2020 Halloween Challenge

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October 24th An Asian language horror Film


Horrors of the Malformed Men (1969) is in essence the Island of Doctor Moreau though given a very nice Japanese twist to it. It tells the story of a young man who ends up in a mental institution and has no memory of his past. Upon discovering a man who died that looks just like him he ends up on a journey to an island that is run by a strange figure.


The film is basically a living nightmare, and though I had trouble keeping everything straight I would recommend this one because everything is so well executed some other films I've watched didn't have the same production values as this one but everything is perfect here.









October 25th - 16. A Lucio Fulci/Dario Argento/Mario Bava film




Blood and Black Lace (1964) is the second (or really third) Bava film I watched this month. I don't know if he's better than Argento but this is clearly his "Deep Red" a serial killer stalking Italian models in his most cinematic style. And for me...it's a good movie that just falls short of great. The problem with films like this is you are trying to be a horror/mystery...and the horror is done well but the mystery is lacking which knocks it down a few spots for me from being a classic.


I will say this though, Bava's use of color, shadows and makeup are extraordinary definitely the best from this era. Comparing this film to my next one you would swear they were made 20 years apart not 1 year apart. It's also nice to see Cameron Mitchell when he cared and not when he was a drunk collecting paycheck's in 80's B movies.







October 26th - 18. An A24/Blumhouse/Roger Corman/Hammer/Universal film


The Raven (1965) is a PG Horror film that fells like it should be shown on Saturday mornings to introduce young children to ideas of horror. This is a mixed bag for a Corman film because a number of the Special effects look and feel absurdly cheap. This was almost like the "Grown ups" version of horror where Karloff, Lorre, and Price just camp it up for the very short runtime. And to be fair the humor definitely exists even though it is very dated. To me this is lesser Vincent Price which is a shame because I had been saving this one for this year's Halloween.





A. Source Material
1. A Stephen King Adaptation
In the Tall Grass(2019)
2. An Edgar Allen Poe Adaptation
Spirits of the Dead (1968)
3. An HP Lovecraft Adaptation

B. Language of Origin
4. A Spanish Language horror film
The Orphanage
5. A French Language horror film
Climax (2018)
6. An Asian Language horror film
Horrors of the Malformed Men (1969)

7. An Eastern European/Slavic Language horror film
Werckmeister Harmonies(2000)


C. Time Period
8. A Classic Creature Feature (30's-50's)
The Curse of Frankenstein(1957)
9. A Gothic Horror Tale (40's-60's)
The Ghost and Mrs Muir(1947)
10. The B-List Killer/Slasher (70's-80's)
Silent Scream(1979)
11. A Sex Thriller (80's-90's)
Body Double (1984)
12. A Revival/Remake/Throwback (00's-10's)(28)

D. The Players(Actors/Actresses/Directors/Producers)
13. A Brian De Palma/William Castle/Wes Craven film
Phantom of the Paradise(1974)
14. A Linnea Quigley/Jamie Lee Curtis/Barbara Steele film
Black Sunday (1960)
15. A Peter Cushing/Vincent Price/Christopher Lee film
The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958)
16. A Lucio Fulci/Dario Argento/Mario Bava film
Blood and Black Lace(1964)

17. A Alfred Hitchcock/Terence Fisher/Christopher Smith film
Frankenstein Must be Destroyed(1969)
18. An A24/Blumhouse/Roger Corman/Hammer/Universal film
The Raven (1965)



E. Distributor
19. A Rotten Horror Film from Rotten Tomatoes
The Evil of Frankenstein(1964)
20. A Fresh Horror Film from Rotten Tomatoes
21. A Horror Film on Shudder
22. A Horror Film on Hulu
Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell(1974)
23. A Horror Film on Amazon
The Vast of Night(2019)
24. A Horror Film on Netflix
25. A Horror Film from 2020
Swallow (2020)


