The October Horror Movie Challenge 2013 (Week 3)

Week 2

I’m falling behind updating this damn blog, but here is week three’s progress. In case you can’t count, I completed the challenge already. Rock + Roll.

October 15th
24. Resolution (2012)
 I think we’ve all had that friend who has gone down the wrong path, and we want to help them, but being anti-social we do nothing and let fate decide what course their life takes. This buddy film explores a great friendship gone sour, while exploring a local mystery that for whatever reason is leaving them snippets of recorded media, from the past, present, and future. It’s rather unnerving, which makes it one of the better films this challenge.
25. The Ward (2010)
 Putting John Carpenter’s name on something only works if you’re not already a horror buff. If you are, you know he’s capable of some of the best horror out there. What’s sad is he seems content to crank out mediocre films instead. The ward is a complete rip-off of Girl Interrupted, splash in a certain Jake Busey film I won’t mention by name as to avoid spoilers (and yes, mystery film has much bigger stars, but it’s a giveaway,) and you’re stuck with a decent film, something you don’t mind catching when you’re bored, but won’t knock your socks off. It’s predictable for the most part, and would probably better serve non-horror fans.
October 16th
26. Maniac (2012)
 Elijah Wood finally escaped Frodo, and it took this remake to do it. There’s something especially creepy here, and it’s aided by a perfectly suitable soundtrack. Of course, that’s probably the only difference from the original. This film has divided audiences, especially fans of the original, but that’s ironic, since there was a planned sequel that was going to be a remake of another film. Oh, well.
October 17th
27. Devil (2010)
 I’ll wade through crap to get an Unbreakable sequel, even if it’s not really a sequel but instead a reworked script. This film didn’t make much sense. Not that it was hard to follow, but that none of it is plausible, at all. The Devil is on an elevator where people are trapped, only we don’t know which one is the devil. Enter a detective who has lost his faith and who must now narrow down the guilty, even though the Devil is narrowing them down, too. It was just ridiculous, and I felt like the nod to Agatha Christie was interrupted by Frank Miller, who apologized and returned the nod back to M. Night. Yeah, this film will hurt your head, too.
28. Occupant (2011)
 Another film that starts out fresh, deals with a lot of symbolism, and gets lost along the way, trying to salvage whatever was left. What would you do for a $10,000 rent controlled apartment for only $600? Probably the same, living here for 12 days until your legal paperwork comes through, only I doubt you would crack from the isolation in such a short period of time. That’s probably symbolic for something, but by the time that final one comes around, you’ve been done for a while.
October 18th
29. Beneath the Darkness (2011)
 It must be said that this is a solid Quaid performance in a not-so-solid film. If Kevin Williamson had a brother that he felt sorry for and pulled strings for him to get movies out, this would be it. It works, sometimes, but not always. You’ll see familiar territory travelled here with the teens know about a killer (Quaid), and honestly, the best part is seeing him play the other role for once. Other than that, not much new.
30. Romasanto: The Werewolf Hunt (2004)
 In order to complete the Insanislupus challenge this year, you had to watch a werewolf film on the full moon. Sorry it wasn’t announced, but neither is some lycanthropy, until it’s too late. Julian Sands has a tendency to star in films that look like off-Broadway plays, but luckily they are still horror. This period piece wasn’t bad, it just lacked overwhelming horror like what you would expect when dealing with a werewolf. If I had seen this on PBS, I’d be much happier.
31. Seventh Moon (2008)
 Eduardo Sanchez, Hungry Ghost Festival, China, Amy Smart, what more can I say about this? It was great if you liked Blair Witch Project and Altered. These films hit you close to home, because they could be you. This one was no exception. Not long ago I returned to my home in China with my wife, and there we planned on meeting my family before being ambushed by a bunch of albinos. Joking aside, this is probably going in my top five for the challenge.
October 19th
32. Spiderhole (2010)
 If you are afraid of spiders, well, none are in this. This film was about squatters who are unlucky enough to find a house with a deranged killer in it, who was related to Jigsaw from Saw and obviously owned a Hostel at some point.
October 20th
33. The Black Waters of Echo's Pond (2009)
 Fantasy and Horror generally blend well together, but they tend to limit themselves without enough money for some awesome special effects. If you liked the old Full Moon attempts at the genre before they decided to crank out the goofiest films imaginable, you might dig this, if you can get past redneck Robert Patrick.
October 21st
33. The Blood Spattered Bride (1972)
 I grew up on so many foreign horror films that this one had a huge nostalgia factor. These old films in the vein of Hammer are what made me love the genre. This Gothic tale about vampirism was more or less a tale of forced social orders and rape, something that was apparently an issue in Spain at the time. I highly recommend it. The film, not rape.
34. I Dismember Mama (1972) 
 This one was paired with the above film, and I guess they do share the rape theme, but other than that, no similarities at all. I'm not a fan of rape movies and that's all this one tried to be, with poor acting and even poorer plausibility. The star was creepy and his obsession with one of his victims daughter was unnerving, but the best thing about this film besides the comical title was the end credits.
35. Gallowwalkers (2012)
 There is nothing greater than getting out of prison, unless you're Wesley Snipes and your last film sucked. You ever read a comic book and thought, man, this would be an awesome movie? And then you hear about how they're doing it, going to make it into a movie? Well, Spawn was great as a cartoon, but looked goofy in film. That's the case here. Move along.

