October Horror Challenge Day 30

Very late start today as I was busy with football and just being in a funk. I eventually got started and watched the Simpson Treehouse of Horror XXII... it was possibly the least funny Halloween special the show has ever produced. Even though the show has been on a steady decline for a while the Halloween special is usually funny. Not this time.

Then came episode 3 of The Walking Dead season 2... this was better than last week's. Sets up a few characters for their turns in the story and there wasn't a ton of melodrama. It still isn't perfect and probably won't ever live up to the books but it is getting interesting again and that is good.



Alucarda was the only actual movie I watched, but it is a goody. If you've never seen it it can be summed up in 4 words - bloody, naked, Satan, 70s. Some demonic possession, orgies (which by chance became a bit of a theme this month), nuns and monks catching fire, a blood filled coffin... all the fun stuff. Oh and lesbianism. Can't forget that. You'll probably like it if you've made it this far.

Today's Rundown
Simpsons Treehouse of Horror 22 - not funny
Walking Dead 2.3 - heading in the right direction
Alucarda - 9/10

October Horror Challenge Day 29

After a late late night and feeling pretty rough all day, the 29th of October wasn't a very productive one. Not just for movies but for complete human activity. I did squeeze in a couple of flicks though.

Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers. I first saw this around the same time I saw part 4 but time hasn't been as kind to this one. I don't know what direction they wanted to go with this one but it really seems like 2 separate movies. The first hour is bad. Really bad. There are questionable decisions made like killing off a main character to simply replace her with a friend and have literally no consequence from the main girl dying. There are 2 Barney Fife cops who ham it up every time they're on screen and there is awful hokey music played when they act like idiots. I don't get this but this incredibly forced comedic relief, which isn't needed in the least, doesn't work and takes you out of the film. After the first hour is done being a shitty attempt at a funny and scary body count film the movie actually gets down to being a Halloween film and focuses on Jamie and Dr. Loomis. The tone totally changes and Michael Myers starts to act a bit more like Michael Myers. The slash becomes a bit more stalk, and the film gets darker. Oh, and Myers looks awful in this movie. How hard is it to give him a mask that doesn't look like it came out of a Halloween store?

Then I finally watched the Producer's Cut of Halloween 6. This is years in the making for me. I've read and been told that it is so much better than the theatrical cut and yadda yadda. Well, it's different. I wouldn't say it's better or worse (though I'll probably come to the conclusion that it was a little better). This movie is a fucking mess though. There is so little continuity in simple things like where people are or how they got there. Not just with Myers either, a character will be outside then the next shot they're in a basement. I don't totally mind the whole Thorn mythos but I realized while watching this for the first time it makes Michael Myers look like a total bitch. They could have handled it better. Also, this movie has more twist reveals than a fucking Saw movie.

Today's Rundow
Both get a 5/10

October Horror Challenge Day 28

First up was a re-watch of a movie, Haxan. However I did watch it with commentary for the first time. The movie is a 1922 silent film about the history of witchcraft through the ages, presented as a "documentary" with acted out scenes. The director heavily researched the events for 2 years prior to making the film. This is a pretty groundbreaking film and it has incredible imagery. Well worth watching, and the commentary track is very informative.



Then came Ghoulies 2. If you don't know about the Ghoulies movies you can probably figure it out just from the title. They are cheesy little monsters running amok. I don't think this movie (or the first) gets nearly as over the top and fun as they should. Part 2 is a slight improvement over the first, but that isn't saying much.




And my day comes to an early end with Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers. Just something to kill the time before tonight's party. I've always enjoyed this sequel for what it is. Nostalgia may play a part in how much I like it but that's fine by me. My biggest complaint is that Michael Myers looks like an idiot in this entry.

Today's Rundown
Haxan - 8.5/10
Ghoulies 2 - 5.5/10
Halloween 4 - 8/10

October Horror Challenge Day 27

I spent much of the day running different errands and getting and assembling my Halloween costume for a party tomorrow night so my movie watching time was cut short. Thanks to an early start in the wee hours of the morning I got in a respectable 3.



