***Official 20th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge 2019*** (1 Viewer)

[sleroi]

I had a strong start, having the first week of October off. But once I started having to get up at 6:00 again every morning I found I couldnt stay up as late. Had to fight sleep for a few movies I watched. And between football on Sundays and the wife feeling a tad ignored I didnt get to quite as many films as Id hoped.

Anyways, I finished the challenge with a couple of personal favorites.

33) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre part 2 - ****

"Damnit, Junior. My biscuits are burning. Nam flashback! Nam flashback!"

One of the family's attacks are caught on tape. Former Texas Marshall Dennis Hopper convinces a female DJ to play the tape nightly in hopes of finding the family, to exact revenge. In an attack on the radio station Leatherface becomes smitten with the DJ and only pretends to kill her, then takes her back ro the familys new lair. Followed by Dennis Hopper, naturally.

The movie deftly straddles horror and comedy. The above quote is from the station attack and is uttered right after a wonderful jump scare with Leatherface charging the camera from a suddenly lit dark closet. There are some truly frightening scenes also, such as the DJ donning a fresh skin mask. And her ordeal once inside the lair is tense and suspenseful. And of course, Hopper steals the show. Well, except maybe for the elderly chainsaw salesman seemingly having an orgasm demonstrating his wares.

Lots of great extras on the scream factory blu-ray.

34) John Carpenter's Prince of Darkness - ****

A group of theoretical physics students and their professor study a large cylinder of green goo found in the catacombs of an old church that may in fact be the antichrist.

Lots of legitimate sounding physics mumbo-jumbo, a skinless woman, Alice Cooper as a homeless zombie. And a suspenseful, dark ending.

 

[Bryan^H]

Total-28

First time views-4

 

[Sandro]

Some recent notable viewings (rated * to ****)

Return to Salem's Lot ** ½
Typical Larry Cohen production is one of his more ramshackle and bumpy efforts. Only Cohen could make such a sequel to a big property like Salem's Lot, do it so cheaply and completely drop most of the threads from the original. Non-fans of Cohen should proceed with care. I'm kind of sad as I've almost run out of Cohen movies.

Sauna *** ½
Intense Finnish arthouse movie set in the 16th century about two brothers with a secret who come across a mysterious village. Some of the plot points are murky but the atmosphere is thick with dread. Shades of Bergman and Tarkovsky.

Horrible Dr. Hichcock ***
Stylish slice of Italian Gothic with Barbara Steele directed by Riccardo Freda. Plot is confused but there is some typically beautiful imagery and some weird themes.

Incident in a Ghostland ***
Predictable at certain points, this is still a fun ride from the director of Martyrs.

Thelma *** ½
Another film that is more of an arthouse drama than horror but this is a brilliantly realized story of a young girl going away to college and struggling to keep her telekinesis under control. Some striking imagery and scary moments in a really emotional story which plays with some familiar themes. Highly recommended.

Mother's Day (1980) ***
Baby, The ***
Two fantastic rewatches. The Baby is just crazy and treats its premise straight as the viewer wonders what is going on – the reveal is still jaw-dropping. Mother's Day is a underrated horror movie with some witty social commentary about TV and consumerism.

Knife + Heart ***
Brilliant French retro-giallo.

 

[dpippel]

OCTOBER 31:

40) Midsommar 4K* (2019) 4/5 stars - I'm finishing this challenge off at an even 40 movies with another strong film from Ari Aster (Hereditary). Midsommar is an unsettling, disturbing, and yet at the same time banal story about a group of young people invited to their friend's small Swedish hometown for the "midsummer festival." Weirdness starts to creep into the proceedings not long after they arrive, and all of the villagers are in on it. Bizarre and dreamy, Midsommar lures you in with its idyllic veneer, then subverts your expectations with horrific happenings. I watched the 4K theatrical cut stream on iTunes and thought it was perhaps 20 minutes or so too long. It LOOKS and sounds stunning in 4K Dolby Vision with Atmos. Highly recommended.

