NOVEMBER 2ND, 2018
By JOHN LILIES & LANA CARBON
[John] After our 31 last year, I asked Lana if our theme for 2018 could be Asian horror. Lana started the list almost immediately and it was a short time later that he had finished choosing the titles.
[Lana] We didn’t have a lot of Asian horror movies in our collection so I felt that it was important that I made sure that I found more than 31 movies to make it through the list. I thought we could always switch out titles if we needed to, when the time drew nearer.
[John] Immediately we realized, as we sat down to watch our first movie, that a number of our selections for this year were more than two hours long. This is important to note when you have to plan how to manage 31 movies over a one-month period. In that moment, we decided to watch the longer ones when we had more time to spend. This strategy helped a lot. Every year I'm left wondering how we are going to manage this; at the very least it is a daunting feat and I am always surprised at the end that we made it. And always, every year, part-way through I begin wondering how many more movies I can watch. Even if they aren’t scary, after about 10 or 12 my brain begins to cry a little and my dreams become strange and disturbing. That doesn’t seem to stop me though, and when we completed our task for this year, we celebrated with yet one more horror movie (not to be included with this list). I guess I figured my dreams didn’t need to end quite yet.
[Lana] Despite the challenges, we always manage to get through it, for better or for worse. Sure, we may be a little extra tired and yes, maybe we might not get to everything else we want to do during the month, but I feel it is well worth it to accomplish this kind of task.
[John] And sure, maybe for at least one of us, the brain is left a little changed - warped - for a while after (permanently?).
For as much as this month scares me because of the challenge to watch 31 horror movies (at least) that will inevitably mess with my head, I do look forward to it and I do enjoy it. I have decided that I neither want nor need to know what that may say about me.
[Lana] You are such a trooper John. Thank you for taking this journey with me every October… it wouldn’t be the same without you.
So, without further ado, here are our 31 Movies for the 31 Days of Hallowe’en, 2018 edition.
1. Gwoemul (The Host) (2006, South Korea)
[John] There were some actors we recognized in this creature feature wherein a giant fish of sorts is created from chemicals in the river. A man’s granddaughter is captured by the creature and the rest of the movie centres around her family trying to rescue her. This movie had some funny effects. It was a comical movie with some emotional moments and overall I found it enjoyable.
[Lana] I am not a big fan of “monster movies” but this was actually fairly decent. I think the edge of comedy made it a little more pleasurable for me.
2. Bhoot (Ghost) (2003, India)
[John] This was an interesting take on a possession/revenge story. It was not scary. I do enjoy seeing other countries and cultures and how they present the stories we have become so accustomed to seeing. The house maid was the creepiest aspect of this movie. Also, did no one notice that the doll kept changing places in the apt?
[Lana] That is the problem with creepy house maids - they are always moving your stuff around on you without asking… especially dolls.
3. Ek Thi Daayan (Once There Lived a Witch) (2013, India)
[John] This one centred around a magician, "Bobo the Baffler", and his life torture after his little sister and father die at same time. It was funny and even had Bollywood musical scenes (to be noted, I’m quite a fan of Bollywood so the musical scenes made me happy).
[Lana] This was my first experience with Bollywood-style horror and I am still having a hard time getting used to characters breaking out in song in the middle of my horror movies. Not that I could really take a movie with someone named “Bobo the Baffler” seriously.
4. I Saw The Devil (2010, South Korea)
[John] This one begins with a girl who has flat tire and sits in her car awaiting the tow truck she ordered. While waiting, a man shows up and offers to change her tire for her. Though she politely declines, he insists. This is never an indication of something good happening in a movie. This one is quite violent and bloody and thus I spent much of it looking away and trying to keep my tummy in a calm state. It was not what we had signed up for.
[Lana] This was perfect if your idea of a good horror movie is a gore-filled, bloody splatter-fest. Since John and I are more into the psychological horror or supernatural type of film, like she said, this was way too much for us. I can usually handle this type quite a bit better than John can and even I was well past my limit with this one.
5. Dark Water (2002, Japan)
[John] This is the original to the American remake with Jennifer Connelly. I saw this original version not long after it was released on DVD (back in the days we could go to a video store and rent movies... I really miss those times). I saw the remake too and I still prefer the original. It was nice to have a familiar one after being filled with bloody violence in the previous movie.
[Lana] I agree that this original is far superior to the American remake (as is the norm when it comes to remakes not meeting the quality of the original film).
6. The Doll Master (2004, South Korea)
[John] Dolls with souls seeking vengeance and love. This was a cross between Hill House and The Dolls (Lana says Chucky but I have not yet been able to bring myself to watch that one). There were some creepy moments and some serious cheese in this one, and more blood than I had wanted but not as bad as others. It was comical in many parts but it had dolls. Need I say more?
[Lana] I was a little surprised at how well John did with this movie considering her aversion to dolls. The premise of the movie was extremely interesting and with a little less cheesiness they could have had a masterpiece.
7. Kourei (Séance) (1999, Japan)
[John] A sound technician is married to a psychic (they called her a psychic in the movie but we think she was really a psychic medium) and they inadvertently become involved in a kidnapping-gone-bad situation. As many characters do, they try to cover up their involvement because though it was unintentional and uninformed, they were afraid of what might happen to them. So, of course they pay for their mistaken ways. This was not a bad movie.
[Lana] The moral of this story is to own up to your mistakes while you can. When you don’t own up to wrong-doings, things will only get worse.
8. Noroi (The Curse) (2005, Japan)
[John] This movie is in the style of found video footage; a man researches paranormal claims and suffers the results of his involvement. The footage shows his research and some of what may have happened to him. This was the best one we watched to this point.
[Lana] Loved, loved, loved this movie. It felt as though this were being filmed for a real documentary that we might have watched and found enjoyment in, and then they added the intense drama of a major fire and the events leading up to it. Amazing.
9. Shaapit (The Cursed) (2010, India)
[John] Due to disturbing events, a family is cursed but as always, a younger generation comes in and can’t evade the ramifications of their love story. This is another Bollywood-esque film with cheese. It was hilariously wonderful with bad effects.
[Lana] The Bollywood aspect fit into this story a little better with the young lovers but I am still unsure if it belongs in a horror movie.
