Topic: Month Long Horror/Halloween Marathon: 2011

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30 Days of Night: Dark Days (2010/United States) Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Director: Ben Ketai Writing: Steve Niles (Original Material By), Ben Templesmith (Original Material By), Steve Niles (Screenwriter), Ben Ketai (Screenwriter) Length: 92 min. Rating: R Video: Widescreen 1.78:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, French: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Portuguese: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Thai: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles: Chinese, English, French, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai

Stars:
Kiele Sanchez as Stella
Rhys Coiro as Paul
Diora Baird as Amber
Harold Perrineau as Todd
Mia Kirshner as Lilith
Troy Ruptash as Agent Norris

Plot:
Almost a year has passed since Barrow Alaska's population was decimated by vampires. Stella, mourning her husband's murder, has been traveling the world trying to convince others that vampires exist. When a group of lost souls offers her a chance to exact revenge upon the vampire queen, Stella joins their mission to stop evil from striking again.

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Audio Commentary
• Bonus Trailers
• Featurettes

My Thoughts:

Going into this one I heard nothing buy bad things about it. But I enjoyed the first one so much that I wanted to still give it a chance and see for myself. The first thing I noticed is that they replaced Melissa George in the main role. Which I thought really sucked. But they did get Mia Kirshner (The L Word) for a small part... who is no stranger to the vampire lore as she was in at least the first season of the CW series The Vampire Diaries. And even further back in her career in 1990 she played one of the teens that went up against Dracula in Dracula: The Series.

Over-all I would say it is an ok movie. Definitely don't live up to part one. It really is nothing more then an average vampire flick. With vampires being my favorite sub-genre I was able to enjoy it on some level for just that fact. While I can see myself watching it again... it isn't something I see myself watching often. Unlike the first one. I would say it is worth catching on cable if you can. If not... and you really want to see it.. be sure you get it cheap.

My Rating
Out of a Possible 5

Count:
Movie Count: 9
TV Ep. Count: 14
Other Count: 1

[addicted2dvd]

The Boy Who Cried Werewolf (2010/United States) Director: Eric Bross Writing: Art E. Brown (Writer), Douglas Sloan (Writer) Length: 85 min. Rating: TV-G Video: Widescreen 1.78:1

Stars:
Victoria Justice as Jordan Sands
Chase Ellison as Hunter Sands
Brooke d'Orsay as Paulina
Matt Winston as David Sands
Steven Grayhm as Goran
Brooke Shields as Madame Varcolac

Plot:
Meet the Sands family — David and his two children Hunter and Jordan. After falling on hard economic times, the Sands find out their long lost relative, Dragomir Ducovic, has willed them his mansion in Wolfsberg, Romania! Naturally, they hop on a plane to check out their new home, Wolfsberg Manor, an ancient gothic castle lorded over by the mysterious Madame Varcolac. Now the Sands are living large! But nothing is ever as easy as it looks. Especially with a band of bloodsuckers on the loose! Before the Sands clan gets their hands on this mansion, they'll have to undergo some... transformations. Things will get... hairy? Put it this way: you're not gonna believe how crazy things get when a full moon rises in Romania! Are you brave enough to watch?!?

Extras:

• Scene Access

My Thoughts:

This is a movie I recorded of cable last year about this time which I decided to keep. It is a family horror that originally aired on Nickelodeon. For about the first half hour it is a but on the slow side. Then once the girl was infected it picked up. And it continued to pick up through the rest of the movie. It got to the point that I was really enjoying it. It surprised me just how much I did get into it. If there was anything that really bothered me it was the character that Brooke Shields played. She was just plain annoying. And I could have done without the whole karaoke thing at the end credits. But over-all a fun little family horror. Great start for the young kids wanting to watch some horror this month.

My Rating
Out of a Possible 5

Count:
Movie Count: 10
TV Ep. Count: 14
Other Count: 1

[addicted2dvd]

Tales from the Crypt: The Complete First Season (1989/United States) Director: 1. The Man Who Was Death: Walter Hill 2. And All Through The House: Robert Zemeckis 3. Dig That Cat... He's Real Gone: Richard Donner Writing: 1. The Man Who Was Death: Robert Reneau (Screenwriter), Walter Hill (Screenwriter), William M. Gaines (Original Material By) 2. And All Through The House: Fred Dekker (Screenwriter), William M. Gaines (Original Material By) 3. Dig That Cat... He's Real Gone: Terry Black (Screenwriter), William M. Gaines (Original Material By) Length: 160 min. Rating: NR Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Stars:
John Kassir as The Crypt Keeper
William Sadler
Mimi Kenedy
Larry Drake


Plot:
Rest your bones, boos and ghouls, and settle in for the anthology series you've been dying to see: the complete six-episode first season of Tales From The Crypt!

