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My favorite time of the year... I tapered out last year way too early because of the Election. In the end its probably for the best as there was too much horror to come in November. This year I really need the escapism and think I can pull this out. They posting of this thread led me to order Get Out on Amazon and to finally own a copy of my own of Halloween so I don't have to just look for it on cable. So I'll have my Day 1 and Day 31 soon. Time to go scour the streaming services and my wall of DVDs to compile my list. I lied, I did that 3 weeks ago. But there might be something new!
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Sep 15, 2017 19:03
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I had an idea last year that I didn't commit to but I want to this year. Like theme my days of the week. The rough ideas I have in my head are like: - Double Features (Sequels, remakes, that sort of thing) - Scream Queens (ideally the same actress in multiple films but maybe just two somewhat similar leads) - Before I Was Born (basically all those classic films I somehow have never seen but know about because they're legendary in the genre) I try to make this stuff fun and build up to stuff to keep myself invested. Here is my preliminary compiled list of movies easily available to me that stand out for some reason or another and might make my list. 1. The Void (Netflix) 2. I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives in The House (Netflix) 3. Contracted (Netflix) 4. Hellions (Netflix) 5. We Are Still Here (Netflix) 6. At the Devil’s Door (Netflix) 7. Creep (Netflix) 8. The Legend of Hell House (Netflix) 9. The Nightmare (Netflix) 10. Dead Snow (Netflix) 11. WyrmWood (Netflix) 12. Beyond the Gates (Netflix) 13. Little Evil (Netflix) 14. Death Note (Netflix) 15. Hush (Netflix) 16. Extraordinary Tales (Netflix) 17. The Legend of Hell House (Netflix) 18. The Eyes of My Mother (Netflix) 19. Bug (Max Go) 20. The Day The Earth Stood Still (Max Go) 21. Fido (Max Go) 22. Ouija: Origin of Evil (Max Go) 23. Conjuring 2 (HBO Go) 24. Green Inferno (HBO Go) 25. The Other Side of the Door (HBO Go) 26. Sinister 2 (HBO Go) 27. Phantasm 2 (HBO Go) 28. Within (HBO Go) 29. Jaws (Starz) 30. Shallows (Starz) 31. Cat People (Starz) 32. Creature From The Black Lagoon (Starz) 33. Turistas (Starz) 34. The Boy (Showtime Anytime) 35. Halloween (Showtime Anytime) 36. Let Us Prey (Showtime Anytime) 37. Maniac (Showtime Anytime) 38. The Neon Demon (Amazon Prime) 39. Green Room (Amazon Prime) 40. Beyond The Black Rainbow (Amazon Prime) 41. 31 (Amazon Prime) 42. The Girl With All The Gifts (Amazon Prime) 43. Hell House LLC (Amazon Prime) 44. Suspiria (Amazon Prime) 45. Paranormal Activity: Ghost Dimension (Amazon Prime) 46. Martin (DVD) 47. The Stone Tape (DVD) 48. The Beyond (DVD) 49. Black Swan (DVD) 50. Pan’s Labryinth (DVD) 51. Godzilla [2014] (DVD) 52. King Kong [2005] (DVD) 53. King Kong [1933] (DVD) 54. Let Me In (DVD) 55. Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (DVD) 56. Get Out (DVD)
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Sep 15, 2017 20:24
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I had kind of a similar negative opinion of Phantasm when I watched it last year. I didn't dislike it as much Dr. Angela and really appreciated the erry dreamlike horror of it that freaks me out, as well as the personal story of grief underneath it all... but it didn't really come together for me as a movie. I'm thinking of subscribing to Shudder and watching the Remastered version one night along with Phantasm II. It was in one of those middle grounds where I can justify a rewatch just to see if I like it or not because I'm not entirely sure. As usual I won't count anything until October 1st but its early and I'll probably watch some rewatches or low expectation ones over the next couple of weeks to ramp up. Because this thread is really getting me in the mood.
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Sep 17, 2017 12:54
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Yeah, its on my long list because its on one of the cable streaming services. HBO sounds right. It makes my short list by setting it up as a double feature with the first film.
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Sep 17, 2017 13:00
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The Fog is one of my absolute all time favorites. Its so simple but it does mood and dread so amazingly well and the whole thing really just creeps on you like the fog the whole time. And you can't name great Carpenter films without Prince of Darkness. Man, Carpenter probably easily has to be my absolute favorite. Its a shame he just didn't really make anything the last couple of decades. It seems like his 90s stuff kind of went over badly, he demanded a big fee to direct H20 they passed on, and he just kind of gave up after that? That seems like a really sad ending to a really great career.
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Sep 18, 2017 18:32
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Hollismason posted:Oh poo poo I just remember I needed to post. This sounds fun and I'm gonna go look up years for my list to see how much it would mess up my plans.
