#19-#20

The Incredible Melting Man (1977)

• An astronaut back from a mission to Saturn starts melting from the radiation he encounters. Oh yeah, and he also eats people.
• Effects were neat and original in this one. Especially when he finally melts away.
• Some odd narrative choices. Having a couple of loose cannon security guards just start shooting people up is not too believable.
• The old couple in the car are pretty hilarious. Kissing each other, stealing lemons, and scolding each other.
• MST3K riffed on this one. I'll have to check that episode out.

Massacre at Central High (1976)

• More of a revenge film than a scary one, but I think it still qualifies.
• The movie Heather's takes a lot from this movie, including the final scene.
• Great boobs in this. Natural and curvy.
• Robert Carradine and cast give some pretty good performances. 
• Really goofy theme song.

#14-#18

Halloween II (1981)

• Picks up at the next shot after Halloween
• A kid in a Michael Myers mask gets hit by a cop car, and burned alive when they both hit an ambulance. No one seems to care except to see if it really is Michael Myers or not. So messed up.
• The kills here are good, but not that effective because we don't know the characters.
• Jamie Lee Curtis is great here still. Donald Pleasence is classic, but the character Sam Loomis acts in a pretty irrational way.
• Big fan of the use of the hospital and the syringe kills.

Halloween III (1982)

• An attempt to take the series in a new direction. The goal was to have a yearly movie under the Halloween title that was a different tale. Obviously didn't take off.
• The lead actress, Stacey Nelkin, is cute in an odd sort of way.
• The effects far outshine the plot in this one.
• I will always remember the Silver Shamrock jingle every Halloween now.
• I like how Tom Atkins' character isn't that likable, but still attempts to be the hero.

Let's Scare Jessica To Death (1971)

• Strange little film that walks the line of mental illness and ghosts/vampires.
• Zohra Lampert plays Jessica and does so well. We get a great feel for the toll of Jessica's mental illness takes on her relationship and her ability to trust anyone.
• Nice use of the unfriendly townspeople.
• I thought that Cello case looked a little suspect.
• Kevin O'Connor's character gets the shaft. He doesn't get laid, has to do all the work, and meets an untimely demise.

The New York Ripper (1982)

• I couldn't help thinking of the Bush lyric, "You want sex in your violence" while watching this one.
• The Killer makes calls to the cops using a Donald the Duck voice. I don't know if it is supposed to be creepy, but it comes off more as silly.
• The effects are great, as they often are in these Italian gems.
• Some of the sexual stuff will be sure to make you squirm in your seat. Unless you love feet!
• The ending had my wife and I guessing 3 or 4 times. Props to Fulci for that.

The Fly (1986)

• David Cronenberg brings the pain with a thought provoking story with amazing and gross practical effects.
• Jeff Goldblum is great here. His character changes so much through the film, and he makes each transformation believable. 
• Geena Davis is beautiful here. Great performance from her as well.
• There are some genuinely gag inducing scenes. The abortion scene and anything with BrindleFly eating. Yuck.
• Even though he is far beyond saving, I still feel sorry for BrindleFlyPod at the end.

#10-#13

John Carpenter's Christine (1983)

• I enjoyed this one, but it wasn't that scary.
• Stand out scenes are Christine fixing herself, and Christine running down the bully while on fire.
• The main love interest is a hottie.  Alexandra Paul also continues to be. She also has a twin sister. Bonus!
• Harry Dean Stanton appears here. Love him and a Kentucky native.
• Carpenter himself has said this movie wasn't that successful because it was hard to make a car scary.

C.H.U.D. (1984)

• Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dwellers
• To quote Sheena Odenweller, "It's CHUD crazy!!!"
• This one is a fun watch, especially the effects for the CHUDs
• One CHUD has his neck grow like Henrietta in Evil Dead 2. Gets his head chopped off just like her as well.
• Weird scene where a lady is taking a shower, the drain clogs, she goes to clear it, and then CHUD blood sprays her. She just continues to shower and cleans up. I would have been a little more disturbed.

Night of the Hunter (1955)

• The villain considers himself a man of God, who goes town to town, marries a widow, then kills her for her money. He also has LOVE and HATE tattooed on his knuckles.
• Robert Mitchum plays said villain. He does a great job. Very strong screen presence. 
• I really liked this one. The pacing is good, except for an extended sequence where the two main children are on the run down the river.
• A woman in this movie is named Icey. That is awesome.
• Interesting twist at the end with a mob of townspeople looks villainous.

