31 Days of Halloween Movies (2024) - Horror Fans Unite!!!!!!

[kingdoxie]

Frankenstein’s Daughter

[Tuc0]

September 12
The Pope's exorcist
I'm on Vacation in Greece so I'm not gonna get as much films in as I would otherwise but I did snuck this in. It was a fun film. Action packed exorcist film with Russell Crowe speaking broken English as an Italian priest? Sign me up.
The downside of this film is that if you have seen at least "The Exorcist" you will not get a single surprise out of this, it plays out exactly as you would expect. But it was fun so whatever.

[CelluloidPal]

9/12:

Speak No Evil (2024) *Theatrical viewing*
Since I've yet to see the original version, I can only critique this on its own merits and based on that, it was a pretty good flick. This is a slow burner of a horror thriller that builds up the dread and tension little by little and it's done very effectively to where it became unsettling and much of that is due to James McAvoy's awesome performance in this. I can also say that it's one of the better movies coming out of Blumhouse lately.

[NI-Gunner]

I just want to scream this out loud for everyone

WATCH THE ORIGINAL SPEAK NO EVIL!

For whatever it's worth (probably nothing), I watched it a couple of years ago during my marathon and it was the pick of what I saw that year, so go watch it.

[Jajuka89]

9/11 - 9/12

Stir Of Echoes (1999)

Finally got around to watching this one after someone recommended it to me about 21 years ago lol and it was pretty decent.

[u2popmofo]

9/12

Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives



I have plans tomorrow night, so I had to "pre-game".

[sandman slim]

8. Twilight Zone: the Movie

Haven't seen this since the 80s, had forgotten how almost aggressively awful the opening segments are. A generous two stars for the back half of the film.



9. The Twilight Zone

Following up with favorite episodes of the series, television at its finest.

[Röckzilla]

Well, going by what time/date it is at Camp Crystal Lake, New Jersey...

Let me be the first here to wish everyone a


Or in other words, you know what this means people: It's party time!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6P4iatMl7M

Cheers! *CLINK!*

[BerC]

There's an old saying that if you're going to steal, steal from the best - and make it your own - and "Friday the 13th" does exactly that. Stealing from the idea of "Halloween" which was released two years prior, "Friday the 13th" takes the shadow-stalker premise of a lone killer terrorizing a small group of teenagers to the next appropriate level, ensuring the trope would not only survive into the new decade but expand exponentially as well. We all know the basics: a group of camp counselors ready Crystal Lake to be reopened but discover the legend of a death curse holds true as they are picked off one by one over the course of a single blood-ravaged day. "Friday the 13th" is the epitome of simplicity and I think that makes it all the more memorable. Something I really like about this film is the fact its location feels like a truly isolated summer camp. Indeed, everything from the original movie through to the opening segment of "Jason Takes Manhattan" feels like it fully exists in the same universe. Not all horror franchises can say that. While I've never been to New Jersey where this film took place, the location reminds me of cabins we had at a lake near my own home. Maybe that's one reason why I connect with this film more than I do, say, "Sleepaway Camp," "The Burning" or "Cheerleader Camp" (et cetera).

It always amazes me that Sean S. Cunningham wasn't able to turn in another classic directorial effort after this film. Granted, "DeepStar Six" from 1989 was decent enough, but can anyone name another film he directed without looking up his catalog? Trust me, there were a couple of monumental stinkers there. In this, he takes his budgetary constraints and makes a mountain out of a mole hill. All the prerequisites of sex, drugs and slaughter are here and are performed by a fairly capable cast (by early eighties' standards). Cunningham directs them in wonderful fashion, allowing their playful nature to shine through without forcing cohesion like some of the later summer camp clones would. My only complaint about the cast is that

[Show spoiler]Adrienne King doesn't have the same screen presence as the "final girl" that others in her position - notably Jamie Lee Curtis and Heather Langenkamp - possessed and she's overshadowed by much of the surrounding cast, particularly Laurie Bartram and Kevin Bacon in only his fourth appearance on the silver screen.

I love the naturalistic low lighting which always heightens my personal sense of "You Are There!" whereas some horror films overly brighten their locations, making them feel more illusory. I love the music, not just for this original but for the entire franchise. Let's face it, every legendary horror franchise needs an iconic score and Harry Manfredini created one of the best here, and not just with the famous "chh chh chh, ha ha ha" line. I love the little touches of dialogue in some of the down time that rings as true as the earlier playfulness, particularly when Marcie describes her dream to Jack as the thunderstorm approaches. I love the pacing which never crawls and never rushes, rather it keeps the momentum always on a slight build to its finale. There's such tension and involvement in the story that it's hard to believe

[Show spoiler]there's only two counselors left with more than thirty minutes remaining in the movie!

