At the Movies with Kane and BN

Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers

Finally diving into the Thorn trilogy for the first time and I thought Return was pretty much a safe reintroduction to Myers. With the set up it pretty much retreads from the first film and they tried to make Ellie Cornell the Laurie Strode for this movie and it doesn't really work. What does work however is Danielle Harris who plays Jamie Llyod and it's insane how she manages to out perform every adult in the movie. Donald Pleasence is still crazy ass Loomis and that final scene was pure gold. What really sucks is Michael Myers himself, between the sh** mask and how George P. Wilbur moves as Myers is so awkward, they really dropped the ball. Also since this was made in the late 80s, you do see the influences from other horror franchises (which themselves were influenced by the original Halloween) And speaking of the 80s, this movie definitely has the stench of the Regan era between the traditional values talk, the lynch mobs and the pro cop messages, but I don't know what it's really trying to say here. Overall, Not bad but they definitely played it super safe.
3/5

31 Day Horror Marathon 2022
Day 1 | Smile (3.5/5)
Day 2 | Hellbender (2.5/5)
Day 3 | Incantation (3/5)
Day 4 | Hatching (3.5/5)
Day 5 | The Sadness (4.5/5)
Day 6 | You Won't Be Alone (4/5)
Day 7 | Hellraiser (2022) (3.5/5)
Day 8 | The Innocents (2021) (4/5)
Day 9 | She Will (2.5/5)
Day 10 | Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (3/5)
​

 

Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers

Are we to believe Michael Myers was roommates with a homeless man for a year and nothing happened? If so, give me a movie where it just follows them and all their whimsical adventures with each other.

Now, this is what I was waiting for when people always talk about the crappy sequels. Between the production and the script, you can tell this was put together by duct tape considering it was released a year after the last one. They didn't even care this time that this was obviously shot during the summer. Donald Pleasence gets more unhinged with each movie and here he's at his most insane. Found it interesting how they kept going into the Friday the 13th territory with each movie where the formula is so in your face. Jamie's step-sister suddenly becomes the hot girl that gets killed after he killed the last hot girl. Also the duo cops they got here are pretty much the Bulk & Skull of the movie. And the whole Man in Black character seems like it either was thrown in the last second or had more scenes that were eventually cut out of the movie.

I would like to apologize for the last mask that looked like some bad paper mache because this new mask looks like the paper mache started melting. All that being said, Danielle Harris was great despite not giving her any lines for the most part. And the last 20 minutes were enjoyable for the most part and it actually felt like a Halloween movie. Overall, while it's an enjoyable bad movie, there are a couple of moments that kinda worked.
2.5/5

31 Day Horror Marathon 2022
Day 1 | Smile (3.5/5)
Day 2 | Hellbender (2.5/5)
Day 3 | Incantation (3/5)
Day 4 | Hatching (3.5/5)
Day 5 | The Sadness (4.5/5)
Day 6 | You Won't Be Alone (4/5)
Day 7 | Hellraiser (2022) (3.5/5)
Day 8 | The Innocents (2021) (4/5)
Day 9 | She Will (2.5/5)
Day 10 | Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (3/5)
Day 11 | Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (2.5/5)
​

 

Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (producers cut)

Didn't expect to enjoy this as much as I did but here we are. Of the Thorn trilogy, this feels the most inspired by John Carpenter's original while expanding on the mythos which feels a bit wonky towards the end. And with no surprise, the 90s aesthetic is plastered all over this movie and it's interesting to see this come out a year before Scream comes in and dismantles the slasher trope. Marianne Hagan probably does the best Laurie of three in this trilogy and while I get why if you're a fan of Jamie Lloyd, you'll be pissed at what they did to her but I don't mind it. It's also interesting to see this as Paul Rudd's first film and he's playing against type. I actually thought Donald Pleasence kinda reigned it back for this one which was surprising. Overall, for a Halloween movie, it's competently made for the most part and I really enjoyed it.
3.5/5

31 Day Horror Marathon 2022
Day 1 | Smile (3.5/5)
Day 2 | Hellbender (2.5/5)
Day 3 | Incantation (3/5)
Day 4 | Hatching (3.5/5)
Day 5 | The Sadness (4.5/5)
Day 6 | You Won't Be Alone (4/5)
Day 7 | Hellraiser (2022) (3.5/5)
Day 8 | The Innocents (2021) (4/5)
Day 9 | She Will (2.5/5)
Day 10 | Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (3/5)
Day 11 | Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (2.5/5)
Day 12 | Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (3.5/5)
​

 

Halloween Ends

You know what's the next level of the "psychopath drinking milk" cliche? A psychopath drinking chocolate milk.

