The good thing about horror anthologies, there's usually one or two standouts that make the experience worthwhile.
Follow it up with ABC's of Death, (which can be turned into a drinking game, take a shot if you guessed the title correctly), and Terror Tract, Bryan Cranston vs. evil monkey! Both on Netflix.
I can't seem to track this one down. I'd never even heard of it until about a month ago when a friend recommended it. Now I see it mentioned everywhere. I'd love to see it, but I don't have access to Netflix and my local video store doesn't carry it. Maybe I'll try Amazon.
It's here! Now to begin the watching! I don't always post every day, but usually post in batches what I watch. Now to see where to begin..... Oooo this sounds awful.....
I can't seem to track this one down. I'd never even heard of it until about a month ago when a friend recommended it. Now I see it mentioned everywhere. I'd love to see it, but I don't have access to Netflix and my local video store doesn't carry it. Maybe I'll try Amazon.
I loved it. Not all of the stories were top quality, but there were several chilling scenes and scary moments scattered throughout.
Re-animator can be had for pretty cheap typically. Its one of the greatest horror movies from the 80's, yet its never really gotten the recognition it deserves. Herbert West is one of the great horror movie protagonists. Easily up there with Ash from the Evil Dead series, hell maybe ever better in some respects.
Started watching American Horror Story last night to kick off October. Watched 1 episode so far and have to say I really like it, seems really interesting and I like that each season is a completely new story, sadly netflix only has season 1.
Hey guys. I put together a list of stuff a week ago. Not exactly a definitive list. Just a pool of stuff to pick from each night, using a random number generator. Bold is stuff I've seen before. I've made two mistakes though. First, I don't have enough movies in the list. That is, if I manage to watch one a day. Secondly, I haven't got a hold of everything in my list, so it's time to order up on Amazon. I'm worried some of the Asian films, such as Noroi, may be a little harder to track down.
My friend is also lending me the Universal Classic Monsters Bluray boxset, which i don't have included in the list yet.
Evil Dead (2013)
V/H/S (2012)
Sinister (2012)
The Cabin in the Woods (2012)
American Mary (2012)
Grave Encounters (2011)
[REC] 2 (2009)
Noroi (2005)
Marebito (2004)
Dawn of the Dead (2004)
Kairo (aka Pulse) (2001)
In the Mouth of Madness (1994)
Night of the Living Dead (1990)
Jacob's Ladder (1990)
Day of the Dead (1985)
Re-Animator (1985)
The Thing (1982)
The Changeling (1980)
Dawn of the Dead (1978)
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
Night of the Living Dead (1968)
The Birds (1963)
Psycho (1960)
Just wanted to ask three things though.
01 If I've seen A Tale of Two Sisters, the original Ringu and Ju-On, plus their sequels, what must see Asian horror should I watch? 02 Last October, I watched Candyman and Hellraiser for the first time and loved them. How are their sequels? 03 Any lesser known or obscure recommendations anyone could throw me last minute?
Dont have a definitive list but I'll post impressions of whatever I watch. Might start tonight with a classic I still havent seen yet. Tales from the Crypt : Demon Knight
I figure the quickest way to describe The Loved Ones to someone would be to ask them to imagine if Hostel had a more feminine flair. Click for full impressions
Not sure what I can add that hasn't already been mentioned, but great thread. Actually had the same thought in mind before I saw this too. Looks like there are some good additions here to my horror list of movies I've not seen. May add some thoughts here as I watch through them.
Here's my tentative list for this year, in no particular order:
Targets
The Exorcist
The Thing
Poltergeist
Suicide Club
Dracula
Shaun of the Dead Society
From Beyond
Ernest Scared Stupid Repulsion
Tokyo Gore Police
Sleepaway Camp
Carnival of Souls
The Invisible Man Mother's Day
In the Mouth of Madness VHS 2
Berberian Sound Studio
Kill List
An American Werewolf in London Werewolf of London
The Hole
Psycho
Cemetary Man
The Brood
Pet Cemetary
Slumber Party Massacre II
The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane
xtro
The Blob
The titles in bold are for movies I have not seen yet. I'm pretty happy with the mix of perennials and new additions, but I won't hesitate to swap any out if I get some good recommendations.
Anyone into Stuart Gordon needs to listen to The Flophouse Podcast. Not only is the show hilarious, especially their October episodes, but Castle Freak is a running gag among the hosts.
OCT 1st : Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight (1995)
Billy Zane stars as a demonic collector chasing an equally mysterious stranger to a small town in New Mexico. The dude on the run holes up in an old mission-cum-motel in order to barricade himself inside and wait for morning. Hilarity ensues.
