October Horror Challenge 2012 - Day 30

 The 2nd to last day is here, and leading off the lineup is THE DEVIL'S RAIN. This is a ridiculous piece of cheese with a cast full of familiar names such as William Shatner, Ernest Borgnine, Tom Skerrit, and an early appearance from John Travolta. This film is a mess of plot involving a book of names that sold their soul to the devil, a big canister of souls, melting flesh that looks like a cross between The Stuff and wax and plenty of it, and Satanic imagery. While it isn't a masterpiece of cinema, director Robert Fuest, who did excellent work with the Dr. Phibes films, delivers a seriously entertaining piece of schlock that I will enjoy watching over and over again.

Next was a traditional yearly viewing of  TRICK 'R TREAT which has quickly grown to be one of my favorite movie watching experiences. The film is full of Halloween spirit and the intertwining stories around the small town create such a wonderful atmosphere. It is a cruel film but beautiful in its cruelty. Love it.

I then checked out the Blu-ray of  THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 2 which I recently picked up. The Blu is a nice upgrade over the DVD and the movie is still a lot of fun despite being a complete 180 in terms of tone from the original, which is a perfect piece of horror. For every bit of tension the original had this one has Bill Moseley dancing with a corpse and eating his own scabs. It is purely of its time and doesn't pretend to be the first.

And after trying 3 other Blu-rays that my player wouldn't play finally HALLOWEEN 5 did. I recently got this on Blu as well and wanted to check it out... I just wanted it to be tomorrow sometime. I decided that in the wrap-up/stats portion of the closing post for the challenge Blu-rays my player wouldn't play will now be a category. Its time to get a region free BD player anyways. As for the movie that I did watch, it looks really good in HD and I enjoyed it, as I usually do. It isn't good in terms of technical merit but I find it entertaining just like the rest of this series, even on the shit entries. It is funny that I watched this film for last year's challenge too and had what was probably my least favorite time with it. I must have just been in the mood for something else because I enjoyed it for the slasher it is this year, just like every other time I've seen it.

Today's Rundown
The Devil's Rain - 7.5/10
Trick 'R Treat - 9.5/10
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 - 7.5/10
Halloween 5 - 6.5/10

October Horror Challenge 2012 - Day 29

 Day 29 wouldn't be held down by the hurricane. Hopefully no one sustained any serious damage if you're on the east coast of the US. A pair of films from director Gordon Hessler made up the day's viewing. Both of these movies were on one of the MGM Midnite Movies double feature DVDs.

 First up was CRY OF THE BANSHEE which starred Vincent Price as the head of a family who has been cursed and tormented by a werewolf type creature and black magic. The movie is pretty entertaining even if the werewolf costume is hokey and cheap looking. The director does keep to quick glimpses of it to try and mask that fact though. Decent flick, that ended up being the better of the two.

The second was MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE. While it had some decent performances and wasn't a bad movie it just dragged for me. Maybe another viewing when I'm not paranoid that the power will go out and I'll spend another week without it like the summer of 2011 may change my opinion on this one but as it stands it was really middle of the road and felt old and dated.

Today's Rundown
Cry Of The Banshee - 6/10
Murders In The Rue Morgue - 5/10

October Horror Challenge 2012 - Day 28

I figured I better get this posted before this big, bad hurricane shows us what it's made of (as of now it only light rain and small bursts of wind. Suck it Frankenstorm.)

Day 28 was rough... really rough. After a Halloween party the night before where I admittedly drank way more than any person should in one night I woke up to pancakes for breakfast but instead of eating them I fell asleep at the dining room table. Does missing out on pancakes count as a horror movie?

