TODAY I WATCHED... (Movies, TV) 2018

Funny You Should Ask
Barney Miller

Gotham: Season 1, EP 7

It's interesting to see the characters in these early episodes compared to how they eventually developed years later.  I'm sure some of that was planned but I'd bet not all of it was; I think some rewriting was done "on the fly" during off-seasons.

Regardless, these actors will always be Penguin and Riddler to me..

The House of the Devil(2009)-In the early 1980s, a young college student needing some quick cash takes a baby sitting job one night from a family who lives in an old, spooky house.  The family, it turns out, is keeping a dark secret from her.  As you can probably figure out, it doesn't turn out well for her.  I've been wanting to see this movie for years after hearing good things about it and I can say that it didn't really disappoint.  The movie is kind of a slow burn, but never really gets boring(probably due to the good script).  My only real complaint is I thought the movie looses some steam during the last ten minutes or so.  Other than that I really dug it.  I give it 3 out of 5 chainsaws.

The Goldbergs
American Housewife
Modern Family

Catching up on several episodes of the new season of 'Better Call Saul'. It's fun to see them introduce plot elements and characters that carried into 'Breaking Bad'.

The Office

"Funeral Home" (aka "Cries In the Night," 1980)


A young girl is spending the summer at her Grandma's house, helping the old gal convert the place - a former funeral home - into a bed & breakfast for tourists. Soon guests are vanishing and strange voices are emanating from the cellar. Can Granddaughter solve the mystery and still keep her head?
Viewers will probably figure out the twist to this flick WAY before our heroine does, but otherwise it's a passable low-budget slasher/mystery which owes a lot to Hitchcock's "Psycho." Be warned, the film is apparently in the public domain and most of the prints floating around on the various streaming services are pretty crap quality. The one I watched looked like it was sourced from a VHS tape that had been rented a thousand times!

Watched 'Side Effects' and beginning season 3 of 'House of Cards'

"The Evil Dead" (1981)

A group of twenty-somethings spending the weekend in a remote mountain cabin start messing with a spell book they find in the basement. Naturally, this turns out to be a very bad decision, as it awakens demonic forces in the woods that claim each of them one by one. Sick, splattery fun ensues!
This low budget horror classic launched the careers of actor Bruce Campbell and director Sam Raimi, and began a franchise that has continued well into the 21st century with numerous sequels, a big-budget remake, comic books and a TV series. As our buddy Ash himself might say, "Evil Dead" is still "groovy."

That movie rules!!!!

manny wrote:

That movie rules!!!!

I hadn't seen it in years... seemed like a good one to start off my annual pre-Halloween schlock-horror-thon with.

I haven't seen that one in years either.  I DO remember being creeped out by it, moreso than the sequel which was so over the top I found it hilarious.   Something about the first Evil Dead just really creeped me out and it's one of the only "classic" horror movies (like "The Excorcist") that I've only ever seen once.

I watched the season premieres of The Simpsons and Family Guy tonight.

tohostudios wrote:

I haven't seen that one in years either.  I DO remember being creeped out by it, moreso than the sequel which was so over the top I found it hilarious.   Something about the first Evil Dead just really creeped me out and it's one of the only "classic" horror movies (like "The Excorcist") that I've only ever seen once.

I keep meaning to revisit "Exorcist" but haven't gotten around to it yet. Like you, I've only ever seen it once, and it was ages ago.

When I was a kid "Exorcist" was one of those movies I was afraid to watch. Schoolyard legend had it that it was the scariest movie ever made, if you saw it you'd pee your pants and you'd have nightmares for the rest of your life, etc. So I avoided it till I was well into my late teens.

By then, of course, I'd seen lots n lots of other horror movies so when I finally saw "Exorcist" I was like, "So... that was it? Big deal," haha. I mean, I liked it but I wasn't as blown away by it as I'd expected.

I've often said that as far as 70s "Satan" movies go, I've always preferred "The Omen," but I saw that one at a younger/more impressionable age.

It's officially Schlock-Tober! Let's kick it!

"Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings" (1993)

Some meddling kids accidentally conjure up the backwoods vengeance demon, leading to the usual gnashing of teeth and tearing of limbs.
This direct-to-video sequel to Stan Winston's late '80s cult creature fave looks cheap as hell and its plot was probably written on a cocktail napkin but it definitely delivers on the generic-brand monster-mayhem front. It also features some rather unique casting choices, including Andrew Robinson of "Hellraiser" as a sheriff, Kane "Jason Voorhees" Hodder as a redneck victim, Soleil "Punky Brewster" Moon Frye as a girl with large breasts, and former Prez Bill Clinton's ne'er-do-well brother Roger (rockin' a fabulous curly mullet) as the town mayor!
This was better than I'd expected, but I'm told that the subsequent "Pumpkinhead" sequels go from bad to worse so I don't know how much deeper I'm going to dig into this series.

Schlock-tober entry #2:
"Amityville: A New Generation" (1993)

Seventh (!) installment in the never-ending "Amityville" series has very little to do with the infamous Ocean Avenue home. Instead, a photographer and his artsy neighbors in a big-city loft are all affected by a supernaturally charged mirror that came from the Amityville house. This direct-to-video installment is more of a psychological drama than a horror flick, but no matter what genre you want to file it under, the movie is dull as dishwater.
AVOID.

Fear The Walking Dead season finale

Schlock-tober entry #3:
"Death Ship" (1980)

Survivors of a cruise ship disaster climb aboard a passing boat that at first appears to be a drifting derelict ...but as they poke around its interior and weird/fatal stuff starts happening, it becomes clear that the group has boarded a former Nazi prison ship that is still haunted by the vicious spirits of its long-dead crew and inmates.
This '80s video store fave had one of the most iconic box covers of its day (how could any kid resist the image of that skull faced ship looming out of the mists?) and while it's obviously not a great film, it occasionally manages to create some moments of creeping dread in spite of the obvious budget restraints, hammy acting (esp. by George "Airport"/"Naked Gun" Kennedy as the increasingly crazed Captain) and frequent lapses in logic. Worth a look for '80s horror completists, but not an essential watch.

Fat Freddy wrote:

It's officially Schlock-Tober! Let's kick it!

"Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings" (1993)

Some meddling kids accidentally conjure up the backwoods vengeance demon, leading to the usual gnashing of teeth and tearing of limbs.
This direct-to-video sequel to Stan Winston's late '80s cult creature fave looks cheap as hell and its plot was probably written on a cocktail napkin but it definitely delivers on the generic-brand monster-mayhem front. It also features some rather unique casting choices, including Andrew Robinson of "Hellraiser" as a sheriff, Kane "Jason Voorhees" Hodder as a redneck victim, Soleil "Punky Brewster" Moon Frye as a girl with large breasts, and former Prez Bill Clinton's ne'er-do-well brother Roger (rockin' a fabulous curly mullet) as the town mayor!
This was better than I'd expected, but I'm told that the subsequent "Pumpkinhead" sequels go from bad to worse so I don't know how much deeper I'm going to dig into this series.

 What you've been told is correct.  This one isn't too bad but after that...

Fat Freddy wrote:

Schlock-tober entry #3:
"Death Ship" (1980)

Survivors of a cruise ship disaster climb aboard a passing boat that at first appears to be a drifting derelict ...but as they poke around its interior and weird/fatal stuff starts happening, it becomes clear that the group has boarded a former Nazi prison ship that is still haunted by the vicious spirits of its long-dead crew and inmates.
This '80s video store fave had one of the most iconic box covers of its day (how could any kid resist the image of that skull faced ship looming out of the mists?) and while it's obviously not a great film, it occasionally manages to create some moments of creeping dread in spite of the obvious budget restraints, hammy acting (esp. by George "Airport"/"Naked Gun" Kennedy as the increasingly crazed Captain) and frequent lapses in logic. Worth a look for '80s horror completists, but not an essential watch.

 I actually saw this one at a drive-in back in the day.  It was part of a double feature but I have no idea what the second flick was because I was drinking beer the whole time.  I remember enjoying the atmosphere of this film though.

Blood For Dracula (1974)



AKA Andy Warhol 's Dracula, Udo Kier stars as the ailing Count in need of virginal blood to survive in this campy soft core movie. Drac's human keeper suggest they leave Romania and head to Italy for fresh blood. They end up at a crumbling estate with 4 "virginal" daughters and the handyman "hero", a rather rapey type sleazeball. Mostly nudity and little gore (Save for the climactic fight) in this rather slow flick. Not unwatchable but I've seen much better. And thanks to Monty Python, I expected Drac to cry out during the final fight, "It's just a flesh wound!"  

The Goldbergs

28 Weeks Later(2007)-after the Rage virus epidemic seems to have ended, people are now starting to move back to London and start rebuilding. However, the virus ends up coming back and turning the citizens of London once again into rabid killers. In the meantime, the military are trying to protect and get two children to safety who's unique blood might contain an antidote to cure the infected. I wasn't the biggest fan of the first film 28 Days Later, but I did enjoy this fast paced and very violent sequel considerably more. I give it 3 out of 5 chainsaws.

The Goldbergs
American Housewife
Modern Family

Schlock-tober entry #4:
"Husk" (2011)

Stranded on a remote country road after an auto accident, a group of twenty-somethings find their way to a deserted farm house. They soon learn that the surrounding cornfields are home to a pack of homicidal scarecrows that won't let them leave. You can probably figure out the rest...
"Husk" won't win any awards for originality but it's atmospheric, creepy, fast paced and delivers the gory goods. Put this one on your Halloween watch list!