dadscarathon

[dadscarathon]

2024 Happy Halloween!

I got to spend a lot of time this year doing what I do every Spooptober.

I have enjoyed the art of facing your fears. I have wallowed in the creeping supernatural, shivered at the sudden violence, cringed at the looming contemplation of mortality.

I hope to keep these fears close to my heart over the next year, to remember that every day could be the last day and that no matter how onerous modern life may seen, at least I'm not being ripped apart by werewolves or being encouraged to start a jam band with zombies.

And when the onerous gets too onerous, the zombies are waiting.

See you next year!

[dadscarathon]

Day 31: Stopmotion

Ending this year's Spooptober with a movie about a movie!

It was very interesting with a theme that made perfect sense until it didn't, and that didn't seem to remove it's disturbing charm.

Scary: 1 out of 3. If this were a less thoughtful movie regarding stopmotion it might have rated in this category.

Gross: 2 out of 3. The gross things that happen in the movie, to be clear, are far less gruesome than your average B movie or gorefest. But they're handled in such a great, visceral real feeling way, even the ones that are more fantastic. It's hard to describe

Disturbing: 2 out of 3. You can't trip over a review online (I saw a couple of headlines while grabbing the movie poster image) without seeing the announcement that this movie is about the struggle between art and artist. I can't contest that, but I will say that the disturbing part is that it's not a struggle. Like a good horror movie, you know how it ends. The artist is consumed, or the artist withers.

Funny: 1 out of 3. No humor here, really. Nothing lightens the mood, and it's not meant to, so fair play.

Thoughtful: 2 out of 3. The ending of the movie was a bit dense. Where does the symbolic leave off and the horror pick up? Or does it? I suppose I'm giving a point here not because of any cleverness on the writers part, but because it did indeed make me think.

Total score: 8 out of 15. If you want a little Cronenberg in your Puppetmaster give it a try.

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Day 30: The Endless

Not an ooky spooky type of a film, or a flashy gory type of horror, but I liked this movie as it played on some of my own phobias.

Scary: 1 out of 3. no jump scares here, though the pacing is played up in such a way that the more disturbing scenes are able to slip in almost unnoticed at first.

Gross: 1 out of 3. There's not much in the way of gore. What practical effects were needed were very understated.

Disturbing: 2 out of 3. It's easy to get lost in the realm of all the terrible things that can happen to a person in a horror movie. For the most part, horror fans don't spend a lot of time on putting ourselves in the shoes of the victims. Not really, anyway. Not too many people assume their dreams are going to be a haunted by a serial killer, or get possessed by a demon, or get cursed by an ancient all powerful spirit to die in a horrific accident. There are some horror stories that feel more real than others. Is this one of them? Hard to say. Without spoiling a bit, I can't say what part of the movie impacted me this way, despite it's slow pace and stately march to an end, it worked to disturb me.

Funny: 2 out of 3. The main characters are brothers, and the writer clearly had siblings or a deep understanding of how that often works. I'm not certain it was meant to lighten the mood, but I was definitely smirking for about half of their scenes.

Thoughtful: 2 out of 3. As vaguely hinted at in the Disturbing score, the movie's premise is not something, we assume, that could or would happen, but the implications are interesting. underneath the fantasy of the... let's call it a 'monster' in the movie are very real consequences of existing as we know it. I love horror movies with epistemological implications.

Total score: 8 out of 15. This one won't scare you out of your boots, but if you like well written characters with an interesting horror, check this one out.

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Day 29: the Watchers

I didn't find this movie very frightening, but I was entertained by it. Fair warning, it has a "twist" ending that is very predictable, but still manages to be interesting.

Scary: 1 out of 3. Ironically, the closest thing to a jump scare isn't even part of the "horror" happening in the main plot. There are definitely some moments for the unprepared.

Gross: 1 out of 3. The monsters are never shown in real detail, which is for the best - and there is a minimum amount of bloodshed, but I've seen far worse in modern action movies.

