2024 Halloween Month

I think I chose this movie because of an episode of Jem and the Holograms about a train. I have no other explanation as to how I found this movie. But I tell you, this one is RAW. Compiled from three unreleased films, butchered beyond recognition and taped together by Mrs. Fitzgerald first grade class. Characters have no introduction, plots are created and resolved without even any indication they were plots in the first place, editing somehow worse than the Queen movie, and God help me, a complete waste of Cameron Mitchell. The only good bits are the deaths and special effects, made with someone else's money they were preserved well enough. Even if they at times just feel thrown together because they most definitely were. And the music, I would rather have heard Taking a Train from the aforementioned Jem episode on loop. It would have at least been more relatable to the movie than this. I started out with a real contender this year, but not the way I wanted.

This did not live up to Germany's and Italy's silent movies of the era. An interpretation of Poe's Telltale Heart, its a very different take on movie making, relying on a great deal of muted conversation rather than expressionist motion. Whole conversations are had, which got under my skin when they don't tell you what exactly is being said. But when it does rely on physical acting, usually on close ups where they want you to take in more detail, it is very well done. The music didn't lend itself well in my opinion. Its often too melodic for the unsettling concepts on display and doesn't hit key story points at all. If the character is hearing a heart beat, you would think there would be some drums. And the effects, I suppose their fine, but a far cry from the smorgasbord that was L'Inferno three years prior. What was pretty bad was the final 20 minutes which could have been all cut out and the movie would have been better for it. The gunfight detracted from the reveal and just felt like padding. I won't say its bad but I would not really bother watching this one again.

So the Chinese assassinate an American scientist to steal a serum that does something, something, super soldier, but are killed and the serum falls into a man who looks like The Honky Tonk Man. Who immediately injects the serum into his arm because reasons, like The Honky Tonk Man. Now he is a blood drinking sex maniac. And so is the fictional character in this movie. Originally an X rated movie, it is still very obvious the director knew where his bread and butter was. Acting and plot are bad, though you wouldn't expect less as only a select few got any more roles to their name. But the movie is not incompetent. Yes the actors can't read their lines, but the director has some talent at giving them emotions. And the cinematography is excellent for a regular movie of the era, let alone a cheap B movie in Las Vegas. Its just focused often on sex scenes. I was a little disappointed to find that the fangs from the stills didn't make it into the cut, The Honky Tonk Man looks a little mundane without them. I'm not going to say this is a great movie, but for what it is it is competent.

I was liking this until the end of the second act. The sudden change up made it feel like the third act had to race to catch back up, creating a less compelling killer. The third of the Japanese Invisible Man trilogy, and the first I've seen, it stands alone fairly well. I don't know if the characters are in the previous movie but they were all very clearly introduced here and it isn't hard to follow. The makers of this movie were really sold on their special effects, and they were pretty good for the time. The transparency during the shrinking scenes is pretty severe but there is nothing I love more than a well done miniature. But the third act reset really upsets the flow of the movie and I'd rather they kept the lackey instead of the mastermind.

I absolutely adore this gimmick. A thriller completely devoid of anything thrilling is a bold strategy, but the subtlety in its storytelling is absolutely the best. Some of the clues don't translate well, but what is there is still pretty damning. I really don't want to explain the movie as I really do recommend seeing this movie blind. And if you are spoiled, get someone else to watch the movie blind for a good time. Go watch it.

Preceding Laird Cregar's final film Hangover Square, this was a very strong indicator of his potential career. Being the first role that he was entrusted top billing, his character has a very potent mystique to him. Perpetually ominous, his soft voice and imposing size make for a strangely compelling figure. Whether or not he is Jack the Ripper is engaging as a result of this. But between the two films, I feel this one is ever so slightly the lesser. A very strong film that falls just short of a perfect score.

Three very good movies in a row, this was a far better anthology than the previous mess. At least the stories were made to be short stories. Of the five of them, only one fails to deliver in my opinion. The first story is pretty underwhelming when its over, but while watching it was pretty unsettling. It had a few very good one two punch involving the laptop and it has some very creepy moments before abruptly ending. The second was a slow burn by comparison, the latter portion getting more of the scares, but they are very well established by the first half. The third is probably the creepiest purely because of the doll's face. And the last is a good wrap up story to explain why the mansion is so cursed. Its the fourth where things go a bit down hill. There was a creepy scene where a creature is visible over his shoulder, but its never seen again and the twist isn't worth it. But other than that one story, this was a nearly perfect anthology film.

