Okay, I know. I know what you are thinking: Halloween ended nearly a month ago, how come I am writing an article about it? Well, actually I suppose to have this article written and posted online right after Halloween had finished but the last couple of weeks had been so busy in my life, that I didnt have time to write it until now. So its a bit of understatement that my personal life has been extremely busy as of late (I moved into a new flat, my parents came to visit, I started working at a second job etc.). If you remember from my Bede’s 2015 Halloween Viewing: 62 Horror Films In 31 Days article that I wrote last month, I said I was going to spend the month of October watching all 62 films from the list. Luckily I was able to watch nearly them all without any problems at all (although I wasn’t able to check out the cinema and special event screenings of PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: THE GHOST DIMENSION, THE LAST WITCH HUNTER, TROLL 2 and THE GREEN INFERNO, but I did get a chance to see the former two afterwards in November). I had a great time watching the films from this year’s list and I definitely can’t to do it again for Halloween next year as well. Also I promised in my article that once I was done with my list, I would back to write an article on the 10 best & worst horror films I saw during the month. Well, here it is. But just in case you’ve forgotten which horror films I watched from my Halloween Viewing List list this year, here’s it is below (plus their ratings):
Day 1: THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (1972) (3/5) and OCULUS (4/5) (Bonus Film: THE VISIT (4.5/5))
Day 2: DUEL (4.5/5) and SPRING (4/5)
Day 3: THE INVISIBLE MAN (1933) (5/5) and HERE COMES THE DEVIL (3.5/5)
Day 4: HORROR OF DRACULA (4/5) and PROXY (3.5/5)
Day 5: THE CRAZIES (1973) (3.5/5) and AS ABOVE, SO BELOW (1.5/5)
Day 6: DON’T TORTURE A DUCKLING (4.5/5) and WILLOW CREEK (3.5/5)
Day 7: THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES (4/5) and HONEYMOON (3.5/5) (Bonus Film: ATTACK ON TITAN: PART 2 – END OF THE WORLD (2.5/5))
Day 8: CAT PEOPLE (1982) (4/5) and DIGGING UP THE MARROW (3.5/5)
Day 9: THE BLOOD SPATTERED BRIDE (3/5) and WE ARE WHAT WE ARE (2013) (4/5)
Day 10: ISLAND OF LOST SOULS (5/5) and ODD THOMAS (3.5/5)
Day 11: BLACK SUNDAY (4.5/5) and THE QUIET ONES (2.5/5)
Day 12: IT’S ALIVE (1974) (4/5) and CONTRACTED (3.5/5)
Day 13: WITHOUT WARNING (1980) (3/5) and STAGE FRIGHT (2014) (3.5/5)
Day 14: TALES FROM THE HOOD (2.5/5) and ALMOST HUMAN (3/5)
Day 15: CELIA (4.5/5) and IN FEAR (1.5/5) (Bonus Film: CRIMSON PEAK (4/5))
Day 16: TOURIST TRAP (2.5/5) and THE BANSHEE CHAPTER (2.5/5)
Day 17: GHOSTWATCH (3.5/5) and KNIGHTS OF BADASSDOM (2.5/5)
Day 18: THE BROOD (4/5) and WITCHING & BITCHING (2.5/5)
Day 19: POSSESSION (1981) (1/5) and STARRY EYES (4/5)
Day 20: ALLIGATOR (3.5/5) and THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN (2014) (3.5/5)
Day 21: FADE TO BLACK (1980) (4/5) and WOLFCOP (2.5/5)
Day 22: AFRAID OF THE DARK (3.5/5) and THE TAKING OF DEBORAH LOGAN (3/5)
Day 23: THE COMPANY OF WOLVES (4/5) and HAUNTER (3.5/5)
Day 24: GRAVEYARD SHIFT (1990) (2/5) and HORNS (4/5)
Day 25: C.H.U.D. (3.5/5) and NURSE (3.5/5)
Day 26: THE SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE (2/5) and AFFLICTED (3/5)
Day 27: THE BLOB (1958) (3.5/5) and WE ARE STILL HERE (3/5)
Day 28: FRANKENSTEIN UNBOUND (3.5/5) and ALL CHEERLEADERS DIE (2013) (2.5/5)
Day 29: REPULSION (5/5) and THE SACRAMENT (4/5)
Day 30: CEMETERY MAN (2.5/5) and 13 SINS (3/5)
Day 31: NIGHT OF THE DEMONS (1988) (3/5) and THE HOUSES THAT OCTOBER BUILT (2014) (2.5/5)
Now let’s get right onto my lists. For both of my lists, I’ve decided to included the Twitter reviews that I wrote for each film, so you’ll know what I thought of the films themselves. Enjoy!
