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 4. 28 Days Later... (2002) I hadn't seen this one since catching bits and pieces of it in high school, and while I'd picked up some of its details (fast zombies, semi-post-apocalyptic setting) through general word of mouth, getting Cillian Murphy as the lead was a pleasant surprise. I wouldn't call the movie outstanding, except that it commits to its premise, and then doesn't spend too long hanging out in any one section of the progression from there. Things moved at a good pace, most of the turns the story took were unexpected, and there was a surprising under-current of grimness, even for the setting, that helped make it feel more grounded and believable. And good work at building a sense of the characters without being too heavy-handed about it, for the most part. Kind of an abrupt mega-happy ending, but I guess it worked for tonal balance.  / 5 5. Don't Look in the Basement, a.k.a., Don't Go in the Basement, a.k.a., The Forgotten, a.k.a., Beyond Help, a.k.a., Death Ward #13, a.k.a., The Snake Pit (1973) This turned out to be a rewatch, which led to me relearning that it got a sequel made more than forty years later. I might have to track down a copy of that for this month's viewing, just out of curiosity. As for this one, it's not too good. The production work isn't quite Manos levels of incompetence, but most of the color just looks off (I'm not well-informed enough to say if that's from bad transfer, film stock choice, or something else) and the audio's certainly rough. The good points almost all come from the performances of the actors, as practically everyone in the movie plays a nut (not an actual person with mental illness, just a caricature) and throws themselves head-long into their roles. There's also the occasional striking choice of camera shot, whether due to extreme close-ups, architectural framing, or actor expressions.  But there's a weird charm to it, as so many of the actors seem to be genuinely trying to bring some drama and pathos to their characters, and the most likable one has a nice moment of violent reaction at high contrast with his usual characterization. The twist ending is pretty predictable (my co-watcher guessed it a half-hour into the movie) and doesn't pack much punch anyway, making the film more appreciable on its merits as a weird relic than for its functionality as a movie. / 5 6. House on the Edge of the Park (1980) Good grief, this was rapey. I mean, the opening sequence, pre-title screen (if I'm remembering accurately), is just a rape. And I'm going 'is that...?' before the opening credits roll and confirm that, yes, it's David Hess (did the dude just love playing scumbags? Makes me wish he and Joe Spinell had co-headed something). Oh, and it's directed by Ruggero Deodato, notorious for Cannibal Holocaust. So I'm preparing for the worst, especially since the person I watched it with selected it from the night's options "Because the title sounds so innocuous." While it did end up feeling like Last House on the Left, which Hess also starred in, I felt like there were some Clockwork Orange vibes too, since most of the movie deals with the intrusion of the two antagonists into the home of a wealthy group of assholes. And rapes happening. The eventual reveal only made the motivations of the characters more questionable, but the whole experience was grueling, and even though there wasn't much gore (though what there was was pretty convincing), I'd imagine this being one of the stronger arguments for the existence of the video nasties ban. Some weird, almost inexplicable inclusions, truly unpleasant griminess to certain scenes, and lots of full frontal nudity made it feel extremely '70s, while the clothing and hair styles of the richies were amazingly '80s. And there was effective tension before the lid came off, even if the movie did spin its wheels by having the characters essentially repeat their actions a few times with the escape, pursuit, punishment sequences. Not something I would recommend to anyone, but for what it is, it's well-made, and certainly horrifying. / 5
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Oct 5, 2017 19:21
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Basebf555 posted:gently caress ghosts man, if I were locked into a mortgage they'd have to literally drag me into the bowels of hell to get me to leave.  Also, I laughed really hard at this because I'm imagining this " Honey , the walls are bleeding and the dogs speaking in Latin for God's sake let's move" " No! We can refinance in 3 years and we got a cut on lower property tax !"
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Oct 5, 2017 20:07
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What if I told you guys that in Ghost Dimension someone is LITERALLY dragged into the bowels of hell by a demon and they recorded it on camera and they still go back to get toiletries and do some reading? I mean, that didn't happen. But it was real close. Although the movie did include a scene where they went back over their real estate paperwork. So there's that for you home owners.
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Oct 5, 2017 20:12
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Friend Request 0.5/5 Well...Moviepass means this was essentially free. I guess that's something. Predictable, awful, jump-scare fest that managed to drag on even with a 90 minute running time. Tried to be the (surprisingly decent) Unfriended, but didn't even come close. A girl dramatically clicking UNFRIEND with a bass--heavy crescendo through a blown out, rattling theater speaker might be the funniest thing I've experienced in a while though.
