[Patreon] Halloween movies you haven't heard of

I know most of you don't celebrate Halloween. But there is just something about the autumn air that works so well with horror movies. Have you been watching any lately? Let's talk about it in our media talk this week.

Before that, however, let's do some housekeeping.

CHANNEL UPDATE

Hope you enjoy our last video on Mad Fate. The movie is still going around festivals right now. So, if you wanna watch it, your best option may be to check your local theatres.

Many viewers have raised objection towards the film's depiction of mental illnesses. I have a feeling it wasn't very accurate, especially when The Master talks about his parents. But since my understanding of mental illness is limited, I forgo the discussion. I would love to hear your perspective, though!

Anyway, nothing else changed with our schedule. Our next video is still about Kung Fu Cooking movies, followed by two videos about bad movies you may not have heard of.

Our channel is in a bit of a rut lately. We are struggling to maintain views above the targeted 80k. It seems the novelty of Asian cinema video essay has wore off. Of course, it can also just be the result of the algorithm.

Thanks to your direct support, our channel will stay afloat either way. But it's perhaps best to get ourselves out of the rut before the channel sinks to the bottom. So, if you have anything you don't like about our videos lately, any reasons they don't interest you, or if you have any changes you want to see, please leave a suggestion!

Finally, I do this once in a while: If you'd like your name to be different in our video credits, or want to remain anonymous, please leave a comment or DM us!

MEDIA TALK

I have this annual tradition of watching at least one Friday the 13th movies in October. And I usually make it black and white just to feel classy. If you have never tried that, give it a shot! The first 6 movies were shot in such a way that black and white feels really striking.

Anyway, do you have a list of October films? Usually, around this time, people in North America watches horror films for Halloween. But you probably are already familiar with most movies within the Halloween watchlist. So, in the spirit of our last video, let me recommend some films you likely haven't heard of.

Being me, of course I'll have to mention all the Hong Kong horror comedies first. The Mr. Vampire mega-franchise is perfect for this time of year. It's silly and scary, filled with rituals and gags. It's the perfect Asian horror film to show you kids.

But if you want something more hardcore, there is also Double Vision, a 2002 Taiwanese Taoist-cultist horror movie featuring (the other) Tony Leung. It's one of the few horror films from the J-horror boom that, in my opinion, feels distinct. The film centres around a series of cases of mysterious deaths. The film remains ambiguous on wether the deaths are supernatural or not. And the oppressive atmosphere is one of the best from the genre.

There is also the Stephen Chow horror film Out of the Dark. It's definitely one of the lesser films from Chow, as it is nowhere near as funny as most of his other works. However, the surreal and chilly atmosphere gives it an odd and, dare I say, liminal feel. While technically a Chinese Ghost Festival movie, the colder season definitely befits the film's tone more.

Moving on to Japan, most horror comedies I remember are actually exploitation films like... Big Tits Zombie. I'm not gonna bold that title because I don't recommend it. The whole gimmick is that it stars an AV star. Don't expect any actual nudity, though.

Japanese exploitation horror comedies are truly a sight to be hold. With such classic titles as Alien vs. Ninja, The Machine Girl, and perhaps most famous of them all, Tokyo Gore Police. These are sleazy movies that, while showing a lot of blood, somehow feels less gory than The Thing. And despite having less nudity, feels way more sexual than Friday the 13th. It's an acquire taste for sure. Give it a watch if you like bargain bin movies. Just make sure your partners or parents aren't around while you watch it.

Anyway, the movie I'd recommend is One Cut of the Dead. I'm sure those of you who have seen it are nodding approvingly right now. And if you have never heard of it, good! Go watch it. Don't look anything up. Just go watch it, and stay with it.

I'm not familiar enough to Korean horror films to give out many recommendations. But I can think of one movie that may be a decent watch: #Alive. The Hastag is part of the title. Released right around the Covid lockdown, this movie didn't impress me, but stayed with me. It's the only film I talked about today that's genuinely both unsettling and funny. Exploring a zombie lockdown through social media is a sarcastic take that just appeals to my bastard of a brain. Maybe it'll work for you, too!

Anyway, that is the update for this week. All of the horror films I mentioned today are either available on Netflix or on YouTube. Let me know if you have any horror recommendations! I'll see you in our next update. Video coming next week!