2021 Halloween Challenge

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Victim of The Night
I think in some cases, as noted previously, some of those deaths seem a little contrived.
Specifically the acid on the face in the morgue, and the spiders incident.
The Spiders Incident is actually one of my favorite deaths in all of Horror.
So damn creepy.



Victim of The Night
I’m going to watch House by the Cemetery this week, after I read Crumbs thesis on Fulci, so maybe that will help understand his films a bit more. Or at least, his style.
Ehhhh... maybe not. Or maybe it will make it completely clear that you don't like him.



The trick is not minding
Ehhhh... maybe not. Or maybe it will make it completely clear that you don't like him.
Yep. You were right. Really solid music though. Reminded me of an old school Castlevania soundtrack.

Will hope his Giallo are better



October 18th - The Howling V:The Rebirth
7. A sequel to a franchise (can be a different franchise)


My favorite Werewolf film is The Beast Must Die which is a murder mystery the involves one of the guests being a werewolf. This is basically the same idea except this one has better production values. We get flashbacks to the medevil times, and the story takes place in a sprawling Castle. This is a film that has potential the bones of the story are really good unfortunately it's a bit of a flop.

Most of the horror takes place off screen, when a character dies the camera just cuts away. So you really don't have the workings of the costume so that sucked...also the pick of actors weren't the best. Still it's watchable and enjoyable for what it was.




October 19th The Stylist (2020)
2. A horror film with 2 words




Borrowing from Mr Mercedes, One Hour Photo, and Henry Portrait of a Killer. The Stylist tells the story of Claire a hairdresser who lives a lonely life. Turns out Claire is a Serial Killer who does away with her most vapid clients. This is one of those films where you empathize with Claire and you're not really sure where the plot is going. But I really enjoyed this one, the big thing is the film doesn't feel like an indie film. You have different locations are cast larger than six people, a decent score and it's shot well. All of these things are important when you tell a story like this. Now the movie is a slow build but it's always asking you to think and it doesn't give you all the answers. For me this was a great indie I strongly recommend it.





October 20th King Kong (1933)
27. A horror film that was economically the biggest one of the year



King Kong I watched a number of Kaiju films this year so I decided go back and revisit King Kong. Now for me this isn't even a top five Kong movie the pacing is messed up most of the characters aren't developed and the script is filled with cheese. Still you have to admire the technical skill and brilliance in making this story. The way the shots are made are just incredibly impressive. Now the film does have continuity issues... Kong seems to grow and shrink based on what the plot needs and what they can do...but each action set piece is incredible. You feel empathy for the monster and are left thinking who is the bad guy..Kong or man




Part 1 (What's in a Name)
1. A horror film with 1 word
Run (2020)
2. A horror film with 2 words
The Stylist (2020)
3. A horror film with 3 words
4. A horror film with 4 words
5. A horror film that is a complete sentence

Part 2 (All about the franchises)
6. An original franchise
Slumber Party Massacre (1982)
7. A sequel to a franchise (can be a different franchise)
The Howling V:The Rebirth
8. A reboot, remake, or prequel to a horror film
Slumber Party Massacre (2021)
9. A late sequel (past part four)
Halloween Kills (2021)
10. An obvious cheap ripoff of a major horror franchise
Contamination (1980)


Part 3 (Trip to Europe)
11. A film from UK
12. A film from France
The Devils Hand (1943)
13. A film from Germany
The Testament of Doctor Mabuse(1933)
14. A film from Italy
The Comfort of Strangers (1990)
15. A film with someone traveling to a European country
The Old Dark House (1932)

Part 4 (where to find it)
16. A film on Netflix
17. A film on Amazon
The Manor (2021)
18. A film on Hulu
Pure (2019)
19 A film on Shudder
20. A film on a different streaming site(Youtube, HBO MAX, Tubi, etc)
Return of the Living Dead III (1993)


Part 5 (It's not the size of the horror)
21. A horror short film under 30 minutes
Frankenstein (1910)
22. A classic B film that is just over an hour
23. A VHS era film that is around 90 minutes
24. A major Hollywood horror release under 2 hours
The Sentinel (1977)
25. A horror epic that is over 2 and half hours
Rose Red (2002)

Part 6

26. A horror film released in October of any year
Night of the Living Dead (1969)
27. A horror film that was economically the biggest one of the year
King Kong (1933)
28. A horror film released in 2021
29. A horror film released in October 2021
30. A horror film that is on the Movieforum list.
31. A horror film on the Time Out top 100 horror film list
Freaks (1932)



A Chinese Ghost Story - gets wonderfully nuts after a certain point. On Prime - it looked like only SD and the subtitles were bad, but not bad enough to ruin the experience.
Satisfies franchise original.
Just watched this (somebody uploaded an HD rip to Youtube with decent enough English subs), and...



It rules. More ghostly levitating Joey Wongs please.



Vampire Circus was actually pretty decent.



Victim of The Night
Nah, it wasn’t that good. Decent, though. Entertaining for sure.
My favorite Hammer Horror film and one of probably my five favorite vampire movies.



A system of cells interlinked
Added As Above, So Below, Salem's Lot, and Sinister in the categories of A Horror Film in Which Someone Travels to Europe, An Epic Horror Film Longer than 2.5 Hours, and An Original Franchise.

I am WAY behind. Having an impressionable toddler running about the house makes watching horror films next to impossible. Trying to squeeze them in while on lunch, and after Stelly goes to sleep, but we are so tired at that point, we end up watching them in pieces, which drags the entire process out.

Alas, we shall see how many I am able to check off this week.
__________________
“It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance.” ― Thomas Sowell



October 22nd - I Married a Monster From Outer Space (1958)
5. A horror film that is a complete sentence



I Married a Monster From Outer Space sounds like something cheap, dumb and easy to watch. Holy hell was I shocked at how much I loved this movie. It is as scary, imaginative and thought provoking as the more popular sci-fi films of this era. Last year the best find I had was I am a Teenage Werewolf and this is his followup and this guy just gets it.

So the plot is Aliens come to a remote town and start to take over the men, the female lead Marge figures out that her new husband is actually a monster from outer space. The FX for the film are fantastic for the time and frankly they hold up really well. The director takes an extra step with every scene but they also cut 90% of the exposition which allows the film to run for a little over an hour.

I was blown away by how much I enjoyed the film, and when the story dips into horror they do it very well. You can see some Invasion of the Body Snatchers in it...but they definitely improve on aspects of it.