Ernesto61 Days of Halloween starts now!
Clown in a Cornfield, B-, streaming, directed by Eli Craig, starring Katie Douglas, doctor and his daughter move into a small town and deal with psychopaths dressed as clowns. A fun ride but a bit hollow when it comes to characterization because of some story points they decided to leave in the background. Will Sasso was okay as the sheriff but I imagined him to be different when I read the book. I love Kevin Durand but he didn't have much to do until the final. The kills were decent, ok fluff.
Monster Island 2025, C, streaming, directed by Mike Wiluan, starring Dean Fujioka, Japanese soldier and British prisoner in World War II are stranded on an island with monsters. The whole movie is just okay and that was my problem, I wish it was better than that. The monster design and violence is good but I also wish more was done with it. The two actors worked well together although nothing special.
The Woman in the Yard 2025, C+, streaming, directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, starring Danielle Deadwyler, a lady dealing with grief after a family tragedy has to protect her children from a woman dressed in black. The story and actors are good with a good location but the film starts off with a good sense of dread that seems to taper off midway through. I don't think dread throughout the film would have hurt the sadness of the story.
The Horror Show/House 3 1989, C, streaming, directed by James Isaac, starring Brion James, serial killer is executed and returns for payback. This and Wes Craven's Shocker are silly dumb slasher films with similar stories but while Craven’s film is fun this one just feels off. There's some wonderful dream-like sequences with good fx that feel like they belong in an Elm Street film but that's not enough to make a good movie.
Black Sunday 1960, B+, Blu-ray, directed by
Mario Bava, starring Barbara Steele, a witch from the past returns for revenge. Old school gothic tale, wonderful black and white visuals and a master horror director behind the camera makes a fantastic film.
Mario Bava, starring Barbara Steele, a witch from the past returns for revenge. Old school gothic tale, wonderful black and white visuals and a master horror director behind the camera makes a fantastic film.
Black Sabbath 1963, A-, Blu-ray, directed by Mario Bava, starring Boris Karloff, anthology horror from the Italian master. Three wonderful tales but my favorite is the Wurdalak. Karloff looks to be having pure fun in the role of the vampire and the whole story is overflowing with fantastic atmosphere, bravo.
The Girl Who Knew Too Much 1963, B, Blu-ray, directed by Mario Bava, starring Leticia Roman, a tourist in Rome sees a murder and tries to find the killer. I'm not sure if this is the first giallo but the giallo elements and the story work well together and the light comedy works for me.
The Evil Eye 1963, C, Blu-ray, directed by Mario Bava, starring Leticia Roman, a tourist in Rome sees a murder and tries to find the killer. The more comedic cut of The Girl Who Knew Too Much works but I prefer the Italian version.
Kill, Baby, Kill 1966, B-, Blu-ray, directed by Mario Bava, starring Giacomo Rossi Stuart, a skeptical doctor investigates murders in Transylvania that might be caused by something supernatural. Hammer by way of Bava with the director's lighting style. The story is a tad convolted but it looks beautiful.
Don't Go in the Woods 1981, C, streaming, directed by James Bryan, starring Nick Cleland, campers deal with a crazy stinky dude. Yes they did go into the woods and yes they shouldn't have…dumbasses. Acting's bad but the kills are decent and I appreciate that the killer kills a dude in a wheelchair, I always enjoy that. Glad I saw it but I don't need to see it again.
Prague Nights 1969, B, streaming, directed by Milos Makovec, Evald Schorm, Jiri Brdecka, starring Melena Dvorska, horror anthology. There are some similarities with Mario Bava’s Black Sabbath but this is its own thing. The film looks good but it doesn't have Bava's lighting.
The Rule of Jenny Pen, B+, streaming, directed by James Ashcroft, starring Geoffrey Rush, a judge who suffered a stroke deals with a psychopath patient in an assisted living facility. Wonderful horror/thriller with two wonderful actors that elevate the whole film. John Lithgow's portrayal of the bad guy turns this very well made horror film into something special.
Blood Diner 1987, C+, streaming, directed by Jackie Kong, starring Rick Burks, cannibalistic brothers try to raise an Egyptian goddess through sacrifice. I wasn't a big fan of Jackie Kong's first film The Being but I enjoyed this one more. A crazy idea with bad acting, poor script, and decent practical effects come together to make something interesting.
Fear Street Prom Queen, C+, streaming, directed by Matt Palmer, starring India Fowler, a slasher, starts killing off prom queen candidates in 1988. Enjoyable but I wish the lore was a little bit deeper. The first Fear Street films had better mythology but it was a trilogy so they had room.
