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Hollismason posted:The Dark Half is a underrated gem of a movie. It's the movie I'm watching tonight!
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Sep 23, 2017 03:10
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10. Night of the Creeps - "Other than kinda wanting to confess to a murder, is there a point to this story?" This movie may not have invented either brain slugs or exploding heads but I think it may have been the first to realize what a natural pairing they are. It's also packed with fun dialogue and great performances, including a standout Tom Atkins. Make sure you check out the alternative ending, too.
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Sep 23, 2017 03:11
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2. The Dark Half (1993) A Stephen King adaptation by George Romero ? Yes please. Starring Timothy Hutton as a writer who's alternate writing identity comes to life. It's probably one of Stephen Kings classic " This is totally not me , but yeah no this is totally me" . What I really like about this film is that I feel it really showcases what Romero is capable of as a director with a budget. Now it may not be particularly a huge budget but it's a excellently made film with great acting roles. It's also got Michael Rooker. Probably one of the more underrated Stephen King adaptations. It's also very close to the source material. Years down 2017 1993 I think I got room for one more horror movie today. I think I'll go with either 1986 , 87, 88, 89. Just got to figure out which year. Hollismason fucked around with this message at 03:37 on Sep 23, 2017 |
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Sep 23, 2017 03:31
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Would it count if I watched The Stand miniseries? Not on Netflix anymore (shocking I know) but I still might watch it.
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Sep 23, 2017 04:15
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It counts as 1 I believe is the rule.
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Sep 23, 2017 04:19
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Hollismason posted:It counts as 1 I believe is the rule.
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Sep 23, 2017 04:37
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What's the release date for The Exorcist 3 : Directors Cut and does it really count as a directors cut?
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Sep 23, 2017 04:45
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2. mother! (dir. Darren Aronofsky, d.p. Matthew Libatique) This is Aronofsky's second, more impressionistic attempt at bringing biblical critique to the big screen. Noah was certainly more ambitious in concept, but it was heavily diluted both by the studio's concerns over religious reactions and insufficient funding and technology to fully realize its vision. mother!, meanwhile, makes up for its lower ceiling with perfect execution. Aronofsky disposes of clumsy exposition and any pretense of explanation or analysis, letting the weight of the film lean on his excellent use of visual language. He's helped along by stronger performances here as well, particularly by Lawrence, but also in all of the supporting roles, which is where Noah really struggled. The set design consistently great, as it has been in the rest of his work, but the clear sense of geography given to the house that is quickly established goes a long way towards allowing the viewer to keep track of everything as it falls apart. It's definitely a home invasion film (perhaps the home invasion film, given the lengths it goes to), but outside a few isolated by poignant instances felt more like a psychological drama. The cinematography molds the film around mother's perspective, engendering an impressive sense of disorder, particularly in the second half. In most places, it's less frightening than it is disorienting. Comparisons upthread to the movie seeming like a nightmare are spot-on. There are a couple of particularly effective sequences (the army invasion, everything concerning the baby), but much of it is laced with dry, dark humor. Much has been made about what mother is supposed to represent, but I think she's in a position where despite being the product of clear influences, she can't be distilled into her components. The most interesting comparison the film draws to her is with Cain, during his brief return: someone marked by Him for the purposes of suffering. Though the film is substantially more critical of man than God, as His primary failing is overzealously granting them second chances to correct themselves. Or perhaps both are one and the same. After all, why else would He need to repeat the process time and time again? He certainly believes anything made in His own image can't contain a fundamental flaw. Why would he even think of destroying them? Noah's Tubal-Cain was at least right on that point. I had the theater all to myself, so I didn't get to experience people walking out. But with or without an audience, mother! is a film that definitely benefits from being seen in a theater, and that's an opportunity that is likely to be short-lived. 9/9
