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X-Ray Pecs posted:Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't this movie (Harbinger Down) all practical effects? I'm pretty sure the studio that did the practical effects for The Thing prequel were miffed that their work got hastily CGI'd over on that movie, so they kickstarted their own movie with all practical effects. drat, you're right. I'd sort of written this movie off and used it to make some noise while I was doing housework. I owe it a rewatch.
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Oct 22, 2017 21:10
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October 22 - The Blackcoat's Daughter I've been trying to find smaller pictures than that for the posters, and yeah, I could have shrunk it down myself, but I wanted those quotes and sources to be readable. it's the day before... uh... late winter break (it's mid-February, so not winter and not spring) and the parents of two students at a Catholic girl's school haven't shown up to pick them up. One of the students had a premonition of her parents dying in a car wreck, the other intentionally pushed off her parents so she could deal with a personal issue. Meanwhile there's a girl having flashbacks to a mental institution who catches a ride with a couple heading toward the school. Oh, any one of the girls at the school starts acting weird. This is a movie that desperately wanted to be a significant, heavy drama with supernatural elements. Instead it's meandering, lost, and never even managed a coherent message even in straight storytelling. The movie has a structure that I'm going to have to get into spoilers to explain, but for those who just want something blind, it's convoluted in a way that film students writing a script think is clever and the rest of us go, "Why would you present your movie this way?" The first half of the film is drama that never means anything and never goes anywhere. The second half doesn't use any of that. So I have to dive into spoilers here to explain why I was so annoyed with this movie. So here's the bulk of the plot laid out: one of the girls is possessed and kills everyone who remained at the school. The girl heading to the school is her eight years later after she escaped from the mental hospital and is catching a ride with the parents of the other girl. Aren't you shocked and impressed by this twist? Oh sure, it meant cutting back and forth between the storylines in a way that made the narrative just drag on endlessly, and then giving us the actual story in flashback over an hour into the movie. And yes, there was no compelling mystery in the first half to make that kind of thing pay off. Oh, and they used two different actresses except they look exactly the same age so it's completely unreasonable to think that they're the same character a few years apart. And they made it clear that something bad was up with both the couple she was riding with and the girl so I said, "If this turns out to be the same character only in the future then this is the stupidest loving moving I've seen in a while," well before the reveal. I'm not sure reworking the script could have saved this one, too. There wasn't enough to the story as it was and the director completely failed to provide any tension or suspense out of what was there.
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Oct 22, 2017 22:32
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30: Sisters (1972) Early de Palma thriller with the traditional series of bizarre coincidences and fairly predictable twist, then everything goes sideways in the last half hour. Still an interesting watch all the way through because de Palma tries out some of the techniques he'd later use in Carrie, also Margot Kidder gets them out.
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Oct 23, 2017 00:11
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Kinda tired so here's some quick capsules. I was traveling for work all this past week so haven't had too much time to watch anything until this weekend. 21. Vampire Circus (1972) dir. Robert Young Had no idea what this was going in, but was surprised to find that it's a surprisingly salacious and brisk late-era Hammer production. Kind of weird, certainly fun although like a lot of Hammer it sometimes doesn't know what to do with itself. But it's got that good blood. 22. Lyle (2014) dir. Stewart Thorndike Gaby Hoffman plays a young pregnant mother whose first child dies and soon becomes paranoid that her next-to-be born is also going to be murdered. A modern, low-budget but very well acted update of Rosemary's Baby, and sitting short at only an hour long runtime, Lyle is certainly one of the most undeservedly underseen films of the past few years. It's tense, sad, and appropriately shocking. Also check for a bit part from Michael Che. 23. I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957) (Rewatch) dir. Gene Fowler Jr. I've seen the MST3K of this before but I watched the original. The AIP "Teenage" cycle of films are surprisingly sad and poignant, fully aware of the way adults are exploiting the teen victims in the films. They're about kids failed by the system, failed by the selfishness of their elders, and turned into literal monsters. A truly excellent film that's been derided because it had the audacity to be made with a low budget. 24. Ice Cream Man (1995) dir. Paul Norman From the director of Edward Penishands is this Clint Howard horror story about a psychotic ice cream man terrorizing a neighborhood. Madcap, nonsensical, fully tongue-in-cheek. It's fun, although nothing particularly noteworthy. 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; City of the Living Dead; Unfriended; I Walked with a Zombie; I Was a Teenage Frankenstein; In a Glass Cage; Vampire Circus; Lyle; I Was a Teenage Werewolf; Ice Cream Man (Total: 24)
