It's October baby....Horror flick time!

[sifu iron perm]

Has anyone checked out the new film SMILE?

I may go and watch it tomorrow as i have the day off from work.

 

[nectarsis]

 

a first time watch for horror month

 

[DrNgor]

31 Days, 31 Years of Horror - Day 7 - SH! THE OCTOPUS (1937) - Apparently, this is a parody of a parody--parody #1 being The Gorilla (filmed in both 1927 and 1930, both of which are lost) and the subject being THE CAT AND THE CANARY (which isn't lost). In modern terms, it's the Scary Movie (or Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the Thirteenth) to The Gorilla's Scream.

Basically, a bunch of different people wind up in a lighthouse on a stormy night, including a painter, two salty sailors, two idiot detectives, the daughter of a scientist-inventor, and a couple of other people. The lighthouse may be the hideout for an arch-criminal called The Octopus. Plus, there appears to be a highly-intelligent giant octopus roaming the grounds, too.

The film has a giant rubber octopus and a nice moment of sudden make-up change at the end, which was really nifty. I like the setting, which includes the cabin next to the lighthouse, a hidden control room, and a series of caves located in the basement of the cabin. Otherwise, it's just a lot of motor-mouthed banter from the two detectives that might have been funny in 1937, but only made me smile once or twice (now in 2022).

[Koravec]

Incantation- A plot twisting, semi ‘interactive feeling’ asian netflix horror movie. Is the payoff worth it? Not particularly, but the movie kept me engaged throughout, so Ill give it props for that. Surprised this hasnt gained more word of mouth traction already, unless its more popular than I realize. 

This is another ‘curse’ movie, but instead of just superstitious and paranormal, is inflicted religiously, which  I found very strange because Ive never set any negative connotations to buddism. That aspect honestly rubbed me the wrong way. But the end scene is a sight illusion that makes the reveal more convincing. 

[DrNgor]

31 Days, 31 Years of Horror - Day 10 - This weekend was busier than expected, so I missed days 8 and 9. Hopefully this next weekend will be a bit slower and I'll be able to get myself completely up to date.

CHAMBER OF HORRORS (1940) - Another crime mystery, this time about a rich guy who dies and leaves his estate to his young son. Most curiously, the family jewels are to be placed in the family crypt along with the dead man's body, behind a door closed with seven locks, to be opened only when the young master comes of age and gets married. 10 years later, the young master's cousin, a pretty young lady from Quebec, receives word from his aging tutor, who needs to get something off his chest...

Outside of the King Kong property, I believe this is my first film based on the works of crime writer Edgar Wallace. His works were frequently adapted in the 30s and 40s, and then became a cottage industry in Germany in the 60s, where they were called Krimi films. CHAMBER OF HORRORS was an fun little mystery with gloved hands killing people, a room full of torture devices, paintings with holes where the eyes should be, and lots of double crossing. Recommended.

[DrNgor]

31 Days, 31 Years of Horror - Day 11 - THE WOLFMAN (1941) - I'd actually never seent his one before. It's a classic tale of the duality of man's nature. In this movie, Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney Jr.) comes back to England to become the heir to his father's estate (the father being played by Claude Raines). He gets bitten by a werewolf one evening while trying to saving a young lady and becomes the titular creature.

Lon Chaney Jr. totally sells his character and gives him the likability he needs before he contracts lycanthropy so that you feel bad for him once he develops and unwanted alter-ego. Jack Pierce's make-up is also iconic, although for some reason, I thought the movie would give us a slow face transformation sequence--we get a reverse one at the very end. Recommended for horror fans, Twi-hards, and general fans of cinema.

And as a bonus:

THE WOLFMAN (2010) - Y'know, as much as I liked THE MUMMY with Brendan Fraser, that film's success gave Universal Studios the wrong idea when it came to how to update their Classic Monsters franchises. For the most part, less is more when it comes to horror movies. The 1999 Mummy movie worked because of its integration with Indiana Jones-esque elements, but otherwise, turning horror movies into big-budget action-fantasy films is not recommendable. A movie like this DID NOT need a 150-million-dollar price tag.

