*** Official 9th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge (1 Viewer)

[Bob McLaughlin]

Here's my final list. Final tally, 32 movies, 17 of which were first-time viewings (indicated by "FTV" below). What I'm most happy with is that I didn't miss a single day, despite having two children under the age of 4, AND I didn't miss a single Steeler game, AND I got all my Halloween decorations up outside on time!

1. An American Werewolf in London
2. Who Can Kill a Child? (FTV)
3. Rosemary's Baby
4. Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas
5. Ernest Scared Stupid
6. Let Sleeping Corpses Lie (FTV)
7. The Cottage (FTV)
8. Creepshow
9. Fido (FTV)
10. Night Creatures
11. The Others
12. Haxan (Witchcraft Through the Ages)
13. The Evil of Frankenstein (FTV)
14. Inside (FTV)
15. The Woods (FTV)
16. It
17. The Exorcist: The Version You've Never Seen (FTV)
18. Freaks
19. Shaun of the Dead
20. Storm Warning (FTV)
21. Night of the Comet (FTV)
22. The Last House on the Left
23. Dance of the Dead (FTV)
24. The Happening (FTV)
25. Dracula A.D. 1972 (FTV)
26. Versus (FTV)
27. Paperhouse
28. May (FTV)
29. Spider Baby
30. The Black Cat
31. The Gorgon (FTV)
32. Halloween (Rob Zombie version) (FTV)

 

[Jason Roer]

Hey All. Back with my final tally. Saw 44 flicks with 19 new this year. Most notable new viewing was The Exorcism of Emily Rose. Superb film I can't wait to watch again. Hope everyone had a blast. Looking forward to seeing you all in the Thread of Horrors!

1. Frankenstein (1910)
2. Frankenstein (1931)
3. Little Shop of Horrors (1961)
4. Hatchet (2006)
5. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
6. Friday the 13th (1980)
7. Ghostbusters (1984)
8. An American Werewolf in London (1981)
9. Young Frankenstein (1974)
10. The Wasp Woman (1959)
11. Attack of the Giant Leeches (1959)
12. The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971)
13. The Creature Walks Among Us (1956)
14. Tremors (1990)
15. The Blob (1958)
16. The Ghost Train (1941)
17. The Tingler (1959)
18. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1976)
19. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
20. From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
21. The Giant Claw (1957)
22. The Mummy (1959)
23. The Lost Boys (1987)
24. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
25. House of Wax (1953)
26. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920)
27. Corpse Bride (2005)
28. Day of the Dead (1985)
29. Friday the 13th part 8: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)
30. The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)
31. My Bloody Valentine (1981)
32. The Blood Splattered Bride (1972)
33. The Devil's Backbone (2001)
34. Beetlejuice (1988)
35. The Fog (1980)
36. Saw V (2008)
37. Piranha (1978)
38. A Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
39. Spiral (2007)
40. The Exorcist (1973)
41. Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972)
42. Vampyr (1932)
43. Planet Terror (2007)
44. I Am Legend (2007)

Cheers,

Jason

 

[Lucia Duran]

Final tally is 32 movies, 11 new ones. I had a blast doing this and can't wait till next year! Edited to remove Devils rejects from my count.



1. *** Disturbia (2007).
2. *** Resident Evil: Apocalypse.
3. ** 28 Weeks Later.
4. **** Boy Eats Girl. (NEW)
5. * Devour(2005). (NEW)
6. * The Strangers (2008). (NEW)
7. *** Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003).
8. ** Crawlspace (1986).
9. ** Frankenstein (1994). (NEW)
10. ** Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddies Revenge (1985).
11. 2001 Maniacs (2005). (NEW)
12. ***The Hitcher (2007). (NEW)
13. * The Happening. (NEW)
14. ** Friday the 13th part 6.
15. **** The Lost Boys.
16. * The Graveyard (2006). )NEW)
17. ** Midnight Meat train. (NEW)
18. The Devils Rejects. (NEVER FINISHED DUE TO CLOWNS)
19. ** Storm of the Century. (NEW)
20. **** Alien.
21. **** Aliens.
22. *** Hard Candy. (NEW)
23. **** Scream.
24. **** Tremors.
25. **** Misery.
26. *** a Nightmare on Elm Street.
27. *** The craft.
28. *** Single White Female
29. *** Scream 2.
30. *** Resident Evil.
31. *** Scream 3.
32. **** Night of the Living Dead (Original).
33. **Jason Goes to Hell:The Final Friday.

