Movie Mag | Special Issue | 31 Nights of Halloween 2023 #2

MOVIE MAG SPECIAL ISSUE | HALLOWEEN #2 OCTOBER 2023

SLEEPY HOLLOW | PARAMOUNT PICTURES

Table of Contents Introduction!

31 Nights of Halloween Schedule!

31 Nights of Halloween 11-17!

31 Nights of Halloween Ranked!

31 Nights of Halloween!

Welcome to this special issue of Movie Mag where we continue our countdown to Halloween and do a watch a day in honor of Spooky Season!

This issue highlights seven more days of our 31 Nights of Halloween marathon which included The Blair Witch Project, Sleepy Hollow, Friday the 13th, The Burning, Rosemary’s Baby, Zodiac, and The Nightmare Before Christmas!

Read quick recaps of what we thought of each movie as we watch them!

At the end we keep our running rankings of the entire marathon and how it changes each and every week!

We hope you enjoy this special issue for Spooky Season 2023 and we look forward to bringing you more movie content every month!

“nice work, bone daddy.”

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

ZODIAC | PARAMOUNT PICTURES

31 Nights of Halloween 10/1 10/2 10/3 10/4 10/5 10/6 10/7 10/8 10/9 10/10 10/11 10/12 10/13 10/14 10/15 10/16 10/17 10/18 10/19 10/20 10/21 10/22 10/23 10/24 10/25 10/26 10/27 10/28 10/29 10/30 10/31

poltergeist american psycho the exorcist crimson peak ginger snaps the addams family a nightmare on elm street suspiria the house that jack built the shining the blair witch project sleepy hollow friday the 13th the burning rosemary’s baby zodiac the nightmare before christmas casper hocus pocus beetlejuice scream the wolfman se7en evil dead rise the amityville horror trick ‘r treat it’s the great pumpkin, charlie brown psycho the silence of the lambs a clockwork orange halloween

The Blair Witch Project Release Date | July 30, 1999 Director | D. Myrick & E. Sánchez Distributor | Artisan Entertainment Budget | $60 Thousand

THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT | ARTISAN ENTERTAINMENT

Found Footage fall Short Once Again By: Wil Brienza This was my first watch of The Blair Witch Project and it to me felt like a waste of time. I watched this with a couple of buddies that felt the same way. This movie is described as the epitome of found footage and Hell House LLC is leaps and bounds better than this. I was never at any point scared of this film, and was actually very annoyed with some of it.

The end was very rushed and left you thinking what the hell did I just watch, but not in a good way. I was super disappointed with this, due to the expectations being set pretty high and for me it was just meh. I will also note that found footage is far from my favorite genre of horror and this just backed that up even more for me. My favorite scene from The Blair Witch Project is when Heather finds Josh’s bloody teeth and gums wrapped up in his shirt after hearing him scream the night before, this was definitely the most redeeming scene in this film for me that ultimately fell short.

The Blair Witch Project... I Get the Buzz By: Kory King I watched The Blair Witch Project as a film I saw once when I was a kid by accident. I was at my mom’s house between the ages of 5-10 when I came out of my sister’s room and saw the scariest thing I had ever seen at that age. My sisters and mother were wincing in fear and discussing how uncomfortable they were, and I thought it was real found footage.

I didn’t know what was happening, but I remember being terrified of the thought that I could get lost in the wilderness.

15 years later I still share a similar fear. It’s much less fear of the movie, but the fear of the reality that some people go through. What made me most uncomfortable wasn’t the horror elements and the unsettling moments of being stalked.

It was the very realistic arguments the young adults were having at each other that mirror real life all too well. I had a good time with this movie but definitely wait for the perfect night.

Wil | 5/10 Kory | 8/10 THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT | ARTISAN ENTERTAINMENT

Sleepy Hollow Release Date | November 19, 1999 Director | Tim Burton Distributor | Paramount Pictures Budget | $100 Million

SLEEPY HOLLOW | PARAMOUNT PICTURES

Seasonal Vibe with Little to No Flaws By: Wil Brienza Sleepy Hollow is an October staple and is my favorite Tim Burton movie to date! I love every aspect of this movie. The aesthetic is immaculate, the vibes are unmatched, the cast is loaded and led by my favorite actor, Johnny Depp. It is truly hard to find flaws in this movie. It is in my opinion the perfect adaptation of the classic Headless Horseman tale.

My favorite scene from Sleepy Hollow is when Ichabod Crane discovers that the tree bleeds which leads him to hack at it with a saw accompanied with blood splatters until he discovers where all the heads have been hidden. This then leads to the Headless Horseman bursting out of the tree on his horse and it just gives you chills. It is a scene that is up their for all-time favorite scenes. Now please watch this movie before the month concludes if you haven’t done so.

I Finally Got to See Sleepy Hollow and It Did Not Disappoint By: Kory King Sleepy Hollow has been HEAVILY on my list the past year since I met Wil, so when I saw Sleepy Hollow on our 31 Nights of Halloween marathon, I was ecstatic. I really gave Sleepy Hollow the benefit of having my undivided attention and proper setting. I got to watch this film in my dark wooden attic/studio at nighttime with a great meal, and a bottle of wine. I knew nothing about Tim Burton’s version of this tale, so I sent Wil a text every 10 minutes saying, “You didn’t tell me ___ was in this!?” there is perfectly star-studded cast with iconic actors that are underrated (eg. Michael Gambon, Ian McDermid, Michael Goh, Christina Ricci…etc.) Obviously, this film was destined to be a reoccurring Halloween watch-through, and I absolutely can’t wait to see this film yearly every October. Burton is the man for creating such an iconic tone for this film.

Wil | 10/10 Kory | 8/10 SLEEPY HOLLOW | PARAMOUNT PICTURES

Friday the 13th Release Date | May 9, 1980 Director | Sean S. Cunningham Distributor | Paramount Pictures Budget | $550 Thousand

FRIDAY THE 13TH | PARAMOUNT PICTURES

The Unusual Case of the First Not Being the Best By: Wil Brienza This is a nostalgic watch for me, due to this film being one of the first horror movies I owned after getting it for Christmas in 2007 when I put “scary movies” on my list. At the end of the day though Friday the 13th is solid at best. It is obvious the acting isn’t great, but we look past that. This movie just gets worse the more you watch it due to future installments that just outshine it. The kills aren’t very exciting, and the killer is even less exciting. I still enjoy this movie enough to watch it, but for me this is the perfect example I use when the topic of franchises where the best movie isn’t the first and if you want me to be honest out of the 12 movies in this franchise this just barely cracks my top five. It might be that Christmas memory that boosts it into that top five status. My favorite scene from Friday the 13th is when the biggest name in this movie (Kevin Bacon) meets his end after a fun little rendezvous in the cabin. He decides to light a little post-sex cig and is then speared through the neck which leads to his unfortunate death. The sad part is he didn’t even go out on top (bottom joke). All jokes aside, this movie is still a must watch movie for anyone that calls themself a horror fan, but for the casual person, they will find a lot of flaws in this one.

Yikes... Not a Fan By: Kory King The horror franchise classic Friday the 13th is a movie I have had on my franchise list for a while. After watching all the Halloween, Scream, and A Nightmare on Elm Street movies I figured the next horror milestone was Friday the 13th. I knew this marathon was coming so I staved off watching the first film until this October. I couldn’t have asked for a cooler way to watch this for the first time. A tube TV with a VCR player, on an October night, in Wil’s garage, with a group of buddies. I have to say the watch was as fun as it could be even though the movie isn’t very great. I didn’t have near as much fun with Friday the 13th as the other horror franchises. I maybe would have enjoyed the film more if I hadn’t known the twist about the killer. Still, I would argue it is a very base level 80’s slasher that lacks innovation.

Luckily having 8-10 hilarious friends can make a bad movie a great watch experience.

Wil | 7/10

FRIDAY THE 13TH | PARAMOUNT PICTURES

Kory | 6/10

The Burning Release Date | May 8, 1981 Director | Tony Maylam Distributor | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Budget | $2 Million

THE BURNING | METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER

Better Slasher than the Original Friday the 13th By: Wil Brienza I had a basic idea of The Burning before watching it for the first time and it was hyped by a buddy of mine and it was deserving of that hype. Shoutout Dustin for the recommendation on this one a little while back. I finally got to it and has a lot of fun with this watch. I didn’t realize the cast was as recognizable as it was with Jason Alexander, Brian Backer, and Fisher Stevens all playing roles in this one and well at that. When it comes to campy slashers set at camp itself, you get a lot of bad movies, but this is right up there with Sleepaway Camp and the best the Friday the 13th franchise has to offer as well. I would even go as far as saying this is a much better movie than the original Friday the 13th when you can read about on the last page. My favorite scene from The Burning is when a few of the campers take a handmade raft out to find the canoes and upon discovering a canoe the whole group is ambushed by Cropsey and this scene is highlighted with the chopping off of Woodstock’s fingers (pictured below). This scene is insane and catches you off guard. This is a fun 80's slasher that probably deserves a lot more love and acknowledgement.

Didn’t We Just Go Through This?

By: Kory King The Burning is a film that I hadn’t even heard of until now. I wanted to go into the film with zero clue what to expect and I have to say, this might be the best version of a camp slasher. There’s a lot of similarities between The Burning and Friday the 13th, but I can happily say it’s a vast improvement compared to Friday the 13th. There were a few surprise actors that I had no clue were in this film, and a couple surprisingly good sequences in this film. I watched this film mostly while I was home alone and finished it at Wil’s house and we both stayed pretty engaged for the entire runtime of the movie. Something about this run of the mill camp slasher puts it a cut above all the rest and I wouldn’t mind doing a rewatch or two.

Side note: I could not believe the lack of burning in a movie called The Burning.

Wil | 8/10

THE BURNING | METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER

Kory | 8/10

Rosemary’s Baby Release Date | June 12, 1968 Director | Roman Polanski Distributor | Paramount Pictures Budget | $2 Million

ROSEMARY’S BABY | PARAMOUNT PICTURES

A Dreadfully Slow Start is Worth it in the End By: Wil Brienza Boy does the third act save this movie. The first and second act are not bad cinema by any means, but man does it feel like a whole season of a 60's sitcom in one sitting. It just seems like a lot, but the concept of this movie is very intriguing. Although the director sucks, this movie was shot very well. It is very appealing to the eyes and that also helps the slow start. I wish at the end we got to see what the baby looked like, but that is kind of funny that you never see the baby in Rosemary’s Baby. My favorite scene from Rosemary’s Baby is the final scene. This entire scene has the most eerie feeling of the entire movie and you are almost waiting for more to happen given the circumstances that you are chewing your nails, watching it. This was my first and will probably my last watch for a while on this film.

Rosemary’s Baby on a Rewatch By: Kory King Watching Rosemary’s Baby was a bit of an unexpected slog on a less than desirable watch setting. Maybe it was our fault, but Wil and I invited some friends over to watch some of the Halloween films in anticipation for the latest episode of Fast Times with Willy B. The only problem is we had to finish Rosemary’s Baby before we could move onto Rob Zombie’s Halloween films. Due to anticipation to jump to the Halloween movies we had a bit of a rough ride through Rosemary’s Baby. The first and second act were a lot longer than I remembered and I didn’t get to focus properly on the movie through this rewatch. My first experience with Rosemary’s Baby was last year around Christmas when I was on a date with a girl who claimed this was her favorite film. Eight 0’clock on a dark snowy night while being on a first date can very easily trick you into enjoying any film more than you normally would. All in all I like the movie quite a bit still, but the movie has a rougher outlook than before.

Wil | 7/10 Kory | 8/10 ROSEMARY’S BABY | PARAMOUNT PICTURES

Zodiac Release Date | March 2, 2007 Director | David Fincher Distributor | Paramount Pictures Budget | $85 Million

ZODIAC | PARAMOUNT PICTURES

Another Fincher Film, Another Masterpiece By: Wil Brienza Anyone that knows me knows that David Fincher is one of my favorite directors. He doesn’t make bad movies and more often than not he makes a masterpiece and Zodiac is another example of that. My first time watching this film was the night that they “supposedly” found the Zodiac killer all these years later. That was a super odd coincident as I started the movie before that news broke. It just gets better with every rewatch. Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, and Robert Downy Jr. truly show off their talents in this film, and you are convinced by the end of it that Arthur Leigh Allen is the killer (my pick with or without the movie’s persuasion). Fincher did an incredible job in making a crime thriller as scary as it could possibly be. My favorite scene from Zodiac is when Graysmith who is played by Gyllenhaal goes into the store that Arthur Leigh Allen works and his one look tells him that he was the guy all along. This is a scene with very little dialogue but is still so powerful. This is a top tier crime thriller and another masterpiece from David Fincher.

