4th Annual N&G 31 Days* of Halloween (2022)

[Hemotep]

Day 26.

The Resort


The cover kept jumping out at me and despite never hearing anything good about it, I decided now was the time to watch it. My rating is maybe a very tiny bit unfair but they went for an ending that they couldn't pull off and that drove it lower.

I followed this up with something Hulu was recommending me for who the hell knows why. And it was the closest I've seen to a Hallmark movie that turns slasher. That should have made it funnier than it was, which is too bad because if this had been funnier I'd probably have liked it.

Lantern's Lane

 

[hype]

Cemetery Man aka Dellamorte Dellamore (1994)
​

I absolutely love this movie! Always have and likely always will. The best movie by Michele Soavi who was Dario Argento's Protégé during the prime years (Also assistant Director on Bava's Demons as well as the guy in the movie that's handing out tickets) but after finally starting to build up his own resume (He made Stage Fright, The Sect and The Church before this one) I believe his Son/Family member became ill so he put his career on hold and once he returned 5 or so years later he only got tv movie offers I guess and kind of just faded away sadly as far as bigger productions go. It's too bad because I think he would have absolutely been up there with the Italian greats like Fulci, Bava, and Argento even though he is anyways with me personally.

It has almost a Giallo Evil Dead vibe to it in the first half especially which im all for! The atmosphere/set design are top tier and the practical effects are all mostly extremely well done and have aged like fine wine. It's just Francesco and his Assistant Gnaghi (a throwback hybrid of Jim Norton & Action Bronson ) at a Graveyard who watch out for any dead that decide to make a second chance at living and take them out. I remember when I first seen it I was about 12-13 probably and it freaked me tf out but I enjoyed it. Since then I have grown to absolutely love it as there was deeper layers that made it a very smart movie as well which I never really fully picked up on when I was younger. It also has one of the most awesome zombie grave exits of all time along with a great way to give a broken tv a second life! The lead actress was one of my first Horror crushes & with Anna Falchi around the dead isn't the only thing rising! This is a movie that only gets better with multiple viewings as well. About a decade ago there was a lot of talk about a Sequel finally getting made with the original cast and Soavi all ready to go with a done script but then I never heard anything again so idk what happened there. If you're looking for a brilliantly obscure, charming, bat shit crazy Zombie film with a splash of Lynch thrown in then this ones for you!



So close to that perfect 5/5.​

 

[hype]

I, too, liked RZ's H2 quite a bit!

Same! I vastly prefer his 2 movies to the newer reboot trilogy for sure. I also love when a Director says "Fuck it" and goes the much more dangerous route and changes things up to his own ideas even if it alters the original quite a bit. This should be the norm imo versus just telling a nearly identical or slightly altered modern version of the original. I also have always loved most of Zombies movie worlds he creates even though I know it rubs many the wrong way but that's how a lot of the really good Horror films are anyways since you shouldn't have to change your vision to make something more widely acceptable or pc. The music choices for both films are top notch as well and def. added to them but thats always been a big plus for me with just about any film by Rob. His movies were made after some extremely mediocre sequels and I was all for the changeup and still am.

 

[avecigrec]

MOVIE #21
Halloween II (2009)
View attachment 152382
Sorry to disappoint the guy that commented on my review of the first one to say the sequel sucks, because I love this sad, surreal, savage slasher tragedy. This is even more violent, psychological and soul-crushing than the first film and is my personal second favorite installment in the franchise behind Carpenter's original classic, haters be damned. I love how Zombie continues to assign weight to the deaths in his movies by showing the grief and trauma the survivors endure in vivid detail. Scout Taylor-Compton and Brad Dourif both give haunting performances, and I love Malcolm McDowell's Loomis becoming a grifter exploiting the tragedy, as it's not only a new story idea, but it also shows how not everyone processes being through a cataclysmic event in the same way. I find it interesting that this is almost structured the reverse of how the first movie was; here, the first 20 minutes or so are a more straightforward remake of the original while the rest of the film is largely Zombie's own creation inspired by Carpenter's original ideas. I know giving Michael Myers a direct motive spits in the face of the original vision, but honestly, I like that you actually get to see his point-of-view here and that his story is paralleled closely with Laurie's. Another neat touch is how this actually ends the same way the original Halloween II did, with a chilling close-up on Laurie Strode's face. Though admittedly the context is much different here. I know it's an unpopular opinion, but I think this is a fantastic film.

