Cal's Media of the Month

Halloween Movie Marathon 2009

2009-09-30T16:46:00.000-07:00

Halloween Movie Marathon - 2009!
Is it just me, or does the world seem to be spinning around on its axis a hell of alot faster these days? I can't believe it's October again, my favorite month, and it's once again time for me to dive into an ocean of horror and sci-fi seasonal goodies. You know the drill by now, we're gonna' try and view 31 flicks in 31 days to celebrate the big, build up to Halloween.

As you can see by the picture here, I kinda' take it seriously! So, we stay with the same annual game plan, I'll feast my orbs on all manner of horror and sci-fi films from my own personal library, from classics to modern, horrific to horrible, and I'll follow them up with a quick review and a ratings scale for scares, fun and effects. My scale is from o 1 to 5, with 5 being the top. So fasten up your safety belts, Seekers, here we go into the wild, weird and wonderful Halloween Horror Movie Marathon!!

1.) Tomb of the Dragon Emperor - 2008 - Oct. 1
Okay, so this films not really in the wheelhouse of horror anymore than Raiders of the Lost Ark, but I had to finish out the trilogy which started promisingly with The Mummy and quickly degenerated into this dismissible final installment. Where in the first one the writers and director clearly introduced horror elements and menacing situations, this latest outing is mainly a coaster ride of allegedly thrilling feats of daring do! Not. Brendan Fraser clearly just collecting a paycheck here as one of the only two returning original cast members. The others, no doubt, saw this debacle coming and beat it out of town! Jet Li is listed in the credits but I swear he's only really in the film for about 2 minutes. The rest of the time he is rendered as a CGI stone encrusted Mummy.Now, it's not a horrible movie to be sure, but it sure as heck ain't a good movie either, and it certainly is not a horror movie. So, I've entered the season on a soft note, cinematically speaking, and I promise to stay more in line as we progress. Scares: 1, Effects: 3, Fun: 2

2.) The Hideous Sun Demon - 1956 - Oct. 2

Written, directed, produced and starring Robert C. Clarke, this 1956 sci-fi chestnut ain't gonna' give Clint Eastwood any reason to worry. Basically an "anti-Wolfman" epic you can clearly see how Clarke was largely influenced (read that "liberally stole from") by the 1940's Universal classic. In Clarke's version our protagonist, after being exposed to, what else? Radiation in some freak lab accident, which apparently the movie's budget didn't allow for filming, becomes a reptilian creature when exposed to the Sun's rays. Try as he may to evoke sympathy from the viewer, ala most if not all of the classic Universal monsters, Clarke basically is not the actor he needs to be to pull it off. Not to mention the movie's kind of ridiculous anyway. However, it is a lot of fun to watch these mid 50's "atomic" warning movies. The make up for the Sun Demon is a stitch, again budget constraints only allow for the top half of our monster, so whenever he appears he's wearing trousers, a belt, and matching shoes!! Scares: 0, Effects: 1, Fun: 3

3.) Joy Ride - 2001 - Oct. 3
Now here's a fairly decent picture, 2001's Joy Ride stars Steve Zahn, Paul Walker and Leelee Sobieski as three cross country travelers terrorized by a menacing and anonymous trucker. It's sort of a nod to Spielberg's made for TV movie "Duel" which came out in the 70's. Plot? Yep, here goes: Zahn plays Walker's nere do well brother who, during a cross country drive, goads him into playing a mean prank on a lonely trucker over the CB radio. It's actually kind of fascinating that a movie made in 2001 would have CB radios as a plot device, it so 70's. Anyway, the prank goes bad when the trucker, lured to a motel on the promise of sex, ends up killing one of the guests. Soon he catches on to our two pranksters and proceeds to terrorize them throughout the remainder of the film. Sobieski joins in about 1/2 way into the movie, for what reason I'm not sure. Anyway, good scares in this one, nice mounting suspense, and of course, a wide open for a sequel ending. Scares: 3, Effects: 3, Fun: 3

4.) The Giant Claw - 1957 - Oct. 4
I recently purchased the Sam Katzman's Icons of Horror Collection and this is one of the 4 classic films in that set. Made in 1957, this tale about a giant, goofy ass looking buzzard stars none other than Jeff Morrow, stalwart of the 50's sci-fi scene, as our hero. This movie never really explains where, why, or how this giant buzzard happens to be here, but by God they sure do explain everything else!! Typical of these 50's movies, shortage of good writers left the dialogue weak so they make up for it with science text book recitations! Really, it's like your sitting in a damn lecture for several minutes of the movie. Entertaining AND educational, hmmmmm? Still, this flick was one of my favorites back in the day when I used to watch "The World Beyond" a Summer Sci-Fi show that featured all these gems of the day. Scares: 0, Effects: 1, Fun: 2

5.) The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll - 1960 - Oct. 5
Now here's one I haven't seen before, and frankly, I don't think I'm any worse for having missed it. Right out of the famous Hammer Production vault, this film is one of 4 on the new Hammer Films Icons of Horror Collection. The problem with trying to get your mits on these Hammer films is that apparently there are about a dozen "rights" lawsuits flyin' around keeping anyone from releasing the definitive chronological collection of these awesome films. Okay, back to tonight's gem. It's Hammer so right away you know the production standards are high, the color is startling Technicolor, and the story and dialogue are a notch or three above most other genre films of this era. And, true to a handful of Hammer movies, they play a unique trick on the timeworn story of the ill fated Dr. Jekyll. In this version, Jekyll is the long suffering scientist married to a philandering wife, who is philandering with his best friend (brilliantly played by Christopher Lee). However, in this telling, once the potion to separate the good and evil identities is ingested, Jekyll transforms into a handsome, well spoken, gentleman about town. Although, true to Hyde, he is evil to the bone and totally without conscience. It's a neat little twist in an otherwise familiar tale. The only thing that gets borderline annoying in this movie is the sound track, it's absolutely cartoonish in places, especially during the "gay Paree dancing girls sequences. Overall, a strong and enjoyable outing from Hammer. Scares: 1, Effects: 2, Fun: 2

6.) American Scary - 2006 - Oct. 6
Fabulous, interesting, nostalgic, funny and doggonit, pretty darn informative too! This wonderful film is a documentary about the wonderful world, history and legacy of the late night horror hosts that we have come to know, fear, and love. It's a real hoot to watch and relive some of the moments with Vampira, Svenghouli, Count Gore DeVol ( my personal host!), Zacherly, and a multitude of others, known, unknown, and mostly unheralded. Unfortunately though, I thought the movie was short on actual "scenes" from the horror hosts. There are dozens of interviews, lots of talking, and certainly loads of opining. For those of us who are into it, that's fine, but to the casual viewer this documentary is a bit talky and would have benefited from the archival antics of the wonderful hosts that it features. Also sadly lacking, and interview with Elvira, who most believe single handily legitimized the late night horror host and brought the genre to mainstream America. Still, well worth the watch. Scares: n/a, Effects: 2, Fun: 4

7.) Monster on the Campus - 1958 - Oct. 7
You'd never know it to watch this clumsy film that it was the work of Jack Arnold! Yes, the same Jack Arnold that gave us Creature from the Black Lagoon and It Came from Outer Space. This outing is a definite misstep for ol' Jack. The story? Arnold Franz stars as a poindexter science professor at a small upstate college. He's diggin' around for some prehistoric evidence to support his theories on evolution, and gets this really ugly, big, Paleozoic fish sent to him from Madagascar. No........I'm not kidding. Well, turns out this big ugly fish has been (of course!) irradiated for shipping to retard the deterioration process and blah, blah, blah. Look, he gets cut on the tooth of the thing and the infected blood make the professor go through "reverse evolution" and he becomes a Cro-Magnon man. Naturally his prehistoric urges necessitate the murders of a few folks on campus but he can't bring himself to kill his gal pal, Neanderthal or not! Completely absurd make up on the monster, it actually looks like the rubber masks they used to sell in the back of Famous Monsters Magazine. Again this films budget gives us another "terror in trousers", like the Sun Demon, our campus Monster manages to keep on his stay pressed pants throughout each transformation. Speaking of which, there is a pretty dandy old school, ala Universal Wolfman, transformation scene near the end of the film. Clearly the budget was shot on this scene. Scares: 0, Effects: 1, Fun: 2

8.) Frailty - 2002 - Oct. 8
Subtle, well crafted, superbly acted, and interestingly written, Frailty is a gem that I hadn't planned on watching this year. My daughter agreed to sit with me and she doesn't care much for anything black and white, so she chose this fine horror film from my collection. A brilliant story about a Father, played by Bill Paxton, and his two sons whose cozy blue collar suburban world is turned upside down with Dad gets a "vision" from God. He is instructed to slay demons, demons that apparently are all around us waiting to be "revealed". Clearly much of the current plot line from the CW show "Supernatural" was derived from this film. As the story progresses the older son rebels against the Father, assuming that he has slipped a gear and is out of his head. He tries to free himself and his younger brother from the horror of kidnap and murder that their Father has brought into their life. Any more detail would enter into spoiler territory, suffice to say that Frailty is a smart and paced horror movie, if not in the traditional sense. Scares: 3, Effects: 3, Fun: 3

9.) Curse of the Mummy's Tomb - 1964 - Oct. 9
By the mid 60's Hammer Studios had already harvested most of the worthwhile Universal characters and spun them in a unique, and more horrifying way. No one will argue that Horror of Dracula with Christopher Lee is certainly a more in your face horror movie than Bela Lugosi's Dracula, although both are excellent in their own right. But as sequels go, Curse of the Mummy's Tomb, albeit respectable, is not adding or subtracting to the Mummy story. As with most Hammer films it is well shot, beautifully staged, well acted and has good characters with tight believable dialogue. The Mummy itself is cool, scary in its own lumbering, silent way, and enters the film at about the point you'd expect: near the end! Oh well, as I said, this Hammer Mummy film is not up to par with the earlier Chris Lee Mummy film, but it's a fine distraction for an early October watch. Scares: 1, Effects: 3, Fun: 2

10.) Angry Red Planet - 1959 - Oct. 10
Look, all I know is that when they started showing the trailers for this in the early 60's, me and all my buddies KNEW we had to go see that movie with the "crab/rat/bat/spider/thing" in it! Well, alot of years have worked their way in between then and now, and the "me" thinks this movie sucks................big! It's not bad enough that it's slow, badly acted, horribly scripted, no, that wouldn't be enough for writer/director Ib Melchior, he had to go and shoot what would have been the only cool scenes in the movie in "Cinemagic". Hey, Cal, just what is Cinemagic? Well, glad you asked there, Sparky. Cinemagic is basically taking a bad orange gel and putting it over the lens of the camera, than adjusting the contrast so hot that it makes the entire picture look sort of like an orange negative. And this was supposed to HELP this movie?? It's got plenty of unintended yucks throughout for example, our astronauts all wear patten leather loafers with their space suits, the "modernistic" equipment looks like cast offs from a Mr. Wizard episode, the leading man, Gerald Mohr looks like the spittin' image of Morton Downey, Jr., and there's enough mysogonistic dialogue to keep N.O.W. busy for months. See it if you have to, but I hope you don't have to! Scares: 0, Effects: 1, Fun: 2

11.) Invisible Invaders - 1959 - Oct. 11
Invaders? Possibly. Invisible? Definitely if you're talking about plot, acting, sets, editing, dialogue, and casting. With the exception of sci-fi stalwart John Agar (clearly at the beginning of his career here), the remaining cast is disposable. Now, and this is the big revelation for me, there is no way that George Romero didn't see this film. The premise of course is that "invisible" aliens from "the moon" somehow find their way to earth and inhabit the bodies of the newly dead! Sound familiar?? Well it should, even those exact words are used in Romero's classic NOLD film. Even the make up and stilted lumbering of the "undead" smacks of the Romero's film. I haven't read any bios or behind the scenes, but I'd be off my center if I didn't at least mention the similarities. The film also briefly features John Carradine as the first or the possessed undead and his character, in what surely must have been an inside joke, is named Professor Noyman. Wasn't that the name of Karloff's character in House of Frankenstein?? I think so. But at the end of the day the film clocked in at 1 hour 7 minutes so it was enjoyably short. The undead actually looked pretty cool, and John Agar rocks so I can't beat it up any worse than I already have. Scares: 0, Effects: 1, Fun: 2

12.) Journey to the 7th Planet - 1962 - Oct. 12
John Agar is in this movie. It is most likely made by the interns who worked on "Santa Claus vs the Martians", but the writing is worse. Short plot? In a future world (2001!) the Earth is governed by the United Nations, there are no "atomic" weapons, and all nations, especially the Netherlands, work hand in hand to explore space. Sounds to me like Obama's favorite film so far. Not to belabor the issue, this movie keeps you guessing, on the edge of your seat really, because it so deftly conveys the message that at any moment.............NOTHING could happen. Get this. A United Nations Space Team is dispatched to explore Uranus.........insert joke here..........when they get there they find that it is controlled by a huge brain that can make them manifest any thought that they think. Yeah, I know, sounds crazy right? Look, I'm not going to waste any more time on this pure suckfest but I'll leave you with this: If you watch this movie, you WILL lose brain cells. Scares: -5, Effects: -1, Fun: 0

For the next several movies I'll be on my annual trek to visit my son in New York City. As many of you know, every October we spend a weekend together watching all manner of horror films until our eyes bleed.............for the most part.

