31 Days of Halloween (October 1st through 31st)

[simbob4000]

Here's the thing, when I watched Labyrinth yesterday, I had no idea it was this "safe". When I saw the trailers back in the 80s, It seemed like there were scary elements in it and weird innuendos with Bowie. Like some dark fantasy. So that is why I chose this flick. But in the movie there was none. I was hoping they would concentrate on Bowie and the kid, like maybe he wanted to sacrifice the baby or something. But there was never a time when the girl was in jeopardy. There was a situation where they almost went into a scenario where she would marry Bowie to save the baby. And it seemed like they were going there but it was cut from the script. This movie was so non-threatening and devoided of suspense.

Legend had flaws, both movies have garbage scripts but at least with Legend you actually have a movie made by Ridley Scott and the telling of the tale is unique, so are the set designs. Tim Curry was sublime as the representation of the Devil. The music by Vangelis is a threat in itself. In Labyrinth, it all went into the puppets and nothing else. Even Mia Sarah is better than Jennifer Connely in the film(and I'm a big fan of Connely). Bowie is good but he has nothing to work with. His performance pales in comparison to Curry. Labyrinth is a kiddie show not only in term of story but as far as production value compared to Legend. And I always thought Legend was only eye candy. So you can imagine how low Labyrinth is.

I can't even watch Legends it's so bad. Curry is great in it, he's also the only thing of interest in the whole film.

I'll take the look of Labyrinth over Legends any day of the week.

[Angilasman]

For years it's a film that I meant to watch and I should have watched when I was younger, I would have appreciated more. But as it stands, even if I like Connely, Bowie and Jim Hansen, there wasn't much to it. It's a shame cause there were good elements there, particularly the inventiveness of the puppets-making by Hansen and the film looks good. If only there was a good meaty story there with genuine scares. I cannot stand when there's much budget allowed for the effects and not much attention paid to the script, it's a waste of time for everybody. Watch Neverending Story and Legend instead.

I think Labyrinth's continued popularity is do to the fact that it taps into something uncommon for popular film: it's a female coming of age story that isn't an indie film or a schmaltzy romance. Jennifer Connolly has to wrestle with putting away childish things, accept personal responsibility, and has to ward off the advances of a much older man. I feel that's why is resonates, aside from the Henson puppets and Bowie.

[Da Boat]

I think Labyrinth's continued popularity is do to the fact that it taps into something uncommon for popular film: it's a female coming of age story that isn't an indie film or a schmaltzy romance. Jennifer Connolly has to wrestle with putting away childish things, accept personal responsibility, and has to ward off the advances of a much older man. I feel that's why is resonates, aside from the Henson puppets and Bowie.

Yea but it's so light and thin and she never really has any challenge to achieve what she must. Bowie is never a real threat. I feel like they could have gone further into the connection with him. The truth is, I think the attraction for the flick is artificial. This beautiful teenager lost in a (almost) dark magical land with modern music. And I get it, there's an appeal there. But there are better in this genre of a young woman coming of age mixed with fantasy story from Legend to another Connely vehicule Phenonema, from Dario Argento and The Company of the Wolves. They have more of an edge, there is more meat to the bone. Again I get the appeal but it's just not a great movie.

[Sean Whitmore]

October 1 - The Body Snatcher (1945)
October 2 - Isle of the Dead (1945)
October 3 - Dead Men Walk (1943)
October 4 - Cat People (1942)
October 5 - An American Werewolf in London (1981)
October 6 - Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932)
October 7 - The Old Dark House (1932)

I first saw this a few years ago, recommended by Cinemassacre's Monster Madness, and it's become a must-watch every October since. I love everything about it; all of the the performances (particularly Charles Laughton, Melvyn Douglas, and Ernest Thesiger), the lack of music, punctuated instead by a constant stream of wind and lightning, the weirdness of the Femms, the banter of the guests, and even the action, which is not something I often say about movies this old. I may even have to watch it again between now and Halloween.

October 8 - Silver Bullet (1985)

I hadn't seen this since I was a real little kid, and I'm surprised how much I enjoyed it. The movie is light on story but heavy on that popular 80s atmosphere of killings in a small town where everyone knows each other. The transformation effects are not bad (no AWIL, though), though the final werewolf suit is a bit too goofy to be scary. Though in all honesty, it scared the hell out of me as a kid.

