***Official 22nd Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge 2021*** (1 Viewer)

[JasonRoer]

114. Friday the 13th Part 7
A fun entry in the series that has us back at Camp Crystal Lake and gives us a nice addition of a protagonist with telekinesis. Nothing special, and paint by the numbers, but still has just enough going for it that it's a rewatchable sequel. 3 out of 5.

115. Simpsons Treehouse of Horror 8
The rewatch continued, but I didn't come close to my goal rewatching ALL of the Halloween special episodes. Oh well. 5 out of 5.

116. Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (NEW)
Um.. I love bad movies. Love 'em. This one - just utterly ridiculous. I bought the DVD ages ago for a buck and I still feel cheated out of 75 cents. I mean, I'm glad I gave it a go finally, but 1 time was more than enough. 2 out of 5, with both stars for the concept.

117. Tales From The Crypt: What’s Cooking
This episode had a fantastic cast: Christopher Reeves, Judd Nelson, Meatloaf. More importantly, it was just a great episode in general. Had all the fixings, so to speak. Reeves plays a cook who isn't getting anywhere with his restaurant. Nelson comes along with an idea that turns it all around. Of course, what's cooking sure ain't on any menu I'd ever serve. 5 out of 5.

118. Simpsons Treehouse of Horror 29
I skipped ahead from 8 to 29 because I only had 29 and 30 downloaded and I didn't have streaming access at the time of viewing. As noted previously, I fell short (by a ton) of my goal of watching all 31 episodes. Maybe next year. As always - 5 out of 5.

119. Simpsons Treehouse of Horror 30
See above.

120. At World’s End
The final in the unofficial Cornetto trilogy, Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and the gang knock it out of the park again. What I love about these films is that each actor plays such different characters in the 3 films, and does it with ease, and the script is tight and layered with jokes/gags. To say anything about the film would spoil it, so I'll just say 4.5 out of 5. For reference, I have Hot Fuzz at 4.5 out of 5, and Shaun of the Dead at 5 out of 5.

121. Hellbound: Hellraiser 2 (NEW)
Very enjoyable sequel and one of the better horror film sequels that I've seen. And it makes me want to continue on with the series. After a much needed break from horror movies, I'll definitely check them out. 3.5 out of 5.

122. Trick R’ Treat
For me, this is one of the modern classics that I watch 1 or 2 times every year. Here we have a collection of 4 very different creepy stories that are all woven together expertly. This was very poorly marketed and they could have had a huge theatrical success had they done even a slightly better job, I believe. This is an anthology-type film that could and SHOULD have spawned a host of sequels. I've always been upset about it. Anyway, this is a 5 out of 5.

123. Halloween 3
I LOVE Halloween 3. End of story. It has every element you could want from a cheesy 80s B scifi/horror flick. From the silly plot to the score to the acting to the love interest, to the everything, this is a cult-lovers dream movie. 5 out of 5.

124. The Mummy’s Curse
I'm a sucker for all of the Mummy movies, however, with this one, I found the lessened amount of ancient mummy lore to be dissatisfying. However, I thought the bayou setting was a great choice. So it's sort of a wash with my gripe. It's Universal. It's a Mummy picture. It's a 3 out of 5.

125. The Invisible Man 2020 (NEW)
This is my favorite new discovery of the year. My only gripe is I didn't watch it when it came out. But given that's not Universal's fault, I'll let it slide. Honestly, I thought this was an excellent update to the original story for the modern age. It was suspenseful, the acting was stellar, the pacing, the scares - I am so impressed. 4.5 out of 5.

126. The X-Files: Fight the Future
I'm a huge fan of the X-Files, but what I thought was so well done in this movie was making the mythology aspect of the series accessible to those who hadn't either seen any episodes prior to the movie or only a handful of them. More importantly, with X-Files as a motion picture, they were able to produce an epic scale and fully realize the potential of the story and mythology they created in the series. 4.5 out of 5.

127. Frankenstein
This is the epitome of a horror/Halloween movie, which is why I chose it to close out this year's challenge. It's my favorite Universal monster flick. The setting, the story, the execution, Karloff's performance - everything oozes Halloween to me. I've never tired of it over the years, and I suspect I never will. It was a real treat being able to watch it on the new home theater so it could have that grand theatrical presentation right in the comfort of my house. 5 out of 5.

 

[JasonRoer]

Ok, so here's my final list. I saw 127, of which 46 were new to me. I had a great time this challenge and can't believe the month is over! I enjoyed reading everyone's posts and finding new gems from the recommendations and reviews.

My favorite new find is The Invisible Man (2020), which I thought was simply fantastic! The runner up new find is The Empty Man - what a creepy, well executed effort. I hope everyone had as much fun as I did.

