Eleventh in the series of the self-isolation media consumption catch up.
Our Friday Night series of Horror movies has continued into the new year and here is the mini reviews of each movie since October’s Halloween H20.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) – While this is probably more Sci-Fi/Horror than slasher, I really enjoyed the movie and of course the unforgettable ending which I totally forgot happens. I do want to watch the original 50’s version as well. (Maybe this spring…) Great performances in this one and it’s always fun to see San Francisco of the past.
Friday the 13th Part 3 (1982) – Next in the series of movies, this one was something of a re-tread (I mean aren’t they all?) but this is the one where Jason finally gets his iconic hockey mask and wreaks havoc on a biker gang and another group of annoying teens who deserve it. I am beginning to question who we are supposed to be rooting for in these things, because so far I am totally rooting for Jason. I know there is probably some deeper meaning of white male dominance and things like sex and drug use should be frowned upon and the people punished for doing such things. I won’t debate here what these movies are about other than I enjoy annoying people get knocked off (even if I don’t actually watch that part..)
Kingdom of the Spiders (1977) – One of my choices – this William Shatner starred SciFi movie about some spiders who decide to take over a small town. Shatner gives a great Shatner performance as “Rack” Hansen. I always enjoy the nature on a rampage genre of movie and this one does not disappoint. Of course I am rooting for the spiders. If the Cleveland Baseball team renames itself to the Spiders, I hope footage from this movie will be used in the stadium…
Amityville Horror (1979) – I distinctly remember being terrified of this movie as a kid. I am not sure if I saw it on cable or what, but I remember this was one of the first “behind the fingers” movies that I watched. Watching this now, I found the whole thing not scary at all. Not sure why, there is plenty of jump scares but the ending left me extremely underwhelmed.
Hellfest (2018) – A couple of our movies in this group are modern ones and this was first up. This one is the story of a killer who strikes in haunted mazes at a traveling carnival. Since my friends like to go to mazes, this was a must for our list. I actually enjoyed this one a lot – from their depiction of your typical maze worker to the stereotypical maze attendees and the surprise ending it’s worth a watch.
12 Feet Deep (2017) – Another modern movie, this one is about two sisters who get trapped under a fiberglass pool cover after a series of semi-believable events. I was actually quite bored with this one as its not really a horror movie other than the creepy janitor/ex-con who discovers and leaves them there after some banter. Not really recommended but if you’re into being stuck in a pool check it out.
Halloween Resurrection (2002) – This was a weird Halloween movie. Jaime Lee Curtis’ character is killed in the first act and the rest is some weird online/live ghost hunt in Michael Myers’ old house where he actually starts killing the people. Again, I only was rooting for Jaime Lee Curtis. The rest of them got what they deserved for attempting this movie. It does seem very dated with the 2002 era tech. That in itself is really depressing as I was blogging on Club Josh when this movie came out with similar tech..
Krampus (2015) – I had heard good things about this Christmas themed horror movie and was glad that it actually came through. While the creatures where a bit ridiculous (reminded me of the movie House (the USA one not the Japan one), overall I enjoyed the movie about a family who loses the Christmas spirit and as a result Krampus comes instead. Some of the sequels look a bit dodgy so I am not sure we will watch the others. Better to quit while ahead.
Terror Train (1980) – So disappointing. The movie that was advertised as “Halloween on a Train” starring Jaime Lee Curtis was just dull. It does get points for David Copperfield as the magician, but ultimately brought down by another group of characters you can’t really care about and tbh deserve what they get. We watched this on New Year’s Eve as this was the setting of the movie so at least we got to enjoy hats, noisemakers, and champagne afterwards.
Friday the 13th Part 4 (1984) – AKA Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter – A lot of people claim this is the best Friday the 13th movie, but to me it was more of the same. I didn’t really understand this movie at all. It’s supposed to be the day after Part 3, but yet these teens were still going to Crystal Lake for a fun weekend. Also the single mom and her two kids living out in the boonies – surely they heard about what happened or at least they should have heard the sirens. Maybe Crystal Lake is the size of Lake Tahoe? That would explain these movies as Jason just moves around the lake and the incompetent law enforcement of the small towns don’t bother telling others what’s happening. At any rate this movie does get points for giving Jason his iconic machete, but they could have just skipped killing Jason since we know he’s going to come back anyway. Seeing little Tommy (Corey Feldman pre-Goonies) make himself into Jason as a child was also weird. We will watch part 5 down the road I think so maybe we will see Tommy fight a new Jason or whatever.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) – I’m pretty sure I never saw this movie before but it was boring as heck. I guess these characters were more annoying than average, but honestly I could not wait for something to happen. And when it did man was it gross. Using a chainsaw to butcher someone and hanging people off a meat hook are something I didn’t need to see. It certainty was graphic! To find a positive point, at least it was an original idea. These teens though. They need to learn how to read warning signs….
The movie nights are continuing into 2021 so we will see you back here in a couple months for the next recap. We have some themed movies for various holidays coming up so it should be a good time.