Official 13th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge 2012 (1 Viewer)

[Ruz-El]

Got in seven yesterday, I think this is my last great push in the challenge. I'm likely only to get in a couple more before Wednesday. I might fall down the stairs at work and hurt my leg or something so I can get a day off or two for a final binge.

[SIZE= 15px]072 10-28 [/SIZE][SIZE= 15px]The Old Dark House[/SIZE][SIZE= 15px] (1963) William Castle goes slapstick on this remake of the James Whale classic and it makes for a forgettable film. Sorry Tom Poten, you were no Boris Karloff. Boooo! 1.5/5[/SIZE]
[SIZE= 15px]073 10-28 [/SIZE][SIZE= 15px]Strait-Jacket [/SIZE][SIZE= 15px](1964) No gimmicks in this William Castle shocker, Joan Crawford is all you need. Add in an over the top Robert Bloch (Psycho) script and you’re pretty much guaranteed a winner. 4/5[/SIZE]
[SIZE= 15px]074 10-28 [/SIZE][SIZE= 15px]Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story[/SIZE][SIZE= 15px] (2007) A nice profile on the legendary showman. It does a nice balance between personal remembrances and career profiles. Some of the material in this was recycled in the featurettes appearing on other discs in this boxset, but not enough to not be a good time. 4/5[/SIZE]
[SIZE= 15px]075 10-28 [/SIZE][SIZE= 15px]Fortress [/SIZE][SIZE= 15px](1986) Nice little thriller here, and another good recommended from this years challenge. A bit of a mash-up between a home invasion thriller and “Lord of the Flies”. I would of liked that prick kid Dale to of gotten a beat down though. And bawl baby Toby... 3/5[/SIZE]
[SIZE= 15px]076 10-28 [/SIZE][SIZE= 15px]The Girl [/SIZE][SIZE= 15px](2012) Not a terrible film by any means. It’s a bit odd seeing Hitchcock depicted as a pervy, impotent dirty old man preying on poor Tippi Hedren. I understand that Hitch fans are a bit up in arms over this one, and I can see why. Toby is all right as Hitchcock, though it’s a bit superficial to me. Sienna Miller as Tippi I thought was really good though. A soapy film in the end that’s not quite camp enough to stay interesting. 3/5[/SIZE]
[SIZE= 15px]077 10-28 [/SIZE][SIZE= 15px]From Dusk Till Dawn [/SIZE][SIZE= 15px](1996) A personal favourite of mine, it’s been years since I last screened it so it was a nice re-visit. A corny premise gets presented perfectly with top notch actors and direction. The first half is a great crime film, the second is everything you want in a vampire slug-fest. The humour comes from the situation, not at the expense of the situation and it all works perfectly. 4/5[/SIZE]
[SIZE= 15px]078 10-28 [/SIZE][SIZE= 15px]Invasion of the Body Snatchers[/SIZE][SIZE= 15px] (1956) I could of swore I had seen this one before but man, I didn’t remember any of it other than the lead running around in a panic near the end. I think this one gets written off as a communist paranoia scare film (which it is) but it really works. Director Don Siegel is no slouch and does a great job of the slow build until things a ramped up to a fever pitch. The pod-people are gross and creepy too. 4/5[/SIZE]

So yeah, I think I'm going to get a chance to finish up the Universal Monsters bluray set and that will be it. Not a bad way to go out.

 

[Bob McLaughlin]

