October fun: 31 days of Horror, Blood, Guts and Gore! (and zombies, too....) - Page 72

27. Four Flies on Grey Velvet (1971) (first-time viewing)
Minor entry from the vast Argento canon, but not bad at all, full of his trademark flourishes--a killer in the shadows, eyeball violence, sexual tension. A rock star accidentally kills a man, only to realize his actions have been caught on film by a mysterious masked person who blackmails him not for the money, but just for the fun of it. The plot drags a bit at times, but there were enough highlights to keep me interested for the running time of 103 minutes. The best sequence was when a woman tries to blackmail the blackmailer, and arranges and ill-fated meeting in a walled-in park that quickly empties of its occupants. Fans of creepy thrillers from the era should check this out at least once.

Bob's A-Z 2011 Horror Movie Marathon
1. Antichrist
2. Burning Bright
3. The Crimson Cult
4. Dead of Night
5. Evil Dead 2
6. Frontier(s)
7. The Ghoul
8. Hidden (2009)
9. I Can See You
10. The Janitor
11. Kill Theory
12. The Last Exorcism
13. Midnight Meat Train
14. Night of the Living Dead
15. The Old Dark House
16. Popcorn
17. Queen of Blood
18. Rabid
19. Stake Land
20. Tales that Witness Madness
21. The Unborn
22. The Valley of Gwangi
23. The Wolfman (2010)
24. X: The Unknown
25. YellowBrickRoad
26. Zoo
27. 4 Flies on Grey Velvet

Boy, hard to believe its the 28th already!!!! I have been looking forward to October to do this movie thing with you guys, and it seems like it just started, and now there are only a few days left, incredible.

Today i watched HENRY, PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER. Good character study of a killer and a person he gets to help him. Its more chilling when you realize its based on a true story. Good movie, probably most here would rate it higher than me, i give it a 3.25 out of 5 stars.

2011 October Ratings - 5 Star Scale
01- Return of the Swamp Thing - 2.5
02- Hostel - 5
03- Event Horizon - 3.5
04- Resident Evil: Apocalypse - 4.25
05- Sphere - 3.75
06- Wrong Turn 3 - 3
07- The Human Centipede - 3
08- Berlin Undead - 3
09- House of 1000 Corpses - 4.5
10- The Midnight Meat Train - 3.75
11- The Human Centipede II - 1.5
12- Aliens - 5
13- Grotesque - 4
14- The Cave - 1
15- The Thing (2011) - 4
16- Mutants - 4
17- Saw 7 (Saw 3D) - 5
18- [REC]2 - 3.5
19- Cloverfield - 4.25
20- Frontier(s) - 5
21- Rest Stop - 3
22- The Mist - 5
23- The Devils Rejects - 5
24- Martyrs - 4.5
25- I Spit On Your Grave (remake) - 3.75
26- Deadgirl - 3.75
27- The Hills Have Eyes (remake) - 5
28- Henry - Portrait of a Serial Killer - 3.25

The scene were they are terrorizing/murdering the family is very intense and brutal! This is the type of horror that is real (can and does happen in real life) and therefore much more frigthening. For all you know someone like Henry could be your neighbor.

Or yours!!!!!!

31. John Carpenter's The Thing. One of the greatest physical horror movies EVER MADE. This is easily in the top three along with Alien and The Exorcist. It's flawless. Not one damn thing is wrong with it. It's above exceptional. Didn't know Ennio Morricone did the soundtrack, either. 10/10.

Won't be able to watch a movie tonight. Saturday, Sunday, and Monday is going to all be ANOES 1-4 and Halloween 1-2. That will close off my year.

No ANOES Part 5?

Hey Darthrsg,

Well, I play music tonight at a bar. So, I won't be getting home until 1:00am. So tonight, I won't be able to watch anything.

Tomorrow night I'm being pressured to go out and spend some time running around town like a wild monkey with some coworkers. I'm also in the middle of asking out this really awesome girl, so plans may change with that as well. She's beaaaaaaautiful!

So realistically, I think I only have Sunday and Monday (which I have to work this day) to finish up my October horror. The good news, is that I'm already at 31 movies for the month! Honestly, if I can bust through ANOES 1-6, I'd do it. But I have to keep Halloween 1 and 2 on the list for Monday. So I'm thinking, I only have Sunday to watch the Elm Streets.

That's even contingent on the boxset coming in; it hasn't arrived yet....