Forty-plus years later, Halloween Ends puts the final bow onto the Halloween franchise (hopefully) with some somber reflections from Jamie Lee Curtis. To me, this was a huge upgrade from Halloween Kills where it was almost a borderline parody of something you'd see from The Simpsons. David Gordon Green does a better job here where he manages to focus more on the characters and themes and not just the spectacle even though they do still deliver on it when we get to the last act. It's also directed better even though I could have done without the flashback footage. I thought Andi Matichak really stepped up here performance-wise from the previous two movies and they do give her a lot more to work with. The music by John and Cody Carpenter was excellent and incredibly fitting. Overall, for those fans wanting the same hack-and-slash formula, they will be somewhat (or totally) disappointed because they tried something different here even though it stays true to the themes of the original film. To me, this worked way more than I ever expected.
4/5

31 Day Horror Marathon 2022
Day 1 | Smile (3.5/5)
Day 2 | Hellbender (2.5/5)
Day 3 | Incantation (3/5)
Day 4 | Hatching (3.5/5)
Day 5 | The Sadness (4.5/5)
Day 6 | You Won't Be Alone (4/5)
Day 7 | Hellraiser (2022) (3.5/5)
Day 8 | The Innocents (2021) (4/5)
Day 9 | She Will (2.5/5)
Day 10 | Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (3/5)
Day 11 | Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (2.5/5)
Day 12 | Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (3.5/5)
Day 13 | Halloween Ends (4/5)
​

 

Deadstream

A found footage horror movie that asks the question, "What if Evil Dead 2 was about an annoying ass twitch/youtube influencer?"

This was pretty good but the whole time I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop where this fake personality was revealed to be faking this whole setup and then to be revealed it's all real. It just seems like there was a step missing in the script that really drive home the plot and the character that they set up. Either way, once the scares start, it's very much like Evil Dead where it's built on the comedy of this guy freaking out only he's not at all likable and you're actually rooting for him to die. It's also similar to Dashcam in that way as well but I thought this did a better job at it. I like how fake and rubbery the special effects are and all the bizarre horror moments this goes into. Overall, pretty good but I kinda wish it was better.
3/5

31 Day Horror Marathon 2022
Day 1 | Smile (3.5/5)
Day 2 | Hellbender (2.5/5)
Day 3 | Incantation (3/5)
Day 4 | Hatching (3.5/5)
Day 5 | The Sadness (4.5/5)
Day 6 | You Won't Be Alone (4/5)
Day 7 | Hellraiser (2022) (3.5/5)
Day 8 | The Innocents (2021) (4/5)
Day 9 | She Will (2.5/5)
Day 10 | Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (3/5)
Day 11 | Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (2.5/5)
Day 12 | Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (3.5/5)
Day 13 | Halloween Ends (4/5)
Day 14 | Deadstream (3/5)
​

 

The Mummy (1932)

You know, I feel like the British Museum had it coming.

Finally getting into the original Mummy series and I thought it was decent enough, but not anything mindblowing. I feel like it's borrowing some key moments from Dracula which is funny since this came out a year later. Also, it's interesting that the Brendan Fraser Mummy films also used Imhotep and Anck-Su-Namun. I thought the best thing about this was Boris Karloff playing Imhotep but I feel like they could have done more. Overall, it's a solid movie but I'm more interested to see where this goes next.
3/5

31 Day Horror Marathon 2022
Day 1 | Smile (3.5/5)
Day 2 | Hellbender (2.5/5)
Day 3 | Incantation (3/5)
Day 4 | Hatching (3.5/5)
Day 5 | The Sadness (4.5/5)
Day 6 | You Won't Be Alone (4/5)
Day 7 | Hellraiser (2022) (3.5/5)
Day 8 | The Innocents (2021) (4/5)
Day 9 | She Will (2.5/5)
Day 10 | Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (3/5)
Day 11 | Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (2.5/5)
Day 12 | Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (3.5/5)
Day 13 | Halloween Ends (4/5)
Day 14 | Deadstream (3/5)
Day 15 | The Mummy (1932) (3/5)
​

 

The Mummy's Hand

My boy Kharis the mummy just wanted his 5 hour energy drink in peace and the colonizers killed him, damn.

