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

[Ruz-El]

I'm off to my usual slow start. Mainly due to finishing up some wrestling I was watching and doing fall clean up which is going to put a dent in my viewing today to. One movie last night, one this morning before chores. I didn't hate the Munsters. I didn't LOVE the Munsters, but I didn't hate it.

002 10/01 The Munsters (2022) 2/5 I’m not a Munsters acolyte. I think I’ve only seen the Munsters Go Home movie and that was so long ago I don’t remember it. Which is to say that I went into this with no baggage. I don’t think this is the total disaster it’s made out to be. The performances are fun and Zombie has some creative ideas. It looks super cheap and direct to video, but I did like the bright stylized colours and look which are a nice change of pace in our digital era that is so dark and gloomy. The problem with this is it never gets going which makes the last act feel like an eternity. It plays like a prequel to set up a new series aimed at kids which feels tonally off. It’s a misfire but an oddly compelling one.

003 10/02 Slaughterhouse Rock (1987) 3/5 A young man is having bad dreams of murder that compels him to Alcatraz Prison and gets him and his friends mixed up with a demon. Starts off feeling like a NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET rip so it’s nice that it went in it’s own direction. The performances and budget don’t help it, but they go for some gore and the last act does some pretty nice EVIL DEAD sampling. Add in bonus points for the DEVO soundtrack and I liked this one. They play it pretty straight and it mostly works.

 

[Malcolm R]

It looks super cheap and direct to video,

Early rumors had the budget around $40 million, but Zombie has said it was nowhere near that, and probably closer to $5-10 million, tops.

 

[BobO'Link]

Yes, the older films from the 30's-60's often have shorter running times, so those that watch lots of those can build up numbers quickly. It's not inconceivable to fit in 10 classic films in 12 hours or so. Made-for-TV films would also be naturally shorter as they were made to accommodate commercials.

Personally, I cannot force myself to watch that many movies in a row. I think my personal best over the years has been 5 in one day.

As evidenced by my list (and those to come), I can easily watch movies for 12-15+ hours in a day, several days in a row if given the opportunity.

My 12yo granddaughter's been wanting to watch Jackson's Lord of the Rings films and asked her mom how long the first one was. She about stroked out when told "about 3 hours." I told her "Well... really only 2 1/2 or so as the credits run almost a half hour" which also "got" her some but then I added "However, that's the theatrical release. The Extended version, which is the one you should watch, runs about 3 1/2 hours with the entire trilogy running around 11 hours if you skip most of the credits." Yeah... she was speechless... Then I told her that I watch the trilogy in a single day every 12-18 months or so and if you want to add The Hobbit trilogy you're looking at another 8 or so hours.

 

[Ruz-El]

Early rumors had the budget around $40 million, but Zombie has said it was nowhere near that, and probably closer to $5-10 million, tops.

That doesn't surprise me at all. Not sure a bigger budget would have helped the pacing problems and hats off to Zombie for getting this thing to look as stylish as it does.

 

[JasonRoer]

6. The Amusement Park (new) Early George Romero flick, beautifully restored, faces a different kind of horror as he produces a feature with social commentary on ageism and inequality delivered with a dreamlike atmosphere. My wife and I discuss the travesty of ageism from time to time - the sadness of becoming invisible to most people as you age. In fact, if I wasn't a forensic psychologist, I'd likely have focused on gerontology to work with the elderly population. We were all children once, and if we are privileged, we'll be old at some point in the future. We should treat our elders with the respect they've earned through a lifetime of experience. I don't fear aging. I embrace it. I look forward to it. It's an honor. Also, it will give me a lot of extra time to watch more horror movies. I wonder what I'll watch in the 57th annual Scary Movie Challenge. 4 bumper-not-bumper cars out of 5.

7. Black Sunday (1960) (new)
I'm trying to remember if I saw this when I was a kid, however, try as I might, I just can't. Consequently, I'm calling this new. I loved it. Fantastic atmosphere, creepy visuals, good story, and Barbara Steele. I'm a sucker for black and white cinematography so that added to the picture for me as well. 4 satanic masks out of 5.