 

[SteveGon]

Finished up with more zombie flicks (natch), a few scary classics and a low budget riff on Jaws...


Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead - Full bore Troma-fest (of the good kind) finds all hell breaking loose after fried chicken entrepeneur General Lee Roy opens an American Chicken Bunker store on top of an ancient Indian burial ground (the Tromahawk tribe to be exact). Vengeful Indian spirits then invade the store's supply of chicken products, turning customers into fowl, flesh-eating zombies! One of Troma's best films features lesbians, boobs, gore, scatological humor, tasteless jokes and musical numbers that are actually good (though my favorite is the deleted S-U-I-C-I-D-E number - can't go wrong with dancing Jews!). (Plus it's hard to miss with a cute and spunky heroine who spends half her screen time topless!)

"The chickens have declared jihad on us all!"

*** out of ****


Johnny Sunshine - Seamy tale set in a world overrun by zombies. The living have barricaded themselves in walled cities where they've made snuff porn the entertainment du jour. The most popular star is Johnny Sunshine, a leather-clad hottie who finds herself embroiled in a plot that endangers all she holds dear, including her own life! Potentially interesting material is weighed down by its cheap veneer as well as its ultimately pointless zombie subplot.

** out of ****


Pastiche of the Dead - Anthology of zombie shorts plays out like a series of deleted scenes. Pretty much worthless.

* out of ****


Shadows of the Dead - Earnest story of a couple who find themselves infected with a virus that's turned them into zombies. Odd, talky entry in the zombie canon seems more like a filmed play with its limited characters and sets. A good try, but this material has been better handled in other undead films.

** out of ****


Also revisited:

Psycho ****
Tremors ***
Spanish Dracula ***


And...


Trees - Slight homage to Jaws has a killer Great White Pine terrorizing a forest. Can a brave sheriff, a tree (-hugging) expert and a crusty oddball known as Squint track down and destroy this man-eating terror? Much better than I thought it'd be, but eventuallly wears out its welcome. Probably would have worked better had it been shorter.

"We're gonna need a bigger axe!"

** out of ****

 

[SteveGon]

My tally:

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein ***1/2
Bay of the Dead *
C.H.U.D. II: Bud the Chud *1/2
The Corpse Eaters **
Dance of the Dead **1/2
Dark Water ***
Dead Beat *
Evil Town *1/2
Ghostbusters ***1/2
The Happening **1/2
Heavy Metal Zombies *1/2
Hollywood Mortuary ***
Johnny Sunshine **
Loves of the Living Dead **
Mother ofTears ***
Night of the Living Babes *
Night of the Living Dead (30th Anniversary Edition) **
Noctem **1/2
O.C. Babes and the Slasher of Zombietown BOMB!
Pastiche of the Dead *
Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead ***
Psycho ****
Quarantine ***
Re-Animator: 1942 **1/2
Secret Window **1/2
Spanish Dracula ***
The Supernaturals **
Trailer Park of Terror **1/2
Trees **
Tremors ***
Vampire Whores from Outer Space BOMB!
The Vanguard **



Finished up with 32, though that number includes some shorts. Call me a damn cheater if you want.

 

[Tim Tucker]

The theme of this post is... duality!

15. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920). While the 1932 Fredric March film is my favorite version of this story, the silent John Barrymore version is quite impressive. Comparing how the two films deal with sex is instructive. While the 1932 version has a healthy attitude towards sex, and blames repression for Jekyll’s fall, the 1920 version is decidedly anti-sex. In this film, sexual desire is bad, and yielding to temptation leads to disaster. Barrymore lives up to his nickname, “The Great Profile,” and the director shows it off at every opportunity. It’s easy to see why he was such a matinée idol in his prime. However, Barrymore’s acting style, rooted in the 19th century, can seem more and more alien to those of us in the 21st. The transformation into Hyde consists mostly of risible histronics and facial contortions. However, the scene where the Hyde-headed spider takes possession of Jekyll is still creepy.

