October Horror Movie Marathon

[Jinx_Barkman]

I've decided not to do anymore plot rundowns, seems pointless among us horror fanatics. I'm going to have to work hard to achieve my goal of 31 films.

22. The House With Laughing Windows

One does not have to search very hard to see my championing of this film. Just take a look at my Top 25 favorite horror films list. While that list may be interchangeable depending on the day one thing is for sure, The House With Laughing Windows is likely to stay there.

I feel like this is the essential giallo film. It manages to capture the best of the genre despite being a later entry. With a mixture of mystery, thriller and horror against the rural Italian landscape, Pupi Avati has crafted an elegant horror film that defines why giallo fans are so rabid. When they're good, they're masterpieces. Avati quietly plays on human emotions rather than sheer terror or gore which is all the more resonating, at least for me. For example, when Stefano, the painter who is hired to restore a haunting fresco version of St. Sebastian, listens to an ambiguous voice on a recorder the mood becomes so heavy it can feel as if you're choking. With such a lurid title you would almost expect the film to be non stop terror or chills but Avati does exactly the opposite, expecting the viewer to absorb the subtle hints of malevolence that surround Stefano. The importance of St. Sebastian remains extremely prevalent throughout the entire run time of the film but especially so during the chaotic and bizarre finale.

The cinematography creates a dreamlike atmosphere with sinister nuances that are complimented well by the minimalistic but compelling score. Do yourself a favor and make this a double feature with Lucio Fulci's Don't Torture A Duckling.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Jinx_Barkman

I've decided not to do anymore plot rundowns, seems pointless among us horror fanatics. I'm going to have to work hard to achieve my goal of 31 films.

22. The House With Laughing Windows

One does not have to search very hard to see my championing of this film. Just take a look at my Top 25 favorite horror films list. While that list may be interchangeable depending on the day one thing is for sure, The House With Laughing Windows is likely to stay there.

I feel like this is the essential giallo film. It manages to capture the best of the genre despite being a later entry. With a mixture of mystery, thriller and horror against the rural Italian landscape, Pupi Avati has crafted an elegant horror film that defines why giallo fans are so rabid. When they're good, they're masterpieces. Avati quietly plays on human emotions rather than sheer terror or gore which is all the more resonating, at least for me. For example, when Stefano, the painter who is hired to restore a haunting fresco version of St. Sebastian, listens to an ambiguous voice on a recorder the mood becomes so heavy it can feel as if you're choking. With such a lurid title you would almost expect the film to be non stop terror or chills but Avati does exactly the opposite, expecting the viewer to absorb the subtle hints of malevolence that surround Stefano. The importance of St. Sebastian remains extremely prevalent throughout the entire run time of the film but especially so during the chaotic and bizarre finale.

The cinematography creates a dreamlike atmosphere with sinister nuances that are complimented well by the minimalistic but compelling score. Do yourself a favor and make this a double feature with Lucio Fulci's Don't Torture A Duckling.

I must have been hammered when i watched this. It bored the pants off me.

I agree about the dreamlike atmosphere because it sent me to sleep.

[Jinx_Barkman]

I can see why it might not interest some but for me the slow burn nature of the film suits it beautifully. Now with that being said I've had to banish you to my ignore list along with the others. It seems as if I'm not going to have any posts to read at this rate.

(This is a joke, sarcasm doesn't read very well on the internet.)

[Jinx_Barkman]

23. The Being

Martin Landau and José Ferrer ham it up in this slimy drive-in fare. Enjoyable

24. Alien

The absolute pinnacle of sci-fi horror. Brilliant in every way imaginable.

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Jinx_Barkman

I can see why it might not interest some but for me the slow burn nature of the film suits it beautifully. Now with that being said I've had to banish you to my ignore list along with the others. It seems as if I'm not going to have any posts to read at this rate.

(This is a joke, sarcasm doesn't read very well on the internet.)

It doesn't indeed, which is why I tend to resort to an array of smilies to infer my tone... not that they are often a good substitute!

[sjconstable]

Originally Posted by Jinx_Barkman

22. The House With Laughing Windows

I feel like this is the essential giallo film. It manages to capture the best of the genre despite being a later entry.

Really? I don't recall there being a gloved killer going around in a Fedora, which to me is representative of a giallo. It's been a long time since I saw it though so I may be wrong!

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

My viewing so far has been.

1st - Hallowed Ground
2nd - Happy Hell Night
3rd - Corridors of Blood
4th - Madison County
5th - Prophecy
6th - Samhain / Isle of the Dead
7th - Devils of Darkness
8th - Witchcraft
9th - Halloween Resurrection / Frankenstein meets the Wolfman
10th - The Seventh Sign
11th - The Haunting of Bates Motel / The Fog
12th - Black Swan
13th - Idle Hands / The Old Dark House (with Newman / Jones chat track)
14th - Halloween H20 / She-Wolf of London
15th - Halloween Night / The Devil Rides Out
16th - Intruder / I Walked with a Zombie (with Newman / Jones chat track)
17th - Warlock
18th - Humans vs Zombies
19th - Storage
20th - Halloween: The Return of Michael Myers / Theatre of Blood
21st - Halloween: The Revenge of Michael Myers / Halloween 6 The Curse of Michael Myers / The Signalman
22nd - The Pumpkin Karver / The Mummy (59)
23rd - Night of the Demons: Demon House / The Curse of Frankenstein / The Ash Tree

24th - Rubber
25th - From a Whisper to a Scream
26th - The Night Child
27th - City of the Dead / Dead Scared

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

What did you make of Rubber, Dem?

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by bizarre_eye@Cult Labs

What did you make of Rubber, Dem?

Original, interesting, certainly quirky, full of great ideas, and superb photography, but half an hour too long.

It didn't sustain itself for me. As an episode of say, Masters of Horror, at 60 mins,i would have given it 9/10.

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Original, interesting, certainly quirky, full of great ideas, and superb photography, but half an hour too long.

It didn't sustain itself for me. As an episode of say, Masters of Horror, at 60 mins,i would have given it 9/10.

It did drag a little in places for me too, but I overall really enjoyed it. I still need to check out some of Dupieux's other work.