2024 Halloween Challenge

Registered User

1 week ago

Day 10 Rumours(2024)
Sub-Genre Elevated Horror

Guy Maddin's filmography is littered with creative genre breaking films and Rumours is right up there with it. The basic premise is the G7 go off for a day long meeting the woods completely alone and while they are gone something happens.

This film is weird, hilarious and at times touching. Each member of the G7 is given their own arc/personality that would fit in a teenage horror film from the 80's. Canada is the bad boy, France is the fat idiot, Italy is the scared, US is the old pompous ass (who's british for some reason), Germany is the final girl, UK is the nerd, and Japan is the ethnic friend. It's a weird film but it works...it's mostly a comedy with the humor is very off-putting and I did genuinely laugh at loud at some of the situations. This isn't for everyone but it's unforgettable.

Siddon

Registered User

1 week ago

October 11th - THX-1138 (1971)
Elevated Horror

Another dystopian future horror film from George Lucas. Taking place is some sort of ultra-coroporate nightmare everyone is drugged police are robots and you can lose your spouse at any time. The gay-panic scene between Pleasence and Duvall I think had kept the film from getting more of a re-release but still I liked this one. Lucas plays with a lot of science fiction ideas that he didn't use in Star Wars.

Visually Lucas does a great job spinning this yarn. Some of the settings are really effective and tension building. I do wish we had a bit more to the film the second act where everything is in an all-white hellscape could have been played longer and for better scares...but still I enjoyed this one.

Siddon

Registered User

1 week ago

October 12th The Passenger (2023)
Day 6 - A Film from 2023

Kyle Gallner is becoming a bit of a goto horror guy after Strange Darling. This film got some good reviews so I went into it blind and was plesently surprised. The plot of the story is at local McDonalds type restaurant a bullied fry cook ends up involved in a shooting. The rest of the film is the story of that cook spending a day with the shooter. This is one of those cheap bare bones films that was likely made for a streaming service but it was so well executed you have to admire it.

The horror doesn't really play out as well as it should...which is a common theme (you could call this elevated horror) but it gets the job done as a film. It's worth your time and doesn't feel like one of these scary movie in the California woods films.

Sedai

A system of cells interlinked

1 week ago

Watch two horror films by the same director: Tobe Hooper

Poltergeist

Hooper, 1982

I had it in my head that last time I had watched this, which was years ago, that it had gotten sort of long in the tooth, and its time had passed. Not sure why, because this is still a pretty effective horror flick.

There are a few effects that are looking pretty dated, but I think most of them still work fairly well. There are several excellent sequences, and the pacing of the film is pretty much perfect. The final shot still left me with a smile, as well.

Yep - it's a classic.

__________________

�It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance.� ― Thomas Sowell

Sedai

A system of cells interlinked

1 week ago

Watch two horror films by the same director: Tobe Hooper

Salem's Lot

Hooper, 1979

First off, let me just say that I saw this when it first came out back in 1979. I had just turned 8 years old, and for some reason, my mother, who was a big King fan, thought this would be a fun family film to take in together. When Danny Glick came floating up to the window in the mist, I was pretty much all done. I did try to stick it out, making it as far as the coffin scene with the gravedigger in the cemetery, at which point I beat feet to my bedroom to hide under the covers.

Needless to say, those scenes still to this day strike some deterministic nerve, creeping me out big time. The film on the whole holds up pretty well. It's well cast, well acted and the master vampire is pretty scary. The problem is that it was a two-part TV miniseries, so it is padded with quite a bit of filler content. I would love to see a stripped down 2.5 edit that removes some of that content.

Still, for a 1970s TV miniseries, Salem's Lot is pretty strong stuff. Has a great fall vibe to it, also.

Siddon

Registered User

1 week ago

October 13th AMFAD: All My Friends are Dead (2024)
Horror Inception (20/31)

All My Friends are Dead is a weird awful slasher a group of influencers get a flat tire on their way to a music festival and they are then murdered based on the seven deadly sins. Was this written by AI....it's possible...was this bad yup. The whole point of the film is to capitalize on Jojo Siwa's popularity and she's not even really in this. Also ending goes on and on and on I think half the run time is the conclusion of the film. The pacing is bad, the kills aren't get and the acting is strictly youtube level junk... This is a hard pass for me.

Siddon

Registered User

1 week ago

October 14 VHS:Viral (2014)
A Film from 2014

Digging into the VHS oeuvre I decided to check out the lowest rated of the VHS films. Why is this film called VHS when it doesn't feel like they are recording on VHS but rather phones and focusing on going "viral"...eh that's not important. What this really is about is a collection of horror shorts and like most showcases you've got your strong installments and weak ones.

We have a magician with a magic cloak...which is fine but could have should have been a little sleazier. We had a great portal jumping one which was well worth the price of admission and we had a group of annoying kids in Mexico doing skate tricks which kinda sucked. Actually the wrap around story was likely the best one about a guy chasing a strange ambulence. In the end it wasn't bad it wasn't great but I plan on digging deeping into the series.

