There’s a line in Jurassic Park uttered by the immortal Ian Malcolm. “Life find a way”. It does and sometimes that way, is obstacles, challenges and generally a complete drain of your time. October was an incredibly challenging month and meant I wasn’t in the right headspace to sit down and write blog posts as much as I wanted to.
Aside from the challenges in October, I did manage to watch a hell of a lot of films. Some amazing films. Some average films. Some absolute garbage. Some of the classics. Some rewatches. A lot of new watches. What I thought I’d do as a return to blogging was do a little round up of my watches and pick out some awards!
Most Surprising Film – The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
I knew how much I enjoyed this the first time I watched this. I didn’t however realise just how special this film is. I am not a massive fan of Zombie films in general; they feel incredibly samey. This though is just so distinctive, so funny and so memorable. Some of the practical effects are incredible and there’s real punctuations of gore alongside gut punching sadness. For me on this rewatch, on Arrow’s amazing 4K release, the film elevated from great watch to a Bonafide masterpiece.
Best New Watch – Brain Damage (1988)
Frank Henenlotter has always been a blind spot for me. I appreciate without loving Basket case but I haven’t watched any of the sequels or Frankenhooker. I know how loved he is and how big an influence he has been on some of my favourite film makers. This had been on my list for a while but I was blown away by how much this one impacted me. A poignant, moving and bonkers allegory for addiction and the impact it has on you and everyone around you. If you haven’t watched it, get hold of it immediately!
Child Friendly Fright – The Halloween Tree (1993)
I love revisiting films from my childhood. I talk about “gateway horror” a lot. Watching classic Scooby-Doo films and episodes, Casper, Goosebumps or Nightmare Before Christmas were all huge pillars of my upbringing and journey into being a horror addict now. This film, however, I’d never seen before. I loved the animation and story so much. It really captures the feel of how I imagine, Halloween was growing up in America. Will definitely be one I revisit in the future
Worst Film – The Curse of Halloween Jack (2019)
An absolute abomination of a film. I’ve covered 3 pretty shit movies on my blog so far but this is easily the worst film to be mentioned here so far. Appalling in every sense of the word. Dialogue that would make a toddler blush, acted like a primary school play and written by a turtle on a typewriter; this is easily one of the biggest time wastes of my life thus far. AVOID!
Biggest Disappointment – Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
It just didn’t do it for me on any level. It’s not a traditional horror but there was definitely enough to classify it as that in my eyes. I always struggle with lengthy films but this felt like overkill especially when the ending feels so rushed. Cruise and Kidman are really captivating, as always, but the plot really left a lot to be desired for me.
Best Kill – Barbarian (2022)
So I watched Barbarian on my phone on a flight to Stuttgart this time round. Not an ideal way to watch this modern classic but it still packs a punch. The slow burn in the first half of this film is incredible. It creates so much tension and suspense that even on a 2nd or 3rd watch you feel on edge. The staggered reveal of the basement and underground tunnels reaches a crescendo as the “Barbarian” emerges from the shadows and brutally smashes the head of a main character against a wall. The first time I saw this I was absolutely shocked but even on a revisit it holds up. Majestically done.
Best Monster/Villain – Jerry Dandrige, Fright Night (1985)
Fright Night cemented itself as one of my favourite ever horror films this time round. I’ve always loved it but what I’m finding is that each time I watch it, something else stands out. On previous watches I have always been enamoured with the gravitas, humour and humanity Roddy McDowall lends to Peter Vincent but this watch belonged to Chris Sarandon as the mysterious neighbour Jerry Dandrige. He’s absolutely magnificent. He oozes charisma, menace and danger in every scene. His dance in the club, when he turns on the chair in Charley’s house and when he first welcomes the gang into his home. The best vampire film of all time and probably the best modern day (for the time) vampire ever.
Best Film – The Exorcist (1973)
Can words do justice to this film? Does it transcend the term ‘film’ and become ‘experience’. Simply put, it’s my favourite film of all time. On this watch there were 2 new facets. I’d read the book this year for the first time and this was my first time watching this in 4K. Both of these points added something new to the watch. It specifically made the character of Lt. Bill Kinderman, performed beautifully by Lee J. Cobb, hit home harder than ever before. He portrays the character pitch perfectly to the novel. We all know how good Ellen Burstyn, Jason Miller and Linda Blair’s performances are but this time he stood out. One day I might feel confident enough to lend my pen/hand/keys to trying to capture the magnificence of this film but it’s safe to say, I don’t think there’s a more perfect horror film.
So that was October. A weird month but we got through it! Hopefully there will be far more of these posts over the coming weeks as I always enjoy it. If you want to see the full list of films I watched in October, get yourself through to my Letterboxd – https://boxd.it/4XTif
