Halloween Movie Recommendation 1-Perfume: The Story of A Murderer 2006

Perfume: The Story of A Murderer is gothic and disturbing fun. Dustin Hoffman plays a small role in this film. This is a horror movie that appeals to the serial killer fans and relies on getting across one unusual sense for a movie.

This is not a slasher film or one that relies on blood and gore. The evil or lack of soul in the character will haunt you. This is an orginal story that is unlike other horror movies. If you like a mind tease rather than a quick kill, this is the movie for you.

Vacancy 2

I believe this is a prequel to Vacancy. Vacancy blew me away. You gotta sort of know that 2 anything just isn't going to have the surprise or punch. On occasion there are some number twos that are pretty awesome. In the movies, you know what I meant.

Jeepers Creepers two, a pretty good sequel. Star Wars two and three, of the orginal series, all good as far as I am concerned. The Mummy 2, awesome.

Vacancy 2? It fell flat for me. It didn't capture my interest at all. There were some things about the first movie that just made you clutch your bed sheets to your chest. I am pretty sure I was surfing the internet during most of the movie. It wasn't horrible, it was mildly entertaining. If you didn't see Vacancy the first movie, I doubt that this one would surprise you terribly as a stand alone film.

Oh shoot, Hostel 2. fantastic!!! I actually think 2 might have been a bit creepier than one.

Tormented 1959 or 60?

There was a recent gem that I found called Tormented. A little hokey in that it was on the cusp of 59/60, so you got some interesting "lingo". All in all, it did remind me of a ghost movie that I think Meryl Streep in The French Lieutenant's woman. Something about a widow that had an illicit affair in Victorian or earlier times with a soldier. I will have to look it up later. I am not really sure it was a ghost story or a redo of a famous Greta Garbo movie where she jumped in front of a train at the end, after a similar affair.

Dead Silence 2007

Dead Silence is the movie of my day. And it has family estrangement in it, so I'm a gonna use it!!! I don't really want to ruin any of the mystery so I will summarize it briefly.

Couple, who are married and in love, receive ventriloquist dummy in unmarked package at their door. Some mention of like "oh isn't that like the scary poem our parents used to tell us?" Sadly didn't prompt them to throw out doll right there. Tragedy strikes. Cops on wrong trail. Husband to solve crime, and the mystery begins......After a trip back to creepy home town with creepier father with new young wifey. Not perhaps the best acting that I have seen, but decent plot and twists that had me not nodding off. Wasn't quite scared by it, per say. Even though it's about creepy dolls. Maybe I have just seen too many movies about creepy dolls.

Suburban Nightmare 2004, The Dark Hours 2005, Taboo 2002

Note: For movies I like, I now have a category called "Recomend Movies". Any movies not tagged that, are crappy IMH(humble)O. I love Netflix and the amount of movies you can see in a month for little money. Many times these movies are crap. And pretty much, if you can play those movies on your computer, instead of waiting to receive them in the mail, I am learning the craptistics of that being true go up significantly.

These aren't gems, but I do occasionally find gems that make it all worth it, and have learned to pull movies (unless they are providing background noise) out of the DVD if they are truly not worthy.

Here is my crap list for this week. Also, remember the crappier the less I remember about the plot. These aren't real horrid crap, and if things had been done at all a little bit creatively, we might have had something here. They ranged from good but you gave the twist away right at the beginning, sort of interesting but all themes have been done to death and you didn't do any of them very well, and well typical.

Suburban Nightmare: Even darker Mr and Mrs Smith. They are serial killers however, but their marriage is on the rocks. Interesting concept, but in the end same old same old. You got your cannibalism, hostage in the basement, screaming, and various tools of the trade. Could have easily lived with out it.

The Dark Hours pretty much gave it's twist away in the beginning. Unless you aren't terribly observant, you are going to get what is going on right away. Ending reminded me of "Wild Things" except you are thinking "no duh".

Taboo: Think Dangerous Liasons or the related Cruel Intentions. Except this has all been done to death, and this movie is horribly done. Boring, first of all. I wanted them all to die.