[Sean Whitmore]

October 6th - The Undying Monster (1942)

I hadn't heard of this before, but it sounds right up my alley!

Though the pedant in me must point out that that second image is from House of Frankenstein.

[Da Boat]

October 9 - USS Indianapolis(2016)





Sadly no Quint.

It's a golly jeez WW2 movie, sort of a cartoon. Plus the events of the USS Indianapolis. Only Nick Cage could have been in there.

As for the events, there were a few good shots but most of it was unrealistic and not particularly great. There were sharks eating people but it felt brushed off quickly and not that well shot. You see the lack of budget. Also most of the shark shots were with great whites. One would think there would be gazillion of types of sharks and the eating would be mostly unseen. Open Water did this better where you get eaten but it's little by little and until there's left of you. It doesn't have to be big money shots.

If you think into account what Quint said + reality the sea should have been red with the blood of these guys. But there way it was filmed, it was pretty clean and PG. I don't think it was a well representation of shark behaviors either. It should have been cause it would have been scarier.

[Sean Whitmore]

October 1 - The Body Snatcher (1945)
October 2 - Isle of the Dead (1945)
October 3 - Dead Men Walk (1943)
October 4 - Cat People (1942)
October 5 - An American Werewolf in London (1981)
October 6 - Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932)
October 7 - The Old Dark House (1932)
October 8 - Silver Bullet (1985)
October 9 - Killer Klowns From Outer Space (1988)

Hm. Finally got around to watching this after hearing people talk about it for years and years. And it was...fine, I guess. A couple of laughs, no real scares, no memorable performances outside John Vernon. I doubt I'll have the desire to watch it again.

[Death&Return of Superman]

October 9 - Picnic at Hanging Rock





Was it aliens, witches, some bizarre metaphysical happening, or just something related to the volcano? These are questions that will never be answered in Hanging Rock. All that is known is that in 1900, while visiting the titular Hanging Rock four students and a teacher went up Hanging Rock, and the only one to come back is the only character you wish went missing. There a few things we see before the girls go missing that something isn't quite right, and when questioned later one of the girls gives an account of a strange red cloud we the viewers never got to see. Most of the movie is instead is about the towns reaction to this bizarre incident, the headmistress of the private school getting pissed off about how this whole thing will make them look bad, and a boy that saw the girls before they disappear trying to find them.

Wasn't in love with it, but I still liked it a lot. The period peices time frame also lends the whole thing an interesting stately manner. The movie also has a young John Jarratt, who would later also be making people mysterious disappear in the Wolf Creek films.


Also watched half of Nekromantik.


Nekromantik - that's about all of the poster I could post without getting in trouble.

If you've no idea what Nekromamtik is, well, it's about this guy that works at one of those crime scene cleanup places, and his girlfriend, and they've got a fetish for dead people. The man, the main character of the film, steals bits and pieces of people from work and has basically what looks like a little oddity shop in his house like an eye, a hand, a fetus, and some other stuff in kilner clip top jars - like a Brundlefly museum. One day, which seems like it might be the first day this has happened, he takes a whole rather ripe looking body, and well, let your imagination do the rest I guess. Although I will say, the way they went about doing what they did seemed somewhat impractical; but I guess that just adds to the gross horror of it all.

It seemed good from what I saw of it, had a whole cinema vérité feel to it. The Wikipedia page seems kind of down on the look of the film, but I actually thought it looked pretty good. But it was in German, and without subtitles, so I didn't watch it all.

[Death&Return of Superman]

31 Days 31 Monsters
October 4th Son of Frankenstein (1939)



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Son of Frankenstein is sort of a Good Bad Ugly type movie where three classically trained actors play a game of cat and mouse with Frankenstein just sort of in the background. Bella Lugosi plays Igor and he's the only one who actually feels like he belongs in a Universal Horror film. Basil Rathbone played the son of Frankenstein and Lionel Atwell played the inspector. I think my big problem with this movie is that every feels like they are in a different movie at different times. It's pretty ridiculous to have this modern family running around this gorgeous castle being taunted by an old school irish detective and a strange european monster with a broken neck!

I was never bored with it, but it just always felt silly to me. For Universal films to work you need decent continuity and Son of Frankenstein just didn't have it.