On one hand, you don't really see all that money on the screen (I understand that the problem was in the reshoots and rehirings for composers and general delays). Moreover, for this particular IP, I don't think they should have treated the werewolf scenes as graphically-violent action sequences. There are other movies for that approach, but not THE WOLFMAN.

I also thought that despite the film running 30 minutes longer than the original, it felt a lot shallower than its predecessor. Longer, more elaborate monster sequences; action movie pacing; and a more involved story take away from the moments where you really should get a feel for these characters. Once again: "Less is more" when it comes to these films.

[AlbertV]

Saw quite a few new horror gems (attached some interviews for these films as well as I did with David Howard Thornton for Terrifier 2)

Terrifier 2: one word-epic! They outdid the original in every way. The film clocked in at 2 hours and 18 minutes and has a badass protagonist in Lauren LaVera's Sienna, who throws down with Art the Clown. The kills are even more graphic with being based on an actual victim of Jack the Ripper. 

Sawed Off: a horror-comedy that is part Evil Dead part-Groundhog Day. Two buddies and hunters, having feelings for the same woman, are with said woman on a campground that's haunted. The two end up arguing and killing each other over and over to come back to life to kill each other over and over. It's wild and insane. 

Don't F**k in the Woods 2: The sequel to the 2016 classic horror trope meets parasite film, in which a new batch of nubile coeds and their boyfriend fall prey to the parasites when they do the deed. The result is something like Night of the Creeps meets Tremors. 

 

The Visitor: After his complete miscasting as Iron Fist, I feel Finn Jones has found his calling. IMO, he gives a tour de force performance as a British man who moves to a small town in the American South and discovers some paintings with a person who has his resemblance. The tension builds up and the end result was quite shocking.

Bring It On: Cheer or Die: Yes, the cheerleading franchise decided to go a new route with their latest installment. A cheerleading squad goes to practice in an old abandoned school on the other side of town due to the principal's not allowing dangerous stunts in their routine. The squad soon fall prey to a killed disguised as the school mascot. The twist ending clearly pays homage to a certain 90's horror classic. 

The Munsters: Rob Zombie's "passion project" actually serves as a prequel to the series, where we get to see how Herman met Lily. Richard Brake's Dr. Wolfgang (Herman's creator) is a highlight as he channels his inner Vincent Price with humor. Props goes to Sheri Moon Zombie and Jeff Daniel Phillips who not only play Lily and Herman, but also play a Transylvania reporter named Donna Doomsley and the late comedian Shecky (whose brain is accidentally put into Herman instead of Shecky's more intelligent brother who also died). 

Moonchild: This 1994 shot on video film from indie horror film director Todd Sheets is about a man who was involved in a government experiment. Escaping, his wife is killed and his son kidnapped. The man soon learns that his DNA has crossed with one of a wolf. Joining a resistance, our hero begins to fight his way and soon becomes a werewolf who fights evil. Wild film and different from what I'm used to with Sheets, who was influenced by werewolf films and his love of martial arts films (there are some fight scenes in it)

Frost: A pregnant woman reunites with her estranged father after 5 years. However, the reunion is short-lived when they lose control of their car and are trapped in an embankment when a winter storm is about to hit. The father goes off to seek help and the focus soon is on our pregnant protagonist. Devanny Pinn is excellent in the lead with the legendary Vernon Wells as her dad. The ending to this film is unforgettable!

 

Edited October 12, 2022 by AlbertV

[AlbertV]

In 1992, writer-director Eric Swelstad directed this horror film about a small town investigative reporter convinced that a series of murders are the result of a cult working from the local church. After shooting ended and before a distributor was found, Swelstad decided to abandon the project. After years and years of this film being shelved by the director, to celebrate the film's 30th anniversary, Swelstad finally gave the film to Wild Eye Releasing's new label Visual Vengeance. The film is finally seeing the light of day in November. 

[DrNgor]

31 Days, 31 Years of Horror - Day 12 (part 1) - THE WEREWOLF OF LONDON (1935) - I had missed Day 5 because of work, but as today is a holiday (the day of Brazil's Patron Saint, which coincides with International Children's Day), I have some extra time.