I made this video back when I was in college late one night. I was planning to review 2, 5, and 6 because I strongly dislike them. But hell, when I get the Blu-rays, I'll plow through them all again if I have the time.

Frankenhooker on Dvd (soon on Bluray). Been years since I have seen it.

Still enjoyable

October 25:

* RoboGeisha (2009) (first time viewing)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1381512/

Now, that's entertainment! Gore, goofiness, geishas with breast guns and even a kaiju! 5/10

October 27th:
The Exorcist: 5 stars - Although there are plenty of other horror films that are worth a 5 star rating in my book this film is the pinnacle of perfection in horror cinema as far as I'm concerned. Nearly 40 years since it was made and it is still one of the scariest films created. I have zero gripes with this film and consider it completely flawless.

I would agree with your words. It kept me in church for a looooooong time.

This is cool. Alamo Drafthouse (best theater chain ever) shares a scene from Nosferatu with an original score written specifically for it: http://www.indiewire.com/article/wat..._reynolds_spo/

General Kenobi,

What version do you prefer for The Exorcist?

I'm not Kenobi (obviously), but the Theatrical Cut is the best version to watch, hands down. You'll find that this is common opinion.

The theatrical for sure. I enjoy the extended DC but don't feel it adds anything of value to the film. In fact if anything the extra scenes take away from the sense of realism the rest of the film has established and in a way reminds the viewer that it is a movie, which is why I prefer the TC.

INSIDE, what a movie!!! The ultimate if you (like me) love gore, blood, violence, terrorizing a person, shocks, etc. A real wild ride!!!

In fact, my wife was up early this morning but agreed to stay out of the den so i could watch a horror movie (with headphones of course) and i offered her $100 to sit thru it with me, on the stipulation that she couldnt turn away or close her eyes, and she refused. She figured (and rightly so) that the movie must really be "bad" if i made that offer.

For my taste, this gets 5 stars.

2011 October Ratings - 5 Star Scale
01- Return of the Swamp Thing - 2.5
02- Hostel - 5
03- Event Horizon - 3.5
04- Resident Evil: Apocalypse - 4.25
05- Sphere - 3.75
06- Wrong Turn 3 - 3
07- The Human Centipede - 3
08- Berlin Undead - 3
09- House of 1000 Corpses - 4.5
10- The Midnight Meat Train - 3.75
11- The Human Centipede II - 1.5
12- Aliens - 5
13- Grotesque - 4
14- The Cave - 1
15- The Thing (2011) - 4
16- Mutants - 4
17- Saw 7 (Saw 3D) - 5
18- [REC]2 - 3.5
19- Cloverfield - 4.25
20- Frontier(s) - 5
21- Rest Stop - 3
22- The Mist - 5
23- The Devils Rejects - 5
24- Martyrs - 4.5
25- I Spit On Your Grave (remake) - 3.75
26- Deadgirl - 3.75
27- The Hills Have Eyes (remake) - 5
28- Henry - Portrait of a Serial Killer - 3.25
29- Inside - 5

October 29:

* The Black Cat (1934)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024894/

A wonderful pairing of Karloff and Lugosi. It is pre-code, so there are a few kinky aspects. Implied necrophilia, incest, torture, Satanism, etc. Both horror icons are at the top of their game in this horror classic. (Only thing I don't like is the repetitive music.) 8/10


* Martin (1976)
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077914/

George Romero directed this gem. I've seen this a few times and it is a very haunting movie. Is Martin a vampire, or just insane? John Amplas is fantastic in the lead role. I especially liked the natural performances of most of the actors. The women seemed like real human beings, which is not common in many horror movies. 8/10

That's funny, by the end I was laughing so hard I was crying.

Martrys is one of the most brilliant movies I've ever seen, and also the hardest to watch.

The first time I watched it, I was so drained afterwards and at the same time, so upset that it had been give to me to watch, that I couldn't see how well crafted it was. After watching the making of and a few of the other special features, and a little thinking about it overall....I love the movie, but could never watch it again. It's jut too brutal towards the end. However, like I said, I think it's brilliant and shows just how fearless non American directors can be. Powerful is a very apt description.

Here's my completed list and attempt at reviews. It's been fun guys!

1. Shadow. 3 out of 5 Netflix Instant

Good twist in this one, Surviving The Game meets Hostel. Real creepy bad guy.

2. People Under The Stairs. 2 out of 5 Netflix Instant

This is my 3rd viewing of this since its release, still kind of meh on it. The brother and sister are arguably the best part.

