Topic: Dragonfire's Halloween/Horror Marathon 2009

[Dragonfire]

Dracula: Dead and Loving It



Mel Brooks, the unhinged movie parodist whose Blazing Saddles sent us Westward ho-ho-ho and whose Young Frankenstein electrified with mad-scientist nuts and jolts, now stokes the Bram Stoker vein with the comedy transfusion: Dracula Dead and Loving It. Leslie Nielsen plays the title role, and what's not to love?

His Count is a pratfalling evil prince of a guy who believes in long relationships. Brooks portrays vampire hunter Van Helsing who won't give a bloodsucker an even break. Stakes, garlic, mirrors and more - they're all part of vampire lore. And along with top supporting players Steven Weber, Peter MacNicol and Harvey Korman, they're all part of Brooks' tricks and shticks assuring that from dusk to dawn, the hilarity's on.

My Thoughts

This one is a more silly and lighthearted take on Dracula.  I know a lot of people don’t care for it, but I like it.  The movie is entertaining.  It follows the same basic plot as other more serious Dracula movies with humor.  Yes some of the humor is downright silly, but it works for the movie in my opinion.  I like this one when I’m in the mood for something more lighthearted.  Some of the acting is a bit over the top, but it works for the movie in my opinion.

[Dragonfire]

Shaun of the Dead



Get ready for a gut-busting, bone-mashing good time in the hilarious horror comedy, Shaun of the Dead.

There comes a day in every man's life when he has to get off the couch... and kill some zombies. When flesh-eating zombies are on the hunt for a bite to eat, it's up to slacker Shaun (Simon Pegg) and his best pal Ed (Nick Frost) to save their friends and family from becoming the next entrée. Satisfy your bloodthirsty appetite with the movie that masters of horror and film critics alike are hailing as the funniest and scariest movie of the year. Novelist Stephen King gushes "it's a 10 on the fun meter and destined to be a cult classic." and Newsweek calls Shaun of the Dead  "a bloody hoot!" It's a screamingly hilarious zomedy that will have you dying with laughter.

My Thoughts

After hearing a lot about this movie for several years, I decided to pick it up during the Amazon sale.  I’m really glad I got it.  The movie is very entertaining and mixes horror and comedy together well.  The humor that is used is a bit twisted, but that works wonderfully for what is going on.  The violence and language may offend some people and the movie just won’t appeal to some people in general.  The violence didn’t seem too excessive to me, though it probably is too gory for some people.  Overall, it is a highly entertaining movie, especially for people who like zombie movies.



I did get a review posted on Epinions.

Shaun of the Dead

[Dragonfire]

Hocus Pocus



You're in for a devil of a time when three outlandishly wild witches – Bette Midler (The First Wives Club), Sarah Jessica Parker (TV's Sex And The City) and Kathy Najimy (The Wedding Planner) – return from 17th century Salem after they are accidently conjured up by some unsuspecting pranksters! It's a night full of zany fun and comic chaos once the tricky 300-year-old trio sets out to cast a spell on the town and reclaim their youth – but first they must get their act together and outwit three kids and a talking cat! Loaded with bewitching laughs, Hocus Pocus is an outrageously wild comedy that's sure to entertain everyone!

My Thoughts

This is another more lighthearted fun movie that I enjoy watching around Halloween.  It is one of the few I have that actually takes place around Halloween instead of just being creepy or featuring ghosts or something.  The movie is family friendly overall, though the idea of witches going after children could be upsetting to younger viewers.  There is a decent amount of humor to what is going on, though some of it is a bit silly.  The characters of the witches are a bit quirky and they are entertaining and interesting.  I think the cast all does well with their parts.



I did get a review posted on Epinions a few years ago.

Hocus Pocus

[Dragonfire]

The Exorcist



Brace yourself as one of the all-time spellbinders possesses you all over again.  Director William Friedkin and producer/screenwriter William Peter Blatty have revisited The Exorcist to integrate 11 minutes of scenes and images deleted before the film's 1973 release and digitally restore the picture and audio elements.  The result is an experience more gripping than ever.

Now seen are moments deepening the impact of the performances by Linda Blair, Ellen Burstyn, Jason Miller, Max von Sydow and Lee J. Cobb.  They include a "nervous disorder" diagnosis, expansion of Father Merrin's arrival before the ritual, priestly doubts during the ritual, an epilogue with Lt. Kinderman and Father Dyer and most notably, a shattering staircase descent by Regan.  Winner of Oscars® for Best Adapted Screenplay (by Blatty) and Sound, The Exorcist astonishes time and again like no other movie.

My Thoughts

I only saw The Exorcist for the first time like five years ago.  Even then, I only saw part of the movie and it was on television, so it was edited.  I did decide to add the movie to my DVD collection a few years ago.  I finally watched it for the first time.  This is a very creepy and scary movie.  The music, while not the creepiest I have heard, adds a lot to the tension in a few scenes.  It does have a slower pace while everything with what is going on with Regan is set up.  The violence isn’t as extreme as I expected, though I could see it bothering some viewers.  There are a lot of disturbing or flat out gross things shown during the movie.  There are definitely things in this one that could offend some viewers.  This isn’t a movie for everyone and absolutely not one for children.  I do think it is a very well done and entertaining movie.  I was creeped and freaked out by some of what was going on.  In fact, I was so freaked after it was over, I put in a collection of SpongeBob cartoons.



I did get a review posted on Epinions.

The Exorcist

[Dragonfire]

Halloween



Fifteen years ago, Michael Myers brutally massacred his sister. Now, after escaping from a mental hospital, he’s back to relive his grisly crime again, and again...and again.

