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

[John Stell]

1. Watch 13 Scary/Horror/Halloween-Themed films, etc. from midnight October 1, 2022 through October 31, 2022 (use your own time zone to set the ending time).

2. Theatrically released films and short features count as 1 point each. Running times are irrelevant. TV specials (e.g. "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!") and individual episodes of anthology TV series (e.g. "The Twilight Zone") also count as 1 point each. For episodic TV series, 2 hour-long episodes (e.g. "The Walking Dead") count as 1 point and 3 episodes of 30 minute-long episodes (e.g. "The Munsters") count as 1 point.

3. Two of the 13 films, et. al. must be new discoveries, movies you've never seen before. The point of this is to see those few movies you've always meant to see, but never got around to. Please specify new discoveries in your film list by making them bold, adding asterisks, different colors, etc.

4. Come here and talk about 'em.

5. There is an uber-category, the Ultimate Splatter Challenge for those who wish to put all of the rest of us to shame. This is the heavyweight division. These people, if they choose to accept the challenge, must view 31 horror/scary/Halloween themed movies before dawn on Nov. 1st. Ten new discoveries are recommended for this one. The rest of us will bow down in awed reverence to these truly "Splatterific" HTF members. The bragging rights will be awesome and long lived. What movies qualify? If you wanna include it, go for it. There will be no hairsplitting. If The Wizard of Oz sends you to the dresser for a fresh pair of boxer shorts, all the power.

6. At the end of the challenge, the totals will be added up based on the point system outlined in number 2 above.

2021 Challenge Results (new discoveries in parentheses):

TravisS 143 (2)
BobO'Link 132 (53)
Michael Elliott 128 (76)
JasonRoer 127 (46)
John Stell 121 (10)
Ruz-El 92 (59)
BryanH 57 (21)
Dpippel 53 (9)
Sleroi 36 (16)
Neil Middlemiss 31 (18)
Malcolm R 29 (11)
Jeff Flugel 27 (20)
HawksFord 26 (7)
Tony Bensley 20 (4)

 

[Neil Middlemiss]

October 30 (a): Freaks of Nature (2015) – 3 out of 5 – First Time Viewing

Imagine a world where vampires, zombies and humans coexist. That’s the reality in the small down of Dillford. Vampires sit atop the power chain, humans get by in the middle, and Zombies, when they’re not used for basic labor, are a neglected bunch at the bottom. The balance of things, uneasy as they might be, is pulled asunder when the aliens invade. For Dag (Nicholas Braun), the timing couldn’t be worse because, as a human, high school I shard enough. For Petra (Mackenzie Davis), who was just suckered into becoming a vampire by a jerk Jock, and Ned (Josh Fadem), who just decided to become a zombie to get away from his uncaring family, the timing isn’t great ether. The three of them may have escaped the alien invaders, but can they work together long enough to save the town and maybe the world?

Written by Oren Uziel and directed by Robbie Pickering, Freaks of Nature has all the ingredients for a winner but can’t quite manage to close the deal. Braun, Davis, and Fadem as the human, vamp, and zombie, make up a great central trio upon which the love, drama, laughs and action hinge. Where this one struggle is the spirit of the humor. The circumstances in scenes have a funny tone, but the script can’t land enough funny lines to really zing. While the cast are good in their roles, I wonder if more improvisational comedy is what this film could really have benefitted from.

The full cast includes some great talent, including Denis Leary as the pompous Riblet factory owner, Keegan-Michael Key as a frustrated, lonely vampire teacher, and Bob Odenkirk and Joan Cusack as Dag’s hippy parents. They tend to offer the best laughs of the film, but I still feel like there was more to be mined from their characters.

Enjoyable film despite not reaching its full potential. The visual and make-up effects are good, and the plot was clever and engaging, I just wish it had hit a little harder.

 

[TravisR]

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

I saw it on Friday night. The 3-D was negligible but it was fun seeing the movie on a theater screen.

