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 25. Isle of the Dead dir. Mark Robson (1945)  One of my favorite Karloff performances, such an interesting mix of hardhearted, amiable, and vulnerable. That opening scene where he condemns a man to death and then speaks so fondly of his departed wife is pure Karloff. Takes a bit to get to being properly moody but delivers in spaces when it gets there. Not my the best of the Val Lewton horror films but Mrs. Aubyn just visible in the dark because of her flowing white gown is one of my favorite images of any of them. More movies should look to "an especially evocative painting" as their source material.  ½/5, and a Greek antiquity to regret profiting off of later in your life. No challenges.  Challenges Completed (11/13): 1. CineD Horror thread poll GOAT Goats (REC from Tapes list, Ringu from House List), 2. Horror Adjacent (Night of the Hunter), 3. That Guy (Keith David in The Thing), 4. Exorcist 50th anniversary (Exorcist III), 5. The Birth of Horror (Trauma in Minneapolis), 6. Animals of Unusual Size (Godzilla and Anguirus in Godzilla Rides Again), 7. Rob Zombie (Dawn of the Dead's Zombies), 8. Back of the Video Store (Sole Survivor), 9. Picnic in Space (History of the Occult, period piece), 10. Bite Sized Horror (Creepshow), 11. FVJ (Friday the 13th (1980))  Meta Challenges (16/18): New to Me (6/6), Around the World (4/4, Europe/Asia/Australia/South America) History Lesson (5/5, 2000s/1950s/2010s/1980s/1990s) Horror's For Everyone (1/3, POC) Mover posted:20) Def by Temptation
Scones are Good fucked around with this message at 01:22 on Oct 19, 2023 |
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 111) The Incredible Melting Man - 1977 - TubiTV Plot follows the aftermath of the returned spaceflight to Saturn. Two of the astronauts are dead with the survivor going through more than just recovering from his injuries. This one's pretty much a retell of First Man in Space with a dash of Quatermass II. It was also supposed to be a parody of horror films, but the producers felt a straight horror film would do better at the box office which does explain some of the tone being strange at points. The effects are amazing, but no surprise there with Rick Baker at the helm. I enjoyed this. There is a novelization that I'm still trying to track down a reasonably priced one. I recommend this.  112) Valentine - 2001 - DVD As far as slashers go, this one's pretty basic. It's very much a product of it's time. Best I can say for this is it's an option for a Valentine's watch that isn't one of the My Bloody Valentines. I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.
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Oct 18, 2023 06:07
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 34 (50). Dario Argento’s Dracula aka Dracula 3D (2012) Directed by Dario Argento; Screenplay by Dario Argento, Enrique Cerezo, Stefano Piani, and Antonio Tentori; Based on Dracula by Bram Stoker Watched on Amazon Prime Oof, that was bad. And not fun bad. Not interesting bad. Just really dull and poorly made. Maybe its better in 3D? Maybe the really bad look is some kind of 3D thing? I dunno. I don’t give it that pass. Sort of seeing a bunch of boobs in 3D I just fail to see what this brings to the table at all. I’m not the biggest Argento fan and I know the second half of his career has reaped very questionable rewards but I still just don’t know what the point is of this completely uninspired and poorly made rehash of the classic story. Its completely by the numbers and so blah. And like the majority of this cast is just boring as poo poo and bad. Dracula’s actor is the most boring Dracula in film history. But like I know Asia Argento and Rutger Hauer can act reasonable well. I mean they’re not Oscar winners but they’re more than competent and here they just look like amateurs. That’s on Argento and like just the whole tone of production. I don’t know what the intent here was but it produces something that’s just crap. I wish I had more to say about this but I don’t. Its just bad. There is that CGI Mantis. That was a shock. And there’s plenty of boobs and vampy ladies in bodices if you wanna see them, although they’re not sexy. This film just isn’t able to make them sexy despite their hotness. There’s a vague throwback feel of Hammer or something here but like its just poorly made throwback at best. I dunno. Its just bad. Basebf555 posted:
 - (51). Creep 2 (2017) Directed by Patrick Brice; Written by Mark Duplass and Patrick Brice Watched on Netflix I think I enjoyed this more than the first one. Duplas still plays a very convincing and creep psycho but Desiree Akhavan plays a very effective foil who seems to keep him off his game because she never really reacts the way he expects her to. Of course that's part of the cat and mouse because you can never really tell if Aaron is being in any way shape or form honest. Is he having a meltdown that his plans aren't going the way he wanted? That seems like something he might do. Or is it more manipulation? And Sara feels a lot fuller and more interesting than the dude from the first one. I mean she's making some very bad decisions. A lot of very bad decisions. But she's in control of those decisions, or seems to be. And again that's kind of the rub. You never really get a clear sense of who's in charge here. And that makes for a better dynamic than the simple game in the first one of a psycho playing with his food. It also definitely helps that there's not the weak last act that I felt the first film had. Here we stay focused on the moment and in the dance and any prologue is saved for prologue. So just a better paced affair. I still wouldn't call these my favorite or anything but they're solid mind loving psychological horrors and the kind of horror you can kind of see in the real world. I mean, don't answer creepy classified ads or hang around creepy weirdos in the woods. But unstable monsters like Aaron definitely exist and not only can they just target you for violence without you knowing but it may be hard to tell them apart from the other assholes of the world who just want to make you uncomfortable or ruin your day or can't get out of their own narcissistic bubble. That edgelord goon giving you poo poo could always be a crazy person. Who the gently caress knows? So maybe don't get seeking out weirdos. No matter how much you need the money or views.  35 (52). The Crooked Man (2016) Directed by Jesse Holland; Written by Jeffrey Schenck and Peter Sullivan A pretty not good SyFy original. I've actually seen a couple of decent SyFy movies lately. They're definitely TV movie quality but with some real talent and cleverness behind them. From the sounds of it their Banana Splits movie might be the better of the rash of Five Nights at Freddy's movies. But who knows? Anyway this isn't one of those better movies. This is a derivative little story probably trying to just score viewers as a faux Conjuringverse film. But really not doing anything good or memorable. The Crooked Man himself isn't terrible. I mean he's not good but he's fine. The story is just too bland and dull to care. Its been a day and I've already basically forgotten any details of this film but also remember them because they're all just your super standard ones. Terrible thing happens to kid, kid leaves town, kid comes back grown up, no one likes her, terrible stuff keeps happening, kiss some boy, kill the monster. Some D list celebrities show up for cameos. I mean D here. Michael Jai White, Dina Myer, and Amber Benson. We're just grabbing random Buffy players for our draws here. None of them have any particular presence in the film though and the only thing I can remember about the rest of the cast is that the main girl has a kind of "Jenna Ortega at home" vibe to her. That's probably not remotely fair. Ortega was like on the Disney Channel or something in 2016. But I did doublecheck just to be sure it wasn't here. And that's the extent of interest I had in any of this cast. Yeah, its just a not good film. Not unwatcheable or notably bad or anything. Its more or less what you expect a SyFy movie to be. Tolerable to watch at 2 AM but definitely not worth your time. And yet I think its the 3rd SyFy movie I've watched this October so far. I make bad choices.