Disturbing: 1 out of 3. Despite the movie's conceit, there's not a lot of "oh no, what if that really happened? nuggets in this movie.

Funny: 1 out of 3. There's no real comic relief, and the movie doesn't much need any since the tension and suspense are pretty tame comparatively.

Thoughtful: 2 out of 3. As mentioned, the end is twist-y, and yet doesn't meet expectations squarely. There's enough fun there and worldbuilding to make me walk away amused and slightly inspired.

Total score: 6 out of 15. This is a good one to watch with someone that doesn't do horror.

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Day 28: Pearl

I was determined after watch X to see if I could do that hat trick of the whole trilogy this Spooptober. But actually, if Maxxxine is as good as Pearl I might stop at this second movie.

This movie was intended to be the character study of a disturbing and disturbed person, I think. And I also think it did that well, but I just found myself daydreaming in the middle of it. Perhaps the fact that nothing happens in this movie that isn't already pretty much told in X made me uninterested, I'm not sure.

Scary: 1 out of 3. It's not that kind of movie, and it doesn't try to be.

Gross: 1 out of 3. There were a couple of gory effects at the end of the film, but nothing really stood out.

Disturbing: 1 out of 3. This is what the movie is going for, and perhaps and I'm just far too jaded to appreciate the work here, but I found Pearl's character a bit boring. Psychotic? Yes. Determined to get what she wants? You bet. But this describes nearly every psychopath in a horror movie (and perhaps outside of the movies as well.)

Funny: 1 out of 3. No.

Thoughtful: 1 out of 3. No deeper meaning here that I know of, and no real world building. There was a lot of period stuff that made the movie seem like "What if Dorothy Gale was a murderer?" but it wasn't so artfully done that I marveled at it. The fact that everything important about Pearl is, again, told to us in X, and this movie didn't seem to add to that story in a meaningful way may have been the source of my boredom.

Total Score: 5 out of 15. If you liked X and want to know more details about Pearl, give it a try.

[dadscarathon]

Day 27: Bone Tomahawk

Not categorized as horror everywhere, but I certainly would, I watched this movie with the wife in exchange for her watching Lisa Frankenstein with me, and I'm not sure who got the better deal. They were both fantastic movies.

Paced with suspense in mind, with plenty of all the things I look for in horror. With a budget to match, I suspect, I found the premise predictable, with defiance of expectations at the same time.

"Oh, I bet that guy dies first," I said. And I was right, but not in the way I thought. Good stuff.

Scary: 1 out of 3. There were certainly some startling scenes, but the movie didn't make a meal out of them.

Gross: 2 out of 3. Without getting too spoilery there are the kinds of things you would expect from the synopses and a bit more. The practical effects weren't ground breaking or numerous, but they were always set up in a way that made me want to turn away.

Disturbing: 2 out of 3. Again, no real spoilers here, but the ending left some food for thought that in my mind, the horror wasn't over for the characters. Add on to that the prevailing prejudices and casual bigotry of the era, the nonchalant approach to field amputations, the insistence the movie had on period communications and it did a good job. While an undead killer that haunts a summer camp and can't have it's thirst for blood sated is unsettling, the past is often more horrifying.

Funny: 2 out of 3. There was a character or two included that often had gallows humor, or an indomitable inexplicable optimism that was put to good use in the levain of the movie's bread.

Thoughtful: 1 out of 3. The "bad guys" of the movie aren't well explained, the world doesn't need building as it sort of existed already, and the ending did leave some room for thought, but I put that in the camp of Disturbing. As well done as the movie was, it wasn't a thinker.

Total score: 8 out of 15. If you like well produced movies, cowboys and occult slashers - or you just want to see Kurt Russel and Patrick Wilson as cowboys in the weird west, gives this one a shot.

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Day 26: Wounds

I think this movie was supposed to expose a person and how their unintentional connection to an occult force led to the movie's conclusion but... I found myself a little bored through most of it.

