Saturday, December 31, 2016

Top movies of 2016!

Top movies of 2016!
It's hard to believe that last year on New Year's Eve I got a Green Inferno tattoo, and spent the night watching John Carpenter movies. (Does Stacy know how to party or what?) 2016 certainly has been a year of years. Many people hated these past 12 months due to the turn out for the election, and the massive amount of deaths in the world of pop culture. I'm never one to truly blame a "year" for being horrible. I know some people who lost loved ones this year, or battled illness. Those are real reasons to hate a year. I hate the year 2009 because that's when I lost my mom. I know the year itself didn't do this, but if I had to name years I absolutely did not love, that one would most likely take the cake. Still, I do understand why many people didn't like this year and are more than happy to see it go. Still, bad things can happen anytime, even 2017. I believe it comes down to what you make the time out of. Not bitching and moaning over stupid things, but finding your own happiness and making the best of it. Trying not to sound too heavy here in a post about movies, but all these icons we lost this year hurt because they were a big part of our life's and affected us. I'll be the first to admit, when we lost Alan Rickman earlier last winer I was completely crushed. All I can say is 2017 will be good if we make it good. One thing that we can always look forward to is what movies we'll be seeing and take comfort by watching. Now in true Staystillreviews fashion, these movies aren't all new. (SHOCKING I KNOW!) These are just movies I either watched a lot this past year, or discovered for the first time. So here it is, my top movies of 2016!!!

The Hateful Eight
- I didn't catch The Hateful Eight until after the New Year. This hands down has to be my favorite Tarantino movie. I was raised on his movies and have loved every single one of them. This one was special. I can't really explain it, but my love of Tarantino movies and Westerns found the perfect mixture. Many have said it starts off slow, but I loved the pacing of this movie. With an all star cast, creepy setting, pacing like an old mystery novel, and one of the best pay offs I've seen in years, it wasn't any surprise that I needed to legit collect everything Hateful Eight related. 

Pee Wee's Big Holiday
- I adore the original Pee Wee's Big Adventure, so I was pretty pumped this spring when it was announced that another Pee Wee movie was becoming a movie on Netflix. I love Tim Burton's original. This was back when his movies were weird and wonderful. I remember owning the sequel Big Top but never really loving it as much as the first film. This sequel looked zany, and I loved that the guy from True Blood was pretty much becoming Pee Wee's BFF. My main reason for checking out this bad Larry was because it was announced the summer before that actor Damon Martin who played Chip the BMX teen in the original was coming out of retirement for a brief cameo. I'm a huge Damon fan, loved his brief career in the 1980's and 90's before he joined a band, then became a famous mural artist. Thanks to my friend Travis we have begun the art series based off his movies. Hey, if you wanna honor anyone, why not a teen star from the 80's? I had to stay glued to the screen but was able to spot Damon playing a police officer. This was his first movie since 1992 so it warmed my heart beyond belief. Also can we talk about that opening with the alien. God I loved that movie...

10 Cloverfield Lane
- The Beyonce' horror movie of the year. I saw Cloverfield when it first came out and really enjoyed it. When I found out there was going to be a sorta sequel I was instantly on board. Missing it when it was in theaters, I bought it as a blind buy this summer which is something I rarely do, but judging from the trailers this looked creepy as HELL. I also really loved that one of my favorite actresses Mary Elizabeth Winstead was the lead. Love her! The setting of the underground shelter with Mary, and a very adorable guy who looks like a young Sam Raimi and John Goodman had me on the edge of my seat the entire movie. I will agree with some friends that the last ten or so minutes fell a little flat, but still super decent movie.

Final Destination 3
- Ah, my comfort movie this year. FD3 was a huge movie when I was a senior in high school and has remained a huge favorite of mine over the years. I really can't believe this movie is ten years old! With a high re-watch value, I re-discoevred this movie when it hit Netflix. No word of a lie I have fallen asleep to this movie nearly every night in December. With it's beautiful flashy use of the colors blue and red, the likable cast, and the over the top kills, this will forever be one of my favorite part 3s in a horror series. In fact to celebrate I was able to buy a poster signed by the entire cast! My goal is to continue collecting based off this highly underrated movie.

