Julie Walker

list is final

* = first time viewing

October 1st
1. Basket Case (1982) vhs
2. Phantasm (1979) dvd

October 2nd
3. Faust: Love of the Damned (2000) unrated version, Youtube.com *

October 3rd
4. Child's Play 2 (1990) dvd
5. Phantasm 2 (1988) dvd

October 4th
6. The New Kids (1984) Crackle.com *

October 5th
7. Godzilla: King Of The Monsters (1956) vhs *
8. Basket Case 2 (1990) vhs

October 7th
9. Friday the 13th (1980) dvd, R rated version
10. The Evil Dead (1981) dvd
October 10th
11. Bride of Re-animator (1989) vhs, R rated version
12. Vampyres (1974) vhs, R rated version

October 11th.
13. The Mist (2007) dvd, black & white version

October 15th
14. Without Warning (1980) uncut 96 minute version, Youtube.com *
15. Poultrygeist : Night of the Chicken Dead. (2007) Hulu.com *

October 16th
16. Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (1977) vhs, theatrical version *
17. Ernest Scared Stupid (1991) dvd

October 18th
18. Dr. Giggles (1992) laserdisc

October 19th
19. The Crow (1994) dvd
20. Return of the Living Dead 3 (1993), vhs, unrated version

October 20th
21. I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998) dvd

October 23rd
22. House on Haunted Hill (1999) dvd *
23. Bad Moon (1996) dvd *

October 24th
24. Zombie Strippers (2008) dvd, R rated version *

October 26th
25. The Hills Have Eyes (2006) dvd, R rated version

October 27th
26. Piranha (2010) dvd

October 28th
27. Kingdom of the Spiders (1977) tv-IFC *

October 30th
28. Hell Night (1981) Youtube.com
29. The Grudge (2004) dvd, unrated version

October 31st
30. Halloween (1978) dvd
31. The Fog (1979) dvd

jason978

can't wait.

nezumi

Please do join me on Friday, October 21 in viewing Night of the Comet as part of the 31 Film Subset, followed by a discussion of the film the next day!

THE 31 FILM SUBSET


10-09-2011: Added titles 1-14
10-20-2011: Added titles 15-26
10-30-2011: Added titles 27-36
11-01-2011: Added titles 37 & 28; minor housekeeping

LAST YEAR: 46 films
THIS YEAR'S PERSONAL GOAL: 50+ films

THE LIST
All films are DVD format unless noted.
Bold indicates a first-time viewing.
* = Wildcard selection

1. Dead Alive (A.K.A., "Braindead") 4 stars - VHS.
2. Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl 4 stars
3. Click! The Calendar Girl Killer 1 star
4. Zombie Dearest 1 star
5. Don't Go in the Woods 2 stars
6. Devil Times Five 3 stars
7. Satan's Slave 2 stars
8. Lurkers 2 stars
9. The H-Man 4 stars
10. The Return of the Living Dead 4 stars
11. My Mom's a Werewolf 1 star
12. Beetlejuice 4 stars
13. The Mole People 3 stars - Broadcast television, part of Svengoolie.
14. Scream, Blacula, Scream 3 stars
15. House (1977) 4 stars
16. Final Exam 3 stars
17. Monster Man 2 stars
18. Love Me Deadly 2 stars
19. Horror of Dracula 4 stars
20. Dracula A.D. 1972 2 stars
21. Munster, Go Home! 3 stars
22. Dracula (1931) 3 stars - Broadcast television, part of Svengoolie.
23. Devil's Dynamite 1 star
24. The Walking Dead, "Days Gone Bye" 4 stars
    The Walking Dead, "Guts" 2 stars
25. The Walking Dead, "Tell it to the Frogs" 3 stars
    The Walking Dead, "Vatos" 2 stars
26. The Walking Dead, "Wildfire" 4 stars
    The Walking Dead, "TS-19" 3 stars
27. Night of the Comet 4 stars
28. Versus 2 stars
29. Ernest Scared Stupid 2 stars
30. Castle, "Demons" - Broadcast television. / The Andy Griffith Show, "The Haunted House" / Yo Gabba Gabba!, "Halloween" *
31. Bad Dreams 3 stars
32. Visiting Hours 3 stars
33. The Manster 3 stars
34. The Butcher (2009) 1 star
35. The Office, "Spooked" / It's the Great Pumpkin, Charile Brown / Parks and Recreation, "Meet 'N' Greet" / Community, "Horror Fiction in Seven Spooky Steps" - Hulu.com *
36. Terror Beneath the Sea 2 stars
37. The Evil Dead 4 stars - VHS.
38. The Invisible Man (1933) 3 stars - Broadcast television.

That's all for this year! It's been fun!

Cannibal Chris

Long time lurker, this will be my first year to participate.

This year's goal is 100 movies, 40 of which will be first time viewings.


Blue = Blu-ray
* = first time viewing
Purple = theatrical


October 1st
1: Leatherface (1990)
2: Chromeskull: Laid to Rest 2* (2011)
3: The Hills Have Eyes (1977)
4: Zombie Holocaust (1980)

October 2nd
5: House on Haunted Hill (1959[hosted by Lobo])
6: Alligator* (1980)
7: Plague of the Zombies* (1966)
8: Teenage Exorcism* (1991)

October 3rd
9: Staunton Hill* (2009)
10: GhostWatch* (1992)
11: Vamp* (1986)
12: The Roost* (2006)

October 4th
13: Blair Witch Project (1999)
14: The Omen (1976)
15: Black Demons* (1991)
16: Halloween (1978)

October 5th
17: Body Bags* (1993)
18: Beyond The Darkness (1979)

October 6th
19: Dawn of the Dead (1978)
20: Anthropophagus
21: Demons

October 7th
22: The Horde* (2009)
23: Halloween 2 (1981)

October 8th
24: The Hills Have Eyes Part 2* (1985)

October 9th

October 10th
25: City of the Living Dead (1980)
26: The Beyond (1981)
27: Murder Rock (1984)
28: Zombi 3 (1988)
29: The Exorcist (1973)
30: The Hitcher (1986)

October 11th
31: Jungle Holocaust (1977)
32: The Burning (1981)
33: The Thing (1982)

October 12th
34: An American Werewolf in Londan (1981)
35: Blood Junkie* (2010)
36: Night of the Living Dead (1990)

October 13th
37: Candy Man (1992)
38: Maniac Cop (1988)

October 14th
39: Hellraiser (1987)

October 15th
40: Redneck Zombies* (1989)

October 16th
41: The Basement* (1989)
42: The Walking Dead S2E1* (2011)

October 17th
43: Cannibal Campout* (1988)
44: Halloween 6: Producers cut* (1995)
45: Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1994)
46: Day of the Dead (1985)

October 18th
47: Intruder* (1989)
48: Embodiment of Evil (2008)
49: The Stepfather (1987)

October 19th
50: House of 1,000 Corpses (2004)
51: The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988)

October 20th
52: Behind the Mask (2006)
53: Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things (1973)

October 21st
54: Burial Ground (1981)

October 22nd
55: Zombie

October 23rd
56: Popcorn* (1991)
57: The Eerie Midnight Horror Show* (1974)
58: The Lost Boys (1987)
59: Return of the Living Dead 2 (1988)
60: Deranged (1974)

October 24th
61: Dexter s6e5 / Walking Dead s2e2* (2011)
62: Dead Hooker in a Trunk* (2009)
63: Aenigma* (1987)
64: The Mummy (1932)
65: The Wolfman (2010)

October 25th
66: White Zombie (1932)
67: Mortuary* (1982)
68: Man from Deep River* (1972)
69: Cannibal Holocaust (1980)

October 26th
70: Halloween H20 (1998)

October 27th
The Evil Dead trilogy
71: The Evil Dead (1981)
72: The Evil Dead 2 (1987)
73: Army of Darkness (1993)

October 28th
72: House by the Cemetery
75: 28 Days Later
76: Death Ship

October 29th
77: Night of the Living Dead (1968)

October 30th
78: Flesheaster (1988)

October 31st
79: Walking Dead s2e3/ Dexter s6e5* (2011)

shadokitty

Done

Goal 100

* denotes first time viewing
DVD- DVD
TV-Television
NWI-Netflix watch Instantly
C-Computer

First time viewing total - 27

October 1

1. The Vampire Bat (Theme Night: Cult Movies pick) (1933) - DVD
2. Matango (1963) -DVD
3. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) - DVD
4. Destroy All Monsters (1968) - DVD

October 2

5. Stephen King's The Stand Ep 1: The Plague (1994) - NWI
6. Resident Evil (2002) - TV - Sy Fy(Theme Night Pick) *
7. The Killer Shrews (1959) - DVD
8. A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985) - DVD

October 3

9. Orca - The Killer Whale (1977) - C- YouTube (Theme Night Pick) *

October 4

10. Jaws (1975) - DVD (Theme Night Pick)
11. Starship Troopers (1997) - TV - Sy Fy

October 5

12. Ghost Hunters: French Quarter Phantoms / Ghost Hunters: Residual Haunts = TV - Sy Fy
13. The Horde (2009) - NWI (Theme Night Pick) *

October 6

14. Jeepers Creepers (2001) - DVD
15. The Breed (2006) - NWI *
16. Dead and Buried (1981) - NWI (Theme Night Pick) *
17. Attack of the Giant Leeches (1959) - DVD

October 7

18. Shaun of the Dead (2004) - DVD (Theme Night Pick)
19. Slither (2006) - DVD
20. The Screaming Skull (1958) - DVD *

October 8

21. Pterodactyl (2005) - TV Sy Fy (Theme Night Pick) *
22. Jeepers Creepers II (2003) - DVD
23. Prom Night (1980) - DVD
24. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987) - DVD

October 9

25. Gamera: Guardian of the Universe (1995) - DVD
26. Gamera 2: Advent of Legion (1996) C - Itunes
27. Premonition (2004) (Theme night pick) - NWI *
28. Godzilla Against Mechagodzilla (2002) - DVD
29. Gamera 3: Revenge of Iris (1999) - C - ITunes

October 10

30. Gamera the Giant Monster (1965) - DVD
31. Gamera the Giant Monster - Audio Commentary
32. The Golem (1920) - NWI (Theme Night Pick) *
33. Rodan (1956) - DVD (American version)

October 11

34. Cat People (1942) - DVD *
35. Puppet Master vs Demonic Toys (2004) C-Youtube
36. Gamera Super Monster (1980) - C
37. Moon of the Wolf (1972) - DVD (Theme Night Pick)

October 12

38. Godzilla vs King Ghidorah (1991) - DVD
39. Gojira (1954) - DVD
40. Gojira (1954) - Audio Commentary
41. Silver Bullet (1985) - DVD (Theme Night Pick)

October 13

42. Half Caste (2004) - DVD (Theme Night Pick)

October 14.

43. The Amityville Horror (1979) - DVD (Theme Night Pick)
44. Godzilla: Tokyo SOS (2003) - DVD

October 15

45. Trollhunter (2010) - NWI *
46. Gamera the Brave (2006) - C

October 16

47. Dracula (1931) - DVD
48. Frankenstein (1931) - DVD
49. Godzilla (1998) - DVD
50. Friday the 13th (1980) - DVD
51. Bride of Frankenstein (1935) - DVD
52. Godzilla, King of the Monsters (1956) - DVD

October 17

53. 976-Evil II (1992) - Tv - Epix 3 *
54. Monster From a Prehistoric Planet (1967) - DVD

October 18

55. Godzilla vs Gigan (1972) - DVD
56. The Giant Behemoth (1959) - C *

October 19

57. King Kong (1933) - C
58. The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms (1953) - C
59. Godzilla Raids Again (1955) - DVD - Japanese Version

October 20

60. Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001) - DVD
61. Godzilla Raids Again (1955) - DVD - American Version
62. Godzilla Raids Again - Audio Commentary

October 21

63. Mega Python vs Gatoroid (2011) - NWI *
64. Varan the Unbelievable (1962) - DVD
65. Varan the Unbelievable -Audio Commentary
66. Gorgo (1961) - C *

October 22

67. Gamera vs Barugon (1966) - DVD

October 23

68. Son of Frankenstein (1939) - DVD
69. Reptilicus (1961) - C
70. Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla (1974) - DVD

October 24

71. Puppet Master (1989) - DVD *
72. Puppet Master II (1991) - DVD *
73. Gamera vs Gaos (1967) - DVD *
74. Attack of the Monsters (1969) - DVD
75. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) - C - YouTube *

October 25

76. Mega Shark vs Crocosaurus (2010) - NWI *
77. Masters of Horror - Dreams in the Witch House - TV - Chiller *
78. Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge (1991) - DVD *
79. Puppet Master 4 (1993) - DVD *
80. Wolfen (1981) - DVD
81. The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942) - DVD
82. House of Dracula (1945) - DVD *

October 26

83. Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954) - DVD
84. Creature From the Black Lagoon - Audio Commentary

October 27

85. It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown - TV - ABC - WC 1

October 28

86. King Kong vs Godzilla (1962) - C (Japanese Version)
87. King Kong vs Godzilla (1962) - DVD (American Version)
88. Mothra vs Godzilla (1964) - DVD (American version)
89. Godzilla 1985 (1984) - C
90. Gamera vs Viras (1968) - DVD

October 29

91. Hellraiser (1987) - DVD
92. Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988) - DVD
93. Death Valley: The Revenge of Bloody Bill (2004) - TV - SyFy *
94. The Giant Gila Monster (1959) - DVD

October 30

95. The Howling (1981) - DVD
96. Rodan (1956) - DVD (Japanese Version) *

October 31

97. Ghidorah the Three Headed Monster (1964) - DVD (American Version)
98. The Wolf Man (1941) - NWI
99. House of Frankenstein (1944) - DVD
100. Dracula's Daughter (1936) - DVD *


Temp TV Section:

MikeWP78

I'm in! Going to lose my Challenge virginity with this one. It should be fun.

October 2

1. Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)

October 3

2. The Craft (1996)

October 22

3. Devil (2010)

Camp Blood

I'll do one per theme night, then try to squeeze in as much as I can after that. Going for 60 this year!

*First Time Viewing
Blu-Ray

Oct 1
1. Phantasm
2. Phantasm II *

Oct 2
3. 28 Weeks Later

Oct 3
4. Piranha

Oct 4
5. Zombi: Dawn of the Dead
6. My Bloody Valentine (1981)

Oct 5
7. Frontiers *
8. The People Under the Stairs

Oct 6
9. Dead and Buried

Oct 7
10. The Mummy (1959) *

Oct 8
11. Resident Evil : Apocalypse

Oct 9
12. Ringu

Oct 10
13. The Blood Spattered Bride *

Oct 11
14. The Howling *
15. Witchboard *

Oct 12
16. Stephen Kings The Shining Part 1 (1997)
17. Stephen Kings The Shining Part 2
18. Stephen Kings The Shining Part 3

Oct 13
19. Troll Hunter *
20. Mimic
21. Maniac *

Oct 14
22. Poltergeist II
23. The Serpent and the Rainbow *

Oct 15
24. Young Frankenstein
25. Hellraiser (I saw this in the theater at a midnight show, it was amazing on the big screen!)

Oct 16
26. A Cat in the Brain *

Oct 17
27. Tales from the Crypt (1972) *

Oct 18
28. Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare
29. Wes Craven's New Nightmare

Oct 19
30. I Know What You Did Last Summer

Oct 20
31. Let the Right One In

Oct 21
32. The Mist

Oct 22
33. Dead Alive

Oct 23
34. Bram Stoker's Dracula

Oct 24
35. The Hills Have Eyes

Oct 25
36. Madhouse *
37. Urban Legend: Final Cut

Oct 26
38. Demons
39. Rubber *

Oct 27
40. The Hitcher (1986)

Oct 28
41. Inferno
42. Mother of Tears

Oct 29
43. Friday the 13th (1980)
44. Friday the 13th Part 2
45. The Thing (2011) *
46. The Thing (1982)

Oct 30
47. Prince of Darkness *
48. The Grudge 2 *
49. Saw 7: The Final Chapter

Oct 31
52. Trick 'r Treat
51. Night of the Demons (2009) *
52. Halloween: H20

adgegavkyle

I am new to the forum and new to the challenge.


my personal goal will be fifty but if i can do more then i will.

Total Movies Watched 100 First time viewing 34 Streaming 4


Streaming - Red
DVD - Black
BLU RAY - Blue
First time viewing *
Grade A - F is in green

October 1

1) Stigmata - A This is a movie that i enjoy alot.
2)Torso* B+ Cool Movie, Glad to check it out.
3) Cursed * B I enjoyed this one, Plus Christina Ricci is so pretty!

October 2

4) The hills have eyes Remake - B I like the remake better than the original.
5) Nightmare on elm street original - B- cool movie.

October 3

6)Nightmare on elm street remake A - I really enjoy this remake alot.


October 4

7) Laid to rest* B - I liked this more then i thought i would.
8) The Howling* A - I loved this one.
9) The House of the devil* B- I liked the old 80's vibe it had to it.
10) DeadGirl* B- It was ok. I think i had my expectations way to high after all the great things i heard about it.
11) American werewolf in paris A- i haven't seen this in years. I forgot how much i like it.
12) Frailty A I absolutely love this movie.


October 5


13) Dead Alive* C It has some amusing parts. It is one definitely not to take seriously.
14) Daughters of Darkness Inside Them Faceless Frontiers B A little slow at times but cool.
15) House of a thousand corpses B This is one I like to watch pretty often.
16) Turistas B+ I like this movie.
17) The Ward B Another John Carpenter movie that i like.


October 6

18) The Mist C I would have rated it higher but i dislike the ending alot.
19) Dead and Buried B Condemned to VHS Hell! Excellent movie.
20) The Dorm that dripped blood* A- This movie was awesome.
21) The Strangers A- Starts a little slow but it is a cool movie.


October 7


22) Vampire Circus* B+ Bloody tea and crumpets. I put off watching this movie for a long time. I am glad i watched it now.
23) Texas chainsaw massacre original* B Very cool movie, it is a little crazy at times.
24) Case 39 B- I enjoy this movie.


