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31 Days of Horror 6 |OT| The October Movie Marathon
- Thread starter ThirstyFly
- Start date
I really liked Lords of Salem, too. Nice slow burn.
Edit: just saw your other comment. Guess you weren't a fan. I really enjoyed it. It seemed less gimicky than his others. LOVE DR, too, of course.
pitcairn55
Member
06/10/16
Film 8
Black Christmas (2006)
Why did I bother? I don’t know why I bothered. Tacky, tedious and utterly devoid of charisma, it tries to make up for its many failings by piling on back-story flashbacks and a load of gore. Admittedly, some of the gore’s quite fun,
, but it doesn’t make up for the fact that it’s impossible to give even the smallest of shits about any of the characters. Calling the psychiatric hospital the Clark Sanatorium isn’t enough to win anyone round either.
I generally don’t have a problem with remakes, and I’ve enjoyed quite a few of them very much, but this is really bad. Everything the original does so well, this film does either badly or not at all.
Films I've watched so far
Film 8
Black Christmas (2006)
Why did I bother? I don’t know why I bothered. Tacky, tedious and utterly devoid of charisma, it tries to make up for its many failings by piling on back-story flashbacks and a load of gore. Admittedly, some of the gore’s quite fun,
particularly the christmas decorations
I generally don’t have a problem with remakes, and I’ve enjoyed quite a few of them very much, but this is really bad. Everything the original does so well, this film does either badly or not at all.
Films I've watched so far
Gameboy415
Member
1. Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (DVD)
2. The Hollow (Netflix)
3. The Children (DVD)
4. Wes Craven Presents: Mind Ripper (Hulu)
5. C.H.U.D. (Hulu)
6. Fright Night 3D (Blu-Ray 3D)
-Wow! I had low expectations for this one but I really enjoyed it! The 3D was pretty good too.
7. Dead Alive (DVD)
-Had this one on my radar for years and finally tracked down a copy on DVD. It was...pretty gross! haha
8. The Hallow (Netflix)
-I really liked this one! The creatures were well-done and I was satisfied with the ending.
9. Eraserhead (Blu-Ray)
-As a recent, but big fan of Twin Peaks, I was really excited to check this one out. It was certainly interesting, but really damn confusing too! haha
2. The Hollow (Netflix)
3. The Children (DVD)
4. Wes Craven Presents: Mind Ripper (Hulu)
5. C.H.U.D. (Hulu)
6. Fright Night 3D (Blu-Ray 3D)
-Wow! I had low expectations for this one but I really enjoyed it! The 3D was pretty good too.
7. Dead Alive (DVD)
-Had this one on my radar for years and finally tracked down a copy on DVD. It was...pretty gross! haha
8. The Hallow (Netflix)
-I really liked this one! The creatures were well-done and I was satisfied with the ending.
9. Eraserhead (Blu-Ray)
-As a recent, but big fan of Twin Peaks, I was really excited to check this one out. It was certainly interesting, but really damn confusing too! haha
I am shocked at how fucking awesome this movie was! It looked interesting enough but being older and kind of hard to come by I figured it would be pretty shitty but I am happily wrong. I would use the word wonderful to describe this. It's a mystery, a ghost story, a romance, and has a sprinkle of comedy that made me laugh out loud at times. The cast really sell this. You do get some ghost sightings and for the time the effects are pretty cool and don't feel off. Like today's cgi just feels dated or it can. This shit is from a long ass time ago and they feel right at home like you are seeing a ghost. It's like an hour forty five but sure breezes by. Highly recommend this.
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Rhomega Beta
Member
Fox Mulder
Member
#6 Night of the Living Dead (1968)
The OG classic and that ending is still powerful. I'm gonna watch the remake later, which I've never seen before somehow.
He makes anything enjoyable, glad I got the vincent price collections that Scream Factory put out. The first is the best but out of print now.
The OG classic and that ending is still powerful. I'm gonna watch the remake later, which I've never seen before somehow.
Vincent Price is so great. He can make even the worst movies watchable. Probably my second place mancrush after Bill Murray.
He makes anything enjoyable, glad I got the vincent price collections that Scream Factory put out. The first is the best but out of print now.
J-Roderton
Member
Been slacking big time but ended up with a good haul tonight. Take out Halloweentown. That's for the gf. Ha
#6
Baskin
I...I don't know what this was. A bunch of crooked cops end up inside Silent Hill and weird things happen. It's pretty grotesque but ultimately forgettable up until the weird torture shit starts. I can't really recommend this, but it wasn't terrible either. The conventional effects were pretty good so that's a plus.
2.5/5
Baskin
I...I don't know what this was. A bunch of crooked cops end up inside Silent Hill and weird things happen. It's pretty grotesque but ultimately forgettable up until the weird torture shit starts. I can't really recommend this, but it wasn't terrible either. The conventional effects were pretty good so that's a plus.
2.5/5
EmpressInYellow
Banned
Yes. Yes, the remake is garbage.
