Board 8 > ITT I Rate Every Horror Movie I Watch in October

(+) Yeah! (+)

So I watched the first episode of Ghosts last night, starring Rose McIvler. It's her and her husband in a haunted house where she can see the ghosts. It's actually a really fun show! I recommend it!

---

43. Event Horizon (HBO Max)

Would you look at that. It's the guy who made the Resident Evil movies and his only genuinely good movie he's ever directed.

Event Horizon is about a group of astronauts who go to seek out a ship that something awful has happened on, and now something awful is happening to all of them.

So I kinda love this movie. I'm not a huge space horror guy, but there's just a lot in this movie that works so damn well. First, the ship is a god damn nightmare to witness in and of itself. The visuals on this thing are dreadful, and just looking at that alone is a horror. Second, the other horrifying visuals they have in this movie are tremendous too. It borders on being too edgy, but honestly it all works really well.

The story itself is fine. It does exactly what it needs to do, and I feel like it might have been able to do a little bit more? Also, I don't love the Cooper character that much. He's kind of always talking to himself and breaking the mood in some shitty way. But that's pretty much where my complaints end.

I just enjoy this movie for what it is. A slice into some nightmare ship where people are just trying to survive. It's really good for what it is, and effective.

Rating: 8/10

---

I never get used to Sam Neill's character in that movie after Jurassic Park. Dammit Grant why would you do this

Anyway movie #14, Lake Mungo. That...I don't even know if I could call that a scary movie so much as overwhelmingly moody and sad. Very, very good though

---

Yeah, Lake Mungo left me feeling the same. It's good, but didn't light my world on fire. I liked the realism a lot.

I'm unfortunately watching The Fourth Kind again because I can't remember it but want to remember why I didn't like it so much. Got me remembering straight out the jump.

---

44. The Fourth Kind (Peacock)

What the fuck is the point of this movie, really?

The Fourth Kind is a documentary based on fake events under the guise that it's totally real and happened. It's also about alien abduction.

This movie opens up with Milla Jovovich, as Milla Jovovich, telling us that the events are real and this is a real interview and she's just an actress re-enacting stuff, and they intercut an interview with the real person. Boy, did some people think they were really fucking clever with this one. It's not a real interview. The events never happened. They just want you to believe it's real before you do any research. And boy does it suck.

This movie is boring, outside of that, and barely worth mentioning aside from a twist ending which barely qualifies as one. It's just an awful, embarrassing film that bizarrely tries to frame this all as real... why? To make it seem more legitimately? To make fake interview stuff. It's just so confusing to me because nothing about this movie works or is really interesting because it's more about this woman deteriorating than aliens. If you've seen the movie, you get what I'm saying. It sucks. It's not good. Nothing about it is interesting or fun or makes sense.

Bad alien abduction movie.

Rating: 0.5/10

---

45. Revenge (Shudder)

So I guess I just randomly decided to watch the entire horror library of three with Matilda Lutz of all actresses. (Rings, Revenge, A Classic Horror Story)

Revenge is about a girl who is on a beach vacation with her boyfriend and two of his friends. Things go awful, she almost dies, and then she starts to hunt them down for revenge.

Yeah, the whole name of the movie is in the title. This movie gets by on style, mostly. But fortunately the style it has is pretty outstanding. The direction of this movie is top notch and I could watch the visuals forever. Shockingly great stuff on that front. Every scene is just dripping with some bloody style, and it's all unique. I can't get some of these visuals out of my head, frankly.

The movie does seem a tad too long though. They could have cut back on some scenes, or spent less time focusing on some. It does a lot of artistic stuff really well, but it really could have cut out some scenes without tension from just... still shots of them doing something for too long.

I'm normally not a fan of revenge stories, especially when they involve c/w rape, but this one does it really well by focusing on a simple story and ascension of this vapid loser chick becoming a badass and giving you more than just... substance-less gore. Make no mistake, it is a very bloody and very gory movie, but it does so in a way that it's... almost beautiful, in a way?

Overall, really good if you're looking for a revenge movie that actually takes the time to be artsy and bold.

