31 Days of Horror 2022 edition can't think of a catchy subtitle

[f.ramses]

lol, I watched so many movies this October that after 1 movie yesterday the BD-RW drive in my HTPC died. Already replaced it with one that can possibly read UHDs after a firmware downgrade though.

[Darcy Parker]

My final one for this year was this obscure anime:

It was great, but sadly all the was ever produced are the two OVA episodes in the youtube video.

[f.ramses]

10/31
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1980)
The Midnight Hour
The Devil Rides Out
The Night of the Sorcerers
The WNUF Halloween Special
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1949)

At this point The WNUF Halloween Special has pretty much become a Halloween staple, it's a fairly recent movie but one that is already a classic in my mind!

Hope everyone had a great Halloween!

[Gary Banks]

I'm pretty sure that I'm done, unless I can't sleep and get up to toss another one on the fire.
OCTOBER 2022

001-Castle Of Blood **** Sinister Cinema dvd-r
002-In Search Of Dracula ** Kino bd
003-Dawn Of The Dead(78) **** bd
004-Carnival Of Sinners * TCM recording
005-The Whip and The Body ***1/2 Midnight Choir dvd-r
006-Panic In Year Zero! ** bd
007-Doctor Blood's Coffin *1/2 MGM dvd-r
008-Ladron De Cadaveres ** bd
009-Castle Of Evil **1/2 dvd-r of vhs
010-From Dusk To Dawn Season One ack! dvd
011-Whoever Slew Auntie Roo *1/2 bd
012-Curse Of Frankenstein (1:37:1)**** bd
013-Tales Of Frankenstein **1/2 bd
014-War Of The Planets** TCM recording
015-I Drink Your Blood ** BD
016-Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things **** bd
017-Tales From The Crypt Season One *1/2 dvd
018-Deathmaster **1/2 dvd
019-Planet Of The Vampires *** Old Kino bd
020-Night of the Demon (UK 1957) **** bd
021-Black Sabbath **** bd
022-I,Vampiri ***1/2 bd
023-Mark Of The Vampire *** bd
024-Dracula Vs Frankenstein (71) **bd
025-Mill Of The Stone Women ****bd
026-Beast of The Yellow Night ***1/2 bd
027-Creature With The Blue Hand *** dvd
028-Brain Of Blood ** BD
029-Star Crash * bd
030-The Poughkeepsie Tapes *** dvd
031-Dracula (58) **** UK bd
032-The Land That Time Forgot ** bd
033-The Murder Clinic *** German bd
034-The Strange Door **1/2 bd
035-I Walked With A Zombie **** dvd
036-Village of the Damned (60) **** bd
037-Alice, Sweet Alice ** TCM
038-The Black Abbot **** German bd
039-Willy's Wonderland Ack! Ack! Ack! bd
040-Dead Of Night (1945) **** bd
041-Master of Horror *** bd
042-An Evening of Edgar Allan Poe ***1/2 bd
043-Black Pit of Dr M **** dvd
044-Werewolf Vs Vampire Woman (87 minute) ***
045-The Man Who Saw Frankenstein Cry **1/2
046-Die, Monster, Die ***
047-Hand Of Death *1/2
048-City of the Dead (Horror Hotel) ****
049-Haxan *1/2
050-House Of Dark Shadows ***
051-Curse Of the Doll People (US) **1/2
052-The Werewolf and The Yeti ***
053-Mad Doctor Of Blood Island ***

[BW Haggar]

Closed out October with...

#37
Dawn of the Dead
(George A. Romero, 1978)

First time watching the 'Cannes cut'.

At this rate, I'll have finished off all the extras and bumpf on my Second Sight 'Dawn..' box set by about.. 2026?

Happy Halloween everybody, it's been fun.

A++

[Newt Cox]

Day 31 Orphan First Kill




TITLE-Orphan First Kill



SOURCE-Paramount Plus




Normally I don't review a film for 31 days of Horror the year of their release. Wanting to give me time to at least watch the movie a few times. Orphan First Kill is an exception. Cause since it hit Paramount Plus earlier this year I have watched it 4 times.

