I'd say our little trek though Halloween movies has been pretty successful. We got a nice of classics and newer stuff and quite a variety in genre. My last post ended with Hilary's pick on the horizon, so we'll start there.
Hilary's Pick: Identity starring John Cusack, Ray Liotta and Amanda Peet
This is the only movie in the bunch that I'd actually seen before. Because a lot of the suspense hangs on the resolution, I wasn't particularly thrilled to watch it again. I ended up being pleasantly surprised because even on a rewatch it still managed to hold some tension. I didn't remember the particulars so I still ended up being a little surprised. John Cusack is always fun to watch. It was nice having him as a centerpiece. The violence was a little more than I usually like, but not enough to ruin the experience. I found it to be a taut, twisty thriller that managed to stay original. Good pick.
Bonus Pick: She-Wolf of London starring June Lockhart (of Lassie/Lost in Space fame)
This was another feature in my Wolf-Man Legacy set. We popped it in one night while doing laundry and ended up getting sucked in. This was interesting because all of the major players were female. This had more of a mystery/thriller vibe than that of horror. Still it was compelling and suspenseful, much better than Werewolf of London. Definitely worth a watch.
Bonus Pick: Dracula Untold starring Luke Evans
Hilary and I had been wanting to see this since it came out. The reviews have been awful so our expectations were low. Eric and Kendra ended up joining us. I didn't find this to be a particularly good movie, but it was enjoyable enough to keep my attention. I think there were a lot of elements there that could have made for a very good movie, but those took a bad seat to stilted story telling and puzzling fight scenes. The epilogue was awful. There was a talk of this starting a updated monster movie series, but I think that has been abandoned. Don't watch this for a movie, but it's a fun popcorn movie for a Saturday night.
Sally's Pick: Psycho directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins
This movie has been on my list for years. (We had actually planned to watch this last year, but it didn't work out that way.) I thought this was very good. I know Hitchcock is an icon, but I've found that the films I've watched have been very hit or miss for me. Psycho was definitely a hit. It managed to feel both timeless and modern at the same time. The surprises were good and they acting was great. I always like Janet Leigh and she was definitely on point here. Anthony Perkins managed to pull off charming and sympathetic which is tough to do when playing a deranged killer. This was a great Halloween pick. Good work, Sally
Eric's (aka The King of Halloween) Pick: What We Do in the Shadows written, directed by and starring Jermaine Clement
This was straight up hilarious. This takes the form of a documentary about Vampires preparing for a big annual event. The comedy was just right. I think one of the keys to this sort of movie is that everyone has to play it straight. It doesn't work to mug for laughs or act like you're doing slapstick. I loved the interchanges between the vampires. The werewolves cracked me up too. This was a great one to end on and is definitely worth watching.
Next up, Christmas Movies?
Monday, November 2, 2015
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