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31 Days of Horror: Invasion |OT| The October Movie Marathon

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MA - Teens make friends with old lady trying to re-do her teen years

Wasn't bad, wasn't exceptional. Pretty much one of those films that fits right in the middle. A perfectly acceptable watch that ticks the boxes and has the good sense not to overstay it's welcome or overplay it's premise. Octavia Spencer is solid in the movie, but there are a few other good actors who feel a bit underused and wasted (e.g. Allison Janney). Ma herself is an interesting character but not a particularily memorable villain and far from the best Ma... hell, Ma-Ma is twice the villain she is..

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No Ragrets. Making that pun was half my motivation for watching the movie. I feel no shame.
 
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11. Young Frankenstein (1974) - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Hilarious. Simply hilarious. I just love how the cast is just on the verge of breaking character and about to laugh their asses off. Marty Feldman, Madeline Kahn, Gene Wilder, and RIP Cloris Leachman.

12. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) ⭐⭐️ - I have never been able to get into this movie. I tried watching this with my daughter. She dug it but I lose interest very quickly.

13. Halloween III: Season Of The Witch (1982) - ⭐⭐⭐⭐️ - This is a yearly tradition for me and with the release of the 4K Blu-ray, I simply couldn’t wait to watch it. It’s so bad, but so good.
 
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BadBurger

Is 'That Pure Potato'
UPDATE - 15/31

I'm in, going with the decade of the 80's:

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Thoughts as we go along:

  1. Possession
    It was aiight. Not sure it was worth buying the DVD and all

  2. Something Wicked This Way Comes
    Technically, this is supposed to be a kid's movie. It has more tension and genuinely creepy moments than many modern "horror" films

  3. Creepshow
    Man these 80's horrors wanted their viewers to imagine the pain huh? 3/5

  4. Silver Bullet
    Not bad, I've seen worse movies in the genre

  5. Videodrome
    I honestly don't know what the hell I just watched. It didn't help I ate a powerful gummy first, but whoa. I'm going to have to rewatch this one later

  6. The Lost Boys
    Cry little sister! Still one of the greats. 80's time capsule of a movie. Completely unique take on the vampire movie genre as far as I know

  7. The Changeling
    Not bad. Really spooky at times. I had the feeling of de ja vu many times while watching it. I wonder if this has been remade since then, maybe given a different name

  8. Night of the Creeps
    It's like some old pulp sci-fi horror lept off the paperback and onto the 1980's silver screen. Gross, entertaining, titillating (just kidding)

  9. The Stuff
    This movie was gross but I loved it. I wouldn't show it to children

  10. The Evil Dead
    Great horror movie all around, I see why it's a classic. I have seen a lot of crazy stuff since embarking on this 80's horror fest, but I didn't expect to see a woman get fucked by shrubbery

  11. Christine
    It was OK, some decent acting from the lead. The premise was just kind of silly, and I feel like it was too difficult to simply go indoors to escape a killer car in the 80's

  12. The Howling
    Better than Silver Bullet, more going on, but still not that great

  13. Razorback
    I am surprised I never heard of this. As far as early creature features goes this was pretty good

  14. Phenomena
    Great film. I need to watch more of this director's work

  15. Scream
    I took a break from the 80's to rewatch a 90's classic. Still holds up. Still the best metacommentary on slasher films to that point in time
 

Cutty Flam

Banned
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Creep
Directed by Patrick Brice

A young man accepts a job listing online and takes on the task of recording Josef for the day, a man who wishes to record his life for his unborn son

The director is actually the deuteragonist in Creep. The title is very fitting and I'd say it's worth a watch. Nothing spectacular but it is good and brings certain fears to the audience that you would never want to experience or feel in real life. It's a low budget horror film and the director's debut film but despite there being only two people the entire movie, and a woman on the phone for a brief minute, this holds up well. The Creep is extraordinarily deranged, disturbed, and just one of the last human beings you would ever want to cross paths with. If Dr. Hannibal Lecter is probably the character I'd least want to have to deal with, that is, dealing with a human psychopath in horror. The Creep is probably on that top 10 list of characters to avoid as well. They both toy with their prey; they both play with their food, so to speak. Only in different ways

7/10
 

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Anna and the Apocalypse - A zombie apocalypse musical

Yeah, that's right - it's a zombie film, it has death and gore, and it has musical numbers. Why not? And it occurs at Christmas so technically I could have used it as a festive movie pick

Actually not bad. Has the lighthearted comedy that you'd expect being a musical, but gets gradually darker as the movie progresses until the end is just outright apocalypse with not so much musical. It has blood, it has gore, it has most of the zombie flick tropes but it does them well enough. If you feel like something a bit different then I'd say it's worth a punt.
 
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9. A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)

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Personally one of my favourites out of the NOES franchise. Freddy is on top form in this one, and the dream sequences are pretty great.

The bit where he's eating the Pizza with the souls is pretty damn creepy and well done.

