The Torture Chamber Of Dr. Sadism (1967, Harald Rienl)

German fake Hammer flick.
A man and a woman are invited to a castle.
The locals cast doubt though when they do arrive.
Hooking up with a local religious type, they all trot off to their fate.
Had fun here, the sets are lovely and even if the dubbing was something less than perfect, I will retun to this place again. :nod:

Hell House LLC: Origins The Carmicheal Manor (2023, Stephen Cognetti)

FF caper.
Initially, there are structural similarities between this and the first, being a retelling of past events.
A pair of amateur sleuths bite off more than they can chew when they accept a remote setting for investigation.
As prequels go, this was reasonably competent with one genuine scare cough.

Nightmare Beach. 1989.

Umberto Lenzi's teen slash horror during spring break with a unidentified biker killing party goers and John Saxon trying to be the bully police man and Michael Perks as the small town doctor. Lenzi had a great career as a giallo and shock horror director but everyone seems to be less than energetic to be in this or do some OTT acting but aside this is a guilty pleasure film for me.

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Up next Dead Silence.

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Went to the SPOOKY TUNNEL tonight it's a cool idea yeah it's for kids but at Halloween aren't we all still kids

Dead Silence. 2007.

From James Wan and Leigh Whannell who created Saw make their mark with this little gem of a ghost story with a twist. Ryan Kwanten returns to his home town.after the death of his wife and must confront a urban legend of a ventriloquist called Mary Shaw. This was a nice little set up and basically thrown into the plot that does hold your attention all the way to the end credits and certainly worth watching in the dark.

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There was due to be another film but that can wait till tomorrow to be viewed I'm off to my :coffin: have a great night one and all.

Enjoyed rewatching the director's cut of Rob Zombie's Halloween II. Admittedly I've never seen the theatrical cut but it does niggle that this film was received so badly. I thought it was a big improvement over the first movie.

It's a violent and incredibly sleazy kinda art-house horror film that I would defend. Great sound design deserves a mention and I respect it for attempting to show the psychological aftermath trauma of victims of violence.

btw Like first film, it helps if you can accept an almost Leatherface portrayal of Myers as a hulking brute.

The Final Hurdle
 

I've not gone as hard this year around, pretty much one film a day, not as many double/triple bills as in previous years. Had a good time though, only saw a couple of films that I wish I had swapped out instead which is good going!

Anyway, the last couple of days round-up...

Satan's Little Helper (2004)

Jeff Lieberman's low-budget late-period Halloween film. It's an odd one this film. Everything seems little bit off, the acting is terrible and it doesn't look pretty, but the story is fun and you can't help but enjoy it. A little side-note, the new Blu-ray isn't perfect looking, but it's clearly to do with the way the film was made on a digital camera.

Hocus Pocus (1993)

Deep into Halloween classics territory here. I've watched this film pretty much every October since it came out :lol:

Charlie Boy (1980)

Decided to watch an episode of Hammer House of Horror, I've only watched disc one last October and then put it away! This is the one with the African fetish statuette if you don't remember. I enjoyed it, but it was a bit daft!

Halloween H20 (1998)

I don't know how many times I've watched this, I saw it 2 times last year alone :lol: It's such a quick film, everything rattles along at great speed until Michael is in the school and you realise there are only like 10 minutes left! I know it's not a particularly great film, but I love it.