13.) The Stepfather - 1982 - Oct. 17 (1st movie of the day)
This film sort of snuck in and snuck out on most horror buffs until recently with the big budget remake being released this week. If the remake is, as most remakes are, as completely retched as Hollywood can make than it will serve you well to check out the source material here. Just released on DVD, 1982's Stepfather stars Terry O'Quinn (Millenium, Alias, Lost, Etc.) superbly playing the role of a schizo sociopath in search of the perfect family and the American Dream. His problem? Can't seem to avoid eventual disapointent with the family unit and feels compelled to, uh, kill them all. Loosely based on the story of John Litz, and in my case, Bradford Bishop, the story is compelling and O'Quinn's acting is the vehicle that brings the movie out of obscurity and into cult status. True, this film was lost in the onslaught and explosion of the 80's slasher films (Halloweens, Friday the 13ths, Nightmares on Elm, etc.) but it cultivates its own creeping suspense and terror in the singular personage of O'Quinns performance. Scares:3, Effects: 2, Fun: 3

14.) [Rec] - 2007 - Oct.17 (2nd movie of the day)

Now here's a goodie! This is the original Spanish version of the movie that later would become "Quarantine", here in the good ol' U.S.A. I've never seen the latter but I can tell you the the source material is darn good horror. Filmed in the now accepted "reality video" format, the movie chronicles a young female reporter doing an what appears on the surface to be a puff piece about the local fire department and those who work for it. During her expose, she follows the fireman on an emergency call to a local apartment building where there is a report of a woman in trouble within her apartment. Within minutes after arriving at the apartment building she, the rescue crew, and everyone within the apartment soon realize that they have been sealed in due to an unknown and unexplained outbreak. From this point, the horror picks up velocity and draws us into a full blown zombie extravanganza!! I know, I know, you're thinkin' "Oh, crap Cal, not another zombie movie!" But hold on there, Seeker, this film manages to break a bit of new ground mainly due to the unique perspective of the hand held camera. So, whether or not you've seen what I imagine to be the dumbed down American version, I highly recommend this foray into fright. Scares: 4, Effects: 3, Fun: 3

15.) Halloween - 2007 - Oct. 17 (3rd movie of the day)

I am deathly afraid that these cumbersome, needless, meandering, overblown, poorly written, directed and acted remakes will be the death of the horror genre. When I first heard of this travesty my visceral gut reaction was immediate: "What kind of an asshole would ruin this perfect Halloween classic?". The answer? Rob Zombie. Now, I know some of you out there think this fella is God's gift to horror and you're allowed your opinion. But for me, I suffered through his stinkfest "House of 1000 Corpses" and vowed never to watch any sequel it spawned. I have remained true to that promise. I wish I would have had the forsight to put the same seal of disapproval on ANY product that Zombie writes, directs or produces. His characters are the worst, the dialogue is complete gutter speak, he creates a world where, really, you want EVERYONE dead because they are all so dispicable!! The worst part of this film is the back story of Michael Myers. Zombie strains to find a "reason" for Myer's sociopathic, murderous tendencies and fails.........miserably. The beauty of the character in Carpenter's (brilliant by comparison) original is NOT KNOWING why he does what he does. It's so much scarier that way. My advice? Steer wide and clear of this trash heap and pray that Michael Bay doesn't ruin Freddy Krueger next year in his needless remake of the Nightmare on Elm Street. Scares: 0, Effects: 2, Fun: -5

16.) Horror of Dracula - 1958 - Oct. 17 (4th movie of the day)

Now the only reason this fine film made it into this years watch list is that I was able to see it in the theatre on the big screen, as God intended!!! Really, as many times as I've, you've, we've seen these classic pic's, there's really nothing like seeing them in a real movie theatre the way they were presented originally. You know the drift here, Chris Lee takes on and subsequently OWNS the role of Dracula forever. Yes, Bela good, but Lee brings the awesome evil and menace that would define the character for decades to come. Much like Neil Adams reinventing Batman as the dark avenger of the night, Hammer Studios introduces us to the Dracula that we always wanted. Truly a classic and simply magnificent on the big screen. Scares: 3, Effects: 3, Fun: 5

17.) Curse of the Werewolf - 1961 - Oct. 17 (5th film of the day!!!!!)

This was the 2nd feature of a Hammer double shot we saw on the big screen with the previous film. Again, just too awesome to see these films with an audience, on a giant screen, with the smell of popcorn in the air. This particular movie surely wins the award for longest back story ever!!! Literally, we sat through 1 hour of the movie just getting the weird origin of the monster we had come to see. And the damn film is only 1 hour and 20 minutes long! Much like the Hulk TV series of the 70's, we finally get a look at one of the best representations of the Wolfman ever brought to the screen. Trust me kids, its well worth the wait, Hammer's Werewolf is totally animal and totally cool! True to the Hammer code we get the acrylic red paint blood in gobs and our hero/villian is convincing in his pained "why is this happening to me" role. Any way you slice it, this film is a classic. Scares: 3, Effects: 3, Fun: 5

18.) Dracula A.D. 1972 - 1972 (duh!) - Oct. 18

Ya' like Dracula? Ya' like Mod lookin' Hippies? Ya' like the swingin' English scene? Ya' like movies with more Dracula in the title than in the actual movie???? Than you'll love this clearly throw away Hammer film. It couldn't be more obvious that the series had run it's course at this point and was dangerously bordering on self parody. Again we find Christopher Lee as the Count, and he's awesome looking as usual, but sadly and awardly underused in this movie. It looks like they had to pay him by the minute and they were trying hard to cut corners. As you might expect Peter Cushing returns as yet another decendant of Van Helsing (did this family LOVE to procreate, or what?!?) and turns in a top notch performance. Say what you will about the caliber of film, budget, or whatever, I've yet to see either Lee or Cushing turn in a less than admirable acting job on any of these films. By this time they both MUST have known that these films were soon to fade into oblivion but they sure don't show it in the acting. Not the best, but certainlty worth watching. Scares: 2, Effects: 2, Fun: 3

19.) Inside - 2007 - Oct. 18. (2nd film of the day)

Okay. Let's see. Where do we start with this one...........a couple of years back I watched and reviewed "Audition" and as you may remember, was a bit freaked out about it. "Inside" BLOWS THAT FREAK OUT AWAY!!! Why, you may now ask, is this particular lil' French film more freaky than most? I guess it's due to the subject matter, the stark and graphic depiction of the violence, the depravity of the antagonist, and the depressing and brutal ending of the film. Word of warning: DO NOT WATCH THIS MOVIE UNLESS YOU ARE IN THE MOOD FOR EXTREME BRUTALITY, VIOLENCE, AND GORE. Really, this kind of shit is not my cup of tea, but once one travels into the quest for horror, one never knows what kind of film they may encounter. Truly this is the case here. Now, on the one hand it is an incredibly absorbing film. I gotta' say, I was totally into the plight of the heroine (uh, sort of) and was really invested in the demise (or so I hoped) of the creepy antagonist. Here's the story in a nutshell: the movie starts with a car accident in which a pregnant woman and her husband are involved. The husband is dead and we cut to the wife in the hospital where she is awaiting release and is approached by a creepy ass nurse who proceed to engage her a conversation about babies born dead! Now we cut to the pregnant gal at home and from here the film takes off and relentlessy pursues horrifying us at every turn. Can't give out too much else or else we're into spoiler territory. In some ways an engaging, interesting, and original film, it is also a repulsive, depraved, and horrific story. Watch at you own risk. I'm not kidding. Scares: 4, Effects: 5, Fun: -5!

20.) Zombieland - 2009 - Oct. 18 (3rd film of the day)

Hot off the presses Zombieland aspires to be "Shaun of the Dead" American style. NOT!! Missing the wit, the pathos, the character development, and story arc of Shaun, Zombieland comes across as a lame distant cousin. Funny for the first 30 minutes, the film quickly degenerates into a fairly text book regurgatation of most, if not all, of the now overworked and over used Zombie cliches. THe basic pretext is that we are in a world that has been taken over by the living dead and those that are still human are wandering about the Zombie world looking and longing for the world that used to be. The writers could have done more to play up this theme but, well, they suck. There is a sequence in the middle of the movie that is a curveball of sorts, but if I tell you about it it'll spoil the surprise. I'm not gonna' hate on this film, but I really wouldn't recommend it as a must see. Scares: 2, Effects: 4, Fun: 3

21.) Paranormal Activity - 2009 - Oct. 18 (4th film of the day)

Scariest movie of all time!!! Buy heart attack insurance before entering the theatre!!! Grab onto your boyfriend or girlfriend for dear life!!!! Uh, maybe it's just me, but this film must rank among the most brilliantly hyped, marketed and over stated movies of all time. Needless to say, I was unimpressed. Not only was I not scared, EVER, I was damn near bored most of the time. The audience that I watched it with in NYC must have concurred because at the end credit roll there was an audible groan of disbelief throughout the theatre. Now, it's not like the film didn't have it's semi-original premise: young couple in a townhouse in a non-disclosed area are semi convinced that they are being "haunted" by some spirit or spirits. The movie is shot in the now familiar "home video" style replete with shakey cuts, unnecessary fades and pans, and the usual routine that goes with this type of camera style. Thing "Blair Witch" without the total originality.

The movie seeks to build momentum through a series of slowly building bedroom camera scenes where the the "activities" of the "demon/ghost/whatever" ever so slowly escalate. Again, I'm not gonna' hate on this film, but it was totally, and I believe, intentionally, overhyped by the studio that bought the film for a song. Alledgedly made for $11,000.00, Paramount purchased the film for $300,000.00 and it has proceeded to make $2,000,000.00 in general release. Okay, that's the way Hollywood works but my advice is to wait for this one to come out on DVD and watch it at home. Scares: 2, Effects: 1, Fun: 2

22.) A Nightmare on Elm Street - 1984 - Oct. 19 (1st film of the day)

I'm not gonna' be able to add much here as most if not all of you know that this Wes Craven film simply set the standard for intorducing a new, original, and interesting horror icon to the starving for something horror set. Freddy Krueger is the king of new age monsters and delivers in this first film in a way that is distinctly different and preferable to all the sequels that follow. Frightening, threatening, menacing and intent on terror, this Freddy has all the attributes and mystery that are lacking in the subsequent 7 sequels. Not until Freddy VS Jason do we see Freddy as Craven intended him to be. So, you know you love it, watch it every year and enjoy the pure originality of Wes Craven's ode to horror history. Scares: 3, Effects: 3, Fun: 5

23.) Phantasm 2 - 1987 - Oct. 19 (2nd film of the day)

The original Phantasm was a landmark horror film, setting a new bar in surrealism, originality, and atmosphere. Unfortunately much of that is lost in the less than adequate sequel. Coscarelli, who piloted the first stunning feature, seems aimless here not knowing where, when or why the story should continue. Adding to the unsatisfactory feel of this sequel is the conspicuous absence of the original lead actor. Reggie returns, but without the original Michael the experience feels and plays out like an also ran obligatory rehash of the first film. Widely anticipated as a DVD release, I am at a loss to figure out why. Sure, it's got the Tall Man, the Ball, and the inexplicable midgets from another dimension, but still this film falls flat on all fronts. Scares: 1, Effects: 2, Fun: 2

24.) Dracula - 1931 - Oct. 19 (3rd film of the day)

Yeah, I know, I watched this last year, and the year before, and probably for 10 years before that but this time I got to see it on the big screen in a REAL movie theatre. Just like the previous Hammer films that I was blessed to re-experience in a theatre setting, so to is this veiwing of Bela Lugosi's Dracula. The refined performance of Lugosi is truly stunning in the theatre setting and even given the sophistication of todays audiences he manages to draw you in to the character like it was the first time you ever saw him. Awesome is the only word I can use here. Lugosi is great, the movie is timeless, Universal rocks, and I feel fortunate to have had the chance to experience the movie the way people did 78 years ago!! Scares: 2, Effects: 2, Fun: 5

25.) The Mummy - 1932 - Oct. 19 (4th film of the day)

Okay, all that shit I said in the last movie, well pretty much that applies here. This was the 2nd film of a double feature of a film fest in Brooklyn that me and my son went to. It's great, really. But for the sake of taking up enough space to fit the picture in my text let's go over the positive points of this timeless classic. Number 1? Karloff. Period. He is so perfect in this role, so subtly menacing in his performance that it literally builds throughout the film until you are fully involved by the final scene. Now, as a monster showcase, it's lacking. Let's face it, the Mummy that most of my generation know from the Aurora Model version is only in the film for the first 10 minutes. Beyond that, there is no Mummy, just Karloff as Ardeth Bey, the creepy reincarnation of the Mummy Imhothep. Scares: 2, Effects: 2, Fun: 4

26.) Trick R Treat - 2009 - Oct. 19 (5th film of the day!!! AGAIN!!!)

Original in composition, equisitaly filmed, and convincingly acted, this film stands as a semi tribute to the night of Halloween. It is, in format, an anthology film, deftly weaving the comings and goings of several characters within the confines of the night of Halloween. Several years in the "coming out soon" category this movie finally gets its release straight to DVD and thankfully so. It's clear to see how the studio brass had no idea how to market this gem. It deftly avoids any pigeonholing into any of the known horror categories. Suffice to say that viewing this film will bring back loads of Halloween memories from nearly every viewer. Clever, subtle, scary, and interesting , I think you will fine Trick R Treat to be one of those rare genre films that gets better with each viewing. Scares: 3, Effects: 3, Fun: 5

27.) The Gorgon - 1964 - Oct. 25

Ya' know kids, we're gettin' really near the big day and I'm crammin' in movies like the Democrats are crammin' in earmarks into the bullshit Health Care Reform bill. But travel on we must and so we have this Hammer film loosely based on the legend, or mythology, of Medusa. Our story revolves around some nebulus English province that is haunted (inexplicably) by the ghost of Medusa's sister Magiera. Yeah, I know, I've never heard of her either. Magiera evidently possesses a nubile young assistant to a local Doctor played affectively by Peter Cushing. Well it quickly becomes apparent that...................oooooops, spoiler. So I've got to shut my mouth and let you experience this fairly competant movie on your own. Scares: 3, Effects: 2, Fun: 2

28.) Scream of Fear - 1961 - Oct. 26

Look, I'm runnin' out of time, tomorrow (on the real calendar) is Halloween and I'm way behind on my reviews. However, on a good note, I've actually surpassed my goal of 31 in 31. So from this point on the critiques will be sparse and we'll just list the films that I've tackled. This movie could be considered Hammer does Hitchock, as it reveals itself to be a taughtly wrtitten and well acted melodrama starring Susan Strasburg as a wheel chair bound heiress who is tormented by ghosts of her dead (?) father. See it, love it, and tell me it isn't Hitchcock redux!

The remainder of the marathon looks like this:

29.) Resident Evil

30.) The Werewolf - 1956

31.) How to Make A Monster - 1958

32.) Halloween - John Carpenter's classic ode to this glorious day.

There you have it kids, another year in the books and lookin' forward to settin' up my awesome yard display tomorrow. Have a great and scary Halloween and we'll look forward to next years marathon where I intend to dwell deeply into more of the REAL horror side of cinema.

Happy Halloween!!!!!

Smallville - Best Superman TV Ever?

2009-01-20T14:40:00.000-08:00

Lemme preface this column by stating that I did not start watching this show until last year. It's now in it's 8th season. Being a comic book nut, like I am, I'm not really sure why I never caught on to this awesome show much earlier, perhaps it just flew under my radar. But thankfully, I finally caught on and I gotta' tell ya', in my limited opinion, this telling of the Superman story, given the confines of the TV medium, is simply the best, most entertaining version of the legend yet. And I've seen 'em all, from George Reeves to Dean Cain. Trust me, Smallville is the real deal. Now, having said that I have to qualify it by alerting you to the fact that although based firmly in the basic foundation of the Superman story, Smallville jumps off, augments, or generally plays pretty fast and loose with the expansion, or stretching, of our hero's basic elements. Trust me though, once you start watching, just go with it. The opening pilot of Season One is really exciting. It begins by "augmenting" the origin storyline. How? Glad you asked, Sparky. The writers take the "meteor coming to earth" premise and expand it into an entire meteor shower that strikes Smallville reeking much disaster, disrupting lives (Lana Lang's parents are killed, for example) and setting into motion what will be the plot device for much, if not all, of Season One. The Kent's find the baby Kal-El just like we've always been told, the writers knowingly leave that Holy Grail untouched, and there is the obligatory montage of young Clark coming along. The single neatest funtion of Smallville is that it serves to fill in so many blanks about the Superman character that as comic book geeks, we have all just taken for granted. This show actually gives us some insight into how Clark discovers, and eventually learns to control his many powers. Additionally, how he emotionally deals with the burden of who he is and where he comes from. The themes of isolation and lonliness prevail in many episodes. Okay, that's enough of that, what's really fun is how the show introduces and develops all of the characters from the mythos. Lex Luthor is depicted as an early ally and friend to Clark, and we get to see his progressive move to his darker aspirations. Lana Lang, Clark's first girlfriend is the unrequited love interest and, due to her parents death in the meteor shower, a challenge to Clark's sense of isolation and secrecy. The first season begins with Clark's freshman year at Smallville High and the subsequent 3 seasons finish out the high school experience, almost like we're watching in real time. Much of the earlier seasons, especially Season One, deal with "meteor rocks", pieces of kryptonite that literally are EVERYWHERE in Smallville, and their detrimental effects on certain residents of this sleepy town. Basically the gist is this: the kryptonite, although deadly to Clark, gives others special powers that apparently bring out the worst in them. So the basic plot premise of many an episode is the discovery of these "meteor freaks", and the resolution of their threats. Simple stuff, right? Yep, it'd be pretty mundane standing on its own but the writers have seen fit to begin weaving multiple sub-plots into every episode. There are always interesting and engaging story arc's involving one or more of the main characters. Conspiracies, secrets, love interests, betrayals, sacrifices, you name it, there all here and all done well. One of my favorite aspects of the show is how it seamlessly introduces us to other characters in the Superman story. By Season 6 we've been introduced to most of of the members of what we know to be the Justice League. Flash, Green Arrow, Aquaman, Cyborg, and even the Martian Manhunter play pivotal roles in advancing the story of Clark/Superman. Heck we even get a look at Supergirl by Season 7! Look, it's really way to much to try and cover 7 years of this show in one column and I can't possibly do it justice. If you're not watching this show, and you call yourself a comic book fan, than boy Howdy, you got some 'splainin to do! Do yourself a favor, get Netflix and start getting Smallville. You'll be pleasantly surprised, and I'd bet like me, you'll be burnin' through the next 6 seasons in record time.