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Oct 5, 2017 20:19
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STAC Goat posted:What if I told you guys that in Ghost Dimension someone is LITERALLY dragged into the bowels of hell by a demon and they recorded it on camera and they still go back to get toiletries and do some reading? What if I told you watching Ghost Dimension is literally the same as being dragged into the bowels of hell
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Oct 5, 2017 20:37
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The Curse Of The Werewolf This really lacked werewolf action. I read afterward that five minutes was left on the cutting room floor due to censorship. That said I did like this film. It's beautifully mounted and I Iiked how it followed this curse through a span of two decades. Oliver Reed is great and his Leon is wholly sympathetic. The design of the werewolf was odd at first but it really grew on me over the two minutes that you see it. Another thing I felt the film was missing was Hammer's great sets. I guess it's the result of having to use sets from an unrelated, canceled film. /5The Mummy (1959) I had no interest in this. I don't really care much for the mummy in the pantheon of monsters. I'm glad I watched this because it owned bones. It looks great and there is plenty of the creature on screen. Cushing is reliable as always and the film is just entertaining as hell. I loved the way the mummy looked too. So far this is one of my favorite Hammer films, right next to The Devil Rides Out. /5
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Oct 5, 2017 21:30
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October 5 Haunted Mansion This wasn't the Eddie Murphy version! Thursdays are literally the only day where I have free time and I dug around Instant Watcher looking for something streaming that was a bit different. Now normally I'd pass over this as yet another generic, cheap horror flick (I'm sure I'll be watching a few of those this month, anyway) but something in the description caught my eye: "students from Manila". Was that a Filipino horror movie? Yes, it was and since I've never seen one I had to check it out. There a decrepit mansion out in the country and a bunch of high school students go out there one weekend including one that sees dead people. One guess what the problem with that mansion is. Hint: it's not foundation damage from a water leak. The first problem with this film is that it's front loaded with a ton of lovely teen drama. The first hour does have very, very occasional ghost moments, but it really revolves around mean girls bullying the nice girl who has a crush on the jock. And it's not even particularly fun mean girls. It's literally at the one hour mark when the general students decide, "Hey, lets hunt around this supposedly haunted mansion for some ghosts!" It's even later when they finally introduce the plot element that gets things moving (a ghost's confession and anyone who hears it sees the ghosts and gets attacked). Haunted Mansion has the all too common problem of just copying other, better movies. The most interesting things to me was the fact that exorcising the devil from a character is something that took place off screen and the last second, "Oh, yeah, there's a witch, too," reveal. The ending makes me think that the final girl is going to keep getting out of the hospital for her ghost injuries, finish recovering, and then get attacked by the same ghost who she defeats after getting severely injured by shoving some new religious icon in its face, then repeating the whole cycle. There's just not a whole lot to talk about with Haunted Mansion since it's so by the numbers in every respect. An attempt at cleverness was done with the ghost of a guy who burned to death still smoldering, but they weren't even consistent about that. In conclusion, is it common for churches in the Philippines to have large crucifix-shaped lighters?
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Oct 5, 2017 21:45
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Basebf555 posted:The movie takes place at some point in the future so I think we're just supposed to assume the dive suits are more advanced in some way than what we have. The tech is really just there to look good though, they don't really get into discussing how any of it works at all. Reminds me of what they did to Chocolate Chip Charlie in The Stuff, which will always be infuriating cause he's the best character in that movie Also would you guys say Robocop counts for this challenge, cause while it's primarily an action movie it definitely has a lot of Horror DNA in it(more than say Army of Darkness has for example), heck it's a lot like Toxic Avenger in that it has the "monster" as a good guy(which is honestly something we need more of in the genre)
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Oct 5, 2017 21:49
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Almost watched three vampire movies in a row, one of which is a remake of the other. But here's my update backlog: 8. Let Me In (2010)  So that's the first vampire move of this batch, and as it turned out it's a remake of 2008 Swedish film Let The Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in). Had I known that, I would've definitely watched that one instead, but this is still very good. A nominally 12 year old vampire girl moves in next to a lame bullied boy who lives with his divorced fundie mother. They're not very close and I'm not sure we even see her face, being all Tom & Jerry like. There are some disturbing scenes involving the vampirism, the kid's bullying, but also the vampire's caretaker, who goes out to murder people so that the kid vampire doesn't do anything stupid. Obviously that doesn't go well and things escalate. The bullying is perhaps the scariest part, as the kid we emphasize with is on the receiving end. Otherwise the people who get hosed up are mostly strangers or had it coming. Besides a mildly scary vampire movie, it also works great as drama about a kid living in a lovely situation and coping with it. It's a very well made film too, the cinematography is great, as is the acting. 9. Thirst / Bakjwi (2009)  That's a very Korean vampire flick which isn't just made there, but seems to specifically tap a lot into what I (having never been there) would consider Korean themes about religion, science and family. We follow a priest who volunteers for a medical experiment where he gets infected with some poo poo and is only saved by a blood transfusion that also causes him to become a vampire. The problem is that he isn't cured completely, and needs to keep drinking fresh blood to keep the infection at bay. He mostly hangs out with another family (I don't think I got the relationship, they might be just friends) and despite his 10. Martyrs (2008)  I had no idea what I was in for. I wouldn't say this is necessarily the best of the bunch, but definitely the heaviest and most impactful. It starts with child abuse, then goes into brutal revenge mode and then a slasher flick before going really dark. Some stuff is definitely on the edge of torture porn but unlike something like I assume (haven't seen it) Hostel, it all has a point. The two female leads are pretty good, though the movie would've benefited from some higher caliber actors the end. Nevertheless, I thought it was very effective in keeping tension and a very disturbing atmosphere. Definitely recommended, and don't think a shorter review means I liked it less, I just realized I was recapping the movies too much. 11. [REC] (2007)  I'll second Butch Cassidy, this is great too and basically how a good example of how you make a found footage movie. Unlike most of the other movies so far, I've been well aware of this one, but never watched it. (All others are new to me, no rewatches). Except for a few case it keeps it plausible by having a reporter for a show called "While you sleep" as the main character, followed by her cameraman. It's a drat effective zombie type movie and my only complaint is that the camera gets way too blurry at times that made it physically difficult to watch at some points. Off to watch Behind The Mask, should be a nice change of pace for once. Next week I'll be off on a business trip so I'm curious how many I'd be able to watch. Might be even able to complete the challenge sooner if there are a lot of boring meetings  E: fixed the numbering mobby_6kl fucked around with this message at 10:16 on Oct 6, 2017 |
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Oct 5, 2017 21:53
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James Woods Fan posted:The Curse Of The Werewolf It's really fun to read someone's first exposure to Hammer, I had zero experience with it in my childhood but when I discovered Lee and Cushing and Fisher about 5 years ago it was a huge revelation. Like, half my list of favorite horror movies had to be downgraded to make room for Hammer stuff.