 

[Wayne_j]

I saw it on Friday night. The 3-D was negligible but it was fun seeing the movie on a theater screen.

I'm glad that the 3D at least doesn't detract from the enjoyment of the film.

 

[dpippel]

I'm baaaaaack!

OCTOBER 29:

* next to film title = new to me

53) I Married a Monster from Outer Space (1958) (iTunes HD Streaming) 3.5/5 stars - One of a number of films that fall into the "aliens need to mate with Earth women to save their planet" genre, this is a well done and engaging story. Tapping into the paranoia of the not really knowing your neighbors and friends theme that Invasion of the Body Snatchers exploited so well, Marge Farell (Gloria Talbot) notices a change in her husband (Tom Tryon) after they're married. He's distant, acts strangely, and dogs hate him all of a sudden. Turns out an alien race from a dying planet has landed on Earth to try and hybridize with humans to save their species, and they plan on doing so by taking over the male bodies of the local populace. Her husband Bill was just the first. Very nice B&W widescreen cinematography, effective leads, and a good supporting cast add up to an entertaining film with a slightly stupid title.

54) The Howling (1981) (4K UHD Disc) 2/5 stars - Highly regarded by many people, I'm afraid it hasn't aged at ALL well for me. The film almost plays out like a TV Movie of the Week with werewolves and takes for-EVER to get going. Dee Wallace is quite annoying as the local TV reporter tracking down a serial killer and finally ending up at a retreat for emotional healing called The Colony after a traumatizing run-in with her quarry. She and her husband discover its secret in two very different ways, and the lycanthropy starts popping. Unfortunately, unlike An American Werewolf in London, the practical effects are fairly laughable by today's standards, the script is amateurish, and the final scene of the movie is almost epically bad. It's been about 15 years since I'd seen The Howling, and it will most likely be at least 15 years until I see it again, if ever. Ugh.

55) Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde* (1931) (Blu-ray Disc) 5/5 stars - A film I've never seen, I just had to pick up the latest WAC Blu-ray release after all of the rave reviews regarding its quality, and I was NOT disappointed in the least. What a fantastic movie!! I loved every minute of it, from the acting to the pacing to the cinematography to the sets and effects. Fredric March is blisteringly good in the dual titular role and certainly earned his Oscar for this performance. It's a beautiful, magnificently-mounted production that almost shimmers on-screen. The level of detail, black levels, shadow detail, gray scale, and grain structure are all outstanding. I can imagine that this is close to what a pristine silver nitrate print might have looked like. It's hard to believe that Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, at 91 years old, was made almost a CENTURY ago. Superb in every way, this is real cinema. I can't wait to watch it again with the two commentary tracks!

 

[sleroi]

The Howling (1981) (4K UHD Disc) 2/5 stars - This film is highly regarded by many people, but I'm afraid that it hasn't aged at ALL well for me.

I feel the same way. I loved it on HBO when I was 13, probably because of the transformation and because it showed full frontal nudity. But years later I think I bought it on DVD and thought it was pretty bad.

 

[dpippel]

I feel the same way. I loved it on HBO when I was 13, probably because of the transformation and because it showed full frontal nudity. But years later I think I bought it on DVD and thought it was pretty bad.

My memories of The Howling were positive too but man was it was painful to sit through last night.

 

[sleroi]

96. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 - 4k Disc - The scream factory Blu-ray of this looked great, but this is one of my favorite Halloween films and I couldn't resist the allure of a new restoration from the 35MM OCN. So I bought this again on 4k. It is a little grainier in some scenes and a little more detailed or colorful in others, but nothing revelatory. Such is this hobby.
As far as the film itself goes, it still holds up for me. Sure the opening scene is ridiculous and illogical, but also really funny. And a great way to introduce Leatherface for this go round.
Dennis Hopper kind of steals the movie, and Caroline Williams can scream with the best of the queens. But it's the little details that make this movie shine. From the ridiculous Cowboys in the hotel to the big red crazy straw at the dinner table to the overly amused chainsaw salesman to the way Leatherface shifts his eyes sideways when he thinks he's in trouble with Pops to Pops complaining about paying taxes.
And such a great final shot.
Much like American Werewolf in London, this film balances comedy and horror well. It is much more of a comedy than werewolf, but the terror and gore is more harrowing and a lot more graphic.