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Oct 18, 2023 07:32
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Phantasm (Remastered) On Tubi (Film 17/31) This was a rewatch, but it always surprises me how well this held up. First time with the remaster, I think, and it looks great. The fortune teller and Tall Man slo-mo walk were both crystal clear - I feel like I'd only seen those in rough shape. I also noticed the soundtrack a lot more. It's the same theme repeated with minimal variation, which sets a dreamlike, foreign vibe. There's a lot of overlap with Italian horror: internal consistency switcharoos, surreal blood, the persistent "one song soundtrack," old women who've apparently seen the movie before, and the feel that there's a lot more going on than we're seeing. That last part is probably what helped this endure. In doing so much with limited resources, Phantasm is a glimpse into a bizarre and horrible universe that you can't help but want more of. We eventually get more of debatable quality. But this first installment is the perfect dose. 5/5
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Oct 18, 2023 07:54
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16. Sleepaway Camp (Robert Hiltzik, 1983) There's definitely something to dig into here, be it gender expression, mental illness, or even psychosexual trauma. The problem is none of it is all that...good. There's room to be both hosed up and earnest, but all that earnesty went towards baseball games with DA BOYS, which were delightful don't get me wrong. But the rest just turned into shock value. HORROR IS FOR EVERYONE 3/3 (LGBTQ+ Begrudgingly counted if only for me having to watch it as a trans woman) CLEARED
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Oct 18, 2023 08:10
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 - (53). The Gate (1987) Directed by Tibor Takács; Written by Michael Nankin Watched on Amazon Prime I guess this traumatized me as a child? To be honest I didn't watch a lot of horror as a kid and its not a category that's easy for me to pick stuff out for. But I definitely remember this making an impression on me as a kid and I definitely haven't seen it in like 20 years or more. And its solid. Maybe not great, but solid. Its funny I realized half way though its got kind of a PG kids safe Evil Dead vibe to it? Its also got the basic 80s kids adventure thing which is always fun. The demons are fun and its always fun to see lots of claymation puppet action. Its fun to see baby Stephen Dorf. Its fun to see an older sister in an 80s movie be nice to her baby brother. I guess I'm saying fun a lot so this was pretty fun. There are an unfortunate number of 80s regular slurs though. That sucks. But otherwise its pretty fun? I suppose I should say I watched this on a really terrible day where I felt like absolute poo poo. So maybe I wasn't in the best place for it. I had fun but also I wasn't really enjoying myself because I was miserable. So not the movie's fault at all. Still, slurs aside its a very fun kid safe horror that still has some bite and meanness. I guess get a TV edit of this would be really for the best to get rid of all those pesky slurs but probably not much else. I don't think you have to censor clay demon gore. But its fun to see and I guess I can see why this left an impression on me as a kid, if not quite trauma. Basebf555 posted:
 36 (53). Stage Fright (2014) Written and directed by Jerome Sable Watched on AmazoN Prime Taste is subjective. Experiences vary. A bunch of people I know were super high on this. I didn't quite know what to expect going in. I watched it because it was on a list of LGBTQ horror but like one gay kiss doesn't feel enough to count it for that. There's not even a real subplot for that. I've seen a bunch of films this month with one gay character or relationship and its great we've reached a point where there's just representation without it being a thing. But it doesn't feel right to call it a "LGBTQ film" for a challenge sadly. But I digress. I also have seen the original giallo film this is... sorta... a remake of? But I don't remember it much. I don't think it was very much like this. So yeah. I imagine if you were a theater kid this would resonate a lot more with you. Its a bit odd. The film's not mocking theater kids. There's jokes about them being cringey and all but the film is clearly made by and for them. The mixture of that with slasher tropes does feel kind of natural, Awkward horny teens at camp and all. But the film doesn't feel like it ever properly merges the two. It feels less like a musical slasher and more like half a musical and half a slasher. There's some bleed through but like one person dies for the first hour of the film. And as someone who really doesn't care for slashers I was suddenly desperate for someone to get slashed. The first hour is really just a LOT of theater camp stuff. Like... a lot. And again... I'm sure there's an audience for that. But I'm not it. Its not unwatcheable or overly bad, although the first 30 minutes were rough. I nearly bailed a few times. But like I settled in I guess. I didn't really enjoy it though. It was kind of a lot of sunken cost. But I also wouldn't say I suffered through this. Not really. I dunno. Its just a vibe and a sense of humor that very much is not me. But like if the idea of a slasher musical at a theater kid camp sounds appealing to you then go for it.  - (54). Secret Window (2004) Directed by David Koepp; Screenplay by David Koepp; Based on Secret Window, Secret Garden by Stephen King Watched on Amazon Prime A very good King thriller. Its King so a lot of the elements will be familiar to his other stuff. Get this, there's a successful writer carrying guilt about something. Its a good solid little story though. A writer going through a personal crisis of his marriage falling apart suddenly gets confronted by this sketchy dude accusing him of plagiarism. And you know, he might have done it. There's a good sense of tension and mystery all along. Did he steal the story? How dangerous is this guy? How is this all tying into his failed marriage? It all feels pretty natural as things play out and twists come. When things go off the rail its very unexpected. Maybe not as crazy and actiony or whatever as some would like but one second its this thriller and the next some werid poo poo is happening. This is before Depp became a caricature of himself (or problematic as hell) so he's actually doing some acting and does a good job. Like he's still kind of Johnny Depp and you get these little hints of Jack Sparrow here and there. But he's doing his job and his natural sketchiness plays right into things. Turturro is great too. Very effectively playing the tough dangerous guy who isn't some muscled freak or cliche bad rear end. Just a dude who looks like he'd do some hosed up poo poo if he decided to. Those are actually scary dudes. Its got a really good deep cast ofo people who don't really done a ton but add to things. A simple setting of isolation that works to sell both Turturro's danger and Depp's questionable mental state. Its not a great movie or top tier King adaptation but its very good, well paced, and definitely on the positive end of the King films. And just a very solid watch.  - Violence Jack: Evil Town (1988) Directed by Ichirô Itano; Written by Shô Aikawa, Ichirô Itano, and Gô Nagai Watched on Internet Archive Under an hour so doesn’t count, but I suffered through it… For no good reason either. So is like this entire manga just designed around mass rape? Is that just its core premise? Some kind of apocalyptic thing happens. There's mutant freaks for some reason. And everyone wants to rape every woman they see? Just really rape and rape and rape. Like come up with entire plots and political games and fight monsters just to rape some more new women! Rape, rape, rape, rape! Bonus gross misogyny for the one female villain who runs around in full clothes except a crotch so we can see her underwear the whole time all so you can watch her urinate through her underwear. And people give Quentin Tarantino poo poo for his foot poo poo always showing up in his movies. Oh and transformative cannibalism and necrophilia? Christ gently caress this poo poo.
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Oct 18, 2023 08:20
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 20.) The Little Shop of Horrors Frank Oz | 1986 | Blu-ray rewatch I watched the director’s cut with the original ending, so to get it out of the way I liked the original ending sequence, but I do prefer the theatrical ending. It works better for me. It is a shame though, it is an amazing spectacle of practical effects. I wish there had been some way to combine the two endings so that it all didn’t go to waste. Also, I have never seen the live musical version, but I do know that Seymour goes out bravely yet stupidly which does not happen in the original ending and that’s kind of a bummer. With all that stupid nitpicking aside, this is an excellent movie, with some amazing songs and performances. And of course Audrey II and everything around it is just amazing. I’ve seen the original 1960 film (and have vague memories of the Fox Kids cartoon) so this is the ideal version of the story. It really rules, and I wish we more stuff like it. Rating: ½ Total: 20/31 New: 16 Rewatches: 4 Individual Bonus Challenges: 11/13 General/Meta Bonus Challenges: 16/18 or 3/4 My Letterboxd list (in progress)
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Oct 18, 2023 08:32
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17. Picnic At Hanging Rock On St. Valentine's Day in 1900, the students of a small Australian girls' college go for a picnic under a mountain called Hanging Rock. Four of the girls break away to explore the mountain, and three of them disappear without a trace, along with one of the chaperones. Everyone in the fairly small town wants to know what happened, but the mountain yields no clues, and the little-understood tragedy drives some survivors to a breaking point. I more or less knew going in that this was not the kind of mystery where the solution is important, or even where one gets a clear solution. There's plenty to theorize on- personally I think there's some unnatural force at work, but that's about all I'll say- but it's one of those things where the story isn't as important as an overall sense of tension and mystical unease. There's a lot going on in terms of sexuality and the connections between girls, between boys, between boys and girls, etc., there are class tensions (the girls who disappeared were generally quite well-off, while another of the students faces expulsion because she's an orphan whose guardian stopped paying tuition), Victorian colonialism comes into play, one young man feels compelled to try and "rescue" the girls, etc. There's no one overriding theme, it's more sort of a weird tone poem, which Peter Weir loads with stunning natural imagery and a lot of overall beauty. While what happens is sad, we can't really say exactly what it is, so you're left to ponder. I maybe could have used more time with the other students and how the disappearance impacts them as a whole, but that's my only real nitpick. It's the least "horror-like" of anything I've watched so far but it's well worth seeing. This brings me to 3/4 for Around the World- Asia, Europe, Australia. No other boxes ticked.