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Oct 5, 2017 22:09
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Hammer is what I grew up on because in the 80s they'd show that and Universal pictures on Saturday mornings so I'd get up and watch GI Joe them watch those films
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Oct 5, 2017 22:31
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8. Fire in the Sky So this was definitely a more enjoyable watch for me. I liked the slow pace of things, and the time taken to set up different characters. People seemed to have fairly normal reactions to what was going on. The climax of this movie has some genuinely disturbing scenes, with a major shout out to the image of the abductee covered in a skintight rubbery film with only an eyehole and mouth hole cut for him to watch and scream out of. Very cool imagery going on there. What I really appreciated about this movie was the care it took to not strongly push a UFOs are real agenda. Yes, the movie is meant to make the events seem as real as possible, but so was Texas Chainsaw Massacre. This is a movie first and foremost, and it uses the format skillfully to tell a fun story.
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Oct 5, 2017 22:49
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14: M (1931) The second of my own staff picks. M was Fritz Lang's first talkie, but despite that it feels a lot more natural than his previous silent movies. Peter Lorre's performance as Beckert in the kangaroo court carries it, and for perspective I went back and watched it again in the 1932 English conversion of the film - a role he played not only in German but also in English and French, and masterfully in every case. Lorre really was a great actor.
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Oct 5, 2017 23:04
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fr0id posted:8. Fire in the Sky Fire in the Sky was a quasi big deal (at least in my circles) when it came out. It was in the middle of the X-Files thing when there would be "Alien Autopsy" specials on TV and the whole topic of abduction was really big. The guy in the story is real and wrote a big about his supposed abduction and his story had mainstream attention at the time. I believe most consider it to be a hoax which is why there's so much ambiguity in the movie and people questioning his claims, since that's more or less how it played out. But that's not really my area of curiosity so I could be wrong. But yeah, the abduction scenes are loving nightmare inducing that I can still picture decades later (I saw it with friends in the theaters).
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Oct 5, 2017 23:11
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Pumpkinhead is not very good you guys. Most of that comes down to the monster design, which is just too derivative of the xenomorph
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Oct 5, 2017 23:44
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Dr. Angela Ziegler posted:Pumpkinhead is not very good you guys. I disagree, and will be posting about exactly that tomorrow morning!
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Oct 5, 2017 23:46
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I enjoy Pumpkinhead but I think its badly flawed and its what makes it a decent film instead of a legendary franchise.
