Racketboy Month of Horror 15: Whelp, That Happened

[Ack]

A Quiet Place: Day One

It's tough to keep a franchise fresh, especially one where the premise requires specific rules to follow that we all know. We get it, stay quiet, stay alive. And for the third film to be a prequel, well...I didn't expect much.

And I'm glad I didn't, because while the plot is pretty flimsy, I came away impressed. Because Lupita Nyong'o is too good at tackling genre fare and instilling life in characters that could easily be too maudlin or bland to be interesting. She's absolutely fascinating to watch, and while I find this the weakest of the trilogy, she keeps it from venturing into pure crap.

That doesn't mean it's great. I've seen enough of these films that scared people trying to keep quiet as big armored critters with massive inner ears listening right next to them just don't do it for me. And there are little plot points that I find frustrating or weird, like watching the creatures eat...space fungus?

But when Nyong'o is on screen, she's fantastic. And she was exactly what I needed in the film to make it worth watching. That said...stop now. Don't go into Purge territory.

[REPO Man]

So far, I've revisited all seven of the main Child's Play movies and aside from the increasingly inconsistent lore and Seed of Chucky's focus more on comedy than outright horror, the franchise is pretty good. I hope the series is at least just as good. And it gets renewed for at least another season before the franchise pivots back to films.

Now, I'm thinking about either checking out X series or revisiting the VHS franchise, but starting with Beyond and starting back over with the first one.

Sadly, I haven't had time to really get into reading, even with all my Junji Ito manga, some of which I haven't even started yet, and Christopher Pike novels.

As for gaming, if anyone here likes janky PS1-style games, I'd definitely recommend the Haunted PS1 compilations, as well as their game jams. Also, the games put out by 616 Games and Puppet Combo, all of which draw heavily from '80s VHS horror. Fun fact: the boyfriend mentioned in Puppet Combo's Bloodwash appears in their Fulci-inspired Night at the Gates of Hell.

And if I'm off Halloween night, I definitely want to show my older nieces Phantom of the Paradise, which celebrates its half-centennial on the 31st. Fun fact: this film was a major inspiration for the group Daft Punk.

And if you didn't hear those fun facts in Mike "The Horror Geek" Brackett's voice, then check out his channel. I'm also a fan of CZsWorld and Dead Meat, and not just because I think James A. Janisse is hot or that Zac Morris is also hot but in a punk yet dorky kind of way.

I also listen to creepypasta narrations from time to time. And no, I don't listen to Creeps McPasta or Creepypasta Jr... anymore.

[prfsnl_gmr]

First…Michi’s reviews are awesome. If you don’t subscribe to her blog, you should. It’s excellent. (Keep up the good work, Michi!)

Second…I owe you all some reviews of my own! I’ve been watching a few horror films this month, and some of them are pretty good!

1. Kumari - This is an Indian folk-horror film about a young woman who marries the youngest brother of a cursed bloodline residing in a cursed land. It features demons, murder, human sacrifice, murder, and madness. It also features beautiful cinematography, a fantastic setting, and two musical numbers. (It is an Indian film after all!) My wife and I enjoyed it immensely, and if you don’t mind subtitles (and again, two musical numbers), you probably will too.

2. Grave Encounters - This is a run-of-the-mill found footage horror film about a ghost-hunting reality show from the early ‘10s. They get a lot more than they bargained for hunting for ghost on an abandoned insane asylum. It is perfectly fine, and everything I expected from such a movie. No more, no less. Just comfort-food, found footage. Mildly recommended.

