ThirstyFly
Member
That's too bad. Thanks for the info though.
-
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31 Days of Horror 3 |OT| The October Movie Marathon
- Thread starter ThirstyFly
- Start date
That's too bad. Thanks for the info though.
sketchsanchez
Member
7. The Bad Seed
A-
What a fantastic movie. Such great performances that had me raptured from start to finish. Can't recommend it enough though the cop out "crime dont pay" ending, while expected, is annoying.
MattyH
Member
4 An American Warewolf in london.
its old dated a little bit cheesy but i still love it.The warewolf effects scared the shit out of me when i was a kid rick baker did a great job
5.Dellamorte Dellamore Aka Cemetery Man
this is a odd little film from italy the masters of the zombie genre in the 80s and early 90s and in a way its a swansong for the genre until its revival it also has the best visual representation of death ive seen in a film
its old dated a little bit cheesy but i still love it.The warewolf effects scared the shit out of me when i was a kid rick baker did a great job
5.Dellamorte Dellamore Aka Cemetery Man
this is a odd little film from italy the masters of the zombie genre in the 80s and early 90s and in a way its a swansong for the genre until its revival it also has the best visual representation of death ive seen in a film
What's wrong with the sequel? Someone in the Netflix thread said I would like the second one if I enjoyed the first.
Day 3: Hellraiser
"No tears please, it's a waste of good suffering."
Partway through I realized that I had seen this before as a kid (
), but it was overall fresh to me since that's about all I remember. This was really good, though some of the logic was a bit fuzzy. The Cenobites were great, really creepy and sinister but not in an evil way (which apparently they spoil in the sequels), and Garak was great in this,
. The wife was just an awful person though and not very well defined,
. Really liked this, creepy as hell at parts, curious to see how it goes in the sequels.
"No tears please, it's a waste of good suffering."
Partway through I realized that I had seen this before as a kid (
Kirstie being chased by the thing in the hospital jogged that memory
he nailed playing the dual roles
first she gets raped by Frank and she cleared doesn't want to live in a house where he had been because of that, and then she switches roles and now she loved him from the start and starts to lure suckers for him to kill because of her love
BattleMonkey
Member
I didn't care for the sequel either but liked the first. Kinda took the concept of the original and went a bit ridiculous with the scope of it, and just other stuff they did in the movie... I dunno at times it felt like it was trying to be more actiony or something.
Ahh OK, then I would provably agree with you. I will put it on the back burner. Thanks.
The Culture Vulture
Member
7. The Bad Seed
A-
What a fantastic movie. Such great performances that had me raptured from start to finish. Can't recommend it enough though the cop out "crime dont pay" ending, while expected, is annoying.
What did you think of the curtain call added scene where they brought out the girl to show she really isn't a monster and her Mom gives her a playful spanking? It's out of such a bygone era, like people wouldn't have been able to continue with their lives thinking that child actually existed.
I have some catch up to do still.
I did not know much about this one going into it, other than the basic premise and some plot beats. It was less grisly than I expected, going more for the shock value of the titular creation rather than voluminous gore or jump scares. It was pretty funny as well (especially Herr Heiter), so it struck me almost more like a black comedy / horror hybrid. The actor who played the doctor is particularly menacing as a Mengele stand-in. I've been told, perhaps falsely, the avoid the sequel.
October 3 - The Human Centipede (First Sequence)
I did not know much about this one going into it, other than the basic premise and some plot beats. It was less grisly than I expected, going more for the shock value of the titular creation rather than voluminous gore or jump scares. It was pretty funny as well (especially Herr Heiter), so it struck me almost more like a black comedy / horror hybrid. The actor who played the doctor is particularly menacing as a Mengele stand-in. I've been told, perhaps falsely, the avoid the sequel.
This movie was fun, and unlike some other horror movies from that time, not yet long in the tooth (fang). The creature effects hold up well, the child actors are convincing and well written (which is too bad for the inevitable remake that would sanitize the dialogue). Seems to have been set up for a sequel at the end which was never made. It's no "The Lost Boys" for me but I can see the appeal of this as a fan favorite.October 4 - The Monster Squad
LFMartins86
Member
It is a bit more action but I found it to be quite a fun watch. Also, Tobias Beecher is a fucking badass on that.
That's a misreading of the situation between Frank and Julia:
they had a consensual S&M-based relationship going on the entire time, and he obviously left quite the impression on her. She was quick to get back into the swing of things because she never forgot about him, even though Frank had very different aims in mind.
