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

[Sean Whitmore]

Well, this was fun. Probably not the first year I've seen 31 horror movies in October, but the first where I've seen at least one every day. That said, trying to squeeze one in before/after work can feel like more of a chore than a treat some days, so next year I might just go back to quintupling up on the weekends.

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)
October 11 - Scream and Scream Again (1970)
October 12 - Shin Godzilla (2016)
Son of Dracula (1943)
October 13 - Doctor X (1932)
October 14 - Son of Frankenstein (1939)
October 15 - Mighty Joe Young (1949)
Monster House (2006)
October 16 - The Devil Rides Out (1968)
The Innocents (1961)
The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958)
October 17 - The Invisible Ray (1936)
October 18 - The City of the Dead (1960)
October 19 - The Lost Boys (1987)
October 20 - Horror Express (1972)
October 21 - The Thing From Another World (1951)
October 22 - The Oblong Box (1969)
October 23 - The Creeping Flesh (1973)
October 24 - The Gorgon (1964)
October 25 - The Brides of Dracula (1960)
October 26 - Scars of Dracula (1970)
October 27 - The Wolfman (2010)
October 28 - The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
October 29 - Island of Lost Souls (1932)
October 30 - Halloween 5 (1989)
The Tingler (1959)

It's a testament to Vincent Price's charm that this movie is even watchable. Otherwise the story is just too silly, and it's played too seriously, to get invested in. Everything is done in service of one of producer William Castle's famous gimmicks: rigging several seats in the theater with electric vibrators set to go off during a scene where the monster gets loose in a movie theater within the film. And to be fair, that probably worked really well, but that gimmick is by far the most notable thing about the movie.

October 31 - Horror of Dracula (1958)

What's there to even say about this one? Christopher Lee as Dracula, Peter Cushing as Van Helsing. No ninjas, no contemporary setting. No provisos like "Dracula isn't in this one" or "Dracula doesn't speak" (though, I mean, granted, he never says MUCH in these). No horrible bat puppets or weird plots or anticlimactic lightning bolts or interchangeable young protagonists named Paul. Just classic Hammer vampire hunting. And a fitting end to a Lee-heavy October, thanks to TCM making him their star of the month.

[Da Boat]

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)
October 10. Vampire Hunter D (1985)
October 11. The Wolfman (2010). Sorority Row (2009).
October 12. Nothing but the Night (1973)
October 13. It Came From Beneath the Sea. (1955)
October 14. Countess Dracula (1971). The Frighteners (1996).
October 15. The Devil's Tomb (2009).
October 16. Red Riding Hood (2011).
October 17. Fright Night (2011). Dracula (1979).
October 18. Fright Night 2: New Blood (2013).
October 19. The Batman vs. Dracula (2005).
October 20. Count Yorga, Vampire (1970).
October 21. Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988).
October 22. War-Gods of the Deep (1965). Outland (1981).
October 23. House at the End of the Street (2012). Phantasm (1979).
October 24. Species (1995).
October 25. Species II (1998).
October 26. I Spit on Your Grave (1978).
October 27. A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985).
October 28. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987). The Witch (2016). Dark Shadows (2012).

October 29. Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992). Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982).



Francis Ford Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula is one of the most interesting takes on of the count's story around. It actually features just about all the characters and locations from the book. But Dracula's origin and the reincarnation subplot are additions. It plays like a baroque, melodramatic fever dream. It's bloodier and sexier than any previous version that I'm aware of, and most that have come afterward. The overall feel of the movie makes it feel like a horror counterpart of John Boorman's Excalibur, but Drac is quicker paced and seems more complete. Much of it looks unreal and sort of stagey, but that's a deliberate choice here and to me, it works. Almost all of the special effects were done with in-camera techniques available since the early days of cinema, which gives it it a fascinating look, at times it's like watching a magic show.

Gary Oldman, practically a god of acting, makes a compelling Dracula in every form. Keanu Reeves has proven that he can deliver a really good performance when given the right role for him. This is NOT the right role for him. His accent is so awful that it's a wonder that none of the actual Brits on set struck him down in patriotic fury. His stilted, fumbling performance doesn't help. Winona Ryder fares a bit better with the accent (I think), but she gives off to much of a modern vibe to me. On the other hand, she's so incredibly alluring that I'd believe Dracula would cross oceans of time for her even if she never meant anything to him previously. Anthony Hopkins has a field day playing a Van Helsing who is closer to the book's than most portrayals, but even wilder and more eccentric. Kudos to Tom Waits for his creepy, bugged out rendition of Renfield. Comparing Monica Bellucci in her brief (but memorable!) part as one of Dracula's Brides to her today may leave you wondering if she's a vampire in real life.

