*** Official 14th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge 2013 *** (1 Viewer)

[Bob McLaughlin]

4. Midnight Son (first-time viewing)
A young night watchman/artist with a severe allergy to sunlight develops a taste for human blood at the same time he's fumbling his way through is first sexual relationship with a gothy bar waitress. I'm guessing this one got greenlit after the success of Twilight, but to compare the two isn't fair or accurate. Sort of a modern emo take on George Romero's "Martin" combined with "Let The Right One In", "Midnight Son" is the first vampire movie I have seen that likens vampirism to drug addiction--he's making back alley deals behind the hospital dumpster for biological waste so he can get his blood fix, hiding his blood habit from others, etc. The mood is somber and serious, but the tension is never allowed to get very high, although things pick up towards the end. The repeatedly thwarted sex scenes start to feel frustrating, as I am sure was the director's intention, but it starts to get annoying as the movie feels like it's treading water in the middle. Things get more interesting when we get to see the manifestation (and contagiousness) of vampirism in others. "Midnight Son" isn't a bad film at all, looks nice and sets an atmospheric if quiet mood, but there isn't a whole lot here to get excited about either. 3 out of 5 stars.

Bob's October 2013 Horror Movie List
FTV denotes first time viewing
1. Some Guy Who Kills People (FTV)
2. Uzumaki (FTV)
3. The Pact (2011) (FTV)
4. Midnight Son (FTV)

 

[Sandro]

Rated from * to ****10/01/13 Child's Play ***10/01/13 Child's Play 2 ** 1/210/01/13 God Told Me To *** 1/2 10/02/13 Selling, The ** 1/210/02/13 Night of the Creeps ***10/03/13 Hangover Square ***10/04/13 Audrey Rose **10/05/13 Shining, The *** 1/2

 

[Neil Middlemiss]

For night 4 I watched Darkness Falls (2003). It was nicely produced but a total stinker. I don't mind that it was a twist on the tooth fairy tale, but I remember liking it more when I first saw it. I wasn't impressed last night. Need to find a good one for tonight to balance things out.

 

[Michael Elliott]

Dario Argento. I'm far from his biggest fan, but I had high hopes for his Dracula. Shame to hear it's a bit crap. I think the best thing he's done the past 10 or more years where his Masters of Horror episodes.

I agree about the MoH episodes. I also thought MOTHER OF TEARS was extremely good but I know I'm in the minority on that one. Rumors are still floating around about a remake of SUSPIRIA and if it happens I just hope he's not involved with it.

 

[Michael Elliott]

Horrors of Spider Island (1960) F

A German film dubbed into English. It's about a talent agent and some dancers who crash land near an island. The talent agent is attacked by a weird looking spider and then starts developing a spider-like appearance on his face and eventually kills 3 people on the island. The dancers mostly go around scantily-clad and appear to be care-free most of the time despite their predicament. This was apparently a more adult film when it was originally released in the U.S. as "It's Hot in Paradise."

I watched this one a few years ago and really loved it. It's incredibly awful but everything was just so bad that I couldn't help but laugh at it. I would like to see the more "adult" version someday. THE CREEPING TERROR is also another disaster but I think it does contain the worst looking monster in horror film history.

 

[Radioman970]

Saturday, October 5th
Movies:
7. Dagon. (2001) Old seaside towns (esp w/ lighthouses, old docks, wooden row boats, etc), rain and wet in films, weird looking-brooding people, lots of darkness, dirty old buildings like the ones in TCM... my horror movie shopping list. This has it. Last years highlight that I borrowed, I bought my own copy for this year. Such a unique film. Didn't get the best of reviews. ..

8. The Oblong Box. (1969) Vincent Price, Poe, several scenes in a forest ...that's basically all I needed. The dude in the crimson mask is a bonus. As is the voodoo. Very fun film. And Price is like popcorn, want more when it's over. But I resisted for variety.

9. Alice, Sweet Alice. (1976) (N) Hard to find for some reason. This was a bad VHS recording I was able to get. The Something Weird DVD folks should snatch this sucker up and slap it on a DVD with some equally strange extras like they do. In fact, I thought the "Alice" girl here was also in The Axe (on SW label), but nope. In fact, I felt this actress was in a lot of things but it doesn't look like she was in much of anything. The young girl did creepy her first outing better than most do after their 5th, and had a unique look-sort of Susan Dey meets Damien (not that this is a devil movie...or anything to do with The Partridge Family for that matter,, lol ). Very good, but not great.

