***Official 6th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge*** (1 Viewer)

[Michael Elliott]

Thanks. Thankfully for my back writers back in the 30's could only pen sixty minute movies. :b


Haunted House, The (1921) :star::star::star:

Two reeler has Buster Keaton going into a legendary haunted house to battle ghosts, the devil and a group of bank robbers. The staircase scenes are probably the best remembered thing about this Keaton film but I love the reactions he gives to seeing the devil and the various ghosts. Plenty of laughs throughout even though this isn’t one of Keaton’s best.

Phantom of the Opera, The (1962) :star::star:

Hammer’s remake doesn’t even come close to the Chaney or Rains versions. As usual, the opening hour is pure boredom as the Phantom whispers to the leading singer and we’ve got the usual bad guys and romantic lead. The final twenty minutes are excellent as we get to see the backstory of the Phantom and I don’t mind the ending too much, although some hate it.

Paranoiac (1963) :star::star::star:

A brother (Oliver Reed) tries to drive his sister insane so that he can collect their full inheritance but he’s in for a shock when their dead brother returns. I wasn’t expecting too much out of this film but I found myself quickly caught up in the rather interesting story, although I wish they had kept the secret hidden a tad bit longer. The second secret didn’t work as well but it’s still a nice little film with elements borrowed from Vertigo. Reed’s horribly over the top performance doesn’t help matters.

Mark of the Vampire (1935) :star::star:

Tod Browning’s remake of his very own 1927 movie London After Midnight is a dull and boring mess. An investigator (Lionel Atwill) and vampire expert (Lionel Barrymore) try to track the case of recent murders, which appear to have been committed by a vampire. All fingers point to Bela Lugosi and his sexy daughter. As with other Browning films of this period, the direction is so lackluster that not a single drop of energy is in the film, which is a real shame considering the great cast. The story never gets too interesting and the shock ending feels more like a cheat than anything else.

Humanoids From the Deep (1996) :star:1/2

Remake of the 1980 film pretty much has the same story as chemicals turn regular salmon into walking killers. The 80’s film was a lot of fun due to the violence, gore, nudity, sex and outrageous politically incorrect humor but pretty much all of that is missing here. The director throws out all sorts of gore but he forgets to make the film very fun. David Carradine is horrid in the lead but Clint Howard has a pretty funny role. Stick with the original.

Voodoo Woman (1957) :star:

Really bad film about a mad scientist in the African jungle turning a woman into a monster by using voodoo. I love these old “B” movies and AIP was always one of the best but this film here is just downright boring, slow and not interesting in anyway. Everything about the film from the screenplay to the acting is bad but sadly it never gets bad enough to where you can laugh at it.

Undead, The (1957) :star::star:1/2

Interesting Roger Corman film could have been a lot more with a bigger budget. A psychic researching pays a hooker to be hypnotized but he accidentally sends her back to the Dark Ages. While talking with the woman he learns that she was a witch who’s to be executed. The film has a lot of interesting ideas but this is one film where the low budget actually works against Corman. There’s some nice atmosphere throughout and Allison Hayes is always worth watching. Also stars Pamela Duncan, Richard Garland, Dick Miller and Mel Welles.



2005 Horror Challenge First time view in bold.

1.Frankenstein (1910) :star::star::star:
2.Golem, The (1920) :star::star::star:1/2
3.Maniac (1934) BOMB
4.Werewolf of London (1935) :star::star:1/2
5.Chloe, Love Is Calling You (1934) BOMB
6.Devil’s Daughter, The (1939) :star:
7.Audition (1999) :star::star::star:1/2
8.Silver Bullet (1985) :star::star::star:1/2
9.Grudge, The (2004) :star:1/2
10.Humanoids From the Deep (1980) :star::star::star:
11.Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932) :star::star:1/2
12.Chandu the Magician (1932) :star:1/2
13.Return of the Ape Man (1944) :star::star::star:
14.Sleepaway Camp (1983) :star::star::star:
15.Sleepaway Camp 2 (1988) :star::star::star:
16.Sleepaway Camp 3 (1989) :star::star:
17.Walking Dead, The (1936) :star::star::star:
18.Doctor X (1932) :star::star:1/2
19.Return of Doctor X, The (1939) :star::star:1/2
20.Mask of Fu Manchu, The (1932) :star::star::star:
21.Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (1953) :star::star::star:
22.Black Room, The (1935) :star::star::star:
23.Brides of Dracula, The (1960) :star::star:1/2
24.Curse of the Werewolf, The (1961) :star::star:1/2
25.Psycho 2 (1983) :star::star::star:1/2
26.Psycho 3 (1986) :star::star::star:
27.Haunted House, The (1921) :star::star::star:
28.Phantom of the Opera, The (1962) :star::star:
29.Paranoiac (1963) :star::star::star:
30.Mark of the Vampire (1935) :star::star:
31.Humanoids From the Deep (1996) :star:1/2
32.Voodoo Woman (1957) :star:
33.Undead, The (1957) :star::star:1/2