Halloween Movie Marathon 2008

2008-10-02T17:16:00.000-07:00

It's seems uncanny to me that I'm back here again, after a full year of not bloggin' on this site, and doin' another funtastic 31 in 31, (that's 31 movies in 31 days!) Halloween Horror Movie Marathon! So be it, it's my favorite thing to write about in the first place, AND it gives me ample reason to sit down and reinvigorate my various written ponderings! So here we go, Seekers! Off into the freaky, frightening, fun, funny, and fearsome. This year, for no real reason, I seem to have chosen a large amount of 1950's and 60's Sci-Fi and Horror. and that'll make for some interesting viewing I'm sure, and I'm gonna' continue to use my Scares, Effects, Fun rating scale so you'll have a pretty good idea of what your in for if you follow in my footsteps. So hang tight, fellow horror fans, 'cause here we go!!

1.) The Beginning of the End - 1957 - Oct. 1
I was 2 years old when this film made the rounds in theaters and drive-ins across this great land. My, oh my, how special effects have advanced in a half a century. Directed by Bert Gordon, yeah that Bert Gordon, it's another in a long line of atomically mutated giant bug epics. Not the best one by a long shot, but it has it's fun moments. Peter Graves stars in one of his earliest performances and delivers a solid B movie leading man. The effects are your typical super-imposed shots of bugs, in this case, Grasshoppers, laid over real shots of landscapes and cities. This one takes place in and around Chicago and there are some fairly admirable scenes of the hoppers crawling over several skyscrapers. Look closely and you'll be able to detect that these monsters are actually crawling over PHOTOGRAPHS of skyscrapers. Oh well, it was only 1957. A fine, easy start to this years fright fest. Scares: 0, Effects: 2, Fun: 4

2.) Below - 2002 - Oct. 2
Once in awhile a really interesting, well scripted, well acted, lil' genre film comes quietly down the line and fortunate are the few that stumble upon them. That's my take on Below, an above average ghost story (ghost stories, possibly THE hardest format for a horror film!) directed by David Twohy, of Pitch Black fame, and written, at least co-written, by Darron Aronofsky. This movie is beautifully filmed, the lighting, the staging, the sets, are all top notch. Quite a feat considering the whole damn thing takes place on a submarine. Fine ensemble acting by actors you don't know by name, but you'll recognize nearly all of their faces from dozens of TV shows and movies, really propel this story about an ill fated submarine crew during World War 2 who are haunted by the ghost of the ships first Captain. I'll leave out why, don't want to blow the story for you. But suffice to say, its a classic "guilty conscience manifests itself as ghostly apparition"narrative that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The ghost story and the suspense is heightened dramatically by the additional plot device of the sub being stalked by an anonymous battleship determined to send the sub and it's crew to a watery grave. It's all good here, and I highly recommend that you add this one to your permanent collection!! Scares: 7, Effects: 8, Fun: 7

3.) Black Sunday - 1960 - Oct. 3

Okay, billed mainly as the launch pad vehicle for Mario Bava's movie career, this film also launched the "scream queen" career of Barbara Steel. Let's just say she has the biggest, largest, fullest...........EYES, of any woman EVER to be in the movies!! (and I'll bet you were thinkin' somethin' else, huh?). Clearly, Elvira took her eye makeup cues from Ms. Steel, and possibly some of her hairstyle tips too!! Chock full of atmosphere, Gothic scenery, misty landscapes, and embattled ruins, Bava's maiden cinematic voyage owes large debts to the Hammer films that preceded this directorial debut. This film is long on cinematography, (shot in pristine black and white, which adds to the overall mood), and sets, and costumes, and is a pure joy to watch, BUT, (and here the other shoe falls), suffers from "current film viewer paradigm', that is inevitable for those of us who have pondered and wandered through the genre for oh, these many decades. The film clocks in at a seemingly brisk 87 minutes, but you'd swear you've been watching for 2+ hours! Not in a bad way though, the movie, the beautiful cinematography, the Gothic imagery, and the imaginative sets, keep you interested in spite of the painfully slow moving story. Just as a point of fact, the films major antagonist appears in the opening sequence, vowing revenge on those burning her at the stake, and thereby setting up the entire movie's storyline; yet doesn't reappear, fully, until the last 5 minutes of the film! So you have this 70 odd minutes of slow boil build up, plastered tight with magnificent scenery, camera work, lighting, and atmosphere, that ends in a 10 minute flurry of "oh, crap, we've got to wrap this movie up!" type action. Nevertheless, it's well worth the time spent. Clearly Bava was majorly influenced by early Universal Horror films, Hammer Productions, and possibly even early Roger Corman films. Not totally original, but certainly admirable in his respect to the genre and the source material. Scares: 4, Effects: 6, Fun: 5

4.) The Crawling Eye - 1958 - Oct. 6 (first of double feature)
Okay, all I know is, when I was around 10 years old, this film was featured on "The World Beyond", a local horror show that played during the summer of 1965 on Thursday nights at 9:00 o'clock, and it was possibly the FIRST film I ever saw that showed decapitated bodies!!!! Whoah! Trust me, at the time that was big news!! Watching it now, it is no more than a welcome bit of nostalgia from a time when monsters and movies were all that mattered. Sure, by today's standards, or hell, any day's standards this film is a mere blip on the landscape. Basic plot? Strange, inexplicable cloud, (no origin offered or needed) is hovering over the Trollenberg Mountain in Switzerland. Something in the cloud is taking the heads off unaware mountain climbers. A vacationing United Nations investigator and a weird sister, paranormal, mind reading act have inexplicably decided to spend their time off at this particular "place of doom"! The film is 80 merciful minutes long, and about 70 minutes in you get your first look at the Octopus/Eyeball beings that inhabit the cloud that, once again, is inexplicably hanging around this mountain and eating the heads off climbers. God, don't you wish that all movies could be this innocent and blatant? Still, it is shot in some gloriously clear Black & White, and we get a good look at Forrest Tucker Just a mere 7 or 8 years before his "F-Troop" TV series, and there are some real moments of dread, suspense and drama. Totally fine for an early Halloween peek! Scares: 2, Effects: 2, Fun: 4

5.) Horror of Party Beach - 1964 - Oct. 6, (2nd of double feature)
Take Frankie Avalon and Annette Funnicello, strip them of most of their talent, surround them with the prerequisite cast of bikers, surfers, beach bunnies and a surf band, THAN have a monster or two start eating them for no apparent reason and you've got yourself a "Horror on Party Beach". This gem was a hoot from the opening scenes: a hip young couple in a small sport convertible come cruising up to a beach party and immediately begin arguing. He: "you've got to grow up and get serious now", and She: "You're a bore, I'm gonna' drink and party and dance on the beach with bikers I've never met!" I'm paraphrasing, but that' pretty much the drift. Just prior to this we have a brief interlude setting up our "monsters". Get this, some boat, looks like a commercial fishing trawler, for some reason has 55 gallon drums of radioactive waste on board and decides to chuck 'em overboard just off the shore of Party Beach. One of the cans hits the ocean floor and springs a leak. As fate, and bad scripting, would have it, there just happens to be the human skeletal remains of, what? A surfer? Drunk fisherman who fell outta' his boat? Whatever, no explanation, there's just a lot of skeletons off the coast of this particular town. Well, something in the radioactive ooze, mixes with the skeletons and I guess the fish in the area and creates a small army of, uh, let's see how can I best describe these things. They look like 6 foot tall Asparagus, or Artichokes with a semi-fish head, but the fishes' mouth appears to be full of about a dozen cucumbers!!! I'm not makin' this stuff up, kids, you check out the pictures here and you'll see what I'm sayin'. The rest of the movie? Well, suffice to say it has laughs aplenty as these toxic, amphibious, vegetable men proceed to raid a pajama party, a beach party, and lover's lane. This is part of the new Del Tenney Collection that includes 2 other titles that I'll be watching soon, and at least this one is pure fun. Tacky and cheap to be sure, but fun nevertheless!! Scares: 0, Effects: -1, Fun: 5

6.) The Innocents - 1961 - Oct. 8
I guess I felt I needed to cleanse my pallet after that last film, so I chose a film I have heard about but never seen. Starring Deborah Kerr, an academy award winner no less, and featuring the great direction of Jack Clayton, this is a classic, Gothic, ghost story in the mold of The Haunting, Changeling, and Dead of Night. The formula is typical for the time and for the caliber of director and performers in the piece: they are in no hurry to rush you into a fake scare scene, or blood, or gore. Slowly building the dread, the storyline follows a newly hired governess assigned to take care of the unwanted nephews of a erudite, world traveler, played briefly by Michael Redgrave. The children reside in a gigantic, Gothic mansion in the middle of nowhere that has a tragic history. The previous governess committed suicide after the accidental death of her sadistic lover, the estate's groundskeeper. You are kept guessing throughout the film whether there are really ghosts haunting the estate, in effort to possess the children, a brother and sister who are creepily played here by two unknown child actors. Kerr is convinced that the ghosts are real and that they intend to inhabit the children to carry on their brutal love affair. However, no one else sees the ghosts, or knows of them. Is she crazy? Are the kids evil? Are the ghosts real? This is the device that keeps you watching til the end. Now, I personally was disappointed in the ending, it's one of those "leave the viewer up in the air and to his or her own conclusion" endings. I hate those. But still,this one is well worth the 100 minutes, and I'm not sure I agree that it's "one of the scariest movies of all time" as it proclaims on the box, but it does always find a place on most industry Top 100 Horror film lists. Scares: 4, Effects: 3, Fun:2

7.) Curse of the Living Corpose - 1964 - Oct. 10
Well, let's just say Del Tenney had some pretty good intentions with this film: clearly influenced by Roger Corman, Hammer, and to a lesser degree, early Universal films, Tenney sets out to make a gothic "who done it" film. A signifigant factoid of this particular movie is that it is the debut effort of Roy Schieder, who of course will go on to become quite a star. Outside of that it is an ensemble of unknowns including a Clark Gable look-a-like, and cadre of forgetable "B" movie stalwarts. So, back to the film, it's a hoot in many ways. The black and white cinematography is crystal clear, the 19th century costumes are well done and believable, and the outdoor sequences are lush. It's the sets that suck! I swear that all indoor shots were done in one room where they just moved the funiture around and changed the placement of the pictures on the wall. It's either that or the interior designer really liked this one pattern of wallpaper. The film is schizophrenic on multiple levels: part "who done it", part gore film, and then 45 minutes in it takes an inexplicable comic turn with the introduction of a Chief Inspector and his bumbling Constable side kick. Ala Universal horror where there would always be at least one character to provide comic relief between the scenes of "terror". So Del tries a little bit of everything in this one, his villian's main story line borrows liberally from Poe's Premature Burial premise in that the unseen Rufus Sinclair suffers from the paranoia that he will be buried alive. The movie commences with his funeral so we never really see or meet the ill fated Sinclair but we are soon introduced to his entire dysfunctional family. At the reading of the Will each of the characters greatest fears is revealed and used to threaten them in the event that the Patriarch of the family is indeed buried alive. The remainder of the film is the systematic carrying out of the threats. Again, there is clearly a decent storyline here, Tenney just doesn't have the writing skills to propel it forward. Not a total waste of time, and some yucks that'll keep you interested, but not a must see by any standard. Scares: 1, Effects: 1, Fun: 3

8.) Count Dracula (BBC Teleplay) - 1977 - Oct. 11
Beautifully shot, excellently adapted from the Stoker book, and professionally cast, this 1977 BBC mini-series is actually the best telling of the Dracula story. It is also clear that Coppolla liberally lifted large sections of this teleplay for his version of the movie as did many of his actors. If you watch the Frank Finlay performance of Van Helsing in this production and follow it with the Anthony Hopkins interpretation, you will know without a doubt that Hopkins closely studied Finlay's performance. Louis Jordan as Dracula is nothing short of brilliant in his smooth juxtaposition of grace and menance. The film jumps between film and video tape and this can be a distraction if you let it, but the transistions are put to good use and serve to enhance several scenes. Everyone knows the story so there's no use for me to belabor that here, but suffice to say that this Count Dracula is probably the definitive presentation of this timeless horror story. It just became available on DVD this year after 30 years as a lost fan favorite. I actually saw this when it aired in 1977 on my local PBS station and I never forgot it. Reviewing again today for the first time in 3 decades was well worth the weight. Scares: 4, Effects: 5, Fun: 5

9.) Phantom from 10,000 Leagues - 1956 - Oct. 13 (1st of double feature)
The premise of this incredible stinker is, and I'm doing my best to explain what I think the premise was, a Professor at an undisclosed Oceanographic Institute is working on some top secret, uh, experiment or something.......apparently so secret that we, the audience, never know what the hell it was!! But no matter, the opening scene is of some fisherman off the coast (of we never learn where) bringing in his net to examine the catch of the day when his rowboat is capsized and he is killed by a, well the best way to describe it is, an underwater Chinese parade dragon. And no, I'm not kidding. Fortunately for us, the doomed viewer, this underwater demon, the Phantom I suppose, only has a total of less than 90 seconds of screen time in this 80 minute travesty. No name actors of any kind in this forgettable sci-fi film, and the story is loose and lost for much of the film. Part monster flick, part international espionage flick (there are some random scenes interjected throughout that deal was some Femme Fatale that is blackmailing the aforementioned Professor's lab assistant for.......oh, who gives a shit!) In fact, there's not much use in me going into anymore detail on this one. If you watch it, and I don't think you should, be prepared for unrelenting boredom!!! Scares: 0, Effects: 1, Fun: 1

10.) Beast with 1,000,000 Eyes - 1955 - Oct. 13 (2nd of double feature)
The previous film would have been my candidate for worst film I'd ever watched during my marathons, until I saw this one!! Sucking on so many levels, this film is an early effort in part of Roger Corman, who would of course later go on to some pretty watchable "B" films. But this one is not a cornerstone of his career, in fact, I don't know how he got work after this junk. First off, there is NO beast with any eyes, much less a million of 'em! Basically, this isolated family living on what appears to be a "palm tree" farm, is terrorized by, get this, farm animals and birds under the mind control of a being from another planet. The being appears in the form of a pressure cooker, or teapot, with spinning antennae that emits a high pitched whistle that apparently takes over minds. Horrible editing, stilted acting, crappy sets and filming, and the worst dialogue I've heard since Catwoman, this movie is so bad that if you watch it, I will personally come to your house and slap the crap outta' you!!! Scares: 0, Effects: 1, Fun: 1

