*** Official 10th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge 2009 *** - Page 4

I could only fit in a couple today...

Oct. 2nd:
4. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Not as good as the series... but the movie is good for a few laughs
5. Dead Teenagers
This is one of those movies that is in that 50 movie boxset. This one actually impressed me! Sure the acting and the effects could use some major help... it feels like a student film. But the writing... the stories themselves were definitely enjoyable. This is an anthology... and I liked all the stories except the first one.

DAY TWO:  OCTOBER 2

So...where's all the stick figures and rock formations? Josh?  JOOOSH?!!!   TELL ME WHERE YOU ARE JOOOOOSH!!!  ....  Oh wait...that's Blair Witch...sorry...carry on....



4. THE WOODS.  Bruce Campbell does bookends in this film...a film that has a few shades of Suspiria.  I was also reminded of Phenomena.  So I'm not saying this is a witch movie...not say that.  Just that it's a film about a weird school and belongs in the same video store section as those other 2.  I have to say I was hopeful during some scenes but it never reached a point too much higher than mediocrity.  I was predicting several early plot points...ended up getting real sleepy but I was able to stay with it.  Even with Bruce, who's kind of funny here, this is real hard to recommend.  There was a point near the end when I was wishing Brucie would enlist the aid of a bunch of old people and take out a siege on that straaaange school in the Woods.  If the thing had become a Bruce Campbell movie there would have been some magic happening.  As it is...uninspired but worth a look when you got nothing else to do.  And the redhead (natural or not) is kind of cute and fun to watch as she interacted with the other girl.  Well...thats about it for this one. 

HORRORTHON SUCCESS LEVEL:  6

Witches in the woods should be heard...and not seen! 

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Send more radio station managers....



5. RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD.  I was hoping this would make me forget I had to work late today at my lame radio job...essentially ruining DAY TWO of my Horrorthon.  Didn't quite get there with this "sure thing".  Usually every line is like magic...but I found myself only laughing at the hand full of brilliant lines and not the rest that range from major funny to giggle worthy.  ...and that sucks!  I hate working radio in the fall.  :(  Just didn't enjoy this great film like I usually do.  That's about all I'll say about it..except that it looked great on my new 23" monitor screen.  The mono soundtrack also wasn't half bad through my new equipment.  Still, an updated transfer of this is badly needed.  I'd buy it! 

HORRORTHON SUCCESS LEVEL:  7 

Radio sales people are safe from zombies since zombies mainly eat brains. 

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6.  (was lucky enough to start another...coming soon)

I remembered that one the same.  I really like that blond actress in that.  Very cute.  A shame she didn't do more.  I remember the pretty fun Deadly Friend and the laughable Flowers in the Attic. 

I saw the first 3 in order when they first appeared on cable.  I like the army one a lot too..much better than the first sequel which was a little too rehash. 

I have "a thing" for Tilly (her sister too).  She was wonderfully self mocking in SEEDS.  I could watch her in anything. 

Paranormal Activity (2007, First time viewing) - Katie and Micah are your typical young couple. Unfortunately for them, Katie has been shadowed by some kind of entity ever since she was very young. Micah decides it would be a good idea to try and catch the presence on camera, so he installs a camera in their bedroom to see what happens when they sleep. It was a real pain in the ass having to drive up to Dallas at midnight to see this, but at least I can say it was worth the effort. For a film I've been following for close to two years, it lived up to all the hype I'd built up in my head. Not an easy task. It is exactly what I've been looking for this past decade. Ten years ago, The Blair Witch Project managed to scare me like no film before it. Since then, I've been waiting for another film to make me feel that way again, and Paranormal Activity is a case of better late than never.
 

Despite some light-hearted, occasionally comedic banter in the early half of the film, the feeling of dread and unease is present from the very first frame. It only worsens as the film goes on, the night scenes pushing the tension to the highest levels. The acting is strong, especially on the part of Katie Featherston, who is actually from my home away from home, Arlington, TX. The most unnerving part for me was when
 

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show) That really got to me, though it's just one of many chilling moments present here. It is definitely a case of less is more, which is usually the type of horror that I find most effective on a strictly frightening level. The theater was packed, and yet I haven't felt this creeped out while watching a film in years. That feeling also stayed with me long after the screening had ended. As a hardened horror fan, it is incredibly refreshing to find that a film still has the power to scare me. It doesn't happen often. In fact, it is exceedingly rare, but this one got the job done. I will need to let it sink in for a good while longer, but this is potentially horror film of the decade for me.

