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 #94) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986), a.k.a., Texas Chainsaw 2 I've gotta be honest, while I respect the first TCM more, this is the entry in the series that I love the most. Probably because it was the first one I saw, way back in middle school, after my sister's friend left it at our place. But also because it's loaded with more Texas flavor, from the long empty roads to the chili cook-off, honky-tonkery, costuming, and Dennis Hopper. Dude got a good laugh out of me just by silently hoisting and experimentally swinging a pair of chainsaws. Watched this on a thrift store VHS which kept throwing audio pops. Not the best viewing option, but it fit my nostalgia just fine. Like the first TCM, this is one that I feel is required viewing for horror fans. The rest of the series is disposable, sad to say. Maybe if they'd gotten Jim Siedow back... This was my first time catching that Stretch has a poster of the Beatles 'butcher cover' album art up in her booth. Caroline Williams rules as Stretch, taking so much terror and pulling through to conquer it all. And Bill Moseley brings Chop Top to such freakish, dorky, murderous life. Sucks that Gunnar Hansen couldn't come back for this (though the stories of what happened filming the first one make it totally understandable), but Bill Johnson certainly does a memorable job as horned-up Leatherface. Hopper steals the whole show, of course. At one point (Chop Top with the hammer), my partner asked "Is this even the same director?", and when Leatherface did his mating dance for Stretch, commented "He's real horny. I don't like it." It certainly does change things up; compare the two dinner scenes, or the Christmas-lighted finish of this to the home in the first, for an easy example. If I ever have a cannibalistic family, I want us to live somewhere like Texas Battleland. Story is, Golan and Globus were not happy with the final product, having expected a more in-line sequel to the first film. I say they should have counted themselves lucky to get something so good. The humor is a jolt the first time you hit it, but becomes indispensable as the show goes on. I mean, motherfucking chainsaw duel. Come on. LG's skinned-face make-up looks too fake (what the hell, Savini?), but that's pretty much the only knock I've got against the movie, besides its soundtrack not being more readily available. And without this, would Rob Zombie have ever started making movies?  rating: 8/10"Show me what I fear, so I don't fear it no more."
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Oct 16, 2019 02:08
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Egbert Souse posted:
This is probably my favorite moment, too. It's a strange and disturbing sequence.
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Oct 16, 2019 02:08
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1. Truth or Dare (2017) (Netflix Streaming)   "You played the game. You opened the door." - Donna Boone The Syfy movie. A spooky demon haunts a house and hosts games of truth or dare, collecting the souls of the participants who fail to complete their dares or lie when asked for a truth. The characters and plot are fairly shallow, and there's not a whole lot going on here. I will say the concept of "sharing" the dares was a little novel, and when looking up the trivia apparently by sharing the last dare both characters still living are still both breathing at the end. I don't have a ton else to say about this movie, it's fine for what it is but I won't be clamoring to rewatch it any time soon. 2.5/5 2. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) - Rewatch (DVD)    "This is just a dream, this isn't real." - Nancy Thompson As I mentioned I'll be watching all the movies in this series. For the most part I haven't seen these movies (at least the 80's movies) in over 20 years so my memories of them are very fuzzy. I do remember renting this on VHS from my local Blockbuster in high school and watching it in my basement with a few friends. Of the "big three" old school franchises (this series, Halloween and Friday the 13th) this was always my favorite, mostly because to me the concept of getting killed in your dreams is a lot more scary than a hulking killer in a mask. This first movie has a lot less Freddy Krueger than I recalled (7 minutes of screen time according to the trivia) and has a lot more character drama compared to some of the sequels. All in all this is a solid first movie. 4/5
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Oct 16, 2019 02:50
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 Super Samhain Challenge #4: InktoberOne of the Inktober prompts is “Treasure” so I went with a DVD that I bought for a dollar from a Hollywood Video that was going out of business in 2010 and never got around to watching until now:  16. Jolly Roger: Massacre at Cutter’s Cove (2005): The Asylum brings us this film about an undead pirate who’s back to take revenge on the founding fathers of a small coastal town who wronged him in a past life. If this sounds familiar, that’s because it’s basically a ripoff of The Fog, but with none of the atmosphere, tension, or anything else that makes The Fog good. I can usually look past bad production values if the story and acting are solid but they are not here. Even at 80 minutes, the script feels padded out. Don’t get me started about the scene where Jolly Roger goes to a strip club. Don’t watch this y’all.
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Oct 16, 2019 03:26
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https://twitter.com/KennethJWaste2/status/1184297471570255877?s=20
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Oct 16, 2019 03:40
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 #95) House of 1000 Corpses (2003) RIP Sid Haig.  Well, on from TCM2 into its most direct stylistic imitation, on another thrift VHS. Easily my favorite movie directed by Rob Zombie, mostly because it feels like his most honest expression of what he likes (without being a goddamn chore to get through, like 31), but also because it's front-loaded with so much Haig, and lets him run rampant over everyone else in scenes with him. So what if there's no likable protagonist? So what if Sheri Zombie deploys her annoying giggle as frequently as a comma? So what if the score feels like it was thrown together from unfinished B-sides? So what if the film has all the focus and pathfinding ability of a drunk on the verge of blacking out? The set design and dressing is off the wall, the willingness to dip into split-screen and other razzle-dazzle tricks is a hoot, Moseley gets to cut loose again, Karen Black seems to be having fun, there's a character called Dr. Satan, Haig drives a pink Cadillac and wears great shirts, it takes place on Halloween, the lighting is overblown in a good way, bits at the end feel like they were lifted from a haunted house tour, and there's no jammed-in happy ending. Shame that Skinned Deep manages to do the same aesthetic in a much weirder, prouder, and immediate way. rating: 6/10"First of all, gently caress you!"
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Oct 16, 2019 03:49
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#4 - Night of the Demons 2 (1994) Hahahaha that loving owned A little slow to get going, and a little more uncomfortable sexual violence than I'd prefer, but a really drat fun movie overall / 5
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Oct 16, 2019 04:47
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Would Joker count for the challenge?
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Oct 16, 2019 05:14
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Shankel Magnus posted:Would Joker count for the challenge? I say no, but people have already reviewed it in here.
