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***Official 23rd Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge 2022*** (1 Viewer)

Ruz-El

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108 10/28 Godzilla Vs. Hedorah (1971) 4/5 I really liked this one. Starts off with one of the bleakest pop song bangers you’ll ever hear before launching into an environmental nightmare where a living pollution butts heads with Godzilla. The bad in this is it has a super smart kid in it to play to the children which is annoying and frankly kind of inappropriate. This one goes pretty hard, mashing together heavy handed eco politics, a monster with some THE BLOB vibes and even animation into a heady rock roll trip that is a bit psychedelic. When the final battle goes down the whole thing gets shockingly quiet. It really stood out from the other films and playing like a massive bummer really worked to elevate it.

109 10/28 Alison’s Birthday (1981) 3.5/5 Slow burn film from Australia starts off as a “fuck around and find out” gimmick when a ouija board game at a sixteen year old Alison’s birthday results in a prophecy that starts to come true on her 19th. It takes a left turn to the much more sinister as it slowly builds to a small-scale WICKER MAN remix. It works wonderfully even though you can pretty easily tell where it’s heading. If anything does it no favours is the overall look. Watching this in the ALL THE HAUNTS BE OURS set from Severin, it seems like the Australian aesthetic was low budget television. Once you get past that this one was pretty wonderful and creepy.

110 10/28 The Devil Down Under: Satanic Panic in Australia (2021) 3.5/5 Really interesting short essay that goes deep into the Australian history of the occult while comparing it to the USA version. Absolutely packed with information and clips of both practitioners and the films, I’d love to see a larger look of this.

111 10/28 Hack-O-Lantern (1988) 3/5 Tommy’s weird grandfather has big plans for him when he grows up, since he’s the leader of a Satanic cult. This one manages to be wildly dumb but still some fun. Main problem is it hits its highs early, once the grown up Tommy has nightmare that is one of the greatest heavy metal videos you will ever see, it pretty much peaks with the remainder of the film being a pretty typical “who done it?” slasher. They go hard, lots of over the top gore and porn star Jeanna Fine show up, but it’s all a bit off and tends to slog.

112 10/28 Paranorman (2012) 4/5 When this one started I was so put off by some of the character designs that I was tempted to ditch it. Mainly due to how awful Norman’s dad looks with this pylon head, a head shape that no other character has. Anyways, once the shock wore off and this one settled in I ended up loving it. A fun witches curse story, and the animation is knock your socks off good. The message aspect is a little cheesy but it is a kids movie and it works narratively. Made me want to rewatch CAROLINE.

113 10/28 Scream (2022) 4/5 Despite being of the generation I was never huge on the SCREAM franchise so this one was a nice surprise. They did a good job of updating the original film and while it maybe gets too meta in its self reference it manages to be fun. More fun than most of the original sequels anyway. It’s been ages since I’ve seen them but I’m thinking this is one of the best of the franchise. They pretty much nailed it when you consider that this movie doesn’t need to exist.
 

TravisR

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113 10/28 Scream (2022) 4/5 Despite being of the generation I was never huge on the SCREAM franchise so this one was a nice surprise. They did a good job of updating the original film and while it maybe gets too meta in its self reference it manages to be fun. More fun than most of the original sequels anyway. It’s been ages since I’ve seen them but I’m thinking this is one of the best of the franchise. They pretty much nailed it when you consider that this movie doesn’t need to exist.
I am a huge fan of the Scream movies and continuing on without Wes Craven seemed like a big gamble to me but I was very happy with this. It was clearly made by fans of the originals and they did a great job of mixing the old characters with new likeable ones and putting them all in situations where I cared about what happened to them. I look forward to Scream 6 or Scream 2 or whatever they're gonna call it.
 

Ruz-El

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I am a huge fan of the Scream movies and continuing on without Wes Craven seemed like a big gamble to me but I was very happy with this. It was clearly made by fans of the originals and they did a great job of mixing the old characters with new likeable ones and putting them all in situations where I cared about what happened to them. I look forward to Scream 6 or Scream 2 or whatever they're gonna call it.
Ah, I presumed there would be another one but kind of hoped this would be it. Leave it on a high note. I have no idea where this could go, and aiming for more could send it into the spiral that happened with the recent Halloweens.
 

Malcolm R

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:emoji_jack_o_lantern: Hellhole (aka Last Supper) (2022; Netflix) :emoji_scream::emoji_scream:

Poland 1957, policemen interrupt a priest trying to kill an evil baby marked as the "chosen one". Jumping ahead 30 years, a young man, Marek, arrives at a crumbling monastery, ostensibly to join the order as a monk but he's really an undercover representative of the local police. A number of young women have gone missing after being sent to the monastery, which also functions as an asylum for the insane and "possessed". Marek witnesses an exorcism of a young woman, but later discovers it was all staged. Marek must discover the true intentions of the brotherhood and solve the mystery before his own truth is discovered by the brothers.

For a change of pace, we have mysterious evil monks rather than nuns in this one. Good production design and loads of spooky atmosphere. But it doesn't add up to much. Just when the story seems like things are really going to take off, the film abruptly ends. Nearly 90 minutes of slow burn with little payoff. The last few minutes are pretty creepy, but I was left wanting more. Typical of a lot of modern horror. But a number of reviewers seemed to like the ending, so it may work well for some.

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Michael Elliott

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Omen IV: The Awakening (1991) **

The fourth film in the series is basically a remake of the first one, although the adopted baby is this time a girl. Overall, this is a mildly entertaining film as long as you don't take it too serious. It keeps you entertained for what it is but at the same time it's a poor copy of the original. A couple of the infamous deaths from the first picture are re-created here and they just don't work. The made-for-TV feel doesn't help things but the cast is good.

