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

[TravisR]

OK, found it, has anybody seen this? I have to check out how I can see it because I think it is streaming only. From what I have heard this is supposed to be a really good picture that got totally shafted for some reason...



As I understand it this trailer is misleading as it looks like one of those teens call a spirit and get in trouble picture but it is much weirder than that.

It came out last October so it crashed and burned at the box office.

I haven't seen it but copy and pasting from Wikipedia:

Originally filmed in August 2017, the film received poor scores at test screenings and distributor 20th Century Studios lost faith in its commercial prospects. The final product, theatrically released in the United States on October 23, 2020, was still considered a rough edit by Prior. The film received mostly negative reviews from critics and audiences at the time of its release, although reception improved after it came out on home media[5] and has since gained a cult following.[6]

The Empty Man (film) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Malcolm R]

The Empty Man was recently featured on a YouTube thing I watched about overlooked recent horror films. It seems to be one of those love-it-or-hate-it films. If it strikes a nerve with you, you'll enjoy it, but many apparently did not. CinemaScore was a D+. It was kind of dumped into theaters during the pandemic.

From the Wikipedia article (as Travis also found):

Originally filmed in August 2017, the film received poor scores at test screenings and distributor 20th Century Studios lost faith in its commercial prospects. The final product, theatrically released in the United States on October 23, 2020, was still considered a rough edit by Prior.

It's fairly long at 137 minutes, and the YouTube segment said there's a rather odd 20-minute prologue to begin the film.

 

[JasonRoer]

Part VI - Jason Lives! has always been my favorite of the entire franchise. I rewatch that one regularly. I recently did get the big box set, so I'll probably be watching Part III in 3D for the first time.


If you know someone with the recent big box, they'd have Part III in polarized 3D (not red/blue anaglyph), if you can borrow it.

I'm hoping to concentrate more on older/classic horror films this time. I have several box sets that I still haven't finished (or opened yet in some cases). Sets of Hammer, Vincent Price, the Christopher Lee Eurocrypt, etc., plus many individual titles from Kino and such.

I'm not entirely sure how much I'll get to watch this year, as I'm still scheduled to go on vacation at the end of the month (leaving Oct 29), so I'll need to wrap up my list a few days early. Also there will be vacation prep and football competing with what time I do have.

Friday the 13th Part 6 is on my list for this year. I'm so looking forward to it. Christopher Lee and Vincent Price always make for an excellent time at the movies. Enjoy those! I'll be putting some of their films in my queue as well. The Tingler, Abominable Dr. Phibes, The Mummy (Hammer), etc. I haven't watched them in years.

 

[JasonRoer]

OK, found it, has anybody seen this? I have to check out how I can see it because I think it is streaming only. From what I have heard this is supposed to be a really good picture that got totally shafted for some reason...



As I understand it this trailer is misleading as it looks like one of those teens call a spirit and get in trouble pictures but it is much weirder than that.

I'm looking forward to watching it. It's on my list and it's screening on Hulu right now. It has a 75% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and frankly, it sounds fascinating. I'll be curious to see what others think about it.

 

[Malcolm R]

Another I'm hoping to revisit this year is Frailty, with Matthew McConaughey and Bill Paxton (who also directed). I have the DVD, but I think it's also available on Amazon Prime. Four stars from Roger Ebert (below):

Frailty received generally positive reviews, with a 73% "Certified Fresh" rating on movie review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes based on 148 reviews. The site's consensus states: "Creepy and disturbing, Frailty is well-crafted, low-key horror." Roger Ebert in particular singled it out for praise, giving the film four out of four stars and declaring that "Frailty is an extraordinary work, concealing in its depths not only unexpected story turns but also implications, hidden at first, that make it even deeper and more sad." Bloody Disgusting gave the film an 'Honorable Mention' in their list of the twenty best horror films of the 2000s, calling the film an "underrated gem [...] a small-scale, thought-provoking horror film that deserves a second look. ... (Wikipedia)

 

[JasonRoer]

Another I'm hoping to revisit this year is Frailty, with Matthew McConaughey and Bill Paxton (who also directed). I have the DVD, but I think it's also available on Amazon Prime.

I believe you're right about Amazon. I haven't actually seen the movie yet. I'll put it on my list for new films to watch.

 

[JohnRice]

Another I'm hoping to revisit this year is Frailty, with Matthew McConaughey and Bill Paxton (who also directed). I have the DVD, but I think it's also available on Amazon Prime. Four stars from Roger Ebert (below):

One of the better psychological horror movies of the last 2-or-so decades, in my book.

 

[JasonRoer]

One of the better psychological horror movies of the last 2-or-so decades, in my book.

Excellent. I'm looking forward to seeing it in this year's challenge.

 

[JohnRice]

Excellent. I'm looking forward to seeing it in this year's challenge.

It's just seriously creepy, and it messes with your head.