F. Genre
26. A Werewolf Film
I was a Teenage Werewolf (1957).
27. A Vampire Film
Vampire Circus(1972)
28. A Ghost/Haunted House Film
Triangle(2009)
29. A Witchcraft/Satanic Film
The Devils(1971)

30. A Frankenstein's Monster Film
Frankenstein Created Woman(1967)
31. A Zombie Film

One Cut of the Dead(2017)



The trick is not minding




October 25th - 16. A Lucio Fulci/Dario Argento/Mario Bava film




Blood and Black Lace (1964) is the second (or really third) Bava film I watched this month. I don't know if he's better than Argento but this is clearly his "Deep Red" a serial killer stalking Italian models in his most cinematic style. And for me...it's a good movie that just falls short of great. The problem with films like this is you are trying to be a horror/mystery...and the horror is done well but the mystery is lacking which knocks it down a few spots for me from being a classic.


I will say this though, Bava's use of color, shadows and makeup are extraordinary definitely the best from this era. Comparing this film to my next one you would swear they were made 20 years apart not 1 year apart. It's also nice to see Cameron Mitchell when he cared and not when he was a drunk collecting paycheck's in 80's B movies.


I watched Blood and Black Lace this past week, my first Bava, and agree with almost everything you said above. Although I liked it much better then you, and felt the mystery is slightly better then given credit for.
I still hadn’t figured out the killer by the reveal, unlike The Black Belly of the Tarantula where I had it figured out probably halfway through.
Need to dig into more of his films. I see Black Sunday is highly acclaimed.



It's been a while since my last update a I've piled a few on.

Riding the Bullet (2004) for a Stephen King adaptation. This was actually pretty good but would have been better without all the imagination. Daydreaming? Maybe. These scenes did nothing to move the story along and were just confusing, at times making it difficult to know whether or not what I was watching was actually part of the story.

Wake Wood (2009) for the Hammer film. I enjoyed this movie. It was creepy but not really scary. I feel the young girl who played Alice really didn't do that well, but it's difficult to criticize child actors. She did better than I would have. Most of the movie looked like a B flick, nothing wrong with that, but a few looked worse. Not the lighting or camera work but the acting itself seemed out of place, almost as though a different director was in charge and he didn't know what he was doing. Overall a good watch though.

The Wolf of Snow Hollow (2020) was the 2020 Horror Film I chose. This was pretty good. Not at all what I was expecting. It is campy and a lot of the characters actions/reactions seemed out of place but still a pretty solid B flick.

Against the Dark (2009) was my choice for Vampire movie. This had Steven Seagal in it kinda wandering around going nowhere for 2/3 of the movie. People were together then they weren't then they were again. There was nothing good about this movie.

Mary Shelly's Frankenstein (1994) was my choice for a Frankenstein's Monster movie. I saw some of you guys talking about this one, can't remember who just now, and decided to give it a shot. I think I may have actually seen it before but years ago. I enjoyed it, would definitely recommend this.







October 27th - 21. A Horror Film on Shudder


Host (2020) is Shudder's best film apparently it got great reviews so I was shocked when I saw the runtime (under an hour). This is bad for an evening but great for a marathon. Anyways this is basically a found/footage film that is told in real time. It's very cheap but it's also pretty effective it's like a you tube horror film. A cast of character bored with a lockdown decide to hold a seance and something bad happens. The group is then whittled down one by one .


The acting and cast is what you would come to expect from a film like this...a bunch of low budget acting school players who got together and tried to form a friendship group. If you can tell them apart good luck. But I'll say this for it...it was watchable.









October 28th - An HP Lovecraft Adaptation


Borderlands (2013) is a UK found footage film that takes elements of Lovecraft's work and modernizes it. It tells the story of two filmmakers hanging out in a haunted Church. With films like this the more you describe it the more it takes away from the experience for a viewer. But I highly recommend this one it's a high point both for the genre and Lovecraft. It's shot really well the characters are developed and the old British church setup is great.







