***Official 3rd Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge*** (1 Viewer)

[Rob Lutter]

Watched Blade 2 for the second time... DAMN is this a great movie, better than the original in all regards
Also watched Sleepaway Camp 2 which I liked in a strange campy horror kind of way Here is my updated list:
1. Red Dragon
2. Se7en
3. Sleepaway Camp
4. Jason X
5. Sleepaway Camp 2
6. Blade II
7. Sleepaway Camp 3

 

[Scott Weinberg]

Recently took in The Ring - which is the kind of movie you like more after letting it sink in for a while. It's got creepy atmosphere to spare, and Watts is rock-solid. I'm betting most horror fans will dig it.
Tonight I gave Resident Evil a re-visit. Not as much fun as I remembered, but still an enjoyably loud and gooey horror flick.

My list so far:
From Hell
The Initiation
Office Killer
Friday the 13th
The Devil's Backbone*
Sleepaway Camp 2
Red Dragon*
From Dusk Till Dawn
Carnosaur
Carnosaur 2
Evil Dead 2
Carnosaur 3: Primal Species*
Spiders*
Session 9*
The Oblong Box*
Scream and Scream Again*
My Bloody Valentine
The Ring*
Resident Evil
* = first-time visits

 

[Donald W]

I'm pretty much game for this since a friend told me to head over here to this part of the board...for about 5 years I've watch one film a day from October 1st til the 31st....sometimes I've watch 2 or 3...but here is my list so far I'll * films that I've never seen before-
October 1st:
13 Ghosts (2001)- not a bad film at all if you want something thats just going to be fun and bloody...I think that it was ten times better than the other Dark Castle outing House on Haunted Hill
October 2:
*Frailty- my god what a film...not since Silence of the Lambs has a someone in a film gotten under my skin and scared me..everything about this film is just great...one of the best of the year
October 3:
*Return of the Living Dead- never seen it before and got the DVD on a wim...and I'm very happy I did...of all the horror/comdeys films that have came out from the 80's this has to be the funnest I've seen
October 4th:
*Red Dragon- Pretty good and way way better than Hannibal in everyway...so much better than what I thought that this was going to be...
Manhunter: had to rewatch this film after seeing Red...I can't really compare this film and the remake because there both very good but very different versions...one thing I am happy about was that Red Dragon didn't really dated into the 80's as this film did...I mean you can really tell that Mann whom did Miami Vice at the time found it's way into the influnce of the film
October 5th:
Near Dark- Just got the DVD...I've worn my VHS way way out so it was time to upgrade... simply one of the best vampire films I've ever seen
October 6th:
Horror of Dracula- I think the best of all the Hammer Horror films that they made....for some reason it just works so well and still has parts that get you everytime....and you can't beat the first time you see Christoper Lee with the fags and bloodshot eyes jumping over the tabble to get at the woman who has biten Johnthan Harker
Stephen Kings It- the best of all the made for tv films of a King book...works on a lot of levels still for a tv film and who can forget Tim Curry as Pennywise
October 7th-
*Bride of the Re-Animator- not to bad for a sequel to a great film...it has it's moments but no where near as fun as Re-Animator was
October 8th:
*Jason X- had to see how bad this film was...so I rented it...anyone who says that their a fan of this film should have their mouth washed out with soap...only 2 good parts in the whole film...one was when David Cronenberg shows up and gets killed by Jason....the other was when the girl got her face froze and then smashed in on the table...I wish he would have done the same to the person who made this film!
October 9th:
Bram Stoker's Dracula- I would have watched this latter in the month but I had to wash the very very bad taste of Jason X out of my mouth...what can I say about this film that someone hasn't said before...it's the best take on the Dracula myth *with Horror almost a close second*...Everything about this film just works for me...I've pushed for over 2 years for a SE DVD to come out lets hope one makes it out next Halloween
October 10th:
*Suspiria- I at last went out and got the DVD cause it was on sale at Best Buy...I had never seen it before in my life and I have to say that the murder at the start of the film has to be one of the best in anyfilm I've ever seen...for the rest of the film it lags at times but then picks up...not as bad as some make it out to be on the Internet Movie Database
October 11th
Evil Dead Triple Threat!
every year me and my friends get together sometime around Halloween and watch all the films back to back...this time it was on October 11, a friday night with a 18 pack of Miller and just the 5 of us as we watch Bruce just kick ass in all 3 of these films...it just doesn't get any better than this
October 12th:
*The Fog- I also got the DVD the same day I got Suspiria...not to bad at all...I thought it was over with way to soon but overall a great ghost story...I wish to hell that Carpenter would go back to making films like this than something like Ghosts of Mars
John Carpenter's Vampires- after taken sometime to watch The Fog I got out my DVD of this film...I love this film still...I can't say that it's as good or on the same level as the Blade films but James Woods is just kick ass as Jack Crow...now I need to rent the Sequel with see if it's any good *it can't be as bad as Jason X*
October 13th:
Zombie- hehehe the first Fulci I ever saw when my parents had their video store and it's still dear to my heart...everything about it just is fun and gorefilled...not as good as The Beyond or the Dead films but it still holds it's own....all I can say is that the splinter into the eye can never been toped!
The Beyond- My favorite so far or all Fulci films...everything about this film feels like a nightmare or odd dream......I need to see Cat in the Brain and City of the Living Dead soon
so what do I have in store for the rest of the month-
Halloween
*The Ring
The Dr Phibes films
The Exorist
Re-Animator
Blade 1 & 2
Nightmare on Elm St
Rosemary's Baby
*Black Sunday AKA La Maschera del demonio
Killer Klones from Outer Space
Texas Chainsaw
and on Halloween Dracula (1931) and Frankensten (1931)
I'll repost then with more and whatever else I see

