Haven't watched many films at all this year but with Halloween coming up I'm going to try to go through my backlog. This is everything horror-related I've watched since the last time I posted in no particular order:
Child's Play (1988): I saw a couple of the sequels at sleepovers as a kid but never the original. Silly movie that works because it takes itself seriously. Surprisingly good production values. I could listen to Brad Dourif scream all day. (B+)
Return of the Living Dead: Low-budget horror-comedy with a punk-rock feel that sets itself up as a direct sequel to the original NotLD. A cult classic that actually lives up to the hype - do yourself a favor and watch it if you haven't already. (A)
Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead: Extremely low-budget horror-comedy from Australia that crosses the zombie genre with a Road Warrior post-apocalypse feel. Reminds me of both Shaun of the Dead and Peter Jackson's early films but not quite as funny as either. A little rough in the first 20 minutes or so but it does eventually find its legs. Manages to create a few new wrinkles in the zombie formula. There's supposed to be a TV series in the works but nothing except a brief teaser has come out yet. (B-/C+)
The Abominable Dr. Phibes: Famed organist Vincent Price, thought dead for years, begins killing off the hospital staff he blames for his wife's death using methods (loosely) based on the Plagues of Egypt. Campy, theatrical horror/black comedy with colorful set design. Obviously inspired by The Phantom of the Opera but the story and the murders may have influenced Se7en and even Saw. (B+)
One Cut of the Dead: A Japanese crew filming a low-budget zombie movie suddenly encounters the real thing - or is that all there is to it? Maybe the biggest turnaround I've ever had with a film - I was almost ready to turn it off at the 40-minute mark and by the end I was ready to recommend it to all my friends. Go in knowing as little as possible and resolve to watch the entire thing. (A-)
Blood and Black Lace: Gorgeously-filmed murder mystery by director Mario Bava is usually considered the first of the Italian giallo genre. Film has lurid colors, elaborate set design, a faceless masked killer and a level of brutality and sexuality that must have been a bit shocking for the early 60s. Good stuff, even if the mystery falls apart near the end (A-)
Bay of Blood (aka Twitch of the Death Nerve): Another Mario Bava film, considered by some to be the first slasher film. Begins as another murder mystery, except the story seems like an afterthought and the inventive killings quickly become the focus. At first I had a difficult time getting into the film because it felt like there was no one to relate to, but once you realize all the characters are bastards it becomes easier to just sit back and enjoy the carnage. The film even ends on a blackly comic note that flips the rest of the film on its head. The level of style and technical prowess that Bava brings to all his films is here in spades. (B)
Body Bags: Pilot for a Tales from the Crypt-inspired horror anthology from Showtime that never got off the ground, hosted by a morgue worker played by John Carpenter (who also directed two of the three stories, with the third directed by Tobe Hooper). Carpenter is a hoot as the host - none of the individual stories are that great but it's a fun little package. Lots of cameos by various horror actors and directors and even Debbie Harry. (C+)