Thursday Movie Picks: Holiday Horror
This week's theme from Wandering Through The Shelves is Holiday Horror! The only rule I gave myself was to have a different holiday for each pick. Here's what I came up with.
1) Gremlins
This is a must for me around Christmas time. I watch this every year, it's just so fun and cute and it's the perfect holiday film. It's A Wonderful Life? We don't know her..
2) Halloween
Yes, I went the basic route and took the horror film named after the holiday, but I love Halloween. It holds up so well after all these years and the score is timeless.
3) Valentine
Of all those slasher films that came out in the lat 90's/early 2000's, this one is probably the worst. I haven't seen it since it was in theaters, but hey, it fits.
The first two are classics, but you got me with that last one. Never heard of it. And now that you say it's the worst, I want to see it.
ReplyDeletelol, the garbage is always the most intriguing.
DeleteGremlins is a great pick!
ReplyDeleteIt is!
DeleteI actually thought the ludicrously under-rated Gremlins 2 (1990) was an even better movie.
DeleteHey, Hey, Hey I've actually seen two of these this week!! Way above my average for the month!
ReplyDeleteGremlins is perversely funny and has become such a benchmark. I only watched it the once but I did enjoy it.
I saw Halloween in the theatre on Halloween in the middle of an ice storm! It was an entirely appropriate setting but Sweet Jesus it took us forever to get home afterwards and we were only five minutes away!! I didn't hate the film but I can't honestly say it was worth the trouble it took memorable though it was.
Needless to say I've never seen any of the sequels to either of those two!
Your third is one I probably heard of....with that title who remembers...but with you saying it's the worst I feel fine with not having seen it.
This week was remarkably easy for me. For various reasons I had seen three that fit right in.
Hellbent (2004)-Police tech Eddie and his group of gay friends are celebrating the holiday at the West Hollywood Halloween Carnival and wander off to the nearby woods to see the site of a recent murder where two lovers were decapitated with a sickle by a maniac. With the woods full of revelers they don’t think a thing about the bare-chested guy in a devil’s mask carrying a scythe who seems to be following them……but they should!!
Trick or Treat (1986)-Eddie Weinbauer (Marc Price) is a typical all-American teenager until he falls under the evil spell of ROCK MUSIC! Now he's obsessed with the recently deceased Heavy Metal superstar Sammi Curr who perished in an inferno of fire. As Halloween approaches Eddie is gifted with an unreleased demo of Sammi’s last album “Songs in the Key of Death” by his DJ friend Nuke (Kiss frontman Gene Simmons). He discovers by playing the demo backward he can summon Sammi’s malign spirit who instructs him on how to settle the score with the bullies who torment him leading to all hell breaking loose! On top of all that you get Ozzy Osbourne as rock-hating TV evangelist!!
Who Slew Auntie Roo? (1971)-Mrs. Forrest (Shelley Winters) is affectionately called Auntie Roo by the staff and kids of the nearby orphanage who see her as a kindly eccentric who throws a lavish Christmas party for them every year. However she’s really a deeply disturbed whack job who keeps her dead daughter in the attic nursery. At this year’s party Auntie Roo spies Katy (Chloe Franks) who reminds her of her late little girl and who she imprisons in the nursery. When nobody believes him it’s up to Katy’s brother Christopher (Mark Lester) to go head to head with the demented lady and bust his sister outta there! Shelley frequently chews the scenery but good in this reworking of Hansel & Gretel.
You've got to love it when weather plays a part in a viewing experience. I saw War of the Worlds during a really bad thunderstorm and the streets around the theater flooded and we ended up having to push a friends car out of the water when it broke down half way through the massive puddles.
DeleteI haven't seen any of your picks. For a second I thought you went with 2007's Trick R' Treat (where my blog banner is from!) and I was going to be surprised, but that one sounds really interesting too. Especially the part about Ozzy.
I really need to see Valentine. You're not the first person I've heard mention it, so it's been one that's been sitting in the back of my mind for a couple of years.
ReplyDeleteIt's a pretty typical slasher. It's been so long since I've seen it, I just remember not liking it.
DeleteKicking myself for not thinking of Gremlins! I ended my picks with some garbage too, haha.
ReplyDeleteThere's so much of it in the horror genre lol
DeleteWow, we share two picks with Gremlins and Halloween. Nice! I've seen Valentine. That shit was dumb and I don't remember anything about other than Denise Richards getting electrocuted. Oh and I think Katherine Heigl was in that movie and gets killed as well.
ReplyDeleteGood, I hate those 2 bitches.
I remember Denise Richards being in it but I always forgot about Katherine Heigl. Yikes
DeleteOh man! I really need to watch Gremlins sometime! Great list!
ReplyDeleteYou do!
DeleteI've seen Gremlins once and it was enough for me.
ReplyDeleteI think I remember you not caring for it very much!
DeleteGremlins has to be on there right? Such a fun movie and so much nostalgia for me. I remember seeing it in the theater as a kid. Then when we finally got our old VHS copy we watched that thing over and over and over...
ReplyDeleteI wasn't alive to see it in theaters but we definitely had the VHS. I also had a record recording of it that I loved to listen to.
DeleteValentine - I hadn't seen it since it was released on DVD. It was added on Netflix recently and have been thinking of rewatching it.
ReplyDeleteOh man I should look that up lol
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