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Oct 23, 2017 01:34
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19. Halloween H20 What would you think if the previous three Halloween movies had never happened? If, instead of dying in a car wreck, Laurie had just faked her death, moved to California, and was now running a prestigious school, living with her son? Because that's the basis for this movie. Apparently, the previous three were tossed out the window. Even though they could exist together, just that it makes Laurie someone who abandoned her baby girl. Anywho, Michael has found her again, and is looking to finally take her out. It also happens to be when most of the school is going on a long trip, which Laurie's son, John, is skipping out on, as well as a few of his friends... This was an excellent return to form. H20 is closer to the original movie, in terms of tension and atmosphere, than the last three. Jamie Lee Curtis does an excellent job as someone still haunted by the killings of twenty years prior and her relationship with John is believable and realistic. Michael is still presented as this force that won't give up, this single-minded purpose given flesh. He carves through those on his way to reach his sister. All in all, this could have served as a strong capstone to the Halloween series, but they just can't let sleeping dogs lie, can they? 4/5 LL Cool J Erotic Novels 20. Halloween Resurrection Holy poo poo, what a goddamned mess. It could have been good campy fun, but instead, it's an irritant that somehow lets Busta Rhymes be the most entertaining part of the show. See, Michael finally kills Laurie. Right in the beginning, he finally kills her. It's the opening of the movie, even. But, never mind that poo poo. They're shooting a spooky reality show in Michael's old house! Some college students are going to go on there, wearing cameras, investigating the house, to see where Michael went wrong. And it's as loving stupid as you'd expect. Everyone in this movie sucks. Not just their actors, but as people. Except one guy, who is so thirsty for this one girl; he's the dim bright spot of this movie. At one point, Busta Rhymes is kicking Michael's rear end with kung fu moves I'm pretty sure he saw on TV. He seemed to be the only person involved who was even close to enthusiastic about the project. Don't watch this turd pile. Just avoid it. 1/5 Dead Tara Banks
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Oct 23, 2017 01:37
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21)Halloween 22)Halloween 2 *both rewatches*  absolute classic must watch. I don't think it's Carpenter's best film The Thing but I wouldn't argue strongly with someone who disagreed  /5 More of the same, but not quite as good. Still a pretty good watch though. /4
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Oct 23, 2017 01:56
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27. Re-Animator A young mad scientist develops a serum that brings the dead back to life, and the results bring carnage to a small medical college. I'd seen From Beyond a long while back but never got around to seeing this. I was sort of impressed by how fast this sucker moves, it comes in at less than 90 minutes but never feels like there's filler or a boring moment. The cast is fantastic and I love that they play it straight for the most part, and the dialogue is great ("Cat dead, details later.") The effects are pretty good as well, even some of the more low-budget ones that are more obvious, but it just gives it a lot of B-movie charm. 28. Black Sunday A vampiric witch is put to death but returns 200 years later to exact her revenge on her executioners' kin. I will admit I wasn't that into this. It's filmed beautifully and looks spooky as hell, it's got some nice special effects, and (as someone a few pages ago mentioned) it feels like a '30s Universal monster movie with a dark edge to it - I admit I flinched at the mask and hammer scene even though really nothing is shown, there's lots of maggots and scorpions on corpses, etc. But while there's a lot of style, I also felt like the first half hour or so was the most engaging and then things just sort of happen until its over. 29. Phenomena (aka Creepers) A young girl who can communicate with insects and a forensic entomologist try to solve a series of vicious murders in Switzerland. This was a two-fer - it's part of the "VHS box covers that darkly fascinated me as a kid" theme I've had partially going on with my list - here the cover with Jennifer Connelly's face half-eaten away was always an eye-catcher at the supermarket - and it's the first Dario Argento-directed movie I've ever seen. And I thought this was pretty cool! (for reference, I watched the 116-minute English/Italian hybrid cut released last year). It's got so many weird elements mashed up here but it manages to put it all together in a way that it just feels like a fairy tale. It's a gorgeous-looking film, and the setting of the forest and Alps with the constant Föhn wind that blows is a memorable setting. I think the acting and dialogue overall here isn't that great, but Jennifer Connelly just exudes beauty and confidence, and you can totally see her as sort of a pure avatar of nature with her insect friends, and her rapport with Donald Pleasence is great. I thought the heavy metal inserted in random scenes was kind of weird, but the main theme and the one haunting track by Bill Wyman that plays in a lot of the scenes is awesome and I can't get it out of my head a few days after watching the film.
