Horrorfest: Happy Halloween!

For next year, I'm aiming to do some Hammer horror films. I'd also like to dive a bit more into the Universal catalogue (like The Black Cat), as well as some of the original silent films that predated the Monster movies. There were some things I wasn't able to get to this year: the re-release of The Devils didn't play near me and its difficult to get on physical; Just Before Dawn, which I have seen before, is also tough to track down; I tried to watch 1996's Screamers but the DVDs were not working; The Wailing had messed up subtitles on the streaming service I tried, a problem I've encountered several times recently; and I still haven't seen this year's Leviticus. I just realized that I didn't get to Ernest Scared Stupid. 

If you were wondering why I didn't do Scream for its 30th, I might do a series watch in December.

144 for this fest, 50 being rewatches. 50 more overall than last year. Those Monster movies being so short helped.  

Last entries, all rewatches...

THE ADDAMS FAMILY

(Barry Sonnenfeld, 1991)

It's been forever since I've seen this. If I recall, I did see this in theatres. Without having watched the sequel lately, I still think Values is better. One thing I was struck by was just how great this looked. Remember when studio comedies could look so good? The Addams Family is thrown through a loop when a man claiming to be the long lost Uncle Fester shows up. Raul Julia and Anjelica Huston are sexy perfection as Gomez and Morticia, tossing off great one-liners with absolute ease. The entire cast nails it. GRADE: B+

 

FRIDAY THE 13TH PART VI: JASON LIVES

(Tom McLoughlin, 1986)

I saw this during my Friday the 13th series watch and considered it the best of the series at the time. It might benefit from being seen with all the films due to it being so tonally different from the others. On its own, it doesn't quite work as well. I might actually reconsider Part 2 to be the best of the franchise. Even still, I appreciate how tongue in cheek this chapter is. GRADE: B

THE INNKEEPERS

(Ti West, 2011)

This was my last film of the fest, a good choice to end things. I know West is divisive to some, but I've mostly enjoyed his output. There's something kind of wholesome about this, like a throwback Scooby Doo-esque haunted house movie. Two workers (Sara Paxton and Pat Healy) at a closing hotel spend the closing weekend looking into the ghosts that allegedly roam the premises. Both actors are good, playing off each other well. Kelly McGillis also appears as a psychic. Adding a psychic to these movies often doesn't pay off very well, but here it works. GRADE: B+

MONSTER HOUSE

(Gil Kenan, 2006)

On a quiet street in the suburbs, there's a house that causes much fascination and fear among the children of the neighborhood. When the owner is hospitalized, a trio of tweens ventures inside. This is an animated film from twenty years ago. Most of it still looks strong, but the character designs are rough. It's not at the level of The Polar Express, but there's no life in any of those faces. A live action remake might work, but they'd have to change the climax slightly. Good voice cast, but the characters aren't particularly memorable. GRADE: C+

SLITHER

(James Gunn, 2006)

Very fun horror comedy and the best film Gunn has directed that follows a small town being taken over by alien slugs after a comet crashes. Memorable one-liners, great gross-out gore effects, and a cast that definitely understood the assignment, it's that rare wannabe cult film from this era that actually earns the cult classic label. Michael Rooker goes all-in as the main villain, while Gregg Henry steals the show as the foul mouthed mayor, and Elizabeth Banks and Nathan Fillion are the leads with old school charm. GRADE: B+