Cadaverous scream legend/all-around punster the Crypt Keeper hosts these forays of fright and fun based on classic E.C. Comics tales from back in the day -- and drawing on the talents of top filmmakers Richard Donner, Walter Hill, Joel Silver, Robert Zemeckis and others. So belly up to the bar and name your poison. Is it a deranged Santa on a personal slay ride? A man surgically implanted with as many lives (and deaths) as a cat? Honeymooners who each want the other to fulfill the 'til-death vow pronto? These and more terror-rific tales await. Ghoul love 'em!

EPISODES:
1. The Man Who Was Death
2. And All Through the House
3. Dig That Cat...He's Real Gone


Extras:

• Featurettes
• Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:

Just watched the first 3 episodes from this series. I always enjoyed this series.. yes it is very cheesy but in a fun way. I always enjoyed the Crypt Keeper just as much as the stories. Out of these three episodes I enjoyed And All Through the House where Larry Drake played a psychopath in a Santa outfit.

My Rating
Out of a Possible 5

Count:
Movie Count: 10
TV Ep. Count: 17
Other Count: 1

[addicted2dvd]

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein: Comedy Legends (1948/United States) Director: Charles T. Barton Writing: Robert Lees (Screenwriter), Frederic I. Rinaldo (Screenwriter), John Grant (Screenwriter) Length: 83 min. Rating: NR Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: Mono, Commentary: Dolby Digital: Mono Subtitles: English, French

Stars:
Bud Abbott as Chick
Lou Costello as Wilbur
Lon Chaney, Jr. as Lawrence Talbot
Bela Lugosi as Dracula
Glenn Strange as Monster
Lenore Aubert as Sandra Mornay

Plot:
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein continues the horror-comedy series and features "the boys" with their usual quota of familiar routines providing the backbone of the plot by becoming Count Dracula's victim for a brain transplant. Lon Chaney, Jr. appears as the Wolf Man along with Dracula played by Bela Lugosi and Glenn Strange as the Frankenstein monster.

Abbott and Costello, as railroad baggage clerks, receive a strange shipment—the last remains of Dracula and Frankenstein's monster. But this deadly duo is still very much alive. So when the shipment arrives at the House of Horrors, the Monsters are not in their crates but have disappeared to a secret hideaway island. Blamed for the disappearance, Abbott and Costello follow their trail to the island where not only do they meet up with Dracula (Bela Lugosi) and the Monster (Glenn Strange), but a Mad Scientist (Charles Bradstreet) who wants to switch Costello's brain with that of the Monster. With everyone chasing each other, the Wolf Man (Lon Chaney, Jr.) shows up to scare them all. In the end everything works out: Costello finds romance and the Monsters find their final resting places…or do they?

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Audio Commentary
• Feature Trailers
• Featurettes
• Gallery
• Production Notes
• Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:

This is the first time I watched this movie in a couple years. Last time I watched it I had to borrow my brother's copy. But I finally just got my own copy and couldn't wait to watch it again. This movie is a lot of fun. I enjoyed every minute of it. This movie of course has a few of the great classic horror actors... playing roles they are famous for. There is even a brief special "appearance" of Vincent Price as The Invisible Man at the end... which I liked a lot. A great comedy-horror that I feel safe recommending to anyone.

My Rating
Out of a Possible 5

Count:
Movie Count: 11
TV Ep. Count: 17
Other Count: 1

[addicted2dvd]

I so hate this! I am sitting here looking over my entire horror collection trying to pick my next movie. And I just can't figure out what I am in the mood for! 

