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October 2023 Horror Movie Marathon!

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Comments

  • 22. The Awakening (FTV)

    Skeptic of the paranormal investigates hauntings at a boys’ boarding school in 1921 northern England.

    It would be easy to criticize The Awakening as being overly familiar and too much of a slow burn to hold much appeal, but a well-done ghost story is always welcome in my home theater. Yes, it’s probably derivative of superior works in the genre--anyone who has seen haunted house stories involving children (The Innocents, The Others come to mind) or boarding school youths (Suspiria, Picnic at Hanging rock) may feel like they’ve seen this one before.

    But The Awakening isn’t just some cash grab, it respects the genre as it pays homage to the tropes. The actors are uniformly excellent, with lead Rebecca Hall displaying strength, paradoxically, through her rare shows of vulnerability. This is the kind of movie where you feel like you’re in good competent hands, so you stick with it even as it begins to strain just past midpoint, the stillness setting up a final third that escalates tension and makes you rethink what you’ve seen up to that point. It’s not a particularly scary movie but it very much establishes an atmosphere of dread and loneliness that few modern movies bother to even try.

    A bit predictable but well done, fans of English ghost stories will enjoy.

    4 out of 5 stars.

    Bob's October 2023 Horror Movie List
    *FTV denotes first-time viewings
    1. Ghostwatch 4/5 (FTV)
    2. Wendel & Wild 4/5 (FTV)
    3. Dolls 3/5 (FTV)
    4. Society 3/5 (FTV)
    5. Tombs of the Blind Dead 3/5 (FTV)
    6. The Brainiac 3/5 (FTV)
    7. The Visitor 3/5 (FTV)
    8. Talk To Me 4/5 (FTV)
    9. Young Frankenstein 5/5
    10. The Exorcist II: The Heretic 3/5 (FTV)
    11. Creepshow 3 1/5 (FTV)
    12. Skinamarink 4/5 (FTV)
    13. The Tunnel (2011) 2/5 (FTV)
    14. Friday the 13th part VI: Jason Lives 4/5
    15. Dracula (1979) 3/5 (FTV)
    16. Nekromantik 3/5 (FTV)
    17. One Missed Call (2009) 3/5 (FTV)
    18. Hatching 3/5 (FTV)
    19. Evil Dead Rise 3/5 (FTV)
    20. TerrorVision 3/5 (FTV)
    21. The Call of Cthulhu 4/5 (FTV)
    22. The Awakening 4/5 (FTV)







    GNTLGNTKurbenHedda GablerFlakeNoirNotaro
  • And i am a fan of english ghost stories. The gothic foundation. 
    GNTLGNTfushingfeefFlakeNoirNotaro
  • October 2023 Horror Movie Marathon!

    Watched.....

    01. The Meg 2 (absolute drivel)
    02. No One Will Save You ( really good)
    03. Pet Sematary;Bloodlines (jesus this was bad)
    04. Talk To Me (really good)
    05. Haunted Mansion (not too bad)
    06. The Exorcist: Believer ( its a dud) 
    07. It Lives Inside (Enjoyable
    08. Dracula Untold (Enjoyable)
    09. The Plague Of The Zombies (Really good)
    10. Dark Harvest ( Enjoyable)
    GNTLGNTfushingfeefFlakeNoir
  • 23. Jack Frost (1997) (FTV)

    After an experimental chemical accident, a serial killer becomes a killer snowman seeking to get revenge on the sheriff who caught him.

    There’s camp (TerrorVision) and then there’s schlock, and Jack Frost (no relation to the shmaltzy Michael Keaton movie released the following year) sits firmly in schlock territory. While the notion of an animated snowman isn’t a particularly unique one (hello, Frosty), there’s something inherently creepy about the idea of a snowman coming to life. Unfortunately Jack Frost doesn’t lean into the creep factor and instead remakes Child’s Play with the serial killer once again inhabiting an anthropomorphic form, wreaking havoc, and wisecracking all the way. You know the drill.

    But I gotta admit, I didn’t hate this movie and often caught myself enjoying it. The budget was extremely low so they had to keep finding creative ways to show the snowman (or should I say, guy in a snowman costume) who had obvious mobility limitations. Hence, a lot of quick cuts back and forth, and some very fake snow that occasionally looked like white felt, shredded styrofoam, or instant mashed potato mix. You’d think they would have sunk more of their miniscule budget into the main star of the show, but from what I heard, the budget was less than a third of what a 30 second Campbell’s soup commercial got (the director’s previous job). Still, they found ways to keep things interesting, like giving the snowman the ability to melt himself so he can slip under doors and reassemble on the other side. It’s like Shocker, but with snow!

