Saturday, June 11, 2016

Junesploitation 2016 Day 11: Masters of Horror!

Pay to get in, pray to get out!

82 comments:

  1. The Hills Have Eyes 2 (1985)

    Wouldn't be a Junesploitation without good ole Wes. Sadly, not one of his better films.

    A good 20% of this film is spent as a highlight reel of its predecessor, and it really just left me wanting to go back to that (or even the Aja remake). In place of the grittiness of the first film, we get an unimaginative slasher with ilogical throwhack characters. While I normally try and look at sequels independent of pre/sequels, it's hard when it references them so directly, yet so poorly.

    I guess it passes the time we'll enough. It's Wes, so at least the score provides for some entertainment.

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    1. IL Fantasma di Sodoma (1988)

      Had to throw some Fulci on to make Patrick proud.

      FAR from his best, pretty terrible if I'm being honest... only available in Italian with no sub/dub probably didn't help things.

      Opens with an almost slapstick, coke fueled Nazi orgy which is taken out by some intense b-roll fighter planes. In present day, a group of promiscuous (Fulci levels of promiscuous, so titties are everywhere) stumble upon the nazi-orgy-stronghold and spend a couple days.

      Some random violent, bloody, nazi-ghost sex, melty corpses, an odd hybrid of Russian (German?) roulette/the card game war, and nazi-ghost maggot tits ensue.

      Massively underwhelming.

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    2. The Conjuring 2 (2016)

      Oh man! Though far removed from traditional exploitation, I'm going to term this one "expectationploitation" for taking my painfully low expectations and doing and kinds of dirty things to then. I don't have time to put into words the feel I love for James Wan, but this movie REALLY did it for me. Sitting in his movies, I get a legit vibe that he simply adores everything about horror and the creation of horror films. I won't delve into anything that may resemble spoilers, as the film is still very new, but it hit all kinds of spots for me.

      James Wan. Master of horror for sure.

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  2. Inferno (1980)

    I'd like to order some dream logic, please. Heavy on the dream, light on the logic.

    I may be in the minority here, but I think Fulci might be a superior director to Argento. Much more than Suspiria, I thought the horror and death scenes in this film very much reminded me of things Fulci does. But I think Fulci does them better. I also like what is surrounding the horror better in his. This film is almost two hours and it is so meandering. Still, the attractive girl with the cat is pretty creepy. Yikes.

    I had no idea Patrick was going to post a picture from this film for the thread. So creepy. *cue crazy argento music*

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    1. I'm watching Argentos Opera right now and I have to say I think he's the better director. He knows how to tell a story better, his camera movements are incredible, his lighting is unlike anything you've ever seen. Fulci hypnotizes you with visceral violent sequences but I think Argentos movies as a whole are better. I love them both. I will say I watched Inferno maybe a month ago and it left me kinda cold, but there's some breathtaking sequences and images in it. The kill involving the window is like wow, so we'll done.

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    2. I haven't seen Opera. There's a lot of Argento I haven't seen, but this was my gut reaction to this movie. It left me wishing I was watching Fulci. Also, I'm not sure Inferno tells a story at all. At least not much. haha

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    3. The underwater scene is really good too. I remember really liking Inferno, but it was one of the 1st Italian horror I ever watched, so I was still in a state of "What is this?!?" Should give it a rewatch.

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    4. That's a rough first one to go with Paul lol I agree with the underwater sequence, it's gorgeous. And youre right Daniel I couldn't tell you what the hell happens in Inferno lol

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  3. That "Price of Darkness" trailer is so solid!

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    1. Michael GiammarinoJune 11, 2016 at 2:45 AM

      Once I became a hardcore Fulci fan, I had a theory that Prince of Darkness - aside from the Quatermass allusions - was Carpenter's homage to Fulci and City of the Living Dead. When I met him a few years ago, I made it my mission to ask him. He swore his only real Italian influence was Argento. I offered some comparisons I saw between the films, but he admitted he's never really liked how in-your-face Fulci's cinema is. He said it's possible he could have made Prince of Darkness after watching and not enjoying City of the Living Dead, and maybe the experience stuck with him, but that consciously it never occurred to him. Later, I found an interview with John where someone else made the same comparison, and Carpenter conceded that it may have been some unconscious reaction to Fulci's work. I have not been able to find that article again. But I'm sticking to my theory. The similarities are too ironic for me to dismiss them.