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Oct 16, 2019 05:17
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 #96) Scooby-Doo and the Samurai Sword (2009) Off to Japan, where Scooby Snax are available in vending machines. Oof, and I thought the Egypt one was bad. We get a character being chastised for having "no respect for the old ways" within the first two minutes. We get a featured character in a schoolgirl outfit, with access to a "hoverjet." We have an island fortress where yellow-garbed pupils train in martial arts and a geisha (complete with white-painted face) laughs menacingly. A large man-servant who points to the sky and declares "Plane, da plane!". Daphne in a lavender-accented gi. Shaggy and Scooby speed-eating to become sumo wrestlers who then roll around like bowling balls. Shag and Scoob dressing like geisha, down to the geta. And then the mask and spear and tusk-through-nose cannibal island natives show up. AND it was Casey Kasem's last movie as Shaggy, apparently. Jinkies. rating: 5/10"Wow, real-life ninjas, how cool!"
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Oct 16, 2019 05:31
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8. Joker If this doesn’t count then I have no problem excluding it from the challenge, I just felt like I had to do a brain dump after watching it. Does Joaquin Phoenix’s naked, contorted, and bruised body while wearing tighty whitey’s count as body horror? Or could it partially count as horror due to the decent amount of kills, blood, and gore? Even Phoenix’s laughter that turns to sobbing tugged on my heart in much the same way that Ari Aster’s patented “grief wail” does in his movies. A whole lot to unpack. Overall I liked it. The movie kept me engaged and stretched my emotions all over the place by the time it was done despite not having a lot of action. When I saw the opening scene where the Joker has his sign stolen and he is beaten up for no reason reminded me of when I visited Coney Island and was waiting in line for the Cyclone. I could overhear some kids around me and was shocked by of their comments. Where I grew up I was used to mischievous fun making but what these kids were saying were just nasty. Very real anger in general seemed to be center stage during this movie. While GBS joked about this moving being an incel revenge story, it really seemed to be about class disparity and the treatment/neglect of the underprivileged by those in power. Pretty much the same undercurrent of growing anger that I’ve been noticing on the forums for the last couple of years. Even killing the three guys on the subway seemed to be a direct callout to the real case of the New York subway shooter who open fired on 4 people on a subway car and claimed his extreme actions were due to previously being targeted by muggers. Representation of this very real pent up anger and how the internet encourages us to distance ourselves from other people made me appreciate the sentiment that we all need to show some empathy for others. Maybe the point of the movie is that the real horror is…Us? (I should probably get around to watching that movie next) Shankel Magnus fucked around with this message at 06:02 on Oct 16, 2019 |
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Oct 16, 2019 05:55
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15. The Fog (1980) Man, you can smell the salt air with this one. I love that after Halloween, Carpenter decided to just do an old fashioned ghost story, and he sets the tone early with John Houseman literally telling a spooky story to kids over a campfire; a tale of the sea, of a mysterious fog bank, of treachery, murder, and robbery, and of long-dead sailors rising from the deep. There are a lot of little ways this film isn't quite as precisely put together as Carpenter's previous, so it's not quite as tense as it should be, but it's still richly entertaining in spite of a misstep here and there. He just goes for broke on the atmosphere, and also relies a lot on a stacked cast- Adrienne Barbeau is the highlight, but I also really like Nancy Loomis as the snarky assistant, and Tom Atkins and Jamie Lee Curtis have a legit cute dynamic. It's just a good time.
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Oct 16, 2019 05:56
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 - (27). Happy Death Day (2017) Available on HBO Go. Sorority girl “Tree” sucks, and so does her birthday which she starts by waking up in a stranger’s bed and ends with being murdered. What also sucks (or maybe not) is that she keeps reliving that day over and over as she attempts to figure out why this is happening, who keeps killing her, and how maybe to be a less sucky person. This is like my 3rd or 4th time watching this, but its not a great movie or anything. Its just really easily watchable. I had a whole big plan of what to watch tonight but I had chores I needed to finish so I wanted to turn on something that I didn’t need to give my complete attention. HDD is a good, funny, easily watchable film. Its not great and not super original. You’ve seen the Groundhog Day thing done before and you know how it works. Magical macguffin sticks someone in a loop, they have to figure out how to break it, along the way they learn a valuable lesson about themselves. Making it a slasher film is a twist but its mostly a gag to get us where we’re going. On multiple watches I'm still not even sure the slasher stuff makes much sense. The star the movie is the star, Jessica Rothe, who absolutely carries the film as a charming, funny character who we can dislike at the beginning without totally hating and grow to like as the story goes on and she gets better. And enjoy the ride as we go. And that’s what it is, an enjoyable ride. Nothing great, nothing world changing. Just a fun ride, I laughed, I cried, I finished my chores.  