Every year Patrick Klepek tries to post a list of 31 horror-genre pieces to watch during October (you can find 2018's list here with links to prior years in the opening text). The purpose of that list isn't necessarily to watch 31 horror movies in 31 days. But that's because he's WEAK.
With a week to go before Halloween itself, I figured I'd sift through my own list so far this year to give some recommendations or thumbs downs to anyone else looking for something reasonably spooky to watch. I link Patrick's lists for some more ideas to check out if none of these float your boat (I usually pull a couple off of his list each year to round out my own when I inevitably come up short in remembering or thinking about what I want to watch) and because we both try to watch a mix of classic and newer stuff, rewatches and never-before-seens.
1.) Pumpkinhead (1988)
Like a full length Tales from the Crypt, Pumpkinhead isn't a fantastic slasher movie when it comes to exciting monster-versus-teenager action but it's got a great creature design, fantastic atmosphere, and Lance Henriksen. It's a classic, and definitely worth watching if you're into EC Comics style horror.
2.) Child's Play (1988)
While the original trilogy has been just about completely subsumed by the "of Chucky" side of the franchise, I honestly think every single movie in this franchise has something going for it. It's a wild fucking ride if you try to go from start to finish. The original is both more and less bonkers than you might think, because it leans a little more heavily on "is the doll alive or is the kid crazy?" than you might remember but definitely still has voodoo storms in the opening scene. And the kid who plays Andy is, to this day, still playing Andy in this series. Precocious little tyke in this one, he is.
3.) Downrange (2017)
Oh, Ryuhei Kitamura. The man burst onto the scene in Japan with style out the wazoo, but I've yet to see a single English-language production by the man that is really worth watching. Downrange doesn't change that. There's pretty much only one clever setpiece in this simple "teenagers break down and get sniped at" that feels like someone combined a hillbilly horror flick with Colin Farrell's Phone Booth, and otherwise you're dealing with unlikable characters and stilted dialogue for an interminable hour and a half.
4.) Return of the Living Dead (1985)
The best zombie movie ever made. Fast zombies, slow zombies, who gives a crap -- this is why pop culture thinks zombies scream for brains all the time. It's a movie where Night of the Living Dead exists for the characters within to reference long before meta horror was practically its own industry (this is not a Romero film, and the story around that is a little complicated). Linnea Quigley spends basically the entire movie wearing nothing but legwarmers, if that's your thing, and it probably should be. Funny, weird, and still legitimately scary in parts (sup tarman), if you haven't seen Return because you can't keep any of the "Of the Dead" movies straight, fix that. If you happen to be a Giant Bomb Premium member, this was part of their October Film and 40s podcast series this year where they record a film commentary while drinking 40s.
5.) The Purge (2013)
man i don't know who left fox news on in this waiting room
The first Purge is basically a high-concept low-budget home invasion story, and doesn't yet dive further into the pointed politics of the later films where they realized the affluent white folks probably shouldn't be the protagonists of a movie with this premise, but it's still one of those "better than it has any right to be" sort of movies. Lena Headey is fantastic.
6.) Train to Busan (2016)
A South Korean zombie flick that has a few really fucking cool scenes and ideas wrapped around otherwise more traditional zombie-survivor tropes (people getting bitten and trying to stave off the reality of that / sacrificing themselves heroically, class warfare among those who deserve the dwindling resources, etc etc etc), it's a little long for what it is but still worth watching if you've already worked your way through other big name zombie movies and want something slick, professional, and occasionally surprising. Definitely a better use of zombie-hordes than World War Z. There's even a feature length animated prequel called Seoul Station, though I haven't checked that one out yet.
7.) Black Water (2007)
The Reef is a pretty fucking harrowing "stuck in the ocean with a shark nearby" flick from Australia, and Black Water is the director's earlier film which is pretty much the same thing except "stuck in a mangrove river with a gator nearby". Your tolerance for slow survivalist stories where the protagonists are stuck in one spot with the danger just hanging out and waiting for them may vary. I think I preferred The Reef when I watched it a few years back, but if you're more creeped out by alligators than sharks, this might be your jam.
8.) Creepshow 2 (1987)
Speaking of EC style horror, I've always loved this particular anthology piece. It ... has not aged well. From the laughable Native everything about Chief Woodenhead to the the effects of The Raft being completely outdone a year later by the remake of The Blob and the "flashlight under the chin" level horror of The Hitch-Hiker, all three segments are pretty much a swing and a miss. It was great and spooky as a kid, now, not so much. The very 80s animated interludes are at least fun for a laugh.
9.) Phantasm (1979)
Holy fucking spikeballs. I just knew Phantasm was a cult classic horror series with killer spheres and a tall man, but I don't know if I was ready for what this goddamn movie actually is. Extremely 70s (i.e. pretty slow paced by horror standards today), with a weird as hell sort of dream logic to everything, by the time the flying magic spheres are vacuum-ejecting someone's blood out you're ready for the revelations about high-gravity alternate dimension planets.