Anyways, eventually I did come back to life and got one movie in before I ventured out to catch the WWE pay-per-view which was absolute garbage.... sort of like the movie I watched. HUSH, a British film from a few years ago about a guy who abducts women in the back of his white box truck and takes them back to his dungeon of doom. It isn't actually called a dungeon of doom I just wanted to say that. A young, bickering couple spots this going on during a rainy road trip and decide to follow him since the police don't do shit about it after their call. The female half of the couple ends up getting abducted at a truck stop so of course the boyfriend now has to get even more involved. About half way through a young girl comes running out of the woods and gets in the boyfriend's car, exclaiming she had just escaped the man so they team up to go find the girlfriend. Soon after that the man looks at the girlfriend's phone that was left in the car and sees a text message from his best friend expressing thanks to the girl for the sex the night earlier. At this point the boyfriend should have turned around, said "fuck this bitch" and got hammered some where. Instead the movie continues, never gets interesting and ends with a bullshit happy lovey dovey shot.

Today's Rundown
Hush - 4/10

October Horror Challenge 2012 - Day 27

 A few beers with a Lucio Fulci/Bruno Mattei zombie flick? Yes it is a fun time and yes it can only be ZOMBI 3. I haven't watched this flick in easily 5 years, and had been anxious to watch it again. I know many folks don't like the sequels to Fulci's classic Zombie/Zombi 2 but I find them all to be varying levels of fun cheese. It was funny watching this one now as I had never noticed how many scenes it lifts from various other zombie flicks including one that was just a daytime recreation of a part from Return of the Living Dead. That is the kind of thing to be expected from a cornball Italian zombie flick of the late 80s though and Fulci/Mattei make a fun and entertaining piece of trash.

After some sleep I woke up and threw on ANGUISH. I wanted to get to this flick during the exploitation challenge back in April (did you read those posts? You should) but never did so it sat on the shelf until today. I was surprised by how well made and directed this movie within a movie was. It falls short of being an excellent horror film because arthouse director Bigas Luna spends a bit too much time on a few scenes that are of little consequence, at least within their drawn out nature and it causes the film to drag in the first half. The second half is pretty fucking great though and without going into details that will spoil the film it is a great piece of horror that offers up the much asked question of how dangerous can a movie be?

 BASKET CASE 2 was next, a sequel I'd wanted to see for a long time as I love the first. This one was decent but disappointing. It did have the same twisted sense of humor that Frank Hennenlotter is known for which was great but overall the movie just falls a bit flat when compared to the first. It did have some good action and the creature effects are really cool.

The day wrapped up with a repeat viewing of Jess Franco's FACELESS. I think Franco is very, very hit or miss with everyone but I think he does a good job making this one a piece of enjoyable sleaze. Beautiful women are abducted so that their faces can be surgically transplanted on to a doctor's deformed wife with tons of gore and just all around good family fun.

Today's Rundown
Zombi 3 - 6/10
Anguish - 8/10
Basket Case 2 - 6/10
Faceless - 7/10

October Horror Challenge 2012 - Day 26

 Barely beyond midnight and the day starts with THE HAUNTED PALACE. I was ready for another quality entry into the Corman/Poe cycle that I've mentioned here plenty of times this year, and that is sort of what I got. The pleasant surprise is that the story is based partially on the H.P. Lovecraft story The Case Of Charles Dexter Ward. So what we have is a Corman/Poe film starring Vincent Price and Lon Chaney Jr. with a Lovecraft flare. "How could this go wrong?" you may be asking yourself. Well, it doesn't. It is a perfectly solid horror film that features some good performances a slow burning ("burning" being a very key word in this film) story that Lovecraft would approve of. It is nice to be pleasantly surprised by a film that you expect to be good already.

Another day, another Bava as I waited a while to get to him this month but there have now been two in the last two days. This time was another first time viewing, WHIP AND THE BODY. This is a beautiful film in both its artistry and its simplicity. Gorgeous lighting and set pieces, fine performances and a mean spirit make this one a winner. I'm really anxious for the Blu-ray to get a release date from Kino/Redemption after seeing it.

When evening hit I went to a friend's house where a few of us had gathered for hanging out, drinks and a couple movies. First up was HATCHET 2. I'm very familiar with this movie and the first and while they get plenty of hate I find them to be entertaining slashers. I love the first and find the second to be a decently fun silly horror film with some wild kills.

