DVD Talk Forum - View Single Post - The 5th Annual "October Horror Movie Challenge" (10/1

zaphod2467 · 09-19-09, 11:41 AM

*first time viewing

October 1
1. Fear Itself: Eater (09)*--Netflix DVD--Not bad but kinda predictable--3/5
2. The Haunting (99)--library DVD--Started off okay but by the end became effects overload--2/5

October 2
3. Something Wicked This Way Comes (83)*--library DVD--Some creepy moments but never really went anywhere for me--3/5

October 3
4. Zombieland (09)*--theater--A lot of fun with some really funny bits--4/5

October 4
5. Island of the Fishmen (79)*--Netflix DVD--"They're men turned inside out! And worse... they're still alive!" promised the 1981 ads for "Screamers" and I wanted to see it so bad. Almost 30 years later, and there's no living inside-out men, but the enjoyable original Italian version does have bad dubbing, tons of erupting volcano footage, voodoo, a mad scientist, and lots of fishmen stealing treasure from the lost city of Atlantis. What's not to love?--4/5
6. Haunting of Winchester House (09)*--Netflix DVD--Inspired (very loosely) by a local tourist attraction, another unscary, been-there-done-that ghost story--2/5
7. Fear Itself: Spooked (09)*--Netflix DVD--Another OK episode--3/5
8. Fear Itself: Community (09)*--Netflix DVD--Very Stepford-y--3/5
9. Fear Itself: The Sacrifice (09)*--Netflix DVD--Interesting take on an old story--4/5

October 5
10. Dolly Dearest (91)*--On Demand--"I am not losing my daughter to a goddamn 900-year-old goat head!" This was a lot more fun than I thought it would be--4/5

October 6
11. Children of the Night (91)--On Demand--Not-too-great vampire flick from Fangoria. I think I saw this at a Fango con years ago--2/5

October 7
12. Offspring (09)*--Netflix DVD--Brutal stuff--3/5

October 8
13. Children of the Corn (09)*--Netflix DVD--I didn't care much for the '84 version, and I liked this remake even less. Way too much bickering between the annoying, unlikable couple, but the cornfield flashback and fertilization scenes were hilarious--2/5
14. Grace (09)*--Netflix DVD--Not what I expected, but OK--3/5

October 9
15. Shaun of the Dead (04)--my DVD--"We're coming to get you, Barbara." This gets better each time I see it--5/5

October 10
16. The Man from Planet X (51)*--DVR'd from TCM--Creepy-looking alien plans invasion from a foggy English moor. Lots of atmosphere--3/5
17. The Children (09)*--Netflix DVD--Wow, what a ride! I really liked this. Once it gets going, it's non-stop thills & chills & blood & guts, that actually made me jump a couple of times--4/5
18. Child's Play (88)--my DVD--Haven't seen this in almost 20 years, and it still works really well--4/5

October 11
19. Halloween III: Season of the Witch (82)--my DVD--"Misfire." Not really. Although not a great movie by any means, this is actually kinda fun if you don't think about it too much and just go with it--4/5

October 12
20. Mad Love (35)*--On Demand--Murderous hands and Peter Lorre at his best--4/5

October 14
21. Drag Me to Hell (09)*--Netflix DVD--Fun old-school horror flick with some good scares and a great Christopher Young score. Knew

Spoiler:

was gonna happen, but still really enjoyed this--4/5

October 15
22. Dark Country (09)*--Netflix DVD--Interesting visual style in this odd tale--4/5
23. Book of Blood (09)*--Netflix DVD--"The dead have highways." Yeah, we know. You keep telling us. An okay haunted house flick that finally delivers the promised blood near the end--3/5

October 16
24. The Unknown (27)*--DVR'd from TCM--Lon Chaney loses his mind (and his arms) over the girl he loves--3/5

October 17
25. Gnaw (08)*--Netflix DVD--More kids. More cannibals. More killing. More of the same--2/5
26. TerrorVision (86)*--DVR'd from TCM--Good to see that TCM's definition of "classic" extends to bad '80s movies--2/5

October 18
27. Mimic (97)--my DVD--Forgot how good this was--4/5
28. Mimic 2 (00)*--my DVD--So-so sequel--3/5

October 19
29. Fear Itself: In Sickness and In Health (09)*--Netflix DVD--I must be tired. I really didn't see that coming--3/5
30. Fear Itself: Family Man (09)*--Netflix DVD--Liked this one a lot. And that "Bumblebee Song" was horrifying--4/5

