31 Days of Horror X: 2024 Edition

[f.ramses Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close f.ramses]

10/18
062 - The Haunting (1999)
063 - The Haunting (1963)

The 1999 The Haunting is a ridiculous movie with poor effects that is not a very good remake of the original. This time around though I didn't think of it in relation to the original and just looked at it like a silly b-movie and it was a pretty good time. That's how a lot of the movie feels, silly or just stupid. Even when Evelyn is addressing a ghost that everyone can see she still sounds silly and delusional. Lots of good laughs and I do like pretty much any "haunted house" stuff, even if it often looks like it's from a video game or something, so there was that too. My most enjoyable viewing of the movie!
Not much to say about the original 1963 The Haunting, it's a classic that might have gotten watched on Halloween had I not felt like doing original(s) + remake(s) (or remake(s) + original(s)...) this year.

[Vincent Dawn Jr Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Vincent Dawn Jr]

Night #18 - Slumber Party Massacre

Back in the day I watched USA Up All Night and later Joe Bob Briggs Monster Vision religiously, so I was surprised I had never seen this film. It totally seems like the kind of flick those programs would feature. Maybe they did and I just don't remember, but this 1982 slasher film is awesome enough that I think it would've made an indelible impression on my teenage mind.

Produced by Roger Corman and directed by Amy Jones (who would go on to direct the romcom hit Mystic Pizza), this is top tier slasher fare, in my opinion. It came out on the heels of Halloween and Friday the 13th, and while it may not be as universally popular as those two films, in many ways it's every bit as good. The script, special effects and acting are all on par with the aforementioned genre heavyweights. However, the main drawback with SPM is the villain--he's just too clean cut. If they didn't want to go with another masked killer, OK understandable, but this dude is just not imposing enough. Stick a hulking beast like George Eastman in the role, or the ominous wraith Billy Drago, and it'd be a huge improvement.

The female protagonists are all attractive with natural looks and bodies. While there is a fair amount of T&A on display, the ladies aren't portrayed as bimbos. When faced with danger, they don't become blubbering idiots nor do they inexplicably turn into superhuman asskickers. They are capable young women who are into pot, pizza and porno mags. They acknowledge their fear, but push past it to protect themselves and each other, while running around in their underwear.

Rating: 8/10

[Newt Cox Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Newt Cox]

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Day 19 the Dentist

Hadn't seen this since it had hit HBO back in the mid 90s. Mostly cause saw it with my now ex wife and always try to avoid anything that reminds me of her.

Then got the Vestron Blu ray and remembered how much fun this is. Great gore. And anything messing with teeth gets to me. Good acting and a neat premise.

[Cody Layne Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Cody Layne]

Day 19: Leatherface (2017). I wasn’t at all keen on the idea of ANOTHER Texas Chainsaw Massacre prequel, this one to the original. That said, while I don’t love this movie, and I think that, like The Beginning, it doesn’t quite succeed in the story it’s trying to tell, but I think it’s probably the most well-made one since the 2003 remake.

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[BW Haggar Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close BW Haggar]

Saturday night Hammer double bill!

#21
The Reptile
(John Gilling, 1966)

For me, this one will always live in the shadow of ‘Plague of the Zombies’ (which remains my favourite / most-watched Hammer film), but it's still a rock solid bit of British horror business.

Like most of John Gilling’s films, it’s extremely well constructed and seriously played, with a persistent tone of cynicism, suspicion and menace, despite the simplistic / silly premise. In fact, if anyone was ever lucky enough to see this without reading the title or looking at the promotional materials, the first half builds up into quite an intriguing mystery, climaxing in an extremely effective shock sequence when the Reptile Woman first makes her appearance.

And, contrary to many fans/critics, I actually think the monster make up here works really well here, especially when seen in a series of quick cuts, and combined with some excellent, sinuous body-acting from the woman wearing the suit. (I’m unsure whether it was actually actress Jacqueline Pierce, or a stunt person.)

