5th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge (1 Viewer)

[Matt Stone]

Got one more in...Stir of Echos. I still think that Echos is superior to The Sixth Sense in most ways. The characterization and story is much better, but The Sixth Sense wins out in direction.


2004 Scary Movie List
1. 28 Days Later (4.5/5)
2. Maniac (4.5/5)
3. Stir of Echos

 

[Matt Stone]

I couldn't sleep, so I watched Terry O'Quinn in the classic The Stepfather.


2004 Scary Movie List
1. 28 Days Later (4.5/5)
2. Maniac (4.5/5)
3. Stir of Echos
4. The Stepfather

 

[Scott Weinberg]

[c]Scott's 2004 Horror Challenge Movie List[/c]

1. Orca (1977)
2. Christine (1983)
3. Friday the 13th Part 3 (1982)[/list=1]
   
   Watched two more tonight while playing some online poker. Christine (with the commentary track to follow!), and Friday the 13th Part 3 - because I was gonna listen to the commentary but turned it off in favor of the actual dialogue...which might have been a bad move.
   
   On deck: More F13, two Crypt-flicks, two from the modern-golden age (late 70s/early 80s) that I've never seen, and whatever else I can dig up from Netflix. There are a few titles being rossed around in the Horror Tourney that I really should have seen by now. :b

 

[Ryan Wishton]

It's a sin against nature that The Stepfather has not been released to Region 1 DVD.

Booooo.

Im not part of The Challenge as I just couldnt commit, but I saw these today.

Sleepaway Camp 2- Wow, this is one cheeseball movie. I remember liking this one pretty much in Jr. High. I did still have fun with this one though so I guess it did it's job. Just in a different way than expected. Was no way scary (was made to be a comedy I assume), but Angela sure had a ball and I thought she was pretty enjoyable to watch for a psychopath. I actually liked this one more than the original and was more entertained where the original had me hitting the pillow. Probably because the original was the last I saw (which I didnt really like when I finally saw it sometime in the 90's), so I was already used to the parody which I saw long before. 3 out of 5 (though the jackass fun dude in me wants to give it a 4 out of 5 for entertainment value). Those looking for a horror movie, steer clear. This is not for you. You must appreciate pure camp to enjoy this one.

Candyman- A few jumpy moments. Movie is well made. I appreciate it more now than I did as a young teen. I guess my attention span just didnt want to hold at 12 or so. I was too busy looking for cornball stuff at that age. Part of me still does as shown above. 3 1/2 out of 5.

 

[Joe Karlosi]

10/01/04

MURDERS IN THE ZOO (1933) :star: :star: :star:

Lionel Atwill at his evil best. As a jealous zoologist, he resorts to drastic measures by using his animals to kill men who make plays for his wife (Kathleen Burke, the panther woman from ISLAND OF LOST SOULS, who exudes exotic beauty). There are some pretty "extreme" methods of death for such an early film involving alligators and "sewing".
The only wrench in the works is the maddeningly unfunny comedian, Charlie Ruggles (who even gets top billing!) who's like a thorn in the side of the movie when he pops in every now and then. I'm not one for altering original films, but I may make an exception in this case to excise all of this idiot's scenes. Ignore him and concentrate on the good stuff.

01) Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920) :star: :star:
02) Murders in the Zoo (1933) :star: :star: :star:

 

[Roderick Gauci]

Quote (originally posted by Joe Karlosi):

“The only wrench in the works is the maddeningly unfunny comedian, Charlie Ruggles (who even gets top billing!) who's like a thorn in the side of the movie when he pops in every now and then. I'm not one for altering original films, but I may make an exception in this case to excise all of this idiot's scenes. Ignore him and concentrate on the good stuff.”

Joe, with all due respect, THAT “idiot” appeared in some of the finest comedies (of the musical, sophisticated and screwball variety) ever to come out of Hollywood, namely (to mention just the ones I’ve seen) ONE HOUR WITH YOU (Ernst Lubitsch and George Cukor, 1932), LOVE ME TONIGHT (Rouben Mamoulian, 1932) TROUBLE IN PARADISE (Ernst Lubitsch, 1932), SIX OF A KIND (Leo McCarey, 1934; the others being W.C. Fields, George Burns, Gracie Allen, Mary Boland and Alison Skipworth!) and BRINGING UP BABY (Howard Hawks, 1938)!