3. Tucker and Dale vs Evil. 4 out of 5 HDNET Movies

Loved it, very fun, laid back spoof with a nice twist on perception. Wife liked it. Nothing too over the top. With the genre full of CGI garbage this was refreshing.

4. Night of the Creeps. 5 out of 5 Crackle.com

Fred Dekker does it again, I love his stuff. It's been a long time since I saw this so it was pretty fresh. Great throwbacks to the 50's and a bit of Noir.

5. The Awakening. 1 out of 5 total piece of poop. Netflix Instant

Hipster youth die to crappy nu-metal at the hands of some ancient evil.

6. Intruder. 4 out of 5 Netflix Instant

Late 80's slasher that I'd not seen before. Sam Raimi stars. The camera work stood out for me. On further reading I think I saw the edited version because there wasn't any real gore to speak of just great tension. #trailer

7. Strangeland. 3 out of 5 Netflix Instant

Pretty decent flick, pretty decent badguy. Captain Howdy could use a prequel in my opinion.

8. John Carpenter's The Ward. 5 out of 5 Vudu

Very well done movie. Probably one of the better ones I've seen in a while. John Carpenter is a master so little doubt was there. Got at least 2 squirms and 2 jumps out of us without entering torture pron territory. Loosely plays with Alice In Wonderland and doesn't over do it.

9. Trick 'r Treat. 5 out of 5 Netflix Instant

Second viewing and it gets better. A series of connected events centered around Halloween. I cannot recommend it enough. It is to Halloween what A Christmas Story is to Christmas. Surely something for everyone in this movie. A huge bonus is the lack of CGI, it didn't need any.

10. Child's Play. 4out of 5 Netflix Instant

One of my all time faves, the killer doll has some great lines and the kid looks really scared. Lots of fun and creepy. Terrific fiery ending.

11. House on Skull Mountain. 2 out of 5 Netflix Instant

A slow atmospheric piece with hints of blacksploitation and Voodoo. Similar to Sugar Hill but no where near as good. This dish needed more cheese. I thought the audio was great. The chanting and hypnotic drums felt right for a voodoo flick.

12. Poltergeist 2. 3 out of 5 Netflix Instant

One of the stronger sequels to any franchise. I dig the Native American slant on this. Locally we have many Native sites that have been built over for urban development over the years. Some really great conventional effects in this movie and a really creepy old dude.

13. Frontier (s). 3 out of 5 Vudu

The lead actress in this one is the star. Some really great scenes but it feels like Hostel to me. This puts it over into the torture pron area which I feel is taking over the "horror" genre. Never the less, a great flick with some stuff that will stick with you.

14. Incident on and Off a Mountain Road. 3 out of 5 Netflix Instant

Pretty good short story. Good blend of two themes. Girl gets taught how to survive by her jerk husband and then puts all the training to use on a freak in the woods.

15. The Guardian. 5 out of 5 Netflix Instant

Being a new family this means a lot more now than it did when I saw it years back. They got the baby audio right, the new parent insecurities, and a tree that eats dudes. Really well done story that could be sold as a mystery or horror and it is rooted in just enough mystical stuff to not go crazy. Great conventional effects in this.

16. Deathwatch. 3 out of 5 Netflix Instant

Gritty, dirty, and bleak. Mud, rain, rats, and bodies in the water. A little slow but worth the watch. For some reason it reminded me of those old Eerie Comics.

17. Graduation Day. 1 outof 5 Netflix Instant

Normally I dig Troma stuff but this was bad. Best part would be the music and the non-augmented women. Nowhere near Class of Nuke 'em High in quality. At times it is very dramatic then decides to be a slasher flick. Mostly it was work to get through.

18. An American Werewolf in London. 5 out of 5 Netflix Instant

One of all time faves. Great blend of comedy and gore. I'll never forget the first time I saw the transformation or when I got old enough to understand the zombie scene in the theater. It's pretty much the standard by which werewolf movies are judged.

19. Hell Night. 1 out of 5 Netflix Instant
This confirms that Linda Blair's best movie is the Exorcist. I will say the sets were interesting. The fact I'm into the sets also says that the rest sucked. Maybe I need to revisit this one another year?

20. Body Snatchers. 3 out of 5 Netflix Instant

I love the original and most of its remakes, this is a 90's version. Not so much horror in the traditional sense but the social asspect is scary. I see hive minds and they really scare me.


21. The Howling. 4 out of 5 Netflix Instant

Pretty decent werewolf flick. I was introduced to the sequels far before I saw the first so the marsupial mess ruined the franchise for me. The original is a nice and dark movie with pretty good monsters and a good story.


22. Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning. 3 out of 5 Netflix Instant

A bit slow but well made, I enjoyed the first one and this is recommended by fans. It's sort of a "Last of the Mohicans" meets the Wolfman. There are way worse wolf flicks out there.

23. The Craft. 4 out of 5 Netflix Instant

Big fan of this. Nice slice of the 90's. Even the wife will watch. The effects are mostly well done and as things come back to haunt the girls it gets really good playing with the high school tension and the "craft."

24. Scream. 4 out of 5 Netflix Instant

I missed this back in the day. I never saw it or the " I Know What You Did" movies. Glad I waited. This is a smart movie that cashes in on the history of horror which gives fans of the genre an extra bit to hold onto. Little hidden things make the watch all the better. One of the cooler ones this year.

25. Silver Bullet. 4 outof 5 AMC

I like this movie a lot. Gary Busey stars as himself along with Sam Emerson before he met the Frog Brothers. Anne of Green Gables narrates. How much better can a movie get? Add a werewolf priest and Stephen King.

26. Parents. 2 out of 5 Vudu

I like dark comedy. This is a dark comedy with not a lot of funny. It pokes holes in the gleaming suburbia we all see and reveals things that are very scary. Some deadpan acting from Quaid stands out and the feelings of the boy really come through and are shown expertly. It gets a 2 because it just doesn't fit the genre for me.

27. Joshua. 3 out of 5 Vudu

I dug this slow burner. Hard to tell who is in charge but by the end it's very clear. Evil kids owning their parents really hits home with a newborn in the house. They capture the stress of having a newborn quite nicely and they build out Joshua's plan expertly. Sam Rockwell tries to go to war and it is funny. If you like evil kid films check it out.

28. Happy Birthday to Me. 3 out of 5 Crackle

Quite a good entry into the 80's slasher stuff. Not a ton of gore but it didn't need it. It plays up the mystery side and has a few twists that I loved. Pretty smart in my opinion. It didn't hurt that is had Tracey E. Bregman in it either.

29. The House of the Devil. 5 out of 5 Netflix Instant

Still love this. Perfection.

30. The Legend of Hell House. 4 out of 5 Netflix Instant

Such a good classic movie, actual effects and actual acting. Very well done scary house. Great atmosphere. Roddy McDowell pretty much rules. I love the conventional effects and I'm sure real smoke was used.

31. The Lost Boys. 5 out of 5 Netflix Instant

One of the best vampire movies ever. One of the best 80′s movies ever. If you like it you need to see the most recent one. The only sparkle on the vampires is when they are on fire. Great soundtrack too.

32. 976-EVIL. 4 out of 5 Blockbuster Movie Pass Dish Network

Some great 80′s cheese. Flirts with Freddie with many one liners after it gets going. I hated it the first time I saw it but this time around I loved it. I hesitate to say it but it felt one of Stephen King's lowly type of guys that gets powered up.

33. Cameron's Closet 2 out of 5 Crackle.com

Not a good one but worth a viewing. Feels like a cheap Poltergeist slash Exorcist thing.

34. The Thing. 5 out of 5 Netflix Instant

What a great film. To this day the effects hold up. Very creepy very claustrophobic. Very badass. Even if you aren't into horror this one is hard to deny.

35. Prince of Darkness. 5 out of 5 Netflix Instant

This movie is freaky on lots of levels. Some people don't get it and that's fine. I love it. It sticks with me. The Jesse Ferguson scenes gives me chills and I feel the panic when they have to fight their way out. I kept an eye open for transmissions up until 1999.

36. Ginger Snaps. 4 out of 5 DVD

Nice weaving of werewolves into puberty. Good effects and characters that work. Should become a classic in the werewolf genre. It was a first time viewing for me and the suggestions held up. Nice creature design.

For 37 through 42 I watched the first 6 of the A Nightmare On Elm Street series. The first is an obvious classic. Later films in the series draw lots of debate. I like them all differently as Freddy dished out cool demises across all his movies. Standouts are to be found in all of these. A particular favorite is part 3. Some people don't like Alice but I really dig part 4 and 5 with her in it. They are well done and seem to give the series some weight and a great mythology. Speaking of mythology part 6 kind of shoots that notion down. I wasn't impressed with the direction it took. Part 2 seems to be hard to place within the later ones and is probably the most true sequel in that sense regarding the original. Lots of excellent effects in this series. You can watch how effects progress across each movie. I really like the animatronic stuff. All in all a classic series that just about anyone can get into I think there's something for everyone in it. 5 out of 5



There you have it, October Horror Fest 2011. This year I stayed away from the total gore fests and looks like I hit werewolves a lot. No zombies. What is up with that? I think I did well considering we had a newborn in the house. I'll have to rethink this for next year as she'll be old enough to understand some things that we don't really want her to understand. I'm not ready for those questions and I prefer that she find her own way into a film genre.

