October Horror Challenge - Slay (2024)

"Pretty Blood Suckers" was the prompt for Day 15. Though the vamps in the trailer aren't exactly hot, I saw the trailer and had to watch this one. 

Plot

When a group of drag queens book a show at the wrong bar, they find themselves out of their element. Soon they and the (mainly) old fashioned and conservative bar patrons find themselves besieged by vampires. Can they put aside their differences and survive the night? 

Review

To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar meets From Dusk Til' Dawn in this campy Tubi horror comedy. Like a good drag show, this one isn't high art but its fun as fuck. The movie stars performers from RuPaul's Drag Race and Rupaul's Drag Race UK. It's silly and campy. The queens have some great lines and kept me laughing the whole damn time. I seriously had to pause it a few times. It's obvious the film doesn't have a big budget so a lot of stuff happens off screen. One of my favorite scenes is when all the tough guys in the bar take their guns and try to go outside and fight the vampires. You don't see what happens but the rest of the bar patrons provide some fantastic commentary (even commenting on how silly some of the effects and address the budget issues). Also when the vampires are dusted, it looks glittery, which is a nice nod to drag and I'm assuming Twilight.

While they are performers, they aren't actors and that comes through at times. But again this isn't a masterpiece and the few rough spots here and there don't bring the movie down. There's real heart in this one too. The group initially plans on leaving after their cold reception, but decide to stay when a couple of young LGBTQ+ patrons talk about how excited they are for the show. I also love that Dusty the bartender acts like its an accident they are booked but early on you can tell he's excited for the show. 

I want to leave y'all with the line that stuck with me the most, "Hatred is more exhausting than hope."

 Your Game 

Drag Queen (1 pt. Quality)

You may not be the Slayer, but you know how to slay. 

When dressed in drag you have Appearance 1. If you already have the quality the rating is increased by 1. Because of the performance nature of drag you get a +1 to Art. However, you are the target of conservative culture and gain the Minority drawback.

Movies Watched: 16

New to Me: 10.66

October Horror Challenge - Ginger Snaps (2000)

"We Are The Weirdos Mister" was the prompt for Day 14. Its pretty obvious my inspiration for this one. I feel like Ginger Snaps shares DNA with movies like The Craft. It's also one of my all time favorite flicks.

Plot

In the Canadian town of Bailey Downs, two sisters, Bridgette and Ginger, are outcasts at school. There lives are changed on the night of Ginger's first period when she is attacked a large creature. Her wounds heal quickly and she starts sprouting strange hair. Brigitte must work to save her sister.

Review

Ginger Snaps is a treat. Katherine Isabelle and Emily Perkins play off each other well and you'd think they were actually sisters. Praise should also given to Mimi Rogers who plays their misguided but loving mother. Lycanthropy as an allegory for girls going through puberty is a brilliant idea. There is some humor with it (hair growing where there wasn't anymore), but not everything is played for laughs. Comparing growing sexual hunger to a physical hunger is a brilliant move. Combine this with the portrayal of sisterhood and female relationships and you have a phenomenal piece of feminist horror.

This movie is now 24 years old, but I think it's just as good today as it was when I originally watched it in college. If you've never watched this horror gem, you should definitely check it out.

 Your Game 

If you've seen the sequel then you know what to Brigitte. I'm going to ignore that for the moment and stat out B as she would be at the end of the first movie.

Brigitte Fitzgerald

White Hat

Life Points: 41

Drama Points: 20

Attributes: 

Strength:  2

Dexterity: 3

Constitution: 2

Intelligence: 3 

Perception: 4

Willpower: 3

Qualities: 

Artist (2)

Fast Reaction Time (2)

Hard to Kill (5)

Nerves of Steal (3)

Photographic Memory (2)

Resistance: Pain (1)

Situational Awareness (2)

Drawbacks: 

Misfit (2)

Teenager (2)

Werewolf (3)

Skills:  

Art 3

Computers 1

Crime 2

Doctor 1

Getting Medieval 2

Knowledge 2

Kung Fu 2

Notice 2

Occultism 1

Maneuvers:          Bonus     Damage           Notes

Punch                      4            4                 Bash 

Dodge                     4              -                Defense action

Movies Watched: 15

New to Me: 9.66

October Horror Challenge -The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976)

Day 13's prompt was "Inspired by True Events." Never watched the original The Town That Dreaded Sundown so I thought I'd change that.

Plot

A hooded berserker attacks young people spending time at lovers' lanes in 1946 Texarkana.

Review

This one is loosely based on the Texarkana Moonlight Murders. I read that while some minor artistic license was taken, the general depiction of major events are accurate. After watching things like Terrifier 3, this one comes off as quaint. The music and everything about it just reminds me of something wholesome. There's even a comic relief character. The more I think about it, it actually kind of bothers. This movie is based on true events. Actual people were killed and there were some sexual assaults in the real incident. 

That rambling thought aside, what did I think of the movie? I enjoyed it. There are some legitimately creepy moments. The murder scene after the prom in particular really sticks out to me. Its shot in a disturbing way and is quite sadistic, even if it's not graphic by today's standards. The ending was also a nice touch.  

 Your Game 

Because of the backstory to this one I don't feel right doing stats for it. If you want to play a game based on something like this I definitely recommend Bloody Appalachia.

Movies Watched: 14

New to Me: 9.66

Music Monday - Work of Art

Thursday night I watched Terrifier 3. I'll give my thoughts on it this coming Friday (with the "Clown" prompt). Ice Nine Kills released their official track for the movie Work of Art the day after the movie premiered and it's a bloody masterpiece.

The song is all the intense metalcore goodness I'd expect from INK. Shavo from System of a Down is thrown in the mix. David Howard Thornton returns as Art  in the music video. He has some insanely gruesome kills and is genuinely disturbing. He also uses some exotic weapons like kukri and a minigun, not to mention showing off his musical talent. Leah Voysey returns as Terrifier 2's Clown Cafe singer for vocals. The song also features a memorable line by Samantha Scaffidi's Victoria from the original Terrifier. Work of Art continues metaplot that's been going on since the first Silver Scream album dropped. It is in this post song section of the video that Damien Leone, the director of the Terrifier franchise, appears as himself.

I will also warn folks. Beyond the typical gore there is some extra distressing stuff in this one. There is a baby delivered in the video but we can hear it crying at the end, implying it survived. 

If you want some game-able content based on this one come back Friday for my review of the third movie.

October Horror Challenge - White Zombie (1932)

Day 12's prompt was "Black and White." I was originally going to watch City of the Dead, but something changed my mind and I rewatched White Zombie. 

Plot

A young man turns to a voodoo master to lure the woman he loves way from her fiancé, but instead the villain turns her into a zombie slave.

Review

This is a classic flick. It has a fantastic atmosphere and the sets are nice. I said it the first time I reviewed this one, but this is honestly my favorite Bela Legosi film. Yes Dracula is fantastic, but honestly I find Murder Legrendre to be a more striking horror antagonist. Like most flicks of the time, it doesn't do a great job showing another culture. The film is set in Haiti and features voodoo, but it's a watered down surface level take on them.

 Your Game 

These aren't new stats, but I thought I'd reshare the Lamentations of the Flame Princess stats I created for Murder Legendre a decade ago.

Murder Legendre

Armor: 12,  HP: 25, Magic-User 11, Movement 120', 1 dagger attack, Morale 9, Magic items  Zombie Potion (see below)

Spells Per Day: 1st: 5, 2nd: 4, 3rd: 3, 4th: 3, 5th: 2, 6th: 1

Legrandre's spellbook contains the following spells: Charm Person, Comprehend Languages, Detect Magic, Hold Portal, Identify, Message, Read Magic, Sleep, Shield, ESP, Forget, Phantasmal Force, Ray of Enfeeblement, Wizard Lock, Dispel Magic, False Alignment, Hold Person, Phantasmal Psychedelia, Speak with Dead, Charm Monster, Confusion, Animate Dead, Hold Monster, Magic Jar, Feeblemind, Animate Dead Monster, Mind Switch

Zombie Potion: Anyone drinking this potion must make a Poison saving throw or seemingly die. The next day the character rises from the grave as a "zombie" under the control of the potion's creator. Killing the creator will free the "zombie."

Movies Watched: 13

New to Me: 8.66

October Horror Challenge - Mr. Crocket (2024)

"For The Kiddos" is the prompt for Day 11. When I originally came up with the prompt I had kid friendly scares in mind. However after seeing the trailer for Mr. Crocket I decided it could be interpreted differently. Mr. Crocket does what he does for the kiddos (in his own twisted way), so it works.

Plot

When her son is taken by a supernatural children's show host, a recently widowed mother attempts to get him back.

Review

Like Piggy, this is based on a short. This one is getting mid reviews, but I thought it was fun. The idea of an evil Mr. Rogers is fantastic. The set designs and effects are creepy and the the retro animation segments add to it. The demonic versions of the PBS-style puppets are great.  Elvis Nolasco is fantastic as Crocket.  

This one definitely shows the love of a parent. Summer, the protagonist, goes through Hell to get her son back, despite the fact he was a rude little shit. Now don't get me wrong, I get that Major didn't understand what's going on and his father has died, but he's a menace to this mom and she still fights to get him back.