This years marathon is off to a good start, I really liked this one. It's very refreshing to come across an old fashioned Evil Dead style horror that doesnt take itself to seriously. It also makes me realise how much I miss 80's and 90's style monster design and practical effects, it reminded me of Dead Space actually in parts. Also I'm pretty sure Will Smiths wife is in it, but don't hold that against it. Billy Zane acts a little less demented here then he does in Titanic. Also gives us a quick history lesson by revealing demons were present at the crucifixion for some reason. Remember that little gem for tests and/or pub quizzes.
Oh shit, might have to shift the list around, had no idea +1 was on iTunes, and Last Days of Mars looks awesome, I'll def be iTunesing that once its out as well.
Film number 1: Wreckage
Tagline: The spare parts may be your own
Opening thoughts: So having marathoned Breaking Bad (five seasons in three weeks so I could watch the finale yesterday along with the rest of the UK), it seems fiting to start my own personal 31 Days of Horror with an Aaron Paul flick. Like all the films I'm going to try and watch this month I haven't seen it before, and know very little about it. Judging by the box cover it’s a slasher movie set in a junk yard, I think.
Closing thoughts: I got bored very quickly, so made notes as I went along:
6 mins – Apparently the sound a woman makes when she orgasms is the same as the sound she makes when she’s stabbed to death. I did not know that. Did you know that?
30 mins – I would have turned this film off now, if not for the horrorthon. It’s a proper stinker. Obnoxious people making poor decisions. Terrible, terrible acting. Embarrassing script, embarrassing direction.
45 mins – Comic relief Hillbilly! Holy shit, this film is just taking the piss now. Why is he talking like that? That’s so fucking painful.
Near the end – Oooh! Twist!
Final verdict: Jesse Pinkman, bitch. And Chloe from Harper’s Island. I loved Harper’s Island. This is shit though. It’s not even a car-crash of a movie, it’s just a rusted, broken down old jalopy. You’d be better off walking.
Score: 1 out of 10. Would have been 0 out of 10 if not for Aaron Paul, who makes the best of a bad job. Still, quite possibly the worst movie I have voluntarily watched all the way through. Not a great way to start the month.
Onto the next one.
Film number 2: Storage
Tagline: The deeper you go, the darker it gets
Opening thoughts: I’ve had fun with Aussie horror films before – Wolf Creek and particularly The Loved Ones are two of my favourite movies. Hopefully Storage will continue this trend. I’m getting a hazardous waste in a warehouse vibe from the cover.
Closing thoughts: Much, much better than Wreckage, but more of a psychological thriller with horror trimmings than a full-on horror flick. There are some good perfomances – particularly from Damien Garvey and the delectable Saskia Burmeister – but the story itself, while being an interesting version of a revenge fantasy, is not as adventurous as it could have been in the setting, and the ending felt rushed.
I probably won't stick to this but i bothered to make a list at least this year
Livide
Texas Chainsaw 2013
Inner Senses
Creepshow 2*
Lost Boys*
Bride of Frankenstein
Idle Hands*
Eskalofrio
Opera
Night of the Creeps
From Beyond
I Spit On Your Grave 2
Curse of the Werewolf
The Monster Squad
Hellraiser*
Uzumaki
Life-force
Monster in the Closet
Lost Boys:The Thirst
The Frighteners*
Lets Scare Jessica to Death
Body Bags
Maniac 2013
Thirst
Night of the Demons 2
Halloween 4*
Paranorman
Tombs of the Blind Dead
Friday the 13th Part 7*
Nightmare on Elm Street Part 6*
Trick r' Treat*
I watched Horror of Dracula last year and decided to blind buy the bluray release of the sequel. Why no Horror in HD? Don't ask. Not sure what the hold up is. Really enjoyed it and Christopher Lee is a badass as Dracula even without any speaking lines. Story is very familiar to those who have seen many Dracula films and this and more from the Hammer Horror series I intend to watch. Highly recommended! 7/10.
Thought I would start this marathon with a classic horror film. After hearing the internet rave about it, it was time to experience this gem. For a film that was made in the mid-80s, the effects still held up fairly well. I really loved the makeup. I hope whoever handled that department got an award.
The plot wasn't anything to write home about,but it wasn't bad; it was simply simple. What I really dug were the Cenobites and how mysterious the film kept these entities. Not much was revealed about them or their mythology. I certainly wouldn't mind knowing more about these creatures, though that would kill the magic.
The ending was weird.
Old crazy man walks up to the fire, holding the cube, and turns into a dragon after grabbing it.
