***Official 22nd Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge 2021*** (1 Viewer)

[Neil Middlemiss]

I've never watched any of the sequels despite loving the original. And I've always felt like I've been missing out. I'll have to get to them. Do you have any favorites?

The best of the follow ups are the 3rd and 4th entries. Part 4, a prequel set in the time of the old west, showed the greatest creativeness. But they’re all fun in a cheesy, DTV kinda way

 

[Tony Bensley]

10. THE LAUREL~HARDY MURDER CASE (1930)

After viewing the loose remake IF A BODY MEETS A BODY (1945) by The Three Stooges last night, it only seemed fitting to give its Laurel & Hardy 3 Reel ancestor a fresh viewing.

This short certainly gets full points in terms of spooky atmosphere. Where it falls down for me and many others who have viewed THE LAUREL~HARDY MURDER CASE (1930) over the last 9 decades since its original release, is the terrible ending. Much as I strive to avoid spoilers, in at least one aspect, this ending just makes you feel so damn cheated after investing 30 minutes of your time.

On the other hand, it is in this film that we first hear Ollie utter to Stan the “Well, here’s another nice mess you’ve gotten me into!” phrase! I believe this film also marks Ollie’s first instance of using the “Overstepping your bounds” phrase.

Fred Kelsey’s performance as the cop in this 3 reeler is also iconic, and spurred many imitators.

Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy & Fred Kelsey In THE LAUREL~HARDY MURDER CASE (1930):

CHEERS!

 

[John Stell]

Rating - Out of a possible 4

050) 10/15/2021 The Masque of the Red Death (1964)

Roger Corman goes artsy fartsy in his penultimate Poe film. Vincent Price plays Satan-worshiping prince who holds extravagant ball for his followers while the nearby peasant village suffers the red plague. Sumptuous production with Price in full, unsympathetic villain mode.

051) 10/16/2021 The Mummy (1959)

Fine Hammer updating of the mummy legend, with Christopher Lee as Kharis and Peter Cushing as John Banning. Takes various plot points from the Universal Kharis series and improves upon them, although it's still not as good as the 1932 Karloff film, from which it also borrows. Lee's Kharis moves like a bolt along with being rather ferocious. Cushing's wife looks like the princess Kharis died for, although it appears to be coincidence rather than reincarnation.

052) 10/16/2021 House on Straw Hill (1975)

1/2

Udo Kier plays misanthropic writer who rents country home to write his second novel in solitude. Linda Hayden shows up to take dictation and do some other things. Too sleazy to really succeed, although there are some memorable murder sequences. Hayden's motivation for her behavior is revealed only at the end, which unfortunately comes a little too late to matter much.

 

[BobO'Link]

October 15th
67. A Bucket of Blood (1959) ▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲
An early black comedy horror film from Roger Corman that's quite clever.

Desperately wanting to fit in with the mostly pretentious pseudo-intellectual beatnik types at the cafe where he works as a busboy, Walter Paisley unsuccessfully tries his hand at sculpting until he accidentally stabs his landlady’s cat and in a flash of inspiration encases it in plaster. As his fame grows so does the body count.

Short and fun, this one took me by surprise when I first saw it many years ago. It's one of the films that convinced me Corman wasn't a hack but a very creative producer/director who made the best with what little he had on hand.

68. Dementia 13 (1963) ▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲
An early work (depending on how you look at it, his 2nd or 3rd but the first he acknowledged) from Francis Ford Coppola when he was working for Roger Corman, this is a middlin' psycho-thriller/slasher style film.

Shocked by the death of her spouse, a scheming widow hatches a bold plan to get her hands on the inheritance, unaware that she is targeted by an axe-wielding murderer who lurks in the family's estate.

I keep thinking this one will grow on me but it just hasn't. There *are* some interesting bits and themes but the overall slasher nature is where it loses me. I just don't care for that type of film.

69. The Pirates of Blood River (1962) ▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲
And yet another "thriller" that's not really a horror film but *does* have bits of "horror" interspersed in its story.

A group of ruthless pirates attack a seventeenth century Huguenot settlement on the Isle of Devon in search of treasure and will stop at nothing to obtain it.

It's an entertaining pirate movie with mostly standard characters and plot, though it's entirely land based (the ship is a matte painting). The horror comes from what happens to various people. Benefits from the presence of Christopher Lee as a pirate captain and Oliver Reed in a minor role.

