2022 Halloween Challenge

A film released in 2002: 28 Days Later (Danny Boyle)



I remember loving this when I watched it about 15 years ago. It still holds up well, the directing is great and it has a strong soundtrack and good use of sound effects. It certainly doesn't feel as fresh at it did back then as we got the whole zombie wave including the tv series and games where we see the same tropes used over and over. Screenplay is okay, but nothing is really memorable except for the first 15 minutes. The big problem starts about halfway into the movie when they arrive at the military base. It's as if the filmmakers where confused about what they wanted here as the character development makes little sense - the young girl seems unaffected by her dad's death, the older girl suddenly turns from bad-ass survivor to damsel in distress, and the protagonist becomes Batty in Blade Runner, running in the rain and howling. Then we get the happy ending which is the worst part of the movie and makes no sense at all.

Overall I think it's probably one of the better running infected/zombies movies that I've seen.

Creature Feature: Gojira (Honda, 1954)



I enjoyed thisquite a bit. Iconic, serious in tone, and overall very well done monster movie. Provokes the thought of how to use technology responsibly. Watching the big thing put Tokyo on fire was pretty lit. I can understand the need for the ending they chose, however I think the movie could have been even better if it had ended soon after Gojira returns to the ocean after the big attack.

Exactly on.

The Blob (Yeaworth & Doughten, 1958)



Lighthearted sci-fi horror with comedic elements and good atmosphere, strong screenplay and well done cinematography. I enjoy that the whole movie takes place during one night, and that we get to hang out with all the main characters. The Blob itself looks great. I can see myself revisiting this many times as it has a nice feeling to it.

Have you seen the 80s version? I like both, but maybe give a slight edge to the 80s one.

I agree with everything you've said here.

Sex Horror: Daughters of Darkness (Kümel, 1971)



Wonderful moody vampire flick with one of the all-time best female vampire performances by Delphine Seyrig. That's all you need to know, go watch it if you haven't seen it.

My only complaint is that

Cool, I'll make sure to watch that one!

Halloween III: Season of the Witch (Tommy Lee Wallace, 1982)



Didn't know what to expect here except that I'd read that a certain famous Mike dude wouldn't make an appearance. The movie opens up with awesome synth music over the intro credits, followed by a man running for his life away from a slow moving car - I'm already sold! The movie keeps intriguing on me, however about 10 minutes after we have arrived in an Irish settlement, it loses its momentum a bit, especially the day time scenes with the factory owner started to bore me a bit. This is my only big complaint, I think there's some fluff here that could have been edited better. Then it picks up the pace again and keeps me very satisfied all the way until the end. While the dialogue could have been better, and the Ellie character would have benefited from a better acting performance, the story had me interested the whole way through. At parts it's like I'm watching ideas that would show up 6 years later in They Live. Also I'd bet all the money I have that the scenes with the men in suits standing dead still is inspired from a certain town scene in the movie It Came from Outer Space. The soundtrack is maybe the best thing in the movie, it really enhances every chapter. The acting by Tom Atkins was very good. Overall I enjoyed it very well, it's not up to par with the original Halloween, and it's not up to the average John Carpenter directed films between 1974-94, but it's not that far off either. A bit uneven, but I tend to be forgiving if I like the feeling of a movie. Also this was apparently Tommy Lee Wallace's first movie, that's pretty impressive.

October 20th
The Legend of the Werewolf (1975)
4. A film with the same Director/Actor


The Legend of the Werewolf is a Peter Cushing werewolf film from a minor studio. It's directed by Freddie Francis who made a series of films with Hammer as a cinematographer and director. The story is about a boy raised by wolves and then circus people and then he ends up as a zookeeper.

This was just fine, the problem with films like this is that is your empathy is with the werewolf but the film is played out like it's a mystery with Cushing as a detective. The lead is enamored with a prostitute but you have no sex which for a 1975 film that takes place in a brothel not really okay with that.

The film looked good but it failed to have anything really substantial to it.

Whenever anyone asks me which horror remakes are the best, the 1982 version of The Thing and the 80s version of The Blob are always at the top of my list.

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Night of the Living Dead (George Romero, 1968)



A rewatch of the classic. It remains the best zombie film I've seen, and as for favourite it holds the top spot together with Dawn, Day and Braindead.