10.) Tourist Trap (1979) -- Last Drive-In Edition
A quick aside; if you're not familiar with Joe Bob Briggs, he's been on and off of TV hosting drive-in and b-movies since the 80s. He's a little bit Larry the Cable Guy in the "putting on a Southern aw shucks" persona style of comedian and public face, but generally a pretty cool dude. Earlier this year Shudder ran a movie marathon putting him back in the spotlight called The Last Drive-in, bringing him back for a thirteen film series where he did his old cable series thing. Namely introing the films, breaking into them every twenty or thirty minutes for recaps and commentary, and doing a little light comedy. It is extremely a MAY NOT BE YOUR THING kind of thing, but it's my kind of thing after growing up seeing him occasionally on TV and other shows with similar formats. Also he tries to be pretty woke for a redneck sort of persona while also still referring to horror movie girls as "bimbos" and docking off star ratings for films with no exposed breasts, so.
Anyway, Shudder has the whole marathon streaming, and I've been watching the Briggs versions of those movies, but if you've got Shudder or VRV they're also available without his wrap segments and interludes.
I'd never heard of Tourist Trap before pulling up Last Drive-In, and it is .. something. A little bit Psycho, a little bit Motel Hell, if you've got a fear of dummies or mannequins then this might actually get you in a few places because the film is chockablock with some disturbing goddamn puppets all wrapped around the usual "people go to a rest stop and soon regret it". It's a whole fuckin' THING of a movie, and a good reason why I love to try to do this every year to see things I never would have sought out on my own.
11.) Mom and Dad (2017)
What is every parent's impulse to protect their child at all costs suddenly just .. reversed? That's the premise for Mom and Dad, with Selma Blair and Nicholas Cage as .. Mom and Dad. Directed by Brian Taylor (formerly of "Neveldine and", aka The fuckin' Crank guys), this is a slick little movie that functions a bit as a rumination on what people give up to become parents and why it's worth it and also a bit of LET'S HAVE NIC CAGE MENACINGLY SCREAM THE HOKEY POKEY. For a movie literally all about child murder, it also manages to be pretty disturbing without being grotesque about making you watch what happens in a lingering fashion. And an actor from prior up on this list shows up in fantastic fashion.
12.) Sleepaway Camp (1983) -- Last Drive-in Edition
It's been something like fifteen years since I first saw Sleepaway Camp and I've still never managed to un-burn the final image of the movie out of my nightmares. The fake head used is goddamn unholy. It is Extremely Cursed. Sleepaway Camp itself is also Extremely Cursed, and a cult classic for a good reason. It's silly and gross in so many goddamn ways, and if you've never seen it, I kinda highly recommend it. If you prefer to have this movie dissected otherwise, How Did This Get Made?'s episode on Sleepaway Camp might be one of the best episodes that podcast has ever done. The Last Drive-in Edition of the film has the lead actress on for interviews, notable to me at least for revealing that Jane Krakowski almost played the main mean girl in the movie.
13.) Rabid (1977) -- Last Drive-in Edition
A simple tale of a zombie outbreak overtaking a city.
Except directed by David Cronenberg, so patient zero is a plastic surgery gone wrong giving the formerly burned woman an armpit proboscis from which she vampirically drinks, turning her victims feral and rabid (BUT NOT UNDEAD!!!). Worth it to say "yep, Cronenberg was always gonna Cronenberg" but not much else.
14.) Oculus (2013)
An evil mirror kills anyone around it is a pretty simple premise, and cursed objects are well worn horror movie territory, but Mike Flanagan is definitely on to something here with the details. While there's little surprising in the premise for Oculus, the way the film swoops in and out of its parallel timelines (portraying the brother and sister protagonist both in their first encounter with the evil mirror and the modern day where they're trying to stop it once and for all) creates a fantastically off-putting effect that uses the filming techniques to build character to the cursed object itself and put the audience in the shoes of those who are driven mad by it. Bog standard modern horror flick elevated by its directing. WHICH, HM, I WONDER WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF ...
15.) Haunting of Hill House (2018)
Do you love Shirley Jackson's novel? Then throw it out the window buster, 'cause this ain't your momma's Hill House. No, this is 2018 deconstructed family drama across ten episodes, boy-eeeeeeee, and now we even got dem JUMP SACARES. I kid, because we actually really, really liked this new Netflix series. Even if director Mike Flanagan seemed to think JEE, I WONDER WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF I MADE OCULUS TEN EPISODES LONG? You like lurking, zombified ghosts and seamlessly flipping between two timelines, well get ready for an extra eight hours of it, buster. The series doesn't really stick the landing (and honestly, I'd argue it kinda breaks its ankle instead, your mileage may vary) but the nine and a half episodes leading up to that are some solid goddamn spooks. It's also been well noted at this point that there are "hidden ghosts" throughout the show -- this personally made it a really fun watch for me knowing that ahead of time, because it turns every frame into a potential gothic-horror Where's Waldo and your reward is getting to go AHHH, GHOST!! every time you win. Watch up until at least episode 6 if you enjoy the first few, because it's easily the stand-out hour of the series.
16.) Halloween (1978)
Still not a fan. I know, I know, it's a classic that changed everything, but I could just never really get into this Slasher To Beget All Slashers as a teenager and revisiting it for the first time with a LOT more horror under my belt, I still .. just don't really dig it. Killer music, but that goes without saying whenever John Carpenter's involved.
