*** Official 10th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge 2009 *** - Page 2

Russell,

Sounds good. I couldn't recall all of the rules.

I'm itching to watch a few horror films now. :)

I plan to keep separate lists of movies and TV shows I watch in this thread.

But one question...

Given your rule on TV shows, how should I count Dark Shadows?

I don't know if I'll watch any tv episodes. I'll have to think about it. I just finished watching this past 6 months all of the X-files, Buffy and Angel series so I don't want to delve into that so soon. I do have Millennium and it's been awhile since I've watched that series so maybe.

 

I just purchased Hammer Horror 8 Cult Classics so I think I'll start off with Brides of Dracula tomorrow. The only movie I've seen on this set is Phantom of the Opera. I might have seen a couple of others but unsure until I start watching them.

I personally don't like including TV shows. Last year some people were even counting shorts that had a horror theme. Most of those where way under 60 minutes. I think watching a 20 minute Three Stooges short that has a horror theme should not be counted, but some people feel differently. It makes it harder for people who are watching full length movies to compete, but like was already stated, it is not a competition but a challenge.

I don't know if I'll included much episodic tv myself but I feel those who want to should. I think two hour long episodes = 1 movie sounds fair. I also liked the idea of separating the tv episodes from movies watched.

I think the "grouping" solution to TV shows is a good happy medium.  Two 1-hour eps, or three 30-min eps = one feature. That should make the time investment fairly equitable for all concerned when it comes to overall totals.

That way we can still count TV eps, but those who view all/mostly feature films are not at a time disadvantage.

I'm in favor of including TV shows as well. As stated before, we've always included short films in the challenge, so TV is no different. Especially when you do the "grouping" for episodic programs such as X-Files.

Can't wait to start the challenge officially late night tonight! Watching Dead Girl to start off the challenge. Heard great things about it. We'll see. Watched The Hills Run Red yesterday. Babyface is great. Story had some good ideas. Cinematography was WEAK though. Some in the horror circles have been really talking this one up, but I can't say I agree. Good, and definitely worth a rental during the challenge for those who haven't seen it. But this isn't the next great slasher.  

Cheers,

Jason

Bob McLaughlin's 2009 Scary Movie Challenge list...

1. The Golem (1920) (first time viewing)
This story was supposedly the source of inspiration for Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein". While no one is going to be frightened by this movie any more, it's easy to see why this is a horror classic. It has scorcery, evil spirits, sex, and an indestructable monster with a weird Beatles haircut. Some of the Jewish stereotyping is cringe-worthy (what's with all the witch-hats?), but the Golem was a heroic figure for the Jewish people. An interesting piece of history.

2. Onibaba (first time viewing)
I really liked this one. My favorite horror is not always necessarily supernatural, or it is left vague enough that you're not sure. An eerie sense of menace pervades throughout. Also, the mask is supposedly the inspiration for the demon face seen briefly in The Exorcist. Great stuff!

3. Fire in the Sky
When I saw this back in the early 90's, the movie packed a lot more punch. However, now it seemed slower-paced and not as riveting. I knew what was going to happen so the cat was out of the bag, and the movie suffered for it. However, the last scene involving the alien medical exam is still scary as heck! Nowadays it would all be CGI, so there's something creepy about those "real" aliens.

4. Abbott & Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll & Mr Hyde (first-time viewing)
A great matchup of the classic comedy duo and horror legend Boris Karloff in the titular role(s). If you've seen one Abbot & Costello movie, you've seen them all, but the focus here is on fun and a few tame scares. Hard to believe that back in the day, the UK rated this movie as an "X" due to the supposedly too-scary Mr. Hyde transformation scenes! My 4-year old daughter enjoyed this movie, how times have changed!

5. Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer (first-time viewing)
I wanted to like this low-budget monster movie, but I was put off by awkward scenes (such as the hero repeatedly going to see a counselor), annoying Canadian accents ("soarry" "aboat" that), and generally it just took too long to get to the actual monster slaying. If your movie has the phrase "monster slayer" in the title, then don't just throw that part in the last 15 minutes of the movie. A more accurate title would have been "weird teacher, angry plumber" but I guess that wouldn't encourage many rentals.

6. Ju-On (first-time viewing)
As a device to scare, this was quite effective. The movie never let me relax and was very effective at creeping me out. However, as a movie, it was not as effective. It was very repetitive in its methods--basically the same type of scare was used over and over for 92 minutes. It was kind of like being tickled in the same spot for too long--after a while it doesn't work. Also, I had a very hard time making sense of it all. Still, I would recommend this for anyone who wants to see something that can actually scare them!

7. The Fearless Vampire Killers
With Roman Polanski back in the headlines again for all the wrong reasons, I thought I'd give this one another spin. This movie has a great, fairy-tale look to it. The snow-covered sets and countryside are amazing. Sharon Tate is drop-dead gorgeous. A fun little vampire movie!
 
8. The Girl Next Door (2007) - First time viewing
Rough, rough, rough stuff. Very grim, and I have a pretty high tolerance for 'difficult' movies. Nothing supernatural, no jump-scares, just real human monsters and the evil that people are capable of. Frightening to think this was based on a true story. Amazing performance by Blanche Baker, who has bravely secured herself a place as one of cinema's worst villains.

9. Deep Red (first time viewing)
Dario Argento delivers the goods as usual. More of a mystery/thriller with horrific elements sprinkled throughout, "Deep Red" kept me guessing--I was sure I figured out who the killer was, but I was wrong. It was cool to see a post "Blow-Up" David Hemmings, once again playing the role of man who isn't quite sure what he's really seen. And of course, since this is an Argento movie, there is a lot of very red blood and over-the-top violence! One annoyance was the movie couldn't decide whether to be in English or Italian with English subtitles, it kept switching back and forth. I know that was the director's intent but it kept taking me out of the movie. That aside, I enjoyed it.

10. Deadgirl (first time viewing)
Feels like sloppy seconds at this point, but it's my turn to jump on the Deadgirl bandwagon! (Bad joke, I know.) Sick and twisted but always interesting. I'm a big fan of any movie that shows people exploiting the supernatural, because let's face it, exploitation is what really would happen if people encountered something supernatural! Well maybe not exactly this way, but there are some sick people out there, right? Also a few good creepy scares and jumps, particularly in the first half.

11. Frightmare (first-time viewing)
Ah, the family that slays together, stays together. I didn't know much about this movie but I just bought the British Horror Quadruple Feature box set, which is actually a collection of 4 movies by the same British director, Pete Walker. This movie was interesting in that the "bad guy" is an elderly British woman! This was probably a nice slap in the face to the youth movement of the 60's and 70's, and the movie still holds up. A decent body count and some effective gore, but also many good interesting characters.

12. Zombieland (first-time viewing)
Wow! This movie was so fun, and kicked so much ass! This may represent the pinnacle of the modern zombie comedy. Great characters, great everything. I laughed, I applauded, I even shed a tear. I will not spoil anything by mentioning specifics--just go see it!

13. Paranormal Activity (first-time viewing)
You know, Blair Witch didn't work for me, and this one didn't either. (I really wanted to like both). Not enough story to keep me involved, and the scares just weren't working for me. The audience seemed split on this one--about half were saying "That's it?" when it was over (some even laughed in exasperation), but the other half seemed very scared by the movie. Unfortunately I fell into the former and not the latter group. Go see for yourself and decide.

14. The Nightmare Before Christmas
I've always liked this movie and now that I have kids, I guess I'm going to watch it every year. Not really horror but definitely has its place on a pre-Halloween viewing list!

15. Deathdream (aka Dead of Night) (first-time viewing)
It's low-budget and the acting is a little bit "TV-movie-ish", but this isn't a bad little slice of 70's Americana. If you're familiar with the short story "The Monkey's Paw", you'll get the setup for this movie. A mother refuses to accept that her son has died in Vietnam, and sure enough, he shows up at their doorstep--but he's different now. Required viewing for fans of Tom Savini, who contributed some frightfully effective makeup for this movie.

16. Trick 'r Treat (first-time viewing)
What a fun movie! Also a very good movie to get you into the Halloween mood! I liked the intertwining stories and creepy atmosphere. Tales of suburban paranoia never felt so good! At times the movie felt a little constrained by its low budget but that is a minor gripe. The emphasis was on dark humor and lots of tricks!

17. Mother of Tears (first-time viewing)
A worthy entry in Argento's "Three Mothers" trilogy. Very over-the-top at times (how about that meat cleaver to the face?) but always watchable and interesting.  Lots of gratuitous blood and nudity and violence--hurray!  Asia Argento's acting is probably the film's weakest element, given that she is in just about every scene, I wish they had gone with someone else.

