House of a Thousand Corpses (2003)

As part of the 2022 Annual Horror Movie Countdown, I re-watched Rob Zombie's House of a Thousand Corpses (2003). I normally don't do rewatches because the whole point of this challenge is to experience new horror, but Mark had never seen it, and I only saw it once, when I was 18, so 15 years ago. At the time, I found it really powerful, shocking, and viscerally disturbing. It didn't have quite the same impact this time (for one thing, now that The Office has happened, it's hard to see Rainn Wilson without thinking of Dwight) -- but I still think it's an underrated movie. Yes, it's a little all-over-the-place, but this ghoulish family nails several horror archetypes, from yandere "Baby" to psycho Otis, and more. I still love it.

Scream (2022)

Our second flick of this year's annual horror countdown was the new Scream (2022), which Mark and I watched with my bro Jesse. I generally find slashers boring, but I really love the original Scream (1996). The new iteration had some clever moments -- lots of meta humor, like moments you "know" will be jump scares, but then aren't -- but was a bust overall. For me, the original works because the pacing is perfect -- the stalking builds the suspense and makes the kills much more terrifying. In the new one, the willy-nilly killing destroys the sense of being uniquely preyed upon, being hunted, which triggers our primal terror.

Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, who also did the much better. Ready or Not (2019).

X (2022)

X (2022) was crazy. A rare horror movie where I actually liked the characters, and rooted for them not to get killed. Set in the 1970s, some young hotties head to rural Texas to shoot a porno. Things are going well, except, their elderly hosts have some issues. Lots of humor, and stars Kid Cudi, as well as the younger sister from the new Scream (Jenna Ortega), among others. Some very, VERY, cringe content-- but a winner overall.

Not as good as House of the Devil (2009), but another success from Ti West.

You're Next (2011)

Nicole and I watched You're Next (2011), which was a (bloody, murderous) romp! Not the most inventive plot, but redeemed by good pacing, zany, dark, deadpan humor, and a badass female lead. This one had some similar vibes to Ready or Not (2019).

Hush (2016)

Thanks to Nicole for kicking off the top 100 countdown with me! First of the season was Hush (2016), a slasher with a strong female lead who is deaf and mute. This was interesting from a plot perspective (cf The Quiet Place), and I always enjoy seeing sign language represented in films (learned the sign for "bitch" haha), but unfortunately this was pretty much the only interesting part. As Nicole said, pretty standard cat-and-mouse stuff. And the gross violence/gore was frankly pretty gratuitous.

Must say, I'm not impressed with Mike Flanagan, who also did Gerald's Game, which sucked.

Prom Night II (1987)

Nicole and Michael joined us for Prom Night II (1987), a campy supernatural slasher. The 80s is easily my favorite decade for horror, and although this movie was pretty goofy at times, there were some very neat effects, including a totally awesome classroom scene (who knew chalkboards could be so frightening?).

The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970)

Enjoyed The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970), Dario Argento's directorial debut, which I had never seen before. Gorgeous gallery scenes with fascinating sculptures, wish I knew who'd made them.

Profondo Rosso, aka Deep Red (1975)

Suspiria (1977) is my favorite horror film, so it was LONG overdue for me to watch Argento's Profondo Rosso, aka Deep Red (1975), also scored by Goblin. This movie has excellent shots and some very memorable dialogue. One of my favorite exchanges, after a woman is brutally murdered in her home:

Prof Giordani: Who could have done this?

Old housekeeper: A maniac, of course! It's always a maniac, and they never catch them.

I enjoyed this film, although to me it felt kind of all-over-the-place.

Opera (1987)

Watched Dario Argento's Opera (1987) tonight. WOW, it was amazing! Soo many incredible shots (love the crow's eye at the beginning), gorgeous music, and the series of strangely beautiful yet utterly grisly murders. I don't want to include any spoilers, but there was at least one shot I've definitely never seen before - honestly not sure how they did it. 😱👍👍

Dressed to Kill (1980)

Despite having the advantage of having been made in the 80s, aka the best horror decade, this movie was pretty terrible. The dialogue was kind of hilarious, tho. For one example of a representative exchange:

Doctor Robert Elliott: How are things going with you and Mike?

Kate Miller: Fine.

Doctor Robert Elliott: Good.

Kate Miller: [considering for a moment] No, they're not fine. What a stupid word that is. He gave me one of his wham-bang specials today and I'm mad at him. Isn't that right? Shouldn't I be mad at him?

Doctor Robert Elliott: Yeah. Did you tell him?

Kate Miller: Of course not. I moaned with pleasure at his touch - isn't that what every man wants?

Doctor Robert Elliott: I don't know. Is it?

Kate Miller: Don't start that stuff with me.

Scream (1996)

 The original teen slasher. This movie terrified me when I first saw it, and it still does. I can never look at a glass sliding door the same way again.

Peeping Tom (1960)

Peeping Tom was soo good!! So creepy... 👁📽😰