97. House of Wax 3d - Blu-ray - The 3d on this disc is frustrating. It feels like the planes aren't correct. There is a lot of depth, but the scenes that look like they should pop out only extend to the screen, not beyond. Like the final shot of Charles Bronson's bust.
Aside from that it is an enjoyable movie. Vincent Price does what Vincent Price does. Only this time he gets to dress up like the Shadow for a few scenes, which is cool. The ending, when his mask comes off, reveals a great burn make up underneath. Price and Charles Bronson are wonderful here, and there is a great gag with Bronson and a bunch of busts on a bookcase.
I like this film well enough, but would gladly have given it another jack o lantern if it had better 3D.

 

[Neil Middlemiss]

October 30 (b): Night of the Creeps (1986) - 3.5 out of 5

First landing on earth during the 1950s and somehow winding up being cryogenically frozen for 30 years, alien slugs manage to infest a small college town during pledge week, resulting in some unexplained brutal murders followed by a night filled with teen “zombies” and utter mayhem. In the thick of the chaos, Chris (Jason Lively) and J.C. (Steve Marshall), flail around trying not to be losers, while Chris tries to make in-roads with a college beauty, Cynthia (Jill Whitlow).

Written and directed by Fred Dekker, this horror-comedy seems like it’s a forgotten gem of the mid-80s. Frat boy and pretty girl stereotypes abound, and the alien slugs whip by and launch themselves into the mouths of the unsuspecting, turning them into zombified dangers until the eggs laid in their brains hatch and explode the victims’ heads. It’s quite the mess.

The real joy here is the tongue-in-cheek approach and collection of solid practical effects that includes decayed corpses walking around, heads splitting open and blowing apart, and zombified cats and dogs creating all manner of mischief.

The main winning ingredient, besides the playfulness and wit of the script (surprisingly sharp), is the appearance of Tom Atkins as Detective Ray Cameron. Atkins, who is always memorable (see his roles in The Fog, Halloween III: Season of the Witch, Lethal Weapon, Maniac Cop, and more), and he’s so good here appearing to have a blast of a good time.

Night of the Creeps doesn’t aim very high but hits its target handily. It’s not a film we hear much about when we talk about horror films from the 80s, but the sly if adolescent humor and gleeful embrace of its silliness make it a fun thing to watch for me, a child of the 80s who somehow missed this winner back then (and discovered it during the challenge of 2014. It’s been 8 years since I last saw it and I had as much fun with it this time as I did back then.

 

[TravisR]

Continuing on with the past few days' watching...

128. April Fool's Day (1986)

A group of friends go to a house on an island and one by one, they begin to encounter a stranger. A fun movie with a likable group of young people.


129. Grizzly

A grizzly bear starts killing people and they won't close the beaches- err, forest. An enjoyable Jaws rip-off with a solid cast.


130. Nope

A brother and sister try to get evidence of whatever is flying above their horse ranch. I know it was divisive but I loved this movie (even when I'm not sure what they meant by certain things).


131. Night Of The Living Dead (1968)

A group of people hold up in a farm house as zombies begin to kill people. An all time classic.


132. Dawn Of The Dead (1978) (3-D)

Four people hold up in a mall as zombies continue to kill people and society collapses. Another all timer. I saw this one in 3-D at the local Regal.


133. Fright Night (1985)

A high schooler teams up with a horror movie actor to battle a vampire that moved in next door. Since I was a child, I've liked this movie but I've grown to like it even more over the years.


134. Psycho (1960)

A woman steals money from her boss and she stops at a motel run by an odd young man. Yet another classic.


135. Psycho II

Norman Bates is released from a mental hospital after 22 years and then he begins to see his mother at home. An excellent sequel that doesn't really try to replicate the classic sequences from the first movie.


