Thinking about the 100 Favorite Halloween/Horror Movies

Visit this list from my 2009 list, which will no doubt be added to this year.



Enjoy in the meantime!!!!

New Blog Horror Heaven

http://horrorheaven.blogspot.com/

The above is my new blog where I am consolidating all my horror movie reviews and recomendations (or not!!!).

Tuesday Terror-Dirt Boy

I think almost every horror movie has a family estrangement story of some sort in there. This movie, Dirt Boy, is no exception, but it is part of a mystery.

This was filmed in the Cape Cod area, and is obviously and independent film. This film was very good, and not the disappointment of other independent horror films where you actually hear the director shouting cut or see the mike!!!

This film was very well done, and I found it hard to go away for a drink, bathroom or anything before it was done. I very much enjoyed this. I had my doubts considering it was an American made horror movie on Netflix's play immediately list LOL. In fact, I forgot to play it on my computer, and was bummed when it came in on DVD. I loved this movie though.

Tuesday Terror-P2, Cloverfield, The Orphanage

Here is a tip on Netflix. If it's foreign and horror on instant play, it's probably really good. Otherwise, not so much. So instant play English and Horror, probably worth while just playing it for a few minutes to verify that it completely sucks, and then take it out of your que!!

However, these are various movies that I have seen lately, that are deservingly well made horror movies IMHO.

P2 Very cool thriller about a parking attendant that has gone over the edge. I found it suspenseful and gripping. Also the woman in this is not your typical girly screamy victim.

Cloverfield I waited for this movie with baited breathe for so long, I was sure that I was going to be disappointed. I really enjoyed this film. Good traditional giant sized monster story, from the video of a single video camera.

Well worth the wait, and I loved this.

The Orphanage Subtitled spanish horror movie about a woman that wants to reopen an orphanage that she was brought up in, to rehabilitate troubled or special needs youth. This has a couple of really good mysteries in it. Very frightening in places.

This was out on Netflix for instant play before it was ever available on movies on demand et!!!

Monday Movie-The Chronicles of Narnia

I have to admit, when I heard the rumors that this was in any way involved with Christianity, it turned me right off. However, as a child, I had read this book and didn't recall any overt religious tones. Excellent book.

So the movie was on tv last night, and I took a peek. Now I want to read the book again LOL. It brought back so many memories of that book. It's in the fantasy genre of stories. Really beautifully done and magical. I can not recomend this movie enough, and it's really a feel good movie. Some parts may be hard for kids to take, but most of it rights itself out in the end.

Saturday Cinema-Caution, Lust

I couldn't sleep the other night, and wanted something a little out of my normal realm. Actually, as a teenager and young adult, I liked these Greta Garbo romatic/tragic kind of movies. As I got older, I began to think films like "Gone with the Wind" or "Camille" were so silly, as they could have had happy endings, but the characters were always making bad choices (and these were normally the women of the story, of course).

Same here, but it's a decadent movie. Pretty surprisingly graphic sex scenes!! Wasn't expecting that from a foreign movie. Interesting little movie, I really enjoyed it.

Tuesday Terror-Deadly End

For squirm factor, I am particularly partial to a couple of gory scenes here. I have had bad dreams about this. I mean not in these circumstances, but....

Acting is so so. One kind of sexy scene that becomes the basis for why the neighbor is "after" them. A pretty original story I think. I can't think of any that I watched that involved poisonings, except maybe Arsenic and Old Lace, which was sort of a comedy in a lot of ways. Story line does have some wholes though, and the typical spineless and helpless female victim.

So I dunno. I guess I recommend it for the somewhat original story line and gore factor, though the not well thought out story line and borderline acting would make it pretty tough to watch again.

Tuesday Terror-Joshua

This was a movie I found on Movies on Demand while selecting something that I could sleep to, yet be interested in getting my money's worth the next day. Let's just say, no sleeping occurred after this movie started.

Reviews didn't seem to like it, but I really enjoyed this creepy, quiet, and understated movie. That being said, I am going to check out the one the reviewer said was like it (only better) Birth.

Not really sure that I had the motivation right, and am confused about some things that happened and how they tied in with the overall plot and motiviation. The expected killing of the dogs and animals for instance? Perhaps it had something to do with the Egyptian mummification process that intigued him so?

That would be the one main complaint that I had with the movie. I was going to say more, but now I get into the area of perhaps spoiling the movie for any who haven't seen it.

***Note, it's interesting how many horror movies actually tie into the disfunctional family theme!!

Tuesday Terror-Malevolence

Okay, a nice find this week. I love this movie. It's apparently this director's only movie, and got horrid reviews, but seriously, I loved it. I actually gave it five stars.