Deadly Dealings (2022) ** 1/2

SOV horror film about a woman missing her dead brother and he comes back to life after she messes with a Ouija board. For the most part this was well-made for what it was. The performances were better than average but the director goes for a lot of drama and emotional stuff and this here doesn't work out as well.

Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) *** 1/2
Phantom of the Opera (1943) ***


I took in this Fathom Events double feature and it was a blast. This was my fourth time seeing CREATURE on the big screen. I've seen it in 3D before but I enjoyed the film more this time than ever before. I normally sit back from the screen but I sat in the second row closest and I must admit that I got sucked into the picture. The cast is wonderful. The underwater stuff is terrific. The creature design is just remarkable and especially in 4K!

PHANTOM isn't a Universal horror movie. It's Universal trying to do a MGM musical. After all, had the goal been to make a horror film I'm sure Universal would have cast Lon Chaney, Jr. to re-create his father's role. As it is, the film looks and sounds wonderful. The performances are very good. The film is fun as long as you're not expecting a horror picture.

Chamber of Horrors (1966) ** 1/2

This re-working of HOUSE OF WAX was meant to be a television pilot but it was deemed too graphic and thrown into theaters. There are a couple different gimmicks used here including a "Fear Flasher" where the screen flashes red whenever something scary is about to happen. The gimmicks really aren't that memorable and especially since what we see isn't all that graphic. The film looks good and there are some nice performances though.
 

Malcolm R

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:emoji_jack_o_lantern: Nightbooks (2021, Netflix) :emoji_scream::emoji_scream::emoji_scream:

Alex loves scary things: reading about them, watching films about them, and especially writing about them. He calls his notebooks with his writing his "Nightbooks". But as the film opens, something has happened to make him highly upset. So much so, that he's packing up everything in his room related to scary stories and his writing and is heading down to the basement of his building to throw them all in the furnace. Unfortunately, on the way down he gets snared in a witch's trap (a cozy apartment with The Lost Boys on the TV and a slice of pumpkin pie), and is forced to return to his Nightbooks to tell her a scary story every night or suffer the consequences. How will he escape the witch and get back home to his worried parents?

Aimed at a younger audience, but contains a few pretty intense scenes. If I were rating it, it would probably fall somewhere in the upper side of the PG range, IMO. Then there's also the supposedly humorous scene of an invisible cat pooping that seemed rather bizarre and out of place. But overall it was a pretty imaginative and fun modern riff on the Hansel & Gretel story and would probably be an OK choice for a family Halloween film.

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Robert Crawford

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I would, but would have to track it down. I don't seem to have any of them in my collection.

But I see that I do have Val Lewton's The Body Snatcher, with Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. Not the same film, I know, but sounds like it might be creepy too.
I just watched that movie for the first time today and gave it a film grade of 4.5/5. A terrific film with one of Karloff's best performances. The same with Henry Daniell. TBH, this film kind of shocked me. I can't believe I have never seen this movie beforehand. However, I have no memory of any scenes in it so I think it's one of those films I meant to watch over the years, but never got around to doing so. My mistake, but it's one that I rectified today.:)
 

Neil Middlemiss

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October 29 (b): The Curse of Bridge Hollow (2022) – 3 out of 5 - First Time Viewing

Sidney Gordon (Priah Ferguson) and her parents, Howard (Marlon Wayans) and Emily (Kelly Rowland) are relocating from the big city to the small-town community of Bridge Hollow. Arriving in town for the first time, it’s clear this community is all-in for Halloween, something Howard rejects (if it’s not science, it’s not real to him). Sidney loves all that scary, supernatural stuff, but gets more than she bargained for when she accidentally lets loose an evil spirit that brings the various Halloween decorations around town to come to life and cause utter chaos.

The Curse of Bridge Hollow isn’t particularly good, but it is entertaining anyway. This is a family-friendly Halloween movie that spends most of its time being suitable for the very young but allows a several more adult moments to push the rating to TV-14. It really needed to stay in one lane as it’s too young for most of the time, which will disappoint the more mature, and some of the scares and curse words will push it out of reach for the very young. It’s hard to know exactly who this was aiming for at times.

Performances are largely passable, the effects are good, and the concept is very appealing (the groundwork is laid for a sequel, which if I am being honest, I would absolutely watch). There are some humorous moments, particularly from the town mayor (played by the always excellent Lauren Lapkus), and Rob Riggle gets in a few chuckles as the Gordon’s meathead neighbor.

Good for families with some moments to be cautious of for the younger members. I think I liked it more than I thought I did 😊
 

JasonRoer

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I just realized I haven't seen a single Vincent Price film this entire challenge and I don't know if I'll be able to fit one in because it's only 1 more day til Halloween, Halloween, Halloween. 1 more day til Halloween, Silver Shamrock.
 

Jeff Flugel

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October 29 (b): The Curse of Bridge Hollow (2022) – 3 out of 5 - First Time Viewing

Good for families with some moments to be cautious of for the younger members. I think I liked it more than I thought I did 😊
24. The Curse of Bridge Hollow (2022)
Watched this one myself last night, Neil. I was tired after a long day and wanted something light but appropriately seasonal. I enjoyed it, silly but imaginative and fun, with some cool creature effects. Marlon Wayans and Priah Ferguson (who plays Lucas' sassy kid sister on Stranger Things) make an enjoyable pair of father-daughter leads, and Destiny's Child singer Kelly Rowlands - still looking great! - was fine as the mom. Some cool setpieces, including the retirement home spider attack and especially Howard channeling his inner badass paternal protector and demolishing a horde of skeletons with a chainsaw, to the strains of AC/DC's "Haighway to Hell". Definitely aimed at a young teen audience, corny in spots with its father-daughter bonding moments, but this adult found it an amusing diversion overall, thanks to some creative monster design and Wayans' schtick. John Michael Higgins was also funny as the school principal who dabbles in Satanism. Won't become a Halloween perennial or anything, but I wouldn't be averse to a sequel, either.