Society
- Ah Brian Yuzna. I love his movies, honestly. This past Thanksgiving I dug out my AMAZING Arrow blu-ray of this 80's classic and watched it seriously five times in a  row. Hands down one of the best blu-ray release ever. This transfer was crystal clear! I will forever recommend Society to anyone. It's a slow burn, but the ending is one of the craziest, over the top, and best example of practical effects ever shown on screen. I love Yuzna movies, and Society will forever be one of my favorites!

Waxwork/Waxwork II
- What is there is say. I think anyone who knows me, understands how much Waxwork and Waxwork II means to me. Thanks to Heather and Michael, these two movies finally got the blu-ray treatment they deserved this past fall. Thanks to a retro series of amazing films from the 1980's we got such classics as Chopping Mall, Return Of The Living Dead, and yes finally the Waxwork movies. For years I have been trying to rally support in these films getting made, and when it finally became a reality I cried tears of complete nerd joy. What made these WONDERFUL releases even better was the fact that this October at Rock & Shock Zach Galligan (Mark Loftmore) gifted me his own personal copy. I honestly thought I was going to faint. Hands down greatest gift I've ever received. Thank you Zach. Thank you.

Phantasm remastered/Phantasm 5
- The Phantasm series is one of my all time favorite set of horror films ever made. In fact I see them as one giant epic that tells a heartbreaking tale of a young boy battling his inner demons when he loses his family and can't wake up to the reality that death comes for everyone. For years I have loved these movies, and enjoy showing them to friends. This year we finally got part 5. Did we need it? Ehhh. I loved the way part 4 ended, it really truly felt full circle. Still, I'm game to watch Reggie and Michael in anything and it was nice to see the Tall Man for one last final time. Was the movie perfect? No. Did I feel emotional watching it? Yes. That's when you know you have truly made a great epic, when you are so emotional invested in these characters you feel like they are family. (Sappy? Who cares.) I was also gifted by my amazing sister the original that was remastered and had a brief run in theaters that I sadly missed. I've watched this blu-ray three times this week and have completely fallen in love with it again. Legit a living breathing colorful piece of art.

Don't Go To Sleep
- Thanks to my friend Jody, I decided to look up the made for TV 80's horror movie Don't Go To Sleep. Curious, I watched it one night and couldn't believe how much I loved this ghost story. Not only did I love the cast and setting, I loved how terrifying this movie was for a made for TV movie! The story had balls with what they did, and hands down has one of the scariest ending shots of all time. This was by far a reminder that 70's and 80's made for TV were legit back in the day.

They're Watching.
-This movie was recommended to me by Netflix after I watched FD3 like ten times in a row. Seems one of stars Kris Lemche (who has always been eye candy) was in this indie movie that was released this year. Shot on film, it has a slow burn but the likable characters and comedy keeps the viewer busy until the creepy and beyond over the top ending. That CGI tho! Super fun movie that I just showed my friend Jeanette. She showed me Last Shift which was seriously the scariest fucking movie I've ever seen. NEVER AGAIN.

Curve 
Another pick from Netflix. I love horror movie that as far fetched as the story is, maybe it could still happen. This movie actually has a pretty cool story. Think 127 hours meets The Hitcher. We got a female lead, and a pretty scary idea of what if this happened to you. I won't spoil anything, but this was a tie with Hush. I have to really hand it to Netflix this year, they have come up with a few surprises. Guess I'll keep watching and see what else they add for 2017.

So what will 2017 bring us? Hopefully more awesome movies! Thanks 2016!!!

Happy New Year!!!

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

How Popcorn could have been made in 2007.

How Popcorn could have been made in 2007.

