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It's October - who wants to watch some SCARY MOVIES? (1 Viewer)

Peter M Fitzgerald

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Peter Fitzgerald
Well, I caught WEREWOLF IN A GIRL'S DORMITORY early this evening. Not a bad little low-budget, Italo-Austrian wolf-man flick, but no must-see classic, either. The werewolf (who has a pretty impressive set of teeth, and is more like a guy with a bad skin condition than a hairy man-wolf) is off-screen for most of the film, and much of the movie plays more like a typical murder mystery with plenty of red herrings, than a monster movie. Some nice, creepy, nocturnal atmosphere, though, and a couple of moderate maulings. A female doctor, who's trying to cure the poor wretch (aka, her lover) of his lycanthropy through medical means, doesn't win any points for intelligence, considering her klutzy way of dealing with dangerous test subjects. Catchy 10-second-long theme song, "Ghoul in School", plays during the brief opening credits.
I was originally planning to watch HORROR CHAMBER OF DR. FAUSTUS (1959, aka EYES WITHOUT A FACE) for the first time, but it turns out I don't have it...Funny, I could've sworn I had an old copy a friend had taped for me years ago, but it must've been my (warped) imagination. Oh well, since that film is now out of the running, I've taken the opportunity to add some more horror flicks I've never watched before to my earlier post on this thread, including DON'T LOOK NOW (1973) and THE MEPHISTO WALTZ (1971). Fortunately, I *do* have those (and everything else I've listed) available to watch.
***Update (10/12/01): I *do* have HORROR CHAMBER OF DR. FAUSTUS on tape after all, so it's back in the running!
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***
Anyway, back to the tv! :)
[Edited last by Peter M Fitzgerald on October 12, 2001 at 08:41 PM]
 

Mitty

Supporting Actor
Joined
Jan 13, 1999
Messages
886
It's good to see all you guys aboard.
I picked up the LE of Wicker Man today. Now, the question is: which version do I watch first? The theatrical cut, or the "extended" version. Is it a director's cut? I'm a little confused. Anyway, this will be my first never-before-seen entry. Don't know what else I will go out of my way to see.
Been busy lately, so the only movie I've had the opportunity to see this week is the 1962 version of 'Cape Fear.' A terrific little suspense thriller, but I don't think I'll try to justify it in my tally.
 

Hubert

Second Unit
Joined
Mar 9, 2001
Messages
424
I get into horror movies around Halloween time. And there is no better movie to watch during the Halloween season than what, Halloween, of course!
 

Mick Wright

Second Unit
Joined
Mar 10, 2000
Messages
346
I picked up the LE of Wicker Man today. Now, the question is: which version do I watch first? The theatrical cut, or the "extended" version. Is it a director's cut? I'm a little confused. Anyway, this will be my first never-before-seen entry. Don't know what else I will go out of my way to see.
Well, it's probably considered blasphemy around here, but I prefer the shorter cut. If you watch that one first, then you'll have the extended cut to look forward to.
 

Bruce Hedtke

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Mitty, you can let go of my arm now. I give in...
I started the list off with The Gift. A film I've been putting off and off and off since it came out on DVD, I finally nutted up and watched it today. Why was I waiting? Well, just too many damn foreign films to catch up on first. Anyhow, The Gift was terrific. Much more subtle and intriguing than I anticipated, it played off its characterizations very well and the direction by Raimi was near perfect. He never allowed the film to venture far from its psychic-thriller roots and some of the quirky turns made it interesting to the end. It never really had any punchy moments but stayed steady enough to hum right along. Hillary Swank, Cate Blanchett and Greg Kinnear turn in good performances but Keanu Reeves pretty much steals the film. His showcase of a violent redneck was at once appalling and fervent. I know he gets knocked for being wooden and "pretty" but he does have chops and they are on full display here.
The Gift
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**Disclaimer**-I know The Gift probably doesn't fit the horror genre per se, but given that it was directed by Raimi, I made an exception.
Next up...The Minus Man
Bruce
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Kevin Leonard

