Being a huge horror fan, I love this time of year. With Halloween approaching it seems a littler creepier out. Days are shorter and the nights are colder. Getting that feeling late at night when the moon is full that someone is watching you. I stick to the horror films all year round, but, October is a little different. Its like a Halloween Horrorthon at my house. I’m rarely watching anything besides horror, or football. And of course, Sesame Street, Spongebob, Disney. Yeah, got a 3 year old that needs the TV more than I do sometimes. LOL. Although, when she wants to watch Scooby Doo. I’ll drop everything for Scooby! I still have some movies I plan on watching this month, and I was hoping to report back to you all with 31 of them. Just couldn’t get it. Close though! Besides the movies listed below, I plan to watch the original Halloween movies the day before and the day of Halloween. Here are some of the horror movies that I checked out this month. Hope you find something that grabs your interest.
Monsters – 2010 – Great movie. A little slow starting, but, quality story. If you’re looking for lots of action and special effects. This isn’t going to deliver. However, the movie itself is a quality independent film. Check out my review on this site.
Pumpkinhead 1,2,3,4 – 1988, ’94, ’06, ’07 – The first Pumpkinhead is a classic. Lance Henriksen is beyond awesome as usual. How can you go wrong with a demon of vengeance? Well the next 3 movies did. They are pretty corny. Check out the 2nd one, if you like ANYTHING about it, you might enjoy 3 and 4. Lance does make a little come back in the 3rd and 4th movie. Probably the only saving quality.
Phantasm 1,2,3 – 1979, ’88, ’94 – These have been favorites of mine since I can remember. Again, 1st one is high quality and goes down in the books as a horror classic. 2 and 3 are REALLY good too though. There is a Phantasm 4, but, its more a movie focusing on the back-story and leads up to the first one. A how it all started movie. Sure wish we’d get a new one soon. Its a great series.
Return to Horror High – 1987 – One of George Clooney’s first movies. Might be one of his worst too. The movie had a lot of potential. Film makers documenting mass murder at a high school and filming it. Some good twists and a decent who done it for its time. VERY slow starting and you can probably avoid it all together unless you need something for the background.
Lord of Illusions – 1995 – Awesome movie!! I remember seeing this in the theater. A rare chance to see Kevin J. O’Connor in something besides a comic relief disposable character. Scott Bakula plays a PI who stumbles upon a plot to resurrect the leader of a powerful cult. True magic does exist and Philip Swann is the best at it. But, when he is killed by one of his own tricks, Harry (Bakula) is faced with more questions than answers.
The Rig – 2010 – Big fan of William Forsythe, but, come on. This movie was crap. Workers at an oil rig drill up some fish monster that is fast as lightning and has razor sharp everything. Movie sucked. No real story to it, no explanation that holds up, and paper thin…. everything. Bad movie. Avoid at all costs. Nothing positive to say about it. Oh, wait, I think it was less than 90 mins long. This movie doesn’t even deserve a full paragraph of my writing.
The Breed – 2001 – Exceptional vampire flick. Vampires and humans interacting, with a little insurance of course. Set in, what is suppose to be, a little ways in the future. A buddy cop movie teaming Bokeem Woodbine (human) and Adrian Paul (vampire) finding the rouge vampire that is slaughtering people right before their eyes. The movie has a V for Vendetta feel to it. This one has a great story for all types, blood, action, love and comedy. This is a hidden gem of a movie. If you can find it, give it a rental.
Predators – 2010 – I really liked this movie. At first I didn’t know how to take it. I’ve been watching the Predators invade us since I was a kid. Now we’re there? Odd, but, it worked. I like how they tied it into the first movie. Which it also felt like that one too. I swear that was the same waterfall Arnold fell near in the first movie. I look forward to the sequel thatfs planned.
30 Days of Night: Dark Days – 2010 – I have to admit I was a little surprised by this movie. It wasn’t bad at all. Made for DVD and does tie into the first movie. But, the movie takes place in California I think it was. I’m pretty sure they have regular hours over there. So it does seem a little off that it carries the same title. BUT, Dark Days, held its own and my interest long enough. Probably a rental, and surely something that I didn’t feel was a waste of 90 mins.