I wish the characters of Dr. Seward, Arthur Holmwood, and Quincy Morris were more fleshed out, the movie would probably run too long if they tried. They do each get some distinct characterizations and quirks, which is fun to see. It's really rare to see the entire "band of hereos" from the novel rather than some being omitted, compressed, or killed off in the prologue.




I finally decided to check out the Halloween movie that isn't really a Halloween movie, because it has nothing to do with Michael Meyers. If the second film in the series had been a separate story, as Carpenter is said to have originally intended it to be an anthology, things would have been very different. In just looking at this movie on its own merits, I thought it was just OK. The heroes are dull, and the villainy is too much like a goofy holiday-themed Bond villain plot. I did like the use of the silent men in suits and black gloves who are like prototypes of the Matrix agents.

This movie would have been better as an episode of The Outer Limits or something like that. There's a bit too much stretching of the premise, and some parts rely too much on character stupidity.





If you hate 4 I expect you'll really hate 5. And 6...well, everybody hates 6.

Yea as I posted above, it really really sucked. A lot of fast forward occured during the viewing of Hallow 5.

About Dracula, I had that awesome poster on my wall when I was younger. This movie was a once in a lifetime experience having a great visual director tackling a monster movie with unlimited budget, it was almost a dream come true for any horror fan of the time. I bought all the magazines talking about it. It was an event as big as the coming of Tim Burton's Batman for me. It was great how around this time, several of these came out like Interview with the Vampire, Deniro's Frankenstein and Wolf. Fangoria must have made a bundle. And many magazines also used this to make many specials about vampires and werewolves and yes I bought them all.

The movie itself on the big screen was a sublime experience(my favorite part was the opening with Dracula as a Warlord and him turning on Christ). But I must say I was left on my apetite. As if Coppola threw everything but the kitchen sink but forgot to tell a cohesive story. In certain points he wanted to stick to the Novel too much so he threw those scenes on screen without understanding them. I saw recently the Jack Palance TV movie with him as Dracula and they made a few changes to the Novels that made things better for the screen. You understand why Dracula did this and that. That said, it looks so great and it's so entertaining. I've always had a crush on Wynona so that helped too.

[Tazirai]

Well, this was fun. Probably not the first year I've seen 31 horror movies in October, but the first where I've seen at least one every day. That said, trying to squeeze one in before/after work can feel like more of a chore than a treat some days, so next year I might just go back to quintupling up on the weekends.

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)
October 11 - Scream and Scream Again (1970)
October 12 - Shin Godzilla (2016)
Son of Dracula (1943)
October 13 - Doctor X (1932)
October 14 - Son of Frankenstein (1939)
October 15 - Mighty Joe Young (1949)
Monster House (2006)
October 16 - The Devil Rides Out (1968)
The Innocents (1961)
The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958)
October 17 - The Invisible Ray (1936)
October 18 - The City of the Dead (1960)
October 19 - The Lost Boys (1987)
October 20 - Horror Express (1972)
October 21 - The Thing From Another World (1951)
October 22 - The Oblong Box (1969)
October 23 - The Creeping Flesh (1973)
October 24 - The Gorgon (1964)
October 25 - The Brides of Dracula (1960)
October 26 - Scars of Dracula (1970)
October 27 - The Wolfman (2010)
October 28 - The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
October 29 - Island of Lost Souls (1932)
October 30 - Halloween 5 (1989)
The Tingler (1959)

It's a testament to Vincent Price's charm that this movie is even watchable. Otherwise the story is just too silly, and it's played too seriously, to get invested in. Everything is done in service of one of producer William Castle's famous gimmicks: rigging several seats in the theater with electric vibrators set to go off during a scene where the monster gets loose in a movie theater within the film. And to be fair, that probably worked really well, but that gimmick is by far the most notable thing about the movie.