Creepy, scary, new and interesting story line, the only complaint I have is this was supposed to be a three part series, and now I despair that the other two may never come to pass.

Monday Movies-Shallow Ground

Interesting concept for a horror movie. Not your normal ghost story. Felt a part of it was, kind of, reminiscent of Friday the 13th. A much better movie than Friday the Thirteenth, there is a mystery in there that keeps you guessing.

I would have liked better background on the "history" of this, but maybe I missed it in the viewing. A little campy, and all the girls are real pretty and look great naked of course .

Tuesday Terror-Ghost of The Needle

Orignal and clever little film, I thought. Some questions regarding whether the killer would be so stupid as to.....[don't want to spoil the fun here], but then again, who said every serial killer needed to be bright?

Actually, serial killers are arrogant, and that's usually how they are caught. So I guess it's not that far fetched.

Some orginal ideas here. Some things done before. Overall though, I think it worked in a home spun horror kind of way. I liked and recomend it.

Tuesday Terror-Pan's Labyrinth

Pan's Labyrinth is a very dark "fairy tale" or fantasy story. I did enjoy it, even though it was one of those pesky subtitled foreign films. Very imaginative story line, and I was totally engrossed until the end.

I do love dark fairy tales. Brother's Grimm is another one of those movies (though more Disney than this movie) which is in the dark fairy tale genre IMHO.

Again related to estrangements, step parents, children being shunned et. Really very well done. I would give this four and a half stars, and maybe five.

Tuesday Terror-Rob Zombie's Halloween

I actually watched Rob Zombie's Halloween before the New Year. I adore House of 1000 Corpses, and so wanted to like this movie (much like I WANTED to like Devil's Rejects).

I did appreciate the back story, but didn't feel the movie went far enough or was creative enough. Probably my expectations were way to high for this. I would recomend watching it, but don't expect it to be any kind of horror movie revelation.

There were things I liked about it. They made Laurie's adopted parents real people, and they had a part (don't want to spoil it) in the story that they hadn't in the orginal. Enjoyed Michael's solution to a bully problem, and thought that was very well done.

The chase scenes had some moments, but the orginal IMHO was much scarier. I liked the alternate ending that they did not use, and not the one that was used.

Worth seeing, but below what I expected Rob Zombie to produce. Course, he is still beginning in this genre. I would give it three stars. (out of five). Maybe two and a half, it's hard to seperate how much I want to like the movie, and how much I actually liked the movie. Whether I am judging it on expectation or how it was if I didn't have expectations for the director.

Happy Halloween Summarized Postings for Halloween Movies

HAPPY HALLOWEEN. I FORGOT ONE OF MY MOSTEST FAVORITE FINDS "SPIDER BABIES" 1968. Pretty much Gothic Horror with a little comedy in there. Very cool movie.

To summarize all my picks on both my blogs, here are the postings:

1. October 3oth MFS Blog
2. October 25th MFS Blog
3. MAP October 30th
4. MAP October 26th
5. MAP October 25th

Tuesday Terror-Addendum to Halloween Movie Must Haves

1. Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? 1962


2. Portrait of Dorian Gray 1945


3. Wicker Man 1973 (the remake 2006 was very good as well)


4. Sixth Sense 1999


5. Invisible Man 1958


6. Diaboliques 1955


7. Silence of the Lambs 1991


8. Hannibal 2001


9. Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte 1964


10. Single White Female 1992


11. Fatal Attraction 1987


12. (Duh) Carrie 1976


13. The Ring 2002


14. Poltergeist 1982 (the first one IMHO)


15. Sleepy Hollow 1999


16. Dead Zone 1983
17. The Fog 1980 (the orginal only IMHO)
18. The People Under The Stairs 1981 (funny comedy horror)
19. House of Wax 1953(remake 2005 is campy sort of crap, but I liked the back story that they gave to it, and it had nothing to do with the orginal Vincent Price House of Wax)
20. Motel Hell 1980 (I don't know how I forgot this one)
21. The Thing 1982 (sci fi horror)
22. It 1990 (Stephen King)
23. Alien 1979 (sci fi horror)
24. Jurassic Park 1993
25. Black Christmas 1974(the orginal, not the remake)
26. The Vanishing 1993
27. The Bad Seed 1956
28. The Good Son 1993
29. Magic 1978
30. Stranger in Our House or Summer of Fear 1978
31. Secret Window 2004
32. (OMG) The Baby 1973-Talk about a twist ending!!!!
33. The Invasion of the Body Snatchers 1978
34. She Creature 2001
35. Vacancy (may be listed twice) 2007


36. Rebecca 1940

Thursday Thirteen (13) Halloween Movie Must Haves

Gosh, can I come up with thirteen horror movies? Ah, yeah, it's can I stop. So much to choose from:

1. Let's Scare Jessica to Death-classic [don't want to ruin the surprise] movie 1971.



2. Original Halloween I and II (1978 & 1981), of course. II only thrown in there to continue the story, not as good as one. I haven't seen Rob Zombie's remake or prequel yet.