10. Long Pigs. (2006) (N) I did some research on extreme horrors and this popped up a few times. After that real news story a few weeks ago about the guys chatting online about possibly getting together and eating some children (and luckily getting arrested before they could do it) I lost the taste. Erm, so to speak. But for some reason I decided to throw it on and just watch a little to see how it went. Ended up thinking it was funny, gross, disturbing, etc all rolled up in one like a pretty good meatloaf (or terrine, if you like really fine foods). I watched the whole thing. Since it's probably basically unknown, I'll just say it's a "documentary" where filmmakers follow around a seriel killer/cannibal and he shows them his methods. There's certainly gore, but nothing I couldn't handle. There's uncomfortable moments so don't watch with grandma unless she's works at a slaughterhouse or something. But really, this is kind of fun and different. The actor playing the guy is pretty good at it. He could have gone more disturbing at odd times to shake you a little bit (like Hopkins does in Lambs). But he's okay. I have to admit that before it was over, my stomach was kind of feeling queezy. But it may be that I'd skipped lunch and had some pizza in the fridge I was going to have to dinner after the movie.

11. Gremlins. (1984) I've seen it many many times. In fact, that's why it's the first time on DVD for me. Bought this so long ago I don't remember when. Delayed since I've seen it TOO MUCH. That happens... but it was passed due...I had a great time. Brings back memories too. The family watching this fun film together in the 80s. I've always loved how well the dog worked in his scenes. "Don't work with aniamls & kids...?" Hell, learn to be a better movie director like Dante and Speilberg! Lol I have the sequel on DVD too, still in plastic. I'll be watching it later in the month. I remember liking it too, just not as much.

TV:
7. Dark Shadows. E67. (just sitting down to this)
8. Dark Shadows. E68. (will probably watch another)


N=New to me/all Dark Shadows are N
Movies:
1. Creepshow 2.
2. Seventh Sign. (1988).
3. The Willies. (1990) (N)
4. Enter Nowhere. (2011) (N)
5. Deathdream (or Dead of Night). (1971)
6. Red Riding Hood. (2011) (N)
7. Dagon. (2001)
8. The Oblong Box. (1969)
9. Alice, Sweet Alice. (1976) (N)
10. Long Pigs. (2006) (N)
11. Gremlins. (1984)

TV:
1. Dark Shadows. E60.
2. Dark Shadows. E61.
3. Dark Shadows. E62.
4. Dark Shadows. E63.
5. Dark Shadows. E64.
6. Dark Shadows. E65.
7. Dark Shadows. E66.
8. Dark Shadows. E67.
9. ??

 

[Joe Karlosi]

It has taken a "Halloween Challenge" to lure me back, Mike...and it's good to see that Joe Karlosi's still around, too!

It's truly great to see you around again, Mario. I'm not sure how much I will participate this year... you know me, always watching a lot of the same stuff -- problem is, I always like saving the Universal horror classics (and other oldies) for "Halloween Season", and thus there's not much 'new' to be said, year to year! However, I am contemplating mixing things up...

 

[Joe Karlosi]

04) Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) ***1/2 -- still the best version of all for me. Watched it last night and still felt frightened and uncomfortable for Miriam Hopkins' Ivy. Fredric March deserved his Oscar for his dual role, even though some of his Jekyll performance feels very out of place today at times. Mamoulian really directed this film with style.

 

[John Stell]

013) 10/04/2013 Ghost Ship (1952)

1/2

Young couple purchase haunted yacht and find themselves helping to the solve the disappearances of the previous owner, his wife, and his best friend. Sufficiently involving ghost mystery doesn't offer anything new but the matter-of-fact approach keeps the viewer's attention. Hazel Court makes her first fifties genre appearance.

014) 10/04/2013 Phantom of the Rue Morgue (1954)

1/2

A series of brutal murders plagues 19th century France. Meanwhile Dr. Marais (Karl Malden) experiments with the conditioning of animal behavior. Malden is fun as the cracked scientist in this colorful, 3D effort from Warner Brothers. Not as good as the 1932 version with Bela Lugosi though.

015) 10/04/2013 Gorilla at Large (1954)

1/2

Who - or what - is responsible for the murders plaguing the Cyrus Miller circus? Is it Goliath the gorilla? Another 3D scare fest, with an absolutely terrific cast including Cameron Mitchell, Anne Bancroft, Raymond Burr, Lee J. Cobb, and Lee Marvin. This is no less than the third '50s film to feature a gorilla as its central monster.