Back when it hit DVD I blind bought The Orphan and really enjoyed it. So when I heard a prequel was being made many years later I wasn't sure if it would be good.Boy was I wrong.

Set years before the first film,this film shows us how Esther got started pretending to be a kid and killing people. And what a start. Less than 10 minutes into the film we are getting some very graphic over the top kills.

Esther gets taken in by a family that think she is the husband's missing sister. And over the course of the film we get so many twists.

Sure you know going into the film that Esther can't die. With this being a prequel. But even with that restriction the film manages to be as much fun as the first film.

What surprised me the most is how they managed to make the actress playing Esther to look 11. When she made the first film she was really close to the age she was playing. But now years later she is in her mid 20s. But by doing all kinds of tricks they make it appear that she is still a pre-teen.Like how most of the cast wore platform shoes so they were taller than Esther. And how thru lighting and make up they made Isabell Fuhrman look younger than she is.

From what I have seen and read this film was a hit. So hoping we get another entry in this franchise.




Orphan First Kill gets a B+


Cody covers The Devil's backbone
http://codysfilmandtvblog.blogspot.c...o-del.html?m=1

[BW Haggar]

#35
Danza Macabra ['Castle of Blood']
(Antonio Margheriti, 1964)

Using the original title here because I watched a download I picked up somewhere of the less frequently screened Italian language version. Looks pretty good!

You know the score here I'm sure; a massive overdose of full strength creepitude and barely repressed, raging eroticism. One of the best.

A


#36
White Zombie
(Victor Halperin, 1932)

Whenever I've seen this one in the past (on VHS, or theatrical screenings of old prints) it's looked like a ghost of a movie -- a kind of barely present remnant of something long forgotten, with detail and dialogue lost way off in the distance. Which kind of suits it, in a way.

Revisiting it via Kino's blu-ray, it finally feels like a proper movie, which was shot by people on sets, with cameras, and is now being presented here for us to watch.

This also suits it, because, for a low budget independent movie made in America in 1932, some of the visuals and camera-work here are absolutely stunning. There are honestly some bits which would have fitted in just fine in a Bava or Freda movie thirty years later.

I particularly enjoy the final act, in which almost everyone has been zombified or drugged to some extent, and it takes on that weirdo somnambulant vibe I tend to associate with arty European horror of this period (cf: 'Vampir', or Epstein's '..House of Usher'), but presented here in a context of pure, lurid pulp.

Most of the plot and acting might be eye-rolling silent serial fluff (tho Bela is great of course), but atmos is off the charts.

A-

[f.ramses]

10/30
Zeder
Primal Rage (1988)
Trick or Treats
The Death Kiss (1932)
The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires
Attack of the Cockface Killer
Horror Hotel
Carnival of Souls

[Gary Banks]

OCTOBER 2022

001-Castle Of Blood **** Sinister Cinema dvd-r
002-In Search Of Dracula ** Kino bd
003-Dawn Of The Dead(78) **** bd
004-Carnival Of Sinners * TCM recording
005-The Whip and The Body ***1/2 Midnight Choir dvd-r
006-Panic In Year Zero! ** bd
007-Doctor Blood's Coffin *1/2 MGM dvd-r
008-Ladron De Cadaveres ** bd
009-Castle Of Evil **1/2 dvd-r of vhs
010-From Dusk To Dawn Season One ack! dvd
011-Whoever Slew Auntie Roo *1/2 bd
012-Curse Of Frankenstein (1:37:1)**** bd
013-Tales Of Frankenstein **1/2 bd
014-War Of The Planets** TCM recording
015-I Drink Your Blood ** BD
016-Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things **** bd
017-Tales From The Crypt Season One *1/2 dvd
018-Deathmaster **1/2 dvd
019-Planet Of The Vampires *** Old Kino bd
020-Night of the Demon (UK 1957) **** bd
021-Black Sabbath **** bd
022-I,Vampiri ***1/2 bd
023-Mark Of The Vampire *** bd
024-Dracula Vs Frankenstein (71) **bd
025-Mill Of The Stone Women ****bd
026-Beast of The Yellow Night ***1/2 bd
027-Creature With The Blue Hand *** dvd
028-Brain Of Blood ** BD
029-Star Crash * bd
030-The Poughkeepsie Tapes *** dvd
031-Dracula (58) **** UK bd
032-The Land That Time Forgot ** bd
033-The Murder Clinic *** German bd
034-The Strange Door **1/2 bd
035-I Walked With A Zombie **** dvd
036-Village of the Damned (60) **** bd
037-Alice, Sweet Alice ** TCM
038-The Black Abbot **** German bd
039-Willy's Wonderland Ack! Ack! Ack! bd
040-Dead Of Night (1945) **** bd
041-Master of Horror *** bd
042-An Evening of Edgar Allan Poe ***1/2 bd
043-Black Pit of Dr M **** dvd
044-Werewolf Vs Vampire Woman (87 minute) ***
045-The Man Who Saw Frankenstein Cry **1/2
046-Die, Monster, Die ***
047-Hand Of Death *1/2
048-City of the Dead (Horror Hotel) ****

