October Horror Movie Challenge: Day 5

On the fifth day of this glorious challenge I started with Two Thousand Maniacs! The theme of the day was to get in exploitation flicks and, interestingly, I've seen a fair bit of those already. It was sort of a brief interest of mine to watch them back as a teenager. Either way, this was one of the films that was left off my watching lists at the time. Perhaps it didn't seem extreme enough, or somehow seemed to old, but yeah, just never watched it.

So how was it? I thought hte film was pretty nice. I mean, sure it isn't exactly the deepest story in the world... Some outsiders travel through a small Southern town and get paraded around as "guests of honor" for some mysterious celebration. Of course, as the film name implies, this small town of (apparently) 2,000 locals are murdering freaks who want nothing more than to kill all the Northerners they can get their hands on.

With a premise like that you can't exactly expect the movie to be serious, and it's not. The kills are ridiculous and often humorous. I thought it was a very watchable film and doesn't feel as old as it is. One thing that I really enjoyed about the film is that even with such a name it didn't delve right into the insanity of the townsfolk. Instead, you get a very long buildup (about half the film) before the purpose of the celebration is revealed  Good stuff. Sometime I'll have to watch that sequel.

Next up was Sweet Sixteen. This was just selected on a whim and didn't turn out to be that great, but it wasn't a completely awful thing either. The story revolves around a girl named Melissa who acts too old for her age of near-sixteen. As she takes interest in boys, they end up dying, and no one knows who is to blame. There's some interesting themes focusing around racism as well, which weren't expected. I'm glad that they were there though as it builds another layer into the world that most horror films don't explore.

Beyond that though it wasn't the best thing. The characters were fine and it moved along well but it felt more like a television movie. I also didn't really care for the twist ending. There was very little attention drawn to it beforehand so it really did feel like the rug was pulled out from under you, and not particularly in a good way. At least that's how I felt at the end. One plus was that the title image is totally great. It's extremely simple but effective.

Curtains is a movie I've been hungry to watch, and because of that perhaps I ended up barely enjoying it. My copy was very dark and quiet and it may have been related to my lack of watching pleasure as well. But basically, it didn't seem like it had much of a point. There were hallmark creepy things like a sad doll and old, old lady mask, but beyond that there was little heart here. The characters were nice at least, but still weren't able to save it.

Honestly there's very little I have to say about this movie and I'm sad that I wasn't able to enjoy it. Perhaps watching it again sometime (with a better copy) will make for a more pleasant experience.

Psycho II

Year: 1983
Director: Richard Franklin
Writer: Tom Holland, Robert Bloch
Genre: Horror: Thriller, Slasher

I don't know the history behind the making of Psycho II but I have a feeling it wasn't pleasant. The original Psycho is without a doubt a thriller classic to most movie fans. With such a well-known title it was probably the case that this sequel drew a lot of ire. Sure, modern movies get a lot of hate for remaking the old stuff, but to attempt to continue the story of Psycho must have taken guts. That, or a ton of greed.

Anyway, the film itself still has all the setpieces that made the classic - Bates Motel, home, "mother", etc. Despite all the effort to make it feel like the original though it doesn't make it. The movie seems to take cues from what the modern audience might have liked to see, instead of what made it good to begin with. It at points wants to maintain a mysterious and creepy atmosphere but then goes overboard.

For example, there is one scene that is obviously meant to play off the original. Someone is by the stairs and you know they're going to fall. I was wondering if they would attempt to replicate the creative camerawork of the original where the man fell down the stairs. However, judging that we would know this is coming, instead the character topples off the side of the railing and plummets straight down. The film is much harsher, and in fact, a bit too focused on getting the "kill shot".

This is why it feels like they were trying to appeal to modern moviegoers. At the same time though it also tries to play a straight mystery tale which may be too much for that same audience to bear. Where Psycho II finds itself is in a spot that is both appealing and unappealing to most audiences. There are parts for them to like but then others which will ruin the experience. I thought the film was fine but not worth the name Psycho.

PS: I did find Norman Bates' struggle in the film intriguing, until the film decides to take the easy road out with him. Such a shame to put all that effort to waste in the end.

The House on Sorority Row

Year: 1983
Director: Mark Rosman
Writer: Mark Rosman, Bobby Fine
Genre: Horror: Thriller

Here's another one of those movies that has such a generic name you don't know what to expect. Or, you expect it to be nothing much at all. As it turns out The House on Sorority Row is actually a pretty special film.

It's certainly not the best movie that's ever come around but it certainly tries to be more than just your typical slasher or horror-mystery. That's the reason why I found it so enjoyable. You've got a group of sorority girls and their sorority mom or whoever is rather strict and old. After completely humiliating one of the girls, the humiliated girl seeks revenge. She attempts to pull a big stunt with a gun loaded with blanks, but things get a little out of hand...

From there, things start to get crazy. It's a rather slow burn from when things initially get out of hand for other events to occur. It may be because of this that the movie is able to draw you in so well. It lures you in with a bang of a start and then leaves you wondering what the resolution will be and if the sorority sisters will face repercussions for their actions.

You may feel like you know what is going to happen in the film but you may very well be wrong. The climax certainly caught me by surprise, anyway. The movie is good at leading you astray with red herring clues. Beyond that, it also has an exceptional soundtrack.

Sleepaway Camp

Year: 1983
Director: Robert Hiltzik
Writer: Robert Hiltzik
Genre: Horror: Slasher

Sleepaway Camp is your typical teen horror slasher flick. It's got predictable deaths that come to sexual or cruel teenagers just like you'd expect. Basically, the whole movie is pretty average except for a twist ending. Presumably, the twist ending was meant to bring more value to the movie as a whole but it fails completely. All the ending does is make you go "what?" before going off to watch something actually good.

Well, that might be a little cruel. The movie is relatively interesting to watch. A brother and sister are sent off to a summer camp. The sister is painfully shy and will barely talk to anyone at all. Her brother is super protective of her and he's got a lot to protect due to many campers making fun of her awkward ways. Then, people who mess with her begin to die...

There's nothing much beyond that in the movie. There is a strange attempt to make a twist ending but, again, it seems to be there just to be a "twist" and makes no sense at all. The twist ending doesn't even resolve anything. It just comes out of nowhere like "yes this is the murder but OH HEY how about we reveal this random fact instead?" It's certainly unexpected but useless. Honestly, it might be worth watching the movie just to have your jaw drop at the completely nonsensical conclusion.