Congrats John.  I spent another six and a half hours there today but everything seems to be back on track for next month, although they think it might happen the last week of this month.


Children of the Corn III
 

James D.R. Hickox

Josh (Ron Melendez) and his younger brother Eli (Daniel Cerny) move to Chicago from Nebraska after their father mysteriously disappears.  As it turns out, Eli is in a cult with the corn and other forces and soon he's taking the kids of Chicago in plans to turn them against the world.  This third film in the series was the first to go straight to video but it looks like it might have originally been meant for theaters.  The production values are pretty good and nothing about it looks like something that would go straight to video.  The movie is certainly better than the first one but I'm not sure how many people, outside of die-hard horror nuts like myself would actually want to watch it.  I think the best thing they did was move the action to Chicago and put the cornfield in an abandoned building.  Having the Amish kid stalk the streets and tough guys of Chicago made for a lot of fun as two cultures mixed and often did battle.  The screenplay has a rather nice story even if what the heck Eli's trying to do never really makes too much sense.  Some of the special effects are pretty bad but some are good like a few scenes where some adults throw up some insects.  Performances are decent for this type of movie, which is all we can ask for.  Apparently this was Charlize Theron's first movie but I wasn't able to spot her.
 

Black Friday (1940)
 

Arthur Lubin
 

Strange mix of the Jekyll and Hyde story with your typical gangsters.  Boris Karloff plays a scientist is is killed in the electric chair due to some crimes he committed.  We then flash backwards to see what those crimes were.  In this case he put his professor/friend's brain into the body of a gangster with negative results.  To call this film a disappointment would be an understatement because there's very little good here, which is a real shame since it contains both Karloff and Lugosi.  According to legend, Karloff has a lot to do with the blame since originally Lugosi was playing the doctor and Karloff the gangster.  Apparently Karloff didn't like the role or couldn't play it so he got the doctor's role while Lugosi got thrown into a thankless, small role.  This explains why Lugosi has second billing yet only appears for five minutes.  His famous (rumored) stunt of being put under hypnosis to play his final scene might not be true but he delivers a fine performance.  Karloff, on the other hand, sleepwalks through the material and really doesn't add too much.  The rest of the supporting cast are decent but nothing to write home about.  This film is pretty much a reworked version of the 1933 Paramount film SUPERNATURAL, which featured a death row inmates soul going into that of an innocent girl.  That film had Carole Lombard and Randolph Scott under direction of Victor Halperin (WHITE ZOMBIE) who at least brought a lot of style to the picture unlike this one here. 
 

Tingler, The (1959)
 

William Castle

Wonderfully entertaining "B" movie from Columbia deals with a silly subject but director Castle and star Vincent Price pull it off and deliver one of the most memorable horror films from this period.  Price plays Dr. Warren Chapin, a man who discovers that everyone has a small creature on the back on their spine, which he eventually calls The Tingler.  This creature, when the person is scared, is what might lead to death unless they can scream loud enough to paralyze the thing.  What's so entertaining about this film is the actual thought of a creature on your spine.  That sets up for a campy movie and most films would have played it for camp value but Price and Castle instead play it straight and that's what makes this film hold up after all these years.  A lot of movies from this era are just downright silly and they come off as being such.  That's not the case here because of Price's wonderful performance and he's so good that you really don't care how silly the story is because he makes you believe in what you're seeing.  I love the way Price delivers his line with the best example coming when he's trying to get his wife to sign over some cash to her sister.  Another memorable sequence is Price's LSD trip, which was a first for mainstream cinema.  We also have the famous death sequence, which had a few color scenes added to it.  These scenes still remain rather effective, which is just more credit for the director.  The supporting players deliver some nice performances but there's no question that the film belongs to Price.  I think he did the horror genre a great service because he was an incredibly talented man who, luckily for us, got put into this genre and really delivered some of its most memorable roles. 