8. Monster: Humanoids From the Deep (new)
Fun low budget flick with just enough charm to make it a worthwhile entry in the mutation/monster genre. It's in the Pirhana camp for me. Decent practical effects, good pacing, a little gratuitous nudity, early James Horner score. Worth the watch. 2.5 webbed hands out of 5.

 

[EricSchulz]

The Rental (Netflix) 3.5/5

Interesting “cabin in the woods” with a new twist on the killer. Two couples rent a seaside house, but the owner is a creep. They decide to stay the weekend and make the best of it. The buildup is slow, and there’s not much violence/gore despite its R rating. But I enjoyed the twist and the red herrings will make you think you know what direction it’s going to take. And you’d be wrong. It will definitely make you think twice before booking that next Airbnb property!

 

[benbess]

My horror movie today was the new release Barbarian, which I saw in the theater with AMC's A-list. As with some other horror movies, there are some gaps in the "logic" (if you can call it that) of the story. But yeah, I was tense. My rating: B-

 

[Neil Middlemiss]

October 2: The Lost Boys (1987) – 4 out of 5

A divorced mom (Dianne Wiest) of two boys moves to the sunny beach wonder of Santa Carla. The boys, Michael (Jason Patric) and his younger brother Sam (Corey Haim), soon get caught up in the hidden terror of the otherwise picturesque town, vampires. When Michael is turned, Sam connects with two kids his age who seem to know an awful lot about vampires and see themselves as hunter protectors. Can they survive long enough to take down the head vampire and save Michael?

The Lost Boys is so utterly and enjoyably of the 80’s, I am a little surprised that I’ve not revisited it in perhaps 30 years. It’s handsomely shot by director Joel Schumacher, the performances are all good, but the winner here is the smart script that keeps things alive with wit and energy.

Kiefer Sutherland as the vampire gang leader, David, shows a lot of his promise in the role, and Jami Gertz is quite compelling as Star, the vampire resisting her first kill that would ‘seal the deal’ for her turn, the same way Michael is resisting. It’s a handsome cast (Director Schumacher wanted the cast to be good looking and the vampires to be sexy…it worked).

This little slice of the 1980s holds up well all these years later and the soundtrack is still killer (the signature song, hinted in the opening moments, is such a brooding pop classic). This year I was able to watch it in 4K for the first time and it never looked better. I can see me spinning this more often than once every few decades.

 

[BobO'Link]

My numbers are going to be low for a Sunday as I had to meet my daughter at mom's house so she could pick up some furniture and memorabilia stuff (my parents both passed away in the past 18 months - we're in the process of closing the house and getting ready for an estate sale). That took a good 6 hours of time - and it'll impact the next couple of weeks leading up to the sale as I'll be going over most afternoons to move stuff that's not in the sale out of the house. And I went back tonight with my oldest grandson for a couple more hours...

October 2nd
12. Doctor Sleep (2019) - Theatrical Cut

Years following the events of The Shining (1980), a now-adult Dan Torrance (Ewan McGregor) must protect a young girl with similar powers from a cult known as The True Knot, who prey on children with powers to remain immortal.

I'm not much of a Stephen King fan (OK... not at all) though Kubrick's version of The Shining is a favorite. I was pleased that this sequel packs a good punch and is a nice continuance of Kubrick's film.

13. Invisible Invaders (1959)

Invisible aliens from the Moon invade the Earth by occupying the bodies of recently deceased humans but a scientist, his daughter (Jean Byron) and an army Major (John Agar), try to fight them.

A rip off... er... "reworking" of sorts of Invasion of the Body Snatchers with the "unique" theme of it being Moon invaders possessing dead bodies. Not *quite* zombies... Not great - not bad either. John Carradine plays a dead scientist who's been possessed by an invader and delivers the original ultimatum.

14. The Amazing Mr. X (1948)

On the beach one night, Christine Faber (Lynn Bari), two years a widow, thinks she hears her late husband Paul calling out of the surf; then meets a tall dark man Alexis (Turhan Bey), who seems to know all about such things.

Few horror trappings, this is more a romantic spin on the spiritualist racket with all the requisite tropes of that genre. I recall liking it much better the first time I saw it, several years ago, than on this viewing. Not that it's bad, just that it's not much of a horror film.