Final

The October Horror Movie Challenge 2013 (Week 2)

Week 1

I decided to divide the October Challenge entries up by week (and post one entry for each week) so you don’t have to come back, forget where you left off, and pretend to not notice I made changes to some entries. Okay, you'll still have to do that if I'm updating this semi-regularly, but you will have less to wade through. As an aside, I could really go for a steak right now. 

October 8th
13. Cherry Falls (2000)
 The weird family situations and reversal of every parent’s fear made this good as a dark comedy. The slasher genre gets turned upside down when this killer is hunting virgins, so naturally every parent wants their child to lose it. Underage orgies were the least of the odd when you look at the creepy closeness shared by the mom and daughter. And this is coming from someone raised with northern European roots, so be warned and not ashamed when you have to shower afterward. 
14. Hidden 3D (2011)
 There was no shortage of direct to DVD horror in 2011 and films like this explain why. Typical, nothing special, and… CGI… ugly, horrible CGI. However, if you go into this expecting to see Cousin Larry from that show Perfect Strangers, you’re in for at least half a treat. Had Bronson Pinchot been cast to star, alongside the Mark Linn-Baker lookalike, I’d have been impressed. 
October 9th
15. Dante’s Inferno: An Animated Epic (2010)
 I had this for about three years and finally decided to watch it, since it was on Netflix. Most people didn’t care for it, I assume because it’s based off a game and not a successful one at that. But with a circus of animators, writers and directors, there’s a bit of something for everyone and I thought the overall film had great cohesion for such an undertaking. It felt like an animated 300, minus the homo-erotic elements and excess screaming of every male voice, or maybe an extended Spawn cartoon, minus a stoned anti-hero. I enjoyed it and it’s certainly cool to see hell in all its graphic glory.  
16. Sam’s Lake (2006)
 Typical urban legend story, mixed with a little incest, and perhaps a killer who’s not as guilty as one might think. If there is one thing you cannot trust, it’s a ginger that battled Pipi Longstocking in the past. Fay Masterson and lady friends perform well doing women justice in this film. You won’t get boobs and screams here and you won’t even get the new dumb male cohorts we see on television. Instead, it’s a straightforward story with enough twists to keep you entertained. Not a perfect film, but take note of a few scenes that purposely avoid the shocking, last minute, clichés. If you like smarter women, this is a decent watch. 
17. The Woman in Black (2012)
 A lot of people hated this one. And they can go on and hate it for their various reasons. Most cried because it had the chills instead of thrills (that they always complain about anyway.) Others thought the previous television adaption, play, novel, Chick tract, etc. was far better, but I had no clue any of them existed until after seeing this, so I was lucky enough to approach this unbiased. First, I’d like to say that I never once thought of Harry Potter while watching this and that says a lot about an actor who has played him 37 times. Second, the story was just enough traditional and classical, and didn’t feel like it was trying to go against the modern expectations. Third, I really enjoyed it, even the ending, and felt like it was a true ghost story, one that comes alive and devours all of those who gave it scathing reviews. Die. 
October 10th
18. Cravings (2006)
  Some films hold together really well, until completely screwing it all up with a "shock" ending that has been done before, but with this type of story, doesn't make any sense. That being said, the first 95% of this film is really good, moving slow enough for you to explore the characters and get a taste for what they're doing, but not so fast that it's done and over with and makes you feel like the ending is crap. Sorry. The one weird thing about this was the competition between mother and daughter for the male lead. The film was originally titled Daddy's Girl, and I think it was switched to make it less of a jailbait film. I could be wrong. 
October 11th
19. Jug Face (2013)
 I think this one takes the lead for best film so far. Echoing back to the old days when gods seemed to abandon their worshipers and a new, more improved one, took up residence, Jug Face is about a rural community that revolves around a supernatural pit, it’s prophet a jug maker that reveals it’s desires. Should a face of someone appear, then they must be sacrificed to it in order to keep its healing powers going. But when the pit is lied to and betrayed, it’s vengeance knows no bounds, and the community is turned upside down, waiting for order to be restored. There are many levels to this: incest, social expectations, poverty, hell, the list goes on. Since I just ramble and offer a few thoughts instead of reviewing, I can only recommend you watch this if you have to pick one from any of my films so far.  
20. The Woman (2011)
 I’ve always seen Jack Ketchum’s screen work as more of shock for shock’s sake, but with this one, I felt the balance he really needed to deliver the macabre worked, probably thanks to Lucky McGee. You know right away that the creepy father’s plans to help the feral woman in the woods hide other intentions, and the emo-depressed daughter is a sure sign that depravity is lurking somewhere. However, I felt the overall message here was about female survival, and more importantly, rising to the occasion, standing up, enduring what you have to for the end result, and that’s exactly what the Woman does. Of note, two cast members from Jug Face star here as well. 
October 12th
21. The Road (2011)
 No, not the one with the guy from Lord of the Rings. A cop is given a medal that his boss doesn’t think he deserves and tells him to earn it by solving a disappearance. This Philippine ghost story is told in three stories, each jumping back ten years (2008, 1998, 1988), and acts almost like an anthology, only, well, it’s not and it’s about the same characters. I can’t think of another film off the top of my head that shows you the ghosts, and then shows you the origin stories, backward. While it doesn’t read like literature, it’s still very enjoyable and had a several scenes that freaked me out. Additionally, if you like murdering young women, this film is certainly for you.
October 13th
22. American Mary (2012)

 The storytelling in this was messy and the pacing in the final act messier. That's not to say I didn't enjoy it, but there really wasn't much of a rise to power for the lead. She's raped and then becomes this ruthless and sadistic bitch in five minutes. I get it was revenge, and that deep down she's always been this way, but people don't turn into Mengele over night. If you're anywhere near the body mod community (yeah, you lightweights who think your tatts and piercings are something) you should enjoy it. 
October 14th
23. The Burrowers (2008)

 It was Columbus Day and hundreds of years ago my forefathers were slaughtering my forefathers. I sided with the slaughtered. The Burrowers brings forth a weird western horror film about the gross mistreatment of native peoples by the United States and the consequences of putting an end to native life. Proud to be American, but not proud of how we came to be. We killed a lot of Burrowers to get here. This movies was one of my faves and I recommend it (as well as the prequel, Blood Red Earth, on Fearnet.)