Rating: 8/10

---

I am now watching V/H/S

---

46. V/H/S (Tubi)

I watched this movie once and really enjoyed it. I still do!

V/H/S is an anthology film with many shorts with the framework of a group of assholes finding a VHS tape with some freaky movies on it.

I never know what to say about anthology movies, honestly. It's a bunch of shorts. In this case, it's a found footage genre of shorts, and I really enjoy every one of them! It's rare! There's one that's the weakest of the bunch (Second Honeymoon), but all of them feel different and fun.

I just enjoy a bunch of directors coming together to make some good shit like this. If I had to choose a favorite, I probably go with Amateur Night or Tuesday the 17th. I've never seen the other ones in this series though, and I really feel like I ought to. For fun, I figure I'll also list the directors and what they've gone on to do that I've enjoyed!

Adam Wingard - You're Next, Blair Witch, Godzilla vs. King Kong
David Bruckner - Siren, The Night House (And he's also doing the Hellraiser reboot!)
Matt Bettinelli-Olpin - Ready or Not (And he's doing the upcoming Scream movie!)

Anyway, if you're into some really solid found footage shorts, check this out.

Rating: 7/10

---

Starting the I Know What You Did Last Summer series! Tragically, it seems like it's to go on past October but I'll probably put out a review after it's done anyway in this topic.

It can't be worse than I'll Always Know What You Did Last Summer, at least.

---

I don't know how to tell you guys this, but...

The I Know What You Did Last Summer TV Series is actually surprisingly great. The first episode was blow away good. I'm actually stunned.

It has nothing to do with the movie or books, but oh my god. How is this show so fucking good? What?

---

The first short of VHS actually has a movie sequel of its own, Siren. It's...not as good but the lead villain is fun

---

I know! I liked Siren well enough when I saw it. Not a tremendous film. I dunno if I'll watch it this month or not.

I got three the third episode of I Know What You Did Last Summer, and I think it might be in the running for best slasher series? Like it's stunningly good. I recommend everyone check it out on Amazon because I'm seriously impressed. I kinda wish I could binge it now, but they only have the first four episodes so far!

I had my expectations for this sooooo low too.

---

Movie #15, Phantasm. Speaking of movies carried by an amazing lead villain. This was like someone told the actor "Do a vague approximation of a human except nothing is quite right"

---

I believe that would be Angus Scrimm.

---

47. Unfriended (Netflix)

Hey, it's this movie that people seem like they hated entirely because it was Facebook. Because it's actually pretty good!

Unfriended is about the spirit of a girl who committed suicide that haunts a Zoom call of a group of friends.

...Okay, when you describe the movie out it does sound pretty back. BUT IT'S PRETTY GOOD THOUGH! As far as I'm concerned, it pioneered the genre of computer screen films! Yeah, it has teenagers being dumb teenagers, but it actually gives you a pretty compelling plot throughout it.

The story of this poor girl who committed suicide has a lot of twists and turns, and that's probably the most interesting part of it. There's a few cringy things like TEENAGE DRAMA and then the whole blender thing, but other than that the rest of this movie is actually pretty fun! It's the first one of it's kind, and it's a bit rough around the edges, but I can't really fault it a ton.

It's an enjoyable, easy watch. I really like the twist ending a lot. And I think it's admirable that this created a genre that gave us a movie like Searching, or Host. Problem is, Host is a much better movie than this, IMHO! So is Searching. So that's probably the thing working against it the most, is that people have made better movies off this style. But overall, Unfriended is a good time.

Rating: 7.5/10

---

PrivateBiscuit1 posted...

And I think it's admirable that this created a genre

Hey now I think you're forgetting the awesome, epic film Feardotcom.


---

Feardotcom isn't the same genre! A computer screen film is when the entire movie is on a computer screen!

Friendly reminder that between last year and this year, Feardotcom remains the only movie I gave a 0/10.

---

I know I know I just love bringing that film up.

---

48. Fright Night (2011) (Hulu)

Hey, I liked the original a lot. I never saw the remake though, so I figured I'd check it out.

Fright Night remake is about a vampire that moves into town and a boy and his girlfriend enlisting in the help of a magician to kill the vampire for good.

