31 Nights of Halloween

[Spark Of Spirit]

They made another Alien movie like the first one and nothing like the second.

It was pretty awful.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Are we talking about Alien 3 or Prometheus, here?

Because, I actually liked Prometheus, despite all of its flaws. I still think it had good acting, a great atmosphere, and actually managed to use a lot of practical effects that were quite good, even though it did still have more CG than I would've liked.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Alien 3.

[talonmalon333]

E-K, do you remember James Rolfe's Monster Madness review of Alien? I think that may be one of the better videos.

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.

I actually think the tonal shift works very well. It's very nice having a sequel that's awesome but has a completely different type of experience to offer. Besides, Ripley just barely survived that alien in the first movie, and now, it's her chance to strike back at them. I do agree that the original is so absolutely perfect and Aliens doesn't quite match it in quality. But I really love Aliens and feel that it is still mostly equal to Alien.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

NIGHT 18:



Night of the Living Dead
Dawn of the Dead
Day of the Dead

I don't have the means to post up pictures right now, so I'd be grateful if somebody could edit it into this post for me.

Anyways, it's the most iconic series of Zombie films ever, and each film is a true horror masterpiece in its own right, with my personal favorite being Dawn of the Dead. Is there really any need to say anything else? These films are good and iconic enough to speak for themselves. Just go watch them already!

[Daikun]

I don't have the means to post up pictures right now, so I'd be grateful if somebody could edit it into this post for me.

A quick Google search found this image.

[Avaitor]

I figured that the Day of the Dead poster would be a good enough fit.

I actually haven't seen that yet, although it is on my instant queue. Since my plans to go see tomorrow's movie in theaters at midnight fell through, I'll try to watch that tonight instead.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Thanks, Avaitor! 

Day of the Dead was met with mixed reception upon initial release, but since then it has been looked upon more favorably. It's actualky the only one to have a female protagonist who's actually competent and even holds her own better than most of the guys. Women in tge first two movies were portrayed as VERY incompetent and whiny, so this was a really refreshing change, IMO.

[Avaitor]

Yeah, Bowman was great, easily my highlight.

Day of the Dead feels like a straight action film with some tense moments, like a continuation of Dawn in that regard. It's still a rich film that succeeds at much of what it does, including some hilarious moments. I think Night is still my favorite of the trilogy, but this was a great way to end it.

[talonmalon333]

Night of the Living Dead is, of course, a classic. I love that Romero didn't compromise the movie he wanted to make for more money (I heard they wanted him to add a love plot and to change the ending). Like, no one can ever forget that ending. There's just something that's really creepy about the movie, largely thanks to the sound. The stock horror music works, but I also really like the other sounds in the movie, like those loud noises that can be heard when the zombie girl is killing her mother, and the frequent rumbling "music" that can be heard at points.

Dawn of the Dead is the zombie movie. I think most seem to agree with that. The social commentary is cool, Tom Savini's effects are great, characters are all likable, the the setting is perfect. I think I've said this before, but Dawn of the Dead is one of those horror movies that I could rewatch every October (though, do to time restraints and the call of movies I haven't seen, I've been unable to do that lately).

Day of the Dead is good, but I do have to admit that I fall into the crowd that doesn't put it on the same level as the other two. Still, it works, and I like the ideas that it explores about zombies. I also like that, after the bad ending from Night ("bad" as in "the good guy died in the end") and the heavily ambiguous ending of Dawn, they finally went ahead and gave the characters a good ending in Day of the Dead. Of the millions of people in a zombie apocalypse, you'd hope that maybe two or three people would escape by finding a location that's totally beyond the reach of the apocalypse to live in safety.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I'll be honest, while I love Night and it's by far the most revolutionary film in the trilogy, I still prefer the other two films. The thing about Night is that it arguably has the best set-up, but most of the acting is very hammy with the exception of two characters, and you can tell that Romero was only a novice filmmaker at that point in time given some of his weaker directing decisions. James Rolfe does an excellent job of pointing this out in his commentary. Still, the film is an indisputable classic, but I just prefer the smarter characters and better flow of the latter two movies.

[Avaitor]

I like the more lo-fi approach Romero used in Night. Obviously he became a much stronger director come Dawn and I do very much dig both of those film's set-ups, but Night appeals to me a little more somehow.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

NIGHT 19:



THE WICKER MAN

Sorry guys. I have VERY limited Internet access right now. So, please edit in a picture for me like last time, and discuss this classic and deeply disturbing horror film. Unless we're talking about the remake, which is an excellent unintentional comedy.

[Avaitor]

Original, of course.

I was hoping to see this in theaters last night, but my friend had to go back to her hometown, so that fell through. I considered going on my own, but the theater's about 20 minutes away, and I have a Disney date next week, so I need to save the gas.

I actually first saw the film a year or so ago, after realizing that samples from the film are used in this song, and wow, is it great. A hell of a mindfuck that only the best of horror can live up to, and yes, Christopher Lee is excellent in it.

Also, this is another great, easier song to listen to that's relevant.

[talonmalon333]

One of the best endings to any horror movie.