The 2015 October Horror Movie Challenge

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Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

loving FINALLY. I live the rest of the year just to get to October. If I didn't limit myself to October I'd watch all my favorite horror movies like once a month and burn out on them within a year.

I started early last night because I realized A Nightmare on Elm Street was disappearing from Netflix in the morning and it felt right to start with Craven this year.

One thing about NoES that I always tend to forget is how much of a mind-gently caress that ending is. Nancy appears to come to some sort of realization that the entire film has been a dream, and when she turns her back on Freddy and walks out the dream is over. But wait, no of course its not over , we're apparently still in the dream? So this entire movie never happened? Are Nancy's friends even real? If Freddie kills them all after trapping them in the car, are they all dead or is this just Nancy's dream?

Of course the answer is who gives a poo poo. Still, for the first film in the franchise this ending is just as bizarre as any that would come later. I suppose this kind of thing was a general trend in horror at the time, probably starting with Carrie, and then Friday the 13th. All dreamlike endings that we can't necessarily take at face value.

I'm not going to bother to rate the movies I watch because they're all mostly classics that are at least 4/5 if not 5/5

# ¿ Oct 1, 2015 14:49

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# ¿ May 1, 2024 21:14

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

I think I would have liked it if the top of the car was red and green, and it was just left up to the audience to notice that things were definitely not right here. Let the kids drive off without realizing the danger they're in.

Edit: Wow that was a weird coincidence! I thought of it first, I swear!

# ¿ Oct 1, 2015 20:21

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

2. Psycho

This seemed like a good way to kick-off the next few days, where I'll be watching stuff like Twitch of the Death Nerve and Black Christmas.

Every time I watch this I wonder what it must have been like to see it without having grown up in a post-Norman Bates world. Hitchcock pulls off one of the best tricks I've ever seen in movie history, its way more than just killing off the main character half-way through. Hitchcock basically uses his established reputation as the director of Vertigo and North by Northwest to lull the audience into expecting a certain type of film, and he sticks with it long enough that when he pulls the rug out its a huge shock.

The first 30 minutes of Psycho are absolutely brilliant. Everything is set up perfectly for the typical Hitchcock thriller, Crane is on the run with stolen money, and a unusually clever cop is on her trail. She swaps her car but the cop sees her do it, he won't give up. When she finally gets to the Bates Motel its a relief for both the character and the audience. At that point in the story you might even predict that Norman will be a hero in the film; maybe the cop turns out to be corrupt and Norman helps hide Crane from him. I imagine the wheels started to turn in people's minds as the dinner conversation between Crane and Norman goes on, and he's clearly not normal.

Perkins performance is one of those that can't possibly be overhyped, I'm not sure its every really been topped in terms of overall creepiness mixed with some sort of strange appeal. There are several very disturbing moments too, and I don't even necessarily mean the shower scene. I find the scene where Norman rolls her car into the swamp to be absolutely terrifying, the idea that she's dead in the trunk and the car just slowly sinking into the mud. This film is iconic for a reason.

Basebf555 fucked around with this message at 15:00 on Oct 2, 2015

# ¿ Oct 2, 2015 14:53

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

Bulkiest Toaster posted:

Tonight I am either going to watch Freddy's Revenge or mix it up with something else. I watched a bunch of Friday the 13th movies back to back and the burnout was pretty hard since they are pretty formulaic. Might watch something random in between each installment of Nightmare.

The Nightmare series really allows for hopping around and skipping certain sequels, even if you have movie OCD like I do. Most people would say that you can skip 2 and go straight to Dream Warriors, which feels like more of a direct sequel. Then from there you can jump straight to New Nightmare and you've experienced pretty much everything Freddy has to offer. So basically you can get away with only watching the Heather Langenkamp entries.

# ¿ Oct 2, 2015 18:19

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

One of the things I'd buy if I had more disposable income is every single Shout Factory blu ray. They have so many movies like the Sleepaway Camp sequels, The Burning, Phantasm 2, Pumpkinhead, etc. that I'd love to own but I just can't justify spending that much for what really, in the end, is schlock that I may or may not watch once a year. Still, it would be fun to have them all on my shelf.

# ¿ Oct 2, 2015 18:32

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

Uncle Boogeyman posted:

i bought my first Scream Factory blu ray the other day (Lord of Illusions). Pumpkinhead is next on my list, but yeah they're a little pricey.

Of course there were a few that were must buys for me, so I do have 5 or 6 of them. The From Beyond blu ray is stunning. The colors!

# ¿ Oct 2, 2015 18:51

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

I'm trying to do the full 31 movies separately from the Scream Stream, but I agree with everyone saying that 1408 was really good and Final Destination didn't hold up very well at all.

