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