October Horror Challenge 2017

Well it's zombies, but the zombies kill people. 

Every day the predictions for Matthew seem to change. They thought it was going to hit us directly, but now they are saying it will veer off to the east. I wouldn't mind some storms for weekend movie watching, honestly.

Can't say it is a 'horror' film but Night Tide (1961) by Curtis Harrington is Creepy , like Rosemary's Baby (which I don't think of as a strict horror film). It was Dennis Hopper's first starring role.
It's the best 'mermaid' story ever made, and has one of the strangest power weird scenes involving a totally ordinary setting (somewhat dingy) and mysterious woman and Hopper's character and a story about the mermaid Mora (Linda Lawson) involving about Atlantis, very subtle.
Harrington started film work in 1942 and didn't get to do a theatrical film (Night Tide) until 1962!
Harrington did 'fix up' of a soviet film , Mechte Navstrechu, released in the US as Queen of Blood that's a winner , Hopper is in that too.
Harrington never really got a break, only doing 9 films, What's the Matter with Helen? (1971) probably his best known.
He did good work, the proper heir to Val Lewton.

Savage Weekend (1979)

Savage Weekend is a sleazy slasher before slashers were a thing. It was filmed in 1976, two years before the release of Halloween, which is funny, because the killer's mask kind of reminded me of a gnarlier, more gruesome version of Michael Myer's mask. It follows a group of friends taking some time off in a small, backwoods town. Typical of 70s horror, it features a pretty deliberate pace with certain dream-like elements, and most of the violence doesn't really kick into gear until the final act. The ladies are hot, the guys are dorky, the locals are gruff, and the gay guy invites trouble at the bar because honey, he can take care of himself.

This is one sleazy slasher. The first hour is full of sex scenes, fantasies, adulteries, and many nude scenes. Before you get excited, know that it's not particularly classy or tasteful. The classic movie Ghost features Patrick Swayze embracing his love and guiding her hands over a clay vase as romantic music plays. Savage Weekend features a grizzled hillbilly taking a married woman's hand, and gently guiding it to caress a cow's udder as he helps her milk it. Is the scene arousing? Yes. Will it make you feel dirty? Very much so. But if you're a fan of slashers, you're sure to appreciate this movie, sleaze and all. The killer is pretty creepy, the Deliverance-esque music is fun, and I'm ashamed to admit that I didn't see the final twist coming.




The Vampire Bat (1931)

This forgotten classic is like a vampire horror, mad-scientist drama, and murder mystery all rolled into one. It's as if they took all of the popular Universal movies of the time and jammed them together in a movie that doesn't really have the same impact as movies like Dracula or Frankenstein. Locals are turning up killed and drained of blood, with puncture marks in their neck. This film features everything you'd expect from an early 30s horror. Angry villagers with torches, fast-talking men with thin mustaches, and women who just seem to be there to be scared and obedient. Apparently Fay Wray was in this but I couldn't tell you what she did, because the females aren't given anything to do. Anyway it is the product of its times, and that may not be entirely fair, because my favorite character is Auntie. She has all of the best lines, and is like a walking, talking Web MD. She goes around making up illnesses and attempting to diagnose everybody with crippling diseases, she even concocts her own remedies, which mostly just make her gassy.

Movies of this era can be so funny in a strange way. The movie ends with a murder-suicide, and not 30 seconds later a dashing hero makes a corny joke and practically winks at the camera before THE END flashes on the screen. A total 180 in tone in mere seconds. The film is only an hour long, but if you dislike talky, pre-code dramas, this movie won't impress you. It doesn't transcend the genre and it's certainly not timeless like Nosferatu. However, if you're a fan of 30s horror films, there's a lot going on that should entertain, even if it seems rather unoriginal.

Was Mosquito your pick? Phantasm looks good.

I remembered there was something special about Mosquito and insects. I noticed that your write-up of that one was really funny but you never said whether or not you liked it. It was really bad, wasn't it? 

Seems like everyone on this forum has seen Krampus but me.

I'm no DaveyJoe-level fan, but yeah, I like the silly horror movies. Leatherface. *shivers*

You will have to "live-post" Krampus. It's supposed to be really scary, right?

I'm not sure how scary Krampus is supposed to be. A friend compared it to Gremlins, a holiday horror that starts funny and gets surprisingly horrific by the end. Bone Tomahawk might be a good one to live post. It sounds pretty gnarly.

What movie is this?


I've got some borboun, pumpkin ale, and I'm about to watch the original Hills Have Eyes for the first time. Hold on to your butts. 

I don't know where I got the idea that Krampus is really scary. I need to see Bone Tomahawk too. And I still haven't seen The Conjuring. Michael Ironside is in V, playing his usual gruff asshole self, and it's got me wanting to see more of him so I was thinking about watching Scanners too.

There's a chilly wind in the air now, so it finally feels Halloweeny! I'm painting pumpkins today.

TheMadQueen, are you talking about the scene in your signature? What is that?

Krampus may very well be scary, Trick r Treat was fun, but it had some scares. I'm expecting something similar in tone. Scanners is great, even if dated, it deals with telepathy in a really interesting way. Michael Ironside is really young in it. The Conjuring is great, it's going g to have longevity in the horror genre for decades to come. Very skillfully made and the lead couple is well developed for a horror film.

It's a chilly 55 degrees here and very windy. It's definitely got a Halloween feel, it's the first time of the season I had to wear long sleeves.

I've never watched Penny Dreadful. I'm more of a movie guy, but I've been trying to watch a few series this October. I'm going to watch the final episode of Stranger Things with my mom tonight. I have also been watching the second season of American Horror Story. I like it better than the first season, even though I get the sense they're jamming too many different horror elements into one story. Then again, I complained that the first season got too slow at times. James Cromwell has been really unpleasant in this season. Some of things he's said are repulsive. I'm like, I can't believe this is the farmer from Babe.