As I sit here, having just finished up Last Shift for the second time (even tho I swore I wouldn't have ever watched that movie ever again after my friend Jeanette showed it to me last night and it completely scared the living shit out of me!) I'm trying to scrub my memory of that terrifying film with the kind of horror I can handle. Here I decided to put on every light on in my house, and watch one of my favorite movies Final Destination 3. Perviously I just reviewed this ten year old movie that was a huge favorite of mine when I was a senior in high school, and just recently rediscovered my love for after re-watching it on Netflix as well as being able to grab an original poster signed by the entire cast! Here I feel Victor Wong and Glen Morgan really missed the boat when Morgan went on to direct less than a year later Black Christmas. Now, I'll admit, as much as a complete and utter shit show the remake of Black Christmas is, it's still a huge guilty pleasure of mine to watch around the holidays. I felt after these fellas made one of the strongest sequels in the entire series they really could have remade any movie. As fun as Black Christmas is, I felt trying to tackle such a terrifying movie such as the Bob Clark's classic was truly the wrong route. I feel they should have done something a tad bit lighter.

This being Popcorn.

I love Popcorn, this movie is one of the main examples on why I fight saying that early 90's horror (long before Scream) wasn't terrible at all. Many people mix up believing this was an 80's movie, which I could totally see, but this was a true blue 90's horror movie with the perfect mixture of black comedy, scares, and one HELL of a killer twist. This is a film that I've loved for years (and have to yet again thank my friend Jeanette for showing it to me after all these years back when we were at school) This was a VHS cover I constantly remembered as a kid as well as it's classic tagline "Buy a bag, go home in a  box." 

This movie quickly became a huge favorite of mine not only for it's impressive cast (Jill Schoelen is hands down one of my favorite final girls.) and the very awesome setting of being in an old school movie theater. The movies within the movie is what really sold it for me showcasing some really killer effects, as well as a whole Phantom Of The Opera feel as the teenagers working there are picked off one by one. With memorable scenes (Such as the killer hiding behind a victim's body in the shadows and working her like a puppet so her friends think she's still alive, or the bug sucking the man's brain dry, or Bruce Glover being...well Bruce Glover...) this is a film that makes you laugh and see as a total camp classic. It isn't over the top gory, but the lack of blood is made up with creative kills. We get one HELL of a backstory involving the killer and lead girl, something that believe it or not for such a fun light hearted movie actually is taken in a very serious light and still gives me chills to this day. 


Popcorn will be released on blu-ray soon and I honestly gotta say I can't wait. This is a favorite of mine to watch at screenings, and I still rock my Popcorn shirt and hoodie. It's a fun movie that's so overshadowed by the fact it was released in the early 90's. I still can't honestly hear Saturday Night at the movies without thinking of this movie and smiling. In fact I have walked in the Boston AIDS walk several times and have proudly showcased my Popcorn hoodie and pin as a tribute to the late Tom Villard. A true talent taken much too soon. 

So I don't want people to go "Argh Stacy, a remake really?" Trust me, if somebody posted something like this about Waxwork I would do a hard core eye roll, but honestly I could even see that movie working as well. I'm not 100% against remakes, and I always give them a chance. Sometimes they are a fun separate movie, other times (which is very rare) they are actually better than the original, orI see them as a fun separate movie. Sadly more than often they are just lazy quick ways to make a buck and lack all the heart the original had. I would never like to see Popcorn remade but I feel if it had to be remade it should have been remade in 2007. So that being said, they have missed the boat with this remake so...it basically should never happen. But if it did, here's what I would have done...

SPOILERS AHEAD OF POPCORN!!!

1) Get either Victor Wong or Glen Morgan to direct. 
- I really do like the movies these guys directed, wrote, and produced. Glen was responsible for the killer Others TV series (which in my eyes got canceled way before it's time.) as well as some of the best X-Files episodes, and Willard. Victor clearly has some killer credits behind him and was responsible for FD3 which I've all ready stated was the strongest entry in the series. Basically you are about to see a theme here where I felt instead of Black Christmas being remade by these fellas it should have been Popcorn. I feel either man could have truly done a killer job remaking this classic.

