Support NeoGAF

[haikira]

*Title* = First Time Watch
1/5 = Hated | 2/5 = Didn't Like | 3/5 = Liked | 4/5 = Really Liked | 5/5 = Loved

01 *American Mary* 3.5/5
02 *Evil Dead (2013)* 3.5/5
03 *Session 9* 4/5
04 *V/H/S* 3/5
05 *Hellbound: Hellraiser II* 3.5/5
06 *Mama* 3/5
07 *A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)* 4.5/5
08 *A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy's Revenge* 2/5
09 *A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors* 4.5/5
10 *Sinister* 3/5
11 *A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master* 2.5/5
12 *Ju-on: White Ghost* 2/5
13 *Creature from the Black Lagoon* 4.5/5

14 *Child's Play* 4/5
There's plenty I could nit pick and I definitely agree with James Rolfe that they should have left a little mystery, rather than explain everything down to the smallest detail.

I'll admit, I went in expecting it to have almost no tension and just be laughable these days, but some scenes are actually quite effective. The star of the show is obviously Chucky and he's pretty damn fun to watch. Hardly the best film ever, but it does what it says on the tin and I had a good time watching it. =D

Out of curiosity, how're the sequels?

 

[rogueriffers]

Oh, don't get me wrong, I didn't mean that as an insult towards the original. It's a fun movie and I enjoy it. I just don't think it's some sacred cow that shouldn't be remade. They're both pretty solid movies. And yeah Linnea!

I don't think I've seen Witchtrap, but I'll rake a look.

Edit: Oh yeah, Scream Factory is doing a NotD BD next year too, aren't they? I do think it's about time I gave it a rewatch.

Agreed 100%.
Honestly, I'd say the remake is at least as good as NOTD II and much better than part III. Was there a part IV? I don't remember. If so, it was way better than IV.

 

[Ridley327]

German or English version?

Ze Germans, Tommy.

AFAIK, the English version is just a shot-for-shot remake with different actors, right? In any case, there's no way that Michael Pitt is as creepy as Arno Firsch was in that role.

 

[Divius]

#13 - Kaidan (1964)
A film that I picked because it has been on my to-watch list for the longest of times, matter of fact it was on there for so long I had already forgotten why, but that was because of director Kobayashi who directed Seppuku, one of my favorite films of all time. So as one might imagine, my expectations for this film were pretty high. Luckily it delivers, and then some. It is actually made up of 4 short stories, that have one thing in common; they are all about encounters with ghosts of sorts. Every single story was absolutely great; well directed, spooky and (in some cases) surprisingly funny. Beyond that it was a gorgeous film with only the best use of color, beautiful sets, costumes and make-up. Making this a sight to behold and a fantastic film to boot. 8/10

 

[Linkhero1]

Oct. 1 The Evil Dead (1983) - Great
Oct. 2 V/H/S 2 - Good
Oct. 3 Blair Witch Project - Boring
Oct. 4 Sleepaway Camp - Great
Oct. 5 Drag Me To Hell- Boring
Oct. 6 The Possession - Great
Oct. 7 Session 9- Great
Oct. 8 Nightmare on Elm Street 2 - Boring
Oct. 9 [REC] - Great
Oct. 10 Evil Dead 2 - Fantastic
Oct. 11 Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil - Fantastic
Oct. 12 Ringu - Good
Oct. 13 V/H/S - Good
Oct. 14 Dawn of the Dead (2004) - Great
Oct. 15 The Cabin in the Woods - Great
Oct. 16 Maniac (2012) - Great

Maniac -

I decided to watch Maniac instead of [REC] 2 only because of the amount of recommendations here on GAF. I did not watch the original so I can’t say how this movie holds up against the original.

When I realized that Elijah Woods would be the lead of the movie I thought it was going to be a comedic horror movie like other horror/slasher movies even if it wasn't intentional. It was the opposite. Elijah Woods did a perfect job acting as Frank. Initially, all I could think of was Frodo as soon as I heard Frank speak, but that quickly changed after the initial kill. Frank is a owner of a mannequin store that has been passed down to him by his mother who passed a year prior. As a child Frank witnessed his mother getting gangbanged by multiple clients of hers (okay it wasn't that many but still). Not the type of clients who buy mannequins but the other type of clients. He's been mentally disturbed ever since and takes it out on the women he's interested in. Out of all the movies I've watched so far this movie has been the only one to make me cringe. Not only because the deaths but because of how mentally disturbed Frodo Frank is. One thing that really stood out to me aside the first person view was the use of music. The music made the scenes even more tense and suspenseful than they were. I don't have much more to say without spoiling major plot points. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants a breath of fresh air from the usual slasher.

