31 Days of Horror (Halloween 2015)

October 1: I hadn't seen this movie in such a long time, that I figured it would be a fun one to open the season with. I forgot how cheesy the dialogue was. It was still an enjoyable movie and the set design was actually very well done. Makes me want to return to Disneyland at some point...

FAVORITE SCENE: The ballroom scene, when Sara and Gracey are surrounded by the ghosts of waltzing couples.

October 2: Every time I pull out the Thing movies to watch, I always watch the 1982 version first, which is as it really should be, since that's the classic. However, this time around, I decided to watch this version first, which also makes sense as it was designed to be the prequel to the 1982 version. Most people seemed to dislike this movie, but I think it did a great job of living up to the reputation of the '82 version. Not as good, but a decent addition to the storyline. I feel like some of the "non-Norwegian" characters could have been better cast, though.

FAVORITE SCENE: The melding of the Thing with Adam.

October 3: Over the course of the last year, this movie has really grown on me. I went to being indifferent about it to it ranking as one of my favorite horror movies of all time, with its theme being one of the creepiest horror themes I've ever heard. The characters are likeable, the dialogue is witty, and the "Thing" was very well-designed to be frightening and nightmare-inducing. I can never forget the sound that "Bennings/Thing" makes when they find him/it in the snow. That sound was truly unearthly and terrifying.

FAVORITE SCENE: Bennings' howling outside before he/it is burned to death.

October 4: Such a fun movie, made in the days when Disney Channel movies were still somewhat decent. Nothing truly spectacular about it, other than that it shows the lighter side of Halloween, instead of the dark horror that I've grown accustomed to at this time of year.

FAVORITE SCENE: Getting the hair of a werewolf in the hair salon.

October 5 Extra: Since the DVD was still in the player and it had both movies on it, I figured I might as well watch the Halloweentown sequel. Definitely didn't live up to the standards of the first, but it was still entertaining.

FAVORITE SCENE: Aggie and Gort trying to match unmatchable socks.

October 5: My original choice for the 5th, this was one of the horror movies I bought that I hadn't yet watched. Honestly, I think I fell asleep thru a little bit of it. Mediocre film at best.

FAVORITE SCENE: The very first death in the movie, because after this, it becomes little more than a thriller movie.

October 6: Like The Thing, this movie has really grown on me over the course of the last year. I've gotten a greater appreciation for the use of abandoned asylums and hospitals as settings for horror movies. To this point, my favorite settings have been haunted houses in general, deserted amusement parks, and schools, either abandoned or after dark. I will admit that this movie does have some incredibly cheesy dialogue and even some of the special effects were just plain weird. Some of the characters could have been better cast, but the setting was well done with stark differences between the habitable parts of the house and the old asylum sections.

FAVORITE SCENE: The very beginning scene where the patients break loose and start assaulting and murdering the hospital staff. The rollercoaster ride was pretty entertaining, too.

October 7: Another movie I hadn't seen in many years, I actually grew up watching the Ernest movies. Such ridiculous humor, but highly entertaining. I attribute to this movie the very reason why I will never give Brussels sprouts a chance. **shudder**

FAVORITE SCENE: Ernest and Rimshot's reunion at the end.

October 7 Extra: I had heard good things about this movie and decided to give it a chance. I don't know what to make of it. Some of it is just plain ridiculous. I could barely follow what was happening and the English dubbing was so awful, it didn't help me understand was going on at all. Captions didn't help. My little bit of praise will be showered on the creature. It's very rare to see, in its entirety, a water-based monster. Most of the time, they stay in the water and we only get glimpses of small parts of the body. This movie was unique in it's portrayal of a monster moving rapidly about above water.

FAVORITE SCENE: Any scene where the monster was clearly seen and out of water.

October 8: One of my favorite horror movies! I love the space setting and, let's be honest, the xenomorph (aka Alien) was one of the most brilliantly designed horror icons of the 20th century. Ripley's strong female lead was very refreshing in an age that seemed dominated by heroic males.

FAVORITE SCENE: The classic chest-buster scene.

October 8 Extra: It's been a while since I've seen this movie, and since I had some extra time, I made it my extra for the night. The phrase "bigger, better, and badder" certainly applies to this movie. I love many of the new characters, especially Newt. In fact, I think I like more of the characters in this movie, than the original.

FAVORITE SCENE: Ripley and Newt trapped in the medical lab with the released face-huggers. And, Vasquez and Gorman's death scene.

October 9: Another movie I hadn't seen yet. I think the plot had potential and it even fleshed out to a decent story. Not too memorable, though. Somebody explain to me why Mary's parents would continue to let her see Rose in the past after Rose intentionally burned her?

