Halloween horror viewing list 2014, some rarities, some random...all fun

[Hyde]

I was a regular poster many years ago, but now I only come by for a read now and then. I have become too busy teaching and making indie horror movies of my own, and I will have a new one coming out soon and I will come back to spread the words and show a trailer.
However, I digress. Every Halloween, I used to do many reviews, but I just don't have the strength anymore. I do want to share a list of movies I watched this year and in recent times...some that are rarities I think deserve a second chance, some that are just regular commercial flicks but surprised me. Here are 5 am posting just for fun and to say HI. Watched through this stuff for the Halloween season.


1. Videodrome (extended cut) another oldschool mindbender from David Cronenberg. Want your mind to be raped by a tv show and send you on a hallucinaginic killing spree? This is one for you. James Woods really does a fantastic job and if you can see the version with ALL the footage, it just feels so much more filled out than the dvd cut. I wish they had a dvd release of the extended version. a half hour difference. A

2. Army of Darkness (complete composite) Yes the movie that influence my childhood as much as beetlejuice. I love this damn movie. Groovy....still to this day...groovy...If you can track down a composite of all material from this movie (because there are so many versions and even the extended directors cut misses so much) see this. IF not, the theatrical version is great as long as you get to see BOTH endings. This B movie gets an A-

3. Look What Happened to Rosemary's Baby(on youtube) of COURSE this isn't awesome like the first one...this one was made for tv...and is a much smaller and more simple tale...but it is actually a creepy, short story type of movie...that is a fun and meaningful addition to see AFTER you see the original classic. an epilogue film, only....B-

4. The Uninvited (1945) A+
AMAZING black and white ghost story that was entirely forgotten by the public, can also be seen on dailymotion. Fantastic haunted house mystery with good, creepy style effects and an original story. I can't believe I hadn't seen this one before. If Hitchcock had done a true supernatural ghost movie...it would be like this!

5.
OCULUS (a commercial flick that was also refreshing and original and relied more on acting than cgi. A truly good horror movie that I only saw cause I love Amy Pond and Starbuck, but ended up loving because it was just a creepy and SURREAL ride through a living nightmare. If you like mindbenders, where reality simply isn't clear...this is actually a good modern work. A-

I wanted to say HI on the old board, and just post a few I have visited with this season and in recent times. I will post a few more (5 at a time) throughout the next 24 hours and would love to hear all those who agree or disagree with any of the films I post, or just read...I miss being able to be online as much, but I do always love to read the posts here. Have fun tomorrow/today and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

[Hyde]

Again, I am not writing any reviews this year as I just am overwhelmed with real life nowadays...lol....I am still watching and just putting feelings up about movies and the way the industry is and has been when making horror movies.... and these next are the more modern films, and I want to address the way things are going. When one scary movie gets made, a bunch more get made exactly like it...and that always upsets me. Visuals become SO dark that is no longer looks like real life when they are trying to be real life, and that bothers me. However, there is such a thing as a FUN factor. Here is what I mean....

6. The Woman in Black (remake) B+
This movie actually works better as an artistic SEQUAL to the original 1980 movie WOMAN IN BLACK, which is a translation of the famous horror play, which was based on the classic novel. The new one is good but missing many details and dialogue which makes it worth seeing the original first, and then seeing the new one. (Adrian Rawlins, played the same role as Danielle Radcliffe in the original WIB, and Rawlins just so happens to play Radcliff'es father in all the Harry Potter movies...this just sort of happened by weird coincidence. pretty cool) however, this removes all the interesting dialogue and replaces it with dark and surreal moments...too many of them. great movie, but not NEARLY as good as the original. Amazing ending!

7. Sinister - B
Typical horror but still had fun moments, just not too serious of a movie when considering the visuals LOOKED too much like something out of a haunted house...no one keeps their house that dark during the day.... too dark, but still fun. Not enough plot...too much was missing to fill out the story and add to the ending. WILL creep you out and make you jump, though.

8. Mama - B
Del Toro delivers some truly creepy moments and it is alot of fun, but the ending SHOWING the cgi ghost for a truly long dramatic scene kinda ruins the fear factor and suspension of disbelief. Del Toro's amazing visuals still make it a good watch.