What the hell was that?! I simply went "Whaaaaaa" once the film ended.
This film is certainly classic that still holds up well today.
4/5. IGN scale: 9.84/10
P.S. How were the sequels? Probably shit, but some of them *might* be good.
I've decided that while I will finish that film tonight, I will give it a proper front-to-back viewing tomorrow, since it's not fair to the film to be cut up in that manner, nor is it in the keeping of my standards for the marathon to have something like that happen.
I really should have just been all "no video games or other distractions," but I made a promise to my brothers to finish the game with them today.
I had never seen this movie before, but had heard good things. I felt it was a pretty mixed bag, as I could not quite get if the tone was going for straight-horror or slightly camp. The creature effects have not aged well (apart from one notable moment with a closet monster), and it wasn't very scary. I can see how this might be a nostalgia vehicle for people who had seen this one as a kid, but it didn't leave much of a lasting impression on me. It sort of reminded me of a 90 minute long episode of Tales from the Crypt, which is a show I like, but only in small doses. The guy from Cheers was funny, at least.
Memorable line: "Solitude's always better with somebody else around."
can't wait to go home tonight. it's international sake day! that means j-horror to start. thinking i'll go with okaruto since i watched noroi earlier this year and really enjoyed it's creepy vibes.
I had never seen this movie before, but had heard good things. I felt it was a pretty mixed bag, as I could not quite get if the tone was going for straight-horror or slightly camp. The creature effects have not aged well (apart from one notable moment with a closet monster), and it wasn't very scary. I can see how this might be a nostalgia vehicle for people who had seen this one as a kid, but it didn't leave much of a lasting impression on me. It sort of reminded me of a 90 minute long episode of Tales from the Crypt, which is a show I like, but only in small doses. The guy from Cheers was funny, at least.
Memorable line: "Solitude's always better with somebody else around."
I saw it when I was about 7 or 8 years old and rewatched last year. In the years between (20 or so) I must have completely forgot that it was part comedy. Definitely agree that it works better if seen as a child.
I just watched Blair Witch Project along with some of the Friday the 13th movies. Blair Witch was entertaining for what it was but the low budget definitely shows through.
It would have been nice to get some payoff by seeing at least a part of the witch even a momentary glimpse of her could have helped.
.
Surprisingly, I didn't find the ending that creepy for me was the creepiest part was
When their friend Josh goes missing for the whole day and the next night they hear him screaming in the distance, and they never do find him
.
It was fun for what it was, but I don't feel the need to ever watch it again.
I think I need another day or two to process what I just saw, honestly. A huge tonal shift from the first movie, to say the least. I definitely see what Dookake was talking about when he made the Devil's Rejects analogy.
The movie itself was kind of a mess. Stretch, the radio DJ, was a good character, but she felt like only sane person in the entire film. At least, until the end. Whenever Dennis Hopper was on screen he was either badass or hilarious, but his character, Lefty, I felt was kind of wasted. The chainsaw shopping scene was incredible though. It was also nice seeing Otis in there (another connection to the Rob Zombie movies). I understand that his character is the twin brother of the Hitchhiker character from the first movie, but I kinda wish that his character was a bit more subdued.
Part 2 also featured a bunch of unnecessary screaming, and this time it did kind of get on my nerves. There's a scene where Stretch literally screams herself into a stupor, and I found myself chuckling at her misfortune and happy that she finally shut up. In the first movie, the excessive screaming combined with the slightly more realistic situation helped to pull the viewer in, so that they might also feel the terror of what Sally is going through. But TCM2 is just completely over the top in every single way, so the screaming simply comes off as annoying. I also wasn't a big fan of how Leatherface was utilized in the movie. The set pieces in the last third of the movie were pretty awesome, though.
Overall I liked the movie, but for very different reasons than TCM1. I didn't find either movie particularly scary, but the first one was better made with better characters and felt much heavier, whereas the second movie was kind of an over-the-top in every aspect mess, but still highly entertaining. 6.5/10
Does anyone know if there was a reason for the tonal shift?
i have no idea, but if i had to guess, i'd say it was a combination of a TCM sequel being fucking unnecessary and lots of cocaine. and what a beautiful combination that was
I freely admit to my bias of being a massive detractor of this film, but if I'm not mistaken, Hooper was under the false pretense that few people recognized how blackly humorous the original was, so he wanted that to be a focal point of the sequel.
Drugs is also an acceptable answer, since I know Hooper had a bit of a problem with them during the 80s.
This was a pretty silly Zombie Vs Yakuza Vs Jewel Robbers. I was expecting it to be a lot more gorier because Unearthed Films released but it was tame.
