HE RAN ALL THE WAY (1951) The first watch of #Noirvember is John Garfield's final film. He brought his signature intensity to the role of a desperate holdup man on the run from the police. Facing the blacklist by the time the film was released, Garfield died at age 39 the following year.

THE MIDNIGHT HOUR (1985) The ghouls come out on Halloween night! Made-for-TV horror has been a trend for me this month, so it seemed appropriate to end the 2025 #31DayHorrorChallenge with one of the most beloved examples of it. I enjoyed following what everyone was watching this month.

SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES (1983) #31DayHorrorChallenge Day 30 A demonic carnival arrives in an idyllic American town, and it is up to two boys to thwart the evil being done around them. If you love watching leaves blow around, this is the film for you. Only one more day left.

EVIL TOONS (1992) #31DayHorrorChallenge Day 28 1980s-style schlock about four sorority sisters unwittingly unleashing a demonic force in a cursed house. Directed by Fred Olen Ray, Evil Toons emphasizes sexiness more than scares. The haunted house vibes are there, though.

MACABRE (1958) #31DayHorrorChallenge Day 29 William Castle's noir-tinged horror thriller about a kidnapped child begins with the gimmick of the "fright clock". Dying of fright is probably the last thing that will happen to you. With movie fatigue setting in, I appreciated the 72-minute runtime.

INVITATION TO HELL (1984) #31DayHorrorChallenge Day 27 Everyone must join! Susan Lucci is the director of the local country club who just might have a connection to the netherworld. I appreciated the weirdness of this made-for-TV film. Directed by Wes Craven with Dean Cundey as DP.

SUMMER OF FEAR (1978) #31DayHorrorChallenge Day 22 I had a hard time choosing what to watch for this day. Ended up going with this entertaining TV film starring Linda Blair. The cattiness between her and the cousin works with the witchcraft angle of the story.

HANSEL AND GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS (2013) #31DayHorrorChallenge Day 25 The director of the Dead Snow films goes very Hollywood in this fantastical action adaptation of the Grimm fairy tale. While the look of the witches is creative and unsettling, the ending goes more than a little over-the-top.

SALEM'S LOT (1979) #31DayHorrorChallenge A first-time viewing on a blu-ray that has spent too long in my watch pile. The TV roots are evident in the style of the film, which I do not mind but could be a challenge for those accustomed to modern pacing. Those windows scenes are still effective.

DRACULA, PRISONER OF FRANKENSTEIN (1972) #31DayHorrorChallenge Day 23 Film #2 Dr. Frankenstein desires to take over the world, for which he resurrects Dracula to assist him? Jess Franco’s delirious low-budget version of the Universal monster mash films will have you wondering what is going on.

SCREAM AND SCREAM AGAIN (1970) #31DayHorrorChallenge Day 23 For a film advertised as starring big-time horror actors, they are not in the film much. Vincent Price's mad scientist does not have much of an impact on the plot until the conclusion. This is more of a deep cut than one to recommend.

SPELLCASTER (1988) #31DayHorrorChallenge Day 21 Was in the mood for some cheesy 1980s horror, and Spellcaster certainly fits that category. There sometimes is a semblance of a plot, but so much the film is arbitrary events that lead nowhere. The monster effects are good for the budget, however.

THE MEPHISTO WALTZ (1971) #31DayHorrorChallenge Day 19 With my original idea of The Manitou not working out, I went with this occult thriller from my collection. The Mephisto Waltz was shot in a 1970s television style but with racier content than what you would find on TV at the time.

FRIDAY THE 13TH (1980) #31DayHorrorChallenge Day 20 This weekend I went on a night tour of the Boy Scout camp (No-Be-Bo-Sco) in New Jersey where the film was shot in 1979. The film was shown in the camp's main lodge afterward. That famous jump scare was filmed in a very shallow part of the lake.

BELOW (2002) #31DayHorrorChallenge Day 18: Wet Ghosts Submarine gothic horror? Below is that besides also being a war film and a thriller. The script gets a little too convoluted, but there is a good atmosphere when the horror elements kick in. Questionable historical accuracy of course.

DEMON WITCH CHILD (1975) #31DayHorrorChallenge Day 17: Killer Kids #2 From the director of the Blind Dead films comes this blast of weirdness. A malevolent witch possesses the body of a teenage girl. Though partly an Exorcist rip-off, this film goes off into much wilder narrative territory.

VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED (1960) #31DayHorrorChallenge Day 17: Killer Kids Finally crossed this off of my watch list. It is a very British film. A group of strange blonde-haired children with extraordinary powers are born in a small English village. They do not take kindly to any threats to them.

POISON FOR THE FAIRIES (1986) #31DayHorrorChallenge Day 16 Believing does not always involve the truth. In this Mexican slow-burn, a little girl convinces a classmate that she possesses the powers of a witch. What begins as an innocent game grows into a more menacing situation.

#31DayHorrorChallenge Day 15: Morgue Mayhem Paul Naschy is the title character in HUNCHBACK OF THE MORGUE (1973). He is a man abused by the world who lashes out in murderous ways, but the film somehow keeps you sympathetic to him. Expect a lot of melodrama to be mixed into the horror.

THE FRIGHTENERS (1996) #31DayHorrorChallenge Dee Wallace's role is small but important in Peter Jackson's Hollywood debut. It is not until the conclusion that Jackson seemed to be allowed to unleash the craziness that got him noticed in the first place. Jeffrey Combs gets very weird.

DEADSTREAM (2022) Catching up for Day 12 with this tense and humorous Shudder release. Internet-based horror is generally not my thing, yet I did have a good time watching Deadstream. The viewer commentary on the stream was clever. #31DayHorrorChallenge

DR. JEKYLL AND THE WEREWOLF (1972) #31DayHorrorChallenge Day 13 It would not be October without a Paul Naschy film. (Category idea!) Here he returns as Waldemar Daninsky to play the werewolf and Mr. Hyde (scenes shot in London) in an unusual horror romp. The disc looks great.

CHOPPING MALL (1986) #31DayHorrorChallenge A first-time watch after many years of intending to see it, Chopping Mall is an entertaining blast of 1980s style. The action element is almost as prominent as the horror. With malls in decline, the film can inadvertently feel like a documentary.

THE RAVEN (1963) Back to the #31DayHorrorChallenge with Roger Corman. I think the Poe films are the best ones he ever made. (RED DEATH is the high point.) Though The Raven is not the most horror focused of them, it fits in with the style of the other Poe films. The cast is terrific and very funny.

PHONE (2002) #31DayHorrorChallenge Day 8 Returning to South Korea with a haunted phone call story that morphs into something completely unexpected by the conclusion. Though not coming together in a logical way, the film did take me on a wild ride. The child actress is genuinely creepy here.

[REC] 2 (2009) #31DayHorrorChallenge Day 6 [REC] was a pleasant surprise, so the sequel was a logical choice. I did not mind the straying from the found footage format. The explanation of the outbreak, though, pushed me out of the film a little. Definitely clichéd. I was still entertained.

NIGHT OF THE SKULL (1974) #31DayHorrorChallenge Day 7 A Spanish production revolving around the murder of a British aristocrat and the deadly inheritance race that follows. Typical of 1970s Eurohorror, the script does not always make sense. Director Jess Franco is far more restrained than usual.

GONJIAM: HAUNTED ASYLUM (2018) Sometimes the themes of the #31DayHorrorChallenge push me out of my comfort zone. Today's theme has seldom had much appeal to me. Partly for that reason, Gonjiam did not completely win me over, yet I did find parts of this South Korean found footage film effective.

SIGNS (2002) #31DayHorrorChallenge Day 4 A first-time watch of the cornfield classic and perhaps the first Shyamalan film I have seen in its entirety. I distinctly remember the hype around him at this time, though. Appreciated the subtle humor in the film as the dread mounts.

Day 1 #31DayHorrorChallenge #NOFSpodcast/halloween My earliest memory of watching a horror film is the 1985 anthology CAT'S EYE. I remember seeing it on television, perhaps on HBO, around 1987. Years later I recognized the first two segments in Stephen King's story collection Night Shift.

MIRROR, MIRROR (1990) Day 2: School Setting The Carrie influence is noticeable in this tale of a demonic mirror taking possession of an outcast. The style is very 1980s with the usual twenty-something actors playing the teenagers. #31DayHorrorChallenge #NOFSpodcast.com/halloween

THE SPELL (1977) #31DayHorrorChallenge Day 2: Set in a school A made-for-TV film about an adolescent girl who deals with personal issues at school and home by unleashing her telekinetic powers. The script was written before Carrie came out, but there undoubtedly are similarities with that film.

Finishing up Day 30 with a re-watch of BEYOND THE DARKNESS (1979), the remake of the film I watched earlier, The Third Eye. It is always a little bittersweet to sign off for the last time for #Junesploitation. Eleven months now to prepare for next year and still plenty of movies to watch.

