|
Post by stefancrosscoe on Oct 2, 2020 11:53:18 GMT
03. Alien Space Avenger (1989) by Richard W. Haines A group of aliens who have escaped an intergalatic prison (or so I think it was) , arrives at mother earth in the 1930s, where they soon seems to fit right in, and suddenly begins to kill off a whole bunch of people, and this does not stop the moment they "stumbles" upon a bunch of weapons. Then, this jolly gang all of a sudden travel 50 years forward, and out of their spaceship they comes, to the surprise of a bunch of construction workers, and the violence and murdering seems to continue on, like it never had stopped. They eventually arrives into the Big Apple, and starts to terrorize the New York citizens, or maybe it is the other way around? As now, they just look like a normal gang, who do not stand out in the crowd, beside their bloodthirsty killings, that is. Anyway, within all the madness that goes on, a soon out of job, comic writer must come oup with some new and great stuff, if not, his boss will fire him within the next few days. And when he meets up with the alien gang, he finally has something to write about, which is good news for him and his boss, but not so much with the aliens, whom soon becomes a popular theme in many comic books, and they decide to turn to the writer himself and have a few words with him about the situation. Sure, this "smells" of Troma Entertainment, a long way, and of course having just seen the movie poster, I guess it was no big surprise, but not a bad one, as I am very fond of Troma, at least when it comes to their more enjoyable and cheesy b-films of the 80 and early 90s. Anyway, the alien gang leader I think showed up in a few of their titles as well, pretty sure he was the second in command of the gang that bullied poor Melvin in the gym center of Tromaville, and then later on had a bigger part as the main leader of some nasty mutant bikers in Class of Nuke Em High, a couple of years later on. The story is pretty fast and paceful, and they surely do go out with a huge bang, when it comes to action and gore, and if there is something I have always liked about these 80s and early 90s horror films being set to New York, is that there is such an incredible amount of cheesy and sleazy stuff taking place, something which sadly very few modern horror and b-movies in New York seems to be able of delivering anylonger. Of course, things have changed drastically over the last decades, probably a whole lot cleaner and safer there, but still, as a movie fan, it must have been paradise or "heaven" on earth, to be able of visit the streets of Manhattan back in those days, and catch a few movie theatres, that shows all kind of move genres, all day and night long. Alien Space Avenger is not a awful movie, at least if one compares it to so many other similar sci-fi horror b-movies made during the same era, but for me, what stood out beside the atmosphere, was that it featured some very impressive (for a low budget title) special effects, and it was also at time funny, and you had some very nice looking space-babes as well. Now where neare a "good" film, and it could get a little one-dimensional at times, still, I thought it was a "huge" step up, from something like Zombie Nightmare, which I saw the other night. 4,5/10October Horror Challenge - 2020 - Day 02:04. Dracula’s Daughter (1936) by Lambert Hillyer This film seems to follow up right after the first classic ended, and which is bad news for the citizens of London, as there is a new threat in town, where a mysterious Countess wanders the streets during night time, and seems to be in the search for "models" who can show up at her gallery. Well, another, kind of easily forgettable Universal Classic Studios Dracula sequel, which do come with a pretty good gothic mood and tone, and some solid acting, but for me, I guess having seen 2 movies (Airport 79, more a parody or comedy than a "horrror" film) earlier, plus another episode of X-Files, I began to feel very sleepy when I hit the third film, and I ended up falling asleep in my bed. Still, I managed to pick up where I left in the morning, with about 20-25 minutes to see through, and I guess it might have been for best, as I thought once again (also with Son of Dracula) that the ending was where it finally started to deliver the goods. Gloria Holden does a fine job, as the chilling and mysterious Countess Marya Zalesa, and there is something about her vampire-Countess style and persona, that made me think of Anjelica Huston and her performance to that of Morticia Addams, which was of course no minus. 5/10
|
|
|
Post by Prime etc. on Oct 2, 2020 20:26:42 GMT
Frankenstein 1970 (1958) Boris Karloff does what he can with a bland script. The opening sequence which turns out is a movie being filmed, is the most energetic part!
