31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN 2021!

Normally, I love to try and watch at least thirty-one new horror films during October in celebration of Halloween but October 2021 I was not able to do this as I was also watching a bunch of TV shows during the month as well (I actually enjoyed this more than catching up with the horror films that I had missed throughout the year).  So, I am a little disappointed that I was only able to watch about fifteen horror films during the month but some of these films were the very best I’d seen all year.

 

I’d like to first take a look back to some of the older films I viewed during the month.  The only film I had already seen was The Wraith (1986) which was one of my favorite films of the ’80s and which still holds up extremely well today.  I still love this film!  I also (finally) got around to watching Buried Alive II (1997).  I had already watched the first film earlier in the year.  These were films I just never got around to.  I also watched Nightflyers (1987), The Ladies Club (1986), and Deadly Games (1982).  I generally hated the recent TV series of Nightflyers and this ‘80s film was just a derivative but at least it wasn’t drawn out like the series.  I just did not like the story which is based on a sci-fi novella by G.R.R. Martin.  It did star Catherine Mary Stewart which is the only plus in my opinion.  Deadly Games was completely forgettable and derivative of other ‘80s horror films but it was The Ladies Club which was the big surprise.  The Ladies Club, which is more a thriller, was actually better than I expected as it is a smart and provocative thriller whose themes of rape and abuse are still relevant today for women.

 

The oldest film that I happened to view is the 1976 film Schizo from director Pete Walker, one of the directors whose films I was watching in October and November.  This happened to be the only horror film of his that I ended up viewing as I was catching up with his sex comedies (which he also did a lot of).  Walker is one of those unusual directors whose filmography is mostly horror films and sex comedies – two genres on opposite sides of the spectrum.  I love his style of film-making and this is just as good as other films in his filmography.

 

I caught up with some more recent horror films Voice From the Stone (2017), Gwen (2018), Downrange (2017), Still/Born (2018), and Superdeep (2020).  Voice From the Stone was a pretty average film but it was Emilia Clarke that was the true standout and made it worthwhile whereas Downrange had a pretty basic plot that was made better by the cinematography and suspense as it was a non-stop film in the tradition of thrillers like Joy Ride (2001), Duel (1971), and Breakdown (1997).  Gwen was another mediocre film but it had a lot of atmosphere and strong performances for a slow burn folk film.  Still/Born wasn’t much better as I ended up with a lot of ambitious horror films that had a lot of atmosphere and great cinematography but were not always all that good.  On the other hand, Superdeep was a fun and entertaining Lovecraftian horror film that took a lot of its inspiration from John Carpenter’s The Thing.  Although not a great film it was entertaining and engaging.

 

I do want to take a few moments to make comment about the lost George A. Romero film The Amusement Park (2021) which audiences finally get to see.  This is not entirely a horror film but it is a mindfuck of a film that more a David Lynch film in the tradition of Romero’s early films Season of the Witch (1972) and There’s Always Vanilla (1971).  If you’re a fan of these early films then this film will be a great treat but if you’re not familiar with Romero’s less popular films then this film may leave you wanting more. 

 

The last group of films that I want to include is one of the best horror trilogies put out in a long time and they were released weekly via Netflix.  Fear Street Part 1: 1994 (2021), Fear Street Part 2: 1978 (2021), and Fear Street Part 3: 1666 (2021). Utilizing the same cast members in various roles, the films do an amazing job of linking multiple characters and timelines in a story that’s both entertaining, suspenseful, and at times horrifying.  I was never bored and watched all three in a single day.  The performances from the young cast are exceptionally well done as are all other production elements.  These films are some of the best horror films released in ’21.

 

I did catch up with two TV series this month – Black Summer (Season 2) and Holliston (Season 2).  Black Summer has some amazing production value and the winter setting was a great touch but the show is just too fragmented due to the frequent cutting back and forth between so many characters and so many stories.  The best episodes were character episodes where there were just a handful of characters.  This show has the same problem that The Walking Dead has where the character episodes are better than most other episodes in general.  The show also suffers from characters who repeatedly make dumb decisions and most of the characters are not likable or even interesting.  Holliston, on the other hand, was a vast improvement over the first season as you can tell that the writers finally knew how to tell the stories (and jokes) that best fit the actors.  This was a strong second season and I wished that the show had been able to do a third.

 

This is all for my viewing habits for October 2021!  Not as many as I would have liked and I saw a lot of mediocre films but watching horror films during October is never a bad thing!  Can’t wait until October 2022!

