Thoughts on "Halloween"?

The title bugs me. The new one, I mean. I'm not sure what they should have called it but Halloween? That means there's three of them, although, this one isn't a remake. It's the new part 2, but fuck off, let's just call it Halloween, anyway. I feel like there needs to be something attached to the title to give it its own identity. Halloween II Part 2? Halloween H40? I think "The Last Halloween" has a nice ring to it, although I guess it's not going to be the last one after all cuz money. If I had my way, they would have just resurrected the series with a Halloween 9. I feel like they still could have made any movie they wanted and ignored any past sequel they wanted and still gotten away with calling it that.

Halloween

Yeah, I'm going there. I'll try to avoid spoilers, too, because I know everyone out there isn't as obsessive as I am, and they haven't seen it yet. So I'll try to say as much as I can without saying anything.

Clearly, the series is a mess, as it's gotten so involved in the family brother/sister angle over the years, we just couldn't get away from it. Every sequel, and the remake, focused on that aspect, even though JC himself thought it was a stupid idea, but fuck it. It's what we were stuck with, but finally, it's gone! Do you know what this means? It means that Michael can be a more whimsical slasher again, and he doesn't need a pattern. In this movie, he's just out there to fuck with people. Babysitters, children, cops, and of course... even Laurie Strode.

Jamie Lee is great, as always. Even if she doesn't like H20 in restrospect, she was still pretty awesome in that movie. Here, she plays another version of the character who's got a lot of PTSD from that night 40 years ago. She lives in a fortress and knows how to shoot a gun, because she knows that Michael is coming back.

The movie begins with Michael incarcerated again. We're never shown what happens to him after he fell off that balcony in part 1, but we're told that he was apprehended later, and has been in his typical catatonic state ever since. Eerie coincidences and convenient screenwriting break him out, and he ventures back to Haddonfield for one last scare.

The great part is that he has no rhyme or reason. Once he slips into his familiar getup, he carries on like it was 1978 again, and he's on a rampage. He's not even out to get Laurie, but she crosses his path because she's the one trying to find him. I really like that they were able to clear up all those dependencies, and let him run wild.

John Carpenter's score was pretty damn cool, too. This is stylistically the most similar film to the first movie. There are a bunch of cool homages in there, like the opening credits, "Mrs. Elrod", mention of a "Lonny" (assumed to be the same from H1, "Hey Lonny! Get yo' ass away from there!"), plus those damn Silver Shamrock masks! Hell, I think I even saw some similarities to RZ's movies. Not sure if that's a good thing. 😦 Even if they disregard all of these movies, they still throw nods at them.

One thing I was surprised to see no mention of was the Myers house. It just ain't there.

Overall, the movie works. Carpenter's score, Jamie Lee has a purpose, the actor playing Michael is spot-on, and the supporting characters are (mostly) interesting. Some of them are pretty dumb though, and you know they're there for a body count. Usually, I hate kids in movies, but there was a cool black kid in here that deserves his own movie.

I don't think the movie is perfect, but it's probably the best Halloween sequel we're ever going to get. I think it would be great if they never made another one, but I'm sure they will, because that's what they do.

Halloween Under Attack

Leave it to Facebook to piss me off in less than 3 seconds. I don't know why I even bother with that damn site.

Anyway, I was watching videos of some pretty cool Halloween animatronics. I'm talking really fucking cool ones. Impressive as hell, and I would love to own every one of them. As I'm enjoying the videos, I made the fatal mistake of Facebook, I ventured into the comments section. I thought it would be full of people praising the sheer design and creativity that it took to make these morbid beauties. How wrong I was...

The comments were mainly people whining and bitching about Halloween being too scary for their kids. How they thought laws should be in place not allowing people to have such displays in their OWN yards. One woman even stated she would call the police on any neighbor who owned such a horrendous display... I would love to punch that cunt in the face.

If your kids can't handle Halloween, then wrap them in bubble wrap like the fragile creatures you're raising them to be. Damn pussies.

Your Sister is a Werewolf - A Howling Rant

Yeah, they say that a few times in the beginning, just so you remember what movie you're watching. I threw this one on for some quick FTV points, knowing that it has a bad rep, but I've already seen The Howling III, and it can't be worse than that, right?