3. Black Christmas

For me this is the scariest slasher ever made, even moreso than Halloween. There are others that are nicer looking, have better acting, better special effects, but Black Christmas always just scared the crap out of me. Only the suburban surroundings of Haddonfield rival Black Christmas' sorority house in terms of a film changing a mundane, safe space into something terrifying. By the end of the movie the house feels so small, like taking a step in any direction could be fatal. Black Christmas and Twitch of the Death Nerve are like the parents of the slasher. Carpenter cribbed very heavily from Black Christmas when he made Halloween, and the same could be said of Friday the 13th and Twitch of the Death Nerve.

4. Deep Red

I only just discovered Argento last year, but I know I'll be watch a few of his films every October from here on out. I'm watching a bunch of slashers to kick things off so Deep Red was an obvious choice. There's a great blu ray set that includes this film, Inferno, and Cat O Nine Tails, and I highly recommend it.

Deep Red is the movie you'd put on if you were trying to show someone what a giallo is. Its basically the perfect template for the subgenre, its a solid mystery with some great characters and plenty of twists and turns. Because its Argento it also looks great, lots of bright colors which is something I always appreciate in a horror film. Like pretty much everything else I'm watching this month, its an undisputed classic.

# ¿ Oct 3, 2015 19:57

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

_{1. Psycho

2. Black Christmas

3. Deep Red}

I chose to focus on Christopher Lee this weekend. I'll skipped Horror of Dracula because I plan to watch that closer to Halloween.

4. The Mummy(1959): In my opinion this is Lee's most underrated performance. Sure, people know about Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, and Lord Summerisle. Few remember that he and Peter Cushing also starred in Hammer's production of The Mummy. This is my favorite Mummy film and also the version that is referenced the most by the very successful remakes starring Brendan Frasier. The flashback scenes starring Lee in his pre-mummified form are excellent, and Lee still manages to do a lot of acting once he's wrapped up and caked in mud.

Lee always had a certain physical way of approaching these monsters, and it is scary because of how real it is. When the mummy is tearing through a window screen to get at its victim, he doesn't conjure up a supernatural wind to blow it open, or rip it open in one smooth motion. He tears at it animalistically, his anger seeming to build after each second that he can't get in the window. It makes you feel like if he catches you, it wouldn't be painless, he would tear you limb from limb with his bare hands.

5. The Curse of Frankenstein: Overall this is Cushing's show, but Lee does a great job with his role as well. The sets are fantastic, which becomes a calling card of the Hammer Frankenstein series, and for me the Monster is every bit as complex and sympathetic as Karloff's. This is one case where I'd recommend all of the sequels as well. They all star Cushing, most try out a few new ideas, and are just a lot of fun in general.

6.The Wicker Man: I saw this for the first time last year and liked it a lot, but I think I enjoyed it even more this time. This is one of the most beautiful horror films of all-time, and the beauty of the surroundings is precisely what becomes unsettling as the film goes on, along with Lee's performance of course. Lee's supreme confidence is both creepy and compelling, much like a real cult leader I suppose.

Woodward's police officer is similarly confident that he has control of the situation, and that his Christian faith still holds sway over this island. The slow realization of just how wrong he is makes for the core of the film, and for anyone who doesn't know how it ends the climax brings it all together in a very terrifying way. I can't recommend this film enough, and I can see why Lee considers it his favorite performance.

Basebf555 fucked around with this message at 15:31 on Oct 5, 2015

# ¿ Oct 5, 2015 15:20

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

Choco1980 posted:

I think one of the most impressive things about The Wicker Man to me is how the ending sounds kinda blah and mediocre on paper, but when you watch it, it hits you square in the gut with the weight of a sack full of bricks. Even after you know it's coming and have seen the film before, it's still such a weighty ending to everything.

Its definitely a film that is rewatchable, and not just because of how great it looks. There were so many times throughout where I kinda chuckle at what the cop is saying, but at the same time there's a pit in my stomach because the guy just doesn't have a clue how dangerous his situation is.

# ¿ Oct 5, 2015 15:59

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

I always get so jealous when I hear about seeing stuff like American Werewolf in London and From Beyond for the first time. Anyway I'm right on pace, 7 movies down and only 5 days into the month. At this rate I'll probably get to 40.

7. Drag Me to Hell: I missed this on the Scream Stream the other night but its a must-watch every October for me. I actually have more fun watching this film than I do Evil Dead( Evil Dead 2 is better than both though). There's been a lot of talk about lackluster CGI in the Scream Stream, probably to be expected since the theme is post-2000 horror. I watched Drag Me to Hell with that very much on my mind, and I can see why someone might complain about it. There are a few times where CGI blood(or mucus) is used when you'd think a director like Raimi would have gone out of his way to avoid it. Still, I've seen the movie 4 or 5 times now and the CGI never bothers me. The wacky tone of the film encourages the audience to laugh at scenes where gigantic geysers of blood are erupting, so the goofiness of the CGI blends right in with the goofiness of everything else going on around it. Is that just an excuse? Maybe, but the bottom line is I unconditionally love this movie.

