BattleMonkey
Member
The unrated version is very gory in comparison, though the added footage is of lower quality, it's still much better with all the extra material put in.
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31 Days of Horror 6 |OT| The October Movie Marathon
- Thread starter ThirstyFly
- Start date
The unrated version is very gory in comparison, though the added footage is of lower quality, it's still much better with all the extra material put in.
Fox Mulder
Member
#16 The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb (1964)
I haven't seen it listed among the best Hammer films, but it was paired with Revenge of Frankenstein on a double feature bluray.
A Hammer film without Lee or Cushing and takes awhile to get around to the actually mummy. I've seen worse mummy movies though.
I haven't seen it listed among the best Hammer films, but it was paired with Revenge of Frankenstein on a double feature bluray.
A Hammer film without Lee or Cushing and takes awhile to get around to the actually mummy. I've seen worse mummy movies though.
DeathoftheEndless
Crashing this plane... with no survivors!
14. Suspiria
I watched Suspiria for the first time. The soundtrack is one of the best I've heard in a horror movie. Its creepy, weird, and adds to the dream-like atmosphere. One of my favorite parts of the film is how well Argento builds up tension. The moments that the tension leads to though are mostly so ridiculous that I couldn't help but laugh. I'm used to Argento's more grounded films, so this was quite a departure. I enjoyed it overall and it has a lot of style, but its no Deep Red or Bird with the Crystal Plumage.
I watched Suspiria for the first time. The soundtrack is one of the best I've heard in a horror movie. Its creepy, weird, and adds to the dream-like atmosphere. One of my favorite parts of the film is how well Argento builds up tension. The moments that the tension leads to though are mostly so ridiculous that I couldn't help but laugh. I'm used to Argento's more grounded films, so this was quite a departure. I enjoyed it overall and it has a lot of style, but its no Deep Red or Bird with the Crystal Plumage.
Rhomega Beta
Member
19. The Invisible Man (1933)
Really more science fiction than horror, as the movie is mostly a "cops trying to catch the bad guy" plot. Still, the effects are impressive, Griffin is a jerk you want to see lose (he even steals from the inn he already attacked people in earlier). Also, exploding cars before exploding cars was cool.
Full list
Really more science fiction than horror, as the movie is mostly a "cops trying to catch the bad guy" plot. Still, the effects are impressive, Griffin is a jerk you want to see lose (he even steals from the inn he already attacked people in earlier). Also, exploding cars before exploding cars was cool.
Full list
October 17
How does one begin to describe Tetsuo: The Iron Man? It could just as easily be long form Ministry music video as directed by David Lynch, or what would happen if David Cronenberg took a lot of drugs while out in Japan and had a camera along with him to record the experience. But making such direct comparisons doesn't do a lot of justice to how damn unique Shinya Tsukamoto's film is, defying not just easy classification as it is defying any kind of classification. Clocking in at just over an hour long, the full-on assault on the senses goes on just long enough to leave a strong impact without repeating itself or overstaying its welcome. The aesthetic is so strong here, blending in high contrast black-and-white visuals with plenty of stop motion and time lapse photography to heighten the grotesque melding of flesh and metal throughout, all topped off with kinetic editing that keeps up the battery while still being oddly coherent. There is some kind of story here, about a guy with a metal fetish cursing the man who killed him in a hit-and-run accident to himself turn into a metal machine thing, but it's not particularly important beyond the setup as Tsukamoto unloads one dementedly brilliant scene after another. Its aggressive nature isn't afraid to leave you playing catch-up as you try to process whatever the hell it was that you just saw in the middle of whatever the hell it is that that you're currently seeing, which seems like the proper mindset to be in for this film. I don't know if it's fun or insightful or whatever, but it is certainly a one-of-a-kind that makes other distinctions seem moot, and it may just be all the better for it.
Film for October 18: Years before he got lost on an island, Terry O'Quinn played another shapeshifter of sorts in The Stepfather. Long a figure of horror films, this film is often hailed as his finest hour, and with a creepy premise ripe with potential for an actor, it's going to be hard for it to not deliver the goods as far as he's concerned. Let's find out if the rest of the film can stack up...
How does one begin to describe Tetsuo: The Iron Man? It could just as easily be long form Ministry music video as directed by David Lynch, or what would happen if David Cronenberg took a lot of drugs while out in Japan and had a camera along with him to record the experience. But making such direct comparisons doesn't do a lot of justice to how damn unique Shinya Tsukamoto's film is, defying not just easy classification as it is defying any kind of classification. Clocking in at just over an hour long, the full-on assault on the senses goes on just long enough to leave a strong impact without repeating itself or overstaying its welcome. The aesthetic is so strong here, blending in high contrast black-and-white visuals with plenty of stop motion and time lapse photography to heighten the grotesque melding of flesh and metal throughout, all topped off with kinetic editing that keeps up the battery while still being oddly coherent. There is some kind of story here, about a guy with a metal fetish cursing the man who killed him in a hit-and-run accident to himself turn into a metal machine thing, but it's not particularly important beyond the setup as Tsukamoto unloads one dementedly brilliant scene after another. Its aggressive nature isn't afraid to leave you playing catch-up as you try to process whatever the hell it was that you just saw in the middle of whatever the hell it is that that you're currently seeing, which seems like the proper mindset to be in for this film. I don't know if it's fun or insightful or whatever, but it is certainly a one-of-a-kind that makes other distinctions seem moot, and it may just be all the better for it.
Film for October 18: Years before he got lost on an island, Terry O'Quinn played another shapeshifter of sorts in The Stepfather. Long a figure of horror films, this film is often hailed as his finest hour, and with a creepy premise ripe with potential for an actor, it's going to be hard for it to not deliver the goods as far as he's concerned. Let's find out if the rest of the film can stack up...
pitcairn55
Member
Definitely going to check it out. The cut version is like watching a weird 'Characters React To My Bloody Valentine' video on YouTube. Lots of shots of horrified faces, but barely any sign of what they were being horrified by! It's a shame because I really did like the movie.
#16: Village of the Damned | via DVD
Yeah. This is the first bad John Carpenter movie I've seen. The premise is interesting but the story is just dead in the water, despite a very strong cast. I spent most of the film waiting for things to happen, and when they finally started in the last 20 minutes or so, it still managed to be boring. This has the least exciting, and certainly not horrifying, shootout I've ever seen at the end. The one standout is the lead child, Christopher Reeve's daughter, who is absolutely commanding in the only frightening element of film. Seriously, she freaked me out and almost redeems this oddly tepid misfire. Even the score, typically one of Carpenter's strengths, is listless. Very disappointing.
** out of five
Yeah. This is the first bad John Carpenter movie I've seen. The premise is interesting but the story is just dead in the water, despite a very strong cast. I spent most of the film waiting for things to happen, and when they finally started in the last 20 minutes or so, it still managed to be boring. This has the least exciting, and certainly not horrifying, shootout I've ever seen at the end. The one standout is the lead child, Christopher Reeve's daughter, who is absolutely commanding in the only frightening element of film. Seriously, she freaked me out and almost redeems this oddly tepid misfire. Even the score, typically one of Carpenter's strengths, is listless. Very disappointing.
** out of five
#26 - Friday the 13th: A New Beginning [1985]
I don't really even know what to say at this point. They seem to be trying to string together some sort of story with Tommy Jarvis, but so much of the movie is just random useless one-dimensional characters getting picked off one by one, just like in the four preceding movies except worse. We're constantly being introduced to new characters who seem like they're going to be the focus of some sort of subplot, only for them to die almost immediately afterward. The characters are universally awful. So are the kills. The finale is probably the worst of any of the ones I've seen so far. This movie sucks.
#27 - Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives [1986]
"Some folks have a strange idea of entertainment."
So right off the bat, this one is leagues better than pretty much all of its predecessors because it knows exactly what it is and it doesn't pretend to be anything else. It acknowledges its silliness, it pokes fun at itself. It has an actual mostly coherent plot with (a few) characters with agency! And it's actually funny! The previous installments try and fail to include some humor, and it all amounts to yawn-inducing innuendo. This one actually contains some entertaining banter and some physical gags that really hit home. The little girl asleep with a copy of No Exit made me laugh out loud. The trend of increasingly neutered violence is continued here, and there's not even any nudity, believe it or not, but to be honest that's not what I'm watching for. Even with relatively little blood and guts, the kills are more creative than the previous couple of films. I'm not saying it's brilliant, but so far this is the only Friday the 13th film that I would actually consider good.
