*** Official 11th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge 2010 *** (1 Viewer)

[Radioman970]

+6 (correction)

Will probably update Monday. Slept later that expected on Sunday morning.

 

[Malcolm R]

[SIZE= 16px][COLOR= rgb(255, 0, 0)]The Mummy (1959)[/COLOR][/SIZE]

Grade: B


Hammer Films remakes another Universal monster classic again using the dynamic duo of Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. John Banning (Cushing) is part of a team that discovers and raids the ancient tomb of the Princess Ananka. A modern day disciple of the princess takes control of her mummy guardian, and former lover, Kharis (Lee), to exact revenge on the tomb raiders.


Another decent remake that's entertaining, though brings nothing very exciting or original to the table. The mummy still lurches and lumbers about, the primary method of dispatch is strangulation, and he's undone in the end by the pretty girl. It sounds like this film nearly killed Christopher Lee. Reportedly, he suffered a dislocated shoulder when a breakaway door was accidentally bolted tight before he crashed through it, threw his back out during one scene when he was carrying Yvonne Furneaux, was burned by the gunshot squibs when shot at by Cushing, and injured his knees and shins in the swamp scenes. It's a wonder he ever worked with Hammer again after that experience.

 

[TravisR]

I'm still on a slasher kick so I watched:


3. The Burning


OK movie bolstered by Tom Savini's special effects (eventhough most of them are recycled from Maniac and Friday The 13th). It's fun seeing Jason Alexander, Fisher Stevens and Holly Hunter in their teenage years but the poor direction sinks it.


4. The Prowler


I consider this to be one of the best slasher movies. Great, gory effects from Tom Savini. Some decent chills and just a cool creepy vibe. If you're a slasher fan, this is definitely for you.


5. Terror Train


This movie is not as violent as the usual slasher movie but it generally gets the slasher label because Jamie Lee Curtis is in it, because it came out in 1980 and because the killer wears multiple masks throughout the movie. The movie benefits from a cast (Curtis, Ben Johnson, Hart Bochner) that can act and decent direction from Roger Spottiswoode.


I plan on checking out Let Me In early tomorrow.

 

[Bob McLaughlin]

2. Happy Birthday To Me (first-time viewing)
Starts out as a standard early 80's slasher, but it's really a mystery or a whodunnit. The teenagers are pretty much all unlikeable, which is the movie's greatest weakness, and it's a bit jarring to see Melissa Sue Anderson (the older sister in "Little House on the Prairie") partially disrobing in an early scene. A few nice almost Hitchcockian twists, lots of creative and stylish kills, this one really keeps you guessing right up until the end. But the end is just asking audiences to swallow way too much, unfortunately, stretching the point of believability too far. Not a bad way to spend 110 minutes, though.

[SIZE= 12px]2010 Horror Movie Marathon List
1. Severance[/SIZE]

[SIZE= 12px]2. Happy Birthday To Me[/SIZE]

 

[PatW]

Daughters of Satan (1972) 1.5/5


Cheesy low budget horror starring a young Tom Selleck as an art buyer who purchases a painting depicting the burning of three witches, one of whom bears a startling resemblance to his wife. This movie had a couple of good scenes but the acting was terrible except for Selleck who was okay. I thought the opening whipping scene at the very beginning was pushing the boundaries of what was acceptable almost 40 years ago. Notable only for an early performance by Mr. Magnum P.I.

 

[Pete Battista]

Title: Dracula: The Legacy Collection
Year: 1931
Director: Tod Browning
Rating: NR
Length: 75 Min.
Video: Full Frame 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: Mono, English: Dolby Digital: Mono, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish


Stars:
Bela Lugosi
Helen Chandler
David Manners
Dwight Frye
Edward Van Sloan
Herbert Bunston

Plot:
Although there have been numerous versions of Bram Stoker's classic tale, none is more enduring than the 1931 original. The ominous portrayal of Count Dracula by Béla Lugosi, combined with horror specialist director Tod Browning, help to create the film's eerie mood. 'Dracula' remains a masterpiece not only of the genre, but for all time.

Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Feature Trailers
Featurettes
Gallery

My Thoughts:
This is the first movie I ever watched with Bela Lugosi in it. And one of my favorite versions of Dracula. I think Bela Lugosi does an outstanding job in the title role. What with this movie being over 75 years old... I wasn't expecting much from the audio and video on this release. But I must admit I was pleasantly surprised. Though I did have to turn the volume up on my surround sound a little... the quality was impressing. There was some noticeable dust on the video... but nothing that bad at all. It was a very good presentation... and the DVD gives us a nice collection of extras. though I only watched the Theatrical Trailer so far... I like to watch those before the movie to help me get in the mood for what I am about to watch.