Supporting Actor
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Mar 11, 2001
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What the hell, I'll play along. I can't say I'll watch these movies in the order below, but dammit I'll try.
The ones marked in bold are films I haven't seen yet:
1. NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968; Romero)
2. DAWN OF THE DEAD
3. DAY OF THE DEAD
4. THE EVIL DEAD
5. CAT O' NINE TAILS
6. THE BEYOND
7. BRAIN DAMAGE
8. VAMPIRE HUNTER D[/b]
9. AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON
10. NOSFERATU (1922; Murnau)
11. NOSFERATU (1979; Herzog)
12. SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE
13. KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE
I'll start watching on Monday.
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Have you ever noticed anyone driving slower than you is an idiot? And anyone driving faster than you is a maniac!! - George Carlin
ICQ: 55259446 (or just search for "John Shaft"...can you dig?)
 

Wes Ray

Supporting Actor
Joined
May 11, 2001
Messages
507
Some of you really need to get a hold of a copy of Black Christmas somewhere. I can't recommend that movie high enough! One of the absolute scarriest, EVER.
 

Matt Butler

Screenwriter
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Jun 23, 2001
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Matt Butler
I already watched a few on my list within the last week already so I hope they count.
1 Friday the 13th Pt 6
2 Predator
3 Halloween 2 (I rewatched the first one a few weeks ago so I cant count that one. )
4 Terror Train (Never seen it)
5 Changeling (Never seen it)
6 Blair Witch Project (Been in the mood to see it again)
7 Exorcist (Been in the mood)
8 Friday the 13th pt 7 (VHS my friend let me borrow)
9 Evil Dead 2
10 AOD (Need to have a Ash marathon)
11 Haunting 1963 (Been wanting to see it again)
12 Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Need to watch my DVD I bought a few months ago)
13 Suspiria (Never seen it and want to rent the new DVD if I can find a place that has it)
Whew!
 

Kenneth Cummings

Supporting Actor
Joined
Aug 7, 2001
Messages
852
Well I doubt I will manage to get enough DVD to fill the require thirdteen DVDs, but I will try with the help of those regularly shown horror movies play durning this month. But I plan on buying the Alien Legacy and Exocist DVD soon, so that will help my lacklusting collection of only Blair Witch and Se7en on horror movies at the moment.
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Mitty

Supporting Actor
Joined
Jan 13, 1999
Messages
886
Watched Wicker Man tonight. I gotta say, it's one of the most uncompromising films I've seen. I couldn't believe the ending.
Spoiler:Maybe I've seen too many typical Hollywood films, but I swear I had a nagging feeling the "cavalry" would ride in and save him from the "heathens."
A very haunting, unusual and original piece of work. Highly recommended.
Britt Eckland is also a haunting piece of work. Also highly recommended.
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Do you like SCARY MOVIES?
Scary Movie Challenge: 13 12 to go!
 

