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October Horror Movie Thread (2017)

Last posted Nov 01, 2017 at 07:10AM EDT. Added Oct 02, 2017 at 09:29AM EDT
27 posts from 5 users

It's that time of year again, and it's usually around this time that many people, me included, marathon horror movies to celebrate the spooks. In this thread, we'll document what horror movies we've watched this month and give a brief opinion on them.

My first spooky movie this month was An American Werewolf in London (1981)

…and holy shit, do I feel bad for not seeing this one sooner. It's well-acted, the writing is an excellent blend of horror and black comedy, and the werewolf transformation scene is easily the best in any film. Highly recommended.

Eight spooks out of ten.

The Descent 2

Not as good as part 1 but still intense, more violent than the first one.
some scenes are shot by shot like in the first one.
But still great
8/10

Blair Witch

one of the worst horror movies i saw
its unscary and really tries to be like The Blair Witch Project.
Unfitting jumpscares and gore
nothing that fits into a movie like Blair Witch project
3/10

Got around to watching Prom Night (2008) after I kept hearing about its "infamous" jumpscares like the mirror one, and BOY did it give me a good laugh.
• They recycle that same mirror jumpscare three times
• Idris Elba is in this movie for some reason and gives a better performance than was really necessary for something like this
• The killer is a teleporting psycho teacher in a baseball cap with a knife that looks like a boxcutter
• BIRD JUMPSCARE
• LAMP JUMPSCARE
• The movie ends with a dramatic shot of the final girl weeping over her dead friends as Idris Elba solemnly looks at the killers body and a random punk pop song starts playing

10/10 best movie

Last edited Oct 11, 2017 at 03:40AM EDT

Smiley Dog wrote:

Got around to watching Prom Night (2008) after I kept hearing about its "infamous" jumpscares like the mirror one, and BOY did it give me a good laugh.
• They recycle that same mirror jumpscare three times
• Idris Elba is in this movie for some reason and gives a better performance than was really necessary for something like this
• The killer is a teleporting psycho teacher in a baseball cap with a knife that looks like a boxcutter
• BIRD JUMPSCARE
• LAMP JUMPSCARE
• The movie ends with a dramatic shot of the final girl weeping over her dead friends as Idris Elba solemnly looks at the killers body and a random punk pop song starts playing

10/10 best movie

Do any of them stack up to the king of all jumpscares: The Pop Tart?

So I just saw It Follows (2014), and it was pretty fantastic.

To me, there's nothing scarier than something you can't completely understand, and this movie uses the fear of an unknown entity to its fullest through the usage of ominous atmosphere, perfect pacing, a surreal retraux soundtrack, and a scary concept that's executed exceptionally well. My only grip with the film was that the side-characters were pretty one-dimensional and flat, but for this film it doesn't really matter.

It Follows gets nine spooks out of ten. Practice abstinence, kids.

2 more movies for my month long marathon


While there were a lot of neat parts and ideas, and the black comedy was pretty spot on, it takes around half an hour before the plot actually gets into gear, and this is only a 90 minute movie. Also there seems to be an unnecessary amount of shakey cam, which is present even in the beginning where characters are just talking to each other. All that aside, the black comedy and trope subversion does make it an interesting watch at the very least, and the Final Girl is really interesting in how she herself sort of becomes a psychopath throughout the movie's events.
Also one of the killers goes down like a whimpering bitch after getting kicked in the balls and got his skull caved in with a meat tenderizer. It was hilarious.


I can see why everyone loved this when it came out. Legitimately good scare set-ups and the camerawork was some of the best I've seen in the genre. Really good performances throughout, even the five daughters were really good actresses (and the wardrobe part was pretty terrifying). The Warren's daughter, however, was god awful, but at least she's not in the movie for that long.
Also, I may have an unpopular opinion, but I hated the Annabelle stuff. It had literally no point or connection with the rest of the story (which was far more interesting), and it even caused the plot, which has some really good pacing as well, stop right dead in it's tracks with that pointless scene involving the Warren's daughter and the doll. The whole point of this was to set up that crappy spin-off prequel that nobody liked.
The doll isn't scary either. If they had gone with a design similar to the actual Annabelle (a Raggedy Ann doll), that would have been scarier than this tryhard-looking doll.

Last edited Oct 13, 2017 at 02:44PM EDT

Just saw Hellraiser (1987)

t'was pretty okay. The highlight of the movie was definitely its special effects and creature designs, but it suffered from some, at times, hokey acting, noticeably off ADR dubbing, and silly dialogue. That said, I still found it enjoyable, and I recommend it to people who like over-the-top practical effects.

