Fourthy Presents: 31 Days of Spooktober

[Marty McFourth]

What is this thread about?
Every year around October time I enjoy watching a ton of horror movies to get geared up for Halloween. It's my favourite time of year, and I've basically been a fan of this genre since I was a young kid. This year I thought I'd spice it up a bit and challenge myself to watch at least one movie everyday for the full 31 days of the month. It's going to be a mixture of old movies and modern ones I haven't seen yet. I traditionally mostly watch classic movies though, so you'll see reviews for movies such as Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween and Scream to just name a few. The reviews may be short or long, it really depends on what I'm watching. Some I have less to say about, especially if it's just like your standard slasher stuff. I try not to force myself to drone on to make the reviews longer if I don't have anyhing more to say really.

Can I make suggestions?
Absolutely. I can't gurantee I'll get to it as I do have a list I prepared in advance, but I'll consider all suggestions.

What happens if you miss a day?
It probably won't happen even if I lose internet as I have a collection of DVD's and Blu-Rays that I've collected over the years. I'll just watch two movies in one day to get caught up though if it does.

Movies Watched
October 1st, 2023 - Candyman (1992)
October 2nd, 2023 - Scream (1996)
October 3rd, 2023 - Final Destination (2000)
October 4th, 2023 - The Ring (2002)
October 5th, 2023 - Poltergeist (1982)
October 6th, 2023 - Hellrasier (1987)
October 7th, 2023 - 28 Days Later (2002)
October 8th, 2023 - An American Werewolf in London (1981)
October 9th, 2023 - The Sixth Sense (1999)
October 10th, 2023 - The Evil Dead (1981)/Evil Dead (2013)
October 11th, 2023 - A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
October 12th, 2023 - The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
October 13th, 2023 - Saw (2004)
October 14th, 2023 - The Lost Boys (1987)
October 15th, 2023 - Trick 'r Treat (2007)
October 16th, 2023 - The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)
October 17th, 2023 - Sinister (2012)
October 18th, 2023 - The Exorcist (1973)
October 19th, 2023 - The Blair Witch Project (1999)
October 20th, 2023 - Freddy vs. Jason (2003)
October 21st, 2023 - The Descent (2005)
October 22nd, 2023 - Friday the 13th (1980)
October 23rd, 2023 - Psycho (1960)
October 24th, 2023 - Alien (1979)
October 25th, 2023 - [Rec] (2007)
October 26th, 2023 - A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
October 27th, 2023 - Hereditary (2018)
October 28th, 2023 - Misery (1990)
October 29th, 2023 - Child's Play (1988)
October 30th, 2023 - The Shining (1980)
October 31st, 2023 - Halloween (1978)​

 

[Marty McFourth]

Released: 1992​

The Candyman, a murderous soul with a hook for a hand, is accidentally summoned to reality by a skeptic grad student researching the monster's myth.​

Ahh, Candyman. This was one of the first movies that really frightened me as a kid, I had many sleepless nights because of it. It really struck a lot of the fears I had when I was very young, especially being afraid of the dark and thinking a monster/boogeyman was going to come get me if I peeked out from under the covers. Going to the bathroom after seeing this was a terrifying experience, to say the least. Honestly even now as a grown adult I still get creeps about looking in mirrors in my house, I won't ever look at them in the dark if I can help it. This is one of those that has aged like a fine wine, it's oozing in atmosphere. I really enjoy the build-up in fear and dread, the jump scares are very effective and well executed. The gritty 90's tone is some of my favourite ever in a horror film, Tony Todd couldn't be more perfectly casted as the Candyman. He's menacing as hell and is a large part of why this has become such a memorable movie.​

 

[Wang Chung]

This was a great movie, and told the tale really well.

I still can remember the bonfire scene, and the one where calls through the hole in the wall, which turns out to be his mouth on the other side.

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[Marty McFourth]

October 2nd, 2023

"A year after Sidney's mom is murdered, more murders start to occur. She begins to suspect if these murders are related and tries to find the killer as everyone seems to be a suspect."

It's interesting to think where horror movies would be if it wasn't for Scream. It was just the shot in the arm the genre needed at the time, introducing a lot of fresh ideas to the table. The concept of the characters being aware of the tropes of the genre and referencing other horror movies was very refreshing and original at the time. A lot of it felt grounded in reality. I think that's what makes this a lot more scarier than a lot of other slasher films. It felt like it could really happen to you, it's just somebody in a mask terrorizing people wiith a knife. It's pretty scary to think about. As far as opening scenes go, Scream still has I'd say the best one I've ever seen, I doubt it'll ever be topped personally. Having such a big name like Drew Barrymore be the first to die really gave the impression that absolutely nobody was safe. Her performance is just amazing too, even though she has the least screentime out of the main cast. You really feel for her character, Casey, and want to see her survive. The part where her parents find her body hanging is one of the most disturbing visuals, it really stuck with me for a long time after watching it. Whilst Ghostface's design itself is very straight forward compared to a lot of other villains, the voice for the phone calls really gives it an extra layer of personality that not a lot of others have to give. The sadistic humour and dialogue especially is incredibly well done. The calls from the killer are some of my favourite parts of this series. When the phone rings and they begin to taunt and let the characters know they aren't safe really just gets your heart racing. Always such a fantastic movie, and easily in my Top 10 list.