It's funny to see this movie function considering how much cost cutting they had between reusing the footage of the first Mummy (which has zero connections to the story) and the score which they reused from the Son of Frankenstein. Either way, you can see the precode nature of the first movie go out the window and what you have here is a very safe and standard adventure film set in "Cairo" that centers around two buddy Americans from Brooklyn. It's definitely has a more of a comedic tone that takes up most of the movie. Once we actually get to the mummy part itself it does get better but not by much. I will say I thought Peggy Moran had a couple of scenes that kinda stood out but sadly they made her regress as the damsel. Overall, it's an okay movie that felt like it was made out of obligation.
2.5/5

31 Day Horror Marathon 2022
Day 1 | Smile (3.5/5)
Day 2 | Hellbender (2.5/5)
Day 3 | Incantation (3/5)
Day 4 | Hatching (3.5/5)
Day 5 | The Sadness (4.5/5)
Day 6 | You Won't Be Alone (4/5)
Day 7 | Hellraiser (2022) (3.5/5)
Day 8 | The Innocents (2021) (4/5)
Day 9 | She Will (2.5/5)
Day 10 | Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (3/5)
Day 11 | Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (2.5/5)
Day 12 | Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (3.5/5)
Day 13 | Halloween Ends (4/5)
Day 14 | Deadstream (3/5)
Day 15 | The Mummy (1932) (3/5)
Day 16 | The Mummy's Hand (1940) (2.5/5)
​

 

The Mummy's Tomb

Lon Chaney Jr. playing the 3rd incarnation of the Mummy in what is essentially the proto-slasher was something I never expected.

A decent step up from The Mummy's Hand where this goes back on the horror and the horror elements. Lon Chaney Jr. takes over for Tom Tyler's Kharis in this sequel that takes place 30 years after the events of the last movie. The biggest issue I have with The Mummy's Tomb is pretty much everything at the beginning where it takes over 10 minutes to recap the events of the previous movie and this is about an hour long. Once that's done it does a good job getting you right into the plot and what the movie is about which is a proto-slasher revenge film. Dick Foran as Steve Banning returns only to die which I didn't expect and the other kills are pretty interesting. While I thought the main couple was lackluster, Turhan Bey does a pretty good job playing the petty and self-centered villain. Overall, while it doesn't say or do anything too memorable, I did admire its return to horror proper.
3/5

31 Day Horror Marathon 2022
Day 1 | Smile (3.5/5)
Day 2 | Hellbender (2.5/5)
Day 3 | Incantation (3/5)
Day 4 | Hatching (3.5/5)
Day 5 | The Sadness (4.5/5)
Day 6 | You Won't Be Alone (4/5)
Day 7 | Hellraiser (2022) (3.5/5)
Day 8 | The Innocents (2021) (4/5)
Day 9 | She Will (2.5/5)
Day 10 | Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (3/5)
Day 11 | Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (2.5/5)
Day 12 | Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (3.5/5)
Day 13 | Halloween Ends (4/5)
Day 14 | Deadstream (3/5)
Day 15 | The Mummy (1932) (3/5)
Day 16 | The Mummy's Hand (1940) (2.5/5)
Day 17 | The Mummy's Tomb (1942) (3/5)
​

 

The Mummy's Ghost

Credit to this movie for having some of the most hilarious fake dummy action sequences I've seen in a while.

Lon Chaney Jr. returns as Kharis the mummy in what is pretty much a romantic horror film in the vein of Bride of Frankenstein and Swamp Thing but not fully there. It somewhat pulls away from the proto-slasher of the previous film and what you got here is a mummy movie where the tone is somewhere in between Hand and Tomb. Ramsay Ames was pretty decent despite her playing the damsel and it was cool to see Robert Lowery who would later become the 2nd person to play Batman. John Carradine plays the other villain and I thought he was good despite the problematic nature of him playing an Egyptian. Also, considering this came out in 44 you do see some obvious plot propaganda. I will say I thought the ending was pretty good also it was hilarious how it became an episode of Lassie. Overall, it's decent but it's getting pretty tiring how each movie repeats the same beats over and over.
3/5