Six "sights to be seen" out of ten.

Last edited Oct 13, 2017 at 06:57PM EDT

Aaaand another 2


I'll admit, I knew the twist going in, but I think that made the movie way more interesting once you start picking up how characters act, as well as some background things that clue you on to said twist. The atmosphere was the winner here and everything was just barely normal enough to be eerie and unsettling until the "big reveal". Also it has a great score.
I know a lot of people complained about the jumpscares, but I think I've grown used to them due to how many horror movies I just watch for fun, so they didn't bug me in particular.


"But that's not a horror movie!"
Yeah, but I like this movie and watch it every season so bite me.
Still holds up, still is really funny, and I still firmly believe this is Burton's best looking movie with all the characters being memorable. I guess technically the only things that don't really hold up are some of the stop-motion effects, but I think the movie is just weird and surreal enough that they still kinda work.

yesterday was friday the 13th take a guess what i watched…
RIGHT FRIDAY THE 13TH

so what do i have to say about this cult classic.
tbh its just a OK movie. i mean its not shit it is good but not as good as halloween and nightmare on elm street. some scenes are dragged for too long but the ending twist, the violence and the woods settings saves the movie. this movie exist only because of the hype that halloween (1978) started and you can clearly see that some scenes are directly copied from halloween ( the scene where the main character finds the corpses) anyway its a cultclassic even if its just a OK film you clearly need to see this one for historical reasons. i give this one 7 hockeymask out of 10.
i don't hate this movie just to be clear

So, I saw two movies the other night.
The first was the 1932 classic: The Mummy

Being a movie from the early thirties, it doesn't really feature a lot of modern movie-making staples, but that doesn't stop it from being decently spooky at times. Boris Karloff is great as the vengeful mummy Imhotep, and his stare is the stuff of nightmares. That said, the other characters aren't as memorable, but I can forgive the movie for its shortcomings because of its age.
Six scrolls out of ten.

The next movie I saw was… something.

Under the Skin is simultaneously confusing and extremely unsettling. Despite the fact that most of the movie is essentially Scotland Driving Simulator 2014, it still manages to act as progression for the movie's loose plot with almost no spoken dialogue. The film expects the viewer to interpret its main character's development entirely through actions, which I find adds multiple layers of interest and makes the movie watchable at least twice. The movie unfortunately utilizes a borderline glacial pace, which makes it even harder to recommend to an average movie goer, and the interpretive symbolic meaning of certain imagery can leave many scratching their heads in confusion. This movie isn't for everyone, but that didn't stop me from being entranced by it from start to finish.

Seven unintelligible Scottish people out of ten.

so i watched this

the movie is ok but you don't really need to watch it
it feels like a gory Nightmare on Elm street 3 remake
it has tobin bell in it and clearly runs on the saw hype
ok kills but totally not predictable ending
if you wanna watch a splatter watch something else
i give 5 boogeymanz out of 10

so another one

i tried a black and white horror film too and for its just 1 hour runtime it has this typical b/w athmosphere but the werewolf only appeared only at the end and was a dissapointment. if you wanna see a good werewolf flick watch Wolfman.
but it wasnt really bad. the dialogues are pretty funny.
i give it 6 way too late appearing werewolfes out of 10


Okay, I also knew the twist to this one too (I can't help it, I'm trying to cut back on spoiling myself on movies), but I think it doesn't really matter now anyways, more so when it was still in theaters. But anyways, the characters are what really sell this movie. From the five college students, to the people in the facility, they all were enjoyable and had some great lines. Also more black comedy and trope subversion (because that's still a thing in horror movies nowadays thanks Scream), all culminating in the beautifully brutal Carnage scene near the end.
Marty best character

8 troperifically gored facility workers out of 10

Just saw an indie psychological horror film called They Look Like People

…and I'm not sure what to think about it. I like that it was able to set a tense atmosphere with the use of subtle sound design and no sudden loud noises, the camerawork was fantastic, and the characterization, dialogue, and acting feels very authentic, but there were still things I didn't like. The message felt obvious from the very beginning, the movie moved at an uncomfortably slow pace (and not in a good way like The Shining), and the brief shots of what happens to people when the monster infects them looks a little silly. In the end, I'd still recommend it to anyone looking for a good spook, but don't expect something groundbreaking. I dunno, there might be something here that I just haven't realized yet.