_{1.Psycho 2.Black Christmas 3.Deep Red 4.The Wicker Man 5.The Mummy(1959) 6.The Curse of Frankenstein 7. Drag Me to Hell}

# ¿ Oct 6, 2015 14:58

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

_{1.Psycho 2.Black Christmas 3.Deep Red 4. Wicker Man 5.The Mummy 6.The Curse of Frankenstein 7.Drag Me to Hell}

8.Candyman

I've never sat down and really thought it through, but Candyman may be my favorite horror movie of the 90's. One common element in almost every one of my favorite horror movies is a great soundtrack, and Candyman's is excellent. I feel like the movie would be half as scary without it, right from the opening credits the hair is standing up on my arms because the music is so haunting. The idea of pairing such a gothic score with the inner city setting was pure genius, even if the actual depiction of these neighborhoods and buildings isn't very realistic. Cabrini Green, the housing project where a lot of the film takes place, feels like a gate to Hell ala Fulci or Argento.

Then of course there's Tony Todd. The dude is just scary, and he pulls off several scenes that could have easily felt goofy without his overwhelming presence. There are a few moments in this movie that are extremely memorable, all-time classic horror moments. One involves a meeting with a psychiatrist in an asylum, and the other is the famous hook through the mirror scare. For whatever reason whenever the topic of jump scares comes up I don't see this mentioned, and I even failed to post about it in the jump scare thread that we had a while back. It's absolutely one of the best scares ever though, and its a great template for this kind of thing. No bullshit cat jumping into frame here!

I also want to say that Candyman II has always been a guilty pleasure of mine, and I think its almost as good as the original. If you're checking out Candyman for the first time, might as well watch Candyman 2, I think there's a good chance you'll enjoy both.

Basebf555 fucked around with this message at 14:58 on Oct 7, 2015

# ¿ Oct 7, 2015 14:52

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

I've seen Candyman probably ten times over the years, but embarrassingly I only just realized why he came after Helen in the first place. Beyond the fact that she's a pretty white woman like the one he loved when he was alive, there's a few lines that I guess I just never heard or interpreted correctly before.

Helens investigation leads her to Cabrini Green, where she ends up being assaulted by a gang leader who is using the legend of Candyman to rule over the housing project. Later on when the real Candyman comes for her, he tells her that because her actions got this gang leader arrested, the residents of Cabrini Green no longer fear Candyman, and therefore he is losing his power. He needs a new, ideally famous, victim so that he can continue to live in people's nightmares. I don't know why I never understood all that before, Candyman spells it all out..

# ¿ Oct 7, 2015 16:43

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

_{1.Psycho 2.Black Christmas 3.Deep Red 4.Wicker Man 5.The Mummy(1959) 6.The Curse of Frankenstein 7.Drag Me to Hell 8.Candyman}

9. Child's Play

As crazy as it sounds, this is the horror series that scared me the most as a kid. I was 4 when Child's Play came out, so I first saw it a few years later on television, and then eventually the sequels. I was absolutely terrified of Chucky, and it took a growth spurt when I was about 12 or 13 to finally get past that. I think once I was big enough I thought I could just punt Chucky if he ever came after me, I dunno.

Anyway, what most people comment on when they watch the movie today is that it seems like its setting the audience up for the possible twist that it was Andy doing the killing and he has some kind of multiple personality disorder. Watching it again, I don't really feel that's the case. The movie isn't setting the audience up for a twist, its holding back on showing Chucky because it gives the eventual scene where he reveals himself a lot more impact. The audience in 1988 had probably seen its share of killer doll stories, I know Twilight Zone did it at the very least. The first half of Child's Play establishes the expectation that the Chucky is going to act like the typical creepy doll. Maybe turning his head slowly in the background, maybe talking when there's no batteries in him, that kind of thing. It was probably a huge shock to audiences when he actually turns to look at the mother, his brow furrows exactly like a person, and a serial killer's voice comes out.

Of course, today the movie is fairly goofy and it was never really meant to be taken seriously. But I can still watch it and tap into that fear I had when I was a kid, that's why I love these kind of movies.

# ¿ Oct 8, 2015 14:56

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

Watrick, what's the highest total for one day that you've had so far? I think my limit for watching movies is 4 in a day, anything beyond that and my eyes are just glazing over and I'm not absorbing it. Even 4 is pushing it, I really like to limit it to 2 or 3.

# ¿ Oct 8, 2015 17:43

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

_{1.Psycho 2.Black Christmas 3.Deep Red 4.Wicker Man 5.The Mummy 6.The Curse of Frankenstein 7.Drag Me to Hell 8.Candyman 9.Child�s Play}

10. Lords of Salem

Aside from something possibly on the Scream Stream, this will be the most recent movie I'll watch all October. From my experience this film is divisive, although plenty of people around here seem to like it. Its a slow-burn, and there isn't what I would necessarily call a traditional climax to the story; a lot of people seem to have a hard time understanding what is happening in the last 30 minutes or so.

