Caught up for now, but we are going to make the marathon attempt in 2020. 310 different scary movies watched for this blog. Almost feels like the time to do a best of. I'm not doing it this year though, there are so many to get to. 2019 had four sequels and one remake. Not as enjoyable as a group as the last few years were. Picked out 5 from the 70's and 8 from 2018, 5 from 2019.
31 Halloween Movies For October #9 (2018)
31 Halloween Movies For October #8 (2017)
31 Halloween Movies For October #7 (2016)
31 Halloween Movies For October #6 (2015)
31 Halloween Movies For October #5 (2014)
31 Halloween Movies For October #4 (2013)
31 Halloween Movies For October #3 (2012)
31 Halloween Movies For October #2 (2011)
31 Halloween Movies For October #1 (2010)
31. The Descent: Part 2
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My Rank: 28
IMDB : 27
Rotten : 31
I bought this on accident so I went into it with a sour taste in my mouth. It picked up where the last one left off and having recently watched the original I was able to remember the returning characters. This time authorities go into the caves unprepared for the monsters that lurk. Not as good as the original, though it wasn't as awful as I was expecting either.
30. Nightmare Cinema
My Rank: 20
IMDB : 31
Rotten : 28
My annual short story horror anthology attempt. This time there is only 5 short stories though, not 10, certainly not 26. I enjoyed the first which had a nice twist on the slasher genre. There was one about alternate dimensions which I also quite enjoyed. There was one about plastic surgery which was also decent but the other two were just okay. I would watch it or recommend it based on the two stories alone.
29. Lake Mungo
My Rank: 30
IMDB : 24
Rotten : 22
A girl drowns in a lake, afterwards the home is haunted and it seems she was leading a double life. The movie was done documentary style which didn't really get me involved too much. It has a mystery to it and tries to create some chilling moments, but ultimately to me it was flat and mostly uneventful. I wouldn't touch this again.
28. Pet Sematary
My Rank: 17
IMDB : 25
Rotten : 30
I watched the original twice so I was interested in where they would take this. It differs a bit from the original but the idea is still the same. Family loses pet, father brings him back, child dies, does the same thing. John Lithgow plays the old man. Ending was different but probably worse than the original. I don't think I would see it again as it barely held my interest.
27. Luz
My Rank: 27
IMDB : 26
Rotten : 17
A cab driver gets possessed by a demon. Definitely on the the shorter side at 70 minutes. There are some shots which are supposed to make you wonder and think but didn't add anything for me. I actually thought beginning bar scene was the most interesting thing which was prior to anything horror. The rest of the movie's setting takes place in one room. Not scary, not really interesting either.
26. The Wind
My Rank: 10
IMDB : 30
Rotten : 27
So many of these movies have time jumps, but this one is one of the worse offenders of all. You are thrown from past to present so often that sometimes I wasn't sure what I was watching. I really wanted to like this film. It was creepy, it has a good Western Horror concept. I wish they would have spoon fed me just a little bit more and I'm sure it would have been much better. Good atmosphere and set up, but bad finale and execution. I'd probably see it again to figure out what was happening, quite like The Endless.
25. The Endless
My Rank: 25
IMDB : 21
Rotten : 20
Two kids who grew up in a cult want to return to seek answers. It's really the one brother arguing with his other brother about leaving for most of the film. More creepy elements than horror. It raises more questions than it wants to answer. It seems like everyone is immortal but really they are just stuck in a time loop. I could see myself trying it again knowing about it what I do but it would be down on the list.
24. The Hole in the Ground
My Rank: 7
IMDB : 28
Rotten : 29
A single mother lives near what can only be described as a pit or sinkhole one day loses her son and when he turns up, he is not the same. There are not a ton of well done possessed children movies, this one is engaging though. It takes a little while to get going and clocks in at 90 minutes, but once the mystery and suspicion begin, it flies by. It has good sound effects, acting. I would watch this again despite the slow beginning.
23. Pyewacket
My Rank: 8
IMDB : 29
Rotten : 25
A teenage performs a ritual in the woods which awakens a witch to kill her mother. A simple plot, but it's taken far. Kind of reminded me of The Craft meets Pandora's box or The Possession. Not a ton of jump scares but just as creepy as any good horror movie. I enjoyed watching it throughout. It won't be a classic but it's in the range of solid to recommendable. I'm glad I watched it.
22. Ghost Stories
My Rank: 12
IMDB : 22
Rotten : 24
Martin Freeman stars in a movie with some time jumps and twists. It feels like an average plot, but it's made well and has good scares. A professor goes to three different houses to explore cases of ghosts. He is a non believer who receives a package in the mail as an invitation to check these cases out. They feel unconnected but it all somehow still mostly works. Freeman as usual is really good. Re-watch is a maybe.