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Oct 5, 2017 23:47
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I got a little backed up the last few days guess I'll be doubling up in the near future. 2. Little Evil (2017) This really disappointed me, I enjoyed director Eli Craig's previous movie Tucker & Dale vs Evil soo much so I was really looking forward to this. Neither the comedy nor horror ever felt like it really went anywhere, it just felt like it was a bunch of references thrown onto film. Super-bummed.  Watched: 1. House 2 (4/5) 2. Little Evil (2.5/5) Bonus: REC (4.5/5), REC 2 (4/5), Halloween 2007 (2/5) Evil Vin fucked around with this message at 00:05 on Oct 6, 2017 |
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Oct 6, 2017 00:03
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I've been kinda of behind with this thread and watching movies for a week or so, but here's some short write ups of things I squeezed in. #8: Roadgames (1981) Pretty drat cool movie I've never heard of (thanks thread, and Shudder). Rear Window on wheels I guess, and because of that I'd say it's more of a thriller than pure horror. Keach and Curtis are as charming as you'd expect, but it is a bit confusing to see them dropped into rural Australia with little explanation. Like why would an American guy relocated to the other side of the world just to drive a truck? Also, I'm not sure I get the boat guys motivation to ram his beloved boat into a semi out of revenge for a broken windshield. That's not to say I didn't kinda like it. 6.5/10 #9: Q - The Winged Serpent (1982) This crazy rear end movie has been talked about in the main horror thread plenty, and I'm just getting to it now. I can confirm it is indeed loving weird and crazy and "good bad" and also legit good at parts. I like that the giant monster bird "hides in the sunlight" to ambush people and somehow is able to do this in the middle of Manhattan, somehow hiding in the sunlight that obscures the vision of like a million peoples different perspectives. I would have liked it better if I'd seen it with a big group I bet. 4.5/10
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Oct 6, 2017 00:24
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Son of Dracula Much like Dracula's Daughter, Son of Dracula is superior to the original film. This film does not have the depth of Daughter, but is just as entertaining. This movie is quite campy and is a lot of fun. Dracula ( "Alucard") comes to the American South and immediately arouses suspicion, and attracts the local women. I like how Dracula comes off as someone to be reckoned in this movie. He seems much stronger and more powerful than previous depictions, and thus helps to raise the stakes. I'm not sure how I feel about Lon Chaney jr as Alucard. I wasn't crazy about how he looked, but he did put a good effort into the role. Rewatches (4): Maniac Cop, Friday the 13th 3, Friday the 13th 4, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 First time watches (13): Mortuary, Little Evil, Eloise, Mother!, The Roommate, The Chaos Experiment, Resident Evil 6, Vacancy, Rings, The Stepfather, Train to Busan, Dracula's Daughter, Son of Dracula
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Oct 6, 2017 02:09
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CopywrightMMXI posted:I'm not sure how I feel about Lon Chaney jr as Alucard. I wasn't crazy about how he looked, but he did put a good effort into the role. This is basically how I feel about Chaney Jr. in everything I've seen him in, which I admit is only like 3 movies. But he was pretty decent in Son of Dracula.
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Oct 6, 2017 02:11
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Basebf555 Your name is weird to type but your avatar is cool. You are knocking it out of the park though with your movie watching , drat #10 2015 We Are Still Here, (Shudder)  This stars Barbara Crampton and has practical effects. I figure that's enough of a selling point on its own , however if your still not sold.. it's got a fantastic story a little bit Wicker Man, a little bit Evil Dead. This film is a "throwback" meaning it's a period piece although it never really says when. Just from clothing and the costumes probably the 1980s. It feels like a 1980s film but with polish. I like films that have emotional cores and this one has it. And in a surpising way the film is really about a older couple which you don't see much one of which that is played by Barbara Crampton . It also has some of the coolest " scary " creature designs I've seen in a while and it's jut neat as hell how this is applied to the murders committed. Also it's got the very excellent Monte Markham !!! You'll know him when you see him you'll be like " That guy !! I love that guy!!" Also I love horror movies that are less than 90 minutes and this one fits that criteria. Selling Points : Great Cast ( Barbara Crampton ) , Great Special Effects, Perfect run time, lots of gore If you are still not convinced it has a Rotten Tomatoes Score of 95% with 43 reviews. / 5 1986, 1987 , 1988, 1989 , 1990, 1992, 1993,2010 , 2015, 2016 , 2017 21 Years to Go Hollismason fucked around with this message at 04:21 on Oct 6, 2017 |
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Oct 6, 2017 03:19
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24. Cult of Chucky - This is even better than I was expecting after the positive impression Curse made. It's also a radically different movie; while Curse felt a lot like the first one with lots of Chucky playing doll on camera and moving off camera, he's active from the start here and all the playing with expectations stuff comes from other sources. More kills and they're mostly much more violent. The setting's been mentioned in pretty much every post in the horror thread for good reason, and the camera work has adjusted to match it in a very natural way. It's a much meaner movie, too, but not at all in the way you'd expect from a horror franchise set in a psychiatric hospital. There's really only one bit that felt like a cliché from beyond the realm of Chucky movies, and it gets Brad some great dialogue so totally worth it. Brad, of course, still sounds like he's having a ball. I have no idea how we ended up in a world where Hellraiser fell off a loving cliff after two movies (even though I like some of the post-cliff stuff) while the serial killer doll franchise is not only still producing quality films, it's really following through on the implications of its premise to explore new territory without just wandering into Chucky on a space station territory. I'm not sure it's a fair trade, but we can appreciate the small blessings left to us by whatever weirdo keeps funding Chucky movies. edit: This was number 24 I forgot to update my count after Raw
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Oct 6, 2017 05:55
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If it's okay I'm going to repost this link to my blog once a week as more posts about each movie are finished. https://gamingdetritus.com/2017/10/the-2017-october-horror-challenge/
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Oct 6, 2017 07:13
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#5 - Pieces (1982, dir. Juan Piquer Simon) Hahahaha this movie loving owns I don't even know how to describe it, it's a bog-standard giallo except it's also a complete loving bonkers fever dream with a Bruce Lee impersonator and zombie nut tearing Nobody in this movie behaves like a human being and every line of dialogue is absolutely hilarious Rating: 5/5
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Oct 6, 2017 07:31
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Irony.or.Death posted:24. Cult of Chucky - This is even better than I was expecting after the positive impression Curse made. It's also a radically different movie; while Curse felt a lot like the first one with lots of Chucky playing doll on camera and moving off camera, he's active from the start here and all the playing with expectations stuff comes from other sources. More kills and they're mostly much more violent. The setting's been mentioned in pretty much every post in the horror thread for good reason, and the camera work has adjusted to match it in a very natural way. It's a much meaner movie, too, but not at all in the way you'd expect from a horror franchise set in a psychiatric hospital. There's really only one bit that felt like a cliché from beyond the realm of Chucky movies, and it gets Brad some great dialogue so totally worth it. Brad, of course, still sounds like he's having a ball. i never knew i needed a chucky in space movie but there it is
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Oct 6, 2017 10:00
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12. Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006) Okay that was pretty fun. It's basically a mocumentary about a slasher villain Leslie Vernon. And you'd think that makes no sense, unlike something like Spinal Tap, you wouldn't be fooled for a second that somebody would actually document a killing spree planning and execution. And that's right, but the film keeps this aspect only for as much as necessary and switches up the hand-held documentary video footage with cinematic scenes that play out what's been discussed. Unfortunately while the twist in the third act is pretty great (if not totally unexpected), after that it becomes a bit by the numbers and it can't quite pull off what Scream did exactly 10 years earlier. That being said, it's a fun self-aware teenager murdering flick that isn't horrifyingly depressing unlike some of the other stuff so it gets two severed thumbs up from me.
