-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
31 Days of Horror 4 |OT| The October Movie Marathon
- Thread starter ThirstyFly
- Start date
Do you mean the part with the bikers? That was strangely arousing...
Yeah, I mean, I think that's part of the intent of that segment - to show Ana's awareness of her developing sexuality, and at the same time to show how others perceive it, not necessarily in positive ways.
Rhomega Beta
Member
14. Rosemary's Baby
I wanted to watch this last night, but because I've been waking up at 4 AM regularly, my body's been getting sleepy at around 7:30, so I had to stop halfway through the movie and finish it this afternoon. With that out of the way, I'll agree with an earlier poster who called this a "slow burn". It takes a long time for things to really get going, and it's not for an hour and a half that Rosemary figures out what's going in with her unusual pregnancy treatment and happenings with people around her. If you can handle the slow pacing, then yeah, I can see why people would like this movie.
1. White Zombie
2. Shadow of the Vampire
3. The Cabin in the Woods
4. The Stuff
5. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
6: Dawn of the Dead (1978)
7. Day of the Dead
8. House on Haunted Hill (1959)
9. Stephen King's Children of the Corn
10. The Blair Witch Project
11. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
12. Ravenous
13. Elvira: Mistress of the Dark
I wanted to watch this last night, but because I've been waking up at 4 AM regularly, my body's been getting sleepy at around 7:30, so I had to stop halfway through the movie and finish it this afternoon. With that out of the way, I'll agree with an earlier poster who called this a "slow burn". It takes a long time for things to really get going, and it's not for an hour and a half that Rosemary figures out what's going in with her unusual pregnancy treatment and happenings with people around her. If you can handle the slow pacing, then yeah, I can see why people would like this movie.
1. White Zombie
2. Shadow of the Vampire
3. The Cabin in the Woods
4. The Stuff
5. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
6: Dawn of the Dead (1978)
7. Day of the Dead
8. House on Haunted Hill (1959)
9. Stephen King's Children of the Corn
10. The Blair Witch Project
11. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
12. Ravenous
13. Elvira: Mistress of the Dark
Double-shot of good movies!
WEEK FOUR (Oct 20): THE LAND (WAY) DOWN UNDER
One of the pull-quotes for The Loved Ones described it as "Sixteen Candles meets The Texas Chainsaw Massacre." Prom-set horror films aren't exactly new news, but I don't think I've ever seen one that mixes a film like that in the mix. While I certainly wouldn't expect a film to live up to that one (it is The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, after all), I was intrigued enough to check it out, as well as being persuaded by generally strong, favorable impressions. Good thing I did, since The Loved Ones is a hell of a ride.
Wondering aloud what would happen if that one person you said no to when they asked you to the prom decided to kidnap, torture, and do worse things that amazingly don't involve killing you, The Loved Ones finds a strong pulse in the uncertainty of those late teen years, where you think you have things figured out, but aren't quite expecting and certainly aren't prepared to handle life's curve balls that strap you to a chair with improperly-used kitchenware. Hitting the grounding running right away, the film makes excellent use of its short running time by not letting up for a second. In a lot of ways, the comparison to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre makes a lot of sense, since it does play out like an extended version of the notorious dinner table scene, maintaining its sense of depraved chaos without feeling like it's aping from it at all. Make no mistake that this is one unpredictable film that isn't afraid to go into some really crazy places, but it's also clear-headed about where it wants to go and how it gets there, so it's never crazy for the sake of crazy.
A surprising element to it is the storytelling has a strong sense of continuity to it. It throws a few balls up in the air at the start, not making it obvious what they have to do with one another, but an involved plot quickly emerges and you can finally see where they're going with it. With the emphasis on capturing the hardships of being a teen, among them being in love and not being too sure if it is L-O-V-E love, as well as navigating the challenging relationships with parents, the John Hughes vibe is in place as well, so it's not all power tools and fleshy bits. Much appreciated is that the actors actually look like normal teenagers, which is a rare feat in any medium. There's enough there where if it was entirely about normal teenagers, there would be a nice dramedy in the making.
However, there is one very abnormal teenager in the mix, and she's making sure her prom night is as perfect as possible, even if it does involve the aforementioned kidnapping, torturing, and other unspeakable things. Simply put, Lola is one of the great horror movie villains, as her extreme personality is frequently at odds with her pleasant looks. If she knew what she was doing was really, really wrong, she doesn't care, and isn't above embarrassing her accomplices in her pursuit for what she feels is how things should be. Actress Robin McLeavy finds a great medium between insane and sinister, and she's just as unpredictable as the twists and turns.
It's a terrific film from a technical point of view, too. I'm not sure why writer/director Sean Byrne hasn't had more of a career at this, but he's definitely a huge talent in the making. He's got a great eye for photography and production design, and he's got an inspired taste in musical selections, too. I hope he works on something big again soon, since I'm sure to be there whenever it's ready.
I'm honestly struggling to find bad things to say about the film, which is a good sign. It's definitely an extreme-enough film to not be for all tastes, but for the slightly deranged, strap yourselves in a bumpy ride that will leave you a bit roughed up, but feeling pretty good about yourself at the end. Word of advice, though: go to the bathroom before watching this. Trust me on that one.
Oct 21
This month, I've seen Jaws with a bear, and I've seen Jaws with a boar. While both had their merits (minor and often unintentional ones, I must emphasize), neither one was going to be making me clear room for them even among the better ripoffs in the near and distant future. Shoddy filmmaking tends to do that.
Proving that, sometimes, the third time is the charm, Rogue breaks the streak of bad Jaws ripoffs this month by being a rather good one. Far less showy and gory than you might expect, Rogue acquits itself well by being more of a slow burn (rather than slow), building more and more to the uncertainty of when the croc will strike next, rather than trying to show you just what it looks like or how it's going to rip apart its victims next. Writer/director Greg McLean has a really firm grasp on what he's setting out to do, which doesn't sound that impressive given the mold he's working with, but given the batting average of similar films, it sticks out quite a bit. Who knew that doing the things that Jaws did really well would work again?
The biggest part of the equation is that the characters in the film feel like actual human beings. McLean does such a good job with the characters, it feels really painful when any of them get dragged away by the croc. Any guy that can make the likes of Sam Worthington pretty likable must be doing something right. The cast, while hardly master thespians, do well with their roles and they manage believable relationships with one another when their numbers start falling, and they never once treat the film as a joke, or being above the material.
Working with a limited budget, McLean manages to stage some really strong sequences together, particularly the scene involving a plan to get away from the island the tourists are trapped on with rope and someone brave and/or stupid enough to get across the water to make it work, as well as the extended final showdown. McLean shoots a lot of the scenery much like a nature documentary, which gives the film an interesting visual appeal to it, where you almost would want to visit there if there wasn't a man-eating crocodile in the way. It's a remarkably restrained film, all things considered, and despite the big UNRATED lettering on the DVD box, I'd suggest that Jaws is much more uncomfortably violent at times than Rogue ever is.
If there's a big flaw, the budget was definitely not big enough to support a believable rendering of the villainous crocodile, which often looks about as good as your average Syfy Channel monster of the week. This isn't a big problem until the finale, where it's featured quite prominently, but McLean does well to direct around it by emphasizing its slow, realistic movements, complete with some great sound design work, as well limiting time that it spends in frame with the actors. With how well he handles those aspect that, you almost don't notice it. At this risk of overpraising the film, even Jaws couldn't pull off a realistic-looking shark to save its life, and that turned out pretty damn OK in the end.
WEEK FOUR (Oct 20): THE LAND (WAY) DOWN UNDER
One of the pull-quotes for The Loved Ones described it as "Sixteen Candles meets The Texas Chainsaw Massacre." Prom-set horror films aren't exactly new news, but I don't think I've ever seen one that mixes a film like that in the mix. While I certainly wouldn't expect a film to live up to that one (it is The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, after all), I was intrigued enough to check it out, as well as being persuaded by generally strong, favorable impressions. Good thing I did, since The Loved Ones is a hell of a ride.
Wondering aloud what would happen if that one person you said no to when they asked you to the prom decided to kidnap, torture, and do worse things that amazingly don't involve killing you, The Loved Ones finds a strong pulse in the uncertainty of those late teen years, where you think you have things figured out, but aren't quite expecting and certainly aren't prepared to handle life's curve balls that strap you to a chair with improperly-used kitchenware. Hitting the grounding running right away, the film makes excellent use of its short running time by not letting up for a second. In a lot of ways, the comparison to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre makes a lot of sense, since it does play out like an extended version of the notorious dinner table scene, maintaining its sense of depraved chaos without feeling like it's aping from it at all. Make no mistake that this is one unpredictable film that isn't afraid to go into some really crazy places, but it's also clear-headed about where it wants to go and how it gets there, so it's never crazy for the sake of crazy.