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Sep 23, 2017 05:30
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3. The Exorcists 3 : Directors Cut (2015? Entry) The true sequel to the first The Exorcist. What makes this film so good? The phenomenal performance by George C. Scott who in a single scene can turn from sorrow, to anger, to humor. Brad Dourif in probably what I consider one of his best roles. Or is it the fact it has one of the greatest jump scares in all of horror history ? I think of all the films this shows Blatty's ability to direct it's just a excellent film. Also, less as more. The film itself is not gory in fact you'll be hard pressed to say " Oh this is very gory", no what's disturbing about this film is the fact that everything that is done off screen but then the actual details are explained at great lengths. It's one of those films where less is in fact way worse. The original had a terrible tacked on exorcism where this one has the true ending and the film is better for it. "Oh Gracious me , was I raving? Please forgive me I'm Mad" Also, the story of the carp is legit hilarious. Hollismason fucked around with this message at 06:04 on Sep 23, 2017 |
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Sep 23, 2017 06:01
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4. Evil Dead (2013) Finally got around to seeing this one. It was good for what it was, those wholly unnecessary. I appreciate that it did its own thing while still holding to Raimi's original, especially his style (the POV shots were nice to see here), but the fact is without Campbell's charisma it's just a movie about a bunch of young people fighting for their lives in a cabin, it's well done but pretty played out. What's the policy on movies you've seen before? Need to show my partner the originals now since she hasn't them, but I have a few dozen times.
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Sep 23, 2017 06:41
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If I couldn't watch films I've seen before I don't think I'd be able to complete the challenge. Pretty sure rewatches count.
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Sep 23, 2017 06:53
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Hollismason posted:It counts as 1 I believe is the rule. When The Stand first came out to rent in the UK it came in two boxes, each with two feature-length episodes. If I were watching it I'd be counting it as at least two on that basis, probably four. The "rules" I'm using for myself are the rules of movies. 1) Minimum 59 minutes, because 59 minutes is the length B-movies were originally made to. 2) Feature length parts count so long as they were released separately. Lord of the Rings was made in a single production cycle, but nobody talks about Jackson's Lord of the Rings movie; they talk about his Lord of the Rings trilogy. (Incidentally these rules means I will be able to count Dr Mabuse, Der Spieler as two if I watch it because it was originally released as two movies in successive months. I probably won't, though.)
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Sep 23, 2017 09:27
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I keep forgetting to post about seeing IT (2017) so I’ll do that now. It was pretty great! It felt a lot like a good King book does, with moments of horror interleaved with slice of life character development. Some people have been calling it bloated, which I don’t think is true - it’s just how King’s larger works are. Sure, you could just cut down to the horror but then you’re missing a lot of what makes King’s works feel so good. I had to get up to use the washroom midway through and I realized there was no good pause to do it in - either you miss the character development or the frights. That really stuck to me as a good adaptation. Skarsgard’s Pennywise was great. He was creepy and inhuman and really felt as alien as the clown makeup should make someone. His entire character is bound up in that interpellation of a carnival clown offering you a balloon 🎈, the uncertainty of safety and whether to accept and trust or to refuse. He’s all about offerings - “you’ll float too!” I do have to agree with some people: I expected the movie to hit its denouement after the first trip into the well house. It wasn’t done yet, and what came after certainly wasn’t filler - but it was unexpected. I was really glad to see the dead lights though. Bring on Part 2! Previously Seen: Green Room
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Sep 23, 2017 10:22
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1. It Comes at Night (2017) Haven't looked much into it before watching but was pleasantly surprised by how unpleasant it was. It's a pretty minimalist, low budget movie that nevertheless looks great and has good performances, which is critical for a movie focused mostly on a small group of people stuck in a house. It's very successful at maintaining tension throughout, but by the end it's mostly just very sad and depressing than downright terrifying. At about 90 minutes I thought it was also just perfectly paced and without any bloat for the compact story it's telling. Hollismason posted:Oh poo poo I just remember I needed to post.  I guess I'll need to start over with another 2017 movie?