[addicted2dvd]

The Zombie Diaries: Dimension Extreme (2006/United Kingdom) Genius Products, Dimension Home Entertainment Director: Kevin Gates, Michael Bartlett Writing: Kevin Gates (Writer), Michael Bartlett (Writer) Length: 81 min. Rating: R Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles: English, Spanish

Stars:
Scott Ainslie as Sgt 'Jim' McCulloch
Toby Bowman as Cpl 'Jez' Nicholson
Victoria Nalder as Leeann
Juliet Forester as Sharon Buckley
Anna Blades as Vanessa
Craig Stovin as Andy

Plot:
"Better than Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later" (beyondhollywood.com), The Zombie Diaries has been hailed as "the most realistic zombie film ever made" (twitchfilm.net). Set in England during a world-wide viral infection, this documentary-style frightfest records the rise of the undead from the videocams of several survivor groups. As each struggles against the flesh-eating hordes, an even more horrifying fate lurks among them. "Dark, uncompromising and frighteningly real" (eatmybrains.com), The Zombie Diaries is smart horror at its bloody best.

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Audio Commentary
• Feature Trailers
• Bonus Trailers
• Deleted Scenes
• Featurettes

My Thoughts:

This is the first time I ever seen this movie. I enjoyed it quite a bit. It is one of those "Found Footage" sub-genre movies. I know that these zombie movies has to start out a little slow with the zombie action. But I do wish this one had a little more towards the beginning of the movie. Other then that... not bad at all. It was a bit weird how they did it... moving from group to group.. and how much time past from the one to the other. But not so bad where it takes away from the movie. I think it is definitely worth checking out.

My Rating
Out of a Possible 5

Count:
Movie Count: 12
TV Ep. Count: 17
Other Count: 1

[addicted2dvd]

The Vampire Diaries: The Complete First Season: Disc One (2009/United States) Warner Home Video Director: 1. Pilot: Marcos Siega 2. The Night of the Comet: Marcos Siega 3. Friday Night Bites: John Dahl 4. Family Ties: Guy Ferland, 5. You're Undead to Me: Kevin Bray Writing: 1. Pilot: L. J. Smith (Original Material By), Kevin Williamson (Writer), Julie Plec (Writer) 2. The Night of the Comet: L. J. Smith (Original Material By), Kevin Williamson (Writer), Julie Plec (Writer) 3. Friday Night Bites: L. J. Smith (Original Material By), Barbie Kligman (Writer), Bryan M. Holdman (Writer) 4. Family Ties: L. J. Smith (Original Material By), Andrew Kreisberg (Writer), Brian Young (Writer) 5. You're Undead to Me: L. J. Smith (Original Material By), Sean Reycraft (Writer), Gabrielle Stanton (Writer) Length: 212 min. Rating: NR Video: Widescreen Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, English: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles: English

Stars:
Nina Dobrev as Elena Gilbert
Paul Wesley as Stefan Salvatore
Ian Somerhalder as Damon Salvatore
Steven R. McQueen as Jeremy Gilbert
Sara Canning as Jenna Sommers

Plot:
1. Pilot
On this first day of the school year, Elena meets a new classmate with a romance-novel stare...and a terrible secret.

2. The Night of the Comet
Mysterious animal attacks aren't the only dramatic events that happen in the dark: Mystic Falls prepares for a comet sighting.

3. Friday Night Bites
It turns out vampire powers translate into wide receiver skills. But Stefan's new role of football hero leads to tragedy.

4. Family Ties
The Founder's Party is the scene for romance, rivalry, family memories and the capture of a deadly beast.

5. You're Undead to Me
"It was earlyJune, 1953." An elderly man tells Elena about the first time he saw Stefan and Damon – looking as they do today.

Extras:

• Audio Commentary
• Deleted Scenes

My Thoughts:

This is the first chance I got to check out this series. I went into this one expecting a teen drama... figuring it would be similar to the twilight movies and such. Which I was basically right.... but at least thankfully the vampires don't sparkle in the sunlight. I know I am only 5 episodes in... but so far while it isn't really a bad series I also ain't very impressed yet either. It is a little too much teen drama for my taste. Though the storyline is bringing me in a bit now. I do like the storyline of brother against brother. And I also like the idea of the rings keeping them safe in the sunlight. A much better solution then on Twilight in my opinion. I also like the addition of the witch storyline. At this point I would say I am interested in continuing the series... but really not sure just how much I will get into this one.