 

[Michael Elliott]

The Creeper (1948) **

A pair of doctors (Onslow Stevens, Ralph Morgan) are doing strange experiments with cats and soon a cat creature is out killing people. This was produced by Universal but they decided to get out of the horror business so they sold the film off. They might have also sold it because it's pretty bland and boring. At just 63-minutes it moves well enough but the horror elements of the story really aren't exploited.

The Ghost Cat and the Mysterious Shamisen (1938) ***

Japanese horror film about a famous actress who grows jealous of the man she love's girlfriend so she kills the woman's cat. These "ghost cat" movies were very popular in Japan and it's really too bad that most of them are now lost. This one here features some good performances, an interesting story and a great finale. The horror elements are VERY mild but apparently this would be better suited being Japanese and fully knowing the legend surrounding this story.

Buried Alive (1990) *** 1/2

A wife (Jennifer Jason Leigh) plans on killing her husband (Tim Matheson) so that she can join her lover but things don't work out when he returns from the grave. Frank Darabont directed this made-for-TV movie and I must say that it was highly entertaining. Both Leigh and Matheson are great in their roles and we get some nice support as well. The story makes for several twists and turns and it's just a lot of fun from start to finish. Darabont does a great job here and really milks the material for all that it's worth.

Mother's Day (1980) **

Three college friends go to the woods where they're attacked by a couple rednecks taking orders for their sadistic mother. I really hated this film the first time I saw it but this second viewing was a bit better. I'm still not sure if this was meant to be a serious horror film or a comedy. The comedy aspect comes from how bad some of the performances, direction and script are. There's still plenty of sleaze that makes it memorable and it's really a lot more DELIVERANCE rip-off than slasher.

Just Before Dawn (1981) ***

Five friends go into the wilderness for a camping trip only to be stalked by a redneck. Again, this is more DELIVERANCE rip than an actual slasher but Jeff Lieberman certain did a very good job here. What I enjoyed the most was the actual locations because you really do get the feeling that these people are in the middle of nowhere and there's no help for them. Not only can the psycho kill them but so could the land they're on. Good old George Kennedy is in the house so that's always a plus.

Death Screams (1982) **

Regional slasher has a group of people heading down to the river for weed, sex and beer only to find a maniac with a machete. As is the case with a lot of regional horror films, this one here suffers from a low-budget and this means that there are pretty worthless scenes that just drag on for no reason. The final ten-minutes are actually very good as we start to get to the action. I did like the regional feel of the picture and it was funny how the opening murder victims just keep floating down the river throughout the entire film.

 

[Tony Bensley]

11. THE GHOST TALKS (1949)

This late 1940’s Three Stooges short features a ghost knight who has been waiting a thousand years for Lady Godiva’s return. While Moe Howard is noticeably aged by this time, Larry Fine and especially Moe’s brother Shemp have really stepped up in filling the shoes of Curly Howard, who had to leave the series in 1946 due to having suffered a series of strokes, with the one he suffered late in the filming of HALF-WITS HOLIDAY (1947), in May of 1946 being the heartbreaking deal breaker.

This one is a lot fun to watch, with many good sight gags packed into 16 minutes! I especially enjoyed the Skeleton gags, including an offhand Red Skelton reference!

The Skull with wings gag from IF A BODY MEETS A BODY (1945) makes its return in THE GHOST TALKS (1949):

The same mechanical feet can even be seen in this screenshot!:

The Talking Ghost Knight Near The Beginning Of THE GHOST TALKS (1949):

CHEERS!

 

[Malcolm R]

Wes Craven's New Nightmare

Actress Heather Langenkamp has been having nightmares related to her past roles as Nancy in the Nightmare on Elm Street films. After an especially vivid dream about FX people being killed on a movie set by a mechanical Freddy glove, people begin to turn up dead in real life. Soon Heather is afraid Freddy is trying to become "real" and take over her son, Dylan. She talks to creator Wes Craven who theorizes that Freddy is the nightmare form of an ancient evil spirit that has been held in check by the series of Freddy films over the years, but now that the films have ended, the evil is free to cross over into our reality.

A different style of film from the well-known franchise, all the actors play themselves living real lives that are now threatened by the manifestation of Freddy in our reality. Lots of callbacks to the original film, as far as scenes, effects, and sets. Miko Hughes delivers another decent creepy kid performance (he was Gage Creed in 1989's Pet Sematary), and all the other actors seem game for their meta roles (including John Saxon, Craven, and New Line executive Robert Shaye). As in Craven's first film, Freddy here (Robert Englund, who plays both Freddy and himself) is mostly straight-up evil and dark, with no funny quips or puns.