 

[dpippel]

TOTAL FILMS: 40
FIRST-TIME VIEWS: 18

Thanks everyone! Had a blast again!

 

[Malcolm R]

I can't believe it's over already.

My totals:

24 films (14 new)
6 hour-long TV eps
27 total points

Best new views: House of the Long Shadows and Abattoir.
Worst new views: D-Railed and Charlotte.

Love reading the reviews of films everyone has watched. This thread also makes for a handy reference all year long when I'm looking for a good scary movie to watch.

And apparently you guys are going to twist my arm to watch Hereditary since everyone who watched it in this challenge seemed to enjoy it.

 

[JohnRice]

I watched the 4K theatrical cut stream on iTunes and thought it was perhaps 20 minutes or so too long. It LOOKS and sounds stunning in 4K Dolby Vision with Atmos. Highly recommended.

I've heard that elsewhere. An odd thing sometimes happens, that a longer version can seem just fine, where the shorter one seems too long. I wonder if that's the case here.

Also, if anyone knows, my main HT doesn't have 4K, but does have Atmos. What I wonder is if I watch it there, will I get Atmos, or will it default to the regular HD stream and give me 5.1?

 

[JohnRice]

And apparently you guys are going to twist my arm to watch Hereditary since everyone who watched it in this challenge seemed to enjoy it.

Like I said in my review, I'm a little torn. The atmosphere was excellent, and the creeps were definitely there. There seems to be a lot of movies with a Rosemary's Baby vibe these days, which applies here. There's one scene that made me jump and yell out a stream of colorful expletives. You'll know it when you get to it. I think I want to watch it again to see if it works, knowing the resolution of the story.

 

[Tony Bensley]

My informal October Horrorfest viewing.

THE MUNSTERS
50 Episodes (Last 18 Season 1 Episodes, and all 32 Season 2 Episodes)

New Viewing:
MUNSTER, GO HOME (1966)
THE MUNSTERS' REVENGE (1981)

Halloween Night Viewing:

THE TWILIGHT ZONE (Original Series)
2 Episodes, including the series premiere and "The Escape Clause."

ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET THE INVISIBLE MAN (1951)

CHEERS!

 

[Ruz-El]

Now what are we supposed to do? Here's how I ended my challenge. A couple of classics. Caught up with Rob Zombie and wrapped up with the Halloween film from 2018. This is my tenth year, and the only one I think where I finished with a Halloween franchise film. I think I'm finally getting the hang of this!


077 10/31 The New York Ripper (1982) 4/5 First time I saw this one, I thought it stupid but appreciated the gore. Second time, I thought it mostly stupid. This third time, I still think it’s stupid, but it’s so off the rails bonkers and sleazy I kind of love it. The title says it all, there’s a murderer killing women in New York. What it doesn’t tell you is the murderer talks like duck and Fulci does everything he can to up the sex and violence without going full XXX. It’s not a film to recommend to everyone, but it certainly delivers.


078 10/31 31 (2016) 2.5/5 A group of people traveling around get accosted into a “deadliest game” type deal in the Rob Zombie offering. I find Zombie can be frustrating as a filmmaker. I like the aesthetic, everything is well done and there’s some decent sequences. The problem is there’s not really any set up, and the writing is based around spectacle so you never really care about anyone. As a result, it just kind of plods along.


079 10/31 3 From Hell (2019) 2.5/5 I would argue that “The Devil’s Rejects” was Zombies most accomplished original film, so the expectations on this one were set high but kept in check. I didn’t mind it. It’s a decent idea and I really do like Zombie’s aesthetic for film. This one has an issue where Zombie is clearly in love with these characters and as a result, I think some tighter editing could have helped it since it goes for a bit of a wander and despite this being a sequel, there still seems to be an issue with characterization so I never really got invested in it.