So most people should agree that The Howling is pretty bad-ass. Obviously, a sequel was needed, and this one was based on a novel by the original writer, so it can't be terrible... but it kind of is. After all, Robert Block who wrote the original Psycho wrote a sequel novel that apparently sucked, having Norman dressed as a tranny in Hollywood. They said fuck it and wrote another (great) story for that. So how does The Howling II fare? Well... it kind of sucks.

Don't get me wrong though, the 80s cheese is definitely there. It's got some corny visual effects, and some obvious dummies/animatronics are used for people, but they're also kind of awesome. Plus, there was some nudity, which replayed in an awkwardly amusing end credits music video type of deal. We just keep seeing Sybil Danning reveal her breasts while random scenes are edited to make it look as if people are staring at her tits. Seriously, it felt very weird, yet I couldn't really complain.


So where are we, anyway? None of the movie have anything to do with each other, so the series is basically in name only. I thought the first movie was good enough. A couple goes to a woodland retreat and find a cult of werewolves. Basic, simple, and to the point.

Part 2 is kind of a punk rock mess. It seems more about sorceresses and the club scene at the time, which was kind of stupid. Punk was done a lot better in Return of the Living Dead. Christopher Lee played it serious, Sybil Danning was pretty damn sexy, and the rest of the movie is a total mess. I think Christopher Lee had a pretty low opinion of this movie after the fact.

I thought Part 3 was awful. I barely remember it, but it was some marsupial shit in the outback, and the ending was basically the same thing as the first movie. They used to sell this movie dirt cheap at FYE. Only $1, because nobody wanted it.

I liked part 4 a bit more, because it went back to a simple woods setting, and it has a gnarly melting scene. Apparently, it's said to be a more faithful adaption of the original book. Not that I would know.

Part 5 is a gothic murder mystery set in a castle that was rather mundane because they barely showed the wolf. Still, it's kind of a unique concept it it's own right.

I suppose if someone had a good werewolf script, they'd take it and slap the "Howling" title on it. Maybe they were thinking of going in an anthology type of route like Halloween III, because they'd hardly know at the time that it wasn't a well received thing. Even Silent Night Deadly Night would do this random name-only sequel stuff. Part 5 of that movie had killer robots, which again makes it seem like Halloween III was an influence.

I haven't seen Part 6, 7, or 8. Should I bother?

Thoughts on The Howling series?

Cronenberg's Shivers

I like a few Cronenberg movies, but there are a few I haven't yet seen. I decided to knock this one of this list, and it was pretty good. It's one of his earlier movies, and definitely a product of the time. It had vibes of Black Christmas (some of the music), Night of the Living Dead, and most definitely The Crazies (had an actress from that too). I guess it's also similar to some Polanski movies, in the sense that it was set in an apartment.

So this movie was all about a sexual parasite that makes people go crazy. Good enough for me. You have some hotties in the movie, some decent gore (with that acryillic red paint look), and some other taboos, like killer kids and rape and whatnot. Basically, this movie had a good balance of everything. I don't remember much of 'Rabid', but this movie seems like it's similar in that it was about infection and madness.

However, I didn't see anyone actually shiver, but it's a cool title either way. I want to watch The Brood soon. That has to be good if it has Oliver Reed, right?

Jeremy Saulnier goes to Alaska

Netflix premiered "Hold the Dark" recently, and being a fan of Jeremy Saulnier's other works (Murder Party, Blue Ruin, Green Room), I had to see it. So what is it, anyway?

Hold the Dark starts off with a bang, as a mother's son disappears, and the local Alaskan wolves are to blame. She hires a tracker (Jeffrey Wright) to find her son, or at least the wolves, and that's what this movie is about. But wait! Alexander Skarsgard is in the movie too, as the dead boy's father. He's off fighting in "the war" overseas, but eventually finds his way into the current Alaska setting to get involved in the shit. There are a few scenes during the war, in the middle east somewhere, and it's fucked up, but also badass.

