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Comments
They did okay.
1. Apartment 7A*
3. Christine
Cafeteria staff at a violent criminal mental ward are besieged by disgruntled inmates during a power outage.
This is somewhat of a hidden gem, a small indie production with good actors and a tense plot. The plot is straightforward and the characters are given some time to be established. We see the characters interacting during a period of normality and get to know them. So when it all hits the fan about 25 minutes in, the stakes seem higher because we care a little more.
The final 35 minutes are where it really goes beyond tense thriller into horror territory, with some gruesome and downright meanspirited deaths. That’s not to say it becomes yet another torture film, but it becomes truly a no holds barred situation. A prosaic potato peeler becomes something far more sinister when held by a lunatic off his meds.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest meets Straw Dogs.
3.5 out of 5 stars.
Bob's October 2024 Horror Movie List
*FTV denotes first-time viewings
1. The Last Voyage of the Demeter 3/5 (FTV)
2. Kwaidan 4.5 (FTV)
3. The Sect 3.5 (FTV)
4. Longlegs 4/5 (FTV)
5. Asylum Blackout 3.5/5 (FTV)
3. Christine
7. The Fog
Fringe scientist in Victorian London discovers that evil is a disease, but attempts to manufacture an immunization go wrong.
This 1973 film feels more like an early 60’s piece, it’s all over the place but at least it’s entertaining. Peter Cushing only goes head-to-head with Christopher Lee in one or two scenes, but it’s always nice when these horror icons are on the screen. The movie can’t decide whether it’s a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. (or Miss, in this case) Hyde story, a family drama, or about reanimating a Golem like monster. There’s the standard tropes of insane asylums, angry mobs, ancient skeletons, and wayward women, but it really feels more like a kitchen sink approach to horror movie making.
Another thing that stuck out (now that’s an appropriate choice of phrase) was the creeping flesh itself, which is predominantly depicted as a giant glistening veiny pulsating severed finger, which very much suggested a phallus. I doubt this was their intention, but every time it was on screen I laughed uncontrollably. Someone had to have known.
All jokes aside, the movie has enough going for it to make it worth a watch.
3 out of 5 stars.
Bob's October 2024 Horror Movie List
*FTV denotes first-time viewings
1. The Last Voyage of the Demeter 3/5 (FTV)
2. Kwaidan 4.5 (FTV)
3. The Sect 3.5 (FTV)
4. Longlegs 4/5 (FTV)
5. Asylum Blackout 3.5/5 (FTV)
6. The Creeping Flesh 3/5 (FTV)
Scotland Yard suspects the identical twin brother of an aristocrat to be a mysterious murderer who uses a bladed blue hand.
A prime example of the lesser known genre called “krimi”, this sits between noir and giallo while unabashedly embracing “old dark house” tropes. The mercurial Klaus Kinski plays dual roles as the twins, and although his voice is jarringly dubbed, his expressive eyes speak louder than words. The movie has a great deal of energy, without falling into all the dreary atmospherics of lesser murder mysteries, and the jazzy soundtrack (with bongos!) will get your toe tapping.
Just a list of my favorite things in this movie: secret passageways, booby traps, an asylum inmate who likes to perform striptease in an endless loop, trapdoors that open and spill out snakes, a “rat room” for interrogation purposes, a suit of armor in a dark hallway, a skeleton with a chattery jaw, and an old German guy who drops his monocle every time he gets a surprised expression. The movie’s plot is convoluted, it’s crowded with side characters, and I often felt lost, but the film just moves so quickly from one entertaining set piece to another, you hardly care. It may be a dumb movie, but it’s a FUN dumb movie.
A German/English Scooby Doo after one too many Red Bulls.
3.5 out of 5 stars.
Bob's October 2024 Horror Movie List
*FTV denotes first-time viewings
1. The Last Voyage of the Demeter 3/5 (FTV)
2. Kwaidan 4.5 (FTV)
3. The Sect 3.5 (FTV)
4. Longlegs 4/5 (FTV)
5. Asylum Blackout 3.5/5 (FTV)
6. The Creeping Flesh 3/5 (FTV)
7. Creature with the Blue Hand 3.5/5 (FTV)
And anything with Kinski? You immediately know it’s gonna be batshit nuts.
3. Christine
7. The Fog
Estonian folklore horror tale of a farm girl using witchcraft to woo a local lad.
Easily the most gorgeous black and white horror film I’ve seen since The Innocents, November is a must for fans of folk horror. The plot is light and meandering, the emphasis here is on atmosphere, visuals, and seeing unfamiliar eastern European lore come to life. It’s perhaps best viewed like watching a dream unfold before your eyes, try not to make too much sense of it, but at its heart it’s a story of unrequited love and desperation.
It doesn’t feel like the kind of horror film that’s trying hard to frighten us, but rather haunt us. There are familiar tropes such as ghosts, a werewolf, witchcraft, magic potions, sleepwalking, and deals with the Devil at the local crossroads. In the weirdness department we have a talking snowman, a guy eating a bar of soap with hair on it, a sentient pig that is the embodiment of the plague, and something called the kratt. Prior to this viewing I was unfamiliar with the legend of the kratt, which are basically primitive mechanical servants made from sticks and bones, brought to life by promising one’s soul to the Devil. How they are used (and misused) is a recurring theme in the film, and the effects are seamlessly organic.
