October Horror Movie a Day 2012

[JimJ]

Movie #13: Frankenweenie (2012)

Best thing Burton has done in a LONG time.  Really enjoyable film.  I'd still put Nightmare Before Christmas ahead of it but I think I'd rank it higher than Corpse Bride (though it's been forever since I saw that one).  Really fun movie. 4/5

Movie #14: Burn, Witch, Burn (1962)

This was a pretty decent movie about witchcraft.  Nothing too great, but the acting was good and the effects at the end were pretty good for their time.  3/5

Movie #15: Day of the Dead (2008)

Crappy "remake" of Romero's Day of the Dead.  I put remake in quotes because it's really nothing at all like the original.  They just stuck on the name and a few character names and then told a completely different story.  A stupid, boring story, with bad acting and unremarkable gore effects.  1/5

[Compound]

Beware the Blob! (1972)

(Blink)

Oh dear lord. How the hell did MST3k never touch this one? It's every bit as bad as The Blob was good. Let me give some highlights here:

*Larry Hagman's sole movie directing credit
*Dick van Patten and Burgess Meredith appear in this (and are eaten)
*A kitten, a scout troop leader, a gorilla in a dune buggy, a hippie folk singer, a bowler in a wheelchair and an entire bowling alley are eaten by the Blob.
*70s TV movie style music all through the film. Seriously, it sounds like an episode of Columbo spliced together with Scooby Doo, not a monster movie.
*The world's second most expensive haircut.
*Every bit of dialog feels improv'd. And that's not a good thing.
*Cops trying to burn down a building seemingly made of cinder blocks.
*More clacking balls than at Clacking Ball Fest 2012
*And a special appearance by someone who looks remarkably like Tor Johnson and (ugh) Norman.

It'd make a great Rifftrax if it was still in print, which it isn't.

[The Lurker]

Beware the Blob! (1972)

(Blink)

Oh dear lord. How the hell did MST3k never touch this one? It's every bit as bad as The Blob was good. Let me give some highlights here:

*Larry Hagman's sole movie directing credit
*Dick van Patten and Burgess Meredith appear in this (and are eaten)
*A kitten, a scout troop leader, a gorilla in a dune buggy, a hippie folk singer, a bowler in a wheelchair and an entire bowling alley are eaten by the Blob.
*70s TV movie style music all through the film. Seriously, it sounds like an episode of Columbo spliced together with Scooby Doo, not a monster movie.
*The world's second most expensive haircut.
*Every bit of dialog feels improv'd. And that's not a good thing.
*Cops trying to burn down a building seemingly made of cinder blocks.
*More clacking balls than at Clacking Ball Fest 2012
*And a special appearance by someone who looks remarkably like Tor Johnson and (ugh) Norman.

It'd make a great Rifftrax if it was still in print, which it isn't.

Not public domain?

[Compound]

Not public domain?

Jack. H Harris Enterprises, same folks as who did "The Blob" and "Dark Star." Last DVD release (2000) was from Image Entertainment who are very much still in business. Also copyrwritten under "Worldwide Entertainment Corporation"  from 1972.

Plus Rob Zombie was doing a Blob remake a few years ago and Jack Harris was a producer, so it's very much copywritten.

[JimJ]

Movie #16: Grave Encounters (2011)

"Found footage" film about a "Ghost Hunters" type of TV show filming at an abandoned mental hospital.  I was very surprised by how much I enjoyed this.  Better than most found footage movies.  Builds tension well and has some genuinely creepy moments.  3.5/5

Movie #17: Vile (2011)

Thought this would be a crappy Saw ripoff without much value.  It was a Saw ripoff, but it actually was a pretty decent spin on the concept.  The premise is a little silly and some of the acting is pretty bad, but overall, it wasn't terrible.  3/5

[SJP]

Working on tonight's at the moment, but I think I may have to redo yesterday's:
Dial M for Murder 3D

On the one hand, since it came out before the days of digital finagling, I thought the 3D in this was actually a lot easier on the eyes than more recent films.  I guess because Hitchcock didn't have access to an army of nerds in front of a bunch of PCs to tweak the various depths and close-ups that the effect just looks a lot more natural.  Which would've been nice in a more...um, shall we say, action-packed film?  I'm not saying this to insult old movies...but hell, Hitchcock himself made films better paced than this, and it wasn't even as horrific as I was expecting.  One big fight scene, and then it's back to everyone talking at each other all proper.  I understand stage plays aren't designed to be very high octane in the first place, but this PALES in comparison to "Wait Until Dark," which I don't feel it's tough to compare it to.  Sure, the characters are very different, but Wait Until Dark builds its tension slowly and artfully throughout, while Dial M for Murder is slow, awesome at the 40 minute mark, then goes slow again.  Definitely not one of Hitchcock's best.  The 3D is admirable enough, and Grace Kelly is nice to look at, but definitely not what I thought it was going to be.  I might have to pick a replacement movie, since this just was not terrifying in the least.

[Starman!]

