31 Nights of Halloween: 2022 Edition

[Ninjablade]

Night 25:

Tenebrae (1982)
I mean if you're not bopping along to the soundtrack, what are you even doing with your life? One of Argento's strongest movies, and if you ask me, it's his most fun one. The mystery, the tone, the characters, the imagery. There's just so much to like.

Malignant (2021)
One of those movies that I still can't believe was made by a major movie studio. I have a love hate relationship with James Wan. I respect the hell out of him as a filmmaker, but so many of his movies just don't totally connect with me for one reason or another. This movie is a completely different kind of animal thought. I think there are very few people that just truly have a grasp on an entire genre of filmmaking like Wan does with horror. Not only is he playing with the regular conventions, but even his own fanbase's expectations as to what his movie should be, and turning it on its head. Such a wild ride, and incredibly creative.

 

[-Arya-]

Night 25:

Tenebrae (1982)
I mean if you're not bopping along to the soundtrack, what are you even doing with your life? One of Argento's strongest movies, and if you ask me, it's his most fun one. The mystery, the tone, the characters, the imagery. There's just so much to like.

Malignant (2021)
One of those movies that I still can't believe was made by a major movie studio. I have a love hate relationship with James Wan. I respect the hell out of him as a filmmaker, but so many of his movies just don't totally connect with me for one reason or another. This movie is a completely different kind of animal thought. I think there are very few people that just truly have a grasp on an entire genre of filmmaking like Wan does with horror. Not only is he playing with the regular conventions, but even his own fanbase's expectations as to what his movie should be, and turning it on its head. Such a wild ride, and incredibly creative.

I’m always happy to see people vibe with Argento.

 

[Batgirl0202]

Hubie Halloween (2020)
30 Days of Night (2007)
The Thing (2011)
Slumber Party Massacre (2021)
Werewolf by Night (2022)
Freaky (2020)
Morbius (2022)
Prey (2022)
The Forever Purge (2021)
Hocus Pocus (1993)

Believe it or not, I had never seen Hocus Pocus until literally last evening. I can't say I'm ready to join the 'cult' but I did enjoy the film for what it is.

I didn't expect it to be such a pure Halloween movie through and through. I was always under the impression that it was a kids' scary movie that had been adopted for the Spooky Season. Not only is it set during the actual holiday, but Halloween events are actually woven into the plot. Very cool...

The acting is ridiculous and Bette chews scenery like nobody's business, but the film has heart and actually got me a bit misty at times. This is one I'll definitely be revising at some point during future Halloween Seasons, if society as we know it still exists of course...

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Night 25

68. Dracula

Spooky Review: No movie is this thirsty and has the handsome young male lead barely get any. And that's not even in the top 10 most bizarre things about this fever dream.

4/5

69. Alien (NICE)

Spooky Review: Eh. The sequel was better.

5/5

70. Last Night in Soho

Spooky Review: There are sections of this movie that don't really work, but what does work, works beautifully. Especially once it gives into being completely out there, like the bat**** ending.

4/5

71. 10 Cloverfield Lane

Spooky Review: This play in a bunker is brought to life by three great performances. Goodman is so unsettling, that even when he right or seemingly doing the right thing, it still makes you uneasy. MEW matches him step for step in the lead, and honestly, if I'm going to be locked in a bunker after the end of the world, make it with MEW.

4.5/5

72. Killer Klowns from Outer Space

Spooky Review: I can just see the stack of countless notebooks full of ideas of what to do with the klowns, and boy did it pay off. The craftsmanship in this film is top notch, as is the wicked sense of humor. A bit of a PG of it's time.

4.5/5

 

[-Arya-]

Barbarian - 6/10


Disappointed with this one. The first half is great but then it takes a complete narrative shift in the second hour that did not work for me. Justin Long’s character just did not need to be here. It’s not bad by any means, but I just don’t understand the hype.

 

[KaijuDude1992]

View attachment 59583

Barbarian - 6/10


Disappointed with this one. The first half is great but then it takes a complete narrative shift in the second hour that did not work for me. Justin Long’s character just did not need to be here. It’s not bad by any means, but I just don’t understand the hype.

I honestly couldn't agree more. I liked the movie for the most part, but it got silly in the second half and that third act was a complete mess and tonally felt really out of place compared to the first half of the movie.