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I also happen to think Alice is one of the best leads after Nancy. The cast for this one was pretty great, but it would have been even better if Patricia Arquette had repirsed her role from Dream Warriors.​
 

rao.d.luffy

Member
This year I'm doing well, 1 movie per day, no problem

13 - Edge of the Axe 6/10

There's some charm here from 80's and it's a good slasher, there's even a guy who are into computers, in 1988, it's cool.
Watched on Tubi

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14 - Maniac Cop - 6,5/10

Another movie that I didn't know Bruce Campbell did.
Fun to watch with a good villain made by Robert Z'Dar, I liked it
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15 - Fear Street 1978 (part 2) - 8,5/10

I thought that the movie will take part only in 1978, but I liked what Netflix did here, linking the movies, I'll not tell more, but it's pretty cool
For me at least, the same level of the first one, there's a lot of references here to horror movies

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Cutty Flam

Banned
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The Ritual
Directed by David Bruckner

Four college friends plan a hiking trip to commemorate the loss of their friend. The group’s decision to stray from the trail of the rural plains leads them toward the unthinkable terrors that lay hidden deep in the heart of the woods within the Forrest

Thoroughly enjoyable and I didn’t expect it to be this entertaining. An effective and fairly impressive entry here for the horror genre with The Ritual. I'm starting to believe that David Bruckner has mastered the art of bringing true horror stories to the people, he's 2/2 of the films of his I've seen. I'll have to give V/H/S a try some day to see if his streak continues. But with the Ritual I enjoyed the story, the cinematography was pretty good, characters are great, acting is great despite not understanding a few words due to heavy British accents at times, and there are some really intense moments, some really cool scenes - the horror is well conceived and sharp. The Ritual can evoke primal fear, great movie

If you enjoyed The Blair Witch Project in 1999 then this is worth checking out. Blair Witch is the best still, but The Ritual is strong. In general, a great Witch movie is probably my favorite sub-genre of them all in the horror genre so I was glad that this was worth the time. Uncertain if the creature a Witch exactly, but the evil force in The Ritual turned out to be something very memorable imo; very original and creative. It's a solid horror movie and I'm handing it an 8.7/10
 
10/15
19. Army of Darkness (1992)
Rewatch, but it's been a really long time. What a gleefully dumb movie--the tone is just perfect, and it's reflected in every aspect. Even the special effects fit what the rest of the movie is doing.

20. Friday the 13th Part VI (1986)
First watch. I liked it quite a bit, mostly because it has a surprisingly funny line. Spoilers for Friday the 13th Part VI below!

So there are actual little kids at the camp this time, and Jason sometimes walks threateningly toward them. And the 20-something counselors get in his way, etc. But at one point, the little kids hide in a cabin, and one turns to another and says, totally serious, "So, what were you going to be when you grew up?" I don't know, I laughed pretty hard.

10/16
21. Halloween Kills (2021)
First watch. It was eh. Some good photography, but ... nothing happened. It's just MM heading up and down the same few streets and killing people in (somewhat) interesting ways. And there's some really ham-fisted Vigilante Politics stuff.

10/17
22. Till Death (2021)
First watch. I liked it. The first part is more 'serious drama thing,' and Megan Fox is truly awful. I was thinking, "it's like she's trying to act right now." But then when the thriller-horror stuff starts, she's actually pretty good. I was surprised.
 

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Shadow in the Cloud - Gremlin meets girl power

So, I'd heard this one was bad, really bad in fact, but it had been coming up as a horror recommendation on Prime and I was curious and decided to see what it was like for myself.

The short version is that it's a good concept which at times hints at real potential that is ultimately lost to ideological nonesense and some really poor directing and editing choices that just ruin the moemntum whenever it gets going. Basic premise is that during WW2 a female pilot (Mortez) catches a ride on a plane on a resupply run and that plane has picked up another passenger in the form of a gremlin. I like the old gremlin on a plane story and this could have been an interesting way to do a different take on it. There are things that work - the first half of the film is mostly Mortez trapped in a gunner pod on the bottom of the plane which keeps things tight, allows the gremlin reveal and appearances to be pretty effective and allows some character building and off-camera events to occur which we just get to hear over the radio.

What kills it though is the ideological pandering. All of the crew on this plane are sexist, racist, ignorant bigoted stereotypes. No sooner is she on board then she's being talked down to as just a woman, then she overhears them making lurid remarks about her over the radio. They also repeatedly refer to the only black man as a "wog". All of this is in place just so she can shoot them down and show just how much stronger and more capable she is at EVERYTHING. In the middle of the film it's not quite so in your face, but nonetheless we get to see her repeatedly outperform those pigs in the crew and be set up time and time again to hit all the strong woman bad writing pitfalls. Then came the end of the film - I was almost down to pass it as a watchable if flawed option, but holy shit the last 10 minutes go full on stupid... like mind-bogglingly poorly contrived and poorly concieved shite. There's also ridiculous physics going on (one action event is so dumb it made me wince uncomfortably) and the audio choices are baffling (wierd music track kicks in at one point that is SO out of place with the tone and setting it's unreal).

