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40 (60 - Namibia). Dust Devil - Richard Stanley film from the early 90s with a woman running from her abusive husband picking up a mysterious hitchhiker (demon). Great film, and would make a great double feature with Demon Knight, although the demon here plays his cards quite a bit more slowly in the first half of the film. 4/5 41 (61 - Tanzania). White Shadow - I'm barely putting this one over the line, mostly on thriller grounds. Witch doctors kill albinos for their magical body parts, so our protagonist's mother sends him to live in the city with his uncle to try to stay away from rural superstition. From here, it jumps around a lot: the uncle has him hustling on the street; the uncle owes a loan shark money; the protagonist is living in a foster home for albinos; he can't walk into a bar without people wanting to rub his hair for good luck; and there's a witch doctor hunting him down. It finally pulls it together in the last quarter, with the loan shark coming after the uncle at the same time the reformed witch doctor finds him. 3.5/5 - (62 - Malawi). Living in Shadows - Coupled with a brief documentary on the very real practice of witch doctors killing albinos for their parts. There's interviews with the parents of a murder victim, a woman who had a close call but was saved by her neighbors, and multiple members of the Association of Persons with Albinism in Malawi, plus BBC footage of the President of Malawi considering that perhaps the 2 years in prison and $30 fine for killing an albino is not a sufficient deterrent. Informative, but the two flashbacks are achieved with absolutely terrible animation that completely betrays the seriousness of the subject matter. 2/5 42 (63 - Madagascar). Makibefo - Makibefo is bringing a prisoner back to the king when he comes across a witch doctor who predicts that he'll become his tribe's king. After consulting with his wife, they get the king and his guards drunk, stab the king in his sleep, and frame the guards for his murder. Sound familiar? Say the title real slow. Filmed with a crew of two, a cast of the Antandrov people in southern Madagascar, who had never acted nor even seen a film before, with a half dozen or so narrative scenes of professional actor Gilbert Laumord reading the actual text. It gets MacBeth done in 71 minutes and still feels slow moving, but it's a hell of a feat to pull of. 3.5/5 43 (64 - Cote d'Ivoire). Night of the Kings - Crime thriller, with a new inmate designated as the "Roman," the storyteller appointed by the boss of the dominant prison gang for the night of the red moon. Said boss's health is rapidly deteriorating, and there's an inevitable war coming when he breathes his last. Plus, the actual evening's entertainment is slaughtering the "Roman" if he finishes the story before dawn. So our protagonist tries to make it through the evening stretching out the story of his criminal associate, the legendary Zama King, starting with his death when he stepped off his turf, was identified by, yes, a magic albino, and lynched, and then filling in the back story. Technically great, tense and atmospheric, and, whoops, they forgot to have an ending. 3.5/5
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Oct 21, 2022 04:42
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17. V/H/S/99 (2022), Shudder This movie was a little bit of a mess. I think trying extra hard to hammer home the point that it was set on 1999 and really shoehorn as many 90s references in as possible kind of dragged the movie down - I rolled my eyes when one of the characters referenced Bockbuster Video and Radio Shack back to back in the same sentence. "The Shredders" had a pretty bog-standard premise and in general it could have been okay, but the absolutely excessive VHS tracking effects and bizarrely spliced-together footage took me right out of it; the mediocre effects didn't help, either. "Suicide Bid" is probably my favorite out of the lot, and I was actually much more onboard with it before it introduced the supernatural - the whole "buried alive" thing was scary and compelling enough. "The Gawkers" had a cool payoff but it was one of the more egregious "LOOK IT'S THE 90'S!" offenders, and it took way, way too long before it got spooky. I should have seen the "twist" coming, in retrospect it hints towards it pretty heavily. "Ozzy's Dungeon" started out alright and I think it would have been just fine as a revenge tale, but instead it made a sharp turn towards the supernatural in the last 5 minutes and it kind of took me out of the story. "To Hell and Back" was pretty neat, the set design was cool, the effects were cool, all around I think it was the most even in quality out of all the stories, but seeing the actress who played Mildred in 'Deadstream' show up and over-act like crazy kind of dragged things down a little bit. The ending felt a bit unsatisfying, too. Overall I'd say it's maybe my third favorite VHS movie, I guess? 1. 'Tales from the Crypt' (1972) 2. 'Trilogy of Terror' (1975) 3. 'Southbound' (2015) 4. 'The Vault of Horror' (1973) BONUS: 'Smile' (2022) 5. 'Creepshow' (1982) 6. 'The House That Dripped Blood' (1971) 7. 'All Hallow's Eve' (2013) BONUS: 'Deadstream' (2022) 8. 'Cat's Eye' (1985) 9. ' The Monster Club' (1981) 10. 'Body Bags' (1993) 11. 'The Field Guide to Evil' (2018) BONUS: 'Hellraiser' (2022) 12. 'The Dark Tapes' (2017) 13. 'Trick 'r Treat' (2007) 14. 'Deadtime Stories' (1986) BONUS: 'Halloween Ends' (2022) 15. 'Black Sabbath' (1963) 16. 'ABCs of Death' (2012) 17. 'V/H/S/99' (2022)
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Oct 21, 2022 05:17
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Random Stranger posted:October 20 - Wild Zero I just want to underline for people who are just reading along : Guitar Wolf was a 100% legit punk band in Japan., they absolutely rule, they were actually legit crazy (legally changed their names to [instrument] Wolf in English, thought they were all Joan Jett's sons), and this was their equivalent of Yellow Submarine. Wild Zero is a hell of a loving movie and everyone should listen to it.
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Oct 21, 2022 05:28
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 35. The Devil's Backbone (2001) A sad tale set during the Spanish Civil War that positively reeks of allegory. Though the story takes place at an orphanage remote from any battles, the increasingly brutish Eduardo Noriega is an obvious stand-in for the fascists and all the worst of mankind in general. He goes from inhabitant to assailant of the strange orphanage community, populated entirely by tragic souls, leftist adults scarred from complex pasts and the flock of boys who are sometimes innocents and sometimes Lord of the Flies monsters to each other. The Devil's Backbone is also a ghost story but with less success than the historical drama. The ghost's past is significant, but the ghost's ongoing presence is irrelevant; there's no misjudged insistence on jump scares or anything, but the haunting scenes contribute only a minor moodiness on top of the pessimistic melancholy that was already shaping the picture. It would take the most minor of rewrites to expunge the supernatural completely, unlike Guillermo del Toro's later Pan's Labyrinth, which was a more extravagant and deservedly more admired take on subject matter within the same ballpark. The Devil's Backbone is smartly crafted and it finds some poetry in all its ill-fated sadness, but it never really moved me beyond its single most compelling image: a disarmed bomb still protruding from the earth in the middle of the orphanage courtyard, a potent symbol of the moment of destruction that has been extended indefinitely. At one point the young Fernando Tielve prays to the "still living" bomb for guidance like a Catholic saint, and in a beautiful pique of magical realism, one of the ribbons tied incongruously to the bomb's tailfins flutters loose and gives him an answer.  / 5 .jpg?bwg=1547463771) For Spooky Bingo, The Devil's Backbone checks off Osteology. 
