2021 Halloween Marathon: Week 4 Reviews

Here are some quick reviews from this week’s movies. Check out the full schedule here.

Trick ‘r Treat (2007) – 10/10 – A perfect Halloween film and a perfect anthology. It just looks, sounds, and feels like Halloween. In fact, stop reading this, and go watch it twice.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019) – 9/10 – We waited a long time for this one, and I feel like it is almost perfect. It isn’t quite the anthology that I think we were all expecting, and I personally could’ve used a few more of the stories/characters after waiting so long. But as a huge fan of the books, I think it’s pretty good for what it is. I’ll watch it multiple times each year, and I can’t wait for the sequel.

The Stuff (1985) – 4/10 – Everybody has to eat shaving cream once in a while…

Creepshow S3E1 (2021) – 6/10 – “Mums” was a 7/10. It’s a perfect length, and I like Ethan Embry. “Queen Bee” is more like a 4 or a 5, although the effects are great. It could’ve been a 10-minute short.

Horror Hall of Fame Awards (1990) – 9/10 – Thanks to Dinosaur Dracula and the Purple Stuff Podcast for covering this on the last episode. Look this up on YouTube if you haven’t seen it. Robert Englund, Jason, Chucky, the Cryptkeeper, and others all make appearances in this live awards show that actually aired on TV. The YouTube version even leaves in a few horror-related commercials, such as Elvira selling Mug Root Beer.

The final four movies were part of Elvira’s 40th Anniversary, Very Scary, Very Special Special that aired on Shudder this weekend.

Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (1988) – 5/10 – Although this horror comedy doesn’t have quite enough horror or comedy, there are some fun moments, and the effects are pretty good.

House on Haunted Hill (1959) – 7/10 – I hate to spoil a film that is more than 60 years old, but my main issue with this one is always that nothing is really “haunted.” It’s kinda like a Scooby Doo episode, with some real killing, of course. Fun story, good acting. Probably a blast to watch in a theater at the time.

The City of the Dead (1960) – 5/10 – This was my first time seeing this one. The witch story is definitely cool, but it’s really slow. While it shares a few similarities with Psycho, it doesn’t come close as an overall film. Mostly, even for a 1960 horror film about a witch from 1692, the plot is just absurd.

Messiah of Evil (1973) – 2/10 – What a way to close out a four-film marathon on a Saturday night/Sunday morning. To say this is a terrible movie is an understatement. Every scene leaves you going, “Wait… what?” There are many scenes thrown in that have nothing to do with the rest of the film, so trying to keep it all together is difficult enough. But then even the main story itself is just insane. In the end, unlike The Stuff or other awful films that I can watch repeatedly, this is something that I’ll never need to watch again.

2021 Halloween Marathon: Week 3 Reviews

Here are some quick reviews from this week’s movies. Check out the full schedule here.

The House of the Devil (2009) – 7/10 – This one has become an annual fall watch for me, even if it’s not a perfect film. I like the acting, the setting, and the music here, and while “devil” movies just aren’t really my thing, this is one of the best recent attempts.

Happy Birthday to Me (1981) – 8/10 – This is a classic slasher that all horror fans should see. The twist at the end is insane, and the running time is way too long, but it’s a fun movie. I think this is the first time that I realized that these kids are in high school. I always assumed it was college, with all the drinking and some of the actors clearly being in their mid-20s. But as we know, 1981 was a different time, and high school kids could apparently openly drink at the local tavern and jump bridges in their cars.

Candyman (2021) – 3/10 – This wasn’t a lot of fun for me. It looks and sounds fine, but the story is an absolute mess. I would need an hour-long podcast to explain all my issues with the writing. Just watch the original.

2021 Halloween Marathon: Week 2 Reviews

Here are some quick reviews from this week’s movies. Check out the full schedule here.

Carrie (1976) – 9/10 – Way more slapping than you probably remember. Girls slapping boys, boys slapping girls, teachers slapping kids. No one can talk to each other in this movie. They just slap. Slapping aside, it’s still pretty great.

Martyrs Lane (2021) – 6/10 – Slow burn that is more suspense than horror. Good story and good use of a low budget.

Malignant (2021) – 6/10 – I’ve seen some terrible reviews of this one, including people who are saying they turned it off halfway through. But the final act is crazy! Make sure you stick around.

Sometimes They Come Back… Again (1996) – 3/10 – Steven Keaton from Family Ties + a young Hilary Swank + typical CGI effects and acting for mid-’90s low budget horror sequels = exactly what you’d expect.

Sometimes They Come Back… For More (1998) – 1/10 – This is one of the worst movies you would ever see if you were crazy enough to watch it. How in the world did we get from a pretty good Stephen King adaptation to whatever this is in only three installments? I assume this was one of those cases where a movie was written and possibly even filmed before being acquired by the studio as a “sequel.”

2021 Halloween Horror Marathon

As we start to prepare for the third season of our Christmas podcast, we’ll also be doing a fun Halloween celebration this year! Beginning this weekend, we’ll be watching and discussing horror movies through Halloween. We have two movies picked for each weekend (plus a full Halloween series marathon to kick off October) and will watch a bunch of other stuff in between.

I’ll post my quick review for each film that we watch in weekly posts, starting at the end of this post for Week 1, and I’ll also be around on Facebook and Twitter if anyone wants to discuss any of the movies. We could even do a live chat one night or a live screening, like we did with our holiday marathon last year, if anyone is interested.

A lot of the films we’ve picked will be available on the Shudder streaming service. If you’re a horror fan and aren’t a regular subscriber, I’d recommend adding it, at least for October.

Here is the planned schedule. Scroll down below for ratings and comments!

September 3-5: Poltergeist (1982), Don’t Breathe 2 (2021)

September 10-12: Carrie (1976), Martyrs Lane (2021)

September 17-19: Happy Birthday to Me (1981), The House of the Devil (2009)

September 24-26: Trick ‘r Treat (2007), Scary Stories To Tell in the Dark (2019)

October 1-3: Halloween complete series marathon (all films from 1978-2018!)

October 8-10: Joe Bob’s Halloween Hoedown (Double Feature TBA – Shudder live event)

October 15-17: Halloween Kills (2021), Haunt (2019)

October 22-24: Friday the 13th Part 3 (1982), Nightmare on Elm Street Part 3 (1987)

October 29-31: Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981), Sleepy Hollow (1999)

---

Week 1 Reviews

Poltergeist (1982) – 9/10 – This is the first time we really noticed the weird cut scene, where they’re in the middle of a sentence in the kitchen and are then suddenly knocking on a neighbor’s door. It’s bizarre. Plus, don’t take a bath in the haunted house you’re about to leave. (That may actually even be a film title from the early ’80s.)

Don’t Breathe 2 (2021) – 7/10 – If you liked the first one, you’ll probably dig this. It looks pretty good, especially the scenes in the house, but the story is kind of out there. At this point, I think I’d like it more if the guy could see, although I realize that’d make it similar to countless other movies. This was fun enough.

Sometimes They Come Back (1991) – 8/10 – I forgot how much I liked this one. As much as I love Stephen King, the movies can be hit or miss, but Tom McLouhglin made a good one here. I also forgot about the weird roaring sounds throughout the film. What is that? (I think I’m going to watch the two sequels now. I don’t think I’ve seen either of them, and they both look terrible!)