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Don't forget muppet horror. Edit: I guess this is on a new page now, so the context is lost, but this is good general advice nonetheless.
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Jul 17, 2022 11:59
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More often than not I find myself on STAC's end of things, where I just love that comfortable spooky horror that I grew up with. Give me some fog, some spiders webs, a vampire or a werewolf, and a Vincent Price/Peter Cushing/Christopher Lee/Boris Karloff/Donald Pleasance and I'm happy. But I watch pretty much the same 20-30 movies every year in October, as is my ritual, so this is an outlet where I can be pushed a little bit outside of my comfort zone. And I don't really get competitive about this, in fact this is the first tournament where I even nominated any teams.
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Jul 18, 2022 16:34
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Basebf555 posted:More often than not I find myself on STAC's end of things, where I just love that comfortable spooky horror that I grew up with. Give me some fog, some spiders webs, a vampire or a werewolf, and a Vincent Price/Peter Cushing/Christopher Lee/Boris Karloff/Donald Pleasance and I'm happy. Same here. I don't know if it's an age thing or what, but I've found that I tend to just go back to the stuff I watched when I was younger more often than not.
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Jul 19, 2022 09:10
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The match-up of Jan Svankmajer's Faust against Shunji Iwai's Vampire was highly anticipated for me, as it's two directors I really like, and Faust is a story I really like as well. It did not disappoint, and this is is a week I'm picking between two films I enjoyed rather than which I disliked less. Svankmajer's Faust is brilliantly crafted, taking the already fantastical story and doubling down on the surreality. It's a mash-up of Marlowe, Gounod, and Goethe in a way that isn't fully coherent, but most adaptations of the Faust legend tend in that direction anyway. Ultimately I would have wanted just a bit more substance; it doesn't have much to say outside of something vague adaptations and presentation of a creative work, and while I normally would consider that wankery, it gets a bit of a pass here since Faust does have the theme of reflecting on human creativity. I still really liked it, since it's an enjoyable spectacle regardless of anything deeper in it. Iwai's take on vampires, and the modern cultural reaction to them, has a fair deal more dramatic themes in it as well. He has a tendency to leave some of his plates spinning, as I think happens here, but the attention to the characters emotions always comes through and that is why I like his films. This leans on the idea of examining the fascination some people have with death, and does a good job not ever romanticizing what it is possibly critiquing. Indeed, it's a little hard to tell if it's really meant as a critique, since it could even be read as a social commentary on modern Japan (I half-wonder if it was set in North America to avoid a political controversy had it been more direct). Yet that sort of complexity is potentially one of its virtues. It's enjoyable even just as questioning what might happen if a character like Romero's Martin developed a conscience. The sympathy that's evident for each minor character is what I like the most. Even if it doesn't fully deliver a message or try to give answers, I think it's something that inspires thought and discussion. In the end I will probably vote for Faust because it delivers unnerving horror just a bit better. That's not my only criterion, but it can on occasion be the differentiating factor, which it is here. Either of these could advance and I'd be fine with it.
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Jul 19, 2022 19:39
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One of my favorite masters of horror episodes vs one of my fav de palma films. I wish it was a tougher choice since it's John Carpenter, but Sisters is definitely the better film.
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Jul 19, 2022 19:55
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I'm voting for Sisters and Faust. Cigarette Burns had a bizarre pace and I don't understand why Carpenter didn't anticipate and prepare for the shorter run time. It also became unbearably immature and edgy when it decided the actually show us the film that left audiences tearing each other to shreds with how inhumanly impactful the images were, and it turned out to be the kind of high-contrast black and white shots we all took when we were 14 and incredibly deep. Vampire had bizarre views on women. Not even necessarily sexist or misogynistic, just weird stuff like the fact that every single woman who was about to commit suicide revealed snacks or asked for food.