Chainsawkitten
Member
In keeping with the vampire theme. There are much better Dracula-renditions, but then there are also much worse. 2/3
John Rabbit
Banned
day 05. movies 04, 05, and 06 (triple feature!).
red state
the numerous reports/reviews that it wasn't a horror movie (while others insisted that it was merely a different kind of horror movie) nearly put this off my list. i'm glad i watched it, but this is not a horror film. not in the same sense as most people expect when you say 'horror'.
for the first 30 minutes, the film plays out like it's going to be another 'stupid horny teenagers get caught being stupid and horny and then murdered' set up. eli roth by way of kevin smith, so to speak. however, the film is a ham-fisted meta-commentary (kevin smith gonna kevin smith) on essentially three topics: homophobia, religious zealotry, and the bloated and inept U.S. government. it's not quite a horror film (the 'horror of man's beliefs' i suppose), it's not quite a thriller, and it's not quite a black comedy.
although i will say, up until the very last shot, i actually found that i was quite unnerved/uncomfortable about the whole ordeal. but it's squandered with one last attempt at silly humor. i think if smith could get over trying to "say something" with every film he makes, he'd churn out a pretty decent horror flick.
★★★☆☆
--
the last exorcism: part II
shaky-cam footage is dropped entirely for this vapid sequel. like the first, ashley bell carries the entire with her gangly, blank-eyed, backwood country girl looks. she's still a little awkward, a little off, and for reasons never accurately explained or relevant to this film, still not rid of her demonic aggressor. however, her innate ability to creep-the-ever-loving-shit-of-you because of her contortions or foreboding stares is given hardly any screen time.
poor character development, cheap jump scares, and a near non-existent narrative spine bog this "we did it because someone said it would probably make it's budget back plus a little" disappointing sequel. the ending is absolutely stupid as well. i fully expect a direct-to-video third entry in the series that has more in common with friday the 13th than the exorcist.
★★☆☆☆
--
nightmare on elm street (2010)
i do not have a special place in my heart for freddy krueger. i've seen a handful of the films but i don't particularly enjoy the franchise or horror-comedy in general, so for me, i had zero expectations or concerns going into this film. and that's probably a good thing because it's an entirely by-the-numbers slasher film. i guess one of the bigger issues fans had with this remake is the amount of time spent on and the changes made to freddy's backstory. aside from being almost a complete non-factor in motivating anything going on in the film it only added several questions to the film's threadbare plot (not that you need one per se, but it's best not to call attention to it) that are obviously never answered.
also, jackie earle haley is an absolutely fucking terrible freddy. bordering somewhere between a half-awake rorschach and christian bale as batman, his lines sound like filler that was supposed to have been replaced with better dialogue on a later re-write. in the...three?...times he makes a pun, they're read so flatly i'm not even sure haley was aware the camera was on.
they didn't even bother to recreate one of the original's best kills
. boring.
★★☆☆☆
red state
the numerous reports/reviews that it wasn't a horror movie (while others insisted that it was merely a different kind of horror movie) nearly put this off my list. i'm glad i watched it, but this is not a horror film. not in the same sense as most people expect when you say 'horror'.
for the first 30 minutes, the film plays out like it's going to be another 'stupid horny teenagers get caught being stupid and horny and then murdered' set up. eli roth by way of kevin smith, so to speak. however, the film is a ham-fisted meta-commentary (kevin smith gonna kevin smith) on essentially three topics: homophobia, religious zealotry, and the bloated and inept U.S. government. it's not quite a horror film (the 'horror of man's beliefs' i suppose), it's not quite a thriller, and it's not quite a black comedy.
although i will say, up until the very last shot, i actually found that i was quite unnerved/uncomfortable about the whole ordeal. but it's squandered with one last attempt at silly humor. i think if smith could get over trying to "say something" with every film he makes, he'd churn out a pretty decent horror flick.
★★★☆☆
--
the last exorcism: part II
shaky-cam footage is dropped entirely for this vapid sequel. like the first, ashley bell carries the entire with her gangly, blank-eyed, backwood country girl looks. she's still a little awkward, a little off, and for reasons never accurately explained or relevant to this film, still not rid of her demonic aggressor. however, her innate ability to creep-the-ever-loving-shit-of-you because of her contortions or foreboding stares is given hardly any screen time.
poor character development, cheap jump scares, and a near non-existent narrative spine bog this "we did it because someone said it would probably make it's budget back plus a little" disappointing sequel. the ending is absolutely stupid as well. i fully expect a direct-to-video third entry in the series that has more in common with friday the 13th than the exorcist.
★★☆☆☆
--
nightmare on elm street (2010)
i do not have a special place in my heart for freddy krueger. i've seen a handful of the films but i don't particularly enjoy the franchise or horror-comedy in general, so for me, i had zero expectations or concerns going into this film. and that's probably a good thing because it's an entirely by-the-numbers slasher film. i guess one of the bigger issues fans had with this remake is the amount of time spent on and the changes made to freddy's backstory. aside from being almost a complete non-factor in motivating anything going on in the film it only added several questions to the film's threadbare plot (not that you need one per se, but it's best not to call attention to it) that are obviously never answered.
also, jackie earle haley is an absolutely fucking terrible freddy. bordering somewhere between a half-awake rorschach and christian bale as batman, his lines sound like filler that was supposed to have been replaced with better dialogue on a later re-write. in the...three?...times he makes a pun, they're read so flatly i'm not even sure haley was aware the camera was on.
they didn't even bother to recreate one of the original's best kills
depp's death scene
★★☆☆☆
Gameboy415
Member
10/01 - 1. The Relic (Blu-Ray)
10/02 - 2. Ghoulies (Netflix)
10/03 - 3. Nightmares (1983) (YouTube)
10/04 - 4. The Amityville Horror (2005) (DVD)
10/05 - 5. Battledogs (Netflix)
10/06 - 6. Scream 4 (Netflix)
-I wasn't a huge fan of the original trilogy so I didn't have high expectations for this one but I was pretty happy with it overall.