If you liked The VVitch, Midsommar, and The Lighthouse, but wish they had a bit more weird humor and quirkiness, you’ll find much to like about November.
4 out of 5 stars.
Bob's October 2024 Horror Movie List
*FTV denotes first-time viewings
1. The Last Voyage of the Demeter 3/5 (FTV)
2. Kwaidan 4.5 (FTV)
3. The Sect 3.5 (FTV)
4. Longlegs 4/5 (FTV)
5. Asylum Blackout 3.5/5 (FTV)
6. The Creeping Flesh 3/5 (FTV)
7. Creature with the Blue Hand 3.5/5 (FTV)
8. November 4/5 (FTV)
Tourist couple looking for sights off the beaten track in Serbia find trouble.
At first blush Eight Eyes feels like it’s going to be any number of “idiots going where they shouldn’t” horror movies. There are times you’ll get angry at the couple for being so gullible when a local takes them under his wing and promises to show them “the real Serbia”. You’ll root for the girlfriend when she begins to suspect that something is amiss while her unsuspecting boyfriend gets caught up in their guide’s manipulations. You assume this is going to play out in a certain way, because that’s how it starts.
Then the second half of the film starts. There’s a richer subtext beyond the surface, at first perhaps geopolitical, but then spiraling to family trauma, mysticism and insanity. Things start getting even weirder and more metaphysical than you imagined. The WTF moments pile up on each other, and viewer discomfort becomes more pronounced. The film is more ambitious than its abilities, and I can’t say it entirely works, but this was a solid first attempt for Vinegar Syndrome.
Hostel, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Calvaire fans will find this worth watching.
3 out of 5 stars.
Bob's October 2024 Horror Movie List
*FTV denotes first-time viewings
1. The Last Voyage of the Demeter 3/5 (FTV)
2. Kwaidan 4.5 (FTV)
3. The Sect 3.5 (FTV)
4. Longlegs 4/5 (FTV)
5. Asylum Blackout 3.5/5 (FTV)
6. The Creeping Flesh 3/5 (FTV)
7. Creature with the Blue Hand 3.5/5 (FTV)
8. November 4/5 (FTV)
9. Eight Eyes 3/5 (FTV)
3. Christine
7. The Fog
9. Secret Window
11. The Seventh Victim
A pair of classic Val Lewton produced horror films from 1943, recently re-released on 4k as a set by Criterion.
I’ve seen both of these movies at least once before so I’ll forgo my usual review structure, but just wanted to share a few thoughts. Watching the two of these back-to-back made for a great double feature. There are several actors who appear in both films and both are from a lone woman’s perspective, an experience which had to have been commonplace in 1943 as the war waged. Both films are downbeat, but the zombie film is imbued with more of a sense of natural magic and wonder. The Seventh Victim feels more city noirish and plays like a dark mystery until certain things become apparent, and there's a shower scene that surely influenced Alfred Hitchcock.
Aside from a few standout scenes, these films don’t quite rise to the heights of Lewton’s 1942 classic, Cat People. The affect of the actors can come across as flat and emotionless, and the sets have an artificial feel that arguably contributes to a dream-like state. Both make excellent use of sound and more importantly the absence of sound, particularly during the Val Lewton signature “girl walking alone at night” sequences. These films don’t feel like your typical horror films, but feel more like a welcome expansion of the strictures of the genre.
Moody, atmospheric, classic horror noir from a woman's perspective.
4 out of 5 stars. (both films)
Bob's October 2024 Horror Movie List
*FTV denotes first-time viewings
1. The Last Voyage of the Demeter 3/5 (FTV)
2. Kwaidan 4.5 (FTV)
3. The Sect 3.5 (FTV)
4. Longlegs 4/5 (FTV)
5. Asylum Blackout 3.5/5 (FTV)
6. The Creeping Flesh 3/5 (FTV)
7. Creature with the Blue Hand 3.5/5 (FTV)
8. November 4/5 (FTV)
9. Eight Eyes 3/5 (FTV)
10. I Walked With A Zombie 4/5
11. The Seventh Victim 4/5
In 1348 a monk assists a knight’s band of soldiers to find a remote village rumored to be untouched by the plague, only to find horror of another sort.
This film looks great and is well-performed, and the story has some good twists and plot reveals. However, the tone is absolutely bleak, which I guess should be no surprise given that it’s set during the Black Plague. You’ve heard of a feel-good film, right? Well, this is a feel-bad film. It’s relentless. I don’t want to reveal any spoilers but there’s a fair amount of torture and gore. Bleak times.
Watch it once for a chance to see LOTR’s Sean Bean wielding a blade again.
3.5 out of 5 stars.