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Jul 21, 2022 07:39
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I can't find a way to justify voting for Carpenter, unfortunately. I just have never enjoyed Cigarette Burns, it doesn't feel like Carpenter to me and I've always thought the lead performance drags it down too. I know Reedus has become a respected guy from his work on The Walking Dead but I just don't dig him in this movie.
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Jul 21, 2022 14:53
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Its Thursday! I for one am super slacking on this week having only watched Cigarette Burns and relying on my October watch of Faust. I still plan to try and gets Sisters in and maybe Vampires... even if it doesn't really sound worth it to me. But "Japanese remake of Martin in English with a CW cast" is such a weird thing I can't shake it. I still have time. There's just over 47 hours left to watch and vote. And then its onto the Elite Eight! I'm excited. Are you? Vote or change your vote until 12 noon EST July 23rd (or when I get to the computer)
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Jul 21, 2022 17:54
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Basebf555 posted:I know Reedus has become a respected guy from his work on The Walking Dead but I just don't dig him in this movie. I've never watched the walking dead but I like Norman, and I couldn't believe he was 35 when he made this. He regularly switched between decent acting and stuff that made me think he was barely out of his teens. While looking up how old he was I learned that he has two children, named Mingus Lucien and Nova Tennessee.
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Jul 21, 2022 17:56
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Samfucius posted:I've never watched the walking dead but I like Norman, and I couldn't believe he was 35 when he made this. He regularly switched between decent acting and stuff that made me think he was barely out of his teens. Yea he's 53 now which is probably about 10 years older than most people would guess. He's had an odd career. You would think Boondock Saints in 1999 would've been a pretty big break but then by 2005 when he's in Cigarette Burns he still hasn't done much else of note. The movie career never really went anywhere, The Walking Dead is what saved him.
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Jul 21, 2022 18:00
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I think Reedus is fine but he’s definitely a guy who just plays himself in every role. I think it works fine here. The problem is it’s all a bit rushed given the time constraints. That helps the “WTF is happening?” sense of momentum driving him further and further. But it also means nothing has room to breath. And I guess some would prefer if Reedus played it more over the top or disturbed where he’s just kind of barreling through. I dunno. I don’t think he’s the problem. I don’t really think theee is a problem. I like Cigarette Burns a ton and it feels very Carpenter to me. But in fairness I have to watch Sisters before I vote although I don’t much trust DePalma at this stage with the content.
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Jul 21, 2022 18:24
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STAC Goat posted:I think Reedus is fine but he’s definitely a guy who just plays himself in every role. I think it works fine here. The problem is it’s all a bit rushed given the time constraints. That helps the “WTF is happening?” sense of momentum driving him further and further. But it also means nothing has room to breath. And I guess some would prefer if Reedus played it more over the top or disturbed where he’s just kind of barreling through. I dunno what you're worried about with Sisters, but it's more psychologically disturbing than anything. This one's an easy vote for Sisters for me. Although I do like Cigarette Burns. And even if it's a retreading of ideas from In The Mouth of Madness, I'm genuinely just a sucker for "cursed films", "cursed tapes", "engaging with this art will kill you", "missing films" premises in general, so a quick visit into that territory with Carpenter in under one hour is a pretty good time, despite it's flaws. The 2nd half of Sisters freaks me out, though. It's a great (terrifying) performance from William Finley. I also has a weird structure, like a Hitchcock film that's been distorted by a fun-house mirror, that I really enjoy. Although it's not in my top 5 DePalma's.
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Jul 21, 2022 18:37
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Franchescanado posted:I dunno what you're worried about with Sisters, but it's more psychologically disturbing than anything. I just find DePalma sleazy and kinda misogynistic so a film that looks kinda like exploitation with “freak” female characters gives me pause. I know everyone calls it Hitchcockian but people call a lot that and Hitchcock was kind of a creep too. But I intend to watch it. Just haven’t made the time yet.