A surprising element to it is the storytelling has a strong sense of continuity to it. It throws a few balls up in the air at the start, not making it obvious what they have to do with one another, but an involved plot quickly emerges and you can finally see where they're going with it. With the emphasis on capturing the hardships of being a teen, among them being in love and not being too sure if it is L-O-V-E love, as well as navigating the challenging relationships with parents, the John Hughes vibe is in place as well, so it's not all power tools and fleshy bits. Much appreciated is that the actors actually look like normal teenagers, which is a rare feat in any medium. There's enough there where if it was entirely about normal teenagers, there would be a nice dramedy in the making.
However, there is one very abnormal teenager in the mix, and she's making sure her prom night is as perfect as possible, even if it does involve the aforementioned kidnapping, torturing, and other unspeakable things. Simply put, Lola is one of the great horror movie villains, as her extreme personality is frequently at odds with her pleasant looks. If she knew what she was doing was really, really wrong, she doesn't care, and isn't above embarrassing her accomplices in her pursuit for what she feels is how things should be. Actress Robin McLeavy finds a great medium between insane and sinister, and she's just as unpredictable as the twists and turns.
It's a terrific film from a technical point of view, too. I'm not sure why writer/director Sean Byrne hasn't had more of a career at this, but he's definitely a huge talent in the making. He's got a great eye for photography and production design, and he's got an inspired taste in musical selections, too. I hope he works on something big again soon, since I'm sure to be there whenever it's ready.
I'm honestly struggling to find bad things to say about the film, which is a good sign. It's definitely an extreme-enough film to not be for all tastes, but for the slightly deranged, strap yourselves in a bumpy ride that will leave you a bit roughed up, but feeling pretty good about yourself at the end. Word of advice, though: go to the bathroom before watching this. Trust me on that one.
Oct 21
This month, I've seen Jaws with a bear, and I've seen Jaws with a boar. While both had their merits (minor and often unintentional ones, I must emphasize), neither one was going to be making me clear room for them even among the better ripoffs in the near and distant future. Shoddy filmmaking tends to do that.
Proving that, sometimes, the third time is the charm, Rogue breaks the streak of bad Jaws ripoffs this month by being a rather good one. Far less showy and gory than you might expect, Rogue acquits itself well by being more of a slow burn (rather than slow), building more and more to the uncertainty of when the croc will strike next, rather than trying to show you just what it looks like or how it's going to rip apart its victims next. Writer/director Greg McLean has a really firm grasp on what he's setting out to do, which doesn't sound that impressive given the mold he's working with, but given the batting average of similar films, it sticks out quite a bit. Who knew that doing the things that Jaws did really well would work again?
The biggest part of the equation is that the characters in the film feel like actual human beings. McLean does such a good job with the characters, it feels really painful when any of them get dragged away by the croc. Any guy that can make the likes of Sam Worthington pretty likable must be doing something right. The cast, while hardly master thespians, do well with their roles and they manage believable relationships with one another when their numbers start falling, and they never once treat the film as a joke, or being above the material.
Working with a limited budget, McLean manages to stage some really strong sequences together, particularly the scene involving a plan to get away from the island the tourists are trapped on with rope and someone brave and/or stupid enough to get across the water to make it work, as well as the extended final showdown. McLean shoots a lot of the scenery much like a nature documentary, which gives the film an interesting visual appeal to it, where you almost would want to visit there if there wasn't a man-eating crocodile in the way. It's a remarkably restrained film, all things considered, and despite the big UNRATED lettering on the DVD box, I'd suggest that Jaws is much more uncomfortably violent at times than Rogue ever is.
If there's a big flaw, the budget was definitely not big enough to support a believable rendering of the villainous crocodile, which often looks about as good as your average Syfy Channel monster of the week. This isn't a big problem until the finale, where it's featured quite prominently, but McLean does well to direct around it by emphasizing its slow, realistic movements, complete with some great sound design work, as well limiting time that it spends in frame with the actors. With how well he handles those aspect that, you almost don't notice it. At this risk of overpraising the film, even Jaws couldn't pull off a realistic-looking shark to save its life, and that turned out pretty damn OK in the end.
#14 Fright Night
A little surprised I'd never seen this before. It was pretty good! Despite being from the 80's it didn't really feel dated or cheesy the way Hellraiser kinda did. In this day though it was far less scary than you could tell they meant for it to be, but that's alright cause it was still a well made movie. The makeup effects on one of the characters I found really effective in particular (spoilers, obviously: http://i.imgur.com/LS4MfQS.png ). That is just super creepy to me, on the level of The Exorcist, I don't even really like to look at it cause it is just unsettling. My one complaint I guess would be I thought Evil Ed was kind of annoying/unlikable, but I liked not liking him, so it was okay in a way. 4/5
--
#1 The Conjuring
#2 Insidious
#3 Insidious: Chapter 2
#4 Sinister
#5 The Awakening
#6 Hellraiser
#7 The Last Exorcism
#8 The Last Exorcism Part 2
#9 You're Next
#10 Interview with the Vampire
#11 Alien
#12 Honeymoon
#13 Willow Creek
A little surprised I'd never seen this before. It was pretty good! Despite being from the 80's it didn't really feel dated or cheesy the way Hellraiser kinda did. In this day though it was far less scary than you could tell they meant for it to be, but that's alright cause it was still a well made movie. The makeup effects on one of the characters I found really effective in particular (spoilers, obviously: http://i.imgur.com/LS4MfQS.png ). That is just super creepy to me, on the level of The Exorcist, I don't even really like to look at it cause it is just unsettling. My one complaint I guess would be I thought Evil Ed was kind of annoying/unlikable, but I liked not liking him, so it was okay in a way. 4/5
--
#1 The Conjuring
#2 Insidious
#3 Insidious: Chapter 2
#4 Sinister
#5 The Awakening
#6 Hellraiser
#7 The Last Exorcism
#8 The Last Exorcism Part 2
#9 You're Next
#10 Interview with the Vampire
#11 Alien
#12 Honeymoon
#13 Willow Creek
AgentOtaku
Member
Funny enough, watching The Loved Ones tonight with the wife who hasn't seen it 
ErinIsADrunk
Member
Movie #22: Amer.
I am not entirely sure what I just watched but I enjoyed it...? It is all very surreal. Parts of it feel almost like a dream. Visually it is a gorgeous looking film particularly the first and third acts. The use of close ups in combination with the audio design gives the whole film this immensely intimate, sensual aesthetic that I found both appealing and unsettling. I really liked it.
I am not entirely sure what I just watched but I enjoyed it...? It is all very surreal. Parts of it feel almost like a dream. Visually it is a gorgeous looking film particularly the first and third acts. The use of close ups in combination with the audio design gives the whole film this immensely intimate, sensual aesthetic that I found both appealing and unsettling. I really liked it.
1. The Mist
2. They live
3. Night of the living dead original
4. Gingersnaps
5. The Fly remake
6. Poltergeist
7. Gremlins
8. Creepshow
9.Childs Play
10. Childs Play 2
11. Childs Play 3
12. Monkey Shines
13. House on Haunted Hill (1959)
14. Creature from the Black Lagoon 3d
15. Poltergeist 2
16. Halloween (remake)
17. Halloween 2 ( remake)
18. Night of the creeps
19. Zombieland
20. The Cabin in the woods
21. Dracula 1931
22. Frankenstein 1931
23. The Mummy
24. The Wolf man
25. The Blob 1988
26. Troll 2
27. Killer Klowns from Outer Space
28. Halloween III season of the witch
29. Beetlejuice
30. Poltergeist III
Oh man... Running out of time!! So many more horror movies that I wanna fit in before Halloween. It's been an enjoyable month so far
2. They live
3. Night of the living dead original
4. Gingersnaps
5. The Fly remake
6. Poltergeist
7. Gremlins
8. Creepshow
9.Childs Play
10. Childs Play 2
11. Childs Play 3
12. Monkey Shines
13. House on Haunted Hill (1959)
14. Creature from the Black Lagoon 3d
15. Poltergeist 2
16. Halloween (remake)
17. Halloween 2 ( remake)
18. Night of the creeps
19. Zombieland
20. The Cabin in the woods
21. Dracula 1931
22. Frankenstein 1931
23. The Mummy
24. The Wolf man
25. The Blob 1988
26. Troll 2
27. Killer Klowns from Outer Space
28. Halloween III season of the witch
29. Beetlejuice
30. Poltergeist III
Oh man... Running out of time!! So many more horror movies that I wanna fit in before Halloween. It's been an enjoyable month so far
#33 - Opera
It's pretty impressive how Argento managed to keep the black-gloved killer trope fresh and interesting as long as he did. This is actually one of his less crazy films, but it was definitely a solid flick.