#28 - Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood [1988]
I'm mixed on this one. It's most definitely one of the better entries in the series, but it's still quite a step back from Part VI. I liked the concept of a telekinetic protagonist - I mean, after introducing zombie Jason in the last movie, why not get weirder? - but I felt they could have done more with that instead of relying so much on the tired old routine. This one isn't funny or self-aware like VI was either, so that's another point against it, although it doesn't take itself all that seriously either, what with the magical stuff and all. Still, Tina is a sympathetic protagonist and Dr. Crews is a delightfully despicable bastard, and the movie's good moments are pretty good. I like how Jason's appearance in each film reflects the punishment he's received throughout the series, right down to the notch in the mask from Part III (and goddamn, that is one durable mask). The finale is satisfying because we finally have a character who can actually go toe to toe with Jason, à la Dream Warriors. If only they'd deviated from the formula even more.
Also, I learned that Jason X is not the first Friday the 13th film set in the future. Considering the time jumps that started with V, by the time we get to VII it has to be set, what, like 30 or so years after the first film?
#29 - Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan [1989]
Or: Jason Takes a Cruise
I don't know if I can call this the moment the series jumped the shark, since I never really liked even the early films and they're all ridiculous in their own way, but...yeah, obvious shark jump. This might have the worst Jason teleportations in the series so far. And I found it amusing that he chooses to track down this specific group of people and just ignores everybody else in Manhattan. He's always killed indiscriminately, and now...OK, whatever. The movie tries to be funny but falls flat. And is Rennie the ultimate final girl? Not the best, I mean the final girliest final girl. Like you couldn't write a girl more final than that. And what was with that ending? Gah, I don't even know. This movie is garbage.
Also, it kinda throws the whole timeline out of whack with Rennie seeing a young Jason in Crystal Lake. Because Jason drowned, as a child, in 1957. He's already an adult at the end of the first movie, so like, was he just aging forever underwater until he decided to pop out in the first movie twenty years later? Which means Rennie's incident on Crystal Lake should have been like fifty years ago. Or was it just a dumb hallucination that haunted her for her entire life? I'm thinking way too hard about this so I'm going to stop.
Anyway, tomorrow I'll be tackling the final two. Wish me luck... I'll catch up with the NoES series too before I check out Freddy vs Jason.
I don't really even know what to say at this point. They seem to be trying to string together some sort of story with Tommy Jarvis, but so much of the movie is just random useless one-dimensional characters getting picked off one by one, just like in the four preceding movies except worse. We're constantly being introduced to new characters who seem like they're going to be the focus of some sort of subplot, only for them to die almost immediately afterward. The characters are universally awful. So are the kills. The finale is probably the worst of any of the ones I've seen so far. This movie sucks.
#27 - Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives [1986]
"Some folks have a strange idea of entertainment."
So right off the bat, this one is leagues better than pretty much all of its predecessors because it knows exactly what it is and it doesn't pretend to be anything else. It acknowledges its silliness, it pokes fun at itself. It has an actual mostly coherent plot with (a few) characters with agency! And it's actually funny! The previous installments try and fail to include some humor, and it all amounts to yawn-inducing innuendo. This one actually contains some entertaining banter and some physical gags that really hit home. The little girl asleep with a copy of No Exit made me laugh out loud. The trend of increasingly neutered violence is continued here, and there's not even any nudity, believe it or not, but to be honest that's not what I'm watching for. Even with relatively little blood and guts, the kills are more creative than the previous couple of films. I'm not saying it's brilliant, but so far this is the only Friday the 13th film that I would actually consider good.
#28 - Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood [1988]
I'm mixed on this one. It's most definitely one of the better entries in the series, but it's still quite a step back from Part VI. I liked the concept of a telekinetic protagonist - I mean, after introducing zombie Jason in the last movie, why not get weirder? - but I felt they could have done more with that instead of relying so much on the tired old routine. This one isn't funny or self-aware like VI was either, so that's another point against it, although it doesn't take itself all that seriously either, what with the magical stuff and all. Still, Tina is a sympathetic protagonist and Dr. Crews is a delightfully despicable bastard, and the movie's good moments are pretty good. I like how Jason's appearance in each film reflects the punishment he's received throughout the series, right down to the notch in the mask from Part III (and goddamn, that is one durable mask). The finale is satisfying because we finally have a character who can actually go toe to toe with Jason, à la Dream Warriors. If only they'd deviated from the formula even more.
Also, I learned that Jason X is not the first Friday the 13th film set in the future. Considering the time jumps that started with V, by the time we get to VII it has to be set, what, like 30 or so years after the first film?
#29 - Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan [1989]
Or: Jason Takes a Cruise
I don't know if I can call this the moment the series jumped the shark, since I never really liked even the early films and they're all ridiculous in their own way, but...yeah, obvious shark jump. This might have the worst Jason teleportations in the series so far. And I found it amusing that he chooses to track down this specific group of people and just ignores everybody else in Manhattan. He's always killed indiscriminately, and now...OK, whatever. The movie tries to be funny but falls flat. And is Rennie the ultimate final girl? Not the best, I mean the final girliest final girl. Like you couldn't write a girl more final than that. And what was with that ending? Gah, I don't even know. This movie is garbage.
Also, it kinda throws the whole timeline out of whack with Rennie seeing a young Jason in Crystal Lake. Because Jason drowned, as a child, in 1957. He's already an adult at the end of the first movie, so like, was he just aging forever underwater until he decided to pop out in the first movie twenty years later? Which means Rennie's incident on Crystal Lake should have been like fifty years ago. Or was it just a dumb hallucination that haunted her for her entire life? I'm thinking way too hard about this so I'm going to stop.
Anyway, tomorrow I'll be tackling the final two. Wish me luck... I'll catch up with the NoES series too before I check out Freddy vs Jason.
mariachi507
Member
Those are definitely the appropriate reactions to have. I'm one of those weird types that is actually fond of Jason X, but good luck with Jason Goes to Hell. It's up there with Halloween 6 as the worst of the mainline slasher sequels.
14.5 Scanners
Continuing on with the Cronenberg marathon I've now reached Scanners. As I was watching it, I was actually taken aback by how rough the dialogue was in addition to the bad pacing and story direction. However, it all made sense after I found out about Scanners production history. Cronenberg had the basic idea for Scanners floating in his head for a few years in the late 70's, when he was finally given the greenlight he was only given about two weeks of pre-production before shooting started. During production he would have to wake up early just to write the scenes that were going to be filmed that day. All of this is apparent when watching the film as it features some good ideas with some half-baked ones that were both mixed together in an effort to find some sort of cohesiveness. Scanners has some truly memorable moments, some that have been idolized in gif form for years, but with the short prep time we're left with a lot of wasted potential. To give the film some credit, Michael Ironside was great and chewed up the scenery whenever he was on-screen. Unfortunately, there wasn't nearly enough of it as the film is centered around actor Stephen Lack's character. Let's just say that his name is suitable for his acting chops. Howard Shore once again brings the goods as the films composer, Cronenberg really struck gold when he started collaborating with him.
One of my bigger problems with the movie isn't actually an issue with it's quality though. Throughout past 31 days of horror I've given a little lee-way to many films and am not usually strict in this regard, but Scanners is not a horror movie. This is a sci-fi thriller that is bookended with two scenes featuring some amazing Cronenberg body horror. As such, despite being slightly behind schedule, I'm not going to include as one of my films in this marathon. I don't regret watching it though. It's been great to see the evolution of David Cronenberg as a director and Scanners was an essential part of that evolution. Especially as a jumping off point for what comes next, Long Live the New Flesh.
Verdict: 6.5/10
15. Slugs
"You ain't got the authority to declare happy birthday, not in this town!"
"Oh, you crazy son of a bitch, what's it gonna take?"
After viewing Pieces and Slugs I can safely say that it's a shame that J.P. Simon didn't find more success as a director. These aren't necessarily great films, but they are as entertaining as 80's cult horror can be. I knew I was in for a good time when it took all of 40 seconds to get some blood on the screen. The effects in this movie along with the death scenes actually made my jaw drop. Most of the characters aren't here for any other reason that to get eaten by slugs, and that is just fine. When they are not being served up as dinner, their acting is really all over the place. However, the acting really fits the dialogue which can be both unnatural and charming all at the same time. Some of the banter between the characters, particularly the male lead and the sheriff, is hilarious. It's like the writer's threw their hands up and said, "fuck it, lets have fun with it."
There was one death scene I though was too mean spirited.
There is a girl that falls in a sewer to get devoured by slugs right after she was sexually assaulted. She never broke any movie rules to deserve this, all she did was say no. We don't even get to see her assaulter get any comeuppance, as a matter of fact, the movie doesn't even return to those characters again. The only reason this scene was included was to kill off another character, and there were plenty of other ways to do it without to a character hiding from a potential rapist.
Verdict: 7/10
walkmetothelake
Banned
OP
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I'm getting pretty bad at updating/posting reviews. Sorry for the huge post.
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Film #34 - I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
Rewatching this for the first time since high school has ended and such was a pretty weird, yet almost sad experience at times. This isn't a sad movie by any means but I used to watch this film a lot as a teen and the decaying friendships or whatever among the characters reminds me of what happened after high school for me. I'm probably just an overly sentimental/dramatic person.
