October fun: 31 days of Horror, Blood, Guts and Gore! (and zombies, too....) - Page 3

Thanks to previous posters, you've helped me add a few to the ol BB and netflix queues. Here's my list, shooting for 31, it'll be tough though, sending the projector in for warranty repair next Thursday, so I'll lose a week and a half. With that in mind, I cheated and started a couple days early-


9/28
Pulse

9/29
Feast

9/30
The Thing

10/1
The Frighteners

10/2
Black Christmas

10/4
Land Of The Dead
Slither

10/6
Killer Klowns From Outer Space

10/7
Stephen King's It

10/8
Suspiria
Inside

10/9
Teeth
Zombie Strippers
High Tension

10/10
Tremors
Dawn Of The Dead (2004)

10/11
The Fog (1980)
May

10/12
Feast 2: Sloppy Seconds

10/13
Dead Alive

10/14
V Is For Vendetta (Wife had been pushing for non-horror to break up monotony, I caved
An American Werewolf In London

Awesome! My Creepshow Special Edition just arrived from the UK! Hmm, do I watch it tonight or wait until a weekend...

I'm a little late to the party but this will be my "official" movie challenge posting area.

Apollo's October Horrorfest 2008

1. 30 Days of Night- {3.75/5} Blu-Ray This movie is pretty good overall. If you have a good system, the soundtrack is very dynamic. Some seriously good LFE. The concept was original, but they could have done better with the script.

2. The Lost Boys- {3.5/5} Blu-Ray It has been a long time since I last watched this movie. It was definitely worth checking out again, but it was not as good as I remember it being. A little cheesy in certain areas. But the Dolby TrueHD soundtrack added to the experience. Fairly solid overall.

3. Sleepy Hollow- {3.5/5} Blu-Ray Fairly good movie. Depp does well as usual, however Ricci sounded like she forced many of her lines. The picture was somewhat questionable at times but at other times looked fabulous. In the end, I liked this movie despite it's flaws.... Classic Tim Burton.

4. Evil Breed-The Legend of Samhain- {.5/5} DVD (First-time viewing) The only reason this got any points at all was because it had nudity from the likes of Jenna Jameson and Chasey Lain. I can't understand how the chain of command allowed this movie to make it to DVD. It is by far the worst movie I have seen in several years (10X worse than that sh*tfest Doomsday). An absolute disgrace to filmmaking in general.

5. The Happening- {1.5/5} DVD (First-time viewing) Needless to say, I was expecting a lot better than this. I've been sticking by Shyamalan through these last few movies but I am officially done. I loved Signs, tolerated The Village, hated The Lady in the Water and now this.....I knew the reviews were bad but I did not expect to despise this movie as much as I do. Plot, script, acting were all utterly and completely disgraceful. I would honestly recommend the Evil Breed over this just because it was laughable how bad it was. This one did nothing but piss me off.

6. Quarantine- {4.25/5} Theater (First-time viewing) Now this is exactly what I needed to get back on track after my last 2 disappointments. This one is scary as hell. It uses the video camera perspective throughout, so it creates a very realistic experience (a la Blair Witch, Cloverfield). Very highly recommended. I will definitely be adding this to the collection when it comes out on Blu-Ray.

7. Jacob's Ladder- {3.5/5} DVD (First-time viewing) I'm not quite sure that this shouldn't be categorized as more of a thriller than a horror film. Although I thought it was good, the scares were few and far between. Very interesting, but not what I was expecting after reading all the reviews that claim that this is one of the best horror movies of all time.

8. Event Horizon- {4/5} DVD This has always been a favorite of mine. It is slightly cheesier than I remember it being, but it is still a classic in the Sci-Fi/Horror genre regardless. A very chilling tale that does pretty well in all facets. Definitely recommended to those who haven't seen it.

9. The House on Haunted Hill (1999)- {3.5/5} DVD This movie is surprisingly good, even after several previous viewings. It has some good scares and the b/w shots of the asylum doctors and attendants were definitely the highlights of the movie. I thought it was fairly well done and definitely "challenge-worthy". I could have done without Chris Kattan's crazy-ass character though. Very annoying. If it weren't for the disaster of an ending, this movie would have been rated a little higher. The CG monster at the end just didn't fit in with the rest of the movie IMO.