    In other highlights, the characters are pretty good, with Chris Allport as the sheriff playing things entirely straight and serious (in perhaps the cruelest irony ever, after two Jack Frost movies and a third planned, Allport died in—not lying—an avalanche). We also get soon-to-be American Pie foreign exchange student Shannon Elizabeth in her debut role, taking a bath no less. Psycho, it ain’t.

    Lovers of “so bad it’s good”, grab some Hostess Snoballs and enjoy.

    3 out of 5 stars.

    Bob's October 2023 Horror Movie List
    *FTV denotes first-time viewings
    1. Ghostwatch 4/5 (FTV)
    2. Wendel & Wild 4/5 (FTV)
    3. Dolls 3/5 (FTV)
    4. Society 3/5 (FTV)
    5. Tombs of the Blind Dead 3/5 (FTV)
    6. The Brainiac 3/5 (FTV)
    7. The Visitor 3/5 (FTV)
    8. Talk To Me 4/5 (FTV)
    9. Young Frankenstein 5/5
    10. The Exorcist II: The Heretic 3/5 (FTV)
    11. Creepshow 3 1/5 (FTV)
    12. Skinamarink 4/5 (FTV)
    13. The Tunnel (2011) 2/5 (FTV)
    14. Friday the 13th part VI: Jason Lives 4/5
    15. Dracula (1979) 3/5 (FTV)
    16. Nekromantik 3/5 (FTV)
    17. One Missed Call (2009) 3/5 (FTV)
    18. Hatching 3/5 (FTV)
    19. Evil Dead Rise 3/5 (FTV)
    20. TerrorVision 3/5 (FTV)
    21. The Call of Cthulhu 4/5 (FTV)
    22. The Awakening 4/5 (FTV)
    23. Jack Frost 3/5 (FTV)






    GNTLGNTFlakeNoirKurbenNotaro
  • ....the tag line "Chillin' & Killin'" sounds like the best part of the film.....
    FlakeNoirKurbenfushingfeef
  • 24. The Devonsville Terror (FTV)

    Town that unjustly killed three women accused of witchcraft in 1683 is cursed to pay the price 300 years later when the witches return in the form of (gasp) modern liberated women.

    The movie started out semi-promising with creative witch executions (eaten alive by starving pigs, tied to a flaming wagon wheel and rolled down a hill) so despite the obvious low production values I had hopes for an early 70’s style exploitation horror film. This was also a not-at-all-subtle feminist horror movie in which the sleazy men who control the town (and control the women) get their comeuppance, so I was sure this had been made in the early 70’s when women’s lib was a hot trending topic at the drive-in. I was pretty surprised to find out this movie was made and released in 1983. Maybe everyone passed on the script for 10 years?

    Alas, after a promising beginning it settles into a pretty tedious slog. The grainy, sparse look that I had associated with the early 70’s exploitation was just a low budget lack of cinematography, occasionally wobbly hand-held camera work, and lifeless monotone acting. I had hoped that Donald Pleasence would inject life into the proceedings, but he obviously put in one day of work on a single indoor set where he mostly sits at a desk and annoys us with a flickering light to hypnotize his subjects. You know a movie is in trouble when the main villain is Paul from Cheers. You don’t remember Paul from Cheers? Yeah, no one does. He’s the heavy guy with glasses who sat by Norm and Cliff drinking beer while they got all the good lines.

    Laughable special effects towards the end (a toothy foam rubber devil mask, melting men that look like unsuccessful test footage from Raiders of the Lost Ark) can’t quite save this dull mess.

    2 out of 5 stars.

    Bob's October 2023 Horror Movie List
    *FTV denotes first-time viewings
    1. Ghostwatch 4/5 (FTV)
    2. Wendel & Wild 4/5 (FTV)
    3. Dolls 3/5 (FTV)
    4. Society 3/5 (FTV)
    5. Tombs of the Blind Dead 3/5 (FTV)
    6. The Brainiac 3/5 (FTV)
    7. The Visitor 3/5 (FTV)
    8. Talk To Me 4/5 (FTV)
    9. Young Frankenstein 5/5
    10. The Exorcist II: The Heretic 3/5 (FTV)
    11. Creepshow 3 1/5 (FTV)
    12. Skinamarink 4/5 (FTV)
    13. The Tunnel (2011) 2/5 (FTV)
    14. Friday the 13th part VI: Jason Lives 4/5
    15. Dracula (1979) 3/5 (FTV)
    16. Nekromantik 3/5 (FTV)
    17. One Missed Call (2009) 3/5 (FTV)
    18. Hatching 3/5 (FTV)
    19. Evil Dead Rise 3/5 (FTV)
    20. TerrorVision 3/5 (FTV)
    21. The Call of Cthulhu 4/5 (FTV)
    22. The Awakening 4/5 (FTV)
    23. Jack Frost 3/5 (FTV)
    24. The Devonsville Terror 2/5 (FTV)






    FlakeNoirGNTLGNTKurbenNotaro
  • 29. Room For Rent* — 2019 — Freevee

    “When a lonely widow rents out a room in her home, she becomes dangerously obsessed with her young tenant.”

    this was pretty creepy and the lead actress did a fantastic job. 