Keeping with the silliness was  ERNEST SCARED STUPID. If you were born in the mid to late 80s you probably have memories of growing up with Ernest movies. I still think most of them are hilarious and this particular one, centering around a troll that steals kids and turns them into wooden figurines, has a certain creepiness to this day. It was a lot of fun to revisit it.



Today's Rundown 
The Haunted Palace - 7.5/10
Whip And The Body - 8.5/10
Hatchet 2 - 7/10
Ernest Scared Stupid - 7/10

October Horror Challenge 2012 - Day 25

A pair of films for day 25...

 I needed some Jason in my life so I popped in FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 7: THE NEW BLOOD. It isn't my favorite of the bunch but I do like Kane Hodder as Jason quite a bit. You probably already know all about it... cheesy, fun, boobs and blood. And a party blower through the eye. And any slasher fan knows this is where the sleeping bag kill happens and not the hologram in Jason X. Fun late night flick.

There has been a lack of Mario Bava this month and I decided for my 100th film, Bava is a good choice. SHOCK was number 100! This was Bava's final theatrical film before his death a few years later and unfortunately it is a rather pedestrian affair. It has a lot of that weird vibe many Italian horror films have but it doesn't do much with it. There is a bit of gore and some... shocks but it is mainly a kid being really weird to his mentally fragile mother. The film almost succeeds with this part of the film since kids are generally really weird and creepy. As it is, it borrows heavily from The Black Cat lure, adds in a bit of weirdness and a tiny bit of gore but never really does anything with it all. Not as bad as I'd feared hearing some reviews but certainly not up to snuff with Bava's classics.

Today's Rundown
Friday The 13th 7 - 7/10
Shock - 5/10

October Horror Challenge 2012 - Day 24

 A late night viewing of the 80s classic NIGHT OF THE DEMONS got the day started. This is just a fun, cheesy romp as far as I'm concerned. It is no piece of art but there are some cool effects, a fun yet spooky atmosphere, Linnea Quigley once again bearing the good, and a mostly unrelated yet awesome ending. It pretty much sums up stereotypical 80s horror, but in a good way. A total popcorn and beer flick.

A Hammer Frankenstein double feature was next, first was a re-watch of THE REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN. Peter Cushing reprises his role as Baron Frankenstein and is flawless as the doctor. This is the first sequel in the series and is right up there with Curse Of Frankenstein.

The second half of the double feature was FRANKENSTEIN AND THE MONSTER HELL, the 7th and final entry into Hammer's Frankenstein cycle. Cushing reprises his role for the 6th time (Horror Of Frankenstein isn't a sequel, more or less a remake of the first) and again, is fantastic. The monster in this flick is rubber suit greatness and there is some cool gore as well. Not the finest effort in the series but enjoyable and is a respectable end to the series and director Terence Fisher's career.

The 2nd episode of American Horror Story rounded out the day. The new season is still really interesting through the 2nd episode. 

Today's Rundown
Night of the Demons - 8/10
The Revenge of Frankenstein - 8/10
Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell - 7/10

October Horror Challenge 2012 - Day 23

Inching ever so close to 100...

HOME MOVIE... ugh. This is a found footage movie from 2008 where a seemingly picturesque American family videotapes seemingly every thing they do. They just moved in to a new house and their kids have started to take on anti-social behavior. They're twins, a boy and girl, that sleep in the same room, and all to often the same bed. Their mother is concerned as they're now 11 years old and getting to old for it. Besides that, they never talk, they turned the pet goldfish into a sandwich, killed a frog in a vice grip and crucified the family cat. You'd think any one of these things would be enough for the parents, a doctor and a priest by the way, to have them checked out for any possible social or psychological abnormalities. Nope, the father doesn't do much except occasionally have a drink and the mother tries her own half assed psych exam. Spoiler alert, the kids end up killing the parents. Where is the fucking common sense or logic in this movie? It totally fails because it wants to be based in reality but the parents, educated adults mind you, do nothing to try to get help for their obviously disturbed kids until it is too late... and then somehow because it is Easter the kids don't go to jail? Uh... what? Fuck this trash.