11.) Dr. Phibes Rises Again! - 1972 - Oct. 14
Long on style, heavy on 1930's era deco, deep on pre-psychodelic renderings, but oh so woefully short on substance, this film is only watchable due to the mesmorizing presence of Vincent Price. Basically relegated to a silent film role (Dr. Phibes can only "speak" through some weird electronic outlet on his neck) Price carries himself in his usual over the top, grandiose, but ultimately menacing presence that we have come to know and love. The first Phibes film left me questioning, and this sequel does little to provide answers . But the sets are lavish, the plot murkey but followable, and the atmosphere is creepy. This movie is thought by many to be superior to it's predecessor, but I differ with that thinking. At least the first movie set up the character and his motives, this film merely perpetuates the bizarre killing devices that Phibes employes to extract revenge on those he perceives to have wronged him. Scares: 2, Effects: 2, Fun:4

12.) House - 1986 - Oct. 15
Departing momentarily from his bread and butter, Sean Cunningham, (of the Friday the 13th series), offers us this fairly refreshing ghost story. Although convoluted at times with regard to several simultaneous storylines, it is a well paced, well acted, and quite an original lil' spin on the standard "haunted house" theme. Clearly advertising for this film was geared to make the audience think that it was a different kind of movie with the "Ding, dong, you're dead!" catch line. Only one character dies in this move as a direct result of the house, or the haunting and the film is really delivered in a comic horror tone. Nevertheless, William Katt (Carrie) turns in a likeable performance as an ex-Viet Nam vet, turned horror author, who lost his young son in an "abduction", is seperated from his beautiful actress wife, and whose Aunt just committed suicide. See what I mean about the plot lines?? It all manages to work somehow and the film is a clean 82 minutes long. There are some good scares here and the back story about Katt's time in Viet Nam is intriguing. I hadn't seen this film since it's release and I was pleasantly reminded of how much I liked it. Good stuff, well worth your time. Scares: 4, Effects: 5, Fun: 5

13.) From Beyond -1986 - Oct. 16
It's hard to believe that this film and the previous one both came out in the same year! The approaches to horror are so distinctly different. Stuart Gordon, following on his dynamic debut with ReAnimator, takes us on another "in your face" weird, psycho-sexual, trip down terror lane. Loosely based, as many of Gordon's films are, on an H.P. Lovecraft tale, once again the wonderfully weird Jeff Combs turns in another over the top performance as a lab assistant to a malevolent genius who has invented a machine that, uh, will, it, uh..........not quite sure what the intent was, but it apparently torques up your 6th sense and, as an added bonus, puts you on the express train to nutty town! Barbara Crampton, one of the Gordon ensemble group, once again plays the female lead and cements her status as the 80's sexy, scream queen. The gore is fairly up front in many of the scenes, but there are plenty of other moments of building tension, and suspense. Again, I'm not sure at all how close this screenplay comes to the original source material, but it is classic Stuart Gordon and a film I've always remembered since originally viewing it in 1986. It has been re-released within the last year in the "unrated director's cut" edition, and the transfer to DVD is flawless. I highly recommend this one. Scares: 5, Effects: 7, Fun: 7

14.) Cloverfield - 2008 - Oct.17
Okay, let's get it straight: If not for Blair Witch, there would be no Cloverfield; If no for Cloverfield there would be no Quarantine. The building number of "hand held video" point of view films would seem to indicate that they work, at least on some level. Cloverfield is one of the better, if not the best of this genre. Smartly scripted, amazingly edited, and cleverly acted, this film actually gives us a believable "giant monster invades city" film! Can you believe it? After nearly 70 years of this theme, J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves have the hutzpah to try and deliver this tired format to a knowing audience base. It works on all levels. Now, in order to sell us on idea that this is a "real" video, they do have to use some rather tired effects. Apparently "real" videos are always framed on the diagonal, or cut off the subjects heads or half their bodies. You know, going overboard to convince us that this ain't professional. But that's little enough to swallow considering we've already bought into the fact that anyone on earth would really take the time to continue "filming" while: being attacked by crab like carnivorous bugs; running through destruction ravaged streets while the military relentlessy bombs a giant monster; or, perhaps being in a helicopter that is knocked out of the sky by the aforementioned monster. So, we've agreed to suspend disbelief, and we are better for the bargain. Cloverfield is smart, scary, and original. Can't ask for more than that in todays horrorverse. Scares: 5, Effects: 9, Fun: 7

15.) Demons - 1985 - Oct. 18
Man, oh man! Uh, just a tad in your face, Lamberto Bava (son to the master, Mario Bava) follows in Dad's footprints but trades in the atmosphere for gore. I remember seeing this one in the theater with my brother and not really believing what we were seeing. Ahead of it's time in the "knowing" horror movie theme, the plot (such as it is) revolves around a group of people who have accepted an invitation to a free viewing of a movie in a large, gothic, theater called the Metropol. While the film unfolds, the audience members begin living the nightmare being played out on the screen. Somehow having to do with Demons, and ancient Nostrodamus predictions about the end of man, the movie characters and the audience members beginning turning into boil splattering, gut chewing, profusely bleeding, razor toothed zombies hellbent on, whatelse? Carnage. No real explanations given or needed in this one, you just have to go along for the ride. Plenty of horror, decent effects and make up, and pretty cool sets and scenery make this an above average entry into the zombie/ghoul/living dead genre. Scares: 6, Effects: 5, Fun: 4

16.) Target Earth! - 1954 - Oct. 20
If you didn't know it, you'd swear by the opening scenes of this movie that it was an earlier version of 28 Days Later. Young women, scantily clad, wakes up in hotel room looking a tad outta' touch with reality. She meanders around to discover that she is ALONE IN THE CITY!! EVERYONE IS GONE!!!! Not. Real soon, Richard Denning (Revenge of the Creature) shows up and they calmly figure out that the entire city has been evacuated in the last 12 hours, and somehow they apparently did it without making a sound! Oh, the innocence of the era. But wait, it gets better. Everyone was sheparded outta' town because, you guessed it, spacemen have landed and seem content to hobble around this one city without picking on any other cities, or heck, even making threats against humanity. Sheeeesh, lazy alien robots. Oh yeah, and on the robot subject, they amount to, let me see, cardboard boxes, with accordian tube legs, and what appears to be fast food cup dispensers for arms. Here's the deal, it's 1954 and by gosh, they just didn't have a handle on effects. At least not this film, on the other hand, Earth VS the Flying Saucers was essentially the same plot right down to the "soundwave" gun that the earthlings develop to combat the the invaders. So, what's the difference? Ray Harryhausen, that's what! he did all the effects for Earth VS, and that makes all the difference in the world. Anyway, this is a blast from the past and alot of fun to watch. Not gonna' keep you on the edge of your seat, but it'll entertain you for 80 minutes. Scares: 0, Effects: 1, Fun: 4

17.) Dr. Cyclops - 1940 - Oct. 21
It's starts right after the opening Universal logo. There's no break in the building momentum, the unrelenting terror, the pounding and persistant nerve shattering horror of it!!! Is it Dr. Cyclops??? A giant cat??? An unspeakable evil that torments us so??????No, it's the SCORE!! Damn, from frame one the music never stops! I don't think I've ever watched a movie (that wasn't a musical) so chock full of music!! Frolicking, menacing, gay, sinister, pounding, light and airy.......you name it. The fella that sat down to score this pic sure gave the studio it's moneys worth! Oh, yeah, about the film itself. It's a clever lil' story about a Col. Kurtz type guy, holed up down in South America somewhere, diddleing around with radiation and such. Somehow stumbles on a way to shrink big things down to little things and goes blind and mad at the same time. Your Mom told you that would happen! Anyway, this film, and the next few that I'll be reviewing are from the Classic Sci-Fi Ulitmate Collection Volume 2, that was a Best Buy exclusive. (refer to my last years column for some interesting tid bits on Volume 1). I gotta say, these collections, both Volume 1 and 2, are really well presented. They feature classic Universal Studio Sci-Fi films that didn't get the love that the Monster features recieved, but as kids we really loved these films. Never before released on DVD, the prints are pristine. This movie was an early Technicolor film and it is beautiful in it's print. But I'm tellin' you, the music will end up makin' you nutz by half way through the film!! Scares:2, Effects:4, Fun: 6

18.) Cult of the Cobra - 1955 - Oct. 22
I don't think I've ever seen a film with so many actors that were just on the doorstep of TV stardom!! David Jannsen (The Fugitive), Richard Long (yes, that's his REAL name, The Big Valley), Edward Platt (Chief on Get Smart), and a handfull of others that any baby boomer would recognize are featured in this tale of 5 GI's who accidentally get themselves cursed by and ancient cult that worships Cobras. A beautiful shape shifter carries out the grizzly deaths of the infidels but falls in love with one of them and has second thoughts. I know, I know, you're thinkin' "gee, Cal, this film sounds like a load of crap". But hold on to your hats, seekers, this lil' gem is actually quite decent. Sure, it was made in 55 so it ain't gonna' go all Jason Voorhees on ya', but it does demonstrate some of the magic Universal formula that launched many a classic monster. The pathos is there, you actually feel sorry for the poor Cobra woman who just wants to love and be loved, right after she kills a handfull of GI's. A nice alternate love story, fairly good dialogue and hey, it's a movie about snake people, we ain't thinkin' Oscar here. Just go with it! Scares: 2, Effects: 2, Fun: 4

19.) Fears of the Dark - 2008 - Oct. 26

Okay, like last years "Young Frankenstien" on Broadway, this time I was in New York and went to the opening of this animated, horror anthology movie. A French production, and admittedly, a lil' weird, it's comprised of 5 short cartoons, all done in crisp black and white, by 5 different animators. There's some moments here, but overall, the stories don't really deliver. They set up decent plots, but never close the deal. One of the more notable episodes, by Charles Burns, is about guy who collects bugs and stumbles upon a rather unique, almost human like, bug in the woods. He loses it in his bedroom and we are led to believe that it is gone. He goes on with his life, meets a girl, she becomes "infected" by the bug and............well in case you ever get a chance to see it, I won't blow the remainder of the film. Another threading short about some guy walking his killer dogs that end up killing him in the last frame; a short tale of a killer crocodile, or is it?; and the finale dealing with a man trapped in a haunted house. All interesting, very attractive art and animation, but sorely lacking in payoff. Worth a look on DVD if you get a chance. Scares: 1, Effects: 6, Fun: 2

20.) American Werewolf in London - 1981 - Oct. 26

This one wasn't on my watch list for this year, but I'm sure glad I watched it. Clearly a bar raising event in the history of werewolf movies, Jon Landis' take on the Wolfman mythos is nearly a seamless blend of dark comedy and horror, and the transformation scene set the standard for all werewolf movies to follow. Not to be confused with Scary Movie, or any of the other horror satires, this movie scares you when it's supposed to. The comedy portions come mainly in the form of "back from the dead" visits of the hero's dead friend. By now, nearly everyone has seen this movie so there's no need to detail the story, but it's worth noting that this was one of the earliest "knowing" horror movies. You know, like Scream did a decade later, our characters here are aware of the horror movie traditions and myths that proceed them. Get it, watch it, love it. Scares: 5, Effects: 8, Fun: 7

21.) The Strangers - 2008 - Oct. 26

"Inspired by true events", the hook in the marketing for this thriller is a direct nod to Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Even the narrated beginning smacks of the original TCM. But the similarities end there. Smart, clever, well paced, and brief, this movie delivers a lot with a little. I'm no big fan of Liv Tyler, but let's just say it's easier for me to buy her as a terrorized woman trapped in a cabin, than as a nuclear physicist ala Hulk!! Basic story can be loosely traced to the Manson Family murders that made headlines in the 60's. A couple is staying at a family summer home, isolated in the woods of anywhere USA. There is an unnecessary sub-plot about the girl refusing the guys marriage proposal, but the real terror comes when a young woman knocks on their door at 4:00 am in the morning. Hidden in the dark, we cannot see her face, as she blankly asks the couple if "Tambra" is home. When she is informed that she must have the wrong house she creepily replies, "are you sure?" From this moment on it's pretty much full out terror. Two other figures join our mysterious woman, all in creepy masks or hoods. Adding to the tension of this film is the anonymity of the villains (we never see their faces) and the random, needless, brutality of their acts. Don't want to give up too much here, but I'd recommend it now that it's been released on DVD. Scares: 6, Effects: 4, Fun: 2

22.) Night of the Demon - 1957 - Oct. 27

Also known here in the States as Curse of the Demon, a shorter version of the complete film, this one may have been a trailblazer in the Cult/Demon/Satan based horror films. It's a pretty intriguing storyline dealing with a cult leader and his "witchcraft", a cynical scientist bent on proving him a hoax, and the niece of a murdered professor out to avenge her Uncle's untimely demise. Got all that? Beyond that it could have easily been titled Night of the Dick, since the our hero, played by Dana Andrews, is possibly the biggest A-Hole ever written into a script. From the very first scene he establishes his Dick credentials and relentlessly pursues perfection at this act throughout the film. That's fun to watch in and of itself. But back to the film, it's a pretty crisp yarn that doesn't waste time. All the scenes propel the plot. There are some decent scares interwoven into the mounting tension. The acting is good, and the special effects, in particular the "Demon" (which most of us will remember fondly by the Basil Gogos cover art on Famous Monsters of Filmland!) are totally worthwhile. A solid horror movie, perhaps a decade ahead of its time. Scares: 4, Effects: 4, Fun: 5

23.) The Signal - 2007 - Oct. 27

Wow, where in the hell do I start with this one. Let's see, the opening sequence and credits are a complete nod to the horror/exploitation films of the early 70's. Very impressive beginning. We then segue to our real movie: basic idea is that some hidden thought control commands begin emanating from TV sets (apparently mainly Plasma sets since every friggin' body in this movie appears to have one!) that make the general population freak out and begin killing each other. I remember an X-Files episode that used this plot device and I wonder how much the writers here borrowed from that idea. Anyway, the film is presented in a kind of Horror Pulp Fiction format: we are treated to three separate yet related tales all of which revolve around the same day, characters, and events. This is a pretty interesting format and I liked that part of it alot. Now, the segments go from full on horror, to semi-comedic horror ala Sean of the Dead, and back to full on serious horror again. It's not a totally smooth ride, but considering the budget, the independent nature of the film, and the first time cast and crew, it's easy to overlook some of the shortcomings. There's some definite gore, some hilarious laugh out loud parts, and even a damn love story worked in here so be prepared to pay attention. The fact that the source or the reason for the "signal" is never established, explained, or justified is a little bit of a drag, but again, doesn't really detract from the movie. I'd give this one another shot next year. Scares: 5, Effects: 7, Fun: 6

24.) Let the Right One In - 2008 - Oct. 27

Okay, this one is most definitely the topper for strangest, possibly most intriquing, horror movie of this years marathon. It's Swedish, so it's subtitles all the way, it just opened in theaters, has a totally balls out trailer online, and, get this, is actually BETTER than the trailer!! Based on the book, "Let Me In", it's deals with a 12 year old girl named Eli who has been a vampire for decades. Always on the move with her "Father", an older man who is her caretaker and sometime provider of her special diet, she moves into an apartment project where she meets a 12 year old boy named Oskar. Long story short: Oskar is a quiet bookworm, bullied by his school mates, who fantisizes about exacting his revenge. Eli and Oskar develop a strong friendship and, at least for Oskar, a budding first love. They become boyfriend and girlfriend, and she tutors Oskar in growing up and becoming a man. Sounds like some sucky chick flick, right? WRONG!!!! There are some full on, balls out, vamp scenes that'll smack you right in yer doubtin' lil' face. The movie comes off like a Bergman film with monsters in it, in that it is beautifully filmed, and the musical score is lush and moving. But have no doubt about the horror, it's there brewing from the first moment, and the end scene which takes place in a swimming pool where Oskar is being bullied for the last time, is like no other scene I've ever witnessed in a horror film. It totally rocks. The movie is LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG, clocking in at 2 hours, so at times it plods and you may find yourself shifting in your seat, but overall it's one of the better new entrees into the horror genre in many a year. Scares: 8, Effects: 7, Fun: not really so much....