With all that said Lords of Salem is my favorite horror movie of since 2000. I'm a big Rob Zombie fan and I enjoy all of his films, even House of 1000 Corpses. I feel like everything he's done before was just practice for Lords of Salem though, this is his masterpiece. Its the best cinematography in any of his films to date, Sherri Moon's performance is great(even though I've heard some disagree), and there's a palpable feeling of dread and sadness over the whole thing that is extremely powerful. There is a phone call between Heidi and her radio host friend Herman towards the end that is just gut-wrenching. Ending spoilers:Its a guy who wants to help with every fiber of his being, but there's just nothing he can do, the situation is hopeless. This is a movie where the bad guy sets out to accomplish a goal, suffers exactly zero setbacks, and wins out in the end. .

Even if you aren't a fan of this movie, you can't say there are many other modern horror films out there like this, its fairly unique.

# ¿ Oct 9, 2015 15:04

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

The Changeling is also a very good haunted house movie.

# ¿ Oct 10, 2015 00:11

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

_{1. Psycho 2. Black Christmas 3. Deep Red 4. Wicker Man 5. The Mummy 6. The Curse of Frankenstein 7. Drag Me to Hell 8. Candyman 9. Child�s Play 10. Lords of Salem}

11. Suspiria

I saw Suspiria for the first time last year around Halloween, and it blew me away. I could have easily watched it three or four more times since then but I wanted to wait until October came around again. The use of color in this movie is unlike anything I've ever seen. There's a great shot at the beginning where the main character is riding in a cab at night during a rainstorm. As the cab rolls through puddles, the water splashes up the side of the car, and each splash is lit with a different color. There's color like that kind of artificially injected into every shot. The dance school is one of the more memorable settings in any horror movie I've seen, and its the main reason that the film has such a dreamlike quality.

There is surprisingly little gore in Suspiria, but the few scenes that use it are pretty brutal. The story is pretty bare-bones as well, but what's there works just fine for me. The whole thing is held together by the Goblin soundtrack and the visuals, and I really don't need anything else. This is definitely one of the top two or three Italian horror movies I've seen.

12. Hellraiser

As another poster said earlier on the page, the Cenobites work the best in this movie because they are used sparingly. When Pinhead shows up in this movie, its a Big Deal. They're used as big pay-off moments, and those moments("We'll tear your soul apart!") are great, but the movie is carried by Frank and Julia. The guy playing regular human Frank is perfect, even if his lines are dubbed, and of course reconstituted Frank does an amazing job with the physical acting he does. The way he squirms towards his victim is extremely unsettling.

But if any one person could be said to carry the movie on their shoulders, its Clare Higgins as Julia. Its not surprising that she was brought back as the primary antagonist for the sequel, she's an actress that can do a whole lot with just a facial expression, and she's able to be extremely hateable and sexy at the same time. Julia shows up on most "greatest femme fatale/female villain" lists and for good reason. The movie wouldn't have any forward momentum if not for her character, and her arc is the primary one throughout. No other character undergoes as much change as Julia does, and because of that she's the most compelling to watch.

13. From Beyond

I doubt there's anything new I can say about this one(or any of the movie I'm watching really), I'll say it anyway because it can't be said enough. If you are a Lovecraft fan on any level, if you enjoy gooey monster effects, if you like a horror movie with bright colors, if you're a fan of Jeffrey Combs or Barbara Crampton or Stuart Gordon, if you like horror that isn't afraid to have a good time STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING IMMEDIATELY AND WATCH FROM BEYOND. About two minutes into this movie a an extra-dimensional eel bites a guy's face, and things never stop escalating from there.

I don't really get into the whole CGI vs. practical debate, but this is a primary example of a film that could never be properly reproduced using CGI. If it were remade today, CGI would almost certainly be used extensively, and so much of the charm of the movie would be lost. There's always slime dripping, or flesh rippling, or some sort of physical effect that just doesn't translate if its not done practically. The climax of the film is pretty goofy and fun, but I can imagine that same scene being very blah and forgettable if were CGI.

This is a Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton team-up just like Re-Animator, but I enjoy this a lot more. Even if you're in it just for Crampton, I think she's hotter in this movie. Bottom line is there's absolutely nothing negative I can say about From Beyond, I consider it required viewing for any horror fan right up there with any of the other established classics.

14. & 15. Evil Dead and Evil Dead II

I don't feel like these need separate entries, watching Evil Dead II directly after the first makes it very obvious that Raimi was going for a pseudo-remake. His way of making that clear to the audience is a scene where Ash's girlfriend is shown to be wearing the same exact necklace as the girl from Evil Dead.

Regardless, I've always enjoyed Evil Dead II more. The tone of the first is undercut somewhat by the dated/cheap effects, and Evil Dead II drops the pretense and just goes all-out with the Looney-Tunes type stuff. The effects are better, but the key thing is there's more of them. It feels like every two minutes some new abomination pops up for Ash to deal with, and this is the film where his action-hero transition occurs, which is a lot of fun to watch. If I'm being honest Evil Dead isn't one of my all-time favorite horror series, but the sequel is too much fun to leave out of a Halloween season.