Rating:

A ★★★★★ review of Halloween II (2009)

There's a handful of heavily maligned movies out there where, try as I might, I just don't get the vitriol. I see a perfectly fine, well-made film, while everyone else sees an irredeemable piece of shit. I wouldn't necessarily consider Rob Zombie's Halloween II one of those examples, though...

boxd.it

I, too, liked RZ's H2 quite a bit!

Same! I vastly prefer his 2 movies to the newer reboot trilogy for sure. I also love when a Director says "Fuck it" and goes the much more dangerous route and changes things up to his own ideas even if it alters the original quite a bit. This should be the norm imo versus just telling a nearly identical or slightly altered modern version of the original. I also have always loved most of Zombies movie worlds he creates even though I know it rubs many the wrong way but that's how a lot of the really good Horror films are anyways since you shouldn't have to change your vision to make something more widely acceptable or pc. The music choices for both films are top notch as well and def. added to them but thats always been a big plus for me with just about any film by Rob. His movies were made after some extremely mediocre sequels and I was all for the changeup and still am.

I am also on Team OK with the RZ Halloweens. I've never understood the hate they get.
Off the cuff without having seen either in a few years, I'd probably put RZ H2 in my personal third after OG H and H (2018).

I should really take a page out of gap's book and try to watch at least some, if not all, of the series before the end of next month.

 

[gaporter]

MOVIE #22
Rawhead Rex (1986)

In all actuality, this probably deserves a whole less than what I'm giving it, but I rate things based on how entertained I was while watching it, and I'd be lying if I said this wasn't at least a fun watch. The fatal flaw is the titular monster; it's so close to being a cool design, but the suit is cheap and unconvincing and the face looks absolutely ridiculous. It ruins any hope this had of being good, although it does make for some great unintentional comedy. Even if it wasn't for the bizarrely bad effects, this would still be an utterly strange story, and some of the things that happen are pretty bonkers. It's bad in that special mid-80s sort of way, where there's a certain charm to just how low budget and goofy it all is.

Rating:

A ★★★ review of Rawhead Rex (1986)

If there's one thing to admire about Rawhead Rex, it's that this is not a film that is ashamed to show off its monster, which is nice to see considering it's rare a low-budget creature feature is confident enough to put the special effects in plain sight. The problem is that they probably should...

boxd.it

 

[gaporter]

MOVIE #23
Castle Freak (1995)

This was a delightfully fucked-up movie, with a deranged antagonist, perverse gory violence, and even some compelling drama. With director Stuart Gordon and two of the leads involved, it's almost like a Reanimator reunion. I didn't know that going in, I admit I just watched this based on the title, but still, it was a welcome surprise to see Jeffrey Combs (playing an absolute father of the year candidate) and my scream queen crush Barbara Crampton here. The story was surprisingly solid, and I found it more enjoyably crazy than my previous exposure to Charles Band's Full Moon enterprise, Subspecies. That movie was decent, but far too tasteful for direct-to-video trash. This one goes balls out; literally, the Castle Freak has his balls out through most of the movie. It's everything you'd want from the title and even a little more, I'd say!

Rating:

A ★★★★ review of Castle Freak (1995)

Has there ever been a more aptly titled film than this? It does indeed take place in a castle, and I'll be damned, there's a freak in it. Castle Freak may not have the highest production values, but it does have the audacious talents of Stuart Gordon, who revels in the freedom granted to him by...

boxd.it

 

[EvanBenner]

MOVIE #23
Castle Freak (1995)
View attachment 152512
This was a delightfully fucked-up movie, with a deranged antagonist, perverse gory violence, and even some compelling drama. With director Stuart Gordon and two of the leads involved, it's almost like a Reanimator reunion. I didn't know that going in, I admit I just watched this based on the title, but still, it was a welcome surprise to see Jeffrey Combs (playing an absolute father of the year candidate) and my scream queen crush Barbara Crampton here. The story was surprisingly solid, and I found it more enjoyably crazy than my previous exposure to Charles Band's Full Moon enterprise, Subspecies. That movie was decent, but far too tasteful for direct-to-video trash. This one goes balls out; literally, the Castle Freak has his balls out through most of the movie. It's everything you'd want from the title and even a little more, I'd say!

Rating:

A ★★★★ review of Castle Freak (1995)

Has there ever been a more aptly titled film than this? It does indeed take place in a castle, and I'll be damned, there's a freak in it. Castle Freak may not have the highest production values, but it does have the audacious talents of Stuart Gordon, who revels in the freedom granted to him by...

boxd.it

This one was super fun! Steer clear of the recent remake though. Total waste of time.

