*** Official 10th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge 2009 *** - Page 21

I never thought I'd see IT'S A WONDER LIFE and The Munsters in the same topic but thanks Joe.

The show alway struck me as something for 5-year-old kids so hearing you say it ended because they switched to Batman just backs up my thoughts. 

Return of the Living Dead (1985)

My God, this was funny. I enjoyed this even more than Shaun of the Dead which was also great. This is obviously a spoof of the George Romero classic and starts with a pair of "idiots" that release a poisonous gas stored by the military that has detrimental effects on the local cemetary. The rest of the story is about a group of people including some wayward teens that try to evade having their brains eaten by the zombie hoards. These zombies are different because they can run, talk, and think. A classic scene is where zombies are feasting on some cops brains and one gets on the car phone and states " Send more cops". That's just one of many classic scenes. I also loved the interplay between the two "idiots" and their boss. Hilarious stuff. Love this movie. 

All the Kind Strangers (1974)

Really creepy story about a group of backwoods kids who lure strangers to their farm in order to keep them as parents. Stacy Keech plays Jimmy Wheeler a photojournalist who meets a young boy carrying groceries and offers to drive him home. Once there he finds out it's not so easy to leave since there are trained guard dogs watching the house and the property is rigged with booby traps. Though not enough substance to the story it still was a fairly decent tv movie and good for a one time watch.

Twice Told Tales (1963)

A collection of three short films based on short stories written by Nathaniel Hawthorn. Included here is: Dr. Heidegger's Experiment about two old friends one of which discovers an elixir that restores one's youth. He uses this elixir on his long dead fiance to restore her back to life.

Rappaccini's Daughter is about a mad doctor who in order to keep his daughter safe from men, experiments on her so that anyone that might touch her withers and turns to ash. The third story is my least favourite, House of Seven Gables about a curse that was put on the men of a family and their descendents by a rival family. Of the Vincent Price Scream collection this is the fourth movie I've watched and so far my least favourite. I just didn't find the tales told here captivating enough to want to watch again.
 

Edited by PatW - 10/25/09 at 12:35pm

One can say that about so many of the very cartoons and Halloween/monster films we all love. Or all the other comedy shows and comedy teams, etc., etc. ( "Nyuk, Nyuk, Nyuk" as Curly of the Three Stooges might say).

Edited by Joe Karlosi - 10/25/09 at 11:33am

TV:

The Munsters: "Happy 100th Anniversary"  -- Herman and Lily are celebrating their anniversary, so both decide to take jobs to earn extra money to buy each other a special gift. Problem is, they both get hired by the same company as welders wearing masks, and flirt with each other, unaware that they're cheating with their own spouses ( promiscuity content not recommended for the kiddies     ).   

80. Halloween (1978)
A maniac escapes a mental hospital, returns to his home town and murders people. John Carpenter's best movie and my personal favorite movie of all time.

81. Halloween II (1981)
Picking up right where the original left off, The Shape continues to try and kill Laurie. In the realm of slasher sequels, I think this movie is pretty good. The majority of the cast, crew and locations are all the same so you can buy that both movies happen in one place (unlike most sequels where any old house is the Myers house and any town that is giving them a tax break is Haddonfield). I enjoy a few more of the Halloween sequels but it would have been really cool if this was the end of the Michael Myers saga.

I loved "Dance of the Dead." I hope to be able to watch it again for this year's challenge.

"Dark Floors" had some great visuals, but the ending really messed it up for me.

