Tomie (1999)

It's 11:00 AM on a sunny Saturday morning, do you know where your horror movie is?

Mine is right here in my hand and I'm going to spend this lovely late morning/early afternoon watching it. And then I'll do some stuff like cleaning, decorating for Halloween, physically talking to people. But in the mean time I'm watching this film.

Tomie has been staring down at me from the Asian horror shelf at the local video store for quite some time now. Taunting me with it's "Tomie will not die" tag line for little over a year. I finally decided to pick it up and have it show me what it's got.

What I know so far about this film is that there is a girl named Tomie and she will not die, I'm leaving it up to the movie to tell me the rest.

Seeing as I have no more time waste, I'm just going to get started with it so I can then get started with the rest of the day. See you all after the show!

Update:

Oh...my. This is a nerve rattling movie. It's creepy, as in little things crawling around under your finger nails creepy. Or, as in a demon wanting to be your bestie and won't let you say no to the idea creepy. Tomie, the focus of the film, is quite frankly one of the scariest women in horror.

With a significant focus on broken trust and relationships, this movie slithered around topics just enough to keep you on the edge of your seat and continue to be shocked at every outcome. The subtle sound effects in the film got me good too. What is it with Asian horror films and water? Why do they make water so frightening?! And the music: nightmarish.

There is a surprising amount of smoking in the film, as in everywhere, by the way...

For full effect, watch on a dark stormy night with high school enemies. This film will require your full attention though, so keep booze to a minimum. Food pairing: take-out from an Italian restaurant. Prepare to be chilled to the bone.

Diary of the Dead (2007)

I couldn't decided what to watch tonight so I took all the movies I had rented (which is an ample supply, I might add - rent one get one free deals at Rain City Video are the best), shuffled them around on the floor and picked one with my eyes closed.

From this little game I drew out George Romero's Diary of the Dead (Dimension EXTREME version, I'm not sure what that means...).

This was me today:

So I'm glad I pulled this one out as I think it might be a good one to keep me awake, ooooorrr maybe I'll just dream of zombies.

Either way, this appears as if it will be a first-person video version of a zombie attack. Sometimes that type of film will get me good. Cloverfield got me good, for instance. Blair Witch did not get me good - didn't mind it all that much, it just didn't scare me. I was confused most of the time. I walked out of the theater with a headache and wanting to know why someone would video tape their every movement through the woods. Later I was introduced to the internet and it began to make sense. Ah... the '90s, my eyes were so innocent then.

But enough about those films, onto what fangora.com calls "one of the most daring, hypnotic and absolutely vital horror films of the past decade".

See you after the show!

Update:

Um...ah - well. I feel asleep. Actually, I willingly - very very willing - accepted the sleep. I'm sorry Mr. Romero but I did not like this movie one bit. I'd have rather continued to watch my sleepy bunny gif for a couple hours.

Why so mad, Horror Habit? Well, I'll tell ya based on the first hour that I saw:

First - the movie is narrated by Herni the Existential Cat's sister (I'm pretty sure). I just couldn't take her or the narration seriously.

Second - this is not a movie it's a so-so video game.

Third - I didn't like the editing, characters, or theme.

Fourth - the zombies, quite frankly, were not scary. I found them a little silly.

Meh.

I tried to give this movie some sort of credit, even went so far as to think, "well, it was made in 2007..." But let's face it, good movies are timeless and 2007 was not THAT long ago.

I can see where some might like this film, but I don't know any of those people. Recommended pairing: sleep.

Some Guy Who Kills People (2011)

Thought a lot about anger today. So much so that I got angry about it.

So I took a walk (to the movie store) and ended up thinking more about anger, frustration, and down-right rage. Then I looked up an realized that I was so engrossed in thought and pace that it took some time to reorient myself and get back on track. Like anger does to people.

I didn't really find many answers to my thoughts, but I did find some forgiveness. Aaaannnd a few visions of myself growing to a monstrous size and height, storming about the world, stomping down ridiculousness with a laugh and shaving absurdity in two with my horrifyingly dangerous leg hairs. But then I saw myself hurting my left  foot on a mountain... and I just had to laugh. Twas the end of my SMASH thoughts and back to my more-or-less, Dance Party! - holla!, self.

BUT THEN

I found a fellow female horror movie blogger. The Girl Who Loves Horror. She had me at Nigel Andrew's quote "It needs to be insisted on that horror films are not for the morbid, they're for the life-lovers."  Exactly! Dance Party - holla! I highly recommend you check her out! She's smart, loves horror films, writes great reviews, wears glasses too, and is my new imaginary best blogger friend.

Which brings me to today's movie pick: Some Guy Who Kills People. This man is pissed as hell. And sadly, rather than go for a walk and think about stubbing his toe on a mountain, he decides to go after the people that got him so worked up in the first place. Or at least that's what the movie description tells me.

This movie has won Best Feature Film awards, as well as Best Screen play, and Best actor awards at film festivals around North America. I'm excited to see it. I think this funny rage machine will be quite the "treat" for my day.

Did you see what I did there? "Treat"? The main character works in an ice cream parlor. [two drums and a cymbal fall off a cliff] Yee gads! I'm on a roll and ready to go. Let's watch this! See you after the show.

