2018 October Challenge

Another year, another October filled with horror movies.

As in both of the previous years, this October consisted of more "misses" than "hits", but there were still plenty of good or great films to keep my wife and me going throughout the month. Unlike last year - when we watched Train to Busan, Alien, and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre for the first time - I didn't discover any movies that would rival those already on my Top 10 Horror Movies list. Of course, that's a lofty goal to shoot for, so I guess I shouldn't be too surprised.

Some of the more "memorable" movies of the month:

The Worst of the Worst -

* When the best part of the movie is this makeup job, you know you've got problems *

Jeepers Creepers - 1/10  While I had very low expectations going in, I never site my sights this low. No one should expect a movie to fail on pretty much every level, but that's exactly what happened here. I can't imagine anyone wanting to see more of this story, but there are two sequels that I'll never be checking out!

* He's not even that deformed! *

Phantom of the Opera (1943) - 1/10  I have no fucking clue why this version of Phantom of the Opera was included in the Universal Monsters: The Essential Collection set that I purchased. From all accounts, the 1925 version starring Lon Chaney is better, but I can't imagine anything being worse. With laughably bad acting, terrible dialogue, a boring and meandering plot, and an unnecessary large amount of FULL LENGTH musical numbers, this movie was the biggest chore of the month to sit through. It's 92 minutes, but feels like three hours. 



* A semi-truck with a face?! What's not to love? *

Maximum Overdrive - 2/10  I was really hoping for a "so bad, it's good" kind of movie, but only got the first half of that request. There's just not much of anything here, though I did chuckle at a couple of things and I guess the AC/DC soundtrack was alright. I love a lot of Stephen King's books, but I think Hollywood dodged a bullet when he decided never to direct another movie after this disaster. 

* I've been to local, rinky-dink haunted houses that were scarier than what they offer in Hell House *

Hell House, LLC - 2/10  While there were a handful of adequate jump scares sprinkled throughout the 90 minute runtime, they couldn't make up for the insipid characters, boring plot, or my general desire to see the vast majority of found footage films burned in a raging fire.

Not Terrible, but Not Good, Either -

* You've gotta be careful where you're sticking your hand... *

Teeth - 3.5/10  With an interesting premise - vagina dentata for the win! - and a surprisingly decent lead performance from Jess Weixler, Teeth should have been much better. As is, it definitely has some interesting moments, but on the whole, I can't recommend it. I think it would have been much better if it had leaned even farther towards the comedy elements.

* I really love the animation style of Seoul Station *

Seoul Station - 4/10  As soon as I found out there was a prequel to Train to Busan - one of my favorite films, horror or otherwise - I immediately began to look forward to it. While there are some really good moments and a fantastic ending, I was immensely disappointed in Seoul Station. Even though the film is animated, that doesn't excuse all the characters from acting cartoonish. None of Busan's subtlety or character depth exist here. I'm still happy I saw it, but I can't imagine ever wanting to see it again.

* One of several shocking scenes *

Shivers - 4/10  Shivers starts out with a bang - a violent scene involving a young woman dressed in a schoolgirl uniform and a seemingly sadistic doctor - and goes on to be thoroughly interesting. I don't know much of David Cronenberg's filmography, but this early effort has plenty of blood and sex and, like I said, it's never boring. But the acting is subpar at best and the characters are all a bit too silly and one-dimensional for my tastes. Honestly, with all the horror remakes that happen, this seems like a fantastic candidate for an update. 

Worth Watching Once -

* The look of a man who truly enjoys his work *

Terrifier - 5/10  While it doesn't do much of anything new as far as horror flicks go, Terrifier is a fun watch. The main draw of the film is its excellent villain, an equally sadistic and funny mime who really knows how to commit to his "bit". Throughout the whole movie, the legitimately creepy mime doesn't say a word and even silently screams when he's hurt. There are a few scares, but go into Terrifier expecting to laugh more than anything and I think you'd have a good time. 

* He's very visible when decked out in his robes and bandages *

The Invisible Man - 5/10  Claude Rains is so much better here than compared to his turn in Phantom of the Opera that it's almost impossible to believe it's the same actor, just separated by a decade. Though most of his titular performance here is just voice work, he really nails it. The story and rudimentary special effects are engaging, but I wish the rest of the cast and the dialogue were just a bit better. I feel like this could have been a much better film, but as is it's still significantly better Hollow Man from 2000, which was my introduction to this iconic character.