I was unaware we needed a remake of The Stepfather. I was also unaware we needed an alt metal cover of The Turtles song, Happy Together. Boy, was I surprised to find that I was absolutely correct. Well, not that surprised. I bought this movie for $3 because I couldn't find it on streaming and wanted to put the series to rest. And then it ended up on streaming a month later. But as hard as I can be because of that, the biggest takeaway cannot be ignored. This movie knows nothing about what made the first movie so great. The transformation scene is replicated at the beginning but by no means duplicated. Instead of the meticulous process that made the change so jarring, it instead does it in a few jump cuts so it could have more time to show dead bodies that the original didn't need to do because it properly set up that shot of the living room. The who am I line is brought back, but instead of being the moment his mask slips that sets up the finale its just a throwaway line in his ranting and raving. The cast is bloated, two of the kids are completely unutilized and were forgotten about in the ending. And then there are the jump scares, just about any time anyone opens a door or turns a corner the stepfather is standing there, menacingly. But is the movie as bad as three? No, that movie is terrible, but not by much. Its the second worst movie in a franchise that never should have exceeded the first movie.

The follow up to The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, the only version of the movie available to me was the condensed 45 minute version as the full movie is locked away in a museum. And that had some very adverse effects to the movie. I had no idea who half the characters were. We have heard of Percy but when he appears there is nothing to tie the name to the face. If it wasn't for Florian shaving the elderly man that I would think he was Percy. Maybe it is better in the full movie but until that is made available we may never know. What I did take away was the fashion. Notably Genuine's 90s Marilyn Manson get up and Florian's Flock of Seagull's haircut. It makes the German expressionism look almost mundane by comparison. But with the confusing characters and barebone's plot, I can't say this is a must watch outside of some classroom on German expressionism, and even then you have The Cabinet of Dr Caligari to pull more from.

I would say that this one is for fans of Coffin Joe. Its a fond farewell to the character, one who surpassed the silver screen to television, albeit the latter being lost. I was partial to the ghost effects, painting them gray to resemble them in the older black and white films was a pretty nice touch. It also helped blend the old footage back into the more modern film. Placing Coffin Joe into a modern setting was a bold play, threatening to turn the movie campy or pretentious, but it walks the line very well. At no point did I feel brow beaten or jabbed in the ribs extensively, it handles the change well with Joe quickly finding his new element in the seedy favelas. The overly theatrical performances are to be expected from fans but newer viewers would likely be put off by it. My only real complaint was the final act, it would have been appreciated if the final confrontations were expanded upon.

What if you take the swimming out of the Creature From the Black Lagoon? An ultralow budget movie that manages to hide some of its budget but is still a goofy looking creature feature. There is not much to say about the creature. It can't do much but flail. It even struggles throwing the dummy off the lighthouse. And there isn't much direction for it otherwise, the actor often looks confused whenever there is more than one person else in the shot. There are some bad takes that got in, the opening scene is poorly dubbed, and there is not much in the way of action scenes. Outside of one prop head, there is only implied gore and every kill is off screen. Its a pretty low effort film, accessible for riffing among friends

Well, this uh... I finished my Top Hundred Horror Movies poster. Its a very good movie, one that likely would be a nightmare to make as little as five years later. And it gets dark fast. its a movie that would demand trigger warnings if you are the kind that would require trigger warnings. Including for the casting. But its not quite a perfect movie, it gets a little overly complicated with things that aren't followed up on. Like the step brother reveal, its dumped on us but it really doesn't tie into anything. Its a recommendation but if you are offended easily, you will certainly be offended by this.

There is a little something here. Its buried under some cheap 70s television special effects and a tediously paced fist act but its there. It isn't until the movie moves to the hunting cabin where things start to kick off and after that there is some pretty good psychological horror where you don't know what happened. But that first act, it has so much that just drags the plot on. I get that the father is domineering and cruel, we can speed this up a bit to the whipping scene. And then there are the dream sequences, these are the movie at its worst. They look terrible and I can't think of any period of time where it didn't look awful. And the ending, I can't help but appreciate how malicious it is. Its a very dated movie that could use a serious remastering but there is a gleam of quality here.