23 (28). The Phantom of the Opera (1925) Available on Amazon Prime, Tubi, Youtube, Internet Archive, Kanopy, Epix, etc. Its public domain. The disfigured Phantom haunts the Paris Opera House using fear and intimidation to bend the opera house to his whims, until he falls in love with a singer and kidnaps her. There seem to be like a million different cuts and versions of this. Some with sound, some without. Different times. B&W, color, some color, some tones. I don’t know what the right version to watch was. Mine was B&W, 117 minutes, and with a constant soundtrack. The soundtrack really helped that 117 minutes move along as initially a nearly 2 hour silent film seemed very intimidating. But the film moves along at a very good pace never really slowing down or feeling like I need to check the clock or wonder how much time had passed or was left. There was also a minimal amount of dialogue cards, which might have helped that pacing since it kept everyone moving and telling the story through their actions and expressions. Really well done and well lasting in that regard. Its the third time I’ve watched Lon Chaney in a week and probably my least favorite of his performances, although that probably has to do with him just not being there a lot for the first 2/3rds of the film. Matter of fact as I type this I realize I might not still feel it was my least favorite of the 3 because once the 3rd act comes into play and he’s really allowed to take center stage he does a lot and the movie really picks up for me. The whole Phantom character and his underground lair is really magnificent and one of these cases where I realize A reminds me of B, but really B was inspired by A. In this case its me realizing how much The Abominable Dr. Phibes was Vincent Price’s Phantom. The disfigured genius in his absurd evil lair with all his pageantry and cartoonish villainy (but in a good way). Its easy to see in hindsight how Phibes was aping from the Phantom and makes me love both all the more. All in all I’m not sure this is a film I loved, nor my favorite Chaney film. Hunchback of Notre Dame seemed like such a bigger spectacle and wider sprawling story while The Unknown was such a focused, sinister character story for Chaney. But Phantom has a bit of both of those elements and really helps to show me why Chaney is a legend and why these films helped kickstart and inspire the Universal monsters and horror in general. Also I had an amazing revelation. It turns out that my favorite cheap Halloween novelty cup... the one I was drinking from as I watched this film... isn’t a zombie like I’ve thought it was for years. Its the freaking Phantom!  I feel like a dummy. September Pre-Game Tally - New (Total) 1. NOS4A2 (2019); - (2). Splice (2009); - (3). Drive Angry (2011); 2 (4). The Twilight Zone (2019); - (5). Event Horizon (1997); - (6). BrainDead (2016); 3 (7). The Dark Tower (2017); 4 (8). The Collector (2009); 5 (9). The Bad Batch (2016); - (10). Rose Red (2002); - (11). Salem’s Lot (1979) October Tally - New (Total) 1. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920); 2. Nightmare Cinema (2018); 3. Dead of Night (1945); The Queen of Spades (1949); 5. Tragedy Girls (2017); 6. House of Wax (1953); SUPER SAMHAIN CHALLENGE #1: The Best Month: 7. The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016); 8. In the Tall Grass (2019); 9. The Night of the Hunter (1955); 10. The Thing (1951); - (11). The Thing (1982); 11 (12). The Thing (2011); - (13). Halloween (1978); 12 (14). Dracula (1931); SUPER SAMHAIN CHALLENGE #2: Dead & Buried: 13 (15). Q (1982); 14 (16). The Black Cat (1934); 15 (17). The Unknown (1927); - (18). Halloween II (1981); 16 (19). The Seventh Victim (1943); 17 (20). The Beast With Five Fingers (1946); 18 (21). The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923); 19 (22). The Curse of the Cat People (1944); - (23). George A. Romero's Land of the Dead (2005); SUPER SAMHAIN CHALLENGE #3: Horror Noire: 20 (24). Ganja & Hess (1973); 21 (25). Drácula (1931); 22 (26). Universal Horror (1998); - (27). Happy Death Day (2017); 23 (28). The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
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Oct 16, 2019 06:41
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Lurdiak posted:I say no, but people have already reviewed it in here. I was wondering whether it would count as well and reviewed it anyway because I would argue it's a psychological thriller with some uncomfortable horror-ish elements sprinkled in, but if the verdict is it doesn't count, that's fine. I've decided to push to 31 and beyond if I can anyway. #22: Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)  This was recommended to me by a work friend, and I found out it was on Shudder so I decided to sign up and check it out. I'm really glad I did. It's a little cheesy, but that is totally by design, and it delivers on the basic premise and then some. For those who haven't heard of it, this is a mockumentary horror/comedy that lives in a world where the "big three" slasher villains are real people; Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, and Freddy Krueger all exist and their legacy as serial killers is an actual thing. Along comes a bunch of student filmmakers who are making a documentary about a man who wants to become the next famous slasher villain: Leslie Vernon. As a fan of slasher movies, I found this very funny in a nudge-wink kind of way. There are some excellent jokes here (some duds too, but for the most part I thoroughly enjoyed the meta humor) that both skewer the slasher genre and spoof a lot of tropes, all the while explaining how a slasher villain pulls off a killing spree from a behind-the-scenes, tongue-in-cheek point of view. The concept is brilliant, and I'm surprised I had never heard of it before. After the initial setup, things get down to business and it turns into an actual slasher movie! And since Leslie Vernon meticulously explained how he was going to go through with it, those plans are in your head as the events start to unfold for real, which made for a really cool subversion of my expectations. I saw the "reveal" of the main journalist girl being his intended final girl all along, but it was still well done and a neat twist on the trope. I had expected it to be a comedy all the way through and didn't expect it to turn into a legitimate (albeit predictable) slasher in the final act, and the fact we spent the whole movie getting to know Leslie in a weirdly funny affable way almost made his relentless assault... more creepy? I've just never seen it done like this before, and I really liked it. Notable cameos include Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, and Zelda Rubinstein, as well as a really fun appearance by Scott Wilson (Herschel from "The Walking Dead") that I thought was delightful. So the pedigree in this movie is legit, people knew what was up and it's fun to see so many important faces in horror showing up in this thing. Overall it's a very fun movie if you like slasher films, it has heart and humor, and is a genuinely unique take on a horror genre that I have never seen before. You have to watch the entire end credits too. It's set to "Psycho Killer" and sets up the sequel I don't think we'll ever see, but I really kind of want now. 4/5 Watched: Midsommar; One Cut of the Dead; Apostle; Wolf Creek; Lake Mungo; Viy (Challenge #1); Demon Knight; Witchfinder General; Razorback; Joker; A Quiet Place; Spider Baby, or the Maddest Story Ever Told (Challenge #2); Hereditary; The First Purge (Challenge #3); Killer Condom; Road Games; Next of Kin; Zombie, aka Zombi 2; Suspiria (1977) (Challenge #4); Phantom of the Paradise; In Her Skin; Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon Total: 22 T3hRen3gade fucked around with this message at 07:08 on Oct 16, 2019 |