I think having the film end
would have been a more interesting way to end the film/set up future sequels, but I can understand why they didn't go that route.
*NOTE* It looks like this might get pulled from Netflix on 10/7 so be sure to watch it today if you're interested!!*
Also, a minor request:
Can everyone please post what method you're using to watch the films you post??
I've seen several movies posted thus far that I'd be interested in checking out, but many of them are not very easy to track down.
I'd be awesome if everyone could add DVD/Blu-Ray/VHS/Netflix/etc. in parentheses after the title of the films (like I've been doing)!
10/02 - 2. Ghoulies (Netflix)
10/03 - 3. Nightmares (1983) (YouTube)
10/04 - 4. The Amityville Horror (2005) (DVD)
10/05 - 5. Battledogs (Netflix)
10/06 - 6. Scream 4 (Netflix)
-I wasn't a huge fan of the original trilogy so I didn't have high expectations for this one but I was pretty happy with it overall.
I think having the film end
at the house, like the killer wanted it to
*NOTE* It looks like this might get pulled from Netflix on 10/7 so be sure to watch it today if you're interested!!*
Also, a minor request:
Can everyone please post what method you're using to watch the films you post??
I've seen several movies posted thus far that I'd be interested in checking out, but many of them are not very easy to track down.
I'd be awesome if everyone could add DVD/Blu-Ray/VHS/Netflix/etc. in parentheses after the title of the films (like I've been doing)!
8BitsAtATime
Member
12. House on Haunted Hill
13. Vampire Lovers
14. Countess Dracula
Its funny to think that the blind caretaker is just creeping around in closets
13. Vampire Lovers
Very rad! Gorgeous women and lots of tits and some pretty good head decapitation scenes
14. Countess Dracula
I found this one to be kind of boring
I still have some room in my schedule, so I might check it out.
eternaLightness
Member
Saw a bunch of people list Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil. It was hilarious and I definitely recommend it. I've always ignored it on Netflix, same with Cabin in the Woods until i decided to watch it one day. Both were great.
This might be the most scathing review of anything ever.
pitcairn55
Member
6th October
Film number 11: Lake Mungo
Tagline: In 2008 Alice Palmer died Her nightmare didnt
Opening thoughts: Not really sure how much of an effective horror movie you can make out of a fake documentary.
Closing thoughts: This is a clever, convincing examination of a bereaved family who find themselves haunted by the one theyve lost. Its also more about secrets, lies, grief and guilt than it ever is about ghosts. Lake Mungo is sad, subtle, and in its closing moments surprisingly unnerving. Its also a brilliantly well constructed film; perhaps a little too well constructed in fact. Apart from some corpse photos that come across as insensitive within the documentary context, theres barely a single moment that doesnt ring true. Unfortunately however, staying so impressively true to this non-fiction format does rob the film of much bite - obviously not the best thing for a horror movie.
Score: 6 out of 10. If you didnt realise it was fake, it would be pretty much the most jaw-dropping documentary ever. But its fake.
Film number 12: Cherry Tree Lane
Tagline: No warning. No mercy. No escape.
Opening thoughts: Looking forward to this. Written and directed by Paul Andrew Williams, of The Cottage and London to Brighton fame. Well, hes famous in our house anyway.
Closing thoughts: A fantastically executed home invasion shoker. Seriously dark with a masterful final shot. Not an easy or fun film to watch, but super intense. And the soundtrack is great.
Score: 8 out of 10. Im listening out for the doorbell to ring even as I type.
Film number 13: The Seasoning House
Tagline: Innocence isnt lost Its taken
Opening thoughts: Sean Pertwee needs a medal for his services to British horror. What a geezer.
Closing thoughts: Why are bad men content with such squalid surroundings? Why, in so many horror films, is everything so grimy and filthy? The Seasoning House is set in the least hygienic brothel its possible to imagine, somewhere in the Balkans in 1996. I know the grime is supposed to be a metaphor, but really, someone needs to clean up a bit.
Anyway, this isnt the film I thought it was going to be, despite the torture porn trappings of the opening sequence. Its brutal, but its also beautiful. Theres a weird, almost fairytale quality, along with all the degredation and violence. Its like The Borrowers meets Hostel in some parts. With extra war crimes. And its absolutely bloody brilliant, seriously. Pertwee is his usual manic self, and Rosie Day as the deaf mute heroine steals the show. Absolutely exceptional and highly recommended.
