Topic: Marie's Halloween/Horror Marathon

[Dragonfire]

I have been watching movies since the first..I'm just once again behind in sharing about them.
So I'm at least starting now. 

[Jimmy]

I've seen it in your banner 
but you seem to have choose to watch movie you have already seen

[Dragonfire]

The 'Burbs Tom Hanks portrays suburbanite Ray Peterson, whose plans for a peaceful vacation are disturbed by a creepy new family on the block, in this outrageous suspense-comedy directed by Joe Dante. To the disappointment of his wife Carol (Carrie Fisher), Ray decides to spend a relaxing week at home, and soon gets into trouble with his neighbors - a hefty busybody (Rick Ducommun), a freaked-out ex-soldier (Bruce Dern), and a spacey teenager (Corey Feldman) - as they observe the strange happenings next door at the Klopek's bizarre residence. When the neighborhood grouch suddenly disappears, the men are convinced the ramshackle house hides some hideous clues. Armed with assault rifles, high-powered binoculars and a shovel, they decide to see for themselves exactly what is going on in the Klopek place, Set in an average neighborhood that is anything but average, THE 'BURBS blends slapstick comedy and spine-thrilling mystery with the type of witty humor that has made Tom Hanks one of today's most popular stars.

I decided I was in the mood for this one again.  I know it is more comedy than horror, but I like watching it in October.  Things start of normal enough, showing Ray attempting to have a vacation at home while also speculating about the creepy new neighbors.  There are definitely some twisted, scary elements to the movie, all tied to those neighbors.  I like the blend of humor with the scary elements and think it helps to make the movie more entertaining.  There is some suspense in a few scenes as well.  I still really enjoy the movie and think it has held up well.  The characters are interesting and the cast is really good.



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

The 'Burbs

I also posted about this one here before.

[Dragonfire]

I've seen it in your banner 
but you seem to have choose to watch movie you have already seen

Not all of them..I know it has only been a few, but I have gotten to some I haven't watched on DVD yet.  There are just some I like to watch every year in October too. 
Some of the time, I watch the movie while doing some other things..so I've been waiting to watch some until I can make sure I can give the movie my full attention.

[Dragonfire]

Haunted Honeymoon What do you get when you combine three of Hollywood's most hysterical talents with a creaky old castle and a werewolf legend? An "amiable, kinky blend of high jinks and horror" (The Hollywood Reporter) that'll leave you howling with laughter! Starring Gene Wilder, Gilda Radner and Dom DeLuise, this "ingenious, amusing horror comedy [will] put a smile on your face – and keep it there" (Los Angeles Times)! At the mansion of his Great Aunt Kate (DeLuise), Larry Abbot (Wilder) is undergoing a psychological procedure designed to rid him of his irrational phobias...by frightening them right out of him! But the jolts and frights may turn out to be the least of his problems when Great Kate names him her sole heir. Suddenly, the entire family seems a little too vigorous in participating in his "scare-apy," – leading Larry to believe that one of his jealous kin may be murderous...and that another may be werewolverous!

I saw this one on television at some point..I can't remember how long ago now.  I found the DVD for only $1 and I couldn't resist.  This is the first time I've seen the movie in years and I had forgotten a lot about it.

The plot is fairly simple, but I thought it was entertaining.  A lot of what happens - like the idea of scaring Larry out of his panic attacks - is silly.  Some things could be too silly for some viewers.  I enjoyed the movie.  It has a decent mix of comedy with a haunted house type story.  Most of the movie takes place in a huge, creepy looking house that does add to the atmosphere.  Dom DeLuise playing a woman is something else that is a bit silly, but it somehow works. 

The characters are fine, though none are that developed.  The cast is really good.  I really liked Gilda Radner.  Unfortunately, this was her last movie.

Haunted Honeymoon has some issues, but it is fun and entertaining overall.  Fans of the cast should give it a chance.