 

[TravisR]

9. Bates Motel

A failed pilot turned into a TV movie is about a friend of Norman Bates who gets out of a mental institution and starts running the Bates Motel. I had heard pretty bad things about this over the years and it's easy to see why (there's now ghosts at the Bates Motel) but there was a cast of recognizable faces (Bud Cort, Lori Petty, Moses Gunn, Gregg Henry, Jason Bateman, Robert Picardo, Buck Flower). I guess if the show had been picked up, each week a new troubled person would arrive at the motel and Bud Cort or a group of ghosts would help them out.

EDIT: This was a first time viewing for me.

 

[PatW]

2-Headed Shark Attack (2012) bombOh my! Normally I get a kick out these type of B-movies. I must of been in a bad mood last night because I saw no humour in this pile of shit. I even got a chuckle out of Sharknado but this one was beyond bad. Everything about this movie was painful to watch from the acting thespians on display to the profound dialogue. I mean did you know that two heads means twice as many teeth. Sign these people up to the mensa club. Maybe I would have had a good time watching this with friends and a few drinks but all on my lonesome, not as much.House of Wax (2005) 2.5/5Mediocre slash movie about a group of teenage friends that camp out in the woods near a creepy town that happens to have a wax museum. The presence of Paris Hilton dropped this movie down half a point. I miss Vincent Price.TV EpisodesSupernatural S7: The Girl Next Door 3/5Supernatural S7: Defending Your Life 2/5Supernatural S7: Shut Up, Dr. Phil 2.5/5Supernatural S7: Slash Fiction 3.5/5I had long since stopped watching Supernatural for the brothers and their angst ridden relationship. It got tiresome after awhile. So when they killed off my favourite character in the second episode I also considered dropping this series. These last four episodes were mediocre to fair with Slash Fiction the best of the lot.

 

[Suzanne.S]

Day 5:

The Pit and the Pendulum (1961) directed by Roger Corman, starring Vincent Price and John Kerr

I love the Corman Poe films. They are so moody and beautifully photographed. In this I felt that it might have worked better if the brother, played by John Kerr, were a bit more sympathetic. His plight is sympathetic, but the portrayal is not. Kerr was much better in South Pacific.

I am loving the reviews and making a list for future viewing.

 

[Mario Gauci]

05/10/13: ABC WEEKEND SPECIALS: THE GOLD BUG [TV] (Robert Fuest, 1980) ***A lonesome boy, who finds solace in studying the insect life on a desert island, stumbles upon adventurers seeking Captain Kidd’s buried treasure.Modest, likeable, evocative and quite faithful rendition of Edgar Allan Poe’s atypical pirate yarn.


05/10/13: THE CATMAN OF PARIS (Lesley Selander, 1946) **Savage murders at turn-of-the-century Paris are attributed to a popular crime author who suffers from bouts of amnesia.Preposterous Poverty Row riff on both WEREWOLF OF LONDON (1935) and CAT PEOPLE (1942), disguising its singular lack of purpose under indifferent period detail.


05/10/13: GHOST STORY FOR CHRISTMAS: THE ICE HOUSE [TV] {Short} (Derek Lister, 1978) **1/2A middle-aged customer discovers the sinister secret of a health resort situated in the remote English countryside.Last and oddest of the (original) series, too obscure and mannered for its own good but still managing a reasonable sense of dread throughout.

 

[Mario Gauci]

It's truly great to see you around again, Mario. I'm not sure how much I will participate this year... you know me, always watching a lot of the same stuff -- problem is, I always like saving the Universal horror classics (and other oldies) for "Halloween Season", and thus there's not much 'new' to be said, year to year! However, I am contemplating mixing things up...

Thanks for the greeting, ye olde sparring partner !

04) Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) ***1/2 -- still the best version of all for me. Watched it last night and still felt frightened and uncomfortable for Miriam Hopkins' Ivy. Fredric March deserved his Oscar for his dual role, even though some of his Jekyll performance feels very out of place today at times. Mamoulian really directed this film with style.

You're right, of course...but there are, at least, 3 equally essential later adaptations: Jean Renoir's THE TESTAMENT OF DR. CORDELIER (1959; TV), Giorgio Albertazzi's 4-part mini-series JEKYLL (1969; TV) and Walerian Borowczyk's DOCTEUR JEKYLL ET LES FEMMES (1981) - all of which I've reviewed here in the past and on IMDb. Incidentally, I should presently be catching up with 4 other adaptations of this yarn...

 

[Mario Gauci]

Why am I not being allowed to edit my master list on Pg. 4? Anyone else having this problem...?!

 

[Joe Karlosi]

I decided to mix it up, so I reached for a DVD of a film I think I've only seen once before but did not remember (and with good reason)...