15. I Bury the Living (1958)

Through a series of macabre "coincidences," the newly-elected director of a cemetery (Richard Boone) begins to believe that he can cause the deaths of living owners of burial plots by merely changing the push-pin color from white (living) to black (dead) on a large wall map of the cemetery that notes those plots.

Fun film with an interesting, supernatural, premise that fails to pay off in the end. Yet, it's effective and enjoyable.

 

[JohnRice]

October 2: The Lost Boys (1987) – 4 out of 5

A divorced mom (Dianne Wiest) of two boys moves to the sunny beach wonder of Santa Carla. The boys, Michael (Jason Patric) and his younger brother Sam (Corey Haim), soon get caught up in the hidden terror of the otherwise picturesque town, vampires. When Michael is turned, Sam connects with two kids his age who seem to know an awful lot about vampires and see themselves as hunter protectors. Can they survive long enough to take down the head vampire and save Michael?

The Lost Boys is so utterly and enjoyably of the 80’s, I am a little surprised that I’ve not revisited it in perhaps 30 years. It’s handsomely shot by director Joel Schumacher, the performances are all good, but the winner here is the smart script that keeps things alive with wit and energy.

Kiefer Sutherland as the vampire gang leader, David, shows a lot of his promise in the role, and Jami Gertz as Star is quite compelling as Star, the vampire resisting her first kill that would ‘seal the deal’ for her turn, the same way Michael is resisting. It’s a handsome cast (Director Schumacher wanted the cast to be good looking and the vampires to be sexy…it worked).

This little slice of the 1980s holds up well all these years later and the soundtrack is still killer (the signature song, hinted in the opening moments, is such a brooding pop classic). This year I was able to watch it in 4K for the first time and it never looked better. I can see me spinning this more often than once every few decades.

…ooooh…

…Jami Gertz…

 

[Jim517]

I love Rob Zombie the musician, super charger heaven is one of my all time favorite rock songs. But please, please, please stop making movies.

My brother said The Munsters is the worst movie he's seen in 20 years !

 

[Michael Elliott]

I saw Zombie in concert last Saturday with KISS, Alice Cooper, Body Count and several others. He still rocks on the stage but yeah, the movies....

I spent this second day binge watching Dustin Ferguson movies. Probably the dumbest thing I've ever done for this challenge but I decided to push myself and spend most of the day watching an ungodly number of them. I went to start the last one for today and it's clear they've effected my mind because I signed up for his streaming service and plan on trying it again for a second day. This might be what finally ends what remaining brain cells I have.

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

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

03) 10/02/2022 Battle Royale [Unrated Director's Cut] (2000)

Japanese with English Subtitles

Eight years before the first Hunger Games novel brought juvenile arena slaughter to North America, there was this Japanese movie. In a dystopian future, the economy of Japan has cratered and the nation's children have lost respect for their unemployed and unproductive parents. Juvenile delinquency is rampant, further exacerbating the nation's woes.

To reestablish control, the National Diet establishes the Battle Royale: an annual three-day contest in which one class of schoolchildren is selected at random and abducted to a remote island where they must fight to the death. Whoever lasts the longest will get to go home. If there are more than two survivors at the end of the three days, everyone dies.

The movie takes us through the carnage that ensues, but it also sprinkles in flashbacks to explain what shaped the students to behave as they do.

Tonally, it's a strange movie. There are times when it plays the over the top violence for laughs, but there are other times where the drama is played straight.

Despite all of the violence and death, the bleakest thing about the movie may be the sense that all of its characters are unsure of their path forward. Even the one adult with a significant presence doesn't really know how to be an adult. Adolescence is a terrifying time, and having to kill or be killed just underlines that in the most explicit way possible.

