Nathan's 31 Days of Halloween 2019
Creatures
- Crawl - An unique take on evil alligator movies, Crawl does a lot right and sets the bar for the future, however, there's a lot more they could have done to make the film even better.
- The Devil's Tomb - What didn't this film do wrong? The acting was atrocious, the story/writing, and direction abominable.
- Killer Klowns from Outer Space - More comical than creepy, the film blends absurdity with horror fairly well, making it a decent but mostly forgettable film.
- The Mothman Prophecies - The film was not accurate to the actual story and moved at a pace that a turtle could pass. Richard Gere's acting and the bridge collapse scene are what saves the film.
- A Quiet Place - Highly suspenseful with a brilliant build-up, A Quiet Place exceeds all expectations and proves to be one of the best modern horror films to date.
- The Thing (1982) - Creepy, unnerving, and full of incredible effects that still hold up in today's time, the film is what all creature features should aspire to be.
- The Thing (2011) - The prequel actually explains quite a bit and helps lead into the original a bit better. The only issue is that it's a bit too repetitive.
Demented People
- 3 from Hell - An improvement on the two previous entries, the film takes the demented Devil's Rejects and takes them into a spaghetti western.
- Awake - What started as a fantastic psychologically tormenting film dwindled into just okay territory as more and more unnecessary story plots were revealed.
- The Belko Experiment - Simple and to the point, Belko plays on the fear of workplace violence more than anything. That works greatly in the film's favor, bringing one crazy ride to the screen.
- Cape Fear - Be careful who you piss off. The film is perfectly paced and delves into the psyche of a man who thinks he's righteous when he's actually evil.
- Creep - Wrong Turn meets the UK! Creep is weird but it has its formula figured out, which is more than I can say for a lot of modern horror.
- The Devil's Rejects - The family that slays together stays together. In Rob Zombie's sequel to House of 1000 Corpses, the evil family goes on a rampage after being cornered by the cops. It's not for the faint of heart and definitely offers some scares.
- Escape Room - What could have been an immersive horror is dulled by the bad acting and worse dialogue. It had an interesting story and a decent sequel setup but I'm not sure if that sequel will ever happen.
- The Fanatic - The film takes a different approach than previous stalker flicks, which is appreciated. What I both loved and hated about it was the fact that you feel sympathetic toward the stalker.
- From Hell - Jack the Ripper's identity is suggested by this perfectly crafted thriller, and makes one wonder how true it actually comes to the true story.
- House of 1000 Corpses - It's your typical horror flick. It's not bad and not great either, but it does keep you unnerved.
- I Spit on Your Grave: Deja Vu - Terrible, horrible, and no good are understatements when it comes to this sequel to the 70s original film.
- The Intruder - Surprisingly creepy, Dennis Quaid was fantastic as a stalker who becomes obsessed with the people buying his home.
- Joker - Haunting, surprisingly emotional, and mentally exhausting, Joker speaks volumes about mental illness and the broken society that makes illness worse rather than better.
- Raw - It perfectly keeps you on edge and unnerves you as the person we've come to care for starts spiraling into a cannibalistic crave.
- Rupture - This film should have a disclaimer. Something like: "Warning, intense and phobia-inducing. We are not responsible for any nightmares that may occur." Spectacular film.
- Suspiria - Scariest movie ever made? More like longest 100 minutes ever filmed.
- You Were Never Really Here - The story was well-done and the acting was fantastic but the film's pace was excruciatingly slow.
Fantasy
- The Brothers Grimm - Underappreciated, the film shows the meaning of brotherhood while giving us a wild twist on the Grimm fairy tales.
- Carnival Row - Visionary and beautifully tragic, the show is well-made and fills the fantasy gap that the GoT finale left in its wake.
- The Dark Crystal - A beautiful fantasy epic that is actually improved with Henson's puppeteering.
- The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance - This prequel series is extraordinary and surpasses the original film in many ways.
- Labyrinth - Another gorgeous epic from Henson, Labyrinth is a timeless classic for a reason.
- Legend - Highly underrated, Legend set the groundwork for Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal.
- Maleficent - A new spin on the Sleeping Beauty tale, Maleficent makes the "villain" sympathetic and helps us understand her hatred toward humans.
- Maleficent: Mistress of Evil - Magical, emotional, and just as fun as the first, Maleficent's sequel is on equal ground with its predecessor, keeping what was great about the first alive while standing on its own two feet.
Spirits
- Bringing Out the Dead - Bringing Out the Dead is one of those films that you can't quite forget for a long time. Not only did Scorsese capture loss and grief perfectly, but he also captured the side of paramedics that not many see: the hurt, lonely, broken spirits that many carry.
- The Curse of La Llorona - Had some good creepy moments but was underwhelming for the most part.
- The Fog (original) - Commands your attention and keeps it until the very end.
- The Fog (remake) - The acting is choppy and soulless while the story is decent. Definitely not the original by by means.