    *denotes first time viewing
    1. El Conde*
    2. Suspiria*
    3. No One Will Save You*
    4. House of the Long Shadows*
    5. Bone Tomahawk*
    6. Seconds*
    7. In the Mouth of Madness*
    8. Reptile*
    9. Maximum Overdrive*
    10. Duel*
    11. Westworld
    12. Hell Night* 
    13. Fright*
    14. The Ghost of Sierra de Cobre*
    15. Psychoville*
    16. The Fall of the House of Usher*
    17. The Sentinel
    18. Malevolent*
    19. Things Heard and Seen* 
    19 1/2. Notaro’s Shadow*
    20. Cast a Dark Shadow*
    21. The Fog
    22. Hitchcock/Truffaut*
    23. The Pyramid*
    24. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde*
    25. Unfriended*
    26. Immortal* 
    27. UMMA* 
    28. The Old Dark House*
    29. Room For Rent* — 2019 — Freevee
    FlakeNoirGNTLGNTfushingfeefNotaro
  • 30.  The Wicker Man — 1973 — Freevee

    “Sergeant Howie (Edward Woodward) arrives on the small Scottish island of Summerisle to investigate the report of a missing child. A conservative Christian, the policeman observes the residents' frivolous sexual displays and strange pagan rituals, particularly the temptations of Willow (Britt Ekland), daughter of the island magistrate, Lord Summerisle (Christopher Lee). The more Sergeant Howie learns about the islanders' strange practices, the closer he gets to tracking down the missing child.“

    this is just a weird, interesting old movie. I love it. 

    denotes first time viewing
    1. El Conde*
    2. Suspiria*
    3. No One Will Save You*
    4. House of the Long Shadows*
    5. Bone Tomahawk*
    6. Seconds*
    7. In the Mouth of Madness*
    8. Reptile*
    9. Maximum Overdrive*
    10. Duel*
    11. Westworld
    12. Hell Night* 
    13. Fright*
    14. The Ghost of Sierra de Cobre*
    15. Psychoville*
    16. The Fall of the House of Usher*
    17. The Sentinel
    18. Malevolent*
    19. Things Heard and Seen* 
    19 1/2. Notaro’s Shadow*
    20. Cast a Dark Shadow*
    21. The Fog
    22. Hitchcock/Truffaut*
    23. The Pyramid*
    24. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde*
    25. Unfriended*
    26. Immortal* 
    27. UMMA* 
    28. The Old Dark House*
    29. Room For Rent* — 2019 — Freevee
    30. The Wicker Man — 1973 — Freevee
    FlakeNoirGNTLGNTfushingfeefNotaro
  • 31. The Graveyard — 1974 — tubi

    “An unloving mother neglects her son, who then drowns her beloved cats to spite her. Years later, now a father, she toys with his mind and marriage.”

    i hated all the cat stuff so i fast forwarded through the abuse just to watch Lana Turner. She was embarrassed she made this film, but she was a great nasty bitch. 


    *denotes first time viewing
    1. El Conde*
    2. Suspiria*
    3. No One Will Save You*
    4. House of the Long Shadows*
    5. Bone Tomahawk*
    6. Seconds*
    7. In the Mouth of Madness*
    8. Reptile*
    9. Maximum Overdrive*
    10. Duel*
    11. Westworld
    12. Hell Night* 
    13. Fright*
    14. The Ghost of Sierra de Cobre*
    15. Psychoville*
    16. The Fall of the House of Usher*
    17. The Sentinel
    18. Malevolent*
    19. Things Heard and Seen* 
    19 1/2. Notaro’s Shadow*
    20. Cast a Dark Shadow*
    21. The Fog
    22. Hitchcock/Truffaut*
    23. The Pyramid*
    24. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde*
    25. Unfriended*
    26. Immortal* 
    27. UMMA* 
    28. The Old Dark House*
    29. Room For Rent* — 2019 — Freevee
    30. The Wicker Man — 1973 — Freevee
    31. The Graveyard* — 1974 — tubi

    FlakeNoirGNTLGNTKurbenfushingfeefNotaro
  • 32. Fear in the Night* — 1972 — Freevee

    “A young woman recovering from a nervous breakdown moves with her husband to a boys' school, and finds herself being terrorized by a mysterious one-armed man, but nobody believes her.”

    I rather enjoyed this. One of the traditional “let’s drive someone mad” movies, it wasn’t bad. Joan Collins, peter cushing and ralph Bates— who has been in a couple of my entries this year — did an adequate job keeping me interested. 