Peter M Fitzgerald

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Mar 21, 1999
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Peter Fitzgerald
I watched fewer horror flicks this past weekend than I had planned to, but I managed these three from my list:
On DVD:
WHITE ZOMBIE (1932) An independently-made horror film, starring Bela Lugosi (in one of his best roles, as a diabolical zombie-master), that looks and plays (impressively) just like the major studios' (Universal, Paramount, Warner Bros, MGM) horror classics of the time. There were a few rough edges here and there, some of the performances were wooden, but there were creepy, interesting visuals galore. The Roan Group DVD was excellent, especially for an indie film of this vintage, apart from a few tiny "jumps", where a few frames were missing in a couple of scenes (and I'm sure couldn't be helped). I've watched this film before, and was pleased to renew my acquaintance with it.
On VHS:
CIRCUS OF FEAR (1967-British, aka PSYCHO-CIRCUS) basically hornswoggled me, simple rube that I am! Despite the presence of Christopher Lee, Klaus Kinski and Skip Martin (the dwarf actor seen in Roger Corman's MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH ('64) and the tongue-in-cheek HORROR HOSPITAL ('73)), direction by John Lewellyn Moxey (who helmed the excellent chiller CITY OF THE DEAD ('60, aka HORROR HOTEL)), and the film's title (and its alternate title), which promised horrific mayhem under the big top (like CIRCUS OF HORRORS ('60), BERSERK ('67) and FREAKS ('32)), this was more or less a straight-ahead crime caper/murder mystery/whodunnit, with no real attempted scares at all. A couple of deaths, sure, but not especially creepy or gory, unlike murder tales that are aspiring to scare, like PSYCHO ('60), PEEPING TOM ('60), BLOOD AND BLACK LACE ('64), etc. Not that the film was especially terrible, it just didn't deliver the goods as far as Halloween flicks go (as would something like SLEUTH ('72) or MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS ('74)). So I guess this won't count as a legit entry in this tournament. Oh well...
THE VIRGIN OF NUREMBERG (1963-Italian, aka HORROR CASTLE) Ah, now this was more like it! A creepy, cavernous castle in post-war Germany (complete with extensive torture chamber), sinister servants (including a facially-scarred Christopher Lee), terrible family secrets going back two centuries, a hooded master-torturer who may or may not be a ghost, thunderstorms, homicidal madness, links to Nazi Germany, blood, shadowy corridors, secret passages, women in distress... all in lush color, almost like a Mario Bava film (the gothic castle sets were the same ones used in Bava's THE WHIP AND THE BODY ('63, aka WHAT!), filmed the same year). I'd never seen this before, and was glad I took the opportunity to. Hopefully Image (or Anchor Bay...or VCI...) will bring us a pristine print of this on DVD in the near future, as it's a quintessential example of classic 1960s Italian gothic horror (although set in then-modern times), and a perfect Halloween flick.
I plan to watch more horror this week, especially this upcoming weekend, as this is a great opportunity to get to much of my unwatched horror collection, primarily on tape (from off TV and in tape-trades with friends). Most of the films on DVD that I'm going to watch this year will be viewed in the week leading up to Halloween.
Back in a few...
[Edited last by Peter M Fitzgerald on October 08, 2001 at 03:44 PM]
 

Brook K

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Feb 22, 2000
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My first was Mario Bava's Black Sabbath (aka 3 Faces of Fear)
3 macabre tales hosted by a humorously over-the-top Boris Karloff kick off my Halloween Horrorfest. The first is
about a woman receiving harassing phone calls that seem to know her every
move. The 2nd, the classic "man stays the night at lonely house in the
wilderness where weird sh-- is afoot". This time the head of the household
(played by Karloff) has a form of vampirism that causes him to hunger for
the blood of those he loves. (what happens when he runs out of victims?). In
the 3rd an old crone, known to communicate with the dead dies during a
seance. The nurse that prepares her body for the funeral, steals a ring from
the corpse. Soon she finds herself haunted by her action.
I enjoyed the last 2 more than the first of the stories, but overall this
was a nigh well spent. Director Mario Bava is well versed in the classic
genre forms and is able to create a stylishly familiar atmosphere for all
these delightfully grotesque activities to occur. I also like his
tongue-in-cheek sensibility, this film has an ending that is laugh out loud
funny. After this and his previous horror classic, Black Sunday, I'm quickly
becoming a Bava fan and have several more of his films on my list for this
month.
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S&S Challenge: 72 ...24
DVD BEAVER

My DVD Collection

[Edited last by Brook K on October 09, 2001 at 12:27 PM]
 