Week 3

The October Horror Movie Challenge 2013 (Week 1)

Image provided unknowingly by Krell Labs.

It's a challenge with yourself, no one else. It begins midnight, October 1st. 31 films, 31 days, at least 16 first-time-views. It ends November 1st, 6 AM. This entry will be regularly updated the entire month and I plan on writing mini-reviews, comments, thoughts, opinions, anything and everything, after each film, so spoilers be warned.

October 1st
1. Uzumaki (2000)

 I liked this film because it starts out with a traditional romance, but spirals into a schizophrenic nightmare by the end, dooming both protagonists. Most Japanese horror films have a tendency to be very serious, but this one mixed in some comedic elements. I'm sure the eastern and western interpretations are drastically different, but that was what I took away from it. 

2. Thale (2012)

 Normally I would bash a film for relying so much on telling us the backstory instead of showing us, but at the heart, it's really about kindness, so all of that wasn't essential. Elvis and Leo are both likeable characters, and the little catch up scene we get between them certainly moved us closer. I was also a fan of how their characters didn't change throughout the film; they didn't need to. Thale was exotic looking and her story was just as sad. It was nice to see these three broken people bond and get a happy ending in the end. I also was impressed with the CGI, which looked more realistic than most big budget films. 

October 2nd
3. Rare Exports (2010)

 It's rather tough to go from the Norwegian Thale to the Finnish sausagefest that is Rare Exports. I've little bad to say about the film, but the major gripe is the lack of female cast. I don't recall a single woman, unless she's in a deleted scene I didn't bother watching. And since we are talking negatives, why couldn't we see an awakened evil Santa instead of one trapped in a ball of ice? This doesn't really hurt the film, but it was just odd and unexpected. I can see this film added to Christmas viewing alongside Gremlins in the future. 

4. The Shrine (2010)

 An ambitious journalist snubs her boss and takes her fellow journalist/researcher, as well as her photographer boyfriend, to a small village in Poland where there have been mysterious disappearances of tourists over the past several years. Upon arriving, they realize everyone is weird and doesn't want them there. They go and investigate a creepy mist that hovers in the woods. Upon entering it, both the girls get lost and discover a ridiculous looking statue that looks like something out of a poorly drawn Dungeons & Dragons book, before eventually meeting up again, only to be pursued by the villagers. The first half of the movie is horribly acted, lacks character development, the sets look like they were made for a public access show, and you'll want to turn it off. I’ve saved you the trouble. The last half delivers the goods. Nothing new, but definitely well done possession horror that every fan of the sub-genre will want to see. You've been warned about the first half, but I bet you're willing to give it a try now. Don't.

5. The Last Will and Testament of Rosalind Leigh (2012)

 I didn’t really get the hype behind all of this. It’s a decent film, sure, but what exactly was so new or unique about this one compared to other films in the genre we’ve all seen? Your guess is as good as mine. I actually really liked that, despite having a protagonist, the eponymous character narrates the entire film, especially since we compare Leon to his mother, their similarities and differences, throughout. They both were into antiques, both had strained relationships, and dependence on those they were estranged from, and both were obviously lonely. The serene setting of the house during the day contrasted against the sinister setting it became at night looked really nice, minus the horrid CGI thing running around. I’m a huge fan of Shirley Jackson, which this film slightly borrows from, but there was just something about the film overall that didn’t land big points with me. Since I was tired when I watched it, I do plan on giving it another sometime in the future. Not this month.