Bonus Girlfriend Thoughts:
- She had a big crush on Skeet Ulrich when she first watched this movie, mostly because he strongly resembled Johnny Depp when he was younger.

- She thought Billy was way too obvious to be a killer and was really surprised at the reveal.

- She hates that Drew Barrymore dies because she's one of her favourite actresses and the opening scene is always hard for her to watch.

- Seeing Scary Movie ruined some of the scenes for her for a while, because she always thought about the opening bit with Carmen Electra where she grabs the banana.

- She's not a big fan of the other Scream movies after this one, although she said she enjoyed Scream 2 too.

- This is her favourite Wes Craven film.​

 

[Marty McFourth]

October 3rd, 2023

"Alex saves his school friends from death when he gets a premonition that their plane will crash. Unfortunately, they all begin to die one after another in horrifying ways."

Final Destination to me is a prime example of how to capitalize on a great concept. Whilst the movies later on would get a bit more outlandish and out there with their death scenes, the first had a bigger emphasis on the overall darker atmosphere and I personally enjoyed the more supernatural elements that were in it. The plane crash premonition is probably still my favourite in the series as well, closely followed by the Highway pile-up and crash in Final Destination 2 which is a very worthy sequel and good in its own right as well. These movies have really done a good job getting under my skin over the years, making me fearful of the smallest things possibly killing me in everyday life. I was pretty scared to go on planes, rollercoasters and the like for a while after seeing these. This is still a very fun, highly rewatchable movie with a mostly likeable cast of characters. Alex was a good protagonist and played really well by Devon Sawa and I really like Ali Larter in this too, she was also great in the sequel.​

 

[Wang Chung]

Scream is so much fun. It handled the landscape and changed how horror was done. The top billed star may not be safe at all. It makes fun of all the horror cliches and seems self aware. The two killers was a great touch and how they planned it out. I watch all of them at least once a year.

Final destination was fun too. I watch it occasionally from time to time. The story I felt was done well and the fact that Alex's peers were afraid of him was even better. The train scene was nuts because I thought theybwere done and then the license plate flew up and took out the other guy. I also felt the ending was a really nice touch as well as you feel safe and then bam.

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[Marty McFourth]

October 4th, 2023

"A journalist must investigate a mysterious videotape which seems to cause the death of anyone one week to the day after they view it."

The Ring in a lot of ways I would say set the standard for what a horror remake should be and ideally set out to achieve. It's creepier, more memorable and has excellent cinematography. Every shot is just soaking in atmosphere, the colour palette and rainy mood really adds to the overall dread that lurks over the characters the entire time you're watching it. It really complements to a very tightly paced and well written script. A lot of remakes tend to sadly take away and just simply miss a lot of what made the originals so great and memorable, where as I always thought The Ring just strengthens a lot of the core aspects of Ringu. As somebody who's seen both several times, I can say quite easily that the remake has stuck in my mind far longer with the visual scares and effective jumpscares I think being one of the biggest reasons why. They are not overdone but they are well placed and really surprise you the first time you watch it. It's one of those that has aged really well I feel as the visual quality of it is one of its strongest aspects by far.​

 

[Marty McFourth]

October 5th, 2023

"A family's dream home turns into their worst nightmare when evil spirits rise up to torment them and possess the soul of their innocent daughter."

A classic for very good reason and a staple of 80's horror. Poltergiest is not short of great scares and plenty of supsense. I think even people watching it for the first time today would still get a lot of thrill from it. It's hard to believe a movie so scary has a PG rating, which I remember being one of the biggest shocks to me after seeing it for the first time. It just goes to show what is possible with the right direction and screenplay. You can't get no better than Steven Spielberg and Tobe Hooper behind the helm of it either, both have made some of my all-time favourite movies. The suburban setting is fantastic, I love the switch from the peaceful daytime scenes to the eerie paranormal happenings at night. The ramp up in supsense and terror as it reaches its climax is masterfully done.​

 

[Wang Chung]

The ring was one of those films that did well to encapsulate the original Japanese version. Seeing the fear on the people in the movie a d how theh were trying not to die was intriguing as well. Her crawling through the TV is probably one of the best parts of the movie.


