[beebs]

Mrs. Beebs and I are back for another year. Aiming to top last year... where I think we topped 100.

October 1st
001. Dead of Winter new! [1987] On-Demand One actress, three roles... how many will live? There were a couple of moments here where the schizo made up thriller from Adaptation came to mind. If only the local police officer was a woman also played by Mary Steenburgen and she chased herself at the end!
002. Pet Semetary [1989] On-Demand HD Will it bring back my dead ficus? Now that would be creepy.
003. Bless the Child [2000] new! On-Demand HD Creepy big budget supernatural thriller. Religious leaders clearly are ripe for hollywood abuse, akin to Nazis, middle eastern extremists, and russians.
004. Wilderness [2006] new! On-Demand HD Dog Soldiers meets Most Dangerous Game crossed with 1983's Juvie Prison Flick Bad Boys. Hmm, or maybe Over the Edge?
005. Mimic [1997] On-Demand HD Early Del Toro picture that snoozes it up in the late second act. Oh well.

October 2nd
006. Count Yorga, Vampire new! [1970] DVD Campy, sexy, and smile inducing dialogue. Reminds me of Fearless Vampire Killers. Surprised Skinny Puppy didn't sample this one, too.
007. Ninth Gate [1997] Library DVD The road to hell is paved with expensive books, rich horny cougars, and sex outside old castles. Some guy would have figured this out sooner.
008. To Let (6 Films to Keep You Awake) new! [2006] Library DVD Note to self, don't rent outside of town near any cooling towers. Especially in a big creepy building with poor cell reception.

October 3rd
009. Last Man on Earth [1964] new! DVR from MGM HD The world ends up populated by the slowest moving vampires ever who can't bust through some weakly boarded up windows.
010. High Spirits [1988] DVR from MGM HD Neil Jordan tried his hand at some ghost-filled comedy. The spinning bed would have given me projectile vomiting... thus reminded me of The Exorcist.

October 4th
011. The Flesh Eaters [1964] new! DVR from AMC HD (upscaled SD) Pretty craptacular creature at the end of this. Needed Nazis or Russians or something.
012. Mothman Prophecies [2002] DVR from HDNET HD Not really scary, leaves more questions than answers. Yet, still enjoyable. How is that possible?
013. Dead Heist [2007] new! DVR from Starz HD Only heist here, is two hours of my life I'll never get back. This movie had potential, I think. Just not executed with much craft.
014. The Craft [1996] DVR from Encore HD Always knew the goths were up to no good.
015. Final Destination IV [2009] new! Seen at the Drive-in!Mrs. Beebs and I love taking the dogs off the drive-in. Makes for a fun night, and we got to take in this one for the horror challenge.

October 5th
016. Last House on the Left [1972] new! DVR from MGM HD This one is truly disturbing. Depenis by fellatio for the lock. Love the Home Alone booby traps!
017. The Believers [1987] DVR from MGM HD Rosemary's Baby meets Serpent and the Rainbow.
018. Body Parts [1991] new! Epix On-Demand The Hell Toupe episode of The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror makes all of these movies moot.

October 6th
019. The Beast of Hollow Mountain [1956] new! DVR from MGM HD Horror western with a T-Rex chasing horseback riders!

October 7th
020. Distrubing Behavior [1998] new! DVR from MGM HD Stepford high schoolers invade a sleepy pacific northwest town.

October 9th
021. Curse of the Faceless Man [1958] new! DVR from MGM HD Late 50's creature of the week.
022. Darkman [1990] DVR from HDNET What is it about the dark? What secrets does it hold?

October 10th
023. 30 Days of Night [2007] DVR from Encore HD Stylish bloody modern vampire tale with a strong first act. Based on the comic book, I think the movie is quite entertaining. Consistency, tone, and some excellent effects make it work.
024. Company of Wolves [1984] DVR from MGM HD Horror meets the Brother's Grimm. Had not seen this early Neil Jordan film in 10+ years, still delightful. Looks like it was filmed on the Legend sets.

