2024 October Challenge

It's the most wonderful time of the year again, everyone! This year, we continued our recent trend of starting the "October" Challenge earlier and earlier and began in the first week of September. Not technically playing by the rules, but it's within the spirit of the game, I think. Thanks to another disappointing Braves playoff run, I had plenty of nights free to watch horror movies. The results weren't exactly great, but no matter the quality of the movies, I generally have a fun time.

Most of the movies were watched with my wonderful wife, some with her and our son, and a few on my own. Our son has discovered the joy of watching "so bad, they're good" movies so we managed to slide in some of those this Challenge, too.

I recently saw a meme on Reddit about how horror fans have to suffer through a tremendous amount of terrible movies just to find the occasional great one and that fits this year's Challenge perfectly. Horror has long been one of my favorite genres, but man, there are a TON of awful movies. I'll keep searching for those diamonds in the rough since they always seem to make the perilous journey worth it in the end.

The highlights of the month (rewatches not included), from best to worst:

The Worst of the Worst

* A terrible scene from a terrible movie *

Honeydew (2020) - 1/10    There are few worse films than a poorly made, pretentious, and unscary horror film. Less than 2% of my nearly 4,000 ratings get this lowest grade possible - I generally look pretty hard to find some sort of redeeming element - but Honeydew would probably earn a 0/10 if that was an option. The characters are stupid, the plot is uninteresting, the "twists" are unconvincing, and the filmmaking style is overbearing and just plain bad.

* Any other year this would have been the worst of the Challenge *

Rattlesnake (2019) - 1/10    Bailed out by Honeydew from being the worst of the worst of the worst! One of the worst side effects of the streaming revolution is that so many crappy movies are pumped out into the world and you can't really tell from a short synopsis/thumbnail which are terrible and which are decent. If Rattlesnake had been made 20 years ago, I'm sure it would have premiered on the Lifetime channel. It's that kind of movie - sloppily and cheaply made with a script that never made it past the rough draft stage.

* An interesting concept, but terrible execution - pun fully intended *

Funhouse (2019) - 2/10    A horror flick set inside a reality TV show where people are locked in and forced to compete to the death could make for a really fun, interesting 90 minutes of entertainment. Unfortunately, other than the concept and a couple of decent kills, Funhouse doesn't do anything well. I'm sure this will be one of those movies I completely forget about in a year or two.

* Behold the subtlety of Graham's performance *

Suitable Flesh (2023) - 2/10    Heather Graham is one of those actresses who are serviceable (at best) in a very small range of movies. If she's not playing Roller Girl, I'd rather never see her in a movie. She's definitely not skilled enough to play a believable psychologist, much less one going through all the convoluted things happening in this mess of a movie. By the time it gets a little bit interesting (during the final 10 minutes or so), it's too late to salvage anything.

* Good lighting and skimpy costumes can't save this one *

Alone at Night (2022) - 2/10    It might seem like I'm purposely looking for bad horror movies, but I swear I'm not! Before each Challenge, I go through all my different streaming platforms and add pretty much every horror flick that looks/sounds like it might be at least decent. This one didn't turn out to be decent - just more forgettable trash.

* I bet Rock had more fun at the Oscars than he did on set here *

Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021) - 2/10    I've now subjected myself to nine Saw movies over the last 20 years. I've seen all of them except for the most recent, Saw X from last year. Other than being a completionist, I don't know why I keep forcing myself to sit through them. So far, I thought one was okay (Saw II, which gets a 5/10) and pretty much hated the rest, for an average rating of 2.56/10. Usually these movies have some fun traps and decent gore, but Spiral can't even manage that. The inclusion of Sam Jackson is the only bright spot I can remember and it's not all that bright, to be honest.

* Worst theater experience ever? *

All the Creatures Were Stirring (2018) - 2/10    Every Challenge, I try to watch at least one anthology series film and this year, I really struck out with this one. Comprised of six shorts and one truly awful and baffling wrap around story, All the Creatures Were Stirring falls flat on just about every level. The filmmaking is universally bad (even using the dreaded "Day for Night" technique at one point), the writing is abysmal for the most part, and 90% of the acting is over the top and amateurish. Out of the six shorts, I kind of liked one of them - a twist on the premise of A Christmas Carol - mostly because the curmudgeonly main character was well acted and funny. This was only 80 minutes, but felt much longer.