FAVORITE SCENE: The burn scars suddenly appearing over adult Mary's body from the sudden attack in the past.

October 9 Extra: Another favorite of mine. I love the twists and turns of the plot, even though I've seen it enough times to know what's going to happen.

FAVORITE SCENE: The turning point when Ed ends up in the late-night "Hail Mary" meeting designed to save Malcolm's life and the twisted plot is revealed.

October 10: Classic haunted house story! Not much else to say. This movie is probably the reason I love classic haunted house stories so much.

FAVORITE SCENE: Every exterior shot of the house at night, especially when it was lit by the hellish red light.

October 11: I think, out of all the Harry Potter movies, this was the only one with a significant Halloween scene. It's also a great start to a fantastic series. Yes, I'm a Harry Potter fan. Another scene I need someone to explain to me: why on earth would Hermione tell the teachers that she went looking for the troll to test her skills against him, when a simple "I was using the restroom and Harry and Ron realized I hadn't heard the news about the troll so they came looking for me" would have sufficed and been much more believable, in addition to being something they really couldn't have gotten in trouble over? Off my soapbox now. :)

FAVORITE SCENE: Our first glimpse of Hogwarts.

October 12: "Why has the car stopped?" "It's frightened." I'm watching the third ending as I type this little note. This movie is full of sarcasm and humor. It's such a classic, I hope to all that is holy that it's never remade (an announced remake is currently suffering in development hell and hopefully it stays there). Not really a horror movie, except for the creepy old mansion and the dark and stormy night, but I thought I'd toss it in for kicks anyways.

FAVORITE SCENE: Can "all of it" be an acceptable answer? No? Okay, how about Wadsworth's reenactment?

October 13: Every single year I watch the original NoES, the original Ft13, and the original Halloween. Every. Single. Year. This year, I changed it up and took another favorite movie from each franchise and I am watching those instead. This movie is underappreciated. It's much better than some of the trash Hollywood is throwing out nowawdays, however it has a ton of unnecessary sex in it. I am convinced there are two characters whose only reason for existing in this movie is just to have sex. The choice to have it in space was an interesting turn and the story supported it pretty nicely.

FAVORITE SCENE: Dallas and Azrael's VR fight scene.

October 13 Extra: So many people have bashed this movie, but I found it enjoyable and, in some parts, superior to the original. The dialogue was a little cheesy and the characters got to be annoying sometimes, but I really liked the portrayal of the "other side." Maddie was also a cute kid and she played her part well. I also liked that technological advancements over the last 30 years brought new angles to the movie with the use of drones and tablets.

FAVORITE SCENE: Maddie gets dragged upstairs. I'll be honest, I was outraged when I heard they were remaking Poltergeist and I swore I was going to boycott it. BUT, I watched the trailer and the little part of the trailer that showed Maddie getting yanked upstairs by her feet actually sold me on the entire movie. It may be only 1-2 seconds, but it's my favorite.

October 14: I really need to stop my biased rating. Clearly this movie isn't deserving of a 10 because it's not perfect. This is the movie that actually birthed my love for horror movies.

FAVORITE SCENE: The biological organism that the closet turns into in it's last attempt to snatch Carol Anne.

October 15: I've always thought circuses and carnivals are excellent backdrops for horror movies, because they already contain bizarre characters and settings. That's another environment I can add to my favorite horror settings. This movie was interesting to watch (I'd never seen it before). It's definitely dated, so some parts of it were fairly cheesy by today's standards.

FAVORITE SCENE: The homage to Psycho and Halloween in the very beginning. On an unrelated note, I loved Amy's blue blouse.

October 15 Extra: Another film I hadn't seen yet. I was really impressed with Afterdark Horrorfest's first year of films, so I've slowly been watching the years as I find them. This one was interesting, once again taking place in a favorite setting of mine: a hospital. The beginning of the movie really annoyed me and I think it was primarily due to the DVD and not the actual movie: the audio track was way off with dialogue not matching the lip movements.

FAVORITE SCENE: The hanging internal organs.

OCTOBER 16: One of my favorite horror movies, I love water-themed horror settings. I find them almost as isolated environments as space. I also love how completely deceiving the first few minutes are: nice pink scripted font used for the opening credits, a female singer singing ballads while couples waltz around the deck, laughing and smiling patrons. I think the first time I saw this movie, I was thinking Ghost had met a cruise ship. Oh, how wrong I was. This movie has one of the best opening scenes ever. However, it's not my favorite scene, but it's very close.

