***Official 19th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge 2018*** (1 Viewer)

[John Stell]

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

078) 10/21/2018 The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave (1971)

Wealthy lord grieving the loss of his unfaithful wife Evelyn picks up redheads and murders them at his creepy castle. But when he remarries thinking it may stop his psychotic tendencies, even more gruesome killings take place. Middling blend of Gothic horror and giallo offers lots of skin, creative deaths, a doozy of a rise-from-the-dead scene, and several wacky twists. But there’s no one to care about here in this ultimately mechanical exercise and director Emilio Miraglia overdoes it with the flashbacks.

079) 10/21/2018 The Cremators (1972) 1/2

300 years ago an alien life form resembling a giant ball of flame plunged to Earth and settled in the ocean. But the discovery of some pretty pebbles somehow releases it, and it rolls around a small town unnoticed setting people on fire. An overwrought music score, indifferent performances, and flat direction make this an endurance test. The ball effect is pretty cool though.​

 

[TravisR]

Yesterday, I watched more Halloweens.

55. Halloween 4: The Return Of Michael Myers

Michael wakes up after 10 years and tries to kill his niece. Really good sequel that stays fairly true to Carpenter's suspense over gore approach to the original. You like the characters in this movie so you want to see them escape Michael. Easily the best of the non-Carpenter Halloween movies.


56. Halloween 5

Michael returns to Haddonfield a year later and tries to kill his niece (again). Lousy sequel that isn't scary, has unlikable characters and has a terrible ending.


57. Halloween: The Curse Of Michael Myers

It's six years later and Michael is killing people due to a curse. This movie that tries to make some sense out of the dopey ending of the previous movie. Another really bad sequel but somehow the badness of it has made the movie fascinating (and, forgive me, entertaining) to me.

 

[whacky blacky]

40. Aswang (2018). FTV. Streamed. 2/5. A Filipino vampire feeds on some visitors in this boring take on the folklore.
41. Wolf House (2016). FTV. Watched on DVD. 1.5/5. A really bad found footage involving bigfoot/wolf type people.

 

[EricSchulz]

#019 The Innkeepers (FTV) Some of these First Time Viewings Are KILLING me! Plodding, poorly acted and just plain boring. Nothing really happens. NOTHING. Yawn. 0/5

 

[Neil Middlemiss]

October 18: Videodrome (1983) - 4 out of 5

Max Renn, a producer for a sleazy television station, is looking for the next thing, something edgy and harder hitting than the softcore porn he keeps getting offered. When he stumbles on 'Videodrome,' something violent and different, he sets off on a search to uncover who is producing it, a journey that will take him into a new reality filled with violence and sexual exploits that will blur the lines of what's real.

David Cronenberg, writer and director of Videodrome, is a master of crafting stories that explore a complete loss of control. Typically through the prism of horror, sex and violence, with themes of technology and medicine, he creates compelling stories that examine the state of our humanity and the perils (or possibilities) of technological advancements. In Videodrome, consumption and the influence of media is explored vividly and bizarrely with Cronenberg's trait of fusing man and machine in bloody and sexually influenced ways.

James Woods as Max Renn delivers an intense, compelling performance, and Deborah Harry as Nicki Brand is equally fascinating. The special make-up effects by Rick Baker are nearly flawless, realizing the macabre imagination of the writer/director with terrific craft. A master of iconic imagery (Wood's head burying into the warping television screen is just one such image in Videodrome), Cronenberg creates warped versions of our world and explores the darkest of human impulses in curious 'what if' paradigms. As one of the most talented and remarkable filmmakers around, even when his film misses the mark, his ideas and craft never disappoint.

 

[dpippel]

OCTOBER 20:

11) Halloween* (1978) - 4/5 stars - Yeah, yeah, I know. How could I manage to go FORTY YEARS on this planet without ever seeing Halloween? I don't have an answer to that question, but I finally made it right, and I enjoyed it immensely. It's easy to see just how influential Carpenter's film has been, since so many of the mechanizations he pioneered here have been borrowed over and over again. I thought that the new 4K UHD release looked awesome.

12) Jason and the Argonauts (1963) - 4/5 stars - Not really horror, but I think it deserves inclusion here solely on the strength of the phenomenal skeleton battle, along with the rest of Ray Harryhausen's marvelous animation. As a bonus, the Sony Blu-ray release of this classic film looks absolutely fantastic!!!