18. A Tale of Two Sisters (first-time viewing)
I'm surprised I hadn't heard about this movie sooner, it is that good. I was a bit lost through a lot of the movie, but it made a lot more sense by the ending. I really want to see this one again now that I've put together a lot of things. A good mystery and very scary too!

19. Dance of the Dead
I first saw this one during last year's horror marathon; I believe Airboss recommended it and he hasn't steered me wrong yet. Very fun and funny! It held up well to a second viewing and I suspect I will continue to watch this for years to come.

20. Nightmare (first-time viewing)
I had to work in some Hammer Horror to my viewing list. This was a half-decent early 60's Hammer film. A little short on sympathetic or interesting characters but sometimes effectively creepy, but not enough of the time. We've seen all the standard elements of a these kind of psychological horror thrillers before: creepy house, woman doubting her sanity, a conspiracy, etc. so there's not much new here.

21. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) (first-time viewing)
It's easy to see why this is considered superior to the 1941 version of the movie. This movie brings to light Dr. Jekyll's real motivations for doing what he does: his sex drive! This movie features, among other things, a barely covered naked woman in a bed kissing the doctor, probably a movie first at the time. No wonder the man's hormones raged out of control! Mr. Hyde's manner is mostly comical to our modern eyes, what with his ape-like twitchiness, but some of the transformation scenes are still creepy.

 22. Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (first-time viewing)
Alternately strange and a delight, this 1970 Czech movie barely qualifies as horror, despite the presence of mysterious cloaked vampires, magic earrings, lecherous rapist priests and a woman being burned at the stake. It's presented in such a glowing beautiful way, it's more like a daydream than a nightmare. Don't bother trying to make sense of this one, though, that would be an exercise in frustration. Just sit back and enjoy the scenery.
 
23. Blacula (first-time viewing)
Not nearly as bad as I was anticipating, but certainly not in danger of becoming a classic. I was expecting deliberate camp and comedy, but for the most part they play this straight. The movie's more hokey qualities came from the usual 70s blaxploitation cliches and some stereotyped depictions of gays. The jive-talkin' and club music make this kinda fun at times (not to mention William Marshall's titular performance), but it's hard to understand why this was included on the "101 Horror Movies You Must See Before You Die" list.

24. Them (aka Ils) (first-time Viewing)
Who knew the French could put together an effective little horror thriller? If you fear bumps in the night and creaky houses, this has it in spades. Probably the most effective home-invasion movie scene since "Straw Dogs". The plot is a little thin and the movie is mostly one-note, but it's one note played very well. Entertaining and scary!

25. Hour of the Wolf (first-time viewing)
For Ingmar Bergman fans only. Bergman's only true horror film is maddening, nightmarish, frustrating and of course full of those brilliant Bergman moments that make the difficult viewing worthwhile. Things pick up in the final third when the movie takes a turn for the surreal. Also, it was interesting to see where the R.E.M. video "Losing My Religion" stole some of its imagery from. Don't watch this unless you have some experience with inpenetrable art films.

26. Silk (first-time viewing)
Very cool movie! It had ghosts, mystery, science fiction, and thrills. I liked the characters too, they were interesting and varied. This reminded me of some of the movies of the 80's that combined pseudo-science and metaphysics, such as "Brainstorm", "Altered States", "Dreamscape", but it was definitely up-to-date in its execution.

27. Phantom of the Opera (first-time viewing)
This version of Phantom isn't all bad: I liked the down-and-dirty version of London that is presented here, with roving bands of hags, a rat-catcher (of course the rats get loose) and lots of brackish dirty water. But there is much that is unsatisfying about this version: the Phantom doesn't do much himself, he has an "Igor"/"Quasimodo" assistant do most of his bidding, and the bad guy director doesn't get much of a come-uppance at the end. Watch the original silent instead.

28. Blue Sunshine (first-time viewing)
This movie preyed on the worst fears of the post-hippie generation. Remember that bad acid you did back in the late 60's? (I don't either, I was only a baby). Well, it comes back to haunt you 10 years later, making you lose your hair and turning you into a murderous maniac! Not really scary but a couple of disturbing scenes, the movie is more thriller than horror, but it's hard to take the movie as seriously as it seems to want us to.