October 12th
025. Blade II [2002] DVR from Encore HD This is del Toro's entry in the Blade franchise. It's a lot of fun, if you ask me. Although, I saw this in the theaters... and had forgotten this entire movie. It was like it was new again.
026. Gremlins [1984] Library DVD Fun little summer hit from the 80s that I haven't seen in ages. With it's release on Blu-ray, I figured I revisit this one. Dante creating a very charming frightener here.
027. Invasion of the Body Snatchers[Original] [1956] Library DVD This original is my favorite, but both the cold war paranoia of the 1978 and cool effects of 1992 remake are very watchable. Meanwhile, that last one is a chore to sit through again.
028. Lost Boys [1987] Library DVD Stylish, full of 80's music, with a good mix of action and humor. I know this one is nothing special, but I have a soft spot for 1980s stuff... having grown up in 70s and 80s.
029. Comedy of Terrors [1963] new! Library DVD I don't think I've ever seen a cat listed in the fore credits to a film. Fun little movie, with enough horror star power to bend space and time.

October 13th
030. Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre [1994] new! DVR from Encore Never seen this one before. I can see that these films were a huge influence on Mr. Zombie, I think.
031. Tremors [1990] HD DVD Top 5 movie for me. If I haven't seen this one 20 times, I'd be surprised. Even saw a screening with the director at Arclight in Hollywood.

October 14th
032. Constantine [2005] HD DVD Had not seen this since I saw it in the theater. Pleasantly surprised how much I liked it. Keanu is a chore sometimes, but the rest made up for it.
033. Quarantine [2008] OnDemand in HD Really like this one as well as [REC]. Good stuff.
034. Dracula II: The Ascension [2003] DVR from Encore Mrs. Beebs nabbed this one for recording. Has it's moments, but a little snoozy.

October 15th
035. Ferryman [2007] new! DVR from Encore Inventive middle of the ocean tale. Not really scary, more of a thriller. Still, Mrs. Beebs and I were quite entertained.
036. Let the Right One In [2008] new! Library DVD Amazing new take on the vampire tale. Wow, bravo. Mrs. Beebs also loved this one. Love the CGI cat attack!
037. Night Terror [1977] new! DVR from MGM HD This one read like a horror tale, turned out to be more thriller. Will use a wildcard on the 70s made for TV pyscho road fest.
038. Fire in the Sky [1993] new! DVR from MGM HD This one takes a while to get going, but I found the last thirty minutes or so worth it.
039. Fearless Vampire Killers [1967] new! Library DVD This one is amusing, but by the end I found it tiresome. Lots of camp appeal and plenty of crunchy dialogue. "Shiver my timbers!"

October 16th
040. Aliens [Extended] [1986] Special Edition DVD Another top 5 movie for me. Can't watch this one enough. Mrs. Beebs and I often use the line, "They mostly come at night. Mostly." applying it to anything with mostly in it.
041. It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown [1966] Library DVD (Deluxe Edition) Another wildcard choice here. That makes two. Man, this deluxe edition looks amazing for 90% of this one.
042. Sacrifice [Fear Itself] [2008] new! OnDemand Fearnet HD Fear Itself is a standalone 1-hour, horror series like Masters of Horror. TH
043. Zombiemania [2008] new! OnDemand Starz HD Nice stand alone documentary on the development of the zed-word.

October 17th
044. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans [2009] new! OnDemand Starz HD Could not stand the first movie, skipped the second one... but I found this one very watchable.
045. Ghostbusters [1984] Blu-ray Wildcard if necessary. Great funny ghost and evil Sumerian god flick.
046. Dawn of the Dead [Remake/Extended] [2004] Blu-ray I don't know why, but I find this to be one of the most watchable zombicalypse movie. Second would we Return of the Living Dead.

October 18th
047. Near Dark [1987] Library DVD Great little indy-feeling Vampire flick. Lots of fun, with three folks from Aliens. Mrs. Beebs points out that this one has the token kid in the Vampire Troupe like Lost Boys. 80s vampire trend?
048. Omen [1976] Library DVD This is the reason I like supernatural horror movies. Stuff like this or The Exorcist are so good and memorable. So many slashers or modern horrors are so fleeting.

October 19th
049. The Mist [2007] DVR from Starz HD I keep coming back to this one. Will need to pick this up on Blu-ray.

October 20th
050. Interview with a Vampire [1994] Library Blu-Ray Haven't seen this one since it was in the theaters. Cruise should do more creepy roles... he's a natural at it.
051. Les Diaboliques [1955] new! Library DVD The original that spawned so many other menage-a-murder. Excellent, makes me want to see many of the remakes/homages/blantant rip-offs.

October 21th
052. New Years Day [Fear Itself] [2008] new! OnDemand Fearnet HD Horror story with a flip at the very end. Cool to do at this length.
053. Family Man [Fear Itself] [2008] new! OnDemand Fearnet HD Worthy of a Twilight Zone.

October 22th
054. Community [Fear Itself] [2008] new! OnDemand Fearnet HD It's a Stepford lynch-mob!
055. Skin and Bones [Fear Itself] [2008] new! OnDemand Fearnet HD The bad guy in this one reminds me of a friend of mine. Made it especially creepy to me. Otherwise, this felt like the weakest I've seen.

October 23rd
056. The Blob [1958] OnDemand Fearnet HD I rather like the 1988 remake, but this original is good fun, with cliches galore. Not sure if they were original when this movie was made... or if this more itself is derivative of many others.
057. Gacy [2003] new! Encore HD Must clowns be evil?

October 24th
058. Pumpkinhead [1988] new! Encore HD PVR Hillbilly creatures rock! Me and Mrs. Beebs consur on this one.
059. Zombieland [2009] new! Another Drive-in Viewing Another great night at the drive for Mrs. Beebs and I. I don't know if this is gonna hold up well, yet. Will have to see if I want to watch it again next year... it will at least give it a double-tap to check.
060. Shaun of the Dead [2004] HD DVD The zed-word has never been funnier. Man, I can't get enough of this one. Still hilarious and fun after 10+ viewings.

October 25th
061. Skeleton Key [2005] HD DVD This one is surprisingly cool watching it after having seen it once before. And, as a bonus, you get to see Kate Hudson Hoodoo'd up.
062. Bone Collector [1999] HD DVD Chase that serial killer! It's impossible to know the end of this one, but I still find it entertaining.
063. End of Days [1999] HD DVD The Arnonator versus Satan. I think we all know who is going to win in this one. It certainly isn't the clergy's finest hour, though.

October 26th
064. Cemetary Man [1994] new! OnDemand What a funny sexy little number this is. Will revisit this one again!
065. Mad Love [1935] new! TCM OnDemand A great evil body parts movie from the 1930s staring an amazing Peter Lorre... just after his classic role in M.
066. Wolf Man [1941] Beebs Collection DVD My absolute favorite of the classic monster movies, Mrs. Beebs concurs. I believe this has to do with my fondness for style of 1940s movies.
067. Excorcist [1973] Beebs Collection DVD Picked this original release DVD up from Big Lots for a pittance. What a great movie this is! This best supernatural horror film, I think.

October 27th
068. King Kong [1933] Beebs Collection DVD Another Big Lots bargain... the remastered original 1930s King Kong. I can see why this influenced so many future filmmakers.
069. Night of the Living Dead [Remake] [1990] Library DVD I really liked this remake. This Savini-directed revisit has just the right spirit to it, largely cast with unknowns, small budget feel, right amount of departure from the original. No superfluous extra fluff thrown in to make it deliberately bigger or slicker. The movie works well on it's own and as a homage.
070. Cronos [1993] new! Library DVD Oops! I watched this a couple of days ago and missed putting it in my list. Excellent early movie from Del Toro. Different, but as enjoyable as Devil's Backbone. Of course the later film showed much greater craft, this is just as interesting to watch.
071. The Tingler [1959] Beebs Collection DVD A twisty well-crafted William Castle classic... and one of my favorite Vincent Price, and a Mrs. Beebs fave, too. Scream! Scream for your life!
072. Pyscho [1960] Beebs Collection DVD Not my favorite Hitchcock (by a long shot) but this is still amazingly entertaining.

October 28th
Special thanks to Mrs. Beebs for watching a bunch of movies on our anniversary. Thanks Mrs. Beebs!
073. Jaws [1975] Beebs Collection DVD Sneaky young Mr. Spielberg... creating a creature feature with a big shark. Amazing score and unrecognized masterful performance by Robert Shaw are just some of the great touches here. On top of this, Mrs. Beebs deserves an Oscar for her amazing imitation of the Family Guy Dreyfus saying, "I'm Richard Dreyfus, I was in Jaws!"
074. Dracula [1931] new! Beebs Collection DVD The original 1931 Dracula is an amazing movie. I had honestly never seen it before.
075. Silence of the Lambs [1991] Beebs Collection DVD One of my favorite movies and one of the best serial killer movies. I am a big fan of Manhunter as well as this movie. I have no trouble loving both of them.
076. Nightmare Before Christmas [1993] Beebs Collection Blu-ray First time watching this one of Blu-ray for me, and new for Mrs. Beebs. Wow, I never knew Zero had a jack'o'latern nose!
077. Hellboy [2004] Beebs Collection Blu-ray This one keeps growing on me. I am a big fan of the comics, and this movie lives well with them. I need to pick up the second movie.

October 29th
078. Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers [1988] new! Fearnet OnDemand Mrs. Beebs and I found this one quite fun to watch, and I generally don't like slashers. But the lady's psychosis/madness is so damn light-hearted, and the deaths well done on the most part. I am particular a fan of death by outhouse.
079. Abbot & Costello Meet Frankenstein [1948] Beebs Collection DVD Bud and Lou meet Dracula, The Monster, and Wolf Man... what's not to love here?
080. Abbot & Costello Meet the Mummy [1955] Beebs Collection DVD Not nearly the film Frankenstein is, but still a fun romp.
081. The Eye [2008] new! HD DVR I saw the original at the NuArt theater in Los Angeles, long before it went into wider release in the US. I thought it was okay, with a good ending. This remake is more even throughout, but less creepy.
082. Wallace & Grommit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit [2005] Beebs Collection DVD It's films like this that keep me interested in supposed 'kids' movies. This one is a personal favorite of mine and Mrs. Beebs, and I love watching it for the challenge.
083. Revenge of the Zombies [1943] new! MGM HD DVR Old school zombies (i.e. automaton dead people) fuel an snoozer here. There's little creepy or scary about this one, unlike the eerie I Walked With a Zombie.
084. Van Helsing [2004] Beebs Collection HD DVD I remember not liking this overly long action horror entry in theaters. But it seemed like good fun in the home theater.

October 30th
085. X Files: I Want To Believe [2008] Beebs Collection Blu-ray Great stand-alone X-Files tale... as a full theatrical experience. It works somewhat. Still fun to visit with Mulder and Scully.
086. Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland [1989] new! Fearnet On-Demand After watching the second movie, we had to watch this one. Enjoyable, light slasher fare.
087. The Hidden [1987] Beebs Collection DVD A Big Lots super find... as it works for the SciFi or Horror challenge and is a movie I can watch again and again. Good B-scifi horror flick. Lots of good action in this one, which keeps it going at a breakneck pace.
088. The Fly [1986] Beebs Collection Blu-ray Cronenberg's horror masterpiece of the new hybrid flesh. An enjoyable jump in the Plasma pool with cheeseburgers as usual.
089. Pitch Black [2000] HD DVD I think this one is a gem of scifi horror. Creepy, foreboding first act, followed by lots of paranoia and eerie darkness leads to an action packed final act.

October 31th
So close to 100... I'm gonna try to power through and make it happen.
090. Jeepers Creepers II [2003] new! Starz from DVR Watched the first one last year, and I liked it. Note to the Creeper, don't kill the hick MacGyver's kid.
091. Young Frankenstein [1974] AMC HD from DVR Top horror spoof in my book.
092. Godsend [2004] new! MGM HD from DVR I needed an evil kid movie, and I'd never seen this one. So-so result considering the talent in this one.
093. Ghoulies II [1987] new! Starz HD from DVR Fun cute/evil critter sequel from the 80s featuring the world's best carnival fun house. Will have to seek out the rest of this series for next year.
094. Carrie [1976] Beebs Archive DVD DePalma loves long tracking shots and dirty pillows. Always looking just looking at one of his films, they are always visually interesting and have interesting cinematic moves in them. Not to mention this is simply an amazing horror film, too.
Movies after midnight...
095. Predator [1987] Beebs Archive Blu-ray Stealth horror lurks just beyond a standard action first act. Stars two governors at one time or another. Perhaps we can go for a third?
096. Poltergeist [1982] Beebs Archive Blu-ray It is hard to fathom how this Spielberg movie directed by Tobe Hooper ended up the way it did. Spielberg was definitely involved in the movie on many levels. Did he simply seep into every nook and cranny of this one? Regardless of who made it, I loved this film back in 1982 when I saw it the theaters, and enjoy still today. It's an incredibly entertaining supernatural horror, that exact sort that I like.
097. Poltergeist II: The Other Side [1986] OnDemand This remake really never hits stride.
Oh well... we still had a lot of fun, watched 40+ new horror movies, including two at the drive-in. Will be back next year for another run to 100 and beyond!

Movie key:
HD DVD, DVD, Blu-ray, or specific edition - Beebs Movie Collection
Library DVD - free movie from the library
OnDemand/OnDemand HD - Comcast OnDemand
BBO - Blockbuster Online/in-store exchange
new! First time watching this movie, so it's new to me.

Beebs Bloodfest Blog!

Spoiler:

October 1st
Started off with the first horror movie I could find on FiOS OnDemand, a late-80s clunker Dead of Winter. Mary Steenburgen plays three different roles in this chilly, one-trick movie. Roddy McDowall also stars as the mad doctor's "Igor". McDowall, normally a lot of fun does not do much with the role, though. It is unfortunate. Jan Rubes, who plays the twisted doctor, does a great job with his performance. Along with Steenburgen triplets, these two manage to pull together a serviceable thrill. The problem with Dead of Winter is that it does a poor job of elaborating or extending the premise, abandons the out-of-focus storyline, and simply races to finish by having every character suddenly turns homicidal.

The 80's was the peak of Stephen King movies. King had material based on his work in theaters 2-3 times a year throughout the decade. For whatever reasons, theatrical material based on King turn a turn for more science fiction (Running Man & Lawnmower Man) and dramatic (Stand by Me) in the years before Pet Sematary. It felt at the time that this low-budget killer kid flick is movie at the tail end of a poor slew of King horror movies. Just a year later, in 1990, King would receive a big boost on the horror front from Misery.

I don't know how I missed Chuck Russell's Blessed the Child. It was the sorta supernatural horror film I've always liked... over the slasher type. You see in Russell's career a very cliche path for a director to enter the movie business -- direct a sequel. After nearly a 5-6 years of industry experience, in 1984 Russell's Dreamscape script got made. Then he comes up with the story for Freddy Three and scores the director chair. After helming Freddy Three, he went on to direct his script in the 1988 The Blob remake, then The Mask, Eraser, Bless the Child, and finally the Scorpion King.

I liked Child, it was a very entertaining "child in peril" flick. In particular, Rufus Sewell does a great job as the evil bad guy and although Basinger is nothing special in this one, I find her regular performance is simply good casting here. The special effects are used to excellent effect, but in the end are a little too old testament for me. Still, this is one I will revisit.

Another quick hunt in FiOS on-demand came up with 2006's Wilderness. This is one of those bunch of miscreants lost in the woods and hunted by a killer movies. Rather than being all that scary, the movie is more of an action thriller with a good bit of gore thrown in. Not one I would revisit, but the writer and/or director did a lot to make the situation work without creating an impossible to stop killer. I won't spoil the third act surprise, but it wasn't a big pay off for me. The locations and even lots of running around ended up reminding me of first 30 minutes of Dog Soldiers, a movie I watched and largely enjoyed last year.

Next up is Del Toro's 1997 Mimic. I saw this one opening weekend in 1997 at the Burlingame Drive-in near San Francisco... but I dare say I remember anything about it. It's like seeing it for the first time all over again. I don't think it is a good sign when you don't remember something about a movie. After this one, I will have to take a break from OnDemand and watch some movies from my collection.