Grindhouse Road 2007

Grindhouse'>http://www.rhitv.com/Movie.aspx?id=50">Grindhouse Road is, I believe, a made for tv movie. It's pretty fair, however. The plot was interesting, and I was not bored. Good mystery plot. I don't know how scared I actually got. In other words, a jaded horror movie like me is not going to find the movie too scary.

Kept me guessing, however, which is unusual and I like.

It's hard to describe much of this movie without being a major spoiler. Are the helpful nice neighbors really helpful nice neighbors? Why is the wife and new owner in the house SO interested in it's history when she has her own personal problems going on? What are those flashbacks all about? The mystery of the house was pretty decent for a made for tv movie.

The Garden 2006, House of Voices or Saint Ange 2004, Fangoria Blood Drive 2004, Inheritance 2004,

Okay, I go through a lot of dogs to find the good horror movies. Or I am just so jaded by the number of horror movies that I have seen, that I am just jaded in my opinions. Here is a listing of movies that I have seen that I have found not worth my while....

The Garden (2006)-Biblical references and little boys battling "evil" just don't do it for me. It seemed more like a bible lesson trying to mask itself as a horror movie. I didn't like it.

House of Voices or Saint Ange (2004)-Orphanage movie. Largely uninteresting, no real plot rather than trying to have some creepy images that ultimately went nowhere. Or I assume so, I fell asleep and had no interest in continueing to view the movie.

Fangoria Blood Drive (2004)-Had high hopes for this one as they are independent collection of horror fan movies. It fell flat, and I couldn't even tell you one story on there.

Inheritance (2004)-Wow snoozer. Again, I can't even recall what the plot might have been, other than I was bored to tears.

****The great thing is that through Netflix, I have seventeen hours of movies that I can watch online. The downside is the normally aren't the best Netflix has to offer, but just as occaisionally you come accross something, or can at least cross something off that WAS of interest before you saw it without messing up the que of movies coming to you.

Summer of Fear 1978 (Wes Craven)

***Also titled, Stranger in Our House

Okay, this was based on a book that I read in Junior High or so. Scared the crap out of me, it was one of my first honest to goodness witch books. A young Nanny Fine or Fran Drescher is in this movie!! Even as a youngster she had traces of her trade mark accent.

Linda Blair plays the lead role. Overall, an entertaining tale of a cousin that comes to live after a family tragedy. Seems like a nice enough girl at first, but things start happening.

I liked the book, and I like the movie as a light (probably okay for children) horror/scary movie.

Hostel II

Hostel II blew away Hostel. Surprising, I know, as I almost never think this. Very warped humor in this one. I don't think there was as much dark comedy used in the first one. I won't ruin it for you, but I enjoy a bit of funny mixed with my horror IF (and that's a big IF) it is done right. This one is. Also a big nod to other horror movie icons and movies.

A Halloween hit if you are looking for a good scary movie. (and are like me and have seen just about everything not new).

Ed and His Dead Mother 1993

Excellent. Comedy/horror. To do it well is genuis. Love this movie. A whole nother spin on Corporate America, Sales, and Industry:)

You know there is always a price, if you want to bring your loved ones back to life. Real quirky clientel at the general store, as well.

If you want to laugh, and you enjoy a little goulish humor, this is the movie for you.

Steve Buscemi, also from Fargo, is in it. Need I say more?

Disturbia 2007

Disturbia is basically a teen Disney movie of the remake of the classic, Rear Window. I was looking forward to it, but it just did not live up (not even close) to Hitchcock's Rear Window. Not the same dread or suspense at all.

Too bad, a modern take on this might have been interesting, if it worked in any way.

Tormented 1960

1960 release has a bit of a fifties feel to it. Nomally, I find fifties horror movies to be a bit tacky, and some of the "lingo" is a little over the top "dadio". Despite the bad special affects (probably pretty cutting edge at the time LOL) this is a classic find as far as horror/ghost stories go. I really enjoyed it.