30. The Haunting of Julia (aka Full Circle) (FTV)
Based on the Peter Straul novel "Julia", this 1977 movie was likely greenlighted based on the success of Mia Farrow's earlier role in "Rosemary's Baby". This time around, Farrow plays the mother coming to terms with the death of her young daughter who choked to death. She flees her husband and starts a new life in an apartment, but strange things begin happening that may or may not be related to her daughter's death. This is a ghost story and a mystery, but not particularly frightening. There are deaths but not a lot of gore, not that it's really called for in this type of movie. This is a very quiet form of British horror, and I get that, but I can't help but feel there was some wasted potential here: think of it as "death by meandering" when it could have been something special. If you want to watch a much better film about a parent haunted by the death of their child, watch the excellent (and scary) "Don't Look Now" instead.
Bob's October 2012 Horror Movie List
FTV denotes first time viewing
1. The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) (FTV)
2. Santa Sangre (FTV)
3. Seance On A Wet Afternoon (FTV)
4. Martyrs (FTV)
5. I Saw the Devil (FTV)
6. The Loved Ones (FTV)
7. Seconds Apart (FTV)
8. And Now the Screaming Starts! (FTV)
9. Blind Beast (FTV)
10. The Curse of Frankenstein (FTV)
11. Black Sheep (FTV)
12. Cry of the Banshee (FTV)
13. A Bucket of Blood (FTV)
14. The Haunted Palace (FTV)
15. The Silent House (La Casa Muda) (FTV)
16. Lemora, A Child's Tale of the Supernatural (FTV)
17. Long Weekend (1978) (FTV)
18. Witchcraft (1964) (FTV)
19. The Innkeepers (FTV)
20. Frankenweenie (FTV)
21. Cabin in the Woods
22. Pieces (FTV)
23. I Drink Your Blood (FTV)
24. Ghost Ship (FTV)
25. Just Before Dawn (FTV)
26. The Bad Seed
27. The Theater Bizarre (FTV)
28. The Strangers (FTV)
29. Blood and Roses (FTV)
30. The Haunting of Julia (aka Full Circle) (FTV)

 

[Bryan^H]

***The She Beast
A drowned witch comes back to haunt select village, and newlyweds. This has some good moments, and overall I thought it was OK. The transfer is very good, and Barbara Steele looks great in this one.
Grade-C+
***Shockwaves
One of my favorite horror movies ever. Peter Cushing, John Carradine, and Nazi zombies. I saw this on a local horror host show as a kid(7 years old-1980--Son Of Svengoolie-WKBD chn. 50) and I have to say this may be the reason I love horror movies. I certainly knew then that this movie contained everything I liked in a horror movie(desolation, atmosphere, stalking killers, and bit of supernatural powers).
Watching it again makes me love it all the more, not just for nostalgia, but also that it is a really well crafted horror movie.
Grade-A+

 

[Bryan^H]

***The Devosville Terror
Another film about Witches, and small country towns. Suzanna Love plays a teacher That has visions of horrible things, and Donald Pleasence helps her with theropy. Good film loaded with good atmosphere.
Grade-B
***Stagefright
Another of my favorite "top 5" slasher films(The others being 'Just Before Dawn, and 'My Bloody Valentine' from 1981, Friday The 13th part 2, and 'Terror Train').
This is perfection. Very theatrical, over the top suspense, and honestly the best use of eyes of the killer footage of any slasher.
Grade-A+

 

[Tarkin The Ewok]

Aliens
Outside of a dream sequence, it takes about an hour for the first aliens to show up. The movie takes its time in introducing us to the characters and their relationships, and this pays off later in the action scenes. We are invested in Ripley, Hicks, Newt, and the others, so we are more frightened when aliens threaten them. All areas of this movie are impeccable, and they combine into an amazing whole.
10/10

 

[John Stell]

110) 10/28/2012 The Invisible Man (1933) http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQoQ2OVKdfIyFVKxt3k65iJmIHQGzjO7RxvT-6dS7nWxr81bYo6AQhttp://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQoQ2OVKdfIyFVKxt3k65iJmIHQGzjO7RxvT-6dS7nWxr81bYo6AQhttp://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQoQ2OVKdfIyFVKxt3k65iJmIHQGzjO7RxvT-6dS7nWxr81bYo6AQhttp://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQoQ2OVKdfIyFVKxt3k65iJmIHQGzjO7RxvT-6dS7nWxr81bYo6AQ

Claude Rains gives his vocals an A+ workout in this classic about scientist who's gone mad trying to become visible again. Special effects still impressive. Director James Whale perfectly balances the humor and horror.

