#HalloweenMovieMarathon Day 1: TRICK OR TREATS: A sometimes very odd, yet slow paced slasher. A joy to see Peter Jason in a lead role. Special thanks to @DinosaurDracula for this one as it hadn't been on my radar this season till he blogged about it: tinyurl.com/y6kg3bj5 
#HalloweenMovieMarathon Day 2: SCARE PACKAGE: A very gooey, very messy (plotwise) and very meta anthology flick. The individual entries rarely tell a complete story, but rather examine and pick apart horror tropes . Some very funny moments, best enjoyed under the influence.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon Day 2: ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK: The best description I could come up with is ROSEMARY'S BABY meets GASLIGHT. It has a certain charm, a lot of nudity and an almost incomprehensible plot. Watch if you like European horror from the '70s.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon Day 2: PATCHWORK: I might love this movie. It's absurd and beautiful and grotesque. If you like Reanimator, you'll probably enjoy this.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon Day 3: BRAIN DAMAGE: This was the kind of horror movie you can only find in the 80's. CHRISTINE meets BASKET CASE meets...REEFER MADNESS. If you love '80s horror and you haven't seen this, go for it.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon Day 3: BLOOD SUCKING FREAKS: This is grungy, misogynistic garbage. AVOID.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon Day 4: CREEP 2: The first CREEP is one of my favorite found footage movies and CREEP 2 is right up there. I am worried that they're going to drive this character into the ground, but I definitely recommend both CREEP movies.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon Day 4: THE HILLS HAVE EYES: This is the first time I've ever seen this flick. I've seen the sequel and the remake, but not the original. Quick and brutal flick. Reminds me of ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 more than anything, in terms of tone. Recommend.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon Day 5: INVASION OF THE VAMPIRES: Slow, plodding, not exciting. Shame, because I really enjoy the idea of "vampires as a plague," like at the end of NOSFERATU. Might be a good background horror flick, the one that plays during a party that nobody watches.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon Day 6: EYES WITHOUT A FACE: Slower paced, great "mad" scientist, pretty shocking surgery scene for the time and a very bittersweet horror flick from France. Recommended.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon Day 7: EQUINOX: Painfully slow with clunky presentation, this cosmic horror flick shows some flicker of promise, but not even the absolutely bananas stop-motion can save this one.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon Day 8: THE ABCS OF DEATH 2.5: I love anthology horror movies. And I love The ABCs of Death series. Lots of variety. If you liked the first two ABCs movies, you'll like this one. If you're a newcomer, beware, it can go into some very dark territory.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon Day 9: PIRANHA 3DD: This might be the trashiest horror movie I have ever seen. The movie is entirely nudity, fish related gore and more nudity. If you're a fan of '80s horror, but don't think they took it far enough in every way, this one is for you.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon Day 9: HELL NIGHT: I have the sneaking suspicion I've seen HELL NIGHT before, but it was so unmemorable that I didn't remember it. It's not bad, really. There are some good kills, some good suspense scenes, good acting, but it feels like an also-ran.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon Day 10: EVIL ED: A Swedish film that feels heavily influenced by Raimi, Jackson and Henenlotter, it doesn't manage to sustain the same manic energy and drags in the last twenty minutes. Might be worth checking out if you're a fan of slapstick horror.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon Day 10: EATEN ALIVE: Take Texas Chain Saw Massacre, add a dollop of nudity and a large dose of sexual violence and you'd get this flick. It somehow feels grimier and grosser than TCM. If you like grindhouse flicks & can stomach the viciousness, go for it.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon Day 10: BODY MELT: This one is just a bloody mess. Too many disparate elements. It's a chaotic mess of gore and Stepford Wives. If you're under the influence, I might recommend this one.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon Day 11: FLESH EATING MOTHERS: This hit the sweet spot for me for low budget indie horror: Great gore effects, ridiculous plot and extremely thick regional accents letting you know immediately where it was filmed (Baltimore).