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Oct 18, 2023 08:48
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STAC Goat posted:
Stage Fright (2014) is not a remake of Stage Fright (1987) in any way - they just have the same title..and 1987 was originally called Deliria in Italian anyway.
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Oct 18, 2023 10:18
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Demons 2 (1986) Now this would probably be my second favorite demon possession movie, right up there after Demons. The plot is basically the same, people stranded in a building while demons are running rampage around them. This time it's set in a high rise rather than a movie theater. It's maybe not as violent as the first one, but it makes up for it with the in my opinion greater make-up effects. Argento's fingerprints are also more noticeable here, especially in the interior design. It hasn't really got that heavy metal energy of the first one, but it definitely makes up for it in other areas. For example, we've got: the actor playing the pimp is back, this time playing an equally intense and charismatic gym instructor! Demon kids and babies! A Clark Kent doppelganger with ripped sleeves! Punks driving around looking for trouble while listening to Fields of the Nephilim! Oiled bodybuilders and babes in leotards! A cute Asia Argento! N:th wall breaking movie on TV! Demon chase sequence set to Dead can Dance! And so much more!     THE EXORCIST 50TH ANNIVERSERY CHALLENGE
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Oct 18, 2023 10:38
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 113) Eight Legged Freaks - 2002 - DVD Spiders get into toxic waste and grow into a B movie staple. This one's just a pure fun monster romp that doesn't take itself too seriously. While possibly not for really young children, it should be fine for younger viewers in general. If you like fun, you'll like this one.  114) Black Christmas - 2006 - TubiTV This one's an okay enough remake/reimagine of the original. It's not an awful film by any stretch, but I do feel it's weighted down by the expanding of Billy's backstory. It's not so much bad, but feels more like they were really going the 'Not your parents' Black Christmas'. The disputes Wong and Morgan had with the Weinsteins over direction and tone of the film didn't help either. While I don't regret watching this, I likely won't again. I've got too much other stuff to watch instead. I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.
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Oct 18, 2023 10:46
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House on Haunted Hill (1959) Dir. William Castle  I am Frederick Loren, and I have rented the house on Haunted Hill tonight so that my wife can give a party. She's so amusing. There'll be food and drink and ghosts, and perhaps even a few murders. You're all invited. If any of you will spend the next twelve hours in this house, I will give you each ten thousand dollars, or your next of kin in case you don't survive. As part of a War of the Roses-tier cold war between himself and his estranged wife, eccentric billionaire Vincent Price challenges five character actors to stay in a purportedly haunted house for one night in exchange for $10,000 each. This is a spooky night of terror in a Frank Lloyd Wright house in Los Angeles that has an acid pit in the basement. There might be ghosts, there might not; one character frequently insists there are, and that they're everywhere, and everyone will join them in undeath. Despite this being a haunted house challenge, not even Vincent Price appears to believe him. Sometimes the groundskeeper is obviously a very bored mortal, and sometimes she floats around with (pretty good) ghoul makeup before abruptly disappearing. While this threatens to be a haunted house movie, it soon evolves into a game of Clue where everything's made up and the points don't matter. Everyone is given a Colt .45 as a present to absolutely guarantee someone gets murdered. Vincent and his wife are in a convoluted cat and mouse game to murder the other with plausible deniability in a house full of witnesses who they believe can be psychologically manipulated, and they are largely proven right. This can all obviously only be solved by a sashaying skeleton. Regarded as something of a classic, I felt this was mostly lame even for the time period, but I could listen to Vincent Price and Carol Ohmart be rude to each other all night.
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Oct 18, 2023 10:49
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Flanagan's Fall of the House of Usher caused me to get way more behind than I already was, lol. (Worth it, absolutely give it a watch in November if you haven't already) 8. The Puppetman Shudder  Michal (played in compelling fashion by Alyson Gorske, and the only person here who really noticeably stands out) tries to overcome the sheltered upbringing she had, years after being from a cage her parents put her in. As her dad, convicted killer The Puppetman, faces execution despite his repeated pleas that he wasn't in control for his actions, Michal discovers he may actually be right, as more people she loves die in ways defying logic Some of these deaths look cool, and between that and Gorske's performance (and even the ending, which I found funny) I wound up liking more of this than not. Certainly more than I have half of Shudder's other original releases this year (Quicksand, Elevator Game and Bad Things each immediately come to mind). The director of this, Brandon Christensen, made two other Shudder originals: Superhost and Z. Better than Z, but I still think I prefer Superhost *** 8/31 (NightMare, Appendage, VHS85, Pet Sematary: Bloodlines, Totally Killer, The Pope's Exorcist, It Lives Inside [2023], The Puppetman)
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Oct 18, 2023 12:30
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#18 No One Will Save You (2023) A bunch of creepy greys try to body-snatch an isolated young woman. A mixed bag for me. Let's focus on the positive: there are some excellent chase sequences, and the aliens really hit the sweet spot where you can buy them failing without it undermining them as threats. The movie has exactly two lines of dialogue in it, and while I thought this was kind of gimmicky, it forces the movie to be a little more elegant in conveying what the characters are thinking and planning. It's well-paced; it avoided feeling repetitive, even though a fair amount of the runtime is the same thing happening. But overall, I don't know, it was just missing something. No challenges. 3/5 #19 Freddy vs. Jason (2003)  What it says on the tin. This was a fun time. Freddy feels like Freddy should, and Jason... to be honest, the only other F13s I've seen are the original and the 2009 remake. It's like all the Jason Appendices, without any Core Jason. Anyway, Jason's a hulking mass that exists to kill teenagers, starting with the most annoying ones, which I assume is true to his character. Their fight makes up about a quarter of the movie, and is a real blast. There's kind of a Godzilla dynamic going on, where one of the monsters is clearly more sympathetic. Jason might be a big lunk who tears through people, but he's not a creep, and he mostly just stays by his lake. Any time where neither monster is on-camera sucks. The normal people are all awful, just acidic personalities. I was sort of charmed by the decision not to have them Scooby-Doo their way into understanding Freddy's plot; instead, they literally just guess what he's doing, and also what his and Jason's weaknesses are. I'm not joking - one of them guesses that Freddy's using Jason to raise Kruger awareness and come back, and all the other characters go "Makes sense", and move on. Anyway, despite my complaints, I got more enjoyment out of it than the last couple flicks before New Nightmare. Why would Jason haunt a planet that's 70% water??? No challenges here (though we really missed a trick by not making the FvJ challenge specific to the 13th). 3/5 #20 Donnie Darko (Director's Cut) (2001, or arguably 2004)  I feel compelled to say I watched this on the 14th. A troubled kid receives instructions from his imaginary friend which might prevent the end of the world. I really loved it. Look, I like horror movies and all, but it's nice to watch something in the middle of the month where the people act like people, and feel things other than terror and horniness. It's a long, contemplative movie that really lets you settle into these people's lives. Everything feels so normal, but Donnie (and the audience) knows in the back of his mind that this is all going to end in catastrophe somehow. The character of Frank really worked for me; he could have easily come across as a joke, but his voice and his whole vibe really truly unnerved me. Like a lot of the '90s/'00s flicks I've watched recently, everyone's incredibly mean all the time, but this movie at least seems aware of it, and there's this deep core of like yearning for a better world. Apparently, the version I watched strips out a lot of the ambiguity, and shepherds the viewer towards one particular interpretation, to the film's detriment. Eh, maybe the original cut's better, but this one is still definitely worth your time. Killer soundtrack, too. I may be the only person in this forum to have seen Southland Tales before Donnie Darko. This movie takes place very specifically in October of 1988, with the prophecied apocalypse set for Halloween, and so is my entry for Samhain. 5/5 #21 Huesera: The Bone Woman (2023) An expectant mother is plagued by visions of this contorted thing that no-one else can see. Quite good. The monster - or whatever - is just so nasty to be around, and the foley work is genuinely excellent, all those sinewy pops whenever it moves. It's also shot uncommonly well. The story, while not the most original, has a lot more subtlety and restraint to it than most of what I've watched this month. I still don't entirely understand the ending - experiencing the worst to get past it? Killing a part of yourself to conform to others? Just an all-round well-made flick. This movie is my entry for Horror is for Everyone, specifically the women's portion. It's also a Mexican-Peruvian production, so I'm going to creatively interpret the rules and count it as South America for Around the World, bringing me up to 3/4. 3/5 #22 Scream, Queen! My Nightmare On Elm Street (2019)  Mark Patton, star of Nightmare On Elm Street 2, recounts his life, his career, and the effect Freddy's Revenge had on them. An excellent documentary. The parts talking about the making of FR are a bit barebones, but the story of Patton's life is interesting, as is the account of the position that the movie has come to hold in the eyes of horror fans. I definitely need to rewatch it - maybe not this year, though. Anyway, this was just a pleasant time, and I kind of wish I'd watched it last, because I've got a bad feeling about Nightmare 2010. Man, Robert Englund's a class act. No challenges. 4/5 #23 The Crazies (1973)  The US government majorly fucks up its response to a pandemic. An all-timer. This is a pitch-black horror comedy; all you can do is laugh as every misery is magnified and every opportunity is squandered. No-one understands what's going on - not because the situation is incomprehensible, but because the people who understand all refuse to share what they know. The few short scenes taking place at the school where the infected are quarantined are absolutely nightmareish, while the action around the town clearly stems from the late-Vietnam nadir of the US military's reputation. Ends perfectly, too. I also really loved how normal-looking everyone was. No challenges - just a good movie. 5/5 Roundup: 
