31 Horrid Nights of Halloween: 2022!

[Astral Disaster]

5. Viy (1967) - Late 60s Soviet era film in Russian w/ English subtitles, which flash on the screen faster than can be read a lot of times, but not too much of an issue understanding it simply following the action. More of a "dark fantasy" imo, with the bulk of those scenes occuring in the last 20-30 minutes. From the Tubi description, where I watched: "On leave from seminary, a young priest finds himself tasked with presiding over the body of a murdered woman in a church full of evil spirits."

6. The Devil's Rain (1975) - This movie tends to get a lot of negativity thrown at it, but I find it a lot more entertaining and re-watchable than countless other movies I've seen. Apparently it was a feature fim, but it plays more like a made-for-tv movie, and imagining it as such is probably where my enjoyment lies, because I could certainly see it being tedious on the big screen. Tubi blurb: "When a cult leader is burnt alive by the local church, he vows to return and enslave the souls of the congregation’s heirs in a pact with Satan."

[ZuLuLu]

01. Hocus Pocus (1993)
02. Hocus Pocus 2 (2022)

03. Orphan: First Kill (2022) is a horror, mystery, and thriller prequel to the 2009 film Orphan. After orchestrating a brilliant escape from an Estonian psychiatric facility, "Esther" travels to America by impersonating the missing daughter of a wealthy family.


Isabelle Fuhrman reprised her role as Ester from the previous film 12 years later, while I enjoyed her performance and they tried their best to de-age her it hard to buy into the fact that others would believe that she is a 10-year-old child, also because we know that Ester must survive this movie a lot of the tension is lost. However, if you suspend your belief a bit and maybe forget that it is a prequel, the twist makes it fun and enjoyable for what it is. Check it out via Roku or Paramount +.

[Sean Whitmore]

1a. The Mummy (1932)
1b. Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
1c. Dark Glasses (2022) - Shudder
2. Odd Thomas (2013) - Amazon Prime

3. Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981) - Shudder

Well-made TV movie about an innocent man being killed by mob justice and returning for revenge, but it left me feeling a little disappointed. From the description and all the images I've seen of this movie, I was expecting something a lot more "Pumpkinhead meets Jason". Weird to call out a movie for NOT just being a cliché, but what can I say, the cliché was what I was in the mood for.

[Astral Disaster]

7. The City Of The Dead (1960) - A witchy, supernatural horror from Britain starring Christopher Lee, released in the U.S. as Horror Hotel, notable for its spooky atmosphere and mid-film Psycho-esque twist. Came up on Tubi immediately following The Devil's Rain, so I decided to roll with it, here's what they have to say: "A college student discovers a startling secret about a sleepy Massachusetts town and its inhabitants while researching its history of witchcraft."

8. The Lair Of The White Worm (1988) - Loosely based on the Bram Stoker novel of the same name, directed by Ken Russell (Altered States, The Devils), and gained a certain amount of notoriety for being one of Hugh Grant's first movies (not that it means much these days, sorry Hugh). I didn't find the movie all that engaging, and felt the performances were serviceable at best, but not particularly memorable, Amanda Donohoe playing Lady Sylvia Marsh was probably the highlight of the entire film, though that was pretty much entirely down to the part being a stereotypically 80s, wealthy, sexed-up, femme-fatale villainess. Anyway, Tubi again: "After a mysterious skull is unearthed near a convent, village residents start disappearing, and a pagan god hungers for the taste of virginal flesh."

[Astral Disaster]

3. Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981) - Shudder

Well-made TV movie about an innocent man being killed by mob justice and returning for revenge, but it left me feeling a little disappointed. From the description and all the images I've seen of this movie, I was expecting something a lot more "Pumpkinhead meets Jason". Weird to call out a movie for NOT just being a cliché, but what can I say, the cliché was what I was in the mood for.

I almost watched it myself this past evening, but I always end up thinking it's more akin to a supernatural The Town That Dreaded Sundown, and I have to be in the right mood for something like that. Also been leaning towards doing the original Universal Studios Frankenstein and Bride.

[Astral Disaster]

So my next movie was Fear Street Part 1 1994. I was spooked lol.The movie is basically about a witch who possesses these different people who go on killing rampages. I loved the movie surprisingly as I basically avoided horror movies for a while. This had me on the edge of my seat throughout. Great movie for horror fans. I read the books when I was a teen although I have not read these specific ones. I liked this and am sure from just watching the movies the books are fantastic. I actually surprised myself I was able to watch for someone who was never into horror/slasher movies totally recommend.