Mitty

Supporting Actor
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Jan 13, 1999
Messages
886
Well, Brook and Peter have won the participant awards for coming up with films I've heard of. WEREWOLF IN A GIRL'S DORMITORY? :)
Anywho, in the interest of burning through DVDs I haven't gotten around to watching, I rooted through my discs and selected The Shining from the semi recent Kubrick collection redux.
I'm not going to get into my impressions, because frankly, who the hell hasn't seen it? I've seen it about a dozen times now. But the new DVD is beautiful (even moreso in comparison to the abomitable last version).
Two things I noticed that I'd never caught before:
1. The little girls aren't twins! I could have sworn they were identical twins. Nope. The story that the hotel manager tells Jack when they're in the office is that Grady had two girls, "about 8 and 10." I rewound it and listened again, even putting on the subtitles to make sure. I thought it was a gaffe, since in my memory those little girls were definitely identical twins. As I said, nope. Further evidence that memory is a shaky record.
2. The story that the hotel manager tells Jack is that a Charles Grady kills his children and his wife, but the waiter Jack interacts with in the restroom calls himself Delbert Grady. Hmmm. I'm not sure if I understand the significance of that difference. Was the hotel manager wrong? Is this a familial generational pattern? Did the waiter lie? Again, in previous viewings, I'd assumed they were one and the same.
That Kubrick guy sure does make you pay attention! :)
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Do you like SCARY MOVIES?
Scary Movie Challenge: 13, 12 11 to go!
 

Scott Bell

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
May 26, 2001
Messages
65
***update
Since last thursday:
Tourist Trap, Shadow of a Vampire, Tremors 3, The Boogens(need DVD!), The Thing, and both House on Haunted Hill's
am now watching House by the Cemetary.....boy I love October
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Sam Hatch

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Mar 22, 2000
Messages
242
I too caught 'Black Sabbath' for the first time over the weekend. My jaw hit the floor when Karloff said the line 'Aren't I allowed to fondle my own grandson?' A fairly weak anthology overall, but the colors and lighting were great.
Then I slammed back the tres cool 'Horror Rises From the Tomb', starring Paul 'I look like the love-child of John Saxon and John Belushi' Naschy -- who has incredible screen presence regardless. Very fun fare revolving around a pair of undead, black-magical lovers and their victims tearing up the French countryside. This one really rocked!
One of these nights I'm going to watch something I've seen already, but I'm having a blast with all these new flicks!
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Bruce Hedtke

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Deep Rising
Coming from the director of The Mummy and The Mummy Returns, Stephen Sommers, one should expect a helping of cheese to go with the flick. Deep Rising did not disappoint on that front. Bad, bad, bad dialogue and uninteresting characters defined this turkey. Treat Williams was laughably bad in the lead and every other role was cliche and obligatory. The only (minor) standout was Famke Janssen, who was lovely and showed more than just a token regard for the film. All was not lost, however, as most of the sets and action sequences were done fairly capably. The monster effects were suprising convincing and the pacing was pretty good. But, the dialogue was so lame at times (like when the monster was beating against a door, trying to break into the hall Treat and co. had gathered, Mr. Williams drops the cheese with profundity by saying "'Now What?'"-and I don't mean to ask about the next move. It was more of the tone of "What does this monster want now???". Christ, I wanted to shoot the TV at that point.), it really distracts from the film. If this was a silent movie, it may have been "rising" to good. As is...it rates a big fat D-.
Deep Rising
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Next Up: Valentine
P.S. I had thought that The Minus Man was a horror film (after reading the movie description on the box), but it wasn't. A great little film and a shame it can't be considered for this list.
Bruce
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[Edited last by Bruce Hedtke on October 10, 2001 at 07:59 PM]
 

Mitty

Supporting Actor
Joined
Jan 13, 1999
Messages
886
Again, in the interest of burning through my unwatched pile, I watched the new SE of Brian De Palma's Carrie. I really hadn't intended to watch two Stephen King adaptations, but there you go.
I don't think I've seen 'Carrie' since high school. I saw it as a straight horror film when I was younger (and, yes, it scared the bejesus out of me). Of course, it's also a wicked comedy as well, particularly the character of Carrie's mother, who is played so over the top it's unbelievable. I never saw the black comedy of that character before.
I never realized that Sissy Spacek received an Oscar nomination for that role. It's a fabulous performance. I'll take it over her work in Coal Miner's Daughter any day (which is also very good).
Don't know what is up next. I think I'm gonna try and rent Black Christmas.
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Do you like SCARY MOVIES?
Scary Movie Challenge: 13, 12, 11 10 to go!
 