1 Cry of the Werewolf (NEW)
2 Jason Goes to Hell
3 Shaun of the Dead
4 Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
5 Mother (NEW)
6 No One Gets Out Alive (NEW)
7 Ash Vs The Evil Dead S1E3, 4, 5.
8 The Empty Man (NEW)
9. Ash Vs the Evil Dead S1 EP 6, 7, 8
10. The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror 1
11. Ghostbusters
12. The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror 2
13. Basketcase (NEW)
14. The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror 3
15. The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror 4
16. American Horror Story S10 EP 6, 7 (NEW)
17. Bride of the Monster (NEW)
18. Ash vs The Evil Dead S1 EP 9, 10, S2 EP 1
19. The Phantom Carriage (NEW)
20. Chandu: The Magician (NEW)
21. Night of the Living Dead
22. Ash vs The Evil Dead S2 EP 2, 3, 4.
23. The House on Haunted Hill
24. The Most Dangerous Game (NEW)
25. Nosferatu
26. Ash vs. The Evil Dead S2 EP 5, 6, 7
27. The Vampire Bat (NEW)
28. The Devil Bat (NEW)
29. The Ghoul (NEW)
30. Plan 9 From Outer Space
31. The Old Dark House
32: Creepshow S1EP1
33. Stranger Things S1 EP 1/2
34. Stranger Things S1 EP 3/4
35. Stranger Things S1 EP 5/6
36. Stranger Things S1 EP 7/8
37. Hannibal S1 EP 1/2
38. Night of Terror (NEW)
39. Silent Night, Bloody Night (NEW)
40. Revolt of the Zombies (NEW)
41. Ash vs The Evil Dead S2 EP 8, 9, 10
42. Ash vs The Evil Dead S3 EP 1, 2, 3
43. Nightmare (NEW)
44.The Last Man on Earth (NEW)
45. The House of Dracula
46. The Abominable Dr. Phibes
47. Hannibal S1 EP 3/4
48. Brides of Dracula
49. The Vampire's Ghost (NEW)
50. Devil Times Five (NEW)
51. Frightmare (NEW)
52. Halloween (1978)
53. Kiss of the Vampire (NEW)
54. Phantom From Space (NEW)
55. Tales From the Crypt: Let the Punishment Fit the Crime
56. Tales From the Crypt: None But the Lonely Heart
57. Halloween (2018)
58. Ash vs. The Evil Dead S3 EP 4, 5, 6
59. Black Christmas 1974
60. The Brain That Wouldn't Die (NEW)
61. Stranger Things S2 EP 1, 2
62. Halloween Kills (NEW)
63. Stranger Things S2 EP 3, 4
64. Stranger Things S2 EP 5, 6
65. Stranger Things S2 EP 7, 8, 9
66. Stranger Things S3 EP 1, 2
67. The Mummy's Hand
68. The Corpse Vanishes (NEW)
69. The Brain Eaters (NEW)
70. Ash vs The Evil Dead S3 EP 7, 8, 9, 10
71. Hannibal S1 EP 5, 6
72. They Live (NEW)
73. Night of the Blood Beast (NEW)
74. Tales From The Crypt: Came the Dawn
75. The Raven (NEW)
76. Stranger Things S3 EP 3, 4
77. Sleepy Hollow
78. The Mummy's Tomb
79. Stranger Things S3 EP 5, 6
80. Killers From Space (NEW)
81. The Haunted House 1921 (NEW)
82. Swamp Thing
83. Cabin in the Woods
84. The Terror (NEW)
85. Tales From The Crypt Split Second
86. Tales From The Crypt: Only Skin Deep
87.Phantasm (NEW)
88. The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror #5
89. Hannibal S1 EP 7, 8
90. Stranger Things S3 EP 7, 8
91. The Monster Squad
92. Dementia 13
93. Fall of the House of Usher 1928 (NEW)
94. Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers (NEW)
95. Tales from the Crypt Abra Cadaver
96. Tales From The Crypt The New Arrival
97. The Curse of Frankenstein
98. The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror 6
99. Vampyr 1932 (NEW)
100. Monster from Green Hell (NEW)
101. Tales From The Crypt The Ventriloquist's Dummy
102. The Man From Planet X (NEW)
103. Critters (NEW)
104. The Creeping Terror (NEW)
105. Tales From The Crypt Terror Television
106. Tales From The Crypt Easel Kill Ya
107. Voorhees: A Friday the 13th Fan Film (NEW)
108. Tales From The Crypt About Face
109. Young Frankenstein
110. The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror 7
111. Vampyres 1974 (NEW)
112. Hellraiser (NEWISH)
113. Frankenstein's Daughter (NEW)
114. Friday the 13th Part 7
115. Simpsons Treehouse of Horror 8
116. Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (NEW)
117. Tales From The Crypt: What’s Cooking
118. Simpsons Treehouse of Horror 29
119. Simpsons Treehouse of Horror 30
120. At World’s End
121. Hellbound: Hellraiser 2 (NEW)
122. Trick R’ Treat
123. Halloween 3
124. The Mummy’s Curse
125. The Invisible Man 2020 (NEW)
126. The X-Files: Fight the Future
127. Frankenstein

 

[Ruz-El]

Here's my last batch of films from yesterday. Guess which one was picked solely due to run time fitting the window I had to watch it?


087 10/30 Friday the 13th (2009) 2/5 Watched the “Killer Cut” again. If you told someone what a Friday the 13th movie was like and then asked them to write a script it would probably come out like this one. It’s a reboot that tries to replicate what Rob Zombie did in his first “Halloween” by making it more gritty and “real”, only it doesn’t work with a character like Jason. So instead of a lean & mean reboot, we get hillbilly Jason who manages to be ninja-level at killing people. It makes for an extra dumb version of the character in a franchise that is already pretty dumb as far as suspension of disbelief goes. Which is a shame since the director of this film did a real good job with his TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE remake. As of this review, this film killed the official franchise. I’m sure there will be another eventually, but for now there’s fan films to check out.

