Nadiya’s 31 Days of Halloween (Week 4)! 💀

NOTE: All the other featured images of Flopsie are a bit old, but the one on this post is my most recent picture of him. I took it this past Sept. around his 10th birthday. I love my little Halloween kitty! 🐈‍⬛

Hey, y’all! Here’s the films I watched during the final week of my 31 Days of Halloween. I had so much fun doing this. As aggravating as this pandemic has been, I’m grateful that I finally had the time to have a Halloween Extravaganza like I always wanted. I’m well aware that Halloween is over and done, and I’m sorry this post is so late! However, I promised I’d give y’all all four weeks of movie, and I always keep my promises. So without further ado, here’s the last week of horror flicks!

Day 25: Predator

Predator tells the story of Major Alan “Dutch” Schafer (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and his extraction team, who are pretty much duped into taking a mission to rescue a foreign cabinet minister. Not long after the team is dropped into the jungle, they soon learn the assignment was a bunch of BS, but they have even bigger problems. The team seems to be hunted by some type of chameleon-like creature, and as tough as the soldiers are, the creature is undeniably stronger and harder to kill.

What’s not to love about Predator? It’s chock full of action, has a villain that comes from the stuff of nightmares, and it has Arnold with all his one liners! Predator is yet another film on this list that I’ve loved since childhood and still enjoy as a grown woman. Seriously, I know a lot of the dialog by heart, including some of the lines that are in Spanish. And I don’t know about y’all, but every time I see how Mac’s (Bill Duke) monologue after losing his best friend (Jesse Ventura), my heart breaks for him. If you haven’t seen Predator yet—which quite frankly, would astound me—please go watch it.

Day 26: The Faculty

In The Faculty, a small town in Ohio suffers an alien invasion, but these intruders decide to takeover a la The Puppet Masters and quietly assume the bodies of the local high school faculty. After the faculty succeeds in infecting nearly the entire student body, a small handful of social outcasts band together to take them out. Can the only humans left stop the aliens before they takeover the town and soon after, the world?

I was 16 or 17 when The Faculty was released (yes, I know I’m old), and I remember a lot of the movie critics trashing it. I finally got to watch the movie after I graduated high school and I ended up loving it. I never understood why The Faculty got so much flack. I’ll admit, the graphics haven’t held up that well over the years and some of the dialog can be a bit…meh. Not only that, but even as a teenager I felt like all the fighting the kids did during the “drug test” scene was unnecessary. I mean, aliens are taking over the school and you only way you can prove you’re still human is to inhale some wannabe white pony. Go ahead and snort that bootleg cocaine! Hmm…that didn’t sound right.

Nonetheless, I still enjoyed the film. It has a lot of horrific moments that still make me cringe (see the scene I posted), and there’s funny moments that crack me up. Also, the plot and characters were always engaging to me. I guess I could see myself in just about every kid in the group at that time. I was misunderstood, like Stokely. I wanted to be something more, like Stan. I was considered the school nerd, like Casey. I was an awkward country girl, like Mary-Beth. I didn’t go through the same exact things these characters went through while I was in high school (thank God no one ever smashed my junk into the flagpole), but I had little bits and pieces of all of them. It’s a definite recommend to all you teenagers out there, or the old heads like me, who were teenagers when this movie was released.

Day 27: Train to Busan

Train to Busan is about a zombie apocalypse that descends upon South Korea with so much stealth and devastating effect, it made COVID-19 say, “DAMN!!” When the plague takes place, a young businessman and his daughter are on their way to Busan via train to visit the child’s mother. However, an infected woman manages to board the train, and once she infects one of the crew members, all hell breaks loose. Now this gentleman, his little girl, and the handful of passengers that are still human must fight to survive this plague that seems to get worse with each passing second.

