Halloween Watch-A-Thon

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I think you'll really like Carnival Of Souls. One of the creepiest horror movies from that time.
Loved Carnival of Souls. I went looking for the location where it was filmed when I was in Utah, but sadly the building Salt Air burnt down a few years after the film was made.



Esiason
What Argento doesn't divide opinions? Feel like 52% of the Suspiria opinions i've heard are it's glorious and 48% are it's a boring confusing mess. And that's only coz i speak to so many movie nerds online, if i went purely by public the latter would be closer to 90%. I have no idea if Phenomena is good but it's at least liked by most horror dorks i know.




So my gameplan is to watch 31 modern horror films of the last 3 years, I've built up a bit of a queue on netflix and this October I've got 4-5 new releases that interest me.

September 28th(October 1st)


October 19th



October 19th


October 26th



And I'm hoping this gets a Halloween VOD release date



Im quite sentimental about Phenomena. It was the first Argento film I ever saw (and by extension, the first Giallo), it has Jennifer Connelly in it, and everything about was just so different to anything Id seen before. As soon as I watched it, I contacted a mate who I sadly dont speak to anymore, as we used to always share a taste for ridiculous horrors and demanded he watch it with me. When he asked what it was about, he was all in when I basically described some dark metal soundtracked murder mystery involving talking insects, and a weaponised monkey. That was all I could manage without spoilers! Ive watched it again a couple of times since, and I can see why it is unpopular, as on repeated watches, and without that mystery, you can see it's flaws. The soundtrack I think is the most striking thing about it. I can understand why some say it just doesnt work, but I think it does in a way that really shouldnt. A completely different kind of tension created to the usual low and quiet buildup of a lot of horrors.

Other ones of Argento's Ive seen are Tenebrae, The Bird With the Crystal Plumage and Suspiria. Love the second two, Tenebrae is okay, but just doesnt do the job as well as Suspiria does. I have Deep Red on DVD, and keep meaning to get around to seeing it and havent yet, so think Ill use this challenge to finally get round to it. I see Lets Scare Jessica to Death on Camo's list, that's another one Ive meant to see for a while.

Im still undecided yet if Im going to Grimmfest in Manchester yet, a horror festival that shows a lot of new horrors over a weekend. If I do end up going, the ones Im available to see are Re-Animator, Await Further Instructions, Girls With Balls, Summer of 84 and Anna & the Apocalypse.



Well as Hurricane Florence has decided to bless me with a series of dark and stormy nights might as well take advantage of the atmosphere and start this up.


Day 1 September 15th New School





Upgrade (2018)


Upgrade is one of those tweener horror films, it's sort of a hodgepodge of several genres that plays together quite well. The story is about a guy who hates technology and how it affects society. Something bad happens and he ends up ironically dependent on "STEM" a robotic AI that gives him powers. At first this feels like a pilot for a TV series but as the story progresses it gets darker and darker. While I found most of the plot points to be predictable where I figured every twist about a half hour before it happens this is a very good movie. It does a very good job creating an computer dominated world while still balancing most of the social issues that come about with these huge advances in technology. You will question where your sympathies lye until the final shot. I don't know if this ends up like Tremors or Trancers and we get a series of B-Movies from Blumhouse but it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world



Day 2 September 16th Old School




The Gate (1987)


Stranger things are afoot in The Gate, the story of a young boy, his best friend, his older sister and a hole into a hell dimension. This is PG-13 Speilbergian horror at its most average which in hindsight is pretty good. Little Stephen Dorff stars in this one and he's acceptable as the Corey Feldman like character. The films greatest strength is it's sense of nostalgia for the mideighties and the horrors of childhood. Some of the elements in the story age really well as the practical effects look much better than the CGI junk we get today.


The problem with the film is it's really redudant towards far better horror films. It's clearly trying to cash in on a series of classics from the era and it doesn't really follow it's own story. The acting is generally terrible with several moments that feel cartoonish. This is a horror film for eight year olds.