Gremlin design, reveal and initial activities in the film are decent.
Chloe Mortez is a good actress, but holy crap is the character and scripting ideologically driven and outright dumb.
Production values are pretty decent. There was clearly a decent budget.
It comes across as a script that was either a small number of good ideas plagarized or one which was written/re-written by committee.

If you're stuck for something to fill one of your slots and want the horror of seeing just how badly forced ideology can derail a good premise then it's an option. If you're looking for a decent horror (or just a decent flick) then go elsewhere

At the end of the film she picks a bare fist fight with the gremlin, kills it and then as the remaining men stare at her in awe she sits down to breastfeed her baby.

WHAT. THE. FUCK!?
 
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Kagey K

Banned
11. Batman Forever - ⭐⭐⭐

Two Face and Riddler try to defeat the Bat in this instalment of the series.

Technically not a horror movie, but there is a scene with a Jack o Lantern and kids Trick or Treating so I decided to watch it in celebration of DC Fandome.

12. The Day After - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The US and Russia go into full war mode and decide to nuke each other, depicts the lead up, bombing and fallout from a nuclear strike.

This 1983 made for TV movie permanently scarred a generation of kids who lived in fear of nuclear war during the Cold War. It was horror because it could potentially happen in most kids minds at the time. It’s still a great depiction of what could potentially be the repercussions of a full on nuclear assault.
 
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Saw I loved this movie the gore is pretty good,one funny scene is whenanother alien comes and tries to tell the humans how to kill the monster and the busty Medusa gets scared and bust his helmet making the alien head to implode.9/10Also had a crush on the blonde actress who played the swinger wife.
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10/18
23. Blade (1998)

Rewatch, have seen it many times. This may well be my favorite Marvel movie and my favorite horror movie (if I can count 1 and 2 together for this, and I might do 2 tomorrow). Snipes is excellent, and Kris KristIcan'tspellthis is great as Whistler, great action. And the most famous line isn't even the best line.

"Motherfucker, are you out of your mind?" when the cops shoot him in the hospital. Love it.

Doing this horror movie thing has had me thinking of doing something similar for November. Maybe Batman media? We'll see.
 

SpiceRacz

Member
10/18
23. Blade (1998)

Rewatch, have seen it many times. This may well be my favorite Marvel movie and my favorite horror movie (if I can count 1 and 2 together for this, and I might do 2 tomorrow). Snipes is excellent, and Kris KristIcan'tspellthis is great as Whistler, great action. And the most famous line isn't even the best line.

"Motherfucker, are you out of your mind?" when the cops shoot him in the hospital. Love it.

Doing this horror movie thing has had me thinking of doing something similar for November. Maybe Batman media? We'll see.

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poppabk

Cheeks Spread for Digital Only Future
Watched "The Loved Ones"
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Went into this one blind except for the really good review scores. Was kinda blindsided as it is not only a really good horror movie but also a solid movie overall. Plenty of gore although more the make you squirm type than entrails spilling on the floor. There is this sort of dual movie going on, a creepy slightly over the top horror movie, inside a melancholy drama about people dealing with loss.
Highly recommended.
 
10. Freddy vs Jason (2003)

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Such a fun enjoyable movie as long as you don't take it too seriously. I think any horror fan was happy to see Freddy and Jason go at it.

I love the introduction of Freddy especially because you get to see glimpes of his backstory and the montage of the previous movies.



The acting isn't the greatest and it has some questionable casting choices like Kelly Rowland who I still can't believe was in the film, but in a way I think everything adds to the charm.

I think Brendan Fletcher is the best actor in the film and has by far the most interesting character and dream sequences. It's a fun ride and worth watching to see the times when two horror icons go battle.​
 

rao.d.luffy

Member
16 - Candyman - 7,5/10
It's not like the first one, but they did a good job here with this movie.

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17 - Brainscan 8/10
Pretty good, totally in the 90's with some teenagers, games, boy with a crush, rock'n roll, this is my favorite kind of movies when I was younger, nostalgia hit me here.

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18 - The Being 4,5/10
Just ok, no charismatic characters, no creativity...
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19 - Fear Street 1666 - Part 3 - 8,5/10

And I finished the trilogy, for me it's a pleasure to watch some horror with the vibe os the old ones, and with some creativity, netflix could do more of this

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Ready or Not - A newlywed bride faces initiation into the family via a deadly game of hide and seek

Fucking great film. A great blend of (really) dark humor and horror, this one came out of nowhere and is one of my favorite horror flicks of the past decade. Samara Weaving carries the main role brilliantly and her character is a great example of how to do a horror lead well - her charatcer manages to be strong without falling into the modern "strong female lead" tropes and pitfalls. It's just a damn good movie - highly recommended.
 

poppabk

Cheeks Spread for Digital Only Future
This year I'm doing well, 1 movie per day, no problem

13 - Edge of the Axe 6/10

There's some charm here from 80's and it's a good slasher, there's even a guy who are into computers, in 1988, it's cool.
Watched on Tubi

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Watched this one tonight, saw 80's, axe murderer, and computers and just had to watch. It's pretty bad, without the computer stuff it wouldnt be worth it, the stilted dialog, the meandering plot, the less than stellar kills - but the 80s computer stuff pushes it into so bad it's good territory.
 

kunonabi

Member
I'm not watching a lot of new movies this year so ill be a little light on descriptions this time around.