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Oct 6, 2017 10:35
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15. Undead A meteor storm brings strange lights in the sky, acid rain and zombies to a small Australian town, and a group of survivors end up at the farm of a stoic gun-toting action-hero loner with a triple shotgun. I distinctly remember all the buzz about this one when it came out in 2003 but I never got around to seeing it, and as it turns out, I could have waited longer. It's a comedy/sci-fi/action horror movie that tries too hard to be all of those things and ends up having zero tension, scares or laughs. I'd say the filmmakers did this as a homage, since they clearly love Evil Dead 2 or Dead Alive. In fact, it cribs a whole hell of a lot of its tone, camerawork and gags, sometimes verbatim, from those movies, which does it no favors - but it then compounds it with annoying, zero-sympathy characters and (intentionally?) terrible dialogue. There's a line from a Roger Ebert review on the film's Wikipedia page that pretty well sums it up: "Undead is the kind of movie that would be so bad it's good, except it's not bad enough to be good enough."
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Oct 6, 2017 13:15
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6. Magic (1978) Anthony Hopkins may have a magical talking dummy that is boosting his ventriloquism career. Or he might be crazy. This movie was fun, and had some downright hilarious murder scenes. "Stop the Postman!" "How, with what?" "Me, me, me, me, ME!" /57. 976-EVIL (1988) Satan runs a horoscope line, and the local nerd uses it for power until IT USES HIM. It was slow, and the only redeeming feature was Stephen Geoffreys. /58. Ms. 45 (1981) Thana has a bad day, like, spectacularly bad, and goes from mute and timid seamstress to mute and timid black widow. One of the better rape revenge movies I've seen (and I've seen far too many rape revenge movies). I was a little disappointed when the incredibly nosy land lady lives, but I suppose they weren't a man. .5/59. 976-EVIL II (1991) Satan's possessed a college dean this time, and has learned some new tricks for some reason, but why he is so interested in killing coeds I'll never know. On the other hand, this movie did introduce me to Jim Wynorski's willingness to direct basically any horror sequel, if he thought the first one was bad. He opens with a shower scene too, so...solid work Jim. .5/5
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Oct 6, 2017 13:26
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graventy posted:
I watched this last year and while I agree that it's not good, it does have one of the greatest scenes ever with the Night of the Living Dead/Its a Wonderful Life mashup.
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Oct 6, 2017 13:55
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 14. Lace Crater (2015) dir. Harrison Atkins Lace Crater is a movie about a woman who has sex with a ghost then gets a ghost STD. Now that we've established that, it's a fascinating little indie production. Produced by Joe Swanberg (and featuring him in what more or less ends up an extended cameo) Lace Crater begins as many mumblecore movies do: a group of twentysomethings go away for a weekend to the Hamptons where they hang out and fret over relationship issues within their own tight-knit circle of friends. Produced with a bit more polish and tighter cinematography than most have come to expect from mumblecore, Lace Crater does a good job of establishing its characters and their ticks early on. We get to spend time with them before the fantastical elements sneak in. Ruth (Lindsay Burdge) has a crush on Andrew (Andrew Ryder). However, after a night on molly results in a successful hook-up for their friends, Andrew gets sick and goes to bed early. Dejected, Ruth returns to her room in a detached guest house that was hinted to be haunted. Indeed, a burlap sack wearing ghost appears to her in the night. They begin talking and Ruth soon finds the ghost to be a sensitive and lost figure whose memory of life is fading but emotions remain. He removes his mask to reveal that he still looks human, just pale, and they sleep together. Shortly thereafter, however, Ruth begins feeling sick. She throws up on the car ride back to the city, she wakes up covered in disgusting globs of sweat and experiences nightmares. She gets worse and worse until finally she realizes: she's got a ghost STD. Unlike other mumblecore-horror ventures (mumblehorror?) like Baghead and Silver Bullets, there's no reveal that this is all just the work of some filmmaking-obsessed hipsters or grounding in reality. There's a real drat ghost and Ruth is really going to die. The more cutesy dramedy characteristics of the film's first act give away to some truly dark horror moments, including at least one really effective scare. Atkins, a first-time director, utilizes vaporwave glitch imagery to great effect while mixing it with starker camerawork that turns this into something with a distinct Polanski influence. That it came out around roughly the same time as It Follows adds to the intrigue around this movie, because in many ways it's the inverse It Follows. The relationships, even between Ruth and the ghost, are warm, which creates a different sense of betrayal and fear when the STD element manifests. All in all, definitely worth checking out even for people who can't stand mumblecore. It might be the biggest step forward for that genre since Computer Chess.  15. Interface (1985) dir. Andy Anderson VHS-era student film shot on a Texas university campus about an underground cabal of computer hackers who decide to eliminate undesirables via 1337 hacking. The hackers wear these cyberpunk masks with vocoders masking their voices. The leading man and woman run around trying to find and stop these hackers, leading to some good ol' romantic tension with surprisingly great, playful chemistry between them. It ends up like if you crossed Phantom of the Paradise with Bringing Up Baby on a shoestring budget. I suppose it's technically got horror elements, people do get murdered by telephones and there's some creepy masked dudes running around, but it's more of a sci-fi romcom in a lot of ways. It drags at various points, but there's a whole lot of charm that makes it work best when it's fully acting as a screwball comedy. Watched: It (2017); The Invisible Man; mother!; Carnival of Souls; Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III; Dementia; Ghostwatch: Behind the Curtains; Snuff; The Last House on Dead End Street; When a Stranger Calls; Peeping Tom; What We Do in the Shadows; Tusk; Lace Crater; Interface (Total: 15) TrixRabbi fucked around with this message at 14:25 on Oct 6, 2017 |