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Oct 23, 2017 02:03
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8. Nightmare on Elm Street 2 I enjoyed this as a schlocky horror just fine. It's funny, someone else mentioned it previously but the pop culture version of Kruger comes later on, he's mostly silent and sinister in this movie and it works well, if differently. Also the main girl is a total babe. 4 runaway schoolbuses out of 5 9. Friday the 13th part 6 Well they tried something different, and God bless them, but this is what people want. I love electricity shocks being used as a plot device as much as mutant ooze. The kills are satisfying and Jason is terrifying... He has loads of bullets and shotguns unloaded into him with minimal effect. I also enjoyed the (predictable) ending. 3.5 propellers out of 5 SilvergunSuperman fucked around with this message at 02:56 on Oct 23, 2017 |
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Oct 23, 2017 02:51
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36. It's Alive: Hot drat, this is a genuinely good movie. A troop of L.A. beat cops pointing service revolvers at a suspicious baby in a totally staright laced scene makes this a masterpiece in my mind. My son can't wait to watch the second and third. I'm pretty amped, as well. E: Oh hey, this is my third Cohen for the month. All first viewings, to boot. Dude owns. This would be the best of the three though Q was an absolute blast. Butch Cassidy fucked around with this message at 15:18 on Nov 1, 2017 |
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Oct 23, 2017 03:02
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10. Halloween h20 I missed this one when it was originally released, and was surprised to be as disappointed as I was. The plot felt incredibly hackneyed, especially Jamie Lee Curtis' role and it just wasn't scary at all to me. Josh Hartnett's line proclaiming how tough life is as a 16 or 17 year old actually got a laugh out loud. 2 frumpy buzzkill moms out of 5
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Oct 23, 2017 03:05
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11. The Burning I've never been as reminded of Sleepaway Camp than this movie (in a good way.) You get some relatively cringey performances from up and coming stars, and a murderer with a pretty unique weapon. All in all a thoroughly competent if mediocre slasher. 3.5 summer of Georges out of 5
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Oct 23, 2017 03:23
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17: Drácula (1931, George Melford) The 1931 Dracula, that is, the best-known version starring Bela Lugosi, always had the handicap of being a somewhat rushed production. Its reputation is more on Lugosi's iconic performance rather than the film as a whole (even though Dwight Frye and Edward van Sloan as Renfield and Van Helsing, respectively, are magnificent). In the late 20s and early 30s, studios would shoot their biggest films multiple times for multiple languages. Dracula was shot only twice: once in English (during the day) and once in Spanish (during the night). The Spanish version has much more polished editing and camera work, plus more dynamic mise en scene. While Carlos Villarias isn't Lugosi, I find his performance fascinating because he looks an awful lot like Christopher Lee! One significent difference is the occasionally more graphic versions of scenes. When Renfield cuts his finger on a knife, you get a close-up of blood all over his finger. If you have to watch one of these alternate language versions from the transition era, this is essential viewing. Also, if you get the Blu-ray, Universal gave the Spanish version a stellar 4K restoration alongside the familiar version. Most looks to be sourced directly from the camera negative (other than one reel from a worn print), so it actually looks better than the restored English version! 18: Noche de duendes (1930, James Parrott) This is the Spanish language version of The Laurel-Hardy Murder case, a "short feature" from 1930. It also interpolates a Spanish re-shoot of their short film Berth Marks from the previous year to pad it out to feature length. If you're wondering why a Laurel & Hardy comedy is being included here, it's because the bulk of the plot is a spoof on "old dark house" movies of the time. There's spooky paintings, bedsheet ghosts, creepy butlers, and even trap doors. As with the regular English version, there's some really impressive mood lighting. It's actually clever in that it's funny for the same reason haunted house movies are creepy, showing how L&H added comedy to everything. 1a/b: The Creep Behind the Camera/The Creeping Terror | 2: Phantom of the Paradise | 3: The Phantom of the Opera (Hammer) | 4: I Walked with a Zombie | 5: The Evil Dead (1981) | 6: Evil Dead 2 | 7: Army of Darkness | 8: Phantasm | 9: Night of the Lepus | 10: The Touch of Satan (MST3K) | 11: Halloween (1978) | 12: House of Wax (1953 - in 3-D) | 13: Das cabinet des Dr. Caligari | 14: Gorgo (MST3K) | 15: M (1931 - British Version) | 16: Godzilla, King of the Monsters
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Oct 23, 2017 03:34
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Phantasm II (1988) This is pretty good sequel. It's not quite as good as the first one but it's still pretty fun. It seems like it was really influenced by eighties movies like the Evil Dead series. Death Spa(1988) This is a real schlocky movie that could only have been made in the 80s. There's tons of cheesy gore, and plenty of nudity in this one. Like many movies of the time, it plays on the fear of technology killing people at an automated gym - well kind of. Someone's controlling the technology to do so. Some of the deaths are really over the top, and the plot gets to be a bit of a mess as it goes on, but this is decent for at least one viewing. Hell House LLC(2015) This is a very good found footage/mockumentary about a Halloween shock house that's a little too realistic. It makes excellent use of its setting, an abandoned hotel, and focuses on three longtime friends/business associates and the way the house affects them. There's a certain subtext that criticizes the corporate world to this as well (hence the LLC) and the pursuit of business ends despite the human cost. The Babadook (2014) When I first watched this movie a few year backs I thought