2) Cast Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Maggie/Sarah.
- After Jill, Mary is hands down my favorite final girl. FD3 was her breakout role, and afterwards she followed with one good movie after the next. (Death Proof, The Thing, Black Christmas, 10 Cloverfield Lane, ect.) I feel for a dark haired beauty Mary in 2007 would have played the perfect Maggie/Sarah. The sweet pretty film student that has began having strange mysterious dreams that she believes is liked to the lost film her class has discovered before the movie marathon. Mary not only is pretty, but plays a strong kick ass final girl and in my eyes is sorta the modern day Jill. I mean couldn't you have seen her play in The Stepfather back in 1987?!

3) Cast Ryan Merriman as Mark.
- Was never really a huge fan of this guy who come on, with sticking with the 2007 FD3 thing, I feel he would have done a great job playing the goofy but lovable Mark. Maggie's on/off again boyfriend who is constantly getting hurt. I honestly just want to see him get punched in slow motion with the two boxes of popcorn flying everywhere. 

4) Cast Kris Lemche as Toby 
- (Great photo huh?) Listen, I was going for the whole lurking in the shadows thing. Kris is actually a really great actor. It still blows my mind he was nearly 30 when he did FD3. I've been a fan of his since Ginger Snaps, but I've always thought this guy was always able to steal a scene. Just recently I've seen him popping up in more stuff, but I think back in 2007 following FD3 this would have been perfect. Playing Toby, the classic and heartbreaking villain. First off, he plays great opposite Mary (It's blown my mind they haven't acted together again.) Second, he's got the look perfect for Toby the soft spoken, slightly older film student. With the film's big reveal, I think Kris would really have been able to sell the whole backstory on why Toby is killing everyone. Not only is this reveal unsettling, but heartbreaking as well. I could see him telling Mary about the magic fire that killed his mother, and left him nearly 98% burned all over his body. What makes a great villain is a great actor who can give a great performance and I feel Kris would have been perfect back then.

5) Have Jill Schoelen as Suzanne.
- What better way to pay tribute to the original by having the original star play the step-mother. I ADORED Dee Wallace Stone's performance as Suzanne. Yet again this film's great writing is what makes it stands apart from other cheesy horror movies. Suzanne was part of the whole film cult scene but finally had enough when she learned her niece was being fed acid and was going to be seriously hurt along with her sister on stage in front of everywhere. Here in true kick ass fashion she stands up, shoots her brother in-law and saves her niece only to start a new life with her, trying her hardest to make her forget. Jill is always a treat to watch on screen and I feel really would be able to capture the moment of being a complete bad ass when she goes to the theater at night to confront the killer.

6) Have separate directors make the movies within the movies.
- Yes I'm stealing this idea from Grindhouse but man oh man what a treat these fake trailers were. One HUGE part of Popcorn that I adored was the fake movies that played. I think if they had gotten different popular horror directors to direct these short clips of these fake cheesy B movies it would have been so much fun. Get either Rob Zombie, Eli Roth, newcomer Adam Green maybe, or Edger Wright to direct these movies and put a fun cool little twist within this film.

7) PACK it full of horror cameos
- What would be more fun that having all these little cameos not only in the actual movie but the films within the film. I think using classic and memorable faces that true hard core horror fans all knew and love would enjoy seeing. No limits to who it could be. Also how much fun would it be to try and spot who's in the audience watching these movies?

8) Keep the cinematrgraphy with lots of greens and shadows.
- One huge reason why I loved FD3 was the use of the colors red and blue. It wasn't settle, but not overbearing. Just enough that if I had a film class and we had to do something about color scheme I would pick this film for it's use of those two colors. I feel had Victor or Glen directed this movie it would have been great to see the old school theater as well as keep the gothic look with lots of greens and dark colors. The more shadows the better! I love feeling like I'm watching living breathing art whenever I watch a movie! Even a horror movie!