Getting past that, this is still a pretty average 90s slasher. The cast really helped elevate this one in my opinion. It's still pretty wild to see the cast names together when you consider the context of where their careers were or were heading.
This one also has one of the most memorable chase sequences I've seen in a horror film. It feels like a weirder thing to mention but Helen's is so great and chase sequences seem to be oddly missing or less special in most recent horror titles.
Film #35 - I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998)
The most memorable things from this for me were the setting and Jennifer's song in the soundtrack. Everything else going back into this for the rewatch was a blur.
I can see why as they were pretty much the only redeeming parts of this. How sad.
Film #36 - It Follows (2014)
It Follows continues to hold up as one of my favorite horror films (modern or otherwise). Going into my first viewing, I was expecting something interesting but I wasn't ready for how special this one truly is. Everything from the concept, to the cinematography, and even the score comes together incredibly well. This one is really the full package for me.
I wanted to start with talking about "It" a bit. The concept of It and the various things that come with that are fantastic. The idea of It always moving towards you appeals heavily to my appreciation for attention to detail. I constantly found myself scanning to see if It was slowly approaching from somewhere in the frame. Sometimes the scariest things in films can be what you imagine or think about yourself, and the film lends itself to that pretty heavily. I'm also very much a fan of how what we know about It is either secondhand knowledge from someone or something we can piece together ourselves. This leaves a constant sense of mystery that never really goes away. Less is truly more sometimes and I'm glad that they didn't spend too much time trying to get into the "how's" or "why's" of It like many horror films or sequels seem to.
I also wanted to talk about the atmosphere a bit. This film just has memorable shot, after memorable shot for me all the while having a fantastic score from Disasterpiece to back things up. Everything together results in a dream like feeling that at times reminds me of something like Phantasm or Let's Scare Jessica to Death. Things like the ambiguous time frame and seasons really add to that.
The film has only been out for around two years but I've already spent so much time with it. According to Letterboxd I've logged this four times which I think is missing one or two viewings as it is. It's really uncommon for me to go back to something once so soon after release let alone multiple times. This isn't even getting into the time I've spent reading fan theories and such. I just can't get enough fo this one. If I wasn't so anxious about it not turning out so hot I'd be begging for a sequel.
I haven't written too much but I already feel like I'm rambling or being redundant so I'll just cut myself short a bit. The film is great, the score is great, the way it was shot is great, Maika is great, and so on. If you haven't seen it yet you should try it.
Film #38 - Deranged (1974)
Didn't originally plan to watch this but the dvd that came from Netflix for Motel Hell is a double feature with both of these so why not.
The pacing in this one was pretty bad. I ended up watching it in two chunks because I got really sleepy when I first attempted to watch this, earlier today. It just never really feels like it builds up to or truly takes off with anything for that matter. Thankfully this was still somewhat compelling despite the pacing issues.
It was interesting to see the some of the similarities and differences between this and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre as they are both (much more loosely in TCM's case it seems) based on Ed Gein. It's particularly intriguing since they released so close together. I originally thought one of them inspired the other but after looking into it more I'm not sure if that really could've happened with the time between releases.
I also want to give some credit to the one sequence towards the late middle-early endish part of the film. If you've seen this you probably know what I'm talking about. Said sequence was actually a bit frightening which I didn't expect at all. It was a short thrill but it still deserved mentioning, I'd say.
I'm pretty glad I gave this one a go. As I said above it was pretty interesting overall, I just wish it didn't feel like such a chore to get through. I'm not sure if I'd ever revisit this one.
Film #39 - Motel Hell (1980)
This was really stupid. The film has a great concept, some standout bits, and is solid aesthetically but that's about it. It's hard to even enjoy that when the writing is so consistently bad.
The protagonist is one of the worst examples I've seen of a female character in any horror film. It's truly just too much (even when trying to suspend belief) when you start to get into the plot. The concept of said lead getting into a motorcycle accident, waking up later to find out her significant other is dead, then proceeding to live with the couple who saved her without questioning anything is especially bad. That's not even getting into the fact that she never decides to leave after various things including an attempted drowning. I'm not saying horror is usually a great genre for female representation or anything but this was pretty low.
It's too bad the pig mask type thing hasn't been used in anything decent. It's pretty effective/scary looking.
Film #39 - Halloween (1978)
What is there to say about this one that hasn't already been at this point? Everything about this is just great for me. It's my favorite film for a reason.
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I'm getting pretty bad at updating/posting reviews. Sorry for the huge post.
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Film #34 - I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997)
Rewatching this for the first time since high school has ended and such was a pretty weird, yet almost sad experience at times. This isn't a sad movie by any means but I used to watch this film a lot as a teen and the decaying friendships or whatever among the characters reminds me of what happened after high school for me. I'm probably just an overly sentimental/dramatic person.
Getting past that, this is still a pretty average 90s slasher. The cast really helped elevate this one in my opinion. It's still pretty wild to see the cast names together when you consider the context of where their careers were or were heading.
This one also has one of the most memorable chase sequences I've seen in a horror film. It feels like a weirder thing to mention but Helen's is so great and chase sequences seem to be oddly missing or less special in most recent horror titles.
The mistake/goof where Ray climbs onto the boat out of the water yet has dry clothes drives me insane.
Film #35 - I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998)
The most memorable things from this for me were the setting and Jennifer's song in the soundtrack. Everything else going back into this for the rewatch was a blur.
I can see why as they were pretty much the only redeeming parts of this. How sad.
Film #36 - It Follows (2014)
It Follows continues to hold up as one of my favorite horror films (modern or otherwise). Going into my first viewing, I was expecting something interesting but I wasn't ready for how special this one truly is. Everything from the concept, to the cinematography, and even the score comes together incredibly well. This one is really the full package for me.
I wanted to start with talking about "It" a bit. The concept of It and the various things that come with that are fantastic. The idea of It always moving towards you appeals heavily to my appreciation for attention to detail. I constantly found myself scanning to see if It was slowly approaching from somewhere in the frame. Sometimes the scariest things in films can be what you imagine or think about yourself, and the film lends itself to that pretty heavily. I'm also very much a fan of how what we know about It is either secondhand knowledge from someone or something we can piece together ourselves. This leaves a constant sense of mystery that never really goes away. Less is truly more sometimes and I'm glad that they didn't spend too much time trying to get into the "how's" or "why's" of It like many horror films or sequels seem to.
I also wanted to talk about the atmosphere a bit. This film just has memorable shot, after memorable shot for me all the while having a fantastic score from Disasterpiece to back things up. Everything together results in a dream like feeling that at times reminds me of something like Phantasm or Let's Scare Jessica to Death. Things like the ambiguous time frame and seasons really add to that.
The film has only been out for around two years but I've already spent so much time with it. According to Letterboxd I've logged this four times which I think is missing one or two viewings as it is. It's really uncommon for me to go back to something once so soon after release let alone multiple times. This isn't even getting into the time I've spent reading fan theories and such. I just can't get enough fo this one. If I wasn't so anxious about it not turning out so hot I'd be begging for a sequel.
I haven't written too much but I already feel like I'm rambling or being redundant so I'll just cut myself short a bit. The film is great, the score is great, the way it was shot is great, Maika is great, and so on. If you haven't seen it yet you should try it.
Film #38 - Deranged (1974)
Didn't originally plan to watch this but the dvd that came from Netflix for Motel Hell is a double feature with both of these so why not.
The pacing in this one was pretty bad. I ended up watching it in two chunks because I got really sleepy when I first attempted to watch this, earlier today. It just never really feels like it builds up to or truly takes off with anything for that matter. Thankfully this was still somewhat compelling despite the pacing issues.
It was interesting to see the some of the similarities and differences between this and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre as they are both (much more loosely in TCM's case it seems) based on Ed Gein. It's particularly intriguing since they released so close together. I originally thought one of them inspired the other but after looking into it more I'm not sure if that really could've happened with the time between releases.
I also want to give some credit to the one sequence towards the late middle-early endish part of the film. If you've seen this you probably know what I'm talking about. Said sequence was actually a bit frightening which I didn't expect at all. It was a short thrill but it still deserved mentioning, I'd say.
I'm pretty glad I gave this one a go. As I said above it was pretty interesting overall, I just wish it didn't feel like such a chore to get through. I'm not sure if I'd ever revisit this one.
Film #39 - Motel Hell (1980)
This was really stupid. The film has a great concept, some standout bits, and is solid aesthetically but that's about it. It's hard to even enjoy that when the writing is so consistently bad.
The protagonist is one of the worst examples I've seen of a female character in any horror film. It's truly just too much (even when trying to suspend belief) when you start to get into the plot. The concept of said lead getting into a motorcycle accident, waking up later to find out her significant other is dead, then proceeding to live with the couple who saved her without questioning anything is especially bad. That's not even getting into the fact that she never decides to leave after various things including an attempted drowning. I'm not saying horror is usually a great genre for female representation or anything but this was pretty low.