it was decent, but massively overhyped. My second viewing shows that I was wrong - this one deserves the hype it gets. Our two central characters are Amelia and her 7 year old Samuel. Samuel's father died in a car accident en route to Samuel's birth, and Amelia has never been able to put this behind here as she is still dealing with the grief and depression. As Samuel gets older, he is starting to get in trouble st school with his misbehaving. This puts Amelia over the edge as she has always tried to be a good mother and she doesn't know how to deal with this. Her depression worsens, and she starts to experience feelings of loneliness and sexual inadequacy. One night while reading Samuel to bed, they read the tale of The Babadook, a strange being that will haunt your dreams. It's at this point in the movie that a sense of dread completely overtakes the viewer. We know something is going to go down, but we don't know if it's psychological or paranormal. This movie hit all the right notes. Amelia is a very sympathetic character and it is very easy to feel empathy for her. When she is frightened, we are frightened. When she is frustrated we are frustrated. It's a really remarkable character and she's performed excellently. The themes of this movie and how it deals with depression are excellent. We get to understand how terrible this condition is, and how you really just can't rid of it. The movie is very frightening as well. A sense of dread is present throughout the movie, and the scenes with the babadook lingering in the shadows are chilling. Overall, I highly recommend this movie. There is a ton to praise, and any criticisms I could make would be minor nitpicking at best. Hocus Pocus (1993) It's one of my wife's favourite Halloween movies, so we had to watch it. It's a pretty decent movie and an excellent intro to the genre for kids. I like some of the character designs and the seasonal imagery is quite good. Rewatches (10): Maniac Cop, Friday the 13th 3, Friday the 13th 4, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 , The Lost Boys, Land of the Dead, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4, Friday the 13th 6, The Babadook, Hocus Pocus First time watches (24): 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, Cult of Chucky, The Return of Dracula, The Fog, Sssssss! Happy Death Day, the Babysitter, The Changeling, It Comes at Night, phantasm 2, Death Spa, Hell Hoise LLC
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Oct 23, 2017 03:36
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SilvergunSuperman posted:8. Nightmare on Elm Street 2
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Oct 23, 2017 04:05
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#32: Hardware James Cameron said the inspiration for The Terminator came to him during a fever dream. If that's the case, this is that dream put to film. Hazy, dark, grimy, ugly, this is such a great nightmare put to film. The atmosphere of this movie is incredible. The lighting is very stark and colored, what you can see is usually a hot orange or red, or a cool blue, but so much of every shot is hidden in shadow. It's a delicate act to hide so much from the auidence and still make your film read well, and Stanley pulls that off, and really lets the editing run wild when it really needs to. The sets are all cluttered with junk, and there's little room for anything but junk. It's a truly horrific view of humanity's future, even before the M.A.R.K.-13 starts its rampage. You live in sweaty, cramped high-rises, your neighbors watch you gently caress, the government is seeking volunteers for sterilization, it's completely bleak. Still, this movie manages to be a lot of fun, with some good jokes and awesome kills. If you're ready for a head trip, throw this one on. 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, The House of the Devil, From Beyond, Gremlins 2: The New Batch, Apt Pupil, Wait Until Dark, Gerald's Game, Hell House LLC, Black Swan*, Happy Birthday To Me, Pieces, Trollhunter, As Above So Below, The Devil's Candy, Antibirth, Chopping Mall, The Terminator*, Death Note, Ghostwatch, Baskin, Let the Right One In, Inferno, Tetsuo: The Iron Man, Starry Eyes, Hardware* *denotes rewatches
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Oct 23, 2017 04:08
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12. Night of the Living Dead (1990) I enjoyed the gently caress out of this movie. Great performances and cool makeup, a compelling storyline (the gas pump scene in this version is great) and a kickass ending, I can't recommend it more! 5 disappearing keys out of 5 13. The Return of The Living Dead (1985) I preferred the makeup in this one, as well as the gratuitous nudity, but it fell shorter in the acting and story dept. That said it was perfectly serviceable in both those areas, and the special effects cover for a lot. 4.5 80s punkettes out of 5
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Oct 23, 2017 04:10
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23. Horror Express, 1972 Now this is classic horror. You got Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing on a train on the trans-Siberian railway in 1906. Two of the genre's big icons right at the start of post-Victorian times. And not only is the setting perfect, but you also got a really cool monster. Christopher Lee plays a scientist that's returning from an expedition in Manchuria where he found an the frozen remains of a two million year old hominid. Most of you are going to think it's just going to be about it somehow waking up and the whole movie is about a hairy ape killing people. That's on partially right. The monster is way more different and more powerful than that. This is a much more interesting movie than just some ape on a train. It's an underrated gem.
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Oct 23, 2017 04:19
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Elizabeth Mills posted:One of my favorite arguments about Death of the Author is that NoES 2 is almost explicitly a textbook example of a movie about dealing with your burgeoning, unwanted homosexuality... And the director explicitly said he didn't intend that Haha I'd have to watch it again through that lens, but that didn't jump out at me. I remember someone else mentioning a lack of chemistry between the leads but that's just more Kim Myers for me!  
