2022 Turkey Hunt

1) Use IMDb ratings.
1.0 = 6 points.
1.1-1.9 = 5 points.
2.0-2.9 = 4 points.
3.0-3.9 = 3 points.
4.0-4.4 = 2 points
4.5-4.9 = 1 point.

2) First time view = 1 point.

3) Can be any genre.

4) Trifectas. Director actors, and series. For director and actors you can bunch siblings and parent / children or grandparent / grandchildren.

5) A movie can only count towards one trifecta.Single Trifecta - 5 pointsDouble Trifecta - 7 pointsTriple Trifecta - 9 pointsEtc.

6) 1 bonus point if there is at least one penis shown in the movie. A total of 3 bonus points if the penis is decapitated during the movie.
😦
7) Movies with 5.0 ratings or better don't count for any points.

8) Must be at least 45 minutes long for full credit. Half credit for films between 25 and 44 minutes.

9) Start - 12:01 AM on November 1.End - You must start you last movie prior to November 30 11:59 PM.

October Challenge 2022



Rules:

> At least 31 horror films must be watched during the month of October. 16 of these must be FTVs (first time viewings).
> You get 1 "point" per movie watched.
> Runtime is 45 minutes minimum.
> Kiddy-friendly "Halloween themed" movies will be permitted as long as there is some element of horror or spooky fun, i.e. A Nightmare Before Christmas, Goosebumps, The Addams Family, etc.
> If unsure on whether a movie is "horror" or not, please refer to the usual suspects: IMDb, Wiki, Letterboxd, etc.
> Documentaries and TV shows will not be accepted, however mockumentaries will be.
> The challenge will begin at 00:00 hours on October 1st in your time zone.

If there is anything I have missed, let me know over in the shoutbox. Use it for discussions too.

Previous year threads:

https://trashepics.com/post/9/160/
https://trashepics.com/post/9/218/
https://trashepics.com/post/142/130/
https://trashepics.com/post/30/34/
https://trashepics.com/post/30/38/

So make your spot and have fun!

Shiver 2012

John Jarratt plays an eccentric weirdo psychopath who kills women because he had a bad childhood. Is this another Wolf Creek movie then? No, it's based on some random novel and he plays a very different serial killer than his Aussie-native Mick Taylor. He even has an American accent! His usual method is to garrote his victims with a steel wire and cut off their heads so he can put them in a glass jar. Sounds a bit messy, but if that's how he gets his kicks...

All is good fun for ol' John Jarratt until he sets his sights on Danielle Harris. She's the one who gives him conflicting emotions after she escapes his first murder attempt. Should I fuck her, or should I kill her? Hmm... Obviously, I would prefer the first option, but he's not so sure.

While his fixation on sweet Danielle manifests, detectives Casper Van Dien and Rae Dawn Chong are on the hunt for him, and there's your movie. Danielle gives a good performance, but the movie isn't great by any means. Decent production values and a moderate amount of blood and violence aren't enough to make this movie stand out. The story isn't as tense as it wants to be, but it's far from the worst.

I did think it was funny that when he fantasizes about her, they flash images of her famous sexy photo shoot of her in her underwear on the bed.

#Review

Skeleton Man 2004

Based on the poster art I saw, I would expect this movie to be a body horror in the likes of The Incredible Melting Man or Monsturd. That's not what this movie is. Not at all.

Two dull archaeologists brag about unearthing some trinket from an Indian burial ground, and that usually entails some cliche shaman magic. The skeleton man appears and kills the shit out of them as soon as the movie starts. I guess he's supposed to be some vengeful spirit or something. He's dressed in a black cloak, his face is a skull, and he has superhuman strength. Plus, there's some bad editing that allows his attacks to always hit people no matter what their proximity is to him. It's clear that the producers think he is a very cool character, but is he? Is he really?

Now, the main plot kicks into gear. An elite team of special forces mercenaries head into the woods to rescue another team, only to be plagued by the phantom hunter who picks them off one by one. Sounds a lot like Predator, huh? Well, this movie is a total rip-off of Predator, except instead of bodybuilders like Schwarzenegger and Carl Weathers, you've got Michael Rooker and Casper Van Dien.