16. Dr. Pyckle and Mr. Pryde (1925). Stan Laurel’s parody is enjoyable, but I wouldn’t call it a laugh riot. I do like the send-up of the monstrous Mr. Hyde by turning him into the merry prankster Mr. Pryde, who goes around swiping ice cream cones and firing a pea shooter at cops. The ending was abrupt, though, as if it was still missing footage.

17. The Black Room (1935). In Central Europe during the 19th century, twins have been born to the House of de Bergmann. Since the family line was founded by twins, the younger who had murdered the elder, it had been prophesied that the line would end when another set of twins would be born and repeat the crime in the “Black Room”. The twins grow up to be Baron Gregor (Boris Karloff), a cruel, murderous sadist, and Anton (also Boris Karloff), a kind and gentle traveling student with a paralyzed arm. Gregor’s activities have incited the populace to the point of revolution, so he brings Anton home to take over the barony. But Gregor murders Anton in the Black Room and takes over his identity, so that he can continue to rule and also marry Thea (Marian Marsh, who had notably grown as an actress since Svengali), the daughter of his adviser, Colonel Paul Hassel (Thurston Hall).

This is my favorite discovery of the month. The dual rôle in this film is an acting tour de force, and Karloff seizes it with both hands to finally show just how talented an actor he was. He would not have another showcase like this until he worked with Val Lewton almost a decade later. It’s also a beautifully design production, and director Roy William Neill (the auteur behind Universal’s Sherlock Holmes series) is continually using mirrors throughout the film to reinforce the theme of duality.

18. The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (1960). Dr. Jekyll (Paul Massie) is a middle-aged cuckold. His wife, Kitty, has been having an affair with compulsive gambler and all-around cad Paul Allen (Christopher Lee). But when the good doctor takes his serum, he turns into young and handsome Edward Hyde, an amoral sadist, and starts indulging his desires and plotting his revenge.

This is an odd film. Hammer must not have liked the story of Jekyll and Hyde, because all of their adaptations were untraditional. There is The Ugly Duckling, a comedy, and the gender bending Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde. Then, there is this version, which, other than the character of Dr. Jekyll, has little to do with Robert Louis Stevenson. I imagine that this is what the novella would have been like if it had been written by Oscar Wilde. There is not that much horror here, but in its place is a decadent sexuality that would have made Freud blush. (Take the finale of Marta’s snake dance, for example. It’s almost a visual single entendre.)

19. Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1953). This time, Dr. Jekyll (Boris Karloff) has an American ward that he is in love with — suffragette and music hall entertainer Vicky Edwards (Helen Westcott). However, Vicky is in love with an American reporter, Bruce Adams (Craig Stevens), who is working for a London newspaper. Meanwhile, there has been a series of murders in Hyde Park, and two American policemen studying British techniques (Bud Abbott and Lou Costello) are searching for the murderer, so as to get back in favor with the Inspector (Reginald Denny).

Maybe it’s because I was tired, but this movie didn’t do very much for me. I thought it worked better as a B horror film than as a comedy though. I’ve always thought that Abbott and Costello were their best in verbal humor, and there just wasn’t much of that here. In its place was routine slapstick that made me realize just how big a debt Lou Costello owed Curly Howard. The character of Vicky Edwards just seemed to be shoehorned into the script. The suffragette angle was superfluous, and her musical numbers were tepid at best. Karloff was never less than entertaining, underplaying the part with a menace that made Jekyll just as much of a villain as Hyde. I also liked that the Hyde makeup was reminiscent of the one used in the 1932 film. (It also had the benefit of completely obscuring Karloff’s face whenever a stunt double needed to used.) The cinematography of George Robinson was also welcome, adding much of the atmosphere that the movie needed.

My tally.

 

[JohnRice]

I only got 8 movies in this year, so I'm not sure it's worth tallying.

Only 2 were new viewings.

 

[Tim Tucker]

My final two viewings from Halloween.