# ¿ Oct 12, 2015 15:53

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

Watrick posted:

Have you seen Inferno yet? It's the sort-of sequel to Suspiria. If not, I suggest you dive in. It's on Hulu.

Oh yes, most definitely. I just watched it about three months ago so I may skip it this October.

The reason I watched it a few months ago is because I bought this set which I highly recommend to any Argento fan: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00R55U198?keywords=Argento%20blu%20ray&qid=1444663636&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

Cat O Nine tails was a pleasant surprise for me. I'd read that it wasn't very good but I enjoyed it a lot. Inferno and Deep Red are must owns though, and the price is right.

# ¿ Oct 12, 2015 16:28

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

I'm probably as big a fan of Creepshow 1 & 2 as you're likely to meet, yet I've never tried to track down Creepshow 3 because every single opinion I've ever heard on it says its totally worthless.

# ¿ Oct 12, 2015 21:30

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

Watrick posted:

Have you, or anyone else for that matter, seen Deadtime Stories? I've always enjoyed that anthology.

I have not. Always on the lookout for anthologies though, I'll keep it in mind. I saw Black Sabbath and The House that Dripped Blood for the first time recently and enjoyed both a lot.

# ¿ Oct 12, 2015 21:48

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

HUNDU THE BEAST GOD posted:

Watch Body Bags, in which John Carpenter introduces the vignettes as a hippy morgue attendant.

I blind bought the Shout Factory blu ray last year and was not disappointed. Will be watching it again this year along with both Creepshows, Necronomicon(on tap for tonight), and Trick R Treat.

I'm eyeing up this one too: http://www.amazon.com/Tales-Crypt-V...+from+the+Crypt

Basebf555 fucked around with this message at 21:59 on Oct 12, 2015

# ¿ Oct 12, 2015 21:56

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

HUNDU THE BEAST GOD posted:

I only watched Necronomicon once but don't remember a thing about it.

It has its flaws but I still love it. It's hard to believe you forgot Jeffrey Combs wearing a prosthetic Lovecraft chin.

# ¿ Oct 12, 2015 22:01

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

mikeycp posted:

I'm really looking forward to watching this one in a couple weeks.

It's pretty good overall, but the whole thing is brought up a level by Carpenter's wrap around segments. I remember being a little bored by the first segment actually, but the others were much better.

# ¿ Oct 12, 2015 22:17

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

_{1. Psycho 2. Black Christmas 3. Deep Red 4. Wicker Man 5.The Mummy 6.The Curse of Frankenstein 7. Drag Me to Hell 8.Candyma 9.Child�s Play 10.Lords of Salem 11.Suspiria 12.Hellraiser 13. From Beyond 14.Evil Dead 15. Evil Dead II}

16. Re-Animator

I love the opening credits to this movie, its probably the one thing I think it has over From Beyond. This movie is gorier than From Beyond, but its not quite as fun in my opinion. It might be funnier though(in the haha sense), the movie has the craziest combination of gore and comedy I've ever seen(Braindead being its only competition). The scene where Dr. Hill's decapitated body comes up behind West and slams his head against the table is so funny in part because of how gory and disturbing the entire scene is leading up to it.

I think its probably Combs performance that allows the tone of the movie to flip so drastically so often. He's a master of delivering over-the-top lines with absolute sincerity and intensity. Comb's West laughs at inappropriate times, and doesn't seem to take the horrific results of his experiments seriously. The only thing he's deadly serious about is the end goal, and that dichotomy makes for an endlessly watchable character. They made a few sequels just based on the strength of Comb's West, and they are enjoyable because of his presence alone.

17. Necronomicon

This isn't the best anthology I'll be watching this year, but I love it because it doesn't just nibble around the edges of Lovecraft, it dives right in and fully commits to including as much elements of Lovecraft that it possibly can. There are flashbacks, diary readings, blood rituals, subterranean monsters, seaside mansions, and plenty of slime and tentacles.

The wrap-around is good too, it features Jeffrey Combs as Lovecraft himself and its a fun little story about how he got the material for his stories.

# ¿ Oct 13, 2015 17:30

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

_{1.Psycho 2. Black Christmas 3. Deep Red 4. Wicker Man 5. The Mummy 6. The Curse of Frankenstein 7. Drag Me to Hell 8. Candyman 9. Child�s Play 10. Lords of Salem 11. Suspiria 12. Hellraiser 13. From Beyond 14. Evil Dead 15. Evil Dead II 16. Re-Animator 17. Necronomicon}

18. The Wolfman

I am not a Lon Chaney Jr. fan, so this will never be one of my favorite Universal monster movies. Still, it just feels wrong to watch a bunch of werewolf movies and leave this one out. I love Claude Rains though, and he has a pretty good part here, along with a fun cameo by Bela Lugosi. So far the Universal blu ray set looks great, I've now watched three of them and have been impressed by them all visually. The sharper image quality really heightens the impact of scenes that take place in a forest like in The Wolfman, or the underwater scenes in Creature from the Black Lagoon.

