October Horror Movie Marathon

[Nordicdusk]

I'm a bit behind because I'm going for a double bill later of The Exorcist and Five Nights at Freddy's. Should have my last three reviews up later or tomorrow I'm expecting a very disappointing night

[Frankie Teardrop]

BOO – Another abandoned hospital, another bunch of brats who are determined to meet their fate there because it’s Halloween and we need another excuse for another dumb, dumb movie. That’s right, ‘Boo’ is as dumb as they come, and frankly that’s in its favour because if it’d made more sense, it just would’ve been boring. As it stands, I think it’s hilarious. I hadn’t seen it in ages – I don’t think I was necessarily missing anything in the interim, but I had quite a good laugh with it the other night all told. It’s an example of one of my favourite horror approaches, ‘movie as bad carnival ghost train’. That’s basically all it is, an excuse to move from one scene of unconvincingly put together supernatural mayhem to the next, with the additional feeling that the script is being written as the movie rolls along; ‘Boo’ does not even attempt to pull itself together till about halfway through, with the introduction of a backstory about a sinister ghost patient and Trish Coren‘s mum that ex Fango guy / future ‘Sharknado’ maven Anthony Ferrante probably made up during his directorial sandwich break one day. Even after it starts to cohere, it’s still wave after wave of silliness – skinless dogs come to life in elevators, floating clowns spew maggots from the hems of their multicoloured pants, bad cgi makes face melting seem more fun than it ought to be. Some of it’s so poorly coordinated that sequences often change tack halfway through and speed off in a different direction, using a barrage of bad lines and worse delivery as camouflage. Somehow, and it’s always a fine line, these clumsily tossed cards all land the right way up and manage to entertain rather than irritate (though not that everyone feels that way about it, judging by the apparent online consensus). I could go on at length about the hilarious shortfalls until you’ve heard a story that’s probably all too familiar already, but the more surprising thing about ‘Boo’ is that it can claim a few legit assets that make a less comical impression and prove there’s something approaching an effective horror movie lurking beneath the cheap laughs. The film’s unofficial lead character is the abandoned hospital itself, whose interior, a sprawl of grimy corridors and shadows zhuzhed up by nice photography and lighting, lends a rich and possibly undeserved atmosphere to proceedings. Speaking of undeserved, Dee Wallace turns up to dignify what she can of ‘Boo’ with a cameo appearance – never mind that her character thinks it’s more sensible to let an entire ward of patients burn to death rather than release one baddie! But that’s ‘Boo’ all over, a film where there’s really no difference between playing it straight and going for laughs. That works for me, because in my book ‘Boo’ is genuine and cheery early noughties trash, an antidote to the slicker stuff that predominated around the time, and I really wouldn’t mind a blu ray as it appears to be missing in action. Well I’d buy it, anyway.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Not seen Boo in a long time.

Not sure i even own it anymore. More's the pity.

[Nordicdusk]

30 Days of Unseen Horror

Day 25

Believer-4.jpeg

Two teenage friends go into the woods in hopes that both girls may hear the voice of one of their dead mother. The girls are not seen for three days and when they return they are both possesed by an evil spirit.

I was on board at the begining and I was thinking why are people giving out about this so much then suddenly it all went wrong and never recovered. I thought the girls did a great job and the make up was brilliant but the rest of the film was quite lame. I kept waiting every time someone said the word evil I was expecting to hear EVIL DIES TONIGHT

This man should be banned from making horror.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Bad Candy (2020)

An fantastic looking Halloween horror anthology of six tales of local legends as told by local DJ's Corey Taylor and Zach Galligan.

Creatively the film is excellent. There's some great gore on offer and it really has that eighties day-glow wild effects look to it ala Poltergeist or From Beyond. Some of the cinematography and framing is brilliantly done and the imagery is often startling and weird and delightfully unpredictable. The death metal soundtrack is also rather cool and overall the film has a proper 1980's comic book vibe to it.

Acting is decent as is the dialogue, some of it very amusing with several in jokes, but as is often the case with anthologies the individual stories vary in quality although in true Trick r' Treat style it's great to see them all interlocking throughout the film even if they don't actually converge at the end.

As for the tales, you've got drug dealers and glory holes and a sexy mortuary assistant in a Fulci-esq nightmare as well as the f*cked up demonic clown creature that shows up from time to time.

Ultimately Bad Candy is a film i first saw in 2021 and enjoyed but thought it could have been much better. However a couple of years and viewings down the line and i'm really loving this with it's imagery that is so beautifully stylized. (And nothing to do with that saucy nurse either)

Oh and i should add that Slipknot singer and all round big mouth Cory Taylor is perfectly suited to his role as a DJ linking the material together. In fact he and Galligan of Gremlins fame are both so much fun together.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)

The first and best of what is now a stand alone sequel trilogy which pits Donald Pleasence's Dr Loomis against his old foe Michael Myers. Gorier than the original but not as chilling, although this is still a fine slasher film in it's own right. A good supporting cast of strong females - Ellie Cornell, Danielle Harris - help.

