Wow, another SHOCKtober is but a not-so-distant memory. It is hard to say goodbye, but undoubtedly we will all look back on this past month with a tearful twinkle in our eyes forever and ever! Dizzying highs, depressing lows, creamy middles...it was a month that constantly gave us, you know, something.
Have the hidden gems I discovered allowed me to exorcise my Netflix prejudices? Will I no longer give movies a cold shoulder because of crappy computer cover art and/or low ratings from Netflix's moronic rating system? Maybe, but probably not! I would like to say yes for sure, but I feel those doubts wiggling around in the back of my brainstem. There are just too many movies out there to watch, and for me to give one a go when it looks like garbage...I need some word of mouth or something, you know? SHOCKtober has been great because I've been forced to watch things–I can't tell you how many times this month I gave a hefty sigh before clicking play–but I know myself too well to think the "hey, that wasn't bad!" movies will radically influence my future behavior, even if it should.
Overall, I'd say there were more treats than craps, which is always good. There were very few instances where I just wanted to kill myself because the movie was so bad. In fact, I'd call the month a large success. Hooray! Just to be sure, I'm gonna break it all down by ratings right now.
PUTTING A COPY IN MY PANTS
Starry Eyes
All Cheerleaders Die
The Strange Color of Your Body's Tears
Berberian Sound Studio
We Are What We Are
Housebound
I SURE LIKE YOU A LOT
Wes Craven's New Nightmare
Asmodexia
[REC] 3
The Vampire's Coffin
Jug Face (so close to putting this one in my pants, I can't quite decide honestly)
The Canal
Zombeavers (it's terrible and not even good terrible, it's unexplainable)
Hell
MEHHHH
The Omen III: The Final Conflict
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (this one hurts)
Darkness
[REC] 4
Dead Snow
Beneath
NO
Maniac (I am so in the minority on this one, I can't believe it, it makes me question everything ever)
Stonehearst Asylum
Infini
Dead Within
GO FUCK YOURSELF
ATM
Baby Blues
Devil Seed
V/H/S 2
Wow, hmm, it's actually fairly evenly divided! That's unexpected. The good stuff is so good that the not so good stuff is already fading away. Good job, brain! And honestly, if sitting through some trash was the price I had to pay to finally watch the month's two big winners, then so be it. I am still thinking about We Are What We Are and Berberian Sound Studio and they've been added to my ongoing faves list for sure. (And to everyone who recommended The Duke of Burgundy after my praise of Berberian...bless. I watched it last night and I'm in love.) SHOCKtober rules! Thanks for tuning in, y'all, it's been grand!
Except for Devil Seed, that was terrible.
Hey, Ms. Ponder! Long time, no talk. I'm probably best known to you through Twitter - I suggested mumus for The Rapture a long time ago. ;) . Kinda missed the fact you disappeared from that social interaction app some time ago...
ReplyDeleteWith y'all mentioning most of the old, good horror & suspense movies being gone from certain movie watching sites, have you seen the latest to pop up that might have them in stock? It's called Shudder.com and the place claims to be "Home of the Best Horror Films." I don't work for these peeps in any way whatsoever, just thought I'd give a suggestion to you about where to find future picks for your always entertaining reviews. ;)
SHOCKtober was a blast! Thanks for taking everybody on the ride with ya! *thumbs up*
Later days!
Thanks very much! Yeah, someone mentioned Shudder earlier this month...when I'd checked it out a few months ago, there was a LOT of overlap with Netflix. This is no longer the case (hopefully just temporarily!), but there's no good way for me to watch movies on Shudder right now. If they put out an app through Xbox or Playstation, though, I might jump ship...or at least add it to the lineup.
ReplyDeleteJeez, that went quick!
ReplyDeleteHopefully the reviews of new and old movies keep on coming.
You're right on Maniac, it's not very good except for a couple of scattered moments.
ReplyDeleteWell done, Stacie. That was fun. Housebound was a big hit here.
ReplyDeleteNow there's nothing left to do but sit around and wait for Fallout 4...