088 10/31 Candyman (2021) 4/5 An example of a reboot done right. A painter struggling to be recognized in the art world gets embroiled in the Candyman mythology. This one does the right thing of skipping anything to do with the sequels and acknowledging the events of the first film as now forgotten history/black folklore, an urban legend to deal with generational racial trauma. I loved this one. I can see some being turned off by the politics but I think it works to both ground the series in a new way and to move it forward. I don’t know if I need another Candyman film as the first film and this new one are kind of perfect twins.


089 10/31 Malignant (2021) 2.5/5 I’m torn on this one. It’s a pretty clever remix of Frank Henenlotter’s superior “Basket Case” and Wan does the right things to make it his own. A not bad story and heaps of gore certainly help it. That said, I never fully engaged with it and found it a bit long. The good bits are great but overall this one was a miss for me.

090 10/31 The Bride and the Beast (1958) 2/5 A big game hunter's pet ape goes gaga for his new bride, who through hypnosis discovers that she was Queen of the apes in a past life. I imagine the only reason this one is remembered is due to the Ed Wood script. It starts pretty good in the weird first act but sadly it basically turns into a jungle adventure and not a particularly interesting one.

091 10/31 Cat People (1942) 4/5 Noir Alley hosted a Val Lewton double feature for Halloween and this was the first film. A Serbian woman living in New York is terrified of falling in love and becoming a cat person as her sexuality awakens. Pretty transgressive stuff for 1942 and it adds up to being a fantastic noir-tinged thriller with more atmosphere than many of the bigger budget films that came in its wake. If there’s a knock against the film it’s that it really showed how “less is more”, only to have lesser talented hacks make a bunch of boring horror films thinking they could match Tourneur’s budget forced “less is more” aesthetic. At any rate, this one is fantastic and holds up just fine with French actress Simone Simon being perfectly “off” in the lead role, either intentionally or not.

092 10/31 Halloween Kills (2021) 3.5/5 Carrying on where the 2018 film left off, this one continues the horror of Halloween night. I quite liked this one, it did a good job of moving forward while acknowledging the first film by bringing back characters we’ve never really seen in the sequels before. That said, there’s some clumsiness to this. Some of the Myers scenes are a bit too over the top, with Myers established as a real person in the first film only to go super saiyen with his kill-skills in this one, almost looking like a martial artist at times. An attempt at political messaging comes off heavy handed here as well. It felt like this was leading to a definitive end only to swerve so we’re going to get a third picture so maybe it will answer some of my nit picks. And they are nit picks, this film lives up to its title and considering how absolutely shit some entries in this series are I’ll take a dozen “Halloween Kills” since the film moves and makes more sense than that Druid stuff in part 6. (Watch the third film be all Druid stuff…)

I got in 92 films, but I'll post a proper recap later today for Michael to log.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

So, I did dive into some horror franchise stuff this month and I do wonder what are people's favorite horror franchise.

During October I watched:

Friday the 13th 1-3 : These all pretty much deliver what they set out to deliver, which is people getting killed in the woods. It is sort of funny how the series develops from Jason is dead in the first picture to Jason is the killer moving forward. All three were fun and had a good time with them all. Note the iconic Jason in a hockey mask does not happen until the third picture.

Halloween 1-6 : Obviously the first film is a classic. The third film shows what might have been had Carpenter got his way. The second film is the best in terms of bringing Michael back. 4-6 are just a bizarre mess. The Producer's Cut of 6 stands out the most to me because 4 through 6 is some sort of trilogy and 6 in the producer's cut attempts to explain the entire Michael Myers mythology. I think that providing explanations to things that people found creepy is generally a bad idea but in this case it is so wacky it sort of works. At least to keep you (me) entertained.

Phantasm 1-4 : I loved the first Phantasm film when I saw it in a cinema way back when. It played a bit like a nightmare with not much logic involved but enough of a point A to point Z structure that it felt like a whole. The second film in the series got a larger budget and in doing so a lot of studio interference. It plays the most like a straight horror film, like another take on Salem's Lot. The third picture reunites actors from the first film and also returns us more to the landscape and atmosphere of the first picture. None of these are great films but they are fun, have a sense of humor about themselves, and are quite entertaining.

 

[dpippel]

Whew! What a ton of fun this has been, as always! You all are an inspiration. It's been great reading everyone's thoughts on these films and TV shows, both good and bad. I'll be in next year as well. Here are my totals:

TOTAL WATCHED: 53
NEW TO ME: 9

 

[TravisR]

Next up was more John Carpenter horror movies.

111. Someone's Watching Me

A woman moves into a large apartment building but someone is watching her from the large apartment across the way. Carpenter's first TV movie is a homerun. I first saw this in the mid-90s on TBS(?) and I thought it was like a missing link or a 'lost' Carpenter movie from his best era so I'm happy that this one was released on DVD years ago and now on Blu-ray.

112. The Fog (1980)

Ghosts of a sunken ship return for vengeance. One of my favorite John Carpenter movies. Great score, great photography, and a wonderful cast. A classic!

I watched The Thing at the beginning of the challenge so I didn't watch it again.