I haven't had time to write reviews, but here's what I've watched so far:
1)CHAMBER OF HORRORS(1966)
2)HALLOWEEN(1978)
3)NOSFERATU(1922)
4)ED WOOD(1994)
5)DRACULA(1931)
6)DRACULA'S DAUGHTER(1936)
7)SON OF DRACULA(1943)
8)MARK OF THE VAMPIRE(1935)
9)HORROR OF DRACULA(1958)
10)BRIDES OF DRACULA(1960)
11)THE WALKING DEAD(1936)
12)RETURN OF THE VAMPIRE(1943)
13)FRANKENSTEIN(1931)
14)BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN(1935-35mm theatrical screening)
15)KING KONG(1933)
16)THE ADVENTURES OF ICHABOD AND MR. TOAD(1949)
17)THE MAN WHO LAUGHS(1928)
18)MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE(1932)
19)THE GHOUL(1933)
20)FREAKS(1932)
21)WHITE ZOMBIE(1932)
22)THE OLD DARK HOUSE(1932)
23)THE STRANGE DOOR(1951)
24)SLEEPY HOLLOW(1999)
25)WEREWOLF OF LONDON(1935)
26)THE WOLFMAN(1941)
27)NIGHT OF THE DEMON(1957)
28)THE MUMMY(1932)
29)THE MUMMY'S HAND(1940)
30)THE MUMMY'S TOMB(1942)
31)THE MUMMY'S GHOST(1944)
32)THE MUMMY'S CURSE(1944)
33)THE BLACK CAT(1934)
34)THE RAVEN(1935)
35)THE INVISIBLE RAY(1936)

Oct. 25:

Films:

Jason and the Argonauts (1963)

This one is a special effects masterpiece.  It has land monsters (hydra, harpies, and Talos), a sea monster of sorts (Poseidon), the agony of Phinneas, and the fascinating Prince of Persia-like skeleton finale introduced with the Dies Irae.  A few unexpected twists and turns along the way are also quite nice.  The melodic outlining of an ascending diminished triad permeates much of the film, and was to be used later in the career or B. Herrmann quite effectively.

Although I have seen this film numerous times in my life thus far, I never realized until tonight that Medea is played by the same actress (Nancy Kovak) who played Nona in the TOS episode A Private Little War.  It's somewhat odd that I never picked up on that before tonight.

Scooby Doo (2002) 1/2

Spooky islands, creepy creatures, and a host of other things that go bump in the night make this a fun film for the family.

Television episodes:

Dark Shadows (Original series) (episode no. 46) (1966) 
 

Burke phones Roger telling him to be at the meeting that Bill arranged. Bill tries to convince Sam to go to the meeting that night with Roger and Burke. Victoria has been invited by Maggie to have dinner so she can meet Sam Evans; Roger doesn't want her to go. Burke, Roger and Sam show up at Roger's office, but Bill has not yet shown up.

http://www.darkshadows.com/cgi-bin/eplist.pl?ep=46

Dark Shadows (Original series) (episode no. 47) (1966)

Elizabeth is concerned that Roger is going to be sacrificed to save the rest of the family. Roger, Burke and Sam wait for Bill, who has not shown up, they try to call him. Tired of waiting Roger decides to leave, he wants to give Burke back the pen he gave to Carolyn, but Roger cannot find it. Elizabeth asks Roger if he did send Burke to prison when he was innocent. Roger claims that his truthful testimony on the witness stand sent Burke to prison.

http://www.darkshadows.com/cgi-bin/eplist.pl?ep=47

Dark Shadows (Original series) (episode no. 48) (1966)  1/2
 

Victoria compliments David for a picture he has drawn, however he becomes angry when he finds that she has shown it to his father. Burke sends David a crystal ball as a gift. Joe shows up with some paperwork that Bill was supposed to handle and informs Elizabeth that Bill is missing. Victoria tells Elizabeth that Bill was upset the night before and had invited Roger to a meeting. David looks into his crystal ball and tells Victoria that Bill Malloy is dead, and that his father killed him.

http://www.darkshadows.com/cgi-bin/eplist.pl?ep=48

Dark Shadows (Original series) (episode no. 49) (1966)

Everyone is talking about how Bill is missing. Joe is unhappy with Carolyn because of her recent trip to Bangor to meet with Burke. Burke is determined to find out what happened to Bill. Burke shows up at Collinwood to talk with Roger, who isn't home. Maggie asks her father about Bill, Burke, and Roger, he tells her to mind her own business, and angrily and spills paint the portrait of Burke that he has been working on.

http://www.darkshadows.com/cgi-bin/eplist.pl?ep=49

Update:

Films:

