John Barrymore. Frederic March. Boris Karloff. Spencer Tracy. All names synonymous with todays character. Hammer Studios, no stranger to the character themselves, decided to revisit this iconic character, and added an interesting twist to set the film apart from the others before it.
In fact, they added a few twists, melding together both historically factual elements with the obviously fictional. What was born from such efforts? Todays film, of course!
31 Days of Howl-oween
A Review of Films Filled with Frights
Day 27
Film #27
~ Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde ~
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Tags: Burke and Hare, Classic Horror, Dr. Jekyll Trailer, Foreign Horror Films, Halloween films, Hammer Studios films, Simon Pegg
I have so many fond memories of films my brother and I would watch together. We both had very similar tastes back then in movies and would spend hours going to the local mom and pop video stores to find the zaniest of films to watch. Odyssey Video, Starburst Video, and Mammoth Video were our favorite stops, although Meijer would also stock a very cheap section with many hard to find films.
Today’s film, along with a few of the others that I’ve re-watched for this blog, was one of those films that we loved. Anytime werewolves, vampires, and mummy’s were in a film together, I particularly would sit down in my favorite seat and watch it repeatedly.
As I’ve said before, I must never return to films that I loved as a child, because I usually see how horribly produced those films actually were. Was today’s film the exception to the norm?
31 Days of Howl-oween
A Review of Films Filled with Frights
Day 26
Film #26
~ Waxwork ~
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Tags: Gremlins, Halloween films, Horror Films, House of Wax, Independent Film, Vampire films, Vincent Price, Waxwork Movie Poster, Waxwork trailer
Some films, for whatever reason, gain a cult following, and are able to produce numerous sequels based on the popularity of the first film. Many times, the films are not the most well produced, but would be entertaining enough to be what some may call, a “guilty pleasure”.
Today’s film may fall into that category. It has spawned 3 sequels, many fan expos, and even novelizations. There are two characters particularly recognizable, being seen in haunted houses and novelty shops alike.
31 Days of Howl-oween
A Review of Films Filled with Frights
Day 25
Film #25
~ Phantasm ~
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Tags: 70s Horror, Angus Scrimm, Classic Horror Films, Halloween films, Horror Franchises, Horror Movies, Phantasm Trailer, Slasher Films
It’s rare that I don’t somewhat enjoy a classic Hammer film. The company essentially made household names of staple stars Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, and Ingrid Pitt. Occasionally, however, they would have a film that did not feature their regular cast.
Today’s film was one of those. Besides featuring a primarily different cast, they chose to put a twist on familiar territory, giving audiences a glimpse at a variant on a long portrayed monster.
Although not initially received with praise, the film has gone on to garner a rather devoted cult following.
31 Days of Howl-oween
A Review of Films Filled with Frights
Day 24
Film #24
~ Captain Kronos ~
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Tags: Bond Girls, Caroline Munro, Halloween films, Hammer Studios films, Top Horror Films, Vampire films
J-Horror films have become something of a world phenomenon in recent years. Most of the horror films coming from the land of the rising sun have involved some sort of mysterious curse, or supernatural entity, leaving much to the imagination.
In today’s film, the director of previous J-Horror staples dabbles with “vampires”. Question is, does the film bring biting scares and thrills? Or does it simply suck?
31 Days of Howl-oween
A Review of Films Filled with Frights
Day 23
Film #23
~ Marebito ~
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Tags: Halloween films, Horror, J-Horror, Japanese Horror, Ju-On, The Grudge, Vampire films
I have a disease. I’m not particularly aware of what this disease is called, but it is easy to describe (and I’m not alone). Whenever I see a film that has been shot in HD on the big screen, I can notice it immediately as not being film. It has a very distasteful video look to me. It is extremely noticeable in scenes that are dark, having almost a home video appearance to me. My good friend suffers from the same disease, and it makes trips to the cineplex together a gamble many times. The reason being, I don’t enjoy the experience. If it is a film meant to look like video from a camcorder, say “Cloverfield”, I can get by. But if it’s a film that the director was trying to be artistic, such as “Public Enemies”, I almost expect my money back.