The setup is very reminiscent of the aforementioned film. The villain has his own predator-vision, and they even rip-off some direct lines from Predator, like, "If it breathes, we can kill it." Not so subtle in your influences, huh? And to think, just a few years earlier, Michael Rooker was starring in theatrical movies, including one with the actual Schwarzenegger. Now, he's in this DTV drek.

For a movie with a 2.1 on IMDb, it's a lot more watchable than you would expect. However, it does get pretty redundant when the same shit happens over and over again. Everyone is either a terrible shot, or their bullets have no effect on skeleton man. Then he kills more people, over and over again. There's no real insight given to him or his intentions other than some tribal savage native going on a killing spree, as told by some old native who really loves beans. He wont answer any questions unless you bring him a can of beans, because beans are some kind of magical fruit. The more you eat, the more you... don't give a shit about anything that goes on in this movie. He's indestructible. We get it.

Eventually, this movie does end, and for a movie such a gnarly opening, the result is underwhelming. But it's a great way to get some turkey points, especially if you want to strive for a Casper Van Dien trifecta. That guy is in all kinds of garbage movies.

#Review

Rank the Halloween series

For those of us who have seen them all.

I can't say they're all as fresh in my mind as the new one, but I'm pretty sure this is where I stand...

Original
Halloween (2018)
Halloween Kills
Halloween Ends
Halloween 3
Halloween H2o
Halloween 2
Halloween 4
Halloween 5
Resurrection
Halloween 6

Leatherface: TCM III (1990) 

Not even remotely worth writing a review for, but thought I'd say something after giving this one yet another shot last night. Yeah, I'm just not feeling this one. Never will.

What the hell happened here? That was a pretty sweet trailer they had there, but what a mediocre, somewhat pointless attempt at keeping a series going. The first one is legendary for a reason. Genuinely scary. TCM2 was almost equally as good, but in a more crazy 80's slasher kinda way, which I think was a wise route to take at that point. Part 4, of course, is the one literally everyone on the planet hates except Fuad. But this Leatherface movie is just kinda there. It's not that bad, it's certainly not that good, but does anyone give a fuck about this movie or even have opinions one way or the other?

And I'm still not entirely sure if this is supposed to be Leatherface from 1&2 (well, obviously not 2), or just some similar character. Who's all those people he's lving with? Like a foster family? And is that supposed to be the same grandpa? That fucker is clearly long dead. Are they ever all that clear on how we got from the original to this one? Because I'm pretty sure that narration in the beginning doesn't clear up as much as it should.

Olwen Fouere (from Mandy)

I'm not sure where to post this. I just think it's interesting. In anybody here is into Celtic stuff, or maybe if you ever went through a little period when you were into it and spent time googling Celtic stuff or clicking around about that topic on Wikipedia, you might enjoy this.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olwen_Fou%C3%A9r%C3%A9

This lady was in Mandy. Apparently her parents were ethnic Bretons, from the Brittany area of France. It looks like they probably spoke the Breton Celtic language, or at least her dad did. She was born and raised in southwestern Ireland.. I imagine that quite a few people in that area would have still spoken Irish, when she was a child. Wikipedia says she performs, as an actress, in both French and English, but it is interesting to speculate that she may know some Breton and Irish Gaelic as well.


I just think that is striking. I don't think I have ever encountered anybody with that combination of heritages before, someone of Breton ancestry but Irish citizenship. Plenty of people have ancestry from the Celtic nations or regions, but their ancestors long ago moved to London, the USA, or some other major global geopolitical and economic hub, for the opportunities. I bet a lot of young Bretons move to Paris, for example.

OK, I guess I was right to find this striking. Look, her dad, Yann Fouere, helped found this organization. He was super active in Pan-Celtic identity.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celtic_League

RZ Halloween (2007)

So I rewatched this for the first time in a long time. I was never a big fan of it but I never understood the hate for it at the same time. I think I do now in retrospect. The first half of the film isn't terrible imo, the cutoff point where it really goes downhill for me is after Michael escapes and kills Ken Foree in the rest stop bathroom stall. I am a big fan of McDowell and Dourif but they're wasted here. Sheri Moon is terrible and grating per usual. I recall liking 2 the Directors Cut better than the first as long as you ignored Sheri Moon and those ridiculous white horse scenes. Any thoughts?

