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

October Horror Challenge - Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022)

The prompt for Day 8 was "Horror Comedy." I'd heard Bodies Bodies Bodies was interesting so I decided to check it out. While I don't mention specifics, this one includes some spoilers.

Plot

A group of 20-somethings rich kids get together for a Hurricane Party. After playing a game called Bodies Bodies Bodies one of their number ends up dead and the friends start to turn on each other.

Review

If you are expecting a tradition horror comedy, you'll might be disappointed with this one. It's considered a black comedy. With that in mind some of the absurd character interactions make sense. Honestly the only thing truly funny, was the reveal of the mystery. Honestly this one would have worked well for the "What a twist?!" entry.

All of that aside, this is a fun whodunnit mystery with some teen slasher aspects. It's more thriller than strict horror, though there is some blood. The cast is solid and the characters are extremely flawed. This is definitely a movie about fake friends and plays into a lot of social media stereotypes. 

Also if you are wondering what Bodies Bodies Bodies is, it's a deduction game like Mafia or Werewolf (which one character actually points out in a piece of dialogue).

I wouldn't call this one a must watch, but it was fun.

 Your Game 

This is another one that I don't really have any new game content for. I think the murder mystery premise of this one would be great for a one-shot. I also think the rich kids doing having a hurricane party would make a great one-shot. What if instead of one of them being murdered, zombies attacked or something like that. Finally this movie made me think about fumble tables. While I don't think they fit the vibe of modern D&D, there are some more modern games (like DCC) that use them and make them fun. 

Movies Watched: 9

New to Me: 6.66

October Horror Challenge - Unhuman (2022)

"Teen Angst" was the prompt for Day 7. This one has been on my radar for a few years. While I don't mention specifics there are some spoilers below.

Plot

A group of teens get stranded and attacked by a group of savage zombie-like creatures. They must learn to work together to survive.

Review

I enjoyed this one overall. The film has a great cast. The young actors do a great job of making these characters more than social stereotypes, which is a key part of this movie. In particular, I thought Brianne Tju was fantastic as the lead, Ever. I had some issues though. I don't want to spoil anything, but this movie isn't just as straight forward as the trailer makes it out to be. I think the makers thought they were being clever with the twists and things they included, but I found it kind of convoluted.

Critiques aside there is an aspect of this film I really liked. This one has a great depiction of geeks and nerds. In most media nerds and geeks are depicted as total outcasts tormented by the popular kids. This definitely happens and the movie shows it. However, in my experience those same geeks and nerds can be just as judgmental and often more vicious. I think this is because they feel the world is against them. You can see this in gatekeeping, particularly in those that seem offended that the niche hobbies they had are now popular.

 Your Game 

A Freddy Kreuger-like syringe glove is featured in the film. I've decided to stat this out for SURVIVE THIS!!.

Syringe Glove

Attacks made with this glove causes 1d6 damage. Additionally if the attack hits the wielder can automatically inject the victim with the fluid within without taking a separate action. This weapon can be dangerous to its wielder though and if a natural attack roll is made consult the chart below.

1 - The wielder stabs themselves with the glove, taking 1d6 damage and the effects of whatever liquid the syringes hold.

2-6 - The needles strike a hard object and break. The glove can still be used but it now deals 1d6-1 damage and cannot inject liquids until it's repaired.

7-10 - The needles become embedded in an object and it takes an action to remove it.

Movies Watched: 8

New to Me: 5.66