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  4. In the Mouth of Maddness (1994)

    Carpenter is quickly becoming one of my favourite directors. I just love his crisp no nonsence style. At the moment if the man directed a how to drive video I would be decrying his genius. But this movie is taking something you already like and then adding a whole bunch of hot chocolate sauce on top. The nightmare structure, the Lovecraft-ness, the very thin line between fact and fiction, and the fact that its books that are everyone's downfall.

    The Thing is no doubt Carpenter's best movie - Mouth of Maddness might be my favourite.

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    1. Do you read Sutter kane?

      Great choice

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    2. I also watched Mouth of Madness for today. I could watch Sam Niel walk around with a smug grin on his face all day. The movie just gets more and more insane, and funner and funner.

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    3. In the last few years I have grown to appreciate Sam Neill's smug smile.

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    4. Just a thought, Elric Kane thinks Sam Neil would be good for Dr Loomis in the new Halloween movie?

      I can go with that

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  5. The last house on the left (1972, Dir. Wes Craven)

    First viewing. More than a decade before he arguably made his masterpiece, it's interesting to see where Wes started. Not an easy watch, blunt and confronting. But I think it has more to say than other similar movies like "I spit on your grave". The doofus cops are awful and let down the tone of the movie. RIP Wes Craven, you'll always have a spot during June and October (minimum) with me.

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  6. Opera (1987)

    I love Argentos giallos and this is another nice piece of work for him. I won't say it's as good as Tenebrae or Deep Red but it's entertaining and as always the murder sequences are unique and violent. I love how the killer would tie up the heroine and tape needles to her eyes so she has to watch the murders. It makes for a really creepy visual. My one complaint was it was kinda easy to figure out who the killer was but the reason they were killing was a decent mystery. I just really love how Argento builds tension, there's a sequence in the middle where you don't know if the killer is pretending to be a cop or not and it's pretty intense, although the logistics of it I'm still trying to figure out. It's a cool movie if you're an Argento fan it's essential viewing for sure.

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  7. Clive Barker's NIGHTBREED: THE DIRECTOR'S CUT (1990/2015, 120 min.) on Netflix Instant for the first time.

    Barker gets a lifetime membership pass into the Masters of Horror club for "Hellraiser" alone, and "Nightbreed" gets picked for today because David Cronenberg is in it delivering one hell of a creepy vibe as a sleazoid psychiatrist (#2for1sploitation). Never saw the butchered theatrical version, and I gotta say I'm not digging the unevenness of this fantasy/horror setting. Tremendous world building (several movies' worth) and imaginative character/monster design (what the 90's remake of "Island of Dr. Moreau" wanted to be and fell way short of matching), but the whole 'got to find Midian' quest by Craig Sheffer and a bunch of unlikable characters (though Anne Bobby's Lori is cute in an 80's movie girlfriend grading curve) left me cold and uninterested.

    "The Crow" and first "X-Men" owe a lot to "Nightbreed," but those movies had start-to-finish consistency that eludes Barker's messed-by-studio-meddling compromised flick. By the end it had almost completely crossed into "Blues Brothers/The Frighteners" slapstick horror with asswipe rural cops (Capt. Eigerman should have been played by Henry Gibson) versus kind, freaky-looking Midian residents. Glad to have finally seen "Nightbreed," but thank God this Netflix Instant viewing saved me from the mistake of blind-buying this on Scream! Factory Blu-ray.

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    1. A-freaking-men, brother. I settled with this one for its #2for1sploitation value and likewise came away underwhelmed. But I must add that (1) Cronenberg's scarecrow mask is legit terrifying and certainly leaves an impression, and (2) that Danny Elfman's score is completely at odds with whats happening onscreen until it isn't.

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    2. I never saw the truncated theatrical cut but I get the impression that the DC doesn't do much to even out the pacing/plotting issues as it stands. Troubled production or no, it did leave me interested enough to check out the source material (Cabal) one of these days.

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  8. Wes Craven's The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988)

    Some great and effective horror imagery here, but I failed to connect to the story in any way. Bill Pullman is always great though.

    For the whole movie I was wondering where I knew the bad guy's actor, Zakes Mokae, from. Turns out he appeared on an episode of The West Wing 12 years later.

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    1. Fun fact: The Serpent and the Rainbow inspired one of my favorite songs, Godsmack's Voodoo.

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  9. Joe Dante - Piranha (1978), Gremlins (1984), Matinee (1993) triple feature.

    I was going to go with William Castle so that's why I added in Matinee, Dante's homage to the great man.

    All 3 movies are great fun and have something a lot of modern movies are missing, especially studio movies.