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Oct 21, 2022 06:37
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Huge backlog of reviews, trying to play catchup. - (49). Love and Monsters (2020) Directed by Michael Matthews; Screenplay by Brian Duffield and Matthew Robinson Watched on Amazon Prime I really loved that. Had seen this once before but didn't super remember it besides the basic setup and a general idea that I enjoyed it. I'm not a big fan of the whole cliche of the dude who goes and wins the girl by being the hero. The "chosen one" thing a lot of the time. So I was a little apprehensive on how a rewatch with go. But I actually really think the movie handles all that really well. He's really not chosen or special. He's pretty much a loser. And its made explicitly clear by him and the story that he survives not because of some innate specialness inside of him but because of the kindness and help of others. That isn't to say that he isn't special as everyone is special. He does this thing that everyone tells him he's stupid to try and he makes a bunch of right choices. He's a genuinely good guy, not just a "good guy". And when he does get to the girl she appreciates the romanticism and scope of what he's done... but the reality of it is also there. That a romantic gesture is not all that makes a relationship. That people change and have other things. And ultimately this isn't a fairy tale romantic journey to the princess. Its just a growing experience for our guy. Its just him learning a lot about himself and coming out the other end of it a better person. And he wasn't really a bad guy to start. He's just a little better today than he was yesterday. Which is all we can really hope for. And its got lots of great goopy monsters. Its a lot of fun. The whole world from its general post apocalyptic geography to all the great mutated creatures to the wide cast of characters we meet are all a ton of fun. If there's a clear problem with the movie I think that there's just too much going on. This whole thing feels like it could have very easily been an 8 episode series where we spend more time with the original colony getting to know them and our guy's place in their world... to time spent on the road with Michael Rooker and Minnow being cool and fun with monsters... to way more of Jessica Henwick kicking rear end. That's something that's just underutilized in Hollywood in general. Give Jessica Henwick her own action vehicles, please. Pretty please. Point is there's really a lot here. And while maybe 8 episodes would dilute that it still feels like there's more than 110 minutes of ideas here and as soon as we really start to fit into something fun we move to the next chapter. But that also keeps the pace of this movie going really well. And as has often been said leaving the audience wanting more isn't a bad thing. And I do. By the time I finished I so badly wished there was another one of these out there. Its so much fun and I had such a good time. And really we're set up perfectly for Jessica Henwick on the road kicking rear end and meeting Rooker and Minnow. Just do it, Hollywood! This movie seemed like it kind of died in the Covid gap so I dunno if we'll ever get another one. But man... I hope we do. Its just so much. Franchescanado posted:
 37 (50). Fresh (2022) Directed by Mimi Cave; Written by Lauryn Kahn Watched on Hulu Weird thing... I thought this starred that lady from the Star Wars movies. It turns out I had merged Felicity Jones and Daisy Ridley into one person and confused them with Daisy Jones. Whoops. I enjoyed this. And I tend to dread cannibal horrors in general but this is pretty good. Its not like a "sicko" kind of movie that revels in the edgelordiness or depravity of the idea. Its much slower and more thoughtful. Like its mostly about the psychological and emotional horror of the situation. But it also manages to maintain a nice dark comedy lightness to the whole thing. I dunno. Its a tough line to walk but they do a really good job with it. Truthfully I'm not sure how to fully categorize or describe this. I'm not even 100% sure how I feel about it. I do know I enjoyed it. Jones is very good in the main role playing someone tough enough to survive this even though she's not an action star bad rear end or anything. Sebastian Stan is a very muted creepy mess of a seemingly put together monster who proves once again that if you're hot enough you can be as weird as you can be and still get the number. Jonica T. Gibbs is a lot of fun as the best friend we all wish we could have who goes above and beyond to watch her buddy's back. And a lot of the comedy comes there. I loved the humor of her buddy coming to watch her back, encountering white dudes firing guns and screaming, and just noping the gently caress out of there and the movie. Not the most heroic action but you stay alive. Yeah, I don't know. Its just kind of a fun time. Which is really weird to say about a movie that's about abduction, abuse, assault, murder, mutilation, and cannibalism. And its not "fun" in the way films of that nature often are. But I dunno. I enjoyed it a lot. Its just a well done and interesting idea that certainly has elements you may be familiar with but had a feel and style that kind of felt unique and on its own to me.  - (51). The Monster Squad (1987) Written and directed by Fred Dekker; co-written by Shane Black I hadn’t seen this since I was a kid and all I really remembered form it was “the wolf man has nerds”. Like most children of the 80s - especially horror fans - I think I had an idea of it and loving it but truthfully I couldn’t have told you much about it if you asked me. I actually thought it starred Fred Savage. I saw someone else say they thought it starred one of the Coreys. That’s kind of emblematic of its problems, I think. It just feels like a mediocre and forgettable retread of 80s stuff. I mean, its got the Universal Monsters and that’s cool. They scene where they all reunite in the swamp and cackle evily is top notch stuff. But the movie doesn’t do a hell of a lot with them. Most of its just a pretty standard 80s kid adventure film (complete with casual homophobia and misogyny). And the script is pretty spotty. The kids get to “monsters are real and we have to kill them” real easily and there’s not a ton of reason for stuff that happens. Like why is the mummy in that kid’s closet? We just thought it would be a funny scene so its in. And the only thing we do with that thing of the Creature hanging with the kids is him having an emotional reaction to a Frankenstein mask and some nudie photos. And like the most pivotal plot point basically revolves around them blackmailing one of the guy’s sisters into reciting a virgin spell by threatening her with nudes they took. Its pretty gross. And… was her brother trying to see the nudes? I guess Shane Black really did co-write this movie. Problematic 80s elements aside there’s just really not that much here. For the life of me I can’t remember what the macguffin is or what Dracula’s doing. I guess there’s a limit on what kind of action the Mummy and the Creature from the Black Lagoon can get into but its pretty thin here. And there’s a weirdly sad payoff to the Frankenstein’s Monster character arc. The whole thing just feels a little cynical and lazy. I went into this thinking that while it might age badly on the gender stuff it would probably be a fun kid’s movie with monsters. But I think the guys who made this drew the same basic conclusion so they really didn’t put a lot into making this a terribly good or compelling story. Its not exactly a bad movie. Its still kids fighting monsters. And there’s definitely some fun moments or gags. But all in all this doesn’t super hold together well as a movie and there’s probably a reason so many of us have cloudy false memories of it. Its a fun idea, its just not exceed terribly well. But i guess its better than Van Helsing. Maybe.  - (52). Sleepaway Camp (1983) Written and directed by Robert Hiltzik So I gotta watch the worst rated sequel of the 90s for Hooptober. And that’s Sleepaway Camp IV according to Letterboxd. But I’ve never seen 2 or 3. And because I’m me it means I gotta watch all of them. And I only saw the original once and it didn’t much stick with me. So now I’m rewatching all of them. And the month is nearly over and I haven’t even started so I gotta rip the band aid off. So yeah… it still didn’t do much for me. I just don’t like slashers, and while this is obviously a bit of a campy and over the top take on the slasher formula its still a pretty formulaic 80s slasher. The big ending twist and the weirdo Katy Perry aunt performance are what people tend to talk about and like I get it but it just doesn’t do much for me. The characters are all one dimensional or actively unlikable by design. The twist is played for kind of borderline offensive shock value. The ending is just filmed in a weird rear end way. A lot of the camp comedy just doesn’t hit for me. Is that pot supposed to be comically oversized leading to kill a guy? I dunno. I just don’t get it. Its far from the worst slasher I’ve seen. Its largely pretty watchable and easy and there is at least some kind of ending that does something other than the standard slasher ending. I get why it stands out to people and why its so enjoyable to fans of the slasher genre. I’m not really in the position to determine whether or not its good representation or bad representation. Maybe much like blaxploitation its a bit of both because any exposure is progress. I wouldn’t say I hated it or anything. I dunno. Its just not my thing.  38 (53). Everyone Must Die! (2012) Written and directed by Steve Rudzinski; co-written by Derek Rothermund Watched on TubiTV I don’t know why, but I kinda loved this. I don’t know what it is. Its a very silly movie but it just charmed the hell out of me in its silliness. Something about the one dimensional horror characters all representing basic tropes just kind of killed me. Starting very simply and gradually turning into “guy who only talks about eggs.” Its all so weird and silly but it just really won me over. By the time the jock is running back and forth like the Flash to prove how fast he is I was just laying in bed bellowing in laughter despite myself. Maybe it caught me at the right time. Maybe I was half delirious. But god drat this thing was amusing me. And hey, Steve Rudzinski beat They/Them to the equal opportunity gratuitous sex LGBTQ slasher. Good on you. If I’m honest I think the movie runs out of some steam when it gets into the last act of basically just a slasher film. There’s still some fun stuff in there but I think once we just settle down with our characters in the slasher formula then its maybe hitting on my general indifference to the slasher formula more than lampooning it. Its still having fun and I still had enough fun to not kill my enjoyment of this movie or anything. And I say it all the time. Making films is loving hard. I’ve tried and just making a shot look and sound good is loving hard to do. And yeah there’s budgetary and equipment limitations here but Rudzinski and crew do a REALLY good job just making this look and feel and sound as good as they do. There’s a thing I think I tend to look for in low budget films of whether the director/editor keeps the film dynamic and has a cinematic eye or whether its a lot of static and long shots and awkward transitions. This film is made by people with a good cinematic eye. There may be bouncing audio levels or something here or there but there’s a real feel for task at hand and eye of the camera. And that’s the kind of stuff I always look for and appreciate in films at this level because that’s thing I know is so hard to really master when you’re doing this on your own. So yeah I mean, its not a great film or anything. But its a really charming film. In front of and behind the camera. And mostly it just made me laugh. Maybe the jokes are dumb but trying to be clever can be overrated. And this is clever in a lot of little ways with its subversions of tropes and comedic timing. Even just thinking about that Flash scene now I crack up picturing Jenni sitting there struck silent by the sheer absurdity of this all for what felt like forever. Its funny. I laughed. What more can I ask for?
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Oct 21, 2022 06:47
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Vanilla Bison posted:
O you absolute beautiful bastard you.  There's also a fern named that but I'm assuming those are unrelated. The Devil's Backbone (Guillermo del Toro ; 2001) Highbrow Horror (It's in the Criterion Collection) Vanilla Bison got the gist of my opinions and beat me by about an hour so I'm just gonna respond in brief and let the movie speak for itself. I think what happened is that there must've been an earlier draft/pitch/version of this story that was more overtly just the story of the orphanage and it all was supposed to be like Dr. Casares at the end, but I think it was later realized it would be too abrupt if the theme of ghosts wasn't introduced earlier and then if you're doing that it's halfway to being a horror movie and then marketing took it over. This is truly more of the classic "spooky story" than a horror, in the sense that Little Red Riding Hood is a fairy tale, it's certainly not horror, but it still has someone being eaten by a wolf and vivisection and some really, really hosed up sex stuff in there. This might be my new favorite del Toro for a bit???? Definitely loved Federico Luppi and I can see why del Toro always talks about wishing he worked with him more. Dude just acts his god drat balls off. 8.5/10 31 wow holy poo poo but still 11 spots on the bingo card so... 