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Sep 20, 2017 17:58
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Hollismason posted:The 90s are rather brutally disappointing I'm gonna try it but it looks like its going to be tough to find those 90s movies. And I dated my list of movies and its predictably heavy in the aughts. I did a quick look at some lists and all the movies of note or that catch my attention are ones I've already seen so it will be hard to meet my "first watch" criteria. And there's some pretty notable pre-87 movies I definitely want to get in. 2017: Get Out (DVD); Death Note (Netflix); Little Evil (Netflix) 2016: The Girl With All The Gifts (Amazon Prime); 31 (Amazon Prime); The Neon Demon (Amazon Prime); Shallows (Starz); Within (HBO Go); The Other Side of the Door (HBO Go); Conjuring 2 (HBO Go); Ouija: Origin of Evil (Max Go); The Eyes of My Mother (Netflix); Hush (Netflix); Beyond the Gates (Netflix); I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives in The House (Netflix); The Void (Netflix) 2015: Paranormal Activity: Ghost Dimension (Amazon Prime); Hell House LLC (Amazon Prime); Green Room (Amazon Prime); The Boy (Showtime Anytime); Sinister 2 (HBO Go); Extraordinary Tales (Netflix); Creep (Netflix); We Are Still Here (Netflix); Hellions (Netflix); 2014: Godzilla [2014] (DVD); Let Us Prey (Showtime Anytime); WyrmWood (Netflix); At the Devil’s Door (Netflix); 2013: Green Inferno (HBO Go); Contracted (Netflix) 2012: Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (DVD); Maniac (Showtime Anytime) 2011: Apollo 18 (DVD); 2010: Let Me In (DVD); Black Swan (DVD); Beyond The Black Rainbow (Amazon Prime); 2009: Dead Snow (Netflix); Halloween 2 (DVD) 2008: The Strangers (DVR); The Day The Earth Stood Still (Max Go); 2007: 2006: Pan’s Labryinth (DVD); Turistas (Starz); Fido (Max Go); Bug (Max Go); Them (Amazon); 2005: King Kong [2005] (DVD); 2004: 2003: 2002: 2001: 2000: 1999: 1998: 1997: 1996: 1995: 1994: 1993: 1992: 1991: 1990: 1989: 1988: Phantasm 2 (HBO Go); 1987: Pre 1987: The Legend of Hell House [1973] (Netflix); Jaws [1975] (Starz); Cat People [1982] (Starz); Creature From The Black Lagoon [1954] (Starz); Suspiria [1977] (Amazon Prime); Martin [1978] (DVD); The Stone Tape [1972] (DVD); The Beyond [1981] (DVD); King Kong [1933] (DVD) Still, think I'm going to make up a little calender of years and mark them off as I go and try and do this too. I was debating subscribing to Shudder so I figure I do that and just search for movies by year and go wildcard for those 90s. Seems doable and gives me more fun and ways to pick since I'm kind of an indecisive "analysis paralysis" kind of guy with this stuff.
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Sep 20, 2017 20:56
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Basebf555 posted:A good one for 1995 might be Castle Freak, a Stuart Gordon film that re-unites Combs and Crampton. It's not as good as his earlier stuff but still very much worth a watch. Of course I'm just guessing as to what you may or may not have seen before. Cronos is the only '93 I haven't seen but definitely an option if I can find it availably. Night Flier I saw but its kind of on my iffy list since its been forever since I've seen it so I might count it as a "new" since i don't remember it very well. I'll make a note of Castle Freak and see if I can find it. Thanks. The Warlock movies have always been a low key favorite of mine. Trashy and 90's as gently caress but fun.
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Sep 20, 2017 21:15
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Franchescanado posted:gently caress it, do The Frighteners for '96 and a Peter Jackson double feature. Fundamental problem with the 90s is that those being my formative years I've seen most all the ones of note. Cronos is definitely a notable exception. I'm also pretty weak on the Final Destination moves so I might be able to work them in. We'll see.
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Sep 20, 2017 22:23
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Bruteman posted:(preteen me would have loved the juryrigged quad shotgun and homemade flamethrower, and they fight with chainsaws and drills too!)
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Sep 21, 2017 14:16
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Drunkboxer posted:It's kind of annoying that Starz had two levels of premium cable or whatever. Get off your high horse Starz. That's so weird. I always get annoyed when I see a movie on Starz, click on it, and then see that little lock and realize that for some reason its not part of what I'm already paying for.
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Sep 22, 2017 17:51
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Hollismason posted:2. The Dark Half (1993) A Stephen King adaptation by George Romero ? Yes please. Starring Timothy Hutton as a writer who's alternate writing identity comes to life. It's probably one of Stephen Kings classic " This is totally not me , but yeah no this is totally me" . 100%. King wrote The Dark Half after someone exposed his "darker" pseudoname Richard Bachman. King's a weird dude.
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Sep 23, 2017 14:41
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Franchescanado posted:
I was in Best Buy the other day digging through the discount bin for horror (picked up Jaws, Chronicle, Under the Skin, and a Freddy vs Jason/Nightmare on Elm Street remake/Friday the 13th remake 3 pack, as well as a Reservoir Dogs/Pulp Fiction/Jackie Brown 3 pack and Expendables 3 pack) and saw a whole wall of these DVDs with horror classics like Return, Killer Klown, Child's Play, Night, etc. And a few random stuff like Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter and Jennifer's Body. I have no idea what to make of them. I considered picking up Killer Klowns because it was cool art but I have a copy already and $10 didn't seem worth it. Consider Return too since it was one of the few I didn't already own and looked pretty cool. But they definitely made for an interesting look for the horror collector (and I assume that's the purpose to try and sell new copies for display to us weirdos). Also Prime suddenly booted a bunch of horrors and it bummed me out. Return was one of them but I was all set to finally watch Suspiria and then it disappeared from Prime entirely. I can't even rent or buy it. But I know it was there a few days ago and was just saving it for October 1st. Bummer.
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Sep 25, 2017 19:58
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), but I saw that Wal-Mart has a blu-ray with a cover designed by (some artist who's name I can't find anywhere now), and it looks cool:
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I'm probably going to stop back into Best Buy later this week to get a new phone, so I might pick up Return when I'm there. The art really fits that and it and Killer Klowns were the two I was considering. Although the really weird art for Abraham Lincoln and Megan Fox was amusing.