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Malcolm R

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:emoji_jack_o_lantern: Nobody Sleeps in the Woods Tonight (2020 Netflix) :emoji_scream::emoji_scream: 1/2

A postman approaches a ramshackle house and knocks on the door. No one answers, but he hears noises coming from a cellar window. He investigates and sees someone down there, but when he tries to assist he's pulled into the basement and presumably killed. Jumping ahead 30 years, a group of teens addicted to their electronics are sent to a camp "off the grid" in the backwoods of Poland. They're divided into groups and sent on hikes into the wilderness with a guide. We follow a group of six who are hiking to a campsite near a small lake. After nightfall, one of the group goes missing. As the rest of the group searches for him, they slowly discover the details of the horrifying situation they have wandered into.

Another Poland horror film from the same writers/director of Hellhole that I watched earlier (apparently the 30-year time jump at the opening is their trademark). I liked this one a bit better though it's mostly just a mash-up of a number of standard slasher horror tropes with homages to Friday the 13th (the rural camp setting; the first kill) and Scream (a character recites the "rules" of horror films; the first kill is a character who'd just had sex), some shades of Just Before Dawn and Wrong Turn, along with a dash of sci-fi and the supernatural. Apparently this is the self-proclaimed first slasher film made in Poland. Not a bad start, though there's not really much originality on display here.

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Robert Crawford

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See my summary for film grades!


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75) The Mummy's Tomb (1942) (Blu-ray) 3/5 Stars
A sequel to "The Mummy's Hand" (1940) in which the two heroes/Dick Foran & Wallace Ford from that 1940 film are murdered 30 years later for revenge by the Mummy with the murders taking place in America. IMO, an unusual sequel plotline to say the least when heroes from a previous film are killed off in the sequel. Chaney plays the Mummy this time.


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76) Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) (Blu-ray) 5/5 Stars
This film is so well known, I see no need to even mention the plot as Abbott & Costello has Dracula, Frankie Baby and Wolfie to deal with in this 1948 movie. I've probably seen this movie more than any other Universal Horror film including the original films from 1931. A true classic! I expect my next viewing of this movie after today will be a 4K release next year.


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77) Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943) (Blu-ray) 3.5/5 Stars
IMO, an underrated movie in this series of Universal "Monster" films. The Wolf Man/Chaney is revived from his grave and seeks out Dr. Frankenstein. In his journey he finds out Frankenstein is dead, but does find the monster played by Lugosi. I always liked this movie as the fight between the Monster and the Wolf Man is classic film.


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78) The Body Snatcher (1945) (Blu-ray) 4.5/5 Stars
I didn't expect this Robert Wise directed movie to be this good. Karloff as a grave robber and murderer that has Henry Dainell, a doctor and educator under his thumb while Lugosi has a small role as a blackmailer. A brutal movie for its time in which a couple of vicious fights occur as the body count gets higher. Like I stated earlier, I never got around to watching this fine movie which was a mistake on my part. Anyhow, I'll be watching it again as this 2019 Blu-ray has an audio commentary and some bonus material I need to explore with my future viewings. One of Karloff's best films and performances.


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79) The Curse of the Cat People (1944) (Blu-ray) 3/5 Stars
This is more of a fantasy than a horror movie despite the film title. A follow up film to "Cat People" in which Kent Smith reprises his film role with his second wife and child living in Sleepy Hollow, New York. A lonely child makes up a friend in her mind that appears to be Smith's first wife Irina from the 1942 film. TBH, the movie kind of bored me after I figured out where they were going with this movie. It's another movie that I've never watched beforehand, but knew of its existence as it's been a part of my disc library for almost 20 years. Anyhow, I finally watched my 2018 Blu-ray of it. The Blu-ray has a couple of audio commentaries and some other bonus material that I might explore in the future. This was Robert Wise's first directing effort which he shared with another director.


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80) Sleepy Hollow (1999) (Blu-ray) 4/5 Stars
I love this movie! I hope one day it's released by Paramount on 4K disc. Icabod Crane, a NYC police detective in 1799, is sent to the Hudson Valley of New York to investigate some murders in which the victims heads are chopped off. This is one of those movies in which I had a smile of my face the entire time I first watched this movie in a movie theater. Some exciting and frightening scenes in this film. I love the battle in the cover bridge between the "Headless Horseman" and Depp and Casper Van Dien.
 

sleroi

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93. The Fog - 4k Disc - I love the opening of this film with John Houseman telling a spooky story as only he can to a group of kids around the campfire. That tale then unfolds in real life as a mysterious fog rolls into town. The next day, a big chunk of the middle of the film, is kind of monotonous and not scary, but does establish who's who. And there is one great moment in the hospital. But when the fog rolls back in the film kicks into overdrive and stays there.
It looks great in 4k. There is a slight uptick in resolution in most scenes. But the biggest difference I noticed was in the color. The colors aren't over saturated unnaturally, but just seem more prominent, especially the glowing reds and greens. :emoji_jack_o_lantern::emoji_jack_o_lantern::emoji_jack_o_lantern:

94. Prince of Darkness - 4k Disc - I consider this to be Carpenter's last great movie. He mad a few pretty good ones after, but this one is Great. I write this one up every year during the challenge. First off, it's just a great screenplay (written under the pseudonym Martin Quatermass). The plot is fairly simple: A priest asks a theoretical physics professor to investigate a large vial of swirling green matter found in the basement of an old church. It sets up the core mystery as well as most of the character dynamics before the credits are through, with very few spoken words. And all of the theoretical physics talk is just fun. The characters all make sense, no one is there just to be killed. And while it kind of feels like a slasher with the deaths/possessions in the 2nd act, the 3rd act is so much more. It maintains an eerie, creepy tone through to the end. Another great Carpenter score helps. And as many times as Ive seen this the fate of the Red Head still amazes me in it's tragic beauty. :emoji_jack_o_lantern::emoji_jack_o_lantern::emoji_jack_o_lantern::emoji_jack_o_lantern::emoji_jack_o_lantern:

95. The Wretched - S (Netflix) - This film has a great hook before the credits:. A father sacrifices his two daughters to a vampire he has trapped in his basement. We then meet a teen travelling by bus to see his father, his parents having recently divorced. Once at his dad's home he sees a demonic looking creature one night on his neighbors patio, then notices odd behavior by the neighbor the following day.
The creature is scary, with some really frightening, creepy images throughout. The main teenagers are real teenagers, not Freddy vs Jason fake stereotype teenagers. And I didn't see the 3rd act twist coming at all. This film on whole was a pleasant surprise. :emoji_jack_o_lantern::emoji_jack_o_lantern::emoji_jack_o_lantern:
 
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Adam Lenhardt

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(See my 2022 Summary for information on color coding and rating categories)

Had some friends over for my first time doing a double feature for The Shining and Doctor Sleep in one sitting. it was long, well over five hours with the DC of Doctor Sleep, but very rewarding.

The Shining (1980) 4K Ultra HD Disc Cover Art


48) 10/29/2022 The Shining (1980)
Scary Star
Scary Star
Scary Star
One Drop of Gore
One Drop of Gore
One Bucket of Fun
One Bucket of Fun
One Bucket of Fun


The 4K disc is an excellent presentation of one of the classics of the horror genre. The use of HDR is effective without being overbearing for a production that predates its introduction. After years of seeing the movie via open matte versions on cable and then DVD, I prefer the original widescreen framing here.

The Overlook Hotel is a very haunted place, but at the end of the day it's the human beings that you have to really worry about. A truly terrifying central performance from Jack

A few things stood out to me:

Only reason I’m not giving it a full 5 out of 5 is that while Jack Nicholson is fantastic in it, narratively you never once think he’s not a bit of a jerk which hampers his character arc. Shelly Duval really holds the film.
King's version of Jack Torrance is a man on the knife's edge between the angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other. Kubrick's version of Jack Torrance is seething rage constrained by civilization, and then he separates himself from civilization for too long.

I do agree about Shelley Duvall's performance. As Wendy, she embodies both the rationalizations and anxiety that come with being married to an abusive husband and the fierceness of a protective mother. She's an ordinary person in an impossible situation, and she perseveres.

Yeah, even in the interview scene, no matter how proper he seems there is this underlying arrogance about his character you can sense.
There's a mocking quality that he brings to that scene, even as Jack is saying all of the right things. And if the manager picks up on it, well, he needs somebody to do the job, and he won't have to deal with him anyway.

What struck me most was the score. Every scene has a disconcerting subtle clanging, banging, or otherwise eerie sound in the background. Constantly through the entire movie. It really keeps the audience unsettled and helps to ratchet up the tension and suspense.
The soundscape on the UHD disc in particular is terrific. The use of sound also helps the audience make sense of Danny's unspoken extrasensory perceptions when he uses the Shining.

Also, as far as Jack being a jerk, I always took it as he is kind of a jerk but was really looking forward to the long winter to unwind and get his thoughts out of his head and onto paper. But instead the opposite happened and his inner jerk took over.
I always got the sense that Jack fled Vermont in disgrace, that he'd been at the center of some scandal completely different from dislocating Danny's shoulder. And the way his mind rationalized his failure was that life kept getting in the way of his writing, he was always too busy working various jobs to keep food on the table for his family, and so it was his wife and son's fault that he wasn't writing.

And then he got this gig which took all of those other obligations off the table, striped him of all of his excuses. And then, when it was just him and his typewriter, he still couldn't produce anything worthwhile. And his ego couldn't handle that.

It's no coincidence that the lady in 237 went after Danny when she did. The hotel was strategic in how it seduced him; faced with being a failure as a writer, he could at least say that he'd done right by his wife and his kid. But then Danny shows up with the bruises on his neck and Wendy logically accuses him of hurting their son again, and he feels like all of that agonizing sobriety didn't get him anything. So when Lloyd offers him that drink, he doesn't believe he's got anything to lose.

Doctor Sleep (2019) Director's Cut Poster


49) 10/29/2022 Doctor Sleep [Director's Cut] (2019)
Scary Star
Scary Star
Scary Star
One Drop of Gore
One Drop of Gore
One Drop of Gore
One Bucket of Fun
One Bucket of Fun
One Bucket of Fun


While a bit overstuffed, I still contend that this one is even better than The Shining.

A big part of that is that this movie has heart. It cares about what happens to the characters, and about the choices they make. The Shining has good characters and bad ones, and noble choices and selfish ones. But it's more interested in observing what happens than investing in what happens. There's an antiseptic quality to that movie that this one avoids.

Another key improvement is the central child who shines. Danny Lloyd gave a pretty flat performance as Danny Torrance in The Shining. His voice for "Tony" was appropriately creepy, but his line readings were pretty monotone. It didn't hurt the movie too much, because Danny is objectively really weird, and he's more of our eyes and ears for the horrors than a character who drives the narrative.

But Kyliegh Curran is magnificent as Abra Stone. The movie asks a lot of her -- to be sympathetic and vulnerable and innocent, but also mischievous and vengeful and at times outright creepy. And Curran is able to handle all of it without a single false note.

