Halloween Viewing Log 2011

[Barbossa]

October is just one week away!

Get ready, get set for a month of horror/halloween movie watching.

Here's last year's thread:
http://www.dvdizzy.com/forum/viewtopic. ... 89&start=0

It's simple; watch as many horror/hallowen related movies/cartoon/TV shows as you can until Oct 31, and report on each here in the thread.

I've decided to hold off on my viewing until next Saturday (Oct 1), even though leaves are already falling and pumpkins appeared at the nearby garden center, it just doesn't feel like autumn yet as we are having a bit of a heat wave here in Calgary (+30 deg C today!) - too hot for "Cool Runnings" to be out on the bobsled track just yet. I am planning on doing a big movie marathon in one day next Saturday - maybe 5 movies? Last year I watched 38 altogether, so I'm gonna try and beat that number. And Walmart; where are your delayed Halloween movie racks???

[Lazario]

I don't care if it kills me and I have to skip meals- I will be watching at least 5 movies every day of the month. Except for, maybe, my Birthday.

[Barbossa]

I don't care if it kills me and I have to skip meals- I will be watching at least 5 movies every day of the month. Except for, maybe, my Birthday.

That's hardcore. I'm in the middle of a job hunt so if I end up finding work, it'll slow down my Halloween movie watching.

[dvdjunkie]

Don't think we should include cartoons or television shows or movies in the Horror watching of movies.

The original way this thread started was off of Digital Bits 31 days of Halloween several years ago. They didn't allow cartoons, made-for-television movies or television shows to be listed.

My own personal preference is to watch theatrical movies only and last year I believe that I topped 120 movies in the 31 days of October.

That is where the challenge is. Anyone can watch a 7 minute cartoon, or a 30 minute television show. The real challenge is to watch only theatrical released movies, which means if you don't have them in your collection already, you may have to visit Wal-Mart's $5 Halloween Bin or call on your friendly Netflix.

And we shouldn't allow individual posts, use your edit button on your original post, and then we can how you are progressing with your movie watching.

The goal is 100 movies in 31 days beginning October 1.

Let's make it fun!!!!

[Heartless]

I do a similar "marathon" each October as well.. but for me, its just about fulfilling my Halloween needs, whether through scares or through fun. Halloween is my favorite holiday and I have a ton of films and television shows I like to watch every year, and music I like to listen to as well.

Here are some highlights I plan on hitting this October:

For Fun:
Hocus Pocus (always a must!)
Nightmare Before Christmas
Halloweentown 1 & 2
The Black Cauldron
Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

For Scares:
Insidious
Scream
Paranormal Activity 1-3
Halloween
The Strangers
(any horror film will do)

[Lazario]

The original way this thread started was off of Digital Bits 31 days of Halloween several years ago. They didn't allow cartoons, made-for-television movies or television shows to be listed.

Yeah.

*RECORD-SCRATCHING Sound Effect*

No.

Any source that would try to exclude Salem's Lot from horror-viewing marathon lists is plain, old wrong (1979 film / series, of course).

And we shouldn't allow individual posts, use your edit button on your original post, and then we can how you are progressing with your movie watching.

I still expect the board to go down before half-way into the month, so, I'm not sure this would be finish-able. But, if by some miracle... then, it'll be impossible to do 1-post only if you remember my format last year.

[dvdjunkie]

Salem's Lot is a must for every Halloween-watching, and I looked it up in previous challenges and everyone listed that as their favorite Halloween movie.

It was released to the theaters about two years after it was broadcast on television, because it was that good. So I would classify that as a theatrical release even though it got it first release to television.

Laz, I am just hoping we don't get those people who list "Halloween Town" or "Lonesome Ghosts", and things like that on their lists. There are so many great fims available and I have at least two hundred available in my DVD collection and I will not have to resort to anything that was TV-only for my watch list this year or any year for that matter. And I am sure that you will do the same.

I just want this to be a lot of fun, without using any television shows, or made-for-television movies or animated shorts in the list. If it is less than an hour long, in my eyes, it is not acceptable for the Halloween movie Challenge.

If you choose to watch those televison series, or animated shorts or television movies, don't list them as part of your 100 movies watched. Let's try to make this truly a Challenge and have some fun.

[Lazario]

Laz, I am just hoping we don't get those people who list "Halloween Town" or "Lonesome Ghosts", and things like that on their lists.

I know- I'm getting that kind of thing out of the way before the month starts. 3 years ago, I tried to intro into Halloween with a Disney marathon and this year since I have most of the classics on DVD, I'm going to try again.

I just want this to be a lot of fun, without using any television shows, or made-for-television movies or animated shorts in the list. If it is less than an hour long, in my eyes, it is not acceptable for the Halloween movie Challenge.

If you choose to watch those televison series, or animated shorts or television movies, don't list them as part of your 100 movies watched. Let's try to make this truly a Challenge and have some fun.

Fair enough. (I never do, by the way. Most people separate them in counting. They count them side-by-side.)