A Step Up, But Still Not Good

* Video games can get so frustrating... *

Choose or Die (2022) - 4.5/10    This might be an example of very low expectations just being slightly surpassed, but I kinda had fun with Choose or Die. The first half or so is really solid, but it loses steam by the end. There are definitely worse movies to spend your time on, as you can tell from the beginning of this list.

* Your first time might get bloody *

Excision (2012) - 4/10    Dark comedy and/or satire is notoriously difficult to pull off and when you have an inexperienced cast and crew, it's even harder. Excision has some interesting moments (and a terrific ending), but what stood out most was the general vibe and world building. The whole movie has a John Waters-lite feeling, but I might only be thinking that because Waters himself has a cameo. With two or three tweaks, this could have been a standout of the Challenge.

* Such pretty hair... *

The Green Inferno (2013) - 4/10    Eli Roth is a terrible filmmaker, a substandard actor, and an overall douche-tastic person so I don't know why I've seen so many of his movies. I guess just like with the Saw franchise, it just shows what a glutton for punishment I am. The Green Inferno has a God awful opening 45 minutes full of amateurish acting and Roth levels of directing and during any other time of the year, I would have bailed on it. During the Challenge, though, we don't quit on any movies and I'm grateful for that rule in this instance. The last hour was interesting, exciting, and gory - exactly what I was hoping for.

Worth Watching Once

* Who makes Steve Guttenberg a star? Steve Guttenberg does! *

Lavalantula (2015) - 6/10    With a movie about a Los Angeles volcano spewing giant fire-breathing spiders across the city, you know what you're getting into. If you're in the mood for a "so bad, it's good" movie, this one delivers and I thoroughly enjoyed all the shoddy special effects, over the top performances, and generic writing. I can't remember the last time I saw Guttenberg, but he held his own here, never quite overplaying his role. I'm optimistic about the sequel, too, but doubt we'll get to that anytime soon.

* Protect that kitty at all costs! *

A Quiet Place: Day One (2024) - 6.5/10    I didn't love the first two films in this franchise and wasn't in a big hurry to see the third installment, but was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. A lot of this is due to the wonderful performance from Lupita Nyong'o. She is just terrific from beginning to end here, which shouldn't surprise me as she's often great. She imbues the movie with a lot of heart and pathos, plus she's got a cat! I still think the general conceit of this universe doesn't make sense and the decisions the humans make are mostly silly, only working to drive the plot. I'm sure there will be more and more installments, but I doubt I'll like any of them more than this.

* Okay-ish villain, but easily the best title of the Challenge *

It's a Wonderful Knife (2023) - 5/10    Horror comedies are very hit-or-miss for me and while this one isn't a home run by any stretch, it's a solid base hit. The movie is buoyed by a strong cast and better than average character development (courtesy of writer Michael Kennedy, who also wrote the very enjoyable Freaky), but... something just didn't work all that well for me. I guess the premise and wonderfully cheeky title maybe set my expectations too high. I will gladly give it another go sometime - maybe even during the Christmas season - and see if my rating changes.

* Never open a box that mysteriously arrives in your home *

The Collector (2009) - 5/10    Pitched as a Saw prequel, this would have easily been the best film in that pitiful franchise. Knowing those producers, they probably would have ruined this one, though. As it stands, it's just a schlocky torture porny romp through a house filled with traps. The gore is solid and some of the kills are very inventive and/or so over the top that they're interesting. I'm thinking specifically of the bear trap room and the protagonist chucking a dog at the villain in an attempt to slow him down. What more can you ask for in a flick?

* Mr. Crocket says "Turn it up!" *

Mr. Crocket (2024) - 5.5/10    There are moments of Mr. Crocket that are really good, but they're spaced out pretty far and everything in-between is just okay. I'd recommend giving this one a shot, though, because it's fairly original with an interesting villain, a terrific lead performance from Jerrika Hinton, and some very good practical gore effects. Knowing how Hulu operates, I wouldn't be surprised if Mr. Crocket returns for another adventure and I'd be perfectly fine with that.