20. The Invisible Ray (1936). Dr. Janos Rukh (Boris Karloff) has discovered a method of viewing images on beams of light from Andromeda, revealing that a meteor composed of an unknown radioactive element crashed into Africa millions of years ago. He joins an expedition, formed by Sir Francis and Lady Arabella Stevens (Walter Kingsford and Beulah Bondi) and Dr. Felix Benet (Bela Lugosi), and finds the meteorite. The new element is dubbed Radium “X”. Unfortunately, Rukh becomes a victim of radiation poisoning, causing his body to phosphoresce, and making his touch lethal. Benet develops a temporary antidote. However, the combination of the poison and antidote drive Rukh insane, but not before he harnesses the power of Radium “X” to heal… or destroy. Now completely paranoid, Rukh fakes his death and sets out to kill everyone he believes has wronged him, including his wife, Diane (Frances Drake), and her new husband, Frank Lawton (Ronald Drake).

Obviously, this movie is complete pulp sci-fi hokum, but surprisingly involving, due to the presence of Karloff and Lugosi. For a change, Karloff is the villain (who is immediately pegged as unbalanced from his very first line), and Lugosi is one of the good guys. It’s disappointing to see Karloff reduced to doing his “mad scientist” schtick again, after showing just how good an actor he could be in The Black Room. The special effects are impressive for the time. The film also benefits from a fine score from Franz Waxman.

21. Hercules in the Haunted World (Ercole al centro della terra) (1961). Hercules (Reg Park) and his pal Theseus (Giorgio Ardisson) return to Ecalia and Herc’s beloved Deianara (Leonora Ruffo). They find Deianara placed under a spell by her uncle Lyco (Christopher Lee). The oracle (Gaia Germani) tells Hercules that only a magical stone in Hades can cure Deianara, so he, Theseus and Telemachus (Franco Giacobini), an unfunny buffoon, go on a quest. Meanwhile, Lyco is plotting to drain and drink Deianara’s blood to give him eternal life.

I wanted to view a Mario Bava film this month. Since I’d recently listened to the soundtrack CD, I chose this one, and was glad I did. It has everything you'd expect from a Bava film — delirious color lighting, impressive glass paintings and special effects, and the magical ability to make something out of nothing. I’m surprised that more horror/peplum hybrids weren’t made. If you are familiar with the original Greek myths, they are bloodier than most slasher films. Among the many highlights are the resurrection of the dead and their climactic battle with Hercules.

My tally.

 

[Tim Tucker]

The final reckoning!

21 viewings, 10 first time viewings. Four more movies than last year, but two fewer first time viewings. I was really losing steam by the end of the month.

(All reviews are linked to the titles below.)

1. Supernatural (1933)
2. The Monster (1925)
3. Island of Lost Souls (1933)
4-5. The Bat Whispers (1930) (65mm and 35mm)
6. Svengali (1931)
7. Chandu The Magician (1932)
8. The Vampire Bat (1933)
9. The Son of Kong (1933)
10. The Gorgon (1964)
11. Mark of the Vampire (1935)
12. Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
13. The Projected Man (1967) (MST3K version)
14. Werewolf of London (1935)
15. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920)
16. Dr. Pyckle and Mr. Pryde (1925)
17. The Black Room (1935)
18. The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (1960)
19. Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1953)
20. The Invisible Ray (1936)
21. Hercules in the Haunted World (Ercole al centro della terra) (1961)

In addition to these films, I also watched eight episodes of Doctor Who ("The Talons of Weng-Chiang" 5-6, "Horror of Fang Rock" 1-4 and "The Invisible Enemy" 1-2), 23 episodes of Dark Shadows (Episodes 120-143), three episodes of Red Dwarf ("Backwards", "Marooned" and "Polymorph"), one episode of One Step Beyond ("Moment of Hate") and three additional episodes of Mystery Science Theater 3000 ("Space Mutiny", "Time Chasers", and "Overdrawn at the Memory Bank").

A pretty full month.

I think I'm going to go off and watch Mad Men now.

 

[Jeff Reis]

31 last year, a paltry 9 this year.