Full Line-Up

1 Mahakaal 1994
2 Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film 2006
2 Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb 1971
3 The Wolf Man 1941
4 Scream 3 2000
5 Lost Boys: The Tribe 2008
6 Blood and Black Lace 1964
7 Scream and Scream Again 1970
8 Lost Boys: The Thirst 2010
8 Bedlam 1946
9 The Ghoul 1933
10 Two Orphan Vampires 1997
11 Dolls 1987
12 The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires 1974
13 Freddy vs. Jason 2003
14 Zombie Holocaust 1980
14 Satan’s Blood 1978
15 King on Screen 2022
16 Lost Hearts 1973
16 The Stalls of Barchester 1971
17 Damien: Omen II 1978
18 Trauma 1993
19 Children of the Damned 1964
20 Pearl 2022
21 House on Haunted Hill 1959
22 Talk to Me 2022
23 Renfield 2023
24 Isle of the Dead 1945
25 Hellraiser 1987
26 The Hollow 2004
27 The House by the Cemetery 1981
28 Psycho III 1986
28 Shaun of the Dead 2004
29 Gothic 1986
30 Satan’s Little Helper 2004
31 Halloween H20: 20 Years Later 1998
31 Charlie Boy 1980
31 Hocus Pocus 1993

I fell asleep reading my book last night and didn't wake up for three hours. Ended up not watching Sleepy Hollow as i really didn't have time for that as well as Halloween and Halloween II.

So for me All Hallows Day will be the end of my watching rather than All Hallows Eve as i was really looking forward to watching that new Blu as part of an actual Halloween triple bill.

The best laid plans etc. :rolleyes:

Sadly I can relate to that!

You're OK tho - wait until you fall asleep on the toilet and don't wake up for three hours!!!!

Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)

Director Francis Ford Coppola's Gothic masterpiece is as near to Bram Stoker's classic novel as any of the many screen adaptations have been. The film has Coppola's distinct visual flair and mood but is also well within the realms of classic vampire fiction. The sets are superb, be it old London, or the wilds of Transylvania. CGI is apparent but never obtrusive as Coppola brings us images direct from the book which other screen versions have never dared (or technically been able to). Coppola takes the erotic elements from Stoker's novel and reaches new heights of erotically charged tension

The cast is an impressive one with Gary Oldman as Dracula particularly good. The way he pronounces Tran-sil-varnia is beautifully rich and poetic.

A special mention must go to composer Wojciech Kilar, whose score is one of the highlights of film music of the last thirty years with its Mars Bringer of War styled centre piece and haunting melodies to make the skin shiver, it even incorporates Hammer's Dracula theme by James Bernard into it's opening titles. For me Kilar has produced the finest music to ever grace a Gothic horror film.

The film does have its critics mainly due to what some say is a poor performance from Keanu Reeves, especially vocally. I think he does a decent job in the role of Jonathan Harker. It is, after all , the role of a protagonist who introduces Dracula to the audience then becomes fodder for his vampire brides.

The film is now over thirty years old and i think has aged well and has yet to be surpassed as the strongest interpretation of Stoker's novel.

I went to see this at the cinema last October and the audience loved it. As you’ve said it’s an excellent adaptation of the quintessential gothic horror book and it looks very impressive in every way.

Didn’t watch it this October but might give the 4k a spin later in the month.

I bet you loved it on the big screen.

I saw it on it's opening night at a midnight screening at WB cinema at Bury.

Simply awesome.

I'll also add it's the only midnight screening i've ever been to.

It was amazing yes, I was a very young looking 15 when it came out so I never got to see it until it was on rental VHS.

I remember seeing a film documentary on BBC2 before I’d even seen the film though discussing the opening scene when Vlad denounced god and plunges his sword into the crucifix. As soon as I saw that I knew I had to watch the whole film.

Pity Hammer didn't have the balls to do something like that with Christopher Lee.

It would have made his interpretation even better....Thank God it was never attempted by Lugosi. I get the feeling i'd be rolling about laughing.

The Church. 1989.

A village is massacred and a church built over amass grave only years later a librarian opens a seal releasing the evil in a church.

With Dario being a producer only for the film and Michele Soavi directing it does make me wonder how much did Dario stay as a producer or did he sit in the director's chair for one or two scenes, either way this is still a decent film. A church is meant to be a happy safe place, yet here it is able to have a horror gothic atmosphere and even darker when the evil is released with everyone trapped. The acting isn't too bad but the dubbing doesn't do it much justice yet the kills are decently done. Certainly a guilty pleasure of a film that never gets boring.

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This was not my best year for horror movie watching, (think watched under 80 films), that's it another year, thanks for all the likes :thankingyou:

The 4K version is awesome, i certainly do recommend that release.

I once went to a midnight screening of Dog Soldiers in Nottingham. Went in and thought I was the only one there until my eyes managed to make out two girls on the back row. The cinema never did midnight screenings again (at least whilst I was living there). :) And yes, Bram Stoker's Dracula is awesome, one of the few films I felt obliged to buy on 4K UHD format.

My October/Halloween horror movie marathon was not as full as usuall, because I wantched/rewatched a lot of non-horror too. I tried to make an informal "Old Dark House"-themed marathon. Still have "The Horror of it All" to watch, but it's now spilled into November.

Flesh for Frankenstein 3D (1973) - Hilarious!
Horrors of the Black Museum (1959) - not exactly bad, but you can see the ending from miles away and Michael Gough is a little too histrionic
What a Carve Up! (1961) - unofficial "carry on", doesn't disappoint
The House in Nightmare Park (1973) - where I became a fan of Frankie Howerd
The Oblong Box (1969) - what's October without a little Vincent Price?
Scream and Scream Again (1970) - the Radiance remaster, always great fun!
The Corpse Bride (2005) - my kid really wanted to watch it, otherwise I'd pass
The Old Dark House (1963) - I had never watched it in color. great stuff
Vampira (1974) - truly painful to watch, and not in a good way. true cringe
Invaders from Mars (1953) - not quite horror, but very very creepy, especially in the new restoration
Lifeforce (1985) - vampires in space! Mathilda May! teen me loved it, and the grown-up me still does
Green Hell (1940)- not horror, but horrible. I had heard of it being bad, but never imagined James Whale could do something so bad
Trial by Combat (1976) - Tried to find this obscure thing for years, because Cushing has a couple of scenes. Not disappointed! Pleasance in fine form
The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) - the (real) spider is the true horror. squirm squirm squirm. will never watch again because of it, but what a ride!
Dr. Cyclops (1940) - loved it!
Quatermass and the Pit (1967) - a classic of unease

Also watched most of the commentaries and extras, when available :D

October 30th and 31st.
 

I finished the last couple of days of October with films we've all seen dozens of times (I hope) which really don't need reviewing.

The Exorcist (1973), Trick 'r Treat (2007), Halloween (1978) and Halloween II (1981).

All fantastic films as far as i'm concerned.

Less known is the 1977 BBC Gothic horror series Supernatural. Eight episodes of quality if talky horror series. In each episode, a prospective member of the "Club of the Damned" was required to tell a horror story, and their application for membership would be judged on how frightening the story was. Applicants who failed to tell a sufficiently frightening story would be killed.

Countess Ilona and The Werewolf Reunion is a wonderful two parter and quite chilling and would have been terrific as part of the Ghost Stories for Christmas series whilst Ghost of Venice is less successful in it's creepy factor but still enjoyable. The perfect way to wind down following a month of none-stop horror movies.

Just to end it for me for this October's Horror Marathon i thought i'd post an image of my tv room on Halloween night. With all the pumpkin tea light holders in full effect.

The second photo is so Nosferatu@Cult Labs can see what the Grim Reaper looks like when lit up. I bought it ages ago and Nos was interested in how it looked but the pics i took at the time didn't come out as good as this so thought i'd post it now.


A huge thank you to everyone who contributed to this thread once again this year. There have been some cracking films watched and some equally cracking write ups.

Room looks amazing with everything lit up. That reaper looks great too.

Now sadly all put back in their box except the grim reaper which lives in that room and the pumpkin which i'll keep lighting until it collapses. I rather like the look of gnarly lit pumpkins. They appear really creepy sometimes.