Member DrNgor Posted October 22, 2022 Member Share Posted October 22, 2022 31 Days, 31 Years of Horror - Day 21 - THE SON OF DR. JEKYLL (1951) - Very fascinating take on the material is less about the monster portion of the story and more of an analysis of the fallout of Mr. Hyde's actions on society as a whole. I felt like this was an attack on sensationalist journalism--which we know is problematic in the UK, where the film is set--and the Court of Public Opinion. It speaks of a society whose members are willing to ruin a man's reputation and life in order to profit (even indirectly) from any given media circus. Do we have that today? Does it represent the inherent "dark side" of the Freedom of the Press, similar to how Hate Speech represents the dark side of the Freedom of Speech? It would be interesting to watch the 1920, 1931 or 1941 versions of DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE and then follow it up with this one (taking some of the "retcons" in stride). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DrNgor Posted October 24, 2022 Member Share Posted October 24, 2022 31 Days, 31 Years of Horror - Day 23 - THE MAZE (1953) - Fascinating Gothic Horror film that feels like a hybrid between the Gothic Romances of the previous decade and the sci-fi/horror films of the 50s, while simultaneously being a stealth H.P. Lovecraft adaptation *and* a preparation for Roger Corman's "Poe Cycle." In some ways, the story plays out like a gender inversion of "Fall of the House of Usher" by way of "The Shuttered Room." While enjoying his last days of being a bachelor in France, American playboy Gerald McTeam receives an urgent letter ordering him to report to his ancestral castle in Scotland. He leaves his fiancée, Kitty, and her aunt behind, promising them he'll back in a few days. A couple of months later, he sends Aunt Edith a letter informing her that he's breaking off his engagement to Kitty. The latter just knows that something is wrong and is determined to find out the truth. Just what will the two ladies uncover at the mysterious Craven Castle? Director William Cameron Menzies (best known for Invaders from Mars) also handled the production design and the film looks good, with regards to the sets and lighting. He also had a good cinematographer on his side, too. I thought the acting was good all around and, like THE SHINING, the climax is set in a creepy hedge maze. Fans of classic horror and fantasy should check this out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member AlbertV Posted October 25, 2022 Member Share Posted October 25, 2022 I watched a very interesting horror-comedy over the weekend, called VampyrZ on a Boat. So there's this mystery guy named Max who is offered a job aboard a ship where medical research is being done. He meets journalist Sarah and the two instantly fall for each other. However, their budding romance is complicated by the fact there's a 4000-year old vampire on the ship (the subject of the research) and crew workers are being infected. When Sarah is kidnapped and infected, Max must find a way to rescue her but he even has a secret no one expected! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DrNgor Posted October 26, 2022 Member Share Posted October 26, 2022 31 Days, 31 Years of Horror - Days 24 and 25 - CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (1954) - One of the greatest original monsters of the 1950s and one of the greatest monster movies of that time period...probably staying in top 5 or 10 up through the 60s. The monster suit is an inspired creation--to those not in the know, it was developed by a woman, but a man took credit for it because...sexism. It's interesting how this never got an official Universal remake. If the Dark Universe, which seemed to have had no fewer than THREE attempts to start it, had gone forward, apparently Scarlett Johanson would have donned the iconic white one-piece. And I'm not sure when the last time we got a Gill Man monster was. The 80s gave us HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP and THE MONSTER SQUAD. There was one in the 90s TV movie THE PRESENCE. I don't recall any Gill Man (ersatz or not) showing up afterward. I wonder if we'll ever get a new one. THE CREEPING UNKNOWN (1955) - Influential British sci-fi horror film about a spaceship returning from an experimental flight somewhere past the exosphere. Two of the astronauts aboard have simply vanished--we later learn of their grisly fate--and one of them is alive, but been infected with an alien lifeform. He starts killing and absorbing other organisms (including people) all over London as he evolves more and more into a monster. Only Bernard Quatermass, the scientist who developed the rocket, can save the day before the creature reproduces and puts all of humanity at risk. I had my dad tape this off TNT one evening (back when I had an enforced bedtime) and he enjoyed it a little more than he did FIVE MILLION YEARS TO EARTH, another Quatermass film. I think I was still a bit immature for a movie like this, in which I wanted lots of monster action all the time. Today, it's a lot more easier to enjoy, especially Brian Donlevy in the role of Bernard Quatermass, playing it with Nietzschian "I am science and thus above morality" that would serve Peter Cushing well when the latter took up the mantle of Dr. Frankenstein two