06) Dr. Black, Mr Hyde (1975) *1/2

I decided to stick with the 'Jekyll and Hyde' theme here in choosing this one. I love the film BLACULA (1972), but this Blaxpoitation flick is a dull misfire that had potential to be entertaining in an offbeat way early on, but then blows it. Bernie Casey is a laid back and soft spoken scientist whose experiments with a formula for liver preservation cause him to turn into a light-skinned albino who likes to go around killing people, especially hookers. There are some fun moments, like 'Hyde' beating up a group of thugs on the street, and later mowing down a chick with his rolls royce. The first transformation scene involves a female patient who Casey uses as a guinea pig, and her makeup is quite creepy, featured in a quick sequence that sends a chill through you -- but that's about all; most of this then turns into slow-moving tedium, unfortunately. Also features Rosalind Cash, known for her role opposite Charlton Heston back in THE OMEGA MAN (1971). The best I can conclude about DR. BLACK, MR. HYDE is at least it's not quite as bad as BLACKENSTEIN (1973).

 

[Radioman970]

@ Mario. "ABC Weekend Specials..." I have a small library of those myself, including that one but I haven't seen it since the 80s. Looking forward to it now... but I'm watching the ones I have in order so it'll be a little while.

 

[Ruz-El]

Why am I not being allowed to edit my master list on Pg. 4? Anyone else having this problem...?!

No one can, it's part of the latest forum update. I think the mods have been notified to update the thread so we can edit, but nothings happened yet.

I got in a bunch yesterday. I finished off the Amityville Bluray set from Scream Factory, and a couple more!

10-05 007 Death By Invitation (1971) 2.5/5
This is the second feature on the Vinegar Syndrome Drive-In disc with Savage Water. A much better film than Savage Water. Basic plot is a woman discovers that her ancestor was sacrificed by puritans for being a witch (via past-life memories or reincarnation, it’s not clear) in the olden days and seeks vengeance on the family responsible. It won’t win any awards but it’s passable, if not forgettable little film that didn’t feel like a waste of time. Looks pretty good for it’s budget and vintage.

10-05 008 Amityville II: The Possession (1982) 3.5/5
Follow up to the original film is a prequel focusing on the crimes that happened in the house prior to the Lutzs moving in in the first film. I think this is the better film, it shows more style and is actually pretty twisted. That said, it kind of falls about in the final act when it become an Exorcist clone.

10-05 009 Amityville 3-D (1983) 2/5
A good premise that never really pans out. A sceptic buys the Amityville house. Notable for a cute as a button early appearance of Meg Ryan, and the 3-D. Shout Factory put out a nice bluray of this, but I can’t watch the 3-D so I’m guessing there’s a lot of swatting at flies and ducking frisbees.

10-05 010 The Fury (1978) 3/5
Brian DePalma’s follow up to the superior Carrie. Kirk Douglas plays an agent trying to find his psychic powered son who has been snatch up by a government agency. It was a neat little thriller, but short on scares, I thought it would be more of a horror film. Mum had no comments and seemed unimpressed.

Mum Scare Factor 1/5

 

[Michael Elliott]

Why am I not being allowed to edit my master list on Pg. 4? Anyone else having this problem...?!

Just PM a mod and let them know you need to edit it. You can't edit things after a day or so unless a mod unlocks your access.

 

[Mario Gauci]

I decided to mix it up, so I reached for a DVD of a film I think I've only seen once before but did not remember (and with good reason)...

06) Dr. Black, Mr Hyde (1975) *1/2

I decided to stick with the 'Jekyll and Hyde' theme here in choosing this one. I love the film BLACULA (1972), but this Blaxpoitation flick is a dull misfire that had potential to be entertaining in an offbeat way early on, but then blows it. Bernie Casey is a laid back and soft spoken scientist whose experiments with a formula for liver preservation cause him to turn into a light-skinned albino who likes to go around killing people, especially hookers. There are some fun moments, like 'Hyde' beating up a group of thugs on the street, and later mowing down a chick with his rolls royce. The first transformation scene involves a female patient who Casey uses as a guinea pig, and her makeup is quite creepy, featured in a quick sequence that sends a chill through you -- but that's about all; most of this then turns into slow-moving tedium, unfortunately. Also features Rosalind Cash, known for her role opposite Charlton Heston back in THE OMEGA MAN (1971). The best I can conclude about DR. BLACK, MR. HYDE is at least it's not quite as bad as BLACKENSTEIN (1973).

Thanks for posting this, Joe! Although I'm going through lesser versions of famous horror novels right now, including the 3 "Blaxploitation" efforts - SCREAM BLACULA SCREAM, BLACKENSTEIN and DR. BLACK, MR. HYDE - didn't even occur to me...