Monster Squad (1987)

For my return after a 3-year absence from blogging, I decided to select this year's movies by dice roll. 2 24 sided dice were thrown to choose a Style of Horror-movie, and a "scare" type. This is adapted from an idea shamelessly stolen from Random Number Generator Horror Podcast Number 9.

For today's movie, I threw a 5 for PG/PG-13, and a 2 for Werewolf

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For one day every 100 years, a long-forgotten and usually indestructible amulet, capable of banishing Evil from the world, becomes venerable.

That day is fast approaching, and Dracula has put together a band of monsters (Himself, The Mummy, The Wolfman, Gillman, and Frankenstein's Creature) to seek and destroy The Amulet.

Unfortunately for the monsters, a group of horror-movie loving kids have just got hold of Van Helsing's diary, and learned of the amulet themselves... and now find themselves standing against the forces of evil.      

 

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Bugs Bunny's Howl-oween Special (1977)

Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Speedy Gonzalez, and Sylvester and Tweety Pie, have run-ins with Witch Hazel, Haunted Hotels, and a certain Dr. Jykle and his famous potion.

Let The Right One In (2008)

A FULLER VERSION OF THIS REVIEW IS ALSO POSTED AT A BLOG I CONTRIBUTE TO YEAR-ROUND.

Head to Horror Movie A Week to see what my friend Lisa and I think of the 52 movies we review each and every year.

This isn't my type of movie at all. Although one of its main characters is a vampire, it has very few horror elements; indeed, it could only be called a Horror Film in the very loosest definition of the sense. Mostly, it's a romance; the leads may be 12 years old, but it's clear early on that their relationship is destined to go beyond friendship, into romantic love. And yet, I was blown away by this film.

If you haven't seen this movie, go and watch it. Although the following review qualifies as spoiler-free, I implore you not to watch it. Don't read the DVD case,  don't read anything, just obtain and watch this movie. I went in blind, knowing only that it's a vampire movie, and I strongly recommend that you do the same.

I have friends who read my reviews, but don't actually like horror movies; if you are one of those people don't be put off; go and watch this movie anyway.

The Dead Undead (2010)

A group if teens arrive at an abandoned motel, only to be attacked by zombies.
Thankfully help is at hand, in the form of a group of zombie fighting vampire mercenaries. 

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Stan Helsing (2009)

 Video-store clerk, Stan Helsing, is tasked with delivering a bunch if videos to his boss' mothers' house in gated community, Stormy Night Estate, so he convinces his friends to take a detour to the estate on the way to a Halloween party.

Little does Stan realise, the estate is plagued by monsters and, as a descendant of legendary monster-hunter Abraham Van Helsing, only he can end the curse.
And so six if the worlds most prolific movie monsters make it their mission to stop him.

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The Thompsons (The Hamiltons 2)

Impossible to review, or even describe properly, without huge Hamiltons spoiler; so a very brief (spoiler free) review will proceed the full review, which will use invisitext (Highlight the orange boxes like this one to read in full, but you  probably shouldn't do that until you've seen The Hamiltons.

I was on the fence about the first film; done properly a sequel could have elevated both films into a recommendation sadly (although understandably) the sequel goes off in it's own direction.
Unfortunately, after a promising first half, quickly drowns in it's own mythology and becomes a tired teen-romance to boot.

FROM THIS POINT ON  THERE WILL BE SPOILERS FOR THE ORIGINAL MOVIE. THEY ARE HIDDEN BEHIND INVISITEXT, LIKE THIS, BUT REMEMBER THAT INVISITEXT DOES NOT WORK ON MOBILE DEVICES

IF YOU CAN READ THIS WITHOUT DOING ANYTHING INVISITEXT DOES NOT WORK ON YOUR DEVICE, AND YOU WILL SEE THE SPOILERS.

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Monster Brawl.

For the first time ever, 8 monsters are brought together to wrestle to the death, and determine the undisputed 'Monster Brawl Heavyweight Champion'.

Wrestling! Monsters! Jimmy 'The Mouth of the South' Heart... As himself!

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The Hamiltons

When their parents are killed in a tragic accident, eldest Hamilton sibling David relocates  the surviving family members to a quiet California suburb and assumes the responsibility of caring for his orphaned siblings Twins, Wendell and Darlene, and youngest sibling Francis.
Francis sets out preparing a school project about his family and it is through his lens that we begin to realise  that something is very wrong in the Hamilton household...

Lifeforce

A manned mission to examine Halley's comet finds an alien craft traveling in it's wake.
Aboard the craft are thousands of dead bat like creatures, and 3 apparently human creatures - 2 men and a woman, each in stasis chambers, which are removed and placed aboard the shuttle.
When the shuttle crash lands, the crew are dead and the in-flight records wiped, Things go further awry when the 3 beings from the alien craft awaken...

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Trick 'r Treat

Okay, so this is a bit different from the rest of the 2010 picks - unlike the other films I've shared my thoughts on this month, I've seen Trick 'R Treat before - in fact it was one of 2009s recommendations!

So why am I banging on about it today? Coz it's Halloween, that's why!

Demon Under Glass

Another non-horror movie - but this one I didn't see coming...

I remember reading about this one when it first came out - our local newsagent used to stock some American magazines back then, including Fangoria, and IIIRC 'Demon Under Glass' was the cover story one issue.

The basic plot can be summed up as: A government department catches a vampire, and experiments on it.

So, about a Vampire, featured in Fango, must be horror, right?

Suck

When the Bass player of failing rock-group 'The Winners' spends the night with vampire, she returns with a new-found stage presence, and the band finally start getting some attention; it's not long before the other members want to join the party, but is the chance to make it big worth the price? And will they get to make it big before vampire hunter Eddie VanHelsing catches up with them?

Staring Iggy Pop as a low-rent producer, and Alice Cooper as a bar tender come Vampire spirit guide, this film should rock, if only in the musical sense, but alas, it falls short of it's potential all 'round.

Trick 'r Treat

In 2009, I didn't review movies, so much as briefly recomend a few via my Facebook account, This was one of them...
None too gory and suitable for horror-wimps, Trick 'r Treat is a collection of short stories, connected by intertwining timelines (think "Creepshow" meets "Pulp Fiction"). The stories are sufficiently different that there's something for you here however you like your horror (well, except torture porn - but for that there's a new Saw movie EVERY FRIKKIN' YEAR!!!)