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***Official 8th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge*** (1 Viewer)

Bob Turnbull

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I hope I didn't oversell that...It's probably nowhere near the extent you are hoping for. :) And they're more like Black Mass cult freaks who all make out with the gorgeous Edwige Fenech. The leader gets it on with her though...And he's got lovely long blue fingernails if that helps.
 

Radioman970

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Terribly sorry for not checking in Monday and Tuesday. It's been difficult to post here and RT after the weekend. I watched 18 films over the Friday thru Sunday period. Not included in this contest.

Here's the ones I watched Monday and Tuesday. Tough days.

Monday, October 1st
1. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. (1987) First of the series that I saw in the theater. Easily the most accessable out of the 1st 3 films. It cleverly uses elements of Dungeons & Dragons with each kid playing their fantasy dream character. That was a great idea. I also like most of how they advanced the story elements and background. Although I’m not terrible happy with the holy water/cross bits. What is this, Dracula? But nothing hurts this film except it’s not quite as scary at the other 2. Still, it might just remain the best of the series after the original. Nicely done. 8/10

2. The Exorcism of Emily Rose. (2005) This film needs to replace all it’s lightbulbs. Everything is dark. All courtrooms and hospitals I’ve seen are well lit. I was disappointed in how less scary this is the second spin. I remember this really disturbing me last year. It’s still highly interesting with the intriging courtroom elements as well as the flashbacks concerning the title character’s odd experiences. I’d put The Entity above this in scares. I can’t watch The Entity without have paranoid moments after. But this one is no problem. Btw, I’m leaning towards a more conventional explaining using the notion that the simpliest explanation is almost always the right one. But hell…ya never know! And this film does make you think. It’s just not real scary. 7.5/10

3. Merlin’s Mystical Shop of Wonders. (1996) Strung together TV episodes (which resemble Amazing Stories, Twilight Zone, and the like) disguised as a movie about Merlin the scorcorer running a magic store in a modern shopping center right next to K-Mart. He tries to help the good and punish the bad in all sorts of odd ways. To be honest, this is fairly enjoyable since I grew up watching crap like this. The one about the unappealing newspaper critic getting what he deserves thanks to Merlin’s magic book is really entertaining and funny too. This movie was shown as “the lost episode” on the show Mystery Science Theater 3000 because another channel (HBO, I believe) had exclusive rights to show it at the time and they had to wait until the show palyed it’s final episode to run this one. I consider it one of the best because it’s so damn watchable. You can’t beat horror anthologies (espeically one feature on this first rate show) and I’ve got several more planned for this month. MOVIE 7/10 WITH MIKE AND THE BOTS 10/10

4. Carnival of Souls. (1962) Whew! One more. What a doozy! Criterion released this one. That’s how worthy it is. It’s like a b-movie studio threw together a movie and accidently created something with loads of creepy atmosphere and even stuff to make you think about what’s going on. I’m of the notion that much of this film is pretty straight forward. But on the other hand, there is plenty to debate about. Personally, I’d love to do my horrorthon right in the middle of some of the places featured in this film. That carnival espeically. Recommended for everyone. 8.5/10


October 2nd
5. Phenomena. (1985) (a.k.a. Creepers)

I heard this DVD is flawed. Perhaps a BUG in the transfer. (sorry about that)


Pleasance is about to show Connelly his monkey.