Update:

Ooh my, this is one very good movie! It's excellent, in fact - a new favorite of mine. I want to hug it and hold and squeeze it so tight!

I had so much fun watching this film that I was clapping with glee and had a big fat cheesy grin on my face the whole way through. This is a very fun, funny (hilarious, actually), lovable movie. A perfect choice for horror movie fans and those who don't like truly scary flicks.

I was hesitant to throw this one into the Blood and Guts category, because there is very little of it in my opinion, but there was enough to make a few faces grimace.

Some Guy Who Kills People is clean cut and straight to the point. There is zero dilly-dallying going on here. The dialog is AWESOME - I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard AND sat on the edge of my seat for a horror movie. It's also smart, funny, heart-tugging, and a bit of a mind twister. Shaun of the Dead comes to mind... at least it's the closest to this experience that I've come across.

You'll fall in love with all the characters, well most of them anyway. The female characters are superb and side-splittingly funny. The police force is a riot act. Most everyone else is simply delightful.

Highly highly highly recommend this film.

It was a perfect and yet accidental choice for my day. It was a most excellent way to end the day. I suggest watching it when you're feeling down, angry, confused, or just need a good laugh. This movie focuses on anger, disappointment, fear, bullying, self-esteem and ultimately how one can address those aspects of life, move on, and be a better person for it.

Recommended pairing: Ice-cream - in any and all forms, with sprinkles, caramel, cherries, and gummy bears (if you're into that sort of thing).

Alice, Sweet Alice (1976)

Rushed home from work today, slapped on some PJs, and decided today's story time would be Alfred Sole's Alice, Sweet Alice. Although this could be a mistake, seeing as the tagline is: "If you survive this night...nothing will scare you again." Could certainly make for a very boring remainder of October/life. But, I'm a risk taker.

I'm not sure what's going on with the cover of this movie. There's a bag, scary mask, butcher knife, doll, and some drugstore Halloween blood coming from the doll. I appreciate the efficiency in using the remainder of the blood to spell out the title, however. Not much of a waster myself...

In any case, I think this movie will be a promising adventure. I might laugh, I might cry, and suspect I'll see misogyny all over the place, which can sometimes be more frightening/disturbing than the actual movie premise.

What I'm expecting to see is a story about Alice, a reclusive young girl who is the prime suspect in her younger sister's death at first communion. What I might actually find is another story altogether, and I'm quite excited to find out. See you all after the show!

Update:

Wow, was I ever wrong about this one, on multiple levels. First of all, it's a superb film! A film that makes you go "...oh...my...gawd...". Round of applause for you Alice, Sweet Alice. Bravo.

Now, what struck me most about the movie was the astoundingly realistic and heartbreaking portrayal of a family - a family disrupted, and the dynamics between the family worlds they live in. There is also a startling true-to-life view on the insensitivity of all parties involved and how it is accepted. How sisters communicate, spouses, religious figures with their congregation - all of it.  What makes this whole set-up really scary, in my opinion, is how much we all don't want to believe it's true. I'm sure some could easily recognize their own life in this film. For some parts of the film at least... What I'm really getting at is that all of us can see someone in this film that we know in real life. It's sad, spooky stuff.

Moving on.

The landlord/neighbor is something to behold. Holy mother of monkey brains, this character is Some.Thing.Else. I tell you what. A character that mirrors something found in the back of a refrigerator that was lost for years ...then it formed into the stuff of legends, passed down through the ages until it grew into an entirely new beast. He's one of my new favorite horror figures.

Additional favorites:

The New England accents
Dialog. Dialog. Dialog.
The surprising amount of magazines...and what do they insinuate...
Editing
Cinematography
Sound

I dare say this movie is a work of art.

Watch either in small, intimate company or alone. This movie will require your full attention. Suggested pairing: Body and Blood of Christ.

Lair of the White Worm (1988)

I'm going to start this year's October fest with a film I watched recently. No time to watch it today because life. But I wanted to talk about Lair of the White Worm - it needs to be talked about.

I'm not sure what happened in this film but I liked it. I don't even know if this film is really about a white worm, a dragon, a witch, a vampire, or a snake. Best part: I don't care! I'm not even sure if this film is supposed to take place in Scotland or England - and I watched this film several times (pieces of it, anyway) over a one month period (pieces finally all seen).

The dream sequence makes the film. One of the best parts of the film, in fact. Most notably, I'd like to give the ink pen in this scene some sort of award. Don't worry - you'll know it when you see it.

I found the movie confusing but fun, in the I Don't Give A Crap Anymore, fun. It felt like someone wrote it when they were, officially, all out of sh*ts to give. It was beautiful and dare I say, relaxing.

Not exactly a movie for the brain, but it will tug at it. Not an emotional piece but quite silly at moments. It has disturbing moments too, however! Such as: the male genitalia plays a rather significant role, especially at the end, but not in the way you think. Tuck that knowledge away somewhere safe ... know that it might not be able to be unseen. No, you will not be able to guess.

Good luck watching this film in one seating. Just know it is worth seeing - preferably while un-showered for days, living on your couch, pouring the milk right into the cereal box, and letting the machine answer all your calls. Everyone should do this at least once in their life, anyway.

But, as suggested, best in small doses.