Halloween Movie Marathon 2011

[Barbossa]

Welcome to October
and
The 2011 Halloween Movie Marathon thread

Post what horror/halloween-related movies you watch thru the month of October up to Halloween. Some people on other boards are watching one per day (31 Days of Halloween) and some people are going for 100 during the month. I'm just going to try and beat my tally from last year which was 38.

I got started at midnight with...



Scarecrow of Romney Marsh Part I, II & III
a.k.a.
Dr Syn, Alias the Scarecrow

I wanted to watch this last year as part of my Halloween viewing but didn't get around to it, so it was first on my list for this year. Ok, its not exactly a horror or Hallowen related, but the cool costume makes it worthy of a Hallowen movie (and I went dressed as the Scarecrow one year for trick or treating). I ended up watching the 3 seperate episodes rather than the movie as the movie is condensed with some parts removed. Always enjoyed this mini series since I was a kid. Simply put, it's a Robin Hood story, he steals form the government and gives to the poor. Scarecrow and Zorro were pretty much the inspirations for Batman. I was lucky enough to get the Walt Disney Treasure three years ago when it came out. Was surprised seeing what it's seelling for now on Amazon Marketplace (over $200!). I really don't care what the value is though, I'm not parting with this one. Gonna watch some more later today.

[Rex Dopey24]

dont forget to add hocus pocus. its disneys best halloween movie ever and oh halloweentown 1 thro 4.

---------- Post added 10-01-2011 at 01:38 PM ----------

lets see day one for me is....

---------- Post added 10-01-2011 at 01:38 PM ----------

halloweentown. which im going to watch on youtube.

[Barbossa]

dont forget to add hocus pocus.

There are a few movies that are annual traditions, and Hocus Pocus is one of them.

My list - recent viewings in bold:

Scarecrow of Romney Marsh Parts I, II, & III
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets



Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Again, not your typical horror or Halloween movie, but becuase of the subject matter, this series is perfect for this time of year - and well, they do celebrate Halloween at Hogwarts. Since the series wrapped up this year, thought It would be fitting to rewatch them for my Halloween movie marathon. When the movie series first started, I was not familiar with the books, nor did I see the first 3 movies in the theater. It wasn't until Goblet of Fire that I saw my first HP movie on the big screen. I enjoyed GoF, but I still wasn't big into the series. I realized this was an acquired taste. I then watched the first three on DVD and started to really enjoy the series. And I admit, I got into the books late - I just finished Philospher's Stone a couple days ago, and started reading Chamber of Secrets last night. Really enjoyed reading PS, but I'm looking forward to the longer books to see what was dropped from the movies.

My thoughts on Philosopher's Stone, the movie...
What can I say, the start of a great franchise. Hard to believe it started ten years ago - released just two months after 9/11 happened. I can see why people went to see it in droves, to have a little escapism, to perhaps take a way the doom and gloom the terrorists brought on us. After reading the book now, I can say they made some great choices with the cast. They only thing that seems a little dated are some of the SFX - some of the CG could've been done a little better, other than that, a fun movie. And yes, I'm using the original title as it was released here in Canada and abroad, not the one the dumb marketers in the US came up with.



Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Can't compare the book to the movie as I just started the book last night. A great 2nd act. I get a good chuckle out of the Mandrake scene. A very imaginitive and immersive environment J.K. Rowling created. Kenneth Branagh's Gilderoy Lockhart cracks me up, with the girls swooning around a fraudulent prof. Touches a little more on the dark side of the HP universe with the appearance of Tom Riddle. Great movie.

I do want to watch all of them before Halloween, but I may watch something different in between each installment. Deathly Hallows Part 2 isn't coming out on Blu until Remembrance Day, so I may catch it in the theater again, maybe it will be at the 2nd run theater by the time I get to it.

[Barbossa]

Anyone else watching horror/Halloween movies? Except for the Pirates thread, seems this area of the board has been kinda dead lately.

Recent viewings in bold:
Scarecrow of Romney Marsh Parts I, II, & III
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Zombieland



Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter isn't good for Halloween marathons? C'mon, this one has werewolves and dementors! Getting progressively darker. Actually, I admit, this is only my 2nd viewing of HP3. A lot of people think this is the best movie of the series. It is a good one. I really enjoyed it. Great cast additions too.



Zombieland

"Goddamn it, Bill ****ing Murray! I had to get that out. I don't mean to gush. This is so surreal. I mean, you probably get this all the time."