First time viewing. I think I ended up with the longer re-release USA version. At least it wasn’t the butchered shorter one. The gore seems intact but the music is a little messy in places. At the OOP prices I’ll take what I can get cheap. This film is not quite put together with strong cohesion but Connelly has a certain charm, in the role I was calling Fly Girl, so I had no problem following her, Donald Pleasance and the chimp along for the ride. Yeah, the chimp. Heh heh! Connelly has a way with insects and they did a pretty good job with those scenes. I really liked the buggy aspects of this film since I have a thing for spiders. I hardly ever kill spiders around the house unless they are poisonous. So you can usually find a lot of varieties around my place. My landlady once bleached the outside walls and painted the house. She took out every spider and caused a pest epidemic that has never fully subsided. My spiders used to kill wasps for me, along with everything else that got stuck in their webs. I wish I had the power to send them around town to do my bidding, but no suck luck. Anyway, back to the film…. this is a better Argento than I expected. He does really good things with creepy crawlies and makes them an important part of the story instead of just something visual to make you go “eewwwww…”. My favorite scene is definitely the one featuring the vat that Connelly stumbles into. Awesome! I remember seeing that scene, perhaps in a trailer, years ago and have wanted to see the whole movie ever since. I wasn’t disappointed in this at all. Although I won’t touch the version called Creepers, if this is re-released in original form at an affordable price ($15 or less) I’ll be all over it. 7/10

6. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (remake) (2003) (a.k.a. The Jessica Biel T&A Show, hee hee)


Very nice looking cast. An orgy scene could’ve improved its imdb.com score.


From one of the weaker scenes in the film because Biel’s T&A is not showing.


Learn from this picture. Never pick up female hitchhiker’s with guns stuck up in their happy place.

Whatever you think of this film, if you’re into hot chicks at all you’re okay with it’s shortcomings. Biel is breathtaking. I’m missing the fun gore because my eyes are trained on her ass packed in those tight jeans or enjoying the wet t-shirt contest she wins handily in the basement of the Leatherface home. What a beauty! In fact, along with Biel the whole film looks fantastic. One of the biggest strengths of the original is how gritty the whole thing looks but this newer film is sharp and clear but still works okay thanks to a limited color palatte that does a great job of emulating a grim tone. I’ll not hide the fact that I like this remake a lot. The original film is a horror classic that influenced my horror preference for years. This remake is just a good film. Somehow, even though it’s familiar material, they were able to make it look like something different enough so it doesn’t feel like a waste of 90 minutes like the 1998 version of Psycho. Further, most of the characters are different than the original and that helped as well. The sheriff character is easily the best of the lot, with a first rate performance from Full Metal Jacket’s R. Lee Ermey. He’s more menacing than Leatherface himself, perhaps a weakness for the film depending on how you look at it. But Ermey always does it to the hilt in these roles so it is no surprise he’s scary than “the dude wearing other people’s skins on his face” . Heh heh! This was a blind buy in 2004 I believe. Ended up being one of that years surprises and highlights. I enjoyed it okay this year but not as much as the passed few times I’ve watched it. Blame it on a bad day. Btw, I watched the original last month during a short warmup. It’s among my favorite horror films of all time. 8/10

7. The ‘Burbs. (1989)


Hanks will most likely never make another film like this one. Sad.


“…came with the frame.” Heh heh!

After all the blood, guts, gore and mayhem…….I simply mopped the floor and watched another movie. *rim shot * Needed some laughs. This film is a sure thing for any bad day of the year. Neutralizes bad days within minutes! I was frowning when I hit PLAY but smiling when the ending credits rolled. Definiately a film I could watch again in a week and again be left smiling…oh, and quoting!

Dern: Funny…I don’t remember seeing a moving truck parked outside.
Bro Theodore: Well, it was parked outside….ALL DAAAY!!

Dern: Ya know, one thing about these old guys….they never leave the house without their hair.

Dern is a hoot as the ex military dude of the neighborhood. Tom Hanks and Rick Ducommun are buddies who talk each other into snooping on the weirdest family in the neighborhood, with hilarious results. It ain’t October without The Burbs. 8/10
 

Ruz-El

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Elm Street 3 is my favorite of the sequels. I plan on watching them at some point. It's been ages since I've seen them. I really liked that Texas Chainsaw remake as well. Not as good as the original, but still pretty fine. The sequel to it sucked though.
 

