***Official 8th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge*** - Page 4

Re: ***Official 8th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge***

They made 8 Hellraisers!?!

Re: ***Official 8th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge***

Sadly Garret, they really did make 8 Hellraisers. They should of stopped at number 2. I think films 5-8 all went straight to video to. They even cheat out on the gore. And Pinhead becomes a total non-entity. Really tragic.

Re: ***Official 8th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge***

Actually, there are 9 "Hellraiser" films if you are willing to count the fan-made "Hellraiser: Prophecy" short film. It actually gets better reviews than some of the final studio attempts. Not sure how one can see it, probably on YouTube or something. Or at a horror convention.

My challenge viewing is getting off to a pitiful start. I attempted to watch Universal's classic "The Mummy" last night and fell asleep 15 minutes from the end. Hopefully I can finish it tonight and maybe even watch another.

Re: ***Official 8th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge***

As far as I'm concerned, you're an iron man for making through all of them. After Hellraiser: Inferno (or whatever the fifth one is called), I couldn't watch any more of them. I love the first two though.


As always, I'm not a critic- I just know what I like but I'm not very good at articulating it.

10/03/07
I watched The Mummy's Hand for the first time. I'm a sucker for a movie with a Mummy running around killing people so I dug it.

I also watched Invisible Woman for the first time. A comedic sequel (but I included it in my watching since it's a sequel to Invisible Man) that was a nice change of pace for me since I've been seeing lots of people getting killed. Plus, Shemp Howard is in it.

My list so far...
(new titles in bold)
01. Dracula (1931)
02. Dracula (Spanish language)
03. Frankenstein (1931)
04. The Mummy (1932)
05. The Invisible Man
06. Bride Of Frankenstein
07. Werewolf Of London
08. Dracula's Daughter
09. Son Of Frankenstein
10. The Invisible Man Returns
11. The Mummy's Hand
12. Invisible Woman

Re: ***Official 8th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge***

I intended to only have new viewings this year, but after those stills I think I'll have to give the TCM remake a spin. Not only do I think it is actually a decent flick, Jessica Biel is a freaking Goddess. To think she grew up only 40 miles away. No being in the history of the universe has ever done more justice to hipsters than Jessica. Plus, it is a cool looking flick. That's it, TCM is in, and I guess I'll revisit Turistas, while I'm in the skantily clad hotties running for their lives theme. John Stockwell is a certified genius for finding so many reasons to get so many hotties in so few clothes movie after movie.

Re: ***Official 8th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge***

This space is reserved... for TERROR!

Ratings:

**** Excellent
*** Good
** Fair
* Poor
BOMB The Pits

Fun Factor - an additional rating, for films rated below ***, when overall entertainment value trumps their obvious shortcomings.

First-time viewings in red.

10/01 THE EARTH DIES SCREAMING (1964) DVD **1/2

Okay, no-budget British sci-fi, atmospheric, though the robots are so slow (and so few), they barely constitute a threat.

10/01 DR. CYCLOPS (1940) DVD ***

Good, pulpy mad science tale (in rich Technicolor!), forever branding Albert Dekker as the title physician (and who would fit quite comfortably as a heavy in a Fleischer SUPERMAN cartoon). Shrinking people always makes for prime entertainment, though our merry band of half-pints play things a bit lightly, considering their predicament. And it's a bit strange that they aren't menaced by a snake or jungle spider. Still, despite the many times I've seen this film, I'm always surprised when a couple members are killed off.

10/01 CULT OF THE COBRA (1955) DVD **1/2 (Fun Factor: ***)

Basically a CAT PEOPLE wannabe. I liked it okay (its a plus when actors like David Janssen and Jack Kelly show up in these things), but the film seemed like it needed Faith Domergue to transform into something a bit more impressive than a standard-size fake snake on a string. Though a low-budget production, it's too bad they couldn't hire a real cobra (with wrangler), or a better puppet, and use some cheap matte effects to magnify it about 5x larger, as was done with the eagle in BURN WITCH BURN. The snake cult ceremony was silly, like something out of an Abbott & Costello movie.