October 31 - Horror of Dracula (1958)

What's there to even say about this one? Christopher Lee as Dracula, Peter Cushing as Van Helsing. No ninjas, no contemporary setting. No provisos like "Dracula isn't in this one" or "Dracula doesn't speak" (though, I mean, granted, he never says MUCH in these). No horrible bat puppets or weird plots or anticlimactic lightning bolts or interchangeable young protagonists named Paul. Just classic Hammer vampire hunting. And a fitting end to a Lee-heavy October, thanks to TCM making him their star of the month.

I watched the Tingler Today.

So on October 30-31st I made up for a TON of films.

Dead of Night
Abott and Costello Meet Dracula
Abott and Costello meet Frankenstein
Abott and Costello meet the Invisible man

House on Haunted hill The original
The Haunting
Black Sabbath
The Devils bride

[Da Boat]

October 1. Wilderness(2006)
October 2. From Beyond the Grave(1973)
October 3. Harlequin(1981)
October 4. The Wave(2015)
October 5. The Boy Who Cried Werewolf(1973)
October 6. The Possession(2012)
October 7. Labyrinth(1986)
October 8. Ten To Midnight(1983)
October 9. USS Indianapolis(2016)
October 10. When A Stranger Calls(1979)
October 11. Hellboy(2004)
October 12. The Ghoul(1933)
October 13. The Skull(1965)
October 14. Rawhead Rex(!986)
October 15. Penny Dreadful(2014)
October 16. The Island(1980)
October 17. Before I Go To Sleep(2014)
October 18. Don't Breath(2016)
October 19. Dial M For Murder(1954)
October 20. Exorcist II: The Heretic(1977)
October 21. The Host(2013)
October 22. The Witch(2016)
October 23. Stoker(2013)
October 24. Thinner(1996)
October 25. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde(1955)
October 26. Westworld(1973)
October 27. Outcast(2010)
October 28. Dawn of the Dead(2004)
October 29. Under The Skin(2013)
October 30. Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers(1989)
October 31. Tales of Halloween(2015)



It feels like I saved the best for last. And it ends on a halloween theme too, which was not decided this way.

Even though I love Halloween movies, I had never heard of Tales for some reason. It's like once Trick of Treat was passed, I figured all the follow ups would be a bunch of low grade no budget garbage. I never knew that some of them could be actually be good projects.

This is the case here for Tales of Halloween. Probably the most fun I had in this entire marathon.

There's 10 tales(!!!) instead of the usual 3 or 4. One of those is directed by Dog Soldiers' Neil Marshall, you've got Scream Queen Adrian Barbeau on board as the link between some of the stories.

Most of this is just pure fun about nasty scary stories about the holiday of Halloween, kids, candies and all the monsters that get inserted into it. There's even a John Landis(as an actor) story where his kid gets kidnaped and he's happy about it, I just kept thinking about Max. I feel your pain, John.

The best little mini movie was about Hansel and Gretel, it was nuts and offbeat and unique.

So anyway if any of you has the chance to see this, while not a masterpiece, it's great fun for our favorite Holiday.

Happy Halloween Everybody!

[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)
October 10. Vampire Hunter D (1985)
October 11. The Wolfman (2010). Sorority Row (2009).
October 12. Nothing but the Night (1973)
October 13. It Came From Beneath the Sea. (1955)
October 14. Countess Dracula (1971). The Frighteners (1996).
October 15. The Devil's Tomb (2009).
October 16. Red Riding Hood (2011).
October 17. Fright Night (2011). Dracula (1979).
October 18. Fright Night 2: New Blood (2013).
October 19. The Batman vs. Dracula (2005).
October 20. Count Yorga, Vampire (1970).
October 21. Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988).
October 22. War-Gods of the Deep (1965). Outland (1981).
October 23. House at the End of the Street (2012). Phantasm (1979).
October 24. Species (1995).
October 25. Species II (1998).
October 26. I Spit on Your Grave (1978).
October 27. A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985).
October 28. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987). The Witch (2016). Dark Shadows (2012).
October 29. Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992). Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982).

October 30. You're Next (2011).



Admittedly, I didn't see all of this because I was skipping back and forth with sports, especially for the first half of it Luckily I'd see in before, as it's well worth watching uninterrupted. It seems like typical, technically well made home-invasion/slasher flick...but there's a twist that becomes steadily more apparent as it goes on. One of the spoilers:

victims is not like the others...or most other victims in most movies. If there was a Final Girl Olympics, Erin from Australia would leave with a two angry fistfuls of medals.

end of spoilers

Some of the score has a very John Carpenter-y sound. There's some humor, but not as spoofy or meta as Scream or other films inspired by it.