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Sep 23, 2017 11:48
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I couldn’t sleep so for lack of an attention span I did 3. The Bye Bye Man. I’d heard this was pretty bad and I guess it was? Not great acting (except from Carrie-Ann Moss and Faye Dunaway what the gently caress were they doing in this), pretty pedestrian filming. The actual core plot though was alright, although underdeveloped. Apparently the original story explains the dog, coins, etc. It’s much more psychological than anything. But I honestly expected it to be worse; laughably bad acting and so on. This was just the right side of tolerable, so as a 5am watch a horror movie pick, not bad. There’s better for sure; but I got 90 minutes of entertainment out of it. It’s funny watching it after IT, since Bye Bye Man is basically IT: Viral. Previously: Green Room, IT (2017).
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Sep 23, 2017 12:31
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Eloise (2017) Ugh. This ones bad. It's a low budget movie that tries to hide how low budget it is by just having everything take place in the dark. Even scenes that don't need to be dark are, just to hide the lack of set dressing. It starts off promising enough, as the opening credits are reminiscent of Zack Snyder movies, and provides exposition through a montage. Things go downhill from there. We have an unlikeable main character who stands to get fathers inheritance, but needs to get aunts death certificate first to prove he's the rightful heir. She was in the mental hospital known as Eloise. He doesn't want to deal with the bureaucracy of getting this because it will take 6 months so he assembles a rag tag group of stock characters to break in to the abondoned mental hospital to go get it. Predictably, the asylum is haunted and we get a fairly lacklustre story from there. The big problem is just how dark this movie is. Most scenes are just characters walking in pitch black hallways using a flashlight to illuminate themselves. We occasionally get some sepia tinted scenes, but sepia isn't exactly exciting either. Rewatches (3): Maniac Cop, Friday the 13th 3, Friday the 13th 4 First time watches (3): Mortuary, Little Evil, Eloise
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Sep 23, 2017 13:40
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5. TimeCrimes Silly name, fun movie. Saw it while browsing Shudder and decided to check it out. I'm always a fan of time loops, and this movie certainly scratched the itch. I didn't like it quite as much as Primer or Triangle, but this was a solid flick. It was very predictable for someone who's savvy to the groundhog day loop genre though, I called the most of the major plot beats pretty early on. 3.5/5 Now it's onto my Hammer films gothic horror backlog. I've got a hankering for explorations of the darker side of humanity and haughty victorian men in stuffy suits.
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Sep 23, 2017 13:52
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8. Young Frankenstein (1974) A little detour I decided to take after I'd been up with a few drinks and felt like some horror comedy to break things up. By far one of my favorite movies and it's always impressive how true the movie stayed to it's inspirations but being funny as hell. I got the urge to find a copy of Dracula, Dead and Loving It when I was done and we'll see how that pans out. 9. Fright Night (1985)  I wanted to save this for later in October but I was at work and hadn't brought anything else from my list, so Shudder came to the rescue. Fright Night scratches a lot of itches I get from time to time. It's got vampires, a sweet soundtrack, very 80s, Roddy McDowall, and really great practical effects (that I appreciate even more after watching, You're So Cool Brewster: The Making of Fright Night.) It's really something perfect for the Halloween season. I'll probably be adding Fright Night 2 to my list just for the purpose of seeing it all even though I've heard everywhere it really falls behind the first go.
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Sep 23, 2017 14:28
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Hollismason posted:2. The Dark Half (1993) A Stephen King adaptation by George Romero ? Yes please. Starring Timothy Hutton as a writer who's alternate writing identity comes to life. It's probably one of Stephen Kings classic " This is totally not me , but yeah no this is totally me" . 100%. King wrote The Dark Half after someone exposed his "darker" pseudoname Richard Bachman. King's a weird dude.
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Sep 23, 2017 14:41
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1)Ghostwatch 2)Willow Creek  3)Mother! Not entirely sure this should count as a horror movie, even if it is unsettling and horrific in parts. I'm not entirely sure what was going on. I have lots of ideas, but I'm still processing the whole thing. I don't even know if I like the film, but It's definitely in my head. Worth a watch  /?