The deaths aren't always exactly creative, but they still have a tendency to be striking and contain enough blood to satisfy the gorehound in me quite nicely.

[Show spoiler]The decapitation at the end is truly wonderful, although I have to admit that the clutching hands in the uncut version of the film feel like the horror equivalent of "jazz hands" - but maybe that's just me. While we're on the subject, I love the fact that the psychotic killer is a woman in the original which, at the time, was a fairly new concept.

This was actually the third film in the franchise I wound up seeing. "Friday the 13th Part 2" came first, followed shortly after by "The Final Chapter" and then the original classic. This might have dampened the finale for me a bit as I already knew what happened, although even at the age of seven

[Show spoiler]I don't think it would have been hard to guess who the killer was after Pamela Voorhees showed up out of nowhere. Alice in the canoe did make me jump a little when I first saw it in "Part 2," but when I watched the original I remember thinking to myself "How long did she lay in that canoe? It was spring when the film started and it looks like autumn now!"

Overall, this is one of my all-time favorite horror films and I'm looking forward to revisiting the entire franchise over the next few days.

½

There's another old saying that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Well, the formula for "Friday the 13th" certainly wasn't broken so there was no need for any drastic changes to be made. This was the first entrant in the franchise I ever saw and it left an indelible impression on my feverish little six-year-old brain. Director Steve Miner attempts to ramp up everything that made the first film a masterpiece: more friendly interaction between counselors, more nudity, more violence, more tension, more victims - and in the process he almost succeeds at equaling the original. There's a nice balance between the counselors, although I have to admit I would have liked to see a bit more from Ted, the ingratiatingly charismatic jokester of the group.

Five years after

[Show spoiler]the carnage Pamela Voorhees inflicted on Steve Christy's unsuspecting employees,

Paul Holt is running a counselor training center on Crystal Lake not far away from where the initial massacre took place. There's not much of a story beyond that, nor does there have to be. This is just good old-fashioned horror fun and it works on the level intended. One of my fondest memories about this film is that it was the first time I ever saw a fully naked woman, pubic hair and all. At that tender young age, could this possibly be why I'm such a horny little bastard now? Who knows? Dammit Jim, I'm a cinephile not a psychiatrist! Anyhow, it wasn't until later that I appreciated Harry Manfredini's subtle shift on John Williams' score for "Jaws" that swam up when Terry was exiting the water.

I must admit that while the overall effect of the first film is slightly better than the sequel, I honestly prefer this finale.

[Show spoiler]Amy Steel's "final girl" turn as Ginny is what Adrienne King should have been in the original. She's a bit more fleshed out as a character, a bit stronger, a bit more believable in the role. It's nice to see that Jason's still human enough that a kick to the balls levels him to the ground for a few seconds. You didn't see many participants in this genre attempt a move like that in the early eighties. The shrine to Pamela Voorhees' head is quite an unsettling set piece as well. That stayed in my memory for a long time. My other fondest memory of this film is remembering the "stinger" at the very end was the reason why my mother stopped watching horror films with the rest of the family. Oh, how she screamed! Oh, how we laughed!

The "Friday the 13th" franchise would never quite attain the heights of the first two films again, but there would be a couple of occasions when it would come close.

½

There's a final old saying that if the cash cow is still willing to give milk, drain that sucker dry! Okay, maybe that's not an old saying - unless you consider ten seconds to be old - but it applies nonetheless. Ironically, even though this is the film where Jason Voorhees acquires his iconic hockey mask, it would be the last of the original seven films I would have the pleasure of viewing when I was a youngster. My local video store didn't have a copy of it at the time (it either broke or was stolen and didn't get replaced until the early nineties) and it never seemed to appear on television at a time when I could watch. Finally, about two months before "Jason Takes Manhattan" hit theaters, I found a video store that had it for rent a mere two towns over from where I lived.