#34 - Halloween III: Season of the Witch
The premise was absolutely ridiculous, but it had a lot of fun with it and in the end that's what really matters. It didn't make a damn lick of sense but it was a blast to watch, and of course it had a great soundtrack to boot. A lot of people seem to hate it because it's not related to the first two, but I liked it a hell of a lot more than Halloween II.
#35 - Night of the Creeps
A delightfully cheesy and charming tribute to 50s sci-fi movies and later zombie movies with grade-A dialogue and one-liners and a great performance by Tom Atkins as Detective Cameron. And Jill Whitlow is freaking gorgeous.
It's pretty impressive how Argento managed to keep the black-gloved killer trope fresh and interesting as long as he did. This is actually one of his less crazy films, but it was definitely a solid flick.
I totally guessed who the killer was the moment I saw him, though.
#34 - Halloween III: Season of the Witch
The premise was absolutely ridiculous, but it had a lot of fun with it and in the end that's what really matters. It didn't make a damn lick of sense but it was a blast to watch, and of course it had a great soundtrack to boot. A lot of people seem to hate it because it's not related to the first two, but I liked it a hell of a lot more than Halloween II.
#35 - Night of the Creeps
A delightfully cheesy and charming tribute to 50s sci-fi movies and later zombie movies with grade-A dialogue and one-liners and a great performance by Tom Atkins as Detective Cameron. And Jill Whitlow is freaking gorgeous.
ThirstyFly
Member
20) Videodrome (1983) (Oct 21)
Body Horror Week - Day 2
I really don't know what to say about David Cronenberg's Videodrome. It's such a bizarre and surreal movie and I'm having difficulty collecting on my thoughts on it since I'm not really sure I understood it - if that's even possible.
I'm a huge fan of movies that belong to a certain time and couldn't be made today. Videodrome is an excellent example of that. Even though we're even bigger slaves to technology today and some of the themes could carry over, I feel that the time to tell this particular story has come and gone, and that makes it very interesting to me.
I really enjoyed Videodrome and look forward to revisiting it in the future to see what else I get from it. Awesome practical effects too. Grossest
VCR
Recommended.
Final Viewed List (2014):
01) White Zombie (1932) (Oct 1)
02) The Vampire Lovers (1970) (Oct 2)
03) Vampyros Lesbos (1971) (Oct 3)
04) She Killed in Ecstasy (Sie tötete in Ekstase) (1971) (Oct 4)
05) All the Colors of the Dark (Tutti i colori del buio) (1972) (Oct 5)
06) Flesh for Frankenstein (1973) (Oct 6)
07) Blood for Dracula (1974) (Oct 7)
08) Death Bed: The Bed that Eats (1977) (Oct 9)
09) Parasite (1982) (Oct 9)
10) Xtro (1982) (Oct 10)
11) The Hunger (1983) (Oct 11)
12) Nail Gun Massacre (1985) (Oct 12)
13) ThanksKilling (2009) (Oct 13)
14) The Stuff (1985) (Oct 15)
15) Ravenous (1999) (Oct 16)
16) Dolls (1987) (Oct 17)
17) Slugs: The Movie (Slugs, muerte viscosa) (1988) (Oct 18)
18) La Setta (1991) (Oct 19)
19) Shivers (aka They Came from Within) (1975) (Oct 19)
20) Videodrome (1983) (Oct 21)
Blue Submarine No. 6
Member
Oct. 21
Captain Kronos is an attempt to bring some swashbuckling into the vampire mythos, and the fourth film in Hammer's Karnstein trilogy (okay, it turns out one of the characters is a Karnstein). Young girls are succumbing to a creature that drains them of their life force, aging them decades in moments; here we are told that vampires take many forms, and different vampires are killed in different ways... The last bit lends some dark humour to the proceedings as Kronos and his partner Professor Grost experiment with different ways to kill an infected friend. The premise is interesting, the acting solid, and Carolyn Munro is as easy to watch as ever she is, but the choreography for the action sequences leaves a lot to be desired (I'm a better fencer/swordsman than any of the actors in this film, by far).
Oct. 22
This Shaw Brothers - Hammer co-production filmed in Hong Kong is a mash-up of Hammer's period vampire films and '70s martial arts films a la Bruce Lee, and it's just a weird as it sounds. Peter Cushing is here as Van Helsing, as are the traditional neo-zombie, bunny-hopping oriental vampires (as in Mr. Vampire), and a not entirely convincing John Forbes-Robertson standing in for Christopher Lee as Dracula himself. And of course, there's lots of '70s martial arts action featuring flying kicks, rubber weapons and villains that surround the hero and patiently wait their turn to be mowed down by same. This is Peter Cushing's final appearance as Van Helsing; Cushing is wonderful, of course, but the film less so... Kind of silly, kind of fun, and a little sad as this was one of the very last Hammer films (the second last, I believe) to actually be made before the studio finally declared bankruptcy...
View List 2014 - The Hammer Horror edition (other vampires week)
Captain Kronos is an attempt to bring some swashbuckling into the vampire mythos, and the fourth film in Hammer's Karnstein trilogy (okay, it turns out one of the characters is a Karnstein). Young girls are succumbing to a creature that drains them of their life force, aging them decades in moments; here we are told that vampires take many forms, and different vampires are killed in different ways... The last bit lends some dark humour to the proceedings as Kronos and his partner Professor Grost experiment with different ways to kill an infected friend. The premise is interesting, the acting solid, and Carolyn Munro is as easy to watch as ever she is, but the choreography for the action sequences leaves a lot to be desired (I'm a better fencer/swordsman than any of the actors in this film, by far).
Oct. 22
This Shaw Brothers - Hammer co-production filmed in Hong Kong is a mash-up of Hammer's period vampire films and '70s martial arts films a la Bruce Lee, and it's just a weird as it sounds. Peter Cushing is here as Van Helsing, as are the traditional neo-zombie, bunny-hopping oriental vampires (as in Mr. Vampire), and a not entirely convincing John Forbes-Robertson standing in for Christopher Lee as Dracula himself. And of course, there's lots of '70s martial arts action featuring flying kicks, rubber weapons and villains that surround the hero and patiently wait their turn to be mowed down by same. This is Peter Cushing's final appearance as Van Helsing; Cushing is wonderful, of course, but the film less so... Kind of silly, kind of fun, and a little sad as this was one of the very last Hammer films (the second last, I believe) to actually be made before the studio finally declared bankruptcy...
View List 2014 - The Hammer Horror edition (other vampires week)
- White Zombie (1932)
- The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)
- The Revenge of Frankenstein (1959)
- Evil of Frankenstein (1964)
- Frankenstein Created Woman (1967)
- Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969)
- Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974)
- Horror of Dracula (1958)
- Dracula Prince of Darkness (1966)
- Dracula Has Risen From The Grave (1968)
- Taste the Blood of Dracula (1969)
- Scars of Dracula (1970)
- Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972)
- Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973)
- The Brides of Dracula (1960)
- Kiss of the Vampire (1963)
- The Vampire Lovers (1970)
- Lust for a Vampire (1971)
- Twins of Evil (1971)
- Vampire Circus (1972)
- Captain Kronos Vampire Hunter (1972)
- Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires (1974)
Videodrome is actually being remade, horribly enough
This guy disappeared! After avatar and terminator salvation i havent seem him anywhere.
Anyone knows that happened to him? Kinda impressive to see a guy in huge movies vanishing so fast
ThirstyFly
Member
I'm curious where they go with it then. A smartphone paranoia movie? Meh.
He was one of the leads in the last Schwarzenegger film, Sabotage. Right now, I think he's getting ready for the Avatar sequels.
If anyone wants to buy the Blob 1988 Blu-ray do it NOW! Only 33 copies left as of now and once it's sold out they won't produce new copies.
http://www1.screenarchives.com/title_detail.cfm?ID=28099
http://www1.screenarchives.com/title_detail.cfm?ID=28099
You still need some kind of an internet proxy service because it is geolocked.
Thanks for reminding me this was today!!
Sorry about your troubles accessing it though.
pitcairn55
Member
Film 26 The Strange Colour of Your Bodys Tears (Netflix UK)
So you like mysterious phone calls?...
This is directors Helene Cattet and Bruno Foranzis follow-up to the wonderful Amer, but it feels like it should be the other way around, like this should have been their first feature length film. Another homage to 1970s giallo, The Strange Colour of Your Bodys Tears is less controlled, less articulate than Amer, but also less daring. It is a slightly more conventional film than its predecessor, but a much clumsier one, too. Any chaos in Amer felt deliberate, intentional, in service of a definite cause. Here it often feels as if the lunacy springs from the directors not really knowing what theyre doing. Which is well, a bit odd.