3. The Vourdelak - This is a wonderful horror film. It’s like Wes Anderson made a French-language tribute to Hammer period horror. The monster is very obviously a marionette puppet, and the special effects are very obviously homespun. The whole thing is shot on Super 16, and it should be hokey and funny. Strangely, though, these hokey effects only make the movie creepier. And, it is really, really, really creepy. If any of you take it on, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

prfsnl_gmr’s Series of TERROR!
1. Marianne (Netflix) -
2. Midnight Mass (Netflix) -

prfsnl_gmr’s Movies of MADNESS!
1. Cottage Country -
2. Kumari (Netflix) -
3. Grave Encounters (Kanopy) -
4. The Vourdelak (Kanopy) -

[PretentiousHipster]

As it turns out, there's a movement in Chinese cinema that are a new wave of 50s creature features, and it elicits a perfect throwback to those films. It's like cinema never advanced since then. I watched Big Octopus and Mega Crocodile. They weren't great, but a very interesting watch.

One Missed Call - Somewhat entertaining in seeing how ineffective it was with the whole chain reaction trend that was huge with PG-13 horror films (remember those chain mails people did before too? Perhaps that was a trend in every aspect lol), but it was still an underwhelming experience in terms of seeing it for ironic reasons.

The Touch of Her Flesh - I wanted to try out one of those "roughies". 60s misogynistic proto-slashers combined with noir. This was by the most notorious filmmaker of sexploitation, and I could see why. Still, seeing how it focuses more on the objectification of women's bodies before the killer does his slashing business made this a very interesting watch.

The Goat and Her Three Kids - A Romanian bed-time story that makes you think "wow, they were telling us this shit as kids before we went to bed?" It's a classic tale that is literally summarized in the opening credits, but the atmosphere on this is insane and it resulted in a terrifying experience. They've really done a great job.

The Vourdalak - I'd say this is one of the cases where it shows how style can amplify the experience. It was surprisingly comedic as well, which was shocking because I'm pretty sure this is a Tolstoy adaptation. I should really read the original book.

Killer Bash - David DeCoteau can make people break their brains while watching his films. I've personally made that happen to someone. However, this is just one of his underwhelming works. I already forgot most of it.

The Substance - I was partially held back from this because it felt too close as being a case of "Seconds for zoomers", but I felt like this had a very effective use of gore as it elicits a feeling of sadness despite being so extreme as opposed to the more usual edgelord use of gore that people watch for entertainment. What a sad final act. If you suffer from body dysmorphia/body image issues like me, you'll know exactly what I mean if you watch this.

[Ziggy]

I've been continuing to listen to the Salem's Lot audio book, but that time is limited to just in the car. Back when I had a decent commute, with long stretches on highways, it was easier to listen to audio books. Now my trips are usually much shorter, and without the long stretches on highways I find it harder to sink into the book. Having to take ramps and turns and stuff, I usually lose focus on the book. But I'm toward the end of it now, not much left. I was almost going to put on Salem's Lot, either the original movie or the remake that just came out on Max, but I want to finish the book first. I mean, I've read the book once already, but I don't quite remember the end.

Every October, I'm torn if I should watch The Shining or save it for a winter month. I had picked it up on 4K Bluray, but haven't watched it on this format yet. I had also picked up The Lost Boys on 4K, as well as some of the classic Universal monster movies, so I'd really like to watch those this month.

I attempted to start reading Batman Arkham Asylum, but my eyelids were too heavy. It's always that the time slot in my day that I'd prefer to read is when I'm too tired to read. I also really wanted to start Dracula last night, but again was too tired. And that's why I've been limited Salem's Lot to just audio book in the car. I have it on Kindle as well but I just can't ever seem to carve out the time to read.

I have been playing Resident Evil IV, the original on PS4. It's always a blast to play this game. But I've only been able to play in 30 minute chunks, and not every night, so it's taking me a long time to get through it. At this rate I'll be happy if I finish it by the end of October. I wanted to finish it earlier and play something else while it's still October.

It finally got chilly enough that I didn't mind lighting a candle. I got these Halloween candle shades from Yankee Candle, they discount the seasonal stuff to get rid of it I guess.








You can't really appreciate them from the stock photos. They have a print on the exterior side, but also the interior side. So when a candle is lit, things on it illuminate differently. For example, the moon.