113. Christine

A nerdy kid gets a crappy old car and as he rebuilds the car, he also begins to change and his car may be killing anyone who gives him trouble. This movie has all the hallmarks of Carpenter (widescreen photography, music) but having read the book, I can't help but want more from the movie.


114. Prince Of Darkness

Satan is contained in a giant green tube and a group of grad students try to stop it. I know that some fans don't really like this one but I dig it.


115. Body Bags

An anthology with a slasher tale set in a gas station, an alien hair transplant, and an eye transplant from a serial killer (never a good idea in a horror movie). Carpenter directed the first two (I love The Gas Station, the second one is funny) and Tobe Hooper directed the evil eye transplant story.


116. In The Mouth Of Madness

A Stephen King-esque author disappears and Sam Neill tries to find him. Carpenter's best movie in the second half of his career.


117. Village Of The Damned (1995)

All the people in an entire town pass out and nine months later, all the women of child bearing age give births to children. I'm the only person in the world (including John Carpenter himself) that likes this movie.


118. Vampires

James Woods is the leader of a group of vampire killers who run afoul of a very tough vampire. Another decent movie from Carpenter and James Woods is in full James Woods-mode and that is fun. Great and gory special effects.


119. Ghosts Of Mars

In the future, Natasha Henstridge and Ice Cube fight evil ghosts on Mars. I don't care what anyone says, I love this movie. It's basically Assault On Precinct 13 set on Mars (and Assault is just Rio Bravo set in the modern day) but it's a ton of fun and lots of off-the-wall violence and action. It also has an excellent genre cast.


120. The Ward

In the 1960's, a young woman is locked up in a mental institution. After one good and one bad episode of Masters Of Horror, Carpenter finally got back to making a feature film. It's OK but nothing special.


121. He Knows You're Alone

A maniac who kills brides to be and he targets a young woman and her friends. The movie is only OK but I love the opening sequence and that makes the movie for me.


122. My Bloody Valentine (1981) (unrated cut)

A maniac kills people on Valentine's Day. A slasher classic and the unrated cut has some really good gore effects.


123. Eyes Of A Stranger

A maniac kills people in Florida. A brutal movie with some really good moments of suspense. An early sequence with a girl and her boyfriend is good and another where a secretary that's working late gets phone calls are both really good. Also, you can already see that Jennifer Jason Leigh is a good actor. I'm not saying that I would have seen this in 1981 and thought "That kid's a star!" but she's clearly better than the average slasher movie actor.


124. Final Exam

A maniac kills people at a college. Solid and lesser known slasher movie. Well worth checking for any fans of slashers.


125. April Fool's Day (1986)

A maniac kills people on a secluded island. A fun movie with a likable cast.


One more post and I should be done listing everything. Hopefully, I'll get to that tonight.

 

[TravisR]

126. Psycho (1960)

A woman steals money from her employer and while going to her boyfriend, she stops at a motel. An all-time classic.


127. Psycho II

22 years later, Norman Bates returns to his home and motel. I think this is a wonderful sequel.


128. Psycho III

A few weeks later, Norman and mother are back to their old ways. This is more like a slasher movie version of Psycho but there's things to like such as the great Anthony Perkins.


129. Psycho IV: The Beginning

Four years later, Norman calls in to a radio talk show and talks about his early years. It seems like most people don't care for this movie but I always liked the backstory and Henry Thomas is great as young Norman.


130. The Prowler (1981)

A maniac kills people at a college dance. Nasty Tom Savini special effects are the highlight of this movie. A must for any slasher movie fan.


131. Maniac (1980)

A maniac kills people in New York City. Another movie where Tom Savini's special effects are a highlight but also, the great Joe Spinell gives a very good performance as a really sick man. It's fun seeing the bad old days of New York as Frank stalks the grimy streets.


132. Terror Train

A maniac kills people on a train. OK slasher that's definitely helped by having Jamie Lee Curtis and Ben Johnson in it.


133. Night Of The Living Dead (1968)

The dead start coming back to life and feed on the living. Another all-time classic.


134. Dawn Of The Dead (1978)

The dead continue to run wild as a group of people take refuge in a shopping mall. A masterpiece.


135. The Funhouse

A group of kids trying to stay overnight in a funhouse witness a mutant kill a woman and they have to escape before the mutant and his father get them. I love this movie and probably a chunk of that comes from nostalgia but there's some really cool spooky stuff in it. My second favorite Tobe Hooper movie. Pointless fact: the movie was recently featured on a TV in Halloween Kills.


136. Silver Bullet

A werewolf starts killing people each month during the full moon. Watching this a bunch of times on cable as a little kid makes this another nostalgic favorite. The really good supporting cast (Terry O'Quinn, Everett McGill, Lawrence Tierney) is a nice highlight.


137. Hell Night

A maniac kills college kids staying in a mansion for a fraternity/sorority initiation. Again, nostalgia but there's some cool stuff here.


138. The Blob (1988)

A meteor crashes outside a small town and an ooze gets loose and starts eating people and growing bigger. Really cool remake of the 1958 movie.


139. Fright Night (1985)

A teenager thinks a vampire lives next door and he tries to get help from the local movie host. Another favorite but unlike other movies from this era, it's more than just nostalgia that makes me like it. This movie is actually good.


