3rd Annual N&G 31 Days* of Halloween (2021)

LeeVing

LeeVing

Well-Known Member
* does not have to be just the 31 days of October...feel free to start early...or even continue past October.


Again...we're 50 days to Halloween, and some of us may still be stuck in home or just avoiding going out and have nothing better to do


Just like the past 2 years, this isn't a contest - just a thread to post and rate and, if you want to, review the Halloween/Horror movies or TV shows you watch during the season.

Post the name of the movie, rating and your thoughts on it if you want to - if you post spoilers, please use the spoiler tags.

We can use the skull emoji as a rating system....

💀 - Not worth watching ever again.
💀 💀
💀 💀 💀 - Average
💀 💀 💀 💀
💀 💀 💀 💀 💀 - Best movie of all time.
 
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MOVIE #1
Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990)
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I know this movie is a cult favorite and all, but I'm just not sure it's my thing. It has its moments and a lot of the designs for the mutated gremlins are cool to see, but even with a much bigger budget, the film fails to stack up to the original. In it's defense, it really isn't even trying to; the movie actually makes fun of itself for being a sequel several times and includes a couple of jabs at the first film for good measure. I respect that the makers realized they weren't going to be able to recapture the charm of Gremlins a second time, but the film goes so zany and over-the-top in a way that feels like it's trying way too hard to do… something. It's fitting that Joe Dante would direct a Looney Tunes film a decade later because that's what this movie most reminds me of. It isn't bereft of entertainment value and I'm glad I saw it at least once, but I just feel like the hard shift towards a comedic tone here doesn't completely work in the movie's favor for me.

Final rating: 💀💀💀
 
I've been getting some new blu-rays in for this season...and looking forward to the new 4K's of the Halloween films coming out in October.
 
MOVIE #2
Man Beast (1956)
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This should just be called Mountain Climbing: The Movie. It promises a yeti early on, but the payoff to this buildup is lackluster. The titular man beast does almost nothing and is only on screen for about 5% of the movie. The rest of the movie alternates between footage of rock climbing, trekking up a mountain and scenes of dialogue that give us exposition for the very basic story this movie has. Even by the standards of 50s b-movie schlock, this is overall just a dull and unengaging watch. The upside is, at about an hour long, it doesn't take up much of your time, and the few scenes with the yeti are kind of entertaining in a cheap b-movie kind of way, but they're nowhere near enough to justify sitting through the whole thing.

Final rating: 💀
 
Also, not to derail too much, but does anyone have recommendations of scary books? I usually try to crack a few every October. Frankly, I think most "scary" books are just suspenseful; Stephen King (while great) is emblematic of this.
 
MOVIE #3
Dr. Jekyll and the Werewolf (1971)
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Starring Paul Naschy, an icon of Spanish horror cinema, this Z-grade movie is actually the sixth film in a "series" but you would never know that just by watching this movie. Naschy portrays his werewolf character from this film in a few other movies but that is pretty much the only thing connecting the films together. As for this movie? It's not that good, but it's at least decently entertaining for what it is. There's not really a strong story here, it kind of feels like a bunch of things just sort of happen. The title led me to believe that maybe Dr. Jekyll would battle against a werewolf as Mr. Hyde, which would make sense and be pretty cool, but nope. The werewolf actually becomes Mr. Hyde, as a result of a weird scientific procedure. Apparently becoming Mr. Hyde is supposed to cure him of being a werewolf somehow. I don't know how it works and I don't really think the movie does either but at the very least Naschy is convincing as Mr. Hyde. Even though the only attribute of Hyde the film seems interested in portraying is his cruelty towards women, he's still such a creepy fuck you have to kind of admire the effort in his performance. The titular werewolf doesn't get as much screen time unfortunately, but it's probably the highlight of the movie, even if some of the scenes it's in are shot so dark you can't tell what the shit is going on. But yeah, overall this movie leaves a lot to be desired, but it's at least got a few things keeping it from being a totally dismal watch. That said, I think you probably have to be able to stomach early 70s no-budget schlock to sit through it.

Final rating: 💀💀
 
01. Black Christmas (1974) - 💀 💀 💀 💀 💀

It wasn't thought of very highly when it was released, but has grown to be thought of as the birth of the modern day slasher.




It was directed by Bob Clark, who when on to make Porky's and A Christmas Story.
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MOVIE #4
Malignant (2021)
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I'm not going to say too much about this movie yet, because I encourage people to go into this blind like I did. It admittedly gets off to a somewhat rough start in the first two acts, but it more than makes up for it in the finale. I highly recommend giving it a chance.

Final rating: 💀💀💀💀
 
03. Pieces (1982) - 💀 💀 💀 💀

One of those "so bad, it's good" giallo, all out slasher and a whodunit - with plenty of gore...and nudity.

The trailer below is NSFW - has some boobs.




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This blu ray includes a 2nd disc with the original uncut Spanish language version.
 
Movie 1: Truth Or Dare (2017)
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Truth or Dare (TV Movie 2017) - IMDb

Truth or Dare: Directed by Nick Simon. With Cassandra Scerbo, Brytni Sarpy, Mason Dye, Alexxis Lemire. Eight college friends head to a "Haunted Rental" for Halloween. But when they replay the game that made the house infamous, they awaken an evil spirit intent on stealing their souls.
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A group of friends decide to visit an abandoned house to play a game of Truth or Dare just to see if it gets as out of control as the legend of a previous group of friends playing the same fatal game decades earlier.
Surprise, surprise it does!
And quickly they find out, “Do the date, or the date does you!”

Reminded me of a Final Destination and Jumanji mix. Not terrible, not great. Acting is about what you’d expect for a movie of this caliber, and I think I read it’s a made for TV movie, so take that for what it’s worth. Doubt I’d ever revisit this one, but I don’t regret watching it. I will say there are about 95% dares to 5% truths. Haha!
💀💀.5
 
MOVIE #5
Basket Case (1982)
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This movie is bonkers. It's very entertaining and borders on being so bad it's good at some points, but it also has a fairly interesting plot and a memorable antagonist, so it's sort of a mixed bag. The movie's tone strikes this weird balance of being kind of funny but also genuinely uncomfortable, which I feel like adds to the appeal. And of course, there's the reveal of what is actually in the basket; I'm not going to say much in case you don't know, but it is definitely worth seeing for yourself.

Final rating: 💀💀💀💀
 
MOVIE #6
Re-Animator (1985)
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This movie rules. A masterpiece of 80s horror, with amazing special effects, a great cast of memorable characters and a demented sense of humor. It definitely transcends the boundaries of good taste a couple times, but it also takes itself just seriously enough to get you invested in the story and actually care about the characters involved. It's a great film and is certainly deserving of the cult success it has enjoyed. Also - Barbara Crampton 😍

Final rating: 💀💀💀💀💀
 
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