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Old 09-24-08, 09:23 PM   #34
smashthesymbols
DVD Talk Special Edition
 
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Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Kansas City, MO
Posts: 1,947
Reasonable Goal: 31
Ultimate Goal: 50
New Ultimate, Ultimate Goal: 100

Current Count: 100
First Time Viewing (×) Count: 61

October 1:
1. Bubba Ho-Tep ×
Much better than I expected. I figured it would be silly and fun, but I wasn't expecting it to actually have a message buried in among everything else too.
2. Maximum Overdrive
I can't explain how much I love this movie. It's so cheesy and so much fun. Sure it's not scary, but it's got Emilio Estevez, AC/DC and enough quotable lines to fill a book.
October 2:
3. Dawn of the Dead (2004)
This is actually the first time I've seen this since it was in theatres. I still like it well enough. I'm planning to try and watch the originals before the month is over.
4. Tremors
Time to break out the Tremors set and have a little marathon. I've always really liked the original since I was young and it was new. It still holds up today.
5. Tremors 2: Aftershocks
A direct to video sequel that doesn't suck? Yup. This one actually does a good job picking up where the first left off and adding in enough new twists to make it exciting.
October 3:
6. Tremors 3: Back to Perfection ×
Now things are getting a bit ridiculous. Thank God Michael Gross is back again as Burt, because he's about the only thing this movie has going for it.
7. Tremors 4: The Legend Begins ×
I'm torn. I really wanted to like this one. Take the same monsters we know and transport them to the old west. It should be fun, but somehow it doesn't quite live up to expectations.
8. A Bucket of Blood (1959) ×
In 1959 all the dialogue between the beatniks may have been cool, today it just comes across as corny. Still an interesting premise, and Dick Miller does a good job as an artist descending into madness.
October 4:
9. Mulberry St. ×
Not near as cool as the phrase "were-rats" would lead you to believe.
10. Open Water ×
I remember a lot of hype when this first came out and after finally seeing it, I really don't think it lives up to the hype. It's a great idea for a movie, unfortunately it goes nowhere and the idea ends up being scarier than the movie itself.
11. Carrie (1976)
Obviously a classic. Also the second in a long list of Stephen King movies I'll be watching this month.
12. Idle Hands
I always forget how amazingly hot Jessica Alba is in this. Pretty funny movie too, thanks in large part to Seth Green.
13. Jaws
Now here's a movie that will make you afraid to go in the water.
October 5:
14. Black Sheep (2006) ×
Awesome movie. Not really scary, but has a number of laugh out loud moments. I never thought I'd see a man get eaten by a sheep.
15. Wrong Turn
Another one I haven't seen since theatres. I enjoy it. Good characters, good creatures, plenty of blood and guts and a couple moments to make you jump. Just overlook the fact that its full of cliches.
16. The Mummy (1959) ×
Christopher Lee is an excellent Mummy. I did feel like the movie dragged a bit at times though.
17. Hair-Raising Hare / Broom-Stick Bunny / Hyde & Hare Wildcard #1
Just a little trio of Bugs Bunny shorts to fill a block of time that's too short for a movie. I actually don't think I had ever seen Hair-Raising Hare before.
18. I Know What You Did Last Summer
Wrapping up the night with a Sarah Michelle Gellar double feature. I always did like this movie, except Freddie Prinze Jr. It's no wonder he's completely disappeared.
October 6:
19. The Grudge (2004) ×
Part two of the double feature came shortly after midnight. This one actually made me jump a couple times. I may have to see about getting the original to watch now.
20. Killer Klowns From Outer Space ×
What an absurd movie. Fun though.
21. Anaconda
The special effects in this movie really have not held up, the snake just looks absolutely ridiculous now.
22. The Little Shop of Horrors (1960) ×
I'm really loving these old Roger Corman movies. I need to get some more.
October 7:
23. Saw ×
I'm not sure how I feel about this one. Maybe it's just so many years of hearing how great it was, but I can't help but feel a little let down.
24. Saw II ×
I think I actually liked this better than the first. Still not overly impressed though. Off to part III, I suppose.
25. Saw III ×
This one kind of sucked. Wouldn't a movie like this be more effective if it had at least one sympathetic character in it? I'm done with this series.
Random Thought.
Halfway to my goal and the 7th day isn't even over. Before we started I thought 50 was really pushing it. Now I'm realizing how fast they add up. 50 should be cake. Even 100 might not be completely outside the realm of possibility. I just have to average 3 a day from now to Halloween.
26. Cloverfield
I love this movie. I saw it three times in theatres, multiple times on DVD and tonight I finally watched it on Blu-Ray. I'm still not tired of it and I still find little bits I missed before.
October 8:
27. Night of the Lepus
How do you not love a movie with giant killer rabbits?
28. Young Frankenstein
Sure, it's only my fourth favorite Mel Brooks movie, but it's still a classic. Also, Teri Garr looked damn good in 1974.
October 9:
29. The Brood ×
Very creepy. Very weird. I like it.
30. The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror I / II / III Wildcard #2
The Raven, as narrated by James Earl Jones, from I is great. As is the Child's Play take with a Krusty doll in III. Really it's hard to go wrong with a Treehouse of Horror.
October 10:
31. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) ×
How have I never seen this? Seriously. I was a bit surprised how little blood and gore there was. It has this image of being horribly graphic, but really it's quite tame by today's standard. Still great though, and pretty damn scary.
32. 28 Days Later ×
I really enjoyed this one. I would have liked to see a little more zombie action, but otherwise it was great.
October 11:
33. 28 Weeks Later ×
Not as good as the original, but still pretty damn good.
34. Wolf Creek