For the record, unfortunately, I haven’t seen MURDERS IN THE ZOO (1933) yet so I don’t know to what extent Charlie Ruggles (playing a character named Peter Yates!) “ruins” the proceedings. At any rate, you know as well as I do that comedy relief had, for better or worse, been a staple of the horror genre since the Silent era: THE CAT AND THE CANARY (1927), THE BAT WHISPERS (1930), THE INVISIBLE MAN (1933), MYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSEUM (1933), BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935), MAD LOVE (1935), WEREWOLF OF LONDON (1935), DRACULA’S DAUGHTER (1936), THE MUMMY’S HAND (1940), etc. Besides, the director of MURDERS IN THE ZOO was, after all, no stranger to comedy, having helmed several vehicles for top comedians like W.C. Fields, Laurel & Hardy and Abbott & Costello throughout his career! Incidentally, he also directed Charles Ruggles in another “horror-comedy”, THE INVISIBLE WOMAN (1940), starring John Barrymore and which I look forward to watching for the first time via Universal's “The Invisible Man Legacy Collection” set.

By the way, I envy you American movie buffs who celebrate Halloween every year by watching nothing but Horror films throughout October. Needless to say, we don’t go trick-or-treating here in Malta and, although I’m always tempted to join in the film-watching marathons, I’ve got way too many DVDs to watch for the first time for me to reserve some time to revisit some old Horror favorites! Even so, I do have some choice Horror film DVDs on their way to me as we speak – Warner’s FREAKS (1932), Warner’s double-feature disc of VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED (1960)/CHILDREN OF THE DAMNED (1964), Blue Underground’s DEATHDREAM (1972), MGM’s double-feature disc of THE NIGHT STALKER (1972)/THE NIGHT STRANGLER (1973) and Synapse’s LEMORA: A CHILD’S TALE OF THE SUPERNATURAL (1973) – so, in all probability, I won’t be totally forsaking Horror in October…

 

[Jim_K]

Stayed up late last night to kick October off with a bang.

More revisits from my collection while I wait for Netflix.

The Hammer Frankenstein Saga

Curse of Frankenstein :star: :star: :star: 1/2
This is the one that kicked off Hammer’s Horror cycle. Directed by Hammer’s premiere director Terrence Fisher (who helmed most of this series) & starring Peter Cushing as the Baron (sort of a Byronesque antihero) in the role he was born for. The Hammer series is very unlike the Universal series in that these films focus on the complex character of the Baron rather than his lumbering creation. A great start to arguably the greatest Horror series ever.

The Revenge of Frankenstein :star: :star: :star: :star:
The Baron returns in this second installment as he attempts to help his deformed assistant by giving him a new body. Those expecting to see a “monster” such as Lee’s portrayal in Curse will probably be disappointed, but I’d rank this as the best in the series due to Cushing’s complex portrayal of the Baron. Hammer films are noted for their great closing scenes and this features one of the best IMO.

Frankenstein Created Woman :star: :star: :star:
Terrence Fisher returns to the series after the misfire that was The Evil of Frankenstein (which I pretend never happened). This one features the weirdest & yet more interesting concepts as the Baron experiments on soul transplants on a pair of dead lovers. The film is marred only by the Baron reduced to a supporting role.

Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed :star: :star: :star: 1/2
The nastiest entry in this series as the Baron sheds all the benevolence that he showed in Revenge & Created Woman. Here Cushing is at his most ruthless & evil, sort of a return to form from the first entry.

Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell :star: :star: :star: 1/2
The last Hammer Frankenstein film is also Terrence Fisher’s last film. This one has the Baron in charge of an insane asylum while he performs his work on the inmates. A fitting & sad end to this series as the Baron seems to have lost all sense of reality.

 

[Michael Elliott]

10/02/04

Santo vs. Frankenstein's Daughter (1971) :star:

Freda Frankenstein, well over 100 years old needs the blood of women so that she can remain young looking due to a youth serum. It turns out that only Santo's blood can be used so she sends her monster after him. This is my fourth Santo film and while it's the best of the group this is still a very bad movie. I'm not sure why I can't enjoy these more but it probably has something to do with Santo who just isn't much of a hero to me. Some of the monster effects are cute but the stuff inside the ring is just downright boring.