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Oct 21, 2022 08:07
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21. The Editor SPOOKY BINGO: Behind The ScreamsIn this giallo spoof, Adam Brooks (who also co-wrote the story and co-directed with Matthew Kennedy) plays Ray Ciso, a once acclaimed movie editor now working on a sleazy Italian slasher. The two lead actors are brutally murdered, and suspicion falls on Ciso, who lost several fingers in an editing accident and wears wooden ones, because the two bodies both have the corresponding fingers removed. An investigator (Kennedy) tries to put together the pieces while Ciso finds whoever's doing the killing is definitely drawn to him, or something in his past. The production continues on, through reshoots and recastings. That giallo as a genre is already very over the top poses both benefits and risks when it comes to parody; it's possible to miss the mark by going too far or not far enough, but there's a goldmine of material. An early good sign is that most of the characters are clearly dubbed in the super-chatty trying-to-fit-too-much-in way you often see in these films, and the dialogue has that perfect touch of the absurd. (When the investigator lets slip that he and an actor's wife used to date in front of said actor, the wife adds blankly, "Yes, he was a strong and powerful lover.") Everyone smokes and drinks, there's frequent gratuitous nudity and arty-to-the-point-of-silliness sex scenes, and the gore is laid on pretty thick too. And yeah, the lighting is very bold and surreal, with lots of weird edits and camera setups, as well a number of homages to classic giallo films (and more than that.) What's interesting is that they don't go for a full on ZAZ gag-a-second approach; sometimes the movie just focuses on recreating the tone of what it's spoofing, and at times even goes for some really surreal sequences that are genuinely jarring. This does cause a problem at one point where the plot, appropriately convoluted though it is, seems to go genuinely off the rails- the editor outright disappears and subplots involving magic are introduced, because it wasn't enough to spoof just proper giallo but also the wilder anything-goes horrors of The Beyond and Suspiria and so on. There's a bit too much on the plate. Still there are plenty of good gags and fun performances; Paz de la Huerta is Ray's fallen-star wife, and Udo Kier shows up as the director of a mental hospital. You can tell this was made with a lot of love, and they don't half rear end any of it.  Bingo! Which will be next? Who knows?
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Oct 21, 2022 08:34
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 #37: They/Them (2022) Spooky Bingo: Scream, Queen! A group of LGBTQ teens and a masked killer attend a conversion camp. The kids are winning and Kevin Bacon is a sure hand, but I struggled to figure out what the movie was driving at outside a general affirmation. Having Owen die after Jordan refuses to kill him seems like it's taking the easy way out. Molly/Angie points out that this isn't the only place like this, and Owen makes it clear the local authorities won't police them. Jordan's personal satisfaction doesn't do anything for the other Stus being tortured out there. Given it's not particularly horrifying or thrilling, I was hoping for a more interesting message.  #38: One Cut of the Dead (2019) Spooky Bingo: Behind the Screams A zombie film shoot faces monstrous difficulties at the hands of a desperate director willing to do anything to make his movie a success. Wonderful. A lovely ode to creativity, perseverance, and teamwork in filmmaking. Watching all the bizarre moments in the opening short come together was hilarious and heartwarming. This one completely landed for me.  #39: The Black Phone (2021) An adolescent boy imprisoned by a masked killer fights back with the help of the ghosts of his former victims, which call him on a black phone. I can't claim it's not solidly made, but it also felt rote. The masks were impressively creepy, but the movie needed more than that to spice it up. As it is, found this really bland, which is almost worse than bad in a horror movie. 
Sir Kodiak fucked around with this message at 08:45 on Oct 21, 2022 |
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Oct 21, 2022 08:38
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21. Dead Man’s Letters (1986) - 3/5 Soviet post-apocalyptic anti-nuke movie that’s severely oppressive. The Russian Threads? The letters in question are imaginary, dictated in the head of a doomed man to a child that’s probably already dead. Wikipedia gives a plot summary but it’s deceptive really. Events happen, but they don’t matter, and efforts toward objectives go nowhere— the end of history has been achieved. The real point is the atmosphere of a dead world, and the bon mots, like humankind is matter that learned to think, but without knowing what to do with this capacity, leading inevitably to doom when weapons were created. Or that humans can get used to anything if they’re still breathing, but to what end? Is that even desirable? My second time watching. The first time I couldn’t grasp anything because it’s so diffuse, and this time wasn’t much better. It looks great, but goes nowhere on purpose. And it’s deliberately alienating, making great use of filters to give the impression of a remove from the world of the living. The main thing that kept me in it were the production values, which make use of ruined and decayed locations to give a glimpse of a future that’s no future at all.
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Oct 21, 2022 09:56
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#31 - Threads Follow the survivors of a nuclear attack on Sheffield. drat, that was bleak. I knew the aftermath wouldn't be fun, but this really didn't pull any punches. Very well done and I appreciate it taking its time to show what happens both before and after. The nuclear attack isn't the starting point, it is the result of escalating tensions, a conflict getting out of hand and seeing the days go by while the threat grows bigger and the impact on daily life becomes clear. In the same way it isn't the end of it all, it goes on to show the suffering for weeks, months and years. Absolutely horrifying. Counted for "Terror Vision" With that I'm at 31, but I'm gonna keep going. 
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Oct 21, 2022 11:59
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 105) Halloween Ends - 2022 - Theater For disclosure purpose, I've seen every Halloween film from the first at the show, so, longtime fan here. I knew the moment they announced this one that it was going to be divisive no matter how the film would actually be. This is only to be expected for how long the franchise has been around. Everyone has their own opinions on how things should go, and there's no way you're going to please everyone. When you try that you end up pleasing no one. This franchise is the only one I'm aware of that has different continuities outside of Star Trek and possibly the 'of the Living Dead' because of how long it's been in existence. Overall, I liked this one. It even addressed something I've long since joked about with slasher films in general, the 'that's going to be some big therapy bills'. I've often wondered what the wider impact of the slasher events would have over the course of time. There'd be copycats of course, but how much would get blown up into myth? I never was big on the Cult of Thorn bs they went with for that time, and the final girl being related somehow to the slasher always felt a bit hackney to me. I liked H20 with it depicting Laurie moving on albeit scarred from her experience. Granted, I would've liked to've seen more of Michael in this, I'm okay with what we got. Was this as good as the first, definitely not. But I found it a satisfying enough ending compared to what other franchises have tried. Laurie's earned some peace in her life.  106) V/H/S 99 - 2022 - Shudder For the most part I've enjoyed the series. Yeah, it's had it's strong points and it's weak, but overall, pretty decent. Considering how awful the last one's wrap around was, I liked they forwent it for some different interstitials. The rat monster doll made me think of Raatma (HAIL RAATMA!). I didn't think any of the stories were weak. They ranged from okay to very nice. Shredding was okay, went how I expected. Suicide Bid also went as I expected but for some reason the name Giltine sounds very familiar like I've heard it somewhere before. Ozzy's Dungeon was nicely done, I thought it did a nice job of evoking the vibe from the old Nickelodeon obstacle course shows. For how much I've read on the behind the scenes stuff that went on for those shows, I found it totally believable for a show to insist 'you signed a waiver' as a way to get out of responsibility for a serious injury. I do wonder what Donna's wish ended up being considering the ending. Gawkers went as figured though I didn't expect a gorgon, that was a nice touch. To Hell and Back at times had me think of Safe Haven from V/H/S 2. A new V/H/S movie's been announced, and was being filmed same time as this one. I'm curious to see where that one ends up going.
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Oct 21, 2022 15:00
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#26: The House Where Evil Dwells (1982)Hausu An American family living in Japan has their marriage destroyed by vengeful samurai ghosts. A weird haunted house movie that never quite gets weird enough to recommend. More than a century after a samurai dismembers his wife and her lover before killing himself, their spirits torment some Americans who move into their old house. They do this by possessing the husband and wife, forcing them to be cruel to each other in ways that mirror what happened to them in life. In the meantime, the young daughter of the family is tormented by weird faces appearing in her soup and an invasion of giant rubber crabs into her bedroom. The ghosts don't so much haunt the married couple as they force them to act out a Lifetime Original. Swords are utilized a few times in the expected manner. Needed more crab. out of 51. Dracula (Spanish)(1931) 2. Trick r Treat (2007) 3. Ghost Ship (2002) H20 4. The Devil Within Her (1975) Goodnight, Mommy 5. Ghost Story (1981) Paperbacks From Hell 6. Nomads (1986) Punk Vacation 7. Mad Doctor of Blood Island (1969) Thrilla in Manila 8. Skeleton Man (2004) Osteology 9. Muppets Haunted Mansion/Simpsons Treehouse of Horror XXXI Halloween is Special 10. Howling II: Your Sister is a Werewolf (1985) 11. Werewolf of London (1935) 12. Cat People (1942) Golden Years 13. Mortuary (1983) 14. Unmasked Part 25 (1988) Zombie Honeymoon 15. The Alien Factor (1978) Spaced Invaders 16. Deadstream (2022) Glitches 17. Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989) Whispers in the Dark 18. Fury of the Wolfman (1975) Full Moon 19. Night of the Howling Beast (1975) To Serve Man 20. Elvira’s Haunted Hills (2001) Scream, Queen! 21. The Mummy’s Ghost (1944) 22. The Child (1977) Origin of Evil 23. Coven (1997) Dead and Buried 24. Carnival of Souls (1962) Highbrow Horror 25. Maximum Overdrive (1986) 26. The House Where Evil Dwells (1982) Hausu 
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Oct 21, 2022 15:04
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 37) The Deadly Spawn aka Return of the Aliens: The Deadly Spawn (1983) Trailer Seen on: Shudder Spaced Invaders -Watch a film about extraterrestrial life Slimy, toothy-mawed alien slugs that hitched a ride to earth on a meteorite end up in the basement of a home where a horror film-loving kid and his family reside. As the family and its neighbors are attacked by the titular deadly spawn, it's up to our inventive young hero to save the day. So here's a low-budget horror film that actually works! The creature design and gore are delightful, and it just feels like the filmmakers put their hearts into this one. I can't say enough about the main monster, one of the goopiest, toothiest, slimiest low-budget beasts put to screen. There are dark scenes, but they're purposefully shot that way - most of the action early in the movie takes place in a very large, damp basement light only by single lightbulbs, and this goes a long way towards creating some mood and suspense. The acting is passible for the most part, even if some of the dialogue scenes went on too long (hey we're establishing characters here before they get eaten). There's great fun in watching young Charles George Hildebrandt (the son of famous horror and fantasy artist Tim Hildebrandt, whose house features heavily in the movie and who also painted the movie poster above) figure out how the monster operates and lure it into traps and trying to keep it from eating anywhere else. There's also a great sequence where a bunch of old lady vegetarians are threatened by a horde of the toothy little slug versions of the monster. It even has a gag that anyone who has seen Jurassic Park will watch here and do the "Leonardo DiCaprio pointing at the TV" meme. Color me impressed by this one; it's just a fun, gory monster movie. Even more SPOOKYs! Just a few more to go! 