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Sep 23, 2017 15:12
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#6: Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead Phantasm is a weird series. Both 2 and 3 have taken a lot from previous movies (final showdown in a mortuary, ball-cam, flashbacks, etc), but they manage to feel fresh and different, due to Coscarelli's imagination and willingness to play with tone. While 2 played up the influence of Evil Dead II, Lord of the Dead amps that up while also turning into a road movie and neo-Western. The stakes remain as apocalyptic as ever, but never in a way that's completely intangible to the audience like the Blockbuster du jour; the focus on a being hellbent on destroying all the small towns he runs across keeps the danger intimate. This is the most uneven one yet. The climax has some clunky editing that messes with the flow of the fights, getting the gang together drags a bit, and some of the humor doesn't land, but a lot of the humor does, the Tall Man is as scary as in the first film, and how the story unfolds keeps you guessing and confused (but in a good way.) The return of some of the dream logic that made the first one so special shows that Coscarelli knew what made the series click, and it's obvious he cared about these movies. Completed: Beyond the Black Rainbow, Rabid, The Driller Killer, Phantasm*, Phantasm II, Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead *denotes rewatches
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Sep 23, 2017 16:23
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10. Fright Night Part 2 (1988) It was on YouTube so I figured why not get it out of the way? Not nearly as bad as I thought but not super either. I might be wrong, but either the budget was lower or the effects team wasn't nearly as good and not having Tom Holland on board seemed to not do them any favors. The pacing seemed off and the movie would drag here and there, probably could have been ten minutes shorter and not hurt anything. The vampires are also incredibly inconsistent as far as powers and other such things, it would have been nice to establish a few more rules with them. But they did throw in a variety of monsters and did a few cool things with the story that I really liked. So if you're a fan of the first movie it's worth watching, especially if the Peter Vincent character was doing it for you. Some dark trivia though from IMDB is that Tom Holland and Roddy McDowall had lunch with an executive about getting a part 3 of Fright Night made and distribution. That executive was Jose Menendez. Menendez and his wife were killed later that night by their sons Erik and Lyle. For those not familiar with the murders or the trial. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyle_and_Erik_Menendez
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Sep 23, 2017 16:34
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 Demons This is one of the better "meta" horror films out there, Lamberto does a great job of controlling his father's(and Argento's I suppose) influence and using it as a tool to tell his own horror story. It begins with the world of Mario Bava confined to a movie screen, the opening scenes are fairly straightforward. But it's clear right away that these characters are watching a film that Mario easily could have made, and so when that energy starts to seep out into the theatre it's scary but also very exciting. I'm due for a rewatch of Demons 2, but from what I remember the cast of characters in the original is really what put it clearly above the sequel. Bava pretty expertly introduces a whole cast of characters fairly quickly, and most of them are likable. Even while there's still a lot of them left, it becomes clear that not very many can possibly make it out of this and so the film becomes a tense but still really fun roller coaster ride all the way to the end. I rewatched Demons because I was doing a double feature with another Lamberto film,  A Blade in the Dark My expectations for this weren't particularly high, I'd read some so-so reviews, but it still even came in below those. Maybe I was biased against it because of the stuff I'd read? I dunno but it felt plodding, fairly incoherent, and at 1hr48mins it felt waaaaay longer than something like Demons that just rockets along and never seems to stop to let you breathe. It's funny that Berberian Sound Studio came up in the horror thread yesterday, this seems to be one possible inspiration for that film. A guy rents a large villa in order to do the soundtrack to a horror movie, and a series of brutal murders starts at the same time. The story never really goes anywhere from there, we just get another murder every 20 minutes or so, and the guy gets increasingly manic and almost begins to loose his grip on reality. Unfortunately I never really found myself giving a poo poo about him and we're only given enough time to care about one of the women in his life, the rest felt like they were blending together by the midway point. First one of the challenge for me that I can say I probably wouldn't watch again. Completed: The Wicker Man, Deadly Blessing, Night Creatures, Shock Waves, Slugs, Venom, Demons, A Blade in the Dark