    *denotes first time viewing
    1. El Conde*
    2. Suspiria*
    3. No One Will Save You*
    4. House of the Long Shadows*
    5. Bone Tomahawk*
    6. Seconds*
    7. In the Mouth of Madness*
    8. Reptile*
    9. Maximum Overdrive*
    10. Duel*
    11. Westworld
    12. Hell Night* 
    13. Fright*
    14. The Ghost of Sierra de Cobre*
    15. Psychoville*
    16. The Fall of the House of Usher*
    17. The Sentinel
    18. Malevolent*
    19. Things Heard and Seen* 
    19 1/2. Notaro’s Shadow*
    20. Cast a Dark Shadow*
    21. The Fog
    22. Hitchcock/Truffaut*
    23. The Pyramid*
    24. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde*
    25. Unfriended*
    26. Immortal* 
    27. UMMA* 
    28. The Old Dark House*
    29. Room For Rent* — 2019 — Freevee
    30. The Wicker Man — 1973 — Freevee
    31. The Graveyard* — 1974 — tubi
    32. Fear in the Night* — 1972 — freevee
    FlakeNoirGNTLGNTKurbenfushingfeefNotaro
  • 1.-Death Note (Netflix)
    2.-Haunted Mansion (Disney +)
    3.-The Conference (Netflix)
    4.-Annihaltion (Paramount+)
    5.-This is Halloween (Discovery +)
    6.-Deliver Us From Evil

    Deliver Us From Evil tells the story of a New York police officer (Eric Bana) and unconventional priest Mendoza (Edgar Ramírez) who join forces to investigate a series of disturbing & inexplicable crimes. Together they must combat the possessions that are terrorizing their city before it’s too late. Filled with action and thrilling suspense, the film is inspired by the actual accounts of NYPD Sergeant Ralph Sarchie.

    ...by far, the best of my bunch (which ain't sayin' much).....this was a really well-done film....nice blend of humor and creep.....

    Deliver Us from Evil 2014 - IMDb
    Film Review  Deliver Us From Evil  Mint
    KurbenfushingfeefHedda GablerNotaro
  • 25. The Houses that October Built (FTV)

    Thrill-seekers looking to vlog the scariest haunted house attractions end up getting in over their heads.

    This is called a found footage movie but many parts of it are framed more like a news documentary. The actors seem to be improvising quite a bit through their scenes, which makes the occasional scripted line seem unnatural and clunky. I enjoyed seeing several haunted houses and costumed characters, and how they became more rough around the edges (and often creepier) as the team gets deeper into what they refer to as “the backwoods.” Certain characters have a good creep factor such as the porcelain faced girl, others such as the skull-masked guy just look silly.

    As a movie, I think this could have done with some tightening up and a bit more plot to drive things along. It makes less and less sense as more warning signs occur that they would just simply proceed ahead as if nothing wrong was going on. For example, in one scene the woman is cornered in the ladies room by two drunk locals and she has to tear herself away. Why at this point they would continue on their tour of haunted house attractions, after a physical assault that was moments from becoming much worse?

    The end could have used more dialogue than just a hundred variations of “Guys? Where are you?” over and over, but as far as found footage films go, this one was serviceable.

    3 out of 5 stars.

    Bob's October 2023 Horror Movie List
    *FTV denotes first-time viewings
    1. Ghostwatch 4/5 (FTV)
    2. Wendel & Wild 4/5 (FTV)
    3. Dolls 3/5 (FTV)
    4. Society 3/5 (FTV)
    5. Tombs of the Blind Dead 3/5 (FTV)
    6. The Brainiac 3/5 (FTV)
    7. The Visitor 3/5 (FTV)
    8. Talk To Me 4/5 (FTV)
    9. Young Frankenstein 5/5
    10. The Exorcist II: The Heretic 3/5 (FTV)
    11. Creepshow 3 1/5 (FTV)
    12. Skinamarink 4/5 (FTV)
    13. The Tunnel (2011) 2/5 (FTV)
    14. Friday the 13th part VI: Jason Lives 4/5
    15. Dracula (1979) 3/5 (FTV)
    16. Nekromantik 3/5 (FTV)
    17. One Missed Call (2009) 3/5 (FTV)
    18. Hatching 3/5 (FTV)
    19. Evil Dead Rise 3/5 (FTV)
    20. TerrorVision 3/5 (FTV)
    21. The Call of Cthulhu 4/5 (FTV)
    22. The Awakening 4/5 (FTV)
    23. Jack Frost 3/5 (FTV)
    24. The Devonsville Terror 2/5 (FTV)
    25. The Houses That October Built 3/5 (FTV)





    GNTLGNTHedda Gabler
  • 26. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022) (FTV)

    Millennials attempting to gentrify a Texas ghost town run into Leatherface and pay the price.

