This is my second year taking part in the film watching competition known as "Halloween Horror Movie Marathon Madness" or simply "The Madness". Throughout the month of October a group of Facebook users sing up and are assigned to groups with one simple goal; watch as many madness eligible films as possible and end the month victorious with the most points. If you are interested be sure to check out the group by visiting https://www.facebook.com/groups/HALLOWEENMADNESS/ Below are the movies I watched during week two of this years madness. Even with no viewing on Sunday I was still able to finish out week two with a better score than last week. It was also a good week to revisit some favorites and discover some new movies, for better or worse, thanks to the always important triple bonus points.
Eloise's Rawther Unusual Halloween (2006, 60mins)
Total Points: 1
My daughter loves Eloise and the Halloween theme means it counts. Enough said. 2/5
Gremlins 2 (1990, 106mins)
Total Points 3 (Attack under darkness bonus)
Gremlins 2 was one of my earliest theater going experiences. I was so obsessed with the first movie there was no way my parents were going to get away with not bringing me to see this. Not as good as the first film but still enjoyable and it's fun to look for all of the cameos of actors from previous Dante films. 4/5
Hotel Transylvania (2012, 91mins)
Total Points 3 (Bat startling bonus)
Slightly better than I remember it, but I'm still not a big fan of this movie. I like the concept but something about it falls a bit flat for me. 2/5
As Above So Below (2014, 93mins)
Total Points 6 (Finale underground)
I was really looking forward to watching this again. I was surprised at just how much I enjoyed it on the first viewing and it completely holds up the second time around. The location is great and I love how the film is almost like Indiana Jones goes to Hell. It's also always refreshing to have a heroine who is not only resourceful but intelligent and highly educated and must use all of those skills in order to escape alive. This one's a real gem I highly recommend checking it out. 5/5
Goosebumps (1995-1998 30mins) I watched another 14 Episodes in week two so again rather than list the date and runtime for each I figured I would save some typing and simply list them all below. My general thoughts on the series are that it's entertaining and I'm glad I can watch it with my daughter but I have no nostalgic tie to the show as I never watched it as a kid. I was 12 when it started so I think I was past the age of interest. I had already stopped reading the books at that point and had certainly moved onto much more adult oriented horror so an anthology program aimed at younger kids wouldn't have really been of interest to me. I have also rated these based on their comparison to each other. A 3/5 for a Goosebumps episode could be much less outside of the series.
- Piano Lessons Can Be Murder: Total Points .5 - A new kid in town enrolls in piano lessons with a teacher who has a strange obsession with his hands. Better than some of the episodes I watched in week one. 2.5/5
- Return of the Mummy: Total Points 2 (ancient tomb, hidden passage, dropped in a pit)- A boy becomes lost in ancient tomb inhabited by a mummy. Again, one of the better episodes I've seen. 3/5
- You Can't Scare Me: Total Points .5 - Some kids want to scare their classmate by dressing up as mud monsters based on a local legend. Unfortunately for them, the mud monster is real. This literally ends with a girl talking a monster to death, really dumb. 1/5
- Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes: Total Points 1 (Gnomes only attack under darkness) - Gnomes come to life at night and wreak havoc. Would work better had they been appropriately sized lawn gnomes rather than little people in costumes. 1/5
- Attack of the Jack-O-Lanterns: Total Points .5 - Two pumpkin headed creatures force some kids to trick or treat on Halloween. The ending has two of the most ridiculous looking aliens I've ever seen. 1.5/5
- Scarecrow Walks at Midnight: Total Points .5 - Scarecrows terrorize inhabitants of a farm. By far the best episode I've seen. I love a good scarecrow story and this one delivers. 4/5
- Vampire Breath: Total Points 1 (Vampire attacks under darkness) - Two kids discover a vampire living in a hidden room in their basement. The vampire was kind of effective, the episode itself is a bit strange. 2/5
- Don't Wake Mummy: Total Points .5 - Some kids resurrect a mummy in their home. I'm pretty sure the girl in this went on to star in Criminal Minds. The episode deserves some credit for throwing a mummy heart into a garbage disposal. 2.5/5
- The Blob That Ate Everyone: Total Points 1 (monster in basement) - Some kids have a magic typewriter that brings anything they type into the real world. They accidentally turn their friend into a blob creature. The blob monster was kind of cool. 2/5
- A Shocker on Shock Street: Total Points 1 (bat startles character) - Two kids have the opportunity to be the first allowed into shocker studios. Too bad I couldn't get a bonus for characters going on a dark ride. 1/5
- My Best Friend in Invisible: Total Points .5 - A boys life is made more difficult by an invisible kid. How many times can we get a variation on the same twist? .5/5
- One Day at Horrorland Part 1: Total Points .5 - The first part of this one is kind of fun even though this looks like the most thrown together example of an "amusement park" I've ever seen. 2.5/5
- One Day at Horrorland Part 2: Total Points .5 - It all goes down hill when the main characters find out their actually on a hidden camera show for monsters. I don't know how much more I can take of this series. 1/5
- Say Cheese and Die Again: Total Points 1 (bat startles character) - Wow. I hate this episode. The worst thing that can happen to this kid is that he will wake up overweight. I wish he really did explode. .5/5
Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015, 89mins)
Total Points 5 (bat startles character, hidden passage/room, character referred to as "prince of darkness")
More fun than the original though the message seems a bit muddy. It seems that the message for kids to take away would be accepting our differences but in the end little Dennis becomes what everyone wants him to, which defeats the point a bit. 2.5.5
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984, 91mins)
Total Points 6