Later in the day came a film from Kim Jee-Woon, a director I've enjoyed just about everything I've seen from- A TALE OF TWO SISTERS. I wasn't sure if this was going to be my thing or not as it was made in the heart of the Asian run of "spooky ghost" movies that were so popular only a decade ago. This has flashes of that but it quite a bit more psychological and sort of beautiful in its sadness. I didn't love it, but I think this type of film certainly lends itself to deserving multiple viewings. I'll tally this one up as another film I like from the director.

BLOOD FROM THE MUMMY'S TOMB was up next, a Hammer film based on the Bram Stoker novel The Jewel Of Seven Stars. I've never read the novel so I have no idea how faithful it is or how it stacks up but the film was a marginal success. The idea of the film was better than the execution, which isn't all bad but was obviously hurt by the production's troubles. Peter Cushing was all set to star until his wife fell ill and he had to pull out of the project a day into filming and director Seth Holt died on set with a week left of filming. This is the sort of thing that can really mess with a film.

The last film of day 23 was KILLER NUN. I've had the Blu-ray from Blue Underground for a few months and decided to bust it out. The story is about a psychotic, drug addict nun, who is just all around batshit crazy... how can this be bad you may be asking yourself? Before seeing this film I was saying the same thing. The sad truth is that it swings and misses so bad the bat comes back around to knock itself stupid. This movie sucks. It is a boring mess of 88 minutes with a couple of boobs and a little bit of blood to try and keep the audience satisfied. It is beyond melodramatic and stupid. I kind of wish that scene from Nightmare On Elm Street 3 where Freddy smashes the girl's head into the TV and says "Welcome to prime time, bitch." happened to me so that something would have happened. Alas, I wasn't that fortunate. At least it had boobs unlike a shitty found footage film from earlier in the day...

Today's Rundown
Home Movie - 2/10
A Tale Of Two Sisters - 7/10
Blood From The Mummy's Tomb - 6/10
Killer Nun - 3/10

October Horror Challenge 2012 - Day 22

 Another short entry today as only a pair of films were watched. Both were first time viewings and it started off with the 1941 version of DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE. I don't have a whole lot say about this one other than it dragged in several spots and was pretty boring. It wasn't terrible as a couple of notable scenes and set pieces saved it but nothing I'd probably go back to revisit any time soon despite being well acted.

The second was a more entertaining affair and very light with its material. THE RAVEN, directed by Roger Corman and having an all star cast of Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff, Hazel Court and a very young Jack Nicholson was a silly comedic take on Edgar Allan Poe's story. It is full of silly slapstick, an early take on Vader and Emperor Palpatine's force lightning battle, Jack Nicholson still being insane, and magic. It isn't my favorite film from the Corman/Poe cycle but it was a fun use of 80 minutes.

Today's Rundown
Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde - 5/10
The Raven - 7/10

October Horror Challenge 2012 - Day 21

Just a pair of movies today as much of the day was spent hanging out with friends watching the Ravens game (this could be considered a horror movie itself) and carving pumpkins. My Cthulhu pumpkin turned in to a complete disaster so I guess that is a horror story too... anyways...

STAKE LAND is a movie that is a couple of years old that I picked up for $10 on Blu-ray a few months back at a local used shop (of course by the time I watched it the price falls to $10 new... oh well) and I'd been pretty anxious to watch it. It is somewhat of a coming of age story set within the vampire apocalypse. Dirty, old Pennsylvania towns provide a nice backdrop for the story and I'm sure minimal amount of set dressing was needed to make these spots look spooky. The acting is pretty strong from the entire cast, especially our star who is an adolescent trying to deal with growing up in a very scary, turbulent world where bloodsuckers are a very imminent threat. His companion, known only as Mister, provides the father figure but overall is written weakly. He never quite reaches either the level of mentor badass that I thought he should. The film has a very somber, bleak tone throughout that really works well. Overall a good movie that I enjoyed.

