I know this is probably even more boring than watching one of those YouTube videos where people go through their entire DVD collections one DVD at a time but I'm too hot and bothered to do anything else right now.
It's about 90 degrees inside my house and even worse outside with all the humidity so you'll just have to bear with me. I'm sitting here, still dripping from the tenth shower I've had today, with three fans blowing on me, and it's not getting any better. I really hate Summer.
Anyway, because I've become absolutely useless with a camera, this is what I have on the second half of my second R1 horror DVD shelf.
Frankenstein - The Legacy Collection
Much better than the "Dracula" legacy collection, this pack contains "Frankenstein", "Bride of Frankenstein", "Son of Frankenstein", "Ghost of Frankenstein" and "House of Frankenstein", plus a load of special features, documentaries and all the trailers. I highly recommend this if you love Universal's monster movies. I got this used from FYE for $9.99 so it was a real bargain.
Friday the 13th
One of the few American slasher movies from the '80s which I can actually stand. I liked the kills even though they were all borrowed from a certain Italian movie, and the twist set this apart from others of the same kind. The stupid ending (similar to the one which ruined "A Nightmare on Elm Street") almost killed this film for me but I decided to have a copy in my collection anyway. This was from FYE.
Friday the 13th Part 2
I used to have all the "Friday the 13th" movies on VHS but I gave them away. I'm just not into them that much and only have this sequel because it has a cat in it. If I was to ever buy another it would only be the one with John D. LeMay (also from the similarly titled "Friday the 13th" TV series, of course). I also have "Jason X" without a case and "Freddy vs. Jason", but that's it.
The Frighteners
Because I have no sense of humour whatsover, I only see this as a horror movie rather than a comedy. The "funny" ghosts in this actually irritate me a bit (although not as much as Dee Wallace), but it's a nicely done film overall. I'm pretty sure that this was from Big Lots for $3.
Freddy vs. Jason
Another one which is out of alphabetical order and which I've just mentioned anyway. I'm not really into either of the big '80s horror icons but this one has Monica Keena in it and I like her a lot. This is the two disc special edition which I got from FYE but I have absolutely no idea what is on the second disc.
Fright Night
I only have this because of Roddy McDowell's presence in the movie. I don't really like it all that much as it's one of the sillier '80s vampire movies which a lot of people view through the rose-tinted spectacles of nostalgia rather than seeing it as the comedic ripoff of "Salem's Lot" which it actually is. I think this must have come from FYE's used section back in 2008 when I couldn't find anything else to watch.
The Fog
A very flawed John Carpenter movie which promised so much as a ghost story and then ruined it all by becoming a slasher. Adrienne Barbeau was really good as DJ Stevie Wayne. I've seen the remake and it was terrible so I decided to keep this. I'm sure that it originally came from one of Hollywood Video's "sellthru" stands for $4.99 or thereabouts.
Frontier(s)
Just something from the pawn shop when I needed to complete a "4 for $10" deal. It's a bit slow and a bit of a "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" ripoff. Even though it's one of the weakest efforts from the French new wave of horror, it's still better than "Inside" so I'm keeping it.
The Devil's Rejects
I only got this a few weeks ago from the pawn shop and it turned out to be the full screen 2-disc version. I've never seen the widescreen version anywhere though. I'll probably play it on my laptop sometime when I'm bored anyway. It's got Sheri Moon Zombie in it so that's reason enough to keep it. Yes, I know it's out of alphabetical order.
From Beyond is in my R1 folder.
Full Eclipse
I really liked the idea of this werewolf film and remembered it as having a very powerful start. Having rewatched it, it's sort of lame but Patsy Kensit was really hot back then. It was another Big Lots $3 purchase with one of those terrible cardboard cases which have no right to exist.
Funny Games
Still sealed, still unwatched. I saw this remake on cable and hated it almost as much as I hated the original. I actually bought this as a present for someone and they didn't want it either so I'm now stuck with it.
Ghost Story
I know that there's a certain more popular horror blogger who really hates this movie but I've always liked it and really can't see the flaws which he's picked out in it. The book was really popular when I was younger but I never read it. I prefer movies to books anyway so I was quite pleased to get this for $2 recently.
The Gift
I think this was supposed to be Sam Raimi's "almost" return to the horror genre. It's a good film with Keanu Reeves playing a bad guy exceptionally well. I don't think it's really horror but it was only $2.50 from the pawn shop and has paranormal elements to it.