Does anyone decorate for Halloween? I know some people go all out with it. These candle shades are actually the first and only Halloween things I've ever purchased or sported in my adult life.

[prfsnl_gmr]

Two more reviews, but they’re both bad, unfortunately.

Netflix’s The Midnight Club is a bad show, well made. It’s based on a Christopher Pike book about teenagers in hospice care who meet, at midnight, to tell ghost stories, and the series is a love letter to Christopher Pike novels more generally (i.e., the thin, cheesy, young adult horror novels from the late eighties and early nineties with gaudy, neon covers). The hospice is located in an old home, which may be haunted and was definitely a cult HQ at one point; so, there are plenty of spooky mysteries throughout the season. Moreover, the teenagers stories are all short adaptation of various Christopher Pike novels; so, there are lots of shorter, spooky tales within the broader plot.

Unfortunately, and like Christopher Pike novels, none of the shorter stories are particularly scary or engaging, meaning the show doesn’t work well as a horror anthology. Moreover, the central mysteries aren’t that scary or compelling either, and the main character is pretty unlikeable. (Also, she makes a lot of bone-headed decisions for someone who’s supposed to be really smart.) The supporting characters are better and they’re all pretty well-developed for a show with such a large cast. Nothing much really happens to them, though, other than that they occasionally struggle with their terminal conditions or diseases. Accordingly, the show is pretty much just about teenagers dying from cancer, which is scary is a real life sort of way, but not great for a horror series.

Finally, and perhaps most damningly, I could never determine who might be the target audience for this show. While the ghost stories might be compelling for eight-year-olds, the show isn’t even remotely scary. Nonetheless, its language and content are frequently wildly inappropriate for anyone except older teens. I can see why the show failed to resonate with anyone and while I am frequently frustrated by Netflix’s decisions to cancel shows - we really, really needed one more season of GLOW! - I think they made a wise decision to pull the plug on The Midnight Club.

Before I Wake is another Mike Flanagan horror film, and while I really like list of his work, it stinks. It’s about a family mourning the loss of their son who foster a kid with the ability to materialize his dreams. (Put another way, what he dreams becomes reality while he’s asleep.) This is fine when he’s having pleasant dreams, but his nightmares might kill you. (The movie doesn’t address this, but I suspect his teenage years will be very, very awkward…) The movie is not scary at all, and the kid who’s supposed to be eight to ten sounds more like a four-year old. The other characters mostly act like idiots and make unexplainable decisions, but not in a fun “Why are you going to the basement alone?!” sort of way. The acting’s sort of flat, and the ending is kind of tasteless. Not recommended at all.

prfsnl_gmr’s Series of TERROR!
1. Marianne (Netflix) -
2. Midnight Mass (Netflix) -
3. The Midnight Club -

prfsnl_gmr’s Movies of MADNESS!
1. Cottage Country -
2. Kumari (Netflix) -
3. Grave Encounters (Kanopy) -
4. The Vourdelak (Kanopy) -
5. Before I Wake -

[opa]

RE: decorations

We put up some decorations but others go all out in other neighborhoods. Like one guy has 6 or 7 15 foot statues of different scary things. Not my thing but it's fun to see.

[marurun]

So Before I Wake is basically The Lathe of Heaven but less existential?

[REPO Man]

The Rocky Horror Video Game is out, FYI. The Rocky Horror game is only $9.99, but is on Steam for $8.99 until the 27th, and it can be bought in a bundle with Manos: The Hand of Fate. And since I already had Manos, I saved about a buck and change.

Oh, and I've been hearing decent things about the remaster of Killing Time.

[prfsnl_gmr]

So Before I Wake is basically The Lathe of Heaven but less existential?

I don’t know…The plot was absurd, and the character’s motivation was incomprehensible. After I finished the movie, I asked, “Why?!” but received absolutely no answers.

It DOES have a lot of butterflies, though. Way too many for Jean Paul Sartre, in my opinion.