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Jul 21, 2022 18:39
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STAC Goat posted:I just find DePalma sleazy and kinda misogynistic so a film that looks kinda like exploitation with “freak” female characters gives me pause. I know everyone calls it Hitchcockian but people call a lot that and Hitchcock was kind of a creep too. It's been a minute since I rewatched it, but I would say this one's not exploitative or sleazy. The "freak" stuff didn't feel exploitative either. DePalma talks about being inspired by a real medical case (in the DePalma documentary) and he was more interested in the psychological aspects rather than any human zoo-ish representation. edit: I think you're being disingenuous. I would never call any of DePalma's sleaze "Hitchcockian", I would say the Hitchcockian elements are why he gets called that. His movies feel sleazy because he thinks women are sexy and likes to film them in a sexy context. He's pretty open about it. Is anyone actually calling DePalma's horniness "Hitchcockian"? Franchescanado fucked around with this message at 18:50 on Jul 21, 2022 |
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Jul 21, 2022 18:46
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10. (mbd’s Czech This Out) Jan Švankmajer’s Faust vs 15. (twernt’s Dracula.co.jp) Shunji Iwai’s Vampire I just voted against my own team in this matchup. Faust was delightfully weird and creepy. Vampire was kind of a slog -- some really interesting ideas trapped in a movie that struggles to deliver them effectively.
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Jul 22, 2022 15:55
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Yep, I'm going with Faust too. I watched it this morning and it's just very off-putting and strange, but in a good way. I never knew quite what to expect, even within the framework of the Faust story I'm already familiar with. It also has some nice creepy visuals and all the technical stuff like the production design and cinematography was great.
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Jul 22, 2022 17:22
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No streams this weekend, I'm taking a little mental health break, but I'll make the  available and return next week(USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)
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Jul 23, 2022 10:25
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Cigarette Burns, well. The concept is much better than the execution ultimately, but it carries it through the short runtime. Nothing that’s happening is particularly interesting, but what’s being talked about is fascinating. Perhaps it would have been much better as a short story? I wish the movie was longer, but perhaps then the weaknesses would be more problematic? It works well enough in the 60 minute format so whatever. Sisters is another good DePalma, but for me the individual great scenes - loving the split (twin?) screen and the twin nightmare – don’t quite come together as a satisfying whole. Voting Carpenter. Vampire I really really liked when watching it. What Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer does in the Shadows? In part shockingly brutal, part kind heartedly sensitive, all with a really good deadpan sense of humor. Sadly it misses around 4 good opportunities to end the movie on a high note. Plus, the more I think about it, the more it sort of rubs me the wrong way in a Haruki Murakami way. Something about the portrayal of the women (all gorgeous and dead/dying) strikes me as more sleazy than what DePalma generally does. DePalma is just regular horny, and this is sort of the sensitive good guy predator counterpart. I’m not talking about Simon in the movie (he’s the same actually), but the director. Maybe unfair. Faust on the other hand is extremely charming and original, and the English dub is surprisingly great. There’s absolutely nothing I can criticize, it does everything it sets out to do, and it’s my own team. Easy vote for Faust.