The Living Dead of Manchester Morgue 1974 - who would have guessed that seeing a guy walking through London in a surgical mask would be the norm a few decades later? In the opening scene as the biker is traveling on the street we see a woman nude running in the street and also a man wearing a surgical mask. I assume he was a germophobe?
|
|
|
Post by stefancrosscoe on Oct 3, 2020 10:53:37 GMT
05. Sweatshop (2009) by somebody Well, I guess it had to happen sooner or later. A movie so full of lousy, terrible, annoying and completely useless vulgar "characters" and "story", only to be vulgar for the vulgar sake, and of course, for those who loves that kind of absolute trash, then I guess it is of no problem. But for me, this is about some of the most lowest of the low within the horror genre and movies in general, that I have seen for a very, very longe time. I rarely hand out "perfect" bottom of the pile ratings, but this is surely among the worst films I have seen, and I was very angry and frustrated at how awful it really ended up to be. Not much else is really worth to mention here, beside that if not for what I guess is some pretty solid gore and nasty stuff, the killings, the rest was of no use and interest, and I kind of wished I had the possibility to hand out a huge ZERO out of 10, but since not, it ends up with a very "kind": 1/10October Horror Challenge - 2020 - Day 03:
06. Metamorphosis : The Alien Factor (1990) by Glenn Takakjian Somehow, this have been mentioned or brought up as kind of a "sequel" or continue from the cult-VHS sleaze title that was The Deadly Spawn (1983), which I actually saw last year, and that one was quite fun, for a film with probably a very small budget, yet it managed to make it up with some incredible special effects, make-up and cool setting and atmosphere. A good example of how people with little money and time, but probably a lot of love for the horror and sci-fi genre, could still be able of making a fun and creative little b-movie, which is something that those behind the god awful Sweatshop never came close to re-capturing, but again, I guess for those who love "torture-porn" or whatever they seem to brand that kind of "entertainment" as, it might be far more suitable. Anyway, in this little sci-fi monster tale, we meet up with an unlucky scientist, who gets bitten by an alien creature in a rather suspicious lab, and before you know what goes on, the entire building erupts with all kind of nasty and slimy monsters, and in the middle of it all, an evil boss tries to hide his shady business empire, along with two teenage daughters trying to find their dad, and at last, a female co-worker who desperately tries to save her beloved boyfriend and turn him back into human, which is easier said than done, as he is now a huge monster with a lust for human blood, and is chasing pretty much every one and all! Thankfully this one came up next, after the horrible film I sadly opened up the friday night with, and The Alien Factor is lots of heart and charm, and while probably not something that might end up as a favorite within the sci-fi/horror genre, I quite enjoyed the solid special effets, monster creations and the cool setting and atmosphere. 5/10 07. Day of the Animals (1977) by William Girdler A group of outgoing tourists in the american wilderness, are suddenly caught up in several bizarre animal attacks, and which we soon learn is because of the Ozonlayer have become effected, and where the side effects seems to cause the animals and some humans to revolt into complete madness. I have always been quite fond of these kind of creature-feature or nature-disaster films of the 70s, where mother earth strikes back towards mans obsession with greed and power, but is now all of a sudden helpless against unkown powers from nature and its many wild animals alike. Of course, I guess classic films like Hitchcock and his The Birds and Spielberg and Jaws might have a hand in there as well, but I think some of these titles, like Piranha (1978) and certainly Grizzly (1976) showed that many of the knock-offs actually were not all that bad, in fact some where very well acted, written and directed. The director William Girdler (who also did Grizzly a year earlier) have once more brought with him several of the same people and cast, and I think Day of the Animals is surely one of the better of the many animals-fight-back movies, and much of it is down to its great cast, setting and of course how good the animal attacks actually turned out to be. Nobody is safe, and another big reason to why this movie does not end up as yet another "cheesy" b-movie, is because of the much more dark and menacing feeling it has going on, and specially where the usually (at least for those who are mostly used to see him in much more funny and likeable roles during the 80s and 90s) nice Leslie Nielsen portrays a not so "nice" character, who delivers a vicious and dark role, as giant asshole, who over the course, seems to be more crazy and dangerous than most of the animals, and who ends up causing total chaos, when he goes up against the groups tour-guide (Christopher George) and ends up running the show like a complete madman, and where it leads towards him trying to murder and rape his way to the "top", until he meet his match in a battle to death, against a giant grizzlybear, and where Leslie fights only with his fists. That scene alone, is almost worthy of watching the film, just to see Leslie in action. Then you also have the whole classic post-apocalyptic/zombie doomsday feel, and instead of flesheating dead people, you get a whole bunch of very hungry animals, such as wolves, bears, cougars, snakes, spiders and lots of birds as well. All in all, I quite enjoyed this, and have seen it from years earlier, and ended up with pretty much the exact same rating as then: 6/10
|
|
|
Post by gspdude on Oct 3, 2020 12:07:43 GMT
Antichrist(2009) This had been on my "to see" list for a while, so when it showed up on my cable's free on demand list just as the October Challenge was beginning I thought "perfect timing". Unfortunately I found it kind of disappointing. It did have it's pluses, it was well shot and well acted, and you can see a lot of thought went into it, so I can see why some like it. But I found the 1st half boring and the 2nd half, while more interesting, depressing. Not sure what the last scene signified, I'll have to google it. Maybe it will knock my rating up (or down) a half point. 5.5/10.
