Haunt-tober 2024 is here and it’s time to dive into the macabre, the strange and the frightful during this beloved time! Join me as I spend the month discussing new and classic films.
Between Stuart Gordon’s masterful eye to Jeffrey Combs pitch perfect performance, Re-Animator fires on all cylinders with silly and bloody precision.
This is an H.P. Lovecraft adaptation after all. So, expect a lot of weirdness with your horror.
Herbert West (Jeffrey Combs) arrives at University with a reagent that revives the dead, dragging his roommate Dan Cain (Bruce Abbott) into his mayhem. Their experiments escalate when West involves his rival, Dr. Hill (David Gale), and Dan’s girlfriend Meg (Barbara Crampton).
Of course, no one ever learns – you shouldn’t mess with death! what starts as a genius yet bizarre invention becomes a cluster of bad decisions and even bigger mishaps.
source: Empire Pictures
There is fantastic use of practical effects and some scenes will have you bust out laughing. Combs’ deadpan humor is especially hilarious and there are moments in this film that are so absurd I dare you not to crack a smile.
At a sleek 86 minutes the film is all pulpy playful fun, with little waste. The cast is all great (including scream queen Crampton) but it’s Jeffrey Combs with his intensity and dry delivery that make this so good.
Re-Animator was Stuart Gordon’s first movie and it has an energy that is undeniable. While the plot isn’t particularly inventive there is still a real charm to the mad scientist gone awry formula. It is also executed in a way that makes for an iconic and memorable experience showcasing what makes B horror so lovable.
Re-Animator is zany goodness, with ample splatter and morbid humor that makes for an all time classic.
Stay tuned for more Haunt-Tober fun!
What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!
Haunt-tober 2024 is here and it’s time to dive into the macabre, the strange and the frightful during this beloved time! Join me as I spend the month discussing new and classic films.
If you’ve followed my blog you know that I’m a big Stephen King fan. He’s been a huge inspiration for me and whenever I hear of another adaptation (which, let’s be honest, is like very few months), I am excited. Yes, it’s a cautioned excitement but one all the same.
When I heard there was a new Salem’s Lot coming I was intrigued, despite there being two previous versions. The Tobe Hooper is a classic and should definitely be consumed by anyone who hasn’t seen. The other, a much lesser (and underrated) known entry, is the 2004 two-part miniseries by Mikael Salomon.
Gary Dauberman’s newest is a poor induction into the pantheon of King adapts. It strips the story down to its fairest point, taking away character development and overall cohesion, until you’re left with a good looking vampire tale that doesn’t feel like Jerusalem’s Lot.
Author Ben Mears (Lewis Pullman) returns back home to Salem’s lot for his newest book. Soon after arriving he becomes involved with aware of a vampire that’s slowly taking over the town.
Along with Pullman, there is Mark Petrie (Jordan Preston Carter), school teacher (Bill Camp) Susan (Makenzie Leigh), local doctor (Alfre Woodard) and priest (John Benjamin Hickey) joining the cause for life.
source: Max
There are aspects I liked. I did love the 70’s aesthetic. There are some great looking and creepy shots. It has a terrific cast, that, with better dialogue and less edited cuts, could have had something good. The creature design is good, but the character of Barlow is empty.
Mears barely feels like a main character and so much of his story (and other character’s) is scrapped. I won’t go into all of the changes from the book, and there are many, because I truly try to look at them separately. But, even as just a new addition to vampire cinema, this is a lean and underwhelming film.
Salem’s Lot is a mediocre adaptation that doesn’t give us anything new to ruminate on. There’s a missed opportunity here that exists as a serviceable vampire film, but doesn’t have anything really exciting to sink your teeth into.
Stay tuned for more Haunt-Tober content!
What do you think? Let me know in the comments below!
Haunt-tober 2024 is here and it’s time to dive into the macabre, the strange and the frightful during this beloved time! Join me as I spend the month discussing new and classic films.
Don’t you love an entertaining jaunt that features a great cast and an even better creature? That’s Splinter.
Polly Watt (Jill Wagner) and boyfriend Seth Belzer (Paulo Costanzo) are celebrating their anniversary. When their plans to camp outside change, they decide to check into a motel.
On their way, they’re carjacked and kidnapped by wanted criminal Dennis Farell (Shea Whigham) and Lacey Belisle (Rachel Krebs), who take them to a local gas station. What’s waiting there though, is much worse.
source: Magnolia Pictures
Director Toby Wilkins creates a lively horror that maintains suspense despite its one location setting. These characters, forced to work together despite their differences as something more insidious looks to take them over, are all fascinating and entertaining.