- A Ghost Story - The film is beautifully tragic but drags unnecessarily in a couple places.
- The Prodigy - It may be predictable but it's downright creepy.
- Pulse - Never truly explains the reason behind the pulses but at least the rest of the film is a solid win.
- Pulse - The remake of a Japanese horror is usually a recipe for disaster. While this film is actually pretty good, the choppy acting nearly kills it.
- Pulse 2 - You know the saying 'never judge a book by its cover'? Well, never judge a DVD by its cover because it may promise thrills and all you get are sighs of boredom.
- Pulse 3 - Definitely an improvement on the first two, the film actually gives a few chills and, bonus, there's a story too!
- The Sixth Sense - This is what one might and should call the perfect thriller.
Zombies and the Infected
- The Chernobyl Diaries - Starts out strong but dwindles over time, eventually turning into a big dud.
- The Dead Don't Die - The film was pretty funny in places but the random fourth wall breaks in the last half were increasingly dumb.
- Quarantine - This is one found-footage film that does everything right. It gives us a story with great acting and makes us believe even just for the span of the film that this is really happening somewhere.
- Quarantine 2: Terminal - A series that goes from found-footage to standard is a recipe for disaster. While it was decent enough, the acting faltered and the writing was altogether bad.
- Scooby-Doo: Return to Zombie Island - The story and setup is good but the music is horribly misplaced.
- Zombieland: Double Tap - Now this is how you do a sequel. The humor is still natural and the story flowed well. The only issue I had was that Zoey Deutch's Madison character could wear on your nerves after a while and there were a few predictable moments.
Other
- The Addams Family (1964) - The original series had all the best humor and wit that the movies were missing.
- The Addams Family (2019) - For a wildly strange family, there's not many laughs to be found, but the film does have a lot of lessons to teach.
- The Astronaut's Wife - Tries too hard to be the next Rosemary's Baby instead of finding its own footing. Depp and Theron's chemistry saves the movie.
- Edward Scissorhands - Magical and full of heart, the film shows us what it's like to be different and that it's okay to accept yourself for who you are.
- End of Days - While the story could have been a bit better, the film was actually smart and played on people's real fears.
- The Goonies - An adventure for every generation, The Goonies still holds up even after all this time.
Complete List with Ratings
- 3 from Hell - 3.5 out of 4
- The Addams Family (1964) - 4 out of 4
- The Addams Family (2019) - 3 out of 4
- The Astronaut's wife - 2 out of 4
- Awake - 2.5 out of 4
- The Belko Experiment - 3 out of 4
- Bringing Out the Dead - 4 out of 4
- The Brothers Grimm - 3 out of 4
- Cape Fear - 4 out of 4
- Carnival Row - 4 out of 4
- The Chernobyl Diaries - 2.5 out of 4
- Crawl - 3 out of 4
- Creep - 3 out of 4
- The Curse of La Llorona - 2.5 out of 4
- The Dark Crystal - 3 out of 4
- The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance - 3.5 out of 4
- The Dead Don't Die - 2.7 out of 4
- The Devil's Rejects - 3 out of 4
- The Devil's Tomb - 0/0 - DEATH BY EXILE
- Edward Scissorhands - 4 out of 4
- End of Days - 2.5 out of 4
- Escape Room - 2.5 out of 4
- The Fanatic - 2.5 out of 4
- The Fog (original) - 3.5 out of 4
- The Fog (remake) - 2.5 out of 4
- From Hell - 3.5 out of 4
- A Ghost Story - 3.5 out of 4
- The Goonies - 3.5 out of 4
- House of 1000 Corpses - 2 out of 4
- I Spit on Your Grave: Deja Vu - 0/0 - DEATH BY EXILE
- The Intruder - 3.5 out of 4
- Joker - 4 out of 4
- Killer Klowns from Outer Space - 2.5 out of 4
- Labyrinth - 4 out of 4
- Legend - 3.5 out of 4
- Maleficent - 4 out of 4
- Maleficent: Mistress of Evil - 4 out of 4
- The Mothman Prophecies - 2.5 out of 4
- The Prodigy - 3 out of 4
- Pulse (1988) - 3 out of 4
- Pulse - 2.5 out of 4
- Pulse 2 - 2 out of 4
- Pulse 3 - 2 out of 4
- Quarantine - 3 out of 4
- Quarantine: Terminal - 2 out of 4
- A Quiet Place - 4 out of 4
- Raw - 4 out of 4
- Rupture - 4 out of 4
- Scooby-Doo: Return to Zombie Island - 2.8 out of 4
- The Sixth Sense - 4 out of 4
- Suspiria (original) - 1.5 out of 4
- The Thing (1982) - 3.5 out of 4
- The Thing (2011) - 3 out of 4
- You Were Never Really Here - 2.5 out of 4
- Zombieland: Double Tap - 3 out of 4
© 2019 Nathan Jasper