Ewan McGregor is also phenomenal as the title character. He brings a wonderful gentle sadness to the grown up Danny. And while his Danny makes a number of unlikable decisions in the movie, especially early on before he gets clean, there is never less than a clear contrast between Danny and Jack.

And Rebecca Ferguson's Rose the Hat is one of the great horror movie villains of the twenty-first century.

Lots of great supporting performances, too. Carl Lumbly and Alex Essoe are remarkable as the recast Dick Hallorann and Wendy Torrance. With the wig and makeup, Essoe looks almost identical to Shelley Duvall. Lumbly wasn't as close of a visual match to Scatman Crothers, but he matched the voice and speech pattern that Crothers brought to Dick Hallorann perfectly. Henry Thomas had a thankless task as the Bartender, and the dodgy hair and makeup didn't help. But even if he didn't quite capture Nicholson's look or voice, he got to something of Jack Torrance's simmering resentment and selfish rage.

In terms of other new characters: Cliff Curtis is terrific as Billy, an uncommonly decent person that crosses Dan's path after a life that has had too few of them. Bruce Greenwood only gets two scenes in the movie, but he's terrific in both of them. You can see why the local AA group idolizes him. Zahn McClarnon is almost unrecognizable here as Crow Daddy, Rose's right-hand man. His is a measured evil, with purpose and intent. Emily Alyn Lind feels like she stepped out a picture from the thirties or forties, with the way she looks and the way she carries herself. But her performance captures something wounded as a young girl who blossomed early and is both enraged at and ashamed of the attention from older male admirers that resulted.

Somehow Flanagan managed to get the blessing of both King AND the Kubrick Estate when making this film. I find the Director's Cut far superior to the theatrical, even though it clocks in at 3 hours. Highly recommended.
Both versions really work, but the Director's Cut is definitely the definitive version. I particularly like how it mirrors the chapter structure of Kubrick's Shining.
 

Suzanne.S

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It's been a very busy few weeks. Here's what I've managed to squeeze in:

Monday, October 17
13. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) Marcus Ronnie's ran this as part of their Retro Horror series. I've seen it several times, but it is always enjoyable and pretty remarkable on the big screen. I went with my mom, ran into a few friends and made a few new ones.
I love this film. I love how real everything is - all the sets and locations. My Mom, who was a teenager in the 50s said that it was a real trip back to her youth. The political commentary is not at all subtle, but it is effective.

Tuesday, October 18
14. The Mad Ghoul (1943) First time viewing. Universal Horror Collection Volume 2 Blu-ray. It had great atmosphere and a promising story, but overall I found it a bit boring. I did like the ending. I will probably revisit it soon to listen to the commentary.

15. Skinwalker: The Howl of the Rougarou (2021) First time viewing. Small Town Monsters Blu-ray. I enjoy Seth Breedlove's series of cryptozoology documentaries. This one focuses on the Rougarou, a werewolf creature of legend in the Cajun bayous of Louisiana. The film is heavily focused on interviews with people who claim to have had an encounter with the Rougarou. The background history and how the Native legends and French Acadian legends became intertwined was quite interesting.

Wednesday, October 19
Vincent Price Double Feature at The Arkadin Cinema on the Backlot
The Arkadin is a micro-cinema. They project outdoors on a screen attached to the wall of the bar next door. It is the small backyard area behind a store front in an old building just down the street from the Bevo Mill. The seating capacity is about 50. They have some chairs but it's advisable to bring your own because they do fill up for a lot of the shows. It was recently voted best movie theater in St. Louis. It is a wonderful place to catch a movie and the owners are hard core cinephiles. They host the monthly Silents Please STL screenings and other fun things like "Drinkolas Cage" the last Wednesday of each month. They don't advertise which movie and a drinking game is played. Great place.

16. The Tingler (1959) First time viewing. Shlocky fun, made more fun by the audience and the theater owners. They did rig one seat for "Precepto" and they had tinglers run through the backlot. They dressed their dogs in costume. It was quite cute.
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17. The Raven (1963) One of my all time favorites! Three of the greatest (four if you count Jack Nicholson) in one fun film. You can't ask for much more.

Thursday, October 20
18. Mad Love (1935) First time viewing. Warner Archive Blu-ray.
You can't go wrong with Peter Lorre. He was excellent as the obsessed scientist in the remake of The Hands of Orlok. I liked Conrad Veidt in the original better as the pianist but I liked Gogol's obsession with Yvonne and felt that it was more effective.

Tuesday, October 25
19. Doctor X (1932) First time viewing. Warner Archive Blu-ray. The restoration of this film was amazing. I enjoyed all the twists to the story. Lee Tracy was a hoot as the reporter. I was surprised that Atwill wasn't the villain.

20. The Birds (1963) Universal 4K. I watched my disc while Film Club played over Zoom and then I joined the discussion after. I've always liked this movie. This time around, I was paying more attention to the relationships between the characters.
The way that Mitch is so tender with Annie's body after her death brings me to tears. We find out so much about Annie and Melanie in their short conversation but it makes the aftermath all the more poignant.

Thursday, October 27
21. Bluebeard (1944) First time viewing. The Important Cinema Club Bargain Bin Classics BD-R from Gold Ninja Video. Limited Edition of 200 discs.
The disc comes with extensive liner notes, a commentary, two featurettes and two bonus feature films. Not restored in any way but the guys at Gold Ninja Video are true fans and do their best to put out quality product. They specialize in cult, underground and martial arts films. I was pleasantly surprised at how good this film is. Directed by Edgar G. Ulmer for PRC and starring John Carradine, it is a moody and atmospheric tale of an artist driven to destroy is muses. Carradine is marvelous as the tortured puppeteer/painter who becomes a serial killer. Ulmer and Eugen Schufftan made minor miracles on a shoestring budget.