 

[zomgbear]

11. The VVitch (2015)
Rating:
The atmosphere is pretty nice in this movie but overall it's kinda anticlimactic IMO.

 

[EvanBenner]

Ready for reappraisal? I especially dug Lords of Salem, Devil's Rejects, and H2.

 

[avecigrec]

Ready for reappraisal? I especially dug Lords of Salem, Devil's Rejects, and H2.

I remember being confused when I went to see House of 1000 Corpses and a bunch of folks were all, "Fuck you Rob Zombie," to the screen when the credits rolled. I don't know what they were there for but I got pretty much exactly what I wanted and expected from it going in.

 

[Hemotep]

Day 27.

Room 203
Rating:

This might be the first of my random picks that hasn't been terrible. I thought the pacing of this was done well for a supernatural slow burn.

 

[hype]

I remember being confused when I went to see House of 1000 Corpses and a bunch of folks were all, "Fuck you Rob Zombie," to the screen when the credits rolled. I don't know what they were there for but I got pretty much exactly what I wanted and expected from it going in.

Not saying Rob is anywhere remotely close to Tarantino's level obviously but I have noticed they have a similar thing going where there's a ton of people that just flat out hate both and will trash them regardless any chance they get.. I agree about 1000 Corpses though, it was a solid movie and pretty much what was expected like you said so not sure what those people wanted other then to let the world know they fucking hate rob zombie yet supported him by paying to see his movie haha

Rejects blew me away though and was an instant classic imo but sadly he has never come close to that again for me even though I have at minimum enjoyed everything he's done since outside of that animation movie which I haven't seen.

I don't agree with but can at least understand/respect people not liking the Halloween movies as he clearly was never looking to make a safe, universally loved movie and that was always going to piss people off especially with such a massive franchise.

I also enjoyed Lords Of Salem and thought even the massively hated 31 while nothing spectacular at all was still entertaining and worth a watch imo for the craziness of it all.

He's almost got kind of the Adam Sandler formula going where he has a main group of people he always works with and then throws a few new ones in there but probably is having an amazing time making every movie not worrying about getting any prestigious awards or pissed off people at this point.

 

[hype]

Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)

This movie was the equivalent of putting lipstick on a pig.. It was shot extremely well, had solid practical effects, a good enough cast, great location with the whole "stuck in a horrible storm" trope, and from the surface looked like a really well done movie except it wasn't. I get excited anytime I see A24 and Horror together so I had high hopes for this one but when Pete Davidson is FAR and away the most likeable character in your movie you might be in some trouble. I literally could not care less if every person died by about the midway point. Saying that it's still about average and better then a lot of newer Horror movies so you could def. do worse but you can also do much better.

​

Spoiler: Ending Spoiler

I will give them credit as even though I guessed the predictable ending it was pretty funny seeing Pete trying to copy the "Vets" sword bottle opening trick but instead slicing his own neck

 

[D Jilla]

1. It (1990)


2. It (2017) 3. It Chapter Two (2019)




Decided to kick off the season by comparing the Its. Overall, they ended up with the same rating, but for different reasons. The ‘90 TV version does a much better job establishing the Losers as a legitimate group of friends that have chemistry. They’re bond is actually believable. The rest of the movie/series was better than I remembered and somewhat scary, although the end scene was pretty dated looking (and not in a good horror movie way).

In the newer version, the thing that bothered me was that the Losers had zero chemistry as kids and very little as adults (especially compared to say, Stand By Me or Stranger Things). It didn’t seem believable that they would make this blood oath and go through all this together. That said, the scares and visuals in this movie were great (the ending is so much better), but the whole thing has a style over substance feel.

Pennywise was great in both - can’t decide which I prefer! Kind of a Nicholson/Ledger - Joker situation.

 

[gaporter]

MOVIE #24
The Munsters (2022)

Sorry... I had fun. I know this will get destroyed by critics, because really at its core, all it is is a big, dumb, campy, cheesy Halloweeny monster mash, with little regard to a plot or character development. I adored the set design and cinematography, and while the goofy humor was certainly hit and miss, it was much more tolerable than that horrendous trailer made it out to be. It's cheesy and childish, but cute and endearing. Most people will probably echo @Hemotep's sentiments, and that's fine, but hey, at least I had a good time with it.

