October Horror Movie Marathon

[Crimson Blade]

The Fall of The House of Usher(1960).

Roger Corman's classic Edgar Allan Poe adaption. Phillip Winthrop, played by Mark Damon, arrives at the Usher estate hoping to reunite with his intended bride, Madeline Usher, the beautiful Myrna Fahey. Her brother Roderick, Vincent Price, gives him less than a warm welcome and wants him to leave because of a family curse.

For fans of gothic film, this is an absolute must. A crumbling old house full of secret passages and cobwebs, an old spooky crypt, mists and fog, thunderstorms, and with superb sets and lush cinematography.

Vincent Price excels as usual with one of his typical slightly over the top performances that are always so entertaining and reveling in misery and creepiness.

Slow by modern film standards, but that's an added plus in my opinion. 8/10.

[bleakshaun]

Return of the Evil Dead
So it starts off with the Templar Knights getting their eyes burned out and being set alight. 500 years later, and the local village is having a party, the Templar wake and murder everyone.
A great sequel, however despite there being more blind Zombies murdering everyone they can, it (for me) is lacking the atmosphere of the first in many parts. Still great though. Also the mayor character was fun.

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[Gothmogxx]

Been very busy recently and i’ve been watching a lot of films I hadn’t even planned on watching with friends. Also haven’t had time to update so-

Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth 1992. Not as well made as the first two but perhaps the most fun film in the whole franchise. Pinhead steals the entire show throughout: Doug Bradley is the man. What’s funny is that this is the only Hellraiser film of the first 6 i’ve seen where Pinhead is the main villain and basically gets the stage to himself. In Hellraiser its Frank. In Hellraiser II its Channard and Julia (Julia who they wanted to elevate to icon status before realising how popular Pinhead was). In Hellraiser IV: Bloodline its Pinhead but he also has to share with the demon Princess Angelique (I despise Inferno and Hellseeker so I don’t want to talk about them. Pinhead isn’t even really in them anyway). Here, he alone is the main bad guy and he wastes no time in dominating the film (that church scene though). It’s not perfect but its very enjoyable.

Halloween II 1981. More of the night he came home. Was more necessary? Yes and no. I think in all fairness and I say this as someone who likes the sequels, this one (and presumably the new one with a different timeline) felt like the only one you absolutely had to make. If you absolutely had to see what happened after he that amazing ending where he got shot of the roof then here it is.

It’s body count is visually better than the first and i’m not just talking about Michael Myers. The funniest scene in the whole film is when Ben Tramer is dressed up as Michael Myers and a random police car rams him into a van which explodes as Brackett and Loomis watch. At first I assumed that this officer decided to gamble: take a chance and ram this figure with a 50/50 potential of it being Michael. But according to the cop “he came out of nowhere”. Excuse me WHAT?!? So even if Ben Tramer wasn’t there, would the cop have still rammed into the nearby van?

The one thing that really bothers me is the whole Michael and Laurie being related as siblings. Why? Why was this necessary? Why does he need this motivation? All he needed to do was hear that she was at the hospital on the radio as he does in the film and then go after her… Just because. Just because what? Well nothing, because he’s supposed to kill without motivation. It would be more creepy if he just stalked her this way. The whole reveal makes him less scary, although in all fairness he’s less scary here before that reveal anyway, he doesn’t have the presence he had the in the first one. I appreciate the use of the original mask though and some of the long shots of him walking in the hospital are done very well.

I love the finale though. The one time Loomis and Laurie team up against him. She gets out the room and Loomis successfully sets Michael on fire (although how Loomis survives the explosion for the sequels I don’t know).

I’d give both of these films an 8/10

I have to go to work but i'll review REC, It Follows and Evil Dead II when I get in.

[bleakshaun]

Just about to start The Ghost Galleon.

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[trebor8273]

Originally Posted by Gothmogxx

Been very busy recently and i’ve been watching a lot of films I hadn’t even planned on watching with friends. Also haven’t had time to update so-

Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth 1992. Not as well made as the first two but perhaps the most fun film in the whole franchise. Pinhead steals the entire show throughout: Doug Bradley is the man. What’s funny is that this is the only Hellraiser film of the first 6 i’ve seen where Pinhead is the main villain and basically gets the stage to himself. In Hellraiser its Frank. In Hellraiser II its Channard and Julia (Julia who they wanted to elevate to icon status before realising how popular Pinhead was). In Hellraiser IV: Bloodline its Pinhead but he also has to share with the demon Princess Angelique (I despise Inferno and Hellseeker so I don’t want to talk about them. Pinhead isn’t even really in them anyway). Here, he alone is the main bad guy and he wastes no time in dominating the film (that church scene though). It’s not perfect but its very enjoyable.

Halloween II 1981. More of the night he came home. Was more necessary? Yes and no. I think in all fairness and I say this as someone who likes the sequels, this one (and presumably the new one with a different timeline) felt like the only one you absolutely had to make. If you absolutely had to see what happened after he that amazing ending where he got shot of the roof then here it is.

It’s body count is visually better than the first and i’m not just talking about Michael Myers. The funniest scene in the whole film is when Ben Tramer is dressed up as Michael Myers and a random police car rams him into a van which explodes as Brackett and Loomis watch. At first I assumed that this officer decided to gamble: take a chance and ram this figure with a 50/50 potential of it being Michael. But according to the cop “he came out of nowhere”. Excuse me WHAT?!? So even if Ben Tramer wasn’t there, would the cop have still rammed into the nearby van?

