*Note*-- As a lead-in to my annual October marathon this year, I am re-presenting my "journey" up to this point as I hunt for as many horror movies I can watch in a single month for the 4th consecutive year...
Horror movies don't tend to get much attention throughout the year. You may see the occasional release in the summer or the odd December release in theaters, but generally speaking, it seems as though the genre is ignored until October rolls around. I can't lie. I'm a little guilty of this too. It's not that I don't pay attention to horror movies at all, but they definitely take a backseat to other genre indulgences. That's why I think of October as an "appreciation month." It also doesn't hurt that it's the one time in the year when you don't have to work so hard to convince most people to watch a horror movie.
Horror movies don't tend to get much attention throughout the year. You may see the occasional release in the summer or the odd December release in theaters, but generally speaking, it seems as though the genre is ignored until October rolls around. I can't lie. I'm a little guilty of this too. It's not that I don't pay attention to horror movies at all, but they definitely take a backseat to other genre indulgences. That's why I think of October as an "appreciation month." It also doesn't hurt that it's the one time in the year when you don't have to work so hard to convince most people to watch a horror movie.
I have a completely unfounded theory. I think that a greater understanding and appreciation of film as a narrative medium begins with horror. Beat changes, pacing, characterization, setting, lighting, the use of sound and music -- Every major element of a narrative film is essential to an effective horror film, and more exposure gives the viewer a better grasp of what makes a movie work. This isn't a thesis, so don't expect a defense or anything. I'm just saying that I can see what clicks and what doesn't, and I owe that to watching a metric shit-ton of movies with the words "Dead," "Blood," and/or "Night" in the title. That's why (aside from Halloween) I love October. Through this self-imposed focus on a single genre, I learn and that's the most important thing anyone can do in life. Sure, it might seem like a shallow and superfluous venture. But like everything else, the experience is what you make of it...
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| This experience in particular teaches you the value of a change of pants. |
The idea of a "Movie-a-Day" type blog is nothing new, which is why I'm glad that's not what I'm doing. The truth is I wanna keep track of the things I watch, and I haven't only been watching one movie per day. If I were, I could easily stop now. But there's no fun in that or insight, and there's something to be taken from every movie...even the worst of them. Here's what I got out of the movies I've seen so far. At the current rate, there's no way I could give a full review of everything I've watched. So I'm sticking with quick reflections that will hopefully encapsulate my feelings on each film.
- Somebody Help Me 2 - Two former R&B stars viciously beat a 60 yr. old white man after he vaguely menaced them in the woods, and they filmed it. How is this not a hate crime...?
- Somebody Help Me - Wait, so the major cast members of You Got Served star in a shitty slasher movie where ONLY the white friends seem to die? My world is full of farts...
- April Fool's - This movie makes me wanna be a better racist...
- The Sentinel - A slow build to what amounts to a fairly creepy story. Not too sure about that resolution though...
- The Fog (1980) - P-P-P-PIRATE GHOSTS!!!
- Prince of Darkness (John Carpenter) - This is one of Carpenter's least memorable movies for a reason. Not that it's particularly bad, but it is forgettable by comparison.
- Summer's Moon - Before Twilight, Ashley Greene still had terrible taste in screenplays...
- Saw3D - Not that a theater experience would've helped, but this was dead on arrival. And that much was clear in 5 seconds, so why and how did I finish watching this? The stupidity that unfolded...
- Graduation Day - I think that covers every possible ________ Day title, doesn't it...? Wait! ARBOR DAY!!
- Chain Letter - Me @ the 30 min. mark: "Fuck off..."
- Are You Scared - No , I didn't leave the question mark off of the title. The cover art did. That should say enough...Also stars Cracked.com's own Soren Bowie.
- Nightmare Man - The douchebag that wrote this must really hope his girlfriend isn't preggers...
- R.O.T.: Reunion of Terror - When I started this, I didn't think I'd ever be in a position to bring up a lousy slasher flick where HIV was a major plot point. YOU READ THAT CORRECTLY!!!
- Five Across the Eyes - In other words, a slap in the face...which is what this movie feels like to the dignity of anyone involved.
- Paranormal Entity - You know what Paranormal Activity was missing...? Rape.
- Wicked Little Things - I honestly don't remember a thing about this, and I was awake through all of it...
- Do You Wanna Know a Secret? - Can you tell me what happened to Joey Lawrence's career, movie? Oh, you did...
- Knock, Knock - *doesn't answer...
- Beware! The Blob - Not much in this movie really works too well, but the ending makes it all worth it...to me.
- In The Mouth of Madness - ...What?
- Trick 'r Treat - I admire the aim of this movie, but it is not perfect. Still very much worth a look though.
- The Stay Awake - So...Jesus, then. Yeah, this sucked.
- Hell Night - This movie introduced me to a new favorite slasher movie character in the proto-William Zabka form of "Seth."
- Case 39 - Sometimes, movies get shelved for sucking. This was shot in 2006...and released in 2010. You do the math...
- Survival of the Dead - George...it's wearing a little thin, buddy.
- Alive or Dead - You know your movie sucks when your killer's back-story comes up, and even the characters in the movie don't care...
- The Telling - I went in knowing this was going to be terrible (it's a "movie" featuring 2 of Hugh Hefner's exes), and I was still taken off-guard. This is one for The Hall of Underachievers...
- Popcorn - Hell...yes! This was a lot of fun, and it's pretty obvious that everyone involved enjoyed the hell outta themselves. A loving nod to '50's-'60's era b-movies from the '80's. I approve.
- Hatchet - This is a movie with a mission statement: the creation of a new horror icon in the vein of Jason Vorhees. Whether it accomplishes that mission I'll leave to you to decide...For me, the answer is simple...
- The Legend of Hell House - Roddy MacDowall!!! And in an engaging little haunted house story to boot!
- Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning - Well, aren't you the girl anachronism? Period pieces (other than Carrie-- hey-yo!) shouldn't have modern day colloquialisms. It's jarring and often screams lazy writing.
- The Others - If you haven't seen this yet, do something about that...
- When a Killer Calls - How do you make a movie worse than the remake of When a Stranger Calls? Helps if you're stupid...
What's next? I don't know...But there's movie starring Joe Estevez AND Todd Bridges out there, and that cannot go on ignored...
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| What a wonderful time to be ali--Ohh. That was in poor taste. I'm sorry. |
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