October Watching

     Another October edition of “What I’m Watching’. I’m not a huge fan of the horror genre, but always watch a bunch each October. Some for the first time and others are revisits. There actually are horror movies that I enjoy. Just not a lot of them. So, here are the movies I’ve watched at home over the past few weeks.

Wolfs- This George Clooney/Brad Pitt starring flick isn’t bad. Though it over-complicates itself with a twisty ending that doesn’t serve the story at all.

Will and Harper- An actual “feel good” documentary featuring Will Ferrell on a cross country road trip with his old SNL writer friend Harper Steele, who had recently transitioned to female. It’s very good. I actually wouldn’t have minded if it had been longer.

G.I. Blues- It had been a while since I last watched this 1960 Elvis Presley movie. This is the one that, sort of, established the format of all his musical films of the 1960’s. Only at this point it was a fresh idea.

Never Say Die- 1939, very funny, comedy starring Bob Hope and Martha Raye.

Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed- Another nice documentary. This one about actor Rock Hudson.

Halloween: Resurrection- The follow up to H2O, only this time they kill Laurie Strode in the opening minutes and it goes downhill after that.

Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man- See Classics section for more

House of Frankenstein- See Classics section for more

Salem’s Lot- This is the new feature length version of the Stephen King Story. It’s not bad but would have been better served in a longer format.

House of Dracula- See Classics section for more

The Omen (‘76)- I hadn’t revisited this one for a few decades. It’s good, but there are parts that have not aged well.

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy: The Ren & Stimpy Story- A decent doc about the rise and fall of Ren and Stimpy, and their creator John Kricfalusi. I never knew the details of what happened before.

Taste the Blood of Dracula- Not one of the better Hammer Drac movies featuring Christopher Lee.

Evil Dead (2013)- An interesting reboot of the classic Sam Raimi film. It takes itself way too seriously.

Good Boy- An enjoyable movie about a woman who buys a dog that turns out to be a monster.

Maxxxine- It’s fine. I think Pearl is the best of the three Ti West films. One thing I will say, Ti West is great at recreating periods in American history. The 70’s, 1910’s, and this time the ‘80’s.

Woman of the Year- Anna Kendrick’s directorial debut. Not really a horror movie. At least I don’t think it is. The subject matter is really interesting, but when it’s not about the serial killer I tended to lose interest.

M*A*S*H: The Comedy That Changed Television- More a retrospective that a documentary, but I enjoyed it.

Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths pt 3- The conclusion of this animated version of the classic comic book series. I’m not exactly sure where, but somewhere along the way the movie gets bogged down with unimportant details that muddy up the narrative. You’re better off revisiting the comics.

The First Omen- This is the new prequel to the classic original The Omen. It’s fine and does lead directly into the events that begin the original film.

Pumpkinhead- I recalled seeing this movie in the late 80’s and being amazed at how entertaining it was. Well, nearly 40 years later, it’s not as good as I remembered but still entertaining enough.

Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow- This 1959, made for the Drive In, flick is 65 minutes long but feels much much longer.

Carrie (‘76)- Another movie I hadn’t revisited in quite some time. The actors are all too old to play high school, though star Sissy Spacek who looks the youngest was one of the oldest “kids”. Other than the “Sweathog Effect”, the film is still pretty effective. Piper Laurie is the scariest thing in the movie!

Evil Dead Rise- Follow up to the 2013 reboot. This one takes itself even more seriously than the first one. All the fun of the Evil Dead movies has been “bleed out”.

Susperia (‘77)- This was my first time seeing this Dario Argento film. I’d heard about it for years so I finally took a look. To me, it’s an example of style over substance. Much more attention was spent on lighting, camera angles, lenses, and shot composition than on the story. I’m not a fan of movies with a lot of dubbing of dialogue and this one seems to have been totally redubbed in post production. Can’t call myself a fan.

Arsenic and Old Lace- You just can’t lose watching this 1944 Frank Capra comedy classic. This is probably the broadest performance of Cary Grant’s career but it works. I still laugh out loud with this movie.