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Oct 16, 2019 06:58
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28. Malevolent (2018) Malevolent is another entry in Netflix’s attempt to greatly expand their horror line-up which was infamously barren. Malevolent is a movie about a group of scam artists posing as paranormal experts who are given a job at a haunting. From there spooky poo poo happens and, honestly, this is a decent one but flawed. The only thing it, and other Netflix horror suffer from, is they seriously do not understand lighting and cinematography is critical in horror films. So this one is yet again another brightly lit, conventionally filmed movie that loses a lot of impact with its gory sections and jump scares by never letting you lose yourself in the film. It’s a shame, really, because the concept is good and the characters (while terrible people) try to make it all work. /529. SUPER SAMHAIN CHALLENGE #4: Inktober Pick a film that you haven't seen that corresponds to any of the Inktober prompts.INKTOBER TERM: #16 WILD 29. Day of the Animals (1977)  It’s time for another animal attack movie, I think, which more than fits in line with “wild”. This film is about animals going crazy and killing people because of UV rays from the sun due to CFCs harming the ozone layer. Yes, you read that right. This film is actually a fairly well made bit of 70s animal attack genre in terms of effort put into such a dumb set-up. Lots of surprisingly brutal animal kills that I wasn’t expecting. Leslie Nielson also has a role playing an evil character before he went all comedic if you like that era of his career. .5/5Total: 1. One Cut of the Dead (2017), 2. Chopping Mall (1986), 3. All the Creatures Were Stirring (2018), 4. Creepshow 2 (1987), 5. Black Christmas (1974), 6. Dracula (1931), 7. Frankenstein (1931), 8. The Monster Squad (1987), 9. All Hallow’s Eve (2013), 10. The Addams Family (1991), 11. Grizzly (1976), 12. The Mummy (1932), 13. See No Evil (2006), 14. The Invisible Man (1933), 15. Why Horror? (2014), 16. Bad Moon (1996), 17. Head Count (2018), 18. The Bride of Frankenstein (1935), 19. House of 1000 Corpses, 20. The Wolfman (1941), 21. Body Bags (1993). 22. Us (2019), 23. The Craft (1996), 24. Thankskilling (2008), 25. Beetlejuice (1988), 26. Psycho (1960), 27. Gacy (2003), 28. Malevolent (2018), 29, Day of the Animals (1977) Super Samhain Challenges: Justin Godscock fucked around with this message at 06:38 on Oct 24, 2019 |
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Oct 16, 2019 07:03
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 The Wolf Man, 1941 I'm starting the portion of the marathon where I watch poo poo I've seen before. I like to get at least one movie from the 40s in these, and it's been a few years since I saw The Wolf Man, so I figured I might as well watch it. It's not my favorite when it comes to classic Universal Pictures horror, but it got plenty going for it. It got fog all over the place in the night scenes, a minor role by Bela Lugosi and over all feel of a proper Universal Pictures film. A bit slow as expected, but not boring to me. But I can total see modern horror fans to bored to tears by this. It's Lon Chaney Jr. debut as a minor horror icon and the first proper werewolf movies, so it is an obligatory movie for any horror fan to watch. While the look of the werewolf isn't scary by today's standards, it's still a classic look due to the movie's importance and it being one of the big titles of the Universal Pictures catalog. Not really much more I need to say. I could go over the plot, but it's not that much to go over other than guy gets bit by werewolf, turns into one the next night. Like I said, not my favorite, but still worth watching at least once if you call your self a horror fan.
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Oct 16, 2019 07:05
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Franchescanado posted:SUPER SAMHAIN CHALLENGE #4: Inktober I've opted to do this for 15. Legend as it is based on an urban legend from Bangalore. Lined up with the 15th of the month, too, which is fortunate. 19.) Stree  2018, first watch, Netflix Billing itself as "based on a ridiculous true phenomenon", Stree is an Indian horror-comedy (this seems to be a fairly crowded category, though I'm no expert.) Local virtuoso tailor Vicky becomes infatuated with a mysterious woman who appears for the three-day puja. Suspiciously, on the same schedule as the titular man-snatching witch. The comedy's pretty hit or miss for me, though it's far more tolerable than some other stuff I've tried out. A lot hinges on whether you find the antics of the central triumvirate of friends amusing or not. Things felt a little uncomfortably flippant regarding the gender angle of the movie, though I've seen some reviews praising it for its feminism, so there's some room for debate. And, in the final weigh-in, this is a story where the ghost of a wronged woman is not destroyed but, ultimately, placated with respect and acknowledgment. It could have gone worse. If you can work past the hot-and-cold comedy, the movie is competently shot, the sound design is fun, and Stree's design is pretty solid. There are, of course, sudden musical interludes, including one diegetic dance routine and a music video for the credits.  O Stree, Protect Us Watched: 1.) Cabinet of Dr. Caligari [Classics], 2.) Occult [J- and K-horror], 3.) Son of Frankenstein [Threequels, Samhain Challenge #1], 4.) Game Over [India] 5.) Candyman [Clive Barker], 6.) Knife + Heart [New Releases], 7.) Butterfly Murders, 8.) The Phantom of the Opera (1925) [Classics], 9.) One Cut of the Dead [J- and K-Horror], 10.) Hatchet III [Threequels, Samhain Challenge #2], 11.) Neighbours: They Are Vampires [India], 12.) Midnight Meat Train [Clive Barker], 13.) Us [New Releases, Samhain Challenge #3], 14.) The Taking of Deborah Logan, 15.) People Under the Stairs, 16.) L'Inferno [Classics], 17.) The Host [J- and K-horror], 18.) Hell House LLC 3 [Threequels], 19.) Stree [India, Samhain Challenge #4]
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Oct 16, 2019 07:09
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 78) The Amityville Asylum - 2013 - DVD First time watch. I don't even think they're trying anymore. Other than a slapped on reference to the DeFeo murders, there's absolutely nothing to connect this one to the Amityville house. It feels like they had no confidence in the film so added that on to throw it in the franchise. Considering how painfully obvious the filmmakers were limited by a low budget and still not quite managing, we're left with a boring mess that's easily skippable.