01. The Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954)  1/2
02. Burnt Offerings (1976)
03. R. L. Stine's The Haunting Hour (2007)  1/2
04. The Three Stooges ("We Want Our Mummy") (1939)  1/2
05. The Three Stooges ("Spook Louder") (1943)
06. The Three Stooges ("Hot Scots") (1948)
07. The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971)  1/2
08. Games (1967) 
09. The Monster That Challenged the World (1957)
10. Halloweentown (1998)
11. The Screaming Skull (1958)  1/2
12. Tales of Terror (1962) 
13. Halloweentown II (Kalabar's Revenge) (2001)
14. The Fly (1958)
15. Them! (1954)  1/2
16. Signs (2002)  1/2
17. Halloweentown High (2004)  1/2
18. Return To Halloweentown (2006)
19. Revenge Of the Creature (1955)
20. The Bad Seed (1956) 
21. The Creature Walks Among Us (1956)  1/2
22. Mostly Ghostly: Who Let the Ghosts Out? (2008) 
23. The Three Stooges ("If A Body Meets A Body") (1945)
24. The Three Stooges ("The Ghost Talks") (1949)  1/2
25. The Haunted Mansion (2003)  1/2
26. Tower of Terror (1997)  1/2
27. The Giant Gila Monster (1959)  1/2
28. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
29. Frankenstein (1931)
30. House On Haunted Hill (1959) 
31. The Blob (1958)  1/2
32. Return of the Fly (1959)  1/2
33. Jason and the Argonauts (1963)
34. Scooby Doo (2002) 1/2

Television episodes:

01. The Avengers ("Castle De'ath") (1965)
02. Charmed ("From Here To Eternity") (1999) 
03. Scooby Doo, Where Are You! ("A Night of Fright Is No Delight") (1969)  1/2
04. Scooby Doo, Where Are You! ("That's Snow Ghost") (1969)  1/2
05. Mr. Monk Goes Home Again (2005) 
06. It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966) 
07. Dark Shadows (Episode no. 78) (1966)
08. Dark Shadows (Episode no. 79) (1966)
09. Scooby Doo, Where Are You! ("Bedlam In the Big Top") (1969)  1/2

10. Scooby Doo, Where Are You! ("Scooby-Doo, and a Mummy Too") (1969)  1/2

11. Wizards of Waverly Place ("Franken-girl") (2009)

12. The Waltons ("Ghost Story") (1974)

13. 7th Heaven ("Halloween") (1996)  1/2
14. Jonas ("The Tale of the Haunted Firehouse") (2009)
15. Charmed ("All Halliwell's Eve") (2000) 
16. The Nightmare Room ("Camp Nowhere" pts. 1 and 2; "Don't Forget Me"; "Full Moon Halloween") (2002)
17. Wizards of Waverly Place ("Monster Hunter") (2009)
18. Strawberry Shortcake ("Moonlight Mysteries") (2005)  1/2
19. Dark Shadows (Original series) (episode no. 46) (1966)
20. Dark Shadows (Original series) (episode no. 47) (1966)
21. Dark Shadows (Original series) (episode no. 48) (1966) 1/2
22. Dark Shadows (Original series) (episode no. 49) (1966)

 

Edited by Ockeghem - 10/27/09 at 7:28am

I'm lucky in that I've never had trouble with motion sickness. The only time shaky cam has gotten to me was once when I was already dizzy from a sinus infection.


Noroi: The Curse (2005, FTV) - Kobayashi is a documentary filmmaker who is fascinated by the paranormal. Always looking for new cases to document, he and his cameraman begin investigating a series of freakish events that are seemingly unconnected, but will prove to be. Rather than Blair Witch, this one reminded me of The Last Broadcast due to all the different footage involved. There's a sinister atmosphere from the start, but the film manages to be quite funny at times through it's use of stupid variety show footage. If you're familiar with these shows, you know how ripe for lampooning they really are. The storyline itself is quite complex, particularly for the hand held subgenre. There are multiple strands and a deep mythology to interpret. It also isn't your typical Asian horror with long-haired ghosts, thank goodness. Instead, we get some legitimate scares through mood and build-up. When a we see the flier that says a key character has gone missing, it's enough to give you a chill all on it's own thanks to what we've seen beforehand. There are also a few choice scenes that will stay with you. The two scenes that got the biggest reaction out of me both revolved around Marika, a likable actress who gets caught up in the occurences through an on location TV shoot. The first involves going back to the tapes and catching something in the frame with her, the second has her losing control in Kobayashi's house as pigeons smash into the window. The mystery at the core is intriguing to watch unfold. At 115 minutes, the film didn't feel too long to me. Big compliment, as hand held horror typically works better when it's short and to the point.

