October Horror Movie Marathon

[MrBarlow]

Originally Posted by Justin101

I watched Escape Room on Amazon Prime since the sequel just come out and people are talking about it. Turns out there are three films called Escape Room and I watched the wrong one, and it was bloody awful.

6 horrible people go to an escape room to celebrate one of their birthdays, they end up dying from traps in a crappy Saw pastiche, no one cared and the film ended with some clever (I'm sure the writer thought so at least) speech about 'who really escaped' to the one person who actually didn't die...

Don't bother...

Ohhh once you see it you can't unsee it Justin, you done what I done and by heck I turned it off about 20-30 mins cos it wasn't the one I wanted to watch.

[MrBarlow]

Witchcraft III: The Kiss Of Death. 1991.

William now working as a lawyer and is now a warlock but doesn't want to use his powers, another warlock tries to force him to the dark side of life.

This is set...sometime after the second film, William (Charles Solomon) knowing about is family's name and trying to get on with life, this is like very soft horror with Lisa Toothman showing more than just her backside and Dominic Luciana giving out a over the top scream as he dies, don't have your volume up for that one. I really wanted to like this one but seems to lack any suspense or blood and gore, maybe another watch of it will happen.

witchcraft-iii-the-kiss-of-death-1991-starring-charles-solomon-jr-on-dvd-1-324x324.jpg

[MrBarlow]

Witchcraft IV: The Virgin Heart. 1992.

A rock band are willing to sell their souls for fame and fortune and William is trying to stop them from doing so.

I will hold hands my hands and say these film aren't the greatest and mildly entertaining, the first three are better than this installment, it seems to go to horror then detective story which involves a stupid why strip joint moment or did I miss something. Charles Solomon returns as William who tries to stop the forces of evil. Unforgettable and Avoidable.

p55511_v_h9_ab.jpg

[MrBarlow]

The Haunted House Of Horrors. 1969.

A group of teens gather to go ghost hunting in a abandoned house only for them to be murdered by someone in their group.

Not greatly paced film but does build up some of the characters from British film and television, I forgot Richard O' Sullivan was in this and Frankie Avalon, in a somewhat lead role. Who would of thought the makers can pull of a decent atmospheric Gothic type house in the 60s...well they did along with a haunting background score, not my favourite when I first saw it but it's has grown on me.

mqdefault.jpg

[MrBarlow]

Hell House LLC: The Director's Cut.

A group of people buy a run down hotel "The Abaddon Hotel" and turn it into a Halloween attraction. On the opening night tragedy struck with speculation, one of the organizers comes forward with footage that was shot from the first day.

This was to be released on amazon prime on the 30th of this month, someone on YouTube ( V Horror Movies) uploaded it there, if you are a fan of this film, I would recommend you check it out. If you are not and like found footage movies then give this one a look, it is decently made with some extended scenes and deleted scenes been added it and may give you another reason to hate clowns.

maxresdefault.jpg

[MacBlayne]

CANDYMAN

Decided to give this a rewatch after suffering through the 2021 film, and reading the AV Club's shower of lies masquerading as review that tried to claim that Bernard Rose was just portraying "White anxieties using a scary Black man."

While racial politics and racism are present in Candyman, they are not what Rose and original writer Clive Barker limit themselves to. Candyman is a striking, fascinating exploration of the power of folklore and urban legends, and how they are developed and exploited both by oppressed societies and those who do the oppressing.

Nia DaCosta's Candyman (2021) was content to tell us racism is bad, and have an avenging ghost give us some gore. Rose's Candyman wants us to squirm. This is not a White guilt story, in which the audience is absolved by the end when the characters admit things could have been done better, nor is it a diatribe against racism, in which the audience can relax because, "Hey, I don't do hate crimes." Rose and Barker's tale is one that can work anywhere where divisions and inequality exist.

The stark contrast between Helen's (Virginia Madsen) and Anne-Marie's (Vanessa Estelle Williams) home is a good measure of what Rose is trying to say. Helen lives in a gorgeous, spacious apartment that overlooks the city's skyline. Outside her home are large parks or clean public spaces. Anne-Marie lives in the ghettos with her baby son. Her apartment is tiny and cramped, but she has done her best to make it cosy and clean. However, the illusion of spruceness is shattered whenever she opens the door. Filth, rubbish, graffiti, and even excrement await with the gang members making crass comments towards the female form. When Helen visits the projects, the opulent, distant skyscrapers of Chicago loom over what looks like a warzone.

Seeing this nightmare outside her home, it's easy to know why a boogeyman like Candyman exists. A story told by parents to their children to make them vigilant. Explaining gangsters, rapists, and drugs to a small child may be difficult for the child, and hard for those living there to admit to, but a monster is simple. No questions asked.

Candyman wants you to feel outraged. It is not one to judge, for the film doesn't have any answers to a punishing problem. It just highlights how society has failed and betrayed communities that they are forced to invent monsters just to survive their plight.

Even if one were to remove the social studies and subtext, Candyman is a magnificent horror experience. The legend of saying his name five times in a mirror is alluring, and perhaps the main reason why the film was a schoolground favourite growing up. At eight years old we were too young to understand class division, but we would all dare each other to say his name five times.

Speaking of alluring, Tony Todd is perfect as Candyman. Apparently, Eddie Murphy almost played him before dropping out. I like Murphy, but Todd was born to play him. Tall, handsome, and with a voice to make you weak at the knees, Todd captures the enchantment and terror such a creation can draw. His target, Helen, is played with grace and tragedy with Virginia Madsen. Her performance plumbs depths you rarely see in a genre film. Honestly, both actors should have had Oscar nominations. They are well supported by the film's beautiful visuals. Rose and cinematographer Anthony Richmond employ strobing colours and slightly-slow-motion to give the film a hallucinatory experience that you cannot wake up from. Complimenting it all is Philip Glass's extraordinary score that sells the menace and the tragedy of the Candyman legend.

Candyman is a film that keeps getting better everytime I see it. There is so much to dig into when one isn't hiding behind the settee. The final scenes make you wonder how the sequels missed the mark so much. Characters may die, but legends live on.

[nosferatu42]

To be honest, I've never been a massive Candyman fan, think i need to re evaluate it soon.

[MrBarlow]

Think Bernard Rose and Clive Barker made a good choice with Tony Todd, a stage actor who was able to give a creepy performance, with Eddie Murphy I doubt it would be taken seriously or he would be a diva to get his own way.

The opening credits with the score and the ariel shot gave it that vibe that we were in for a good movie even watching it at 11 years old when it came out I just about went through one or two clean pair of shorts, and genuinley it creeped me out, the only horror film that scared me and never watched it for so many years without shaking and now its a classic for me.

[Nordicdusk]

Ok so i have a lot of catching up to do i have only managed 3 films from 10 days for a 30 unseen. Think its gonna have to be two a night.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Nordicdusk

Ok so i have a lot of catching up to do i have only managed 3 films from 10 days for a 30 unseen. Think its gonna have to be two a night.

Yeah, get cracking, Nordy.