Spoooooky Chewie of The Mana Pool

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It’s October, that means it’s time for another 31 Days of Spooky Movies for Chewie, watching & quick-reviewing a movie a day. I’m gonna try to only do ones I haven’t seen, but if life gets in the way (and it do) I will absolutely watch Trick ‘r Treat again, don’t think I won’t #31DaysofSpooky

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Spoooooky Chewie of The Mana Pool@themanapool.bsky.social

Spooky streams start tonight! I’ll be streaming the 2023 remake of Dead Space! I’ve been wanting to play this for a very long time, so I’m really looking forward to getting the crap scared out of me in space 😁 Come join me, I’ll be starting the stream in about 30 minutes on Twitch!

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New episode is up! The Dorks make a tier list of monsters based on how many of us would survive a horror movie based on each monster! youtu.be/2zKkmWvZ-eU

27. Sleepaway Camp (1983) #31DaysofSpooky So here’s an old (infamous?) classic that I had never seen. I should say this wasn’t shocking to me, as I was well aware of how it was all gonna go down thanks to cultural osmosis. The final shot of the film might be the most famous single frame in horror

I love that I accidentally went from a movie that REALLY wants the gay community to accept it to one that the gay community has claimed as its own - because it is *super* gay (meant in the best way possible) And why the hell was Aunt Martha in a completely different movie than the one being shot? 🤨

It’s a bizarre cross between Friday the 13th, John Waters, and memories of summer camp. It’s weird, the end is famously shocking, and it’s a lot of fun. Taking it as an artifact of its time, it’s worth giving a watch if you haven’t. It’s a cult classic for a reason Spooky Moon Rating 🌕🌕🌕🌘🌑 3.25/5

As 80s slashers go the kills were kind of tame, which is fine. They were all still fun, especially the first one. Fuck that guy and his position in the current administration he would surely have if he survived Other than the potentially problematic end, it was a fun little summer camp slasher!

26. They/Them (2022) #31DaysofSpooky Watching this one solely for the name, which is just brilliant. It’s a slasher movie that takes place at a gay conversion camp, and the title is read as “They Slash Them.” Simply amazing Spoiler: the title is one of the best things about this movie

As representation for the LGBTQ youth, I can’t really speak to it. No one is a parody or tasteless joke. They’re all characters. Admittedly THIN characters, but it’s a slasher. They kinda HAVE to be thin. But it really feels like it’s trying too hard to show you just how pro-LGBTQ it is

As a movie, it’s fine. It was good to see Anna Chlumsky in something again, but outside of the positive message and “punish the baddies” goodness it doesn’t do much The positive representation is good & important, don’t get me wrong. Just wish it was in a better film 🤷‍♂️ Spooky Moon Rating 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑 3/5

I would like to remind you that I am a straight cis dude, so I’m not the target audience for this one. As a slasher, it wasn’t very…slashy. As a psychological horror, there’s some of that but it’s just “extreme conversion camp” shit meant to make you hate bad people more, which it TOTALLY does

It reminded me of how possession movies pander to Catholics & some brainy sci-fis pander to nerds. The atheists/jocks can’t do anything, it’s up to us! It wasn’t pandering in a condescending way - less “here’s one for those queers” more “here’s one for US queers” which is an important distinction

25. Salem’s Lot (2024) #31DaysofSpooky I’m gonna lead off by saying that I have no history with this story. I’ve never seen any versions of it and I’ve never read the book. This is all based solely on this movie’s merits alone First off, the vampire effects were pretty good and glorious cheesy fun

Everything seemed by the numbers. No one seemed all that surprised that vampires were real, no one was upset for more than a minute at anything going on. The story itself was interesting, but the whole thing was delivered like a list of things that happened. And then and then and then, y’know?

Mark was by far the best character as actions go; he’s gonna grow up to be Blade or some shit. Badassed for an 11 year old 😂 I dunno if it’s just its nature as a reremake or what but it didn’t do much for me past a few fun bits Spooky Moon Rating 🌕🌕🌗🌑🌑 2.5/5 for being well made, just kinda boring

I see why it was a Max Original and not a theatrical release though, because none of the actors were really bringing much to the roles. No one was really awful, but no one was really good either. Everyone was just kind of…there. Deliver the lines, collect the paycheck. Just bland, really

24. Late Night With the Devil (2023) #31DaysofSpooky I have no idea what to think about this one. Of course, David Dastmalchian was excellent, showing off his chops as a moderately lovable 70s late night talk show host, grieving widower, nearly desperate loser, and more that would be spoilers

The pacing is on point, with a narrated “story so far” to start and then keeping the pace of a live tv recording The skeptic dude was impressively obnoxious, like what if James Randi was an insufferable prick. Gus was also good, a “desperately trying to keep up appearances” version of Ed McMahon

There’s a lot of underlying stuff going on with The Grove, deals with devils, and prices to be paid that are there but not fully explained. The horror, once it shows itself, is simultaneously in your face and very subtle. It’s good stuff, unlike anything else I’ve seen Spooky Moon Rating 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑 4/5

The format of the whole thing is brilliant, bouncing between 4:3 TV-aired footage & 16:9 movie shots. The filmmakers treated this like a proper period piece, even using period appropriate terminology for the parapsychologist’s spiel! I really appreciate the little touches, it shows they care

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23. Last Voyage of the Demeter (2023) #31DaysofSpooky I love the idea for this movie. Take a single lesser-known chapter from a massive and beloved story and turn it into its own whole thing? Brilliant! This is the tale of the ship that transported Dracula to England in Bram Stoker’s novel

The atmosphere is top notch, all claustrophovia and dread. Even though you know how it all ends, it manages to keep up the tension the entire time Having only seen him in small comedic roles before, I’ve become really impressed with David Dastmalchian. Can’t wait to see him as M. Bison!