01. Dracula’s Daughter (1936 ***)
02. Son of Dracula (1942 ***)
03. Nosferatu (1922 ****)
04. Santo vs. Frankenstein’s Daughter (1971 *)

 

[Bill McA]

Resident Evil: Apocalypse - an absolutely wretched excuse for a film. The first film was reasonably well-made and fun, but this sequel comes off as a typically cheesy episode of any number of those craptacular horror/sci-fi TV shows that have been plaguing the airwaves for the last 10 years.
No plot, bad acting, bad editing, bad directing and maybe 10 minutes screen time for the zombies. We even get an out-of-the-blue gladiator duel between our hero and a Hellraiser reject on the insistance of a bad guy because that's what bad guys in cheesy bad movies do...
A complete waste of time.

2004 Scary Movie List (First viewing in Red)
1. Resident Evil: Apocalypse (Alexander Witt) (1/5)

 

[Dan Rudolph]

!. Motel Hell: Completely scholck, but very entyertaining nonetheless. Stars Rory Calhoun, who, true to his reputation, spends most of the movie standing on his hind legs and walking. It's about a rural motel owner and his sister who sell smoked meats on the side. And people keep disappearing.

Perhaps the only movie I've ever seen with a chainsaw fight. I've seen plenty of movies with a chainsaw attack, but this one had two guys picking up chainsaws and having what's almost a swordfight.

 

[Michael Elliott]

10/02/04

The Monster Walks (1932) :star::star:

Another boring haunted house film this one dealing with a daughter who returns to her father’s home after he dies to hear his will. In the meantime someone is killing everyone off with the help of a gorilla. Why is it all these old movies had a gorilla as killers? Nothing really stands out in this one and not too much happens. The racial humor from a servant (named Sleep ‘N Eat) is off base and doesn’t really help matters.

Scared to Death (1947) :star::star:1/2

A somewhat interesting Monogram mystery about a woman who believes she’s about to be murdered and when she is, the story of how she was murder is told through her dead body. This film is best known as being the only color film with Bela Lugosi and sadly he doesn’t have too much to do here. The mystery is somewhat cleaver and mildly entertaining but on the whole there really isn’t anything too special with this.



01. Dracula’s Daughter (1936 ***)
02. Son of Dracula (1942 ***)
03. Nosferatu (1922 ****)
04. Santo vs. Frankenstein’s Daughter (1971 *)
05. Monster Walks, The (1932 **)
06. Scared to Death (1947 ** ½)

 

[Joe Karlosi]

Are you Mario's brother by any chance?

As for Mr. Ruggles, he did come close to ruining MURDERS IN THE ZOO in my opinion. He offered nothing and detracted from the serious tone of the proceedings. I wouldn't agree with your comparisons regarding THE INVISIBLE WOMAN though, as that is a definite straight "comedy" whereas MURDERS IN THE ZOO struck me as a straight film with comedy that just didn't fit. Quite often this doesn't work in these older "horror-type" films; and some rare times, it does.

 

[Ryan Wishton]

The Last Slumber Party: 0 out of 5. Turkey :frowning:

I would write a small review, but it's not worth the typing. Abysmal.

Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre: Never Again. 1/10 of a star out of 5.

Night of the Demons: Liked it a lot more younger, though it still has a few moments I liked. I also realize how extremely bad the acting is, expecially the main girl nowadays. And I knew her acting sucked years ago which is even worse. 2 out of 5.

 

[Roderick Gauci]

“Quote (originally posted by Joe Karlosi):

Are you Mario's brother by any chance?”