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Sep 25, 2017 20:52
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Its October so time to play! I rewatched V/H/S and V/H/S/2 through the day. They're not my favorite films but they're good background horrors as you can kind of tune in and out with each segment. Some are hits, some are misses, most of them have something interesting going on and all benefit from the anthology appeal of not lasting long enough to really wear out its welcome if its flawed. I just found out Amatuer NIght got turned into a standalone movie that has ok scores so I'm kind of curious about that now. I don't know if Viral is on any streamings ervices but i fit is I'll probably put that on at some point this month just to finish the rewatch. On the main event... 1. Let Us Prey (2014)  A mysterious and dark stranger ends up in a small town jail cell overnight and begins to unravel everyone's dark secrets. Nothing terribly original in the initial premise and I was struggling with it early as the characters and their secrets and conflicts felt a little too forced for the plot early on. But there's a cheap/old school aesthetic and Liam Cunningham is a compelling presence even in a pretty muted role. And then the film just goes crazy, in a good way. Everything builds to just a fever pitch and then just keeps building into fairly unexpected total craziness. I just spent the first half of the money thinking "Yeah, I've seen this before" and then all of a sudden "Woah! I didn't see that coming!" The ending was also pretty different and fun as its not too often you see the hero of the movie end it by being seduced by the devil into being his hitman. A solid start to the month. 3 out of 5? 3 1/2? I'm not big on rating like that. It was fun and I enjoyed it. October Tally - New (Total) - (1). V/H/S (2012) / - (2). V/H/S/2 (2013) / 1 (3). Let Us Prey (2014) I'll also be going for Hollismason's "31 Years" thing as a side thing and tiebreaker to decide what to watch some days. And I made a really lazy little calendar to help me keep track in a fun way. Yellow circles mean rewatches that shouldn't really count but might have to in the end. Red X is a proper new watch entry. 
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Oct 2, 2017 17:58
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Day 2. Watched The Crazies (2010) in the background this afternoon. This is one I enjoy, although its not a classic or anything. Timothy Olyphant is a good leading man and I've always enjoyed Radha Mitchell and Joe Nelson. Its a simple enough premise that just plays itself out. I think the whole thing drags a little at the end but mostly its enjoyable ride. I'm ashamed to say I've never seen the original. Amazon lists it as being on the Shudder channel but I can't find it in a search. Are the movies that are exclusive to Amazon's Shudder commercial that I'm missing out on because I subscribed off Amazon? That's weird. 2 (5). The Boy (2016)  Ok so its a simple enough premise. Isolated old mansion, weird old couple, unsuspecting nanny, creepy doll. Nothing groundbreaking here but who isn't creeped out by porcelain dolls so worth a try. For the second entry out of two what seemed like a very predictable and well tread story took a really weird turn half way though... and then took another weird turn. It was enough to keep me engaged. I'm not sure I'd call this a good movie. I think there could have been a good movie if the script had been cut down by 10-20 minutes and the story condensed a little as it really dragged at times. And it used jump scares to keep things going that worked for me at the time but feel a little cheap in retrospect. There's also a really compelling subtextual story underneath this all about an abusive victim suffering from loss gets used by a new set of manipulative abusers. Like the whole idea of Greta crazily accepting caring for a ghost doll kid because she's grieving the loss of her unborn child at the hands of her abusive ex... only for it to turn out that there was no kid and there was just another abusive obsessed psycho and his hosed up parents who were taking advantage of her pain is really hosed up when you get to thinking about it. But the problem is the movie entirely glosses over it in the final 10 minutes. They don't ignore it. She specifically lashes out in anger and shock about the realization of it all. But its all happening in the middle of the final chase and she's literally rushed past her shock to try and escape. It feels like a waste. Basically this movie felt like a script that had some real potential in it if it had been done with a little more love or style but it kind of glossed past that stuff for cliches and tropes. Still, it kept me involved, made me jump or cringe a couple of times, genuinely surprised me in a way that made me feel stupid for not realizing earlier, and has me thinking. So I can't entirely dismiss it. October Tally - New (Total) - (1). V/H/S (2012) / - (2). V/H/S/2 (2013) / 1 (3). Let Us Prey (2014) / - (4). The Crazies (2010) / 2 (5). The Boy (2016) 
STAC Goat fucked around with this message at 04:13 on Oct 3, 2017 |
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Oct 3, 2017 04:08
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I feel like there's such a large gap between my own idea of "horror for five year olds" and "Army of Darkness" that I don't know where to actually go with recommendations. Not that I'm surprised a five year old loves Army of Darkness, of course.
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Oct 3, 2017 19:55
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Basebf555 posted:It's just because it's not our kid, I'm always very conservative with recommendations when it comes to other people's kids. But when it's your kid you know them really well and you know if they'll be able to handle something like Army of Darkness. Like Return of the Living Dead is a movie I kind of would associate in tone with Army of Darkness and I remember loving it as a kid. But I don't know how retro feels about nudity or if the tar zombie or some other stuff would be worse than Army of Darkness' deadites. And I distinctly remember sneaking watching it when my dad was watching it and him yelling at me when he caught me, and being right since I had nightmares.
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Oct 3, 2017 20:09
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Yeah, I had an immediate reaction to the idea of Army of Darkness being shown to a kid but then as I thought about it I realized most of my objection comes to the stuff in the Evil Dead movies (and after in the Ash vs Evil Dead show) than actual Army of Darkness that is a lot more cartoonish.