This film tells the story of a botanist (Henry Hull) who finds a nigh-magical plant in Tibet that is nourished by the moonlight and blooms at night. He is attacked by a werewolf during his journey, but survives and brings the plant back to England. He learns from a Japanese scientist (Swedish actor Warner Oland, best known for playing Charlie Chan) that the plant serves as a temporary respite from lycanthropy and that he himself has contracted it. As the moon enters its "Full" phase, the botanist finds himself transforming into a werewolf and targeting his long-suffering wife.

The portrayal of the werewolf in this movie falls somewhere between Lon Chaney Jr.'s mindless killer and then-contemporary depictions of Mr. Hyde. He does mangle beautiful women all over London, but he doesn't forget to put on his jacket, hat and scarf before leaving his lab to do so. I did like his first transformation, in which the camera is placed so that he walk by a column or some obstruction, only to emerge on the other side with more make-up on.

[DrNgor]

31 Days, 31 Years of Horror - Day 12 (part 2) - THE CAT PEOPLE (1942) - A man falls in love with a Serbian woman (French actress Simone Simon) who believes herself to be cursed: legends say that her village descended into witchcraft and devil worship back when the Mamlukes were terrorizing her end of Europe (around the 15th century). The descendants of those witches could transform into panthers when angry, scared, jealous...or aroused. Although the two marry, the woman refuses to consummate the relationship because of her fear of the legend. Is it true? Or all in her head?

I suppose you could see this in part as an allegory for the ravages of mental illness on a marriage (and human relationships in general). One could conceivably replace "mental illness" with other things like "childhood trauma," "bad or incorrect traditions and beliefs," and stuff like that.

[DrNgor]

31 Days, 31 Years of Horror - Day 13 - FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN (1943) - Like Jason Voorhees or Dracula, we open with a bunch of grave robbers visiting the tomb of the Talbot family...on the night of the FULL MOON. Upon opening Larry Talbot's coffin, his perfectly-preserved body (this should already be a warning sign for the robbers) is exposed to the light of the moon and he is revived. He sets out across Europe to find Maleva, the gypsy lady, and ask her what he can do so he can just die. She directs him to Castle Frankenstein, but the Baron and his sons are all long dead...

The movie was a lot of fun to watch, but doesn't bear up to more than two seconds' worth of scrutiny. The film is very wonky with the concept of time, although things like character motivation also suffer. It's the 1940s equivalent to a Hollywood blockbuster sequel that focuses so much on the action (since the first film or films took care of all the exposition) that the script forgets to make much sense.

[Rodolphe Dux]

Halloween Month day #14

One of my favorite movies, « Tenement » by Roberta Findlay, 1985.

It’s perhaps a great example of Grindhouse movies. Gritty and so brutal.

 

Roberta Findlay is perhaps my favorite Horror/Grindhouse director (with Michael Findlay), her roughies movies are delighful, if you're into that kind of movies.

 

 

[Yihetuan]

Aftermath - Dir. Nacho Cerda [1994] (Spain)

This short film with no dialogue always unnerved me. It's not showy in its graphic violence or brutality like the New French Extremity films or pseudo snuff films like Guinea Pig but perhaps because it's so low key and imperturbable in its depiction of necrophilia and defilement, it disturbs me even more. I had high hopes for Cerda after his Trilogy of Death short films to perhaps become a Spanish Gaspar Nöe but sadly, he never lived up to his early potential.

 

[laagi]

I just watched the 2010 remake of Nightmare on Elm Street. Freddy is one of those classic horror characters at least IMHO.

Overall I thought it was just okay. Very predictable from start to finish. I wasn't thrilled or actually scared once. Some bloody kills I'll give it that and overall pretty good performances.

I can't say how this fares to the original since I never watched it. But I doubt this would make anyone's top pick in terms of horror.

Fairly entertaining but also utterly forgettable.