Lucie doesn't actually die. Instead, the cult (which are now midwestern evangelicals) resume torturing her because of how special she is. They attempt to bury Anna alive, but she escapes, gets a gun, and storms through the compound, shooting cultists and trying to rescue Lucie. She frees a little girl who runs off to get the police.
At the end, instead of shooting herself,the cult leader asks Anna what Lucie saw. Anna quips something like "Find out yourself" and shoots her in the head, then lays down with Lucie to die while police storm the compound and round up the cultists.
At the end, instead of shooting herself,the cult leader asks Anna what Lucie saw. Anna quips something like "Find out yourself" and shoots her in the head, then lays down with Lucie to die while police storm the compound and round up the cultists.
It's like they intentionally set out to make a PARODY of how an American remake would totally screw up an existing film.
Baskin is some great imagery and some clever ideas let down by an incoherent plot and a total anticlimax in the last third. You can tell it started as a short film, because it kind of feels like one that's been stretched out to feature length.
Still, it's easily the best "Kult" movie since Martyrs, so I guess that's something.
Violence Jack
Member
#10 Day of the Dead (FTV) (2015) - Can't believe it's taken me so long to see this. While it does start out really slow, it builds nicely to an excellent, gore-filled ending. Even though the Captain Rhodes scene stands out, I like the first one a little more where the guy's head gets ripped off while he's still screaming. It's about on par with Dawn of the Dead for me, and Bub is now my favorite all time zombie.
Rating: 8/10
Genre: Zombie apocalypse
Rating: 8/10
Genre: Zombie apocalypse
(5) The Cabin In The Woods
Really loved this movie. The premise is perfectly suited for the type of commentary the movie tries to make, most of which is fairly well-done with the "let's split-up" really being the only heavy-handed one. I think they did a great job building tension by keeping the audience guessing when (clearly foreshadowed) events were going to happen - instead of pretending we didn't know what to expect. Also,
will always make me laugh.
Really loved this movie. The premise is perfectly suited for the type of commentary the movie tries to make, most of which is fairly well-done with the "let's split-up" really being the only heavy-handed one. I think they did a great job building tension by keeping the audience guessing when (clearly foreshadowed) events were going to happen - instead of pretending we didn't know what to expect. Also,
Richard Jenkins wholeheartedly telling a group of japanese girls to go fuck themselves
#10 The Phantom of the Opera (1962)
Great little Hammer horror adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera. Enjoyed the set design and the opera sections, even if they make take up too much of the runtime. Otherwise, pretty standard adaptation.
3/5
List of films so far
Great little Hammer horror adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera. Enjoyed the set design and the opera sections, even if they make take up too much of the runtime. Otherwise, pretty standard adaptation.
3/5
List of films so far
October 6
As the biggest unknown element of this year's marathon, expectations for Ghost Money were neither high nor low. As it turns out, what we have here is one of those good old-fashioned kid-friendly horror films that starts out goofy and mostly silly, only to get more grotesque as the film goes on, with a villain that doesn't know the meaning of restraint as he enacts his revenge on our young grave robbers and ropes in their teacher for reasons that are never elaborated upon. The Thailand countryside makes for a surprisingly lush setting, further supported by the filmmakers preferring to keep things very wide in virtually every shot of the film. It's never particularly spooky in terms of atmosphere, but it does attempt to make up for that in its growing levels of mean-spirited retribution that spares no walk of life, and leads to some highly memorable death scenes. At 90 minutes or a bit less, this could have been a fully entertaining ride, but the biggest fault of the film is that it is just over 2 hours long and not having a whole lot of material to support such a length. The pokey pacing make the film feel very long, making you wish that they would have cut down on all of the relationship building they do for the sake of keeping things moving along. The quaintness of the whole production does give it an undeniable charm, especially when it gets as crazy as it does in its best moments, but I think this one is more for those curious about what a Thai horror film might be like rather than those looking for a great one.
Film for October 7: It's Attack of the Remakes! First, Paul Schrader takes a stab at updating the Val Lewton classic Cat People for the 80s, with all the sex, violence and David Bowie theme songs that Jacques Tourneur didn't have available to him at the time. Then, we creep and leap and glide and slide over to what The Blob can do with all the improvements in technology and (hopefully) more convincing adult actors pretending to be teenagers.
As the biggest unknown element of this year's marathon, expectations for Ghost Money were neither high nor low. As it turns out, what we have here is one of those good old-fashioned kid-friendly horror films that starts out goofy and mostly silly, only to get more grotesque as the film goes on, with a villain that doesn't know the meaning of restraint as he enacts his revenge on our young grave robbers and ropes in their teacher for reasons that are never elaborated upon. The Thailand countryside makes for a surprisingly lush setting, further supported by the filmmakers preferring to keep things very wide in virtually every shot of the film. It's never particularly spooky in terms of atmosphere, but it does attempt to make up for that in its growing levels of mean-spirited retribution that spares no walk of life, and leads to some highly memorable death scenes. At 90 minutes or a bit less, this could have been a fully entertaining ride, but the biggest fault of the film is that it is just over 2 hours long and not having a whole lot of material to support such a length. The pokey pacing make the film feel very long, making you wish that they would have cut down on all of the relationship building they do for the sake of keeping things moving along. The quaintness of the whole production does give it an undeniable charm, especially when it gets as crazy as it does in its best moments, but I think this one is more for those curious about what a Thai horror film might be like rather than those looking for a great one.
