31 days of horror part 5: the Final Frontier.

[Jason C]

Despite Winona and Keanu, I find Bram Stoker's Dracula to be wildly entertaining and a visual treat. I adore that film.

[Newt Cox]

Back not long after it came out I knew piles of people that were huge fans of that Dracula film. I had found it to a be a nice looking mess since seeng it in a theater.

[Alex K.]

I think Winona's British accent is okay but I think it's regarded overall as a fascinating failure. Sandwiched between high camp and AAA Blockbuster prestige.

[Dom D]

I love how Mel Brooks was smart and targeted the over-rated Bram Stroker's Dracula film. I have never understood why Coppla's Dracula film is considered a good film. Honestly I rather watch Dracula Dead and Loving It than Bram Stroker's Dracula.

Is Bram Stokers Dracula generally rated as a good film?! I put it on every so often to enjoy Winnona and Keanu's "British" accents but I assumed everyone just enjoyed this for the stunning visuals and constant unintentional hilarity.

[Newt Cox]

TITLE-Dracula Dead and Loving It
SOURCE-DVD

As of this writing this is the last film directed by Mel Brooks. And sadly this film was a bomb and seems to be fairly hated.

Like how Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein was a homage and parody of the Universal Frankenstein films this film is a homage and parody of Universal's Dracula with Bela Lugosi.

Sure the film is a bit silly. But then it fits in perfectly with all the other screwball parodies of that era. Stuff like Hot Shots or the Naked Gun films. Speaking of Naked Gun,Dracula Dead and Loving It has Leslie Nelson as the lead. And the rest of the cast is a good mixture of known actors/actresses. People like Steven Webber,Amy Yasbeck and Harvey Korman.

What surprised me the first time I saw this movie was how bloody it is. Sure the blood letting is played for laughes. But wow the amount of blood in this film is a bit surprising.

I love how Mel Brooks was smart and targeted the over-rated Bram Stroker's Dracula film. I have never understood why Coppla's Dracula film is considered a good film. Honestly I rather watch Dracula Dead and Loving It than Bram Stroker's Dracula.

If you enjoyed movies like Airplane or Naked Gun and like horror movies this is a film that you gotta see. So far there is no Blu Ray release. But the DVD ,while out of print,isn't hard to find for cheap.

Dracula Dead and Loving It gets a B-.

Cody covered Birds II

[Ignatius]

Day 20: SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE II - Not as good as the original, of course, but there's something fascinating going on here and I can't tell if it's intentional. Essentially handing the reins over to the killer in the final stretch of the film, allowing him to sing, dance, preen, and make eyes at the camera, feels like a pointed comment about the way slasher films of the era tacitly pushed audiences into rooting for the villain. The amped-up goofy 'fun' of the climax is persistently undercut with a sharp cruelty that's quite jarring. Though it's always possible that this is all accidental, much like the homoerotic subtext of NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET PART II. The direction can be uneven, but first-timer Deborah Brock pulls off some fun sequences and moves things along energetically. Crystal Bernard gives a great lead performance, bringing an engaging depth to a character that could easily have been played too flat. As a whole the film is too messy to be truly great, but I think there's something more subversive lurking under the surface than people give it credit for. Or I could be reading too much into it.

Day 21: SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE III - Talk about a tonal shift. While it structurally resembles the previous two films, this is full-on brutal horror with a persistant sexual threat that's unlike anything the series previously dabbled in. Unfortunately it's also the weakest of the three films, suffering from poor characterisation, inconsistent acting, and less confident direction. Still worth watching nonetheless, as another very different take on a similar premise. Everything here is darker, colder, and nastier. There's a potentially interesting twist (that I called immediately) but the effectiveness is dampened by being both over-telegraphed and under-explained. Wish I'd noticed that Shout! had released this on Blu-Ray, as the open matte video master on their triple-pack DVD doesn't do the film any favours. Sidenote: one of the 2nd unit photographers was none other than Wally Pfister!

Day 22: GRIZZLY - Not very good, but certainly very watchable. Christopher George brings far more charisma than the film deserves, and the gory attack scenes are great. It's a pity Girdler doesn't make better use of the widescreen format, but there are a couple of nice shots here and there. Thankfully the ending is so gleefully stupid it wipes most of the mediocre aspects of the film out of your mind.

[Gary Banks]

The Cured-I gave up on this movie 58 minutes in. Dull and depressing semi zombie film.

Ercole al centro della terra-I'm considering this a first time watch since it is the Italian version of Hercules In The Haunted World and has about 5 minutes we haven't seen in the states. Whip And The Body has a wonderful lighting scheme and the one in this film is a knock out as well. I'm not huge Peplum fan, but this one is worth watching in all three versions. Will try to watch the US cut before the month ends.