 

[John Stell]

Rating - Out of a possible 4

053) 10/16/2021 The Ghost Ship (1943)

New third officer discovers his captain (Richard Dix) it bat-sh*t crazy but no one will believe him, meaning he may be the next person to die. Dix is terrific as the murderous captain in this handsome, suspenseful Val Lewton production.

054) 10/16/2021 Bedlam (1946)

The last Val Lewton horror production is a well-mounted drama about poor conditions at insane asylum and the man (Boris Karloff) who makes sure it stays that way. Karloff is at his most menacing, even when pleading for understanding. Script is quite witty too.

055) 10/16/2021 The Tomb of Ligeia (1965)

Final Corman/Price/Poe collaboration moves outdoors much of the time to tell story of deceased bride who torments her husband (Price) and his new wife. Familiar but well-mounted story gives Price chance to play romantic lead for once. Watch out for that cat!

056) 10/16/2021 Frankenstein Created Woman (1967)

This time out Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) is experimenting with the soul when he restores life to suicide victim by transferring soul of man executed for murder. Sympathetic characterizations along with deliciously acerbic Cushing make for highly entertaining entry in the series.

 

[JasonRoer]

No time for a review because my wife and I are heading out to dinner.... But.. HALLOWEEN KILLS. Wow! Count me in the category that absolutely loved it. I thoroughly enjoyed it and wanted to watch it again as soon as it was over. Review will have to wait until tomorrow, as when we get back, we're going to keep our Stranger Things series rewatch going. But I had to chime in with my enthusiasm for Kills. Is it next year yet???? I want Halloween Ends right now!

 

[Neil Middlemiss]

October 16: Halloween (1978) – 4 out of 5

Halloween is the quintessential horror movie. It is the story of a young boy (Michael Myers) on Halloween night, 1963, who slays his sister in a quiet suburban town of Haddonfield, Illinois. He is institutionalized only to escape 15 years later, heading back to his hometown, once again on Halloween. Only Dr. Loomis, Myer’s psychiatrist, can fathom the evil that has escaped and where he is headed. Dr. Loomis arrives in Haddonfield to warn the local Sherriff and to try and put Michael Myers back where he belongs.

Halloween gave rise to the slasher films that dominated the early 1980s and shaped many of those horror films that followed in its footsteps. It has endured as one of the greatest horror films of all time, not simply because it can easily scare, but because it taps into very core of what scares most people – someone or something lurking in the shadows with every intention of "getting them!"

For such a low budget and simple premise, Halloween is as scary as they come. The performances are generally good though Donald Pleasance’s Dr. Loomis can be overwrought and too insistent at times, but each actor’s contributions have made an indelible impression on this classic. Of course, once the recognizable music by John Carpenter can be heard, and the camera begins to drift toward a house or an unaware teen, we are quickly embraced by the effectiveness of Carpenter’s chills. It’s still gripping and disquieting all these years later.

 

[Jim517]

I love Halloween(1978) also, but there are a few flaws in it.

 

[Michael Elliott]

I always found it rather interesting that Christopher Lee said no to HALLOWEEN but yes to THE KEEPER, END OF THE WORLD and MEATCLEAVER MASSACRE all in that same time frame.

 

[Dave Moritz]

October 16th, 2021 Saturday

Movie #6

A Nightmare On Elm Street
HBO Max
HD Digital upconverted to 4K
Dolby 5.1 upmixed to Auro 7.1

 

[Malcolm R]

Friday the 13th Part III (3D)

Picking up right at the end of the prior film, a new group of friends are arriving at another camp near Crystal Lake. Chris reveals she had been chased in the nearby woods by a hulking maniac a couple years earlier, and has stayed away until now. Her group includes Shelly, a nerdy guy who enjoys horror pranks (including one where he uses a hockey mask that is later picked up by you-know-who), two other couples, and her former boyfriend meets the group at the cabin.

This is the point where Jason begins to seem immortal, as the massive hack to his shoulder by a machete in the prior film has completely disappeared by the time this film begins a few hours later. He is stabbed in the knee, but seems to have no issues continuing to run after his victims (he does limp a bit, when he remembers).

This is also a prime example of the "bump, scream, and run" school of horror filmmaking. During the finale, Chris has access to multiple weapons she uses against Jason, but she's never willing to use them to make sure he's completely dead/dispatched. She just stabs him once, screams, and runs. She bashes him with a big block of wood once, screams, and runs. She passes up the opportunity to grab the machete which Jason has dropped after she falls on him from the barn's loft and he's sprawled on the ground, deciding instead to just scream and run. She bashes him on the head with a spade, but instead of using the spade to disembowel or decapitate him, she comes up with some complicated scheme to try and hang him, from which he quickly recovers and begins the chase again, so she screams and runs.

