Welcome to the 2022 Horror-Thon!
Halloween is my absolute jam. It’s been a big deal in my family for as long as I can remember so it’s not really a surprise I’ve started a yearly tradition called The Horror-Thon. It doesn’t exactly take a rocket scientist to figure out what that entails exactly, but this year I’ve been bringing the Horror-Thon to social media and this here blog - Exciting! The Horror-Thon began when I was in high school and AMC used to air Fright Fest all October long. So every weekend, I would watch whatever was airing and over the years it’s slowly transitioned to just being a week -ong airing of the Halloween franchise (no complaints here!). Now with the variety of streaming options, everyone seems to have a Halloween-themed collection for viewing. Normally, the Horror-Thon would be the tried and true classics, but this year I’ve expanded. The Criterion Channel introduced a special ‘80s horror collection for this Spooky Season, and I decided I had to take part in it. For that reason, this year’s collection features some new movies I’ve never seen before and two tried-and-true classics that are a Must Watch every Halloween.
Note: Plot lines are directly from the film’s IMDB pages and the ratings are my own.
Inferno (1980)
Plot: An American college student in Rome and his sister in New York investigate a series of killings in both locations where their resident addresses are the domain of two covens of witches.
My Rating: Dario Argento is a master. This movie is just as incredible as Suspiria both cinematically and story-wise. There were so many times I just couldn’t look away from the screen. One of the highlights was the cats handling one of the killings. I learned, only after, Inferno along with Suspiria is part of the Three Mothers Trilogy and now I am on the hunt for the next one. I give it a 10/10. Would watch again.
The House By the Cemetery (1981)
Plot: A New England home is terrorized by a series of murders, unbeknownst to the guests that a gruesome secret is hiding in the basement.
My Rating: This Italian film takes place in New England which is so unfortunate for voice dubbing. The child, Bob’s voice is so incredibly annoying and it doesn’t get any better or easier to listen to as the movie goes on. That said, The House By the Cemetery has a good amount of surprising gore and features a natural Spooky Season theme: creepy kids. 8/10 - Not bad, but slow-moving.
House (1977)
Plot: A schoolgirl and six of her classmates travel to her aunt's country home, which turns out to be haunted.
My Rating: I watched House because I am truly obsessed with the above photo and not only have I seen it everywhere lately, but I’ve seen screengrabs of the witch cat. This is one of the most unhinged movies I’ve ever seen. It’s funny but brilliant. It’s cheesy and fantastical. It’s so out of the box it had me literally talking out loud to the screen. 10/10 - Would absolutely watch again.
The Funhouse (1981)
Plot: Four teenagers visit a local carnival for a night of innocent amusement. They soon discover, however, that there is nothing innocent or amusing there at all.
My Rating: I watched this one on a whim because it looked interesting. It’s honestly not that different than most. of the slasher/horror movie films of the 1980s. It really plays up the creepy oddities of a funhouse/carnival which adds a little bit to the scariness. However, I wasn’t into this one as much as some of the others I watched. Mainly because I found the funhouse oddities and characters more frightening than the premise itself. 7/10
The Invisible Man (1933)
Plot: A scientist finds a way of becoming invisible, but in doing so, he becomes murderously insane.
My Rating: There always has to be one very old black-and-white classic in the Horror-Thon, and this year it is The Invisible Man. A film, I am shocked I haven’t actually seen all the way through. I can definitely see why people are still trying to pull off these styles of special effects. The story is interesting. If you can stand old black-and-white movies and don’t mind singing “Claude Raines was the Invisible Man” the whole time, then definitely watch it. 10/10.
The Slumber Party Massacre (1982)
Plot: A female high school student's slumber party turns into a bloodbath, as a newly escaped psychotic serial killer wielding a power drill prowls her neighborhood.
My Rating: This movie absolutely reminded me of my favorite, now defunct, arthouse movie theater. It was the type of movie they showed on the bar screens. I loved it was a parody of slasher movies but still good all on its own. I can see the “inspirations” it took from and at times it does feel like watching a parody of our next Horror-Thon pick. I thought the movie was funny and entertaining. I found myself yelling at the screen about how ridiculous these characters were which is the true sign of a great horror movie. 10/10
Halloween (1978)
Plot: Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a mental hospital and returns to the small town of Haddonfield, Illinois to kill again.
My Rating: The Halloween icon and the moment. The original Halloween is the OG classic and should be watched every year whether they make a new one or not - like this year. I love and appreciate everything about this movie from the plot to the music - even calling out the absurdity of teenagers. 10,000,000/10
Suspiria (1977)
Plot: An American newcomer to a prestigious German ballet academy comes to realize that the school is a front for something sinister amid a series of grisly murders.
My Rating: Another horror movie I absolutely love. I love it has more of a supernatural story rather than a straight slasher/zombie/monster movie type deal. The cinematography is incredible and the score sends absolute chills up my spine. 10,000,000/10