Haunted Honeymoon

[Dragonfire]

Scooby-Doo!: Camp Scare Welcome to Camp Little Moose – where the counselors are friendly, the activities are endless and the urban legends are intense. In fact, every time someone tells a ghost story, the creepy creature comes to life! But the Mystery Inc. gang doesn't spook that easily, so gather 'round the campfire to roast some bad guys. Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, Freddy, Daphne and Velma fish for clues to solve the mysteries of the Woodsman, the Fishman and the Banshee of Black Canyon. And, of course, Shaggy and Scooby-Doo are hot on the Case of What's for Dinner! Scare up summertime fun with the Mystery, Inc. gang in this hilarious, feature-length movie that gives new meaning to camp spirit!

I picked this one up last year when I found it priced reasonable.  When I didn't get it watched last October, I decided to wait for this year.

The movie has the original characters in a new direct to video animated movie.  The characters all look like they did in the original cartoon and they do wear their usual outfits at least part of the time.  They also wear things that are fit for a summer camp. 

The first monster turns up within the first few minutes of the movie when the story about him is told.  After that, the gang shows up at the camp, which just happens to be the one that Fred went to as a child.  He's all excited about being a counselor, so he wants to stay while Shaggy and Scooby are ready to run.  The characters act like they have in other cartoons and movies and no one doesn't anything that is really out of character.  The mystery is decent for a fairly short movie.  I did keep guessing about what was going on.  The story is interesting and entertaining and enough is going on to keep things from being boring even though some of what happens is predictable.  The movie is worth watching for people who like the characters.

I think the Blu-ray was only available at Walmart.  There are a few extras, but nothing that special.



I did get a review posted on Epinions.

Scooby Doo - Camp Scare

[Jimmy]

I take a guess... the monster is a speculator hidden behind a mask who wants to get the camp land to build a tourist resort

[Dragonfire]

The Haunted Mansion From the studio that brought you Pirates Of The Caribbean...here's the fright-filled comedy adventure loaded with hair-raising laughs and eye-popping special effects! Eddie Murphy (Daddy Day Care) stars as a real estate agent whose family comes face to face with 999 grim, grinning ghosts in the creepy old Gracey Manor! Now, with the help of supernatural psychic Madame Leota (Jennifer Tilly - Liar, Liar), they must hilariously battle to break the mansion of its age-old curse...and do it before the clock strikes 13!

I decided to watch this one again.  I seem to like watching it in October.  The plot isn't anything complicated and much of what happens is predictable.  I enjoy the movie and think it works as a family friendly ghost movie.  Several things that happen are silly, but it manages to work for the movie.  Some people will probably find it too silly.  Eddie Murphy isn't too annoying in this one, though he may bother some viewers.  People that don't like him should avoid this movie.



I did post about this one at Epinions after I first saw the movie.

The Haunted Mansion

I think I've posted about this one here before too.

[Dragonfire]

I take a guess... the monster is a speculator hidden behind a mask who wants to get the camp land to build a tourist resort

Not exactly...though there could be a mask or two involved.

[Jimmy]

Of course or it won't be the Scooby Doo I remember from my kid days

[Dragonfire]

Right.  Scooby-Doo needs to have masks and people who would have gotten away with it if not for those meddling kids.

[Dragonfire]

Elvira, Mistress of the Dark When her Great Aunt dies, famed horror hostess Elvira® heads for the uptight New England town of Falwell to claim her inheritance of a haunted house, a witch's cookbook and a punk rock poodle. But once the stuffy locals get an eyeful of the scream queen's ample assets, all hell busts out and breaks loose. Can The Madonna Of The Macabre find love with a studly cinema owner, avoid her creepy Great Uncle, titillate the town's teens and become a Las Vegas dance sensation all without being burned alive at the stake? Cassandra Peterson stars in this sexy comedy hit, filled with wild wisecracks, campy chaos and scary movie spoofs, all poured into the lowest-cut black gown in horror movie history!

This one is campy as hell, but it is fun.  I decided I was in the mood for it the other night and decided to watch it again.  Most of what happens is rather silly, but I think it works for the movie.  There is over acting all over the place, but that is to be expected with Elvira I think.  This one isn't really scary or suspenseful, but there are still scary movie elements to it and it is fun.  It isn't for everyone though.

I rounded up from 3.5 to 4 stars when I posted a review on Epinions.  I did post about this one here before as well.