My Rating
Out of a Possible 5

Count:
Movie Count: 12
TV Ep. Count: 22
Other Count: 1

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Midnight Mass: Fright Flicks (2003/United States) Lions Gate Home Entertainment Director: Tony Mandile Writing: Tony Mandile (Original Material By), F. Paul Wilson (Original Material By) Length: 98 min. Rating: R Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles: None

Stars:
Douglas Gibson as Fr. Joe Cahill
Pamela Karp as Gwen Waters
Marvin W. Scwartz as Fr. Alberto Palmeri
Julia Cornish as Raven
Dave Dwyer as Carl Edwards
Mariana Matthews as "Mickey" Edwards

Plot:
In a world that has been taken over by vampires, Father Joe, a once reputed and respected priest who had been forced out of his parish, and his unlikely friend, a militant atheist, go to war against the vampire invasion that threatens to suck the blood out of the human race's veins.

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Audio Commentary
• Featurettes
• Gallery
• Outtakes/Bloopers
• Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:

When I found this DVD for sale (got it for only $1.59) I thought I remembered seeing this movie years ago on cable and enjoying it. But then I looked up reviews for it online and read many very bad reviews for it. So I figured it wasn't the movie I remembered it to be. But I figured for the price I would go ahead and give it a go anyway... despite the bad reviews. After watching it I find that it is indeed the movie I was originally thinking. And I did still enjoy it. Not quite as much as I remembered... but enough that I am glad I now have it in my collection. I really enjoy the main storyline of the vampires now outnumbering the humans... basically taking over the world. On the bad side it is a l a pretty low budget film. So there is no recognizable names... and the whole thing is a bit on the amateurish side. The acting is questionable at times. And some of the dialog could use a little help at times as well. But over-all I found it to be a good...entertaining vampire movie.

Now... do I recommend this movie to others. I really don't know what to say on that. There is many movies that I enjoy every minute of... but I seem to be the only one who does. So the question remains... is this movie actually worth the time to put into it... and there is a lot of unfair reviews for it. Or is this one of the several that is just a bad movie that fits in with my tastes and I am one of the few that finds it to be good? So I guess I would say take this review with a grain of salt. If you get the chance to watch it free (or very cheap) consider giving it a chance. But don't go into it expecting much.

My Rating
Out of a Possible 5

Count:
Movie Count: 13
TV Ep. Count: 22
Other Count: 1

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Night Shadow (1989/United States) Echo Bridge Home Entertainment Director: Randolph Cohlan Writing: Mark Crowe (Original Material By), Randolph Cohlan (Writer) Length: 91 min. Rating: NR Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles: None

Stars:
Brenda Vance as Alex Jung
Rick Scott as Hitcher
Dane Chan as Tai Jung
Alta LaFlame as Alta
Tom Boylan as Adam Newquest
Mike Hamilton as Earl

Plot:
Alex, an up and coming TV journalist, returns to her hometown of Danford as local police attempt to cope with a series of brutal murders. The small town plunges into a state of panic and the murders-clearly the work of a monster, more beast then man-continue...until Alex comes face to face with the evil itself.

Extras:

• Scene Access

My Thoughts:

This movie is one that is part of a horror collection. 4 movies on 1 disc that I recently got for this marathon. Unfortunately this movie didn't impress me at all. Hopefully I will like at least one of the other three movies on this disc to make it worth the purchase. At least this DVD only cost me 99¢ for the entire four movies. So I can't complain too much either way I guess. But I just found the movie to be boring. The story failed to keep me the least bit interested. And I am not sure if they were trying to make a low budget werewolf movie or a low budget martial arts movie. As one of the young guys in this movie was a martial arts expert... living in a small town... and seems like him and his sister was the only Asian people in the town. Sister looked maybe half Asian and they lived with a god parent... not saying what happened to their parents. They really didn't show too clear of a shot of the werewolf (a couple decent shots towards end of movie). The effects weren't too bad for a low budget horror. But either way... Not recommended.. Don't waste your time with this one.

My Rating
Out of a Possible 5

Count:
Movie Count: 14
TV Ep. Count: 22
Other Count: 1

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Kraken: Tentacles of the Deep (2006/United States) Echo Bridge Home Entertainment Director: Tibor Takacs Writing: Tim Cox (Screenwriter), Sean Keller (Screenwriter), Nicholas Garland (Screenwriter), Brian D. Young (Screenwriter) Length: 88 min. Rating: R Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.78:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles: None

Stars:
Charlie O'Connell as Ray
Victoria Pratt as Nicole
Kristi Angus as Jenny
Cory Monteith as Michael
Jack Scalia as Maxwell
Aleks Paunovic as Ike

Plot:
Thirty years ago, Ray Reiter witnessed the brutal death of his parents at sea by a strange, octopus-like creature. Now determined to avenge their murders, he joins a perilous high-seas expedition that brings him face to face with the killer Kraken-guardian of the coveted Greek Opal-and a ruthless crime lord who wants the treasure for himself.

