We’ve finally reached the end!If you’re just checking in for the Christmas content and are interested in the horror movies we’ve been watching over the last couple of months, be sure to check out the full schedule here.
Sleepy Hollow (1999) – 7/10 – If I remove this film from the story that I love so much, I think it’s fine, and it certainly looks great. I also like the slight nods to the original text and even the Disney cartoon. That being said, I don’t like most of the changes, and I think it certainly could’ve been as effective with a more faithful adaptation. I also wish they had found a way to film it in or near Sleepy Hollow. Still, it’s fine to watch every few years.
Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981) – 8/10 – This is easily the best made-for-TV horror movie ever. I’m kind of surprised that we haven’t seen a big studio come in and remake this one. It does look like there’s an indie sequel, or maybe it’s in production. But I’d love to see an update of this one, similar to what they did with the great My Bloody Valentine remake.
Thanks to everyone who has been following along! Today we’ll be watching Charlie Brown, Garfield, and a bunch more before heading out to trick or treat. But then we’ll be launching the first new episode of our Christmas podcast! See you soon…
We’ve finally reached Halloween weekend! In addition to working on launching Season Three of our podcast, we’ll be watching movies all weekend. If you’re just checking in for the Christmas content and are interested in the horror movies we’ve been watching every weekend, be sure to check out the full schedule here.
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987) – 8/10 – Aside from the original, this is the only Elm Street film I ever really choose to watch. I love the idea of the dream warriors, the kills are great, and the music is super fun.
Friday the 13th Part III (1982) – 10/10 – Another perfect slasher. No offense to the previously mentioned Elm Street movie, the third Halloween that I’ve talked about growing to love, or even Return of the Jedi or the final Back to the Future, but this is my favorite Part III.
Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986) – 10/10 – While Part IV was such a great way to wrap up the original Jason trilogy, Part V was a goofy mess. But Tom McLoughlin nailed this one, bringing Jason back where he belongs. It’s one of the funniest scripts in the series, and it even puts kids at the camp for the first time.
Halloween Kills (2021) – 10/10 – Once again, they gave us exactly what we wanted, a perfect slasher with a bunch of characters from the original film. Only this time, they didn’t even have to kill Michael since we already know the next movie is coming next year. If you see bad reviews for this movie, don’t trust them without seeing it for yourself. If your friends are saying bad things about it, unfriend them. They’re dumb.
Haunt (2018) – 8/10 – I don’t go to these haunted attractions because I’d rather spend a fraction of the money to watch movies instead. I definitely wouldn’t sign a waiver to enter one, nor would I allow them to lock up my cell phone. Therefore, knowing that people do actually do these things, I like this movie a lot because I know I’d never be one of these idiots getting trapped in this place.
House (1985) – 5/10 – I liked this one a lot as a kid, but it definitely doesn’t hold up for me. The effects are great. That’s about it. Another example of a horror comedy without enough horror or comedy.
I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) – 7/10 – As a person who kinda believes that we probably peaked as humans sometime around 1997, I don’t know if this film quite holds up the way I thought/hoped it would. I want to make a list of reasons why this could never be set in 2021, but I don’t really have the energy. Instead, I’ll try to check out the first episode of the new TV series and assume that the producers made the list themselves, prompting this updated version.
Chucky, Episode 1 – 4/10 – I’ve actually never been the biggest Child’s Play fan. I think the franchise is generally better than Leprechaun, for example, but nowhere near the upper tier of Halloween and Friday the 13th. Still, I thought this could have potential and ended up being mostly disappointed. If it happens to get decent reviews from people I trust, maybe I’ll try watching the whole season later.
We’re getting close to Halloween now! Only a few weeks left.Be sure to check out the full schedule here.
This weekend we celebrated the Last Drive-In’s Halloween Hoedown on Shudder. It was a six-hour blast of Halloween fun and included appearances by Jason Blum and David Gordon Green, who discussed the Halloween series and the upcoming Halloween Kills. And of course, there were two movies…
Angel (1983) – 6/10 – I’d been interested in this one, mainly because of the great cast, but I’d never watched it. I was glad to finally have an excuse to sit down and check it out, even if it isn’t a Halloween movie at all and may not have been the best choice for this event. I loved the crazy fight scene toward the end, which kind of came out of nowhere. It was pretty well done, but it was also hilarious. Also, I liked getting a look at L.A. here, since most films like this tend to be set in New York.
Terror Train (1980) – 9/10 – This is one of my favorite slashers and was a great film for this event, even if it also isn’t a Halloween film. If you haven’t seen this one, just know it features David Copperfield and has a pretty crazy twist at the end. I personally think they should’ve done the whole Jamie Lee Curtis 1980 trio, adding The Fog and Prom Night.
Other movies we’ve watched this week…
Muppet Haunted Mansion (2021) – 9/10 – To be clear, I am probably the least qualified person to discuss or review anything Muppet related, aside from maybe Christmas Carol. I was a fan growing up, but I’m not the expert today that many of my friends are. That being said, Haunted Mansion is my favorite Disney ride, I loved this special, and I was so happy to learn it had nothing to do with the Eddie Murphy movie. I’ll definitely watch it again. I know I missed so much the first time, and it’ll probably take several viewings to really take it in.