FAVORITE SCENE: The opening montage scene replayed in its extended format in the middle of the movie where we get to see exactly what happened to the "floating palace." The music playing during the scene was pretty awesome, too.

OCTOBER 17: Another of my favorite movies, this is my favorite haunted house movie of all time...and it's not really a movie; it's a TV miniseries. I can't even put my finger on why I like this haunted house the most--I think it may be that the house is constantly changing and the former occupants are constantly building and improving upon it.

FAVORITE SCENE: Nick confronts Joyce about why she gathered the particular group she did to investigate the house. Nick also happens to be my favorite character; I feel like he is the lone voice of reason so often during the course of the story.

OCTOBER 18: I will recognize that the first Ghostbusters is a classic and is preferred by most audiences over the sequel, however, I've always enjoyed the sequel more than the original. I think it comes down to the fact that I found the story of Vigo more intriguing than the story of Gozer.

FAVORITE SCENE: "He said the Titanic just arrived."

OCTOBER 19: Over the course of the last year, this movie has also grown on me. It has so, SO much potential. I like reading and writing fanfiction on occasion, and because of the setup of this movie, I feel there are countless stories to be told. Of course, we all know **SPOILER** the movie ends with the end of the world, but with the collection of horrific creatures locked away underground, I feel each has a story to tell. First time I saw this movie, Marty annoyed the heck out of me...now he's my favorite character.

FAVORITE SCENE: The purge. Enough said.

OCTOBER 19 Extra: I know I have a Halloween movie already earmarked for the Halloween weekend, but I hadn't seen this movie in so long and I actually enjoyed it more than some of the other Halloween sequels, so I gave it another watch. I still really enjoy it. My biggest complaint is that Michael Meyers isn't as scary in this movie as he was in the first. Granted he's still lurking in shadows and backgrounds, and his face keeps popping up in windows and mirrors, but he doesn't have that stealthy stalker feel like he did in the original. And his last moments of life (or so we thought...Halloween: Resurrection anyone?) were so pathetic, it almost put a damper on the whole movie. He reaches out to Laurie like a child in pain reaches out for a parent. Ugh!

FAVORITE SCENE: Laurie and Michael come face to face through the little porthole window for the first time in 20 years.

OCTOBER 20: The only reason this movie is in my collection, is because it was packaged with a collection of B-grade horror movies for something like $5 from Walmart. I actually feel stupider having watched this movie. Having suffered all the way through it, I can't even tell you what the point of it was. I have found the shocking truth that it's the 13th movie in a series. WHAT?! I'm going to go bleach my brain now. 2 is being generous with my rating. If I hadn't started the movie so late at night, I totally would have redeemed the night by watching something significantly more worthwhile.

FAVORITE SCENE: Ha! Yeah, right!

OCTOBER 21: Such a fun movie. I'm not going to lie, I used to have the biggest crush on Devon Sawa and he was so adorable in this movie...even though he's on screen for only like two minutes. I hadn't seen this movie in such a long time, it was great to rewatch it and take a trip down memory lane.

FAVORITE SCENE: Just about any scene with Stretch, Stinkie, and Fatso.

OCTOBER 22: Another favorite of mine. I infinitely prefer this one to the original. Something about 28 Days Later really bugged me and I can't quite put my finger on it. I'll be honest, though. I only sought this movie out after seeing Jeremy Renner in Avengers. Prior to that, I had no desire to see it after watching the original. I have to say that, generally speaking, I'm not much of a zombie movie fan. This is the only zombie movie I've actually enjoyed watching.

FAVORITE SCENE: A 1-2 second scene that didn't actually make it into the movie...but it's in the trailer. Doyle winks at the kids while he is pushing the car right before he is lit on fire.

OCTOBER 22 Extra: Is it just me, or are the characters in this movie really easy to hate? I was kind of rooting for the cube to slaughter them all. Okay, I'll admit, I did like that Kazan escaped and even Worth had some redeeming scenes, but everyone else...I'm kind of glad they didn't make it. They were all horrible human beings.

FAVORITE SCENE: The razor wire at the beginning that cut the first victim into cubes.

OCTOBER 23: This movie is so unbelievably cheesy, it's hard to believe it actually spawned such a dramatic TV show. Don't get me wrong; I still love this movie, in spite of its cheesiness. It offers great laughs and a lot of big name actors/actresses, more than you would expect. It also totally makes fun of 80s and 90s fashion.

FAVORITE SCENE: Pike and Buffy's dance at the senior dance.