 

Oct. 2:

The Three Stooges ("We Want Our Mummy") (1939)   1/2
The Three Stooges ("Spook Louder") (1943)    
The Three Stooges ("Hot Scots") (1948)    
The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971)     1/2
The Avengers ("Castle De'ath") (1965)    

I can't go an October without watching The Abominable Dr. Phibes.  Each time I watch it, I am taken back to my early teen years.  And one of these days, I may have the time finally to learn War March of the Priests (Mendelssohn).

I watched one of my favorite episodes of The Avengers tonight as well.  Although that series has several excellent openings, I believe this one is my favorite.  No words are spoken -- the only sounds are the bagpipes playing "Glen De'ath" (sp.) as we slowly pan around the insides of the elegant mansion, past the armory in the long halls, the stairwells, and finally down into the dungeon, stopping in front of the iron maiden as the title of the episode appears on the still frame.  The 'chamber of horrors' that is the dungeon in this episode is to die for, if you like that sort of thing (which I do).  The iron maiden and the rack are gruesome in their severity -- and are just the way they ought to appear in glorious black and white. :)

Special kudos to Laurie Johnson for a magnificent score.  She deserves to be credited first at the conclusion of the episode, which she is.

Update:

Films:

01. The Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954) 4.5
02. Burnt Offerings (1976) 3.0
03. R. L. Stine's The Haunting Hour (2007) 2.5
04. The Three Stooges ("We Want Our Mummy") (1939) 2.5
05. The Three Stooges ("Spook Louder") (1943) 3.0
06. The Three Stooges ("Hot Scots") (1948) 4.0
07. The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971) 4.5

Television episodes:

01. The Avengers ("Castle De'ath") (1965) 4.0

Vor zomeone who haz wazted 11 hours at the hozpital...you're doink very well...Van Elliott!

By the way, what happened to the second entry in the original CHILDREN OF THE CORN series? 

Edited by Mario Gauci - 10/2/09 at 10:55pm

Yeah, I figured I might as well cram as much in as this might be my last challenge.  The new viewings really aren't paying off yet.  I'm starting to think that those 11 hours at the hospital was my girlfriend's desperate attempts at getting me away from the television or perhaps Dylan just wanted to watch some of this trash with me and wanted out early,

I also haven't taken a sleeping pill in the past couple days so I'm remember what insomnia is all about for the first time in many, many months.

As for COTC2, it's not on DVD except from "other" sources and I really don't want to pay the cash for it.  Apparently Paramount owns the rights here.  There's a R2 release but I don't want to pay for it.  I did see it back when it was first released in theaters and remember somewhat liking it but not enough to fork over any cash.  The rest are all from Netflix but I'm going to try and wrap them up in the next few days.

Whenever someone trashes a favorite of mine, I always feel inclined to right the slight and give out my own "correct" opinion of the movie; actually, I have purchased the R2 SE from MoC of VAMPYR (1931) and was toying with the idea of including it in this challenge...but, since I've got a handful of other Dreyer films still unwatched and I would not want to cram such a special film (for me) in a day with 5 or 6 others...I suppose it'd be wiser to pass on it!


P.S. By the way, Russ, since you're the head honcho this year, I wanted to ask you something: I have a couple of movies that I was planning on seeing during the Challenge that exist (and I own) in different versions - Abel Gance's THE END OF THE WORLD (1931), John Parker's DEMENTIA (1955), Lawrence Harvey's WELCOME TO ARROW BEACH (1974), etc. - and I was wondering if I could be allowed to include both versions and count them as two separate films. What do you think? 


Edited by Mario Gauci - 10/3/09 at 1:24am

DEMENTIA is certainly two different films.  I believe I counted it as two last year.

10/02

02) Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932) 1/2

I enjoyed this more than I usually do, maybe because I was in the right mood for it this evening. Bela Lugosi makes it enjoyable with his outlandish portrayal of Dr. Mirakle. I can't help thinking this movie would work better with different editing of certain scenes in different places.

TV Episodes:
04) The Munsters: "Grandpa Leaves Home"
05) The Munsters: "Herman's Rival"

You must cream yourself in the first ten minutes of Liar Liar! I love Tilly too, world's sexiest voice for sure.

Sorry Mario, thoughts on Les Yeux coming soon. For now all I can say is what a superb score and atmosphere the flick has.