The soundtrack and the sound design are sensational, and it looks amazing, of course, though even here it doesnt score quite as highly. There is one particularly annoying visual technique that is overused the screen turns to black and white, and the film becomes a jerky series of still pictures, like an underpowered PC trying to display high resolution video and dropping three quarters of the frames, or some really badly done stop-motion animation. Its effective in small doses, but used for more than a couple of minutes at a time and it becomes bloody irritating.
The story is initially intriguing though, and deals with a man trying to discover whats happened to his wife, having come home from a business trip to find her missing, and their apartment locked from the inside. Discussing the issue with a detective and other residents leads to some of the movies most effective sequences, as people tell their own strange and sometimes similar tales. Of course about half way through the film decides it doesnt much fancy having a plot after all, thanks very much, and coherence drifts away into a kaleidoscope of surreal, blood-splattered imagery.
Verdict: A highly entertaining disappointment. Despite my negative comments, I must say I did really enjoy this movie, and if Id seen it before Amer Id probably have liked it even more. But knowing that the directors have done better previously did dampen my enthusiasm a bit.
So you like mysterious phone calls?...
This is directors Helene Cattet and Bruno Foranzis follow-up to the wonderful Amer, but it feels like it should be the other way around, like this should have been their first feature length film. Another homage to 1970s giallo, The Strange Colour of Your Bodys Tears is less controlled, less articulate than Amer, but also less daring. It is a slightly more conventional film than its predecessor, but a much clumsier one, too. Any chaos in Amer felt deliberate, intentional, in service of a definite cause. Here it often feels as if the lunacy springs from the directors not really knowing what theyre doing. Which is well, a bit odd.
The soundtrack and the sound design are sensational, and it looks amazing, of course, though even here it doesnt score quite as highly. There is one particularly annoying visual technique that is overused the screen turns to black and white, and the film becomes a jerky series of still pictures, like an underpowered PC trying to display high resolution video and dropping three quarters of the frames, or some really badly done stop-motion animation. Its effective in small doses, but used for more than a couple of minutes at a time and it becomes bloody irritating.
The story is initially intriguing though, and deals with a man trying to discover whats happened to his wife, having come home from a business trip to find her missing, and their apartment locked from the inside. Discussing the issue with a detective and other residents leads to some of the movies most effective sequences, as people tell their own strange and sometimes similar tales. Of course about half way through the film decides it doesnt much fancy having a plot after all, thanks very much, and coherence drifts away into a kaleidoscope of surreal, blood-splattered imagery.
Verdict: A highly entertaining disappointment. Despite my negative comments, I must say I did really enjoy this movie, and if Id seen it before Amer Id probably have liked it even more. But knowing that the directors have done better previously did dampen my enthusiasm a bit.
1) Annabelle (Theater)
2) Carrie ('76, Netflix US)
3) Carrie ('13, Netflix US)
4) Scream 3 (Netflix US)
5) Hostel (Netflix Mexico)
6) The Woman in Black (Netflix Mexico)
7) Saw (Netflix Canada)
8) Dawn of the Dead ('04, Netflix Canada)
9) Child's Play (Netflix Canada)
10) Scary Movie (Netflix UK)
11) Saw II (Netflix Canada)
12) Saw III (Netflix Canada)
13) Las brujas de Zugarramurdi (Netflix Mexico)
14) Drag me to Hell (Netflix Sweden)
15) Scream 4 (Netflix Sweden)
16) The Craft (Netflix UK)
17) Dark Skies (Netflix UK)
18) Friday the 13th: Part 4: The Final Chapter (Netflix UK)
19) The Crazies (Netflix UK)
20) You're Next (Netflix US)
21) Day of the Dead (Netflix US): 3.5/5 This was completely different movie than I was expecting. Slower paced than the majority of zombie movies out there. I did enjoy it for was it is. The music was great. As were the effects towards the end of the film. Although, some of the sound effects are laughable. If you are a huge fan of zombie movies, check it out.
2) Carrie ('76, Netflix US)
3) Carrie ('13, Netflix US)
4) Scream 3 (Netflix US)
5) Hostel (Netflix Mexico)
6) The Woman in Black (Netflix Mexico)
7) Saw (Netflix Canada)
8) Dawn of the Dead ('04, Netflix Canada)
9) Child's Play (Netflix Canada)
10) Scary Movie (Netflix UK)
11) Saw II (Netflix Canada)
12) Saw III (Netflix Canada)
13) Las brujas de Zugarramurdi (Netflix Mexico)
14) Drag me to Hell (Netflix Sweden)
15) Scream 4 (Netflix Sweden)
16) The Craft (Netflix UK)
17) Dark Skies (Netflix UK)
18) Friday the 13th: Part 4: The Final Chapter (Netflix UK)
19) The Crazies (Netflix UK)
20) You're Next (Netflix US)
21) Day of the Dead (Netflix US): 3.5/5 This was completely different movie than I was expecting. Slower paced than the majority of zombie movies out there. I did enjoy it for was it is. The music was great. As were the effects towards the end of the film. Although, some of the sound effects are laughable. If you are a huge fan of zombie movies, check it out.
VHS 3 was ehhhhhhhhhh
I really liked the skater story though
http://fat.gfycat.com/WarmUnsightlyBilby.webm
The mirror reality one was awesome too.
I really liked the skater story though
http://fat.gfycat.com/WarmUnsightlyBilby.webm
The mirror reality one was awesome too.
Fox Mulder
Member
Watched Friday the 13th Part III 3D tonight for #20. The movie was built around 3d and had fun with it. Can't remember the last time I wore red/blue glasses.
it's easy to fall behind as I've got games to play too. Not sweating it since it's for fun.
it's easy to fall behind as I've got games to play too. Not sweating it since it's for fun.
#23 - Society (1989)
Dafuq did I just watch? LOL, pretty interesting movie with a rather grotesque final act.
Full viewing list
Dafuq did I just watch? LOL, pretty interesting movie with a rather grotesque final act.
Full viewing list
Rhomega Beta
Member
15. Fright Night
Truly a vampire movie for the '80s. I'm normally not one to talk about acting, but I think Chris Sarandon did a great job as the suave Jerry. The visual effects were great too. Not much to say about this film, but I do highly recommend it for '80s fans and vampire fans.
1. White Zombie
2. Shadow of the Vampire
3. The Cabin in the Woods
4. The Stuff
5. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
6: Dawn of the Dead (1978)
7. Day of the Dead
8. House on Haunted Hill (1959)
9. Stephen King's Children of the Corn
10. The Blair Witch Project
11. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
12. Ravenous
13. Elvira: Mistress of the Dark
14. Rosemary's Baby
Truly a vampire movie for the '80s. I'm normally not one to talk about acting, but I think Chris Sarandon did a great job as the suave Jerry. The visual effects were great too. Not much to say about this film, but I do highly recommend it for '80s fans and vampire fans.
1. White Zombie
2. Shadow of the Vampire
3. The Cabin in the Woods
4. The Stuff
5. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
6: Dawn of the Dead (1978)
7. Day of the Dead
8. House on Haunted Hill (1959)
9. Stephen King's Children of the Corn
10. The Blair Witch Project
11. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
12. Ravenous
13. Elvira: Mistress of the Dark
14. Rosemary's Baby
ThirstyFly
Member
I'm a bit behind again, but I'll try to catch up on the weekend.
Watched Tetsuo: The Iron Man today. I'm still mulling over it so I'll review it later.
Watched Tetsuo: The Iron Man today. I'm still mulling over it so I'll review it later.
ErinIsADrunk
Member
Movie #23: Alice, Sweet Alice.
This was a really fun slasher flick. I love the way they set everything up. I normally loathe the red herring in horror flicks but they pull it off pretty well here.
They also did a good of setting up each of the deaths and none of them happen to just random people who are put in just to be attacked.
A nice little surprise heading into the final week of horror movies.
This was a really fun slasher flick. I love the way they set everything up. I normally loathe the red herring in horror flicks but they pull it off pretty well here.
They lead the audience on with portrayal of Alice as a monster of child and then "bam!" they pull the rug out while having a reasonable explanation for why it isn't her then they pair it with the creepy shot at the end. The only thing I didn't entirely buy was their choice of the actual killer. They try to give her a motive but it fell kind of flat for me.
A nice little surprise heading into the final week of horror movies.
TAJ
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
I've wanted to see Rogue since it came out, but I've never seen it for rent or on streaming and there's no domestic Blu-ray.
They might, but they'll have to wait at least three years.
They might, but they'll have to wait at least three years.
canoli2006
Member
Film 23: Fright Night (1985)
Method of Viewing: Netflix
The hell took me so long to watch this. Very entertaining throughout.