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Oct 3, 2017 20:32
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Basebf555 posted:The world is much more hosed up than anything in Army of Darkness or Nightmare Before Christmas, just by keeping the kid away from the news you're being a good dad. That and you could be showing your kid football players getting brain damaged and crippled or movies with action heroes gunning down people. Horror gets a bad rap but the stuff you're showing is purely fantastical and as long as the kid isn't having nightmares or getting weirdly obsessed you're probably doing better than some other dads. But I quasi suggested you show your kid Return of the Living Dead so don't listen to me.
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Oct 4, 2017 03:06
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3 (6). Beyond the Gates (2016) Two very different brothers who don't get along get drawn into a weird board game when their dad disappears and slowly get sucked into the realization that the game is real, their dad's disappearance is tied to it, and they're in trouble that they're stuck in it now. Its been talked about a bunch so you guys know the main details. I was really hyped for this going in. Lots of good reviews in here and I really liked the idea of it. It just never really clicked for me. I love the idea and I'm into the throwback horror craze but the pacing felt slow and off to me, the characters weren't engaging, and the production just felt kind of cheap and unspectacular rather than anything positive. I don't know. I wasn't bored and I wouldn't call it a bad film. I like the idea of it for sure. It didn't scare me. It didn't make me tense. It didn't make me laugh. It just felt so amateurish. Which I get is part of the appeal to fans who love watching old films that look amateurish now... but there's something much more natural about a movie from 20 or 30 years ago that did its best but doesn't really hold up now and a movie from now that just feels poorly done and cheap. On purpose? It just was? I don't know but it didn't work for me. In keeping with one of the popular topics of this thread I turned Child's Play on today for a rewatch. This is one of those films I know I've seen more than once but the memories of Chucky all kind of blend together and I can't really differentiate what's in what movie over time. Its always fun to go back to the start of one of these franchises and see how what turns into a very silly and campy thing started very serious and straight. Its a good movie and the effects are more of the "organic" charm of "cheap" I was talking about where they obviously just did the best with what they had at the time and it didn't take away from the acting or directing or story. And there's actually a kind of unintentional creepiness to the practical effects, especially the transition from closeup scenes with the puppet/doll to action scenes with someone running around in a mask. Its very unnerving in a way I can't quite describe. And that burned out zombie Chucky at the end is pure nightmare fuel. October Tally - New (Total) - (1). V/H/S (2012) / - (2). V/H/S/2 (2013) / 1 (3). Let Us Prey (2014) / - (4). The Crazies (2010) / 2 (5). The Boy (2016) / 3 (6). Beyond the Gates (2016) / - (7). Child’s Play (1988) STAC Goat fucked around with this message at 19:26 on Oct 4, 2017 |
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Oct 4, 2017 19:20
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Its entirely possible I just zeroed in on the positive posts because I really did love the idea on paper and really, really wanted to like this film.
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Oct 4, 2017 19:33
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Day 4 report. Watched Jennifer’s Body again as my morning rewatch. I didn’t think much of this the first time through but awhile back someone in the horror thread compared it to It Follows and made it sound more interesting than I remember. I ended up picking it up cheap and meant to watch the two of them together and see if I missed something. Never got around to it until now. I still don’t really care for Jennifer’s Body. Its not bad, just mediocre. They don’t do a lot with it beyond Fox and Seyfried and while Seyfried probably carries a bit Fox is pretty weak and I never really get anything from this “no, I’m mocking my own wooden acting and the fact that I’m largely just a sex symbol” thing she does. But there’s some fun in it. Speed it up, take it a little less or more seriously, I don’t know. Its a shade off from being a good movie. I intended to watch It Follows but I’m falling behind on my new movies/31 years so I decided to pass on another movie I didn't love the first time through. Maybe later in the month. 4 (9). Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension (2015)  You either know these movies and what they’re about or you don’t care. Its another family and another kid dealing with a strange presence in their house that they come to accept is there thanks to video cameras catching evidence. And a weird plot across the movies I was a big fan of the original and in general I’m a big fan of good found footage movies. I know its a polarizing genre and many find it lazy but when done well I think it does a good job using basic human fears and tensions in place of scary monsters. Paranormal Activity worked so well for me because it dealt with that little thing we’ve all experienced where you’re alone in a room and the hair stands up on the back of your neck or you feel a slight breeze or hear a small noise and for a second you wonder “Am I alone?” There’s maybe 20 minutes of actual action in Paranormal Activity if I’m being generous but the movie is all about the fear and horror of realizing there’s something in your home, in your bedroom, while you sleep. And that’s why I watch horror movies in the dark. Its why I set my bed up against a wall that I can put my back to. That inherrent fear. But like most horror franchises there’s diminishing returns with the tricks in the sequels and the movies add way too much convoluted plot to try and stretch out the story. I was cool with the story of a couple who had a spirit in their house. Now we’ve got another movie with another family and another kid talking to “Toby” and some confusing conspiracy that connects the films in a way that they don’t really need to be. But hey, its the last one and I’ve largely enjoyed the series. So why not? For a series I enjoy because of what’s unseen and plays with your paranoia it was probably a bad sign that the tag line is “for the first time you will see the activity.” And sure enough seeing things just kind of falls flat for me. It didn’t especially scare me (jump scares aside) and it wasn’t especially original or monstrous. What’s more, the fact that the family has actual incontrovertible video evidence of the scary poo poo really early into the movie really makes it hard to accept the old “Why don’t you leave the house?” question. I like to play that game when I watch a horror movie with people. We all declare at what point of the movie we’d just run away in terror. This family spends a real long time saying “the camera’s just glitchy” and tucking their kid into bed in the haunted room well past the point of freaky poo poo clearly happening on camera. In fact, the camera doesn’t even directly play into when they all accept the danger. They basically all get converted into believers by physical contact that we just observe through the camera. And man… that meta plot. I don’t know what to say about it, really. Its entirely unnecessary and feels like it falls apart under any scrutiny. Still, I’m generous and once again I wasn’t bored or forcing myself to watch. Maybe that’s because I just wanted to see the end of the franchise but what PA does well it does well. But I’m glad its done and if you’ve never seen the franchise its probably not worth going further than the original and digging into the conspiracy. October Tally - New (Total) - (1). V/H/S (2012) / - (2). V/H/S/2 (2013) / 1 (3). Let Us Prey (2014) / - (4). The Crazies (2010) / 2 (5). The Boy (2016) / 3 (6). Beyond the Gates (2016) / - (7). Child’s Play (1988) / - (8). Jennifer’s Body (2009) / 4 (9). Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension (2015) STAC Goat fucked around with this message at 18:24 on Oct 5, 2017 |
