FINAL GIRL explores the slasher flicks of the '70s and '80s...and all the other horror movies I feel like talking about, too. This is life on the EDGE, so beware yon spoilers!

Oct 4, 2017

SHOCKtober: 575-555



Another day, another batch of ONE VOTE movies!

575. Cloverfield -- 2008, Matt Reeves
574. Coherence -- 2013, James Ward Byrkit
573. Cold Prey 2 -- 2008, Mats Stenberg
572. The Collingswood Story -- 2002, Michael Costanza
571. Coma -- 1978, Michael Crichton
570. Creepshow 2 -- 1987, Michael Gornick
569. Crimson Peak -- 2015, Guillermo del Toro
568. Cujo -- 1983, Lewis Teague
567. Cure -- 1997, Kiyoshi Kurosawa
566. Dark Night of the Scarecrow -- 1981, Frank De Felitta
565. The Dark Secret of Harvest Home -- 1978, Leo Penn
564. Dead & Buried -- 1981, Gary Sherman
563. Dead End -- 2003, Jean-Baptiste Andrea & Fabrice Canepa
562. Dead Snow -- 2009, Tommy Wirkola
561. Deadly Blessing -- 1981, Wes Craven
560. Death Line (aka Raw Meat) -- 1972, Gary Sherman
559. Deathwatch -- 2002, Michael J. Bassett
558. Deliverance -- 1972, John Boorman
557. Detention -- 2011, Joseph Kahn
556. Doctor X -- 1932, Michael Curtiz
555. Dolls -- 1987, Stuart Gordon


YES Crimson Peak! Mismarketed à la one of yesterday's selections, Bug, it's not the all-out frightfest people were expecting (although frankly we should know that by now when it comes to Guillermo del Toro, right?). It's some straight-up lush, ghost-flavored gothic romance, like a paperback cover come to life. Jessica Chastain steals the show, channeling the restrained menace of Rebecca's Mrs. Danvers until she just can't keep the crazy hidden anymore. Look I even find Tom Hiddleston okay and that dude makes my skin crawl! What I'm saying is, I love Crimson Peak.

There are a lot of terrific films on this chunk o' list, so well done, kids. Dark Night of the Scarecrow and Dark Secret of Harvest Home–evidence that made-for-TV movies used to know what's up. Cujo, an underrated, terrific example of how confining characters to a single, very small place can still produce an engaging film. And given the state of the world these days, not much sounds better to me than retreating into the warm, comforting embrace of a Michael Crichton medical thriller like Coma!

7 comments:

michael said...

I'd like Creepshow 2 a lot more if it didn't have that cigar store Indian story stinking up the rest of it.

"How should we start our horror anthology?"

"How about an elderly couple lamenting about their failing general store in a dying town?"

"I mean, the first one had a zombie carrying a severed head cake."

"Yeah, well we have George Kennedy!"

Just kidding, I love George Kennedy.

CashBailey said...

Nice to see COLD PREY 2 on there; a superior sequel to perhaps my favourite slasher after HALLOWEEN.

Stacie Ponder said...

I have a soft spot for CREEPSHOW 2 but the elderly in peril in "Wood'nhead" bums me out. ESPECIALLY since George Kennedy is one of them!

And heck yeah, COLD PREY 2 is great, the rare sequel that's better than the first film. Love that it runs with the HALLOWEEN 2 vibe.

Anonymous said...

Dolls is great -- Stuart Gordon and Charles Band, a nice of mix atmosphere and a little bit of silliness. I almost had this in my 20; it would probably make top 30 for me.

Stacie Ponder said...

Agreed, I love DOLLS! A delightful little fairytale...and man, I could watch dolls doing their thing all day long.

Viking71 said...

Dolls is six kinds of creepy awesomeness....I have the book based on Harvest Home, by Thomas Tryon but havent read it or seen the movie. Must do that.

Stacie Ponder said...

Harvest Home is a lot of fun! Latter day Bette Davis hamming it up, can't go wrong