[dvdjunkie]

Movies I plan on watching in October, and I am getting them out right now, "The Hidden", "House", "The Shining", "Sssssss", "Stanley", "Pacific Heights", "The Frankenstein Legacy - All Five original movies", "Scars of Dracula", "Vampyres", "Dracula" (with Bela Lugosi), "Creature From The Black Lagoon", and many, many more. It all starts next Saturday.

[Sky Syndrome]

I'm doing horror/hallowen related movies/cartoon/TV shows like Barbossa. I'm not going pretend to enjoy doing the 100 theatrical film challenge if I don't feel like doing one this year.

[Barbossa]

Movies I plan on watching in October, and I am getting them out right now, "The Hidden", "House", "The Shining", "Sssssss", "Stanley", "Pacific Heights", "The Frankenstein Legacy - All Five original movies", "Scars of Dracula", "Vampyres", "Dracula" (with Bela Lugosi), "Creature From The Black Lagoon", and many, many more. It all starts next Saturday.

I just realized I still haven't watched all the movies in my Universal Studios' Monsters Legacy Collection. I have all 6 volumes but there are a number of sequels that I still haven't watched - so, I'm going to try and get thru all of these this year. I also picked up Halloween Resurrection last year from one of the Walmart Halloween movie racks, but I didn't get around to watching it, so that's on my list. And of course there's the traditional ones I watch every year like Monster Squad and The Goonies. And also, I've got a craving to watch a bunch of alien/martian movies this year.

[PixarFan2006]

Here are the movies I have that qualify as Horror. Some are a mix of horror and comedy.

I am not including any made-for-tv movies (like Duel) or any tv specials (like It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown).


The following movies I plan to watch are in chronological order.

Nosferatu (1922)
Dracula (1931)(Bela Lugosi Version)
Dracula (1931)(Spanish Version)*
Frankenstein (1931)
The Mummy (1932)
The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
The Wolf Man (1941)
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943)**
The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)
The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958)
Psycho (1960)
The Birds (1963)
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
Taste The Blood of Dracula (1970)***
Jaws (1975)
Piranha (1978)
The Shining (1980)
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
The Evil Dead (1981)
The Howling (1981)
Wolfen (1981)
Creepshow (1982)
Psycho II (1982)
Beetlejuice (1988)
Child's Play (1988)
Arachnophobia (1990)
Dead Alive(1992)
Scream (1996)

I probably will not get to watch them all due to time constraints. I am taking a class that is very time consuming and I may be starting a new job soon.

*=On the same dvd as Dracula (Lugosi version)
**=Included in The Wolf Man Legacy Collection (in which the 2nd disc of movies is unplayable)
***=Included on the same dvd as Curse of Frankenstein.

[TheSequelOfDisney]

I'm sure I posted this in last year's thread, but I'll more than likely only watch Hocus Pocus and The Nightmare Before Christmas. I'm not too much of a Halloween person, but I will definitely make time to watch these two films, especially Hocus Pocus (which I'll probably watch during the Fall Break that's coming up in the middle of October).

[Barbossa]

12 more hours!

[littlefuzzy]

Laz, I am just hoping we don't get those people who list "Halloween Town" or "Lonesome Ghosts", and things like that on their lists. There are so many great fims available and I have at least two hundred available in my DVD collection and I will not have to resort to anything that was TV-only for my watch list this year or any year for that matter. And I am sure that you will do the same.

If it is less than an hour long, in my eyes, it is not acceptable for the Halloween movie Challenge.

And if someone does that, will it lessen your enjoyment of your own challenge? Will a prize be awarded at the end, to the person who watched the most, or finished 100 movies first?

I would see nothing wrong with a TV movie like Halloweentown, it's 84 minutes long, which definitely fits with your second paragraph. There are TV movies that are theatrical quality, and there are theatrical movies that have ZERO quality.

I would even go so far as to say that the Wonderful World of Disney Halloween specials could count as 1 item, they are at least 60 minutes (with commercials.)

Now if someone filled their list with a bunch of 8 minute shorts like Lonesome Ghosts, that really wouldn't be fair...

... IF WE WERE COMPETING!

On the other hand, if they managed to seek out 100 different spooky short films and TV episodes, then they'd probably have as fun a time as people that watched 100 full-length movies.

100 full length films is hard to manage for many people who have lives, they might only be able to watch 1-2 hours of movies or TV a day (if that), and the rest of the day is taken up by working, commuting, cooking, cleaning, taking care of kids, socializing, etc.

I DON'T have a life right now, and I still haven't broken 100 movies in a month! I think the most I've done was 72, back in the Horror Challenge of 2008.

[Barbossa]

Got started at midnight! And I kick of the 2011 season with...



Scarecrow of Romney Marsh Part I, II & III
a.k.a.
Dr Syn, Alias the Scarecrow

I wanted to watch this last year as part of my Halloween viewing but didn't get around to it, so it was first on my list for this year. Ok, its not exactly a horror or Hallowen related, but the cool costume makes it worthy of a Hallowen movie (and I went dressed as the Scarecrow one year for trick or treating). I ended up watching the 3 seperate episodes rather than the movie as the movie is condensed with some parts removed. Always enjoyed this mini series since I was a kid. Simply put, it's a Robin Hood story, he steals form the government and gives to the poor. Scarecrow and Zorro were pretty much the inspirations for Batman. I was lucky enough to get the Walt Disney Treasure three years ago when it came out. Was surprised seeing what it's seelling for now on Amazon Marketplace (over $200!). I really don't care what the value is though, I'm not parting with this one. Gonna watch some more later today after I get some sleep.