October 29th - A Revival/Remake/Throwback


The Creepshow Animated Special (2020) is what I picked for my throwback...though to be fair it was going to be the Haunting of Bly House but I can't finish that ontime.



The first story is the tale of a man stuck on a desert Island with Heroin and medical skills...deadly combination. Keifer Sutherland plays the stranded man and he's amazing in this you get really good Heavy Metal vibes from the story. It's predictable but the animation elevates the saga.


The second story is about a spoiled teen live tweeting her adventures on the road. We get a lot of setup and you don't really know where the story is going until you get there. It's a cool concept because we know how this is going to end before the character does. It doesn't necessarily feel like it needs to be animated and it becomes predictable but still it's a nice creepy chapter in this series.









October 30th 24. A Horror Film on Netflix


1BR(2020) is a low budget Netflix film inspired I believe by Get Out. It doesn't have the same kick or cinematic flairs of a Jordan Peele film in the sense that the metaphor is simplistic and it's shot cheap. That's not to say it's a bad film or a poorly made one. For what the film is it's good...but when I was watching it I kept feeling like the idea of this being a film and not an episode of Black Mirror or a TV series was it's biggest problems. It's a horror film with a lot of ideas but those ideas are kinda scattered out throughout the story and not really fulfilled. Their are several moments in the film where you need to take the next step if you are going to be a horror film and it just doesn't ever do that.


I'm being very vague about everything because the trailer is telling you it's one film but 80% of the runtime it's something else. Ripped from the headlines but also feeling redundant...this isn't a 90% RT film.





And now I've got 20 minutes to conclude my 31 days with a rewatch and a classic



The trick is not minding
Final tally!
Results are as follows:

A. Source Material
1. A Stephen King Adaptation
2. An Edgar Allen Poe Adaptation
3. An HP Lovecraft Adaptation
From Beyond

B. Language of Origin
4. A Spanish Language horror film
Dracula (1931 Spanish version)
5. A French Language horror film
Les Diaboliques
6. An Asian Language horror film
7. An Eastern European/Slavic Language horror film

C. Time Period
8. A Classic Creature Feature (30's-50's)
Bride of Frankenstein
9. A Gothic Horror Tale (40's-60's)
10. The B-List Killer/Slasher (70's-80's)
Slumber Party Massacre
11. A Sex Thriller (80's-90's)
12. A Revival/Remake/Throwback (00's-10's)
The Hills Have Eyes (2006)
D. The Players(Actors/Actresses/Directors/Producers)
13. A Brian De Palma/William Castle/Wes Craven film
The Hills Have Eyes (1977)
14. A Linnea Quigley/Jamie Lee Curtis/Barbara Steele film
15. A Peter Cushing/Vincent Price/Christopher Lee film
House on Haunted Hill (1959)
16. A Lucio Fulci/Dario Argento/Mario Bava film
City of the Living Dead
17. A Alfred Hitchcock/Terence Fisher/Christopher Smith film
18. An A24/Blumhouse/Roger Corman/Hammer/Universal film
The Invisible Man (1933)
E. Distributor
19. A Rotten Horror Film from Rotten Tomatoes
Feardotcom
20. A Fresh Horror Film from Rotten Tomatoes
21. A Horror Film on Shudder
22. A Horror Film on Hulu
23. A Horror Film on Amazon
Razorback
24. A Horror Film on Netflix
Under the Shadow
25. A Horror Film from 2020
The Invisible Man
F. Genre
26. A Werewolf Film
The Howling II
27. A Vampire Film
Let The Right One In
28. A Ghost/Haunted House Film
Bhoot
29. A Witchcraft/Satanic Film
Satan’s Slaves
30. A Frankenstein's Monster Film
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
31. A Zombie Film

Left overs:
Deep red
Black Belly of the Tarantula
Blood and Black Lace
As you can see, I didn’t finish this but I had a lot of fun with all being first time watches.
I just couldn’t find the time. Oh, well. This was fun, so I’ll be looking forward to this next year!



