31 Nights (& Days) of Halloween: 2020!

[Jared]

October 2nd. 4 - Don't Look Under the Bed. (1999).
5 - Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989)
6 - Nosferatu: The First Vampire (1922,1998).

Having technical difficulties such may fall behind on updates for a few days,or I may keep my posts Spartan for now .



First up was a Disney Channel original I never saw before. It's basically a kid's version of Drop Dead Fred with some Beetlejuice. I didn't dig Drop Dead Fred and I have the same problem here. The imaginary friend is just way too annoying to be endearing. I constantly wanted them off the screen. Apparently, when this aired a lot of kids actually got scared? Seemed no worse than many episodes of Are You Afraid of the Dark to me. I did like the designs of the other world, budget permitting.




Friday Part 8 is really Jason Takes a Boat for most of it. I have a soft spot for some of the kills and gags when he finally does reach the city, though. Also, Kelly Hu was one of the boat victims. The idea that Jason can teleport when you're not looking gets a lot of credence in this one. I'm gonna try to do a Vorhees movie every Friday.

Anyway, I miss the gritty, rundown cesspool New York of 70s and 80s movies. When it was basically Gotham City. I wouldn't want this live there, but it was a great setting for all kinds of stories.




A shorter edit of Murnau's classic Nosferatu, with brief intro by David Carradine and the soundtrack replaced by Type O Negative songs. Some of the selections fit well, others not really. Worth checking out if you like this band,which I do. At worst it's just series of music videos.

[Astral Disaster]

Keeping with the witchcraft/satanic themes on day 3...

7. The Witch (2015) Wow, hard to believe this film is already five years old, but even after nearly a dozen viewings it still remains one of my absolute favorites. The bleakness, underlying dread, and solid performances from the entire cast hit all the right marks.

8. The Lords Of Salem (2012) A commendable, if flawed, effort from Rob Zombie, the three foot tall rubber suit demon was a huge misstep, and the film could have been so much better with a less-is-more approach to those scenes in particular. Still, I've enjoyed pairing up these two movies for a back to back double feature the last three or four years, I honestly don't think I'd have watched TLOS more than a couple of times otherwise.

[Jared]

October 3rd - 7. Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974)



Basically the prototype for Simon Belmont. Just swap the swords for a whip. A change of style from most other Hammer vamp movies, but it needed more of a swashbuckling pace. There's a comic book follow-up from a few years ago which I own.


Trying to do vampire weekends. And I'm thinking I might try to do wolf or other moon-themed flicks each Monday.

[CJStriker]

GREAT to be doing this Challenge Again for another Year, Nice to see SO many Back Too! =)

Last Year om 2019My Challenge Them was the Classic Slasher Movie Series form the 1970's, 80's and On with Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Scream Series, Loved It!

Now This Year after the inspiration of the Classic Slasher genre, I have been wanting to Watch and Tackle where most of all the Horror Movie Genre Started. So My Theme of 2020 is;

The Classic Univerisal Movie Monsters/Classic Monster Movies!

But this will also include not just the Univisail Series, but as many movies as possible that deal with Dracula and Vampires, Frankenstein, The Mummy, Werewolfs and others under those Genres.

Very Excited to finally be seeing allot of these classics to where Horror all started!

So Here I go;

1.) Nosferatu (1922)! ~~ Amazon PRIME Video!

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0013442...er/rm538329600


This Honestly Might be My 1st Silent Movie I have really ever seen from the start to the end Fully and it was an amazing experience I wish I had done sooner. The Music is Iconic, so much classic organ gothic horror that could go right into what has made the genre wo iconic. Reminds me so much of Castlevania the music, this is where most of it all started. Nosferatu is Creep and intimateding like he should be.

[CJStriker]

1.) Nosferatu (1922)! ~~ Amazon PRIME Video!

2.) The Phantom of the Opera (1925)! ~~ Amazon PRIME Video!