17.) Fright Night (1985)
The lady is obsessed with Fright Night (2011). Like, ob-sessed. (It's mostly the Colin Farrell thing. There's a reason I name dropped Phone Booth earlier. We watch a LOT of Colin Farrell movies to feed her Colin Farrell mind-palace. She was watching Daredevil the other day. There is no depth too great to not watch something with Colin Farrell in it.) And while I thought it was pretty alright when I first saw it, and have come to actually really damn like the flick over the course of .. many re-watches and hearing it being re-watched, I'd still never seen the original in its entirety until this month. It's cool! It's definitely a different beast than the remake, but I can appreciate both on their own merits, and the effects work in '85 are fucking great. Even if it is awfully hard to go back these days and buy Amanda Bearse as anything other than Marcy D'arcy.
18.) Premonition (2007)
Do you like timey-wimey shenanigans and Sandra Bullock? Well, this is definitely a movie. Another Giant Bomb Film and 40s commentary from this month, I recommend itwatched that way, but it's definitely not one of American Sweetheart Sandy Bullock's best. Even if I am hard pressed to think of another one of her movies with a runaway corpse head.
19.) The Prowler (1981) -- Last Drive-in Edition
Not a lot to say about "a man in army fatigues goes around pitchforking people to death", except that Tom Savini did the effects work on this flick and it was clear that they were very proud of it. I'm hard pressed to think of another slasher movie that lingers on its kills the way this one does. The story's nonsense, the tension low, hard pass unless you really want to watch that fake blood oozing out. (Truth be told, traditional slasher flicks just don't do a lot for me in any case, which is a big part of my ambivalence toward Halloween in the first place).
20.) Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)
The leading cause of coulrophobia outside of IT, this goofball alien invasion movie is pretty much nothing but a showcase for the effects work of the Chiodo Brothers. And it's goddamn AMAZING. Seriously, if you only know this movie from its reputation as a well-worn b-movie from the eighties, it's impressive just how fun and inventive it actually is. The puppet and costume effects are great, most of the kills are pretty clever, and the way the clowns laugh is still nightmarish as all get-out. The lady woke up while I was watching this the other day and stopped dead, eyes as big as saucers, and just shook her head whispering "Nooooo" when she saw one of the Klowns on screen, so it's still effective as a trauma-bomb for anyone who saw it as a kid! A+++ would terrify my wife within seconds of her waking again. Also available with Giant Bomb Film and 40s commentary.
And that's it so far! I'm a little behind schedule due to Hill House being like five movies in length, but if I don't make it to 31 this year, that'll be my excuse. Though I've still got enough Last Drive-In movies to ride out the rest of the month even if I didn't have three or four other movies already queued up and waiting, but I'll get to those .. before Halloween.
SHOCKtober
Re: SHOCKtober
21.) The Endless (2017)
From the creative team that brought you Spring, one of the shittiest, most misogynistic, milquetoast white boys get the world handed to them on a silver platter movies I can think of in recent years comes .. the story of two milquetoast white brothers going off the grid to find SOME MEANING IN THE WORLD, MAN. Most horror movies are unfortunately pretty deeply misogynistic on a lot of levels, but Spring really took the cake.
But I liked this a lot more than Spring. Two brothers left what one of them describes as a "UFO death cult" when they were teenagers and have been aimlessly working menial jobs since then. One of them floats the idea of going back to check out the cult for a weekend to see if it was REALLY as bad as the other remembers, and so of course, they do. And things aren't quite right. And then things really aren't right. It's a slow burn that uses its tiny budget well and has some really clever little ways that it continues to layer and layer the weirdness of what's actually going on. It opens with a Lovecraft quote for good reason.
22.) Better Watch Out (2016)
Oh man, this might be my favorite new watch from this year so far. It's kind of a nasty piece of work, slickly produced, funny and tense in places. "Home Alone" meets "Funny Games" is kind of a lazy reduction two-things description, but it's also pretty accurate. Around Christmas time a twelve year old boy is getting his last babysitting from the babysitter for whom he feels all the twelve-year-old-boy things. And you know, he's got his plans to watch horror movies with her, raid from the liquor cabinet, and win her away from her actually of-age boyfriend. Who may or may not also be about to force his way into the house after she keeps hanging up on him .. and then the armed robbers show up. There's a very early conversation in the movie about what would really happen to someone's head if you swung a full paint can off of the balcony into their head like in that certain Holiday classic, so that's an indication of where things are probably headed from there.
23.) A Dark Song (2016)
I've been having pretty good luck in the home stretch here. This is classic "tampering in forces you're not meant to" horror, where a woman loses a child and hires a man to help her perform a ritual to speak to them one more time. There are rules that need to be followed to the letter. They get tested, and pushed, and broken, and so do those performing the ritual. Lies are told when they shouldn't be. Even though it indulges in "weird looking people lurking in and out of the shadows" particularly toward the end, there's a much more effective undercurrent of horror with "you think you'd do ANYTHING to have what you want, but would you really?" running through the entire film.
From the creative team that brought you Spring, one of the shittiest, most misogynistic, milquetoast white boys get the world handed to them on a silver platter movies I can think of in recent years comes .. the story of two milquetoast white brothers going off the grid to find SOME MEANING IN THE WORLD, MAN. Most horror movies are unfortunately pretty deeply misogynistic on a lot of levels, but Spring really took the cake.
But I liked this a lot more than Spring. Two brothers left what one of them describes as a "UFO death cult" when they were teenagers and have been aimlessly working menial jobs since then. One of them floats the idea of going back to check out the cult for a weekend to see if it was REALLY as bad as the other remembers, and so of course, they do. And things aren't quite right. And then things really aren't right. It's a slow burn that uses its tiny budget well and has some really clever little ways that it continues to layer and layer the weirdness of what's actually going on. It opens with a Lovecraft quote for good reason.