Steve Miner returns to the director's chair, making him the only person to helm more than one installment of the series. He does the best with what he has available to him, but he doesn't revisit the high peak that "Friday the 13th Part 2" perched upon. The cast is capable but it seems like the writers were straining to create individuality instead of having the characters grow spontaneously into their roles as they did in the first two films. The underdeveloped, stereotypical hippie couple is the worst example; they don't even contribute a worthwhile counterpoint to the forced eating of the weed when they think the police are after them. The remaining cast members provide the bulk of the humor while Chuck and Chili just seem to be dragged along for the ride. The motorcycle "gang" also seem like stock characters instead of flesh-and-blood participants but at least they all provide more fodder for the butcher and that's the real reason why we're here anyway, isn't it?

Setting the film in a private house and barn location is a nice switch from the previous chapters, although the group dynamic between the non-counselors operates the same regardless. It's also a shame that the man-made lake was mostly absorbed into the ground leaving a rather paltry pond in its place. On a side note, it always bothered me they felt the need to change Jason's look so drastically, especially when one considers it's supposed to pick up exactly where "Part 2" ended. What? Did Jason find a razor at the country grocery store and shave off all the hair on his head that morning for a more pleasing aesthetic? Maybe it cuts down on the wind resistance whilst chasing his victims? Granted, the hockey mask does look better when framed by a bald head, but as a child I always pondered over this blatant inconsistency.

As with all early eighties horror films shot in the 3-D format, the effects fall painfully flat in 2-D, showing just how cheap the gimmick was at that point in cinematic history. I wasn't really impressed with the 3-D version of the film the one chance I got to see it in the early 2000s either. Personally, I think they did it better in the fifties, so what happened to the technology in the interim? As far as

[Show spoiler]"final girls" go, Dana Kimmell isn't my favorite of the series but she's not the worst either. She seems to fit into her surroundings but she doesn't stand out as well as Amy Steel or Jennifer Cooke (from "Jason Lives"). The final "stinger" of having the decaying corpse of Pamela Voorhees attack Chris in the boat just feels like overkill to me. They could have left it with the unmasked Jason coming out of the house after her and that would have been enough.

Overall, "Friday the 13th Part 3" is probably my least favorite of the first six films but it's still light years better than what would arrive after the seventh installment.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0nUXytB3Z0

[charlieray1]

MONSTERFEST 2024
Blue = blu-ray, * = first viewing

September Warm-up The list so far:

[Show spoiler]

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 Suspense 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.

MOVIES

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 Louisiana 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 heroine'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 servant for Renfield, Zita Johann in the Mina role and under the control of the monster. and an amulet 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 clichés, but it's so much fun getting there that it doesn't matter. A minor classic.
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 insistence 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 behavior of our protagonists 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 back-story - 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.
BAD RONALD (1974) 1/2 This is another of those fun, fondly remembered 70s TV movies, and one of the better ones! Ronald is an outcast kid who lives alone with his sick mother. He gets in trouble with the law, so mom helps hide him in a secret room in the house. Unfortunately mom dies, and Ronald is still hiding in the walls when a new family moves in. Hilarity ensues. If you grew up with these TV films and understand their limitations, make it 4 skulls - it's quite good for what it is. If you're too young to have been there, or have no patience for vintage cheese, you should probably just move along. A really fun film, and a remarkably good looking blu-ray!
SOMETIMES THEY COME BACK (1991) This was a 1991 CBS TV movie, and despite a few cheesy elements (the campy "undead" makeup, occasionally cringy dialogue) it's a favorite of mine. It's an engrossing story, mostly well-acted, and ends on a surprisingly bitter-sweet note. I really enjoyed it!
Only complaint: why is this in the 2:35 aspect ratio? It was filmed and shown at 4:3. An earlier blu-ray offered 2 versions - in 4:3 and 2:35 (or possibly 1:78, which would probably look good.) At 2:35 it's way too tight, with lots of heads cut off at the top and the chin. Annoying!
*BURIED ALIVE (1990) 1/2 My wife and I have been on a vintage TV movie kick this month, and this was a fun new discovery! Frank Darabont directed it - it was his very first film - for the USA Network. Tim Matheson gets bumped off (almost!) by his cheating wife, and wakes up to find himself ...wait for it ... Buried Alive. I assumed the movie would be a survival flick about his attempt to escape, but no. He was out fairly quickly and the films heads in a completely unexpected direction. It's becomes a campy, comic book-style story that would have fit in well in Creepshow. The second half may not be very realistic, but it's a lot of fun. Great final scene! A really enjoyable blind buy. Good blu-ray from Kino.

