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

[Chucky P]

Watched The Funhouse (neat flick) before I went to bed last night and I watched Beginning of the End (Good Old Bert I. Gordon Cheese) this morning.

2004 Scary Movie List (New Viewings in Bold)
Freaks
The Funhouse
Beginning of the End

 

[Matt Stone]

I watched Candyman for the first time since it's release a few hours ago, and I'm watching Night of the Living Dead right now. Candyman scared the crap out of me the first time I saw it (I was only 11). Watching it a second time, it's less scary, but I still think it's a strong film. The driving Phillip Glass score really sets the mood of the film well. Tony Todd is a very imposing villain, and the way his voice is presented is a great stylistic choice.


2004 Scary Movie List
1. 28 Days Later (4.5/5)
2. Maniac (4.5/5)
3. Stir of Echos (4.5/5)
4. The Stepfather (4/5)
5. Candyman (4/5)
6. Night of the Living Dead (5/5)

 

[Rick Spruill]

10/3 - Pieces (1982) - 2/5
- Typical 80s slasher with a bit more gore and nudity than some. Despite all its flaws (and there are many), it held my interest and provided some entertainment.

10/3 - Frozen Alive (1966) - 1/5
- I doubt this one should count in the horror challenge, but I watched it in good faith that it was a horror movie. In reality, it's a bad 60 sci-fi movie about a man attempting to freeze living beings only to later bring them back to life. Very dull.


2004 Horror Challenge
First Time Viewing in Bold

1. Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1973) - 4/5
2. The Last Man on Earth (1964) - 4/5
3. Orca (1977) 2/5
4. Pieces (1982) - 2/5
5. Frozen Alive (1966) - 1/5

 

[Michael Elliott]

10/03/04

Last Woman on Earth (1960) :star:1/2

Ev, her husband Harold and their lawyer Martin go scuba diving in Puerto Rico but when they come back they discover that the world has pretty much ended and only the three of them survive. They learn how to fish and live on their own but soon Martin starts to get horny, which causes trouble. This is a cheap-o from Roger Corman who does his spin on the Adam and Eve tale. Robert Towne wrote the screenplay and plays the lawyer. There’s some interesting material here that keeps this from being a total disaster but there are way too many dry spots plus nothing much really happens.

Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors (1965) :star::star::star:

Five men including Donald Sutherland and Christopher Lee board a train where they are greeted by a sixth person, Dr. Sandor Schreck (Peter Cushing) who then tells them their future. Five different stories are told and each varies in degrees of goodness but overall this is a very well directed film. The first werewolf segment is a bit disappointing, the second dealing with a growing vine is good, the third with voodoo is rather bland but the fourth is the highlight with Lee doing his take on The Hand of Orlac story. The fifth story with vampires has a nice twist ending as does the actually story to the five men.

2004 Horror Challenge First time views in bold.

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 ***)
09.Halloween (1978 ****)
10.Halloween 2 (1981 ***)
11.Halloween 3 (1982 ***)
12.Dead Men Walk (1943 **)
13.Monster Maker, The (1944 * ½)
14.Phantom Ship (1935 ***)
15.Beast of Yucca Flats, The (1961 BOMB)
16.Man Beast (1956 **)
17.Last Woman on Earth (1960 * ½)
18.Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors (1965 ***)




RE: FROZEN ALIVE---I got this on one of AMC's Cult Classic discs and plan on watching it soon. I saw this when I was around 10 or so and remember hating it but perhaps time will change my opinion. TNT's Monstervision (?) used to show this all the time.

 

[Justin_S]

Zoltan: Hound of Dracula- I love killer dog flicks, and this one spices things up by having the titular pooch be Dracula's pet canine. A very enjoyable little romp indeed.

Toolbox Murders (2003)- Rewatched my DVD of this gem. If you ask me, this is Hooper's best film since The Funhouse. I was very impressed with it, and found it to be the best slasher film in a long, long time. Also, as expected, Bettis is fantastic, and helps hold the film together. Its great to finally see another good Hooper film.

Frogs- Cheesy film is a rather fun watch, and I hadn't viewed it in a while. I like how its not just frogs attacking people. Not a good movie, but a fun one.