Siddon

Registered User

1 week ago

October 15 Hell House LLC (2015)
Horror Inception 23/31

Found footage horror films always seem to get a bit of a bad break. While some are terrible and you wonder why people are even holding the camera to start with others are good. Films like The Poughkeepsie Tapes, and Lake Mungo which approach the film documentary style are always preferable than some of the other ones. Anyways this is the story of a massacre in a horror house and the film covers the crew setting one up and eventually leading to everyone dying.

I liked it, while I found the first crew to be filled with annoying characters I enjoyed the atmosphere and setup enough to keep my attention. The second part of the film though is really quite good with a nice little twist on the genre...it's a simple idea well executed and worth a recomendation.

Day 1 - The Substance(2024)
Day 2 - Azrael (2024)
Day 3 - Sweeny Todd:The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
Day 4 - Whatever happened to Baby Jane (1962)
Day 5 - Calibre (2018)
Day 6 - I am the Pretty Thing that Lives in the House (2016)
Day 7 - The Exorcism (2024)
Day 8 - 1984 (1984)
Day 9 - Demon Seed (1977)
Day 10 - Rumours (2024)
Day 11 - THX-1138(1971)
Day 12 - The Passenger (2023)
Day 13 - AMFAD:All My Friends are Dead(2024)
Day 14 - VHS:Viral (2014)
Day 15 - Hell House LLC (2015)

Siddon

Registered User

1 week ago

October 16 - hell house llc origins the carmichael manor
Watch a Film that was viewed/recommended in this thread

This was a blind buy for me...and what luck Sedai watched this. Taking place in an Air BNB that's also haunted a group of friends/lovers/family walk around a spooky mansion. While the film is tied to the original Hell House frankly the film stands up better on it's own. I actually enjoyed this one more than the earlier one mostly because the characters weren't as annoying.

Solid production design, good pacing and plotting..you could almost skip the first one and just watch this on it's own.

Day 1 - The Substance(2024)
Day 2 - Azrael (2024)
Day 3 - Sweeny Todd:The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
Day 4 - Whatever happened to Baby Jane (1962)
Day 5 - Calibre (2018)
Day 6 - I am the Pretty Thing that Lives in the House (2016)
Day 7 - The Exorcism (2024)
Day 8 - 1984 (1984)
Day 9 - Demon Seed (1977)
Day 10 - Rumours (2024)
Day 11 - THX-1138(1971)
Day 12 - The Passenger (2023)
Day 13 - AMFAD:All My Friends are Dead(2024)
Day 14 - VHS:Viral (2014)
Day 15 - Hell House LLC (2015)
Day 16 - Hell House llc origins the Carmichael Manor(2023)

Siddon

Registered User

1 week ago

October 17 Leviathan (1989)
Decade (1980's)

Leviathan has a lesson as to why a diverse cast and an uninspired plot can lead to a bad film. Thankfully this film is littered with Stan Winston's practical effects which is basically the only reason to see this Abyss/Alien/Thing knock off. A group of very diverse miners are in a giant underwater facility (it's like a palace) when they come across a Russian submarine. Eventually one of the crew gets infected (Daniel Stern as a glorious A-Hole) and the crew gets picked off one by one while waiting for rescue from a company(you know the company is evil).

Day 1 - The Substance(2024)
Day 2 - Azrael (2024)
Day 3 - Sweeny Todd:The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
Day 4 - Whatever happened to Baby Jane (1962)
Day 5 - Calibre (2018)
Day 6 - I am the Pretty Thing that Lives in the House (2016)
Day 7 - The Exorcism (2024)
Day 8 - 1984 (1984)
Day 9 - Demon Seed (1977)
Day 10 - Rumours (2024)
Day 11 - THX-1138(1971)
Day 12 - The Passenger (2023)
Day 13 - AMFAD:All My Friends are Dead(2024)
Day 14 - VHS:Viral (2014)
Day 15 - Hell House LLC (2015)
Day 16 - Hell House llc origins the Carmichael Manor(2023)
Day 17 - Leviathan (1989)

Siddon

Registered User

1 week ago

And here I am at my mid-way point

A. Pay Attention - Watch a Film that was viewed/recommended in this thread

Day 1Hell House llc origins the Carmichael Manor(2023)

B. Double Feature - Watch a pair of films from the Same Horror Director

Day 2I am the Pretty Thing that Lives in the house (2016)
Day 3

C. In the Neighborhood, Watch three films that come from nations that share borders (or are next to each other i.e. (Japan/South Korea/Philippines, UK/France/Italy, Canada/US/Mexico)

Day 4Calibre (2018)
Day 5
Day 6

D. It's that Special Time...watch a film from 1, 10, 25, and 50 years ago

Day 6 - A Film from 2023 The Passenger (2023)
Day 7 - A Film from 2014 VHS:Viral (2014)
Day 8 - A Film from 1999
Day 9 - A Film from 1974

E. Free Time - Pick a decade and watch 5 films from that decade

Day 10 - Leviathan (1989)
Day 11
Day 12
Day 13
Day 14

F. Dive into a Genre- Pick any sub-genre of Horror and watch 5 films from said genre. This could be Vampires, Serial Killers, Haunted House films, monster movies...just pick something and have fun.