Film for October 7: It's Attack of the Remakes! First, Paul Schrader takes a stab at updating the Val Lewton classic Cat People for the 80s, with all the sex, violence and David Bowie theme songs that Jacques Tourneur didn't have available to him at the time. Then, we creep and leap and glide and slide over to what The Blob can do with all the improvements in technology and (hopefully) more convincing adult actors pretending to be teenagers.
mariachi507
Member
5. Blood Rage
It's not cranberry sauce! This is film number 2 in my trifecta of sleazy slasher flicks. Like the Mutilator, Blood Rage has shit acting, shit directing, shit dialogue, and plenty of ridiculousness. Unfortunately though, one major difference between them is that Blood Rage isn't as charming. There are quite a few times where you will crack up at the absurdity of what's happening, but in between those moments is a lot of blandness. I may have enjoyed it more if I hadn't have watched it so soon after The Mutilator, but it is what it is.
The films greatest asset is Ms. Mary Hartman herself, Louise Lasser. She gives an absolute insane performance and I'm not talking about Academy Award winning insane either. Aside from that, the music is decent and the gore can be quite out there and bloody. The moments of the film where the weirdness of it all takes over is a blast, it's too bad that those moments didn't come enough for me.
Verdict: 3.5/10
EmpressInYellow
Banned
I finally got around to...
The Wailing (Goksung)
Summary: A bumbling, slightly oafish policeman investigates a series of horrific events (murders and suicides) in his village. At first, the cause of the derangement is believed to be wild mushrooms that were consumed by the victims. Gradually, though, people in the village come to believe that something larger and more sinister is at work. Meanwhile, a Japanese stranger has taken up residence around the edge of the village. Are the rumors about him just provincial suspicion and xenophobia, or could there be something to them?
Thoughts: To be honest, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this one. I think it's gonna take a little while for me to think through.
First of all, it's significantly longer than anything I've watched so far this month, clocking in at around 2 1/2 hours. It builds slowly, without the conventional rhythms and pacing you tend to expect from a horror film. Overall, this works to its advantage - you might think you know where things are going, but you're much less likely to be able to say exactly what the next plot beat is going to be. It also eschews hackneyed horror techniques like musical stings and jump scares, for the most part.
It's also a funnier film than you might expect...up until it's not. And then it is again. And then it's REALLY not. There's a dark humor underlying the film's weird sense of desolation and hopelessness.
Be warned, though, that there's a lot of the plot that remains, at best, ambiguous. I generally consider that a plus when it comes to horror, but here I admit that the ambiguity, combined with the film's occasional meandering, might be a bit much.
I'd recommend it provisionally, if you don't mind something a bit longer and slower-paced that contains a lot of ambiguity and might, honestly, be a little bit of a mess (although an entertaining one) in the last 45 minutes or so.
The Wailing (Goksung)
Summary: A bumbling, slightly oafish policeman investigates a series of horrific events (murders and suicides) in his village. At first, the cause of the derangement is believed to be wild mushrooms that were consumed by the victims. Gradually, though, people in the village come to believe that something larger and more sinister is at work. Meanwhile, a Japanese stranger has taken up residence around the edge of the village. Are the rumors about him just provincial suspicion and xenophobia, or could there be something to them?
Thoughts: To be honest, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this one. I think it's gonna take a little while for me to think through.
First of all, it's significantly longer than anything I've watched so far this month, clocking in at around 2 1/2 hours. It builds slowly, without the conventional rhythms and pacing you tend to expect from a horror film. Overall, this works to its advantage - you might think you know where things are going, but you're much less likely to be able to say exactly what the next plot beat is going to be. It also eschews hackneyed horror techniques like musical stings and jump scares, for the most part.
It's also a funnier film than you might expect...up until it's not. And then it is again. And then it's REALLY not. There's a dark humor underlying the film's weird sense of desolation and hopelessness.
Be warned, though, that there's a lot of the plot that remains, at best, ambiguous. I generally consider that a plus when it comes to horror, but here I admit that the ambiguity, combined with the film's occasional meandering, might be a bit much.
I'd recommend it provisionally, if you don't mind something a bit longer and slower-paced that contains a lot of ambiguity and might, honestly, be a little bit of a mess (although an entertaining one) in the last 45 minutes or so.