29. Opera (first-time viewing)
Another stylish entry from Argento. That's 3 Argentos this month so far! Opera shows the director at his most confident. The camera whizzes pleasingly around the opera house and other settings. This hits on all the usual Argento images and does it well, but also a lot of energy and even humor. My only complaint is the Netflix DVD I received was a terrible transfer.

30. Wizard of Gore (first-time viewing)
This was an impressive, sleazy and stylish movie that I am surprised I haven't heard more about.  Don't expect subtlety--the movie is very "in your face" and doesn't let you forget you're watching a show, but the dark film noir-ish qualities and twisty/turny plot kept me fascinated.  Things got a little bogged down in the film's final act and left me wondering what the heck just happened.  A must-see for fans of weirdo actor Crispin Glover, who puts on a bravura performance as Montag the Magnificent. 

31. Daughters of Darkness (first-time viewing)
A European newlywed couple (looking much like the blonde half of ABBA) go to a summer resort in the winter, wanting solitude. Instead they encounter a mysterious Countess and her hottie "assistant" who seem to have a strong appetite for human blood. A little slow going at times, but beautifully atmospheric and modern-feeling despite being a 1971 movie.

32. Fear(s) of the Dark (first-time viewing)
Great little creepy animated feature! Six different French animators explore dark themes in stark black and white. Don't expect big, broad "Hollywood" type scares. Rather, sit back and soak up the dread, the discomfort, and the atmosphere. One of the segments truly didn't belong--an angsty philosphical piece that didn't seem to fit the overall theme--but aside from that, I was entranced. The final segment is required viewing for those of us lucky enough to have total blackout home theaters.
 

33. Halloween
The first and best of the "Halloween" movies, I know it's a bit of a cliche to watch this on Halloween night, but what the heck. Still effective after dozens of viewings. Donald Pleasence really raises this to something more than just a teen slasher. Strange to see Jamie Lee Curtis so young.

 

Edited by Bob McLaughlin - 11/1/09 at 7:14am

I wanted to post this in a separate post:

One of my goals this year is to polish off the remaining horror movies I haven't seen from the "101 Horror Movies You Must See Before You Die" book.  I have seen 83 of these, so 18 to go.  Some of the ones I haven't seen are not available on Netflix but many are.  Please feel free to use this list for reference!

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1919)
The Golem (1920)
Häxan (1922)
Nosferatu (1922)
The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
Dracula (1931)
M (1931)
Frankenstein (1931)
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)
Vampyr (1932)
Freaks (1932)
White Zombie (1932)
The Old Dark House (1932)
Island of Lost Souls (1932)
King Kong (1933)
The Black Cat (1934)
The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
The Wolf Man (1941)
Cat People (1942)
I Walked with a Zombie (1943)
Diabolique (1955)
The Bad Seed (1956)
The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)
The Horror of Dracula (1958)
The Tingler (1959)
Eyes Without a Face (1959)
Peeping Tom (1960)
Black Sunday (1960)
Psycho (1960)
The Innocents (1961)
Carnival of Souls (1962)
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
The Haunting (1963)
The Birds (1963)
Onibaba (1964)
The Masque of the Red Death (1964)
Repulsion (1965)
Viy (1967)
Hour of the Wolf (1968)
The Devil Rides Out (1968)
Rosemary's Baby (1968)
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (1970)
The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971)
Daughters of Darkness (1971)
Blacula (1972)
The Last House on the Left (1972)
The Exorcist (1973)
The Wicker Man (1973)
Don't Look Now (1973)
Deathdream (1974)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Deep Red (1975)
Jaws (1975)
The Omen (1976)
Carrie (1976)
Eraserhead (1977)
Suspiria (1977)
The Hills Have Eyes (1977)
Halloween (1978)
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)
Phantasm (1979)
The Brood (1979)
Cannibal Holocaust (1980)
Dressed to Kill (1980)
Friday the 13th (1980)
The Shining (1980)
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
The Howling (1981)
The Beyond (1981)
Poltergeist (1982)
The Hunger (1983)
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Re-Animator (1985)
The Fly (1986)
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)
A Chinese Ghost Story (1987)
Hellraiser (1987)
Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn (1987)
The Vanishing (1988)
Jacob's Ladder (1990)
The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Man Bites Dog (1991)
Candyman (1992)
Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)
Cemetery Man (1994)
Scream (1996)
Ringu (1998)
Audition (1999)
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
The Sixth Sense (1999)
The Devil's Backbone (2001)
The Others (2001)
28 Days Later (2002)
A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)
High Tension (2003)
Ju-on (2003)
Saw (2004)
The Descent (2005)
The Orphanage (2007)

First time views are in red.