    Just to get this up front, this movie calls itself Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and while it is set in Texas, and yes there is a chainsaw massacre, this movie doesn’t feel at all like what we’ve come to expect from this franchise. It’s a “straight to Netflix” sequel in name only. This is one of those movies where you are rooting for the killer, you just wish he’d do it more painfully.

    Even at a brisk 83 minutes the film drags. For some reason they spend an inordinate amount of time talking about who has the deeds to the property, and a stupid plan to revitalize an isolated ghost town into some idealistic millennial paradise, as if any of that belongs in a TCM movie. And yes, this is yet another one of those “social media bad”, “influencer bad” movies, like we haven’t been hit over the head with that a million times. We get it Hollywood, you’re still angry and jealous that someone else has stolen all those eyeballs and attention spans that you used to monopolize.

    Also, I found it completely tasteless and tone-deaf to have one of the characters be a survivor of a school shooting who is somehow made better and ostensibly “toughened up” by her past traumatic experiences. Is using the victim of a school shooting as a character in a movie whose title is synonymous with gratuitous violence really a good idea? I wasn’t so much offended as flabbergasted at their sheer gall.

    Plus column? A couple decent kills, and one truly spectacular one towards the end. Bringing back the final girl from the original could have had potential but she’s wasted. You may think you want to see this because of the title, but you’ve been warned.

    2 out of 5 stars.

    Bob's October 2023 Horror Movie List
    *FTV denotes first-time viewings
    1. Ghostwatch 4/5 (FTV)
    2. Wendel & Wild 4/5 (FTV)
    3. Dolls 3/5 (FTV)
    4. Society 3/5 (FTV)
    5. Tombs of the Blind Dead 3/5 (FTV)
    6. The Brainiac 3/5 (FTV)
    7. The Visitor 3/5 (FTV)
    8. Talk To Me 4/5 (FTV)
    9. Young Frankenstein 5/5
    10. The Exorcist II: The Heretic 3/5 (FTV)
    11. Creepshow 3 1/5 (FTV)
    12. Skinamarink 4/5 (FTV)
    13. The Tunnel (2011) 2/5 (FTV)
    14. Friday the 13th part VI: Jason Lives 4/5
    15. Dracula (1979) 3/5 (FTV)
    16. Nekromantik 3/5 (FTV)
    17. One Missed Call (2009) 3/5 (FTV)
    18. Hatching 3/5 (FTV)
    19. Evil Dead Rise 3/5 (FTV)
    20. TerrorVision 3/5 (FTV)
    21. The Call of Cthulhu 4/5 (FTV)
    22. The Awakening 4/5 (FTV)
    23. Jack Frost 3/5 (FTV)
    24. The Devonsville Terror 2/5 (FTV)
    25. The Houses That October Built 3/5 (FTV)
    26. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022) 2/5 (FTV)






    GNTLGNTHedda Gabler
  • My next one doesn't have a name, but it's fitting for Halloween because it starred an absolute monster. 
    At the weekend I viewed a video played in the news here.
    It follows every single CCTV captured moment of the killer of Grace Millane, a young British tourist that was murdered here the day before her 23rd birthday in December of 2018.
    She was only going to be visiting our country for a 2 week holiday. 
    The footage begins when they meet on a tinder date and ends a few days later after he has removed her body from the hotel room they shared for a night and has buried her remains in a nearby forest. The last footage shows him arriving back to the hotel only to see police officers in the lobby, he turns and walks away from the hotel, we see the two officers come outside with the hotel clerk pointing up the street and the police officers give chase. 
    He is currently serving a life sentence. 

    R.I.P Grace,🌷 I'm so sorry we failed to take good care of you while you were here. 🥹🥺😔

    1) The Rig* (2023 - Prime)
    2) Deep Water* (2022 - Prime)
    3) Dream House* (2011 - Netflix)
    4) Stillwater* (2021 - Netflix)
    5) The Lincoln Lawyer* (2011 - Netflix)
    6) Reptile* (2023 - Netflix)
    7) M3GAN* (2022 - Prime)
    8) The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)
    9) Mind Games (2001 - Prime)
    10) Hangman* (2017 - Prime)
    11) Pay the Ghost* (2015 - Prime)
    12) Umma* (2022 - Prime)
    13) Grace 🌷
    GNTLGNTfushingfeefHedda GablerNotaro
  • edited October 2023
    Don't Worry Darling * (2022 - Neon)

    "Jack and Alice's ideal life in the quaint town of Victory begins to unfurl as she starts questioning her surroundings. It ultimately leads her to clash with the founder of the place, Frank."