Some of the movie feels like a war movie, too. It gets tense, like you're out on the battlefield, but ol' Jeremy knows how to craft some decent suspense and tension. He's a really good director, in my opinion, and he's not afraid to go dark. The movie starts off a bit slow, and I don't exactly get the ending yet, but I was pretty captivated throughout the whole movie either way. If you like this director and have Netflix, then get on it.

I like a well crafted bleak movie, and that's what this dude is all about. The movie was also based on a novel, but I might watch it again to try to understand some of the subtext.

50's horror

Recently I made a thread about 60's horror, so I thought I would make it more difficult and go ahead and talk '50's horror. The 50's was a highly influential decade for horror films...you will find countless genre classics that went on to inspire future generations of horror directors and producers. The decade brought about the advent of Hammer Films

This is a list of the best horror films that I have seen (rated 7 or higher) from each year of the 50's:

1950
N/A

1951
Thing from Another World
The Day the Earth Stood Still
Death Is a Number

1952
N/A

1953
The War of the Worlds
House of Wax
It Came from Outer Space

1954
Creature from the Black Lagoon
Them!
Godzilla

1955
Les diaboliques

1956
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
The Bad Seed
Forbidden Planet

1957
The Incredible Shrinking Man
The Curse of Frankenstein
The Abominable Snowman
Night of the Demon
20 Million Miles to Earth

1958
The Fly
Horror of Dracula
The Blob
I Bury the Living
The Revenge of Frankenstein
Fiend Without a Face

1959
House on Haunted Hill
The Mummy
Return of the Fly
Journey to the Center of the Earth
The Man Who Could Cheat Death
The Tingler
The Hound of the Baskervilles
A Bucket of Blood


What about you what are some of your favorites from the 50's?

Has anyone here seen Halloween (1978)?

It is a very good slasher and I love the score. It is an early performance by Scream Queen Jamie Lee Curtis who would later star in Prom Night and Terror Train. If you haven't seen it, then you should this October.

Angela Baker Is A Dick, Now!



Can't a Horror film ever just be SO good that it's above having sequels? No, it can't. The better a movie is, the more of a chance it has of gaining a following. And the more of a following it has, the more of a chance there is of at least one sequel being made. Call it greed, call it smart. It can be annoying. Not always, but we've all been annoyed once or twice after hearing of plans to follow up on a story that needs no follow up. Most of these are nothing more than obvious cash-grabs which offer nothing new, but some, you know the ones, just plain don't need to exist. From a fan's standpoint, I mean. Some sequels may even manage to ruin the original for some. Or so they say. That's not exactly where I'm going with this, though. I'm not saying I hated Sleepaway Camp II and III enough for it to affect my feelings on the original. I don't even hate them at all, really. There's actually nothing wrong with either movie, considering they're nothing more than late 80's Slashers. BUT do they really need to be Sleepaway Camp sequels? Does Pamela Springsteen really have any business playing older, more hypocritical Angela Baker? You know what? Don't answer that...

OK, then. Absolutely anything is fair game, even if the original director or none of the actors are available. Point taken. I guess all one can do is something different at this point. And that is absolutely what we get with 1988's Sleepaway Camp II. A Slasher sequel which comes off more like a light parody of all the Camp Slashers of the day. One could say it's more like an example of certain people not giving a shit about continuity or anything that made the original great. Certain people who were probably hoping all the Horror fans would just shut up and have fun with it. Ugh... Fine!

Let's just forget everything we would expect from Angela Baker, five years removed. The creators of this movie basically start from scratch, and not so much replace the character, but rather redefine it. That's where Pamela Springsteen comes in. Pamela is a new kind of Angela Baker. An Angela who has left the past behind. No longer will she let her penis make her feel inferior. No longer will she let past tragedies and a questionable upbringing drive her to murder. I mean, Angela still murders... ALOT, but it's mainly when someone annoys her. Plus, she does now seem fully aware that it's actually happening. If nothing else, that is a step in the right direction.