Six nailguns out of ten.

this day (and my 666th forum post) i watched

one of my absolute favorite horror movies
i just love the final destination series
even if this one is not so good like the first one it still manages to be great
(even if the deaths would be easy avoided if someone would care about safety at work)
8 easy to avoided deaths out of 10


There's a lot wrong with this movie, from tonal inconsistency to some hit-and-miss writing, but I don't care I still love it and I don't know why.

I watch this a lot, and always make sure to watch it around Halloween. Maybe I like it for the idea that the slutty cheerleader is the villain instead of the victim, maybe for the actual good lines and acting that do land, maybe because I actually enjoy the characters and plot, maybe because seeing Megan Fox in this movie made me realize both my bisexuality and my more questionable fetishes, I don't know what, I like it.

Also, a little bit of useless trivia that cracks me up, but Fall Out Boy was actually approached to play the Satan-worshiping virgin-sacrificing band Low Shoulder. Needless to say they turned it down. [though I find it amusing that one of the band members looks like Pete Wentz and the lead band member looks Brendon Urie, you cheeky movie you]

I like this dumb movie

Last edited Oct 22, 2017 at 10:01PM EDT

Just rewatched Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla, the 21st movie in the Godzilla franchise.

Being the Godzilla fanatic that I am, having watched all 29 films (31 if you count both American remakes), I still stand by my statement that this is one of the King of the Monsters' weaker outings.

The film suffers from an unnecessarily convoluted plot, with subplots being introduced and either abandoned or given a weak resolution. The pacing is pretty bad too, seen in a ten-minute sequence dedicated to a beach scene that could've been extensively trimmed, with the outcome (using a mind control device on Godzilla) ultimately never going anywhere. Suddenly, we're then subjected to a forced love subplot that also never goes anywhere… and then we're introduced to the Yakuza in a subarc that's introduced and resolved in the second act. It's very sloppily written, and the weak characters definitely don't help, with Miki being one of the most irritating characters I've seen in the series ("You stupid men are all the same! You don't have to kill him!" She says, talking about the giant cold-blooded kaiju responsible for killing millions). The series standard of bad dubbing makes all the attempts at melodrama hilarious, though.

My negative thoughts aside, I will admit there are positives. The music, while mostly forgettable, is good, the monster fights are as cheesy and fun as always, and SpaceGodzilla (who has a really dumb name by the way) is a uniquely-designed monster with a surprising amount of character in his performance.

Despite its flaws, the movie isn't even close to being the worst in the series. It's uneven, sure, and everything from the characters to the mess of a plot is sloppy, but if you're here for Godzilla, well, that's what you're going to get.

4 explanations for SpaceGodzilla's origin out of 10

Planning on marathoning some spoopy movies tomorrow, so expect a huge list of reviews.

Last edited Oct 27, 2017 at 11:52PM EDT

Just saw Happy Death Day
Was pretty enjoyably dumb, the death montage was my favorite part, and it's nice to see another slasher movie released nowadays. There also was some legitimately funny lines.
However, the writing isn't always the best, there's a lot of lack of logic moments, it gets pretty anachronistic in some places which would probably bug some people, and I was able to guess who the killer was at their first introduction.
Also what kind of nickname is "Tree". I get it's short for Theresa but it's still dumb
And because it's dumb, I recommend it. Dumb slasher movies are always a blast around Halloween.

watched final destination 2 so i watchted this

not really bad but not really good either.
its way better then part 3 but far away being good as part 1 and 2
the deaths are nasty af (the eye surgey scene)
the beginning is good, the middle part is boring even with the nasty deaths and the ending saves the movie
i give it 7 easy to prevent deaths out of 10

I managed to watch three spoopy films recently.

The first film I watched was John Carpenter's The Thing

Still among my top five 80's horror films. The bleak atmosphere created by the setting is nerve-racking, and the implications presented by The Thing (as in the alien) makes the scope feel larger. The creature effects still hold up amazingly well thirty years later, but I feel as though they overshadow the film's actors, who, despite having some memorable lines like:

aren't really what you watch the film for. It's a movie where the special effects are the star, not the characters responsible for reacting to them. It doesn't drag the whole movie down, but it's a flaw. Still a great movie for those who like sci-fi horror.

7.5 people who've potentially been infected out of ten.