 

[Malcolm R]

If anyone is looking for new suggestions, EW just posted this list of the best horror films of 2021. Blood Red Sky and Psycho Goreman are already on my watch lists at streaming services. I've seen the first film in the Fear Street trilogy (1994), which was OK but nothing special IMO. I really enjoyed Werewolves Within, but it's almost more comedy than horror. Still hoping to catch Malignant in theaters. Saint Maud was recommended by that YouTube segment I referenced earlier.

https://ew.com/movies/best-horror-films-2021/

 

[JasonRoer]

If anyone is looking for new suggestions, EW just posted this list of the best horror films of 2021. Blood Red Sky and Psycho Goreman are already on my watch lists at streaming services. I've seen the first film in the Fear Street trilogy (1994), which was OK but nothing special IMO. I really enjoyed Werewolves Within, but it's almost more comedy than horror. Still hoping to catch Malignant in theaters. Saint Maud was recommended by that YouTube segment I referenced earlier.

https://ew.com/movies/best-horror-films-2021/

Blood Red Sky was fantastic. My wife does not like horror pictures usually, but even she thought it was excellent. I highly recommend it. I watched the first 2 Fear Street movies. I'm with you - nothing special. I still haven't watched the 3rd, if that's any indication.

 

[Jeff Flugel]

Fear No Evil -This is a Kino release on Blu-ray of what is I guess a long forgotten TV movie. Basically, it is an occult thriller that was meant to be the precursor to a series that did not happen.

Ritual of Evil - This is on the same Kino disc and is the second TV film based around this occult investigator character. Said to be not as good as the first picture and the likely reason the series did not happen. I figure these will be a fun double feature of classic late sixties early seventies TV movies.

I recently picked this Kino Blu double feature myself, Reggie. Been wanting to see these early horror TV movies for a LONG time (always been a sucker for the "psychic investigator" subgenre) Looking forward to finally being able to do so - in HD yet! - next month.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

It came out last October so it crashed and burned at the box office.

I haven't seen it but copy and pasting from Wikipedia:

The Empty Man (film) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

That's essentially what I had heard about it. That the studio gave the guy a good budget to make it and then just dropped it. I believe it was supposed to be a 2018 release. I wonder where it was released in 2020 because I do not recall much ending up in cinemas then. I had read something about they did not promote it at all. Funny thing with the title, I could not remember the title, it blended in with all the other The __________ Man titles. I kept confusing it with The Slender Man.

The reason the studio dropped it was they thought it was too strange and that audiences would not connect with it. As I understand it the trailer does this no favors either in that it focuses on showing a bunch of teens messing with the supernatural and I guess that is not representative of what the story is about. James Badge Dale is the main character and it plays more as a weird noir detective story.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

The Empty Man was recently featured on a YouTube thing I watched about overlooked recent horror films. It seems to be one of those love-it-or-hate-it films. If it strikes a nerve with you, you'll enjoy it, but many apparently did not. CinemaScore was a D+. It was kind of dumped into theaters during the pandemic.

From the Wikipedia article (as Travis also found):


It's fairly long at 137 minutes, and the YouTube segment said there's a rather odd 20-minute prologue to begin the film.

I think I read something about it, forgot about it, then heard people talking about it on a podcast saying how good it was and thought, I have to write that down for October...didn't...forgot about it again. Then when the October movie thread for this year was posted I recalled there were a couple of pictures I wanted to see that were streaming only. I finally recalled James Badge Dale was in it and found it that way on IMDB.

The trailer does nothing for me but the way people describe it as being this occult detective story involving an ex-cop looking into strange deaths and the disappearance of his friend's daughter with a cult coming into play and that is has this great atmosphere and visual sense...that grabbed me.

I tend to like my horror weird and this sounds like it fits the bill.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

I'm looking forward to watching it. It's on my list and it's screening on Hulu right now. It has a 75% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and frankly, it sounds fascinating. I'll be curious to see what others think about it.

I found that it is on HBO Max and so will watch it there. Yes, the people that I have heard comment on it thought it was great and the description made it sound like occult noir which is right up my alley. I was also intrigued that this was a well budgeted horror picture that the studio just suddenly backed away from. The fact that they felt it was too weird made me even more interested, ha!

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

I recently picked this Kino Blu double feature myself, Reggie. Been wanting to see these early horror TV movies for a LONG time (always been a sucker for the "psychic investigator" subgenre) Looking forward to finally being able to do so - in HD yet! - next month.

That's the one! I was hooked when I read it was about "a psychiatrist that specializes in the occult investigating strange occurrences involving a wealthy and powerful cult" and picked it up on the spot. Also I guess these were thought to be lost and through some digging they found them and restored them. I have never seen them as far as I know and I think the legend on them is they only were shown once on TV and when the series did not happen they were totally forgotten. Except by some fans that had seen them I guess.

 

[JasonRoer]

I found that it is on HBO Max and so will watch it there. Yes, the people that I have heard comment on it thought it was great and the description made it sound like occult noir which is right up my alley. I was also intrigued that this was a well budgeted horror picture that the studio just suddenly backed away from. The fact that they felt it was too weird made me even more interested, ha!

Exactly. The weirder the better!

 

[dana martin]

6 More Days



don't forget to wear you mask has a whole new meaning.....

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

So, I have the new Dementia 13 blu set aside for this as well. Now, I have seen Dementia 13 before but this is a new director's cut of the picture...does that mean it counts as a new film? I think there are only a couple minutes trimmed.

I'm leaning toward this would not be counted as new but this is the third cut of the film.

 

[Malcolm R]

I'm OK with counting it as new. We count remakes as "new" though they're the same plot/characters.