OCTOBER 24 Extra: I've been sick all weekend long, so I got a lot of horror, albeit mild horror, in this weekend. I didn't realize until I started watching this on TV that I had actually never seen this movie before. I totally loved it! Almost as much as the first. Joan Cusack was awesomely psychotic and the rest of the family was just as loveably morbid as always.

FAVORITE SCENE: Wednesday totally changes the story of the first Thanksgiving and burns down the camp.

OCTOBER 24 Extra: John Cusack's performance was brilliant. I love how he steadily gets more and more unhinged as the hour goes on. This movie has also made me realize how much I appreciate psychological horror. You don't need a lot of blood and guts to truly terrify an audience.

FAVORITE SCENE: I love this scene and I always look forward to it whenever I watch this movie. It's the very end when Mike is listening to the tape recorder that was recovered from the fire. His daughter's voice comes on and in that split second, you think he's hallucinating again...until his wife drops the box she's holding, and you realize that she hears it, too. And Mike realizes that it all really happened.

OCTOBER 24 Extra: Such a classic. Sometimes, you never realize just how many sexual innuendos are in a seemingly harmless movie until you watch it with someone who is too young to understand it, but questions what is meant to by something said. Apparently the MPAA was very liberal with their ratings system in the 80s, because that is not the first PG movie I've watched that should have received a PG-13 rating (a rating which was actually created in 1984). It's weird to see Sigourney Weaver in a damsel in distress role, when you consider the character she will always be most closely identified with is that of Ripley, a kick-@$$ strong female lead.

FAVORITE SCENE: The ghostly library patron scene.

OCTOBER 24: I have mixed feelings about this movie, which kind of goes over into the remake territory as well. It's a TV miniseries, so you know the budget isn't going to be that great, but the ending was horrendous. The whole movie built up very well to...a CGI spider?! What the heck?! They should have just left it in the form of Pennywise as he was infinitely scarier than that "thing." And, no, I was not one of the those people who was terrified of Pennywise growing up (I blame that on the fact that the 2-sided disc I watched IT on for the very time was poorly labeled and I inadvertently watched the second half first. Needless to say, I was thoroughly confused, but I tried flipping the disc over to see what happened and found the first half of the movie. All of Pennywise's "scary" parts were in the first half of the movie.)

Like most reviewers of this movie, I do have to praise Tim Curry's performance. That guy is amazing with his characters! I don't think the remake Pennywise will ever be able to live up to the performance. I also found the childhood scenes intriguing and very character-building for the kids, but it seemed to have lost something in the transition to adulthood scenes. The dialogue was ridiculous, the friendship seemed forced (which was kind of understandable since they had all forgotten about the events of their childhood until Mike called them, but still...), the scares were mediocre, and have I mentioned the ending yet? I feel like the remake may actually improve on all the adulthood scenes and I'm pretty sure it can't do anything worse regarding the ending. The remake sounds like it will be a theatrical release (possibly even cut into two parts like the original), so it's budget should allow for more correction in what the miniseries was lacking.

FAVORITE SCENE: Despite my criticism of the adulthood scenes, my favorite scene was actually outside the hospital where adult Ben is embracing adult Bev and she is lamenting her failed love life by being with someone who is just as abusive as her father. I love it because his unrequited love from childhood was never resolved one or another (it was just left hanging with Bev thinking it was Bill) and it was finally requited.

OCTOBER 25: I forgot how creepy the animation on this movie is. Another classic for Halloween AND Christmas. My sister complained about it being such a confusing movie that you're not sure when to watch. I told her to watch it at Thanksgiving and be done with it.

FAVORITE SCENE: Jack's soliloquy in the cemetery.

OCTOBER 25 Extra: After watching Values yesterday, I really wanted to watch the first one. Even though the family is completely dysfunctional and morbid, they seem to be a "happy" family. I also have to admit that I love the romantic relationship between Gomez and Morticia. Despite being devoted to death and pain, they seem to have a very loving relationship. I also love how regally beautiful Morticia is. She makes the dark, Goth look look very appealing.

FAVORITE SCENE: Gomez and his train wreck.

OCTOBER 25 Extra: I watch this movie for its entertainment value. When comparing it with the "true legend," it becomes very boring and confusing, so I treat it like a standalone story, especially since there is no evidence that Mr. Bell molested any of his children or that he was murdered at the hand of his daughter and wife. It's not a scary as some of the other possession and ghostly abuse stories out there, but it's intriguing. I am a little disturbed by Betsy's overt interest in her teacher, despite knowing that in that time period, girls as young as her were actively thinking about marriage and marriage prospects. I think it's because her behavior shifts so dramatically from that of a mature adult (I would estimate her age, as portrayed in the movie, to be about 12-14) to a petulant child, I feel she's too immature for such thoughts.