It's too bad the pig mask type thing hasn't been used in anything decent. It's pretty effective/scary looking.
Film #39 - Halloween (1978)
What is there to say about this one that hasn't already been at this point? Everything about this is just great for me. It's my favorite film for a reason.
#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) - 5/5
#15 - The Last Man on Earth (1964) - 3/5
#16 - Tag (2015) - 4/5
#17 - The Invitation (2015) - 3.5/5
#18 - Pet Sematary (1989)
"That's right. Today is Thanksgivings Day for cat's, but only if they came back from the dead." -Actual quote from the movie.
Pet Sematary, not actually so much about the Pet Sematary, but rather about an Indian Burial Ground... Because of course it is. One of the better Stephen King adaptations, a doctor and his family (including the ever awful Denise Crosby) move into a new house in the country next to a road where trucks drive by like maniacs, for some unexplained reason. Either way, their young daughter has this cat named Spot that ends up dying on the road when the wife and kids are on holiday. The neighbour from across the street (played by Fred Gwynne aka Herman Munster) takes the doctor and the kid to the Indian Burial Ground and lo and behold, a wild zombie cat appears. Well, you can guess where things go next in this wonderful tale about zombie pets.
One of the better King adaptations (which he adapted himself, which might explain things), but ruined a bit by some of the actors, who just aren't very good. Still, a solid movie that makes you want to hug your cat and never let go. 4 buried goldfish 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) - 5/5
#15 - The Last Man on Earth (1964) - 3/5
#16 - Tag (2015) - 4/5
#17 - The Invitation (2015) - 3.5/5
#18 - Pet Sematary (1989)
"That's right. Today is Thanksgivings Day for cat's, but only if they came back from the dead." -Actual quote from the movie.
Pet Sematary, not actually so much about the Pet Sematary, but rather about an Indian Burial Ground... Because of course it is. One of the better Stephen King adaptations, a doctor and his family (including the ever awful Denise Crosby) move into a new house in the country next to a road where trucks drive by like maniacs, for some unexplained reason. Either way, their young daughter has this cat named Spot that ends up dying on the road when the wife and kids are on holiday. The neighbour from across the street (played by Fred Gwynne aka Herman Munster) takes the doctor and the kid to the Indian Burial Ground and lo and behold, a wild zombie cat appears. Well, you can guess where things go next in this wonderful tale about zombie pets.
Except not, since the doc's little toddler son is flying a kite, runs into the road and is killed by a passing truck, too. Denise Crosby hilariously yells "GET THE BABY" several times, which only illustrates why Star Trek TNG was so much better off when they killed her off. At the funeral, Doc is confronted by his father-in-law, yelled at for letting him walk in the road, and subsequently attacked, in the ensuing skirmish, the coffin is knocked over. Guess being shitty runs in Denise Crosby's fictional family... Anyways, as you would expect, Doc is unable to live with the pain and regret and stupidly has his kid resurrected via Indian Burial Ground, too. You'll never look at a toddler the same again.
Triggerhappytel
Member
I've not been participating in this horror movie marathon (think my count would be 2 so far this month), but I just wanted to say that I love this write-up and feel much the same about It Follows. It's a brilliant creepy film, the atmosphere is amazing, the soundtrack is godly, and something just as simple as someone walking towards you is an unnerving concept. I think my favourite bit is when the tall man ducks into her bedroom behind her friend.
EmpressInYellow
Banned
Sunday ended up being a skip day (which, thanks to the double features, didn't put me behind). Last night I got back on track with another one-off: They're Watching.
Summary - the crew of an HGTV "House Hunters" style show visits a remote village in Moldova to film a follow-up segment on a woman and her husband who had decided to renovate a run-down house there. The village was the site of an infamous witch-burning only 100 years or so ago, and the villagers are still highly superstitious and suspicious of outsiders. Conflict grows inside the crew as a series of incidents between them and the villagers leads to tense confrontations and, eventually, a reckoning.
Thoughts - I like this film way more than I expected to, and that's down to two things.
1: The characters are actually reasonably entertaining. This is, sadly, surprisingly rare for found footage movies. I actually didn't mind spending time with these people for the bulk of the movie when nothing overtly "scary" is happening.
2: The climax of the film is so utterly, outrageously bonkers that I was actually laughing out loud.
It's good that this is a horror comedy rather than a straight-up horror film, because it telegraphs all of its plot points strongly enough to do Samuel Morse proud. It doesn't matter, though, because that's not the point. The movie is legitimately funny in a number of places, and like I said, the ending is just utterly ridiculous (in a good, albeit somewhat campy, way).
It also NAILS the format and feel of those house-hunting shows, which is a clever excuse for "found footage" that I hadn't seen used before.
Summary - the crew of an HGTV "House Hunters" style show visits a remote village in Moldova to film a follow-up segment on a woman and her husband who had decided to renovate a run-down house there. The village was the site of an infamous witch-burning only 100 years or so ago, and the villagers are still highly superstitious and suspicious of outsiders. Conflict grows inside the crew as a series of incidents between them and the villagers leads to tense confrontations and, eventually, a reckoning.
Thoughts - I like this film way more than I expected to, and that's down to two things.
1: The characters are actually reasonably entertaining. This is, sadly, surprisingly rare for found footage movies. I actually didn't mind spending time with these people for the bulk of the movie when nothing overtly "scary" is happening.
2: The climax of the film is so utterly, outrageously bonkers that I was actually laughing out loud.
It's good that this is a horror comedy rather than a straight-up horror film, because it telegraphs all of its plot points strongly enough to do Samuel Morse proud. It doesn't matter, though, because that's not the point. The movie is legitimately funny in a number of places, and like I said, the ending is just utterly ridiculous (in a good, albeit somewhat campy, way).
It also NAILS the format and feel of those house-hunting shows, which is a clever excuse for "found footage" that I hadn't seen used before.
The Fly
Magnetic and surprisingly dramatically accomplished performance by Jeff Goldblum, some great dialogue, excellent effects work. It was a little gross at times. But overall, good stuff.
7/10
Sisters
I've never really understood why people say De Palma paid homage to/ripped off Hitchcock all the time, because I've never really seen it in the films of his I've seen. But man, this one is Hitchcock as hell! Great Bernard Herrmann score, surprisingly funny at times (what the hell is going on in that last shot? :lol), creepy performance by Kidder and the guy playing her ex-husband. Pretty rough around the edges, but I liked it.
7/10
Freaks
Eh. Kind of interesting, but mostly didn't do much for me. Also, not really a horror movie, aside from the ending, which was good.
5/10
Magnetic and surprisingly dramatically accomplished performance by Jeff Goldblum, some great dialogue, excellent effects work. It was a little gross at times. But overall, good stuff.
7/10
Sisters
I've never really understood why people say De Palma paid homage to/ripped off Hitchcock all the time, because I've never really seen it in the films of his I've seen. But man, this one is Hitchcock as hell! Great Bernard Herrmann score, surprisingly funny at times (what the hell is going on in that last shot? :lol), creepy performance by Kidder and the guy playing her ex-husband. Pretty rough around the edges, but I liked it.
7/10
Freaks
Eh. Kind of interesting, but mostly didn't do much for me. Also, not really a horror movie, aside from the ending, which was good.
5/10
#18 - Lisa and the Devil (1973)
As I've come to expect with Mario Bava, it's a gorgeous looking movie with beautiful colors and overall style that's surreal and poetic, maybe even dreamlike with a tendency to morph into a feverish nightmare. The setting is amazing as well; the decaying giant mansion felt like a character on itself; Dense with cursed history and former glory. The rather confusing plot and unfolding events had me scratching my head at times; is she dreaming? Isn't she? Is what's happening symbolic or literal? Telly Savalas as the butler was the best character to me, super entertaining with his overacting. Did I fully understand it? Probably not. Does it make sense? Maybe. Is it awesome? Hell yes. 7.5/10
excelsiorlef
Member
Oct 16
Part of of 2 of the Lukcy Mckee festival
21. Red (2008)
More of a violent drama than a horror flick. Great acting from Brian Cox, it was like the reverse revenge flick. Like moralistic John Wick. Man has dog murdered but instead of going on a revenge killing spree he exhausts revery avenue to see that proper justice is done and things go to shit around him because this is a movie based on a book by Jack Ketchum and in Jack Ketchum's world there's a lot of psychopaths lurking in every small fucking town.
It is a pretty good film but nothing special, Cox elevates it all way above what it should have been. Wasted glorified cameos from Amanda Plummer and Robert Englund, Tom Seizmore plays a prick which is pretty much his specialty so that was enjoyable.