Behind on my posting, so I'm going to triple post here:

25. Hack-O-Lantern (1987/Tubi)



It's Halloween and someone dressed like the Devil is going around murdering people. Is it eighteen-year-old Tommy, who is being groomed by his grandfather to be the next leader of the family’s satanic cult?

Hack-O-Lantern is a silly slasher movie about satanists. The filmmakers made some bizarre choices, which makes for an entertainingly bad viewing. The cult leader grandpa is like a cross between Emperor Palpatine and Ernest P. Worrell. It made me laugh when he dipped into a southern belle accent. I also found it funny how interested Tommy’s sister was in her brother’s sex life. This movie is stupid, but worth a few laughs.

26. Halloween (1978/Theater)(Rewatch)



First time seeing this on the silver screen, which was pretty cool. It's still a great movie. I love seeing the beautiful Illinois fall represented in this movie by all the green trees. Also, a laundry shed seems like it would be terribly inconvenient.

27. Deathdream (1974/Tubi)



Andy is back from Vietnam, but he's different. He won't eat, his voice lacks emotion, and he's prone to violence. When people Andy comes into contact with start dying, his family wonders how bad his condition really is.

Deathdream is the kind of well-made film I’ve come to expect from Bob Clark. From how the characters treat the returned Andy, you can get an idea of what their relationship with him used to look like. He clearly had a close relationship with his mom and a more complicated one with his dad. Neither of them want to admit that there could be something seriously wrong with him. The theme of the story is obviously about how the horrors of war can change someone's personality and continue to haunt them.

Richard Backus is excellent in the role of Andy. His monotone voice and constant glare of contempt make him an intimidating threat. One of my favorite scenes is when he comes down the stairs for his double date and his former flame's expression slowly goes from joy to horror. His deterioration makeup gets exceedingly gross and I love his final look. Overall, I highly recommend this movie.

28. Horror Express (1972/Shudder)



Christopher Lee stars as an archeologist who discovers a mysterious ape skeleton that he believes may be the missing link in human evolution. What he doesn't yet know is that an evil shape-shifting alien bonded to the bones. While transporting it on a trans-Siberian train, Lee and his rival played by Peter Cushing work together to stop the alien before it kills everyone on board.

Horror Express is a solid creature feature in the vein of The Thing or Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The creature sucking out a person's mind with a look is a fun idea. It happens quite a few times, which is cool and a little too much at the same time. I liked seeing Lee and Cushing teaming up, which is a rare occurrence. This is not something I'd go out of my way to watch again, but I enjoyed my time with it.

29. Frankenstein Created Woman (1967/DVD)(Rewatch)



Dr. Frankenstein's young assistant Hans is in love with a scarred barmaid named Christina. When Christina's father is murdered by three wealthy ruffians, Hans is sentenced for the crime and executed. Christina then commits suicide. Frankenstein uses this opportunity to try out his new experiment: transferring Hans' soul into Christina's restored body.

This is a strong Hammer Frankenstein entry despite a relatively small role for the title character. Hans and Christina have a sweet relationship and it's broken up by truly despicable villains. Watching them get what they deserve is really satisfying. As always, Peter Cushing as Frankenstein is one arrogant bastard that is fun to watch. And Susan Denberg as Christina does a good job showing her conflicted emotions as a body with two souls.

30. Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970/DVD)



Three old men looking for new thrills meet a young eccentric who offers them a chance to live forever. He proposes to do this by drinking the petrified blood of Dracula. The young man is the only one to go through with the ritual and the old men beat him to death when he starts tweaking out. This resurrects Dracula somehow and he wants revenge against the old men for killing his servant.

This is a pretty lame Dracula offering from Hammer. Dracula's return is contrived and his motivation weak. None of the characters are worth caring about.

Deathdream also gets a lot of points from me for how sad and human it keeps the story even as it gets more and more outlandish/supernatural.

The Fog (John Carpenter, 1980)



She's crazy. There's no fog bank out there. There's no fog bank out there. There's no fog bank out there. Hey, there's a fog bank out there.

Yeah, this is a really good one. I find it a little hard to describe to people what's so good about this, but you get it.

Escape from New York (John Carpenter, 1981)



The president of what?

And now my heart is warm and full of Halloween cheer. Glad you enjoyed it too.