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Oct 5, 2017 18:00
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I try to be sympathetic with the real world reasons why someone would put up with a ghost in their haunted house because they can't afford to go stay in a hotel for more than a night or two or just move or something. Its why I just kind of have fun with it and do the game with people where we all just declare our "I'm getting the gently caress out" point. But Ghost Dimension really, really pushes the limits of what a sane person would put up with because doing otherwise would gently caress up their personal finances or inconvenience their lives. I mean, at least the Poltergeist family started sleeping in a room together at some point and didn't just keep joking around about camera glitches while getting wasted at night. I mean, a very key part of the plot of Ghost Dimension hinges on the fact that even after the family becomes convinced Toby is real and dangerous and even have started to suspect that there's some crazy time traveling satanic witch conspiracy in place they still don't seem to mind that their kid drew satanic witch ruins around her bed (including way high up that there's no way she should have been able to reach on her own) at Toby's say so and just tuck her into bed under them. Like, they're crayon. Maybe you could clean some of that up so it doesn't look like a doorway that might do something crazy like magically turn into a time travel tunnel she'll walk through. Ghost Dimension is kind of dumb. The Boy was actually a fun edition of "When Do You Get the gently caress Out?" Because right when it got to the point where I was ready to call the lady absolutely crazy for staying in the house the movie threw a giant curve ball at me that I didn't see coming at all to justify it.
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Oct 5, 2017 18:20
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What if I told you guys that in Ghost Dimension someone is LITERALLY dragged into the bowels of hell by a demon and they recorded it on camera and they still go back to get toiletries and do some reading? I mean, that didn't happen. But it was real close. Although the movie did include a scene where they went back over their real estate paperwork. So there's that for you home owners.
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Oct 5, 2017 20:12
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fr0id posted:8. Fire in the Sky Fire in the Sky was a quasi big deal (at least in my circles) when it came out. It was in the middle of the X-Files thing when there would be "Alien Autopsy" specials on TV and the whole topic of abduction was really big. The guy in the story is real and wrote a big about his supposed abduction and his story had mainstream attention at the time. I believe most consider it to be a hoax which is why there's so much ambiguity in the movie and people questioning his claims, since that's more or less how it played out. But that's not really my area of curiosity so I could be wrong. But yeah, the abduction scenes are loving nightmare inducing that I can still picture decades later (I saw it with friends in the theaters).
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Oct 5, 2017 23:11
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I enjoy Pumpkinhead but I think its badly flawed and its what makes it a decent film instead of a legendary franchise.
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Oct 5, 2017 23:47
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Day 5 report. This morning’s rewatch was Killer Klowns from Outer Space and I couldn’t be happier with my selection. I haven’t seen this in years and I have no idea why. I just love this film so much. There’s so much happening in it and its like there’s not one wasted scene where they don’t pull out a new gag or visual. It must have been a blast just coming up with the jokes and effects for this movie and I’m kind of shocked there’s never been a sequel or remake or anything. Not that I think there has to be. The movie remains a great stand alone watch and a fun way to kill 90 minutes. Definitely the most fun I’ve had in this marathon so far. 5 (11). The Void (2016)  A cop brings a bloody man he finds on the side of the road to his ex’s nearly abandoned ER just in time for Lovecraft to vomit all over the place. That was certainly something. I have this weird relationship with Lovecraftian horror. I THINK I like it. But I very often react to it as being too loose and chaotic and focused over sizzle than steak. But then I wonder, isn’t that what Lovecraftian horror is about? “Crawling Chaos?” Man loving with the other side and losing themselves to madness? So am I just saying I don’t like what its supposed to be? Is this like me saying that I like pizza but I’ve never had any pizza I really loved and I could do without the cheese? Maybe I should just accept I don’t like pizza? (This is a hypothetical and I of course love pizza, I’m not mad.) I love the Carpenter Apocalypse Trilogy and I enjoy the King stuff that clearly is influenced by Lovecraft, but maybe I’m just a fan of those people and their interpretations? I read some Lovecraft and people like Chambers when I was young and remember enjoying it, but don’t have much memory or impression beyond that. Its entirely possible I decided I loved Lovecraft when I was young because I was convinced I was supposed to. I think I’m going to read a little this month and maybe check out some Stuart Gordon films since he seems to be the go to movie guy for this stuff. I recall enjoying his Masters of Horror episodes and Re-Animator, but not loving them. Dagon and From Beyond are both on my long lists for this month so I guess I’ll make a point of checking them out. Ok, back to the Void. I don’t really know what I think about this. Once again I wasn’t bored or anything so I can’t call it a bad film. And I don’t have the kind of criticisms or defenses I had for Ghost Dimension or The Boy. But I never really knew what to make of this and I felt like my feet never really got settled into it. Which again.. maybe that’s the point? I definitely think this movie captured what I understand to be “Lovecraftian.” And it was well made and executed unlike a lot of other Lovecraft stuff I’ve seen over the years. But I just spent the entire film feeling as lost as the characters in it. Its not that I couldn’t follow the plot. Its just… you know when you’re watching something and get distracted and then realize you don’t quite know where you’re at with the story? This was like that except I was paying complete attention. But again… maybe that’s the point? I'm falling behind so I'm gonna have to hunker down and do a couple of marathons on unique years the next few nights. Playoff baseball has messed with this. October Tally - New (Total) - (1). V/H/S (2012) / - (2). V/H/S/2 (2013) / 1 (3). Let Us Prey (2014) / - (4). The Crazies (2010) / 2 (5). The Boy (2016) / 3 (6). Beyond the Gates (2016) / - (7). Child’s Play (1988) / - (8). Jennifer’s Body (2009) / 4 (9). Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension (2015) / - (10). Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988) / 5 (11). The Void (2016)
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Oct 6, 2017 18:05
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LORD OF BOOTY posted:The Void felt like it began life as a PS1-era survival horror game before becoming a movie. It had a very Resident Evil 2 feel to it. Hmm.. that kind of makes sense to me. It was like "wait, why is there a monster in that room? Is it just to give me a challenge to pass?" The Void sometimes felt less like a story and more like a set of trials or as you put it a video game.
