Halloween Horror #22 & #23

#22 – Friday 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)

Part 6 of the franchise.

Tommy Jarvis goes to the graveyard to get rid of Jason Voorhees’ body once and for all, but inadvertently brings him back to life instead. The newly revived killer once again seeks revenge, and Tommy may be the only one who can defeat him. IMDB

In contrast to the series’ other entries, which had to be edited for violence in order to avoid an “X” rating, the film’s producers requested that McLoughlin add more gore, violence, and murders to the film. Wikipedia

Pretty enjoyable, but also still pretty standard. 2.5 stars.

★★★

#23 – Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986)

Radio DJ Vanita ‘Stretch’ Brock’s open request night is plagued by the annoying phone pranking of two road tripping, party-hard, hoodlums, but things take a disturbing turn when the hoodlums meet their demise at the hands of familiar chainsaw wielding maniacs. With the entire gruesome ordeal recorded on tape, Stretch seeks out the help of a former Texas Marshall who’s on a personal quest of vengeance against this family of cannibals. While at first he turns her down, he eventually decides to use her tape to his advantage, asking her to air it during her request block- effectively baiting the cannibals to the radio station where he’ll personally deal with them. IMDB

Eh,it was OK, I guess. For some reason they re-create the dinner table scene, which obviously doesn’t work near as well, and at the end the main victim does the chainsaw dance that ends the original movie. Starts with potential but devolves. 2 stars.

★★★

Films

Halloween Horror #20 & #21

#20 – Messiah of Evil

Messiah of Evil is a US 1973 supernatural horror film.

A young woman goes searching for her missing artist father. Her journey takes her to a strange Californian seaside town governed by a mysterious cult.

Directors Huyck and Katz are the husband-and-wife team who would subsequently direct Howard the Duck, as well as produce screenplays for American Graffiti and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Wikipedia

This feels a lot more like Italian horror/giallo films (Dario Argento particularly), even a little bit Hammer. Its a confusing story, but that’s made up for in other ways. The strange townsfolk and their rituals is kind of Lovecraftian. Surreal scenes and lighting, bizarre, peculiar characters.
Night of the Living Dead via Argento and H.P. Lovecraft?

I really liked this. 3 stars!

★★★

#21 – Hagazussa (2017)

Hagazussa: A Heathen’s Curse (German: Hagazussa, an Old High German term for “Witch”) is a 2017 German/Austrian horror film in four acts: : “Shadows”, “Horn”, “Blood” and “Fire. See the Wikipedia article for more detail.

Paranoia & Superstition in 15th Century Europe.

Obviously it would be easy to compare to The Witch. This is more atmospheric and ambient viewing for the most, with many moments of ancient superstition, there is very minimal dialogue. From just over half way onward it gets weird, then kind of brutal. I didn’t dislike this, its good for many reasons, a film where you just have to sit and let it happen. I’d like to give it 3, I’m going to give it 3, but it just needed something? Yet more of anything would have made it worse? Maybe just remove all of the other characters?

★★★

Films

Halloween Horror films #18 and #19

#18 – The Shout (1979)

Crossley (Alan Bates), a mysterious travelling man invades the lives of a young couple, Rachel and Anthony Fielding (Susannah York and John Hurt). Anthony is a composer, who experiments with sound effects and various electronic sources in his secluded Devon studio. The couple provides hospitality to Crossley but his intentions are gradually revealed as more sinister. He claims he has learned from an Aboriginal shaman how to produce a “terror shout” that can kill anyone who hears it unprotected. Wikipedia

This is a weird ABC late night classic, I remember catching parts of it as a kid and being weirded out and kinda scared as well. The film is rather slow, very BBC, but also strange and enjoyable. 3 stars.

★★★

#19 – White of the Eye (1987)

White of their Eye is a 1987 British/US Thriller about a guy with very special hearing abilities.

In a wealthy and isolated desert community, a sound expert is targeted as the prime suspect of a series of brutal murders of local suburban housewives who were attacked and mutilated in their homes. As he desperately tries to prove his innocence, his young wife starts to uncover mysteries of her own… IMDB

Very big on sound, the soundtrack, scene music. The visuals and setting scenes, big wide shots, great close ups. The characters, the town, its good. Its very good. Its a cop drama, Then….Holy shit. The last 1/3 is… This is, its uh fucked up. It gets nasty, dark. Holy shit. Then some resolution?

3.5 stars, this film is uh great. Weird as shit, confusing, disturbing, but holy hell, its an enjoyable mess of a film.

★★★★

Drinks

Some cool beers with horror films

Over the weekend and two tonight, I had some good beers while watching films…

BeerFarm & Fervor Native Series Woolya Wah Red Ale

Films

Halloween Horror #17

#17 – Rinne (2005)

Rinne (Reincarnation) is a 2005 Japanese horror-mystery film from Takashi Shimizu (Ju-On/The Grudge franchise).

Nagisa Sugiura (Yuka) is a young Japanese actress who comes face to face with a slew of ghosts. These restless spirits begin to appear when she signs on to star in a horror film which tells the true story about a crazed, local professor whose murderous rampage at a hotel left 11 guests dead, including his young son and daughter. The movie is being filmed at the very site where the killings took place.

Pretty good. 2.5 stars. Creepy, a little weird, suspenseful with quite a few jump-scares.

★★★

Films

Halloween Horror #16

#16 – Ghoulies 3 : Ghoulies go to College (1990)

Ghoulies 3: Ghoulies go to College (1990) is the 3rd part of the Ghoulies franchise, I haven’t seen the others, or at least don’t remember them. Its free on TubiTV if you have a VPN (US only). Stars Kevin McCarthy, a classic star of bad films ( and some good films and TV). The characters live in a frat house and there’s bro’s, preps, nerds and the other generics. The Ghoulies are gross and seem really damp looking.

