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BioHazard · Oct 8, 2016

#13 Nightmare (1964)

Another great psychological horror from Hammer. Paranoia and hysteria runs wild as the characters have difficulty separating nightmares from reality. I love how the story is broken into two storylines with this one.

4/5

List of films so far

Berto · Oct 8, 2016

I have a tradition in my blog to do a horror marathon every October, i'm now on the 7th edition. For those that understand portuguese you can follow the link, for the others a quick summary of what i've seen yet:

Not really horror, more of a police investigation with a few supernatural elements. It has a lot of similarities to the masterpiece that is M, but a bit weaker. The villian is not as interesting and the story drags a bit. Awesome climax and editing though.
3/5 stars
Should you watch it: Yes, if you're into old B&W movies or a Fritz Lang fan.

I had never seen it before. Well, its a very enjoyable B Movie with all the corny stuff you can expect from it. It was short and funny, good to see with friends.
2/5 stars
Should you watch it: If you want to pass a good time laughing with friends, why not.

I really enjoyed it, was expecting a silly movie but it surprised me how straight and serious it is. It's a bit too short but very enjoyable. The kids are trully creepy and the ending is very brave i think.
4/5 stars
Should you watch it: Definitely, it's so short it will be already over when you look at the watch.

Best known as Black Sabbath, this is a compilation of 3 short stories, each one with a very distinct feel. The first one, Il Telefono, can be classified has one of the origins of the giallo subgenre, but the true star of the show is the last story when Mario Bava shows all the tricks on his book. Please see the italian version.
5/5 stars
Should you watch it: Please do. It's great.

(AKA The Bird with Cristal Plumes) Debut film from Dario Argento. I completely adore Profondo Rosso (Deep Red) so I went with high expectations. I think it clearly shows that this is his first movie, a lot of things we take for granted on his work are somewhat still missing here.
3/5 stars
Should you watch it: If you're a big giallo fan, sure.

I like Cronenberg, but his first films are not really my cup of tea. Didn't like Scanners that much and although The Brood is a lot better it still left a bit to be desired, at least for me. Still, the climax is great and trully disturbing.
2/5 stars
Should you watch it: Yeah, if you like early Cronenberg films.

Saw it yesterday. Well, well, well... What can I say. I didn't like as a movie by it self, but I completetly LOVED the whole atmosphere, it's like a big weird dream that we cannot wake up. Adjani is beautifull and the whole descent she and Sam Neill character go through was crazy.
3/5 stars
Should you watch it: If you're into weird surrealistic nightmares, sure

Divius · Oct 8, 2016

Good stuff, Ridley327. Cat People, The Blob and Contamination are all on my list as well.

Gameboy415 · Oct 8, 2016

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)
7. Dead Alive (DVD)
8. The Hallow (Netflix)
9. Eraserhead (Blu-Ray)

10. Meridian (DVD)

-I picked up the 'Charles Band DVD Collection' at Half-Price Books for $6 over the Summer and this was the first movie in the set. It felt like an extremely dark version of Beauty and the Beast...but it was cool to see Sherilyn Fenn (Twin Peaks' Audrey) in another role.

11. Housebound (Netflix)

-Found this one on Netflix and really enjoyed it! It had an interesting story and was pretty funny too.

DeathoftheEndless · Oct 8, 2016

7. Ringu

My late-night viewing yesterday was of the supremely creepy Ringu. For most of the runtime, its a mystery story with some horror elements, but then the last 20 minutes come to fuck you up. This is the movie that kicked off the pale ghost with dark hair trend and for good reason. The girl is used sparingly and effectively (not like the one Ju-On movie I saw, which was quite silly). I liked this way more than I expected to.

Aiii · Oct 8, 2016

DeathoftheEndless said:
7. Ringu

This is the movie that kicked off the pale ghost with dark hair trend and for good reason.

Well, not exactly. It is a classic depiction of ghosts in Japanese folklore, called Yūrei. So while it seems they are aping eachother, they actually just follow Japanese expectation of that type of ghost.

Aiii · Oct 8, 2016

#1 - P.O.V. - A Cursed Film (2012) - 3.5/5
#2 - Satanic (2016) - 0/5
#3 - The Shining (1980) - 5/5
#4 - The Awakening (2011) - 3/5
#5 - Teketeke (2009) - 2.5/5
#6 - Teketeke 2 (2009) - 3.5/5
#7 - The Conjuring 2 (2016) 5*/5

#8 - Southbound (2016)
An anthology horror that combines five stories in one movie. All stories take place in the same desolate place, a desert along an unnamed highway, often referred to as "the middle of nowhere" in the movie. The stories intersect at the end/beginning, but are otherwise independent from one another. Though they all seem to involve people getting their karmic due for past mistakes. Decent horror film, though ultimately the final two stories are below par compared to the first three and kind of leave the movie to end on a low note. 2 flat tires out of 5.