Extras:

• Scene Access

My Thoughts:

This movie is another one that was on with that terrible Night Shadow. I went into it expecting the worst after that last movie. But only 10 minutes in I had already felt this movie was 3 times better than that last one. This one also has the added bonus that there is a couple familiar faces in it. First there is Charlie O'Connell (Jerry O'Connell's brother) who was in the fourth season of Sliders with his brother. Then there is Victoria Pratt who was one of the stars of the low budget Sci-Fi series Cleopatra 2525. I have to say... this is the first time I ever seen an opening title card done like it is in this movie... The Title Card says...

Deadly Water
A.K.A.: Kraken: Tentacles of the Deep

It is the first time I ever seen a title and an alternate title on the same title card in the opening of a movie. While the movie could have been better... I enjoyed this one. It definitely made the purchase of the DVD worth it. Thankfully... after that first movies I did have my concerns. Kraken is a Giant Squid... and he is shown clearly in many shots through-out the movie. There is some decent killings and a story that was able to keep my attention through-out. I would say it is worth checking out. But it isn't something I would put much money to seeing. If you can find it cheap cool. If you can catch it on cable for free... even better.

My Rating
Out of a Possible 5

Count:
Movie Count: 15
TV Ep. Count: 22
Other Count: 1

[Tom]

My Thoughts:

This is the first chance I got to check out this series. I went into this one expecting a teen drama... figuring it would be similar to the twilight movies and such. Which I was basically right.... but at least thankfully the vampires don't sparkle in the sunlight. I know I am only 5 episodes in... but so far while it isn't really a bad series I also ain't very impressed yet either. It is a little too much teen drama for my taste. Though the storyline is bringing me in a bit now. I do like the storyline of brother against brother. And I also like the idea of the rings keeping them safe in the sunlight. A much better solution then on Twilight in my opinion. I also like the addition of the witch storyline. At this point I would say I am interested in continuing the series... but really not sure just how much I will get into this one.

As far as I remember the series got better after the first few episodes. Less like a teen drama and much less like Twilight (though I cannot really say, because I never saw Twilight).

[addicted2dvd]

That is good to know. Hopefully I will be able to get into it more on the next disc then.

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George A. Romero's Survival of the Dead (2009/Canada) Magnolia Home Entertainment Director: George A. Romero Writing: George A. Romero (Writer) Length: 90 min. Rating: R Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles: Spanish

Stars:
Alan Van Sprang as Sarge
Josh Peace as D.J.
Hardee T. Lineham as Lieutenant Vaughn
Dru Viergever as Soldier Zombie
Eric Woolfe as Kenny
Shawn Roberts as Tony

Plot:
The newest film from horror master George A. Romero (legendary creator of the Night of the Living Dead franchise) picks up where Diary of the Dead leaves off. On a small island off the coast of Delaware, live two families locked in a struggle for power and control over the fate of the undead. The O'Flynn's approach the zombie plague with a shoot-to-kill attitude. The Muldoons feel that the zombies should be quarantined and kept "alive", in hopes that a solution will be discovered. For both families, existence on Plum Island is a nightmarish world where humans are the minority and zombies rule.

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Audio Commentary
• Bonus Trailers
• Featurettes
• Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:

This is another movie I heard nothing but bad things about. So I went into it with very low expectations. After watching it I found I enjoyed it. It is definitely the worst of the George A. Romero zombie movies... but I feel it is still a good zombie movie. When I review a movie I try not to compare it to any other movie. Just review it as a stand alone movie. Though I admit that is easier said then done sometimes. There is definitely some things here I liked and some things I didn't. But when it comes down to it... I liked more about it then I disliked. So Over-all I am glad I added it to my collection. And even happier that I was able to do so for only 99¢.

My Rating
Out of a Possible 5

Count:
Movie Count: 16
TV Ep. Count: 22
Other Count: 1

[samuelrichardscott]

Horse riding zombies is never a bad thing. This is my least fave of the series but I still enjoyed it.

[Achim]

There is a scene with the horse later on in the movie which I quite liked as well. A bad Romero zombie can still be better than a lot of other drivel out there...