October 20
31. Fear Itself: Something with Bite (09)*--Netflix DVD--Weird werewolf tale--3/5
32. Fear Itself: New Year's Day (09)*--Netflix DVD--This rocked. Love. Zombies. The end of the world. I liked the before-and-after, and again, didn't see that coming.--4/5

October 21
33. Mimic: Sentinel (03)*--Netflix DVD--"Rear Window" with bugs. Different, and better, than the first sequel--3/5

October 22
34. Infestation (09)*--Netflix DVD--Really enjoyable giant bug horror-comedy. Awesome final scene--4/5

October 23
35. Rise of the Gargoyles (09)*--Netflix DVD--Ze mama gargoyle attacks ze people. Ze heroic professor, ze plucky reporter and ze crazy priest try to stop ze monster by wandering ze catacombs of Paris, er, Canada, while ze cliche Inspector Clouseau-accented policeman continues to not belive zem as ze body parts pile up--3/5
36. The Gate (87)--my DVD--"You got demons." I remember seeing liking this when it came out, but I don't remember it being this good. Likable characters, great stop-motion animation, and some genuinely creepy moments (the "family portrait" on the wall), all add up to one of the gems of the challenge--5/5

October 24
37. Vampyr (32)*--DVR'd from TCM--Almost silent and really slow, with lots of eerie shadows. But I still don't know exactly what was going on--3/5
38. Sisters (73)*--DVR'd from IFC--Finally got around to seeing this, and liked it a lot. De Palma is the king of the split-screen. Classic score by Bernard Herrmann--4/5
39. The Tingler (59)*--DVR'd from TCM--A lot of fun after a very talky first half. This must've been a blast in the theaters--3/5
40. Return of the Living Dead 3 (93)*--On Demand--This was the unrated version. Enjoyable munchfest--4/5

October 25
41. I Know How Many Runs You Scored Last Summer (09)*--Netflix DVD--OK Australian slasher--2/5
42. Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror (90)--my DVD--After all the talk, I decided to rewatch what seems to be the unofficial film of this year's challenge. Yup, still awful. And still entertaining--3/5
43. Lemora: A Child's Tale of the Supernatural (73)--my DVD--Strange, nightmarish fantasy, with a style all its own--3/5
44. Ginger Snaps (01)--my DVD--Funny, scary, touching (the final scene). One of my favorite films, and I never get tired of watching it--5/5
45. Dawn (06)--my DVD--Yes, most of the supporting actors are friends-and-family-of-the-director variety, but Kacie Young is good as the little girl with a secret, and I really liked the relationship between Dawn and her father--4/5

October 26
46. Fear Itself: Skin and Bones (09)*--Netflix DVD--That guy was really scary-looking--3/5
47. Fear Itself: Chance (09)*--Netflix DVD--Didn't really see the point of this one--3/5

October 28
48. Fear Itself: The Spirit Box (09)*--Netflix DVD--Stupid teenagers doing stupid things--3/5
49. Orphan (09)*--Netflix DVD--The spoilers made it sound ridiculous, but this was actually a fun little thriller. And Esther's secret is original, to say the least--3/5

October 29
50. Wildcard #1: Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space (09)*--DVR'd from NBC--Cute holiday followup to the movie, with some good laughs--3/5
51. The Butcher (09)*--Netflix DVD--This sick, faux-snuff film was hard to watch with the constant shaky-cam and the constant torture--3/5
52. Fear Itself: Echoes (09)*--Netflix DVD--Bloody deja vu tale--3/5

October 30
53. Wildcard #2: Flash Forward: Scary Monsters and Super Creeps (09)*--DVR'd from ABC--"That was the best costume I've ever seen," says little Charlie as she watches the mysterious kangaroo bouncing down the street. After a couple of so-so weeks, things are finally starting to come together in this Halloween episode of the series--4/5
54. Invasion of the Bee Girls (73)*--On Demand--Written by Nicholas Meyer, this silliness oozes 1970s. Fun to watch--3/5
55. Breeders (86)*--On Demand--Bad acting. Bad writing. Bad man in a monster suit. Just bad. But entertaining--2/5