[DrNgor]

31 Days, 31 Years of Horror - Days 14 and 15 - THE MUMMY'S GHOST (1944) - The High Priest of Arkan (George Zucco) sends yet another priest (John Carradine) to the States to revive the mummy Kharis (Lon Chaney Jr.) so that they can reclaim the mummy of Princess Anankha and return her to Egypt. There's a slight snag in the plan: Anankha has been reincarnated into a pretty young girl (Rasmay Alves). More of the same as the previous two films--THE MUMMY'S HAND and THE MUMMY'S TOMB--but with a suprisingly downbeat ending.

THE MUMMY'S CURSE (1944) - The "Kharis Saga" ends with this film, probably the worst of the bunch. The previous film ended with Kharis "drowning" in a Massachusetts swamp. This one has Kharis being discovered in a swamp...in the Louisiana bayou. Wait, what? Those Egyptian priests are at it again, resurrecting Kharis and trying to return Anankha's body to Egypt. But our reincarnated princess has also been resurrected (somehow) and may simply not want to go back.

The love story between the bland (and barely seen) male lead and his equally-bland (and also little seen) female counterpart is so shoe'd in that you can see the shoe horn marks all over it. Nothing is explained in terms of lore with regards to what happens to princess Anankha. Between this and the previous film, you get the feeling that Egyptian Gods are a bunch of Grade-A pricks who get off on resurrecting and reincarnating people just to kill them shortly afterward. And as usual, the villain' plot is ruined because one character wants to get in some immortal panties and pisses off the mummy.

FOG ISLAND (1945) - Tycoon-turned-ex-con George Zucco invites a bunch people--those who cheated him and landed him a gig in the penitentiary--to his mansion at the titular locale with retribution in mind. Of course, being the greedy bastards they are, they accept the invitation on the off-chance that he might have liquidated some of his pre-prison fortune and hidden it there. Enjoyable little mystery-suspense, or "chiller" as they were called.

[Killer Meteor]

On 10/14/2022 at 3:35 PM, DrNgor said:

31 Days, 31 Years of Horror - Day 13 - FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN (1943) - Like Jason Voorhees or Dracula, we open with a bunch of grave robbers visiting the tomb of the Talbot family...on the night of the FULL MOON. Upon opening Larry Talbot's coffin, his perfectly-preserved body (this should already be a warning sign for the robbers) is exposed to the light of the moon and he is revived. He sets out across Europe to find Maleva, the gypsy lady, and ask her what he can do so he can just die. She directs him to Castle Frankenstein, but the Baron and his sons are all long dead...

The movie was a lot of fun to watch, but doesn't bear up to more than two seconds' worth of scrutiny. The film is very wonky with the concept of time, although things like character motivation also suffer. It's the 1940s equivalent to a Hollywood blockbuster sequel that focuses so much on the action (since the first film or films took care of all the exposition) that the script forgets to make much sense.

The weird thing about this movie is that Bela Lugosi's Frankenstein Monster is supposed to be blind up until the final battle. But they removed all the monster's dialogue, so Lugosi's stumbling about makes no sense, and no-body told his stunt doubles, who keep up the stumbling in the end battle even though Lugosi is making it obvious he can see

[AlbertV]

Coming out this Friday, starring Thomas Jane, Kara Hayward, Jack Donnelly, Lydia Hearst, Abigail Breslin, and Malin Akerman

I saw Slayers and it was actually pretty fun. It had a double meaning of the term vampire and what better way to mesh corporation (business vampires) with the actual vampires. Thomas Jane may be playing this hard-faced hunter, but his narrations prove he is having fun with the role. I got to talk with co-writer director K. Asher Levin about the film as well.

 

Edited October 18, 2022 by AlbertV

[Super Ninja]

On 10/15/2022 at 3:17 AM, Yihetuan said:

Aftermath - Dir. Nacho Cerda [1994] (Spain)

This short film with no dialogue always unnerved me. It's not showy in its graphic violence or brutality like the New French Extremity films or pseudo snuff films like Guinea Pig but perhaps because it's so low key and imperturbable in its depiction of necrophilia and defilement, it disturbs me even more. I had high hopes for Cerda after his Trilogy of Death short films to perhaps become a Spanish Gaspar Nöe but sadly, he never lived up to his early potential.

