***Official 19th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge 2018*** (2 Viewers)

[TravisR]

Phantoms (1998) *

This here was director Joe Chappelle first film after HALLOWEEN: THE CURSE OF MICHAEL MYERS so he really didn't leave much of an impression on me.

Based on his movie output, I agree but Joe Chappelle did excellent work on most seasons of The Wire. I guess if he gets an actual good script, he can bring it home.

 

[TravisR]

Yesterday, I got in a few more...

43. The Incredible Shrinking Man

A man begins to shrink after being exposed to an unknown cloud. One of the best Universal 1950's movies.


44. The Deadly Mantis

A giant preying mantis is freed from the Arctic and makes its way to the U.S. I'm a sucker for a giant bug movie so I actually like this movie due to its silliness.


45. The Land Unknown

A group of people crash land in the Arctic and find a prehistoric world there. Not a great movie but it does have some nice Cinemascope photography.


46. The Monolith Monsters

A meteorite lands on Earth and the pieces grew to gigantic sizes when exposed to water. The premise is ridiculous but I really like the movie.

 

[John Stell]

Bold - Denotes first ever viewing
Rating - Out of a possible 4

052) 10/14/2018 The Flesh and the Fiends (1960)

To get bodies to conduct research, university professor Dr. Knox (Peter Cushing) utilizes the body-snatching services of Burke and Hare, two immigrants who eventually turn to murder as their primary source of income. Excellent retelling of the Burke and Hare story, with director John Gilling creating a vivid 19th century Edinburgh. Cushing is compelling as the arrogant medico as is Donald Pleasence as the treacherous William Hare.

053) 10/14/2018 The Blood Drinkers (1964)

1/2
Bald-headed vampire Dr. Marco, who also wears sunglasses and cracks a mean whip, needs the heart of his dying lover’s twin sister to save her. He starts putting the bite on those close to his target, which gives the police and a priest time to plot the villain’s demise. Very stylish horror, with director Gerardo de Leon using color photography for day scenes, and blue and red tints for night and key emotional moments. Atmospheric and creepy, this film’s vampire is so evil he uses the twins’ own mother in his murder plot!

054) 10/15/2018 Man in Black (1949)

1/2
When her wealthy father dies, young heiress gets the Gaslight treatment from her greedy stepmother and stepsister. Twisty thriller from Hammer Films offers snappy dialogue, plenty of mood, and some great villains. But the damsel in distress is a bit too whiney to be as sympathetic as she should be.​

 

[Ruz-El]

Why are you so sure it was deliberate? Perhaps it was an accident.

Based on how paranoid and careful they are in regards to everything in their lives, and on how people not involved in a quiet apocalypse manage to not have kids without being anywhere near as paranoid or careful, I'm going to think they chose to have a baby.

 

[Ruz-El]

I got in four yesterday, and managed to finally hit 31 movies. It's taken me much longer this year due to unforeseen circumstances. The first one was a bit of a cheat, not really a horror film but is part of the Video Nasty list which is associated with the genre so I'm counting it. The last one I got in isn't much of a horror either, but it's psychotronic enough that I'm including it as well.

029 10/14 Women Behind Bars (1975) 2/5 Why this one landed on the Video Nasties list is a mystery to me. A woman is chucked behind bars in one of the more comfortable looking prisons and the jailers and outsiders conspire to try to find out where the boyfriend she killed hid some diamonds. It’s tame stuff for a women's prison movie, being pretty light on the graphic torture compared to others in the genre and even the nudity and sleaze isn’t as gratuitous. As a result, it just plays out rather tamely without much going for it.

030 10/14 Shocking Dark (1989) 3.5/5 In the future, Venice has fallen to pollutants and now the researchers are starting to disappear so the company sends in a rescue team who ends up having to fight monsters. This cheap-o Italian production isn’t just inspired by ALIENS, it flat out rips it off with plot beats, and then throws in a Terminator as an additional “fuck you” to James Cameron. Something this shameless has no right being so bonkers entertaining, but it is.