Score: 9 out of 10. Fun fact: Neil Marshall makes a cameo near the end but hes listed in the credits as Eddie Oswald, a character Pertwee makes a speech about in Marshalls wonderful Dog Soldiers.
Watched so far:
October 1 - Wreckage (1/10) Storage (6/10)
October 2 - Absentia (9/10) Uninhabited (3/10)
October 3 - The Fallow Field (7/10)
October 4 - Insidious (6/10) The Devil's Rock (8/10)
October 5 - Seconds Apart (6/10) The Awakening (8/10) When The Lights Went Out (8/10)
Film number 11: Lake Mungo
Tagline: In 2008 Alice Palmer died Her nightmare didnt
Opening thoughts: Not really sure how much of an effective horror movie you can make out of a fake documentary.
Closing thoughts: This is a clever, convincing examination of a bereaved family who find themselves haunted by the one theyve lost. Its also more about secrets, lies, grief and guilt than it ever is about ghosts. Lake Mungo is sad, subtle, and in its closing moments surprisingly unnerving. Its also a brilliantly well constructed film; perhaps a little too well constructed in fact. Apart from some corpse photos that come across as insensitive within the documentary context, theres barely a single moment that doesnt ring true. Unfortunately however, staying so impressively true to this non-fiction format does rob the film of much bite - obviously not the best thing for a horror movie.
Score: 6 out of 10. If you didnt realise it was fake, it would be pretty much the most jaw-dropping documentary ever. But its fake.
Film number 12: Cherry Tree Lane
Tagline: No warning. No mercy. No escape.
Opening thoughts: Looking forward to this. Written and directed by Paul Andrew Williams, of The Cottage and London to Brighton fame. Well, hes famous in our house anyway.
Closing thoughts: A fantastically executed home invasion shoker. Seriously dark with a masterful final shot. Not an easy or fun film to watch, but super intense. And the soundtrack is great.
Score: 8 out of 10. Im listening out for the doorbell to ring even as I type.
Film number 13: The Seasoning House
Tagline: Innocence isnt lost Its taken
Opening thoughts: Sean Pertwee needs a medal for his services to British horror. What a geezer.
Closing thoughts: Why are bad men content with such squalid surroundings? Why, in so many horror films, is everything so grimy and filthy? The Seasoning House is set in the least hygienic brothel its possible to imagine, somewhere in the Balkans in 1996. I know the grime is supposed to be a metaphor, but really, someone needs to clean up a bit.
Anyway, this isnt the film I thought it was going to be, despite the torture porn trappings of the opening sequence. Its brutal, but its also beautiful. Theres a weird, almost fairytale quality, along with all the degredation and violence. Its like The Borrowers meets Hostel in some parts. With extra war crimes. And its absolutely bloody brilliant, seriously. Pertwee is his usual manic self, and Rosie Day as the deaf mute heroine steals the show. Absolutely exceptional and highly recommended.
Score: 9 out of 10. Fun fact: Neil Marshall makes a cameo near the end but hes listed in the credits as Eddie Oswald, a character Pertwee makes a speech about in Marshalls wonderful Dog Soldiers.
Watched so far:
October 1 - Wreckage (1/10) Storage (6/10)
October 2 - Absentia (9/10) Uninhabited (3/10)
October 3 - The Fallow Field (7/10)
October 4 - Insidious (6/10) The Devil's Rock (8/10)
October 5 - Seconds Apart (6/10) The Awakening (8/10) When The Lights Went Out (8/10)
I'll do better reviews later, but for now:
Oct 2: Wolf Creek - 3/10 Not much to see there.
Oct 3: Hellraiser Inferno - 6/10 Not bad! I kinda liked this one.
Oct 4: The 4th Kind - 2/10 I dunno, didn't even pay much attention, too damn boring.
Oct 5: The Stuff - 1/10 Come on son.
Oct 2: Wolf Creek - 3/10 Not much to see there.
Oct 3: Hellraiser Inferno - 6/10 Not bad! I kinda liked this one.
Oct 4: The 4th Kind - 2/10 I dunno, didn't even pay much attention, too damn boring.
Oct 5: The Stuff - 1/10 Come on son.
avengers23
Banned
5. The Innkeepers (Netflix)
There are parts of this movie that I enjoyed, but it never felt like it came together as a complete horror experience. Ti West specializes in creating horror movies that burn slowly, ratcheting the tension up until it explodes in a cathartic release. Even if there isn't a definitive explanation of the possibly supernatural events that we watched, we can get a sense of satisfaction about the characters' journeys. The tension in The Innkeepers was at such a low simmer that there felt like there was barely any tension at all until the last 20 minutes of the film, when everything came crashing down. This approach highlights the clockwork nature of the film and the fatalist mood, but it also depends on actors and actresses who can hold attention while the tension is burning slowly. I'm not sure The Innkeepers succeeded in presenting something compelling enough to keep my attention until we reached the climax.