 

[Brian Kissinger]

I managed to get in another tonight, thanks again to my pal SteveGon.
Martin (1978)
Is Martin a vampire or isn't he? Is crazy uncle Cuda really crazy? I have my opinion, but I think it's best to decide for yourself. Martin is part horror, part humor, part satire, part tragedy, and part entertaining. The movie grabbed me at parts, and left me totally dry at others. It's pretty much what I would expect from Romero.
:star: :star: 1/2

 

[Brian Lawrence]

.

 

[Jim_K]

Time for an update.
Don't Look Now :star: :star: :star: 1/2
Curse/Night of the Demon :star: :star: :star: :star:
Legend of Hell House :star: :star: :star: 1/2
Brotherhood of the Wolf :star: :star: :star: 1/2
* Heavenly Creatures :star: :star: :star: High expectations may have dampened my enjoyment. Deserves another viewing though.
Fly (1986) :star: :star: :star: 1/2
* Resident Evil 1/2 George Romero where are you?
MASTER LIST (10)
Near Dark
Fog
* Carnival of Souls
Don't Look Now
Curse/Night of the Demon
Legend of Hell House
Brotherhood of the Wolf
Fly (1986)
* Heavenly Creatures
* Resident Evil
* First time viewed

 

[Lew Crippen]

I have no soul! I am beyond the pale! I’m one of the living dead!

Hearing Fredric March say those lines again was a treat. I watched the 1931 version of

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and found that it holds up surprisingly well after all these years. You just have to feel for all the characters in the film.

 

[Matt Stone]

Watched Frailty again over the weekend, as well as Blade 2 and Evil Dead 2. Here's the current tally...
1. Black Christmas - First Time
2. Frailty - First Time (Twice)
3. Red Dragon - First Time
4. Manhunter
5. The Thing
6. Halloween
7. Halloween 4
8. Halloween 5
9. Blade 2
10. Evil Dead 2
The Wicker Man will be here from Netflix today, and I may or may not get to it tonight, depending on how long homework takes. Theatrically, I'll catch The Ring on Friday.