22.) Better Watch Out (2016)
Oh man, this might be my favorite new watch from this year so far. It's kind of a nasty piece of work, slickly produced, funny and tense in places. "Home Alone" meets "Funny Games" is kind of a lazy reduction two-things description, but it's also pretty accurate. Around Christmas time a twelve year old boy is getting his last babysitting from the babysitter for whom he feels all the twelve-year-old-boy things. And you know, he's got his plans to watch horror movies with her, raid from the liquor cabinet, and win her away from her actually of-age boyfriend. Who may or may not also be about to force his way into the house after she keeps hanging up on him .. and then the armed robbers show up. There's a very early conversation in the movie about what would really happen to someone's head if you swung a full paint can off of the balcony into their head like in that certain Holiday classic, so that's an indication of where things are probably headed from there.
23.) A Dark Song (2016)
I've been having pretty good luck in the home stretch here. This is classic "tampering in forces you're not meant to" horror, where a woman loses a child and hires a man to help her perform a ritual to speak to them one more time. There are rules that need to be followed to the letter. They get tested, and pushed, and broken, and so do those performing the ritual. Lies are told when they shouldn't be. Even though it indulges in "weird looking people lurking in and out of the shadows" particularly toward the end, there's a much more effective undercurrent of horror with "you think you'd do ANYTHING to have what you want, but would you really?" running through the entire film.
Re: SHOCKtober
24.) Resolution (2012)
I figured what the hell, let's make it a filmography; Resolution is the first movie by the creative team behind Spring and The Endless. If you like The Endless, I'd suggest checking this one out. If you like this one, I'd suggest checking The Endless out. They deal in similar but not identical themes and contain some connections to one another (which made me laugh out loud as soon as they were apparent, and which I think would work no matter which order you watched the movies in) while being distinct. Endless is much more of a narrative from point A to point B, while Resolution feels like .. well, some indie filmmakers getting their first real movie under their belt. It's not quite as well produced, the dialogue can be a little obnoxious, but it deals with potential unknown horrors in the same way that I dig quite a bit. It starts out as little more than a man going to force his junkie friend to detox in an attempt to get him clean and then it .. goes places.
I figured what the hell, let's make it a filmography; Resolution is the first movie by the creative team behind Spring and The Endless. If you like The Endless, I'd suggest checking this one out. If you like this one, I'd suggest checking The Endless out. They deal in similar but not identical themes and contain some connections to one another (which made me laugh out loud as soon as they were apparent, and which I think would work no matter which order you watched the movies in) while being distinct. Endless is much more of a narrative from point A to point B, while Resolution feels like .. well, some indie filmmakers getting their first real movie under their belt. It's not quite as well produced, the dialogue can be a little obnoxious, but it deals with potential unknown horrors in the same way that I dig quite a bit. It starts out as little more than a man going to force his junkie friend to detox in an attempt to get him clean and then it .. goes places.
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WingSounds
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Re: SHOCKtober
FINALLY SOMEBODY WHO APPRECIATES LINNEA QUIGLEY THE WAY I DO also:
... Send... More... Paramedics.
And I love seeing Sleepaway Camp on here. I feel like it's getting more well known? Is this thread for your private list only, or can we intrude upon it? Maybe once you're done? I'll be rooting for your success, I really appreciate your summaries. And I don't think I can go through 31 in the home stretch, but... Never say never, right?..
I've seen pretty much everything you've gone through (and I'm not entirely sure how to feel about that) but Creepshow 2 and the Purge, which has just never done it for me, for some reason. But it's really interesting to see them anew, from a different perspective.
... Send... More... Paramedics.
And I love seeing Sleepaway Camp on here. I feel like it's getting more well known? Is this thread for your private list only, or can we intrude upon it? Maybe once you're done? I'll be rooting for your success, I really appreciate your summaries. And I don't think I can go through 31 in the home stretch, but... Never say never, right?..
I've seen pretty much everything you've gone through (and I'm not entirely sure how to feel about that) but Creepshow 2 and the Purge, which has just never done it for me, for some reason. But it's really interesting to see them anew, from a different perspective.
Re: SHOCKtober
Oh yeah, feel free to contribute or just talk about any of the ones you dig. This is as much as anything else a way for me to document this list for next year so that I can get some ideas based on what I've already watched.
25.) Mandy (2018)
This movie knows exactly what the fuck it wants to be but also has no idea what the fuck it wants to be. Look, I get it, I understand the hype. I get the push. It's a movie where Nic Cage does the bug eyes, so of course the internet's gonna love it. But I was just left kinda .. cold overall. I like a lot of the THINGS that Mandy does, but none of it feels like it adds up to a cogent whole. It feels like something that was tailor made for midnight movie cult status in the sort of way that tips over into being a bit try-hard? I enjoyed the first half a lot more than the second half I think. The first half of the film would be right at home painted on the side of a van or gracing a prog rock album cover. The mood of the fucking thing is stellar, I love the title cards, the colors, the dreamlike pace of it all. The second half is Drive Angrier. And I fucking LOVE Drive Angry! I'm still digesting Mandy in a lot of ways, and at the end of it I feel like I'll lean more into the "appreciate it" camp than "love it" or "hate it", but this is a Nic Cage Has A Chainsaw Fight movie that I think could have done with a little less Chainsaw Fighting.