Michael Elliott

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Frankenstein (1910) :star::star::star:

Edison's version of the classic novel remains pretty strong after all these years even if the print is pretty worn. What really stands out is how the entire story fits in quite nicely during the ten minute running time. A lot of the Edison shorts from this period don't contain too much on a story but this film tries to deliver something a little bit more. Also worth mentioning are the special effects, which while not as good as Melies, still manages to be somewhat creepy.

Dr. Chopper (2005) :star:

Incredibly stupid, direct to DVD horror film about a group of teenagers who go to a creepy cabin in the woods where various teenagers have been chopped up over the past twenty years. The title character, a psychotic doctor riding a motorcycle, is chopping up teens hoping to find eternal life. After a pretty good opening, which contains some nice gore, this film quickly falls apart due to the horrible acting and a stupid plot twist, which can be spotted within five minutes. After the opening sequence there's very little gore and nudity, which is certainly not a good thing. The performances are so incredibly bad that I often found myself cheering for the bad guy just so I wouldn't have to suffer through any of the acting. Another strange note is that the title killer is somewhat interesting but they end up turning him into a supporting role hiding behind his two female assistants.

Beast of Yucca Flats, The (1961) BOMB

Without a doubt this is one of the worst films ever made from any genre. Tor Johnson plays a nice scientist (ha ha) who gets hit by an A-Bomb and soon turns into a hulking maniac. This low budget shocker has become notorious over the years and rightly so. The film is so incredibly cheap and bad on all levels that it must be seen to be believed. The film was recorded without sound so there's constant narration telling us what's going on. As bad as this film is it sadly never really gets any of those good bad laughs. The film runs just under an hour and there's not a single frame of anything going right. I've a big fan of Johnson but he's given nothing to do in this disaster, which is certainly his worst film.

Grizzly Rage (2007) :star:1/2

Sci-Fi Channel film about four college students who head into the woods for some off roading fun but they end up running over a baby cub, which pisses off its really big mother. This film starts out poorly due to an incredibly annoying soundtrack as well as the usual MTV style editing but once the cub is hit the film picks up somewhat. The first couple attacks are pretty good, if really cheap but this is where all the fun ends as the screenplay runs out of ideas and we're left with a very boring final 2/3. The performances certainly aren't any good but they're not as horrid as you'd expect from something like this. The bear attacks are all rather lame so in the end you should just stick with Grizzly.

Earth Dies Screaming, The (1962) :star::star:1/2

British sci-fi from director Terrance Fisher has aliens killing most people in a small village but like idiots they leave a few who eventually team up and try to destroy the creatures. This is a fairly good little film that doesn't have a lot going for it but Fisher certainly does quite a bit with the limited budget and the cast members turn in good performances. Jess Franco regular Dennis Price has a good part here and it was interesting seeing him in a younger part of his career before alcohol took control of his life. The film's biggest fault is that like a lot of British films, the overall dullness really keeps the film from ever getting too exciting. The film runs just 62-minutes but there are several spots where it drags.

Raven, The (1935) :star::star::star::star:

Universal's controversial classic is their most underrated film in my opinion. This second teaming of Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff might feature Karloff's name at the top of the credits but there's no doubt that this film belongs to Lugosi and his incredibly strong and deranged performance. I've never understood some of the negative reviews aimed at this film because it's action packed throughout its short 60+ minute running time and it also comes off as the most twisted and evil horror film of its period. The film's sadistic nature makes it one of a kind and Lugosi's brilliant performance just makes it all the better. Some say Lugosi goes over the top but I highly disagree with that because I think he's simply terrific in the role of a love crazed man who goes over the edge into madness. Lugosi nails everything from his facial expressions to his speeches about love. Karloff is also very good in his role as the sympathetic man made monster.

2007 Scary Movie Totals:

1. Frankenstein (1910)
2. Dr. Chopper (2005)
3. Beast of Yucca Flats, The (1961)
4. Grizzly Rage (2007)
5. Earth Dies Screaming, The (1962)
6. Raven, The (1935)
 

TravisR

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As always, I'm not a critic- I just know what I like but I'm not very good at articulating it.