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Oct 16, 2019 07:11
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I’m like “28 films? How have I watched 28 films but I’m so far behind on my years?” Well then I counted and its because 14 of those 28 weren’t years movies. I didn’t think I was getting off track that much but apparently I really, really am. At least that explains why I’m feeling so pressed on the challenge. So of course what do I do? I watch ANOTHER movie off my years. Because I have multiple goals and agendas here and one of them is to finally do that Halloween franchise rewatch I've been meaning to do so I can watch the latest one Halloween night. - (29). Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982) Available on HBO Go. Having absolutely nothing to do with Michael Myers, Laurie Strode, or Dr. Loomis this totally unrelated film is about a sleazy doctor who stumbles upon a conspiracy involving Halloween masks, witches, and clockwork robots? You all know the background. Carpenter never wanted Michael Myers to come back. He wanted a one and done Boogeyman story and to make the Halloween franchise an anthology of different stories set on Halloween night. The studios convinced him and Debra Hill to do the second film but then they went with the original plan for the 3rd. Carpenter and Hill “produced” it but turned over writing and directing to Tommy Wallace who had edited Halloween and The Fog but never written or directed anything (he’d go on to do Fright Night Part 2 and the It miniseries). Reception was poor and business profitable but disappointing. So Michael came back. But the film's become a cult classic. I had seen this but like most of the Halloween sequels not for a very long time. Probably longer for this since it doesn’t get included in those AMC marathons for obvious reason. I had remembered like that the doc was a sleaze ball, masks, and killing people but that’s it. I had totally forgotten HOW people died or like any of the other specifics or weird or gory poo poo. I get why this is a bit of a cult classic. Its weird, its different, its sleazy, its gory. I get it. Sleazy and gory don’t necessarily do a lot for me though and “weird” and “different” aren’t always good things or necessarily interesting. That’s the biggest problem, I think. Its just not terribly interesting. There’s a weird, mellow pace to it and everything feels kind of effortless. Even the really funky stuff doesn’t really seem that interesting at least until the final scene. I think that’s probably a big part of why people like it. That ending. And again, I get it. Just not necessarily a big plus for me. Not inherently a negative either, just you know… whatever. I remember someone saying that the main guy being a sleaze ball was a draw. I don’t know about that. I don’t think he’s enough of a creep to turn me away completely but he’s not sympathetic like Laurie and he’s not interesting like Loomis (who might be a worse guy). He’s just some middle aged womanizing divorced dad who drinks too much and doesn’t really have anything going on. Its an ok enough film. I never was looking to turn it off or anything and the idea is interesting even if I don't think much interesting was done with it. But if it hadn’t been tied to Halloween and if it didn’t have the notoriety of ending up being the only “anthology” sequel of the bunch I doubt it would have been remembered through the fog of time or had the success it has. September Pre-Game Tally - New (Total) 1. NOS4A2 (2019); - (2). Splice (2009); - (3). Drive Angry (2011); 2 (4). The Twilight Zone (2019); - (5). Event Horizon (1997); - (6). BrainDead (2016); 3 (7). The Dark Tower (2017); 4 (8). The Collector (2009); 5 (9). The Bad Batch (2016); - (10). Rose Red (2002); - (11). Salem’s Lot (1979) October Tally - New (Total) 1. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920); 2. Nightmare Cinema (2018); 3. Dead of Night (1945); The Queen of Spades (1949); 5. Tragedy Girls (2017); 6. House of Wax (1953); SUPER SAMHAIN CHALLENGE #1: The Best Month: 7. The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016); 8. In the Tall Grass (2019); 9. The Night of the Hunter (1955); 10. The Thing (1951); - (11). The Thing (1982); 11 (12). The Thing (2011); - (13). Halloween (1978); 12 (14). Dracula (1931); SUPER SAMHAIN CHALLENGE #2: Dead & Buried: 13 (15). Q (1982); 14 (16). The Black Cat (1934); 15 (17). The Unknown (1927); - (18). Halloween II (1981); 16 (19). The Seventh Victim (1943); 17 (20). The Beast With Five Fingers (1946); 18 (21). The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923); 19 (22). The Curse of the Cat People (1944); - (23). George A. Romero's Land of the Dead (2005); SUPER SAMHAIN CHALLENGE #3: Horror Noire: 20 (24). Ganja & Hess (1973); 21 (25). Drácula (1931); 22 (26). Universal Horror (1998); - (27). Happy Death Day (2017); 23 (28). The Phantom of the Opera (1925); - (29). Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982);
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Oct 16, 2019 10:11
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Franchescanado posted:SUPER SAMHAIN CHALLENGE #4: Inktober Prompt 22: Ghost 25) The Fog 1980  Chosen because of the ghosts  This is a completely unironic spoopy ghost story. 100 years ago, the founding fathers of a small town stole gold from some lepers and sank their ship. Now these angry spectres are back for revenge on the town. It starts out with a campfire scene where a man is telling scary stories to kids. There is golden treasure, ghost sailors on a ghost ship and a preacher prophesying doom. It's all good stuff but it's a bit pedestrian compared to Carpenters best horrors. The ghosts are slasher villains, the violence is neutered and the stakes are framed like the whole town is at threat but really the ghosts only want 6 victims. It seems anyone will do so after victim 5 it could have been a good time to introduce an "I don't need to outrun the bear" element. It's strange that we're focused on this handful of people when the whole town is under the fog and presumably under attack by ghosts who don't have much trouble breaking into buildings, but we don't get any sense of that. Would give a moderate recommendation
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Oct 16, 2019 10:36
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bitterandtwisted posted:Prompt 22: Ghost https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOLS30iByp0
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Oct 16, 2019 10:42
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lol fair
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Oct 16, 2019 10:52
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24. The Abomidable Dr. Phibes (1971) Watched On: YouTube This was a great companion piece to Phantom of the Paradise. More ridiculous murders, more glowing lucite props and 100% more Vincent Price acting real hard without moving his lips. It almost has the energy of a 70s sketch show, with this rhythm of "Dr Phibes does a murder, followed by a vignette back at his lair, followed by the detectives investigating the scene." The whole movie deadpans how ridiculous each escalating scenario is, which makes it all the funnier. I got some very strong Graham Chapman As An Authority Figure vibes from the police chief and his blustering. The rest of the performances also have that sketch character style to them, but it's ultimately not a bad thing as this film is more of a comedy than I had anticipated. My girlfriend said early on that the scariest thing in the movie are the creepy looking mechanical band in Phibes's lair and that's absolutely true. Watch this one if you want a night off from scary horror and just want to see some doctors get killed in increasingly elaborate ways.
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Oct 16, 2019 15:08
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Lumbermouth posted:24. The Abomidable Dr. Phibes (1971) The film is great but the mechanical band totally makes it. Sold me right from the opening scene.
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Oct 16, 2019 15:15
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Zwabu posted:The film is great but the mechanical band totally makes it. Sold me right from the opening scene. That and the creepy dude lasciviously hand cranking the movie projector with a brandy in his hand. It told me exactly what kind of movie this was going to be.