136. Psycho III

Norman continues to run the Bates Motel and people continue to die at the hands of Mother. There's decent elements to this movie but unfortunately, Norman becomes a slasher and they do try to replicate classic sequences from the first movie.


137. Psycho IV: The Beginning

Norman calls into a radio call-in show and tells the story of his early life. I know people trash this movie but I like it. Henry Thomas and Olivia Hussey are excellent as teen Norman and his mom.


138. The Prowler (1981)

Students at a college graduation party get killed off one by one. Solid and vicious slasher movie with great Tom Savini special effects.


139. The Hand

A cartoonist loses his hand in an accident and the hand begins killing his enemies. Oliver Stone's first movie directed for a studio is enjoyable.


140. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

A group of hippie kids accidentally stumble upon a house populated with a bunch of crazy people. I just saw Quentin Tarantino on a talk show and he said this was a perfect movie and he's correct.


141. Eaten Alive (1976)

People stay at a hotel run by a crazy man with a hungry alligator. It was discussed earlier but I think this movie is great because it seems unhinged.


142. The Funhouse

Kids spend the night in a funhouse where, unfortunately, a dangerous mutant lives. I saw this movie as a kid on TV and have loved it ever since. Nice widescreen photography and cool monster makeup.


143. Ghosts Of Mars

Ghosts live on Mars and they try to kill Ice Cube, Natasha Henstridge and company. Another one that I know people don't like but I have a ton of fun with this movie (even if it ain't great). I got my Blu-ray back from my friend so I was able to complete my Carpenter horror movie watching. Phew.


144. Piranha (1978)

Mutated piranha get loose in a river and begin to eat people. The best of the Jaws rip-off and the beginning of Joe Dante's illustrious career.


145. Cat People (1942)

A superstitious woman marries a man and fears she's becoming a cat person. The first of Val Lewton's horror productions and my favorite of the lot.


146. The Leopard Man

In a small town, a leopard escapes and people begin to get killed by what is either the escaped leopard or a madman. Another Lewton-produced classic and the scene with the leopard under the train tracks is still suspenseful after almost 80 years.


I'm up to date and while I work tomorrow, I may hit an even 150.

 

[Wayne_j]

I'm back from Dawn of the Dead in 3D. The conversion was competent but nothing to write home about. most of the movie used 3D for depth but there were standout 3D scenes such as when a character is playing tennis and the balls fly towards the audience.

I think this was actually my first time seeing this movie and I'm pretty sure that I have been in that mall in Pittsburgh. The film wasn't brilliant but it was a lot of fun.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Today, I watched four movies that I have never seen before today. I'll update this post later on with my thoughts on each film. Edit: Updated with some thoughts! See my summary for film grades! I started this Challenge on October 10th. So far, I've watched 84 movies with 43 of them being my first time I've viewed them.

81) The Cat and the Canary (1927) (DVD) 3.5/5 Stars
The "Old Dark House" concept started with this fine silent classic. As heirs gather at an old mansion reportedly to be haunted for the reading of a "Will" in which one of the greedy relatives will inherit a mass fortune. Some comedic moments mixed in this film as bodies start to disappear and pile up. Plenty of horror movie tropes were introduced in this film that have been copied over and over again. Bob Hope starred in the 1939 remake of this film. My first viewing was on a 2007 DVD that Kino released with a video presentation that is mediocre, but viewable.

82) The Quatermass Experiment aka The Creeping Unknown (1955) (Blu-ray) 3/5 Stars
A good Sci-Fi classic from Hammer in 1955 starring Brian Donlevy and Jack Warner. This is another movie that I've known about for years, but has never watched. I'm just not a huge horror/sci-fi fan. I don't dislike such movies, but I don't have the same affinity for them as I do other film genres like westerns. Anyhow, three men go into space on a rocket ship. Ths ship returns with only one man and he has a mysterious illness. Donlevy plays a scientist and Warner a Scotland Yard Inspector investigating what happened in space before the rocket ship returned, as well as murders happening across London, after the surviving man from that space journey escapes from a hospital. I viewed this movie on the 2014 Kino Blu-ray that I had since it's release date. Another candidate for re-visitation in order to watch the bonus material including an audio commentary.