111) 10/28/2012 Bride of Frankenstein (1935) http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQoQ2OVKdfIyFVKxt3k65iJmIHQGzjO7RxvT-6dS7nWxr81bYo6AQhttp://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQoQ2OVKdfIyFVKxt3k65iJmIHQGzjO7RxvT-6dS7nWxr81bYo6AQhttp://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQoQ2OVKdfIyFVKxt3k65iJmIHQGzjO7RxvT-6dS7nWxr81bYo6AQhttp://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQoQ2OVKdfIyFVKxt3k65iJmIHQGzjO7RxvT-6dS7nWxr81bYo6AQ

She only has about three minutes of screen time but this bride is a true member of the Universal Classic Monsters. Ernest Thesiger steals the show as the delightfully flipped Dr. Pretorious.

112) 10/28/2012 Chillerama (2011) http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQoQ2OVKdfIyFVKxt3k65iJmIHQGzjO7RxvT-6dS7nWxr81bYo6AQhttp://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQoQ2OVKdfIyFVKxt3k65iJmIHQGzjO7RxvT-6dS7nWxr81bYo6AQ1/2

I didn't realize what I was getting into with this. I had avoided specifics and found that it appeared to be generally recommended by horror fans. So for $10 what the heck? Well, this was certainly something different. I liked the first (Wadzilla - a giant sperm is on the loose) and third ones (Diary of Anne Frankenstein - Hitler builds his own monster), thought the second one (about coming out and prejudices against those who are different) was a little too obvious and drawn out, and thought the wrap up at the drive-in (sex crazed zombies on the attack) was disappointing. Not recommended for the easily offended. There were plenty of moments I was laughing while cringing so it gets a pass.

113) 10/29/2012 Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932) http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQoQ2OVKdfIyFVKxt3k65iJmIHQGzjO7RxvT-6dS7nWxr81bYo6AQhttp://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQoQ2OVKdfIyFVKxt3k65iJmIHQGzjO7RxvT-6dS7nWxr81bYo6AQ1/2

Word on the internet is that the Amazon MOD release of this is actually better than the print used for The Bela Lugosi Collection. The print is very nice and Lugosi has great hair, but the film is still something of a disappointment probably because of too much unfunny humor and other scenes that go on too long.

 

[TravisR]

28. Maniac (1980)
The title character kills people in New York City. There's certainly criticism to be made about this movie but Joe Spinell's performance is really good, there's great special effects and, like Taxi Driver and Death Wish, it captures a time period when New York City was really dangerous, dirty and getting worse all the time. It takes a strong stomach to get through but I dig it.

 

[Michael Elliott]

