FINAL GIRL explores the slasher flicks of the '70s and '80s...and all the other horror movies I feel like talking about, too. This is life on the EDGE, so beware yon spoilers!
Showing posts with label shocktober 2011. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shocktober 2011. Show all posts

Oct 31, 2011

SHOCKtober Day 31

Here we are. The end of the month already! I'm fixin' to put on my costume (plague doctor...or, at least, a janky-ass plague doctor) and head out the door...but first, the all-important last couple of favorite characters! These are the only characters who got more than one vote...so y'all must really love 'em. I don't blame you.

Ash Williams (The Evil Dead)



I don't think anyone could have predicted that the last man standing in The Evil Dead would go on to become a favorite character. People loves some Ash! I wonder how many heads will explode when a casting decision is made should the Diablo Cody-penned E.D. remake come to pass.

Gill-Man (Creature from the Black Lagoon)



What is it about ol' Gilly? I can't quite say, but I know he's always been my favorite movie monster. There's something so cool about him...and believe me, I know cool! One time I saw Rick Springfield in concert.

Oct 30, 2011

SHOCKtober Day 30

Ah, drawing to a close! Day 30 means tomorrow is Day 31 which means tomorrow is Halloween. Man oh man. Time sure flies when you're something something, huh? I feel particularly Halloweenie this year, as I've already even carved a pumpkin, scared some children, watched at least one terrible Halloween sequel on AMC, and had more than my share of Pumpkin Spice coffee. It's glorious! Now on to your choices, so few of which remain...

Phyllis (Last House on the Left)

You know, I've never seen this and I kind of doubt that I ever will. I did see the remake, though.

MICROWAVE OVEN.

Tarman (Return of the Living Dead)

Ten kinds of awesome, at least.

Kaplan (Resident Evil)

Sayeth the chooser (which is probably more than anyone has ever said on a character from Resident Evil, which is also ten kinds of awesome at least):

"When the RE movie comes up, Martin Crewes' performance is often mentioned. It kind of encapsulates part of what sets the first movie apart from the other, sucky ones - he does fear well. The sequels dispense with fear in favor of displays of effortless badassery, but fear reminds us that this screwed-up scenario is happening to actual (well, you know) people
and makes the threat more real.

More specific to Crewes' character, though, is a variation on the NotLD Barbra problem. He does the things we hope we wouldn't in that situation: mentally freezes and forgets the elevator password, is unable to beat the computer safeguards before everyone gets diced, etc. And yet, despite this, he proves capable of great courage in more considered moments: he pushes himself down the laser corridor with all the corpses alone; he insists on staying behind for a bad death so as not to endanger the others. These are not, in the scheme of things, grand actions - walking
down a hallway, staying put - but they become big, tense set pieces just because they require such courage - and because the character has such fear to overcome.

Crewes' character gives the impression of a techie who wanted to make more of himself in the field, which makes his ultimate stepping-up (despite his last-act demise) that much more satisfying. He's a quieter sort than many modern zombie flicks have time for, a less-assured, less-glamorous hero character, and the actor's more messily human than one would expect in a
videogame adaptation - but he gives a display of fortitude that's more memorable for me than that of most any movie."

Oct 29, 2011

SHOCKtober Day 29


Jack Torrance (The Shining)

What? Jack and not Wendy? You people, I swear! Sigh, fine. Make your own choices. See if I care!

Brenda Bates (Urban Legend)

The chooser linked to this video, in which Brenda has clearly gone from zero to ca-RAY-zay, as the reason why:

Oct 28, 2011

awesome movie poster friday - the SHOCKTOBER 2011 edition!



Each of these movies feature one of your favorite characters. WHAT ARE THE ODDS?











SHOCKtober Day 28


Lynda (Halloween)

Totally.

Jerry Dandridge (Fright Night)


Sayeth the chooser:

"Elegant, brutal, funny, suave and fingernails that would make a Jersey house wife jealous. When I think vampire, I think of ole' Jerry."