Ginger Snaps Back- Finally got around to watching this final entry in the series just a few moments ago. Its a great little film, and while its no match for the original, I think its superior to the second. Great setting, some nice gore, cool looking werewolves, and more of the same from Isabelle and Perkins. Good end to the franchise.


2004 Horror Challenge List
Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth
Christine
Alone in the Dark
The Fly(Cronenberg's)
Zoltan: Hound of Dracula
Toolbox Murders (2003)
Frogs
Ginger Snaps Back

 

[Greg Black]

How in the world did this thread hit three pages already?! And I just now am strolling in here! Oh boy, I have my work cut out for me. I failed horribly last year (I think I watched about... six), so this year I have to redeem myself.

 

[Chucky P]

I just watched Night of the Demon & Curse of the Demon(a very good movie that's really creepy).



2004 Scary Movie List (New Viewings in Bold)
Freaks
The Funhouse
Beginning of the End
Night of the Demon & Curse of the Demon

 

[Michael Elliott]

10/03/04

The Slumber Party Massacre (1982) :star::star::star:1/2

I might take a lot of heat for this but in my opinion The Slumber Party Massacre is the best slasher ever made. The funny thing is that this is also the most sexist, violent towards women and the one with the most gratuitous nudity. You’d think the women groups/feminist would be all over this one but they weren’t because a woman actually wrote the screenplay and directed this film. The gore level is very high and the deaths are quite cleaver and mean spirited. The nudity itself is rather shocking because every woman’s body gets a close up plus the camera is always panning around trying to show off the nudity. Again, it’s strange this would be in a film written by a feminist but I guess they don’t care as long as they’re making money. The killer is wonderfully creepy and the kids (actually adults) are very entertaining. We also get an eerie music score as well as some intense scenes, which makes this the best of its type. The best thing is that this is actually a spoof of slasher films so there’s a lot of laughs and inside jokes as well. Of course, the film would lay an egg for the sequel, which is among the worst ever made.

2004 Horror Challenge First time view in bold.

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 ***)
09.Halloween (1978 ****)
10.Halloween 2 (1981 ***)
11.Halloween 3 (1982 ***)
12.Dead Men Walk (1943 **)
13.Monster Maker, The (1944 * ½)
14.Phantom Ship (1935 ***)
15.Beast of Yucca Flats, The (1961 BOMB)
16.Man Beast (1956 **)
17.Last Woman on Earth (1960 * ½)
18.Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors (1965 ***)
19.Slumber Party Massacre, The (1982 *** ½)

 

[Angel Pagan]

4) Children Of The Corn :star: :star:

5) Christine :star: :star: :star:1/2

6) Cabin Fever :star: :star:1/2

2004 Scary Movie List
1. Evilspeak ***
2. Fright Night ***
3. An American Werewolf In London ***1/2
4. Children Of The Corn **
5. Christine ***1/2
6. Cabin Fever **1/2
Movies in bold are new discoveries.

 

[Joe Karlosi]

10/03/04

Mystery of Edwin Drood (1935) :star: :star:
This is a seldom-seen Universal oldie that I've had on VHS for years and only got around to now! Turns out I didn't miss much. There is no "mystery" here, as the events are fairly predictable. It's a melodrama with mild horror elements starring Claude Rains as an opium addict (a risque move) involved in a love triangle and possible murder. David Manners is better used here than usual, and the film's got some impressive sets going for it. E.E. Clive (the burgomaster in BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN) has a similar role here as Mayor. Directed by Stuart "Werewolf Of London" Walker.

My Bloody Valentine (1981) :star: :star:
Typical F13-influenced slasher fare, with all the trimmings: bad dialogue, poor acting, jerky characters, and a madman in a mask (a miner's outfit in this case). Not bad, but pretty routine; except that in this case the gore is kept to a minimum, probably edited by the MPAA. Nice closing tune,though.

