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31 Days of Horror 6 |OT| The October Movie Marathon
- Thread starter ThirstyFly
- Start date
Gameboy415
Member
1. Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (DVD)
2. The Hollow (Netflix)
3. The Children (DVD)
4. Wes Craven Presents: Mind Ripper (Hulu)
-The cast & concept were fairly interesting but the story didn't really go anywhere and it felt pretty pointless in the end. Meh.
5. C.H.U.D. (Hulu)
-I've seen this one pop up in this thread over the years so I felt I should finally check it out. It was a little campy but still pretty entertaining! It was nice to see Daniel Stern in something other than Home Alone too, haha.
2. The Hollow (Netflix)
3. The Children (DVD)
4. Wes Craven Presents: Mind Ripper (Hulu)
-The cast & concept were fairly interesting but the story didn't really go anywhere and it felt pretty pointless in the end. Meh.
5. C.H.U.D. (Hulu)
-I've seen this one pop up in this thread over the years so I felt I should finally check it out. It was a little campy but still pretty entertaining! It was nice to see Daniel Stern in something other than Home Alone too, haha.
afternoon delight
Member
Videodrome is just incredible. I know it's said often but so much of the digital paranoia about narcissism and meaning-making definitely feels timeless today.
6. Dawn of the Dead: European cut (1978)
First time watching Argento's edit and it's a really interesting experience, I'm so versed with Romero's version that it's simply surreal watching this leaner, weirder, wildly alternate cut. I prefer Romero's simply for its archival score but it was so cool seeing a different version of one of my favorite movies ever. Definitely felt like the highlight reel sometimes in terms of the characters but Argento's preferences are boldly on display.
MHWilliams
Member
Night 2: Ju-On: The Grudge
Conceptually the films great. A non-linear narrative leads to an interesting way to set up characters and the potential for some serious fuckery. The fact the entity is omnipotent should be terrifying. The lead ghosts are spooky. It just all kinda falls flat.
The film's scored and shot well and the reveal that the entity's actually omnipresent is great. Kayako's actor moves in a terrifying way and Toshio plays a solid creepy kid. On the other hand the CGI effects are all shit, the make-up on the ghosts who aren't the main too looks bad (which is a huge issue in the finish) and most of the character's plots have really shitty conclusions.
Hitmoi's arc is well worth watching and ends with depicting why hiding under the covers is a bad idea. The rest of the movie? Eh.
You should try Ju-On: White Ghost/Black Ghost.
Fox Mulder
Member
#2 Mimic (1997)
I love bug movies and this has a neat premise of engineered bugs evolving to mimic people.
It has glimpses of del Toros style, but good old studio meddling ruined it a bit. it's still an okay b monster movie at least.
I love bug movies and this has a neat premise of engineered bugs evolving to mimic people.
It has glimpses of del Toros style, but good old studio meddling ruined it a bit. it's still an okay b monster movie at least.
#2 The Last Man on Earth (1964)
Surprised and impressed at how ahead of its time this films is. Vincent Price is, as usual, the best part of these B pictures. Unfortunately not much else with this one, but the "twist" ending was a nice surprise as well. MOOOOORRRRGAAAAANNNNN
3/5
List of films so far
Surprised and impressed at how ahead of its time this films is. Vincent Price is, as usual, the best part of these B pictures. Unfortunately not much else with this one, but the "twist" ending was a nice surprise as well. MOOOOORRRRGAAAAANNNNN
3/5
List of films so far
October 2, film 2
A review of Street Trash could begin and end at "what the ever-loving fuck just happened" and be more than enough to get across just how damn unique this film winds up being. Pure sleaze cinema that looks and moves like a million bucks, the film defies easy descriptions every step of the way. If you're sold on the promise of seeing bums melting in every color of the rainbow, you will certainly get that, but what you might not know is just how much of a sprawl the film has. While there's really not much of a central story (it's mainly a lot of subplots that are only tangentially related to the aforementioned killer hooch), the demented nature of how it depicts bum life never ceases to amaze in its ornate details that are more at home in a Mad Max film and its fierce commitment to not glamorizing that kind of life. Indeed, it is so aggressively ugly about their behaviors and attitudes that it could damn near be mistaken as an anti-bum film if it wasn't pitched to such surreal heights. There are just so many scenes that if described out loud in public that would likely result in the cops being called on me, but I can rest easy knowing that I can prove that I'm not on drugs since everything really does happen in this film! Even if it is off-putting to a degree that most people wouldn't be able to handle it, one really has to admire the ambition on display here as it dives into uncharted territory with as much confidence as it does. If I see another film this marathon as peerless in its concept is concerned as this film, I might actually melt into a puddle myself.
Film for October 3: In an attempt to dial back on the crazy for just a little bit, we finally look to a long overdue viewing of one of Hollywood's biggest horror blockbusters in Poltergeist. With the promise of big special effects and perhaps the intrigue of figuring out just whose film it actually is between Tobe Hooper and Steven Spielberg, it will nevertheless be a big one to finally cross off the list of mainstream successes.
A review of Street Trash could begin and end at "what the ever-loving fuck just happened" and be more than enough to get across just how damn unique this film winds up being. Pure sleaze cinema that looks and moves like a million bucks, the film defies easy descriptions every step of the way. If you're sold on the promise of seeing bums melting in every color of the rainbow, you will certainly get that, but what you might not know is just how much of a sprawl the film has. While there's really not much of a central story (it's mainly a lot of subplots that are only tangentially related to the aforementioned killer hooch), the demented nature of how it depicts bum life never ceases to amaze in its ornate details that are more at home in a Mad Max film and its fierce commitment to not glamorizing that kind of life. Indeed, it is so aggressively ugly about their behaviors and attitudes that it could damn near be mistaken as an anti-bum film if it wasn't pitched to such surreal heights. There are just so many scenes that if described out loud in public that would likely result in the cops being called on me, but I can rest easy knowing that I can prove that I'm not on drugs since everything really does happen in this film! Even if it is off-putting to a degree that most people wouldn't be able to handle it, one really has to admire the ambition on display here as it dives into uncharted territory with as much confidence as it does. If I see another film this marathon as peerless in its concept is concerned as this film, I might actually melt into a puddle myself.
Film for October 3: In an attempt to dial back on the crazy for just a little bit, we finally look to a long overdue viewing of one of Hollywood's biggest horror blockbusters in Poltergeist. With the promise of big special effects and perhaps the intrigue of figuring out just whose film it actually is between Tobe Hooper and Steven Spielberg, it will nevertheless be a big one to finally cross off the list of mainstream successes.
#3 The Monster of Piedras Blancas (1959)
Discount Creature From the Black Lagoon terrorizes small seaside town by chopping off the heads and draining the blood of several locals. Town fights back. Brisk, but still pretty uneventful. Some great special effects too
3/5
List of films so far
Discount Creature From the Black Lagoon terrorizes small seaside town by chopping off the heads and draining the blood of several locals. Town fights back. Brisk, but still pretty uneventful. Some great special effects too
3/5
List of films so far
#1 Hush
Counting this one because the girlfriend and I watched it a couple of weeks ago. The deaf dynamic could have been gimmicky but I think it plays well into the tension of the film. Love the soundtrack. 4/5
#2 The Invitation
The buildup on this one was really quite nice, more of a philosophical thriller than a horror film... until the final quarter. Really interesting concept (though it does end up riffing on the home invasion genre quit a bit). 3.75/5
Counting this one because the girlfriend and I watched it a couple of weeks ago. The deaf dynamic could have been gimmicky but I think it plays well into the tension of the film. Love the soundtrack. 4/5
#2 The Invitation
The buildup on this one was really quite nice, more of a philosophical thriller than a horror film... until the final quarter. Really interesting concept (though it does end up riffing on the home invasion genre quit a bit). 3.75/5
excelsiorlef
Member
Oct 2.
2. The Neon Demon
Another style over substance movie. More visual art than a movie. Shots are gorgeous, everything is slick and visually stunning. Incredible music, empty and nonsensical plot. Much more an experience than a source of story.
Excellent last 20 minutes almost make up for the comatose first 90.
Jena Malone is stellar, Elle Fanning not so much. Abbey Lee and Bella Heathcote are the standouts.
2. The Neon Demon
Another style over substance movie. More visual art than a movie. Shots are gorgeous, everything is slick and visually stunning. Incredible music, empty and nonsensical plot. Much more an experience than a source of story.
Excellent last 20 minutes almost make up for the comatose first 90.
Jena Malone is stellar, Elle Fanning not so much. Abbey Lee and Bella Heathcote are the standouts.
Fox Mulder
Member
#3 Christine (1983)
Not the best Carpenter film and the premise is goofy, but is a fun watch. A tragedy story really.
Not the best Carpenter film and the premise is goofy, but is a fun watch. A tragedy story really.
#2: Animal | via Netflix streaming
Both of my first films in the marathon involve people besieged inside a house in the woods, with monster(s) outside, but Animal could not be more different than Stung, last night's schlock-fest. This one takes itself seriously, which is a mixed blessing.
The opening scene is absolutely awful and had me thinking the entire film would follow suit. Badly filmed, sped up shaky-cam footage of people running through the woods, while chased by some unseen monster. A woman falls flat on her face, then gets dragged off screen and killed. Cue horrified screams of the onlookers and a cut to the title card. It plays it straight and does not stick the landing.
Around 15 minutes in, when a new crop of animal chow arrives at the cabin the two groups congregate in, I assumed the film would settle into a rhythm of people getting knocked off one at a time for being stupid. But that's not what happens, not quite. Suddenly it starts developing characters, building tension, and establishing setting and tone. People talk to each other, debate and make plans, behave rationally. The second act of the film is actually very good.
The problem is the plans they make suck. Options not considered: wait until the sun is up, and you can see the monster from a distance; there's this strange insistence to solving the situation in the few hours before sunup, when they are in apparent safety. And the most glaring: arming themselves. They're in a cabin but no one ever picks up so much as a kitchen knife. If it were me I'd be arming everyone with 2x4's, knives on poles, shovels, you name it. But no - the most anyone ever carries is a flare. This results in a third act where everyone is totally helpless when the inevitable starts happening. (The film actually repeats the whole woman falling down while running, getting someone killed thing AGAIN in the climax.)
Against this is a rotten apple in the group that actually is semi-rational, character deaths that have emotional impact and resonance, a location that is established well so we understand the logistics of the action when it hits the fan, a thoroughly excellent, practically created creature design, solid acting across the board, and one of the most satisfying moments of comeuppance I've seen in the genre in quite a while. The film also resists the temptation to over-explain its creature, offering just enough hints in an early throwaway bit of dialogue. It's also very lean, at just 80 minutes.
Overall, not bad and far better than I had expected. Another pass at the script - not the dialogue, but the plot - would have really elevated this one. In the end it's a solid cabin in the woods monster movie that both embraces and is bogged down by its genre tropes.
Both of my first films in the marathon involve people besieged inside a house in the woods, with monster(s) outside, but Animal could not be more different than Stung, last night's schlock-fest. This one takes itself seriously, which is a mixed blessing.
The opening scene is absolutely awful and had me thinking the entire film would follow suit. Badly filmed, sped up shaky-cam footage of people running through the woods, while chased by some unseen monster. A woman falls flat on her face, then gets dragged off screen and killed. Cue horrified screams of the onlookers and a cut to the title card. It plays it straight and does not stick the landing.
Around 15 minutes in, when a new crop of animal chow arrives at the cabin the two groups congregate in, I assumed the film would settle into a rhythm of people getting knocked off one at a time for being stupid. But that's not what happens, not quite. Suddenly it starts developing characters, building tension, and establishing setting and tone. People talk to each other, debate and make plans, behave rationally. The second act of the film is actually very good.
The problem is the plans they make suck. Options not considered: wait until the sun is up, and you can see the monster from a distance; there's this strange insistence to solving the situation in the few hours before sunup, when they are in apparent safety. And the most glaring: arming themselves. They're in a cabin but no one ever picks up so much as a kitchen knife. If it were me I'd be arming everyone with 2x4's, knives on poles, shovels, you name it. But no - the most anyone ever carries is a flare. This results in a third act where everyone is totally helpless when the inevitable starts happening. (The film actually repeats the whole woman falling down while running, getting someone killed thing AGAIN in the climax.)
Against this is a rotten apple in the group that actually is semi-rational, character deaths that have emotional impact and resonance, a location that is established well so we understand the logistics of the action when it hits the fan, a thoroughly excellent, practically created creature design, solid acting across the board, and one of the most satisfying moments of comeuppance I've seen in the genre in quite a while. The film also resists the temptation to over-explain its creature, offering just enough hints in an early throwaway bit of dialogue. It's also very lean, at just 80 minutes.
Overall, not bad and far better than I had expected. Another pass at the script - not the dialogue, but the plot - would have really elevated this one. In the end it's a solid cabin in the woods monster movie that both embraces and is bogged down by its genre tropes.
mariachi507
Member
1. The Exorcist
I’m getting a semi-late start to the month. For some reason, even though I have been looking forward to the 31 days of horror for a while now, I just haven't got in the mood yet. To remedy that I figured I should do a rewatch of one of the heavyweights of the genre.
On a technical level, there aren’t many horror films that can stand up to The Exorcist. I’ve mentioned it before, but it’s one of my favorited editing jobs on a film. Many of the scenes end very abruptly, usually during the last word of a character’s dialogue or at the height of a scream. At the point of where the scene is cut the film will jump to a shot where silence is heard. It’s the little things like this that really make the audience feel unease about what they’re watching and set’s the mood/atmosphere for the duration. These scenes would have little effect if it wasn’t for the sound design. Music is very scarce throughout its runtime, in today’s world that would probably be considered risky with worry that viewers would get bored. William Friedkin offsets this with interesting camera movement. It’s seldom that you will see a shot repeated, which is a framing method inspired by I think Michelangelo Antonioni. I could be wrong on the inspiration though.
The characters themselves all feel authentic, and their roles are filled with a mix of actors and non-actors alike. There is not really a weak link anywhere in the cast, and I couldn’t imagine anybody in one of these roles being replaced by someone else. That could be a testament to how iconic these characters are. The script does a wonderful job in juggling many different characters who all have their own arcs. The editing reinforces this by cutting back and forth from the MacNeal family to Father Karras while showing their development over a space of time. Characters are even still being introduced at the 1-hour mark such as Detective Kinderman, but there is enough material given to them so that their inclusion is justified. The film is notorious for its scenes of shock, but it’s the tiny moments between these characters that make the film for me.
I’m always surprised at how slow the story is allowed to build before everything goes apeshit crazy. There is a great attention to detail that enhances the build and the journey that the characters are going through. An example of this being the deterioration of not only Regan, but her mother Chris. Chris’s desperation becomes apparent by looking at the progress of her mental and physical state as she tries to save her daughter. As the conditions of Regan worsen, Chris’s behavior becomes increasingly unstable and she begins to care less about her public appearance, whereas earlier in the film she was all made up for parties and seemed to be concerned about how to looked to her high-class friends.
I break the story down in two parts, before and after the
. The film is so masterfully executed that I really have no problem seeing it hailed as the greatest horror film ever.
Verdict: Masterpiece
I’m getting a semi-late start to the month. For some reason, even though I have been looking forward to the 31 days of horror for a while now, I just haven't got in the mood yet. To remedy that I figured I should do a rewatch of one of the heavyweights of the genre.
On a technical level, there aren’t many horror films that can stand up to The Exorcist. I’ve mentioned it before, but it’s one of my favorited editing jobs on a film. Many of the scenes end very abruptly, usually during the last word of a character’s dialogue or at the height of a scream. At the point of where the scene is cut the film will jump to a shot where silence is heard. It’s the little things like this that really make the audience feel unease about what they’re watching and set’s the mood/atmosphere for the duration. These scenes would have little effect if it wasn’t for the sound design. Music is very scarce throughout its runtime, in today’s world that would probably be considered risky with worry that viewers would get bored. William Friedkin offsets this with interesting camera movement. It’s seldom that you will see a shot repeated, which is a framing method inspired by I think Michelangelo Antonioni. I could be wrong on the inspiration though.
The characters themselves all feel authentic, and their roles are filled with a mix of actors and non-actors alike. There is not really a weak link anywhere in the cast, and I couldn’t imagine anybody in one of these roles being replaced by someone else. That could be a testament to how iconic these characters are. The script does a wonderful job in juggling many different characters who all have their own arcs. The editing reinforces this by cutting back and forth from the MacNeal family to Father Karras while showing their development over a space of time. Characters are even still being introduced at the 1-hour mark such as Detective Kinderman, but there is enough material given to them so that their inclusion is justified. The film is notorious for its scenes of shock, but it’s the tiny moments between these characters that make the film for me.
I’m always surprised at how slow the story is allowed to build before everything goes apeshit crazy. There is a great attention to detail that enhances the build and the journey that the characters are going through. An example of this being the deterioration of not only Regan, but her mother Chris. Chris’s desperation becomes apparent by looking at the progress of her mental and physical state as she tries to save her daughter. As the conditions of Regan worsen, Chris’s behavior becomes increasingly unstable and she begins to care less about her public appearance, whereas earlier in the film she was all made up for parties and seemed to be concerned about how to looked to her high-class friends.
I break the story down in two parts, before and after the
crucifix masturbation scene. I’ve often heard from people that this movie should be scarier for religious folks, but I think that is kind of missing the point. The first half of the story deals with Chris exhausting every ounce of reason to find out what’s wrong with her daughter. They visit every medical professional that are referred to them until Chris realizes that science and logic has failed her. I love the scene where a table surrounded by all of these doctors can’t give any specific reason of what’s ailing her daughter, and in that moment they say, “Have you ever heard of exorcism?” It’s not religious folks that should be scared of this flick, it’s the scholars and the skeptics who are brought to the point of abandoning their ideals to embrace a kind of logic that makes no real sense. It’s at the point of the crucifix masturbation scene that Chris has to embrace faith, and her story finally collides with Father Karras’. Interestingly enough, another character is introduced at this point in the story, with that character being Captain Howdy. We had seen that character in spurts, but in all of the possession scenes up to this point Regan was still able to show some semblance of herself. It is after (during?) the crucifix scene that she has finally become completely possessed by the demon. Karras’ initial conversation with the demon is one of my favorite scenes in the film, the conversation between them is so good that the projectile pea soup almost becomes an afterthought for me.
Even though Regan is the main focus of the film, she is really just a pawn used by the demon to exact revenge on Father Merrin. I haven’t really touched on the introduction of the story, but it’s those events that set up the showdown in the climax. In contrast to Father Karris, Father Merrin has no doubts about what is wrong with Regan. When he is finally given the telegram requesting that his services are needed, he doesn’t even need to open it, he already knows the details. It’s what he’s been waiting for since leaving Iraq in the opening of the film, and now he knows that it is time for his final showdown with the demon. The film immediately cuts to a shot of the possessed Reagan realizing the same thing. These short scenes basically have the same effect as a Rocky montage for me, showing how each combatant is prepared for battle. The science vs. faith debate even shows up one more time when Karras tries to give Merrin the background details of the possession, Merrin isn’t having any of that shit though, he knows all that he needs to.
Then comes the main event of show, the exorcism itself. It is during this scene that all of the major subplots converge into each other. Reagan’s possession, Chris’s acceptance of it and the desperation of trying to save her daughter, Kinderman’s investigation, Merrin vs. The Demon, and Karras’s guilt and doubt in which he realizes that victory doesn’t just mean saving Regan, it saves his faith
Even though Regan is the main focus of the film, she is really just a pawn used by the demon to exact revenge on Father Merrin. I haven’t really touched on the introduction of the story, but it’s those events that set up the showdown in the climax. In contrast to Father Karris, Father Merrin has no doubts about what is wrong with Regan. When he is finally given the telegram requesting that his services are needed, he doesn’t even need to open it, he already knows the details. It’s what he’s been waiting for since leaving Iraq in the opening of the film, and now he knows that it is time for his final showdown with the demon. The film immediately cuts to a shot of the possessed Reagan realizing the same thing. These short scenes basically have the same effect as a Rocky montage for me, showing how each combatant is prepared for battle. The science vs. faith debate even shows up one more time when Karras tries to give Merrin the background details of the possession, Merrin isn’t having any of that shit though, he knows all that he needs to.
Then comes the main event of show, the exorcism itself. It is during this scene that all of the major subplots converge into each other. Reagan’s possession, Chris’s acceptance of it and the desperation of trying to save her daughter, Kinderman’s investigation, Merrin vs. The Demon, and Karras’s guilt and doubt in which he realizes that victory doesn’t just mean saving Regan, it saves his faith
Verdict: Masterpiece
walkmetothelake
Banned
OP
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Film #6 - Slugs (1988) - trailer
Wasn't sure what I was getting myself into as this is a horror film about killer slugs of all things. Thankfully it wasn't as tragic as I expected and it was actually a bit fun.
Film #7 - Baron Blood (1972) - trailer
Great setting and atmosphere as usual with Bava films. Not sure why this seems to be a bit of a black sheep of sorts in terms of reaction in his filmography. I preferred this to Black Sunday at least. (To be fair, the english dub I saw Black Sunday with was BAD.)
Film #8 - Grizzly (1976) - trailer
There was a lot going on here between the crazed bear, surprisingly high amount of blood/gore, and seemingly endless elements taken from Jaws. Crazy/killer animal films definitely seem to be a bit more out there by default but this was truly something.
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My current sleep schedule and work situation has really done a number on my sad amount of film watching.
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Film #6 - Slugs (1988) - trailer
Wasn't sure what I was getting myself into as this is a horror film about killer slugs of all things. Thankfully it wasn't as tragic as I expected and it was actually a bit fun.
Film #7 - Baron Blood (1972) - trailer
Great setting and atmosphere as usual with Bava films. Not sure why this seems to be a bit of a black sheep of sorts in terms of reaction in his filmography. I preferred this to Black Sunday at least. (To be fair, the english dub I saw Black Sunday with was BAD.)
Film #8 - Grizzly (1976) - trailer
There was a lot going on here between the crazed bear, surprisingly high amount of blood/gore, and seemingly endless elements taken from Jaws. Crazy/killer animal films definitely seem to be a bit more out there by default but this was truly something.
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My current sleep schedule and work situation has really done a number on my sad amount of film watching.
Yeah, the film is bat shit insane, but I've loved it for years. The director James Muro has been one of the most sought after stedicam operator for years. He carved out a helluva career. I'm pretty sure he's worked with James Cameron on all of his movies.
mariachi507
Member
I actually haven't ever gone down that road. Haven't heard too many good things about Psycho 3 but I'm curious based on Perkins being in the director's chair.
Yeah, I saw his list of credits and pretty much everything he's done had had some amazing camerawork in it. I can't stress enough how well this film fares in that regard, as there are very, very few horror films that have such a graceful mobility about them like this one does. Not bad for some morally bankrupt winos!
Even better Bryan Singer was a grip/production assistant on Street Trash. LOL
#1 - P.O.V. - A Cursed Film (2012) - 3.5/5
#2 - Satanic (2016) - 0/5
#3 - The Shining (1980)
Really surprised this hasn't been re-adapted yet, with Hollywood's hard-on for reboots recently. Jack Nicholson's descent into madness, a great child actor and a amazing desperate female lead to offset it all (whatever happened to Shelley Duvall anyways, she just up and dissapeared, hasn't she?). Great stuff all around. Kubrick's visuals, the sounds used, just perfect. But hey, you all know this movie, so I don't really need to go into much more detail. 5 redrums out of 5.
#2 - Satanic (2016) - 0/5
#3 - The Shining (1980)
Really surprised this hasn't been re-adapted yet, with Hollywood's hard-on for reboots recently. Jack Nicholson's descent into madness, a great child actor and a amazing desperate female lead to offset it all (whatever happened to Shelley Duvall anyways, she just up and dissapeared, hasn't she?). Great stuff all around. Kubrick's visuals, the sounds used, just perfect. But hey, you all know this movie, so I don't really need to go into much more detail. 5 redrums out of 5.
Fancy Clown
Member
4) Spider Baby - (Jack Hill, 1968)
"Just because something isn't good doesn't mean it's bad."
From the dementedly goofy and charming opening credits, I knew this was going to be a fun time. This very funny, creepy little film draws its humor from the same black well that Tobe Hooper would later dip into for his own tale of a demented cannibal family. While this movie leans far more heavily to the comedy of things than Texas Chain Saw Massacre, don't let that fool you, as the laughter is always of a nervous sort, since early on the film sets up that these people are capable of some very nasty, creepy things. The cast here is just perfection too. Lon Chaney is obviously great, but every other actor in the cast is insanely charismatic and has perfect comedic timing, the standout being the two young sisters played by Jill Banner and Beverly Washburn, and Quinn Redeker as charmingly funny John Slattery type lead. This was an unexpected gem for me.
"Just because something isn't good doesn't mean it's bad."
From the dementedly goofy and charming opening credits, I knew this was going to be a fun time. This very funny, creepy little film draws its humor from the same black well that Tobe Hooper would later dip into for his own tale of a demented cannibal family. While this movie leans far more heavily to the comedy of things than Texas Chain Saw Massacre, don't let that fool you, as the laughter is always of a nervous sort, since early on the film sets up that these people are capable of some very nasty, creepy things. The cast here is just perfection too. Lon Chaney is obviously great, but every other actor in the cast is insanely charismatic and has perfect comedic timing, the standout being the two young sisters played by Jill Banner and Beverly Washburn, and Quinn Redeker as charmingly funny John Slattery type lead. This was an unexpected gem for me.
#1 - P.O.V. - A Cursed Film (2012) - 3.5/5
#2 - Satanic (2016) - 0/5
#3 - The Shining (1980)
Really surprised this hasn't been re-adapted yet, with Hollywood's hard-on for reboots recently. Jack Nicholson's descent into madness, a great child actor and a amazing desperate female lead to offset it all (whatever happened to Shelley Duvall anyways, she just up and dissapeared, hasn't she?). Great stuff all around. Kubrick's visuals, the sounds used, just perfect. But hey, you all know this movie, so I don't really need to go into much more detail. 5 redrums out of 5.
I don't think this can be remade. At best you may get a prequel or maybe sequel with a new family. Otherwise it's just in a world of its own. More generally could any of Kubrick's films be remade? I mean sure someone could try some dumbass shot for shot Psycho bullshit but you can't do it any better. Texas Chainsaw, Hills Have Eyes, and Halloween all had decent reboots imo. Hills really needed it though. TCM and Halloween didn't so much need rebooted but I liked seeing them modernized. Something like the Shining just feels timeless I guess is what I'm saying. But yea your right, amazing that someone hasn't tried.
InaudibleWhispa
Member
I watched 2 movies just prior to October (including the original Halloween), so I guess this is my first official 31 days review.
Rob Zombie's Halloween
Remember the classic opening scene of John Carpenters Halloween? It's quiet, tense, cleanly shot in effective POV and it introduces Michael Myers, boy psychopath. It's 5 minutes long and it perfectly sets the tone of the movie to come. The opening scenes of Rob Zombie's Halloween feature references to fucking, tits, ass, blowjobs, abortions and a gastric cum irrigation. It's 5 minutes long and it perfectly sets the tone of the movie to come. The opening hour actually turns out to be exceptionally boring. What Carpenter established in 5 minutes Zombie feels needed to be fleshed out over 40 minutes of monotonous asylum footage in a failed attempt to give motive and understanding to the madness within Myers. Taking away part of his mystery however actually damages my view of him as a relentless killing machine; I don't want to know that the T-1000 came from a broken home. Ultimately we get no additional insight into Myers here; he is still just a psychopath, only now we know he's a Kiss fan who's pretty good with papier-mâché. I think he currently plays guitar for Slipknot.
After 55 minutes (10 minutes in the original) the prologue is over and Laurie Strode is introduced, literally finger-fucking a bagel and joking to her parents about her teacher abusing her. The movie follows a slightly more traditional path from this point on, albeit instead of character development we get about 4 minutes of girls saying the word 'slut' repeatedly and instead of expertly directed scenes of build-up & suspense we get remarkably impatient scenes of Michael Myers literally crashing through doors and walls like a tank, forgetting that he's often at his scariest when he's simply walking up a flight of stairs slowly or standing in a door frame. Carpenter's original avoided a smorgasbord of murder opportunities in favour of delaying the payoff and building tension for as long as possible. Zombie instead revels in looking for every opportunity to present a cheap kill. How did Myers get his mask? Baseball bat to the skull. How did he get his boilersuit? Stabby stab stab in a garage. How did he escape from the asylum? A bloodbath during a routine rape. Any and all gaps that were previously established in short, single shots (the mechanics body by the roadside, the Halloween store window) are needlessly filled with bloated scenes of uninteresting and scare-less violence. Wave goodbye to subtlety and restraint.
One of the best moments in the original, a 15-20 minute sequence weaving between Laurie and her friend on the phone and Myers spying from a distance, edging closer and closer as the children get glimpses of the boogieman, is replaced here with a 1 minute sex scene before Myers quickly grabs and stabs. The following sequence in the original in which Myers pretends to be the victims boyfriend dressed as a ghost is bizarrely placed up front in the second half of Zombie's movie. Michael's killing spree begins with him putting a sheet and sunglasses on. It no longer comes off as either creepy or bit of comic relief after an hour of dread, just a silly misplaced throwback, and the scene similarly takes a fraction of the time to try to establish character, atmosphere or tension. There is none.
Add in 3 or 4 shots of topless girls dragging their dying bodies across the screen, begging for mercy, and you have Rob Zombies Halloween. Bad fanfic.
1.5/5
Rob Zombie's Halloween
Remember the classic opening scene of John Carpenters Halloween? It's quiet, tense, cleanly shot in effective POV and it introduces Michael Myers, boy psychopath. It's 5 minutes long and it perfectly sets the tone of the movie to come. The opening scenes of Rob Zombie's Halloween feature references to fucking, tits, ass, blowjobs, abortions and a gastric cum irrigation. It's 5 minutes long and it perfectly sets the tone of the movie to come. The opening hour actually turns out to be exceptionally boring. What Carpenter established in 5 minutes Zombie feels needed to be fleshed out over 40 minutes of monotonous asylum footage in a failed attempt to give motive and understanding to the madness within Myers. Taking away part of his mystery however actually damages my view of him as a relentless killing machine; I don't want to know that the T-1000 came from a broken home. Ultimately we get no additional insight into Myers here; he is still just a psychopath, only now we know he's a Kiss fan who's pretty good with papier-mâché. I think he currently plays guitar for Slipknot.
After 55 minutes (10 minutes in the original) the prologue is over and Laurie Strode is introduced, literally finger-fucking a bagel and joking to her parents about her teacher abusing her. The movie follows a slightly more traditional path from this point on, albeit instead of character development we get about 4 minutes of girls saying the word 'slut' repeatedly and instead of expertly directed scenes of build-up & suspense we get remarkably impatient scenes of Michael Myers literally crashing through doors and walls like a tank, forgetting that he's often at his scariest when he's simply walking up a flight of stairs slowly or standing in a door frame. Carpenter's original avoided a smorgasbord of murder opportunities in favour of delaying the payoff and building tension for as long as possible. Zombie instead revels in looking for every opportunity to present a cheap kill. How did Myers get his mask? Baseball bat to the skull. How did he get his boilersuit? Stabby stab stab in a garage. How did he escape from the asylum? A bloodbath during a routine rape. Any and all gaps that were previously established in short, single shots (the mechanics body by the roadside, the Halloween store window) are needlessly filled with bloated scenes of uninteresting and scare-less violence. Wave goodbye to subtlety and restraint.
One of the best moments in the original, a 15-20 minute sequence weaving between Laurie and her friend on the phone and Myers spying from a distance, edging closer and closer as the children get glimpses of the boogieman, is replaced here with a 1 minute sex scene before Myers quickly grabs and stabs. The following sequence in the original in which Myers pretends to be the victims boyfriend dressed as a ghost is bizarrely placed up front in the second half of Zombie's movie. Michael's killing spree begins with him putting a sheet and sunglasses on. It no longer comes off as either creepy or bit of comic relief after an hour of dread, just a silly misplaced throwback, and the scene similarly takes a fraction of the time to try to establish character, atmosphere or tension. There is none.
Add in 3 or 4 shots of topless girls dragging their dying bodies across the screen, begging for mercy, and you have Rob Zombies Halloween. Bad fanfic.
1.5/5
I got this month kicked off and I'm here to report in!
31
Rob Zombie is out of ideas. Electric head (song + album), iron head (song), schizo head (31), doom head (31), etc. It’s the same stuff the guy has been coming up with for over 20 years now. People who aren't fans might not notice, but I have every white zombie and rob zombie album up to about 2008 and I'm just sort of waiting for him to do something new at this point. Its all the same kind of nonsense. Throw a bunch of vintage Halloween decorations in a blender with some old monster movies, add a huge dose of vulgar language, toss in some insane torturers and viola, you got a Rob Zombie movie.
The guy just can't help but indulge all of his fetishes here. The scene where Doom-head gets the phone call to come to work was particularly ridiculous. The black and white monster movie on the TV while being with an overweight woman and howling like a wolf at the moon, all that left me thinking "boy, he sure loves what he loves, doesn't he?" Its like you could see just this scene on youtube, without anyone telling you where it came from, completely out of context, and you would just know it was Rob Zombie's work. It’s the art inside one of the old albums, brought to screen. His obsession with grease-painted clowns, 70's horror, and the Hustler Magazine subscriber's vocabulary are all overly apparent here. Its tired. And he needs to stop casting his wife in everything. She's 75% the same character in every movie.
On a more positive note, the chainsaw battle was pretty cool. It looked well choreographed, particularly the one out in the hallway. The idea of the powerful elite hosting their own personal version of The Running Man is neat, especially at the end as you see them putting away their powdered wigs and returning to their normal versions of themselves. There were definitely some good moments, but overall I'd almost have to say it was just sort of bizarre and the main thing that kept me watching was curiosity. Who was going to be the next threat? The initial killer they introduce at the start of the game was all novelty. He probably should have been dispatched a lot faster because the shock factor wore off quickly and we were left with a pretty lame threat who managed to do way more damage than what I found to be believable. But whatever. Honestly, only the 2nd round of killers seemed scary. Granted, Doom-head had his moments but he's just a guy with a couple of switchblades! Yes, battling a guy like that is scary when you're not out of your mind or an experienced combat veteran, but he's not a strong enough threat to carry a horror movie. The other killer were just weirdos and not very menacing at all. Though I was strangely attracted to Sex-head. But that's a discussion with my inevitable therapist for another time.
Overall I can't say I'd recommend this one. It had its moments, but there are a lot of stronger horror movies out there so if you're like me and you only watch a handful of them each year, this one doesn't deserve to make the cut.
The Houses October Built
The Houses that October built was on Netflix so I gave it a whirl. I remember being a kid and hearing the story that every city has at this point, of the haunted house where you get a dollar of your entry fee returned for each floor you manage to complete. Having a movie take that idea and kind of turn it on its head a bit seemed interesting. Instead of having it be the refund house, this was the house where you don't even get to go unless you can find it. That's right, a group of haunted house enthusiasts set out to find a legendary haunted house that moves its location every year and doesn't advertise at all. Word on the street is that this house is the most intense of all houses and everyone seems to know somebody who went "last year" and vowed never to go back.
It was pretty hit and miss for me. The whole thing takes way too long to build up to the finale, making it feel like its just been padded out to clear that 90-minute mark. I really wanted to skip ahead at times because it just felt like it was dragging. The group visits a few haunted house attractions along the way and honestly its kind of cool because the way its shot is a lot like going through the house yourself. I have to hand that to them because they did a great job in that regard. However, most of the movie just feels like it is spinning its wheels. The group meets various people who talk about the houses in each area and provide a small clue or here say about the legendary house. They are stalked continuously by a small group of performers from the first house they visited and while these scenes are tense (Doll girl in particular), at some point the shine starts to dull and you're ready for something to actually happen.
That said, there are a couple of encounters I'd like to comment on. First, if you're going to have a scene where a clown is upset and wants to fight because one of the people in the group had sex with his sister, go ahead and show us the sex. They have all this buildup with the two of them in the RV and then they tell us about the sex. Just go all the way next time. Also, the entire bar scene before the last house was pretty good. Very tense, very believable.
Overall I'd say it’s a miss. There are definitely highlights but the whole thing feels like your local haunted house had somebody on the staff who bought a really nice camera and wanted to make a movie, so this was what came out.
The score so far:
31 - Miss
The Houses October Built - Miss
The Neon Demon - Miss
31
Rob Zombie is out of ideas. Electric head (song + album), iron head (song), schizo head (31), doom head (31), etc. It’s the same stuff the guy has been coming up with for over 20 years now. People who aren't fans might not notice, but I have every white zombie and rob zombie album up to about 2008 and I'm just sort of waiting for him to do something new at this point. Its all the same kind of nonsense. Throw a bunch of vintage Halloween decorations in a blender with some old monster movies, add a huge dose of vulgar language, toss in some insane torturers and viola, you got a Rob Zombie movie.
The guy just can't help but indulge all of his fetishes here. The scene where Doom-head gets the phone call to come to work was particularly ridiculous. The black and white monster movie on the TV while being with an overweight woman and howling like a wolf at the moon, all that left me thinking "boy, he sure loves what he loves, doesn't he?" Its like you could see just this scene on youtube, without anyone telling you where it came from, completely out of context, and you would just know it was Rob Zombie's work. It’s the art inside one of the old albums, brought to screen. His obsession with grease-painted clowns, 70's horror, and the Hustler Magazine subscriber's vocabulary are all overly apparent here. Its tired. And he needs to stop casting his wife in everything. She's 75% the same character in every movie.
On a more positive note, the chainsaw battle was pretty cool. It looked well choreographed, particularly the one out in the hallway. The idea of the powerful elite hosting their own personal version of The Running Man is neat, especially at the end as you see them putting away their powdered wigs and returning to their normal versions of themselves. There were definitely some good moments, but overall I'd almost have to say it was just sort of bizarre and the main thing that kept me watching was curiosity. Who was going to be the next threat? The initial killer they introduce at the start of the game was all novelty. He probably should have been dispatched a lot faster because the shock factor wore off quickly and we were left with a pretty lame threat who managed to do way more damage than what I found to be believable. But whatever. Honestly, only the 2nd round of killers seemed scary. Granted, Doom-head had his moments but he's just a guy with a couple of switchblades! Yes, battling a guy like that is scary when you're not out of your mind or an experienced combat veteran, but he's not a strong enough threat to carry a horror movie. The other killer were just weirdos and not very menacing at all. Though I was strangely attracted to Sex-head. But that's a discussion with my inevitable therapist for another time.
Overall I can't say I'd recommend this one. It had its moments, but there are a lot of stronger horror movies out there so if you're like me and you only watch a handful of them each year, this one doesn't deserve to make the cut.
The Houses October Built
The Houses that October built was on Netflix so I gave it a whirl. I remember being a kid and hearing the story that every city has at this point, of the haunted house where you get a dollar of your entry fee returned for each floor you manage to complete. Having a movie take that idea and kind of turn it on its head a bit seemed interesting. Instead of having it be the refund house, this was the house where you don't even get to go unless you can find it. That's right, a group of haunted house enthusiasts set out to find a legendary haunted house that moves its location every year and doesn't advertise at all. Word on the street is that this house is the most intense of all houses and everyone seems to know somebody who went "last year" and vowed never to go back.
It was pretty hit and miss for me. The whole thing takes way too long to build up to the finale, making it feel like its just been padded out to clear that 90-minute mark. I really wanted to skip ahead at times because it just felt like it was dragging. The group visits a few haunted house attractions along the way and honestly its kind of cool because the way its shot is a lot like going through the house yourself. I have to hand that to them because they did a great job in that regard. However, most of the movie just feels like it is spinning its wheels. The group meets various people who talk about the houses in each area and provide a small clue or here say about the legendary house. They are stalked continuously by a small group of performers from the first house they visited and while these scenes are tense (Doll girl in particular), at some point the shine starts to dull and you're ready for something to actually happen.
That said, there are a couple of encounters I'd like to comment on. First, if you're going to have a scene where a clown is upset and wants to fight because one of the people in the group had sex with his sister, go ahead and show us the sex. They have all this buildup with the two of them in the RV and then they tell us about the sex. Just go all the way next time. Also, the entire bar scene before the last house was pretty good. Very tense, very believable.
Overall I'd say it’s a miss. There are definitely highlights but the whole thing feels like your local haunted house had somebody on the staff who bought a really nice camera and wanted to make a movie, so this was what came out.
The score so far:
31 - Miss
The Houses October Built - Miss
The Neon Demon - Miss
Fancy Clown
Member
This, on top of everything else you mentioned, is why I can't do Rob Zombie movies. The shit that comes out of his characters' mouths makes me want to die it's so bad.
I will say though I like McDowell as Loomis and Zombie's interpretation of him as a sort of leech of Meyer's publicity is kinda neat.
Violence Jack
Member
#2. Planet Terror - I deviated from my list a bit because I was traveling so much over the weekend, and don't have but two horror movies downloaded to my iPad. Planet Terror quickly became one of my favorite zombie films and moviegoing experiences ever. I remember watching Grindhouse opening night in 2007 at a drive in with a large horror crowd. The film is just entertaining as hell, and the gore FX done by the legendary Tom Savini just adds to the fun.
Hopefully, I can stick to the list for the most part now that I'm done traveling for the next few weeks.
Hopefully, I can stick to the list for the most part now that I'm done traveling for the next few weeks.
Fox Mulder
Member
Gonna watch the grindhouse double feature bluray tonight. Last time I saw it was when it came out.
Fancy Clown
Member
Sneaking into Grindhouse when I was 14 was one of the greatest theater-going experiences of my life.
Those trailers are still the best part though. I wish we'd have gotten a full length feature of "Don't" instead of Machete. Edgar Wright da gawd.
Those trailers are still the best part though. I wish we'd have gotten a full length feature of "Don't" instead of Machete. Edgar Wright da gawd.
The man likes schlock, but can never actually rise above the same level of the terrible films he's visually aping. And you pretty much mention every reason why I hate this film.
#3 Ginger Snaps
Awww, to be a small town teenage girl again... Which I never was in the first place, but I do love the puberty as werewolf curse angle the movie takes. Growing up can be a bitch when you don't fit in and this movie certainly tackles that with aplomb
I also like how it generally focuses on Ginger and Bridgette as characters to develop and get the audience invested in instead of gore or jump scares. It like the other two, not particularly scary at this point, girlfriend said it was 'fucked' but she liked it, especially the early changes in Ginger and the tail. Heck, it was almost as much fun to watch her watch the movie as it was the movie itself.
For werewolf fans looking for something a little more modern than Larry Talbot and gypsies, if you can overlook it's low budget wolf, it's a good monster film with a heart.
Awww, to be a small town teenage girl again... Which I never was in the first place, but I do love the puberty as werewolf curse angle the movie takes. Growing up can be a bitch when you don't fit in and this movie certainly tackles that with aplomb
I also like how it generally focuses on Ginger and Bridgette as characters to develop and get the audience invested in instead of gore or jump scares. It like the other two, not particularly scary at this point, girlfriend said it was 'fucked' but she liked it, especially the early changes in Ginger and the tail. Heck, it was almost as much fun to watch her watch the movie as it was the movie itself.
For werewolf fans looking for something a little more modern than Larry Talbot and gypsies, if you can overlook it's low budget wolf, it's a good monster film with a heart.
CharminUltra
Member
2. Let's Scare Jessica To Death
This is one of those movies I'd hear about from time to time, but never actually check out because the title just sounded so silly. I fully expected some dumb comedy twist near the end.
Instead, what I got was a surprisingly effective horror film. I loved the creepy, small-town setting (complete with creepy "local" types), the eerie atmosphere, the awkward yet oddly disquieting dialog, and the sense of physical (and mental) isolation. Easily a 70s classic IMO.
3/4 stars
Since The Shining is a book adaptation, I figure for sure you can do another version. King never liked this one to begin with, and you could pretty much do one completely independent from Kubric's version. Out of any of Kubricks films, I would say this one is perhaps the one you could most safely remake with the least amount of faux outrage.
Damn...I forgot that was a King novel. I need to read that some day. I'd rather see Needful Things get made properly which I kind of want to see that again even though it was awful.
CharminUltra
Member
3. I Was a Teenage Zombie
I'm half cheating with this movie because I had seen it partially decades ago. To my defense, I only remembered the gory scenes
This is a horror/comedy movie with some teen romance thrown in for good measure. It's also one of the cheesiest, campiest 80s movies I've ever seen (if you're into that sort of thing, do yourself a favor and watch it asap; it's available on Hulu.) The acting and dialog are terrible, but at the same time oddly fitting due to the tone of the whole thing. I loved the soundtrack (rough and raw rock n roll); it's easily one of the movie's highlights, although the music itself was a little loud sometimes, which made the dialog hard to hear in places.
2/4 stars
ThirstyFly
Member
Don't was also the most authentic feeling part of the whole Grindhouse experience too. Man, how I'd love for Edgar to do a whole movie in the 70s style.
Violence Jack
Member
I'm still waiting for Thanksgiving, but done by someone else other than Eli Roth....
CharminUltra
Member
Talking about the Grindhouse experience, anyone else love Grindhouse Releasing's intro/logo and music?
https://youtu.be/ggas-IM-So0
https://youtu.be/ggas-IM-So0
Fancy Clown
Member
5) Five Dolls for an August Moon - (Mario Bava, 1970)
"I can't figure out whether you're dangerous or just stupid. You forget, I like men but I like them to be alive."
Mario Bava leaps into the 70's style with gusto, trading out his signature gothic stylings for sunny lounge-pop. This unusually chipper film maintains a playful and at times even witty vibe, which when coupled with Bava's experimental camera work here (zooms and focus racks are the names of the game here) and groovy soundtrack make for a film that has plenty of style to spare. Unfortunately, it also means that the actual murder mystery at the core of the film is pretty lifeless. There's very little in the way of either thrills or suspense, and its hard to care when even the hedonist millionaires at the center of the film seem to make light of their situation. The lack of tension really starts to hurt the film in the last third, as even at under 90 minutes the movie starts to drag. But even when the movie slows down you're never too far away from a zippy line, groovy sound que, or impressive visual, which helps take the sting away. I also appreciated the macabre circularity of the narrative, as each time the body count rises in the isolated tropical-island mansion the bodies get strung up in the meat freezer to the same jaunty piano cue. I expected the worst out of this movie considering its reputation as Bava's biggest dud, and while it's definitely a weaker film from him I think of it more as a peculiar experimental sidestep into weird waters than as a failure.
"I can't figure out whether you're dangerous or just stupid. You forget, I like men but I like them to be alive."
Mario Bava leaps into the 70's style with gusto, trading out his signature gothic stylings for sunny lounge-pop. This unusually chipper film maintains a playful and at times even witty vibe, which when coupled with Bava's experimental camera work here (zooms and focus racks are the names of the game here) and groovy soundtrack make for a film that has plenty of style to spare. Unfortunately, it also means that the actual murder mystery at the core of the film is pretty lifeless. There's very little in the way of either thrills or suspense, and its hard to care when even the hedonist millionaires at the center of the film seem to make light of their situation. The lack of tension really starts to hurt the film in the last third, as even at under 90 minutes the movie starts to drag. But even when the movie slows down you're never too far away from a zippy line, groovy sound que, or impressive visual, which helps take the sting away. I also appreciated the macabre circularity of the narrative, as each time the body count rises in the isolated tropical-island mansion the bodies get strung up in the meat freezer to the same jaunty piano cue. I expected the worst out of this movie considering its reputation as Bava's biggest dud, and while it's definitely a weaker film from him I think of it more as a peculiar experimental sidestep into weird waters than as a failure.
Violence Jack
Member
#3. Bay of Blood - The grandfather of all slasher films. Bay of Blood involves a group of people trying to obtain a prosperous bay owned by a Countess that refuses to sell. What comes next is a tale of gory splendor. There is little character development, and the story seems to drag at times, but the death scenes are still pretty nasty for being a 45 year old movie. Has one of my favorite endings in horror.
1# Hush
Recommended.
2# Demonic
I'm a sucker for found footage supernatural movies and this movie mixes that with normal footage and a kind of neat setup. Very enjoyable even if it isn't original. My biggest pet peeve with this movie is how they cut away from handheld footage to normal footage showing the reaction of the character who's filming as soon as something shows up which I think kind of defeats the purpose. Recommended.
3# The Fog
I loved this movie! It's such a good looking and atmospheric movie. Highly Recommended.
Recommended.
2# Demonic
I'm a sucker for found footage supernatural movies and this movie mixes that with normal footage and a kind of neat setup. Very enjoyable even if it isn't original. My biggest pet peeve with this movie is how they cut away from handheld footage to normal footage showing the reaction of the character who's filming as soon as something shows up which I think kind of defeats the purpose. Recommended.
3# The Fog
I loved this movie! It's such a good looking and atmospheric movie. Highly Recommended.
I have watched three films so far:
The Fly (1958) - I liked it. The tone is way different than the remake. The story telling was simple and without fluff. The acting was good. Not much in the way of horror or gore. I will also say that this is the first movie I have watched with Vincent Price and he was outstanding.
Alien - I will admit that I have probably seen this movie once or twice and haven't seen it for over a decade plus. Wow. The movie had great atmosphere and suspense. I also loved the scale of it all. Really well done!
The Horde - Average zombie movie. I expected more from it. Half the time the people were just street fighting the zombies. My biggest gripe is it didn't feel like they even told a story by the time the credits started to roll. Skip it.
The Fly (1958) - I liked it. The tone is way different than the remake. The story telling was simple and without fluff. The acting was good. Not much in the way of horror or gore. I will also say that this is the first movie I have watched with Vincent Price and he was outstanding.
Alien - I will admit that I have probably seen this movie once or twice and haven't seen it for over a decade plus. Wow. The movie had great atmosphere and suspense. I also loved the scale of it all. Really well done!
The Horde - Average zombie movie. I expected more from it. Half the time the people were just street fighting the zombies. My biggest gripe is it didn't feel like they even told a story by the time the credits started to roll. Skip it.
pitcairn55
Member
03/10/16
Film 5
Krampus
I really liked this movie, the story of an alternate to Santa Claus who likes to visit households where peace on earth and goodwill to all men are definitely not on the agenda. Though not quite up to the quality of something like Gremlins, the film is still a lot of holiday horror fun. Its got a great cast (Toni Collette and Adam Scott are both excellent), a funny script and some fantastic monster effects, with the
being my particular favourites.
This will definitely be going into my watch-every-Christmas pile, even though I do wish theyd made it just a little bit scarier.
Films I've watched so far
Film 5
Krampus
I really liked this movie, the story of an alternate to Santa Claus who likes to visit households where peace on earth and goodwill to all men are definitely not on the agenda. Though not quite up to the quality of something like Gremlins, the film is still a lot of holiday horror fun. Its got a great cast (Toni Collette and Adam Scott are both excellent), a funny script and some fantastic monster effects, with the
Predator-faced jack-in-the-box and the giggling psychopathic gingerbread men
This will definitely be going into my watch-every-Christmas pile, even though I do wish theyd made it just a little bit scarier.
Films I've watched so far
# 1
Frankenstein (1931)
I cant believe it took me all these years to watch a Universal Monsters film properly, by tht i mean i think i have seen bits of them over the years, either my dad watching them or people i know.
It was just as fantastic as i imagined it would be, and Karloff is iconic as The Monster, and the rest of the cast are great as well, it was nice and short too at 70 mins so i was able to fit this in tonight in the short amount of time i had, not a minute wasted in the Movie.
Some of the Scenes are so Iconic there's a good chance you may know them without ever having seen this, could be because of paraodies, tributes, documentaries and remakes etc like the Windmill scene at the end, or when the Monster meets the young girl, Henry Frankenstein screaming the classic "It's Alive, It's Alive" line and so on.
If you still havent watched these original Universal Monster Movies, do yourself a favour and watch them, I intend to watch more very soon.
Frankenstein (1931)
I cant believe it took me all these years to watch a Universal Monsters film properly, by tht i mean i think i have seen bits of them over the years, either my dad watching them or people i know.
It was just as fantastic as i imagined it would be, and Karloff is iconic as The Monster, and the rest of the cast are great as well, it was nice and short too at 70 mins so i was able to fit this in tonight in the short amount of time i had, not a minute wasted in the Movie.
Some of the Scenes are so Iconic there's a good chance you may know them without ever having seen this, could be because of paraodies, tributes, documentaries and remakes etc like the Windmill scene at the end, or when the Monster meets the young girl, Henry Frankenstein screaming the classic "It's Alive, It's Alive" line and so on.
If you still havent watched these original Universal Monster Movies, do yourself a favour and watch them, I intend to watch more very soon.
ThirstyFly
Member
Wait until you get to Bride, it's even better. I watched that for the first time during the marathon last year.