|OT| 31 days of spoopy - 2020 edition

[Deleted member 113]

OK, last night I went for something a bit different.
I recently bought a 2020 Scooby-Doo Halloween special direct-to-video film, one that continues on from 2 other animation films from last year (which I was yet to watch). In preparation to watch it, last night was a Scooby-Doo night.

Night #19:

I started by watching the The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo episodes To All the Ghouls I've Loved Before (first one) and Horror-Scope Scoob (last one) included on the DVD, so my wife could catch up on a few things about this particular series (since the film was tied to it).

And then, the main course:

One of the films done for the 50th anniversary of the franchise, Scooby-Doo! and the Curse of the 13th Ghost is a follow-up to the 1985 series The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo. In the original series, (part of) the gang, with the help of a character voiced by Vincent Price, are trying to recapture 13 particularly evil ghosts. By the end of the show, they got 12, and since it ended up cancelled, the story was left without a conclusion.
This "sequel" film, coming 34 years later, tries to correct that.

The film is a bit underwhelming. On the plus side, it has some fun callbacks to the 1985 show, and pretty much all the franchise, that older fans will definitely enjoy. But, everything else is mostly forgettable.

 

[Deleted member 113]

I've been busy, so I'm a bit late with my updates, but I've continued to watch at least one genre film a night.

And so:

Night #20:

I hadn't watch this one since it was released on DVD.
I remember having some anticipation for it, since the early teaser was cool, and I was curious if Zombie, a musician that always featured horror references in its music and the aesthetics of his shows, would successfully translate that into motion picture form.
After many delays, and studio changes, the film was finally released, and... I was a bit underwhelmed at the time.
What appealed to me in the teaser, especially in terms of look, is what happens pretty much in the pre-credit sequence, and after that the film ends up being a bit a mess, clearly inspired by films like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but lacking the focus and impact of the films it's inspired by.

Revisiting the film, I was actually able to enjoy it a bit more. Gone is the anticipation for it, and taking it for what it is, it's somewhat enjoyable.
It probably helps it's not as bad as most of his later works, like Halloween. I'll never understand his fixation with "trailer trash" characters, so prevalent in his later work (but thankfully toned down a bit here), nor his need to feature his talentless wife in every single of his films (yes, Rob, I know your wife has a nice ass, but that's not reason enough to have her on every one of your films in speaking roles ).
There are a few cool sequences that mix music and image well (as expected by a film directed by a musician), and those are probably the highlights of the film.

Overall, the film is a somewhat enjoyable mess, that frequently resembles a few random vignettes, instead of an actual film, but fans of the genre should get some enjoyment out of it, at least for all the genre actors featured (Karen Black, Sid Haig, Bill Moseley, ...).

Night #21:

Yet another film written by Stephen King. My wife told me "we could almost have made this a 31 days of Stephen King thing".

I always had a soft spot for this one. It's not a particularly brilliant, "meaty" film, but it has so many of the little things I like in films, I can't help but reacting positively to it.
From the use of music (particularly the use of the track Sleep Walk) to great effect, Mädchen Amick looking insanely cute, the neon-lit cinema showing late night "b movies", the presence of likable characters actors, it's a film representative of a lot of the stuff I rented on VHS in the 80's and early 90's.

Revisiting it in HD was an enjoyable experience, and I had a great time with it (once again).

 

[Le Pertti]

Started to finally watch Lovecraft country, while it starts slow it really gets going et the end of first episode, I'm surprised just how gory it is.

 

[Deleted member 113]

Sadly, it seems I'm cutting short my participation here.

But before I go, here's a quick update about the films I watched in the last couple of days.

Night #22:

Night #23:

+

If you are curious about the films I'll be watching in the remaining days, do check my letterboxd profile, I'll try to keep it updated.

João Bastos’s profile

João uses Letterboxd to share film reviews and lists. 586 films watched.

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To all, have yourselves a very Happy Halloween!!!

Farewell, and goodnight.