@synth_cinema: October 2018

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Scorecard

OCTOBER


FILM OF THE MONTH: Halloween ☆☆☆☆
The Old Dark House ☆☆☆☆
Apostle ☆☆☆☆
Son of Frankenstein ☆☆☆☆
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 ☆☆☆☆

Horror Bites - Listen Up Screwheads

ARMY OF DARKNESS (1993)

The third instalment in the Evil Dead series is a pretty dumb movie. Skeleton puppets without any articulation get smashed to broken crockery sound effects. Shop clerk Ash somehow teaches medieval peasants how to fight better than their castle knights. A car wrecked after falling through a portal in time is fitted with a working steam engine. With a propeller and a train whistle. Ted Raimi has multiple cameos, sometimes as different characters in the same scene. Perhaps that's why I can't stop watching it.

Horror Bites - Children of the Night

DRACULA'S DAUGHTER (1936)

So I guess it's a good time to look at a few more Universal monster movies, something that is no small feat considering all the various characters and spin-offs. But while the others seem to have a greater number of successors, it looks like Count Dracula kinda gets short changed on the sequel front. It took five years for them to get around a follow up with his Daughter, and even longer for Son of Dracula. Does these even work without Bela Lugosi? Well it's debatable. There's certainly some interesting stuff to look at although it's kind of a mixed bag. Let's peek into the tomb and see what's in store for us.


Horror Bites - Maniac Mansion

THE OLD DARK HOUSE (1932)

Should horror films be fun? Looking at some of his movies James Whale seemed to think so. Like his more famous works The Bride of Frankenstein and The Invisible Man, this is a stylish affair filled with oddball personalities and dramatic lighting. The wind howls and suspicious characters haunt the corridors of an ancient household. But by avoiding the topic of science fiction this is a far more intense story that ventures into true madness. As the title suggests this is a sinister tale. But it's also very funny in a twisted kind of way. Some of the best genre films are of course, and this is up there with the greats from this (or any) period. So pour yourself a glass of gin and help yourself to a potato as we venture inside the spooky residence of the family Femm.

Scorecard

SEPTEMBER



FILM OF THE MONTH: Sleuth ☆☆☆☆
Brides of Dracula ☆☆☆☆
The Face of Another ☆☆☆☆
Pin ☆☆☆☆
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas ☆☆☆☆
Village of the Damned ☆☆☆☆
Without a Clue ☆☆☆☆
Zodiac ☆☆☆☆