Maybe it was the the fact the character we were supposed to get to know wasn't just hollow but flat? I'm not entirely sure what it was, to be honest I just could find myself caring much about what was happening when it became obvious that the movie wasn't going to explain and didn't feel the need to make it feel like it was correct, whether or not it made sense. So, in a way, maybe that was the meta commentary. The characters were hollow, the story was hollow.

Scary:1 out of 3. There's a couple of attempts, but nothing seemed to stick. Perhaps a pacing issue.

Gross: 2 out of 3. I guess if you don't like bugs, coupled with the relatively minor body horror this deserves a point.

Disturbing: 1 out of 3. I think it was trying for this, but I'm not sure it worked. Perhaps it was the shallow way the horror was explained "some occult ritual" is fine, if you give the scary thing a little depth. We don't need to know where Freddy came from if we know what Freddy wants. We don't need to understand Jason's deepest desire if we get a demonstration of his method and immediate motive. If the 'occult thing' in the movie had done something more lucid to get whatever it wanted (or demonstrated more that it had done or was doing so) it might have been more horrifying.

Funny: 1 out of 3. Not sure if it was intended to be played straight, or it just ended up that way. I think the main character was meant to be charming, but I don't remember it mattering.

Thoughtful: 1 out of 3. There was potential in the movie's conceit. A line from a book or lore seemed to be the inspiration for the horror, and also the entire explanation of it in the movie. We're meant to receive that some of the impacted characters intuit something, but it's not very well communicated so it just sort of comes across flat.

Total score: 6 out of 15. If you want a bit of an unsettling occult thriller, you might like this one.

[dadscarathon]

Day 25: Eli

I'm so happy I didn't know anything about this movie before watching it, and I'll do my best not to spoil it in this writeup but... whoa boy. Enjoyable.

Scary: 2 out of 3. This one got me a couple of times. To the point where I said "one more time and it's getting a three." Sadly, it stopped there, but well done!

Gross: 2 out of 3. I Have a particular fear of medical procedures gone wrong (like many people I think) and the Gross rating for this one is an example of a 'little goes a long way' for Eli. There isn't much gore, to be honest, but the constant display of 'surgery' really got me to turn away a time or three.

Disturbing: 2 out of 3. This one also plays into the body horror/medicine fear thing, but not only that. The movie does a great job of playing on "what's real and what's a fever induced nightmare" and anyone that's been that sick can tell you it lingers. And the movie lingers, too.

Funny:1 out of 3. Nope... Maybe a tiny chuckle from a couple of Dad jokes. No relief in sight.

Thoughtful: 2 out of 3. This rating not only for the storytelling and the child's point of view, but for parents everywhere. What would you do? It's a puzzler.

Total score: 9 out of 14. Top notch. If you like spooky stories and for a movie to put you on edge, give it a try.

[dadscarathon]

Day 24: Out of Darkness

Watched yesterday and forgot to post!

I think of this one as "Alien in prehistory" though that phrase doesn't tell nearly the whole story. Slowly paced, allowing you time to sink into the culture that these humans from 45,000 years exist in.

Scary: 1 out of 3. Though I make the comparison to Alien, it doesn't have quite the same impact on the fright front. There were a couple of moments I could see that might get someone; intentionally vague and sudden.

Gross: 1 out of 3. A few effects that lend gore, but not over the top, and the ones that were there while effective, somewhat minimal.

Disturbing: 1 out of 3. Unless you stop the movie halfway through on a camping trip, it's unlikely the movie is going to instill any dread. That said, the atmosphere and pacing are pretty well done, creating anticipation and anxiety over the next scene. They didn't carry over outside the movie, though.

Funny: 1 out of 3. The movie makers had no interest in relieving your tension, the movie intends to stay tense right up until the end, which it mostly does.

Thoughtful: 2 out of 3. This movie has a sort of twist ending. It takes great pains to hide it - even to the point of small dishonesties with the plot and scenes. I forgive it that, though, as even when I thought I knew the reveal before its time it felt pretty true to the story.