 

[Matt Stone]

/double post

 

[Rob Lutter]

Watched Last House on the Left tonight... pretty decent horror flick I thought the transfer left MUCH to be desired though.
Here is an updated list:
1. Red Dragon
2. Se7en
3. Sleepaway Camp
4. Jason X
5. Sleepaway Camp 2
6. Blade II
7. Sleepaway Camp 3
8. Last House on the Left
Tomorrow: "Near Dark" and hopefully "A Nightmare on Elm Street" (if the canadians deliver )

 

[Peter M Fitzgerald]

Watched five more fright flicks in the last 24 hours (an asterisk * indicates a first-time viewing):
VIY, OR SPIRIT OF EVIL* (1967-Russian) A not-so-reverent seminary student encounters a witch, and has to read prayers over the corpse of a dead girl for three nights straight. Terrific stuff, particularly the climax, where all the supernatural stops are pulled out, albeit briefly. Perfect Halloween fare.
DR. RENAULT'S SECRET* (1942) Another try at Universal-style horror by Fox in the 1940s, this being a bit more successful as a film than THE UNDYING MONSTER. Here, J. Carroll Naish plays a former Java ape who has been trasformed by mad scientist George Zucco most of the way into a human being (sort of a warm-up for Naish's role as the hunchback in Universal's HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN) who strangles people who make him jealous (not unlike a male version of Universal's "Jungle Woman" films, starring Aquanetta). The direction and camerawork are quite good, though not as stunning as the work of John Brahm & Lucien Ballard in UNDYING MONSTER. However, the ape-man is present throughout the picture, and the climax has plenty of action.
DER GOLEM* (1920-German) Interesting precursor to James Whale's FRANKENSTEIN, with a good performance by Paul Wegener as the clay giant brought to life by a rabbi pragmatically practicing black magic. Cool semi-expressionistic sets, too.
HORROR OF DRACULA (1958-British) Watched this classic vampire flick last year on laserdisc, but I'm counting this as one of my two official "Halloween tradition" flicks this year, thanks to Warner's spiffy new widescreen DVD transfer. Not just better color & clarity over the old LD, but my Technidisc-pressed LD edition makes alot of noise spinning in my LD player, a feature thankfully absent from the DVD playback.
TENEBRAE* (1982-Italian) A scalpal-wielding maniac kills women and stalks a best-selling author (Anthony Franciosa) on a publicity tour in Rome. Stylish nonsense from Dario Argento, who can stage a suspenseful set-piece with the best of them (like here, when a girl is chased into a dicey situation after aggravating an initially fenced-in doberman), but whose stories thinly connect these scenes with a narrative mish-mosh.
Current scary film tally: 21 watched
I'll be back later with more...

 

[Donald W]

October 14th:
I went and rented Inferno tonight, since I had seen Suspiria at last....Not at all on the level that Suspiria is...it deals with some of the same things that Suspiria did *it's said to be the second part of three films that deal witht he 3 mothers that was talked about in Suspiria* but I just don't know...this is the film that I think everyone who hated Suspiria I would think would be talking about...at least Suspiria coherent where for the most part this film wasn't...it still had some good parts but wasn't anywhere near as cool as Suspiria was
here is my list of what I've seen so far day by day with a 0-4 star rating
1. 13 Ghosts (2001) ** 1/2
2. Frailty **** (the best of the new films I've seen so far)
3. Return of the Living Dead ***
4. Red Dragon *** 1/2
5. Manhunter *** (the dated 80's Miani Vice feel makes Red Dragon a 1/2 star more)
6. Near Dark ****
7. Horror of Dracula ****
8. Stephen Kings It ***
9. Bride of the Re-Animator ***
10 Jason X (no stars- the worst horror film I've seen in a long time)
11. Bram Stoker's Dracula ****
12. Suspiria ***
13. The Evil Dead ****
14. Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn ****
15. Evil Dead 3: Army of Darkness *** 1/2
14. The Fog ***
15. John Carpenter's Vampires ***
16. Zombie ***
17. The Beyond ****
20. Inferno **

 

[Brook K]