10/01 CHOSEN SURVIVORS (1974) DVD *1/2 (Fun Factor: **1/2)

This previously hard-to-see flick should've been great, but suffers from terrible acting/dialogue from a usually-reliable cast (especially Jackie Cooper), a fitful pace, and some scenes too dark to follow. Still, it's a better killer-bat movie than NIGHTWING, and I liked the stainless-steel bunker complex set.

10/02 YONGARY, MONSTER FROM THE DEEP (1967) DVD BOMB (Fun Factor: ***1/2)

Sub-par Korean attempt to hop on the GODZILLA/GAMERA bandwagon, though with goofy excitement galore. It earns at least two "Fun Factor" stars soley for the fact that the kid borrows and liberally uses a prototype "itch ray" projector on the title beast, his big sister and her beau alike.

10/03 THE PHARAOH'S CURSE (1956) DVR **

So-so attempt to make a mummy curse story into a quasi-vampire flick.

10/05 MAN MADE MONSTER (1941) DVD ***

The best Universal second-string monster movie I've ever seen, with some typically fun Lionel Atwill scheming (he even says "Bah!", when kindly associate Samuel S. Hinds questions the ethics of his research), plenty of excitement, and a good performance from Lon Chaney, Jr. as an amiable lug/haunted electrified zombie shell. Neat electricity effects, too.

10/05 THE BLACK CAT (1941) DVD ** (Fun Factor: **1/2)

A really strong cast (Basil Rathbone, Bela Lugosi, Broderick Crawford, Gladys Cooper, Alan Ladd... though once again, Lugosi is largely wasted), but the film is a rather standard whodunnit with some quasi-horror trimmings. A bit too much of Hugh Herbert's "antics", for me, and I kept wondering why he and Broderick Crawford are permitted to hang around the house so long.

10/05 HORROR ISLAND (1941) DVD ***

Another semi-comic whodunnit, but I liked this one more, probably because of the more unusual set-up, and the guy who plays "the phantom" was cool, with a great voice. Plus, Fuzzy Knight IS "Stuff"!

10/05 GRINDHOUSE: PLANET TERROR (2007) DVD ***1/2

Fun, (severed-) tongue-in-cheek zombie attack nonsense from Robert Rodriguez, playing alot like a jokey John Carpenter epic, sort of DAWN OF THE DEAD by way of ASSAULT ON PRECINT 13/ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK. Suffers only from being the 3416th killer zombie movie of the 21st Century, made in wake of the success of 28 DAYS LATER. Probably more of a crowd-pleaser than its GRINDHOUSE co-feature DEATH PROOF, but I like 'em both, and they compliment each other when shown as one program.

10/05 THE PHANTOM FROM 10,00 LEAGUES (1955) DVD *1/2 (Fun Factor: **1/2)

Ultracheap aquatic-mutant-at-large yarn is no great shakes, though I'll give it some credit for having an unusual-for-the-time espionage subplot, and some amusing stilted dialogue.

10/07 THE BEAST WITH A MILLION EYES (1955) DVD ** (Fun Factor: ***)

Paul Birch and the alien-will-controlling-animals-and-simpletons concept are just enough to hold this whole cheap thing together. Whatever role Roger Corman actually had in this is probably enough to give it a similar feel to IT CONQUERED THE WORLD and NOT OF THIS EARTH, though it isn't nearly as good as either of those two films. Though generally a fan of silent comedy, Chester Conklin's showcase scene was pretty painful to watch. Also, I wonder how both the diminutive alien puppet and Paul Birch's daughter are going fit in that vacuum cleaner --err, I mean interstellar spacecraft and survive the journey back to the beast's world. I've seen the film a couple of times before, but I was still surprised to see a young Dick Sargeant in this. Plus, Leonard Tarver IS "Him" (with the best "haunted" expression this side of "Dynamo Dan the Electric Man")!