It didn't help that Sara Paxton's mannerisms and face reminded me of Alexis Bledel as Rory Gilmore, which made the first hour or so of this movie seem like a very strange episode of Gilmore Girls. Some of the dialogue didn't help either; I cringed when Pat Healy's Luke actually uttered the words, "What a failblog" to describe another character.
The film's perspective on fate also seems muddled. At one point, Kelly McGillis's character warns Sara Paxton's Claire to leave for her own safety. Yet, the film later says that there's nothing that could have been done to avoid what happened. Since the film presents McGillis's Leanne as the only one who is able to contact the spiritual world and gain knowledge from it, we're left to conclude that she's the most reliably informed character in the film. So could anyone have avoided what happened? And it could not have been avoided, why did it have to happen to these particular characters? Is simple curiosity or a bit of aimlessness enough to create the moral argument for that character's fate? Or is this morality not connected to fate in this film's world?
Edit to add: Oh, and I thought the way Ti West handled Claire's asthma felt very heavy-handed. Let's show her use the rescue inhaler again and again to hammer home what will happen to her. Also, as someone who has asthma, her behavior as an asthmatic just didn't feel right.
rogueriffers
Neo Member
Getting a bit behind here.
Doing several to catch up.
1. Last week we watched The Fly (1958). Full review and pocast here, so no need to retype it. Hope that's okay --it's a non commercial venture.
2. The Majorettes -- this is one of those movies I've seen before, but didn't remember until the opening scene wherein a nerdy guy photographs cheerleaders while a janitor peeps at them through a hole in the wall. Reminds me of my time as a high school teacher. Ha! Just kidding, of course. Not about being a teacher though, and, yes, it was awful.
This was not necessarily noteworthy, but it was fun. It was almost a horror anthology (which I really don't care for) because the subplots, though they involved all the central characters, were so different. There was a revenge subplot that ended with shirtless high school kid shooting up a biker gang with his dad's M16, a slasher plot (main plot, actually), a brief subplot about a pregnant teen getting a nerd to take the fall for her pregnancy, and finally a subplot about a caretaker scamming her patient.
Anyway, good movie for fun, not so much for scares.
3. Fright Night part II (both versions): The original sequel was pretty decent, actually. Holds up pretty well alongside the original Fright NIght, and if you don't mind a stunning female lead, this is a fun movie. The remake had nothing to do with anything, as far as I could tell. I haven't shut off many movies in my life, but this one was pretty blah, and I wound up forgetting to finish it. Don't bother.
Doing several to catch up.
1. Last week we watched The Fly (1958). Full review and pocast here, so no need to retype it. Hope that's okay --it's a non commercial venture.
2. The Majorettes -- this is one of those movies I've seen before, but didn't remember until the opening scene wherein a nerdy guy photographs cheerleaders while a janitor peeps at them through a hole in the wall. Reminds me of my time as a high school teacher. Ha! Just kidding, of course. Not about being a teacher though, and, yes, it was awful.
This was not necessarily noteworthy, but it was fun. It was almost a horror anthology (which I really don't care for) because the subplots, though they involved all the central characters, were so different. There was a revenge subplot that ended with shirtless high school kid shooting up a biker gang with his dad's M16, a slasher plot (main plot, actually), a brief subplot about a pregnant teen getting a nerd to take the fall for her pregnancy, and finally a subplot about a caretaker scamming her patient.
Anyway, good movie for fun, not so much for scares.
3. Fright Night part II (both versions): The original sequel was pretty decent, actually. Holds up pretty well alongside the original Fright NIght, and if you don't mind a stunning female lead, this is a fun movie. The remake had nothing to do with anything, as far as I could tell. I haven't shut off many movies in my life, but this one was pretty blah, and I wound up forgetting to finish it. Don't bother.
I don't want to start a thread for such a stupid question, but if there really was a zombie or pathogen-based apocalypse that killed most of humanity off, how long afterward would utilities like electricity and running water/sewage still work after their maintenance and operation had been abandoned? A week? A month?
5. The Innkeepers
I think what hurt the ending is the start where Luke made Clair watch that jump scare video.
It makes the viewer not want to look at the screen in the final scene which evidently causes them to miss
Clair's Ghost
avengers23
Banned
That jump scare video definitely affected my expectations for that final scene.
3. V/H/S
Really mixed impressions from Gaffers and friends alike on this one. Maybe it's just because I'm a punk when it comes to horror films, but I must admit that VHS got quite a lot of jumps from me. Some scenes in each short film were fuckin disturbing. Loved Amateur Hour, it stuck with me for a while. The movie obvious falls short in some areas due to budget/amateur acting, but overall, I quite enjoyed it. I'll try to track down the sequel, but its not available on Netflix, aka, the extent of which I'm looking to search for stuff atm lol.
Horror anthologies are really fun, and I would love to watch more of them. If anyone has any suggestions, that'd be cool.
7.5/10
Really mixed impressions from Gaffers and friends alike on this one. Maybe it's just because I'm a punk when it comes to horror films, but I must admit that VHS got quite a lot of jumps from me. Some scenes in each short film were fuckin disturbing. Loved Amateur Hour, it stuck with me for a while. The movie obvious falls short in some areas due to budget/amateur acting, but overall, I quite enjoyed it. I'll try to track down the sequel, but its not available on Netflix, aka, the extent of which I'm looking to search for stuff atm lol.
