Spooky Month 2022:
Let's talk about all the horror movies I watched in October of 2022… I wanted to hit 20 films and didn’t make it, but I had a lot of fun trying.
Shaun of the Dead: My current girlfriend Hailey doesn’t like scary movies so I figured we would start with this. I mean it’s a horror movie, but I think of it more as a comedy than anything. This is only one of two rewatches I did and honestly… it didn’t hold up as I remember. It had funny moments some memeable, but mostly meh. It still ended up giving Hailey nightmares. The zombies were pretty great as far as zombies go.
Honeymoon: Hailey made me watch this one. Immediately I recognized Rose Leslie from her role as a wildling from Game of Thrones. It’s crazy how many actors do these low-budget horror movies. I don’t mean this as an insult, but to go from Game of Thrones to a movie not many have heard of has to sting a bit, but work is work! To be a working actor you have to be a working actor. I did not like this movie. Trash ending and you could take out a half hour and still have the same movie. A good idea for a monster wasted on a bad script.
Circle: This might be my favorite thing I watched this month (As far as horror goes I’ve been watching Barry on HBO and it’s amazing). This movie isn’t much of a horror may be more of a psychological thriller. Basically, all these people wake up in a room and have to vote on who dies. Only one will live. This movie shows how divided we are as people and what some value over others. I was yelling at the tv and talking to myself. They also stuck the landing on this one. Highly recommended,
The Monkey’s Paw: I wanted to hit a bunch of different types of horror movies so I figured I’d watch a SYFY original. This was a good one. I always loved the tale of the monkey's paw; getting what you want, but not in the way you want it. This also featured Stephan Lang who was the general in Avatar. He was a great creepy southern man who gets brought back to life and goes on a killing spree. The characters in the film were surprisingly fleshed out which made it feel real. It’s a good one-time watch.
Scooby Dew and the Samurai Sword: Like I said I wanted to hit all kinds of horror or should I say Halloween movies so I figured I’d find a new Scooby Dew movie I hadn’t seen. As an adult, it wasn’t great, but young Austin would have loved this flick with ninjas, dragons, robots, and a mystery!
Studio 666: It felt odd to watch this after the death of Taylor Hawkins. This movie is about the Foo Fighters recording in a haunted studio which makes Dave Grohl kill-crazy. On paper, this should be great. It’s a great idea but poorly executed. I did laugh a lot, but I had to watch the movie in 3 sittings because I kept getting bored. The special effects looked great, but I think if they would’ve had a better writer on the film it could’ve truly been great.
The Forever Purge: I love the idea of the purge. I hope they make these movies forever no pun intended. I thought The Purge: Election Year would be my favorite in the series, but this one edges it out. It like others in the franchise has a great amount of social commentary. It’s so scary because at its core it preaches a lot of truth about turmoil in the United States as well as racism.
Werewolf by Night: I did not expect to sneak in a MCU entry, but here I am. I had no idea they were making it, but the day it dropped saw my friends posting about it on social media. It was also in black and white! It was a lot of fun monster hunting in a maze about sums it up!
The Toolbox Killer: I had to get in a true crime documentary. I’m not a huge fan of true crime horror documentaries because I feel like it gives some fame or notoriety to the killers and the victim's families have to relive the trauma. This one was very disturbing, but it helped get some of the families closure. I feel like this is also a mental health awareness film. How different the murders life would’ve been had he had one parent who cared. So basically don’t be a dick.
Monster House: I had never seen this and it’s so good! Perfect Halloween movies for kids. It had fantastic visuals and a cute ending. It was also actually scary (not to me) at times. It was also funny to remind you of the way you were when you were young.
Deathgasm: This was such a fun movie! A metal band having to fight demons to save a town! As a lifelong metal head, the way they are viewed by the people in the town hits too close to home. A lot of great kills and tunes in this one!
Zombieland: This is my second rewatch. I had it on in the background as I did some writing. Now having watched the movie a few times it isn’t amazing. Aside from a few scenes (twinkies and Bill FREAK’n Murray). Maybe I’m being unfair it’s not as amazing as everyone says, but it’s still good.
The Queen of the Damned: Thanks to AMC I stumbled onto this one! It was no good, but loads of fun. Talk about the best fucking soundtrack. The premise was a good one a vampire joining a metal band (sounds like a gimmick) so he can get mega famous and call someone to him. Then the other vampires get pissed and want to kill him. Members of Korn did some original music for the flick and Aaliyah (RIP) is a straight-up scream queen babe in this one. A lot of my friends couldn’t believe I hadn’t seen this one.
Critters Attack!: I’d never seen any of these franchises before. This is another SYFY original film. It was not good but had fun elements. I feel like the Critters could be great so I’ll have to check out some of the other films. The place this movie shined was in the campiness. When they strayed away from that it was bleh. Also, the kids in the film were a little too okay with seeing a dead body…
P.S.
Not a movie, but I got to see Job Bob Briggs do a presentation about “How Rednecks Saved Hollywood”. Both he and Darcy the Mail girl were very nice. The presentation was great!