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Oct 23, 2017 04:29
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32 (43). Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead (1994) Reggie’s back with his quadruple barreled sawed off shotgun. There’s a 3rd Mike or are we in a “New Becky, Old Becky” situation? Jody’s a ball now. Elizabeth is very unceremoniously discarded without her name even getting mentioned. There’s a psychopath Home Alone kid. And The Tall Man’s adventures appear to have progressed to the point where parts of the US are just post apocalyptic ghost towns filled with scavengers, orphaned children, and zombies. I still have no idea what the hell this series is about. The charm is starting to wear off a bit for me. The fact that the entire second movie was kind of discarded as meaningless, the loss of that personal grief subtext that gave the original heart, and the lamp shading meta embrace of the movie effectively breaking the fourth wall to tell you that nothing really makes sense, they can change up stuff on the fly if they want because you don’t know what’s real or not, and we promise we’ll explain stuff later are all kind of things that bug me. That last one is big since its kind of a pet peeve of mine when a series appears to flying by the seat of its pants but promising that it really does know what its doing. Just own that you’re throwing poo poo at the wall, Don Coscarelli. I can respect that. I don’t really believe that you have a plan here. Still.. I’m powering through. I don’t hate them or anything. Its all confusing enough to hold my attention and I kind of have a soft spot for monster hunting road adventures. And I still need Phantasm IV to fill 1998. Just not tonight, I don’t think. 33 (44). Castle Freak (1995)  A Re-Animator reunion of Stuart Gordon, Jeffrey Combs, and Barbara Crampton doing a Lovecraft piece that is very different. Combs plays a recovering alcoholic who is trying to earn the forgiveness of his family after a drunk driving accident kills his son and blinds his daughter, when he inherits an Italian castle from a relative he never knew that contains a dangerous and horrifying secret. As said, this is nothing like I’d what I’d expect from that combinations of names and their previous works. A very low key haunted house type story that really rests most of its weight not on the horror but on the interpersonal drama between Combs and Crampton and their family drama. They do well but I don’t think either is especially strong enough of an actor to really carry the film. The “freak” (which feels kind of mean) doesn’t really impact me much through the film. He engages in a couple of really horrible and vicious violent rape-like scenes that honestly, didn’t feel worth the nastiness of it. Besides that he doesn’t do a lot. I think there’s a very good story in here somewhere but I don’t think Gordon did a good job telling it. And really, it felt a lot more “mean” than I wanted or am personally a fan of. I guess there’s always a bit of “meanness” to the work of these folks but I feel like there’s often a bit of humor or absurdity to it as well. This one is a very grounded and human story with the low budget and family drama core and it just made me rather uncomfortable with some of the elements. And without those elements hitting for me the whole movie kind of didn’t. I said earlier I was torn on Lovecraft and wanted to watch more Gordon to see what I think. I’m not really going to count this one too harshly. I still intend to watch From Beyond before the month is done and I have Dolls lined up as my ’87 movie. So I guess I’ll further judge these two as I go on. This one wasn’t a winner for me. I have a bunch more films all lined up I want to burn through tonight but I’m feeling a little “meaned” out so I don’t think its the right time to watch something like Audition or The Cell or Battle Royale. So a break while I see if I can find something a little “lighter” that matches my remaining years. 
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Oct 23, 2017 04:31
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14. Trick or Treat (1986) Similar to Trick'R Treat in name only, this movie is a trip haha. Goofy cameos by Ozzy and Gene Simmons add to a deliciously ludicrous plot that's every parent's worst nightmare. It's pretty good as far as a wacky horror goes, I had fun and the old lady on tv gets... part made me laugh out loud. 4 deadly guitar lightning bolts out of 5
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Oct 23, 2017 05:21
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21. The Babysitter A Netflix original picture, it harkens back to campy horror of yesteryear. It...Kind of succeeds? It's about a kid who's babysitter is a satanic cultist, who intends to sacrifice him and his fight to survive... It's campy, but not as much fun as it could be. I'll not sure what's missing from it, but there's something integral that just isn't there. Give it a watch if you think it'd be your sort of thing. 2.5/5 Bullets In Boobs
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Oct 23, 2017 05:31
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23. Goosebumps I pretty much just threw this on to entertain us while I put a bookshelf together, but it was surprisingly good. Absolutely bizarre idea for a movie but interesting (takes place in the “real world”, Jack Black plays the real R L Stein who vanishes from public life because his stories start coming to life) I expected mediocre at best but this was pretty entertaining. Probably helps that a young RF owned every single book in the original run.