That's cool you're giving the genre a chance, I was the same up until around the mid 90s, didn't care for what I referred to as "dead teenager movies", and had only seen a very few by the time I was in my mid 20s. Around that time I made some new friends who love horror and would have movie nights during October leading up to Halloween, and I attended as often as my schedule would allow. By the end of the 90s I was slowly starting my own horror movie collection, and it's been one of my favorite genres for over twenty years now.

[caj]

10/01 - Poltergeist (1982) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poltergeist_(1982_film)
10/02 - Silence of the Lambs (1991) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Si...e_Lambs_(film)
10/03 - Psycho (1960) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psycho_(1960_film)

[Sean Whitmore]

1a. The Mummy (1932)
1b. Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
1c. Dark Glasses (2022) - Shudder
2. Odd Thomas (2013) - Amazon Prime
3. Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981) - Shudder

4. Night of the Living Dead (1990)
Caught this completely by chance on BBC America, and it's one I've wanted to check out for a while. The character of Barbara is much improved (in that she actually feels like a character now), though as a result of her now having a stronger place among the clashing personalities of the house, I feel like Ben's character takes a bit of a hit. And there's no denying that the slicker cinematography makes everything feel less claustrophobic and eerie than the original. But all in all, still a well-made movie.

I almost watched it myself this past evening, but I always end up thinking it's more akin to a supernatural The Town That Dreaded Sundown, and I have to be in the right mood for something like that. Also been leaning towards doing the original Universal Studios Frankenstein and Bride.

Sundown's another one I've been meaning to get around to, actually. Like you say, though, I also have to be in the right mood for a documentary-style type of film.

If you do the Frankenstein's don't stop at Bride! Son of Frankenstein is the underrated gem of the series.

[avenjee]

I can't do this 31 days of horror with really horrific movies. It was nice trying. I need light stuff to watch. So next on my list is all the halloweentown movies on disney. Next up whatever other movies on disney I can watch and some scoobydoo movies on HBO Max.

[caj]

I can't do this 31 days of horror with really horrific movies. It was nice trying. I need light stuff to watch. So next on my list is all the halloweentown movies on disney. Next up whatever other movies on disney I can watch and some scoobydoo movies on HBO Max.

You can also do Stand By Me from 1986. It's based on a Stephen King story, has some minor scares, but is a coming-of-age film. If you haven't seen it yet, it is WONDERFUL.

[Moon Ronin]

You can also do Stand By Me from 1986. It's based on a Stephen King story, has some minor scares, but is a coming-of-age film. If you haven't seen it yet, it is WONDERFUL.

The Ghost Buster movies are a great alternative to "horror".

[Scott Taylor]

I watch a lot of older "horror" movies from the 1930s and 1940s that are really mystery movies.

[Jared]

October 1st. 1- Psycho (1960)
October 2nd. 2- Morbius (2022)
October 3rd. 3- Tales of Terror (1962)



Anthony of three Edgar Allen Poe adaptations, each starring Vincent Price. Directed by B-movie maestro Roger Corman.

"Morella" is a short and to the point gothic tale.
"The Black Cat" is comedic, unlike the original story in that regard. Fun scenery-chewing from Price and Peter Lorre.
"The Case of Dr. M" is favorite of the bunch, about a hypnotist experimenting with the bounds of death itself.

Now, only one movie remains in Corman's Poe cycle that I've never seen. But it's the one without Price, so, we'll see how that goes.

[Astral Disaster]

I can't do this 31 days of horror with really horrific movies. It was nice trying. I need light stuff to watch. So next on my list is all the halloweentown movies on disney. Next up whatever other movies on disney I can watch and some scoobydoo movies on HBO Max.

Absolutely nothing wrong with that, it's a process. I've always preferred movies with a dark, creepy, suspenseful atmosphere amd a good story over cheap jump scares, and I'm still rather put off by excessive gore just for the sake of it.

[Nods]

October 3rd Ghosts Italian Style (1964)

This is a family buys an estate on the cheap and it turns out it's haunted. Or it's not haunted but it becomes a boarding house. It's an amusing film, it's one of those movies that exists for Sophia Loren fans. It really is a shame because it's got some pretty good areas it could have moved in. It's like a sex comedy without sex or a horror comedy without horror.




October 1st The Canterville Ghost (1944)
October 2nd The Smiling Ghost(1941)