Top 10 Favorite Monster Films

Now monster films is way too big of a category to just pick my favorite “Top 10” so with this list I decided to do only true non-traditional monsters therefore there are no vampires, werewolves, zombies, mummy’s, aliens (or creatures from other planets – i.e. Aliens, Predator), trans-dimensional creatures (i.e. Lovecraftian that are seen coming from another world – Re-Animator, From Beyond) or giant monsters caused by nuclear/toxic/etc. creation (i.e Them, Gojira, Toxic Avenger).  I also didn’t include any of your regular “natural” animals (i.e. Lake Placid, Alligator, Jaws) or man created monsters (i.e. Man’s Best Friend, Jurassic Park, The Fly) on this list as either.  This still leaves a ton of monster films to cover!  This being said, if the monster’s origin is unknown then it can be included on this list.  Monster films are some of my favorite so I hope you enjoy this list and make sure to leave your comments and post your own list.  This list is in no particular order and make sure to check out some of my other lists as well:

      1.       Deep Rising (1998)

      2.       Underwater (2020)

      3.       Nightbreed (1992)

      4.       It (2017)

      5.       Jeepers Creepers 2 (2003)

      6.       Tremors (1990)

      7.       Gremlins (1984)

      8.       Deep Star Six (1989)

      9.       The Stuff (1985)

     10.   Brain Damage (1988)

Film Review: COLOR OUT OF SPACE (2019)

Acclaimed cult director Richard Stanley tackles H.P. Lovecraft’s Color Out of Space (2019) which stars Nicolas Cage as Nathan Gardner who has moved his wife Theresa (Joely Richardson) and their two children (Madeleine Arthur and Brendan Meyer) to a country farm where he can raise Alpacas and she can work from home in her corporate job while recovering from an illness.  Nathan finds it hard to be a “farmer” while his wife is the true breadwinner of the household.  Neither of their kids enjoy living a solitary experience in the middle of nowhere forced to help their father.

When a meteorite crashes in their front yard releases an extraterrestrial organism which slowly corrupts and transforms everything around, Nathan and his family must contend with the corruption of their familial bond while everything around them falls apart.  Not only does the extraterrestrial organism affect the surrounding area but it also changes Nathan and his family both psychologically and physically transforming their lives into a living nightmare.

Written by Stanley and Scarlett Amars, the screenplay does a great job presenting a family under pressure due to the rift between Nathan and his wife who doesn’t believe that the alpaca farm will work and neither does his children, so when the extraterrestrial influence arrives it heightens these concerns and fears to tragic circumstances.  The film doesn’t shy away from the hardcore horror aspects either.  Although there is a slow build up as we get to know all of the characters there is a huge payoff by the third act that proves that Stanley still knows how to craft a captivating and boundary pushing horror film even after the long hiatus (he hasn’t directed a narrative feature film in over  thirty years).

Of note also is the fact that this is one of the best films adapted from Lovecraft’s work so fans of the novelist will enjoy this film in addition to horror fans and even general audiences (if you can get passed the few graphic moments).  Stanley is still a talent to be on the lookout for and I hope it doesn’t take nearly as long before he releases his next feature.

Graphic Novel Review: THE LOVECRAFT ANTHOLOGY: Volume 1

If you are a lover of horror fiction than the name H.P. Lovecraft is a name you are very familiar with.  If you read comics and graphic novels then you’ve probably heard about the publisher Self Made Hero which has a history of producing some of the best adaptations of Lovecraft’s work as you will see in the anthology graphic novel The Lovecraft Anthology Volume 1 edited by Dan Lockwood.  

 

In this volume are adaptations of “The Call of Cthulhu,” “The Hunter in the Dark,” “The Dunwich Horror,” “The Colour Out of Space,” “The Shadow Over Innsmouth,” “The Rats in the Walls” and “Dagon.”  This is a good sampling of some of Lovecraft’s most beloved short stories (which have also been adapted to film). 

“The Dunwich Horror” is a personal favorite adapted by Rob Davis and illustrated by I.N.J. Culbard (who also worked on full length adaptations of Lovecraft’s “The Case of Charles Dexter Ward,” “The Shadow Out of Time,” and “At The Mountains of Madness).  This one is richly brought to life by Davis and Culbard.  The pacing is perfect for the story which cannot be said for all the pieces in this volume especially “The Shadow Over Innsmouth” (adapted by Leah Moore & John Reppion and illustrated by Leigh Gallagher), which has great artwork but is bogged down by over explanation.

I love Shane Ivan Oakley’s artwork for “The Hunter of the Dark” (adapted by Dan Lockwood himself) which makes me feel as though I’m in the middle of a black & white noir film.  I would love to see Oakley tackle a Hellboy story sometime or a longer Lovecraft story.

Another piece I love the artwork for is “Dagon” illustrated by Alice Duke and adapted by Lockwood (again).  This story has some of the most beautiful artwork in the entire book but unfortunately the story of “Dagon” is probably the weakest of the bunch.  The same cannot be said for “The Rats in the Walls” (adapted by Lockwood and illustrated by David Hartman) in which the artwork, story, and pacing work in tandem with each other and allowed me to greater appreciate a story I’ve always considered one of Lovecraft’s minor efforts.

