Posted Mon Oct 31, 2011 at 11:35 AM PDT by M. Enois Duarte
Just like we do every year around this time, High-Def Digest has scraped together another maggot-infested candy bowl of fun to help you prepare for Halloween!
What's in the Goodie Bag? --- Horror Blu-rays for the 2011 Halloween Season!
by M. Enois Duarte (The HDD Crypt Keeper)
Greetings, boils and ghouls! With the Hell-idays finally around the corner, High-Def Die-gest decided to resurrect another selection of gory treats to celebrate the feast-ivities. This year it seems, we've had more choices to dissect than last, but sadly, most the rotting cadavers on this year's slab leave much to be desired.
But never fear, kiddies, I've still managed to scrap up a terror list of putrid horror tales that are sure set the mood just right. The scary stories are separated into three stomach-churning categories and listed in alphabetical order. The queasy gathering is organ-ized according to each title delivering a spooky atmosphere, offering you creeps the best variety in scares and creepy laughter. So, without further ado . . .
Frights! Camera! Hack-tion!
MILD DECOMPOSITION |
It may not feature any undead monsters or unstoppable psychopaths, but Sam Peckinpah's revenge flick definitely belongs in this horror list. It's a masterful piece of suspense cinema that patiently and methodically builds to the point of boiling, generating a tense, visceral reaction that's scary on its own. It is utterly brilliant the way the director creates a frightening experience of apprehension and fear as we watch a couple be ruthlessly terrorized by a small band of local bullies. Tension grows from a feeling of helplessness and being an out-of-towner, mixed with some western motifs where Dustin Hoffman's character continues to his pursuit for civilized order amid the violence. 'Straw Dogs' is an excellent thriller for those looking for a different kind of scare.
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Others Worthy of the
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MOULDY AROUND THE CORNERS |
POLTERGEIST II: THE OTHER SIDE Since we're already covering other films with a ghostly haunting as the main attraction, let us continue the trend with Brian Gibson's entertaining follow-up to an 80s horror favorite. Though not as successful — or good, for that matter — as its predecessor, the sequel still offers some good atmosphere of the supernatural. Besides, the movie is best remembered as the thriller which introduced horror fanatics to Reverend Henry Kane, the unearthly and bloodcurdling cult leader dressed in black, looking like a physical manifestation of every child's nightmare. Then there's also Zelda Rubenstein as the wonderfully memorable psychic Tangina, and she's always cool to watch. Enjoy it with the original for a fun night of the paranormal.
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Granted, this is actually a television series, not a movie. But this is a damn fine television series, envisioning an apocalypse overrun by zombies. And zombies are always fun. Reanimated from the imagination of Frank Darabont, a rather well-respected filmmaker who loves adapting Stephen King stories, the show kicks off with a bang and runs in a frightened panic through the streets of Atlanta with both barrels loaded. But the real kicker, other than the continual display of zombie mayhem with lots of blood and gore, is the surprisingly engaging drama of the survivors. As tensions rise from within the ranks and strangers are forced to work together, each episode slowly intensifies their dilemma and ends with a great season closer that leaves viewers in anticipation for the show's return.
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Others Worthy of the
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A FESTERING, PUTRID STENCH |
When talking about bad movies, we simply have to squeeze in at least one Nicolas Cage movie somewhere in there. This year's hilarious — sorry, spooky horror tale is actually supposed to be a truly strange reworking of Ingmar Bergman's immortal classic 'The Seventh Seal.' That only should already stop most viewers and reconsider watching this drek. But with the fact that it stars the man with the best hairdos in the entire biz, curiosity compels us to watch this train wreck. And the crazy part is, 'Season of the Witch' is actually a side-splitting thrill ride. It completely fails to scare, but the movie has some slight entertainment value in its sheer badness. Oh, and Ron Perlman costars, surprisingly adding some good humor.
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Why not finish the list — which as always is only an opinionated suggestion, not an absolute — with at least one "so bad, it's good" entry. In 'Vamp,' what's not to love in a movie that prominently displays Grace Jones as its star attraction, dressed like she's joined the circus. Actually, as the vampire queen of an underground nightclub who owns a waterbed filled with blood, Jones is quite good in this strange horror comedy. It also stars that kid from 'My Bodyguard' and the guy who played the bully next to Robert Downey, Jr. in 'Weird Science' as two college guys on the hunt for a stripper. Imagine on your own how Jones fits in all this. Then imagine the gut-busting silliness of watching a tough street-gang made entirely of albinos. It's bad, but also amusing for a fun Halloween night.
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Others Worthy of the
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WANTS FOR NEXT YEAR (Now, This is What I Can Sink My Teeth Into) Here's hoping for the best and that studios will take note of what horror aficionados really hunger for and of what will truly please our insatiable appetites. Some of these are available on Blu-ray in other parts of the world, but they're on this list in hopes of one day receiving announcement of a North American release. Please share your own wish lists in the forum. All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, Alone in the Dark (1982), The Beyond, The Birds, Black Sabbath, Blade, Blood and Black Lace, Bride of Frankenstein, The Brood, The Burning, Candyman, Cannibal Apocalypse, The Changeling, The Children (1980), Dellamore Dellamorte (Cemetery Man), Demons, Don't Look Now, Dracula (1931), Eden Lake, The Fog (1980), Frankenstein (1931), Freaks, From Beyond, The Funhouse, Ginger Snaps, The Haunting (1963), Hell Night, Horror of Dracula, The Howling, The Hunger, Idle Hands, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), It's Alive (1974), Jaws, Jeepers Creepers, The Legend of Hell House, Martyrs, The Mask of Satan (Black Sunday), May, Night of the Living Dead (1968), Nightmare City, Nosferatu (1922), Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979), Oasis of the Zombies, Peeping Tom, Pet Sematary, Phantasm, Prom Night (1980), Re-Animator, Rear Window, The Ring, Rosemary's Baby, Scanners, The Serpent and the Rainbow, The Stepford Wives (1975), Shadow of the Vampire, Sleepaway Camp, A Tale of Two Sisters, The Tenant (1976), They Live, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, White Zombie, Zombie Lake. |