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 four of this years madness. Since week four is the final week of the competition and falls in with Halloween I watched a handful of films that I watch annually around Halloween giving up some bonus point opportunities but still a good week overall.
The Midnight Hour (1985, 94mins)
Total Points: 3 (vampires and werewolves attack under darkness)
Classic television production in which some kids accidentally raise all variations of the dead on Halloween night. This is an annual Halloween viewing for me since I first saw it a few years ago. I wish I had seen it back in the 80's. 4/5
Elvira's Movie Macabre: Frankensteins Castle of Freaks (1984/1974, 90mins)
Total Points: 9 (Elvira ATB for finale in cave)
Why is it that little people were so often portrayed as perverts back in old days of horror. Whether it be the sinful dwarf, Ralphus and now little Genz who is doing god knows what to those corpses. I actually had a lot of enjoyment with this one. 3/5
Queen Crab (2015, )
Total Points: 2
Brett Piper is at it again, which could be good or bad depending on who you are. For me, it's somewhere in between. His movies are usually amusing to a degree but wear thin after a bit. Same holds true here. In case anyone was wondering, the plot involves girl who spends her life raising a crab into a gigantic mutant crab. 2/5
A Plague so Pleasant (2013, 76mins)
Total Points: 2
An interesting take on the zombie film where the government has outlawed the killing of zombies. The best stuff probably involves the day to day office life in a post apocalyptic world where employees must endure new forms of HR training. 3/5
The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror (1988 - Present, 30mins)
Episode I - Total Points: .5 - The first ever Simpsons Halloween special saw the family move into a haunted house and be abducted by aliens as well as a unique take on Poe's The Raven. Still stands as a fun episode and a good starting point for some of the amazing episodes to come. 4/5
Episode IV - Total Points: 3 (Features The Devil as a primary character) - Homer sells his soul for a doughnut, Bart battles a gremlin on the school bus and and vampires take over Springfield. This stands as one of my favorite episodes. Parodying everything from the Twilight Zone to Bram Stoker and Salems Lot the episode is great fun with tons of little in jokes for genre fans. 5/5
Episode VII- Total Points: 1 (creature living in attic) - Bart discovers he has an evil deformed twin living in the attic, Lisa accidentally grows a mini civilization and Kang and Kudos run for president. Overall a fun episode but it's always difficult to have an episode where the humor relies heavily on the news items of the time so younger viewers most likely have no idea where some of the humor in the final segment is coming from. 3/5
Episode XXVI- Total Points: 1 (scene underground) - Sideshow Bob finally kills Bart, Homerzilla wreaks havoc and Millhouse and the Simpson kids gain superpowers a'la Chronicle after falling into a hole. While I still watch the annual Halloween outing from the Simpsons it's rare they ever hold a candle to some of those really strong episodes early on. Unfortunately this one left me pretty underwhelemd as well. 2/5
The Haunted Mansion (2003, 88mins)
Total Points: 4 (hidden passage in bookcase, hellmouth opens up in floor)
First time with this one. It's pretty bad. I'll stick with the ride, which is great fun. 1/5
The Unknown Terror (1957, 76mins)
Total Points: 6 (finale in cave)
A group of people encounter a fungus monster in a cave. The movie wouldn't be so bad if it didn't take sooooo long to get to the good stuff. 1.5/5
Elvira's Movie Macabre: Count Draculas Great Love (1973/1982, 98mins)
Total Points: 9 (Elvira ATB two vampires destroyed by sun)
What's not to love about Spanish vampire films? Lots of nudity and lots of violence. Without those elements, they would probably be unwatchable. Of course Elvira always helps. 2.5/5
The Descent (2005, 99mins)
Total Points: 6 (Finale in Cave)
A true modern classic and one that holds up with every viewing. It's like an hour and a half of pure claustrophobic horror and I love every minute. Also, I think Juno gets a bad rap throughout the movie. 5/5
The Lost Boys (1988, 97mins)
Total Points: 4 (vampires attack under darkness, scene in cave)
The Lost Boys is kind of an interesting one for me. I grew up loving it and over the years lost some of that love. I'm not really sure what it is but it just lost some of the magic that really worked for me as a child. It's still a fun movie with plenty of memorable characters and moments there's just something missing that prevents it from being a real classic for me. 3.5/5
Dear Dracula (2012, 42mins)
Total Points: 1 (attacks under darkness)
Dracula goes to a small town to visit his biggest fan, a young boy who wrote him a letter. Fun for what it is though I would have no interest in watching it again. 2/5
Night of the Demons (1988, 90mins)
Total Points: 6 (sunlight destroys the demons)
One of my favorite Halloween movies of all time and one I've been watching for years around Halloween. It's one of those movies that I randomly discovered at an impressionable age and fell in love with it and its first sequel immediately upon first viewings. This one must have been like capturing lightning in a bottle as there are few movies out there that have this kind of energy and entertainment value even after multiple viewings. Essential Halloween viewing. 5/5
Halloween (1978, 91mins)
Total Points: 2
Not much to say on this one. I watch it every year and it will always stand as one of my favorite horror films. 5/5
The Fog (1980, 89mins)
Total Points:3 (phantom fog)
The Fog is a really effective outing from Carpenter that just happens to be sandwiched right in the middle of what I would consider his two best theatrical releases, Halloween and The Thing. I remember being terrified of the box art on this movie and the first time I finally conjured up the courage to watch it was actually when it ran on cable and the scene with the old lady and the little boy scared the crap out of me. I still love The Fog and usually put it on around this time of year. 5/5
Dementia 13 (1963, 75mins)
Total Points: 2
Dementia 13 is another annual watch for me but one that I really only started watching regularly over the past few years. I happened to catch it one evening on TCM and was shocked at how much I enjoyed it and was almost dumbfounded as to how I had never watched it prior. I think the movie moves at a really good pace and is a ton of fun. 5/5
Halloween 3 (1982, 98mins)
Total Points: 2
My third favorite Halloween film after the first two and a film I've talked at length about previously. All I can really say is what's been said by many others, Halloween 3 was unfairly overlooked for years by genre fans and I get the sense that as the young fans who grew up with it finally found their voice we were finally able to speak out in defense of a movie that deserved more respect. 5/5
Jason X (2001, 91mins)
Total Points: 2
Jason X is a fun movie for what it is. The filmmakers clearly knew where the franchise was at this point and by putting Jason into outer space they very quickly made their intentions clear to the audience. At the very least it brought the basic formula into a new environment and managed to have some fun along the way. 3/5
Elviras Movie Macabre: Night of the Living Dead (1968, 96mins)
Total Points: 3 (Elvira bonus)
Night of the Living Dead is another one I watch on or around Halloween every year. It's a movie that had an aura of mystery around it when I was younger as my mother would tell me the story about the first time she saw it in a theater as a teenager and how much it frightened her. Seeing it at a young age allowed it to have a similar and lasting effect on me. I find it to be the perfect movie to watch around this wonderful holiday. 5/5
Total Week 4 Points: 71.5 Points