And don't worry about defending Vampyr; I can see how the pacing and lack of big events may not appeal to some, but it has too many enamoured fans to need to impress everyone. Its such a gorgeous spooky atmospheric film I can't wait to see it on MoC DVD, then hopefully blu ray. I'm a fan and I've only ever seen it pictureboxed!!!

Sure, sure...just about as 'right' as you are about THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD (1951), AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON (1981), etc.

Looking forward to your thoughts on the Franju.

I have to say I'm always mystified by the lack of love (especially by people whom I know to be life-long fans of the genre) shown for the two s-l-o-w horror masterpieces of the 1930s i.e. VAMPYR (1931) and THE MUMMY (1932); personally, I think that their sluggishness is what makes them all the more strange and eerie and, as far as I'm concerned, get better with each subsequent viewing!  I can understand one being disappointed on a first viewing of them for not having what one most expects from a vampire and mummy movie - bloodied fangs and cloth-wrapped zombies - but to keep bringing them down for that 'fallacy' rather than concentrate on what other unique qualities they are bringing to the formula is baffling if you ask me.  

I'm glad you put the word "right" in quotes, Mario. I used it because you're the gent who began by using the word "correct":  ("I always feel inclined to right the slight and give out my own 'correct' opinion of the movie"). 

Just because acclaimed director Howard Hawks directed THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD doesn't mean it's anything more than a talky bore with a silly bald man as its 'monster', in my opinion. But you may be surprised to learn that I just received another DVD copy of it in the mail because there was an online sale at Amazon with this title being reduced to $5. So I'll give it one more try. 

I have to say I'm always mystified by the lack of love (especially by people whom I know to be life-long fans of the genre) shown for the two s-l-o-w horror masterpieces of the 1930s i.e. VAMPYR (1931) and THE MUMMY (1932); personally, I think that their sluggishness is what makes them all the more strange and eerie and, as far as I'm concerned, get better with each subsequent viewing!  I can understand one being disappointed on a first viewing of them for not having what one most expects from a vampire and mummy movie - bloodied fangs and cloth-wrapped zombies - but to keep bringing them down for that 'fallacy' rather than concentrate on what other unique qualities they are bringing to the formula is baffling if you ask me.  

Back to my "one suit does not fit all" philosophy here, I think. I plan to trudge through THE MUMMY again, but I've seen it a couple dozen times since I was a kid and it never does much more than bore me, even though I do admire Karloff in the role, and think it's still got an opening chill that packs a punch even today. I also think DRACULA is too slow, but yet that one works more for me with its creaky pacing moreso than THE MUMMY does. What can I tell you? That's just the way it goes. It's on an individual basis. Sometimes certain things work in slow films, sometimes ambiance and mood compensates; sometimes not enough.
Edited by Joe Karlosi - 10/4/09 at 6:11am

Back in the day, you said I overdose on the smilies; now that I didn't use it when I should have, you find the teasing word I used to be "off-putting"!!

What else can I say: it's good to know that you've purchased that talky Hawksian bore regardless but, hey, I've just seen one myself just now (but, at least, I was wise enough not to pay a nickel for it) - THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. RX (1942) - and, unlike the original THING, that one will never be mistaken for art...

Day Two: October 2nd (continued)

 

The Price is right on this 3-for-1 deal!

 

 

6. Tales of Terror. (1962-finally bothering to look up the release date..haha!) Chose this classic American International Films Poe anthology since I knew I could watch the first story...go off to the biggest horror of the day Friday (biggest horror=working thankless job for stupidly late hours at no extra pay) and watch the other 2 stories without ruining the flow of any of them. Very strategic, if I don't say so my damn self, since I knew the first story, with Price pining for his dead wife, by far the weakest. There's some lovely ladies, Price (of course), and a not so terribly scary ghost. The final 2 stories make this a worthy purchase though. I love them both! The final one includes Basil Rathbone and seems eery enough to warrant a full length film on its own...if it could be expanded properly. Corman distorts some cheese makeup effects...perhaps more distortion was in order, but it's quite chilling thanks to the twisted Poe subject matter involving the moments at death...and after. The middle story is a play on The Black Cat with Peter Lorre joining Price in a somewhat out of place comedic turn. I guess every horror anthology should have at least one thrown in for laughs. Price and Lorre are experts at ad libbing their way through material like this...no telling how much was made up as they were going along.