A man's decent into evil is revealed, and a woman's revenge is initiated. A little too corny to be truly frightening these days, but a good solid story and build up to the finale. I heartily recommend this movie. Pleasantly surprised.

Cemetery Gates 2006, Second Nature 2003, Curdled 1996

Cemetery Gates-Not surprisingly, the Tasmanian Devil let loose in the cemetery was a horribly done movie. The signature "college co-eds" were in it, which always raises a flag of doubt. Course it COULD have been the find of the year as well. Horrible costume, bad acting, bad script, low budget, gratuitous blood shed....do I need to go on? Just the slightest hint of a plot, but not enough to reel one in at all.

Second Nature-Perhaps if this was my first "secret agent" or "experiment" movie ever it would have been good. It was pretty predictable, lame romantic interest....some good action scenes though. If you found this on TV and were bored for something to watch, it's not horrible. It's doable, but pretty predictable.

Curdled-By far the most original concept in the group. Woman fascinated by death quits her job as a baker in a bakery, and goes to work for a "unique" maid service company. They specialize in cleaning up really gory crime scenes once the police are done. Quirky, interesting, and I liked it. It didn't blow me away, and the ending was pretty predictable to me (but then again I have seen like a billion of these things) but it was an interesting and sort of humorous concept. I like original and quirky and this fit the bill.

Thoughts On The Omen-1976

I have watched this movie many many times, being that it's a horror classic and all. Since it is a classic, I have always given it the respect it deserved by not questioning certain things. I keep meaning to read the book, perhaps it would make it clearer.

Why didn't the devil's helpers just switch the babies in the first place? Why the whole adoption ruse that would later make the father question where his kid was. I understand he didn't mention to his wife that their baby had died in "childbirth", but why had he never seen his own kid's body or know where it was?

Why did the father cut the hair in the kid's room so the Nanny could sneak up on him after he witnessed the birth mark? Why not just take the kid out for a moment and cut his hair?

Anyway, seemed like some classic horror movie mistakes and inconsistencies.

Uninvited Guest 1999

Horrible movie that I watched awhile ago, but forgot to write about. First of all, I am so confused who they were marketing this movie to. The wife was a loose slut, and the guy was a money grubbing whore who set up his wife.

The acting horrible, the plot been done before and better.....husband sets up wife to get her killed for his book or movie project. Backstabs his best friend et et. Oh, sorry, did I ruin the ending for you. Don't get this movie, I am telling you. Horrible, awful, bizarre in that it seems to offend every group that it could have marketed itself too. Unless, maybe it was a comedy? I don't think so though.

Hannibal Rising 2007, Mark of the Devil 1970, Tourist Trap 1979

Hannibal Rising was not a favorite (apparently) of many of the fans of this series. I, however, loved it. I also liked the original ending of the book that followed Silence of the Lambs, and not the filmed ending that everyone objected to being in the movie (hogwash). Harris as an author has an incredible imagination that I love. I love the way he twists things in the same story with a different perspective.

I loved the book, AND I LOVED the movie. There were some truly frightening moments there, and I was glad we didn't go some places it seemed we were going. I also loved seeing my Rome guy, Verenus (?) playing a bad guy. Really brilliant, I thought.

Tourist Trap--Typical in some ways, but this 70s movie preceded it's followers, so I gotta think this is one that is being copied from. The wax theme was done before of course with Vincent Price, but this has a couple different spins on it. Not my favorite movie, but in the interest of seeing a minor classic that has something to do with major themes, I did enjoy it. Again not the best piece of work (and certainly not acting) that I have ever seen.

Mark of The Devil--Note to self, do not take horror movie suggestions from the husband. First of all, I have seen parts of this (really really bad) movie before. This is a sixties movie and a classic cult movie among some. I, personally, can't get past the bad western, sixties, or Gypsy music that is many time inappropriate and distracting during the whole movie. It's all about torture and witch trials in the 1700 or 1600 hundreds (perhaps even earlier), so you can see my objection to the cheesy western cowboy music being used. Boob shots, pretty girls, a couple of sex scenes that were probably shocking at the time, rapes, knives used on females.....yawn. Really really bad acting by pretty girls, and handsome men with nice eyes and other attributes (that are probably 90 years old now).