|
|
|
Post by FridayOnElmStreet on Oct 3, 2020 23:36:20 GMT
|
|
|
Post by FridayOnElmStreet on Oct 3, 2020 23:37:00 GMT
|
|
|
Post by FridayOnElmStreet on Oct 3, 2020 23:37:38 GMT
|
|
|
Post by FridayOnElmStreet on Oct 3, 2020 23:39:02 GMT
|
|
|
Post by FridayOnElmStreet on Oct 3, 2020 23:40:09 GMT
|
|
|
Post by FridayOnElmStreet on Oct 3, 2020 23:40:23 GMT
|
|
|
Post by Prime etc. on Oct 4, 2020 6:55:58 GMT
COUNT YORGA VAMPIRE -- 1970 Missed its 50th anniversary in July--I didn't realize it beat House of Dark Shadows--what a heavy time for vampire movies. I think this has surprisingly good rewatch value. How many other vampires movies have a vampire killed by a broomstick? Quarry is so very good. Too bad he got into it so late-I think he could have done some historical horror films in the 60s. I heard he felt Vincent Price felt threatened by him--but they were both going to be replaced by the FX-focused horror film where theatrical acting became less important.
|
|
|
Post by FridayOnElmStreet on Oct 4, 2020 8:01:19 GMT
|
|
|
Post by stefancrosscoe on Oct 4, 2020 10:55:25 GMT
08. The Dead Zone (1983) by David Cronenberg A school teacher by the name of Johnny Smith (Christopher Walken) is about to get his whole life turned upside down, when he is involved in a nasty car accident. When he finally wakes up, all alone in a hospital bed, he soon learns that having spent 5 years in a deep coma, have really done some serious damage to his former life. However, he has also been given a brand new "gift", one which is about to reveal far more than he ever wanted to know. Well, I had plans on re-watching a few favorites along with first time views this month, and I really had a great time seeing again this very well made and acted horror-thriller by David Cronenberg, which surely has to be (at least, so I think) among the very best movies of the 80s and 90s, that is based upon one of many Stephen King stories. I never will understand why this early 80s gem, never seems to be brought up more often, as it really is a very solid, well performed and moving story, and comes with lots of great acting roles by a large group of very talented people. But I guess having been released in the same year as Cronenberg's classic body-horror release that is Videodrome, that one might have overshadowed his other film from 1983, which is a bit of shame, as I think The Dead Zone really stands out of David's films of that period. Then of course, it stars the great Christopher Walken, a man who I think should have had a much better and longer stay as a potential leading man back in the day, but I guess sadly, that never happened, still he delivered some truly great roles and films during the 80s and early 90s, and where The Dead Zone have always been one of my favorites. 8,5/10 October Horror Challenge - 2020 - Day 04:
09. Death Valley (1982) by Dick Richards A young boy gets "dragged" along on a journey from the big city and towards the american desert and Death Valley, in order to get to know his mom's new boyfriend. And what better way is there, to catch up and become friends, than having to fight for their lives, against a brutal serial killer, who will soon turn up and make their entire trip into a nightmare. One of those movies I really wanted to see, for some time, and I guess it might have something to do with the striking poster and title, but somehow it just never got picked up. However, last night I decided to give it a go, and yeah, you have the little kid (probably most known for his solid part in the classic A Christmas Story, that was released the year after), so I guess this was his very first movie role, and he did not deliver a "bad" job, but films with kids, specially in the main role, have sadly for my part, rarely ended up as very enjoyable. However, the film do start up rather well, and there is some suspense and I guess much of it has to do with Stephen McHattie and his role, but one also catch up with Wilford Brimley and Paul Le Mat, two other guys who did a lot cool stuff back in the 80s and 90s. All in all, a pretty forgettable, but decent horror-thriller, which sadly never quite seem to fulfill the potential it had going, but nice to finally see it, and I end up rating it a: 5/1010. Psycho II (1983) by Richard Franklin Having spent years locked away inside a mental hospital, the now fully rehabilited Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) is let loose, as the court system thinks of him as no longer a potential threat, and is ready to face real life once more. Sadly for Norman, his dark past will not let him slip away that easy, and things does not become any easier, as he decides to move back into his old childhood home. A very well made continuation of Alfred Hitchcock's legendary movie, and where the australian Hitchcock fan and director Richard Franklin had delivered some solid thrillers a few years earlier, especially where his "Rear Window on the road" with the fantastic Road Games (1981) stood out as one of the finest