So off the bat, I want to say that I'm really glad that they didn't just make this the same exact story as the original. If they did, it would surely be a disappointment. That said, I just didn't enjoy it as much as the original. But I really did enjoy this! It's mostly because David Tennant is a delight, and so is Colin Farrell, both of which carry this movie pretty squarely on their backs.

I like some of the changes they made... while not really liking some others as much? I think the focus on big action and stuff sort of detracts from my enjoyment. That, and the original is just... more fun. It is campier, it has more humor and less drama, and it just feels like a much lighter movie.

Ultimately, this movie doesn't really feel like it needs to be made at all. If you changed the character names and gave the movie a different title, it feels like it would have been its own standalone movie, so why not go more in the direction of something original? You were already most of the way there. I don't get that, I guess. But I still thought it was good. It just doesn't stack up to the original film at all.

Rating: 6.5/10

---

I am now watching The Grudge 2.

---

49. The Grudge 2 (Amazon)

It's the sequel to the American The Grudge. It's pretty much what you expect.

The Grudge picks up where the last film leaves off, with three branching stories each with spooky evil grudge spirits murdering folks.

This may be controversial, but this movie is only slightly or worse than The Grudge 1. I don't know why people act like it's sooo much worse. It's the same stuff here. It has a lot of creepy and good scares. There isn't much mystery here, and the mystery there may not be as compelling as the original film (wherein the original film didn't have much of a compelling mystery either), but it does a good job with the scares it has and the few stories it tells.

I don't have much to say more than that. It's a fine movie, but it's not nearly as terrible as people seem to act like it is. I don't get folks who are really into the first movie being so down on this one. I don't know what they wanted or expected.

Rating: 6/10

---

Movie #16, Halloween Kills. My gut feeling is that this felt like the Halloween 2 to Halloween. Less sneaky scary, more total carnage. I liked it but I can see how people might not

---

So I finally got around and to finishing the first episode of Chucky.

Really, really strong opening episode.

---

Finally saw the Halloween reboot. Pretty solid! Enjoyed it quite a bit. Gonna try and see Halloween Kills when I can

Watching the original Slumber Party Massacre now before I see the remake

---

Movie #17, Saw. I love this movie and wow do the sequels completely lose track of what made it so cool

---

Saw and Saw II will forever remain among my favorite horror movies of all time

---

Just finished Halloween Kills. Will write up later, but I really enjoyed it!

---

Kills was great. I liked it a lot more than 2018. Not in my top 3 in the franchise, but I think it's probably 4th.

---

I definitely didn't like it more than 2018, but I still think there's a ton of great stuff in it!

Also, I just watched Darkness Falls. I have complicated feelings with that one.

But I'll do ratings for both of those later tonight.

---

I'm also starting Channel Zero: No End House starring Dad Carroll Lynch.

---

50. Halloween Kills (Peacock)

Hey, it's the sequel to the much lauded Halloween 2018! I really enjoyed this one.

Halloween Kills picks up after Halloween the sequel to Halloween, and Michael Myers survives and the entire town is ready to take up arms and kill him now.

This is far from a perfect movie. It has a lot of issues. But damnit all if I don't love it still. I guess I'll start with those issues. The first of which being... there's that whole side plot with the second escaped prisoner which kind of sucks and is pointless. I know what they wanted to say with it, but it feels kind of sloppy. I guess it helps with Karen's development too, but there should be other ways. I also feel like there's some other pointless scenes as well that didn't light my world on fire. Additionally, stupid characters. But that's kind of the point I guess. There's also some dialogue in here I want to be like "Mmmmmmyou can have better lines that that."

Hey, bad out of the way. Let's talk about the good. Michael Myers is a fucking badass. Legitimately this may be him at his absolute best, through every Halloween movie. He's so deadly, terrifying, and such a looming presence of death and doom and I love it. Plus, the climax of the movie? EVERYTHING ABOUT IT IS AMAZING! I lost my mind when Michael Myers just got right the fuck back up after everyone thought he was dead. And then just MURDERS EVERYONE. Incredible moment. 10/10 I knew it was coming and I still loved it.