Aikidoka · Oct 8, 2016

(6) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

It's a good movie overall. It has quite a bit of filler, though. Pam's scene where she stumbled into the room just kept going on, and the ending goes on for like 15 minutes longer than it should (the end scene on the road is pretty telling by how little sense it makes). Three people die pretty much the exact same way, too (aside from the excess torture that the women have to go through, of course): Person calls out to house, receives no answer, enters house, dies. Leatherface, though, is a pretty good villain, twisted comedic elements mixed with brutal, efficient killing machine. His efficient killing at the start is part of what makes the ending feel very clumsy, in my opinion.

Fancy Clown · Oct 8, 2016

Aiii said:
Well, not exactly. It is a classic depiction of ghosts in Japanese folklore, called Yūrei. So while it seems they are aping eachother, they actually just follow Japanese expectation of that type of ghost.

Yeah, you can see examples of it in film as far back as Kwaidan in 1964 and I'm sure further as well.

lordxar · Oct 8, 2016

I'd never watched Jacob's Ladder except for maybe some bits and pieces on tv some Saturday afternoon. Over the years I've heard the premise, read the ending I think, and had it not hyped like crazy but hyped enough that when I watched this it didn't really do a whole lot for me. I liked it well enough but this wasn't great.

MV5BMjMwMDMxNzIzMF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMDMxNzQxMTE@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_.jpg

Dead and Buried. Now this was the shit right here! I loved this movie. It has a really cool take on zombies and was similar to a previous movie I watched that I won't mention because it kind of ruins the end. Very cool ending too.

MV5BZWY5MGU3ODMtYzUxNi00ZDYxLWEzYjQtMWFjYTg4MDZmZmQwXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQxNzMzNDI@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_.jpg

The Phantom Carriage. Holy shit was this a long ass movie. Nearly two hours of slow and a lot of needless. It was very cool and really had an in depth story that was really well fleshed out but fuck me I fell asleep right at the end and had to watch the last few minutes over... This thing is split into parts and watching it in those five pieces might be good rather than one long slog.

The story goes that the last person to die of a year drives Deaths carriage for a year. So we follow this really bad drunken asshole that is one of the biggest assholes you can find. What this really turned out to be was A Christmas Carol written about New Years Eve with an even bigger asshole than Scrooge as the subject.

Heeeer'es Johnnnnn.....er David?

ThirstyFly · Oct 8, 2016

mariachi507 said:
I didn't know about the extended footage, that would be if it was ever put out.

There is already a scaled down boxset of the Hellraiser trilogy that was released in the UK, so if you're not too worried about losing the fourth disc in the Scarlet Box along with the 200 page book then i'd go for this one. I actually ordered it last week before Arrow made the US announcement.

I can live without the fourth disc and the book, I'm most interested in the movies themselves. That set appears to be region B locked though, and my multi-region player is on its last legs so I'll probably grab the region A set. Hopefully they do that cheaper 3-disc set here too.

I really should look into getting a good multi-region player. The one I have now is some cheap Chinese thing.

Fox Mulder said:
These are the ones I have, work great.

NotLD remake region free
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CX1FLX4/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Fright night German release
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00LIDEYFU/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Do you know if that NotLD remake BD uses the same filtered garbage master that the Twilight Time release used?

lordxar said:
Dead and Buried. Now this was the shit right here! I loved this movie. It has a really cool take on zombies and was similar to a previous movie I watched that I won't mention because it kind of ruins the end. Very cool ending too.

I LOOOOOOVE Dead and Buried. If anyone hasn't seen it, do so. Just don't watch the trailer or read anything about it beforehand.

DeathoftheEndless · Oct 8, 2016

8. Planet of the Vampires

Planet of the Vampires is a glacially-paced space horror film from Mario Bava. The film looks good and has Bava's usual lighting and color style, but there is not much excitement to be had. I was hoping to see one of the giant monsters in the flesh rather than just the bones, but it never happens. The vampires are just slightly disfigured humans. Lame.

MattyH · Oct 8, 2016

#8 Hush - This is a first time watch for me the premise seems interesting hopefully it keeps me interested

.JayZii · Oct 8, 2016

DeathoftheEndless said:
8. Planet of the Vampires

Planet of the Vampires is a glacially-paced space horror film from Mario Bava. The film looks good and has Bava's usual lighting and color style, but there is not much excitement to be had. I was hoping to see one of the giant monsters in the flesh rather than just the bones, but it never happens. The vampires are just slightly disfigured humans. Lame.

Awesome costume design in that movie. Cool visuals in general.

Also, weren't the vampires

energy being that possessed peoples' bodies?

lordxar · Oct 8, 2016

DeathoftheEndless said:
8. Planet of the Vampires

Planet of the Vampires is a glacially-paced space horror film from Mario Bava. The film looks good and has Bava's usual lighting and color style, but there is not much excitement to be had. I was hoping to see one of the giant monsters in the flesh rather than just the bones, but it never happens. The vampires are just slightly disfigured humans. Lame.

I watched this last year. It's like a campy, rough template for Alien. There are just way too many similarities.