Beware the Blob! (1972)

(Blink)

Oh dear lord. How the hell did MST3k never touch this one? It's every bit as bad as The Blob was good. Let me give some highlights here:

*Larry Hagman's sole movie directing credit
*Dick van Patten and Burgess Meredith appear in this (and are eaten)
*A kitten, a scout troop leader, a gorilla in a dune buggy, a hippie folk singer, a bowler in a wheelchair and an entire bowling alley are eaten by the Blob.
*70s TV movie style music all through the film. Seriously, it sounds like an episode of Columbo spliced together with Scooby Doo, not a monster movie.
*The world's second most expensive haircut.
*Every bit of dialog feels improv'd. And that's not a good thing.
*Cops trying to burn down a building seemingly made of cinder blocks.
*More clacking balls than at Clacking Ball Fest 2012
*And a special appearance by someone who looks remarkably like Tor Johnson and (ugh) Norman.

It'd make a great Rifftrax if it was still in print, which it isn't.

This movie is a grade Z piece of shit.

[JimJ]

Movie #18: Bloody Birthday (1981)

I'm a big fan of 80's slashers and a bigger fan of movies about evil kids, but this was just kind of dull.  The acting was subpar, the kills weren't very graphic or imaginative, and I really good tired of all the teases of kills that get interrupted.  I think that happened more than actual kills.  I found this on a list of the best horror films on Netflix so it was kind of a let down. 2/5

[Relaxing Dragon]

Just a little heads up to folks, there's a number of horror movies uploaded to youtube in their entirely right now. Since they're all uploaded in their entirety in a single video, I choose to believe that there's some good reason for them to be allowed to exist (and will therefore overlook my normal hardline "No Piracy" protocols). Anyway, here's two great movies that well worth a watch:

Pontypool:

Prince of Darkness:

[JimJ]

Movie #19: The Burning (1981)

A pretty enjoyable Friday the 13th rip off with some cool kills.  It drags some in spots, and the acting isn't great, but I liked it.  I was surprised to see Jason Alexander in this.  Apparently it was his first role.  3/5

[SJP]

Well, I'm behind on updating my list (which will have to wait until tomorrow), but I have been keeping up and have these now under my belt...

The Innkeepers
A Ti West film.  I first heard about West when Brad Jones mentioned him as a director he liked, but thought his segment in VHS sucked.  So, even though I hadn't heard of this, I tried it on the chance I might like it.

I actually did.  It is a slow, building character study of two bored hotel clerks stuck for one last weekend in their reputedly haunted New England hotel before it shuts its doors forever.  Between a few last minute weirdos staying in the place, they're pretty much free to screw around and check behind corners, and Claire (Sara Paxton) soon starts blurring the lines between what might be real ghosts and just her imagination playing tricks on her as things start getting weirder and weirder.  But the movie itself is smart, funny, creepy, and incredibly good at walking the line of "Is it real or not?"  It's certainly no gorefest, but at the same time it's one of those indy movies that plays to the strengths of its actors and its low budget and does things right.

Warlock
This was another I heard that the original movie was decent, but its direct-to-video sequels ruined it.  I don't see how.  This movie was already pretty ridiculous to begin with.  Julian Sands plays a gigantic ham who likes murdering people because, well, he's demon-spawn from the 17th century, who's pulled into the present by his demon father to find a book that reveals the True Name of God and will therefore allow demons to run free for reasons I still don't quite get.  Anywho, the hunter who brought him to justice way back when ALSO gets pulled into the present and teams up with a local woman to chase him down and stop him.  Cliches of old-timey people running afoul of modern technology abound, as does a hilarious scene of Sands flying through the air, clearly hanging from wires, while dragging the hapless witch hunter behind him.  It reminds me a lot of House, especially since both were produced by Steve Miner, but House did the horror and the humor way better.  Still, Sands is creepy no matter who he plays, so it has that.

Creepshow 2

The '87 anthology movie follow-up.  I remember seeing this in its entirety a long time ago, and remembered most of it pretty well, but I will admit now it is nowhere near as good as the original, or even the official third movie "Tales from the Darkside" (and before anyone argues, even Savini has said it is Creepshow 3 under a different title).  The first story is boring, the second suffers from the potential for a LOT more gore effects, and third one, while the best one overall, still doesn't have the charm of the original, though it certainly comes closest.  And the animated segments really look like they were done by the same animators who did Heavy Metal.

[Zombie Monty]

I'm afraid I have to tap out to the challenge!  Missed a bunch of days and it is too much to catch up.  I did manage to watch two more films, Cinematic Titanic's The Wasp Woman and Rifftrax's The Happening.  And I will be seeing Frankenstein and Bride Of Frankenstein at the movies next week at Fathom and TCM's special cinema event. And, of course, the Birdemic Rifftrax Live event also next week.  So that will make at least three more horror films before the end of the month.

I applaud those of you celebrating your love of the genre by participating in this.  I wish I could keep up with you guys.   

[Compound]

Huh. Weird bit of synchronicity there. I also watched Innkeepers today. Came to pretty much the same conclusion. Low budget, but pretty good and a lot more effective a horror film than frankly most other films that I've seen this month.

[Johnny Unusual]

The first story is boring, the second suffers from the potential for a LOT more gore effects, and third one, while the best one overall, still doesn't have the charm of the original, though it certainly comes closest.

Am I the only one who thinks the hitchhiker's sign at the end should have said "NO SWIMMING!"?

[JimJ]

Movie #20: Sinister (2012)

This was pretty good. It's got some silly moments and Ethan Hawke's scream acting got a bit annoying. Still, some decently creepy moments and a good ending. 3.5/5