That leads us to today’s film. I will attempt to rate the film apart from that hapless setback, as it wasn’t a horrible film.
31 Days of Howl-oween
A Review of Films Filled with Frights
Day 22
Film #22
~ Session 9 ~
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Tags: Danvers State Hospital, Ghost movies, Halloween films, HD Movies, Horror Films, Insane Asylum, Psychological Thrillers, Session 9 Trailer
Today’s film had the benefit of my never having heard of it before. I came across the film, and seeing Boris Karloff was in it made sure to watch it for this 31 Days of Horror movies for Halloween series. I went in to the film without any knowledge of the storyline, the history of the film, or it’s creators.
Sometimes that is a good thing. It gives the viewer an unbiased beginning for the film. Then there are times like these…
31 Days of Howl-oween
A Review of Films Filled with Frights
Day 21
Film #21
~ The Terror ~
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Tags: B-movies, Boris Karloff films, Ghost films, Halloween films, Horror Films, Independent Film, Jack Nicholson films, Roger Corman films
I am a fan of films that are unpredictable. I also am a fan of films that can deliver in droves. Do either of these fit the bill for today’s feature?
I, being a fan of most of director Sam Raimi’s other films, was excited to sit down and review today’s film for this look at 31 Horror Films for each day of October. I knew he was capable of films better than part 3 of a certain web slinger.
It was with this that I dimmed the lights, cranked up the sound, and sat back with a bag of Orville Redenbacher’s.
31 Days of Howl-oween
A Review of Films Filled with Frights
Day 20
Film #20
~ Drag Me To Hell ~
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Tags: 31 Days of Horror, 31 Days of Terror, Halloween films, Horror Films, Justin Long, Sam Raimi, Top Horror Movies
One thing has always puzzled my regarding today’s film. Throughout the years, I’ve watched all the 80’s “gang of kids” movies. With almost all of them, a handful, if not all, of the kids went on to long careers, many still working today. Three films that were quite entertaining, and have gained a cult following of their own since their initial release I can recall quite easily. 1985s “Explorers” had Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix, while 1986s “Stand By Me” had Jerry O’Connell, Corey Feldman, River Phoenix, and Wil Wheaton. Of course, one of the best, 1985s “The Goonies”, had Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, and Corey Feldman.
So what happened to the cast of today’s film? I could never understand why we never saw any of them again? Surely they didn’t go into seclusion like the brilliant writer did soon after? In fact, the only time I ever thought I saw any of them beyond the film was seeing Adam Lambert on “American Idol”, who looks uncannily like Ryan Lambert (I wonder if they are related?).
At any rate, I didn’t let that interfere with my review of today’s film…
31 Days of Howl-oween
A Review of Films Filled with Frights
Day 19
Film #19
~ Monster Squad ~
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Tags: 31 Days of Horror, 31 Days of Terror, 80's Films, Goonies, Halloween films, Horror Films, Kids Horror Movies, Vampire films, Wolfman has nards
One of my favorite seasonal movies growing up was the regularly aired “Santa Claus is Comin‘ to Town”. My family would yearly gather around the television set each Christmas season, tune into ABC, and watch the wonderful stop-motion style film featuring the wonderful Mickey Rooney. The film featured such wonderful songs, such as “Put One Foot in Front of the Other”, that I today still catch myself humming it’s melody from time to time.
To my surprise, I learned a few years ago of a Rankin and Bass production that had slipped me by in my younger years. How could this be, I pondered? I thought that I had seen nearly all of them, be it “The Little Drummer Boy”, or “Jack Frost”. Luckily, the little red envelope company had a copy of today’s film, and I was able to have it sent to my mailbox.
31 Days of Howl-oween
A Review of Films Filled with Frights
Day 18
Film #18
~ Mad Monster Party ~
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Tags: 31 Days of Horror, 31 Days of Terror, Animated Halloween Films, Children's Horror Movies, Frankenstein meets the Wolfman, Rankin and Bass, Universal Monsters