Elvira, Mistress of the Dark

[Dragonfire]

Casper From director Brad Silberling and Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment comes a live-action fun house ride filled with laughter, excitement and ghostly surprises. "Ghost therapist" Dr. James Harvey (Bill Pullman) and his daughter Kat (Christina Ricci) arrive at drafty, old Whipstaff Manor.  Its greedy owner, Carrigan Crittendon (Cathy Moriarty) has hired Dr. Harvey to exorcise the house's apparitions: a friendly but lonely young ghost named Casper, who's just looking for a friend, and his outrageous uncles Stretch, Stinkie and Fatso (The Ghostly Trio).  If the plan works, she and Dibs (Eric Idle), her partner-in-slime, can get their hands on the manor's fabled treasure.  Meanwhile, Casper has found a kindred spirit in Kat, but The Ghostly Trio will not tolerate "fleshies" in their house. With hilarious antics and dazzling special effects from many of the creators of Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Jurassic Park,™ Casper is a mile-a-minute adventure comedy for the whole family.

I first saw this one in the theater when it first came out.  It is a fun, cute, family friendly ghost movie that I still enjoy.  The plot is a little silly, but it still manages to be entertaining.  There were a few minor surprises, but overall, the movie is fairly predictable.  It has held up well and is still worth watching.  The special effects for the ghosts were done well and I liked the look of the ghosts.  Casper did look like he did in cartoons and comic books I had seen him in.  A few things that happen might be a little scary for younger children, but the movie is good for families overall.



I did post a review at Epinions several years ago.

Casper

[Dragonfire]

Horror of Dracula

Horror of Dracula Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, Britain's premier masters of the macabre, bring the 'Horror of Dracula' to vivid, full-color death in this retelling of Bram Stoker's spellbinding vampire tale. Dracula (Lee), a centuries-old nobleman damned to an eternal half-life, travels from his native Transylvania to London. In the lurid nightlife of his adopted city, he finds new victims. He also finds Dr. Van Helsing (Cushing), a scientist who becomes the Count's implacable foe in a deadly game of bat-and-mouse. The dread is here -- as are the power and pathos of this genre landmark by which Hammer Studios ushered in a new era of screen chills from classic evildoers. Tremble through that era again. Unleash the horror.

This is the second Hammer Horror movie dealing with Dracula that I've seen.  I think I may have seen one of the Frankenstein movies they made at some point, but I can't remember for sure now.  I wasn't that impressed with the previous Hammer Dracula movie I saw.  I think it was one of the last movies the studio did.  Anyway, I liked Horror of Dracula a lot more.

The movie takes the well known Dracula story and tweaks things here and there, making a different Dracula movie that is very entertaining.  The changes work well for the movie and it is very entertaining.  While it really isn't that violent, for the time, it was considered violent and it showed certain things for the first time - the fangs, Dracula being killed in sunlight, vampires being staked through the heart.  Most of what happens is still predictable, but that doesn't keep the movie from being entertaining.  I think it is one of the better Dracula movies and I'm glad that I picked up this DVD set.

Christopher Lee is really good as Dracula.  He is charming and elegant, yet also menacing and chilling as Dracula.  He doesn't really have a lot of lines, but he does convey a lot through his expressions and even just how he walks into a room.  It is believable that women found him seductive.  I also liked Peter Cushing as Van Helsing.  He is mostly focused on dealing with Dracula, but he does show some compassion at times as well.  Lucy and Mina are a little different from how I've seen them before. 

I believe the movie was made on a smaller budget.  It really doesn't show.  The sets and costumes look good and there are a few decent effects.

Overall I really enjoyed Horror of Dracula.  People who like Dracula movies should definitely check this one out.



Horror of Dracula

[Jimmy]

Marie if you like the Hammer's vampire movie you must try to get this one. This is one of their last production and this is really an underated gem. I've the synapse release I've link in the beginning and the quality is incredible (maybe I'll try to watch it again before the end of this month even if I have a lot of unwatched stuff I want to watch first).

This is two review of this release from two review website I trust 100%.

Vampire Circus at DVD Drive-in
Vampire Circus at Mondo Digital