I've continued knocking movies off my list, but haven't had time to post reviews until now. It was quite the weekend fellas, as I was treated to some great horror that I hadn't seen before. Counting the movie I plan to watch tonight, I'm all caught up with my plan for 31 in 31...............
15. House of Dark Shadows (1970)- {2.5/5} Blu-ray (FTV) This one is a movie based on the gothic soap opera, Dark Shadows. Jonathan Frid plays Barnabas Collins, who is a vampire who had been mistakenly released from the coffin he was imprisoned in. He then searches for a cure for his affliction and attempts to find a bride to spend eternity with while at the same time feeding off the various inhabitants in the Collinswood mansion. To me, this movie was inconsistent. There were some really cool scenes with entertaining kills and great atmosphere but the day-for-night scenes were poorly done and the story was not cohesive. For example, several characters appeared in the movie without any sort of explanation of who they were. Even though these things may have been covered in the soap opera, it makes better sense to provide somewhat of a back story when creating the movie. Taking the good with the bad, it was an okay watch that may have me watching the sequel at some point in the future.
16. Visiting Hours (1982)- {4.25/5} Netflix Streaming (FTV) This slasher is about a misogynistic, serial killer who sets his sights on a female TV journalist who campaigns for women’s rights. It stars Michael Ironside as the killer and Lee Grant and Linda Purl as the female leads. William Shatner is also onboard in a supporting role. All of the acting was on point, but Michael Ironside definitely steals the show with his Shining-esque performance. He plays the part of a psychotic killer to perfection as he slashes his way through various unsuspecting victims trying to get back to Deborah Ballin (Grant), who he had already critically wounded when he attacked her in her home. This movie was a nice little surprise as I was simply looking for something on Netflix to watch on Saturday morning. Despite my hatred for watching horror during the daytime, I had a great time with this flick. There were a number of great scenes with some genuinely tense and scary moments and even though it was entirely too easy for the killer to get away with what he was doing, I just didn’t care. This movie was too much fun to worry about the holes. Highly recommended folks!
17. Sleepy Hollow (1999)- {4.5/5} HD DVD First things first. This one is likely going to make it on my list to watch every October. Despite the great performances and fun overall story, this one is all about atmosphere. It absolutely oozes Halloween with all the amazing sets, cinematography and score thanks to Tim Burton and the crew. Depp’s hilarious quirkiness paired with Christopher Walken as the horseman and even Miranda Richardson as Lady Van Tassel make for an awesome adaptation of the Washington Irving story. There was some great well-placed humor in the script to go along with the entertaining decapitations and dark overall story. This is a repeat from Horrorfest 2008 and the decision was made to bump my rating up a full point. Not sure what I was thinking 6 years ago, but this is a wonderful movie that deserves to be on everyone’s short list when looking for movies to watch in October.
18. Afflicted (2013)- {4.5/5} Blu-ray (FTV) This one is another found footage movie detailing the travels of a man who is on a 1-year trek around the world. It just so happens that he recently found out that he has a brain abnormality that could prove to be lethal if he does not have immediate access to medical treatment if/when an emergency occurs. Of course, he goes on his quest anyway and he enlists his good friend Clif (and film enthusiast) to film the entire thing to post on his blog. It stars Derek Lee and Clif Prowse who not only play themselves in the movie but who also wrote and directed the movie together. The heart of the movie starts with Derek’s one night stand with a random woman in Paris and the sequence of events that occur afterward that lead to Derek being completely consumed by a mysterious “affliction”. This movie has a lot of shaky cam, so if that bothers you, you may want to skip it. For all others though, who want to treat themselves to one of the most entertaining movies of its kind, I highly recommend seeking this one out. All I can say is Wow!, what a unique twist on a familiar genre (don't want to give too much away). I loved everything about this movie including the acting and especially the special effects and makeup. It may remind people a little of PA: The Marked Ones but hang with it as it goes in a different direction. So far, this one tops my FTV list this year. Oh, and if you decide to watch this movie, (it’s highly recommended that you do) stay with it through the credits for a nice little extra scene. Thanks for the heads up Darth!!
19. Bedevilled (2010)- {4/5} Blu-ray (FTV) This one is about a woman (Hae-won) from Seoul who is placed on administrative leave from her bank job so she decides to set out for a remote island to visit a friend that she met there during her childhood. When she arrives, she notices that her friend is severely abused and mistreated by her husband and his close family and friends. As her vacation progresses, her friend eventually asks Hae-won to take her and her daughter with her when she goes back to Seoul. She cites the history of abuse as the reason for why she needed to leave. Hae-won balks at the idea, so her friend attempts to leave the island with her daughter on her own. The movie progresses very slowly and even though there are some disturbing things going on (abuse, incest, rape) the movie doesn’t really get going until Hae-won’s friend decides to take matters into her own hands after she and her daughter are severely beaten for trying to leave the island. The subsequent kills are very satisfying and there is a lot of blood spilled as she methodically obtains her revenge. Despite the slow start, this one ends up being quite the experience to watch.
OG October Horrorfest Contributor
Last edited by ApolloCreed; 10-21-2014 at 12:00 PM.