031 10/14 Someone’s Watching Me! (1978) 3.5/5 John Carpenter’s TV debut is a pretty tight reworking of REAR WINDOW, with Lauren Hutton staring as a TV director starting a new life and getting harassed by some pervo. Carpenter does a great job of keeping the tension and suspense going while staying TV safe. It will never be mistaken as his masterpiece, but it’s solid stuff.

032 10/14 Beyond The Seventh Door (1987) 3/5 I had really low expectations with this one, the trailer looked like bonkers garbage, and it is bonkers garbage but endlessly entertaining bonkers garbage. Unlikely star Lazar Rockwood is fresh from a prison stint and hooks up with his incredibly hot and unlikely ex-girlfriend to sneak into a mansion and steal the money he lost when he got busted. They have to venture through a series of trap-rooms. It’s ridiculous, and not really a horror film but it’s the kind of thing you wouldn’t watch any other time of year and is gloriously cheap and Canadian.

 

[Tino]

Based on how paranoid and careful they are in regards to everything in their lives, and on how people not involved in a quiet apocalypse manage to not have kids without being anywhere near as paranoid or careful, I'm going to think they chose to have a baby.

And I’ll go with it being an accident.

Makes me like the film more.

 

[Malcolm R]

And I’ll go with it being an accident.

Makes me like the film more.

And it would make the characters that much dumber. Putting your entire family in jeopardy for a little nookie?

I just picked this up on sale. Don't tell me I'm going to rolling my eyes the whole time at the stupidity.

 

[Tino]

And it would make the characters that much dumber. Putting your entire family in jeopardy for a little nookie?

I just picked this up on sale. Don't tell me I'm going to rolling my eyes the whole time at the stupidity.

You might. I thought it was one of the best thrillers in recent years. I loved it.

 

[John Stell]

And it would make the characters that much dumber. Putting your entire family in jeopardy for a little nookie?

I just picked this up on sale. Don't tell me I'm going to rolling my eyes the whole time at the stupidity.

The whole film is a metaphor for parenthood - the risks of bringing a child into the world and raising him/her. It's not about a little nookie. There are many people that ask the question, "How can I bring a child into this world because of this, that, or the other thing?" The movie just ramps up the risk factor to 11. I don't want to give too much more away. But the characters do find ways to "soundproof" certain locations, which is what they count on as they relocate from time to time. Not surprisingly, there are many moments in the film where one parent risks their life for one or more of their children. I think Wikipedia may have pulled together the various quotes about these themes. I'm not just pulling this stuff out of thin air.

If a viewer is going to have a problem accepting the conceit, I would say take a pass because the last act is built around the birth and what stems from it. But the intent was not to be "stupid for a little nookie." It was about the fact that as much as a parent wants to protect a child throughout life, it just can't be done.

 

[Tino]

Great post John.

 

[whacky blacky]

33. Sunset Society (2018). FTV. Watched on DVR. Lemmy from Motorhead and Ron Jeremy are vampires feeding off the Sunset Strip in this low budget romp. Not the most exciting flick but watching Lemmy be head vampire was interesting. Steve-O makes an appearance. 2/5.

 

[Michael Elliott]

All Hallows' Eve (2013) ** 1/2

A babysitter is watching a couple kids who are going through their Halloween candy when one finds a videotape. They play the tape and it has three separate stories all centered around a mysterious clown. This anthology film turned out to be a lot better than I was expecting, although there are still some issues that I had with the direction at time. The film was obviously shot for very little money but I found all three stories to be rather good in their own ways and there was a nice atmosphere hanging over the film. I thought the first film was the best, followed by the second and then the third. The clown in the film went on to appear in TERRIFIER, which is the film everyone is talking about right now. I wanted to watch the films in order and this certainly helped build up my anticipation for that one.