Aiii · Oct 8, 2016

#1 - P.O.V. - A Cursed Film (2012) - 3.5/5
#2 - Satanic (2016) - 0/5
#3 - The Shining (1980) - 5/5
#4 - The Awakening (2011) - 3/5
#5 - Teketeke (2009) - 2.5/5
#6 - Teketeke 2 (2009) - 3.5/5
#7 - The Conjuring 2 (2016) 5*/5
#8 - Southbound (2016) - 2/5

#9 - The Silenced (2015)
Set in Korea in the 30s, when it was part of the Japanese Empire, a young sickly girl is send to an all-girls boarding school by her father and stepmother, before they depart for Tokyo. Although this was advertised as Horror by Netflix, it's more mystery than horror, as the girl quickly finds out some of the other girls mysteriously disappear from the school, leaving all their belongings behind. There are some horror elements here and there, but not many. That said, the movie itself is pretty good. The set looks great, the setting itself is wonderful and the Korean actors spend half the movie talking Japanese, which only adds to the atmosphere and setting. 3 cherry blossoms out of 5.

Ridley327 · Oct 9, 2016

October 8, film 1

Contamination is nothing if not what is advertised on the label. A quickie Alien ripoff in all the ways that the Italians are known and admired for among cult audiences. Ian McCulloch! Inexplicable New York City setting! Rivers of gore and blood! Amazing soundtrack! An inordinate amount of focus on a singular aspect of the film it's ripping off (in this case, the Chestburster scene) without any kind of consideration to the suggestion that there may have been more to the source material than just that! Yep, it's all here, and it's pretty entertaining trash for the most part. Truth be told, I did find that Luigi Cozzi did bring a surprising amount of style to the film, making some neat lighting decisions in the film's most effectively suspenseful moments that do a great job of making the film look more expensive than it probably was. It's also pretty goddamned hilarious, with some guffaw-inducing one-liners sprinkled in and the incredible lengths it goes to in order to get some more gory explosions in than what should have been necessary. Unfortunately, the proceedings come to a bit of a grinding halt when a change of scenery happens and the table is reset to a more dull look and feel for a while, including an interminable attempt at putting one of our heroes into danger that dies almost immediately and still has the balls to go through with it for as long as it lasts. Thankfully, things pick up considerably by the climax, thanks to the inclusion of a classic B-movie monster that boasts some surprisingly cool effects work and a nicely conceived design that is perfectly in touch with alien invasion films of the past while having its own gooey improvements to make it feel right at home in that decade. Yes, the story is a complete shambles that makes no sense at all; yes, the characters are all flat beyond the tasty one-liners; and yes, it is pretty much a one-trick pony in the gore department with some bad miscalculations on how to make the build-up to them and their follow-through work more effectively. As it stands, though? It's certainly an entertaining ripoff that makes no bones about where it came from, and putting up with its less successful elements does lead to some worthwhile fun that sometimes even approaches an unqualified level of good quality. Pretty good trashy fun!

ThirstyFly · Oct 9, 2016

Bava(s) Week – Part 4 (The Finale)

08) Lisa and the Devil (Lisa e il diavolo) (1973) (Oct 8)

After Mario Bava lost his American distribution deal with AIP, Baron Blood producer Alfredo Leone gave Bava free rein for his next picture which allowed him the freedom to create something unique and less commercial. The result of this effort was the stunning and dreamlike Lisa and the Devil.

The story follows Lisa, a tourist lost in an unfamiliar Spanish city. After a series of unfortunate events is welcomed into a rich countess' villa for the night. Soon, a surreal mystery begins to unfold as Bava's artful direction keeps the viewer every bit suspicious and unsure of their surroundings as Lisa herself.

This may very well be the best Bava I've seen yet. The dreary narrative and typical Bava style really create something special here with some fantastic performances, most notably from Telly Savalas. Savalas steals every scene he's in with his portrayal of the eccentric, lollipop sucking butler, Leandro and adds just the right amount of humor to the film. Leandro is one of the most memorable characters I've seen in recent memory and Savalas obviously had a lot of fun in the role.

This is a classic horror masterpiece and Bava at his very best. Highly recommended.

Rating:

out 5 "What's in the basket?"

Bonus 01) The House of Exorcism (1975) (Oct 8)

At it's time of release, Lisa and the Devil was a commercial flop in Italy. Proving too weird for American distributors, it only managed a limited theatrical release in the US. Looking to capitalize on the success of The Exorcist, producer Alfredo Leone decided to film additional scenes and recut the film in order to market it as an Exorcist clone. Leone convinced Bava to begin work on the new footage, who would set up the shots but leave Leone to direct before eventually leaving the project all together.

Released as The House of Exorcism, the revamped film is a complete disaster. What's left is a truncated version of Lisa and the Devil, segmented with over-the-top scenes of the Lisa character being possessed by a vengeful spirit. The original movie is either passed off as flashbacks of the spirit or a vision seen by consciousness of Lisa continuing on as her body is possessed, or both, or neither. It's so badly put together, I really have no idea.

Quite a bit of the original movie was removed, including the ending. The only additions to the Lisa and the Devil footage I noticed were some alternate, unused shots from the original shoot were inserted back in, adding more nudity and an alternate, more gory version of a murder – nothing story related at all to tie the old footage back into the new outside of the initial scene of Lisa collapsing due to the possession during the opening minutes.

The House of Exorcism isn't even worth a look as a curiosity. Only watch it if you have some twisted desire to watch someone spit on the Mona Lisa.

Rating:

out 5 "What's in the basket?"

End of week progress report:

Final Viewed List (2016):
01) The Last Man on Earth (1964) (Oct 1) - 2.5 / 5
02) Black Sunday (La maschera del demonio) (1960) (Oct 2) - 4 / 5
03) A Blade in the Dark (La casa con la scala nel buio) (1983) (Oct 3) - 4 / 5
04) Kill, Baby… Kill! (Operazione paura) (1966) (Oct 4) - 4 / 5
05) Demons 2 (Dèmoni 2… l'incubo ritorna) (1986) (Oct 5) - 3.5 / 5
06) A Bay of Blood (Reazione a catena) (1971) (Oct 6) - 3.5 / 5
07) Delirium (Le foto di Gioia) (Reazione a catena) (1987) (Oct 7) - 3.5 / 5
08) Lisa and the Devil (Lisa e il diavolo) (1973) (Oct 8) - 5 / 5
Bonus 01) The House of Exorcism (1975) (Oct 8) - 1 / 5

Penguin · Oct 9, 2016

Penguin said:
8. The Collection - This was so radically different from the original. Not even sure why it was a sequel (i know continues the story, but boy does it feel so diff). This felt more like a Saw meets Resident Evil type dealio.

9. Honeymoon - Pretty suspenseful thriller. Trying to figure out what's going on.

10. Aftershock - Not sure if I classify this as "horror" I guess it has elements of being chased/stalked, but more of a disaster/survival flick.

(Sticking or trying to stick to streaming/on-demand really has its limitation with quality)

Ridley327 · Oct 9, 2016

October 8, film 2

It's fitting that for a film that centers around the pursuit of a body-hopping alien thrill-killer that The Hidden is quite successful at throwing together a lot of different genres. Equal parts cop thriller, complete with a mismatched pair of cops, a sci-fi thriller and some surprisingly effective body horror (though less the visceral kind and more the philosophical sort), the film navigates through all of them with a surprising amount of gusto and intelligence. It's a pulpy concept played straight and remains surprisingly grounded for most of its duration, while also delivering the goods when it comes to action with some car chases, shootouts and a really rad villain. Played by a few different actors throughout, it was nice to see the alien's mannerisms manifest in each of them, connecting the whole lot while also having to deal with their own unique quirks, including a rather squirm-inducing moment when the alien decides to enjoy one of its new bodies. While he never quite escaped the distinction of being a competent in-house director for New Line Cinema, Jack Sholder shows off a more than capable handling of the material here, knowing what genre fans want while also going off in some really interesting directions and giving the whole film a nice flair, and nabbing a pair of strong performances from both Michael Nouri and Kyle MacLachlan as our heroes. It's not going to be anyone's favorite film from a visual standpoint, but the action is well-staged and always very clear to follow on all fronts, and it doesn't skimp on the more overtly horrific elements, including a nice ode to The Thing that comes late in the film. And while no one could have had the foresight back then to know where the political landscape would be in 2016, the finale contains a dreadful prescience that feels so very ominous than I think it ever could have back in 1987. If I have quibbles with the film, I do feel like the finale does kinda just happen without enough of a build-up and invokes a rather bizarre use of Chekhov's Gun that, while certainly memorable, seems to go a little too far in a gonzo direction that the film was so good about keeping just under the surface. But it manages to make up for it right away with a surprisingly ambiguous ending, that manages to turn a happy ending into a qualified one, leaving the viewer with a question that only they can answer. For a film about a body-hopping alien slug, it's pretty damn smart.

Aikidoka · Oct 9, 2016

(7) The Thing (1982)

Sooo many violins / 10
The Thing does a pretty great job of keeping the mystery and suspense going till the very end. However, this is in part due to the contrived stupidity of the characters. Well after the party learns of The Thing's imitation prowess, characters are shown alone in the rooms, outside, or wherever. This cheapens the tension a bit, and the movie could have easily avoided this issue, i think. Also, even after the entirety of the movie, the trio still splits up again at the very end. SERIOUSLY?
Regardless, I was engaged till the end, and it's got me looking out for similar movies to add to my list. Maybe I'll check out The Hidden mentioned above.

Edit:

(8) The Visit
This is an M. Night Shyamalan film so of course it turned out to be really fucking stupid. Don't get me wrong: I found it pretty tense and intriguing for the best part of the movie. But, then the "payoffs" started to happen and pretty much none of them made sense or worked. The more I think about this movie the more I hate it.

List so far:
(1) The Witch
(2) The Babadook
(3) Event Horizon
(4) Re-Animator
(5) Cabin in the Woods
(6) Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
(7) The Thing
(8) The Visit

Steamlord · Oct 9, 2016

#10 - The City of the Dead / Horror Hotel [1960]

Spooky witches, spooky town, spooky graveyard, spooky hotel, spooky townspeople, spooky Christopher Lee, and enough fog to give Silent Hill a run for its money. It's let down by some clumsy plotting, pacing, and exposition, and it has plenty of moments that are downright silly (the finale is especially amusing), but the overall atmosphere and a few of the performances make it worth a watch if you're into that sort of thing. It's sort of like a lesser version of Black Sunday. Plus it has a twist that's very similar to one in another more notorious movie released the same year (with clever editing to boot, though not as clever as the editing in the aforementioned other movie), which pleasantly surprised me.

#11 - The Collector [1965]

This is the highlight of my month so far. The Collector is a brilliant thriller with fantastic performances from Terence Stamp and Samantha Eggar. The movie effectively explores the nuances of both characters, allowing you to sympathize with both of them even though Freddie evokes repulsion and pity in almost equal measure. What really makes this film good isn't just the basic suspense of the premise, but the meticulously developed relationship between the two leads and their interactions with one another. The tension steadily rises over the course of the film to a nail-biting final act, and its two hour runtime feels like nothing. It also serves as a compelling commentary on gender and class issues, and it has an undercurrent of biting dark humor that got a couple of nervous chuckles out of me. Maurice Jarre's score is oddly jaunty, which makes the moments of silence that much more effective. I feel like I should have seen this a long time ago. Its influence is all over later films such as The Vanishing. Highly recommended.

Letterboxd list

Ridley327 · Oct 9, 2016

October 8, film 3

Yep, this is still goddamned amazing. Massive props to the folks that worked on the new Blu-ray set, too: I don't think the film has ever looked or sounded this good before.

Films for October 9: Cinematic bad boy Ken Russell was all kinds of invested in horror throughout the 80s. Altered States kicked off the decade, and while that one is a personal favorite of the genre in my books, Russell decided to take a decidedly crazier direction after that film. To wit, we'll be looking into two of his contributions: the erotically charged and sure-to-be demented Crimes of Passion, and his adaptation of the little known Bram Stoker story of The Lair of the White Worm.

Rhomega Beta · Oct 9, 2016

9. Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter

Last movie, we promise! The movie gets off a nice start at the hospital, but now it's back to killing teens at Camp Crystal Lake. The Jarvises are the most interesting people here, with Tommy and his props, as well as actually living there. There's also Crispin Glover with his weird dancing. The best kill is when Tina is pulled out the window. The climax is kind of weird, but it would have been a good end for Jason.

Overall, this has been an interesting series. I wish they showed Jason more when he made his kills and not wait until the climax. There are some good kills in here, but I don't think I could stay at Camp Crystal Lake for 6 more movies.

Full list

Up next: We leave Camp Crystal Lake and return to our warm safe home on Elm Street, where we get a villain who can actually talk.

ThisOne · Oct 9, 2016

Aiii said:
#1 - P.O.V. - A Cursed Film (2012) - 3.5/5
#2 - Satanic (2016) - 0/5
#3 - The Shining (1980) - 5/5
#4 - The Awakening (2011) - 3/5
#5 - Teketeke (2009) - 2.5/5
#6 - Teketeke 2 (2009) - 3.5/5
#7 - The Conjuring 2 (2016) 5*/5
#8 - Southbound (2016) - 2/5

You like The Conjuring 2 more than the original? The original is so great while the sequel just felt loads goofier and disjointed to me. Interesting opinion.

Ridley327 · Oct 9, 2016

Rhomega Beta said:
9. Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter

Last movie, we promise! The movie gets off a nice start at the hospital, but now it's back to killing teens at Camp Crystal Lake. The Jarvises are the most interesting people here, with Tommy and his props, as well as actually living there. There's also Crispin Glover with his weird dancing. The best kill is when Tina is pulled out the window. The climax is kind of weird, but it would have been a good end for Jason.

Overall, this has been an interesting series. I wish they showed Jason more when he made his kills and not wait until the climax. There are some good kills in here, but I don't think I could stay at Camp Crystal Lake for 6 more movies.

Full list

Up next: We leave Camp Crystal Lake and return to our warm safe home on Elm Street, where we get a villain who can actually talk.

Part 6 and, depending on your tolerance for the completely insane, Part 7 are worthwhile endeavors.

Fox Mulder · Oct 9, 2016

#8 Dawn of the Dead (1978)

Great classic film and I love the mall setting. Tried watching with someone, and they just kept laughing at the zombie makeup.

I actually like the remake too which I'll watch later.

GhaleonEB · Oct 9, 2016

Ridley327 said:
October 8, film 3
Yep, this is still goddamned amazing. Massive props to the folks that worked on the new Blu-ray set, too: I don't think the film has ever looked or sounded this good before.

This was my film tonight as well. I mean. Ahem.

#8: The Thing | via Scream Factory blu-ray

One of the best movies ever. Not just horror films. All of them.

Good transfer, though it was grainier than I thought it would be. In the daytime snow scenes it was mildly distracting, but it fit the film well outside of them.

Seeing this again after a couple of years and a few dozen horror films later, it's still a revelation every time. The flawless pacing, meticulous photography, delightfully elaborate and icky creature effects. Every actor brings their A game. I'm giddy every goddamn time I watch this.

Masterpiece.

Divius · Oct 9, 2016

ThirstyFly you got me HYPED for Lisa and the Devil ~

mariachi507 · Oct 9, 2016

Divius said:
ThirstyFly you got me HYPED for Lisa and the Devil ~

No kidding, I'm really glad I grabbed it during the Arrow sale now.

Rhomega Beta said:
9. Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter

Last movie, we promise! The movie gets off a nice start at the hospital, but now it's back to killing teens at Camp Crystal Lake. The Jarvises are the most interesting people here, with Tommy and his props, as well as actually living there. There's also Crispin Glover with his weird dancing. The best kill is when Tina is pulled out the window. The climax is kind of weird, but it would have been a good end for Jason.

Overall, this has been an interesting series. I wish they showed Jason more when he made his kills and not wait until the climax. There are some good kills in here, but I don't think I could stay at Camp Crystal Lake for 6 more movies.

Full list

Up next: We leave Camp Crystal Lake and return to our warm safe home on Elm Street, where we get a villain who can actually talk.

Friday 1-4 are very similar in tone and layout, but the rest of the series tries different approachess to varying levels of *ahem* success. You should definitely check out part 6 though, it's a meta-slasher flick made long before meta-slasher flicks were cool. One of my favorite of the series along with Parts 2 & 4.

Divius · Oct 9, 2016

#08 - Young Frankenstein (1974)
Confession time: I'm not a Mel Brooks nor a Gene Wilder fan, but with the latter's recent passing I decided to give this a try regardless. Young Frankenstein is made with love for the original tale and characters, which it both spoofs and pays homage to. It was funny, but not ha-ha funny; I saw a comment on the ICM page that described perfectly how I felt: "not one laugh, but I did appreciate the humour." Some jokes work better than others, but it is an enjoyable experience throughout. Obviously there were no scares either so this felt like a wasted entry for my horror marathon. Not particularly my cup of tea, but as with other Mel Brooks movies I can see why people love them. 5/10

Aiii · Oct 9, 2016

ThisOne said:
You like The Conjuring 2 more than the original? The original is so great while the sequel just felt loads goofier and disjointed to me. Interesting opinion.

Only a bit more, not that much. The child acting was better, and as said, I really enjoyed some of the shots in this one.

pitcairn55 · Oct 9, 2016

09/10/16
Film 11
Avas Possessions

Having watched 8 and a half Christmas horror movies on the trot, its time to take a break from that particular theme, and check out some stuff on Netflix Ive yet to catch up on.

First up is Avas Possessions, the story of a young woman who has to attend Spirit Possessions Anonymous, a 12-step programme for people who have previously had demons exorcised. I really enjoyed this, though Id hesitate to call it a horror film - its more of a darkly comic family mystery drama. Louisa Krause is great in the lead role, and the film is a lot of fun, especially the scenes in the SPA with her fellow sufferers.

Well worth a watch.

Films I've watched so far

walkmetothelake · Oct 9, 2016

OP

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Film #14 - The New York Ripper (1982) - trailer

The opening sequence with the dog had me thinking this would be a sillier or more lighthearted watch for me. However, that didn't turn out to be true.

I had a really weird experience watching this one. My late grandmother used to make very similar duck noises/voices while playing around with me and the other grandkids so whenever that went on it was all I could think of. Besides that this was also really mean spirited at times which got uncomfortable. I wouldn't bring this up usually but it really stood out to me more than once. I was surprised to learn that the true uncut version of this film has yet to see release, this was definitely pretty rough in spots. Add all of that in with a bit of a downer of an ending and I just feel like I need a palette cleanser for the second time this season (the other one being Angst which was much rougher to be fair). Either I've explored more intense stuff than usual or I'm a bit more sensitive to horror films than I thought.

This was a nice giallo despite the above if you can get past some of the more nasty bits. Just the mixture of everything together took me out of things quite a bit.

Film #15 - Night of the Living Dead (1968) - link to full film (public domain)

Nothing for me to say that hasn't been said before multiple times, much more eloquently than I could.

Shame on me for just now getting to this though.

lordxar · Oct 9, 2016

I bought the Friday the 13th series many moons ago and watched them all. Their pretty fun. The latter ones just go off the rails and throw whatever they can at you. I think overall though Jason X has to be my favorite. It's got a great sense of humor to it. Campy and trashy as ever too. Plus it's Jason in space!

Divius · Oct 9, 2016

#09 - The Brood (1979)
I can always count on David Cronenberg to get my horror fix and get the blood flowing. This early movie is required viewing for Cronenberg fans, The Brood definitely is underrated as it almost never pops up on Cronenberg top (or per MovieGAF tradition, coli tier) lists. I thought it was great; it is unnerving and disturbing, terrifically scary and has superb body horror plus strong themes, fascinating creature design/ideas. It's quite unique and a blast to watch. Special note to the strong performance by Oliver Reed, he steals every scene he is in. 7.5/10

Drinkel · Oct 9, 2016

#1 Hush
#2 Demonic
#3 The Fog
#4 I spit on your grave
#5 The Birds
#6 Psycho

#7 Slither
Very fun movie, a lot of the effects where very cool and you could tell that they had fun making them.
#8 Nosferatu
I'm surprised this held up, it still looks cool. Knowing the book, it felt like the movie was missing a back third as the ending was very abrupt. I laughed a bit that they used what looked like a cute hyena as a werewolf.

Aiii · Oct 9, 2016

#1 - P.O.V. - A Cursed Film (2012) - 3.5/5
#2 - Satanic (2016) - 0/5
#3 - The Shining (1980) - 5/5
#4 - The Awakening (2011) - 3/5
#5 - Teketeke (2009) - 2.5/5
#6 - Teketeke 2 (2009) - 3.5/5
#7 - The Conjuring 2 (2016) 5*/5
#8 - Southbound (2016) - 2/5
#9 - The Silenced (2015) - 3/5

#10 - Evil Dead (2013)
Astonishingly good remake, sorry, soft reboot of the first Evil Dead movie. Group of college aged kids get together in a cabin to help one of them kick a drug addiction. Find the hatch, find the book, unleash evil. Nice gore, fun shots, fun scenes. Extremely not scary though and the main actress really sucks, dragged the movie down a whole deal. Post-credit scene was a fun tidbit, but only helped illustrate just how unnecessary this movie ultimately is. Still, it felt like an Evil Dead movie, so 3 severed hands out of 5.

canoli2006 · Oct 9, 2016

9. Eraserhead (1977)

I watched The Witch (2015) recently and wrote about it being a film that seems to be popular but just didn't connect with me.

Well, Eraserhead is the complete opposite.

With all the mundane blockbusters and honestly shit-tier movies being shown in theaters, Eraserhead and the film genre it fits into, is everything I've been waiting for. I enjoy unconventional films and director David Lynch does just that with the mood, the black and white, the atmosphere, and the sheer surrealism works on all levels and I loved every single minute of it. This was my first time seeing it.

10/10

Fancy Clown · Oct 9, 2016

11) Don't Torture a Duckling - (Lucio Fulci, 1972)

"A little truth goes a long way in this town, remember that."

Fantastic giallo from Lucio Fulci, eschewing the traditional slick metropolitan stylings of most gialli I've seen, for something far grittier and sinister. Set in a beautiful and evocative rural town, Don't Torture a Duckling deals not with the killings of beautiful women or heartless businessmen, but with children, which alone makes for something pretty disturbing. While Fulci thankfully spares showing us the gruesome acts of killing the children, he reveals the aftermath in quick, brutal edits that actually make the murders even more horrifying. But he does not feign from showing us violence either, as in a surprisingly powerful emotional centerpiece (with fantastic musical cues), or the very satisfying climax of the film, he unflinchingly shows us quite gruesome scenes. But the violence is not unearned or pointless either, because even though the film suffers from bad dubbing, not so great acting, and the occasional silliness, the story itself is actually quite potent, dealing with the powers and repercussions of superstition and the effects of patriarchal and repressive institutions. The who dunnit aspects and reveals are all done very well, and don't simply feel like they're being done to jerk the audience around but feel organic to the themes. All the above, combined with Fulci's obvious directorial skill (the film is littered with impressive widescreen compositions and brilliant edits), make for an extremely effective, and pretty horrifying atypical giallo. Highly recommended.

ThirstyFly · Oct 9, 2016

Just finished off an early morning viewing of the Neon Demon and my copy of the Wailing BD finally shipped. It should be here this afternoon. So excited. I hope I didn't front load the month with all the good stuff, leaving all the crap for the end.

Divius said:
ThirstyFly you got me HYPED for Lisa and the Devil ~

mariachi507 said:
No kidding, I'm really glad I grabbed it during the Arrow sale now.

I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did. I think it's up there with Blood and Black Lace and Black Sabbath. Telly makes that movie.

Fancy Clown · Oct 9, 2016

I didn't expect Lisa and the Devil to be good either for some reason, but yeah you and Steamlord have me excited for it.

excelsiorlef · Oct 9, 2016

From last night

My first multi movie night. A trilogy of fake Italian Evil Dead sequels

Oct 8.

8. La Casa 3 aka Ghosthouse

The only good one of the bunch, despite awkward acting this one has really cool practical/physical haunting effects, some gnarly kills and a fantastic musical score... The ending is straight out of Supernatural (decades before it) mind you but it's charming for that.

9. La Casa 4 aka Witchery aka Witchcraft.

Worth it if only to see David fucking Hasselhoff stink up a horror movie, Linda Blair is in this too. A major lol ending, one pretty cool gory scene but the rest is meh and they over used the time tunnel effect (only they do it worse than Time Tunnel does). This movie has a terrible habit of cutting away from something creepy to something mundane, just when the creepy thing was getting good. Unless you want to see the Hoff skip this.

10. La Casa 5 aka Beyond Darkness aka Fuck this Movie

A really cool premise is introduced in the beginning but oops that's not what this movie is about. I loved the intro and everything else after it was shit. One point they cut away from a night time horror scene to the next day as if nothing had happened, like right in the middle of the horror scene. It's dull, the two best characters are the villain and the intro protagonist, the villain gets next to not screen time and it is almost like she's a different character from the intro, it's a shame. Side protagonist was promising but again squandered after the intro, actual protagonist is vanilla and dull. Shitty effects, no redeeming gore and a nonsense ending.... Skip it.

CharminUltra · Oct 9, 2016

Divius said:
#09 - The Brood (1979)
I can always count on David Cronenberg to get my horror fix and get the blood flowing. This early movie is required viewing for Cronenberg fans, The Brood definitely is underrated as it almost never pops up on Cronenberg top (or per MovieGAF tradition, coli tier) lists. I thought it was great; it is unnerving and disturbing, terrifically scary and has superb body horror plus strong themes, fascinating creature design/ideas. It's quite unique and a blast to watch. Special note to the strong performance by Oliver Reed, he steals every scene he is in. 7.5/10

Agreed. Loved The Brood; it's terribly underrated.

Also yes, Oliver Reed totally delivers (that last scene with him is amazing and suspenseful as hell.) I was pleasantly surprised when he popped up during the last two Hammer features I watched last night.

BioHazard · Oct 9, 2016

#14 Count Dracula's Great Love (1973)

Pretty standard (up until the ending) sexy Gothic vampire fluff. Paul Naschy is great as always. Features some interesting gore sequences too. Shout out to the guy who gets axed in the head and falls down the stairs again and again and again as it's, for some reason, looped over and over during the intro credits. Also includes some of the worst dubbing I've seen in a while!

3/5

List of films so far

Gameboy415 · Oct 9, 2016

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)
7. Dead Alive (DVD)
8. The Hallow (Netflix)
9. Eraserhead (Blu-Ray)
10. Meridian (DVD)
11. Housebound (Netflix)

12. The Monster Squad (Blu-Ray)

-One of my all-time favorite movies! Still just as great as the first time I saw it on VHS as a kid.

MattyH · Oct 9, 2016

Hush was a brilliant movie some very intense moments and a brilliant concept onto something a bit different tonight with #9 The Innkeepers I'm a big ti west fan so will enjoy this

pitcairn55 · Oct 9, 2016

09/10/16
Film 12
Starry Eyes

This is a fantastic, beautifully disturbing movie. The story of the lengths a young woman will go to to become a movie star, it’s a slow burn to start off with, but builds to a seriously intense final act. Alex Essoe is exceptional as the leading lady in waiting, and the supporting cast are great too, particularly Louis Dezseran as the smiling, creepy as hell Producer who asks for some pretty extreme things during auditions.

Very highly recommended, especially if you like a bit of body horror.

Films I've watched so far

Ridley327 · Oct 9, 2016

October 9, film 1

Truthfully speaking, Crimes of Passion doesn't really approach anything resembling a horror film until its deranged climax, but the thing with Ken Russell's films is that they're rarely given to easy classification as it is. One part erotic comedy pitched to Loony Tunes heights of cartoon logic and one part heartfelt relationship drama (I dare not suggest it's mature about it!), it's the kind of film that does have some hidden depth to it while also being impossible to take too seriously. Where some excessive directors may pitch to the back row, Ken Russell sets his sights to the other end of the cosmos and makes it look easy in the process, and between the battery of neon lights, wildly animated actors and enough "how in the hell did anyone with money ever allow this man to do this" scenes for several movies, the film's underlying philosophy is that anything worth doing is overdoing. Russell has always been something of an acquired taste not used to his theatrical leanings, but I think at the very heart of this film, once you peel back the layers upon layers of sleaze and phallic imagery, there's a surprisingly pleasant emotional core that starts to peer through once the excess starts dialing it down a little, though that's certainly qualified when toning it down still puts it at about a 9 at the very least. Both Kathleen Turner and Anthony Perkins are perfectly attuned to the style that the film is going for, with Turner offering up a kind of X-rated spin on the dialogue she would go on to provide for Jessica Rabbit and Perkins devouring entire worlds with his performance, to say nothing of the scenery. Since the two frequently share scenes together, the verbal and physical sparring between the two is always a delight, and just to hear the delivery of a line like "a beat 'em, eat 'em licorice whip" is worth the price of admission on its own. The more "grounded" aspect of the film, with John Laughlin and Annie Potts as a long-suffering couple, doesn't go to anywhere near the absurd heights of the sexual fantasies that China Blue provides to her customers, but a little contrast doesn't hurt this film any. I would say anyone expecting a particularly deep treatise on modern romance is bound to be wildly disappointed, and it's tough for me to say what it's all really about in the end, but in true Russell fashion, it sure is having a hell of a lot of fun trying to say it.

Fancy Clown · Oct 9, 2016

12) Dressed to Kill - (Brian De Palma, 1980)

"Don't make me be a bad girl again."

I knew a rewatch or two would manage to sneak into my viewing after I started, and the first is Dressed to Kill. I actually saw it for the first time earlier this year and enjoyed it quite a bit, but after watching a bunch of gialli I was in the mood to give it another viewing. This time around I enjoyed it even more. The hitchcock influence is obvious, but I would say there is just as much gialli in here as well, from the black trench coat clad killer, to various stylizations and whodunnit mystery. While this may have a lower body count and less gore than many gialli, De Palma's tongue in cheek spin on the genre is still among the best thanks to his evocative camerawork, entertaining narrative (even if it won't take many people too long to discover the killer), and masterclass sequences of suspense. Seriously, nearly every other scene in this movie is a brilliantly suspenseful set-piece (the museum section ranks up there as one of the best scenes in De Palma's filmography), and the stuff in between is a lot of fun too. And the dreamy Pino Donaggio score is just the icing on the cake.

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