My Rating: 4.5/5


Count:
Movie Count: 8
TV Ep. Count: 2
Other Count: 0
Time Started: 3:15am

 

[Pete Battista]

Dracula: The Series: Volume 1
For centuries he has ruled the night, inspiring dozens of plays, scores of movies and millions of nightmares. His enduring legend is known and feared everywhere. Now, Dracula seeks global domination as Alexander Lucard, international billionaire power broker, who is relentlessly building a hi-tech network of white-collar vampires. Two young American brothers know his secret (and his weaknesses!) as they join their uncle – a lifelong vampire chaser – to follow the trail across Europe and the U.S. in a desperate race to expose Lucard and his undead army of corporate vampires. The hunters become the prey as Lucard seeks to eliminate their threat to his eternal conquest.

Children of the Night
In this series opener, two American brothers, Max and Chris, are left behind in Europe with their eccentric uncle Gustav while their mother travels on business. While Chris spends his time pining for American television and attempting to romance a young music student also living with Gustav, the younger brother, Max, who happens to be a supernatural enthusiast, is positive that his uncle is a vampire and goes to see multi-millionaire Alexander Lucard for help. Little does he know that the rich businessman is hiding a secret of his own.

My Thoughts:
This is a cute series from 1990. Is a family show that aired Saturday mornings. I never seen this show when it originally aired. I would say it is just a step up higher from Goosebumps. The vampires are done well without looking too scary (family friendly after all). And I liked how they did the effects for when a vampire gets staked. The effects of Dracula turning into a bat is pretty cool as well. This first episode is a good introduction to the characters. And it pretty much keeps to the Vampire mythology... though they do add the fact that Vampires cannot resist poppy seeds. Not sure what brought that idea on... or how I feel about it. But this is a very good episode of an entertaining family oriented vampire series.

My Rating: 4/5

Count:
Movie Count: 8
TV Ep. Count: 3
Other Count: 0
Time Started: 5:00am

 

[PatW]

Idaho Transfer (1973) 2.5/5


Cheesy low budget movie directed by Peter Fonda about a group of young research scientists who decide to time travel 50 years in the future to escape a uncoming unnamed disaster and to find out the cause of the current crisis. This movie moved along at a snails pace, had cheesy dialogue but presented an interesting premise. This isn't a good movie but it kept my interest right up to the horrific ending.

 

[Joe Karlosi]

[SIZE= 14px]THRILLER: "Hay-Fork and Bill-Hook" [/SIZE]

[SIZE= 14px] [/SIZE]

[SIZE= 14px]More like the Phantom from Just A Few Feet. A real stinkeroo about a scientist working on some dangerous secret project, and being investigated when dead bodies wash ashore. The monster of the title is rarely seen and that's not such a bad thing because it looks just ridiculous when it's on screen. It stands underwater guarding some kind of bright light, and grabs at people who occasionally pass by. There's a really busy plot centering around too many bland characters, and the whole result is one big YAWN. [/SIZE]



[SIZE= 12px]2010 Challenge - MOVIES [/SIZE]

[SIZE= 12px]01) Devil (2010) **1/2[/SIZE]

[SIZE= 12px]02) Dracula (1931) ***[/SIZE]

[SIZE= 12px]03) The Phantom from 10,000 Leagues (1955) *[/SIZE]


[SIZE= 12px] [/SIZE]

[SIZE= 12px]2010 Challenge - TELEVISION[/SIZE]

[SIZE= 12px]01) THRILLER ("The Hungry Glass") ***[/SIZE]

[SIZE= 12px]02) THRILLER ("Hay-Fork and Bill-Hook") **[/SIZE]

 

[Pete Battista]

Title: Dracula's Daughter: The Legacy Collection
Year: 1936
Director: Lambert Hillyer
Rating: NR
Length: 71 Min.
Video: Full Frame 1.33:1
Audio: Spanish: Dolby Digital: Mono, English: Dolby Digital: Mono
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish


Stars:
Otto Kruger
Gloria Holden
Marguerite Churchill
Edward Van Sloan
Gilbert Emery

Plot:
Picking up where Dracula left off, Dr. Von Helsing (Edward Van Sloan), thinking he has rid London of all vampires, is instead arrested for murder. Meanwhile, the beautiful and mysterious Countess Marya Zaleska (Gloria Holden) appears in London seeking the understanding Dr. Garth (Otto Kruger), Von Helsing's psychiatrist. A mysterious sequence of events leads Von Helsing and Garth to set off to Transylvania after the elusive countess and to rescue Garth's beautiful fiancée (Marguerite Churchill) in this classic thriller.