83) The Man from Planet X (1951) (Blu-ray) 3.5/5 Stars
Another "B" movie, but it's a good one directed by Edgar G. Ulmer! An alien from another world lands in the moors of Scotland where he confronts some local people in their isolated village including one "bad" character played by William Schallert. Schallert, who was Patty Duke's father on "The Patty Duke" show, usually plays nice guys, but not in this movie in which he negatively affects what the alien thinks of humans. This atmospheric film is really spooky with its constant fog out in those marshes. However, the special effects aren't good, but the tone of the movie and the storyline makes up for them. Yet, another Blu-ray I will revisit in order to listen to Tom Weaver's audio commentary. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this movie and thought the video presentation on the 2017 Blu-ray was decent enough.

84) Flight to Mars (1951) (Blu-ray) 2.5/5 Stars
Talk about a "B" sci-fi movie with bad special effects. This movie is it, but unlike "The Man from Planet X", this movie has a bad storyline despite having a better cast of actors in it. I didn't like this movie much, as I found it a little too far-fetched even with my attempt to suspend believability. A rocket ship with five passengers land on Mars and encountered an advanced race of people, who can't build a ship of their own to leave their dying planet. That film premise just didn't work for me. As I stated earlier, the special effects are really bad, but its a Monogram movie so that's to be expected with a film budget that was probably small. I might attempt to watch this Blu-ray again with the audio commentary. However, it will have to be when I'm in a good mood, and I'm not watching movie after movie while participating in a movie challenge.

 

[Malcolm R]

Count Dracula (1970)

I've picked up a few different adaptations of Dracula lately, so I figured I'd wrap things up with a mini Dracula-thon. First up is one of the worst I've seen.

Christopher Lee stars as the title Count, but this is not a Hammer production (though oddly this was produced around the same time as two other Hammer Dracula sequels that also star Lee). Directed by Jess Franco, this was supposedly promoted at the time as the most faithful adaptation ever of the source novel. While that may be somewhat true compared to other films, there are still gaps and changes in the story. The entire voyage of the Demeter is excised. We see Harker jumping from a castle window in Transylvania, then we cut and suddenly he's waking up in Dr. Seward's hospital in London. Dracula's arrival in London is just explained by a couple of toss away lines. The scene where Harker cuts his finger at the castle, the blood triggering Dracula, is also missing (many adaptations seem to love to shortcut the great opening scenes at the castle). Renfield (Klaus Kinski) has no dialogue. Mina and Lucy have swapped hair color (Mina is blonde; Lucy is brunette). Lucy is engaged to Quincey Morris rather than Arthur Holmwood.

Lots of day-for-night photography, odd music choices (seemed like it had Asian influences?), sound FX that sounded like people just making weird sounds with their mouths, and the director's love of zooming and extreme close ups everytime someone mentioned "Dracula" or there was some revelation, and it's all pretty hokey. It seemed almost like an extended episode of Dark Shadows, ...but cheaper.

Also loved how when Harker arrives at the castle, Dracula explains that it's late so all his servants are gone for the day, yet it's seemingly daylight outside and there are cobwebs all over the castle like the below. Who is Drac fooling?

 

[Neil Middlemiss]

October 30 (c): The Thing (2011) - 4 out of 5

A discovery in the artic has Norwegian scientists excited. To excavate the discovery, they enlist the expertise of American, Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). Once they have their prize back to their base of operations, the frozen discover wakes up. With the ability to absorb and mimic humans, the thing they discovered could be the end of not only their team, but all life.

