Scary Movie A Day – October 2024

Technically my second Kurosawa (I watched “Chime” last month) and I now want to watch them all. Really gets in some things I find creepy, big one being not in control of yourself and hurting others. One that stuck with me after finishing.

Scary Scale: 9/10

Personal Enjoyment Scale: 9/10

The idea of this movie always scared me. So much so that I think the film I built up in my mind was a little more extreme than the one that actually exists. I was a little let down on my first watch, but I do understand why this one is a classic, and I’m guessing I will appreciate it more if I give it a second go in the future.

Scary Scale: 6/10

Personal Enjoyment Scale: 7/10

Fun concept. Not really scary at all, but a nice watch after “Cure” and “Texas Chain Saw Massacre”. Interested in whatever Ariane Louis-Seize does next.

Scary Scale: 2/10

Personal Enjoyment Scale: 8/10

The Powell and Pressburger movies I’ve watched are beautiful movies and unlike any other films I picture when thinking about the time period when they were released. Michael Powell’s “Peeping Tom” also fits that description in that it is very nice to look at, but also much more nasty and violent than other movies I think of from this time. I guess Psycho also came out this same year, but I think this is much more modern than it as well.

Scary Scale: 5/10

Personal Enjoyment Scale: 9/10

All I really knew about this movie for years came from a music video for Crystal Castles song “Plague”. A fan edit music video at that. I have no idea why I watched it back in the day as Crystal Castles weren’t in heavy rotation for me, but the scene from the subway is used and stuck in my head. So I really had no idea what to expect from the actual movie and after watching I still don’t really know. I constantly felt like there were scenes or information I was missing which leads to a sense of unease and confusion in the film. A very vibesy film. One that when it ended I was unsure about, but has already sat with me a bit better over the hours since I finished.

Scary Scale: 6/10

Personal Enjoyment Scale: 7/10

Fun twist on the concept. I’m probably good on hearing the crunch crunch of footsteps for the next year though.

Scary Scale: 6/10

Personal Enjoyment Scale: 6/10

Gross, and not fun gross. Knew of this one from reputation. So for the first half I was waiting for some additional grosser thing to happen. The tension of that was alright, but the bleak torture when that hammer did drop for the entire last 40 or so minutes of this is just not my type of enjoyable horror. But glad it exists for those freaks that are into it.

Scary Scale: 9/10

Personal Enjoyment Scale: 2/10

Hell yeah. Definitely what I wanted after “Martyrs”. Just a fun ridiculous movie with a dumb concept played all the way through.

Scary Scale: 3/10

Personal Enjoyment Scale: 7/10

This actually ended up being creepier than I expected (That little spider run of the killer from the side of street!), despite knowing “Mother” and “Parasite” both have creepy thriller aspects. The real reason I wanted to watch this was because it is one of my 2 Bong Joon-ho blind spots I wanted to fill before “Mickey 17” next year (Barking Dogs Never Bite being the other).

But damn, this definitely isn’t just a movie to check off a list, but something great. Song Kang-ho is so good. Maybe one of my favorite actors.

Scary Scale: 7/10

Personal Enjoyment Scale: 10/10

“Repulsion” (1965) – There never really seems like a good time to throw on a Polanski movie these days. If I’m looking at a list of possible movies to watch it is very easy to skip over his in favor of something directed by someone less problematic. But, I still do want to see some of his films and I thought October Scary movies might be the perfect opportunity since he directed a few.

“Repulsion” was alright. Mostly I like the practical hallway and apartment scares. Worth it for those.

Scary Scale: 5/10

Personal Enjoyment Scale: 5/10

“Rosemary’s Baby” (1968) – I would have probably skipped these movies if it weren’t for me having never watched Rosemary’s Baby before. I remember renting it in Junior high when staying at a friends cabin with his family, but we ended up watching Armageddon and The Shining instead. Then for some reason never picked it back up again.

I hate people who are parents that make comments about movies as if that fact gives them some extra knowledge or credibility. But, as the husband of a wife who got very stressed during pregnancy and who had a child during the hottest part of August in one of the hottest years on record during a pandemic (from an un-air-conditioned 3rd floor walk-up), the second half of this movie gave me stressful flashbacks. Hopefully I’m not as big a piece of shit as Cassavetes character. 

Also I just realized this must have been the movie where John Cassavetes talked shit to Roman Polanski for being a non-monogamous POS and said he loved his wife, Gena Rowlands, more than ever. Maybe not a great #wifeguy in this, but at least he sorta was in real life.