31 Day Horror Marathon 2022
Day 1 | Smile (3.5/5)
Day 2 | Hellbender (2.5/5)
Day 3 | Incantation (3/5)
Day 4 | Hatching (3.5/5)
Day 5 | The Sadness (4.5/5)
Day 6 | You Won't Be Alone (4/5)
Day 7 | Hellraiser (2022) (3.5/5)
Day 8 | The Innocents (2021) (4/5)
Day 9 | She Will (2.5/5)
Day 10 | Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (3/5)
Day 11 | Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (2.5/5)
Day 12 | Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (3.5/5)
Day 13 | Halloween Ends (4/5)
Day 14 | Deadstream (3/5)
Day 15 | The Mummy (1932) (3/5)
Day 16 | The Mummy's Hand (1940) (2.5/5)
Day 17 | The Mummy's Tomb (1942) (3/5)
Day 18 | The Mummy's Ghost (1944) (3/5)
​

 

The Mummy's Curse

The fact that the "high priest" of all the mummy movies just passes away off-screen is hilarious.

The final Mummy movie that happens to be released in the same year as The Mummy's Ghost is... well, roughly the same. I will say though, this movie feels like a combination of all the previous mummy movies put together. Lon Chaney Jr. as Kharis the Mummy was okay... they don't really give him anything new to do. Someone who really stood out in this is Virginia Christine who replaces Ramsay Ames as Amina Mansori/Princess Ananka and they give her a really cool intro scene that I'm sure Sam Raimi saw and borrowed it for the Sandman. Since it takes place in the swamps, you get a crew of minority workers who all play up their stereotypes that don't age well. Overall, it's about the same.
3/5

31 Day Horror Marathon 2022
Day 1 | Smile (3.5/5)
Day 2 | Hellbender (2.5/5)
Day 3 | Incantation (3/5)
Day 4 | Hatching (3.5/5)
Day 5 | The Sadness (4.5/5)
Day 6 | You Won't Be Alone (4/5)
Day 7 | Hellraiser (2022) (3.5/5)
Day 8 | The Innocents (2021) (4/5)
Day 9 | She Will (2.5/5)
Day 10 | Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (3/5)
Day 11 | Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (2.5/5)
Day 12 | Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (3.5/5)
Day 13 | Halloween Ends (4/5)
Day 14 | Deadstream (3/5)
Day 15 | The Mummy (1932) (3/5)
Day 16 | The Mummy's Hand (1940) (2.5/5)
Day 17 | The Mummy's Tomb (1942) (3/5)
Day 18 | The Mummy's Ghost (1944) (3/5)
Day 19 | The Mummy's Curse (1944) (3/5)
​

 

Black Adam

The hierarchy in the DC Cinematic Universe is about to change... where they pretty much do that Dawn of the Seven movie from The Boys but unironically.

I can't say I was looking forward to this since the trailers didn't do much for me, but I am a fan of The Rock, Shazam/Black Adam, and the cast and crew they've assembled here. This movie is basically a frankenstein monster of different comic book movies stitched together, whether it is BVS, 300, X-Men, Bloodshot, Venom, or Morbius. And that's on top of the obvious stuff like The Scorpion King and Tomb Raider. It's a movie where they take all the shortcuts when it comes to character development that's not Black Adam (and even then it's very light and straightforward) and primarily focuses on the video game action scenes, the set pieces, the easter eggs, and the funny gags. Most of the dialogue feels like it came directly out of a video game that nobody plays anymore. They don't even set up the Justice Society all that well, it just felt thrown in like a last-minute addition with zero care for what they represent.

All that being said, the only good I have to say about this is I actually liked Mo Amer who plays the comedy relief and there's a point in the first act where I kinda wish it was just a movie about him and Sarah Shahi who plays Adrianna Tomaz... but is really auditioning to be the next Lara Croft. Also there's a message that they try to attempt about colonization where they kinda talk about the middle east and the American military industrial complex, but it's so incredibly surface level that almost feels phony. And as for the anticipated after-credits scene... it's without question up there with the Morbius after-credits scene as one of the most confusing and useless piece of footage I've ever seen. Overall, it's exactly the kind of movie that gamers who strictly play video games all the time think of what a movie is where it's nothing but CG action scenes and bad green screen. It's a poor imitation of Zack Snyder's DC vision which is something you never want to be associated with in the first place.
1.5/5

 

V/H/S/99

This needed more JNCO jeans, pokemon cards, and dial-up sounds.

