31 Nights of Halloween

[Avaitor]

Hey EK, what's today's movie?

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Sorry, I've been busy, so it's taken me longer than usual to get around to posting up the new movie.

I will post it up soon.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

NIGHT 15:



Tonight we twist our heads in terror at this classic horror feature. Arguably the most popular horror movie of the 70's, The Exorcist is also based on a popular horror novel which "claims" to be based off of a real life case. But of course none of that really matters, it's just an excellent horror movie, and a must watch for any fan of the genre.

While it's not my personal favorite film of the decade (it's in my top 3, but my top 2 favorites are The Omen and Dawn of the Dead), it is unquestionably the most influential of them, and just as important of a horror film. I love how, in contrast to so many modern horror films, this movie is all about maintaining an intense and disturbing atmosphere. There's no cheap jump scares or terribly explicit gore in this picture. Sure, it has amazing special effects and some especially grotesque use of makeup, but this is a film that truly manages to earn its status as a classic through solid performances. In this case, whereas I'd usually re-watch it, admittedly I have seen it so many times that there's no need, but I may still try to re-watch to anyways since it's just that good of a movie.

[talonmalon333]

Far and away one of the best horror movies, and quite possibly the scariest horror movie I can think of. Unlike E-K who has seen this movie quite a few times, though, I have only watched it once. Because, as much as I love it, it's not the easiest movie to sit through. I can watch Dawn of the Dead or American Werewolf in London every October with ease. But for The Exorcist (which I like more than both of those movies), it's a rougher experience.

[Avaitor]

Guess what? I actually got to see this tonight! There's a pawn shop that had the previous Blu release for pretty cheap, so I decided to hit it up for the sake of this event. Also, because it's a great movie.

The thing that I always notice when I watch this film is how it starts building on its atmosphere instantly. The film doesn't start bringing in its horror elements until a little later in, but there's a definite feeling of terror during the opening scenes in Iraq that travels throughout. It only pauses as the film begins developing Chris and Regan's characters, but it comes back quickly after.

This release has the original theatrical release and the directors cut on separate discs, but this time I decided on the original. The directors cut has some good scenes, but I feel that the original's pacing is stronger.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Come to think of it, I don't even think that I've seen the directors cut before, despite how many times I've re-watched this movie. I'll have to get on that sometime.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

NIGHT 16:



Review (Spoiler-Heavy): http://cinemassacre.com/2011/10/02/bride-of-frankenstein/

I saw this movie a few months after James Rolfe spoke so highly of it in his Monster Madness review. While I respect most classic Universal monster movies as revolutionary for their time, I do feel that most of them haven't aged very well. This film is one of those exceptions that's still pretty entertaining for what it is, though, and I'd argue that it manages to surpass the original Frankenstein, at least in terms of standing the test of time. This also seems to be a fan favorite, and is still very popular as you see the direct references to this film more than any other when it comes to parodies and such. You could even argue that the bride monster is just as iconic as Frankenstein's monster.

[talonmalon333]

James Whale's best work and the masterpiece of the Universal monster golden era. I love the camp touch in this movie, and Doctor Pretorius is great. Colin Clive as Frankenstein is still great. And yeah, it's crazy that the Bride is only on-screen for a few minutes, but no one has forgotten her design. I like her last moment, too. The Frankenstein monster is ready to destroy the castle, but turns to her one more time with a final inkling of hope. But she just glares and hisses at him, and he sheds a tear. The monster, no matter what, could never have love.

[Avaitor]

Elsa Lanchester was married to Charles Laughton, and was also in one of my favorite I Love Lucy eps, as well as played the nanny that left in the beginning of Mary Poppins, besides being the Bride.

But you guys said everything that I could have. At the end of the day, this is Universal's strongest film in their classic monster series.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I think next week I'm going to have to sit down and rewatch some of these movies again. I'm already falling behind.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

NIGHT 17:



Review (Spoiler-Heavy): http://cinemassacre.com/2013/10/20/alien-1979/

Tonight, no one can hear you scream as you are isolated on a ship with a creature designed so perfectly for killing, that you have no hope of survival. Alien is probably the most influential Sci-Fi Horror film of the modern era of cinema, and I'd personally say that it ties with The Thing as being the two greatest films in the sub-genre. I love everything about this movie. The atmosphere, the slow buildup, the amazing special effects. While I do personally prefer the sequel, this is still a masterpiece of a film, and a just watch for anyone who's a fan of either Sci-Fi or Horror, and especially if you're a fan of both.

[Foggle]

Alien actually scared me as a kid, and as an adult I can now see just how amazing it is. A true masterpiece.

[Daikun]

Alien is one of my favorite horror movies.

Personally, I actually like it more than Aliens. While the sequel is a good movie, I find the tonal shift between the films to be rather jarring. I felt more immersed with the haunting, claustrophobic feeling than the "let's kick some alien ass and not be at all afraid of monsters that could eat my flesh" feeling. Aliens, while good on its own, had the unfortunate side effect of influencing later horror franchises and making them into action films, toning down their mystique.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I just had to mention this since nobody ever brings it up, but do you know what special effect impresses me the most in this movie?

It's everything involving the face hugger. From the time that you see it incubating in its egg-sac to the part where they are dissecting it, the thing looks like an honest to god real creature that you could actually see, touch, and interact with in real life id it actually existed. It's just that this movie is more than 30 years old, and no amount of CG could ever come close to being as convincing as those old-school practical effects that were done so well. Actually, comparatively, the Xenomorph, despite having a great design, honestly doesn't look anywhere near as scary as the face hugger that it was conceived from. It's still a very unsettling creature, but the fact that you have a guy in a suit essentially controlling it makes it feel a bit too human at times in the vibe that it gives off. The face hugger seems like such an I human concept for a creature that it makes me cringe (in a good way) even when I'm just watching it on a shitty TV screen. If that thing actually existed and I found one in my room or something, I'd literally jump from sheer terror.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Alien is one of my favorite horror movies.

Personally, I actually like it more than Aliens. While the sequel is a good movie, I find the tonal shift between the films to be rather jarring. I felt more immersed with the haunting, claustrophobic feeling than the "let's kick some alien ass and not be at all afraid of monsters that could eat my flesh" feeling. Aliens, while good on its own, had the unfortunate side effect of influencing later horror franchises and making them into action films, toning down their mystique.

Which franchises specifically took influence from it in that regard? I'm just asking because I can't think of any offhand.

As for the two films, it's one of those things where you could prefer either one and you wouldn't be wrong. Alien is a much slower but more claustrophobic and frightening experience, whereas Aliens is more of an excellent action movie that still pays respect to its horror roots and has great atmosphere by action film standards, but comes nowhere close to the feeling of the original film. Still, I prefer it because it's the type of film that, for me, I can re-watch at any time and still love it as much as I always have. With Alien, it's a film that I definitely love, but because of its slow nature, I have to be in a certain kind of mood to feel up to re-watching it. Both are among my favorite movies in their respective genres, though.