Here are my top 10 worst horror films From my list:
10. KNIGHTS OF BADASSDOM
“It does have a game cast and some fun moments but sadly, it never really lives to its pretty awesome premise.”
9. THE HOUSES THAT OCTOBER BUILT
“Despite having some good elements, sadly this found footage horror film didn’t live up to its plot.”
8. ALL CHEERLEADERS DIE (2013)
“It has its moments, but I thought it was a messy and uneven horror comedy that also has unlikabe characters.”
7. TALES FROM THE HOOD
“It’s a watchable at times fun horror anthology film, but sadly the stories themselves are a bit of a mix bag.”
6. WOLFCOP
“While it does have its fun moments, sadly this horror/comedy doesn’t really do much with its rather thin one-joke premise.”
5. GRAVEYARD SHIFT (1990)
“Despite having some practical effects, I thought it was a rather dull monster film that takes too long to get going.”
4. THE SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE
“A really mediocre, dull and flatly made 80s slasher film that sadly isn’t as memorable as its great title.”
3. AS ABOVE, SO BELOW
“While it has some interesting ideas in it, sadly this found footage horror film is poorly written and directed.”
2. IN FEAR
“While this British horror film is both eerie and well acted but sadly as it went along, it just became frustratingly dull. “
…and the number 1 is…
1. POSSESSION (1981)
“While I respect what it’s going for on a thematic level but honestly, I hated every single agonising and alienating minute of it.”
Well, there you have it. Those were the absolute worst films I saw that month. Now let’s move on to my best of list…
Here are my top 10 best horror films From my list:
10. THE SACRAMENT
“Ti West’s latest to be a extremely well acted and made horror mockumentary that’s both really riveting and disturbing.”
9. THE VISIT
“An absolutely terrific horror/comedy that’s equal parts creepy, funny, entertaining, surprising and insane. I loved it! “
8. THE BROOD
“A truly terrific horror film from David Cronenberg that’s brilliantly acted, bizarre, original, disturbing and creepy.”
7. DON’T TORTURE A DUCKLING
“Lucio Fulci’s classic giallo is an extremely well crafted film that I found riveting from beginning to end.”
6. CELIA
“It’s definitely more of a dark drama than horror, but it was still a terrific and brilliantly acted Aussie coming-of-age film.”
5. BLACK SUNDAY (1960)
“Mario Bava’s classic vampire tale is a creepy, compelling, beautifully shot and superbly made horror film.”
4. DUEL
“This early film from Steven Spielberg is a simple but brilliantly made horror/thriller that’s intense from beginning to end.”
3. REPULSION
“An truly riveting and superbly made psychological horror film that has a terrific turn from Catherine Deneuve.”
2. ISLAND OF LOST SOULS
“An absolutely fantastic and brilliantly made adaptation of THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU. Charles Laughton was great!”
…and the number 1 is…
1. THE INVISIBLE MAN (1935)
“An absolutely amazing sci-fi/horror film that’s chilling and darkly funny. Claude Rains was astonishing!”
Well, there you have it. Those are both my top 10 best & worst horror films I saw from my Halloween Viewing List for this year.I hope you all enjoyed reading it and I definitely can’t wait to do it again next year.
– Bede Jermyn