Total score: 6 out of 15. If you don't mind a slow pace with an interesting ending, check it out.

[dadscarathon]

Day 23: Oddity

I liked this a lot. A murder mystery with an occult detective and avenger, and some great suspense. it throws you right in from the beginning, too - no slow build or time for reveals, yet prompting questions the whole time.

Scary: 2 out of 3. One shot actually got me, and some of the cuts/brief flashes of things were quite effective.

Gross: 1 out of 3. There are a couple of scenes with gore, but most of it is more "mind's eye" or aftermath.

Disturbing: 1 out of 3. There's room for disturbance here, especially if you have any fear of inanimate objects, but I wasn't terribly impacted by them.

Funny: 1 out of 3. Not a lot of humor here, the story takes itself very seriously and none of the characters lend themselves to gallows humor.

Thoughtful: 2 out of 3. There's the mystery of what happened, instantly overshadowed by the mystery of what's going to happen, alongside a very interesting world in which the movie takes place. This was my favorite part of the movie, and there was more than one thing to appreciate.

Total score: 7 out of 15. If you like a little mystery with your monster, you might like this one.

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Day 22: Hellbender

This may be slightly obscure, by my elevator pitch for this movie would include the phrase "Fanatical Verbena Mother's Day."

It was an interesting ride.

Scary: 1 out of 3. No sudden frights here, and the pacing was somehow very... 70s. I don't know how else to explain it.

Gross: 2 out of 3. For the first half of the movie? Despite spoopy goings on right out of the gate and a little bit of gore, not much in the way of extravagant carnage. They saved that for the last half, and I was pleasantly(?) surprised.

Disturbing: 2 out of 3. I was going to lean 1 out of 3 here, but there were scenes and dialog that fly-papered themselves into my memory that I can't un-see. What is that, if not disturbing?

Funny: 1 out of 3. I guess not every teenager is hilarious... :D

Thoughtful: 2 out of 3. There's possibly some deeper meaning, but I didn't glom onto that. What I did glom onto was the worldbuilding and mythos proposed by the story, and I found that pretty neat. Add in the fact that they didn't just use that lore to macguffin the monster into being or briefly explain some reason why the obvious wasn't a solution, and a point is had here.

Total score: 8 out of 15. If you hate your Mom and need some catharsis, or if you love your Mom and she's a bloodthirsty caregiver, give it a shot.

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Day 21: Down

'Tis the season for bad horror movies, and I often enjoy those, especially if they're written or made with some sense of humor, exciting worldbuilding, charismatic villains or eye popping effects.

Sadly, this movie had none of those.

Scary: 1 out of 3. There are no big surprises in the movie. Not just from a sudden cut or abrupt tension pop... Just no surprises.

Gross: 1 out of 3. There were some moments that almost qualified, but fell just short of anything to write home about.

Disturbing: 1 out of 3. This could have been a point for the movie, based on the premise and conceit, but it fell very flat. The characters make every wrong choice they can (not unheard of in a horror movie, but there's a limit to what makes sense even in the genre) and so if there was a disturbing theme my eyes were rolling too far into my head to notice it.

Funny: 1 out of 3. Opportunity was here, but none taken. The dialog had moments that could have been used to elevate the ridiculous misery of the moment, or break tension... If any had been built. I don't know.

Thoughtful: 1 out of 3. Again, for this scenario to play out as-written requires multiple people to make the most obviously wrong choice at every turn... Not just one thing in a tense or fraught moment, not just one impulse that should have been ignored a loooong series of "What would be the worst thing I could do here? Let's do that, and let's not make it make sense." Hard to care.

Total score: 5 out of 15. If you want to watch a movie but like... Maybe you're doing the dishes or fold laundry or something, I guess you could give it a try.

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Day 20: Bad Hair

I had fun with this one, though the last half could have been a few minutes shorter. A truly appropriate movie for Spooptober, it reminded me of some of the movies I would watch when I was young and it was time for a horror movie with more vision than budget.