So, I guess we did a ....SEXTUPLATE Of Terror?!


TRILOGY OF TERROR (1975) 1/2 This landmark TV horror movie gave school kids the screaming meemies for weeks after it aired. No one who saw it then has every forgotten it. It's made up of three stories, all starring Karen Black, who is quite good throughout. The first story, about date rape(!) is tame, but pretty good with a nice twist at the end. 3.5 skulls. The second, a tale of 2 sisters, is obvious and forgettable and would score a 2 at best. However, it's the final story - about a "Zuni fetish doll" - that this film is remembered for. It starts quietly, but once it gets going it's frantically paced and relentless in it's tale of survival between a woman and the action figure from Hell. Unlike anything ever produced for TV up until that time, and still very effective. A solid 5 skulls. That story alone made this film a must-see.


*TRILOGY OF TERROR 2 (1996) I had never seen this sequel before, and never even knew it existed until recently. Producer Dan Curtis (Dark Shadows) is back with 3 more stories, this time all featuring Lysette Anthony ...who proves that she is no Karen Black by ranging from poor to just adequate in her three starring roles.
For me, the first story - a tale of infidelity and grave robbery - is the best. The climax features some very nasty inhabitants of the graveyard, and if they're not exactly realistic looking, they work, and had me squirming in my seat. 4 skulls. The second story, of resurrection from the grave, has the poorest acting of the three and would get a 3 at best. The third was perhaps the biggest disappointment. It's a direct sequel to the original Zuni Fetish Doll story, but it offers nothing new. After an adequate set-up it's basically a remake and even copies the original's suitcase scene note for note. Maybe 3 skulls. A fun film, but other than the first gruesome tale, it's no threat to the original.

[Al_The_Strange]

Yokai Monsters: Spook Warfare (1968)
Yôkai daisensô
Blu-Ray

An ancient Babylonian demigod is resurrected and starts a rampage in Japan. It's up to the Yokai spirits to intervene and fight the vampiric deity, if not to save the people, then to at least have some fun.

Yeah, you introduce a new, worse villain in your monster movie, you know it's going to go down like the Godzilla sequels and turn the original monsters into antiheroes. Sure, it's amusing to watch the Yokai f**k around with this ancient demon. The creature effects seem a little improved from before and there are certainly some cool scenes to see. As expected though, the Yokai are given more speaking roles, and they tend to spell things out for the audience a lot (you know, for the kids!). There is some goofy pandering, but there's still a good attempt to retain a spooky atmosphere.

While I liked the first movie for its ghostly finale, I think this one managed to one-up it a bit, showing the parade of monsters floating into the mountains this time with clouds everywhere. It's a gorgeous, mystical sight.

-------------------------------------------

Yokai Monsters: Along With Ghosts (1969)
Tôkaidô obake dôchû
Blu-Ray

An old man is murdered on some holy ground, so the Yokai get ticked off and f**k some guys up.

Disappointing after the last one, if for no other reason than the spirits are fewer and further between, and the stakes are drastically reduced. It's a lot more samurai drama now than folk horror, although the scarier scenes do stand out in bursts. Around the middle, there's a cool scene where samurai are swinging their blades at all these Yokai, but just can't seem to hit them. Sadly though, despite those few eye-popping scenes, I found the film a bit droll.

-----------------------------------------

LET THE BODIES HIT THE FLOOR

[Show spoiler]* 09/01: Kids vs Aliens (2022)
* 09/03: Yokai Monsters: 100 Monsters (1968)

* 09/12: Yokai Monsters: Spook Warfare (1968)
* 09/12: Yokai Monsters: Along With Ghosts (1969)

Total: 3 Films

* = First time scares
Violet = The color out of 4K

[Jajuka89]

Happy Friday The 13th guys

Did a double feature last night leading to Friday 13th

Friday The 13th (1980)


Friday The 13th Part II(1981) 1/2


When I finished watching part 2 from the (2018) 8-movie bluray collection I went and watched the trailer.
I noticed the trailer had this very nice old school look to it which doesn't look like the bluray.
Can anybody explain what that is ? or if there is a way to watch it with that same look ?

[Tuc0]

September 13

Ready or not

Well this was a funny one. Splattery horror comedy. I quite liked it although it did kind of repeat the scenes a few too many times. Plot armour saves and such but it's okay cause I had a great time and Samara Weaving was impressive. I'll probably see this again some time in the future.