#HalloweenMovieMarathon Day 11: RAVENOUS: Thank you @OnyxWitch for recommending this one! Quirky cannibal thriller from the late '90s. It has a dash of that '90s era horror humor without going overboard.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon Day 12: FEARDOTCOM: Oh boy. This feels like the first attempt to adapt RINGU for an American audience and it did not fare well. Potentially interesting idea undermined by bleh. Pretty tepid overall. Could have used more Jeffrey Combs.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon Day 13: KURONEKO: Thanks to @Trev01ution for this recommendation. An eerily beautiful movie that is less about the scares, but definitely about the horror. Firm recommend from me, especially if you enjoy ghost stories. And samurai.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon Day 14: MORTUARY: This is one of those horror movies that only makes it to 90 minutes because every character makes the absolute worst decisions. It just feels padded and not even the very young Bill Paxton can save this one from mediocrity.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon Day 15: ONE MISSED CALL: Not going to lie, the very last minute of the movie completely lost me, but I still loved this movie. It's very much like RINGU or THE RING in that there is a mystery around deaths and technology and I loved the unraveling of it.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon Day 16: INVITATION TO HELL: Thanks to @travplaysgames for this recommendation! This is a bonkers flick that plays out like STEPFORD WIVES mixed with INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS. Some nice effects work and some great suspenseful moments.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon Day 17: #ALIVE: This was a great zombie flick out of Korea. It managed to hit me emotionally in a way a lot of horror doesn't. It's the story of a young man confined to his apartment when a plague of zombies attack. So, pretty topical.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon Day 18: THE BABYSITTER: KILLER QUEEN: It's chaotic, bonkers & a lot of fun. There's some stuff that's a little too zany (the video game fight scene is just weird), but if you liked THE BABYSITTER or HAPPY DEATH DAY, you should get a kick out of this.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon Day 19: XTRO: Some truly bonkers effects work is unfortunately not enough to spice up this bland British sci-fi horror flick. It took me three hours to grind through this 80 minute movie. Everything was tepid and grey.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon Day 20: ANACONDA: I had higher hopes for this one, but I think I just don't have a fondness for '90s horror. All the elements are there (ridiculous monster, bizarre premise, weird dialog), but it just didn't hit me in the right way. Give it a shot.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon Day 21: PET SEMATARY: This was sometimes better than the original adaptation, sometimes worse and, all in all, felt like it missed the mark. I liked the feeling of oppressive doom around the family and I liked the cast. Give it a shot, I guess.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon Day 22: INSEMINOID: This was the first time this marathon that a movie has made me angry. It's a frustrating, crass ripoff of ALIEN that removes any subtlety and fear and replaces it with misogyny. Hard pass.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon Day 22: CURTAINS: It's not perfect, but it's different enough that this slasher gets a recommend from me. I enjoyed all of the actors, especially Samantha Eggar. It's a grim look into Hollywood with just enough character to let it squeak by.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon Day 23: SPLICE: This flick gets pretty unpleasant in the final act, but it's the mood throughout that makes it an effective horror movie. The effects hold up well enough and I always love seeing Sarah Polley.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon Day 23: CHRISTINE: I loved this movie. I don't know if it was the combination of John Carpenter and Stephen King, but this just worked for me. Dug the soundtrack, the acting and the general plot. It's not perfect, but it works for me.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon Day 24: SPIRAL: Engaging and unsettling "strange little town" story that tends to uh strongly put its message forward, but that doesn't stop it from being a scary and effective thriller. Would recommend. Thanks to @XicanoX for pointing this one out.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon Day 24: LEVIATHAN: It's THE THING, but underwater. It's a fun, albeit lightweight, creature feature with some good gore and creature effects. I always enjoy seeing Ernie Hudson and Peter Weller, but, Christ, that ending pisses me off.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon Day 25: EL PARAMO: This was a gripping, depressing and effective movie. It's like CASUALTIES OF WAR meets THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT. Highly recommend, but this isn't a fun one.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon Day 25: I needed something a little more lightweight after EL PARAMO and hoo boy, this was...this was something else. So close to being interesting, but the constant weird edits, the goofy name, the unlikeable characters. Woof. Just an awful movie.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon Day ??: MARY SHELLEY'S FRANKENSTEIN: I absolutely loved this movie. It's Branagh being Branagh and big and gothic and insane and I loved it all. I could talk for days about this fever dream of a movie. Holy shit.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon Day ??: LAKE PLACID: This is a bananas creature feature. I can't say it's not entertaining, but it's not...good. It takes 43 minutes to even see the croc. Every dialog choice is liquid insanity. Platt, White and Gleeson are wonderful. Recommended.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: 13 SINS: This horror movie makes me genuinely uncomfortable: a character behaves in awful ways, breaking the social contract repeatedly. This is far scarier to me than any slasher flick. Recommend, even if does feel like that one Black Mirror episode.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: THE SENDER: This was a sloooww, sloowww burn. I'll be honest: I was not in the mood for a slow burn horror flick that's a mix of ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST and CARRIE, but here we are. If you dug THE CHANGELING, you'll dig this. Promise.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: HOUSE ON THE EDGE OF THE LAKE: Hoo boy, I don't think I've seen a movie work so hard to make a sociopathic rapist sympathetic since A CLOCKWORK ORANGE. Grindhouse flick in the vein of LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT, best left wherever you find it unwatched.