Not that it seemed low budget - I think a lot of the nostalgia was that the movie was set in the late 80s, but also shot as though it were in the late 80s, which was fun.

Scary: 1 out of 3. No frights here. Nothing is going to rely on sudden cuts or tension building pops to scare you.

Gross: 2 out of 3. This and Disturbing are going to get ranked here purely for the body horror aspect of... well, imagine evil hair and what that could do to someone.

Disturbing: 2 out of 3. Aside from body horror, the movie really highlights some of the horrors of reality; at least when it comes to race and gender equality. This is set in the late 80s, but things haven't changed as dramatically as we might like, and it leans on many of them. Not just one thing, it skates over a laundry list of why it's fucked up to be alive in the modern era and not be a straight white male.

Funny: 2 out of 3. I got a few moments of genuine chuckle when the movie makers decided to punctuate a truly awful scene or situation with something not quite out of pocket.

Thoughtful: 2 out of 3. Alongside Disturbing, there's a tiny bit of world building and a sort of superstitious premise that is the true domain of Horror, and it's mixed up with a lot of commentary about the difficulty of beauty standards, the USA's history of slavery and racial inequality, self image, etc. Not one of these 'messages' was soap-boxy, preachy or out of place, it all feels natural to the film, and horrifying.

Total score: 9 out of 15. That's a pretty high score for 2024. If you don't mind a monster movie that takes a little time to spin up, give it a try.

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Day 19: Suitable Flesh

I watched this movie's development for a long time before it came out last year, as I'm a big fan of Lovecraft's work (even if he was terrible person) and like seeing adaptations even when they fall short.

This one... Didn't fall too short. I'm sure that Lovecraft himself might have been disturbed by the movie, though more from modern interpretations than his own shadow on the work.

Scary: 1 out of 3. The movie payed homage to the story by telling things, in typical fashion, in reverse. Start with a horrible ending and proceed to tell the story of how you got here. The pacing and style didn't allow for a lot of booga booga moments.

Gross: 2 out of 3. I was a bit disappointed with the lack of gore at first, but in the last half of the film it more than makes up for it. A specific scene involving a rear-view car camera was particularly clever.

Disturbing: 2 out of 3. At first thought, I didn't find too much to be upset about. After all, I've read the story and seen lots of work inspired by The Thing on the Doorstep - so surely there wouldn't be much to add from this latest adaptation. But the more I considered the context used to tell this version, the more I found it concerning. After all, how do you know who you are? Who's asking?

Funny: 1 out of 3. There are a couple of attempts at humor through the mouth of the "monster" here, but either they fell flat, or the actual intent was for the audience to loath them even more for their flippant nature.

Thoughtful: 2 out of 3. Normally I make sure these scores reflect only my own impressions, but I'm giving a point here for the method of incorporation of the Mythos. The hackneyed explanation of "the Necronomicon did it" or "Elder gods, blah blah" is only a cliché now because it is the Mythos. The makers of the movie understand that. It's here, it's useful (suitable, even) and it's left mysterious and almost beside the point.

Total score: 8 out of 15. If you like Lovecraft adaptations in film, give it a shot.

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Day 18: Insidious The Red Door

A pretty standard installment in the series; spooky things happen to a family and they deal with the spookiness the best way(s) they can. In this case, old trauma from a supernatural history is revisited on a family years later. When I say "pretty standard" no insult is meant, these movies are a staple for a lot of Spooptobers across the world. The modern example of "ghost story" with nothing too fancy thrown in.

Scary: 2 out of 3. Expert direction got me at least once, which is a watermark in my experience. If anything, it would be a surprise to see something in the Insidious brand that didn't have a decent scare in it.

Gross: 2 out of 3. If there's one thing you can say about these movies it's that the writers try to come up with at least one grody scene, and this one delivers that.

Disturbing: 1 out of 3. Possibly this is the result of a jaded background, but I didn't find much in the way of 'upset' in this movie beyond the gross and scary.