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Oct 18, 2023 13:14
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5. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) One of the most important horror movies ever and one that I haven't seen before, I've been meaning to watch it for a long time so this month was the perfect excuse. I remember as a kid this had the reputation of being the scariest, bloodiest movie ever, but it's actually not really as gory as you'd expect from the title. It only really has one chainsaw kill, and you don't even see much of it! But it was still pretty scary, mostly because I did not expect the creepy blood sucking grandpa or close-ups of face-skin lampshades. That whole dinner scene was really good, and came out of nowhere. When it got to the point that Sandy was the only survivor and was being chased by Leatherface, I was looking at the time and thinking how the hell was there still half an hour left. So it didn't meet my expectations for the volume of chainsaw massacring involved, but it did live up to it's reputation as an excellent movie. I can see why people still hold it in high regard, there's a lot here you could talk about. The most obvious to me was the pro-vegetarian aspects, you've got the whole cannibalism thing but even beyond that the movie makes many direct comparisons of the victims to cattle. The first two in particular, walk into the house like lambs to slaughter and are killed with the sledgehammer double tap described earlier by the hitchhiker and the meat hook. It's also poking a hole in the “It's okay because we use every part of the animal” defence with the horrifying furniture. It also seems to be making a point about the poor treatment of disabled or disadvantaged people. One of the protagonists, Franklin, uses a wheelchair, and a fair bit of time is taken to show how he's being left behind or disrespected – In an early scene some dickhead truck driver causes him to fall off his chair down a hill, and later on we see him struggle to get up the front steps at the old house because his friends just left without him. The similarities between him and the hitchhiker were also interesting, I thought maybe there was going to be some reveal that he was in on it, but it's probably to show that regular people aren't as far away from turning into the cannibal family as we want to think. And the cannibal family themselves were left behind by new slaughterhouse technology. Leatherface was also different than I expected him to be. He didn't seem to even like killing anyone like a typical slasher villain, it was a stressful job that his dad made him do. The ending was perfectly abrupt, no wasted time there. What the hell was that truck driver thinking just running away and abandoning his truck though? 5/5 6. Wrong Turn  A very 2003 looking horror movie, this one is basically the stereotype that I expected Texas Chainsaw Massacre to be. The inbred rednecks here are just like, literal goblins with no character, and the movie makes it clear that subtlety doesn't exist in this universe with it's opening credits scene showing all the sensational newspaper headlines. It's painfully clear from the start who is going to surviving the movie and who is not. I was bored for pretty much the entire first 2/3rds, because the characters were just not really interesting. This one is a little bit gorier than the earlier movies I've seen this month, but not excessively so. What was excessive was the sheer number of cars these redneck villains have collected, that did get a bit of a laugh out of me. It does also pick up a little in the last third once the surviving characters start actually fighting back against the rednecks, and the scene at the end where the main guy comes back to the petrol station from the beginning and just angrily snatches the map from the wall is great. But overall, eh. I'm surprised that this one managed to spawn so many sequels. 1.5/5 7. Creep 2  The first one didn't really need a sequel but they did a good job with this one, exploring a few ideas that were lightly hinted at in the original. At times in the first one, it hints towards the creep maybe trying to recruit his victim into joining him in.... whatever his deal is, with the comments about being a baby wolf and seeing anger in his eyes. Apparently, Duplass also made the comment about the first that "It's kinda ambiguous who the real creep is" and uh, it really isn't. But Creep 2 actually takes that premise a bit more seriously. The new protagonist Sara is a woman making a youtube show where she seeks out weirdo's on craigslist and tries to form deep connections with them. This leads her right to Duplass's creep, this time calling himself Aaron after the victim from the first movie. Aaron as part of giving his (probably false) backstory, explains that he's hollow inside, and fills that hollowness with parts he takes from the personalities of his victims. Sara is kinda doing this too, just in a way less violent manner - She mimics the people she films for her series, taking their personality for herself for her own artistic desire. She's so effective at mirroring Aaron that it seeds the possibility that, maybe she could turn out a similar way to him. By the end it answers it's own question – Of course what Sara is doing is nowhere near on the same level as being a killer, she refuses to actually go along with Aaron's plan for her to kill him (and perhaps he never seriously expected her too) and only acts in self defence. Once again demonstrating that yes, Aaron really is the creep here. Very good movie, but I enjoyed the first one a bit more with it's increasingly rising levels of discomfort. 4/5 8. A Quiet Place  The first 10 minutes is, on it's own, basically a perfect horror short. The characters were staying silent, but I was screaming at the kid not to take the batteries. Then we get into the movie proper, where we get to see all the adaptations the family that we're following have made to survive a silent existence long-term. It does a pretty good job of answering a lot of questions a viewer would have about the situation (such as “Can you use natural sounds as a mask” and “How the hell would you deal with a baby?”). It's at this point that it turns into more of a family drama, due to the lingering fallout from the opening scene. The silence that's been forced on the world mirrors the emotional distance between the father and the daughter of the family. It's only after the daughter discovers the huge amount of work the father had been putting into making hearing aids for her, that she stumbles onto the sole effective way to fight off the alien monsters. This is one of the few times where the monster design actually gets better and scarier the more you see of it. The first time you see it, when it quickly jumps through the frame, it looks like something out of an amateur youtube video. But then later on, you get to see its gross, pulsating head plate things, and it's way better. This is also a movie that understands that grain silos are terrifying – those kids probably would not have survived, regardless of monsters. My only real criticism is that I think it would have been creepier if they had the courage to commit to having no musical score throughout the entire movie, having only the ambient sounds instead. Having no music was part of why the opening was so effective, so it was a shame to have them abandon that. 4.5/5 Individual Challenge: 8/31 Bonus Challenges (0/13): Meta Challenges (9/18): NEW-TO-YOU (8/6) - Midsommar, M3GAN, Creep, Last Night in Soho, Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), Wrong Turn, Creep 2, A Quiet Place HISTORY LESSON (3/5) - 70's: Texas Chainsaw Massacre 00's: Wrong Turn 2010's/20's: Midsommar, M3GAN, Creep, Last Night in Soho, Creep 2, A Quiet Place AROUND THE WORLD (0/4) - HORROR IS FOR EVERYONE (0/3) - Weird Sandwich fucked around with this message at 13:24 on Oct 18, 2023 |
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Oct 18, 2023 13:20
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Weird Sandwich posted:
lol lmao
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Oct 18, 2023 14:05
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Shrecknet posted:Tobe Hooper was convinced TCM was going to get a PG from the MPAA due to how little actual blood there is. Haha that's amazing, I'm now imagining the world in which that actually happened
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Oct 18, 2023 14:12
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Weird Sandwich posted:Haha that's amazing, I'm now imagining the world in which that actually happened
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Oct 18, 2023 14:23
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Not to mention the movie opens on a close up of a juicy recently exhumed corpse
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Oct 18, 2023 14:28
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The hunting aspects and indictment of hunting for sport and general thematic density of it all is what surprised me about TCM as well when I watched it for the first time. That and how incredible Leatherface's introduction is. Such a great movie.