 

Agreed, Cerda was promising. Aftermath was really not a pleasant watch, but it was a memorable one, for better or for worse. I was surprised how ordinary The Abandoned is.

Would have been interesting to see Guinea Pig 2 for the first time back in the VHS days.

[DrNgor]

31 Days, 31 Years of Horror - Days 17 and 18 - SCARED TO DEATH (1947) - A notable film for being Bela Lugosi's only one shot in color. It also has an interesting, if poorly realized, gimmick of the film being told from the POV of the murder victim. A woman--a former French dancer--is convinced that her husband and father-in-law (George Zucco) are trying to drive her insane. Could it be one of them who is galavanting the grounds of the house wearing a spooky mask? Or perhaps it's the husband's sinister uncle, played by Bela Lugosi? Maybe the fast-talking (and ultra-sexist) reporter Lee can break the case! Just kinda ho-hum in the end.

THE CREEPER (1948) - Interesting mix of DR. JECKYLL AND MR. HYDE and GASLIGHT. A team of scientists returns from the West Indies, where they developed a special serum derived from cats, to continue their research stateside. The head scientist of the team has an adult daughter who suffered some trauma over there--she works as an assistant lab technician--and is now deathly afraid of cats. Meanwhile, murders are occurring around the laboratory--the victims are scratched to death. Just what's going on? This is one of those movies that could be remade effectively--at 64 minutes there's a lot of material that could be expanded upon and explained better.

[nectarsis]

 

here we go :/

[nectarsis]

 

trying something new

[DrNgor]

31 Days, 31 Years of Horror - Day 19 (sort of) - THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE (1946) - I hadn't watched anything on Sunday, and 1949 was slim pickings for horror films, so I just did some make-up work tonight. Oh sure, 1949 has some notable noir filmes (like D.O.A.) and more than its fair share of mystery movies, but not many horror films in the Western Hemisphere.

This film is actually a very well-made murder mystery with a hint of Gothic Romance to it. Dorothy McGuire plays Helen, a mute lady who works as a servant at a large mansion belonging to the Warren Family circa 1915. The village--somewhere in New England--has been subject to a number of murders in the past few days and the local constable thinks that Helen may be next.

One can see the Giallo influences in this film, from the black gloves we see whenever the camera focuses on the unidentified killer skulking around, to the occasional shots of the killer's eye as he or she watches his victims from afar. I can't help but wonder if Dario Argento hadn't seen this before doing DEEP RED three decades later. I'm also pretty sure that it inspired Bob Clark for his BLACK CHRISTMAS, which also had some creepy eye shots of the killer and the characters' not realizing that the killer has installed themselves in the house.

[nectarsis]

 

palette cleanser for Ends

 

[nectarsis]

 

on to #2

 

 

[DrNgor]

31 Days, 31 Years of Horror - Day 20 - DESTINATION MOON (1950) - Yeah, yeah. This isn't a "horror" movie. Like the previous year, horror films were in short supply in 1950. So, I went with the essential science fiction movie of 1950 and arguably the one that set off the 50s Sci-Fi craze (it also won the Oscar for Best Special Effects). Besides, since costume manufacturers have gone so far as to make "Sexy Astronaut" costumes, a classic movie about astronauts is allowed.

The plot is pretty simple. Two years after the failed launch of a rocket, a top scientist and his general pal build an atomic engine with the hopes of going to the Moon. They convince a brilliant engineer-industrialist to participate in the project and bring all his fellow industrialist cronies onboard to help finance it (with the help of an in-film cartoon starring Woody Woodpecker). There are lots of roadblocks along the way, but they ultimately make it to the Moon. But getting back is another story.

I once started watching this during a session of TNT's Monster Vision circa 1992, but switched it off because it was a bit dry for my tastes--I always preferred more fantastical takes like THE FIRST MEN IN THE MOON. But there are certain movies that you respect on the grounds of their being pioneers in a genre, no matter how much better the acting, casting, filmmaking technique or special effects quality have improved over time. This is one of them.