I first watched this movie about a year ago and I hated it. I decided to give it a second chance for the challenge anyway. I still hate it. It takes forever before anything happens, and when it does it's nothing particularly interesting or scary.
October 12:
35. The Faculty
How badly does this need a new release? This old, barebones, non-anamophic DVD just doesn't cut it.
36. The Ghoul (1933) ×
Good movie, kind of like The Mummy with a twist. Boris Karloff is great as usual. The DVD looks incredible considering the age, I've seen movies not even half as old that don't look this good.
37. House of Usher ×
It's odd seeing Vincent Price with blonde hair. Maybe not 100% faithful to Poe, but it's a very creepy movie.
38. The Pit and the Pendulum ×
I probably shouldn't have watched these two back to back. They were both good, but they had a lot of similarities. Plus, there's only so much Vincent Price I can take in one sitting.
39. The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror IV / V / VI Wildcard #3
The Shinning from V might be one of my favorite Simpsons moments ever. Terror at 5 1/2 Feet and The Attack of the 50-Foot Eyesores are both notable too.
40. Shaun of the Dead
Awesome movie. These guys are brilliant. I'm convinced they could make a movie about paint drying funny.
October 13:
41. Hack! ×
What an awful excuse for a movie. It seems to think it's a clever homage/spoof of past horror movies, but instead it just comes across as lazy and cliche ridden. I gave it a shot because it was free, and it stars Danica McKellar. Turns out she's the only good thing about the movie.
42. The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror VII / VIII / IX Wildcard #4
All very solid episodes. This is where I'm done with these though. Not only is this all I have on DVD, but this is where these episodes and the show itself start to go downhill fast.
43. The Lost Boys
I'm watching this as a warm-up for the sequel I have rented now. Somehow I don't think it will be near as awesome as this one is.
October 14:
44. Lost Boys: The Tribe ×
Wow. It didn't suck. It wasn't great, but it was fun and was pretty faithful to the spirit of the original. What was up with Corey Feldman's voice though? Does he actually sound that way now or did he just want to appear badass?
45. The Eye (2008) ×
This was pretty weak. It's a good idea, but it just felt flat to me. I kept expecting something big to happen and it never did.
October 15:
46. Dark Water (2002) ×
Not bad. Made me jump pretty good once. I've got the US remake lined up for later in the challenge.
47. Psycho (1960)
Classic. This is one of my favorite movies of all time. No one could do suspense like Hitchcock.
48. House of 1000 Corpses ×
That was a weird movie. I mean, I liked it, I'm just not completely sure if I can comprehend what I just watched. This one may require another viewing after the challenge ends.
October 16:
49. Audition ×
Maybe today was just the wrong day, but this movie did absolutely nothing for me. I actually struggled to stay interested and awake at times.
50. Prom Night (1980) ×
Not bad I guess. The killer, and the kills themselves, were pretty weak. Still, there's something about it, I just can't hate it.
Random Thought.
I passed my original goal of 31 way back, now I've hit my second goal of 50 and we're only at the halfway point. I'm revising my goal again and shooting for 100. I'm on a good pace, so if I can keep it up I should be able to make it.
October 17:
51. Sleepaway Camp ×
I can certainly see why this has a cult following. I can honestly say I did not see that ending coming.
52. Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) ×
Santa Claus on a murderous rampage? I love it. Who cares that it's very, very cheesy.
October 18:
53. Prom Night (2008) ×
I can't even think of a positive thing to say. It had no suspense, no mystery, no good gore, the characters were boring and unlikable, it had nothing at all going for it. And can anyone explain how this is a remake? The only similarity between the two movies is they both involve a prom.
54. The Last Man on Earth
I love this movie.
55. Scream
It's a shame this doesn't have a decent release, although the DVD has a surprisingly good transfer for being non-anamorphic. Great movie too, I've always really enjoyed it.
October 19:
56. The Devil's Rejects ×
I actually liked this one more than House of 1000 Corpses. It just seemed to have a more coherent plot.
57. House on Haunted Hill (1959)
Vincent Price is perfect in this doing the sophisticated creepy thing he did so well.
58. Swamp Thing ×
Not too bad. Not much of a horror though, more of an action movie that just happens to have a half-man/half-plant character.
59. The Ruins ×
I'm sure there won't be many agreeing with me, but I actually enjoyed this one a fair bit. It's not perfect, but overall it's pretty well done.
October 20:
60. Grizzly Park ×
This movie is bad. Really bad. I don't just mean average, run of the mill bad either, I'm talking crimes against humanity bad. There really should be a special place in hell for people who make movies this bad.
61. P2 ×
I have to say, this really gets a bad rap. It's not great, but it's not as bad as I've heard. Wes Bentley is pretty good at playing crazy and creepy.
62. Vacancy ×
I have a hard time with Luke Wilson in a serious role, but this isn't a bad movie if you can overlook that.
October 21:
63. The Monster Squad ×
Silly movie, but it was fun to see all the monsters together.
64. Pet Sematary
I can't believe I haven't watched more Stephen King in this challenge. I figured I'd have six or eight at least, but i think this is only number three. I'll have to try and get a few more in before it's over.
October 22:
65. Dance of the Dead ×
Surprisingly good. I wasn't expecting a lot, but it's got some good gore and action, and a few laughs.
66. Beetlejuice
Very funny movie. It's one I remember watching years ago when I was young, I used to watch it all the time. Michael Keaton is perfect in it.
67. Ghostbusters
This is another childhood favorite. I don't think I could ever grow tired of this movie.
68. Ghostbusters 2
Not quite as good as the original, but I still love it.
October 23:
69. Black Christmas (1974) ×
