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My brain continues to rot as I force-feed it horror movies in celebration of my favorite time of year. Here are the films I’ve watched this week.
Phantasm: OblIVion
The final installment of the Phantasm series gets back to the dream-like quality of the first (after the more action/horror aspects of the second and third movies). I haven’t watched this in years, and I’ll admit I didn’t like it the first time around. This time, I was in the right frame of mind, and I enjoyed it quite a bit.
Dead Birds
I watched this movie with a bunch of folks at a punpkin carvin’ and chil eatin’ party, so I couldn’t really give it the attention it deserved. Luckily, I’ve seen it a bunch of times, and I could field the “What just happened?” questions from all the others who were only paying passive attention to this movie about cowboys in a haunted house.
Fright Night
For months, Brian Hurtt, Matt Kindt, and I have been talking about getting together and watching this movie. Brian and I consider it a classic, and Matt had never seen it. Good times. The movie suffers from a terrible case of the 80s, but it’s still a lot of vampiric fun.
Monster Squad
Speaking of the 80s, I had to add Monster Squad to the mix. It’s like The Goonies vs. The Universal Monsters! And, yeah, I get a little teary-eyed over the Frankenstein Monster. Wanna make something of it?
The Strangers
One of the things I hate most in the world is for someone to knock on the door late at night. This movie took that fear and beat me about the head and shoulders with it. A beautifully shot film with genuinely creepy villains.
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Finding horror-themed music for my Blip playlist has slowed a little over the past few days, but I think I’ve chosen a few nice’uns for the mix.
Here’s what I’ve added so far …
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So, I’ve documented (lucky) thirteen movies in my October Marathon so far, and I’ve got five more to share.
Masters of Horror: Fair-Haired Child
The series is, for me, kid of hit and miss. This is one of the hits. It’s quirky and strange and creepy, and the title character is creepy as Hell.
Masters of Horror: Cigarette Burns
Another great episode in the series, this one from John Carpenter. The story is sort of like an even more surreal Ninth Gate or 8mm, following a film expert who is tracking down a movie with all the mind-warping power of “The King in Yellow.”
Nightmare on Elm Street
The first entry in this series was low-budget compared to the sequels, but it was high on scares. All the SFX in the follow-ups never managed to capture the nightmarish feel of the original.
Dagon
This adaptation of H. P. Lovecraft’s “Shadow Over Innsmouth” plays it very loose in terms of the story, but I like the feel of the movie, especially in the early city scenes, and the city is brought to life masterfully.
Phantasm
A weird, classic movie. I actually prefer the second film in the series a little more, but Part II is more action/comedy and the original feels like a bad dream unfolding around you while you watch helplessly.
Related Posts:
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The good folks at iFanboy have posted a fairly lengthy review of THE DAMNED: THREE DAYS DEAD, along with reviews of EXIT WOUNDS and EMPEROR DOOM. It’s a mixed bag a genres and themes, but it’s definitely worth a few minutes of time. Check it out HERE.
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Horror World has posted a review of LIKE A CHINESE TATTOO, which includes my short stories “Tomorrow, When the Demons Come,” “Remains,” and “Granny Kisses.” Below is an excerpt:
Cullen Bunn puts out some great short stories. They’re always chilling (except his WHC gross-out pieces!), and he accomplishes this as much through atmosphere and characterization as he does plot. In Like a Chinese Tattoo, his first piece takes place in a Korean bathhouse where lust, immoral relations, and depravity swirl like blood in a drain, and sins come back to haunt. As good as “Tomorrow, When Demons Come” is, his second story, “Remains,” is the best of his three. It’s what I like to call ‘classic’ horror – its success relies on how it touches the reader’s emotions rather than on how well it can gross you out or confuse you. In “Remains,” we’re reminded that sometimes the monsters wear human skins. And sometimes they’re not human at all. This story took me back to my childhood, to the great horror stories I read in the seventies and early eighties, back when horror was a giant, lumbering beast that descended on me every chance I gave it.
Back before torture, gore, and mindlessly confusing plotlines took such a huge piece of the industry away from me.
It’s what horror should be. And it’s the essence of Cullen Bunn, who makes it look so easy, the way he sneaks up on you and sends that shiver up your spine.
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I’m still running a few days behind on my horror movie marathon, but I’ll catch up by watching multiple movies per night as Halloween approaches. I’m hoping to take a few days off and really rot my brain.