Extras:
Scene Access
Feature Trailers

My Thoughts:
I really enjoyed this one quite a bit.The quality... both audio and video... was very good. I have no complaints on this movie what so ever. This movie is the oldest I ever seen where it was about a female vampire. I really enjoyed Gloria Holden as Dracula's Daughter... but I have to admit I really liked this girl that was only in a small part of the movie as one of her victims... a girl named Nan Grey... she was a very attractive girl... with a sweetness about her that she actually left an impression with such a small part. Unfortunately this is the only movie I have with her in my collection.

My Rating: 4/5


Count:
Movie Count: 9
TV Ep. Count: 3
Other Count: 0
Time Started: 7:00am

 

[Ockeghem]

October 2:


Films:


Escape to Witch Mountain (1975)
[COLOR= rgb(24, 24, 24)]Mostly Ghostly: Who Let the Ghosts Out? [/COLOR][COLOR= rgb(24, 24, 24)](2008)[/COLOR]


[COLOR= rgb(24, 24, 24)]Television episodes:[/COLOR]


[COLOR= rgb(24, 24, 24)]Charmed [/COLOR][COLOR= rgb(24, 24, 24)]("All Halliwell's Eve") (2000)[/COLOR]


[COLOR= rgb(24, 24, 24)]Total:[/COLOR]


[COLOR= rgb(47, 47, 47)]Films:[/COLOR]

01. The Fly (1958)
02. Escape to WitchMountain (1975)
03. [COLOR= rgb(24, 24, 24)]Mostly Ghostly: Who Let the Ghosts Out? [/COLOR][COLOR= rgb(24, 24, 24)](2008)[/COLOR]

[COLOR= rgb(47, 47, 47)]Television episodes:[/COLOR]

[COLOR= rgb(47, 47, 47)]01. [/COLOR][COLOR= rgb(24, 24, 24)]Dark Shadows [/COLOR][COLOR= rgb(24, 24, 24)](Original series) (episodes nos. 349-350) (1967)[/COLOR]
[COLOR= rgb(47, 47, 47)]02. [/COLOR]Wizards of Waverly Place ("Wizards vs. Werewolves" (2010)
[COLOR= rgb(24, 24, 24)]03. [/COLOR][COLOR= rgb(47, 47, 47)]Wizards of Waverly Place[/COLOR][COLOR= rgb(47, 47, 47)]("Alex Saves Mason") (2010)[/COLOR]
[COLOR= rgb(24, 24, 24)]04. I Dream Of Jeannie ("Bigger Than A Bread Box and Better Than A Genie") (1966)
05. Charmed ("All Halliwell's Eve") (2000)[/COLOR]

 

[Pete Battista]

Dracula: The Series: Volume 1
For centuries he has ruled the night, inspiring dozens of plays, scores of movies and millions of nightmares. His enduring legend is known and feared everywhere. Now, Dracula seeks global domination as Alexander Lucard, international billionaire power broker, who is relentlessly building a hi-tech network of white-collar vampires. Two young American brothers know his secret (and his weaknesses!) as they join their uncle – a lifelong vampire chaser – to follow the trail across Europe and the U.S. in a desperate race to expose Lucard and his undead army of corporate vampires. The hunters become the prey as Lucard seeks to eliminate their threat to his eternal conquest.

Double Cross
Gustav's old friends, Peter and Anna Dyson, visit for a short time while Max takes the Cross of the Magyars (an artifact which prevents vampires from entering) from the house to be blessed. When Lucard finds out the cross has been removed, it is a race to see whether the cross can be replaced before Lucard pays the household a visit; but how did he find out that it was gone...?

My Thoughts:
Another enjoyable episode. I liked the storyline in this one. Despite this being a family series... with younger kids in mind.. I forgot how much I enjoyed this show. Though I must admit Brittany (my daughter) is right... the theme for this show has to go!