Film 24: Young Frankenstein (1973)
Method of Viewing: Bluray
Yearly tradition of one of my favorites.
Method of Viewing: Netflix
The hell took me so long to watch this. Very entertaining throughout.
Film 24: Young Frankenstein (1973)
Method of Viewing: Bluray
Yearly tradition of one of my favorites.
walkmetothelake
Banned
This was included on a compilation called Boogeyman: The Killer Compilation that I owned when I was younger. It was one of the films that I haven't seen from the list so I figured I'd give it a go.
The general concept and some of the kills were okay but this was mostly a below average watch. The various cameos kind of made it worth it though.
Add to the evergrowing list of films that start well but eventually start to fall apart. Bradley Cooper is a pretty likable guy and there's a lot of gore for people who like that kind of thing so it wasn't too hard to finish.
Really enjoyed this one. Probably a top 3 out of new watches for the challenge. This is one of the very few times that I can think of where I felt like rewatching a film just after finishing it. I do think it is best to go into this one with as little known as possible so I will probably leave it at that.
---
OP.
1. Halloween (1978) *
2. The Battery
3. Halloween II (1981) *
4. Annabelle
5. Halloween III: Season of the Witch
6. The Wicker Man
7. The Wicker Tree
8. Toad Road
9. Evil Dead II
10. Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers *
11. Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers *
12. Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers (Producer's Cut)
13. 28 Days Later... *
14. 28 Weeks Later *
15. Halloween H20: 20 Years Later *
16. May
17. Halloween (2007) *
18. White Zombie
19. Halloween II (2009) *
20. Wrong Turn *
21. Suspiria
22. The Thing (1982)
23. Sleepaway Camp *
24. Exists
25. Friday the 13th: Part 4: The Final Chapter *
26. The Mad Magician 3D
27. The Blob (1988)
28. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
29. Kidnapped
30. Dream Home
31. Would You Rather
* = rewatch
---
Can someone tell me if The Dentist, The Ugly, The Guardian, or Puppet Master are worth watching?
#23 - Society (1989)
Dafuq did I just watch? LOL, pretty interesting movie with a rather grotesque final act.
Full viewing list
Brian Yuzna's masterpiece. A great 80's take on Invasion of the Body Snatchers with fantastic effects work by Screaming Mad George.
#23 Alien (1979) 10/20 *Seen it before*
Its a classic and now I noticed that it almost took an hour for the chestburster scene. I thought it happened much earlier on!
#24 The Town That Dreaded Sundown (2014) 10/21 *First time viewing*
This is an improvement over the 1976 film, but not by much. While it fixes problems like the terrible out of place humor in the 1976 film, the whole plot doesnt make much sense at all and towards the end you just wonder what you were watching.
#25 The Blob (1958) 10/23 *First time viewing*
That was a bit painful to watch. The special effects were good for its time and there were a few creepy moments, but the melodrama just made me cringe a lot. Towards the end I totally lost it when there was a big THE END on the screen and the THE END changed into a question mark.
#26 The Blob (1988) 10/23 *First time viewing*
Now this is a big improvement. Gone is the melodrama. The special effects are crazy in this film and the much needed 80s gore and some of the ridiculous situations just top it off. This remake plays around with some of the story elements of the 1958 version and that adds a nice surprise factor to the film especially after seeing the 1958 version immediately before.
Youd think the boy character at the beginning of the film was the main character just like one would expect after seeing the 58 version, but nope lol.
Previous films:
#1 The Burbs (1989) 10/2 *First time viewing*
#2 Theatre of Blood (1973) 10/4 *First time viewing*
#3 Scanners (1981) 10/6 *First time viewing*
#4 Hardware (1990) 10/6 *First time viewing*
#5 Videodrome (1983) 10/7 *First time viewing*
#6 Alligator (1980) 10/7 *First time viewing*
#7 Street Trash (1987) 10/7 *First time viewing*
#8 The Cabin in the Woods (2012) 10/7 *First time viewing*
#9 White Zombie (1932) 10/7 *First time viewing*
#10 Phantom of the Paradise (1974) 10/9 *Seen it before*
#11 Lisa and the Devil (1973) 10/9 *Seen it before*
#12 Alica, Sweet Alica (AKA Communion) (1976) 10/10 *First time viewing*
#13 The Brood (1979) 10/10 *First time viewing*
#14 Day of the Dead (1985) 10/10 *First time viewing*
#15 Madhouse (1974) 10/10 *First time viewing*
#16 The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976) 10/12 *First time viewing*
#17 Class of Nuke 'Em High (1986) 10/13 *First time viewing*
#18 The Frighteners (1996) 10/14 *First time viewing*
#19 Re-Animator (1985) 10/15 *Seen it before*
#20 The Fly (1958) 10/16 *first time viewing*
#21 Shivers (1975) 10/17 * First time viewing*
#22 Society (1989) 10/18 *First time viewing*
Bonus film:
Cool World (1992) 10/11 *First time viewing*
Alright, it's pretty bad.
Like, worst of the three bad?
I was going to maybe rent this or ABC's of Death 2 over the weekend. Or both.
Krappadizzle
Member
My wife told me I needed to check out Tales from the Crypt. I had seen the movies as a kid but never the show as we didn't have HBO. My buddy gave me his set to borrow and holy shit is this show good. I'm on the 4th season and it's fantastic. A lot of famous horror directors are used as well. There's an episode called Television Terror that is a throwback to the ol' shock jock Morton Downey Jr. it's really good. It's a shame the show isn't on Netflix or Amazon as it fits perfectly well next to so little of the horror shows we do have.
I enjoyed the stories more than the second movie but overall the production value was shite for this one.
Next, find the HBO episodes of The Hitchhiker. Wish HBO Go had classic 4:3 HBO series...
More good films!
WEEK FOUR (Oct 22): THE LAND (WAY) DOWN UNDER
What a lovely film this was. Much has already been said about the hypnotic power that Picnic at Hanging Rock boasts, but I feel especially transfixed by it, as I went to bed shortly after watching it. It managed to burrow into me even deeper than it already had, where the already dreamlike visuals felt even stronger after a week's worth of work and exhaustion in my thoughts.
I feel like this is one of the finest depictions of cosmic horror that I've ever seen captured on film. The sense of the uncanny is prevalent from the start, and only strengthens when the girls arrive at the titular location. Rarely has a rock formation prompted so much visual interpretation, particularly with how they often look like giant heads of long-dead gods, or perhaps ones that are merely sleeping, or, terrifyingly of all, all-too-awoken ones. The films deals entirely with the inexplicable, the incomprehensible, the simply unknowable, and trying to make it all fit will leave you as frustrated as its characters are, trying to parse something, anything, from this tragedy.
I could repeat all the other kind words that have been said about the film over the years, but everyone knows about them at this point. It's a film that leaves you utterly haunted.
Oct 23
Long Weekend plays, perhaps unsurprisingly, the long game with regards to its two characters. Peter is taking Marcia on a trip to a remote beach, in the hopes that it will save their marriage. She's resistant, preferring the comforts of locales of a considerably more air-conditioned sort, but he's the one driving the car, and he just spent a lot of money just for this trip. There's nagging, there are patches of silences fraught with tension, there's minor reconciliations, and there's major fracturing.
As the plot unfolds, the film does a good job of doling out information as to why things got this bad, but what makes it rather interesting is that your allegiances are being constantly tested. You find yourself siding more with one person, only to have a bombshell go off and you wind up on the other side. Then it happens again, and goes like that until the final revelation, which really puts things in perspective. These aren't nice people by any stretch, which makes sympathizing with either of their situations rather difficult, but it does lend a great deal of tension that, if not for their current predicament, could make for a really solid thriller all on its own. You start out wondering if they're going to get back together, and you end somewhere around wondering who will kill who first.
But since this is also a "when animals attack!" film, they have more pressing problems to attend to. Like similar films of its kind, it combines simulated attacks with footage of animals scurrying or fluttering about. Due to what I imagine were budget constraints, the number of attacks are kept to a minimum, which doesn't make this the most immediately visceral filmgoing experience out there. Instead, Long Weekend takes a different tact by aiming for something with a lot more atmosphere, turning the animals into more of a collective entity than individualized critters. I was especially found of the howl of nature that is deployed every so often, which sounds like a composite of many different sources and altered just enough to sound like its own thing. It also employs a lot of POV shots of the couple, leading to more of a feeling of how utterly trapped they are, even in the great outdoors.
Both elements work really well together, especially when it starts heading for the finish and nature itself takes on an almost supernatural power to exert its ultimate dominance, leading to an excellent finale. The film doesn't make it easy to root for anyone at all, but sometimes, people need to learn respect the hard way, and Long Weekend makes damn sure that no one will forget that lesson anytime soon.