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Sep 23, 2017 17:21
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#7: Phantasm IV: Oblivion In what is the cheapest-looking and most obtuse entry yet, Coscarelli says goodbye to the director's chair for his beloved franchise with an effective, personal film. It's definitely the weakest so far by a country mile, but there's still interesting things going on under the hood of this movie. The film is split into two parts, a free-form exploration beyond the realms of time and space in our reality, and the wacky road adventures and fan service of Reggie. As fun as Reggie was in the previous movies, here he sticks out like a sore thumb, giving sub-Duke Nukem quips while cars explode and a woman takes her clothes off. The comedy has never been clunkier for the series, possibly because that's not what Coscarelli was interested in with this movie. Instead, all the dramatic and emotional weight of the movie is placed on Mike, as he explores multiple timelines and dreams, navigating the partition between life and death. This jumbled mess reflects Mike's mental state, as his humanity deteriorates and he begins a transformation, but he still is fighting back with all he has. We feel for Mike, as he's pulled ever more towards a destiny he doesn't understand, with the Tall Man always one step ahead of him. Even as he uncovers secrets, many more are still left unsolved. Overall, it's a genuinely fascinating slice of borderline-arthouse cinema, with some low-rent horror tacked on. Once again, Coscarelli proves that he cares about these movies by throwing us another curveball, giving us a good movie we didn't expect. Completed: Beyond the Black Rainbow, Rabid, The Driller Killer, Phantasm*, Phantasm II, Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead, Phantasm IV: Oblivion *denotes rewatches
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Sep 23, 2017 18:36
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6.The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll I really loved this one. Gothic horror is pretty much my ideal genre because it captures so much of the aesthetics and mood I like and it's generally period pieces, which I have a major weakness for. It was pretty scare-light, which I don't mind, but it ramped up near the end quite effectively and did a solid job of driving home the horror of not being in control of your actions. Paul Massie gave a really good performance and did a great job of differentiating between Jekyll and Hyde with his acting, though it was pretty easy to tell them apart already since Jekyll had a beard and Hyde didn't. This is the first in my Hammer film backlog, so I'm looking forward to the rest of them. 4.5/5
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Sep 23, 2017 19:02
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I'm trying to make it through Fright Night 2 and it is rough.
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Sep 23, 2017 19:32
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Hollismason posted:I'm trying to make it through Fright Night 2 and it is rough. I think I had an easy time of it since I was working while it was on. I'm not sure how I felt about Peter Vincent having actual vampire hunting tools that were "props".
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Sep 23, 2017 20:18
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X-Ray Pecs posted:#7: Phantasm IV: Oblivion Yeah the real appeal of this film is Mike's surreal journey, and lack of answers. When seen back-to-back, part 5 becomes a much more interesting film, considering it's basically Reggie going on his own uncertain voyage through alternating reality. At the same time I wish they had stopped at 4, because the ending wraps everything up into a very interesting meditation. teen Mike is in fact dreaming all 4 films as a bizarre nightmare to cope with the back to back deaths of his parents and Jodie, turning the creepy undertaker into a sinister monster, and Reggie-his only family left- into some sort of exaggerated hero. At the end of 4 he's lying on the desert floor, dying from the Tall Man's hands, and his moans are carried to young Mike being picked up by Reggie, who then dismisses his fantasy as just the wind, and decides to move on with his life.
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Sep 23, 2017 20:33
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7: Fermat's Room (2009) I'm not going to say anything about this one as it's the obscurer of my two Staff Picks and I'm hoping at least a couple of people will watch it.
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Sep 23, 2017 23:06
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I'm in for 31, starting today with Monster Squad and Wolf Cop.