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0016220/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_6


Another Silent Masterpiece, was slow at 1st but as the 2nd act started it go allot better and more compelling. It is a partial sad story about how just looks to make you an outcast, but also it was more of the Phantom's attitude and history of who he was the lead him to his conclusion in this era of the origional story.

[CJStriker]

1.) Nosferatu (1922)! ~~ Amazon PRIME Video!
2.) The Phantom of the Opera (1925)! ~~ Amazon PRIME Video!

3.) Dracula (1931)! ~~ Amazon PRIME Video!

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021814/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_7

SO many Classic Lines and Moments in this movie I can't describe. Nosferatu was the 1st but this is where the Dracula Mythos full started and relized itself. From the great portral of Edward Van Sloan as Van Helsing to the Classic Bela Lugosi as Dracula.

Amazing, Iconic movie!

[Astral Disaster]

9. The Blair Witch Project (1999) Pretty sure most are already aware of the importance of this film to the found footage horror genre.

10. Halloween III: Season Of The Witch (1982) Long considered the red-headed stepchild of the Halloween franchise due to it departing from the slasher formula and dispensing with Michael Myers altogether, the movie has developed a cult following of loyal fans in recent years. Used to be one I passed over, but have gained an appreciation for, and consider it a better film than a good number of those which followed.

[Sean Whitmore]

Um...my last post seems to be missing. Dunno what happened there, but here's the list as of 10/3:

1. Body Bags (1993)
2. The Hitcher (1986)
3a. Child's Play (2019)
3b. The Haunted Palace (1963)

And Sunday's additions:

4a. Cult of Chucky (2017)
4b. Night of the Demons (1988)
4c. The Gate II (1990)

[Scott Taylor]

Well so far -

Halloween H20 - I enjoyed this one. Though its not as fun for the third time, I admit. Was most fun the first time.
Lost Boys - Great movie but it always makes me a bit sad knowing how the two Corey's turned out and what was going on for them during this time
Fright Night - Still a classic. Except the vampire was pretty much a pushover. Still, worth it for a couple of memorable lines and seeing a guy melt.
Waxwork - This movie is so weird. There are two absolute must-see scenes, involving a werewolf and vampires, and the rest of the film is very much humdrum, with a laughable climax. When the guy in the wheelchair is swinging the sword around at the end I lost it.

Not sure whats on the menu tonight, more 1980s or branch out.

[Jared]

October 4th. 8 - Blood & Donuts (1995). 9 - Embrace of the Vampire (1995)



First up is a Canadian quirky dramedy. A depressed vampire wakes up from a 25 year slumber. He befriends an annoying cabbie who is being hassled by local mobsters, falls for a pretty waitress, and has a spurned mortal lover stalking him. It was an interesting watch just on account of being something I hadn't heard of until a month or two ago. But, the three plot threads don't come together well or get enough development on their own. The movie doesn't quite pick a tone, eithrr. And I can't stand the cabbie, he sounds like a guy from Quebec doing a terrible Christopher Walken impression. He's dumb, and so are the two thugs after him, who apparently just want him to drive them around in his cab while they do crime stuff. The boss is played by David Croenenberg.




'Embrace is straight to video erotic thriller vamp flick. I definitely saw this when I was younger, I think a VHS copy was passed around many adolescents. I was curious as to how much it might hold up a a real movie or just skinemax fair. It's definitely trying to be a real movie, with too much production and not nearly as much sex stuff as the true softcore flicks would have. (Or so I've heard.)

I was surprised to learn this was directed by Anne Goursaud, a big league editor who did Bram Stoker's Dracula among other films. It doesn't look like she took much from Drac other than having three topless vampiress "brides" for one early scene.
The story is your basic "vampire wants to seduce the reincarnation of his lost mortal love", the only variation being that he has to succeed in three days before she turns 18. At no time does Milano look believable as being that young or for having been mostly raised in a convent, but her performance is pretty decent. The same cannot be said for the vampire, who's snarly over-acting makes him ridiculous when he's supposed to menacing or romantic.
A blonde mean girl supporting character is also bad, and Milano's bf doesn't have much chemistry with her. Her character doesn't amount to much since she spends basically the whole movie not realizing that she's being effected by something real.