1-10 scale
first viewings bold

10/1 War of the Gargantuas (English Version) (1970) 7
10/2 Mark of the Vampire (1935) 6.5
10/9 C.H.U.D. (1984) 5.5
10/13 Chamber Of Horrors (1966) 7.5
10/15 The Wizard Of Gore (2007) 4.5
10/16 The Gorgon (1964) 7.5
10/20 Friday The 13th Part 2 (1981) 6.5
10/27 Martin (1977) 8.5
10/31 Brides of Fu Manchu (1966) 6.5

A pitiful showing by me this year...oh well. Just don't have the time or inclination to be as ravenous about movies as I was the past couple of years. All were entertaining enough though, with Martin being the best of the bunch, the Wizard of Gore remake being the worst, taking an interesting premise but going off the rails largely due to the awful direction. Friday Pt 2 wasn't as graphic as I remember, and I just rewatched it maybe 2 years ago. Still among the top 2 or 3 in the series. May be overrating Chamber Of Horrors a little bit, but it was a lot of fun...so weird to see Wayne Rogers as anyone but Trapper or the guy on CNBC. First time in a couple of years I haven't watched Halloween III. Aside from Iron Man, Incredible Hulk and Indy 4 I'll probably just continue to watch mostly horror in November.

 

[Angel Pagan]

Only managed to watch 10 this year but I did put in 16 hours into Dead Space. That's more than 8 movies right there.

First time viewings are in bold.

1) The Thing (1982) [HD-DVD] :star: :star: :star: :star:
2) Creature From The Black Lagoon (1954) [DVD] :star: :star: 1/2
3) The Wolf Man (1941) [DVD] :star:
4) An American Werewolf In London (1981) [HD-DVD) :star: :star: :star:
5) Wolf Creek (2005) [HD-DVD] :star: :star:
6) Hostel: Part II (2007) [Blu-ray] :star: :star: 1/2
7) Fright Night (1985) [DVD] :star: :star: :star: :star:
8) Rest Stop (2006) [Blu-ray] :star: :star: 1/2
9) The Happening (2008) [Blu-ray] :star: :star: :star:
10) Prom Night (2008) [Blu-ray] :star: :star: 1/2

 

[Mario Gauci]

10/28/08: DAY WATCH (Timur Bekmambetov, 2006) :star::star:1/2

I recall being let down and confused by NIGHT WATCH (2004); while no less muddled, this sequel is possibly more entertaining – but, at nearly 2½ hours, it’s hellishly overlong! When I watched it, I couldn’t say I recalled much of the previous film’s events – though some faces looked familiar enough: anyway, here once again the stage is set for the eternal struggle between Good and Evil. The catch is that the hope of the latter, a young boy, is the son of the other side’s most prominent member – while they have their own ‘ace’ in a female student of his (with whom he naturally falls in love). The Dark Side, then, has a tenacious and stunning-looking femme fatale (decked-out with devilish hairdo); however, she’s brought down by her own (unconvincing) relationship with a teenage vampire!

An amusing subplot has the hero exchange bodies with a female colleague to escape detection; similarly, blood is seen to be drained – by the villains – just as one would a typical carton of fruit juice(!) and, besides, the much-feared titular overseers emerge to be no more than ageing twin brothers. As with the first film, the production values (including plentiful and intricate special effects) are impressive for a non-Hollywood release – the prologue, denoting the history of the all-important Chalk Of Fate, is quite splendid – though the director’s technical ‘prowess’ soon grows tiresome! Though the ending smacks of the Apocalypse, there’s supposed to be a third entry yet in the series – currently being filmed under the title of TWILIGHT WATCH…


10/29/08: THE HILLS HAVE EYES (Wes Craven, 1977) :star::star::star:

Despite owning Anchor Bay’s 2-Disc Set for close to two years, it’s only now that I managed to catch up with this horror ‘classic’ – which had been the missing link for me from among all those seminal releases that the genre spawned throughout the 1970s; consequently, I also hadn’t watched the 2006 remake – even if I mildly liked its director Alexander Aja’s SWITCHBLADE ROMANCE (2003).

Anyway, while I concede that the original is perhaps genre exponent Craven’s best work, I can’t deny being slightly let down by the film: the desert setting is notable and the action of its latter stages effectively handled…but, despite a plethora of mutant cannibals for villains (in itself, a neat concept), what we see is never really scary or even very disturbing! This is all the more baffling when considering that Craven’s preceding film had been the notorious THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (1972); that said, some of the death scenes here are remarkably vicious (such as that of the old man at the derelict service-station) – while others are just plain bizarre (the one devised for the head of the city-folk, a retired cop crippled by a heart condition, and Mars’ own at the very end).

