Friday, October 31, 2014

Netflix This Movie! Vol. 101

The final round of picks (and the final post) of #ScaryMovieMonth! Pass the Kleenex.

Adam Riske: American Mary (2012, dir. Jen & Sylvia Soska) Happy Halloween everyone! On a recent podcast for May I discussed how I seem to be drawn more to horror movies with a female protagonist than I am ones with a male protagonist. In that spirit, I want to recommend American Mary this week. I don't love the movie (it is interesting though) but I love its lead performance from Katherine Isabelle. She's assured and carries American Mary over its rough patches. Plus the movie features a character named Dr. Alan Grant which has to be a nod to Jurassic Park, right?
Adam Thas: Night of the Creeps (1986, dir Fred Dekker) We're seeing a lot of movies now that are paying tribute to the 1980s horror movies, so it’s fun to see an '80s movie paying tribute to a 1950s horror movie. The movie follows a “substance” that invades your brain through the mouth and turns people into zombies. Set on a college campus, and mostly in a sorority house, Night of the Creeps combines everything we love about 1980s horror. It’s got nerds, jocks, science, aliens, cops, psycho killers, gratuitous nudity, and a girl that the main character would “never stand a chance with.” The movie ties a few timelines together and gives you back story on some of the characters, when in reality you are only waiting for the next zombie’s head to explode.
Heath Holland: Programming the perfect Halloween-night lineup is important. This is the CLIMAX. You want to get the flow just right and not waste time on things that aren't excellent because this is the MONEY SHOT that you've been building up to for 31 days now. Here's my suggestion for the perfect Netflix plan of attack to make a KILLER Halloween. Start early with Vincent Price and the original The Fly (1958, dir. Kurt Neumann). You can't have Halloween without Vincent Price and this is a classic. After that, queue up Fright Night (1985, dir. Tom Holland), hopefully while the sun is starting to set. Follow that up with the first Scream movie (1996, dir. Wes Craven). When you start to get caught up in the story, your doorbell will ring as kids (and hopefully not Ghostface) arriving upon your doorstep. End the evening with The Cabin in the Woods (2011, dir. Drew Goddard), which is a little bit of every kind of horror and has an ending that serves as the perfect little bow on 31 days of scary movies. You can thank me later.
Patrick: Snowpiercer (2014, dir. Bong Joon-ho) #ScaryMovieMonth ends at midnight tonight (RIP #ScaryMovieMonth) and you've got a whole six days to go back to watching non-horror movies. Why not start with Snowpiercer, still my favorite movie of the year and just added to Netflix Instant. You probably won't love it as much as I do, but that's ok. What matters is that you give it a chance and at least get to see something made with passion, ambition and expert skill. I maintain that the movie is a masterpiece. Watch it after #ScaryMovieMonth and decide for yourself.

8 comments:

  1. Great selection.
    I just watched Night of the creeps last night after watching The monster squad a few days back being on a Fred Dekker high. Damn I wish he had made more movies. The movie even has a cute female lead with a flame thrower. What more could you want for Halloween.

    Happy Halloween Everyone

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Happy Halloween, Dennis! Thanks for kicking so much ass this month.

      Delete
  2. There's a lot of bad horror comedy, but Night of the Creeps actually works! It's fun, has some decent scares, pokes some good-natured fun at the genre and I'll probably watch it again.

    Also, watch Snowpiercer if only for two things: Alison Pill in contention for the scene of the year and Octavia Spencer cracking an egg on a kid's head.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Alison Pill is quickly turning into one of my favorite actresses.

      Delete
  3. Quadruple feature-worthy! Great list guys. Happy November (EST). One more year till SMM!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Happy (belated) Halloween! Great picks for this month guys! *Passes out mugs and massive jug of coffee*

    ReplyDelete
  5. This is the first time I have seen and loved all the movies you have suggested. The most underrated being American Mary. I really liked the atmosphere of the movie but I didn't love the ending.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Good news, guys! I just finished re-watching Snowpiercer for the first time since seeing it in the theater and I was WAY more into it this time around. The story and action both kick ass, the atmosphere is great, and the acting is top-notch. Maybe I was just tired the fist time I saw it, but this was a much improved viewing experience for me.

    ReplyDelete