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Sep 23, 2017 23:12
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Awwww LOOK OUT, its the 23rd day of the month of September... It's Little Shop of Horrors day! #6: Little Shop of Horrors (1986) (umpteenth rewatch) I've loved this movie since I was like 8 or something. The cast is awesome, the songs are all great (Alan Menken, so of course they are), and it hit that sweet spot of scaring me but not scarring me as a kid. The jokey horror is a bit muted in the film adaptation, since the dark ending is converted into a super-happy ending in this version. This also cuts the big musical finish (Don't Feed the Plants) which has always stuck me as a bit odd. I don't have the energy or time to really write this up like I'd want, but I wanted to indicate that I watched this now (since it's Little Shop of Horrors Day, obviously). A lot of folks deserve to die, thread.  10/10 edit: In the play, the movie takes place on the 21st, but bizarrely the movie makes it the 23rd. I don't think they mention the date in the Corman picture, but I could be mistaken. It's been a while since I watched it. Drunkboxer fucked around with this message at 23:16 on Sep 23, 2017 |
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Sep 23, 2017 23:14
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#8: Phantasm V: Ravager As the Phantasm franchise gone on, Mike's importance, screentime, and even actor have wavered, with Reggie as the bedrock of the whole series. This is basically confirming that the series is now about Reggie, and his specific mental struggles, particularly delirium. Interesting questions are brought up, even more alternate realities than Oblivion are explored, and it makes you second-guess your reading on the whole series. But with direction this weak, who can bother with that? This movie almost hurts to look at. Blown-out whites, awkward digital zooms, poor editing and blocking, it's a mess. The plasticky CGI makes the balls look worse, and it lacks the charm of the old fashioned blood and goop. Even worse are the fully greenscreened sets, which look like absolute garbage. There are some very interesting ideas here, and if the movie were in the hands of a competent director, this would have been a wonderful send-off for both the Phantasm series and Angus Scrimm. But as it stands, it's a big old wet fart. It's worth watching as a completionist for the ideas, but there's not much else to recommend it. Completed: Beyond the Black Rainbow, Rabid, The Driller Killer, Phantasm*, Phantasm II, Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead, Phantasm IV: Oblivion, Phantasm V: Ravager *denotes rewatches
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Sep 23, 2017 23:42
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1)Ghostwatch 2)Willow Creek 3)Mother  4)Q:The Winged Serpent Loved it. The blend of 70s crime thriller and giant monster flick works way better than it should. The aerial shots are amazing. Just a blast to watch.  /5
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Sep 24, 2017 01:45
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Ambitious Spider posted:1)Ghostwatch Michael Moriarty is really great in this and The Stuff.
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Sep 24, 2017 01:55
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#9: The Prowler After a couple days of nothing but Phantasm, I needed something a bit lighter and less mind-melting, and this fit the bill perfectly. It's a straightforward slasher with no frills, but plenty of thrills, and some impressive gore effects thanks to one Mr. Savini. The singleminded focus this film can give a subject is a blessing and a curse, it makes a 15 minute segment in the middle of the movie unbearably tense, but it also slows the film down right to a crawl right before the climax. The story isn't really explained or even there, it's just an elevator pitch for an excuse to murder people and have a couple 20-somethings explore a spooky house. There's not really much to say about this one, it's not a stellar film, but it's very solid, and if you're in the mood for a good slasher, this will do the trick. Completed: Beyond the Black Rainbow, Rabid, The Driller Killer, Phantasm*, Phantasm II, Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead, Phantasm IV: Oblivion, Phantasm V: Ravager, The Prowler *denotes rewatches
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Sep 24, 2017 02:51
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I've settled on a theme of Japanese/Chinese/Korean movies that I haven't seen before. Kuroneko Jigoku I Am A Hero Happiness of the Katakuris Visitor Q Creepy Rinne Sadako Vs Kayako Noriko's Dinner Table Strange Circus Exte Cold Fish Why Don't You Play in Hell R100 Paranormal Activiry: Tokyo Nights Fatal Frame Infection Haze Mr. Vampire Encounters of the Spooky Kind The Seventh Curse The Untold Story Ebola Syndrome The Wailing Midnight FM Bedevilled Epitaph Deranged Flu Cello Hansel and Gretel
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Sep 24, 2017 03:43