The premise of having a group of stranded travelers at the mercy of a family of maniacs is obviously reminiscent of Tobe Hooper’s THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE (1974), another influential (with numerous sequels, prequels and remakes to its name) genre outing from this same creative era which, ironically, also didn’t quite impress me as much as I had anticipated – though, cumulatively, it’s an altogether more intense experience than Craven’s film. While the cannibal family (many of whom are named after planets!) – and especially Michael Berryman’s lanky and odd-looking Pluto – have acquired iconic status, their characterization is rather sketchy; John Steadman as the old man and Janus Blythe’s Ruby, then, appear as the human members of the clan – who are resented and eventually attacked by their own kin for being ‘soft-hearted’.

Still, the victims don’t fare much better (the impossibly naïve mother being a liability above all) – and their final dehumanization, not to mention resourcefulness in the face of crisis, isn’t exactly believable if inevitable so as to generate the requisite crowd-pleasing heroics. One of the latter folk is played by Dee Wallace, soon to tackle the lead role in Joe Dante’s THE HOWLING (1981) – curiously enough, yet another popular horror title which doesn’t do much for me! Incidentally, Craven states that his intention with the film was to blur the line between Civilization and the wilderness: symbolizing this is the fact that the travelers’ Alsatian dogs – which play a major role in the proceedings – are called Beauty and Beast and, while the former quickly (and gruesomely) expires at the villains’ hands, the latter repeatedly triumphs over them! By the way, I followed the film with its much inferior (and partly recycled) sequel – made by Craven himself and featuring three cast members (four, if you include Beast) from the original; see my comments about it elsewhere.


10/30/08: SCANNERS (David Cronenberg, 1981) :star::star::star:

My father owned a magazine which had reviewed this one back in the day (when I was myself barely aware of who David Cronenberg was) and I still recall its electrifying poster. Having caught up with the film after all this time, I can safely say that it’s one of the director’s better and more intriguing vintage/genre efforts.

Movies about psychic powers were fairly popular around this time: Cronenberg himself would also make THE DEAD ZONE (1983) – while, say, Brian De Palma had already dabbled twice in the subject with CARRIE (1976) and THE FURY (1978). SCANNERS is noted for some truly gory make-up effects (which are something of a Cronenberg trademark anyway) courtesy of THE EXORCIST (1973)’s Dick Smith – for instance, I’ve always known of the scene with the exploding head…and actually seeing it, I have to admit that it still packs a wallop! Though the body-twitching brought on by the intense concentration when a person is being “scanned” can appear silly, the concept of thought-control as a political weapon is fascinating and, in fact, has been a favorite on the screen for some time already. The chilling twist here is that a colony of these superior yet destructive beings is in the offing a` la the “Damned” films of the 1960s, with pregnant women being unwittingly ‘infected’ – their demented leader (Michael Ironside) obviously intent on world domination.

The revelation regarding the latter, hero Stephen Lack (a benign “Scanner”), and the foremost authority on the subject – a scientist played by a typically riveting Patrick MacGoohan – isn’t exactly surprising since all three are always at the core of the proceedings. With this in mind, though Jennifer O’Neill receives top-billing, her role (as one of a small group of “Scanners” who oppose Ironside’s evil ways) is essentially secondary. Anyway, while MacGoohan is dispatched by a ‘mole’ in his organization (again, the latter’s contact is shrouded in mystery but his identity is pretty obvious!), Ironside and Lack fittingly engage in an effects-laden battle-of-wills (capped by an incredible if clever twist) at the climax.

For the record, the film was followed by a couple of sequels (both made the same year, 1991!) and even as many spin-offs later on in that decade – all of which are most probably no more than pale imitations of Cronenberg’s original (which, apparently, is itself on the point of being remade)…


10/30/08: THE FUNHOUSE (Tobe Hooper, 1981) :star::star:1/2

Director Hooper fared better here than in EATEN ALIVE (1977), which I watched the day before, because it’s much closer to the slasher formula and perhaps also because the goings-on in a carnival are intrinsically creepy to begin with.