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Oct 21, 2022 18:07
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 Frankenstein One thing I really appreciated when I watched Frankenstein this time around was all of the minor characters. It feels like a real community and most of the characters are fun to watch in some way. It was interesting to watch this back to back with Dracula, because Frankenstein has a great flow to it; the pacing is perfect. When I watch it I feel like I blink and it's already over, 70 minutes feels like 10 minutes. Dracula on the other hand... Funny though, I totally noticed the wrinkly background that another poster mentioned a few pages back, and for whatever reason I never did before. But that aside, it's pretty amazing to think about what went into creating the overall atmosphere of the film in 1931 when film itself hadn't even been around for all that long.     Dracula It's a subject that recently came up in the horror thread but for me Dracula is definitely an inconsistent experience. The first act is pretty much perfect, I don't think I would change a thing. The scenes in the castle, then the initial scenes of Dracula's arrival in London, it's all great stuff. But then there's a clear loss of momentum, and as hard as I've tried over the years I've never quite been able to stay fully engaged. The ending is also just kinda there. It doesn't feel like a conclusive ending. And older films did tend to have very abrupt endings but that can definitely work if it's done right. Here it feels like there should be something more to wrap things up and when the movie ends I'm left feeling like I missed something. Lugosi is Lugosi of course, he has a very compelling screen presence and I imagine it would've really been something to see him play Dracula live at a theater. All in all this is still a classic that I watch almost every year due to that iconic spooky atmosphere but I don't think it holds up to the near perfection of Frankenstein.    Current List: 1. The Munsters 2. The Addams Family 3. Alligator 4. Mosquito(Fran Challenge: Wild Beasts) 5. The Gorgon 6. Evil Dead 2 7. Army of Darkness 8. Amityville II: The Possession(Fran Challenge: The Devil Made Me Do It) 9. Black Sunday 10. Comedy of Terrors(Fran Challenge: Picnic at Hanging Rock) 11. Equinox(Fran Challenge: Highbrow Horror) 12. Hocus Pocus 13. Hocus Pocus 2(Fran Challenge: Children of the Damned) 14. Child's Play 15. Child's Play 2 16. Candyman 17. Hellraiser(2022) 18. Firestarter(Fran Challenge: Origin of Evil) 19. Gerald's Game(Fran Challenge: Paperbacks from Hell) 20. Scream 21. The Faculty 22. I Know What You Did Last Summer 23. Frankenstein 24. Dracula
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Oct 21, 2022 18:21
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32. Who Can Kill a Child? (1976) ¿Quién puede matar a un niño? Directed by Chicho Ibáñez Serrador 🎃 Children of the Damned Comes 🎃 "That's why they weren't afraid, but now they are."  In case you didn't pick up on it, the message of Who Can Kill a Child? is that only a monster would even think about killing a child. This movie relentlessly hammers on this idea for more than 90 minutes, through an exploitative introduction, a second act that drags a bit, and a fantastic finale. It's much less lurid than I expected and I just want to reiterate how great I thought the finale was. 👻👻👻👻/5 October Challenge 6/? 1. Blood Feast (1963), 2. Sunshine (2007), 3. Relic (2020), 4. Mortuary (2005), 5. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987), 6. Perfect Blue (1997) Spooky Bingo 26/36 1. Rodan (1956), 2. Carrie (2013), 3. Gargoyles (1972), 4. Ticks (1993), 5. Penda’s Fen (1974), 6. Crimson Peak (2015), 7. A Field in England (2013), 8. The Ghost of Yotsuya (1959), 9. Carnival of Sinners (1943), 10. Hatchet for the Honeymoon (1970), 11. The Purge (2013), 12. Halloween with the Addams Family (1977), 13. Life After Beth (2014), 14. Puppet Master (1989), 15. Ice Cream Man (1995), 16. Horror Movie: A Low Budget Nightmare (2017), 17. The Slumber Party Massacre (1982), 18. The Man in the Orange Jacket (2014), 19. The Church (1989), 20. Skeleton Crew (2009), 21. The Ranger (2018), 22. V/H/S/2 (2013), 23. Invaders from Mars (1986), 24. Motel Hell (1980), 25. Witchcraft (1964), 26. Who Can Kill a Child? (1976)  Total 32/31 So I've watched 31 new-to-me spooky movies and I've got a spooky bingo so now I'm just going to try to finish my card before the end of the month.
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Oct 21, 2022 18:36
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Sono posted:40 (60 - Namibia). Dust Devil - Richard Stanley film from the early 90s with a woman running from her abusive husband picking up a mysterious hitchhiker (demon). Great film, and would make a great double feature with Demon Knight, although the demon here plays his cards quite a bit more slowly in the first half of the film. 4/5 Sono, I wanted to say thank you for posting about some really obscure horror from countries that don't get any attention.
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Oct 21, 2022 18:36
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9. Hex (2017) Picnic at Hanging Rock 1644, the English Civil War rages. A Roundhead and a Cavalier trapped together in the vast wilderness of England must band together when they discover a witch lives in the forest where they are stranded. As a folk horror film set during the English Civil War this is somewhat reminiscent of both A Field in England (2013) and Witchfinder General (1968) though not nearly as good as either as it lacks both the hallucinogenic mysticism of Field and the all-encompassing brutal bloodshed of Witchfinder. I wanted to like this film a lot more than I did. I still think it's alright but it's got some nagging problems. One being that even at 87 minutes it feels about 30 minutes too long. There's a lot of very slow silent scenes of characters just walking or sitting around a fire. Some of those work, others drag on forever. The other is one of the actors, William Young who plays the Roundhead, isn't very convincing. Which is a pretty downside for a film that's almost entirely just two actors. There's also the case of the very sloppy and stiff duel when the two first meet that looks like it could've used a lot more rehearsals and choreographing and isn't helped by very shaky handheld camera and editing that jumps the 180 line several times and goes on for about 20 minutes. What I do like about the film is that there is obviously a lot of effort put into the little details and production design with regards to props and set dressing(what little there is, as the film is largely set in a forest the closest thing we get to a set is a small camp). The other two actors are pretty good. Daniel Oldroyd who plays the Cavalier has a very good face, which is a underrated quality in an actor, and manages to convey a lot of pathos just by looking brooding. The Witch, the only other actor that isn't playing a corpse or a ghost, is also very good and delivers a very fine monologue about how hard and hosed up it is to be a woman in a 17th century society especially during the war. Of course neither main character gives a poo poo and they brutally murder her in a genuinely harrowing ending shot. She probably isn't even a witch There's also some shots, the few that aren't handheld, that have somewhat striking imagery and composition. Like the very first scene where the Cavalier wakes up in a battlefield as the sole survivor and it's just this long still shot of bodies scattered around in high grass and then suddenly he rises and stumbles away. Aside from the ending, which I liked a lot. The highpoint of the film for me is a scene where the Cavalier meets the ghost of the officer he accidentally killed in the heat of battle. The officer has his back turned so the soldier of course mistakes him for a brother in arms and approaches him with more joy and enthusiasm than he shows in any other scene in the film only for the undead officer to turn around and the Cavalier fleeing in absolute terror. It's one of the few scenes which is actually scary. It almost feels like something out of an old Ghost Stories For Christmas TV film in the way that the scene is structured and shot as well as the fact that we just barely glimpse the face of the ghost. Not well enough to form a full picture of his appearance but just enough to see that there is something deeply wrong with him and he probably isn't alive.. I don't know much about the English Civil War beyond the bare basic but another thing I found was interesting is how the film reverses the traditional roles of the Roundheads and Cavaliers. Traditionally speaking the Roundheads, the army fighting for Cromwell and parliament, were seen as scruffy religious zealots, a bit austere in their lifestyles, and a bit lower class as reflected in their nickname which is about them cutting their hair so short that the shape of the head was visible as opposed to the style of the time which favored long hair. The Cavaliers, the king's men, are stereotypically longhaired dandies in fancy clothes from Good Respectable families that love to party. In Hex the Cavalier is a gruff armored military man while the Roundhead is a bit posh and has long curly hair. I wonder if in an earlier draft of the film the roles were more stereotypical and they decided to switch them to mix things up a bit. Maybe check this out if you're into folk horror but be aware that it's probably made for about £50 and could've used a much more merciless editor.  I was going to watch Begotten for Origin of Evil but apparently that's from 1989 not 1990 so I think I might check out Dark Angel/I Come in Peace instead.