25.) The Land Unknown - 1957 - Oct. 28

Think Jurassic Park.........then get that thought right out of yer head, 'cause this ain't no Jurassic Park. But, it does deal with dinosaurs existing among us in the "now". Scientists exploring the South Pole, that's Antartica for those of you a tad challenged in geography, find an area in the tundra that is nearly tropical in its climate. Upon closer inspection, so close that they fly a damn helicopter into it, they find a crater that leads to a lost world beneath the ice cap. Featuring Jock Mahoney (later to go on as one of the many Tarzans) and Shawn Smith, doing her best Janet Leigh (really, she's the spittin' image of Janet), as a Navy commander and a journalist respectively, much adventure ensues. Typical of the 50's era sci-fi they encounter killer plants, sea creatures, giant lizards and a T-Rex!! Yep, that's right, and this T appears to be a guy in a costume super imposed into the scenes! It's a hoot, not bad for the time but obviously the effects are timed out. Another one from the Classic Sci Fi Ultimate collection, Vol. 2. Scares: 1, Effects: 4, Fun: 6

26.) The Deadly Mantis - 1957 - Oct. 29

So I'm 10 years old, I'm totally all about monsters, and monster movies. Summer of 1965, a show called "The World Beyond" begins airing on TV on Thursday nights at 7:00 pm, showing mainly an eclectic blend of sci-fi films from the 50's. How much heaven can one kid stand? Among the many films that I watched that Summer, The Deadly Mantis stands out as one that I truly loved. In fact for Christmas that year my Grandma bought me a record album (remember those?) called Themes from Horror Movies by Dick Jacobs and his Orchestra that featured, among others, the Theme from The Deadly Mantis. Clearly formulaic in its approach yet improved by a fairly decent effects team that gave us a "Mantis" that you could actually believe was real. The creature is incredibly detailed, right down to the mandibles and quad wings. Believe me, many giant insect film suffers from the totally crappy special effects team. Mantis succeeds in its semi based in reality approach to the sequence of events that lead to the Mantis' reign of terror. But, pound for pound, the Mantis has a pretty low body count for a giant monster. My count was 7, 5 soldiers and 2 Eskimos. But the time the beast migrates to the populated areas, Washington DC and New York City, the carnage is held to a minimum. Still, nostalgia dictates that I recommend this film to you all. It's truly one of the better giant bug movies that populated the 50's. Scares: 2, Effects: 4, Fun: 6

Well, Seekers, I guess I came up a tad short this year. Crap, could'nt get my 31 in 31 done, but hey, we got in some real chesnuts and had a bunch of fun celebratin' the season. Next year, I'm gonna' start a tad earlier, perhaps around the Autumn solstice like I did last year, to make sure we get in all the flicks we wanna' watch. Hope it was a fun ride for you, it sure was for me. Time now to move on with my regular media reviews and posts. See ya' in the movies!!!

Halloween Movie Marathon 2007!!

2007-09-27T15:22:00.000-07:00

As hard to believe as it is, the Autumn equinox just occurred on the 23rd of September signaling the calendar end to the Summer of 2007. Although from the late heat wave here in the D.C. area, you'd find it hard to convince us! But, with the end of summer and the advent of fall comes my annual Halloween Horror Movie Marathon! Yep, each and every year for the past several years I have made a new tradition of celebrating the Halloween season by viewing a mixed bag of Horror, Sci-Fi, Thrillers and Chiller movies each night leading up to and including Halloween. So, for your pleasure, and perhaps your own research on some films that YOU may want to include in your play list, I'll be documenting my viewings here for the next month. I'll keep the comments brief and the rating scale simple: Scares, Fun, Effects. I'll rate 'em 1 to 10 with 10 being the best, duh. So you'll have to check in often to keep up to date with the most current movies. Typically I start out safe, mainly classic 50's and 60's films, sometimes with some Universal Classics mixed in as well. This year is no exception. Check the link over to the right for Cal's Horror collection if you want to see where I'm drawing from. Go to the "owned" or "on order" menu's to see my horror movie lists. So let's get to it and catch you up on what I've seen so far!

1.) Cry of the Banshee - Sunday, Sept.23
Call me a sucker, but I love those old Vincent Price movies. The Roger Corman Poe stories are the best of the lot, and to be sure, there are some real stinkers (like the hideous "Scream and Scream Again"). Cry of the Banshee, made in 1970 and directed by Gordon Hessler (who was a protege of Alfred Hitchcock and spent many years as a director on his weekly TV show) is loosely, and I mean loosely, based on another Poe tale. Price is typically a scene vacuum, but in the best of ways. He is an amazingly talented actor and it's a real joy to watch him delight in these devilish bad guy roles. Plot? Well, basically its all about a brutal village magistrate, hellbent on ridding the countryside of witches even if a handful of innocent folks must be killed. His family is full of corrupt son's, mad wives, traitorous daughters and estranged relationships. No wonder he gets his kicks by killing the town folk. I'll give this one a low rating on the horror scale, but watchable only due to Price's presence! Scares: 1, Fun: 4, Effects: N/A

2.) Earth v.s. The Flying Saucers - Monday, Sept. 24
Made in 1956, this film was one of dozens of "invaders from space' themed releases. This particular film is set apart from the breed by the special effects of Ray Harryhausen. Admittedly, not some of his best work, it's still head and shoulders above most of the effects seen in similar films of the era. Directed by Fred Sears, this film clocks in at a sleek 83 minutes, and believe me, doesn't need to be one second longer. Typical B-Movie fair, adequately scripted and acted. I'll give it a Low + rating, not scary at all, not really exciting either, but the effects and the scenes of 50's Washington DC capitals being destroyed by alien space invaders is a hoot! Scares: 1, Fun: 7, Effects: 5

3.) The Blob - Tuesday, Sept. 25
We're talkin' the original here, made in 1958 and featuring one of the earliest performances by soon to be movie super-stud Steve McQueen! Classic. The dialogue is pure fun, so retro and innocent. The blob effects are also pretty impressive, given the era. The newly released restored version from Criterion Films is worth the purchase price. Rated Medium, no real scares, but some decent moments. One other factoid, Burt Bacharach had a hand in writing the catchy and silly "blob" theme song! Scares: 2, Fun: 6, Effects: 5

4.) Day the World Ended/The She-Creature - Wednesday, Sept. 26
Like I said, 36 films to get in and damn little time to do it, so occasionally I have to pull the double feature night. Since these two were released as a two-fer on the same disc, that made my job easy. The Day the world Ended, released in 1956, directed by Roger Corman is an early post Apocalypse film centering on the handful of survivors holed up in a house somewhat protected from the nuclear fallout. Some familiar B-Movie faces here, like Richard Denning who most fans recognize from The Revenge of the Creature movie. Also a soon to be TV Star, Mike Connors (Mannix) whose screen name at this time was Touch Manning. Touch?!? Scares: 1, Fun: 3, Effects: 1
The She-Creature is one of my childhood favorites and actually is put together pretty well given the subject matter. The creature itself is an icon, but the hokey rubber suit doesn't wear well over time. Much more frightening in still shots from Famous Monster Magazine then in the movie itself. Also made in 1956 and directed by Ed Kahn (who?) it's pretty amazing to see the production quality difference between this movie and the previous Roger Corman film. Clear to see who had the budget! Scares: 2, Fun: 4, Effects: 3

5.) Earth vs The Spider - Thursday, Sept. 27
Holy Cow, won't those dumb teenagers EVER learn?!? Thems giant spiders down there in that cave! This 1958 film is a pure hoot, it's actually one that I don't think I've ever seen before, and that makes it rare in my book. This is classic bad cinema at it's best. Cheesy tarantula superimposed over real life still backgrounds for the time must have been terrific but are just plain bad by today's standards. And as with most "teenage" movies of this era, get a load out of some of the "teens". I'd swear some of them are in their 30's!! Corny dialogue, no name actors, you just gotta' love it! Scares: 1, Fun: 3, Effects: 2

6.) War of the Colossal Beast - Saturday, Sept. 29
As a kid, this was one of my favorite films. Mainly because of the great cover art of Basil Gogos on Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine. What a bitchin' lookin' monster!! Too bad he's been relegated to this somewhat lame 1958 sequel. Basically this film is the "Amazing Colossal Man" with a bad complexion. The ever tortured Col. Manning has survived his ordeal at the Boulder Dam and is holed up in Mexico where he hijacks taco trucks for food!! I'm not kidding, this is the real plot. And just where the hell DOES a 60 foot tall, one eyed, growling giant HIDE in Mexico?!?!? Still my fond memories help me to overlook the film's shortcomings, and like I said, it really is a cool looking monster. Scares: 2, Fun: 2, Effects: 2

7.) Murders in the Rue Morgue (1971) - Sunday, Sept. 30
Inexplicably incoherent, given that it was directed by Gordon Hessler, the aforementioned protege of Hitchcock (see Movie #1), this 1971 butchering of the Poe murder mystery all but proclaims that Hessler is possibly the ONLY director alive who learned NOTHING from the "Master of Suspense". Also boggin this film down is the fact that it was filmed in 1970 when, apparently, all directors thought that their audience was on acid. It has that weird Dr. Phibes feel to it. Too much atmosphere, not enough action. Also unbelievable is the fact that this film has some marquee names in it; Jason Robards and Herbert Lom. I guess a paycheck is a paycheck for these fellas. Okay, its not as bad as a sharp stick in the eye, but...........I won't be in a hurry to see it again. Scares: 2, Fun:1, Effects: N/A

8.) Trilogy of Terror - Monday, Oct. 1
Now that it's officially October, gotta' step up the pace a tad. Warmups are over and it's time to move into some real chillers. No one lays claim to the Rod Serling mantle as much as the team of Dan Curtis and Richard Matheson. Clearly the most prolific horror/sci-fi writing, directing and producing team of the 70's, these guys churned out a slew of television thrillers that are considered classics by today's fans. This 1975 piece, the Trilogy, is one of the best due in large part to it's third act innocently titled "Amelia". Most of you will know this one as the "Zuni Devil Doll" episode. Simple, direct, and expertly acted by the off the wall weird Karen black, this trio of the macabre entertains and scares. It's the perfect appetizer for the main courses yet to come in this month of October. Scares: 5, Fun: 6, Effects: 2

9.) Audition - Tuesday, Oct.2
Whoah..........uh, WHOAH!! This particular choice may have been a little harsh in view of the movies that I have seen thus far, but.......Whoah!! This 1999 Japanese horror flick has been on my radar since seeing it pop up in several "best horror movie ever" lists. Now, I've never seen a Japanese horror film unless it had been remade ala The Ring, The Grudges, etc. So this was a new experience for me. Quiet, that's the main thing, the damn film is spooky quite in every scene. Only in one diner moment is there background noise or ambient sound of any kind. That really helps the "creepy" factor build exponentially. Slow boil to be sure, paced very methodically, heavy on mood, atmosphere, and anxiety building. It works. 42 minutes in, there's a real heart stopping moment then...................quiet again. The finale sequence is weird and horrifying and sickening, not necessarily in that order. Like I said, whoah. I'll definitely hit this one again, but undoubtedly later in the season! Scares: 5, Fun: 2, Effects: 5

10.) When A Stranger Calls (1979) - Wednesday, Oct. 3
Okay, I gotta' admit, I had totally forgotten that the signature scene of this movie, the part they show on all the "best of" and "top 100" lists, all happens in the first 20 MINUTES OF THE FILM!! So I'm watchin' and thinkin', "uh, now what?". Well, I'll tell ya' what, what follows is a pretty interesting, suspenseful, well paced psychological thriller, that's what. Compared to the recent remake, which I am sorry to say that I have seen, this film is Hitchcockian in it's clever use of mood, atmosphere and suspense. No wonder it was an instant classic. But still, I'm just blown away by that business about the first 20 minutes, really! Scares: 5, Fun: 4, Effects: N/A

11.) The Haunting - Thursday, Oct. 4
"No one will come closer than town. No one will come any closer than that. In the dark. In the night." The creepy words repeated by the hollow eyed caretaker of the immensely foreboding Hill House totally set the mood for this excellent, and brilliantly executed, haunted house tale. The 1963 Robert Wise film is a shining example of why "less" is "more" in creating a truly scary movie. It is amazing how much he is able to accomplish with so little. This movie makes the most of camera angles, lighting, sound, and eerie music. There are no visible ghosts or monsters, blood or gore, and yet this film remains at the top of my personal all time creep out choices. If more horror movies were made today with this minimalist approach, truly trying to scare the audience instead of gross us out or shock us, we'd be better off for it. Scares: 6, Fun: 4, Effects: 5

12.) The Other - Friday, Oct. 5
I needed something special to follow up last nights classic and I found it in this recently released "diamond in the rough". Not to be confused with the Nicole Kidman film "The Others", this long out of print 1972 Robert Mulligan film based on Tom Tryon's novel of the same name, is one of the most overlooked and underrated psychological horror films of the past 30 years. Focusing on twin brothers and the evil that surrounds them, comparisons to The Omen are inevitable, but unwarranted. This story is quite different. Subtle, deliberate, and beautifully filmed, this film draws you in and keeps you there. The payoffs are worth the wait, too. Highly recommended. Scares: 5, Fun: 4, Effects: N/A

13.) Slither - Sunday, Oct. 7
I remember seeing this one in the theater and thinking........WTF?!?! Clearly a film that pays homage to dozens of films before it, 2006's Slither is one of the new breed of "comedy" horror films. The Blob, Night of the Living Dead, They Came From Within, etc., etc.. There are so many influences here, as well as inside jokes and nods of the head to other classic horror films, it's hard to stay focused on the fun, fast paced, well written, and hilariously delivered film in front of you. It's not breaking any new ground but it manages to forge it's own identity due in large part to the hilarious pre-release on line trailers. Definitely worth renting and watching, and stay tuned for all the inside jokes! Scares: 3, Fun: 7, Effects: 7.