10/1 - School Spirits
Zoey finds herself uprooted from her Chicago home and dragged to a small town filled with secrets and spooky happenings. When she witnesses something she can't explain in the school pool, she teams up with two girls to expel the spirits.

Typical teeny fare but the weak lead and villain sink it. The rest of the side characters are all way too quirky for their own good except for Tara who is the highlight of the whole thing.

10/2 - Beneath
Christy (Nora Zehetner) returns home years after a terrible auto accident, in which she was driving. That misfortunate event caused the disfigurement of her older sister. Now disturbing nightmares plague the young woman, and she finds that her visions reflect true and future events.

Surprisingly solid little movie for a straight-to-DVD release. Movie doesn't particularly excel at any one thing but it keeps you engaged the whole way anyway. Even had a pretty effective ending which was unexpected.

10/3 - Edge of the Axe
Two young computer-obsessed adults investigate an axe murderer terrorizing who is terrorizing a small town in northern California.

Pretty big snoozer of a film despite some funny 80s tech talk and the so-called "shocker" ending

10/4 - The Strange House
When a big-city family moves to a remote town, two young brothers and their new friends try to solve the menacing mystery that haunts their home.

Pretty by the numbers but the nerdy kid is a riot. I'd love a tv/book series just about him.

10/5 - I Know What You Did Last Summer
A year after running over a fisherman and dumping his body in the water, four friends reconvene when Julie receives a frightening letter telling her that their crime was seen. While pursuing who he thinks is responsible for the letter, Barry is run over by a man with a meat hook. The bloodletting only increases from there, as the killer with the hook continues to stalk Julie, Helen, and Ray.

Haven't seen this in years so I decided to give it another look. It's typical Scream cash-in fare but it works due to a cast that's basically a perfect time-capsule of the period. That said, it the cast does function sort of oddly. Hewitt, despite being the lead of the film really isn't the heart of it. She has two modes, comically strung out or screaming so there ends up not being much to her. She's turns out to be the drop dead gorgeous eye candy of the film instead of the actual beauty queen and the camera is dedicated to showing her off. Much appreciated to be sure. It is Gellar who ends up carrying the film due to her strong acting and the story giving her some actual material to work with. She also ends up with the standout sequence of the whole film. It's not a good movie but it is entertaining, one way or another, and it even has the one good performance of Anne Heche's career.

10/6 - I Sill Know What You Did Last Summer
A year after killing vengeful hit-and-run victim Ben Wills, who gutted her friends with an iron hook, college student Julie James is still shaken by the experience. When her roommate, Karla, wins a vacation for four to the Bahamas, she plans to bring along her boyfriend, Tyrell, attractive Will and Julie. At the resort, Julie starts receiving threatening notes and realizes Ben is still alive.

A shameless cash-in of a shameless cash-in that turns out to be completely terrible. The problems are numerous but what sinks it is the absolutely terrible cast and the lack of somebody of Gellar's talent is felt almost immediately. Total waste of time really.

10/7 The Creeping Flesh
A Victorian scientist injects his daughter with the just-add-water essence of evil.

A strong premise that goes completely sideways but still has strong performances from Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee to elevate it. They sadly don't feature much in the second half but it ends strong.

10/8 - Down a Dark Hall
Five emotionally fragile teens are committed to Blackwood, a mysterious school for gifted girls. Mesmerized by the intense head mistress Madame Duret, they think they have found a place where they can finally flourish academically and artistically. The mystery deepens as they break through layer after layer of misdirection to discover the true, horrifying purpose of the school.

Much like The Creeping Flesh this has another great concept that is never capitalized on but is carried by strong performances from Anna Sophia-Robb and Uma Thurman

10/9 - 976-EVIL
Dialing the number for something called Horrorscope puts a bullied teen in touch with the devil.
Entertaining but not quite scary or funny enough to really work.

10/10 -1408
Mike Enslin is a successful author who enjoys worldwide acclaim debunking supernatural phenomena -- before he checks into the Dolphin Hotel, that is. Ignoring the warnings of the hotel manager, he learns the meaning of real terror when he spends the night in a reputedly haunted room.

One of my favorite King adaptations. The painfully digital ghosts and weak endings hamper it a bit but the rest of it is just fantastic.