Horror anthologies are really fun, and I would love to watch more of them. If anyone has any suggestions, that'd be cool.
7.5/10
John Rabbit
Banned
the history channel's "life after people" sought to answer this and a myriad of other questions about....life after people. in the video i linked, the basic approximation for the duration of the power grid is "a few weeks", but specifically the hoover dam could potentially last years.
that would be the remake of last house on the left.
4. House at the End of the Street (2012)
Uninspired mediocrity, pretty much a by the book thriller.
Is this the one with Aaron Paul?
Thanks for the link! I'll check it out.
sketchsanchez
Member
I guess i didnt mind it cuz, like you said, it's a curtain call. Movie was done and i was checked out so to speak.
Blue Submarine No. 6
Member
31 Days of Horror Lycanthropy Edition
Oct. 6 - The Wolfman (2010)
The Wolfman (2010) - This movie is so close to being the reimagining that all us Classic Monster Kids wanted that the failure of its parts to quite gel is a real letdown, but it still hits many of the right notes. The monster design is an excellent homage to Jack Pierce's original design, with a nod to Hammer's design for Oliver Reed. Benicio Del Toro's Lawrence Talbot is nearly equal to Chaney's portayal, and so many elements of the characterization rang true to the original. The sets and settings around Talbot Hall on Blackmoor are classic Universal Horror, and extraneous detectives and Asylum visits notwithstanding, the rooftop night scenes in London echo the finale of The Curse of the Werewolf brilliantly. Production is consistently beautiful, of course, and the whole thing must have cost a fortune. If only we could ignore the over-complication of the plot, the introduction of so many new elements (including the mother sidebar and the asylum bit), the marginalization of the gypsies, the vilification of Sir John; these things seem to muddy the tale more than add to it, at least for me, and in the end it's not the remake I'd hoped for, at least. Still, no regrets.
Oct. 6 - The Wolfman (2010)
The Wolfman (2010) - This movie is so close to being the reimagining that all us Classic Monster Kids wanted that the failure of its parts to quite gel is a real letdown, but it still hits many of the right notes. The monster design is an excellent homage to Jack Pierce's original design, with a nod to Hammer's design for Oliver Reed. Benicio Del Toro's Lawrence Talbot is nearly equal to Chaney's portayal, and so many elements of the characterization rang true to the original. The sets and settings around Talbot Hall on Blackmoor are classic Universal Horror, and extraneous detectives and Asylum visits notwithstanding, the rooftop night scenes in London echo the finale of The Curse of the Werewolf brilliantly. Production is consistently beautiful, of course, and the whole thing must have cost a fortune. If only we could ignore the over-complication of the plot, the introduction of so many new elements (including the mother sidebar and the asylum bit), the marginalization of the gypsies, the vilification of Sir John; these things seem to muddy the tale more than add to it, at least for me, and in the end it's not the remake I'd hoped for, at least. Still, no regrets.
LOL - I didn't know that (or if I ever did, I'd forgotten! but I am getting up there in years)... I'm surprised Henry Hull pulled that kind of weight that he could "negotiate" his makeup like that. Universal must have thought he was serious box office material back then...
Sometimes, you just have to deal with outright failures.
WEEK TWO - GROWING PAINS
October 6
A concept this fertile did not deserve a script this foul. Proving that no genre is above decent writing, We Are What We Are squanders all of its potential on a script so dumb, so painfully slow, so unfocused, that I'd have to think it was ghost-written by Orci and Kurtzman. Small moments here and there throughout the film hint at what could have been: the introduction's cold indifference to a man's death in a public area, a neat little scene involving the shuffling around of a body in a car on a bridge, a stalking scene with little dialogue and is largely conveyed through lead actor Francisco Barreiro's eyes, and a tastefully shot and edited depiction of the ghastly ritual that Must Be Performed! for the sake of the family and everyone else. Outside of that, you can only surmise from the events that transpire that the patriarch, whose death kicks off the film, was the only one with a damn lick of sense in him, since the rest of his family is so goddamned stupid. Blundering, fame-seeking cops are introduced without even a hint of irony. Motives for every character are unclear and frequently take on nonsensical directions. It's a big goddamned ball of stupid from top to bottom. My key takeaways from the film are A) that I'm glad I only paid 62 cents for it, B) it's assuredly going to net me a profit when I trade it in, and C) it really makes me want to track down the recently released remake, since it is scientifically impossible for that one to fuck it up any worse.
October 7 preview: It's not going to take much for our next film to raise the bar from our last film, but we still need to remain optimistic! May has it pretty rough: her childhood sucked, and her young adulthood isn't treating her much better. She finally decides to connect with other people in her own special way, and I suspect that it doesn't involve cute greeting cards or coffee...