1) John Carpenter's Prince Of Darkness (1987) 
2) The Howling (1981) 
3) The Midnight Meat Train (2008) 
4) Alien (1986) 1/2
Edited by Angel Pagan - 10/27/09 at 2:14pm

For the life of me I don't understand the appeal of THE DESCENT.  My girlfriend and I went to see it the day it opened and everyone in there was bored out of their mind.  It really felt like being at a diner somewhere because everyone was just having casual conversations.  They weren't loud or rude but everyone was obviously not into the movie. 

I'm with you. I didn't see The Descent until it hit video so maybe I just heard too much hype but I didn't care for it at all. On the positive side, I did find the movie pretty nerve wracking when the girls were crawling around the cave (prior to the monsters coming into the plot) and I'm not even claustrophobic.

Reserved.

I will be watching both films and televison shows.  It might be fun to have two categories (one for each).  It's just a thought, either for this year or a subsequent year.

I will be watching my first film later this evening (or rather, at about a minute or two after midnight early this morning).  I will be starting my viewing off with a 1954 favorite of mine, The Creature From the Black Lagoon.  I haven't seen it since last October. ;)

I watched 35 films during October of last year.  If I can top that, I'll be quite pleased. :)

Got started in the early morning hours. I'll try and get more in before tonight, as I've got a midnight screening to go to.

Sole Survivor (1983) - decided to start off the challenge with a personal favorite, which is exactly what this film is. A woman is the sole survivor of a plane crash, but along with the luck, she can't shake the more sinister feeling that something is off. What's more, she's continuously being watched by various people, none of whom appear to be very vibrant or full of life. This moody little chiller was directed by Thom Eberhardt, a man better known for the lighter "Night of the Comet". While I enjoy that film, I feel that this one is more deserving of the spotlight. One could also say that the first "Final Destination" owes more than a nod to it. The lead character, Denise (Anita Skinner), can be somewhat annoying and there's a cheesy romantic subplot, but for the most part, the film works quite well. It sets a somber tone from the get-go, the scenes of Denise being watched are suitably creepy and everything comes to a head in a clever climax. I was happy when this was finally released on DVD, though the transfer isn't as good as I'd hoped.
 

The St. Francisville Experiment (2000, First time viewing) - a "Blair Witch" ripoff involving four people who go ghost hunting in a supposedly haunted Louisiana mansion. Unlike the gem it's ripping off, there is nothing frightening here unless you consider bad acting to be scary. This is truly a film where nothing happens. It's a bore. We also get some priceless dialogue like this choice exchange:
 

"There's a dead bird."
 

"How badly dead is it?"
 

This thing is also notable for having what is probably the stupidest cat jump scare I've ever seen.

 

Edited by Justin_S - 10/1/09 at 6:15am

You're off to a great start, Justin!

I wish I'd been able to get another title under my belt last night, but staying up until 1:30 was enough for me on a work night.

I've often wondered about St. Francisville, but I recall our tastes as being similar from the old Gorezone days, so I'll likely skip this one.

Out of 

10/01/09 Obsession (1976)  1/2
10/01/09 Mark of the Devil (1985)  1/2
10/02/09 Lizard in a Woman's Skin  1/2
10/03/09 An American Werewolf in London  1/2
10/03/09 Don't Torture a Duckling
10/04/09 Flesh Eaters 
10/05/09 The Lodger (1944)
10/05/09 28 Weeks Later  1/2
10/06/09 Psychic
10/06/09 Daughter of the Mind 1/2

10/07/09 The Maid
10/08/09 Laid to Rest
10/08/09 Octane  1/2
10/09/09 Diary
10/10/09 Cinderella
10/10/09 Deadgirl  1/2
10/10/09 Resurrected
10/10/09 Bloody Reunion  1/2
10/10/09 Hangover Square
10/10/09 Alice, Sweet Alice  1/2