October 31
55. Wildcard #3: Medium: Bite Me (09)*--On Demand--"They're not running the one where everyone gets trapped in the mall, are they?" This season has been great so far, and this was a fun episode for horror fans, as Alison dreams herself into "Night of the Living Dead"--4/5
56. Zaat (72)*--DVR'd from TCM--Where are Joel and the 'bots when you need them? Giant catfish-man terrorizes a small Florida town with excessive voice-over and a lame rubber suit possible left over from "Lost in Space." With a bonus bad 70's folk-rock interlude--1/5
57. Sauna (08)*--Netflix DVD--A couple of very creepy moments in this hard-to-follow Finnish ghost story--3/5
58. Wildcard #4: The Troop: The Great Punkin (09)*--On Demand--Discovered this Nick series today. Pretty entertaining kids show--3/5
59. Murders in the Zoo (33)*--DVR'd from TCM--Jealous husband uses animals to kill. Too much comic relief from the PR agent, but a cool ending made this worth a look--3/5

***LIST FINAL***

Spoiler:

09-19-09, 11:41 AM	#50
zaphod2467 Member Join Date: Nov 2001 Posts: 112	Re: The 5th Annual "October Horror Movie Challenge" (10/1 - 10/31) **LISTS GO HERE! first time viewing October 1* 1. Fear Itself: Eater (09)--Netflix DVD--Not bad but kinda predictable--3/5 2. The Haunting (99)--library DVD--Started off okay but by the end became effects overload--2/5 October 2* 3. Something Wicked This Way Comes (83)--library DVD--Some creepy moments but never really went anywhere for me--3/5 October 3* 4. Zombieland (09)--theater--A lot of fun with some really funny bits--4/5 October 4* 5. Island of the Fishmen (79)--Netflix DVD--"They're men turned inside out! And worse... they're still alive!" promised the 1981 ads for "Screamers" and I wanted to see it so bad. Almost 30 years later, and there's no living inside-out men, but the enjoyable original Italian version does have bad dubbing, tons of erupting volcano footage, voodoo, a mad scientist, and lots of fishmen stealing treasure from the lost city of Atlantis. What's not to love?--4/5 6. Haunting of Winchester House (09)--Netflix DVD--Inspired (very loosely) by a local tourist attraction, another unscary, been-there-done-that ghost story--2/5 7. Fear Itself: Spooked (09)--Netflix DVD--Another OK episode--3/5 8. Fear Itself: Community (09)--Netflix DVD--Very Stepford-y--3/5 9. Fear Itself: The Sacrifice (09)--Netflix DVD--Interesting take on an old story--4/5 October 5* 10. Dolly Dearest (91)--On Demand--"I am not losing my daughter to a goddamn 900-year-old goat head!" This was a lot more fun than I thought it would be--4/5 October 6* 11. Children of the Night (91)--On Demand--Not-too-great vampire flick from Fangoria. I think I saw this at a Fango con years ago--2/5 October 7 12. Offspring (09)--Netflix DVD--Brutal stuff--3/5 October 8* 13. Children of the Corn (09)--Netflix DVD--I didn't care much for the '84 version, and I liked this remake even less. Way too much bickering between the annoying, unlikable couple, but the cornfield flashback and fertilization scenes were hilarious--2/5 14. Grace (09)--Netflix DVD--Not what I expected, but OK--3/5 October 9 15. Shaun of the Dead (04)--my DVD--"We're coming to get you, Barbara." This gets better each time I see it--5/5 October 10 16. The Man from Planet X (51)--DVR'd from TCM--Creepy-looking alien plans invasion from a foggy English moor. Lots of atmosphere--3/5 17. The Children (09)--Netflix DVD--Wow, what a ride! I really liked this. Once it gets going, it's non-stop thills & chills & blood & guts, that actually made me jump a couple of times--4/5 18. Child's Play (88)--my DVD--Haven't seen this in almost 20 years, and it still works really well--4/5 October 11 19. Halloween III: Season of the Witch (82)--my DVD--"Misfire." Not really. Although not a great movie by any means, this is actually kinda fun if you don't think about it too much and just go with it--4/5 October 12 20. Mad Love (35)--On Demand--Murderous hands and Peter Lorre at his best--4/5 October 14* 21. Drag Me to Hell (09)--Netflix DVD--Fun old-school horror flick with some good scares and a great Christopher Young score. Knew Spoiler:* the envelope switch was gonna happen, but still really enjoyed this--4/5 October 15 22. Dark Country (09)--Netflix DVD--Interesting visual style in this odd tale--4/5 23. Book of Blood (09)--Netflix DVD--"The dead have highways." Yeah, we know. You keep telling us. An okay haunted house flick that finally delivers the promised blood near the end--3/5 October 16 24. The Unknown (27)--DVR'd from TCM--Lon Chaney loses his mind (and his arms) over the girl he loves--3/5 October 17* 25. Gnaw (08)--Netflix DVD--More kids. More cannibals. More killing. More of the same--2/5 26. TerrorVision (86)--DVR'd from TCM--Good to see that TCM's definition of "classic" extends to bad '80s movies--2/5 October 18 27. Mimic (97)--my DVD--Forgot how good this was--4/5 28. Mimic 2 (00)--my DVD--So-so sequel--3/5 October 19* 29. Fear Itself: In Sickness and In Health (09)--Netflix DVD--I must be tired. I really didn't see that coming--3/5 30. Fear Itself: Family Man (09)--Netflix DVD--Liked this one a lot. And that "Bumblebee Song" was horrifying--4/5 October 20 31. Fear Itself: Something with Bite (09)--Netflix DVD--Weird werewolf tale--3/5 32. Fear Itself: New Year's Day (09)--Netflix DVD--This rocked. Love. Zombies. The end of the world. I liked the before-and-after, and again, didn't see that coming.--4/5 October 21 33. Mimic: Sentinel (03)--Netflix DVD--"Rear Window" with bugs. Different, and better, than the first sequel--3/5 October 22* 34. Infestation (09)--Netflix DVD--Really enjoyable giant bug horror-comedy. Awesome final scene--4/5 October 23* 35. Rise of the Gargoyles (09)--Netflix DVD--Ze mama gargoyle attacks ze people. Ze heroic professor, ze plucky reporter and ze crazy priest try to stop ze monster by wandering ze catacombs of Paris, er, Canada, while ze cliche Inspector Clouseau-accented policeman continues to not belive zem as ze body parts pile up--3/5 36. The Gate (87)--my DVD--"You got demons." I remember seeing liking this when it came out, but I don't remember it being this good. Likable characters, great stop-motion animation, and some genuinely creepy moments (the "family portrait" on the wall), all add up to one of the gems of the challenge--5/5 October 24* 37. Vampyr (32)--DVR'd from TCM--Almost silent and really slow, with lots of eerie shadows. But I still don't know exactly what was going on--3/5 38. Sisters (73)--DVR'd from IFC--Finally got around to seeing this, and liked it a lot. De Palma is the king of the split-screen. Classic score by Bernard Herrmann--4/5 39. The Tingler (59)--DVR'd from TCM--A lot of fun after a very talky first half. This must've been a blast in the theaters--3/5 40. Return of the Living Dead 3 (93)--On Demand--This was the unrated version. Enjoyable munchfest--4/5 October 25 41. I Know How Many Runs You Scored Last Summer (09)--Netflix DVD--OK Australian slasher--2/5 42. Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror (90)--my DVD--After all the talk, I decided to rewatch what seems to be the unofficial film of this year's challenge. Yup, still awful. And still entertaining--3/5 43. Lemora: A Child's Tale of the Supernatural (73)--my DVD--Strange, nightmarish fantasy, with a style all its own--3/5 44. Ginger Snaps (01)--my DVD--Funny, scary, touching (the final scene). One of my favorite films, and I never get tired of watching it--5/5 45. Dawn (06)--my DVD--Yes, most of the supporting actors are friends-and-family-of-the-director variety, but Kacie Young is good as the little girl with a secret, and I really liked the relationship between Dawn and her father--4/5 October 26* 46. Fear Itself: Skin and Bones (09)--Netflix DVD--That guy was really scary-looking--3/5 47. Fear Itself: Chance (09)--Netflix DVD--Didn't really see the point of this one--3/5 October 28 48. Fear Itself: The Spirit Box (09)--Netflix DVD--Stupid teenagers doing stupid things--3/5 49. Orphan (09)--Netflix DVD--The spoilers made it sound ridiculous, but this was actually a fun little thriller. And Esther's secret is original, to say the least--3/5 October 29 50. Wildcard #1: Monsters vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space (09)--DVR'd from NBC--Cute holiday followup to the movie, with some good laughs--3/5 51. The Butcher (09)--Netflix DVD--This sick, faux-snuff film was hard to watch with the constant shaky-cam and the constant torture--3/5 52. Fear Itself: Echoes (09)--Netflix DVD--Bloody deja vu tale--3/5 October 30* 53. Wildcard #2: Flash Forward: Scary Monsters and Super Creeps (09)--DVR'd from ABC--"That