FAVORITE SCENE: Betsy playing in the water with the spirit.

OCTOBER 26: I can kind of see why this is something of a cult classic, but I'm also confused, too. This movie was kind of ridiculous. But, I refer you back to my note on 28 Weeks Later: I'm not much a zombie movie fan, though I did appreciate that they went back to the classics of zombification for this movie. That's where zombies originated; from voodoo stories.

FAVORITE SCENE: Dennis drinks "rat poison."

OCTOBER 26 Extra: This movie is just frustrating to watch because it really messes with your mind. I like it, but I don't like it. I like movies kind of like this that make you think, but this one I think went off the deep end. Kind of like Inception. The one thought that kept going through my mind is how the "paradox" got started. If it's a never-ending circle, though, it also means it doesn't have a beginning. Even though it has nothing to do with the Bermuda Triangle (Triangle being the name of the boat, not the location), we'll say it takes place there where all things are weird and make no sense. ;) It could happen, though, since the movie, the parts that take place on land, occur in Florida.

FAVORITE SCENE: As sad as it is, I thought the car accident scene was well done. Second up was the multiple dead Sallys scene.

OCTOBER 27: This is probably one of my most favorite horror movies. I don't really have a top 5 list for horror movies, because my preferences are always changing, but if I did, this one would always be somewhere in the top 5. This movie was very enjoyable for all the "horror musts" it DIDN'T have. It seems like horror movies nowadays pile on the profanity, the sex, the nudity, and all the blood and gore you could ever expect to see in a horror movie. Sleepy Hollow, really only had the blood and gore. No nudity, no profanity, and the only two "intimate" scenes (one make out scene shown twice and one sex scene where both participants are still clothed) equaled about 2 minutes or less of the entire movie. It was awesome for all the stuff it left out! I enjoyed Woman in Black immensely for the same exact reasons. I love the story, I love the period setting, I love the characters, I love the villain...I just love all of it.

FAVORITE SCENE: Ichabod's numerous fainting episodes. I also loved the scenes where he was a boy with his mother.

OCTOBER 28: Now we're getting down to the classics of Halloween, which is how I like to end the Halloween season. I think Hocus Pocus is such a family-friendly classic Halloween movie, I hear people talk about watching it every year. It's got such great dialogue and one liners and the witches are hilarious.

FAVORITE SCENE: Winnie and her sisters stumble out of the school's oven and Winnie is spouting French due to the recorder playing French lessons to lure them in there.

OCTOBER 29: I like the idea of the plotline that is used in this movie (a killer who attacks in dreams), which is why I watch it every year, but watching Heather Langenkamp "act" is about as entertaining to me as listening to fingernails on a chalkboard. I get a lot of negative feedback for this, but I have to admit that I prefer the remake to the original. Robert Englund is priceless as Freddy, but that's the only thing the original has going for it. And Johnny Depp's death scene.

FAVORITE SCENE: Tina's nightmare sequence just before her death.

OCTOBER 30: The very first time I saw this movie I was very young and still easily scared. I watched it with a friend whose parents had rented it and neither of us had seen the original. After watching this, I swore off the Halloween franchise for many years, only getting up the courage to watch the original and the rest of the franchise only a few years ago.

I was ashamed for the entire series when they twisted the plot and made Laurie Michael's younger sister. He could have just been hell-bent on finishing her off at the hospital after she escaped the house and had no relation to him and it would have worked just fine. I just think making them siblings was a stupid move. I like that this sequel seemed to stay faithful to the original in terms of content and it's suspenseful atmosphere.

FAVORITE SCENE: It's actually a scene that was originally shown in the first movie and re-shown in this one to catch viewers up on (or remind) what happened, but you can't tell me you didn't get chills when Laurie was clutching at the doorframe after stabbing Michael and he sits up in the background after you think he's dead. That's the point when you realize he's pretty indestructible. That's my favorite scene and it gives me chills every time I watch it. :)

OCTOBER 31: This movie gives horror anthologies a good name! And it's so intertwined that it makes it even better. Most anthologies have all the stories completely separate with only the barest of crossover elements, but Trick 'r Treat...wow! You can pick any of the individual stories to follow, and you will see characters from the other stories pop up, many as more than just background characters.

FAVORITE SCENE: When Rhonda traps the other kids down in the ravine and you can hear them screaming as she leaves the lift at the top of the bluffs.