My Rating: 4/5

Count:
Movie Count: 9
TV Ep. Count: 4
Other Count: 0
Time Started: 10:15am

 

[Pete Battista]

Title: Son of Dracula: The Legacy Collection
Year: 1943
Director: Robert Siodmak
Rating: NR
Length: 80 Min.
Video: Full Frame 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: Mono
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish


Stars:
Robert Paige
Louise Allbritton
Evelyn Ankers
Frank Craven
J. Edward Bromberg

Plot:
Lon Chaney Jr. dons a cape as Count Alucard (that’s Dracula spelled backward), the bloodthirsty son of the famous Transylvania vampire. And when a beautiful Southern girl, Katherine (Louise Allbritton), invites him to the U.S., they both set out to satisfy their unquenchable thirst for human blood with nocturnal killings of unsuspecting neighbors and relatives. Despite the heroic efforts of her fiancé, Robert Paige, Katherine falls under the spell of the evil Count in Son of Dracula, director Robert Siodmak’s excursion into the horror genre.

Extras:
Scene Access

My Thoughts:
I actually enjoyed this one more this time around then I did the first time I watched it. I was actually not looking forward to watching this one again going off my first viewing. Now I am glad I gave it another chance. Though I do have to say I prefer Lon Chaney, Jr. as the Wolf Man... I didn't care for him in this role nearly as much. I enjoyed the story... and the quality of this one is surprisingly good for such an old movie. I also noticed the effects are starting to get better with this release. Seeing Dracula appear from a puff of smoke... and transforming too and from his bat form.

My Rating: 4/5


Count:
Movie Count: 10
TV Ep. Count: 4
Other Count: 0
Time Started: 11:30am

 

[TravisR]

6. Let Me In


I've never seen the original movie but I thought this remake was very good. The movie just has an overwhelming sense of dread (like a David Lynch movie where something terrible seems like it's always just about to happen) and is legitimately creepy. It was also nice to see a movie where kids can act. In my opinion, this is one worth checking out.

 

[Pete Battista]

Dracula: The Series: Volume 1
For centuries he has ruled the night, inspiring dozens of plays, scores of movies and millions of nightmares. His enduring legend is known and feared everywhere. Now, Dracula seeks global domination as Alexander Lucard, international billionaire power broker, who is relentlessly building a hi-tech network of white-collar vampires. Two young American brothers know his secret (and his weaknesses!) as they join their uncle – a lifelong vampire chaser – to follow the trail across Europe and the U.S. in a desperate race to expose Lucard and his undead army of corporate vampires. The hunters become the prey as Lucard seeks to eliminate their threat to his eternal conquest.

Get a Job
Chris lands a job with a local art house, run by a lovely art dealer named Julia, who also happens to have dealings with Alexander Lucard.

My Thoughts:
While still having it's moments... I didn't care as much for this episode as I did the previous two. I really didn't care too much for the storyline this time around. Though it did give a pretty good change with the outcome since it showed that the good guys don't always win. That is something that is a bit surprising with a series that has a majority of kids as viewers.

My Rating: 3/5

Count:
Movie Count: 10
TV Ep. Count: 5
Other Count: 0
Time Started: 1:30pm

 

[Joe Karlosi]

Originally Posted by Mario Gauci

Regrettably, I'm going to have to do a "George C. Scott" and decline to particpate in this year's 'Scary Movie Challenge'. Consequently, my original Post #9 has been replaced accordingly.

Somehow I missed this post.


Mario, sorry you won't be joining in this year. I was looking forward to it. I was actually thinking of passing it up this year myself, due to health and wife seperation problems. But I'm here at least for now, trying to fight to keep up the routine..

Hope things get better with your dad, and I wish you good luck in your upcoming projects.

 

[Pete Battista]

Title: House of Dracula: The Legacy Collection
Year: 1945
Director: Son of DraculaRobert Siodmak, House of DraculaErle C. Kenton
Rating: NR
Length: 67 Min.
Video: Full Frame 1.33:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: Mono
Subtitles: English, French, Spanish


Stars:
Lon Chaney, Jr.
John Carradine
Martha O'Driscoll
Lionel Atwill
Onslow Stevens

Plot:
House of Dracula is one of the greatest feasts for monster-lovers ever created! They're all here – The Wolf Man, Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, angry villagers, even a hunchback assistant! Ad they all have momentous plans for their own in this entertaining frightmare treat.

Extras:
Scene Access

My Thoughts:
Even though not a bad sequel... there is nothing really special about it... other then I did of course enjoy the fact that all 3 of my favorite classic movie monsters is in this movie. One thing I did see in this one that struck me as unusual (at least from any other classics I have seen so far)... is that in this movie the Hunchback is a woman instead of a man. I personally don't remember ever seeing that in any of the other movies before this one. Quality wise.. this movie looks/sounds great... just like the rest of the set.