It all started with Schramm which was not only a first time viewing but my first experience with Jorg Buttgereit. The German director made a handful of well regarded and apparently disgusting films in the early 90s. I watched Schramm via "other methods" since the DVDs of his films go for outrageous prices. This was 65 spent with a serial killer and delving into his mind. It was a well made picture, showing the human and monster side of the man with equal beauty and horror. Not an easy viewing and almost 24 hours later I don't know if watching it at 2am helped or hurt my opinion of the picture but I did find it to be good.




Next up was the timeless Its The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. This is a classic every child needs to see and grow up with. It is just good Halloween fun and spirit. The Blu needs to come down in price though, $13 for a half hour show? Come on now.




I finished up this day with the newly released Blu Ray of Lucio Fulci's The House By The Cemetery. I've never thought of this as an example of Fulci's best work but I've always found easy entertainment. The Blu looks very nice, and I didn't even find Bob's dub voice to be all that annoying. This is a major improvement because it is honestly one of the worst sounding things to ever exist. I found it a bit better this time around no doubt thanks to not wanting to rip my ears from my head.

Today's Rundown
Schramm - 8/10
Charlie Brown - great childhood memories
The House By The Cemetery - 7/10

October Horror Challenge Day 26

I hate spiders but I do love Black Belly Of The Tarantula. This giallo from director Paolo Cavara will never be considered as shocked as the Mondo films he worked on but it is generally held as one of the better films from the giallo cycle, with good reason. The story moves along at a nice pace, the acting is good even from the 3 different Bond girls in the movie and Ennio Morricone's score is fantastic. After not seeing this movie for a good 3-4 years it came back to me the moment I heard it. While there isn't a ton of blood/gore to speak of the depravity of the murders will surely satisfy the gorehounds.



Next up was Meridian, essentially Full Moon's version of Beauty And The Beast. This wasn't a particularly bad movie aside from the fact that nothing fucking happens for an hour of the 80 some odd minute run time. There's an orgy of sorts in the beginning and a pretty hilarious looking "beast" running around but other than that it is just a whole lot of talking about a curse and "the lady of the castle". And the ending we all knew was coming finishes it out.



I then popped in Death Carries A Cane which I thought was a first time viewing but about 5 minutes realized I had seen it before... and only a few months ago. Oh, the toll this month takes on the brain.

So instead I ended the day with The Black Castle which co-stars Boris Karloff and Lon Chaney jr. Can't complain about that cast. It was a pretty good suspenseful revenge flick with the horrors of any Austrian Baron's castle... alligator pits, dungeons, poison, a deranged butler, a killer leopard from Africa. This was an enjoyable first time viewing.

Today's Rundown
Black Belly Of The Tarantula - 9/10
Meridian - 4/10
The Black Castle - 6/10

October Horror Challenge Day 25

Aliens started out day 25, it had been quite a while since I watched any movie from the series and decided to go with the first sequel. It is a very good follow up to the original and has a good cast. Everything about it is entertaining, but it just isn't as good as the first. James Cameron will never be the director Ridley Scott was when he made Alien and Bladerunner.




Then a Vincent Price double feature to celebrate 100 years of him on the anniversary of his passing. The Masque Of The Red Death was first. Price is very cruel to almost everybody in this movie as Prince Prospero and even has a 2nd role. The scenes in the woods are incredibly shot and are some of my favorite scenes from any Corman/Price collaboration.




Then came The Abominable Dr. Phibes which probably shares the honor of my favorite Price movie with Masque. The set pieces in this are phenomenal as is Price who doesn't even get to open his mouth. The climax/final chase is expertly sequenced.

The Legend Of Sorrow Creek was next and if you ever come across this movie just stay away from it. I won't be to blame for the taste of shit in your mouth when you watch it.