* This fan film looks better than any of the "legitimate" entries of the franchise *

Never Hike Alone - 6/10  Earlier this year, my wife and I watched the entire Friday the 13th series and it was excruciating at most points and mildly entertaining at others. It speaks volumes about our OCD nature that we actually completed the series, but it wasn't until I discovered this unauthorized fan film (coming in at a brisk 55 minutes) that I found a Jason movie I rated higher than a 5/10. The cinematography is first rate and the main human character is actually engaging, unlike all the practically nameless teenage victims Jason has slaughtered throughout the years. If you like the Friday the 13th series or just slashers in general, check this out on YouTube! 

* Ash (Bruce Campbell) in all his bloody glory *

The Evil Dead - 6.5/10  Part of me can't believe it took so long to finally get around to watching The Evil Dead. I've been a fan of Bruce Campbell for a while, I like a bunch of Sam Raimi movies, and I even saw the 2013 remake in the theater, but for some reason it took me until 2018 to see the original. I'm happy I did, not because I absolutely love the movie, but because I love the passion behind the movie. The amateur filmmaker in me loves that Raimi, Campbell, and the rest of the cast and crew worked for so long and made this ambitious little movie that spawned a whole franchise and achieved undying cult status. I'm looking forward to watching the sequels and the recent TV series. 

Very Good and Highly Recommended -

* If you'd get out of his habitat, maybe he'd leave you alone! *

The Creature from the Black Lagoon - 7.5/10   So far, after having watched half the films in the set, this is my favorite of the Universal Monster movies. It's a fun, slightly suspenseful film that is solidly made all around. The entire cast is effective and the characters are entertaining. The highlight, probably not surprisingly, was the monster. The amphibious creature was wonderfully designed and he is portrayed in such a way that he comes across as slightly sympathetic, but not to the point where you forget he's a vicious killing machine. Plus all the underwater footage was really well done!

* Everybody say "Never go camping in the woods!" *

The Ritual - 8/10   Coming about halfway through the month, The Ritual was my first really great first time viewing. I didn't know what to expect and couldn't even remember why I had added to my Netflix queue in the first place, so I went in totally blind. That's generally the best way to approach any type of movie, but it's especially helpful when dealing with horror movies. So my recommendation is to watch this movie, but try to avoid reading much or anything about the plot or themes. You can thank me later.

* I said never go camping in the woods... *

Eden Lake - 8.5/10   Eden Lake doesn't break any new ground with its plot, characters, or action, but it does manage to do just about everything perfectly. While the setup - a couple goes through the woods to camp at a remote lake for the weekend - is fairly standard, the execution elevates everything. The performances from the main couple (Michael Fassbender and Kelly Reilly) and the boys (including a young Jack O'Connell) who torment them are all excellent. The level of suspense and dread is almost too much to handle at times, plus the amount of realistic gore is enough to make even a seasoned horror fan like me grimace. All in all, Eden Lake is a harrowing movie and one that I can't recommend strongly enough. 

* Spider/Gremlin hybrid! *

Gremlins 2: The New Batch - 8.5/10   Probably the most fun I had all month. I was laughing pretty much straight through, even annoying my son at different points since he didn't quite get what I found so funny. I guess I had seen this movie when I was a kid (since I loved, loved, loved the original) but I didn't remember a single frame of it, so I'm counting it as a first time viewing. What a treat! It improves on the original in every way - it's funnier, more interesting, scarier, and has 100% more Hulk Hogan! I can't wait to watch it again and again!

The Best of the Bunch -

* One of my favorite scenes of all-time *

The Thing - 9/10  This is a movie that I love just a little bit more with each viewing. It's just so damned entertaining! And it's not just a fun gross out horror flick with some cool practical effects. The Thing manages to pack in a lot of character depth, suspense, and intrigue to go along with the scares. Plus, the large cast (with a fantastic Kurt Russell in the lead) and soundtrack is fantastic, too! I wrote a full length review after seeing this for the first time a couple years ago, but it's a little out of date now. All the things I loved about it then, I love even more now. And the things that bothered me (especially about the characters/cast) then have nearly shrunk away entirely and The Thing is now firmly among my favorite horror movies. 