WEEK TWO - GROWING PAINS
October 6
A concept this fertile did not deserve a script this foul. Proving that no genre is above decent writing, We Are What We Are squanders all of its potential on a script so dumb, so painfully slow, so unfocused, that I'd have to think it was ghost-written by Orci and Kurtzman. Small moments here and there throughout the film hint at what could have been: the introduction's cold indifference to a man's death in a public area, a neat little scene involving the shuffling around of a body in a car on a bridge, a stalking scene with little dialogue and is largely conveyed through lead actor Francisco Barreiro's eyes, and a tastefully shot and edited depiction of the ghastly ritual that Must Be Performed! for the sake of the family and everyone else. Outside of that, you can only surmise from the events that transpire that the patriarch, whose death kicks off the film, was the only one with a damn lick of sense in him, since the rest of his family is so goddamned stupid. Blundering, fame-seeking cops are introduced without even a hint of irony. Motives for every character are unclear and frequently take on nonsensical directions. It's a big goddamned ball of stupid from top to bottom. My key takeaways from the film are A) that I'm glad I only paid 62 cents for it, B) it's assuredly going to net me a profit when I trade it in, and C) it really makes me want to track down the recently released remake, since it is scientifically impossible for that one to fuck it up any worse.
October 7 preview: It's not going to take much for our next film to raise the bar from our last film, but we still need to remain optimistic! May has it pretty rough: her childhood sucked, and her young adulthood isn't treating her much better. She finally decides to connect with other people in her own special way, and I suspect that it doesn't involve cute greeting cards or coffee...
PepsimanVsJoe
Member
6. Hellraiser
Very disturbing and quite entertaining. The cenobites are equal parts creepy and intriguing, and somehow the idea of experiencing the limits of both pain & pleasure scares me worse than any death. The soundtrack is very well done. It's traditional but is very well done. Some solid performances round out this horror flick. Definitely interested in checking out the dozen or so sequels this movie has received.
Also I have Clive Barker: Jericho installed on my PC. Maybe I should finish my play-through of it. It has some cool ideas, even though the actual game sucks.
Very disturbing and quite entertaining. The cenobites are equal parts creepy and intriguing, and somehow the idea of experiencing the limits of both pain & pleasure scares me worse than any death. The soundtrack is very well done. It's traditional but is very well done. Some solid performances round out this horror flick. Definitely interested in checking out the dozen or so sequels this movie has received.
Also I have Clive Barker: Jericho installed on my PC. Maybe I should finish my play-through of it. It has some cool ideas, even though the actual game sucks.
Ace Ventrue
Banned
Not surprising much better than the remake - at times it is actually scary, not just goofy, and it does not take forever with introduction. Wolf changing scene is pretty neat, too.
The film is actually pretty good, even though it has few WTF moments. Definitely watchable as a neo-noir.
#7 | The Call of Cthulhu | via Netflix instant
This was more interesting than it was frightening, but I still recommend it. Call of Cthulhu is a recent (short) film, told through the cinematic techniques of the 1920's. Thus it is a silent film, making use of title cards, a constant dramatic orchestral score, crude stop motion animation and extensive model work. It doesn't quite pull off the look and feel it aspires to, as beneath the film grain, artifacts and screen flicker you can tell it was a shot using modern resolution cameras and on modern sets. Thus there are three layers of suspension of disbelief required: first the story, then the silent film tropes, then the modern styling peeking out from behind the silent film veneer. Regardless, the tale it tells is a compelling one.
Told largely through flashbacks - nested flashbacks, even - Call of Cthulhu is an unfolding mystery. A dying man's research into the Cult of Cthulhu is passed to his nephew, who continues the research himself, against his uncle's wishes. I was not familiar with more than the broad outlines of the story, so I was absorbed despite the odd structure and odder mix of modern and classical film techniques. It is my understanding that it's quite faithful to the Lovecraft story upon which it's based (to the point of replicating the film techniques available at the time it was written.)
More interesting and suspenseful than anything, and at a light <50 minutes barely even a feature film by modern standards of length. But I would recommend it to anyone looking to add something quite unique into their marathon this year, assuming you are not bothered by the silent film styling and effects.
Tomorrow I bust out one of my annual re-watches and favorite horror film: Carpenter's The Thing. I was going to save it for later but two nights of old black and white horror has me wanting something with some bite to it.
This was more interesting than it was frightening, but I still recommend it. Call of Cthulhu is a recent (short) film, told through the cinematic techniques of the 1920's. Thus it is a silent film, making use of title cards, a constant dramatic orchestral score, crude stop motion animation and extensive model work. It doesn't quite pull off the look and feel it aspires to, as beneath the film grain, artifacts and screen flicker you can tell it was a shot using modern resolution cameras and on modern sets. Thus there are three layers of suspension of disbelief required: first the story, then the silent film tropes, then the modern styling peeking out from behind the silent film veneer. Regardless, the tale it tells is a compelling one.