 

[whacky blacky]

42. Blood Clots (2018). FTV. Streamed. Seven bizarre short stories where maybe three are half decent. 2/5.

 

[EricSchulz]

#020 Behind The Mask: The Leslie Vernon Story (FTV) This had so much potential and really good reviews. A “documentary” about a local town’s serial killer in the vein of Freddie, Jason and Michael Myers. Lots of great cameos. But it goes nowhere. The last 15 minutes or so are decent but not worth the wait. 1/5 stars

 

[Neil Middlemiss]

October 19: Dead Ringers (1988) - 4 out of 5

Twin gynecologists, Dr. Beverly and Dr. Elliot Mantle (Jeremy Irons), are leaders in their field. They enjoy a deeply close relationship, but when they meet (and then share) a new love interest in Hollywood actress, Claire Niveau (Geneviève Bujold), and Bev develops feelings for her, the brothers bond begins to fracture, leading to a descent into drugs and the irreparable destruction of their careers and lives.

Besides the general themes in Cronenberg's films noted in my mini-review of Videodrome, another thematic constant is doomed love (see Rabid, The Fly, and others for examples), and Dead Ringers might be his most explicit and fascinating dual examination of that concept. Jeremy Irons is simply extraordinary playing the role of both brothers (the film uses a clever use of moving/tracked split screen to creatively show Iron's interacting with himself). Iron's imbues each of the Mantle twins with unique traits and carefully movies each brother through emotional and overlapping states of despair and cogency.

Besides a quite shocking denouement, the horror here is largely psychological, and frankly, considerably more alarming in the way Cronenberg explores it. Dead Ringers is a surprising, performance-driven tale that examines dark corners of the soul in love and human connection, and demonstrated a expansion in the nature of horror explored by Cronenberg.

 

[whacky blacky]

43. Echoes (2014). FTV. Watched on DVD. 2/5. Real slow burning flick dealing with sleep paralysis.

 

[Neil Middlemiss]

October 20: Rabid (1977) - 3.5 out of 5

A couple involved in a serious motorcycle accident are rushed to a nearby facility that specializes in plastic surgery. The young man escapes with broken bones and bruises, by the girl is more seriously injured and in a coma. The Dr.'s treat her with an experimental plastic surgery technique, but when she wakes up she has a thirst for human blood, with her victims becoming zombiefied, and the effects begin to spread city-wide causing widespread panic.

This early David Cronenberg film is another example of how this auteur has been able to find interesting takes on horror ideas. While this is in many ways a 'zombie' film, it doesn't really feel like one, with the focus centered around the primary carrier and her uncontrollable impulses to attack (via odd armpit protrusions). There's a slow descent into chaos as the city is gripped with an outbreak, and despite the pittance the film had for a budget, it achieves a surprising sense of scope. Cronenberg has always been able to get the most out of his ideas with limited budgetary considerations, and Rabid (and the earlier Shivers) build horror and chaos through a combination of mood and atmosphere, bizarre imagery, crazy make-up effects, and the director's keen sense of pace and camera movement. This is a solid entry in Cronenberg's evolution as a filmmaker, one that he continued to make in great leaps from film to film.

 

[dpippel]

OCTOBER 21:

13) Dracula A.D. 1972* (1972) - 3/5 stars - Another film that I've never seen, and it's a Hammer Production!! Despite it's less than stellar reputation, I quite enjoyed this movie. At times it felt like "Dracula Meets Austin Powers" but the cinematography was EXCELLENT, it was wonderful to see Lee and Cushing, and the transfer is pretty amazing. I have a feeling that the film doesn't deserve to look this great. Thanks WAC!! Now I can't wait to check out The Satanic Rites of Dracula when it's finally released on 11/13!

14) Them! (1954) - 5/5 stars - Still THE definitive 1950's giant irradiated bug movie for me. It just doesn't get any better than this, and I watch it every year. The Warner Blu-ray is very, very nice.

15) The Night of the Hunter (1955) - 4/5 stars - Charles Laughton's one and only directorial effort is a strange beast that's held together almost entirely by Robert Mitchum's performance as the predatory "preacher", Harry Powell. His sing-song call of "Chiiildren!" still gives you the creeps.

 

[Neil Middlemiss]

October 21: Shivers (1975) - 3 out of 5

A doctor's theory of using parasites to positive effect in the human body has disastrous results for a luxurious apartment complex community as the infected become sexually insatiable and violently uncontrollable.