It's always great to get another VHS movie and while I feel like this doesn't really live up to 94 in terms of scares, it's got some fun moments when it comes to some of the segments. I feel like the wraparound this time is probably the best one only because it's so short and it actually ties to one of the segments instead of building up to its own thing.


Shredding
This one was pretty good and it's obviously trying to be Jackass if it was about some teen punks who have a garage band and do pranks on each other. I feel like this is a much better version of the Bonestorm segment from Viral where this actually leads into something interesting from the past that haunts them. It's nothing too mind-blowing, but the payoff was decent.
3/5



Suicide Bid
This one takes the sorority initiation trope and turns it up a notch where it takes place at a grave site. You kinda know where it's headed and it plays out where you are hoping the girl gets her revenge. The bulk of it does take place inside of a coffin and while I think Buried did it better and it felt more claustrophobic, I think this ending was pretty good.
3/5



Ozzy's Dungeon
The one and only Flying Lotus comes in and pretty much gets the Timo Tjahjanto treatment which is the longest segment with the most insane and hilarious off-the-wall stuff you'll see. It is pretty much the Legends of the Hidden Temple crossed with Double Dare but with a couple of twists that nobody will see coming. I absolutely loved this and I don't wanna say much without giving it away but it's a must-see. I actually kinda wish this was its own movie.
4.5/5



The Gawkers
This was another good one that uses the wraparound and actually shows who's behind it. It's pretty much Rear Window but with horny teenagers and a twist. Finding out it's by Tyler MacIntyre who's behind Tragedy Girls makes a lot of sense with how this segment plays out. I think this one has more in common with Amateur Night but not as good.
3/5



To Hell And Back
Just having seen Deadstream, this one makes a lot of sense considering it's by Vanessa & Joseph Winter. It's full of crazy creature designs with some jump scares that puts back some of the horror that feels a bit lackluster. Much like Deadstream, also hilarious and it gets crazier as the further they get into hell. Melanie Stone returns and it seems like she plays crazy pretty well. It almost feels like a sister segment to Parallel Monsters from Viral but done better.
3.5/5


Overall, I feel like V/H/S94 might still be the best one in terms of scares and craziness, but 99 does a good job making things light and less scary but still really entertaining, unlike Viral.
3/5

31 Day Horror Marathon 2022
Day 1 | Smile (3.5/5)
Day 2 | Hellbender (2.5/5)
Day 3 | Incantation (3/5)
Day 4 | Hatching (3.5/5)
Day 5 | The Sadness (4.5/5)
Day 6 | You Won't Be Alone (4/5)
Day 7 | Hellraiser (2022) (3.5/5)
Day 8 | The Innocents (2021) (4/5)
Day 9 | She Will (2.5/5)
Day 10 | Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (3/5)
Day 11 | Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (2.5/5)
Day 12 | Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (3.5/5)
Day 13 | Halloween Ends (4/5)
Day 14 | Deadstream (3/5)
Day 15 | The Mummy (1932) (3/5)
Day 16 | The Mummy's Hand (2.5/5)
Day 17 | The Mummy's Tomb (3/5)
Day 18 | The Mummy's Ghost (3/5)
Day 19 | The Mummy's Curse (3/5)
Day 20 | V/H/S/99 (3/5)
​

 

Piranha II: The Spawning

Hey who knew James Cameron's first feature was about water creatures and deep underwater diving?

Obviously, this wasn't all too good but there are moments that I thought kinda worked. You can tell James Cameron was trying to make something good here, but he had to fight the producer Ovidio G. Assonitis who wanted to make his shlocky softcore porno that doesn't fit the tone of the rest of the movie. The only two actors here who seem like they're actually trying here are Tricia O'Neil who pretty much plays the lead and Lance Henriksen. Some of the gore effects are pretty good for its time and I thought maybe a couple of scenes with the piranhas were kinda terrifying. Overall, while most of the movie is pretty hammy and awkward, some parts of the movie were not bad.
2/5

31 Day Horror Marathon 2022
Day 1 | Smile (3.5/5)
Day 2 | Hellbender (2.5/5)
Day 3 | Incantation (3/5)
Day 4 | Hatching (3.5/5)
Day 5 | The Sadness (4.5/5)
Day 6 | You Won't Be Alone (4/5)
Day 7 | Hellraiser (2022) (3.5/5)
Day 8 | The Innocents (2021) (4/5)
Day 9 | She Will (2.5/5)
Day 10 | Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (3/5)
Day 11 | Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (2.5/5)
Day 12 | Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (3.5/5)
Day 13 | Halloween Ends (4/5)
Day 14 | Deadstream (3/5)
Day 15 | The Mummy (1932) (3/5)
Day 16 | The Mummy's Hand (2.5/5)
Day 17 | The Mummy's Tomb (3/5)
Day 18 | The Mummy's Ghost (3/5)
Day 19 | The Mummy's Curse (3/5)
Day 20 | V/H/S/99 (3/5)
Day 21 | Piranha II: The Spawning (2/5)
​

 

Hell House LLC

As someone from Queens, I will not accept all this Queens slander.

