31 Nights of Halloween

[Daikun]

NOT THE BEES! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Rynnec]

Finished it just moments ago, A+ film for sure. Of course, the fact that it inspired an awesome Iron Maiden song doesn't hurt in the slightest.

And for those of you who haven't seen this movie yet, make sure you go into it blind.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

It has one of those really disturbing endings that I find to be legitimatelynhard to watch. We all have things that make us cringe, and....

Spoiler

....burning alive is one of those things that always gets me on edge, even if it's just a movie.

[close]

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

NIGHT 20:



Tonight we hunt witches with this early 1960's take on an Edgar Allen Poe story, starring the horror legend and icon from that era himself, Vincent Price. I wish I could say more about this film, but I've never seen it. Hopefully I can find it by tonight to give it a proper watch.

[Avaitor]

This isn't really based on the Poe story at all. AIP decided to give the film the title of The Conqueror Worm and added in some passages from the story to fit with Roger Corman and Vincent Price's Poe series of films, even though Corman had no involvement with it whatsoever.

I actually never saw this film until just yesterday. I really wanted to pick a Price film, and I almost went with the Abominable Dr. Phibes (which I might actually pick next year as a double feature with its sequel, which I've also never seen), but I wanted to try this one out for a while, which is why I went with it. And y'no, some of it is still pretty graphic today. You can find the director's cut now, but there was meant to be even more violent images that were let on the cutting room floor or didn't even make it past earlier drafts, and I think that's fine.

The film still holds up quite well, regardless. This is easily among Price's best roles, as he tones down the camp to bring in a serious, subtle performance that totally works. I know that some purists aren't crazy on how Hopkins was portrayed in the movie, and while it may not be historically accurate, it's too engrossing to simply write off.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

NIGHT 21:



We once again find ourselves dealing with the living dead tonight, in this thriller from director Lucio Fulci. Once again, I must admit that I don't have anything to say about tonight's film because this is another one that I haven't seen, and some of these more obscure horror movies are a bit difficult for me to find through legal means. That said, I'll still try to attempt to watch it at some point, along with the other films from this month that I still haven't been able to watch, yet.

[Avaitor]

If you Google the film, the first link you'll get is the full movie on DailyMotion.

But goddamn is Fulci twisted. I think The Beyond is still my favorite work of his, but I really enjoy the imagery behind this one, as well.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Well, I did say "legal" means, but hey, since nobody who has the rights to this film wants to make money off of it since they aren't doing a good job of making it easy to attain a physical or digital copy, I'll be glad to indulge in "the other way" of viewing it once I get some free-time on my hands.

[Avaitor]

Oh, and our film club is going to show The Omen next week, so I might come back with more comments for that!

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

NIGHT 22:



The third film in a row that I haven't seen, but I've heard that it's one of the greatest horror films ever, so I really should go out of my way to see it as soon as possible. Many, I've really been falling behind with this month, but even if I don't get to watch all of these movies, I'll definitely get to all of them eventually.

[Avaitor]

I'd tie this with The Haunting for the best ghost movie ever made.

It's actually airing on TCM tomorrow, at 8 PM, so I'll try to catch it then to add some more. I'd recommend reading Henry James' story, as well.

[talonmalon333]

It seems like E-K and I have seen a lot of the same movies, and missed a lot of the same movies.

[Avaitor]

Eh, I didn't want to rely on the same handful of mid 70's-early 90's horror flicks that would have otherwise made the list, which is why I tried to branch out a little. I wish we had more time to check out all of the films that are new to us this year, though.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

NIGHT 23:



What a perfect film to discuss on my birthday (hint-hint)!

Psycho is by far Alfred Hitchcock's most iconic film, and while Vertigo has given it a run for its money in being considered as his absolute best film, absolutely nobody can deny that no film was nearly as influential on contemporary horror cinema as Psycho. While my personal favorite Hitchcock film is Dial M for Murder, this was my first introduction to his work, and what a way to start off! Even to this day the film holds up remarkably well, not only thanks to its excellent acting (because it has that in spades), but also from Hitchcock's excellent direction. Whereas most directors at the time tended to overdo the the suspense and horror elements to sometimes unintentionally ridiculous and hilarious effect, Hitchcock proved to be well ahead of his time by playing his stories straight, yet giving you subtle hints as to the darker layers of his stories through everything from little details in the background that you didn't consciously notice were affecting the mood of the scene (seriously, just count how many stuffed birds you see in Psycho without him explicitly drawing attention to it), to having the actors make certain gestures or facial expressions, or deliver what initially seemed to be throwaway lines, but ultimately had a greater purpose as to explaining what was really going on with them psychologically, as well as what dark secrets lay in wait as the film would progress to its climactic conclusion.

This is easily a must-watch, and one of the best films in the genre.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I'm surprised the remake wasn't nominated just to mess with people.

But yeah, this is a classic. I'm not exactly sure what to say about it.