31 Days of Halloween Movie Marathon: The First Ten Days

How do you kick off a Halloween marathon? Vampires and zombies of course! The following is the first 10 days of my Halloween marathon and the ratings for each film I have watched so far. Ready?

Day One

• 28 Days Later - One of the most incredible zombie virus movies ever made, the film showcases the monsters both creature-esque and within our own selves.
• 28 Weeks Later - The sequel to 28 Days Later is slightly lesser than the original but not by much. Some of the visual choices are frightening and some are a bit off but mostly the film succeeds, especially with scares.
• Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter - A fun fictional history lesson about America's greatest President, and apparently one of its first vampire hunters.

Day Two

• 30 Days of Night - This horrific vampire flick shocks and scares, but offers very little plot aside from the usual "run and hide to survive" formula.
• 30 Days of Night: Dark Days - A slightly more involving film that not only trades out the original actress with a better one but also gives us the bleakness that made the first one so creepy.
• After.Life - An intriguing mind game that makes you trust one character then betrays that trust only to win it back again. This was a better film than it gets credit for being.
• Altitude - Too much arguing, but just enough creature to forgive the film's shortcomings. The big reveal is quite interesting and the ending leaves the audience with a hope that most horror flicks take away.

• The Addams Family - A fun take on the world's strangest family that is respectful to the series but still stands on its own.
• Addams Family Values - A mediocre follow-up that tries to be as good as the first but ultimately falls short.
• Beetlejuice - Tim Burton's brilliant film for adults that shows the horrors of being stuck in the human world after death and the fun that the dead can have with the living.

• Arachnophobia - You've never had a spider infestation like this! Anyone who really is an arachnophobic should skip this film. It'll make even the sanest people feel things crawling on them.
• As Above So Below - A rather interesting look at what awaits in hell, the journey it requires, and what happens if you steal from the Devil's treasure vault. Creepy, unnerving, and completely worth the viewing if you don't mind the POV filming style.
• Babadook - It takes a while to get moving and the lead kid seems like an annoying little brat that would make the worst of evils run and hide.
• Blair Witch Project - The first of its kind, truly creepy, and mentally exhausting. This film is proof that some movies just shouldn't have sequels.

Day Five

• Blade - Wesley Snipes teams with Marvel to bring the vampire slayer Blade to the big screen, breaking ground and giving adults a supernatural hero to root for.
• Blade II - Blade returns, but in a rather disappointing film. There are a few great moments but overall the film fails to deliver the punch that the first one had.
• Blade: Trinity - Even with the incredible talents of Ryan Reynolds and Jessica Biel joining the team, the film falls short. It's much more entertaining that the second, but nowhere near as groundbreaking as the original.
• Van Helsing - Hugh Jackman and Kate Beckinsale team up against Dracula and his army of assorted monsters. It's intense, over-the-top, and one fun ride.

Day Six

• BloodRayne - Simple plot, horrid acting, and a love scene that makes porno look romantic. The film fails on almost every level.
• BloodRayne 2: Deliverance - The sequel to the mindless original was remarkably even more pointless.
• BloodRayne 3: The Third Reich - The only good entry in the series, Rayne fights against a recently-turned-vampire-Hitler.

Day Seven

• Blood & Chocolate - A love story that just can't seem to capture the attention of its audience. It tries to use the "forbidden love" formula but just ends up being a snore.
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Funny, silly, and never taking itself seriously, the film succeeds as eye candy but does very little else to make the film memorable.
• Byzantium - The darker side of immortal love is brought to the screen and, at times, it succeeds in its heart-wrenching tale.

Day Eight

• Underworld: Rise of the Lycans - An origins story that shows the birth of the age-old feud between vampires and wolves.
• Underworld - Incredible story, fantastic action and battle scenes, and perfect acting, the film succeeds and entertains, breathing fresh air in a dying genre.
• Underworld: Evolution - The film falls to the ususal shoot-em-up action rather than focusinng on developing the story.
• Underworld: Awakening - When humanity decides to wipe out vampires and wolves alike, Selene decides it's humanity that has to go. Unnecessary addition, but it is entertaining nonetheless.

• The Boy Next Door - Surprisingly horrible acting and a predictable, rehashed plot equals a rather bland film that probably shouldn't have been made.
• Disturbia - The unofficial remake of Rear Window, Disturbia takes a while to go anywhere but when it does, it grips you and doesn't let go.
• Rear Window - One of Hitchcock's classic paranoia-inducing films that keeps you guessing from the beginning all the way to the big reveal.
• The Stepfather - The moment you meet David, you feel an unease about him and, considering the title of the film, it's obvious he's going to be the villain. The film is predictable but somehow it manages to stay interesting.
• The Uninvited - This is one of those films that makes you think you know who the killer is but offers one final twist that throws everything you thought you knew out the window.
• The Glass House - Another predictable evil stepparent film, but Leelee Sobieski and Stellan Skarsgard make the film tense and hard to look away.

• Cabin Fever - Most critics panned this film but I rather enjoyed it. I found it to be rather exciting and engrossing. It didn't require much thought but it made up for it with good acting, good effects, and a decent story.
• Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever - An unnecessary and ridiculous follow-up that does nothing for the series other than kill a great first movie.
• Cabin Fever: Patient Zero - The final reveal is here and it's hard to decide if it's an amazing reveal or a stupid reveal.
• Cabin Fever 2016 - An almost frame-by-frame remake of the original. It was completely unnecessary and added nothing new to an already established story.
• The Cabin in the Woods - Written by Joss Whedon, the story was a good idea but the movie itself was not executed properly. It could have been done so much better and the film sadly suffers because of that mistake.

• 28 Days Later - 4 out of 4
• 28 Weeks Later - 3 out of 4
• 30 Days of Night - 2.5 out of 4
• 30 Days of Night: Dark Days - 3 out of 4
• Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter - 3 out of 4
• Addams Family - 3.5 out of 4
• Addams Family Values - 2.5 out of 4
• After.Life - 4 out of 4
• Altitude - 2.5 out of 4
• Arachnophobia - 3.5 out of 4
• As Above So Below - 4 out of 4
• Babadook - 2.5 out of 4
• Beetlejuice - 4 out of 4
• Blade - 3.5 out of 4
• Blade II - 2.5 out of 4
• Blade: Trinity - 3 out of 4
• Blair Witch Project - 4 out of 4
• Blood & Chocolate - 1.5 out of 4
• BloodRayne - 1 out of 4
• BloodRayne 2: Deliverance - 0.5 out of 4
• BloodRayne 3: The Third Reich - 2 out of 4
• Boy Next Door - 1 out of 4
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer - 1.5 out of 4
• Byzantium - 3 out of 4
• Cabin Fever - 3.5 out of 4
• Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever - 0.5 out of 4
• Cabin Fever: Patient Zero - 2.5 out of 4
• Cabin Fever 2016 - 1.5 out of 4
• Cabin in the Woods - 2.5 out of 4
• Disturbia - 3.5 out of 4
• Glass House - 3.5 out of 4
• Rear Window - 4 out of 4
• Stepfather - 2 out of 4
• Underworld: Rise of the Lycans - 3 out of 4
• Underworld - 4 out of 4
• Underworld: Evolution - 2 out of 4
• Underworld: Awakening - 1.5 out of 4
• Uninvited - 4 out of 4
• Van Helsing - 3.5 out of 4

I'm ready to see what the next ten days has in store. They're sure to have plenty of vampires, ghosts, demons, and scares ahead so join me in another ten days for the next batch of horrors in my 31 Days of Halloween Movie Marathon!