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Oct 16, 2019 15:20
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 27. Deathwatch (2002) Amazon Prime Great costumes, atmosphere, sets, and props. Everything else is bland. Don't lnow of the writing let the concept down or if the director and/or editors gutted it. Watched - 1. Get My Gun (2017), 2. The Last Man on Earth (1964), 3. It Stains the Sands Red (2016), 4. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), 5. Errementari: The Blacksmith and the Devil (2017) *Tied for Current Favorite*, 6. Halloween (1978), 7. One Cut of the Dead (2017), 8. Phamtasm II (1988), 9. Ramekin (2018), 10. Les Affamés (2017), 11. Braindead (1992), 12. Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943), 13. The Haunting (1963) *Tied for Current Favorite*, 14. House of Wax (1953), 15. Shock (1946), 16. Annihilation (2018), 17. Westworld (1973), 18. Kuroneko, 19. In the Tall Grass (2019), 20. Sound of Horror (1966), 21. Rubber's Lover (1996), 22. Bubba Ho-Tep (2002), 23. The Similars (2015), 24. Creatur from the Black Lagoon (1954), 25. The Mummy's Tomb (1942), 26. Drag Me to Hell (2009), 27. Deathwatch (2002) Decade - 1920s, 1930s, 1940s (III), 1950s (II), 1960s (IV), 1970s (III), 1980s (I), 1990s (II), 2000s (III), 2010s (IX) Black & White:Color:Hybrid - 9:17:1 By Country - Britain/Gremany (I), Canada (II), Japan (III), Mexico (I), 'Murica (XVII), New Zealand (I), Spain (II) New:Rewatch - 22:5 Super Samhain Challenge - 1. Westworld (1973), 2. Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), 3. N/A, 4. N/A
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Oct 16, 2019 15:29
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SAMHAIN CHALLENGE #2: RIP Sid Haig House of 1000 Corpses A lot of people have been watching House of 1000 Corpses this year because of Sid, and I think that's great. For me it's become a yearly rewatch because of the spirit it has for both the genre and also the Halloween season. There's nothing this movie doesn't have. Creepy clowns? check. Spooky woods? check. Evil Mad Scientist? check. Rotting corpses lining the walls? check. Thick spider webs? check. TCM-style murder family? check. Sherri Moon's rear end? check. The cast can be a bit annoying but never enough to be an issue, especially because the majority of the film is watching horrific things happening to them. Haig dominates any scene that he appears in, but really from the beginning this series has been the Otis and Baby show. Sherri Moon was still learning here, but Moseley was on top of his game from the start and I love the way his character has progressed through the three films. When you make a movie like this, these characters have to feel legitimately unhinged, like you really don't know what they might do. Moseley is the one that provides that here, and for the most part in the sequels as well.  The Devil's Rejects The most critically acclaimed of the three, but truth be told it's probably my least favorite. Maybe because it's the nastiest, and the grungiest, and as a result I feel like the trippy music video flair that tends to be Zombie's trademark is mostly missing. It's certainly one of the most intense and viscerally disturbing horror films of the 21st century though. Zombie pulled no punches and made no attempt to straddle any line to make the movie palatable to a mass audience, and that's what made it stand out and feel unique in the horror landscape of 2005. Sig Haig gets a pretty wild sex scene with a famous porn star in this movie, so the dude had some crazy experiences in life. Can't ask for much more than that.  3 From Hell As much as I love Rob Zombie's films, I actually went into this one with fairly low expectations. Still wishing in the back of my mind that he'd left the Firefly family behind and moved on to more creative projects, I was fully prepared to feel the same way about 3 From Hell as I did about 31. Well, it didn't win me over immediately. The first 20-30 minutes were a bit worrying as I felt like maybe Rob was just going through the motions. But man, by the end I can see that those opening minutes were really just a launching point for one of the most whacked out, stylish pieces of filmmaking he's produced. The colors are poppin all over the place once they arrive in Mexico, and you just know that Zombie has wanted to film a scene with a death squad wearing hot pink lucha masks for his entire career. I love the tired quality that Moseley gives Otis, he's just exhausted from this life of extremes and can barely be bothered to care anymore. Sherri Moon delivers what I'm sure is another divisive Baby performance, but I absolutely love it. When she's acting ridiculous, it's a performance within a performance and you can often see the wheels turning in Baby's head as she calculates how to produce the reaction she wants from the people she interacts with. And in 3 From Hell she manages to inject some humanity into the character as well, so I think she's become a worthy partner in crime for Otis much moreso than she was in House of 1000 Corpses. There are some very intense situations and some gnarly gore, of course, but that's not what this movie is about. And it's better for it. Watched: 1. Child's Play(1988) 2. Child's Play(2019) 3. VHS: Viral 4. Tales From the Crypt 5. (SAMHAIN CHALLENGE #1)Viy 6. House of Frankenstein 7. Van Helsing 8. The Shining 9. Salem's Lot 10. Poltergeist 2: The Other Side 11. Pumpkinhead 2: Blood Wings 12. The Ravenous 13. Alucarda 14. Horror of Dracula 15. Dracula: Prince of Darkness 16. Midsommar 17. Candyman 18. Hellraiser 19. An American Werewolf in London 20. Bad Moon 21. Prince of Darkness 22. The Fog 23. (SAMHAIN CHALLENGE #2)House of 1000 Corpses 24. The Devil's Rejects 25. 3 From Hell
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Oct 16, 2019 15:41