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Oct 6, 2017 18:39
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I love all three of The Thing, Prince of Darkness, and Mouth of Madness. But then when I don't enjoy other Lovecraftian stuff I have to wonder if I'm a fan of "Lovecraft" or just John Carpenter (I'm absolutely a fan of Carpenter beyond these movies). Same with I like King "Lovecraftian" work like The Mist or It or Desperation (sorta, the book, not so much the movie). But then am I a fan of "Lovecraft" or King (because again, I AM a King fan beyond the Lovecraftian stuff). So reading some actual Lovecraft and watching some Gordon with a critical idea and a clear idea of what I'm looking for seems like the way to get my answer. If I enjoy them then I'm probably a Lovecraft fan and just have had mixed experiences with adaptions. If I don't then it might be reasonable for me to say I'm just not a big "Lovecraftian" horror guy.
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Oct 6, 2017 18:56
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Yeah, its one I've meant to watch forever and signed up for Shudder and its available, so I'm definitely watching that. Dagon is more of a "maybe" since I have to rent it but I probably will. And it gives me a year I need.
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Oct 6, 2017 19:00
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I picked up Stone Tape on DVD a couple of years ago when it was being talked up in these threads and never got around to it. So I'll definitely move that up on the short list too. I was thinking I should watch Ghost Watch first since I've been led to believe they're thematic/crew sequel sort of things.
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Oct 6, 2017 19:22
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Hollismason posted:I could have sworn Dagon was streaming on Shudder. Not as far as I can tell but I'm having a real hard time navigating Shudder and getting used to its interface. I can't seem to find a way to browse for stuff in a useful way. Its all weird groupings based on some odd idea or searching for a specific title. But like Amazon tells me that The Crazies is available in Shudder but I can't find it with a search. So I'm kind of lost.
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Oct 6, 2017 19:48
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I had an awesome Yahoo Streaming Guide app on my old phone that was able to search all my apps and the streaming services, send me straight to them, and give me alerts if something showed up. But that phone died a few weeks ago, I hosed up the backup, and I can't find it in the Google Play Store anymore to get it on my new phone. That looks pretty similar so I'll give it a go. Thanks.
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Oct 6, 2017 20:38
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Ok, this one might ruffle some feathers. 6 (12). Nightbreed: The Director’s Cut (1990)  A man who dreams about monsters and murder gets told by his creepy shrink that he’s a serial killer and he just goes with it and decides to go seek out the Monster Mash leading to a not nearly as clever as I suspect Clive Barker thinks it is world of gods, lost tribes, and killers in a pretty questionable bigotry allegory. I’m calling this my first official dud of the season. In the past iffy entries I’ve always justified them as saying “I wasn’t bored and I stay engaged.” Well in this case about an hour in I knew I was in trouble and started to get real antsy, half an hour later I actually took a short walk for an intermission, and with about 15 minutes left I had to rewind because I had dozed off. If I didn’t really want to do that 31 years thing I would have ditched this one, probably. If a movie ever didn’t really need an extended cut, this might have been it. I don’t want to harp. Clive Barker’s never really been my thing aside from Hellraiser, and even there I could see what he REALLY liked that I wasn’t as excited for. This whole thing really feels like him going off the reservation with some “opus” dark fairy tale he really thought was going to be something special and just didn’t work. For me at least. It has cult classic status which I why I was up for it. And I guess I get why since this macabre monster fantasy thing probably has an audience. Hell, I could have been in that audience. But it didn’t work for me and just felt like Barker was reading some kind of fantasy story and decided “but what if it were monsters instead of elves?” Which I’m sure there’s an audience for but its not me. The costume/fx/puppet/animation work also just isn’t that striking. I mean, I’m not going to hold it against it for not aging well after 30 years, but obviously there were entire scenes that were just meant to showcase a LOT of work put into that stuff to create monsters and I think its just too much. Instead of introducing a handful of cool characters or monsters or effects and really letting us connect Barker just strings together 20 at a time and they all kind of fall flat. Hellraiser’s effects work so well in large part because of how much focus and time they get and we really appreciate them. The kid scene early(ish) on and the other patient are the most effective since we have a small chance to really experience them and get to know the characters. But even then there’s all kinds of timelapse issues that make me wonder why the characters are doing what they’re doing or as familiar with things as they seem to be because they’re really not developed that much at all. I get why its a cult classic though because this is obviously the sort of thing like Star Wars that opens up all kinds of worlds to be curious about the characters and their tribes and people can really lose themselves in their imaginations. I can totally see books or cards or toys of all the different monsters and fans reading up on what powers they have and the histories of their tribes and etc, etc, etc. The movie just doesn’t do a good job with any of that because its too focused on a really lame serial killer plot and romance. Oh, also I loving hated the sound mixing. That’s the sort of complaint I almost never make or even really notice but in this case it made the movie drat near unwatchable. Everyone was talking in a low growl whisper and then there was this big striking orchestral soundtrack and big bangs and sudden screams that blow out my eardrums because I had the volume so loud to hear what the gently caress they were saying. I nearly quit until I hosed with the volume settings a ton and I still spent the whole movie playing with the volume button. I swear there were scenes where the background soundtrack was louder than the foreground dialogue. And there’s one morgue scene where for some reason the doctors sound like they’re talking through a fast food drive in microphone. I just wasn’t a fan. Now I have to decide if I still plan to watch Cronenberg’s Brood which is sitting on my shelf and I actually had confused with this movie. October Tally - New (Total) - (1). V/H/S (2012) / - (2). V/H/S/2 (2013) / 1 (3). Let Us Prey (2014) / - (4). The Crazies (2010) / 2 (5). The Boy (2016) / 3 (6). Beyond the Gates (2016) / - (7). Child’s Play (1988) / - (8). Jennifer’s Body (2009) / 4 (9). Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension (2015) / - (10). Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988) / 5 (11). The Void (2016) / 6 (12). Nightbreed: The Director’s Cut (1990) /
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Oct 7, 2017 17:42
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Day 7 cleansed the pallet with another favorite background rewatch in Grave Encounters. I’ve watched this a bunch the last few years and I admit its starting to lose some of its excitement the more I watch it. Its not a classic or anything. Its just a fun use of the found footage genre combined with a solid haunted house story. The effects are a little trite now but they hold up and the first act goes on a bit long, but I think its essential in establishing how full of poo poo the crew are making their fear when poo poo gets real so satisfying. I wouldn’t go so far as to say I root for the ghosts but there’s that one scene where TC gets pulled into the tub of blood and disappears and one of the characters laugh… and I wonder if he’s laughing because he’s been driven insane or because the guy was kind of a dick. It works. 7 (14). Grabbers (2012)  Monsters are on a remote Irish island and the only thing that can save the day is alcholism! That was a lot of fun. I thought the first act went a little long and I would liked to see a bit more action and monsters. The grabbers just kind of felt “there” and never really hit with me. I also think the movie didn’t quite hit the right balance of comedy and horror, but it was real close. None of this is to say I didn’t enjoy the film because I really did. Its the kind of Tremors like “light hearted” creature film that has a nice place in horror and you can really enjoy without all the darker elements of the genre. But I also don’t have a lot to say with it besides that Ruth Bradley is very pretty. 8 (15). Get Out (2017)  This Look Who's Coming To Dinner sketch on Key and Peele is really, really hosed up. I doubt there’s anything that I could say about his film that hasn’t been said. I really, really enjoyed it but as its a little less a horror film than a political satire (although obviously its a horror/slasher too) it didn’t hit the heights of my marathon that it would have if I had watched it at a different time of year. Still, its a really, really great film and a topical, different, obvious but still relevant take on a well tread area. And Peele does a good job kind of letting you know what’s happening and not really trying to hide it, but distracting you just a little with some questions about what else you might be missing. Certainly while I thought I knew what was happening the whole time the true revelation still catches you totally off guard and makes up for any kind of “eh, I saw it coming” disappointment you might have. And really, right to the end it had me saying “Ohhhh!” with the revelations of Grandma and Grandpa, especially that running/Jesse Owens foreshadowing that was very well done. That and that ending felt so, so heavy headed headed in one direction and I’m glad it chose to go the other way. Not that I would have criticized it if it had kept up the commentary of Chris getting shot by the cops when they found him but its not something that I think NEEDED to be said and I was happy to get a happy ending. Its tough. When you know you’re watching a first time director, especially one as high profile as Peele, you probably end up grading on a curve. I find myself constantly thinking of it in terms of “…for his first outing” and that seems like a disservice. There were a few things I thought were a little clumsy or off. Some of the early satire/reference/allegory stuff felt a little on the nose and a little too overt, and I left myself wondering how exactly Rose gets away with constantly dating people who go missing, but the answer to that one is probably “racism in police not caring about black people” which is probably fair but also a little tough to fully swallow at the sheer number of missing people connected to her. Certainly Rod seemed on point enough that he was going to keep making a stink and I’d like to believe that eventually SOMEONE would have taken him even half seriously, looked into Rose, and then a real investigation unravels. But I digress. There were some things I can nitpick with but it was a good movie… for a first time director or an experienced vet. On the other hand the flip side of “first time director” is that its about wondering about their future in the genre and I’m pleased to see Peele appearing in a horror film and I hope he feels inspired to work behind the camera for the genre again. Oh, and Alison Williams really does a great job in her role. Going from the seeming loving girlfriend to the psycho bitch she ends up as in the end was really well done and believable. I spent most of the movie wondering where Rose fit into everything. I assumed she was a honey pot but she was giving a strong enough sell (to us and Chris) that it had me wondering if she could be in the dark or if she could be brainwashed herself or even if maybe she loved this one. I knew she was PROBABLY an evil fucker but the transformation into the tightly wound, frigid, totally different character was well done. That whole weird cereal scene and that cold, evil smile she gave Chris as he choked her. It turned her into the villain the movie was largely lacking. That would probably be my other criticism of the movie. I just think it maybe suffered a little from not having a focused villain. I mean, I get the bigger picture of it all of the villains not only being the crazy mind swapping conspirators but also the whole "white moderate" casual racism thing as well and clearly Peele worked to lay out some stand in villains with the brother, the mother, and finally Rose. But it probably would have been a more impactful end if there had really been that villain to vanquish. Although, again, I think Williams did a good job of slipping into that role at the last minute and it seemed clear to me that Peele knew he didn’t quite have it and had those stand ins. Might try and fit in another tonight. Thinking maybe Society since people were talking about. 