 Your Game 

Mr. Crocket is a lot like Freddy Krueger in a lot of ways so I decided to stat him for Cinematic Unisystem like I did for Freddy. Mr. Crocket's world is a hell dimension but acts like Freddy's dreamlands.

Dream Lands

Dream Warrior

Freddy Krueger

Name: Mr. Crocket

Motivation: Save Children, Punish Bad Parents
Critter Type: Nightmare Demon
Attributes: Str 2, Dex 2, Con 3, Int 5, Per 5, Will 6

Ability Scores: Muscle 10, Combat  10, Brains 15

Life Points: 55 Drama Points: 5
Special Abilities: Dream Warrior, Fast Reaction Time, Hypnotize, Increased Life Points, Regeneration, Shapeshift, Telekinesis
                                   Maneuvers
Name              Score    Damage               Notes
Telekinesis        15          15             Bash, see pg 165
Dodge               10          -   

Magical Marker

Anyone with this demonic artifact is treated as if they had the Dream Warrior quality. It can also be used as a melee weapon of the wielder's choice.

Movies Watched: 12

New to Me: 8.66

October Horror Challenge - Splinter (2008)

"Body Horror" is the prompt for Day 10. I decided to rewatch a flick I think is pretty underrated. 

Plot

A young couple are carjacked and find themselves trapped inside a gas station and besieged by a horrific parasite that takes over its hosts and turns them into killing machines.

Review

This one is a gem. Jill Wagner and Paulo Costanzo are fantastic as leads. However, I think the true MVP of this one is Shea Whigham. Yes he's a violent criminal and has does some awful things, but he's not irredeemable. While he starts out as the villain, he becomes the hero, even seeking redemption in the end.

The creatures of Splinter are horrific and the practical effects are fantastic. They are savage killers and even touching them can infect a creature. The way the parasite takes over its host is also gnarly. Seeing Whigham's arm twisting and cracking is legitimately disturbing. The way it effects the body sticks with you.

If you get the chance to watch this one you definitely should. 

 Your Game 

Much like the clickers of The Last Of Us, the ravenous creatures are animals and humans infected by a fungus that drives them to infect others. For this reason, I'm statting the creatures out as SURVIVE THIS!! Zombies!.

Splinter

Armor Class: 15

Hit Dice: 4
Move: 12
Actions: 2
Attack: Claw (1d4) or Bite (1d4)
Special: +3 to Toughness, any attack spreads splinter parasite, creatures attacking splinter in melee must make an infection saving throw, track by heat
Bonuses: +3 to Melee attacks, +3 to Damage
Pack Size: 1d4+1 or solitary
Methods of Termination: immolation

Movies Watched: 11

New to Me: 7.66

Vessel of Hatred

 I know nothing about the story to the new Diablo IV expansion but this live action trailer looks awesome,

October Horror Challenge - Abby (1974)

Day 9's prompt was "Slow Burn." I was going to watch Ravenous, but let my copy to a friend and have decided to go with one of my alternate prompts, "Blaxploitation."

Plot

Dr. Garrett Williams is a priest and archeologist that accidentally unleashes a trickster deity (or demon associated with him)  that possesses his daughter in law, Abby. He works with his son and Abby's brother to free the pious woman's soul.

Review

I watched this flick because it stars William Marshall and had read some interesting things about it. 

This film has a lot in common with The Exorcist, so much so that that Warner Bros won a lawsuit and got the movie pulled from distribution. Because of this print copies of the movie are extremely rare and not great quality. I watched it on YouTube, though it appears to also be on Plex (though the quality there doesn't seem great either). It has a lot of trappings of typical Blaxploitation flicks, including a fantastic soundtrack. The film trades the trappings of Catholicism with the orisha Eshu, trickster West African deity (who's depicted as a demon that loves sex and killing). The movie isn't nearly as creepy as The Exorcist. Honestly it comes across as silly at times. It's still an entertaining flick though and William Marshall is fantastic!

I thought I'd end by mentioning this one takes place and was filmed in Louisville, Kentucky. I think this is neat because that's also the setting of Return of the Living Dead and the home of a few game companies, most notably Bloat Games.

 Your Game 

Here are stats for Eshu written with What Shadows Hide in mind.

Eshu  (Outsider) 
Armor Class: 15

Hit Dice: 8+4Move: 12
Actions: 2
Attack: Unarmed (d8)
Special: Weakness: Light magic, can see ghosts, possession

Bonuses: Toughness +3, +8 to hit, +4 to Melee damage, 

Alignment: Evil

Morale: 9

Madness: NA
Terror: 15

HDE: 5

Movies Watched: 10

New to Me: 7.66