Finally I went to bed with The Exorcist. This was my first time watching it on Blu and it looks good. I still think the movie is overrated. By no means bad but not nearly as good as everyone makes it out to be. There are good performances and nice cinematography but it just doesn't pull it together to the perfect package for me. Still worth watching and re-watching.

Today's Rundown
Aliens - 8/10
The Masque Of The Red Death - 8.5/10
The Abominable Dr. Phibes - 8.5/10
The Legend Of Sorrow Creek - 1.5/10
The Exorcist - 8/10

October Horror Challenge Day 24

Today started with a re-watch of a highly underrated, or at least a not talked about enough movie from David Cronenberg called The Brood. This is pretty typical Cronenberg fare for the time period. Bloody, violent, smart, and involving some sort of nastyness involving the human body. Gross stuff in the best possible way.



Next up was my first viewing of Embodiment of Evil. This marks the return of Coffin Joe for the first time in decades, and director (and Coffin Joe himself) Jose Mojica Marins hasn't lost it. This is as mean spirited as Joe was 40 years ago. All he wants is to conceive his perfect son so he can be immortal... and he'll do all sorts of awful things to make it happen.

Then came the incredibly long winded title of Night of the Day of the Dawn of the Son of the Bride of the Return of the Revenge of the Terror of the Attack of the Evil, Mutant, Alien, Flesh Eating, Hellbound, Zombified Living Dead Part 2: In Shocking 2-D. Yes that is serious... well sort of. This movie from 1991 is a spoof done over George Romero's Night of the Living Dead. The director erased all of the soundtrack and added in his own dialogue and music. It is as stupid as it sounds and sporadically funny. While I did laugh hard a few times it dragged for me and I could have done without watching this.

Today's Rundown
The Brood - 8.5/10
Embodiment Of Evil - 8/10
NOTDOT - 4/10

October Horror Challenge Day 23

Mario Bava's Black Sunday aka The Mask Of Satan started things off. This gothic horror is top notch. One of Bava's best films and just a pleasure to watch. Barbara Steele is great as usual and the atmosphere is so thick. If you and Mario Bava haven't met acquaintances let me introduce you to him through this movie.



Then came Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Musicals aren't for everyone and I'm normally not a fan of them but this one is pretty cool. A totally miserable looking London, Johnny Depp doing great with his role and human meat pies. This is a fun watch once a year or so.

I finished the day with the new episode of The Walking Dead. The new season is already being handled sloppily. I still find it entertaining but all of a sudden the zombies can run? And how did a zombie so stealthily separate a member of the group by about 30 yards in literally the blink of an eye? Ugh, I didn't hate it but I really have higher hopes for this season than this episode.

Today's Rundown
Black Sunday - 8.5/10
Sweeney Todd - 7/10

October Horror Challenge Day 22 & SWAMPHEAD

Day 22 of this challenge will be I'll never forget for numerous reasons, mainly bad. There was some potentially life altering things that I'll never forgive happening to myself and my family. I was able to knock out a couple of movies before the day really got started but after that the challenge in continuing with the challenge wasn't even close to the most difficult part. In a definitely twisted yet thankful turn of events tonight was the world premiere of a movie I'd been looking forward to for months.

But first was Child's Play 2 just because. This is my favorite of the series, and after part 3 I don't care much for them outside of the sporadic joke. Chucky is at a proper mix of dangerous and funny here, and Andy is still young enough where the killer doll angle works just fine. The classroom scene is hilarious and there are some funny one liners. Nothing incredible, but a fun slasher to visit as often as the nasty grandparents who give you cool presents... only once in a while.

Then came the Night Of The Living Dead remake which was directed by Tom Savini, the acclaimed fx artist. I've probably said "this is one of the first horror movies I ever saw" about 25 times this month but this movie may very well be the one that started it all. I'm pretty sure it is but around the age of 7 there are a few I know I saw, but none of them have quite the initial impact that this one does. It certainly isn't as good or important as the original but I think it is underrated. It is a good remake with really good performances and story. Tony Todd and Patricia Tallman shine in this. I actually think Tallman's character is a big improvement over the original Barbara. There are enough characters who aren't mentally able to fight and have the instinct to flee (and just be stupid) instead of fight. To be fair, Tallman's Barbara is the only character in either movie to repeatedly suggest that they can simply walk passed them because of how slow they are and that certainly wouldn't be the worst choice they could have made. I really enjoy this one.