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Oct 6, 2017 14:00
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CopywrightMMXI posted:I watched this last year and while I agree that it's not good, it does have one of the greatest scenes ever with the Night of the Living Dead/Its a Wonderful Life mashup. gently caress I forgot to mention that, that part was crazy.
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Oct 6, 2017 14:30
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Hollismason posted:Basebf555 Thanks, I basically live all year for this one month, the people in my life know it's not to be hosed with. I was worried that you'd burn yourself out considering how much horror you were watching before the challenge had even started but you just keep on truckin. Anyway, some people were down on Pumpkinhead, so I'm here to explain why I think it's really good.  I actually watched this on Wednesday with Leviathan but haven't had a chance to post about it. This is Stan Winston's ultimate love letter to monster movies, and whatever flaws it may have, they don't overshadow the feeling you get in every frame that the dude making this movie is having the time of his life. Pumpkinhead is based on a poem, and Winston was bouncing the idea of directing a film around in his head for a while, so when they approached him about designing Pumpkinhead he said he would do it if he would be allowed to direct. So it was a situation where for the first time Winston had total control of how the monster would be presented, and I think that's the key thing that makes the movie work. He knew the limitations of the design(and yes, it's not wholly original, that's a fair criticism), and everything in the movie is tailored with it's strengths and weakness in mind. I can imagine that Winston learned a lot working on the Alien queen for Cameron, how you work around the practical limitations of a monster and make it seem more impressive than maybe it really is. The story itself is written with that in mind, Pumpkinhead is a golem-like creature and it's treated like a force of nature, not some wild animal. So he stalks around, he poses, and yes sometimes his movements are stilted and offputting. But it all works in favor of the atmosphere Winston is going for, because he planned it all from the ground up. And like any monster movie fanatic, Winston knew that atmosphere is key. There are a ton of low-budget monster flicks where the creature is pretty solid but they're let down by every other aspect of the production. Not here, Winston made what is probably the best looking movie he possibly could have made given the budget. And yea it does look a bit cheap at times, but in that Mario Bava/Planet of the Vampires way where everything is so stylized that realism barely matters.   It's not just all darkness and fog either, Winston shot some pretty nice looking daylight scenes too.  The kills are a bit lacking I suppose, but really this is not a slasher movie. And no, it's not perfect, it has flaws. But it has way more heart and soul to it than most, that's what made it a joy to watch for me. Basebf555 fucked around with this message at 15:16 on Oct 6, 2017 |
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Oct 6, 2017 15:09
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#15 Critters 3 (1991) For those of you who have seen the first two Critters movies, remember Charlie? The Town Drunk who in the first film ends up going to space with the bounty hunters, and in the second saves the day in a suicide explosion? Well psyche! He's back! And he meets some kids, and later travels back to their tenement building in the city of [name not given] to kill an infestation of crites while everybody panics in some crawlspace of the now burning building. Oof. This series nose-dived FAST. The first two were fun romps about aliens invading a small town, and they had charm, not to mention graphic content. This film feels like they were aiming hard for a kid demographic, both in the lack of content, and in that the main characters are all kids (including a young Leonardo DiCaprio!) And then they cap it off with a "to be continued" that makes me think this and part 4 were made back to back, and that definitely worries me for when I eventually watch it. I give Critters out of Five#16. The Mist (2007) A small Maine town gets engulfed in a strange mist that contains strange otherworldly monsters that prey on the hapless townsfolk that happen to be outside. A group of survivors are holed up inside a grocery store, but tensions quickly start mounting as different factions-one pragmatic, the other dogmatic-build up. I've heard for years that this was a good movie, but I still didn't have high hopes for it. I was wrong, it was very good. It started out decent, but by the end I found it great. I even had had the ending long spoiled for me, and it still hit me like a ton of bricks. The effects are definitely uneven, and I doubt that CG will ever look 100% good in my eyes, but at least it's a case of it backing up puppetry here, which helps a bit. So far, this might be best in show for the year for me. I give The Mist out of Five#17. Reel Nightmare (2017) A group of film students from Miskatonic University (heh) rent an old house in the woods formerly owned by witches to make a movie for school. Gee, I wonder