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Jul 23, 2022 15:51
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 It was a close one but Brian DePalma picks up his second win of the tourney and sends Tarnop’s Agents Provocateur into the Sweet Sixteen. For Carpenter its yet another early exit as he’s now only made the Sweet Sixteen once in 3 tourneys and never gotten past that. The worst news for Carpenter is that unlike other big name directors he’s not weeding out the bad movies from his catalogue. Its entirely possible we get a big Wes Craven or Dario Argento run next year if they draw the right films instead of their dregs but Carpenter’s drawn a lot of his big or mid level entries already and has just suffered losses to tough talent. So the odds of some big run for him seem less and less likely. But that’s the luck of the draw and the nature of the tournament system. So while Carpenter may never sit atop this crowd he’ll keep putting his films out there. But not this year. Agents Provocateur are now one of 16 finalists this year.  A tad more decisive of a victory for Jan Svankmajer as he very nearly picks up the unanimous victory for Faust. twernt’s Dracula.co.jp. team because the last Play In team to fall this year but there’s no shame in that as it still picked up more wins than most of the field and everyone left in the Sweet Sixteen. Iwai’s Vampire just didn’t have enough to get past the weird art of Svankmajer and that brings an end to the team’s run. But for Jan and mbd’s Czech This Out its a birth into the increasingly tight field. Not a bad run for a team that had one director in the HalloweeNIT last year and none of the rest anywhere. But they’re alive and well this year and waiting to see who their next opponents will be. Ok, we’re down to 16 and time to get down to 8. So lets get the Sweet Sixteen started. 3. (twernt’s Spooky Swinging Sixties) Ingmar Bergman’s Hour of the Wolf vs 10. (Deb’s Horror Musicals) John McPhail’s Anna and the Apocalypse  The RNG delivers Christmas in July, never failing to surprise us with its haunting control like all the algorithms in our lives. Deb’s Musicals team has been a fun change of course through this tournament and so far the voting has shown that’s appreciated with two big wins but they get their toughest competition of the tourney this round. Anna and the Apocalypse is a mix of familiar elements combined in a unique way that hits or doesn’t hit. I’ve seen it and to be honest I don’t know how I feel about it but I’m looking forward to a rewatch to find out. But on the other side is Ingmar loving Bergman. A terrible confession I’ll make is I’ve never actually seen a Bergman film so this is gonna be an interesting first time for me. Hour of the Wolf isn’t one of Bergman’s biggest films but there’s a lot of good reviews for it. Big legendary names don’t win out here though so you can’t count anyone out. Its a euro artsy “anti horror” vs a quirky Disney Channel inspired horror musical. A weird as hell matchup for sure and an appropriate way to kick off the Sweet Sixteen. Hour of the Wolf is available for streaming on the Criterion Channel. Anna and the Apocalypse is available for streaming on Roku, Tubi, Kanopy, Redbox, and Pluto. 4. Tobe Hooper’s Eaten Alive vs. 8. (Goat’s Ladies Night XX) Karyn Kusama’s The Invitation  Say this for my sole surviving team, Ladies Night hasn’t had an easy path here. Taking down Lucio Fulci first round and Alfred Hitchcock last round its racking up the big names and now has a chance to add a 3rd in Tobe Hooper. For Hooper he’s looking to return to the Elite Eight and move into second place all time with his 7th Bracketology win. Hooper did lose with a crocodile movie last year but maybe the second time is the charm. This grimy, sleazy, TCM feeling entry seems much more Bracketology’s speed and like a pretty very enjoyable group watch. Its also gonna be one of those films that has you saying “that’s where that comes from!” so keep an eye out. On the flip side we see the return of Karyn Kusama for her third run. She’s had no luck in Bracketology losing with Jennifer’s Body and Destroyer so either third time’s the charm here or she becomes yet another one of my nominees to join the 0-3 club. This one is a moody, slow psychological and emotional human drama kind of thing… so you know… its gonna lose. I mean that’s simplistic and fatalistic, but its a clash for sure. So which mood is gonna hit voters this week and who moves into the Elite Eight? We’ll find out. Eaten Alive is available for streaming on AMC+, Vudu, Tubi, Shudder, Night Flight, Spectrum, and Plex. The Invitation is available for streaming on AMC+, Roku, Tubi, Kanopy, Redbox, Shudder, Pluto, Spectrum, and Freevee. And that’s the start of the Sweet Sixteen! Its four very different films this week in true Bracketology fashion. A couple of major names of film too. And nearly everything is easily available so that’s cool. Lets beat these unbearable heat waves by not leaving our homes, drawing the blinds, and watching more movies. That’s a healthy life choice and change of pace, right? As always the goal is to just have fun and watch what you want. We try and make sure every film is reasonably available, some are a little harder to find than others and not everyone has the right streaming services so if you need help ask and help might be right around the corner. Vote or change your vote until 12 noon EST July 30th (or when I get to the computer) Next Week! 7. Skywarps Hat’s Team Vampires and Coke vs 14. Deb’s Team Quite Good Directors That I Enjoy 5. Tarnop’s Revenge of Predation vs 8. Basebf’s Two Brits and a Kiwi Spreadsheet Letterboxd List
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Jul 23, 2022 17:04
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Eaten Alive is a really interesting movie because it's Hooper going for that sweaty, grimy TCM atmosphere but on an artificial looking soundstage-type set. And it's....actually pretty successful? On paper it seems like it shouldn't work but it does.