years later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member AlbertV Posted October 26, 2022 Member Share Posted October 26, 2022 STAG NIGHT (made in 2008; released in 2011): Scott Adkins in a horror movie? Yes he was. He joins an ensemble cast including Kip Pardue (The Wizard of Gore remake), Vinessa Shaw (The Hills Have Eyes remake) and Breckin Meyer. When four friends and two women are forced to move up the NYC subway tunnels due to an argument, they come face to face with a deadly threat in the form of cannibalistic stragglers known as the tunnel rats. Watched it over the weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DrNgor Posted October 27, 2022 Member Share Posted October 27, 2022 31 Days, 31 Years of Horror - Days 26 - CURUÇU, BEAST OF THE AMAZON (1956) - Probably the least known of the Universal horror/monster movies, despite having enjoyed color photography and a decent budget (as opposed to CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, which was filmed in the Everglades, the crew actually went to Brazil for this). It probably has a lot to do with the title being a bait n' switch: it's not really a horror movie, but a jungle adventure film that moves the story from the usual Africa to Brazil. The story is about a monster, named Curuçu by the locals, who is killing Indian/Native Brazilian workers on plantations built along the Amazon River. One of the plantation owners decides to travel up the Amazon to find the creature, and is accompanied by an American doctor (Beverly Garland), who wants to find head-shrinking powder to assist her in her cancer research. Lots of nature footage, although instead of the usual lions, elephants, and savannah animals, we get caimans, anacondas, piranha, tarantulas, iguanas, peccaries and jaguars. As expected for a Hollywood film of this vintage, everybody in Brazil speaks English. When characters do speak Portuguese, the white guy says, "What dialect is that?" The acting is pretty dire--even the dependable Beverly Garland is awful here. The big twist suggests that M. Night Shyamalan watched this before penning THE VILLAGE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DrNgor Posted October 27, 2022 Member Share Posted October 27, 2022 31 Days, 31 Years of Horror - Day 27 (part 1) - THE BLACK CASTLE (1952) - Making up for Day 22, I watched this period melodrama-chiller. This is another Universal Studios production, ranking down with CURUÇU on the list of their more obscure horror efforts. I thought it was fairly enjoyable stuff; nothing great, but a decent way to spend 70 minutes. Richard Greene plays Sir Ronald Burton, an 18th century military officer who has returned from a jaunt in West Africa. He heads over to the Black Forest in Germany to visit the evil Count Karl von Bruno, who might be responsible for the deaths of two of his colleagues. When we meet Von Bruno, we learn that his castle has a dungeon full of torture devices AND a crocodile pit. Surely an upstanding citizen. Universal horror veterans Boris Karloff and Lon Chaney Jr. have supporting roles here. The former plays a doctor whose loyalties are uncertain. The latter plays the mute, hulking manservant of Count Von Bruno. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DrNgor Posted October 28, 2022 Member Share Posted October 28, 2022 31 Days, 31 Years of Horror - Day 27 (part 2) - THE DAUGHTER OF DR. JEKYLL (1957) - I did SON OF DR. JEKYLL a few days ago, why not check up on what his daughter is up to? This was a odd little nugget of B-cinema that purports to be a follow-up to the Jekyll story, but then switches the monster up from "violent, immoral little goblin" to a mixture of vampire and lycanthrophy legends. The titular daughter is Jane Smith (the lovely Gloria Talbott) who has showed up at her guardian's manor--her guardian being the good Dr. Loomis--with her new beau (John Agar) in tow. One of the hired hands instantly takes a disliking to her, convinced that she's destined to commit the same crimes as her father--whom we learn is the infamous Dr. Jekyll. When murders in the local village commence, Jane begins to wonder if the effects of Jekyll's drug are hereditary. Genre veterans will probably figure out where the story is going early on (or at least by the halfway point), and the answer to the mystery is a bizarre one. One person's conjecture about the villain's motives not only explains the film's events, but negates everything we thought we knew about the original story! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DrNgor Posted October 30, 2022 Member Share Posted October 30, 2022 31 Days, 31 Years of Horror - Days 28 and 29 THE SNORKEL (1958) - Suspense film produced by Hammer Studios in Britain, the same people that made a name for themselves rebooting (to an effect) the Universal Horror Line-Up from the 30s and 40s, but in color, with more blood and cleavage (and nudity, by the end of the 60s), and starring the likes of Michael Gough, Peter Cushing, and the late Venerated Horror Film Icon Sir Christopher Lee. The film begins with a man murdering a woman and making it look like a suicide. The woman's daughter, Candy, thinks she knows who did it. However, she has no proof, considering that the murder took place in Italy and the person she suspects was in France at the time. Candy goes on a quest to prove that person's guilt, little knowing