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Oct 18, 2023 14:37
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TCM was a journey for me. When I first saw it after knowing the reputation it had, I was amazed at the relatively bloodless nature of it and I wondered why it had that reputation. With each subsequent watch, I don't know if it's mood or what, it was a little more harrowing even though I was more familiar with the material. And I agree, that intro is one of the all time great monster intros. 25. Frenzy (1972) Chilling violence peppered throughout a man-on-the-run story, framed for crimes he didn’t commit. I liked this. It moved at a good pace and had the technical expertise Hitchcock can bring. The violent scenes felt more visceral than I’m used to seeing in his movies, but I loved that in one murder where the audience has more sympathy for the victim the camera just literally backs away, out of the building and into the busy street. It really made it all the more chilling. *edit on the TCM topic, crazy to think this came out just 2 years before Texas Chainsaw Massacre Getting close to finished on my Hooptober challenges, then I can start picking off more of these, but this doesn’t hit anything here 🙁  31 Challenge: 1. Last Voyage Of The Demeter, 2. The Evil Of Frankenstein, 3. No One Will Save You, 4. The Meg 2: The Trench, 5. Mindwarp, 6. Damien: Omen II, 7. Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed, 8. Black Belly Of The Tarantula, 9. Dracula 3000, 10. The Horror Of Frankenstein, 11. V/H/S/85, 12. Totally Killer, 13. 2001 Maniacs, 14. Frankenstein And The Monster From Hell, 15. Resident Evil, 16. Renfield, 17. Petey Wheatstraw, 18. The Fury, 19. Lust Of The Vampire, 20. Dead End Drive In, 21. Dark Harvest, 22. Seven Footprints To Satan, 23. The Dreaming, 24. The Devils, 25. Frenzy Bonus Challenges: GOAT tape, smitster fucked around with this message at 14:53 on Oct 18, 2023 |
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Oct 18, 2023 14:45
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17. Cat People (1942) (first viewing) (watched on HBO Max)  18. Cat People (1982) (first viewing) (watched via Amazon rental)  A double bill I've been meaning to get around to for awhile now. Both the 1942 original and the pretty loose 1982 remake by Paul Schrader have the same basic premise: our protagonist, Irena (Simone Simon/Nastassja Kinski) is a woman terrified of intimacy, and for good reason--if she has sex, she turns into a murderous black panther until she can satisfy her bloodlust. In the original, Irena is a Serbian immigrant to New York who allows herself to fall in love and marry a man, but is afraid to consumate the marriage. In the remake, there's a knottier plot about Irene moving to New Orleans to re-unite with her long-lost brother (Malcolm McDowell), who suffers from the same affliction and believes they can only safely satisfy their urges through incest. She instead falls for the curator of the local zoo (John Heard, aka the dad from Home Alone) but is afraid to get physical. Both films just look great. The 1942 has extremely effective use of shadows to make the black and white really pop, and a key scene where a character is being stalked in an indoor swimming pool is just gorgeous, with the reflections of the water eerily shimmering on the walls. The 1982 film is no slouch, either--it's easily the most visually interesting film I've seen from Schrader. The use of color is terrific, especially in the most surreal or fantastical scenes, and the film makes good use of New Orleans as a backdrop with interesting locations and sets. That being said, the nod absolutely goes to the original. It's much more of a character study for Irena and a rumination on female sexual autonomy, or lack thereof. It's a tight 73 minutes that holds up for a modern viewer. Even the dated elements, like some stiff acting and outdated gender roles, serve to highlight the themes. The Schrader version is much messier. Having Irena's brother suffer the same condition muddies the themes--although there's something to be said for how Irena represses herself and McDowell just allows himself to be a predator, sexual and otherwise. The film is also pushing two hours, and by the end it's really drifting away from Irene's perspective and focusing more on Heard's character. I enjoyed the double bill to compare the different takes on the material, but I definitely see myself coming back to 1942 more often. CHALLENGE(S): Using these jointly, though particularly the original, for Horror is for Everyone for exploration of the themes of female sexuality. --- 
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Oct 18, 2023 14:50
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 115) Silver Bullet - 1985 - Max Cycle of the Werewolf is another of my faves by Stephen King. I liked the taking place over the course of the year, and all that gorgeous Wrightson art's a feast for the eyes. I did have some concerns when I heard of a film adaptation because I wasn't sure it'd to the book justice. This one's pretty good. My favorite Wrightson page of the werewolf congregation made it into the film, so I was happy. The cast does a great job. Gary Busey really sells the 'uncle who's a bit of a mess but means well' concept. Definitely a recommend from me.  116) Scream and Scream Again - 1970 - TubiTV When I first saw the poster image on the cover of Famous Monsters magazine, I wanted to see this one. Eventually did when I was working at Blockbuster and it felt like it wasn't sure what it wanted to be because it's like three separate films smooshed together with an emergency tie together at the end like it's an afterthought. Rewatching it again and it still feels disjointed. They've got a legendary trifecta of Vincent Price, Peter Cushing, and Christopher Lee and just don't take advantage of having these incredible actors in the same film. I kinda wonder if somewhere in the development pipeline this was planned to be an anthology and there was a miscommunication. Well, at least the poster's eyecatching. I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.
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Oct 18, 2023 15:02
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29. Re-Animator (1985) Had to rewatch since today is the 38th anniversary of its release. Talk about your perfectly crafted movies and this has to be way up there. Everything just works flawlessly. Small, tight cast where everyone gives an incredible performance (especially, of course, the now-legendary Jeffrey Combs performance as Herbert West), incredibly entertaining effects work and gore, razor-sharp script where everything that gets set up gets an amazing payoff, and some of the best comedy in a horror-comedy right up there with stuff like Evil Dead 2, so many quotable lines (the whole "Cat Dead, Details Later" rant still cracks me up for just how genuinely upset Herbert seems to be). If you've never seen it before, and I know most of you have, you absolutely owe it to yourself to see this. "He interrupted an important experiment in progress. Granted, it was an accident. But this is the freshest body that we could come across short of killing one ourselves, and every moment that we spend talking about it costs us results!" 5 out of 5! Watched so far: Saw X, Wishmaster, F13 Part 6, One Cut of the Dead, The Exorcism of God, The Stuff, Razorback, The Curse of Frankenstein, Demon Knight, Freaky, V/H/S, Trick 'r' Treat, Goodnight Mommy. Matriarch, Last House on the Left, Phantasm, Dude Bro Party Massacre III, Exorcist: Believer, No-One Will Save You, VHS/85, Hellraiser, Totally Killer, Beaten to Death, Hellraiser II, Annabelle: Creation, Unfriended: Dark Web, House of 1000 Corpses, Phantasm 2, Re-Animator
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Oct 18, 2023 15:26
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#41: Dracula vs. Frankenstein (1971) (rewatch) Dracula calls upon the last living Frankenstein to revive the monster and you'll never guess what happens. By all accounts this is the final film appearance of Lon Chaney Jr., and it's an ignominious end even in light of his later roles. He plays a mute axe murderer in the service of the last living Frankenstein, and he's a real mess. Sweaty, shaky, and bloated, the many close-ups Chaney gets are the most upsetting thing about this movie. The fight at the end is more of a playground shoving match, Russ Tamblyn shows up as a hippie/biker/drug lord, there's an LSD freak-out scene for no reason, and Dracula has a super-funky afro. Dr. Frankenstein believes he needs young women to be terrified before they die because "fear energizes the molecular structure of the blood," which is a good thing for him I guess. A lot of the movie takes place in a cheap boardwalk haunted house and that aesthetic extends throughout the movie. Bad but entertaining. /5October Challenge Tally: (new watches in bold) 1. Trick 'r Treat (2007) 2. Motel Hell (1980) 3. TerrorVision (1986) 4. Halloween Kills (2021) 5. Nightmare City (1980) 6. Spookies (1986) 7. Dawn of the Mummy (1981) 8. Halloween Ends (2022) 9. Demons (1985) 10. Demons 2 (1986) 11. Assignment: Terror (1970) 12. Black Roses (1988) 13. Here Comes Hell (2019) 14. Death Spa (1989) 15. Paganini Horror (1989) 16. Hellraiser III (1992) 17. House of the Wolf Man (2009) 18. Tombs of the Blind Dead (1972) 19. Blades (1988) 20. Delirium: Photo of Gioia (1987) 21. A Chinese Ghost Story (1987) 22. Hocus Pocus (1993) 23. House on Haunted Hill (1959) 24. Popcorn (1991) 25. Maximum Overdrive (1987) 26. Van Helsing (2004) 27. The Addams Family (1991) 28. Octaman (1971) 29. Eyes of Fire (1983) 30. The Howling (1981) 31. Evil Dead II (1987) 32. Phantom of the Opera (1925) 33. Friday the 13th Part III (1982) 34. Friday the 13th Part VII The New Blood (1988) 35. Jason X (2001) 36. Blood for Dracula (1974) 37. Flesh for Frankenstein (1974) 38. M3GAN (2022) 39. House of Dracula (1945) 40. Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City (2021) 41. Dracula vs. Frankenstein (1971)
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Oct 18, 2023 15:38
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M_Sinistrari posted:
I checked Cycle of the Werewolf out of the library like ten times as a kid, just couldn't get enough of those illustrations.   
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Oct 18, 2023 15:44
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 #24. The Blob (1988) (4K Blu-ray) After a meteorite crash lands in the woods of northern California, the residents come under attack by a bizarre, mold-like substance that can get into most places and devours anything organic. Wasn't feeling super hot last night, so I threw on an old favorite that had just so happened to have been released on 4K that very day. I must say, these Shout! Factory/Scream Factory discs are pretty awesome, in terms of picture clarity and fidelity. Never before has the Blob looked so pink, never before have I been able to properly marvel over the gore effects being deployed all over the place. It's amazing. As for the film itself, it's just straightforward and fun. It's a simple 1950s creature feature, but updated and modernized (to a version that is now about 35 years out of date... time's a bitch), so it can get away with a lot more and really try and take the potential of the creature and scenario to its logical conclusion. It's a simple conceit, and the film gets away with a lot because of it. And I can respect that - sometimes you don't need a deep or complex story, sometimes you just wanna see some people get liquefied by a giant pink slime mold. On the topic of that modernization effort, I hadn't seen the original Steve McQueen version of The Blob until a year or so ago, for one of these very Challenge threads, and I was quite frankly kinda bored with how square and conventional the whole thing was. What I didn't appreciate about the remake is that it existed to, essentially, repudiate every element of the original film. The lame lead character (how did you make Steve McQueen that much of a square?!) is now a loner biker thug, one who doesn't exist to prop up the system but buck it at every turn (and the lame "good guy" potential lead gets melted in the first 20 minutes, in one of the film's great reversals of expectations). The US government isn't gonna show up with tanks and scientists to protect its citizens with clear eyed devotion and rigor - the fuckers are pretty much the cause of the whole thing in the first place, and can only think of how they can weaponize this creature against the Reds. Cops are worthless and only there to be cannon fodder who prop up the evil government agents; religious figures will turn into apocalyptic cult leaders who may try to end the world when the world doesn't conform to their shallow and blinkered views; community is largely useless and even the kids aren't safe. I think more remakes need to take this kind of tack in the future - exist not just to "redo" an older film but exist in a conversation with it, try to point out how the world has changed since the original was released, and not just on the special effects side. Anyway, The Blob 1988 rules and you should all watch it.  /5Watched so far: As Above So Below, The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster, Saw IV, The Exorcist, One Cut of the Dead, Slugs, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Saw X, The Return of the Living Dead, Tales of Halloween, No One Will Save You, Destroy All Monsters, Cujo, Dracula: Prince of Darkness, Hocus Pocus, A Bucket of Blood, Mama, Child's Play 2, Friday the 13th Part 6, The Mummy's Ghost, Brain Dead, Saloum, Perpetrator, The Blob Individual Challenges = 13/13 NEW-TO-YOU = 6/6 HISTORY LESSON = 5/5 AROUND THE WORLD = 3/4 HORROR IS FOR EVERYONE = 2/3
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Oct 18, 2023 16:08
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Basebf555 posted:I checked Cycle of the Werewolf out of the library like ten times as a kid, just couldn't get enough of those illustrations. These are awesome and make me wish Topps had done Werewolves Attack! trading cards.
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Oct 18, 2023 16:12
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Gyro Zeppeli posted:29. Re-Animator (1985) And my evening plans are made.