IMDB says this get a U.S. release until 2013. Given how many crappy horror flicks get pushed out every year I don't see why this had to sit for more than a year.

The movie itself on the big screen was a sublime experience(my favorite part was the opening with Dracula as a Warlord and him turning on Christ).

I love that opening. Hell, that prologue is better than the entirety of Dracula Untold, and I say that as someone who found Untold watchable but disappointing.

But I must say I was left on my apetite. As if Coppola threw everything but the kitchen sink but forgot to tell a cohesive story. In certain points he wanted to stick to the Novel too much so he threw those scenes on screen without understanding them.

The first time I saw this, years ago on network TV, I hadn't read the book and I was confused by a lot of it. Later, when I had read the book, it made more more sense, it almost works as a companion piece. Coppola tried to use narration at times, and the entire book is in first person diary/letter style. But he doesn't fully commit to trying to tell the story in past tense and it just seems jarring when it pops in and out. And some scenes that should be expanded on are glossed over in montages.

I saw recently the Jack Palance TV movie with him as Dracula and they made a few changes to the Novels that made things better for the screen. You understand why Dracula did this and that.

That one I've never seen. I believe it's the first version to have Mina be the reincarnation of Dracula's mortal love.

I've always had a crush on Wynona so that helped too.

So say we all!

October 31 - Horror of Dracula (1958)

... No horrible bat puppets or weird plots or anticlimactic lightning bolts or interchangeable young protagonists named Paul.

Gah, when I watched all the Hammer Draculas a year ago, the parade of hero Pauls annoyed and confused the hell out of me. Supposedly the writer liked the name because it was easy to type.

This is the case here for Tales of Halloween. Probably the most fun I had in this entire marathon.

There's 10 tales(!!!) instead of the usual 3 or 4. One of those is directed by Dog Soldiers' Neil Marshall, you've got Scream Queen Adrian Barbeau on board as the link between some of the stories.

Most of this is just pure fun about nasty scary stories about the holiday of Halloween, kids, candies and all the monsters that get inserted into it. There's even a John Landis(as an actor) story where his kid gets kidnaped and he's happy about it, I just kept thinking about Max. I feel your pain, John.

The best little mini movie was about Hansel and Gretel, it was nuts and offbeat and unique.

So anyway if any of you has the chance to see this, while not a masterpiece, it's great fun for our favorite Holiday.

I vaguely recall seeing something about this online. I don't think I even realized it was a movie. It sounds interesting, though I'm curious as to how such short segments will work out.

[TomServofan]

Who would had loved to seen how the Halloween franchise could had been an anthology?

[Da Boat]

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)
October 10. Vampire Hunter D (1985)
October 11. The Wolfman (2010). Sorority Row (2009).
October 12. Nothing but the Night (1973)
October 13. It Came From Beneath the Sea. (1955)
October 14. Countess Dracula (1971). The Frighteners (1996).
October 15. The Devil's Tomb (2009).
October 16. Red Riding Hood (2011).
October 17. Fright Night (2011). Dracula (1979).
October 18. Fright Night 2: New Blood (2013).
October 19. The Batman vs. Dracula (2005).
October 20. Count Yorga, Vampire (1970).
October 21. Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988).
October 22. War-Gods of the Deep (1965). Outland (1981).
October 23. House at the End of the Street (2012). Phantasm (1979).
October 24. Species (1995).
October 25. Species II (1998).
October 26. I Spit on Your Grave (1978).
October 27. A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985).
October 28. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987). The Witch (2016). Dark Shadows (2012).
October 29. Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992). Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982).

October 30. You're Next (2011).



Admittedly, I didn't see all of this because I was skipping back and forth with sports, especially for the first half of it Luckily I'd see in before, as it's well worth watching uninterrupted. It seems like typical, technically well made home-invasion/slasher flick...but there's a twist that becomes steadily more apparent as it goes on. One of the spoilers:

victims is not like the others...or most other victims in most movies. If there was a Final Girl Olympics, Erin from Australia would leave with a two angry fistfuls of medals.

end of spoilers

Some of the score has a very John Carpenter-y sound. There's some humor, but not as spoofy or meta as Scream or other films inspired by it.

IMDB says this get a U.S. release until 2013. Given how many crappy horror flicks get pushed out every year I don't see why this had to sit for more than a year.