I had some complaints about this movie like the director has some nice cinematography but doesn't let it linger and the story is the backseat of the longest bus ever, but no, forget all of them. I had damn fun. This movie is an absolute trip even if the plot is loosely held together by duct tape and the love of orphans. The mystery of what is going on is enticing, maybe even addicting, as more and more crazy happenings pile up. Jogoro is amazing to watch as his facials and gesticulating depict a deeply broken man. And the hero is actually a clever man with an insane mystery to unravel. The malformed people of Jogoro's island look insane, some just looking like crazy people, some animal hybrids, and then the most messed up, the ones who are just sowed to animals. The woman with a sheep's head coming from her crotch is going to live rent free in my head for months. When its revealed a case of incest has been performed, after all the stuff I'd seen in the last two days, I'd probably not mind a flipper baby. This was spectacular, a weird and astounding Japanese classic by a true legend.

Kinski is always great as long as he isn't dubbed over and in this, he is no different. In spite of his flaws, the man was made for the camera. Its just that, the camera hadn't much for him this time around. The actors are fine, the daughter even exceeded Kinski at times, but there isn't much for them to do. The deaths are all pretty disappointing because there isn't much to them. The first is off screen, the second is shadow, and while the third starts good, it turns into what is an obviously empty hand kind of thrusting into nothing underwater. Some Italian violence would have been appreciated here. The mystery is alright, the killer makes sense but the suspects are undercooked. It really wants you to think its one person, and just leaves the others to just coast through. Its an alright movie overall.

In spite of its best efforts, I enjoyed this movie. Its very old fashioned in its production, reminiscent of silent movies with a preponderance of action. There are a lot of scenes of characters running down halls, general slapstick, secret passages, and even ghostly happenings that are brushed off. And miniatures. Using miniatures, they recreate some very modern camera work long before they were viable with live actors. And I love miniatures. But its the shadows that make the movie stand out the most, the bat really loves to cast his shadow in very cinematic ways. Its easy to see how it inspired Batman. If only it wasn't for the comedy. It often feels jammed in, stopping the plot for no reason and is very dated. Its pretty standard for the era but I much could do without the screeching maid trope. And it only gets worse when they introduce a second comedic character in the private eye.

The original Tetsuo isn't much on story, so this is a radical change in presentation. This being a more conventional film means you aren't going to see as much crazy visuals but does give the movie more focus. Characters have more motivation, the metal fetishists have a reason to be there other than petty revenge, they are a cult dedicated to making themselves like the machine hybrid they serve. Their torture of the main character is a means to an end and they just so happen to bite more than they can chew. The hero is a bit underwhelming but his development is engaging enough. But atmosphere is on point. The cyberpunk aesthetic is still there and give the movie a frantic feel. The music is frenetic, which detracts from any tension, and the constant use of bodily transformation and gore keep the action exciting. Its a very good movie though I still prefer the previous installment better.

Well, I have to say that this is a fairly wholesome, non-toxic portrayal of camp councilors, at least in their interpersonal relationships. And the movie suffers for it. There are some good traits, the way the handle Madman Marz is great. They give some full reveals, that still don't give you a great look at him and the faults in his design. He does have a cheap, rubbery quality to his face but you don't see it well until the end so those short flashes end up looking great. He is plenty big and imposing though so when you see the partial shots or silhouettes, he looks extremely intimidating. The kills are great for the budget, some of them are a bit too clean for what happened, but they are pretty gruesome overall. But when the movie isn't focused on him, the movie is a little dull. Since everyone is so damn understanding of each other, there is no drama to build off of and its just them running through the motions. Fortunately, there is enough Marz to keep the movie from dragging. Back in the 80s and 90s, this movie would make for a pretty decent rental.