Another Shocktober come and gone already.
ReplyDeleteOn the plus side, it was awesome that Final Girl was back this year. On the down side, wtf Netflix? What a weak horror movie selection this year.
I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S HAPPENING AND IT'S SO CLOSE
ReplyDelete^ that was meant regarding Fallout 4, ha.
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping that the horror drought on Netflix is only temporary, like contracts expired and rights holders wanted to make more money during the Halloween season–you know, Channel Whatever pays for exclusive rights during October.
Although, there are more on demand options than ever now that companies realize that many folks are leaving cable behind, so I expect Netflix's third party content may suffer in the long run regardless. Oh well, I can always go back to VHS, right??
Given that you're on a Peter Strickland kick at the moment, you could do worse than checking out the updated version of The Stone Tape that he directed for BBC Radio in the UK. It's part of a season of horror-themed radio dramas that they did for Halloween (others include The Exorcist and Ring), all of which are in 3D sound.
ReplyDeleteGive your ears a shiver here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p035k71h
Oh, and Shoctober was some good gravy this year too.
Oh wow, thank you for the link! I just watched the original BBC broadcast recently and enjoyed it. Can't wait to give this one a listen!
ReplyDeleteJust got caught up (WORST MOVE EVER)! Great fun reading all the reviews this month, now I have to go check out some movies!
ReplyDeleteThanks for putting together this list. You don't know how many times I've swiped across all those horror flick thumbnails on Netflix wondering if I should take a chance on any of them (I hardly ever do). Housebound was alright in the beginning; I didn't finish it but I might resume play after seeing your good rating. We Are What We Are and Jug Face are two flicks I'll definitely check out now that you mention them.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I think I'm being way too picky for streaming content, but I'm telling you, when I click on these movies and see 1-2 star ratings, I'm like Hayyyyyell Naw! But then again, one man's trash...
Ah well. Thanks again. I'll keep you posted on my thoughts. =)
The problem with the Netflix ratings, I've discovered, is that they rate films what they think YOU will rate them based on your history. It's not some general rating. And it's ridiculous! I've really liked some stuff that they assumed I would give one star. It's basically useless.
ReplyDeleteUghh! Based on my history? They think they know me?? Whatever!
ReplyDeleteThat's terrible, but I'm glad you pointed that out. My co-worker (whom also has Netflix) and I always wonder why the heck some of these ratings are so low...I mean, it's like, why even bother providing such junk? It totally feels sometimes like I'm cruising down the aisles of some wack $.99 store, searching for some diamond in the rough.
Nevertheless, as we've discovered, some "stars" shine brighter than others. I'll be taking their ratings with a heaping teaspoon of salt from now on. I'm still putting your titles in my list. By the way, have you seen It Follows? I thought that was interesting...
I did see it, wrote a little blurb about it back in August. I enjoyed it, definitely thought it had a lot going for it (cinematography and score, for sure) but ultimately it didn't grab me the way it grabbed most everyone else.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was definitely original, creepier in a different way than most horror flicks got to me. But yeah, I think I dug the first 1 to 2/3rds of the movie better than the closing.
ReplyDeleteSo I was able to find quite a few of your top candidates on my Netflix queue. But unfortunately I couldn't find We Are What We Are. They got rid of it! =(
I've always wanted to see the first REC. I'll check out REC 3 but something tells me I should see the first one first. ..
Oh, are you outside the US? It's still showing on ours–in fact, I was planning to give it another watch. Guess I should do that sooner rather than later just in case!
ReplyDeleteAnd [REC]3 is the outlier in the series...I think you could watch it first and not miss much in terms of the greater story. If you don't like it, though, don't let it put you off of watching the first film because it's VERY different.
Weiiird. Paranormal activity here for sure. I swear I did a search for it and it came up zilch. But I did it again and there it was. ::adds to list:: yay =D
ReplyDeleteI'm in Culver City, btw...smack dab on the Westside of Lost Angels. Time to press play!