Mark of the Witch (1970) ** 1/2

This regional horror film has a witch being put to death but before she's killed she places a curse on the town. Three hundred years later a college girl gets possessed by the witch's spirit. I went into this low-budget film with low expectations and was pleasantly surprised at how entertained I was. This certainly isn't a masterpiece or even a "good" film but it had enough to make it entertaining throughout. This includes the performance by Anitra Walsh who plays the student who gets possessed. I thought she was very effective both as the regular girl as well as the possessed part where she displays some sexuality. The film offers a little nudity and a little blood but it's the atmosphere that really carries the picture.

Mondo Cane (1962) ***
Mondo Cane 2 (1963) ** 1/2

I decided to revisit these two for no real reason other than they were free to watch. I think I enjoyed the first film a lot more this time and especially its poetic beauty thanks in large part to the brilliant score. It's amazing what impact the beautiful score had on such vile images that were shown throughout the film. These are basically TravelTalk shorts that have been expanded to show all the negative things a location would have to offer. Obviously the animal violence is there for the shock value and it's easy to see the influence this had on the Italian cannibal films.

The sequel leaves out most of the shock value and is entertaining in its own way but watching the two films together shows the sequel just isn't quite up to par.

 

[whacky blacky]

34. Billy's Cult (2013). FTV. Watched on DVD. Billy wants to rid the streets of prostitutes by taking care of things himself. Not a bad independent horror with Debbie Rochon playing a detective. 2.5/5.

 

[TravisR]

As I come to the end of the era of Universal's horror movies, you can see they're just kinda turning out anything.


47. The Thing That Couldn't Die

A decapitated head is the titular character. A lousy movie and every now & then, there was a movie featured on MST3K that deserved a better fate but this one deserved to get goofed on.


48. Monster On The Campus

A professor devolves into a monster when he is exposed to the blood of an ancient fish. It might not be a great movie but I've always had a soft spot for it.


49. Curse Of The Undead

A vampire in the old west. The rare horror western (it's the only I'm aware of anyway) and a pretty lousy movie.

Tomorrow, I wrap up the Universal horror movie portion of my viewing.

 

[Neil Middlemiss]

October 12: The Snowman (2017) - 2 out of 5 - First Time Viewing

Detective Harry Hole (Michael Fassbender) is two things; a brilliant detective and a functioning alcoholic. Stumbling into a case of a missing woman, its possible the disappearance is the work of a brutal serial killer.

Directed by Tomas Alfredson, the man who gave the world perhaps the best vampire film of the last 20 years with the incredible 'Let the Right One In', delivers a messy, choppy, confused and very disappointing serial killer tale that had such promise. Based on the bestselling book series by Jo Nesbo), the film falls apart with gaps in sequence and far too much plot than the short film can make sense of. It has a fine cast with Rebecca Ferguson and Charlotte Gainsbourg doing well alongside the always terrific Fassbender, but they cast aren't given complete arcs and seem to move between scenes without enough of a reason for us to care.

The wonderful Norway setting is appealing and the snowy landscapes produce some lovely shots. Fassbender makes quite a bit more of the role than the script offers, but this is really just an incoherent jumble that doesn't earn it's surprise killer reveal. The director has gone on record saying they ran out of time/money, leaving up to 15% of the script un-filmed. It shows. I also thought the reported bloody and brutal murders would better qualify this film for the Horror film challenge, and even that barely makes the cut.

An all around disappointment.

 

[John Stell]

Bold - Denotes first ever viewing
Rating - Out of a possible 4

055) 10/15/2018 Face of Terror (1962)

Doctor who has made a breakthrough in plastic surgery doesn’t realize his disfigured test subject is a mentally unstable woman who walked away from an asylum. When he learns the truth, she flees incorrectly believing the operation’s results are permanent. Predictable thriller at least has good lead performances and some sassy dialogue to hold one’s attention.

056) 10/15/2018 The House in Marsh Road (1960)

Woman with no-good husband inherits her aunt’s house, complete with ghost dubbed Patrick. When Patrick finds out hubby’s up to no good, he steps in to protect the new owner. Okay variation on the standard haunted house tale plays more like lesser Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode.