There's a part where the vampire (he's never named) tried to do Force Lightning but he's too weak, I laughed just because I wasn't expecting anything like that. Much is made of an ank necklace, which I think they got from The Hunger. The score sounds like it was done on the cheap.

[Jared]

October 5th. 10 - Howling V: The Re-Birth (1989). 11 - Mortal Remains (2017)



A varied group of strangers are gathered for the reopening of a Hungarian castle that's been closed for centuries since a the occupants were massacred in a lycanthropic incident. It's better than 2 and 3, at least. Maybe better than 4, too, but that still isn't saying much. The werewolf is shown sparingly and doesn't look bad. The thin story is padded by a lot of people wandering around and arguing. No direct link to any of the earlier movies that I can recall.




Mortal Remains is faux documentary about the search for a copy of a lost, riot-inspiring horror film from the 70s. The backstory about the mysterious filmmaker and mysterious author of the source material is cool. The performances are a lot weaker than Blairwitch Project, but, it's not nearly as built around shaky cams in the woods.

[Astral Disaster]

11. The Lighthouse (2019) Robert Eggers 2nd feature length movie. I still prefer The VVitch, but this is by no means an inferior film, dealing again with New England myths/legends, isolation, and a descent into madness (along with a dash of alcohol poisoning), both Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattison give amazing performances.

12. Overlord (2018) First time watching this one, but from the hype it received back in 2018 I had a good idea what to expect, though I was expecting more of a zombie/horror vibe from the last half based on descriptions, rather than a super powered, undead, comic book slug-fest. Often the tone of the movie reminded me of an updated Zone Troopers, especially the WWII elements of the story, it's ok for a low effort, turn-your-brain-off popcorn flick.

13. Phantasm (1979) A disjointed, surrealistic, everything-AND-the-kitchen-sink horror (with a pinch of sci-fi) classic. I probably like the idea of the movie more than the movie itself, it's still a fun ride though, and it gave the world the iconic Tall Man and flying death sphere.

[Sean Whitmore]

1. Body Bags (1993)
2. The Hitcher (1986)
3a. Child's Play (2019)
3b. The Haunted Palace (1963)
4a. Cult of Chucky (2017)
4b. Night of the Demons (1988)
4c. The Gate II (1990)

5. Vampires vs The Bronx (2020)
Netflix Original
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vampir...ires%20invades.

This was really, really good. A throwback to classic teen horror without being a slavish lovefest with the 80s.

If I have any complaint, it's that the central premise (vampires as a metaphor for gentrification) is SO good that I'd have loved to see it explored in more mature movie (read: aimed at old fogies like me). But that's not this movie's fault, it is what it is, and it does a great job at being what it is. A very nice surprise.

[Joker]

It 2017 part 1

I liked this. I thought everyone did a pretty good job, and Pennywise was effective. Probably because he's kept to a minimum, but even at the end it still mostly worked.

It 2019 part 2

I only started this. It was late, and about half way through I realized I wasn't going to make it. I liked this a little less. James MaCavoy was the only adult casting I didn't think looked spot on. Everyone else I thought was just great casting. There's some wonderfully creepy moments, followed by some absurd visuals that just didn't work for me. I'll finish the last hour tdoay and see how it goes, but I get why part 1 was more loved than part 2.

[Moon Ronin]

I'm a few days late posting, lets see if I can get all 31 this year

1. The Curse of Buckout Road (2017) on Tubi
2. Winchester (2018) on Netflix
3. The Curse of La Lorena (2019) on HBO MAX
4. Doctor Sleep (2019) on HBO Max
5. The Frighteners (1996) on HBO MAX

Quote: Judge: Give it up, Frank! Death ain't no way to make a living!