22. Supernatural (1933) First time viewing. Kino Blu-ray. A phony spiritualist tries to bilk a society heiress by convincing her that her twin brother is trying to contact her from the afterlife. The tables get turned on him when the heiress is possessed by his recently executed girlfriend. It's all quite far fetched but somehow it works. Carole Lombard is quite subdued in this and does a wonderful job of channeling the executed murderess.

Friday, October 28
23. Nosferatu (1922) At the Varsity Center in Carbondale, IL. Live accompaniment by The Invincible Czars from Austin, TX. I cannot stress enough how great this group is. If you get the chance to see them do not hesitate. I have seen them four times before and every show has been great. They reworked their score for the centennial and encouraged some audience participation. The crowd was really into the show and made the movie that much more enjoyable.

Saturday, October 29
24. La Llorona (1933) First time viewing. Indicator Blu-ray. The first Mexican horror movie with sound. It is wonderfully atmospheric. The film tells the tale across three time periods of the Crying Woman. In this version, she has cursed the family of Conquistador Cortes and we follow instances of the curse in action. I quite enjoyed it. I will revisit the film to listen to the commentary. The other extras include a featurette made by the great granddaughter of the producer and a short with Abraham Castillo Flores, who explains the origins of the folklore and the cultural significance it has in Mexico. Both were fascinating.

25. The Phantom of the Monastery (1934) First time viewing. Indicator Blu-ray. This one was more confusing. I will have to go back and listen to the commentary. Three hikers get lost and spend the night in a spooky monastery. There is a love triangle, a ghostly wail heard through a boarded up room and a lot of empty coffins. There is a lot going on and once again, a featurette with Abraham Castillo Flores shed light on the film and its production history.

Two more days! There are a few more that I hope to squeeze in. Sunday night I will be seeing Psycho again but this time at the St. Louis Symphony. It should be great. They did a marvelous job with Casablanca before the pandemic.
 

Bryan^H

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An American Werewolf in London (1981)
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What can I add that hasn't been said before about this movie?
It is a classic, and it is an absolute favorite film of mine.
It mixes everything that makes a great film perfectly.
Great cast of likeable characters, wonderful locations, eerie music score, humor, sadness, and love.


I have probably watched this film a few dozen times over the years. It doesn't get old.
I have not upgraded to the to the 4K edition simply because the Blu-Ray issued from Arrow Video the year before its release looks so bloody fantastic. But I'm sure I'll purchase that too eventually. I'm a sucker for favorite films of mine, and the home video market knows this. Take my money.

Grade - A+
 

TravisR

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Earlier this week, me and my boss finished all of our work BS (and I humbly say that we did great) so I was able to spend more time watching a ridiculous amount of movies.


113. Friday The 13th: The Final Chapter

Jason returns from the dead to kill more young adults at a secluded house in the woods. I think Part 2 has superseded this one as my favorite in the series but this one still delivers on the gore with Tom Savini's effects.


114. Friday The 13th: A New Beginning

Tommy, a survivor of the previous movie, is now in a halfway house for troubled teens and more murders begin happening. It's a wild and bad movie but that's exactly what makes the movie 'good'.


115. Friday The 13th Part VI: Jason Lives

Jason comes back from the grave and Tommy has to stop him (again). Not much gore but it has likable characters and humor which made it one of the best F13 sequels.


116. Friday The 13th Part VII: The New Blood

Jason is accidentally resurrected by a teenager with psychic powers and she has to stop him. A popular entry amongst F13 fans but I don't really like it due largely to the "Carrie vs. Jason" aspect.


117. Friday The 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan

Jason is accidentally resurrected (again) and climbs aboard a cruise ship filled with teenagers on a class trip to New York City. It's a lousy movie but I find it to be an enjoyable bad movie.


Onward to John Carpenter movies...

118. Someone's Watching Me!

A woman moves to Los Angeles and a man begins stalking her. Excellent TV movie with Carpenter using actors and references from his theatrical features of that era which makes it kind of a missing link of his late 70's work.


119. The Fog (1980)

Ghosts return to avenge their murder 100 years ago by killing people in a small coastal town. Great cinematography, an excellent score and a good cast. One of my favorite of Carpenter's movies.


120. The Thing (1982)

Scientists in an Arctic research lab discover a frozen alien that can replicate and kill anything. A gem. 'Nuff said.


121. Christine

A nerdy high schooler gets a used car that changes him and begins to kill people who cross its new owner. It's not as good as Carpenter's best movies but since it was done at the same time as he was turning out such great movies, I think Christine gets ignored or overlooked more than it should because it's pretty good.


122. Prince Of Darkness

The anti-Christ is being kept in a tube in the basement of a Los Angeles church. Another winner from Carpenter with his standard great widescreen photography and score.


123. Body Bags

An anthology of stories in the vein of (or that ripped off) Tales From The Crypt. The first two stories were directed by Carpenter with one being a slasher movie (it's really good) and the other is a comedy (it's OK) and the third was directed by Tobe Hooper (it's really dark).


124. In The Mouth Of Madness

An investigator for an insurance company tries to find a famed horror author. I like alot of Carpenter's 1990's output but this is his best from that decade.


125. Village Of The Damned (1995)

All the residents in a town pass out for a few hours and then the women all become pregnant and when the kids are born, they have the ability to control minds. John Carpenter probably would disagree with me but I like this movie. It's nothing great but it has the usual solid Carpenter hallmarks.


126. Vampires

A group of vampire hunters try to defeat a very powerful vampire. Thanks to the southwest setting, Carpenter kind of got to make a western. James Woods is at his charming asshole best in this movie.