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  10. The Birds (1963)
    I want to start by saying that I think this film still holds up very well. The special effects shots of the birds attacking are not perfect, but the movie really isn't about those moments. Hitchcock doesn't just kill people at the talons of birds, he creates a masterful buildup through genuine character moments. The characters in this film are so genuine and accessible. The horror isn't just that birds are scary, we see regular people like us that are thrust into an uncontrollable situation. Killing everyone would be to easy for Hitchcock. He attaches us to characters that have their peace and security taken away. That is more terrifying than just seagulls.

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  11. PHANTASM (1979) dir. Don Coscarelli

    I sort of wandered far and wide; wondering if this would still fall under Masters of Horror? Anyway, enjoyed this one, because it has some of the uneven tone that we find in a lot of Junesploitation fare, but still some enjoyable horror and sci-fi moments of the right measure. Boy loses his family, finds some weird happenings at the local morgue, strangeness ensues. I think this one benefits The Tall Man is coming to get you.

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  12. Martin (1977)

    I wanted to watch a non zombie Romero movie today and I'm sure glad I picked Martin. This is a really interesting movie about a young man who may or may not be a vampire. He kills people by drugging them and slitting their wrists and drinking their blood. Non of the traditional vampire lore effects him (he can walk in the sun, garlic and crosses don't hurt him) but his uncle seems convinced that this is a family curse and that he has a demon in him. The movie provides no real answers and that's what I really like about it. Whether Martin is a vampire or just a killer with severe mental illness, it's still a tragic story about a lonely guy who can't fit it in and has urges that he can't control. Romero makes you sympathize with Martin throughout the film. He himself isn't convinced about what is truly going on with him. He calls a radio show and tells his story and his feelings to the host who thinks he's just a joke. He doesn't want to hurt people and he's really clumsy and bad at it when he does, but he has this thing inside him that makes him do it. Whether that's vampirism or a different kind of psychological demon is left up to the audience. I liked it alot and i wish Romero was able to do more movies outside the zombie genre.

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  13. Eaten Alive (1976) Dir. Tobe Hooper

    Finally getting this off my watchlist and can't believe I waited so long to see it. The atmosphere is so thick and Hooper's use of color and lighting really stand out. Definitely explored the same pallet in The Funhouse. I felt like I needed a shower after watching this. Definitely one of the top 5 Hooper films.

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    1. I'm planning on watching this today too. Glad to see you liked it so much. Tobe Hooper rocks.

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  14. Scream (1995)

    7 word review: Hey Drew, just don't answer the phone.

    Seriously, I ignore calls from friends and family all the time. Why is Drew so eager to answer the phone over and over again?

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  15. Rabid Dogs (1974, dir. Mario Bava)

    For some reason, I just can't get too into Bava. I understand his significance and influence as a stylist, and that we wouldn't have the trademark Argento look if he hadn't invented it, we wouldn't have Tobe's Eaten Alive, or The Strange Color of Your Body's Tears, or any of Lamberto Bava's crazy movies. But I just haven't really enjoyed anything he's made that hasn't had Barbara Steele in it. He just stretches his plots so thin. Stelvio Cipriani's super, super-repetitive score really drives this thing along, and all the actors, especially George Eastman (as always) are great, but it just keeps repeating and repeating itself. Trailer.

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    1. That movie of his in particular is pretty tedious. I love that it exists outside of his norm though along with Diabolik which I love but is also tedious!

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    2. Cujo (1983, dir. Lewis Teague)

      Noticed that people were watching this on Animals day and felt pangs of shame that it was such a big movie that I had never watched, so I figured I could cram it into MOH day via Stephen King. Dee Wallace tends to be a red flag for me, and the premise was never very appealing. I reacted to this about how I was expecting. There simply isn't enough to build a movie around, and even for how down to earth the concept is, it just isn't very believable. I like how there are themes of betrayal of trust and a lot of focus on the melodramatic parts of the story, but the tension is all artificial, and like Dee was trapped in that car, I felt trapped with this movie.

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    3. Chaybee: I think I'm being hard on Rabid because Bava is so revered. It's really a very good movie. If it had been an early Hooper or Craven movie, I think it would be even more well known.