Oct 27, 2011

SHOCKtober Day 27


I can't believe SHOCKtober is winding down already! Geez. I still haven't picked my favorite character yet! Oh well. Today y'all've chosen a couple of lovely ladies...

Yes, "y'all've".

May Canady (May)

I don't know, you guys. May is one of those movies that makes me feel like the odd woman out- people love it and I thought it was "okay...okay...what's going on...aww no." Maybe I should give it another try? After all, it took me a long time to really warm up to Rosemary's Baby.

Helen Lyle (Candyman)

Yes yes, a thousand times yes! Helen is a terrific character (thanks in large part to Virginia Madsen) and you know, Candyman just does not get enough love. Not enough! Not enough. Let's change that starting...now. Sayeth the chooser:

"The film's one of my all-time fave horrors (for obvs reasons) and Virginia Madsen was awesome in it. It's pretty sad but I even said 'Helen' 5 times in a mirror (when I was a kid!) because after she becomes her own urban-myth-thing at the end, only Trevor is really going to ever say her name in a mirror 5 times; I felt kinda sorry that she'd end up being a neglected urban myth. I guess I'd had an awful lot of sugar that day.

So yeah, Helen - for the additional reason she didn't have to deal with Farewell to the Flesh. Gah what a bad film."

Oct 26, 2011

SHOCKtober Day 26


Mrs. Voorhees (Friday the 13th)

Aww. Ain't that a sweet picture? Poor Jason. Poor Mrs. Voorhees. If only those counselors hadn't been sexing it up and Jason didn't drown. Or if only Mrs. Voorhees could have afforded to send Jason to a daycare center. Or if only Mr. Voorhees hadn't been such a deadbeat dad. Things would have worked out so differently for the whole clan! But then if things had worked out differently, then Jason never would have (ever-so-slowly) made his way to Manhattan and punched off Julius's head, and truly that would be a shame.

The Bride (The Bride of Frankenstein)

Icon. Icon! And this delightful shot of the Bride taking a tea break comes from a terrific write-up on the film over at Moviediva:

Oct 25, 2011

SHOCKtober Day 25



Rosemary Woodhouse (Rosemary's Baby)


Fascinating* fact! Rosemary's Baby is one of only a couple of movies with so many of your favorite characters in it that it's featured more than once during SHOCKtober.

*okay, maybe not "fascinating", necessarily

Dead Dad (The Sentinel)

Sayeth the chooser:

"Thought about this for a while and I have to say it is most definitely the dead father from The Sentinel. It was a tough call because while he was really disturbing eating cake naked with two pretty grotesque women I have to go postmortem. One reason, his robotic motion scene before Alison cuts him up and this:"





Oct 24, 2011

SHOCKtober Day 24


Bobbie Markowe (The Stepford Wives)



Helicopter Zombie (Dawn of the Dead)


Sayeth the chooser (Brent Schoonover, whom we have to thank for this "favorite character" idea!):

"I really am kicking myself for coming up with this idea and then totally blanking on who to choose. In the end it came down to Helicopter Zombie from Dawn of the Dead. Mainly cause of memories of having a horror movie marathon in my basement and losing my shit when I saw this scene. Good times."

Oct 23, 2011

SHOCKtober Day 23





Sayeth the chooser:

"I hardly remember what she did or said (something about pizza maybe?) but I do remember watching House of the Devil and saying out loud, many times, "Dude, Megan RULES!" and I only call my wife “dude” when I’m really excited."

Patrick Bateman (American Psycho)


Oct 21, 2011

SHOCKtober Day 21


Paquita Maria Sanchez (Dead Alive, aka Brain Dead)



The Tall Man (Phantasm)


Sayeth the chooser:

"I like your Kruegers and Myers and Voorheeses as much as the next guy, but
it's The Tall Man who's the man. I mean if your name is Angus Scrimm you're
already cooler than almost the whole world.

Drivin' around in that cool hearse, killing priests, digging up bodies and
compacting them into those great li'l jawa guys, saying "Boooooy!" to boys,
I want to work for that man.

Just don't watch Phantasm III. In fact please stomp to death any copies you find
even if they don't belong to you."