What I Watched in October 2025

I find myself in an odd position with the Tron (now) trilogy. I still do not think much of the original TRON (1982) film, considering it fairly dull and only intermittently visually interesting. Since it was a box office flop I suspect I wasn’t the only viewer that thought it was less than wonderful but the highly successful video game and associated ephemera made the film stick to the lower levels of public imagination over the decades. In 2010 curiosity and the desire to hang out with a pair of buddies lead me to see TRON: LEGACY theatrically and I was surprised to enjoy it far more than the first film. With that movie the creators seemed to have found an engaging reason for revisiting the world setup but it still didn’t manage to earn big money. With a second financial failure on their hands Disney once again let the concept go fallow with no direct follow up happening. Cut to 2025 and the franchise rises from the dead yet again with TRON: ARES. Shockingly I really enjoyed it. Sporting an actually interesting plot to bolster the amazing special effects it is an engaging bit of science fantasy that has a slick feel and a winking sense of humor. I was expecting it to be terrible but I left the theater with a grin on my face. Is this a franchise that gets better with each new entry? It really is a shame considering the box office failure of this one means no new Tron cinema for a decade or so if the time between sequels/cash-in attempts continues to shrink. 

The List

ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER (2025) – 8

SUCCUBUS (1968) – 7 (rewatch)

SNAPSHOT OF A CRIME (a.k.a Istantanea per un delitto) – 4 (weak Italian thriller)

SWEETS FROM A STRANGER (1987) – 6 (dry giallo with an interesting ending)

NIGHT OF THE REAPER (2025) – 7 (well done tale of a small-town killer)

DEMON WITCH CHILD (1974) – 6 (rewatch on Blu)

HOUSE ON EDEN (2025) – 4 (found footage failure)

TRON: LEGACY (2010) – 7 (rewatch)

THE HAND OF NIGHT (1968) – 5 (mediocre British made Moroccan vampire tale)

CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD (2025) – 4 (tone is all over the place in this horror/comedy)

SILVER BULLET (1985) – 5 (finally saw it)

TRICK OR TREAT (1986) – 6 (rewatch on Blu)

DEATH PACKS A SUITCASE (1972) – 6 (Jess Franco krimi that looks magnificent on Blu)

TRON: ARES (2025) – 7 (far better than I thought it would be)

MONSTER ISLAND (2025) – 7 (Hell in the Pacific crossed with Humanoids from the Deep)

THREE CASES OF MURDER (1954) – 6 (interesting anthology film)

DANCE OF THE DAMNED (1989) – 3 (dull vampire tale)

RITA THE MOSQUITO (1966) – 6 (Italian musical comedy)

STAY (2025) – 7 (effective ghost tale about grief)

THE ENCHANTED (1984) – 8 (brilliant Florida folk horror)

BLACK PHONE 2 (2025) – 8 (emotional and effective expansion of the idea)

HOUSE OF DRACULA (1945) – 6 (rewatch on Blu)

OTHER (2025) – 8 (excellent creepy mystery)

DOLLS (1987) – 5 (rewatch)

PHANTASM (1979) – 8 (rewatch on Blu)

PHANTASM II (1988) – 8 (rewatch on Blu)

THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1957) – 8 (rewatch on Blu)

THE MAN WHO WOULDN’T DIE (1989) – 6 (Italian crime tale)

HALLOWEEN (2018) – 8 (rewatch on Blu)

EL PUEBLO FANTASMA (1965) - 6 (Mexican vampire western)

I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER (2025) – 7 (surprisingly solid sequel)

SHELBY OAKS (2025) - 6 (good idea that needed more ‘zip’)

PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1989) – 6 (surprisingly well done)

FRANKENSTEIN (2025) – 9

DRACULA RISES FROM THE GRAVE (1967) – 7 (rewatch on Blu)

THE DEVIL’S NIGHTMARE (1971) – 7 (rewatch on Blu)

DEMONS OF PARADISE (1987) – 4 (mediocre monster tale)