I love that opening. Hell, that prologue is better than the entirety of Dracula Untold, and I say that as someone who found Untold watchable but disappointing.

But I must say I was left on my apetite. As if Coppola threw everything but the kitchen sink but forgot to tell a cohesive story. In certain points he wanted to stick to the Novel too much so he threw those scenes on screen without understanding them.

The first time I saw this, years ago on network TV, I hadn't read the book and I was confused by a lot of it. Later, when I had read the book, it made more more sense, it almost works as a companion piece. Coppola tried to use narration at times, and the entire book is in first person diary/letter style. But he doesn't fully commit to trying to tell the story in past tense and it just seems jarring when it pops in and out. And some scenes that should be expanded on are glossed over in montages.



That one I've never seen. I believe it's the first version to have Mina be the reincarnation of Dracula's mortal love.



So say we all!



Gah, when I watched all the Hammer Draculas a year ago, the parade of hero Pauls annoyed and confused the hell out of me. Supposedly the writer liked the name because it was easy to type.





I vaguely recall seeing something about this online. I don't think I even realized it was a movie. It sounds interesting, though I'm curious as to how such short segments will work out.[/QUOTE]

About Bram Stoker's Dracula, I would like to see the book adapted completely at some point with all the diary inserts intact. But It would take dedication and I'm not sure if it would be adaptable. Maybe it could as a TV series. But thr Jack Palance Dracula I highly recommend, mainly if it's just for Jack who is Drac as the Warlord come to life. He is big and imposing and scary. It's a TV movie so it has budget limits but it its simplicity is also its greatest strength. The fact that it's Lucy who is Dracula's great love instead of Mina makes the whole thing work so damn better here structurally. It feels like everything makes sense, Dracula's motivation, etc....Cause when they kill her, he goes bunkers and goes after Mina for revenge.

-------

BTW guys, two other movies I've seen yesterday were Son of Dracula and The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll. Both pretty great. Son may be the best vampire/film noir movie that's ever been done with Dracula's Bride ploting to kill Drac with her lover. And Two Faces is one of the best Jekyll/Hyfe movies that's ever done that. Just when you think there's no more movies from Hammer that could surprise you, you are proven wrong. Here again they take a familar monster and come up with something great from it. These guys are so good at mixing British aristocracy and decadence and never has there been more present there. This could have been done in a so much simpler manner and still work but they change the concept a bit and it opens up a whole new way to look at it. I won't say what the change is but it's clever.

[Siddon]

31 Days 31 Monsters
October 31st - Mark of the Vampire(1935), Pumpkinhead(1988), Fall of the House of Usher(1960)






n the prologue set in 1957, Tom Harley waits inside his farm cabin with his wife and young son, Ed. A doomed man seeks sanctuary at Tom's cabin, but Tom refuses and threatens to shoot him if he does not leave. Watching through a window, Ed witnesses the man caught and killed by a grotesque monster.

In the present, Ed Harley owns a small store in the country. He briefly leaves his young son alone while he runs an errand. A group of teenage campers stop by Harley's, and, while riding their dirt bikes, they mortally injure Harley's son.

The scariest thing in Pumpkinhead is Lance Hendrickson's southern accent which comes and goes as it pleases. Anyways it's a decent little monster movie, good atmosphere the monster looks great and a bunch of deplorables get randomly killed.



Philip Winthrop (Mark Damon) travels to the House of Usher, a desolate mansion surrounded by a murky swamp, to meet his fiancée Madeline Usher (Myrna Fahey). Madeline's brother Roderick (Vincent Price) opposes Philip's intentions, telling the young man that the Usher family is afflicted by a cursed bloodline which has driven all their ancestors to madness. Roderick foresees the family evils being propagated into future generations with a marriage to Madeline and vehemently discourages the union. Philip becomes increasingly desperate to take Madeline away; she agrees to leave with him, desperate to get away from her brother.

Vincent Price is great in this, the other male lead not so much but this is a Corman classic.



Sir Karell Borotyn (Holmes Herbert) is found murdered in his house, with two tiny pinpoint wounds on his neck. The attending doctor, Dr. Doskil (Donald Meek), and Sir Karell's friend Baron Otto (Jean Hersholt) are convinced that he was killed by a vampire. They suspect Count Mora (Bela Lugosi) and his daughter Luna (Carroll Borland), while the Prague police inspector (Lionel Atwill) refuses to believe them.