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: AND NOW THE SCREAMING STARTS!: I've been reading a lot of Darcy Coates lately, so I've been in the mood for something a little more gothic. This Amicus flick was pretty dull. The pacing is off and Cushing doesn't even show up till minute 42. Pass.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: THE HORRIBLE DR. HICHCOCK: This is a pretty messy movie, partly because a lot is implied. Interesting twist on the standard "new wife, haunted manor" trope, and by interesting twist, I mean necrophilia. So, heads up there.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: THE BLOODSPATTERED BRIDE: This might actually be the most misogynistic movie I have ever seen. A very rape-y husband ends up being the hero who stops the "vampire" women with a close-up shot of him about to cut off one of their breasts. It's just hateful.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: WILLOW CREEK: This is the first found footage flick in a while that feels like an honest to goodness found footage flick. The pacing is bananas, the plot is basic and the ending is abrupt: like it should be! Loved the two leads and it honestly spooked me.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: THE CHILDREN: I loved this one. Great feeling of horrifying dread slowly built up over the course of the movie. Great job by the children. If they had dropped the ball, the whole movie would have collapsed. Maybe my new favorite evil children flick.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: SATAN'S SLAVES: I was having such good luck today with movies, I decided to roll the dice with one more and I won again. From Indonesia, it has the flavor of THE OMEN or THE WAILING. Strange religious happenstances, strong cast and some genuine fear.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: THE VAMPIRE LOVERS: Much like the hateful and vicious THE BLOODSPATTERED BRIDE, this movie is based on the 19th century book, CARMILLA. However, this version has Ingrid Pitt and Peter Cushing, which already gives it a leg up. Hammer Horror at its good.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: PATRICK: An effective, albeit slightly nutty, Australian thriller about a a man in a coma who has, of course, developed telekinetic powers and uses them to harass and stalk his nurse. Builds slowly, but never boring, would recommend.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: SEASON OF THE WITCH: This is a bizarre witch flick. Romero makes a lot of interesting choices throughout and tonally it's very different from his zombie movies. I don't know if I really recommend it, but I also couldn't stop watching.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: TETSUO: THE IRON MAN: If you took Lynch's sensibilities and mixed them in a blender with Cronenberg's body horror, this is what you would get. Absolute insanity. Just...holy shit. Go for it.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: THE BEYOND: I have a confession: if I had to watch an Argento or a Fulci movie, I would pick Fulci every time. This is inexcusably gory picture with an almost comprehensible plot. There's a hell gate & spiders & blood. If you liked ZOMBI, watch this.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: VAMPIRE CIRCUS: The lamest circus ever comes to town and brings with it super rabies and a pack of vampires. Not the strongest Hammer offering out there, but solid enough. Bit of a slog in parts, but it's got red paint and bats on strings.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: HOWLING V: THE REBIRTH: Out of the 4 HOWLING movies I've seen, this is the 2nd best, which is not saying much. There's a distinct lack of werewolves and no transformations. But there's a twist ending that has no set up! So that's something.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: INTO THE TALL GRASS: I love movies that mess around with time, but this was an uneven mess and tonally very ugly with one of the darkest scenes you'll ever see. I did adore Patrick Wilson, who was a bright spot in some very muddied waters.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: THE CONJURING 2: There's something comforting about THE CONJURING movies. They're well made, creepy at times and Patrick Wilson is a treasure. I generally like my horror movies to be a little rougher around the edges, but these are pleasant.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: WISH UPON: I really dug this one. It's bittersweet, but I enjoyed the ride. It succeeds where the WISHMASTER series failed, in that I actually cared about the characters. It also does a good job in maintaining that tension. Recommend.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: THE BLACKCOAT'S DAUGHTER: Great, slowly building horror as we learn piece by piece, little by little, about the three young woman who are at the center of this story. Love the atmosphere and the store. Definitely pay attention to this one as it unfolds.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: I AM THE PRETTY THING THAT LIVES IN THE HOUSE: I'm still digesting this one. It has a similar dreamlike quality to THE BLACKCOAT'S DAUGHTER, but is far more ambiguous. Strongly done and very eerie. I would recommend checking it out.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: WINCHESTER: What an absolute waste of Helen Mirren. It just dragged and dragged and in spite of the fact that I like both Helen Mirren and Jason Clarke, I just couldn't engage with the story. This should have been an hour long.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: THE BANANA SPLITS MOVIE: After watching two brutal true crime docs in a row, this is what I needed. Just loads of fun, does exactly what you want from it. I'm in a warm and fuzzy place now.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: LEPRECHAUN 3: I can't believe I'm about to say this, but this is the best of the LEPRECHAUN movies I've seen. It's solid, there are some interesting kills and one or two actually funny moments. It also has a mean streak and an ugliness I don't like.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: 1BR: I went into this one completely blind, assuming it was about a young woman who rents a one bedroom and terrible things happen. I was right, but I wasn't expect just how. Solid thriller, an ending that might not quite fit, but pretty satisfying.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: THE VATICAN TAPES: I appreciate what they were trying to do, but, lord, they didn't go about it great. Uneven, bland, unfocused, uninterested in its own concept: it just doesn't engage and it's about the Anti-Christ!