#11 Ginger Snaps (2000)
Wow, finally got around to watching this one and was quite surprised. Didn't know it was so gory and morbid. Love how the werewolf transformation ties in with the themes of menstruation. Great performances as well. Also, what a great ending.
5/5
List of films so far
Wow, finally got around to watching this one and was quite surprised. Didn't know it was so gory and morbid. Love how the werewolf transformation ties in with the themes of menstruation. Great performances as well. Also, what a great ending.
5/5
List of films so far
CharminUltra
Member
7. Hush
I hadn't heard about Hush until this thread, so I while I was somewhat intrigued I wasn't necessarily looking forward to it.
Long story short: I liked it. I had a good time with. And if you are able to forgive
a fake out or three (and other assorted ridiculousness)
If you're looking for a fun, fast-paced, and bloody home invasion flick, you can't go wrong with this one.
2/4 stars
#6: The Canal | via Netflix streaming
Somewhere buried under the wreckage of this film is another film. One where the lead, whose wife dies early on, slowly deteriorates into madness. One where the history and mysteries of the house they occupied unfold gradually, and tension rises to the breaking point as what's happening becomes increasingly clear.
Unfortunately, that is not this film. Here the husband goes from 0-batshit insane in about three scenes and then stays there for the duration of the film. Looking very tired is what passes for going crazy here. The primary way The Canal tries to frighten is with its soundtrack - always winding, always screeching, frequently clanging. The jump scares are not because of something on screen, they are because something bashed so loudly on the soundtrack.
The Canal reveals pretty much everything it has up its sleeve in the first 20 minutes. The rest of the film was a chore.
I hated this.
Score: * (one tiny pumpkin out of five)
Going to go back to a rewatch tomorrow, not sure if I can take any more of the shit on Netflix.
Somewhere buried under the wreckage of this film is another film. One where the lead, whose wife dies early on, slowly deteriorates into madness. One where the history and mysteries of the house they occupied unfold gradually, and tension rises to the breaking point as what's happening becomes increasingly clear.
Unfortunately, that is not this film. Here the husband goes from 0-batshit insane in about three scenes and then stays there for the duration of the film. Looking very tired is what passes for going crazy here. The primary way The Canal tries to frighten is with its soundtrack - always winding, always screeching, frequently clanging. The jump scares are not because of something on screen, they are because something bashed so loudly on the soundtrack.
The Canal reveals pretty much everything it has up its sleeve in the first 20 minutes. The rest of the film was a chore.
I hated this.
Score: * (one tiny pumpkin out of five)
Going to go back to a rewatch tomorrow, not sure if I can take any more of the shit on Netflix.
mariachi507
Member
For all the Phantasm phans in here, there was a feature length documentary produced about ten years ago on the series that is pretty difficult to get ahold of. Somebody just recently threw it up on youtube if anyone is interested.
excelsiorlef
Member
Oct 6
6. A Blade in the Dark
A slow as molasses giallo, weird part is despite it being about a film composer I think its weakest element was the music. It's an alright film, dubbed killer has a great creepy laugh. Few kills (probably due to being intended for TV) but they're brutal enough, there's a nice bathroom kill. Motivation for the killer was somewhat dropped in last minute and the explanation was not really well done, but it was still an entertaining romp.
To be expected sadly, Argento lost his touch pretty much from Phantom of the Opera on.
Oh and another one on my recommendation list for y'all is Ginger Snaps 2, I can literally say I was a huge fan of Tatiana Maslany waaaay before she was cool because of this movie XD
6. A Blade in the Dark
A slow as molasses giallo, weird part is despite it being about a film composer I think its weakest element was the music. It's an alright film, dubbed killer has a great creepy laugh. Few kills (probably due to being intended for TV) but they're brutal enough, there's a nice bathroom kill. Motivation for the killer was somewhat dropped in last minute and the explanation was not really well done, but it was still an entertaining romp.
To be expected sadly, Argento lost his touch pretty much from Phantom of the Opera on.
Oh and another one on my recommendation list for y'all is Ginger Snaps 2, I can literally say I was a huge fan of Tatiana Maslany waaaay before she was cool because of this movie XD
Vincent Grayson
Member
Oct 6: Hellraiser
I don't know why, but I'd never seen Hellraiser before.
I was surprised, because I assumed the iconic monster (Pinhead) would be just going around killing people in typical horror movie fashion.
Instead, this movie is pretty fucking weird and I really liked all the sexual elements. That's something I feel like I don't get enough of in horror today. Weird sex stuff.
And there's some fantastic effects sequences and gross monster design. Are the sequels any good?
I don't know why, but I'd never seen Hellraiser before.
I was surprised, because I assumed the iconic monster (Pinhead) would be just going around killing people in typical horror movie fashion.
Instead, this movie is pretty fucking weird and I really liked all the sexual elements. That's something I feel like I don't get enough of in horror today. Weird sex stuff.
And there's some fantastic effects sequences and gross monster design. Are the sequels any good?