Feast – 2005 – Rule #1. DON”T WATCH THE NEXT 2 FEAST MOVIES. Horrible. Rule #2. WATCH THIS ONE. Its bloody, funny, good special effects, and highly entertaining. Remember that Project Green Light that Ben Affleck and Matt Damon did? This is a great example of what independent films can bring us. Nasty creatures trying to make dinner out of the bar patrons that just happen to be there. We even get to see some creature sex. What’s not to like?
Monster Wolf – 2010 – Another made for SyFy movie. Here I was thinking it was going to be a werewolf movie. But, nope, its some spiritual wolf thing trying to avenge something or other.. Honestly I couldn’t finish it. The movie sucked. Special effects, acting, and Jason London looked creepy. Like the kind of guy that would pull up next to you and offer candy.
Altitude – 2010 – Really good movie!! I loved every min of it. Reminded me of twilight zone. A group of friends traveling in a small engine plane to a concert experience some problems… First off the plane won’t stop climbing. Second, there is something up there with them. Scared me to death. I’m afraid of being up on a ladder!! Being on a small ass plane over 20k feet in the air with something up there wanting to eat me! I wouldn’t have made it 20 mins into this, if it happened to me. Heart attack for sure. I did my review on it, and should be up soon.
Cursed – 2005 – This was really fun werewolf movie. Good cast and special effects. Wes Craven put this together and Marco Beltrami did the score. I like his stuff a lot!!! Far from scary, but, I would suggest if you’re a fan of movies like Scream and Zombieland, check it out.
Monster Squad – 1987 – Not sure if I even need to write anything about this movie. You should have all seen it by now. A group of kids with a love for monsters end up being able to put their knowledge and dedication to horror to the test. Count Dracula is real, and so are the other classical creatures. He has plans to take over the world. He never met kids like this though. Bad ass movie. I think its a PG rated movie even. Kids might even like it.
Lost Boys 3 – 2010 – Way better than the first sequel. A true Lost Boys feel to it. Edgar and Allan return to slay the undead. Great homage to the first movie as well. Some great flashbacks that make me nostalgic for Cory Haim. Check out my review that I did here.
Night of the Demons – 2010 – Better than the original? Nah. Good movie? Yup. Its cool seeing Edward Furlong making a name in the horror genre. Shannon Elizabeth and Bobbi Luther are HOT. I mean REALLY HOT. A group of “kids” get a party going in the wrong house. After the police kick everyone out, the remaining few that get locked in end up fighting for survival against……. lucky guess. Demons. Nice to see Linnea Quigley and Tiffany Shepis make an appearance too! Good movie, fun, and I think it can hold its own.
Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein – 2004 – This was a made for TV movie that I have always enjoyed. It modernizes the original Frankenstein story and makes it out to be real. The movie was originally suppose to be a TV series. But, Koontz didn’t like the direction of the movie, so he dropped out. In turn, ended the plan for the series. If you’re fan of reading. Read the books, they are beyond awesome. The movie is good, partially because of Michael Madsen. Whatever that guy touches turns to gold. Be ready for an open ending though.. The movie finishes one of the sub plots of the book. But, the rest is on going, and never goes. Still a good one if you’re a fan of the book series.
The Dentist – 1996 – I thought I remembered liking this movie more than I did when I watched it recently. It was ok, but, I guess its been a while since I first saw it. Got some pretty gory scenes and some up-close shots of what a denists drill can do to your mouth if you piss off the wrong guy. I can see this movie being pretty creepy if you hate getting your teeth cleaned. Corbin Bernsen stars and a young Mark Ruffalo appears as well.
Vampire in Brooklyn – 1995 – Ok, I loved this movie. I get a little flack because of it, but, thatfs ok. I’m comfortable in my crappy movies. Eddie Murphy as a vampire you might be saying?? Yeah, and he barely cracks any jokes. Except when he plays other characters in the movie, then he is funny again! Its a dark comedy / horror that Wes Craven didn’t even like being a part of.