It's one of the found footage movies that was always on my checklist... to the point where I thought The Houses October Built was the haunted house movie everyone was talking about. While I still love October Built and where that movie feels more like an ode to Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Hell House does a better job at the scares and it feels more in line with the Blair Witch Project. My only complaint is the documentary portion of the movie doesn't really work and the performances take you out of the movie. Everyone feels like they're either phoning it in or they're overacting like Theodore Bouloukos who thinks he's gonna get a movie with Daniel Day Lewis after this. Overall, really dug it.
4/5

31 Day Horror Marathon 2022
Day 1 | Smile (3.5/5)
Day 2 | Hellbender (2.5/5)
Day 3 | Incantation (3/5)
Day 4 | Hatching (3.5/5)
Day 5 | The Sadness (4.5/5)
Day 6 | You Won't Be Alone (4/5)
Day 7 | Hellraiser (2022) (3.5/5)
Day 8 | The Innocents (2021) (4/5)
Day 9 | She Will (2.5/5)
Day 10 | Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (3/5)
Day 11 | Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (2.5/5)
Day 12 | Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (3.5/5)
Day 13 | Halloween Ends (4/5)
Day 14 | Deadstream (3/5)
Day 15 | The Mummy (1932) (3/5)
Day 16 | The Mummy's Hand (2.5/5)
Day 17 | The Mummy's Tomb (3/5)
Day 18 | The Mummy's Ghost (3/5)
Day 19 | The Mummy's Curse (3/5)
Day 20 | V/H/S/99 (3/5)
Day 21 | Piranha II: The Spawning (2/5)
Day 22 | Hell House LLC (4/5)
​

 

I'm always a big fan of found footage and it sucks that the trend kinda went away and now we're still kinda stuck with haunted home/demon possession movies.

 

The Lost Boys

Three immediate thoughts:
A Richard Donner produced film? Of course they would talk about Superman. Alex Winter aka Bill from Bill & Ted and the dude in Freaked playing an edgy vampire who's in a gang? Hilarious. And last but not least... I STILL BELIEVE!

Finally crossing this out of my long list of horror movies that I never got to see, this was pretty much what I thought it was going to be. It's a vampire flick for those who aren't into scary horror movies and are a fan of coming of age movies like Stand By Me and American Graffiti. You can see why this became such a cult hit for people in the late 80s where you see posters of this movie on so many walls. Filmmaking wise it's such a relic of its time that you can never reproduce it like how it is and Joel Schumacher does a pretty good job at it. I will say I think Corey Feldman is playing in a completely different movie from the rest of the cast, it's so bizarre and it kinda takes you out of it. Overall, I think the movie mostly works, but it definitely sets up the future of vampire movies where they take the teen heartthrob approach to its detriment.
3.5/5

31 Day Horror Marathon 2022
Day 1 | Smile (3.5/5)
Day 2 | Hellbender (2.5/5)
Day 3 | Incantation (3/5)
Day 4 | Hatching (3.5/5)
Day 5 | The Sadness (4.5/5)
Day 6 | You Won't Be Alone (4/5)
Day 7 | Hellraiser (2022) (3.5/5)
Day 8 | The Innocents (2021) (4/5)
Day 9 | She Will (2.5/5)
Day 10 | Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (3/5)
Day 11 | Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (2.5/5)
Day 12 | Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (3.5/5)
Day 13 | Halloween Ends (4/5)
Day 14 | Deadstream (3/5)
Day 15 | The Mummy (1932) (3/5)
Day 16 | The Mummy's Hand (2.5/5)
Day 17 | The Mummy's Tomb (3/5)
Day 18 | The Mummy's Ghost (3/5)
Day 19 | The Mummy's Curse (3/5)
Day 20 | V/H/S/99 (3/5)
Day 21 | Piranha II: The Spawning (2/5)
Day 22 | Hell House LLC (4/5)
Day 23 | The Lost Boys (3.5/5)
​