[Newt Cox]

Tonight was Revealer, a Shudder exclusive. Meh.

We watched it last month. Wasnt bad wasnt great.


Day 30 Alone in the Dark(1982)




TITLE-Alone in the Dark(1982)



SOURCE-DVD-r made off the old Image DVD release

Now this is a 80s slasher I had never seen until earlier this year. CodyLL of Cody's blog,check the link list on the right,had gotten the Scream Factory Blu Ray of the film and offered to mail me the old DVD-r of the film.

Sure I had heard of this film,and even seen a small clip that was shown in Terror in the Aisles,which like this film has Donald Pleaseance. But never saw Alone in the Dark on VHS,never saw it airing on Cable. Hell I didn't even know of the movie until about 20 years ago. Feels like this is a forgotten slasher which is odd.

It is odd cause it has a big cast of stars. Sure Donald Pleaseance is in piles of horror films,but this also has Jack Palance and Martin Landeau. Plus while he isn't a huge star not long after this film he became a big tv star thanks to A-team,Dwight Schultz.

Donald helps run an insane asylum. Jack,Martin and 2 others are in the dangerous ward. Where they are kept locked up by electronically controlled doors. A Dwight is the new head of the place. Which angers our 4 mentally ill people cause they no longer have Donald there to help them.

So one night when the power goes out these 4 escape and steal a van and head towards Dwight's new home. Where his young daughter is.

In Terror in the Aisles there is a scene with Martin in a van following a deliveryman on a bike. Martin talks about how he wants the man's hat. And ever since I first saw Terror in the Aisles I loved this scene. Landau comes off as not only crazy but pure evil.Using this hat Martin goes to Dwight's home,pretending to be delivering a telegram. Dwight ain't home.

There is a great scene where lots of the town is looting a local shopping center,what else do you do when the power goes out. See one of the escapees is known as the Bleeder. Because he has nose bleeds often. He also always keeps his face hidden. Which leads to a twist near the end of the film. And one of the 4 escapees has on a hockey mask. And rips a dude's throat out with a garden trowel. Not sure but I think this came out a year before Friday the 13th part 3,so this might be the first slasher to have a killer in a hockey mask.

Now this isn't an amazing film. But it is way better than I expected. It has this weird sleazy feel to it. Which is really evident in scenes like when the one member of the crazies,who is know for attacking kids,is alone in Dwight's home with the young daughter.

The picture and sound on this DVD-r ain't bad. It looks like a decent DVD. Colors and light levels always look decent. Huge thanks to Cody for supplying me with this copy of the film.

Overall Alone in the Dark is a early 80s slasher I would figure would be a much bigger deal. You got a great cast. It has a neat premise I hadn't seen in other films of the sub genre. And it has that weird feel to the movie.

Alone in the Dark gets a B.