9) Keep practical effects!!!
- I loved the eye catching practical effects shown in the original film. Some of the best were Toby's burn makeup. This was beyond realistic, as well as when he showcases how he's able to blend in with everyday people and how he has a talent for switching faces so quickly. Basically a mold maker's dream come true. I know it would have been hard for 2006/2007 but I feel they really could have pulled it off, mostly with the face switching. 

10) Cast Crispin Glover to play the role his father played.
- Oh Crispin. Sweet, sweet Crispin. His father Bruce had a brief role in the movie within the movie which was the second black and white 50's film about a man sent to death who returns with the power of electricity blasting from his limbs. This was a comical but really cool little part of the movie and I think it would have been a complete riot to see Crispin take over his father's role all these years later.

So in final thoughts should Popcorn get remade? Now? No way. But had Glen and Victor been onboard with that cast in 2006/2007...ya never know. Hum, give me time, I'll make a post and see if this crew could have done Waxwork. Ya never know!


Sunday, December 25, 2016

Final Destination 3 (2006)

Final Destination 3 (2006)

PLOT - A young girl has a terrifying vision right before going on a rollercoaster for her school's senior night. In a complete panic, she breaks down claiming the coaster is going to crash killing everyone on board. After a scuffle, several students walk off only to watch a fatal accident happen moments later claiming some of their friend's life's. Distraught after losing her boyfriend, the girl attempt to move on after graduation only to notice photos she took the night of the accident. Feeling there are hidden clues in these photos, she sees that each snapshot shows how the survivors will die. 


LOWDOWN - I have a newfound love for Final Destination 3 after catching it on TV earlier this month. This movie was a big film that was released when I was a senior in high school. In fact I'll never forget how the following weekend after watching this at the movies, a bunch of friends of mine gathered at lunch to talk about the brutal and gory deaths that graced the silver screen. I remember I was a pretty big fan of the original Final Destination. I rented it several times, and really liked the overall idea about escaping death and it coming back ten fold. The deaths were uncomfortable, and of course the ending shot left a lasting impression with me. What I liked about this movie was the fact that it was somewhat realistic. No matter how over the top these deaths were, they could actually happen. I'll never forget how loudly I screamed when the computer screen exploded and pieces of glass went into the teacher's throat. Holllyyyyy shitttt. I believe it or not was never a big fan of the sequel, and even borrowed it from a friend of mine. Sure the deaths were even more over the top, and I'm sure I'm speaking for everyone about never wanting to drive behind an 18 wheeler with logs on it, but I felt it was a pretty weak follow up to such a strong movie. The fact 911 took place just a few years after the first movie will forever make me uneasy whenever the students watch the plane explode in the distance. 


When part 3 was released it was in the winter of 2006 I believe. In true horror history, the third film is typically always a strong point in a series. Besides the Saw movies, this was sorta a modern day slasher for my generation. This is the Final Destination if Final Destination was made in the 80's. With James Wong and Glen Morgan behind the wheel, they had the makers of the original come back and really put a solid effort into this sequel. I have always adored Wong and Morgan's work (The Others TV series, The X-files, and Willard) these were creepy pieces of work that actually felt like living breathing pieces of work. Almost like Tim Burton before his movies started to suck. These guys decided to kick things up with instead of talking about plane crashes or car accidents, but something almost every teen does. 

A trip to an amusement park.