what will happen? Okay, okay, this one actually pulled a few fast ones on me despite the by-the-numbers story. For one, it opened looking like it was going to be yet another indie shoestring found footage film, which are far too common these days, but as the film went on they started inserting more and more non-found camera shots, until by the final third, the entire film was being traditionally shot. Also, much of the characters are legitimately likable, and feel like there's real camaraderie at work here, with special mention for the character played by filmmaker Armand Petri, who is possibly a little Mary Sue-ish, but oh well. On the other hand, the male lead is just absolutely awful, with some of the most wooden, high school level acting I've ever seen. Really, the only reason to really watch this is for all the little in-joke Lovecraft references, and even then, you'd be better off with Cthulu Mansion, the stinker I watched last year. I give Reel Nightmare out of Five, but only for the reasons I said above.
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Oct 6, 2017 15:38
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Pumpkinhead is good because it's pretty much Hammer Gothic Horror set in rural Appalachia or Appalachian Horror. That's a real genre by the way and it's been done before in many films ( Backwoods , Stoker, etc.. ) Also the lighting in Pumpkin head is super unique because they specifically go for a blue filter to signify night time multiple times in the film something that was becoming more uncommon in that specific time period of making film and it's a total throwback to Hammer and other productions that used that method instead of trying to do a expensive and difficult night shoot. You also see the lighting of the interior of the cabin as being incredibly warm in tone because that is suppose to simulate candle light or kerosene lantern and is another technique that was used in Hammer films and other early horror films. Like Pumpkinhead is really good. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AR8zjXpPtlA Also that story of the hand washing is a true story by Lance Henriksen Hollismason fucked around with this message at 16:24 on Oct 6, 2017 |
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Oct 6, 2017 16:18
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Choco1980 posted:#15 Critters 3 (1991) They were, but don't worry - Critters 4 is at least slightly watchable. 15: Blade Runner 2049 (2017) I'm going to put my justification for including this movie in the Horror Challenge behind spoilers for obvious reasons, but I will say one word: Frankenstein. The concept behind BR2049 is the nightmare which leads Victor Frankenstein to destroy his creature's mate: the idea that they might procreate and supplant humans. However, in this case Frankenstein (in the form of replicant maker Niander Wallace) has made his creatures as utterly compliant slaves and wants them able to procreate so that the human race can take over the stars ... with his permission, of course. But unlike Frankenstein, whose sole great sin was refusal to accept responsibility for his creation, Wallace doesn't see replicants as anything other than tools to be used and disposed of as he sees fit. If Frankenstein is a horror novel, then BR2049 must be considered a horror movie on the same level. Beyond that, this really is a good movie and a worthy sequel. Even if you disagree with my reasoning, get it watched.
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Oct 6, 2017 16:58
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Hollismason posted:Appalachian Horror. That's a real genre by the way and it's been done before in many films ( Backwoods , Stoker, etc.. ) One of the reasons Ernest Scared Stupid is so good to me is because of how much it fits squarely into that genre. The witch trial at the beginning especially, that could have been pulled right out of any number of 70s movies' prologues before some modern folks start disappearing in the woods. They did a great job making that type of straight story and then inserting Ernest into it as the main character instead of the other way around. Pumkinhead is so awesome. Thought I honestly do like the first half and the buildup to Pumpkinhead's formation more than the second half, like others have said its actual kills are kind of weak and the monster is awesome but they could only do so much with it. I think they did the most with it they could but Pumkinhead's use of color and lighting is excellent even before Pumpkinhead shows up. It crosses over into that territory where it would have been a really good movie even if it had no supernatural elements at all. But that we get Pumkinhead too is awesome. I like the idea of how it kills people, the way it sort of grabs and haphazardly crushes/squeezes folks to death over a short time instead of getting it over with quickly. Since it's connected to Lance Henriksen the way it is I always read it as like an angry child throwing a tantrum. Which is really fitting given both the way it's "born" into the world and the way it works as an extension of Henrekisen's mixt of sadness and anger over what happened to his kid. Just it's also where the film's budget shows the most.
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Oct 6, 2017 17:01
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Hollismason posted:Also the lighting in Pumpkin head is super unique because they specifically go for a blue filter to signify night time multiple times in the film something that was becoming more uncommon in that specific time period of making film and it's a total throwback to Hammer and other productions that used that method instead of trying to do a expensive and difficult night shoot. Blue filters were also used in Nochnoi Dozor to shoot day for night when Bear and Tiger Cub confront the vampire on the roof. The added twist is that the scene was set during a storm, and Timur Bekmambetov simulated flashes of sheet lightning through the simple expedient of briefly removing the filter.