Here is where the entry turns into a long gush fest...

Swamphead. A movie with such a title makes you think of what I can only describe as "silly shit". And sometimes that is all we want, shit that is silly. This movie doesn't hold back. It has offensive characters, questionable dialogue, hilarious one liners, nauseating effects and morally reprehensible content. For those of you that didn't click the link today to watch the FREE ONLINE WORLD PREMIERE here is what you missed - An ancient relic is found at the bottom of a lake which was keeping the dead head of Robert Gross aka Swamphead. The most ridiculously thrown together group of seriously socially inept teens come across it on a camping trip and have a really bad time. A killer decaying head, a retard shitting his pants, and dicks being chewed off. What more could you want? How about the one liner "holy choco taco look at that post mortem turd!". Yea, exactly. If you can't picture the scene from the movie you know you blew it now.

In all seriousness, Swamphead is a movie that was obviously made by a group of people that were passionate about it. It has its faults, even for a low budget tongue-in-cheek horror comedy. But what movie of that type doesn't? It is legitimately better than any movie of it's type has any right to be. It was written with total disregard to what may be seen as appropriate and only what the film making team wanted was used. That is how movies should be made. This would be a long standing cult classic if it was made by Troma in the mid 80s. As it stands it is already a cult classic to me, and soon all of you will understand soon. When it is released it will be found right next to the clams... next to the cottage cheese by the fucking clams!

Swamphead is a fucking winner.

Today's Rundown
Child's Play 2 - 7.5/10
NOTLD remake - 8/10
Swamphead - 8.5/10

October Horror Challenge Day 21

Today was a day filled with an awful lot of walking around an "adventure farm" (whatever the hell that means) with my family and my little cousins running me ragged. I am worn out typing this and getting ready to enjoy a couple of movies to start out day 22... but this is about day 21.

The Mist started things off. If you weren't one of the 16 people that saw it in theaters (ooh ohh I was!) than you missed out. I really liked the movie then and found it to be a moving piece of film and a great horror movie. That was the first and only time I watched it in color. Director Frank Darabont wanted to film it in B&W but that just isn't cool with the kids today so the studio wouldn't allow it. Thankfully for us technology prevailed and it was released in black and white on the subsequent DVD and Blu-Ray releases. And it really does add to the film. The first thing you'll notice is that the sometimes messy CGI, due to budget constraints, is cleaned up greatly. This is most notable in the loading dock tentacle scene. But the lack of color adds to the atmosphere so deeply. This is so much more than weird monster creatures from another dimension, it is the horrors of humanity, religion, pride, and so much more. This movie, particularly the ending has divided its audience greatly, see it and form your opinion. I love it.



Next up was the original King Kong, my first time seeing it on Blu-Ray. HD really does wonders for it. Nothing needs to be said about the movie, it's timeless, has spawned several remakes (with mixed results) and had ground breaking special effects. On top of that it is just a fun movie to watch. There is a giant gorilla, dinosaurs, hostile natives, bombs, and more. It is nice to be able to watch it in a clean print that doesn't try to make it look like Iron Man or Transformers.




I closed the day out with George Romero's Night Of The Living Dead. I don't need to say much about this. You already know if you aren't familiar with it you aren't much of a genre fan. This movie is responsible for the zombie movie, tv show, and culture as a whole as we know it.

Today's Rundown
The Mist - 9/10
King Kong - 8.5/10
Night Of The Living Dead - 9/10

October Horror Challenge Day 20

I can't believe we are already 2/3 of the way through October... The weather is just now getting where I like it. Nice and chilly, with all of the leaves changing. Unfortunately Maryland has been getting a lot of rain and humidity... gross.



