31 Days of Horror Movies
Recently (within the last couple of months) I realized just how much I love and adore horror movies. I love that there is such a range of variety in the sub-genres of horror: Satanic, Cult Classics, Creature Features, Slashers/Serial Killers, Werewolves, Zombies, and Vampires, to name a few. This month, I made the decision to watch at least one horror movie a day in order to watch the movies I already love, the ones I have always wanted to watch or have been told to see, and to sift through a lot of shitty ones I think could be interesting in order to find a few diamonds in the rough.
Here I will make a list of the movies I have watched, as well as a short description and my thoughts on it. I will try to update daily, but no promises because there will ultimately be times when I won’t get the chance to update.
I am not really going to take the age of the film into much account when setting up my queue, but I will take it into account for my response to it. I don't think a movie should be overlooked just because of when it was made, whether it's from the 1930's, 50's or 80's. For its time, 1931's Dracula, starring Bela Lugosi, was terrifying to its viewers, and it continues to be a landmark in horror movie history.
When it comes to movies that have been remade, I want to do my best to watch the original before the remake, and then compare the two. Unfortunately, because I am mostly using Netflix, not all of the originals are available on DVD or streaming. If it’s one of those classic films that is a must see, I will hunt for it in the wide world of the internet.
October 1: The Exorcist (1973)
I have always wanted to watch this movie and have never gotten around to it before this. It’s critically acclaimed and has many well known scenes, whether you’ve watched it or not. Hell, is there anyone who
doesn’t know about the projectile vomiting scene? It’s been used and referred to over and over in everything from spoof films to comics. In short, the film is about a movie actress (played by Ellen Burstyn) whose daughter (Linda Blair) gets possessed and need an exorcism (hence the title) with the help of two priests (Max von Sydow and Jason Miller).
For its time, the make-up and effects are amazing, and it’s probably why people were scared shitless when they watched this beck in the day. My own mother had to walk out she was so scared. The make-up used on the
young Linda Blair is fantastic. There is no peeling or rippling at the seams in any scene and it’s not so caked on that it breaks the illusion of the film. As for the older priest (Sydow), his make-up is absolutely amazing! I never even knew he was wearing any prosthetics until I watched a show on movie effects and this movie came up. In the film he
looks to be in his 70’s, his face wrinkly and weathered and his hair stark white. In actuality he was only 44. Overall, this film has definitely earned its place in my favourites list.
October 2: Halloween (2007)
I have to admit that I have not been able to watch the 1978 original. Rob Zombie’s remake had already arrived from Netflix before I made the decision to do this thing. The original is next to be mailed to my house when I’ve watched it, I will write my response to both.
October 3: Resident Evil (2002)
The Resident Evil verse is one of my favourite series, I went from playing the video games as a kid to watching the movies. It also doesn’t hurt that I love Milla Jovovich. Not only is she a badass, she’s also pretty hot. Basically, the movie is about a virus, the T-virus, that escapes into an underground facility owned by Umbrella Corp. Alice (Jovovich) is part of a military team that goes in to destroy the supercomputer and the infected scientists within the facility.
This is unlike any other zombie film in the sense that it leans more toward action movie with zombies involved. In the majority of zombie films, no one is well prepared and characters have to use what they’ve got lying around in order to try and survive until they find some sort of salvation. In RE, the characters are battle ready, carrying guns and
other weapons to protect themselves without fully realizing what they are getting into. Another difference is that there are all kinds of zombies. You’ve got the regular kind, people infected by the virus or bites from others. Then you’ve got the zombie dogs. Doberman Pinchers to be exact, though not super surprising seeing as they are one of three
breeds of dogs used in movies because they look menacing (the others being Rottweilers and German Shepherds). And then you’ve got the genetically altered/mutated zombies. It’s an action packed survival film with enough scenes that make you jump and gore to keep it firmly in the horror genre.
October 4: The Evil Dead (1981)
Another movie I’ve been meaning to see. I have to admit that I thought it was going to be about something completely different than what it’s actually about. Granted, I also didn’t know anything about it before I watched it. Based on only the title, I thought it was going to be a zombie film, and I love me some zombie movies. In reality, it’s about 5 friends in their 20’s who go on vacation in the middle of the woods. Sound familiar? Yeah, just like almost every other horror movie out there. When exploring the basement, they find a Book of the Dead and a tape recording of the translation. Trouble ensues.
The effects in the movie, are, well, not that great. The make-up is crazy over done and it just looks like the effects team smeared cheap, white face paint from your local party store on their faces and added some other random
shit. The eyes were pretty cool though. Also, the acting, oh God the acting. Most of the movie consists of standing around and watching shit happen. Also, the animation at the end was kind of hilarious. The only thing is, I don’t know how much of a budget they had, and that can be a huge factor. Plus, the 80’s weren’t exactly known for its awesome
animation. So with that in mind, it wasn’t bad for its day. The effects and such aside from those above were actually pretty good. The vines in the woods and the fake blood weren’t bad, if inconsistent at times. I am also starting to wonder if it wasn't this cheezy on purpose. I don't know much about the film or it's background, so I could just be missing something, especially since Bruce Campbell is also the main character in Army of Darkness, which is not exactly my cup of tea. I plan on watching the last two just to see how everything plays out and to get a better idea of the trilogy itself.
Also, I found this awesome comic on The Exorcist:
WARNING!! SPOILERS!! If you haven't seen the movie and don't want it to be ruined, I suggest that you don't click the link and read the following comic. It lays out the whole plot. WARNING!! SPOILERS!!
http://www.marshotelonline.com/exorcist6frames72dpi.jpg