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Oct 21, 2022 19:26
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BONUS: Shorts! Time to knock out my Short Cuts square for another two bingos. I'll be doing it with just stuff I find on youtube, cuz there's occasional diamonds in that rough. The Cat With Hands (3:31): Creepy-looking stopmotion about...a cat with human hands. Pretty prosaic but the stopmotion is what makes it creepy. Salt (2:07): Ghost story with some very impressive effects work, definitely wanna see more of this. Peter the Penguin (9:14): Goes through an entire arc of wholesome, into surreal, into horrific in less than 10 minutes, with some very good acting performances along with it. Bedfellows (2:30): Essentially just the setup and execution of a jumpscare. It is what it is. The Black Hole (2:48): Man harnesses Looney Tunes physics and is punished for it. The sort of thing shorts should be for, a fun setup and punchline. White With Red (5:13): Not the only adaptation of this creepypasta, but it's pretty well-made, with a clever reveal. Behind The Door (2:56): Pretty tense battle of wits between some kind of demon and the world's dumbest boy. No surprises for guessing the winner. Doppelganger (5:48): Predictable twist, but well-executed. Ripped (12:30): See, this is why I don't exercise. More of a comedy than the others, sadly the comedy doesn't really land. Behind Closed Doors (5:36): Weird Syncro-Vox animation about a monster in a boy's closet. The incredibly off-putting art style is creepier than the story. One Last Dive (1:08): Shortest of the bunch and probably the most well-produced. Just another jumpscare, but an interesting one. Teaching Jake about the Camcorder, Jan '97 (9:34): Hey, it's Brian David Gilbert! Didn't expect him to be this good at horror either, genuinely pretty creepy. And that is, by my count, 62:55 in total! Some genuinely cool little things in here, standouts are Peter the Penguin, White With Red and Teaching Jake about the Camcorder, Jan '97.  Two more bingos, two squares left!
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Oct 21, 2022 19:33
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Random Stranger posted:October 20 - Wild Zero twernt posted:Who Can Kill a Child? (1976) Are either of these available for streaming/rental in the U.S.? They sound interesting, although they're duds on JustWatch. I've never heard of Wild Zero, although I do have Who Can Kill a Child? tucked away in a previous big "to watch" list. Basebf555 posted:I certainly wouldn't begrudge anyone for preferring Frankenstein over Bride, they're both great films. But there are a few reasons I think Bride is better. Enjoying the commentary here, as well as the rewatches on Dracula and Frankenstein!
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Oct 21, 2022 19:52
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Franchescanado posted:
 #27. Bait (2012) (Amazon Freevee) After a massive unexpected tsunami hits the Australian coast, a disparate group of survivors find themselves trapped in a flooded grocery store... with several Great White sharks. Better than I'd initially expected it to be, this mashup of Deep Blue Sea and Intruder lays it on thick in the name of ridiculous, outdated "comin' atcha!" 3D gimmickry effects; how much that detracts from your overall experience I'll leave to you. I don't mind a bit of cheese, and it looked like Razorback director, contributing the script here, tried to expand the cast and make sure there was plenty of human drama to swirl around between shark attack scenes. However, while I appreciate the attempt, there's a few too many indistinguishable meat sacks roaming around, waiting for their big death scenes, which made it hard to focus on the action, or care too much when the big shark attacks were happening. Shame, because the stuff that was there was fairly decent - odd to think of complaining that there's too much killer shark action, considering how that's usually the problem with most of these cheapie Jaws knockoffs. But when you're getting bored, too much is always too much. /5 And with that, a fourth SPOOKY! has been claimed. Not sure how many more of these I'm going to complete, though. Watched so far: The Empty Man, Hocus Pocus 2, Smile (2022), It Came From Outer Space, Watcher, The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb, Bats, Choose or Die, The Curse of the Werewolf, "Werewolf By Night"/various Halloween episodes, The Thing From Another World, Hellraiser (2022), Knife + Heart, A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 5, The Innocents (1961), The Bone Snatcher, The Blob (1958), Friday the 13th (2009), We're Going to Eat You, various shorts, Waxwork, Halloween Ends, The Revenge of Frankenstein, Tales from the Darkside: The Movie, The Thing (1982), Hotel Transylvania: Transformania, Bait (2012)
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Oct 21, 2022 19:55
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Crescent Wrench posted:Are either of these available for streaming/rental in the U.S.? They sound interesting, although they're duds on JustWatch. I've never heard of Wild Zero, although I do have Who Can Kill a Child? tucked away in a previous big "to watch" list I found s subtitled copy of Wild Zero on the Internet Archive which has a ton of movies so minor that the rights holders can't work up the energy to chase them down. Also, I am positive Guitar Wolf would be down with anyone using any method they can to watch his movie.
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Oct 21, 2022 20:43
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Crescent Wrench posted:Are either of these available for streaming/rental in the U.S.? They sound interesting, although they're duds on JustWatch. I've never heard of Wild Zero, although I do have Who Can Kill a Child? tucked away in a previous big "to watch" list. I found Who Can Kill a Child? on YouTube by searching for its Spanish language title ¿Quién puede matar a un niño? I think an earlier poster mentioned it was available there which is the only reason I tried.
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Oct 21, 2022 20:49
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33. Candyman (2021) Directed by Nia DaCosta 🎃 Horror Noire 🎃 "They love what me make, but not us."  Candyman looks great and it's incredibly dense with metaphors for racism and cultural appropriation. It's racism and appropriation all the way down. That art? It's appropriation? The gallery it's in? That's appropriation too. The guy who wants to control or manipulate a legendary spirit of vengeance? That's meta appropriation. The story is a little thin, but did I mention that it looks great? 👻👻👻.5/5 October Challenge 6/? 1. Blood Feast (1963), 2. Sunshine (2007), 3. Relic (2020), 4. Mortuary (2005), 5. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987), 6. Perfect Blue (1997) Spooky Bingo 27/36 1. Rodan (1956), 2. Carrie (2013), 3. Gargoyles (1972), 4. Ticks (1993), 5. Penda’s Fen (1974), 6. Crimson Peak (2015), 7. A Field in England (2013), 8. The Ghost of Yotsuya (1959), 9. Carnival of Sinners (1943), 10. Hatchet for the Honeymoon (1970), 11. The Purge (2013), 12. Halloween with the Addams Family (1977), 13. Life After Beth (2014), 14. Puppet Master (1989), 15. Ice Cream Man (1995), 16. Horror Movie: A Low Budget Nightmare (2017), 17. The Slumber Party Massacre (1982), 18. The Man in the Orange Jacket (2014), 19. The Church (1989), 20. Skeleton Crew (2009), 21. The Ranger (2018), 22. V/H/S/2 (2013), 23. Invaders from Mars (1986), 24. Motel Hell (1980), 25. Witchcraft (1964), 26. Who Can Kill a Child? (1976), 27. Candyman (2021)  Total 33/31
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Oct 21, 2022 20:50
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I've fallen way behind on posting, but here's another set with my LBD "reviews" 4. Phase IV (1974) Scientists go into the desert to study new ant behavior caused by extra terrestrial influence. It was the only movie directed by Saul Bass, of title sequence and poster fame, and that strong direct visual style came through a few times. Heavy colonial themes stood out between the two scientists approach to the problem. This was slow but never boring. This hits the Wild Beasts category if we slant the definition of "animal" slightly, otherwise I'll need to pick another! 5. Calvaire / The Ordeal (2004) Romantic Christmas movie about the undying nature of true love. Nah I kid, its a dark and gloomy Belgium hicksploitation flick with a lot of new French extreme vibes and sexual and gender carnage happening, but I'm not sure I could unpack it all for myself let alone this review. The main plot revolves around a farmer taking the main character hostage as his "wife" which leads to jealousy from other folks who also love his wife in a remote French village. I think this qualifies for Zombie Honeymoon! 6. The Mangler (1995) Based on a Stephen King short story, this movie expands quite a bit to build a fun romp through machines gone wild, satanic possession and evil industrial overlords. The mid90s is strong with this one. If the leads had a bit more charisma this could have been another slept-on classic sitting in the shadows of the noveau teen slasher craze. At first blush it felt like another Demon Knight but unfortunately didn't quite have the all around cast to really seal the deal. It was still a lot of fun! Hits the Glitches bingo spot! 7. Lokis (1970) Slow burn folk horror movie about a man who may or may not be the son of a bear. It isn't without its charms but this one I found unbearably slow at times. I think I'm need to give this another shot when I'm more in the mood for something slower. I still have a few movies to go from that folk horror boxed set, so maybe I'll get another one or two in this season. I'm not counting it for the werewolf category because a.) its not a wolf and b.) I already know I'll need to suffer through Howling VII so I better make that one at least count for something 8. The Monster (1925) A fun insane mad scientist house of traps ride. Lon Chaney is great as the villain, and there's a Looney Tunes slant to using a mirror to ensnare passersby that is both dumb and hilarious. I had a lot of fun watching this, and it may be one of my favorite pre-Casablanca movies thus far - though I have Der Golem on deck and from what little I've already seen of that I know I'll dig that as well. This hits the Golden Years spot!  1. Dark Glasses, 2. Monster-A-Go-Go, 3. Mr. Jones (Behind The Screams), 4. Phase IV (Wild Beasts), 5. Calvaire (Zombie Honeymoon), 6. The Mangler (Glitches), 7. Lokis, 8. The Monster (Golden Years)
