NECA has completely taken the horror figure throne, admittedly there isn't too much competition. Strictly looking at slashers or what gave rise to slashers they have done the big 4: Freddy, Jason, Michael, and Leatherface. Michael Myers is the only one they can't do anymore which sucks because they only did him back when they had minimal articulation. Recently original Freddy was their first ultimate figure and they're right now doing the Dream Warriors version, ultimate part 6 Jason came out last year, and ultimate Leatherface came out last year. Those three ultimate figures alone are pretty much definitive versions of the characters. They showed something about Chucky at SDCC but I haven't heard anything about it since unless all it was was that exclusive bluray bonus figure.
http://i853.photobucket.com/albums/a...psyn9byvww.jpg
http://i853.photobucket.com/albums/a...psfaws6jh0.jpg
http://i853.photobucket.com/albums/a...psykvvetqp.jpg

The only Friday the 13th I actually like is the first, the rest usually have their fun but they just can't match Freddy. I liked Jason's sack look in part 2, part 3 established his iconic look, part 4 had Crispin Glover dancing like a dork, and part 6 gave us the unstoppable zombie Jason with a UTILITY BELT. I think Jason has quite successfully transcended the quality of his films to become a horror icon. I'm leaning towards getting the upcoming ultimate part 3 figure because all I have is part 6 Jason and the looks are very different, because one's a rotted corpse and the other isn't.

Sorry, I should have been more specific. I meant fully articulated figures with accessories like their upcoming Jason is.

Well that sucks. He is the best of the slasher guys.

I'm sort of the opposite. I'll take F13 over NoES. THe first NoES is great, but the best are average to down right dreadful. Firday the 13th has the first, fourth, and sixth movies that are great, followed by a good selection with the second and seventh movie. Even the third, fifth, and eighth movies aren't so bad when compared to Hell and X.

Apparently whoever owns the Halloween rights as a company just doesn't care about merchandising it with anybody. It really does suck because an ultimate figure would be so cool.

We can all agree that Jason goes to Hell was simply rubbish. The only thing of worth in that movie is the little Evil Dead reference with the Necronomicon prop. Jason X was pure rubbish, but in space. Because when you run out of ideas for a franchise you set the next one in space. Leprechaun did it, Critters did it, and Jason did it.

It set the benchmark for haunted house movies, and is - in my opinion - still the best!


I kind of see franchises as the movies they started out to be, and then the subsequent ones as movies that become influenced by self-awareness and / or fanservice. So to me Friday 13th 1 & 2, Nightmare 1, and Halloween 1 & 2, as very different beasts to the sequels, so I judge the sequels seperately.

I'd put Halloween 4 on the same level as 2. The mask is the only aspect where 4 fails on, but I just pretend that Michael could only get a mask that was readily available to him, so it looking cheap is because that is the type of mask he grabbed.

Halloween 3 is a phenomenal stand alone horror movie and I wish they had continued on with the yearly anthology series.

I agree. I think it just confused the public when it came out after Halloween 1 & 2 had been about Michael Myers.

I haven't seen it yet, and since you mentioned that you had, would you say that "The Shallows" is a loose re-make of the Australian shark flick from a few years ago, "The Reef"? I really dug that one...while a lot of people I know didn't like it (they wanted more shark eating people action I guess,) the movie had tension in spades.

Never heard of The Reef before.

[QUOTE=Dr Kain;682059]Never heard of The Reef.

https://youtu.be/RAFE93b2HhI

Frankenstein - From a nostalgia standpoint, this movie is utterly fantastic. Without that though, it's good, but not great. Karloff is amazing as the creature, it has a lot of great lighting that brings a sense of mood to the film. That aside though, the story is kind of lacking as there's barely any reason to care about any of the characters. The creature is barely even on screen to really feel a sense of sympathy for him. As an adaptation, it is dreadful becasue it doesn't even feel like it is even trying to be faithful to the source material. Also, I've never understood why they switched Henry and Victor's names around. The lack of a score due to the time period doesn't help matters either. Nevertheless, it's short run time, fast pacing, and superb acting and atmosphere are what truly makes this film delightful to sit through. I give it an 8/10.