2011’s The Thing serves as a direct prequel to the 1982's masterpiece, John Carpenter’s The Thing. While a prequel, it essentially covers the same beats as the John Carpenter's classic, feeling more like a remake at times, though the finale aims for something a little grander by comparison. The real joy hear is the effort to create connective tissue, as it were, to the ’82 film. This is solidified by the closing moments that lead nicely into the opening of the 1982 film and make watching the two films back-to-back such a joy. It’s that back-to-back joy that’s had me watch this 2011 film as my penultimate horror movie viewing before my Halloween night staple, Carpenter’s The Thing.

While I rate this film quite highly, I think I good bit of that comes from my love of the ’82 film and how this film connects to it. There are plenty of positives here, the setting, remote, frozen, isolating, has always been appealing, and Winstead and the rest of the cast here (which includes Joel Edgerton, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Stik Henrik Hoff, and Kristopfer Hivju) are good, too. The characters aren’t trying to be updated copies of the earlier film. This year I was able to catch more of the practical creature effects, but there is still too heavy a reliance on far less convincing CGI effects work. Overall, the visual effects work is a step back from practical, but some of the work is still superb. Perhaps my main gripe with this film is the nature of the thing. Here it’s an overtly aggressive force as opposed to the generally subversive menace. The CGI effects become so busy and elaborate that it loses its power.

The ’82 film will never be matched, but this prequel still managed to be interesting and tense despite the problems. Another positive note is Marco Beltrami’s score. I’ve grown to enjoy it more with each passing year. It’s not the simmering, understated brilliance that Ennio Morricone managed to deliver, but it has a uniqueness that breaks through some of the more typical action cues.

Next up, the masterpiece that is John Carpenter’s The Thing!

 

[Michael Elliott]

The Amityville Curse (1990) *

Five people move into a house and guess what? Yes, it's haunted. This Canadian film was technically the fifth film in the series, although it really doesn't have any connection to the previous four. There have been some truly horrible films in the series but the problem here is that the entire thing is just so deadly dull and lifeless that it's painful. Nothing happens until the final act and by then it's way too late.

Moon of the Wolf (1972) ** 1/2

A small town is being stalked by a werewolf. It was nice to see this in a great looking print. The film certainly isn't a masterpiece but at just 74-minutes it moves fast enough and the werewolf at the end at least looks halfway decent. The cast was a lot of fun and the backwoods setting was good and helped create some atmosphere.

The Pact (1995) **

SOV horror from Brad Sykes has a woman inheriting her grandmother's ocean front property and soon she's being haunted. Overall, there wasn't anything great about this but as far as SOV horror goes it wasn't too bad either. There was some blood and nudity but the story itself is something we've seen countless times before. Sykes would go on to make the CAMP BLOOD films.

Satan Was a Lady (1975) ** 1/2

Doris Wishman directed (or didn't direct) film about sisters sleeping with the same man when something devilish happens. The sex scenes were poorly shot to say the least and the story really doesn't happen until the final ten-minutes but this was still worth watching. At just 70-minutes it moved rather nicely and Annie Sprinkle and Bree Anthony were both terrific.

Dawn of the Dead 3-D (1978/2022) ****

One of the greatest horror movies ever made. One of the greatest zombie movies ever made. A complete masterpiece from start to finish. This was my second time seeing it on the big screen and that's always a pleasure. The 3D was okay but not nearly as effective as JAWS earlier in the year. I would have preferred the 2D version but the 3D didn't hurt it.

Blood Hunter (1996) ** 1/2

SOV oddity from Kentucky about a vampire stalking the woods and killing off bad people. This was a really weird film and like most SOV films it's hampered by the no-budget but at the same time the backwoods setting was nice and the regional feel actually helps. At 90-minutes it's a bit too long but overall it was a nice addition to the SOV genre.

 

[Bryan^H]

Claws (1977) FTV
An old Indian legend tells of a "Devil Bear" or a ghost bear that wanders the forest in search of victims.
For an old park ranger that believes it is true, he has to find and destroy the bear. And prove he isn't crazy.