Good list. I agree with a lot, and disagree with some. For "The Ward", I'm wondering if you even saw the Carpenter movie because your description is a far cry from what I saw. Make sure you've seen all of Carpenter's movies, because "The Ward" is easily in his bottom 3 and rightfully so.

Not sure if I would give "The Lost Boys" 100% rating...seems a little high and undeserving. I was impressed with it when I saw it for the first time about a month ago, but in reality, it's a pop-80s vampire movie that was entertaining, but it wasn't earth shattering, or even near to the pinnacle of the genre.

As far as ANOES is concerned, 5 is when the **** started to hit the fan. 5 and 6 are both horrible for completely different reasons. I can sometimes defend 2, but 2 is also pretty bad.

FYI, there are some pretty good classic/B-horror flicks playing on Antenna TV and This TV this weekend thru Tuesday AM. Schedule may vary by area, but this is the list of films they're showing...

ANTENNA TV:
Before I Hang (Karloff)
The Black Room (Karloff)
13 Ghosts
The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb (Hammer)
The Gorgon (Hammer)
The Creeping Flesh
Fright Night
The Fog (1980 original)
Night of the Living Dead
Zombies of Mora Tau
The 7th Sign
Flatliners
The Bride
The Giant Claw
4D Man
Creature with the Atomic Brain
The Tingler

THIS TV:
Pumpkinhead
Scream & Scream Again
Dementia 13
Burnt Offerings
Island of Lost Souls
Creature from the Black Lagoon
Dracula
Son of Dracula
Son Of Frankenstein
The Incredible Shrinking Man
The Invisible Man
Lady In White

If you're not familiar with these station (which were introduced earlier this year), you can find out where they're located on your DTV "dial" at the links above. (In my area they're both SD sub-channels of the CW network.)

Antenna runs mostly classic TV series from the 50's, 60's and 70's, including things like "The Monkees" and "It Takes a Thief", and also some good movies now and then.

This TV runs a mix of older and newer movies.

Good run of horror movies today.

Relic
Halloween
Halloween 2,3
I Spit On Your Grave 2010
Bride of Frankenstein

Great stuff everyone, I need more time to see all these things from the other lists! I'm a little behind so here is last nights film and I will have a double feature to post later tonight.

wizzack - got the mail today, thanks! No worries about the delay, just wanted to make sure it wasn't lost.

October 28th:
Paranormal Activity 3: 3.5 stars - I actually liked this one much better than the second one, maybe even a bit more than the first but there are some plot holes that just make the climax a bit unsatisfying. I can only hope this was done intentionally with the idea that additional installments will correct these issues and tie everything in nicely. All in all a pretty solid ghost story film with some new things to breathe fresh scares into what could have been a tired been there done that sequel. Don't put too much stock in the trailer as a good part of it was not in the actual movie... go figure.

I have been crazy busy the last few days, so I haven't been able to keep up with the goings-on in this thread Been trying to stay on track with my movies though. I have 26 down and a half-assed plan to push through the final 5 in the final days. It all starts tonight with Paranormal Activity and hopefully Paranormal Activity 2 (will add it to tomorrow's agenda if we can't make it, even though Sunday Ticket commands my attention for much of the day). No matter what happens though, I'm 100% committed to making this **** happen at all costs (not really sure why though). I do have Halloween off, so I'll make whatever sacrifices that are necessary.

Will definitely read back through all the posts once I get a chance.

October 29th:
House of 1000 Corpses: 4 stars - This has become a favorite Halloween flick for me. Not sure what it is but hits a sweet spot for the season. RZ had some good sets and atmosphere and who doesn't like fried chicken and gasoline!

Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings: 1 star - More like negative 5 stars for this steaming pile of pig crap! Where can I even begin? I guess it starts and ends with the writer who should be burned alive with every copy of this film. This is what's wrong with Hollywood filmmaking. A few tid bits of decent gore but everything else was so bad I'm pissed I even bothered. The only Wrong Turn film that is any good is the first one. YMMV.

But how do you REALLY feel about this film???