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 Slugs Hm. There are some terrifically bloody, goopy, gross sequences in here and some hilarious moments, but the whole thing just didn't click for me. All the right elements were there: in a bad land deal, a corrupt mayor let a toxic waste dump mutate a bunch of slugs to become horrifying meat-eaters and terrify the town's population by moving through the town's water pipes. On paper, that's dope as hell. But the tone was all wrong too me—too straight, too serious, too earnest. The whole was less than the sum of its parts. The lead guys are a couple of blue-collar dopes, but not in an endearing Tremors sort of way. They had plenty of endearing moments, but the film wanted me to care about them waay more than I did, and it wasted a lot of time on their home lives without enough payoff. The whole thing had a bit of a languid pace, even after the poo poo hit the fan. The finale was pretty great, though, and I can't stress how great the bedroom scene between the young couple was. Also how great the closeup of the slug puppet biting the guy's finger was. I feel like if this had been made a few years later with a bit more humor and a tongue-in-cheek attitude it could've been terrific. I wanted to like it a lot more than I did. Also, I did not like that they made me watch a living slug get cut in half with a scalpel on-screen. That was upsetting. Rating: 6/10 Beetlejuice: 10/10 (rewatch), Sleepy Hollow: 10/10 (rewatch), Ghoulies II: 9/10, Hobo with a Shotgun: 9/10, Demons: 9/10, The Fog: 8/10, Critters 2: 8/10, Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter: 8/10, Demons II: 7/10, Ghoulies: 6.5/10, Slugs: 6/10, The Changeling: 4/10, Critters: 2/10
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Oct 16, 2019 16:24
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6. May I didn't enjoy watching this, but I still think it's a good movie. The actress who plays May does a great job at playing lonely and strange. There's a combination of rooting for her and hoping she'll have a fun time with the cute boy she meets while also being scared of her obsessive qualities and fascination with the macabre. This one gave me the heebie jeebies. 2/5 7. Chopping Mall The soundtrack in this movie is great. It's about a bunch of teens fighting off killer security robots in a mall. It was a pretty fun time but doesn't do anything special. Once again though, the soundtrack is excellent. 3/5 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZFiI4q8i0E 8. Tales of Halloween Horror short anthology set on Halloween. This ain't no Trick r Treat. I love the idea but most of these shorts weren't very good or entertaining. I did like one of the early shorts with Barry Bostwick playing the devil who ping pongs around town causing mischief with a masked accomplice. It reminded me a little bit of Satan's Little Helper. 2/5 9. Hard to Die Boobs. There's a sequence in this movie where 3 or 4 girls shower one after another and the sound team added in the sound of balloons rubbing together when they wash their breasts. The whole picture is really silly and it's pretty funny to see the narrative setup for getting these 5 busty women into lingerie for the duration of the movie. One thing that I found really weird and unexpected about the movie is that it uses footage from Slumber Party Massacre but it is a sequel in the Sorority House Massacre series. The character Orville in this movie tells a story about the Hockstetter House and how Hockstetter killed the 5 girls in Slumber. The guy in Slumber is named Russ Thorn. Hard to Die decides to say that Russ from Slumber was possessed by Hockstetter's spirit? Also Orville was the killer in Sorority House 2 but he also was possessed by Hockstetter. It's a pretty elaborate crossover for a movie that is mostly an excuse to show some boobs and have girls run around in lingerie. The climax of this movie is bonkers and a lot of fun to watch. The girls put Orville through hell but he refuses to die. There's an enormous shootout. Everyone looks moments away from laughing throughout the whole ending. 3/5 10. One Cut of the Dead This one was a delight! I loved it. Highly recommended. Will echo everyone else's comments about just going into it and having fun. Great movie. 5/5
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Oct 16, 2019 16:37
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9. Crawl An okay creature feature. Nothing amazing, but I have to say it was refreshing to take a break from horror movies where the plot revolves around exposing the worst of what humanity can do to each other. 10. The First Purge I was already sick of Purge movies after the first one. To me, they're exploitative schlock, taking an outrageous premise that might have some social commentary bite if it wasn't just used as an excuse to have characters murdering each other. Still, the idea of exploring how it all started was intriguing. Even though we know the bad guys win (because it's a prequel and there are more Purge films), you still have to root for the main characters. The third act was great because it basically turns into Die Hard.
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Oct 16, 2019 16:56
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15) Leviathan Part 2: The Making of Hellbound (2015) This was more interesting than Part 1. A big part of that is Barker's no longer being involved directly in the movie, so his absence from the documentary is less of a hole. There was also a less focused direction to the production, meaning that there were a lot of possible "alternate world" versions. Gary Oldman as Channard? Hell yes. They do spend a bit too long talking about how the Channard Cenobite gets a herpetic penis stuck to his head, though.
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Oct 16, 2019 17:15
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14. The Seventh Curse The Seventh Curse is probably the most sheer movie you can stuff into 80 minutes. Looking for plot? Action? Romance? Horror? More action? Kung fu? It has it all and it happens so fast that you start to feel weak from the constant adrenaline. Dr. Yuen is the world's bravest man, the Indiana Jones of the medical world, who rescues a tribal princess and in the process gets a blood curse. Years later, the curse is acting up so he has to return to the princess and deal with the evil worm tribe. It's delightful. /5SUPER SAMHAIN CHALLENGE #2: Dead & Buried 15. Creature from the Black Lagoon  I don't think I have much to add to this that hasn't already been said. The underwater shots are gorgeous. I was impressed with Julie Adams character, as she was a scientist in her own right and not just a damsel in distress. /516. Mystics in Bali  Well, listen, if you want to become an expert in black magic sometimes you've got to detach your head and organs from your body and eat a few unborn. So now that's something I can say that I've seen. This was not particularly edited well, and most of the acting felt like the actors had been threatened with death if they showed any emotion. It was still a fairly entertaining watch. .5/5
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Oct 16, 2019 17:31
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graventy posted:16. Mystics in Bali the woman who plays the main character was literally just a random tourist they cast because she was white and they were targeting a Western audience. she was not an actress and has no other credits.
