The 31 Days of Halloween

[Jared]

I hated The Mist. The ending was audacious, but nothing leading up to it made it worthwhile.

1. The Lost Boys
2. Night Angel
3. Under the Skin
4. Dracula (1931)
5. Horror of Dracula.
6. Dracula Untold
7. Tales from the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight
8. The Wolfman (2010)
9. Tales From the Dark Side: The Movie
10. Tales From the Hood
11. Werewolf: The Beast Among Us
12. Bram Stoker's Dracula
13. Oculus
14. Gothic
15. Tales from the Crypt Presents: Bordello of Blood
16. The Howling: Reborn
17. From Dusk 'Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter
18. Would You Rather
19. Vampires
20. Interview with the Vampire
21. Blood Night: The Legend of Mary Hatchet
22. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDH7P0qvSMU

The first vampire film I could remember that was entirely about the vampires. Cruise really gives a hell of a performance, and I think this was Kirsten Dunst's debut, as the memorable child vamp. It's a fine gothic tale, gory and crazy at times. Not my favorite take on vampires but it's an interesting one. Ironically, the much-talked about homoerotic overtones are far more pronounced with Antonio Banderas character than with Cruise's. I got the impression that Lestat really doesn't give a rat's ass about physical sex with anyone, just drinking blood, whereas it sure seemed like Armand wanted to jump Louis's bones. I've also seen Queen of the Damned, and even setting aside the lesser recasting of Lestat, that movie didn't at all feel like a sequel to this.

Some things I didn't understand, such as (I'll try to avoid spoilers)
- Do they need to sleep in coffins, or is that just a preference?
- Where does their money come from? Fancy clothes and world travel don't come cheap. Especially after the characters have seemingly lost all their mortal belongings.
-How can most of the vamps kill as regularly as they do without creating problems for themselves more often?
- Why Louis uses a farming scythe of all things when he's out for blood, especially one as unwieldly looking as that. Where did he even find it?
- Why did the people he was going after apparently not even consider that he'd want revenge?

I've never read Ann Rice, but given that the book was published in 76, I think it's safe to say she's the most influential vampire author since Stoker. At least, I've never heard of "Ann Rice style" vamps from anything older. But everything from Vampire Diaries to Twilight to True Blood, for good or ill, seemingly took at least a few cues from her. And certainly White Wolf's World of Darkness game line. I wonder if she has any vampires who aren't pretty aristocrats with expensive taste, though?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDDUjEdNDx0

Blood Night is a supernatural slasher from 2008. It doesn't reinvent the wheel, though I can't say I recall another such movie featuring a super hot naked killer ghost. There's a grisly, extended prologue that then gets retold during the course of the opening credits sequence, the latter probably could have been cut down a lot. It has some scenes that are very well shot, along with a few that look out of place and shoddy. Stars Danielle Harris, who is, if not the reigning Scream Queen, at least a Princess. She was Jaimie Lloyd back in Halloween 4 and 5, then was in the remake (which I haven't seen). Her IMDB credits look to be half horror, at least.





A 30 minute short from Disney I haven't seen for ages. I was surprised to realize that the Horseman legend doesn't even get mentioned until the last 7 minutes or so. Everything prior to that is just Ichobod coming to town as schoomaster and vying for the affections of Katrina Van Tasl. Incidentally, I'm pretty sure Katrina's appearance in the Burton movie owes much to this, unless blonde and heaving bosom was mentioned in the original story.

[jessecuster3]

October 1: Children Of The Corn
October 3: Christine
October 4: Cujo
October 5: Cat's Eye
October 6: Thinner
October 7: Needful Things
October 10: Maximum Overdrive and Creepshow
October 11: Graveyard Shift
October 12: Secret Window
October 13: Dreamcatcher
October 14: Creepshow 2
October 15: Dolores Claiborne
October 16: Tales From the Darkside
October 17: Pet Sematary
October 18: Carrie(2013)
October 23: The Night Flier
October 24: Silver Bullet
October 26: The Dead Zone
October 27: Trucks
October 29: The Mist

October 30: The Shining - this was the Directors Cut and a had number of extra scenes added. It remains the scariest of King's movies. I haven't watched it in a number of years, but it still holds up today.

[Jared]

I'll probably continue through Sunday, I don't know I'll hit 31 this year. Too many TV shows I wanted to catch up on, left me with no movie time. But, at least The Strain and Sleepy Hollow are horror-themed themselves. And Gotham, kinda sorta. I haven't even seen a single ep of the new American Horror Story yet. Usually the seasons start strong, and fall apart by the end, but hopefully in a way that's entertaining regardless.

1. The Lost Boys
2. Night Angel
3. Under the Skin
4. Dracula (1931)
5. Horror of Dracula.
6. Dracula Untold
7. Tales from the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight
8. The Wolfman (2010)
9. Tales From the Dark Side: The Movie
10. Tales From the Hood
11. Werewolf: The Beast Among Us
12. Bram Stoker's Dracula
13. Oculus
14. Gothic
15. Tales from the Crypt Presents: Bordello of Blood
16. The Howling: Reborn
17. From Dusk 'Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's Daughter
18. Would You Rather
19. Vampires
20. Interview with the Vampire
21. Blood Night: The Legend of Mary Hatchet
22. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
23. Halloween II
24. Siren



It's really Part II, as it continues right from the end of the first, on same eventful night in Haddonfield. In this installment, Meyers becomes more overtly (though still mysteriously) more than human. We also learn that he's particularly after Laurie Strode, though I recall nothing from the first to indicate she was anything more than in the wrong house at the wrong time, and lucky enough to be the survivor girl.


http://images.moviepostershop.com/si...1020677715.jpg
A somewhat minimalist entry, as three friends boating in the Mediterranean encounter a strange woman on an island. How much happens for real and how much is in their heads is left vague in many cases. More could be done with this premise, a larger victim pool would help.

[jessecuster3]

October 1: Children Of The Corn
October 3: Christine
October 4: Cujo
October 5: Cat's Eye
October 6: Thinner
October 7: Needful Things
October 10: Maximum Overdrive and Creepshow
October 11: Graveyard Shift
October 12: Secret Window
October 13: Dreamcatcher
October 14: Creepshow 2
October 15: Dolores Claiborne
October 16: Tales From the Darkside
October 17: Pet Sematary
October 18: Carrie(2013)
October 23: The Night Flier
October 24: Silver Bullet
October 26: The Dead Zone
October 27: Trucks
October 29: The Mist
October 30: The Shining

October 31: The Dark Half - This was alright, it was not particularly scary but did have a supernatural element. Its the story of a writer, who has a graveyard service for his pseudonym, and then his pseudonym comes to life and starts killing anyone who knows who he is. Its Stephen King's response to the outing of Richard Bachman, so in that respect it was entertaining.

[AngelsXDemons]

Have you guys been watching the new miniseries "Over The Garden Wall" on Cartoon Network? It premiered tonight and it's mixes elements of Hayao Miyazaki, Horror, Thriller and Comedy in a blend that crafts something really compelling. It's got a vibe that feels like a mix between "Dr. Seuss", Tim Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and Schultz "Peanuts" with a touch of The Simpsons and Hans Christian Andersen.



I think it's fitting that Cartoon Network choose to air it between Halloween and Thanksgiving as it bridges the grim tonality of All Hallow's Eve with the mystical magic of Autumn and Thanksgiving.