Also answers to Jabba
Well I will just join in for fun. You guys put Fulci's zombie trilogy in my radar so I will be watching that one for sure. I've also been meaning to catch Suspiria as well so that's probably a sure thing for October. Other horror choices include:


Nosferatu
White Zombie
Profondo Rosso (Argento)
The Changeling (1980)
Frankenstein (1994)
Funny Games (1997)
Bruiser (Romero)
The Devil's Backbone (del Toro)
Cabin Fever
Timecrimes
Troll Hunter (2010)
Fright Night
Only Lovers Left Alive
The Conjuring 2
The Neon Demon
It


Which makes for an even 20. If I manage to do these and get them off my watchlist I would be more than happy with myself.


Anything you would suggest?



What a shame it has to be specifically in October... This weekend I'm gonna watch at least two horror movies!

Oh well.
Save up your thoughts and post them here in October! That's what I'm going to do.



Siddon posted his thoughts and no one said anything. It just won't count towards the Challenge, i'm sure Jay won't mind people posting thoughts early as it'll only keep this thread active throughout September and possibly get others interested.



Day 4 September 18th New School




The Predator (2018)


<sigh> If this is the worst film I've seen this year then I did pretty good. The Predator feels like it got Blade Runner'd badly quick cuts studio interference and reshoots to me it feels like it killed what was a decent enough reboot. Much like Rampage we've got the trifecta of scientist (Munn), CIA (Brown) and Action Guy (Holbrook), unlike Rampage the group doesn't really ever come together and a bunch of characters basically get written off, off screen.


The film has it's charms though, the collective of PTSD soldiers seemed like a good base to build off future Predator films...well until they all get slaughtered in a hasty third act. And that's the other problem with the film it feels like a relaunch of the Predator series with a collection of characters and then...they get rid of them. Shane Black also did an excellent job making the film look good, which is a huge step up from the last three Predator films.




Day 5 September 19th Old School

A Blade in the Dark(1983)



In the B Movie Hall of Fame we watched The Editor @CiCi...this could be the more serious Giallo version of that film. A composer for a horror film moves into a villa to work on the production only to have a series of murders surround him.

The film looks great and the kills are wonderfully gory, sadly the mystery and reveal I found to be lacking greatly and the film has a twisted 80's vision of homosexuality and transsexualism that runs through the film (it kinda works in Psycho but they crank it up to 11 here)





The Seventh Continent




Since Siddon is doing it i'll throw this in. I just wrote this in like three minutes so it's probably horrible so whatever. It's also not horror exactly but i've seen it listed as horror and honestly no horror film is more horrifying than this to me. I actually think this was an incredible film, Haneke's best i've seen so far by a mile. But i really don't like it at all so i split the difference and gave it 3/5, since i begrudgingly respect it. It's dark, depressing, morbid, pessimistic, exactly what you'd expect from Haneke films but it's just kinda wrong. I genuinely don't think people in certain states of mind should watch this, i think no super violent/gorey/disgusting film matches what this film does.

It's about a typical boring bourgeoisie family like every other Haneke. The first half of the film is simply watching them go over a routine with some curveballs appearing from time to time like real life. There's a consistent pattern of them waking up, using the bathroom, waking their daughter, getting her ready for school then going off to work. Work and school are usually the same with a few events appearing and altering their routine like any other day, family gets brought into it and their everyday issues. It's pretty boring outside of a few unsettling/weird moments here and there, i mean it's simply a depiction of an everyday, unremarkable families boring life. There's always a dark cloud hanging over this mundanity, you can't tell what but something else is going on here, the family are having weird issues with this way of living. Then we go into a letter that the father sent to his mother being read out (this is done several times throughout the film, including during the mundane first part) over scenes of the actions being described, they quit their jobs, sell everything then seemingly move to Australia, then comes what at this point is obvious they mention that they weren't sure if they should take the daughter or not until she mentioned that she's not afraid of death making it clear they are going to commit suicide as a family. This follows with them destroying their home and flushing all their money and valuables, before proceeding to kill each other with pills.