Superb direction and atmosphere though and I really liked the performances from Georgina George, Justin Long and Bill Skarsgard, but its pretty overrated IMO although I'm glad others really enjoyed it.

 

[-Arya-]

I honestly couldn't agree more. I liked the movie for the most part, but it got silly in the second half and that third act was a complete mess and tonally felt really out of place compared to the first half of the movie.

Superb direction and atmosphere though and I really liked the performances from Georgina George, Justin Long and Bill Skarsgard, but its pretty overrated IMO although I'm glad others really enjoyed it.

Spoiler

Yes it stayed grounded for the most part but then it decides to be over the top with its gore and main villain who had superhuman powers. It doesn’t work.

 

[Batgirl0202]

Hubie Halloween (2020)
30 Days of Night (2007)
The Thing (2011)
Slumber Party Massacre (2021)
Werewolf by Night (2022)
Freaky (2020)
Morbius (2022)
Prey (2022)
The Forever Purge (2021)
Hocus Pocus (1993)
Friday the 13th (OG) (1980)

We were in the mood for a classic last night so I was treated to my upteenth viewing of the original Friday the 13th. Why not? 'Tis the Season...

There's so much I love about this movie. I love how leisurely and languid it is. The film benefits from a wonderful sense of pace. The plot develops slowly and the meaninglessness of the teens' lives really hits home. Say what you will about horror movies from this era, but the original Friday and Halloween both followed the Hitchcock model of two-thirds buildup to last third pay-off. The formula works beautifully here, because once the **** hits the fan, all bets are off.

I also love the juxtaposition of the teens from the '50s with the teens from the '80s. Can you spot a difference? I love the suggestion that prosperity in Post-War America produced teens as frivolous, soft, and anti-intellectual as the ones in this film. I love how the movie captures the boredom and ennui of long lazy summer afternoons by the lake. I love all the religious imagery in the film, and how the teens were too stupid to notice all the preternatural signs around them that their days were numbered.

I also love the cinematography. Seriously, the nature footage in this move is beautiful. Like, Malick level beautiful. And I'm eternally grateful that Betsy Palmer was in the market for a new car. Without spoiling anything for anyone who may not have seen the film (blasphemy!), her performance is one of the greatest in slasher movie history. With her shiny red lips, white horse teeth, and bizarre habit of talking to herself, she is simultaneously one of cinema's most ridiculous and tragic characters. May she rest in peace.

And finally, I loved the poster from the original marketing campaign. Can you imagine walking into your local theatre in 1980 and seeing this staring you in the face?! Alas, if you've actually watched the film, you'll know the image was a bit of a cheat:

 

[Mani-Man]

Night 26 and at the end, the Movie puts Comedy in front of Horror...which is good.

Werewolves Within

The Movie gets carried so much by a fantastic cast that is so hilariously charming and fits their roles absolutely perfect.
Neither the story, nor the horror or effects really stand out...without this cast, the movie would be flat as hell.
But you have two leads and a supporting cast that are so comfortable with their characters that they make the most out of it and turn this into a incredible fun movie that is a joy to watch.

1.The Legend of Halloween Jack
2.Antlers(2021)
3.Halloween House/Houses of Terror/The Houses October Built
4.Incantation
5.The Cursed
6.The Ritual (2017)
7.Hellraiser(1987)
8.Paranormal Activity 2
9. Werewolf by Night
10. Blade(1998)
11. Zombie Massacre: Reich of the Dead
12. Scream 4
13. Halloween 5 The Revenge of Michael Myers
14. SAW 1
15. The Nun
16. The Conjuring 2
17. Sleepy Hollow
18. Cloverfield
19. Alien (1979)
20. Final Destination 1
21. Grimcutty
22. House of the Witch
23. The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari
24. Friday the 13th (2009)
25. Halloween (1978)
26. Werewolves Within

 

[Ninjablade]

Night 26:

An American Werewolf in London (1981)
This movie wasn't what I was expecting. I like it quite a bit, but there was a lot of minor things that prevented me from loving it. It felt like every time I was getting invested in the movie it would do something really bizarre and take me right out of it. Both major and minor things, but particularly the editing. This movie had some really atrocious editing at times. So, many abrupt cuts, with the first transformation and the literal ending being the worst offenders. The effect and makeup work was outstanding. I thought everything looked really good outside of the actual werewolf's final form. Never been a fan of them being legit dogs, and I thought going that route here kinda hurt. You could tell they were hiding the awkward rear end of the animatronic (which did look pretty good). On the whole though, really good movie.

