Halloween Countdown 2025 Watchlist Week 1
Here's what I watched, what about you?
The Halloween Countdown kicks off at R-Rated Movie Club! Have you watched any scary movies this month? Here’s what I watched this first week of October. Agree with my ratings? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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What I Watched - Week 1
Night of the Living Dead (1968) 5 out of 5 Barbaras
The one that started it all. Of course there were many horror movies before 1968, but this is the one that launched or relaunched the horror genre, the monster genre, the zombie genre, along with independent cinema. The documentary-style feel, the vivid black and white, the brilliant social commentary, the realistic acting and camerawork, it all adds up to one of my favorite films of all time. This movie is next to “classic” in the dictionary, and Night of the Living Dead is the best way to begin this year’s Halloween Countdown watchlist!
And, if you’ve never seen it, you’re in luck for a sad reason: it’s free to watch and in the public domain for a ridiculous reason. There was an error in displaying the copyright notice on the original film prints and US copyright law at the time required it to appear a certain way, so that was that. It’s foolishness. And, well, here’s the entire movie for free:
Smile (2022) 3.5 out of 5 Neck Twists
FIRST WATCH | I finally got around to this one and I enjoyed it. There were enough creepy moments and jump scares to keep me interested, and the “lore” of what was causing these smiling faces was interesting. The growing paranoia and desperation adds to the overall horror effectively. I’ve heard people tend to gravitate to either this original film or 2024’s Smile 2, and I plan to watch that later this month. Hopefully, I can forget the clip I saw a few months ago online, which ended up not being a scene but the ending scene! Thanks, mislabeled YouTube video.
The Keep (1983) 3 out of 5 Scott Glen Laser Eyes
FIRST WATCH | An early film by Michael Mann (Heat), this thriller combining the scariness of Nazis, demons, and Scott Glen is visually interesting. That doesn’t begin to cover it, really, as I found myself continually impressed with the kind of effects they could do with their low budget and in 1983. Very impressive. However, I also found the story a little difficult to follow. It was almost as if there were 2-3 movies all playing at once, and while the storylines have plenty of crossover eventually, it was a little disjointed. Still, if you like movies that take real history and add a supernatural spin, this is worth a spin, too. Plus: super-duper young Ian McKellan!
You’re Next (2011) 3.5 out of 5 Well-Aimed Crossbow Bolts
FIRST WATCH | I remember seeing images and commercials of this one and rolling my eyes. The villains’ masks so heavily featured in the marketing didn’t make me think, ooh creepy, but ooh played out. I was wrong, though. This house hunters: extreme home invasion edition story kept me going. The visuals were unique (that’s my polite way of saying “cool kills, bro”), but more than a few of the twists were, well, not necessarily telegraphed, but they were easy to see coming, and that kept it from being elevated in my eyes.
Tales from the Hood (1990) 3.5 out of 5 Crumpled Paper Monsters
FIRST WATCH | I absolutely love horror anthology films. Creepshow, Tales from the Darkside: The Movie, V/H/S, a ton of great fun. Never saw this one and glad to finally get around to it. This was a fun who’s who of working Black character actors from the 1990s. It has a fun anthology feel, though for a while I thought that like many horror anthologies it comes off just a little flat. Instead, I came to appreciate each segment a little more as it went along, and the wraparound scenes tied the movie together extremely well, complete with Clarence Williams III (supporting actor in one of my favorite movies, Deep Cover) chewing the scenery with absolute delight!
Your turn!
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What did you watch this week? Anything spooky? I’d love to hear from you.
Glad you’re here today, Dear Reader. God’s peace and good movies to you!