10/07 28 DAYS LATER (2002) DVD ****

Easily one of the few great modern horror films, with a simple, logical storyline, good acting, lively action and interesting camerawork. The first act, when Cillan Murphy's character makes his way through a seemingly deserted London, compares favorably with similar scenes in DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS and THE OMEGA MAN.

10/07 28 WEEKS LATER (2007) DVD ***1/2

Fairly solid follow-up to the above film, though lacking its novelty. Interestingly, the second zombie attack movie of 2007 (after PLANET TERROR) to both feature a regular cast member from the TV series LOST, and mass zombie death via a helicopter used as a flying Cuisinart. I liked the director's previous film, INTACTO, more, but he certainly does well by this fear franchise.

Tally:

01. THE EARTH DIES SCREAMING (1964)
02. DR. CYCLOPS (1940)
03. CULT OF THE COBRA (1955)
04. CHOSEN SURVIVORS (1974)
05. YONGARY, MONSTER FROM THE DEEP (1967)
06. THE PHARAOH'S CURSE (1956)
07. MAN MADE MONSTER (1941)
08. THE BLACK CAT (1941)
09. HORROR ISLAND (1941)
10. GRINDHOUSE: PLANET TERROR (2007)
11. THE PHANTOM FROM 10,00 LEAGUES (1955)
12. THE BEAST WITH A MILLION EYES (1955)
13. 28 DAYS LATER (2002)
14. 28 WEEKS LATER (2007)

Re: ***Official 8th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge***

Wow Peter! That is one serious signature. You might take a moment and review the signature rules, because you have obliterated them.

Max 8 lines. Yours is 31 lines.

Re: ***Official 8th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge***

OK, finally got this thing underway....

THE MUMMY (1932) It comes to life!


Boris Karloff (or "Karloff the Uncanny" as he was apparently billed at the time) stars as Ardath Bey, a.k.a. the reanimated mummy Imhotep, desperately seeking to reunite with his beloved after more than 3700 years in the tomb. Karloff was very good, as was most of the supporting cast. I really didn't care much for Zita Johann as Helen, though. Having never seen the film before, I fully expected to see the classic slow-shuffling, bandaged mummy that seems to have become the stereotypical portrayal. I was pleasantly surprised that there was really none of that here, and the creature was a more humanistic monster. Apparently, they saved the zombie-like mummy for the sequels....

THE MUMMY'S HAND (1940) The tomb of a thousand terrors!


This was the old bandage-wrapped, slow-shambling mummy that became the classic creature icon. Played for a mix of horror and comedy, unlike the building drama and suspense of Karloff's original, the film is moderately entertaining with some spooky mummy effects. The comedy moments detracted from the film though, IMO. Also seemed to re-purpose much of the flashback sequences of the original film, except instead of seeking the lost scroll with the incantation, we're now raiding the tomb for...tea leaves?!?

Re: ***Official 8th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge***

10/03/07 - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) - Yep, it was my first time seeing it. And it's both better and worse than I thought it would be...Better in that there was some really good camera work (movement, zooms, etc.) and interesting visuals. The scenes when no one is talking or screaming are actually quite good. But the characters were either just lame or too buffoonish. I was surprised that Leather Face ended up being such a doofus. Jury is still out...

10/03/07 - Trilogy Of Terror (1974) - The Zuni Doll makes an appearance every year, so let me be the first to sing his praises. Man, that was some kind of funny - he sounded like a little pitbull. And yet kinda creepy and disturbing too...The other two stories don't come close to measuring up for entertainment value. The first is not bad, but then just suddenly dropped its twist on you. The second was pretty obvious and didn't add much to similar themed stories. But Zuni Doll was way too much fun - I can see why this gave a generation of kids nightmares.