* "They're coming to get you, Barbara." *

Night of the Living Dead - 9/10  Another Top 10 Horror Movie for me (and now something I own on Blu-ray thanks to an awesome Criterion Collection edition) and easily the best movie I watched all month long. While the zombies might look a little primitive compared to what we're used to now, everything else about the film is timeless. The characters, writing, and George Romero's direction all combine to create something truly special. It's a movie I never tire of revisiting. 

The full list of everything I watched during the month, in order:
        (* = rewatch)

Terrifier (2016) - 5/10
The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018) - 5/10
Maximum Overdrive - 2/10
* Night of the Living Dead (1968) - 9/10, up from 8.5/10
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) - 2.5/10
As Above, So Below (2014) - 5/10
Crush the Skull (2015) - 2/10
Clown (2014) - 4/10
Cube (1997) - 3.5/10
Teeth (2007) - 3.5/10
Seoul Station (2016) - 4/10
 * Gremlins (1984) - 6.5/10
Downrange (2017) - 4/10
The Howling (1981) - 2/10
The Evil Dead (1981) - 6.5/10
Candyman (1992) - 5/10
Hell House, LLC (2015) - 2/10
Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (1995) - 2/10
The Ritual (2017) - 8/10
The Invisible Man (1933) - 5/10
Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990) - 8.5/10
Jeepers Creepers (2001) - 1/10
Eden Lake (2008) - 8.5/10
* You're Next (2011) - 7.5/10, up from 6/10
Never Hike Alone (2017) - 6/10
Shivers (1975) - 4/10
* The People Under the Stairs (1991) - 7/10
Bad Samaritan (2018) - 2/10
* Hush (2016) - 8.5/10, up from 7/10
* Monster House (2006) - 6/10
Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954) - 7.5/10
Phantom of the Opera (1943) - 1/10
Dracula (1931) - 4/10
* The Thing (1982) - 9/10, up from 8/10
Cargo (2017) - 5/10

35 total movies with an average of 4.91/10, which makes this the highest rated of my three years doing the October Challenge!

What about you guys? Watch any good horror movies recently? Do you agree with any of my thoughts on these movies? Leave a comment below and let me know!

Thanks for reading!

Most Surprising Performances

With a lot of actors, you can pretty well guess what you're going to get in terms of performance before even seeing the film. Some have ridiculously high standards - people like Jack Nicholson, Sam Rockwell, or Emma Thompson - and rarely (if ever) disappoint. Some are more up and down, but usually interesting if not revelatory in their work. And some - like the ones featured on this list - are almost always terrible, bland, pick awful projects, or some combination of the three. They've impressed me in these particular roles and probably not anywhere else.

1. Mo'Nique in Precious

Very few actresses have surprised me as much as Mo'Nique did with her riveting, brutal, and complicated turn as Mary, the abusive mother in Precious. I've only seen the film once, about eight years ago, but many scenes and moments are ingrained into my memory thanks to this powerful performance. Mo'Nique, director Lee Daniels, and screenwriter Geoffrey Fletcher created a totally believable and human character. Mary is more often than not intimidating and downright scary, but she also has moments of genuine weakness and fear and remorse. Mo'Nique handles all of the different material wonderfully and I think she completely deserved her Best Supporting Actress Oscar win, in addition to all the other accolades that she collected for this performance. I haven't seen her in anything else since, but if Mo'Nique never made another film, I'd still remember her for this unbelievably surprising and emotional turn.

2. Mark Wahlberg in The Departed

Marky Mark is one of my least favorite actors in Hollywood. Not only is he a vile, hypocritical, egotistical blowhard, but he's just such a bad and bland actor who consistently picks uninteresting projects. Other than Boogie Nights - where Wahlberg is the weakest link in a phenomenal film - almost all of his films and/or performances are forgettable or worse. Except for The Departed. In Martin Scorsese's epic crime drama, Wahlberg gets to play a well written, memorable character in a fantastic film and he doesn't fuck anything up! He doesn't do his patented vacant stare or lifeless line readings. He performs quite admirably in scenes with actors so much better than him that it's not even funny. The former Funky Bunch leader shares moments with Martin Sheen, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, and Alec Baldwin and actually manages to hold his own and even steals some of those scenes with his expertly delivered jabs and one-liners. Even now, after more than a decade and easily ten viewings, whenever I watch The Departed Wahlberg never ceases to surprise me. It's like every shit movie/performance like The Happening, Daddy's Home, and The Italian Job have created a haze that makes me forget how great he can be if given the perfect material and legendary direction.