That said, the teen protagonists are, as ever, depicted as either bland or obnoxious – the heroine (Elizabeth Berridge) even has a kid brother who likes to dress up in scary masks (his room is filled with horror-movie paraphernalia) to scare the girl (who looks barely post-puberty herself) out of her wits while she’s taking a shower! The latter amounts to an all-too-obvious homage to both HALLOWEEN (1978) and PSYCHO (1960), and the scene is followed by one more – though it seems highly unlikely to me that the average American family of 1981 would gather in the living-room to watch something like BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935) playing on TV…

Anyway, the carnival section delivers the goods in both the atmosphere and chills stakes – from animal freak shows to fortune-telling and culminating in a ‘House Of Horror’-type ride; the youngsters then commit the typical foolishness associated with slashers by opting to stay behind for the night to make out in “The Funhouse” – even though this particular carnival troupe (including an underused but effective William Finley as a ‘gruesome’ magician) had been connected with a murder a couple of years back! Sure enough, they soon witness the slaying of the ageing fortune-teller (Sylvia Miles) they had themselves made fun of by a kid in a Frankenstein costume (the usher to The Funhouse itself) – the result of his feeling slighted when his sexual encounter with the undiscriminating Miles was prematurely terminated!

When the teens’ presence is detected, the alcoholic Funhouse barker (Kevin Conway) puts the monster boy (who’s his own disfigured and uncontrollable offspring and not unlike the Leatherface of Hooper’s earlier classic THE TEXAS CHAIN SAW MASSACRE [1974]) on the teenagers’ trail; while he naturally wants to protect his son as well as the image of the carnival, Conway’s also intent on retrieving the money that was stolen from his coffers by one of our imprudent and, subsequently, ill-fated heroes. For my money, the make-up job done by expert-in-the-field Rick Baker for the monster/killer is one of the most effectively hideous ever devised; the scenes of violence, then, combine Hooper’s trademark intensity with a fair smattering of the gore demanded by the subgenre – unsurprisingly, the heroine is the only one to make it out alive…though she’s anything but unscathed by the experience.


10/30/08: THE HILLS HAVE EYES PART II (Wes Craven, 1985) :star:1/2

I recently acquired this via the full-frame Image DVD in anticipation of the HTF Halloween challenge; I knew the film was nowhere near as well regarded as the 1977 original – but I wasn’t aware that Craven only made it because he was hard-up for cash, that he later disowned the result and that the picture was even shelved for two years (by which time he had re-acquired his stature with A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET [1984] which itself developed into a franchise and, ironically, the director would also return to much later after another lean period in his career)!

Anyway, this sequel is really quite lame as these things go (especially given that the original director is involved): apparently, there was so little plot to work with that the makers felt the need to pad out the running-time with gratuitous recollections of some of the highlights from the first entry – including an outrageous (hence, justly infamous) dream sequence by Beast, the heroic Alsatian! Similarly, the mutant cannibals this time around are relegated to just two – Michael Berryman’s Pluto, who’s shown to have somehow survived two separate vicious attacks by the dog(!), and yet another relative (brother to Jupiter from the first film and, thus, Pluto’s uncle), dubbed “The Reaper”, and who appears out of nowhere.

The motocross-enthusiast protagonists are among the most obnoxious heroes to feature in this type of film – the kind that you don’t care whether they live or die. In fact, just about the only characters to engage our interest are a blind girl and Janus Blythe’s Ruby herself – who has been domesticated in the interim (at the end of the original, she had saved a baby from a fate worse than death and, as seen in an alternate ending on Anchor Bay’s SE of the first film, had even joined the surviving members of the cannibals’ victims). Though Robert Houston (Bobby) is also on hand, his character is conveniently put out of the way at the very beginning: he freaks out when a motor race is set to take place in the desert near where his family was attacked all those years ago and opts to stay behind – Ruby (who’s even changed her name) and Beast, however, go along and, though the former’s confession about her past isn’t taken very seriously by her companions, both of course prove instrumental in the new victims’ safe-keeping.

Incidentally, Craven knew when he had a good thing going and, so, reproduced here two death methods from the original – Berryman himself, in fact, expires yet again at the hands of Beast (though he’s met with the fate that had previously befallen his brother Mercury), while The Reaper’s come-uppance is an even more elaborate and protracted stunt than Jupiter’s demise in the 1977 film and which would have been more appropriate for a Road Runner cartoon! By the way, Ruby herself inexplicably vanishes from the proceedings during the last third or so!

