31 Days of Horror 2016, Day 15: Child’s Play (1988)

“The only person that I let in on the fact that I was still alive was a six-year-old kid. I'm gonna be six years old again. Well, John, it's been fun, but I gotta go. I have a date with six-year-old boy... and you have a date with death.”
-Chucky

Directed by: Tom Holland (No, not the only currently playing Spider-Man)

Starring: Catherine Hicks, Chris Sarandon, Alex Vincent

Trailer/Video: Seems like the trailer is trying to hide that the doll is the killer, but due to how ingrained Chucky is in pop-culture now, it's not much of a twist anymore.

The premise: A single mother buys her son a much-desired doll for his birthday. However, after the death of her best friend, and strange behavior of her son, it’s soon apparent that there’s more to the doll than it seems.

My Familiarity With the Movie: Not sure where I first heard of it. I guess everything I know about it came through pop-culture osmosis.

31 Days of Horror 2016, Day 14: Perfect Blue (1998)

“Are you all right? We’re going back to Mima’s Room.”
-Rumi

Directed by: Satoshi Kon

Starring: Junko Iwao, Rica Matsumoto, Shinpachi Tsuji, Masaaki Ōkura

Trailer/Video: Kinda downplays the horror aspect, makes it look more like a drama film.

The premise: Mima Kirigoe, singer in a pop band called CHAM! (no, not these guys), quits the group to persue an acting career...only to find herself having to deal with a stalker...or does she?

My Familiarity With the Movie: My DVD of The Castle of Cagliostro had a montage of trailers for other movies released by Manga Entertainment, and Perfect Blue was one of them. Never really had much of an interest in watching it until I started this project.

31 Days of Horror 2016, Day 13: It Follows (2014)

“It could look like someone you know or it could be a stranger in a crowd. Whatever helps it get close to you.”
-”Hugh”

Directed by: David Robert Mitchell

Starring: Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Daniel Zovatto, Jake Weary, Olivia Luccardi, Lili Sepe

Trailer/Video: Here

The premise: After having sex with her boyfriend, a young woman finds herself pursued by some supernatural being that intends on killing her.

My Familiarity With the Movie: Heard my brother talking about it after he watched it.

31 Days of Horror 2016, Day 12 : Jaws (1975)

“You’re gonna need a bigger boat.”
-Chief Martin Brody

Directed by: Steven Spielberg

Starring: Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, Robert Shaw, Lorraine Gary, Murray Hamilton,

Trailer/Video: "See it...before you go swimming."

The premise: A maneating Great White Shark is terrorizing the beaches of the small town of Amity, and Police Chief Brody is doing what he can to deal with it.

My Familiarity With the Movie: C’mon, who HASN’T heard of “Jaws”? I’ve seen countless parodies and homages, and even went on the ride at Universal Studios.

31 Days of Horror 2016, Day 11: Suspiria (1977)

“Bad luck isn't brought by broken mirrors, but by broken minds.”
-Dr. Frank Mandel

Directed by: Dario Argento

Starring: Jessica Harper, Stefania Casini, Flavio Bucci, Miguel Bosé, Alida Valli, Joan Bennett, Barbara Magnolfi

Trailer/Video: Okay, the trailer is pretty hokey. The movie isn't.

The premise: Suzy Bannion, an American ballet student, has arrived in Germany to attend a prestigious dance school. As she arrives there that night, see catches a fellow student fleeing the building. Said student is killed that night, and that’s just the start of Suzy’s problems.

My Familiarity With the Movie: Caught it on a list of “scariest horror films” years back.

31 Days of Horror 2016, Day 10: (The Fall of the) House of Usher (1960)

“Mr. Winthrop, three-quarters of my family have fallen into madness, and in their madness have acquired a, a superhuman strength... so that it took the power of many to subdue them.”
-Rodrick Usher

Directed by: Roger Corman

Starring: Vincent Price, Mark Damon, Myrna Fahey, Harry Ellerbe

Trailer/Video: Very spoilery, but you gotta love how Price's name shows up three times. They knew why people were gonna see this.

The premise: Philip Winthrop travels to the House of Usher to meet his fiancee, only to find that she is bedridden, and her brother eagerly wishes for her to stay in the house...

My Familiarity With the Movie: First heard of the novel thanks to a Something Awful Photoshop Phriday (c'mon, that's hilarious), and discovered that Corman directed a film adaptation starring Vincent Price around the time I watched “The Masque of the Red Death”. I’m a big fan of both Roger Corman and Vincent Price (especially Price), and I’ve got nothing against Poe, so I had to watch it.

31 Days of Horror 2016, Day 9: The Midnight Meat Train (2008)

“I have a train to catch.”
-Leon Kauffman

Directed by: Ryuhei Kitamura...wait, the same Ryuhei Kitamura that directed the 2014 Lupin the Third movie? Huh.

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Leslie Bibb, Brooke Shields, Roger Bart, Ted Raimi, Vinnie Jones

Trailer/Video: Considering how badly the studio screwed the advertising, I'm surprised it got a trailer at all!

The premise: A photographer goes to investigate a serial killer known as the “Subway Butcher”, and finds more than he bargained for.

My Familiarity With the Movie: I seem to remember seeing some ads for it online in the summer of 2008.