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Oct 23, 2017 06:09
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15. What We Do In The Shadows I forgot I caught this for the first time the other day, and while it's very plainly a comedy/satire I think it still qualifies. Holy poo poo, if you're on the fence I'd recommend checking out this movie, I was surprised just how drat enjoyable it was. The 3 leads vary in quality from great, good, fine imo but fortunately that's also how the screen time seems to be broken down. Tons of laugh out loud moments, it was a blast. 5 out of 5 non hosed sandwiches
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Oct 23, 2017 06:12
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Watched The Descent a few days ago but went out of town for a few days and haven't been able to do the write-up until now. The film follows six women who embark on an underground cave expedition, and for the first half of the movie, just lets the setting completely soak in, absolutely nailing the sense of claustrophobia and fear of getting lost, trapped, or injured hundreds of feet underground. The creatures inhabiting the cave system aren't introduced until about halfway through, at which point it basically becomes an entirely different film, albeit still an effective one, with the film becoming a mad scramble for survival in the labyrinthine tunnels against the hive of hunters acclimated to the environment and the mass panic amongst the group itself. Movies Watched (21): It, Werewolf (MST3K), Army of Darkness, Frankenweenie, Corpse Bride, Paranorman, Coraline, The Nightmare Before Christmas, The Shining, Room 237, Teenagers from Outer Space (MST3K), Little Shop of Horrors, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Cannibal! The Musical, Friday the 13th, Friday the 13th Part II, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, Psycho, Beetlejuice, Ghostbusters, The Descent Trash Boat fucked around with this message at 06:52 on Oct 23, 2017 |
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Oct 23, 2017 06:33
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I started that movie one time and got about 20 minutes in before deciding I'd somehow confused it for some chick flick.
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Oct 23, 2017 06:43
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I will make a tardy entry into this, because I'm in the mood to watch horror movies! I'll probably be able to watch at least as many as I did in May (not many), I'll shoot for 13 movies. Also this will be heavy on rewatches, since I don't rewatch movies that often (maybe 2 or 3 times a decade) and happen to be in that rewatch mood! 1. Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (Part 5) Second time I've seen this, screened it with folk who had never seen that one, still funny stuff. A solid and fun slasher movie, I know it's somebody #1 in the horror thread, often near the bottom of people's lists also, I find it a good one. It's just entertaining and watchable while straightforward, and a bit Scooby-Doo, it's a good time. I like the saucy waitress and mustache guy subplot, and also the guy with the chocolate bar scene. Thumbs up! 2. Bubba Hotep Popped this on last night, everybody who hadn't seen it highly dug it, and it holds up very well for me. Saw it in theaters when it hit too. Just a perfect film, great humor and some genuine gravitas, short and sweet, can't really do much better than this in my book. Thumbs up
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Oct 23, 2017 06:54
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Heavy Metal posted:1. Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (Part 5) That's me. Although if there existed a version of 7 with the uncut kills, that'd probably be my #1.
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Oct 23, 2017 07:29
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Slow week, but I'm probably still gonna make it to 31 #24 The Mummy (2017) This started off surprisingly decent, but about 45 minutes in it turns into a formulaic superhero movie with spooky themes. More concerned with setting up the inevitable spin-offs and crossovers anything interesting it had going on is unceremoniously snuffed during all the confusion. #25 The Babysitter (2017) Very entertaining and exactly the sort of light, campy fun that leaves you with a smile on your face. Really dug this.
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Oct 23, 2017 08:07
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I watched one more before bed, looking for a bit more of a “fun” palette cleanser to get me back in the mood. 34 (45). The Lair of the White Worm (1988)  Doctor Who digs up the skull of a giant snake unearthing the truth behind a local myth about a giant snake and getting the help of Hugh Grant - who’s ancestor supposedly slew the great serpent - to save the lives of two beautiful young sisters. I mean, it does kind of sound like a Doctor Who episode, doesn’t it? I really enjoyed this one. Its a different little twist on the classic vampire story, which I suppose shouldn’t be a surprise since its “loosely” based on a Bram Stoker story. Its interesting to see so many recognizable actors so young, particularly Peter Capaldi. Given the year I can’t help but thing this was a bit of a ripoff of Fright Night and to that end I think maybe it would have been a little more fun if Grant’s character had been a tad more buffoonish in his “Peter Vincent” role rather than the kind of heroic Allan Quatermain Jr character he played. Still, I think there was a fair bit of comedy to it just in that wry British way and the fact that Grant doesn’t even get to be there when the serpent is killed instead leaving it for the nerdy archeologist is an amusing little turn of events. You know, amusing in that British wit way. Amanda Donohoe’s vampire/snake/priestess is a very fun and sexy character and a very effective gender reversal on Stoker’s Dracula. I guess there’s really potential Dracula comparisons across the board. Is Grant Peter Vincent or Van Helsing? Is Capaldi Harker or Charley? I guess really its more of a point that Fright Night took from the classic vampire mythos as Stoker seemed to with this follow twist. Its a fun sort of way to look at it. Wait, does that mean Evil is Lucy? I really enjoyed it. It wasn’t great but it was a nice little classic horror story with a twist and a few amusing little side laughs like the snake charming and a snake basket instead of a casket. And it came with its own drinking song. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8n6z-WRCd0 STAC Goat fucked around with this message at 08:12 on Oct 23, 2017 |
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Oct 23, 2017 08:09
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Thread I come to you with sad news. I'm tapping out. Partially because of some medical issues I experienced early in the month that hosed my schedule by almost 2 weeks. Partly the burnout. For every good horror movie, I've seen 5 bad ones. It's been great seeing everyones reviews and getting exposed to new movies and such. Next year I'll be back at it. Chasing the elusive 65. Lotta new stuff coming in the next year. I'll see you all in the general horror thread. Happy Halloween!
