31 Nights of Halloween (2015)

[Foggle]

I really, really want to watch this one soon.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I hope that you enjoy it!

Bear in mind that you may not necessarily find it scary so much as somewhat disturbing, but regardless it's a well-made film either way. Since it hits close to home for me so perfectly, though, it does truly creep me right the fuck out, personally.

[Foggle]

I personally find the themes and aesthetics behind horror more enjoyable than actually being scared (though I like that too!), so as long as it's a well-crafted film in the genre, I'll probably love it.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

That's great, then! I really hope that you find this movie as intriguing as I do.

[gunswordfist]

I probably should catch up on some of these movies on Saturday. Also, FUCK YEAH AT HALLOWEEN BEING ON SATURDAY THIS YEAR!! I realized that earlier today.

[talonmalon333]

I sure found it scary.

Spoiler

[close]

But it was indeed more than scares. Excellent horror movie. I also thought the ending worked well enough and was unexpected.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

I seriously want that pop-up book prop. I wonder if they still have any for sale. I know that the product exists; just not how much of it they made.

I would totally prank the shit out of someone by leaving it on their front door-step.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

NIGHT 24

Written and Directed by: Henry Selick
Starring: Dakota Fanning
Released: 2009

For the first time on 31NOH, we have an animated (stop-motion, at that) children's film to talk about. But don't be fooled, this adaptation of the classic Neil Gaiman book still perfectly qualifies as a Halloween movie, and despite being a charming movie at heart, it more than brings the creep factor in spades.

The whole concept of that alternate world being designed to entice you at first by showing you what you want to see, before that freaking scary-ass woman (who poses as Coraline's alternate mother) ensnares you in her trap, really manages to send an uneasy chill down my spine. Not bad for a "kid's movie" (which I say is BS, because there are definitely some adult themes at play, here).

[Daikun]

I love everything Laika has done. This and ParaNorman are their crowning achievements.

[Avaitor]

Coraline is one of those rare movies that seems to scare adults more than children.

That says a lot.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

NIGHT 25

Directed by: Scott Derrickson
Screenplay by: Scott Derrickson, Paul Harris Boardman
Starring: Eric Bana, Édgar Ramírez
Released: 2014

So, I haven't seen this one, yet. The review scores may be low, but I've learned that sometimes critics don't know jack-shit about good horror, with movies like Sinister (also directed by Scott Derrickson) getting weaker reviews despite being one of the better recent horror movies (IMO), while movies like It Follows get overly praised despite being rather stupidly written and cliche once you look past its interesting premise. And hey, Marvel hired Scott Derrickson to direct Doctor Strange, so clearly someone there must have seen something that they admired about his work.

That said, the movie could still suck. So I can't say whether I'd really like it or not. It's just that I've decided to watch and formulate my own opinions when it comes to horror movies, rather than just blindly listening to review scores.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I like the movie, personally. That's why I nominated it.

Though it does have police procedural elements, I like how the supernatural themes and characters are weaved into it and how the stakes are repeatedly raised. I'm also a big fan of the final exorcism scene which is quite intense and the perfect climax to the story.

I'm not really sure why reviews weren't that good, but a lot of them seem to be people that just don't like movies like this.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

NIGHT 26

Directed by: Eli Craig
Screenplay by: Eli Craig, Morgan Jurgenson
Starring: Tyler Labine, Alan Tudyk
Released: 2010

This one is actually on Netflix, I believe, so I'll try to check it out tonight. At any rate, it's just refreshing to know that there's a good horror comedy out there that's not (currently) more than a decade old. It seriously feels like a dying art, these days.

[Foggle]

This is one of the most fun movies I've ever seen! I should watch it again; I haven't since it came out. The sense of humor is really great and the story is super creative/inventive. I highly recommend it!

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

NIGHT 27

Directed by: Michael Powell
Screenplay by: Leo Marks
Starring: Karlheinz Böhm
Released: 1960

This is one of those classics that you could argue predated Halloween as one of the first few slasher films, and it was released in the same year as Psycho. Both films have elements of what would later become staples of the genre, but also benefit from being their own stories first and foremost, rather than following all of the tropes, which thankfully weren't tropes back then.

Anyways, it's been over a decade since I've last seen this movie, so there isn't really that much that I can say about it other than the obvious fact that it's a classic, and way ahead of its time.