Also of course, I love the mouldy, humid, green-saturated atmosphere, the total absence of any of the usual doctors / police / authority figures to ground our lost and desperate characters, and best of all - probably Michael Ripper’s biggest part in a Hammer film, and naturally he aces it.

A-


#22
To The Devil a Daughter
(Peter Sykes, 1976)

It’s been many, many years since I last watched this one.

Didn’t like it at all on first viewing several decades ago, but since then I’ve read so many people taking an “it’s not all that bad” / “it deserves to be re-evaluated” kind of stance, I’m long overdue in giving it another shot.

I wish I could join those voices, but sorry - no dice. This is an absolute fucking disaster.

As per usual, Christopher Wicking’s script begins by mixing up about five unconnected storylines and basically makes no sense at all - but, unlike his earlier efforts, it does so in a way which is extremely *boring*, to the extent that we basically just don’t even care how this all fits together, and then just kind of shrug in a “yeah, well, obviously” type way when we eventually find out.

Despite fronting like a big, international horror blockbuster in the lineage of ‘The Exorcist’ and ‘The Omen’, it basically all just feels tawdry and second rate, and most of the ‘name’ actors (I hesitate to say ‘stars’) look embarrassed or confused (much in the manner of a Harry Alan Towers film or similar).

The portrayal of Satanism / devil worship is ridiculous, that demon baby thing is just absolutely fucking absurd (looks like it escaped from some lower budget Hong Kong horror movie a decade later - which I wish I was watching instead), and the various bits of gory / sexual material, though admittedly pretty envelope-pushing at the time, are just too stupid, prurient and poorly executed to make much of an impact.

Oh, and I know we’re all very much sex positive / pro-nudity on this forum, but - naked, under-aged Nastassja Kinski? Really bad idea. You can almost picture the producers just off camera, begging her to get her kit off, telling her it’s in her contract etc. Pretty gross.

The whole film is flatly directed and photographed, TV movie style, full of leering, ugly POV close-ups, and has no atmopshere whatsoever (be it gothic or otherwise). And that ending… fuck me.

I could go on.

Only plus points I can really find are - a good performance from Denholm Elliot (as always), a few nice moments for Christopher Lee - oh, and I liked the scene where Richard Widmark visits the Vatican’s black library (which appears to be in London? Did I miss something there?) to consult the grimoire, which was nicely done.

That’s about the best I can do though I’m afraid.

D+

[Newt Cox Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Newt Cox]

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Day 20 Last Voyage of the Demeter

Slow but still good. Not surprised this bombed badly at the theater.

Taking one small part of the Dracula novel and making it a full movie is not often used idea. It works here but seems like it was just a movie most didn't want to see.

[Vincent Dawn Jr Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Vincent Dawn Jr]

Night #19 - The Last Horror Film (a.k.a. Fanatic)

I'm a huge fan of Maniac so I'd always wanted to see this 1982 film that reunites Joe Spinell and Caroline Munro. I think that's what the producers (one of which was Munro's husband Judd Hamilton) were banking on--that all us Maniac marks would plop down a few bucks to see the dynamic duo back in action, regardless of the quality of the finished product.

They shot this in and around the 1981 Cannes Film Festival, so it's sort of half travelogue/half story. There are constant cutaways to half naked bodies sunbathing and various celebrities moving through hordes of paparazzi. Part of the fun of watching this is spotting posters for films like Cannibal Holocaust, Thief, and even Carlos Tobalina's Sexual Heights.

The film itself is a bit of a mess, but if you're a Spinell fan, it's worth a watch. He's sweating bullets, slurring his speech, and occasionally sniffling and clearing his nose, so it's safe to say Joe was partying it up! He doesn't quite reach the unhinged depths of despair that he plummeted to in Maniac, but I'd imagine that performance would be hard to duplicate. Caroline Munro wears the tackiest wardrobe ever and her voice appears to have been dubbed by an American actress. Seriously, she looks like she was cast as one of the Spinal Tap members girlfriends.

