3rd Annual N&G 31 Days* of Halloween (2021)

MOVIE #54
ParaNorman (2012)
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This movie deserves a lot more love. It's a great "outcast" movie about a kid who can talk to ghosts and is of course rejected by society because of it. There's a lot of homages and references to horror classics and anyone who grew up feeling "different" can probably find a lot to relate with in this movie. The story is also really good and gets into some dark and macabre territory, which makes sense given the main character's fixation with ghosts and zombies. There's a lot of stock character types used in the movie that are given more layers to them than usual, like the bully, the bratty sister, the dumb jock, the loser best-friend, etc. A lot of the movie's comedy, as well as a lot of its heart, comes from playing with these roles and archetypes. It also has a really good message about not letting fear consume you and change who you are. The animation is fantastic too; it was made by the animation studio Laika, best known for doing Coraline, and the talent is evident, as it's very visually appealing. If you've never seen it, I highly recommend it!

Final rating: πŸ’€πŸ’€πŸ’€πŸ’€πŸ’€
 
MOVIE #55
The Brood (1979)
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This is quite a creepy movie courtesy of the body horror master David Cronenberg, though most of the film is actually more focused on psychological horror than anything. That said, when the body horror elements do finally show up, it's definitely worth the wait. Even before that, the movie is very well-done though, with an intriguing story and some fantastic acting. It's a really disturbing film, and while some of the effects have aged a bit, it's still definitely worth watching.

Final rating: πŸ’€πŸ’€πŸ’€πŸ’€
 
MOVIE #56
Body Bags (1993)
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This was a fairly decent anthology movie, featuring segments by John Carpenter and Tobe Hooper. Carpenter actually stars as the host in the wraparound segments and the movie in general features a ton of cameos from other famous horror directors and celebrities. While it wasn't spectacular or anything, it was entertaining and kept my interest enough to where I wanted to see what was going to happen in each segment. If I had to nitpick, I would say the first segment about the gas station felt out of place; the other two stories carry a similar theme of replacing a body part and it having disastrous consequences, but the first segment was just sort of a generic slasher homage about a killer at a gas station. That said, that's a minor problem that doesn't really matter much. I liked the final segment with Mark Hamill a lot; crazy Mark Hamill is always a lot of fun. The Stacy Keach one about the hair transplant was also pretty good, even if the ending felt a little out of left field. Overall, I'm glad I saw it at least once.

Final rating: πŸ’€πŸ’€πŸ’€πŸ’€
 
MOVIE #57
Friday the 13th (2009)
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I didn't think I'd ever seen this but realized pretty quickly that I actually had a while back. Anyways, it's perfectly passable as an average bare bones slasher movie. There was nothing that I absolutely loved about it, but there also wasn't anything to really hate either. Meh was pretty much my feelings from beginning to end, but if you just want to see Jason kill some teenagers, you probably will get more out of it than I did. At the very least, I think it's more faithful to the spirit of the original movie than most horror remakes, which is respectable.

Final rating: πŸ’€πŸ’€πŸ’€
 
Just got my copy in the mail. I also ordered the movie from Vinegar Syndrome, but also ordered a pre-order, so I probably won't be getting it in time to play this month. (I did get a download of it to watch, tho)

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The tracks are all on side A - and there is a silk-screened side B

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Dang, I was trying to talk myself into not needing it but I might just end up grabbing it afterall! I'll have to listen to those "Bonus Tracks" since those are the only ones not on the 7". I'm a sucker for these kind of obscure Soundtracks/Novelty albums though.

I'm curious to see what you think of the movie though once you watch it.. I'd def. say wait for the physical though as i'm sure there's a decent bump in quality if you got a good setup.
 
19. Clue (1985) πŸ’€πŸ’€πŸ’€πŸ’€πŸ’€

β€œWhat do you mean… murder?”

Technically not a horror movie but it’s a murder mystery, right? Lots of bodies.

And I love it, so I’m counting it! πŸ˜‚

Still hilarious after all these years

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I've been out of town and then sick for a bit so haven't got to watch as many as i'd like the last week or so but will try to make up for it these final few days before Halloween!

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I watched both of the movies from this 3-4 days ago. Once I saw the movie and guest lineup I was extremely underwhelmed honestly but still went in hoping for the best.

Angel was at least better then I expected I guess but in no way, shape or form felt right for a Halloween special. πŸ’€ πŸ’€

Then the second movie which was Terror Train was a bigger letdown because last time I watched it I thought I remembered really enjoying it but I must have been either drunk or high asf because this one was just boring with no real redeeming qualities. Such a waste of a good cast and idea though. This had no right being so boring but at least I never bought the BluRay which I almost did several times the last few years. πŸ’€ πŸ’€

David Gordon Green ended up being slightly interesting but I was kind of legitimately shocked how lame and boring Jason Blum was tbh.. He has no personality and was just fake laughing the whole time and pretty sure he was lit asf on Coke and still didn't give him an interesting personality. Also, kind of lame how he just straight up said every Halloween sequel was awful "except" his sequels ofc. Usually the guests help me enjoy the overall special more but def. not this time!
 