Borotyn's daughter Irena (Elizabeth Allan) is the count’s next target. Professor Zelen (Lionel Barrymore), an expert on vampires and the occult, arrives in order to prevent her death. At the same time, secrets are revealed surrounding the circumstances of Sir Karell’s death.

Utterly fantastic film, with a great third act twist.

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) **
October 5th - Reptilicus (1961) **
October 6th - The Undying Monster (1942) *****
October 7th - Them!(1954) ***1/2
October 8th - Night of the Blood Beast (1958) **1/2
October 9th - Black Moon (1934) **
October 10th - Island of Doctor Moreau(1977) ****
October 11th - Phantom of 10,000 Leagues (1955) **
October 12th - The Brain That Wouldn't Die (1962) ***1/2
October 13th - The H-Man (1958) ****
October 14th - The Fly (1958) *****
October 15th - Gamera (1965) ***
October 16th - Feast (2005) *
October 17th - Teeth (2007) ***1/2
October 18th - The Neon Demon (2016) ****
October 19th - The Shallows (2016) **1/2
October 20th - C.H.U.D(1984) ***3/4
October 21st - Q:The Winged Serpent (1982) ****
October 22nd - Little Shop of Horrors (1960) DUD
October 23rd - Exorcist III (1990) ****
October 24th - Invaders from Mars (1953) ***
October 25th - Son of Kong (1933) **
October 26th - The Earth Dies Screaming (1964) ***
October 27th - Don't Look Now(1973) ****
October 28th - Dagon (2001) **1/2
October 29th - Invasion of the Astro-Monster(1965) ***
October 30th - The Cat and the Canary (1978) *****
October 31st - Fall of the House of Usher (1960) ***
- Pumpkinhead (1988) **
- Mark of the Vampire (1935) ****

[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)
October 10. Vampire Hunter D (1985)
October 11. The Wolfman (2010). Sorority Row (2009).
October 12. Nothing but the Night (1973)
October 13. It Came From Beneath the Sea. (1955)
October 14. Countess Dracula (1971). The Frighteners (1996).
October 15. The Devil's Tomb (2009).
October 16. Red Riding Hood (2011).
October 17. Fright Night (2011). Dracula (1979).
October 18. Fright Night 2: New Blood (2013).
October 19. The Batman vs. Dracula (2005).
October 20. Count Yorga, Vampire (1970).
October 21. Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988).
October 22. War-Gods of the Deep (1965). Outland (1981).
October 23. House at the End of the Street (2012). Phantasm (1979).
October 24. Species (1995).
October 25. Species II (1998).
October 26. I Spit on Your Grave (1978).
October 27. A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985).
October 28. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987). The Witch (2016). Dark Shadows (2012).
October 29. Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992). Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982).
October 30. You're Next (2011).
October 31. Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998).



38 films in total this year, and only missed one day. Whoo!

It just wouldn't be Halloween without a Halloween movie. Twenty years after the horror in Haddonfield, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) under an assumed name, is working as a headmistress at a fancy private school in Northern California. Michael Meyers hasn't been seen since The Night He Came Home, but it seems his body was never found after the hospital fire. Laurie's been living with PTSD and paranoia ever since, being overprotective of her son (Josh Hartnett) and his stupid haircut. Michelle Williams plays Josh's girlfriend, making her second surprise (to me) appearance in this year's viewing.

I had actually seen this back when it first came out on video. I thought I had forgotten most of it, but it turns out that the movie is just so breezy that there isn't much more to it other than the parts I remembered. It runs a brisk 90s minutes, and much like the original, the violence happens in the beginning and doesn't really pick up again until later.. There's also a rather surprising shortage of victims. Now, a good slasher shouldn't need to just rack up the bodycount to absurd levels, but one or two more victims could have helped pace out the third act. The directing and the score are quite pedestrian. Michael is shown in full view and lightning too often for my tastes, especially when compared to how Carpenter so brilliantly framed "The Shape" in the original.

Basically, this movie's pitch is, "Come for Jamie Lee Curtis, stay for Jamie Lee Curtis." She delivers a genuinely good performance, she didn't come back just to collect a paycheck. This feels like a realistic depiction of what the quintessential Final Girl would be like two decades later. And the movie leads to a satisfying (if perhaps a bit rushed) conclusion as she decides to literally face down her fear once and for all. I have no idea why she came back for the bullshit sequel, Resurrection. I would say just watch H1, H2, and H20 and you get a pretty good, complete-feeling trilogy.