2nd time watching this one. Oh man is it hilarious. Roleplaying Ghostbusters with Bill Murray, bwahahahaha....

"Do you have any regrets?"
"Garfield..."

[Rex Dopey24]

i think the first harry potter movies are like chrismtas movies. which i like so much. and sometimes a bit halloweenish too.

[Barbossa]

Recent viewings in bold:

Scarecrow of Romney Marsh Parts I, II, & III
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Zombieland
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix



Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

It's the coming-of-age movie in the Potter franchise. Voldemort materializes into Ralph Fiennes without a nose, and Dr. Who is the villain in disguise. This was the first Potter movie I saw in the theater. Probably my favourite, but I still haven't read the book yet so I can't comment on what is missing.



Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Getting progressively darker. A great ensemble cast. Delores Umbridge, don't you just get the urge to smack her in the face? lol

[Gone2Disneyland]

I watched the 1931 version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde this evening on YouTube, after a recommendation from a horror fan friend of mine. Keeping in mind it was produced before censorship guidelines were enforced, I found this to be an amazing, provocative and tragic film. The leads who played Dr. Jekyll (pronounced GEE-kle in this film, which took a while to get used to!) and the prostitute Ivy were deeply committed to their roles, which really made some of the scenes either uncomfortable to watch or sympathetic to what their characters were going through. Afterwards, I realized I'd never seen any version of a Dr J & Mr H film; this story was so unfamiliar to me. If you haven't seen this film yet, you can find it on YouTube in 11 parts. After this one, I really don't have an interest seeing any other versions of this story; I really enjoyed this one!

[Barbossa]

Recent viewings in bold:

Scarecrow of Romney Marsh Parts I, II, & III
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Zombieland
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince


"Watch out you might get what you're after
Cool babies strange but not a stranger
I'm an ordinary guy
Burning down the house!"

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

I think this is my least favourite of the series. I'm not saying it sucks, it's still a great movie, it's just the pacing - it's slower than the others which probably bores some kids. I think this one is best viewed with Deathly Hallows Part 1 - in my opinion, the last 30 minutes or so with the introduction of the horcruxes.

I was hoping to watch Deathly Hallows Part 1 on Blu-Ray tonight, but didn't get around to it as I'm working on some resumes and job applications. Tomorrow night will be a movie night. I'm hoping Part 2 ends up at one of the local 2nd run theaters here before Halloween - want to see it on the big screen again.

[Barbossa]

Recent viewings in bold:

Scarecrow of Romney Marsh Parts I, II, & III
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Zombieland
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1



Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1

The beginning of the end - that is until J.K. Rowling comes back and writes books on the adventures of the Potter kids. Definitely the most mature, adult, of the series. A naked CGI Harry and Hermione making out? Yup, definitely adult in nature. Hey, anybody notice in the animated sequence about the Deathly Hallows, Death looks like General Grievous from Star Wars? And actually the style of the characters look like it was borrowed from The Clone Wars. This was the first HP movie I watched on Blu-Ray. Looked great, but a little disappointed in the amount of extras. When funds become available, I'll definitely be upgrading all these to the Ultimate Edition sets.

Just found out Deathly Hallows Part 2 will be hitting the 2nd run theater on Friday (already saw it on IMAX). Gonna go see it as a matinee on Saturday so I can wrap-up the series. Now I can head onto something else. American Werewolf in London maybe?

[Barbossa]

Recent viewings in bold:

Scarecrow of Romney Marsh Parts I, II, & III
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Zombieland
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
The Invisible Man (1933)


Even when you're wrapped up in gauze, you can be stylish.

The Invisible Man (1933)

Decided to delve into my Universal Studios Monsters Legacy Collection as I realized there are a bunch I haven't watched yet. I started with The Invisible Man with Claude Rains. Also stars Gloria Stuart (old Rose in James Cameron's Titanic). Very good. The effects for that time were done extremely well. I liked the use of humor as Dr Griffin went increasingly mad. If you haven't seen it, the included documentary "Now You See Him: The Invisible Man Revealed" is also worth a look. I haven't seen the sequels in this set yet so that's what I'm watching next.

[elly]

i've been keeping track of all the movies i've watched (only ones from beginning to end) this year in the Notes section of my Facebook page...here's what i've watched so far this October (yeah, i watch a LOT of movies)

OCTOBER
235. Hell Night
236. Crawlspace
237. New Year's Evil
238. Graduation Day
239. Frankenstein (1931)
240. Freaks (1932)
241. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

242. Mark of the Vampire (1935)
243. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
244. Nosferatu
245. The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
246. Tales From The Crypt Presents: Bordello of Blood
247. Candyman
248. Chatroom

249. Thirst (2008)



i marked out the ones that aren't horror.

Fun thread!

[Barbossa]

Recent viewings in bold:

Scarecrow of Romney Marsh Parts I, II, & III
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Zombieland
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
The Invisible Man (1933)
The Invisible Man Returns (1940)
The Invisible Woman (1940)
Invisible Agent (1942)
The Invisible Man's Revenge (1944)



The Invisible Man Returns (1940)

Not bad, a little cheesy insome parts but not bad. A Follow-up that takes place 9 years after the first one. Vincent Price takes over the lead role from Claude Rains.



The Invisible Woman (1940)

Interesting installment in this franchise as its a comedy. Felt like Young Frankenstein in some parts. Stars John Barrymore and co-stars Margaret Hamilton (Wizard of Oz's Wicked Witch).



Invisible Agent (1942)

I really liked this one. Felt like watching a comic book movie like Captain America or The Rocketeer. The Grandson of the original Invisible Man gets recruited to spy on The Nazis. Peter Lorre costars and I swear his character in here was the inspiration for Toht in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Great movie, after seeing Captain America set in the same time period, would be cool to see a remake of this one.



The Invisible Man's Revenge (1944)

I think this was the weakest in the series. The main antagonist doesn't go invisible until about half-way thru the movie. However, the effects for that era are well done.

Well that wraps-up my Universal Studios Monster Legacy set of The Invisible Man. Tomorrow gonna catch a 2nd screening of Deathly Hallows Part 2 so I can wrap-up the HP series, and then I can move on to something else I haven't watched in my DVD collection.

[Barbossa]

Recent viewings in bold:

Scarecrow of Romney Marsh Parts I, II, & III
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Zombieland
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
The Invisible Man (1933)
The Invisible Man Returns (1940)
The Invisible Woman (1940)
Invisible Agent (1942)
The Invisible Man's Revenge (1944)
An American Werewolf in London



An American Werewolf in London

An early 80s classic! I haven't seen this one in over 20 years at least - sometime in the mid 80s if I recall, it was on TV. Scared the crap out of me when I was a kid. I completely forgot about the scene in the porn theater where David Naughton is talking to his dead buddy and conversing with his victims. But the best part of that sequence was when David starts his transformation and he's banging away on the seats while the Bobby is watching him and the orgy is on the theater screen. LOL classic. Rick Baker's work on this movie was awesome - probably his best. The first transformation is a great effect.

[Barbossa]

Recent viewings in bold:

Scarecrow of Romney Marsh Parts I, II, & III
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Zombieland
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
The Invisible Man (1933)
The Invisible Man Returns (1940)
The Invisible Woman (1940)
Invisible Agent (1942)
The Invisible Man's Revenge (1944)
An American Werewolf in London
The Evil Dead



The Evil Dead

I admit, I'm an Evil Dead virgin. This is my first time watching this one. What can I say? Just three words to describe it: campy, gory, great!

[Barbossa]

Recent viewings in bold:

1. Scarecrow of Romney Marsh Parts I, II, & III
2. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
3. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
4. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
5. Zombieland
6. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
7. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
8. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
9. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
10. The Invisible Man (1933)
11. The Invisible Man Returns (1940)
12. The Invisible Woman (1940)
13. Invisible Agent (1942)
14. The Invisible Man's Revenge (1944)
15. An American Werewolf in London
16. The Evil Dead
17. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
18. Garfield's Thanksgiving/Garfield's Halloween Adventure



Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Got to the theater today and wrapped-up the Harry Potter series with Deathly Hallows Part 2. It was great watching all 8 movies over the past week or so. If people thought Part 1 was slow, this one more than made up for it. I wonder if J.k. Rowling will revisit this franchise.



Garfield's Thanksgiving and Garfield's Halloween Adventure

Since it was Thanksgiving here in Canada today, thought I'd watch something simpler while eating my bachelor Thanksgiving dinner of chicken and potato salad. Haven't seen both of these in ages. Did a little double feature and watched both specials. Classic Garfield.

It's still fairly early in the evening so I think I can still fit another two movies in tonight.