October 2019 Horrorfest

First viewing - Oct. 9th

One of the critics I follow online put Terrified aka Aterrados on my radar about a year ago, so I knew it was on Shudder and made it a priority for this month. And it completely delivered. Go into it as blindly as possible and you'll be rewarded. Personally it's safe to say the film is in my top 5 horror movies for this decade.

First viewing - Oct. 13th

I had good intentions of getting a trio of Argento films watched on this Sunday, but time got away from me and I barely managed to get two watched around dinner. Deep Red was by far my favorite film of the two, and I can't think of a single thing to point out as a flaw. I'm so glad I finally gave it a look.

Also, it turns out Goblin was in town two nights later performing the entire score along with some other songs from Argento's films. Too bad I found out too late to go, as their work here is really impressive.

First viewing - Oct. 26th

Going into the weekend I thought I'd be headed home after The Lighthouse when I booked my seats, but then I discovered that the same theatre where I caught Tigers Are Not Afraid last month was showing First Love for the second weekend in a row. Since Miike's films don't often screen around here I wasn't going to miss a second chance to watch it. And it was well worth the time and effort. I highly enjoyed the story, the characters, all of it, though it fell just shy of greatness in my book. I'd gladly revisit it in the future, and will likely make sure it sits on my shelf.

Re-watch - Oct. 2nd

With the sequel finally arriving this month I felt a strong urge to revisit its predecessor and thus kicked off my Horrorfest with it. Zombieland is every bit as much fun as I remembered, and I still love pretty much everything about it.

First viewing - Oct. 3rd

Head Count excels at the composition of its horror set pieces, delivering one in particular that's an all-timer. Which means going forward director Elle Callahan will be someone to keep an eye out for. Unfortunately the script has more characters than it can adequately establish, which renders the entire exercise empty. To elaborate, when one of the characters appeared on screen for the second time I questioned whether she'd been in the previous scene at all. Names are thrown around and most of the time you're unsure who they mean. So had it not been for some well-crafted moments this wouldn't have been worthwhile at all. As it stands it's worth a look once, just don't expect much of it.

Re-watch - Oct. 5th

I went through my collection at the beginning of the month and made a stack of films to watch with the kiddo & a stack just for me. She went through the options for both of us and surprised me by placing Goosebumps at the top. She's been actively avoiding anything Goosebumps-related since she caught the first 5 minutes of the TV series and decided she couldn't handle it. To be fair I think she was like 4 at the time, but still that first impression stuck.

Luckily she did enjoy this film, much as I suspected she would. It grew on me a little more the second time around, to the point where I'm willing to own a copy for the two of us to watch together periodically (plus I picked it up on Blu for a measly $5). She enjoyed the film so much she begged to watch its sequel instead of pulling another film off the shelf.

Re-watch - Oct. 5th

And thanks to a free FandangoNOW rental it was very easy for us to watch this together. It's easily the lesser of the two films, but it's got moments I deeply appreciate which prevent me from hating on it. She had a blast with it, and when it ended her first question was whether a 3rd is in the works. Hopefully this is a good sign that she's starting to come around on family-friendly horror.

Re-watch - Oct. 5th

After dinner we returned to the couch for The Book of Life, which I watched not too long ago so I won't dwell on it again. She had forgotten most of it, but really enjoyed it and kept randomly saying "Joaquin!" the day after.

Re-watch - Oct. 6th

I was about my daughter's age when I first saw Teen Wolf and I watched it countless times throughout my childhood. I revisited it after a long break a few years ago, and at that time (checks notes) decided I didn't need to watch it again. Funny how finding it on Blu for $5 convinced me to pick it up anyway.

So the kiddo and I watched it together, and she wound up having a good time with it. I had a lot of issues with it this time around, especially with Scott Howard's toxic masculinity. But if you can overlook its flaws it's still got some amusing moments and the soundtrack slays all over the place. I may hang onto it just for nostalgia, but it's just as possible that I'll trade it in for something better down the road.

First viewing - Oct. 7th

Edgar Wright first put Dead & Buried on my radar, and I've been itching to watch it ever since. It's not easy to track down either. Thankfully I signed up for Shudder to keep this month rolling smoothly along and they have it. On the one hand I can see how it's influenced some of Edgar's films (Hot Fuzz and The World's End to be specific), and it's got some moments that are well done. I wasn't always sure where it was going, and then once the ending unfolded I was left uncertain about whether it all came together in a way that justifies said ending. The more I've thought about it, the more it seems to fall apart under close scrutiny. It's definitely worth seeing, but I don't think I'd watch it again.

Re-watch - Oct. 8th

I still love every damn minute of May, and Angela Bettis remains as impressive as ever. It's one of those little horror films that I'll forever sing the praises of to anyone who will listen, and a perfect film for an October horror run.