1. A Stephen King adaptation. Riding the Bullet (2004)
2. An Edgar Allen Poe adaptation. The Masque of the Red Death (1963)
3. An H.P. Lovecraft adaptation. Re-Animator (1985)
4. A Spanish language horror film.
5. A French language horror film.
6. An Asian language horror film. Monstrum (2018)
7. An Eastern European/Slavic language horror film. The Bride(2017)
8. A classic creature feature (30’s-50’s). The Blob (1958)
9. A Gothic horror tale (40’s-60’s).
10. The B-List killer/slasher (70’s-80’s).
11. A sex thriller (80’s-90’s).
12. A revival/remake/throwback (00’s-10’s).
13. A Brian De Palma/William Castle/Wes Craven film.
14. A Linnea Quigley/Jamie Lee Curtis/Barbara Steele film. Night of the Demons (1988)
15. A Peter Cushing/Vincent Price/Christopher Lee film.
16. A Lucio Fulci/Dario Argento/Mario Bava film. The Beyond (1981)
17. An Alfred Hitchcock/Terence Fisher/Christopher Smith film.
18. An A24/Blumhouse/Roger Corman/Hammer/Universal film. Wake Wood (2009)
19. A Rotten Horror film from Rotten Tomatoes.
20. A Fresh Horror film from Rotten Tomatoes. Halloween (1978)
21. A horror film on Shudder. The Cleansing Hour (2019)
22. A horror film on Hulu. The Lodge (2019)
23. A horror film on Amazon. Haunt (2019)
24. A horror film on Netflix. Stephanie (2017)
25. A horror film from 2020. The Wolf of Snow Hollow (2020)
26. A werewolf film. Project Metalbeast (1995)
27. A vampire film. Against the Dark (2009)
28. A ghost/haunted house film. The Innkeepers (2011)
29. A witchcraft/satanic film. The Wretched (2019)
30. A Frankenstein’s monster film. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994)
31. A Zombie film. #Alive (2020)

Also Watched:
Trick ‘r Treat (2007)
The Banana Splits (2019)
Minutes Past Midnight (2016)

I didn't quite make it either but thirty-one movies in thirty-one days is tough. Most of these, all except two, were first time viewings for me and I had a lot of fun with this. Looking forward to failing again next year.



October is a week away and I thought we would open up a discussion and see if anyone wanted to watch 1 horror film for each day of October.


Now if anyone wants to I can also do what Jabs does and give you 31 categories to expand your palette.
I joined the site too late to participate fully, but I look forward to going all-in next year. Nice job on the category-pickin'.
__________________
Captain's Log
My Collection








October 31st - A Fresh Horror film from Rotten Tomatoes




Santa Sangre(1989) is a love letter to 30's horror films I didn't get that when I saw this in High School but years later after seeing Freaks, The Unknown, MadLove and a bunch of german films I now see it for what it is and I'm impressed. This film is incredible, it tells the story of a boy raised in the Circus. A horrific incident involving castration, a tatooed lady and his mother leaves us with a broken boy sent to an asylum.
When he's released his mother who is now mutilated brings him back into the circus and they have an act where he acts as her arms.


Things go really wrong...Jordowsky has a lot to say in this film. It's hard to describe all the crazy things that happen in this film but I would say this is clearly a must watch.









A. Source Material
1. A Stephen King Adaptation
In the Tall Grass(2019)
2. An Edgar Allen Poe Adaptation
Spirits of the Dead (1968)
3. An HP Lovecraft Adaptation

Borderlands (2013)


B. Language of Origin
4. A Spanish Language horror film
The Orphanage
5. A French Language horror film
Climax (2018)
6. An Asian Language horror film
Horrors of the Malformed Men (1969)
7. An Eastern European/Slavic Language horror film
Werckmeister Harmonies(2000)