2007 Scary Movie Challenge:

1. 10/01/07 - Suspiria (1977 - Dario Argento)
2. 10/01/07 - Tales Of Terror (1962 - Roger Corman)
3. 10/02/07 - All The Colors Of The Dark (1972 - Sergio Martino)
4. 10/03/07 - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974 - Tobe Hooper)
5. 10/03/07 - Trilogy Of Terror (1974 - Dan Curtis)

Re: ***Official 8th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge***

I kicked things off with a re-visit of the "director's cut" version of The Wicker Man. Simply a terrific film that works on multiple levels. Creates a one-of-a-kind atmosphere through set design, music, and casting, positioned against Edward Woodward's tremendous performance as the self-righteous cop. Oh, and Britt Ekland makes me happy in the pants. Wipes away the awful aftertaste of Labute's pathetic Nick Cage modernization.

I'm a huge fan of Dario Argento's 70's and 80's films, so I lined up a few of his later works I haven't seen. Tonight I took in The Card Player. It's more police procedural than horror or even giallo, about 2 cops, an Irishman and an attractive Italian woman tracking down a crazy serial killer who toys with the police and his victims via webcast poker games. Solid enough to be worth watching, but lacks the old magic and doesn't generate much suspense. Not helped either by a rather odd, more than a bit corny ending.

1. The Wicker Man "Director's Cut" Version
2. The Card Player

Re: ***Official 8th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge***

THE MUMMY'S HAND isn't a sequel to the Karloff film; it's a new and unrelated series.

Re: ***Official 8th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge***

10/03/07 Man Made Monster (1941)

One of my favorites of Universal Forties Horrors. It's Lon Chaney, Jr.'s first time starring as a "horror icon", and he plays Dynamo Dan, who survives a potentially fatal electrical accident. Dan is studied by scientist Lionel Atwill regarding his apparent immunity to electricity, and the crazed doctor transforms him into a walking killing machine that glows in the dark and whose touch can kill. Chaney is very good with his trademark good natured characterization and subsequent pathos. Atwill gives what is perhaps his all-time maddest doctor portrayal, and is a lot of sinister fun. Wonderful Universal music score. This film moves quickly without an ounce of dead air at just under 60 minutes.


SCARY MOVIE CHALLENGE 2007
01) The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
02) The Black Cat (1941)
03) Horror Island (1941)
04) Man Made Monster (1941)

Re: ***Official 8th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge***

Perhaps, but it still repurposes a fair amount of footage from that film to set up the story of this "unrelated" film.

Re: ***Official 8th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge***

October 3^rd
8. The Touch of Satan. (1971)

Mike: the producers couldn’t afford a whole bowl of Satan…so enjoy this little touch of Satan.


Great, just looking at her picture bewitched me and now I’m ready to do her bidding. There goes my afternoon!!

This is going to sound made up but it’s true. I don’t get a whole lot of visitors to my house. Well, no surprize there. The odd part is I was watching this film about a witch and had to pause it when a couple of Mormon dudes came to the door. I talked with them a little bit but I think they weren’t interested in converting to my agnostic stance. I tried. When they gave up and ventured over to my neighbor’s place I went inside and couldn’t stop laughing. After unpausing the film, 3 seconds later I heard the word “Mormon” uttered. Isn’t that strange? I watched the Mystery Science Theater 3000 version and they did a joke about Mormons just as I unpaused it. Freaky maybe? I have that happen all the time, kind of like the coinstances in the movie Signs. I don’t lose sleep over it. Heh! As for this film it isn’t quite as bad as it’s rep. I must admit I have some attraction to Melissa, the witch character. Mike and the bots call her the “floppy Rhoda” like the Mary Tyler Moore character. It certainly fits. She’s loooovely….in a sloppy floppy way. She can bewitch me anytime. And that’s exactly what Melissa does to the rugged young lad in the Chevy Vega who passes by the family walnut farm (yes, walnuts…I take it a very lucritive crop in 1971 what with all the rock & roll music, hoola hoops and walnut eating going on). Melissa being a witch is the least of his troubles…her sister is the family’s dark secret. Mike and the bot named her “shrunken apple head” and that’s pretty much on the nose. She’s gross but quite skillful with a pitchfork if you should touch her favorite Chatty Cathy doll. MST3K has fun with this material and that makes it a favorite for me every year at this time. Highly recommended to fans of bad movies and women dressed in sloppy clothing. MOVIE 6/10. MST3K UPGRADE +3 AND EXTRA 1 POINT FOR OVERALL FLOPPINESS OF THE MELISSA WITCH CHARACTER FOR A TOTAL OF 10/10

9. Let’s Scare Jessica to Death. (1971)

Jessica smiles a lot. She looks a bit like a nutcracker with those teeth. Yep, nut…cracker. Get it?


