Starbody

I love fall and especially Shocktober. It’s the perfect time of year. School is starting and you cannot deny that ingrained feeling of clean white notebooks and fresh possibilities (I know, I say it every year). Besides that, it’s that perfect time in the year when it’s cold enough to wear sweaters, but warm enough to do so without coats. Pumpkin patches, cinnamon doughnuts, cider and Halloween decorations … shall I go on?

Aah and so here we are again. The absolute best month of the year, Shocktober! Although just to teach me a lesson, Shocktober charged in this year with a sickness that has kept me horizontal for almost a week. My co-workers believe it’s the plague, but I think it might be the worst sinus infection EVER. My sinuses have taken on a life of their own. Despite that, we’ve still managed to usher in the month with a couple of horror movies already and as usual, our Netflix queue is stocked. And I have to say I’m impressed by the fake enthusiasm the husband has managed to muster up. When he inherited this ritual (my best friend and I owned it for years before) Mark was pretty in to it … but over the years (and I do mean years) it’s lost its allure for him. As this year approached, he even said he wasn’t going to participate but at the last minute decided that he would make it work because THAT’S what kind of husband he is.

And so, we’ve managed to watch The Midnight Meat Train, based on a Clive Barker story (from the Books of Blood, I believe) that ended a Barker binge I was on because it was THAT disgusting. Seriously, it made me feel physically ill. The movie was okay for what seemed like a made-for-cable movie and it had Bradley Cooper (of Alias fame) and the silent guy from Gone In Sixty Seconds (yes, I know, it’s a guilty pleasure okay? I have no defense). Tonight it was From Beyond (based on an H.P. Lovecraft story) which was super 80s and so bad it was fun to watch anyway. Who can fault a movie with brain sucking through eye sockets? I also watched Tell Me Something, a well done (though predictable) Korean horror movie with a great soundtrack littered with the likes of Nick Cave and Placebo. And I almost forgot, The Descent was the pre-Shocktober warm up. We also watched Vampyr, which was is a fantastic and legendary horror movie made way back in 1932 and it still manages to be creepy! See, we’re making the first three days count.

Next up? I’ve got Devil’s Backbone from Guillermo Del Toro (of Pan’s Labryinth fame … and weirdly enough the writer for The Hobbit) which is a bit classier than most of the movies we’ll see this month, but we’re not discriminating I saw this movie when it came out and really loved the cinematography. All of the usual suspects will be covered (Prince of Darkness, 28 Days Later, Return of the Living Dead, Day of the Dead, The Beyond, etc.). I’m looking forward to watching Dog Soldiers (from the director of The Descent) and the Day of the Dead remake (with Mena Suvari … really?). I’m searching for more to add to the old Netflix queue, so by all means send recommendations my way.