Shivers, one of the earliest of Cronenberg's creations, is an economic horror film with a curious idea at its core. Once again making the most of his limited means (budget, locations), Cronenberg lets the horror rise quite quickly, unfolding the ideas and explanations through a mix of horror melee and character conversations. Shivers is quite good in places, but the horror is largely underserved by a series of unconvincing performances and a lack of focus in how to fully explore or realize his core idea (though I suspect budgetary constraints made finding the full focus harder).

Cronenberg's penchant for the merging of horror and sex is pretty unfiltered (at least in concept) here), with the ravaging, uncontrollable eroticism afflicting the inhabitants of the island apartment building. The fleshy, bug-like parasites seen here are like early versions of things we'll see explored again in Cronenberg's later features, and they're icky and odd and only scary in how Cronenberg uses them. The beginning of the writer/director's potential is apparent here even while the overall film is shaky at best.

 

[whacky blacky]

44. Bonehill Road (2017). FTV. Streamed. 2.5/5. Pretty good werewolf flick with a psychotic killer thrown in the mix.

45. Sensoria (2015). FTV. Watched on DVD. 2/5.

 

[Michael Elliott]

Man in the Attic (1953)

This here is the third remake of the 1927 Alfred Hitchcock film and this one features Jack Palance as the mysterious guests who might just happen to be Jack the Ripper. There were some flaws with this picture including some dumb music numbers as well as the fact that there really isn't any suspense but at the same time the movie kept me entertained thanks in large part to the cast. Jack Palance was great in the lead role and I especially liked his soft-talking style. When he's angered he also manages to be quite menacing. Frances Bavier from The Andy Griffith Show and Constance Smith were good as well. I really thought the ending was terrific so overall this is a good version but not nearly as good as the 1944 one.

Slave of the Cannibal God (1978)

Former Bond girll Ursula Andress is led into the jungles by Stacy Keach in search of her husband but they run into some hungry cannibals. I know these Italian cannibal films have a lot of people who hate them due to the animal violence (which there is plenty of here) but I've always enjoyed them because they're basically jungle adventures. I'm terrified of snakes and crocs/gators so seeing that stuff and having the characters threatened by them just helps make me feel uneasy as I watch them. Both Andress and Keach are very entertaining in their roles and you've got the Bond lady doing nude scenes, which isn't something you'd typically expect. Hell, you wouldn't expect her or Keach to be doing a film like this but that's part of the appeal.

Ninja Zombie (1992)

Umm... yeah, this was mildly charming considering the budget but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't wishing I hadn't started watching it. I'd buy the director a beer if I ever met him at a bar because for a regional horror film this is quite creative. With that being said, it just didn't work on me and it had a hard time holding my attention.

Massacre in Dinosaur Valley (1985)

This later day Italian cannibal film has a plane crashing in the Amazon and the fearless American (Michael Sopkiw) must try and lead the survivors out of the jungle. This was a fairly entertaining jungle adventure that at least was sleazy enough to hold my attention throughout. There's some gory violence along the way, some trashy sex and a lot of gratuitous nudity by the beautiful female cast members. The film certainly isn't in the same league as CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST or EATEN ALIVE but at the same time it isn't as cruel or as vile. This is basically an adventure film and it kept me entertained for what it was.

 

[TravisR]

October 21: Shivers (1975) - 3 out of 5

A doctor's theory of using parasites to positive effect in the human body has disastrous results for a luxurious apartment complex community as the infected become sexually insatiable and violently uncontrollable.

Shivers, one of the earliest of Cronenberg's creations, is an economic horror film with a curious idea at its core. Once again making the most of his limited means (budget, locations), Cronenberg lets the horror rise quite quickly, unfolding the ideas and explanations through a mix of horror melee and character conversations. Shivers is quite good in places, but the horror is largely underserved by a series of unconvincing performances and a lack of focus in how to fully explore or realize his core idea (though I suspect budgetary constraints made finding the full focus harder).

Cronenberg's penchant for the merging of horror and sex is pretty unfiltered (at least in concept) here), with the ravaging, uncontrollable eroticism afflicting the inhabitants of the island apartment building. The fleshy, bug-like parasites seen here are like early versions of things we'll see explored again in Cronenberg's later features, and they're icky and odd and only scary in how Cronenberg uses them. The beginning of the writer/director's potential is apparent here even while the overall film is shaky at best.