 

[Adam Portrais]

Here we go; Today I watched House of 1000 Corpses. I had seen "The Devil's Rejects" recently and figured "Hey, maybe I should see the first flick." I liked it a good bit. Not quite as good as Rejects but a nice tribute to 70's style horror.

Then later tonight I watched The Jacket. While not the scariest movie, it was a little bit creepy, but overall it was just a well done movie. It kind of makes you think and I belive that it will hold up on second viewing.


6th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge

1. Ginger Snaps :star: :star: :star: :star:
2. The Card Player :star: :star: :star:
3. Dark Water :star: :star: :star:1/2
4. Amityville Horror:star:1/2
5. House of 1000 Corpses:star::star::star::star:
6. The Jacket:star::star::star::star:

All movies based on a five star rating. All movies in red are first time viewings.

 

[SteveGon]

The Fly (1986)

David Cronenberg's icky updating of the sf/horror classic has held up fairly well. Intelligent and well-acted, with only its pandering gross-out effects as a debit. (I dig gore as much as the next guy, but it's overdone here.)

:star: :star: :star: out of :star: :star: :star: :star:

 

[Michael Elliott]

Agreed on THE FLY re: the gore. The director once asked Vincent Price what he thought of the film and Price said he enjoyed everything but the title. Price said he turned into a mutant, not a fly.

 

[Josh W]

Last night I watched Asylum of the Damned. A weak story about the doctors running a mental institution forming a cult. This cult summons "The Harvester" which is a demon that takes people's souls to hell. Don't know which was worse the story or the amateur acting, anyway...

1. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) :star: :star: :star: /:star: :star: :star: :star:
2. Asylum of the Damned (2003) :star: /:star: :star: :star: :star:

 

[Matt Stone]

I'm a pretty big fan of Cronenberg's The Fly. When I was a kid, it scared me far too much, but as an adult I really appreciate Cronenberg's ability to manipulate the audience through the use of atmosphere. In fact, I'd say that's true about all of his films. If I have the time, I'll definitely be watching The Brood, Videodrome, and The Fly for this year's challenge.

I may try to watch Sleepaway Camp 3 tonight. I hated 2, but hey...what the hell.

 

[Bob Turnbull]

I'm just starting out and Michael is already an Ultimate Splatter-Head?! Geez...

I don't expect I'll make last year's total of 34 (all first time viewings), but I've been saving a couple of items for this month, so I'll see what happens.


April Fool's Day - Not your average "group of friends together for a weekend keep dying" movie, but it left so many loose ends untied at the end and really stretched its premise that it didn't really gel for me. Nothing particularly frightening, but not terrible.

In The Mouth Of Madness - Solid scare filled craziness by John Carpenter as the search for a missing author of horror stories becomes an attempt to stop the apocalypse. His story goes a bit off the deep end near the middle, but there's some great direction choices and good acting that helps make the silliness almost believable.


October Scary Movie Challenge 2005 (first time viewings in bold):

1. April Fool's Day - 10/03/05
2. In The Mouth Of Madness - 10/04/05

 

[Amy Mormino]

I think I can manage 13, though living overseas as a student makes DVD purchases more difficult. Here's my total so far:
1. Land of the Dead: (9/10) I didn't get the DVD early- the movie just came out in the UK. I had big expectations and I came away satisfied. Lots of action, gore, plus a good story and some fine characterization. I know some were upset about the evolution of the zombies, but this really is a natural progression from Dawn and Day. Superior to the Dawn remake, though I liked that also.
2. House of Frankenstein: (7/10) This doesn't equal up to the glory days of Universal horror, but it is fun. Good work by Karloff (as a mad scientist), J. Carroll Naish as a murderous hunchback and Lon Chaney Jr. as a husky werewolf. But the three monsters in the movie don't really interact and the Dracula story seems like a whole other movie.

 

[Matt Stone]

Just ordered that from the DVD Empire sale. I'm pretty interested in checking it out.