10/11 - Halloween
On a cold Halloween night in 1963, six year old Michael Myers brutally murdered his 17-year-old sister, Judith. He was sentenced and locked away for 15 years. But on October 30, 1978, while being transferred for a court date, a 21-year-old Michael Myers steals a car and escapes Smith's Grove. He returns to his quiet hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois, where he looks for his next victims.

10/12 - Halloween II
After failing to kill stubborn survivor Laurie and taking a bullet or six from former psychiatrist Dr. Sam Loomis, Michael Myers has followed Laurie to the Haddonfield Memorial Hospital, where she's been admitted for Myers' attempt on her life. The institution proves to be particularly suited to serial killers, however, as Myers cuts, stabs and slashes his way through hospital staff to reach his favorite victim.

Even in 4K I still don't like it much. I don't mind the whole sibling angle as a way to make sequels but the execution of it is just so bad here.

10/13 - Halloween III: Season of the Witch
Hospital emergency room Dr. Daniel "Dan" Challis and Ellie Grimbridge, the daughter of a murder victim, uncover a terrible plot by small-town mask maker Conal Cochran, a madman who's planning a Halloween mass murder utilizing an ancient Celtic ritual. The ritual involves a boulder stolen from Stonehenge, the use of Silver Shamrock masks and a triggering device contained in a television commercial -- all designed to kill millions of children.

This has all the piece of something I would normally like but it just doesn't work for me. The film just has no rhythm to it.

10/14 - Halloween 4: Return of Michael Myers
The apparently comatose Michael Myers is being transferred from one hospital to another, but he wakes up when the ambulance crew talk about his surviving niece, Jamie. After slaughtering his attendants, Myers sets out to find his one living relative who is, fortunately, being cared for by a kind and resourceful foster sister named Rachel. Meanwhile, the ever-cautious Dr. Loomis remains on the killer's path.

Man, this new transfer does wonders for the film. This is my Halloween night tradition so I'll end up watching it twice this year.

10/15 - The Exorcist III
Police Lt. Kinderman notices similarities between his current murder investigation and the methods used by the "Gemini" killer who was executed 15 years before. He soon discovers a hospitalized mental patient claiming to be the dead serial killer, but who looks uncannily like a priest Kinderman knew who died during an exorcism. As more bodies are found, Kinderman looks for connections between the two supposedly dead men.

A favorite of mine that I showed to my dad since he had never seen it. Wasn't plot heavy enough to keep his interest but that's usual for him.

10/16 - The Evil Dead
Ashley "Ash" Williams, his girlfriend and three pals hike into the woods to a cabin for a fun night away. There they find an old book, the Necronomicon, whose text reawakens the dead when it's read aloud. The friends inadvertently release a flood of evil and must fight for their lives or become one of the evil dead. Ash watches his friends become possessed, and must make a difficult decision before daybreak to save his own life in this, the first of Sam Raimi's trilogy.

10/17 - Poltergeist II
The Freelings have escaped their haunted house, which is now being studied by paranormal investigators, including shaman Taylor. When Taylor realizes that the Beast, masquerading as the Rev. Kane, knows where young Carol Anne Freeling now lives, he goes to warn the family that their daughter is in danger again. To protect Carol, her father, Steve, and the rest of the family must plot to take down the Beast.

Somehow this is the entry that always comes to mind first when I think of the Poltergeist films. I must have seen it often as a kid or something. That worm sequence is still nuts all these years later.

10/18 - The Blair Witch Project
Found video footage tells the tale of three film students who've traveled to a small town to collect documentary footage about the Blair Witch, a legendary local murderer. Over the course of several days, the students interview townspeople and gather clues to support the tale's veracity. But the project takes a frightening turn when the students lose their way in the woods and begin hearing horrific noises.
 

Cutty Flam

Banned
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Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Directed by Don Siegel

An unrecognizable reality rapidly interweaves itself upon the town of Santa Mira

This classic horror was released in 1956 and the acting and script are both outstanding. The story is like a high powered full length feature of something you could expect to see from the Twilight Zone at its best. It might have been more frightening back in its time…I found what was taking place entertaining but wasn’t feeling much of anything in the way of fright

Kevin McCarthy 100% nails his role, probably the single greatest acting job in any horror I’ve seen to date actually. And while there may not be any truly scary scenes for the hardcore horror fans, the way everything was shot may be more than enough for some. Invasion of the Body Snatchers is worth viewing at least once. And I think the acting, shooting, script and plot are enough to heavily entertain even without scares

9/10
 

kurisu_1974

is on perm warning for being a low level troll
I'm horribly behind logging my watched stuff here, honestly it's mostly because it all sucked. Going to try and catch up in a couple of posts.

#5 The Night House (2020)

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Spooky house movie that started out OK, had some interesting ideas, but got progressively worse as it went on and had a very idiotic antagonist and a lousy third act.

#6 Nightbooks (2021)

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Goddamnit this was a horrible, cheap kid's movie and the kids were pretty annoying too.

