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October Horror Films 2011 | Day 31 #2 | Halloween (dir. Rob Zombie; Dimension Films/Nightfall Productions/Spectacle Entertainment Group/Trancas International Films/The Weinstein Company 2007)

Brief review:  Rob Zombie’s Halloween remake is the second film we watched on Halloween.  

<spoilers>The story is basically the same as the original, but there is a lot more exposition:  the first act is about Michael as a child and includes his abusive/alcoholic stepfather (mother’s boyfriend?), school bullies, the fact that he tortures animals, etc.  It is also explicit that Laurie Strode is his sister, a fact that isn’t established until the original film’s sequel.  Personally, I think it’s scarier not knowing why he’s chasing her, but I understand why Zombie included this - it’s a well known part of Michael Myers’s story.  I also like the dynamic between Laurie and Tommy, the boy she’s babysitting.  Their interactions are funnier than those in the original film.  It works both ways, but this is an example of a difference between the two films.</spoilers>

We saw this when it came out and had seen it at least once since.  I like this film (I think I like its sequel more, though). It’s similar to the original, but different enough that it’s still interesting and enjoyable.  I recommend Halloween (2007) to fans of the original, slasher films in general, and Rob Zombie. 

Bonus:  There are lots of horror icons (Sid Haig, Bill Moseley, Dee Wallace, etc.) with cameos/small roles, plus Malcolm McDowell plays Dr. Loomis.

Block:  Halloween!

Trailer:

October Horror Films 2011 | Day 31 #1 | Halloween (dir. John Carpenter; Compass International Pictures/Falcon International Pictures 1978)

Brief review:  The first film we watched on Halloween was John Carpenter’s Halloween.  This is another one that it’s difficult to say anything about that hasn’t already been said.  I know it’s not the first slasher movie, but I think it’s one of the best.  It certainly influenced all slasher films that came after it.

It’s about an escaped mental patient (Michael Myers) who, at age six, killed his sister on Halloween night.  Fifteen years later, he escapes and returns to his hometown.  Once there, he terrorizes a babysitter (played by Jamie Lee Curtis), killing two of her friends.  Myers is pursued by Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence, who is awesome), his psychiatrist.

Halloween is one of my favorite movies.  I first saw it in the early 1990s, and I think I like it more each time I see it.  I also notice new things, like the painting (a giant picture of a kitten) on the wall in the hallway of the Wallace house.  The music (also by Carpenter) adds a lot to the visuals (which are really good to begin with).  The pacing is great and some of the shots are excellent.  I recommend Halloween to fans of slasher films (and all films, really), John Carpenter, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Donald Pleasence.

Block:  Halloween!

Trailer:

October Horror Films 2011 | Day 30 | Hatchet (dir. Adam Green; ArieScope Pictures/High Seas Entertainment/Radioaktive Film 2007)

Brief review:  Hatchet is about a group of people on a “haunted swamp tour” near New Orleans.  The film stars Kane Hodder as Victor Crowley, a deformed man who was accidentally killed by getting hit in the face by a hatchet while his father was trying to rescue him from a burning house.  His ghost roams the woods near the house, searching for his father and killing anyone who gets close to the house.

I really like Hatchet.  I had seen it previously, during its theatrical run (2007).  We also watched Hatchet II last October.  It’s a cool-yet-simple story that, though derivative of 1980s slasher films (which seems to be what writer/director Adam Green was going for, based on the tagline “Old School American Horror”), still feels new.  When I first saw the poster, I thought it was an adaptation of the 1987 novel with the same name (which I liked), until I saw the rating.  In my opinion, this is among the best slasher movies of the last ten years (and it’s probably the best that isn’t a remake or a sequel).  I recommend Hatchet to fans of Kane Hodder and fans of 1980s slasher movies and other “Old School American Horror.”

Bonus:  This film features appearances by Robert Englund, Joshua Leonard, and Tony Todd. Also, the credits (opening and closing) are accompanied by a Marilyn Manson song (the same song; the opening is he album version and the closing is a remix).