057) 10/16/2018 The Night Has Eyes (1942)

1/2
Two school teachers on holiday visit the Yorkshire moors where their friend presumably died a year earlier. During a storm they meet a recluse (James Mason) who offers them shelter and who may know something about the missing pal. Mostly effective mix of thrills and romance, with memorable climax, still feels longer than it needs to be.

058) 10/16/2018 Fright (1956)

1/2
Psychiatrist hypnotizes/regresses new patient he’d rather be dating and discovers part of her being is a 19th century Austrian baroness who committed suicide. His attempt to cure her eventually involves a multiple murderer. The story itself isn’t bad; the execution, however, is sorely lacking. The main culprits are lackluster performances and W. Lee Wilder ‘s leaden direction.​

 

[EricSchulz]

#013: Frankenstein This year my schedule (and the theaters’ selections) are letting me see so many classics on the big screen. This was outstanding! The “full” version with the intro, the God line and the complete Maria scene. A stunning 35mm print that looked amazing. It’s SO different seeing in a nearly packed theater (a classic one, at that). The audience was enthralled and enthusiastic. A fantastic presentation that everyone should experience at least once. 4.5/5 stars

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

And it would make the characters that much dumber. Putting your entire family in jeopardy for a little nookie? I just picked this up on sale. Don't tell me I'm going to rolling my eyes the whole time at the stupidity.

I think this is a common thing with horror films. Horror and comedy are two genres where how much you like the film depends upon what scares you and what makes you laugh. And whatever the basis of the film is may inherently include something that may cause a person not to buy in.

Some folks love toilet humor and never get tired of fart or poop jokes. Some people find clowns, dolls, or children frightening.

If you find something that seems a flaw in the construction of the story that can take some people completely out of a picture.

I think this often depends on how big the gaffe is. In a film about a family that is trained to take extreme precautions when it comes to making noise or it could result in their death then obviously having a child in this environment would make no sense. Babies are natural noisemakers and so you would then be in for years of issues while the child has no concept of silence. This would endanger the lives of the rest of the family obviously including the other children.

The way to cope with this is to write something into the story that explains why the parents are having another child. Did this pregnancy happen just before the killer sound attacking monsters arrived? Is it some kind of accident? Is it a miracle birth?

I think you can solve issues like this with good writing.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

October 15:

 

[Michael Elliott]

Buried Alive (1939) *

IMDB, Letterboxd and a couple horror books list this as a horror film but I really don't see why. It's basically a prison drama about a man who is set to be released but a crooked reporter writes a story and this sets forward a bad chain of events. If anything this film proves that Victor Halperin got very lucky with WHITE ZOMBIE even though even that film was very flawed. This one here is poorly made and can never overcome its obvious low-budget. Again, how this film was considered horror escapes me until I blinked and missed something.

Vampires (1998) ** 1/2

You know, the first time I watched this John Carpenter film I enjoyed it but this second viewing left me somewhat cold. The film certainly hasn't aged too well but perhaps it was just me expecting more out of someone like Carpenter. James Woods is good and I thought Sheryl Lee was terrific in her part. The special effects and gore shots are great but I just felt there was too much "been there, done that" and the film really dragged in its long running time. Not to mention the action scenes weren't all that great and there's certainly no tension here. Okay but kinda disappointing.

The Devonsville Terror (1983) ** 1/2

Ulli Lommell directed this film about a small town who killed three witches and then 300 years later a teacher (Suzanne Love) arrives who just might be one of the witches. This film was obviously shot with a very low-budget but I thought it had a pretty good atmosphere and for the most part it kept me entertained. The majority of the horror elements are saved for the very start and the ending but it was the performance of Love that kept me glued in the middle. The added nudity certainly didn't hurt things. Donald Pleasence was good in his supporting role as well. Overall this kept me entertained, although there's no doubt that the film could have used a few more horror elements.