 And finishing the Hammer double feature DVD I started the other day with Countess Dracula was THE VAMPIRE LOVERS, also starring Ingrid Pitt. This was one a bit more satisfying than the lackluster Countess Dracula. The addition of Peter Cushing, even in his minor role, no doubt aids to the film's success. A sexy lesbian tone adds to the horror elements and provides an entertaining 90 minutes. Not top notch Hammer, but worthy of seeking out.

Today's Rundown
Stake Land - 7/10
The Vampire Lovers - 6.5/10

October Horror Challenge 2012 - Day 20

Day 20 already?

A viewing of DRACULA was in order to honor Bela Lugosi on what would be his 130th birthday. While the film is one of the lesser Universal monster movies of that time, it is still a classic.

There has been a lack of Paul Naschy this month and I fixed that with HUMAN BEASTS. It starts out as a crime flick but turns into a weird horror story with all sorts of random stuff going on. Man eating pigs and ghosts? Okay, sure. Not bad overall.

The day was wrapped up with COUNTESS DRACULA which is a quite mediocre Hammer flick starring Ingrid Pitt. How can you not love Ingrid Pitt even if the movie wasn't amazing?

Today's Rundown
Dracula - 7.5/10
Human Beasts - 6/10
Countess Dracula - 5/10

October Horror Challenge 2012 - Day 19

 BODY PUZZLE was the first film of the day. Directed by Lamberto Bava this is a late period giallo (1992) that really feels like it is just going through the motions. There is a really solid cast here that is largely wasted, none of them are bad but they're rarely given anything to do. There is some slicing and dicing and a couple of scenes are very memorable but sadly they don't hold up what is a very mediocre entry into the genre. It isn't a bad film, it sucessfully tells the story but it is successful in the same way piece of paint-by-numbers art is successful... Yeah, you finished it but so what?

After that I just wasn't feeling it. I needed a break. It was no fault of BODY PUZZLE's which was underwhelming but by no means nearly as bad as some of the crap I've powered through this month, but I just had to have a break from horror for a few hours.
 

I came back with HORRORS OF MALFORMED MEN. This is a piece of Japanese gold. Extremely strange and full of stylish flare, I fell in love with this film and think I might love it even more on another viewing knowing what to expect. It reminded me of a Japanese Alejandro Jodorowsky film If you h.aven't seen this and like strange cinema and wild horror do yourself a favor and see it.

I think I've been rejuvenated by SUSPIRIA. My favorite film of all time reminded why watching horror films is so much fun and I doubt it could have came at a better time this month. 

Today's Rundown
Body Puzzle - 5/10
Horrors Of Malformed Men - 9/10
Suspiria - 10/10

October Horror Challenge 2012 - Day 18

 PUPPET MASTER 3: TOULON'S REVENGE started out the viewing for the 18th before I caught some sleep. This is probably my favorite entry in to the series from Full Moon and is the introduction of my favorite puppet of them all, Six Shooter. It is a blast of cheese and fun.

Next up was a movie I've been pretty anxious to see since I'm a fan of the original, its remake and to a lesser extent, the remake's sequel- PIRANHA 2: THE SPAWNING. This was James Cameron's first feature length directing job and it does provide a bit of man-eating fish gore and fun but it is a bit slower than I think it should be. There is also a scene towards the end involving a helicopter that I just didn't understand the point of. Not a great flick but not awful.

MARK OF THE DEVIL starring the late Herbert Lom and Udo Kier was next and does a fantastic job showing the cruelty and corruption within religion. The atrocities committed during the witch hunts not all that long ago are shown here for our entertainment full of gore, torture and tits. That isn't to say the message is lost in it all.

Another first time viewing was up with SISTERS from the director of Carrie, Brian De Palma. I thought this movie was good and think it will get better on repeated viewings. It is slow going but pays off pretty well at the end.

 The day came to a close with a viewing of THE EXORCIST with commentary from director William Friedkin. You already know about the movie which is great, the commentary track isn't quite as great. While Friedkin has an obvious passion talking about the film he repeats himself quite a bit throughout and doesn't stray too much from what is on screen. It would have been nice to hear more about the production and set up of certain scenes as opposed to him mentioning how this is the ultimate fight of good vs evil for the 20th time. There are some insights but for the most part I was left really wanting more behind the scenes information. 