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Jul 23, 2022 17:19
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This is a pretty easy match for me. Hour of the Wolf is a nightmare fueled by anxieties of imposter syndrome, guilt, identity. Anna and the Apocalypse is a little too twee for me. I don't think the songs are that good, nor the choreography, and it fails to deliver what I want from 1) horror comedies, 2) musicals, and 3) holiday movies. I don't think it's bad, but it's just not for me. Hour of the Wolf gets the vote. I think The Invitation is a very good movie, but it loses it's nail-biting suspense on a rewatch. Thankfully it's a well-acted bottleneck character drama that is weird and upsetting. However, I'm just more into what Hooper manages with Eaten Alive. It's very scary. It's deranged. It's over-saturated gel lights, it's southern fried gothic, it's sweaty and swampy. It's as much of a textile experience as it is a fever dream. The Invitation might be more refined and it's brow may be higher, but I'm more interested in the psychobilly freak-out that is Eaten Alive. I watched it in the wake of Hooper's death, and it was a personal revelation that kinda solidified his stature as a Horror Great that wasn't a Texas Chainsaws or Poltergeist.
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Jul 23, 2022 17:29
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Easy matchups for me too— all movies I’ve watched in the last few years so I can just go by my Letterboxd ratings. Anna and the Apocalypse I nearly turned off in the first few minutes but I warmed to it after a bit even though I’m hardly in its target audience. It feels like the filmmakers tried very hard to please… But Hour of the Wolf is Ingmar Bergman with Max von Sydow and Liv Ullmann as the leads— it’s in another universe in terms of talent even if it’s not top tier Bergman. Easy vote for Hour of the Wolf. As for the other matchup, I had the opposite reaction from Fran and found Eaten Alive very disappointing. The artificiality is interesting and it’s amusing that Hooper did another takeoff on Psycho right after doing The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. But it feels to me like Hooper playing around while picking up a quick exploitation buck as he waited to make his hoped for mainstream break in Hollywood that he never got— it’s nowhere near as original, well put together, or thematically rich as Saw. The Invitation isn’t amazing— I don’t think the third act worked for me particularly well— but it’s good enough to pick up my vote more or less by default.
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Jul 23, 2022 20:45
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I can't really think of a more offputting combination of genres than musical and zombies. Eaten Alive vs Invitation, hm. I think I'm gonna go with the crazy set but Invitation is also pretty solid and the movie I was hoping for when I nominated Kusama in the last two tournaments.
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Jul 23, 2022 22:15
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married but discreet posted:I can't really think of a more offputting combination of genres than musical and zombies. I don't really like either of these all that much, but I did catch the last half of Anna & the Apocalypse last year and it managed to charm me by the end. There's a certain pluckiness to it; you can tell how much they are really trying and it kind of works even if that combination shouldn't. Though I do think the music isn't much above middling quality. I don't know how much of my reaction was because I was simply having my expectations exceeded. I also do not expect it to stand up against Ingmar Bergman, but I haven't seen the other film so who knows.