21. Demon
My Rank: 9
IMDB : 23
Rotten : 26
A groom gets possessed in the middle of his wedding. The entire story takes place around the wedding. It becomes a mystery when people begin to disappear. Turns out the director committed suicide after this film premiered which makes the film feel uneasy. Other elements include evil in the soil, some Shining like powers, guests still partying despite people getting hurt and end up missing. It also seemed to take place next to a mob in a cemetery.
20. The Girl with All The Gifts
My Rank: 19
IMDB : 19
Rotten : 19
Another updated take on the zombie genre. This time we have a girl main character who supposedly has the hunger but still her wits. There are good action set pieces. It's a dystopian movie but one with a message of hope. It was hard to live up to the huge expectations I had for this movie. It could have been shorter and I won't likely watch it again but it was still decent.
19. Funny Games
My Rank: 29
IMDB : 6
Rotten : 21
Two men take a family hostage. There is some 4th wall breaking which is it's most famous moment. I originally watched the remake without knowing anything about it going in. That was a pretty bad mistake as I don't really enjoy these kinds of movies to begin with, watching a remake in that scenario is never a good idea. I'm glad I watched the original but I'm sure that is it for me.
18. Us
My Rank: 18
IMDB : 14
Rotten : 23
After having loved Get Out, we had to try Jordan Peele again. A family is haunted by doppelgangers on a beach vacation. It averted my expectations from the typical house invasion genre. I enjoyed the twist at the end. The explanation was not really the best but you can't fault it for not being original. Everything was great except the plot and explanation needed more work.
17. Sunshine
My Rank: 26
IMDB : 12
Rotten : 15
A team of astronauts are sent to restart the sun. Chris Evans, Rose Byrne and Cillian Murphy all star. The visuals are all nicely done. My second time trying to watch this and I mean trying in the best way that I can. It switches from a sci-fi movie to a horror movie right in the middle which is about where I've tuned out each time. I like the beginning and the premise but something is missing from holding my interest during that transition.
16. Halloween 2018
My Rank: 16
IMDB : 20
Rotten : 16
A Halloween sequel which is not related to the Rob Zombie movies in any way but is a direct sequel to the original Halloween. I have no idea how H20 fits in, or doesn't fit in. We get to see Jamie Lee Curtis as an adult prepared for Michael and see how far she is willing to go and how much she is willing to sacrifice to destroy him. The original Halloween and even Zombie's remake are the only two I have or have had any interest in revisiting and this is no different. It was neat seeing a direct sequel 40 years later but it wasn't necessary either. I'm sure we will get another sequel to this soon.
15. Eraserhead
My Rank: 31
IMDB : 8
Rotten : 8
David Lynch classic about a man living in an industrial park, dates a girl, has a baby and it turns out to be a mutant that won't stop screaming. It's black and white, lots of disturbing imagery. There isn't much of a plot, but trying to figure out what we are looking at is a constant mystery. Not scary, but definitely belongs in the horror category. I made it through, but never again.
14. The Descent
My Rank: 24
IMDB : 11
Rotten : 12
My second time watching this. A group of females goes cave spelunking to help one of them get away from losing family. They accidentally pick a cave that hasn't been explored and they run into cave creatures which hunt them down. It's a fairly simple plot with some scares and the monsters are done pretty well. I wouldn't do it again for awhile but it would be hard to not recommend it to someone interested in this kind of horror.
13. Suspiria
My Rank: 13
IMDB : 16
Rotten : 18
The remake of a dance company which is run by a coven of witches. Tilda Swinton and Chloë Grace Moretz star. Scarier than the original, but that doesn't say much. I liked the ending more though I was pretty confused. I would need to watch it again after trying to figure out what was all happening. Two and a half hours is a long time for a horror movie that didn't explain enough to me.
12. Don't Look Now
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My Rank: 23
IMDB : 7
Rotten : 10
A couple loses their daughter and has to cope with it. Donald Sutherland has visions and meets a psychic who claims she can see the daughter. Parts of this were harder to watch than I thought they would be as a dated movie taking place in Italy. I expected more from the ending, though the whole movie overall held up to my expectations. At an hour and 50 minutes it feels long and not something that I could easily pop on again.
11. Pontypool
My Rank: 15
IMDB : 18
Rotten : 7
A radio host in a Canadian town learns about a virus wiping out everything around. It all takes place in the confines of the radio station and the only two characters we see for the majority of the screen time is the host and his producer. It has the feel of a low budget movie with greater aspirations. It was as good of a watch as it could probably be given the setting and characters.