10. Storm Warning- {3.75/5} DVD (First-time viewing) I appreciate the referral for this movie. It didn't present us with anything new as far as the plot was concerned, but it definitely added its own twist on things. I thought the character played by David Lyons absolutely made the movie. There was a good amount of gore and the movie was suspenseful enough to hold my attention throughout. A must see for those who enjoyed Wolf Creek, Wrong Turn, etc. Jamie Blanks has come a long way since Urban Legend.

11. The Shining- {5/5} Blu-Ray The horror movie of which all others within the genre must be judged. I wasn't expecting any significant improvements with the Blu-Ray version, but I was wrong. The PQ was fantastic and the new Dolby TrueHD mix was a treat to hear. It really added that little extra to provide a refreshing experience above and beyond what was already an excellent movie. Jack plays the role of a psychopath flawlessly and even throws in some seriously funny humor. We had some drinks, invited some friends over and watched the best horror movie to date. Good times.

12. The Strangers- {3.75/5} DVD (First-time viewing) There was alot that I really loved about this movie. I felt that the way the movie began and how it slowly led up to "the strangers" making themselves known was very well done. I also loved "the strangers" themselves and how utterly creepy they were. The problem is that the victims in this movie are no smarter than any of the victims in the countless movies that preceded it. Some terrible decision-making ruined what could have been a fantastic overall movie. Even so, I still really enjoyed this flick and would definitely recommend it to horror fans.

13. The Devil's Chair- {4.25/5} DVD (First-time viewing) I have read some mixed reviews about this movie. Well, I wasn't expecting too much because of this, but I was very impressed once it was all said and done. The main character not only stars but also narrates throughout the movie. Andrew Howard does an absolutely fabulous job in both regards. This movie is very twisted and may be a little over the top for some, but I suppose if you are reading this thread, then you are not bothered by such things. This is an absolute must see for horror fans as the director presents a very disturbing vision of terror. The events leading up to the finale are the highlights. It does suffer from bad acting from some of the characters, and the writing is not as good as it could have been, but regardless of those things I am most definitely adding this movie to my library.

14. Halloween (Rob Zombie)- {4.25/5} DVD I am a big fan of this remake. Throughout the first half of the movie when we are seeing the events that made Michael into....well....Michael, it was on pace to be one of the best horror movies to date. The kid that played Michael did a great job in that role. The movie loses a little steam once it resorts to the old-fashioned style of the played out slasher flicks of the past, but overall I really enjoyed this movie. What can I say, Zombie knows horror.

15. House of 1000 Corpses- {4.75/5} Blu-Ray This is the one I was waiting for. Halloween Night and my new blu-ray version of one of my favorite all-time movies. The overall "feel" of this movie is what gets me every time. It is twisted, scary, funny and full of gore. Exactly what I like in a movie. The only reason this didn't get a 5 is because I feel that there is room for only one movie that can be considered the pinnacle of terror. Since The Shining is such a masterpiece, it currently has sole possession of that seat. But House of 1000 is not far behind and it will continue to be my go-to movie on Halloween for many years to come.

Well, thanks for a great time fellas as well as all the great recommendations. I look forward to doing this again next year and I might even go for 31, who knows......muuuuuaaaawwwww!!!!!!!!!

Airboss hit 31 movies already! He's a machine!

Airboss is on fire!

Thanks to everyone for all of the great suggestions with notes.

I remembered that someone mentioned "Funny Games" early on and I saw it at the rental store and gave it a shot last night.

Hmmm. I absolutely love the direction; most everything happens off-camera, it "feels" real the way the characters converse and go about their business, which all put together, make a genuinely disturbing, creepy, and tense story.

I'm not going to spoil anything, but shortly after viewing, I felt a little abused by the director. I was toyed with. If you've seen it, you know what I mean. Eventually I figured that the thing is called "Funny Games" so it's ok.

Cary

Has this DVD already been released, or did you catch it on FearNet in-demand? I've been looking forward to it, but haven't heard about a DVD release yet.

No, there's also Famke Janssen, which simply means HOHH cannot be missed.

No wife, no kids, small town = no life. There's nothing else for me to do but watch movies!

Cary,
Did you watch the orginal "Funny Games" or the US remake? The US version is almost an exact shot by shot remake but there is a subtle difference from the original. I've seen both and I like the original much better even though they are almost like identical twins. Great movie regardless of which version you view.

Very true, that makes two good reasons to view the 1999 HOHH...

Famke Janssen

and

Ali Larter

Hi Airboss, I watched the US remake. I did some reading afterwards and understand that the director remade his own movie (I guess it was Austrian originally?)