Dracula (The Spanish Version) (1931) :star: :star: :star:
I've viewed virtually every scene from this film in the past already, though I never sat through it in its entirety until now, so I counted this as a new viewing. I still think the Bela Lugosi rendition wins out, but the Spanish Version is good in its own way. Actually, both may be just as good, but for different reasons (depending on how they work for you). In this case, the clear advantage is that the stylish cinematography is often better than the Tod Browning classic, and there are more misty and atmospheric horrific touches here, with more risks taken. But the actor playing Renfield is way over the top, and Carlos Villarias appears goofy as Dracula and is nowhere near as mesmerizing and creepy as Bela Lugosi remains. I'd heard that this version was less talky, but in fact there are plenty of stagy scenes of chit-chat in the second half of this film as well as in Browning's. Two key confrontations between Dracula and Van Helsing (the mirror and the crucifix) I much preferred in the Lugosi film.

01) Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920)
02) Murders in the Zoo (1933)
03) Taking Lives (2004)
04) Mystery of Edwin Drood (1935)
05) My Bloody Valentine (1981)
06) Dracula (The Spanish Version) (1931)

 

[Matt Stone]

Just queued up Slumber Party Massacre at netflix. Thanks for the suggestion, Michael.

Watched two more after NOLD:
Raw Meat - This was a first time for me. I knew of it, but didn't think about seeing it until I heard Scott mention it on WGN Radio. I thought it was a really good film. Donald Pleasence was fantastic, and Chris Lee's little cameo was hilarious. The film wasn't too over the top, and played up the chilling stuff with little or no dialog. Definitely a must see.

C.H.U.D - Also a first-timer. I had just watched cannibals in Raw Meat, so I figured why not watch another. This one shows the differences between 70s horror and 80s horror by playing up the laughs more, and not being so bleak. That being said, I thought it was great too. I was expecting b-movie camp, but the director played the stuff straight and it really worked. The acting was a strong point, especially Daniel Stern. Overall, much better than I was expecting.


2004 Scary Movie List
1. 28 Days Later (4.5/5)
2. Maniac (4.5/5)
3. Stir of Echos (4.5/5)
4. The Stepfather (4/5)
5. Candyman (4/5)
6. Night of the Living Dead (5/5)
7. Raw Meat (4.5/5)
8. C.H.U.D. (4/5)

 

[Ryan Wishton]

Joe,

My Bloody Valentine was cut by 9 minutes or so. Dragon wanted to release it Uncut a few years ago, but Paramount owns it everywhere in the world, so their hands were tied. Not to mention when they started production on The Intruder Uncut, they immediately received threats of legal action from Paramount. I dont think they knew Paramount still owned that one though.

Wow. If Paramount would put as much time into releasing these movies as they do hiring lawyers, we would have made some nice progress. But, thats just my opinion.

Here is where I found that info on MBV. You can find out what was cut, etc. if your interested. The main site has info on some other movies too. Though the last news update is from 2002, so it is a little old.

http://www.hysteria-lives.co.uk/hyst...dexmbvmain.htm

Anyways, back to the thread.

Today I saw:

Chopping Mall (horribly dated & way cheesy). I bought as a blind buy (Netflix didnt carry it). I shouldnt have. I might have liked this if I had seen it in 1986, but I dont know. C-/D+

 

[Bill McA]

Funny, I thought Candyman was released 12 years ago

Rabid - early David Cronenberg classic still holds up well, further illustrating why '70s horror is so much better than today's crap.

2004 Scary Movie List (First viewings in red)

1. Resident Evil: Apocalypse (Alexander Witt) (1/5)
2. The Order (Brian Helgeland) (2/5)
3. Dracula (The Dirty Old Man) (William Edwards) (2/5)
4. Guess What Happened to Count Dracula? (Laurence Merrick) (1/5)
5. Body Parts (Eric Red) (4/5)
6. Seance (Kiyoshi Kurosawa) (4/5)
7. Rabid (David Cronenberg) (4/5)

 

[Matt Stone]

Haha

I should have said "A few hours ago, I watched Candyman for the first time since it's release."

If I get a chance I'm going to watch Ginger Snaps 1-3 later. I haven't seen any of them yet.

 

[Bob Turnbull]

Got number one under my belt before I thought I would...

