***Official 7th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge*** (1 Viewer)

[TravisR]

10/03/06
I watched The Funhouse on Universal HD yesterday. My second favorite Tobe Hooper movie behind TCM. I have loved this movie since I saw it edited on TV years and years ago and I'm surprised that there aren't more fans of it.

So far...
1. Dr. Giggles negative:star:s
2. Halloween II :star::star::star:
3. A Nightmare On Elm Street :star::star::star::star:
4. The Funhouse:star::star::star::star:

 

[Michael Elliott]

Bava, Fulci and Argento combined haven't a 1/3 of the total films that Franco does yet they've all delivered some pretty bad movies. I think had Franco taken his time and actually tried to deliver "good" films ala these guys, he's record really wouldn't be that bad. We can watch certain films and see there's talent. Especially over the past decade where it seems he's getting a kick out of just putting women on screen to make out.

As for saying Franco is "better" than these three....if you think about it, there's no way in hell any of those three could deliver something like VENUS IN FURS, A VIRGIN AMONG THE LIVING DEAD or even one of his women in prison flicks. Heck, I don't think Spielberg could have pumped out twelve films in one year.

There's certainly something to Franco because you and I wouldn't have viewed over 40 and 80 of his films. I'm looking forward to MANSION OF THE LIVING DEAD later in the month since it's his try at the Blind Dead series (which I really don't care for). The majority of the film's I've seen from him are pure shit but when you find something like VENUS or VIRGIN then it was all worth it. Heck, this genre has delivered a lot more bad movies than good ones so Franco's filmography is just pretty much his own genre.

 

[Garrett Lundy]

Rating system: 1-5 (Awful, bad, Average, good, excellent)
1st time movies listed in bold
foriegn language films (personal challenge) in red

04/10 - Jacob's Ladder (1990). - Jacob's works simply because the film keeps the audience in the dark as-much, or more than the title character. We're never 100% sure what happened, or even which life belongs in the dream world or the real world. Regardless of his family life in the suburbs or as an inner-city apartment dweller, When someone starts killing his Vietnam platoon suspicion moves from government conspiracy to demonic intervention.

Excellent choice to cast Tim Robbins, and altogether one of the most unsettling and creepy films to come from the early 90's. Silent Hillwhile not a remake, stands as a direct homage'. Rating 5

The Ninth Gate (1999) - While stylish and well crafted, this movie seems to drag-on more every time I watch it. I think Depp's act as Corso is just to "mumbly" for my tastes. Good Satanic themed movie. Not alot of those that aren't stupid CGI monsterfests (ie. Exorcist the Beginning) or a subgenre of gorefests (Resurrection) Rating 3

2006 Horror Challenge
01. Mask of the Demon (1960) :star::star::star:
02. Baron Blood (1972) :star::star::star:
03. Event Horizon (1997) :star::star::star::star:
04. An American Werewolf In London (1981) :star::star::star::star:
05. Jacob's Ladder (1990) :star::star::star::star::star:
06. The Ninth Gate (1999) :star::star::star:

 

[Ruz-El]

the Day The Earth Caught Fire - 1.5/5 Joe Karlosi was right. This was talky and dull dull dull. not much else to say, other than the characters all talked to each other like total pricks. I'd hate to work in that newspaper office. It was preachy and I doubt I'll revisit it again any time soon, hence the harsh rating. I'll just watch Ray Milland in that "PAnick In Year Zero", which was a much better "Nuclear bombs are going to destroy the world" movie.

See post 3 on page 1 for my tally.

 

[JohnRice]

The Fly - Watched David Cronenberg's revisit of the classic for the first time in nearly 20 years. Doesn't hold up quite as well as I might hope, but that wasn't a surprise. Kind of amusing to see Jeff Goldblum honing the ranting scientist schtick which would treat him so well for many years to come. He never turned it up quite as far as he did here, though. Pleasant reminder of Geena Davis' sex kitten days as well.
3/5

White Zombie - Finally watched the 1932 classic. All these old horror flicks are positively quaint by modern standards, yet most modern horror still fails to actually be scary. I can't help wondering how radical the zombie idea was over 70 years ago. There sure were a lot of movies about them back then. In the end, Bela Lugosi contributes copious amounts of hamming for the camera and love conquers all. We also learn that shooting a zombie just doesn't have much of an effect. Good, campy fun is had by all.
3/5

 

[Patrick Nevin]

10/3/06

Return To Horror High - I saw this movie when I was younger and thought it was scary. Watching it as an adult sure was an eye opening experience. It is about a movie where these horrible killings took place in a school and the killer escaped. There is a film production in the school reenacting what happened. As they are filming cast and crew members disappear. The rest of the cast, crew and police are trying to figure out what is happening. I am not going to give the ending away for those who want to see it. I give it 1/5

2006 Scary Movie Challenge - new in BOLD
1. Zombie :star::star::star::star: out of :star::star::star::star::star:
2. Hellmaster :star::star: out of :star::star::star::star::star:
3. Return To Horror High :star: out of :star::star::star::star::star:

 

[Bob Turnbull]

7. Nightmare On Elm Street - 22 years late in seeing this for the first time...Quite dated and has the unfortunate typical trait (of some of these films) of pretty crappy acting and script during the non-horror moments. But this film zips along at a pretty snappy pace and has some memorable scenes. And dammit, John Saxon's in it!