October 8


25) Dawn of the dead remake Supercharged Zombie Go Boom! A- A great remake in my eyes.
26) Maniac* B Joe spinell played this character very well.
27) Inferno* B Not bad, now i need to pick up suspiria and mother of tears.


October 9


28) The Thing B- A little slow at times but cool.
29) Audition*The Asian Buffet of Tantalizing Terrors! B All i can say is wow.
30) The Fog Original B+ I like this one alot better then the remake.


October 10


31) All the boys love mandy lane A Great movie!
32) Frozen A Really good movie. Probably Adam Green's Best so far.
33) The Bird with crystal plummage Passport to Bloodcurdling Terror B I wish i had the Blu ray.
34) Eden Lake* C It was ok.
35) Friday the 13TH Part 3* B+ Can't believe this is the first time i have seen part 3.


October 11


36) Dog Soldiers Full Moon Madness A This movie is awesome, With alot of action!
37) Zombie Holocaust B Fun Movie. I always laugh when the dummy hits the groung and its arm pops off.
38) Antichrist* B+ This is a very disturbing movie.


October 12


39) Needful things Hail to the King, Baby! B I like it. Been a long time since i have seen it.


October 13

40) Cloverfield Don't Go Lookin' for Trouble. Trouble will Find You. B- It was a fun movie to watch with my son.


October 14


41) The Nesting Oozing Ectoplasm Euphoria B I like this movie.
42) Maniac Cop* B
I thought it was really cool. now i want to see the next one.
43) Halloween Remake B+ I like that it has a good backstory. However i like the original more.
44) Subspecies* C It was ok.


October 15


45) Drag me to hell B This is a fun movie.
46) The Hitcher 2* B+ I wish i had the original one to watch first but i liked this one as well as the remake.
47) Penny Dreadful* C- I wanted to like it more i just didn't.
48) The Messengers* C It was ok.
49) 1408* C Again It was a ok movie.
50) Return of the living dead Meat's Meat, and a Man's Gotta Eat B+ This is always a fun movie.



October 16


51) City of the living Dead* Bavas, Argentos and Fulcis, Oh My! B Solid movie.
52) Silent Hill B- Not a bad movie but i haven't seen it in awhile. I remember it being better.
53) Texas Chainsaw Massacre Remake A I really like this remake.



October 17


54) Session 9 B I haven't watched this one in a while.
55) Scary movie 2 B This is my favorite of the scary movies.


October 18


56) Candyman* Franchise Fantástico B First time viewing not bad.
57) Amityville Horror Remake B I like this one better then the original.
58) Phantoms A- I loved the book, I really like the movie.
59) The Omen Remake B+ I haven't seen the original yet and i liked this one.


October 19


60) Bikini girls on ice It Slices, Dices & Guts You Like a Fish B It isn't the best slasher film but it was fun.
61) Hatchet A- Awesome.
62) Tamara* B+ Kinda resembled carrie but still cool in its own way.


October 20

63) Vampyres* A Reel Cinematic Suckfest! B Not bad. Kinda slow. Still entertaining.
64) [COLOR="Blue"]Friday the 13th Remake [/COLORB I like this one better then the original.
65) 28 Days later* B+ Really cool movie.
66) The Tattooist* C It was a average movie.
67) The burning B+ I like it.


October 21


68) Scream B+ It has been awhile since i have seen this.
69) Scooby Doo B My 4 year old son wanted to watch it. He loves it.
70) Suspiria* C I had a hard time staying with this. kinda boring.
71) Scream 4* B- I thought it was decent.


October 22


72) Jeepers Creepers B+ I like this movie.
73) Jeepers Creepers 2 B Not as good as one but i still like it.
74) Saw C I remember this being better.
75) A Serbian Film* B
This one is by far the most disturbing movie i have seen during this challenge.
76) Zombieland Mausoleum Mayhem, Gangrene Brainstem! A- Nothing less than cool.


October 23


77) The Crazies Remake A- In my opinion way better than the original.
78) When a stranger calls B Not Bad.


October 24


79) Sleepaway Camp B- Haven't seen this one in awhile.
80) Ginger Snaps* A Excellent movie.
81) Christine B+ I wish this was out on blu ray.
82) High Tension B+ Really cool movie.


October 25


83) Tenebrae* B Not a bad movie.
84) House by the cemetery* B- Not as good as i thought it would be.


October 26


85) Resident Evil A My favorite of the series.
86) Resident Evil ApocalypseB Not bad.


October 27

87) Resident evil Extinction B+

88) Paranormal Activity B- It is ok, Kinda boring in spots.
89) Last House on the left remake A A very good intense movie.


October 28

90) Carrie A- A definite classic.
91) May B+ A disturbing but good movie.
92) The toolbox murders remake B I like it better then the original.
93) Rose Red B A very long Movie but wifey wanted to watch it. Besides she doesn't like to watch horror movies very often.


October 29


94) Feast B This movie is definitely over the top.
95) The Descent A Pretty cool movie!
96) Black Christmas Remake B Not bad. I have never seen the original though.
97) My Bloody Valentine Original B I like this one as much as the remake.


October 30


98) Halloween Original A My favorite horror movie.
99) Halloween 2 A- A solid follow up to the original.



October 31



100) Trick R Treat A-
Great way to complete the challenge.

LickTheABCs

"It's October bitches! Time to have us a shit-ton of fun!" - LickTheABCs (<-- yes, I quoted myself in the third person!)

October the First:

1. The Loved Ones (2009) IMDB - ** - (Dir: Sean Byrne) - Really disappointing. Everything I heard about this made it seem like something I'd enjoy but I found it way too tame and entirely too predictable. New edition to the spank bank: Jessica McNamee
2. Stake Land (2010) IMDB - *** - I'm a sucker for a good ol' fashioned post-apocalyptic vampire flick. This was one of them. It was kind of odd seeing the dude from Gossip Girl in here but other than that, I'd totally recommend it to anyone. Always and forever in the spankbank: Danielle Harris

Second of October:

3. Monsters (2010) IMDB - **.5 - There were certain bits and pieces of this flick that I enjoyed but as a whole I was left somewhat disappointed. Not now but future entrance into the spank is definite: Whitney Able

October 3, 2011:

4(a). Supernatural - "Meet the New Boss"
4(b). Supernatural - "Hello, Cruel World"

10/04/11:

5. Chromeskull: Laid to Rest 2
6(a): Doctor Who - "The Wedding of River Song"
6(b): Doctor Who Confidential

Oct. 5th

7. Friday the 13th: The Official XXX Parody
8. Scream XXX

280th day of the year

9. Trollhunter

10-12-11

10(a): American Horror Story - "Pilot"
10(b): American Horror Story - "Home Invasion"

14th of October!

11. The Last Exorcism

16/2011/10

12. Night of the Living Dead
13. Dawn of the Dead
14. Day of the Dead

October Eighteenth Twenty-Eleven

15. Evil Dead
16. Evil Dead 2
17. Army of Darkness

Thursday the 20th

18. Grave Encounters

Melmoth

Goal:100 First Time Viewing: ☼

October 1

#1	Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988) (*Netflix Streaming* *Theme Night* ☼)	2/5
#2	Martin (1976) (*Netflix DVD* *Theme Night* ☼)	3.7/5
#3	Freaks (1932) (*DVD* *Theme Night*)	5/5
#4	Scarecrows (1988) (*Netflix Streaming* *Theme Night* ☼)	2.5/5

October 2

#5	[Rec] (2007) (*Netflix DVD* *31 Film Subset* *Theme Night* ☼)	4.5/5
#6	Shivers (1975) (*IFC DVR* *Theme Night* ☼)	3.4/5

October 3

#7	Monkey Shines (1988) (*Netflix Streaming* ☼)	3.2/5
#8	Orca (1977) (*Youtube* *31 Film Subset* *Theme Night* ☼)	3/5
#9	Dead Man's Eyes (1944) (*DVD* ☼)	3/5

October 4

#10	Frogs (1972) (*Netflix Streaming* *31 Film Subset* *Theme Night* ☼)	2.5/5
#11	The Exorcist (1973) (*Netflix Streaming* *Theme Night*)	4.5/5
#12	The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971) (*DVD* *Theme Night* ☼)	4.5/5

October 5

#13	The Horde (2009) (*Netflix Streaming* *31 Film Subset* *Theme Night* ☼)	1.5/5
#14	Them (2006) (*Netflix Streaming* *Theme Night* ☼)	3.5/5

October 6

#15

Dead & Buried (1981) (*Netflix Streaming* *31 Film Subset* *Theme Night* ☼)

4/5

October 7

#16	Torture Garden (1967) (*Netflix DVD* *Theme Night* ☼)	3.5/5
#17	Vampire Circus (1972) (*Blu-Ray* *31 Film Subset *Theme Night*)	4.5/5
#18	The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) (*TCM DVR* *Theme Night*)	5/5

October 8

#19	The Mighty Peking Man (1977) (*Netflix Streaming* *31 Film Subset* *Theme Night* ☼)	2/5
#20	Resident Evil (2002) (*Netflix DVD* *Theme Night* ☼)	3/5

October 9

#21	Premonition (2004) (*Netflix Streaming* *31 Film Subset* *Theme Night* ☼)	3/5
#22	Audition (1999) (*Netflix Streaming* *Theme Night* ☼)	3.5/5
#23	Phantasm (1979) (*DVD*)	4.5/5

October 10

#24	Sheitan (2006) (*Netflix Streaming* *Theme Night* ☼)	3.7/5
#25	The House by the Cemetery (1981) (*Netflix DVD* *Theme Night* ☼)	3.2/5

October 11

#26	Dog Soldiers (2002) (*Netflix DVD* *31 Film Subset* *Theme Night* ☼)	3.2/5
#27	An American Werewolf in London (1981) (*Netflix Streaming* *Theme Night*)	3.5/5

October 12

#28	Creepshow (1982) (*Netflix Streaming* *31 Film Subset* *Theme Night* ☼)	3.5/5
#29	Cropsey (2009) (*Netflix Streaming* ☼)	3.2/5

October 13

#30	TrollHunter (2010) (*Netflix Streaming* *31 Film Subset* *Theme Night* ☼)	3/5
#31	The Last Exorcism (2010) (*Netflix Streaming* *Theme Night* ☼)	3.5/5

October 14

#32	Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986) (*Netflix Streaming* *Theme Night* ☼)	3/5
#33	Audrey Rose (1977) (*Netflix Streaming* *Theme Night* ☼)	2.5/5

October 15

#34	Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead (2006) (*Hulu* *31 Film Subset* *Theme Night* ☼)	2.5/5
#35	Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jeykll and Mr. Hyde (1953) (*DVD* *Theme Night* ☼)	3.5/5

October 16

#36	The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970) (*Blu-Ray* *Theme Night*)	3.5/5
#37	Phenomena (1985) (*Netflix DVD* *Theme Night* ☼)	3.5/5

October 17

#38

After Midnight (1989) (*Netflix Streaming* *Theme Night* ☼)

1.5/5

October 18

#39	Pumpkinhead (1988) (*Netflix DVD* *31 Film Subset* *Theme Night* ☼)	4/5
#40	Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991) (*DVD* *Theme Night*)	3/5

October 19

#41	The Stepfather (1987) (*Netflix DVD* *31 Film Subset* *Theme Night* ☼)	4/5
#42	Scream (1996) (*Netflix Streaming* *Theme Night*)	3.5/5
#43	The Slumber Party Massacre (1982) (*DVD* *Theme Night*)	3.5/5

October 20

#44	The Invisible Ray (1936) (*DVD*)	5/5
#45	Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht (1979) (*Netflix DVD* *Theme Night* ☼)	3.5/5
#46	Cronos (1993) (*Netflix Streaming* *Theme Night* ☼)	4/5

October 21

#47

They Live (1988) (*Netflix Streaming* *Theme Night* ☼)

3.7/5

October 22

#48	Night of the Living Dead (1968) (Elvira's Movie Macabre Edition) (*Hulu* *Theme Night*)	5/5
#49	Day of the Dead (2008) (*DVD* *Theme Night* ☼)	2.5/5
#50	Deathdream (1974) (*Netflix Streaming* *31 Film Subset* *Theme Night* ☼)	4.5/5

October 23

#51	The Body Snatcher (1945) (*DVD* *Theme Night* ☼)	5/5
#52	Hour of the Wolf (1968) (*Netflix Streaming* *31 Film Subset* *Theme Night* ☼)	3.5/5

October 24

#53	Dr. Renault's Secret (1942) (*DVD* *31 Film Subset* *Theme Night* ☼)	4/5
#54	Scream 2 (1997) (*Netflix DVD*)	3/5

October 25

#55

Theatre of Blood (1973) (*DVD* *31 Film Subset* *Theme Night* ☼)

3.5/5

October 26

#56	Black Belly of the Tarantula (1971) (*Netflix Streaming* *31 Film Subset* *Theme Night* ☼)	3/5
#57	Sometimes The Come Back (1991) (*Netflix Streaming* ☼)	3/5
#58	The Return of the Living Dead (1985) (w/ commentary) (*Blu-Ray* *Theme Night*)	5/5

October 27

#59	Child's Play (1988) (*Netflix Streaming*)	3/5
#60	Bug (2006) (*IFC DVR* *Theme Night* ☼)	3.5/5
#61	The Mountain of the Cannibal God (1978) (*Netflix DVD* ☼)	3/5

October 28

#62	Attack of the Giant Leeches (1959) (MST3K commentary) (*Netflix Streaming*)	2/5
#63	Burn, Witch, Burn (1962) (*Netflix Streaming* *31 Film Subset* *Theme Night* ☼)	3/5
#64	The Skull (1965) (*Blu-Ray* ☼)	3/5

October 29

#65	The Golem (1920) (*Netflix Streaming* *Theme Night* ☼)	5/5
#66	Amusement (2008) (*Netflix Streaming* *31 Film Subset* *Theme Night* ☼)	2.5/5

October 30

<table align="top" border="2" bordercolor="#000000" style="background-color:#cf1b07" "cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> 31 Film Subset: Theme Nights: Checklist:

cwileyy

*FINAL*

GOAL: 31
* Denotes first time viewing.

Total Viewed: 65
First Time Viewings: 54 (83%)


October 1
1. Bubba Ho-Tep (2002)
2. Pathology (2008)

October 2
None

October 3
3. Dream Home (Wai dor lei ah yut ho) (2010)*
4. Martin (1976)*
5. Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994)

October 4
6. Dylan Dog: Dead of Night (2010)*

October 5
7. The Black Cat (1934)*
8. Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932)*

October 6
9. Baghead (2008)*
10. Tucker and Dale vs Evil (2010)*
11. The Raven (1935)*
12. The Entity (1982)*

October 7
13. From Beyond (1986)*
14. Murder by Decree (1979)*
15. Black Sabbath (I tre volti della paura) (1963)*


October 8
16. The Lost Boys (1987)*

October 9
17. Carnival of Souls (1962)*
18. The Bad Seed (1956)*
19. Humanoids from the Deep (1980)*

October 10
20. Thesis (Tesis) (1996)*
21. The Woman (2011)*
22. Jaws (1975)

October 11
23. Noroi: The Curse (Noroi) (2005)*
24. A Horrible Way to Die (2010)*

October 12
25. The Pit and the Pendulum (1961)*
26. Society (1989)*
27. Ghostwatch (1992)*

October 13
None

October 14
None


October 15
28. The Mummy (1999)
29. Once Bitten (1985)*

October 16
None

October 17
30. Bride of Re-Animator (1990)*
31. The Stepfather (1987)*
32. The Frighteners (1996)*

October 18
33. A Bucket of Blood (1959)
34. Hatchet (2005)

October 19
35. The Devils (1971)*
36. Ginger Snaps (2000)*
37. The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971)*
38. The Comedy of Terrors (1963)*
39. Evilspeak (1981)*

October 20
40. The Orphanage (El orfanato) (2007)

October 21
41. Frankenhooker (1990)*
42. Pumpkinhead (1988)*


October 22
43. Popcorn (1991)*
44. Kidnapped (Secuestrados) (2010)*
45. Insidious (2010)*
46. Matango: Attack of the Mushroom People (1963)*

October 23
47. The Tomb of Ligeia (1964)*
48. Blood Feast (1963)*
49. The Fearless Vampire Killers (Dance of the Vampires) (1967)*
50. Mirrors (2008)*
51. Dead & Buried (1981)*

October 24
52. Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)
53. Grave Encounters (2011)*

October 25
54. House on Haunted Hill (1959)

October 26
55. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)*
56. Fright Night (1985)*

October 27
57. The Stuff (1985)*

October 28
None


October 29
58. The Invisible Man (1933)*
59. In the Mouth of Madness (1994)*
60. Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)*

October 30
None

October 31
61. Casper (1995)
62. Night of the Living Dead (1990)*
63. Son of Dracula (1943)*
64. Home Sick (2007)*
65. Evil Ed (1995)*

Checklist
(49 of 86 completed)

sleepyvillager

Goal: 105 films

Key: [ą] = first time viewing

Note: All credit for the layout of this Horror Movie Challenge goes to Trevor.

Week 1

Week 2


Expanded Checklist


31 Film Subset


Theme Nights

moocow111

Reserved. I will try to watch all of my films on a VHS player.

josepotato

Horror Month 2011!
First time viewings in bold.
Goal: 100



October 1st:
(001) Nosferatu (1922)
(002) I Downloaded a Ghost (2004) ★☆☆☆☆

October 2nd:
(003) Buried (2010) ★★★☆☆

October 3rd:
(004) Dinosaurus! (1960) ★★★☆☆

October 4th:
(005) Devil (2010) ★★☆☆☆
(006) Rubber (2010) ★★★★☆
(007) Paranormal Activity 2 (2010) ★★★★☆
(008) The Valley of Gwangi (1969) ★★☆☆☆
(009) Transylvania 6-5000 (1985) ★☆☆☆☆

October 5th:
(010) Troll (1986) ★★★☆☆
(011) Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958) ★★★★★

October 6th:
(012) Mars Needs Women (1967) ★★☆☆☆
(013) The Cyclops (1957) ★★☆☆☆

October 7th:
(014) The Fourth Kind (2009) ★☆☆☆☆
(015) Cat's Eye (1985) ★★★★☆

October 8th:
(016) House of Wax (1953) ★★★☆☆
(017) Saw 3D (2010) ★★★★☆

October 9th:
(018) Cloverfield (2008) with commentary by Matt Reeves
(019) Freaks (1932)

Columbus Day:

October 11th:
(020) Drag Me to Hell (2009) Unrated Director's Cut ★★★★★
(021) Zombieland (2009) ★★★★☆
(022) Nothing But Trouble (1991) ★☆☆☆☆
(023) Mrs. Ashboro's Cat (2004) ★★☆☆☆

October 12th:
(024) Them! (1954) ★★★☆☆

October 13th:
(025) Tarantula (1955) ★★★★★
(026) The Black Scorpion (1957) ★★★★☆

October 14th:
(027) Open Water (2003) with commentary by Blanchard Ryan & Daniel Travis
(028) Fermat's Room (2007) ★★★★☆

October 15th:
(029) The Wasp Woman (1959) ★★★★☆

October 16th:
(030) A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) ★☆☆☆☆

October 17th:

October 18th:
(031) Crawlspace (1986) ★★★☆☆
(032) Thinner (1996) ★★★★☆
(033) 127 Hours (2010) ★★★☆☆
(034) The Bad Seed (1956) ★★★★☆

October 19th:
(035) Berserk (1967) ★★★☆☆
(036) Grizzly (1976) ★★☆☆☆

October 20th:
(037) White Noise 2: The Light (2007) ★★★☆☆

October 21st:
(038) Frankenstein - 1970 (1958) ★★☆☆☆
(039) Donovan's Brain (1953) ★★★★★

October 22nd:
(040) Black Christmas (1974) ★★★★☆
(041) Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010) ★★☆☆☆

October 23rd:
(042) Tomie: Re-birth (2001) ★★★☆☆
(043) The Magnetic Monster (1953) ★★★☆☆

October 24th:
(044) The Seventh Victim (1943) with commentary by Steve Haberman
(045) The Monster That Challenged the World (1957) ★★★★☆

October 25th:
(046) Eight Legged Freaks (2002) ★★☆☆☆

October 26th:
(047) Thirst (2009) ★★★★☆

October 27th:
(048) The Blob (1958)
(049) It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966)

October 28th:
(050) The Leopard Man (1943) with commentary by William Friedkin

October 29th:
(051) Beetlejuice (1988)
(052) The Other (1972) ★★★☆☆
(053) Cat People (1942)

October 30th:
(054) The Shout (1978) ★★★★★

Halloween:
(055) Val Lewton: The Man in the Shadows (2007) ★★★☆☆
(056) Nightmares (1983)

The End!

Grand Total: 56 (Goal: 100 / Previous Challenge Total: 105)
First Time Viewings: 45
Commentaries: 4
DVD: 12
TV: 44
Equipment Failures: 1 (My Dish DVR died around day 20 and had to be replaced, luckily I was able to back up most of the stuff that was on the hard drive.)

-- List Finalized --

The Checklist:

Spoiler:

Watch a film starring:
--- Barbara Crampton -or- Barbara Shelley -
--- Doug Bradley -or- Sid Haig -
--- Hazel Court -
-x- Klaus Kinski - Crawlspace (1986)
-x- Lance Henriksen -or- Ken Foree - Nightmares (1983)
-x- Lon Chaney Jr. -or- Lon Chaney Sr. - The Cyclops (1957)
-x- Michael Gough - Berserk (1967)
--- Ron Perlman -or- Tom Atkins -
-x- Ted Raimi -or- Reggie Bannister - Drag Me to Hell (2009)
-x- Vincent Price - House of Wax (1953)

Watch a film composed by:
-x- James Bernard - Nosferatu (1922)
--- Simon Boswell -

Watch a film directed by:
--- David Cronenberg -
--- Jean Rollin -
--- John Carpenter -
--- Sergio Martino -or- Riccardo Freda -
--- Terence Fisher -

Watch a film with make-up effects by:
--- Dick Smith -
--- Tom Savini -

Watch a film in each of the following sub-genres / types:
-x- Anthology Film - Cat's Eye (1985)
--- Appears on Video Nasties List -
-x- Based on a Novel - Thinner (1996)
-x- Blue Underground -
--- Called "Attack of ..." - Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958)
--- Called "Day of ..." -
--- Called "Night of ..." -
--- Called "Return of ..." -
--- Called "Revenge of ..." -
--- Cannibalism -
-x- Documentary - Val Lewton: The Man in the Shadows (2007)
-x- Extraterrestrial - Mars Needs Women (1967)
--- Film and at Least Two of its Sequels -
--- Film and its Remake -
-x- Frankenstein - Frankenstein - 1970 (1958)
-x- Ghost / Haunting - Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)
--- Giallo -
--- Horror Host (Count Gore De Vol, Elvira, Joe Bob Briggs, etc.)
-x- J-Horror - Tomie: Re-birth (2001)
-x- Killer / Evil Animal - Grizzly (1976)
-x- Killer / Evil Child - The Bad Seed (1956)
--- Killer / Evil Doll -
-x- Made-for-TV Movie - I Downloaded a Ghost (2004)
-x- Monster / Creature Feature / Godzilla - Cloverfield (2008)
--- MST3K / RiffTrax / Cinematic Titanic -
--- Mummy -
--- Musical -
-x- Rape / Revenge - A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
-x- Slasher / Psycho / Homicidal Maniac - Black Christmas (1974)
-x- Silent Film - Nosferatu (1922)
-x- Spoof / Comedy - Transylvania 6-5000 (1985)
--- Takes Place in Space -
-x- Takes Place on a Holiday - Black Christmas (1974)
-x- Takes Place on or Under the Sea - Open Water (2003)
-x- Vampire - Nosferatu (1922)
-x- Werewolf - Transylvania 6-5000 (1985)
-x- Witchcraft / Satanic / Religious - Devil (2010)
-x- With Commentary - Cloverfield (2008)
--- With the Words "Living Dead" in the Title -
--- Won an Academy Award (any category) -
-x- Zombie - Zombieland (2009)

Watch films in at least three formats (Blu-ray, DVD, streaming, etc.):
-x- First format, (DVD), Drag Me to Hell (2009)
-x- Second format, (TV), Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)
--- Third format, (insert format), (insert title).

Watch films in at least three languages other than English:
-x- First language, (Spanish), Fermat's Room (2007)
-x- Second language, (Japanese), Tomie: Re-birth (2001)
-x- Third language, (Korean), Thirst (2009)

Watch one film from every decade of film history:
--- 1890 OPTIONAL -
--- 1900 OPTIONAL -
--- 1910 OPTIONAL -
-x- 1920 - Nosferatu (1922)
-x- 1930 - Freaks (1932)
-x- 1940 - The Seventh Victim (1943)
-x- 1950 - The Cyclops (1957)
-x- 1960 - Dinosaurus! (1960)
-x- 1970 - Grizzly (1976)
-x- 1980 - Crawlspace (1986)
-x- 1990 - Nothing But Trouble (1991)
-x- 2000 - Drag Me to Hell (2009)
-x- 2010 - Buried (2010)

Watch a film for each rating:
-x- G - The Valley of Gwangi (1969)
-x- PG - Transylvania 6-5000 (1985)
-x- PG-13 - Troll (1986)
-x- R - Saw 3D (2010)
--- X / NC-17 -
-x- Unrated - Drag Me to Hell (2009)

Venture Into the Literary World:
--- Read a Horror Novel or Novella OPTIONAL -

acubfaninmd

List is final and totals updated.

2010: 34

Goal: 60
Actual:67.5

Blu-ray:26.5
Theater:1
Streaming:29
Cable:11
*=First Time Viewing: 36

October 1
1.)*Basket Case (Blu-ray/1982/91 Minutes)
2.)*Night Of The Demons (Cable/2010/93 Minutes)
3.)*The Others (Blu-ray/2001/101 Minutes)

October 2
4.)*Super Hybrid (Blu-ray/2010/94 Minutes)

October 3
5.)Gremlins 2"The New Batch (Cable/1990/106 Minutes)

October 4
6.)*Terror In The Aisles (Blu-ray/1984/82 Minutes)

October 5
6.5)American Horror Story-Pilot (Cable/2011/71 Minutes)

October 6
7.5)*Altitude (Cable/2010/90 Minutes)
8.5)*The Bad Seed (Blu-ray/1956/129 Minutes)
9.5)*Dead Alive (Blu-ray/1992/97 Minutes)
10.5)Halloween (Blu-ray/1978/91 Minutes)

October 7
11.5)Halloween II (Blu-ray/1981/92 Minutes)
12.5)*Tucker & Dale Vs Evil (Streaming Vudu/2010/89 Minutes)
13.5)Final Destination (Blu-ray/2000/98 Minutes)

October 8
14.5)*Children Of The Corn (2009 Syfy) (Cable/2009/92 Minutes)
15.5)Final Destination 2 (Blu-ray/2003/90 Minutes)
16.5)Final Destination 3 (Blu-ray/2006/93 Minutes)
17.5)Pandorum (Blu-ray/2009/108 Minutes)

October 9
18.5)Piranha (Blu-ray/2010/88 Minutes)

October 10
19.5)*Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (Blu-ray/1978/115 Minutes)
20.5)The Thing (Cable/1982/110 Minutes)

October 11
21.5)Halloween (Blu-ray/2007/121 Minutes)
22.5)*Pontypool (Cable/2008/101 Minutes)

October 12
23.5)Maniac (Blu-ray/1980/87 Minutes)
24)American Horror Story- Home Invasion (Cable/2011/60 Minutes)

October 13
24.5)The Walking Dead- Pilot Episode B&W Version (Blu-ray/2010/67 Minutes)
25.5)Mimic (Blu-ray/1997/111 Minutes)
26.5)Hatchet (Blu-ray/2006/84 Minutes)
27.5)Night Of The Living Dead (Streaming/1968/96 Minutes)

October 14
28.5)The Fly (Streaming/1958/93 Minutes)
29.5)*Premoniton (Streamin/2004/94 Minutes)
30.5)Hatchet II (Blu-ray/2010/85 Minutes)

October 15
31.5)*The Thing (Theater/2011/103 Minutes)
32.5)*Dead & Buried (Steaming/1981/94 Minutes)

October 16
33.5)*Behind The Mask: The Rise Of Leslie Vernon (Streaming/2006/90 Minutes)

October 17
34.5)*The Fog (Streaming/1980/89 Minutes)
35.5)*Dracula Vs Frankenstein (Streaming/1971/91 Minutes)
36.5)*Return Of The Living Dead (Streaming/1985/90 Minutes)

October 18
37.5)*Dead Of Winter (Streaming/2007/86 Minutes)
38.5)Nightmare On Elm Street (Blu-ray/1984/91 Minutes)
39.5)Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (Blu-ray/1985//87 Minutes)
40.5)Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (Blu-ray/1987/96 Minutes)
41.5)*Red State (Streaming/2011/88 Minutes)

October 19
42.5)*Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever (Streaming/2009/86 Minutes)
43.5)*Inferno (Streaming/1980/106 Minutes)
44.5)*The Ward (Streaming/2011/88 Minutes)

October 20
45.5)*House On Haunted Hill (Streaming/1959/74 Minutes)
46.5)*Midnight Meat Train (Cable/2008/98 Minutes)

October 21
47.5)*The Reef (Streaming/2010/87 Minutes)
48.5)*Creature From The Black Lagoon (Streaming/1954/79 Minutes)
49.5)The People Under The Stairs (Streaming/1991/101 Minutes)

October 22
50.5)The Fly (Streaming/1986/95 Minutes)
51.5)Child's Play (Streaming/1988/87 Minutes)

October 23
52.5)*The House of the Devil (Streaming/2009/95 Minutes)
53.5)House Of 1000 Corpses (Blu-ray/2003/89 Minutes)

October 24
54.5)Devil (Cable/2010/80 Minutes)
55.5)The Last Exorcism (Blu-ray/2010/87 Minutes)
56.5)28 Days Later (Blu-ray/2002/113 Minutes)

October 25
57.)American Horror Story-Murder House (Cable/2011/60 Minutes)

October 26
58.)Halloween 4:The Return Of Michael Myers (Cable/1988/88 Minutes)
59.)*Nine Dead (Streaming/2009/86 Minutes)
59.5)American Horror Story-Halloween Part 1 (Cable/2011/60 Minutes)

October 27
60.5)*Crawlspace (Streaming/1986/80 Minutes)
61.5)*Island Of Lost Souls (Blu-ray/1932/70 Minutes)
62.5)*The Girl Next Door (Streaming/2007/91 Minutes)

October 28
63.5)Creepshow (Streaming/1982/120 Minutes)
64.5)*Repo! The Genetic Opera (Cable/2008/99 Minutes)

October 29
65.5)*100 Feet (Streaming/2008/96 Minutes)

October 30
66.5)*Intruder (Streaming/1989/93 Minutes)

October 31
67.5)Puppet Master (Streaming/1989/99 Minutes)

islandclaws

<img src=http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRxp358IHIiSakTJUKeI77NagXejzo5YYs_wbSl5ZKilNZMs2Zd2b8O9sd97Q alt=hh


KC's 7th Annual Horror Challenge List or, This Year I'm Actually Going To Participate

Last year I sucked a big dick. No, not literally, but certainly in regard to this challenge. I was dealing with a lot of shit and neglecting my poor, gargantuan horror film collection.

But not this year.

I plan on kicking ass and chewing bubblegum this year. How much ass? At least enough to knock out, say... 31 films? I realize that's a meager sum, but it's something I consider marginally obtainable, so I'm gonna aim for that. Let's do this!

**************************************************************************

Oct. 1st

1. Halloween (1978/John Carpenter) (Blu-ray) - I felt like changing it up a wee bit for my yearly viewing, so I watched this with the 2.0 mono track. It was great - reminded me of the old days of VHS, or when I'd be lucky enough to catch bits of this on TV as a kid. I love that no matter how many times I see this movie it's still incredibly amazing with one of my favorite scores of all-time.

Post-(s)crypt: Some guy recently paid Tommy Lee Wallace $1000 to make him a Myers mask using a Shatner mask he provided. I know all this because my friend shot a video of Wallace doing it in his garage.

Oct. 2nd

2. Halloween II (1981/Rick Rosenthal) (Blu-ray) - Finally, the REAL Halloween II gets a Blu-ray release. Watching this back-to-back with the original, as I always do (and I'm sure many of you do, too), it made me realize how much Myers had changed from one film to the next. This one isn't as smart as the first, but the score by Carpenter is ungodly awesome and it's got some good gore.

Post-(s)crypt: This is one of those films that I'd catch bits of on TV as a kid, and the memories scared me for years until I was old enough to know what move it was and sit down to watch it proper.

3. Terror in the Aisles* (1984/Andrew J. Kuehn) (Blu-ray) - I'd never seen this before, but seeing as how Universal graciously included it (in HD, no less) as a bonus feature on the Halloween II Blu-ray, I decided to check it out. Truthfully, it's not very exciting to watch if you didn't grow up on it. I remember I had a VHS copy of Grandpa's Sci-Fi Hits, starring Al Lewis, which was nothing more than a clip film with some horrendously bad footage of Grandpa acting wacky. But I still love it because I watched it on a loop as a kid. At least this film had some clever editing, something I can't say of my old classic.

Post-(s)crypt: I'm so used to seeing Pleasance with his trademark Loomis goatee that he looks odd clean shaven. Yes, I'm aware he's also clean shaven in Escape from NY.

4. Tom Savini's 5 Bloody Hilarious Appearances on Late Night with David Letterman (various) (DVD-R) - I got this from Tom at a convention a couple years back. And it's SO FUCKING AWESOME. Tom appeared on Letterman numerous times to promote films he was working on (Day of the Dead, Creepshow 2, TCM 2) and during these spots he'd bring in some props, fake weapons... and each segment always ended with Tom using Dave for a gag. It might be lighting his hand on fire, or blowing his brains out, but it's hilarious to watch Letterman get annoyed with Tom setting them up.

Post-(s)crypt: Last time I saw Tom he was limping around. Apparently, he fell down the stairs in the house he's lived in for over 30 years and broke his foot.

5. Cabin Fever (2002/Eli Roth) (Blu-ray) - I was lukewarm on this film when I saw it in theaters, but I have to say it's aged very well. Especially in comparison to Roth's other contributions to horror, this is far superior. I was watching it tonight and thinking it's fantastic how he manages to stir up such terror and suspense with no real villain. Well, not one that can be easily seen, at least. The acting is good across the board and it's got some great themes from Angelo Badalamenti. I don't know what changes were made to this director's cut Blu-ray, but they must've been minor.

Post-(s)crypt: You know, for a guy who's so passionate about horror, Roth sure seems to have a hard time making a solid entry in the genre. And, truthfully, he's a cocky douche in person.

6. Tales of Terror* (1962/Roger Corman) (DVD) - Corman does Poe. How can you go wrong? And the inimitable Vincent Price stars in each of the three segments. It's interesting to note that Romero & Argento would later cover two of the tales seen here (Black Cat & Valdemar) in their joint film, Two Evil Eyes. Films like this remind me what I love about the Halloween season.

Post-(s)crypt: Price is one fo the few actors that I will watch anything he's starred in just because he's such a tremendous presence and a joy to watch.

Oct. 3rd

7. It's Alive* (1974/Larry Cohen) (DVD) - Larry Cohen is one of the great unsung directors, IMO. His movies are incredibly low-budget, but he does amazing work with his scripts and a camera. I look at him as a low-rent Spielberg, having to create suspense however he can since his titular special effects aren't always camera-ready. The mutant baby in this film isn't really glimpsed until the end of the film, and even then it's mostly hidden in shadow or shot with quick-cutting closeups. And how awesome is John P. Ryan? Most on here will remember him as the principal in Three O'Clock High. There's something about his voice and mannerisms that make the guy so damn fun to watch.

Post-(s)crypt: Larry Cohen is one of the most versatile directors I can think of. The man has done horror, satire, blaxsploitation, creature features and a much more.

8. It's Alive 2: It Lives Again* (1978/Larry Cohen) (DVD) - If I'm gonna watch one, why not watch 'em all? This sequel is interesting in the approach it takes to mutant babies. Now everyone knows these things are being born, so mothers who exhibit the symptoms of having a mutant fetus are police-escorted to hospitals and the children are ordered to be killed upon birth. The tone is very pro-life, something I really didn't expect since the first entry didn't seem too biased. Ryan is back, and along with the great Frederic Forrest there's plenty of solid acting to go around. I love that both Rick Baker and Bernard Herrmann came back for their respective duties.

Post-(s)crypt: I love Frederic Forrest, but every time I see him all I can think of is him calling Michael Douglas a "faggot fuck" in Falling Down.

Oct. 4th

9. It's Alive III: Island of the Alive* (1987/Larry Cohen) (DVD) - I had hoped this would be campy fun since Michael Moriarty was involved, but the script felt weaker than the first two films. Moriarty doesn't seem to be in on the joke, and Karen Black is bland. The creature FX have never been great for this series, but the man-in-suit used on this entry looked like a homeless guy wearing a lot of paper bags and an over-sized set of plastic eyes. Yeesh.

Post-(s)crypt: Karen Black might be a good actress, but, Claude have mercy!, is she one ugly woman.

10. Cat People* (1942/Jacques Tourneur) (DVD) - I finally cracked into my Val Lewton box set. I found this film to be more psychological thriller than horror for the majority of the running time. It's fascinating to see what Lewton did with such a small budget. I love Simon's portrayal of a woman living in fear. I can't believe that dude married her and they hadn't even kissed, though. He seemed like a major tool.

Post-(s)crypt: Lewton produced this film with a budget of only $125,000, which meant the panther scenes had to be done almost entirely in the shadows. Of course, the film is much stronger because of it.

Oct. 5th

11. The Curse of the Cat People* (1944/Gunther von Fritsch & Robert Wise) (DVD) - And I thought the first film was light on horror. This sequel has almost nothing to do with the lore of the first film. I'm not even sure why it features the same actors & characters because it's so far removed. It's a study in child psychology more than anything. It's a very interesting film, but not what you'd expect.

Post-(s)crypt: Printed on the back cover is a note that explains this film is sometimes shown in psychology classes because of how accurately it examines a child's mind.

12. Pig Hunt* (2008/Jim Isaac) (DVD) - I obtained this film as part of a White Elephant thing at my friend's Christmas party last year. I only kept it because Les Claypool did the music and has a small role. As expected, it's terrible, but Claypool clearly has fun with his redneck role. The last 10 minutes, however, are pretty fucking awesome. They spend 1 hour and 30 minutes talking about this huge hog, and once we see it I'm pissed we didn't get more of it. It's done with practical FX and looks extremely impressive. The lighting and set design of the final scene only made the hog's appearance that much better. Too bad the entire film wasn't as memorable.

Post-(s)crypt: I can't believe they never had Claypool say "Where you goin', city boy?" or "Dog will hunt!" at any point in the film. Is Isaacs even a Primus fan? Geez...

Oct. 6th

13. Amityville 3-D* (1983/Richard Fleischer) (DVD) - I'd only seen the first two films in this series, but for whatever reason this entry never made it into my player. I figured if Fleischer was directing this would be a competent film, at the least. But no. It's dreadfully boring for most of the time. Nothing much happens at all until the final 15 minutes. Tony Roberts looks like a Jew-fro'd Q-tip, but you gotta love the guy because he's so damn good at hamming it up. Best part of the entire film was seeing Robert Joy's face get melted by a subterranean well-dwelling demon. And, yes, the 3-D gags were in full effect here. This must've been marginally more fun in theaters.

Post-(s)crypt: Lori Loughlin plays Roberts' daughter, allowing us to see that, yes, she was hot long before the days of banging Uncle Jesse on Full House.

Oct. 8th

14. Ghoulies (1985/Luca Bercovici) (DVD) - I haven't watched this in ages. I always remembered how creepy the tongue scene was when I saw it as a kid. The movie strides a fine line between terribly cheesy and genuinely sadistic & creepy. Although I'm normally against them, I actually think the right filmmaker could do a worthy remake. The FX work from genre fav John Carl Beuchler is awesome.

Post-(s)crypt: Jeffrey Combs originally auditioned for the lead role of Jonathan. That would have been cool, although, going by the year of production on this film, I'm glad he chose one of 1985's best horror films instead, Re-Animator.

Oct. 9th

15. Hitch-Hike (a.k.a. The Naked Prey) (1977/Pasquale Festa Campanile) (DVD) - In memory of David Hess, I decided to watch one of his best roles. Konitz is one of the most charming, deranged murderers I've ever seen. And Hess clearly has fun with the role. The film goes in many directions you won't expect, resolving with an ending that is far from expected. Morricone's scores were so awesome and psychedelic during this period.

Post-(s)crypt: Franco Nero broke his hand on the film he was working on prior to this, so that's why his character drunkenly falls early on and breaks it in the film.

16. At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul* (1963/Jose Mojica Marins) (DVD) - I've owned this Coffin Joe set forever, might as well start watching them. What a trippy movie for Brazil's first horror film. Marins has an undeniable screen presence. It sucks these Fantoma DVDs are non-anamorphic, since zooming in on the 1.66:1 transfer over-scans by enough of a **** hair to cut off the subtitles. I loved all the fantastical elements at play here.

Post-(s)crypt: Marins only took over the lead role when his cast actor dropped out at the last minute. We'll never know how that guy would've been, but I can't imagine seeing anyone else with Marins' hypnotic appearance being as successful in the role.

17. Salem's Lot* (1979/Tobe Hooper) (DVD) - I read this novel years ago, but I didn't recall much of it while watching this for the first time. I still loved it. This is one of the King adaptations that I feel got it right. The aesthetic and overall tone felt like something King was behind. I loved James Mason's charmingly sinister right-hand man to Barlow. Speaking of which, that's incredible make-up FX, TV movie or not.

Post-(s)crypt: At one point George Romero was to direct and Larry Cohen was commissioned to write the script. Both left the project, but Cohen would later return to write & direct the sequel, Return to Salem's Lot.

18. Dead Snow* (2009/Tommy Wirkola) (Blu-ray) - This was about as much fun as I was expecting. I loved the references to many horror classics. It's gory as hell, but it's also got a wicked sense of humor. I'd definitely say it's one of the best modern zombie films in recent years.

Post-(s)crypt: Ummm... it looks great on Blu-ray? Oh yea, and the soundtrack is friggin' LOUD!

Oct. 10th

19. The Monster Squad (1987/Fred Dekker) (Blu-ray) - It's my birthday, and I'm gonna watch what I love, damnit! I've been watching this movie since I was old enough to get it on VHS, and I love it just as much every single time. It's funny to think that we went so long without a proper DVD copy, and now here I am watching it in glorious 1080p. Ah, technology.

Post-(s)crypt: I still feel terrible that Robocop 3 sunk Dekker's career like the friggin' Hindenberg. The man is genuine and has some great ideas; I wish someone would give him another shot.

20. Trick 'r Treat (2007/Mike Dougherty) (Blu-ray) - I still can't believe WB dumped this DTV. I'm glad I got to see it as part of Screamfest in Oct. 2008. In fact, it was exactly 3 years ago today. I know sequels rarely match their predecessors, but I'd love to see Dougherty pen a follow up.

Post-(s)crypt: I love that Dougherty still makes short films starring Sam. They're all in the same devilishly humorous vein. Too bad they're unlikely to get released on a Blu-ray.

Oct. 11th

21. Night of the Creeps (1986/Fred Dekker) (Blu-ray) - When you watch both of Fred Dekker's magnificent '80s horror films, it just makes you mad he didn't make more of them. This movie is SO MUCH FUN to watch. It's well-written, funny, horrific, and full of great FX work. And Tom Atkins delivers one of his finest, most machismo roles to date. I'm so incredibly happy to have this on Blu-ray.

Post-(s)crypt: In case you forgot: Stryper Rules.

Oct. 12th

22. Dark Night of the Scarecrow* (1981/Frank de Felitta) (Blu-ray) - I had no idea this movie existed until HorrorHound magazine did a retrospective piece a year or two ago and it looked cool. I love discovering gems like this. The film is very ably directed, with solid performances and a wonderfully chilling mood that would've felt so sublime watching this on TV on a Halloween night back in '81. I'm amazed this was so graphic considering it was made -for-TV. It looks so good in hi-def you'll be shocked. Seriously.

Post-(s)crypt: Strother Martin was originally meant to play the part Charles Durning does, but he died before filming began. That would've been all kinds of awesome, but I really think Durning did a fantastic job.

Oct. 13th

23. The Thing (1982/John Carpenter) (Theatrical) - Tonight, I'm going to a reunion screening of this '82 classic with cast & crew in attendance. I'll report back with the details tomorrow. Can't wait!

Ok, I'm back. Screening was fun, although they went with a digital file rather than 35mm. That might explain why my friends & I were talking about how great it looked, and how every other print we'd seen looked rough. Carpenter no-showed on the q&a, but there were still some good participants. Some cool props and other items were on display. All in all, a very fun night for fans of the film.

Post-(s)crypt: According to producer Stuart Cohen, at least 85% of the film was shot on Universal stages (even some scenes that you'd swear are outdoors), 10% was in Canada and 5% in Alaska.

Oct. 16th

24. Psycho (1960/Alfred Hitchcock) (Blu-ray) - This really is a perfect horror film. Hitch's direction is astoundingly good, but it's really Perkins' performance that steals the show. All the little nuances of Norman Bates make him such a fascinating character. And the film has never looked better than it does here in glorious high-def.

Post-(s)crypt: Hitchcock could've shot this in color, but he decided to use black & white to keep costs down. I couldn't imagine seeing the film in color, as the b&w imagery gives it such a wonderful aesthetic.

25. The Thing* (2011/Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.) (Theatrical) - It sucks. Do I have to elaborate? Ok... the acting is uninspiring, the story is beat-for-beat-Carpenter at times, the characters are forgettable and - worst of all - the majority of the FX work is CGI... and it SUCKS. This didn't need to exist, but they could've done a far better job if they remotely tried.

Post-(s)crypt: It was noble of them to try tying this into the vision of the camp we got in Carpenter's version, but if you aren't going to make sure details are done right, don't bother. Fans, like myself, will notice immediately and shred it apart. It's not that hard to get a copy of Carpenter's to match things up.

26. Psycho II* (1983/Richard Franklin) (DVD) - Finally! I've had this (and III) on DVD for years, and I wish I'd watched it sooner. This entry isn't nearly as good as the original (how could it be?), but Perkins is still fantastic, and the cast and crew includes Vera Miles, a young Meg Tilly (looking better than I've EVER seen her), cinematography from the legendary Dean Cundey, music by Jerry Goldsmith and visual effects by Albert Whitlock. It's a fun '80s slasher with a pretty good story.

Post-(s)crypt:In the shooting script, Mary would have survived the gunshot but still "gone a little mad".

Oct. 17th

27. Psycho III* (1986/Anthony Perkins) (DVD) - Perkins still shines as Norman, but this entry felt noticeably weaker than II. Diana Scarwid is bland, but Jeff Fahey's character is dashing and devious. I kept hoping the reporter would get killed off because she was so damn annoying. Also, some of the score cues were atrocious.

Post-(s)crypt: The original shooting script had Duane as the killer because he was obsessed with Norman Bates. There was even a role written in for Janet Leigh. Universal, however, insisted Bates be the killer, so the entire thing was reworked. Personally, I think that sounds more interesting than what we got.

28. Red State* (2011/Kevin Smith) (DVD) - I really didn't want to like this movie. Smith has annoyed me as a cinematic personality for the last half-decade or so, and I had zero faith that he could craft a watchable, creepy horror film. Well, this isn't exactly horror (hence the Wildcard) but it might be the best film he's ever done. It's well-written, sharp, chilling, at times precient, and full of a great roster of actors. I had absolutely no idea what to expect going in, and even as things progressed it kept me guessing. I got the DVD as a free review copy, but I'll pay for the Blu-ray because I see this one getting some replays.

Post-(s)crypt: Why did it take Smith all this time to prove he can make better films? He phones in studio drivel like Cop Out, yet he's capable of producing something of this caliber? Seriously, dude, put down the bong and start cranking out more films like this!

Oct. 22nd

29. Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale* (2010/Jamari Helander) (Blu-ray) - I'd been hearing a TON of praise for this film - it even made the cover of Rue Morgue. Naturally, it couldn't match the hype. I really liked the concept for the film, and the cinematography is gorgeous, but they play everything too close to the vest and the result is a film that feels neutered. I wanted to see more of what they foreshadowed. Instead, all I got saw a bunch of dazed Santa clones running around nude.

Post-(s)crypt: Has anyone else noticed that the majority of these foreign horror films that fans talk up eternally end up being disappointments? I realize that American horror has been lacking in recent years, but just because something is foreign and mostly-unknown to fans stateside doesn't automatically mean it's the second coming of cinema.

Oct. 24th

30. Paranormal Activity 3* (2011/Henry Joost & Ariel Schulman) (Theatrical) - Ok, after a serious stumble in the competition, I'm back on track (sort of) and my goal of 31 films is still very much possible. I'd been hearing PA3 was the best film in the series so far (which isn't saying too much) and I have to agree. I thought it was odd that so much footage from the full trailer wasn't included here, but what we did get was fun, effective and a good haunted house movie. It didn't get me jumping at all, but I loved the '80s aesthetic and many of the Poltergeist references.

Post-(s)crypt: If you hadn't already heard, with its $52m opening weekend PA3 has the highest-grossing horror movie opening ever, as well as the biggest October opening of all-time. Goddamn impressive when you consider the production budget was a mere $5m.

Oct. 25th

31. Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (1988/James Signorelli) (DVD) - In the interest of full disclosure, I barely watched this. I brought my DVD copy over to a new lady friend's place and only caught the first 15 minutes before the party moved to her pants which, subsequently, hit the floor. As much as I enjoy the film (Elvira's a fucking riot, totally sharp, great tits) I had a perfectly valid excuse to not watch the entire picture. I'm going to count it since I got laid. Hell, I think it should count as TWO!

Post-(s)crypt: That fucking rack on Elvira is spectacular. I mean, really, REALLY great.

Oct. 26th

32. Idle Hands - (1999/Rodman Flender) (DVD) - I remember seeing this in theaters with a friend - baked like a cake - and there wasn't a single other person in there with us. 2 years ago I was lucky enough to catch a screening of it in L.A., hosted by Seth Green, and I got my one-sheet signed. I think it's vastly underrated. The writing is sharp, the gags are hilarious, there's solid make-up work, Jessica Alba looks fine as hell... and it's just so fucking weird. I'd love to see it get released on Blu-ray. If there's one thing we need more of, it's stoner horror comedies. Btw, what the fuck happened to Devon Sawa?

Post-(s)crypt: If you think the neighborhood used for the film looks familiar, then you're probably a fan of Halloween (1978) because it's the same location.

Oct. 27th

33. Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988/Stephen Chiodo) (Netflix stream) - Same story as Elvira... but I think we watched more of the movie this time. I love this friggin' movie. It's so insane and bizarre, and the make-up work by the Chiodo brothers is guaranteed to give anyone who hates clowns nightmares for life.

Post-(s)crypt: I have the soundtrack on my iPod (over 18K songs), and whenever I play songs on shuffle it almost always plays something off this within 20 songs. The Dickies theme song will never get old.

Oct. 28th

34. Mimic* (1997/Guillermo del Toro) (Blu-ray) - I'd been curious to see this for a long time, so when the Blu-ray appeared in my mailbox I was excited. The film has an interesting premise, but it does move at a glacial pace sometimes. The acting is decent - I've never been a big fan of Sorvino, and Jeremy Northam is extremely dry. The practical creature FX work is outstanding stuff, but the CGI is quite poor, although I'd blame that on the period in time it was made and a low budget. It would have been nice if most of the kills didn't take place off-screen.

Post-(s)crypt: Del Toro has since disowned the film, saying the constant changes made by Bob Weinstein compromised his vision. Even though this version is a director's cut, it still has the "happy" ending.


Oct. 30th

35. Subspecies (1991/Ted Nicolaou) (Netflix stream) - I hadn't seen this since sometime in the mid-'90s, but it held up much better than I expected. I love that they shot it at a badass castle in Romania, and Anders Hove is chilling as Radu. The design of his make-up is really excellent work, and there are some gorgeous shots of him bathed in light. I definitely need to get on picking up the Blu-ray.

Post-(s)crypt: Angus Scrimm played the king in the beginning of the film. I don't even remember recognizing him. Weird.

36. Subspecies 2: Bloodstone (1993/Ted Nicolaou) (Netflix stream) - Same story as Elvira here (it's been a good week for KC!)... 2 years later and someone clearly got a bigger budget. Even though this entry picks up literally right at the end of the last film, we're suddenly in a different castle and the lead actress' hair is long instead of short. There's a surprisingly good amount of solid FX work here, particularly the decrepit, burned old witch Radu keeps around.

Post-(s)crypt: I've always loved the opening to this film. Radu gets his head cut off at the end of the first film, and how he gets it back is like something right out of The Thing (1982).

Oct. 31st

Ok, so I don't have amovie entry to place here... but I did go up to Hollywood to see Danzig play a legacy show where spent 2 hours performing under the banners of Danzig, Samhain and The Misfits. This is a concert that my friends and I have fantasized about, thinking it would never become a reality. It did, and I can safely say that it was one of the best shows I've ever seen out of the 125+ concerts I've attended.

Post-(s)crypt: My first time seeing Danzig was at the legendary Irvine Meadows show in 1994 on Halloween night. Now, here I am 17 years later to the day watching him play again. And he still sounds great.



* denotes first-time viewing

Total first-time viewed films: 20

*******************************************************************************

In Memoriam

This has been one helluva month for me. Things started off solid with lots of great entries and a feeling that I might double my goal of 31. But, shortly after my birthday on the 10th, my chick and I called it quits and my viewing pattern was thrown into a fucking death spiral. I recovered, however, with a resolve to finish this challenge and not bail out. Also helping matters: I met a new chick. We watched movies (sorta) and I got myself into a great new mindset. Amazing how much shit life can throw at you in a month, but the spirit of the challenge helped me to persevere. I can't wait to do it all over again next year... minus, you know, the headaches and heartbreaks. But absolutely with all the sex.

Some stats

Biggest surprise: Dark Night of the Scarecrow

Biggest disappointment: The Thing (2011)

Best kill: Knife in the mouth from Psycho II, or that shovel hit at the end (looked brutal!)

Best FX work I didn't expect: The mutant hog from Pighunt

Best looking on Blu-ray: Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale

Best sound: Mimic

Films by Decade

1890s: 0
1900s: 0
1910s: 0
1920s: 0
1930s: 0
1940s: 2
1950s: 0
1960s: 3
1970s: 5
1980s: 13
1990s: 4
2000s: 4
2010s: 4

Total films watched: 36 (personal best!)

Total first-time viewings: 20

Travis McClain

The List
[1] indicates first time viewing

1. 10/02 28 Days Later
   Spoiler:

   This was my second viewing and first time in a few years. Nice, taut story but of course this time I kept thinking of how The Walking Dead retold the same basic story but dragged it out. I noted to my wife that they did in 13 minutes effectively what it took The Walking Dead half of a pilot episode to tell. Still, Cillian Murphy is compelling to watch and the final act involving the soldiers--while not entirely Horror--is truly suspenseful.
   
   Note: Christopher Eccleston is not, in fact, a young Ralph Fiennes. (He should be, though.)
2. 10/03 Piranha
   Spoiler:

   Watched this for the first time last year and loved it. To be honest, I wasn't quite ready for it this early in the challenge, but it aligned with the thematic subset ("JawsSploitation"). It's got a great sense of humor, and my favorite touch of the entire thing are the auditory effects. Piranha chatter and buzz, apparently. Because, really, why wouldn't they?
3. 10/16 Batman Begins - WILDCARD
   Spoiler:

   Coming out of treatment, I just needed some "comfort food" movies so I hit some Batman. Given the content with Scarecrow and that final act where the fear gas affects everyone, it seemed an appropriate wildcard selection. I'm still not in love with the water vaporizer gimmick, but otherwise this is still a satisfying Batman movie.
4. 10/26 Dracula
   Spoiler:

   I had hoped to gorge on the Universal Monsters series of the Dracula, Frankenstein and Wolf Man canon (all of which I've previously seen). I started at the beginning with this and I'll see how far I make it in the next few nights.
   
   The absence of music has always been odd to me in this film, perhaps because of the way it was staged and performed more like a play than a film. I forget how funny the movie really is, though, and found myself laughing at a few of the small jokes. I love the cast in this, and not just Bela Lugosi.

Checklist

Thematic Subset
Daily Film Subset
2010 List
2009 List
Flickchart
ICheckMovies.com



DVD: 3 | Blu-ray Disc: 1 | Netflix Watch Instantly: 0 | Theatrical Exhibition: 0 | TV Broadcast: 0 | iTunes Digital Download: 0 | Podcast/Streaming: 0 | Hulu: 0

zwolf

Okay, I'll give this a shot... I already know I'm going to fail because I want to get some horror reading and writing done in October, too, so a hundred movies? No way I'm gonna manage that. But, I fully intend to watch some stuff, so I might as well keep track of it here. And I promise not to cheat although I've already got several thousand reviews written on our Mighty Blowhole blog & website... (if you're less scrupled, maybe those could help you cheat... Or, at least suggest some stuff you may want to watch).

You'll be able to find these same reviews on mightyblowhole.blogspot.com, with YouTube clips if I can find 'em.

Goals: watch as many as I can, but I'm not expecting to hit 100. Other than that, I'm not paying a lot of attention to first-time viewing counts, etc.

OCTOBER 1

1. Final Exam (C, 1981) Simpleminded slasher film that was nobody's favorite due to a lack of blood; a stabfest with no gore is like celibacy porn, nobody really gives a fuck. It does serve as a reminder of how innocent the 80's were, though, because in one scene a fraternity stages a fake school shooting just as a distraction to let a guy cheat on a test. The school's resident serial-killer-buff (a real goober named "Radish") thinks it's real and calls the cops, not knowing the main masked shooter was his incredibly stupid buddy "Wildman" (who's so wild 'n' crazy he's got "Wildman" written on both sides of his shirt, just so nobody'll miss that he needs attention and lots of it, stat!). When the mean ol' sheriff shows up he doesn't do much but threaten everyone (and call Wildman "bulldog" a lot, like that's badass). If you did something like that nowdays, CNN would talk about nothing else for a week, and it's probably still enough to keep this movie from airing on TV. Anyway, amidst the fake killing, a real knife-wielding psycho (finally) shows up and starts waving his knife up and down. It takes almost an hour for the killer to start doing his thing and then it's just weird because the guy's unknown and has no apparent motive whatsoever. Slasher movies have worked in some ridiculous twists but this is the only one I know of that has no twist at all -- he's just a random no-personality knife-guy who kills with no gore. He might as well be the flu. So what you're left with are a bunch of sub-non-plots about a nice girl feeling whistful that the other girls seem to be having more fun (but slasher-film-101 tells you that she'll get to survive them all), Radish trying to convince the sheriff that there's real trouble on campus this time, and fraternity jerks tying their friends to trees with ice in their underpants. Yeah, the imbecilic forced behavior of "Wildman" is kind of amusing, but it's not enough to compensate for a slasher college that's sorely in need of an anatomy class, and so little blood that if it was marinara sauce you'd be sending your manicotti back to the Olive Garden chef with a sharply-worded letter. Maybe if he'd had a couple of sidekicks named Dickjerk and Corndog it could have made the grade. As is, it's not boring but doesn't deliver the goods, either. A product of Earl Owensby's studio. (DVD, repeat viewing but the last time I saw it was in the 80's)



2. Visiting Hours (C, 1982) Lee Grant is a reporter who's an advocate for battered women, which pisses off psychotic Michael Ironside. His mother splashed his father with boiling oil for playing too rough and witnessing the incident gave Ironside a deep misogyny in general, but particularly an obsessive hatred of assertive women. He’s already been stalking women, photographing them in the process of dying, and building a skull collage out of the photos, so when he sees Grant on TV, he’s already well-versed in what he thinks he should do about it. He invades her apartment but she manages to escape him, with injuries that leave her hospitalized. Ironside’s one driven bastard, though, so he goes after her in the hospital, killing some other patients along the way and targeting a nurse (Linda Purl) who’s a bit too together for him to tolerate. He’s so determined to take out his target that he even smashes a beer bottle with his arm so he can use the injury to get admitted to the hospital as a patient. The directorial style is a bit messy (you can tell director Jean-Claude Lord is trying to be “stylish” but doesn’t have a good sense of when art gets in the way of function) and the severe tone may have made some slasher fans uncomfortable; usually the people getting killed off are cardboard party-types while these victims are realistic people with backstories just trying to get through their day. And Ironside is scary, cold, crazed with hatred, and almost never saying a word as he very-resourcefully and with unnerving determination goes about what he does. He’s a predator to contend with. The gore is restrained but the suspense is kept pretty high, so this one deserves another look. Oh, and William Shatner is also on hand, which may be a factor for some. (DVD, repeat viewing but the last time I saw it was back in the 90's)


3. Mad Doctor of Blood Island (C, 1969) aka Blood Doctor, Grave Desires, Tomb of the Living Dead. John Ashley is a pathologist who travels to Blood Island to help Angelique Pettyjohn find her missing father. When they find him, he’s turned a dark green and is dying. Crazy Dr. Lorca has been experimenting with chlorophyll and infected him... but he’s better off than Lorca’s other “patient,” who’s a full-blown raging monster who’s so crazy that the camera goes into nauseating pulsations whenever it tries to film him! The green-blooded, rotting-with-chlorophyll monster is pretty great-looking and his victims are left in an amazingly gory condition, rendered to piles of bloody limbs and scattered organs. The plot itself is slow-going and not very interesting, but it’s worth it just for the monster and his splattery attacks. The effects are crude but reach Fulci-levels of graphic. Movie goers were given vials of “green blood” to drink to protect them from becoming such a fiend; no report on how many may have contracted cancer from the dye used. Ashley and Pettyjohn pad out the time between attacks with making out. A similar monster (but even cooler-looking, and with a detachable head!) would be back in Beast of Blood. The trailer - narrated by Brother Theodore - is a masterpiece. (DVD, repeat viewing)


4. Unborn, The (C, 2009) Pretty co-ed Casey starts having weird dreams and seeing visions of (among other things) a creepy blue-eyed boy. Another freaky little boy she’s babysitting tells her “Jambi wants to be born now” and smacks her with a mirror. One of her eyes starts turning blue, her dad tells her she had a twin brother they’d nicknamed Jambi who died in the womb, and she learns her crazy mother (who committed suicide in an asylum) was saving articles on a Holocaust survivor, who turns out to be Casey’s grandmother. As she researches her family history, things get creepier and creepier. She learns a demon called a dybbuk that’s bothered her family before is back, and it’ll kill anyone close to her in its pursuit of Casey. Plagues of roaches, crawling people and dogs with upside-down heads, homicidal children, and possessed friends all attack poor Casey, and finally a Jewish exorcist (Gary Oldman) and his friends try to drive away the dybbuk. Some of it relies on jump-scare tactics and parts are derivative, but there are some really spooky images here, and though it’s no masterpiece it works pretty well for the most part and is worth looking for. (DVD, first time viewing)

5. What Have You Done To Solange? (C, 1972) aka Cosa Avete Fatto a Solange?, Terror in the Woods, The School That Couldn’t Scream, The Secret of the Green Pins, Who Killed Solange?, Who’s Next? Professor Fabio Testi and his mistress are making out in a rowboat on the Thames when his mistress witnesses the sex-murder of one of his students on the shore. He won’t let her tell the cops because he’ll be outed as an adulterer, but eventually the mistress has to talk to the police because she remembers that the killer was wearing a priest’s robe. Things get more complicated when more girls are found with a knife up their cooze, and the killer becomes aware that the mistress may be able to identify him and targets her. Testi tries to track down the killer himself and discovers a secret society of schoolgirls and a key to the mystery in a mute girl named Solange (Camille Keaton of I Spit On Your Grave infame). But more bodies will turn up before this one’s solved. Brilliant giallo is one of the best in the genre, with a plot that’s actually compelling and a classy Ennio Morricone score (always a big plus), and a confident directorial style, quirky without drawing attention to itself, and the plot stays between the ditches more than most gialli. The gore isn’t graphic but given the nature of the killings it doesn’t need to be, and a bathtub drowning is pretty harsh for something bloodless. The solution is damn twisted. Must-see material here. (DVD, repeat viewing)

6. Haunted (C, 1976) aka The Glass Cage, The Haunted. An Indian maiden is falsely accused of witchcraft, stripped to the waist, tied to a horse, and sent to die in the desert while a Neil Diamondish theme song makes her punishment ever so much worse. She curses her accusers, and, sure ‘nuff, in 100 years she returns to take vengeance on their descendents... or, at least that’s what mean ol’ Aldo Ray thinks, but he’s crazy. He and his blind sister-in-law and her sons live in a ghost town they’re maintaining. The phone company -- for reasons no one understands -- installs a phone booth in the abandoned town’s cemetery. As Ray gets crazier he starts getting calls on it. A British girl’s car breaks down in the ghost town and Ray thinks she’s the reincarnation of the Indian maiden (it’s the same actress, anyhow). The elder nephew, Patrick, wants to run away and be a folk singer or something, and has his blind mother put in a rest home and plans to abandon the ghost town. This sets Ray off and he kidnaps the British girl and sends his nephew on a wild goose chase (in his badass AMC Javelin, which is the star of the movie as far as I’m concerned) to find her while Ray tries to burn her alive. She escapes and Ray hunts her through the ghost town, trying to stab her with a pointy stick. Yes -- a pointy stick. This is a sloppy nothin’-happenin’ mess, but at least it does look like a movie, which is more than you can say for director Michael A. DeGaetano’s previous effort, UFO Target Earth. Look close and you can spot a poster for that on one of the walls. (DVD, first time viewing)

OCTOBER 2


7. Victims! (C, 1985) A girl gets an axe in the head, a naked woman gets hacked up with a meat cleaver, and a girl gets stabbed in the skull by a transvestite with a butcher knife... and that's just in the first two minutes! This no-budget piece of mean-spirited sleaze hangs out the "People Of Good Taste Not Welcome" sign early and then runs with it. A scrawny, dope-nervous-looking guy and his scumbag buddy escape after a robbery and hole up in the hills, where they find a young couple. They knock the boyfriend out by smashing him across the mouth with a shotgun and rape the girl, just so we know who we're dealing with here. Into their wilderness wonderland of depravity come four girls out for a "wild weekend" of rock-hunting. Every guy in the movie is a leering creep who harasses them, so it's amazing that they'd be willing to leave the house. And it only gets worse when they return from a skinny-dipping escapade to find their campsite's been ransacked. They wisely decide to get the hell out of there (earning them the viewer's respect), but someone's disabled their car. They set out to walk the ten miles back to civilization but unseen people terrorize them and then the two creeps show up to rape and humiliate them. They make the girls go down on each other, rant a lot about how women are all asking for it by wearing skimpy clothes, threaten to murder them, etc. These girls are resourceful, though, and they may not be the only ones suffering before it's done. The film clumsily exploits the victimization of women while trying to promote a stance against male chauvinism, on a budget of zilch. It's more competent than some although the acting's about on a Hershel Gordon Lewis movie level, and the filmmaking's so skangy that at one point dialogue gets drown out by an offscreen lawnmower. Soundtrack songs sometimes start at midpoint. Nasty little obscurity that was infamous in the tape-trading underground in the 80's but escaped the notice of most video guides. Directed by Jeff Hathcock. (VHS, repeat viewing but the last time I saw it was back in the 80's.


8. Curse of the Aztec Mummy (B&W, 1959) aka La Maldicion de la Momia Azteca. Sequel to The Robot Vs. The Aztec Mummy. The mad doctor known as The Bat is in police custody but his henchmen are still on the loose and manage to hijack the bus taking him to prison. Absurdly, a masked wrestler called The Angel shows up out of nowhere to fight them, but with the help of submachine guns (they had no blanks for them so the actors just shake them while a drumroll plays on the soundtrack) he escapes. The Angel teams up with some victims of the Aztec curse (explained by flashbacks to previous films), but The Bat kidnaps Flora (who's a reincarnation of the Aztec Mummy's girlfriend) and tries to hypnotize her into telling where a treasure's buried. The Angel (who wears his mask even while sitting in bed reading) answers his wrist radio to help, but he's no Santo and gets beaten up again and mocked by The Bat ("I don't admire your valor!") who tries to trap him in a pit of snakes. The Angel has to be rescued by a child. Meanwhile The Bat and his men are exploring a destroyed tomb trying to find the treasure. The mummy doesn't show up at all until the last ten minutes, which is a shame because he's a pretty cool-looking monster. Then the damn Angel is captured AGAIN and has to be rescued by the mummy! I see now why the Angel doesn't want to show his face; he's the sorriest hero ever! I don't admire his valor, either! You sit through a lot for literally two minutes of mummy footage, which makes me wonder at the acumen of these filmmakers; they've already got the mummy costume, and they should know that people who go to a movie with him in the title want to see more of him. Go figure. At least you get some hysterically bad dubbed dialogue, which is more than enough to make this worth watching. (DVD, first time viewing


9. Orca (C, 1977) Jaws variation tries to make America's sweetheart, the killer whale, into an object of terror. Richard Harris is trying to capture a great white shark for an aquarium, but a killer whale kills his target shark (and rescues a diver in the process). Charlotte Rampling, in a lecture, explains that killer whales are so intelligent that humans are "retarded" in comparison, and Harris decides to go capture one of those instead, even though she warns him off. He promptly and incompetently kills a pregnant female killer whale and gains one hell of an enemy in the form of her enraged mate. Seeking vengeance, the male orca starts attacking the ship and dragging down any low-hanging-fruit dumb enough to dangle over the side (and idiots are plentiful in this film). He spends awhile in a pitiful struggle to keep his mate alive by pushing her dying body through the water but it's hopeless and leaves him more mad for revenge. Soon he's gone full-blown terrorist, sinking every boat in Harris's harbor, eating all the fish, blowing up refineries, and knocking down houses with his head-butting. Everybody's pretty pissed at Harris, and even though he's spooked by the whole thing (and has personal demons because his own pregnant wife was killed by a drunk driver) he finally goes after Orc-sama Bin Ladin when he bites off Bo Derek's leg. The whale earns his reckoning and Harris takes the boat out again, and things get even more ridiculous when the movie turns into an ocean version of Chato's Land. I know whales are smart, but come on! Dino DeLaurentis wasn't exactly making cerebral films at the time, and this one's pretty goofy and more of an adventure film than horror. It's not boring, though, if your brain can shrug off the insult. Ennio Morricone's score will help make that easier, as always. (DVD, first time viewing

10. Last House On Dead End Street (C, 1977) aka The Fun House, The Cuckoo Clocks of Hell. After being released from a year in jail for selling drugs, Danzig lookalike Terry Hawkins starts getting his sleazy dead-end friends together to make some "new kind of movies." Mostly Terry's pissed at the world, very sociopathic, and looking for a way to take his rage out on some victims. His friends are burned out and bored enough to do just about anything (before he even gets ahold of them they're whipping girls in blackface at parties) and the porn films they'd been shooting were getting dull (even when they involved dogs). Terry is played by director Roger Watkins, who was heavily tweaked on crystal meth and maxed out on misanthropic hate when he made this, so the severe vibe of nihilism that comes from this film is sincere; you are in the hands of a filmmaker who wants to hurt and terrorize you. Terry, the guy he's playing, wants to hurt people even worse, though. Setting up shop in a crumbling abandoned house with the drugged-out film crew he's assembled, he lures in his real "stars" - or, victims, since Terry's making snuff films. Wearing a mask that looks like the head of a Greek god's statue, he murders people who wronged him on film. Most of it really isn't that gory, just weird (such as one guy who's forced to fellate a deer's hoof sticking out of a girl's pants) and only has one truly gruesome scene -- a surgery sequence where a tied-down woman is slashed, has her legs amputated, and is then disemboweled -- and the effects work isn't very convincing. You can even clearly see the Saran Wrap the organs were packed in pulled out with them. What earns this film its notorious reputation is the unrelentingly weird, mean-spirited tone of the whole thing. It doesn't look like any slick production, and it has a genuinely deranged vibe, and the scary-assed music and constant mocking laughter doesn't help you. You never think you're watching a real snuff film, but you do get the feeling you're watching something made by people who might make one if they though they could find a way to market it. Disturbing classic that needs to be brought back into print. Criterion released the overrated Japanese House, so they should start digging here. (DVD, repeat viewing)

11. The Messengers (C, 2007) Your conventional horror movie family (Dylan McDermott and Penelope Ann Miller as affectionate-but-worried-about-their-daughter parents, Kristen Stewart as the moody big sister (is there any other kind in horror films?), and a little toddler brother) moves into an old farmhouse to try to raise sunflowers. The place is apparently haunted by grey people who crawl on the ceiling but only the toddler can see them at first. Crows plague the place, and then Kristen gets attacked by heavy poltergeist activity and is almost dragged into the basement by the grey people. Her parents think she may be going crazy, but Kristen struggles to figure out what's going on in the house and convince her parents they need to leave. But, they're determined to bring in the harvest, even though she keeps getting attacked. Can she save her family from this assault of the supernatural? The production values are nice and some of the images are creepy, but this is a really cheap approach to horror. The atmosphere is a completely conventional process, with music cues relied upon to do all the heavy lifting; the soundtrack would have you believe that EVERYTHING is a harbinger of the apocalypse. When impending-doom music played over a close up of a bowl of Froot Loops, I 'bout peed. You top that off with a cheap jump-scare around every thirty seconds (seriously, what this film lacks as a horror movie it makes up for as a kegel workout video), and add overused clichés like a creature creeping up behind somebody only to have it disappear when they turn around and you’ve got by-the-numbers nothing-new horror at its most formulaic. This stuff was so weak on atmosphere and reliant upon jump scares that I started thinking Sam Raimi directed it under a pseudonym... and then I went back and checked the credits and damn if he didn’t produce it! I know my tired hacks by smell! It didn’t bore me, though, so I won’t say it’s bad, just standard with no new ideas. Be willing for plug ‘n’ play and you’ll probably have fun with it. (DVD, first time viewing

12. Don’t Open The Door! (C, 1975) The S. F. Brownrigg movie everyone forgets about reunites several cast members of Don’t Look In The Basement for a slow-burning Southern gothic psycho killer fest. Responding to a call that the grandma she hasn’t seen in thirteen years is dying, a young lady named Amanda Post comes back to her grandmother’s house to visit her. Gene Ross plays another Judge, and he and some other townspeople are squabbling over who gets her grandma’s house, which pisses Amanda off. Grandma’s house is a huge, spooky old place (which Brownrigg exploits to full effect) and she starts getting creepy phone calls from some whispering pervert, who’s hiding in a closet and peeking at her. He tries to get her to do phone sex while he fondles a doll. The film is obviously uncomfortable with sex despite being preoccupied with perversity; the sex call scenes are shot timidly, and the discomfort translates to the viewer. He also implies that he knows something about how Amanda’s mother was stabbed to death, and all the tension begins to drive her crazy. I love this movie because I’m a major S. F. Brownrigg fan and into the weird atmosphere he builds, but I have to admit that most people would find this one too slow and lacking much of a payoff. There’s very little blood and the approach to the subject matter is conspicuously prudish, and there’s not a lot of suspense about the caller because you find out who he is pretty early. But there is an air of twistedness that you can only find in Brownrigg. But see Don’t Look In The Basement first. (DVD, repeat viewing

OCTOBER 3

13. Frogs (C, 1972) Eco-horror classic of the nature-in-revolt school. Environmentalist journalist Pickett Smith (Sam Elliott, so young you can't recognize him) is out taking pictures of pollution when his canoe is swamped by rich brat Adam Roarke, grandson of wheelchair-bound tycoon Ray Milland. Milland's industrial pursuits have been raping the environment and the denizens of the swamp want revenge. It's hard to make much of a "silent spring" case for this toxic swamp, though, because the frogs, snakes, and lizards are thriving and swarming everywhere. And then they start attacking. The drawback is most of the swamp creatures aren't actually all that dangerous so the killings are ludicrous; in one, a guy's smothered in Spanish moss and tarantulas (which aren't even indigenous, much less venomous), and lizards learn how to mix chemicals to make poison gas in another! And the frogs themselves don’t get to do much but spoil the 4th of July birthday cake. Even the butterflies are killers, leading people to their doom. Leeches, caymans, alligators, snakes, crabs, snapping turtles, and I guess fish (one guy’s attacked in a lake by something unseen) all do their best to make the humans miserable. This is a pretty ridiculous movie but there’s something really lovable about it. There’s plenty of atmosphere (lots of shots of the wildlife, and the animal sounds are constant), and no matter how ridiculous it gets it plays it straight. The music score is weird and adds a lot. Goofy as it is, I’ve probably seen it a dozen times. (DVD, repeat viewing)

OCTOBER 4

14. Fall of the House of Usher (B&W, 1948) Extremely weird British adaptation of Poe strays from the source heavily, but in completely absurd and nightmarish ways. Starting in a stodgy old gentlemen’s club where goofy twits are swapping tales, one pulls a Poe book off the shelf and then, apparently, just starts making shit up because the enactment that follows involves an old torture chamber in the woods where an insane old hag stands guard over a living severed head! By way of explaining Roderick Usher’s illness, an older man takes him there and explains that the hag is Roderick’s mother and the head is her lover, murdered by her father. It looks like some Ming The Merciless mask, and the hag looks like the singer for a black metal band.. The only way Roderick can break the curse and live past age thirty is to either burn the head, or sacrifice his sister Madeleine. Option one - burning the head - proves difficult, and the hag murders a couple of guys in the process. She also has secret tunnels to get into the house so she can try to get Madeleine. Then, abruptly, it starts being Poe’s actual story, more or less, with Madeleine dying, being put in a tomb for a week, then returning from the dead during a storm. The budget is low and the film has that stiffness that most British films had back then, but it’s got lots of atmosphere and such a crazy, dreamlike storyline that it’s a curio worth seeking out. (DVD-R, repeat viewing)

15. Ruby (C, 1977) aka Blood Ruby. Piper Laurie (forever known to my friends and I as "Carrie White's freakin' mama") is Ruby, a gangland moll who gives birth out of shock as her gangster boyfriend is gunned down. She goes straight and opens a drive-in theater, but supernatural happenings start plaguing the place. The projectionist is found lynched by a reel of Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, a guy gets beaten up by an invisible presence, and another guy's corpse gets stuck in a soda machine and hooked up so it dispenses his blood. The rather-unbalanced Ruby and her helper Stuart Whitman think the ghost of her murdered boyfriend is back for revenge because he died thinking she set him up to be killed. Ruby's daughter Leslie is mute and deranged, but soon she's acting possessed, developing bullet holes in her face, doing backbends, and talking in the dead gangster's voice. A parapsychologist is brought in to play exorcist, but Ruby may have a date with a somewhat-ridiculous destiny. This should be more absorbing than it is, but somehow it didn't grab me, even though it's not really a bad film. (DVD, first-time viewing )

OCTOBER 5

16. Haunted Castle, The (B&W, 1921) aka Schloss Vogeloed, Vogelod Castle. Count Oetsch invites himself to a hunting party and gives the sinister prediction that only one shot will be fired. His presence is awkward because he's rumored to have murdered his brother, who was married to a Baroness who's in attendance. A priest from Rome shows up, but soon disappears and everyone thinks Count Oetsch murdered him. People start having strange nightmares (one in which a monster claw drags a man through a window, and another in which chefs slap each other!) and they start leaving. Count Oetsch starts panicking everyone by revealing their dark secrets and says he'll expose the one who really killed his brother. The Baroness reveals the identity of the real killer to the priest when he shows up again... but the Baron is a very tricky guy. I'm a big fan of F. W. Murnau's Nosferatu, but this one's not nearly as skillful and it's pretty hard to follow (the blurry, cut-down Alpha DVD wasn't much help). There are moments of eeriness but it's mostly a stiff, static drama and not much of a horror film, despite the title. (DVD, first time viewing

Oh, and I'm not counting it as a movie, but I also watched the premier of American Horror Story on FX. I liked it a lot, and I'm amazed they got away with it on commercial TV. Some of the subplots are incredibly twisted and they're going to upset the hell out of a lot of people when the public gets wind of 'em and understands what they're building there. And the idea that Glee fans will be tuning into this, hoping for another cute 'lil show from their filmmakers, only to get their minds brutally violated by the transgressive, dark content therein fills me with... well, glee!

OCTOBER 6

17. Messiah Of Evil (C, 1975) aka Dead People, The Second Coming, Revenge of the Screaming Dead. It's safe to say I'm obsessed with this movie. If you don't like this one, you have no horror-cred with me. I re-watch it every few months, and every time I notice something new (this time it was just the way they blended the wind outside with the sound of Anitra Ford's hair drier, but hey, that's something, right?). It's basically a Lovecraftian take on a zombie movie, with a girl visiting the "neon stucco" seaside town of Point Dune looking for her missing artist father. She learns that an ancient prophecy is coming true and people (possibly dead, certainly zombie-like) are standing and watching the ocean all night, waiting for some ancient god to rise up. In the meantime, they kill and eat the living... if the living don't succumb to their malady first. This movie remains possibly the closest thing I've seen to a nightmare captured on film. Some people find flaws in it, but I think those people just aren't understanding what the film's doing. Michael Weldon, for instance, said in The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film, claimed it was "confusing and badly-edited." Wrong, wrong. It's edited to be dreamlike, and its any confusion in the plot is due to its dreamlike construction. And the set design is very freaky and brilliant. In a way, it's Caligari-esque (which is far from the only way this film is similar to that one). It's a little bit Carnival of Souls, a little bit Night of the Living Dead, a bit of Argento, a little bit of a twisted poem, and a whole lot weird nightmare. People always mention the grocery store scene and the movie theater scene as highlights (and they are), but watch it a dozen times and you'll start seeing every scene as a standout. You may initially be disappointed that it's not gorier (there's blood, all right, but it lacks the gut-munching other zombie movies engage in), but nothing sets a mood like this. And the secret to this movie is... repeat viewings. The more you watch it, the more you'll see. Even though it's public domain and can be gotten in a hundred different places for around a dollar, invest in the Code Red version. But go ahead and buy a cheap copy, too, so you can get the eerie song they cut out for the director's cut. This is easily the most-re-watched movie in my collection, and my collection could win me a spot on Hoarders. I could go on and on about it, but I already have, on The Mighty Blowhole blog. Google that, then search the blog for Messiah of Evil, and you'll get more of me writing about this movie than you probably want. (DVD, repeat viewing HAHAHAHA, boy, is it! )

18. Mardi Gras Massacre (C, 1978) Somebody actually found the plot of Blood Feast compelling enough to steal it. A lunatic making sacrifices to some ancient Aztec deity seems out the most evil women he can find to tie down and slice up. First he stabs their hand, then slices their foot, then cuts open the stomach, reaches in, and pulls out a heart about the size of a canned ham. And I hope you like the effect because the footage is repeated every time he kills a girl; I guess the budget only allowed for one latex torso and one cow-heart. The rest of the movie is padded with lots of dancing strippers, many of whom look artificially padded themselves. A couple of really stupid cops try to half-ass their way into catching the killer while stealing money and sleeping with the hookers. You get a lot of padded-in mardi gras footage because these cops approach to their case seems to be to just keep wandering around New Orleans and hope the killer just falls into their laps. The filmmakers seem to have chose locations based on if there was a sign advertising the sale of corn. Either that, or N'awlins is one corn-happy town, because that stuff's everywhere. The killer starts wearing the metal Aztec mask he uses in the rituals on the street because, why not? Looks like they may have planned a sequel, too. Weak and pointless, despite the extreme gore. (DVD, first time viewing)

19. Hell of the Living Dead (C, 1980) aka Night of the Zombies, Zombie Creeping Flesh, Virus, Zombie Inferno. This Bruno Mattei zombiefest never got any respect and I can understand why but it's still always been a favorite of mine anyway. A gas leaked at a factory causes a worldwide zombie outbreak. A SWAT team of goofballs, after dispatching some terrorists, get a vacation (still in uniform) in New Guinea. They join a female reporter and her Tom-Savini-lookin' sidekick and wander around, fighting gory zombies and trying to pretend they're part of stock natives-and-wildlife footage inserted from The Real Cannibal Holocaust. That's not all the movie stole, either -- Goblin's Dawn of the Dead score gets more airtime here than it did in Dawn. All characters are incredibly obnoxious and their behavior is profoundly stupid so you wonder if they guy who wrote it was suffering a brain injury, but there's a lot of zombie action, and while the gore effects are mostly cheap, they're plentiful and extreme. A rat runs out of a creepy old woman's bloated stomach, heads explode, an idiot who's playing dress-up in the middle of a house full of zombies gets devoured, and someone's eyes are gouged out... from the inside, by a zombie reaching through the roof of her mouth! Yeah, it's dumb (the dubbed dialogue is hilarious, and every character is incredibly obnoxious) and derivative, but Mattei obviously isn't just playing "got your money" here, and you've got to respect that -- if nothing else, he's a showman. The zombies are usually chewed-up looking, while Dawn of the Dead only smeared blue paint on most of them, and even if some of the effects are just meat held against a leg and gnawed on, at least there's plenty of it. And there's probably more pointless scenes of people vomiting than any movie I can remember. People pan this but I've probably seen it a dozen ties and I still love it. I like Mattei's other dog, Rats: Night of Terror, too. So there. (DVD, repeat viewing)

OCTOBER 7

20. Secrets of the Clown (C, 2007) Bobby's having some problems with his girlfriend Val, so one of his dopey friends vindictively breaks her prized clown doll. This friend is promptly knifed to death on the doorstep. Soon afterward another friend of Bobby's gets murdered in his car in the cemetery. Bobby and his friends vow to track down the killer, but Val has dreams of them all being killed. They contact spirits with ouija tactics and call in a psychic/exorcist guy. Meanwhile, Val turns out to have witchcraft powers and battles demons on the highway while Bobby and his friends deal with possessed friends and a clown monster (he looks like one of the type of wrestlers that WCW was bringing in right before it went under) shows up. A big supernatural battle starts up. The moviemakers had ideas beyond their budget or skill, and the end results aren't good, but you can't fault them for trying, and I've seen worse home-made horror. I wouldn't exactly recommend it, but it does seem sincere enough to make you want to help it along. (DVD, first time viewing)

OCTOBER 8

21. Brood, The (C, 1979) Oliver Reed is a Dr. Phil-like psychiatric psychopath who practices a weird form of psychotherapy that causes his patients to express their angst as physical manifestations. In a demonstration he goads a man about his daddy issues until he breaks out in sores. Another former patient is trying to sue Reed for giving him cancer through suggestion, and his lymph glands are swollen lumps. But the worst is Samantha Eggar, who's been breeding deformed dwarfs in a womb outside her body, as embodiments of her rage. These dwarves go out and bludgeon to death the people she's angry with, and she's got a lot of resentment toward her husband and their daughter... When all her other relatives start dying brutally, the husband tries to stop her before it's too late. Effective but weird horror. (DVD, repeat viewing)

22. Maniac (B&W, 1934) aka Sex Maniac. Crazy Dwain Esper exploitation curio that has to be seen to be believed. A mad scientist, Dr. Meirschultz, is working on a method of reviving the dead, along with his vaudeville-actor sidekick. Turns out all you have to do to bring a corpse back to life is rub its arms. Try it! Meirschultz wants a bigger challenge -- transplanting a heart he's kept beating in a tank -- so he tries to kill his assistant. The assistant kills him instead and impersonates him, becoming completely crazy in the process. He walls up Meirschultz's corpse, Edgar Allan Poe style (when it's discovered later you can see it helping to push the bricks out), and gouges out a cat's eye and eats it. One of his patients turns into a raving lunatic after an injection, delivers one of the weirdest rants in the history of cinema, then kills a woman and apparently rapes her corpse (which includes a topless scene that was a big no-no at the time). There are two vicious catfights -- one between women, one between actual cats. Whenever the assistant has a psychotic episode (which is frequent) footage from Haxan and other strange silent films are superimposed over hi, and occasional text describing mental illnesses are scrolled onscreen so this could be marketed as "educational." Must-see vintage trash. (DVD, repeat viewing

23. Rites of Frankenstein, The (C, 1972) aka La Malidicion de Frankenstein, The Erotic Rites of Frankenstein, The Erotic Adventures of Frankenstein, The Curse of Frankenstein. Jess Franco nonsense that's not as bad as most of his junk; in fact, it's downright okay if you're content with a string of images and aren't concerned with coherent plots. Dr. Frankenstein transplants a brain into a silver monster and it works, but then the doctor is soon killed by a blind, flesh-eating bird-woman (an eerily-pretty girl with ridiculous feather gloves who goes around sniffing for flesh). She's the sidekick of Cagliostro (Howard Vernon with a goatee), an evil hypnotist who can revive the dead. Cagliostro wants to build a perfect woman to serve as a mate for the creature (apparently just so he can watch). The bird-woman usually delivers all his speeches so Vernon can just stand there, staring wide-eyed. Frankenstein's daughter keeps reviving her father's corpse for brief periods so he can advise her how to deal with Cagliostro. Meanwhile, Cagliostro's summoning robed skeletons to walk through misty forests and getting the silver monster to whip captives until they fall on beds of spikes, just to entertain acolytes. It doesn't add up to much but it's not as careless and boring as many of Franco's overrated offal. (DVD, first-time viewing