Over the weekend I caught 2 more. My next batch of Netflix should be all horror and I plan on going more full-bore for the next 2 weeks.
Frailty - completely conventional in every annoying way, I didn't like this at all. I don't think it deserves all the praise it's gotten. Too many plot holes, this is yet another movie that relies on the complete stupidity of a character to achieve it's "revelation" which is so ham-handed that one can figure out the "secret" long before it's revealed. I also took the film to be telling me that their powers were real, and not the result of psychosis/movie serial killer-dom. I can't get behind a film that is saying that God would use people, including children, to brutally murder, no matter what their crimes were.
Spider Baby - Now here is a fun little drive-in flick with a surprisingly good score and some effective cinematography. Coming from my favorite exploitation director, Jack Hill (dir of Coffy, Foxy Brown, The Big Bird Cage ), that isn't surprising that I enjoyed this so much.
The movie involves a family and their caretaker Bruno (Lon Chaney Jr.) who are afflicted with a disease that causes age regression inspiring madness and cannabalism The fun starts when distant relatives arrive to attempt to seize control of the estate. Those with Netflix, stick this on your lists!
1. Spider Baby
2. Viy
3. Frailty

 

[Matt Stone]

Forgot about Columbus Day, so Wicker Man won't be here until later today. Just watched Last House on the Left though...so here's the count.
1. Black Christmas - First Time
2. Frailty - First Time (Twice)
3. Red Dragon - First Time
4. Manhunter
5. The Thing
6. Halloween
7. Halloween 4
8. Halloween 5
9. Blade 2
10. Evil Dead 2
11. Last House on the Left
12. Stephen King's It
...edit, forgot that I watched It last weekend.

 

[Ross Williams]

This weekend's viewings. First off I watched Jason X. I was really looking forward to this since I'm a big fan of the Friday the 13th series. I was certain it was going to be a so-bad-it's-good classic. Boy was I dissapointed, nothing but pure crap. A couple of cool death scenes, but overall really boring. The holo-Crystal Lake was pretty funny though.
Then it was Lover's Lane. I watched it cause it has a couple of Seattle connections that I sort of know. Typical teenage-slasher flick. With some of the dumbest protaganists I've ever seen in one of these films. And that's saying something!
I wrapped up the weekend with Fright Night. It had been 5 or more years since I'd seen it. I remember it quite fondly, but time has not been kind. Easily the best of the three I watched, but still not a great film. Some wonderful make-up and a nice set up, but not one single scare in the entire thing. It teeters on that narrow edge of being funny and being scary, and not succeeding wildly at either.
I need to see a really good horror film. I've been quite disappointed so far. Does nothing scare me anymore? I'm really looking forward to The Ring. The original was one of the last movies to scare me, I don't remember it well, so hopefully the remake will still surprise me.
#1 Near Dark
#2 The Fog
#3 Jeepers Creepers
#4 April Fool's Day
#5 Last House on the Left*
#6 Sleepaway Camp 2
#7 Inheritance*
#8 Jason X*
#9 Lover's Lane*
#10 Fright Night

 

[Justin_S]