Next movie I saw was David Chronenberg's The Fly

Probably my second-favorite horror movie from the 80's. Unlike The Thing, the special effects, which also hold up amazingly well, are tied into the main character, giving the audience a bigger reason to care about the people involved in the horrific imagery. Every actor does a stellar job and feels believable, even with occasional moments of dark comedy. My only gripe is that the relationship between Geena Davis and Jeff Goldblum's characters feels a little rushed, with the former's character maybe caring just a little too much about a guy she met barely a week ago. Overall, it's still an excellent film that deserves to be among the ranks of the best body horror films of all time.

Eight squirming maggot babies out of ten.

The final film I saw was the infamous 1977 film House

…look. If there's a movie you need to see at five in the morning, when half of your friends have already passed out, leaving you and your remaining friends to struggle to stay awake and comprehend it, it's this one. I've already seen this movie, so I already knew what to expect, but the borderline drug-induced insanity seen in the film is intensified when trying to stay awake during it. The editing is so fucking bizarre and the tone is so inconsistent that dozing off and waking up one minute later will convince you you're watching an entirely different movie. When viewed from a critical standpoint, much of the movie's bizarre content could be seen as a result of incompetency from the director, but everything somehow manages to collide together to create an extremely entertaining experience. Highly recommended.

Six Mario 64 pianos out of ten.

Last edited Oct 29, 2017 at 05:33PM EDT


so scream 4…
the scream series is one main reason why i love horror
so what have i to say about this movie
its a meta horror movie thats makes fun about meta horror, unnessesary remakes/reboots and sequels.
as alone movie its good but from the series perspective not really
scream 3 was already unnessesary but i still like this one and part 4 because i love the scream series.
7th layer of meta out of 10

Saw two spooks the other day.

First was the controversial 1973 horror classic The Exorcist

The movie has this overwhelming power coursing through it that's hard to explain. The demon possessing Reagon, later said to be "Pazuzu" in the film's terrible sequel, is the easily the highlight of the film. You don't really know if the powers trying to stop it are actually effective or if Pazuzu is just messing with them, which adds an extra layer of depth to the film. Speaking of depth, Father Carris' has a lot, and he's one of the more interesting characters in the film because of it. Overall, really well-acted and suspenseful movie.

Eight unnecessary sequels and spinoffs out of ten.

Next film I saw was Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho

And yeah, still holds up. It's a movie with a glacial pace (which is to be expected when you have the Master of Suspense directing it), but it works in building the intense atmosphere. Anthony Perkins steals the show with his nuanced portrayal of Norman Bates, but that's not to say the other actors do a bad job either. Unfortunately, I feel like everything after the shower scene (you know the one) isn't as good as the first act, which feels like a smaller movie on its own; the final fifteen minutes are pretty great, but the second act just doesn't hold your attention like the first. That said, still a pretty good film, and it's easy to see why it inspired a new generation of horror.

Seven stabbings out of ten.

Saw two spooky B-grade horror films last night.

…if you consider Godzilla a B-movie, that is. Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster, or Godzilla vs. Hedorah, is a psychedelic acid trip that remains one of the strangest entries in the franchise. Much like House, the film has strange editing and camerawork, all backed up by a very un-Godzillaesque soundtrack by Richiro Manabe (Godzilla's leitmotif in this movie, for example, always makes it sound like he's about to sneeze). Occasionally, the cinematography can be surprisingly effective, seen in the shot before the final battle with Hedorah emerging from the darkness with his ominous, pseudo-baby mobile leitmotif accompanying him; but other times the cinematography can be… strange? There are a couple instances where a wide-angle lens is used and I'm not sure what Yoshimitsu Banno was going for other than making the film even weirder. There's a less-than-subtle environmental message present throughout the entire film too, but it's all drowned out by the film's strange, occasionally dark tone. It's honestly kinda hard to talk about this movie in a basic "this is positive, this is negative" template because the film is all over the place in terms of quality; but I can still safely say that I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Even after all these years of regularly viewing it, I still find the film completely baffling, and that combined with the always-entertaining monster battles make this film a blast from start to finish.

Six things you don't see every day out of ten.

Next I saw… The Stuff?

The film is just as ridiculous as the title. The Stuff is an extremely entertaining sit filled with enjoyable performances and impressive special effects. Unlike vs. Hedorah, the film's message about society isn't as direct, but still isn't very subtle, but it doesn't need to be. The plot suffers from several coincidences (wow, the FBI agent just happened to be passing through that neighborhood when the kid was being chased), but it's saved by the cartoonish acting, giving it a layer of enjoyable cheese. The special effects, as stated before, are pretty impressive, utilizing reversed footage, composite shots, and rotating rooms to give the illusion that the titular "stuff" is moving around, and it looks fairly convincing. If you want a good, silly B-movie, this one would make a good sit.