I admit, seeing a well-known event from another perspective is one of my favorite storytelling devices. If you like that too, go read the comic series Astro City, that’s basically its whole deal Highly recommend this, it’s Alien but with a vampire. Great stuff Spooky Moon Rating 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌘 4.25/5

So from the jump you know what’s going to happen. Dracula killed everyone on the ship during the journey. It’s usually a footnote in adaptations, because it’s not really relevant to Dracula’s larger story. But to the people aboard it was an absolutely horrifying experience, and deserves to be told

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The dorks are live with a new podcast recording! We're ranking movie monsters based on how likely we four dorks are to survive a horror movie with them in it! Well, how likely the other three are to survive after Chewie dies. Come join us! twitch.tv/themanapool

22. Brainscan (1994) #31DaysofSpooky This is a seminal work, not for a genre or a style, but for me personally! My buddy Scott rented it (because we were gamer nerds back then too) and it blew my young mind. It was the first psychological horror II ever saw (possibly the first slasher too 🤔)

The real fun part is Trickster, played hilariously by T. Ryder Smith, who comes to taunt, annoy, advise, and encourage Michael to continue playing or else he’ll end up in prison. He absolutely steals every scene he’s in. To seasoned horror fans I’m sure he’s like an off-brand Freddy, but I love him

Is it the best? It is not. Is it even all that good? I have no idea, because even though I hadn’t seen it in like 3 decades it still tripped the nostalgia super hard for me. It’s fun, it’s just dark enough, and it set me on the path of weird stuff enjoyment! Spooky Moon Rating 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑

Michael is a horror obsessed kid with a who tries out Brainscan, an immersive state of the art interactive CD-ROM game (ah, 1994) that promises to be the most terrifying experience of his life. He does a random act of violence in the game, and oops it was real and now he has to figure out what to do

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21. Event Horizon (1997) #31DaysofSpooky I’ve only seen this once, back when it was new. Why? Because in all honesty I didn’t really like it. Back then I was way more into sci-fi than horror, and the final chunk of the movie just…disappointed me. It seemed rushed or confused or something to me

Small tangent: Weir says “Hell is only a word, reality is much, much worse. Let me show you” and then he just shows your standard hell stuff - pain and torture, screaming and begging. Is it like Republican hell, where it’s only worse when it’s happening to you specifically? I bet that’s what it is

Neill, Fishburne, & the rest are excellent. The first 2/3 is really good. But then it just falls apart into your standard gory hell-thing and I lose interest. It’s probably just that that’s not my thing, but it’s my review so 🤷‍♂️ Spooky Moon Rating 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑 3/5 for performances & historical significance

Watching it again after almost 30 years, and I’ve got to say…I was right. I appreciate its place in history as a seminal sci-fi horror that inspired countless movies and games, but I just don’t like it as a movie. I know, I know, I’m a heretic and all that. Come at me I guess?

I mean it’s not that it’s bad, I just can’t help but see what it could have been instead. You wouldn’t have to change much to make it one of the many “oh shit we need to keep the rights” Hellraiser movies. Granted, it would be one of the best ones, but that’s not the point, shut up 😜

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20. The Boogeyman (2023) #31DaysofSpooky Now this is a proper spooky movie! It’s a pretty standard “creepy supernatural thing haunting the house stalking the family” movie where all the characters are *fucking idiots* most of the time, but I liked it. I’m not…entirely sure specifically why though 🤔

It starts with something *really* horrific, setting a tone that the rest of the movie honestly doesn’t keep up, and I’m pretty sure that’s a good thing because DAMN. The eeriness is on point throughout, never giving too much of a clear view of the creature even at the end, which I appreciate

It manages to avoid the third act thing of the full reveal and complete explanation. Thank goodness, because it’s much scarier if you don’t know, horror movie makers! Overall it was a good spooky watch, a solid execution of a standard tropey subgenre Spooky Moon Rating 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑4/5

The early spooks are all subtle enough to really freak me out, appearing in corners or backgrounds without drawing any attention to themselves. That’s the sort of thing that gets in my head and LIVES there, so I’m really glad I watched this in daylight with many hours before bed 😅 My brain is dumb

19. Thanksgiving (2023) #31DaysofSpooky Well it starts off with the most horrific display of capitalism’s effect on normal people ever put to film - a terrifying Black Friday gone horribly wrong. It would be unbelievably over the top if trampling deaths at these things weren’t, you know, real

So even though this was an Eli Roth joint (which I didn’t know ahead of time) it wasn’t that bad. The kills were kinda gory but in a fun slasher way not a horrific mean-spirited “look how edgy my films are” way The whodunit side of things is pretty good too, I enjoyed failing at figuring it out 😅

As Renee put it - “it was better than expected but not as good as going to the fridge at 3am on Black Friday to eat a handful of cold turkey” If you want a slasher with fun kills, gloriously bad Boston accents, and a different holiday setting, it’s pretty good Spooky Moon Rating 🌕🌕🌕🌖🌘 3.75/5

Spoooooky Chewie of The Mana Pool reposted

18. The Visit (2015) #31DaysofSpooky Another one I’ve been meaning to watch for a long time and I’ve gotta say that is not what I expected at all. All the promotional material made it appear to be some kind of supernatural possession thing, and I’m 100% certain that was on purpose to throw us off

The main characters are an overly pretentious filmmaker-in-training girl and a weird ass rapping white boy, but they’re somehow not as annoying as most found footage protagonists As with most found footage flicks, it’s pretty slow. You have to survive on trickles of excitement for a long time