V/H/S/99

If you like anthologies and/or found footage, this series never disappoints. The theme here is the year 1999, and we're plunged into stories about punk bands, sorority sluts, kids' game shows, the skater scene, and a trip straight to hell. I think all the segments were pretty good, but I can't delve too deep in them without giving away too much.


For those who have seen the movie, here are a few quick thoughts...


The punk band skit was a bit weak in comparison to the rest. Decent ideas and visuals, but it didn't grab me as much as the rest.
I thought the sorority hazing skit was really good. Reminds me of that Ryan Reynold's movie where he's in that very same predicament, but he didn't have spiders to exacerbate things. He might have had snakes instead, so yeah... fucked either way.
The gameshow host was also pretty funny. I loved how he made smug jabs at his less-than-wealthy participants. I found the black lady's rage a bit awkward. Did she have to strip? The ending of that bit was stupid though. Abrupt and less than satisfying.

The medusa one was entertaining, and even though those kids are assholes, I found them and their antics entertaining. It feels somewhat authentic.

And lastly, that depiction of Hell was really cool. I missed the setup and thus didn't understand the ending, but that didn't hamper my enjoyment of it.



Now comes a tangent curiosity. The next entry is already in the works. V/H/S/85, which is to suggest that it is set in 1985. Just how common were VHS and camcorders in that year? I'd imagine that technology wasn't very prevalent at the time, probably costing a lot. This is the furthest back that the series will venture thus far.

#Review

Not Another Halloween Rant

I saw Halloween Ends for the third time today. This time in theaters. They really don't bother with picture quality anymore, and they never get the aspect ratios right. It's like they don't give a fuck, but anyway... I hope it can cross 100 million in the box office by the end of the month.

I rewatched the original and the new trilogy this month, and as single-minded as Myers may be, he never stops my brain from spinning new thoughts, so bear with me as I ramble.


In the beginning of H1 '78, we see it through young Michael's POV. Did he snap then and there on Halloween night 1963, or was he always crazy? And if he did snap, what caused it? Hypothetical scenario: Michael was watching TV and saw someone die on a show. Then he thinks to himself, "Death, huh? I'll give her a shot."

Halloween '78 succeeds in its simplicity. Slow creepy buildup. Tense climax. No motives. The lack of explanation gives the fans things to think about. A fundamental aspect of Michael Myers is his mystique. Don't try to explain the bogeyman, and I'm glad the new trilogy didn't.

H-Ends does pose a lot more questions about Michael that the other sequels couldn't, like what does Michael do when he wins? Where does he go? Has he ever treated his own wounds, and has he ever washed his outfit in the four years between movies?

The new trilogy disregards old sequels, but pays fan service to them anyway. I loved the Silver Shamrock masks and H3 font use, but where was Tom Atkins? And the sewer life was an H8 homage I guess. Didn't he eat rats in that one? And how does he get his vitamin D down there?


Since they never imagined the first movie as spawning a jillion sequels, there wasn't much attempt at continuity after H2. The series went off the rails and the depiction of Myers was vastly inconsistent. Same goes for the Myers house. H3 could've only worked if H2 was an unrelated story too, but they botched that idea. H4 only had Donald Pleasence to anchor it, as did H5, but everything got weird in that one. I would describe H5 as a weird movie. And H6 is a flashy 90s piece of shit, and H20 is bizarre way of reconciling bad continuity by making it even worse. It was at that point that the series lost any hope of having a single canon. Continuity was never a strong point in this franchise... until the trilogy decided to follow only the best of the movies: part 1.

This franchise's inept continuity parallels the Universal Solider franchise. Van Damme and Dolph in the first, recast Van Damme for 2 and 3, have him return for a shitty reunion movie, then have him return for the "real" gritty sequels with Dolph.