 

Dead Silence (Rewatch)

It's been a while since I had this on my October rotation but this movie still rules. Between James Wan eccentric directing and just the music alone... It's the quickest way for me to get into the Halloween mood other than Halloween 78 or Trick r Treat. I still find some parts utterly hilarious like every acting decision Donnie Wahlberg makes here. But anyways, I'm glad Wan came back to this kind of filmmaking and made Malignant, we need more crazy ass horror movies like Dead Silence.
5/5

Also, it never occurred to me but this sounds so much like Goosebumps and maybe that's why it works so well.

31 Day Horror Marathon 2022
Day 1 | Smile (3.5/5)
Day 2 | Hellbender (2.5/5)
Day 3 | Incantation (3/5)
Day 4 | Hatching (3.5/5)
Day 5 | The Sadness (4.5/5)
Day 6 | You Won't Be Alone (4/5)
Day 7 | Hellraiser (2022) (3.5/5)
Day 8 | The Innocents (2021) (4/5)
Day 9 | She Will (2.5/5)
Day 10 | Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (3/5)
Day 11 | Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (2.5/5)
Day 12 | Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (3.5/5)
Day 13 | Halloween Ends (4/5)
Day 14 | Deadstream (3/5)
Day 15 | The Mummy (1932) (3/5)
Day 16 | The Mummy's Hand (2.5/5)
Day 17 | The Mummy's Tomb (3/5)
Day 18 | The Mummy's Ghost (3/5)
Day 19 | The Mummy's Curse (3/5)
Day 20 | V/H/S/99 (3/5)
Day 21 | Piranha II: The Spawning (2/5)
Day 22 | Hell House LLC (4/5)
Day 23 | The Lost Boys (3.5/5)
Day 24 | Dead Silence (5/5) (REWATCH)
​

 

Halloween III: Season of the Witch (REWATCH)

It wouldn't be a horror marathon without my favorite Halloween movie that's not 78. Just glad more people are finally finding appreciation for this one. Now having seen the Thorne trilogy, filmmaking wise it is interesting that III was the last time these movies actually feels like Carpenter's Halloween where he uses his same crew.
5/5

31 Day Horror Marathon 2022
Day 1 | Smile (3.5/5)
Day 2 | Hellbender (2.5/5)
Day 3 | Incantation (3/5)
Day 4 | Hatching (3.5/5)
Day 5 | The Sadness (4.5/5)
Day 6 | You Won't Be Alone (4/5)
Day 7 | Hellraiser (2022) (3.5/5)
Day 8 | The Innocents (2021) (4/5)
Day 9 | She Will (2.5/5)
Day 10 | Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (3/5)
Day 11 | Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (2.5/5)
Day 12 | Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (3.5/5)
Day 13 | Halloween Ends (4/5)
Day 14 | Deadstream (3/5)
Day 15 | The Mummy (1932) (3/5)
Day 16 | The Mummy's Hand (2.5/5)
Day 17 | The Mummy's Tomb (3/5)
Day 18 | The Mummy's Ghost (3/5)
Day 19 | The Mummy's Curse (3/5)
Day 20 | V/H/S/99 (3/5)
Day 21 | Piranha II: The Spawning (2/5)
Day 22 | Hell House LLC (4/5)
Day 23 | The Lost Boys (3.5/5)
Day 24 | Dead Silence (5/5) (REWATCH)
Day 25 | Halloween III: Season of the Witch (5/5) (REWATCH)
​

 

I've been so busy for the last few days so I haven't been able to post these on the Hype and tumblr. But anyways here's the rest of my marathon:



The Thing (REWATCH)

It's always between this movie and The Mist for me when it comes to what is my favorite horror movie. It wouldn't be a real horror marathon without this that John Captneter brilliantly made. Also, I think I might check out the tv version next year just for the hell of it.
5/5



The Mist (REWATCH)

Can't stress enough how much better it is watching this in black and white. It takes you back to the George Romero days of horror which is what Darabont wanted. I know people love to bring up the ending but I just wanted to give a shoutout that the rest of the movie works just as well with humanity being the ultimate villain.
5/5



Night of the Living Dead (REWATCH)