The one thing that really bothers me is the whole Michael and Laurie being related as siblings. Why? Why was this necessary? Why does he need this motivation? All he needed to do was hear that she was at the hospital on the radio as he does in the film and then go after her… Just because. Just because what? Well nothing, because he’s supposed to kill without motivation. It would be more creepy if he just stalked her this way. The whole reveal makes him less scary, although in all fairness he’s less scary here before that reveal anyway, he doesn’t have the presence he had the in the first one. I appreciate the use of the original mask though and some of the long shots of him walking in the hospital are done very well.

I love the finale though. The one time Loomis and Laurie team up against him. She gets out the room and Loomis successfully sets Michael on fire (although how Loomis survives the explosion for the sequels I don’t know).

I’d give both of these films an 8/10

I have to go to work but i'll review REC, It Follows and Evil Dead II when I get in.

Thankfully the new film with the new film the second film and the rest of the sequel never happened and they aren't brother and sister

[bleakshaun]

The Ghost Galleon
Some swimwear models have a leak on their boat and find an old Galleon to hop on to. Unfortunately for them the Templars are there, their friends try to find them and get trapped.
Again, like the previous installment a great sequel, more blood and also sone cute miniatures.

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[Paul Zombie]

The Gorgon.

A bizarre series of deaths are happening in the village of Vandorf everytime there's a full moon, and all the victims are found turned to stone. and everyone is too afraid to admit the truth that a mythological gorgon is on the rampage causing it. Even Dr Namroff(Peter Cushing) covers up the deaths and seems to have a hidden agenda.

Yet again another top notch Hammer film that never fails to entertain me. Once again the great film director Terence Fisher delivers another gothic classic with loads of creepy atmospheres.
Superb cast too, with the other horror heavyweight Christopher Lee co starring as well. but sadly Lee doesn't get much screen time until the last half hour. but is well worth it with his rude and authoritive performance, not taking any fools gladly. Credit must go too to the superb Barbara shelley who is always believable and nice on the eye too, despite the prim dress buttoned up to her neck.

only one criticism is the make up effects for Magaera The Gorgon. thankfully, she stays in the shadows mostly. but when we do get to see her properly the effects are less than convincing with plastic snakes stuck on her head , and the final gore effect at the end of the film looks really fake.
But still a classic which merits a solid 87 out of 100.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

The Black Torment (1964)

There's something about this film i still find creepy. Robert Hartford-Davis' film has an incredible ambiance to it. When curtains billow and windows fling open in the wind it seems to work here more successfully than many other Gothic horror films. Perhaps it's the oddness of the plot where everyone seems to have spoken to the returned Lord Fordyke whilst he was away marrying his new bride, even though he clearly wasn't around. It's not like crying about a vampire or werewolf killing folk, it's more subtle than that, creating a slow burning chilling environment as the story slowly reveals itself.


Demons (1985)

Lamberto Bava's slighty surreal shocker is an extravaganza of great demon make up, foaming green bile, claws, fangs and gory murders all to the tune of Motley Crue, Accept and Saxon as demons run riot in a Berlin cinema. Great stuff!


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The Changeling (1980)

Extremely slow moving and rather forgettable supernatural tale that borders on the boring despite a stand out performance from George C Scott. The script doesn't seem to know if it wants to be a haunted house mystery or the story of composer Scott's recovery from tragedy, seemingly heading in the latter direction until a firey and perhaps ghostly climax wins through in the dying minutes.


Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995)

I can never decide if this is the work of an unrivaled genius or a sloppy mess in it's mixture of serial killer Michael Myers and Occult shenanigins. Some of the kills are excellent but other sequences are hideous, yet it's a film i return to every October so it must be watchable even if it is so far removed from the John Carpenter original that only Myers, the town of Haddonfield and a returning Donald Pleasence - for the last time - provide any connection.

[Demoncrat]

Sadako Vs Kayako (2016)

Ding ... ding. Round one! Ach, theyve changed the bloody tape. Or rather, there is a new sequence on 'that' vhs cassette revealing the lankhaired quine. WHYYYYYYY!!!?@#$#@$!
Regardless, this is a lot betterer than that murican excreta Rings. Though that's nae saying much. Though when the loose limbed bint started croaking 'n' shuffling, a shiver went up my spine. Slightly recommended?


Candyman (Bernard Rose)
Look, I have tried with this film. But it just does not scare me. It's too gory for a start. Burn The Heretic etc ... plus that coat is just a little too Superfly. Form a queue .....


Pit & The Pendulum (Roger Corman)
Only slightly less iconic that the Usher tale imho. The set pieces amaze still. Moral being ... look out the window afore ye opens that door!! Violently recommended.

[MrBarlow]

The Lamp aka The Outing. 1987

After a home invasion, an old woman is killed, the burglars find a lamp and the Djin is released hell bent on revenge. The Lamp is moved to a museum to be studied, the archaeologist's daughter and her friends spend the night in the museum and the Djin is released.

Welcome back to the cheesey 80s flicks, I wouldn't take this film seriously, probably at the time it was an original idea of a bad genie then came Wishmaster 1997. The pace of movie was decent aswell then slowly vanishes, the deaths were OK but they weren't gory, except from the first 10 mins into the film.

There is some so so special effects but very little to none atmosphere even in a museum and its more like expect the expected, at first glance I thought the genie was a bit like Torok the Troll from the film Troll 1986. 4-5 out of 10.