* The Djinn - Mr. Tricky Trickster *

Wishmaster (1997) - 5.5/10    A very entertaining and very mid-90's flick about an evil genie who generally tricks people into wishing for things so he can kill or maim them in clever ways. Andrew Divoff plays the baddie with an amazing amount of gusto, but never goes too over the top unlike some other actors - ahem Chris Lemon cough who definitely didn't inherit his father's talents cough - and is actually quite menacing at different times. The practical makeup effects by master Greg Nicotero are downright great and add a nice touch to the film. Many of the kills would rate amongst the best of the Challenge and, really - what more can you ask for from a slasher?

Very Good and Highly Recommended

* A mostly peaceful meal before the terror really starts going *

His House (2020) - 7/10    This one has been in our Netflix queue ever since it came out, but for some reason we kept putting it off, but I wish we hadn't - it could have really helped fill out some of our lean years for the Challenge. Highlighted by two phenomenal lead performances and a very creepy atmosphere, the movie works on a few different levels. Extreme horror fans might not find is scary enough, but I am often fine with being unsettled or disturbed, compared to outright scared. If you want to consider this one a a drama with horror elements, that may get you closer to the truth, I suppose. Whatever genre it falls in, His House is very good.

* Dear God, please turn me into Sydney Sweeney *

Immaculate (2024) - 7/10    I'll be honest, I wasn't planning on watching this one due to the casting of Sydney Sweeney - someone I only really knew as the newest "It Girl", seemingly mostly due to her being blonde and having huge tits. After seeing her performance, though, I will gladly check out some of her other work because she was fantastic as a young nun dealing with an unwanted pregnancy and sinister men in the church. For 95% of the movie, she's completely covered in heavy nun uniforms, so this wasn't at all sleazy or leering like I thought it'd be. There are jump scares, moments of dread and unease, and a crazy final act. If you're at all into religious horror, check this one out right away.

* Maxine does Hollywood *

MaXXXine (2024) - 7/10    The third and final entry in Ti West's trilogy falls right between the other two for me - better than Pearl, but not as good as X. Maxine is the sole returning character from X and she's in Hollywood, killing it as a sex worker across various platforms. Mia Goth again shines in the lead role, but she's not quite the badass that I was expecting and the movie's final act hurts my overall score. Kevin Bacon steals every scene he's in as a sleazy, despicable southern private investigator. His last scene is one of the best of movie and something I'll remember for a long time.

* I love horror movies with bad ass female protagonists *

Let Us Prey (2014) - 7.5/10    After a shockingly bad opening credits sequence featuring lame CGI crows and credits out of the normal order, this movie picks up and stays up for the duration. The central story is interesting and kept me guessing for a while and all the performances are solid, which makes everything else so much more effective. The scares are mostly of the jump variety or related to the short bursts of extreme gore, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Pollyanna McIntosh's protagonist has a satisfying character arch (with her backstory sprinkled throughout) and kicks a lot of ass, in all sorts of different ways. Let Us Prey is definitely one of the bigger surprises of the Challenge for me!

* Johnny Carson never had this happen on his show! *

Late Night with the Devil (2023) - 7.5/10    As a lover of late night talk shows - including Johnny Carson, who's mentioned throughout this film - I had a blast with this movie, for about the first 3/4 of the run-time. The ending isn't terrible or anything, but it was definitely the weakest part and left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth. Despite that, there is plenty to recommend. Starting with David Dastmalchian's terrific lead performance. He captures the dual nature of a television star wonderfully, going back and forth among many different emotions and moods. He's been steadily working in Hollywood for more than 15 years, but this part proves that he can lead a film and I hope he gets a lot more opportunities to do so. All the rest of the performances are very good, too - especially Ian Bliss as a sceptic guest, doing his best to disprove the paranormal occurrences - and the writing allows for most of the characters to grow and develop. There are a lot of comedic moments, a couple of hard-hitting dramatic ones, and a few scares, but this is definitely on the "tamer" side of horror.

* Oh, what a cute napping partner! *

Sting (2024) - 8/10    I was able to convince both my wife and son - two movie lovers who suffer from arachnophobia - to watch this one since the trailer spoils that the titular spider is not of this earth and not realistic. Well, for the first big chunk of the movie, it's a very realistic looking critter (with advanced abilities) and it even creeped me out. There are moments of comedy, gore, and honest-to-goodness family drama. The movie isn't silly, per se, but I think the filmmakers purposely made it a little campy in parts and the balance of fun/easy going to creepy/nerve-wracking really worked for me. I had a blast from start to finish and the 90 minutes flew by.