Ginger Snaps
Simply the best Canadian horror movie ever made and one of the best werewolf movies to boot. The first sequel is okay but I don't own a copy of it and the second sequel sucks. I had to buy this from eBay because I couldn't find it here. I have no idea how much I paid for it but I think it was under $5 including shipping.
The Glass House
This is an outstandingly good thriller which I got from Big Lots for $3. I saw it when it first came out and always wanted a copy of it. Leelee Sobieski is really good in this and, of course, looks just like a young version of Helen Hunt who was also popular at the time. The sequel (or remake with all the names changed) from 2006 was awful so I sold it.
Glass House: The Good Mother used to be here but I sold it.
Good Neighbors
I really liked everything about this but it's only a borderline horror movie. Yes, it has a serial killer in it, murders and a lot of Canadian weirdness, but it's not scary. I just like it and it fits into my collection for feline reasons. This was a very recent pawn shop purchase.
The Grudge
This is the "Unrated Extended Director's Cut" but, since I've never seen any other version of this remake, I can't tell you how that is anything special. I prefer this remake to the original Japanese version which looked cheap to me. Also because I loved "Buffy", it almost goes without saying that I had to get this because of Sarah Michelle Gellar. Big Lots had about 100 copies of this when I got it and they still seem to carry this horror movie more than any other.
The Grudge 2
Another "Unrated Director's Cut" and, once again, from Big Lots. It's not quite as memorable as the first one but it's a lot better than the third. I really need to watch them all back to back again one day. I have a screener version of the third one which was given to me but I keep those things in a special folder.
Half Light will go here when I find a copy.
Halloween
This is the Anchor Bay restored version which I think is the most recent. I've got several other versions but this is the one I keep on display. I even have a R2 one which was free with a Sunday newspaper. This DVD came from my exchange deal and cost me $5 of my store credit.
Halloween II / Halloween III
A Wal-mart $5 bin double-feature which I got just for "Halloween III". Although I liked the first movie, the first sequel did nothing for me. I really liked that "Halloween III" went off in a completely different direction and I've always felt that it was a shame that "Halloween 4" returned the franchise to yet more of Michael "Boring" Myers stalking and slashing again.
Rob Zombie's Halloween is now a coaster.
Rob Zombie's Halloween II
I still haven't watched this. I've heard a lot of bad things about it so it may well end up as a coaster just like the remake. I got this from Wal-mart recently.
The Hand
Another from the "Twisted Terror Collection" as sold by Big Lots. This is a bit of psychological horror with a really nice performance by Michael Caine. I also bought "Eyes of a Stranger" from the same collection but I hated it and sold it.
Hannibal / Manhunter / The Silence of the Lambs
A horror movie, a "Miami Vice" wannabe, and an Oscar winning thriller all in one pack. I should really move this to the bottom of the shelves with all the other multi-packs but, if I ever get "Red Dragon", I want to keep the series together. This was purchased with $5 from my store credit after my DVD exchange.
Hannibal Rising
Hannibal Lecter becomes James Bond in this prequel to the other Hannibal films. I really liked it and liked it enough to buy it for $5.
Happy Birthday to Me
Purely bought because of nostalgia. I remember seeing the advert saying "John will never eat shish kebab again" in the newpapers at the time although I had no idea what those words meant or that this was a horror movie. I bought it from Wal-mart.
Hatchet
This was originally from Wal-mart but I got it from the pawn shop. It still has the Wal-mart stickers on the cardboard slipcase. Not the greatest horror film ever and I'm not sure that "Old School American Horror" is really supposed to be this crap. I only keep it because Mercedes McNab showed her boobies in it. I couldn't believe that Harmony from "Buffy" would do a thing like that but I'm glad she did.
The Haunting
Robert Wise's 1963 ghost story is still the the best of the subgenre. I've watched this movie dozens of times and never got bored with it. Some of the dialogue is a little bit dated now, as are the characters, but it's actually still scary even when you know what's coming up. I got this new from FYE but I can't remember how much it cost. I'd guess that it was $9.99 or thereabouts but it was well worth the money.
You'll be relieved to know that I have now reached the end of the second shelf. If you have any questions about how, why or where I get my DVDs, please leave them as a comment below. In fact, just leave a comment anyway even if it's only to show that you've seen this post and you're still alive.
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