Rating: 5/10

[Scott Intellectual Carrot Find all posts View Profile Close Scott]

The best parts are the scenes with Joe Spinell and his real life mom.

[Vincent Dawn Jr Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Vincent Dawn Jr]

The best parts are the scenes with Joe Spinell and his real life mom.

"I made baked macaroni, you need more protein!"

[Cody Layne Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Cody Layne]

Day 20: Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022). I didn’t expect much from this, and the title really annoyed me when I first heard it, but I find it be entertaining enough if you go in not expecting much. I also think it handles its attempt at social commentary better than Texas Chainsaw 3-D.

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[Newt Cox Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Newt Cox]

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Day 21 Blade the real start of the MCU. Didnt think when I went to see this opening night it would be a hit and help jumpstart the Marvel Universe.

[f.ramses Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close f.ramses]

10/19
064 - Eyes Without a Face
065 - Twins of Evil
066 - The Vampire Lovers

10/20
067 - Lust for a Vampire
068 - Vampire Circus
069 - The Devil's Web
070 - The Cyclops (1957)
071 - Hammer House of Horror: Rude Awakening
072 - The Screaming Skull
073 - Tormented

Loved Eyes Without a Face and was sorry that I didn't revisit this one sooner but the only other time I saw it I thought it was just OK. Christiane's haunting appearance really makes the movie but the whole thing plays well and moves at a decent pace. Figured I would do the Karnstein Trilogy this month but thought I'd start it with Twins of Evil this time since it's my least favorite of the three. As good as it is I just don't like the story as much as the others because of the inquisition angle and me not really enjoying Cushing's character much. It is rather good though, there is the twins themselves but the Count Karnstein has some really entertaining dialog; the way he talks to people often gets a laugh from me. The Vampire Lovers has a much better story and while there are no sexy twins or funny lines there is no shortage of attractive ladies, including the adorable Emma, and a much cooler castle setting than the previous. Finally, Lust for a Vampire is just as well cast as the others and has a bit of humor in it as well with the Ms. Simpson character, it is hilarious watching her react to getting chewed out by other characters; I think it gets funnier every time I see it. It's a solid trilogy and I waver between liking The Vampire Lovers and Lust for a Vampire best. Someday I have to pick up Captain Kronos and revisit that, I streamed it once and fell asleep but otherwise don't remember it...

Just hadn't quite had my fill of Hammer vampires so I went with another favorite, Vampire Circus, and as usual it did not disappoint. Next up was "The Devil's Web" which was actually just an episode of Thriller called Nurse will Make it Better than got released as a movie on VHS. I really should check out more of those Thriller episodes because this was better than I remembered it. After that another old Thriller Video VHS, The Cyclops, which was rather dull. On the plus side you got to see the cyclops a decent bit after a while, making it better than some of the other monster movies I've watched recently, but on the other hand the cyclops doesn't really do much besides stand around and grunt. The Thriller Video tapes and all the talk here about Hammer House of Horror got me to randomly revisit Rude Awakening. Right off the bat we have Denholm Elliot who always has a good presence. You pretty much know how this one is going to end from the beginning but it's still good for a revisit every so often. One thing about these Hammer House of Horror episodes is that I always expect Elvira to be hosting them due to all but one of them being released in the US as movies by Thriller Video, who had Elvira host them; that's how I originally saw them. I assume none include it but it would be nice if there was a release that included the Elvira hosting segments! The Screaming Skull and Tormented were similar on one regard, they were very uneventful. The Screaming Skull was also very predictable but I can't comment on the ending of Tormented since I fell asleep for the ending, re-wound to watch it but didn't remember it 2 seconds after it was over; will have to revisit later...