Now, there's no overt answers to this it's all sudden even though you could feel it happening and all of the letters being read out are more about them having come to terms with the decision than why they've decided to do this. They also barely speak to each other, they barely speak to each other throughout the film. What we know for sure is they aren't sociopaths, they have empathy. There's a scene when their plan has just been put into motion where they drive by a car crash and the mother breaks down crying, then once the daughter has died and the mother is just getting ready to take her own pills to end her life she starts hysterically crying over the body, also the daughter (who knows what's happening and is fine with it despite her young age apparently) breaks down during the house destruction scene when the father smashes her fish tank obviously killing the fish, the father doesn't cry during any of this but you can tell he's just trying to be strong he feels their pain.

This is why i think it's such a dangerous film to people with suicidal thoughts, if it was about two sociopathic parents who went into a suicide bond and decided to take their daughter with them that would be horrible but these people care and these people wish it didn't have to be like this. Or even if it was about people with a very real reason to want to take their lives but this isn't the case. Especially with there being no turning back despite the copious amounts of opportunities they never once stray, the mother can't quite handle it emotionally but not once does she imply she is having second thoughts or say to her husband are we sure this is the correct decision, it is she has no doubts and there's no forcefulness it's a completely mutual decision. This implies that both realize how horrible this is and that they wish it could be different, but it is for the best because it will end their suffering from their mundane, insignificant existence. It's how the routine shifts to them ending their lives and they carry it out just as methodically as they did their every day lifes. It's also the fact that this is a normal boring family, they have some problems but there's no great suffering. Actually the husband had just been promoted, he was making good money things were seemingly looking good. It's just incredibly hopeless and left me feeling like ****, incredible film you couldn't acheive what it sets out for any better but what it sets out for is a bad thing in my eyes. I mean it's a critique in modern life like all other Haneke's but this is dark in a very different way in my opinion.




That elusive hide-and-seek cow is at it again
The Seventh Continent

...

Great write-up. I need to find this now and watch it for myself.
__________________
"My Dionne Warwick understanding of your dream indicates that you are ambivalent on how you want life to eventually screw you." - Joel

"Ever try to forcibly pin down a house cat? It's not easy." - Captain Steel

"I just can't get pass sticking a finger up a dog's butt." - John Dumbear



Great write-up. I need to find this now and watch it for myself.
It's messed up. Post your thoughts somewhere or PM me because i'm curious if it's a normal response to it or it's just attacked my depressive side.



That elusive hide-and-seek cow is at it again
It's messed up. Post your thoughts somewhere or PM me because i'm curious if it's a normal response to it or it's just attacked my depressive side.
Yeah, i will. i'm both excited and kind of freaked out and scared to see this lol. For the same reasons.



Yeah, i will. i'm both excited and kind of freaked out and scared to see this lol. For the same reasons.
It's not graphic at all, 90% of it is mundane to me that's what makes it so unsettling though since the whole thing is so normal and intentionally boring.



That elusive hide-and-seek cow is at it again
It's not graphic at all, 90% of it is mundane to me that's what makes it so unsettling though since the whole thing is so normal and intentionally boring.
Yeah, reading what you originally posted I feel it will mostly be unnerving in how these characters go through life and choose to do what they do. Sounds like there are no distractions in the film so focusing on that will be emotionally exhausting I imagine. On a few levels.



Yeah, reading what you originally posted I feel it will mostly be unnerving in how these characters go through life and choose to do what they do. Sounds like there's no distractions in the film so focusing on that will be emotionally exhausting I imagine. On a few levels.
Another reason i think it's so messed up even if you are completely happy and not inclined towards depression, is because you likely know people who are and you may never know what they're thinking exactly. At school a girl in my class killed herself at 15, no explanation she just did it, there may have been some very serious reasons like the various rumours suggested but none of them were ever confirmed (like in any way it was just random people in school who probably barely knew her saying they knew why) maybe she just didn't want to live. I was in class with her two days before it and it was Drama Class so we all kind of messed around with each other and she seemed fine and happy like the rest of us then...two days later we here that. The letters i mentioned reminded me of that because this family are always dull as hell but the initial ones before the plan seem to be always looking ahead to the future like we all do then suddenly there is no future...

