A Week of Horror Gems

Another week of October has come and gone, and I have watched so much horror! In fact, I feel like this week's films were mostly hits. 

Near Dark (1987)

I finally sat down and watched  Issa Lopez' masterful horror-fantasy Tigers Are Not Afraid. The Dr. and I screened Near Dark, a movie we've been discussing since our very first date (happy anniversary to us!). I joined a fun group of friends for the macabre and unexpectedly gory Theater of Blood, with Vincent Price chewing every bit of scenery he could get his fangs on. And, Diana Rigg as his daughter. 

Let's take a moment for Diana Rigg, if we may. 

That isn't all I watched, so let's break that down here:

October 13th: Curtains (1983)

                     A year or so ago I saw an old trailer for this and thought it looked creepy as hell, based on the weird mask the killer wore. In a nutshell, someone wants a role in a film by this sketchy director and they'll go to any length! Leave a boyfriend, break a contract, escape from an asylum,  murder the competition. Acting was nice and hammy, plot was a bit contrived, but whoa, that mask reveal and twist ending. I enjoyed it. 

October 14th: Altered States (1980)

                       I wanted to keep the Ken Russell train rolling, so I re-watched his bizarre and trippy tale (written by Paddy Chayefsky)about a scientist obsessed with expanding his mind to unlock human development from the earliest stages of man. Is that right? This movie is bonkers. The special effects are wild for 1980, even if the plot revolving around the personal is eye-rolly. 

October 15th: Scary Stories (2019)

                      This was a fun gem I found at work! Yes, don't forget to check out the DVD shelves at your local library, y'all, you'll never know what you might find. Scary Stories is a documentary and tribute to the Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books. Fun and fascinating, it talks about creator Alvin Schwartz, illustrator Stephen Gammell, the controversy that's surrounded the books since release with school boards and parents, and a lot of swooning fans. After watching it, I was inspired to re-read the books (also at your public library!)

October 16th: Friend Request (2017)

                      This ended up being a lot better than I was expecting, especially based on the rotten tomato score. It has some good jump scares, and is a cautionary tale about online "friendship". Just be careful who you friend on the SM's, y'all. It might be a demon. If so, good luck deleting your account. 

October 17th: The Enfield Haunting (2015)

                     This British miniseries is based on the most famous haunting in the UK. Great cast including Timothy Spall, Matthew MacFadyen tells the story of the poltergeists plaguing the Hodgson's, but is also about dealing with grief and letting go. Sure, its a thing in horror films, but this series does it pretty darn well. 

October 18th: Tigers Are Not Afraid (2018)

                      I missed this when it was at Ithaca Fantastik last year, and when it finally came to Shudder, I kept saying to myself, I wasn't ready. Well, last Friday I was ready, and it destroyed me. Issa Lopez has made a masterful tale of childhood trauma told through fantasy. Not a single frame of film in wasted, as there is so much to see in every shot. The kids in the film act their hearts out scene after scene. Akin to Pan's Labyrinth or even The Devil's Backbone, this is a film you can't shake after seeing it. A must see in my opinion.

October 18th: Theater of Blood (1973)

                     I'd watch Vincent Price drink tea for 2 hours, that's how much I adore the guy. As a kid, he was my favorite. And still is. Toss in Diana Rigg as his faithful daughter who may or may not know he's getting revenge on the theater critics who he felt wronged him, by murdering them a la Shakespearean demises, and you've got a fun, gory film. Everything about this is over the top and I loved it. 

October 19th: Near Dark (1987)

                     I've loved this film since I was a kid. I can remember watching it countless times with my brother and sis whenever it was on HBO. On our first date, 2 years ago, the Dr. and i discussed vampires and this film came up. She had never seen it. I offered to watch it with her, I had it on blu ray, after all. Smooth, yes, very smooth. Only, we never got around to it. UNTIL LAST SATURDAY! So, to mark our anniversary we finally watched Kathryn Bigelow's take on a small group of vampires roving and feeding from small town to small town in the midwest. Not your typical sexy vampire film, but more gritty and dirty. Yet there is something erotic about it. Maybe its all that bloodsucking, or romanticizing the night and how dark it is?