The Boston Horror Marathon: Dusk to Dawn, Pt II

As previously posted, the 'Thon started off strong with its first 3 films primarily focusing on the darker side of vampirism. It got a bit more upbeat with its next offering, The Lost Boys, but took a turn for the worse with its last two showcasing the sexier (but somehow more boring) side. It was getting into the wee hours of the morning though, so my lucidity might have been slightly off. Also, there weren't any more between-film activities or contests, and host J Cannibal retired for the evening, so it was less of an event and more a small collection of strangers watching movies on a big screen at 3 am.

The Lost Boys (1987) I hadn't seen this movie for years, but I was pretty into it in high school. Now I remember why: it's kind of awesome. A recently divorced mother and her teenage sons move into a new beach-side town, only to discover a gang of asshole punk-rock vampires frequently terrorize the place. Led by bad boy David (Kiefer Sutherland), they've got big hair and leather jackets and motorcycles, and a lot of attitude. They turn Michael (Jason Patric), the older brother, into a half-vampire and it's up to his little brother Corey Haim to find and kill the leader before it's too late! It's a lot of fun, with some cheesy one-liners and a decent story. There's a good soundtrack and a lot of endearing trappings of the decade. For example: Corey Feldman. 4/5

The Vampire Lovers (1970) This is one of those pseudo-sapphic erotic vampire movies from the 1970's, which I guess fall within the genre of exploitation films. It supposedly takes place in 1600's Germany, but the 70's hair styles, British accents, and advent of the zipper belie the setting. A vampire lady goes around the country, charming her way into rich people's homes and befriending their young daughters. She makes love to them (I think?) and sucks their blood, then they get sick and die and she moves on. A bunch of manly men catch on to her act and work together to stop her. Hurray. It's funny at parts because if its ridiculous anachronisms, overacting, and gratuitous breasts, but in general it's just pretty boring. The sex stuff is super tame and it's not scary at all. Oh well. 2/5

The Hunger (1983) When a movie starts off with the promise of goth vampires, dance-rock, lots of making out, and a Susan Sarandon/David Bowie team-up, I can't help but be excited. Unfortunately, it does not at all live up to its awesome opening. Catherine Deneuve is a centuries-old vampire who chooses specific companions for herself to be vampires too. After a while though their true ages catch up to them and they become gross living skellingtons. When David Bowie starts rapidly aging, she seduces Susan Sarandon, a doctor studying aging diseases who had wanted to help him. The film is not as stylish or dark as it thinks it is, and suffers from an over-dramatic script and severe lack of David Bowie. It's got a cool ending, though, and I like the cast. 3/5

Well, that wraps up the Boston Horror Marathon. It was a fun time, with an impressively varied film selection even if I didn't like them all. I was surprised there wasn't a bigger turnout, but maybe I'll just see what happens next year! Now I'm all geared up for the next 24-hour Sci-Fi event in February.