You better be careful, that much Cronenberg in a row can lead to some serious psychological trauma.

 

[John Stell]

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

080) 10/21/2018 Samson vs. the Vampire Women (1962)

1/2
After a 200-year slumber, a group of vampires in league with Satan himself plan to kidnap professor’s daughter who bears a vampire birthmark. To protect his child the doc summons Samson (or Santo if you prefer), the wrestler in the silver mask. This Mexican blend of horror and action features a marvelous opening 13 or so minutes, laying on the atmosphere with a shadowy appearance by the devil! Then they go and spoil things with a lengthy wrestling match curiously shot from a distance, which severely curtails the drama. These Santo pictures are certainly of a particular time and need to be appreciated as such. In that regard, the horror elements are terrific, even if the story itself is nothing groundbreaking.

081) 10/21/2018 Samson in the Wax Museum (1963)

In the basement of his wax museum mad Dr. Karol displays Mr. Hyde, Frankenstein’s monster, the Phantom of the Opera, and Quasimodo, among others. He wants to add a panther woman to his gallery, so he arranges the kidnapping of a pretty photographer whom he will transform. To avert suspicion, he foolishly asks Samson to help prove he’s being framed for the disappearance! There’s a nifty if derivative plot here sandwiched in between wrestling scenes. But the film is more talk than action and lacks the atmosphere of the best Mexican horrors. Good finale though.

082) 10/22/2018 Santo Contra Los Zombies (1962)

Professor writing a book on his experiences in Haiti vanishes, and his daughter turns to the authorities for help. Soon after, three slow-moving, oddly-dressed gentlemen break into a jewelry store and are shot during their escape but are unharmed. It’s up to the Saint (Santo) to find out what the hell is going on. Given the villain wears a black hood and works in a secret lab, this recalls many a Republic serial versus the Gothic horrors future Santo adventures emulated. Unfortunately, between all the talk and wrestling matches, Santo doesn’t get busy until the film is half over, and it’s pretty standard stuff.

083) 10/22/2018 King Dinosaur (1955) 1/2

Four scientists visit planet Nova, which has just joined the solar system. There they discover stock footage and giant creatures, including title beast, which is actually an over-sized lizard. The directing debut of Bert I. Gordon is probably his worst film. At just over an hour it’s a cut-and-paste show with lethargic pacing and poor effects. The actors are fine but their characters uninteresting.​

 

[Radioman970]

Friday, October 19th
53. The League of Gentlemen
1- "Welcome to Royston Vasey"
2- "The Road to Royston Vasey"
3- ???
New road, the local shop for local people, we'll have no shouting here, and good morning job seekers!! I say most of that all time just without thinking. Some of the best brit comedy ever. I wish they could update this lush English greenery that now looks old and blocky to blu ray. It doesn't stop it from hysterical. And when you tell MOW MOW do the voice!!

Saturday, October 20th
54. A Quiet Place. (2018)(NEW)
55. Texas Chainsaw 3D. (2013)
56. Halloween. (2018)(NEW)
57. House of 1000 Corpses. (2003)
58. The Wailing. (2016)(NEW)
Started with a pretty okay A Quiet Place. But it's kind of like, that's why everybody was so quiet? no way! lol What god designed that radio telescope array head! wt.. Next, was dying for Chainsaw 3D action, a first for me, and it did not disappoint. Cross talk was minimal, depth into screen was friggin great but just okay out of screen. I really wanted bloody chainsaws in my face but didn't quite get that. The story? Why mention it. lol One really great thing, and no I wouldn't want to see the whole thing that way, was the 3D scenes from the classic original as a first class tribute. Luckily that finished in time to head out the door to see the new Halloween. Crazy thing, my brain was still seeing 3D and it moved to Halloween here and there. This was a mainstream crowd pleaser, not even close to the brutality of Zombie's. We had a stereotype seating in the middle, a funny heavy set black lady spewing her thoughts as they appear on her brain cells. Everybody laughed, what can you do. lol Overall a fun time but nothing special. Came home and took in Zombie's House movie. 90 minutes of crazy. Never gets old. The Wailing was interesting but way too long. I read good reviews on it so it was disappointing for that reason. Will probably never watch it again. Disappointing way to end a great day.