Given the hackneyed clusterfuck that the original series turned into after (or arguably starting with) part IV, it's probably for the best that this movie only uses the first and second movie for backstory. Though, curiously, it is noted that Laurie Strode faked her death via car accident and in IV, that's how she had supposedly died. Perhaps there was an earlier version of the script which tried to make this a sequel to all the movies.


I was going to watch VHS, but then I forgot I'd had it saved.


Anyone up for doing a 12 Days of Christmas movies?

[TomServofan]

31 Days 31 Monsters
October 31st - Mark of the Vampire(1935), Pumpkinhead(1988), Fall of the House of Usher(1960)






n the prologue set in 1957, Tom Harley waits inside his farm cabin with his wife and young son, Ed. A doomed man seeks sanctuary at Tom's cabin, but Tom refuses and threatens to shoot him if he does not leave. Watching through a window, Ed witnesses the man caught and killed by a grotesque monster.

In the present, Ed Harley owns a small store in the country. He briefly leaves his young son alone while he runs an errand. A group of teenage campers stop by Harley's, and, while riding their dirt bikes, they mortally injure Harley's son.

The scariest thing in Pumpkinhead is Lance Hendrickson's southern accent which comes and goes as it pleases. Anyways it's a decent little monster movie, good atmosphere the monster looks great and a bunch of deplorables get randomly killed.



Philip Winthrop (Mark Damon) travels to the House of Usher, a desolate mansion surrounded by a murky swamp, to meet his fiancée Madeline Usher (Myrna Fahey). Madeline's brother Roderick (Vincent Price) opposes Philip's intentions, telling the young man that the Usher family is afflicted by a cursed bloodline which has driven all their ancestors to madness. Roderick foresees the family evils being propagated into future generations with a marriage to Madeline and vehemently discourages the union. Philip becomes increasingly desperate to take Madeline away; she agrees to leave with him, desperate to get away from her brother.

Vincent Price is great in this, the other male lead not so much but this is a Corman classic.



Sir Karell Borotyn (Holmes Herbert) is found murdered in his house, with two tiny pinpoint wounds on his neck. The attending doctor, Dr. Doskil (Donald Meek), and Sir Karell's friend Baron Otto (Jean Hersholt) are convinced that he was killed by a vampire. They suspect Count Mora (Bela Lugosi) and his daughter Luna (Carroll Borland), while the Prague police inspector (Lionel Atwill) refuses to believe them.

Borotyn's daughter Irena (Elizabeth Allan) is the count’s next target. Professor Zelen (Lionel Barrymore), an expert on vampires and the occult, arrives in order to prevent her death. At the same time, secrets are revealed surrounding the circumstances of Sir Karell’s death.

Utterly fantastic film, with a great third act twist.

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) **
October 5th - Reptilicus (1961) **
October 6th - The Undying Monster (1942) *****
October 7th - Them!(1954) ***1/2
October 8th - Night of the Blood Beast (1958) **1/2
October 9th - Black Moon (1934) **
October 10th - Island of Doctor Moreau(1977) ****
October 11th - Phantom of 10,000 Leagues (1955) **
October 12th - The Brain That Wouldn't Die (1962) ***1/2
October 13th - The H-Man (1958) ****
October 14th - The Fly (1958) *****
October 15th - Gamera (1965) ***
October 16th - Feast (2005) *
October 17th - Teeth (2007) ***1/2
October 18th - The Neon Demon (2016) ****
October 19th - The Shallows (2016) **1/2
October 20th - C.H.U.D(1984) ***3/4
October 21st - Q:The Winged Serpent (1982) ****
October 22nd - Little Shop of Horrors (1960) DUD
October 23rd - Exorcist III (1990) ****
October 24th - Invaders from Mars (1953) ***
October 25th - Son of Kong (1933) **
October 26th - The Earth Dies Screaming (1964) ***
October 27th - Don't Look Now(1973) ****
October 28th - Dagon (2001) **1/2
October 29th - Invasion of the Astro-Monster(1965) ***
October 30th - The Cat and the Canary (1978) *****
October 31st - Fall of the House of Usher (1960) ***
- Pumpkinhead (1988) **
- Mark of the Vampire (1935) ****

Pumpkinhead is a fine monster supernatural film i saw in theaters as a kid and did it remind you of Pet Sematary meets Jeepers Creepers? i mean similar premise like King's Pet Sematary of a guy who's son died in an accident and wants to bring back the son as he goes to a dark forbidden land where an old wise person warns about some dangers then unleashes a demon.