25.) Mandy (2018)
This movie knows exactly what the fuck it wants to be but also has no idea what the fuck it wants to be. Look, I get it, I understand the hype. I get the push. It's a movie where Nic Cage does the bug eyes, so of course the internet's gonna love it. But I was just left kinda .. cold overall. I like a lot of the THINGS that Mandy does, but none of it feels like it adds up to a cogent whole. It feels like something that was tailor made for midnight movie cult status in the sort of way that tips over into being a bit try-hard? I enjoyed the first half a lot more than the second half I think. The first half of the film would be right at home painted on the side of a van or gracing a prog rock album cover. The mood of the fucking thing is stellar, I love the title cards, the colors, the dreamlike pace of it all. The second half is Drive Angrier. And I fucking LOVE Drive Angry! I'm still digesting Mandy in a lot of ways, and at the end of it I feel like I'll lean more into the "appreciate it" camp than "love it" or "hate it", but this is a Nic Cage Has A Chainsaw Fight movie that I think could have done with a little less Chainsaw Fighting.
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WingSounds
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Re: SHOCKtober
I'm with you about Mandy. I kind of hate memes, enhancing my dour and funless character, ahaha... And I prefer Cage in films where actually acts, instead of overacts. The problem is that a movie generally ceases to be a movie, and becomes a Cage Rage vehicle. Mandy avoided that, and I definitely didn't dislike it! But I'd put myself on as 'tepidly supportive because I liked a lot of the content' more than liking the finished product.
Most notably...
This. And I don't think trying for anything is innately bad, but it kind of made me enjoy some of the (otherwise cool!) ideas and their execution less. Which is too bad because the prog rock feeling of the first half was awesome, and I loved seeing everything about it in a horror... Horror-action film.
WingErrata I: Land of the Minotaur/The Devil's Men (1976)
Honestly, I think this is a movie that 'Wings would find good' as opposed to a 'good movie.' It has a lot of elements to love; vintage Brian Eno music, beautiful cinematography and a hero, Peter Cushing, doing everything he can to bring back the old gods... Wait, he isn't the hero? Oh...
But despite a raft of good performances from Cushing and Donald Pleasance, and so-bad-they're-amazing performances from everyone else, esp. the grocer's daughter, it's not a good movie. It's too slow to be gripping, without any of the slow burn that watchers like me adore so much. Everything is underutilised, and there is a feeling of draftiness to it, like it got reworked nine or ten times. Even if watching idiots bumble around an OBVIOUSLY EVIL village in Greece isn't your thing, it's worth watching almost as a curio piece. And some of the bizarre scares are still really interesting, if not scary exactly.
Most notably...
Niku wrote:It feels like something that was tailor made for midnight movie cult status in the sort of way that tips over into being a bit try-hard?
This. And I don't think trying for anything is innately bad, but it kind of made me enjoy some of the (otherwise cool!) ideas and their execution less. Which is too bad because the prog rock feeling of the first half was awesome, and I loved seeing everything about it in a horror... Horror-action film.
WingErrata I: Land of the Minotaur/The Devil's Men (1976)
Honestly, I think this is a movie that 'Wings would find good' as opposed to a 'good movie.' It has a lot of elements to love; vintage Brian Eno music, beautiful cinematography and a hero, Peter Cushing, doing everything he can to bring back the old gods... Wait, he isn't the hero? Oh...
But despite a raft of good performances from Cushing and Donald Pleasance, and so-bad-they're-amazing performances from everyone else, esp. the grocer's daughter, it's not a good movie. It's too slow to be gripping, without any of the slow burn that watchers like me adore so much. Everything is underutilised, and there is a feeling of draftiness to it, like it got reworked nine or ten times. Even if watching idiots bumble around an OBVIOUSLY EVIL village in Greece isn't your thing, it's worth watching almost as a curio piece. And some of the bizarre scares are still really interesting, if not scary exactly.
Re: SHOCKtober
26.) Killing Ground (2016)
An Australian "innocent folk are tormented by locals" movie in the vein of Wolf Creek (and which also reminded me a bit of the Michael Fassbender flick Eden Lake due to the idyllic little wilderness location and the couple being central to the movie), there's not a ton new here if you're not a fan of rednecky types who's entire motive for being sociopaths is that they're sociopaths. But hey, I like those kinds of movies. This one's pretty mean spirited in a lot of ways (see above about misogyny in horror) and seems in places angled specifically to torment parents, but it's got one or two tricks up its sleeve, the most prominent one being that it very quickly shows its hand that the story is actually happening at two different times. It's a little bit of a gimmick that it constantly cuts back and forth between "a few days ago" and "now", but it's effectively deployed to crank up the tension in an almost "we're going to build out the borders of the jigsaw puzzle and then fill in the middle" sort of way.
Also it's worth mentioning since I forgot to do so that alllllmost every movie I've posted about is available on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, or VRV/Shudder. A few things I grabbed via other means, but 80-90% of this list is from one of those three services.