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    4. The Phantom of the Opera (1998, dir. Dario Argento)

      People seem to think the period of his career where all Dario Argento's movies featured his daughter Asia getting naked a lot was creepy. I A) am grateful he made so many of them, and B) think that you can tell how much he loves her in every shot he took of her. It seems especially true here, where there doesn't seem to be any reason for the movie to exist except to put Asia in elaborate costumes and make her look pretty. This is wacky, cartoony stuff that doesn't even try to do service to its source material, or to make any sense. Dario can't seem to remember what his story is supposed to be: this scene Asia hates the Phantom, this one she loves him; this one he's a hero, this one he's a monster; this one he has superhuman strength, this one you can defeat him by hitting him in the head with a rock... Dario doesn't use dream logic in this movie, he just doesn't use any. That being said, I liked it. Trailer.

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  16. Poking around for what's FREE that I haven't seen before... Golan and Globus's House of Long Shadows (rework of Seven Keys to Baldpate from 1913) another group effort with Carradine, Lee, Cushing and Price..but to get to them, you have to tolerate Desi Arnez Jr. coming off like someone's lighting stand in. seriously draggy until the cast starts to assemble, i want to yell at the screen 'get on with it!' but people do start just popping by this welsh mansion in the middle of the night each with a more cockamamie story than the other..and FINALLY people start getting axmurdered, and poisioned, pushed down stairs and dosed with acid. I would like to see it again on disc..if i see one very cheaply...cause the copy streaming online is terribly dark, some scenes are practically black.

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  17. George A. Romero's Creepshow (1982), written by Stephen King

    You see that crap? All that horror crap? Things coming out of crates and eating people? Dead people coming back to life? People turning into weeds, for christ sake?

    My second Romero film this month after Night of the Living Dead, and it couldn't be more different. Where NotLD was excellent in its bleakness and terror, Creepshow is excellent in its dark humor and plain fun. Maybe not The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill, but the other segments.

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    1. I know Verrill isn't great, but it did give us "meteorshit!" which is still a thing I yell when I stub my toe.

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  18. The lost Carpenter film

    Someone's watching me 1978

    First viewing, I only bought this recently and saved it for today, made in 78 the same time as Halloween, this film never made it to dvd for years, influenced by Rear window and it does feel Hitchcockian though I hate that term, without spoilers the plot is Lauren Hutton a strong female lead being slowly terrorised by an annonymous villain, its got a nice sense of dread and escalating tension, with moments of uncomfortable fear, for a lost made for TV movie not even filmed in Scope I really enjoyed it.
    Available for a decent price on Amazon in a 6 film Twisted terror collection with, Deadly friend, Dr Giggles, The Hand, From beyond the grave and Eyes of a Stranger, probably the best version we will ever get knowing how Warner don't sublicence and lots of films end up stuck in the vault, its not Halloween but for any completists like me its nice see another John Carpenter movie

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    1. I am going to see if I can hunt this down!

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    2. Few bucks on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAvHC30MRZo&oref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DxAvHC30MRZo&has_verified=1

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  19. New Nightmare (1994)

    Interesting take. Freddy is scary again. The only time I feel safe is when Saxon is on screen, but even he goes batty by the end. Heather (almost) finishes Freddy by stabbing his dick! 5 stars for originality.

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  20. The Devil-Doll (1936)

    I had some free time so I watched a number of movies from some of the original masters of horror such as The Old Dark House (Bride of Frankenstein director James Whale), and The Hands of Orlac (The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari director Robert Wiene). The one I really liked though was The Devil-Doll. While Tod Browning may not have made a ton of horror movies, he directed Dracula and Freaks which I think would qualify him as a master of horror. After the latter movie, Browning had trouble getting work and only made a handful of films after that.

    One of the last movies Browning made was The Devil-Doll which was based on a novel called Burn Witch Burn!. Lionel Barrymore (Mr. Potter from It's a Wonderful Life) plays Paul Lavond, a man who has just escaped the prison he was sent to after his former business partners framed him for a crime. His plan naturally is to dress up as an elderly woman and send shrunken, mind-controlled people after them. While not particularly horrific, I really enjoyed this one, and some of the special effects are pretty good. Unfortunately it's a little hard to find on DVD, and also shouldn't be confused with the 1964 movie Devil Doll.

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    1. Lionel Barrymore is such an incredible actor. I may have to track this one down.

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    2. If you're a fan of his work then it's probably worth seeing since it's a pretty fun role. If nothing else I think YouTube has it.

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  21. Two Evil Eyes (1990)

    Edgar Allan Poe is adapted by two masters of modern horror in a moderately successful anthology. First up, George A. Romeo brings us The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar starring Adrienne Barbeau (it's her birthday today, by the way, so nice timing here) practically reprising her hateful shrew character from Creepshow. It's a decent (if predictable) revenge-from-beyond-the-grave tale, par for the course for both Romero and Poe.