Day 15 1984 (1984)
Day 16 Demon Seed (1977)
Day 17 Rumours(2024)
Day 18 THX-1138 (1971)
Day 19

G. Critical "Darlings" Watch a film that is excellent, very good, good, and bad films based on any popular review/aggregate site.

Day 20 - Watch a film that is 90 or higher on RT/Metacritic/IMDB
The Substance(2024)
Day 21 - Watch a film that is 75-90 on RT
Day 22 - Watch a film that's between 40-74
Azrael (2024)
Day 23 - Watch a film that is lower than 40%
The Exorcism (2024)

H - 31 words Inception - over the course of 8 films reach 31 words with the titles of said film. So if you pick Carrie than the next 7 films have to make up 30 words...If you pick Shriek if you know what I did last Friday the 13th then you'll only have 20 words left for 7 films. The point is to hit 31 23/31

Day 243rd- Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street(2007)
Day 25 What Ever Happened to Baby Jane (1962)
Day 26 AMFAD: All My Friends are Dead (2024)
Day 27 Hell House LLC (2015)
Day 28
Day 29
Day 30
Day 31

Wooley

Victim of The Night

1 week ago

Originally Posted by Sedai

Watch two horror films by the same director: Tobe Hooper

Poltergeist

Hooper, 1982

I agree completely.

Siddon

Registered User

1 week ago

October 18th The Lair of the White Worm (1988)
Pick a decade 80's

Ken Russell is an Oscar nominated director who's career spanned 40 years. The man had 4 wives, 8 children and he showed up on Celebrity Big Brother. The man made it to 83 years old even though he was obese which is an impressive achievement and based on this movie and other films the dude was kinky as hell.

The Lair of the White Worm tells the story of a vampire woman who seduces people and enslaves them while seeking out a virgin to please her god. Hugh Grant and Pete Capaldi star in the film as a man of science and a man of means do battle with this creature. This film has so many tonal shifts between comedy, horror, and really a series of sex pieces.

It's told in the Hammer style of grab a large estate and film what you can but damage nothing and it works so well. I don't know if this is cinema's first showing of a strap-on but I was shocked and pleased. The amount of fetishism Russell slips into this film is impressive the man clearly knew how to have a good time.

Sonylo

Registered User

1 week ago

Originally Posted by Wooley

Huh. This surprises me. I didn't love this movie but I thought, removed from OG Trilogy expectations it was fine and had some good moments and I definitely liked it more than the 2013 reboot.

This movie is just impossible to watch

Wooley

Victim of The Night

1 week ago

Originally Posted by Sonylo

This movie is just impossible to watch

Well, I watched it, in the theater, with three friends, and none of us left or gave it less than two stars, so it is possible.
But I'd like to hear more about your reaction.

Sedai

A system of cells interlinked

1 week ago

April Fool's Day

Walton, 1986

At this point, many MoFos know of my undying adoration for the meta-before-it-was cool April Fool's Day. I straight up wore this VHS out back in the late 80s/1990s. I can pretty much recite this thing from memory. Is it a great film? Most certainly not. What it is is clever and fun with what was back then a novel twist; it's been done to death these days, but at one time, it was fresh and no one saw it coming.

I love the characters, the music, the silly locker room humor in the first act, and this is probably Deborah Foreman's best performance in a film.

Just remember... my name is Mary O'Reilly O'Toole O'Shea, and I plan on going to convent school...

Last edited by Sedai; 1 week ago at 11:37 AM.

Wooley

Victim of The Night

1 week ago

Originally Posted by Sedai

April Fool's Day

Walton, 1986

You are correct, sir.

Sedai

A system of cells interlinked

1 week ago

A horror film from 1974

Black Christmas

Clark, 1974

The one that started it all. I know I had seen this years ago - probably many years ago - as certain scenes and lines of dialogue were familiar as I watched, but I couldn't recall the entire film or how it all ended up. So many films afterward borrowed heavily or lifted scenes entirely. A clear influence on future slashers, this film helped create the formula films like Halloween and its ilk would follow and refine over the years while simultaneously running the idea into the ground. Another horror film that would come out several years later based its entire premise on a twist from this film.

Really good stuff. My wife hadn't seen it, and she had a blast watching it. A must see for horror fans!

Siddon

Registered User

6 days ago

October 19 Oracle (2023)
Horror Inception 24/31

Some movies are just made quickly and cheaply to cash in on a current fad. Oracle bounces between "PC Horror" and "Scary House" thing thats taken over the B-Horror market. Oracle tells the story of a college girl who needs a job and ends up babysitting several children on a...plantation. Look I'll give it credit for being well made (poorly written) but well made. You see everything in this horror film and you don't have bad CGI.

The film has a major plot contrivance that sinks it from other films of the genre. They need a third act twist because racist ghost isn't enough. With that said it moved along quickly and managed to provide me with a forgetable but watchable hour and a half.

Siddon