Another controversial film, this time from the recently deceased exploitation legend Roger Corman. As the producer should imply, this is not a massive budget film but with some very talented people behind the wheel. The movie is absolutely solid with some clever scripting to help ground it. Morality clauses prohibit police from engaging in sexually explicit stings, prostitution stings are called before any favors are traded, and the movie even knows to cover that. The strippers did well considering they aren't actors and the twist served pretty well. What didn't was the soundtrack which plays a major role and is without exception awful. And there was a thing with skeleton parts, I think it was supposed to factor into the finale more but I didn't get it. If you are looking for a good sleazy movie, this is a pretty solid watch.

Val Lewton's follow up to one to one of his most commemorated movies is true to form, nothing as you'd expect from the title. The "curse" is less supernatural than psychological, the father seeing supposed red flags in his daughter that he had seen with his previous wife. Though there are still some supernatural aspects to the film, the girl's imaginary friend just so happens to be a woman she had never met, much of this is explained away. The story leans more dramatic than scary, though you fear that the girl may be losing her sanity its not putting herself into any real danger. It isn't until she runs off into a storm that she is under any peril. The movie still pulls off some good scares though, like the horseman scene on the bridge reminiscent of the bus in its predecessor. Its a well made movie produced by a man with an eye for compelling scripts.

There is no horror monster done dirtier than the Aztec mummy. And here, he gets the Cordona treatment. These movies shouldn't be treated as horror movies, they are child friendly adventure movies. at least that's what I will say to excuse the mummy only getting five minutes or so of screen time. He looks alright at least, until you see him move. He fights like Steven Segal, with the most lethal gentle shove in the business. He can transform, but its not like he does much. Most of the movie is a crime adventure, with an evil general Asian organization trying to steal a treasure by murdering archeologists for their cypher. Which they lose in a wrestling match. Kind of makes the whole first act pointless. But it is fun at least. I would not say this is a good movie, but for a kid friendly Indiana Jones like movie with wrestling, its at least entertaining.

This was maybe not the roughest roughie, but a suitably accessible one at least. I was really into this movie at first. The lurid and violent nature of its story was engaging and I was thoroughly intrigued by what was happening. The killer's closeted and tortured homosexuality was a very bold move, especially in the era, that helped bring context to his character. Combined with his abusive history with his overbearing mother, his confusion and fury combine to create a violent serial killer. The murders are pretty gory for the time, including stabbing and impalements, and its risqué sexuality would make it a real tough sell even today. But then comes the ending. Its bad. Its real bad. Its downright raw. I had a good time but the unfinished conclusion is a real hard sell to get over.

This is probably the most effective of the Guinea Pig moviws, but what's more, its also a very good movie. While the other two movies I've seen focused on being a simulation of a snuff film, the series relaunch under a new production company adds a lot of thematic depth. The painter is more than some madman in samurai armor, he is a tortured figure that garner's a degree of sympathy in spite of his actions. The actress that played the mermaid did very well, without speaking she leaves some really haunting imagery. I am going to have her pustule covered face staring at me in my head for a while. And the mystery of what became of her feels rather tragic. While it is the best of the series I've seen so far, its also the most stomach churning. This is not something to watch with a weak stomach.

A surprisingly bloodless affair. With Fulci's name attached to it and the conventions of the genre, I expected there to be a lot more murder. Its shocking only three deaths occur in the movie, and only one of them is onscreen. They did have one scene of animal torture that worked well, they weren't real dogs but the special effects were very effective. And sex, there was plenty of that, all of which was condensed in the first ten inutes. What made the movie great was the mystery, it really left you on the edge of your seat. And the ending is superb, keeping you guessing all the way to the end. This was a great watch, but I would still prefer New York Ripper over it.

I had a good run going there, but all good things come to an end. Three writers made this. I can't explain how as I was pretty sure every line was ad libed, but three people were somehow paid to write this. The only thing harder to digest was that there was a drama coach too. Nothing anyone says matters in this movie, talking is just an excuse to pad the run time. There re even cuts to new scenes where they continue conversations they were in the middle of, like they realized that the scene was supposed to take place somewhere else and they couldn't be bothered to reshoot it. For God sakes, the vampire was killed by the same sun she has spent the whole movie directly under. To say the acting is wooden, I thought the lead actress was a mannequin when she was sun bathing. Who's arms rest at a 40 degree angle that isn't a pro wrestler or action figure? This was atrocious.