080 10/31 Night of the Demon (1957) 4.5/5 Third time watching this one, first time watching the pre-release version, I think. I really love this one. 50’s horror tend to be atomic monster films, which are great. This one though is a remarkably straight pagan horror. It plays like a proto-X-files, and Tourneur uses all his noir chops to deliver a legit spooky witchcraft film. Not only that, the demon is easily a top 10 monster and the effect is jaw dropping good. I think it holds up just fine.


081 10/31 Halloween (2018) 4/5 I really enjoyed this one. They did a good job of acknowledging the previous films, even the goofy ones, and this one actually felt like a really great bookend to the first film. I’m sure they’ll make another sequel, but if they leave it alone, this one is a pretty great capper.

 

[Ruz-El]

My totals:

81 films
57 First time viewings.

Best discovery: Ari Aster. Hereditary and Midsommer both impressed the hell out of me. Looking for ward to see what's next.
Scariest: Those damned Ringu films kept me up at night. Ridiculous!
Worst: That Amityville set and those two Killer Crocodile films

Now to spend November going through the special features on all those blu-rays.

 

[dana martin]

this year was a total bust, for watching, but i have had my own personal life horror story for the last few weeks, maybe next year will be better

 

[Neil Middlemiss]

Another fun year. 31 watched, 17 first time viewings.

Best new discovery was a tie between Angel Heart and Mandy
Worst film was Dracula 2000
Best re-watch was The Thing. I know I've seen this many, many times, but it just keeps getting better and this year I found even deeper appreciation for the performances.

 

[TravisR]

I'm so far behind in posting that I'm skipping the reviews and just listing what I've watched over the last three or so weeks:

20. Dracula (1931)
21. Dracula (Spanish language)
22. Dracula's Daughter
23. Son Of Dracula
24. House Of Frankenstein
25. House Of Dracula
26. Frankenstein (1931)
27. The Bride Of Frankenstein
28. Son Of Frankenstein
29. The Ghost Of Frankenstein
30. Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man
31. The Mummy (1932)
32. The Mummy's Hand
33. The Mummy's Tomb
34. The Mummy's Ghost
35. The Mummy's Curse
36. The Invisible Man
37. The Invisible Man Returns
38. The Invisible Woman
39. Zombieland: Double Tap (the sole new movie I saw this month)
40. Invisible Agent
41. The Invisible Man's Revenge
42. The Wolf Man (1941)
43. She-Wolf Of London
44. Abbott And Costello Meet Frankenstein
45. Halloween (1978)
46. Halloween II (1981)
47. Halloween III: Season Of The Witch
48. Halloween 4: The Revenge Of Michael Myers
49. Halloween 5
50. Halloween: The Curse Of Michael Myers
51. Halloween: H20
52. Halloween: Ressurection
53. Scream
54. Scream 2
55. Scream 3
56. Scream 4
(-) Halloween (1978)
(-) Halloween II (1981) [watched them again since it was Halloween but didn't them since I watched them earlier in the challenge]

I realize that watching 56 movies in 31 days is still alot but this is easily my lowest amount of movies watched during a challenge.

 

[Sandro]

List (rated * to ****)