I skipped Ghosts Of Mars since a friend had borrowed it. :laugh:


127. The Ward

In the 1960's, a girl is locked up in a mental asylum that is haunted. Carpenter returns to directing features for the first time in over a decade and it's just OK.


More to come...
 

Wayne_j

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Has anyone seen the Regal exclusive 3D conversion of Dawn of the Dead? I plan to see it today.
 

Ruz-El

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Add me to the list that loved Doctor Sleep. It takes some bog ball to try to sequel Kubrick but he pulled it off splendidly.

I had a fun day yesterday. Caught up with the Cronenbergs.

114 10/29 Studio 666 (2022) 3.5/5 Hats off to the Foo Fighters for going all in on a horror movie that plays like a satanic episode of THE MONKEES, and I mean that as praise. It’s more goofy than scary, it wears its EVIL DEAD influence on its sleeve in many regards. The Foos themselves help it to work since they are all so likeable. Performances are all over the place, Pat Smear goes from looking uncomfortable with the whole thing to pretty much stealing the movie. Being a very casual Foo fan this one ended up being a lot more enjoyable than I thought it would be. The satanic song they are working on is a straight up banger and they pile on the gore to add to the over the top feel. Seeing Steve Vai get his Zappa era “Stunt Guitar” credit had me smiling. We finally have a heavy metal horror film starring a band that’s better than KISS MEETS THE PHANTOM OF THE PARK.

115 10/29 Terrifier (2018) 3/5 I have a problem with films like this. I got over my childhood fear of clowns when I grew out of being a child. So the image of a spooky clown just staring at people doesn’t really do anything for me. The other problem I have is the same issue I had with the IT reboot: Art the clown looks “scary” from the get go. A friendly looking clown doing this stuff would be 100X more scary. Sadly due to my biases this one didn’t do much for me. I love that it’s relentless, I love that it’s super graphic and I’m not against “torture porn”. Main problem is aside from the gore there’s nothing else to this. The characters aren’t all that engaging and when you don’t care for the victims it’s hard to care for the film. After ALL HALLOWS EVE which set Art up as a supernatural haunt, none of that is really found in this so with zero world building I have no idea what they are doing or where this is going. I guess TERRIFIER 2 will answer some of this, but as of this picture it seems like people love the visual of Art the Clown since there is zero story to him.

116 10/29 Possessor (2020) 4/5 Uncut Version. This one from Brandon Cronenberg feels like a full level up from ANTIVIRAL, and ANTIVIRAL was a hell of a picture. This one about inhabiting other peoples minds in order to carry out assassinations sounds like an action picture, but this is horror all the way as a woman’s consciousness is trapped in the body she is supposed to be using. It’s quiet, visually stunning, incredibly graphic and plays out like a nightmare. It’s incredibly unfair to compare this work to his fathers legacy, but god damn does it ever sit proudly on the same shelf as his fathers works while feeling like its own beast. Looking forward to what’s next from him.

117 10/29 Crimes of the Future (2022) 3.5/5 David Cronenberg returns to body horror as a performance artist is specializing in growing neo-organs and having them removed, with so much bio-hacking happening that some are able to only ingest synthetic materials. It’s bizarre, it feels like an expansion on some of the ideas he played with in EXISTENZ and there is clearly some commentary on our current culture. Performances are excellent and the subject matter suitably disturbing while being hyper erotic. I’m unsure of the ending, going to have to think about it a bit.

118 10/29 Beetlejuice (1988) 3.5/5 My recent watch of PARANORMAN had me wanting to revisit this one having not seen it for decades. I was never in love with this one as some of my peers were, I preferred PEE-WEE’S BIG ADVENTURE and it ends up I still do. I liked it more than I remembered. The cast is great, Ryder is perfect as the most emo goth girl in film and more surprising, Baldwin isn’t only likeable but makes a cute couple with Davis. I still don’t care for Keaton as Betelgeuse though. I get that he’s basically doing a “Screwy Squirrel” type gimmick and he’s fine but it just feels off and for such a visually vibrant film it feels dull in pacing. It takes ages for him to show up and when he does, it doesn’t really pay off and I think it’s in the writing more than the performance. That was the biggest surprise of this rewatch, it’s not based on a story or script from Tim Burton despite being the film that really defined his style. I guess the other surprise was completely forgetting how horny the Juice was. Yeash. It’s a good movie, but Burton and the rest did better.

119 10/29 The Empty Man (2020) 3.5/5 So the hype was real. Has a hell of an opening before settling into the main plot that goes into so many weird places it’s best to go in cold like I did. I guess you could call this a folk horror, and it’s one heck of a film. Fun trivia, if you're a physical media fan you may have been a fan of director Prior’s work for years and not known it. He’s produced/directed some of the best special features you’ll find for David Fincher. Anyway, this was great.
 

BobO'Link

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October 29th
= First time viewing

111. Captive Wild Woman (1943)
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An insane scientist (John Carradine) doing experimentation in glandular research becomes obsessed with transforming a female gorilla into a human (Acquanetta)...even though it costs human life.

A fine mad scientist film that's drug down by frequent and lengthy scenes of Clyde Beatty, a celebrity lion tamer of the 1930s-50s, in a circus cage performing his act. And that footage is stock footage which is obvious due to its much lesser quality. If you go for the lion tamer act, it's really good footage but is vastly overused here as it plays very little part in the plot. Acquanetta, while attractive, can't act. Carradine does a very good job as the "insane scientist" and Evelyn Ankers is along for the ride. It's a fine cast in a film that would have been much better with fewer lion tamer scenes.