A thank you to Patrick Bromley and the FThisMovie gang for another fun #Junesploitation. As always, it is a pleasure to participate and follow what all you were watching during the month. For the first time I reached 50 movies. These are what I watched from my collection. @fthismovie.bsky.social

Italian horror recommendations from the 1970s and '80s. #Junesploitation DEMONS (1985) DEATH SMILES ON A MURDERER (1973) A BAY OF BLOOD (1971) STAGEFRIGHT (1987)

Italian horror recommendations for Day 30 of #Junesploitation. Most are in the gothic style. KILL, BABY, KILL! (1966) CASTLE OF BLOOD (1964) NIGHTMARE CASTLE (1965) BLACK SABBATH (1963)

The final day of #Junesploitation begins with a rare first-time watch of Italian horror. THE THIRD EYE (1966) is a riff on a popular horror film of the period (no spoilers) with a strong melodramatic element. The film does push the envelope for the era and had a remake. @fthismovie.bsky.social

For the final watch of #Junesploitation Day 29, it is an Italian rip-off of First Blood. In THUNDER (1983), a Native American man- played by an Italian actor - of the same name gets nothing but abuse from the police and fights back. Fun in a low-budget and clunky way. @fthismovie.bsky.social

Catching up with #Junesploitation Cannon day with STREET SMART (1987). Christopher Reeve is a journalist who creates an article about a pimp from his imagination. Little does he know that a real-life pimp (Morgan Freeman) is about to enter his life. A polished film. @fthismovie.bsky.social

Film #2 for '80s action day of #Junesploitation is CERTAIN FURY (1985), a messy women-on-the-run story. After escaping a massacre, the women fight with each other and bond while evading the police and other enemies. The film mixes in a little sleaze with the action. @fthismovie.bsky.social

Gary Busey goes vigilante in EYE OF THE TIGER (1986) for #Junesploitation '80s action day. An extremely basic script, flat acting, flat direction, and overlong. But I still had a good time with the film because of how generic and ridiculous it is. You do hear the song. @fthismovie.bsky.social

‪ #JunesploItation Day 27: Free Went to the Mahoning Drive-In last night for the annual Schlock-O-Rama event. I stuck around for two of the features: THE SEVEN BROTHERS MEET DRACULA cut of the Hammer and Shaw Brothers 1974 co-production and DR. BLACK AND MR. HYDE (1976). ‪

The Vinegar Syndrome order arrived this week in time for #Junesploitation free day. Went with the surreal 1976 adult horror film THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS. A woman sees a demonic vision of her late father (Jamie Gillis) in an antique mirror. Beautifully shot, bizarre, and atmospheric.

Going to a show at a New York City night club for the final #Junesploitation free day in SATAN IN HIGH HEELS (1962). A woman gets a shot at becoming a singer yet resents the conditions she has to accept for the work. Slow-paced but with good performances. @fthismovie.bsky.social

More Eurosploitation recommendations for #Junesploitation PIECES (1982) CALVAIRE (2004) THE GRAPES OF DEATH (1978) MARTYRS (2008)

Some Eurosploitation recommendations for #Junesploitation Day 26. AMUCK! (1972) THE DEVIL'S WEDDING NIGHT (1973) CANNIBAL FEROX (1981) - Does contain animal violence HOUSE ON THE EDGE OF THE PARK (1980)

Film #2 of Eurosploitation day, Day 26 of #Junesploitation, stays in France with SINS OF THE FLESH (1974). A man from a wealthy family deals with financially being cut off from it by resorting to criminal schemes and getting deeper into his vices. Very soft-core. @fthismovie.bsky.social

Beginning #Junesploitation Eurosploitation day with the French crime thriller DEATH SQUAD (1985). A rogue cop and a gang of shotgun-wielding killers on motorcycles animate a convoluted plot about murder, prostitution, and drugs. Revels in sleaziness. @fthismovie.bsky.social

For the #Junesploitation Wings Hauser tribute, I went with MUTANT (1984). Wings is traveling with his younger brother on vacation when they get stuck in a Southern town where strange things are happening. It is watchable 1980s low-budget horror with some flaws. @fthismovie.bsky.social

Going old-school Hong Kong action with THE BOXER FROM SHANTUNG (1972) for #Junesploitation. Shaw Brothers' gangster saga set in early 20th-century Shanghai culminates in a bloody showdown between rival gangs stabbing and hacking each other up. This even has some wrestling. @fthismovie.bsky.social