Told largely through flashbacks - nested flashbacks, even - Call of Cthulhu is an unfolding mystery. A dying man's research into the Cult of Cthulhu is passed to his nephew, who continues the research himself, against his uncle's wishes. I was not familiar with more than the broad outlines of the story, so I was absorbed despite the odd structure and odder mix of modern and classical film techniques. It is my understanding that it's quite faithful to the Lovecraft story upon which it's based (to the point of replicating the film techniques available at the time it was written.)
More interesting and suspenseful than anything, and at a light <50 minutes barely even a feature film by modern standards of length. But I would recommend it to anyone looking to add something quite unique into their marathon this year, assuming you are not bothered by the silent film styling and effects.
Tomorrow I bust out one of my annual re-watches and favorite horror film: Carpenter's The Thing. I was going to save it for later but two nights of old black and white horror has me wanting something with some bite to it.
ShabbadooJr
Member
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge
This is one is so odd. I don't know where to start. It is a bit of a departure from the 1st movie, where we don't really deal with nightmares at all. The kills are lame compared to the 1st, the opening and closing scene are not well done. The bird scene is one of the dumbest things ever put on film. And then there is the whole homoerotic subtext throughout. Probably my least favorite Nightmare film.
Hellraiser II is good and doesn't ruin the franchise. That starts with 3. I like Hellraiser II a lot, even if it is a bit messy. Some really classic scenes in it, too.
PepsimanVsJoe
Member
Oh...hmm. Well I guess I'll stop with part 2 and save the rest for if I'm deathly curious.
It would feel weird to dedicate nearly a third of October to a single horror franchise anyway.
rogueriffers
Neo Member
Saw The Corpse Grinders (1973) tonight. Pretty much what you'd expect from the guy who brought you Girl in Gold Boots, but not as good as you'd expect from the guy who brought you The Astro Zombies. Anyway, a very gritty low budget movie about a cat food manufacturer. Maybe this was Ted's answer to Sinclair's "The Jungle." Ha! Kidding.
It's kind of a fun movie, but drags a little here and there.
It's kind of a fun movie, but drags a little here and there.
mariachi507
Member
Day 4
"AhahahaHAAHahahaHahaah"
Synopsis (shamelessly stolen): When a younger girl called Emily Rose dies, everyone puts blame on the exorcism which was performed on her by Father Moore prior to her death. The priest is arrested on suspicion of murder. The trail begins with lawyer Erin Bruner representing Moore, but it is not going to be easy, as no one wants to believe what Father Moore says is true.
I remember critics being particularly hard on this film, but I liked it enough. The Exorcism of Emily Rose is about two parts courtroom drama and one part possession flick (told in flashbacks). The runtime is little long at two hours and the scenes outside of the flashbacks can get a little boring at times. Jennifer Carpenter does good work here. She is often switching from being frightened, to menacing, and then to downright fucking crazy. My quote at the top is in reference to her constant screaming, I really felt sorry for Deb's vocal chords. The rest of actors do a solid job, expecially considering that their dialogue can get a bit hammy at times. The filmmakers obviously intending their film to be taking seriously, and that is what the tone suggest. Whenever it goes into horror-mode it can be rather effective. Most of these effective moments come from the flashbacks, but sometimes they are ruined by silly moments and shit cgi. It's a decent possession film, but it doesn't touch The Exorcist. However, that would be like expecting a shark movie to match Jaws.
One more thing. It's a common motif in the film that the characters always awaken at 3:00 AM and demon hijinks ensue. Last night I woke up to a loud crash. It turns out something fell in the closet, but it scared the hell out of me.
Rating: 7/10
"AhahahaHAAHahahaHahaah"
Synopsis (shamelessly stolen): When a younger girl called Emily Rose dies, everyone puts blame on the exorcism which was performed on her by Father Moore prior to her death. The priest is arrested on suspicion of murder. The trail begins with lawyer Erin Bruner representing Moore, but it is not going to be easy, as no one wants to believe what Father Moore says is true.
I remember critics being particularly hard on this film, but I liked it enough. The Exorcism of Emily Rose is about two parts courtroom drama and one part possession flick (told in flashbacks). The runtime is little long at two hours and the scenes outside of the flashbacks can get a little boring at times. Jennifer Carpenter does good work here. She is often switching from being frightened, to menacing, and then to downright fucking crazy. My quote at the top is in reference to her constant screaming, I really felt sorry for Deb's vocal chords. The rest of actors do a solid job, expecially considering that their dialogue can get a bit hammy at times. The filmmakers obviously intending their film to be taking seriously, and that is what the tone suggest. Whenever it goes into horror-mode it can be rather effective. Most of these effective moments come from the flashbacks, but sometimes they are ruined by silly moments and shit cgi. It's a decent possession film, but it doesn't touch The Exorcist. However, that would be like expecting a shark movie to match Jaws.
One more thing. It's a common motif in the film that the characters always awaken at 3:00 AM and demon hijinks ensue. Last night I woke up to a loud crash. It turns out something fell in the closet, but it scared the hell out of me.
Rating: 7/10