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MOVIE THREE Phantasm Don Coscarelli, 1979 It's like The Holy Mountain was on one train, and Manos: The Hands Of Fate was on another train, and they collided. It's great, and it's bad, and it's intoxicatingly weird. There are glimpses of true psychosurreal greatness, like the way the sphere gloms onto people's foreheads, or the red sky of the dwarf planet, but it's mostly mired in long passages of simplistic dialogue and time-killing intrigue. Unlike The Brood and The Wicker Man, but like most passable cult B movies, the individual scenes aren't entertaining or enlightening enough to carry the concept from start to finish, but the stuff that stands out is so intriguing that you sit through what doesn't work just to get back to what does. There's a lot of murky business that goes on, but the themes do coalesce. Trauma of losing loved ones, dealing with growing up, fears of abandonment. An undercurrent of anxiety over lack of control runs through it - how do we feel as a teenager, in the between space, travelling from the carefully managed cocoon of childhood into the fearsome, open plains of adulthood? The leash gets longer and you start to panic as it slacks - one day it never pulls back in, and you're out there forever. What dies in the film aren't parents and brothers and loved ones, but the organic, fleshy, true trust of childhood. I don't know if there's anything scarier than realizing that others are permanently walled off from yourself. Boy, says the void, as you're whipped into the blackness. While it's fun to see this in its 4k remastered form, I kinda wish I'd stumbled across it first as a tween. I vividly remember seeing at least part of it when I was eleven or twelve and I had a budding, intense interest in high-concept horror, but I think I got bored and turned it off. I'd love to see this on a tatty old print in a dumpy theater after barhopping. There should be smoke curling in front of the screen, and I should be a little drowsy, and sometimes it's hard to tell if there was a reel change error or if the film is just like that. Some kind of liminal state is required for this movie to really work. Next time I'm up at 3am with the flu, I'll put Phantasm on, and I'll probably have the time of my life. 7/10 whizzing spheres
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Sep 24, 2017 07:51
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Counterpoint: the one thing I miss most from Phantasm to its sequels is how gorgeous the first one is. The lighting's just on a whole different level, and it's a shame Coscarelli never DP'd any of the others. The remaster really makes the lighting pop, and I think it adds so much when you can see how much care Don put into his nonsensical low-budget horror movie.
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Sep 24, 2017 08:05
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Movie #13: Castle Freak Im trying to find something good to say about this movie. The effects were pretty good. There. There is a good thing to say about Castle Freak. I guess the part where Jeffrey Combs kicks the monster in the balls was pretty funny. The rest of it is a slog. I can kind of get behind the bits about guilt and redemption but the monster is honestly a detriment to a really good story being told. It's probably the most off base Lovecraft adaptation. I would've just preferred a straight adaptation of The Outsider. Such is life.
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Sep 24, 2017 08:10
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| # ? Jun 10, 2024 07:33 |
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11. The Windmill Massacre - Came for the windmill theme, stayed for the goofy ensemble cast and unusually strong setting. The vast majority of films I've seen make most of Europe feel basically interchangeable, but this one manages to give Holland a bit of distinct character. Which is pretty impressive given how little Dutch is spoken and how much of the movie is spent out in countryside that could be pretty much anywhere in Europe. It also has sort of an unusual morality; there's a clear suggestion that maybe Jennifer's going to be absolved by braving the fire this time, but it turns out not to be enough. Is that because setting people on fire is a sin even when they are bad people and she wasn't remotely sorry for that part? Does that mean Takashi wasn't as completely sincere in his regret as he indicated, or is it just that Miller Hendrik is the only one who's selective about his targets? It doesn't seem like it was a totally arbitrary choice since the kid is spared, but I'm still not sure what to make of it. Anyway. I don't think this was a particularly exceptional movie in any single standout way, but it was all competently executed and just different enough in a lot of places that the entire experience felt kind of novel. Which is really impressive when you think about what would be in a synopsis for it.
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Sep 24, 2017 09:06
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