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Oct 21, 2022 21:11
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28. Short Cuts All right, it's time for the big dump of the reviews of the shorts I've seen over the past month from Fantastic Fest @ Home and the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival. These are all shorts that I thought were good to great and therefore worth seeking out. Naturally, there were plenty of shorts that I thought sucked, but I don't see how it's productive to poo poo on independent short films that you're not likely to see anyway. It may not be productive to poo poo on independent feature films or to praise independent short films either, but I don't care, it's my post, and at least I get a bingo spot out of it. Blood Rites (d. Helena Coan): Three young women seduce men and eat them. A pretty standard premise, but it’s elevated by the very creepy performances from the lead. I guess they’re addicted to eating people and if they stop they go into withdrawal, and it’s very well done. The way they kill people is cool too, running around on all fours and such. It definitely could be fleshed out into a feature. FROM.BEYOND (d. Frederik S. Hana): Aliens arrive on earth, leaving humanity to adapt to their arrival. This was a fantastic short. It’s told as a vignette of different footage, whether it be speeches, wildlife photography, cartoons, or man on the street interviews. All the human characters, such as they are, have their faces blurred out and their voices distorted, giving an incredibly ominous vibe, particularly because they’re speaking in Norwegian. The aliens are super goopy, which combined with the grainy video camera style gives them a ton of presence. Gnomes (d. Ruwan Suresh Heggelman): A girl comes across some tiny killer gnomes. It seems like in every horror short film block there’s a short with some adorable fantasy creature that turns out to be a killer. Gnomes is one of those shorts, but while most of these kinds of shorts turn out to be cheesy and lame, Gnomes goes for the loving throat. This was the goriest short I’ve seen this month. A gnome bungee dives into the girl’s throat, rips out her intestines through her mouth, and uses them to make sausage! It’s awesome! Of the Short Fuse shorts at Fantastic Fest this won the runner-up “Special Mention” award and it absolutely deserves it. Prom Car ‘91 (d. Brian Otting): A teen couple tries to hook up on prom night, but their car is hijacked by their teachers who turn out to be serial killers. This one definitely wants to be a proof of concept for a feature, so it feels rushed, but it’s very cute. One of the teachers is played by Yuri Lowenthal! Night Shift (d. Ali Faisal Mostafa): An ambulance is hijacked by a werewolf. Filmed in Abu Dhabi, this was a great little werewolf story. This was part of the Short Fuse block at Fantastic Fest and the Nightmare Fuel block at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival. Ringworms (d. Will Lee): A couple goes to a vacation cabin rental that happens to have a cult in the basement. This is the short that won the Short Fuse award and was also included in the Nightmare Fuel block, and it’s easy to see why. It’s a very allegorical film: the girl’s fear of turning down her boyfriend’s marriage proposal and the pressure to just accept is represented by bugs possessing her. Allegorical horror is very much in fashion today, so it’s no surprise that a metaphor this apt is recognized as artistic achievement. Personally, I think this approach is kind of shallow, but at least this is a short and not a full feature that beats you over the head with it over an hour and a half. Gary Screams for You (d. Nolan Sordyl, Cody McGlashan): A campus security guard gets possessed by a chimp, or maybe he just goes crazy and starts acting like a chimp. Very deftly walks the line between horror and comedy, with an impressively physical performance by Cedric Allen Hill. Cruise (d. Sam Rudykoff): At a call center, employees try to get people to take a free cruise. If they fail, they’re killed. It’s a solid joke, and it goes through all the iterations of different ways people might turn down a free cruise. It doesn’t outlast its welcome. The Businessman (d. Nathan Grier): A businessman in the middle of the woods pressures a girl into selling magazines. This short lives and dies on the performance of the businessman, played by Steven Gamble, and he does a great job. The Blue Hour (d. Jeremias Segovia): A strange man stares at a woman while she’s swimming. Very creepy, and very impressively shot given what has to be limited resources. Pretty Pickle (d. Jim Vendiola): A guy gets upset at her girlfriend snooping at his emails and texts and decides to snoop through her iPad, making a horrifying discovery. The discovery is pretty horrifying and makes for a great punchline, but the rest of the short is pretty sophisticated at drawing this tension between the couple. Skin and Bone (d. Eli Powers): Amanda Seyfried lives alone on a farm when a drifter comes by looking for work and a place to stay. He gets it, but may live to regret it. Another very obvious proof of concept for a feature. I would really like to see the feature, though, which is a big endorsement of the short. Enough Sleep (d. Ben Botwick): A mother works from home while trying to not let sleep deprivation or her crying baby drive her insane. Her only source of comfort are the entertaining fights that Jeffery Combs has with his wife she picks up on her baby monitor. As soon as Combs’ name appeared in the opening credits I knew this short was going to be good, and the short uses him perfectly. The material is perfect for him, and it’s a great way to make you sympathize with the main character. If it was any other actor playing this guy the main character would be kind of a snoop, but how can you not be entertained by Jeffery Combs! The rest of the short is tedious, but that’s what they’re going for; you really get how this lady might be driven crazy in isolation. The creepiness ramps up real quick towards the end, leaving a great final impression. We Want Faces So Bad: Four faceless girls meet in a support group, but it turns out one of the girls actually does have a face. Pretty funny with some pitch perfect dialogue. It reminded me of Bodies, Bodies, Bodies.
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Oct 21, 2022 21:19
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smitster posted:4. Phase IV (1974) Obviously the ants in the movie have been modified from normal terrestrial ants, but mutated animals and such I think still count as animals for the purposes of the challenge. They're not necessarily "beasts," which generally refers to larger animals, but the names of the challenges aren't meant to be limiting, as I understand it. I think you're safe. And, yeah, Phase IV is a very cool movie. Always engaging, despite, as you say, it being pretty slow.
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Oct 21, 2022 21:51
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22. VHS 99 They did the smart thing for this VHS and didn't bother with a wraparound. I don't need an explanation on where these tapes came from. It doesn't matter, just show the spooks. The first one was super predictable but I appreciated the MTV portion. It was pretty much perfect and the music was actually pretty good. I wish it hadn't used static to cover up the action. The brief seconds of the monsters we saw looked like good makeup. I found the second one pretty bland. The segments in the coffin were ok, but the ghost was kinda bad. The third segment started strong, had a second act that I didn't really like and ended strong. Very unpredictable, too. Segment four was overly creepy and I would say it's a series low point if it didn't introduce an almost never seen type of monster. It's also just the first segment from the first VHS but less. The fifth is the stand out best for sure. Great creature effects and great sets. A nice touch of humour. And I'm pretty sure there's a reference to Nathan Ballingrud's Wounds in here. I'm excited like everyone else to see more from this team. So, why did this collection called VHS 99 not have a Y2K story? The fifth one mentions the new year but there's nothing about computers going crazy and killing people. Am I the only one that expected that when they announced this? 4/5
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Oct 21, 2022 22:01
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16) Straw Dogs (1971) Challenge: Dead and Buried I selected this movie for the challenge as it has an early role for David Warner as the slow and childlike Henry Niles. A surprising omission from my watched list. Honestly, it could have stayed that way. Peckinpah's direction is as ever on point and he uses his cast as well as he could, but there's just too many flaws for it to satisfy. The Sumners are both generally unpleasant people, and while they don't know that Niles has killed Janice Hedden it's at least understandable that the villagers are angry when David Sumner protects him while simultaneously refusing to leave his wife alone with him. It's bad enough that they actually had to insert the infamous rape scene to make it possible to not sympathise with the villagers during the siege. It also doesn't help that while Sumner's shift from a philosophy of non-confrontation to violence is the point of the story, it's tough to believe Dustin Hoffman in the role. Verdict: overrated. This also completes my first bingo, by finishing off Column 6.
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Oct 21, 2022 22:09
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Skrillmub posted:
I was wondering if they'd touch on that considering how crazy people were about it at the time. I had neighbors afraid the toaster and microwave would stop working at midnight.