Poltergeist is such a fun movie and I can still hear the little girl saying. "They're here" all these years later. Haven't seen it in about 20 years but that part still I can hear.


Good choices 4th.

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[Marty McFourth]

October 6th, 2023

"A couple moves to an old house to find the man's brother and the wife's former lover who has turned into an ugly beast. He now bids the woman to bring him human sacrifices to help him be whole again."

A very disturbing and unnerving experience, Hellrasier to me is one of the most visually impressive horror films of the 80's. A lot of the practical effects are still impressive to look at even today and at the time I imagine they were groundbreaking to witness. A lot of the visual imagery of it really does make you feel grossed out. It's a very grimy, gritty film. Clive Barker does such an excellent job getting under your skin. A unique and original film that I think everybody should see at least once if they enjoy horror, especially body horror. There's nothing else out there quite like it, it touches on a lot of interesting, weird themes you don't see in a lot of horror films. It's also worth just appreciating the amount of effort that went in to the costumes, make-up and effects. You really wouldn't think it was quite a low budget film honestly.​

 

[Marty McFourth]

October 7th, 2023

As a fan of Zombies and movies based around them, 28 Days Later was a complete breath of fresh air when it first released. It made them faster, scarier and more unpredictable. The 'Rage' virus was a terrifying concept with more rabies like symptoms. Danny Boyle really just knows how to get your heart racing and he keeps you on the edge of your seat the entire time. The setting of a desolate London is perfection, the scene of Cillian Murphy's character Jim wandering the empty streets is up there with my all-time favourite scenes It's such a special shot and really drives home how lonely he actually is and how quickly the world has turned to chaos.

Even though the budget for this was low, in a way it ended up really giving it a special flavour and is an example of making the most of what you've got to work with, giving it a great atmosphere and a more gritty, realistic feel.​

 

[Wang Chung]

Hellraiser has so much lore. It came out at a time when the slasher ruled. Like Freddy, Michael, and Jason. It was different and had a great tale. In fact, I loved the Cenobites and rooted for them over the family since the adults were very shady people especially Frank, Larry and Frank's wife.


28 Days later to me felt like Zombies on Crack or what I would expect from Statham in Crank. It was great movie which spawned a sequel as well. I believe I watch the days at least once a year at some point.

I am digging these reviews.

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[Marty McFourth]

Hellraiser has so much lore. It came out at a time when the slasher ruled. Like Freddy, Michael, and Jason. It was different and had a great tale. In fact, I loved the Cenobites and rooted for them over the family since the adults were very shady people especially Frank, Larry and Frank's wife.


28 Days later to me felt like Zombies on Crack or what I would expect from Statham in Crank. It was great movie which spawned a sequel as well. I believe I watch the days at least once a year at some point.

I am digging these reviews.

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Thank you for reading, Wang. It has been a lot of fun writing them up so far and I'm very appreciative of all the love & support from everybody here.

Yeah, Days is a yearly rewatch for me as well. Sometimes twice a year. I'd argue it's one of the best horror movies ever made. 28 Weeks Later I probably won't get to in these reviews but it's a very worthy sequel. Especially the opening scene, which was very intense and very well directed.

 

[Marty McFourth]

October 8th, 2023

A slow burn worth sticking with, An American Werewolf in London is an incredible film boasting tons of atmosphere and suspense. The characters themselves feel authentic, as does a lot of the dialogue which is engaging, sharp and entertaining with likeable leads you care about. A lot of the humour feels well placed. When the werewolf first shows up and attacks, it is terrifying and shocking, with a lot of very impressive effects and a very creepy and disturbing werewolf design. It is remarkable what they were able to they pull off for an early 80's film. This has some of my favourite scenary and sound design ever in horror.

One of my favourite little details is Rik Mayall being present in the above scene at the left. He was one of my favourite comedic actors and would go on to have a very successful career after this starring in comedy shows such as The Young Ones, Blackadder & Bottom. Wish he was still with us today.​

 

[Marty McFourth]

October 9th, 2023

Often remembered and lauded for its great plot twist, The Sixth Sense is one of those that sticks with you for a while after watching it. It's always fun to rewatch it with a new lens after knowing all the details, it makes you appreciate the way the it is directed by M. Night Shyamalan a lot. There's a lot of little things that are quite easy to miss the first time around. You get many subtle hints along the way. This is when I realised how amazing of an actress Toni Collette is, she goes through so many stages of emotion in it. It's just incredible. Her performance I feel deserves a lot of praise and really blew me away when I frst watched it. Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment are also perfectly casted. I'm not sure if anything will ever manage to terrify me as much as some of the scenes did in this. Especially the closet and tent scenes which had me peeking through my fingers when I was younger.​