Next films: Fate would throw a wrench in the works here that I should head out with my family for a weekend trip to Myrtle Beach, but after managing a marathon that started with me on a cross-country trip to a new home, it's nothing I can't handle. With that in mind, this week of Australian horror films ends with a pair of films from one of the country's most distinguished directors of the genre, Richard Franklin. First, we get cheeky with the symbolism of a road trip being commenced with Road Games on Friday, and then at some point on Saturday, we finish off the week with Patrick, where I will hopefully not be as confided to a bed as the main character appears to be in that one.
WEEK FOUR (Oct 22): THE LAND (WAY) DOWN UNDER
What a lovely film this was. Much has already been said about the hypnotic power that Picnic at Hanging Rock boasts, but I feel especially transfixed by it, as I went to bed shortly after watching it. It managed to burrow into me even deeper than it already had, where the already dreamlike visuals felt even stronger after a week's worth of work and exhaustion in my thoughts.
I feel like this is one of the finest depictions of cosmic horror that I've ever seen captured on film. The sense of the uncanny is prevalent from the start, and only strengthens when the girls arrive at the titular location. Rarely has a rock formation prompted so much visual interpretation, particularly with how they often look like giant heads of long-dead gods, or perhaps ones that are merely sleeping, or, terrifyingly of all, all-too-awoken ones. The films deals entirely with the inexplicable, the incomprehensible, the simply unknowable, and trying to make it all fit will leave you as frustrated as its characters are, trying to parse something, anything, from this tragedy.
I could repeat all the other kind words that have been said about the film over the years, but everyone knows about them at this point. It's a film that leaves you utterly haunted.
Oct 23
Long Weekend plays, perhaps unsurprisingly, the long game with regards to its two characters. Peter is taking Marcia on a trip to a remote beach, in the hopes that it will save their marriage. She's resistant, preferring the comforts of locales of a considerably more air-conditioned sort, but he's the one driving the car, and he just spent a lot of money just for this trip. There's nagging, there are patches of silences fraught with tension, there's minor reconciliations, and there's major fracturing.
As the plot unfolds, the film does a good job of doling out information as to why things got this bad, but what makes it rather interesting is that your allegiances are being constantly tested. You find yourself siding more with one person, only to have a bombshell go off and you wind up on the other side. Then it happens again, and goes like that until the final revelation, which really puts things in perspective. These aren't nice people by any stretch, which makes sympathizing with either of their situations rather difficult, but it does lend a great deal of tension that, if not for their current predicament, could make for a really solid thriller all on its own. You start out wondering if they're going to get back together, and you end somewhere around wondering who will kill who first.
But since this is also a "when animals attack!" film, they have more pressing problems to attend to. Like similar films of its kind, it combines simulated attacks with footage of animals scurrying or fluttering about. Due to what I imagine were budget constraints, the number of attacks are kept to a minimum, which doesn't make this the most immediately visceral filmgoing experience out there. Instead, Long Weekend takes a different tact by aiming for something with a lot more atmosphere, turning the animals into more of a collective entity than individualized critters. I was especially found of the howl of nature that is deployed every so often, which sounds like a composite of many different sources and altered just enough to sound like its own thing. It also employs a lot of POV shots of the couple, leading to more of a feeling of how utterly trapped they are, even in the great outdoors.
Both elements work really well together, especially when it starts heading for the finish and nature itself takes on an almost supernatural power to exert its ultimate dominance, leading to an excellent finale. The film doesn't make it easy to root for anyone at all, but sometimes, people need to learn respect the hard way, and Long Weekend makes damn sure that no one will forget that lesson anytime soon.
Next films: Fate would throw a wrench in the works here that I should head out with my family for a weekend trip to Myrtle Beach, but after managing a marathon that started with me on a cross-country trip to a new home, it's nothing I can't handle. With that in mind, this week of Australian horror films ends with a pair of films from one of the country's most distinguished directors of the genre, Richard Franklin. First, we get cheeky with the symbolism of a road trip being commenced with Road Games on Friday, and then at some point on Saturday, we finish off the week with Patrick, where I will hopefully not be as confided to a bed as the main character appears to be in that one.
Fox Mulder
Member
#25 The Blob (1958) 10/23 *First time viewing*
That was a bit painful to watch. The special effects were good for its time and there were a few creepy moments, but the melodrama just made me cringe a lot. Towards the end I totally lost it when there was a big THE END on the screen and the THE END changed into a question mark.
#26 The Blob (1988) 10/23 *First time viewing*
Now this is a big improvement. Gone is the melodrama. The special effects are crazy in this film and the much needed 80s gore and some of the ridiculous situations just top it off. This remake plays around with some of the story elements of the 1958 version and that adds a nice surprise factor to the film especially after seeing the 1958 version immediately before.Also much to my delight kids are not safe in this film.Youd think the boy character at the beginning of the film was the main character just like one would expect after seeing the 58 version, but nope lol.
I loved both, the original is neat for what it did at the time and the theme song is catchy as shit.
Gameboy415
Member
1. Lifeforce (Blu-Ray)
2. Sleepaway Camp (Blu-Ray)
3. White Zombie (Netflix)
4. The Video Dead (Blu-Ray)
5. Prince of Darkness (Blu-Ray)
6. Tormented 3D (Blu-Ray)
7. Night of the Demons (Blu-Ray)
8. From Beyond (Blu-Ray)
9. Body Bags (Blu-Ray)
10. The Dungeon Master (AKA: Ragewar) (DVD)
11. Cellar Dweller (DVD)
12. Contamination .7 (DVD)
13. Catacombs (DVD)
14. How to Make a Monster (DVD)
15. House on Haunted Hill (DVD)
16. Terror Train (Blu-Ray)
17. The Thing From Another World (DVD)
18. What's the Matter with Helen? (DVD)
19. The Vagrant (DVD)
20. The Godsend (DVD)
21. The Outing (AKA: The Lamp) (DVD)
22. Swamp Thing (Blu-Ray)
23. The Darkest Hour (Blu-Ray 3D)
24. Death Kappa (Blu-Ray)
25. Evilspeak (Blu-Ray)
-I wasn't too impressed with this one...it had an interesting concept but I didn't really enjoy the build-up to what turned out to be an abrupt, unsatisfying ending.
2. Sleepaway Camp (Blu-Ray)
3. White Zombie (Netflix)
4. The Video Dead (Blu-Ray)
5. Prince of Darkness (Blu-Ray)
6. Tormented 3D (Blu-Ray)
7. Night of the Demons (Blu-Ray)
8. From Beyond (Blu-Ray)
9. Body Bags (Blu-Ray)
10. The Dungeon Master (AKA: Ragewar) (DVD)
11. Cellar Dweller (DVD)
12. Contamination .7 (DVD)
13. Catacombs (DVD)
14. How to Make a Monster (DVD)
15. House on Haunted Hill (DVD)
16. Terror Train (Blu-Ray)
17. The Thing From Another World (DVD)
18. What's the Matter with Helen? (DVD)
19. The Vagrant (DVD)
20. The Godsend (DVD)
21. The Outing (AKA: The Lamp) (DVD)
22. Swamp Thing (Blu-Ray)
23. The Darkest Hour (Blu-Ray 3D)
24. Death Kappa (Blu-Ray)
25. Evilspeak (Blu-Ray)
-I wasn't too impressed with this one...it had an interesting concept but I didn't really enjoy the build-up to what turned out to be an abrupt, unsatisfying ending.
avengers23
Banned
Last time, I wrote about Sinister, Shadow of the Vampire, The Exorcism of Emily Rose, and Would You Rather. If we were to rank the movies on a Meh/Worth Watching basis, here's what we would have so far:
1. October 1 - Sinister (DVR) - Meh
2. October 2 - Shadow of the Vampire (DVR) - Worth watching
3. October 3 - The Exorcism of Emily Rose (DVR) - Meh
4. October 4 - Would You Rather (DVR) - Worth watching
Today, my posts on the next four movies I watched.
5. October 5 - Excision (DVR)
This was AnnaLynne McCord’s Carrie or Monster, starring Charlize Theron, but it ended up like Amber Heard’s All The Boys Love Mandy Lane, an attempt at a transformative performance by a young actress that went into the dark all but unnoticed. McCord underwent almost as great a physical transformation as Theron to play Pauline Perhaps it’s because writer and director Richard Bates Jr. stocked his supporting cast with the likes of Traci Lords, Malcolm McDowell, Ray Wise, and John Waters, or the exaggerated nature of Pauline’s physical ugliness, signaled that this was a film going for camp and should not be taken seriously.