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Oct 18, 2023 16:37
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36. Terrified 2017 Directed by Demián Rugna  AROUND THE WORLD South AmericaNothing really scares you, right? You never know. Let's see. A really nice haunted house(s) movie with a great intro, a great climax, and a strange but interesting middle. It jumps around a bit between locations and characters and points of view, but it sort of works because for the people investigating the crimes/disturbances, part of what makes it scary is that it's unclear what's actually happening. There isn't necessarily a specific supernatural mystery to solve or a magical totem to retrieve and destroy. Some things just aren't knowable and everyone in this neighborhood should just move away. 👻👻👻.5/5 Personal Challenge 22/22 1. Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989); 2. Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995); 3. Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998); 4. Halloween: Resurrection (2002); 5. Halloween (2007); 6. Halloween II (2009); 7. Halloween (2018); 8. Halloween Kills (2021); 9. Halloween Ends (2022); 10. A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child (1989); 11. Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991); 12. New Nightmare (1994); 13. A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010); 14. Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984); 15. Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985); 16. Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986); 17. Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988); 18. Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989); 19. Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday (1993); 20. Jason X (2001); 21. Freddy vs. Jason (2003); 22. Friday the 13th (2009) Individual Bonus Challenges 13/13 CineD HORROR THREAD POLL CHALLENGE - Halloween (2018) FREDDY VS. JASON 20TH ANNIVERSARY CHALLENGE - Freddy vs. Jason (2003) PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK…..IN SPACE!!! - Jason X (2001) BIRTH OF HORROR - Deadbeat at Dawn (1988) ROB ZOMBIE 20TH ANNIVERSARY CHALLENGE - Halloween (2007) ”THAT GUY” CHALLENGE FEATURING DICK MILLER AND KEITH DAVID - The Premature Burial (1962) THE EXORCIST 50TH ANNIVERSARY CHALLENGE - Antrum (2018) HORROR ADJACENT - Caltiki, the Immortal Monster (1959) WHEN ANIMALS OF UNUSUAL SIZE ATTACK! - Razorback (1984) BACK OF THE VIDEO STORE CHALLENGE - The Night Eats the World (2018) CHILDHOOD TRAUMA - Prince of Darkness (1987) BITE-SIZED HORROR - V/H/S: Viral (2014) THE SAMHAIN CHALLENGE - Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995) Meta Bonus Challenges 3/4 NEW-TO-YOU 6/6 - Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989); Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998); Halloween: Resurrection (2002); Halloween II (2009); Halloween Kills (2021); Halloween Ends (2022) HISTORY LESSON 5/5 - Martin (1977), A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Dream Child (1989); Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991); Friday the 13th (2009); A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) HORROR IS FOR EVERYONE 3/3 - Lyle (2014); Sweetheart (2019); Slumber Party Massacre II (1987) AROUND THE WORLD 2/4 - Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust (2000); Terrified (2017) Total 36/31
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Oct 18, 2023 16:57
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"Terrifried" (or terriifried honestly) is a pretty good horror movie title and I'm a little annoyed some AI fake poster had to come up with it.
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Oct 18, 2023 17:42
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Baron von Eevl posted:"Terrifried" (or terriifried honestly) is a pretty good horror movie title and I'm a little annoyed some AI fake poster had to come up with it. Someone is 100% getting their head dunked in hot oil in that.
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Oct 18, 2023 17:56
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Russian Guyovitch posted:Batch of reviews #3... 14. Psycho II – (Watched on Peacock) Twenty two years after the events of Psycho, Norman Bates is deemed rehabilitated and is released from the institution to which he was committed. Despite the objections of the family of his victim's, he sets about trying to start his life over in his childhood home, but maybe he's not going to be doing it all alone. I opted for this one from the “Best of the twentieth century” list for the CineD challenge because it's one of those movies that's been getting a lot of reexamining well after its initial release. After watching it, I agree that it deserves more than its reputation as a quick cash grab sequel, but not much more. It's elevated by Anthony Perkins giving his performance everything he has, but Meg Tilly feels like she took a couple valium before every scene she's in. All in all, better than I expected, but doesn't quite live up to its newfound hype. And with that, I've completed my bingo card:  15. V/H/S 85 – (Watched on Shudder) A series of disturbing home movies are recorded over a news program about a tragedy at a research center at an American university. The sixth entry in the V/H/S series, I'd say this one is up near the top in terms of quality. No one segment hits a high at the level of “Safe Haven” from the second one, but the lows aren't nearly as low as some of the previous entries. 16. Dog Soldiers – (Watched on Shudder) A group of British soldiers on a training exercise in rural Scotland find something unexpected out in the woods. Now they need to fight for their lives to try and make it to sunrise. From Neil Marshall, director of The Descent, this was a fun take on the werewolf genre. It's got a little bit of Aliens in its DNA, what with the presence of a rescued special forces officer who knows more than he's letting on. All in all, a fun action/horror film that moves along at a good pace. 17. The Autopsy of Jane Doe – (Watched on Shudder) A father and son team of morticians find themselves working late one night when local police bring the body of a Jane Doe to them with an urgent need to get the cause of death. The pair set to work on the autopsy, but as their findings get stranger and stranger, discovering the mystery of that Jane Doe's death may prove to be more than they bargained for. This one had a ton of promise. Having what is essentially a bottle movie anchored on the performance of an actor of Brian Cox's caliber seems like a fool-proof plan. And for the most part, it is. But as the movie hits its denouement, weak writing lets down what was until that point a very good movie. Still, when all is said and done, the good outweighs the bad, and I wound up enjoying this one overall. 18. Slaughterhouse – (Watched on Shudder) When the owner of a dilapidated, out-of-business slaughterhouse gets behind on his taxes, his lawyer tries to get him to sell to the owner of a different slaughterhouse in a neighboring county before his property is seized by the sheriff. Instead, the owner decides everyone is out to get him, and lures all of his supposed enemies to his property so that his intellectually disabled adult son can kill them. Apparently there's enough people out there with nostalgia for this film to merit a relatively recent restoration, as that's the version on Shudder. After watching it, I can't understand why. It's as though the filmmakers saw The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 and thought they could one up it. Sadly, they were mistaken. There's nothing here that hadn't been done better before it, and quite a bit that is done much worse than its predecessors. 19. Caveat – (Watched on Shudder) A man suffering from amnesia is hired by a friend to keep watch over his niece. She has schizophrenia and keeps returning to the secluded island cottage that belonged to her father, who took his own life in the basement of the home after his wife disappeared, and the uncle doesn't want her alone out there. However, she has some conditions if there's going to be a stranger staying in the house. I liked this one a lot. It's got a pervasive atmosphere of dread, plus a hint of mystery to it. It's a slow burn, but never one that felt like it was dragging at any point. And once things come to a head at the end, it has one of the creepier conclusions I've seen this month. Definitely one that I recommend. *Rewatch* Friday the 13th – (Watched on Max) When a man tries to reopen the rundown summer camp that he inherited, things don't go according to plan. If you've got a Friday the 13th in October, there's no way you can't watch at least one of these on the day itself. I wound up watching this with a bunch of people who had never seen it, or really any of the Friday movies, so there was a lot of confusion as to why they hid the identity of the killer, plus some genuine surprise with the reveal. *Rewatch* Freddy vs. Jason – (Watched on Max) After all the kids of Springwood forget about Freddy Kreuger, he's robbed of his power. So he just starts haunting the dreams of Jason Voorhees so he can walk from New Jersey to Ohio without being spotted, then commit a murder in the original Elm Street house so people will start being frightened of Freddy again. Also watched on the 13th to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the movie, this one could be okay, but man there is some stuff in here that didn't age well. Fortunately, watching it now means I can skip it when there's an October Friday the 13th in 2028 for its 25th anniversary. 20. Slash/Back – (Watched on Shudder) A group of adolescent indigenous girls in a small town in Nunavut sneak out of town to go hang out in the wilderness one day and encounter what they think is a sick polar bear. After narrowly escaping the encounter with their lives, the girls soon discover that it was no sick bear, but rather an invading alien, and find themselves as the last line of defense that the Earth has. Filmed on location in remote Pangnirtung, Nunuvut, I would say Slash/Back is more charming then good. But it's still good enough that you're easily charmed. The acting is rough, which is to be expected when the filmmakers went to a small community and cast locals and simply gave them acting lessons, but improves as the film goes on. Not great, but has a lot of heart. 21. Scarecrows – (Watched on Prime Video) A group of mercenaries commit a daring robbery of an army base's payroll, escaping in a wild, action-packed shoot-out. At least, that's what we're told; the movie picks up with them fleeing to Mexico in a stolen propeller plane, being flown by the plane's owner and his daughter, who are being held hostage. When one mercenary betrays the rest and parachutes out of the plane with the money, the others force the pilot to land so they can hunt him down. Unfortunately for them, the money landed right in the middle of a haunted farm. First and foremost, just how quickly into their escape did this guy pull his double cross? They mention that the plane was stolen from San Diego and they aren't even over Mexico yet when he does it. He couldn't wait the ten minutes to be able to escape to somewhere that the pursuing military police couldn't go after him? Aside from that, this had some interesting ideas, but poor execution. Having the murderous scarecrows able to manipulate their victims with auditory hallucinations was a fun bit, but not enough was really done with it. All in all, you're not really missing anything if you haven't seen this one.