3. Marlon Wayans in Requiem for a Dream

To be fair, I haven't seen Marlon Wayans in a whole lot of movies, but I can attest he's awful in Scary Movie 1 & 2, annoyingly bad (and miscast) in the Coen's remake of The Ladykillers, and (seemingly very) forgettable in GI Joe: Rise of Cobra. Just seeing the previews for movies like White Chicks, Little Man, Dance Flick, and A Haunted House have cemented my opinion that Wayans completely overperformed in the beautiful, haunting, and shocking Requiem for a Dream. As Tyrone, a small time drug dealer with high hopes and dreams, but without the willpower to achieve them, Wayans shines. Tyrone is a fully formed character and Wayans plays all the highs and lows, from optimistic plans for the future to grief and despair, perfectly well. He shares the screen with Jared Leto and Jennifer Connelly and helps to create a nifty little triangle. Requiem is a notoriously hard film to watch, but if you haven't seen it, I'd strongly recommend it for many reasons. One of which is to see Wayans in a completely different light than his usual half-assed "comedic" roles.

4. Chris "Ludacris" Bridges in Crash

Crash gets a lot of hate online and while I can see where some of that comes from - the film is very heavy handed with just about every aspect - it is filled with very good performances from some generally poor/average performers, like Matt Dillon, Ryan Phillippe, Sandra Bullock, and Brendan Fraser. But Ludacris is the most surprising cast member. With such a large ensemble cast, no one gets a whole lot of screen time, but Ludacris does the most with his limited time as Anthony, a low level car thief. Most of his scenes are shared with Larenz Tate and the two have an easy going chemistry that makes you feel like they may have been brothers or best friends in real life. They play off each well remarkably well, but Ludacris has a bit more charisma and swagger, resulting in his being the more memorable and surprising performance. In the end, Anthony gets a chance at redemption and takes it, giving Ludacris another moment to shine. Crash is a film that while I'm not ashamed to admit I love, I don't go out of my way to defend. But I'll defend Ludacris in it and would love to see him pop up in another interesting, complex film instead of just more Fast and Furious flicks.

5. Vin Diesel in Find Me Guilty

Speaking of the Fast and Furious flicks, the star of that series - Mr. Vin Diesel - is pretty much universally maligned for his acting talents, or lack thereof. But under the guidance of the master Sidney Lumet, Diesel turned in a wonderfully surprising performance as Jackie DiNorscio, a low level Mafioso on trial for his long history of crimes who decides to represent himself. Diesel gets to flex his acting muscles for a change, showing a wide range from angry and sullen to light and playful. Jackie is a bit of a clown and loves the spotlight, goofing off during the trial even as his freedom hangs in the balance. In almost everything I've seen Diesel in, he seems to take himself too serious - even when the material doesn't call for it - so it was a nice change of pace to see this lighter side. I don't think he's a great actor by any stretch, but between his small supporting role in Saving Private Ryan early on in his career and this one nearly a decade later, well after he became a action superstar, Diesel certainly proved that he had some skill and was capable of more than driving cars and grunting out his lines.

6. Cameron Diaz in Vanilla Sky

Cameron Diaz started out her acting career as the "hot" girl in The Mask and pretty much continued on that path ever since. Plenty of people loved her performance - and unusual look - in Being John Malkovich, but I wasn't particularly impressed by Diaz or the film. Her two best roles, in my opinion, were in In Her Shoes and Vanilla Sky, which I picked for this list. Those are the two films where she really surprised me, but I went with Vanilla Sky because I think it's the slightly better performance and film and came out first. Diaz is definitely still attractive in Vanilla Sky, but she gets to stretch as the borderline insane Julie, who becomes obsessed with Tom Cruise's David and goes off the deep end when he rebuffs her. Diaz absolutely stuns in a pivotal scene where Julie crashes her car in an attempt to kill the both of them. Her manic intensity in that scene in particular was astounding. Compared to her downright terrible performance one year later in Gangs of New York, it's amazing the same person is responsible for both of them. I'd love to be surprised by another Diaz performance, but given her recent track record (it's been four years since her last role and 13 since her last good performance in In Her Shoes), that seems very unlikely.