#6 Damien: The Omen 2
Following up from the The Omen, Damien is now a young boy coming into his powers.
Definitely not as scary, and as sequels do, they up the body count and gore. This sequel is a little classier than most, as it's not too overly violent, but it still does both.
A little harder to take seriously, especially the argument in the forest between Damien and his cousin, bad things happening around, but never to Satan's son seem a little too coincidental. Jonathan Scott-Taylor just isn't as eerie as Damien as Harvey Spencer Stephens at 5. At least the apostles of Satan turn in good performances, Lance Henriksen for instance. Subtle, but too subtle as Satan's son's commanding officer.
Can Sam Neill do better in part3?
Following up from the The Omen, Damien is now a young boy coming into his powers.
Definitely not as scary, and as sequels do, they up the body count and gore. This sequel is a little classier than most, as it's not too overly violent, but it still does both.
A little harder to take seriously, especially the argument in the forest between Damien and his cousin, bad things happening around, but never to Satan's son seem a little too coincidental. Jonathan Scott-Taylor just isn't as eerie as Damien as Harvey Spencer Stephens at 5. At least the apostles of Satan turn in good performances, Lance Henriksen for instance. Subtle, but too subtle as Satan's son's commanding officer.
Can Sam Neill do better in part3?
I like them up through 4. Everything after is direct to video shit. Each of the first four are a bit different. Part 2 is basically spent in the cubes world, 3 is in a club and 4 in space which sounds hoky but it was pretty cool, like Event Horizon in some ways. Past four I think their just getting made because of name or the guy that plays Pinhead needs a buck. I've tried two or three of those sequels and their a b rated mess. There's one about a video game that was kind of cool but that wasn't redeeming enough to make it remotely worthwhile. After that I've given up. I should buy the first four one day. Every so often I get the itch to revisit that world but their not usually all streaming in one place when I do.
excelsiorlef
Member
Not really, they vary in quality but none hit the same highs the first did.
They're varying levels of fun though, and 2 comes the closest so if you watch only one make it that one.
Rockandrollclown
lookwhatyou'vedone
4. Phantasm OblIVion
Its great. Its Phantasm. Check it out. Phantasm IV feels the most like the original to me. This may be due to them employing a lot of footage that didn't make it into the original Phantasm. In the past I always felt this movie ended on too many cliffhangers, but this time I kind of see why Coscarelli sees it as an appropriate ending to the series. Everything kinda comes around full circle by the end. I appreciated this movie a lot more viewing it this time. Now please, re-release this and III in the US.
4/5
Its great. Its Phantasm. Check it out. Phantasm IV feels the most like the original to me. This may be due to them employing a lot of footage that didn't make it into the original Phantasm. In the past I always felt this movie ended on too many cliffhangers, but this time I kind of see why Coscarelli sees it as an appropriate ending to the series. Everything kinda comes around full circle by the end. I appreciated this movie a lot more viewing it this time. Now please, re-release this and III in the US.
4/5
excelsiorlef
Member
The Savini directed remake is the best horror movie remake of all time in my book.
DeathoftheEndless
Crashing this plane... with no survivors!
6. Orca: The Killer Whale Jaws knockoff that drags at times, but has a lot of ridiculous moments.
5. The Fly
Overall:
5/5
I expected this movie to be a lot more horror than what I got. What I got was a tragic tale of an awkward man who takes his experiments a little too far. This was my first Cronenberg film, and I was totally ready to be completely grossed out by the end. I was not expecting the story and the characters to be so compelling. I did not expect to feel sympathetic for Seth Brundle. The pacing of this film is incredibly quick, and I think it works really well as there is no filler here. The story remains front and center the entire film without any gratuitous attempts at scares. The climax is where things get into more traditional horror, but it never gets as scary as it does sad. I wasn't ready for the movie to end as suddenly as it did, but I am kind of happy that everything with Ronnie is left unresolved and up to interpretation. I loved this movie, and the only thing I can complain about would be the baboon that just sort of disappears halfway through the movie.I read about the cut scene about the monkey/cat, and I'm really glad it isn't in the film. Brundle isn't portrayed a mad scientist at any other point during the film, he still retains most of his humanity through his transformation, and this scene would ruin any sympathy the audience had for him.
Scare Factor:
2/5
This movie is not scary, it's pretty gross toward the end, but nothing too crazy. I expected way worse.
My list so far
Tonight we are watching Frankenstein and then the Wolf Man after. I am really excited for these as I have not seen them since I was a kid.
At the heart of The Fly is a great love story. The chemistry is off the charts.
canoli2006
Member
6. Hercules In The Haunted World (1961)
Thanks to these marathons, I've discovered many new horror flicks especially from Mario Bava. When I discovered there was a Hercules in the Haunted World, I was like, "Yes, please?" It's a total B movie with the impressive Reg Park as Hercules facing off against the supernatural. How can I pass this up? Does he fight zombies? Vampires? Not really. I mean, it's implied. Christopher Lee plays either a vampire or sorcerer. I wasn't quite sure until the end when the "horror" actually starts. Most of the film is fantasy rather than horror and I felt like I was watching an 80s episode of He-man. Good popcorn flick to watch and have a laugh at the cheesy special effects and bad edits.
7. From Dusk Til Dawn (1996)
What can I really say? Halloween or not not, I love this movie and Selma Hayek's body was fuckin' amazing.
Thanks to these marathons, I've discovered many new horror flicks especially from Mario Bava. When I discovered there was a Hercules in the Haunted World, I was like, "Yes, please?" It's a total B movie with the impressive Reg Park as Hercules facing off against the supernatural. How can I pass this up? Does he fight zombies? Vampires? Not really. I mean, it's implied. Christopher Lee plays either a vampire or sorcerer. I wasn't quite sure until the end when the "horror" actually starts. Most of the film is fantasy rather than horror and I felt like I was watching an 80s episode of He-man. Good popcorn flick to watch and have a laugh at the cheesy special effects and bad edits.
7. From Dusk Til Dawn (1996)
What can I really say? Halloween or not not, I love this movie and Selma Hayek's body was fuckin' amazing.
5. The Fly
Overall:
5/5
I expected this movie to be a lot more horror than what I got. What I got was a tragic tale of an awkward man who takes his experiments a little too far. This was my first Cronenberg film, and I was totally ready to be completely grossed out by the end. I was not expecting the story and the characters to be so compelling. I did not expect to feel sympathetic for Seth Brundle. The pacing of this film is incredibly quick, and I think it works really well as there is no filler here. The story remains front and center the entire film without any gratuitous attempts at scares. The climax is where things get into more traditional horror, but it never gets as scary as it does sad. I wasn't ready for the movie to end as suddenly as it did, but I am kind of happy that everything with Ronnie is left unresolved and up to interpretation. I loved this movie, and the only thing I can complain about would be the baboon that just sort of disappears halfway through the movie.I read about the cut scene about the monkey/cat, and I'm really glad it isn't in the film. Brundle isn't portrayed a mad scientist at any other point during the film, he still retains most of his humanity through his transformation, and this scene would ruin any sympathy the audience had for him.
Scare Factor:
2/5
This movie is not scary, it's pretty gross toward the end, but nothing too crazy. I expected way worse.
My list so far
Tonight we are watching Frankenstein and then the Wolf Man after. I am really excited for these as I have not seen them since I was a kid.
I'll watch it again this year because a few scenes gave me nightmares as a kid (I was about 7 or 8 I think) and I stopped before the end.
And I've come to love Jeff Goldblum, so yeah.
It's his best role. He's so damn good in this. It's the perfect Goldblum movie.
mariachi507
Member
6. Phantasm: Ravager
The Phantasm series has always been given the short end of the stick and the diehard phans have had to put up with a lot. The original installment is this cool little independent picture with a surreal dreamlike atmosphere, it featured memorable characters and some great horror imagery. It was a labor of love for the filmmakers and cast as production took place mostly on weekends over a two-year period. They didnt have much money as the budget was right around $300,000. Like The Evil Dead, another film with a similar production history, the effort and investment of those involved paid off. This is the horror genre though, and success means sequels. As a result, Phantasm II was a big-time studio production. This was both good and bad because even though there was more money available to Coscarelli and crew, all aspects of the production were now going to have to be met with approval by Universal. The studio insisted on not only cutting out the dreamlike atmosphere and ambiguity, but one of the lead players from the original was now replaced in a move that fans are still ticked off about.
Phantasm II wasnt a huge smash, but it did well enough to have another sequel produced, this being Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead. This time, however, it would come with a slightly reduced budget and be direct to video. Coscarelli was given more freedom in his writing and casting choices so he brought back all of the original actors from the first movie. In the world of being a Phantasm fan, you learn to appreciate whats given to you and be glad that you were given it in the first place. Phantasm IV: Oblivion backs up that statement. The original plans for Phantasm IV fell through since Coscarelli could not acquire the funding necessary to film the epic in-scope screenplay. However, during the production of the original film, he left over an hours worth of material on the cutting room floor because of length and pacing issues. As a result of only being able to acquire a $650,000 budget, Phantasm IV was able to be made by utilizing this unused footage in conjunction with some newly filmed footage. The plan was to release Phantasm IV to hold over fans while securing the budget for the films original concept that was now retooled into Phantasm V. Fans waited, and waited, and waited ..
Now almost twenty years later Phantasm V has become a reality. Of course though, in keeping with series consistency, that comes with some catches. Ive read that the origins of this installment was based around the idea of releasing webisodes featuring the Reggie character. This webisode based structure becomes apparent when watching the final product. The film jumps around to different segments which comes across as very disjointed, but at the same time it also fits the surreal nature of the series. Ravager does manage to capture the dream-like structure of the original and finds a blend between the tone of the original film and the over the top action feel of the sequels. Its ambitious with its story while serving up plenty of fan service.
The hearts of everyone involved are in the right place, but the movie doesnt overcome the problems of its tiny budget. I might seem like Im picking on it here, but everything looks and feels cheap. Instead of working around the constraints of the budget like previous installments they decided to go for it. I might be off the mark here though, because the budget looks like it amounted to $10 and a ball of string. The decision to film with a standard digital camera may have been necessary but it looks awful. Don Coscarelli took the backseat and focused on co-writing and producing while the actual directing duties were handled by David Hartman. Coscarellis eye is missed as Ravagers framing and composition leave plenty to be desired.
I know that practical effects are expensive and time consuming but many of the effects here seemed lazy to me. The majority of them are digital which reminded me of a problem that Tremors 5 also shared. The graboids in that film were all digital and didnt have any weight or realness to them which hurts the fun and immersion factor. Nothing beats the real thing, and in the case of Ravager I would have much rather had a chrome ball hanging from fishing line than CGI spheres. There are a few moments where the crew busted out the old spherical favorites and practical effects/blood were used, but they are few.
I dont want to be completely negative though. It was great seeing the old cast again, one of the strengths of the series is the relationship between the leads and that is still here. The strongest moments of the film are the little moments where the old gang interacts. There are some annoying throwaway characters introduced in this movie that intrude on some of those moments, but fans should be satisfied with that aspect. Those that are going into Ravager looking for closure are going to be disappointed. This series was never meant to have closure anyway, like any other Phantasm film it brings about more questions than it answers. Even after the passing of Angus Scrimm I still wouldnt rule out a Phantasm VI. Im sure Don has some unused footage of the Tall Man hid away somewhere that he could write a movie around. I just hope that if there is a next time he decides to helm it himself. Its clear to me that the decision to make this a feature probably wasnt made until well after filming for the webisodes started. After seeing the final product, I think it would have worked better as a web series. Maybe if it was successful then we could have gotten a proper Coscarelli helmed installment. I probably shouldnt complain so much though, one of the reasons this series is so enduring to me is because of the obstacles that are overcome to put out these films, this one is no exception to that.
Verdict: 5/10
ThirstyFly
Member
Hellbound: Hellraiser II - If you want more fantastic practical effects and gross monsters, then you'll love Hellbound. Unfortunately they decided to flesh out the Cenobites and humanized them a bit that I feel takes away a lot of their mystique, so it kind of ruined the movie for me. Still, worth checking out.
Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth - Complete goofball cheese. It's so silly, I had an absolute blast with it. It's hilarious. My favourite of the sequels.
Hellraiser: Bloodline - This is the mandatory "in space" sequel, though most of the plot deals with the origins of the Lament Configuration and its creator. It has some good ideas, but like most of the Hellraiser sequels, fails in execution. This was the last theatrical film.
Hellraiser: Inferno - This is where they started taking pre-existing scrips and slapping in Pinhead and friends. All following sequels were done the same way. This one is actually a pretty decent mystery story, and because the Cenobites were added intot he script later, they take more of a backseat role like in the original. For a straight-to-DVD movie, it's pretty good all things considered.
Hellraiser: Hellseeker - This one is pretty similar to Inferno. Another mystery movie with the Cenobites doing what they do behind the scenes. It also has a familiar face return that ties it into the original movie. I actually really enjoyed this one, and after Hellraiser 3 (for different reasons), it's my favourite of the sequels. A solid mystery but needed a little more gross Hellraiser gore stuff.
Hellraiser: Deader - Another decent mystery/horror but overall sloppy ties to Hellraiser and just not all that interesting. You can safely skip this one.
Hellraiser: Hellworld - This is the cheesy video game themed one. Obviously, the video game stuff is seriously dated but it has a good cast (Lance Henriksen!). The video game is used just to get the characters where they need to be, sadly there's no goofy Pinhead VR stuff. It actually has a pretty good mystery hidden in there, but it gets kind of sloppy and is ruined by some poor, lazy choices towards the end. Overall, better than you'd expect, but nothing you need to run out and see.
Hellraiser: Revelations - Ahhh. The one that even Doug Bradley refused to do. This was made quickly and cheaply to maintain the rights to the series. According to IMDb, it only had roughly three weeks of production time with an eleven-day shooting schedule. The interesting thing about this one, is that it's the first movie since #4 that used a script that was actually written as a Hellraiser film. It's easily the closest in tone to the original out of all the sequels and the story itself actually isn't bad. Obviously everything else suffers due to the fast production, the direction, acting and score are all very dull and the new Pinhead is just terrible, but I feel everyone did the best they possibly could do given the circumstances and it's not nearly as bad as the fan base makes it out to be. Of course there's nothing here you really need to see though. It's still overall bad, just not that bad. Skip it.
Outside of the movies, I highly recommend the Cliver Barker book the original movie as based on, The Hellbound Heart. It's a fantastic read.
mariachi507
Member
Those Hellraiser rights aren't allowed to sit that long since they're rushing out another one. Hellraiser: Judgement is scheduled to be released next year. Bradley still isn't returning, but at least Pinhead looks better this time.
Actually, they were just re-released digitally. A new Phantasm Blu-ray set should be released at the beginning of next year.
Actually, they were just re-released digitally. A new Phantasm Blu-ray set should be released at the beginning of next year.
Rockandrollclown
lookwhatyou'vedone
Wow, thats awesome. Guess I will hold out for the Blu ray collection then. Glad I will be able to get the whole series in a collection.
Disappointing but not shocking this isn't getting very good reviews. I was planning on going to see it tonight.
Joe Molotov
Member
On the other hand, Scarlet Gospels was pretty freaking bad. It's like if Barlowe's Inferno was a slapstick comedy.
go_straight
Banned
nope, not even close. don't get your hopes up.
afternoon delight
Member
Funny enough I actually watched both of these recently and liked Blood Rage much more, feeling it had a lot more whacko charm haha. I like the supporting characters in Blood Rage, they're.... Eccentric?
canoli2006
Member
8. The Witch (2015)
Seems more like the required viewing this year. I'll be honest and say I hopped aboard the Witch train and got off mostly disappointed. Maybe I just didn't connect with this film on my initial viewing. Trust me. I'm all for a great mainstream horror movie when the good ones are so few and far between these days. I wanted to like it. The tension and atmosphere were great. Even some of the performances were surprisingly good too. There are lots of pluses with this film and given the chance to view it again, I hope my opinion can be changed.
Seems more like the required viewing this year. I'll be honest and say I hopped aboard the Witch train and got off mostly disappointed. Maybe I just didn't connect with this film on my initial viewing. Trust me. I'm all for a great mainstream horror movie when the good ones are so few and far between these days. I wanted to like it. The tension and atmosphere were great. Even some of the performances were surprisingly good too. There are lots of pluses with this film and given the chance to view it again, I hope my opinion can be changed.
CharminUltra
Member
This weekend will be Hammer weekend for me. Just gonna try to plow through most of my HFP collection.
October fucking ROCKS.
October fucking ROCKS.
beelzebozo
Jealous Bastard
anyone seen roth's GREEN INFERNO? thoughts?
Fancy Clown
Member
9) Jigoku - (Nobuo Nakagawa, 1960)
"Hear me! You who in life piled up sin upon sin will be trapped in Hell forever. Suffer! Suffer! This vortex of torment will whirl for all eternity."
As you can tell from these screencaps, Jigoku has an incredibly bold, expressionist, and theatrical visual style that permeates this very strange Japanese horror flick about a man who gets pulled into hell. The film is littered with breathtaking imagery, especially in the last third of the film once the actual horror of hell gets going, and has some pretty explicit violence for a film made in 1960. Jigoku is also however, a pretty deeply silly movie. The movie leading up to the all out assault on your sense that makes up the hell portion of the film follows a particularly gormless charlie brown-esque theology student as he has the worst string of days imaginable. It's kind of melodramatic and schlocky, but the style pulls you along, and the final third really makes it all worth it. This kind of reminded me of Kwaidan, if Kwaidan were a B movie exploitation picture. Definitely worth a watch for its originality and sense of style.
"Hear me! You who in life piled up sin upon sin will be trapped in Hell forever. Suffer! Suffer! This vortex of torment will whirl for all eternity."
As you can tell from these screencaps, Jigoku has an incredibly bold, expressionist, and theatrical visual style that permeates this very strange Japanese horror flick about a man who gets pulled into hell. The film is littered with breathtaking imagery, especially in the last third of the film once the actual horror of hell gets going, and has some pretty explicit violence for a film made in 1960. Jigoku is also however, a pretty deeply silly movie. The movie leading up to the all out assault on your sense that makes up the hell portion of the film follows a particularly gormless charlie brown-esque theology student as he has the worst string of days imaginable. It's kind of melodramatic and schlocky, but the style pulls you along, and the final third really makes it all worth it. This kind of reminded me of Kwaidan, if Kwaidan were a B movie exploitation picture. Definitely worth a watch for its originality and sense of style.
Watched it in the theater and laughed my ass off. It's pretty absurd and I don't really know if I actually liked it or just had a good time poking fun at it with a friend. Now that I've watched Cannibal Holocaust I kind of want to revisit it though.
I love Jigoku, cheese and all. I also recommend Tokaido Yotsuya kaidan, Nakagawa's other good movie. The rest (that I've seen) aren't really worth watching, unfortunately. Onna kyuketsuki is pretty hilarious though.
Man, Jigoku desperately needs a Blu-ray release.
Fancy Clown
Member
Nice, I'll check it out. And yeah, I'm surprised there hasn't been a blu of it yet considering how stunning the movie is.
I watched it last year and had a blast with it, it's surprisingly funny.