C. Time Period
8. A Classic Creature Feature (30's-50's)
The Curse of Frankenstein(1957)
9. A Gothic Horror Tale (40's-60's)
The Ghost and Mrs Muir(1947)
10. The B-List Killer/Slasher (70's-80's)
Silent Scream(1979)
11. A Sex Thriller (80's-90's)
Body Double (1984)
12. A Revival/Remake/Throwback (00's-10's)(28)

Creepshow:Animated Special (2020)


D. The Players(Actors/Actresses/Directors/Producers)
13. A Brian De Palma/William Castle/Wes Craven film
Phantom of the Paradise(1974)
14. A Linnea Quigley/Jamie Lee Curtis/Barbara Steele film
Black Sunday (1960)
15. A Peter Cushing/Vincent Price/Christopher Lee film
The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958)
16. A Lucio Fulci/Dario Argento/Mario Bava film
Blood and Black Lace(1964)
17. A Alfred Hitchcock/Terence Fisher/Christopher Smith film
Frankenstein Must be Destroyed(1969)
18. An A24/Blumhouse/Roger Corman/Hammer/Universal film
The Raven (1965)


E. Distributor
19. A Rotten Horror Film from Rotten Tomatoes
The Evil of Frankenstein(1964)
20. A Fresh Horror Film from Rotten Tomatoes

Santa Sangre(1989)
21. A Horror Film on Shudder
Host (2020)

22. A Horror Film on Hulu
Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell(1974)
23. A Horror Film on Amazon
The Vast of Night(2019)
24. A Horror Film on Netflix

1BR(2020)
25. A Horror Film from 2020
Swallow (2020)


F. Genre
26. A Werewolf Film
I was a Teenage Werewolf (1957).
27. A Vampire Film
Vampire Circus(1972)
28. A Ghost/Haunted House Film
Triangle(2009)
29. A Witchcraft/Satanic Film
The Devils(1971)
30. A Frankenstein's Monster Film
Frankenstein Created Woman(1967)
31. A Zombie Film
One Cut of the Dead(2017)





[color=#000000]Santa Sangree(1989)
Absolutely LOVE Santa Sangre, especially for the way that it weaves real/relatable experiences into horror scenarios. Things like the loss of a pet or parents splitting up become "sized up" into horrific outcomes.



Here are all the horror films I watched this month:

The Blackcoat's Daughter
Cat People (1942)
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
Deep Red
The Devil's Rejects
Eyes Without a Face
Haxan
The Fly (1958)
Perfect Blue
Pet Sematary
Poltergeist
Psycho
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
The Sixth Sense
Viy

My favorite first-time watches are:

1) Perfect Blue
2) The Sixth Sense
3) Dawn of the Dead (1978)

Here are all the films I rewatched this month:

Alien
Coraline
The Descent
Hausu
Night of the Living Dead
Requiem for a Dream (not strictly a horror film, but still terrifying)
Vampyr

Vampyr is my favorite of this bunch.

I watched 22 films this month. Overall, pretty solid month. I gave most of these at least a 7/10.



28 days...6 hours...42 minutes...12 seconds
Catching up on what I watched.

Fantasy Island -
- Not as bad as the reviews are saying, but not good either. It's not scary and has a bad time balancing tone. I feel like it would work better as a television show.

Veronica -
- A typical possession movie from the director of REC. It has the "true story" element that has some people freaked out. The film is a slow burn with a chaotic final and the film works due to a strong lead performance from 16 year old Sandra Escacena.

Trick 'r Treat
- Great atmosphere in this creepy Halloween tale. Good for the month of October.

Color out of Space
Maybe the best visual depiction of a Lovecraft horror, but it still stumbles on many parts. Great colours help save a half-ass story.

Nightmare on Elm Street
A classic. Maybe I should bumped it up a half.

Casper
- Kids watched this, they enjoyed it.

The Curse of La Llorona
- Has some decent horror suspense that builds to...typical horror jump scares. A generic ghost film.

Antebellum
- Takes itself way too seriously with an absurd Shyamalan like story structure. I wants to be the next Get Out, but fails.

