the7thAve's 31 MORE Days of Halloween!!!

**the7thAve** · 10-01-2007, 12:06 PM

Hey folks! Last year I made a thread called "the7thAve's 31 Days of Halloween." the point of the thread was to watch one (or more) horror or Halloween-y movies a day. I made recommendations, based on my own opinions, for flicks to watch every day for the month of October.

as someone mentioned to me, I covered almost all of the good ol "standards" last year. which means that I will be retreading some of those old mossy footsteps down the road to Halloween this year. there are just some movies that you cannot go through October without watching at least once, imo.

last year I encouraged audience participation, which I am doing this year as well. I would really like some feedback on the thread and the flicks that I mention. whether you have seen it or not, some serious movie discussion may be in order.

CLICK HERE for a link to last year's thread.

Once again, I assume no responsibility for the content of these movies. Most, if not all, will prominently feature some very un-Disneylike behavior and most, if not all, would be considered unsuitable for children (regardless of age).
so with that said, we will begin our voyage into the netherworld once again with the famous warning by Captain Barbossa, ""You're off the edge of the map, mate. Here there be monsters."

**Chrissy&Tayen** · 10-01-2007, 12:09 PM

i read your last years report a couple days ago... and straight away went and got the monster squad and halloween 3 the one about the masks.. and i was totally blown away!!! so i will forsure be checking out your daily listings.. which i must also add i just recently started watching the hellrasier movies and i liked all of them until i rented the 4th one the other day and it was so boring!

**the7thAve** · 10-01-2007, 12:30 PM

Might as well get this one out of the way.......

Halloween (1978)

This is the movie for the Halloween season, in my opinion. And yes, I am aware that Rob Zombie remade this one.
While I think Zombie's first two movies, "House of 1000 Corpses" and "the Devil's Rejects," were pretty good, he completely blew it with his remake. to me, the best thing about the original is that you don't really know why Michael Myers was so angry with the world and, particularly, his family. with Zombie's remake, the audience can breathe a sigh of relief of, "Ohhh, a bad family life! that's what makes killers!" It's much more frightening, to me, if there is no motive or reason behind it. that any one of us, at any time, could just snap and become a maniacal killer of teens. well, that's just one of the things Zombie did wrong in his remake.

but we're not here, brothers and sisters, to lament the fate of classics that are being rehashed for a newer, more A.D.D., audience.
we'd be here all day if that were the case.

we are here to discuss one of the truly great American horror masterpieces, John Carpenter's Halloween.
not only do we not have any clue as to why young Michael killed his darling sis with a butcher knife, but we are also clueless about how he may have become indestructible (because make no bones about it, dear friend, he is completely unstoppable). and this makes us uneasy. how, exactly, did he do these things, and why?
perhaps the answer is so unfathomably sinister and evil, that the filmmakers could not even begin to film it? it may be more than a perhaps, it may be the sinister truth.
and why save the bodies to create a sort of macabre funhouse for our heroine, Laurie Strode (played masterfully by a young Jamie Lee Curtis), to navigate in the chilling and tense finale?
what is Michael Myers, after all is said and done? well, consider this bone-shaking final exchange between Laurie and Michael's fearless pursuer, Dr. Loomis:

Laurie: It was the boogeyman.
Dr. Sam Loomis: As a matter of fact... that was.

**the7thAve** · 10-01-2007, 02:51 PM

Originally Posted by Chrissy&Tayen

i read your last years report a couple days ago... and straight away went and got the monster squad and halloween 3 the one about the masks.. and i was totally blown away!!! so i will forsure be checking out your daily listings.. which i must also add i just recently started watching the hellrasier movies and i liked all of them until i rented the 4th one the other day and it was so boring!

I always tell people that the Hellraiser series is one of the most underappreciated horror franchises in history. the first two feature some of the most creatively aggressive horror sequences in modern history! after the 2nd one, they unfortunately take a severe nosedive.

but with the first two, it's hard to believe that these were major motion pictures! the sheer brutality and underlying S&M themes usually are too subversive for all but the most daring of studios to produce... yet here we have a motion picture that is about demons that torture those unfortunate enough to seek out the most extreme of experiences! and not only do we have the first one, but they actually agreed to do a sequel that was, believe it or not, even more brutal and more erotic, in that most forbidden of ways.

although I still firmly believe they should have quit after the first two, the Hellraiser series will always have its own dirty little nook of Hollywood horror history. good chance to see it crop up with its own special day later on this month!

thanks for reading, and thanks for the positive comments!