And Cody covers The Babadook
http://codysfilmandtvblog.blogspot.c...-2014.html?m=1

[James Reed]

Last night in the wee hours of the morning, despite some noise from cars and trains (which caused me to pause the movie a couple times), I streamed Don't Be Afraid of the Dark 2010. Yes, many years ago I watched the made-for-TV version, but I forgot about most of it. This version has two popular stars (Guy Pearce, Katie Holmes) along with a cute kid (Bailee Madison), and some gore that wouldn't be seen on a TV movie. A divorced dad and his new girlfriend are renovating an old house. They invite the dad's young daughter to visit them. Predictably, the little girl doesn't like dad's new girl and wants to go back to mom. Then she hears some voices in the vents of the house saying they want to be her friends! I did come across at least one plot hole. When Sally (Madison) is taking a bath, the gremlins use a hook to turn off the light. Sally steps out of the tub and puts on a bathrobe. Apparently there is water still in the tub. But when the gremlins chase her back and she falls into the tub, it's empty. Still, despite how predictable everything is, I liked it. I give it three stars.

[BW Haggar]

#32
Frankenstein Created Woman
(Terence Fisher, 1967)

I know that '..Must Be Destroyed' is usually the critics choice, but this remains my favourite entry in the Hammer Frankenstein series.

I'll refrain from blathering on about it, but hey, why not google up Martin Scorcese waxing lyrical about it instead? Always worth a read.

Random memory:

The blu-ray has a commentary track with Jonathan Rigby talking to Derek Fowlds and the other actors who play the gang of bully-boys in the film, and there's a bit where Rigby reads them Scorcese's thoughts on the film's grand metaphysical significance. There's a pause for a few beats, and then...

"HE, said THAT, about THIS?"

(another pause)

"I wish I'd have known, I would've asked him for a job."

Really cracked me up.

A


#33
Taste The Blood of Dracula
(Peter Sasdy, 1970)

Likewise, although I've gained a whole new respect for the '58 original in the past few years, and I appreciate '..Prince of Darkness' a lot more than I used to, this is still my pick for the best Christopher Lee Dracula movie.

Sasdy's direction has real punch, the performances are all just great, and above all, the idea of Dracula inspiring these prim, Victorian young ladies with ever-more-plunging necklines to rebel against their hypocritical arsehole fathers is just too delightful to resist; a complete 180 on the moral universe of Fisher's films, and very much pre-empting the kind of hi-jinks Linda Hayden would go on to get up to in 'Blood on Satan's Claw' a year or two later.

A

[f.ramses]

10/28
Two Thousand Maniacs!

10/29
City of the Living Dead
Dawn of the Dead (1978, theatrical)
Zombie
The Beyond
Ghosthouse 4: The House of Witchcraft
The House with the Laughing Windows

[Darcy Parker]

Tonight was Revealer, a Shudder exclusive. Meh.

[Newt Cox]

Day 29 Mass Hysteria




TITLE-Mass Hysteria



SOURCE-Shudder Streaming

Been close to 4 years now I have had Shudder. Sometimes I got months without watching anything on it. Then I will watch nothing but stuff off it for weeks.

I was looking for something short,knowing I was busy today. Saw this was 66 minutes and that is perfect. Sure that is not really even feature length,I've always been told a film has to hit 70 minutes to be feature length. So yea I get it if some claim this isn't a feature film. But I have covered shit of similar length like episodes of Masters of Horror.

And that is what this feels like. What if Masters of Horror stayed on the air and this is season 9. I loved Masters of Horror and damn it Mass Hysteria is a fucking fun and well made film. That cause of it's odd length I bet is forgotten soon.

Paige is a actress who just booked her first role in a major production in NYC. Currently she is doing the Halloween season in Salem Mass as part of the witch trial re-enactments.

It's her last night. She does what she has done for years now each night and accuses someone in the crowd of being a witch. Then curses them. But this time the frat jock douchebag she picks fucking dies.

Causing all these drunk college kids to believe Paige is a real witch and the rrest of the film is her and the rest of the acting group on the run from these morons.

Sure you see a few things through out the film that hint that there might be more to the people trying to kill Paige,a rash on a few hands. But a major twist at the end causes that to be handwaved away.

This being 66 minutes I doubt you see it much on cable. Not much woould have to be cut to make it playable on cable. I see this just kind of being forgotten,if it is even known now.

Mass Hysteria gets A-

Cody covers Let the Right one in
http://codysfilmandtvblog.blogspot.c...t-den.html?m=1