BEAST FROM HAUNTED CAVE, GIANT GILA MONSTER, and KILLER SHREWS (1959)

THE BEAST FROM HAUNTED CAVE (1959) d. Monte Hellman
THE GIANT GILA MONSTER (1959) d. Ray Kellogg
THE KILLER SHREWS (1959) d. Ray Kellogg

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The good folks at Film Masters have taken it upon themselves to rescue oodles of public domain titles, some of which they've even gone through the time and effort to give the stand-up, high-def presentations these orphaned films deserve. Or do they?

I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE (1978) TURNS 45!!!

I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE (1978) d. Meir Zarchi
I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE (2010) d. Stephen R. Monroe
I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE 2 (2013) d. Stephen R. Monroe
I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE: VENGEANCE IS MINE (2015) d. Richard Schenkman
I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE: DEJA VU (2019) d. Meir Zarchi
GROWING UP WITH I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE (2019) (documentary) d. Terry Zarchi

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I was a relatively inexperienced viewer when I first encountered the original 1978 I Spit on Your Grave. As a result, while I understood that the terrible situation that our main character Jennifer Hills (played by Camille Keaton) was in, the execution of the story itself couldn’t get past the filter of my Hollywood-honed sensibilities, with its rough edges and middling makeup effects keeping me at a distance.

GODZILLA VS. MEGALON (1973) 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION!!!

GODZILLA VS. MEGALON (1973) d. Jun Fukuda (Japan) (81 min)

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A far cry from the anti-nuke statement that spawned the large lizard’s origins, this entry (#13) serves up twice the monster mashing and half the “plot” of other installments. Throwing caution and physics to the winds, this installment features the underwater race of Seatopians who, ticked off by another round of nuclear testing, unleash the giant beetle-looking monster Megalon to destroy Tokyo. In response, the Ultraman-inspired Jet Jaguar robot enlists the help of Godzilla, whereupon the Seatopians bring back Gigan from outer space, and the remainder of the movie is an oversized wrestling match for the ages.

SCARE-A-THON 2023 FINAL RESULTS!!!

And that, my mutual minions of mischief and mayhem, brings us to the end of Scare-A-Thon 2023 and yet another OCTOBER HORROR MOVIE CHALLENGE!

As always, the Challenge itself is to watch (at least) one fright flick for each of those glorious 31 days that make up the month of October, 16 of which must be first time viewings. I am happy to report that goal has been handily accomplished, with all of the official Scare-A-Thon titles being FTVs. (Thanks, Shudder!)

Along the way, thanks to the generous hearts and minds of fans like you, over $7,571 has been raised for the WOMEN'S REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS ASSISTANCE PROJECT, with additional funds still coming in, making this the most successful Scare-A-Thon EVERRRRRRRR! (The fundraiser link will remain open for another two months, so if you would like to make a donation, there is still time!)

SCARE-A-THON 2023 FUNDRAISER LINK

Thanks to the 40 (!!) guests who showed up at all hours from across the globe to chat on the HORROR 101 with Dr. AC YouTube channel, as well as everyone who participated in some way, whether it be making a contribution, liking a Facebook post, watching or listening to a partner podcast, leaving a comment, suggesting a movie, or just chatting about what we were respectively watching this month.

Extra Special Thanks to Gert Verbeeck for his tireless efforts in creating all the fantastic YouTube thumbnails, as he has all year long for the H101 channel. Thanks for making us all look so good.

Below are the 33 "official" features viewed (with links to the online panels), as well as 14 additional horror titles viewed in October. Before we get to that, however, there is the usual assemblage of useless factoids to ponder while you're thinking ahead to next year's costume.

Have fun!

CHALLENGE STATS:
Total Movies Watched: 47
First Time Views: 36
Total Scare-A-Thon Donations: $7,571

SHARKNADO (2013) 10TH ANNIVERSARY Movie Review

SHARKNADO (2013) d. Anthony C. Ferrante (USA) (86 min)

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Every since Peter Benchley’s novel Jaws hit bookstands in 1974, followed by the enormous success of Steven Spielberg’s big screen adaptation, sharks have become the aquatic boogeymen of our nightmares. Their power and ferocity has been exploited time and time again onscreen, and just when you think they’ve exhausted their power to terrify, a new wave sweeps over the pop culture shore, and our fascination and fear is reawakened.

FREDDY VS. JASON (2003) 20TH ANNIVERSARY SMACKDOWN!!!

FREDDY VS. JASON (2003) d. Ronny Yu (USA)

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Since the closing shot of 1993’s Jason Goes to Hell, fans had been clamoring for this “Slash of the Titans.” A decade later, New Line Cinema answered their nightmares with a flick that is exactly the low-brow monster-mash masterpiece that the two screen legends deserve. Screenwriters Damian Shannon and Mark Swift concoct a storyline that builds upon history from the previous films (17 in all) and manages to generate a few new twists of its own, while director Ronny Yu directs with energy, verve, and a solid sense of humor.