[Cody Layne Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Cody Layne]

Day 21: The Prophecy. Don’t think much of any these movies, to be honest, including this first one, which is definitely the best. Christopher Walken is fun to watch, as
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[BW Haggar Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close BW Haggar]

#23
The Seventh Victim
(Mark Robson, 1943)

Until fairly recently, I was one of those strange people who liked to claim that this was my favourite of the Val Lewton films.

To be honest though, that belief was based on one or two distant, barely remembered viewings, and re-visiting it last night via the new blu-ray, I’m really not so sure.

It certainly is a very strange film though, that at least is not in doubt.

Entirely unlike anything else being made in America in the early ‘40s, it actually feels eerily modern in its willingness to disregard a linear narrative in favour of exploring the travails of various neurotic / haunted characters, none of whose lifestyles seem to cross over to any great extent with down-to-earth WWII-era ‘normality’.

Throughout the brief run time, we’re bombarded with procederal, story-telling detail… all which eventually proves totally irrelevant, both to the thoroughly anticlimactic unravelling of the script’s ‘mystery’, and to the film’s fugue-like ruminations on alienation, loneliness and death - with the latter ultimately proving to be of far more interest to the filmmakers, natch.

As is the case to some extent with all of the Lewton films, the whole thing just kind of drifts along in a foggy, dream-like haze for the most part, occasionally snapping into sharp clarity for one of the disignated ‘shock’ moments which everyone remembers.

So, in this case, we’ve got the reveal of the room with the noose and the chair, we’ve got Jean Brooks’ lengthy peregrinations through the city’s expressionistic back alleys towards the end, and, best of all - we’ve got the bit in which the private investigator character “walks into the dark” to meet his demise.

The latter in particular remains an absolutely extraordinary couple of minutes of filmmaking; a real master-class in creating stark terror out of nothing whatsoever… and then paying it off with something very real, just to prove the point.

For the most part though, this is all just… really odd.

It’s difficult to determine to what extent the various narrative ellipses are calculated to create a disorientating, quasi-Lynchian atmosphere, and to what extent they’re simply the result of a rushed / confused production schedule, but either way - whilst it’s perhaps unlikely to have an immediate, visceral impact on a modern audience (in fact, it barely registers as horror at all, give or take the presence of cinema’s most ineffectual Satanists), this is still the kind of thing which can really get under your skin if you let it.

A-

[Gary Banks Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Gary Banks]

Ratings: ack (honks on bobo) to 10. In bold 1st time viiewing, 1st time in ten years or I forgot when it was last viewed.

001-Die Sister, Die 4
002-The Mummy and the Curse of the Jackals 1.5
003-Devil's Express 0.5
004-Dungeon of Horror 2.5
005-Lurkers ack!
006-In Search of Dracula 4
007-Dear Dead Delilah 6.5
008-Torture Chamber of Dr Sadism 9
009-Lifechanger 6.5
010-ABCs of Death 2 1.5
011-Xtro 3 Watch The Skies 4
012-God Told Me To 10
013-Strangler of Blackmoor Castle 10
014-Endgame 4
015-Asylum (1972) 6
016-The Beast Within 6.5
017-Almost Human (2014) 4.5
018-Wrong Turn 3 Left For Dead 4
019-We Are What We Are 3
020-A Ghost Waits 10
021-Curse of the Stone Hand 4
022-the Mad Monster 3
023-Beyond The Door 3
024-The Legacy (1978) 7
025-Spirits of the Dead 5
026-The Mask (1961) 7
027-Crypt of the Vampire 6
028-Late Night With The Devil 6
029-Blue Monkey (Insect!) 4
030-Doctor X 7.5
031-The Beach Girls and the Monster 1
032-Shock (aka Beyond the Door II) 3.5
033-The Crazies (2010) 8
034-The Catman of Paris 4.5
035-Xtro 6
036-The Slayer (82) 5
037-Legend of the Witches 4
038-The Black Abbot (1963) 10
039-Superbeast 6
040-The Witches Mountain 2
041-Castle of Blood (US cut) 10
042-Creepshow (82) 8