I've given this movie some thought today and come to the conclusion that the fact that I'm even thinking about it at all means that the director was successful.

As I mentioned, I was originally disappointed by the "toying" with the viewer that was done (avoiding a spoiler), but later reflection made me understand that the director had something to say about violence, our acceptance of violence in entertainment, and what REAL violence is like and how we would react to THAT.

Besides that, I really liked the "style" of it if you will. I would hesitate to recommend it to just anyone because it's not going to be everyone's cup of tea, but I, for one, liked it.

Although totally different movies in every way, and I'm not suggesting that "Funny Games" is necessarily in the same league, I was reminded of "A Clockwork Orange". That is the only other movie that comes to mind that struck me as extremely violent without being gory.

I'll keep a look out for the original (maybe Netflix?)

Cary

I know exactly what you are talking about!

BTW, in the orginal Paul and Peter are even creepier! Netflix does stock the orginal 1998 version, German language with English subtitles.

Just watched "The Mist" last night. I watched the black&white version, then checked a couple of scenes in color. I think director Frank Darabont is correct in his contention that the movie works better in B&W. As for the "controversial" ending, I disagree with people who say it is "the best ending ever" or "the worst ending ever." However, it was certainly memorable.

Agreed.

Stark contrast to the book, surprising to as I found the rest of the story fairly consistent.

I am in desperate need for a decent flick. The last 2 that I have watched have raised my blood pressure to unsafe levels. I need something that is a little abstract that maybe I haven't seen, but most importantly, I really need a quality horror flick to bring my spirits up. Help!

If anything else, we needed the bump.

"Storm Warning - Uncut Edition" was a nice surprise for me. Available from NetFlix.

Also, if you like "Fido" or "Shawn of the Dead" then "Dance of the Dead" might interest you.

I saw this one before my month of horror started, but would second this statement. Wasn't expecting much and it turned out to be a "fun" movie.

been so damn busy with family, work, 2 bands, haven't watched a single horror movie yet this october and I'm usually the one making my wife sit through them with me only because I can say it's the month of Halloween. gotta get the spook on! hm, I feel watching some classics like the Exorcist and The Omen. Maybe American Werewolf in London..

Bob, I loved "Inside"; see my review here. Did you watch the cut or the uncut version?

The version from Blockbuster is edited!

One of the few movies I've seen recently that I would classify as "uncomfortable" to watch.

I was very impressed. As I mentioned in an earlier post, between this and High Tension, the French have certainly impressed me lately.

Down, if you like French horror movies here are a couple of good ones:

Maléfique

Sheitan (Satan)

although these are not horror but Crime/Drama/Thriller they are pretty intense:

13 Tzameti

Haine, La

"Frontieres", yep that's another good one!

"Låt den rätte komma in" (Let The Right One In) - Sweden - This looks pretty good.

OK guys we've made it halfway through the month! I'm having so much fun with this, I might have trouble adjusting back to "normal" movies when the month is over! I am at 16 movies in 15 days.

Sorry I have to disagree about "Inside". I'm not saying it's a bad movie, not at all, but I think a little more could have been done with it. It seemed limited or something. I know part of the horror of the movie was the claustrophobic feel and simplicity of it all occurring in one location, so I don't necessarily mean it should have been "bigger" in that sense. But I wasn't really compelled by it, it did not capture my imagination or be as interesting as it could have been. Maybe the character of the pregnant woman could have been fleshed out a bit more (poor choice of words!) or something to add a more sympathetic human element to the story. I felt the same way about the movie "Hard Candy", which had a similar plot (a person being pursued/tortured in the confines of their home). I preferred "High Tension" to this.

I rented the Netflix version which is the uncut version.

If you find this or someplace to buy the DVD please let me know. This looks very interesting and it's already in the works for an American remake scheduled for 2010 with possible Matt Reeves, the director of Cloverfield attached.

Looks like a 24 Oct 08 limited US theater release with a DVD release possible in March 09.

Thanks. Storm Warning is officially in the queue.

Has anyone seen The Devil's Chair? Just wondering if it was any good.

I'm far from qualifying for the "challenge" but I did watch a horror movie over the weekend.

P2

Wasn't bad...had a unique setting (parking garage that was shutdown for a holiday period) but was pretty much just the typical slasher-chases-girl movie. If you're hungry for horror, it's probably worth a rental.