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

[Drunken Monk]

Movie # 30

Host (2020) - A slick 56 minute found footage film that delivers the scares. I've seen the twice now and both times I've been surprised by just how effective it is. The concept is simple and some of the scares we've seen before but they're shot very well and the special effects are surprisingly solid (especially the "outside" moment). Really enjoyable.

8.5/10

[DrNgor]

Happy Halloween!

I revisited Seeding of a Ghost and posted a review of it: https://abeautifulfilm.blogspot.com/2023/10/happy-halloween-2023-seeding-of-ghost.html

[Drunken Monk]

Movie # 31

From Beyond (1986) - I did it! This one was my 31st horror film in 31 days. I am done with horror films for at least a month. Dare I take part in Ninja November?
As for the film, it's gooey, surreal and features Barbara Crampton's boobs. If that's enough to grab you, give it a go. I thought it was alright.

6/10

[DrNgor]

19 hours ago, Drunken Monk said:

Dare I take part in Ninja November?

I'm doing Netflix November at my site 'cause I'm always neglecting my queue.

[KUNG FU BOB]

On 10/18/2023 at 11:23 AM, PandaPawPaw said:

The Nun II (2023) - SHIT! Utter utter shit! Can't be bothered to elaborate. SHIT!

Why didn't I just believe you and leave it at that?

 

On 10/21/2023 at 9:44 PM, nectarsis said:

Been out of the halloween movie loop for a while, getting back into it with a much of maligned entry

I've always enjoyed this one. I love the plot idea, Tom Adkins, and Dan O'Herlihy (his holiday wishes line is delivered with perfection). and it has a palpable dread and some extremely creepy stuff in it. My wife was far less impressed though, and after a fantastic gory sequence that she appreciated had come and gone she sadly asked "Why is it still going?" I admit that after the effective broadcasting of the commercial bit the supposed big action scene does feel drawn out and anemic (I feel like this is the one spot where the fillmakers' budgetary restrictions are obvious). However, Tom Adkins totally sells the very ending. Hmmm... I'm still hearing that jingle though.

 

On 10/22/2023 at 9:28 PM, Drunken Monk said:

Movie # 18

Night of the Hunter (2023) - A lukewarm sniper survival horror that’s dragged into utter annoyance by being peppered with a barrage of political monologues from the film’s “big bad.” Anti-gun, anti-abortion, anti-big Pharma etc. I agree with these stances but fuck me, they’re heavy handed here. Awful.

4/10

Wow, @Drunken Monk when I first saw your score without reading carefully I was shocked. I thought you were rating THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (1955) which is a damn good movie. Actually, the film you're referring to (I haven't seen it) is NIGHT OF THE HUNTED, not HUNTER.

 

On 10/22/2023 at 9:32 PM, Drunken Monk said:

Movie # 19

The Fall of the House of Usher (2023) - Not a movie but eff it, I’m counting it. Mike Flanagan’s latest Netflix series is the greatest piece of media made this year. Better than John Wick 4, better than Across the Spider-Verse… This is truly original horror executed perfectly. Stellar cast too. Unbelievably good.

10/10 

I'm only three episodes into this show, and while I think Flanagan's direction is terrific, it features an outstanding ensemble cast, and the scares are awesome, there's one thing that bothers me. I find that his shows are really mainly dramas with horror peppered in here and there. I appreciate the well-written scripts, but I do always wish that the horror elements/frightening scenes were more prevalent, especially since he's so good at doing them. I'll finish it, but his shows are always a little frustrating to me for this reason. And personally, I enjoy JOHN WICK 4 and ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE a whole lot more. I'm so glad that you have loved it so much though. I'm curious, of the shows that Mike Flanagan has done, in what order would you rate them?

 

On 10/22/2023 at 10:52 PM, DrNgor said:

A Tale of Two Sisters (South Korea, 2002) - I don't feel right doing a full-length review after just one viewing. I'll have to watch it again and get a better feel for it. As it stands, well photographed, well acted, well directed, and just well made all around.

Audition (Japan, 1999: Takashi Miike) - Another one of the classic Asian horror films made in the past 25 years or so. I ruined this one by assuming (years ago) that I would never see it--during my more puritanical moments--and reading major spoilers, which I then never forgot. So, I was expecting the second half more than experiencing it. But man, actress Eihi Shiina is gorgeous and has what seems to be a naturally-cute anime voice, especially when she's saying, "Deeper...deeper..." (people who have seen this will know what I'm referring to. And dude, is there any Japanese film that Jun Kunimura isn't in?

AToTS is something else!

Aw man, what a shame you had spoilers before AUDITION. I went in blind, and by the time it was over I kind of wished I was temporarily blind! I watched this and was floored by it, and the next day showed it to my wife. I watched her face as the climax played out. Yikes! She thought it was fantastic too. Your comments about her voice and that line is spot-on, and I think what made it all the more disturbing.

 

On 10/25/2023 at 8:22 AM, Drunken Monk said:

Movie # 21

Jennifer’s Body (2009) - Definitely misunderstood at its time of release. Marketed as a film for teenage boys to masturbate over when it’s, in fact, a black feminist comedy. Some of it’s a little strained but I had a good time with it. Solid comedy and solid horror.

7/10

Everybody seems to dig his movie except me. Strange. I found it completely ineffectual.

 

On 10/30/2023 at 12:41 AM, nectarsis said:

time for a classic

 

@nectarsis this film is still psychotic fun after all these years. I love the poster and its tagline too. I used to have a T-shirt of this image.