An Australian "innocent folk are tormented by locals" movie in the vein of Wolf Creek (and which also reminded me a bit of the Michael Fassbender flick Eden Lake due to the idyllic little wilderness location and the couple being central to the movie), there's not a ton new here if you're not a fan of rednecky types who's entire motive for being sociopaths is that they're sociopaths. But hey, I like those kinds of movies. This one's pretty mean spirited in a lot of ways (see above about misogyny in horror) and seems in places angled specifically to torment parents, but it's got one or two tricks up its sleeve, the most prominent one being that it very quickly shows its hand that the story is actually happening at two different times. It's a little bit of a gimmick that it constantly cuts back and forth between "a few days ago" and "now", but it's effectively deployed to crank up the tension in an almost "we're going to build out the borders of the jigsaw puzzle and then fill in the middle" sort of way.
Also it's worth mentioning since I forgot to do so that alllllmost every movie I've posted about is available on Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, or VRV/Shudder. A few things I grabbed via other means, but 80-90% of this list is from one of those three services.
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WingSounds
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Re: SHOCKtober
For what it's worth, even though I understand those thoughts about horror being innately misogynist; I also know they helped me through a lot of matters. That's a long and non-horror specific rant, and entirely anecdotal, but for me some of the least pleasant horror helped me file back some of my internal discrepancies, amongst other things.
Back to movies, I've never even heard of Killing Grounds, and I love some 'EVIL REDNECK TARGETS PEOPLE' movies! If somebody needs a palette cleanser, Tucker and Dale vs. Evil is pretty great and weirdly wholesome in it's own way.
Oh, and it's about a camping trip? Lovely. As a prolific hiker/camper in the past, and the sort of person who loved to tell other campers spoooooky tales, it's a favourite of mine that I always feel is at the risk of being pushed out of fashion, but never exactly is.
19.) The Prowler (1981) -- Errata
I actually love this one. It's so dumb it's amazing, and the gorework is beautiful. What Niku said about lingering on the kills is just so. If you like art in your murder, but not in your plotline, you can do a lot worse. Also, it is the perfect movie to watch in a dark and smoky room with a slightly cold pizza and a gaggle of horror newbloods. Really though, the story is nonsense.
14.) Oculus (2013) -- Errata
Oh, wow, I missed this one entirely, and it's one I hadn't seen. This was a very dreamlike movie, and surprisingly good. I can't call the story anything too exciting, but the angles and the camerawork make every moment feel like a wound spring, and multiplicative. If you like neve-wracking horror, this is definitely one to pick up. I felt the acting is pretty good for what it is, too, and I feel I ought to mention that, a little. Compare with Hideo Nakata's Dark Water, I should think... Elements of both feel like good reinventions of what 'classic' horror films strove for.
WingErrata II: Tetsuo, the Iron Man (1989)
I love this film. I love this film. I truly love this film!.. Accept no substitutes.
And if it's not your cup of tea, at least listen to the soundtrack, it's just - beautiful. I hate that I'm overusing that word, but it's like a sublimation of metal and rage and - perfect.
That being said, it is also weird. And so am I, but, I think there's a lot of watchers who just won't find much to like. The story is as simple as it is bizarre; a mistaken case of manslaughter may (or may not) lead to a nasty infection. How bad is the infection? It's one you can't rust-ist!.. Sorry, sorry. Though the plot is minimal, and predicated almost entirely on body horror, it really needs to be seen to be believed.
But it is violent and grotesque and disturbing, and if any kind of body horror or... Bizarre horror, I guess? I'm not familiar with genre terms... If those get you in a bad place, it's definitely one to pass on. LET'S GOOO!
Back to movies, I've never even heard of Killing Grounds, and I love some 'EVIL REDNECK TARGETS PEOPLE' movies! If somebody needs a palette cleanser, Tucker and Dale vs. Evil is pretty great and weirdly wholesome in it's own way.
Oh, and it's about a camping trip? Lovely. As a prolific hiker/camper in the past, and the sort of person who loved to tell other campers spoooooky tales, it's a favourite of mine that I always feel is at the risk of being pushed out of fashion, but never exactly is.
19.) The Prowler (1981) -- Errata
I actually love this one. It's so dumb it's amazing, and the gorework is beautiful. What Niku said about lingering on the kills is just so. If you like art in your murder, but not in your plotline, you can do a lot worse. Also, it is the perfect movie to watch in a dark and smoky room with a slightly cold pizza and a gaggle of horror newbloods. Really though, the story is nonsense.
14.) Oculus (2013) -- Errata
Oh, wow, I missed this one entirely, and it's one I hadn't seen. This was a very dreamlike movie, and surprisingly good. I can't call the story anything too exciting, but the angles and the camerawork make every moment feel like a wound spring, and multiplicative. If you like neve-wracking horror, this is definitely one to pick up. I felt the acting is pretty good for what it is, too, and I feel I ought to mention that, a little. Compare with Hideo Nakata's Dark Water, I should think... Elements of both feel like good reinventions of what 'classic' horror films strove for.
WingErrata II: Tetsuo, the Iron Man (1989)
I love this film. I love this film. I truly love this film!.. Accept no substitutes.
And if it's not your cup of tea, at least listen to the soundtrack, it's just - beautiful. I hate that I'm overusing that word, but it's like a sublimation of metal and rage and - perfect.
