Thursday, October 17, 2013

October Horror Challenge 2013 - Days 14-16

The last few days have seemed like a jumbled mess to me, lets see if I can make some sense out of them...


Day 14 only 2 viewings but both were great. First up was The Willies, a more family friendly anthology film. A few kids are camping in the back yard and decide to try and scare and gross out each other with stories. The first few stories are only a couple of minutes each but are a good lead in to the 2 main stories. This is what Goosebumps the series should have been.



The other viewing was Night Train to Terror. I posted the review of the brand new Blu-ray release a couple of days ago so I'll just link that HERE.


The first viewing of day 15 was one I've wanted to see for a long long time, Jorg Buttgereit's Nekromantik. It pretty much did what I wanted it to. It made me feel dirty. It almost gave me the feeling of being younger and watching some horror movies or something on Skinemax and feeling like you're doing something wrong and you better not get caught. I hope part 2 gives me the same grimy feeling.

The rest of day 15 was spent at a friend's house where we drank too much and played Mario Kart for drinks/shots... you know, adult things. We did watch a few movies too though...


Ghost Shark was first, saved on his DVR. This Syfy channel original was actually pretty damn entertaining. It is completely idiotic but that made for an entertaining watch. There isn't much else to say about it but some of the places the shark pops out of is incredible.


Next was Altered, an alien horror flick from the director of The Blair Witch Project. It was okay. I think I'd enjoy it more if I watched it again now that I wouldn't be expecting a creepy alien stalker and more of a violent monster type creature.


Then came the total disaster that was the spoof A Haunted House, starring one of the Wayans, don't ask which because I couldn't tell you. This is proof that humanity is doomed because I'm pretty sure it made a bunch of money at the theaters. We were playing a game of "drink when you can't believe we're watching this"... we never took our lips off the glass.


Luckily day 16 came and there were some great movies, starting with a re-watch of what is among the best 1950s horror film,  The Thing From Another World. If you've never seen it, you should. A great sci-fi and horror mashup that is almost as good as Carpenter's version that came 30 years later.


I caught the short Toy Story Of Terror flick on TV and thought it was a pretty decent adaptation of a roadside motel psycho flick designed for kids. Most of the classic Toy Story characters are there and I think Prickle Pants steals the show with his ominous detailing of horror movie stereotypes. I hope this makes it onto a disc soon.


After grabbing some things for dinner earlier in the day I grabbed Would You Rather out of the Redbox thanks to a free rental code. What a pleasant surprise this one was. Without the presence of Jeffrey Combs I doubt I'd have given this one a shot but his name attached earned it a viewing and I found it to be a really solid effort. And Combs was every bit as good as I'd hoped he would be. He plays a terrific pompous asshole psychopath.



The night closed with Candyman. I haven't watched it in years but I've had the urge for months. It definitely held up to past viewings. Tony Todd is creepy as hell as the title villain and Virginia Madsen is excellent in the lead role. Philip Glass' score is beautiful and the Cabrini Green projects made for a terrifying setting... both for the movie and real life.

Today's Rundown
The Willies - 7/10
Night Train To Terror - 7.5/10
Nekromantik - 8/10
Ghost Shark - 5/10
Altered - 4.5/10
A Haunted House - 1/10
The Thing From Another World - 8/10
Toy Story Of Terror - 7/10
Would You Rather - 7/10
Candyman - 8/10

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