[dvdjunkie]

"One Hundred Horror Movies in 31 Days of October" and I am getting started with the usual midnight watching of:

1. Salem's Lot (1979) - DVD-R transferred from VHS.

2. The Thing (From Another World) (1951) - the original classic.

3. The Tingler (1959) - William Castle & Vincent Price together will scare the heck out of you. This is a must watch for anyone during the Halloween Challenge.


Let's hope that we have people accepting this challenge that don't include shorts or television episodes on their watch list. This should be for movies only. Let's see how many cooperate with that.

After getting up and taking a shower I have watched the following:

4. The Monolith Monsters (1957)

5. The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951) Blu-ray

6. It Came From Beneath the Sea (1955)

Oct. 1, 2011 - late afternoon, evening:

7. Nosferatu (1922)

8. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1919)

9. Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (1932)

10. The Uninvited (1944)

The only reason I crammed a lot of movies in today is because down the road, I have a couple of days where I won't be near a television or a DVD player. This movie challenge this year is going to be pretty good for me, and I hope that I can make the 100 films in 31 days.

Sunday, October 2 -

11. House on Haunted Hill (1959)

12. Them! (1954)

13. House of Wax (1953)

14. Carnival of Souls (1962)

15. Swamp Thing (1982)

16. Paranormal Activity (2007)

Monday, October 3 -

17. The Mist (2007) - watched b&w version because it is better!!

18. Phantom of the Opera (1962)

19. John Carpenter's The Thing (1982)

20. Christine (1983) "Hell Hath No Fury Like A Plymoth Scorned!"

[Lazario]

Well... I've watched 6 so far (starting after midnight, so I'm playing fair) and it's only 2PM.

Summaries and pics will be up later (I've been posting them at www.horrordvds.com and I can't post the one for The Burning here because it's too gory, I have to take a new one first). After I've had a chance to watch my DVD of The Howling IV.

[Barbossa]

Rather than posting in one post, I'm gonna post the same way as I did last year, with a tally list and description of what I watched.

Recent viewings in bold:

Scarecrow of Romney Marsh Parts I, II, & III
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets



Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Again, not your typical horror or Halloween movie, but becuase of the subject matter, this series is perfect for this time of year - and well, they do celebrate Halloween at Hogwarts. Since the series wrapped up this year, thought It would be fitting to rewatch them for my Halloween movie marathon. When the movie series first started, I was not familiar with the books, nor did I see the first 3 movies in the theater. It wasn't until Goblet of Fire that I saw my first HP movie on the big screen. I enjoyed GoF, but I still wasn't big into the series. I realized this was an acquired taste. I then watched the first three on DVD and started to really enjoy the series. And I admit, I got into the books late - I just finished Philospher's Stone a couple days ago, and started reading Chamber of Secrets last night. Really enjoyed reading PS, but I'm looking forward to the longer books to see what was dropped from the movies.

My thoughts on Philosopher's Stone, the movie...
What can I say, the start of a great franchise. Hard to believe it started ten years ago - released just two months after 9/11 happened. I can see why people went to see it in droves, to have a little escapism, to perhaps take a way the doom and gloom the terrorists brought on us. After reading the book now, I can say they made some great choices with the cast. They only thing that seems a little dated are some of the SFX - some of the CG could've been done a little better, other than that, a fun movie. And yes, I'm using the original title as it was released here in Canada and abroad, not the one the dumb marketers in the US came up with.



Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Can't compare the book to the movie as I just started the book last night. A great 2nd act. I get a good chuckle out of the Mandrake scene. A very imaginitive and immersive environment J.K. Rowling created. Kenneth Branagh's Gilderoy Lockhart cracks me up, with the girls swooning around a fraudulent prof. Touches a little more on the dark side of the HP universe with the appearance of Tom Riddle. Great movie.

I do want to watch all of them before Halloween, but I may watch something different in between each installment. Deathly Hallows Part 2 isn't coming out on Blu until Remembrance Day, so I may catch it in the theater again, maybe it will be at the 2nd run theater by the time I get to it.

[dvdjunkie]

I just don't see Harry Potter on any Halloween lists. I have looked all over the internet and have found none. To each his own I guess, but personally I wouldn't consider those films as Horror or Fantasy films.

The "horror" word in the "100 Horror Flicks in 31 Days of October" means a form of horror like "slash 'em gash 'em" films, or movies that are meant to be scary.

My own opinion is that if I watched these I wouldn't count them in the 100 films, but that's just me.

Also editing everything into one post is a heck of a lot easier than going back and revamping each new post with what you have watched. And numbering them also helps keep track on the ones that count for the 100 movies.