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Oct 23, 2017 09:47
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SilvergunSuperman posted:I started that movie one time and got about 20 minutes in before deciding I'd somehow confused it for some chick flick. Are there a lot of chick flicks where someone takes a steel bar through the head? I admit a lack of familiarity with the genre. You didn't miss much, though. The plot is basically "I know what we can do to help you get over your trauma, let's do something incredibly stupid and get killed!" and the only character who is not annoying gets killed first.
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Oct 23, 2017 10:22
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drat I missed this thread, but that's what I get for just using bookmarks these days. This is my fourth year doing October marathons, so I should be posting in these threads all the time. Here's my Letterboxd list for this year. I ended up with way more than 31 movies on the list so I can have some freedom in choosing a movie each night. A lot of these films will end up getting shunted to my general backlog though. As of right now I'm 24 films in. Films I've really enjoyed: Nightmare on Elm Street I'm not really a slasher fan, so I've neglected to watch all the classic slasher series until now. When Friday the 13th rolled around I realized it would be a good time to rectify that. I thought NOES was great! But I suspect that's because he's half supernatural as well. Freddy is a fun villain and the kills/scares were way more inventive than most slasher murders. I'll definitely be checking out the sequels in the months to come. Wes Craven's New Nightmare I ended up watching this rather than NOES 2, because it sounded like a fun concept and wasn't "canon". Despite being a bit long, I thought it was a good time. It should have ended before the Freddy dimension though as it got a bit long in the tooth at that point and the dimension itself was pretty dumb. The Others (2001) I went into this one without knowing the twist, although you could see it coming when her husband first returned. Excellent atmosphere and surprisingly good acting from the kids. The shot of the servants in the dark, lingering outside the window was so good. It was also a pleasant surprise to see a young(er) Michelle Fairley at the end there. The Loved Ones The Devil's Candy ruled, so I thought I should check out Byrne's previous film. It also ruled. I was worried that the trailer had shown me the entire movie, but there's waaaay more to this film than the trailer lets on. The B-plot about the friend's prom date was a bit questionable (both in quality and morality), but the rest is as insane as The Devil's Candy. Tales from the Hood I've been joining the Scream Stream occasionally and catching movies I don't know much about, so this was a huge surprise for me. I had put in my rating at Letterboxd after the final short, but had to go back and rate it higher after the ending to the wraparound segment. That was a dope ending. Films I've disliked / been disappointed by: Friday the 13th I mentioned before that I don't really like slashers and this didn't do much to change my mind. Kids just getting killed by "Jason" (who doesn't even appear until the 3rd film, I'm told) just doesn't have a hook for me. Halloween I really wanted to love this one, I really did. I love John Carpenter and the Halloween atmosphere but this was ultimately pretty boring. Michael Myers suffers the same flaws as Jason for me: he's just a big guy with a blade. He's really uninteresting and unlike F13, lacked a real body count or impressive kills. The film is a whole lot of buildup for an unimpressive finale. Oujia: Origin of Evil I had always heard this was better than it had any right to be, and Flanagan's films have so far been pleasant surprises, but this one dropped the ball. Oculus, Hush and Gerald's Game were great, so I went into this one with higher expectations than I should have. Occasionally I could see Flanagan's talent shine through, but it was mostly boring. It's clearly aimed at the demographic of "young teens first horror". Also after watching Gerald's Game I couldn't stand looking at the priest. The Bad Batch A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night was maybe my favorite movie from 2015, and Jason Momoa owns so I had high hopes for this one. There's a lot of aspects to be appreciated here, but ultimately it didn't come together. It especially didn't justify its length. The pacing inconsistent and the plot jumps around a lot, but there's enough atmosphere and (ugh) worldbuilding that the first half is engaging. The back half is incredibly meandering and the end completely fizzles out, despite cult leader Keanu being a lot of fun. Films I'm still anticipating: The Mist Halloween 3 - Hoping the lack of Myers means I'll dig it. Phantasm - Sounds like fun. Murder Party - Green Room loving slays, so I'm hoping this will too. Pulse (Kairo) - J-Horror has been severely underrepresented on my list this year, had to add this one. Shoutout to whoever Head CHUD is on Twitter for turning me onto this one. The Howling - An American Werewolf in London was a huge hit for me last year, hoping this one can scratch that itch.
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Oct 23, 2017 12:01
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SMP posted:Murder Party - Green Room loving slays, so I'm hoping this will too. I love Murder Party, very very funny and unique film.