Due to there being practically no story, here, I feel no obligation to get too specific, but this film is about a super-positive yet irritable camp counselor, who is obsessed with providing the perfect summer for everyone. However, in her eyes, the perfect summer is impossible if everyone isn't being perfect. I'm not sure when Angela decided she had the right to hold everyone to the highest possible standards, but considering her past, Angela Baker has a lot of nerve, acting like that. Nevermind her present. Anyone who gets out of line, breaks the rules, or just gets on Angela's nerves, gets "sent home". Or atleast that's her story. Angela has been killing again, and unlike that last killing spree, she seems to be having a lot of fun with this one. Will Angela still be having fun once she realizes she's killed literally everyone, this time? 5/10

Why do these movies always come in 2s? Basket Case 2 and 3, Toxic Avenger 2 and 3. You know what I mean. And naturally, Sleepaway Camp II would also lead to an even more pointless companion piece. Good God, why, though? Because 1989. That's why! They even went the extra mile and gave Angela some blonde highlights because she just wasn't already different enough from Felissa Rose. While, in all fairness, a disguise isn't the worst idea in the world after that shit she pulled last year. In fact, if it's still an option for Angela to change back into her original form, now might be a good time. Instead, Angela murders some girl and steals her identity. Whatever works, I guess.

Maybe those mean girls from the original movie were right. Maybe Angela isn't that bright, after all. Or maybe the writers just weren't all that creative because Angela immediately does the one thing that a killer should never do: She heads back to the scene of the crimes. Without hesitation, Angela jumps on a bus and heads back to Camp Rolling Hills, now known as Camp New Horizons. At this new camp, we find there is some kind of program for teenagers going on. "An experiment in sharing", they call it. Pairing up dickish rich kids with pissed off, inner-city thugs, I guess, to ruin their weekend. All the kids are named after Brady Bunch siblings, and the people running the show are Herman and Lily. No, really! Herman and Lily! Herman is played by that one guy from Bonnie And Clyde who seems to look more and more like a child molester, the older he gets. Well, I just thought that needed to be pointed out. Unlike in part 2, though, Angela seems to have decided that everyone is going to get it before they can even do anything to piss her off. How very "Jason" of her.

Unfortunately for Angela, there's also a cop hanging around. A cop who had a son who was decapitated around here about a year ago. He knows who did it, and when he finds her, he's going to blow her head off. Of course, he's going to have to find her, first. Thank goodness for bleach, eh? Angela will worry about him, later. Right now, there are some very annoying teenagers who need to be brutally murdered in the most creative ways possible. Some of them casually use racist terms. Some, only when provoked, some are just in the way. What I find strange about this movie is that, while Angela does seem to be killing more for fun, this time, these teenagers actually seem far more deserving than those from last year. Pretty much everyone in this movie deserves to die... besides the obvious. 4/10

So, what would be better titles for these movies? Sorry. Sleepaway Camp II and III aren't cutting it for me. There are only two, in my opinion: The one with the twist and the one with the fat piece of shit. I don't know. Any generic title would do. These movies aren't anything special, but they're entertaining enough to not need to ride the coat tails of a good movie. And they're certainly better than any other slashers that were coming out at the time. So, never let it be said that I never said anything positive about these bastard sequels. I will say this, though. I've never seen the point in bringing back the character of Angela without the original actress. Especially when replaced with someone who looks/is nothing like her, but if that's not an Elephant in the room to you, then, that's great. While I do like Pamela Springsteen and these movies (mildly), sorry. Not buying it. Never will.



#Review

Housewife (2017) - from the director of Baskin

Housewife (2017) (Turkish Horror)

Haunted by a horrific childhood trauma for 20 years, a woman struggles with vivid, disturbing nightmares that leave her detached and unable to live a normal life. After being introduced to the leader of a cult, she is led on a twisted journey of waking dreams that will begin to unravel the fabric of reality. This film is loaded to the brim with atmosphere. It is set in winter and contributes a ton of moody visuals, fantastic lighting, and a solid score. The script is also very psychological because it incorporates dream logic (or lack thereof) where it is uncertain as to what is a dream, what is reality, and how the two impact one another. I found it to be fascinating and well-crafted on that level. From the director of "Baskin", which also means that you get a bit of bloody violence.

Strongly recommended.