112. Jungle Woman (1944)
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On trial for murdering a woman, Dr Fletcher (J. Carrol Naish) explains his incredible story. He obtained the body of a gorilla that was shot during an escape from a circus and revived it, only for it to escape from his laboratory. Soon after, the mysterious Paula turned up, becoming fixated on Fletcher’s daughter’s fiancee, Bob Whitney. Those who anger Paula or stand between her and Bob end threatened by the gorilla as Fletcher begins to realize that the gorilla and Paula might be one and the same..

A direct sequel to Captive Wild Woman it's a brisk film at just over 60 minutes. The entire film revolves around Naish's trial, is mostly courtroom bound, and is told mostly as a voiceover style flashback. A good quarter of this short run time consists of flashbacks to the first film, repeating far too many of the lion tamer sequences. I found it mostly a bore. At least it looks good on the Shout! Universal Horror Collection: Volume 5 set.

113. The Jungle Captive (1945)
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Once again, Paula Dupree, the Ape Woman (Vicky Lane), is brought back to life by a mad scientist (Otto Kruger) and his disfigured assistant. The pair kidnap the doctor's female lab assistant as he needs a female blood donor in the attempt to revive the Ape Woman.

Rondo Hatton is on hand providing an assistant who snatched the dead ape woman from the morgue in this 3rd trip to the well in an effort to establish a new horror icon with the Ape Woman. It's a better film than the prior entry though not quite as good as the first.

114. Dagon (2001)
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A boating accident runs a young man and woman ashore in a decrepit Spanish fishing town which they discover is in the grips of an ancient sea god and its monstrous half human offspring.

From the same director who brought us Re-Animator comes another H.P. Lovecraft adaptation. The plot revolves around the man and his wife being separated with her taken by the half-mutated fish folk of the town as a sacrifice to their "god" - a creatures of the deep. Seems that the longer you stay, the greater your chances of mutating yourself and the apparent priestess of the creatures has her eye on the young man. Atmospheric, sometimes chilling, with a few rather gruesome sequences, and fairly well done. I enjoyed this one.

115. Color out of Space (2019)
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A secluded farm is struck by a strange meteorite which has apocalyptic consequences for the family living there and possibly the world.

Things begin to mutate and change with seemingly no explanation. It's a very good vehicle for Nicolas Cage and a decent adaptation of a Lovecraft story that's just plain difficult to visualize on screen. There are many disturbing transformations/mutations and plenty of "unexplained" phenomena. It's my current favorite of the attempts to bring the story to the screen.

116. The Body Snatcher (1945)
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Medical student Donald Fettes (Russell Wade) goes to his professor Dr MacFarlane (Henry Daniell) announcing he is too poor to continue with his medical studies. MacFarlane, not wanting to lose a promising student, takes him on as his assistant. One of Fettes' jobs is to receive the corpses that are used for study, and which have been stolen from the graveyard by cabman John Gray (Boris Karloff). Gray then pushes MacFarlane to conduct a complex spinal operation on a crippled child, going out to murder for the needed body w hen MacFarlane protests that he has none available on which to study the operation. This shocks Fettes who slowly becomes drawn into the wretched games Gray plays with MacFarlane.

Also features Bela Lugosi in a rather minor role. Based on a story by Robert Louis Stevenson it's one of the best Burke and Hare stories on film - with a fun little twist on the ending. Karloff is superb in the role of John Gray with Henry Daniell turning in an excellent performance as Dr. MacFarlane. Very atmospheric with some very good sets, this one's a long time favorite as well as my favorite Val Lewton film.

117. Tarantula (1955)
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Following a fire, a spider escapes from an isolated Arizona desert laboratory experimenting in giantism and grows to tremendous size as it wreaks havoc on the local inhabitants.

John Agar (town doctor), Mara Corday (new lab assistant), and Leo G. Carroll (Professor Gerald Deemer) in a movie about a giant tarantula. What more do you need? Oh yeah... Professor Deemer and his two, now dead, associates, for some reason, injected themselves with the giantism serum and the town's doctor is there to find out how one of them developed acromegalia, a medical condition of uncontrolled bone growth, in just a few days. Of course we, the audience, are a step ahead of all of them. Quite a lot of giant fun.

118. Doctor X (1932)
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Police investigate the latest of the Full Moon Murders where victims have been cut up and cannibalised, always on the night of a full moon. The knife used in the killings is a special surgical knife, which is traced to the nearby Academy of Surgical Research. The Academy’s head Dr Xavier (Lionel Atwill) is certain that the killer is one of the scientists that work there and that he can trap him using an elaborate device that measures pulmonary response. Allowed only 48 hours to prove his case by the police, Xavier gathers the Academy’s scientists at his gloomy Long Island mansion and stages a re-enactment of the murders with the scientists hooked up to his gadgetry, an early version of a lie detector.

Also features a pre-King Kong Faye Wray as Dr Xavier's daughter - yes, she screams. The new BR release contains both the 2 strip Technicolor version as well as a BW version. I watched the Technicolor (even though I've seen it before on the DVD release). It's a "mad scientist" type film with a twist - the scientist is the *good guy* for a change. More of a murder mystery than horror film it still delivers on the horror part in the last quarter of the film with the exciting climax and reveal of the killer. I want to watch the BW as it was filmed separately and distributed to theaters in smaller towns and international markets (less expensive than sending them a 2 strip color version).

119. Ash vs Evil Dead (2015): S3E5, S3E6, S3E7
120. Ash vs Evil Dead (2015): S3E8, S3E9, S3E10
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And so it ends... Ash hooks up with a group of "Knights of Sumeria," and they figure out a way to open the gateway to the Deadlands, a dimension between the human world and Neitherworld to end the plague of deadites once and for all...

It's totally off the wall with more deadites and gore coupled with twists that make even Ash a bit dizzy. It was quite a fun ride with a somewhat satisfying ending. It was *not* the ending I expected... It's a worthy follow up to the film trilogy.
 

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