October 3rd
6. The Seasoning House (2012)
 Perhaps the best film of the challenge yet, The Seasoning House shows us the horrors of war, or at least the aftermath for some young women who are forced into sexual slavery in Eastern Europe. Their treatment there is worse than had they been murdered along with their families. Being American, racism is all too familiar a concept, and while we pretend we invented it and have it fine tuned into an instrument of absolute hate, American racism is usually little more than being passed up for a job opportunity or being called a hurtful name. This films shows the way people of other ethnic groups are as valuable as cattle, and treated much the same. Our protagonist, the deaf Angel, grows accustomed to prepping the girls at the house, being spared their fate, while still being subjected to the master of the house on a regular basis. It's sad and heartbreaking, watching her go from room to room, prepping girls who will be raped and beaten by Neanderthals that deserve nothing short of excruciating genital mutilation and dying in pools of their own blood. She gives us some of that. Okay, a lot of that, and for that I love her and this film.
7. Cassadaga (2010)

 There is no way you can set a paranormal horror film in the "psychic capital of the world" and screw it up. Okay, yes, you can. This film was typical and cliché, both things I can deal with. This seemed like the writers for Dexter took a weekend during their break between season 7 and 8 to recharge their batteries and jot down a fresh horror idea. Instead, you get the same three-egg omelet with nothing but cheese in the center. This film didn't know what it wanted to be, and carried on and on without making any good attempts at originality. It's received a lot of praise, but the film just didn't put me in Cassadaga. 

October 4th
8. Wake Wood (2010)
 I grew up on Hammer Studios, but had no clue this was one of their films until afterwards. Losing a child is one of the worst things imaginable to a parent, or even someone who values life, so it is no surprise that parents would jump on the opportunity to have just a few more days with their precious gift. When this couple stumbles on that chance, and then fumbles on the rules of the game, everyone involved must pay the price. The little girl here was genuinely creepy and I thought the tale was told rather well with great pacing. The overall darkness and creepy settings are what one expects from Hammer and they are delivered here.
9. The Reeds (2010)
 This one reminded me heavily of more obscure films from the 80’s such as Bridge to Nowhere (1986), primarily in tone and the way it was shot (16mm is beautiful.) This is a fish out of water tale, no pun intended, since it takes place in the reeds, and rural horror is easier to pull off in such a locale. 6 young adults on a boat, creepy kids, a suspicious local, and dangerous adventures provide all the elements you need. While I felt this film did everything correct, I still can’t get over how it didn’t have to be a ghost story and those supernatural elements made the ending more convoluted. Many are confused on the overall meaning. I felt that the writer was trying to say a cycle had been broken, but why was it ever a cycle?
October 5th
10. Curse of Chucky (2013)
 I've always been a fan of franchise horror, but often the original idea gets lost in the middle. The Child's Play series is no exception, going from horror to horror comedy and almost parody, so I was thankful when this film returned to its roots. We never got too in depth on the back story of Charles Lee Ray, and in a roundabout way, this film introduces those elements in prequel flashbacks, while still being a sequel. There's not much new ground to cover in the sixth entry of a serial killing doll, but this one more or less completed a cycle. And while I started to miss Jennifer Tilly's character of Tiffany, she does make a cameo. Speaking of cameos, stay tuned until after the credits roll for the grandest one of all. Indeed, probably the best film since the first.

October 6th
11. Grimm Love (2006)
 I admit that every time I see the name Keri Russel I think of Theresa Russell which makes me give her films a chance. By default, ever since that horrid show of new adult stupidity, Felicity, just her face gets on my nerves. Naturally she starred in this film, which while based on a true story about a cannibal and the soon to be willing cannibalized, somehow was turned into a love story. The grimmest thing about this film is that she, as the star, fills a completely useless role of someone investigating what happened to the two males, after the fact. Maybe I'm biased, but I could have done without her investigation and gone with the two males telling their own tale. Not all Americans are stupid.
October 7th
12. One Dark Night (1982)
 There is something less sexy about Meg Tilly compared to her sister, Jennifer, however, the former certainly plays the vulnerable role much better. Certainly inspired by Phantasm and other horror films of the day, there was something okay with being cheesy in the 80's. This was a much needed dose of lightheartedness after several serious, and sometimes failed, features that wrapped up my first week of the challenge. 

Week 2