The Spell (1977, FTV) - middling TV movie about a slightly chubby teen who is teased by her sister and classmates. She begins getting even when she is taught how to be a witch by her gym teacher. This was obviously inspired by Carrie, though this one underdevelops the high school turmoil in favor of the girl's miserable family life. There is nary a likable character present here. In fact, I haven't disliked characters this much since Mario Azzopardi's Deadline, a film where I literally wanted to jump on screen and kill the wife with my bare hands. The girl's father is a dick, plain and simple. I was hoping for his gruesome demise the entire time. Her sister isn't much better. I hated these people so much that I was hoping they'd focus more on the school as opposed to the family. I did like Lelia Goldoni as the gym teacher, but she has about three scenes total. Characters aside, there are a few good moments. The opening with the popular girl pulling off circus style tricks on the gym rope was fun. We also get a bizarre death scene where a woman's skin starts burning and the confrontation between student and teacher is well done. Really though, this is nothing special. Along with what's already been mentioned, we also have to deal with one of those horrid TV scores and there's a twist at the end that's pretty weak.

82. Halloween III: The Season Of The Witch

Tom Atkins is a doctor who helps a young woman figure out who killed her father. They uncover a larger conspiracy to kill millions of children with a TV broadcast and Halloween masks. I say it every time Halloween III is brought up but if this movie was just called Season Of The Witch, it would have a much better reputation. Not to say that it's a great movie (I like it but it ain't art) but it wouldn't just be "Isn't that the one that Michael Myers isn't in?" either.

And maybe it's just me but I have to wonder why Tom Atkins was always a stud in Carpenter movies. He picks up Jamie Lee Curtis in The Fog and 5 minutes later, he's banging her and in this movie, he's nailing a girl half his age that he met a day or two before. Nothing against the guy but he doesn't look like he's gotta fight off the ladies.

I love this movie as well but I'll always remember it for getting my ass in trouble back in 5th grade (it might have been 4th).  I remember my "homework" was to come up with a rare part of history that many might not have known about our state.  I was born in and still live in KY so my buddy and I thought it would be a good idea to tell people about the zombie attack and missile launch that hit Louisville back in the early 80s.  Of course, it never crossed our mind that the movie might have been making things up but Monday morning we turned in our "report", which was basically just the events in this film.  It never dawned on us to explain the follow up to the end of this movie but our parents got called and this is the first time it hit me that you shouldn't believe what movies tell you.
 

[Rec] (2007)

Jaume Balaguero, Paco Plaza

Extremely intense horror film has a news woman (Manuela Velasco) and her cameraman doing a TV show and following a group of firemen as they do their job.  They are called to an apartment building where a woman is having some type of fit but once there they discover a lot more is going on and soon they have been locked up inside the complex and the health officials on the outside refuse to let them out.  Soon more people begin to get bitten and transform into some type of creature.  This is yet another film where a hand held camera tells the entire story, which is something we've seen in stuff like THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT and DIARY OF THE DEAD.  This film here is extremely fast paced, intense and has several scenes that will certainly have you jumping out of your seat.  This is an incredibly well made little thriller that's a rare example of a hyped up horror film that actually lives up to everything you've heard.  I really wouldn't call the film original because I think it takes the NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD set up and mixes it with the hand held camera but even though it's not original it still proves to be the perfect example of how to pull everything off correctly.  The movie works so well that you honestly feel as if you're there in the building and actually going along with the survivors and facing the danger just as they are.  The film also does a good job at letting us get to know the survivors and make us feel for them and their struggle to survive.  I really enjoyed the interview segments where we get to know them as this perfectly sets up everything that's going to follow.  The murder sequences are handled very well and while there's a bit of gore, the majority of them are done for suspense.  The film is put together in a way that you honestly feel as if the footage is uncut, which is a major plus because the atmosphere inside this building is terrific.  Velasco gives a terrific performance as the news woman even though I'd say her character gets a tad bit annoying in spots.  Ferran Terraza, Jorge Serrano and David Vert all give fine performances as well.  The ending, which I won't spoil, has a couple marvelous sequences including one extremely dark scene that will make anyone jump.  It's very refreshing when a horror film like this comes along and actually lives up to everything you've heard about it. 