10/01/19 Clovehitch Killer, The ***
10/02/19 Prom Night (1980) ** ½
10/03/19 Basket Case ***
10/03/19 Death by Invitation ***
10/03/19 Catacombs (1988) ** ½
10/04/19 I, Madman ** ½
10/05/19 Basket Case 2 ***
10/06/19 Nina Forever ** ½
10/06/19 Tumbbad ***
10/06/19 Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II ***
10/07/19 Tragedy Girls ** ½
10/08/19 Skinner * ½
10/10/19 Wicked, Wicked ***
10/10/19 Garden of the Dead **
10/11/19 Hell House LLC ***
10/12/19 Brain Damage ***
10/12/19 Basket case 3 ***
10/13/19 One Cut of the Dead *** ½
10/13/19 Prom Night III: The Last Kiss ** ½
10/14/19 C.H.U.D. **
10/16/19 Possession of Hannah Grace **
10/17/19 Return to Salem's Lot ** ½
10/17/19 Sauna *** ½
10/18/19 Horrible Dr. Hichcock ***
10/18/19 They Remain ** ½
10/19/19 Frankenhooker ***
10/19/19 Prom Night IV: Deliver Us From Evil **
10/21/19 Incident in a Ghostland ***
10/21/19 Wax Mask (1996) ** ½
10/22/19 Thelma *** ½
10/24/19 Banana Splits Movie **
10/25/19 Mother's Day (1980) ***
10/26/19 Baby, The ***
10/27/19 Flesh and The Fiends ***
10/27/19 Der Samurai ***
10/29/19 Knife + Heart ***
10/30/19 Witch, The (2015) *** ½
10/31/19 Babadook, The ***

 

[JohnRice]

More often than not, I plan to participate and save myself a spot, then don't manage to do anything. This year was better. Probably the most I've ever seen.

37 movies
22 first time viewings.

 

[Sandro]

Total - 38 films watched (see list 2 posts above) - 21 new watches, 17 rewatches

Best films:
One Cut of the Dead
Thelma
Tumbbad
Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II
Knife + Heart
Incident in a Ghostland

Best rewatches
Death by Invitation
Sauna
Mother's Day (1980)
Baby, The

Worst Films:
Skinner
Possession of Hannah Grace

Memorable scenes/moments
The demon in Tumbbad, not to mention the impossibly old woman with a tree growing out of her!
Prom Night 2 blackboard scene
Belial sex in Basket Case 2 and any film from Henenlotter
The last 30 minutes of One Cut of the Dead
The reveal in The Baby and Ruth Roman's performance
Cinematography in Knife + Heart and the moving climax
Snake imagery in Thelma

 

[Malcolm R]

this year was a total bust, for watching, but i have had my own personal life horror story for the last few weeks, maybe next year will be better

Yeah, I also had some life issues taking up much of my time for the past few weeks. Here's hoping 2020 will be better.

Bonus viewing (not counted in totals):

Annabelle Comes Home 1/2

The Warrens investigate the Annabelle case and bring the doll home to their museum of cursed objects. When a regular blessing does not seem to affect the demonic presence, they create a closed case from some glass that used to be in a church, so that "the evil is contained." Jump ahead a year, and the Warrens are going out of town and have arranged a babysitter for young daughter, Judy. The sitter allows a friend into the house who, having recently lost her father, hopes maybe she can contact him via one of the objects in the room. This backfires spectacularly when she opens Annabelle's case and lets her loose.

Finally got to watch this tonight. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga provide bookend scenes as the Warrens, but the bulk of the film centers on daughter Judy, the babysitter, and a couple of the sitter's friends. Not a great film, as we've seen much of this before, but it's good for a couple of chills with supporting characters of the Ferryman, the Bride, and a werewolf/hellhound, and also a little comic relief from potential boyfriend/stalker, Bob. I still think Annabelle Creation is the best film of this franchise, but I'd rate this above the original/first film.

 

[HawksFord]

I'm a fairly new member and I found this to be great fun. I listed 13 movies here but there were one or two others that could have been included. The movies we watched (my wife is more into horror than I am) were anchored by the eight (or nine depending on how you count) films in the Universal Essential Monsters collection. Of the films that were new to me, "M" is the one that stood out. I should have taken the time to watch it decades ago. My wife's favorite of the new films was the Spanish language "Dracula." For me, "The Mummy" remains the standout of those early Universal monster films.

We weren't very far into the month before I started thinking of what films to watch next October. But for now, anyone doing a holiday movie challenge in December?

 

[Radioman970]

updating mine over breakfast. This has been a crazy 2 months. play horrors are better.