The Bride of Frankenstein - The first sequel ever made is an intriguing one, but if you are going to make a sequel that takes place directly after the events of the first one, maybe you should make sure you get all of your cast members back. Suddenly the Burgermaster was skinny, had a mustache, and was young, the dude whose daughter drowned aged like 20 years and had a cane, and Elizabeth suddenly had long black hair instead of short blonde hair. Oh yeah, and the creature seemed to put on a little weight. Shouldn't the windmill have burned his calories? :-p Seriously though, this movie is just as good as the first one, but not better. This one make the monster more sympathetic, but it drops the dark and serious tones of the original to go for something more light hearted and comedic. As such, they often don't feel like they are part of the same story. Thankfully, the writing is top notch and touching at times that you can easily forgive it for that. I also give this one an 8/10.

Dale and Tucker vs Evil - The hell did I just watch? That was so god damn stupid, and yet, it was an intelligent stupid. I was not expecting what I got, which made it quite enjoyable as it was original. I can't say it was the greatest thing ever and I really don't see the need for a sequel, but it was a fun, dumb movie. I give it a 7/10.

Halloween 4 - Great atmosphere, a decent story, and it is quite hilarious to try to see how many times Loomis' scar changes. Oh yeah, and that ending. I give it an 8/10.

A Christmas Horror Story - AKA Krampus of War as Krampus reminded me of Kratos. Seriously though, this movie was a lot better than Krampus, but still not great by any means. The story about the family with the son was decent while the one with the family of 4 sucked. Then there was one that dealt with 3 kids that started out good but fell apart in the end. The highlight tale was the one that dealt with Santa and a zombie outbreak in his workshop. That one was pretty awesome and the twist was completely unexpected, but made total sense. William Shatner's role was pretty good for what it was. I liked it, but I couldn't really care less if I were to ever see it again as it was a good 15 minutes too long. Regardless, it was entertaining, so I give it a 7/10.

I don't mean to be a stickler for details but the name is Tucker and Dale vs Evil. I saw that back when it came out and thought it was a good spot of fun that reverses the roles on the cliche of killer hicks in the woods. I actually think if we were to turn back the pages on this thread I talked about it here before. I also really like Alan Tudyk and he's in it so that's neat.

Halloween 5 - No where near as good as its predecessors, but Pleseance and Harris hold this movie on their own accords to make it enjoyable. Plus, there is some interesting cinematography. Unfortunately, the film overstays its welcome by about 10 minutes and features some pointless plotlines that serve no purpose as if the writers just wanted something to make the movie seem edgy. Tina is an annoying twat that is way too perky and silly. The Myers mask is ugly and I don't like how his house is now a castle. I give it a 6/10.

I'd like to take a moment and just say how much I appreciated the previous episode of Ash vs Evil Dead. Not only was Cheryl finally brought up but that entire morgue scene was bonkers and I loved it.

Not in the butt!

Halloween 6 - Good god, this movie has the stick so far up its own ass that everyone is treating this material seriously. WTF? The plot of this movie is not only way too convoluted for its own good, but why has no one ever put up an issue about the fact that Michael raped his own niece when she was 14? NO ONE!! It makes me want to throw up. This movie is just utter crap, but at least the pacing of the Producer's Cut is so much better and gives us the true final performance of Pleasance unlike that garbage theatrical cut that removed the majority of his scenes as he is the only thing that saves this movie from complete dog shit. I give this film a 4/10. Of course, if I were watching the theatrical cut, I would give it a 1/10.

Scream - This was the first slasher movie my parents allowed me to watch when it first hit VHS and it still remains a great one. It just misses my top favorites list due to there being so many other great ones, but that doesn't mean this isn't a fantastic movie either. I love all of the references to the horror movies that came before it and the break down of all of the tropes. It also helps that the characters are all fun and likable, so I give this movie an 8/10.