10/03/07
I watched Son Of Frankenstein for the first time. I liked the movie overall but I wish there was more Karloff but I love his shag carpet vest that the monster wears. I always enjoy Lugosi playing the henchmen/mad scientist more than a wealthy count so that gave this one a few more points in my book.

My list so far...
(new titles in bold)
1. Dracula (1931)
2. Dracula (Spanish language)
3. Frankenstein (1931)
4. The Mummy (1932)
5. The Invisible Man
6. Bride Of Frankenstein
7. Werewolf Of London
8. Dracula's Daughter
9. Son Of Frankenstein
 

Jeff Reis

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First time viewings in orange. 5 Star Scale

4) 10/3 Hatchet For The Honeymoon (1970) :star: :star: :star: :star:
Though it doesn't quite have the visual verve of some of Bava's other films, I found the straightforward narrative and relatively restrained violence to be refreshingly different from the usual Italian genre fare. Not to say that a little more depraved violence and some nudity from the even hotter than usual euro-cult actresses would have hurt anything.

So would anyone else be up for having different "challenges" every month?
For example, January--Animation month, February--80's Action Month, March--30's comedies, etc. Everyone could participate as much or as little as they like. I don't care about the competitive aspect, but I find it adds a little focus to my movie-watching, which really helps sometimes when you have a large collection.
 

Ruz-El

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I can't think of any Bava titles I've seen. I do like Son Of Frankenstein though. Basil is always nice to watch in a movie.

I finished the Hellraiser movies! Thank god! I can only hope my film choices improve!

HELLRAISER VIII : HELLWORLD 2/5 : Completely retarded in plot. Everyone knows all about the Cenobites and Pinhead, so some teens get hoodwinked to an evil house rave by Lance Henriksen. I gave it 2 since it has Lance. Pinhead is the only Cenobite that shows up, and he's reduced to a slasher. Pitiful

I think I'm going to move onto that Warner set "legends Of Horror" that came out last year. All first time viewings, and Peter Lorre in "Mad Love" has been on my radar for ages. I actually started it last night, but I passed out after watching all those Hellraisers :P

My running tally:

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/...70&postcount=7
 

TravisR

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As always, I'm not a critic- I just know what I like but I'm not very good at articulating it.

10/03/07
I watched The Invisible Man Returns for the first time. Vincent Price (who looks surprisingly young in the final scene) is pretty good as The Invisible Man. It was nice to see a reasonably happy ending rather than the usual "He tampered in God's domain" ending. :)

My list so far...
(new titles in bold)
01. Dracula (1931)
02. Dracula (Spanish language)
03. Frankenstein (1931)
04. The Mummy (1932)
05. The Invisible Man
06. Bride Of Frankenstein
07. Werewolf Of London
08. Dracula's Daughter
09. Son Of Frankenstein
10. The Invisible Man Returns
 

Ruz-El

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Sadly Garret, they really did make 8 Hellraisers. They should of stopped at number 2. I think films 5-8 all went straight to video to. They even cheat out on the gore. And Pinhead becomes a total non-entity. Really tragic.
 

Malcolm R

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Actually, there are 9 "Hellraiser" films if you are willing to count the fan-made "Hellraiser: Prophecy" short film. It actually gets better reviews than some of the final studio attempts. Not sure how one can see it, probably on YouTube or something. Or at a horror convention.

My challenge viewing is getting off to a pitiful start. I attempted to watch Universal's classic "The Mummy" last night and fell asleep 15 minutes from the end. Hopefully I can finish it tonight and maybe even watch another.
 

TravisR

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As far as I'm concerned, you're an iron man for making through all of them. :) After Hellraiser: Inferno (or whatever the fifth one is called), I couldn't watch any more of them. I love the first two though.


As always, I'm not a critic- I just know what I like but I'm not very good at articulating it.

10/03/07
I watched The Mummy's Hand for the first time. I'm a sucker for a movie with a Mummy running around killing people so I dug it.

