Fourthy Presents: 31 Days of Spooktober

[Wangman Page]

An Amrican Werewolf in London was a fun little ride. I happened to watch this as a young Wanger after seeing the Howling, which scared me as a little 7 years old. This one was a slow burn that was amazing. It's probably my favorite movie about Werewolves and probably a complete story that was great. Also, I have some love for Silver Bullet as well.


The 6th Sense was great and after watching it the first time you are able to see the hints left behind as you mentioned, but that reveal the very first time that Bruce was actually dead was completely flooring. I wished I paid attention the first time because that red door was a giveaway. The downside was after this M. Night tried to recreate the twist ending in his movies after that, which a lot have failed and his best movies were his first few. Sixth Sense, Signs, and Unbreakable. The rest have been blah or horrid. His latest one Knock at the Cabin was ok for a one time viewing and don't see myself watching again.

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[Marty McFourth]

Double Feature

October 10th, 2023

"Five friends travel to a remote cabin in the woods where they play a tape with incantations. This releases the demons which possess them in succession until only one is left fighting for survival."

An absolute classic and just a treat for horror fans. Packed with gore, tons of action, very fun characters and geniunely a lot of creepy scenes at times. The practical effects for such a low budget are impressive. I'm a big fan of Sam Raimi's direction, he really makes the scenes feel so chaotic. This series would continue to get even better in the further installments with Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness improving upon the formula in a big way. It's great to see Ash Williams morph in to such an iconic character at the beginning. Bruce Campbell constantly owns whenever he's on screen and really makes the character his own.

"Five friends decide to spend a weekend in a remote cabin located deep in the forest. When they accidentally summon a dormant demon, they strive to survive its evil ploys."

Big fan of this reboot. I like the serious tone. They certainly didn't have an easy task following three iconic films, but I really think they did a terrific job giving it its own flavour whilst staying true to what Evil Dead is all about. No shortage of gore at all and plenty of awesome grisly scenes. The visuals are perfect, the special effects look great and the acting across the board is pretty good. Especially Jane Levy who really makes this very memorable for me. Towards the end, her character Mia starts to feel like a female Ash Williams almost. She's pretty badass. I love the little references to the past movies, closing out with the chainsaw scene was a nice touch. It's the second half of this movie where it really starts to shine.​

 

[Marty McFourth]

October 11th, 2023

"A young girl realises that she must stay awake at any cost to avoid a clawed killer who wants to murder her and her friends one by one in their dreams."

My personal favourite from Wes Craven and one of the most original and entertaining horror movies from the 80's. The concept is really fun, the idea of a serial killer being able to invade your dreams and kill you in real life as a kid was a very terrifying thought. The fact you have to sleep eventually and he'd be waiting for you, you could only prolong the inevtiable by trying to stay awake. The Freddy Krueger design is very unique with a lot of memorable characteristics, perfectly played by Robert Englund who really made the character the icon it is today. One of my favourite things about Freddy is his sadistic sense of humour. Whilst later sequels would really amp this up and he became more of a cartoon villain, I enjoyed that it brought something a lot different to the table. Most slasher villains didn't have much in the way of personality, Freddy was different. He talked to his victims, made fun of them and enjoyed the thrill of hunting and playing mind games. It was fresh, it was unlike anything else in the slasher genre.

I'm also a big fan of how creative the death scenes are in this series. It being in the 'dream world' most of the time means that it really opens up the possibilities for ways you can kill off the characters. A lot of other slasher movies are mostly restricted to reality so it limits a lot of what is possible. My personal favourite is when Johnny Depp's character Glen gets sucked in to the bed and the blood that rushes to the ceiling afterwards. It's a disturbing visual and impressive they were manage to pull it off. Watching the documentary on these movies made me realise how much of a pain it was to film.​

 

[Marty McFourth]

October 12th, 2023

"Sally, Franklin and their three friends run out of gas while driving to their grandfather's house. One by one they are tormented and killed by a chainsaw-wielding killer and his psychopathic family."

A grisly, disturbing ride with a great set of characters that feel real and have flaws about them and an isolated setting that really gives off a perfect uneasy vibe. Texas Chainsaw is another example of a low budget being used to great effect, as it really really adds to the overall feeling of authenticity and grittiness of the entire thing in a huge way. It often times feels like you're watching a true crime documentary, especially with the intro and opening narration. Plus it being inspired partly by the story of Ed Gein. The lingering shots and direction style really fill you with a sense of dread, with a lot of scenes being left to your imagination more than anything. TCM is actually not that gory of a movie outside of a few scenes, but they do such an excellent job with the sound, close-ups and facial expressions to really sell a lot of the terror. It ends up being even worse than actually seeing the gore would be. One of the first movies that really got me in to the horror genre and it was unlike anything else I'd ever experienced before. Leatherface was just such a creepy, disturbing design with the origins of his mask being that of his previous victims. Makes your skin crawl thinking about it.​

 

[Marty McFourth]

October 13th, 2023

"Two men awaken to find themselves on the opposite sides of a dead body, each with specific instructions to kill the other or face consequences. These two are the latest victims of the Jigsaw Killer."

