Halloween Horror Movie Marathon, Night Three

On this final night of my marathon, Army of Darkness and Re-Animator were on the slate. Each was a disappointment in its own right, sadly.

Army of Darkness:

I am really quite conflicted about this film. On one hand, the midway part of the film, the meat of it, surpasses anything Raimi did in the first two films. On the other hand, the beginning and ending fall unbelievably short. Why I sat through the final thirty-or-so minutes of the film was out of respect for Raimi and hope that he would turn it around yet. But it never returned to form in those waning minutes.

Even so, I cannot ignore the unadulterated cinematic brilliance contained within this film. Flawed, it is. That I can say without a doubt. Yet, blemishes and all, it stands as my favorite of the trilogy.

Re-Animator:

Deadpan humor this film is, but only to a point. As in one moment in the film. One involving, ironically, a severed head and a pan. A scene I nearly avoided, too. 45 minutes in, I'd had enough and decided I'd be better off skimming the remaining 40 minutes to see if my decision might be premature. Felt those 40 minutes looked promising enough and pushed on. Only for a couple more minutes, though. Couldn't even hold out long enough for the infamous cunnilingus scene.

Oh, and if it came out that the sounds of the re-animated cat were done by one of the filmmaker's little kids, I'd not be surprised in the least.

And I'll leave it there.

Halloween Horror Movie Marathon, Night Two

The Evil Dead:

Having watched Drag Me to Hell prior to this, I had become worried that Raimi's brand of horror was not for me. Such worries proved to be unfounded.

Raimi takes staples of standard horror fare and warps them to great effect, the low budget nature of the film working in his favor.

Dead by Dawn:

More over-the-top than its predecessor, drowning in blood (of all colors), Dead by Dawn manages to build on what made The Evil Dead what it was.

To put it succintly.

Little tops Bruce Campbell with a chainsaw as a hand.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978):

Following the first two entries in the Evil Dead trilogy, the Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Goldblum, Nimoy and Sutherland do not disappoint, yet the film does little to build around their performances. For much of the film, its plot only manages to meander. It is not until the reveal of the Body Snatchers that the film shifts out of park. Even then, it manages only a leisurely pace until the film begins to draw near its conclusion. And its closing scenes, though superbly done, felt like payoff without one iota of the necessary buildup.

Oh, the wasted potential.

On tomorrow's docket are Re-Animator and Army of Darkness.