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Oct 16, 2019 17:38
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6. Zombi 2 (1979) - Blue Underground Limited Edition. Classic, a favorite Fulci. The transfer is great, and the soundtrack still whips. The eye scene still freaks me the gently caress out. 4/5 7. Christmas Evil (1980) - Vinegar Syndrome Release Looked fantastic and I enjoyed the music in this as well. The story is a lot fun as we watch the lead just descend further and further into madness. Loved how it wasn't just him being evil Santa. A great ending too. 4/5 (My letterboxd list: Currently at 14 films total. 1 Samhain Challenge film)
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Oct 16, 2019 17:59
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 #97) Future-Kill (1985), a.k.a., Night of the Alien, a.k.a., Splatter With Marilyn Burns, Edwin Neal, and Bill Johnson, this is a bridging point, cast-wise, between TCM 1 and 2. And it has a poster by Giger, so I really couldn't say no. Style-wise, though... Well, this VHS case cover is more honest about what you're gonna get:  It does have a sweet score and soundtrack, but the story is about as much of a mess as the jumble of story and style. There's frat boys, there's "mutants" (read: punkers who dress weird to protest pollution and/or radiation), and the frat boys decide to go gently caress with the mutants. This leads to the main drive of the film, which is the mutants hunting the fratties. It takes a long time to get going, and as cool as Splatter's spike-gauntlet is, it's so under-used that it doesn't nearly make up for the wait. It sucks how many products got artwork from Giger and completely failed to live up to it. There's a lot of clunky and obvious class difference dialogue, running through dark city streets, trash-filled alleys, and rust. Respect to the visuals for knowing what flavors they wanted and nailing them, but the script pulls down what could have been a cool collection of shots. And man, are those fight scenes poorly choreographed. Edwin Neal does bring a wildly different presence from Nubbins as Splatter, so that might be a point of interest, I guess. Some jerks shoot a cat at one point, so gently caress that. Neat as a curio and time capsule, but Future Kick does a better job with the themes and vibes, and has kickboxing and Meg Foster on top of that. Or you could go Mikadroid for some of the grimed-up Liquid Sky influence. Besides the name draws, the costuming and score (one of only two the composer made) are the only concrete parts I would point to as being a reason to watch this. But, as dull as so much of it is, the low-budget leanness of it does have some charm. I mean, there's a section of the credits for the guys who played "REALLY COOL FRATS". Not all that bad, but if I'd rented it back in the day, I probably would have been more than slightly irritated at its failure to be as cool as it wanted to be. At least it's a good source of samples, I guess. rating: 5/10"The only violence here is brought in by the police."
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Oct 16, 2019 18:10
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 #22. The Invisible Man (1933) (Starz) A scientist discovers a chemical formula that turns him invisible, but also causes him to go insane. While "the Invisible Man" initially seeks to rejoin the normal world, his megalomania drives him to commit violent, deadly acts instead. I was looking for something short last night, and plucked this one off of the Starz website. It's fun, but ultimately fairly slight. I know it's a technical marvel for the time, but I think James Whale was having more fun showing off than making anything really concrete. Claude Rains is great, of course, but outside of Una O'Conner and E.E. Clive hamming it up in the beginning (and that's an acquired taste, I'll grant), no one else in the cast is really on his level. Also, it seems odd to never establish Rains as a decent person in the beginning, prior to him going invisible and insane; since you start with him basically already a monster it's harder to empathize with Rains' position. This is fine, but I think it's ultimately lower tier Universal Monsters fare. Good to seek out if you've never seen it before, but isn't as rich or interesting as some of the other films.  /5Watched so far: The Curse of Frankenstein, Villains, Horror of Dracula, You're Next, House on Haunted Hill (1959), Halloween 4, Army of Darkness, A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), The Fly (1986), Joker, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, Beyond the Gates, The First Purge, Rodan, Killer Klowns from Outer Space, Halloween II (1981), The Addams Family (2019), The Mummy (1932), Jason X, It Stains the Sands Red, The Invisible Man (1933) Class3KillStorm fucked around with this message at 18:29 on Oct 16, 2019 |
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Oct 16, 2019 18:16
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Class3KillStorm posted:I was looking for something short last night, and plucked this one off of the Starz website. It's fun, but ultimately fairly slight. I know it's a technical marvel for the time, but I think James Whale was having more fun showing off than making anything really concrete. Claude Rains is great, of course, but outside of Una O'Conner and E.E. Clive hamming it up in the beginning (and that's an acquired taste, I'll grant), no one else in the cast is really on his level. Also, it seems odd to never establish Rains as a decent person in the beginning, prior to him going invisible and insane; since you start with him basically already a monster it's harder to empathize with Rains' position. It's been years since I read it, but this is directly from the book. The story begins with Griffen, already invisible, showing up to the inn, already crazed from his experimentation. It's directly mentioned a few times, I believe, that he had already gone kinda crazy in his experiments before he ever got the invisibility serum right.
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Oct 16, 2019 18:26
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Franchescanado posted:It's been years since I read it, but this is directly from the book. The story begins with Griffen, already invisible, showing up to the inn, already crazed from his experimentation. It's directly mentioned a few times, I believe, that he had already gone kinda crazy in his experiments before he ever got the invisibility serum right. I believe you're right, but that kind of narrative short hand ends up hurting the film. There's (usually) less direct connection to film characters than ones in novels, and it's much harder to build that connection to a character who spends the whole film either invisible or under bandages. So people talk around what a good person Griffen used to be, but you the audience never see it, since any "humanizing" moment has him acting like a jerk to everyone around him at best or launching into megalomaniacal speeches or violent outbursts at worst. I mean, of all of the Universal Monsters, I'd definitely peg the Invisible Man as the least sympathetic.
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Oct 16, 2019 18:34
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I love the part where Rains goes "I THINK I'LL THROTTLE YOU...." and then he does.
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Oct 16, 2019 18:40
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16. Don't Let the Riverbeast Get You! (2012) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxZU97MYPg4 Available on youtube! Oddball, no-budget community filmmaking. The easiest way to describe it is as a monster movie spoof, but while it's clearly funny on purpose, there's a goofy, earnest vibe that sometimes makes you wonder how much of the weirdness is on purpose. I get the vibe that writer/star Matt Farley genuinely wanted to make an old-fashioned monster movie but at the same time...not a lot of monster! Mostly it's a very dry comedy about "the finest tutor this town has ever seen" who returns to rivertown USA on a quest to reestablish his good name after being smeared in the local paper for claiming to see the legendary Riverbeast. Not to mention endless subplots including a sicko professor who hides in trees attempting to spy on fully-clothed "picnic babes", the redemption of legendary former athlete Frank Stone who appears to play every kind of sport, and Farley's violent guitarist best friend falling in love with a popping and locking vagabond lady. All of this is expressed through unusually formal melodramatic dialogue like "but how can she love a man with such outlandish tales and many public humiliations!" or "Why, I ought to break your poetry-loving face!". There's also a nice bit of William Castle gimmickry in which the film is presented with "Riverbeast Alerts", allowing sensitive audience members to avert their eyes from the majestic terror of the star attraction. I had a lot of fun throwing this on and while it's not to every taste, I recommend it to anyone interested in community filmmaking and who can be charmed by the sight of someone who is obviously the creator's dad being introduced as "Ito Hootkins...that's right Ito Hootkins, the legendary big game hunter!" 3.5/5 
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Oct 16, 2019 18:41
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