 

[-Arya-]

Night 26:

An American Werewolf in London (1981)
This movie wasn't what I was expecting. I like it quite a bit, but there was a lot of minor things that prevented me from loving it. It felt like every time I was getting invested in the movie it would do something really bizarre and take me right out of it. Both major and minor things, but particularly the editing. This movie had some really atrocious editing at times. So, many abrupt cuts, with the first transformation and the literal ending being the worst offenders. The effect and makeup work was outstanding. I thought everything looked really good outside of the actual werewolf's final form. Never been a fan of them being legit dogs, and I thought going that route here kinda hurt. You could tell they were hiding the awkward rear end of the animatronic (which did look pretty good). On the whole though, really good movie.

This movie was so inconsistent.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Night 26

73. Annihilation

Spooky Review: Cosmic horror that truly gets under your skin. Literally. I don't really have much to say about this one other then it's really good, and I really wish Snow didn't like it as much as she did, so I could stop being scarred on a yearly basis.

4.5/5

74. Spree

Spooky Review: A clever use of modern tech and trends is made 10x better by a fantastic performance from Steve. I feel like the B-plot let's the film down a bit, but when he's on camera, it's a real good time.

4/5

75. We Summon the Darkness

Spooky Review: A proper B movie, with a good sense of humor and some pretty decent performances, especially from the woman pictured above. In some ways, what if X was fun.

3.5/5

76. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

Spooky Review: The renaissance of 90s kid horror is so much up my alley that this one became an instant staple. It's a bit more "frightening" then they usually come, giving it a fun edge. It's biggest issue is that it's crazy dark in places (my 4k can't even fix that) and it slows a bit near the end. Still, so much fun. You know what isn't though? Waiting for the promised sequel!

4/5

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Night 26:

An American Werewolf in London (1981)
This movie wasn't what I was expecting. I like it quite a bit, but there was a lot of minor things that prevented me from loving it. It felt like every time I was getting invested in the movie it would do something really bizarre and take me right out of it. Both major and minor things, but particularly the editing. This movie had some really atrocious editing at times. So, many abrupt cuts, with the first transformation and the literal ending being the worst offenders. The effect and makeup work was outstanding. I thought everything looked really good outside of the actual werewolf's final form. Never been a fan of them being legit dogs, and I thought going that route here kinda hurt. You could tell they were hiding the awkward rear end of the animatronic (which did look pretty good). On the whole though, really good movie.

I have a lot of love for the horror "classics", but man, do some of them really show their age.

 

[-Arya-]

Ichi the Killer - 8/10

a.k.a Tarantino’s favorite movie.


I would categorize this as a crime/horror movie. It has a convoluted and messy plot (I think there are 3 “protagonists”) with some shocking, sometimes cartoonish levels of violence. But at its core, this is a really interesting study of sadomasochism and psychopathy. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone with a weak stomach.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

The greatest phrase is all of television horror:

 

[Ninjablade]

Night 27:

Werewolves Within (2021)
Am I in love? Yes I am. I mean how can you not? Milana Vayntrub is just 10/10 just for her alone. This was wonderful. It's so insane and OTT. Nothing you haven't seen a million times with it's basic plotting, but you're still surprised in the end because you're lowkey rooting for it to be different because the leads have such palpable chemistry. The cast in this is great, and they all kill it. Found all the characters, except Trish, to be really likable. Everyone was funny in their own right. Certainly better than Snow Hollow.

Barbarian (2022)
Saw this in theaters with a really **** audience, so I'm glad I got to watch it again by myself to really appreciate this movie more than I was originally able too. I certainly respect this movie a hell of a lot more than I like it. The first third is really good at setting up an expectation that gets entirely flipped on its head in the second act. Unfortunately, I just think the final act of the movie is a little too ridiculous and insane for my liking. I originally called it this year's Malignant, and I still feel that's an apt description. Very different movies, and Malignant is a lot better, but they both really throw you in for a spin that unfolds into insanity if you're watching it blind. Hope this is a great breakout role for Georgia Campbell. She was great in that Black Mirror episode, and fantastic here. I wish Bill Skarsgård had been in this longer. Justin Long continues to do the most bizarre horror movies, and I'm here for it.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Freaky would be an all timer if they had cast an actor who at least tried to act like Newton's character, as opposed to Vaughn who thinks being any woman is all in the limp wrist.