1-Guru, The Mad Monk 2
2-House Of Evil 3
3-Starship Troopers 7.5
4-The Robot Vs The Aztec Mummy 4
5-Tarantula 7
6-Rodan 6.5
7-Horror Hotel 10
8-Castle Of Evil 7
9-et Mourir de Plaisir 8.5
10-Godzilla,KOTM(2019) 8
11-Shin Godzilla 8
12-Sinister Invasion 1
13-Secret Of The Blue Room 8
14-Evil Ep 1
15-Evil Ep 2
16-Thriller-Incredible Doktor Markesan
17-Violent Midnight 6
18-Pumpkinhead 5
19-Carnival Of Souls 9
20-Beast In The Cellar 6
21-Deranged 7
22-The Seventh Victim 9
23-the Cured 0.5
24-Ercole al centro della terra 9

[Newt Cox]

TITLE-Rocky Horror Picture Show
SOURCE-DVD

I was surprised when I realized I have never covered Rocky Horror as part of 31 days of horror. So today tossed in my DVD and watched the film for what has to be close to the 500th time.

I can still remember the first time I saw Rocky Horror. It was Halloween night I was 14 and we had just gotten back from taking some buddie's younger sisters trick or treating. Our plan was to eat some candy and stay up most of the night watching various horror movies we had rented from Homeport Video. My buddy Jason's older sister ,she was 17,came out of her bedroom in a crazy outfit. "Hey Tasha and I are going to the Silver Screen to see Rocky Horror. Do any of yall want to come?" I had heard of Rocky Horror,and remember this was a few years before it had any kind of home video release and I had a major crush on my buddy's sister. So I said I would go.

We get to the theater and the line went way down the block. Lots of people in costume. I knew the film was some kind of horror/comedy/musical mixture. And that it had a huge cult following but that was it. After the doors open we find some seats and a bit over an hour and half later I was sitting there amazed at what I had just seen.

Years later the Silver Screen had brought Rocky Horror back and was showing it every Friday and Saturday. And now there was a group of about 20 of us that went at least once every weekend. Most of my friends ended up being part of the shadowcast . So every Friday and Saturday after Rocky Horror was over a buddy would throw a party at his house.

For about a 3 year period I saw Rocky Horror in a theater at least once a week. At last count I had seen this film in a theater a bit over 200 times. Then I moved from MS to TX. And since then I haven't seen Rocky Horror in a theater.

Sure the local community theater shows Rocky Horror every year around Halloween. But they are just projecting a DVD. Plus they don't have a shadowcast. And want 15 a person to see it. If they were showing an actual film print I would be happy to pay that price. But if I am gonna watch the dvd and with no shadowcast I might as well watch it at my house.

So what is the film about? The plot is prety simple. Heading home after two friends of theirs got married,Brad and Janet have car trouble. So they brave the horrible storm and goto a nearby castle to see if they can use the phone to call for a repair man.

At the castle there is a huge party going on. And Dr Frank N Furter is going to reveal his newest experiment. He has created a man,with blonde hair and a tan. YOU CALL THAT A TAN? And from that simple premise this film goes all over the place.

The film is based on a UK play that became a huge hit.So 20th Century Fox decided to take this play that had become a hit in the UK and the US into a film. The film bombed big time. But then over the course of a few years it became a huge cult hit thanks to many midnight screenings.

I have now seen the play. Which is a bit different from the film. And even watched the made for TV remake from a few years ago. And earlier this year I got the play's soundtrack on CD.

If you are a fan of sci fi/horror/cult cinema from the 50s and 60s there is so many references and homages to films of that era in this movie/play. It is really a love letter to that era of cinema.

Then you got the amazing songs from the film. Thanks to seeing the film so many times I know every word to every song in the soundtrack. Hell I know most of the lines from the film.

Anyways if you have never seen Rocky Horror Picture Show find a theater near you that is showing it. Sure you can find the blu ray or dvd fairly easy and watch it that way.But seeing it in your living room is a very different experience than seeing it in a packed theater. A theater full of people that have seen it multiple times. Then you also get the people that dress up as the character and act the film out in front of the movie screen. Seeing Rocky Horror in a theater is a one of the kind experience.

Rocky Horror Picture Show gets a A.

COdy covered Memorial Valley Massacre

[Newt Cox]

Why is it that 9.9 times out of 10 when you watch a flick that gets good reviews the best you can say is "Yeah, it was pretty good." You know? It's a flick you watch once or twice in your lifetime and that's it. Are we too unfair? Is it too difficult to make something truly remarkable? Does every great filmmaker have a limited reservoir in genius about them?