22. All Cheerleaders Die (2001) He made this straight out of college and it's basically a "let's get my friends together and make a movie on a camcorder" type deal, but fuck if it wasn't fun. This is the movie that he remade in 2013 (which I watched and mentioned last post). I actually kinda like this version more, the witch character is better integrated into the story here and despite all being significantly worse actors that those in the 2013 version they all come across as real late teens people rather than sterotype movie teens. What they do with the film is not as interesting as 2013's but there's a charm here that's not in the new one, and this one is played straight instead of that horror absurdist comedy that permeated the remake, no pointless body switching in this one. It's also cool seeing what he opted to keep as some of the killer editing of the 2013 version is seen here in rough draft form. Some hella homophobia in the beginning, makes me wonder if that's why so many of the characters in the 2013 version were lesbians, as if he was atoning.
All in all it's a low budget home made movie basically and it is a good one of those.
23. Roman (2006) The tables have turned Lucky Mckee staple Angela Bettis is now the director and Lucky is the lead character. Another micro budget movie that looks it. See the movie that truly exposes how short Kristen Bell is. This one is a weird one, not great but interesting, Mckee wrote it and Bettis shoots it well for what equipment and budget she had. I can't really go into plot as there isn't much of one beyond basically creepy guy can't handle when his fantasy starts to become attainable and thus it turns into a nightmare. In that he kills Kristen Bell (that's not a spoiler that's literally in every plot description online) and keeps her corpse in tun full of ice while pursuing a new love interest and stuff happens.
Oct 17.
24. Children (1980)... It is WWE Superstar Bayley's favorite or least favorite movie (I doubt she's actually ever seen it or heard of it). It's all about death hugs! A group of children get exposed to a radiated cloud and become bloodless (that's literally a thing they make sure to let you know) zombie like killing machines who kill you by giving you a hug! A radioactive hug that burns you to death. This is a so terrible it's hilarious movie.. It has a staple of the era portrayal of women as either sluts, killers in the case of the children, or overly emotional idiots who almost get everyone killed because they can't accept the reality of the situation in front of them whilst all the men have no problem doing so... silly women. This movie is dumb as fuck. But worth it if you want to bloodless kids getting shot and limbs cut off in classic low budget fashion.
The funniest thing was hearing the score of the film and thinking holy fuck did they just rip off Friday the 13th, only to discover that it was in fact Harry Manfredini doing the score . This came out the same year as the first Friday the 13th so it's likely he was doing both around the same itme if not at the same time and boy does it show. It's a totally awesome score but I kept expecting a Voorhees to pop up somewhere lol.
25. Hush (2016)
Awesome film, a very groovy twist on the stalk and kill film, with the protagonist being deaf. Made for some fucked up moments that wouldn't exist with a non deaf protagonist, also made for some creative ways to adapt and fight off the killer. It is one of those random psycho path movies so don't expect much of motive or any sort of personal story there.
The only real issue I have is that half the film is one long chase scene because it's just killer vs one woman. That said the last quarter is intense and the total package rocked so definitely recommend.
Part of of 2 of the Lukcy Mckee festival
21. Red (2008)
More of a violent drama than a horror flick. Great acting from Brian Cox, it was like the reverse revenge flick. Like moralistic John Wick. Man has dog murdered but instead of going on a revenge killing spree he exhausts revery avenue to see that proper justice is done and things go to shit around him because this is a movie based on a book by Jack Ketchum and in Jack Ketchum's world there's a lot of psychopaths lurking in every small fucking town.
It is a pretty good film but nothing special, Cox elevates it all way above what it should have been. Wasted glorified cameos from Amanda Plummer and Robert Englund, Tom Seizmore plays a prick which is pretty much his specialty so that was enjoyable.
22. All Cheerleaders Die (2001) He made this straight out of college and it's basically a "let's get my friends together and make a movie on a camcorder" type deal, but fuck if it wasn't fun. This is the movie that he remade in 2013 (which I watched and mentioned last post). I actually kinda like this version more, the witch character is better integrated into the story here and despite all being significantly worse actors that those in the 2013 version they all come across as real late teens people rather than sterotype movie teens. What they do with the film is not as interesting as 2013's but there's a charm here that's not in the new one, and this one is played straight instead of that horror absurdist comedy that permeated the remake, no pointless body switching in this one. It's also cool seeing what he opted to keep as some of the killer editing of the 2013 version is seen here in rough draft form. Some hella homophobia in the beginning, makes me wonder if that's why so many of the characters in the 2013 version were lesbians, as if he was atoning.
All in all it's a low budget home made movie basically and it is a good one of those.
23. Roman (2006) The tables have turned Lucky Mckee staple Angela Bettis is now the director and Lucky is the lead character. Another micro budget movie that looks it. See the movie that truly exposes how short Kristen Bell is. This one is a weird one, not great but interesting, Mckee wrote it and Bettis shoots it well for what equipment and budget she had. I can't really go into plot as there isn't much of one beyond basically creepy guy can't handle when his fantasy starts to become attainable and thus it turns into a nightmare. In that he kills Kristen Bell (that's not a spoiler that's literally in every plot description online) and keeps her corpse in tun full of ice while pursuing a new love interest and stuff happens.
Oct 17.
24. Children (1980)... It is WWE Superstar Bayley's favorite or least favorite movie (I doubt she's actually ever seen it or heard of it). It's all about death hugs! A group of children get exposed to a radiated cloud and become bloodless (that's literally a thing they make sure to let you know) zombie like killing machines who kill you by giving you a hug! A radioactive hug that burns you to death. This is a so terrible it's hilarious movie.. It has a staple of the era portrayal of women as either sluts, killers in the case of the children, or overly emotional idiots who almost get everyone killed because they can't accept the reality of the situation in front of them whilst all the men have no problem doing so... silly women. This movie is dumb as fuck. But worth it if you want to bloodless kids getting shot and limbs cut off in classic low budget fashion.
The funniest thing was hearing the score of the film and thinking holy fuck did they just rip off Friday the 13th, only to discover that it was in fact Harry Manfredini doing the score . This came out the same year as the first Friday the 13th so it's likely he was doing both around the same itme if not at the same time and boy does it show. It's a totally awesome score but I kept expecting a Voorhees to pop up somewhere lol.
25. Hush (2016)
Awesome film, a very groovy twist on the stalk and kill film, with the protagonist being deaf. Made for some fucked up moments that wouldn't exist with a non deaf protagonist, also made for some creative ways to adapt and fight off the killer. It is one of those random psycho path movies so don't expect much of motive or any sort of personal story there.
The only real issue I have is that half the film is one long chase scene because it's just killer vs one woman. That said the last quarter is intense and the total package rocked so definitely recommend.
MattyH
Member
some quick thoughts about The Conjuring 2 before i go onto tonights movie. I was expecting a lot of jump scares and the like but instead it seemed to be more audible scares such as ramping up the volume but i did enjoy some of the aspects of the movie such as the crooked man.
Onto tonights movie #18 Shaun Of The Dead The film that started my love of zombies and horror in general no other zombie film since has come close to surpassing this for me
Onto tonights movie #18 Shaun Of The Dead The film that started my love of zombies and horror in general no other zombie film since has come close to surpassing this for me
Violence Jack
Member
#22 City of the Living Dead - I love this movie. I remember the first time watching it, I turned it off about 10 minutes in. Then after giving it a second chance, it became one of my favorites. The gore scenes, the soundtrack, the never ending sense of dread, etc. Just behind The Beyond as my favorite of Fulci.
ThirstyFly
Member
One of these days I've really got to give Fulci's the Gates of Hell trilogy a rewatch. Zombi 2 is my go-to Fulci zombie movie, so I've only seem those 3 once each.
After reading through this thread, I've decided to do 3 movies this week/weekend while my wife is out of town:
It Follows
Hush
Lights Out
Looking forward to reporting in and hopefully having positive things to say!
The score so far: 0 for 3.
Rob Zombie's 31
The Houses October Built
The Neon Demon
It Follows
Hush
Lights Out
Looking forward to reporting in and hopefully having positive things to say!
The score so far: 0 for 3.
Rob Zombie's 31
The Houses October Built
The Neon Demon
pitcairn55
Member
18/10/16
Film 21
Jug Face
Jug Face is a fine example of one of my favourite sub-genres - psycho-hillbilly horror. Unlike many of the films of this type though, it takes place almost entirely within an isolated community, and focuses only on members of that clan. This is no Normals vs Mutants slasher like The HIlls Have Eyes or Wrong Turn, but a drama of love, family and religion. Extremely messed up love, family and religion.
Living deep in the woods somewhere in America is a community of families, whose existence revolves around the mysterious Pit, a large hole in the ground filled with muddy, and frequently bloody, water.
It is to the film’s great credit that it takes all this completely seriously, but also in a matter of fact kind of way. This is not a comedy, nor is it a melodrama. This is just the way the world is, and the characters have to navigate their way around it as best they can.
With excellent performaces (particularly from Lauren Ashley Carter in the lead role) and a great soundtack, this is definitely recommended.