Blond girl on a hill motioning you to follow her? Hum, what could be wrong with complying?

I started craving this because of the last film. The next film I craved was because of this film. I’m in the Horrorthon groove now! Anyway, Jessica features an excellent performance by the actress playing the title character. The woman is very impressive playing a former mental patient who might need a few more years on the couch. Cleverly, the film allows us to experience her turmoil by allowing us to hear her inner voices and even sense how her companions are preceiving her as they witness her mannerisms and how she is communicating with them. It’s hard to explain that, but it’s often subtle how the viewer gets indications from the characters surrounding the troubled Jessica. The film’s biggest strengths are the performances of the main cast and the first rate atmosphere that is created by this small town setting full of creepy locals and the little bits of information that are revealed. The film leaves many things to your own interpretation. As a teen, when this appeared on late night weekend TV, people at school would talk about it on Monday morning. Did you watch Let’s Scared Jessica to Death? Yeah, that’s soooo scary!! Well, I never found it overly scary. However, now (and then) I find it quickly gives me a grand case of uneasiness and even some dread. With the cable revolution, films like this seemed to disappear from late night TV. There was over a 20 year stretch where I hadn’t seen this. I’m sad that I can’t quite experience the same level of uneasiness and dread, but there’s still a little of that left. I’m thinking Jessica is a film I can curl up to anytime I want a film that can sort of flow passed as I watch things happening and enjoy the Jessica actress’s performance. Hard to rate. I’d say 7.5/10 overall with a nostalgia boost for me of +2.5. 10/10

10. Cabin Fever. (2003)


Might wanna put a little Bactine on that.


Lets see…hot chick…hot chick with gun. Check!

Started to lose my Horrorthon mood a little during this. I paused it a few times to cook dinner…Yep, goes to show how spur-of-the-moment my movie choices can be. Imagine, I’m cooking a giant vat of home-made beef-a-roni during the ooey-gooey movie Cabin Fever. Heh heh! Rediculous!! I’ve had bad food experiences with horror films before (don’t do BBQ during TCM. Just. Don’t.) But here the beef-a-roni was mightly tasty even with the beef-a-roni style visual effects splattering all over the place in this wonderful gory black comedy film we have here. It’s smartly populated with a few interesting but expected main characters which are handily overshadowed by some deliciously creative minor characters, including a grizzled old store owner, a partying cop, a soft-spoken dude in a Elmer Fudd hat & his pancake lovin son and a goatee wearing camper with a mighty big stash in his pants. Most of the cast pretty much gets turned into beef-a-roni, the opening 2 acts progress very well, but the 3^rd act is a wild senseless trip with no real motivation. It’s like a Jack “The Shining” Nicholson sudden snap. I guess the character here went through a lot but I was still left wondering why he decided to go bullistic. At any rate, this film is a hell of a great time! It’s nasty, but often funny among all the gross stuff. Very creative if you ask me with come clever homages to some of my favorite horror films. 7.5/10

11. Friday the 13^th: The Final Chapter. (Friday the 13^th Part 4) (1984)


Goonies never say die! But...I guess they do shave their heads sometimes....???