I dunno. Re-watched The Abandoned. And I like this one, but at the end of the day it's just "pretty good."

I need to see that movie. Bought the DVD back in 2008,intending on watching it that week at work. And just never watched it.

Watched Ernest Scared Stupid with a few friends earlier. This was the first time i noticed that some of the trolls near the end of the film are just slightly modified KIller Klowns. But the Chiodo brothers created the creatures in this film too.

[Mark Tolch]

It's probably the exception to the rule, but IT FOLLOWS is a recent film that holds up to revisits for me. Since seeing it in the theater I've probably seen it 6 more times. That one has legs, I find new things to appreciate with each viewing.,

I've seen that one twice, I thought it had some great atmosphere. The Nintendo Pool Boss Fight fucked it up for me, ultimately, but pretty awesome for the first half, anyway.

[Andrew Monroe]

It's probably nostalgia for me, but I haven't seen a film in at least 10 years that I've been inclined to watch more than twice.

It's probably the exception to the rule, but IT FOLLOWS is a recent film that holds up to revisits for me. Since seeing it in the theater I've probably seen it 6 more times. That one has legs, I find new things to appreciate with each viewing.,

[Mark Tolch]

Why is it that 9.9 times out of 10 when you watch a flick that gets good reviews the best you can say is "Yeah, it was pretty good." You know? It's a flick you watch once or twice in your lifetime and that's it. Are we too unfair? Is it too difficult to make something truly remarkable? Does every great filmmaker have a limited reservoir in genius about them?

I dunno. Re-watched The Abandoned. And I like this one, but at the end of the day it's just "pretty good."

It's probably nostalgia for me, but I haven't seen a film in at least 10 years that I've been inclined to watch more than twice.

[Alex K.]

Why is it that 9.9 times out of 10 when you watch a flick that gets good reviews the best you can say is "Yeah, it was pretty good." You know? It's a flick you watch once or twice in your lifetime and that's it. Are we too unfair? Is it too difficult to make something truly remarkable? Does every great filmmaker have a limited reservoir in genius about them?

I dunno. Re-watched The Abandoned. And I like this one, but at the end of the day it's just "pretty good."

[Newt Cox]

LOL forgot to post mine from the 20th.



TITLE-RL Stine's Goosebumps 3-Pack Thriller
SOURCE-Schoolastic DVDs

Yep I have another 3 pack of Goosebump DVDs. When I picked up the set I reviewed yesterday I also got this set. Unlike the previous set this one I forgot I had. Right after I bought it I loaned it out to some friends. And just got it back a few weeks ago. Like the previous set this is just a repackaging of Goosebump DVDs. Unlike the previous set each DVD in this set has 3 episodes on each DVD.

The first DVD is titled Attack of the Jack-O'-Lanterns. The first episode is of course titled Attack of the Jack O Lanterns. Lee and Tabby love scaring their friends each Halloween. But this Halloween four of their friends plan on scaring the hell out of Lee and Tabby. Being a episode of Goosebumps of course this backfires. Everyone is going to be scared this Halloween. The idea for this episode is a neat one. Everyone can remember trying to scare your friends and family on Halloween night. Sadly the acting and FX work in this episode are subpar. Maybe the budget was lower for the episode,which would explain why the FX work isn't up to the level of most episodes of Goosebumps. But wow the 6 main kids in this episode are just horrible actors and actresses. I doubt I ever watch this episode again.

The next episode is titled Vampire Breath.Cara and Freddy Renfield,I love their last name,find a hidden door in their home. This door leads them to a underground cave. The cave is full of bats...VAMPIRE BATS!!! Sure the premise is something that has been done to death. Cara is a damn good actress and manages to take a story that everyone with even a passing interest in horror fiction has seen before and makes it worth seeing again. The FX work is really good. So good it makes me think they went over budget with it so took some of the money budgeted for the FX work for the previous episode.

Final episode on this DVD is Let's Get Invisible.Noah and his best friend Max find a dark and mysterious mirror.This mirror has supernatural powers. It can make Max and Noah invisible. Of course being an episode of Goosebumps the evil mirror makes it where they can't control being invisible. This episode of one of the ones I know I saw years ago when Fox Family was reruning Goosebumps. I love the invisbile effect.