[Siddon]

Pumpkinhead is a fine monster supernatural film i saw in theaters as a kid and did it remind you of Pet Sematary meets Jeepers Creepers? i mean similar premise like King's Pet Sematary of a guy who's son died in an accident and wants to bring back the son as he goes to a dark forbidden land where an old wise person warns about some dangers then unleashes a demon.

It reminded me more of Monkey's Paw, the movie really didn't do anything for me. The monster looked good but the plot was a bit of a mess, the teenagers really just existed as canon fodder which wouldn't have been an issue if it was the impedius for Hendricksen's change.

[TomServofan]

It reminded me more of Monkey's Paw, the movie really didn't do anything for me. The monster looked good but the plot was a bit of a mess, the teenagers really just existed as canon fodder which wouldn't have been an issue if it was the impedius for Hendricksen's change.

A remake is coming, what do you think?

[Da Boat]

Pumpkinhead feels like some crooked producer saw a great design for a monster, saw $$$ and wanted to take advantage of a teen horror craze, put a story together at the last minute and made a flick with no budget.

About Jared's idea of 31 days of Christmas, it will have to wait in December. I always felt if a marathon there should be for November, it should be one for sport movies. All the seasons of the NBA, NHL and NFL are in full swing and it's around the end of the World of Series too and the end of the MLS. It's a perfect storm of all the top sport leagues. It's also about Movember, you cannot get more manly than that.

Now just for fun, I'll rank all my films from 1 to 31 from best to worst:

1. Tales of Halloween
2. The Boy Who Cried Werewolf
3. Wilderness
4. Penny Dreadful
5. Harlequin
6. From Beyond the Grave
7. Don't Breath
8. The Witch
9. Outcast
10. The Ghoul
11. The Host
12. Hellboy
13. Stoker
14. Westworld
15. When a Stranger Calls
16. The Possession
17. Dial M for Murder
18. Thinner
19. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
20. Dawn of the Dead
21. The Wave
22. Rawhead Rex
23. USs Indianapolis
24. The Skull
25. Ten To Midnight
26. Before I Go to Sleep
27. The Island
28. Exorcist 2: The Heretic
29. Labyrinth
30. Under the Skin
31. Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers

[Siddon]

My order would be

Little Shop of Horrors (1960) DUD
Feast (2005) *
Reptilicus (1961) **
Black Moon (1934) **
Pumpkinhead (1988) **
Phantom of 10,000 Leagues (1955) **
Son of Frankenstein (1939) **
Son of Kong (1933) **
Night of the Blood Beast (1958) **1/2
Dagon (2001) **1/2
The Shallows (2016) **1/2
Gamera (1965) ***
Invasion of the Astro-Monster(1965) ***
Fall of the House of Usher (1960) ***
The Earth Dies Screaming (1964) ***
The Living Skeleton (1968) ***
Invaders from Mars (1953) ***
The Brain That Wouldn't Die (1962) ***1/2
Them!(1954) ***1/2
Teeth (2007) ***1/2
Tarantula (1955) ***1/2 stars
C.H.U.D(1984) ***3/4
The H-Man (1958) ****
Don't Look Now(1973) ****
Q:The Winged Serpent (1982) ****
Exorcist III (1990) ****
Mark of the Vampire (1935) ****
The Neon Demon (2016) ****
Island of Doctor Moreau(1977) ****
Daimajin: Monster of Terror (1966) ****1/2 stars
The Fly (1958) *****
The Cat and the Canary (1978) *****
The Undying Monster (1942) *****

Next year I'm going to play around with a different theme, Vampires/Frankenstein, modern films, or "Series"

[chachi]

BGiven the hackneyed clusterfuck that the original series turned into after (or arguably starting with) part IV, it's probably for the best that this movie only uses the first and second movie for backstory. Though, curiously, it is noted that Laurie Strode faked her death via car accident and in IV, that's how she had supposedly. Perhaps there was an earlier version of the script which tried to make this a sequel to all the movies.

[/QUOTE]

There actually was a graphic novel / comic book that attempted to tie 4,5,6 and H20 together. It was released before Resurrection.