OCTOBER 9

24. Monster From A Prehistoric Planet (C, 1967) aka Diakyoju Gappa, Gappa The Triphibian Monster, The Giant Beast Gappa, The Triphibian Monster. Archaeologists and reporters scouting locations for a resort hotel go to an island full of natives who worship a giant monster statue, which they call Gappa. Volcanic activity on the island makes them think Gappa is angry, and they get really upset when a giant egg hatches a baby Gappa and the scientists take it back to Japan. They intend to study it but the newspaper man who sent them on the trip claims he owns the monster, plans to exhibit it, and treats it cruelly, which causes its parents to come after it. The monsters look basically like winged Godzillas with beaks and pointy heads. The daddy one has an octopus-tentacle beard. Massive havoc is unleashed upon civilization when they reach it, and tanks and jets come to fight them, but if you've seen any other kaiju movies you know about how well that works. The Gappa also have fire-breath, like Godzilla. Nothing will stop them from taking their kid back, and the movie does its best to make this silliness seem "touching." It's a Japanese take on Gorgo, which was a British take on Godzilla. The circle is complete. (DVD, repeat viewing)

25.
Beast of Blood (C, 1970) aka Beast of the Dead, Blood Devils, Horrors of Blood Island, Return to the Horrors of Blood Island. Immediate sequel to Mad Doctor of Blood Island picks up where the first one left off, with John Ashley's boat getting attacked by the great-looking chlorophyl zombie (with an ax!) and sunk. Ashley and the monster make it to shore, and Ashley and friends chase through the jungle trying to rescue a kidnapped girl, while fire-scarred Dr. Lorca continues his experiments, trying to transplant different heads onto the monster. The head and body still want to be together, though, and the head has more control of the body than Lorca has counted on. There are some gruesome surgery scenes and effective monster makeup, but too much of the time is spent on gun battles and jungle stalking; it looks almost like a war movie with a few horror movie scenes stuck in. And it gets pretty funny when the head starts talking... (DVD, repeat viewing)


26.
Bloodlust (B&W, 1959) Robert Reed from the Brady Bunch and his friends are out boating when their navigator passes out drunk near an island. They decide to go explore it until he wakes up, not knowing the island is run by a maniac whose hobby is hunting is hunting humans. Once he kills them he has them soaked in preservative, skinned, stuffed, and mounted in his private museum. The level of gruesomeness is surprisingly high, with severed legs, severed heads, a big wet pile of skin, gushing blood, and a guy dissolving in an acid bath. Nobody's going to mistake it for The Most Dangerous Game, but its got its sketchy charms. (DVD, repeat viewing)


27. Nightmares (C, 1980) aka Stage Fright, Nightmare on the Street. A little girl is in the car when an accident kills her mother, slicing her throat with windshield glass. The mother's boyfriend really caused it by groping her while she was driving, but he blames it on the girl. She grows up to be an aspiring actress, but people in the play she's in start getting stabbed and slashed to death by shards of broken glass. Her fellow actors are soon unnerved by her erratic mood swings and odd behavior. She has visions of the killings, which she thinks are nightmares, but worries that she might be the killer. Is she? Bloody Australian version of a giallo focuses a bit too much on the works of the play and somehow doesn't draw you in as much as it should, but it's a classy looking film and sports plenty of nudity and nasty slash wounds. Brian May did a great music score (very reminiscent of his Mad Max work) but it's used so much here that it becomes overbearing, trying to make every scene come across as some pinnacle of terror. Max Phipps, who plays the director here, played The Toadie in The Road Warrior. Not entirely successful, but well worth seeing. (DVD, first time viewing


28. Room 205 (C, 2007) aka Kollegiet. Katrina is new at college in Copenhagen, sharing a dormitory with other students (male and female). They're a little mean and she's a little awkward but she gets along okay until she pisses off Sanne, the popular girl in the dorm, by fooling around with Sanne's ex-boyfriend and overreacting to a prank. This lands her on the uncool side of the pecking order, and Sanne and her friends like to hound any "uncool" people out of the dorm. They start bullying Katrina and telling her that her dorm room is haunted... and perhaps it is, because Katrina starts seeing things. She talks to the guy who was bullied out of the room before she had it and he tells her a girl was murdered in the bathroom, and that there's a legend that the spirits of the dead can get trapped in mirrors. Since Katrina had broken the mirror in the bathroom, the ghost is freed and causes havoc, killing off her dormmates. Katrina and the former resident try to get rid of the vengeful ghost before more people die. The pace is a little slow and too much is underplayed, and the haunting stuff is a little too conventional to be as effective as it could be, but it's not a bad little horror movie, made with some style. Basically a Danish version of a Ring type story. (DVD, first time viewing)


29. Eyes Without A Face (B&W, 1959) aka The Horror Chamber of Dr. Faustus, Les Yeux Sans Visage. Groundbreaking, artistic French horror kicked off the whole surgeons-trying-to-restore-a-loved-one's-damaged-face subgenre. A plastic surgeon, wracked with guilt after causing the car wreck that left his daughter with a giant open wound for a face, kidnaps girls and peels their faces off to transplant them onto her. The donors always end up dead and the grafted faces always end up rejected and rotting, leaving the girl to resort to wearing a mask again. The mask is very creepy, a beautiful, expressionless, porcelain-like thing with holes for her large, expressive eyes -- the effect is really eerie. And speaking of effects, the film had ground-breaking gore, holding a cold, clinical, unflinching shot as a girl's face is peeled away in surgery. That one remains unsettling because of the way it's filmed and the expectations that they'd cut away from it. The girl ends up wanting to die but is as much a victim of her father's mania as the girls he kidnaps for her supposed benefit. The final image is haunting. (DVD, repeat viewing)


OCTOBER 10

30. Earth Vs. The Spider (B&W) 1958 aka The Spider. A giant spider living in a cave on the edge of town attacks a girl's father on his way home to her birthday. Searching for him, the girl and her boyfriend discover the spider, and her father's withered corpse. They come back with the cops and spray the monster with DDT. Thinking it's dead, they haul it to the school auditorium, where a rock & roll band's practice session wakes it up and sends it on a rampage through the town. Surprisingly, they show a blood-covered toddler wandering around the rubble! When the spider returns to the cave the townspeople want to blow it up, but a couple of the teens are lost in there. Classic Bert I. Gordon giant-bug horror is more engaging than most and sports good special effects (although the size of the spider does seem to fluctuate from shot to shot; sometimes it's big as a house, other times it seems about the size of a car). (DVD, first-time viewing)

OCTOBER 11


31. Hands of Blood (C, 1974) aka Stepsisters, The Texas Hill Killings) Small-budget (around $17K) Texas-shot drive-in horror with a slow pace, confusing plot, and a certain S.F. Brownrigg-type of atmosphere. A couple of sisters living in a huge creepy old house have sex with men who drop by. One of the sisters is married to a man she doesn't like very much, and he starts an affair with her sister. Together they plot to kill his wife. The plan's not all that ingenious -- he thinks he can just come home, catch her with another man, and kill her in a fit of jealous rage and the law won't touch him for it. Things don't work out like he thought, though, and the sisters have a secret of their own. There are a few killings - an axe murder, guts blown out (literally) with a shotgun blast, some stabbing - but overall it's a mess, with too much time spent driving cars back and forth, flying a plane back and forth, and people sitting around bickering. It seems to want to be a noir-type crime story as much as it does horror, and it's a little too talky, with an attempt to build a web of intrigue around stuff we don't know enough about to be very interested in. And there's not nearly enough killing. But, it does have that old 70's sleazy drive-in charm, and the world can always use more of that. (DVD, repeat viewing)

32. The Omen (C, 1976) C'mon, I don't really have to review The Omen, do I? This is a full-blown classic, the horror film as an A-picture. Ambassador to Great Britain Gregory Peck accepts a substitute baby when wife Lee Remick’s baby is born dead. When young Damien reaches age five they start noticing some strange things; he’s terrified of churches, animals hate him (other than a malevolent rottweiler that guards him), and people die in mysterious ways around him (including a classic impalement and maybe the best-decapitation-ever). Peck gets warned that the boy is the AntiChrist, and he starts believing it and getting ready to do something about it. Very well-made horror that’s become one of the cornerstones of the genre, and part of the American idiom; people know this movie even if they haven’t seen it. (DVD, repeat viewing)

OCTOBER 12

33. Welcome to Arrow Beach (C, 1973) aka Tender Flesh, And No One Would Believe Her This was chopped to hell before it was released, and now it's rarely seen at all (there's rumored to be only one print left in existence), which is way too damned bad because there's something about this movie... Icyeyed Meg Foster (who has nude scenes) is a hippie girl hitchhiking around California and she ends up having dinner with Lawrence Harvey (who died of cancer before this was released) and his skittish sister Joanna Pettet. They eat some extremely rare meat that's apparently pieces of a dead cop. Harvey developed a taste for cannibalism during the Korean war, and suffers from flashbacks that drive him to kill. Meg spends the night and wakes up to a weird chopping sound and eventually finds him in a basement meat locker hacking up a corpse with a cleaver. She escapes and goes to the cops (John Ireland and Stuart Whitman) but they think she's just been taking drugs and had a bad trip, and won't believe her accusations. Meanwhile Harvey lures an aging local slut to his house so he can take pictures of her... but he kills her in an extremely stylish scene composed of quick flash cuts patterned after the still pictures an automatic camera is winding off. Meg eventually finds someone willing to suspend their disbelief enough to go back to the house with her... Nice, atmospheric horror really gets butchered when shown on TV; they cut so much of it that you can't even really tell he's a killer, much less a cannibal. Uncut, it's pretty gory, but in a suggestive way - you only see quick glimpses of bloody meat, so you're not even quite sure exactly what you're looking at, but it's morbid, brutal, and highly effective. The theme song "We Are Born To Die" sets the atmosphere up right off the bat, and it's also strange because it's done by Lou Rawls! DVDs are scarce. Videotapes supposedly run 99 minutes, but I'm not certain about that. One of my absolutely favorite horror films, seek it out. (DVD, repeat viewing)

OCTOBER 13

American Horror Story second episode - still digging it.

OCTOBER 14

OCTOBER 15

34. Voodoo Black Exorcist (C, 1974) aka Vudi Sangriento. Bizarre, talky obscurity that owes a lot to Karloff's The Mummy. A native couple in the Caribbean (neither black, although they are wearing some brown makeup) accidentally kill the girl’s father in a fight over their forbidden love. In a voodoo ceremony the girl is decapitated (all the heads in this movie appear to be made-up styrofoam wig stands) and the guy voes to return for vengeacne upon the reincarnations of his tormentors centuries later. Cut to the modern day (established by NASA footage) and the coffin holding the mummy of the vengeful lover is loaded onto a cruise ship. He comes back to life and un-shrivels so he can control passengers with jabs from a drugged snake-ring and romance a girl he thinks is the reincarnation of his lost love. He tries to win her affection by putting a severed head in her bed. He also has another guy rolled over with a steam roller (unfortunately they don’t try to show us the aftermath). He gives interviews about being a living mummy! He also searches for his lost snake ring. On the way he kills a couple more people. This is a real mess of nonsensical scenes put together, and I can’t imagine what they were thinking when they made it, because I can’t imagine anyone thinking that it was going to be coherent. It’s interesting just for the weirdness and obscurity, but it’s crazy and also kinda dull. (DVD, repeat viewing)

35. To The Devil A Daughter (C, 1976) aka Child of Satan. Christopher Lee is an excommunicated priest (“it is not heresy, and I will not recant!” - if you ever wondered where White Zombie stole that line in “Supercharger Heaven,” you’re welcome) who’s out to bring the child of Satan into the world. As its vessel he’s targeted a young nun (Natassja Kinski, who was only 16 but still did full-frontal) who’s visiting London. Richard Widmark is an expert on Satanism who’s out to protect her. Lee and his Satanists do a rite involving a pregnant woman giving birth, which impregnates Kinski. They also terrorize her father through supernatural means, trying to force him to keep a pact. Kinski has been brainwashed to believe Astaroth (depicted as a guy who appears to have a giant inverted crucifix up his ass) is good , and she wants to serve him. She has visions of Christopher Lee in a golden mask having sex with her while she’s tied down. Widmark realizes he’s up against serious trouble and tries to rescue Kinski from an evil fate, but the deluded Kinski doesn’t help much. Lesser Hammer but still not bad (although a hand-puppet devil is so hilarious it ruins all the creepy mood that’s built up), adapted from Dennis Wheatley’s novel (although Wheatley hated it, due mostly to the ridiculousness of the ending). Hammer folded its tents shortly afterward. (DVD, fist time viewing)


36. Don’t Look Now (C, 1973) Donald Sutherland is in a very clammy-looking Venice restoring an old church, and his daughter drowns in a canal. Sutherland and his wife Julie Christie are devastated until his wife meets a pair of sisters, one of whom is a blind psychic who tells her the daughter’s happy. Later the sister predicts disaster for Sutherland and he almost falls from some scaffolding. Then Christie returns to London to check on their son in boarding school but Sutherland thinks he sees her in Venice, as part of funeral procession. He also thinks he sees his daughter running around, and since there’s a murderer loose in Venice, he becomes frantic. The movie is self-impressed with its artiness -- Nicholas Roeg seems to be more interested in making postcards than telling a story -- and has a very sterile, formal feel (even the softcore sex scene is very stagey, though fairly explicit). and it ultimately doesn’t make a lot of sense. The ending is creepy even if it’s inexplicable, though. The film does have a certain giallo-ness and it’s good in moments, even if it doesn’t hang together as a whole. It’s one of those pretentious films that people are afraid to say is badly flawed because it looks like you‘re supposed to find it intellectual. Don’t believe the hype, but it’s still worth seeing. From Daphne DuMaurier’s superior novella. (DVD, first time viewing)

OCTOBER 16


37. The Devil’s Rain (C, 1975) Absurdity and nonsense can be surpremely creepy, and this disjointed devil-worshipper classic has that working for it big time. I first fell in love with this weird movie when the CBS Late Movie used to show it in the 70’s (or early 80’s?) and I’ve seen it dozens of times since, and it’s still never made much sense. Damn if it doesn’t work, though, and has a strange atmosphere and a unique climax, and a cast you can’t believe would be in such a movie. William Shatner and his mother Ida Lupino and brother Tom Skerritt try to protect a 300-year-old book of signatures of renegade pilgrims who signed their souls to Satan. Devil-cult leader Corbis (Ernest Borgnine, who’s having a ball with his role and sometimes appears in ram’s-head makeup) is after the book and happy to subject the family members to all sorts of demented temptations. He leads a cult of black-robed eyeless followers (including Anton LaVey in a gold mask, and John Travolta, who’d go on to become a cultist in real life). There’s a lot of mumbo jumbo as Shatner (at his overdramatic worst -- he gnaws the scenery like it’s slathered in butterscotch) tries to survive demonic assaults and Skerritt and Eddie Albert face Borgnine in his church while the cast melts into puddles of was and slime in the rain. Once seen you’ll never forget it, even if you never fully understand it. The special effects are a lot better than the acting and are plentiful and creepy. The eerieness lasts right through the end credits. (DVD, repeat viewing


38. Enter The Devil (C, 1972) aka Disciples of Death. A deputy sheriff doing a Clint Eastwood imitation is sent out to the West Texas desert to look for a missing rock hound. The man’s body is found burned in his car, and the deputy discovers a cult of Satanists is active in the canyons. Since deer season just opened, potential victims abound, and the icewater-eyed sheriff is election-obsessed, so the deputy’s under pressure to shut the cult down. Meanwhile they’re throwing people into rattlesnake pits and barbed-wiring-and-crucifying more victims. A lady reporter who thinks it’s a cult of penetenties gets too close and ends up in trouble. It’s a little too ordinary (aside from one unusual plot twist midway through) to be very effective, but the acting from the cast of unknowns isn’t bad and there’s some atmosphere and low-budget charm. A shot of a cultist with a stone (charred wood?) dagger made it into a prominent spot in Famous Monsters. The Sinister Cinema DVD-R edits over the memorable “Green, Green, Green, Everything’s Turning Green” opening song. (DVD-R, repeat viewing

39. The Vampire Bat (B&W, 1933) aka Blood Sucker, Forced to Sin. This old indie stacks up pretty well with the Universal classics, partially because it shares some sets and actors. A plague of bats falls upon a European village, and drained corpses with fang-marks in the neck keep turning up. Everyone thinks the village idiot (Dwight Frye at his unhinged best) is responsible because he’s a giggling creep who likes to play with bats (“They’re soft, like cat!”). The sheriff thinks the vampire business is a load of bunk, but he doesn’t know that mad scientist Lionel Atwill has created what looks like a giant raspberry that he keeps in a tank. A strange, atmospheric little film I find myself re-watching a lot. If you ever wondered where the band Dog Faced Hermans got their name, this movie might answer that for you. (DVD, repeat viewing)

40. Strangler of the Swamp (B&W, 1945) One of PRC’s finest hours (although it’s not their best film - the people who claim that are forgetting about Detour), this ghostly tale of vengeance shows how much atmosphere you can build with no money, just a couple of sets, and a fog machine. Swamp denizens hang a ferryman for a crime he didn’t commit, and his accusers start dying from mysterious strangling accidents. When the replacement ferryman falls victim to the shadowy ghost, his daughter takes over the ferry. Blake Edwards shows up in the village after being away at school and starts romancing her... but he, too, is a target of the ghost’s relentless will for vengeance, and so their love may be doomed unless drastic measures are taken. Fast-moving and spooky little B-flick. DVD, repeat viewing)