that her efforts may either land her in a mental hospital or worse, right in the killer's hands. There is no mystery as to the killer's identity--or motives--rather, the entertainment is derived from watching Candy come across clues (sometimes without realizing it) and then we the viewer shake our fists at the TV because *we* know she's close, but she understandably doesn't. The ending comes in three parts--the first part is wickedly ironic; the second enters a morally-gray area you wouldn't expect from a film of this vintage; and finally the film ends in a way that would satisfy those stuffy British censors. HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL (1958) - This was my Halloween tradition for several years before I went on my mission back in '01. My brother Anthony and I caught this on A&E one evening and had a blast watching it. That same year, my Aunt Sandy gave me the VHS as a Christmas present. I the made it a point to watch it every year on Halloween night. Last night I made Paula and Susan watch it, although the latter fell asleep early on. An eccentric millionaire (Vincent Price) throws a "party" at a haunted house--the site of several murders over the past few decades--at his wife's behest, offering the guests 10 grand a piece (in 50s money!) if they can make it through the night. A few hours later, there have been enough strange occurrences (and a murder, to boot) to make one wonder if a) the place is really haunted or b) someone is trying to do in the guests. Classic fun for all! THE MONSTER FROM PIEDRAS BLANCAS (1959) - I used to have this CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON knock-off on VHS. I never revisited it as much as its inspiration, mainly because it went the pseudo-mystery route and kept the monster in the shadows until the final reel. CFTBL exploited its awesome monster design for all it was worth--did this film really need to play coy with the design? At a small coastal town somewhere in Southern California, a series of strange murders has the residents in an uproar. The victims have been found with their heads severed clean off and bereft of all their blood. Despite the local constable's attempts to pass them off as an accident, some members of the town attribute it to a local monster legend. Perhaps the curmudgeonly lighthouse keeper, who is all yellng at the residents to stay away from certain areas of the coast, knows more than he's letting on. This is a lurid little film by 1959 standards. NOBODY is safe, including pets and children. Moreover, it gives us a skinny dippy scene and implies that the main couple are having sex on the beach--after a make-out session cribbed from FROM HERE TO ETERNITY. The severed heads on display make this one of the goriest sci-fi/horror up to that point, certainly from Hollywood. I just wish they showed the monster more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Super Ninja Posted October 31, 2022 Member Share Posted October 31, 2022 On 10/30/2022 at 3:18 PM, DrNgor said: HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL (1958) My favorite Vincent Price flick! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Shaolin Patriot Posted October 31, 2022 Member Share Posted October 31, 2022 All excellent October / Halloween choices! If you're not out collecting candy or scaring the neighbors tonight, sit back and relax with the brothers named Shaw and a generous helping of their fake blood. Here is my choice. What's yours? 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DrNgor Posted November 1, 2022 Member Share Posted November 1, 2022 31 Days, 31 Years of Horror - Days 30 and 31 - BLACK SUNDAY (1960) - Italian horror film by maestro Mario Bava, one of the most visually-creative minds in the genre. I've seen this before, but wanted to revisit it to jog the ol' memory. The film tells the story of the evil Princess Asa of Moldavia (Barbara Steele--to quote DUMB AND DUMBER, I could eat her liver with some Bava beans and a nice bottle of Chianti...) who, along with her manservant, is put to death for not only witchcraft, but vampirism, too! Before she dies--via getting her face skewered with a spiked mask--she pronounces a curse upon her brother, the head inquisitioner in the affair. Two centuries later, both she and her manservant are revived and go about trying to eliminate the last of her brother's line. The film is dripping with atmosphere, complete with expert use of smoke machines and lighting (even for a black-and-white movie). There are some graphic moments by 60s standards, and the film checks off both the "vampire" and "witch" boxes for my marathon. THE INNOCENTS (1961) - Let's end this on a respectable note. Classic ghost story, based on "The Turn of the Screw," which was adapted a couple of years ago for Netflix as "The Haunting of Bly Manor." A governess (Deborah Kerr) goes to a huge countryside manor to take care of a rich guy's orphaned nephew and niece so he can lead the good life in London without worrying about any sort of parental responsibility. Although the governess, Miss Giddens, initially gets along with the children, the starts to feel the presence of SOMETHING ELSE in the house. The more time she spends there, the more she suspects that there are malevolent spirits out to corrupt her wards. Or are there? The film is expertly lit and photographed (it's also a black and