Halloween Movie #10
Evil Dead II [1987]
Halloween Spook-o-meter: 4/5
I feel like a bad horror movie fan for what I'm about to write, but until 2013 arrived, I had only seen the third installment of the Evil Dead series (1992's Army of Darkness). My friends have told me it is a "must see" for scary movie aficionados and I've even owned the first one for a couple years; I just never got around to watching it. When the remake arrived in theaters, I finally got around to watching The Evil Dead and simply loved it. So I was pretty excited to see the Evil Dead 2 pop up on Netflix. Many friends have told me that the second film is so similar to its predecessor that it is more of a remake. Well let me join a long line of people saying Evil Dead 2 is a horror remake done right. Our hero Ash and a ragtag group find themselves stranded in a cabin, terrorized by the 'evil dead' that were summoned by a reading of the Necronomicon. The narrative and many of the big effects are the same as the first, but director Sam Raimi and lead actor Bruce Campbell clearly feel more comfortable this time around. The film is a bizarre bloody, funny sequel and proves to the horror genre that remakes can be done right. Both The Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2 are available on Netflix.
Halloween Movie #11
The Monster Squad [1987]
Halloween Spook-o-meter: 2/5
For as long as I can remember, I've loved Halloween. When my friends were obsessing over Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers and Pokemon, I was worrying about my next costume and probably watching Monster Squad. I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say I've seen this film close to 100 times. I've introduced it to nearly all my friends, most of my family members and even to a couple strangers. This film is among the 80s monster movies that were created to cater to the whole family (Think Ghostbusters, Goonies and Gremlins). The Monster Squad is a group of boys that are united by their love of scary creatures and horror films. Coincidentally, not too far away Dracula is resurrecting Frankenstein to join himself, the Mummy, the Wolf Man and the Creature of the Black Lagoon to take over the world. When the city police prove inept, it's up to the Monster Squad to spare the planet from eternal damnation. This film was written by Shane Black of Lethal Weapon and Iron Man 3 fame, and is so filled with hilarious quotes that I'm surprised this film isn't a bigger cult hit. Monster Squad is a little hard to find, but I've seen around and randomly spot it at Target for $5.
Halloween Movie #12
Sinister [2012]
Halloween Spook-o-meter: 5/5
Let's be honest. Finding a quality horror movie has proved to be a difficult task over the past ten-twenty years. As soon as something fresh and invigorating comes along, studios quickly adopt the formula for dozens of awful sequels, remakes and re-imaginings. When talking about quality horror movies released this decade, three films seem to be in unanimous contention: 2010's Insidious, 2012's Sinister and 2013's The Conjuring. (Both Insidious and The Conjuring were directed by James Wan, who turned the horror genre upside down in 2004 with his movie Saw). I really enjoyed Insidious when I watched it and it was frightening enough for me to check the closet before heading to bed. I am beyond excited to see the Conjuring, simply because I am terrified of the concept of "shadow people. That being said, I found Sinister to be kinda disappointing and I take full responsibility for that. In the spring I watched the first hour with some friends. I thought the first hour was spooky, dark and had a very disturbing villain in "Mr. Boogie". The scares came slow, but through inventive and unusual methods (anyone who has seen this will know what I'm talking about when the paused footage on the computer moves). I was excited to finally have the opportunity to finish the film this week and the last forty minutes was just anti-climatic. Going through the footage and piecing together the story was a thrill ride and the ending felt like someone hitting the breaks before you get to the good part. Sinister is available at Redbox.
Halloween Movie #13
Dale and Tucker vs. Evil [2010]
Halloween Spook-o-meter: 3/5
It is hard not to compare this film to Shaun of the Dead, arguably one of the finest "horror-comedy" films, which gave new life to a tired genre. The film envisions what life is like when two friends are mistaken for the "bloodthirsty, demented Redneck" archetype that terrorized Deliverance, The Hills Have Eyes, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, etc. Tucker and Dale are dim-witted, loveable Appalachian buddies who find themselves held accountable for the suicides/murders of a nearby group of college kids (that expertly depict the stereotypes found in modern horror film heroes). The movie is funny, witty and surprisingly endearing and I recommend it to anyone who might be looking for some lighter October fare. Dale and Tucker vs. Evil is available on Netflix.
Halloween Movie #14
Children of the Corn [1984]
Halloween Spook-o-meter: 3/5
I need to preface my review of this movie by saying how much I despise when people critique older films against modern movie-making and that is why I feel terrible that I am about to do it. The effects in the movie are incredibly cheesy and are actually distracting from the true terror of the film, which is the fear instilled by an uprising of children. It is a fruitless waste of time to critique child acting, but this movie exhibits the bottom of the barrel (where were the Coreys?). This film is just downright terrible, has certainly not aged well and I don't understand which part of the movie created a fan base desiring nine sequels/remakes. This film is available on Netflix.
Halloween Movie #15
The Wolf Man [1941]
Halloween Spook-o-meter: 2/5
Every October I try to watch a mix of new releases and perennial favorites while revisiting films I have foggy recollections of. Although they were favorites of mine growing up, I haven't seen any of the Universal monster movies, outside of Dracula, This movie was fun to watch if only to see the origin of the modern werewolf legend: the talisman, the gypsy, the full moon, the silver handle (or bullet), the reluctant transformation. A remarkable thing about these older films is their brevity. With most of their movies running around 70 minutes, Universal wastes no time creating creepy atmospheres for their monsters to lurk. Many modern filmmakers could use a lesson in being concise. The Wolf Man is available on Netflix.
Halloween Movie #16
Friday The 13th Part III / Part IV: The Final Chapter
Halloween Spook-o-meter: 3/5
Every year I see advertisements for AMC Fearfest's Friday the 13th marathon and every. single. year. I start out at the beginning only to quit halfway through the second film. I've never made it further into any of the other ten installments, so this year I decided to start with Friday the 13th Part III and watch through Part IV (I didn't make it, so I'll count these as one entry). Alongside the horrible acting and aimless plot, the third one was made extra unwatchable by the overuse of 3-D gimmicks. Part IV was much better because it marks the point in the series when the creators realized the desires of their audience: to see Jason Voorhees kill people. The downside to watching AMC (beside the continuous self-congratulating commercials) is that censorship edits these gruesome murders into pulp. Watching these slasher sequels can feel like a chore, but its made a little easier when you can see the hockey mask kill somebody with a road flare. AMC's Fearfest runs through October 31st.
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