9. Odd Thomas - B-
Another fun movie, truly a good deal of fun. so much fun in fact that it feels like it is TRYING to be too much fun and becomes like a comic book version of donnie darko meets the 6th sense with action monsters . still undeniably fun.

10.
The Conjuring - B-
extra dark like a hollywood haunted house....stiff fun, don't get me wrong...but just not serious or realistic enough. If this movie were done in the style of THE SHINING, with this same amazing cast, it would be an A+....I don't get why this movie is such a big deal and that damn doll does not scare me. good jump moments and incredible acting. no climax except a sputter of vomit. (see to understand my meaning)
gonna have 5 more when I end off my season later tonight.

p.s. is anyone else urked by these factors at all? If you are TRYING to scare the viewer, and filmmakers get caught up on things being dark, they forget the point is to scare the viewer, and things start to look fake.
I used the word FUN a good deal above to offer justification, because without the fun factor calculated in, I would grade these kinds of films lower...but I am aware of that factor being a major contributor to the success of the horror genre.....and I simply enjoy some fun moments.

[FrighT MasteR]

I've merged the posts together, so lets just keep it all in one thread for now on

[CountOrlok]

I think I'll check out The Uninvited. Thanks for the rec.

[Hyde]

cool....I got just one more post...how I spent halloween this movie night with last lists. As I type and the sun arises and I sit crusty full of spent vampire makeup and blood, and the flies are beginning to gather in the pools of blood, I tell of my night.
As I end off my night of yearly halloween night of drinking and dressing psychotic and eaten gooood and horror movies, I got to a buddies whos got the barbecue going on and a fire pit..the kiddos are going crazy on halloween trick or treating (oldschool, none of that trunkertreat crap) and we are drinking excessive amounts of beer and rum and beer and whiskey, and beer and vodka, and beer...and the whole place is decorated like a fucking haunted house and there are strobe lights and smoke machines and pictures of every horror icon from Jason and Freddy, to Norman Bates and Hannibal Lector. after excessive drinking and the kids pass out we gotta do a movie and for some weird reason we went with 80's cheese and watched The ORIGINAL FrightNight.........still love it, even though I can smell the cheese. Love the remake, too. Took my date home, stayed over there for a lil bit and now I have gone home and watched MY final horror movie for the night.... the CLASSIC 1940's AND THEN THERE WERE NONE. This seems a simple mystery, but with gore added imagination and suggestion of the supernatural, it is all too possible to be horror....and I planned on ending it oldschool.....I called over a few albino asian hookers and they are singing me to sleep as I watch it. Agatha Christie is awesome. thanks for an evening to remember....I got so drunk my head hurt from too much beer. Now, I eat sausage balls in my faded vampire makeup at 6am while the sun arises. I sit naked at the computer, typing, as the makeup flakes off my face, and I sit listening to the final reprise of Science Fiction Double Feature from Rocky Horror Picture Show. Happy Halloween my friends. love to all! (now I have to find out what to do with all these dead asian chicks...and sheep)

Last 5 horror suggestions:

11. And then there were None (1940s) A
F@#$RKING good twisted mystery just creepy enough to be a kind of that early 40's that almost wanted to be horror..but that all modern horror is often based on...very giallo. Public domain on youtube so check it out. respect!

12. Insidious 2 (C)
weak sequel to an amazing movie. The good acting and idea was not the problem, the execution was that of a soap opera. This one didn't have the freshness or fright factor of the original.

13. The Purge - A
attention...this is how you make a brilliant horror movie that has meaning we can all respect and care about in our own separate ways. if murdering people was to be legal, it doesn't make it right. So many other points I don't even want to discuss but to say that this movie which I have seen discussed many times on many sites and I Think it is simply how you do it right.

14.
FrightNight (original) A-
This is the time period when horror was more common and making strides...this is like An American Werewolf in London...truly BRILLIANT 80's cheese with some good scares and good fun, with actual moments of horror. Yes, I love Peter Vincent.

15. FrightNight (remake) A-
unfairly judged as this was like watching a tribute to the original film. Not as good as the original, but better than the sequel and better than most vampire films nowadays. again...yes, I love Peter Vincent...even if he is Doctor Who.

Happy Halloween and sorry about the misspellings....I am too drubnk to care.