    Great performances, I enjoyed this. 
    (Spoken about in the movie thread so no need to elaborate. )

    1) The Rig* (2023 - Prime)
    2) Deep Water* (2022 - Prime)
    3) Dream House* (2011 - Netflix)
    4) Stillwater* (2021 - Netflix)
    5) The Lincoln Lawyer* (2011 - Netflix)
    6) Reptile* (2023 - Netflix)
    7) M3GAN* (2022 - Prime)
    8) The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)
    9) Mind Games (2001 - Prime)
    10) Hangman* (2017 - Prime)
    11) Pay the Ghost* (2015 - Prime)
    12) Umma* (2022 - Prime)
    13) Grace 🌷
    14) Don't Worry Darling * (2022 - Neon)
    GNTLGNTfushingfeefHedda GablerNotaro
  • October 2023 Horror Movie Marathon!

    Watched.....

    01. The Meg 2 (absolute drivel)
    02. No One Will Save You ( really good)
    03. Pet Sematary;Bloodlines (jesus this was bad)
    04. Talk To Me (really good)
    05. Haunted Mansion (not too bad)
    06. The Exorcist: Believer ( its a dud) 
    07. It Lives Inside (Enjoyable
    08. Dracula Untold (Enjoyable)
    09. The Plague Of The Zombies (Really good)
    10. Dark Harvest ( Enjoyable)
    11. Rogue (Really good)
    12..Alligator (Really good)
    13. Crocodile (Really bad)
    fushingfeefFlakeNoirHedda Gabler
  • 27. I Like Bats (FTV)

    Just your basic 80’s Polish female vampire sexy horror comedy.

    With a title like I Like Bats it’s hard to tell what you’re getting into, and after having viewed the film, I’m still not sure. Included in Severin’s recent “House of Psychotic Women” movie box set which promised to be an exploration (if not celebration) of the women’s neuroses trope in horror films (think Polanski’s Repulsion). The concept of this film is that a real vampiress commits herself to a mental institution by telling the truth that she is a vampire, in order to capture the heart of the doctor who runs the place.

    I Like Bats doesn’t really feel like horror, although the main character really does play a vampire and there are many kills and a fairly high body count. The Hunger (1983) had been a hit a few years earlier so it's likely an influence. Visually it’s a cut above what I was expecting given the exploitative angle, and I also liked the strong character of the main woman vampire. In fact, I think she played it a bit too well, because it seemed inconsistent with her character that she would fall so head-over-heels in love with a mortal. Aside from his natty attire he didn’t seem particularly special to me, but then again I’m not a Polish female vampire, so what do I know about men?

    If you like movies that are romantic, weird, hard to classify (and follow at times), and contain a few fairly graphic sex scenes, then perhaps you’ll enjoy I Like Bats. Or maybe you'll just be scratching your head and wondering what just happened.

    3 out of 5 stars.

    Bob's October 2023 Horror Movie List
    *FTV denotes first-time viewings
    1. Ghostwatch 4/5 (FTV)
    2. Wendel & Wild 4/5 (FTV)
    3. Dolls 3/5 (FTV)
    4. Society 3/5 (FTV)
    5. Tombs of the Blind Dead 3/5 (FTV)
    6. The Brainiac 3/5 (FTV)
    7. The Visitor 3/5 (FTV)
    8. Talk To Me 4/5 (FTV)
    9. Young Frankenstein 5/5
    10. The Exorcist II: The Heretic 3/5 (FTV)
    11. Creepshow 3 1/5 (FTV)
    12. Skinamarink 4/5 (FTV)
    13. The Tunnel (2011) 2/5 (FTV)
    14. Friday the 13th part VI: Jason Lives 4/5
    15. Dracula (1979) 3/5 (FTV)
    16. Nekromantik 3/5 (FTV)
    17. One Missed Call (2009) 3/5 (FTV)
    18. Hatching 3/5 (FTV)
    19. Evil Dead Rise 3/5 (FTV)
    20. TerrorVision 3/5 (FTV)
    21. The Call of Cthulhu 4/5 (FTV)
    22. The Awakening 4/5 (FTV)
    23. Jack Frost 3/5 (FTV)
    24. The Devonsville Terror 2/5 (FTV)
    25. The Houses That October Built 3/5 (FTV)
    26. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022) 2/5 (FTV)
    27. I Like Bats 3/5 (FTV)









    FlakeNoirGNTLGNTHedda GablerKurben
  • ....well there goes another fantasy...Bob isn't a sexy Polish female vampire.....*sigh*....
    Hedda GablerfushingfeefKurbenFlakeNoir
  • 28. Five Nights at Freddy’s (FTV)

    Man still grieving over the abduction of his brother as a child must now contend with haunted robots in an 80’s kiddie arcade, based on the viral video game.

    I saw this in the theater with a bunch of fans of the game and lore (including my teenage daughters) but I know very little about the game aside from the general concept and a few memes. Growing up I was aware there were places like Chuck E. Cheese and Showbiz Pizza place complete with uncanny music-playing robots, but I never actually set foot in one until I had kids of my own. The movie has apparently been a long time coming (as the opening credits started, I overheard a grown woman saying “I’ve been waiting 8 years for this”) but I was pretty much going into it blind.