 

[Brook K]

Anybody have a link to last year's challenge? I need to know what I watched last year so I don't rewatch more than 2 I counted last year. Whether it's Netflix or the post, getting movies has become painful lately. 1-day turnaround has become anywhere from 2-4 days. So while I wait for Netflix to arrive I watched:

Nosferatu, A Symphony of Horror - Murnau's horror classic still holds up today as one of the best of it's genre. Murnau invokes the universal fear of death to take the film beyond a simple monster tale. The long procession of coffins is perhaps more frightening than anything in Max Schreck's singular performance as Count Orlock. - A

6th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge

1. Nosferatu, A Symphony of Horror - A
2. Ring 2 - D



First timers in Blue

 

[Michael Elliott]

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...ovie+challenge

 

[Joe Karlosi]

10/04/05

The Seventh Victim (1943) :star: :star:
This was my second time trying out this Val Lewton film but it was as boring as the first time I'd seen it. Duller than dish water, with only a couple of interesting touches (the Subway Scene is a good one). A woman searches New York City for her missing sister, only to encounter a group of devil worshippers. Somewhat interesting seeing such a very young Kim Hunter, but ROSEMARY'S BABY this ain't.

SCARY MOVIE CHALLENGE 2005 (First timers in BOLD)
01) Indestructible Man (1956) **1/2
02) The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) ***1/2
03) The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958) ***
04) The Seventh Victim (1943) **

 

[Matt Stone]

Sleepaway Camp 3: Teenage Wasteland - Maybe I was just in a better mood this time, but I liked this sequel a hell of a lot more than the second. The execution seemed a little better to me. The jokes were funnier and the characters were a little more interesting. I may be able to squeeze another flick in tonight, but with Lost and Veronica Mars, it's doubtful.


2005 Scary Movie List
1. House on the Edge of the Park (1/5)
2. Children of the Corn (2.5/5)
3. Creepshow 2 (1.5/5)
4. Sleepaway Camp 2: Unhappy Campers (.5/5)
5. City of the Living Dead (2/5)
6. Sleepaway Camp 3: Teenage Wasteland (2.5/5)

 

[Marc Fedderman]

I'm going to give this a try. 13 should't be a problem, as I've got a stack of horror films to watch. I'll number my entries and recap my list at the end of the challenge. New titles (for me) are in bold.

1. House on Haunted Hill :star: :star: 1/2
Vincent Price plays an eccentric millionaire who challenges a group of desperate people to spend an evening in a haunted house for $10,000 each. Well-made, if at times predictable, flick. This is worth seeing for the "priceless" ending, if noting else. BTW, in a filmic context, must the word "eccentric" always precede "millionaire" in a synopsis?

2. Don't Look in the Basement :star:
The Kenosha repertory company had no idea they were being filmed. Apparently, this has quite a few admirers, but I found it to be absolute dreck. The skinny: A doctor practices his unorthodox techniques in a out-of-the way sanitarium. This actually has an interesting premise, but the acting and direction were inept. Terrible, but not quite sinking to the level of a so-bad-its-good film.

3. The Invisible Ghost :star: :star: 1/2
Lugosi plays a cuckolded doctor possessed by his estranged wife. Simple and enjoyable.

4. The Ghost Walks :star: :star: 1/2
An interesting twist on the haunted house film.
Here, a group of actors pretend that an old mansion is haunted as part of their latest play. Not surprisingly things begin to deviate from the script, when the actors and their house guests start to disappear.
Some of the repartee in this film is great and the characters are memorable. Notable among them is one of the gayest gay characters ever to flout the production code. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

 

[Michael Elliott]

I'm glad to read a good review for THE GHOST WALKS since I have the double feature DVD coming in tomorrow.

My Val Lewton and Hitchcock sets shipped today so it'll be good to finally get to those.


Friday the 13th (1980) :star::star::star:

The one that started it all. I’m sure everyone here already knows the story pretty well. As a kid I didn’t really liked this one because Jason wasn’t in it but over the years I’ve really come to respect the film as a mystery/suspense film. Back in the day I’m sure mainstream critics were bashing the film for its violence and gore, which was still new at the time (at least in the mainstream) so I wonder how they’d view it today because the direction is pretty damn good and there’s no way in hell anyone could guess who the killer was. I’ve seen this film countless times and it remains pretty intense (thanks in large part to the score).

Friday the 13th 2 (1981) :star::star::star:

Whereas I think the original is a well made film, this one here certainly isn’t in the same level but it works as a mindless slasher. I’ve never thought much of Steve Miner as a director and he’s really what lets this film down. We get some clever kills and good characters but the film could have been a lot more with some tighter direction. The best thing about this second film is the actual look of Jason. I’ve always preferred the overalls and pillow mask.