October 1st - Daimajin: Monster of Terror (1966) ****1/2 stars
October 2nd - Tarantula (1955) ***1/2 stars
October 3rd - The Living Skeleton (1968) ***
October 4th - Son of Frankenstein (1939) **

Next Up, back to the Kaiju's

Doesn't it seem strange that of the Frankenstein looks they could have went for, Marvel basically went with the Son of Frankenstein fur vest one for their version? Strange or funny, same thing really.

[Angilasman]

Doesn't it seem strange that of the Frankenstein looks they could have went for, Marvel basically went with the Son of Frankenstein fur vest one for their version? Strange or funny, same thing really.

I love how each time Karloff played the monster Jack Pierce gave him a distinctly different look. Once they started changing actors they opted for keeping the design consistent, I suppose to sell the fact it's the same monster with his face changing every movie.

[Da Boat]

Also I always felt the fur vest was the Frankenstein's Monster pseudo-official look. When I think of him, he wears that.

[Sean Whitmore]

That fur vest is like the Monster's version of that green wraparound tunic Captain Kirk wore every so often.

[Da Boat]

Given to him by a female alien plant-like creature.

[Jared]

October 1. The Crooked Man (2016)
October 2. Creature (1985)
October 3. Twins of Evil. (1971)
October 4. The Vampire Lovers (1970)
October 5. Lust for a Vampire (1971)
October 6. Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974)
October 7.
October 8. Corpse Bride (2005)

October 9. Blade II (2002)



Now we get to much more successful vampire hunter. I can remember seeing Blade 1 in theaters in high school, coming back Monday and talking with friends about how unbelievably cool it was. I really can't think of anything quite like it beforehand, though since The Matrix, a lot of movies have had similar style. When Blade II finally came out a few years later, I was thrilled that it was a rare sequel that improves on the first. Though not as original, it's a better made film in pretty much every way. Like the first, it still has some excessively cheesy bits, and some dodgy CG scenes, but they're less cheesy or dodgy than its predecessors. Meanwhile, the film's story is more developed the action is kicked up a notch. It's not as dated as the first feels in some way. If not for Norman Reedus's youthful appearance, one could easily think that this movie much younger than 14 years.

This sequel was directed by Guillermo Del Toro, so of course it has detailed sets and interesting creatures. In fact, Del Toro seemed to be such a fan of the Reaper design that he reworked (and simplified) it for The Strain. I do wish some things has been better thought out. After establishing that the vampires have access to full bodysuits suits that can protect them from ultraviolet light, they for some reason go hunting in the tunnels where they plan to use UV decked out in armor that is seemingly useless even against a beam of sunlight against a gloved hand! It would have been nice to get some more establishment for the Blood Pack members and what they could do; the best 'Men on a Mission' movies, from Dirty Dozen to Predator, do a better job at making the team feel fleshed out and formidable. There's a redhead on the team who seems to have no use whatsoever other than being the big guy's girlfriend. The consequences of Whistler having been kept as a vampire for a two years are negligible, which is a cop out.

Thomas Kretchman owns the screen as the vampire overlord. If they ever did/do a worthwhile sequel, I'd like to him brought back. It's not hard to see a door this movie potentially leaves open for that to happen.

Despite having seen all three movies and most of the series, I still don't know how "pure blood" vampires work. Do they just breed like normal people do? Do they stop aging at a certain point? If not, how old do they get? What, if anything, makes them better than vampires who are turned from human victims?

Nyssa isn't a very common name, so I wonder if the Batman writers in 03 were inspired by the vampire princess when they were naming Ra's wayward older daughter.

I get a kick out of seeing some pro wrasslin' style worked in among the martial arts and gunplay. Pretty sure this remains the only vampire or superhero movie in which a hanging vertical suplex is performed.

[Sean Whitmore]

October 1 - The Body Snatcher (1945)
October 2 - Isle of the Dead (1945)
October 3 - Dead Men Walk (1943)
October 4 - Cat People (1942)
October 5 - An American Werewolf in London (1981)
October 6 - Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932)
October 7 - The Old Dark House (1932)
October 8 - Silver Bullet (1985)
October 9 - Killer Klowns From Outer Space (1988)
October 10 - Bedlam (1946)

The last of the three Karloff/Lewton collaborations, and the one with the greatest potential for horror...but it isn't realized. It's still a good movie, but much more period drama than period thriller. Like an old-timey version of Cuckoo's Nest, and not even as dark as that movie.