I haven't posted the last two days with what horror films I've been watching, so it's time to catch up a bit in the thread here.
The Lords of Salem is basically what happens when Rob Zombie does a take on Rosemary's Baby. It's a strange movie, with a plot that fluctuates for me, but Rob Zombie is capable of some incredible nightmarish imagery. And that is what I think makes this movie great. I really enjoyed The Lords of Salem. It's a creepy and off putting film which ramps up the dread through its bizarre images and cryptic cinematography. Everything works here: the glaring lighting, the twisted acting, the grotesque witches, the droning music, all of it comes together for a bizarre package that I thought was incredible.
Lucio Fulci creates some incredible effects, and I do enjoy a great Video Nasty, but with some horrendous dubbing and poor framing on the DVD version I watched, I admit that I had trouble keeping focused on this one. But Fulci definitely delivered on the gore, eye trauma, and the zombies. I think Zombi 2 outdid the original Dawn of the Dead for its gore(but not for its plot or performances), though Romero and Tom Savini did even better with 1985's Day of the Dead. I think Fulci's The Beyond was still a better film.
And this is probably the best film I have watched this month. Trick 'r Treat is amazing, and someone should go to jail for deciding this didn't need a theatrical release. Basically the film is a set of multiple stories all entwining in a small town in Ohio on Halloween. While time fluctuates and characters come and go, the townspeople continue their celebration, unaware of the nasty things which occur around them: murder, hot werewolves, pranks, massacres, and the little trick-or-treater named Sam. And while there are many points that I thought were great, Sam stands out to me as one of the best horror film creations in a long time. Trick r' Treat has got to be one of the best horror films of the 2000s and certainly one of the best films I've ever seen concerning the Halloween holiday. There's a bit of everything for everyone, including some wonderful performances from Brian Cox, Dylan Baker, Anna Paquin, and most definitely child actor Quinn Lord.
Total: 18
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
Alternates:
Halloween H20
Fright Night