Filmed in 3D, this is the first time I've seen that version on 3D blu-ray. While I wouldn't say it makes it a better movie, it does make it a more fun movie as multiple objects shoot out into your viewing area, from the opening titles, to a striking snake, several pitchfork handles, and some popcorn. When Jason squeezes Rick's head and his eye pops out, I ducked in my seat.

The Mask 3D (1961) 1/2

A creepy looking tribal mask has been unearthed at an archaeological site and brought back to a museum where it is stolen by a museum worker. Dr. Barnes, a psychiatrist who was treating the museum worker, later comes into possession of the mask. He discovers that wearing the mask enables the wearer to experience very disturbing and surreal visions that eventually lead to a total mental breakdown.

Not a whole lot of story here. The use of 3D is limited to three sequences in the film, and those sequences are nothing special. The created "visions" during these sequences are more interesting than any 3D effects. A prologue explains that the audience should put on the masks they were provided when prompted in order to experience the visions of the mask.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Blue - Physical Media
Orange - Streaming
Black - Theatrical
Green - Cable/Broadcast Television

Bold - Denotes first ever viewing

Points as of 10/16/2021: 12.66

20) 10/16/2021 The Walking Dead 11x08 - "For Blood"

(0.5 points)

As our heroes' conflict with one group reaches its climax, those back in Alexandria struggle to keep back the dead.

With Judith and Gracie emerging as potentially a line of defense in the settlement, it was driven home how far into the zombie apocalypse we really are: around 12 years, with a whole generation of kids who weren't alive for the world before the fall. I hope the back half of the final season explores that more. To the extent that this show is differentiated from other zombie stories, it's the longevity and scope of the narrative: A world where civilization collapsed around 2010, so what little technology remains is no more advanced than the iPhone 4. If we've spent 11 seasons watching the "during", I'm ready to find out what the "after" looks like.

 

[Ruz-El]

A bigger update for me as I was able to get a few in since last update. Tomorrow is book club day which is really going to screw up my numbers for the weekend lol. A bit more "horror-adjacent" than I've been running, but I think they should count.

043 10/15 Mail Order Murder: The Story of W.A.V.E. Productions (2020) 4/5 This is a wonderful documentary on the W.A.V.E productions studio, the little mail order company that intended to be the one stop shop for custom horror films only to end up producing hundreds of bizarre softcore fetish films presented as horror shorts. I really liked it and frankly, this is probably the better way to get the WAVE experience as opposed to the actual films they produced. Packed with fun clips and interviews, any film fan should get something out of this.

044 10/15 The Shadow of the Cat (1961) 3.5/5 A guy gets some help killing his wife, and they all become obsessed with killing the wife’s cat that witnessed it. The problem is the cat’s a real fucker, and is fighting back! An odd one from the Hammer studio that skips the usual gothic horror elements they are known for to present this thriller, but it works like gangbusters.

045 10/15 WAVE of Terror (1988) 2/5 This one is an anthology double feature of two of WAVE productions early features, ROAD KILL and HADLEY’S HELLHOLE. These are both from before WAVE became synonymous with softcore fetish horror films, and as a result they play for what they are. Simply no-budget shot on video horror films that frankly never get all that interesting. Both are featured in the documentary MAIL ORDER MURDER - and this anthology can be found on the Blu-ray for that film - and the best bits are presented there. Taken as their own standalone thing I found it to be a patience tester but I’m also not a huge SOV fan.

046 10/16 The Hooked Generation (1968) 2/5 A trio of drug dealers get into real trouble when a scam their running goes pear shaped. Pretty typical drive-in fodder for the time with not much to elevate it. There’s some sequences in this that get pretty rough, but over all this is mostly John Davis Chandler (who really stood out in “Once a Thief”) as “Acid” wandering around either stoned or looking for a fix. It’s not the worst sleazy drug/crime thriller I’ve seen but that’s not saying much.

047 10/16 The Psychedelic Priest (2001/1971) 2.5/5 Made in 1971 but shelved until 2001 or something? Some high school kids slip a hip priest some acid which causes him to freak out, drop out and hit the road to find America. It pretty much plays like a scar film as the priest's ideals get stripped away as he encounters racism and what not, eventually causing him to fully hit the skids. None of it is all that fascinating, but I kind of enjoyed it. I guess that hip priest was a pretty cool dude.