The Wicker Man - Well, that certainly was different...I must admit that a half hour or so into the film I was rolling my eyes something fierce. The low point being
Brit Ekland's nude dance in her room to the twee folky tune being played in the pub and Edward Woodward's over the top reaction...

But it started to work...Though I didn't feel the music worked at all for the film, the antics of the townspeople and the creepiness of the situation kept me involved. Though there wasn't much scary or even a real strong sense of dread, the last 10 minutes or so pretty much made up for that. Especially when Edward Woodward's character comes to the top of the hill and sees
The Wicker Man

and you realize what's going to happen. Got some chills right then and there.


October Scary Movie Challenge 2004 (films in blue are first time viewings)
1. The Wicker Man (10/03/04)

 

[Justin_S]

New York Ripper- Love this film. As far as Fulci goes, this is second only to City of the Living Dead. Fulci crafted a damn fine giallo/exploitation hybrid with this one. Its quite effective, and it doesn't let the audience off the hook when it comes to delving into touchy material. The film is very bleak, mean spirited, and graphic, and I think that makes the film all the better. The killer (who's quacking I think is an amusing touch) also has a motive that I find more interesting than the usual psycho motives. An excellent piece of sleazy, gritty horror that doesn't hold back.


2004 Horror Challenge List
1: Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth
2: Christine
3: Alone in the Dark
4: The Fly (Cronenberg's)
5: Zoltan: Hound of Dracula
6: Toolbox Murders (2003)
7: Frogs
8: Ginger Snaps Back
9: New York Ripper

 

[Matt Stone]

I just caught the craptastic Darkness Falls on cable. A little subtlety would have gone a long way in that one.


2004 Scary Movie List
1. 28 Days Later (4.5/5)
2. Maniac (4.5/5)
3. Stir of Echos (4.5/5)
4. The Stepfather (4/5)
5. Candyman (4/5)
6. Night of the Living Dead (5/5)
7. Raw Meat (4.5/5)
8. C.H.U.D. (4/5)
9. Darkness Falls (1.5/5)

 

[Scott Weinberg]

Two additions:

The patently awful Snakehead Terror (serves me right) and the truly unnerving Duel.

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

1. Orca (1977)
2. Christine (1983)
3. Friday the 13th Part 3 (1982)
4. The Legacy (1978)*
5. The Sentinel (1977)*
6. Demon Knight (1995)
7. Bordello of Blood (1996)
8. Snakehead Terror (2004)*
9. Duel (1971)[/list=1]
   
   Oh, and while I was bored I came up with a list of late 70s / early 80s horror movies that I'd like to see on DVD. Feel free to add your own.
   
   Alligator (80)
   The Boogens (82)
   The Burning (81)
   Day of the Animals (77)
   The Final Terror (83)
   Grizzly (76)
   Hospital Massacre (83)
   Humongous (82)
   Massacre at Central High (76)
   The Mutilator (85)
   Nightmares (83)
   Prom Night (80)
   Savage Harvest (81)
   The Sender (82)
   Silent Scream (80)
   Snuff (76)
   Visiting Hours (82)
   Without Warning (80)

 

[Ryan Wishton]

Scott,

The Burning is suppose to be coming from MGM next fall. Though it was at one point suppose to come out this year, so who knows. Especially with whats going on with MGM right now.

The Mutilator? I remember that. Saw that uncut. The hook scene was disgusting by even my taste.

Grizzly. Oh, I remember that one too. Saw that in the early 80's from somewhere. I have no idea where. I remember being so scared and having nightmares from that one. I will never rent this again as I dont want to ruin remembering it well as what happens with many movies.

One movie I would like to see that I cant remember the name of.

Some dude named Marty is running around dressed like a Jester or something like that. I remember the movie also played music from F13 5 and was made the same year.

 

[Scott Weinberg]

Click here for some details regarding a chat between The Horror Channel and Anchor Bay's Michael Felsher. DVDs on the way include Malevolence, Dead & Breakfast, The Card Player, Freaked, Cemetery Man SE, Trauma SE, Quicksilver Highway, Class of 1984, Bad Dreams, Visiting Hours, Damnation Alley, Romero's Season of the Witch and The Entity.