horror-thrillers of the early 80s, I think he managed to follow that one up, with yet another great movie in Psycho II. Of course, this was during the huge slasher-era, and I guess having to compete with those films, filled with gore, nudity and fast paced action meant some things had to change in order to "capture" the modern age and its movie going audiences. I am not sure where or if I remember correctly, but I think either Perkins or Franklin, originally wanted to make Psycho II in black and white, and with much lesser campy and dark comedy, but instead a serious and dramatic tale, but then I guess things were done rather differently, but I think it was not something that "hurt" the movie or characters, in any way. It also helps that this was the very first of the Psycho franchise, that I saw, all alone in the dark during summertime, and to even make it "cosier", at my grandmothers old house, with lots of weird noises coming from every where, and it just made the movie experience even more intense and creepy. Back then I had not seen too many horror films, so this one actually was one of those along with Friday the 13th Part II that made me a big fan of the genre. Anyway, the film has a very fast paced style and story going, and sure, some scenes and characters might seem a bit "thrown into the mix" here and there, but I think it suited the film, and having seen it several times, it just gets more enjoyable for every visit towards Bates Motel, and it will surely not be the last time either. 8/10
|
|
|
Post by stefancrosscoe on Oct 5, 2020 13:52:28 GMT
11. Hell's Ground (2007) by Omar Ali Khan Pakistanian horror movie, which seems to follow in the classic horror-clichees from more famous american slashers and roadtrip films, where a small bunch of partygoing teenagers are on their way towards a big rock concert, however they soon find themselves lost in the wilderness, and with a gang of crazy and violent maniacs right on their tail. I guess it was not as bad as I "expected" it to be, and it kind of has a certain small charm, and the people behind it have obivously lots of love for the horror and cult-movie cinema. Sadly, it ends up going way too fast into just trying to put in lots of violence and gore, but little else backs it up, and is one of those I will probably forget about having seen, in a few days. 4/1012. Carnival of Souls (1962) by Herk Harvey As the seemingly only living survivor from a tragic car accident, Mary soon will learn that her being the only one left alive from the sunken car wreck, comes with a very heavy and dark prize, as she ends up getting stalked by mysterious strangers, and gets a nasty feeling that something, or someone wants to stand in her way of returning back to normal life. A very positive surprise, as I had never seen or heard about it, until last year, but had not seen it until of now that is. Great atmosphere and some very impressive shots and acting, specially from the leading actress. One of those that might go up a huge point on the rating scala if I decide to watch it later again. 6,5/10 October Horror Challenge - 2020 - Day 05:13. Psycho III (1986) by Anthony Perkins The third chapter about Norman Bates and his constant daily struggles against his "beloved" mother, and where all kind of new problems seems to show up, where as a sleazy motel co-worker (Jeff Fahey), a bit too nosy journalist and also a frightening memory from his past, one that will once more come back to haunt and test the already very troubled motell owner. After the great sequel, I guess it kind of was expected that its surprising success would lead to at least once more Psycho movie, but this time it feels very rushed, and where the second one did shy away of overdoing the violence, nudity and vulgar stuff, the third one seems to step right into the slasher-mood, and sadly it ends up feeling more cheap than effective, or so I believe. Anyway, I have seen it, years ago, but I am not able of changing my feelings or vote towards it, as it just a letdown from the first two films, and I was reminded of that last night. 5/10
|
|
|
Post by gspdude on Oct 5, 2020 14:40:20 GMT
House of the Witchdoctor(2013) Home Invasion movie with the usual amount of roll-your-eyes moments. But all 3 main actresses get topless at least once and there's an interesting twist to make it watchable. 4/10. Audition(1999) Japanese with English subs. Widowed businessman sits in on a friend's movie audition looking to find a bride. Out of 30 beauties, he picks the psycho. There were moments when I was a bit confused trying to figure if some scenes were real, dreams, or flashbacks. Got a bit too brutal for me towards the end (getting old, I guess). Well done for the most part, but not for everyone. 5/10
|
|
|
Post by Lebowskidoo 🦞 on Oct 5, 2020 16:14:49 GMT
Drive Thru (2007) There's a killer on the loose in Blanca Carne, California (which is Spanish for "White Meat") and it's Horny the Clown, the mascot of Hella Burger, the local burger emporium.