 

Wanted to add: this film looked pretty good upconverted. Very excited about seeing some of my other favorites made to look "almost" HD.

 

HORRORTHON SUCCESS LEVEL: 8

 

Kim Carnes should've done a sequel to "Bette Davis eyes" called "Peter Lorre eyes".

 

 

NOTE: Starting Saturday earlier than expected. Thought it would be 10AM before I could begin my first complete film....but it'll be an hour earlier.

 

Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)

 

 

Will post later today when I feel like taking a quick break...usually I update weekends on Monday but that will be impossible...

*takes a break from Horrorthon to search all over town for a copy of Liar Liar*

I've never seen it....but there's now a 100% chance I will!  :p

Zombieland (2009)

I commented about this in my list post, too (which is back on page 1).  It's a fun movie, loaded with some really fun zombie gags and strong writing but, somehow, it still feels as though something's missing.  I think that's large in part because lots of shots of barren landscapes don't bother to show a world overrun with zombies, cheating us out of that apocalyptic vibe that's essential with these types of film.  

That said, I laughed and had a good time, which is more important than what I felt the film "should've" been.  

Resident Evil: Extinction (2007)

Well I sat down with my daughter to watch this one late last night. I'm unfamilar with the franchise but I caught on real quick. Entertaining with enough blood and gore to make the gorehounds happy or at least my family. Not being familiar with this series it hard for me to judge this against the other two but I certainly felt myself involved with the characters. If I have an opportunity to watch the first two movies I will do so. The ending screams sequel and I've been informed that's in the works.

I didn't care much for Vampyr the first time I watched it.  I warmed up to it the second time.

I'll refrain from commenting on Karlosi's weird hate-on for Hawks Thing From Another World as it really doesn't need defending from me.  The ranting is comical though, much more so than an episode of the flippin Munsters.

Out of
First time viewings in BLOOD

Macabre (1958)
A young girl kidnapped and buried alive in this minor thriller from William Castle, notable a being the first of his gimmicky Horror films It's a fairly humdrum affair aside from a memorable cemetery scene.

The Psychic (1977)
A.K.A. Seven Notes in Black. A surprisingly intelligent and suspenseful murder/mystery centered around clairvoyant Jennifer O'Neill. I'm not really the biggest fan of Italian Giallo and much less so the films of Lucio Fulci but this one isn't that bad at all, in fact it's pretty good. Thankfully restrained in the cheesy gore department which is Fulci's trademark.

oooh boy am I in the wrong company!

Sorry for the interruption but talking of Murnau's Nosferatu, (er it was mentioned somewhere surely?) reminded me that I didn't have a good copy of this classic vampire movie so I've just ordered the 2-disc definitive dvd off Amazon. I was torn between ordering the R1 or R2 editions, both with different extras and covers, in the end I opted for the R2 which has a commentary and 96 page booklet. I'll add this film to my horror challenge list when it arrives.

She's sexy as hell in Liar Liar. Short hair, always in tight low-cut business suit, always cleavage with sexy voice showcased. It's like PG, so obviously there's no nudity, but for cheeky innocent-type sexiness, she cuts a couple of pretty shapely figures. :p If you love Tilly, absolutely seek it out!

I disagree. I think Karloff is pretty animated in BLACK FRIDAY, especially the scene where he explains his plans to his daughter("WHAT A TRIUMPH!"). But, if the film belongs to any one actor, it's Stanley Ridges in the dual role of Kingsley/Cannon.

October 2nd viewings:

 

NOSFERATU(1922)  1/2-The classic Murnau silent is haunting and creepy, with a dreamlike atmosphere. The pace is very slow, which is why I didn't give the movie the full four stars. I think both FAUST and SUNRISE are better Murnau films, but there is no denying the power and influence of this silent gem.


ED WOOD(1994) 1/2- Yeah, it's inaccurate, but it's also highly entertaining, and even touching at times. Martin Landau's foul mouthed portrayal of Lugosi may not be the whole truth, but his body language and use of his eyes makes him seem like Lugosi personified. Howard Shore's score is lots of fun. This is probably my favorite Tim Burton film.