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Jul 24, 2022 04:28
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Another week where I've seen all four films recently. Kinda lucky, really, as I'm pretty busy. I didn't adore Hour of the Wolf when I watched it. It was my first Bergman. I'll copy my review from last year to explain: samfu's letterboxd posted:I really liked the beginning. The framing of featureless sky against jagged ground looked like someone had taken each frame of film and ripped it diagonally. The score was non-existent, and it brought to bear the bleakness of the Island. At one point, I made myself angry thinking about terrible arguments dumb people would make for scoring these scenes, which made me laugh immediately thereafter. Seventh Seal was one of the easiest five star reviews I've ever given, so it's safe to say Bergman redeemed himself. Despite the flaws, HotW's scope of ambition easily puts it over Anna, which stretched a mediocre sketch way beyond what it could support. Eaten Alive is a crunchy, dessicated film and I cannot be expected to be even a bit objective about it. It wears grindhouse trappings like a royal cloak and I watched it for the first time at 4am in an actual grindhouse, the actual quality of the movie barely factors in the face of an experience like that. It's misanthropic and cruel and I'd still vote it over a score of objectively better movies on nostalgia alone. Which is "fun" because The Invitation is a better film that I have recommended to many people, unlike Eaten Alive that I have recommended only to other degenerates. I'm still voting for Eaten Alive but I would never blame a soul for making the better choice. Samfucius fucked around with this message at 08:02 on Jul 29, 2022 |
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Jul 24, 2022 06:32
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Rewatched Eaten Alive and had a great time with it again. I just love how audacious Hooper is with the lighting, it's completely bonkers.
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Jul 27, 2022 22:54
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Basebf555 posted:Rewatched Eaten Alive and had a great time with it again. I just love how audacious Hooper is with the lighting, it's completely bonkers. The red lighting early on is so cool
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Jul 28, 2022 16:49
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Its Thursday! I'm a little late to this because I was watching Eaten Alive. Gotta get Bergman and Invitation in tonight. Its been a rough, hot, delirious week. But the week's not over. There's still just over 45 hours to get the movies in and cast your votes. We're in the real heart of the tourney now. Whoever wins these rounds will be one of the 8 possible champions. So choose wisely, or do whatever you want really. Its all in good fun. Vote or change your vote until 12 noon EST July 30th (or when I get to the computer)
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Jul 28, 2022 19:47
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Basebf555 posted:Rewatched Eaten Alive and had a great time with it again. I just love how audacious Hooper is with the lighting, it's completely bonkers. I did a rewatch with a group of friends who hadn't seen it, and it was a hoot. "Audacious" is right. So is "gonzo" and "deranged". It is swinging for the fences, and it does not care how violent and oppressive it gets. I can totally see it being too mean or disturbing for people, but we were enthralled. It's crazy how gory and off-putting the whole thing is. I love it.
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Jul 28, 2022 22:36
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I watched Eaten Alive for the first time - nice to cross that off my watch list. It's as others described above - mean, dirty, bonkers - a good time. I also rewatched The Invitation, and liked it more this time around - I thought the pacing was perfect and it is a slow burn that (to me anyway) builds to a satisfying and wild finale. It's a close call for sure but my vote is for The Invitation. I won't be surprised when this thread goes the other way, though. Not sure I will get to the other match-up in time, but I haven't participated in a few weeks (I moved house and had some stuff at work) so glad to be back even if I didn't get to all 4. 
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Jul 28, 2022 22:56
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I rewatched both today. Eaten Alive kind of impresses me in that’s it’s Hooper doing exploitation and a lot farther than TCM but managing to do it in a way that doesn’t turn me away. I like the core idea of this guy who was probably always kind of disturbed and people probably talked about him but he just snaps. The weird gonzo exploitation victims aren’t my thing and it all played weird to me but I kind of held on for the villain protagonist and his breakdown. The Invitation is much more my thing though. It’s really well done suspense and that air of something being hosed up and you wanting to leave. And the film does well to play that against the main characters grief and toy with the question of if he’s just angry his ex has moved on or lashing out in his own pain. The supporting characters are all also really solid old friends who want to be there but also kind of don’t. It’s just a real good slow build. And I find the ultimate mash up of Jonestown Massacre via Scientology very unsettling and kinda clever. I should watch more Kusama stuff. I just learned she did Yellowjackets. I should watch that. Invitation for me. Going homer vote. Bergman tonight hopefully. I didn’t dig Anna and the Apocalypse so it’s his matchup to take.
