Nick Honeywell 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈🇵🇸

I can't wait to see what wildly popular and well understood meme is going to get misrepresented by Bluesky staff next.

Slightly traumatised by the sudden realisation that there is less time between the release of Messiah of Evil and Cure (23 years) than there is between the release of Cure and now (28 years) 😭

It's a twofer for me.

Finished watching a little earlier:
Messiah of Evil (1974) 🇺🇸

Now watching:
Cure (1997) 🇯🇵

And that brings us up to date. Will come back in a day or two to add the last few films watched (and hopefully bring the final total up to 31).

28. Trouble Every Day (2001) 🇫🇷

Had intended to watch more French New Extremity, but only managed two. The film does its best to not let you know what is going on. Certainly contains advertised extremes. Sadly, also contains a lot of Vincent Gallo. There's a director commentary I need to experience

27. Death Game (1977) 🇺🇸

Disappointing. The BR distributor attempts to contextualise this film as having more meaning but - at the end of the day - it's just another exploitation film.

26. Heretic (2024) 🇺🇸

Hugh Grant argues with two Mormon girls. The whole film hinges around the power of Grant's performance. If you stop beliving in it, it falls apart.

(Have just checked and it's an A24 film. Of course it's an A24 film.)

25. We're All Going to the World's Fair (2021) 🇺🇸

Was really intrigued to see this because I loved I Saw the TV Glow, but this one missed the mark for me. I can see what it was playing with, but the whole Creepypasta craze passed me by, so the (undoubtedly accurate) references failed to hit.

24. National Film Theatre: Frankenstein (2011) 🇬🇧

Watched the one where Jonny Lee Miller played the creature and Benedict Cumberbatch played the monster. Have yet to see the reverse, but, I'm going to count this anyway.

23. The Blood Beast Terror (1968) 🇬🇧

Peter Cushing apparently considered this to be the worst film he ever made. But I've seen worse films this month. I was, however, hugely distracted by realising that the schoolboy insect collector was played by Emmet from Keeping up Appearances.

22. Sleep (2022) 🇩🇪

What if... Germany tried to do a spooky film with a tinge of giallo? You get this film, which lacks any of the impact of giallo. A frustrating watch.

21. One Missed Call 2 (2005) 🇯🇵

Feels like a sequel where the plot was actually an original story grafted on to the franchise framing. Depsite that, successfully scratched that J-horror itch. I'll be watching the third and final film in the set next month (couldn't fit it in to October, sadly).

20. The Strange Vice of Mrs Wardh (1971) 🇮🇹

Last year after enjoying one of the films I watched, I looked up the cast and thought I'd quite like to see another giallo with Edwige Fenech in it. This was another giallo with Edwige Fenench in it. And that's pretty much the best I can say about it.

19. Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum (2018) 🇰🇷

I'm not sure why I watched this when I've got a gorgeous release of Blair Witch Project with the video footage transferred properly for the first time right here (still) waiting to be watched.

18. Fall (2022) 🇺🇸

It was late. So I put something on where it wouldn't matter if I fell asleep. I already knew the twist thanks to Gogglebox. The ending is a complete cheat. In any other circumstances, this would have been a complete waste of time.

17. Torture Garden (1967) 🇬🇧

Felt I had to watch a good old fashioned anthology horror at some point in the month, so I watched this one. Patchy, as anthologies invariably are. Spent the first story very distracted by trying to work out where I knew Michael Bryant from (Roads to Freedom).

16. Visible Secret (2001) 🇭🇰

It feels a bit perverse that I went with an atypical film from an auteur director instead of any of the other HK horror I've waiting for me - Untold Story, Ebola Syndrome, The Cat, countless Mr Vampires. I blinked and nearly missed Anthony Wong.

15. Black Magic Rites (1973) 🇮🇹

In fact I hated the previous film so much I needed to immediately watch something else as a palate cleanser. This probably didn't make much more sense plot wise, but in all other aspects, much better. Strong use of colour.

14. Hellraiser III (1992) 🇺🇸

Easily the worst film I've watched all year, by far. Junks all the mythology in favour of creating some seriously goofy cenobites, and the ending doesn't fit with any of the plotting leading up to it. I hated this film. Let us never talk of it again.

13. Shikoku (1999) 🇯🇵

Back to the J-horror well. Nicely atmospheric, showed a side of Japan I hadn't seen much of before. But ultimately, just a little bit... dull.

12. Prey (1977) 🇬🇧

Second of the Norman J. Warren films watched. The most horrific scene involves all three main actors splashing around in the filthiest, muddiest lake I've ever seen. It was going in their mouths. It was awful. I felt like I was going to contract Hepatitis C just watching.

11. One Missed Call (2003) 🇯🇵

It would seem that watching Tomie caused a J-horror itch that needed to be scratched. I enjoyed this one more. People online compare it to Ring a lot. Confession time: I've never seen Ring.

10. Satan's Slave (1976) 🇬🇧

I wish I had something to say other than I watched it, but this film has failed to stay with me in any way whatsoever. I may have to give it another chance another time.

9. Train to Busan (2016) 🇰🇷

First rewatch out of all these films so far. Picked up a box set with Seoul Station and Peninsula, so wanted to refresh my memory first. Also, it was a chance to see Ma Dong-seok again. I'd forgotten what a brutal film it was, and how awful the real villain is.

8. Tomie (1998) 🇯🇵

Picked this up because I'm a big Junji Ito fan. But it's got a very different vibe to his books.

7. Tenebre (1982) 🇮🇹

Picking up from last year when I watched a lot of gialli. Starring "Hey, it's that guy! Whatshisname. Probably played a lot of policemen" as the obligatory American actor in an Italian film. Visually great, but the plot was absurdly bonkers.

6. In My Skin (2002) 🇫🇷

Reactions seen on the internet varied from "disgusting", to "most painful film I've ever watched", to "I feel sick". None of these people, I suspect, have been exposed to self-harm in their lives before. The excellent Radiance release has a great interview with the director.

5. Sisters (1972) 🇺🇸

It's a De Palma film, and you broadly get what you expect from a De Palma. There's a clever bit of split screen, and Kidder performs well. But it's not my favourite.

4. The Driller Killer (1979) 🇺🇸

The 'video nasty' reputation looms large over this, but it's most unfair. It's a fantastic film. The whole murdering thing seems almost incidental to the grimy atmosphere. I think this Ferrara guy is going to be one to watch.

3. The Sorcerers (1967) 🇬🇧

Picking up from last year when I started working my way through the Tigon collection. Was slightly thrown by Boris Karloff in this thanks to having worked my way through every episode of Colonel March of Scotland yard earlier this year.