I'll be glad when this series of posts is over and I bet you will be too. As if it isn't bad enough trying to get the DVDs in focus, I then have to rotate the resulting picture, crop it, and hope that it doesn't come out too fuzzy. Once again, I failed at all of the above.
Without further ado, because the titles are hard to read, these are the DVDs on the shelf.
It
One of my early $5.99 purchases from FYE's used section and another which I used to have on VHS back in England. The first half of Stephen King's "It" with all the kids is a lot better than the second half, but the ending completely ruins it all.
It! / The Shuttered Room is in my R1 folder.
Jaws is in my R2 folder.
Jeepers Creepers
Another pawn shop find. I could have had the sequel as well but I didn't like it as much. I've seen both in a double-feature pack at Wal-mart so I might swap it over one day. The movie itself promised a lot more than it delivered.
Jennifer's Body will go here when I find a copy.
Joy Ride
Called "Road Kill" in the the UK, you've probably guessed that I bought this just for Leelee Sobieski. My Region 2 copy came from MVC (which no longer exists since it was owned by Woolworths) and I was talked into buying it by one of the kids who worked there. It's a really good film along the lines of "Duel" and "The Hitcher" but, ultimately, it's a bit far-fetched. This came from the pawn shop along with its sequel.
Joy Ride 2: Dead Ahead
The straight-to-DVD sequel to "Joy Ride" came out nine years too late but made up for it with a couple of great looking actresses. This is another which is also now available in a double-feature pack from Wal-mart so I might upgrade (or downgrade as the case may be) to free up a space on the shelf.
Killer Klowns from Outer Space used to be here but I sold it.
King Kong
This is the super-duper, remastered, collector's edition of the classic 1933 monster movie. The only thing which would have made it even better other than the $3 price (which I paid for it from Big Lots) is if it had come with a free monkey. Absolutely the best giant ape film ever made.
Konga used to be here but I sold it.
Lady in White
I was really impressed by this at the time and couldn't believe my luck when I found it on DVD in FYE. I paid full price for it but it was worth it for one of my favourite ghostie films from the '80s.
Land of the Dead
The last George A. Romero zombie film which was worth watching. I got it from Big Lots for $3. It's flawed and the CGI blood looks bad in places but the story isn't too bad at all. I have a feeling that Romero was trying to be preachy about something in it but I don't notice stuff like that anyway.
Laid to Rest
It's out of alphabetical order because I just bought it from the pawn shop and I wasn't paying attention to where I put it on the shelf. I really like this, hated the sequel, and am a big admirer of Robert Hall's effects work. You know I only got this to ogle Bobbi Sue Luther, right?
The Last Exorcism
Still holding on to a high price at Wal-mart and FYE, I was lucky to get this ex-rental copy from the pawn shop for $2.50. For a mockumentary/faux found footage movie, it's really good. The ending seemed to be a little bit rushed but that's nearly always the way with these things. The characters were well played especially the preacher.
The Last House on the Left
The original, of course, and not the remake with the terminator robot guy from "The Sarah Connor Chronicles". I just bought it because it was cheap at the pawn shop and I wanted something to remember the late David Hess by after talking to him for ten minutes about "Manimal" on a podcast.
The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane
It's more of a drama with a couple of horror elements than anything else but I had to have it for $3 from Big Lots after I heard a few people talking about it on yet another podcast which no longer exists. I'd never heard of it before so it was a nice surprise to see something which was new to me. It's out of alphabetical order because I suck at putting my DVDs away.
The Legacy will go here when I find a copy.
The Legend of Hell House
It's a kind of remake of "The Haunting" but with an exceptional performance by Roddy McDowell and a nudie bit with Gayle Hunnicut. This scared me as a child so I bought it used from FYE. I think it is part of a multi-pack in Wal-mart's bargain bin now too.
Let the Right One In will go here when I find a copy.
The Lost Boys
Hey, don't judge me, it was only $3. It's a crappy '80s movie which doesn't know whether to be a kid's film, a comedy or a horror, but it had bit of a cult following until the two sequels killed it retrospectively. I prefer "Near Dark" of course.
Lost Souls
I haven't watched it yet. I always get this movie confused with "Bless the Child" and "Stigmata" so I don't know if I have ever seen it or if it's just wishful thinking. I got it from the pawn shop and I'll get back to you about the contents sometime.
