Revisiting a classic from Disney’s dark era, and more…

I’ve been chugging along through the October Horror Movie Challenge this month, and despite earlier concerns, I think I have a decent shot of finishing it this year by the skin of my teeth. If I can get four more first time views under the belt, the rest is gravy. This might be the first year I’ve watched a good amount of newer horror films as first time views. I tend to dip back into the wellspring of unwatched horror from decades past, but this year I managed to watch several from 2024 and 2025, and there haven’t been too many stinkers in there. This gives me a sliver of hope for the future of of the genre. That said, I revisited one of my all-time favorites, Something Wicked This Way Comes, and found it to be just as wonderful a film as ever. I wrote about it back for the 2013 OHMC, and my thoughts haven’t changed all that much, so read more about it here if you like.

And now, some very brief thoughts on what I’ve watched up to this point (also, a spoiler warning):

‘Salem’s Lot (2024, Gary Dauberman) – FTV
Writer Ben Mears returns home to Jerusalem’s Lot to write a book about his childhood, he discovers sinister goings-on that all seem to stem from the Marsten House, a local mansion with a murderous history. If you’ve seen the Tobe Hooper miniseries adaptation of this Stephen King vampire story, you’ve probably seen the better version. Everything in this film has a weird plastic/fake sheen, like the whole film was shot in front of a green screen, then run though a CGI filter. The acting is nothing to write home about, except Alfre Woodard as the town’s doctor. Pass.

An American Werewolf in London (1981, John Landis) – repeat
Two American backpackers trek across the North York Moors when they stumble into a public house for a warm drink. Despite warnings to stick to the roads and stay off the moors, they stray from the path to their peril. Like many others, I have misgivings about John Landis, most of which stem from the behind the scenes stories from the filming of Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983). If you’re not familiar, go look it up then come back. I’ll wait… Okay, so IF you can set this feeling of revulsion aside for a moment, let’s talk about how American Werewolf is maybe one of the greatest modern werewolf films. The transformation effects alone are top-notch (thanks to Rick Baker) and the big finale in Piccadilly Circus is still breathtaking. Highly recommended, but man, FUCK John Landis.

The Black Phone (2021, Scott Derrickson) – FTV
In 1981, a serial child abductor and murderer nicknamed “The Grabber” is terrorizing a suburb of North Denver, Colorado. When Finney Blake is taken, he finds a way to survive with the help of a black rotary phone in The Grabber’s basement. I thought this was a great supernatural film, bolstered by a solid cast (man, what the fuck, Ethan Hawke?!) and production design. Recommended, and I’m excited for the sequel.

The Final Girls (2015, Todd Strauss-Schulson) – FTV
When Max’s mother Amanda, a former scream queen and star of the 1980s horror film Camp Bloodbath, dies in a car accident, she is left to deal with the loss on her own. Three years later, Max is invited to a screening of Camp Bloodbath by her friends, but when a fire breaks out at the theater and they try to escape through the screen, they find themselves trapped in the movie. Less of a straight horror film and more of a loving comedic tribute to the slasher films of the ’80s, I thought The Final Girls was charmingly delightful. Also, it deals with grief in a way that felt refreshing within the genre. My only beef is that it’s a PG-13 film, which is fine on its own, but rather undercuts the ’80s slasher setting. Otherwise, recommended.

Gags (2018, Adam Krause) – FTV
A creepy clown holding black balloons is appearing all over Green Bay – not apparently terrorizing anyone, but just standing on corners, in parking garages, along train tracks. Three separate groups – a news crew, a right-wing YouTube kook, and a group of stupid teenagers – all decide to investigate and find there’s much more going on than they could have imagined. Full disclosure: I am friends with a couple of people involved with this film (co-writer/editor/producer John Pata, and actor Aaron Christensen), but I’ll be as unbiased as possible here. I thought this was a fun found footage film, utilizing multiple perspectives to discover the mystery of Gags. It does break some FF rules, but overall, Gags is worth a watch or two.

Clown in a Cornfield (2015, Eli Craig) – FTV
Kettle Springs is suffering from some serious generational divide – the kids just want to have fun, make viral videos, and get out of town sooner rather than later, while the adults want to respect the town’s old ways and traditions. With the reappearance of killer clown Friendo, the mascot of the abandoned corn syrup factory, the situation is about to get even worse. Eli Craig’s debut film, Tucker & Dale vs. Evil, is one of my favorite go-to horror films and while I don’t think Clown in a Cornfield (based on the YA novel by Adam Cesare) is as good, I think it’s an entertaining film despite pooping out a bit at the end. My favorite thing about it is that the night scenes are shot in a way where you can actually see what is going on. I nearly cried out of happiness from that alone. Recommended.

Smile (2022, Parker Finn) – repeat
A psychiatrist, Rose, meets with a patient who insists she is being followed by an entity that looks human, except for the disturbing smile plastered on its face. When the patient suddenly and gruesomely ends her own life during the meeting, the psychiatrist finds herself haunted by the same entity. This film is one of the more effective recent horror films, mainly because I have a thing about distorted faces, but also that trauma feeds on and spreads through itself and the only apparent way to stop it is to commit murder in front of someone else, to pass the trauma on. Rose’s realization that confronting the entity and dying alone with no witnesses should end the horror gets totally blown out of the water in a deeply frustrating way, which makes for a genuinely upsetting experience. Recommended, but whew, this one is tough.

Smile 2 (2024, Parker Finn) – FTV
Picking up a few days after the ending of the first film, we’re soon absorbed into the world of pop star Skye Riley as she is about to embark on a comeback world tour following a battle with substance abuse and a car crash that killed her boyfriend. A visit to a drug dealer for some Vicodin leads Skye directly to the Smile Entity and soon the curse is passed to her. I found Smile 2 to be just as upsetting as the first film, even more so by the time the ending hits. Jeez Louise, can we just get a break? Apparently not. But that makes for an effective horror film, maybe one that’s even better than the first, so I recommend it.

And that’s it for this round! Eventually, I’ll be wrapping up the Challenge with more capsule reviews here. Until then, stay scared!