Have to say, am again sad to have seen it again, but forced myself to see it all the way through, so I would never need to wonder if it's redeeming at all again. Oh yes, well lit sets where actors use candles as that is the period, but of course castles would actually be lacking light, and so candles would have been NEEDED instead of STAGE SETTING for a horrid movie.

It does look somewhat intriguing at parts, but trust me, just walk away. Ick.

Tell Me Something-2000

I believe this is a korean movie.   It's nice because you can decide to listen to it in English, or listen in their language with subtitles.   I didn't do this, but I sometimes try it both ways, as I think the characters intonations have a lot to do with the movie, and that is lost when it's no longer the actors actual voices IMO.

I have seen a lot of Asian horror since Audition, which I love (and three extremes).   Maybe those copied something like this (though I know Audition most likely came out before).   There are certain story lines in these films that take away some of the surprise when you have watched a lot of them.   That's true in this movie, though if you haven't been following Asian horror, it's certaintly a worthy one to watch.   

Torture Garden 1969, And Soon The Darkness 1970, There Is Nothing Out There 1991

Like I got three for three that I enjoyed a previous week; this three for three was a huge disappointment.

1991 There is Nothing Out There, had a fair amount of stars on Netflix. This is tricky for me, because some of the classics or weird/kooky ones that I prefer are frequently low on stars. And then sometimes when I go for the high stars, I do find a gem. Not so this time. I tried twice, and could not pay attention to this movie to save my life. Just seemed like a Friday the 13th type of movie, high on teenagers being killed after sexual acts.

And then the Darkness 1970 was the best of the bunch. But a lot of movies have been made before and since then that have the "twist" ending this one does. Also not kookie enough (like Texas Chainsaw) to get my vote for weird and bizarre. In Texas Chainsaw the whole beginning wierd hitchhiker, where nothing even gets started yet, is one of my favorites. It's just such a bizarre and creepy encounter. This film could have had more of that, it was boring in comparison to others.

Torture Garden 1968 bored me. Probably when I was younger I would have appreciated the classicness of this movie. Anyone interested in classic horror (the orginal draculas, frankenstien's, mummies, wax museum with Vincent Price) will most likely enjoy this movie. I found that these bore me a bit now (well maybe not Frankenstein <G>).

Sisters-1973

Sisters!!   I recently got the Netflix three for three movies that were beyond the average movie.   1973 horror movie that I would term "a classic".   Witness to a murder calls poice, and body is not found.   She investigates, but is SHE who she really seems to be?

Looks like there is a later American remake out there.   There is also a Chinese (I believe possibly Japanese or Korean) movie with a similar subject but not the same and darker.   As a whole though, this Brian DePalma movie seems to have been the start of something, unless someone knows of something a bit earlier, and of course I don't want to give the whole concept away.

I was very pleased.   Reminded me a bit of the Asian horror movies due to the stringy hair of the killer.   But I don't want to give more away than that either.   Rent it, you probably won't be sorry.   This is one of those finds I get pretty excited about.

3.5 out of five stars.   Fun to watch the seventies fashions and "concepts" of that period of time too:)

In Dreams-1999

In Dreams is a very good and quite disturbing horror movie. I have watched it before, and not gotten through it before. There is a certain dog scene that takes up a lot of time in the movie. The child murders aren't shown just intimated as to what might have happened, which is kind of nice. The concept is horrifying.

This is not one of those horror movies where good necessarily prevails in the end. And always appreciate that in a horror movie, but they don't tend to be my favorites. Stephen King novels are kind of like that for me (though there are some where someone lives at the end).

So keep all of those thoughts in mind, and if you can get through all this, it is really an orginal and interesting movie in it's dark and quite disturbing way.