140. Urban Legend

A maniac stalks college kids using urban legends as the backdrop for their murder spree. It's corny but it's also the only watchable Scream-ripoff.


141. Prom Night (1980)

A maniac stalks high school kids at the prom. Jamie Lee Curtis, the disco music and dancing makes this one worth watching.


-- Halloween (1978)
-- Halloween II (1981)
My traditional rewatch of Halloween (1978) and Halloween II (1981) on October 31. I don't count them since I watched them previously.


I finished my rewatch of the Halloweens early than expected so I went with a classy movie to wrap the challenge up:

142. Cat People (1942)

A woman fears she's able to turn into a murderous panther. My favorite Val Lewton production and a great way to end the challenge.


I can't believe that I watched 142 movies in 31 days. Even figuring that the Universal ones are short, that's ridiculous.

 

[BobO'Link]

Heck, I watched 132 and took a full day off. That and taking it easier the last Sat/Sun cost me at least 5 movies.

My final totals are:
53 First time viewings
132 films viewed
(each part of a mini-series was counted as a separate viewing as well as a first time viewing if applicable)

 

[JasonRoer]

126. Psycho (1960)

A woman steals money from her employer and while going to her boyfriend, she stops at a motel. An all-time classic.


127. Psycho II

22 years later, Norman Bates returns to his home and motel. I think this is a wonderful sequel.


128. Psycho III

A few weeks later, Norman and mother are back to their old ways. This is more like a slasher movie version of Psycho but there's things to like such as the great Anthony Perkins.


129. Psycho IV: The Beginning

Four years later, Norman calls in to a radio talk show and talks about his early years. It seems like most people don't care for this movie but I always liked the backstory and Henry Thomas is great as young Norman.


130. The Prowler (1981)

A maniac kills people at a college dance. Nasty Tom Savini special effects are the highlight of this movie. A must for any slasher movie fan.


131. Maniac (1980)

A maniac kills people in New York City. Another movie where Tom Savini's special effects are a highlight but also, the great Joe Spinell gives a very good performance as a really sick man. It's fun seeing the bad old days of New York as Frank stalks the grimy streets.


132. Terror Train

A maniac kills people on a train. OK slasher that's definitely helped by having Jamie Lee Curtis and Ben Johnson in it.


133. Night Of The Living Dead (1968)

The dead start coming back to life and feed on the living. Another all-time classic.


134. Dawn Of The Dead (1978)

The dead continue to run wild as a group of people take refuge in a shopping mall. A masterpiece.


135. The Funhouse

A group of kids trying to stay overnight in a funhouse witness a mutant kill a woman and they have to escape before the mutant and his father get them. I love this movie and probably a chunk of that comes from nostalgia but there's some really cool spooky stuff in it. My second favorite Tobe Hooper movie. Pointless fact: the movie was recently featured on a TV in Halloween Kills.


136. Silver Bullet

A werewolf starts killing people each month during the full moon. Watching this a bunch of times on cable as a little kid makes this another nostalgic favorite. The really good supporting cast (Terry O'Quinn, Everett McGill, Lawrence Tierney) is a nice highlight.


137. Hell Night

A maniac kills college kids staying in a mansion for a fraternity/sorority initiation. Again, nostalgia but there's some cool stuff here.


138. The Blob (1988)

A meteor crashes outside a small town and an ooze gets loose and starts eating people and growing bigger. Really cool remake of the 1958 movie.


139. Fright Night (1985)

A teenager thinks a vampire lives next door and he tries to get help from the local movie host. Another favorite but unlike other movies from this era, it's more than just nostalgia that makes me like it. This movie is actually good.


140. Urban Legend

A maniac stalks college kids using urban legends as the backdrop for their murder spree. It's corny but it's also the only watchable Scream-ripoff.


141. Prom Night (1980)

A maniac stalks high school kids at the prom. Jamie Lee Curtis, the disco music and dancing makes this one worth watching.


-- Halloween (1978)
-- Halloween II (1981)
My traditional rewatch of Halloween (1978) and Halloween II (1981) on October 31. I don't count them since I watched them previously.


I finished my rewatch of the Halloweens early than expected so I went with a classy movie to wrap the challenge up:

142. Cat People (1942)

A woman fears she's able to turn into a murderous panther. My favorite Val Lewton production and a great way to end the challenge.


I can't believe that I watched 142 movies in 31 days. Even figuring that the Universal ones are short, that's ridiculous.

I agree. You are thoroughly ridiculous. I mean, my 127 is sane, obviously. But I don't know man, I may have to give you a diagnosis of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. It's right there in the DSM-5, under clinical symptoms - watching 142 movies in 1 month - it's clearly stated as the top symptom.

 

[TravisR]

I agree. You are thoroughly ridiculous. I mean, my 127 is sane, obviously. But I don't know man, I may have to give you a diagnosis of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. It's right there in the DSM-5, under clinical symptoms - watching 142 movies in 1 month - it's clearly stated as the top symptom.

It got worse, I forgot to write down that I went to the theater and saw Last Night In Soho so I forgot to list in here. Meaning that, technically, I'm at 143.

 

[sleroi]

I'm the only person in the world (including John Carpenter himself) that likes this movie.

No, there are two of us.

