So I've been lazy. Watching films and not posting them. Here's a list of what's gone down. Ratings are Christgau and are situated in the context of other horror movies I've seen recently, not in comparison to Lawrence of Arabia. More are coming later -- the month isn't over yet!
Duel [1971, USA] - Duel is more of a thriller. Spielberg directed it. I liked it a lot. A-.
Critters [1986, USA] - Critters was cute but there's not a lot to say about it. It was fun. C+.
The Manitou [1978, USA] - Tony Curtis is wonderful, isn't he? I can't spoil this for you, but let's just say I give the end scene a pair of scissors and an A+ *****. You have to sit through the rest of the movie to get to it, though. But Tony Curtis is wonderful!
Phantasm II [1988, USA] - If you recall last year's journey through the Phantasm films, I skipped II because it didn't stream on Netflix and I found the first one incomprehensible anyway. Well, II streams on Netflix now. It's kind of incomprehensible too. I feel like I can't rate the films because they aren't right. You can watch them and see that they're not really right. If I had lots of money, I would pay Coscarelli anything it took to make his vision of what this story is supposed to be translate to the screen. It'd be like the War & Peace of horror movies. Still, B+. Love you, Reggie! <3
Octaman [1970-something, IMDB and Netflix disagree] - If you're into dudes in funny costumes being scary you should just watch this. B overall but A+ for Octaman himself.
Masque of the Red Death [1964, USA] - Vincent Price with Roger Corman directing, how can it go wrong? Beautiful colors. B-.
Prince of Darkness [1987, USA] - I don't get it. This is not my kind of Carpenter. Other people really love it. It just didn't do anything for me. C- for giving me Carpenter expectations and then not living up to them.
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer [1986, USA] - This is horrifying. I am never watching this again. A-.
Paranormal Activity 2 [2010, USA] - I only saw the first one with the Rifftrax and that makes every movie better. The second one was alright. I'll see the third one, too, but I don't really love them. C.
Ghoulies [1985, USA] - I found Ghoulies strangely riveting. Isn't that weird? It was fun and I liked watching Johnathan go nuts. And he was kind of hot in a weird yuppie sort of way. I also liked trying to figure out what the hell was going on with his friends. They all look like they're in their mid-thirties, but they act like frat boys. Does this happen? B-.
The Fog [1980, USA] HELL YES JOHN CARPENTER YOU DO THE DAMN THING. Wait, not The Thing but.. oh you know. How had I not seen The Fog before? It is AWESOME. I was actually scared. A++. +.
Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon [2006, USA] - You are gonna love this. Just watch it. A.
976-Evil 2 [1992, USA] Why did we even watch this? D.
TerrorVision [1986, USA] - Cheesy fun! An 80's future, with ALIENS. B+.
Simon Says [2006, USA] - Crispin Glover. I love him. Don't you love him? He weirds me out something fierce. I can't decide on a rating. I'd never watch it again, but it was fun to watch the first time, and there are some aspects of it that are so hilarious... maybe B.
Saw: The Final Chapter [2010, USA/Canada] - I THINK I've seen all the Saw movies. I don't really like them much, but I appreciate them for what they are. I like how they do what they do and don't really reach beyond that. That would be silly. They're perfectly capable yearly horror films that make money and entertain people. They do a good job of stitching stories together. I'm glad they exist, but they're not my thing. B.
Carrie [1976, USA] - Carrie is great. How come no one told me? I loved it. I love Brian De Palma. A for sure.
Frenzy [1972, UK] - The De Palma got us in the mood for some Hitchcock. Man, Hitchcock films are stressful. Recommended! A.