 

[Mani-Man]

Night 27 with the Reboot of another Icon of the Genre...Chucky.

Childs Play (2019)

Its hard to make a reboot work in general, one where your main Killer is charming as hell...almost impossible.
This movie isnt the worst, but if you have the choice, you are better off even with the bad Chucky movies.
Because at least the charm of the character is there.
That is missing in this one sadly.
And when that happens and every other character is one dimensional, you lose a lot of what made the Original work.

The movie is okay, but lacks everything that makes the Chucky movies hilarious fun.
Its a bland try to "modernize" a franchise that runs on its weirdness.

1.The Legend of Halloween Jack
2.Antlers(2021)
3.Halloween House/Houses of Terror/The Houses October Built
4.Incantation
5.The Cursed
6.The Ritual (2017)
7.Hellraiser(1987)
8.Paranormal Activity 2
9. Werewolf by Night
10. Blade(1998)
11. Zombie Massacre: Reich of the Dead
12. Scream 4
13. Halloween 5 The Revenge of Michael Myers
14. SAW 1
15. The Nun
16. The Conjuring 2
17. Sleepy Hollow
18. Cloverfield
19. Alien (1979)
20. Final Destination 1
21. Grimcutty
22. House of the Witch
23. The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari
24. Friday the 13th (2009)
25. Halloween (1978)
26. Werewolves Within
27. Childs Play (2019)

 

[Batgirl0202]

Hubie Halloween (2020)
30 Days of Night (2007)
The Thing (2011)
Slumber Party Massacre (2021)
Werewolf by Night (2022)
Freaky (2020)
Morbius (2022)
Prey (2022)
The Forever Purge (2021)
Hocus Pocus (1993)
Friday the 13th (OG) (1980)
X (2022)

X is the very definition of an existential horror movie, one where the 'monster' isn't supernatural or flesh and blood, but rather the cruel ravages of the passage of time.

I don't think it's an accident that two of the film's finest setpieces have Fleetwood Mac's Landslide and Blue Öyster Cult's (Don't Fear) The Reaper as their soundtracks. Both songs haunting ruminations on the inevitability of mortality, the film hammers home the concept that life is brutish and short, and that some things can only be resisted, and then only for awhile.

And seriously, Mia Goth deserves an Oscar for her work in this film...

Pearl and MaXXXine will both be on my radar for future Halloween Seasons.

 

[antsman41]

Hubie Halloween (2020)
30 Days of Night (2007)
The Thing (2011)
Slumber Party Massacre (2021)
Werewolf by Night (2022)
Freaky (2020)
Morbius (2022)
Prey (2022)
The Forever Purge (2021)
Hocus Pocus (1993)
Friday the 13th (OG) (1980)
X (2022)

X is the very definition of an existential horror movie, one where the 'monster' isn't supernatural or flesh and blood, but rather the cruel ravages of the passage of time.

I don't think it's an accident that two of the film's finest setpieces have Fleetwood Mac's Landslide and Blue Öyster Cult's (Don't Fear) The Reaper as their soundtracks. Both songs haunting ruminations on the inevitability of mortality, the film hammers home the concept that life is brutish and short, and that some things can only be resisted, and then only for awhile.

And seriously, Mia Goth deserves an Oscar for her work in this film...

Pearl and MaXXXine will both be on my radar for future Halloween Seasons.

If you think Mia deserves an Oscar for X… watch Pearl instantly.

 

[Ninjablade]

I love filmmaking.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

Darth: Well Snow, we have an open slot on the list. We can pick one more movie.

Snow: What's the options?

Darth: Love and-

Snow: That one.

Darth: Don't you want to know the other-

Snow: No. Love and Monsters.

She's so predictable

Spoiler

 

[Snow Queen]

Darth: Well Snow, we have an open slot on the list. We can pick one more movie.

Snow: What's the options?

Darth: Love and-

Snow: That one.

Darth: Don't you want to know the other-

Snow: No. Love and Monsters.

She's so predictable

Spoiler

You presented the option, this is your fault.

 

[DarthSkywalker]

You presented the option, this is your fault.

 

[Snow Queen]

Usually how that works.