10. Housebound
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My Rank: 6
IMDB : 15
Rotten : 14
A woman put under house arrest starts being suspicious of something lurking in the house. There is more going on to it than a traditional horror movie. We don't always love and relate to the main character but by the end you are firmly on her side. It takes a little bit of a twist which was appreciated. It has a plot with a lot going on but it never feels confusing. There are some comedic aspects which play out okay but keep it a horror movie first.
9. The Loved Ones
My Rank: 5
IMDB : 17
Rotten : 13
A girl who gets turned down for the prom and has a strange relationship with her father kidnaps the boy she wants to go to prom with and has her own prom. It has some Texas Chainsaw vibes (minus the cannibalism, though still lots of gore) while still being lighter than it should be due to it's outrageous plot. There is lots of torture with some involving a power drill but there is also the revenge aspect which I so appreciate like Straw Dogs, I Spit On Your Grave or Last House on the Left.
8. 28 Days Later
My Rank: 22
IMDB : 5
Rotten : 6
More Cillian Murphy in a sort of updated tale (at least from the 60's and 70's) about the zombie genre. The zombies run fast here. Our main character wakes up not knowing what happened similar to The Walking Dead. He meets other survivor groups, some make it, some don't. They eventually meet up with the military, who want to rape the women so we actively root for the zombies to get them. I have saw it two or three times and I could again even if it's not my favorite.
7. From Dusk Till Dawn
My Rank: 11
IMDB : 10
Rotten : 11
A movie which is quite like Sunshine in that it starts off as one movie and then half way through switches to the horror genre. I really liked the first half, quite like Sunshine and when it switches, it feels strange and you almost get robbed of a satisfying conclusion to the first half of the story. It feels really strange who they decide to kill off. We get some Tarantino acting as well as Clooney, Harvey Keitel, Juliette Lewis and Salma Hayek. You also see Cheech Marin and Danny Trejo, so lots of actors in what turns out to be a vampire shootout at the end.
6. The Tenant
My Rank: 21
IMDB : 3
Rotten : 3
A man rents a Paris apartment and then strange things start happening. You learn there was a suicide. The landlord and neighbors are tough on the main character. Roman Polanski directs one of his apartment horror movies. At over 2 hours, sometimes it does feel long. It's an enjoyable watch from beginning to end. The courtyard scene and crossing dressing scenes are the best. I liked Rosemary's Baby and Chinatown much better but I'll have to try Repulsion someday. The trailer actually sold me of all things that could have convinced me to watch it.
5. IT Chapter 2
My Rank: 1
IMDB : 13
Rotten : 9
Almost 3 hour movie picking up where the kids left off at fighting the alien clown, who returns after 27 years. I had a hard time trying to match which of the male characters was which (a problem I had with the 80s version as well). It has some scary moments which are almost on par with the first part. It has a mostly satisfying conclusion, although it kind of feels hollow. The first one was much more interesting and had better scares but I'm glad they made it(IT?).
4. Deep Red
My Rank: 14
IMDB : 2
Rotten : 5
A musician and a journalist work together to solve a psychic's murder. Over 2 hours and it feels it. It's a great murder mystery with the psychic providing the horror aspects. Lots of good bloody images, bad sounds, bad acting but it was overall creative and adds something to the horror genre. The real killing of a bird and lizard cast a shadow over the movie. Me watching this again is probably unlikely.
3. Dead Alive
My Rank: 4
IMDB : 4
Rotten : 4
A zombie movie where a man who is controlled by his mother, gets his mother bitten by a rat zombie. She comes back and starts the zombie chain. Peter Jackson's tale ends up being really wild by the end including a giant zombie. So much blood. The characters are all written well, the makeup and effects are all tremendous. It has an Evil Dead feel while being its own a one of a kind hit.
2. Zombieland: Double Tap
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My Rank: 2
IMDB : 9
Rotten : 1
The original was so good as it made my #1 in 2010. I had to watch the sequel to pick up where our four characters go to. It builds on all the characters. It has an odd set piece for the finale but it's fine. It's doesn't have the same charm as the original but it has it's moments of charm and humor. It's at worst an average horror comedy but Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg and Emma Stone have enough talent that it never seems to get that low. Rosario Dawson and Luke Wilson also appear.
1. Halloween
My Rank: 3
IMDB : 1
Rotten : 2
It's always been one of my favorite horror movies. I never got behind Friday the 13th or Nightmare on Elmstreet much but this was for me. I always loved the music. It has one of the creepiest beginnings to any movie in history. It's a teen slasher movie at the close, which is it's weakest moment. But the build up to that is an incredible and haunting tale of a man/boy who is supposedly pure evil.
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