The American Scream (2012)
From Michael Stephenson, the director of BEST WORST MOVIE, comes this rather charming documentary focusing on three people whose love of Halloween causes them to turn their homes into a haunted house tour on the holiday. THE American SCREAM is a rather interesting documentary, although it's certainly flawed at times as well as being a tad bit slow. I think most people love Halloween and as this film shows, people love using their imagination and getting scared. I think some of the best moments talk about not only these three men but also various others across the country who spend thousands of dollars decorating their homes and trying to outdo one another for having the best haunted house. I think some other great moments include the obvious effect this is having on some of the people but this here is also the bad part of the film. I think the movie needed more scenes taking a look at the bad times of doing this. There are times when finances are mentioned and it would have been nice hearing about how much this costs and what sacrifices these people have to make to make others happy. The pacing is a bit off and as I said, at 82-minutes the film does seem long at times. With that said, the movie is still very much worth watching.
Movie: :star::star::star:
Format: Chiller
Sleepwalkers (1992)
When this film was released there was a lot of hype because it was the first time Stephen King had written something directly for the screen. The hype quickly faded when everyone realized that it was a dud. A son and mom (Brian Krause, Alice Krige) move to a small town where they need a virgin (Madchen Amick) to keep alive. It turns out the duo are "sleepwalkers," which is a form of cat people. The entire story to SLEEPWALKERS is rather stupid and silly and I often wonder if King or director Mick Garris were taking it overly serious. I've heard that there was a lot of trouble with the production so perhaps this is the best that they could turn out but there are so many questionable and rather silly moments here that you can't help but call this a dud. The horror elements are extremely silly, never make too much sense and I wonder what King was even trying to do with this. I mean, were these creatures supposed to be something between werewolves and vampires? Did the son and mom have to have so many sex scenes together? Was this meant to be dark humor? For some strange reason when the son does start to attack the virgin girl, instead of any drama or suspense we're given really bad one-liners and attempts at humor and it just doesn't make any sense. I say no one took it serious because this is followed by a long line of horror cameos including King, Tobe Hooper, Joe Dante, John Landis, Clive Barker and FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 2 fans will notice Stuart Charno. Both Krause and Krige are good in their parts but Amick easily steals the film as the victim. SLEEPWALKERS is a real mess of a movie and it's a shame that King's first direct screenplay was such a bust.
Movie: :star::half:
Format: DVD rental
Pet Sematary II (1992)
This sequel to the box office hit isn't nearly as bad as its reputation would lead you to believe but it's still way too silly to be taken serious. After the death of his mother, a young boy (Edward Furlong) and his father (Anthony Edwards) move to the city of the first film. Once there he learns about the infamous Indian burial ground and his friend tries it out with his dog and when it works more people end up going there. PET SEMATARY II is a pretty stupid film from the word go and it just keeps getting dumber and dumber as it goes along. I think time has been somewhat friendly to the film because when you look back on it you realize that it's not nearly as bad as most of the horror films from this era (I know that's not a ringing endorsement). One of the biggest problems is that the film's pacing is just way too slow and at 100-minutes the film certainly drags in a lot of spots. I'm going to guess that most people watching this is going to know what happens when you bury something at the location so why the film drags everything out is beyond me. Once the horror elements do start we get some pretty silly stuff dealing with countless people being taken to the burial ground and after a while you really start to have many logical issues but that's a-whole-nother story. The performances from Furlong and Edwards are good enough but it's Clancy Brown who easily steals the film as a psycho sheriff. The gore level is fairly mild, although there's a memorable dog attack as well as a memorable scene involving a dirt bike. Mary Lambert does what she can with the story but it's clearly just meant as a way to cash in on the success of the first.
Movie: :star::star:
Format: DVD rental

 

[PatW]

45 House of Wax (1953) :star::star::star::half:
Classic Vincent Price chiller. I know everyone know the story so I won't repeat it here. Price's character was so sympathetic at the beginning but then wow. Nobody does it better than Vincent.
46 Rise of the Zombies (2012) 1/5
I see Michael has reviewed this one above. I know he liked this one better than me. It certainly had enough blood, guts and gore to satisfy horror fans.
I found the script pretty inept as well as the acting. LeVar Burton, I expected more from you. There were a couple of interesting scenes but other than that I hated it. See Walking Dead instead.
TV
32 The Walking Dead: Season 3: Walk With Me 4.5/5
This series keeps getting better and better. I'll have to pick it up on bluray.
33 666 Park Ave: Season 1: A Crowd of Demons 3.5/5

 

[Radioman970]

Monday, October 29
* 68. Hannibal Rising. Actually a very interesting story to follow. Not bowled over with it being a prequel, but on its own...? Not bad at all. The running time was over 2 hours but I was kept interested throughout to see if Hannibal got what he wanted. Could have (should have) been much much scarier.
Cried for my mama (scare score): 5/10
Enjoyment of the movie: 7/10
How good I think the thing actually is: 7/10
* 69. May. This was fairly terrific. Great visuals and music. "May" (the character) starts out reminding me of a Gilda Radner character or something... couldn't get that out of my head through about the first 60% of the movie. But then... well, that changes. lol good stuff! Although, it did show me I've become a bit numb from watching so many flicks. On a regular night this would have made even more impact.
Cried for my mama (scare score): 7/10
Enjoyment of the movie: 8/10
How good I think the thing actually is: 7/10

 

[Michael Elliott]

Witchcraft XI: Sisters in Blood (2000)
Three college girls are putting on a production of MacBeth when they decide to become witches and help a demon find a key that will open the gateway to Hell. Lucky for the world that one of the girls has a sister that is dating the one and only Will Spanner (James Servais). This eleventh film in the series gets a higher than normal rating from me but please don't think it's because this is a better made movie or anything like that. No, this here is just as bad as the previous ten entries but this one here is so laughably bad that I couldn't help but have a good time with it. I've seen a great number of movies and I really can't think of a film where rape is funny. The subject is ugly and I'm really ashamed to say this but there's a rape scene here that's actually funny and it's when two of the witches rape a priest who is crying and begging for his virginity. The scene is obviously so wrong but at the same time the priest's performance is so bad that you can't help but laugh. This film also offers up other hilarious performances and just check out the "acting" towards the end when the three girls are walking off and the crowd of heroes are reacting to them. This film also manages to be a tad bit gorier than previous entries and we even get some violent face ripping and stabbing to the eyes. As for nudity, there's quite a bit here but the majority of it comes from people you really don't want to see naked. Stephanie Beaton returns as Detective Lutz and her scene at the end where she's being sexually attacked is something you've got to see to fully believe. Kathleen St. Lawrence plays the main witch here and while her acting wasn't the greatest, I thought she was incredibly cute and I noticed that this was her only film credit, which leads me to believe she found other ways of making money other than taking her clothes off for an eleventh film in a series. Again, WITCHCRAFT XI is a bad movie but thankfully it's bad enough to make you laugh and keep you entertained.
Movie: :star::star:
Format: DVD rental
Witchcraft XII: In the Lair of the Serpent (2002)
The series no one wants to end reaches the twelfth entry as a man is murdered by a hooker who just isn't your typical hooker. No, she's working for the devil and sure enough the victim just happened to be friends with the one and only Will Spanner (Chip James) who teams up with a detective to try and figure out what's going on. WITCHCRAFT XII will probably only be viewed by those crazy enough to work their way through the entire series but I will at least give writer-director Brad Sykes some credit for at least trying to do some interesting things here. I thought the story itself, while unoriginal, was at least mildly interesting and I also thought we got some campy death scenes that actually works in a low-budget way. We also got plenty of nudity/sex scenes and these here really reach the point to where they're not erotic but instead just boring and obviously meant to expand the running time (did people really need these films running 90-minutes?). Another problem is something only "fans" of the series will notice but it's clear Mr. Sykes didn't watch earlier films because Will's home location is mixed up here and the two detectives that have been a major part of the series are missing here and we're introduced to a new one. With that said, WITCHCRAFT XII features some decent performances but there's still no question that it's a poor movie that's appeal is going to be very limited.
Movie: :star::half:
Format: DVD-R
Witchcraft 13: Blood of the Chosen (2008)
After a six year hiatus, the WITCHCRAFT series is back with its (so far) final entry. Will Spanner (Tim Wrobel) is back and this time he's once again investigating the death of a friend, which once again has him tangling with evil forces. Ahh, the thirteenth entry into this series is quite a strange one for a few reasons. You can tell that the screenwriters wanted this series to return to the fans and they even offered up various things connecting to previous entries. As you might remember, there was a character who started off a man but switched to a woman and this here is explained. We even have returning characters going as far back as the second film and there are even other moments where plot points from previous movies are mentioned. I certainly applaud the screenwriters for attempting to give fans some sort of connection but sadly it's all wasted because this film is downright hard to watch. I say that because technically speaking this film is just a disaster as nearly every scene is so dark that you can't make out what's going on. The audio quality is also extremely low, which at times makes the dialogue hard to understand. It's strange that the technical quality would be so bad here and it really hampers the sex scenes, which is usually the drawing point for this series. These scenes are so dark that quite often you can't see any of the actual nudity! The performances are pretty much what you'd expect from the series but I will say they aren't the worst. The special effects are basically limited to the killers ripping the heart's from the victim's chest but none of them are all that believable. WITCHCRAFT 13 is certainly just going to be for fans of the series but it's doubtful many of those will make it all the way through.
Movie: :star:
Format: DVD rental

 

[JohnS]