Overall, this is a very handsome addition of Lovecraft’s stories in which any fan will be appreciative of.  Self Made Hero has made it their priority to produce some of the best adaptations of Lovecraft’s work and they continue to do so whether it is in short form (such as these stories) or as full length graphic novels such as the ones Culbard has done (all those previously mentioned).

Film Review: LURKING FEAR (1994)

Writer/director C. Courtney Joyner brings to life H.P. Lovecraft’s Lurching Fear (1994) with Hellraiser (1987) and Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988) star Ashley Lawrence and character actor Jeffrey Combs (of The Re-Animator films). 

The town of Leffert’s Corners has a deep and dark secret that has plagued it for generations and now it has become nothing more than a ghost town with a handful of residents holed up in the church surrounded by an ageless cemetery.  Cathryn Farrell (Lawrence) is the leader of this group of survivors just trying to not get killed by whatever haunts the town.  She has a plan to destroy the cemetery as she believes that the town is haunted by creatures that live underneath the cemetery praying upon all the living.  Unfortunately for her an ex-con John Martense (Blake Adams) and a few others also show up at the cemetery looking for money buried in one of the crypts.  Now, all hell is about to break loose as survival, money, and the constant threat of creatures below the surface threaten them all and maybe none of them will survive the night.

The film is a very bare bones affair and more concerned with action and gore than actual story which is fine because it’s very entertaining seeing Lawrence as the bad ass with guns and in full action-girl mode and her rapport with drunken doctor (Combs) gives audiences some of the best moments in the film.  What the film lacks in story it more than makes up for in action and atmosphere as the desolated and in disarray church that most of the film takes place in makes for an excellent location (similar to the one in John Carpenter’s The Fog).  There is a lot of great production value to be had in this film and Joyner’s direction makes the film one of the better adaptations of a Lovecraft story.

This may not be one of the top horror films of all time but it is one of the more entertaining for horror fans which is why it has endured for so long.  If you’ve never seen this film and are a Lovecraft (or Lawrence and Combs) fan this film is worth taking a look at.

Graphic Novel Review: ENORMOUS

 What would happen if the world was suddenly overrun by a bunch of mutated plants and giant monsters that decimate the world’s population?  This is the basis of the graphic novel Enormous from writer/designer Tim Daniel and artist Mehdi Cheggour.  Ellen is one of a few survivors of a decimated world and her job is to search the cities for other survivors and bring them back her underground lair, where it is safe from the dangers of the world above.  Just as she is heading back home with several child survivors who have hiding out, she is over taken by James and his people, another group of survivors who have more nefarious goals.  Now she must find a way to escape her captives and protect the children while traveling through a world that sees them as nothing more than the bottom of the food chain.  

 

Cheggour’s artwork is breathtaking to behold and lush with details showcasing a world in which humans are the endangered species.  It also helps that the book itself is in a larger format than normal graphic novels so the page spreads with the actual monsters puts you right into the danger of the world itself.  Daniel’s designs for all the monsters are also very original and something to behold as they jump off the pages and look like something out of an H.P. Lovecraft story.  Daniel’s story works because it never forgets that it is the human interests that drive the narrative and Ellen’s story is one worth telling.  The book could have easily been one that was simply a nice showcase for all the great monsters contained within but there are large sections of the narrative that focus on Ellen and the rest of her group trying to escape the maniacal James and his people.

Giant monsters have been a mainstay of the horror genre especially when you look at the continuing success of such icons such as Godzilla, King Kong, and Gamera but more recently monsters have made a successful comeback in such films as Monsters, Super 8, and The Host, not to mention all the giant monsters that are featured in the various Syfy Channel original films.  Daniel and Cheggour’s book is is definitely a must for fans of giant monster stories that just so also happens to be a good post-apocalyptic story as well.

Graphic Novel Review: AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS Adapted by I.N.J. Culbard

I’m not very familiar with the actual words of H.P. Lovecraft despite the fact that I’ve seen a ton of films based on or inspired by his stories.  His unique eye for horror and the strange & unusual has inspired countless filmmakers and storytellers for ages of which I am very familiar so it is with great pleasure that I can say that I.N.J. Culbard’s adaptation and illustrated graphic novel for Lovecraft’s At The Mountains of Madness is a fine example of a suspenseful psychological horror story.

Don’t let Culbard’s simply line work and vibrant colors foul you (I almost did).  Culbard’s artwork is direct and to the point while also giving off an atmosphere of impending dread.  The story involves a group of scientists who travel to the Antarctic on a research exploration but when they discover an artifact from an unknown civilization some of the scientists venture out to find the source of this artifact which leads them to the discovery of a long lost civilization of beings that predate man. 

Culbard knows how to build up the suspense for the slow burn of the story which only gives the final act that much bigger of a punch.  Fans of Lovecraft should enjoy the way in which Culbard has adapted the story and its actually a good jumping on point for those who are not familiar with Lovecraft’s more obscure works.