    The second story, adapted by Dario Argento, is The Black Cat, and it's a broader take on lots of Poe's work and it's the more effective of the two. Some of the references get a little ham-fisted, but Harvey Keitel is great in the lead and, in a rare occurrence for his early 90s output, manages to keep his pants on. Good work, Harvey. Argento creates some truly nightmarish imagery and doesn't let the story overstay its welcome (each story is about an hour long, but Argento's feels shorter than Romero's). All things considered, it's very much worth checking out.

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  22. Night of the Living Dead (1968)

    'They know we are here now'. Ahhhh I understand - Romero is indeed a master, just the way he is able to use shadow, create tension, use panic and cynisim. And just the contrast between what is happening in the house and out in the world.

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  23. The Fog (1980, dir. John Carpenter)
    Went with something I've seen several times today because there is no director I associate more with the term "master of horror" than John Carpenter. This isn't among my favorites of his movies, but I do like it quite a bit. Great score, great atmosphere, great photography, great cast. There are people who love, love, love this movie, which makes me like it more because I think watching it for them is like when I watch The Funhouse.

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  24. Conjuring 2 (2016)

    James Wan directs the shit out of this movie. I'm not a big haunted house movie fan. I've seen a handful that I really like but mostly they are just all the same to me. I liked the original Conjuring but never loved it like most others. I liked Conjuring 2 better because I felt it was scarier and there were some really nice moments with the Warren characters. I never considered myself a Patrick Wilson fan but between this, bone tomahawk and fargo season 2 im kinda like yea, Patrick Wilson is awesome. The movie is a little too long but there's a couple of scares that really got me and I appreciated the hell out of that. The story is really nothing new at all but it executes it pretty well and if you were a fan of the original I don't think you'll be disappointed.

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    1. 1. Patrick Wilson is the man.
      2. That demon is freaky looking.
      3. Hollywood is really pushing my patience with the "family in a haunted house" movies.

      Still a fun time though.

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  25. The Thing (1982)

    What more can be said about this film, which in my opinion is John Carpenter’s finest achievement? It’s an authentic horror masterpiece, with a great performance by Kurt Russell as well as a terrific ensemble cast. The movie is also a glorious celebration of practical special effects. Rob Bottin’s effects work has yet to be equaled, much less surpassed. The embarrassing prequel to The Thing shows just how much has been lost in modern films with an over-reliance on CGI. Nearly everything here is first-rate, with a creepy score by Ennio Morricone and great wide-screen photography by Dean Cundy.

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    1. It's one of the five best horror movies ever made. Perfect.

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    2. I also went with THE THING, which I haven't watched since I bought it on DVD and decided to save it for tonight. The only thing I'll add to your comments is that I hope I have enough energy to stay up and watch it again with Carpenter and Russell's commentary.

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    3. The Thing is probably in my top ten all time favorite movies. I love everything about it and now Scream Factorys putting it out! So stoked.

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  26. Cell (2016) Dir. Tod Williams (Based on Stephen King Book)

    Hmmm...I thought I was going hate this, I didn't. I can't recommend it but as far as Stephen King movies go, it's not that bad. If Mick Garris did this it would have been awful. Instead it's better than I expected but I wouldn't say it's good. Samuel L. was surprisingly good and laid back. Plus - Stacy Keach!

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  28. Body Bags (1993) (first time viewing)

    I apparently pulled out a whole smorgasbord of Masters of Horror. This is an anthology with Carpenter directing the first two segments (also doing his best Cryptkeeper impression in between segments) and Hooper directing the third segment (and also showing up as a morgue worker briefly). Other small acting cameos include Craven, Raimi, and Corman.

    I really enjoyed the first segment. It had a real Halloween vibe to the tension. Carpenter of course even threw in a Halloween reference. The other two segments didn't do it for me as much though. Keach was kind of fun to watch in the second segment. I'd give it a slight recommend. The last two segments aren't terrible....just not great. And it was fun to spot all the cameos.

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    1. Saw this last Scary Movie Month and really dug it. I do love me some horror anthologies.