Quarantine (2008)
 

John Erick Dowdle
 

I'm one who thinks remakes aren't always a bad thing but ever so often you get one that's scene for scene, which is pretty much what this thing here turned out to be.  This is a remake of the Spanish film [REC] from one year earlier and that's certainly the film people should check out.  As in the original, a female reporter (Jennifer Carpenter) and her cameraman are hanging out and shooting a documentary with a fire crew when they are called to an apartment.  What appears to be your average call turns into a nightmare as everyone gets locked inside as some virus is causing the residents to turn into creatures.  This film actually has a lot in common with the remakes of PSYCHO and THE OMEN and that's the rare case where the new version does very little to change anything from the first film.  This American remake features the exact same set up, the exact build up and the exact same ending and you really have to ask yourself what the point was.  There's a key element to what's going on that's left out here but that doesn't hurt or help the film any more.  This thing comes off as a major disappointment considering how great the original film was but it's unfair to judge the two together so I'll just focus on this film.  This time out I had a major problem getting involved in the film because not once did I feel any part of the action.  Not once did I feel I was trapped inside this apartment complex and this is a major problem.  Another problem is that there wasn't an ounce of suspense but this here could be due to me watching this less than 24-hours after viewing the original film.  This is a remake where it seems like the filmmakers studied the original for hours and then tried to copy what they watched but in the end the movie feels watered down, weak and just all around tame.  There's not a single second in this movie that can compare to the original so I don't see the point of this film.  Is it a bad movie?  No, it's decent in its own right but there's just not a point to it.  I think they could have mixed things up a lot better but in the end it just comes off as rather lazy and uninspired.

 

21) The Howling (1980)                            

I didn't enjoy it anywhere near as much as An American Werewolf in London. I think I actually got bored between the five and fifty-five minute marks, and then didn't enjoy the special effects as much as I did in Werewolf in London. The whole moving-to-the-country sequence really put me off; I would have liked to see all of that get dumped and replaced with a sentence or two, to make more room for fun stuff. The famous "transformation scene" half-way in didn't do it for me, but the final scene is a ripsnorter. Thoroughly enjoyed that part.

22) The Cook, The Thief, His Wife... (1989)

Not conventional horror, but an arthouse flick which creates an atmosphere of intense terror. It has similar preoccupations to Hannibal Lecter. This movie introduced me to Peter Greenaway, which was mainly a bad thing, as I never actually enjoyed any of his movies that didn't have a horror element to them. The good ones all are archly composed, but usually have family members doing horrible things to one another.

Saw VI (2009)

Delivers the goods for fans of the SAW series, and it's amazing how the writers still manage to conjure up new ways of featuring Tobin Bell as Jigsaw, via some very interesting flashback sequences. This time Detective Hoffman is carrying on Jigsaw's legacy of setting deadly games of death for selected victims, and he's trying to blame the murders on Agent Strahm. The main pawn this time is an unscrupulous health insurance provider who denies claims to chronically sick people when they need coverage most. That's a target most audience members can jeer against.  On a side note, I think it's very impressive that a new chapter in this series has managed to make it to theaters in time for Halloween, every year like clockwork. Even the extensive FRIDAY THE 13TH saga never managed to pull that off.