I watched one more TV episode from Sunday
Comic Book Men #203 "Ghostbusting at the Stash"
Watched three movies today (Monday)
The Faculty (1998) Already seen this, but I recently bought it on bluray and wanted to watch it since its been fourteen years.
I still like the movie, but not as much as I did when I first saw it. Not scary but still a lot of fun.
The next two are first time viewing from TCMHD
The Black Cat (1934) Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi star together in this very light horror movie.
Honeymooners are trapped in the home of a Satan worshipping priest.
This is another classic horror movie I was really bored with.
Even Karloff and Lugosi starring together couldn't hold my interest.
The Raven (1963) a comedy horror directed by Roger Corman and starring Vincent Price
A magician who has been turned into a raven, turns back into human form getting help from Vincent Price.
I really loved this movie.
Really enjoyed the style this movie went for by playing it tongue in cheek.
My favorite part is Vincent Price doing the battle of the death with Boris Karloff throwing magic at each other.
This movie was so much fun.

 

[Radioman970]

....
The Raven (1963) a comedy horror directed by Roger Corman and starring Vincent Price
A magician who has been turned into a raven, turns back into human form getting help from Vincent Price.
I really loved this movie.
Really enjoyed the style this movie went for by playing it tongue in cheek.
My favorite part is Vincent Price doing the battle of the death with Boris Karloff throwing magic at each other.
This movie was so much fun.

Probably the very first movie I can remember watching in my life. Images of Lorre half man half bird really stayed with me over the year. I love that film too. I need to watch it again myself. Maybe this weekend.

 

[Bob McLaughlin]

31. Horrors of the Black Musem (FTV)
Presented in "Hypno-Vista", whatever that is, this 1959 film involves an arrogant journalist making fools of the local police as he hypnotizes an assistant to do his murders for him. The gimmick here is that he murders using weapons and props that could be found in London's Black Museum, so we get treated to a lot of interesting kills for a 1950's movie: binoculars with spikes that are driven into your eyes, a bed's headboard-mounted guillotine, an acid bath, etc. Michael Gough rises above the material in his quirky depiction of the psychotic newspaper journalist--there isn't a single sympathetic character in the movie, but it's pretty entertaining stuff. Also included on the DVD is an unintentionally hilarious introduction where a very serious British man claims that he can hypnotize the audience before they watch the movie.
Bob's October 2012 Horror Movie List
FTV denotes first time viewing
1. The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) (FTV)
2. Santa Sangre (FTV)
3. Seance On A Wet Afternoon (FTV)
4. Martyrs (FTV)
5. I Saw the Devil (FTV)
6. The Loved Ones (FTV)
7. Seconds Apart (FTV)
8. And Now the Screaming Starts! (FTV)
9. Blind Beast (FTV)
10. The Curse of Frankenstein (FTV)
11. Black Sheep (FTV)
12. Cry of the Banshee (FTV)
13. A Bucket of Blood (FTV)
14. The Haunted Palace (FTV)
15. The Silent House (La Casa Muda) (FTV)
16. Lemora, A Child's Tale of the Supernatural (FTV)
17. Long Weekend (1978) (FTV)
18. Witchcraft (1964) (FTV)
19. The Innkeepers (FTV)
20. Frankenweenie (FTV)
21. Cabin in the Woods
22. Pieces (FTV)
23. I Drink Your Blood (FTV)
24. Ghost Ship (FTV)
25. Just Before Dawn (FTV)
26. The Bad Seed
27. The Theater Bizarre (FTV)
28. The Strangers (FTV)
29. Blood and Roses (FTV)
30. The Haunting of Julia (aka Full Circle) (FTV)
31. Horrors of the Black Museum (FTV)

 

[Ockeghem]

October 29:
Films:
House Of Dark Shadows (1970)
Night Of Dark Shadows (1971)
Television episodes:
The Outer Limits ("Fun and Games") (1964)

 

[Radioman970]

October 30
TV 29-The Munsters "Follow that Munster!" I think this among the very best of the series. The story isn't the most creative, but the implementation is top notch. Herman wants to be an undercover detective and sends away for a detective school kit from Tijuana, Mexico. The only dent is Grandpa's "wetback" comment. Ouch! I'm glad they didn't censor, but it's quite a shock to hear that on a popular show like this. My favorite part (indeed, among my favs of the entire series) is when Herman starts chanting while drawing a picture of "a guy" he's supposed to tail. "..I was made in Germany ya know..." (probably not exact quote, my brain is swiss cheese) Awesome. Gwynne at his best as Herman. Grandpa needs tolerance counseling.
Cried for my mama (scare score): 0/10
Enjoyment of the movie: 10/10
How good I think the thing actually is: 9/10 (-1 point for grandpa's "wetback" comment)