Witchboard (1986) – 9/10 – This used to be a favorite of mine, but it’s been a long time since I’ve watched it. I was happy to find that it totally holds up today. The storytelling is pretty good, and there are actual attempts at character development without straying too far from the horror. It’s a legitimately creepy film that separates itself from most other mid-80s stuff.
The Innkeepers (2011) – 7/10 – When Ti West was releasing films like this one and House of the Devil, we had a horror podcast that focused mainly on slashers. So I likely didn’t quite give West the credit he deserved back then. To me, aside from the stuff Mike Flanagan is doing, this is probably as good as indie ghost movies get right now.
House of Dracula (1945) – 7/10 – This one is better than the two that came right before it (1943’s Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man and 1944’s The House of Frankenstein). You get Dracula, Wolf Man, and Frankenstein all together here, and some of it is genuinely creepy. I think my favorite part is when Talbot asks the doctor for help, and he basically tells him he should just get locked in jail again. And of course, at the end we get another burning castle!
Aside from these movies, I re-watched every single Halloween film. What a week!
Halloween (1978) – 10/10 – Best movie ever. By the way, Lynda’s “totally” count = 7.
Halloween II (1981) – 10/10 – It can’t equal the first one, but then nothing could. All the sequels need to be judged separately. But even without the first film, this is still a near perfect ’80s slasher, and it has everything that makes slashers my favorite subgenre.
Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982) – 8/10 – I’ve probably gone from about a 3/10 to this 8/10 just within the last 10 years or so. I do think it’s a fun horror movie that I used to take for granted back in the day, but I also think it’s completely absurd. However, even at its most ridiculous, it is attempting to deliver horror and not comedy, which I can totally appreciate, even if I do just laugh at most of it.
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988) – 10/10 – This is probably the best horror sequel after Friday the 13th II.
Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989) – 5/10 – Such a letdown. Imagine if you weren’t invested in these characters from the previous film. It’s pretty bad. How could they mess up a Michael Myers sequel in the ’80s? It was guaranteed to make money, so why not spend whatever it took to get it right? It still gets a 5, if only for Loomis and Michael.
Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995) – 6/10 – As disappointed as I am with Revenge, for some reason I kinda like this one. And I don’t think it’s because of Paul Rudd. Maybe it’s because it’s the one that came out right after I turned 18, and I could legally walk up and buy a ticket without my dad or uncle with me. Maybe it’s because of some of the great kills, like the huge slaughter scene. Or maybe it’s the cool Windows 95 thorn screensaver Paul Rudd has. But whatever it is, once you get past the first 20 minutes (and the fact that Danielle Harris was replaced), I’m pretty into it. OK, maybe it’s Paul Rudd.
Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998) – 8/10 – This is Rusty’s favorite title of the series, and it’s also a really fun movie. Michael has the determination he showed in Curse, but we get to skip all of the crazy thorn stuff this time.
Halloween: Resurrection (2002) – 5/10 – Unlike Curse, the whole extended intro is the best part of this one. Once we get to the reality TV show stuff, it’s just disappointing. There was so much potential, but they blew it, and now it just feels outdated.
Halloween (2007) – 8/10 – I might not agree with all of Rob Zombie’s decisions, but I definitely appreciate what he tried to do with it. It’s a bit too long for me, especially the long ending. But it’s a really good remake/reboot overall.
Halloween II (2009) – 1/10 – I just hate it. This is the third time I’ve watched it, after the theatrical release and a podcast review. I want to like it. But unfortunately, it’s really really bad.
Halloween (2018) – 10/10 – As good as Zombie’s 2007 remake is, I think this one is even better. It’s honestly everything we could’ve hoped for. Can’t wait for the new one next week!
It’s now October, and that means our Christmas podcast will return in about a month! But first, here’s a Halloween treat.
Growing up, I’d spend a lot of time each Halloween season at Kmart, and I always bought whatever Halloween cassettes they had for sale. Most were terrible, aside from a few classics that still remain on my shelf. But this episode features one of my favorites, The Old Gray Goose.
This tape was released in 1999. It features a guy (the Gray Goose) who tells stories and sings songs. Most of the stories were familiar tales that we’d been telling each other for years, but I hadn’t heard a few of these. Overall, it’s just a really cool collection and is something I still listen to every year.
A few years ago, I hooked up a cassette player to my computer to create these files; however, it seems this was also released on CD, so I really should just track that down. This cassette rip is pretty rough. Still, the times I’ve checked, it hasn’t been the easiest thing to find online, so I figured it’d make a cool podcast post, even with the tape noise.
I didn’t record an intro or anything. I figured people may want to play this with family or at a party, and you don’t need my voice on here messing it up. So it’s simply the two sides of the tape. Here’s the track list:
1 Goose Introduction 2 Shipwreck 3 Medical College 4 Oscar, The Lightheaded Pumpkin 5 The Graveyard 6 The Hike 7 The Passing Of David Holt 8 Ride Of Terror 9 The Butcher 10 Emily’s Nightmare 11 39 Steps & The Blue Room 12 Mystery Church 13 Graveyard Song 14 Goose Farewell
Snow in Southtown Christmas Podcast 