Saw (2004)

I revisited the first one that started it all, and what struck me is how modest it plays now after having seen all the much more elaborate sequels. It's advised therefore to see SAW before any of the subsequent entries. I'll never forget how impressed I was with the novel concept of this horror film when I first discovered it: a man dying of cancer decides to play elaborate games of potential death on people who foolishly do not appreciate the value of life and take their health for granted. In this opener of what was destined to become a hugely popular franchise, two young men awake inside an unknown dilapidated building,  each one helplessly chained, and find themselves the targets in a crazy game of survival by the unique serial killer nicknamed "Jigsaw". Danny Glover (LETHAL WEAPON) co-stars as the detective following the case. One of the freshest horror movies to come along in the 21st century, exceptionally written and executed by the young team of Leigh Whannell (who plays one of the doomed prisoners) and James Wan (who directed).  


TV:

The Munsters: "Lily's Star Boarder" -- A young man moves into a spare room at the Munster home to aid in his secret work. Herman and Grandpa snoop around and begin to suspect he's a criminal, when in reality he's a police lieutenant.

Out of
First time viewings in BLOOD

One Body Too Many (1944)
A run-of-the-mill "Old Dark House" thriller, the highlight being Bela Lugosi as a creepy butler who slinks around trying to get the guests to drink some poisoned coffee.

Motor Psycho (1965)
A biker gang goes on a rampage raping and torturing women, the tables get turned when a victim's husband and a buxom widow team up to seek revenge. Pretty much your typical Russ Meyer feature......Extra large boobs and violence in B&W.

The Body Snatcher (1957)
A mad scientist replaces the brains of pro wrestlers with that of animal livestock. Heh... well why not? My first taste of the ultra weird Mexican Wrestling/Horror genre and I ended up spitting it back out. Pttu!

I just assumed that the titular 'witch' is referring to the old man since he uses the mystical black arts to slay children rather than the usual green-skin with a pointy hat witch.

Michael,

What does [Rec] signify before some of your titles?

[REC] is the title of a movie.  A pretty decent movie too.

Bob,

Thanks.  For some reason, I thought I had seen that title a few times (more than once, anyway).  I thought it was some sort of rating (or other) mnemonic.

 First time viewings are shown in RED.

20) The Return of Doctor X (1932)
This Mad scientist style horror film had an interesting potential story that just never seem to work well. I wanted to like it more than I did. But try as I might the contrived humor and mile wide plot holes kept me from it. Still see Humphrey Bogart in his only Sci-Fi or Horror role was worth the price of admission.

21) Cirque De Freak: The Vampire's Apprentice (2009)
This movie is an obvious attempt to cash in on the "Twilight" phenomenon. You've got teenage angst and the splintered factions of the vampire community waring with each other. Also the movie was filmed with the obvious intention of creating a vampire franchise. We have the introduction of a teenage villain and a teenage hero with both having an elder mentor. It felt contrived and unnecessary.

22) Mad Love (1932)

This was one of the best movies I have seen from the 30s era. The movie centers around a beautiful actress and a genius doctor that is obsessed with her. This movie was very well paced some very suspenseful moments. The story was also told very well with no obvious plot holes. Strongly recommended.

 

Against my better judgment I have decided to watch the Saw series as part of the challenge. Since these movies are basically a single continually told story line, I’ll count them separately but save my comments until after I’ve viewed the entire series of realesed movies.

23) Saw 2 (2005)

24) Saw 3 (2006)

Previously Viewed

 

1) ZombieLand (2009)

2) The Man with the Screaming Brain (2005)

3) The Signal (2006) 
4) Dracula (1931)
5) The Mummy (1932)
6) The Shining (1980)
7) Panic in the Year Zero (1962)
8) House on Haunted Hill (1958)
9) The Last Man on Earth (1964)
10) Quarentine (2008)
11) Rosemary's baby (1968) not recommending
12) The Blob (1958)
13) Abbot & Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
14) Doctor X (1938)
15) Trick ‘r Treat (2008)
16) The Exorcist (1973)
17) The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932)
18) Paranormal Activity (2009)
19) The Mark of the Vampire (1935)

 

059) 10/23/2009 Timecrimes (2007)

A man investigates some nearby woods when he spots a nude woman through his binoculars.  He is attacked by a mysterious figure whose face is covered in bandages, so he seeks shelter in a scientific installation.  Before he realizes what has happened he has been transported back in time mere hours before his attack.  This nifty combination horror/sci-fi/mystery film has some new tricks up its sleeve in the time travel sub-genre.  Plenty of tense moments and a satisfying ending make these an easy recommendation.