First viewing - Oct. 11th

I had good intentions on this Friday night of watching a couple horror movies before I crashed, but by the end of Rabid I could barely stay awake. That's not a slight against the film, which is a solid little flick with decent performances and I'm glad I finally caught up with it. Overall I enjoyed it well enough, but I wouldn't call it great and doubt whether I'd need to see it again.

First viewing - Oct. 12th

I figured I'd make it an '80s night and began with this cult classic. It's a lot of fun to watch, though the construction of the film is rather slapdash at times. It'll jump to a scene that feels like it was forced into the narrative without any clear connective tissue, and then the scene ends almost as abruptly and jumps away elsewhere. Thankfully it's not a constant aspect of the film, but it happened at least twice and kinda bugged me. The cast includes Richard Roundtree and David Carradine, and they kept me hooked in along with the titular creature. So yeah, it was flawed but I might watch it again once more.

First viewing - Oct. 12th

If you can hang with Society you'll be rewarded with excellent effects work that rewards your efforts. The cast is a mixed bag and I thought it was fairly obvious where it was eventually headed. There's social commentary here which I anticipated before they revealed it, but at least they tried. Ah, and the wardrobe and hair choices are painfully '80s. But Screaming Mad George delivers in the effects department by going all out for the finale, and I deeply appreciated what he came up with. I wouldn't sit through this ever again, but at least it was ultimately worthwhile for a single viewing.

First viewing - Oct. 13th

Tenebre aka Unsane was solid enough that overall I enjoyed it. There's a scene with a Doberman that's really quite impressive, and some wonderfully vivid scenes. The story takes some interesting if occasionally predictable turns, and that predictability winds up working against the film a little bit. I thought it was definitely worth sitting through, I just don't know that I'd go out of my way to watch it again.

First viewing - Oct. 14th

You Might Be the Killer is a lot of fun. It's a very meta slasher film that plays out in some highly entertaining ways. It kicks off in a way that had me amped up, and then struggled to maintain those dizzying heights. And yet despite that fact I wound up having a good time overall with it. I'd gladly watch it again.

Just a thought: I didn't realize until it ended that the entire film was based off a handful of Twitter exchanges between two people, but learning that fact kinda made me love it even more. Probably for the best I didn't know going in, however, as it might have made the entire thing more obvious.

First viewing - Oct. 17th

I really struggled with this one. The whole film is professionally shot and looks wonderful quality-wise, but I disliked almost every character and thus couldn't find much to get excited about. The opening scene was excellent too, which made all that followed even more disappointing. The only characters I liked at all were the monsters, and they don't actually speak so my attachment to them wasn't deep. And it's a serious problem when your protagonist is no better than his antagonists. When it ended I mostly wished I'd chosen a different film to watch instead because it wound up being a waste of my time.

Re-watch - Oct. 19th

After running errands Saturday, the kiddo & I curled up on the couch together to watch a pair of Tim Burton movies. She wanted to watch this, Corpse Bride, and Coraline, but we had plans which required us to wait on Coraline.

I don't think I need to comment on Beetlejuice any more.

Re-watch - Oct. 19th

This review pretty much sums up all I'd want to say about Corpse Bride.

Re-watch - Oct. 20th

Between this and Corpse Bride I can't help feeling that Laika should pair up with some brilliant director and/or writer for their next film. It seems like each new film from the animation studio is met with diminishing interest (even though Missing Link is the only film of theirs that's not impressive all around), and I worry sometimes that they won't be around much longer. Finding the right creative mind to match their artistry to would help ensure they keep going for years to come.

Anyway, when the kiddo picked this from our shelves today I was reminded that it comes with a 3-D option along with a few pairs of glasses. My daughter got excited when she saw the 3-D option in the main menu, and thus we watched it that way. It wasn't the best 3-D viewing I've experienced, but it worked well enough to deliver the visuals as they're supposed to be seen (from what I remember of seeing it in the same format in the theatre). The whole film is just outstanding on technical levels, and Gaiman's story is so engrossing I happily get lost in it. Best of all the kiddo was less scared by it this time around, though she turned to me once or twice in response to moments and said now she remembered why it scared her last time.

First viewing - Oct. 21st

I've been curious about Body Bags for a while now. All I knew about it for the longest time was that John Carpenter and Tobe Hooper were involved, and that's about all you really need to know when deciding whether or not to watch it. Is it their best work? Well, no, but then the whole thing is an anthology released to Pay TV back in the '90s. My favorite thing about all of it was discovering what actors were involved, as this yielded many pleasant surprises. For that reason alone the less you know going into it the better. I kinda felt like the order should've been reversed as the first segment was the best of the bunch, but that's often the trouble with anthologies. Then again by leading with the strongest segment I guess you hook people in through the end. Add to all of this the joy of Carpenter himself in make-up providing the connecting tissue between the stories, and you've got a fun time. I'm glad Shudder finally gave me the means to view it.