Well into the early morning, I pop in Count Yorga, Vampire -- an MGM 'Midnight Movie' from the early 70s. I scored this one for $2.40 from Big Lots during a sale and it's a gem. Dialog akin to Polanski's Fearless Vampire Killers, the movie is priceless. This is the sorta movie early Skinny Puppy should have sampled extensively.

Speaking of Polanski, who was recently nabbed in Switzerland for 30+ year old statutory rape charges of a 13 year old girl, next up was his 1999 supernatural thriller Ninth Gate. It's hard to imagine the same director producing The Pianist two years later. Not because it's so much better or worse, but because it's such a different style of film. The "ninth gate" climax at the end of the film seems to make the entire story loosely symbolic of the director's own history.

One thing that's pretty amazing in The Ninth Gate is Langella's performance. I think it is amazing.

Started to watch 2006's To Let, a Spanish horror movie from Lionsgate's 6 Films to Keep You Awake Collection. This set was sitting lonely in my library's "Spanish Language Section". This creepy little movie gets off to a fast start. I picked this one as it appealed to me having rented for the bulk of my life in numerous multi-tenant buildings.

Wrapped up blog at this point. Will do short blurb with each movie.

Movie Challenge Bingo!

Spoiler:

Watch one film from every decade of film history.
--- 1890 - (insert film title here)
--- 1900 -
--- 1910 -
--- 1920 -
--- 1930 - Mad Love [1935]
--- 1940 - Wolf Man [1941]
--- 1950 - Beast of Hollow Mountain [1956]
--- 1960 - Last Man on Earth [1964]
--- 1970 - Count Yorga, Vampire [1970]
--- 1980 - Dead of Winter [1987]
--- 1990 - Mimin [1997]
--- 2000 - Bless the Child [2000]

Watch a film for each rating:
--- Unrated (pre-MPAA) - (insert film title here)
--- G - Wallace and Grommit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit
--- PG - Gremlins
--- PG-13 - Mothman Prophecies
--- R - Dead of Winter
--- NC-17 -
--- X (not porn; several horror films were rated X) -
--- Unrated (post-MPAA) -

Watch films in at least three formats (DVD, BD, HD DVD, Laserdisc, TV, online, UMD, theater, iPod, etc).
--- First format, DVD, Count Yorga, Vampire.
--- Second format, HD DVD, Tremors.
--- Third format, Blu-ray, Ghostbusters.

Watch a film starring:
--- Bela Lugosi - (insert film title here)
--- Lon Chaney Sr. -
--- Boris Karloff -
--- Lon Chaney Jr. -
--- Vincent Price -
--- Peter Cushing -
--- Christopher Lee -
--- Robert Englund -
--- Bruce Campbell -
--- Jamie Lee Curtis -

Watch films in at least two languages other than English.
--- First language, (insert language), (insert title).
--- Second language, (insert language), (insert title).

Watch a film in each of the following subgenres/types:
--- Vampire - Near Dark
--- Frankenstein - Young Frankenstein
--- Werewolf - Wolf Man
--- Mummy - Abbot and Costello meet the Mummy
--- Invisible Man -
--- Ghost/haunting - Poltergeist
--- Witchcraft/satanic/religious - The Craft
--- Zombie - Dawn of the Dead
--- Slasher/psycho/homicidal maniac - Gacy
--- Monster/creature feature/Godzilla - King Kong
--- Documentary - Zombiemania
--- Musical - Nightmare Before Christmas
--- Spoof/comedy - Young Frankenstein
--- Revenge - Pumpkinhead
--- Killer/evil doll -
--- Killer/evil animal -
--- Killer/evil child - Godsend
--- Giallo -
--- J horror -
--- MST3K/rifftrax/CT -
--- film and its remake -
--- based on a video game -
--- based on a novel -
--- directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis or Uwe Boll or Ulli Lommel -
--- won an Academy Award -- any category -
--- silent film -
--- Criterion version film -
--- with commentary -
--- film and at least two of its sequels -
--- anthology film -
--- takes place on a holiday -
--- takes place in space -
--- takes place on or under the sea -
--- animated film -
--- called "Night of ..." - Night of the Living Dead
--- called "Return of ..." -
--- called "Revenge of ..." -
--- called "Attack of ..." -
--- with the words "Living Dead" in the title - Night of the Living Dead [remake]