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