack Hill, 1967) 15/10 - Night of the Demon (Jacques Tourneur, 1957) 16/10 - The Baby (Ted Post, 1973) 16/10 - Quatermass and the Pit (Roy Ward Baker, 1967) 16/10 - The Thing From Another World (Christian Nyby, 1951) 17/10 - Apostle (Gareth Evans, 2018) 18/10 - Maniac Cop (1988, William Lustig) 18/10 - J.D.s Revenge (1976, Arthur Marks) 19/10 - Halloween* (1978, John Carpenter)
All countries
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Philippines
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Sweden
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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.
Linear Mode