For most a trip to a theme park or amusement park is fun, but these traveling parks that come into town aren't exactly the safest places to go. I myself have always been fascinated by theme park accidents (Sick I know.) I love the mini doc about Action Park, or reading up on accidental deaths at parks, mostly involving the rides. I myself as a kid loved going to a local theme park in NH. I was never a huge rollercoaster fan, but always loved the horrible feeling of terror and excitement waiting in line. How nothing seemed safe, and how the nervous pit in my stomach seemed horrible as we slowly climbed the first hill. That first drop always got me and of course once it was over, like any amazing high I wanted to go again. I used to feel this sort of scary excitement was the same I shared before renting a super scary movie as a kid. Due to my balance being off, and my motion sickness being a complete bastard, I haven't gone on ANY amusement park rides in over 10 + years. I simply just don't see the fun. Amusement parks and rollercoasters always used to be something I liked when I was younger, and felt this being the main source of the accident in this movie perfectly lining up since I was these characters' ages when the movie took place. This was something that really could have happened and hit home. 


Of course I'm a sucker for any movie that takes place in a amusement park (Ghoulies II, The Funhouse, Rollercoaster, ect.) These show a place where it's supposed to be all fun and games but there's always this settle feeling of unease lurking in the shadows. Always loved the faint sound of screams coming from the rides, mostly the rollercoaster. I have always felt these screams sound terrified instead of screams of excitement. Even if the amusement park is only shown in the opening of the film, it plays a very important role in the rest of the film. Here we meet a group of young teens on the verge of starting the rest of their life's. At that age it's a very exciting and terrifying time in life. You are about to leave high school and everything you know. You are about to start either college or start a job with you're future for the first time not exactly certain. This is the first step of adulthood and to be sorta morbid...first step in death. 

The casting was on it's A game with this movie. You always want to root for characters you feel are likable and having Ms. Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Wendy the lead was PERFECT casting. This was Mary's break-out role. She went on to star in such films like Death Proof, The Thing, Scott Pilgrim, Black X-Mas, and 10 Cloverfield Lane. She's one of my favorite actresses and I really wish she would someday start doing cons. I love how she's this dark haired, beautiful girl with big doe eyes. Legit love everything this girl is in.


We also get the likable Ryan Merriman (I remember a Disney movie where he turned into a mermaid...anyone remember this?) and Kris Lemche from Ginger Snaps. These guys were great in their roles, with a pretty impressive supporting cast. It's hard to find a teen movie with characters you actually don't want to see get killed off. Every single one of these guys did an amazing job!


The biggest thing I LOVED about this movie was the cinematography. The brilliant use the red and blue throughout this movie always caught my eye. This little attention to detail made it visual eye candy for me. I love how this movie takes place around the 4th of July, and it's always such fun to see the attention to detail in every single scene. This is a film I would love to breakdown over the use of color. It's seriously in every single inch of this movie and I love it. I just recently bought this on blu-ray and it's beyond breathtaking. 


The rollercoaster scene is by far one of the biggest highlights. If you ever buy the SE DVD (which has a pretty clever choose your own fate option, sorta like a choose your own adventure, letting the viewer decide what happens in each scene.) there's a cool behind the scenes doc which shows how much time and work went into filming this scene. The cast had to ride the built coaster for the film 27+ times. Man oh man. When you re-watch the coaster scene after seeing how much time and work goes into it, the scene truly still holds up and will forever made me uneasy every time I see one.


The deaths of course are at the most brutal and unforgiven in this movie. With maybe besides one, that was a little too CGI for my taste, the rest are beyond uncomfortable. I love the tanning bed ones. My friend Dylan I went to school with re-did the tanning booth death and it came out amazing. This is another thing I love about this movie. Ten years ago tanning was super cool, I must admit I even did it. These deaths are by far the best in the series, and will forever make me cringe. The second best death is the nail gun scene. That entire hardware scene had me on the edge of my seat with my stomach in knots. The pacing is perfect, and the payoff is amazing. I planned on trying to do a makeup based off this death, and still do this day would love to. I still can't believe they used a dummy for this scene. Beyond amazing, and Lemche's heartbreaking scream always sells it.