#7 V/H/S/94 (2021)

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The previous entries in this series had at least some talent behind it (Ti West, Adam Wingard) but while I sort of liked the first segment in this one (the only one that did anything with the 90s setting too), the rest was just student movie level bad and boring.

#8 Fear Street: 1666 (2021)

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Ever wondered what it would be like if The VVitch was a typically shitty Netflix product? Me neither. The second movie in this trilogy was the only I kinda enjoyed.

#9 The Final Conflict (1981)

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For some reason I had never watched the third movie in the original Omen series... well I didn't miss out on much is what I learned. While it retains some atmosphere, this is not a very interesting or thrilling feature. I guess they went straight to DVD after this misfire.

#10 Lucky (2020)

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This was just ridiculous. Nothing in this "home invasion" movie made any sense, and holy crap that reveal at the end. Even my wife, who is a woman, rolled her eyes at this piece of shit. After this and V/H/S/94 I will check for the "Shudder Original" tag so that I can avoid walking in their supermarket DVD bargain bin trap.
 
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Cutty Flam

Banned
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His House
Directed by Remi Weekes

Two refugees enter sanctuary (England iirc) and are assigned an old abandoned house to live in

His House had 100% on Rotten Tomatoes so I thought it was going to be outstanding but they clearly didn’t critique the film harshly enough. The story itself is more of a traumatizing drama with some very sharp horror scenes. The horror in His House carries the movie along well, but the story itself is very bleak as it focuses on a third world issue the protagonists dealt with. The tone or mood of His House is extremely depressing, it’s overall just a very bad situation, a depressing look in all directions for both the protagonists, who are husband and wife. Kind of hard to rank this one since it’s well made but I simply didn’t think highly of it so I’ll grade it with categories and then give a score based on what I feel the greatness of the horror film is

Scares = 7.6/10
Acting = 8/10
Story = 6.5/10
Atmosphere = 5/10
Sound (During Scare Scenes) = 9/10
Writing = 7/10
Overall = 7.2/10

During, it felt more like a 5.5/10 at best if I’m to be honest but that is just going by feel, the movie is a little better than that. The scares are solid but one thing I didn’t like was how they became more ridiculous and less believable as the movie went on. At first, it seemed sinister. But as time went on the fright factor was lost due to the poor design of the evil within their house. The sound was actually extremely frightening. Took my earbuds out a couple times because I couldn’t believe what I was hearing

To my taste, I’m slapping the film with a mediocre 5.5/10 label because I felt like the actual story weighs down the promising fright it at first excels with. But His House it deserves the 7.2/10 it’s earned through the categorical rankings, it’s not a bad movie at all but many choices take away from the actual horror which is a shame because the director and producer probably could have done some amazing things but their choices and their focus in story ruin the experience a bit. First looking to be a very strong horror film. But the battle they faced became all to stale after the beginning; middle and end portion failed to carry the film to its full potential

This was Weekes’ debut horror film btw. He might have the potential to deliver something great next time. Expect quality to fluctuate from 5.5/10 range to 7.2/10 is my final verdict
 
11. Cabin Fever (2002)

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I think this has become a bit of a 'meme' film because of the pancakes scene, but still really enjoy what Eli Roth did here. In many ways it feels like a dark horror comedy, which is maybe what he intended.

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I don't know why they felt to remake it because I think it being an early 2000's movie is what adds to the charm. Plus the main cast is pretty decent.

Growing up I found this movie super unsettling when they start getting the disease. If you've seen it, you'll know there's a certain part where she's shaving in the bath and it's pretty hard to watch.

Jeff is still one of the smartest horror movie characters for majority of the film.​
 
10/19
24. Blade II (2002)
Rewatch, seen it many times. More camp than the first one, and there are definitely some questions about the plot, but I still love it. It oozes style, and the fight scenes are legit.

10/20
25. Midsommar (2019)
First watch. Holy shit.

10/21
26. 28 Days Later (2003)
Rewatch, but it's been a long time. Holds up just fine, with great directing and performances from the leads. I'd forgotten that Moneypenny from the Bond movies is here (she rocks). And Cillian Murphy probably deserves a better/bigger career than he's had.

Not gonna lie, I'm feeling a little burned out on horror movies right now.
 
12. 1408

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Seen this one before but it's been many, many years. Holds up really well. Easily one of the best King adaptations.

Very solid cast with John Cusack and Samuel Jackson, personally think this is one of Cusack's best roles as well.

Incredibly creepy film that really takes advantage of the concept of being in one hotel room and the main character slowly losing his grip on reality. It also managed to make a Carpenters song scary.