    I was expecting something much lighter in tone and less reverential to its source material. I suppose that’s to the movie’s credit that it’s not crapping all over the legacy that inspired it, and not winking at the audience. But as a horror movie based on what is essentially a novelty video game, this one has a lot of heavy lifting for a movie about killer robots. Take a classic horror movie like The Changeling, or Don’t Look Now, and it makes organic sense that these are based on personal loss, grieving, and trauma. But do we really need that heavy of a backstory for Five Nights at Freddy’s?

    Granted, I’m the first to complain that horror movies often don’t spend enough time on backstory and character development, that the characters aren’t just cardboard cutouts is laudable. The hardcore fans certainly seemed to love it, gasping excitedly at references and cameos that went straight over my head. If the assignment was to make a horror movie that appealed to the already converted, then this was an unqualified success. The robots themselves, done by Jim Henson’s group, had a very palpable weight and presence, with just the right amount of menace without looking so obviously horrifying that you’d wonder why they were ever considered appropriate for kids.

    But if you’re not already a big fan of the video game, you’re probably going to wonder why everything is so darn serious, sobering, and why it takes so long to get going. They gave us five nights when probably just one would have been enough.

    3 out of 5 stars.

    Bob's October 2023 Horror Movie List
    *FTV denotes first-time viewings
    1. Ghostwatch 4/5 (FTV)
    2. Wendel & Wild 4/5 (FTV)
    3. Dolls 3/5 (FTV)
    4. Society 3/5 (FTV)
    5. Tombs of the Blind Dead 3/5 (FTV)
    6. The Brainiac 3/5 (FTV)
    7. The Visitor 3/5 (FTV)
    8. Talk To Me 4/5 (FTV)
    9. Young Frankenstein 5/5
    10. The Exorcist II: The Heretic 3/5 (FTV)
    11. Creepshow 3 1/5 (FTV)
    12. Skinamarink 4/5 (FTV)
    13. The Tunnel (2011) 2/5 (FTV)
    14. Friday the 13th part VI: Jason Lives 4/5
    15. Dracula (1979) 3/5 (FTV)
    16. Nekromantik 3/5 (FTV)
    17. One Missed Call (2009) 3/5 (FTV)
    18. Hatching 3/5 (FTV)
    19. Evil Dead Rise 3/5 (FTV)
    20. TerrorVision 3/5 (FTV)
    21. The Call of Cthulhu 4/5 (FTV)
    22. The Awakening 4/5 (FTV)
    23. Jack Frost 3/5 (FTV)
    24. The Devonsville Terror 2/5 (FTV)
    25. The Houses That October Built 3/5 (FTV)
    26. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022) 2/5 (FTV)
    27. I Like Bats 3/5 (FTV)
    28. Five Nights at Freddy’s 3/5 (FTV)






    KurbenGNTLGNTFlakeNoirHedda Gabler
  • The Fall of the House of Usher* episodes 1 - 8 (2023 - Netflix)

    Loved it. Absolutely brilliant. Deserves awards.
    (Written about elsewhere on the site.)

    1) The Rig* (2023 - Prime)
    2) Deep Water* (2022 - Prime)
    3) Dream House* (2011 - Netflix)
    4) Stillwater* (2021 - Netflix)
    5) The Lincoln Lawyer* (2011 - Netflix)
    6) Reptile* (2023 - Netflix)
    7) M3GAN* (2022 - Prime)
    8) The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)
    9) Mind Games (2001 - Prime)
    10) Hangman* (2017 - Prime)
    11) Pay the Ghost* (2015 - Prime)
    12) Umma* (2022 - Prime)
    13) Grace 🌷
    14) Don't Worry Darling * (2022 - Neon)
    15) The Fall of the House of Usher* (2023 - Netflix)
    fushingfeefGNTLGNTHedda Gabler
  • GNTLGNT said:
    ....well there goes another fantasy...Bob isn't a sexy Polish female vampire.....*sigh*....
    Sorry  :D :D
    KurbenFlakeNoirGNTLGNTHedda Gabler
  • Last Stop Larrimah* (docuseries 2023 - Netflix)

    "Nestled deep in the Australian Outback is the town of Larrimah and its 11 eccentric residents. When one of them mysteriously disappears into thin air, the remaining residents become suspects and a long history of infighting is unveiled."

    Jeez Louise.😳 Teeny town, Outback Australia. It was actually pretty sad. People are capable of more than we might believe. 