Up next is the disc titled The Headless Ghost.And yep you guessed it the first episode is The Headless Ghost.In Hill House,a dark haunted house,Steph and Duanne meet a headless ghost. The ghost is 13 years old and if our two leads can't help him find his head he will just have to take one of their heads. Normally I find most episodes of Goosebumps to be creepy. This episode is actually pretty scary. I am a bit surprised how dark and scary it is when the show was aimed at kids ages 6 to 12. It is the only episode I have seen of Goosebumps that I would recommend not showing to younger kids. It might cause them to have nightmares.

Second episode is titled Awesome Ants.Dave has a ant farm he loves. These two boys start feeding the ants real food. This has an unexpected side effect which causes the ants to start growing. And now Dave has to figure out how to deal with his growing,see what I did there,problem of giant ants. Really there is nothing scary or spooky about Awesome Ants. Sometimes there was an episode of Goosebumps that just totally misses the mark and this is one of them. Dave and Ben are fairly decent actors. The FX of the ants is well done. But the whole thing just falls flat. Awesome Ants is another episode of Goosebumps that I do not see myself watching again.

The final episode of this DVD is Teacher's Pet.Becca is so happy that she is getting to go on an overnight nature retreat for science class. Expecting to have a fun time checking out all the wildlife and learning more about nature. Then she starts to question if she will survive this trip or end up being food for a bunch of snakes. Man this is another episode that isn't spooky. I get the feeling if I had seen this as a kid I would have enjoyed it. But as a adult it just has nothing to keep my interest. While watching it I was constantly checking to see how much time was left. That is never a good sign. Oh well not every episode can be a winner.

The third and final DVD in the set is The Scarecrow Walks at Midnight. Which of course has up first the episode titled The Scarecrow Walks at Midnight.Jodie and Mark are at their grandparent's farm,what is it about Goosebumps and grandparents having spooky homes? The kids realize their is something odd going on at the farm. Then it gets odder when a dozen new scarecrows show up. And these 12 scarecrows have more in mind than just scaring crows. I have always found scarecrows to be creepy. The scarecrows in this episode are uber creepy and add a lot to the episode.

Don't Go to Sleep is up next.Matt is not happy with his family. He wishes they were different. But after a nap in the attic he awakens to find to be careful what you wish for. Cause now his family is very very different. This is another Goosebumps episode that takes a old trope,this time they managed to take that trope and make it interesting again.

The final episode of this DVD and the last one on the set is Calling All Creeps.Ricky thinks he is super smart when he puts a mean annoying girl's phone number into a personal ad. Of course this backfires on him. Ricky starts to get scary midnight calls. While this isn't the worst episode of Goosebumps I have seen it is very very far from the best. Pretty much it is a very middle of the road episode. With nothing about it standing out.

This set wasn't as good as the one I covered yesterday. Too many of the episodes are pretty forgettable. And the best episode isn't as good as the best one on the previous set. Add in that the previous set had 10 total episodes and this one only has 9. Sure that is only a one episode difference. Still maybe if they had added another episode it might have been a really good one.

Goosebumps 3 Pack Thriller DVD set gets a B-.

[Newt Cox]

TITLE-School Spirit
SOURCE-Hulu

Back in early October 2018 Blumhouse signed a deal with Hulu. Each month a new horror film would premiere on Hulu as part of the Into the Dark tv show. I had been adding them each month to my watchlist...then never watching them. Plus rarely see anyone talking about them. So when I saw the above poster for the August release School Spirit I gave it a shot.

5 teens are in weekend detention the first weekend of their senior year of high school. It is your basic Breakfast Club stereotypes. With the big mystery being why Erika,the uber smart Harvard bound young lady,is in detention.

Fairly early on the teacher in charge of the bunch of kids leaves,seems he is a drunk and spends most of the film in his office stalking his ex-wife on Facebook.Once he leaves the kids get a bit rowdy. We find out that a supposed ghost is killing and kidnapping 2 students each year.

Then the kids stupidly split up and one by one get taken out by the School Spirit. Some OK kills. But nothing ground breaking. Just like the lead actors/actresses. Erika is the best of the group and she is a bit above average. The nerdy guy ,who SPOILERS is the killer,is the second best. Even if he over acts about half the time and by the 15 minute mark it is pretty obvious he is the killer.

What brought this above you average modern slasher is the few twists at the ending. We find out Erika is in detention and almost got expelled cause she tried to bribe a teacher to change some A-s to As. But the big shocker is when after killing the killer is that she cheats all the time and isn't the innocent young lady everyone thinks she is.

Now this isn't a film I would buy. But it is worth seeing if you have Hulu. The kills are decent. OK acting and there is enough twists and changes to the standard slasher tropes that this is an interesting view to even some one that has seen piles of slashers.


School Spirit gets a C+

Cody covered Terrorvision