white movie), and the performances are uniformly strong. It is a bit slow, however, so many modern viewers might have their patience tested. The finale is pretty gutsy, as far as I can tell, and I think most people will remember the final scene quite well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Super Ninja Posted November 1, 2022 Member Share Posted November 1, 2022 16 hours ago, DrNgor said: BLACK SUNDAY (1960) One of my fave horror movies! Love Bava. 18 hours ago, Shaolin Patriot said: All excellent October / Halloween choices! If you're not out collecting candy or scaring the neighbors tonight, sit back and relax with the brothers named Shaw and a generous helping of their fake blood. Here is my choice. What's yours? Not Shaw, but my Halloween pick was The Seventh Curse. Been keeping the 88 release for this Halloween and enjoyed it every bit as much as the first time. Nothing but absolute love for that movie. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DrNgor Posted December 28, 2022 Member Share Posted December 28, 2022 (edited) On 10/7/2020 at 7:48 PM, Drunken Monk said: The Grudge (2020) - Another reason not to trust critics. This film is far, FAR better than some people have said it is. It’s a nice mix of a dark, slow burn chiller and a cliched supernatural horror movie. It walks a nice line in my opinion. It’s no classic but it’s satisfyingly good. It’s flaws are obvious: it struggles to balance its multiple story lines and some of the characters are thin. But if you want a good old ghost story, you could do much worse. 6.5/10 I recently watched this myself. My Facebook review: THE GRUDGE (2020) - I spent the last several days watching the Hollywood THE GRUDGE franchise, ending last night with the 2020 "Soft Reboot." Yeah, the Wikipedia defines it as a "side-quel", in that the story runs parallel ot the events of the first and second movies. It really is a soft reboot, in which it makes a token mention of names associated with the first film, but really just replays the events of that with new characters in a new location with a new family of vengeful spirits. Considering the gross appearance of the ghosts and the level of gore on display, this was an attempt to update the franchise for a generation of youngsters weaned on the Conjuring Shared Universe and the collected works of James Wan. I suppose that was necessary: the third GRUDGE had spent enough time showing the white make-up covered ghosts of Kayako and Toshio in good lighting that they looked almost like parodies of themselves. The only way to go from there was "grosser." Despite the sensibilities adjusted for 2010s/2020s expectations, the movie doesn't really do anything to further the actual Ju-On lore. There is no explanation as to why Kayako would "allow" one character to start a new Ju-On as opposed to just dragging her into an unknown fate. And the new ghosts have a slightly different modus operandi, as they seem to like possessing people or driving them to suicide, instead of simply showing up to claim them a few days later. It's actually less scary, albeit more graphically violent. Edited December 28, 2022 by DrNgor 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Koravec Posted December 29, 2022 Member Share Posted December 29, 2022 (edited) @DrNgor Seen all the ju on and american grudge trilogy. This reboot has gone under my radar now. Nice review, thats true about grudge 3, where the suspense of mentioned entities just become characters after being shown so much. Tried watching the ju on series on netflix and gave up after a couple episodes, thought it was so bad. Thats coming from me after thoroughly enjoying all 4 ju on movies and american trilogy. Same creator/director made all 7 (produced the 3rd american one) of those though. Looks like I still need to see Katasumi 44444444 and everything made after grudge 3, unless its as bad as that tv series. Edited December 29, 2022 by Koravec Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member DrNgor Posted October 2, 2023 Member Share Posted October 2, 2023 Reminding y'all that this thread is a thing and that October has started. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Bruce Posted October 2, 2023 Member Share Posted October 2, 2023 15 minutes ago, DrNgor said: Reminding y'all that this thread is a thing and that October has started. 15 minutes ago, DrNgor said: Reminding y'all that this thread is a thing and that October has started. Anybody seen Talk To Me yet? I haven't but I ordered the blu ray based on the movie's reviews alone, I hope I won't be disappointed. I'm hoping it'll be better than last year's Barbarians (I think that was the title) which I heard great things about then when I finally saw it thought it was kind of meh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Drunken Monk Posted October 2, 2023 Member Share Posted October 2, 2023 42 minutes ago, DrNgor said: Reminding y'all that this thread is a thing and that October has started. Sadly, I won't be doing "31 horror films in 31 days" this October. Now that I've been promoted to Manager, my work doesn't really allow me to slack off and watch movies. I'm going to watch a horror flick here and there and when I do, I'll definitely review it here. But there won't be many, I imagine. To add a little more horror to my Halloween season, I will be watching the Castlevania series on Netflix. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member AlbertV Posted October 2, 2023 Member Share Posted October 2, 2023 Saw a new film called The Jester this past weekend and I had the chance to interview writer-director Colin Krawchuk. I didn't know before seeing the film that it was based on a trilogy of short films Krawchuk had made in 2016 along with his best friend Michael Sheffield (who plays the Jester in both the short films and the feature film). The feature film is actually pretty weird in a good way. I saw the character as a tamer Art the Clown meeting Pennywise. He lives off the negative energy of two estranged half-sisters after they meet for the 1st time at their father's funeral. Some pretty interesting death/torture like scenes. I hope they do a sequel of sorts. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Super Ninja Posted October 2, 2023 Member Share Posted October 2, 2023 I've been really in the mood for horror so I started before October. Happy Death Day (2017) & Happy Death Day 2U (2019) - I first noticed Christopher Landon's work with Freaky (2020). I still think that's his best, but this interesting take on Groundhog Day is both charming and entertaining despite the obvious concept. Slasher, comedy and some sci-fi for good measure, these two aren't the most memorable horrors you'll see this month, but they are enjoyable and fun to watch. As things are looking now, Happy Death Day to Us is not happening. Insidious: The Last Ley (2018) & Insidious: The Red Room (2023) - I've already given up on this franchise and forgotten all about its characters and what's it about. These two are decent. Fear Street trilogy (2021) - I'm about two year late to this Netflix trilogy that looks to have generated quite some hype upon its release. I've never read the works of R.L. Stine (if I did, I forgot), but his books always felt like they have this aura of cheapness. FS trilogy manages to capture that junk food quality of his literary work while delivering a smart teen horror fun, adding witches, curses and multiple serial killers in its slasher formula. I agree 1994 is the best, 1978 would have benefited from some more atmosphere but again has some real good tunes on its soundtrack and 1666 has a welcome surprise in store. Colorful, energetic and inspired, I had a good time with these three. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Drunken Monk Posted October 2, 2023 Member Share Posted October 2, 2023 My first horror of October 2023 is... No One Will Save You (2023) - A superb spin on the traditional home invasion film. While it features the usual scares and thrills (no spoilers here), one things sets it apart from the others: this is a film you REALLY have to think about. In fact, I'll go as far to say the ending is utterly perplexing if you don't sit down and ponder it for a while. It's very much a "make your own mind up" film, where the audience settles on what happened and not the film itself. The kids call that "elevated horror," right? With that said, it really is an excellent film. One of the best movies I've seen this year. Currently I have it sitting at a... 3.5/5 But the more I think about it, the more I want to give it... 4/5 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member legendarycurry Posted October 2, 2023 Member Share Posted October 2, 2023 3 hours ago, Drunken Monk said: My first horror of October 2023 is... No One Will Save You (2023) - A superb spin on the traditional home invasion film. While it features the usual scares and thrills (no spoilers here), one things sets it apart from the others: this is a film you REALLY have to think about. In fact, I'll go as far to say the ending is utterly perplexing if you don't sit down and ponder it for a while. It's very much a "make your own mind up" film, where the audience settles on what happened and not the film itself. The kids call that "elevated horror," right? With that said, it really is an excellent film. One of the best movies I've seen this year. Currently I have it sitting at a... 3.5/5 But the more I think about it, the more I want to give it... 4/5 This one is def on my list. Looks very interesting. cool to see that someone that has seen and liked Seventh Curse enjoyed it. Makes me hopeful. I don't know how that is relevant, but it is what it is. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Drunken Monk Posted October 2, 2023 Member Share Posted October 2, 2023 21 minutes ago, legendarycurry said: This one is def on my list. Looks very interesting. cool to see that someone that has seen and liked Seventh Curse enjoyed it. Makes me hopeful. I don't know how that is relevant, but it is what it is. Haha! I’m a man of exquisite taste. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member nectarsis Posted October 4, 2023 Member Share Posted October 4, 2023 Starting my 31 days Halloween marathon a little late. Going to have to double up on some days. LOL This series was one of my biggest favorites when I was growing up. But for some reason, I haven't gotten back to them in quite some time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member MaskedAvenger Posted October 4, 2023 Member Share Posted October 4, 2023 Tonights horror viewing... Sexy Cat (1973). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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