 

[kaiju]

As someone who considers himself a big fan of Carpenter, Ironically there're still a couple of his beloved films I've yet to see. One of them being They Live. I'm putting together a horror bundle on Amazon at the minute and I'm just wondering, is it classed as a horror around here?

I'm also going to grab In the Mouth of Madness, I think.

They Live would be a great Halloween movie. I recommend the Collector's Edition, there is a great "making of" documentary on there.

 

[devenger]

First off, I always hit IMDB after a movie to see if I missed anything or what issues other people had. And without exception, there's always one poster you see over and over on every thread, arguing that anybody who didn't like their favorite movie just didn't get it. And every film has one. Obviously it's a different guy for each film, but after two threads, you can spot him, he's the one telling people to go watch Saw if they're too dumb to understand the genius of 'fill in the blank.' Anyway, I watched Triangle last night, and this particular proponent had GRAPHS. "I didn't like the movie." Well, you need to read my graph before you decide... rant over.

Oct 16: Triangle - I wanted to like this for the boldness of the attempt. Puzzle box movies, with several moving parts, are the best. But they have to be well written to work. If your character has to carry the idiot ball several times to make the plot go where you want it, that's poor writing. If you're audience is forced to ask over n over 'why didn't she just do this?' and the answer is, well there would be no movie then, you might have some structural problems.

I enjoyed trying to figure it out, I am a sucker for these types of movies. Maybe if I watched it again I could settle into the rigidity of the plot. Instead, I just kept wondering why characters didn't do the most obvious things. And not in a typical, 'don't go in there' horror movie kind a way. In a 'that makes no sense to do that' kind of way. 4/10

Spoiler

As someone pointed out on TV Tropes, if you find a message in blood that says 'GO TO THEATER', what do you do? Well, you go to the theater!

 

[Ridley327]

A short review for a film that I quite liked, but it's appropriate since it's the kind of film that benefits a great deal from knowing as little about it as possible.

WEEK THREE - SHOCK & AWE
October 17

Fierce, tense, unexpected, and brutal, often in equal measures, Martyrs is the kind of horror film that doesn't indulge in any pretension of mainstream acceptance and offers up difficult questions that can't be answered easily. Writer/director Pascal Laugier could have easily gone too far in any direction, but retains a laser-precise focus for the entire duration of the film.

October 18 preview: I travel to Spain, cinematically speaking, for a pair of films. First, a film that bothers even the likes of John Waters must be something else, and thus we embark on the dark, disturbing tale of the past never allowing itself to stay buried that is In a Glass Cage. Next, a college student's research leads her to some rather horrific events that may have occurred at her school in Tesis.

 

[Divius]

#14 - Lifeforce (1985)
After specimens of vampire-like creatures are found in space (so.. Space Vampires!) and transferred back to London they begin to spread and contaminate the population. The concept of space vampires is just awesome and I love the route they took with the story and the focus of the narration. The way how it all escalated in the end and how the chaos in the streets is portrayed worked really nicely, but the film never lost the human touch. Thoroughly entertaining and a lot of fun. I also like to make a note of the terrific make-up effect and of course it would be impossible and unethical not to mention the gorgeous Mathilda May in this little write-up because damn, damn, DAMN! 8/10

 

[Divius]

#15 - Phantasm (1979)
While watching Phantasm it becomes obvious it is made with love and passion, but I think it's just not very good. Maybe it was the young inexperienced director, the low budget, the amateur crew or a combination of those factors, but I just didn't dig most of what this film has to offer. There are some really great and fun moments, but they do not connect with the film which feels disjointed. Overall it was passable but I doubt I will remember this film for long, although I can see how some people will hold this dearly if they grew up with it. 5/10

 

[BattleMonkey]

boooyyyyyyy

 

[Ridley327]

Phantasm has this wonderful nightmare logic approach that it pulls off quite well, so the disjointed nature of the film never bothered me, since that seemed like the point.