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Oct 6, 2017 17:02
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15. Evil Dead 2 (1987) What a fun time this was. Got together with some friends real late and just had a blast. We had all seen it a thousand times so we just spent the run time watching and talking about how cool our favorite scenes were. 16. The Lost Boys (1987)  The centerpiece of my marathon. This is the first movie I ever owned and have a lot of fond memories catching it on late night tv and we even found excuses to say "Death by stereo" around the house. Far and away this is my favorite vampire movie and it kind of shaped things for me later on in life (As I became a huge Vampire The Masquerade geek in my late teens.). Before my experiences with vampires was that they were scary, but in the Lost Boys the vampires were cool, bad rear end, and scary. I also though the town they lived in would have been so drat cool (minus all the drat vampires). 17. Curse of Chucky (2013)  Whoa boy did I go into this with low expectations. I was really turned away by Bride and Seed of Chucky. But I was at work with not much else at hand so I picked it out of curiosity. I will say I was pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed the whole thing. Chucky had some menace back and it was nearly as over the top as before. Fiona Dourif was also really good. It felt like a return to form for the series and throwing in a more modern horror look. It hit all my slasher buttons and that's all I could ask for. Also good lord the puppet looks way way better. So riding that positive wave... 18. Cult of Chucky (2017)  I enjoyed this one too, which in ways felt much much darker in tone. I think the plot played around with the over the top stuff I didn't like about later installments but mercifully didn't take it too far and drive me off. This was a totally fine follow up to Curse even though I would say I liked it just a little less. It's also nice to see the movies being tied together in a mostly sensible way.
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Oct 6, 2017 17:21
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Day 5 report. This morning’s rewatch was Killer Klowns from Outer Space and I couldn’t be happier with my selection. I haven’t seen this in years and I have no idea why. I just love this film so much. There’s so much happening in it and its like there’s not one wasted scene where they don’t pull out a new gag or visual. It must have been a blast just coming up with the jokes and effects for this movie and I’m kind of shocked there’s never been a sequel or remake or anything. Not that I think there has to be. The movie remains a great stand alone watch and a fun way to kill 90 minutes. Definitely the most fun I’ve had in this marathon so far. 5 (11). The Void (2016)  A cop brings a bloody man he finds on the side of the road to his ex’s nearly abandoned ER just in time for Lovecraft to vomit all over the place. That was certainly something. I have this weird relationship with Lovecraftian horror. I THINK I like it. But I very often react to it as being too loose and chaotic and focused over sizzle than steak. But then I wonder, isn’t that what Lovecraftian horror is about? “Crawling Chaos?” Man loving with the other side and losing themselves to madness? So am I just saying I don’t like what its supposed to be? Is this like me saying that I like pizza but I’ve never had any pizza I really loved and I could do without the cheese? Maybe I should just accept I don’t like pizza? (This is a hypothetical and I of course love pizza, I’m not mad.) I love the Carpenter Apocalypse Trilogy and I enjoy the King stuff that clearly is influenced by Lovecraft, but maybe I’m just a fan of those people and their interpretations? I read some Lovecraft and people like Chambers when I was young and remember enjoying it, but don’t have much memory or impression beyond that. Its entirely possible I decided I loved Lovecraft when I was young because I was convinced I was supposed to. I think I’m going to read a little this month and maybe check out some Stuart Gordon films since he seems to be the go to movie guy for this stuff. I recall enjoying his Masters of Horror episodes and Re-Animator, but not loving them. Dagon and From Beyond are both on my long lists for this month so I guess I’ll make a point of checking them out. Ok, back to the Void. I don’t really know what I think about this. Once again I wasn’t bored or anything so I can’t call it a bad film. And I don’t have the kind of criticisms or defenses I had for Ghost Dimension or The Boy. But I never really knew what to make of this and I felt like my feet never really got settled into it. Which again.. maybe that’s the point? I definitely think this movie captured what I understand to be “Lovecraftian.” And it was well made and executed unlike a lot of other Lovecraft stuff I’ve seen over the years. But I just spent the entire film feeling as lost as the characters in it. Its not that I couldn’t follow the plot. Its just… you know when you’re watching something and get distracted and then realize you don’t quite know where you’re at with the story? This was like that except I was paying complete attention. But again… maybe that’s the point? I'm falling behind so I'm gonna have to hunker down and do a couple of marathons on unique years the next few nights. Playoff baseball has messed with this. October Tally - New (Total) - (1). V/H/S (2012) / - (2). V/H/S/2 (2013) / 1 (3). Let Us Prey (2014) / - (4). The Crazies (2010) / 2 (5). The Boy (2016) / 3 (6). Beyond the Gates (2016) / - (7). Child’s Play (1988) / - (8). Jennifer’s Body (2009) / 4 (9). Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension (2015) / - (10). Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988) / 5 (11). The Void (2016)
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Oct 6, 2017 18:05
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