Kai Barry and Ted Kroeber penned the script which incorporates flashes of humor, sweetness and a clear humanity. The cast is excellent and have a rapport that makes it easy to take the journey with them, maneuvering the high stakes and shifting threats.
And as I said, the creature creation is great. A splintering parasitic black goo that spreads over its host and animates it.
Splinter is a treasured gem for me. It doesn’t take itself too seriously but is efficient in capturing its horrific intent.
Haunt-tober 2024 is here and it’s time to dive into the macabre, the strange and the frightful during this beloved time! Join me as I spend the month discussing new and classic films.
Out of context: a car goes on a killer rampage, sounds ridiculous. In execution, well, it’s still silly, but damn is it a blast.
Combining my two favorite heroes of horror John Carpenter and Stephen King, a fantastic novel is brought to campy demented delight.
Arnie Cunningham (Keith Gordon), a high school senior, discovers a 1958 Plymouth Fury in a junkyard named Christine and restores it. A bond is immediately formed and he buys her from LeBay (Roberts Blossom). Unbeknownst to him, there’s something sinister at its core and the car soon turns to murderous intent.
Arnie is by no means popular, often overlooked by his overbearing mother Regina (Christine Belford), and bullied by his classmates. His one friend, Dennis (John Stockwell), a popular football player is his real support system.
source: Columbia Pictures
As he spends more time with the car, he begins to change, becoming cruel with traits of toxic masculinity. He starts dating Leigh (Alexandra Paul) and both her and Dennis see the transformation, heading warning as Arnie slips from their control. Christine, unlike anything else he has experienced, can restore herself, making her – in some ways – the perfect companion: Resilient and steadfast in her loyalty.
There’s a vibrancy to Christine and a narrative that combines obsession and the need to be seen with the power that comes with achieving it. It’s also a film about high school life and the difficulties that come with growing up.
In the novel, there is more of a possession that takes place. The film takes a slightly different approach though Christine is no less cautionary as a warning for the power hungry.
The film isn’t by any means Carpenter’s best, but it colors this classic novel with gleeful skill. The cinematography and editing is fantastic, along with a great soundtrack.
Christine is an effective horror that’s tense and entertaining, making it another successful vehicle for the talent involved.
Haunt-tober 2024 is here and it’s time to dive into the macabre, the strange and the frightful during this beloved time! Join me as I spend the month discussing new and classic films.
There’s something truly disappointing about a set up that intrigues but has a follow through that falls apart. When you can see the potential a film has, but are left witnessing something inferior, it’s a blow. Enter: The Watchers.
Writer and Director Ishana Shyamalan inherits her father’s curiosity for the strange, but as such with some of his lesser endeavors, she also shows some of his pitfalls.
Troubled young Mina (Dakota Fanning), is haunted by childhood guilt and her estranged sister, Lucy. She works at an Irish pet store and when tasked with delivering a yellow conure named Darwin to a distant zoo, she finds herself in a broken down vehicle, amid a creepy forest.
source: Warner Bros. Pictures
The film begins as a lost in the woods, fable. Mina finds others stuck in a similar fate, as they reside in a small structure, haunted by a presence outside that keeps them stuck. It’s a mysterious set up and a group that inspires curiosity, but from there it doesn’t go too far.
Their knowledgeable leader Madeleine (Olwen Fouéré) teaches them the rules to survival, which must be followed to keep the monsters at bay. Ciara (Georgina Campbell) and Daniel (Oliver Finnegan) are also here, keeping their heads low until Mina decides to push the status quo and find a way out.
It’s a haphazardly told tale that lines up question after question, but the answers that come are either confusing or never fully realized. The writing is, unfortunately, the most disappointing part.
While tonally on point and with cinematography that nails the mood, there is a narrative that is over explained with exposition and remains underwhelming when the twists do come. With suspense that becomes tedious.
The Watchers is an unfortunate dud, underutilizing its strengths and instead plodding on to become forgettable. A supernatural story that doesn’t have enough teeth.
Stay tuned for more Haunt-Tober coverage!
What did you think of The Watchers? Let us know in the comments below!
Haunt-tober 2024 is here and it’s time to dive into the macabre, the strange and the frightful during this beloved time! Join me as I spend the month discussing new and classic films.
As someone who loved the original film I found myself skeptical when a remake came so soon after. This was a film that tested its audience, that reveled in discomfort and made it stick.