Today's Rundown
Puppet Master 3 - 7.5/10
Piranha 2 - 5/10
Mark Of The Devil - 8/10
Sisters - 7/10
The Exorcist - 8/10 

October Horror Challenge 2012 - Day 17

 Viewings got underway with TERROR AT TENKILLER, before I went to bed. Luckily enough this was a total bore and got me ready for bed. It is a shot-on-video 80s slasher that is on a double feature DVD with The Last Slumber Party. I actually had a bit of a panic attack hoping I wouldn't accidentally select The Last Slumber Party to play instead of TAT and I'd have to relive the painful memory of that disaster. The nicest thing about TAT I can say is that at least it wasn't The Last Slumber Party.

After getting some sleep, the first viewing after waking was THE GIRL IN ROOM 2A, an Italian horror film about a woman recently released from jail who just moved in to a creepy boarding house and has an encounter with a cult. It is schlocky and entertaining. There is also a cool costume that reminded me of a cheap ripoff of Emilio Miraglia's superior Red Queen. This film is nothing incredible but it is worth a watch and potentially more if Italian horror is your thing. It is mine.

Next up was a movie I've given chances to in the past and after years between viewings and a good friend's love for it I decided to give it one last shot. I still don't like THE HILLS HAVE EYES PART 2. It's a cheaper, lazier version of the Wes Craven classic. Our mutant antagonists don't seem nearly as intimidating and the majority of our victims are stupid and annoying. It isn't the worst thing I've watched this month by far, but I'm not a fan.

I checked out the remake of NIGHT OF THE DEMONS next which I've heard a lot about... and it was pretty awful. The effects are part of what make the 80s cheesefest so much fun and they're dumbed down to shitty CGI here. I'll give it credit for having a cool trick or treating scene in the beginning where a guy attacks an asshole who steals candy with a paintball gun and the soundtrack has some serious jams on it (Code Blue is a great song) but overall it was pretty whack.

THE PERFUME OF THE LADY IN BLACK was next, another Italian film. This is a beautiful mix of giallo, psychological horror and devil cult horror. It goes crazy between reality, fantasy and dreams. Mimsy Farmer is fantastic and gorgeous as our lead and the supporting cast is just as good. This is one of the best new viewings I've watched this month. Think a giallo version of Repulsion inside of a satanic cult.

I closed out the day with the premiere of AMERICAN HORROR STORY: ASYLUM. It is off to a good start with all sorts storylines being set up. I can't wait to see where it goes.

Today's Rundown
Terror At Tenkiller - 3/10
The Girl In Room 2A - 6/10
The Hills Have Eyes 2 - 4/10
Night Of The Demons - 3.5/10
The Perfume Of The Lady In Black - 8.5/10

October Horror Challenge 2012 - Day 16

Day 16 got underway right on the heels of the clock expiring on day 15 with a pre-sleep viewing of QUARANTINE 2: TERMINAL. It was on Fearnet in HD so it allowed me to lay in bed without having to worry about finding a disc on the shelf. The first film was nothing special, essentially a shot for shot remake of [REC] that was totally unnecessary. TERMINAL has nothing to do with the original Spanish series and goes its own way. This film takes place while the first is taking place across town in the apartment complex. The virus is infecting people in an airport terminal which leads to some dark corridors and uncomfortably tight situations. While nothing special, it was an entertaining infected/zombie flick for a one time viewing. It fails to come close to reaching the levels of greatness of the series it borrowed the idea from but it does surpass its own predecessor in terms of cheap entertainment.

CRAWLSPACE was next. This Charles Band production stars Klaus Kinski as a former Hitler Youth member who's father was a Nazi. Having become a doctor in later life Kinski's character finds he only finds himself feeling alive when he takes life from others. He stalks the tenants of his boarding house with an elaborate set of tunnels inside the walls and sets traps for them. This movie would be a must see sleazefest if the violence and craziness had been amped up a bit. As it is its decent and Kinski is fantastically sadistic.

The third film of the day was one I've heard is great but never really looked into it much beyond that, COLD FISH. This is from the director of Suicide Club which is a film I think is really good so I was pretty excited to dig into this one. It plays out differently than I expected, I was expecting a more straight forward horror affair for some reason but it is very heavy in the revenge thriller side of things. There are plenty of horror elements here though and it gets really wet and nasty. The film is excellent and everyone should seek it out.

The day ended with another movie that was on Fearnet in HD, CHROMESKULL: LAID TO REST 2. I had no real desire to ever see this film. I wasn't a fan of the first and had only heard that the second is even worse. Well given that I was feeling lazy around 11pm I just said fuck it and hit play... what a mistake. What a boring piece of awful movie making. It makes the first one look like a good movie. I hope this series is laid to rest.

Today's Rundown
Quarantine 2 - 6/10
Crawlspace - 6/10
Cold Fish - 8.5/10
Laid To Rest 2 - 3/10

October Horror Challenge 2012 - Day 15

Day 15 started with a late night viewing of TROLL 2. I love this awful mess of a movie. It is endlessly entertaining no matter how many times I see it. Add in some drinks and it becomes a masterpiece of drunken cinema.

Next was FRANKENSTEIN'S CASTLE OF FREAKS while hosted by Elvira. I'm going to go ahead and say it right now, I'm not a fan of Elvira. I don't find her funny at all and all she has going for her is her cleavage hanging out. Actually, I found her rather annoying during this. Oh, and the movie is a train wreck.

THE GRUDGE 2 was next, I'm not a fan of the first (never seen the original Japanese versions) but I hadn't seen it since it was in theaters so I figured something may have changed and gave it a shot... nope. More of the same shit that stretch of time offered up in its remakes of Japanese horror films. Generic stupid looking ghosts, poorly executed jump scares and an overall lackluster product.

A friend of mine let me borrow the Blu-ray of THE WOMAN directed by Lucky McKee (May) so I checked it out. I think McKee did a fantastic job with May but he went on an almost decade long cold streak before making this one which is a step in the right direction. This is the story of an upper middle class family who is totally controlled and abused by the asshole lawyer father and are forced to take in a feral woman from the wild to civilize her. It becomes more about torturing the woman physically and sexually for the father and all about keeping it a secret for the rest of the family. The problem with this movie that outside of the pre-school aged daughter the other characters aren't terribly likable. Angela Bettis plays the beaten down mother who finally snaps at one moment and she almost becomes someone to like but her and the older daughter are kind of annoying in their endless depression and sulking. I get why they're like that, but it gets annoying. The son is a mirror image of his father and is a little bastard. The movie isn't bad though and is worth a watch.

Next up was SHEITAN starring Vincent Cassel. This is a French horror flick that I knew very little about coming in and was sort of surprised by the amount of humor involved. A small group meet a girl at a club who invites them back to her house in the countryside which is where they meet the crazy smiling housekeeper played by Cassel. The group is basically only interested in hooking up in a weekend of sex and partying and come across as typical raised in the suburbs wannabes. Eventually things take a turn and we find out exactly what the housekeeper has planned and it is violent. The movie was a mixed bag for me. While Cassel was seriously creepy with his ear to ear grin that wouldn't go away, you almost rooted for him to spare you from the white guy of the group who was just a giant tool. The humor was odd at first but ended up working to make it a bit more unsettling. I don't think the movie is something I'll ever feel the need to revisit but as a one time viewing it wasn't bad.

I ended the night with a viewing of THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI. I was just in the mood for something like this and it was years ago that I last watched this piece of silent film gold so I pulled it up on Youtube. Simply put, it is a piece of film to treasure, it is just wonderful.

Today's Rundown
Troll 2 - 10/10
Frankenstein's Castle Of Freaks - 2/10
The Grudge 2 - 3/10
The Woman - 6.5/10
Sheitan - 6/10
The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari - 9/10