I also watched Invisible Woman for the first time. A comedic sequel (but I included it in my watching since it's a sequel to Invisible Man) that was a nice change of pace for me since I've been seeing lots of people getting killed. Plus, Shemp Howard is in it.

My list so far...
(new titles in bold)
01. Dracula (1931)
02. Dracula (Spanish language)
03. Frankenstein (1931)
04. The Mummy (1932)
05. The Invisible Man
06. Bride Of Frankenstein
07. Werewolf Of London
08. Dracula's Daughter
09. Son Of Frankenstein
10. The Invisible Man Returns
11. The Mummy's Hand
12. Invisible Woman
 

JohnRice

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I intended to only have new viewings this year, but after those stills I think I'll have to give the TCM remake a spin. Not only do I think it is actually a decent flick, Jessica Biel is a freaking Goddess. To think she grew up only 40 miles away. No being in the history of the universe has ever done more justice to hipsters than Jessica. Plus, it is a cool looking flick. That's it, TCM is in, and I guess I'll revisit Turistas, while I'm in the skantily clad hotties running for their lives theme. John Stockwell is a certified genius for finding so many reasons to get so many hotties in so few clothes movie after movie.
 

Peter M Fitzgerald

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Peter Fitzgerald
This space is reserved... for TERROR!

Ratings:

**** Excellent
*** Good
** Fair
* Poor
BOMB The Pits

Fun Factor - an additional rating, for films rated below ***, when overall entertainment value trumps their obvious shortcomings.

First-time viewings in red.

10/01 THE EARTH DIES SCREAMING (1964) DVD **1/2

Okay, no-budget British sci-fi, atmospheric, though the robots are so slow (and so few), they barely constitute a threat.

10/01 DR. CYCLOPS (1940) DVD ***

Good, pulpy mad science tale (in rich Technicolor!), forever branding Albert Dekker as the title physician (and who would fit quite comfortably as a heavy in a Fleischer SUPERMAN cartoon). Shrinking people always makes for prime entertainment, though our merry band of half-pints play things a bit lightly, considering their predicament. And it's a bit strange that they aren't menaced by a snake or jungle spider. Still, despite the many times I've seen this film, I'm always surprised when a couple members are killed off.

10/01 CULT OF THE COBRA (1955) DVD **1/2 (Fun Factor: ***)

Basically a CAT PEOPLE wannabe. I liked it okay (its a plus when actors like David Janssen and Jack Kelly show up in these things), but the film seemed like it needed Faith Domergue to transform into something a bit more impressive than a standard-size fake snake on a string. Though a low-budget production, it's too bad they couldn't hire a real cobra (with wrangler), or a better puppet, and use some cheap matte effects to magnify it about 5x larger, as was done with the eagle in BURN WITCH BURN. The snake cult ceremony was silly, like something out of an Abbott & Costello movie.

10/01 CHOSEN SURVIVORS (1974) DVD *1/2 (Fun Factor: **1/2)

This previously hard-to-see flick should've been great, but suffers from terrible acting/dialogue from a usually-reliable cast (especially Jackie Cooper), a fitful pace, and some scenes too dark to follow. Still, it's a better killer-bat movie than NIGHTWING, and I liked the stainless-steel bunker complex set.

10/02 YONGARY, MONSTER FROM THE DEEP (1967) DVD BOMB (Fun Factor: ***1/2)

Sub-par Korean attempt to hop on the GODZILLA/GAMERA bandwagon, though with goofy excitement galore. It earns at least two "Fun Factor" stars soley for the fact that the kid borrows and liberally uses a prototype "itch ray" projector on the title beast, his big sister and her beau alike.

10/03 THE PHARAOH'S CURSE (1956) DVR **

So-so attempt to make a mummy curse story into a quasi-vampire flick.