House of Frankenstein (1944) :star::star::star:

The mad doctor (Boris Karloff), the monster (Glenn Strange), the Wolf Man (Lon Chaney, Jr.) and Dracula (John Carradine) join forces in this Universal monster bash. The first half of the film dealing with Dracula isn’t too interesting since he doesn’t get enough screen time but Carradine still does a wonderful job in the role. The second half is a direct sequel to Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man and really picks up the pace.

Cosmic Man, The (1959) :star::star:

An alien (John Carradine) lands on Earth in what appears to be a large ping pong ball to us Earth people that we’re stupid. Allied Artist rip-off of The Day the Earth Stood Still is mildly entertaining due to the fun performance by Carradine and several unintentional laughs.

Satan’s Black Wedding (1975) :star::star:

Mildly entertaining film has a brother investigating his sister’s suicide. He eventually tracks down the killers to a church, which is being used by vampires for Satanic rituals. This is a very cheaply made film running just over an hour and while there’s nothing too original going on here it does remain interesting throughout. There’s some nice, if cheaply done, gore scenes to keep things moving.

Criminally Insane (1975) :star::star:1/2

The title pretty much sums up this incredibly bizarre, politically incorrect exploitation film that fans should really eat up. 300 pound plus Ethyl gets out of an insane asylum but she’s outraged that people want her to go on a diet so she starts killing anyone who gets between her and food. Running just over 60-minutes this film is technically pretty bad but the outrageous subject matter makes for a very fun movie in the same vein of a John Waters film. There’s plenty of violence and fake blood to make you giggle, although the “joke” of an obese person killing gets old after the thirty-minute mark.

Criminally Insane 2 (1987) BOMB

Incredibly horror film that ranks as one of the worst ever made. Like many “sequels” of the 80s, this here takes about forty-minutes worth of footage from the first film and adds 20-minutes worth of new footage, which was all shot on a camcorder. Even the opening and closing credits were lifted from the first film!!!


2005 Horror Challenge First time view in bold.

1.Frankenstein (1910) :star::star::star:
2.Golem, The (1920) :star::star::star:1/2
3.Maniac (1934) BOMB
4.Werewolf of London (1935) :star::star:1/2
5.Chloe, Love Is Calling You (1934) BOMB
6.Devil’s Daughter, The (1939) :star:
7.Audition (1999) :star::star::star:1/2
8.Silver Bullet (1985) :star::star::star:1/2
9.Grudge, The (2004) :star:1/2
10.Humanoids From the Deep (1980) :star::star::star:
11.Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932) :star::star:1/2
12.Chandu the Magician (1932) :star:1/2
13.Return of the Ape Man (1944) :star::star::star:
14.Sleepaway Camp (1983) :star::star::star:
15.Sleepaway Camp 2 (1988) :star::star::star:
16.Sleepaway Camp 3 (1989) :star::star:
17.Walking Dead, The (1936) :star::star::star:
18.Doctor X (1932) :star::star:1/2
19.Return of Doctor X, The (1939) :star::star:1/2
20.Mask of Fu Manchu, The (1932) :star::star::star:
21.Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (1953) :star::star::star:
22.Black Room, The (1935) :star::star::star:
23.Brides of Dracula, The (1960) :star::star:1/2
24.Curse of the Werewolf, The (1961) :star::star:1/2
25.Psycho 2 (1983) :star::star::star:1/2
26.Psycho 3 (1986) :star::star::star:
27.Haunted House, The (1921) :star::star::star:
28.Phantom of the Opera, The (1962) :star::star:
29.Paranoiac (1963) :star::star::star:
30.Mark of the Vampire (1935) :star::star:
31.Humanoids From the Deep (1996) :star:1/2
32.Voodoo Woman (1957) :star:
33.Undead, The (1957) :star::star:1/2
34.Friday the 13th (1980) :star::star::star:
35.Friday the 13th 2 (1981) :star::star::star:
36.House of Frankenstein (1944) :star::star::star:
37.Cosmic Man, The (1959) :star::star:
38.Satan’s Black Wedding (1975) :star::star:
39.Criminally Insane (1975) :star::star:1/2
40.Criminally Insane (1987) BOMB

 

[Jason Roer]

Just saw a gem of a film.

28 Days Later - I'm sure many of you have already seen this. For whatever reason, I had missed it until now. It had a very cool visual style and moved along at a nice pace. The acting was quite good, which I had expected from a Danny Boyle film. I thought the story was also excellent throughout and even thought provoking at moments. I highly recommend it.