10/11/09 Woman in Black
10/12/09 What Have You Done to Solange?
10/12/09 Cookers
10/13/09 Hound of the Baskervilles (1959)
10/13/09 Night of the Demons 1/2
10/16/09 Nightmare on Elm Street 1/2
10/17/09 Terrorvision
10/17/09 Innocents (1999)
10/18/09 Baby Blues 1/2
10/19/09 Zombie 1/2

10/20/09 Walking Dead 1/2
10/20/09 Plague of the Zombies
10/20/09 Dead Snow 1/2
10/21/09 Burrowers
10/23/09 City of the Living Dead
10/23/09 Don't Look Now
10/24/09 Brain Eaters 1/2
10/24/09 Jack the Ripper (1959) 1/2
10/25/09 Corpse Vanishes
10/25/09 Old Dark House (1963) 1/2

10/26/09 Dead and Breakfast 1/2
10/27/09 Prophecy, The (1995) 1/2
10/28/09 Children, The (2008)
10/29/09 Mister Frost 1/2
10/30/09 She Creature (1956)
10/30/09 Ape, The 1/2
10/31/09 Swamp Thing 1/2
10/31/09 Dragonwyck 1/2
10/31/09 Power, The
10/31/09 Pyx, The 1/2
Edited by Sandro - 11/7/09 at 4:32pm

Getting home at 9PM gave me an advantage of starting at midnight.  I'm off until Monday so this will probably be my only shot at racking up some series.

Started off with ol' FRANKENSTEIN as in the previous years and then moved onto CHILDREN OF THE CORN and its remake.  The remake was better but not by much.  After watching the two I'm really worried about going through all the sequels but we'll see how it goes.


Frankenstein (1910)
 

J. Searle Dawley

Historic adaptation of the famous novel from Edison was considered lost for decades but thankfully a print (now two prints) was discovered to be in pretty good condition.  The film tells the story of a doctor (Augustus Phillips) who creates a monster (Charles Ogle) and soon learns to regret it.  This is certainly a classic to the genre that certainly lacks in many departments but there's no denying the underline power of the story and some very good touches throughout the running time.  I've always been fascinated by the make up effects here.  They are quite simple yet effective and one can't help but notice the similarities to the work Chaney would do on himself in THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME.  It's easy to see how the creation sequence was done but it's still quite surreal and very memorable.  Those looking for a "true" adaptation of the novel won't find it here but the film remains an interesting part of history and on that level it's a must see for anyone interested in films.
 

Children of the Corn (1984)
 

Fritz Kiersch

Peter Horton and Linda Hamilton play a couple driving through Nebraska on their way to a new job when they run over a child in the street.  Turns out someone had already slashed his throat and soon the couple find themselves in a creepy town ran by satanic kids.  The films taken from the work of Stephen King were always hit and miss but for some reason this one has become a cult favorite over the years.  I'm really not sure why that is because I've always found this first entry to be rather boring, bland and at times rather laughably bad.  I know it might be a sin for a viewer to put logic in a horror film because I'm sure 95% of them could be ripped to pieces if you did that.  However, it's really impossible for me to overlook the logical problems here and a lot of these are the reason why the film doesn't work as well as it could have.  I think the atmosphere is about right as we get that deserted town feel but very little is done with it.  It seems like the director is stuck between a rock and a hard place as they want to go for creepy thrills but at the same time they're obligated to throw in cheap gore to please the slasher films of the time.  In the end I think the film fails on both levels as its not scary and it's too slow to work in the slasher mode.  Horton and Hamilton are decent, if nothing special while most of the kids come off quite annoying.  To make matters worse, the screenplay has way too many loose ends, the music score is downright horrid and the special effects are eye opening bad. 
 