I feel like this is the opposite problem of what people love to bring up with The Mist. While the opening of the movie is iconic and memorable, the rest of the movie, and especially the ending is just as good. Duane Jones should be more memorialized when talking about this movie.
5/5



Nosferatu (REWATCH)

Happy 100th birthday to this iconic movie. I still think the doorway scene is one of the scariest and haunting imagery of all of horror. I still remember getting nightmares about this when I first saw this.
5/5



Barbarian (REWATCH)

Rewatching this for the 3rd time... this time at home with a group of family and I can't help but love this even more. It's always great to see horror being at the forefront of whatever issues are relevant to our time and Barbarian is that movie. While I still think it's incredibly predictable when things turn, I love the moves this movie makes. And while you kinda think there would be more gruesome moments, they keep it relevantly tame but focused. It takes a page out of Hitchcock and it delivers.
4.5/5


Trick 'r Treat (REWATCH)

It wouldn't be Halloween without this movie and I say that over Carpenter's Halloween. It's the best showcase of what Halloween means to everyone. I can't wait for the sequel even though I'll probably be disappointed.
5/5

31 Day Horror Marathon 2022
Day 1 | Smile (3.5/5)
Day 2 | Hellbender (2.5/5)
Day 3 | Incantation (3/5)
Day 4 | Hatching (3.5/5)
Day 5 | The Sadness (4.5/5)
Day 6 | You Won't Be Alone (4/5)
Day 7 | Hellraiser (2022) (3.5/5)
Day 8 | The Innocents (2021) (4/5)
Day 9 | She Will (2.5/5)
Day 10 | Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (3/5)
Day 11 | Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (2.5/5)
Day 12 | Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (3.5/5)
Day 13 | Halloween Ends (4/5)
Day 14 | Deadstream (3/5)
Day 15 | The Mummy (1932) (3/5)
Day 16 | The Mummy's Hand (2.5/5)
Day 17 | The Mummy's Tomb (3/5)
Day 18 | The Mummy's Ghost (3/5)
Day 19 | The Mummy's Curse (3/5)
Day 20 | V/H/S/99 (3/5)
Day 21 | Piranha II: The Spawning (2/5)
Day 22 | Hell House LLC (4/5)
Day 23 | The Lost Boys (3.5/5)
Day 24 | Dead Silence (5/5) (REWATCH)
Day 25 | Halloween III: Season of the Witch (5/5) (REWATCH)
Day 26 | The Thing (5/5) (REWATCH)
Day 27 | The Mist (5/5) (REWATCH)
Day 28 | Night of the Living Dead (5/5) (REWATCH)
Day 29 | Nosferatu (5/5)(REWATCH)
Day 30 | Barbarian (4.5/5) (REWATCH)
Day 31 | Trick 'R Treat (5/5)(REWATCH)
​

 

Tár

I wonder what the new Wikipedia entry is for Tár after that ending.

Tár is pretty much a character study of a world famous conductor and composer who's incredibly large ego gets checked and you watch her downfall through cancel culture. It's very much Cate Blanchett giving it her all in this and there are a couple of incredible scene stealers that is for sure going to be in her highlight reel during award season. Todd Field does an interesting job of questioning how you should feel about Tár and whether or not she was in the wrong at any point in the movie. Outside of that I feel like the biggest problem I have with this movie is the pacing and the length. While we get some incredible set pieces like the scene at Juilliard, the rest of the movie (especially early on) bogs down too much of subtle character moments that could have been tighter and much quicker to get across. Overall, technically it's a very well crafted movie with Cate Blanchett giving her oscar worthy performance, but I was wanting something more memorable.
3.5/5

 

Prey for the Devil

If I learned anything from this... it's that mothers aggressively banging their heads against the door is still creepy.

Prey for the Devil (or The Devil's Light) is yet another exorcism horror that pretty much does what you expect. I will say the thing I thought was interesting and different is how the director uses the Catholic Church as a MI6 for exorcism where we see it shown through the perspective of the organization and it's even shot like a spy thriller. The other interesting and different part about the movie is Jacqueline Byers who plays the lead and they do a great job making her charismatic enough to keep you interested. Other than that, it's as predictable and lame as a lot of these exorcism are which is sad considering Daniel Stamm directed this who directed one of my favorite and subversive exorcism movie with The Last Exorcism. It also feels like they cut a lot of this movie out. Overall, while I liked what they were trying to do, it falls down to yet another exorcism horror film that will be forgotten.
2/5