3. And, oh what the heck, I enjoyed H20 (1998) as well in the Halloween movies, which is Halloween 20 years later.


4. The Audition, Japanese Horror Movie 1999. Quite a take on your submissive Japanese woman (NOT!!!!).


5. Godzilla, the remake 1998. A totally American movie doing a fresh new (and sometimes funny) look at Godzilla and how he came to be here. I own this movie, I loved it so much.
6. The whole Subspecies series. The production company that actually did filming in Romania went bankrupt and out of business, but I so loved these. Yet another different and twisted look at vampires. Subspecies came out in 1991, which I thought was the weakest of them and I actually saw it last. Bloodstone, Subspecies II, came out in 1993. Bloodlust, Subspecies III, came out in 1994. And finally the last (boo hoo) came out in 1998 Bloodstorm, Subspecies 4.
7. Red Dragon, of course, because I have read the Thomas Harris books. The film came out very well in 2002, I thought.
8. Blind Beast 1969 is a good Japanese horror film that I recently did a review on. Very, very creepy.
9. The Burbs 1989. Comedy horror at it's best. Tom Hanks plays a neighbor, who is suspicious of the new neighbors in town.
10. The Lost Boys 1987. A vampire movie that I always still enjoy when it's on. I like the plot of the younger brother helping out the older brother. Grandpa gets in on the act as well.
11. Showtime Master of Horror Series. I didn't like them all. The very first one is probably my favorite due to the surprise ending, and just overall creepiness of it. Plus, you are never really sure where you are going......really.
12. Ghost Story 1981, good book and I think good movie. Actually, if I remember correctly, I might have enjoyed the movie more than the book.
13. Movies made out of Dean Koontz novels!!!! In specific Demon Seed, Intensity (Scrubs actor plays very convincing psychopath!!!!), and Hideaway. The movies have almost always been a close second to the books. His books have a lot more details in them, and are very very hard to put down. However, the movies very closely resemble his books, only they are plugged into two hours (with the possible exception of intensity which was done as a series).

See, I can't stop....14) Lady in White 1988 15) Burnt Offerings 1976 16) Perfume 2006 17) Series of about 12 Dark Shadows The Revival (though it doesn't end there, but production was cancelled, so it's a bit frustrating after episode 12) 18) Hostel I 2005 and II 2007. II is even better, but I wouldn't discount I at all!!!

Tuesday Terror 1969 Blind Beast

Interesting little disturbing movie. Rape and kidnap theme that I don't normally like, and not really sure I liked in this movie. However, this is a pretty orginal movie, and quite disturbing. I didn't take it too literally due to the ending, it seems something else was suggested.

Surprising Japanese little horror gem.

Tuesday Terror-----Vacancy

Okay, related to estrangement as we start out with a couple (one of whom is played by Luke Wilson) on their way to divorce in this movie called Vacancy. Car trouble....creepy guy at gas station.....car dies out after all....they hike back to creepy hotel near creepy gas station. In this picture, they are trying to get YOUR attention for the GUY BEHIND YOU, yipes!!!

Then the fun begins. This is one that frankly scared me, and as you can imagine, I am a little jaded by the frequent watching of horror movies to be scared easily. Something about the subect matter (and I will NOT clue you in here) just really did the job.

Tuesday Terror-Severance

Cross between a very mild Hostel and The Office. Again dark comedy horror movie, done well, I love them. The only thing missing was the why, and what was going on. Now some people like true fans of the orginal Halloween claim this makes it creepier. I am more of a fan of a little history. That was about the only the "wrong" with this film that is right up my alley.

Tuesday Terror-Tormented

Okay, I have not watched a good horror flick. Due to the requests for good horror flicks, I am attaching the link to my other blog that lists all the horror flicks I have recently seen, and what I think about them. http://mannerlymutts.typepad.com/middle_aged_princess/horror_movies/index.html

There was a recent gem that I found called Tormented. A little hokey in that it was on the cusp of 59/60, so you got some interesting "lingo". All in all, it did remind me of a ghost movie that I think Meryl Streep in The French Lieutenant's woman. Something about a widow that had an illicit affair in Victorian or earlier times with a soldier. I will have to look it up later. I am not really sure it was a ghost story or a redo of a famous Greta Garbo movie where she jumped in front of a train at the end, after a similar affair.