October horror viewing 2014

1. Strigoi


2. The House by the Cemetery (Quella villa accanto al cimitero)


3. Saint Ange (House of Voices)


4. The Innkeepers


5. Shutter


6. The Cars That Ate Paris


7. The Masque of the Red Death


8. Castle of Blood (Danza macabra)


9. Count Dracula/El Conde Dracula (Nachts, wenn Dracula erwacht)


10. Cuadecuc, vampir


11. The Blood Drinkers (Kulay dugo ang gabi)


12. Four Flies on Grey Velvet (4 mosche de velluto grigio)


13. Isolation


14. The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue (Non si deve profanare il sonno dei morti)


15. Naboer (Next Door)


16. The Brood


17. An American Werewolf in London


18. Goke, Body Snatcher from Hell (Kyuketsuki gokemidoro)


19. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer


20. The Living Skeleton (Kyûketsu dokuro-sen)

also the short film Émotion: Densetsu no gogo = Itsukamita Dracula.

I also watched Blind Woman’s Curse (The Tattooed Swordswoman, Kaidan nobori ryû) but, while it has horror themes like a curse, it’s much more a straightforward action movie.

The 1949 version of Yotsuya kaidan (pts. I and II) is more psychological/bleak realist than horror-inclined version of the ghost story. It’s also really boring most of the time, although there are some effective shots and Kinuyo Tanaka is of course good in the double role.

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer and The Masque of the Red Death were, for me, the best movies overall, despite quibbles (score for the former. a last-act character choice in the latter). Yet most of these movies really provided vivid experiences. Isolation, for instance, is probably the best-acted movie ever made about killer mutant cow fetuses. The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue and Goke also have strong apocalyptic vibes. The Blood Drinkers' literal title is Blood is the Color of Night, and the film itself does unique things with changing color tints.

Saint Ange was wildly inconsistent and The Innkeepers was eh but the most disappointing movie was An American Werewolf in London, because it’s really irresponsible and out of character for the nurse to take the pathetic (not even in a puppy-dog way) patient home so soon. It’s less believable than being haunted by the victims of werewolves! Of course the first draft was written by the 19-year-old who would grow up to direct Animal House. I was fine with the horror-comedy and certain set pieces, though, but unlike the corny aspects of the other films that still fit within their respective worlds, I couldn’t go along with this puerile male adolescent fantasy.

The Living Skeleton is a fitting nautical transition to my Noirvember viewing.

(x-posted from tumblr. maybe a life update soon)