The makeup and special effects in The Wolfman are not quite up to the level of Frankenstein or Creature from the Black Lagoon in my opinion. Still, the movie is enjoyable overall and its very short, so there's no real opportunity to get bored.

The Howling

I enjoyed this a lot last year when I saw it for the first time, and it was even better the second time. I still say its not quite as good as American Werewolf in London, but I don't think anyone could argue that The Howling isn't one of the best werewolf flicks of all time. What I like most about this movie is the werewolves themselves. These are legit monsters, not just overgrown wolves. Okay, so maybe they don't move very well, but they look fantastic in closeup which is how they are used 99% of the time. The idea of being in a car that won't start while a whole pack of these things are trying to get in is terrifying.

The first half of the film has a Wicker Man quality to it, with nice looking scenery(albeit not quite as beautiful as Wicker Man) and a community that is clearly "off" in some way that the protagonist can't quite put her finger on. There's really only one significant death in the entire movie, but its built up to so perfectly that it becomes the centerpiece of the film. Just a very well-crafted movie in every way, and probably still not as well known as it deserves.

Basebf555 fucked around with this message at 15:19 on Oct 14, 2015

# ¿ Oct 14, 2015 15:14

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

I paid full price for I Still Know What You Did Last Summer and didn't regret it. My taste in movies has....lets say evolved since then.

Also for what its worth I had a major thing for Jennifer Love Hewitt at the time(who didn't?).

# ¿ Oct 14, 2015 19:32

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

Any time I hear about a movie and I don't know who directed it I assume its Miike because the dude makes like two movies a month.

# ¿ Oct 14, 2015 22:57

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

# ¿ Oct 15, 2015 15:03

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

Random Stranger posted:

He isn't even as nasty or malevolent was he was in the first film. He's still a jerk, it's just downplayed a lot from the first movie..

Don't worry, a few sequels later he'll be using his status as a respected physician to get a good man wrongfully convicted and executed for murder just so he can use his brain. What does he need his brain for you ask? To implant into the body of the man's already dead girlfriend of course!. Its just science, nothing wrong with that!

# ¿ Oct 16, 2015 14:22

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

# ¿ Oct 16, 2015 19:08

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

# ¿ Oct 19, 2015 15:22

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

_{1. Psycho 2. Black Christmas 3. Deep Red 4. Wicker Man 5. The Mummy 6. The Curse of Frankenstein 7. Drag Me to Hell 8. Candyman 9. Child�s Play 10. Lords of Salem 11. Suspiria 12. Hellraiser 13. From Beyond 14. Evil Dead 15. Evil Dead II 16. Re-Animator 17. Necronomicon 18. The Wolfman 19. The Howling 20. An American Werewolf in London 21. Poltergeist 22. City of the Living Dead}

23. Sleepy Hollow

I had a few days here with nothing specifically lined-up so went the Netflix route and just picked out a few things that I happened to be in the mood for at the moment. It had been years since I'd seen Sleep Hollow, it really holds up and even seems to have improved with age. Depp's character is one that he's played several different times in slightly different forms, but he's drat good at it so it works just fine here. The movie looks amazing, that's its major selling point, combined with its R-rating and the fact that its extremely violent. Tim Burton really hasn't made any other films that are this dark and violent, even if he did come up with a clever way to show countless beheadings without blood. As crazy as it may sound, this could potentially make a top-ten list of all-time great Christopher Walken performances, only because he does so much here with so little screen time and no dialogue. If I had any complaints it'd be Ricci's performance, she doesn't really feel as invested in what she's doing as Depp is.

24. Curse of Chucky

I had heard good things about this and they were mostly correct, this is a rare horror sequel that is very worthwhile. It doesn't waste any time, and doesn't assume you need a primer on who Chucky is and what happened in the previous movies. There is one particular scene that actually managed to scare me, which I didn't expect from a Child's Play sequel in 2015. And it didn't just startle me, the situation itself was just downright scary.

Dourif somehow managed to get his daughter the lead role, I suppose it was probably the main reason he agreed to do the movie. Even so he's always a pro, he does his work in this the same way he's always done it. The cameo at the end is pretty funny and enjoyable, I'm glad it was saved for the end and kept separate from the movie itself. All in all a very pleasant surprise, and a movie that demonstrates that this kind of thing can be done well, there's no rule that says they all have to be a Hellraiser: Revelations-level disaster.