There's actually like 9 in total, and they're usually all on Netflix at any given time, but I've only ever seen the original and the two Count D mentioned because I actually really like the franchise and its concept and I don't want the rest of that piss ruining it for me.
This unlike, say, the Leprechaun films, where I sifted through a pile of turds only to find a few gems buried...in the hood.
Fantasy horror from the directors of French film Inside (one of my favourite horrors), I really wanted to like this, great cinematography, it looked beautiful but the story was really lacking. It started off well but then turned into a haunted house were the story was told through flashbacks which didnt really explain anything. Felt like American Horror Story without the story.
Two movies tonight:
I'll be brief since I'm doing two a day more or less.
1. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre -- People who know a lot more about film than I do have said more than I could about this movie, so I'll focus on the one thing that always stuck out at me: the music and sound.
This movie came out in 1974, just a few years before Throbbing Gristle released their first album. If you've never heard TG, you should listen at least once. They were one of the original artists on the Industrial Records label, alongside William Burroughs and other notables. They of course helped lay down the groundwork for today's industrial, but what got swept to the margins by the time Nine Inch Nails came around were the noise artists. They used combinations of distortion, sheet metal and hammers, tape loops, found sounds, and more to create atmosphere, not necessarily music.
Noise artists went much farther back than TG, way past Lou Reed's Metal Machine Music, probably the first of the modern noise albums. But I think the genre hit it's peak in the 70s and 80s. And that's where this movie comes in. With an orchestral soundtrack, I think this movie would have been mediocre at best, to be honest.
If you turned off the video and just listened to this movie, it would be a noise album unto itself. It starts off like an early Einsturzende Neubaten album, clanging metal and high pitched distortion, and finishes out more like SPK or Test Dept., or even Whitehouse (an artist so antagonistic to his audience he once said something to the effect of, "whoever would buy one of my records is a worthless cunt." I'm paraphrasing, but you get the idea).
That's where Sally's incessant screaming comes in for me. Accented occasionally by the chainsaw (bands like EN loved power tools), the generator, and actual sound work (
for example during the moment when Sally's boyfriend is killed
), the screaming is just part of what is, to me, an experimental noise symphony with a visual backdrop. And part of the reason it works is because there's so little dialogue.
It works to create a sense of horror and unease subconsciously and succeeds.By contrast, so many movies fail trying to create that sense with heavy handed imagery or gore or envelope pushing.
My favorite moment in the movie itself is when
the older guy has Sally in the bag in his truck, taking her back to the house. The way he seems genuinely sad and tries to console her at the same time he's giddily poking the bag with his broomstick is I think the best illustration of how unbalanced the family in the movie is
. It's far better than any of the other stuff, none of which is bad.
To be honest, I always liked TCM II and Funhouse better, and after watching Eaten Alive recently I have to say I think it's just about as good as this film. If you haven't seen it, though, watch it. The experimental noise symphony is totally worth it.
2. Hellraiser -- This is one of my favorite movies. It's not perfect. Some of the acting is horrible, especially Ashley Lawrence's. Very pretty, and a good sport, but green I think., And yes, the last few moments of the ending are a great example of how an artist can be amazing, but also guilty of some seriously childish nonsense (I'm thinking of Alan Moore, who I think is a genuinely bad writer stylistically, but a great conceptual story writer).
What I love about this movie: genuinely creepy. The scene with the box and the hooks in the beginning always got me when I was younger. Always. But at the same time, it's fun. It's fantastical, magic, even.
I love that it avoids the religious nonsense of so many other otherwise decent horror movies. Sure they talk about hell, but it's a BDSM hell. And in this case, the 'S' in BDSM is real. People who think Sadism is hot wax and nipple clamps should read one of DeSade's books.
The idea that a sexual hell lurks just beyond the walls of my room always seemed wonderfully entertaining.
Anyway, the premise, that
people have tapped into this hell in search of new levels of sensual experience, and that Julia would resurrect Frank by murdering people just to experience sex with him again
is pure genius.
On a side note, I noticed they sort of stole this plot device for Bride of Chucky, sort of.
I remember watching this movie once with Clive Barker's commentary and he said that
Doug Bradley's Pinhead was never supposed to be the face of the series. Julia was. And considering how neutral a character pinhead really is, and how incredibly twisted and demented Julia is, it makes so much more sense. It puts the events of the first two films in a better perspective, I think
.
Someone else mentioned that they never go too deeply into the origin myth for the cenobites and said this was a good choice. I completely agree. Not explaining it is far scarier than any explanation could ever be. That's not always true, but it works so well here.