Dr Terror's House of Horrors - This was a pretty good anthology movie that made me think of the B&W Tales from the Crypt movies. It was far from perfect as I felt two of the five tales were kind of bland, but it was interesting to see Donald Sutherland so young. I don't think I've seen anything with him in it any earlier than the late 80s before, if not the 90s. All of the actors did a great job and I think my favorite story is the Voodoo one even though the ending was kind of meh. The big twist at the end was quite predictable though, but I'm willing to bet it was a lot more shocking back when this movie first came out. In the end, I give it a 7/10.

Oh yeah, I also just released my video review for Friday the 13th Part 3:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6qbpfrPf3Q

Halloween month continues as I take a look at the now classic The Thing. Is John Carpenter's supposed masterpiece really all that great? Or should it have stayed buried in the ice like its box office results? Watch to find out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnuyc9UnHAY

Are we really a week away from Halloween? It just doesn't even feel like it because it doesn't seem like anyone is doing anything this year. I am the only balcony in my entire apartment complex to have decorations up this year when previously there were at least a quarter of the balconies decorated. Also, I don't really see any Halloween commercials on TV. Where are the vampire Reese's commercials? Even the neighborhoods I go to don't seem to have much in the way of yards decorated. WTF? Did 2016 also decide to kill Halloween?

Anyway:

The Shining - First off, it was wonderful getting to see this on the big screen. The cinematography is absolutely stunning and the story is great. Not to mention the suspense, the horror, and the tension is superb. There's a reason why it is my fifth favorite horror movie of all time. However, I do need to say one thing about it and that is my god this movie is in serious need of a new remaster. Seeing it on the big screen really highlighted all of the muted colors and soft images the current master contains. The fact that WB has so poorly treated this movie is a shame. Hopefully they will give it a 4K remaster for its 40th anniversary (and release it on BD since they haven't bothered to release the Clockwork Orange 4K master on disc yet). Anyway, I give this thing a 10/10.

Pride, Prejudice, and Zombies - Where do begin? Well, not only is it one of the worst movies of the year, it makes Gods of Egypt look like a masterpiece. Still not as bad as Meet the Blacks, though. This movie is a mess. The characters are poorly written and there is not a single shed of chemistry between them. Even Lena Headey, Charles Dance, and Matt Smith are clearly phoning it in. I've seen less wood in a forest compared to this movie's acting. Hell, the last scene with Matt Smith looked like he made this face that read, "Yes, my part in this movie is done!" Also, for a movie about zombies there was barely any zombie action. The plot, if that is what you can call it, made no sense as if it was just skipping to the next scene without even finishing the previous one. All of it was garbage, the dialog was stilted as the actors were clearly just reading their lines, and the effects were hideous (not to mention most of them were CGI effects). I give this undead nightmare a 3/10. Why a 3? Because I gave Gods of Egypt a 4, that's why.

Part of the issue with Halloween that I think we are having as of late has just been societal signs of the time I think. Many of my local big box stores such as Walmart, Kmart and Costco already had Christmas stuff up just after Labor Day, and many of my local malls started doing the same shortly after.
Add in the fact that many people are no longer able to get the day off, or dress up due to the demands of a work force that puts earnings over employees, and you'll see the decline that we're having in general.

Another thing that is killing Halloween I think is a this fast food mentality of the current generation in terms of costume and decoration. Just 10 to 15 years ago, many people would actually put time and effort into their creations. You bought a cape, vampire fangs, makeup, fake blood, and so on so that by the end of the night, you WERE a vampire. Then came Edward Cullen, who is a vampire who looks like everyone else, only with more glitter, and it gets even easier than there. Now a days, it's just easier to buy yourself a Deadpool Hoodie from Hot Topic and zip it up.