Trailer:

October Horror Films 2011 | Day 29 | Warlock (dir. Steve Miner; New World Pictures 1989)

Brief review:  Warlock stars Julian Sands as the titular character.  The film begins in seventeenth century Boston, where he’s being held in prison awaiting execution for witchcraft.  He somehow conjures a storm that transports him to twentieth century Los Angeles.  A witch-hunter (Richard E. Grant) follows the warlock. Once in L.A., the warlock wreaks havoc while trying to reassemble the Grand Grimoire.

Warlock is a decent low-budget horror/fantasy film.  I’ve known of it for ages (probably since about 1989), but somehow had never seen it.  I’m now interested in the sequels.  I recommend this to fans of films involving witchcraft and fans of low-budget 1980s horror.

Bonus:  Warlock was directed by Steve Miner, who also directed Friday the 13th parts 2 and 3, as well as Halloween H20:  20 Years Later.  He also directed Soul Man, which stars C. Thomas Howell (star of our film from 10/28).  Warlock was also produced by Roger Corman.

Trailer:

October Horror Films 2011 | Day 28 | House of Fallen (dir. Robert Stephens; Eleven 22 Entertainment 2008)

Brief review:  House of Fallen is about a group of fallen angels called the Grigori or Watchers (from the apocryphal Book of Enoch) who “stalk the earth.”  There is also a group of humans called “the Twelve” who oppose them.  The Grigori and the Twelve interact in three plots, but none of the characters seem to overlap.  In one storyline, one of the Grigori possesses a man and an ex-priest named Thomas (C. Thomas Howell) tries to exorcise it.  Another storyline features a Grigori possessing another member of the Twelve in order to get revenge on one of his brethren (who is played by Corbin Bernsen).  The third story is about a group of criminals holed up in a house after a robbery.  In this story, another Grigori brings man who died during the robbery back to life.

The concept of House of Fallen is interesting, but I had trouble following the three separate plots in the film.  The film moves between them frequently and they don’t seem tied together, other than that each features members of the Grigori and the Twelve.  The underlying story about the Grigori and the Book of Enoch is interesting and I’d like to learn more.  I don’t know much about the apocrypha (I just learned that the Book of Enoch is canonical in both the Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Churches).  I recommend this film to fans of C. Thomas Howell and Corbin Bernsen.

Block:  Movies with “House” in the Title

Trailer:

October Horror Films 2011 | Day 27 | The Funhouse (dir. Tobe Hooper; Mace Neufeld Productions/Universal Pictures 1981)

Brief review:  The Funhouse is about a group of teenagers (one of them might be older, I’m not sure) who go on a double-date to a carnival.  They decide to spend the night in the carnival’s funhouse.  After the carnival is closed, they witness a murder.  The rest of the film is about them trying to escape the funhouse.

This film was decent.  There are some creepy scenes.  The funhouse’s animatronics (which are featured during the opening credits, as well as at times throughout the film) are especially creepy.  The Funhouse kind of reminded me of Dark Ride, which we watched last year.  I recommend it to fans of Tobe Hooper and carnivals.

Block:  Movies with “House” in the Title

Trailer:

October Horror Films 2011 | Day 26 | ゴス (Goth) (dir. Michael Hurst; JollyRoger/Kadokawa Picture Gold/Tornado Film 2008)

Brief review:  Goth is a Japanese horror film (please correct me if I have its Japanese title incorrect in the title of this post) that is based on a novel which was also turned into a manga.  It is about a high school boy (Boku) and girl (Morino) who are obsessed with death.  This interest seems to be all they have in common. There is a serial killer in their city who preys on young women, and the teenagers try to see the victims, preferably before the police arrive.  They study the crimes and the victims, trying to understand the murderer’s motives.  There is also a subplot about Morino’s sister who died during a “game of suicide” that the two girls played when they were younger.

This was an interesting film, but I don’t think I really got it.  There are some creepy scenes and the end is somewhat disturbing.  I recommend Goth to fans of Japanese films (especially Japanese horror).

Trailer: