He's The Fucking Shit, Gunbullet

A HORROR MOVIE-A-DAY-A-THON KEEPS THE DOCTOR AWAY-A-THON

And here it is, the final five of the month.

Saturday, October 27th-Ravenous (1999) Written by Ted Griffin Directed by Antonia Bird
Stars Guy Pearce, Robert Carlyle, Jeffrey Jones, David Arquette

A military captain is transferred to an isolated mountain outpost where a strange traveler with a bizarre appetite arrives.

This is one of the strangest horror movies I've ever seen, partly because it's equal parts horror and equal parts black comedy. Set in the 1800s at a remote military outpost, a recently promoted captain is caught up in a struggle with a newly appointed colonel who has taken Indian legends of the Wendigo (a spiritual force that grants man the strength of the man's flesh he consumes) to heart. The acting is phenomenal (Carlyle as the deranged cannibal Colonel Ives, in particular), the script is great and the soundtrack (composed by Blur singer Damon Albarn) is just so bizarre, quirky and out of place that it works. Overall, a scary fun time that delivers scares as much as laughter. FINAL GRADE: A

Sunday, October 28th-Feast (2005) Written by Marcus Dunstan & Patrick Melton Directed by John Gulager
Stars Balthazar Getty, Krista Allen, Henry Rollins, Navi Rawat

Patrons of a bar are forced to fight off a group of monsters intent on making the patrons their dinner.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this movie, all I know is that I really wanted to see it for the longest time. It looked intense as fuck and it had Henry Rollins, so I was sold on it. I enjoyed it for the most part, and there were some nifty innovations that I enjoyed (like the self-aware character descriptions throughout the film) and it was paced really well, which always seems to be difficult when a film is set almost exclusively in such a single and isolated location. Enjoyable, but I think this movie would probably rate higher after I give it a repeat viewing. FINAL GRADE: B

Monday, October 29th-Shaun of the Dead (2004) Written by Simon Pegg & Edgar Wright Directed by Edgar Wright
Stars Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield

A slacker decides to turn his life around in the midst of a zombie epidemic.

As a horror enthusiast, this is the pinnacle of an homage to the zombie genre. As a passive movie viewer, it's a zombie movie with non-stop laughs. From the nods to Romero's Dead films and the technical aspects (particularly reusing exact shot compositions in pre-zombie/post-zombie London) there is nothing about this movie I don't like. It's obvious that Pegg & Wright, rather than take the slacker way out and just mindlessly throw zombies into the mix, have a profound respect for the source material and truly go out of their way to make sure that the zombies are almost more background than an overpowering plot point amidst this "romantic comedy with zombies." FINAL GRADE: A+

Tuesday, October 30th-The Tripper (2006) Written by David Arquette & Joe Harris Directed by David Arquette
Stars Thomas Jane, Jaime King, Paul Reubens

A serial killer obsessed with Ronald Reagan kills hippies at a weekend music festival.

Another film that I pretty much knew I wanted to see the minute I saw Thomas Jane and David Arquette talking it up on a press junket for the film. I was excited for the film, but was wary because it seems that a lot of first outings for actors turned writer/director are sometimes run of the mill at best. This was not the case with The Tripper. For Arquette's first feature, it's surprisingly solid and moves along at a pretty good pace and again is another film that offers scares as much as laughs. The two funniest moments come from Reagan hacking hippies to death with an axe during the song "Reagan Youth" and Paul Reubens' character repeatedly saying fuck. Also, Thomas Jane is badass and may be the next Kurt Russell as far as I'm concerned. FINAL GRADE: A+

Wednesday, October 31st-Slither (2006) Written & Directed by James Gunn
Stars Nathan Fillion, Elizabeth Banks, Gregg Henry, Michael Rooker

An alien worm invades a small town, turning its inhabitants into mindless zombies.

I'm finding more and more these days that I like my horror movies to have a nice comedic counterbalance to them (case in point, the previously mentioned Shaun of the Dead and The Tripper). Made by Troma veteran and former husband of Jenna Fischer, James Gunn, it's clear that this is yet another case of the creative force having a deep respect for the source material that inspires his work. Slither slowly builds towards its extraterrestrial plot point, but once it reaches that point the film doesn't let up until the credits roll. The effects are gory and twisted, and Gregg Henry very nearly steals the film from star Nathan Fillion in a few scenes, but both are hilarious throughout. I highly recommend this one, because if for no other reason than you get to see The Office's Jenna Fischer bust out her acting chops as a receptionist. FINAL GRADE: A+

And thus concludes the month of October's festivities. I'll have a real update that isn't movie reviews shortly.