Thursday, October 22, 2020

Thursday Movie Picks-Holiday Horror

 

Ughh, this week it’s all about Holiday Horror and, frankly, I refuse to watch horror films based around Christmas of which there are a ton. Let’s see what everyone will choose this week over at Wandering Through The Shelves.  Here are my meagre 3...

1. FROGS-1972



I haven’t seen this film in decades but I remember it being quite dumb and the best acting came from the animals. This takes places during the 4th of July when an old coot, played by Ray Milland, decides to celebrate his birthday on his plantation deep in the mucky back waters of some southern inbred state(sorry to all my wonderful American blogger friends). A nature photographer, played by Sam, be still my heart, Elliot, is brought to the plantation when his boat is accidentally capsized. He meets the whole family and soon realizes the old coot hates all the varmints and uses pesticides to try and kill them off. The old coot has no idea nature has decided to fight back.  Soon his family members all die from all sorts of creepy critters. What will these people do? What will the frogs do? Stay tuned bat people...

2. HALLOWEEN-1978


Well, we all know Jamie Lee Curtis plays a young gal whose older sister was killed by her insane brother named Michael. Little does she know, Mikey didn’t eat his front loops that morning and escaped the nut farm with his psychiatrist, played by the great Donald Pleasance, fast on his heel. Now Mikey has  an issue with sis and wants to kill her because, maybe she ate too many cocoa puffs but, soon, people start being killed off right on ole Hallows' eve.  This was made on a show string budget but grossed a ton resulting in  15 million sequels. Ok not that many, but still...

3. HALLOWEEN 2-1981

You though Mikey died well, how could he when he must come back..and back...and back...and, well you get the idea.  So he is still wanting to kill Jamie Lee and the psychiatrist is still after him with others being killed by Mikey as he looks for his fruit loops. No, no, he is just wanting to kill and you think, being lit on fire would kill him but..well you would not have all those sequels.  Yes, this takes place right after the first film so it is still Halloween which actually goes into All Saint’s Day.

So, which 3 would you choose?




35 comments:

  1. FROGS: winner of 50 Academy Awards including Best Actor (Kermit).

    Hi, Birgit!

    Now you're talkin', dear friend! I have seen all three of these holiday fright flicks beginning with Frogs, a spooker I watched at the drive-in shortly after its release. It was cool that Ray Milland starred or appeared in so many of my favorite horror movies including Premature Burial, X - The Man with the X-Ray Eyes, The Thing With Two Heads and Terror in the Wax Museum. In the 60s and 70s Milland seemed to be mounting a challenge to Vincent Price as King of Horror. Frogs is a movie that Sam Elliott and Joan Van Ark would probably like to forget they ever made. One reviewer noted that it is actually the other species that do the actual killing - not the frogs.

    I saw scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis in both of those H-ween movies, and don't forget anther great Jamie Lee holiday slasher film - Terror Train (1980) - about a college fraternity's New Year's Eve costume party aboard a train. One by one the rowdy revelers are sliced and diced by a maniac.

    Someday all movies will be like these!

    Thank you, dear friend BB, and enjoy the rest of your week!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I knew you would love this week’s theme. Frogs is a bad movie and the crocs, lizards and snakes get to chew the scenery...sort of speak. Yes, I bet they would love to forget this film. Ray Milland did make some stinkers and I still must see the man with 2 heads since he shares a body with Rozy Grier( not sure I spelled that correctly). I dad not see that train movie and that’s ok with me.

      Delete
  2. Hi there Birgit, I've only see Halloween 1, and it did scare me, I'm not really a horror fan, I jump too easily.
    I hope all is well with you and that you are keeping safe, Kate x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, Halloween is one that most people have seen. I am doing well and making a ton of book marks.

      Delete
  3. There are some really bad Christmas horror films. We watched a science fiction horror film the other night that took place on Christmas Day and while the premise was interesting, it dissolved into everyone turning on each other and no one survived. Hate movies like that!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yuck, that sucks and I will avoid that film.

      Delete
  4. Never saw Frogs, but have seen the Halloween movies - several times. Not even sure if I know of a Christmas horror movie.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Halloween is a film that most people have seen. There are a many Christmas horror flicks but I am glad I missed all of them.

      Delete
  5. I've been meaning to see Frogs for years. Still time, I guess. Halloween is a classic. Believe it or not, I still have not seen Halloween 2. I will definitely get to that one sooner, rather than later.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I’m in shock that you have not seen Halloween 2 since it is right up your alley. Frogs is a fun bad movie.