This was the only film I planned in advance to watch today. I didn’t remember a thing about it going in. But very quickly I realised that this was one I’d watched little bits of on late night TV in the 80s. I’d switch away from the film when it got too scary and switch back when the other thing I was watching got too boring. Parts of this really got to me. I guess I was new to actors spending time near dark windows and that was one of the more unnerving aspects of of this series. I think that got to me more than anything. Just the waiting for something to happen. It’s a real shame that doesn’t effect me now because the scare factor is no longer here for me. I still enjoyed this entry quite a lot. When I saw it original I only recognized that guy Bruce something from the SNL ripoff Fridays and the dude from the movie Last American Virgin. But now there are many members of the cast I recognize including the kid from Goonies and Stand By Me (and Burbs), plus Crispen Glover. I’d give anything if this was still scary because, for what it is, this is a well made entry in the series. The nostalgia is thru the roof. I enjoyed watching it. But I had my front door open the whole time (with darkness outside) and it didn’t scare me a bit. As with the other 3 films in this series (so far) the opening 2 acts are the weakest, and the final act in this one is the best of any of the other 3 including Part 2. Very cool! It was so nutty I was laughing my ass off. What a way to “end” the series! Heh heh! I can’t wait to see Part Five. Again, hard to rate. Savini’s name in the opening credits was a reason to celebrate, but I felt the visual effects were not gory enough during some parts and about right during others. I dropped the scrore a half point for that alone. 6.5/10 WITH MY NOSTALGIA/DO-IT-YOURSELF MST3K UPGRADE OF 2.5 POINTS 9/10. A really great time!!

12. Tales from the Crypt. (1972)


My God, Joan would do anybody in the ‘70s!


This is your granddaddy’s Tales from the Crypt!

I tell you, I should’ve stopped with the last film. It was great fun and I was satisfied. But I had plenty of time to watch something else. Evil non-movie problems cropped up and ruined the experience a little. I won’t try to watch 7 films today because it failed badly yesterday and I only got in 5 anyway. This is in my top 2 horror anthologies along with Creepshow. It really is amazing how compact these little british horror stories are: in 90 minutes there’s 5 different creepy stories, most are highly effective. The one that takes place at the home for the blind is my personal favorite. Brilliant material with a first rate cast and totally shocking ending. I also enjoyed Peter Cushing’s performance as a junk collector and friend to dogs and the children in the neighborhood. Great stuff! New on DVD and available cheap in a Midnite Movie double feature with Vault of Horror, another anthology from Amicus. I wasted it this year but I’m hoping I’ll have better luck with Vault later in the month. 9/10

Re: ***Official 8th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge***

As always, I'm not a critic- I just know what I like but I'm not very good at articulating it.

10/03/07
I watched The Wolf Man. This is one of my favorite Universal Monster movies. You feel bad for Talbot being cursed especially since he was trying to save someone when he got bit by the werewolf. Good atmosphere and good werewolf makeup that set the standard for the rest of movie werewolves. About the only thing I don't like about it is that it's pretty obvious that Bela Lugosi had hit hard times in his career since he's only got one or two scenes in the movie.

My list so far...
(new titles in bold)
01. Dracula (1931)
02. Dracula (Spanish language)
03. Frankenstein (1931)
04. The Mummy (1932)
05. The Invisible Man
06. Bride Of Frankenstein
07. Werewolf Of London
08. Dracula's Daughter
09. Son Of Frankenstein
10. The Invisible Man Returns
11. The Mummy's Hand
12. Invisible Woman
13. The Wolf Man (1941)

Re: ***Official 8th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge***

Final Chapter has always been my favorite of the Friday the 13th movies. I got in some classics last night. I started Warners "Legend of Horror" set that I never got around to watching since getting it last November. I should of started this challenge with it.

MAD LOVE 4.5/5 : This was pretty great. Peter Lorre was fantastic in the mad scientist bit, and Colin Clive is always awesome in movies like these. Karl Freunds direction is frankly amazing. He seems rather under rated these days.

The Devil Doll 3/5 : I wanted to like this one more then I did. I love the idea of shrinking living creatures to sell as toys, but the thing with making them commit heists was kinda goofy.