Films I've watched so far
Film 21
Jug Face
Jug Face is a fine example of one of my favourite sub-genres - psycho-hillbilly horror. Unlike many of the films of this type though, it takes place almost entirely within an isolated community, and focuses only on members of that clan. This is no Normals vs Mutants slasher like The HIlls Have Eyes or Wrong Turn, but a drama of love, family and religion. Extremely messed up love, family and religion.
Living deep in the woods somewhere in America is a community of families, whose existence revolves around the mysterious Pit, a large hole in the ground filled with muddy, and frequently bloody, water.
The Pit’s waters can heal the sick, but it also demands human sacrifice. Those sacrifices are chosen by the Potter, who makes a Jug Face of the next chosen victim, having been sent a vision in his dreams by the Pit of who should be the next to die.
With excellent performaces (particularly from Lauren Ashley Carter in the lead role) and a great soundtack, this is definitely recommended.
Films I've watched so far
M. I'm not sure how I got this on a horror list but a serial child killer movie should seem to fit however this aint that. Yea it has a serial killer but the film is more about the police trying to apprehend him and in the process crack down hard on the local gangsters thinking he's among them. So they in turn try and find the killer to get the cops off their ass. For whatever reason I thought this wouldn't be much fun but as soon as I hit play I was engaged. I'm counting it anyway since it was on my list and I've already pretty much watched my fill anyway. If you get a chance, hit this up, its bad ass.
Rhomega Beta
Member
20. The Mist (2007)
So a Fog descends upon a town, and things that are in The Fog can kill people. Where have I seen this before?
...
Oh yeah, Silent Hill! There's even a tornado siren that precedes the fog. The terror isn't just the creatures outside (though they're pretty freaky too), it's the societal breakdown, compounded by Mrs. Camody and the lack of electricity. Of course, this movie is rather famous for the twist ending that wasn't in the original novella. But wait a second!
Oh, and the poster is misleading. It's regular fog, not a brown haze.
Full list
So it's like The Invisible Man.
So a Fog descends upon a town, and things that are in The Fog can kill people. Where have I seen this before?
...
Oh yeah, Silent Hill! There's even a tornado siren that precedes the fog. The terror isn't just the creatures outside (though they're pretty freaky too), it's the societal breakdown, compounded by Mrs. Camody and the lack of electricity. Of course, this movie is rather famous for the twist ending that wasn't in the original novella. But wait a second!
How did the lady from the beginning survive? Everyone else died in a few minutes or less. I'm still bothered that she left in the first place. I mean, I know your kids need you, but if you just saw a bleeding man and another guy get killed. If you go out there, then no one's going to be able to help your kids. Heck, if you're so worried about them being alone, why didn't you bring them with you?
Oh, and the poster is misleading. It's regular fog, not a brown haze.
Full list
So it's like The Invisible Man.
October 18
I have to imagine that for more critical-minded folks that The Stepfather was a breathe of fresh air back in 1987. Not that it's hard to see the quality and virtues of the film now, but with this being released at the tail-end of the slasher cycle and almost deliberately going out of its way to avoid nearly all of the pitfalls that slashers were content to step into. While not a slasher outright, it does feel informed by them, and thus we're treated a film that's not completely out of place with them, but offers up some much needed restraint and focus on the things that tend to get ignored in the genre, like solid characterization, effective suspense building and impacting violence that doesn't need to invoke a special effects wizard or make you hate the victims to sell the brutality of such acts. Well, OK, there is that one scene of total gratuitous nudity towards the end of the film that does reveal that it's not ready to shed absolutely everything people disliked about the genre at the time, but hey! As seen through the lens of 2016, it's not hard to see why it's endured with so much of the film centered on Terry O'Quinn's pitch-perfect performance as a deeply delusional man whose only response to things not going his way is wiping the slate clean and starting over somewhere else. O'Quinn smartly plays him as a tightly wound-up monster, who says all the right things but has just an off-enough expression on his face or a such a slight slip of the tongue that the facade he's putting on as a real-life family man kind of guy starts to peer through those tiny cracks, and his outbursts are especially effective in showing off the extent of his derangement as he can barely get his facts straight on who he is and what he needs to be doing. While it would be tough for anyone else in the cast to measure up to the work O'Quinn does here, I actually did like Jill Schoelen as the daughter Stephanie, who does a nice job of playing a girl that does know better but also can't deny how much of an emotional wreck she is and how much that colors her perception of her stepfather. Everyone else is pretty OK, though the story is so focused on Jerry and Stephanie that it hardly seems to matter much one way or the other. Well, almost all focused on those two, as the third wheel here is the least effective portion of the story, as Ogilvie, the brother of Jerry's most recent victim, is out for revenge and doesn't really seem to be very good at that or anything else he does. The film drags in those scenes, and does reveal some odd writing moments in terms of plausibility, like him discovering a critical piece of evidence at an old crime scene that would have surely been picked up by investigators. While the writing oddities do begin to pile up by the end (though the finale is quite nice!), and the soundtrack is all kinds of lo-fi synth Velveeta (considering this actual cheese is too good for what we get here), I really did dig the relative grounded approach the film takes throughout, and I do like that it presents Jerry's ambitions as something to aspire to while also not forgetting that he's also the unambiguous villain, casting a dark cloud on even the most benign of actions he's taken to get his life just the way he wants it. This is the kind of film that remembers the virtue of being able to root against your villain while still making them an interesting character to follow, which even now is in short supply. It's not perfect, but I certainly am not the type to kill an otherwise film for that.
Film for October 19: How does one follow up a film like Cannibal Holocaust? Why, by taking the concept of The Last House on the Left (and its star David Hess) to its extreme conclusion! Because he must've thought that he wasn't done just quite yet scarring psyches in 1980, director Ruggero Deodato managed to get one more film out to go along with his final word on Italian cannibal films with his decidedly brutal take on class dynamics in The House on the Edge of the Park.
I have to imagine that for more critical-minded folks that The Stepfather was a breathe of fresh air back in 1987. Not that it's hard to see the quality and virtues of the film now, but with this being released at the tail-end of the slasher cycle and almost deliberately going out of its way to avoid nearly all of the pitfalls that slashers were content to step into. While not a slasher outright, it does feel informed by them, and thus we're treated a film that's not completely out of place with them, but offers up some much needed restraint and focus on the things that tend to get ignored in the genre, like solid characterization, effective suspense building and impacting violence that doesn't need to invoke a special effects wizard or make you hate the victims to sell the brutality of such acts. Well, OK, there is that one scene of total gratuitous nudity towards the end of the film that does reveal that it's not ready to shed absolutely everything people disliked about the genre at the time, but hey! As seen through the lens of 2016, it's not hard to see why it's endured with so much of the film centered on Terry O'Quinn's pitch-perfect performance as a deeply delusional man whose only response to things not going his way is wiping the slate clean and starting over somewhere else. O'Quinn smartly plays him as a tightly wound-up monster, who says all the right things but has just an off-enough expression on his face or a such a slight slip of the tongue that the facade he's putting on as a real-life family man kind of guy starts to peer through those tiny cracks, and his outbursts are especially effective in showing off the extent of his derangement as he can barely get his facts straight on who he is and what he needs to be doing. While it would be tough for anyone else in the cast to measure up to the work O'Quinn does here, I actually did like Jill Schoelen as the daughter Stephanie, who does a nice job of playing a girl that does know better but also can't deny how much of an emotional wreck she is and how much that colors her perception of her stepfather. Everyone else is pretty OK, though the story is so focused on Jerry and Stephanie that it hardly seems to matter much one way or the other. Well, almost all focused on those two, as the third wheel here is the least effective portion of the story, as Ogilvie, the brother of Jerry's most recent victim, is out for revenge and doesn't really seem to be very good at that or anything else he does. The film drags in those scenes, and does reveal some odd writing moments in terms of plausibility, like him discovering a critical piece of evidence at an old crime scene that would have surely been picked up by investigators. While the writing oddities do begin to pile up by the end (though the finale is quite nice!), and the soundtrack is all kinds of lo-fi synth Velveeta (considering this actual cheese is too good for what we get here), I really did dig the relative grounded approach the film takes throughout, and I do like that it presents Jerry's ambitions as something to aspire to while also not forgetting that he's also the unambiguous villain, casting a dark cloud on even the most benign of actions he's taken to get his life just the way he wants it. This is the kind of film that remembers the virtue of being able to root against your villain while still making them an interesting character to follow, which even now is in short supply. It's not perfect, but I certainly am not the type to kill an otherwise film for that.
Film for October 19: How does one follow up a film like Cannibal Holocaust? Why, by taking the concept of The Last House on the Left (and its star David Hess) to its extreme conclusion! Because he must've thought that he wasn't done just quite yet scarring psyches in 1980, director Ruggero Deodato managed to get one more film out to go along with his final word on Italian cannibal films with his decidedly brutal take on class dynamics in The House on the Edge of the Park.