A “Ghoulies” comic book is found in a frat house bathroom. The comic secretly holds powers over three lost Ghoulies that are imprisoned within its pages. They are soon released by Professor Ragnar who uses them in an attempt to stop ‘Prank Week’ where frats play tricks on each other for a tinfoil crown. Skip Carter and his frat house of party animals are destined to take back the crown but he is having problems with his girlfriend who is dating his arch rival, Jeremy. When Jeremy frames Skip, resulting in his expulsion, the Ghoulies are sent to kill Skip and any other frats that stand in their way.

I got what I was expecting, I guess. 2 stars. It is what it is.

★★

Films

Halloween Horror #14 & #15

#14 – The Prowler (1981)

The Prowler is a 1981 horror film with Tom Savini manning the gore button. There’s a story line but it is essentially meaningless filler. The gore, limited as it is, is some A-grade Savini though, and the only reason to bother sitting through this.

An unknown killer, clad in World War II U.S. Army fatigues, stalks a small New Jersey town bent on reliving a 35 year-old double murder by focusing on a group of college kids holding an annual graduation dance.

For Savini completist’s only. 2 stars just for his few parts.

★★

#15 – Black Belly of the Tarantula (1971)

The Black Belly of the Tarantula is a 1971 Italian giallo film directed by Paolo Cavara. It is one of many Italian giallo films to be inspired by Dario Argento’s successful debut thriller The Bird with the Crystal Plumage.

A mysterious killer is attacking women associated with a blackmail conspiracy. It is up to the reluctant Inspector Tellini to find out who the killer is, before he or his girlfriend become the murderer’s next target.

Pretty standard Giallo film, nudity, twisted murders, not bad, not great.

★★

Films

Halloween Horror #13

#13 – Shocking Dark (1989)

Shocking Dark (also known as Terminator II, Terminator 2, Aliens 2, Aliennators, and Contaminator) is a 1989 Italian science-fiction film. Although the film was promoted as a rip-off of James Cameron’s The Terminator, it is primarily a rip-off of James Cameron’s Aliens. It was released in some countries as Terminator II, as it had been made two years before Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Wikipedia

In a polluted future Venice researchers work to improve the situation. One day, unknown forces start killing them. A team of soldiers and a couple of civilians is sent to investigate. Soon, they encounter strange murderous creatures. IMDB

What else do you need to know? Italian trash of the highest order. An intensely B-grade rip-off of Aliens so overt yet so trash it has to be seen to be believed.
Fucking Bellissimo! 2 stars.

★★

Drinks

2 beers with 2 Halloween horror films

Molly Rose – Skyline IPA, 5.7% 375ml can.
This seems like a completely straight up West Coast IPA, smells like sweet fruity hops. Taste is a very straight up classic IPA hops as far as bitterness, very nice and crisp. I don’t really notice any specific malt character even on warming. Like a NEIPA but straight classic hops? Refreshing both as something that’s not too common and also as a pretty great very drinkable beer.

Molly Rose – Shoulders IPA, 7.2% 375ml can.
This is one step up in every way from the Skylight IPA. Stronger more pine resinous smell, a slightly darker colour. The taste is a deeper bitterness (Chinook, Cascade, Centennial, Galaxy). Its not cloying or sweet, beers of this style traditionally go large on the malt to try and “balance” the hop bitterness, and again there’s no real malt character, even when it warms up. A bit more of a sipper at 7.2% but very enjoyable.

Films

Halloween Horror #11 & #12

#11 – Doctor Sleep (2019)

Doctor Sleep is a 2019 film based on a Stephen King novel of the same name, also the sequel to The Shining.

Years after the traumatizing events of The Overlook Hotel, Dan Torrance is now an alcoholic struggling to find a job. He moves to a small town in New Hampshire and becomes “Doctor Sleep”. He then meets Abra Stone, a teenager with the brightest shine he’s ever seen. When he learns that a cult of evil beings called The True Knot are chasing her with the intent to eat her shine, he does everything in his power to protect her…including returning to The Overlook. IMDB

This was good. Extending on the Shining and its mythology and I assume containing elements I have no idea bout from the greater Stephen King universe mythos. All of which I am not very knowledgeable of, and it didn’t really matter. It was a very enjoyable watch, though like many other King book adaptions, a bit long. Creepy, weird, strange, engaging. 3 stars.

★★★

#12 – Tourist Trap (1979)

Tourist Trap is a 1979 American supernatural slasher film.

Four people go in search of their missing friend. What they find is Slausen’s Lost Oasis, a mannequin museum and seemingly abadoned mansion owned by gentle old Mr. Slausen. He agrees to help with their car trouble, but some of the girls decide to look for a working phone inside the house even though Mr. Slausen warned them not too. Hidden within the home is Mr. Slausen’s misunderstood mask hidden younger brother. What they learn is that the mannequins seem very much alive, or is there something much more terrifying behind the mask? IMDB

The music over the credits really sets the mood. The mannequins and mask are creepy as hell. They look heaps like Shaye Saint John. And that’s about it, creepy masks and mannequins and creepy people scare other people. There’s a story, but its rather inconsequential (and often long winded). In many ways this is highly influenced by Texas Chainsaw Massacre, in parts of the plot and style, and also as a “horror” film stripped to its bare bones. A better score/soundtrack, or literally no soundtrack, would have done wonders. I’m giving it 2.5 stars. It doesn’t deserve it, but it really is an interesting almost-rip-off of Texas… but with enough original elements to almost be a good enough film on its own. Its strange and enjoyable.

★★★