Rating:

A ★★★½ review of The Munsters (2022)

You know that SNL sketch where Matt Damon is ride or die for Weezer? That's me with Rob Zombie's film career; though it's been a decade since he's made something I truly love, that movie was also The Lords of Salem, which I consider an unsung masterpiece, so I'm always holding onto hope I'll...

boxd.it

 

[Hemotep]

MOVIE #24
The Munsters (2022)
View attachment 152571
Sorry... I had fun. I know this will get destroyed by critics, because really at its core, all it is is a big, dumb, campy, cheesy Halloweeny monster mash, with little regard to a plot or character development. I adored the set design and cinematography, and while the goofy humor was certainly hit and miss, it was much more tolerable than that horrendous trailer made it out to be. It's cheesy and childish, but cute and endearing. Most people will probably echo @Hemotep's sentiments, and that's fine, but hey, at least I had a good time with it.

Rating:

A ★★★½ review of The Munsters (2022)

You know that SNL sketch where Matt Damon is ride or die for Weezer? That's me with Rob Zombie's film career; though it's been a decade since he's made something I truly love, that movie was also The Lords of Salem, which I consider an unsung masterpiece, so I'm always holding onto hope I'll...

boxd.it

 

[hype]

MOVIE #24
The Munsters (2022)

Sorry... I had fun. I know this will get destroyed by critics, because really at its core, all it is is a big, dumb, campy, cheesy Halloweeny monster mash, with little regard to a plot or character development. I adored the set design and cinematography, and while the goofy humor was certainly hit and miss, it was much more tolerable than that horrendous trailer made it out to be. It's cheesy and childish, but cute and endearing. Most people will probably echo @Hemotep's sentiments, and that's fine, but hey, at least I had a good time with it.

Rating:

A ★★★½ review of The Munsters (2022)

You know that SNL sketch where Matt Damon is ride or die for Weezer? That's me with Rob Zombie's film career; though it's been a decade since he's made something I truly love, that movie was also The Lords of Salem, which I consider an unsung masterpiece, so I'm always holding onto hope I'll...

boxd.it

I started out with ridiculously high expectations when it was announced but after the trailer release that went way down and going in with low expectations I think really helped me as I surprisingly enjoyed it overall as well. It def. fell flat a few times with the jokes and was a bit cringe here and there but overall I had a good time.. I completely forgot to write a review on this one but I agree with your rating so there's at least two of us haha.. I will say as Rob is usually lights out with his music selection there were a few rough ones and that's probably my biggest complaint of the movie which I can live with. It's too bad we couldn't have Sid Haig in this as he would have slaughtered that Grandpa role I bet! It'll be interesting seeing the pretty much guaranteed fan made b&w version at some point as well since that's what he supposedly wanted to do but the studio wouldn't allow it.

 

[hype]

You Won't Be Alone (2022)
​

Kind of funny that I watched this last night after Bodies and this is the one that felt like an actual classic A24 Horror film. It's def. a slow burner but a beautifully shot and scored movie which almost puts you in a hypnotic state where you can't look away. It's also creepy/weird asf at times while having some genuinely wholesome moments as well which was not expected but welcomed.. It breathes a bit of fresh air into the Witch sub genre of Horror and I thought was a really interesting idea that was executed very well outside of being a little heavy on montages imo but considering this was a directorial debut I can let that slide and look forward to whatever they do next! Kind of surprised this one didn't get talked about more. I'd personally put it on par with The Witch from 2015.

​

 

[gaporter]

MOVIE #25
Raven's Hollow (2022)

Decided to pick something at random and go into it blind, and the title and short blurb for this made it sound interesting, so I decided why not. Overall, it wasn't terrible, though it wasn't very engaging at the start, which really hurt the film once things finally started intensifying. There's some decent gore effects and the story takes a few unusual turns as it goes on, but even with the weird Edgar Allan Poe gimmick, a lot of it just felt kind of dry. I give it an extra for improving in its second half though.

Rating:

A ★★★ review of Raven's Hollow (2022)

A good chunk of this was pretty middle-of-the-road, but around the point a guy's heart falls out of the sky, the film starts to get more gory and melodramatic, which is at least an improvement over being uninteresting. How can you not be entertained by Edgar Allan Poe getting high on opium and...

boxd.it

 

[LeeVing]

Very nice seeing quite a few movies I've never heard of this year...I'll try to check some of these out this season.