The Month of Horror PART IV: dsheinem vs. noiseredux

[Luke]

hahaha nah.

But I have read nearly every Stephen King book and have seen most of the movie adaptations. Some of the movies are good, some are awful. One of my recent favorites was 1408, that was a creepy ass film.

I once had a conversation with the man himself about the movies too. He apparently really digs The Shawshank Redemption, along with every cable network.

This reminded me that one day I need to wear my Stephen King Rules t-shirt.

[noiseredux]

last night my wife and I played some Deathsmiles. I don't need to talk much about that one, as it's one of my favorite games of recent years, and as such have spent countless hours typing about it here already.

Afterwards she carved a jackolantern and then we watched (RZ's) Halloween.



I still think that it's a brilliant movie. To take that source material and go in such a different direction and make it work is really something. But that's probably why it works. Whereas Carpenter's film set the tone for slashers to come, I'm not sure you can even call this one a slasher at all. The violence often feels too real... not fun, but often cringe-worthy. But of course the major difference is the storytelling. The entire first half of the film is in my opinion why it deserves to be a movie. The end might as well just be tacked on to tie in to the original. But it's a prequel for the most part. It's just crazy that in the original Michael Myers is just "the shape." But in this one you've got all that story. Anyway, kind of rambling, but great movie.

Also we ate pumpkin seeds, and we drank 1/2 Angry Orchard Cider + 1/2 Sam's Octoberfest. Good stuff!

[Luke]

^Hope your jack-o-lantern stays fresh until Halloween. Ours usually last only a week before the bugs infest them.

I've tried three pumpkin ales so far: Saranac, Sam Adams, and Harpoon.

Harpoon so far is the clear winner.

[noiseredux]

sadly that pumpkin had to get carved early as the top of it started showing signs of some rot. Otherwise, we usually wait until much closer to Halloween before gouging them.

I'm not a huge pumpkin beer fan. My wife likes them a lot. I can usually enjoy a single glass and then want something else. Though I love pumpkin, I'm just not a big 'flavored' beer guy. That said, I've tried many and I'd agree w/ you that of those 3 Harpoon would be the best. The Shipyard tends to be our top pick though.

You should try mixing the "hard cider" with an Octoberfest though. Honestly, I'd imagine any cider and any brand's Octoberfest would make a nice mix. As I said, I'm not a flavored beer guy, and I dont' like sweet drinks at all. But if you get the blend right, you've got a nice hint of apple that's really refreshing mixed with the more Fall-ish spices of the Octoberfest.

[Luke]

I'm with you on the "flavored" beer. My wife and I do this thing where I pick out a bottle of wine for her every month, and she picks out a sixer for me. She bought a pumpkinb ale for both September and October, and I picked up the Harpoon since I like about every beer they make.

I could drink Sam's Oktoberfest year round. It has a balance to it that I go bonkers for. Perfect color, head, flavor, and that hint of malt that lingers...Damn you blue laws!

[Ack]

I watched "The Island of Lost Souls" (1932) and "The Screaming Skull" (1958) both last night as part of a series of planned horror film watching with some friends this month. The first was pretty well done and a nice take on Moreau, the second was hilariously bad from start to finish and elicited many, many laughs. Ack, I know you said you liked the film once the supernatural stuff started happening, but I found that it just ratcheted up the ridiculousness that is present throughout. The key death scene alone was just gut-busting, with the actor "fighting" the antagonistic skull basically by trying not to drop the prop into the water. Fun times.

Yes, the skull on a string was hokey, but the ghost of the wife chasing the woman? And when the husband tries to murder her and then goes down to find the wife's ghost at the front door? Best scene in the film. The image of the skeleton in the dress at the door was the high point of the film. If the film had featured more imagery like that, I think it would have been much, much better.

And I've not seen Rubber, but a good friend of mine warned me that it was overly convoluted and didn't spend enough time focusing on the tire, that the film spends too much time bouncing around and rolling up and downhill, swinging back and forth. Maybe there was too much pressure after those trailers, and that is what caused such a blowout for my friend.

As, for me...



So I must confess, up until yesterday I had never seen this film before. That was a mistake. This film is another perfect microcosm of the 1980s: the style, the feel good attitude, the kids just having a good time while ugly(yet strangely adorable) demons mess around with everything. For those of you who have not seen it, effectively a couple of kids accidentally open a portal to Hell and have to close it before they spread Hell on Earth. Unfortunately the demons don't really want to go back and need a couple of human sacrifices to get loose. So Glen, his sister Al, and his best friend Terry must close the gate, based on the instructions of a recently deceased metal band who happened to have been into demonology.