**satijp** · 10-02-2007, 10:21 AM

Originally Posted by Chrissy&Tayen

i read your last years report a couple days ago... and straight away went and got the monster squad and halloween 3 the one about the masks.. and i was totally blown away!!!

Holy cow, I haven't seen Monster Squad since I was little. I went the first week it opened in LA. I think I was 7-8, maybe.

**the7thAve** · 10-02-2007, 11:38 AM

Originally Posted by satijp

Holy cow, I haven't seen Monster Squad since I was little. I went the first week it opened in LA. I think I was 7-8, maybe.

"Wolfman's got NARDS!"

**the7thAve** · 10-02-2007, 11:49 AM

Play Misty for Me (1971)

Before "Fatal Attraction," and after "the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly," is this movie starring Clint Eastwood and Jessica Walter (you may not recognize her name, but you would know her voice. she's done a lot of voice work for animated shows and movies).

Dirty Harry plays a radio dj who, every night, gets a call from a mysterious woman reuqesting the song "Misty." finally, Dave (Eastwood) agrees to meet up with this young lady, who just happens to be pretty darn attractive. they begin a short love affair, but Dave is not the type to be tied down so he calls the whole thing off... much to the chagrin of Evelyn (Walter).

things go downhill from there for everybody.

To me, this movie is way more scary than Fatal Attraction. mainly because the director keeps things tight throughout, giving the audience a terrible sense of urgency and a feeling that anything could happen at any time. I also like that Clint Eastwood took this role as a radio dj. He's a big "music guy" but still maintains that macho "Nameless Stranger" thing he does in a lot of his early movies. in other words, "Bridges of Madison County" this ain't.

Definitely highly recommended.

**Tinker Bell** · 10-02-2007, 11:52 AM

Now this seems like something I could watch by myself and actually be able to go to sleep afterwards! I will have to check that one out.

**the7thAve** · 10-03-2007, 07:59 AM

Sleepaway Camp (1983)

although "Friday the 13th" was made to cash-in on the newfound success of the Slasher movie (started by Black Christmas, but made immortal by Halloween), it spawned its own set of "summer camp killer" movies.
well, out of that particular subgenre of the Slasher movie, this is the best.

the movie follows a young man and his cousin, Angela, as they head off to summer camp. Angela had a traumatic childhood, thus she is fairly socially inept. the main bulk of the plot is about Angela getting made fun of, and how much her cousin tries to defend her.

while this main plot is going on, every now and then a camper gets whacked in some bizarre way (such as a bee attack). it all culminates in a big killing spree at the end and, of course, the reveal of who the killer is.

contains some of the best special effects, and one of the best twists, you will ever see in a horror film with this kind of budget.

**Chrissy&Tayen** · 10-03-2007, 08:06 AM

kool i'm going to add it to my netflix!

**the7thAve** · 10-03-2007, 08:37 AM

Originally Posted by Chrissy&Tayen

kool i'm going to add it to my netflix!

good lord I love netflix. enjoy the film!

**Tinker Bell** · 10-03-2007, 11:32 AM

I really would like to watch some of these but I am a big chicken when it gets dark out! I will only freak myself out if I am by myself.

**the7thAve** · 10-03-2007, 11:35 AM

there's no rule against watching them in the daytime! or you could just ring up a brave pal to join you. to quote a clever marketing phrase, "keep repeating, 'it's only a movie'"

**Tinker Bell** · 10-03-2007, 11:40 AM

Now why didn't I think of that? I will see if I can find the three selections you mentioned so far at my DVD rental place and let you know how I did.

**Cinderella2** · 10-03-2007, 05:03 PM

Tinker Bell, I am coming over to your house. I'll bring a really large pillow to hide our faces behind.
Sadly, I too can't seem to make it thru any of these. So I am really appreciating 7th Ave's plot blips. I might be able to make it thru Casper, but that is about it. Oddly, the Haunted Mansion is my absolute favorite place to visit!
I love Halloween, I wish I could enjoy all of it! So, thanks for posting these movies so that I can dream I may someday grow up and be able to watch them!