    1) The Rig* (2023 - Prime)
    2) Deep Water* (2022 - Prime)
    3) Dream House* (2011 - Netflix)
    4) Stillwater* (2021 - Netflix)
    5) The Lincoln Lawyer* (2011 - Netflix)
    6) Reptile* (2023 - Netflix)
    7) M3GAN* (2022 - Prime)
    8) The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)
    9) Mind Games (2001 - Prime)
    10) Hangman* (2017 - Prime)
    11) Pay the Ghost* (2015 - Prime)
    12) Umma* (2022 - Prime)
    13) Grace 🌷
    14) Don't Worry Darling * (2022 - Neon)
    15) The Fall of the House of Usher* (2023 - Netflix)
    16) Last Stop Larrimah * (2023 - Netflix)
    GNTLGNTHedda Gabler
  • 33. House of Darkness* — 2022 — Hulu

    ”Justin Long and Kate Bosworth star in this seductive thriller from director Neil LaBute (The Wicker Man). Driving home to her secluded estate after meeting at a local bar, a player out to score thinks his beautiful, mysterious date will be another casual hook-up. While getting acquainted, their flirtation turns playful, sexy and sinister. Hoping to get lucky, his luck may have just run out.“

    sorry gentlemen, but i loved the shit out of this. Strong women turning the table in a very calm and hilarious way— a satisfying game of humiliation and control. 

    Super performance by justin long. He thinks the smarmy, alpha male bullshit games and self assured machismo is gonna lead him to the promised land, and then a dawning realization that he is meerly a toy, a means to an end. There are desperate sorrys, and he ratchets up to the expected insults. Yep, c**ts gets thrown out there as his male ego crumbles. The disbelief. The fear. Ultimately the begging and crying.  And then just… acceptance.

    A new Kubler-Ross scale for dating.  All the while, the ladies calmly giggle and boy oh boy, snowflake men don’t like to be the butt of the joke. 

    Boom!

    *denotes first time viewing
    1. El Conde*
    2. Suspiria*
    3. No One Will Save You*
    4. House of the Long Shadows*
    5. Bone Tomahawk*
    6. Seconds*
    7. In the Mouth of Madness*
    8. Reptile*
    9. Maximum Overdrive*
    10. Duel*
    11. Westworld
    12. Hell Night* 
    13. Fright*
    14. The Ghost of Sierra de Cobre*
    15. Psychoville*
    16. The Fall of the House of Usher*
    17. The Sentinel
    18. Malevolent*
    19. Things Heard and Seen* 
    19 1/2. Notaro’s Shadow*
    20. Cast a Dark Shadow*
    21. The Fog
    22. Hitchcock/Truffaut*
    23. The Pyramid*
    24. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde*
    25. Unfriended*
    26. Immortal* 
    27. UMMA* 
    28. The Old Dark House*
    29. Room For Rent* — 2019 — Freevee
    30. The Wicker Man — 1973 — Freevee
    31. The Graveyard* — 1974 — tubi
    32. Fear in the Night* — 1972 — freevee
    33. House of Darkness* — 2022 — Hulu
    GNTLGNTNotaro
  • edited October 2023
    34. Haunting of the Queen Mary* — 2023 — Hulu

    “Mysterious and violent incidents occur during a family's 1938 cruise aboard the RMS Queen Mary. These events strangely connect to another family's fate on the same ocean liner in the present.”

    this had a great look, interesting story. Dealing with two timelines, it got a bit disjointed. Lost its true north in developing the plot. But overall not bad. 


    *denotes first time viewing
    1. El Conde*
    2. Suspiria*
    3. No One Will Save You*
    4. House of the Long Shadows*
    5. Bone Tomahawk*
    6. Seconds*
    7. In the Mouth of Madness*
    8. Reptile*
    9. Maximum Overdrive*
    10. Duel*
    11. Westworld
    12. Hell Night* 
    13. Fright*
    14. The Ghost of Sierra de Cobre*
    15. Psychoville*
    16. The Fall of the House of Usher*
    17. The Sentinel
    18. Malevolent*
    19. Things Heard and Seen* 
    19 1/2. Notaro’s Shadow*
    20. Cast a Dark Shadow*
    21. The Fog
    22. Hitchcock/Truffaut*
    23. The Pyramid*
    24. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde*
    25. Unfriended*
    26. Immortal* 
    27. UMMA* 
    28. The Old Dark House*
    29. Room For Rent* — 2019 — Freevee
    30. The Wicker Man — 1973 — Freevee
    31. The Graveyard* — 1974 — tubi
    32. Fear in the Night* — 1972 — freevee
    33. House of Darkness* — 2022 — Hulu
    34. Haunting of the Queen Mary* — 2023 — Hulu
    FlakeNoirGNTLGNTNotaro
  • I re-watched The Shining the other night but since I've seen and reviewed it so many times, I won't give it the full review treatment here
    Hedda GablerFlakeNoirGNTLGNTNotaro
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