 

[Bryan^H]

***The Whip, And The Body.FTV
Christopher Lee stars as a evil sadist, that loves to torture his once beautiful girlfriend(now marrying his brother) by whipping her. There is a lot to like here. Gothic horror, Mario Bava's dazzling display of color, and fantastic direction. However the story is rather slow paced, and reallly didn't impress me much. Grade-C
***The Lost Continent
Weird, and fun little Hammer fare. The people walking with baloons to float them across marshy areas had me carcking up.
Grade-C+

 

[Bryan^H]

***The Company Of Wolves.
What a weird film. A young British gal in the 80's dreams she is back in the 17 century. There she has a grandma(played by Angela Landsbury) that tells her an anthology of werewolf stories. The stories are rather stupid, and in my opinion couldn't even hold their own in a 'Tales From The Darkside' episode. But the sets, and props are top notch, and veeery atmospheric. So I'm bumping this up an entire grade for that alone.
Grade-B-
***Destination Inner SpaceFTV
Well, this has a good story but poor execution. An underwater research team finds an alien vessle in deep depths. Along with it a fish like monster. lots of speculation of the team members wondering how, and why to contain it. If you find a scene with less that four people in frame at any time let me know, because this film has a lot of actors, and it seems the director would be damned if he isn't going to use each in every one in practically ever minute of the film. I guess so we get our moneys worth? Fail. by having that many people grouped together at all times, it eliminates the sense of danger, as they can easily gang up, and defeat the creature.
Grade-D

 

[Bob McLaughlin]

32. Tower of London (1962) (FTV)
Not to be confused with the 1939 film starring Boris Karloff (and Vincent Price in a lesser role), this is a Roger Corman directed feature starring Vincent Price as Richard III. This is a fictionalized account of how he rises to the throne by murdering everyone who stands in his way, only to descend into madness and lose it all. There are lots of classic Corman touches here: ghosts done by double-exposing film, torture devices such as the rack and the old "rat in the cage on your head" trick, models for sets, and of course a few lovely women thrown in (although not as many as Corman usually gives us). Vincent Price, looking puffy and wearing a bad Prince Valiant-style wig, gives a really great, more-unhinged-than-usual performance. As with most Cormans, this wasn't scary but was entertaining.
Bob's October 2012 Horror Movie List
FTV denotes first time viewing
1. The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) (FTV)
2. Santa Sangre (FTV)
3. Seance On A Wet Afternoon (FTV)
4. Martyrs (FTV)
5. I Saw the Devil (FTV)
6. The Loved Ones (FTV)
7. Seconds Apart (FTV)
8. And Now the Screaming Starts! (FTV)
9. Blind Beast (FTV)
10. The Curse of Frankenstein (FTV)
11. Black Sheep (FTV)
12. Cry of the Banshee (FTV)
13. A Bucket of Blood (FTV)
14. The Haunted Palace (FTV)
15. The Silent House (La Casa Muda) (FTV)
16. Lemora, A Child's Tale of the Supernatural (FTV)
17. Long Weekend (1978) (FTV)
18. Witchcraft (1964) (FTV)
19. The Innkeepers (FTV)
20. Frankenweenie (FTV)
21. Cabin in the Woods
22. Pieces (FTV)
23. I Drink Your Blood (FTV)
24. Ghost Ship (FTV)
25. Just Before Dawn (FTV)
26. The Bad Seed
27. The Theater Bizarre (FTV)
28. The Strangers (FTV)
29. Blood and Roses (FTV)
30. The Haunting of Julia (aka Full Circle) (FTV)
31. Horrors of the Black Museum (FTV)
32. Tower of London (1962) (FTV)

 

[Radioman970]

Neat, I love A Company of Wolves. Wish I had that DVD. I just have a tape.