October Challenge

I enjoyed Jason X. I'm not a big fan of the franchise but that was one of my faves out of it.

Agreed on TCM 3. Sucked.

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#31 on SC's Top 100 Mofos list!!

The final 2:

Let The Right One In (2008)



Suspiria (1977)

- / +

And on Halloween, I'll watch The Nighmare Before Christmas.

I watched Scream 4 again yesterday.



I have already reviewed this in my review thread. I love the Scream movies -- I wish we were getting a Scream 5 and a Scream 6, as Scream 4 was meant to be the beginning of a brand new trilogy, but I don't think it's going to happen now.

But Scream 4 kind of sucks, anyways. It feels very slapped together and artificial compared to the first three movies. It is lacking a lot of deep, emotional resonance that the old films had. The first three films had powerful back stories that always kept the lead character, Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), focused on her pain and traumas which propelled her through each nightmarish massacre. The fourth film lacks this so much -- it is mostly about the coolness of the killer, the changes in technology, the fame generated by the old characters and the Stab franchise they're a part of. It's not focused. It keeps Sidney too off-center this time to the point that it's almost like there isn't a main character in this movie. This is because they're trying to introduce a new lead with Emma Roberts' character, but she doesn't get much focus on her, either. It tries to balance the past and the present but it lacks a certain Scream-esque feel that the old movies had. It feels cheap and strange. There's a sense that it knows it can be clever, but it doesn't feel like it has any heart to it. It's Scream by numbers. Scream 3 was a bad story to go with, but at least it had a lot more feel to it than 4.

It's a shame there might not be another one as this one, I think, probably needs a supplement to deepen what went on in 4 -- but if another movie only ends up like Scream 4, there's really no reason to keep going. The franchise is at a "dead plant" stage. It would take a divine miracle to get it back to full health again. In its own bizarre way, the Scream franchise killed itself by being both unique and exhausted.

I agree, excellent film. This had a very good american re-make also, not very often the case. The Nightmare Before Christmas is an excellent idea!

Finished! Now I need to get a job...

Day 26: Dracula: Pages from a Virgin’s Diary (2002) –
Beautiful! The opera goes well with Maddin’s camp.
Day 27: Tales from the Gimli Hopspital (1989) –
Not as unique as the later Maddin films I’ve seen, but the editing is much less intrusive.
Day 28: Gozu (2003) –
Geez. With all of the weird stuff that catches my fancy, it’s tough to find something that catches me off guard. This is like a film from an early 90’s Lynch or Von Trier, with even less restraint. I found it pretty engrossing.
Day 29: The Deadly Spawn (1983) –
Ultra low-budget splatter flick that doesn’t waste much time, and makes its inspirations apparent. The first time I tried watching this, I turned it off within 20 minutes, but the rubbery effects won me over this time.
Day 30: A Page of Madness (1926) –
Contains some pretty heavy experimentation that mainly comes from photography and lighting, which is interesting, but I thought that was its only appeal. And maybe it was just my waning attention span, but I found the plot hard to follow.
Day 31: The Werewolf and the Yeti (1975) –
Craptastic Spanish horror film that had me sold on the title alone. Its biggest claim to fame was being featured on the video nasty list. A piece of crap, but a fun one with a cool setting.

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In The Mouth Of Madness - Day 16

For some odd reason it reminded me of From Beyond, not my favourite Carpenter work and not really creepy, just....out there.



Halloween - Day 17

The Rob Zombie remake is decent enough, the little kid is excellent and Michael is menacing. Not very memorable though.



Monster Squad - Day 18

The Goonies of horror movies. Really enjoy the camp in this one and at a brisk 80 some odd minutes it's a breeze to watch at any time.



The Shinning - Day 19

There is so much to chew on in this little gem. Kubrick is a master of his craft and OCD when it comes to filmmaking. I hope to check out the doc Room 237, just to see the wild theories about this film. The weak point of course is Shelley DuVall, despite what others here will say, she is annoying.



Creepshow - Day 20

Some stories work, others don't. I was never a big fan of the Stephen King bit, but love the Crate.

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"A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have."

Suspect's Reviews

Stephen King's It - Day 21

Creepiest clown of all time? Check. Creepy sequences that will scare you as a kid? Check. Great sequences when they are kids, terrible third act. Whenever Pennywise is not on the screen the film seems to bore me.



The Crazies - Day 22

I like this remake, I thought it was really well directed and I'm a fan of Oly-fantastic



Scream - Day 23

I must have watched this a dozen times as a kid, I taped it off the television...remember VCRs? Does it still work today? Of course. Still one of the best opening sequences in horror films and a nice wink to the genre in general.



Scream 2 - Day 24

The sequel did more of the same, with less of the spark. My biggest problem was when they killed off my favourite character, Randy. Sure it was shocking, but that didn't stop me from hating the characters who killed him. Throw in my gal, Sarah Michelle Gellar, and it kind of balances out.



Scream 3 - Day 25

I don't like when films retcon, the Saw franchise is guilty of this the most, but Scream 3 did it as well, just not to the annoyance as those other films. The least liked of all the films and mine as well. When the killer was revealed, I had to think for a moment....WHO IS THAT????



Scream 4 - Day 26

I really like this entry and it is probably the best since the original. It pokes fun at the new slate of horror films that have come AFTER the original trilogy. Tis a shame it didn't connect with more people.

The Horde - Day 27

A french zombie film, blood and guts galore. Kind of like The Raid where people are stuck within an apartment complex and have to fight off the flesh eaters. In a time with dozens of zombie flicks coming out at every corner, this is one of the better ones.



Final Destination - Day 28

My favourite of the FD series and the most unique. It had actual suspense and it knew how to tease the audience. What came after was simply a gore fest, but this one still packs a punch.



Anaconda - Day 29

I had to watch this when I saw it on the television. What other movie can you see a crazy Jon Voight get regurgitated from a giant snake, then wink at J.Lo, while covered in mucus???? None I tell you!!!!

<----For sheer hilarity.

Rocky Horror Picture Show - Day 30

Another film I've seen countless times. I went to a Shadow Cast of this, dressed as Riff Raff, it was pretty fun. So when I found out Michelle's sister has never seen it, I sat her down and we watched it. I loved it, sang along, she hated it....I'm thinking of breaking up with Michelle based on this fact alone.



Hocus Pocus - Day 31

Let Michelle pick the movie we would watch on Halloween, she chose this one. Loved it as a kid, it's probably the only time I think SJP is attractive.