The Cathode Ray Mission: October 2021

Sunday, October 31, 2021

Screenshots: Halloween II (1981)

"Amazing Grace, come sit on my face / Don't make cry / I need your pie..."

Sweet But Psycho

A little Halloween mix tape for all you Boils and Ghouls.

Saturday, October 30, 2021

Top Ten Picks For Halloween 2021

Wow, October has shot by. It takes too long to get here, and when it's here, it's gone too soon. But we can still enjoy some horror. So the time is here again, for some Halloween picks.

10) Slaughterhouse Rock (1988)

I remember the VHS box sitting on the video store shelf back in the '90's. Combining the post Elm Street supernatural slasher craze with the brief prison set horror movie fad. The whole rock and roll thing isn't a big part of the film sadly. I was hoping for a rock band vs. demonic killer. But the movie is still a lot of cheesy '80's fun. I dug the movie's look, the Devo score and the killer's backstory.

9) Phantoms (1998)

Back in my high schools days I read the heck out of many Dean Koontz books. Phantoms with it's snowy, isolated, The Thing vibe it has was one of my favorites back then. I hadn't seen the movie adaption since back when it came out. Watching it a few weeks ago, aside from Ben Affleck feeling really out of place, the rest of the movie is a really fun monster movie. Liev Schreiber, Rose McGowan and Peter O’Toole are great. I had such a thing for Rose McGowan back then. Those were the days.

8) A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985)

I didn't like this one as much as the other films in the series when I was a kid. Was too different. Not flashy enough. Too little Freddy. After some re-watches over the years, Freddy's Revenge is my favorite of the Nightmare franchise. Which falls in line with how Halloween 2 and Friday The 13th part 2 are my favorites of those series. Must be a rule of 2 or something.

7) Killer Workout (1987)

It's hard to pick a favorite David A. Prior flick. There's Sledgehammer, Deadly Prey and it's sequel. Some of his best in my opinion. Then there's this and Mankillers. Both excellent, though not on the same level as those other three films. Killer Workout is such a weird mishmash of slasher, murder mystery and low rent action flick. This and the fact that it's filled with so much aerobics action make Killer Workout a pleasure to behold.

6) The Curse of the Living Corpse (1964)

My favorite of Del Tenney's directorial efforts. A mix of Gothic horror and murder mystery. A bunch of bickering assholes in a mansion getting offed by a mysterious (Undead?) black gloved killer. Roy Scheider seems to be playing a drunk Tom Hiddleston and having a blast doing it.

5) Dracula 3D (2012)

This is a weird one I'm come to enjoy more after a couple viewings. Feels like Dario Argento mainlined Jean Rollin and Jess Franco movies before directing. The CGI is hilarious. The score is amazing. Asia Argento is hot. There's a really nice decapitation. The film feels a little to long overall. All the same, I can see this one growing on me.

4) Silent Madness (1984)

Finally, getting the release it deserves on Blu-ray. It's great seeing Silent Madness again after many years. One of those slasher films I rented multiple times back in the VHS days. It's cheesy and very '80's, in other words it's fantastic. That one orderly's prolonged maniacal laugh is ridiculous. Silent Madness contains one of the best horror film sheriff's of all time.

3) Weekly Spooky and Penned In Blood

There's nothing better on Halloween night then settling in for a good horror story. At Weekly Spooky and Penned In Blood you can savor a plethora of terror tales told by a talented group of writers. This is a bit of a plug, because I've written a few stories for both sites. But don't let that stop you. These guys and gals have weaved a variety of fresh horror epics sure to delight you on Halloween night. And lust in time for Halloween, there's a Volume 2 of collected tales from Penned In Blood along with some all new tales.

2) The Dungeon of Harrow (1962)

Charming ultra low budget regional horror flick from Texas. Directed by comic artist Pat Boyette, Dungeon is going for the Roger Corman Poe adaption thing, but with a budget of a quarter, 2 dimes and a nickel. Great for a late night viewing.

1) Assignment Terror (1970)

This is a goofy monster mash movie that I would have flipped out for as a kid. There's aliens with a crazy Plan 9 style invasion. Legendary monsters and sexy girls. It's a groovy blend of Universal monster mashes, Euro Spy antics, Paul Naschy werewolf flicks and the plot from Monster Zero. What more could you want?