* Be careful or she might sic a wooden man after you *

Oddity (2024) - 8/10    This is one of those movies where I think it's best to go into completely blind. That's how I did it and I was consistently surprised throughout the entire runtime. There's no big twist or anything, but I don't think the plot took one turn that I was expecting. At times, it's a bit of a slow burn, but the burn is worth it and resulted in something I'll probably return to another time or two in the future. Check it out!

* One of many, many shocking/disturbing scenes *

The Poughkeepsie Tapes (2007) - 8/10    There are two subgenres of horror that I generally don't like - torture porn and found footage - so it's to my immense surprise that one of my favorite films from this year's Challenge combines them both, along with the faux documentary approach. The Poughkeepsie Tapes is unlike almost anything I've seen and I doubt I'll forget it anytime soon. I'm not sure if the filmmakers ever intended to actually trick people into thinking the events covered were real, but I'm not surprised that one of the first Google searches is "Is The Poughkeepsie Tapes real?" The way the film is structured - a documentary which includes footage from a killer's personal VHS library mixed with interviews from law enforcement and the family of victims - definitely makes it seem real. There are several scenes/moments of intense dread or extreme gore that I think will probably be seared into my memory for the foreseeable future. If that doesn't sound like something you want, I wouldn't necessarily blame you, but I love extreme horror movies from time to time.

The Best of the Best

* Nope. Just...nope *

Infested ("Vermines") (2023) - 9/10    A very late entry in the Challenge and it soars to the top of the list! When a French apartment building is infested by a foreign species of poisonous spider, all hell breaks loose. If you have even the slightest bit of arachnophobia, I'd recommend steering clear of this one. My wife managed to watch the whole thing, but it was touch and go for most of the time and I really thought she was going either start crying or throw up, or maybe both, but she avoided doing either. The French have made some phenomenal horror films over the last 20-ish years and Infested joins their ranks as one of the best - a creature feature that is creepy, disgusting, and downright terrifying at different times. The human characters are interesting and have a surprising amount of depth and are well acted across the board. While some (200 giant Huntsman spiders!) of the spiders were real, I imagine most were CGI creations, but it's a great sign when I couldn't tell for sure. The morning after watching this, I had to kill two different spiders in my home and I was still effectively creeped out.

Full list of what I watched during the month, in chronological order:

* = rewatch


Choose or Die (2022) - 4.5/10
Immaculate (2024) - 7/10
Lavalantula (2015) - 6/10
* Little Monsters (2019) - 8/10
Funhouse (2019) - 2/10
* Eden Lake (2008) - 8/10
Suitable Flesh (2023) - 2/10
Rattlesnake (2019) - 1/10
Alone at Night (2022) - 2/10
Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021) - 2/10
A Quiet Place: Day One (2024) - 6.5/10
* The Shining (1980) - 10/10
Excision (2012) - 4/10
His House (2020) - 7/10
Sharknado (2013) - 4/10
The Tall Man (2012) - 3/10
Honeydew (2020) - 1/10
It's a Wonderful Knife (2023) - 5/10
Cottage Country (2013) - 5/10
The Green Inferno (2013) - 4/10
The Collector (2009) - 5/10
Sting (2024) - 8/10
Mr. Crocket (2024) - 5.5/10
The Block Island Sound (2020) - 6/10
Let Us Prey (2014) - 7.5/10
MaXXXine (2024) - 7/10
Oddity (2024) - 8/10
Lucky (2020) - 2/10
All the Creatures Were Stirring (2018) - 2/10
Splice (2009) - 4/10
It's What's Inside (2024) - 1/10
Wishmaster (1997) - 5.5/10
Late Night with the Devil (2024) - 7.5/10
The Poughkeepsie Tapes (2007) - 8/10
Infested ("Vermines") (2023) - 9/10 

* Trick 'r Treat (2007) - 6.5/10


Average rating of the 36 titles: 5.13/10 --- almost identical to last year's average! 



Did any of you watch any good horror movies recently? Any that you'd recommend? I'm always on the lookout for new movies to watch!

Thanks for reading!