Doctor X 3.5/5 : This one surprised me. I was expecting a more standard Mad Scientist movie. This one was more of a weird murder mystery. Granted that whole living flesh stuff was pretty weird. The old Technicolor was horrid. Man, how have things changed

I fell asleep with "Return Of Doctor X', so it well have to wait till later tonight, or tomorrow since I have to go out this evening. Stupid social commitments already getting in my way.

My tally of fright!

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/...70&postcount=7

Re: ***Official 8th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge***

I agree Travis, The Wolf Man is a damn fine Universal Horror. Claude Rains was good in it as well. Wolf Man always struck me a bit goofy looking compared to the other monsters, but he;s really effective in that one.

And I'm liking your mini reviews, I don;t think you have to mention your not a critic, your doing fine. Hell, my mini-reviews barely make sense. Are any of the HTF critics taking part in this?

Re: ***Official 8th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge***

This where my lack of a life pays off! Another asset is that I do freelance work (which I like to think of as 'good unemployment') so I have tons of free time.

Re: ***Official 8th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge***

I'm jealous! I joined a Dodge Ball league so pretty much every thursday night is a write off. that said, I have a weekly movie night with friends, and I told them well in advance that it was going to be horror only in October

Re: ***Official 8th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge***

James Perry wins prize for most thorough mini-reviews.

Re: ***Official 8th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge***

Thanks! I have a lot of practice from past years rambling on and on about horror movies during my Horrorthons. It's almost as much fun rambling as watching the actual films.

I have the next 2 to watch but I pretty much agree. 3 is very fun.

I keep hearing that about the TCM prequel. One day I'll have to watch and see just how bad it is.

That was always a big MST3K joke. I love when they included that on an episode.

Re: ***Official 8th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge***

I love the Lon Chaney Wolfman.

I'm leaning towards it and the Part 2. 4 is probably the best of the first 4 flicks. My like for part 2 is largely nostalgic.

Re: ***Official 8th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge***

10/3 - The Black Cat (1941) -
- Much better than I had been led to believe. The Black Cat is actually a very enjoyable little mystery/thriller with a great setting and a strong cast. A creepy dark old house filled with hidden rooms and secret passages, a dark and stormy night, Basil Rathbone, multiple murders with multiple suspects, Bela Lugosi, and no escape because of a washed-out bridge. What’s not to love about that?

10/3 - Horror Island (1941) - 1/2
- While not quite as good as The Black Cat, I still enjoyed Horror Island quite a bit. An eclectic group of people gathered on a deserted island, searching an old castle for pirate treasure with a killer on the loose – sounds like fun to me! Not a bad way to spend and hour.


Official 8th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge Totals

1. Cult of the Cobra (1955) -
2. Hillbillys in a Haunted House (1967) - BOMB
3. The She-Creature (1956) -
4. The Black Cat (1941) -
5. Horror Island (1941) - 1/2

Total - 5
Total 1st Time Viewings - 5

Re: ***Official 8th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge***

009) 10/03/07 Captive Wild Woman (1943) 1/2

OK Universal horror introduces Paula the Ape Woman - the product of mad scientist John Carradine's gland research. Acquanetta doesn't say a word as Paula, and her other film performances reveal why. A fast-paced sixty minutes by not very memorable.

010) 10/03/07 City of the Dead (1960) 1/2

Excellent, moody story of witchcraft at work in a small town where witch Elizabeth Selwyn was burned in 1692. A college student visits the town to do her term paper only to find...Well, no need to spoil it for those who haven't seen it. Better known as Horror Hotel. Christopher Lee is in the cast.

011) 10/03/07 Night of the Eagle (1961) 1/2

Based on the same novel as Universal's Weird Woman, this superior story of witchery takes place on a college campus where a professor attempts to rid his wife of her belief in protective spells. Bad move. Suspenseful thriller with perfect performances and an unforgettable ending. Scripted by Richard Matheson, Charles Beaumont, and George Baxt (who also wrote City of the Dead).