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Oct 21, 2022 22:20
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 23. The Stepfather (1987) (dir. Joseph Ruben) Shudder SPOOKY BINGO: Yuppie Nightmare (from the posted Letterboxd list) Terry O'Quinn plays man so obsessed with the idea of a happy family that he'll do anything to make it a reality - including killing his entire family when things don't go perfectly, only to move on to a new one. After changing his name, appearance, and job, "Jerry Blake" meets Susan and her daughter Stephanie, and begins worming his way into their lives. I've never been all that interested in this one, mostly because the plot sounded like a cheesy Lifetime movie, but it's not quite what I expected. There's no ambiguity to Jerry's intentions, as the very first scene of the film is him casually washing up after brutally murdering his first family. Instead of a paranoid thriller it's more of a cat and mouse game, with Stephanie trying to unmask Jerry while he tries to maintain control of the situation. Terry O'Quinn is great in this, and the main reason that the film works as well as it does. His character is undoubtably a psychopath, but he also earnestly wants a family to provide for. It's a takedown of the Reagan-era conservative ideal of the American dream, a perfect suburban nuclear family with traditional gender roles. To Jerry, his wife and kids are just accessories, and when they're less than perfect it's time to throw them away. The last 20 minutes or so of this is especially tense and good, but it's solid throughout. I'm glad I finally gave this a chance, because I enjoyed it a lot. 4 yuppies out of 5 Total: 23 Watched: The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane | Extraordinary Tales | You Won't Be Alone | Eyes of Fire | The Munsters | The Snake Girl and the SIlver-Haired Witch | TV Specials | Senritsu Kaiki File Kowasugi! File 01 - Operation Capture the Slit-Mouthed Woman | Deadstream | The Black Phone | Hellraiser (2022) | Smile | Mystery of the Wax Museum | Petey Wheatstraw | Senritsu Kaiki File Kowasugi! File 02: Shivering Ghost | I Was a Teenage Zombie | Halloween Ends | Short Cuts | Salem's Lot | Lisa and the Devil | Captive State | Tiny Cinema | The Stepfather 
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Oct 21, 2022 22:23
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#26: Fake Documentary Q: Cursed Video, Fake Documentary Q: Strange Messages, Fake Documentary Q: What The Deceased Left Behind, Day of the Kaiju Short Cuts Fake Documentary Q: Cursed Video - 18:21 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKVq82u_JDc This is the first in the Fake Documentary Q series on Youtube. A TV crew that answers questions sent in by viewers investigates the old rumor that a certain video rental place has a tape that kills you if you watch it. I really liked when they talk to the manager and he's like, "A tape that kills you if you watch it? Yeah we had one". And then it takes him 30 minutes to dig it out of his office and it has a hand written note on the cover that says "This tape will kill you if you watch it" and he explains that he wrote that because he put it on his recommended videos shelf. All that's great. But it does set up a rather obvious twist that is then executed basically exactly as you'd predict. The production and the acting was all really good, this was really well made, so I will be checking out more of the Fake Documentary Q series. But this one was pretty much just OK. Fake Documentary Q: Strange Messages - 6:28 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ1jwzhh6T0 A viewer sends in an old answering machine tape which recorded some strange messages. They certainly are strange, and would be very unnerving to receive at night. But that's it. They aren't really scar, just weird. And there's no suggestion that the person who received them was harmed or had any other strange things happen. If this was a real show, then sure the messages are strange enough to play to kill time, but I'm not sure what the point is in this format. Am I missing something? Strange video. Fake Documentary Q: What The Deceased Left Behind - 8:16 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3gXRSnSdjw OK, this one feels like the sweet spot. It's not as produced as the first one, but there's more to it than the second. It feels like an actual spooky little thing. I'm starting to think that putting Cursed Video first was a mistake, or something they did to try to rope people in. The last video in the series is the longest so I assume this is all building to something, so starting off really small and strange but not inexplicable with Strange Messages and What The Deceased Left Behind would have worked better. Either way, I am now invested and I'm gonna see where this is going. Day of the Kaiju - 29:58 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cQcFMFO944 Marine biologists are called in to determine if the body of a kaiju that washed up on the beach is actually dead, and immediately find themselves ensnared in political demands. Very well made, very well acted, but the political stuff fell a bit flat and the CGI kaiju at the end looked really bad. 
Gripweed fucked around with this message at 02:48 on Oct 24, 2022 |
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Oct 21, 2022 22:26
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 Is it some nostalgia thing, or were old posters actually better than modern posters? The Hand that Rocks the Cradle (Curtis Hanson ; 1992) Yuppie Nightmare At this point I just kind of had to complete my trilogy of Early 90's Movies with a Very Young Julianne Moore. Also this is distinct from The Cradle Will Rock. It's a cute little thriller. I liked it okay and I might recommend it as like a Sunday afternoon rainy day to someone my age or older who wanted some hardcore 90's nostalgia, but I don't know if it has much appeal to someone younger except as a snapshot of what that patch of early 90's thrillers looked like. What it did do is make me miss thrillers about actual adult problems that aren't superheroes or terrorists or anything like that, something with just people. Even batshit loco people. Basically, after the challenge is over, I'm gonna watch Michael Clayton so hard. Weird amount of Pirates of Penzance references too, but I'm less interested in rewatching that. 6/10 32 movies or -1 movies, I'm not sure how I'm gonna count this 
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Oct 21, 2022 23:05
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7. Cat o' Nine Tails Big Dario fan, skipped this one back in the day. I loved the first one in the thematic trilogy, Bird, and liked the third one Four Flies, but had heard this was a sophomore slump. I'm glad I gave it a go, not half bad. But I do think for me it's fairly skippable, if anything it's just good to see it as a curious Argento nut. It's a solid early 70s detective yarn, but not a standout one. It has some flourishes of Dario's flashy style, and Ennio's main theme is great. I got to like the main characters, and it's almost a cozy movie with it's mystery fiction tropes. It's ok. 8. Child's Play 2 Another movie I had skipped back in the day, been a fan of the first one, and Bride/Seed. Thought it sounded kind of blah how they advanced the kid's life and wrote out his mom etc, and like it was your usual lesser re-do. But saw it come up as a fan fav here a bunch, decided to give it a go. Glad I did! Very fun flick, and indeed it does require kind of letting go and not taking the lives of the characters too seriously. But it's been years since I watched the first one, so was in a good spot to just dig this as a fun horror flick. It's well made, it's funny, fast paced, in that fun well done B-movie camp place of a Trancers etc. And I did end up getting a bit invested in the characters, I really like Christine Elise in this. Remembered her stint in BH 90210, watched that a few years back, s1-6 naturally. A smooth ride, pretty cool flick, not quite rising to being a personal fav. I actually think the final 20 mins in the factory is a little less interesting than the rest of the movie. I feel that way about some genre movies, the bulk of the movie is a little unpredictable and exciting, then sometimes it's like okay we're coming in for the landing. Time to find your stuff and get ready to leave. Maybe I'm damning ol' CP2 with faint praise, but hey, I liked it, and glad I finally watched it. A great piece of kooky slang from the 1990 film, one lad says to another: "Get lost, microchip!” Heavy Metal fucked around with this message at 23:09 on Oct 21, 2022 |
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Oct 21, 2022 23:06
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 21)Bad Moon full moonI had never watched this before, but I've had fond memories of the book it's based on:  And my Aunt even named one of her german shepherds Thor, after the book. It's been a while but I remember part of the charm being the chapters that are in the dog's pov. That's not really captured here. Sort of has the vibe of a tv movie, and with some minor edits, it probably couldve been one, Probably would be more fondly remembered if that was the case. Anyway the werewolf is decent, the doggo is good and it's only 80 minutes. .5/5 1)The Munsters, 2)Color Out of Space 3)Living Dead Girl 4)Collingswood story5)Mr. Harrigan’s Phone 6)Werewolf by night/halloweenies 7)Hellraiser 8)My Best Friend’s Exorcism 9)Deadstream 10)Candyman 11)47 meters down uncaged 12)Watcher13)Dark Glasses14)Halloween Ends 15)The rental 16)Terrifier 17)Isle of the Dead 18)A quiet place part 2 19)the blob 20)v/h/s 99 21) Bad Moon
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Oct 21, 2022 23:41
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 34. 122 (2019) A decent little thriller about Nasr and Umnia, a couple who eloped but need money for a proper wedding to keep their families happy, not to mention pay for the baby they have on the way. Nasr dips back into his old life of crime for one more job with the hopes of starting a new life, but they get into a car accident and Umnia wakes up in a hospital with her hearing aid missing and no sign of Nasr, with the hospital staff giving her non-answers. It turns out this hospital has Nasr strapped to a table and plan to take his organs and sell them on the black market - he escapes, but the movie then becomes Nasr and Umnia trying to find each other and escape while a psychotic doctor stalks them around the hospital. This has some good moments and it's well made, but the story is a little flat and there are some developments in the last act that just got too silly for me. Still, not bad, just not something you need to go out of your way for. 2.5/5 -- Bingo Square: A Perfect Getaway (I have never watched a movie from Egypt before this)Total Watched: 34 // First Time: 26
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Oct 21, 2022 23:46
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32. Unmasked Part 25 (Also known as Hand of Death) Where to watch? It's on Tubi streaming  This horror comedy supposes what if Jason Vorhees was a real guy who went around murdering people in London wearing a hockey mask and then met a girl and fell in love. Honestly for a low budget comedy slasher its not that bad. Some of the humor is pretty good and some of it is pretty bad however this movie loving goes places. Like there's so many weird twists and turns in it that your not quite sure what its trying to be or even say for that matter. Its a meta fictional nightmare. Anyway I overall enjoyed it but felt it could have been funnier, however it is particularly gorey and thats fun as well. Zombie Honeymoon bingo spot 
Hollismason fucked around with this message at 00:33 on Oct 22, 2022 |
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Oct 22, 2022 00:14