It seemed like a movie that didn’t need a remake. And yet, James Watkins does exactly what one should do when taking on such a feat. He changed enough, knowing his audience, but he left the bones of the story intact.
When vacationing in Italy Louise (Mackenzie Davis) and Ben Dalton (Scoot McNairy) and their daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler) meet Paddy (JamesMcAvoy) and Ciara (Aisling Franciosi) and their son Ant (Dan Hough).
The two couples couldn’t be any more different, but they bond over the trip and eventually after returning home get invited to Paddy and Ciara’s for a weekend away. While reluctant at first, they decide to do something out of their comfort zone and spend the weekend away.
source: Universal Pictures
“Out of their comfort zone” is a big part of what Speak No Evil is. As they spend more time together, they experience awkwardness, creepiness and a lack of personal space. Throughout the film they are tested by their new acquaintances to see how much they can take. And, if, they’ll eventually break.
McAvoy is sinisterly hilarious. He shifts between furious and charming artfully. The comedy element is a driving change in this remake, scouring the line between a grimaced laugh and icy fear.
As time goes on things become dire, recognizing the threat they have placed themselves in and wanting out. Mackenzie Davis is especially firey and her steps to protect her family make you want to cheer. This has a fantastic cast, especially the young actors who hold their own in scenes with some very talented seasoned professionals.
This dream vacation gone bad is a suspenseful knot in your gut. While not as horrific as the original, there’s a perceptible dread that keeps your attention peaked, and your stomach, on the floor.
James Watkins‘ direction is spot-on, giving the film the feel of an update rather than a remake, with just the right balance of humor and edge. Beneath the silence and smirks lies a devilish tale, one that will undoubtedly make you question simple acts of kindness.
With fresh twists and enough originality to stand on its own, Speak No Evil is a worthy successor to the 2022 horror film.
Stay tuned for more Haunt-Tober fun!
What do you think of Speak No Evil? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Haunt-tober 2024 is here and it’s time to dive into the macabre, the strange and the frightful during this beloved time! Join me as I spend the month discussing new and classic films.
This also means… giveaways!
Each Sunday (and then Halloween) we will be giving away a prize! 5 winners will receive an exclusive gift!
Follow us on Instagram for up to date winners and news!
We are also interested in hearing from you! If you have some scary stories or film/TV show that you want to write about, let us know!
How to enter:
Fill out this form to enter for a chance to win! Last year was a blast and we couldn’t do it without you!
Prizes to be announced soon but they will include movies, horror board games from Stop the Killer and more!
Phil Tippett’s Mad God is inspirational, certainly not due to its subject matter, but because of the context surrounding its creation. Tippett, a virtuoso of stop-motion animation and creature design, revisited designs built over three decades to make this uncompromising, macabre meditation. The project feels like an artifact unearthed from a time capsule, dusted off to unveil a wholly unique aesthetic altogether, one that invites us to appreciate the depraved and the bizarre.
The film follows an anonymous assassin as he descends deeper into a bleak hell-scape, stunningly crafted out of practical sets and ignited into existence using stop-motion techniques. As the protagonist wades through the landscape of blood, pus, grime, and murk, we truly marvel at what practical effects can accomplish in this genre, bringing to life the gory and the grotesque in ways that CGI cannot. Tippet brings the best type of world-building to his project—the kind where there is no map or compass, and worlds seem to exist within worlds, like a living, breathing fractal artwork. Completely devoid of the spatial awareness we naturally crave, it’s up to the dark recesses of our minds to make meaning out of every bump in the night and to try to understand the laws that govern this peculiar land.
source: Shudder
Each frame of Mad God is an entire world in itself—detailed, grueling, and strange. Every moment is so visually captivating that attention shifts quickly, creating a viewing experience that leaves us remarkably arrested in the present moment. Like a twisted haunted house, there’s no time to fully process what you’ve just seen; before you know it, you’re compelled to move to the next room, where another horror awaits. This makes piecing together a linear narrative an impossibility, but that’s okay because there isn’t one to be had anyway. Strange creatures inhabit every scene. Some are slaves to others. Some are eaten by others. Some are killed by others for ritual or sport. We witness life for a moment, then death for a moment, and then ultimately move to the next frame, leaving these monsters in the abyss.