[CelluloidPal]

Originally Posted by Jajuka89

Happy Friday The 13th guys

Did a double feature last night leading to Friday 13th

Friday The 13th (1980)


Friday The 13th Part II(1981) 1/2


When I finished watching part 2 from the (2018) 8-movie bluray collection I went and watched the trailer.
I noticed the trailer had this very nice old school look to it which doesn't look like the bluray.
Can anybody explain what that is ? or if there is a way to watch it with that same look ?

The thing with old movie trailers is that they're not kept in the best condition. They typically don't get restored or remastered like the movies themselves to my knowledge. There's some YouTube channels that does 4K rescans of old trailers and they have that look you're referring to.

[CelluloidPal]

Originally Posted by BerC

It always amazes me that Sean S. Cunningham wasn't able to turn in another classic directorial effort after this film. Granted, "DeepStar Six" from 1989 was decent enough, but can anyone name another film he directed without looking up his catalog?

Two comes to mind for me. His follow-up to Friday the 13th, A Stranger is Watching and Spring Break.

[kingdoxie]

Goke, Body Snatcher from Hell

[Jajuka89]

Originally Posted by CelluloidPal

The thing with old movie trailers is that they're not kept in the best condition. They typically don't get restored or remastered like the movies themselves to my knowledge. There's some YouTube channels that does 4K rescans of old trailers and they have that look you're referring to.

I see. What would be the closest picture quality that looks similar to those type of trailers ? The original theater film used for screenings ? or an older DVD version ?

[Monterey Jack]

[Show spoiler]Halloween Horror Marathon '12

Halloween Horror Marathon '13

Halloween Horror Marathon '14

Halloween Horror Marathon '15

Halloween Horror Marathon '16

Halloween Horror Marathon '17

Halloween Horror Marathon '18

Halloween Horror Marathon '19

Halloween Horror Marathon '20

Halloween Horror Marathon '21

Halloween Horror Marathon '22

Halloween Horror Marathon '23

First-time viewings are indicated with an ^

[Show spoiler]09/04/24: Blink Twice ^ (2024): Shaun Of The Dead (2004):
09/05/24: Beetlejuice (1988):
09/06/24: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice ^ (2024):
09/07/24: Jaws (1975): Jaws 2 (1978):
09/11/24: The Front Room ^ (2024): [ZERO SKULLS]

09/13/24:

-Speak No Evil (2024):



Effective, slow-burn thriller about a struggling couple, Ben & Louise Dalton (Scoot McNairy and Mackenzie Davis), still reeling from a recent marital infidelity, who, along with their emotionally-fragile daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler) meet a fellow, flagrantly enthusiastic couple, Paddy & Ciara (James McAvoy and Aisling Franciosi) and their mute young son Ant (Dan Hough) whilst vacationing in Italy. They separate while Paddy & Ciara make an offer to have the Daltons come visit their remote homestead in order to unwind and get away from the crush and bustle of their London flat. The Daltons accept, and at first the picturesque beauty of their hosts' farmhouse and the surrounding fields and woods are intoxicating, but Paddy & Ciara's overly ingratiating Good Host behavior slowly begins to become suffocating, tipping over into the realm of inappropriateness in ways that at first feel like obligatory social cues are simply being overlooked, but soon become obvious said cues are not even being taken in in any way. The Daltons now find themselves turn between the awkwardness of trying to extricate themselves from a "holiday" that's growing ever more stress-inducing and a burgeoning fear that their grinning, jokey hosts are simply...off in a way that's more sinister than they can accept.

Remaking a 2022 Danish film (unseen by me), screenwriter and director James Watkins does a good job toeing the line of when a social obligation hits that point where one couple finds themselves unable to tolerate behavior from another, but struggle to excuse themselves in a way that will avoid looking rude or ungrateful. It's McAvoy's performance as Paddy that really holds the film together, though, subtly shading his Venus Flytrap turn as the patriarch of his odd family unit in a way that just manages to convince the viewer that the Daltons would put up with his eccentric flourishes just long enough to hit a point where they can't pull out. It all culminates in the obligatory violent catharsis at the climax, and while the burn getting there may be a bit slow for some viewers, those who allow it that simmer will be rewarded with a savory stew of genre unease.

[chad_1138]

9/13 - and

[sandman slim]

10, 11 & 12. Friday the 13th Part 1, 2 & 3D

Horror classics, each.

Happy Friday the 13th, y'all!