 

[JasonRoer]

It got worse, I forgot to write down that I went to the theater and saw Last Night In Soho so I forgot to list in here. Meaning that, technically, I'm at 143.

Good God, man. You're a case study!

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Wow, some of you fellas (Travis, John, Michael, Howie, Jason, Russell Et al) are real monsters when it comes to movie watching...kudos!
Here's my list (first time viewings are in bold):

1. Dark Intruder
2. Curse of the Undead
3. Fear No Evil
4a. The X-Files - 8.3 "Patience"
4b. The X-Files - 8.4 "Roadrunners"
5. We Want Our Mummy (Three Stooges short)
6. The Ghost Talks (Three Stooges short)
7. Alligator
8. Killdozer
9. Thriller - 1.32 "Mr. George"
10. The Twilight Zone - 4.7 "Jess-Belle"
11. Tarantula
12. Spook Louder (Three Stooges short)
13. Night Gallery - 1.5 "Pamela's Voice/Sole Survivor/The Doll"
14. 13 Ghosts
15. Ghost Chasers
16. The Simpsons - 33.3 "Treehouse of Horror XXXII"
17. Monsters - 1.11 "Rouse Him Not"
18. Monsters - 2.19 "Far Below"
19. Fiend Without a Face
20. Blood from the Mummy's Tomb
21. The Cat and the Canary
22. Orson Welles' Great Mysteries - 1.11 "The Monkey's Paw"
23. One Step Beyond - 1.19 "The Captain's Guests"
24. Ritual of Evil
25. Kingdom of the Spiders
26. Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein
27. It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

New to me watches = 20
Total points = 27

Had a fun time both watching cool stuff and reading others' reviews. Hope to see everybody back next year!

 

[Bryan^H]

My grand total was 57 with 21 new to me. This is the most I have ever done in one month, and it nearly killed me

My favorite discovery was Silent Night, Bloody Night

My most family friendly memory was watching Little House on the Prairie : The Monster of Walnut Grove

My scariest viewing was Day of the Dead at 3 in the morning with a branch scratching my window from the wind along with the wind making howling noises.

My totally un-scary viewing was Island Claws, but I still enjoyed it.

My worst movie of the 57 was without a doubt Curse of the stone Hand. Give me a break.

I had a good time. I don't think I will participate again, but it sure was fun while it lasted.
Thanks everyone for such entertaining, and enlightening posts.

 

[Ruz-El]

Great work everyone, and hats off to those of you that broke 100!

My final totals:

92 film watched (which I double checked since it seemed high considering I didn't go as nuts as previous years!
59 Fist time viewings

Favourites of the Challenge: the Quartermass films are solid gold, so good that I regret not watching them years ago so I could have shown them to my dad, he would have lost his shit over them. TITANE is the kind of challenging film I love to discover, and RAW by the same director was just as good. CANDYMAN (2021) was dead solid.

Worst of the challenge: Bill Rebane. Just completely artless garbage that makes the dreck Corman produces these days look like Kane. Rebane was so awful I don't need to mention any other films I watched (Andy Milligan smiles down from heaven).

Scariest: I didn't have one this year. I went nightmare free. I guess it was good to avoid the Ringu boxset this year.

Now to start on "watch all the special features you didn't watch on your physical media since they would hit your horror totals November"!

 

[Michael Elliott]

Sorry I'm just getting back into town. I did manage to watch three on the way up to Salem. As for Salem and Halloween, fun to do once but I'll never do it again. Don't even get me started on the people. The Witch City Mall did have a cool theater that played some great monster movies all month. They were playing the original HALLOWEEN but I decided to skip it since I've seen it on the big screen before.

I'll keep these short as I'm tired.

Blood Bride (1980) * 1/2

I learned about this one in a Letterboxd "forgotten slasher" topic. It's not really a slasher but instead it deals with a man who has a certain hatred of nuns. Through countless dialogue scenes we learn why he hates them and what he does to them. This thing is deadly slow and it just doesn't have any energy or fire.

The Last Sharnado: It's About Time (2018) ** 1/2

This one here pretty much spoofs as many movies as it can and I must admit that I had a somewhat decent time with it. It's beyond stupid but I guess that is the point.

Shark Season (2020) ***

This one here is basically The Asylum ripping off THE SHALLOWS but I must admit that I enjoyed it. The fake looking shark looks stupid but I really liked the characters, the cast and that includes Michael Madsen.

 

[HawksFord]

A total of 26 for me which is more than I expected. Seven of those were new, but some of the others I hadn't seen in so long that they were nearly new.

 

[TravisR]

Here's my full list (spoilerized to save space). I usually use this challenge to rewatch all my favorites so I only saw two new movies (Halloween Kills and Last Night In Soho) but the rest were all old f(r)iends.

I doubt anyone is that curious but I use the onscreen titles hence A Nightmare On Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge or Halloween 5 rather than the more commonly used marketing or box titles of A Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge or Halloween 5: The Revenge Of Michael Myers.