7. Adam Sandler in Reign Over Me

While most people might pick Adam Sandler's work in Punch-Drunk Love as his most surprising, I've always thought he just played his regular character - childish and prone to loud outbursts - in Paul Thomas Anderson's excellent dark comedy/romance. But as Charlie, a man overcome with grief in Reign Over Me, he stretches in a completely different direction. Charlie is mourning the loss of his wife and way of life after the events of 9/11. Even years later, he's still devastatingly broken and lost, even in a sea of people in NYC. Sandler gets to be quiet, removed, and thoughtful for long stretches, and has a remarkable breakthrough towards the end that results in the best acting moments of his long and mostly unvaried career. The only reason this performance is so low on this list is that Sandler has done some similarly themed serious work in Punch-Drunk Love, Funny People, and even in Click, but none of those performances are at the same level as his work in Reign Over Me. Now that Sandler is a shell of his former self even in his easy going, schlubby comedies, I can't imagine we'll ever get to see him stretch like this again. He doesn't seem to have the desire to actually "work" anymore. And that's a shame, as he's proven he has the skill to pull off a great performance.

8. Sharon Stone in Casino

Sharon Stone - like Cameron Diaz and, I guess, most beautiful women in Hollywood - probably never got the opportunities to shine that she should have had. I've only seen maybe a third of her filmography and she's been fine a few films, but she is absolutely magnificent as Ginger in Casino, Martin Scorsese's epic tale of corruption, betrayal, and violence, both emotional and physical. Stone gets to show off her beauty, but also her wide range of acting skill. Ginger is fun, sexy, seductive, strong willed, rebellious, deceitful, manipulative, and a drug abuser which intensifies almost all of these traits and Stone is equally adept at portraying each aspect of Ginger's personality. She more than holds her own along Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, and James Woods, which is very impressive. I recently discovered that Scorsese is directing Stone in another, as of yet untitled, film and that will be interesting to see. It's hard to imagine Stone topping her performance here, but I'm excited to see her try.

9. Julia Roberts in Erin Brockovich

While Julia Roberts has been good in several films - Pretty Woman, Closer, and Charlie Wilson's War immediately come to mind - but she's been shockingly bad in two or three times as many films. When it comes down to most projects, I think Roberts benefits from a great script and she doesn't really have the acting chops to elevate a mediocre one. In the case of Erin Brockovich, I think it's a perfect combination of things - a great script and a great performance. As the titular character, Roberts is magnificent and is also surrounded by a talented supporting cast, which I think really helps her embody this complex, complicated character so well. Roberts does equally well delivering the zingy barbs Erin loves to throw - at everyone from her boss, boyfriend, and opposing lawyers - as she does during the quiet moments or the scenes where her blood boils over and she explodes in anger. Roberts won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance here and while it's not my pick for that year - Ellen Burstyn in Requiem for a Dream and Joan Allen in The Contender are both significantly better - I think the Academy was equally surprised by Robert's tremendous work and wanted to reward her while they had the chance.

10. Sylvester Stallone in Cop Land

This one is a bit of a cheat as Stallone has proven himself a very capable actor in the Rocky series - or at least in parts one, six, and Creed - but for most of the 39 years in between those two films, he starred in awful schlocky action flicks like Daylight, Over the Top, and Cobra or in fun schlocky action flicks like Cliffhanger, Demolition Man, and Tango & Cash but didn't exactly stretch or try to anything new or exciting. In Cop Land, though, he does just that. Sly packed on some pounds, which must have been hard to do considering his ego about his physique, and got to play a very different type of character. As Sheriff Freddy Heflin, the depressed, out of shape, and physically impaired lawman of "Cop Land" - a suburb in New Jersey where NYC cops and their families live - Stallone really gets to flex some long dormant muscles, particularly those dealing with expressing genuine emotions and helping to create an interesting, original character. Freddy doesn't get the respect of the cops he so admires and when he starts investigating them for a serious crime, he's got to change his whole demeanor in order to get the job done. Stallone handles the transition from sad and quiet to outspoken and demanding very well and upstages all of his costars - including Robert DeNiro, Harvey Keitel, and Ray Liotta - in the best performance of his career. With all the sequels that get made, I always kinda held out hope for another Cop Land as I'd love to see Freddy now, at the very twilight of his career, investigating one last crime.


Well, there's my list! What are some of your favorite surprising performances? Do you like or hate any of my choices? Let me know in the comments section!