2005 Scary Movie List
1. Tim Burton's Corpse Bride (4/5)
2. Night of the Living Dead (5/5)
3. Dawn of the Dead (2.5/5)
4. Poltergeist (4/5)
5. Creepshow (1/5)
6. Land of the Dead (3/5)
7. Young Frankenstein (5/5)
8. 28 Days Later (4.5/5)

 

[Ruz-El]

Finshed the Lugosi collection today.

The Invisable Ray : 3.5/5. A nice little film with some of the most outlandish scientific explanations I've seen! The glowing effect was pretty sweet! And Lugosi is a nice guy again!

Black Friday: 2/5 Kind of a let down for a brain swapping movie. Karloff was pretty suave though Lugosi was barely in it. The trailer was actually better, with documentary hypnotism footage.


See post 45 on page 2 for my rundown.

 

[Bill McA]

Tombs of the Blind Dead - creepy and atmospheric Spanish horror about the blind Templar Knights who return from the grave. Those slow-motion horse riding scenes are still effective and the new Blue Undeground discs are a day and night improvement over the old Anchor Bay DVD. I watched the original Spanish-language version. 3/5

The Return of the Blind Dead - effective follow-up has a little more characterization and plot and seems to have several scenes that I don't remember seeing in the old Anchor Bay edition (this Blue Underground disc is uncut). Again, I watched the original Spanish-language version. 3/5

The House on Sorority Row - a not very good slasher from the early 80s complete with a lame let's-just-stop-the-movie-right-now ending. The killer remains almost entirely off-screen and we only get a most brief glimpse and that's an overhead shot. 2/5

Dracula A.D. 1972 - I watched this one in last years challenge on VHS and I'm watching it again this year on OAR DVD. Despite it's reputation, it's far from the worst of Hammer's Dracula series and is actually quite fun with Christopher Lee still imposing and effective as the screen's best Dracula. 3/5

2005 Scary Movie List

First viewings in RED

1. I Married a Monster from Outer Space (1958) (3/5)
2. Midnight Movies: From the Margin to the Mainstream (2005) (3/5)
3. Galaxy of Terror (1981) (2/5)
4. Tombs of the Blind Dead (1971) (3/5)
5. The Return of the Blind Dead (1973) (3/5)
6. The House on Sorority Row (1983) (2/5)
7. Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972) (3/5)

 

[Ryan Wishton]

Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005): Saw a screening of this earlier this evening with a few other people. I was just able to get into this movie. The visuals amused me. It's the perfect month for it's release. Things just clicked. This is a well deserved Halloween classic in the making. ****1/2 out of *****

Freddy vs Jason: Caught this movie on Encore I believe. Tivo'd it. Wanted to see if I would like it better than I did two years ago. Nope. Couldn't make it all the way through this time. * out of *****

Garfields Halloween Special: An animation classic to be sure. It's sure to appeal to many due to it's charm and lack of violence. I didn't enjoy it as much as I did growing up, but I still found something to enjoy in it. I won't include this as a movie, but thought I should give it a mention. ***1/2 out of *****

It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown (1966): I pretty much still like all the original Peanuts holiday specials to this day. A holiday classic that is well known and once again will appeal to many. **** out of *****


6th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challange:

1. The Kiss (1988): *** out of *****
2. Battle Royale (2001): **** out of *****
3. Dolls (1986): **1/2 out of *****
4. After Midnight (1989): **1/2 out of *****
5. The Ex (1997): ***1/2 out of *****
6. The Stepfather (1987): **** out of *****
7. Nightmare on Elm Street (1984): **** out of *****
8. Whatever Happened to Baby Jane (1962): ****1/2 out of *****
9. Psycho 2 (1983): ***1/4 out of *****
10. Psycho 3 (1986): **1/2 out of *****
11. Wallace & Gromit-Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005): ****1/2 out of *****
11. Freddy vs Jason (2003): * out of *****

Other Halloween/October Themed Specials

1. Garfield's Halloween Special (1985): ***1/2 out of *****
2. It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown (1966): **** out of *****

 

[John Bryant]

Shaun of the Dead (2004) - :star: :star: :star: 1/2
More funny than it was scary, but it still had some very intese moments. Simon Pegg was perfect as the loser who turns into a man faced with some severe challenges. Also really enjoyed Nick Frost as Ed.

2005 Scary Movie Challenge
First time viewings in BLUE
1.Shaun of the Dead (2004) - :star: :star: :star: 1/2