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: VIDEO DEAD: This was a waste. It was like a Troma flick, if they had an extra $50 in their budget. It's slow and padded and while there are some good gore effects, they're few and far between. Not enough schlock, too much ambling.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: CAST A DEADLY SPELL: A detective named after racist trash hunts down a sinister book of spells in an alternative 1940's LA where magic is real. Great premise, ok execution & a great cast make this a fun watch. Except for the homophobia. And racism. Mreh.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: LA LLORONA: This was a haunting movie that's going to linger with me for a long time. Fantastic adaptation of a legend, beautifully shot and truly gutting. Not to be confused with THE CURSE OF LA LLORONA. Definite recommend.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: THE LIVING DEAD AT MANCHESTER MORGUE: This one...is a little too in the middle. Not enough schlock, not enough gore, not enough anything. It's not a complete snooze, but it's also not very gripping. And some of the UK accents are unacceptably off. Eh.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE: This is, by far, Brian De Palma's greatest movie. I loved the chaotic energy, the music, the insanity. Up and down, I loved it. Definitely check it out if you haven't already.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: THEM: Extremely tightly wound French thriller that doesn't overstay its welcome (it's short!). I enjoy slasher/stalker movies like this that narrow in the focus in on just two people and really dials it up. Good flick.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: DEAD MEN WALK: Hooo boy, this vampire flick from 1943 is something else. George Zucco plays dual roles for the sole reason of adding in a bizarre plot contrivance that really makes no sense. It's slow, weird and bad, but it's only an hour long!
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: VIY: I'm pretty fond of this witch movie from the USSR. A very dynamic camera, a beautiful church set and a truly bananas ending make this for an entertaining, if not very scary, flick.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: THE CLEANSING HOUR: If only the entire movie had been like the bananas final act, I would have enjoyed this one a lot more. It just seemed to keep going, gradually stacking on more and more onto its already absurd premise, but it needed MORE.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: ROALD DAHL'S THE WITCHES: I enjoyed this! I think if I was ten, I would have really dug it. Anne Hathaway seemed to have a great time. Good spooky movie for kids.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: THE MAD MONSTER: My second George Zucco flick this marathon and it's a little better than DEAD MEN WALK, but only because I like werewolf pictures more than Dracula ones. Pretty tepid overall, but I was glad to see Anne Nagel.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: POLTERGEIST II: Whatever magic the first had going for it is missing here. There are a few good moments here and there (the worm scene and the killer braces stand out), but otherwise this is a boring rehash of the first movie. Pass on this one.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: POLTERGEIST III: A step in the right direction in some ways & many steps backwards in others. Breaking up the family dynamic was a mistake, but it's also far more chilling than the 2nd. There's a pallor over it all that I can't shake & I won't revist it.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: THE ATTACK OF THE GIANT LEECHES: I don't want to even talk about this one. It's bad enough I had to sit through this for an hour. Very slow, very swampy, just a long, slow slog through the swamp. Pass.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: JAWS 2: Wildly tepid until the last 40 minutes, it has none of the charm of JAWS. There were a few harrowing moments, but they're overshadowed by the hour where the movie is becalmed. Also, Scheider was an ass during the movie, which makes me sad.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: JAWS 3: Better than the second, mainly because it tries to be a little different. I do love the portrayal of Sea World as a greedy company willing to sacrifice the wellbeing of its animals and the safety of its employees for profit.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: THE BEAST OF YUCCA FLATS: This was....perplexing, tedious and dull. And it never seems to end. And I spent most of the time concerned about Tor Johnson and if he was doing ok. Just...run by this one. Don't look back.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: JAWS THE REVENGE: If, for some reason, you need to watch a JAWS sequel, just watch this one. There are psychic flashes, Michael Caines and this is probably the best looking, but still clearly fake, shark of the whole bunch. It's also the shortest.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: WEREWOLF OF LONDON: A very strange werewolf movie. I love seeing movies about the legendary creatures before Hollywood codified how they "work." Dated, but classic Universal flick gives you what you want. Also, Warner Oland is in it....so there's that.
#HalloweenMovieMarathon: WOLFCOP: Kinetic, insanity fueled, schlocky chaos, it's everything that the poster promises it is. Watching this at 4 o'clock in the morning in the middle of the woods was an absolute bananas experience. Recommended if you enjoy PIRANHA 3DD.
I was debating keeping the #HalloweenMovieMarathon going for longer, but after 65 days and 85 movies, I think I'm going to stop while I'm still having fun. See y'all next August for the next marathon!
@threadreaderapp unroll
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