Recently, while building my DVD Wish List, I stumbled upon a compilation set called "Classic Sci-Fi Ultimate Collection". It had some pretty cool, and rare, releases on it and I was mildly interested. Well, after some time I became aware that this set was a limited release Universal/Best Buy exclusive set and that it sold out quickly a year ago when it was released and now was virtually unavailable. So, like all fan boys, my mild interest became obsessive must have!! Long story short, ended up on Ebay bidding $83.00 for this $19.00 set, won it, and now, even though none of these films were on my 2007 Halloween Watch List, I had to watch something from them to justify the ridiculous price I paid. The next two films are from that collection.

14.) Tarantula - Monday, Oct. 8 (1st feature)
This one was a kid favorite. Giant spiders, what could be better, right? And unlike the previous film, Earth V.S. The Spider, this one has some decent effects, and a story line that at least is somewhat plausible. John Agar, a dependable sci-fi actor of the era, stars in this 1955 Universal film. Leo G. Carroll, whom some of you may remember as the Napoleon Solo's boss on the The Man from U.N.C.L.E., plays a scientist working on solving the worlds hunger problems. How this leads to the creation of a giant Tarantula is, uh,.........well, just never mind. Clint Eastwood has a very minor role near the end as a fighter pilot. Scares: 2, Fun: 6, Effects: 4

15.) The Mole People - Monday, Oct. 8 (2nd feature)
These old films all had a running time of about 1 hour 15 minutes, so it's real easy to get in a double feature every once in awhile. I remember thinking how cool the monsters were in this 1956 feature when I was a kid. Apparently so cool that I completely forgot how lame the rest of the movie is! Really, this one starts with a good premise, once again starring John Agar and Hugh Beaumont (that's right, the Beaver's Dad) as intrepid archeoligists in search of a lost city. There are some really believable mounting climbing and spelunking scenes that add to the realism in the early part of the film. The suspense builds until they actually find the "lost city" and it appears to be inhabited by left over casting from the old Flash Gordon Serials! Alan Napier (yes, Alfred from the 60's Batman TV show) does his best Karloff imitation here as a paranoid and meddling priest lording over the pale underground folk. The mole people? Oh, yeah, they turn out to be the tortured and oppressed slaves of the pale skin human tribe who finally crack and decide to revolt near the end of the picture. There are some great scenes of them sucking vitims down into dirt holes and digging up through the ground at some critical moments. It's a shame these monsters weren't used in a better film! Scares: 2, Fun: 5, Effects: 3

16.) The Omen - Tuesday, Oct. 9
Often, and unfortunately, dismissed as the red headed stepchild of The Exorcist, this 1976 film is superior on several levels. Most notably the acting credentials of its stars Gregory Peck and Lee Remick, both Academy Award winners. Their presence gives immediate viability and weight to the story. The scripting, directing, and acting are all top notch and it succeeds on its mounting suspense rather then its shocking horror, ala Exorcist. Several notable scenes: the grisly deaths of a priest and a photographer; the suicide of Damiens first Nanny; the graveyard sequence with the hounds from hell; and a few more that I'll let you find for yourselves. I haven't seen, or been interested in seeing, this film for 25 years......I don't know why I waited, it's a good one! Scares: 6, Fun: 2, Effects: 666 (just a lil' Omen humor there!)

17.) Rosemary's Baby - Wednesday, Oct. 10
Clearly made in 1966, all the hippie era stereotypes are there: the only black man in the movie is an elevator operator (no, I'm not kidding), and the Asian man has a camera and is taking pictures, and the white people give birth to the spawn of Satan. All's right with the world, huh? All that nothwithstanding, this is an excellent film, hard to believe that it is a William Castle production! Where are the gimmicks? The cheesy skeletons? Slow paced, but very deliberate, the suspense and tension builds right up to the payoff at the end. I'm not a big fan of John Cassavettes or Mia Farrow, in fact, I hate them both as actors. But in this well directed film, the first American film for Roman Polanski, they disappear into the finely woven story. I had forgotten, much like the previous film The Omen, how good a movie this was. Scares: 3, Fun: 1, Effects: 2

18.) The Incredible Shrinking Man - Thursday, Oct. 11 (1st feature)
Okay, so it's not really a horror movie, or even a sci-fi movie, but it is a damn good movie given the era it was made. For 1957, the special effects in this movie had to be considered pretty swift. Based on a story by Richard Matheson, certainly one of the most prolific writers of the genre, this tale centers on a man who shrinks 1 inch per week after encountering a strange fog while boating with his wife. The acting is solid even though the players are unknowns. The story is beautifully told and the effects, again, are wonderful relative to the year. Matheson's prose, which is used as narration through much of the film, is nearly poetic. Always a favorite of mine from back in the day, it was good to see it again. Scares: 2, Fun: 4, Effects: 6

19.) The Monolith Monsters - Thursday, Oct. 11 (2nd feature)
Anybody afraid of rocks? You afraid of rocks? I'm not afraid of rocks. Hell, my grandma ain't afraid of rocks! So, if you aren't a rockaphobe, this movie isn't gonna' have any effect on you. When ever you dedicate yourself to the task of watching horror movies in bulk, you're bound to hit on some clunkers. This film, another from my aforementioned Classic Sci-Fi Collection, is a stinker times 3!! I'm not sure what they were going for, some kind of spin off of the Blob or something, but this movie is pure ridiculous. Basic idea? Meteor comes to Earth and shatters. When pieces of it come in contact with water it multiplies and grows into giant pillars of rock that, well, fall over and break. Apparently these rocks also have the power to suck all the silica out of humans and turn them into stone as well. Don't ask, I didn't. The movie stars Grant Williams, who was also in the Incredible Shrinking Man, and he struggles to make this crud feasible. Also made in 1957, the effects are laughable. Scares: 0, Fun: 1, Effects: 0

20.) Fright Night - Friday, Oct. 12
Say what you will, but this movie set the bar for "knowing" horror movies. Released in 1985, a decade ahead of the Scream series, this film was the first to offer the "characters know the history of horror" theme. William Ragsdale stars as the high school kid who realizes, to his horror, that a vampire is living next door. Nearly perfect in every aspect, Fright Night delivers chills, thrills, laughs, and shocks, in nearly perfect dosages. It knowingly, and respectfully, nods to many famous vampire film classics. Chris Sarandon's performance as Jerry Dandridge, the vampire next door, is one of the best ever. Classy, scary, refined, knowing, yet with a subtle wink, Sarandon never overplays the character. At times, he evokes a pathos not seen in movies since the early Universal Monster movies. Roddy McDowell playing the role of has-been horror movie actor turned late night movie host is near perfect. Again, he plays the role straight, not nearly as hammy as could have been expected. Always one of my Halloween favorites, and still among my most hightly recommended films, Fright Night delivers. Scares: 5, Fun: 8, Effects: 7

21.) Creepshow 2 - Saturday, Oct. 13
More aptly titled, Crapshow 2, this stink bomb of a movie deserves to be banished to the hell of films never to be watched by human eyeballs. Not surprising, as a great deal of Stephen King's film work is fetid garbage at best, but this particular compilation of half assed tales never scares, nevers gets you thinking, never hides it's painfully obvious plot devices, and never entertains even for one minute. I know you're thinking, "gee, Cal, that's awful harsh rhetoric to be heaping on this tired lil' movie", and you'd be right if it weren't for the following scene from act II of this Crapfest that I will relate to you: Four gorgeous teens, out for a summer swim encounter a huge black tarp floating in the lake that apparently eats people. After watching two of his colleagues get absorbed in gruesome fashion by this monstrosity, our hero ( I guess ) , after spending a horror filled night on a raft with his girlfriend trying to stay alive, decides that he is horny the next morning and determined to lay pipe on his sleeping girlfriend. Are you listening to this?? I am not making this up. While dorking her, she is of course attacked and absorbed by the tarp and the look on his face at this horrific realization says it all. Basically the look says: "What? I was just tryin' to lighten the mood". Scares: 0, Fun: 0, Effects: 2 (for teen puking scenes) P. S. - I recently bought this film having never seen it, I am throwing it in the trash with this writing.

22.) Candyman 2: Farewell to the Flesh - Saturday, Oct.13 (2nd feature)
Though not as dreadful as the previous "sequel", this movie disappoints on several levels. Most notably it is boring. We have already been introduced to the mythos of the Candyman in the excellent first film and this movie basically ends up being a retelling of that same movie only the location is moved to New Orleans. Same plot devices are employed: our heroine decides to disprove the myth by doing the now famous "candyman chant"; He comes, kills everyone around here setting her up for the murders; inexplicably does not kill her; blah, blah, blah. It's too bad that such a classy new villian has already been trashed in his second outing. There is no need for this movie and that's a shame. Scares: 2, Fun: 2, Effects: 4

23.) Hound of the Baskervilles - Sunday, Oct. 14
Hammer's 1959 version of the Sherlock Holmes classic tale, Peter Cushing gives Basil Rathbone a run for his money as the smug, confident, and tireless Holmes. Christopher Lee also shares the billing in one of his few good guy roles, Henry Baskerville. This version is true to the Hammer formula; fantastic sets, great costumes, excellent ensemble casting, strong writing, and good acting. Although not spectacular or scary, the story is memorable and it's a fun little film. A perfect way to get the taste of the previous two films out of my mouth! Scares: 1, Fun: 3, Effects:3

24.) It! The Terror from Beyond Space - Sunday, Oct. 14 (2nd feature)
Okay, you've probably already heard that this 1957 low budget sci-fi film was the basis for the Ridley Scott's mega-hit Alien nearly 20 years later, so I won't beat that drum. However it is worth mentioning that several key plot elements were directly lifted by Scott from this film. Most notably the main arc: Spacecraft heads for Mars on a rescue mission; Martian monster stows away on ship; crew begins to be systematically killed off. Also the monster's use of air vents on the ship to move about, the crew employing the air lock in a effort to destroy the thing, and other small similarities are fun to pick out and compare to the newer version. This film was always one of my favorites as a kid, and at 1 hour and 9 minutes long, it painless to watch. Scares: 1, Fun: 5, Effects: 2

25.) Dead of Night - Sunday, Oct. 14 (3rd feature)
The granddaddy of ghost stories, this 1945 anthology movie set the bar for dozens of movies to come. The movie centers around an architect who goes out to visit a client in a large country home. Upon entering he is overcome with the feeling he has been there before and becomes consumed with a sense of dread. In the house he encounters 5 other guests who, in turn, relate there stories of the supernatural. Each story builds until we get to the payoff piece about a schizo ventriloquist and his evil dummy. This last story is clearly the inspiration for the Anthony Hopkins film "Magic" which would be made 30 years later! This one is a must see, I watch it nearly every Halloween season. Scares: 5, Fun; 6, Effects: 6

26.) Re-Animator - Sunday, Oct. 14 (4th feature)
Stuart Gordon's 1985 top notch gore flick features Jeffrey Combs in what would become his signature role. Surrounded by a talented corp of actors, including then hottie Barbara Crampton, the story is loosely based on a series of stories by H.P Lovecraft about Herbert West, a brilliant science student dedicated to resurrecting the dead. Gore, scares, and laughs, are plentiful in this over the top thrill ride of a movie. Several other movies based on Lovecraft's work would follow starring one or more of this acting troupe and nearly all are worth watching. Scares: 5, Fun: 7, Effects: 7

27.) Blood Feast - Monday, Oct. 15
Say what you will about Hershell Gordon Lewis, the man doesn't tease his audience! Within the first three minutes a woman is brutally hacked up in a bath tub. This scene is hilariously followed by the on screen declaration that "Box Office Spectaculars Presents". This cult favorite was arguably the first "gore" film ever made. Filmed in garish bright colors and mostly in broad daylight, it is nearly impossible to be scared at any time during this movie. The acting is sub-bad with one performer literally reading his lines off his hand. Silly murders ensue based on some silly story arc about an ancient Egyptian Blood Feast. Our villain, you see, is assembling the body parts of young women that he needs for some gumbo that supposed to bring back a long dead Egyptian princess. Bad scores, bad acting, bad filming, this one's got it all folks. Worth the watch just for the laughs. Why did this guy ever get more respect than Ed Wood, Jr? Scares: 0, Fun: 3, Effects: 2

28.) Young Frankenstein: The Musical - Monday, Oct. 15
In a complete but certainly enjoyable departure from the horror film watching, my son got us tickets for the New Mel Brook's Musical, Young Frankenstein. There's nothing quite like live theater and since my son lives in Manhattan we had planned to spend the weekend together watching horror movies (7 in two days!) he thought it would fit the spirit of the season to include this wonderful musical in our plans. It was great, I highly recommend it. Most of the cast members you've never heard of but there are a couple of note. Andrea Martin, the talented comedienne most noted for her work on SCTV, played the role of Frau Blucher and Shuler Hensley played the role of the monster. Many of you may know him, and possibly have forgiven him for, playing the Monster in the extremely disappointing "Van Helsing". You may remember him dramatically bellowing Bible passages. Ooooh, I still shudder just thinkin' about it. But, if you get a chance, and your in NYC, and you got $100 bux to spend......this is a great way to do it. Entertainment: 8, Fun: 8, Music: 8

29.) Frankenstein - Tuesday, Oct. 16
It just doesn't feel right each year until I put on the classic Universal Horror movies. I used to start my marathons each year with the big four: Frank, Drac, Wolf, and Mummy. This year I put them off and chose a more eclectic approach. After all the other types, styles, forms and years of movies I have watched, the simple, honest approach of Frankenstein is refreshing. As I watched it I wondered how movies such as this could have led to over the top travesties like "Blood Feast", for example? Just how did the horror genre evolve from these simple, direct monsters into the wide variety of horror movies through the years? Anyway, there's nothing I can say about this classic film that you don't already know or that hasn't been said better. Karloff is fantastic, Whales sets and direction is superb, and these are the films that, for most of us, hooked us into monsters for life. Scares: 2, Fun: 8, Effects: 6

30.) Dracula - Wednesday, Oct. 17
I have seen this film hundreds of times, but tonight I really watched it. The sets in the beginning of the film are spectacular considering that, like Frankenstein, this film was made in 1931. I paid extremely close attention to the performance of Bela Lugosi, and it is stunning. His every gesture, so deliberate yet graceful and elegant. Some of his moves, as he closes in on his victims, are catlike in their grace. And his hands, just watch every subtle but definitive gesture and shaping of his fingers, it really quite amazing what he did with this character. It's no wonder he came to define the character of Dracula forever. All others, even the great Christopher Lee, are merely pretenders to the throne. Scares: 2, Fun: 8, Effects: 5

31.) The Frighteners - Friday, Oct. 19
Long before he was piddling around with gnomes and elves, or messing up classic ape movies, Peter Jackson had it going on. First with Dead Alive, which I may watch later this week, and tonights film. Starring Michael J. Fox in one of his last, best, movie roles this lil' movie has it all: Humor, Scares, Acting, Story, and Effects. Dee Wallace turns in a spooky good performance playing against type as the mentally disturbed gal pal of serial killer boyfriend Jake Busey. The original story by Jackson is masterfully told and keeps you on the edge of your seat during much of the film. But by far the performance that puts this film over the top is Jeffrey Combs, actually topping his role as Herbert West in Re-Animator, as fried FBI Special Agent Milton Dammers. He makes the film, every scene that he's in is fun to watch. His character nuances are brilliant and one wonders why this guy doesn't get more character roles in bigger films. Scares: 5, Fun: 8, Effects: 9

32.) Hellraiser 3: Hell On Earth - Saturday, Oct. 20
I've never really been able to sink my teeth into the Hellraiser series. There were promising ideas presented in the first movie, and certainly the introduction of an interesting new monster in the form of Pinhead. It's just that the movies never seem to be able to live up to the premise. The writing just suffers. The third in the series is the first not directed by Clive Barker, the writer of the series, and perhaps that's why it's just a little better than the first two. However, it suffers the same midpoint meltdown. The movie starts promising, giving us yet again the introduction to Pinhead and his hell world filled with unimaginable pain, suffering, and horror. Blah, Blah, Blah........but like most Hellraiser movies, it quickly degenerates into a "chase the girl with the box" movie. Worse yet, the writers try to make Pinhead the wise-cracking smart alec that Freddy Krueger had set bar for in the Nightmare on Elm Street series. It doesn't work that well with Pinhead as his character is better suited to dreadful lamentations and dire predictions of pain yet to come. Scares: 4, Fun: 3, Effects: 5

33.) Silence of the Lambs - Sunday, Oct. 21
For years I stuggled with the dilemma: Is this a horror movie? Yes? No? Yes? No?......at this point, I have forsaken the argument just to enjoy this masterful film. Finally, released again in it's widescreen format, Jonathan Demme's 1991 screen version of the Thomas Harris novel is nearly poetic in its pacing, direction and storytelling. Naturally, Anthony Hopkins is definitive in the role of Hannibal Lector. Riveting in his performance, its a shame the character was sullied by the two follow ups to this fantastic film. Harris had gone to the well with this story a few times before hitting pay dirt with this "middle" episode. Take it from me, forget the prequels, the sequels, and the pre-prequels. This Lector Opus is the only one worth the money. Scares: 6, Fun: 3, Effects: 5

34.) The Hills Have Eyes - Monday, Oct. 22
I'll admit it. I had forgotten completely what a good movie this is. That's right.........it's GOOD! I had seen the remake last year and actually enjoyed it quite a bit. So this year I wandered with some trepidation back to the source material. For 1977, Wes Craven had it all going on with this story of a family under siege in the desert by inbred, murderous, half-wits. Craven's direction and pacing are amazingly restrained given the subject matter. He spends alot of time building the tension and then letting loose with the carnage. The viewer is immediately sucked into the "revenge" motif, you are rooting for the family to kill the bastard mutants. And herein lies Craven's social message: if driven to violence, the innocent become no better than the guilty. Chew on that! Scares: 5, Fun: 3, Effects: 4

35.) It Came From Outer Space - Tuesday, Oct. 23
Considered the finest, and first, of the "sci-fi" genre that would grow to rule the fifties, this 1953 film lays the ground work for dozens of "invaders from space" movies to come. It's distinction lies in the Ray Bradbury story that presents aliens as benevolent beings, not necessarily bent on the distruction of Earth. The strangest item in this movie to me is that the whole thing takes place in the desert, and yet Richard Carlson, the hero and star, spends the entire movie in what appears to be a heavy wool, or mohair, suit! Literally, he never breaks a sweat or takes off his jacket. Oh, well, chalk that up to the innocence of the age. Originally presented in 3-D, this movie set the bar for science fiction, layed the foundation for the "scientist as hero" character and opened up for us the world beyond. Scares: 3, Fun: 7, Effects: 6

36.) The Legend of Hell House - Wednesday, Oct. 24

"Drug addiction, alcoholism, sadism, beastiality, mutilation, murder, vampirism, necrophilia, cannibalism, not to mention a gamut of sexual goodies. Shall I go on?" So goes the quote from Roddy McDowell when asked "Why is this house so evil?".
Is there anything this guy Matheson doesn't do?!? Once again, Richard Matheson, working from his own book, pens a gripping, atmospheric, haunted house tale in the vein of The Haunting. Same plot devices at work here; group of scientists and mediums sent to creepy house to determine once and for all the existence of the otherworldly. Man, how many of us want that job?!? Not quite the classic movie that The Haunting became, this movie for the most part is brushed off, or totally overlooked, by most of the horror crowd. But don't short sheet it too soon! It is a smart, well directed and acted, creeper of the supernatural. Admittedly, it has lost a bit of its scare power over me since my original viewing in 1973 (at a drive in, no less!), but it still has the creepy factor in high dosages. Certainly worth the watch for you archive types. Scares: 4, Fun: 4, Effects: N/A

37.) Wolf Creek - Thursday, Oct. 25
A few years back a new breed of horror directors hit the screen in a big way and actually managed to revitilize a stale genre, again. Hostel, High Tension, Cabin Fever, and Wolf Creek were among the best of this breed. Most of these films paid the right amount of homage to their inspirations and at the same time managed to defy long accepted horror conventions, and I think this is what makes them seem so fresh. Wolf Creek, directed by Greg McLean and released in 2004 is your classic "innocent adventurers fall into the clutches of a madmen while exploring the great outdoors". Not so very different from the premise of the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, this group, two girls and one guy, experience car trouble in the desolate regions of Australia's outback territory. Lo and behold, a "good Samaritan" happens by and agrees to tow them to a safe place and fix there car. Naturally, carnage, horror, torture, and insanity follows. And he doesn't even fix the damn car!!! More than a few scares in this one, it's well done, well acted, and perhaps contains some of the most beautiful scenery ever displayed in a horror film. Scares: 6, Fun: 3, Effects: 5

38. ) The Evil Dead - Friday, Oct. 26

Sam Raimi cements his place in the horror hall of fame with his 1981 "in your face", whacked out spin on possession films. Bruce Campbell, in his career defining role, is fascinating to watch as he watches the horror unfold and pick off those around him one by one. His keen balancing act between horror and comedy will later prove to be his most endearing trait as an actor. The classic low budget but high creativity tale centers on the now famous Book of the Dead, which will remain the catalyst for castastrophe for two more excellent "Dead" films. I won't belabor this one, if you by some miracle have NOT seen this film? Shame, shame, shame on you! Scares: 5, Fun: 8, Effects: 7

39.) A Nightmare On Elm Street - Sunday, Oct. 28
Perhaps the most overlooked evidence of Wes Craven's genius in creating this film is the fact that, although filmed in 1984 at the height of the 80's cultural impact curve, he avoided every temptation to date this film in the era. There is no 80's gratuitous pop songs, no 80's sounding big drum backing music, no ridiculous 80's fashion statements (in fact, most of the cast looks like they are fresh out of prep school: khaki's and oxford shirts!), and no visible sign in ANY scene that this story is taking place during the "me" decade. Whether it was by design or by accident, this detail enables the film to be timeless classic. Not to mention the introduction of possibly the most influential screen monster since Frankenstein, Craven creatively marries the "slasher" film genre, so popular in the 80's, to the foundation of the "monster" genre. The result?" Pure fun. Scares: 5, Fun: 8, Effects: 5

40.) Godzilla - King of the Monsters - Sunday, Oct. 29
It's hard to believe that this film, done in 1954, not even 10 years after World War II, could have been the start of 50 years of this endearing monster. Looking more like Cookie Monster in this first incarnation, Godzilla's appearance would evolve throughout the years but never stray too far from the "guy in a suit" appeal that is the heart of many of these early Japanese giant monster flicks. The version I watched was the "American" adaptation, where scenes of Raymond Burr were spliced in to serve as narration and to give the film a more common appeal. All in all, it's really a pretty crappy movie, but it does introduce an icon of epic proportions, and it's subtle sub-text about the horrors of nuclear weapons is extremely sobering given the proximity in time to the actual detonations that took place in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It's a classic, but tiresome to watch. Scares: 0, Fun: 3, Effects: 3

41.) The Phantom of the Opera - Tuesday, Oct. 30
It is an amazing thing to watch the restored 1929 version of this classic horror film. Lon Chaney is king, no doubt. Silent films are tedious, yet there are moments of stunning beauty and clarity in the movie. As a kid I remember the famous "unsmasking" scene that was shown in countless a horror anthology shows, but it truly interesting to see it in it's original context. The sets are marvelous, Chaney's make up is spectacular, and the duo tone color sequences during the Masked Ball are great fun. Again, the introduction of a horror icon is always a joy to watch and the Phantom is truly one of the all time greats. Scares: 0, Fun: 4, Effects: 3

42.) Halloween - Tuesday, Oct. 30

John Carpenter's 1978 film launched the slasher film era, and it's a shame that most of the films to follow were nowhere near the level of excellence achieved in this low budget classic. The original story is refreshing and Carpenter manages throughout the film to keep up the level of suspense without total reliance on gore and bloodshed. In fact, there very little on screen carnage in the film and this plays to the advantage of the scares. Carpenter relies on old school shock and scare tactics and for the most part, they work. Always a pleasure to watch, although by the time I get to this film, I know the season is at it's end. And that always makes me a little depressed. Scares: 6, Fun: 7, Effects: 5

So, Happy Halloween, all. Hope you ejoyed this lil' trip through horror cinema. Until next year, BOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

The Chiller Channel: Worth the Wait?!?

2007-05-31T14:35:00.000-07:00

Well, you know where this whole thing got started for most of us, don't you? 1958, I was only 3 years old and it would be a couple more years before I really got a grasp of it, but that was the year of the debut of SHOCK THEATRE. Basically, it was the first major release to television of the library of classic monster and horror movies that Universal Studios had sealed up in some vault somewhere. How could they possibly have known what an impact that single decision would have on an entire generation? Forget Woodstock! This was one of the Big Bangs in my life. And since that moment we have yearned for, had glimpses of, and ultimately been disappointed by our search for a similarly satisfying horror television experience. There were, of course, teasers along the way that kept us hopeful. In the 60's I have vivid, and joyful, memories of Summertime Thursday nights when "The World Beyond" would air classic Sci Fi movies from the 50's such as "It Came From Outer Space" and "It: The Terror from Beyond Space". (Clearly a forerunner to "Alien" so many years later.) And in that same time period we were treated to "The Addams Family" and "The Munsters", both shows clearly playing into the nationwide craving for monster related programming. Man, how I loved these shows. I was, what, all of
about 10 or 11, and smack dab in the middle of the Aurora Monster Model boom, and the peek of Famous Monsters of Filmland Magazine, and I felt as if I had died and gone to heaven! Somewhat later I would grow to appreciate the subtle terrors and humor of Rod Serling's classic television series "The Twilight Zone" and it's sci-fi counterpart "The Outer Limits". Yep, it was good to be a kid back in the day, huh? But now comes what we will refer to as the wilderness years. The 70's, with the rare and delightful exception of local horror host programming, was mostly void of horror fare on the tube. The 80's saw a major resurgence of horror in the theater with the "slasher" film that eventually led to some late 80's TV spin offs like "Freddy's Nightmares", and "Friday the 13th: The Series", "Tales from the Darkside" and "Monsters". All fun, all watchable, but all ultimately forgettable. The 90's? Ditto, with few notable exceptions, such as the mesmerizing and fantastic "X-Files" and it's underrated brother "Millennium", this decade may have been the worst for horror TV. But by now the cable television explosion was in FULL ON mode. There was a channel for everything you could thing of! The Golf Channel? For cryin' out loud, is there really enough people or interest to support the damn Golf Channel?!??! Yet, inexplicably, no horror channel.......until, that is, the debut of "The Science
Fiction Channel" or as it is better known today, "The SciFi Channel". How excited I was to stumble upon this gem in the early part of the 90's. In particular I remember one October, early in it's inception, when the SciFI channel showed ALL the classic monster icon movies, UNCUT WITHOUT COMMERCIALS, each week leading up to Halloween. My son and I recorded them all, unaware as we were at the time that in the not so distant future all of these films would be readily available in the endless realm of Video and DVD. The internet caught fire in the 90's and really exploded by the end of that decade giving rise to the rumour mill that a 24/7 Horror Channel was a soon to be realized event.Talk, talk, talk, talk, blah, blah, blah..........so much energy spent ballyhooing this channel, so many petitions to cable and satellite stations signed, and to what end??? Stugatz, that's what. The Channel never got off the ground, even though it's internet site has introduced some fairly decent original programming and is now offering a fairly entertaining "talk/horror host" program entitled The Deadpit. This show, apparently very homemade and therefore immediately likeable, is hosted by the Kreepy Kentuckian and Uncle Bill. (Don't ask me, that's just what they go by!) and they offer a blow by blow commentary of various horror film releases of the past few decades. I've only watched one episode, but it was pretty funny. And the guys seem to know their horror! Over the ensuing years, the SciFi Channel became inundated with commercials, bowed to pressure to edit the content of their programming, and basically became a neutered version of it's former, promising self. They do offer some pretty good original programming, but most of their movies are low budget, dicey CGI infused, cliche films. Hey, but what choice do I have? I'm glad you asked, Sparky.....'cause now along comes the long awaited, fanboy anticipated, much desired, and desperatley needed "Chiller Network". Or so we were led to believe, mostly by our own ridiculous yearning for a TRUE horror channel. As it turns out, the Chiller Channel offers many of the aforementioned 80's serial horror shows: Friday the 13th, Freddy's Nightmares, Monsters, etc. It also sprinkles in some short lived series you may have missed like American Gothic, shows the brilliant yet never as good as when you first experienced it classic "Twin Peaks", and gives us our fill of edited, commercial stuffed, full screen, movies. Not only that, but apparently they can't yet attract any main steam adverisers so much, if not all, of the commercials are either Ron Popiel Veg-O-Matic wannabes, or male enhancement products. Just what audience do they think they have?? Hmmmmmm, makes you wonder, don't it? So, we have been given a channel that may, someday, actually be the channel we wish, want, hope that it may be. In the meantime we will suffer, willingly, through our
disappointement that no premium horror channel is in the cards. Unless of course you are one of the priveledges few who have access to the Dish Network and "Monsters HD", the alledgely high-def, uncut, and commercial free horror channel that originated as part of the Voom Broadcast group.( somehow affiliated with Sears, of all things!) I have never seen it, or heard anyone talk of it, but they have a website that sure makes it look good. Perhaps we should all be petitioning our various TV services for the inclusion of THIS channel in our lineup? Who's with me?