 

[sleroi]

6. The Invisible Man (1933) - S (Vudu) - A nice blend of terror, the bandages, goggled man with the angry, raspy voice, and light comedy, the undressing and taunting of the cackling old woman. This is a formula that Whale would perfect in Bride of Frankenstein. Aside from the shot of the floating shirt looking like bad green screen, this was spectacular in 4k. .5

7. Ticks - 4k disc - I hadn't heard of this 1993 gem until reading the description on Vinegar Syndrome's site. From the cover I was expecting a giant bug movie, but instead it's more akin to Kingdom of the Spiders. It stars a young Seth Green, Alfonso Ribeiro, Peter Scolari and, being a low budget 90s horror movie, Clint Howard. A botanical steroid used to enhance illegal marijuana crops accidentally drips onto a tick egg sack and within a day the woods surrounding a cabin used by a counselor and a group of at risk youths are awash with crab sized Ticks. The effects are surprisingly good, and the cinematography of the California piney woods is gorgeous. And colors really pop in 4k.

8. Critters Attack - S (Vudu) - I liked Critters 1, 2 and 4, so I thought I'd give this a try hoping the filmmakers also had a fondness for the series. They did. A small ship with one lone critter lands in a small college town and quickly begins multiplying, much more quickly than in previous movies. While picnicing in the woods a babysitter, her younger brother, and the two kids she's sitting find an injured critter variant. Not knowing what it is they tend to it's injuries and make friends with it, but soon realize that all of the bad critters wreaking havoc in town are following it's scent, leading to the inevitable showdown. Nothing new here but there were a few good critter gags and all done with puppetry and practical effects. All of the characters are likeable. It also had a cool score, and they brought back aunt Dee.

*Edited for typos

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

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

04) 10/03/2022 The Walking Dead 11x17 - "Lockdown"

Television's longest running and highest rated zombie show begins its final run of episodes as it shuffles toward it long overdue conclusion.

 

[sleroi]

Ash vs Evil Dead season 2 - S (Netflix)

9. Episode 1 - Wow. So much blood. And Ruby's kids were a nice change from the usual deadites. And the 6 Million Dollar Man. And yes, Eli was lookin' good. Awesome episode.

10. Episode 2 - The writing is already so much better this season with jokes and one liners flying fast, and all of them landing. One gag though was a bit much and actually grossed me out. But it was still funny, and lead to a whole series of jokes.


11. Episode 3 - the Devil car was awesome. And that ending!

I could probably stay up all night and binge the whole season, but I've got things to do tomorrow so I'll be good and turn it off.

 

[TravisR]

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

View attachment 156045

04) 10/03/2022 The Walking Dead 11x17 - "Lockdown"

Television's longest running and highest rated zombie show begins its final run of episodes as it shuffles toward it long overdue conclusion.

When they get Daryl and/or Negan in an episode, it still generally ends up being halfway decent. Unfortunately, now that they used both of them in one episode, I figure neither character will be around much for at least two or three weeks which means those episodes will be boring and feature characters that I largely don't care about.

 

[John Stell]

Bold - Denotes first ever viewing

Rating - Out of a possible 4

007) 10/02/2022 Curse of the Headless Horseman (1972) No

Man inherits ranch from his uncle but can keep it only if he makes a profit running it. He brings along a bunch of his stoned pals to help out. Then a headless horseman shows up and starts cutting people up. Dreadful take on Washington Irving's famous tale ultimately makes no sense. But the real offense is the total lack of talent in front of and behind the camera. Nothing really happens and when it does you won't care. A spooky-sounding narrator tries hard to make all this seem scary, and then repeatedly threatens, "It will begin again!" at film's end. Only in your dreams, buddy.

008) 10/02/2022 Moon of the Wolf (1972)

TV movie about series of murders in small Louisiana town; sheriff learns killer is a werewolf. OK effort has good cast but lacks atmosphere. The werewolf makeup is disappointing too. Maybe the upcoming Vinegar Syndrome Blu-ray will improve the next viewing experience.

009) 10/02/2022 The Houses October Built (2014)

Group of pals rent a RV and then go in search of the ultimate haunted house, filming everything along the way. They get scared, all right. Yet another descendant of The Blair Witch Project, this effort builds to a promise it can't keep. The ultimate fate of the group is lifted from other films, so no points there. The cast is fine but it feels like we've seen most of this before.