10/05 MAN MADE MONSTER (1941) DVD ***

The best Universal second-string monster movie I've ever seen, with some typically fun Lionel Atwill scheming (he even says "Bah!", when kindly associate Samuel S. Hinds questions the ethics of his research), plenty of excitement, and a good performance from Lon Chaney, Jr. as an amiable lug/haunted electrified zombie shell. Neat electricity effects, too.

10/05 THE BLACK CAT (1941) DVD ** (Fun Factor: **1/2)

A really strong cast (Basil Rathbone, Bela Lugosi, Broderick Crawford, Gladys Cooper, Alan Ladd... though once again, Lugosi is largely wasted), but the film is a rather standard whodunnit with some quasi-horror trimmings. A bit too much of Hugh Herbert's "antics", for me, and I kept wondering why he and Broderick Crawford are permitted to hang around the house so long.

10/05 HORROR ISLAND (1941) DVD ***

Another semi-comic whodunnit, but I liked this one more, probably because of the more unusual set-up, and the guy who plays "the phantom" was cool, with a great voice. Plus, Fuzzy Knight IS "Stuff"!

10/05 GRINDHOUSE: PLANET TERROR (2007) DVD ***1/2

Fun, (severed-) tongue-in-cheek zombie attack nonsense from Robert Rodriguez, playing alot like a jokey John Carpenter epic, sort of DAWN OF THE DEAD by way of ASSAULT ON PRECINT 13/ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK. Suffers only from being the 3416th killer zombie movie of the 21st Century, made in wake of the success of 28 DAYS LATER. Probably more of a crowd-pleaser than its GRINDHOUSE co-feature DEATH PROOF, but I like 'em both, and they compliment each other when shown as one program.

10/05 THE PHANTOM FROM 10,00 LEAGUES (1955) DVD *1/2 (Fun Factor: **1/2)

Ultracheap aquatic-mutant-at-large yarn is no great shakes, though I'll give it some credit for having an unusual-for-the-time espionage subplot, and some amusing stilted dialogue.

10/07 THE BEAST WITH A MILLION EYES (1955) DVD ** (Fun Factor: ***)

Paul Birch and the alien-will-controlling-animals-and-simpletons concept are just enough to hold this whole cheap thing together. Whatever role Roger Corman actually had in this is probably enough to give it a similar feel to IT CONQUERED THE WORLD and NOT OF THIS EARTH, though it isn't nearly as good as either of those two films. Though generally a fan of silent comedy, Chester Conklin's showcase scene was pretty painful to watch. Also, I wonder how both the diminutive alien puppet and Paul Birch's daughter are going fit in that vacuum cleaner --err, I mean interstellar spacecraft and survive the journey back to the beast's world. I've seen the film a couple of times before, but I was still surprised to see a young Dick Sargeant in this. Plus, Leonard Tarver IS "Him" (with the best "haunted" expression this side of "Dynamo Dan the Electric Man")!

10/07 28 DAYS LATER (2002) DVD ****

Easily one of the few great modern horror films, with a simple, logical storyline, good acting, lively action and interesting camerawork. The first act, when Cillan Murphy's character makes his way through a seemingly deserted London, compares favorably with similar scenes in DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS and THE OMEGA MAN.

10/07 28 WEEKS LATER (2007) DVD ***1/2

Fairly solid follow-up to the above film, though lacking its novelty. Interestingly, the second zombie attack movie of 2007 (after PLANET TERROR) to both feature a regular cast member from the TV series LOST, and mass zombie death via a helicopter used as a flying Cuisinart. I liked the director's previous film, INTACTO, more, but he certainly does well by this fear franchise.

Tally:

01. THE EARTH DIES SCREAMING (1964)
02. DR. CYCLOPS (1940)
03. CULT OF THE COBRA (1955)
04. CHOSEN SURVIVORS (1974)
05. YONGARY, MONSTER FROM THE DEEP (1967)
06. THE PHARAOH'S CURSE (1956)
07. MAN MADE MONSTER (1941)
08. THE BLACK CAT (1941)
09. HORROR ISLAND (1941)
10. GRINDHOUSE: PLANET TERROR (2007)
11. THE PHANTOM FROM 10,00 LEAGUES (1955)
12. THE BEAST WITH A MILLION EYES (1955)
13. 28 DAYS LATER (2002)
14. 28 WEEKS LATER (2007)
 

JohnRice

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Wow Peter! That is one serious signature. You might take a moment and review the signature rules, because you have obliterated them.