20. It Chapter 2 (2019) πŸ’€πŸ’€πŸ’€

Since I finally watched the new It, figured I’d watch the second part, too. It is way too long, they could’ve cut and streamlined so many things the way they did in the first movie, but I still enjoyed it. Adult actors were good, some fun laughs and cool scares. A decent flick

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21. The Haunting of Bly Manor (2020) πŸ’€πŸ’€πŸ’€πŸ’€

Watched this for the first time over the summer and decided to watch again last week. Really liked it. It was a different sort of suspense in the waiting and how emotionally invested I got in the characters than in the prior series Hill House. The love story probably helped with that. I think they could’ve cut it down by an episode or two but that’s a minor criticism. Still really good and worth watching.

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Hush (2016)


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I had been meaning to watch this for a few years and finally got around to it. I was happily surprised by how good it was! It's a bout a girl that is both deaf and mute since age 13 who decides to live in a remote house in the woods to finish her book but runs into some trouble. Th cat & mouse game was well played and while there were some over the top scenes or plot holes it didn't stop the enjoyment for me at all. The main actress did a fantastic job without obviously being able to say a word all movie along with ol' black eyes above in the picture. It was also very well shot and just kept me on the edge of my seat once the craziness started which hasn't happened much lately in any new movies i've watched. I will say there was one scene in particular that really was unnecessary and lame which I wish wasn't there but like I said above it doesn't ruin the movie at all just a bit of a blemish. It was nice to see a really good home invasion movie with no racial or political undertones.

πŸ’€ πŸ’€ πŸ’€ 1/2
 
MOVIE #53
Horror Express (1972)
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Another Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee movie, and a pretty bizarre one at that. As the title suggests, the majority of the movie takes place on a train as a creature brought aboard as cargo begins going on a rampage. However, the movie is way more strange and entertaining than that premise would suggest. A big part of this is due to the creature itself; it is such a uniquely odd monster that only gets weirder as the film goes on and more is revealed about it. I won't give anything away, but it's definitely unlike any other monster I've seen in a movie.

Final rating: πŸ’€πŸ’€πŸ’€πŸ’€

I agree 100% with you on this one and it's def. always stood out to me no matter how many movies I watch!

If you have access to the Creepshow episodes from Shudder i'd highly suggest watching Season 2, Episode 5: Night of the Living Late Show where Justin Long invents this all out VR machine where he can actually go into any movie he wants and interact with the people. The whole episode is basically a love letter to Horror Express especially and a really fun watch after seeing the movie imo.
 
23. Fright Night (1985) πŸ’€πŸ’€πŸ’€πŸ’€πŸ’€

One of my absolute favorite vampire movies. It’s so 80s, Chris Sarandon is seriously sexy (imo) before he gets all vamped out, and I really like the special effects. They’re of their time but I always get a kick out of decent practical effects. It’s just your basic β€œteen thinks neighbor next door is a vampire and gets help from local cable horror host” plot. πŸ˜‚

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Dang, I was trying to talk myself into not needing it but I might just end up grabbing it afterall! I'll have to listen to those "Bonus Tracks" since those are the only ones not on the 7". I'm a sucker for these kind of obscure Soundtracks/Novelty albums though.

I'm curious to see what you think of the movie though once you watch it.. I'd def. say wait for the physical though as i'm sure there's a decent bump in quality if you got a good setup.

I got a BD rip, but I'm probably just going to wait for the physical copy. It was shipped today, so I won't get it to watch for the month, but it will be here soon next week.
 

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This is one those movies I had always heard about and wanted to eventually watch then a few years back they did the big 4k restoration and got me even more interested so I finally got around to it a few days ago (This was the second movie I watched as a double feature with Hush and worked well together I thought). First off, the atmosphere they create in this movie is top tier and they add another layer by making the soundtrack of the movie basically the storm itself which just blends with the dark rooms and candle lit areas so well. With the restoration it looks pretty damn amazing and holds up very well for 1932!

Five travelers who are seeking shelter from a big storm stumble across "The Old Dark House" and are greeted by a creepily bizarre family (I have no idea for sure but after watching this movie i'd be shocked if the creator of the original Addams Family was not heavily inspired by this movie) including a great mute butler played by Mr. Karloff. The movie does take awhile to get going and the plot is super simple but I didn't mind as it was just a fun time hanging out with everyone involved. It has a great mix of Suspense and Macabre Black Humor that I still chuckled and found interesting 90 years later which is a pretty great feat since many comedies become stale after less then a decade for me.


πŸ’€ πŸ’€ πŸ’€ πŸ’€
 
24. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) πŸ’€πŸ’€πŸ’€πŸ’€πŸ’€

Kids had their turn with picks today. And I trained them well πŸ˜‚

Still love the music in this one. And the stop-motion animation. Always a fun watch

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