My Rating: 3/5


Count:
Movie Count: 11
TV Ep. Count: 5
Other Count: 0
Time Started: 2:30pm

 

[John Stell]

[COLOR= #303030]003) 10/01/2010 DVD Night of the Living Dead (1968)

[/COLOR]

[COLOR= #303030] [/COLOR]

[COLOR= #303030]Still powerful after all these years, George A. Romero's first and best Dead movie concerns the dead rising and eating the living. The film's focus is on seven people trapped in a farmhouse and how they deal with the attacks. Works both as a horror film and showing how a crisis situation can be bring out both the best and worst in people. The black and white photography adds to the realism of the piece, as if we're watching a documentary. And the ending's sting is its most brutal stroke.[/COLOR]

[COLOR= #303030] [/COLOR]

[COLOR= #303030]004) 10/01/2010 BluR Dead Snow (2009)

[/COLOR]

[COLOR= #303030] [/COLOR]

[COLOR= #303030]Medical students take their Easter break at an isolated cabin in the snow-covered Norwegian mountains. Unfortunately those mountains are guarded over by Nazi zombies. Brutal, violent, and frequently over-the-top comedy horror is highly entertaining, even though the obvious CGI effects can take you out of the film at times. Still the characters are fun and there are some well-staged shocks.[/COLOR]

[COLOR= #303030] [/COLOR]

[COLOR= #303030]005) 10/02/2010 BluR Hatchet (2007)

[/COLOR]

[COLOR= #303030] [/COLOR]

[COLOR= #303030]The legend of Victor Crowley is true! He's a disfigured, back-from-the-dead killer who goes after a group of stranded tourists. Lively throw back to '80s mad slasher films is oodles of fun, with genuine laughs, a good cast, and some dastardly death scenes. Played even better the second time around for this viewer.[/COLOR]

[COLOR= #303030] [/COLOR]

[COLOR= #303030]006) 10/02/2010 DVD Madman (1981)

1/2[/COLOR]

[COLOR= #303030] [/COLOR]

[COLOR= #303030]This is my second viewing of this film that has, in some circles, a cult-like status. But I liked it even less this time. It's a straight-forward slasher film where Madman Marz shows up and just starts killing people. The acting is mediocre at best, the film derivative & repetitive, and the suspense almost nil. Electronic score is unpleasant too. I'll have to watch the documentary on this to see what the big deal is.[/COLOR]

[COLOR= #303030] [/COLOR]

[COLOR= #303030]007) 10/02/2010 BluR Diary of the Dead (2008)

[/COLOR]

[COLOR= #303030] [/COLOR]

[COLOR= #303030]Romero has been using his Dead series to comment on social and political issues since the beginning, but it's never been more obvious than in this installment. The film is supposedly the assembled footage of a university student's documenting of the truth about what is going on in the world. Upon hearing the news of the dead attacking the living, the filmmaker and his crew hop aboard a RV and seek their families. The film's concerns are the vast amounts of false information on the internet and news channels, coupled with our laziness in trying to learn the truth. We basically are just couch potatoes eating what ever the media feeds us. The film works because the characters are well-drawn and Romero can still stage the zombie attacks for full impact.[/COLOR]

[COLOR= #303030] [/COLOR]

[COLOR= #303030]008) 10/02/2010 BluR Survival of the Dead (2010)

1/2[/COLOR]

[COLOR= #303030] [/COLOR]

[COLOR= #303030]Competent but ultimately routine Dead outing about a secret island that could potentially be a safe haven for the living, if not for the tyrannical patriarch who doesn't like strangers. Plays like a zombie version of the old Hatfields vs. McCoys family feud. Again, the humans are even more monstrous than the zombies and we're our own worst enemies. But it's starting to get a little musty.[/COLOR]

 

[TravisR]

7. Eyes Of A Stranger


There's a few good sequences with the movie's psycho making creepy phone calls before killing his victims but the movie is just too mysognistic (even for a slasher movie) to enjoy.


8. Maniac (1980)


Brutal movie with great special effects from Tom Savini and a very good performance from Joe Spinell. It's not like the movie would ever win an Oscar but Spinell really elevates the material.

 

[dana martin]

Late to the foray, using this template, instead of write up's i will let the fact that i watched it, or own it speak for its self, i will be linking reviews or further info, lots of B's in this run.


T - Theater Viewing
D - DVD Viewing
O- ON-LINE / VOD Viewing
B - Blu Ray Viewing
V - VIDEOTAPE Viewing


Bold - Denotes first ever viewing

Rating - Out of a possible 4




Television Episodes




Specials, etc.


Start Time 10/01/10 8:00 PM