Children of the Corn (2009)
 

Donald P. Borchers
 

Remake of the 1984 cult film based on Stephen King's short story.  This time out a fighting couple (David Anders, Kandyse McClure) are driving to California but while going through the corn they hit and kill a young kid.  Soon they learn that this town is ran by a lot of the little evil ones who killed all the adults years earlier as part of their cult ritual.  The debate on remakes will never die but I'm not of the fan of the original film so I thought a reworking of the material might have been a good idea.  There are a few interesting changes here and the story goes towards a different direction after the first thirty-minutes but this isn't the good film one might have hoped for.  Considering how short King's original story was, one has to wonder if you can really make a 90-minute story out of it and make it work.  I liked the fact that they hired a black actress because the black female/white male isn't something we see in too many horror films.  That was an original take and I enjoyed a few of the other changes including not having a supporting story wrapped around a couple of the kids who are against the cult.  These changes are good but the final thirty-minutes of the film really fall apart because there's just not enough energy to make various scenes work.  For starters, we get a rather extended chase sequence through the corn fields, which really seems like them trying to push the running time up.  The scene goes on for what seems like forever and it really began to bore me.  The entire film seems to be built in pieces and they never really come together in the end but again, I think this might have to do more with the brief story it's based on.  The performances by the children were better here than in the original film but I'm sure much debate will follow on the leads.  I didn't mind either one, although I do think McClure goes a bit over the top during several scenes.  I really don't blame her for this because it seems the director simply didn't give her much to play off or just didn't keep her grounded.  She's certainly easy on the eyes though.  Rumor has it that another remake is in the works and if so, hopefully it'll do a tad bit more because the first two haven't worked. 
 

Oct. 1:

01. Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954)     1/2
02. Burnt Offerings (1976)   

I hope to watch at least one more (maybe two if I'm feeling up to it) for October 1. :)

I was up much too late last night!  But after Lagoon finished, I was surfing a few channels and found Burnt Offerings.  I didn't get around to seeing this one last year, and it had been at least twenty years since I had last seen it.  It was directed by Dan Curtis.  Did anyone pick up on the little boy's name being David? ;)

I noticed a couple of other things about Lagoon that I hadn't picked up on before.  The Gill Man doesn't seem to show much evidence of breathing under water.  What I mean to say is that somehow, the director seems to have taken some time to figure out how to make the Gill Man seem more amphibean than human under water.  I was watching for bubbles, and didn't see nearly as many as I would have thought I should see.  I think watching the special features might shed some light on this.

The underwater photography really is wonderful.  And, despite having seen the film many times, there are still some chilling moments in it that never fail to surprise me.  Some of these are the few times when the Gill Man begins to climb the boat, and when the camera picks him up hovering under water in the seaweed, looking up at various people.  I think that's very well done.

BTW, when I saw Russell's tally for the 9th Annual..., I noticed this:

Ockeghem 35 (10) 13 others

You have no idea how many hours it took me to calculate that there would be exactly 13 others.... ;)

Russell,

Do we still have the capability of rating what we watched with red stars?  Or, better yet, Jim_K (from the Official 9th Annual ...) used skulls.  I like that!  I can't find the stars (or skulls) anywhere....

Update:

01. Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954) 4.5
02. Burnt Offerings (1976) 3.0

Edited by Ockeghem - 10/1/09 at 11:12am

October 1

1. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

I started the challenge off with a classic. Everything that can be said about this movie has already been said a bunch of times before. And for anyone with a Blu-ray player, I highly recommend picking this disc up because the movie has never looked better.

I'm off to the movie theater to catch a new viewing...

October 1st:

-SHE DEMON(1966). Barbra Steele looks pretty fetching in this one, and the premise is rather good.  A vengeful witch returns 200 years after being killed by the townfolk to terrorize the small village.
Unfortunately, about half way through it starts to run out of steam and becomes more boring than creepy.  GRADE: C

-LADY FRANKENSTEIN(1972). Baron Frankenstein is kind of a pushover in this film.  It's his daughter that does the damage.  Quite atmospheric. The monster of Frankenstein looks silly, but this movie held my interest. GRADE: B

Russell,

For some reason, I still cannot see these stars on the post box.  Okay, the smilie emoticon triggers the box.  Gotcha.

Thanks, BTW. :)

Russell,

Yep, I figured that out (see the post above yours).  Thanks again.

I hope Radioman plays along.  It's not a party without him.

Seconded. :)

Hope you play, Radioman!

2. Pandorum

Since it's a new movie, I won't spoil anything but it started off with some interesting mysteries. Unfortunately, the mysteries take forever to get answered and they pile on mysteries and 'twists'. The plot became murky to the point of where I didn't even care what was happening by the end. The editing was so rapid (probably to cover the rubber mask effects on the monsters) that it was occasionally hard to follow the action sequences. I've seen worse but I wasn't surprised to see someone walk out before the movie ended.

(bold = new viewing)