However, to discard Excision as just camp would be a mistake; it made me squirm like no other film so far this year. It doesn’t reach the nasty depths of Lucky McKee’s The Woman or Gregory Wilson’s The Girl Next Door because its signature moment of violence is driven by a love of one sister for another. It falls in the Grand Guignol tradition, using Pauline’s haematophilia to create fantasies of blood that are bursting with the color and life and seem to be drained from Pauline’s regular life.
The fact that Pauline finally killed not out of wrath or jealousy but out of love is the part that stays with me. Pauline might seem capable of casual cruelness because of how she revealed to a classmate that her boyfriend, played by Jeremy “it ain’t easy being J.D. McCoy” Sumpter, had slept her with Pauline, but it didn’t read as an action born from jealousy or cruelness. Instead, it seemed like another in a series of Pauline’s bluntly direct and awkward social interactions. Furthermore, we can see that her sister, played by Ariel Winter, tries to defend her against people who would mock her inability to navigate social situations. When Pauline finally kills and realizes her fantasies of blood, she doesn’t do it to satisfy her own needs but to attempt to save her sister’s life. Pity that Pauline wasn’t any more equipped to navigate the human body.
6. October 6 - Evil Dead (2013) (DVR)
The posters promised me “the most terrifying film will ever experience;” while I didn’t quite get that, I got a few things I wasn’t expecting: a fierce performance by Jane Levy, whom I only knew previously from Suburgatory, a more explicitly grander sense of scale regarding the demon’s ambitions, and a sense of the familiar because this is the second horror film (the other is 2012’s Resolution) I’ve seen where characters attempt drug rehabilitation in an abandoned cabin the backwoods.
As much as I appreciate Levy’s performance, however, the film doesn’t have the magnetic center that Sam Raimi’s did. It’s hard to replicate Bruce Campbell’s unique set of skills (chief among them his tolerance to being tortured by Raimi during filming), Shiloh Fernandez’s David made an especially poor substitute. He was flat where he needed to seem conflicted, flatter when he needed to show conviction or courage.
People who complain that Evil Dead lacks the humor and visual wit of Sam Raimi’s forget that Raimi’s The Evil Dead wasn’t much of a film itself; what they actually remember are Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness. I thought at first that The Evil Dead had a better sense of economy of characters, but it turns out that The Evil Dead had basically the same character structure as Evil Dead: a girl (Cheryl in the original, Mia in 2013), her brother (Ash in the original, David in 2013), her brother’s girlfriend (Linda vs. Natalie), their friend (Scotty vs. Eric), and the other girl (Shelly vs. Olivia). The names change, but it’s still the basic structure of five teenagers in the woods. Unfortunately, the supporting characters (Linda/Natalie, Scotty/Eric, and Shelly/Olivia) seem more like cannon fodder than characters, designed only to provide the plot other bodies through which to churn.
The opening scene is superfluous, bordering on gratuitous; it seems to have been included only to show us a scene of a possession victim burned alive. It lacks context unto itself, and it fails to provide any needed context for the rest of the film. It explains why the shotgun is in the cabin’s cellar, but it doesn’t explain why the Naturom Demonto is there, who first read it to unleash the demon, who the other people in the cellar are, or where the mystic who led this exorcism is.
The opening scene set the tone of slaughter, but it all blends into one bloody soup. Nothing really stands out other than the same trick of tying physical violence to the technology we use to prepare and cooks foods that Dexter’s opening sequence uses, which is a shame. At least the demonic transmission method is explained in this version, and the tree rape is not as titillating.
7. October 7 - Angel Heart (DVR)
“Louis Cyphre”? Really, Alan Parker and William Hjortsberg, “Louis Cyphre”? I know that you’re trying to adapt Hjortsberg’s novel Falling Angel for the screen, and you're stuck because he’s named “Louis Cyphre” in the novel, but that’s as ham-handed (because a whole hand of ham is worse than just a fist of ham) an attempt to disguise Lucifer as I’ve ever seen. Then again, Lucifer might not be so inclined to disguise who he is anyway; if he’s exerting his power in the material world without fear of divine consequences, why should he care about hiding? And I suppose that it’s no more ham-handed than a character named “Harry Angel,” played by Mickey Rourke.
I can’t remember who recommended it to me, but I’ve wanted to see Angel Heart for years, Lucifer’s ridiculous pseudonym aside. It’s listed as one of Rourke’s finer performances before he destroyed his face, and part of me wishes that he and Bruce Willis had played brothers in the 1980s to capitalize on their physical similarities. De Niro’s playful and coy performance as Cyphre would be the highlight if not for Rourke. And it’s listed as Lisa Bonet’s post-The Cosby Show breakout performance, if only because she has nude scenes.
It’s a luscious and stylish film; the signature sequence is Rourke and Bonet’s love scene, where the raindrops leaking through the ceiling turn into blood. In the context of the film, the blood makes perfect sense, and it feels sensuous and depraved. Robert De Niro’s black suits are deep black, while Rourke’s clean shirts seem never quite clean. It’s subtle visual coding that works much better than “Louis Cyphre.”
However, as much as the film luxuriates in its sensual details, it also can be plodding because the viewer can outrace the plot, a twist on the familiar Faustian tale. By the time the film moves from New York to New Orleans, the viewer can guess at most of the film’s twists. It doesn’t help that the film has unnecessary flashbacks; we don’t need a flashback ten minutes into the film, and we certainly don’t need one again at thirty minutes and another at thirty-five minutes into the film. It also bugs me that it’s not clear if the signature hallucination is from Rourke’s perspective or from our own objective point of view. Unlike the hallucinations in Jacob’s Ladder, which seem to be clearly from that protagonist’s point of view, the point of view for this hallucination is unclear, which dampens its effectiveness.
The descent into oblivion visualized by elevators seems now like a classic visual metaphor; I've seen it in Silent Hill, among other films. I wonder if it originated here.
In all, I came away with another reminder of the effect when expectations, built over time, collide with reality. I thought the film would be more impressive based on how highly the original recommendation to me was, but it felt plodding, and worse, cartoonish, particularly in any scenes that feature the New Orleans cops.
8. October 8 - The Lords of Salem (DVR)
Of course Rob Zombie would make a movie about music that makes women go bad. And of course Zombie would cast his wife, Sheri Moon Zombie, as his Mia Farrow stand-in in his version of Rosemary’s Baby filtered through Zombie’s understanding of The Sentinel and The Shining. Zombie almost maintains control over his tendency to shotgun references to older horror films at his audience and his quick cut/music video montage editing to create a tense film that moves at a deliberate pace. But he loses his grip at the very end in a psychotropic freak-out that felt cheesy.
Sheri Moon Zombie tries her best as Heidi, the shock jock and recovering drug addict at the center of the Satanic conspiracy that stretches back to the Salem witch trials of 1692. She doesn’t reach the daze that Farrow showed so well in Rosemary’s Baby, and she doesn’t inhabit the same fear of the unknown that prospective parents have. Instead, Heidi’s confusion and fear are driven by vaguer things, like her physical reaction to the witches’ Satanic song. This leaves her very little to do in the film’s second and third acts and leaves the film to feel static until the very end.
The film tries to punctuate its acts with title cards marking the progression of days and grandiose scenes of transgressive images (faceless doctors pulling a demon from Heidi’s womb, or priests with sackcloths where their faces should be and their dildos), but it felt plodding where it should have felt moody. At least it felt confidently shot; gone are Zombie’s white-trash characters, his shaky handheld approach, or his over-reliance of “fuck.” It’s beautiful in places, but I’m not sure it was worth the trip.
1. October 1 - Sinister (DVR) - Meh
2. October 2 - Shadow of the Vampire (DVR) - Worth watching
3. October 3 - The Exorcism of Emily Rose (DVR) - Meh
4. October 4 - Would You Rather (DVR) - Worth watching
Today, my posts on the next four movies I watched.
5. October 5 - Excision (DVR)
This was AnnaLynne McCord’s Carrie or Monster, starring Charlize Theron, but it ended up like Amber Heard’s All The Boys Love Mandy Lane, an attempt at a transformative performance by a young actress that went into the dark all but unnoticed. McCord underwent almost as great a physical transformation as Theron to play Pauline Perhaps it’s because writer and director Richard Bates Jr. stocked his supporting cast with the likes of Traci Lords, Malcolm McDowell, Ray Wise, and John Waters, or the exaggerated nature of Pauline’s physical ugliness, signaled that this was a film going for camp and should not be taken seriously.
However, to discard Excision as just camp would be a mistake; it made me squirm like no other film so far this year. It doesn’t reach the nasty depths of Lucky McKee’s The Woman or Gregory Wilson’s The Girl Next Door because its signature moment of violence is driven by a love of one sister for another. It falls in the Grand Guignol tradition, using Pauline’s haematophilia to create fantasies of blood that are bursting with the color and life and seem to be drained from Pauline’s regular life.