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Oct 18, 2023 18:56
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Slaughterhouse is very unintentionally funny and the music sounds like a lost New Order album. 
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Oct 18, 2023 18:58
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I finished all the challenges and now I'm just working on finishing up 31 new-to-me movies, but I haven't been keeping up in this thread. Is it cool if I link my letterbox reviews to catch up rather than writing 9 new reviews on here?
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Oct 18, 2023 19:00
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City of the Living Dead (1980) Definitely not Fulci's best movie, but it might just be my favorite. The plot is rather simple: The suicide of a priest leads to the gates of hell being opened and our heroes needs to close it before all saints day. There's some spiritism and curses, psychoanalysis, mysteries seemingly and some giallo-like dialogue. This is all window dressing though, the film is wholly about mood, not story. All characters are one-dimensional, but the main actors get the most out of them. The photography is great, crisp when it needs to be, sickly and misty when the mood calls for it. Fabio Frizzi delivers a great prog-synth score, that moves from dark atmospheric, to the familiar (for fans of Italian horror) inappropriate upbeat tunes. The sound design is and musical stings are some of my favorites. It certainly delivers on gore and maggots, just don't ask the movie "why" or "how", it doesn't matter.    CineD HORROR THREAD POLL CHALLENGE
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Oct 18, 2023 19:33
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Biff Rockgroin posted:I finished all the challenges and now I'm just working on finishing up 31 new-to-me movies, but I haven't been keeping up in this thread. Posting your letterboxd reviews is fine but can you copy and paste them instead of just posting links? I don't want people to have to click on links to read reviews.
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Oct 18, 2023 19:40
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 Bloody Muscle Body Builder In Hell Went with this to hit one of the meta challenges and it's basically an Evil Dead rip-off but with an even lower budget. The poster I saw even says "The Japanese Evil Dead", so it's not like they were trying to deny it. Basically all aspects of the production are bad but there's definitely some good creativity in how they handle the special effects. Much like Evil Dead, they really went for it with a lot of ambition and not a lot of concern for the limitations of what they were working with. As a result you do get some memorable images and also like Evil Dead you never quite know where it might go next. So that's always a positive for a horror movie, when it keeps you on your toes.  The Wicker Man I didn't even have the intention of watching Wicker Man this year(it's probably more seasonally appropriate to watch in Spring) but impulse bought the new 4k release when I saw it at the store. The Wicker Man doesn't work because it's particularly scary, or because of blood and guts or monsters. It's not any of those things, but it's an endlessly rewatchable, strikingly beautiful movie that partially acts as a musical as well. Even when you've seen it before and know where things are headed, each scene is still great fun to watch either because it has a nice musical number, because of the beauty of the island, or the screen presence of Christopher Lee and others. It's a horror movie that doesn't need to be scary first and foremost, it takes it's time getting around to that part and trusts that you're going to be having a great time along the way.
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Oct 18, 2023 19:58
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 117) The Haunted Palace - 1963 - Paramount+ First time I saw this one, I'm pretty sure it was on some Saturday Afternoon movie. I remember being excited it was a new to little me Poe film by the guy who does the Poe movies with Vincent Price. Had my Jiffy Pop ready and got to watching. The mentions of Arkham, Necronomicon, and Cthulhu threw me off since, granted I was still doing my best to slog through the collected works of Poe we had, I didn't remember Poe writing about those sort of things. Ended up dragging my step chair over to the bookshelves and finding The Case of Charles Dexter Ward by some guy named Lovecraft. Armed with a dictionary, I got to reading. In short, I can credit Roger Corman with introducing little me to Lovecraft. It's a close enough adaptation, and of the pre-Dagon Lovecraft adaptations, it's one of the better ones because until effects technology advanced enough, Lovecraft was a bear to adapt when it came to things that drive people insane just to look at them. This one does get some flack on occasion for 'it's not Poe', but this one's definitely on the top end of Corman's work. Highly recommend this one.  118) The Ruins - 2008 - DVD Pretty much stupid tourists doing stupid things go off the beaten path and continue to be stupid. For the most part, the film does follow the book. It does some trimming here and streamlining there. A pair of couples on vacation in Mexico meet another tourist who's looking for his brother who went to meet someone on an archaeological dig at some undocumented ruins. Right there's enough red flags starting to raise. It was described more in the book to the point my eye twitched. Tourist spots are there for a reason. Going outside them for a 'more authentic experience' has risks. If you're lucky nothing happens or you just end up robbed. The tourists treat going out to the dig like it's a carefree day trip. One of the women's surprised that there's no guarantee of being able to just stop somewhere for sodas on the way there. Add to that, archaeological digs aren't just where anyone's going to be allowed to walk around wherever. Too much risk of something getting mishandled, damaged, or someone getting hurt walking somewhere not stabilized. Being at one on a proper tour's fine, but these couples I could see managing to break something even on official tour. There's also the not easy to get to the location and every local asked about it says it's a bad place. There's going to be a reason why it has that reputation and finding out the why first would be y'know..a good idea before heading over there. Could be something still dangerous, or could be a cultural matter that you want to smooth over in advance. Add to that the locals being visibly terrified when getting near the ruins is probably the biggest red flag yet even if you don't understand thier language. Unlike other Mesoamerican city-states that fell to famine, warfare or disease, the one here fell to carnivorous vines. The survivors contained them the best way they could by getting rid of any roads to the ruin, salting the perimeter, and ensuring anyone possibly infested stays within that perimeter. I will admit I prefer the book's ending to the movie's. Book ends with Stacy's the last one left alive. She slits her wrists in the hope that her body will be seen by anyone approaching, but the vines pull her into the underbrush as she dies. The movie instead has Amy escape and drive away, with an alternate ending where it turns out she was definitely infested and with being buried stateside, the vines have spread outside their containment. Overall, I liked this one so it's a recommend from me. I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.
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Oct 18, 2023 20:00
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post so i can find my posts Edit: 8/31: Casper Challenges: The Samhain Challenge I watched Casper for the first time since being a kid and I got hardcore nostalgia. I forgot how many times I watched that movie and how hard my dad loved the Guido Sarducchi cameo; every time I mentioned it, he would be "Oh! That was the one with Guido Sarducchi!" despite it being one scene lol. It held up pretty well, especially if you're considering it was made in 1995 and is a family movie. 9/31: Drag Me to Hell I love Sam Raimi but I've been sleeping on this one since it came out for some reason. Maybe because it was PG-13? I was pretty disappointed to see that. Anyways, I'm happy he didn't hold back with his style in this. I was totally expecting it to be toned down after the Spider-Man movies. Not much to really say, it was fun to watch, but one of his weaker movies. 10/31: Poltergeist This was not what I was expecting at all. I thought there would be a lot more scenes of the poltergeist acting up before kidnapping the daughter, and I'm so happy they went the direction they did. It kept the plot moving at a nice pace, which is something I'm always down for. When the ending started up, I was expecting the movie to be over in the next couple minutes, with like a normal ambiguous ending for horror, but it just kept going. At first, I thought it was a terrible thing to drag the ending so much because the movie was clipping up until then, but, again, it just kept. going. The whole sequence rules and ending with explaining an old Simpsons joke I've never gotten before was the cherry on top. I see why it's a classic. FreshCutFries fucked around with this message at 20:39 on Oct 18, 2023 |
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Oct 18, 2023 20:13
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