Month of the Silver Shamrock

So October is almost upon us, and that means pretty much one thing to most of us; Halloween. It also means to me that my wife and I are expecting our baby on Halloween too, although we have also been told the 29th and 30th :) That in turn means that we'll be getting a shitload of horror flicks into the theaters. Of course this is a double-edged sword as we will be bombarded by sequels and remakes with maybe the odd totally original movie. It also makes me wonder how any fan can afford to catch all of them. I'd like to, regardless of it being a sequel or remake, I just love catching horror flicks at the theater. I do know though that I am going to have to pick and choose carefully which ones I get along to. I also have to hope that Steph doesn't go into labor during Saw 3D..... I jest on that.

Anyway, here is the break down on what we have to expect during October...

Let Me In (Oct 1)

The remake of the quite sublime Swedish movie from 2008. Probably quite unnecessary, however the previews so far have looked promising. Whether it can replicate the subtle tone of the original is another matter.

Hatchet 2 (Oct 1)

Adam Green's sequel to his 2007 slasher. Am actually quite excited by the prospect of this despite not being blown away by the first movie. This is being shown Unrated in AMC theaters so probably no chance of catching it unless you have an AMC near you.

Chain Letter (Oct 1)

Not a sequel or a remake, and from the previews it does look full of the claret. It's only getting a limited release though so I doubt many will get a chance to catch it, until it hits DVD or Blu-ray.

Case 39 (Oct 1)

This was made in 2006 and is only now getting a release in the States. I believe it is already available on DVD in the UK. The preview I saw before Devil looked very promising, and the fact that Renee Zellweger and Bradley Cooper are in it will no doubt secure it a fairly decent box office return.

My Soul To Take (Oct 8)

Wes Craven returns with this 3D flick about a serial killer. Personally I don't need the 3D gimmick as Craven can deliver the goods when he is on top form. The preview showed promise but at times looked a little too MTV friendly.

I Spit On Your Grave: Unrated (Oct 8)

Another remake, one that has most people talking about the fact that it won't match the intensity of the original movie. But do we really need another 30 minute rape scene? I doubt this will play many theaters despite the fact that it does actually look quite decent, and the fact the Last House on the Left remake was a moderate success.

Paranormal Activity 2 (Oct 22)

I really dug the first movie. It was creepy and had some really effective moments. Now, despite wanting to check this out, I have the feeling the studio will have thrown a shitload of money at this, in comparison to the first movie, and hope to replicate the success and effectiveness of Oren Peli's hit. Blair Witch 2 anyone?

Hereafter (Oct 22)

Clint Eastwood tackles the supernatural with Matt Damon along for the ride. Will no doubt do well with folk looking for a safe "horror" movie. Eastwood is a proven director though so it will be interesting to see how this turns out.

Monsters (Oct 29)

Ultra low-budget flick that looks far more expensive than it actually cost. Of course this is only getting a limited release which is a real shame as it does look like it could be quite good.

Saw 3D (Oct 29)

The former king of Halloween horror movies, which got dethroned by Paranormal Activity, is back for hopefully the last time (and I am a huge fan of the series). Written by Melton and Dunstan again, lets hope this goes out with a bang in one of the few movies I actually do want to see in 3D.

So, a mixed list and the ones that I would guess horror fans would really like to see on the big screen won't be able to due to limited releases, or not having an AMC near them. Still, I think that this is a far stronger October for horror than last year. Only time will tell on that though.

Happy horrific movie-going folks

Pig

Director Adam (Broken, Blood River) Mason's latest movie is a nasty little affair, with cannibalism, disembowelments and murder being the order of the day. The majority of the movie was shot in just the one take and is quite an impressive feat.

This was streamed live online and as yet does not have a dvd release.

Sexy Beast

For some reason or another I never caught this movie until I watched it for this review. Maybe it was because it came in the wake of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, which in turn spawned movies such as Layer Cake, Circus and Essex Boys? Nothing against Lock, Stock, I actually really dig that flick, I just didn’t want to see another lackluster wannabe. Of course that was my mistake being that Sexy Beast is nothing like the aforementioned movies. Sure, it has gangsters, a heist and larger than life characters but beneath all that it is a far more serious character study with relatively little action. Read more

The Strangers (Revisited)

When I caught The Strangers in the theater on its initial release I went in with high(ish) expectations. I also went in mildly pissed off with a accompanying marketing campaign that seemed intent on spoiling as much of the movie as possible. Nonetheless, I thought the movie had its moments, along with its fair share of disappointments.

All that being said I thought it was time to give it another go, this time in the comfy confines of my own house, far from the incessant jibber-jabber that spout from the mouths of ignorant fucktards that seem to frequent theaters. This, as it turns out, was a good decision as The Strangers definitely works better on the small screen. It’s still not a great film, in fact it still only remains a borderline good film, but it is far more effective at home. Read more