Whilst the later sequels would get a lot gorier and more focused on the death scenes and the traps, the original Saw is pretty tame in comparison. It's more focused on the characters themselves Adam and Dr. Gordon, their dire situation and being trapped together in a bathroom whilst they try to figure out what's going on and the viewer does at the same time. The gore is few and far between, for the most part it's more of a crime horror with I feel elements of David Fincher's Se7en thrown in there. The low budget is felt at times and the performances aren't the best they could be but it's got tons of passion behind it from James Wan and Leigh Whannell. The thing that really cements Saw as a great movie to me is the ending and the incredible plot twist, which is masterfully done. It all ties together and makes sense. You get a very real 'Ahhhh' feeling after it's over. They do such a great job tricking you but giving you subtle hints along the way of the true idenity of Jigsaw.​

 

[Wangman Page]

Evil Dead OG- the movie that made horror funny and fun. Such a great flick. Bruce Campbell was amazing in this and it out him on the map. Especially the sequels and the Ash Vs show.

Evil Dead (remake) probably my favorite horror remake that has been done recently. Much better than that abysmal Nightmare one. This one had the same energy as the first one and seemed a little darker in tone.

Nightmare- probably my favorite of the slasher guys because he was so funny how he taunted everyone. You are correct with how he hunted them and just had fun with them. The Depp kill was amazing. I also liked the bathroom scene and how everyone was afraid and wouldn't sleep but then they did sleep.

TCM- the fact it was made about a real life killer is great and the fact it seemed sort of like it was supposed to be real. Sort of how the Blair Witch kicked off the found footage genre by stating it was real (which made me feel that way when I went and saw it in the theaters until I saw the ending) the music was great and the way they hunted them down and kept them made Bubba even more menacing. I still have a soft spot R. Lee Ermy in the remake mainly because I love that guy.


Saw- was such a great concept and how they did everything in the whole movie with each passing test they had to get through. The little voice recorders and the choices each had to make morally. I was stunned when he got uo at the end from the floor at the end. The rest got a littleore insane and wilder in concept but this one set up a great new franchise.

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[Marty McFourth]

October 14th, 2023

"Lucy along with her two sons, Michael and Sam moves to a small town in California. Soon, the two boys are sucked into the mysterious and dangerous world of bikers, vampires and vampire hunters."

The Lost Boys is one of my favourite vampire movies. It's very stylish, energetic and sharp (no pun intended!). The visual style of it is great and it's so fast paced which I really enjoy. The casting is pretty much perfect but I would especially highlight Kiefer Sutherland's performance as David. He's very fun in this movie, I'd personally say it's one of his finest movie roles and his look in it was pretty awesome. Perfect for a vampire character. One of my biggest and most memorable aspects of this is by far the absolutely incredible soundtrack, in particular Cry Little Sister. They really couldn't have chose better music to go with the overall setting and feel of the movie, it's incredibly spot on. Very fun movie that just screams 80's and I think has all the fun things about the era bundled in to a great horror experience. Plus tons of fun campy humour and characters.​

 

[Wangman Page]

The Lost Boys is an amazing vampire film and one of my favorites as well. You have the incredible Corey duo. Feldman was great as one-half of the frog brothers, but with all their tough talk, they both seemed to get scared of the real vampires at one point. Haim made a living off the horror genre for a small bit as he was in this and Silver Bullet. Keifer was great as the vampire and probably one of my favorite roles he has done outside of Young Guns and 24. Alex Winter did well as a Vampire as well and shed his goofy Bill Esquire persona from Bill and Ted and shown that he is more than a comic actor.

I can't believe you didn't mention the most important character in the whole movie. The Saxaphone player. This guy has lived on for years.

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[Marty McFourth]

October 15th, 2023

"A terrifying Halloween night brings a myriad of troubles interspersing in the lives of five people as they face various challenges."

Trick 'r Treat is one of those movies I think should be essential to everybody's horror list in October. It perfectly captures the spirit of Halloween and what it's all about. It has a spot on orange colour palette throughout a lot of the movie which really matches the season. The stories are all really fun, and I like how they are interconnected and weave in to one another. It's a very easy watch too as it mostly leans on the side of dark comedy than trying to be scary, although there's still plenty of effective and enjoyable scares to be had. My favourite is the story with the poisoned candy and the serial killer principal, Dylan Baker really has a lot of fun with his character.​

 

[Wangman Page]

Trick r treat felt alot like Creepshow to me but it was so much fun and a hidden gem. Like you said I did like how all the short stories told one story. I have always felt that sackboy from the PS game reminded me of this movie for some reason.

