Psycho
My farts smelled so bad when I watched this. I don’t know what I ate (nothing particularly tooty) but the farts were extremely frequent and rancid. Emily told me I had to stop farting because it was making her sick— that’s how nasty it was. I was able to hold them in for a while, and when I did let one squeak out I tried my best to trap it underneath the blanket. But one wrong shift of my body and the scent came billowing out. How my farts got so smelly is truly one of the great mysteries of my life.
​
All this while I watched Psycho (which features the very first instance of a toilet flushing on screen) for the first time! The irony!

The Exorcist
This felt familiar in the best way possible. I’ve seen so many movies inspired by this one, I’m glad I finally got around to seeing the real thing. The performances and score are really magnificent, and I found the visual language of the film incredibly compelling (especially those first 15 minutes). Will definitely rewatch by next Halloween, if not before.

The Shining
Didn’t realize the cut I watched was 30 minutes short until afterwards. 🤦‍♂️
I feel like a fool, but I guess I’ll just have to rewatch it, huh?

The Thing
~Kurt, Perturbed~

Snowy horror movies are a real primo vibe. Horror is a genre that makes me cold, so I love it when they include anything "wintery" in the plot or setting. In this case, the setting and plot pair perfectly.

I wouldn't say The Thing blew me away, but I certainly enjoyed it more than Halloween. The practical effects and creature design were the clear highlights, but I also appreciated Morricone's score, Russell's performance, and that dog. I mean seriously, that dog was only in it for like 15 minutes and he still had the best performance in the film.
The plot machinations were a bit overt for my taste, but I still enjoyed the ride. Would LOVE to see this on the big screen someday. Perhaps being in a movie theater would do it justice.

A Nightmare on Elm Street
believe. women.

This was a great way to close out October. Now that I've delved a little deeper into the history of horror, I can safely say that A Nightmare on Elm Street is my favorite "franchise" horror flick of this era. I was lukewarm on Friday the 13th and only mildly impressed by Halloween, but Nightmare really did it for me. I loved the the performances, pacing, effects and (of course) Freddy fuckin' Krueger, a villain who easily bests both Michael Myers and Jason in terms of pure awesomeness (though admittedly I have not seen Freddy vs. Jason). The whole idea of someone trying to murder you in your dreams is just cool.

I'm actually looking forward to watching all the unnecessary Nightmare sequels... maybe next Halloween!

​Freaks
objectively not a horror movie, but mmkay.
ps. if i somehow had the ability to turn the annoying ppl in my life into ugly ducks or whatever i would totally do it. no remorse, just BAPP! ur a duck.

Cat People
I feel like this could’ve been really great if it were just a little more subtle. Even from the first scene it was like, “PAY ATTENTION TO THE CATS! THERE’S SOME SHADY CAT BUSINESS GOIN ON! THIS LADY HAS A WEIRD CONNECTION TO CATS!”

Also, Oliver Reed has to be one of the most oblivious husbands in movie history. Is it so hard to just listen to your wife and also stop spending so much time with the woman from work whom your wife is clearly jealous of? I mean, my god.

The last thirty minutes were a lot more interesting/exciting than the beginning of the movie, but I still didn't love it. Oh, well. I have hopes for the sequel!

I Walked with a Zombie
I definitely liked this a lot better than Cat People. Though it doesn’t explore the same themes in the same ways, it lives in a much richer and more well-defined world.
One of my favorite things about I Walked with a Zombie is its setting. Most great horror stories create a “barrier” between the regular world and the supernatural one, usually represented by some kind of transportation. In Dracula it’s when Renfield takes the coach through the Borgo mountain pass that separates the vampire’s castle from the rest of the village. In this year’s brilliant Midsommar it’s the plane ride that takes Dani and the boys across the world to Sweden. I Walked with a Zombie makes the barrier even more explicit, sending its protagonist on a ship from Ontario to the Caribbean island of Saint Sebastian. Is there an example of a horror movie “barrier” crossing more overt and extraordinary than this?