Six exploding heads filled with "stuff" out of ten.

Welp, it's the final day, folks. Let's watch some good spooks before the end of the month.

'tis the final day of spooky month, and I watched three spooks.

The movie that pretty much invented the "modern zombie" still holds up. For a low-budget, independent production, the acting feels solid, the camerawork feels authentic, the lighting is effective and moody, and the gore effects are still pretty squimish. Highly recommended, but don't go in expecting a happy ending.

Seven headshots out of ten.

Next, I saw two films I've made a tradition to watch every year:

Being the movie that popularized many of the tropes we see in slasher movies, does it still hold up? Much like Night of the Living Dead, the film manages to surpass the limitations of its budget and deliver a scary, occasionally uneven, experience. The slow pace and use of John Carpenter's minimalistic, yet effective score builds an atmosphere of dread, and the relatively smaller scale of the movie (the main setting is basically a single neighborhood, three houses at most) lets the viewer become familiar with their surroundings before the killings begin. The shots of Michael Myers appearing in and out of the darkness, as well as long shots of him from across the street, help give him a real presence and make him an effectively creepy villain. Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasance are both excellent in their roles, with much of the supporting cast doing decently as well.
Unfortunately, the film isn't without its moments of narm. While some times they're used effectively, the movie has an annoying habit of playing some loud, piercing sound effect whenever Myers does anything in the background, and it's not as effective as just having no sound effects and letting the audience take in the shot he appears in. A lot of times the dialogue can be hokey, and the ADR of Curtis' voice during the final chase can be pretty laughable ("THE KEEEEEEEEEYS!"). There's also the unfortunate matter that many of the scares can be seen as predictable because the film practically codified them as clichés, so modern viewers may find the movie boring as a result.
That said, I still highly recommend Halloween as a great seasonal movie. The acting is mostly solid, the score is iconic and used well, Michael Myers makes for a great, creepy villain, and the smaller scale of the movie gives it a unique feeling of familiarity. If you're interested in the origins of the modern slasher movie, this is the movie to watch.

Seven fake out scares out of ten.

For all the praise I have for Halloween, its sequel fares a little worse.

Halloween II is a great example of why bigger doesn't always equal better. It has a bigger budget, a bigger cast, a wider set of locations, a higher body count, and a more complicated plot, but it just isn't as good as the original.
Even though the original wasn't without its cheese, it still felt grounded in reality, making the existence of a seemingly unstoppable killing machine like Michael feel more threatening. When your sequel features a scene in which a man, who just so happens to be wearing the exact same getup as Myers, boiler suit and all, get briefly mistaken for him before immediately getting hit by a police car and dying in an explosion, your movie ceases to feel believable

I can buy the fact that Michael shrugged off six bullets, but this feels maybe a little too silly.
The fact that the movie isn't patient enough and has the first, present-day, on-screen killing take place within the first ten minutes, as opposed to forty or so minutes in, means that there isn't enough time for suspense to be built up, making Halloween II feel more like a run-of-the-mill slasher movie where you're just waiting for another body to be added to the pile. It's predictable and it's not scary.
That's not to say the movie is without its merits. Many of the shots are pretty spooky, the lighting is dark, the acting is still pretty good, and the hospital setting is interesting. The music actually works in favor of the bigger scale too, as tracks from the first movie are remade with synth instruments that lend themselves well to the bigger scenes. The final chase in the hospital is almost on-par with the one in the first movie, even if its marred by the fact that the side-characters have shit peripheral vision.
Overall, a very uneven and lesser sequel. Ignoring my gripes, this is where I think the story of "The Shape" should've ended, with the following movies being anthology stories instead of the same Michael Myers shit every time. But no. Now we have a bunch of terrible sequels, with Halloween 3, the only one that tried to be different, being unfairly hated for doing something new.

"I SHOT HIM SIX TIMES!" out of ten

…but yeah! That's it for my year's October Spookathon. Thanks to everyone who posted in the thread, and I hope to see you next year.

Last edited Oct 31, 2017 at 10:51PM EDT

i know its november but i keep it short
first one

a ok saw rip off no need to watch this
5/10

insidious is one of the best modern horror movies out there
its even better than conjuring
better story and the jumps are perfect
9/10

Halloween is my absolute favorite horror movie
the atmosphere, the soundtrack
unsettling and perfect
this is how horror should be
10/10

Skeletor-sm

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