I started off today very strong, 3 movies before going to sleep. It all started with Candyman: Day Of The Dead, the third movie in the series. I'm a fan of the the first two movies despite their shortcomings but this movie was nothing more than typical late 90s bullshit with the Candyman thrown in. Tony Todd was decent given what he had to work with but he is better than this. Even part 2 which a lot of people shit on was enjoyable for me and trumps this.



Next up was The Evil Dead. I needed something to wash the bitter taste of bullshit that Candyman 3 left in my mouth. This movie is damn near perfect, I flip flop on whether I like this or part 2 better but they're both fantastic. Anchor Bay did a phenomenal job on the Blu of this... such a shame they couldn't do that with some of the other great movies they had the rights to.




I delayed sleep another 90 minutes when I saw Leprechaun In The Hood was on FearNet. I'd never seen it and I'm not even much of a fan of the series but this one has always had a ridiculously hilarious plot so I had to watch it. It was more entertaining than it had any right to be. That said, it still was just cheap laughs... I'll take some cheap laughs though. Overall not bad.




After waking up I threw on Cold Eyes Of Fear, a giallo I'd been wanting to check out for a while. It was a bit different than what most people are accustomed to when they sit down for a giallo. No black gloved killers here. It was a tense and claustrophobic thriller that was done nicely. From the director of Inglorious Bastards (no, not Tarantino)



Then I popped in the Blu-Ray of Daughters Of Darkness but it was to watch The Blood Spattered Bride, which is a special feature on the disc. Another movie I'd been wanting to see. It was a cool, sexy spin on the Carmilla story. A young woman is being controlled and manipulated by a female vampire to do her dirty work... that is the main idea. This is a 70s Spanish production so you can rest assured there is plenty of boobs and blood.




The day comes to a close with And God Said To Cain. This is far from a traditional horror movie, however it is a horror movie through and through. Antonio Margheriti finds his way into my month long journey yet again with this spaghetti western that has it's soul (not to mention most of the actual movie) in horror. The story is a simple one of betrayal and the inevitable revenge. This is a staple of spaghetti westerns but here it is played out as Klaus Kinski's character is an apparition, paranormal entity or as one of his victims put it "it was a monster". The soundtrack is that of a horror movie, many of the themes are that of a horror movie and it is shot as a horror movie. It reminds me of John Carpenter's The Fog with a dash of slasher film thrown in. This is one of the more different movies I've watched this month and I'm glad I did. I got to enjoy two of my favorite genres at once. I really hope a nicer print than the public domain one that is available gets released.

Today's Rundown
Candyman: Day Of The Dead - 3.5/10
The Evil Dead - 9.5/10
Leprechaun In The Hood - 5/10
Cold Eyes Of Fear - 7.5/10
The Blood Spattered Bride - 7/10
And God Said To Cain - 7/10

October Horror Challenge Day 19

Alligator started off the day. It takes no genius to figure out what this movie is about. A flushed alligator grows up to be huge in the sewers of Chicago and is on a man eating rampage and the local police force have to stop it. If director Lewis Teague went to further extremes with the violence of this it would be a really great animals attack B-movie, as it is its good but won't reach the cult classic status of something like Piranha.



Next up was Friday The 13th Part 6: Jason Lives which is one of my favorite entries in the series. It is nothing more than a stupid fun slasher which was all I was looking for at the time. I don't revisit this series all that often, but when I'm in the mood for it it is great. Some of the deaths in this movie were awesome which is really what we want out of it. And boobs. Also this is one of my favorite Jasons from the series.



The day was finished with the Antonio Margheriti directed giallo Naked You Die. My first reaction from this movie is how tame it is. Very little in the way of excess. And for a film with this title there isn't much nudity and you never see the goods. What a tease. Also, most of the victims are clothed. It isn't awful, a bit slow and as I said, tame, but I was expecting more from a movie directed by Margheriti and involving Mario Bava.