 

[Mario Gauci]

For the record, I still have to post 6 more reviews from the Halloween challenge - which I'll try to do quickly since they basically involve fillers (namely shorts and documentaries).

 

[Brook K]

I'm just not going to be able to catch up with either reading or comments so here is my list.

Total: 33

1st time viewings in red

1. Suspiria - A
2. The Wicker Man - A
3. The Mist - A
4. I Walked With a Zombie - A-
5. The Invisible Man - B+
6. Joshua - B+
7. The Black Cat - B+
8. The Third Mother - B+
9. Diary of the Dead - B+
10. Teeth - B+
11. Inside - B
12. . Taste the Blood of Dracula - B
13. Tales of Terror - B
14. War of the Gargantuas - B
15. The Crazies - B
16. The Raven - B
17. Retribution - B
18. Scars of Dracula - B-
19. Captain Cleeg aka Night Creatures - B-
20. Twice-Told Tales - B-
21. Godzilla vs. Hedorah - B-
22. God Told Me To - B-
23. Murders in the Rue Morgue - B-
24. Halloween (2007) - B-
25. Dracula A.D. 1972 - B-
26. Frankenstein Created Woman - C+
27. The Evil of Frankenstein - C+
28. Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed - C+
29. The Lost Boys: The Tribe - C+
30. Frontière(s) - C
31. Them aka Ils - C
32. The Guard From Underground - C
33. A Lizard in a Woman's Skin - C

 

[Bryan^H]

I only got around 8 also.

Oh well there's always next year

Plus, for some reason November has always been a big "horror" month for me. I'm just getting warmed up!

 

[SteveGon]

Hah! You suck!

IM me when you get a chance and we'll bitch about women. Yep, I'm single again.

 

[Joe Karlosi]

Hey - I thought only us married men bitched about women!

 

[TravisR]

OK, most people have checked in with their final totals so I figured I'd post the list. When people had the same total, I'd list them alphabetically by the first letter of their screen name. I listed the final number and the new viewings in parantheses. If I missed anyone or messed up a number, drop me a PM or post your correction below.

Without any further ado...

2008 Scary Movie Challenge tally

Michael Elliott 121 (63)
Radioman970 115 (32) 3 others
Russell G 113 (92)
Jim_K 105 (53)
John Stell 104 (21)
Pete Battista 100 (41) 45 TV shows and 2 others
Mario Gauci 82 (77)
PatW 68 (51)
TravisR 62 (5)
Christopher B 53 (20)
Jason Roer 44 (19)
Bob Turnbull 43 (43)
Peter M Fitzgerald 43 (25)
Ockeghem 35 (10) 13 others
Brook K 33 (29)
Joe Karlosi 33 (14) 68 episodes of The Munsters
Sandro 33 (22)
Bob McLaughlin 32 (17)
Lucia Duran 32 (11)
SteveGon 32 (25)
Brian Kissinger 31 (13)
Chucky P 31 (10)
MalcolmR 24 (21)
Rob P S 21 (12)
Tim Tucker 21 (10)
Greg Black 20 (11) 4 others
RickER 19 (?)
Angel Pagan 10 (7)
Jeff Reis 9 (8)
JohnRice 8 (2)
Bryan^H 4 (?)
Zack Gibbs 2 (2)
Brian Borst 1 (0)

I don't how it compares to previous years but 6 people watched more than 100 movies each this year which is pretty impressive. And a big congrats to Michael Elliott, this year's champ! *I pass the Scary Movie Challenge crown unto him*.

Hope everyone had fun!

 

[Peter M Fitzgerald]

Late returns--

I just updated my list on page 1 of this thread.

Sorry for the delay... I was super-busy with work this month, and didn't get to watch nearly as many scary faves as I wanted, and was also strapped for time in posting my viewings here. That being said, I managed to watch 43 "scary" feature films in October (not counting the documentary, "BRINGING GODZILLA DOWN TO SIZE"), 25 of which were first-time viewings.

Hearty congrats to my "splatterhead" betters this year, and all here who enjoy a good cinematic "boo!".

I'm already looking forward to Halloween '09 (a Saturday Night special!)...

 

[TravisR]

^ Cool. Made the change.