 

Old Retro

Member
journal entry #2

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October 9 - October 20

The Howling 1981 - First time I had seen this. Just what you'd expect, badass wolfy special effects that hold up over the years.
Ernest Scared Stupid 1991 - Saw this at the movies with 2 friends I'll never see again and 1 friend I still have. It's genuinely funny and has some pretty good stunts believe it or not. Ernest was a comic genius gone too soon.
Jeepers Creepers 2001 - A good, pretty original idea for the most part. Great cast and great acting.
The Breed 2001 - Laughable, low budget vampire film that has few bright spots. I only watched it for Bokeem.
Session 9 2001 - I thought it would be like Silent Hill, but this wasn't scary at all. More of a psychological drama.
The Thing 2011 - Was much better 2nd time around from when I saw it in the theater. Until recently, didn't realize it's a prequel rather than a remake of a remake. Good but can't come close to the star power of 1982's movie.
The Craft 1996 - Ah, to be that young and witchy again! Makes me feel old. See it if you haven't!
 

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Resident Cheap Arse
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The Babysitter - Bullied, introverted kid has an awesome babysitter. Babysitter isn't what she seems.

A re-watch. probably my 6-7th since it was released. Great horror comedy with spot on characters and cast. Samara Weaving is once again brilliant in her role and the main charcter played by Judah Lewis is both likeable and sympathetic. No case of kid goes super soldier here - he's struggling through the whole film and blunders into most wins. Particular standouts in the supporting villains are the Jock (Robbie Arnell) and the creepy chick (Hana Mae Lee) who is just mental.

Great film. Will watch again.


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The Babysitter: Killer Queen - Bullied kid is growing up but antagonists with motivations spanning form the first movie came for him.

The sequel. It's not bad and is a perfectly enjoyable watch, it's just not up to the high bar set by the original and commits a fair few of the comedy sequel cardinal sins and a could of the horror sequel cardinal sins that just pull it all down. The comedy cardinal sins - characters are more extreme versions of their past selves with popular characteristics exaggerated. The horror sin - trying to make a charismatic villain a sort of anti-hero or misunderstood hero. I fucking hate that - villains can be charismatic, relatable and even likable but still be morally evil and motivationally corrupt, it's what makes a good villain and it mirrors life because a lot of the worst people have very charismatic and relatable personas.

The new vaillain crew are annoying. Slight spoilers (that are on the poster)... the original crew are still the stars. Robbie Arnell in particular carries a lot of his scenes and remains a quality charcter.

Good, but nowhere near the original. Still worth your time if you're after horror comedy.
 
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Happy Death Day 2U - Murder groundhog day returns, parallel universe edition.

Sequel to Happy Death day and does the comedy horror sequel right. This film picks up immediately where the last left off, but pivots into sci-fi in order to explain why the herione of the original was trapped in a loop while also introducing additional twists resulting the phenomena reoccurring.

Once again Jessica Rothe carries the film with her protrayal of the main character. We get to keep all the character development of the original and explore it further thanks to the parallel world shennanigans. They get to introduce some great additional depth and development to her character including a couple of decent emotional scenes and we get all the killer drama with new mystery because while the situation is the same (crazy killer trying to kill her and others) the set up means the mystery has to be solved again all while trying to correct the time/parallel universe malarky. Good humor as Tree (main character) struggles to survive (and the total opposite) and all in all a good continuation of the story.

Nailed it. Loved it. Give the original and this one a watch if you've never seen them.
 
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Cutty Flam

Banned
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Eraserhead
Directed and Written by David Lynch

David Lynch has an interesting style to his films and there's usually a lot that go into them as well. Eraserhead is extremely depressing, odd, and disturbing. Not your traditional horror film so be prepared for that going in. Expression is a huge part of Eraserhead imo. I won't be rating it, maybe if I understood all of the themes and topics and all that Lynch was trying to convey to the audience I would. But for now, I'll just say it's a trippy take on horror, original. Not frightening at all btw, mostly disturbing scenes, thought provoking scenes
 
10/22
27. The Invisible Man (2020)
First watch. Starts off weak, but then after half an hour or so it turns a corner and the rest of it is very solid. Lots of tension and unsettling psychological stuff.

10/23
28. Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (1988)
Rewatch, but it's been a really long time. I picked it because I wasn't in the mood for something more sinister and horror-y, but honestly it was genuinely good. It's got a good heart, and it's both very sex-positive and aggressively against harassment. Seriously, she beats up/knocks down her boss and a real estate agent who try to assault but, but she also very aggressively pursues this empty-handed 'town hunk' guy. Said hunk also lives in small town in Massachusetts but wears a Florida State shirt, which was probably the weirdest thing in the movie. This movie that stars a woman known mostly for her giant rack handles sex in a more enlightened and mature way than most blockbusters today (a few minutes ago I saw an article with the latest MCU director giving an explanation for why they have a sex scene in Eternals. Ugh).

10/24
29. Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)
First watch. What a weird one. The story doesn't even make sense by its own logic, and the main character is a doctor who's a bit too grab-ass even for that era, but it has a retro charm thing going for it, plus there are a few camera shots that are legitimately good. It's also very "evil corporations and TV will rot your brain," which I appreciated.