Today's Rundown
Alligator - 7/10
Friday The 13th Part 6 - 7.5/10
Naked You Die - 5.5/10

October Horror Challenge Day 18

Today started off with checking out a TV show called Psychoville. This is a BBC production and I only watched one episode but it seems stupidly entertaining, at least for one episode at a time.



The movies got underway with The Mummy. Boris Karloff starring as Imhotep is fantastic. A true classic that belongs right up there among the most notable classic monster movies. It has several good sequels, including the first, The Mummy's Hand which is arguably even better. If you've never given this a spin you should.



I kept the classics going with The Invisible Man. I hadn't seen this movie in a long long time, to the point where I had forgotten much of it. I feel this is a severely underrated Universal movie. Or at the very least I don't see it talked about nearly as much as Frankenstein(James Whale directed both), Dracula, and even The Mummy. I've never seen any of the sequels so I look forward to watching them in the near future.




Moving on to Inferno, which I had wanted to watch last night right after Suspiria but was just too tired. This movie takes everything Suspiria did and shoves it to the extreme. Argento certainly didn't hold back here. It is the perfect follow up to Suspiria. And the climax is fan-fucking-tastic. It is worth watching for that alone. My love for this gets a little closer to Suspiria every time I watch it.



And Day 18 comes to a close with the best worst movie Troll 2. If you have never seen this well then we probably won't be friends. If you see it and can't appreciate it for just how insanely awesome it is and being inept we probably won't be friends. On a slightly more serious note, this movie is awesome. For all the wrong reasons maybe, but awesome nevertheless. I have a serious love affair with this movie. Oh, and the Blu looks damn good.

I didn't have a single first time viewing today so I'll have to start out day 19 with a couple.

Today's Rundown
The Mummy - 8/10
The Invisible Man - 8.5/10
Inferno - 9.5/10
Troll 2 - 10/10

October Horror Challenge Day 17

Two Evil Eyes started out the day. I watched the Blu-Ray from Blue Underground and my BD player decided to be a complete bitch with the disc. This is a 2 part anthology film with one entry directed by George A. Romero and the other by Dario Argento. Both stories are based on stories by Edgar Allan Poe. Romero's entry "The Facts In The Case Of Mr. Valdemar" is a mixed bag. It certainly has some creepy moments but isn't great by any means. It runs about an hour long but would be better suited around 45 minutes. Argento adapted "The Black Cat" and it is one of the more interesting and insane adaptations of the classic story. Both entries have a good amount of gore and there are some notable actors in the film like Harvey Keitel, Tom Atkins and Adrienne Barbeau. I like to give it a spin every once in a while. But damn was my player being a asshole during it. I guess its having it's time of the month.



And with Halloween just around the corner it was time to count down the days to it with everyone's favorite jingle in Halloween 3. This sequel having nothing to do with Michael Myers still gets mixed reactions but I'm glad to see it getting more and more love each year. Its nice to see people getting over the lack of Myers. This is a great and mean spirited movie for the season. There is excellent use of the original theme towards the end of the movie when Tom Atkins is in trouble too. Just a good movie to watch in the days leading up to Halloween.... 14 days til Halloween, Halloween, Halloween... 14 days til Halloween, Silver Shamrock!



And it was finally time to watch my favorite film ever - Suspiria. The Dario Argento classic about witches in a dance academy is insane, mad and beautiful. From the dizzying camerawork to the incredible score by Goblin this movie is just perfect. Can we please get a Blu-Ray over here? Please?

Two Evil Eyes - 7/10
Halloween 3 - 8/10
Suspiria - 10/10

October Horror Challenge Day 16

Before calling it a night I got in a movie early and it was one I tracked down a while back and had been wanting to check out. I knew Paganini Horror wasn't going to be great but it didn't really hamper my desire to see it. Director Luigi Cozzi was Dario Argento's apprentice for a while and you can see some of that in this movie. There are some cool elements to it, like the killer, some of the lighting around the old house and gore but the movie is executed really messy. The bad outweighs the good but I still didn't totally hate it.