Super Supernatural

2007-02-07T17:29:00.000-08:00

Let me put it in the simplest of terms. If you were/are a fan of the X-Files, and have pined away each and every Sunday night since it went off the air, and have desperately searched for a replacement series, and are NOT watching "Supernatural" on the CW Network, then you are missing the heir to the X-Files thrown. Now in it's 2nd season, Supernatural has become my favorite current TV program, bumping Medium and the somewhat tedious Heroes out of contention. Now, when I first started watching the show, it was one of many that were released that season. Threshold, Invasion, Night Stalker, Surface and others have all been cancelled and rightfully so. They sucked hard. Supernatural, on the other hand, has grown in its appeal. This show is really scary at times, and thats hard to do on TV. At first I was somewhat dubious of the two hunk leading characters and my Gay-Dar was on high alert. Not that there's anything wrong with that........of course, but you know the drill. Anyway, the more I kept up with each episode, the more hooked I got. Like I said before, the show's got scares a-plenty and the plot lines are believable due to the good writing that loosely links the stories with urban myths that we've heard all our lives. I think its this aspect that makes the show connect with us on a personal level. So, what's it about? Here's the straight line from the CW website:

Twenty-two years ago, Sam Winchester (Jared Padalecki, "Gilmore Girls," "House of Wax") and Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles, "Smallville," "Dark Angel") lost their mother to a mysterious and demonic supernatural force. Subsequently, their father John (Jeffrey Dean Morgan, "Grey's Anatomy") raised them to be soldiers. He taught them about the paranormal evil that lives in the dark corners and on the back roads of America... and he taught them how to kill it.
Sam, however, wanted nothing to do with this violent and dangerous life, and he left it behind until the day Dean appeared on his doorstep with troubling news. Their father had gone missing on a "hunting trip."
Sam and Dean have spent the last year cruising the highways of the United States in their 1967 Chevy Impala, searching for their lost father. Along the way, they battled various supernatural threats, and each other as well, for their sibling rivalries and conflicts were never far from the surface. Finally, they found their father, just as he was closing in on the demon who claimed their mother. After a climactic confrontation, the demon escaped, leaving the three Winchester men in dire shape.
So the Winchesters' mission continues. They travel the country, encountering creatures that most people believe exists only in folklore, superstition and nightmares -- vampires, spirits, revenants, reapers, even bloody clowns.
Wherever they go, the brothers continue their search for the demon that destroyed their family. During their last confrontation, the demon said he had plans for "Sam and all the children like him." Now Sam must also decipher what this means and uncover the dark secrets buried within his own past and within his family's history.
From Warner Bros. Television in association with Wonderland Sound and Vision, with executive producers McG ("Charlie's Angels," "The O.C."), writer/executive producer Eric Kripke ("Boogeyman"), Robert Singer ("Midnight Caller"), and John Shiban ("The X-Files").

You get the drift, now what in the world would keep you from watching this show?!?!? Oh, you didn't see the first season so you don't want to jump into the middle? Got your cure for that right here Sparky. http://www.warnervideo.com/supernatural/ Right here, or from your local Best Buy, Circuit City or Target for that matter, you can pick up the first season on DVD. By the time you finish it up you can be ready for the summer re-runs of season two, so you won't miss a beat. If you're still not convinced lemme' hook ya' up with this little sneak peek trailer for one of my favorite episodes called "Asylum". http://www.smallvillevirtuality.com/crypt/trailers/asylum.wmv That oughta' get ya' motivated, huh? Take a tip from another wanderer in the No X-Files wilderness, Supernatural is our best shot so far at reclaiming some creepy, couch potato moments. Check it out, you will NOT be disappointed.

Big Heroes on the Small Screen

2006-11-07T14:17:00.000-08:00

In case the sharp eyed ones among you picked up on the change of this columns title, allow me a moment to pontificate. I recently decided that having a "movie" of the month was a tad too limiting, being that I am constantly reviewing all manner of media in the DVD avalanche that has descended upon us. By that I mean, there is such a damn explosion of re-released TV shows, and Serials, and the like, that I felt I would be able to be more prolific in my columns if I expanded my material selection.........make sense? Or sound like I'm gettin' lazy about watching and recommending movies??? Either may be the truth, let me tell ya', after a 31 day horror movie watching frenzy, I'm more than ready to lay off the films for awhile. This of course brings me to my subject of the month: Television Heroes, now available on DVD

I'm not really sure how or when it happened, but somewhere along the line I got caught up in neverending cycle of collecting things. You know, models, action figures, comic books, movies, memoribilia, that sort of thing. And to some extent thats okay, but, and heres the hook, BUT the trouble with collecting things is......THERE NEVER SEEMS TO BE AN END!!! I started collecting hero movies on DVD, mainly because I wanted the Batman Movies. Well, that led to the Superman movies, which led to the Spiderman movies, which led to.........you got the picture??? Along the way in supporting this habit, I started picking up even the TV shows that were in the HERO genre, and, just this year, that of course being the year that is ending tommorrow, 2006, starting actually sitting down and watching them. To my amazement, I found that there was an immense amount of enjoyment to be had!!! I started out with purchasing "The Flash - The Complete Series". Easy to do because it only ran for one season. Admittedly, I had somewhat romaticized this series since watching it during its original run in 1990-1991. I was originally drawn to it because it was coming right on the heels of the Tim Burton's Batman blockbuster. The set includes the 2 hour pilot movie which is the high point of the series unfortunately. I had heard when the series was cancelled that the high cost of production, reportedly $1 million per episode, was the reason. Upon watching the series in its entirety I more rightly suspect that the crappy writing and thoughtless plots of most episodes had viewers looking elsewhere for thier high powered TV needs. Not that the DVD is a waste of time, I still enjoyed most of the programs, especially the two episodes that feature Mark Hamill as the Trickster. He, of course, would later continue his comic book TV pursuits by voicing the Joker in the excellent Batman the Animated Series cartoon. Overall, The Flash is pretty standard TV schlock. At least half of the 22 episodes are throw away stories with goofy dialogue and stilted acting. John Wesley Snipes as Barry Allen/Flash is very likeable and handles his role with a self deprecating style that you will grow to appreciate, even in the midst of whatever cruddy storyline is involved. I rate it B-, and if your a collector, you have to have it.

Given the short life of the Flash, its somewhat hard to believe that a few short years later, in 1993, another major network would gamble its fortunes on another comic book character. Now, without a doubt Superman 100 times the bankable comodity of The Flash, but even so, ABC took a chance with an angle on the character focused not on the hero, but the hero's secret alter ego; Clark Kent. I never watched "Lois & Clark - The New Adventures of Superman" when it originally aired. I don't know why. But now with its DVD release, I have begun to realize the fun I missed. The character of Superman has had more media lives than any other character in modern history. Serials, TV shows, Movies, etc. , he's been done and done and done again. The most interesting part of all these Supeman tellings is the seeminless endless "new" approaches that the writers, producers and directors are able to take and still have the viewer buy into the story. A testament to the power and magnetism of the character I assume. Anyway, Lois and Clark approaches the hero in the form of a slow developing love story between our two main characters. Its smacks broadly of the slow festering sexual tension of Muldaur and Scully on the X-Files series. I'm only into Season Two so I may be ignorant of some later payoff, but for now I'm drawn in to their story big time. Terry Hatcher is without a doubt one of the most endearing actresses ever to play the Lois part. She really makes you believe that she is the person she is playing, and that's damn hard to do with a 60+ year old icon like Lois Lane!! Likewise, Dean Caine IS Clark Kent. I've seen 'em all and I grew up with George Reeves (God love 'em) but Dean is the man. He is so perfect for the role that you cannot think for one minute that he is not the wholesome, honest, true blue, do gooder that you know the character must be. And his unrequieted love interest for Lois is truly touching. Sure, it's TV and some of the episodes are trash. In fact, several are exact storylines from The Flash series, I mean EXACT, not close in content, EXACT!!! Watch the two series back to back and you'll see what I mean. Anyway, it amazes me how much I like this show. In fact, I like it so much that I've slowed down my viewings for fear that I'll run out of episodes too fast!!! Howz that for nutz???

Now there are several tacks you can take in absorbing all that the wonderful world of DVD releases offers. With our heros you can go OLD school and pick up on the fabulous re-releases of the original movie serials that are now remastered and available. Both the Batman and the Superman 1940's serials are out and are laughable in light of todays versions of the characters, but endearing in their simple charm and cheesy production values. Or, you can step it up
just a bit into the 1950's and get all 6 seasons of the beloved ( at least to those of us born in the 50's) George Reeves Adventures of Superman. This interpretation would be the definitive for a generation of hero addicts, comic book geeks, and hopeless afternoon TV dreamers. Along the short lived newer line there is the one season of "The Adventures of Superboy" which came and went so fast I never even knew it was on TV!! I'm looking forward to checking it out. Continuing with Superman there is the excellent (I'm told 'cause I have yet to see one episode) "Smallville". Another telling of the legendary character that has its plot gimick being the absence of the iconic uniform. This series dwells on the development of the Clark Kent character and his interactions with family and friends that lead him on the path to becoming Superman. Then its on to MY favorite character of all time......Batman. Not nearly as saturated as Superman, there are still alot of avenues to pursue to get your Batman media fix. The biggest travesty being that the Holy Grail of Batman media, the 1966 Series has not yet been released on DVD. Apparently alot of back office bullshit about rights keeping this sure to be a mega billion selling DVD off of your local Best Buy shelves!! However you can get your mitts on the 1943 Serial (which predates the first Superman outing by 5 years!!!) and several cartoon versions starting with the creme de la creme, "Batman the Animated Series". This excellent program was like watching a mini-movie each and every time. Excellent animation that borrowed heavily from Max Fliescher, top drawer writing, and adult themed content made this particular cartoon a legend. Later there would be variations that maintained most of the quality but never matched the overall perfection of the original 4 seasons. The New Batman Adventures, The Adventures of Batman and Robin, and finally the most recent "The Batman" all have their moments, but fall short of the original series. Of course, once you really get the sickness, like me, you can pursue the sublime and the subliminal with features like " The Justice Leaque", "Teen Titans", "Superman - the Animated Series" and the ubiquitous "Defenders of the Earth" which is noteworthy for its accumulation of its lessor known characters The Phantom, Mandrake the Magician, and Flash Gordon, among others. Look, if you love this genre, and you want to take a swim in big ol' lake yesteryear, then these are the DVD's for your my friend. And I'm sure there will be others, and I've not even included the younger genereation Masters of the Universe, Thundercats, etc. Lord, will there be no end to the ways in which the producers of this stuff can find to fleece me of my hard earned dollars. Think not of the cost, dear reader, think only of the value!!!!! Peace out!

Nightmares, Dreamscapes, and the Kung Fu Hustle

2006-09-04T13:24:00.000-07:00

Now, look......I know this column is dedicated to movies, and in particular, movies that I like, dislike, or in someway have something to say about. But just quickly, and belatedly, I would like to toss in my two bits about the short lived (and rightfully so) anthology series "Nightmares and Dreamscapes". First, it is a well known fact that no one single author has ever suffered through as many miserable film adaptations of his work then the long suffering Stephen King. I am not quite sure why this is except to suppose that it is simply because most of his work is so fantastic (meaning out there as opposed to exceptional) that it is difficult for most filmakers to visualize it. Think about it, if you have ever read King's work, and I have read most of it, his prose evokes strong images of characters, places, horrors, and more. I'm certain each reader has these strong mental responses to King's writing, thus making it nearly impossible for one filmaker's visualization of the work cover the multitued of readers imaginations!! Make sense? It's either that or King doesn't care who makes crappy films out of his books. You can count the number of GOOD films based on King stories on one hand. Now, back to Nightmares and Dreamscapes, an original anthology series on TNT based, allegedly, on short stories of the aforementioned author. I saw all six of them, conceitedly shown in 2 episode installments on Wednesday nights. As though one just couldn't be enough for the viewer, surely they would be craving more!! Bluntly, they all sucked. ALL OF THEM! They were like bad student films, the plots were hard to follow, the characters not nearly developed, the situations overblown with camera effects where story was needed. How they managed to con such top drawer acting talent (William Hurt, William H. Macy, Henry Thomas, Ron Livingston, Tom Berenger) into this mess is just inconceivable to me. With recent releases of the top notch HBO series "Tales from the Crypt" now available, you'd think that directors and producers and writers would step up their game a little bit. Instead we've had to wade through the incredibly disappointing Showtime "Masters of Horror" and this latest travesty. It makes me long for the late 80's and early 90's when Tales from the Darkside, Monsters, and Freddy's Nightmares had fun with the horror antology format. But enough of that and on to....................

Kung Fu Hustle

The other day I was walking through my local Best Buy lookin' for some window A/C units for my office during a particularly intense heat wave we were havin' in the DC area. Out of the corner of my eye, on one of the large plasma display TV's, I get a glimpse of a chorus line of Asian men, dressed like the cast of Reservoir Dogs, doing a line dance ala the Sharks and Jets outta' West Side Story!! Needless to say, I stop and proceed to witness a stunning array of clips from a film called Kung Fu Hustle. Right away I know I HAVE to rent this film. Now I very rarely have those kinds of impulsive reactions to any form of movie trailer that isn't horror or hero based. so I know this has got to be an unusual film. Well, unusual doesn't even begin to gover it. Back in the day I was a big fan of Kung Fu Theater on Saturday mornings. Every week, the same story, good martial arts school versus bad marshall arts school. A morality tale that always ended the way you wanted, with plenty of yuks, crazy characters, kick ass action, and one or two love stories thrown in for good measure. Kung Fu Hustle basically takes that formula, adds an amazing amount of style, cuts in state of the art action sequences, and some of the funniest one liners you will ever hear dubbed. What the kung fu films of yesteryear lacked, director Stephen Chow makes up for in spades. The pacing of the action sequences are stunning, and the humor is original if not dryly delivered. No new ground being broken hear storywise, it's your basic "down and out loner longs to be a kung fu master." Unaware of his secret ability to kick serious butt, our anti-hero spends 2/3 of this film just cracking us up!! Look I don't want to give you a blow by blow on this film, I just want you to get up right now and go out and rent it. I'll wait...........I'm not kidding, GO!!! Kung Fu Hustle is easily one of, if no the, best movie I have seen all year. Check it out for yourself and you'll agree, it fires on all cylinders, and if you're like me, you'll be down at the video store soon after looking for "Shaolin Soccer".

Hostel

2006-07-12T14:39:00.000-07:00

Okay, this film got hyped beyond belief, or at least beyond what it could live up to. Now having said that, let me continue to qualify my comments by reminding you that I grew up (and that's ALOT of years now) watching horror films. I have tracked them from the innocent, to the exploitive, to the gorey, to the suspenseful, and right on up til now where nearly everything is a remake. In short, I've seen my share of horror and not much catches me off guard anymore. To its credit, Hostel is at the very least, NOT a remake. Now, it ain't totally original either, but it does manage to buck some traditional horror movie stereotypes and cliches. First? It doesn't fall back on the totally overdone and ridiculously used chick hero cliche. That alone makes it a leg up on some other horror films. By now you all should be aware of the premise, but in case your not, here's the skinny: Upper class yuppies touring Europe looking for girls stumble onto secret members only club where ultra-rich, depraved men get to act out their sado-masochistic/murderous fantasies on real live people.The hook? Our traveling hero's end up as the fodder for the afore mentioned crazy rich guys. One cliche that is increasingly overused is front and center here again in Hostel. That being the dripping walls, dank, dungeon like netherplace where all the evil stuff goes down. Think about it, how many times have we seen this setting played out in modern horror films? Somebody needs to come up with a new twist on the ol' torture chamber motif. You want some pretty intense, graphically gritty, gore? Well, Hostel serves it up pretty good, and the director is fairly judicious in letting some be left to our imagination (always the scariest way!). Much like Wolf Creek (which I liked a bit better) you just can't count on all your lead actors to make it to the end of the film. This is a pretty cool trend that I track back to Jeepers Creepers (still freaks me out that the brother gets dead in that film!!)
Now, as the film meanders passed the hook (pardon the gratuitous pun)it takes a turn into action/chase scene territory, and for several moments I felt like I was watching the Borne Identity, weird. Theres some fairly decent revenge motive payoff when our hero gets some payback on the baddies that set him up, and this sort of stuff is always fun.
But as a drop jaw horror classic, this one leaves alot on the table, I'm sure unnecessary sequels are already being scratched out somewhere in Hollywood and my guess is they'll be about as good as Saw II, which just didn't cut it. If you've got a couple of hours to kill, or watch some killing, then Hostel won't completely kill your buzz, but it ain't gonna help it much either.