#14 We Are Still Here
Well, the other night I said A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night was likely to be my favourite movie of this little horror movie excursion, but damn if We Are Still Here didn't just give it a run for its money.
A haunted house story with a few good twists on the usual plot and some fine acting really make for a fun, if even slightly scary film. The first film so far where the effects/monsters actually gave me a 'look over my shoulder' moment. Well, until I realized the eyes weren't glowing, and they were charred not scaly. But the first few minutes in the basement are par excellence at tension building.
Well, the other night I said A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night was likely to be my favourite movie of this little horror movie excursion, but damn if We Are Still Here didn't just give it a run for its money.
A haunted house story with a few good twists on the usual plot and some fine acting really make for a fun, if even slightly scary film. The first film so far where the effects/monsters actually gave me a 'look over my shoulder' moment. Well, until I realized the eyes weren't glowing, and they were charred not scaly. But the first few minutes in the basement are par excellence at tension building.
Violence Jack
Member
#23 Candyman (1992) - Alamo Drafthouse near me was showing this tonight with the director and Tony Todd in attendance. It was awesome to see this on the big screen and to hear them talk about everything behind the scenes. It's also an ageless movie as it doesn't show any signs of being dated even 25 years later. Still remains to me one of the best horror films ever made.
walkmetothelake
Banned
Thank you so much! I generally feel anxious about sharing my thoughts on films because I'm not very good at writing or getting my point across but it definitely comes to me easier when it's something I really enjoy. I'm glad you're also a fan of the film.
#30 - Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday [1993]
So um...that happened.
#31 - Jason X [2001]
It's dumb, but at least it knows it's dumb. Not good in the least, but kind of fun to watch. Just a little bit.
So um...that happened.
Why didn't the dog shit on the mask? That would have redeemed the entire movie!
#31 - Jason X [2001]
It's dumb, but at least it knows it's dumb. Not good in the least, but kind of fun to watch. Just a little bit.
walkmetothelake
Banned
OP
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Film #40 - Halloween II (1981)
Halloween II stands out as one of my "comfort food" films. Oddly perhaps moreso than the original film. I tend to gravitate to this one when I'm looking to watch something when I'm home sick, under the covers or whatever. It seems like a weird fit but it works for me.
Over the years I've come to like it a bit less but it still holds up as probably the best sequel. That isn't saying all that much but it's something?
There's definitely more good than bad overall probably. I'm a huge fan of the setting, choice to directly follow the original, and updated score among other things. I also want to give credit to this portrayal of Michael, it's clearly different but as its own thing, I find it solid. Also nice that this one actually uses the same mask as the later entries try to replicate it to varying levels of success (usually badly but that's for other reviews). I just find myself wishing this didn't have the weird missteps it does.
To start with, the plot development in this was a mistake. Maybe it wasn't or wouldn't have been at release or if this was an ending for the series or Myers saga, but in context of the series as a whole today? Yikes. I know that's a weird thing to knock the film for but I really wish they didn't tie things together the way they did and I sometimes wonder about how things could've went differently for later sequels. They could've still been trash but it's fun to wonder. I'm also not a huge fan of the increase in gore. By general genre standards it's not bad but when comparing it to the original film it's definitely noteworthy. It's not too bad in most cases but the part where Michael kills the girl in her house has always stood out to me. Like there's no particular reason for him to do so and as the first exposure to the increased violence it has always rubbed me the wrong way. It's a really short sequence but I don't know what it really adds to anything short of bumping the body count a bit. I should get around to the TV cut one of these days as I'm sure it cuts back on the gore a fair amount in places.
I know I'm complaining a lot and sound miserable but I still really do enjoy this quite a bit. The Halloween series was a big part of what got me into the horror genre and as such I'll probably have a fair amount of appreciation and love for almost all of them. Halloween II is flawed for sure but if you liked the original I'd say at the very least this one, and Season of the Witch are worth a go. Both are fairly solid and in the case of III it tries something very different which can be nice at times. I'll move onto that one next or soon.
Also, the EMT guy who trashes mushrooms as a topping on pizza is trash and should feel bad. 🔪🔪🔪
Film #41 - Pieces (1982)
I cannot believe that shit with the Kung Fu instructor (among other things here) was something somebody gave an okay.
Film #42 - Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers (1988)
And I thought Return to Sleepaway Camp was an absolute mess..
Not sure where this could've went exactly as a sequel but making one of, if not the only likable character from the original anything but was not something I had in mind.
The worst part is, at the credits a thumbnail for Sleepaway Camp III popped up in the Hulu player and I have that buffered and ready to go in the next tab. Someone please stop me.
Film #43 - Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland (1989)
It was better than II and Return to Sleepaway Camp or something, I guess.
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Film #40 - Halloween II (1981)
Halloween II stands out as one of my "comfort food" films. Oddly perhaps moreso than the original film. I tend to gravitate to this one when I'm looking to watch something when I'm home sick, under the covers or whatever. It seems like a weird fit but it works for me.
Over the years I've come to like it a bit less but it still holds up as probably the best sequel. That isn't saying all that much but it's something?
There's definitely more good than bad overall probably. I'm a huge fan of the setting, choice to directly follow the original, and updated score among other things. I also want to give credit to this portrayal of Michael, it's clearly different but as its own thing, I find it solid. Also nice that this one actually uses the same mask as the later entries try to replicate it to varying levels of success (usually badly but that's for other reviews). I just find myself wishing this didn't have the weird missteps it does.
To start with, the plot development in this was a mistake. Maybe it wasn't or wouldn't have been at release or if this was an ending for the series or Myers saga, but in context of the series as a whole today? Yikes. I know that's a weird thing to knock the film for but I really wish they didn't tie things together the way they did and I sometimes wonder about how things could've went differently for later sequels. They could've still been trash but it's fun to wonder. I'm also not a huge fan of the increase in gore. By general genre standards it's not bad but when comparing it to the original film it's definitely noteworthy. It's not too bad in most cases but the part where Michael kills the girl in her house has always stood out to me. Like there's no particular reason for him to do so and as the first exposure to the increased violence it has always rubbed me the wrong way. It's a really short sequence but I don't know what it really adds to anything short of bumping the body count a bit. I should get around to the TV cut one of these days as I'm sure it cuts back on the gore a fair amount in places.
I know I'm complaining a lot and sound miserable but I still really do enjoy this quite a bit. The Halloween series was a big part of what got me into the horror genre and as such I'll probably have a fair amount of appreciation and love for almost all of them. Halloween II is flawed for sure but if you liked the original I'd say at the very least this one, and Season of the Witch are worth a go. Both are fairly solid and in the case of III it tries something very different which can be nice at times. I'll move onto that one next or soon.
Also, the EMT guy who trashes mushrooms as a topping on pizza is trash and should feel bad. 🔪🔪🔪
Film #41 - Pieces (1982)
I cannot believe that shit with the Kung Fu instructor (among other things here) was something somebody gave an okay.
Film #42 - Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers (1988)
And I thought Return to Sleepaway Camp was an absolute mess..
Not sure where this could've went exactly as a sequel but making one of, if not the only likable character from the original anything but was not something I had in mind.
The worst part is, at the credits a thumbnail for Sleepaway Camp III popped up in the Hulu player and I have that buffered and ready to go in the next tab. Someone please stop me.
Film #43 - Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland (1989)
It was better than II and Return to Sleepaway Camp or something, I guess.
excelsiorlef
Member
Oct 18.
26. Lights Out (2016)
I had expected more from this so I ended up being a little disappointed. It is still a solid horror flick but I felt it really mishandled mental illness and the ending was easy to call from a mile away. Some plot points are like half shown and then explained later meaning you're deprived of that ohhhh moment,Maria Bello was excellent as was the female lead. Solid acting, some decent visual but ultimately kinda forgettable
26. Lights Out (2016)
I had expected more from this so I ended up being a little disappointed. It is still a solid horror flick but I felt it really mishandled mental illness and the ending was easy to call from a mile away. Some plot points are like half shown and then explained later meaning you're deprived of that ohhhh moment,Maria Bello was excellent as was the female lead. Solid acting, some decent visual but ultimately kinda forgettable
#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) - 5/5
#15 - The Last Man on Earth (1964) - 3/5
#16 - Tag (2015) - 4/5
#17 - The Invitation (2015) - 3.5/5
#18 - Pet Sematary (1989) - 4/5
#19 - The Visit (2015)
After many flops M. Night Shamalalalalayn gets five million budget and creates a nice little found footage film. The movie is about two teenage kids, who are sent of to spend a week with their grandparents, whom are estranged from their mother and they've never met. The 15-year-old girl decides to make a documentary from the event and off we go. Right off the bat, something seems off with the grandparents and as we progress through the week we slowly unravel the mystery and the Shyamawatchamacallit-twist that you know is going to happen because M. Night has to M. Night, even when making low-budget indie horror.