This is Halloween like you’ve never seen or heard it before!

Halloween has been fully restored under the supervision of Lucasfilm’s THX Digital Mastering Services. The video was transferred by the award-winning colorist Adam Adams ('Terminator 2', 'Titanic') from a new 35mm interpositive (made from the original camera negative) and approved by the film’s cinematographer Dean Cundey ('Jurassic Park', 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit'). The new Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack was created by Chace Productions in association with Alan Howarth using the original 16-track music studio master and the recently discovered original 35mm magnetic dialogue & effects tracks.

My Thoughts

This is another well known movie that I didn’t see until a few years ago when I finally watched it on television.  Last year, I added the DVD to my collection.  The movie is very entertaining and scary and really was the first of the slasher type of horror movies.  Since it had been edited when I first saw it, I had expected the movie to be much more violent than it ultimately is.  There is violence in the movie, but it isn’t excessive and the movie does depend on gore and violence to be scary.  More is left to the imagination of the viewers and I think that ultimately makes things scarier.  The tension slowly builds as things progress in a way that I think works very well.  There isn’t much in the way of mystery since it is known by the audience that Michael is the killer, but there is still a good amount of suspense.  The darker lighting and creepy music really adds to the atmosphere and helps build the scary, unsettling feeling.  Just hearing the music during the opening credits, when basically nothing is shown on screen, freaks me out a bit.  A few of the characters, mostly Laurie’s one friend, do annoy me a bit, but that doesn’t make me enjoy the movie any less.
 

I did post a review on Epinions last year.

Halloween

I will say that I haven't seen Rob Zombie's remake, though I have read several reviews and heard different things about it.  At first I thought it might be interesting to know about Michael and his childhood.  After thinking about it more, I have changed my mind.  I'm thinking that would ...diminish the scariness instead.  I think a lot of what made the original so scary is that there really isn't any motivation for why Michael does what he does. 

[Dragonfire]

Halloween II



Picking up precisely where its predecessor left off, 'Halloween II' follows the same ill-fated characters as they encounter the knife-wielding maniac they left for dead in the first 'Halloween'. It seems the inhuman Michael Myers is still very much alive and out for more revenge as he stalks the deserted halls of the hospital where his sister lays waiting. As he gets closer and closer to his terrified target, Dr. Loomis discovers the chilling mystery behind the crazed psychopath's savage actions. Written by horror masters John Carpenter and Debra Hill, 'Halloween II' is a spine-tingling dark ride into the scariest night of the year.

My Thoughts

I think this one is a good sequel, though it isn’t as good as the first movie.  The story picks up where the first one ended, though it is noticeable that several years have passed between the making of the movies.  Things are predictable and the plot isn’t as strong, but I still think the movie is entertaining and worth watching.  Laurie doesn’t really have as much to do since she is medicated in the hospital, but she is still important to what is going on.  A bit more is shared about Michael, though some other issues are unresolved.  More people are killed and the violence is more graphic and gory than what was done in the first movie.  I think the makers had been influenced by the other slasher movies that had come out since the first movie.

Overall, I think this is a good sequel that deserves to be seen. 



I did get a review posted on Epinions.

Halloween II

[Dragonfire]

Sleepy Hollow



Master storyteller Tim Burton (Batman, Edward Scissorhands) weaves an eerie, enchanting version of this classic tale of horror. Johnny Depp is Ichabod Crane, an eccentric investigator determined to stop the murderous Headless Horseman. Christina Ricci is Katrina Van Tassel, the beautiful and mysterious girl with secret ties to the supernatural terror.

My Thoughts

It has become a bit of a tradition for me to watch this one every year at Halloween since I picked up the DVD.  The movie has a wonderfully spooky atmosphere that works perfectly for the story.  The town just has a creepy, spooky look to it even when nothing related to the Horseman is happening.  The plot is interesting and entertaining, even after many repeat viewings.  There is a good amount of mystery and suspense to what is going on and several scary moments.  The violence is a bit extreme at times, but that works with what is going on.  Some of the violence is more exaggerated, and things do get rather gory at times.  The characters are interesting and the cast is perfect.  I love Johnny Depp in the part of Ichabod.  His performance does add some humor to what is going on, which helps to lighten the mood a bit.  IT always cracks me up when he freaks over the spider..though if I saw one that size in real life, I would out freak him with no effort.

I have a special graphic for this one.



I did post a review of this one on Epinions several years ago.

Sleepy Hollow

[Dragonfire]

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street



Johnny Depp and Tim Burton join forces again in a big-screen adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's award-winning musical thiller.

My Thoughts

I love this movie.  I saw it in the theater, have the soundtrack, and a book about the making fo the movie.  I decided last year to watch it along with Sleep Hollow every year around Halloween.  I know some people will dismiss the movie because it is a musical, but it truly works as a horror movie.   A man wants revenge and starts killing people.  The bodies are then put in meat pies and sold to the public.  Many of the murders committed by Sweeney are shown.  Blood is everywhere, gushing and spraying all over the place in a very exaggerated way.  The movie is very twisted, which is a bit part of what I like about it.  The movie will be too violent and twisted for some people.  The characters are interesting and conflicted and the cast is wonderful.  Johnny Depp does wonderful in the part, conveying a lot through his expressions.  He and the rest of the cast do well with the singing too.  Alan Rickman is wonderful as yet another villain.  He is so good at playing nasty, evil characters. 



I did get a review posted on Epinions after I saw it in the theater.

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

[Dragonfire]

Oh I forgot to mention that I watched all the Simpsons Halloween episodes I have..11 of them.  I also watched a few SpongeBob Halloween like episodes.  That was it for tv show episodes on DVD this month.