Wow, what a month: 36 films watched, 31 reviews posted, innumerable beers consumed, and one genre of film!
This post is just going to be some of my random thoughts about what I loved, what I hated, and everything in between that stuck out during this bloody and disgusting journey.
But first, I want to thank anybody who followed along, or maybe took a chance on a movie they'd never seen before. I really appreciate it, and I hope you'll reach out and let me know what you thought!
Best Movie (that's not The Shining)
There's no doubt what the true best movie of the year (and every year) is, but we have a lot of other options for second best.
5) Suspiria - One of the three giallo films I watched this year, and easily the best of the bunch. Suspiria looks and sounds like a nightmare on film, and definitely qualifies as an experience.
4) Raw - One of my favorite films of the past year, and an excellent exploration of feminine sexuality. It's disgusting, beautiful, and erotic all at once. I love it.
3) Night of the Hunter - Charles Laughton's only directorial effort, and an easy masterpiece of post-war American filmmaking. It's shot like a German expressionist film, with elements borrowed from both the silent era and the stage. Robert Mitchum plays one of the best villains I've ever seen in a movie, and I can't imagine any film fan not loving it.
2) Dawn of the Dead - One of my all-time favorite movies, and my longest review of the month. Biting social commentary woven into a terrifying and compelling tale of the apocalypse, all crafted with a balls-to-the-wall independent spirit from George Romero. A classic.
1) The VVitch - Easily the best movie of the past few years, and probably the best American film since There Will Be Blood. It's a modern masterpiece, and everybody should see it.
Worst Movie
There wasn't a lot of crap this year. Last year was waaaaay worse. But there were a few that didn't quite strike a chord with me.
5) Creepshow II - I know it's becoming a cult favorite, and features the talents of Stephen King and George Romero, but it feels so much lazier than the first Creepshow, and a lot of it falls flat. It's still goofy fun, though.
4) Invaders from Mars - I was excited when I sat down to watch it, because I love Tobe Hooper, but meh. I understand that it wasn't made for cynical old drunks like me, and I do love Cannon Films, but that didn't save it from being boring for big chunks. Not horrible, but definitely near the bottom of everything I watched this year.
3) Pumpkinhead - I watched this but didn't even bother reviewing it. It's an actual movie, keeping it out of the bottom two, but it's pretty boring and uninspired. It's directed by creature effects wizard Stan Winston, but the actual pumpkinhead monster looks ridiculous. I fast-forwarded through much of the third act. The only good part is how ripped Lance Henriksen is.
2) Rock and Roll Nightmare - Such a lazy and incompetent vanity project. But it's a long-time Z-level movie favorite, and I had so much fun watching it with Zach. If you're going to try and tackle it, load up on beer.
1) Uninvited - Ugh. The worst movie of the month by a country mile. It's amusing at times (like when the cat puppet is attacking, or a drunk and surly George Kennedy is on screen), but 80% of it is a boring waste of time. Truly awful.
Strangest Movie
Maybe my favorite emotion during a movie is shock. If something gets me to clutch my head in an effort to keep my brains from flying apart, I get so happy. There are a few things that made me feel that way this year.
5) Maximum Overdrive - Stephen King's coked out misadventure trying to make a monster movie. It's maybe not the most bizarre story, but the creative choices made (especially that abrupt ending) speak to either insanity or a beautiful mind. A beautiful mind dusted with cocaine.
4) Raw - This might be an obvious choice because of its cannibalistic subject matter, but the story is more elevated than its shocking gore might indicate. There's a thoughtfulness to Raw that audiences may have trouble unpacking, but still: that finger scene is shocking and strange!
3) Suspiria - This was my first time seeing Suspiria, and I loved it. It's not a particularly shocking movie, but the way Argento translates a nightmare onto film definitely qualifies it as strange. You'll never seen lighting in a film quite like this.
2) Videodrome - David Cronenberg's classic analysis of media and the digital world in a society that fetishizes violence as sex. The master of body horror doesn't disappoint, and there's a lot of gross out goodness to enjoy. But nothing tops the scene where James Woods has violent BDSM style sex with a fleshy television.
1) Society - A movie where not a ton happens until the end, when a man is hollowed out and turned into a flesh puppet that an old man violently fists, while everyone around them fucks wildly. You should definitely see Society to truly understand what motivates our glorious God Emperor Donald Trump.
Favorite Actor
5) James Stewart - I saw two Jimmy Stewart movies this October, and his performance in Vertigo is one of the great roles in film history.
4) Bruce Campbell - The way he blends Three Stooges physical comedy with over-the-top B-movie emoting as Ash in Evil Dead 2 always makes me laugh
3) Michael Rooker - I'm concerned that he might actually be a serial killer after watching his distant and chilling performance in Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer.
2) Robert Mitchum - Mitchum owns the role of psychotic preacher Harry Powell. He never seems to lose his temper, even as he's murdering his wife and hunting down her children.
1) Tom Atkins - *cracks open an Old Style at 8 am with nicotine stained fingers* Hell yeah.
Favorite Actress
5) Jessica Harper - In a movie without a lot of strong performances, Jessica Harper does a great job with Suzy Bannion in Suspiria. She can't dance (so of course she'd play the lead in a film set in a ballet school), but her sleepy, almost meandering performance fits the look and tone of the film perfectly.
4) Lillian Gish - She plays the perfect sweet foil to the dark Harry Powell in Night of the Hunter. She's also the only actor on either list to be born in the 19th Century.
3) Garance Marillier - Marillier's performance as Justine in Raw is equal parts sexy and vile. The way she transforms from a shy fawn into a fierce wolf throughout the film is amazing, and especially so considering she's not even 20 years old yet.
2) Anya Taylor-Joy - Another incredible young actress, but she gets the edge because of the difficulty of the dialogue in The Witch. I love her performance, and she's a big part of why the film is so successful.
1) Shelley Duvall - As I mentioned in my review of The Shining, Duvall's performance as Wendy Torrence was panned by contemporary critics, because film critics are morons. Without her, The Shining wouldn't be nearly as honest or impressive, and the abuse she suffered on set from Stanley Kubrick speaks to a tremendous internal strength. Her performance is my favorite among all of the 10 actors I've highlighted
It's sad to hear that she's struggling with such profound mental illness currently, but it's a fucking shame that giant-headed asshole hack Dr. Phil exploited her illness for his own benefit. I hope he freezes to death in a hedge maze.
Goals for 2018
Seems like 2017 was the year for giallo and strong female performances. My goal for Spooktober 2018 is to include more films both made by and starring people of color. It's too bad that horror is dominated, like so much else in film/society/business/politics/etc, by white men, but it gives me something to look forward to next year.
I'd also like to chew my way through a full series of movies, maybe Friday the 13th or Nightmare on Elm Street, just to see what it's like to follow one thread through piles of crap.
I think I'd also like to try and make some video content next year. Nothing too crazy, but I've always liked editing together video projects, and I think it's a logical next step.