It's amazing to think that Wes Craven is one of the few major horror directors who managed to impact the genre in three different decades. A Nightmare on Elm Street will always be one of the best in the genre. While the acting is admittedly shaky there's way too much good in this movie to allow that to overshadow it. 5/5
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987, 93mins)
Total Points 6
My favorite of the Nightmare series. It's the one that really saw the potential of this world Craven had created. The concept of altering our dreams opened up the true possibility of the dream world and the characters within it. While part 4 would continue on the idea this one shows it in a way that none of the other films did. 5/5
The Monster Club (1981, 104mins)
Total Points 4 (Secret rooms hidden in the bar wall, vampire attacks at night)
The Monster Club is an anthology film based around different kinds of monsters both traditional and non-traditional. Donald Pleasance is always a welcome addition and he's particularly weird in the second segment but segment three about a village of ghouls who have run out of bodies to feed on was my favorite. 2.5/5
C.H.U.D (1984, 88mins)
Total Points 6 (finale in sewer/subway)
A true classic and childhood favorite of mine. This movie scared the crap out of me as a kid and I kept going back for more. The creature design is great, I love the underground setting and the acting is surprisingly strong. 5/5
Earth vs. the Spider (1958, 73mins)
Total Points 6 (Carlsbad bonus)
A giant spider decides to leave his comfortable cave to feed on the local townsfolk. Not one of the better giant bug movies of the era but I had a good enough time with it. I love how a cave can be blown up with dynamite and collapse on a young couple yet they are able to brush themselves off an walk away unharmed. 2.5/5
The Roost (2005, 80mins)
Total Points 4 (bat startling, basement monster in the wraparound story)
I bought The Roost back when it came out as a blind buy. I was so happy I did because I fell in love with it. Everything about it was so simple yet worked incredibly well. I also really enjoyed the horror host angle West used to introduce the film. 4/5
Halloweentown (1988, 84mins)
Total Points 4 (Antagonist attacks under darkness, hellmouth? [the demon comes from a swirling portal, though it's not explicitly stated what it is he is referred to as a demon and so I am assuming it's a hellmouth])
I know I watched this last year. I don't remember what I gave it though I imagine I was just as underwhelmed then as I am now. I know there's love for this movie out there, it's just not coming from me. 2/5
Bloody Knuckles (2014, 85mins)
Total Points 2
Bloody Knuckles concerns a comic book artist who offends an Asian mafioso causing him to cut off the artists hand. The hand returns to life and along with a homosexual bondage clad man they set out for revenge against the Asian gang members. I really enjoyed Bloody Knuckles. It's the kind of movie that is willing to offend viewers but never pointlessly. Everything pays off in one way or another. The performances are really good as well and the film features a few nasty but well done effects. 4/5
The Hole (2009, 92mins)
Total Points 6 (character enters hellmouth willingly)
This Madness has been filled with Joe Dante films and I've got at least one more lined up before its all over. This was a first time viewing of The Hole and I really liked it. I thought the concept was great and there are some genuinely unnerving and creative visuals. It also feels like a pg-13 movie that was made that way rather than studio forced, similar to what Dante had done in the past with movies like The Burbs or Gremlins 2. This one had been on my radar for a while and I'm glad the triple bonus was there to push me to it. 4/5
The Bat People (1974, 91mins)
Total Points 6 (Carlsbad bonus)
A man is bitten by a bat. He begins to turn into a batman. The batman then proceeds to beat up mannequins and attack trailer park residents. Good times may have been had by all involved, but probably not by those watching. Though I did appreciate the seen where the sheriff gets killed and we can see the bats feeding on him. It also should have been called "bat person" since there were no bat people to be found. 1/5
Invitation to Hell (1984, 96mins)
Total Points 6 (character enters hellmouth willingly)
In 1984, the same year Wes Craven would release A Nightmare on Elm Street, he directed a tv movie about a health club that had a doorway to hell in its basement. Members would join with the cost being their souls. I remember this from when I was a kid. I know I liked it then as it had a body snatcher's or stepford wives vibe that always resonated with me. It doesn't hold up as well today but you gotta love those 80's health club fashions. 2.5/5
Gargoyles (1972, 75mins)
Total Points 6 (Carlsbad bonus)
Another first time watched long time queued movie for this madness. I've heard many talk about Gargoyles and I've always been curious to check it out. Overall I found it pretty enjoyable. The short run time helps it move along at a really good pace and the rubber suited gargoyles are fun. 3.5/5
Ernest Scared Stupid (1991, 91mins)
Total Points 2
Ernest is a yearly watch in my house. My wife may not appreciate it but my daughter does. I think the movie's a blast. It's the right amount of funny and scary for young kids and it's filled with nostalgia for me. I don't care what anyone says, it's a classic to me. 4/5
The Boogens (1981, 95mins)
Total Points 6 (finale in cave)
The Boogens is an odd movie in that it's a perfect example of an effective movie that was probably harmed by its creature design because they are laughable once they are revealed. That, however, shouldn't take away from the rest of the movie because there is a lot to enjoy. 4/5
Roger Williams Park Zoo Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular
Total Points 2 (outside event)
The reason I had no viewing points on Sunday this week is because I was in Providence Rhode Island for their Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular. This is the first time we've been to this event and it's truly amazing. There are thousands of pumpkins along a 45 minute trail with a hundred or so intricately carved pumpkins. My kids were completely in awe as were my wife and I.
Total Points for Week 2: 101
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