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    2. Loved Sam Raimi as Employee of the month and nice to see David Naughton from American werewolf in London, and of course Luke Skywalker himself

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  29. Deadly Friend (1986, dir. Wes Craven, on DVD) – First Time Viewing: Wes, I love you but this movie is pretty hilariously stupid/terrible. But it’s so silly and entertaining I still enjoyed it. Has anyone made the connection that the robot in this movie BB is an influence on BB-8 from The Force Awakens? Same color scheme and everything. Although BB has to be one of the more annoying characters in movie history. The little fucker is always muttering to himself and it gets old after about a second. Basketball kill has to be kill of the month. In conclusion: this movie still looks like Citizen Kane compared to Cursed (2 out of 5 Griers).

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    1. Anything this month looks/feels like "Citizen Kane" next to "Cursed." ;-)

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  30. EATEN ALIVE (1977)
    I guess the idea here was to take the grimy n’ sweaty Texas Chainsaw aesthetic and apply it to an old-timey creature feature. I was iffy at first, but the movie’s trashy-yet-colorful vibe eventually drew me in and I started digging it. That Creepshow-style lighting!

    SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION (1990)
    Bizarre mashup of ‘50s atomic age horror and ‘80s gore. It tries to be a gender-swapped Carrie, but without Carrie’s characterization and moral ambiguity. Brad Dourif weirds it up real good, though, which is always welcome.

    DJINN (2013)
    It’s always nice to see a multicultural horror flick, and there are one or two scenes with cool, dark atmosphere. But… there’s no getting around how mediocre and flatly-filmed the whole thing is.

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  31. The Brood (1979)

    The Fly and Videodrome were the only Cronenberg I had seen, so it was time to fix that. This is a BLEAK and ANGRY movie that it not super pleasant. It's also completely unique and interesting from start to finish.

    Oh Cronenberg you magnificent madman. Entering your psychotic mind is always fasinating.

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    1. There is something about Cronenburg that is like snuggling under an extremely strange dream like quilt. I love it.

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    2. If that quilt is covered in blood and fly puke.

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    3. Ha! Okay, yes it maybe a little whiffy with the possibility of an STS lurking around - but still very cozy.

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  32. The Conjuring 2 (2016, dir. James Wan)

    Wan has my number (can you guess which number?). I've enjoyed the Insidious movies to varying degrees, but The Conjuring got me at every turn. The sequel plays a very similar game, but even when it repeats scares from the original it works. The scares are legit, but what makes the film special is its focus on the Warrens. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga's Ed and Lorraine Warren were important characters in the first film, but the sequel is as much about them as the new family in supernatural trouble. It's cheesy in spots, and I'm iffy on some of the CGI, but I love watching these two people in love, supporting each other, and working together to make the world a better place. Forget the Avengers. I want to see more movies about the Warrens set in the Cinematic Waniverse.

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    1. The Warrens have one of the sweetest relationships in movies today.

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  33. Hellraiser (1987, dir. Clive Barker) - first viewing

    After getting an early start yesterday with Nightbreed (1990) and a sleepless 3am streaming of Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988), I decided to bring my protracted Clive-Barker-a-thon to a close with the one that started it all. Recommended without reservation.

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    1. You went about it completely backwards ("Hellbound" before "Hellraiser"? It must have made zero sense), but at least you landed solid on your feet and ended your Clive-a-thon on a high note. :-)

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  34. The Brood (1979)

    I decided to go with Cronenberg and of course it did not disappoint. While The Brood is not his best, it surely has it's moments. Oliver Reed puts in a solid performance as a strange controlling psychiatrist. And those mutant kids are creepy as shit.

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  35. They Live (1988)

    Directed by John Carpenter, really fun film, didn't know what it was about going in, takes a while to set up but the pay off is so great, very fun film.

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  36. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

    The more I watch this, the more I think it's the scariest. Craven's strategic mingling of dream state with reality creates a sense of lost control and dread that simpler ghost stories just can't achieve. There are scary movies that might flash into your mind after you turn out your lights, but Nightmare already has you trapped before the credits roll. I love this movie.

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  37. New Nightmare (1994): One of the few great horror movies currently on Netflix. What can I say? You've all seen it -- it's great. Meta-horror done perfectly. Really loved it when John Saxon starts calling Heather Langenkamp "Nancy."

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  38. Q (1982)

    I have no idea how someone allowed this to exist.

    This is probably the worst movie that I've seen this month. Let's start out with the positives. Michael Moriarty is in it. Now, we are on to the negatives. What is Michael Moriarty doing? I love him in almost everything else but I have no idea what he's trying to do. Everybody is equally bad. They did not give a fuck when they made this movie. I was wondering why no one ever talked about it but now I know why. It took me four tries to get through it. Oh, the serpent? Maybe the worst thing I've ever seen on screen. Wow.

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