Scary Scale: 7/10

Personal Enjoyment Scale: 9/10

“The Tenant” (1976) – Weird to randomly do two Isabelle Adjani in the same week. But also she is great in both this and Possession. Unfortunately I do think Polanski is alright as a little weasel character in this as well.

Falls directly in the middle of this little made-up trilogy I decided to do.

Scary Scale: 6/10

Personal Enjoyment Scale: 7/10

The one time I had a lucid dream I started it in my studio apartment. I knew I was dreaming and thought about how I should have fun and fly. In my dream I walked out onto the balcony to fly into the city and I felt cold air on my body just like I would if I were awake. Before I jumped up to fly and have fun in my dream I thought about how realistic the cold I was feeling was and how I might actually have walked outside to the edge of my balcony. Reluctantly I made myself wake up and when I did I was staring directly at my wall on my side in bed.

I can still remember feeling frustrated that I woke myself up (I lived like 1 story up, broken bone at the most if I actually flipped off into the alley). But also the feeling of terror in my dream that I was unknowingly doing things in real life in my sleep. Couple that with the annoying parent thing I now have when watching a movie and a baby/child is in peril and this movie definitely had some effective parts. Also feels bigger than the 1 1/2 locations it is set in.

Scary Scale: 7/10

Personal Enjoyment Scale: 7/10

I saw someone describe this as a long twilight episode. I do sort of agree, but I would add in that it would be a really good episode.

Scary Scale: 5/10

Personal Enjoyment Scale: 8/10

Most of my knowledge of Rocky Horror Picture Show weirdly comes from a Comedy Bang Bang Halloween TV episode. Also the rowdy screenings where people apparently yell stuff along with it that never sounded super appealing to me (one reason I held off on watching for so long).

Never really expected my biggest revelation to be, and I feel fine saying this here because the movie itself is so horney, hot Susan Sarandon. One of those actresses I only knew as more of a mom figure in movies. In fact I looked it up and the oldest film I had watched her in previous to this was “The Witches of Eastwick” 12 years later in 1987. 

Scary Scale: 2/10

Personal Enjoyment Scale: 6/10

I really just want to say “more like Tumbgood”. I can’t think of another example at the moment, but I love seeing a literal depiction of mythology. In this case the womb in a city. Something you read about and are like, yes naturally an always raining city womb with little greed daemon’s you need to steal gold from their fanny packs while they eat. But then seeing it in a movie is something else entirely.

Scary Scale: 5/10

Personal Enjoyment Scale: 7/10

Not sure I get the ending, but does weirdly make me want to go back to Venice.

Scary Scale: 4/10

Personal Enjoyment Scale: 7/10

“Luz” (2018) – I was into the look, score, vibe, but in the end something didn’t 100% click for me.

Scary Scale: 6/10

Personal Enjoyment Scale: 6/10

“Cuckoo” (2024) – I did not realize this was not just a creepy serial killer movie but instead (Spoiler) a monster movie.

Scary Scale: 6/10

Personal Enjoyment Scale: 7/10

One I probably should have prioritized seeing in High School because I’m sure I would have loved it had I watched before it had 20+ years of hearing about how twisted it was. So more let down on expectations than the movie itself.

Scary Scale: 6/10

Personal Enjoyment Scale: 5/10

It took me until she sees the face in the window to realize this was based off the same source material (“The Turn of the Screw”) as “The Haunting of Bly Manor”. Some good weirdo kids in this one. I would still take the job in that house.

Scary Scale: 6/10

Personal Enjoyment Scale: 7/10

Based on the poster I always assumed this was a del Toro bug movie. I did not realize it was a bug movie that doubled as a vampire creation movie. Like most of his movies I liked but didn’t quite love.

Scary Scale: 4/10

Personal Enjoyment Scale: 6/10

More effectively upsetting than a torture porn movie like Hostel or Martyrs. Also no other movie moment this year, or my month of spooky movies, made me more uncomfortable than the violence free scene in the courtroom with the outfit.

Scary Scale: 9/10

Personal Enjoyment Scale: 9/10

It sucks those people were murdered by Europes biggest dipshit.

100% thought that dog was a goner every-time it reappeared.

Scary Scale: 6/10

Personal Enjoyment Scale: 6/10

“The Chaser” (2008) – I gave myself 2 sets of movies that I actually watched in September that I could throw in during the month when needed (these 4 and the Polanski movies). Mostly because I knew I would be out of town with my family for a weekend and didn’t want to subject them to some horror nonsense.

