In my past blogger entry I mentioned my goal of watching 31 horror films in October, one for each day of the month. I am here to say I was able to meet my goal! Since I am not awarded anything for this goal I thought I would reward myself by writing this blog about it. I will list the movies I watched and might even include some insight along with it. And you will notice I did start the movie watching a tad before October, the season hit me a tad early and I wanted to start.
9/26 - Don't Go in the House (1979) - I am always interested in watching movies of the year I was born to see the fashion and think about how I was being birthed the year this movie was made.
9/27 - The Nail Gun Massacre (1985) - I borrowed this and the previous movie from my good friend Dennis who knows a lot more about horror then I could ever manage. This one was enjoyable especially the constant one liners after every kill.
9/28 - Shaun of the Dead (2004) - I tend to watch this one a few times I year and still find something new in it every time.
10/1 - A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) - I will admit that Freddy is the only one the major slashers that still sort of creeps me out. After watching this I was remind of why. I think it had been a very long time since I last watched this movie and it plays out just as well now.
10/2 - A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985) - It is amazing how fast they produced these sequels in the 80's, I mean seriously a year after Nightmare we have the sequel...they must have started production the day after it was released! Anyway not nearly as well as done as the original but still has some cool moments and a lot of homoerotic subtext.
10/3 - The Monster Squad (1987) - The movie that teaches you that Wolf Man does in fact have nards. Still enjoy this movie as I was 8 when it came out and could relate to liking horror movies and wanting to be as cool as these guys.
10/4 - Ghoulies (1985) - Ghoulies seem more boring then scary in this.
10/6 - Ghoulies II (1987) - I actually preferred Ghoulies II because it doesn't suffer from the unbearably slow pacing that the original did and it has the Ghoulies take over an amusement park.
10/7 - Galaxy of Terror (1981) - I have a feeling this was somehow influenced by Alien! Still I really enjoyed this one for the gore and it was very aware what it was, pure entertainment.
10/7 - Halloween Night (2006) - I thought I would give this a try on Netflix, bad idea.
10/8 - Forbidden World (1982) - This and Galaxy of Terror were very similar and I enjoyed them both very much but I think I would say overall this one was my favorite of the two.
10/10 - Creepshow 2 (1987) - Sometimes this felt like a straight up comedy (The Hitchhiker story) but the oil slick story remains a very scary story that still works. I don't think I will ever go swimming in a lake ever again.
10/10 - The Hole (2009) - I saw this was done by Joe Dante was pretty excited (he did Gremlins and The Burbs) because I feel he is an underrated and appreciated filmmaker. This one is very enjoyable and reminds me of a Eerie Indiana episodes, but overall enjoyable clean fun that isn't afraid to tackle some adult issues.
10/11 - Student Bodies (1981) - It was hard to get through this movie, very hard. I will give them props for predating the Scary Movie franchise by 19 years.
10/15 - Friday the 13th (1980) - While watching this movie I was trying to think how cool it would be to have seen this in 1980 and how so many movies (even its own movies) would come to copy this one. The end decapitation of Mrs. Vorhees and the jump scare at the end are classic. Also really appreciate the music
in this one.
10/16 - Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981) - Another year later sequel. This time the movie isn't as new but having Jason as the killer really makes you scared. I like the hillbilly Jason before he got his mask. A worthy sequel.
10/18 - Friday the 13th Part 3 (1982) - The third movie in three years! This one I tried watching in 3D but it was hard and I had to switch back to regular viewing. I like how it takes place soon after the events of part 2. We see Jason get his iconic hockey mask and this one has some good scares, wish I could have seen it in 3D in 1982!
10/18 - The Shining (1980) - There is not much that can be said about this Kubrick masterpiece that hasn't been said already (if you don't believe me watch Room 237). I truly love the visuals in this movie more then ever.
10/19 - Pumpkinhead (1988) - I have long been meaning to watch this one, it doesn't really seem to have a big following and I can see why. Does have some great effects, thanks to being directed by Stan Winston.
10/21 - Maniac (2013) - A remake that is smart enough to change the orginal material but have the essence of it. I thought this was a creepy and well done look at a deranged man played by Elijah Wood, Frodo no!
10/22 - Halloween (1978) - What else can be said about this masterpiece of cinema? It is most likely my favorite slasher movie of all time.
10/22 - Halloween: A Cut Above the Rest (2003) - A very in depth look at the making and response to Halloween and its sequels. I found this to be well done with some interesting interviews and insights into the making of the original.
10/24 - Halloween II (1981) - Although some people bash this one I still find it interesting because it essentially is just more of Halloween. I love how it takes place right after the first one and continues that same story with no hesitation. This is the last Halloween that the Myers shape and mask look like the first movie, after this no one would come close to matching the authenticity of the original.
10/24 - Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988) - After people hated Halloween III (more on this soon) because of no Michael Myers they brought him back. I do enjoy the Halloween movies but more and more I think they should have ended with Halloween 2. I found this to be uninspired and just not the same magic as in Halloween or Halloween 2.
10/25 - Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989) - If I thought 4 was bad then this is utter shit. Hard to watch and never really takes advantage of good cliff hanger from 4. Don't waste your time unless you need to see it once to complete your Halloween experience.
10/28 - Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995) - I am on a the minority that think this is better then 4. I feel the movie has some good going for it and it kept me interested for most of it. Has some decent kills. Weird to see Paul Rudd in a horror flick!
10/29 - Trick'r Treat (2007) - Fresh off the news that this movie would be getting a sequel I had to pop in my bluray (first one I ever bought) and relive this anthology. Glad to see it is still entertaining and holds up well.
10/30 - Dawn of the Dead (1978) - The gore may not hold up as well as I had remembered but this is still a classic zombie movie that keep you squirming in your seat. Can't get much better the this. I watched it in honor of my father.
10/30 - The Awakening (2011) - This was another random Netflix instant watch I let my wife choose. It was a decent ghost story and they even had some good atmosphere going on here. Overall not a bad watch if you are feeling like a ghost story type of mood.
10/31 - Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982) - It is a tradition for me to watch this undervalued flick. It is pure greatness and should be part of everyone's Halloween watching experience.
10/31 - The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) - THIS IS HALLOWEEN! Me and my wife finished off my 31st movie by watching a fun movie. You can sing along yet still gets you in the mood for both Halloween and Christmas.
Breakdown Time:
Movies from the 70's: 3
Movies from the 80's: 19
80's breakdown:
1980 - 2
1981 - 4
1982 - 3
1983 - 0
1984 - 1
1985 - 3
1986 - 0
1987 - 3
1988 - 2
1989 - 1
Movies from the 90's: 2
Movies from the 00's: 5
Movies from the 10's: 2
# of movies first time watched: 11
# of movies second time watched: 11
# of movies three or more times watched: 9
# of movies that are sequels: 11
# of movies that are remakes: 1
# of movies that have Halloween in their title: 8
# of movies that have Nightmare in their title: 3
Thanks for reading.