When I watched Jeremy Jahns’s (who had his own Halloween Extravaganza this year) review for this film, I knew I had to see it. Not only did it fit right in with my 31 Days of Halloween, but Jeremy gave it an “Awesometacular” rating, so I knew it had to be great. As usual, Jeremy’s review was 100% accurate. Train to Busan was an excellent film, and this movie along with Parasite and Snowpiercer proves that Korea kills it when it comes to making films. The scenes with the zombies are heart-stopping, there’s dramatic parts that will have you nearly bawling your eyes out, and the character development is top notch. The main protagonist has a complete shift in character midway through the movie, and it’s completely believable. There’s also an antagonist that’s evil personified, and he’s not even one of the damn zombies. At least the zombies couldn’t really help wreaking all the havoc they caused. This dude was in his right mind doing dirt. I kid y’all not; I was begging for this asshole to get killed. However, that just proves that the actor effectively did his job and his character was well written. I enjoyed the hell out of this movie. Dare I say it was the best one out of the entire Extravaganza. Check it out if you haven’t already.

Day 28: Night of the Living Dead (1968)

In Night of the Living Dead, siblings Johnny and Barbra encounter a strange man while visiting their father’s grave. It turns out the man is a zombie, and after the undead gentleman kills Johnny, Barbra seeks refuge in an abandoned farmhouse. Barbra is later joined by Ben (Duane Jones), a young couple, and a family with an injured daughter. As the number of zombies increase and threaten to invade the house, the humans hunker down and try to fight them off by any means necessary. Can they survive the night of the living dead?

***SPOILER ALERT!!!*** THIS REVIEW WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS, SO YOU YOUNG BUCKS THAT HAVEN’T SEEN THIS FILM YET MAY WANT TO STOP READING RIGHT ABOUT NOW.

Night of the Living Dead is a classic for many reasons. First off, it reinvigorated the zombie movie genre. Secondly, it was one of the few films in the ’60s that featured an African-American leading man. Night of the Living Dead is so beloved it was added to the Library of Congress in 1999. That’s not to say the film doesn’t have its flaws, because it does. The acting isn’t exactly up to par. Duane Jones is the best actor in Night of the Living Dead, hands down. In this respect, Night of the Living Dead is somewhat similar to another horror/sci fi classic film, Cube. Cube was another film that featured subpar acting, but the the plot was so alluring that most viewers are willing to ignore it.

There’s also some technical errors in the film. I saw some editing mishaps and there’s one particular scene that takes place in the dead of night, but when the movie cuts to a wide shot, it’s clearly dusk. In the next shot, it’s pitch black again. I can let all that go, considering Night of the Living Dead is an independent film. I never cared for the tragic ending, though (while doing my research, I learned Duane Jones actually fought against a happier ending. Booooooo!). It doesn’t take away from the film, but I hate to see poor Ben survive the movie just to be mistaken as a zombie and get shot down. I remember watching this movie as a kid. The zombies and “gore” scared the hell out of me, but seeing Ben killed really freaked me out. I was used to seeing the hero get out alive, but that wasn’t the case this time. In spite of all this, Night of the Living Dead is still an enjoyable film. It may not scare me like it did when I was 8 or 9, but I still have a great time watching it.

Day 29: Tales from the Hood

Tales from the Hood features a mortician (Clarence Williams III) regaling four horror stories to a group of thugs in his funeral parlor. Each story is more terrifying than the next, all with frightening conclusions. It turns out the conclusion in store for the mortician and the hoodlums is the most horrifying of all!

Tales from the Hood never gets old for me. There’s some stories I love more than others (my favorites have to be “KKK Comeuppance” with Corbin Bernsen and “Boys Do Get Bruised” with Brandon Adams), but every last one of them were extremely well done. Plus, I love how each story deals with issues affecting the black community, whether it’s police corruption/brutality, racism, child abuse or black on black crime. Not only that, but the movie is creepy and funny as hell at the same time. Just like with so many of the films in the Extravaganza, there’s a ton of lines from this film I quote at random. Like They Live, Tales from the Hood doesn’t get the credit it deserves. It’s definitely an underrated horror classic.

Day 30: His House

His House is about a married refugee couple from war torn Sudan, trying to make a life in England after being granted asylum. Despite the couple’s best efforts, their attempts to make a fresh start are thwarted by bigotry from the government as well as the neighbors (even some of the black residents) and an evil spirit that’s taken over their house. It turns out the apparition is an apeth, or a night witch, that’s owed a debt…and it won’t rest until that debt is repaid.

His House is more than just a horror film. Like Tales from the Hood, it speaks on social issues, but the tone in His House is a lot more serious whereas Tales from the Hood had a comedic tone blended in with the horror. I found myself being more pissed off from this film than creeped out. This couple is given a decent sized, yet roach infested home with crumbing walls that’s smack dab in the middle of the ghetto (and on top of everything else, it’s haunted), and the British government expects them to be grateful for it. Whenever issues regarding the house are addressed, the immigration people write them off with, “But your house is bigger than mine!” Seriously? What good is a big house if it’s falling apart? Don’t get me wrong, the creepy parts are creepy and the apeth is something out of your worst nightmare, but the social commentary is what really makes your blood boil. His House is a really deep film that can be viewed for Halloween or any occasion.

Day 31: Halloween

Y’all know I had to end my Halloween Extravaganza with the original Halloween, didn’t you? On Halloween 1963, in Haddonfield, IL, six year old Michael Myers hacks his older sister to death with a chef’s knife. After being institutionalized for the next 15 years, Michael escapes the asylum and goes looking for his younger sister, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis). However, he decides to go on a little murder spree along the way. Now it’s up to psychiatrist Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence) to stop Michael before he can hurt Laurie or anyone else.

***SPOILER ALERT!!!*** IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN THIS MOVIE YET…I REALLY DON’T KNOW WHAT TO TELL YOU. DON’T READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW, AND GO WATCH IT!

Halloween is great. Not only did it bring Michael Myers into the pop culture lexicon and turn Jamie Lee Curtis into a superstar, but it revitalized slasher films. A lot of the elements in the film have become common horror film tropes (i.e.: the seemingly indestructible killer, oversexed teens getting killed while the virginal good girl lives, etc.), but Halloween is the film that innovated those very tropes and caused them to be so coveted. Not only that, but the final showdown between Michael and Laurie is iconic. On a side note, am I the only person who notices that Laurie repeats the phrase “Do as I say” to her loved ones in every Halloween installment she’s in? Check it out if you don’t believe me.

Halloween is so revered that it was added to the Library of Congress in 2006. However, like Night of the Living Dead—another Library of Congress recipient—it’s not without flaws. The film addresses the fact that someone had to teach Michael to drive in order for him to escape the facility, but who did it? More importantly, who would be that stupid (whoever did it needs to be pimp slapped!)? I noticed during this rewatch that no one even mentions that Laurie is Michael’s sister (I learned that it was later revealed in Halloween II). So how does Michael even know what Laurie looks like? It’s been 15 years, and she was an infant when Michael was sent to the asylum. In spite of all that, the movie is still enjoyable, and a great finale for my 31 days of Halloween. *Mic drop*

Bonus Films and Videos:

This Halloween, I couldn’t just end the holiday at the 31 films. I had to watch a few extra!

A Quiet Place

A Quiet Place has creepy, indestructible, murderous aliens that react to any type of loud noise and never-ending tension throughout the movie. What more could you ask for? Plus, you have to give props to a film that only contains less than 10 min. of audible dialog!

Poltergeist (1982)

Despite the fact that Poltergeist is only a year younger than I am, it’s still hella scary! I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again, you can’t go wrong with practical effects!

The Weeknd – Too Late

I’m sure you guys are wondering why the hell a video from The Weeknd is listed as a bonus vid for the Extravaganza. Check it out, and you’ll find out exactly why. The song is everything, but the video gives me the heebie jeebies.

Michael Jackson – Thriller

What’s Halloween without “Thriller,” y’all? If you’ve spent the last few years on Mars and haven’t seen this classic music video yet, please watch it.

I hope y’all enjoyed my Halloween Extravaganza! It was so much fun. Again, I apologize for this post being so late. Enjoy the Turkey Season, y’all! 🦃🍗

—Written by Nadiya

So which movies in the Halloween Extravaganza did you like? Which ones did you not like? Were there any you’d like to see added to the list? Let me know in the comments section!