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Oct 23, 2017 12:36
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I've been even more busy with work! I also went to Halloween Horror Nights in Orlando over the weekend! I had just enough energy left over to catch the first entry of Sunday's Scream Stream before falling asleep. Black Sabbath 1963, dir. Mario Bava | Scream Stream  Segment 1: Giallo-lite, with some inspiration from Hitchcock and a few urban legends. While it's nothing amazing, the threads keep things a little uneasy so you don't know what's really going on (not a bad thing when a faceless voice is calling in threats). I like it, but it's easily the most forgettable segment. Both of the leads were gorgeous, however. Segment 2: I think this is my new favorite segment in this anthology (previously it was the 3rd segment). Boris Karloff absolutely kills it as a grandpa who's been turned into a vampire. The plot takes a lot of suspension of disbelief to get through (This family is aware of the legend of the Wurdulak: a person vanishes, comes back 5 days later, craves blood, can only be killed with a dagger to the heart. Their grandpa appears after being missing for 5 days, looks like a corpse, talks about being insatiably hungry but can't eat regular animal meat, and has a giant stab wound in his heart. Really people? You don't want to think this through, Mario?). However, if you take that plunge, you get some deeply unsettling vampire fiction. Karloff looks amazing as the grandpa, who goes from a walking cadaver to a menacing ghoul. The lighting it wonderful; there's a moment where the vampiric family walk towards the camera through various colors and lights, and it's marvelous. I can't help but feel like there's a weird layer of sexual abuse in the themes of the second segment. The grandpa caressing his grandson while the family looks on in horror but refuses to say anything is disgusting, the granddaughter wants to run away from the family but is convinced to stay by the grandfather who embraces her and promises the bonds of family while her mother and father look at her with hunger. It's absolutely unsettling. Segment 3: This one's everyone's favorite thanks to the ghoulish face of the corpse. It manages to tap into a lizard brain fear of reanimated death in a naturally horrific way: The corpse is there, you look away, the corpse has moved slightly, repeat. It's a creepy ghost tale, but it felt a little flat after the multi-layered horror of Segment 2. Overall: Solid film that I appreciate more on a re-watch. / 5Movies Watched NEW: I Walked With A Zombie, Dead & Buried, The Mummy ('59), The Resurrected, Critters, Cemetery Man, Roadgames ('81), mother!, Christine, Willow Creek, Castle Freak, Wait Until Dark, Curse of the Mummy's Tomb, The Mummy's Shroud, Blood from the Mummy's Tomb, The Uncanny, Venom, Tales of Terror, Body Bags REWATCH: The Return of the Living Dead, Pumpkinhead, Night of the Creeps, Demons, Demon Knight, Suspiria, Friday the 13th: Part 2, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, Black Sabbath SHORT FILMS (not counted in goal): Junk Head 1; TOTAL: 28
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Oct 23, 2017 13:27
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STAC Goat posted:I really enjoyed it. It wasn’t great but it was a nice little classic horror story with a twist and a few amusing little side laughs like the snake charming and a snake basket instead of a casket. And it came with its own drinking song. Lair of the White Worm is a film I can't call a good movie, but I still would recommend for people who like crazy movies. It doesn't hold together very well, but drat if it doesn't have some fantastic bits. SMP posted:Nightmare on Elm Street You've got to be a real monster to watch a Nightmare on Elm Street movie on Friday the 13th.
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Oct 23, 2017 14:19
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Random Stranger posted:You've got to be a real monster to watch a Nightmare on Elm Street movie on Friday the 13th. I watched both that night and there was a clear winner 
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Oct 23, 2017 14:21
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Random Stranger posted:Lair of the White Worm is a film I can't call a good movie, but I still would recommend for people who like crazy movies. It doesn't hold together very well, but drat if it doesn't have some fantastic bits. I can very easily call it a good film. I liked it enough the first time I watched it, but it totally clicked with me the 2nd time, and it's pretty structurally tight. But yes, it's weird as gently caress, and despite being a lesser-known Bram Stoker novel, the story is very Lovecraftian. It'd make a fun double feature with From Beyond, but that movie's basically perfect.
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Oct 23, 2017 14:28
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SMP posted:I watched both that night and there was a clear winner Good luck finding someone who thinks Friday the 13th is a better movie than Nightmare on Elm Street. If you're just looking at the two original films it's not even a fair contest. Friday the 13th only makes a comeback once you get into Part 6 and Part 7 when the NOES franchise was at it's worst.
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Oct 23, 2017 14:29
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Basebf555 posted:Good luck finding someone who thinks Friday the 13th is a better movie than Nightmare on Elm Street. If you're just looking at the two original films it's not even a fair contest. Friday the 13th only makes a comeback once you get into Part 6 and Part 7 when the NOES franchise was at it's worst. The Final Chapter is at least as good as The Dream Master.
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Oct 23, 2017 14:35
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Lurdiak posted:The Final Chapter is at least as good as The Dream Master. Better, in my opinion. I really do not like the later NOES sequels, specifically 5 and 6. They're just too much, even Englund seems to agree.
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Oct 23, 2017 14:38
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