Spoiler

1. The Thing (1982)
2. Dracula (1931)
3. Dracula (Spanish version)
4. Frankenstein (1931)
5. Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932)
6. The Old Dark House (1932)
7. The Mummy (1932)
8. The Invisible Man (1933)
9. The Black Cat (1934)
10. The Raven (1935)
11. Bride Of Frankenstein
12. Werewolf of London
13. The Invisible Ray
14. Dracula's Daughter
15. Night Key
16. Son of Frankenstein
17. Tower of London
18. The Invisible Man Returns
19. Black Friday (1940)
20. The Mummy’s Hand
21. The Invisible Woman
22. Horror Island
23. Man-Made Monster
24. The Black Cat
25. The Wolf Man (1941)
26. The Mad Doctor of Market Street
27. The Ghost Of Frankenstein
28. The Strange Case Of Doctor Rx
29. Invisible Agent
30. Night Monster
31. The Mummy's Tomb
32. Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man
33. Captive Wild Woman
34. Phantom of the Opera
35. Son of Dracula
36. The Mad Ghoul
37. Calling Dr. Death
38. Weird Woman
39. The Invisible Man’s Revenge
40. Jungle Woman
41. The Mummy’s Ghost
42. The Climax
43. Dead Man's Eyes
44. The House of Frankenstein
45. The Mummy's Curse
46. The Frozen Ghost
47. Jungle Captive
48. Strange Confession
49. House of Dracula
50. Pillow of Death
51. House of Horrors
52. She-Wolf Of London
53. Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
54. Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff
55. Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man
56. The Strange Door
57. Scream
58. The Black Castle
59. It Came From Outer Space
60. Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
61. Creature from the Black Lagoon
62. Revenge of the Creature
63. Cult of the Cobra
64. This Island Earth
65. Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy
66. Tarantula
67. The Creature Walks Among Us
68. The Mole People
69. The Incredible Shrinking Man
70. The Deadly Mantis
71. The Land Unknown
72. The Monolith Monsters
73. The Thing That Couldn't Die
74. Halloween (2018)
75. Halloween Kills
76. Monster on the Campus
77. Curse Of The Undead
78. The Leech Woman
79. Scream 2
80. Scream 3
81. Scream 4
82. A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)
83. A Nightmare On Elm Street Part 2: Freddy’s Revenge
84. A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors
85. A Nightmare On Elm Street 4: The Dream Master
86. A Nightmare On Elm Street: The Dream Child
87. Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare
88. Wes Craven's New Nightmare
89. Friday The 13th (1980) (uncut version)
90. Friday The 13th Part 2
91. Friday The 13th Part III
92. Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter
93. Friday The 13th: A New Beginning
94. Friday The 13th Part VI: Jason Lives
95. Friday The 13th Part VII: The New Blood
96. Friday The 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan
97. Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday
98. Jason X
99. Freddy Vs. Jason
100. Friday The 13th (2009) (extended version)
101. Halloween (1978)
102. Halloween II (1981)
103. Halloween III: Season Of The Witch
104. Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers
105. Halloween 5
106. Halloween: The Curse Of Michael Myers
107. Halloween: H20
108. Halloween: Resurrection
109. Halloween (2007)
110. Halloween II (2009)
111. Someone’s Watching Me
112. The Fog (1980)
113. Christine
114. Prince Of Darkness
115. Body Bags
116. In The Mouth Of Madness
117. Village Of The Damned (1995)
118. Vampires
119. Ghosts Of Mars
120. The Ward
121. He Knows You’re Alone
122. My Bloody Valentine (1981) (uncut version)
123. Eyes Of A Stranger
124. Final Exam
125. April Fools Day (1986)
126. Psycho (1960)
127. Psycho II
128. Psycho III
129. Psycho IV: The Beginning
130. The Prowler (1981)
131. Maniac (1980)
132. Terror Train
133. Night Of The Living Dead (1968)
134. Dawn Of The Dead (1978)
135. The Funhouse
136. Silver Bullet
137. Hell Night
138. The Blob (1988)
139. Fright Night (1985)
140. Urban Legend
141. Prom Night (1980)
142. Last Night In Soho
--- Halloween (1978)
--- Halloween II (1981)
143. Cat People (1942)

 

[Michael Elliott]

128 total with 76 new viewings.

As usual, there were several that I didn't get to including: RESURRECTION, THE WITCHES (1990), J'ACCUSE, WOMAN IN A BOX 1 & 2, BODY PUZZLE, FEAR NO EVIL, RITUAL OF EVIL, CURSE OF THE BLACK WIDOW, INFERNO (for the 10th straight year), SLEEPLESS, SUMMER of '84, WHAT THE PEPPER SAW and BFI's SHORT SHARP SHOCKS and its 10 or so shorts.

My Vinegar Syndrome October titles came in while I was away so they will be unboxed and gone through this week.