Not bad. I need to give it another viewing later though. I was a bit tired and had some trouble focusing during some of the slower scenes in the middle of the movie. Working and trying to keep up with this challenge can be draining.
70. Frankenstein (1931) ×
It's Frankenstein. I really shouldn't need to say anything else.
October 24:
71. Planet Terror
I actually watched this in it's theatrical double feature version DVRed from Starz HD, but I'm cheating a bit and counting both movies. Anyway, I really like Planet Terror, it's great all around. It's definitely the more challenge appropriate half of Grindhouse too.
72. Death Proof
As much as I like Planet Terror, this is my favorite. I'm just a sucker for a car chase and the one in this movie is awesome. This is my first time seeing the shorter theatrical version, and it's actually better than the extended version. The cuts improve the pace and make the movie less talky. Oh, and how badly does Machete need to be a real movie?
73. A Nightmare on Elm Street ×
I've seen this, but I'm calling it a first time viewing because it was probably 15 years ago and all I remember is being scared by it. It still has a couple good scares in it, and is just very creepy in general.
October 25:
74. Gojira ×
Even without the bad dubbing and with the deeper plot and meaning, this still comes across as fairly cheesy.
75. C.H.U.D. ×
Not too bad, I can understand the cult appeal. It's cheesy and fun. The C.H.U.D. look surprisingly good given the age of the effects too.
76. Cat People (1942) ×
I really enjoyed this one. It does a great job building suspense, and I imagine it was pretty scary for an audience in 1942. I've got the sequel on deck now.
77. The Birds
Only Hitchcock could make a movie about birds and actually have it be suspenseful and a little scary, rather than silly and unintentionally funny.
78. The Curse of the Cat People ×
So even in the 1940s studios were making unnecessary sequels with absolutely nothing in common with the original simply to cash in on the success of an earlier film. And here I thought that was a more recent thing.
October 26:
79. Saturday Night Live: Halloween Special Wildcard #5
Matt Foley, the Coneheads, gay Dracula and two Wayne's Worlds, what's not to like? I think E! cut this though, I would have sworn there was supposed to be an Irwin Mainway sketch with some of his unsafe Halloween costumes.
80. An American Werewolf in London
This is a great movie. It's a perfect mix of comedy and horror. The creature effects are all pretty good too.
81. The Tingler ×
I've always wondered what it would be like to see William Castle's movies in a theatre with the original gimmicks in tact.
82. Count Yorga, Vampire ×
I read that this was originally intended to be a softcore title, then the studio decided to go straight horror instead. That doesn't surprise me, I don't know that they could possibly show any more without just showing nudity.
83. Pulse (2006) ×
Meh. I could see where this was going 10 minutes in, and the ride there never was particularly interesting. At least it had Kristen Bell in it.
October 27:
84. Shutter (2008) ×
I really have to stop watching remakes of Asian horror movies. It seems like every one I watch is worse then the one before.
85. It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown Wildcard #6
Classic. It just wouldn't be Halloween without watching this at least once.
86. Trailer Park of Terror ×
I'm not sure how I feel about this one. On the one hand it didn't offer anything particularly new, scary or interesting, but on the other it was pretty fun. It was like a zombie My Name is Earl, it even had an appearance by Patty the Daytime Hooker.
87. Isle of the Dead (1945) ×
Great performance by Karloff. Not sure I'd really call the movie horror though, more of a mystery thriller.
October 28:
88. Brotherhood of Blood ×
I'm really indifferent to this. I didn't hate it, but it didn't do a lot for me either.
89. Wrong Turn 2: Dead End ×
This is a worthy follow up to the original. Lots of good gore again. Also, a badass Henry Rollins.
--. It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
Even though I just watched this last night on DVD I still found myself watching again when it was on ABC tonight.
October 29:
90. The Descent ×
It gets off to a bit of a slow start, but once the action got going I found myself really sucked in.
91. Bedlam (1946) ×
I'm sensing a theme with these Val Lewton movies. They're all listed as horror on imdb, yet most of them are borderline horror at best. At least they've mostly been good.
92. Dracula (1931) ×
This is another I shouldn't even have to comment on.
October 30:
93. 30 Days of Night
I really like the idea of this movie, and I enjoy watching it, but I can't help but feel like something is missing. It just seems like it could have been so much better.
94. I Walked with a Zombie (1943) ×
Another Val Lewton, another barely horror.
95. The Body Snatcher (1945) ×
Of the six Val Lewton films I watched this and Cat People were the best.
October 31:
96. The Host ×
This one was great. The design of the monster is awesome, and unlike most monster movies it actually has a compelling storyline.
97. Child's Play ×
I'm calling this a first time viewing, even though I know I've seen it years ago in all it's full frame, edited for TV, late night USA glory.
98. Friday the 13th ×
Same story as above. I think next year I'll plan on watching some of the sequels as well, because I've never seen any of them.
November 1 Overtime:
99. The Rocky Horror Picture Show
This is a Halloween tradition for me. Every year I either watch the movie or see a stage production. I'll have the songs in my head for days now.
100. Halloween (1978)
This was a good way to end the challenge, go out on a high note. I may watch it again in a few days before I return it though. It was so late I feel like I probably missed stuff here and there.
Conclusion.
Well, that was a fun challenge, but in a way I'm glad it's over. I'm not sure how much more I could have taken. I was beginning to burn out on horror movies. Plus I have so many other movies I need to watch, and a DVR loaded with shows I've missed over the last month.