First viewing - Oct. 25th

On a Friday night I generally prefer something fun and mindless, and this more or less scratched that itch. The effects and creature designs were excellent, and I thought the mostly single location helped keep it focused on what it was doing. There's not a lot of depth to the story, but it's solidly entertaining and a worthwhile entry for my Horrorfest.

First viewing - Oct. 25th

I opted to chase Book of Monsters with Satanic Panic, which mainly served to make the prior film even better by comparison. That's not to say this film doesn't have its merits, but I was less invested in what was going on here than I was with Book of Monsters. There are a few moments that made sitting through it worthwhile (the best involves Jerry O'Connell), but when it ended I was underwhelmed. Some of you will watch it and hate it, and I can't argue with you if that's the case. I've seen far worse.

First viewing - Oct. 26th

I believe it's well-known around these parts that I don't find The Exorcist to live up to its reputation, so it should come as no surprise that I haven't bothered with its sequels. This one has its supporters, however, so when I spotted it on Shudder I figured I'd give it a chance. And you know what? I kinda dug it. Matter of fact I'd say I got more enjoyment out of it than the first film, thanks largely to an outstanding performance by Brad Dourif. George C. Scott plays the lead and carries the picture well enough, but his scenes with Dourif are the best moments the film has to deliver. I'm not saying this is a great movie, but I definitely enjoyed it overall.

First viewing - Oct. 27th

Sigh. Found footage. I guess I'll concede that Noroi is well-crafted, though as per usual with these films the shaky cam is obnoxious at times and there are several moments where I questioned why anyone would be filming what's going on. It gets especially bad when they pick up the camera in the scene, as if you'd care about getting a good shot when crazy paranormal things are afoot. I also didn't appreciate the tendency to have a scene where something creepy is going on in the background, and then the next scene is the same thing slowed down to make sure you saw the creepy thing. Made me feel like they think I'm not paying attention, plus it negates any effect that moment had on me because now you're basically pointing a blinking arrow at it.

I really was curious about the story, thankfully, and that kept me hooked through the end. But I'd rather they just made it a regular movie instead of going the found-footage route. Then maybe it could've been something great.

First viewing - Oct. 27th

I have mixed feelings about Dark Water. The story was going along well up until the point where you realize exactly how the rest of it will play out. And then the filmmakers seem to anticipate your expectations and try to throw a curveball that doesn't really work with the rest of the film, and tack on an epilogue in hopes of further justifying the choice. I found this rather disappointing, especially because up until that point it was really good. And thus my weekend ended on kind of a bum note movie-wise, and I wished I could have chased it with something better.

Just a thought: There's a joke to be made about Hideo Nakata returning to the same well in his films, but I'll refrain.

First viewing - Oct. 28th

As a fan of the original Ringu and Ju-On: The Grudge, this wound up being a fun time. There are some epic moments I deeply enjoyed, mostly any time someone attempted to thwart Sadako. The cast is solid but not exceptional, and the ending could have been a little better but it was fine for what it was. Overall it's not great but I wouldn't mind watching it again.

First viewing - Oct. 29th

I didn't have a lot of time this night to watch a movie, so I picked something short-ish. And here we are. To say it has problems is an understatement. I mean, if you were paranoid that a demon was after your child, why wouldn't you sleep in the same room with them instead of leaving them in a crib unattended? That was my biggest gripe against it. The film looks professionally done, but the story needed a lot of work. I will give it credit for actively maintaining a throughline that had me questioning whether or not it's all in the protagonist's head though. But a lot of the character actions made no sense given the scenario, which was highly frustrating. At least it didn't put me to sleep.

First viewing - Oct. 30th

This anthology has been on my radar for a few months now, so when I saw it was added to Shudder I made it a priority. I was going to watch it on Halloween, but, well, see below.

Here we have 5 tales, and the first one is easily the best of them. It's a slasher-style story with a twist that actually works, and I just loved every moment. Then we get one that's body-horror with a comedic bent (courtesy of Joe Dante) and while it was a step down it was only slightly and I thought it was particularly well done. Third, we have a Catholics vs demon tale that I kinda struggled with. The gore parts were outstanding, but there's not sufficient character development for any of the other elements to really hit home. So it's fun, which is odd for this type of story, but rather lacking. The fourth story is a wonderfully artistic thing that I enjoyed more for the craft of it all than the story itself. But the story works well enough that I wasn't disappointed, it's just that the style of it outshines the storytelling. And then you have the final tale which doesn't come together very well and eventually goes on too long. Not a great way to end it. Oh yeah, and the whole thing is tied together by this idea of a theatre (hence the title) run by a projectionist played by Mickey Rourke that keeps changing up its logic and eventually feels like a failed attempt at connective tissue. So if you're going to watch this, maybe ignore that aspect and just focus on the first four stories and it'll work out fine.