He is crazy, it is just an ill-tempered bear as big as an SUV. I really didn't like most of the characters in the film and was rooting big bear for the win. Well at least he gets a bunch of kills in along the way.
Kind of boring, and sleep inducing. I didn't care much for it. I'm crossing my fingers for a restored version on Blu-Ray

Grade - C-

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

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

50) 10/30/2022 X (2022)

A couple of strippers and their manager travel to a dilapidated farm with a well-endowed Vietnam vet, an aspiring filmmaker, and his young girlfriend to shoot an amateur porno. Things don't go as planned, for anybody.

It's an incredibly well-executed slasher flick, with a very specific sense of time and place, and a cast of well-defined characters with distinct motivations. The use of music, lighting, and shot composition is all very deliberate, and very effective. It has a sense of humor, but it doesn't let that humor undermine the tragedy or the tension.

I also have a whole new appreciation for Mia Goth's versatility as an actress.

 

[Ruz-El]

Updating this tonight since I want to go as hard as I can tomorrow on the 31st and may have to run an errand that could screw up my watching. Every time I check all your posts I see 10 films I've been wanting to see lol.

120 10/30 Death Bed: The Bed That Eats (1977) 2.5/5 The weird thing about this one is part of me kind of loves it. It’s dumb, it feels like it was made 10 years earlier than it was and the constant, languid inner dialogue narration makes it punishing to watch. They make the weird choice of making the killer bed movie a patient gothic horror instead of a balls out wild ride. Once you settle into it though it kind of works? It’s so bizarre, a bed eating people and keeping the narrator alive, trapped behind a painting, it’s not like anything else you’ll see. Once it settles in, it delivers as completely on the concept as it can. There’s no aspect to this that really qualifies as “good”, but it’s so strange it sure is something.

121 10/30 Terrifier 2 (2022) 3/5 Better than the first film but I still feel like this series is too slight, like it’s trying to will into existence a new horror icon without putting in the work. The good in this is really good. They go hard with the gore and what not and they do build up a bit of lore to actually give it a story. Not much, but a bit. I popped pretty hard for the post credit sequence. The problem with this though is the length. At nearly two and half hours it’s just asking a lot. If this was a tight ninety it could have been the horror classic it desperately wants to be. I love that director Leone goes so hard with these, I just wish there was more than amazing effects in the final result.

122 10/30 Scream for Help (1984) 3/5 From the director of DEATH WISH comes this one about a high school girl who suspects her step dad is trying to kill her mom for some moolah. It’s pretty goofy and plays like a foul mouthed, sleazy afterschool special as it’s told through daughter Christie's eyes and journal entries. Kelly is great as Christie and does manage to carry the picture despite things being more than a little ridiculous. Special mention to one of the most cringy theme songs you’ll hear written by Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones and sung by Jon Anderson of Yes. The whole thing is cheesy, but it’s a tasty cheese.

123 10/30 Till Death (2021) 3.5/5 Solid action thriller that finds Megan Fox getting to basically do a one woman show as she plays a wife who gets stuck with her domineering husband. I’m gonna guess that this was the theme they were going for: the burden of living with past trauma as actualized through a horror/thriller. That’s how I saw it and I think it works. Fox does a great job holding it together, I think she’s a better actress than she’s generally given credit for, or maybe I’ve not given her enough credit. This one doesn’t really reinvent any wheels and or offer any great twists, but it is entertaining as it goes through the genre motions and doesn’t overstay its welcome. To my memory Fox has done two horror/thriller films, this one and JENNIFER'S BODY. She’s great in both, the genre suits her.

124 10/30 Return to Glennascaul (1952) 3.5/5 Really well done short featuring an appearance and narration from Orson Welles finds him playing himself as he picks up a man having car trouble and hears a haunted story from him. Plays pretty much as perfect as a short ghost story can, and has a genuinely spooky tone to it. A nice little gem of a film.