And I put myself through some torture this weekend as my daughter who wanted tow atch Saw for the first time and we watched the first 8 films over the weekend. I forgot how much everyone interconnected and someone was another person who hurt John and his family and was a part of what started everything.

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[Canadian Dragon]

October 15th, 2023

"A terrifying Halloween night brings a myriad of troubles interspersing in the lives of five people as they face various challenges."

Trick 'r Treat is one of those movies I think should be essential to everybody's horror list in October. It perfectly captures the spirit of Halloween and what it's all about. It has a spot on orange colour palette throughout a lot of the movie which really matches the season. The stories are all really fun, and I like how they are interconnected and weave in to one another. It's a very easy watch too as it mostly leans on the side of dark comedy than trying to be scary, although there's still plenty of effective and enjoyable scares to be had. My favourite is the story with the poisoned candy and the serial killer principal, Dylan Baker really has a lot of fun with his character.​

I still have to watch this

 

[Marty McFourth]

October 16th, 2023

"Two coroners start an autopsy of an unidentified girl to investigate the cause of her death. However, as they get closer to finding answers, bizarre events take place."

Remember this just coming out of nowhere seemingly and I was blown away by it. I didn't have a lot of expectations the first time around but I was immediately engrossed from the beginning. It's somewhat slow to start but really draws you in, the more the characters discover the more disturbing it gets. The mortuary setting is naturally very eerie, it sets such a fantastic mood and it builds up tension incredibly well. You're always on the edge of your seat expecting something to make you jump but they do a really good job just playing on your mind a lot. The score for the movie and sound really help with this. Very good performances from Emile Hirsch and Brian Cox who I felt have some great screen chemistry together. It's one of the best modern horrors to come along and is thoroughly worth your time. I found it to be very effective and memorable.​

 

[Marty McFourth]

October 17th, 2023

"Ellison, a crime writer, moves his family to a house that once witnessed gruesome murders. Soon, when his research leads him to some eerie footage, things take a dark and harrowing turn."

Sinister is one of my favourite horror films, I just wish I could change the final stretch of it. I think my biggest critcism is they end up showing too much, especially of the antagonist Mr. Boogie. He's far more creepier early on in scenes when the pictures/footage itself is more distorted. The first half I feel is incredibly awesome. It more than makes up for some of the later weaker scenes. The scenes where Ethan Hawke's character Ellison comes across the Super 8 tapes and begins to examine them is excellent. I really like the found footage elements of Sinister a lot. One of the tapes with the lawnmower especially really scared me the first time. It's perfectly executed and has a really eerie soundtrack as well to go with it. I always wished there was more of that because it's by far the scariest parts of the entire film. The supernatural bits never really worked for me, although there's some fun jump scares in there. All in all, it's a really fun movie and Ethan Hawke is great in it as the true crime writer looking for his next hit and way over his head with what he uncovers. There's also I think a really good argument scene between Ethan Hawke and Juliet Rylance which felt really realistic. The acting in general is great I think for a horror film.​

 

[Marty McFourth]

October 18th, 2023

"When a young girl is possessed by a mysterious entity, her mother seeks the help of two Catholic priests to save her life."

The Exorcist is a film I was scared to watch for the longest time. You'd always hear about it everywhere or read stories about how terrifying it was. Even just seeing the little snippets of it and seeing pictures of Regan was enough for me. It put me off attempting to see it for the longest time. When I finally did see it, it definitely did live up to the reputation it has earned as one of the scariest films. The effects and make-up for an early 70's film are really impressive. Regan's transformation and look is just so horrifying to see, it really does stick with you. That visual has never left my mind, not a single time. It has such tremendous staying power and even though plenty of horror films have come along since, only a few have managed to reach the heights of how Exorcist made me feel the first time watching it. The story is just so dark, disturbing and creepy and the acting is fantastic even now. It just really makes you feel super uncomfortable watching it. There's a reason I rarely rewatch it because it still creeps me out like crazy.​

 

[Marty McFourth]

October 19th, 2023

"Three students decide to go into the Maryland backwoods to cover the mystery behind the Blair Witch incidents. However, they lose their map and things take an unexpected turn."

Ah the film that made one of my favourite horror sub-genres boost in popularity. I'm a huge fan of found footage and Blair Witch is responsible for making that happen. I liked the idea of casting unknown actors and giving the film a more gritty & unpolished feel. I really liked the more authentic feel to it, even the shaky camera work. It made me pretty terrified to go in woods for a long time. Always liked the fake interviews at the start with the townspeople which really sets the scene incredibly well. Surprisingly the movie holds up better than you might expect and the performances I think are pretty good to say all the cast had no real experience in acting, they sell the terror of the situation pretty well. I always thought the ending sequence of Blair Witch was one of the scariest I've ever seen. The shot of Mike standing in the corner was just such a simple but disturbing visual.​