      Delete
  6. I've never heard of Frogs but now I feel like I need to see it. I also chose Halloween, I liked Halloween 2 as well. It's probably the best sequel.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Frogs is bad but still fun to watch. Glad we match

      Delete
  7. I'm not real keen on watching horror films around Christmas either. Somehow it just seems out of place. I don't think I've seen the Frogs movie and I'm not positive that I've seen any of the Halloween movies though I do own a DVD copy of the first one of those.

    I know there are some holiday themed horror films, but none are coming to mind at the moment.

    Jaws maybe? It's kind of scary, but I don't think it's legitimately in the horror genre. But it did take place around July 4th. Otherwise, I'm stumped for now.

    Arlee Bird
    Tossing It Out

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jaws, to me, is a horror flick. You recall how people refused to go into the water. This is a perfect pick.

      Delete
  8. FROGS!! What an awful movie! I watched it strictly for Ray and Sam and it was just as bad if not worse than I expected. But walking in knowing it would stink I wasn't upset when it met those expectations.

    The first Halloween is an efficient scare piece with a fine Jamie Lee Curtis performance. I'd be lying if I said I loved it but I enjoyed it for what it was never bothered with any of the sequels though.

    I also don't like Christmas themed horror since I'm a big sucker for that holiday but one of my picks does take place then though the holiday is only incidental to the story. Not quite the same thing as something like Slay Ride!

    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.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Frogs is so bad which is why I like it. I haven’t seen any of your films but would like to see the Shelley Winters flick. She was doing some horror flicks at this time. I recall see her in a film with Debbie Reynolds which scared me.

      Delete
  9. As you know, I'm not a horror buff, but I'm intrigued by FROGS. I rather enjoy when animals turn the tables on their predators:)

    Stay safe. Hope you are pain free.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Frogs is a very bad movie...so bad it’s good.

      Delete
  10. Nightmare Before Christmas.

    Haven't seen any of yours. Including Halloween. I was too young when they came out, and by the time I was old enough, I knew I wasn't a slasher pic fan. I'm so not a horror fan, so I would doubly avoid Christmas (or other holiday) horror.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi Birgit - I haven't seen any of these ... but also do not like horror films. I did watch 2/3 of The Shining recently ... never got to the end! Take care - Hilary

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Horror films are also not my favourite but I do like an intelligent one or films that are so, so bad, they are good. The Shining is one scary film.

      Delete
  12. I stopped by just to see your synopses. You would think I might have seen at least ONE of those Halloween's you talked about, but sadly, I've seen none of these again this week. I'm definitely not a horror fan.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I’m glad you like what I write and that you visit even though you are not a movie person.

      Delete
  13. Yep. Like 15 million of em indeed. I've seen em all except the remake and its sequel.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh look at you with Halloween! Donald Pleasance added class to this films. I haven’t seen the new ones either.

      Delete
  14. Well if we can call MAY DAY (May 1st) a "holiday" - which they do in some places - then I have one and only one pick for this category: The original (1973) 'THE WICKER MAN'.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wicker_Man

    The original (low-budget) version is brilliantly crafted, and should NEVER be confused with the atrocious remake, made for a humanity in swift global, intellectual and moral decline (and starring that goofball Nicolas Cage).

    But beyond the 1973 'THE WICKER MAN', I really don't have any other choices to make in this category, as I just don't watch "Halloween-s" and "Christmas Horror" movies. Life is too short.

    And speaking of "categories"... last time it was "Horror - Winter" and this time it's "Holiday Horror". I think the salami is starting to get sliced rather thinly. Are we heading toward categories like 'Dramas That Take Place In Summer - June Through August' or 'Movies With Villains Whose Last Names Start With The Letter M'? Or, to put it another way... I think they're running out of category ideas for this concept.

    ~ D-FensDogG
    (aka Stephen)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Oh you of little faith. There are always themes that will be new with some not as inventive as others but they are all fun. Wicker Man certainly fits.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I haven't seen Frogs- but I have seen all the Halloween movies. Well- all the ones from before 2000 lol. I haven't seen any of the newer ones. But the old ones are definitely creepy and remind me of the season. :)
    ~Jess

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I stopped after 2 and just don’t feel the want to see any of the rest. I’m certain that, one day, I will see the newer ones but won’t go out of my way to see them.

      Delete
  17. And about FROGS... Heh heh. Sam Elliot being in it, makes it all the more intriguing.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Halloween scared the ba-Jeebus outta me. One of the best horror movies of all time. How did Jamie Lee Curtis survive so many near death experiences throughout her career? Geeze.
    Love ya, Birgit.
    Have a safe, fun Halloween.

    ReplyDelete
  19. I've only just seen Halloween this past year. It was okay-ish.

    ReplyDelete