Zodiac is Still Just Awesome By: Kory King The first time I watched Zodiac I think I was the closest I had ever been to being an incel. In the year 2020, I was living an unhealthy life but man I was making the most out of having nothing to do. I was fresh out of college thanks to the pandemic, and I decided to turn my basement wall into a home theater. I stacked my moving tubs on top of each other and placed my projector and speakers on top. It was a dark basement (who the hell knew time during those times) on a rainy night, and I watched Zodiac nearly in the mindset of the killer himself. Three years later I barely remembered anything in this film, and I had a fantastic watch experience. Wil left for vacation at 8:00am and I watched half of Zodiac before he left for vacation, and the other half after he left. I wish I had watched it in the nighttime, but Fincher is so great at creating an atmosphere, that it made no difference. This might definitively be my favorite Fincher film after this rewatch.

Wil | 9/10 Kory | 9/10 ZODIAC | PARAMOUNT PICTURES

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Release Date | October 13, 1993 Director | Henry Selick

Distributor | Walt Disney Pictures Budget | $24 Million

THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS | WALT DISNEY PICTURES

A Childhood Favorite Stands the Test of Time By: Wil Brienza What’s this? What’s this? A phenomenal film! Growing up, The Nightmare Before Christmas was a staple of my childhood. My sister and I idolized this movie to the point where it was Halloween, Christmas, or Cinco de Mayo and we were watching this movie. It just stands the test of time! Turning 30 years old on October 13th, and now as a 24-yearold, this movie is still an incredible watch every single time. With a runtime of of 77 minutes it is a very well paced quick watch, with a great story and a soundtrack that is very easy to sing along to and it just all adds up to a very rewatchable film. I can’t imagine the day where I am no longer a fan of this movie. My favorite scene from The Nightmare Before Christmas is when Jack Skellington is truly trying to discover the meaning behind Christmas and you see him reading books and testing theories and my favorite part is him creating an equation that includes Chestnuts over Open Fire as a part of the equation to Christmas. It is little things like this that continue to make this movie stand the test of time.

The Nightmare Before Christmas Deserves the Hype... Still!

By: Kory King I don’t think I’m saying anything too spicy here, when I say this might be the best Claymation film of all time. My sisters were massive fans when I was a kid, but I didn’t care too much about this film. It was about on the same level of Coraline where I thought it was a stupid movie because it didn’t involve anyone being punched or making jokes. But last year I got a sudden obsession with all the Claymated films that revolve around the Halloween season or the horror genre. Coraline was the start to this trend, but The Nightmare Before Christmas was the ultimate goal, and the most iconic/ideal rewatch. I watched The Nightmare Before Christmas on the couch while house sitting with Wil’s dogs, Loki and Norman, on the first night and had a blast eating Chinese food while watching Jack the Pumpkin King enter a world of self-discovery. Henry Selick almost never missis and this is a hit for me every Halloween and Christmas.

Wil | 9/10

THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS | WALT DISNEY PICTURES

Kory | 9/10

l i W

Marathon

#1 american psycho #2 a nightmare on elm street #3 sleepy hollow #4 the shining #5 zodiac #6 the exorcist #7 the nightmare before christmas #8 the burning #9 the house that jack built #10 crimson peak #11 ginger snaps #12 suspiria #13 poltergeist #14 friday the 13th #15 rosemary’s baby #16 the Addams family #17 the blair witch project

Rankings!

Ko

#1 zodiac #2 suspiria #3 the nightmare before christmas #4 a nightmare on elm street #5 sleepy hollow #6 the shining #7 american psycho #8 the burning #9 crimson peak #10 rosemary’s baby #11 the blair witch project #12 the house that jack built #13 the exorcist #14 the addams family #15 poltergeist #16 friday the 13th #17 ginger snaps

ry

FRIDAY THE 13TH | PARAMOUNT PICTURES