The final act really truly does feel like a modern Hitchcock scene with Lemche's character coming for Winstead with the fireworks going off. I love his line as he points "It's you Wendy! You're dead!" Great effects that still hold up to this day. With the last scene, showing how heartless and brutal this series is, I will forever love Tommy Lee's cover of Love Train and think of this movie whenever I hear it. Funny enough I found my old MP3 player of 2006 (which still worked) and Love Train was on it. What can I say? I loved this movie.


This is a film I have great memories watching with friends and family, and sadly as amusing as I found part 4 and 5 (mostly the ending of part 5) they just didn't seem to have the heart part 3 had. Just recently I discovered my love for this movie and rake it as one of the best horror movies to come out of the 2000's. It's a movie that I can't believe is actually ten years old, and reminds me of when I was a teenager. By far in my top 20 favorites of all time. Just this month I tracked down a KILLER poster signed by the entire cast which now hangs proudly in my bedroom. 

So happy 10th FD3 you were seriously one of the best third films ever made!!!

5 stars!


Saturday, December 24, 2016

The Ultimate Horror Holiday Marathon.

The Ultimate Horror Holiday Marathon.

It's Christmas Eve and shortly before my sister and her husband come over for a night of zany fun (including massive amounts of booze and Italian food.) I'm curled up sipping egg nog and watching the Black Christmas remake Black X-Mas. Compared to the terrifying original by Bob Clark this is seriously the biggest piece of shit. Still, I have a tender spot in my heart for this mess for several reasons. One being the cast (Love that Mary Elizabeth Winstead from Final Destination 3 is in this one, and made by the same people who made FD3.) The colorful eye candy for cinematography (seriously, there are Christmas decorations everywhere in this movie, love the shots outside showing how it's decorated to the 9's.) and of course the fact it knows it's a shitty movie that will never be able to be compared to the original and doesn't take itself seriously at all. This is a huge guilty pleasure of mine and I would say it's been the most watched movie I've viewed this month. 

Which brings me to help anyone who's planning on spending a nice peaceful Christmas Eve in. Here are my own personal choices for the ultimate horror holiday marathon that you can enjoy flying solo, with friends, or even family. These picks are the top holiday themed flicks that deserve a moment in the spotlight. 

First up...

Tales From The Parkside - Seasons Of Belief. 
- A family settles down to an old fashion Christmas Eve when the two young children beg their parents to tell them a story to pass the time. The parents think fast and tell them the story of the "Grither" a beast from the South Pole who is a tall as a popper, with fists the size of basketballs, and awakes whenever he hears his name. Each time his name is uttered, he comes a little closer, and closer, and closer...

Next...

Monsters - Glim, Glim.
- Three survivors from a plague that's taken out the entire town they live in, find themselves trapped inside by some invisible forcefield with thousands of the rotting corpses of their family and friends. With the cold winter weather setting in, they find the only place in town which is the library and break into through the basement. There they discover a strange alien being living above them who crash landed weeks before, causing the plague to happen. Terrified, and not knowing what to do, they plan on how they can kill it. Unknown to them, the alien is actually friendly, and the plague was a complete accident in which he's made the forcefield from spreading any further. Knowing time is running out, he's quickly trying to find a cure by befriending the little girl who's with the two men.

Next...

Supernatural - A Very Supernatural Christmas.
- The two brothers find themselves in a small town where there seems to be an anti-clause. A strange being that's breaking into people's houses murdering them. It's up to Sam and Dean to solve this mystery before it's too late.

Next...

Tales From The Crypt - All Through The House...
- A young woman murders her husband on Christmas Eve for insurance money. Feeling like she's gotten away with the perfect crime, she plants the body to make it looks like it was an accident. That's when the radio announces that an escaped mental patient is on the loose, and is wearing a Santa suit and has been murdering women in the area. 

Next...

Gremlins.
- In a small town a young man receives a very strange and wonderful gift by his father a few days before Christmas. This little creature seems like the perfect pet, but comes with a lot of responsibility. There are three rules you must follow. 1). Don't feed it after midnight. 2) Sunlight will kill it. and 3) Don't ever get them wet. When these rules aren't followed, all Hell breaks loose!