Bob's October 2024 Horror Movie List
*FTV denotes first-time viewings
1. The Last Voyage of the Demeter 3/5 (FTV)
2. Kwaidan 4.5 (FTV)
3. The Sect 3.5 (FTV)
4. Longlegs 4/5 (FTV)
5. Asylum Blackout 3.5/5 (FTV)
6. The Creeping Flesh 3/5 (FTV)
7. Creature with the Blue Hand 3.5/5 (FTV)
8. November 4/5 (FTV)
9. Eight Eyes 3/5 (FTV)
10. I Walked With A Zombie 4/5
11. The Seventh Victim 4/5
12. Black Death 3.5/5 (FTV)
I seem to be nostalgic for Stephen these days. This is one of my favorites. And this is my favorite SK quote ever:
3. Christine
7. The Fog
9. Secret Window
10. Storm of the Century
Like Apartment 7A, we go back in time. pretty darn good.
3. Christine
7. The Fog
9. Secret Window
10. Storm of the Century
sydney sweeney surprised with this. I was worried it was going to be a tits extravaganza — and her attributes were strategically used — but everything served the story well enough.
3. Christine
7. The Fog
9. Secret Window
10. Storm of the Century
3. Christine
7. The Fog
9. Secret Window
10. Storm of the Century
13. What You Wish For*
01. The Amityville Horror (1979)
14. House of Mystery (1934) (FTV)
15. My World Dies Screaming (FTV)
16. The Nightmare Before Christmas
17. The She Beast (FTV)
This is a “catch up” review after I was away. I watched several movies, some of which were free on YouTube, and I can see why they were free. They mostly aren’t worth reviewing, although each has their strange or notable moments.
I’ve seen Nightmare Before Christmas many times, but this was the first time I’ve seen it as a 4DX movie. Honestly, it doesn’t need the 4DX treatment. A gimmick that takes you out of the movie is the opposite of “immersive”.
The She Beast was of interest primarily for being directed by the guy who gave us Witchfinder General, Michael Reeves. Unfortunately, this was his directorial debut so he ceded to pressures to mix in wacky comedy with the horror, and it simply doesn’t work. Another plus would be the presence of Barbara Steele, but alas, she is only in the first 30 minutes despite being given top billing.
A mixed bag.
Bob's October 2024 Horror Movie List
*FTV denotes first-time viewings
1. The Last Voyage of the Demeter 3/5 (FTV)
2. Kwaidan 4.5 (FTV)
3. The Sect 3.5 (FTV)
4. Longlegs 4/5 (FTV)
5. Asylum Blackout 3.5/5 (FTV)
6. The Creeping Flesh 3/5 (FTV)
7. Creature with the Blue Hand 3.5/5 (FTV)
8. November 4/5 (FTV)
9. Eight Eyes 3/5 (FTV)
10. I Walked With A Zombie 4/5
11. The Seventh Victim 4/5
12. Black Death 3.5/5 (FTV)
13. Maniac (1934) 2/5 (FTV)
14. House of Mystery (1934) 2/5 (FTV)
15. My World Dies Screaming 2.5/5 (FTV)
16. The Nightmare Before Christmas 4DX 4/5
17. The She Beast 2.5/5 (FTV)
3. Christine
7. The Fog
9. Secret Window
10. Storm of the Century
13. What You Wish For*
A woman searches an abandoned town for clues to her adopted daughter’s past, only to uncover a horrific secret.
The phrase “based on a video game” kept me from viewing this film for nearly 2 decades, but good word of mouth finally forced me to give it consideration, and I’m so glad I did. The movie swings for the fences in terms of actual scares, and it mostly succeeds. The setting is incredibly atmospheric, especially for fans of abandoned structures and urban exploration. The paint is peeling, dark hallways loom like the open mouths of waiting monsters, and you can practically smell the mildew. Think Session 9 on a grander scale.
The CGI creature effects are a bit dated but never as creaky as the ones Will Smith fought a year later (with a much bigger budget) in I Am Legend. Based on the in-game screengrabs I’ve seen, at least they are appropriately faithful to the original video game. The dark, nearly colorless cinematography is reminiscent of an industrial music video, and the sound and editing are excellent. The story runs a bit longish, but honestly I was never bored—everything seemed like it belonged. Well, maybe not the Sean Bean/police subplot, but sometimes the audience needs to step back and breathe.
A fine mix of scares, atmosphere, and story from the mid-2000’s.
4 out of 5 stars.
Bob's October 2024 Horror Movie List
*FTV denotes first-time viewings
1. The Last Voyage of the Demeter 3/5 (FTV)
2. Kwaidan 4.5 (FTV)
3. The Sect 3.5 (FTV)
4. Longlegs 4/5 (FTV)
5. Asylum Blackout 3.5/5 (FTV)
6. The Creeping Flesh 3/5 (FTV)
7. Creature with the Blue Hand 3.5/5 (FTV)
8. November 4/5 (FTV)
9. Eight Eyes 3/5 (FTV)
10. I Walked With A Zombie 4/5
11. The Seventh Victim 4/5
12. Black Death 3.5/5 (FTV)
13. Maniac (1934) 2/5 (FTV)
14. House of Mystery (1934) 2/5 (FTV)
15. My World Dies Screaming 2.5/5 (FTV)
16. The Nightmare Before Christmas 4DX 4/5
17. The She Beast 2.5/5 (FTV)
18. Silent Hill 4/5 (FTV)