2021 Halloween Challenge

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I recognize there are better made movies in the franchise, but with slashers I don't think polish necessarily makes them "scarier". I periodically allude to this whenever I bring up first wave slashers, but the first one has an almost documentary quality thanks to its low budget and small scale that gets under my skin much more than the slicker entries in the series.
If you want that, go with TCM where the low budget verisimilitude is quite unsettling and unnerving. When I revisited the first F13th I just couldn't help but notice the similarities to giallos where they're trying to position the camera so you don't see the killer. Give me part 2 any day of the week.



If you want that, go with TCM where the low budget verisimilitude is quite unsettling and unnerving. When I revisited the first F13th I just couldn't help but notice the similarities to giallos where they're trying to position the camera so you don't see the killer. Give me part 2 any day of the week.
Yeah, but TCM is forcefully directed. Give me unease through negative space, dammit. Different strokes, etc.


I've slowly warmed up to Part 2, mostly as it has enough of those first wave qualities while the series is transitioning to a slicker form.


I'm also the weirdo who likes Part 3, but that's a story for another day.



Yeah, but TCM is forcefully directed. Give me unease through negative space, dammit. Different strokes, etc.


I've slowly warmed up to Part 2, mostly as it has enough of those first wave qualities while the series is transitioning to a slicker form.


I'm also the weirdo who likes Part 3, but that's a story for another day.

So, it's been a couple of years since I've seen part I, saw part 3, but just revisited 4, 5, 2. I don't remember 1 hitting that sense of verite. I remember it feeling like a giallo/slasher-but-not-quite-slasher mix (as a number of American slashers in that era seem to me). Though after watching part V, 1-4 all feel like masterpieces with serious character development. (I found 5 borderline unwatchable).



The trick is not minding
I only revisit 2-6 for the nudity. 😳
It’s the only thing that makes them watchable. And I guess watching the creative ways he killed his victims.
And yeah, of course there are Giallo references, considering they were directly influenced by them.



So, it's been a couple of years since I've seen part I, saw part 3, but just revisited 4, 5, 2. I don't remember 1 hitting that sense of verite. I remember it feeling like a giallo/slasher-but-not-quite-slasher mix (as a number of American slashers in that era seem to me). Though after watching part V, 1-4 all feel like masterpieces with serious character development. (I found 5 borderline unwatchable).
I watched Part V only once and easily found it the worst (full disclosure: I haven't seen Jason Goes to Hell, Jason X or Freddy vs Jason). Just unceasingly obnoxious. I used to give it a bit of credit for its gestures towards the hero's trauma and the vaguely surrealist feel, but then I watched The Boogeyman, made a few years earlier, which has those qualities and also isn't completely godawful and unpleasant.



Victim of The Night
I’m with Rock. Original Friday the 13th is the best of the series and it really isn’t that close.
And I wholeheartedly disagree, Part 2 is the best of the series and it really isn't that close.



Victim of The Night
The Black Cat (1934 film) - Edgar G. Ulmer

I'm a pretty big fan of this one, though it may have benefitted somewhat from very low expectations.



Victim of The Night
My Bloody Valentine (1981) - George Mihalka



A perfectly adequate, date-themed, minor slasher film from the early 80s. I really don't know what to add to it beyond that, because that really does summarize all of the films strengths and weaknesses right there.

Thoughts while watching this movie:
1. Valentine's Day and mining aren't two things I really associate in my mind. Though this was about 5 or 6 years after Harlan County, USA was winning the oscar for best doc. I feel like there were other narrative films that were centered around coal mining at this time. Was this peak coal-mining movie era?
2. I wonder how much they played up the whole first Friday the 13th, to be followed by February the 14th in the marketing tag lines.
3. Boy, they were really setting this up for a sequel and a franchise.
4. Did this movie technically pass the Bechdel test on the cart ride down?
I like this one quite a lot and feel like it's a good movie to watch if you wanna see what Canadians can do with like no budget whatsoever.



Victim of The Night
If you want that, go with TCM where the low budget verisimilitude is quite unsettling and unnerving. When I revisited the first F13th I just couldn't help but notice the similarities to giallos where they're trying to position the camera so you don't see the killer. Give me part 2 any day of the week.
Yeah, ya right!



Okay, friends.

Despite the promise of short-shorts and dogs having flashbacks, as we have established I am not very interested in watchingThe Hills Have Eyes.

Suggestions for an original franchise? I assume this means we are to watch the original film from a franchise. The only major one I can think of that I haven't seen is The Omen, and it's not streaming anywhere I can watch it.



I'm a pretty big fan of this one, though it may have benefitted somewhat from very low expectations.
I thought that some of the imagery was amazing, and there's a brutality and edginess to it that I wasn't expecting.



Okay, friends.

Despite the promise of short-shorts and dogs having flashbacks, as we have established I am not very interested in watchingThe Hills Have Eyes.