In the meantime, here are five more horror-themed movies I’ve watched recently.
Ghostbusters
I quote this movie the way role-players quote Monty Python. It’s a great comedy with some very spooky moments.
House of 1,000 Corpses
I’ve got some friends who love to argue the merits of this movie with me. Sure, it’s a bit like a Jaycee’s haunted house trapped in an endless MTV loop … but that’s why I like it.
Waxwork
I watched this one on VHS. I think it’s on DVD now, so I should probably upgrade. The premise–a wax museum house of horror opens windows in time and space to very real horrors from beyond the grave–is the kind of thing I wanted to write about when I was a kid. This is a cheesy, silly, fun tribute to the horror films of old, and it goes great with popcorn.
Sleepy Hollow
A perfect movie for October. Tim Burton’s tribute to the Hammer horror films is absolutely gorgeous. I think this is just about the only time of year that watching this movie feels right.
The Mist
Another movie that sparks arguments with horror-loving friends. I loved the short story, but I love the movie — including the ending – just as much.
Related Posts:
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Playing a little catch up with my postings. Here are the scary movies I’ve been watching over the past few nights.
Session 9
The first time I watched this flick, I had to stop it halfway through and wait for daybreak to finish. A great example of how quiet horror can really terrify.
Dog Soldiers
Probably my favorite werewolf movie (yes, even edging out An American Werewolf in London). What can I say, I like stories about badass soldiers fighting for their lives against horrible odds.
An American Werewolf in London
Okay … so now it is my second favorite werewolf movie. Those dream sequences are still chilling to this day.
Resident Evil
For whatever reason, this high-tech zombie movie works for me. If nothing else, it is a gorgeous movie.
Salem’s Lot
The original TV mini-series. If the scene with the vampire boy floating outside his brother’s bedroom window doesn’t give you goose bumps, then you’re missing your goose bump gene altogether!
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Scariest. Movie. Ever.
If I ever wanted to be a space explorer when I was a kid, Alien changed all that for me. As depicted in the movie, space travel is cold and cramped and claustrophobic. I mean, I bump my head and stub my toes and trip and stumble down the stairs on at least a daily basis … and I live in a relatively normal sized house. I shudder to imagine how bruised I’d be if I had to crawl around the Nostromo.
And you know what’s more uncomfortable than hobbling around the bowels of that ship? Well, I’m guessing that would be having a face hugger lock lips with you. I get a sore throat just watching those scenes.
And you know what’s probably even more uncomfortable? A alien parasite bursting from your chest.
On so many levels, this movie terrifies. The ship that looks like a gothic castle floating through space. The yuck-inducing music. The dripping, seldom seen creature.
But here’s what gets me every time:
Dallas is the one guy I imagine can get his crew through the crisis — and he’s one of the first to bite it. The nail-biting horror of his final moments is an almost solid thing.
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In the next few minutes, I’m departing for Archon. I’ll be joining Mike Oliveri at the show, and we can be found (if you happen to be in the area) in the dealer’s room or at the Mexican joint across the street from the convention. Most likely, I’ll be posting updates on Twitter, so if you feel like stalking me (and, really, who doesn’t?) you can do so there.
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“I only keep pets I can eat.”
Tonight’s movie, Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, has a lot of Halloween cred going for it. It’s creepy, funny, and downright scary at times. Much like Scream, this film plays on the stereotypes of the slasher movie, but it takes the references to the genre to a new level.
Leslie is a downright likeable killer-in-training, and he wants to live up to the legend of his heroes — Jason, Michael, and Freddy. The bulk of the movie is shot in a mockumentary style, with film students interviewing and following Leslie as he makes sure everything is just right. He’s got his victims picked out, including his survivor girl, a virgin he hopes will be able to stand up to him and make it through a night of terror. And he’s making sure he follows tradition to the letter– drive by sightings, staged familial connections to his victims, even a nemesis (called his “Ahab”)
Pretty silly stuff, right?
But when the film students realize they can no longer stand idly by while Leslie butchers teenagers, the movie takes a turn towards a straightforward stalker yarn, with our heroes using what they’ve learned from their interviews with Leslie to their advantage.
There are more than a few laugh-out-loud moments in this movie, an they play nicely against the more hair-raising scenes. The references to other horror movies and numerous horror-themed in-jokes make this a great addition to a fright film fest.
Watch this one ’til the end of the credits.
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