Funny: 1 out of 3. There was a "foil" to one of the serious victims of this haunting that almost achieved this, endearing herself to the audience somewhat - but not quite hitting the mark for my funny score.

Thoughtful: 1 out of 3. This one doesn't expand on the interesting metaphysics of the Insidious series, but sort of provides a kind of closure (and foreshadowing) to previous characters' stories. It didn't get the brain going that much.

Total score: 7 out of 15. If you're looking for a ghost story with a little in-lore history behind it, you might like this one. If you're not a fan of, or have never watched anything else in the series, it might leave you a bit mystified - and there's no shortage of other supernatural horrors you can enjoy.

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Day 17: Lisa Frankenstein

I really enjoyed this one, and no surprise because I loved Jennifer's Body and this is definitely a spiritual relative.

What if Stephen King decided to write a John Hughes movie? OK, that's not quite right. What if Tim Burton's ghost was channeled through Clive Barker? Not exactly it, either. I can't think of a good explanation for how much I liked this movie. Was it the most horrifying horror? Not in the traditional sense. Was it a touching story with lots of introspective moments about what it meant to be an outsider, a struggling teen, uncomfortable in your own physical and emotional skin or undead? Sure, why not?

Scary: 1 out of 3. This movie isn't trying hard to scare you.

Gross: 1 out of 3. There are some pretty horrific acts, and even discussed disgust, but it doesn't stand out as a pillar of the film. I'm tempted to give it a point for hygeine trends of the era and a tanning bed, but that doesn't feel quite right. Actually, the more I think about it:

Gross: 2 out of 3. Teenagers are sort of gross all by themselves. Teens in the late 80s weren't different and the movie's frank treatment of not just normal life, but the undead's problems regarding... Being dead deserve a point.

Disturbing: 1 out of 3. OK, sure there's some casual murder, some callous teenage angst, some society being the way society can sometimes be, but I somehow found it more comforting than disturbing. Again, I may be a horrible person.

Funny: 2 out of 3. The main character and the 'creature's dialogue had be chuckling almost constantly. I'm tempted to push this to 3 out of 3, but I'll reserve that for movies trying to be entirely humorous; these laughs felt more like a bonus than the goal.

Thoughtful: 2 out of 3. "What if the real world was truly terrible, and the dead could come back to life on the sad whim of a teenager?" Well... The first half of that isn't much of a hypothetical if you've lived here long enough unless you're truly charmed. Like Jennifer's Body, there's food for thought beyond food for thought here, and also (again) I may be a horrible person but I found the story terribly romantic.

Total score: 8 out of 15. If you like romantic comedies with killer soundtracks set in a particular period and including some casual dismembering murders... Or if you like good movies, you might enjoy this one.

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Day 16: A Quiet Place: Day One

The movie was well produced and acted. The story didn't hold my attention much, though I did think the monsters looked pretty cool. Watching this so close to Arcadian made me compare it in many ways, which probably didn't do much in my opinion forming.

Scary: 2 out of 3. There's a particular scene that I'm not sure was meant to be so scarey, but it got me. With a premise involving "be quiet or the monster will get you" I expected there to be a lot of this. After all, the contrast of silence and sound is a pretty key component of tension/release in this genre. Still, it didn't take full advantage as far as I can tell.

Gross: 1 out of 3. There's not a lot of gore or practical effects to marvel at here, aside from the monster and a teensy bit of corpse.

Disturbing: 1 out of 3. I didn't find the creature terribly upsetting, nor the premise. It felt like the 'solution' to the problem would have been discovered pretty easily by the type of people that invented nuclear weapons, but maybe we didn't get the whole story.

Funny: 1 out of 3. No comic relief here.

Thoughtful: 1 out of 3. There's a bit of double entendre with the title, and it's leaned on a bit in the plot, but I didn't find it impactful.

Total Score: 6 out of 15. If you like creature features with a bit of shoe leather, give it a watch.