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Jul 29, 2022 00:00
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4. Tobe Hooper’s Eaten Alive vs. 8. (Goat’s Ladies Night XX) Karyn Kusama’s The Invitation I would say that The Invitation is objectively better than Eaten Alive, but it's less fun and I don't find myself thinking about it as much. It's a Hooper vote for me. 3. (twernt’s Spooky Swinging Sixties) Ingmar Bergman’s Hour of the Wolf vs 10. (Deb’s Horror Musicals) John McPhail’s Anna and the Apocalypse In this matchup, I was kind of amazed by Hour of the Wolf. On the other hand, I definitely enjoyed Anna and the Apocalypse. It's just not as good as Hour of the Wolf. I don't ever really feel compelled to vote for myself, but I think that Bergman has taken the choice out of my hands this week.
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Jul 29, 2022 20:08
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Sadly I didn't get to house of the wolf so I'm abstaining there. Went with the crazy swamp guy movie
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Jul 30, 2022 15:32
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 Well no real drama in this one as Ingmar Bergman coasts to a big victory with Hour of the Wolf. It was a tough draw for Deb’s Horror Musicals and Anna and the Apocalypse. The quirky and weird blend of genres sang its heart out but falls here in the second round and our musical interlude comes to an end. But for twernt’s Spooky Swinging Sixties it not only sends them into the Elite Eight but it makes them only one of two top seeds still left standing in the tournament.  And we have an upset! And a surprise for me. A tight race all week in the end Kusama’s The Invitation just squeezes out the narrowest of victories over Tobe Hooper’s Eaten Alive. For Hooper that means he’s staying at 6 overall wins in Bracketology history and won’t have a chance to move up the rankings from 3rd this year. And for Kusama it gives her her first ever Bracketology win and avoids yet another of my nominees joining the 0-3 Club. Unless she makes another horror film that probably finishes her record at 1-2. But more importantly it sends my Ladies Night team into the Elite Eight topping its run from last year. How much farther can it go? Next round it will be Spooky Swinging Sixties vs Ladies Night to see who makes the Final Four. 2 of our final 8 set. Lets get 2 more. 5. (Tarnop’s Revenge of Predation) Philip Kaufman’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers vs 8. (Basebf’s Two Brits and a Kiwi) Clive Barker’s Nightbreed  Predation is looking to make a second run at the championship this year and as usual Tarnop’s team is not loving around. Drawn this round is probably one of the biggest names cult favorites in the tourney this year as Kaufman’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers comes to bat. There’s a bunch of Body Snatchers out there but most would agree this is the best of them. And that’s impressive considering there’s a decent balance and a lot of options. But the cast, scenes, and tension of this film are iconic. Still I don’t want to count out Basebf’s team as it draws a cult classic of its own. Barker’s Nightbreed is a lot more polarizing. A bomb when released its one of those films its fans chalk up to studio interference and there’s a directors cult that many claim to save it and make it a great film. Others find Barker’s fuller vision still a confusing mess of ideas. But there’s no denying that his weird pervy take on a horror Star Wars is a memorable and unique film. And its captured the imagination of a lot of fans over the years. And Bracketology loves going weird over popular. So is there an upset here to be had? Or is Predation headed back to the Elite Eight? Invasion of the Body Snatchers is available for streaming on Amazon Prime, AMC+, Hoopla, Tubi, DirectTV, Shudder, and Pluto. Nightbreed is available for streaming on Peacock, AMC+, Vudu, Tubi, Redbox, Shudder, Pluto, Plex, and Freevee. 