After waking up I put the challenge aside for a much needed break from it. Football and friendship was the order of the day. And other than my fantasy team taking a collective dump and giving me my 2nd loss it was a good day. Ravens win decisively and fun was had. Not only did the break help me recharge my horror movie batteries but so did all of their excitement for the season premiere of The Walking Dead. It was a great start to the season and has set up some interesting paths that each character can take. I just don't understand why in every episode of this show the picture quality gets really bad in random spots. Anyone care to weigh in?



And the night was closed out with the Syfy channel original Roadkill. This is no different from most of these movies. A group of college aged Americans go on a road trip across Ireland and piss off some Gypsies while acting like total douchebags. They get cursed and a giant bird stalks and kills them. They also have trouble with the gypsies after they take a protective amulet from them and there is an awful lot of overly dramatic filler. It did a nice job of putting me to sleep.

Today's Rundown:
Paganini Horror - 4/10
Roadkill - 3/10

October Horror Challenge Day 15

Day 15 started out about as bad as possible. I was watching movies with some friends and we watched Transformers 3, which obviously isn't horror but it fit the theme of the night just fine because it was the first of 3 awful movies. But then came something I couldn't have prepared myself for -



Slaughtered Vomit Dolls. Let me just say that it honestly made me consider never watching another movie. It is a total pile of shit. 70 minutes of women running around naked for no reason, throwing up and apparently Satan? I don't get it. Someone actually funded this bullshit? People actually paid to see this? And there are people who actually like it? REALLY? You have to be fucking kidding me. I could film my shit floating in the toilet for 70 minutes and it would have more merit and skill than this abomination does. This movie is barely a movie. It's barely anything. I don't know why or how it exists but I hope everyone in the movie dies in a fire because of the time they wasted in my life. Give me a fucking break.




We then watched Clerks director Kevin Smith's new horror/thriller Red State and while it was a step up from the previous movie, it sucked. John Goodman is cool and I like seeing him in stuff but I've really grown to totally hate Kevin Smith as a person. His doucheyness is really showing through in his movies now. He should have sold the rights to the movie instead of being too cool for that because he might have made a buck and retired.




After I recovered from the movies I watched before calling it a night, and the alcohol needed to make it through them, I popped in Street Trash. If you've never seen it and are into older Troma type stuff this is for you. Its silly, gory, funny, gross... all the good things. It has one of my favorite scenes in any movie when the one bum goes into the grocery store. There is also a game of penis keep-away. You know its good.



The Exterminator rounded out the halfway point of the challenge. This isn't really a horror film but I used a "wild card" on it...basically used for anything close enough to horror but not exactly. This is a great exploitation action/revenge flick. Gritty and tough but with heart and dignity. They pushed him too far. You can really feel the grime of old New York coming through the screen in this one. Very good stuff.

Today's Rundown:
Slaughtered Vomit Dolls - 0/10
Red State - 3/10
Street Trash - 8/10
The Exterminator - 8/10

October Horror Challenge Day 14

I started off the day with a fantastic haunted house movie from 1980 called The Changeling. Directed by Peter Medak and starring George C. Scott it does such a great job of creating suspense and tension. The sound mix is incredible and will put your surround sound systems to work, and bring you to a state of curled up in a ball sobbing. The best part is? If you haven't seen it you can usually find the dvd brand new for under $5. Yea... no reason not to jump on that because you are missing out if you've never seen this one. Lights down, volume up and immerse yourself.

I then checked out Duccio Tessari's giallo Puzzle. The sex and violence factor is toned down quite a bit however the story is very solid and it builds to a nice climax. This won't create new fans for the genre however its a nice addition for jaded fans.

I finished off the day with a friend packed viewing of Santa's Slay. This is a rather silly movie. If you haven't seen it is pretty much summed up with professional wrestler Goldberg being an evil Santa and the fate of Christmas comes down to a game of Curling... Yea, I wish it came down to a game that mattered too. Oh well, this movie is hysterical.

