Another 31 Days of Hallowen: The Finale

Halloween is here again, and it's time to settle in for another month-long marathon of spooky movies. For the third year in a row, I will be documenting all the horror movies I watch to celebrate my favorite time of year. I will cover a wide variety of subgenres, decades, and countries as I dig up old favorites and new gems.

A collection of posters from the final post of Another 31 Days of Halloween

Deep Red (1975) dir. Dario Argento

This was the final film for Dread Through The Decades and I’m guilty of showing a lot of Giallos (Italian horror films) for the 1970s portion of the festival. I mainly studied Italian film in college with a big focus on spaghetti westerns but I also love Giallos and Poliziotteschis as well. I was also familiar with the work of Dario Argento having screened Suspiria (1977) last year and also enjoying one of his later films Phenomena (1985). Even though the crowd was smaller by the time the film started, everyone (myself included) enjoyed this colorful and stylish horror film to end the night. —  ★★★★1/2

Tokyo Gore Police (2008) dir. Yoshihiro Nishimura

Earlier this month I watched Nishimura’s other film Anatomia Extinction (1995) and it was my favorite non-rewatch of this month. Logically, I went on to watch the movie that is considered a sequel in a way. Tokyo Gore Police is much more…unhinged. The 1995 film had much more suspense and created a sense of terror and unease in the watcher whereas the 2008 one was much more about in the in your face violence and gore. I enjoyed both thoroughly but the original wins out in my opinion.  —  ★★★★

Frankenstein (2025) dir. Guillermo del Toro

Since this film was only getting a soft release in theatres before its Netflix release next month, I was surprised to see that it was screening near here. We went to the Abingdon Cinemall to watch this and while I don’t regret seeing it, it will be falling low in my ultimate ranking for this month. I usually love the stylish and haunting atmosphere created by Guillermo del Toro in his films but this one just wasn’t my cup of tea. The writing is where it struggles the most in my opinion; if you have to come out and say that Victor Frankenstein is the real monster I think all the subtlety is lost for the rest of the movie. I did enjoy Jacob Elordi as The Creature but the rest of the acting fell flat. —  ★★

Stage Fright (1987) dir. Michele Soavi

There’s a handful of movies that have been rotting in my watchlist for years. Every year I find more movies I want to watch and every year more and more get pushed to the bottom of my list. Out of sight, out of mind. I finally got around to watching Stage Fright so that I could have another standard slasher on my list. It was campy, fun, and had a bunch of interesting kills. Although it’s more obscure, I would love for it to get a stage adaptation in a similar vein to Evil Dead: The Musical. —  ★★★★

Wicked City (1987) dir. Yoshiaki Kawajiri

I have watched a handful of animated horror films, including The Bloody Lady earlier this month. This one was much more blatant, gory, and sexual. I wasn’t expecting too much from an 80s OVA (Original Video Animation) and I’m glad I didn’t have too high of expectations. I loved the style and use of color but the story, dubbing, and useless romance plot left a lot to be desired. —  ★★

Harpy (1979) dir. Raoul Servais

I use short films, especially ones that have a unique style, to fill in some of the busier days this month. While I had the animated ones, I wanted something that used stop motion. There is just something about the jagged movements of amateur stop motion that make it so eerie. This is one of the most unsettling films for this month but not something that I would really recommend to someone not interested in arthouse cinema.  —  ★★★1/2

Man Bites Dog (1933) dir. Remy Belvaux, Andre Bonzel, and Benoit Poelvoorde

I wouldn’t normally say I’m a fan of “dark comedies,” and frankly, I think it’s a red flag when that’s all people watch. Man Bites Dog was classified as a comedy on HBO Max but it follows a documentary crew covering the life of a serial killer. It’s bleak, dark, and has a handful of gory moments. It stands out for its brutal nature and black and white cinematography. It’s another hard one to recommend and isn’t for the faint of heart.  —  ★★★★

The Collector (1965) dir. William Wyler

I finished the month off with a rewatch but it is one that I hadn’t seen in a while. I love Terance Stamp and have been meaning to return to some of my favorites of his after he passed away this year. I’ve screened Toby Dammit in the past and finally got my hands on a copy of Billy Budd but The Collector fit the mood for this gloomy Halloween night. —  ★★★★★