Love Christopher Young's score.
Best scene in the movie,
Julia's first hammer kill
, hands down.
Sorry. Meant to keep it a little tighter. I'll be more brief as October goes on.
Anyone into Stuart Gordon needs to listen to The Flophouse Podcast. Not only is the show hilarious, especially their October episodes, but Castle Freak is a running gag among the hosts.
Love the Flophouse! Absolutely love it. And Invisible Maniac is every bit as good as Stuart says it is.
Speaking of podcasts, from whom could I ask permission to, for a couple of movies on my list, post a link to my podcast site since we're (the people in my group) all watching a few of the movies on my list together, and I'll have a review up there anyway?
It's not a commercial podcast. It's completely free and has no sponsors, just whatever ads wordpress put on the page. Greedy bastards.
Given that horror is one of the few film genres I don't really haven't watched a good amount of, thought I might as well go in on this.
October 1-All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (FIlm 1)
Pretty much picked this one on a whim. Really like the other stuff Jonathan Levine has done and thought I should give this a shot. Overall, not super impressed. It really feels like a freshman effort. Lots of good ideas, but nothing that really comes together to a cohesive whole.
The film starts out great. The beginning is a really well done, nostalgic teen drama that pulls off exactly what it's trying to do. It brings a good amount of life to the characters and makes you take an interest in their lives. Everything feels really honest and believable. It's also where the film looks the best. Everything is shot in a sort of perpetual sunset. It's really quite a stunning and unique look and really adds to the tone.
It's when the film transitions to a traditional slasher movie that everything sort of falls apart. While the first part does a lot to humanize these characters, it ultimately works to the films detriment during the second part. The characters are just likable enough that you don't enjoy seeing them killed horribly, yet not to the point that you feel real tension and terror as they're hunted down. None of the kills are particularly interesting and the characters' responses to events doesn't really do anything to add to the tension or horror. Add to that the fact that it's shot predominantly at night and you lose that amazing look the film has at the beginning. You make boring kills more boring by obfuscating what's happening. It just wasn't all that interesting to watch.
The ending, though, really helps tie things up in a way that almost saves the middle. The film does a great job leading you down one path, so that when it swerves you really don't see it coming. It's inventive and pretty fresh. It's probably the part that makes the film as a whole worth watching and it added at least a point to my score at the end.
If I were to break the film's 3 "parts" down into ratings it be something like this
Beginning:8/10
Middle (slasher): 4/10
Ending 9/10
Overall, I'd probably give it a 7/10 . It's worth watching and interesting, but didn't really leave an amazing impression.
Ok, so there's my first movie of the month. Definitely going to try and go for a full 31, though I'll probably have to double up some days to make up for some misses. Going to try to focus on some things I haven't seen so I can expand my knowledge of the genre.
So far my list is looking like
V/H/S 2
Trick 'r Treat*
Event Horizon
The Shining *
Pet Semitary
The Decent
Paranormal Activity 3
Evil Dead (original)
*Rewatches
Trying to wing it with the rest just to keep things fresh. Open to suggestions as well. My limited horror tastes definitely skew more towards anthology flicks, so any good suggestions there would be especially appreciated. See you guys around!
- Always remember seeing this on the shelves of the video store and the cover making me want to see, but never did. Finally managed to watch it, and well yea pretty big yawn. It had a few good ideas but it's essentially the Shining on a boat. A haunted german transport ship.... not much going for this one.
I didn't think I had seen this before, but the as soon as the first Zelda scene started I immediately remembered it. I've been wondering what movie those scenes were from for twenty years, but could never figure it out. Now I know. Zelda scared the shit out of me as a kid. Anyway, movie was pretty bad until the final act. The acting was just terrible, and the daughter was fucking annoying. The best part of the movie is toward the end when Gage is stumbling down the hall saying, "No fair! No fair!" and he trips over a piece of wood and smacks his head against the door. Poor kid looked like he really took that dive. lol And when he's wearing Zelda's clothing. lol God damn, Zelda's moaning was some creepy shit.
- Always remember seeing this on the shelves of the video store and the cover making me want to see, but never did. Finally managed to watch it, and well yea pretty big yawn. It had a few good ideas but it's essentially the Shining on a boat. A haunted german transport ship.... not much going for this one.
Fantasy horror from the directors of French film Inside (one of my favourite horrors), I really wanted to like this, great cinematography, it looked beautiful but the story was really lacking. It started off well but then turned into a haunted house were the story was told through flashbacks which didnt really explain anything. Felt like American Horror Story without the story.