060) 10/23/2009 Triloquist (2007)

 

Watching a film like Triloquist is the reason why I like to spend October watching films either I've seen before or have a good reputation.  Seeing bad horror movies during a month I like to celebrate scary goodness depresses me.  I'm ususally a sucker for ventriolquist dummy movies but this one is truly awful.  The story, as it were, has a psychotic soon-to-be 18 year old travel with her brother and his dummy called - wait for it - Dummy and go on a cross-country murdering spree.  This is all supposed to be outrageous and humorous but it's neither.  When a film tries to be so-bad-it's-good or attempts to be the next cult hit, it usually falls on its face.  And, boy does this fall, roll down the hill, and get run over by a steamroller.  I wanted to turn it off after 45 minutes but I perservered, taking comfort in the fact the I never have to watch this again.

061) 10/24/2009 The Ape Man (1943)

Bela Lugosi has turned himself into an ape-faced monster.  Or maybe he just needs a shave and a haircut.  Yes, it's another "screwy idea" from Monogram.  Lugosi gives his part more dignity than it really deserves and makes this campy fun for those who love these low-budget quickies.

062) 10/24/2009 Return of the Ape Man (1944)

Not a sequel to The Ape Man, this time Lugosi and his associate John Carradine restore to life a frozen caveman.  But Lugosi wants to replace part of the popsicle's brain.  Carradine won't hear of it.  So...  George Zucco is billed as playing the ape man at some point but it doesn't appear he's in the final cut.  More enjoyable Monogram silliness.
 

063) 10/24/2009 Brotherhood of Blood (2007)

 

It's The Usual Suspects remade as a vampire film!  A vampire hunter and brother of a missing vampire are interrogated by a group of other vampires who think a mythical ancient vampire that kills human and fellow vampires alike has been reborn.  Who is Vlad Kosai?  You may or may not guess his identity but it's likely you won't care.  OK low-budget effort has Sid Haig and Ken Foree in the cast but their roles are little more than cameos.
 

064) 10/24/2009 A Tale of Two Sisters (2003) 1/2

Now we're talking.  A young adolescent girl and her sister return to their father and stepmother's home after a mysterious event drove them away some time ago.  Strange things start to happen in the house and stepmom thinks she sees ghosts.  Original, engrossing combination of pyschological thriller and horror film gives the audience just enough information to figure it all out in the end but still maintains its aura of mystery.  A real nail-biter with sympathetic performances.  Remade as The Uninvited (2009) for us Americans.

Television

049) 10/23/2009 Angel Season 4, Episode 14: Release (2002) 1/2

Now that the Beast has been killed, Wesley and Faith hunt down Angelus.  Eliza Dushku's Faith remains one of the most intriguing characters of the Angel/Buffy universe and gives the fight sequences much more power than the usual kung-fu set pieces.

050) 10/23/2009 Angel Season 4, Episode 15: Orpheus (2002) 1/2

 

Faith hovers near death and is linked with the flashbacks that a neutralized Angelus is experiencing.  Meanwhile evil Cordelia tries to thwart the Angel team's latest attempt to restore Angel's soul.  Finely balanced entry features more exploration of Angel's history and psyche and it's always great to have Willow around.

051) 10/24/2009 Angel Season 4, Episode 16: Players  (2002) 1/2

With Angel back, Gunn agrees to assist an old adversary of Angel Investigations in the rescue of a kidnapped girl.  Meanwhile Lorne thinks he can restore his pyschic abilities and "read" Cordelia - something she must prevent at all costs.  Nicely plotted outing.