One cut of the Dead
- Hilarious. I had no idea what to expect and the absurdity of the first 40 minutes had me scratching my head, then we get the second act that helps explain what we just saw and the third act which had me in stitches. A love letter to indie filmmaking.

The Autopsy of Jane Doe
- Very creepy atmospheric horror that incorporates a good mystery element.

Ready or Not
-A fun film. Saw it in theatres and it holds up well for entertainment that pokes fun at the rich, while giving us a solid horror heroine to stand behind.
__________________
"A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have."

Suspect's Reviews



A system of cells interlinked
Here is my final tally. As you can see, I pretty much crashed and burned on the challenge, with a full 11 films watched that didn't qualify. I promise to do better next year!


Sedai's Challenge List:

1 The Entity (1982)
3 Soul to Keep
4 Paranormal Activity
5 Fright Night (1985)
6 Witchboard
7 Annabelle Comes Home
8 The Conjuring
9 Trick r Treat
10 Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
11 House of the Devil



A. Source Material
1. Doctor Sleep
2. Pit and the Pendulum
3. Color Out of Space

B. Language of Origin
4. Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones
5. A French Language horror film
6. The Host (Korea)
7. An Eastern European/Slavic Language horror film

C. Time Period
8. Creature From the Black Lagoon
9. A Gothic Horror Tale (40's-60's)
10. Alice, Sweet Alice
11. From Beyond
12. Blair Witch (2016)

D. The Players(Actors/Actresses/Directors/Producers)
13. A Brian De Palma/William Castle/Wes Craven film
14. Prom Night
15. A Peter Cushing/Vincent Price/Christopher Lee film
16. A Lucio Fulci/Dario Argento/Mario Bava film
17. A Alfred Hitchcock/Terence Fisher/Christopher Smith film
18. Annabelle

E. Distributor
19. A Rotten Horror Film from Rotten Tomatoes
20. Dark Encounter
21. Host (2020)
22. Oculus
23. Fright Night
24. 1BR
25. The Lodge

F. Genre
26. The Howling
27. 30 Days of Night
28. The Amityville Horror (2005)
29. The Blair Witch Project (1999)
30. A Frankenstein's Monster Film
31. A Zombie Film
__________________
“It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance.” ― Thomas Sowell



is thouroughly embarrassed of this old username.
Hey all, just remembered this forum existed and was doing my own "a horror movie a day in October" thing anyway so I guess I'll post how that went lol.

01. Kwaidan (1964) - 7/10
02. Creep (2014) - 6/10
03. Ghoulies (1984) - 3/10
04. Dumpster Baby (2000) - 5/10
05. Midsommar - (2019) 4/10
06. A Cure for Wellness (2016) - 2/10
07. The Blackcoat's Daughter (2015) - 7/10
08. The Lair of the White Worm (1988) - 7/10
09. Reflections of Evil (2002) - 7/10
10. Demons (1971) - 8/10


11. In Fabric (2018) - 8/10
12. Tomie vs. Tomie (2007) - 4/10
13. A Record of Sweet Murder (2014) - 6/10
14. November (2017) - 8/10
15. Terror Firmer (1999) - 7/10
16. Let the Corpses Tan (2017) - 4/10
17. Halloween (1978) - 6/10
18. Hour of the Wolf (1968) - 6/10
19. Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) - 6/10
20. One Missed Call 2 (2005) - 3/10


21. Pieces (1982) - 7/10
22. Cub (2014) - 5/10
23. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986) - 7/10
24. The Golem: How He Came into this World (1920) - 6/10
25. Infection (2004) - 6/10
26. Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (1995) - 5/10
27. The Greasy Strangler (2016) - 7/10
28. Morgiana (1972) - 7/10
29. The Long Hair of Death (1964) - 8/10
30. The Blair Witch Project (1999) - 8/10
31. Guinea Pig 5: Android of Notre Dame (1988) - 3/10