31 Days of Horror #1

It's the most wonderful time of the year! The 31 Days of Horror Blogathon here at the ol' Film Addict! throughout the month, I will keep a running total of all the ones I haven't seen. We'll see how far I get, eh?

#1. Basket Case (1982) What a weird and wonderful movie this is! A young man wanders around New York with his recently surgically removed Siamese twin in a basket. The twin is a monstrous little puppet who converses with his brother telepathically and has a penchant for murder. The brother is desperate for some alone time and tries dating without his little twin finding out, but it's hard to keep a secret from him and boy is he jealous! If the idea seems far-fetched, well, it is, but the movie is more clever than you might think and keeps things funny when it can't pull off thrilling. It's a perfect example of how low-budget filmmaking can be greatly entertaining with a few smart ideas and the gumption to do something with them. B+

#2. The Green Inferno (2015) If there were ever a subgenre of horror that DIDN'T need reviving, it's the gross cannibals out in the jungle one. But if there were ever a director that seemed qualified to make it work, it's Eli Roth. Here's a filmmaker who delights in the unpleasant torture of others, which is all the cannibal movies need: a giddily brutal approach to violence. Which this one certainly has, but only in fits. For the few moments of genuinely uncomfortable slicing and munching, there's several moments of immature humor that feel totally out of place (There's a particularly eye-rolling diarrhea scene). What's worse, the parts that are supposed to be funny aren't funny enough and they lessen the impact of the parts that are supposed to be scary, which don't quite reach their gory potential. It's fun enough for a group night at the movies, but not necessarily for solitary consumption. B-

#3. The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976) I have frequently heard this cited as a horror classic and as one of the first great slasher movies, and I know people who seriously love it and watch it every year as Halloween tradition. But it's so dull! It claims to be the true story of a "Phantom Killer" that slew several people in Texas, though most of the movie is fiction. It stars Oscar-winner Ben Johnson as the no-nonsene lead investigator for the crimes, but he doesn't really have anything to do except act in a gruff manner towards the bumbling comic relief cop who's always hanging around (and who is very annoying). The murders themselves, with the possible exception of a popular scene involving a trombone, aren't creative or particularly thrilling and the ending leaves everything unsolved. This is fine, because the final scene with the killer still at large is mildly effective, but the mundane events that precede the ending don't make the movie feel very worthwhile. C