Writers Curt Siodmak and Ardel Wray could have set the film in Saint Sebastian simply for visual appeal, but it’s clear from the opening minutes that the setting contributes more to the narrative and themes than anything else in the movie. Though I Walked with a Zombie is far from what we in 2019 would consider “woke,” I think it is important to recognize how different it is from other movies of the decade. Movies like Citizen Kane, Casablanca, and It’s a Wonderful Life will always be considered cinema classics, but there’s something to be said for a Val Lewton-produced horror movie that grapples with (or at least attempts to grapple with) the consequences of slavery.

While the four leads of the movie are white and (relatively) wealthy, they appear emotionally stranded on the island, without any community or happiness. They are plagued by the silent wants and whims of the island people, who can move people through spells, compelling them to travel “halfway around the world,” as Wesley claims. Though they all have free will and a conscious (except for Jessica of course), it’s hard not to wonder whether any of them (or any of us) really do anything by choice. Perhaps we are being controlled, tortured, maybe even secretly enslaved by a group of people we have marginalized for too long. Or at least, that is what Jacques Tourneur seems eager to explore. I Walk with a Zombie forces the audience, both now and in 1943, to confront difficult ideas about America’s past without ever mentioning America. It's a surprising notion for a film of this kind, but I think a rather exciting one.

The Curse of the Cat People
Eh. This movie had about 98% less cats. It’s so lackluster it actually made me appreciate Cat People more.
Amy is not Irena
Tarrytown is not New York City
and The Curse of the Cat People is not Cat People.
Boo :(

Carnival of Souls
“To me a church is just a place of business.” —Mary, the organist capable of stirring the soul, and my goddamned hero.

Candace Hilligoss is nothing short of a scream queen. I was actually quite surprised how much genuinely creepy imagery and affecting music this had. Also loved the settings and cinematography. It seems clear to me why this is such a huge inspiration for horror filmmakers. A shame Herk Harvey and Candace Hilligoss never did more features.

The Host
Country: South Korea

This is like if one of those Syfy movies were really fucking good. Suffice to say, this is now one of my favorite monster movies ever. The best aspect of the film for me is definitely Song Kang-ho's fantastic turn as Park Gang-du, the simple-minded father who serves as the emotional center of the film. In any other action movie, he would be an unlikely leading man, but in a Bong Joon-ho film he fits perfectly.
I also love how Bong always makes family a central part of his films. Even though this isn’t my favorite of his, it does stand out to me as a singular achievement in the monster movie genre. Looking forward to many rewatches!

Let the Right One In
Country: Sweden

Despite a really great premise and some solid cinematography, this one just didn't do it for me. I appreciated how subtly the film treated its "genre" (it's basically a serene drama film with mere traces of horror), and I liked Eli a lot, but ultimately I just didn't feel connected to Oskar at all. The ending is bomb though! 🏊

I Saw the Devil
Country: South Korea

Though I loved the brutal and balletic fight choreography, I found the rest of the film a bit disturbing for my taste. If this were a brisk, 90-minute revenge thriller that featured more of Joo-yeon v. Kyung-chul and less of Kyung-chul abusing his victims, I would’ve liked it a lot more.

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
Country: United States (Persian-language)

Boy am I a sucker for B&W cinematography. I loved the performances and the music, but this definitely feels like a movie that gets better on the rewatch. Now that I have experienced the plot and gotten to know the characters, I'm looking forward to spending more time in Bad City.

Raw (This review may contain spoilers.)
Country: France

And I thought my first week of college was craaaaaazy.

But seriously, if this whole movie was just the hazing and animal surgery it still would’ve scared the shit out of me. But nah, of course there's people eating people.
I’ve never been good with body horror or realistic gore. But even so, this is the most grossed out I’ve felt watching a movie in a while. Raw is cringe cinema of the highest order— a 90-minute descent into bloodlust and cannibalism that is simultaneously hard to watch and hard to look away from.

Garance Marillier is truly fantastic, the pacing is perfect, the cinematography is simple (but effective), and the score slaps. In fact, there really isn’t anything about this movie that I didn't like.

Oh, and that “bite battle” towards the end was fucking baller. Iconic.