|
|
|
Post by stefancrosscoe on Oct 6, 2020 11:27:11 GMT
October Horror Challenge - 2020 - Day 06:14. Psycho IV: The Beginning (1990) by Mick Garris The last and final chapter about Norman Bates, and one which brings it all back the start, where Norman, after the incidents of the third film, seems to have been released back to society, and also seems to manage of coping with his new life, and where he now lives with his wife, whom is pregnant. Still, Norman decides to call in to a radio-program that have a ongoing theme about young men who murders their mothers, and who is not better qualified to bring further insight to that kind of crime than Norman himself. Always enjoyed this movie, and even though it is a tv-production, it is surely one I liked more than the mediocre third one, and I think they did manage to end the Bates saga in a good way, and where there also features some good performances from Olivia Hussey, Henry Thomas and also to that of CCH Pounder, as well of Anthony Perkins. 6/10
15. Drácula (1931) by Enrique Tovar Ávalos and George Melford I watched the original Universal Horror Classic about three years ago, but somehow I must have forgotten that the same DVD box-set I own, also contained the spanish version, which I think was in fact made during the same time as the american one, probably also with a lot of the same sets and movie locations, probably to save money and time. Anyway, I quite enjoyed the latin-american version of Count Dracula and the complete maniac that is Renfield, sadly however, these performances pretty much completely over shadows the other actors, in every way. Another thing I must admit I had some "trouble" with, was that I was almost in total "coma" when I saw it, very late at night, and the cover art said the film would only last for about 68-70 minutes, not much away of the original, but somehow it ended up with almost and half hour more, and that was just too much for me, and it kind of dragged on, too long and, well, I liked some of the actors, and the atmosphere as well, but I do not think it was as good as the one I saw 3 years ago, and end up with a kind: 6/10
|
|
|
Post by Chalice_Of_Evil on Oct 6, 2020 14:12:48 GMT
|
|
|
Post by teleadm on Oct 6, 2020 18:08:51 GMT
The Night has Eyes aka Moonlight Madness 1942, British low-budget "old dark house" movie directed by Leslie Arliss and starring a young a dashing James Mason. Two young women and teachers travels to the Yorkshire moors, were one of the teachers old friend disappeared a year before. On a stormy and rainy night the seek shelter at an isolated cottage. Not only do they get shelter, but the whole cottage turns out to house many unsolved secrets. Mason plays a shell-shocked pianist who might or might not know anything about what happened to the friend that disappeared, but he wishes that they leave as quick as possible since it's not safe for them to stay too long, and there is a secret room without a door too. It was a rather bad copy I watched, that made it look like it's always dark in the moors, even in daylight, or it's always very cloudy in Yorkshire. Worth a peek and I liked the conclusion
|
|
|
Post by forca84 on Oct 6, 2020 22:48:08 GMT
"Venom" (2005) a Voodoo teen slasher. Shades of 90's horror. It did really bad when released. Barely made a blip. Still I enjoy watching it once every couple years. A sort of who's who back in the day of young stars starting out. Agnes Bruckner, Bijou Phillips, Megan Good, Pawel Szajda, DJ Cotrona, Jonathan Jackson, Laura Ramsey, Davetta Sherwood, (Laura retired from acting in 2014.)
|
|