First viewing - Oct. 31st

So at the last minute I got pulled for kiddo duty, which annihilated my plan to order a pizza and spend the night on the couch watching horror movies. Course that's more or less what I did last year, so I guess it balances out. So after the trick-or-treating was done for the night we curled up on the couch to watch this together. It wound up being a nice way to end the month, even if it wasn't entirely my preference.

I did manage to catch sight of parts of Sleepy Hollow and Carpenter's Halloween on the TVs of people whose houses we stopped at, so that's something too.

First viewing - Oct. 12th

OK, OK, so this is NOT a horror film. But it was screening at one of the local theatres so I made a point to catch it there given the cinematic nature of Breaking Bad, and also because it gave me an excuse to watch one of Robert Forster's movies now that he's left us (RIP). Overall it's a well-made film, and the story is consistently engaging. It never reaches the heights of the best moments in the series, but there are a few scenes I really enjoyed. Thankfully it doesn't harm my feelings toward Breaking Bad as a whole, but I'm not sure we needed it either.

Re-watch - Oct. 16th

I couldn't pass up the opportunity to watch this on the big screen, and I'm happy to report it's just as powerful the second time around. It still falls just shy of perfection for me for some reason, but it's an outstanding film full of excellent performances and I'm glad I could see it this way.

First viewing - Oct. 19th

Drive-in Theatre Double Feature

The kiddo has been highly anticipating this film, and when I saw we could catch it at the drive-in theatre I figured it'd be a good way to introduce her to the experience. The drive-in theatre here always shows two films back-to-back, so you really get your money's worth. Some of you will recall that they've also had horror marathons in October in the past, but this year they didn't have any which bummed me out. But at least they had this so I could go with my daughter.

As for the film itself, we both really enjoyed it. If you're a fan of the Addams, then you'll probably like this film too. Their style of humor remains intact, and having it be animated allows them to pull off a lot of visual gags and moments that a live-action film wouldn't deliver as easily. It's nothing great or revolutionary, but it's a good time and I'd gladly revisit it.

First viewing - Oct. 19th

Drive-in Theatre Double Feature

And then we have the aptly-titled Abominable. If this year has proven anything with regard to film, it's that yeti films are lame. Sure the entire thing looks pretty, but I didn't care about any of it and neither did my daughter. About 20 minutes into it she suggested we make fun of it instead of leaving, because she was loving the drive-in experience. So that's what we did, and it's the only way we made it through to the end. It's predictable and empty, and you can rest assured neither of us will be sitting through it again.

Re-watch - Oct. 23rd

No October Horrorfest is ever complete without at least one Vincent Price film, so when I saw my local theatre was screening House of Wax I was all in. And then I found out it'd be in 3-D and there was no way I'd miss it for anything. Turns out the 3-D technology actually works with modern "Real 3D" glasses, and so the film wound up being quite a treat. I had a blast with it all over again, and this time found the moments where it's showing off the 3-D aspects to be endearing rather than a negative. And then there was the bonus that before the film the manager came out to introduce it and field some Q&A, and someone said she'd seen it 66 years ago when it was released and she was age 12. I'd be curious to know how it compared to back then from her perspective...

First viewing - Oct. 26th

I slept in Saturday morning, and took off for a lunch out and to catch a couple of new releases while I could. This was first, and I thought it was solidly entertaining. It's not as good as the first film, but it doesn't ruin the first film either. It's got some really fun moments and an ending that I deeply appreciated. Ah, and make sure you don't leave right away when the credits roll because there's one more piece you'll want to see. Overall this sequel isn't necessary, but it's good enough that I don't mind that it exists.

First viewing - Oct. 26th

The moment Zombieland ended I dashed across the theatre for The Lighthouse. The first thing that struck me was that while the first film had maybe 15 people in the audience this room was almost packed, which I did not anticipate. Glad though that lots of people wanted to see it.

So first off you can start talking awards for both Dafoe and Pattinson who go all-in on their respective performances. Each is outstanding throughout as they dive into their characters with no signs of self-consciousness. Each is given opportunities to deliver gripping and passionate dialogue, but Dafoe gets the best monologue in the film. I got what it was going for, but in the end I'm not sure there was much depth or real substance to it. But the opportunity to watch these two actors go a bit mad together is worth the price of admission, and I'll probably watch it once more when I can have the assistance of subtitles to see catch the dialogue I missed due to their dialects and see whether my opinion of it changes any.