The fact that Pauline finally killed not out of wrath or jealousy but out of love is the part that stays with me. Pauline might seem capable of casual cruelness because of how she revealed to a classmate that her boyfriend, played by Jeremy “it ain’t easy being J.D. McCoy” Sumpter, had slept her with Pauline, but it didn’t read as an action born from jealousy or cruelness. Instead, it seemed like another in a series of Pauline’s bluntly direct and awkward social interactions. Furthermore, we can see that her sister, played by Ariel Winter, tries to defend her against people who would mock her inability to navigate social situations. When Pauline finally kills and realizes her fantasies of blood, she doesn’t do it to satisfy her own needs but to attempt to save her sister’s life. Pity that Pauline wasn’t any more equipped to navigate the human body.
6. October 6 - Evil Dead (2013) (DVR)
The posters promised me “the most terrifying film will ever experience;” while I didn’t quite get that, I got a few things I wasn’t expecting: a fierce performance by Jane Levy, whom I only knew previously from Suburgatory, a more explicitly grander sense of scale regarding the demon’s ambitions, and a sense of the familiar because this is the second horror film (the other is 2012’s Resolution) I’ve seen where characters attempt drug rehabilitation in an abandoned cabin the backwoods.
As much as I appreciate Levy’s performance, however, the film doesn’t have the magnetic center that Sam Raimi’s did. It’s hard to replicate Bruce Campbell’s unique set of skills (chief among them his tolerance to being tortured by Raimi during filming), Shiloh Fernandez’s David made an especially poor substitute. He was flat where he needed to seem conflicted, flatter when he needed to show conviction or courage.
People who complain that Evil Dead lacks the humor and visual wit of Sam Raimi’s forget that Raimi’s The Evil Dead wasn’t much of a film itself; what they actually remember are Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness. I thought at first that The Evil Dead had a better sense of economy of characters, but it turns out that The Evil Dead had basically the same character structure as Evil Dead: a girl (Cheryl in the original, Mia in 2013), her brother (Ash in the original, David in 2013), her brother’s girlfriend (Linda vs. Natalie), their friend (Scotty vs. Eric), and the other girl (Shelly vs. Olivia). The names change, but it’s still the basic structure of five teenagers in the woods. Unfortunately, the supporting characters (Linda/Natalie, Scotty/Eric, and Shelly/Olivia) seem more like cannon fodder than characters, designed only to provide the plot other bodies through which to churn.
The opening scene is superfluous, bordering on gratuitous; it seems to have been included only to show us a scene of a possession victim burned alive. It lacks context unto itself, and it fails to provide any needed context for the rest of the film. It explains why the shotgun is in the cabin’s cellar, but it doesn’t explain why the Naturom Demonto is there, who first read it to unleash the demon, who the other people in the cellar are, or where the mystic who led this exorcism is.
The opening scene set the tone of slaughter, but it all blends into one bloody soup. Nothing really stands out other than the same trick of tying physical violence to the technology we use to prepare and cooks foods that Dexter’s opening sequence uses, which is a shame. At least the demonic transmission method is explained in this version, and the tree rape is not as titillating.
7. October 7 - Angel Heart (DVR)
“Louis Cyphre”? Really, Alan Parker and William Hjortsberg, “Louis Cyphre”? I know that you’re trying to adapt Hjortsberg’s novel Falling Angel for the screen, and you're stuck because he’s named “Louis Cyphre” in the novel, but that’s as ham-handed (because a whole hand of ham is worse than just a fist of ham) an attempt to disguise Lucifer as I’ve ever seen. Then again, Lucifer might not be so inclined to disguise who he is anyway; if he’s exerting his power in the material world without fear of divine consequences, why should he care about hiding? And I suppose that it’s no more ham-handed than a character named “Harry Angel,” played by Mickey Rourke.
I can’t remember who recommended it to me, but I’ve wanted to see Angel Heart for years, Lucifer’s ridiculous pseudonym aside. It’s listed as one of Rourke’s finer performances before he destroyed his face, and part of me wishes that he and Bruce Willis had played brothers in the 1980s to capitalize on their physical similarities. De Niro’s playful and coy performance as Cyphre would be the highlight if not for Rourke. And it’s listed as Lisa Bonet’s post-The Cosby Show breakout performance, if only because she has nude scenes.
It’s a luscious and stylish film; the signature sequence is Rourke and Bonet’s love scene, where the raindrops leaking through the ceiling turn into blood. In the context of the film, the blood makes perfect sense, and it feels sensuous and depraved. Robert De Niro’s black suits are deep black, while Rourke’s clean shirts seem never quite clean. It’s subtle visual coding that works much better than “Louis Cyphre.”
However, as much as the film luxuriates in its sensual details, it also can be plodding because the viewer can outrace the plot, a twist on the familiar Faustian tale. By the time the film moves from New York to New Orleans, the viewer can guess at most of the film’s twists. It doesn’t help that the film has unnecessary flashbacks; we don’t need a flashback ten minutes into the film, and we certainly don’t need one again at thirty minutes and another at thirty-five minutes into the film. It also bugs me that it’s not clear if the signature hallucination is from Rourke’s perspective or from our own objective point of view. Unlike the hallucinations in Jacob’s Ladder, which seem to be clearly from that protagonist’s point of view, the point of view for this hallucination is unclear, which dampens its effectiveness.
The descent into oblivion visualized by elevators seems now like a classic visual metaphor; I've seen it in Silent Hill, among other films. I wonder if it originated here.
In all, I came away with another reminder of the effect when expectations, built over time, collide with reality. I thought the film would be more impressive based on how highly the original recommendation to me was, but it felt plodding, and worse, cartoonish, particularly in any scenes that feature the New Orleans cops.
8. October 8 - The Lords of Salem (DVR)
Of course Rob Zombie would make a movie about music that makes women go bad. And of course Zombie would cast his wife, Sheri Moon Zombie, as his Mia Farrow stand-in in his version of Rosemary’s Baby filtered through Zombie’s understanding of The Sentinel and The Shining. Zombie almost maintains control over his tendency to shotgun references to older horror films at his audience and his quick cut/music video montage editing to create a tense film that moves at a deliberate pace. But he loses his grip at the very end in a psychotropic freak-out that felt cheesy.
Sheri Moon Zombie tries her best as Heidi, the shock jock and recovering drug addict at the center of the Satanic conspiracy that stretches back to the Salem witch trials of 1692. She doesn’t reach the daze that Farrow showed so well in Rosemary’s Baby, and she doesn’t inhabit the same fear of the unknown that prospective parents have. Instead, Heidi’s confusion and fear are driven by vaguer things, like her physical reaction to the witches’ Satanic song. This leaves her very little to do in the film’s second and third acts and leaves the film to feel static until the very end.
The film tries to punctuate its acts with title cards marking the progression of days and grandiose scenes of transgressive images (faceless doctors pulling a demon from Heidi’s womb, or priests with sackcloths where their faces should be and their dildos), but it felt plodding where it should have felt moody. At least it felt confidently shot; gone are Zombie’s white-trash characters, his shaky handheld approach, or his over-reliance of “fuck.” It’s beautiful in places, but I’m not sure it was worth the trip.
Blue Submarine No. 6
Member
Oct. 23
Ravenous was another great choice for a mandatory film this year. I've been a fan since it's release, so it was an easy re-watch. I love frontier horror (probably not a genre, but it should be!!), and enjoy films that explore interesting monster myths. This hits both those buttons with dark humour and excellent music, and makes for a nice break before finishing the month with some other Hammer monsters...
View List 2014 - The Hammer Horror edition (other Hammer monsters week)
Ravenous was another great choice for a mandatory film this year. I've been a fan since it's release, so it was an easy re-watch. I love frontier horror (probably not a genre, but it should be!!), and enjoy films that explore interesting monster myths. This hits both those buttons with dark humour and excellent music, and makes for a nice break before finishing the month with some other Hammer monsters...
View List 2014 - The Hammer Horror edition (other Hammer monsters week)
- White Zombie (1932)
- The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)
- The Revenge of Frankenstein (1959)
- Evil of Frankenstein (1964)
- Frankenstein Created Woman (1967)
- Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969)
- Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974)
- Horror of Dracula (1958)
- Dracula Prince of Darkness (1966)
- Dracula Has Risen From The Grave (1968)
- Taste the Blood of Dracula (1969)
- Scars of Dracula (1970)
- Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972)
- Satanic Rites of Dracula (1973)
- The Brides of Dracula (1960)
- Kiss of the Vampire (1963)
- The Vampire Lovers (1970)
- Lust for a Vampire (1971)
- Twins of Evil (1971)
- Vampire Circus (1972)
- Captain Kronos Vampire Hunter (1972)
- Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires (1974)
- Ravenous (1999)