Yeah, sorry for being morbid but this film messed with me.



mattiasflgrtll6's Avatar
The truth is in here
The Mummy



Three archeologists visit an ancient temple, where they discover the mummified body of prince Im-Ho-Tep. So far they are safe, but if they open the casket belonging to the mummy they are doomed. One of them (Ralph Norton) lets his curiosity get the better of him and opens it anyway. Im-Ho-Tep awakens back to life, and Norton goes completely insane from shock and later dies at a mental hospital. 10 years later, someone who calls himself Ardath Bey shows up, who has a striking resemblance to Im-Ho-Tep.

The one that started it all. It's the kind of movie you need to let sink in, so you get to appreciate all the themes and the mystical quality of it. While definitely a horror film, it's just as much a very tragic love story. Boris Karloff plays his role completely ice cold, really giving Im-Ho-Tep an imposing, otherworldly quality. His stare is as blank as the iciest soul, hypnotic. That's how I would describe him in this movie the most. With very subtle facial and body movements, his presence fills the entire room just as he stands there very focused.
The opening scene where he first rises is unforgettable. You sit there anxious as Norton makes a fatal mistake opening the casket and reading aloud the scroll. Im-Ho-Tep slowly opens his eyes and reaches his hands towards the scroll. Norton reacts by laughing uncontrollably, unable to stop. This is one of the peculiar cases where as creepy as the monster itself is, the reaction is what really sells it. His laughter catches you offguard, as it's fairly spooky. Sort of like how Shelley Duvall's portrayal of fear in The Shining was as scary as Jack himself.

The story at its core is simple, but skillfully executed. The paralells between Dracula and The Mummy are evident, though Im-Ho-Tep is possibly a little bit more sympathetic. He's not a sadistic type. He just wants to be with the woman he loves, who was taken away from him all too soon. And while certainly you don't want Helen Grosvenor (elegantly played by Zita Johann) suffering such a horrible fate just so he can be satisfied, you do feel some sympathy towards his sorrows.

The acting in general is very good. Aside of Karloff and Johann, David Manners also impresses as the optimistic lover who won't let anything bad happen to Helen. Arthur Byron and Edward Van Sloan also give commendable performances as Joseph Whemple and Doctor Muller, respectively. No one goes unremembered here. But huge props also have to go to Bramwell Fletcher as Norton. He reacted very accordingly to how someone would if they saw a ****ing mummy right in front of their very eyes!

At times, the movie can seem a little slow, which is probably why it's not quite as beloved as Frankenstein or The Wolf Man. But while I did feel the pace at times, it never gets really boring. I also thought the ending was absurdly abrupt, as if they thought were in a hurry to finish before the deadline. Yet the movie is actually very short, at only 73 minutes. Would it have hurt to let the conclusion breathe a little?

If you're into the old black-and-white monster movies, this is a solid pick to go with.




Day 6 September 20th Old School




The Haunting of Morella (1990)


I just like to start off with stating how thrilled I was when they gave Roger Corman an Oscar. He could have done a Poe adaptation, he could have made some soft core porn with Nicole Eggert or he could have made a cheap horror film this one he does all three and it worked. Don't get me wrong this could have been a good horror film and if it were made today it likely would have been.

The plot of the story is wife kills the servant has baby and is then burned as a witch. 17 years later baby grows up into hot chick and servants and townsfolks start dropping like flies...mostly after having sex.

The movie is trashy but in a fun way, it has Hammer style production values and a large cast which is missing from most films of this quality today. If you want a good B-movie you can't do much worse.





Day 7 September 21st New School







The Lullaby (2018)



This is basically a student film that's received a wide release as it was competently made. The basic plot of the film is a mother picks up her runaway child after she's given birth. As she takes her home to take care of her daughter the new mother seems to be haunted by something foreboding. This is a four actor film that takes place mostly in a house.

The good thing about this film is it's a narrative ambitious story, the film plays like Repulsion and Hereditary. The entire film is practically a fever dream where you bounce from two different narrators neither of which are entirely reliable. 90% of the horror is done with hallucinations (or hauntings) depending on how you read the story. Strangely this covers a number of the same themes as The Haunting of Morella with different takes on the similar subject matter.


While the lead actors don't really have the chops to sell the story the visual story telling and interesting premise go a long way to make this a fairly memorable romp. Not enough for me to recommend this but if desperate it'll do in a pinch.