Let's not forget all this killer clown nonsense and rumors of clown "purges" on Facebook, which is frigging ridiculous in its own right. I refuse to give it anymore attention than that, because it's seriously stupid.

Nice review on Friday 3 Dr. Kain. Thoroughly enjoyed it. I have that same shirt btw.

Friday 3 is one of my favorite films in the series, but mostly because I enjoy the performance by Richard Brooker as Jason, and I think the women of the film were probably the hottest ever assembled, even if they couldn't act a lick. Christie is probably my favorite female protagonist from the film series, and while I too will admit, there wasn't much to her character development, what we did see was a character who was different than Alice or Ginny in the sense that she wasn't an innocent victim going through her first ordeal at fight or flight instincts. She was rather a survivor in the sense that she had been attacked before, and had to deal with her own shell shock, her PTSD if you will, from her past encounter with Jason in order to find the strength and resolve to defeat her Stalker, as well as her personal demons, once and for all.

Friday 3 was a goofy movie, more a product of its time, as the movie continually breaks the fourth wall and brought with it a lot more comedy than previous installments. It also may have been the forefather of the loud noise fake scares that permeate so many of today's films, as before Friday 3, most fake scares were more subtle (such as the infamous scene in the original Halloween where Loomis is grabbed from behind on the shoulder...by a cop...)

Since we're on the subject of Friday the 13th films, here's a pic from my meet and greet with Kane Hodder at Phoenix Comic-Con this year...who was a complete gentleman and gave me first hand approval of my rendition of Mr. Voorhees.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j1...605_210906.jpg

I think Friday the 13th part 3 is one of the better entries in the series even if it still isn't that good. It had some good kills and more importantly it gave us the iconic hockey mask Jason who cowers before books.

Trivial, I saw over in the "look at what I just got" thread that you got the new ultimate part 3 Jason. How is it? Is the mask fixed like I seem to remember you mentioning about the originals? I'm planning on getting it for sure to go with the Jason Lives zombie Jason but your input would be appreciated.

After having taken Jason out of the packaging and messed around with him for a bit, I'll get right to the point. This is the LAZIEST attempt at an "Ultimate" figure that NECA has done so far. There is nothing "ultimate" about a figure that has literally little to no improvements over the original, other than the fact that I can honestly say that the joints do feel a bit more sturdy on this guy and less prone to breakage when compared to the older Part 3 Jason figures. QC wise, that's it. The paints are terrible when compared to the older figure, and this figure suffers from the same wobbly hip issue that the "Jason Lives" figure had.
They did fix the wobbly head issue from the zombie Jason figure, but then again, that was never an issue on the original Part 3 figures to begin with, so no extra points there.

The blood apps are too bright and are almost cartoony, especially when compared to the older bloody version Part 3 figure (which I sadly have no more, as it broke during a recent move...) as well as the Part 4 figure, and the head has this ugly, overdone, black wash over it that causes it to differ in skin tone quite a bit from the figure's neck and torso. The paint on his head wound is also poorly done when referenced to the original.

The original head is on the right, while the newer "Ultimate" head is on the left. Notice the heavy handed wash and shoddy blood application on the new one in comparison to the older one.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j1...867128fd2e.jpg

That said, there are still some positives to be had, as NECA finally fixed the hockey mask. This is a much better representation of the Fibrosport styled Detroit Red Wings mask that Jason wore in the film, as the eye holes are much larger, the mask a bit wider and more contoured, and a bit longer from top to bottom. The nose of the mask is shaped better as are the hole placement, and the straps are a little more loose than the previous version, allowing you to slide it on and off the head of the figure a lot easier for display. The only thing that worries me is that the straps this time around are made of a softer, rubber material that I'm afraid might tear or corrode over time. The paint apps on the new hockey sculpt are much better with scuffs and weathering, and the battle damaged one is finally correct with the damaged chevron on the forehead, which the previous version got wrong. This ONE improvement over the original figure is the one saving grace that keeps me from feeling like I wasted my money, as it finally feels like I have the Richard Brooker Jason I've been wanting all my life.