The Loved Ones will go here when I find a copy.
The Mad
Big Lots had several "3 for $3" packs at one point and this was the only movie out of all of them which I ended up keeping. Billy Zane was really good in it. It's yet another silly zombie movie but with decent production values for once.
Martyrs
I've got the unrated version inside the R-rated cardboard slipcase. These are the joys of pawn shop purchases. Somewhere, somebody has an R-rated version in an unrated case, but I don't expect they'll even notice the difference. This French horror movie is pretty messed up (in a good way) no matter which version you watch.
The Messengers
Ghosties and Kristen Stewart, what more do you need to know? I got this from Dollar General for $6 when I went out to get for my daily Monster energy drink. I think it was about three years ago but it might have been more recent than that.
Messengers 2: The Scarecrow used to be here but I sold it.
Midnight Offerings will go here when I find a copy.
Mirrors
It seemed like a good idea to buy this for $3 from the pawn shop. I don't hate it as much as some people seem to but the ending wasn't all that great.
The Mist
Apart from the CGI and the fact that the novella was much better than the movie, this grew on me enough to buy it from Family Dollar. They have some great films there from time to time even though they are a couple of dollars more than Big Lots would sell them for.
Monkey Shines will go here when I find a copy.
Mother of Tears
This is the only Dario Argento film which I can bear watching. I hate all his other stuff especially the ones which all the American fanboys rave about. None of his films are scary, all of them are horribly dated, and, if Fangoria had found something more interesting to write about, I don't think anyone would even have heard of Dario Argento on the other side of the pond. "Mother of Tears" has the only decent thing which Dario has produced and that's his daughter Asia. It also has even more hot girls, it's really gory, and it's not so weird that you can't follow it. Well worth $2.50 from the pawn shop.
Mum & Dad is in my R2 folder.
The Mummy
It's the Boris Karloff one. I bought this from FYE instead of "The Legacy Collection" because it came with a half price ticket to see "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" which I used. It also has a really nice box.
Mute Witness
I've always loved this horror/thriller not just because of Marina Zudina but also because it was actually filmed in Moscow just after Russia stopped being communists. I looks the part, has some nicely done moments of suspense, and, yes, it has Marina Zudina in it looking all cute and vulnerable.
Near Dark
This was my second copy of "Near Dark" after I had to take the first one back to FYE because it had the wrong second disc in it. The two discs inside are labelled "Near" and "Dark" but I had some weird promo thing instead of the "Dark" special features disc. It happens. It's no big deal. The new version of this DVD has coverart which looks like "Twilight" so I might get that too one day.
Needful Things
Big Lots provided me with this when they had that massive MGM overstock buyout. I just bought everything in sight since they were only $3. I really like Bonnie Bedelia in this but it's as predictable as every other Stephen King adaptation.
The New Daughter will go here when I find a copy.
A Nightmare on Elm Street
A good '80s horror apart from the stupid ending. Freddy is really nasty in this one and not the comedy parody which he became. Once again, this came from Big Lots along with the second sequel below.
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3
This is the only Freddy Krueger sequel which I really enjoyed. I keep seeing the NOES multi-packs, "4 Film Favorites", and other sequels around but I have no interest in them. I was never that ready for Freddy.
The Ninth Gate
At first I hated it but then I watched it one Sunday afternoon and really enjoyed it. It sounds odd but it made me feel homesick for Europe. I suppose this is a bit like an updated version of "Angel Heart" in a lot of ways, pretty slow, and creepy rather than scary. I have absolutely no idea where I bought it from but the security tape on the box suggests that it was from Big Lots.
The Omen Triple-Pack
Yes, it's "The Omen", "Damien: Omen II" and "Omen III: The Final Conflict" on three separate DVD discs and all in one box. There is a bigger pack with that awful remake (which I refer to as "The Uglies") and the TV movie "Omen IV" which didn't really work for me. I rate this trilogy quite highly (even the third one). This is real horror to me not all that handycam crap and stuff played for laughs. Serious, scary, supernatural horror is what I prefer over everything else. I got this from Sam's Club and I think it was just under $12.
Thus ends the second-half of the third shelf. I might even get this chore finished by the end of the week. Who knows?
Is anyone actually reading these posts? Really? You are? Are you enjoying them? Do you wish you could reach out and grab one of those DVDs and watch it right now?
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