I actually liked The Chaser for most of the running time but it became a little too bleak for me by the end.

Scary Scale: 7/10

Personal Enjoyment Scale: 7/10

“The Yellow Sea” (2010) – Probably my favorite of the 4. It does something I rarely see in movies which is the character, when being chased, runs not away but through the people after him.

In a normal movie a character would find an improbable hole to hide in or a convenient bus to jump onto when being pursued. Not here. Instead he runs directly through them hoping to surprise, push through, or hit the police or gangsters.

Scary Scale: 6/10

Personal Enjoyment Scale: 8/10

“The Wailing” (2016) – Honestly thought at the beginning of this that it could be great. And it definitely has some great scenes and tension, but there is just like 45 minutes in the middle where it turns into more of a comedy that lost me.

The end does come back around (still not entirely sure what happened despite reading several write-ups on it) though. And based on his 3 directed movies I’m super excited for whenever his next movie is released (thought it was 2024, but I guess maybe 2025).

Scary Scale: 8/10

Personal Enjoyment Scale: 7/10

“The Medium” (2021) – This is only produced by Na Hong-jin, but of the 4 I definitely found it the scariest. I could give or take found footage movies, but this one deploys it pretty well and hits just about every scary angle possible with the format.

Scary Scale: 9/10

Personal Enjoyment Scale: 7/10

I hope if there is ever a serial killer after me it doesn’t coincide with every person I know doing jokey scary bits.

A lot of fun, and one that has sat well with me since I finished.

Scary Scale: 6/10

Personal Enjoyment Scale: 7/10

Not my main takeaway, but maybe the most I’ve laughed at a movie (complement) all year. The cooking, the run, the entire ending. Very gross. Loved it.

Scary Scale: 6/10

Personal Enjoyment Scale: 10/10

Not scary at all, but a very well put together film. Sounds like a backhanded complement, but honestly it was just such an interesting movie to watch with the film look, the styling, acting, everything. In the end I didn’t quite connect with it, but a great one to look at.

Scary Scale: 2/10

Personal Enjoyment Scale: 6/10

Ridiculous. Again, not scary, but very silly.

I wanted some more body horror after loving The Substance so thought I would try a Henenlotter. Not quite what I was expecting, but I will definitely watch more of his movies in the future.

Scary Scale: 2/10

Personal Enjoyment Scale: 6/10

I know I’m a decade late on both watching these movies and making this observation, but it is interesting that “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night” and “Only Lovers Left Alive” were released theatrically (In the US) in the same year. Two music heavy alternative vampire movies that I only just watched this year and loved. 

Also has a very similar scene to another vampire movie I watched this month, “Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person”, where the female vampire plays a record in her room for the non-vampire boy she is maybe crushing on.

Scary Scale: 4/10

Personal Enjoyment Scale: 9/10

Not sure I fully understood what was happening for 95% of this, but still pretty visually interesting.

Scary Scale: 4/10

Personal Enjoyment Scale: 7/10

I’m a sucker for long takes, but I think I would have liked this regardless of the single shot gimmick. A fun idea. Also I liked all 3 of the lead performances.

Scary Scale: 7/10

Personal Enjoyment Scale: 8/10

Rugna’s “When Evil Lurks”, along with the original “Speak No Evil”, are the main reasons I’ve been so reluctant to give anything a full 10/10 for scary this month. Those two movies are very recent, but I would call them the 2 scariest movies I have watched as an adult. Not sure either would be that high water mark for me at different parts of my life, but right now they are what I compare all other horror movies to.

“Terrified” has all the early markings of what is to come in “When Evil Lurks”. Rugna knows how to freak it.

Scary Scale: 9/10

Personal Enjoyment Scale: 7/10

Gross. That could be my review of both these movies. This one is maybe a worse movie but a little scarier just because of the closed house setting. Also that kill with the saw is kind of hard to top.

Scary Scale: 8/10

Personal Enjoyment Scale: 5/10

Despite being entirely too long (2 hours and 20 min!), I did like this movie a little more than the first. Probably because there are characters you sort of get to know. A very gross franchise that I will probably keep watching.

Scary Scale: 7/10

Personal Enjoyment Scale: 6/10

Cruel movies, but also too ridiculous to actually care that much. Some goofy shit. Also again, will keep watching in the future.

Scary Scale: 7/10

Personal Enjoyment Scale: 6/10