125 10/30 Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum (2018) 4/5 Admittedly the found footage genre has been done to death but that doesn’t mean that if it’s done well it can’t be effective. This one from South Korea about a website doing a live stream from the titular haunted asylum is done about as well as these can be. It does a great job setting up the cast and their dynamics and as things start to go bump in the night the whole thing moves at a near perfect pace. They do a great job of not going over the top too soon, but showing enough to keep you into it and guessing. It may not have freaked me out, but it had me anxious which is all you can ask from a horror film.

I wrote that Death Bed mini-cap this morning, and posting it now, I kind of want to bump it up to 3.5 stars. That stupid film bewitched me!

 

[sleroi]

98. Monster Hunter - 4k Disc - Milla Jovovich and her team of soldiers find themselves in a strange land after a weird storm. Quickly losing her squad to a giant horned worm and a group of giant scorpions, she must team with a local and, despite a language barrier, learn how to take down the beasts and find a way home. The creatures look amazing, the Atmos track is really aggressive, and Jovovich kills it.

99. The Intruders - S (Prime) - 3 guys break into a house for a quick robbery not knowing that an agoraphobe resides there. She, and the house, have a few secrets of their own. The first two acts are intriguing, but the ending takes a dark, depressing turn. .5

100. Ghostbusters Afterlife - S (Starz) - After inheriting Spengler's remote rural farmhouse, his grandkids discover a truth that the other 3 busters refused to believe, and which caused them to disband. Paul Rudd starts out with his usual charm as a science teacher, but his character is soon wasted as the convoluted plot unfolds. The kids and their two friends are fun for awhile, but again the plot gets in the way. The last act goes on too long and relies too heavily on effects and spectacle. Seeing Ramis' ghost was nice for a moment, but I didn't feel anywhere near as sentimental as I think the film wanted me to.
.5

101. Zombieland Double Tap - S (Starz) - This is how not to mix comedy and horror. The first 30 minutes has very few zombies and little gore, and the comedy is so forced. I found it painful to watch. And the constant narration was really annoying. Eventually Tallahassee, Columbus and Wichita set out to find little rock, who has run away with a guitar playing pacifist. Along the way they encounter a new stronger, faster strain of zombie. Woody Harrelson plays it way over the top and Jesse Eisenberg is just kind of whiny. Emma Stone is okay, but doesn't have much to do as there is very little plot. This was really disappointing as I liked the first one, as well as most of Reuben Fleischer's other films. He normally has a flair for comedy, but a lot of this film felt like bad improv.

 

[TravisR]

50) 10/30/2022 X (2022)

I also have a whole new appreciation for Mia Goth's versatility as an actress.

Check her out in Pearl. She's given more dramatic material to work with and I imagine it will benefit her career.


Got in one more last night...

147. Terror In The Aisles

Clips of mostly 1970's and 80's horror movies hosted by Donald Pleasence and Nancy Allen. Another movie that I fondly remember from seeing on TV when I was a kid. It's just a clip movie but nostalgia rules all.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I'm going to get my Covid Booster shot this morning, but before I do, I have watched two movies so far today. See my summary for film grades.

85) The Strange Door (1951) (Blu-ray) 4/5 Stars
Leonard Maltin didn't like this movie and only gave it a 1.5/4 film score. However, I love me some Charles Laughton, especially when he's hamming it up like he's doing in this film as a psychotic and cruel man torturing his brother and niece because a woman rejected him 20 years ago. Karloff plays a secondary, but critical role in this gothic movie.

86) Fright Night (1985) (4K/UHD) 4.5/5 Stars
More to come later on, but I love this movie. I watched it in a movie theater back in 1985, and I still think it's one of the best vampire movies made from that decade. This is a fun movie without being too gross which is why I'm not a big fan of modern horror movies. It even touches on some societal issues like bullying. The 4K/UHD audio and video presentations are excellent as I'm so happy I upgraded despite already having two different Blu-ray releases. I'm not going to get into any film details since this movie is so well known by most of us and has even been remade about a decade or so ago. Damn, the movie is already 37 years old. I would now call it a "classic" horror film.