Running Tally of 2006 Scary Movie Challenge

 

[Joe Karlosi]

Ah --- PANIC IN YEAR ZERO ..... now you're talking!

 

[Joe Karlosi]

10/4

Werewolf of London (1935) :star: :star:1/2
The first time Universal's golden age experimented with werewolves in a film that was intended to star Boris Karloff. Instead, it was Henry Hull as a snooty botanist in a shaky marriage who is inflicted by the bite of another werewolf (played by Charlie Chan's Warner Oland). This is decent enough, with a modest yet effectively devilish makeup for the werewolf, but I've never been a big fan of Valerie Hobson or Lester Matthews, and Universal was to later improve with THE WOLF MAN.

2006 Scary Movie Challenge:

01) Dracula (1931)
02) Dracula's Daughter (1936)
03) White Zombie (1932)
04) Werewolf of London (1935)

 

[SteveGon]

Deathwatch - Well-produced "there's something in here with us" horror thriller set on the battlefields of World War I. A lost platoon of English soldiers captures a German trench but discovers that it's sheltering something more than dead Huns. Yadda yadda yadda. Evidently the trench is supposed to be a metaphor for purgatory, but either way you look at it the results are just average. Worth a look.

**1/2 out of ****


Tombs of the Blind Dead - Revisited this atmospheric undead opus about a band of evil zombie knights who roam the Italian countryside in search of blood. Aside: caught myself typing in Tombs of the Blond Dead; now there's a zombie flick for ya! "Oh my God, I'm dead! Can I still use my credit card?"

*** out of ****


Warning Shadows - Odd bit of silent German Expressionism. At a dinner party given by a count and his wife, a traveling entertainer performs shadow plays of amorous intrigue, stories that reflect the passions of the male guests who lust after the wife!

*** out of ****


Jigoku - Plagued by guilt over a hit-and-run accident he was involved in, a young man finds there's no escape from....Hell! The final third, set in the underworld, is a real tour de force.

***1/2 out of ****

 

[Ruz-El]

Ipicked up deathwatch in the cheapie bin at a video store. Good to know it's not a waste of time. I'm sure I'll chime in later.


That Midnight movies disc from last year with this and that Vincent Price vampire hunter flick whose name escapes me was a real jewel. I might have to dig it out and watch it again.

I always really enjoyed "werewofl Of London", mainly as it's one of the few films with battling botanists at the core.

DRACULA 4.5/5 The slowish pace keeps this from being a full 5/5 like FRankenstein. I don't know how many times I've seen this, but Bela is just awesome in this. I really have to get White Zombie one day and watch it.

see page one post 3 for my tally.

 

[Rick Spruill]

10/4

Mako: The Jaws of Death (1976, William Grefe) - 2/10

- The word that comes to mind after having suffered through Mako: The Jaws of Death is STUPID. This has to be the stupidest movie I've ever manged to watch through the end credits. Richard Jaeckel has the ability to communicate with sharks and, together, they kill anyone who might threaten the sharks. Yeah...sure...whatever! A better title might have been Mako: The Jaws of Stupidity.

 

[JohnRice]

Just out of curiosity, are those MGM double feature discs dual sided, or do they have both features on one side?

 

[Ruz-El]

I'm pretty sure the couple I have are double sided.

 

[Sandro]

Getting started a little late here. I decided to try and watch horror movies that I had not seen before so I could catch up on some that I always wanted to see as well as some newer ones. As a big fan of the genre, it's a little hard to find ones that I suspect I will like as I really do not want to watch rubbish.

Out of :star: :star: :star: :star:

10/01 Dead and Buried :star: :star: :star:
10/02 Flesh and the Fiends :star: :star: :star:
10/03 School Killer :star: :star:
10/05 Goke - Bodysnatcher from Hell :star: :star: 1/2
10/06 Cat's Eye :star: :star:
10/07 Legend of Lucy Keyes :star: :star: 1/2
10/07 Clownhouse :star: :star: 1/2
10/09 Amityville Horror (2005) :star: 1/2
10/09 Incident On and Off a Mountain Road :star: :star: 1/2
10/10 Marebito :star: :star: :star:

10/14 Bram Stoker's Dracula :star: :star: :star:
10/14 Wolf Creek :star: :star: :star:
10/15 Torture Garden :star: :star:
10/15 Mill of the Stone Women :star: :star: 1/2
10/16 Gozu :star: :star: :star: 1/2
10/18 Two Evil Eyes :star: :star: 1/2
10/19 Count Yorga Vampire :star: :star: :star:
10/19 Hostel :star: :star: 1/2
10/20 The Golem (1920) :star: :star: :star:
10/20 Return of the Vampire :star: :star:

10/21 Monster in the Closet :star: :star: 1/2
10/22 The Birds :star: :star: :star:
10/23 Anguish :star: :star: 1/2
10/23 Def By Temptation :star: :star:
10/24 The Cell :star: :star: :star:
10/26 Beetlejuice :star: :star: :star:
10/26 The Woods :star: :star: 1/2
10/27 Saw :star: :star: :star:
10/28 Tremors :star: :star: :star: 1/2
10/28 House on Haunted Hill :star: :star: :star:

10/28 Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte :star: :star: :star:
10/30 Dolls :star: :star:

 

[Sandro]

Dead and Buried :star: :star: :star: Offbeat zombie movie is worth a look for fans of the genre. A startling opening scene is followed by a mixture of horror, mystery and humor. Interesting cinematography, a nasty nurse, a strange mortician and a neat twist ending all make for a cult movie.
Flesh and the Fiends :star: :star: :star: This grave-robbing tale plays like a drama especially in the conflict of Cushing's character but it still has some horrific scenes and Donald Pleasance makes a notable villain. Not as good as the similar BodySnatcher
Goke - Bodysnatcher from Hell :star: :star: 1/2 Weird, action-packed Japanese sci-fi/horror throws in enough story-lines for two movies and even manages some social commentary on the Vietnam War. This film is gloriously over the top and was apparently referenced in Kill Bill.

 

[SteveGon]

Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein - Revisited the classic comedy.

***1/2 out of ****

One more and I hit 13!

 

[Ruz-El]

Universal Monsters 4/5 - A feature length documentary of how the Universal Monsters came about, and the history of early horror films is well worth the price of admission with the "Dracula" and "frankenstein" Legacy DVDs. I've always wanted to see it, haveing missed it repeastedly on TV. I was not dissapointed. Lots of wonderful behind the scenes storys and rememberances with great clips from the movies. My only complaint is it really whetted my appetite for more monster movies that are sadly unavailable on DVD.

See post 3 on page one or my tally.


Me too! I don't anticpate slowing down either!

 

[JohnRice]

Black Sunday (aka, The Mask of Satan) - I can see why the horror freaks like this one so much. It is an interesting blend of the classic Universal horrors which preceded it and the Giallos which would follow. Nice twists and great atmosphere and cinematography mixed with a decent story. Not "scary" by modern standards, but a fine movie all together. I'm not entirely certain, but I think this is the first Bava film I've seen
4/5

Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter - Certainly one of the more odd Hammer entries. We have a vampire hunter, his hunchback, professor assistant, various buddies (including the luscious Caroline Munro) and some generations old mysteries. Didn't seem as odd the second time around.
3/5

 

[Garrett Lundy]

Rating system: 1-5 (Awful, Bad, Average, Good, Excellent)
1st time movies listed in bold
foriegn language films (personal challenge) in red

05/10 - Le Noche Del Terror Ciego / Tombs of the Blind Dead (1971). - I have heard about the 'Blind Dead' films for awhile now, and have put them on the back burner since most people tend to say they are pretty bad. But Since I'm doing a Euro-horror challenge this year, I figured it would be a good time to get them out of the way.
*The budget is pretty small. One guy clearly has duct-tape wrapped around his hands instead of medieval gauntlets.
*Literal title translates to "Night of the blind terrors"
*No money for FX... just give everybody the same plastic skelehand.
*The black knights chasing a girl on horseback through the woods was clearly stolen from The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Rings, If I were Pete Jackson I'd sue somebody.
Rating 3 (Good to watch once in your life. I probably wouldn't buy it)

Ataque De Los Muertos Sin Ojos / Return Of The Blind Dead (1973) - Director Amanda de Ossorio basically remakes his own movie 2 years later. Even though the budget has increased, he manages to save money by reusing much of the Knight Templar footage from the first film. Which may cause so confusion as to whether people are partying in a village or an abandoned castle.
*Literal title translation "Attack Of The Dead People Without Eyes"
*Somehow worse than the original
*Both of these movies feature at least 1 rape scene. The director may have some personal issues.
Rating 2

El Buque Maldito / The Ghost Galleon (1974) - Knight Templar at Sea! Scary skeletons only in movie for a few minutes. Most of movie just five people talking about two other people. Really bad pirate ship set. I'm reminded of The Howling 5: Rebirth for some reason.
*Literal film title "The Damned Ship" (What middleschool spanish drop-out is in charge of these title translations?)
*Rather than spend money on a climactic ghost-ship destroying fire. They set a 12" plastic toy on fire.... (I did the same thing when I made a video-tape project in the seventh grade. Mine looked better)
*Why are 14th century knights on a 18th century boat? Who knows!
Rating 2

2006 Horror Challenge
01. Mask of the Demon (1960) :star::star::star:
02. Baron Blood (1972) :star::star::star:
03. Event Horizon (1997) :star::star::star::star:
04. An American Werewolf In London (1981) :star::star::star::star:
05. Jacob's Ladder (1990) :star::star::star::star::star:
06. The Ninth Gate (1999) :star::star::star:
07. Night Of The Blind Terrors (1971) :star::star::star:
08. Attack Of The Dead People Without Eyes (1973) :star::star:
09. The Damned Ship (1974) :star::star: