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31 Days of Horror 6 |OT| The October Movie Marathon
- Thread starter ThirstyFly
- Start date
Dangerblade
Member
Film #1: Orphan [7]
Film #2: Begotten [No Idea]
Film #3: Deadgirl [4]
Frontiers (2007)
I was in the mood for something like this. Pretty much non-stop action for the second half, the absence of which can annoy me about other movies with a slower pace. Very brutal in places, and lighter on story than I thought it would be. The music and special effects were particularly good.
Reminded me a LOT of Martyrs and Trailer Park of Terror, but it pre-dates both of them so it's all good.
[7]
Film #2: Begotten [No Idea]
Film #3: Deadgirl [4]
Frontiers (2007)
I was in the mood for something like this. Pretty much non-stop action for the second half, the absence of which can annoy me about other movies with a slower pace. Very brutal in places, and lighter on story than I thought it would be. The music and special effects were particularly good.
Reminded me a LOT of Martyrs and Trailer Park of Terror, but it pre-dates both of them so it's all good.
[7]
pitcairn55
Member
12/10/16
Film 15
Thirst
This classy 1979 Australian vampire flick is a slow-moving, elegant delight. It tells the story of the Brotherhood, a secret vampire organisation trying to bring on board Kate Davis, the last surviving member of a particularly noble family of bloodsuckers. The trouble is that Kate, bless her, doesn’t know she’s a vampire, and isn’t ever so keen to embrace the destiny her new friends keep going on about.
Unfazed, The Brotherhood kidnaps her, and takes her back to their headquarters, in order to do a little bit of reprogramming. Left to wander unsupervised, Kate sees many strange things here, including The Dairy, where blood-cows (humans that are kept artificially docile) are held in captivity and regularly ‘milked’. (One memorably chilling scene has a group of snap-happy vampire tourists being given a tour of this sparkling clean facility, with their cheerful guide explaining how the dairy allows them to avoid all the dangers associated with ‘raw’ blood.)
Though not what you’d call action packed, Thirst has a great script (despite a few plot holes), and some lovely performances, particularly from the always magnificent David Hemmings, who in this movie looks even more like Rik Mayall than normal. In fact only leading lady Chantal Contouri really disappoints, but her rather wooden performance nevertheless still has its charms. The score by Brian May is really good too, though sadly it’s not THAT Brian May.
Overall, a fun, undemanding watch that I enjoyed a lot.
Films I've watched so far
Film 15
Thirst
This classy 1979 Australian vampire flick is a slow-moving, elegant delight. It tells the story of the Brotherhood, a secret vampire organisation trying to bring on board Kate Davis, the last surviving member of a particularly noble family of bloodsuckers. The trouble is that Kate, bless her, doesn’t know she’s a vampire, and isn’t ever so keen to embrace the destiny her new friends keep going on about.
Unfazed, The Brotherhood kidnaps her, and takes her back to their headquarters, in order to do a little bit of reprogramming. Left to wander unsupervised, Kate sees many strange things here, including The Dairy, where blood-cows (humans that are kept artificially docile) are held in captivity and regularly ‘milked’. (One memorably chilling scene has a group of snap-happy vampire tourists being given a tour of this sparkling clean facility, with their cheerful guide explaining how the dairy allows them to avoid all the dangers associated with ‘raw’ blood.)
Though not what you’d call action packed, Thirst has a great script (despite a few plot holes), and some lovely performances, particularly from the always magnificent David Hemmings, who in this movie looks even more like Rik Mayall than normal. In fact only leading lady Chantal Contouri really disappoints, but her rather wooden performance nevertheless still has its charms. The score by Brian May is really good too, though sadly it’s not THAT Brian May.
Overall, a fun, undemanding watch that I enjoyed a lot.
Films I've watched so far
Your description of this movie reminds me of Dancer in the Dark in some ways. Have you ever seen that and if so, do they compare in any way?We Need to Talk About Kevin
Violence Jack
Member
Just received this in the mail
Eager to dig into it, never seen any of these
That's awesome. The Invisible Man is probably my favorite movie out of that set.
brandonh83
Banned
Fancy.
CharminUltra
Member
NICE. I got the $40 UK import version from Amazon, mostly for the 6x5 poster cards (to decorate my desk at work.)Just received this in the mail
Eager to dig into it, never seen any of these
ThirstyFly
Member
Emilio P. Miraglia “Killer Dames” Double Feature
One of the lesser known names in the giallo subgenre, Emilio P. Miraglia's IMDb entry only lists 6 films as director of which 2 are gialli. Recently released in a new Blu-ray set by Arrow, I'll be covering both films.
11) The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave (La notte che Evelyn uscì dalla tomba) (1971) (Oct 11)
“The worms are waiting!”
Starting off with the older of the two titles, The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave is part giallo, part Gothic horror. The story follows Lord Alan Cunningham, a rich playboy who is haunted by the memory of his deceased wife, Evelyn. Soon a sleazy tale of insanity and death begins to unfold, but is it murder or perhaps something from beyond the grave?
Like Fulci's Don't Torture a Duckling, The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave doesn't follow the typical giallo formula. If you're looking for more unconventional gialli, this may be what of interest as it's quite unique.
That's not to say it's a masterpiece or anything. It has a strong start and end, but really drags in the middle due to an uncharismatic lead and a run time that could have used 10-15 minutes trimmed out of it. I felt it could have used more of the weird happenings around the castle/supernatural element as that felt really underutilized by the time the final act rolled around.
Overall, it's interesting and kept me entertained to the end. Worth checking out if you don't mind something very trashy and a little silly, though if you're not a fan of gialli this won't do anything to change your mind.
It's hilarious to me that the
. Seriously. Only in the 70s, man.
Rating:
out 5 "What's in the basket?"
12) The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (La dama rossa uccide sette volte) (1972) (Oct 12)
Sticking a little closer to the giallo formula here, The Red Queen Kills Seven Times once again infuses giallo and Gothic horror for surprisingly good results.
As they are about to inherit the family estate, a pair of sisters are entangled in a mysterious series of murders they believe to be related to an old legend of death passed down throughout their family. Has the Red Queen returned once again to claim her seven victims?
I really enjoyed this one. The stunning Barbara Bouchet (whom I'm sure you all remember from Don't Torture a Duckling) is excellent as the lead and is joined Marina Malfatti (returning from The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave) and a still early in her career, Sybil Danning.
The plot can get a little too convoluted and you're probably going to need a pen and paper if you want to make sense out of everything, but the main details are clear enough, and it's paced well enough to always keep you interested. There's also a terrific score and some great visuals. As far as I'm aware, this is the only gialli that has a figurine of the killer that was included with an older DVD set.
There was one death at the end that I thought was really stupid, poorly handled and totally unnecessary that pulled me out of it a bit though. Combined with an odd, cheery music choice for the final shot/credits, it kind soured the ending a bit.
Overall, recommended for gialli fans.
Rating:
out 5 "What's in the basket?"
One of the lesser known names in the giallo subgenre, Emilio P. Miraglia's IMDb entry only lists 6 films as director of which 2 are gialli. Recently released in a new Blu-ray set by Arrow, I'll be covering both films.
11) The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave (La notte che Evelyn uscì dalla tomba) (1971) (Oct 11)
“The worms are waiting!”
Starting off with the older of the two titles, The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave is part giallo, part Gothic horror. The story follows Lord Alan Cunningham, a rich playboy who is haunted by the memory of his deceased wife, Evelyn. Soon a sleazy tale of insanity and death begins to unfold, but is it murder or perhaps something from beyond the grave?
Like Fulci's Don't Torture a Duckling, The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave doesn't follow the typical giallo formula. If you're looking for more unconventional gialli, this may be what of interest as it's quite unique.
That's not to say it's a masterpiece or anything. It has a strong start and end, but really drags in the middle due to an uncharismatic lead and a run time that could have used 10-15 minutes trimmed out of it. I felt it could have used more of the weird happenings around the castle/supernatural element as that felt really underutilized by the time the final act rolled around.
Overall, it's interesting and kept me entertained to the end. Worth checking out if you don't mind something very trashy and a little silly, though if you're not a fan of gialli this won't do anything to change your mind.
It's hilarious to me that the
murderous sex pervert becomes the hero of the movie
Rating:
out 5 "What's in the basket?"
12) The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (La dama rossa uccide sette volte) (1972) (Oct 12)
Sticking a little closer to the giallo formula here, The Red Queen Kills Seven Times once again infuses giallo and Gothic horror for surprisingly good results.
As they are about to inherit the family estate, a pair of sisters are entangled in a mysterious series of murders they believe to be related to an old legend of death passed down throughout their family. Has the Red Queen returned once again to claim her seven victims?
I really enjoyed this one. The stunning Barbara Bouchet (whom I'm sure you all remember from Don't Torture a Duckling) is excellent as the lead and is joined Marina Malfatti (returning from The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave) and a still early in her career, Sybil Danning.
The plot can get a little too convoluted and you're probably going to need a pen and paper if you want to make sense out of everything, but the main details are clear enough, and it's paced well enough to always keep you interested. There's also a terrific score and some great visuals. As far as I'm aware, this is the only gialli that has a figurine of the killer that was included with an older DVD set.
There was one death at the end that I thought was really stupid, poorly handled and totally unnecessary that pulled me out of it a bit though. Combined with an odd, cheery music choice for the final shot/credits, it kind soured the ending a bit.
Overall, recommended for gialli fans.
Rating:
out 5 "What's in the basket?"
#18 The Brides of Dracula (1960)
Another Hammer horror. A traveling young woman unknowingly releases the prince of darkness after being wooed by him. He now decides to begin accumulating brides. But don't worry Peter Cushing, vampire hunter, is on the case.
4/5
#19 We Are Still Here (2015)
Good shit here. Maybe nothing groundbreaking and it wears its influences on its sleeve. The Fulci influence is quite strong. The scene where the townsfolk enter the house is just insane, silly, but a great climax. Check this one out if you are a fan of 70s gore horror.
5/5
#20 The Evil of Frankenstein (1964)
A pretty standard Frankenstein story by Hammer. Peter Cushing attempts to revive his, once thought lost, original experiment with the help of a mute and an evil hypnotist.
3/5
List of films so far
Another Hammer horror. A traveling young woman unknowingly releases the prince of darkness after being wooed by him. He now decides to begin accumulating brides. But don't worry Peter Cushing, vampire hunter, is on the case.
4/5
#19 We Are Still Here (2015)
Good shit here. Maybe nothing groundbreaking and it wears its influences on its sleeve. The Fulci influence is quite strong. The scene where the townsfolk enter the house is just insane, silly, but a great climax. Check this one out if you are a fan of 70s gore horror.
5/5
#20 The Evil of Frankenstein (1964)
A pretty standard Frankenstein story by Hammer. Peter Cushing attempts to revive his, once thought lost, original experiment with the help of a mute and an evil hypnotist.
3/5
List of films so far
Rhomega Beta
Member
14. Freddy vs. Jason (2003)
If you've never seen either franchise, don't worry. The movie begins by setting up both villains, even showing a pre-burn Freddy Kreuger, and then cuts to the chase by having Jason start killing people on Elm Street. I like the color theme of blue in the waking world and red in the dream world. The fight scenes between the two are great, with moments like Freddy flinging Jason around like a pinball (complete with sound effects) and Jason using Freddy to break a row of windows. The best death is in the cornfield, where Jason, who is on fire, kills a guy by throwing his machete. Which is also on fire. In the end, this clash of the slasher titans has a satisfying conclusion.
And so that brings me to the end of the '80s slashers. I know I haven't seen them all, but I wanted to do the movies up until the series has their first proper "ending" and before the quality started going downhill, as recommended by Cinemassacre's Monster Madness. I do consider A Nightmare on Elm Street to be the best one. Halloween starts off great, dips for II, and tries something different for III, and I appreciate that. Friday the 13th does something different for every movie, but it all boils down to "Jason kills teens at Camp Crystal Lake", and that can get tiring. Maybe if I have time I'll throw in Friday the 13th Part VI as some have recommended.
Full list
Up next: I'm repeating a trend from last year: 8 movies whose titles begin with "The" in alphabetical order.
If you've never seen either franchise, don't worry. The movie begins by setting up both villains, even showing a pre-burn Freddy Kreuger, and then cuts to the chase by having Jason start killing people on Elm Street. I like the color theme of blue in the waking world and red in the dream world. The fight scenes between the two are great, with moments like Freddy flinging Jason around like a pinball (complete with sound effects) and Jason using Freddy to break a row of windows. The best death is in the cornfield, where Jason, who is on fire, kills a guy by throwing his machete. Which is also on fire. In the end, this clash of the slasher titans has a satisfying conclusion.
And so that brings me to the end of the '80s slashers. I know I haven't seen them all, but I wanted to do the movies up until the series has their first proper "ending" and before the quality started going downhill, as recommended by Cinemassacre's Monster Madness. I do consider A Nightmare on Elm Street to be the best one. Halloween starts off great, dips for II, and tries something different for III, and I appreciate that. Friday the 13th does something different for every movie, but it all boils down to "Jason kills teens at Camp Crystal Lake", and that can get tiring. Maybe if I have time I'll throw in Friday the 13th Part VI as some have recommended.
Full list
Up next: I'm repeating a trend from last year: 8 movies whose titles begin with "The" in alphabetical order.
Damn, fell way behind because I was out of town for thanksgiving.
#7 The Final Conflict The Omen 3
The least scary, and with an upbeat ending, it's almost not an Omen film by this point.
Sam Neill does well, but the plot is thin, and none too scary now that we the audience and Damien the character know what he is.
By focusing the film on Damien trying to find Jesus reborn, it's less about what Damien will do to others, and more a big countdown to the finale.
#8 A Nightmare on Elm Street
_theatrical_poster.jpg)
Still effective, though the pacing is a little rushed. Also, I never realized just how much 80s synth music is in the soundtrack.
That was something of a drawback, as it would take me out of the scene and I'd listen to the keyboards instead. Freddy is the best Freddy here, menacing and maniacal.
#7 The Final Conflict The Omen 3
The least scary, and with an upbeat ending, it's almost not an Omen film by this point.
Sam Neill does well, but the plot is thin, and none too scary now that we the audience and Damien the character know what he is.
By focusing the film on Damien trying to find Jesus reborn, it's less about what Damien will do to others, and more a big countdown to the finale.
#8 A Nightmare on Elm Street
Still effective, though the pacing is a little rushed. Also, I never realized just how much 80s synth music is in the soundtrack.
That was something of a drawback, as it would take me out of the scene and I'd listen to the keyboards instead. Freddy is the best Freddy here, menacing and maniacal.
Fancy Clown
Member
17) The Driller Killer - (Abel Ferrera, 1979)
"Oh, so it's finished? Thank you. It's finished... Since when did you become such an expert on painting? I mean, you're telling me it's finished? What do you know about painting, anyway? Really, what do you know about paint? I'll tell you what you know about paint, man: you don't know nothing about paint, man. You know what you know about? You know about how to bitch and how to eat and how to bitch and how to shit and how to bitch! But you don't know nothing about paint, so don't tell me when it's going to be done. I'll tell you when it's going to be done."
Well, this was not the movie I thought it was going to be. As in I literally thought this was another drill based killer film (I think I was thinking of one of the slumber party massacre movies?). What I got is less of a horror film, although it is certainly horrific and there is lots of gruesome killing, and more of an independent arthouse film ala Cassavetes with a dash of John Waters. I didn't really enjoy the movie all that much, but it's not an empty film. It feels like the thematic final nail in the coffin of the kind of bohemian lifestyle that Easy Rider sounded the death knell for a decade earlier, and there's a nice gritty texture and evocation of the late 70's punk scene in New York. But this is a movie I find more interesting than enjoy, and respect more than I engage. It's a relentlessly ugly movie filled with ugly people, and it offers little in the way of suspense. Instead it offers you caustic personalities, lots of punk music, and a wacko artist asshole losing his mind and running around drilling bums in the head by way of authentic 16mm independent cinema film. If that sounds like your bag, then hey, The Driller Killer is the movie for you.
"Oh, so it's finished? Thank you. It's finished... Since when did you become such an expert on painting? I mean, you're telling me it's finished? What do you know about painting, anyway? Really, what do you know about paint? I'll tell you what you know about paint, man: you don't know nothing about paint, man. You know what you know about? You know about how to bitch and how to eat and how to bitch and how to shit and how to bitch! But you don't know nothing about paint, so don't tell me when it's going to be done. I'll tell you when it's going to be done."
Well, this was not the movie I thought it was going to be. As in I literally thought this was another drill based killer film (I think I was thinking of one of the slumber party massacre movies?). What I got is less of a horror film, although it is certainly horrific and there is lots of gruesome killing, and more of an independent arthouse film ala Cassavetes with a dash of John Waters. I didn't really enjoy the movie all that much, but it's not an empty film. It feels like the thematic final nail in the coffin of the kind of bohemian lifestyle that Easy Rider sounded the death knell for a decade earlier, and there's a nice gritty texture and evocation of the late 70's punk scene in New York. But this is a movie I find more interesting than enjoy, and respect more than I engage. It's a relentlessly ugly movie filled with ugly people, and it offers little in the way of suspense. Instead it offers you caustic personalities, lots of punk music, and a wacko artist asshole losing his mind and running around drilling bums in the head by way of authentic 16mm independent cinema film. If that sounds like your bag, then hey, The Driller Killer is the movie for you.
ThirstyFly
Member
"The Driller Killer" is also the name of the killer in Slumber Party Massacre II. That's probably what confused you.
Krampus. I bought this bluray the day it released with every intention of watching it. Then I get it home and see a pg-13 rating. So it sat until tonight. Quite honestly pg-13 and all this is a fun movie. The monster designs were great, it had decent comedy, a great atmosphere once the snow flew and a nice holiday message. The best part was the creature designs imo.
October 12
Never before have I seen a horror film taken such a sharp turn quite like Parents has done for me. Sure, the kitschy decor and appropriate pop tunes suggests that we're going to be in for a fun if sly time out with a comedy-horror period piece, but after about five minutes, the film decides to be genuine nightmare fuel and pretty much stays that way for the next 75 minutes. Actor-turned-director Bob Balaban could have made this the dark comedy that the advertising desperately wanted it to be, but decides instead that he would try his hand at making the film more like something that David Lynch would do, warping 50s Americana and the ideal of the nuclear family into frankly grotesque and profoundly disturbing funhouse mirror versions, only with a shitload less fun. It's not the kind of horror film that goes out of its way to gross out the viewer, but it feels so aggressively unpleasant and unsparing on virtually every aspect it touches upon that it often feels much more ghastly than it looks. Balaban does perhaps too great a job of making everything feel unsafe for poor Michael, from the world that looks too big to the nightmares that would be too unsettling for war vets, and even seemingly innocuous moments are pregnant with the threat of going sour far beyond what ought to be acceptable. It's actually quite the relief that the finale of the film offers up something more disappointingly conventional and rushed, as I'm not sure anyone could take much more of it without some kind of signal that it really is only a movie and not some intense hallucination that you run the risk of never getting away from. Up until that point in the film, I feel confident in saying it's the kind of demented work that I'm glad I saw, would greatly appreciate on a technical level, praise it for being truly successful at creeping me the fuck out and would be all too happy to never see it again. I'm not sure if I should praise the film for being so effective in its aims or make it a life goal to warn people away from it!
Film for October 13: Peter Weller has a bit of a pest problem, but unfortunately for him, this vermin is Of Unknown Origin. He's going to need a bigger mousetrap!
Never before have I seen a horror film taken such a sharp turn quite like Parents has done for me. Sure, the kitschy decor and appropriate pop tunes suggests that we're going to be in for a fun if sly time out with a comedy-horror period piece, but after about five minutes, the film decides to be genuine nightmare fuel and pretty much stays that way for the next 75 minutes. Actor-turned-director Bob Balaban could have made this the dark comedy that the advertising desperately wanted it to be, but decides instead that he would try his hand at making the film more like something that David Lynch would do, warping 50s Americana and the ideal of the nuclear family into frankly grotesque and profoundly disturbing funhouse mirror versions, only with a shitload less fun. It's not the kind of horror film that goes out of its way to gross out the viewer, but it feels so aggressively unpleasant and unsparing on virtually every aspect it touches upon that it often feels much more ghastly than it looks. Balaban does perhaps too great a job of making everything feel unsafe for poor Michael, from the world that looks too big to the nightmares that would be too unsettling for war vets, and even seemingly innocuous moments are pregnant with the threat of going sour far beyond what ought to be acceptable. It's actually quite the relief that the finale of the film offers up something more disappointingly conventional and rushed, as I'm not sure anyone could take much more of it without some kind of signal that it really is only a movie and not some intense hallucination that you run the risk of never getting away from. Up until that point in the film, I feel confident in saying it's the kind of demented work that I'm glad I saw, would greatly appreciate on a technical level, praise it for being truly successful at creeping me the fuck out and would be all too happy to never see it again. I'm not sure if I should praise the film for being so effective in its aims or make it a life goal to warn people away from it!
Film for October 13: Peter Weller has a bit of a pest problem, but unfortunately for him, this vermin is Of Unknown Origin. He's going to need a bigger mousetrap!
EmpressInYellow
Banned
Gah, that bit is ROUGH, all the more so because
the film has, until that point, positioned her as the "final girl". But nope.
Yeah, it's basically "What if we did The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, only French and with Nazis?" There's a couple of scenes that stuck with me, though. It's a shame that the movies Gens did after that haven't been as strong (though The Divide does show a hint of that same nasty bleakness).
Anyway, the double-feature train keeps on rolling. Last night's theme: Band of Brothers (Military Squad Horror) with Tank 432 (aka. Belly of the Bulldog) and The Squad
Tank 432
Summary - A small military unit is carrying out...some kind of operation....somewhere in a rural environment. The details of the mission, location, etc. are all unclear, except that the unit is apparently being pursued and has taken two prisoners, who are dressed in orange jumpsuits and hooded in the style of captured insurgents. While we see few signs of their pursuers, the squad is agitated and nervous, clearly fleeing enemy pursuit. We see fleeting images of their possible attackers, a single man in what appears to be a gas mask.
As they flee, the unit discovers an abandoned APC in the middle of a field. They take shelter from their pursuers there, only to find that they're stuck inside. Tensions rise and suspicions grow as the remaining squad members try to escape their new prison while asking new questions about the purpose of their mission.
Thoughts - The first thing that caught my eye about this one was Ben Wheatley (Kill List, A Field in England) being attached as an executive producer. The director, Nick Gillespie, apparently worked under Wheatley on some of his films.
In a way, it's a very Wheatley-esque film: somewhat genre-bending and focused heavily on psychological tension and deterioration. Most of the movie takes place inside the APC, meaning the film relies heavily on character interaction and a sense of mystery to propel it forward. It's fairly understated, with a dreamlike quality to the events and pacing.
The problem is that it's a little too reliant on that sense of mystery, and if you figure out what's going on pretty early, there's not a ton of payoff. It's not that the film is bad, because it certainly isn't - it's well made, and the acting is all perfectly fine. It's maybe a bit slow, given how little actually happens, but that's not a deal-breaker. The problem is just the payoff is doled out too slowly and too sparsely. It's not that the film doesn't provide any answers (it does), but rather that the answers and the evidence to support them just...aren't that satisfying. The whole exercise feels a little cold, a little hollow.
Still, it's not bad, and people who are looking for a slow-burn psychological horror film might want to give it a look. I don't think it's gotten a U.S. release yet, but it's available on R2 DVD and various non-U.S. streaming sites.
The Squad
Summary - An anti-guerilla squad in Colombia is sent to investigate a mountain military facility after it stops reporting in. Accompanied by a new lieutenant and a guide, the squad is ordered to remain at the base of the facility and wait for reinforcements. One of the soldiers, unwilling to wait, charges forward, pursued by the squad's radio operator. After a landmine wounds the radio man, the squad is forced to enter the facility to administer proper treatment. They find it abandoned save for a few bodies and the supplies untouched, both of which would be very odd for a guerilla attack. As they investigate the facility further, they discover religious writing scrawled across the walls and a strange woman bound inside a bricked-up compartment. Though she won't speak, her presence triggers tension and paranoia within the group, leading to a slow descent into chaos.
Thoughts - In a way, this shares a lot with Tank 432. It's a small squad trapped somewhere they don't want to be, causing tensions to slowly boil over. Unlike Tank 432, we know more or less why they're there. What we don't know (at least fully) is the nature of their previous mission, which we see only glimpses of in brief flashbacks.
I probably can't be entirely fair to this movie, since I was a little distracted. It feels, though, like it has a lot of unrealized potential. A few of the characters sort of blended together in my mind, and the film didn't quite do enough to sell the changes to their psychological states. The woman (who is literally listed in the credits as "La Mujer") is somewhat underused, and her inclusion in the film is ultimately a little unsatisfying. I understand why she's there (for reasons relating to the flashback which would require spoilers to go into), but it feels like they could have done more with her.
That said, it does have its moments, and the fog-shrouded base is a legitimately creepy, atmospheric setting. It's also refreshing to see a fairly well put-together horror film from Colombia, which isn't something we get a lot of.
Vincent Price double feature night.
#19 - The Pit and the Pendulum [1961]
A fun Corman Poe adaptation. Not the best one I've seen (that would be The Masque of the Red Death), but it's still good and has a great finale. The main issue is that it's too similar to other Poe stories, since it had to be fleshed out to feature length and relies on old Poe standbys such as premature burial and being walled up alive, resulting in a mish-mash of The Fall of the House of Usher, The Cask of Amantillado, and The Black Cat. Vincent Price and Barbara Steele obviously steal the show, though Steele isn't given much time to shine. The other actors are OK, but they can't really keep up.
#20 - Witchfinder General [1968]
Damn, this was pretty brutal. Matthew Hopkins is even more abominable than Dr. Phibes. What a slimy, hypocritical piece of shit. So fun to hate. Price is great in this, and the rest of the cast isn't too shabby either. Definitely one of Price's best roles, even if the film as a whole isn't perfect.
Letterboxd list
#19 - The Pit and the Pendulum [1961]
A fun Corman Poe adaptation. Not the best one I've seen (that would be The Masque of the Red Death), but it's still good and has a great finale. The main issue is that it's too similar to other Poe stories, since it had to be fleshed out to feature length and relies on old Poe standbys such as premature burial and being walled up alive, resulting in a mish-mash of The Fall of the House of Usher, The Cask of Amantillado, and The Black Cat. Vincent Price and Barbara Steele obviously steal the show, though Steele isn't given much time to shine. The other actors are OK, but they can't really keep up.
#20 - Witchfinder General [1968]
Damn, this was pretty brutal. Matthew Hopkins is even more abominable than Dr. Phibes. What a slimy, hypocritical piece of shit. So fun to hate. Price is great in this, and the rest of the cast isn't too shabby either. Definitely one of Price's best roles, even if the film as a whole isn't perfect.
Letterboxd list
September 29 - Southbound
September 30 - The Conjuring 2
October 1 - The Cottage
October 2 - Night of the Creeps, Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan
October 3 - Clown
October 4 - Splice
October 5 - Trollhunter
October 6 - Krampus
October 7 - Night of the Comet
October 8 - Hush
October 9 -The Funhouse Massacre, Baskin, Black Sabbath
October 10 - The Fog (1980)
October 11 - The ReZort
October 12 - Splinter
A couple celebrating their anniversary stop to pick up a lone female hitchhiker, only to become a fugitive couples hostages. While driving on the orders of the fugitive couple, the car overheats. They stop at a gas station and are attacked by the gas station attendant, whos no longer in control of his own body. This film is a great body horror film. I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. The film starts a bit weak, and characters are a bit unbearable, but it shifts tone as soon as theyre attacked by the gas station attendant. I believe this is the first horror film where I had to turn my head away from the screen.
I highly recommend checking this film out.
Rating: Must Watch
September 30 - The Conjuring 2
October 1 - The Cottage
October 2 - Night of the Creeps, Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan
October 3 - Clown
October 4 - Splice
October 5 - Trollhunter
October 6 - Krampus
October 7 - Night of the Comet
October 8 - Hush
October 9 -The Funhouse Massacre, Baskin, Black Sabbath
October 10 - The Fog (1980)
October 11 - The ReZort
October 12 - Splinter
A couple celebrating their anniversary stop to pick up a lone female hitchhiker, only to become a fugitive couples hostages. While driving on the orders of the fugitive couple, the car overheats. They stop at a gas station and are attacked by the gas station attendant, whos no longer in control of his own body. This film is a great body horror film. I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. The film starts a bit weak, and characters are a bit unbearable, but it shifts tone as soon as theyre attacked by the gas station attendant. I believe this is the first horror film where I had to turn my head away from the screen.
The part where they cut off Dennis's arm to prevent the splinters from spreading throughout the rest of his body.
Rating: Must Watch
mariachi507
Member
Just received this in the mail
Eager to dig into it, never seen any of these
Hope you like them, they were essential to my childhood and were one of the big reasons I got into horror movies.
walkmetothelake
Banned
OP
---
Film #26 - Laid to Rest (2009)
Oh dear...
Okay but more seriously all this had going for it was the gore. Everything else was bad to say the least. I realize that can be said about a lot of slasher films but I can usually find something redeemable about most others meanwhile this one had a whole lot of nothing. I am bitter.
Film #27 - Chromeskull: Laid to Rest 2 (2011)
Me, @ myself: "Haven't you inflicted enough suffering upon yourself?"
Also me, @ myself: "...No
"
---
Film #26 - Laid to Rest (2009)
Oh dear...
Okay but more seriously all this had going for it was the gore. Everything else was bad to say the least. I realize that can be said about a lot of slasher films but I can usually find something redeemable about most others meanwhile this one had a whole lot of nothing. I am bitter.
Film #27 - Chromeskull: Laid to Rest 2 (2011)
Me, @ myself: "Haven't you inflicted enough suffering upon yourself?"
Also me, @ myself: "...No
"
#12 - Contamination (1980)
Contamination is the mostly terrible B-movie version of that other egg-laying chest-bursting movie a year prior that might have influenced it. All kinds of bad in terms of characters, acting, dialogue and plot. It really is trash. But at least it is entertaining trash. That's the thing: it's super entertaining and never boring. Other positive points include the style, the gore and the best thing about it is the score by Goblin. 5/10
BuddyJoeHooker
Member
#10 Near Dark (1987)
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
This vampire movie was so good. A band of vampires go around terrorizing southern rural towns, trying to teach a new turned vampire the ropes of killing and feeding. Lance Henriksen and Bill Paxton are a joy to watch in their roles. The film was just great all around, the shoot out scene and bar scene were stand outs.
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
This vampire movie was so good. A band of vampires go around terrorizing southern rural towns, trying to teach a new turned vampire the ropes of killing and feeding. Lance Henriksen and Bill Paxton are a joy to watch in their roles. The film was just great all around, the shoot out scene and bar scene were stand outs.
Although I have to admit curing vampirism with a blood transfusion was just silly.
#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) - 3/5
#11 - One Missed Call 2 (2005) - 1/5
#12 - The Neon Demon (2016) - 4/5
#13 - Sint (2010) - 3/5
#14 - Rosemary's Baby (1968)
A young couple moves into a new high-class apartment building in 60s New York, they soon meet their neighbours, a kindly old couple, whose live-in charity project, a former drug addicted young woman, kills herself by throwing herself out of a window. Rosemary, who becomes pregnant shortly thereafter, becomes increasingly scared of the meddling old couple and their friends (amongst which her doctor, recommended by them), whose interest in her and the baby are not what they seem.
Not sure why I wrote that recap, you've all seen this. Incredibly good movie, Mia Farrow's Rosemary is amazing, but the entire setting is amazing and makes her world seem increasingly claustrophobic and scary. Just some real good stuff all around. 5 tannis root out of 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) - 3/5
#11 - One Missed Call 2 (2005) - 1/5
#12 - The Neon Demon (2016) - 4/5
#13 - Sint (2010) - 3/5
#14 - Rosemary's Baby (1968)
A young couple moves into a new high-class apartment building in 60s New York, they soon meet their neighbours, a kindly old couple, whose live-in charity project, a former drug addicted young woman, kills herself by throwing herself out of a window. Rosemary, who becomes pregnant shortly thereafter, becomes increasingly scared of the meddling old couple and their friends (amongst which her doctor, recommended by them), whose interest in her and the baby are not what they seem.
Not sure why I wrote that recap, you've all seen this. Incredibly good movie, Mia Farrow's Rosemary is amazing, but the entire setting is amazing and makes her world seem increasingly claustrophobic and scary. Just some real good stuff all around. 5 tannis root out of 5.
#13 - Wait Until Dark (1967)
Very tense tight scripted thriller with some hitckock-esque elements led by a terrific performance of Audrey Hepburn and a strong supporting cast. Hepburn is classy and elegant as always, and it's easy for her role to be overacted or gimmicky but she pulls it off. The climax of the movie is definitely the best part; great butt-clenching nail-biting finale. 7.5/10
DeathoftheEndless
Crashing this plane... with no survivors!
10. Shin Godzilla
I'm not a big fan of the series, but I liked Shin Godzilla more than I expected to. The eponymous monster evolves throughout the movie (starting from a hilarious first form), which leads to some cool new abilities. His destructive powers get increased tenfold here and its fun to watch. The rest of the movie is government officials talking. It reminded me a lot of The Martian, where there's a lot of dealings between different agencies and teamwork is a big message. The film would have benefited if these scenes were cut about 20-30 minutes. Overall though, its a solid reboot for the series.
I'm not a big fan of the series, but I liked Shin Godzilla more than I expected to. The eponymous monster evolves throughout the movie (starting from a hilarious first form), which leads to some cool new abilities. His destructive powers get increased tenfold here and its fun to watch. The rest of the movie is government officials talking. It reminded me a lot of The Martian, where there's a lot of dealings between different agencies and teamwork is a big message. The film would have benefited if these scenes were cut about 20-30 minutes. Overall though, its a solid reboot for the series.
#9 Pontypool
An unconventional zombie movie where the virus is carried in a very different form
, and it's a great satire on the dumbing down of discourse.
I'm sure Donald Rumsfeld loves the film. But I'd expect nothing less of a Bruce MacDonald film.
Made the girlfriend uncomfortable in a way she couldn't describe, but she wanted the lights left on last night after watching it, so mission accomplished.
An unconventional zombie movie where the virus is carried in a very different form
the English language
I'm sure Donald Rumsfeld loves the film. But I'd expect nothing less of a Bruce MacDonald film.
Made the girlfriend uncomfortable in a way she couldn't describe, but she wanted the lights left on last night after watching it, so mission accomplished.
#12: Dead Silence | via Netflix instant
Dead Silence has some of the most expertly crafted creepy dolls ever. Dolls are sort of like clowns, in that they are often inherently creepy, but if you try to make them scary, it undoes the effect; it's a fine line. The contrast between the classic Pennywise and the new one highlight this. I'm not going to remember much of this mostly unremarkable film, but I'll remember those dolls. *shudders*
Unfortunately, the film they occupy is not as expertly crafted, containing the nuts and bolts of a gothic horror film but assembled in a bit of a jumble. This is a simple tale of murder and revenge, but despite the straight forward nature of the story it struggles to really get any momentum. There are numerous extended flashbacks that bring the narrative to a standstill, and nearly every scene with Wahlberg's character repeats the same beats: he's suspicious of our lead, keeps misinterpreting his actions through that lens, then he threatens to arrest him. Repeat about five times, until he's finally proven wrong.
The premise behind the villain, Mary Shaw, is a neat one - if you scream when she arrives she rips your tongue out - and her appearances are kept brief enough that each has an impact. But despite being shot well, the film feels cobbled together, shifting from one set piece of someone standing around looking spooked to another. There's a sequence near the end of the film where the two leads are running away from Mary Shaw that is so badly edited I burst out laughing.
Still, it was pretty, had a neat premise and there was fun to be had, even if it was often unintentional. A solid *** tiny pumpkins out of five. Certainly better than the utter shit I've watched in the past week.
I'm told this was a prelude to James Wan becoming a more effective horror filmmaker, and since this showed promise, I'll check out The Conjuring.
Dead Silence has some of the most expertly crafted creepy dolls ever. Dolls are sort of like clowns, in that they are often inherently creepy, but if you try to make them scary, it undoes the effect; it's a fine line. The contrast between the classic Pennywise and the new one highlight this. I'm not going to remember much of this mostly unremarkable film, but I'll remember those dolls. *shudders*
Unfortunately, the film they occupy is not as expertly crafted, containing the nuts and bolts of a gothic horror film but assembled in a bit of a jumble. This is a simple tale of murder and revenge, but despite the straight forward nature of the story it struggles to really get any momentum. There are numerous extended flashbacks that bring the narrative to a standstill, and nearly every scene with Wahlberg's character repeats the same beats: he's suspicious of our lead, keeps misinterpreting his actions through that lens, then he threatens to arrest him. Repeat about five times, until he's finally proven wrong.
The premise behind the villain, Mary Shaw, is a neat one - if you scream when she arrives she rips your tongue out - and her appearances are kept brief enough that each has an impact. But despite being shot well, the film feels cobbled together, shifting from one set piece of someone standing around looking spooked to another. There's a sequence near the end of the film where the two leads are running away from Mary Shaw that is so badly edited I burst out laughing.
Still, it was pretty, had a neat premise and there was fun to be had, even if it was often unintentional. A solid *** tiny pumpkins out of five. Certainly better than the utter shit I've watched in the past week.
I'm told this was a prelude to James Wan becoming a more effective horror filmmaker, and since this showed promise, I'll check out The Conjuring.
Fancy Clown
Member
18) Cannibal Holocaust - (Ruggero Deodato, 1980)
"I wonder who the real cannibals are."
The above quote surmises the intellectual capacity of Cannibal Holocaust pretty well; which is to say, just about zero. It attempts to lampoon or condemn the exploitative cannibal genre by using a framing story of a film within a film where a bunch of assholes obviously exploit indigenous people and pay a terrible price for it, and then tries to tie it all together with some grade school philosophy by wondering "who the real cannibals are". But, the thing is, this movie is just as racist, exploitative, and vile as the genre its supposedly lampooning, both in the framing story and the film within a film. Real tribes are portrayed terribly, real animals are killed on camera and some of them very cruelly treated, and it's all for the sake of entertainment that is essentially akin to rubbernecking. The worst part of the movie is that it's not boring. No matter how sick the action was on screen, I was transfixed, as it appeals directly to the cold, lizard part of your brain. There is some skill on display in that the locations and how it is filmed add a very striking verisimilitude and realism to the picture, the gore effects are horrifyingly realistic looking (it's no wonder the Italians thought the murders were real, I knew they weren't and I still questioned if some of the stuff was real or not), and the beautiful score is used to absolutely haunting affect when it is played over scenes of brutality. But that's not art, it's primordial entertainment, which is disturbing but easy. You can get the same sort of emotional and intellectual impact of savagery shown in this film just by cruising down the highway looking at wreckage victims while you listen to Chopin on the radio.
So, I guess watch this if you have the same horrible curiosity I did and want to view this historically infamous film. Disclaimer warning for potential viewers: in addition to real animal cruelty, there is real footage of human executions briefly, but I found the animal stuff more disgusting and upsetting. If you don't have that stuff in your mind, I recommend just reading about the movie and listening to its quite good score instead.
"I wonder who the real cannibals are."
The above quote surmises the intellectual capacity of Cannibal Holocaust pretty well; which is to say, just about zero. It attempts to lampoon or condemn the exploitative cannibal genre by using a framing story of a film within a film where a bunch of assholes obviously exploit indigenous people and pay a terrible price for it, and then tries to tie it all together with some grade school philosophy by wondering "who the real cannibals are". But, the thing is, this movie is just as racist, exploitative, and vile as the genre its supposedly lampooning, both in the framing story and the film within a film. Real tribes are portrayed terribly, real animals are killed on camera and some of them very cruelly treated, and it's all for the sake of entertainment that is essentially akin to rubbernecking. The worst part of the movie is that it's not boring. No matter how sick the action was on screen, I was transfixed, as it appeals directly to the cold, lizard part of your brain. There is some skill on display in that the locations and how it is filmed add a very striking verisimilitude and realism to the picture, the gore effects are horrifyingly realistic looking (it's no wonder the Italians thought the murders were real, I knew they weren't and I still questioned if some of the stuff was real or not), and the beautiful score is used to absolutely haunting affect when it is played over scenes of brutality. But that's not art, it's primordial entertainment, which is disturbing but easy. You can get the same sort of emotional and intellectual impact of savagery shown in this film just by cruising down the highway looking at wreckage victims while you listen to Chopin on the radio.
So, I guess watch this if you have the same horrible curiosity I did and want to view this historically infamous film. Disclaimer warning for potential viewers: in addition to real animal cruelty, there is real footage of human executions briefly, but I found the animal stuff more disgusting and upsetting. If you don't have that stuff in your mind, I recommend just reading about the movie and listening to its quite good score instead.
This was a film I had zero intention of ever watching in the first place but then did for October reasons. When this fucker wrapped up I was like oh hell no, never want to see that again but after a day or so of reflecting on it I came to the conclusion that no matter how bad shit got this is a classic horror movie that uses all that horrible imagery to portray a very harsh message in a way that could only be told by being a very harsh message.
I would not call this film entertaining but it most certainly is enthralling. We typically want safe horror. Oh he's just a ghost that doesn't exist so it's cool no matter what manner of dispatch he uses. That Jigsaw guy, oh he's a cancer patient that lost his mind, it's cool. Sure he tears people up but it's fakery so it's cool. A little excessive but it's cool. Now Cannibal Holocaust whips out a shit ton of holy fuck no and it's no longer a safe movie. I'm in no means condoning the animal deaths so don't get me wrong but this wouldn't be what it is without them or any of the other imagery at play. Personally I found the sexual assaults were particularly cruel where the killings were expected.
When the credits rolled on this I knew I had watched something special. As I'm guessing those who finished the VVitch may have felt but where I found that boring as shit I found that CH had torn into my expectations and destroyed them with its unrelenting brutality. Sure it is a bit of a hypocritical film but I think that works more for it than against.
Was Paranormal Activity worthy of all the hype because people were scared shitless and left the theater? Maybe. Does this brutally mean motherfucker deserve to be banned and have the reputation it does, absofuckinglutely. This is now the greatest horror film I've watched that I can recommend to no one because it does its job a bit too well.
CharminUltra
Member
Edit:
I saw Cannibal Holocaust when I was fairly young, many years before Spyro 2 came out, so when I played that game and got to this guy, it brought back some REAL memories:
https://youtu.be/_mgkZXem6y0?t=4m3s
John Rabbit
Banned
I haven't seen that film but I am aware of it. Looking at the Wikipedia summary, I would say they may be similar in terms of theme? But certainly not as surreal/dream-like as some of the scenes in 'Dancer' sound like.
Well then, if you liked anything of the theme, I do recommend Dancer. I really enjoyed it. Not a horror by any means, but definitely pretty dark.
#13 - Wait Until Dark (1967)
Very tense tight scripted thriller with some hitckock-esque elements led by a terrific performance of Audrey Hepburn and a strong supporting cast. Hepburn is classy and elegant as always, and it's easy for her role to be overacted or gimmicky but she pulls it off. The climax of the movie is definitely the best part; great butt-clenching nail-biting finale. 7.5/10
Just watched this myself a few nights ago and agree with all this. Great thriller.
mariachi507
Member
I've never had any inclination to watch Cannibal Holocaust because of the animal cruelty. It still stands as an interesting film to read about, and I've always heard that the music is top notch but never listened to any of it. The musical piece that was posted is really good though.
On another topic, I finally finished midterms so I can get back on track with my list. I've got five days off and I plan to be ahead of schedule by the end of it.
On another topic, I finally finished midterms so I can get back on track with my list. I've got five days off and I plan to be ahead of schedule by the end of it.
John Rabbit
Banned
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
I've never seen this film. As a fan of (most of) Rob Zombie's output as a filmmaker, it feels like I should've done this a long time ago, as the influence of this film is beyond evident in his repertoire.
I find the early days of "slasher" films absolutely intriguing, especially when viewed against their modern equivalent and the place they hold culturally in their respective times. I don't often associate genuinely disturbing imagery or aggressive violence with horror films before the late 70s, as to me, the country was still molting from the ultra-conservative 1950s and the kind of excess we often attribute to "torture porn" today feels like it really took off in the early to mid 80s with filmmakers deciding to throw more and more gallons of the red stuff on screen; albeit in increasingly cartoonish ways.
It's this viewpoint that really attracts me to movies like Black Christmas (still genuinely effective), or the original The Last House on the Left (equal parts violent and silly) and now The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (raw and animalistic). These films, for their time at least, are truly shocking and disturbing. They go places with their ideas about psycho killers and depravity that I don't really give them and movies of the era enough credit for. There's nothing specifically outlandish or "new" about the violence in Texas Chainsaw - in fact generally speaking the film contains very little gore, and only ramps up the blood in the last 10 minutes - but it's how and where that violence is presented and just how...disturbed and disturbing the characters who enact that violence are.
The bone furniture, the trophy wall, the meat hooks, the theme of 'meat' in general, the grandprent's bedroom, the ocean of bones, Leatherface's high-pitched squealing and childish mumbling, the Hitchhiker's manic and frenzied behavior, the Cook's heel-turn (made obvious from having seen countless films inspired by this one) and depraved sort of misogyny, and Grandpa's...well just Grandpa in general; it all builds fantastically for near over an hour and then just releases in this 20 minute psycho freakout that went beyond what I thought a film from this era would be capable of doing. That the violence (and film) end nearly as abruptly as it started only adds to the raw nature of the entire experience. You're not left to spend the denouement with the characters as they 'reset' back into their lives. You're just left with a spartan credit roll and your own feelings/relief at what you've just seen.
Brutal, raw, and smart; this is honestly one of the best horror films ever made.
The Good:
+ Sort of understated and disturbing imagery
+ The characters (on both sides) feel "real" and honest
+ A genuinely masterful slow burn of putting all the pieces into place and then crashing them together spectacularly
+ Leatherface is an astonishingly effective villain
+ The continuity in general, a lot of scenes are filmed in a dusk/dawn setting and the light level is maintained almost meticulously
+ The build up and release of tension is handled almost perfectly
The Bad:
- The film is 40 years old and some scenes show it (i.e. night scenes are sometimes really hard to make out)
- Similarly, some of the props look too clean/prop-like and kind of stand out like you're looking at a diorama at Disneyland (I understand that many of the animal bones were real, but they all just looked too 'clean' to me)
- The scene in the van after picking up the Hitchhiker suspends disbelief a little too much.
- Scenes where Leatherface attacks characters with a chainsaw severely lack blood/gore to the point of being oddly unrealistic
The Ugly:
- Grandma
- Grandpa
- Jerry's hair
--
5 pig squeals out of 5.
I've never seen this film. As a fan of (most of) Rob Zombie's output as a filmmaker, it feels like I should've done this a long time ago, as the influence of this film is beyond evident in his repertoire.
I find the early days of "slasher" films absolutely intriguing, especially when viewed against their modern equivalent and the place they hold culturally in their respective times. I don't often associate genuinely disturbing imagery or aggressive violence with horror films before the late 70s, as to me, the country was still molting from the ultra-conservative 1950s and the kind of excess we often attribute to "torture porn" today feels like it really took off in the early to mid 80s with filmmakers deciding to throw more and more gallons of the red stuff on screen; albeit in increasingly cartoonish ways.
It's this viewpoint that really attracts me to movies like Black Christmas (still genuinely effective), or the original The Last House on the Left (equal parts violent and silly) and now The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (raw and animalistic). These films, for their time at least, are truly shocking and disturbing. They go places with their ideas about psycho killers and depravity that I don't really give them and movies of the era enough credit for. There's nothing specifically outlandish or "new" about the violence in Texas Chainsaw - in fact generally speaking the film contains very little gore, and only ramps up the blood in the last 10 minutes - but it's how and where that violence is presented and just how...disturbed and disturbing the characters who enact that violence are.
The bone furniture, the trophy wall, the meat hooks, the theme of 'meat' in general, the grandprent's bedroom, the ocean of bones, Leatherface's high-pitched squealing and childish mumbling, the Hitchhiker's manic and frenzied behavior, the Cook's heel-turn (made obvious from having seen countless films inspired by this one) and depraved sort of misogyny, and Grandpa's...well just Grandpa in general; it all builds fantastically for near over an hour and then just releases in this 20 minute psycho freakout that went beyond what I thought a film from this era would be capable of doing. That the violence (and film) end nearly as abruptly as it started only adds to the raw nature of the entire experience. You're not left to spend the denouement with the characters as they 'reset' back into their lives. You're just left with a spartan credit roll and your own feelings/relief at what you've just seen.
Brutal, raw, and smart; this is honestly one of the best horror films ever made.
The Good:
+ Sort of understated and disturbing imagery
+ The characters (on both sides) feel "real" and honest
+ A genuinely masterful slow burn of putting all the pieces into place and then crashing them together spectacularly
+ Leatherface is an astonishingly effective villain
+ The continuity in general, a lot of scenes are filmed in a dusk/dawn setting and the light level is maintained almost meticulously
+ The build up and release of tension is handled almost perfectly
The Bad:
- The film is 40 years old and some scenes show it (i.e. night scenes are sometimes really hard to make out)
- Similarly, some of the props look too clean/prop-like and kind of stand out like you're looking at a diorama at Disneyland (I understand that many of the animal bones were real, but they all just looked too 'clean' to me)
- The scene in the van after picking up the Hitchhiker suspends disbelief a little too much.
- Scenes where Leatherface attacks characters with a chainsaw severely lack blood/gore to the point of being oddly unrealistic
The Ugly:
- Grandma
- Grandpa
- Jerry's hair
--
5 pig squeals out of 5.
pitcairn55
Member
13/10/16
Film 16
The Canal
Another pleasant surprise tonight from Shudder, The Canal is a creepy little gem.
Film archivist David discovers that his wife is having an affair at about the same time he discovers their house is an Edwardian crime scene, the site of some horrific murders over a hundred years ago. Soon his wife is dead, accidentally drowned in the canal that runs behind their house, and David comes to believe that a malevolent ghost that haunts their home had something to do with her death.
The film is excellent in never letting on if what David witnesses is real, or just the hallucinations of a mind cracking under the strain of grief and fear, with the gruesome truth only being revealed in the final moments of the chilling finale.
Although not the most groundbreaking of films, The Canal tells its haunted house murder mystery with an excellent lightness of touch, helped by some compelling performances, particularly from Steve Oram as a beautifully blunt and scruffy detective. Ivan Kavanaghs economical script and understated direction are both spot on, and the film rarely resorts to crude jump scares, preferring to build a sense of uneasy menace with some fantastic use of light and location.
Definitely recommended.
Films I've watched so far
Film 16
The Canal
Another pleasant surprise tonight from Shudder, The Canal is a creepy little gem.
Film archivist David discovers that his wife is having an affair at about the same time he discovers their house is an Edwardian crime scene, the site of some horrific murders over a hundred years ago. Soon his wife is dead, accidentally drowned in the canal that runs behind their house, and David comes to believe that a malevolent ghost that haunts their home had something to do with her death.
The film is excellent in never letting on if what David witnesses is real, or just the hallucinations of a mind cracking under the strain of grief and fear, with the gruesome truth only being revealed in the final moments of the chilling finale.
Although not the most groundbreaking of films, The Canal tells its haunted house murder mystery with an excellent lightness of touch, helped by some compelling performances, particularly from Steve Oram as a beautifully blunt and scruffy detective. Ivan Kavanaghs economical script and understated direction are both spot on, and the film rarely resorts to crude jump scares, preferring to build a sense of uneasy menace with some fantastic use of light and location.
Definitely recommended.
Films I've watched so far
CharminUltra
Member
16. Waxwork
The poster made the movie look like dumb, campy 80s horror fun. So it's not surprising that it's exactly what I got.
The story is mostly just an excuse to get a bunch of different classic monsters/characters on screen. The protagonists are as dumb as expected for the era. There's some good gory moments here and there, but nothing super scary. Good for a laugh or two, but mostly forgettable.
1/4 stars
John Rabbit
Banned
The Taking of Deborah Logan
Reviewer's note: If you have any interest in watching this film after reading this review, I advise you NOT to Google a trailer, and DEFINITELY do not conduct an image search as you will ruin the film's payoff by doing so.
I don't want to tell you The Taking of Deborah Logan is a "found-footage" horror film. Technically speaking it isn't, as the footage presented to us isn't "found" insomuch as "recorded and then edited by a college student for her thesis on Alzheimer's".There's no mystery surrounding what happened to the filmmakers, or how the footage went "missing", the mystery is what happened to Deborah Logan?
The reason I hesitate to lump this movie in with "found footage" horror - and make no mistake, the film is entirely comprised of first-hand shakycam footage, news reports and other media - is sort of two fold. The first being that the movie basically eschews most of the lazy trappings and tropes of such a movie, or at least doesn't suffer from their presence. And two, that the film is actually pretty great.
A lot of found footage films tend to keep their scope very narrow or focused and end up kind of wearing their intentions on their sleeve. What exactly would you expect from films titled Paranormal Activity, The Last Exorcism, or literally Alien Abduction? (Btw don't watch Alien Abduction). The framing device around The Taking of Deborah Logan, a college student and her hired videographers help her study and surveil an Alzheimer's patient for her thesis, certainly manages to set up a realistic and motivating reason for the characters in the film to do the things they do. Even something as straight-forward as that isn't necessarily expected from the genre. This simple presentation allows the film to roam a pretty vast distance in terms of it's scares, it's influences, and the directions the narrative takes over the course of the film; and for the most part every angle is handled with, if not supreme intelligence, enough credulity to buy into what's being presented.
The titular Deborah, played by long-time soap actress Jill Larson, is an intensely resonant character for anyone with a family. Larson deftly switches from proper elderly lady, to judgmental (but well-meaning) mother, to...other moods and attitudes. Her struggle bleeds into and fuels the emotional tone of the film and other characters so gradually and thoroughly, that it's almost exhausting by the films conclusion. Only enhancing this feeling is the at first subtle but then more disturbing transformation of her appearance as the film wears on.
For me where found footage movies live or die is on their believability, on their characters being genuine about the decisions they make and whether or not I'm "sold" on them. A found footage horror can spin the wildest tale imaginable, but if I believe that what I'm seeing is actually happening, and believe the characters are acting accordingly, I can give almost anything a pass. Barring a few random plot-holes that wouldn't exist if not for the filmmaker's need to try and have easily identifiable solutions and actions for the characters to take, the story is cohesive, affecting, believable and ultimately goes in a direction that I honestly did not see coming. The last 5 minutes of this movie will stick with me for a long time.
The Good:
+ Generally good acting all around, Jill Larson especially
+ Leans on a few found footage tropes, but doesn't use them cheaply/often
+ Has a genuinely surprising climax
+ Uses jump scares sparingly and avoids cliché
+ Spans a wide swath of angles/influences without feeling mish-mash or confused
The Bad:
- Some nagging plot holes, leaps in logic, unexplained events
- Maybe meanders on it's story a little too much toward the end of 2nd act
- Some pretty needless "othering" in terms of a crucial plot element
The Ugly
- Jill Larson's hair by the film's conclusion
--
4 darting flashlights in a dark hallway out of 5.
Reviewer's note: If you have any interest in watching this film after reading this review, I advise you NOT to Google a trailer, and DEFINITELY do not conduct an image search as you will ruin the film's payoff by doing so.
I don't want to tell you The Taking of Deborah Logan is a "found-footage" horror film. Technically speaking it isn't, as the footage presented to us isn't "found" insomuch as "recorded and then edited by a college student for her thesis on Alzheimer's".There's no mystery surrounding what happened to the filmmakers, or how the footage went "missing", the mystery is what happened to Deborah Logan?
The reason I hesitate to lump this movie in with "found footage" horror - and make no mistake, the film is entirely comprised of first-hand shakycam footage, news reports and other media - is sort of two fold. The first being that the movie basically eschews most of the lazy trappings and tropes of such a movie, or at least doesn't suffer from their presence. And two, that the film is actually pretty great.
A lot of found footage films tend to keep their scope very narrow or focused and end up kind of wearing their intentions on their sleeve. What exactly would you expect from films titled Paranormal Activity, The Last Exorcism, or literally Alien Abduction? (Btw don't watch Alien Abduction). The framing device around The Taking of Deborah Logan, a college student and her hired videographers help her study and surveil an Alzheimer's patient for her thesis, certainly manages to set up a realistic and motivating reason for the characters in the film to do the things they do. Even something as straight-forward as that isn't necessarily expected from the genre. This simple presentation allows the film to roam a pretty vast distance in terms of it's scares, it's influences, and the directions the narrative takes over the course of the film; and for the most part every angle is handled with, if not supreme intelligence, enough credulity to buy into what's being presented.
The titular Deborah, played by long-time soap actress Jill Larson, is an intensely resonant character for anyone with a family. Larson deftly switches from proper elderly lady, to judgmental (but well-meaning) mother, to...other moods and attitudes. Her struggle bleeds into and fuels the emotional tone of the film and other characters so gradually and thoroughly, that it's almost exhausting by the films conclusion. Only enhancing this feeling is the at first subtle but then more disturbing transformation of her appearance as the film wears on.
For me where found footage movies live or die is on their believability, on their characters being genuine about the decisions they make and whether or not I'm "sold" on them. A found footage horror can spin the wildest tale imaginable, but if I believe that what I'm seeing is actually happening, and believe the characters are acting accordingly, I can give almost anything a pass. Barring a few random plot-holes that wouldn't exist if not for the filmmaker's need to try and have easily identifiable solutions and actions for the characters to take, the story is cohesive, affecting, believable and ultimately goes in a direction that I honestly did not see coming. The last 5 minutes of this movie will stick with me for a long time.
The Good:
+ Generally good acting all around, Jill Larson especially
+ Leans on a few found footage tropes, but doesn't use them cheaply/often
+ Has a genuinely surprising climax
+ Uses jump scares sparingly and avoids cliché
+ Spans a wide swath of angles/influences without feeling mish-mash or confused
The Bad:
- Some nagging plot holes, leaps in logic, unexplained events
- Maybe meanders on it's story a little too much toward the end of 2nd act
- Some pretty needless "othering" in terms of a crucial plot element
The Ugly
- Jill Larson's hair by the film's conclusion
--
4 darting flashlights in a dark hallway out of 5.
Violence Jack
Member
#15 Black Sunday (FTV) (1960) - A rather slow movie, but I can appreciate it for its story and effects which I'm sure was groundbreaking at the time. Barbara Steele (I had no idea that she's still alive) made for a great and beautiful witch. I probably don't feel the need to ever watch it again, but it made for a good witch story.
Rating: 6.5/10
Genre: Witches, Occult Horror
Rating: 6.5/10
Genre: Witches, Occult Horror
Fancy Clown
Member
"The Driller Killer" is also the name of the killer in Slumber Party Massacre II. That's probably what confused you.
I think that's definitely what I was thinking of. I saw clip from that in one of my classes in college but I couldn't remember what the movie was.
We feel safe in most horror because there's artifice there. This movie strips that away with the documentary aesthetic, the realistic gore, and the inclusion of real horrific acts. It looks real and it feels real (well, it gets kind of cartoonish at points). But idk, there's nothing else to this movie than just throwing nastiness at you. I mean, I guess that's the point and it definitely succeeded in having a visceral impact, so I don't really know how to critique the movie any further haha.
#10 Cub (Welp)
The Belgians don't fuck around. Pretty decent slasher set in a cubscout camp.
The kids aren't given a lot of depth outside one or two, and really, neither are the bad guys, but there is a certain charm to its throwback approach. Didn't quite expect the ending.
Really good film and would recommend it to anyone who has a love of slasher films or a stint at summer camp coming up (...er next summer).
Special mention goes to the soundtrack by Zombi's Steve Moore, it's 80's synth in all the ways that A Nightmare On Elm Street wasn't. Another mention to the Goblin Susperia ringtone.
The Belgians don't fuck around. Pretty decent slasher set in a cubscout camp.
The kids aren't given a lot of depth outside one or two, and really, neither are the bad guys, but there is a certain charm to its throwback approach. Didn't quite expect the ending.
Really good film and would recommend it to anyone who has a love of slasher films or a stint at summer camp coming up (...er next summer).
Special mention goes to the soundtrack by Zombi's Steve Moore, it's 80's synth in all the ways that A Nightmare On Elm Street wasn't. Another mention to the Goblin Susperia ringtone.
Fancy Clown
Member
These bad boys finally arrived from across the pond, so I can resume my Bava-thon.
Dangerblade
Member
Film #1: Orphan [7]
Film #2: Begotten [No Idea]
Film #3: Deadgirl [4]
Film #4: Frontiers [7]
I Spit On Your Grave (1978)
I've seen a lot of revenge horrors, but never this, which is obviously a pretty important one, so I figured it was about time. Uncomfortable is a good word to describe it. The fact that this is nearly 40 years old helps how uncomfortable it all is, because you don't get cutting edge special effects and well-produced music and sound...so it feels a lot more "real" than other movies in the genre I've seen. The lack of a soundtrack really helped it, I felt, and the revenge kills themselves were satisfying for the most part, as they weren't overly elaborate and eye-catching.
My main problem with films like this though are characters that go from 0-psychopath way too quickly. There's not enough time in between for her character to develop from pleasant, polite young woman to somebody capable of murdering others in the savage ways that she did. I can let it slide, though; there's plenty worse tropes in movies.
Overall, I'd recommend it.
[7]
Film #2: Begotten [No Idea]
Film #3: Deadgirl [4]
Film #4: Frontiers [7]
I Spit On Your Grave (1978)
I've seen a lot of revenge horrors, but never this, which is obviously a pretty important one, so I figured it was about time. Uncomfortable is a good word to describe it. The fact that this is nearly 40 years old helps how uncomfortable it all is, because you don't get cutting edge special effects and well-produced music and sound...so it feels a lot more "real" than other movies in the genre I've seen. The lack of a soundtrack really helped it, I felt, and the revenge kills themselves were satisfying for the most part, as they weren't overly elaborate and eye-catching.
My main problem with films like this though are characters that go from 0-psychopath way too quickly. There's not enough time in between for her character to develop from pleasant, polite young woman to somebody capable of murdering others in the savage ways that she did. I can let it slide, though; there's plenty worse tropes in movies.
Overall, I'd recommend it.
[7]
Fancy Clown
Member
19) The Witch - (Robert Eggars, 2016)
"Wouldst thou like to live deliciously?"
This is my second rewatch of the month, and the only one of these I was able to convince my girlfriend to watch. It scared the shit out of her, and remained just as disturbing and well crafted for me my second go around. It's such a singularly focused film and really commits to the authenticity and foreboding atmosphere for the entirety of the piece. The historical details lend credibility to it, all the actors are great, the characters are well realized, and it's thematically interesting and open enough so as to be conducive to a lot of fascinating readings while still offering a satisfying conclusion. The
scene is still the best of the year.
"Wouldst thou like to live deliciously?"
This is my second rewatch of the month, and the only one of these I was able to convince my girlfriend to watch. It scared the shit out of her, and remained just as disturbing and well crafted for me my second go around. It's such a singularly focused film and really commits to the authenticity and foreboding atmosphere for the entirety of the piece. The historical details lend credibility to it, all the actors are great, the characters are well realized, and it's thematically interesting and open enough so as to be conducive to a lot of fascinating readings while still offering a satisfying conclusion. The
Black Phillip reveal
HELLRAISER 1-5
So I watched a Hellraiser film every night this week. I have only seen maybe two minutes of the original film (the start) when I was very young. Apart from that I knew nothing about the films.
Where to begin? Okay so the first film is great. From the offset you'd think its about Pinhead and his mates terrorising and killing people but it isn't. The plot is very simple and well told. The make up and special effects are awesome! Great gore and acting too. Pinhead and co aren't really in the film much which I liked.
Then it all goes downhill.. the second film has its moments (I loved the matte painting stuff) but overall not that great. Third was terrible, what did I even watch?? Four and five are just as bad. I am not bothering with any of the rest.
Its so weird how franchises like this just tank after the original.. the make up is terrible throughout the movies, especially on Pinhead, he looks completely off. The effects get worse (but are okay when they are still practical), the stories are nonsense. It's a real shame.
It's also dumb that they keep having to make direct to DVD films to obtain the rights. Ah whatever. The first was awesome and the rest were shit.
So I watched a Hellraiser film every night this week. I have only seen maybe two minutes of the original film (the start) when I was very young. Apart from that I knew nothing about the films.
Where to begin? Okay so the first film is great. From the offset you'd think its about Pinhead and his mates terrorising and killing people but it isn't. The plot is very simple and well told. The make up and special effects are awesome! Great gore and acting too. Pinhead and co aren't really in the film much which I liked.
Then it all goes downhill.. the second film has its moments (I loved the matte painting stuff) but overall not that great. Third was terrible, what did I even watch?? Four and five are just as bad. I am not bothering with any of the rest.
Its so weird how franchises like this just tank after the original.. the make up is terrible throughout the movies, especially on Pinhead, he looks completely off. The effects get worse (but are okay when they are still practical), the stories are nonsense. It's a real shame.
It's also dumb that they keep having to make direct to DVD films to obtain the rights. Ah whatever. The first was awesome and the rest were shit.
#21 Shelley (2016)
Quite surprised with this one. A woman agrees to carry a child for a woman who, because of health issues, cannot. It hits the typical pregnancy-horror story beats but is still pretty ambiguous. Definitely an unsettling film.
4/5
#22 Witching & Bitching (2014)
Starts off as a heist film with platinum Jesus, plastic green army soldier, and Spongebob with an uzi robbing a cash 4 gold store. While fleeing the gang runs into a creepy little town out in the country that is some sort of huge witch colony/coven. A hilarious film that moves a a breakneck pace and also includes elements of body horror and screwball comedy. Would recommend.
4/5
List of films so far
Quite surprised with this one. A woman agrees to carry a child for a woman who, because of health issues, cannot. It hits the typical pregnancy-horror story beats but is still pretty ambiguous. Definitely an unsettling film.
4/5
#22 Witching & Bitching (2014)
Starts off as a heist film with platinum Jesus, plastic green army soldier, and Spongebob with an uzi robbing a cash 4 gold store. While fleeing the gang runs into a creepy little town out in the country that is some sort of huge witch colony/coven. A hilarious film that moves a a breakneck pace and also includes elements of body horror and screwball comedy. Would recommend.
4/5
List of films so far