It is really hard to argue against Mathilda May, though, so I'll give you that much.

 

[Chainsawkitten]

[
A film that I picked because it has been on my to-watch list for the longest of times, matter of fact it was on there for so long I had already forgotten why

Who are you, impostor, and where did you hide my body?!!

 

[Necrovex]

#14 Friday the Thirteenth

This is what happens when I don't care about 5/6th of the cast. I start to cheer on the villain. The only person I liked was the chirpy woman, and well...we know what happens there. If I had to state one thing I quite liked about the film, it was

Spoiler

the plot twist concerning Jason's mother. I didn't expect her to be the killer. I am surprised I was kept in the dark for so long.

Jason leaping out to attack that one remaining girl was idiotic considering how realistic the film was to that point. The worst part about the film was that one woman refusing to kill the mother after having three chances to kill her.

Halfway through, I decided running was a better decision than watching this mediocrity. I came back after, but I was so very bored.

Score: 2/5

 

[Divius]

#16 - Carnival of Souls (1962)
The first and, surprisingly, only film by director Herk Harvey, who appears in his film as a haunting vision as well. Led by the well-casted and convincing Candace Hilligoss who is great as the shy organist although the contrast with the rest of the cast (who aren't that great) is quite big. The film's atmosphere is grim and spooky with stark black-and-white photography and an effectively eerie organ music score. The supernatural aspect feels really grounded which makes it believable and the twist at the ending has been copied many times by now, but this is probably the earliest example of it that I've seen and it works quite well. 7/10

However (ending spoilers/questions/discussion):
The thing that bugs me is the fact that

Spoiler

a bunch of people are able to see/interact with her but then there's another sequence where people can't (because she is dead obviously). Then how did those first people (landlady, tenant and his friend at the bar etc) see her? Are they also dead? How about the cops at the end when they see the footprints? Does this just not make sense and is it an error? Did she imagine everything?

 

[Divius]

boooyyyyyyy

I quite liked the villain, but he did not have the impact on me as he might have had if I was younger.

Phantasm has this wonderful nightmare logic approach that it pulls off quite well, so the disjointed nature of the film never bothered me, since that seemed like the point.

Ah well, when you put it like that it indeed make more sense. Doesn't change my opinion on the film though

Who are you, impostor, and where did you hide my body?!!

Haha, good to know I'm not the only one. There are hundreds of films in my backlog, some of which that have been their for more than 2 years after some random recommendation so it's hard to keep track at times.

 

[BattleMonkey]

#14 Friday the Thirteenth

This is what happens when I don't care about 5/6th of the cast. I start to cheer on the villain. The only person I liked was the chirpy woman, and well...we know what happens there. If I had to state one thing I quite liked about the film, it was

Spoiler

the plot twist concerning Jason's mother. I didn't expect her to be the killer. I am surprised I was kept in the dark for so long.

Jason leaping out to attack that one remaining girl was idiotic considering how realistic the film was to that point. The worst part about the film was that one woman refusing to kill the mother after having three chances to kill her.

Halfway through, I decided running was a better decision than watching this mediocrity. I came back after, but I was so very bored.

Score: 2/5

*tear*

I quite liked the villain, but he did not have the impact on me as he might have had if I was younger.

Think part 2 was better, and more tallman. More booooyyyy too.

 

[Ridley327]

I really hated Phantasm II. It felt like they really wanted to make a Sam Raimi film, and failed miserably at it.

 

[BattleMonkey]

You're all tearing me apart.

Gonna watch some Italian cannibal films to make myself feel better.

 

[Camwi]

#1. Evil Dead (2013)
#2. Carrie
#3. Paranormal Activity 2

Wife seemed bored by it. I loved it, just like I loved the first. I just get sucked into these kinds of movies. The actors did a good enough job with the acting to seem realistic, the creepy parts were really fucking creepy, and I even laughed at some of the comedic interactions between family members.

I even have to make a point that the dog they got was really good at its job! Its reactions didn't seem forced by offscreen crew members.

Looking forward to the third movie.