Continuing the story of Michael Myers ten years on from Carpenter's Halloween this is a fast paced and often thrilling movie. There's no 'Getting to know you' opening half hour without any shocks as Michael is in the film from the first scene.

Always fun, I like this a lot.

[Nordicdusk]

30 Days of Unseen Horror

Day 26

The_Demon_Barber_Of_Fleet_Street.jpg

Preying on the rich and lonely souls that dock in port Sweeney Todd offers these men the best shave in London at his barber shop in Fleet Street little do these men know this will be the closest and last shave they will ever experience. Todds accomplise runs a pie shop and she is the one responsible for getting rid of the bodies they have a tidy little operation going.

It's a pretty dark and macabre story but with the way Tod Slaughter plays Sweeney Todd it's almost told in a comedic way which is what makes this all the more twisted the killing is all suggested rather than shown but with how the character is played so menacing and enjoying what he does so much you can only imagine the real horror of what happens under that trapdoor. The rest of the cast is pretty standard no real stand outs but there is an almost sexual predator vibe about Todd especially towards the apprentice boy which made my skin crawl and even the child actor looked genuinely scared creating the feeling of genuine threat.

The whole Sweeny Todd story is great anyway and this is a fun telling of the story especially with the performance of Tod Slaughter.

[Nordicdusk]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)

The first and best of what is now a stand alone sequel trilogy which pits Donald Pleasence's Dr Loomis against his old foe Michael Myers. Gorier than the original but not as chilling, although this is still a fine slasher film in it's own right. A good supporting cast of strong females - Ellie Cornell, Danielle Harris - help.

Continuing the story of Michael Myers ten years on from Carpenter's Halloween this is a fast paced and often thrilling movie. There's no 'Getting to know you' opening half hour without any shocks as Michael is in the film from the first scene.

Always fun, I like this a lot.

I'm sure I have said this before but it's worth mentioning again after reading this. For years I only watched the first three Halloween films I had seen 4 and 5 but usually stuck with the first three anyway back in 2018 when the new version of Halloween came out I remember going to the cinema and really enjoying it only for you to rip it apart in your review and you mentioned how it ripped so many parts from 4 and 5 and how much that pissed you off so I revisited it and God damn it those b*stards really went to town on it but thanks to my little investigation and your damning review of 2018 I found a new love for Halloween 4 and it's now a yearly rewatch and I love it a little more each time I watch it.

Oh and revisiting 2018 I'm far less impressed than I was when I first saw it but hey much much worse was yet to follow and much much much much worse was to follow that.

And considerimh most of the same people were involved with the Exorcist much much much much much much much worse kept following

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Nordicdusk

I'm sure I have said this before but it's worth mentioning again after reading this. For years I only watched the first three Halloween films I had seen 4 and 5 but usually stuck with the first three anyway back in 2018 when the new version of Halloween came out I remember going to the cinema and really enjoying it only for you to rip it apart in your review and you mentioned how it ripped so many parts from 4 and 5 and how much that pissed you off so I revisited it and God damn it those b*stards really went to town on it but thanks to my little investigation and your damning review of 2018 I found a new love for Halloween 4 and it's now a yearly rewatch and I love it a little more each time I watch it.

Oh and revisiting 2018 I'm far less impressed than I was when I first saw it but hey much much worse was yet to follow and much much much much worse was to follow that.

And considerimh most of the same people were involved with the Exorcist much much much much much much much worse kept following

Pleased you've found a new love for Halloween 4, Nordy.

I can't see me ever revisiting the 2018 film nor giving it's sequels a first time shot either. It's a shame because the soundtrack album from the Carpenters (No not them ) is superb.

This year was my first in HD for Halloween 4 via the German Blu-ray. It has some lovely immersive surround sound to it.

[MrBarlow]

Bit behind on my horror watch so hopefully will get some watched today.

Vampires. 1998

Watched this last night, Carpenter's entry into the vampire genre, James Woods is the big slayer where the Vatican are aware of vampires existence and fund teams to go on the hunt. Thomas Ian Griffin is the first vampire and big master who wants the ancient relic so he can walk in the daylight....master vampire and daylight doesn't go well. Woods is amazing with his "Don't give a sh?t" attitude towards authority yet still goes by the vampire hunting book. This came out at the same time as Blair Witch Project and seemed to be ignored a lot but it's one I do go back to.

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