7. (Skywarps Hat’s Team Vampires and Coke) Richard Wenk and Danny Graves’ Wishcraft vs 14. (Deb’s Team Quite Good Directors That I Enjoy) Peter Strickland’s Berberian Sound Studio  A couple of weeks back we watched Censor and a bunch of people called it “a worse Berberian Sound Studio”, to paraphrase. So the RNG must have been listening again because here it is drawn for Deb’s Quite Good Directors team this round. Another movie that sounds highly stylish and A/V heavy with a take on the giallo or exploitation movies of the past? To be honest I didn’t get a great sense of what the hell this movie was about from the reviews I perused. But what I did get sounds like its the kind of thing that can be a big hit here. Its opponent is once again neither vampires or cocaine but is something that sounds like it was made in the 90s on someone snorting the stuff. A 90s slasher about a wish granting bull penis? Huh? Sounds trashy but Bracketology does love trashy. And its got one of those casts of 90s people you couldn’t actually name because you haven’t thought of them in decades… and Meat Loaf strangely making his second appearance in this tourney. Truthfully it sounds like it could be a fun time… or a total drag. But I bet its new to most people. Its another matchup of deep cuts and movies you may have heard of but not gotten around to. Who comes out on top? We’ll see. Wishcraft is available for streaming on Tubitv Berberian Sound Studio is available for streaming on AMC+, Kanopy, DirectTV, and realeyz. Another week and we’re at the half way point of the Sweet Sixteen. I hope you’re all staying cool and safe in this crazy heat it feels like so many of us are experiencing There’s a lot of ways you can stay cool but why not just refuse to leave your house, draw the blinds, turn off all the lights, and watch some movies? There’s worse ways to beat the heat. As always the goal is to just have fun and watch what you want. We try and make sure every film is reasonably available, some are a little harder to find than others and not everyone has the right streaming services so if you need help ask and help might be right around the corner. Vote or change your vote until 12 noon EST August 6th (or when I get to the computer) Next Week! 5. George Romero vs 9. William Castle 2. Terrence Fisher vs. 13. Deb’s Silent Scream Spreadsheet Letterboxd List
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Jul 30, 2022 17:03
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Streams at the same time and place as usual 
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Jul 30, 2022 17:34
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Missed my writeups last week, surprised Kusama won! And definitely hoping she does another horror. I've seen all movies this week except Wishcraft. I actually didn't like Berberian Sound Studio much when I first saw it, but I think I was just not in the right mindset for it at that time. Gonna rewatch it. Body Snatchers of course wins the other matchup, I think I never even finished Nightbreed with how boring it was. I'll give it a second chance though too.
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Aug 1, 2022 16:12
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I think Nightbreed would have a shot against a lot of different competition we've seen in the thread but Invasion of the Body Snatchers is pretty close to perfect. It takes it's time establishing an excellent cast of characters and then totally delivers the creepy body horror moments in the second half. It would take a true all-timer to beat it, and Nightbreed isn't in that league, even though I do appreciate the imagination and Cronenberg's fun performance.
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Aug 1, 2022 16:19
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Invasion of the Body Snatchers was one of the first horror movies I ever saw (I was 8, I think) and I'm really looking forward to the rewatch.
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Aug 1, 2022 16:49
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I saw Invasion of the Body Snatchers in the theater at a revival showing when I was six. It probably was the third horror movie I ever saw (after Twilight Zone: The Movie and Gremlins, both also in the theater). Naturally I imprinted on it and almost no other horror could beat it for me. Certainly Nightbreed can’t compete. Wishcraft is a rapey mess but I got more enjoyment out of it, albeit semi-ironically, than I did Berberian Sound Studio so I guess I’ll be the sole vote in favor of it this week?
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Aug 2, 2022 03:56
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I had never seen Nightbreed and I was actually disappointed by it. It's not terrible and there definitely some matchups it could have won this year. Invasion of the Body Snatchers is not one of those matchups. On the other hand, Wishcraft is just bad and I really liked Berberian Sound Studio. Invasion of the Body Snatchers is an easy vote and Berberian Sound Studio is a very easy vote this week for me.
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Aug 2, 2022 13:22
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