Suggestions for an original franchise? I assume this means we are to watch the original film from a franchise. The only major one I can think of that I haven't seen is The Omen, and it's not streaming anywhere I can watch it.

I don't know how available it is, but I picked up The Amytiville Horror when it was cheap on itunes. That's a movie that's easy to forget is a franchise.


If you want martial arts, horror-comedy, A Chinese Ghost Story 1, 2, and I think 3, are all on Amazon Prime.

ETA: I have seen none of these, but if I have time, I do want to get them in this October.



October 1st

Scary Stories To Tell in the Dark

I never read these books as a kid so I had no hype for this movie whatsoever.
Interesting. Glad you liked it, and nice review.

I definitely read these growing up and they made a big impression. I'll reproduce what I posted in the thread about the announcement, mostly to again share the excellent, unsettling art work:

I had this book growing up, and it was horrifying. The art had a lot to do with it:






I only revisit 2-6 for the nudity. 😳
It’s the only thing that makes them watchable. And I guess watching the creative ways he killed his victims.

I mean, yeah. It's Friday the 13th.
I think the main point of disagreement is if the first one transcends the rest of the series making it something more interesting. This happens with the other major franchises (Halloween, TCM, ANoES - though I'd argue the last one manages to have more interesting sequels due to having fun with surrealism). And for F13th to have such longevity there's something that says, "well, maybe the first one was notably better." But for me (and it sounds like Wooley), but not you or Rock, that wasn't the case.

And yeah, of course there are Giallo references, considering they were directly influenced by them.
Well there's references (there's years between viewings but I believe the spear through two people having sex was also in Bay of Blood and then it shows up in part 2). But Part 1 felt a lot like a giallo to me because they're going out of their way to cover up who the killer is. So you get a lot of "person talking to the camera," and then being stabbed. Which I so heavily associate with giallos (which isn't universal since Blood & Black Lace does have a costumed killer).



Okay, friends.

Despite the promise of short-shorts and dogs having flashbacks, as we have established I am not very interested in watchingThe Hills Have Eyes.

Suggestions for an original franchise? I assume this means we are to watch the original film from a franchise. The only major one I can think of that I haven't seen is The Omen, and it's not streaming anywhere I can watch it.
Depending on whether or not it has to be something you've not seen before or there's a quality control, I put forward the following:

Hatchet, Scream, NOES, Halloween, Birdemic, Night Of The Living Dead, original Fright Night, Hellraiser, Psycho, Poltergeist, Final Destination, The Exorcist, Blood Feast, Interview With The Vampire, An American Werewolf In London, Hammer Dracula or Frankenstein, Tremors, Phantasm, Child's Play, Maniac Cop, The Lost Boys.
__________________
5-time MoFo Award winner.



The trick is not minding
I mean, yeah. It's Friday the 13th.
I think the main point of disagreement is if the first one transcends the rest of the series making it something more interesting. This happens with the other major franchises (Halloween, TCM, ANoES - though I'd argue the last one manages to have more interesting sequels due to having fun with surrealism). And for F13th to have such longevity there's something that says, "well, maybe the first one was notably better." But for me (and it sounds like Wooley), but not you or Rock, that wasn't the case.
Speaking for myself, I’m not interested if it transcended the others or not. It’s the quality of the film. Even for a slasher. And it’s qualifies far outweigh the stupid scripts of the sequels, which essentially just boils down to the same thing over and over. Except more nudity and more graphic deaths.
Edit: except it introduced Jason properly. But then he becomes so confusing in later films.



Speaking for myself, I’m not interested if it transcended the others or not. It’s the quality of the film. Even for a slasher. And it’s qualifies far outweigh the stupid scripts of the sequels, which essentially just boils down to the same thing over and over. Except more nudity and more graphic deaths.
Edit: except it introduced Jason properly. But then he becomes so confusing in later films.

Admittedly with a few years distance here, so it's not clear in my memory, but I don't remember the first one not being any less dumb and repetitive than the second one.


I'm not sure where this point of difference goes from here though, since you see a level of quality in F13th part 1 that I just do not.



I watched Part V only once and easily found it the worst (full disclosure: I haven't seen Jason Goes to Hell, Jason X or Freddy vs Jason). Just unceasingly obnoxious. I used to give it a bit of credit for its gestures towards the hero's trauma and the vaguely surrealist feel, but then I watched The Boogeyman, made a few years earlier, which has those qualities and also isn't completely godawful and unpleasant.

Keeping in mind this is coming from someone who has a very different opinion of the first few F13th movies.


I've not seen X, but it has it's fans (I'll let you know next year. When I should be on my Xth year of doing Horrorthons with friends). Freddy vs Jason is good for the ridiculous kills.


I've seen part 9. It has been so long that I don't remember anything about the quality of it like I didn't for part 5. The few lists I saw ranking the different films frequently put it down there with part 5, which makes me think it'll be painful to return to as well.