The characters from the movies were all great too. Picking up from the first movie, giving us characters from the previous movies, giving us more with Laurie. There's a lot of development here and it's nice to see how Michael Myers touched these people's lives and it continues to haunt them. Just seeing the rest of the town makes it seem more alive. I just love the flow of time here and how everything changes, and even all the development through the movie really makes it feel awesome! It sets up a lot for the sequel, and I can't wait to see how this ends.

Great follow up, with some issues. But there's so much good here, especially for fans of the series. I may rate it higher than most, but I just thought this movie was great.

Rating: 8.5/10

---

That has me even more excited than I was before! But I'm saving it for Halloween day, doing a double feature most likely with 2018.

---

51. Darkness Falls (Hulu)

So uh, Darkness Falls does not hold up as much as young me remembers it. And yet...

Darkness Falls is about the Tooth Fairy who murders you dead if you're in the dark, and a man trying to save a kid from becoming the next victim.

This movie kinda sucks, but I still think it feels... ahead of its time? In a way? Don't laugh. Let me explain.

We had the most uninspired bullshit in the late 90's and early 00's. It was bad. But then there comes a movie that has a new monster with a unique concept. Tooth Fairy (ok?) but she kills you if you go in the dark! It's a concept that was done infinitely better in Lights Out, a movie that's regarded as... pretty good, mostly (and I probably like it more than that). This movie feels like... if you had a more competent script and a better idea that didn't still fall into monster of the week BS, you might have a more fulfilling film.

Unfortunately, we don't have that. The Tooth Fairy here isn't nearly as interesting. The cinematography doesn't take advantage of this. The Tooth Fairy is more burst in and kill without any sense of taking your time and letting the dread pick up. This movie could have been really, really good! But instead it turns into a monster of the week and isn't tremendously good as a result.

And the script, god. It sucks. And they throw so much fodder in this movie to up a kill count, and you can't really care about most people here as a result. But they still have a good sense of dread and worry in this film despite it. This was a time where you had to kill kill kill in your monster of the week film. And even as you get to the climax of the film, you have to have ACTION rather than... something more satisfying?

I dunno, it's a supremely flawed movie that's a product of its time, that could have been much better with the more... refined directors we have doing horror nowadays? I was probably more into this movie since it was so different. But alas, it isn't very good.

Rating: 5/10

---

Movie #18, Freddy vs Jason. I'm still amazed this movie was even made with copyrights being what they are. Anyway this is fucking great, a big dumb spectacle. And Freddy is kind of back to his pre-I'm a shark now phase, a mean asshole prone to bad jokes

---

Oof, I'm going to do a gauntlet tonight.

I'm going to watch the highly recommended The Medium.

---

52. The Medium (Shudder)

This might actually be the best documentary/found footage movie I've ever seen.

The Medium is a Korean-made film set in Thailand where a camera crew goes to see the medium who has the spirit of an ancient god inside her. However, they start to notice that one of the girls there is acting strangely.

For those who like The Wailing (and if you don't, it's because you haven't seen it because it's 10/10 film that will not disappoint), it's by a lot of the same people. I'm stunned at how amazing this film was. It's lengthy sitting at 2 hours 15 minutes, but man. It starts flying easy.

What makes this film is a slow burn through the film as a curse begins to take shape. You learn more and more about it as things escalate. And my goodness, there's so much they pack in here and it's not overwhelming, it's just so expertly done. They take the idea of this found footage and use a lot of it like you're familiar with, but use it to perfection. Absolutely incredible stuff that they present here.

This film is unsettling, it's creepy, and it will scare the shit out of you. Some parts they came up with just chilled me, and this doesn't happen often with me. And the final act of this movie? It could not have been done better. Just wild beyond you can believe. It's just edge of your seat viewing at that point onward. And it takes you to the climax of the film where it's done soooo supremely well. You won't be disappointed.

Just such a great, great, great movie. Go out of your way to watch it. It just came out on Shudder. It's so damn good. Thoroughly appreciated seeing it through to the end.

Rating: 9.5/10

---

I am now watching Bedeviled.