That being said, it is also weird. And so am I, but, I think there's a lot of watchers who just won't find much to like. The story is as simple as it is bizarre; a mistaken case of manslaughter may (or may not) lead to a nasty infection. How bad is the infection? It's one you can't rust-ist!.. Sorry, sorry. Though the plot is minimal, and predicated almost entirely on body horror, it really needs to be seen to be believed.
But it is violent and grotesque and disturbing, and if any kind of body horror or... Bizarre horror, I guess? I'm not familiar with genre terms... If those get you in a bad place, it's definitely one to pass on. LET'S GOOO!
Re: SHOCKtober
Dark Water is still the movie that came the closest to making me crap my metaphorical pants from a jump scare ("Mama") though Netflix's Hill House came close. Dark Water's a little slow for what it is, but I liked it quite a bit. (And if you enjoyed Oculus, definitely consider Mike Flanagan's other recent works; Ouija: Origin of Evil (MUCH better than Ouija, low as a bar as that may be), Hush, and Gerald's Game. He's yet to make something I didn't like.)
27.) Jason X (2001)
this is a dumb fucking movie. this is such a dumb fucking movie. i love it so much. i love it the most. Even if you're not into slashers, whether you like Friday the 13th as a franchise or not, please consider watching JASON. IN. SPAAAAAAAACE. It's self aware without being fully meta while also being completely un-self aware of its own dumb goddamn choices. Sure it can make fun of TEENAGERS HAVING SEX MAKES JASON MAD and LET'S SMOKE POT AND GET MURDERED but it seems to legitimately think that the sexbot turning into a murderbot and beating the shit out of Jason is cool as hell.
maybe it's right i don't even know anymore i just love this goddamn stupid piece of shit.
This week's Film and 40s from Giant Bomb.
27.) Jason X (2001)
this is a dumb fucking movie. this is such a dumb fucking movie. i love it so much. i love it the most. Even if you're not into slashers, whether you like Friday the 13th as a franchise or not, please consider watching JASON. IN. SPAAAAAAAACE. It's self aware without being fully meta while also being completely un-self aware of its own dumb goddamn choices. Sure it can make fun of TEENAGERS HAVING SEX MAKES JASON MAD and LET'S SMOKE POT AND GET MURDERED but it seems to legitimately think that the sexbot turning into a murderbot and beating the shit out of Jason is cool as hell.
maybe it's right i don't even know anymore i just love this goddamn stupid piece of shit.
This week's Film and 40s from Giant Bomb.
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WingSounds
- Posts: 219
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Re: SHOCKtober
JASON XXXXXXXXX
This is now a Jason in Space(on) appreciation thread. The moment where Jason (rebuilt) first confronts the gang in the hallway is one of the dumbest scenes I've seen in a sci-fi horror movie and I also love it. Oh, just a sec -
27.) Jason X (2001) -- Errata
Honestly, this is a movie everyone should see. Even my cousin, who doesn't like horror or science fiction (can we call this masterpiece science fiction? I think so) like this movie. the dialogue. it is incredible.
There's not a whole lot I can say that Niku hasn't already said but if you had to pick one movie from this list, for a crowd?.. Jason X.
Guys, it's okay! He just wanted his machete back!
All that said, I'll check out Ouja II: the re-Oujaning later next... I've got a slasher(?) lined up called Mirage. I don't remember anything about it but thinking it was actually rather beautiful scenery-wise, so I'm assuming it's the worst kind of bad. But consider your advice noted and taken!
This is now a Jason in Space(on) appreciation thread. The moment where Jason (rebuilt) first confronts the gang in the hallway is one of the dumbest scenes I've seen in a sci-fi horror movie and I also love it. Oh, just a sec -
27.) Jason X (2001) -- Errata
Honestly, this is a movie everyone should see. Even my cousin, who doesn't like horror or science fiction (can we call this masterpiece science fiction? I think so) like this movie. the dialogue. it is incredible.
There's not a whole lot I can say that Niku hasn't already said but if you had to pick one movie from this list, for a crowd?.. Jason X.
Guys, it's okay! He just wanted his machete back!
All that said, I'll check out Ouja II: the re-Oujaning later next... I've got a slasher(?) lined up called Mirage. I don't remember anything about it but thinking it was actually rather beautiful scenery-wise, so I'm assuming it's the worst kind of bad. But consider your advice noted and taken!
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Maximillian
- Posts: 71
- Joined: Thu May 26, 2016 8:07 pm
Re: SHOCKtober
I've never seen a Halloween film. I've never seen a Friday the 13th. I've never seen a Nightmare on Elm Street.
I've seen Jason X. When it was in theaters. It's a dumb movie that can be enjoyed if you can enjoy a dumb movie. Watch it with a friend, get some commentary going, and enjoy the ride. Mild alcohol optional.
Then get pissed off that the Friday the 13th game doesn't have a Jason X skin and Jason will never be in Dead by Daylight.
I've seen Jason X. When it was in theaters. It's a dumb movie that can be enjoyed if you can enjoy a dumb movie. Watch it with a friend, get some commentary going, and enjoy the ride. Mild alcohol optional.
Then get pissed off that the Friday the 13th game doesn't have a Jason X skin and Jason will never be in Dead by Daylight.
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WingSounds
- Posts: 219
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Re: SHOCKtober
Haha, well, speaking for myself...
I'm a dumb idiot! And more importantly, I have certain fond memories that make Jason in Space(on) even more charming.