That said, the movie is actually quite fun, the grandparents are very well portrayed, eerie while still somewhat kindly. The kids are hit-and-miss, the girl is okay, but her little brother (a would-be rapper) is just shit, I didn't enjoy his character at all. Still, it was a fun found-footage film, so I give it 3 Yahtzee dice 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) - 5/5
#15 - The Last Man on Earth (1964) - 3/5
#16 - Tag (2015) - 4/5
#17 - The Invitation (2015) - 3.5/5
#18 - Pet Sematary (1989) - 4/5
#19 - The Visit (2015)
After many flops M. Night Shamalalalalayn gets five million budget and creates a nice little found footage film. The movie is about two teenage kids, who are sent of to spend a week with their grandparents, whom are estranged from their mother and they've never met. The 15-year-old girl decides to make a documentary from the event and off we go. Right off the bat, something seems off with the grandparents and as we progress through the week we slowly unravel the mystery and the Shyamawatchamacallit-twist that you know is going to happen because M. Night has to M. Night, even when making low-budget indie horror.
That said, the movie is actually quite fun, the grandparents are very well portrayed, eerie while still somewhat kindly. The kids are hit-and-miss, the girl is okay, but her little brother (a would-be rapper) is just shit, I didn't enjoy his character at all. Still, it was a fun found-footage film, so I give it 3 Yahtzee dice out of 5.
Rhomega Beta
Member
You know that old saying that if you watch horror movies, you'll get nightmares? Well, it finally happened. I had a dream where Freddy Krueger was after me. I remember dealing with several trials involving facing fear. I was riding in a minivan with my family, and part of the ceiling would open up and go into this spooky attic. I'm pretty sure bees were involved. Ultimately, I faced Freddy himself. I chose a lightsaber, but he still wound up killing me and throwing me into a pit of spikes. I'm not dead now though.
DeathoftheEndless
Crashing this plane... with no survivors!
15. A Tale of Two Sisters
A Tale of Two Sisters is one of the best movies I've seen this month. Its a Korean psychological horror movie about two sisters returning from a psychiatric hospital to stay with their cold stepmother and withdrawn father. When someone has a history of mental illness in a story, never trust a word they say. With this movie though, the rabbit hole goes a bit deeper. The revelations are not only surprising, but sad. The story is really about the difficulties in recovering from a traumatic experience. It features some disturbing horror scenes as well. There aren't a lot of quick movements, instead it lingers on disturbing images and the moments right before they occur. If I was younger, I would have had trouble falling asleep last night.
A Tale of Two Sisters is one of the best movies I've seen this month. Its a Korean psychological horror movie about two sisters returning from a psychiatric hospital to stay with their cold stepmother and withdrawn father. When someone has a history of mental illness in a story, never trust a word they say. With this movie though, the rabbit hole goes a bit deeper. The revelations are not only surprising, but sad. The story is really about the difficulties in recovering from a traumatic experience. It features some disturbing horror scenes as well. There aren't a lot of quick movements, instead it lingers on disturbing images and the moments right before they occur. If I was younger, I would have had trouble falling asleep last night.
Mortimer Brewster
Member
Fancy Clown
Member
26) The House by the Cemetery - (Lucio Fulci, 1981)
"Mommy says you're not dead. Is that true?"
Holy fuck the kid in this movie is annoying. Holy. Fuck. Okay...got that out of my system (holy fuck tho). This follows up City of the Living Dead and They Beyond as the third part of Fulci's Gates of Hell trilogy, although this one is decidedly less apocalyptic. Instead, this film focuses on one house that is kinda haunted and also has a killer living in it, and, yeah. That's about all I got from the story. This movie is pretty bad. The smaller scale tableau means there's both less room for crazy visuals and moments, and a lot more dialogue, both of which are very bad things indeed for a Fulci film. There are of course some entertaining moments (lol that bat), and the requisite extremely gory kills, but I dare you to try to follow along with the utterly incomprehensible plot especially when much of it centers around the child monstrosity known as "Bob" who is clearly dubbed by a fully grown adult who sounds more like an impression of a mentally handicapped pedophile than any kid I've ever heard. I kid you not. Try to last through more than ten seconds of this.
"Mommy says you're not dead. Is that true?"
Holy fuck the kid in this movie is annoying. Holy. Fuck. Okay...got that out of my system (holy fuck tho). This follows up City of the Living Dead and They Beyond as the third part of Fulci's Gates of Hell trilogy, although this one is decidedly less apocalyptic. Instead, this film focuses on one house that is kinda haunted and also has a killer living in it, and, yeah. That's about all I got from the story. This movie is pretty bad. The smaller scale tableau means there's both less room for crazy visuals and moments, and a lot more dialogue, both of which are very bad things indeed for a Fulci film. There are of course some entertaining moments (lol that bat), and the requisite extremely gory kills, but I dare you to try to follow along with the utterly incomprehensible plot especially when much of it centers around the child monstrosity known as "Bob" who is clearly dubbed by a fully grown adult who sounds more like an impression of a mentally handicapped pedophile than any kid I've ever heard. I kid you not. Try to last through more than ten seconds of this.
canoli2006
Member
16. Carnival of Souls (1962)
I enjoyed this film very much. Very thought provoking and great use of atmophere and camera work to bring out the horror.
17. The Neon Demon (2016)
I like NWR's work and I loved Drive and didn't care for Only God Forgives so I went into this one with reservations. Very stylish thriller, moves pretty slow, and is at sometimes a chore to get through. Despite all that, I liked the film more than I thought I was going to.
I enjoyed this film very much. Very thought provoking and great use of atmophere and camera work to bring out the horror.
17. The Neon Demon (2016)
I like NWR's work and I loved Drive and didn't care for Only God Forgives so I went into this one with reservations. Very stylish thriller, moves pretty slow, and is at sometimes a chore to get through. Despite all that, I liked the film more than I thought I was going to.
The Mutilator is mostly boring, Chopping Mall isn't without its charms and is cheesy fun but the 1988 version of The Blob is a legitimately good 80s schlock horror, with some nice special effects.
ThirstyFly
Member
Mortimer Brewster
Member
Depends on what your feeling. If you want outlandish gore effects go The Mutilator or The Blob, though Chopping Mall does have a great exploding head effect. If you want a legitimately great movie go with the Blob. If you want zany fun go Chopping Mall or The Blob.
Violence Jack
Member
I don't dislike this film as much as you seem to, but you're spot on about the kid and the plot. Both just take you right out of the film. I do like the atmosphere and death scenes. It's a damn shame that this is the film that ended his trilogy.
11. The Devil-Doll (Tod Browning, 1936)
An escaped Devil's Island convict uses miniaturized humans to wreak vengeance on those that framed him. Oddly enough this film might have been better without the supernatural elements. I don't think it really adds to the story that the escaped convict uses shrunk "human dolls" as the tools of his revenge. An okay film but not on par with Browning's best works. 7/10
12. What Have You Done to Solange? (Massimo Dallamano, 1972)
Female students are being targeted by a killer in a London college. A teacher having an affair with one of the students tries to find out who is killing the students. A very stylish giallo with a surprisingly smart and coherent (for a giallo) script. Original score by Morricone. 8/10
13. The Last Man on Earth (Ubaldo Ragona & Sidney Salkow, 1964)
Finally got one of the mandatory films out of the way. I had seen The Omega Man before but I much prefer this version. Price is great as the lead. 7/10
14. The Visit (M. Night Shyamalan, 2015)
Two siblings become increasingly frightened by their grandparents' disturbing behavior while visiting them on vacation. Kind of a return-to-form from Shyamalan. The film would have been better without the found footage gimmick and with less rapping. 6/10
An escaped Devil's Island convict uses miniaturized humans to wreak vengeance on those that framed him. Oddly enough this film might have been better without the supernatural elements. I don't think it really adds to the story that the escaped convict uses shrunk "human dolls" as the tools of his revenge. An okay film but not on par with Browning's best works. 7/10
12. What Have You Done to Solange? (Massimo Dallamano, 1972)
Female students are being targeted by a killer in a London college. A teacher having an affair with one of the students tries to find out who is killing the students. A very stylish giallo with a surprisingly smart and coherent (for a giallo) script. Original score by Morricone. 8/10
13. The Last Man on Earth (Ubaldo Ragona & Sidney Salkow, 1964)
Finally got one of the mandatory films out of the way. I had seen The Omega Man before but I much prefer this version. Price is great as the lead. 7/10
14. The Visit (M. Night Shyamalan, 2015)
Two siblings become increasingly frightened by their grandparents' disturbing behavior while visiting them on vacation. Kind of a return-to-form from Shyamalan. The film would have been better without the found footage gimmick and with less rapping. 6/10
Pamplemousse
Member
The Blob is legit good. The effects are great, and some of the deaths are memorable. I'd give it a try if I were you.
Rhomega Beta
Member
No, but I saw 1-3, New Nightmare, and Freddy vs. Jason.