010) 10/03/2022 31 (2016) 1/2

On Halloween 1976, a band of carnival people are kidnapped by trio of crazy British folk, and then are forced to survive 12 hours in hellish fortress where they're assaulted by various psycho killers. Writer/director Rob Zombie retrofits modern torture porn and escape room films for the 1970s, with his usual assortment of foul-mouthed common folk and fever pitch editing. Intermittently effective, with Richard Brake delightfully chewing up and spitting out the scenery as ultimate crazy Doom Head. The fact that no background or motivations are provided for the hosts adds to nightmarish atmosphere.

 

[JasonRoer]

Ash vs Evil Dead season 2 - S (Netflix)

9. Episode 1 - Wow. So much blood. And Ruby's kids were a nice change from the usual deadites. And the 6 Million Dollar Man. And yes, Eli was lookin' good. Awesome episode.

10. Episode 2 - The writing is already so much better this season with jokes and one liners flying fast, and all of them landing. One gag though was a bit much and actually grossed me out. But it was still funny, and lead to a whole series of jokes.


11. Episode 3 - the Devil car was awesome. And that ending!

I could probably stay up all night and binge the whole season, but I've got things to do tomorrow so I'll be good and turn it off.

I'm so happy you're enjoying the show. I loved my re-watch as much as the first time.

 

[Winston T. Boogie]

So, when I was choosing movies for this year I wanted to go with pictures I really love that I think are genre classics to start. Pictures I always enjoy watching and remind of what is great about the genre. I already listed what I planned to watch in the first 5 days and those are the films I have set aside on Blu to look at.

October 1 - The Birds

What can you say about a Hitchcock picture that likely has not already been said. I guess just the personal feelings I have about it. First, I will admit when I saw this picture as a boy, I did not like it. I would have seen this in the 1970s on TV. I did not like it because it looked very fake to me and I was all about movies from the 1970s that put a big emphasis on things looking more believable. As a boy I also found the bird attacks silly and ridiculous and could not imagine people being afraid of birds. Later I would learn some people actually have real fears and phobias related to birds.

I don't think I really fell in love with the picture until the 1980s. When I was a little boy my parents had a house on Cape Cod and we always spent time in seaside towns up and down the coast of New England. When I watch this picture it reminds me of my childhood and sleepy seaside towns. Also Tippi and Rod are totally charming actors to watch here as are the supporting cast. Veronica Cartwright appears in this film as a child and of course appears in Alien as an adult. I find that very cool. For many years this was a movie I wanted to watch in the summer along with Jaws. Not sure if I have had an October viewing until now. It was the perfect kick-off to my October horror fest because I ended up excited to watch another horror film.

Here's Veronica on Hitchcock and The Birds:

He was always so incredibly nice to me. I could ask him any questions. I remember during filming, there were a lot of fake birds being used. I remember I asked him, "Isn’t the audience going to know that they’re fake?" And he said, "When you see movement, you assume that everything is a lie." To this day, whenever I see the movie, every time I spot a bird that I think is fake, it suddenly moves! It’s so bizarre, but it’s true. We just assume everything’s a lie. I remember there were cardboard cutouts and they would put real birds in between.

He really believed in the magic of movies. I thought it was totally cool. I used to speak to him every day. At four o’clock every afternoon, he would have his tea and biscuits. That’s when everything stopped for him and he would just shut down. And I would just sit next to him. Again, I never thought he was intimidating. I just thought he was really cool.

I remember they threw me a huge birthday party. I had turned 13. Every cast and crew member was there. I remember [Hitchcock] got a piece of white cardboard and a black crayon. He wrote, "To the woman I love, Veronica." He drew his face and signed it. I still have it hanging in my office. I just remember him being kind to me.

On the set, he would do a lot of odd things. We would shoot everything twice – in Bodega Bay and in the studio. In one scene, we ran down a hill in Bodega Bay. In the studio, it was on this huge treadmill. I remember he sped up the treadmill and there were just bodies flying everywhere *laughs*. We ran like crazy. We all desperately wanted to get to the front. He was a little sadistic I guess.

I guess he would tell dirty jokes all the time. My aunt used to go with me to the set because my mom was with my sister, who was filming "Make Room for Daddy." I remember he would tell these jokes [on set] and everybody would just laugh. I would laugh too, but I was really oblivious. So I would tell my aunt and she would go, "Oh my goodness!" I guess some of them were a little rude. But I really enjoyed my time making that movie.