Yes…I’m his twin brother. Actually, HE wrote the post himself under MY name (since I’m the one registered with HTF). Likewise, I write some of HIS posts on the “DVD Maniacs” website. Confusing, isn’t it? All you need to remember from now on, Joe, is that whenever you’re replying to either one of us, you’re actually writing to BOTH since we read (and contribute to) each other’s posts…


”Quote (originally posted by Joe Karlosi):

As for Mr. Ruggles, he did come close to ruining MURDERS IN THE ZOO in my opinion. He did act like an idiot in his scenes, I thought. I wouldn't agree with your comparisons regarding THE INVISIBLE WOMAN though, as that is a definite straight "comedy" whereas MURDERS IN THE ZOO struck me as a straight film with comedy that just didn't fit. Quite often this doesn't work in these older "horror-type" films; and some rare times, it does.”

I understand, therefore, that you’ve seen THE INVISIBLE WOMAN (1940), Joe…how is it?

I know what you’re saying about the comedy “fitting in” or not in Horror films of this era. In fact, I was going to write “with varying degrees of success” myself in my earlier post. When discussing humor, I guess one always needs to keep in mind that it is a very subjective affair. Two of the earliest books I ever read on Cinema were Alan Frank’s “Horror Films” and “Monsters And Vampires”, wherein he says (I’m paraphrasing here) that he finds the humorous aspects of THE INVISIBLE MAN (1933) and BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935) to be their least successful attributes and would have preferred them less pronounced or even omitted entirely! Even so, these two books were responsible for Horror being (still) my favorite film genre…

As for Charles Ruggles - I hope his “personality” does not put you off from eventually trying out some of those films I mentioned in my earlier post…

 

[Martin_T]

Hey Dan, if you like a good chainsaw fight you might want to watch Phantasm 2. Not quite as cool as the fight in Motel Hell, but it is still a great movie with a chainsaw fight!

 

[Scott Weinberg]

Dennis Hopper does some good chainsaw fightin' in TCM 2.

 

[Michael Elliott]

10/02/04

Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter (1966) BOMB

An incredibly bland and boring mix of western and horror as Jesse James ends up staying at the house of Frankenstein’s granddaughter. William Beaudine directed these types of “B” movies throughout his career so it’s rather shocking at how badly this one turned out. That same year Beaudine made a double-feature for this film in Billy the Kid vs. Dracula, which is so much better. Not a single scene in this one is worth viewing and the monster is so bad.

The Little Shop of Horrors (1960) :star::star::star:

Jonathan Haze plays a dork working in a flower shop who grows an incredible plant that just happens to grow by eating humans. Roger Corman’s classic black comedy gets better with each viewing and loses none of its humor. Dick Miller is wonderful in his supporting role of a guy who enjoys eating flowers and Mel Welles is also fun to watch. Jack Nicholson is the highlight of the film however.

01.Dracula’s Daughter (1936 ***)
02.Son of Dracula (1942 ***)
03.Nosferatu (1922 ****)
04.Santo vs. Frankenstein’s Daughter (1971 *)
05.Monster Walks, The (1932 **)
06.Scared to Death (1947 ** ½)
07.Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter (1966 BOMB)
08.Little Shop of Horrors, The (1960 ***)

 

[Kenneth Cummings]

Well I am back once again for this contest. I posted this last year as it was nearing the end of October 1, and Mitty hadn't posted the thread yet, so I decided to keep the torce burning for the year. Anyway I going to take on this gaunlet again, even so I been unsuccessful last year. The movies I going to watch are not set in stone yet, but the general list is the following.

1. Alien

* 2. Bubba Ho-Tep

* 3. Hannibal

* 4. Halloween - H20

* 5. Underworld

6. Halloween

7. Nightmare Before Christmas

8. Se7en

9. Nightmare on Elm Street 1

10. Signs

11. Monster Inc (I know it not scary, but I want a excuse to watch it )

12. Gremlins

13. Gremlins 2

Note that this list isn't final, and the new movies are acually stuff I bought two months ago, but haven't bother to watch yet.

 

[Chucky P]

Well I finally saw Freaks today but I still might get The Funhouse in by tonight.

2004 Scary Movie List
Freaks

 

[Justin_S]

Watched the unrated cut of Hellraiser III. It was great finally seeing this film in widescreen. Also watched Christine, once with commentary, once without. The commentary is excellent, as usual with Carpenter, and the film is definitely one of my favorite King adaptations. Christine is such a gorgeous car. Love the gas station sequence.

2004 Horror Challenge List
Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth
Christine