Sunday, October 21st
59. Hereditary. (2018)(NEW)
60. Under the Skin. (2014)
61. Let's Scare Jessica to Death. (1971)
62. The Stepfather. (1986)
63. The Strangers. (2007)
Awesome day! Was a bit disappointed in how the DVDs of The Stepfather and The Strangers had aged. I'd heard the blu rays were disappointing but I'm might get em anyway. Hereditary was just what I'd heard. Holy {edited for children} that was crazy! Blind watch like you hope for. The rest of these yesterday were just favorites. Love em all year after year! I was going to follow Under the Skin with Goodnight Mommy but decided to hold off since I had a hankering for the atmospheric of that Jessica movie. Have loved that one since the 70s when everybody at school would talk about it when it played on our weekend Shock Theater late night movie horror show late 70s and early 80s. It could use a nice blu ray too. I was also craving Stepfather during the first two so I was lining it up in there somewhere. The stepfather, the daughter, the doctor, all first rate characters. Their relationships are the backbone. Schoelen was a charming absolute cutie as Stephanie, really fell for her so many years ago. Her acting was okay but she gives the movie's best emotional moment while talking about her doctor to Scary Jerry. And O'Quinn is incredible with one my favorite horror movie lines in history, it's right on the front of the DVD box. I craved Poltergeist, since I need to get to all 4 of those, but saving it for another day. Not sure if I'll get to them this late. I'd planned The Strangers Sequel as well before November but time is getting short. SCreeeeeeaming by! lol

Monday, October 22nd
64. ????

 

[Radioman970]

..."Dracula Meets Austin Powers" ....

 

[Ruz-El]

Big post since I wrapped up the filmfest. not as good as last year, but it ended really strong.

061 10/20 J.D.’s Revenge (1976) 3/5 A young man get hypnotized and ends up possessed by a old school mobster wanting revenge. It’s a weird blaxploitation, but it mostly works as both a spooky film and a blaxploitation.

062 10/21 Death Smiles on a Murderer (1973) 3/5 A weird gothic horror in which a woman ends up at an estate after her carriage is in an accident. Her doctor is Klaus Kinski doing a Frankenstein and if that ain’t enough they paint the whole thing with some Poe. I ain’t gonna lie, I had no idea what the fuck going on through most of this, but I liked it anyway since it was so bonkers.

063 10/21 Suck (2018) 3.5/5 Weird short film in which a weird real estate deal goes down, causing the buyer to get obsessed with sucking fingers. Worth checking out.

064 10/21 Lifechanger (2018) 2.5/5 A shapeshifter who has to keep stealing identities to stay alive tries to maintain contact with the woman it loves. Starts out strong but goes for a bit of a wander once it focuses more on the relationship. Frankly, John Leslie explored this subject matter better in his porno THE CHAMELEON.

065 10/21 Third Wheel (2017) 3.5/5 A lady brings home a date for more than fun. This was a fun short film where the joke was actually decent.

066 10/21 Holiday (2018) 3/5 This one is more of a drama than a horror film, but it’s so cynical and explicit that I’m counting it. Follows a young woman who’s dating and working for a big time gangster as they are vacationing/doing business in the Turkish riviera. There’s a lot of politics in this one, based on the depiction of the power dynamics in the relationships. It’s also sexually explicit and pretty damn nasty, so trigger warnings all around.

067 10/21 The House That Jack Built (2018) 4/5 Lars von Trier made a serial killer film pretty much sums this one up. It’s downright disturbing and surreal in the matter of fact way Jack’s life is depicted. Matt Dillon is great in the lead as is the rest of the cast, Triers’ does not hold back in the visual department and there’s a lot to unpack in the writing as well. There’s a lot going on in this one and I’m looking forward to seeing it again though be warned, there is some legit disturbing and graphic violence.

068 10/21 Pipe (2018) 3/5 A post apocalypse short in which Zoe Bell gets to beat the shit out of a bunch of people. All you need in a short.

069 10/21 Climax (2018) 4/5 It’s weird that this one can be summed up with the words “Disco Salo”, but it can and I loved it. A dance party turns into a living hell, it’s from Gasper Noe. See it loud.

(Note: Climax isn't as unrelenting as Salo, but it fits the theme I think both politically and subject wise. House That Jack Built probably wont shock seasoned gorehounds, but it's a damn good film, maybe the best film about serial killing I've seen in a long time?)