My horror-loving friend and I- both big fans of the film- were outside the video store waiting for it to open on the day DEMONS 2 came out on VHS. We were very disappointed with the sequel. But when Arrow put them out on Blu-ray I picked them both up, hoping the sequel would be better on a rewatch. I revisited the first one fairly quickly (I've watched it a good bit over the years on tape and DVD), but have yet to give part 2 that second chance. Someday...

 

On 10/31/2023 at 10:26 PM, DrNgor said:

Happy Halloween!

I revisited Seeding of a Ghost and posted a review of it: https://abeautifulfilm.blogspot.com/2023/10/happy-halloween-2023-seeding-of-ghost.html

A belated HAPPY HALLOWEEN to you @DrNgor and the rest of you too.

I agree with your review about the lack of someone to root for in this, but its absolutely gonzo happenings still prove very entertaining for me. It's got that special kind of jaw-dropping Hong Kong madness... Er, or is that magic? Actually, I suppose it's both! SEEDING OF A GHOST is gory and totally nuts. Considering a lot of the films Philip Ko starred in, I wonder what kinds of dreams this guy was having.

 

19 hours ago, Drunken Monk said:

Movie # 31

From Beyond (1986) - I did it! This one was my 31st horror film in 31 days. I am done with horror films for at least a month. Dare I take part in Ninja November?
As for the film, it's gooey, surreal and features Barbara Crampton's boobs. If that's enough to grab you, give it a go. I thought it was alright.

6/10

Nice! I've never managed the 31 in 31. Well, maybe as a young man when I wasn't keeping count. I watched a ridiculous amount of movies- tons of them horror- all the time in my teens and twenties. So it's quite possible. But certainly not in the last decade or so.

In 1986 FROM BEYOND was fairly mind-blowing. Its mix of far-out plotline, horror, sensuality, and inventive gory FX was all this teen could've hoped for. And I really dug that director Stuart Gordon used a lot of the same cast as he had in his juicy cult classic RE-ANIMATOR, along with the welcome addition of DAWN OF THE DEAD's (1979) Ken Foree. He's a cool dude, and aside from George Romero's KNIGHTRIDERS (1981) and some TV show appearances (TALES OF THE GOLD MONKEY, KNIGHT RIDER, HILL STREET BLUES, BLUE THUNDER) I hadn't seen him doing anything big for a while. He had a great role in FB and played off Barbara Crampton and Jeffrey Combs wonderfully. I think it's one of those films that was pretty ballsy when it came out, but whose ideas have now been copied and emulated in so many other things that it might seem blasé now. I'm curious @Drunken Monk : is this the first time you've seen it?

The rest of my October horror watches are:

NEVERWHERE (1968) 6/10   Not "Horror", but I thought I'd mention it as it's a neat fantasy/sci-fi things that's available on YouTube and may appeal to some of you. It's very interesting to see artist Richard Corben's, and his creation DEN's, humble beginnings. The animation style is crude, and you can tell his imagination expands far beyond what he's capable of capturing here, but it's still a fascinating look at his early work. Corben is best known for his phenomenal, colorful comic-book art in Heavy Metal magazine.

THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER (2023) 4/10   For me, THE EXORCIST (1974) is not only one of the best horror films ever made, it's also an excellent film, period. My first exposure was simply hearing the commercial on the radio as a child, which was enough to give me nightmares, and it's a movie that I revisit often. I tried to go into this new film with an open mind and low expectations. And I was with it, feeling the characters, and enjoying the performances. Then about one hour into it, it changed from promising to utter crap. I found the second half to be poorly edited, written, and shot, and every bit of everything that was good from the start seemed to completely evaporate. It wasn't scary, I felt no investment in the characters and situation and quickly became bored and impatient for it to end. Very disappointing.

THE NUN II (2023) 5/10   It has a great, creepy atmosphere and a few scary scenes, but it doesn't amount to much. Forgettable characters and a rambling story can't be saved by the good-looking production and a few strong performances. It's a lot like part one, which I'd basically forgotten about until they showed some flashbacks to it. I'm sure I'll have forgotten this in a few days too. My wife's review: "Whatever, in all caps." She did scream a few times from jump scares, but by the end of the film, we were both over it. So... Forgive me Father for I have sinned. I wasted four hours of my life watching lame-ass Catholic-themed horror movies this year.

THE CROW (1994) 10/10   I watch it every year on "Devil's Night" (or as close as possible to that day). This year it was even more of an emotional viewing than usual.

FRANKENSTEIN (1931) 9/10   Magnificent. Even after seeing this film many times throughout my life, with "The Creature/ The Monster" having, over the decades, been parodied, and used in commercials, cartoons, toys, etc, still, the site of a tortured soul brought to life in a body created from the pieces of corpses interacting with an innocent child remains chilling. I can't imagine how horrified audiences must've been 92 years ago when this was released. Boris Karloff is amazing, Collin Clive as his creator brilliantly unhinged, and Dwight Frye (despite the brevity of his role) unforgettable as Fritz. I love this movie; totally deserving of its status as a classic.

[masterofoneinchpunch]

On 10/5/2023 at 6:16 PM, DrNgor said:

She does go through with her plan, although she does end up surviving, thanks to the hotel employees who entered her room for a wake-up call.

She pretty much does her best to plan that her overdose does not succeed.  She makes sure the person understands to wake her at a particular time.  Of course this is taking an awful chance.

Now the ending is a reference to Polanski's The Tenant -- the multiple falling (without giving spoilers).  It is more painful than anything else.  I thought that aspect was effective though not scary.