(New mask on the left, old mask on the right.)
http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j1...a34de8ccd9.jpg

Other than that, there are no other real improvements to speak of outside of the cool box and accessories. Another set of gripping hands would have been nice for the pitchfork and axe, and truthfully, I wish the machete had been made bloody. My favorite accessory is probably the wrench that he beat Ali with, although it fits somewhat loose in his hand unfortunately.

http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j1...DSC02561_1.jpg

Despite my griping, there is one more thing that I should mention that's actually is a win for this figure, and it's that the hockey masks and heads are interchangeable with the older Part 3 figures. Meaning, if you have either of the older Part 3 figures, you can very easily kitbash the head from it, so that it matches up better with the skin tone. Or, simply remove the masks off of the new heads and place them on your older figures. While my old battle damaged Part 3 figure might have broke, I did keep the important bits (the head, mask, weapons, and hands) and was very easily able to swap them onto the new figure. And since this Ultimate figure is covered in blood, that essentially means that I was able to replace my old bloody version at a fraction of the cost, while replacing the mask on my clean version with the new goalie, giving me two, great looking figures.

I hate to seem as if I'm bragging, since I made a post similar to this one last year, but it must be a regional thing, because people in my area seem to be exceptionally excited about Halloween.

Friends, family members, and acquaintances in my area have been posting pics of their costumes and decor, posting lists of their latest horror movie marathons, and broadcasting all other sorts of Halloween-related festivities all over social media ever since late September. Multiple groups of my friends have even recently visited Orlando, FL to experience the Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios.

Sure, I've seen something of a decline in Halloween products at most retailers (with candy obviously being the exception), but around here, most people have taken on a DIY approach and are still putting a LOT of extra effort into their costumes.
I don't know if it's the prevalence and popularity of cosplay, or an increase in the popularity of the southern tradition of "crafting", or what other reasons there may be, but store bought costumes from retailers like Wal-Mart, as well as those Hot Topic hoodie costumes (LOL, which I consider to be the modern equivalent of those awful half-assed costumes from the 80's and 90's that consisted of a vinyl smock and cheap plastic character mask) are on the decline.
For weeks, I haven't been able to go onto Facebook without seeing videos and pics of friends and family members previewing and practicing their zombie make-up techniques on themselves or their kids, in preparation for Halloween.

Speaking of zombies, I feel certain that the Walking Dead fervor that has gripped this area is another reason that people are so excited about Halloween. EVERYONE I know watches that show. Even people who typically don't care for the horror genre whatsoever have jumped on the bandwagon. Since seasons 1-5 took place in Georgia (as far as I know, it's still filmed in GA too), that show has accumulated an uncannily large following around here.

But anyways, even though fewer and fewer families allow their kids to go trick-or-treating each year (like Trivial said, it's just a sign of the times ...) the number of parties and other seasonal events around here has increased exponentially.
Even without trick-or-treating, the emphasis on elaborate costumes and thematic parties has helped this time of year to still "feel like Halloween", just a little different, and quite possibly maybe even better, IMO.

Why would less parents let their kids go trick or treating? That was like the coolest thing ever when I was a kid. Have parents gotten so lazy that they won't even do that anymore?

Thanks for the breakdown. Since I never managed to grab any NECA Jason before the first ultimate figure I am definitely planning on getting this one even if it really isn't an "ultimate" version it is still the iconic Jason we all recognize for an affordable price. I find it quite amusing that while I prefer Freddy I'm sticking with just the one figure of him but then with Jason, who I like much less than Freddy, I want multiple looks. I was also just reading an article where the author was talking about how "terrible" the Friday the 13th franchise is despite its fan-following and I thought it was lame of him to not acknowledge that the first film was rather well received and has aged pretty well, then some guy in the comments said the original Nightmare on Elm St is also bad and I lost my shit. Every self-respecting horror fan should know the first NoES is a gem!