Of course, I'm already thinking toward next year and planning movies I need to make sure I watch, and wondering if I can top myself.
Stats.

Movies by Decade.
  • 1930s: 3
  • 1940s: 6
  • 1950s: 5
  • 1960s: 6
  • 1970s: 10
  • 1980s: 17
  • 1990s: 8
  • 2000s: 39
Movies by Media Source
  • DVD: 78
  • Blu-Ray: 11
  • Internet: 2
  • Starz HD: 2
  • HD-DVD: 1
Movies by Language.
  • English: 90
  • Japanese: 3
  • Korean: 1
Movies by Director.
  • Roger Corman: 4
  • Wes Craven: 3
  • Darren Lynn Bousman: 2
  • William Castle: 2
  • Alfred Hitchcock: 2
  • Ivan Reitman: 2
  • Mark Robson: 2
  • Robert Rodriguez: 2
  • Jacques Tourneur: 2
  • S.S. Wilson: 2
  • Robert Wise: 2
  • Rob Zombie: 2

Awards.

Best Movie(s) (First time viewing)
1. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
2. The Host
3. 28 Days Later

Worst Movie(s)

1. Grizzly Park
2. Hack!
3. Shutter (2008)

Imagine My Surprise! (aka "holy sh*t, I actually enjoyed that!")
1. The Ruins
2. Lost Boys: The Tribe
3. P2

Biggest Disappointment
1. Mulberry St.
2. Open Water

Last edited by smashthesymbols; 11-03-08 at 05:50 PM.
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