The Blackening, B-, streaming, directed by Tim Story, starring Antoinette Robertson, a friend's get together is ruined by a killer. I liked it but I was fighting a cold when I saw it so I didn't fully enjoy it, so I got to see it again someday.
The Dark Half 1993, C+, streaming, directed by George A. Romero, starring Timothy Hutton, an author with a pseudonym, has it revealed publicly and then killings that match one of his book characters begin. The story's good and does feel like a Stephen King story but I do wish the protagonist and antagonist played off each other more.
Screamtime 1983, C-, streaming, directed by Michael Armstrong, Stanley Long, starring Robin Bailey, horror anthology. The stories are interesting and good, except the wraparound story, but there's a visual mediocrity through the whole film that just kept me from getting into it.
The Woman In Black 1989, C, streaming, directed by Herbert Wise, starring Adrian Rawlins,Man goes to a small village to settle in a state and deals with the supernatural. It was decent but I prefer the remake.
The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue 1975, C+, streaming, directed by Jorge Grau, starring Ray Lovelock, some type of sound wave device is being tested out in the English countryside that makes the dead rise. I saw this years ago and found it boring but enjoyed it this time. Enjoy the daylight scenes and the Italian horror feel.
Mute Witness 1995, B+, streaming, directed by Anthony Waller, starring Marina Zudina, a mute makeup artist working in Russia sees a snuff film being filmed and has to outwit the Killers. Fantastic thriller with a very light slapstick comedy vibe in the background that works surprisingly well and makes it feel like a 1930s or '40s film.
Night of the Reaper, B, streaming, directed by Brandon Christensen, starring Jessica Clement, college student comes home and deals with slasher. The story actors and build up work nicely together although I do wish the violence was a little bit better, good stuff.
Hell of a Summer, B, streaming, directed by Finn Wolfhard, Billy Bryk, starring Finn Wolfhard, camp counselors deal with a slasher. Cliche but a lot of fun. As long as everybody cares what they're doing, an old story can always be good.
The Lair of the White Worm 1988, B-, streaming, directed by Ken Russell, starring Hugh Grant, some type of snake vampire lady tries to raise a worm god. I saw this as a kid and I didn't really enjoy it back then. Now it's more fun, the comedy works and the dream sequences are entertaining.
Curse of the Crimson Altar 1970, C+, streaming, directed by Vernon Sewell, starring Christopher Lee, dude looks for his missing brother and uncovers some type of ancient witch stuff. The story is decent but I wasn't blown away, it's always a treat to watch Boris Karloff and Christopher Lee work together.
The Boneyard 1991,C, streaming, directed by James Cummins, starring Deborah Rose, cop and psychic versus ghouls in a hospital, also let's not forget the ghoul poodle. Dumb but fun and I enjoyed watching an old cop and fat lady be the heroes. The practical effects are cheesy but I also enjoyed that especially the ghoul poodle.
Happy Hell Night 1991, C-, streaming, directed by Brian Owens, starring Darren McGavin, Halloween rip off. The movie isn't garbage but the good parts are overshadowed by how derivative the story is.
The Monkey 2025, C+, streaming, directed by Osgood Perkins, starring Theo James, cursed toy monkey screws up twin brother's lives. Enjoyable but I felt that the comedy needed to be tighten up a bit, the kills are good have a final destination feel to them.
The Man with the Black Umbrella 2025, C, streaming, directed by Ricky Umberger, starring Max Johnson, a double murder is committed by a man in black with an umbrella that leads to some supernatural shenanigans. I've been a fan of the director's films but this one felt like a miss to me. I'll try to give it another chance next year.
Alice Sweet Alice 1976, B, streaming, directed by Alfred Sole, starring Paula Sheppard, young psychologically damaged child is prime suspect in a series of killings. There's a good seedy vibe that this film has which many horror films of the '70s had. The actors are good and the violence is decent, the whole story works.
Blackout 2023,C-, streaming, directed by Larry Fessenden, starring Alex Hurt, artist bit by a werewolf goes back to his hometown for some payback. The pieces are there for a good movie but they never come together and worse the low budget nature makes all the faults even more visible.
House of Eden 2025, B, streaming, directed by KallMeKris, starring KallMeKris, 3 Ghost hunters head out to an abandoned house, you know the rest. I don't care that the story has been told many times before. It worked for me, good stuff.
Vamp 1986, B-, streaming, directed by Richard Wenk, starring Grace Jones, two buddies head to an after dark club run by vampires. A fun horror comedy with good practical effects and okay violence. I do wish the two main buddies had more to do with each other after the midway point.