 

[avengers23]

15. Kill, Baby...Kill! (Operazione paura) (Netflix Instant)

I'll admit that the poster on Netflix drew me in even before I realized that it was a film by Mario Bava.

At some point, I think I decided that I needed to approach these films, particularly Italian horror films, on their own terms. That might require reconsidering the need for films to make absolute narrative sense. There's something to be said for films that take on a dream-like quality (I'm specifically thinking of Argento here) and lack traditional narrative pacing or even neatly explained and resolved events. The dubs just enhance the viewer's confusion.

Based on what I've seen, Bava has earned his reputation for producing gorgeous films. This swing shot will stay with me because of how beautifully composed it was, and that would make a film by itself. By Bava's homages to Vertigo, the smash close-ups to the ghostly girl, and the rich color texture that came through even on the mediocre transfer available on Netflix Instant all point to someone who knows how to make visual feasts.

For a while, I thought that the deaths were a product of mass delusion fueled by the town's collective guilt and that there was no supernatural phenomena involved. Then I thought that this was an early Italian parallel to the recent trend of creepy, vengeful ghosts of children in Japanese horror films. But the film makes it pretty clear that the deaths were more a product of a mother's wrath binding the ghost of her child to the material world.

I wonder if Bava also meant for us to see the film as an allegory about escaping your past. One of the protagonists is a woman who has returned to the town in order to pay respects to her parents' grave. She is then caught in the town's troubles and secrets. At one point, a character even asks her why she bothered to return. Only an outsider, presumably an American based on the actor's accent in the dub, rejects that the deaths are caused by the supernatural and would only consider rational explanations. He rejects a local witch's use of leeches to protect a teenage girl from the ghost's wrath and gives the mother antibiotics to treat the teen instead. When told that the church bells rang on their own because that's where the child died, he rejects it and states that the wind is probably blowing the bells. Everyone else is resigned to their supernatural fate.

 

[Necrovex]

*tear*

Nightmare in Elm Street was a far better film.

How is the second Friday the 13th film?

I'm going to watch a comedic horror franchise tonight. Time to prepare myself for Paranormal Activity 4!

 

[AgentOtaku]

#15 - Phantasm (1979)
While watching Phantasm it becomes obvious it is made with love and passion, but I think it's just not very good. Maybe it was the young inexperienced director, the low budget, the amateur crew or a combination of those factors, but I just didn't dig most of what this film has to offer. There are some really great and fun moments, but they do not connect with the film which feels disjointed. Overall it was passable but I doubt I will remember this film for long, although I can see how some people will hold this dearly if they grew up with it. 5/10

I marathoned the series back during the first 31 days of horror on GAF. Its a mostly shitty series indeed unfortunately
Pretty much the only real redeemable thing about it is the tallman and other dimension he comes from

 

[Oldschoolgamer]

I don't know if I'll hit 31, but I've watched a bunch of films to try and catch up. I'll post thoughts after work, but Cannibal Holocaust, Beyond The Black Rainbow, and Suspiria have really stuck out the most.

 

[WorldStar]

I don't know if I'll hit 31, but I've watched a bunch of films to try and catch up. I'll post thoughts after work, but Cannibal Holocaust, Beyond The Black Rainbow, and Suspiria have really stuck out the most.

Suspiria is great, one of my all time favorite horror movies.

 

[AgentOtaku]

Oct 17th - Maniac (2012)

This one was quite a treat! Never saw the original though it's on my list.
As far as this one though, it's quite a great flick.Whether intentionally or not, I felt like a lot of it's enjoyment will stem from what the viewer wants to put into it. Very much a cerebral film and not just there to make the viewer squirm (though it totally suceeds there

Spoiler

dat achilles heel

. Mostly everything is  minimal for the most part and you just watch the world through Frank's eyes about 95 percent of the time. You would think that this would very much be a gimmick that would wear out it's welcome very quickly, but that's totally not the case here. The director executes some sly edits and tricks to keep it smooth and, well, not boring.
Elijah wood is rather good. He's not amazing, but he succesfully further manages to distance himself from Frodo and The man who does the Puppet Master . He particuarly gots a great look going on for him.Typical Horror-schlocky fun aside, this is a legitimate slasher flick that plays it very serious and I think genre fans should appreciate, especially in this day and age where these films don't get made anymore.
Also, the music is indeed as fantastic as you've heard.