Now I won't say the movie is perfect. The antics of some of Al's friends are at times grating. Their treatment of Glen after finding out his dog died? Shameful. But thankfully they are a minor distraction and at least a couple of them are forced to eat their words by the end of the film, and Glen and Al are able to recover their familial relationship. And in the meantime, we get zombies, demons, warping walls and furniture, a great attempt to close the door to Hell by reading the Bible, and finally a creepy eyeball scene that hurts my hand just thinking about. In fact, what with those zombies, gates to Hell, and eyeball violence, this film kinda reminds me of Lucio Fulci...

Anyway, I really enjoyed the movie and would compare it to the likes of The Goonies and The Monster Squad. Maybe not as highly, but that's not a knock to The Gate, considering how much I love those two. Go home and show this one to your children around the same time you show the others.

Anguish
Demons
Creepshow
The Beyond
Zombi 2
From Beyond
The Beast with Five Fingers
The Screaming Skull
The Killer Shrews
The Tingler
Viy
At Midnight I'll Take Your Soul
Black Sunday
Children of the Corn
The Burning
The Descent
Trick r' Treat
The Innkeepers
Stake Land
The Evil Dead (remake)
The Lords of Salem
The Gate
Kuroneko

[prfsnl_gmr]

^Hope your jack-o-lantern stays fresh until Halloween. Ours usually last only a week before the bugs infest them.

I've tried three pumpkin ales so far: Saranac, Sam Adams, and Harpoon.

Harpoon so far is the clear winner.

Cottonwood Pumpkin Ale FTW!!!

Seriously, it is a great pumpkin ale, and I highly, highly recommend it. (As a bonus, it is brewed right here in North Carolina by Foothills Brewing Company!)

[Luke]

So I must confess, up until yesterday I had never seen this film before.

It's a slice of 80's heaven, isn't it? One of the reasons I think THE GATE is near perfect is that the kids actually act like kids act. Also we all that "that friend" who was a bit off. It gets better with each viewing (I still wince when the dog dies) and after seeing THE GATE you'll never look at a Geode the same way again.

Seriously, it is a great pumpkin ale, and I highly, highly recommend it. (As a bonus, it is brewed right here in North Carolina by Foothills Brewing Company!)

I have a hard time drinking anything Cottonwood if I'm not in Boone drinking it on tap overlooking the blue ridge. My visits to App State have spoiled me, and paying $11.00usd a sixer for Cottonwood in bottles just doesn't taste the same.

[Damm64]

So yeah Undying is really cool, just finished right now, imagine bioshock but 6 years before and you can use magic and weapons AT THE SAME TIME the game dosen't pause while you're trying to change spells or weapons so you can't let your guard down during battles and there are some enemies that can kill you in 2 hits if you make a mistake. The spells itself vary from "OK" to "i can shoot explosive flying skulls!", some of the weapons have a alternative fire/use but they are pretty basic and could be better, for example you can combine the lightning spell with the speargun a thunder will hit the enemy when you shoot.

The level design reminds of half life, where you need to jump from a hole in a rooftop to enter into a destroyed building. There's some reward on exploration you can find mana wells ,amplifiers, (witch level up your spells) and arcane scrolls that increase your mana regeneration but the game is fairly linear you will come back same mantion to find doors now locked and others unlocked (at least this evades gettin lost inside).

I love the enemies a lot of them are really detailed (like those head things with arms) and are persistent and the atmosphere of the game is great, has a lot of dark room and creepy moments (nothing scary but definetly creepy). The boss battles are... just there... nothing great they are just there (just like in Deus Ex... you just find them and kill them) and half of them use the same strategy to kill.

But about that final boss...

The final boss is REALLY easy, is just you shootin for 5 minutes until he dies... you don't even need to move.

In general pretty good game, shame it sold poorly a improved sequel will be great to this.

[Michi]

Are you gonna see Hatchet III now Michi? I haven't seen it yet myself. Danielle Harris is in that one too.

I'm not sure yet. I'm almost positive I saw a copy of it at the store (I was in a hurry and only had time to glance as I walked ran by). So I'm hoping that when I go back this weekend it's actually there.

EDIT: Mission Successful!

I think I'll watch the second film tonight so all the events are fresh and try to watch III tomorrow.