# ¿ Oct 19, 2015 21:15

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

_{1. Psycho 2. Black Christmas 3. Deep Red 4. Wicker Man 5. The Mummy 6. The Curse of Frankenstein 7. Drag Me to Hell 8. Candyman 9. Child�s Play 10. Lords of Salem 11. Suspiria 12. Hellraiser 13. From Beyond 14. Evil Dead 15. Evil Dead II 16. Re-Animator 17. Necronomicon 18. The Wolfman 19. The Howling 20. An American Werewolf in London 21. Poltergeist 22. City of the Living Dead 23. Sleep Hollow 24. Curse of Chucky}

I'm starting a run of Dracula films, each year I seem to pick up a new one, this year I'll be watching the 1973 version starring Jack Palance. But first:

25. Dracula(1931)

I'd of course seen this before, but last night I watched it on blu ray for the first time and it looks excellent. The sharper image really make Lugosi's facial expressions pop, and all of the characters just feel more intense because of it. Dwight Frye's Renfield is very underrated in this, he's probably the character that would be considered actually "scary", whereas Lugosi's Dracula is interesting and compelling but not outright frightening. The sets really hold up to the blu ray quality picture, they don't look cheap or artificial in any way, with the exception of a few matte paintings(I love matte paintings so no complaints!).

I also really appreciate how short these Universal monster movies were, I enjoy watching a 75 or 80 minute film that moves along at a brisk pace and doesn't waste any time. Later on this week I'll be watching Herzog's Nosferatu, and while I love that film, I do feel it could be about 20 minutes shorter.

26. Horror of Dracula

Watching this back-to-back with Universal's version, for the first time I do see how black and white has advantages over color. I've always loved Hammer's visual style, with the colorful sets and costumes(Cushing's red velvet dinner jacket is absolutely ridiculous in this), but undeniably there are moments here and there where the low budget shows through and the sets look a little bit cheap. Lugosi's castle feels much more real, Lee's feels like an immaculately made movie set.

That said, this is still my favorite Dracula adaptation of all-time. For one, the way it plays around with the established characters is great, and keeps you guessing if you're expecting the usual story beats. The idea of making Harker a kind-of secret agent vampire hunter working for Van Helsing is brilliant, and the Lucy and Mina characters have slightly different roles to play in the story.

As always Peter Cushing elevates the entire film, without him who knows what Hammer would have been. He entertains me by simply sitting in his parlor writing in a journal about vampires, he's just got that indefinable quality that makes you want to watch him. He's the one major factor that puts this above Universal's version in my opinion, although the Van Helsing in that one is no slouch either. Because of Cushing's presence, and how iconic Lee's Dracula is, this is the movie that I recommend to people when they ask where to start with Hammer. I feel confident in saying that if you don't like Horror of Dracula, you won't like Hammer in general.

# ¿ Oct 20, 2015 15:31

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

_{1. Psycho 2. Black Christmas 3. Deep Red 4. Wicker Man 5. The Mummy 6. The Curse of Frankenstein 7. Drag Me to Hell 8. Candyman 9. Child�s Play 10. Lords of Salem 11. Suspiria 12. Hellraiser 13. From Beyond 14. Evil Dead 15. Evil Dead II 16. Re-Animator 17. Necronomicon 18. The Wolfman 19. The Howling 20. An American Werewolf in London 21. Poltergeist 22. City of the Living Dead 23. Sleep Hollow 24. Curse of Chucky 25. Dracula(1931) 26. Horror of Dracula}

27. Dracula(1973)

This version is directed by Dan Curtis and I was very interested to see Jack Palance as Dracula. Unfortunately I don't think it really works, Palance just isn't a good fit for the character. He's trying hard, and his acting is pretty strong throughout, but he just doesn't feel like Dracula to me. There's a painting in his castle of young Turkish general Dracula, but in the painting he's got the same 70's haircut as Jack Palance so it looks bizarre. A few times Palance's American accent comes though and I couldn't tell whether or not that was intentional, but it probably wasn't.

The look of the movie is ok, but not as good as a Hammer production even though I'm sure a lot more money was spent here. There are a few scenes that are very beautiful, but then also plenty that are visually drab and uninteresting. The Van Helsing character is a complete nothing in this, not anywhere in the same league as Cushing or even for example Anthony Hopkins. Overall I was somewhat disappointed and glad that I watched it on Hulu instead of blind-buying the blu ray.

28. Dracula(1979)

I watched this last year and I don't remember it being so weird. I'd almost have expected it to be made ten or twelve years earlier because its very trippy. Frank Langella is a much better Dracula than Palance and overall I like the look of this film better than Curtis'. Lots of spider webs and candelabras.

Laurence Olivier is Van Helsing here, so they obviously knew that Van Helsing is a critical character to any Dracula adaptation. That said, Olivier is just ok. Langella's presence overpowers him for the most part. There isn't much blood in this movie, but that's ok, its not really supposed to be scary. This was clearly an attempt to make Dracula more of a romantic figure, and I think it succeeds.

drrockso20 posted:

...maybe I'll rewatch some of those and get around to watching Dracula AD 1972 to finish out the set of 4 HH Dracula Movies I own)

Dracula AD 1972 isn't great, but I enjoyed it more than most seemed to, its just impossible for me to dislike a movie with Lee as Dracula and Cushing as Van Helsing.

It should be seen by all Lee fans because it has, in my opinion, the best line and delivery of his entire career. I don't even need to spoil it because it means nothing without context.