048 10/16 Friday the 13th VII: The New Blood (1988) 3.5/5 The film in the franchise that introduces a psychic for Jason to contend with. No one liked the psychic angel when it came out, I know it drove us little horror fans bonkers. That said, it still manages to be one of the better Friday films. Kane Hodder really is a great Jason, adding a pile of menace to the character through both size and his ability to act behind the mask. Even with the notorious cuts from the MPAA this one plays pretty rough and mean. Director Buechler understands what the audience wants and knows how to deliver. The cast, even the psychic, are all pretty good considering the stereotypes for the genre were set in stone by this point, and personally I’m glad that there was no sign of Tommy Jarvis after the last one. It all adds up to a fun picture and one of the real last hurrahs for the series on a whole.

049 10/16 Old (2021) 3/5 It’s easy to dislike M. Night Shyamalan at this point, his movies feel one shoot-a-skeleton-on-a-wire gimmick away from William Castle in his heyday. That said, the movies typically are good despite some incredibly goofy premises. The “beach that makes you old” premise of this one might be one of his goofiest yet -full disclosure: I’ve not seen much of his post “Lady in the Water’ work- but like a good “Twilight Zone” episode, it mostly works. Shyamalan takes his time to fully explore the idea, and trying to figure out where or what the twist will be makes for a fun movie. Plus he went a little sleazy when he didn’t have to so hats off to him. For my money UNBREAKABLE is still his best film, but this one was decent all the same.

 

[TravisR]

048 10/16 Friday the 13th VII: The New Blood (1988) 3.5/5 The film in the franchise that introduces a psychic for Jason to contend with. No one liked the psychic angel when it came out, I know it drove us little horror fans bonkers. That said, it still manages to be one of the better Friday films. Kane Hodder really is a great Jason, adding a pile of menace to the character through both size and his ability to act behind the mask. Even with the notorious cuts from the MPAA this one plays pretty rough and mean. Director Buechler understands what the audience wants and knows how to deliver. The cast, even the psychic, are all pretty good considering the stereotypes for the genre were set in stone by this point, and personally I’m glad that there was no sign of Tommy Jarvis after the last one. It all adds up to a fun picture and one of the real last hurrahs for the series on a whole.

This is a favorite of fans but it's the one Paramount F13 movie that I really don't like. Kane Hodder is the best Jason and if they had been able to leave the gore in, the movie would have been better but the movie looks cheap (even for a F13), the location is boring and poorly lit (you rarely see more than 10 feet away when they're outside at night), most of the characters are unlikeable (so I'm happy to see them get killed rather being afraid or investing in their story), and the idea of Jason vs. Carrie is just silly to me (though I'll give them credit for trying something new in a series that was getting stale).

Despite all of that, I own it on VHS, 2 DVDs, & 2 Blu-rays and I've bought the soundtrack 3 or 4x so what the hell do I know?

 

[HawksFord]

15. Bedazzled (1967) NEW – This “deal with the devil” comedy is a lot of fun, but I should have seen it in my late teens when I was more obsessed with British comedy. Dudley Moore plays a shy short-order cook secretly in love with a waitress. Peter Cook appears as the devil to offer him seven wishes in exchange for his soul. Of course, each wish comes with a catch. Much of it remains very funny but there are a few bits that show their age. Directed by Stanley Donen. We watched the Twilight Time release.

 

[dana martin]

Day 16: 16 October 2021: Feature Presentations: (1941) and the start of Lugosi's Monogram 9 !!

44. The Invisible Ghost: Kino Studio Classics (Release Date: Apr 25, 1941)

BELA LUGOSI AND THE MONOGRAM NINE, PART ONE (1941-1942)

no matter what i could have wrote, this nails it done perfectly, are they great films, no they are not, are they entertaining, well if you like Bela, then the answer is yes.

Next!
Day 18: 18 October 2021: Feature Presentations: (1941) Continues

 

[BobO'Link]

I avoided watching Halloween (1978) for decades because it appeared to be a slasher movie - a sub genre I just absolutely do not like. So... a few years before K-Mart went under I found it in their Halloween DVD display for $5 and thought "Why not?" I was quite surprised to find it's mostly psychological horror with none of the in-your-face slasher "horror" I do not like. While it's not a favorite it *is* a movie I now enjoy and rewatch every couple of years. A coworker who likes Rob Zombie's movies said I "needed to watch his remake" (she likes both the original and Zombie's film) so I did in spite of having an intense dislike for everything he's done (she'd talked me into watching his House of 1000 Corpses and Devil's Rejects which formed my opinion of his work) . Nope... didn't like it one bit.