Peter M Fitzgerald

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Mar 21, 1999
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Peter Fitzgerald
My latest first-time viewings (both from VHS sources):
THE LONG HAIR OF DEATH (1964) Another nifty Italian gothic chiller, starring Barbara Steele in a plot involving ghostly retribution to wrongdoers in the 15th century. Not in quite the same league as Steele's more famous horror film, Mario Bava's BLACK SUNDAY (1960), but this flick still delivered the goods, with some eerie scenes and music, and a cool ending (though not for the person on the recieving end of the revenge). Hopefully, a company like Image, Anchor Bay or VCI will give it a nice DVD presentation someday soon.
THE FOUR SKULLS OF JONATHAN DRAKE (1959) Enjoyable cheese from Edward L. Cahn, who directed a slew of cheap B movies, like INVASION OF THE SAUCER MEN (1957) and INVISIBLE INVADERS (1959), concerning a couple of supernatural Jivaro headhunters claiming the noggins of a couple of remaining members of the Drake family. Not really scary, but does feature more severed heads (albeit bloodlessly), than your average 1950s fright flick. The movie looks and plays very much like a William Castle film, especially a recurring vision of floating skulls, although the film has no outward "shock" gimmicks that I'm aware of. I'm sure we'll see this United Artists film released by MGM as a "Midnite Movie" DVD before long.
Ah, and my DVDs of THE MUMMY (1959) and 13 GHOSTS (1960, in "Illusion-O"!) have just arrived in the mail...excellent...
Current scary film tally: 5 watched
--Onward and inward!
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[Edited last by Peter M Fitzgerald on October 11, 2001 at 09:11 PM]
 

Peter M Fitzgerald

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Peter Fitzgerald
Just caught another film this evening, another first-time viewing for me:
THE HORROR OF IT ALL (1964) A Pat Boone horror/comedy! It wasn't particularly scary or funny, but was an enjoyable time-killer. Boone, on his way to meet his fiancee in the English countryside, wrecks his car and finds his way to her family's gloomy estate, inhabited by a handful of eccentric & macabre characters.
I was surprised at the low-key quality of both the film and Pat Boone's performance in it. Not that Boone has ever been within 10,000 miles of being manic, but I figured the makers of this sort of film would insist on him being "wacky", with lots of (lame) screaming, running around, and mugging for the camera (think Frankie Avalon). He runs around a bit, but mostly act like a real person might, if trapped in his circumstances, which was a bit refreshing. This is likely due to the fact that the film was directed by Hammer horror maestro Terence Fisher (HORROR OF DRACULA ('58), CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN ('57), THE MUMMY ('59), THE DEVIL RIDES OUT ('67), etc) not the sort you'd expect to emulate THE GHOST & MR. CHICKEN or THE GHOST IN THE INVISIBLE BIKINI.
Boone sings one song, a tune based on the film's title, that would actually make more sense in something like MAD MONSTER PARTY ('67). There was also a double-twist in the film's murder-mystery plot that I didn't anticipate. I watched this little-seen film on Fox Movie Channel, and they'll be running it several more time this month, for those here that are curious. It's no great shakes, but I'm not sorry I took the time (a scant 75 minutes) to view it.
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Also, it turns out I *do* have THE HORROR CHAMBER OF DR. FAUSTUS (1959, aka EYES WITHOUT A FACE) on tape after all; it had somehow made its way into a section of my tape collection where it didn't belong, so it's back on my list of films to watch this month. I may watch it this weekend.
Current scary film tally: 6 watched
 

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