We take our Spookening responsibilities very seriously here at Robot Butt, which is why we’re starting the festivities even earlier this year.
So if you’re as dedicated to the Spookening as we are, check out this week’s recommendations for what to watch as we begin the march towards Halloween:
Images (1972): This atmospheric Robert Altman film belongs firmly in the genre of “maybe she’s born with it, maybe she’s stark raving mad” alongside The Yellow Wallpaper, Repulsion, The Innocents, and others. Well-shot with a strong central performance by Susannah York, its goal is to mostly be eerie and keep you off balance rather than outright scare you, and it succeeds in that. One aspect of note is that it features one of John Williams’s very few horror scores, and it’s quite good. – David
The Bridge Curse (2020): This Taiwanese horror flick takes the kind of creepypasta/urban legend you would definitely hear on a college campus and expands it to feature length. There are some well-done moments of creepy suspense, but the movie collapses under its insistence to pull the rug out from the audience with a reveal that isn’t nearly as clever as the film thinks it is. – Tim
3 From Hell (2019) – Your enjoyment of this movie hinges entirely on how much you like Rob Zombie’s previous movies in the series, House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil’s Rejects. 3 From Hell has far more in common with The Devil’s Rejects and is full of the brutal violence and sadistic humor we’ve come to expect from these movies. In other words, you get exactly what you’re looking for here – and it’s great! Come for the absurd levels of gore, stay for the moments of levity and fun rapport between these now well-established characters (even newcomer Richard Brake shines, taking over for the dearly departed Sid Haig). – Steve
Mausoleum (1983): Chosen due to an interesting poster, so that went about as well as you’d expect. Essentially plotless with a lot of odd writing choices, this is really just boring and doesn’t feature anything even remotely scary or particularly special when it comes to effects work. The poster is cool though, and has a skull that looks like it came from one of the Star Wars cantina dudes. – David
Color Out of Space (2019): Nic Cage in a Lovecraft adaptation?! No way I could pass this up. Loosely based off the short story of the same name, a meteorite crashes outside an isolated farmhouse, radiating a strange “color” that begins changing everything around it, people included. Like Cage’s performance, the movie is all over the place. But it is never boring, and by the time it works itself up to its crazy final stretch it has included some nice Cronenberg-style body horror. An entertaining ride, especially for lovers of Nic Cage just going for it. – Tim
Brain Damage (1988): This drug abuse allegory by way of ’80s gorefest has some definite high points for horror junkies. Our lead, Brian, forms a symbiotic relationship with an ancient, phallic, talking parasite who feeds on brains, secretes a euphoric blue fluid for his host, and talks (and sings!) like Bing Crosby. Along the way there’s some silly and black humor, some solid effects, and a decided lack of good taste. – David