30. Annihilation (2018)
First watch. Another weird one. It reminded me of 2001 but as a horror movie. Not saying it's as good as 2001 at all, but the narrative structure and thematic elements have similarities, and it does have some legitimately new and interesting images. Plus Tessa Thompson!
 

sCHOCOLATE

Member
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Ready or Not - A newlywed bride faces initiation into the family via a deadly game of hide and seek

Fucking great film. A great blend of (really) dark humor and horror, this one came out of nowhere and is one of my favorite horror flicks of the past decade. Samara Weaving carries the main role brilliantly and her character is a great example of how to do a horror lead well - her charatcer manages to be strong without falling into the modern "strong female lead" tropes and pitfalls. It's just a damn good movie - highly recommended.
Honestly thought that was a poster depicting Margot Robbie. Austin Powers was right, Fembots have infiltrated society!
 

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Snatchers - Teen girl has sex for the first time. Wakes up the next day heavily pregnant with a killer critter.

More horror comedy. This one is pretty good despite being largely unknown and having a completely underwhelming poster. The premise is pretty straightforward - a girl decides to lose her V with a much desired guy at her school. The following day, she's pregnant, very pregnant, and the bun in her oven isn't friendly nor is it going to stay in there for long. Gore, humor, a decent set of characters and some good practical effects.
 

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Bruiser - A downtrodden guy wakes up to find a white mask on his face that he can't remove. So he uses this newfound anonymity to seek revenge against all those who have treated him so poorly.

One of George A. Romero's lesser known films and tbh one I always enjoy. Jason Flemyng is great in the main role as a businessman who's life is going down the pan as everyone around him, from his wife to his boss to his maid, take advantage of him and treat him with contempt. What you get is a formulaic but notheless well done and enjoyable revenge flick where our protagonist is the film's killer. The mask is simple but creepy in it's simplicity and unnerving in how it just appears and seems to be part of him. Decent slasher / revenge flick for those in the mood for one.
 
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jason10mm

Gold Member
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Sea Fever
Directed by Neasa Hardiman

Not much a horror unless you yourself are a sailor or fisherman, some kind if seaman who has an intimate connection with being out at sea. I found Sea Fever to be a depressing watch with no real excitement, but it is interesting. The acting is very strong from all cast members so the film never drags, but I thought this would have been much more suspenseful as well as eventful. The entire movie can be described as “an unfortunate turn at sea” but nothing horrific about this one. The suspense is fairly tame too. I thought it was an okay story but it’s tough to recommend Sea Fever as a horror. Watch this if you’ve seen nearly everything else but if you’re looking for something frightening or chilling and suspenseful you will be disappointed. Everything is just enough to stay interesting throughout the span of one watch. About as mediocre as can be with its horror elements or lack thereof but the story and acting made it a decent watch despite expecting more based off the reviews written. My favorite scene was the third and second to last scene, the ending concludes the story nicely but again, this was completely underwhelming as a horror

Rotten Tomatoes scored Sea Fever like an 86% approval from critics and around 44% of the audience approved. The audience is right, this should be skipped over. A sound project and effort overall, but it does not deliver as a horror. 5.5/10 score and I would say it's not worth watching during the 31 days of horror challenge. Select something else that will actually bring the suspense and horror
I liked this one, plus is has the classic trope of an absolute BOMBSHELL redhead somehow being a shy reclusive girl :p

It's more of a weird tale than straight horror, that is for sure.
 

SpiceRacz

Member
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Bruiser - A downtrodden guy wakes up to find a white mask on his face that he can't remove. So he uses this newfound anonymity to seek revenge against all those who have treated him so poorly.

One of George A. Romero's lesser known films and tbh one I always enjoy. Jason Flemyng is great in the main role as a businessman who's life is going down the pan as everyone around him, from his wife to his boss to his maid, take advantage of him and treat him with contempt. What you get is a formulaic but notheless well done and enjoyable revenge flick where our protagonist is the film's killer. The mask is simple but creepy in it's simplicity and unnerving in how it just appears and seems to be part of him. Decent slasher / revenge flick for those in the mood for one.

Always remember this one because The Misfits are in it.

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Kagey K

Banned
14. Zombieland - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

A college kid who plays by his own rules during the zombie apocalypse teams up with a grizzled veteran with a hankering for Twinkies.

I love this movie, its funny, it’s gory and reminds me of Dead Rising.

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15. Dawn of the Dead (1978) - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A group of survivors get stranded at a mall while the zombies try to get their Black Friday on.

A George Romero classic, and inspired one of my favorite games of all time. Not much that can be said about it that hasn’t been said already.
 
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14. Zombieland: Double Tap (2019)

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It's not easy to make a sequel that is just as enjoyable as the first, but man, they managed to pull it off.

No loss of chemistry despite the long break between the movies. Instantly felt like being placed back in to 2009 Zombieland.

Really nice effort, and a lot better than I was expecting from a sequel.​
 
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