052) 10/24/2009 Angel Season 4, Episode 17: Inside Out (2002) 1/2

With Connor and Cordelia on the run Angel and company must track them down and prevent the birth of Cordelia's baby.  But what they learn from a previously-helpful demon makes them look at the entire history of Angel Investigations in a whole new light.  Emotionally poweful episode has twists and turns to spare.

053) 10/25/2009 Angel Season 4, Episode 18: Shiny Happy People (2002)

Cordelia's baby is a beautiful full-grown woman who mesmirizes all who see her.  But when Fred somehow manages to see what Cordelia's spawn really is, her life becomes endangered.  Good episode really lays it on thick with all the worshiping stuff, but that's exactly the point.

054) 10/25/2009 Angel Season 4, Episode 19: The Magic Bullet (2002)

 

Fred has discovered why she can see Jasmine for what she really is.  But can she share the knowledge with the Angel team before they eliminate her?  Typically strong episode lays the groundwork for a confrontation that should provide some real fireworks.

Edited by Mario Gauci - 10/26/09 at 10:18am

Mario,

I too enjoyed The Monster That Challenged the World, which I watched this year and last.  I recall being impressed not only by the monster in the film, but also by the science-related portions of the film (i.e, the 'technobabble' as it is affectionately referred to in Trek circles these days).  I mentioned last year that there is a scene where the scientists are discussing the mollusk and its predatory tendencies which I found to be quite convincing.  Additionally, the closing scene with the monster is IMO very well done, and is quite chilling.

83. Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers
As the subtitle says, Michael returns and tries to kill his niece and those that stand in his way. The best Carpenter-less Halloween sequel by a mile. A few things help this movie be better than the standard sequel- it establishes a spooky mood (even if Michael is too overexposed to be all that scary), it has likable characters and Donald Pleasence's performance as a crazier Dr. Loomis.

^^^

I must say, I really like Donald Pleasance.  He had a creepy air about him in some things, like The Outer Limits (below).  He would often deliver his lines in a softspoken manner, but that IMO made him all the more chilling.


  

There's an episode of The Twilight Zone that he did called The Changing Of The Guard (he's an English teacher at a prep school who is forced into retirement and he feels that he didn't do anything with his life but then gets a supernatural visit from kids that he did have a positive effect on) that I think is one of the best unsung TZ episodes. It's a very moving episode and his performance is a big reason why that episode is so good.

Travis,

I wondered if he might have been on The Twilight Zone.  Actors often were on both shows (as well as TOS).  I like this description of some of his qualities:

Pleasence returned to acting after the war, and critics began to call him the "Man with the Hypnotic Eye". Coupled with his bald head and quiet but intense voice, he specialised in insane and evil characters, including Prince John in the ITV series The Adventures of Robin Hood, Heinrich Himmler in The Eagle Has Landed, and the Bond villain Blofeld in You Only Live Twice. In his later years, he became known to a younger generation as Dr. Loomis in Halloween. His trademark voice may be credited to elocution lessons he had as a child.

And how about this!  His plane was shot down in WWII:

His acting career began in a production of Wuthering Heights, but was interrupted by World War II. He was at first a conscientious objector, but later joined the Royal Air Force and served with 166 Squadron, RAF Bomber Command. His Avro Lancaster was shot down on 31 August 1944 during a raid on Agenville.^[3] He was taken prisoner and placed in a German prisoner-of-war camp, where he produced and acted in plays. Coincidentally, he later played Flight Lt. Colin Blythe in The Great Escape where much of the story takes place inside a German POW camp.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Pleasence

84. Halloween 5
Michael Myers returns to kill his niece again. In my opinion, the bottom of the series.

85. Halloween: The Curse Of Michael Myers
Michael Myers returns to kill more people because of a Druid cult or something. This movie is about a hair better than Halloween 5 but for some sick reason, I've begun to enjoy this one over the past couple of years. It's funny to see a young Paul Rudd and the script is clearly written by someone who was a hardcore fan of the original two movies (which wins it some points as far as I'm concerned). The prodcuer's cut is better but it's still not that good of a movie in either form.