012) 10/03/07 Witchcraft (1964) 1/2

Pretty good tale of a witch and her family's vengeance on the descendants of those who buried her alive and took over the family's land. Lon Chaney gives a one-note, thunderous performance. But director Don Sharp pulls off some moody set pieces, especially the scene where the witch leaves her grave.

Re: ***Official 8th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge***

Hey John, are those off of the midnight movie double features discs? They got a bunch of them at a local store for 2 for $20, I was tempted to grab a couple.

BATTLEGROUND 4/5 : This was the first Episode of "Steven Kings : Nightmare And Dreamscapes". These play exactly like the "Masters Of Horror", so I'm going to count it. It's a limited 8 episode series, each episode based on a different King story. This one was pretty fantastic. A hit man kills the head of a Toy Manufacturing company in order to secure a figurine. When he arrives home, he gets a package of little green army men, who are out for vengeance. It was really well done, lots of nice effects, and there was no spoken dialog for the entire hour. Better then a bunch of the MOH that I've seen.

I hope the rest of the series matches this one for quality.

My tally :

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/...70&postcount=7

Re: ***Official 8th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge***

This is why I love Scary Movie Challenge! I love Savinis work, and never heard of this! Awesome posting!

Re: ***Official 8th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge***

(2) Phantasm - /

A mildly entertaining flick, which I may have seen, more or less, some 20+ years ago in the very early days of home video. The famous orb is a fun touch, but to me, one of the few interesting parts. The extra-terrestrial tie-in at the end came off as a bit odd for me.


(3) Flight of the Living Dead - /

After a bit of a slow start, this not-quite-satire picks up and has a few mildly amusing moments. I would have liked a more fatalistic ending (think, DC of Army of Darkness) than what it actually had.

Re: ***Official 8th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge***

As always, I'm not a critic- I just know what I like but I'm not very good at articulating it.

10/04/07
A few more first time viewings for me- I watched The Ghost Of Frankenstein, Invisible Agent and The Mummy's Tomb.

The Ghost Of Frankenstein was pretty good. If you have a movie with alot of good monster carnage and Bela Lugosi doing his mad henchmen schtick, I'm happy. I miss the monster's shag carpet vast though.

I liked Invisible Agent too. Since it's the only 'affliction' of the Universal Monsters that could really be used for good, it was interesting to see them use the invisibility formula to fight the Nazis. And any time that you get Peter Lorre in a movie, you've got something.

So far The Mummy's Tomb is my favorite mummy movie outside the original. I liked that they transported the mummy from Egypt to America, that the townspeople used fire to fight the mummy (given how dried out and crusty he must be, that really would be a mummy's Achille's heal) to fight him and there was better makeup than in The Mummy's Hand.

My list so far...
(new titles in bold)
01. Dracula (1931)
02. Dracula (Spanish language)
03. Frankenstein (1931)
04. The Mummy (1932)
05. The Invisible Man
06. Bride Of Frankenstein
07. Werewolf Of London
08. Dracula's Daughter
09. Son Of Frankenstein
10. The Invisible Man Returns
11. The Mummy's Hand
12. Invisible Woman
13. The Wolf Man (1941)
14. The Ghost Of Frankenstein
15. Invisible Agent
16. The Mummy's Tomb

Re: ***Official 8th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge***

Scale: 1=awful 2=bad 3=average 4=good 5=excellent. 1st viewings in red.

Manos: The Hands Of Fate (1966) Along with Uwe Boll's House Of The Dead and Troll 2 this movie ranks among the worst-of-the-worst of American films ever to see theatrical release. I feel I should win an award for watching all of it.

Isolation (2005) Now this is a proper gory horror movie. Gory mutant cows! Muah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! The added bonus: No CGI!! real analog beasties!

The butcher's bill...
1. Monster Squad (1987)
2. Call of the Cthulhu (2005)
3. Mimic (1997)
4. The Omen (2006)
5. The Descent (2006)
6. Manos: The Hands Of Fate (1966)
7. Isolation (2005)