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Spooky Bingo incoming Spooky Bingo #5: They Always Come Back17. The Blob (1958) I feel like I should have seen this one a very long time ago given I’ve seen the 1988 remake and loved it. So I figured now was the time to watch the original. Originally this was the literal B-film to a double feature that grew in popularity where it now exists as its own feature. The film is about a meteor that crashes to Earth containing a literal blob that terrorizes and devours a town. It introduced a lot of tropes into horror films like the group of high schoolers trying to convince a town’s police force of a threat only to be ignored until poo poo goes down. And it does. The only real complaint I have about this film is there is a HELL of a lot of talking in it and barely any blob action. It just feels like they could have taken this concept a lot further than they did which is maybe why it got a remake 30 years later. So for good chunks of the film I was waiting for something to happen and, I dunno, maybe it’s cult following overhyped me. Love that intro theme song as well. /4Spooky Bingo #6: Glitches18. Choose or Die (2022) The technological theme about this movie is about an 80s text based game that becomes real for those that play it. I have to admit this one could have been VERY cheesy like a lot of “if you play it for real you die” kind of movies can become…and it finally became just that at the end. The movie starts off well enough being just creepy enough and riding that line where you think it’s going to go somewhere good. Then it just goes off the rails and becomes another cheesy and goofy “tech gone wrong” film. It’s infuriating because you see good ideas here but the execution is just awful. .5/4Spooky Bingo #7: Zombie Honeymoon19. Addams Family Values (1993) I hope this one isn’t too much of a stretch. My reasoning for choosing this film is the well-known view that Gomez and Morticia Addams are probably the happiest and most healthy fictitious couple in film history. Yes, they are morbid and macabre but the core of their being is a very deep love, respect and understanding of one another. Also that it echoes through their family that while they are strange, unconventional and weird to all those around them…they are a stable family. I feel like that stems from the very solid marriage that Gomez and Morticia have hence why I chose it for this bingo spot. The big plot point of the film is a new baby arriving at the Addams Family household which requires them to hire a nanny. Fester Addams falls in love with said nanny who is revealed to be a “black widow” scammer who seduces the man (with morbid humor splashes through because she is not anticipating but also not unwilling to do what she needs to do). Fester also speaks to Gomez for advice getting the typical black comedy of what makes Gomez and Morticia’s marriage work. I guess this part is where this film meets the challenge. Fester meets someone, falls in love and that’s what drives the conflict of the film. Overall, this is a great black comedy and holy poo poo is Anjelica Huston forever Morticia Addams. Not only does she just look and perform the part her comedic timing is top notch. This is still my favorite incarnation of the Addams Family as a whole and she (and Raul Julia, rest in peace) drives it. /4Total: 1. Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County (1998), 2. Child’s Play (1988), 3. Grindhouse: Planet Terror (2007), 4. The McPherson Tape (1987), 5. Child’s Play 2 (1990), 6. Nope (2022), 7. The Blair Witch Project (1999), 8. The Amityville Horror (1979), 9, Child’s Play 3 (1991), 10. Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988), 11. Halloween is Special, 12. Curse of Chucky (2013), 13. Scream (2022), 14. The Fourth Kind (2009), 15. Cult of Chucky (2017), 16. Halloween Ends (2022), 17. The Blob (1958), 18. Choose or Die (2022), 19. Addams Family Values (1993) Spooky Bingo Card  V/H/S: The McPherson Tape (1987) Hausu: The Amityville Horror (1979) Halloween is Special: The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror IV (1993), Werewolf by Night (2022) Spaced Invaders: The Fourth Kind (2009) They Always Come Back: The Blob (1958) Glitches: Choose or Die (2022) Zombie Honeymoon: Addams Family Values (1993) Justin Godscock fucked around with this message at 01:42 on Oct 22, 2022 |
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Oct 22, 2022 00:19
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32) Berserk (1967) 1 circus act outta 5 Slasher Spooky Card: Something Wicked This Way Comes  You can smell the cigarettes from Joan Crawford in Berserk, a horror film about a circus that suddenly starts losing it's performers in bizarre incidents; just as a new rugged man joins and tries to schmooze circus-master Joan. The kill scenes are the obvious centre-pieces of the film which outside of them has almost zero charm as the melodrama of romance and power-plays between Joan and her performers spools out. Didn't like it, wish the circus was cooler. I laughed at the shot I have included in this post as a police detective investigating the crimes looks on from behind the curtain at yet another doomed circus act performing their last... up pops the clown. 33) Alucarda (1977) 3 insults to God outta 5 Occult/Vampires Spooky Card: Scream, Queen!  Alucarda steals from a bunch of good ideas, stories and tropes to create a manic little film. I'm sure it's based on the true story of a convent that tried to cure a young girl of being possessed, there's a scene stolen completely from Dracula and there's a cool bit of fantasy - and it's all dripping with lesbian desire as the two leads spark with their chemistry helped on by the production design and costumes. Is there anything that sums up the great phrase "BE GAY, DO CRIME" as the story of Alucarda and her friend meeting a weird Pan type in the woods and succumbing to Satanic forces that drive them to blasphemy and violence? It's got a manic energy, it looks great and it's a Spook-a-doodle fave for a reason. Hell yea. 34) Dante's Inferno (1911) 3 naked sinners outta 5 Occult Spooky Card: Paperbacks From Hell  I like silent horror a lot, it always pulls me in and Dante's Inferno was no different. This must have taken so much work as the point of the story is the journey between different scenes that demand so many brilliant backdrops, stage settings and special effects that for 1911 has to impress anyone who takes the time to watch it. It's a fuckin' mental story though, innit? And obviously very influential as Dante journeys into the different rings of hell and we see it come alive right in front of our eyes. Decent version of this on YouTube. 35) Dearest Sister (2016) 2 lottery wins outta 5 Ghosts/Haunting Spooky Card: Thrilla in Manila (Laos)  What is it with problems with eyes and seeing ghosts? This must be like the fourth or fifth film about this concept and it's sadly one of the weakest - it was cool being able to tick Laos off the list of countries I've now seen a movie from but this is bogged down by side-plots that went no-where and characters we never really get to side with. I don't know why they had a plot point about winning the lottery thanks to the spirits and it never went fully committed to being whether this was a good or bad thing until pretty late on - I dunno, I guess I kinda just wish I was watching something deeper and cooler with spirituality like Uncle Boonme - or similar. 36) Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972) 3 overly complex kills outta 5 Serial/Murder NO BINGO  Vincent Price owns but it is still weird to hear his voice and not see his lips move throughout as the diabolical one smokes some more fools who get in the way of his everlasting love. This has a little smearing of Brit Granda comedy with the police that never works and taints it to be a little bit less cool but my god isn't Vincent Price the GOAT? His hilarious contraptions and overly complicated ways of killing people isn't beaten until maybe Nightmare on Elm Street 6 - it's amazing poo poo. There's one kill where he squashes a guy in a spring bed so he's like, just a head. That's entertainment. Here's my 2nd Bingo line and my next batch of watches should cross off a shitload more.  My 31 Horror LetterboxdList +Challenge Films 1) Coherence 2) Daddy's Deadly Darling 3) Dark Age 4) Anthropophagous 5)TV Halloween Specials (Horrible Histories, Bottom and Inside No. 9) 6) Fido 7) Carrie TV Adaptation 8) The Gravedancers 9) Blood Theatre 10) The Boneyard 11) The Ghost of Frankenstein 12) Document of the Dead 13) Cursed 14) Hellraiser 2022 15) Some Short Horror Films 16) Wendigo 17) Spookies 18) Hotel Transylvania 19) Alice, Sweet Alice 20) The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb 21) beDevil 22) Halloween Ends 23) Deadstream 24) Cast a Deadly Spell 25) Petey Wheatstraw 26) Mill of the Stone Women 27) Slumber Party Massacre II 28) The Shout 29) Amsterdamned 30) Night Tide 31) Little Monsters 32) Bersek 33) Alucarda 34) Dante's Inferno 35) Dearest Sister 36) Dr. Phibes Rises Again The Hausu Usher fucked around with this message at 01:21 on Oct 22, 2022 |
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Oct 22, 2022 01:19
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23. The Slumber Party Massacre Some girls have a slumber party... with spooky results. This isn't a great movie but it is a very competent movie with some nice little touches. It's the most obvious of stories, but you know from the title that's on purpose. It feels very down to earth and normal. All of the characters feel like real people. They don't have stereotypical traits or big personalities, they're just a bunch of normal teenagers. There's a locker room scene where, besides unnecessary nudity, the girls just talk like people. There's a bit of trash talk, there's a bit of normal chat, there's like two lines where someone is very supportive of another player. It's just normal stuff. The male characters also don't just act like macho horny pieces of poo poo. They have moments of being horny, but they also scream and cry and act like normal people. The killer is an escaped mental patient, which isn't exactly normal, but he looks just like a normal guy. He doesn't wear a mask, he's not real big or strong, he doesn't teleport. He's just an awful guy. He has something like three lines near the end and they're the creepiest poo poo I've ever seen a slasher say. I don't want to say it feels real, but it feels so much more real than "I want to kill you because you had sex even though I have no reason at all to feel that way". I haven't seen every slasher from this era, so this statement isn't fully educated - This feels the most like Halloween of the 80s copycat slashers. It's not a great movie, it's not even good really, but it's worth watching for any horror fan. 4/5 
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Oct 22, 2022 01:21
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17) Hausu Challenge: well, Hausu obviously A gaggle of stereotypical Japanese schoolgirls go to a friend's house in the summer of 1977 only to discover that a monster has imported Chromakey and refuses to apologise for it. I know a lot of people here like this movie. But for me, it's like someone managed to distill everything I despise into 90 minutes. It's gibberish that plays out like it was written on drugs, which apparently was the intent. Every scene goes on way too long, the music is tooth-grindingly repetitive, the effects are awful - again, intentionally - and nobody in it can act. Worst of all, it's got regular sexualisation of schoolgirls - and I have to point out here that two girls were made to shoot nude scenes when they were under 18.
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Oct 22, 2022 01:57
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