The Stepfather (1987)

• Terry O'Quinn plays a man who is a master of making new identities to find the perfect family, but when the family he is in disappoints him, he kills them all.
• So, we get to see Jill Schoelen's boobs in a shower scene at the end of the movie, and it is awesome, but she is supposed to be 16. Luckily she is 24 in real life.
• Gore very quickly in this one. First scene. 
• I got really bummed about the death of the psychiatrist. 
• Interesting take on the slasher genre.

#9

Fallen (1998)

• Interesting mix of crime drama and demonology
• Denzel Washington is great here. Great cast in general. 
• The sheer mass of people they show in some scenes (such as the closing) makes me claustrophobic.
• Some plot holes, but they are easily overlooked to make the movie more suspenseful.
• That ancient language sure is creepy.

#8

The Gate (1987)

• What a gem! I love this movie. Great one for young teens.
• The demons are really neat. Nice mix of stop motion (which I love) and live action midgets in suits (which I also love)
• A young  Stephen Dorff as Glen. All the characters here are likable, and relate able. Even Terry, the little punk, turns out to have a heart of gold.
• A little confused by the eye in the palm of the hand, but the plot here is great otherwise.
• Great depiction of '80's brother/sister relationship. Also, good lesson in gun safety.

The Horror Challenge #1-#7

Hello World. My epic friend, the Displaced Kentuckian, has embarked on a challenge. A challenge for the ages. He is going to watch 50 Horror Movies before Halloween. Read more here. Well, I started roughly two weeks ago, and need to start listing/reviewing these films for my own good, and maybe yours. If I'm able, I'll update posts with pictures, but for now, text only.

Dario Argento's Phenomena (1985)

• Great performances by a very young Jennifer Connelly and seasoned Donald Pleasence
• Helper Chimps only improve movies that they are in
• Metal in the soundtrack detracted here
• Great individual scenes, but could have been edited for a quicker pace
• Crazy ending, with a gag inducing cesspool

John Carpenter's The Fog (1980)

• My first viewing, even though I'm a huge Carpenter fan, and I loved it
• Really great fog effects and the ambiance in this one is spot on spooky
• Adrienne Barbeau and Jamie Lee Curtis offer up some great eye candy 
• Jamie Lee Curtis and Janet Leigh together for an excellent Mother/Daughter connection
• Great modern take on a ghost story

The Boogens (1981)

• Some authentic and funny performances here, including the dog.
• As sexed up as some of the characters are, only minimal nudity
• More story than action here. Most of the kills are off screen, and Boogens don't appear until the last 10 minutes of the movie.
• Sound is good in this one. The Boogens sound much scarier than they look.
• The old man who sees it all coming is pretty comical

Mario Bava's Black Sabbath (1961)

• A trilogy of terror. Three short stories hosted by the iconic Boris Karloff
• Boris Karloff also plays the main antagonist in the final story, "The Wurdalak"
• Interestingly dubbed in English. Are all movies made be Italians this way?
• Bava uses setting very well in all three stories.
• Each tale is well fleshed out, scary, and deep in its own way.

Night School (1981)

• This one gets right to it. First kill in the first scene.
• Cool antagonist in this one. Anonymous Biker get up with a large knife
• Some decent TnA, although short lived
• A fast paced watch, except for a scene in a diner the night after a killing. Way too long for the pay off
• If the teachers at night school are anything like this, keep your daughters away

Squirm (1976)

• Killer man eating worms! 
• Ignorant back water rednecks!
• Uppity know-it-all city slicker!
• The worms revolted because of high voltage! (Danger! Danger!)
• A fun watch for sure.

Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things (1973)

• One of Director Bob Clark's first films. He went on to do Black Christmas and Porkies among others.
• The title here really drives home the lesson of the whole film. The cast really has it coming by the end.
• Pretty silly until the action starts at the end. Things get legitimately creepy at that point. Great zombie effects.
• Alan Ormsby plays the demented and egotistic theatre troupe leader. He also was the main effects guy on the film.
• Sort of messed up about the current Caretaker.