Max 8 lines. Yours is 31 lines. :laugh:
 

Malcolm R

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OK, finally got this thing underway....

THE MUMMY (1932) It comes to life!
:star: :star: :star:

Boris Karloff (or "Karloff the Uncanny" as he was apparently billed at the time) stars as Ardath Bey, a.k.a. the reanimated mummy Imhotep, desperately seeking to reunite with his beloved after more than 3700 years in the tomb. Karloff was very good, as was most of the supporting cast. I really didn't care much for Zita Johann as Helen, though. Having never seen the film before, I fully expected to see the classic slow-shuffling, bandaged mummy that seems to have become the stereotypical portrayal. I was pleasantly surprised that there was really none of that here, and the creature was a more humanistic monster. Apparently, they saved the zombie-like mummy for the sequels....

THE MUMMY'S HAND (1940) The tomb of a thousand terrors!
:star: :star:

This was the old bandage-wrapped, slow-shambling mummy that became the classic creature icon. Played for a mix of horror and comedy, unlike the building drama and suspense of Karloff's original, the film is moderately entertaining with some spooky mummy effects. The comedy moments detracted from the film though, IMO. Also seemed to re-purpose much of the flashback sequences of the original film, except instead of seeking the lost scroll with the incantation, we're now raiding the tomb for...tea leaves?!?
 

Bob Turnbull

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Messages
840
10/03/07 - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) - Yep, it was my first time seeing it. And it's both better and worse than I thought it would be...Better in that there was some really good camera work (movement, zooms, etc.) and interesting visuals. The scenes when no one is talking or screaming are actually quite good. But the characters were either just lame or too buffoonish. I was surprised that Leather Face ended up being such a doofus. Jury is still out...

10/03/07 - Trilogy Of Terror (1974) - The Zuni Doll makes an appearance every year, so let me be the first to sing his praises. Man, that was some kind of funny - he sounded like a little pitbull. And yet kinda creepy and disturbing too...The other two stories don't come close to measuring up for entertainment value. The first is not bad, but then just suddenly dropped its twist on you. The second was pretty obvious and didn't add much to similar themed stories. But Zuni Doll was way too much fun - I can see why this gave a generation of kids nightmares.


2007 Scary Movie Challenge:

1. 10/01/07 - Suspiria (1977 - Dario Argento)
2.
10/01/07 - Tales Of Terror (1962 - Roger Corman)
3. 10/02/07 - All The Colors Of The Dark (1972 - Sergio Martino)
4. 10/03/07 - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974 - Tobe Hooper)
5. 10/03/07 - Trilogy Of Terror (1974 - Dan Curtis)
 

Brook K

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I kicked things off with a re-visit of the "director's cut" version of The Wicker Man. Simply a terrific film that works on multiple levels. Creates a one-of-a-kind atmosphere through set design, music, and casting, positioned against Edward Woodward's tremendous performance as the self-righteous cop. Oh, and Britt Ekland makes me happy in the pants. Wipes away the awful aftertaste of Labute's pathetic Nick Cage modernization.

I'm a huge fan of Dario Argento's 70's and 80's films, so I lined up a few of his later works I haven't seen. Tonight I took in The Card Player. It's more police procedural than horror or even giallo, about 2 cops, an Irishman and an attractive Italian woman tracking down a crazy serial killer who toys with the police and his victims via webcast poker games. Solid enough to be worth watching, but lacks the old magic and doesn't generate much suspense. Not helped either by a rather odd, more than a bit corny ending.

1. The Wicker Man "Director's Cut" Version :star::star::star::star::star:
2. The Card Player :star::star::star:
 

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