01. Dead Men Walk (1943) **
02. Eli Roth's History of Horror S2 (2020) ***
03. Scared Stiff (1945) * 1/2
04. Meathook Massacre (2015) BOMB
05. 5G Zombies (2020) 1/2
06. Rattlers 2 (2021) * 1/2
07. The Forever Purge (2021) * 1/2
08. Blades (1989) ***
09. The Addams Family 2 (2021) **
10. The Walking Dead (1936) ***
11. Psycho II (1983) ****
12. Alone in the Dark (1982) ** 1/2
13. Frankenstein 1970 (1958) **
14. Zombies on Broadway (1945) ** 1/2
15. Ban the Sadist Videos! (2005) *** 1/2
16. Ban the Sadist Videos! Part 2 (2006) *** 1/2
17. Gallery of Horror (1968) BOMB
18. Psycho III (1986) ***
19. Creature with the Atom Brain (1955) ** 1/2
20. Creature Designers: The Frankenstein Complex (2015) ***
21. The Hand (1960) **
22. Cauldron of Blood (1970) *
23. The Ghost Train (1931) N/A
24. Psycho IV: The Beginning (1990) ***
25. De spooktrein (The Ghost Train) (1939) ***
26. Manos Returns (2018) **
27. Manos: The Rise of Torgo (2018) ** 1/2
28. 12 Feet Deep (2017) ***
29. The Black Room (1935) ***
30. The Man They Could Not Hang (1939) ***
31. The Evil Dead (1981) ***
32. Zombies of Mora Tau (1957) **
33. Eyes of the Mothman (2011) ***
34. Zillafoot (2021) **
35. Zombi VIII: Urban Decay (2021) **
36. The Man with Nine Lives (1940) ** 1/2
37. A Day of Judgment (1981) **
38. Midnight (1982) **
39. Before I Hang (1940) ***
40. The Devil Commands (1941) ***
41. The Boogie Man Will Get You (1941) ** 1/2
42. Return of the Ape Man (1944) ***
43. Valley of the Zombies (1946) ** 1/2
44. The Unknown Terror (1957) **
45. A Stranger is Watching (1982) ** 1/2
46. The Case of the Smiling Stiffs (1973) ***
47. Night of the Animated Dead (2021) ***
48. Scream (1996) *** 1/2
49. She Devil (1957) * 1/2
50. Taro’s Monster Hunt (1936) ***
51. The Vampire's Ghost (1945) ***
52. Guru, the Mad Monk (1970) **
53. The Man with Two Heads (1972) **
54. The Ghastly Ones (1968) **
55. The Body Beneath (1970) *
56. Torture Garden (1970) 1/2
57. Bloodthirsty Butchers (1970) **
58. Bloody Moon (1981) ** 1/2
59. The Sadistic Baron von Klaus (1962) ***
60. Attack of the Robots (1966) ** 1/2
61. Black Roses (1988) ***
62. Halloween Kills (2021) ***
63. The Creeper (1948) **
64. The Ghost Cat and the Mysterious Shamisen (1938) ***
65. Buried Alive (1990) *** 1/2
66. Mother's Day (1980) **
67. Just Before Dawn (1981) ***
68. Death Screams (1982) **
69. The Keeper (1976) *
70. The Lighthouse (2019) ***
71. The Fourth Victim (1971) **
72. Beauty and the Beast (1962) **
73. Special Effects (1984) ***
74. Curse of the Full Moon (1971) *
75. The Rats are Coming! The Werewolves Are Here! (1972) BOMB
76. Missing 411 (2017) ***
77. Camp Blood 2 (2000) ***
78. Camp Blood First Slaughter (2014) * 1/2
79. Camp Blood 4 (2016) *
80. Camp Blood 5 (2016) 1/2
81. Video Nasties: Moral Panic, Censorship & Videotape (2010) *** 1/2
82. Spookers (2017) ** 1/2
83. Camp Blood 666 (2016) **
84. It Kills: Camp Blood 7 (2017) ** 1/2
85. Ghost of Camp Blood (2018) * 1/2
86. Ghost Catchers (1944) ***
87. Video Nasties: Draconian Days (2014) *** 1/2
88. Camp Blood 8: Revelations (2020) ***
89. Old (2021) ***
90. Camp Blood Kills (2019) **
91. Children of Camp Blood (2020) **
92. Foes (1977) ** 1/2
93. The Last Performance (1929) ***
94. The Land Unknown (1957) ***
95. Strange Behavior (1981) ** 1/2
96. The Horror Show (1979) *** 1/2
97. The Pack (1977) ***
98. The City of the Dead (1960) *** 1/2
99. 13 Fanboy (2021) ** 1/2
100. Shallow Grave (1987) ***
101. The Creeping Flesh (1973) ***
102. Tormented (1960) **
103. Halloween Kills (2021) ***
104. The Brotherhood of Satan (1971) **
105. Torture Garden (1967) ***
106. Phase IV (1974) ***
107. Fairy in a Cage (1977) ***
108. Legacy of Blood (1978) * 1/2
109. Kuroneko (1968) ****
110. Welcome to Horrorwood (1991) ***
111. One Frightened Night (1935) ***
112. The Vault of Horror (1973) ***
113. Tales from the Crypt (1972) ***
114. Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster (2021) ****
115. El baúl macabro (1936) **
116. Surgikill (1989) **
117. Duck! The Carbine High Massacre (1999) ** 1/2
118. Bloodbath at the House of Death (1984) ** 1/2
119. The Devil's Messenger (1961) **
120. Back from the Dead (1957) **
121. Don't Breathe 2 (2021) **
122. The Ghoul (1975) ** 1/2
123. Slumber Party Massacre (2021) ** 1/2
124. Dark Places (1973) **
125. From Beyond the Grave (1974) ***
126. Blood Bride (1980) * 1/2
127. The Last Sharnado: It's About Time (2018) ** 1/2
128. Shark Season (2020) ***

 

[BobO'Link]

My order from the latest Kino sale finally came in... too late to include the horror titles though. I don't know if I'll hold them for next year or not - I usually do but...