But those aren't really fit for a spooky scary horror film thread, or shared commiserations about Dead by Daylight.
Mirage was - a film. The terrain was pretty, but it was rather by-the-numbers. I enjoyed it, but not so much to immortalise it in these hallowed halls.
WingErrata III: Fiend Without a Face (1958)
Okay, so, this is a pretty dated entry. If you can't stand slow horror, and early episodes of the twilight zone make you laugh or bored, this definitely won't be your cup of tea. It is undeniably dated, and suffers from some bizarre pacing issues. The title theme is bombastic in the best of the era, and all of that makes it a bit of an experience.
But there's still a nervous tension to it that clicks after the time it was made, and although the final reveal of the titular fiends might induce laughter more than horror, I actually love their designs and the clay/puppetry used to bring them to life.
So - yes, I'd strongly recommend it!
I'm a dumb idiot! And more importantly, I have certain fond memories that make Jason in Space(on) even more charming.
But those aren't really fit for a spooky scary horror film thread, or shared commiserations about Dead by Daylight.
Mirage was - a film. The terrain was pretty, but it was rather by-the-numbers. I enjoyed it, but not so much to immortalise it in these hallowed halls.
WingErrata III: Fiend Without a Face (1958)
Okay, so, this is a pretty dated entry. If you can't stand slow horror, and early episodes of the twilight zone make you laugh or bored, this definitely won't be your cup of tea. It is undeniably dated, and suffers from some bizarre pacing issues. The title theme is bombastic in the best of the era, and all of that makes it a bit of an experience.
But there's still a nervous tension to it that clicks after the time it was made, and although the final reveal of the titular fiends might induce laughter more than horror, I actually love their designs and the clay/puppetry used to bring them to life.
So - yes, I'd strongly recommend it!
Re: SHOCKtober
28.) The Purge: Anarchy (2014)
I mostly re-watched this one to refresh myself for Waypoint's podcast series they're doing on this franchise at the moment, because I remembered it not really being my favorite of these movies. And I was right! It's aight but it's more Punisher movie than any kind of horror film, and is mostly notable for how completely fucking scattershot the plot and the characters are. It makes the right step of putting the focus of the franchise on the real victims of ~da poige~ but I remember liking Election Year more overall. We probably won't see if that holds true here since I likely won't spend one of my remaining watches on re-watching that one!
I mostly re-watched this one to refresh myself for Waypoint's podcast series they're doing on this franchise at the moment, because I remembered it not really being my favorite of these movies. And I was right! It's aight but it's more Punisher movie than any kind of horror film, and is mostly notable for how completely fucking scattershot the plot and the characters are. It makes the right step of putting the focus of the franchise on the real victims of ~da poige~ but I remember liking Election Year more overall. We probably won't see if that holds true here since I likely won't spend one of my remaining watches on re-watching that one!
Re: SHOCKtober
29.) Revenge (2017)
hey don't watch this piece of shit
hey don't watch this piece of shit
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WingSounds
- Posts: 219
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Re: SHOCKtober
Niku wrote:29.) Revenge (2017)
hey don't watch this piece of shit
This is the most ominous review I've ever read, and probably more frightening than any of the movies we're discussing, to be honest...
Noted.
Also, for what it's worth, I could never really get into the Purge movies. I need to give Election Year a watch is the message I'm getting?
With an open mind, possibly a loud-speaker playing a distorted version of NA NA NA NA NAAAAAAAH, NA NA NA NAH NAH NAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH
Re: SHOCKtober
Speaking of Patrick Klepek, Waypoint is currently doing a The Purge Series Rewatch Podcast in their main podcast feed and its really good.
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WingSounds
- Posts: 219
- Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2018 8:54 pm
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Re: SHOCKtober
Joxam wrote:Speaking of Patrick Klepek, Waypoint is currently doing a The Purge Series Rewatch Podcast in their main podcast feed and its really good.
Would you recommend it to a Purgeificatly* lost audiencemember who maybe never gave the series the chance it deserved?
Or is it more for those who've seen the films a few times and wanted to know what they missed?..
*this one was a stretch. you can send me away, already! right to... purge-atory...
Re: SHOCKtober
I have seen none of the movies but its still good IMO. I actually don't watch scary movies and this stupid podcast is making me want to watch it, so there is that.
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WingSounds
- Posts: 219
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Re: SHOCKtober
Not watching scary movies is fine. They're an acquired taste, a little dumb (as Niku and I have reveled in), and can be a bit much. In truth, my motives are even more vile - I'm tol, and like looming over people who're seeing the movies blind. It's great fun!
That being said, if you like non-spooky spooky-spirited things...
Or perhaps that perennial favourite, the Labyrinth? Naturally, if it's more the political undertones that a space-case like me missed, I do have some good political films, especially of the slow and artsy kind(too slow for most, though...); but maybe in a different thread?
Just because I like horror, doesn't mean I'm horror-ble!.. And thanks for the recommendation. I'll give the stupid podcast a listen!
That being said, if you like non-spooky spooky-spirited things...
Or perhaps that perennial favourite, the Labyrinth? Naturally, if it's more the political undertones that a space-case like me missed, I do have some good political films, especially of the slow and artsy kind(too slow for most, though...); but maybe in a different thread?
Just because I like horror, doesn't mean I'm horror-ble!.. And thanks for the recommendation. I'll give the stupid podcast a listen!
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