Tippet somehow creates an ecosystem where each object, living or not, is crafted with such care and intention, yet is so utterly disposable at the same time. This dichotomy reflects a point that could be made about our own existence, offering some thought-provoking, existential musings of a nihilistic variety. While Tippet is the mad god of his own weird world, he might argue that our god is just as mad. Even in its abstractness, the film tells a tale of life and death, growth and destruction, depicting the human race negatively—as ill-fated, destined to repeat the same mistakes of war, pollution, and consumerism over and over. Cynical, sure, so how does it manage to be so moving? For the creative in all of us, it stirs something deep within. There is inherent beauty in listening to a singer sing or watching a dancer dance. Whatever your thing is, this artistic achievement inspires you to go do it. Phil Tippet’s thing is bringing creatures to life through stop-motion animation, and Mad God exists as a rare gift—the gift of a person creating exactly what they were meant to in this life.
Enter for a chance to win one of three Destroy all Neighbors dvds!
The horror movie is described as “a twisted splatter-comedy about a deranged journey of self-discovery, full of goopy practical FX, a well-known ensemble cast, and LOTS of blood. “Struggling prog-rock musician William Brown finds himself in a living nightmare when he accidentally kills Vlad, the neighbor from hell.”
From Rosemary’s Baby to The Exorcist to Children of the Corn, the archetype of the evil or possessed child has been an evident part of the horror genre. Richard Donner’s 1976 horror classic, The Omen, is also famous for its evil child, the Son of Satan. However, the character of Damien Thorn in The Omen, stands apart from these other popular demonic children.
In the film, after Katherine Thorn (Lee Remick) delivers a stillborn baby at the hospital, her husband Robert (Gregory Peck) adopts a young baby boy unbeknownst to his wife. As their son Damien begins to grow older, a series of mysterious deaths and events begin to follow the Thorn family. A priest, Father Brennan, reveals to Robert that Damien is the son of Satan, the Antichrist. He also reveals that Katherine is pregnant and Damien will kill her new child, along with both Katherine and Robert. As more people around the family begin to die, Robert investigates the true background of Damien while coming face to face with evil.
Source: Turner Classic Movies
Growing up, I always loved The Omen and the character of Damien Thorn. I found him to be such a different character compared to the other evil children depicted in horror movies. With little dialogue and simple stares, he could capture my attention in a second. And although Damien screams and physically attacks his mother at the sight of a Espicopal church and has tantrums typical of a young boy, he embodies a quiet villainy that is as haunting as it is compelling. Throughout the entirety of The Omen, Damien hardly says any other words besides “mommy” and “daddy”. His mere presence keeps viewers on edge.
In The Exorcist, the character of Regan MacNeil represents a more overt and visceral form of possession. Regan’s transformation from a young girl to a vessel for demonic forces is physically and emotionally intense, with dramatic changes in her appearance, behavior, and language. Similarly, in Children of the Corn the monstrous children of Gatlin are depicted as the primary antagonists. Led by Isaac and his subordinate Malachai, the children capture and brutally murder adults in the town and put them on crosses as human sacrifices. Characters such as Regan and Isaac openly display their monstrous nature and are vocal about their violent intentions.
Source: Turner Classic Movies
In one scene in The Omen, Katherine decides to take Damien on a visit to the zoo. As the mother-son duo strolls and drives through the park, they encounter an array of different kinds of animals. However, with just a mere gaze at the giraffes, Damien sends all of them running away with fright. The unsettling power of Damien becomes even more apparent when he looks at a large group of baboons only to have them become increasingly agitated. The baboons storm the Thorn’s car while screeching and pounding at the windows.
In another scene, Katherine is tending to one of her ceiling plants by standing on an uneven table a little too close to the railing. The scene repeatedly cuts back between shots of Katherine, her son Damien riding a tricycle around his bedroom, and the malevolent facial expressions of Mrs. Baylock, Damien’s nanny. Mrs. Baylock opens the door to Damien’s room, enabling him to ride straight down the hallway towards Katherine. Damien rides his tricycle directly into Katherine, pushing her over the railing. Damien purposely attempts to kill his mother. Yet, he never says a word. As he rides his tricycle, the film masterfully plays on the concept of the “demonic child,” subverting traditional perceptions of childhood innocence. He casts only a gaze at his mother as she hangs from the indoor balcony.
Coming after the successes of The Exorcist and Rosemary’s Baby, as well as being one of the first representations of a demonic child in the horror genre, the character of Damien Thorn captivated audiences with his chilling portrayal of evil incarnate. His sinister presence and subtle actions left an indelible mark on viewers, cementing his status as an iconic figure in a genre that loves its creepy children.
Wonderfully Weird & Horrifying 