After that...

Night Of The Comet.
- Two teenage sisters wake up the next morning after a comet passes by Earth. The last time this sort of comet passed by was millions of years ago right around the time the dinosaurs died off. Both awake to find the entire city deserted, with nothing but clothes and orange dust in the streets. It appears this comment caused everyone to turn to dust, and the people not completely affected are slowly turning into crazed zombies. It's up to these two sisters, and a lone truck driver to fight a group of scientist trying to find a cure before it's too late.

Then...

Krampus.
- A young boy loses the spirit of Christmas one Christmas Eve when he's finally had it with his family. The next morning something strange happens. The power goes out, and a white out snow storm begins to roar outside. Trapped indoors, strange sounds come from the roof. Could it be Santa? Or something worse?

Next...

Black X-mas.
- The remake of the 70's classic has a group of sorority sisters spending a peaceful Christmas Eve together during a snowstorm. It isn't long before they start to receive phone calls, and someone hiding in the house starts to pick them off one by one. Could it be a crazed psycho? Or maybe it's the young man who once lived in that very same house who murdered his entire family?

Then...

Black Christmas.
- The original terrifying classic hands down is one of the scariest movies I've ever seen. A group of sorority sisters have been receiving very disturbing phone calls for the past few weeks. The night of their Christmas party one of the young girls ready to leave the following morning is attacked by an unseen killer in her bedroom and her body hidden upstairs in the attack. When the girl doesn't show the next morning to meet her father, the other girls help trying to figure out what happened to her. At this same time a young local girl has gone missing. As the phone calls continue, this killer continues to stalk the upstairs hallways of the house with the girls completely unaware he's there.

Then...

Silent Night Deadly Night.
- A young boy witnesses this parents brutally murdered one Christmas Eve by a man in a Santa suit. Years later, thanks to a very abusive childhood in an orphanage he finally snaps as a teen when he's asked to dress up as Santa at his work. Years worth of built up rage finally comes to a head and he begins on a complete rampage, punishing anyone who's been naughty. 

After that...

Silent Night Deadly Night part 2
- The brother of the young man who snapped one Christmas Eve has followed in his footsteps. Due to his own childhood trauma, as well as watching his brother get gunned down in front of him, he finally snaps and goes on his own rampage before trying to find the nun who caused his older brother so much pain.

Then...

Silent Night Deadly Night part 3
- A young blind girl takes part in a mysterious experiment by mentally linking herself with a coma patient. It seems this very patient was Ricky from part II who has been in a coma since he was gunned down. When Ricky awakes from his coma, he begins trying to find the young girl who's spending the holiday at her grandmother's with her older brother and girlfriend. Determined to find her, Ricky yet again goes on a rampage, killing anyone who gets in his way.

Then...

Silent Night Deadly Night part 4
- A young reporter on the West Coast tries to investigate the mysterious death of a young woman who fell from a building completely on fire. Wanting to be taken more seriously, the reporter links her death to a group of women who own a bookstore that's located in the same exact building she fell to her death from. Are they connected, and what do they want to do with her when she finds out the truth?

After that...

Silent Night Deadly Night part 5. 
- A young boy witnesses his step-father's death when a mysterious toy is delivered to the house a few weeks before Christmas. This toy suddenly comes to life and murders him in cold blood, leaving the boy in a stunned mute state of shock. Days before Christmas it's clear there's someone out there delivering killer toys with plans of killing as many children as possible.

And finally...

Silent Night.   
- A brutal reboot of the 1984 classic now has a small town under attack by a crazed psycho dressed as Santa who is killing people in brutal ways. Who's doing this and why?

So I know I left out some classics (Jack Frost, P2, ect) but these were my personal highlights to watch during the holidays. What are you watching these next two days to get into the Christmas spirit?!