was the best costume I've ever seen," says little Charlie as she watches the mysterious kangaroo bouncing down the street. After a couple of so-so weeks, things are finally starting to come together in this Halloween episode of the series--4/5 54. Invasion of the Bee Girls (73)--On Demand--Written by Nicholas Meyer, this silliness oozes 1970s. Fun to watch--3/5 55. Breeders (86)--On Demand--Bad acting. Bad writing. Bad man in a monster suit. Just bad. But entertaining--2/5 October 31* 55. Wildcard #3: Medium: Bite Me (09)--On Demand--"They're not running the one where everyone gets trapped in the mall, are they?" This season has been great so far, and this was a fun episode for horror fans, as Alison dreams herself into "Night of the Living Dead"--4/5 56. Zaat (72)--DVR'd from TCM--Where are Joel and the 'bots when you need them? Giant catfish-man terrorizes a small Florida town with excessive voice-over and a lame rubber suit possible left over from "Lost in Space." With a bonus bad 70's folk-rock interlude--1/5 57. Sauna (08)--Netflix DVD--A couple of very creepy moments in this hard-to-follow Finnish ghost story--3/5 58. Wildcard #4:* The Troop: The Great Punkin (09)--On Demand--Discovered this Nick series today. Pretty entertaining kids show--3/5 59. Murders in the Zoo (33)--DVR'd from TCM--Jealous husband uses animals to kill. Too much comic relief from the PR agent, but a cool ending made this worth a look--3/5 *LIST FINAL* Spoiler: The DVDTalk October Horror Challenge Expanded Checklist/Bingo Card Watch one film from every decade of film history. --- 1890 - --- 1900 - --- 1910 - -x- 1920 - The Unknown -x- 1930 - Mad Love --- 1940 - -x- 1950 - The Man from Planet X --- 1960 - -x- 1970 - Island of the Fishmen -x- 1980 - Something Wicked This Way Comes -x- 1990 - The Haunting -x- 2000 - Zombieland Watch a film for each rating: -x- Unrated (pre-MPAA) - The Man from Planet X --- G - -x- PG - Something Wicked This Way Comes -x- PG-13 - The Haunting -x- R - Zombieland --- NC-17 - --- X (not porn; several horror films were rated X) - -x- Unrated (post-MPAA) - Drag Me to Hell Watch films in at least three formats (DVD, BD, HD DVD, Laserdisc, TV, online, UMD, theater, iPod, etc). -x- First format - DVD: The Haunting -x- Second format - theater: Zombieland -x- Third format - On Demand: Dolly Dearest Watch a film starring: --- Bela Lugosi - -x- Lon Chaney Sr. - The Unknown --- Boris Karloff - --- Lon Chaney Jr. - -x- Vincent Price - The Tingler --- Peter Cushing - --- Christopher Lee - --- Robert Englund - --- Bruce Campbell - --- Jamie Lee Curtis - Watch films in at least two languages other than English. -x- First language - The Butcher (Korean) -x- Second language - Sauna (Finnish) Watch a film in each of the following subgenres/types: -x- Vampire - Children of the Night --- Frankenstein - --- Werewolf - --- Mummy - --- Invisible Man - -x- Ghost/haunting - The Haunting --- Witchcraft/satanic/religious - -x- Zombie - Zombieland -x- Slasher/psycho/homicidal maniac - Sisters -x- Monster/creature feature/Godzilla - TerrorVision --- Documentary - --- Musical - -x- Spoof/comedy - Zombieland -x- Revenge - I Know How Many Runs You Scored Last Summer -x- Killer/evil doll - Dolly Dearest -x- Killer/evil animal - Murders in the Zoo -x- Killer/evil child - Children of the Corn --- Giallo - --- J horror - --- MST3K/rifftrax/CT - --- film and its remake - --- based on a video game - -x- based on a novel - Something Wicked This Way Comes --- directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis or Uwe Boll or Ulli Lommel - --- won an Academy Award -- any category - -x- silent film - The Unknown -x- Criterion version film - Sisters --- with commentary - -x- film and at least two of its sequels - Mimic, Mimic 2, Mimic: Sentinel --- anthology film - -x- takes place on a holiday - Halloween III: Season of the Witch --- takes place in space - --- takes place on or under the sea - --- animated film - --- called "Night of ..." - -x- called "Return of ..." - Return of the Living Dead 3 --- called "Revenge of ..." - --- called "Attack of ..." - -x- with the words "Living Dead" in the title - Return of the Living Dead 3 __________________ "Why do you wear that stupid bunny suit?" "Why are you wearing that stupid man suit?" Last edited by zaphod2467; 11-03-09 at 10:21 AM.