John Carpenter’s Vampires – 1998 – Now this was a great vampire movie. James Woods is the leader of a Church funded group of vampire hunters. When him and his team slaughter the wrong vampire nest, Jan Valek (Thomas Ian Griffin) goes on a hunt of his own. Jack (Woods) must stop him now before Valek retrieves a relic that would allow them to become day walkers. A second movie was made, Vampires: Los Muertos. It was direct to DVD, but, not a bad movie. Jon Bon Jovi stars as head vampire killer. Gotta say, he did a good job. Check that one out too if you liked the 1st one.
Blood Night: The Legend of Mary Hatchet – 2009 – Bill Mosley and Danielle Harris would normally be a pretty good combination. But, this movie couldn’t get over soon enough. EVERY character needed to die. Not one likeable person in the group. The movie started slow, but.. one thing I will say, when it got going it got better. There was a lot of potential for it however. The first 15 mins or so of the movie started pretty good. I was getting excited for a diamond in the rough slasher. I think it was the 45 mins of annoying drunken assholes that made it drag on and lost my interest. If you can sit through the boring middle part of the movie, its decent.
Halloween: H20 – 1998 – The ultimate good vs evil movie I always said. You don’t even have to watch Halloween 3, 4, 5, or 6. to see this one. And, according to those involved, those movies didn’t exist. It takes place long after the events of Halloween 2. The original, not that H2 crap that came out a couple years ago. Jamie Lee Curtis is back and not taking any shit from her brother this time. Good cast, and great story. LL Cool J, Josh Hartnet, and Jodi Lyn O’Keefe also star.
Lake Placid 3 – 2010 – Remember the first Lake Placid movie? It was a great movie!! This one sucked. CGI could have been better if I did it!! I watched the 2nd one and it was just as bad. But, I read a couple things about this one that might have given me hope. Then I lost it all. Don’t waste your time. Stick with the first one, pretend these never happened. (sounds like Halloween 2 ’09)
Halloween – 2007 – HEY speaking of which!! Rob Zombies reboot of the original classic Halloween was a really good movie. I liked it a lot. Great movie and I love how he followed Michael through his childhood. However, if you have any thoughts on watching his second movie. Rent Lake Placid 3 instead. I could go on all night about this.. but, I won’t… again.
Alien – 1979 – On of my biggest excitements of this Halloween season is the blu ray release of the Alien Anthology. LOVE IT. Everyone should have seen this movie by now. If you haven’t you’re probably not reading any of this anyway. The extra footage is cool, the picture quality is awesome, and the 5.1 audio is fantastic. Even if you don’t see it on blu ray, check this movie out again.
Unearthed – 2007 – Unearthed is one of the Afterdark Horrorfest movies. A small town digs up an ancient creature that is the ultimate killer. When the town realizes what its up against, its pretty much too late. But, that doesn’t stop them from fighting for their survival. Not an uncommon storyline. And not a bad movie really. I would have liked the creature effects to be better however. Because the rest of the movie was actually done pretty well. When I saw the (Ridley Scott attempt at an) Alien on the screen. He just didn’t look right. Might be my only complaint considering the movie was about average.
The Maze – 2010 – Probably could have called it the Maize Maze. Since the movie is about a group of STUPID kids that decide to play a game of tag in a corn maze. Of course, there is a story about a kid that murdered someone in the corn maze and dragged off the body. Of course when they find out what’s going on they split up. We’ve seen it all before. The slasher that is lurking around every corner and is always at the right place. Able to over power them all and manages to up the body count with half luck, and the other half a small knife. Until the unlikely hero steps up and is able to out wit and over power. I’ve seen worse, but, I’ve also seen this plenty of times too in a bunch of other movies. With $0 needed for special effects and CGI, at least the props could have been better.
Tons of options for you to watch this season besides what’s listed. No matter what horror flick you pop in your DVD player, your heart is in the right place. Remember you don’t have to save the scary movies for Halloween. Let it out whenever you feel the need to get the blood pumping. Have a great Halloween!!
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