---

I watched VHS 94 last night, that was pretty awesome aside from the super, randomly cheesy ending where everyone just hams it up out of nowhere and rushes the conclusion. Every short was a hit for me though, really grindhouse-esque and a lot of fun gore effects. The aesthetic of this film is awesome, makes you feel dirty on the inside and outside for watching these taboo tapes. I particularly note the use of lighting and obstruction through all the shorts which really made events stand out for their claustrophobia and effective jump scares built up through atmosphere. I think this is pretty easily my favorite VHS film.

---

I wanted to watch the rest of the VHS movies first but I guess it doesn't matter. I just like to see the progression of them.

I may get around to it but it's already the 19th! Only 12 more days of horror!

---

Better make it count!

---

Clearly I am.

Otherwise why would I be watching a classic like Bedeviled?

---

Oh yes, a true modern Exorcist for our generation.

---

53. Bedeviled (Tubi)

Aw shit, here we go with this thing. I like it.

Bedeviled is about a demonic Amazon Home app that makes people see horrifying images they are afraid of and scares them to death.

This has some of the worst writing I have ever seen. Just truly wretched. Laughably dumb to borderline offensive. None of the emotional beats hit right. It's impossible to like these characters because they're all so outrageously stupid. Just such a horrible script that people should be ashamed of writing. The acting is just awful too.

But where this movie actually shines is that the scary stuff is actually really creative, directed well, and legitimately scary and creepy. The visuals in this movie are great, and watching it play out is awesome too. These people know how to make a horror scenes! Just absolutely nothing outside of that! It's such a weird shift from being the worst shit I've laid eyes on to actually being great.

Fortunately, those good parts really make this movie pop a lot more, despite it's blithering lows. I almost wish they had another shot at making a movie with this behind them. They could do something... kinda not trash. They luck out with this rating.

Rating: 6/10

---

Movie #19, I Know What You Did Last Summer. Much better than I remembered it being. Or maybe I just appreciate it more after sitting through Urban Legend, hoho

---

I am now watching Things Heard & Seen.

---

PrivateBiscuit1 posted...

But there's so much good here, especially for fans of the series.

I think this is one of the spots the movie really shines in. I personally was stoked to see the scenes featuring Dr. Loomis. It was really like seeing new content from Donald Pleasence. Reading about how they did this was fascinating too. I have a lot of respect for Kills because unlike what a lot of reviews I had read about this film said coming in, this film actually did take chances and do things I hadn't seen the franchise try before. While the scenes with the mob chasing down the wrong person weren't perfect, I appreciate the attempt to speak to the current state of America's cultural climate. It wasn't masterful, but the unexpected nature of it all made me like it anyway.
---

I was curious about how they pulled that off. Wasn't like there was a lot of dialogue, but what there was was entirely new, as far as I remember

---

I really enjoyed Halloween Kills but I wish they had kept the extended (alternate?) ending.

Laurie calls her daughter and Michael picks up and just breathes into the phone, so realizes her daughter is dead and grabs a knife to go hunt him down.

I get that with the time jump for the finale it wouldn't really fit in anymore but the ending is so abrupt it felt like something was cut.

---

54. Things Heard & Seen (Netflix)

God damnit. This isn't a horror movie so much as advertised. Pissed off now.

Things Heard & Seen is about a couple that moves into a new home that has a haunted past to it. Oh and the husband is cheating on the wife.

You know, it's BS this is advertised as a horror. There's a few actual scary things in it (I mean if you're a normie I guess) with the ghosts and such. But there's not much else there.

The movie is dry as all get out and not that interesting, clocking in at a 2 hour run time that doesn't need all of that to tell the story. And Amanda Seyfried can't save this film. The ending is just appalling and undermines the whole story. It's awful, bad drama, and you can't find yourself to call all too much about it because the characters are all equally uninteresting.

It got rocked by critics and thrown on Netflix for good reason. It's bad. That's all I can say about it. Not enjoyable. Regret my time watching. I give it just a wee bit for some good acting and a few artsy fartsy stuff. That's all this film has.

Rating: 1/10

---

Holy damn, a 1 out of 10. I didn't really know much about the film but I figured it would at least be average.

---