Today's Rundown:
The Changeling - 8.5/10
Puzzle - 7/10
Santa's Slay - 6/10

October Horror Challenge Day 13

I wanted to start the 13th day of the challenge with a movie I absolutely find beautiful and love. Cannibal Holocaust gets a lot of heat for its incessant disgust and depravity but it really is much more than sadiism, animal killings and shock. I could go on for days about it but Dave Grant's write up about it at http:/http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif/www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif is the single best piece written on this film that I've ever had the privilege of reading so go HERE and read it.



Hellraiser was up next. I'm sure most of you have seen this one. This movie has excellent visuals and I always enjoy revisiting it. The cenobites are such cool villains.





I then watched an episode of Friday The 13th: The Series which surprisingly wasn't awful. The show has nothing to do with the movie series and almost every episode I've seen was terrible, this one was entertaining and actually half decent. The day was finished off with Dark Night Of The Scarecrow. This is my first time seeing the 1981 made for tv movie that is such a cult classic. I had the privilege of watching it on Blu and I'm positive the movie has never looked this good. A surprisingly excellent presentation, and the movie is good too! Nothing groundbreaking but it is effectively scary and fun at the same time. One of the better made for tv horror movies I've seen.

Today's Rundown:
Cannibal Holocaust - 9.5/10
Hellraiser - 8.5/10
Dark Night Of The Scarecrow - 8/10

October Horror Challenge Day 12

Return Of The Living Dead Part 2 started out day 12 for me just where day 11 left off. I actually saw this movie about a week before the original because the first was already rented when I wanted to get it. That didn't matter to a boy just discovering this shit. All I can say is that it is definitely not as good but I love the shit out of it anyways. I just wish the DVD had The Ramones in the opening credit scene like the original cut did. Damn you music rights.



Next up was something as easily digestible, Stephen King's Maximum Overdrive. A silly, cheesy flick about machines killing humans thank to a meteor. There are some great scenes early on like a little league coach being killed by a soda machine. It drags a little but is fun enough to warrant multiple watches... especially when the day's theme is Stephen King.



Followed up by the infamous slasher Silent Night Deadly Night, the 3rd re-watch of the day. This has been a fun slasher to me since my friend introduced it to me about 5 or 6 years ago. Its still funny to think about the outrage it caused. Killer Santa Claus? OH NO!

I closed out day 12 with the 2nd episode of American Horror Story, which I still can't form a real opinion on. It is still walking a fine line in my opinion and could easily become really good or really bad. And the original 1910 short of Frankenstein was the last thing for day 12. If you're a fan of the source material or the classic 1931 version you need to watch this short (it's on youtube).

Today's Rundown:
Return Of The Living Dead 2 - 8/10
Maximum Overdrive - 6/10
Silent Night Deadly Night 7.5/10

October Horror Challenge Day 11

Day 11 started out with a shitty werewolf movie called Werewolf In A Girls Dormitory. I don't want to spend much time talking about it because it sucked. The acting was wooden, the werewolf look was cheap and even the transfer was bad.




Next up was Madmen Of Mandoras... which almost made Werewolf In A Girls Dormitory look good. A complete steaming pile of shit that no one should waste their time on so I'll leave it at that.





I needed to get the bad taste out of my mouth with those two so I threw on something I know I'd love and it is one of my favorite movies ever made, Return Of The Living Dead. No matter how many times I watch this movie I have a blast. It is to the point where I can play it out and recite most of the lines in my head but I still act like the little kid I was when I saw it for the first time on VHS from a local rental store. To go with the movie I even made a late beer run because I needed to help forget a few really shitty days (much more than just bad movies) because... YOU WANNA PARTY? ITS PARTY TIME!

Oh and you may be wondering why I'm posting this entry before I finish ROTLD so that technically the day isn't over? It's my blog and I can do what I want. Plus ROTLD won't be getting a change in score anytime soon.

Today's Rundown:
Werewolf In A Girls Dormitory - 3/10
Madmen Of Mandoras - 1.5/10
Return Of The Living Dead - 10/10