Alexandra Aja and crew did it again

8/10

 

[BattleMonkey]

Maniac remake is better than the original. Come at me!

 

[WorldStar]

Maniac remake is better than the original. Come at me!

dunno, first time viewing the re-make I thought the original was superior

after some time passed, I think it's close to be honest

might have to re-watch the original

the re-make's soundtrack is truly on a different level, which might give it a slight edge

 

[AgentOtaku]

Maniac remake is better than the original. Come at me!

We shall see!

 

[Count Dookkake]

.

 

[Divius]

Enough is enough! I am gonna watch Maniac right now!

 

[WorldStar]

Enough is enough! I am gonna watch Maniac right now!

you're in for a treat

 

[Divius]

I stand beside you.

It is a truly great film. Non-horror fans could find in it much to ponder, if only they weren't such sissies.

I think it was you who recommended the original to me (not sure though) so I'm curious to check this out.

you're in for a treat

I hope so

 

[devenger]

you're in for a treat

I needed one more instant watch, guess I'll jump on the maniac train.

 

[Ridley327]

The amount of people adding Maniac to their lists is enough to make a grown man cry tears of happiness.

 

[AgentOtaku]

The amount of people adding Maniac to their lists is enough to make a grown man cry tears of happiness.

Thats what the thread is for

Because of it, I discovered:

Sleep Away Camp
Trick or Treat
The Beyond

And im sure a few others that im forgetting right now

 

[Linkhero1]

Oct 17th - Maniac (2012)

This one was quite a treat! Never saw the original though it's on my list.
As far as this one though, it's quite a great flick.Whether intentionally or not, I felt like a lot of it's enjoyment will stem from what the viewer wants to put into it. Very much a cerebral film and not just there to make the viewer squirm (though it totally suceeds there

Spoiler

dat achilles heel

. Mostly everything is  minimal for the most part and you just watch the world through Frank's eyes about 95 percent of the time. You would think that this would very much be a gimmick that would wear out it's welcome very quickly, but that's totally not the case here. The director executes some sly edits and tricks to keep it smooth and, well, not boring.
Elijah wood is rather good. He's not amazing, but he succesfully further manages to distance himself from Frodo and The man who does the Puppet Master . He particuarly gots a great look going on for him.Typical Horror-schlocky fun aside, this is a legitimate slasher flick that plays it very serious and I think genre fans should appreciate, especially in this day and age where these films don't get made anymore.
Also, the music is indeed as fantastic as you've heard.

Alexandra Aja and crew did it again

8/10

That scene hurt me. I felt the pain.

 

[AgentOtaku]

That scene hurt me. I felt the pain.

Yeah, it was pretty fuckig bad

 

[GK86]

Is the second one worth watching? The creature was great, but goddamn those leads...

I liked the second one more because of the creature. His personality shines more. Weird thing to say.

 

[Linkhero1]

you're in for a treat

I don't know if I would call getting sick to your stomach and feeling pain a treat

but yeah he's in for something haha

 

[MattyH]

Day 17 - Halloween (The Original and best)

i always remember seeing this on TV when i was about 8 or 9 and being scared shitless for weeks after its always stuck with me

 

[WorldStar]

October 16th - Vampyros Lesbos

I'm not sure where to start. This is a re-watch for me and honestly the movie seemed even more...unique(?) than I remembered. For those not familiar with Jess Franco's works, you don't really watch them for the plots. Honestly the plots are typically fairly weak. Vampyros Lesbos actually has a decent plot but it can be fairly difficult to follow at times. The plot can be convoluted at some parts, but overall I found it interesting. So what is the plot? Vampyros Lesbos is essentially a lesbian erotic version of Bram Stoker's Dracula (shut up, it works). Where the film really shines is visually and the soundtrack.

First, visually the film has a psychedelic art house feel to it. It's beautiful yet delirious at the same time. The psychedelic soundtrack only adds to this (I'll cover the soundtrack in more depth in a moment). But perhaps the most visually stunning aspect of the movie is Soledad Miranda. The movie is worth watching for this woman alone (not even kidding). Just look at her.

Okay, onto the soundtrack. The soundtrack in Vampyros Lesbos deviates from the usual jazz soundtracks you find in Franco's films and instead uses a more psychedelic music influenced soundtrack. The whole psychedelic influence works really well in horror, and music is no exception. I mean, listen to this shit, set to a horror movie it creates an unsettling and delirious experience. Seriously, click on the link and tell me that isn't great in a horror movie.

All in all, loved this film. If anything, it justifies a watching for Soleded Miranda alone.

9/10

 

[Bl4ckSunsh1n3]

I've been following here (great thread)... I figured I would post my monthly horror-fest so far....with my star rating (1 to 5).

10/17 - Paranormal Asylum (post midnight) - 2
10/16 - Needle - 3
10/15 - The Collector - 4
10/14 - Side Effects (not really horror but, it was what I went with that day) - 3
10/13 - The Collection - 4
10/12 - Playing House - 0....would be negative if I could. -1,000,000
10/11 - Resolution - 3
10/10 - Vampires: Out for Blood - 2
10/9 - [Rec] 3: Genesis - 3
10/8 - Home Sweet Home - 3
10/7 - Paranormal Activity 4: Unrated Edition - 3
10/6 - Freddy vs. Jason - 3
10/5 - American Mary - 4
10/4 - The Woman In Black - 3
10/3 - Seance: The Summoning - 3
10/2 - Munger Road - 1
10/1 - The Dead Undead - 1


I might have the order screwed up on some.... All of those but Seance and The Woman in Black were via Netflix. I need to step up my game because most of those were pretty meh. Tonight I plan on checking out Maniac so hopefully the upswing starts.

 

[Necrovex]

October 16th - Vampyros Lesbos

If you told me this was a porno, I would completely believe you.

 

[GK86]

I might have the order screwed up on some.... All of those but Seance and The Woman in Black were via Netflix. I need to step up my game because most of those were pretty meh. Tonight I plan on checking out Maniac so hopefully the upswing starts.

Check out The Mist (Netflix Canada), Dead Silence (Canada) and Sinister (UK). If you like cheesy and over the top, Slugs (US).

 

[WorldStar]

If you told me this was a porno, I would completely believe you.

One could possibly argue that it is a softcore porno. There is tons of nudity. Virtually every other scene involves some degree of nudity.

Spoiler

but one would be wrong

 

[harSon]

I need to catch up.

I've watched Cube, The Conjuring, The Beyond, Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre(Original) , Susperia, The Loved Ones and Black Christmas (Original) so far. So assuming I watch a film tonight, I'll be 8 movies behind. Not sure if I'll be able to catch up, but I'll certainly try.

I've been swamped with school and work though, so I don't really have the time at the moment for my typical extensive write ups

I think I'll be watching Society tonight.

Edit: Ah, actually I watched Curse of Chucky too, so I'm 7 movies behind. I'm also kind of tempted to watch something from Full Moon after watching Rewind This! yesterday...

Edit 2: Oh! I watched Session 9 as well, so I'm only 6 movies behind.

 

[Dascu]

No write-up, just popping in to say that Profondo Rosso is still fantastic.

 

[Count Dookkake]

.

 

[Gameboy415]

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)
10/07 - 7. Satan's Little Helper (Netflix)
10/08 - 8. Tales From the Crypt Presents: Demon Knight (Netflix)
10/09 - 9. Perfect Blue (DVD)
10/10 -10. John Carpenter's Cigarette Burns (Blu-Ray)
10/11 - 11. Screamtime (Netflix)
10/12 - 12. Bread Crumbs (Netflix)
10/13 - 13. Ghoulies 2 (Netflix)
10/14 - 14. Tales From the Crypt Presents: Bordello of Blood (Netflix)
10/15 - 15. Hotel Transylvania 3D (Blu-Ray)

10/16 - 16. Hellraiser (Netflix)

-I considered watching all 9 Hellraiser movies that popped up on Netflix recently but after watching this one I think I'll pass on the sequels...
The whole concept of the puzzle box is interesting but I'm not a fan of overly-gory stuff in movies (I had to look away every time the hooks started flying) so I don't think this series is my cup of tea.