Okay, time for an update. I have watched the following since the 8th:
BRAIN DAMAGE- Wonderful and warped film from Frank Henenlotter! The film is sort of a commentary on drug addiction with a horror twist, and it results in one of the best horror comedies of all time! Aylmer is a hilariously evil little creature, and his juice's effect are superbly captured, especially in the junkyard scene. Simply stellar film! [Watched this on DVD]
HALLOWEEN 3: SEASON OF THE WITCH- One of the most underrated films of all time, this is easily the best HALLOWEEN sequel, and is a definite classic! I find this film even more appropriate for Halloween viewing than the original. Love the bizarre creepiness, the masterful score, the great Tom Atkins and Daniel O'Herlihy, and the wonderfully odd things that this film is full of! Classic by all means! [Watched this on DVD]
THE HILLS HAVE EYES- Craven's best film, and a gritty and thrilling masterpiece of survivalist horror! The cannibal family are all very menacing, and they are portrayed to perfection by the actors who played them, especially the always reliable Michael Berryman as Pluto. I love how Beast, the dog, becomes one of the main heroes of the film, and this is long overdue for a DVD release! [Watched this on VHS]
AUDITION- Deeply disturbing and nightmarish film from Japan that is truly a new classic! This film is simply well done on every level. I feel bad for Asami, but I fear her all the same. One of the most disturbing films in recent memory, and definitely one of the best! [Watched this on DVD]
WOLFEN- Not as enjoyable as I remembered it being, but still a very good flick all the same. I love the story behind the wolves, and they are beautiful, but intimidating creatures. Good film! [Watched this on DVD]
THE RING remake- Yes, I FINALLY saw this brilliant and simply spectacular remake at the sneak preview this past Saturday! It tops the original, and is definitely one of the finest remakes ever made! Check out my thread on this film for more of my thoughts! [Watched at a theater]
SILENT NIGHT, DEADLY NIGHT [First time viewing- rental]- This film has a pretty good cult following, and I decided to rent it for the Halloween season. Well, I was quite underwhelmed. It was an okay film, but was quite boring, and was just not a very entertaining slasher. Mediocre film at best. [Watched on rental VHS]
FRAILTY- Along with the remake of THE RING, this is the best film of 2002, and is another huge new favorite of mine! Bill Paxton's direction and acting are both top notch, and he is very believable as the troubled father. This film is also quite disturbing, very eerie and bleak, appropriately subtle, extremely well done, wonderfully scored, and is a new classic of horror cinema! Kudos to Paxton for creating such a gem! [Watched this on DVD]
That is all I've gotten to so far. I'll get to more soon enough, and I know it won't count, but I'll be seeing THE RING MANY more times this weekend!

 

[Scott Weinberg]

Today I watched:
The Wicker Man - VERY cool! I had a feeling I'd like this one, and I certainly did. Had this movie been given a more ceremonious release, I bet it could have caused a mild Sixth Sense sort of buzz. Or maybe it was just ahead of its time. Good stuff!
Slashers - Talk about 'on the other hand'! Whoo boy is this crap!!!! Bargain-basement cheapie cobbled together from Survivor, The Running Man, and your local "Haunted House" shack that pops up at a local farm every October. Horror freaks, don't be fooled by the cool-sounding synopsis!
Project Viper - I'm only twenty minutes into this one as I type. It's some sort of low-budget Alien Attack kind of thing. Patrick Muldoon and Theresa Russell star, Jim Wynorksi directs; I'm not filled with visions of a classic.

My list so far:
From Hell
The Initiation
Office Killer
Friday the 13th
The Devil's Backbone*
Sleepaway Camp 2
Red Dragon*
From Dusk Till Dawn
Carnosaur
Carnosaur 2
Evil Dead 2
Carnosaur 3: Primal Species*
Spiders*
Session 9*
The Oblong Box*
Scream and Scream Again*
My Bloody Valentine
The Ring*
Resident Evil
The Wicker Man*
Slashers*
Project Viper*
* = first-time visits

 

[Dome Vongvises]

Well, I'm late, and I have Wes to help me. I probably won't meet the challenge, but I'm going to be having some fun with this.

 

[Justin_S]

Glad to see that you liked THE WICKER MAN, Scott! It is one of my absolute favorites, and is unfortunately a bit underseen.
I have to say that I enjoyed $LA$HER$ though.

 

[Brook K]

Tonight's selection was the classic horror silent Der Golem. I wouldn't put it up there with Murnau's work or Caligari, but this is well worth seeing. The new Kino DVD sports very impressive use of color tinting and the film has effects that rival those of Faust.
Paul Wegener's performance and the script itself, do not inhabit the monster with the humanity of a Karloff or the bizarrness of the Somnabulist, but there are a few effectively poignant moments where the monster contemplates the value of his own life amidst the mayhem. Also quite a different portrayl of Jewish life, with a Rabbi functioning as a cabalist wizard.
Ranking my films so far, all are 1st time watchings:
1. Spider Baby
2. Der Golem
3. Viy
4. Frailty