41. The Virgin Witch (C, 1972) aka Lesbian Twins. A couple of sisters run away to London, hoping to become models but become witches instead in this British horror with an emphasis on nudity and softcore porn instead of anything scary. Looking for work, one of the girls is drawn to a model scout named Sybil, who’s a lesbian and practices witchcraft. At a weekend of photo shoots at a country estate things soon start getting creepy, with weird people peeping at the girls and a lot of preoccupation over their virginity. They soon figure out they’re in the company of witches but think it’s innocent and interesting and they want to take part in a ritual, which basically consists of sex while everyone frugs naked around them. The model sister wakes up naked with Sybil, but doesn’t seem to be all that fond of her, and wants to become a witch and take Sybil’s place. Her sister’s boyfriend shows up all freaked out because Sybil’s a lesbian. He’d be much more justified in worrying about the virgin sacrifice the coven has planned. Not badly done but not much of a horror movie; it’s more of a nudie with exotic setpieces, playing to the 70’s fascination with witchcraft. Some of the ring-around-the-rosie dancing gets pretty hilarious and kills whatever minor creepiness this bloodless “horror” film might have created. (DVD first time viewing)

42. Mystery of the Wax Museum (C, 1933) Early two-stripe Technicolor horror with mad sculptor Lionel Atwill covering corpses in wax to create historical figures for his side-street museum. He’s a legit artist at first, but his partner sets fire to the unprofitable business for the insurance money, melting Atwill’s masterpieces and leaving him horribly scarred -- physically and mentally. He finds people who resemble the historical figures he wants to create and arranges their deaths. When he meets Fay Wray, he thinks she’s the perfect Marie Antoinette, and she may be in for a horrible fate if she can’t be rescued by a smartassed girl reporter. Well-done classic remade as House of Wax and ripped off by countless other films. (DVD, first time viewing)

43. Who Can Kill A Child? (C, 1976) aka Quien Puede Matar a Nino?, Island of the Damned, Death is Child’s Play, Would You Kill A Child?, Trapped, The Killer’s Playground, Lucifer’s Curse, Island of Death. The prologue answers, apparently a lot of people -- it shows how wars tend to make things hardest on children. Then we’re off to the beach where butchered bodies have been washing up. Our protagonists, a couple on vacation in Spain, decide to get away from the festival crowds by taking a trip to the island of Almanzora... which turns out to be the source of the corpses that have been washing up on the beach, because the children of Almanzora have banded together to play a game where they kill all the grown-ups. Upon reaching the island, the couple is weirded out by how deserted it all is, and how unfriendly the children are, but things grow increasingly sinister. They get frantic phone calls from someone speaking German but they can’t speak the language. They see a laughing little girl (the creepy kid from Demon Witch Child) beating an old man to death with a stick, and then a group of them use the corpse as a pinata... with a scythe. They start finding more corpses and decide they better get the hell off Almanzora, but the kids aren’t quite done playing their horrible games, and to survive the tourists will have to fight back. But an adult having to overcome the taboo of using deadly force against children is a disturbing factor, too. Why this masterpiece isn’t better known I have no idea; it builds an eerie atmosphere of isolation and dread that grows more and more intense until it’s full-blown horror. If any “killer kid” movie ever scared you, be aware that the next-best one is still miles and miles behind this, which plays like a combo of The Birds and Night of the Living Dead, but with the added taboo of having to kill children to fight back. And gore makeup on kids is a disturbing sight. This is an absolute must-see for anyone who takes horror seriously. (DVD, repeat viewing

44. Shriek of the Mutilated (C, 1976) aka Mutilated, Scream of the Snowbeast. If only this was as good as its title. Hell, I’d settle for half as good. A third as good. Michael and Roberta Findlay are at the exploitation sleaze again with this cheap Bigfoot horror. A professor leads an expedition of college kids to an island looking for some Yeti-type monsters. The lone survivor of a previous expedition was left homicidally insane and gets electrocuted by having a toaster thrown in his bathtub. Once on the island the professor has his Indian cook (who looks more like a Mafia goon in a headband) feed the students “bear pie” and fills them with Bigfoot stories. One is soon attacked by one of the fuzzy monsters (the costumes look like they’re stitched together out of white bathmats). A search for him recovers only one of his legs, which they used for bait to try to catch the monster. When that fails they try the corpse of a girl. And that leads to a disappointing secret being revealed. The movie has a little mild gore but balks when they could really have gone for some splatter; when every other aspect of a film is a big failure, why try underplaying something that would have been easy enough to deliver upon? Throw some meat around! DVDs substitute canned music for the extremely annoying synth song, “Popcorn” by Hot Butter. (DVD, repeat viewing)

Walking Dead premiere - excellent!

OCTOBER 17

45. The Most Dangerous Game (B&W, 1932) Joel McCrea is a famous big game hunter who gets shipwrecked on the island of deranged Russian hunter, Count Zaroff, who’s gotten so good at hunting that animals bore him and now he hunts men instead. Fay Wray and Robert Armstrong are also there, having survived a previous shipwrecked, and they’ll all end up hunted. After showing them his torture chamber and trophy room of human heads, he sets McCrea and Wray loose in his jungle, evading their traps and trying to nail them with his bow and arrow, rifle, and dogs. Incredible sets, lightning pace, and an atmosphere of menace add up to a compact, hard-hitting classic with major re-watch value. Led to King Kong. (DVD, repeat viewing)

OCTOBER 18

46. Woman Eater, The (B&W, 1958) Mad Dr. Moran believes the sap of a rare Amazonian tree he keeps in his lab can bring the dead back to life, but the only way to get it to produce sap is to feed girls to it. A guy who's trying to pick up a carnival girl gets her fired instead, but manages to get her a housekeeping job...for Dr. Moran. The doc takes a liking to her and disposes of his previous housekeeper. He's likely to feed the new girl to the awkward-looking tree (a bunch of furry arms sticking out of a trunk -- the funnest thing about it is figuring out how all the people inside it are standing) but you can probably guess what actually ends up happening. Deservedly obscure. (DVD, repeat viewing)

OCTOBER 19

47.
Angel, Angel, Down We Go (C, 1969) aka Cult of the Damned Oddball hippie-era relic in which an overweight, disillusioned rich daughter named Tara Nicole is eager to get laid and break away from her vain mother and secretly-gay father. She's easy pickings for Bogart, the narcissistic sociopath singer of the band that plays Tara's coming-out party. Bogart wants to use her to get ahead, and she wants to hang out with the band. Bogart tries to convince Tara's parents he wants to marry her, but he's after her mother instead. Tara hangs out with the band (including Roddy McDowall and Lou Rawls) and hallucinates that she's stuck to the ceiling while everybody babbles about society and Bogart absurdly seduces the mom. The farther the movie goes the more pointlessly nonsensical it becomes until it's nothing but songs and disjointed, self-impressed dialogue. It leads up to a skydiving accident. There are some similarities to the Manson family thing, but it's coincidental because this came out first. Lots of weirdness and crazy 60's filmmaking, but not much to it but quirk. (DVD-R, first time viewing)

OCTOBER 20

48. Book of Stone (C, 1969) aka El Libro de Piedra. Obscure Mexican masterpiece of creepiness. A woman named Julia takes a job as a governess to a little girl named Sylvia. Sylvia's father and stepmother think she's mentally ill, partially because of her obsession with an imaginary friend, a boy named Hugo. Hugo's actually a statue of a boy holding a big book, located in a swampy area on the family property. Kindly Julia plays along with Sylvia's fantasies but starts to become disturbed by things about Hugo. Sylvia names an Austrian town that Hugo supposedly came from, and Julia discovers it existed. She also learns that Hugo was supposedly a real boy turned to stone by his wizard father, so he could guard a book of black magic. The stepmother starts having mysterious pains and Julia discovers that Sylvia made a voodoo doll of her. Once everyone gets wise to the fact that black magic is going on, more sinister things start happening and an extremely-creepy Hugo starts showing up. Sylvia's godfather tries moving the statue away to end the obsession, but Hugo has no intention of leaving. Extremely spooky, atmospheric, unjustly-obscure film that seems to have some Mario Bava influence. Worth the effort to seek out. (DVD-R, repeat viewing)

OCTOBER 21


49. Eerie Midnight Horror Show, The (C, 1974) aka L'ossessa, Enter the Devil, The Devil Obsession, The Sexorcist, The Tormented. Sleazy Italian demonic possession flick in which a pretty young art student named Daniella brings home a life-sized carving of one of the crucified thieves, taken from a church that was deconsecrated because of all the orgies that took place there in centuries past. The statue comes to life (as demonic-looking Ivan Rassimov, perfectly cast) and has sex with her. She's left a screaming slut who tries to seduce her father, has visions of being crucified that result in stigmata, and screams and thrashes around whenever in the presence of a priest or crucifix. Chanting nuns cause her to run through the streets yelling like a lunatic. A priest tries to exorcise her, but the demon makes her pretty so she can seduce him. When he still resists, she pukes up what looks like melted lime sherbet and does some more screeching. Cheap and pretty artless rip-off of The Exorcist, with some really hilarious dubbed dialogue, but it's weird enough to be creepy in spots and I've always had a soft spot for it. (DVD, repeat viewing)

OCTOBER 22

50. Paranormal Activity 3 (C, 2011) The tricks are getting a little familiar and losing their ability to terrify -- it's kinda becoming a chain of "oh, that again" -- but the series is still solid and hasn't had a bad one yet. This is a prequel, consisting of video tapes shot when Katie was having her first supernatural troubles as a little girl. Her sister starts a weird friendship with an imaginary friend named Toby... who turns out to be neither imaginary nor friend, as he terrorizes her family. Like the others this starts out with little creaks and movements that get her stepfather obsessed with filming them all on his videocameras, but he conveniently captures more than he counted on. A little less is left to the imagination than in previous installments, and it still unfolds pretty slowly, but it pays off with some freaky special effects and an ending that explains maybe too much. They should probably end it here, but it's not a disappointment. (theatre, first time viewing)

OCTOBER 23

51. Blood and Black Lace (C, 1964) aka Sei Donne per L'assassino, Six Women For The Murderer, Fashion House of Death. Formative giallo masterpiece created by Mario Bava has a masked killer (he looks just like The Question from the comics, with a featureless fabric mask and a fedora), murdering models in various gruesome-for-the-time ways, such as pressing a face to a red-hot heater or slamming a spiked metal glove into their face. He's after a diary left by his initial target and is killing anyone connected to it. The film is so classy and well-done in Bava's hands that you forget what a hack Cameron Mitchell turned out to be. Plot-wise it's more murder mystery than anything else, but Bava's eerie directorial touches (later copied wholecloth by Dario Argento) make it horrific, using lots of colored lighting, surreal sets, and expressive camera angles to create an otherworldly atmosphere. It can be a bit hard to follow but it's essential (repeat) viewing and well worth the effort. (DVD, repeat viewing_


52. Frozen (C, 2009) Open Water on a ski lift. Three not-terribly-lovable (but not so bad you'd enjoy seeing them suffer) skier/snowboarders try saving a few bucks on ski lift fees and end up paying for it big time when they're accidentally forgotten about midway up the mountain when the ride shuts down for the week. They're too high up to jump down, there's a pack of hungry wolves running around, the cables are too sharp to climb on, and there's a winter storm. If they stay they'll freeze to death, but they don't seem to have much other alternative. Attempts to get themselves out of the situation don't turn out well and they're getting frostbite. The further along the movie goes the more desperate the situation grows, and it's suspenseful but also kind of a bummer to watch. It makes me glad that winter sports have never appealed to me in the first place. If you're into survival horror, this should work for you. (DVD, first time viewing)

53. Ghoul, The (B&W, 1933) Classic Karloff that was considered almost a lost film for a long time; there was only one print and it was in terrible condition. Then, oddly and without explanation, a beautiful, pristine DVD showed up. Karloff is a dying professor who's spent a vast fortune on The Eternal Light, a jewel that he plans to present to the god Anubis after death so he'll be admitted to Paradise. He has it bandaged to his hand and warns that he'll return from the dead seeking vengeance if it's stolen. And, of course, it is stolen, and on the full moon Karloff rises from his tomb and goes on an angry rampage. Karloff puts out a very emotive performance in a mostly-silent role, and the decaying-zombie makeup is effectively morbid. A scene with him carving a symbol in his chest is pretty gruesome for the 30's. Could have used more monster stuff and less skullduggery involving the theft-and-re-theft of the jewel, but the film is a classic worth saving. (DVD, repeat viewing)

54. Chambermaid, The (C, 2004) aka Lovesick: Sick Love. A young lady (Fiona Horsey) loses her job as a hotel chambermaid when a guest who paid her to jerk him off accuses her of stealing. She was only resorting to the minor-league prostitution because she's desperate for money to help her metal-musician boyfriend pay off some drug dealers who keep beating him up. While riding her bike one night she finds her boss completely drunk and takes him home and makes him believe they had sex so she can manipulate him. She also makes him believe the guy she jerked off tried to rape her, so she gets her job back. Her boss - a pitiful nebish who's browbeaten by his invalid mother - thinks he and Horsey have a relationship and starts to become possessive. She turns the tables and convinces him that he raped her and got her pregnant, and tries to blackmail him. She moves into his house with her boyfriend and torments her boss by taunting him and having sex with her boyfriend in front of him, and tries to treat him like their slave. But he goes psychotic and kills his mother and her boyfriend and chains her up in the basement so he can have children with her. She's been resourceful (and evil) about scheming so far, but can she get out of this? No-budget British production isn't all bad for an almost-homemade film, and the acting is good in spots even though it always looks clumsy and super-cheap. Much is made of Horsey's nudity but there's not really that much of it. Available on Mill Creek's cheapo Blood Bath 12-movie set. (DVD, first time viewing)

OCTOBER 24

55.Headless Ghost, The (B&W, 1959) Hopelessly corny silliness in which three college kids (two American boys and a girl from Denmark) hide out in an old English castle, hoping to see its famed ghosts. The ghosts do appear, stepping out of their portraits, but they look and act just like normal people in period costumes so the spooky factor is zero. They explain that they can't rest in peace until one of them is reunited with his missing head. They attend dinners with the ghosts and take part in other goofy things that are about as scary as a Topper episode. The whole thing is painfully obnoxious and irritating but might be fun for an eight year old. (DVD, first time viewing)

OCTOBER 25

56. Dead Men Walk (B&W, 1943) George Zucco has a dual role as kindly Dr. Clayton and his evil, deceased brother Elwin, whose studies of the black arts have given him the power to return as a vampire. Raging with hate, he targets Clayton's niece and starts vampiric attacks on her, aided by his assistant, Dwight Frye (in a more restrained role than usual, and also one of his last). Clayton and his niece's boyfriend struggle to stop Elwin's evil but the local law thinks Clayton's the one responsible since they' believe his twin to be dead. A low-budget B-picture but actually pretty good, with Zucco giving the evil role plenty of unrestrained malice, and the finale is impressive. (DVD, repeat viewing)

OCTOBER 26

57. Fog, The (C, 2005) Unnecessary remake of John Carpenter's classic isn't a disgrace or anything (although I could definitely get an argument out of that claim) but it adds nothing but more face-time for the monsters... and since they look fakey SyFy-Channel monsterfied, that's not exactly a special feature. The story's basically the same -- undead leper pirates killing the townspeople of Antonio Bay in the middle of a supernatural fog. Instead of stolen gold they want revenge on the descendents of the people who stole their land and murdered them all. There are lots more special effects of varying quality but it's not an improvement. Nor is it unwatchable, and it won't bore you. (DVD, first-time viewing)

OCTOBER 27

58.
Monster Maker, The (B&W, 1944) aka The Devil’s Apprentice. Pretty sick (by 40’s standards, anyway) PRC horror in which a mad doctor (J. Carrol Naish) gets a serious crush on a pianist’s daughter, because she looks like his dead wife. The doctor gives the girl the creeps, though, so her dad tells the doc to get lost. In revenge, he injects dad with acromegaly, a disease that causes grotesque, deforming swelling of the extremities. Rondo Hatton, who wasn’t in this film but who starred in several others around that time, actually had this condition. The pianist grows deformed... and angry. He wants to kill the doctor for infecting him, so the doctor has to chain him up, and then tries to force a marriage on his unwilling daughter. There’s also a rampaging gorilla and some powers of hypnotism to keep things moving. One of the better PRC films, with more bad taste than was usual in the timid 40’s. Glen Strange (who was weird-looking in his own right; he was Sam The Bartender on Gunsmoke) has a small role as Naish’s assistant. (DVD, repeat viewing

59. Grave Encounters (C, 2011) Faux-reality show in the Blair Witch mode. This kind of thing has become very familiar but can still pack in some tension and scares if it's handled well... and this one's handled very well. It never quite manages to come across as real -- it always looks like acting -- but it does manage plenty of creepiness and some highly effective shocks, and it builds to some heavyweight darkness. A TV crew locks itself inside an abandoned mental hospital for the night to film an episode of one of those ghost-hunter reality shows. At first they're disappointed that the place is quiet and boring, but then little things start happening... and then they get a whole lot more than they bargained for. Doors that used to lead to exits now just open on to more labyrinthine corridors, and they're populated by some very spooky and disturbed spirits. And morning never comes; it remains dark outside no matter what time it is. They're left in the dark with limited light and something seems determined to keep them as patients in the hospital. It's a bit derivative but it works well and ranks high on the disturb-o-meter, and builds in creepiness as it goes, ending up intense and packing lots of dread. Recommended. (DVD, first-time viewing)

OCTOBER 28

60. Condemned to Live (B&W, 1935) aka Life Sentence, Demon of Doom. Thoughtful vampire film in which kindly Professor Christian (Ralph Morgan), cursed by the bite of a vampire bat his mother received while he was being born, suffers a Jekyll-and-Hyde existence as he blacks out and becomes a bloodsucker by night. The village relies un the professor's endless kindness to the poor, but live in terror of the vampire murders that are decimating the populace. His hunchbacked assistant tries to stop him from killing while keeping his secret, and the professor -- who only wants to do good -- is troubled by what he suspects is happening. Things are further complicated by his young fiance, who's in love with another guy but is very honored to be marrying the saintly professor and is devoted to him... but may become a victim. He makes a fearsome-yet-sympathetic monster, and it's good to see an old horror movie that's not so cut-and-dried. Similar in some ways to The Vampire Bat, which used the same music, sets, and director. (DVD, repeat viewing)

OCTOBER 29