It was my will.

# ¿ Oct 21, 2015 16:39

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

Darthemed posted:

The pumpkin-carving and home invasion stories had the problem of raising questions that needed to be ignored for the story to work every couple of minutes (or less)

Just curious what questions are you referring to? I've seen the movie two or three times and I don't remember noticing anything like that.

# ¿ Oct 21, 2015 21:19

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

Darthemed posted:

It's being nit-picky, but the group I watched it with kept calling out stuff, like the shotgun blast going through Sam like wind the first time, but hitting him later. How fast-acting the candy was, how nobody noticed the kid being dragged inside, the difficulty getting to the shotgun when it landed a couple of inches out of reach, who was in the bed (or was it just a detached hand?), why the dog was killed, when it clearly had Halloween spirit, things like that. Stuff where if you're in the mood to go along with the ride, it probably doesn't stand out, but just kept building up once we started picking at it.

Sounds like a fun group

# ¿ Oct 21, 2015 22:24

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

BioTech posted:

#21 Friday the 13th

This was a disappointment. I read it was the movie that popularized the slasher genre after Halloween, but I just don't see it. I felt that nothing really happened and the movie just wandered around aimlessly. It didn't use this calm to build tension, develop the characters in any meaningful way or go somewhere, it just was. Like, it was a movie about some bored teens and then some of them just happen to get killed and it didn't seem to matter.

I was surprised Jason didn't show up in his mask, with what little I know about the Friday movies that was the one thing I expected. I assume he only becomes a factor in the sequels, but much like Halloween, NoES and Hellraiser I'm not sure I want to walk through that minefield.

I agree with you that Friday the 13th doesn't really stand on its own the way the first Nightmare on Elm Street or Halloween films do. For me the Friday the 13th series doesn't get good until the third movie, which is when Jason really becomes Jason, and then it stays good for about three sequels after that up until Jason Takes Manhattan. Really though I'd recommend watching them all at least the one time, its like a horror fan rite of passage.

# ¿ Oct 23, 2015 14:07

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

# ¿ Oct 23, 2015 16:23

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

_{1. Psycho 2. Black Christmas 3. Deep Red 4. Wicker Man 5. The Mummy 6. The Curse of Frankenstein 7. Drag Me to Hell 8. Candyman 9. Child�s Play 10. Lords of Salem 11. Suspiria 12. Hellraiser 13. From Beyond 14. Evil Dead 15. Evil Dead II 16. Re-Animator 17. Necronomicon 18. The Wolfman 19. The Howling 20. An American Werewolf in London 21. Poltergeist 22. City of the Living Dead 23. Sleep Hollow 24. Curse of Chucky 25. Dracula(1931) 26. Horror of Dracula 27. Dracula(1973) 28. Dracula(1979) 29. Nosferatu The Vampyre}

30. Frankenstein

This and Bride of Frankenstein are both about 70 minutes long, so I enjoy watching them back to back basically as one film. I'd say this first part is carried by Clive, his manic quality propels the film forward and keeps things interesting. Karloff's monster is more unsettling than scary, but the scene by the lake with the little girl is extremely tense. I have a hard time imagining this movie without that scene by the lake, and I know I've heard that originally it was cut. Its just so crucial to Karloff's performance and the message of the film, the idea of cutting it is bizarre.

31. Bride of Frankenstein

I love Karloff's makeup in this movie, I think its a major step up from the original. The storyline is wackier, but there's still a pretty strong message to the film. I go back and forth on what my favorite Universal monster movie is, but Bride of Frankenstein is a worthy contender for that title.

32. The Shining

I blocked out a whole Saturday for The Shining because I didn't want to watch it tired from a hard day at work, or half drunk while one eye strays to a muted football game. The Shining is a film where I like to get the full experience every time I watch it.

Once you know where the movie is going in advance(at this point even people watching for the first time probably do), the Jack character is goddamn scary right from the beginning. You could even argue that the hotel, possibly through "the shining" and Jack's connection to Danny, was able to target Jack as a person who'd be susceptible to its influence.

The ending is perfect because it allows for a thousand different theories, and I have slightly different (nerdy)thoughts on it every time I see it. This time I got to thinking about Delbert Grady, and how there must have been a time when he too was "always the caretaker". Do the ghosts/souls have their memory reset every time a new caretaker is hired? Does the hotel create a separate little universe for each new caretaker, and just use the imprints of the previous caretakers to fill in the other people? Is there a different, alternate Overlook Hotel where Grady is forever the caretaker and Jack is a bellhop? I love the fact that none of these questions will ever be answered.

# ¿ Oct 26, 2015 15:28

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# ¿ May 1, 2024 21:14

Basebf555: Feb 29, 2008; The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!; Fun Shoe

gently caress yea I'm happy to see how many people watched From Beyond this year. Its criminally underseen.

# ¿ Oct 26, 2015 18:57

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > Cinema Discusso > The 2015 October Horror Movie Challenge

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