15 movies so I’m nearly half way to 31 in total. 8 new so I’m a little ahead of pace on the goal of 31 new movies but I’d like to focus and get some distance there. I’m behind pace on “31 Years” as I only have 6 since I watched a bunch of 2016 movies. I think I’m going to have to focus on watching unique years for a few days so I can catch up and create a little distance. It can build up anticipation for the movies I want to watch but would be double years or pre-87 as I can put them off until later in the month and maybe that will help keep my interest going as opposed to front loading all my most anticipated films into the start of the month and then losing interest late with secondary films.  October Tally - New (Total) - (1). V/H/S (2012) / - (2). V/H/S/2 (2013) / 1 (3). Let Us Prey (2014) / - (4). The Crazies (2010) / 2 (5). The Boy (2016) / 3 (6). Beyond the Gates (2016) / - (7). Child’s Play (1988) / - (8). Jennifer’s Body (2009) / 4 (9). Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension (2015) / - (10). Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988) / 5 (11). The Void (2016) / 6 (12). Nightbreed: The Director’s Cut (1990) / - (13). Grave Encounters (2011) / 7 (14). Grabbers (2012) / 8 (15). Get Out (2017) /
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Oct 8, 2017 06:11
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I'm genuinely uncertain if that gif is of a scene where a horrified woman attempts (poorly) to escape a snake or of a woman having a date night with a snake.
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Oct 8, 2017 18:59
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9 (16). Society (1992) A teenager thinks there’s something wrong with his preppy, rich, 80s Beverly Hills community and that there’s some darker secret going on. Also he thinks his sister is banging his parents. That one was weird. I had never heard of it until this thread but it gave me a 90s year I needed so I decided to go with it. Body horror isn’t totally my thing (which might factor into my conflicted feelings about Lovecraftian horror). Its not that I have a problem with it, but it doesn’t do a lot for me on its own. This movie was really odd in that the first hour feels like a 80s teen comedy but without the laughs. Like Billy running for class president only for the 80s bully to fake killing his opponent to make Billy look crazy is like some 80s comedy prank gone horribly wrong. I suppose that was probably the point. To lampoon that sort of movie with a much darker paranoia undercutting it. But it felt very odd since they really didn’t go deep into it until the third act so it felt like it was really dancing oddly on the satire line. If that whole hour+ had maybe just been shortened a bit before the audience really got something horrorish maybe it would have worked some more. That ending though. Like I said, body horror on its own doesn’t do a lot for me, but that was certainly a bizarre show. I don’t even know how i feel about those last 20 minutes. But I was watching and… entertained? Amused? Intrigued? I don’t know, but I was paying more attention than I would have liked to be. Big baseball day so I'm gonna have to try and squeeze a movie in before bed. I've been losing a little sleep with this thing. October Tally - New (Total) - (1). V/H/S (2012) / - (2). V/H/S/2 (2013) / 1 (3). Let Us Prey (2014) / - (4). The Crazies (2010) / 2 (5). The Boy (2016) / 3 (6). Beyond the Gates (2016) / - (7). Child’s Play (1988) / - (8). Jennifer’s Body (2009) / 4 (9). Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension (2015) / - (10). Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988) / 5 (11). The Void (2016) / 6 (12). Nightbreed: The Director’s Cut (1990) / - (13). Grave Encounters (2011) / 7 (14). Grabbers (2012) / 8 (15). Get Out (2017) / 9 (16). Society (1989) /
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Oct 9, 2017 18:21
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Yeah, the Visit works because you go the entire movie expecting a trademarked really ridiculous M. Night twist to ruin a successfully suspenseful movie and then when the twist comes it actually surprises you by making sense and being muted. Night's always been able to tell a good little story and he just loses control when he tries to make it something bigger. He resists that urge in Visit. Devil was ok too. I'm mildly curious to watch Split and see if M. Night has found his groove as a mid level horror director.
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Oct 9, 2017 20:16
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| # ¿ May 18, 2024 20:35 |
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Yeah, it seems theoretically like he just got too invested in the hype and expectations of Sixth Sense and felt like every movie needed some mind blowing twist that he just couldn't deliver. If he's far enough removed from the hype and expectations then hopefully that frees him up to just tell the stories he wants at the pace he wants without feeling he NEEDS to do anything. I was really interested in the Tales From the Crypt revival from him and disappointed that it fizzled out. I could definitely see him doing well with that since he obviously has lots of story ideas and a light hearted anthology like that gives you a great outlet to try a lot out. If it sucks or is too crazy it was just a short production and there's a new story a week away. Although from what I could tell the whole hold up on it seemed to be legal rights which really made me wonder why he doesn't just come up with a new name and host character and do everything else the same. He should go talk to SyFy about Julian Slink. STAC Goat fucked around with this message at 20:35 on Oct 9, 2017 |
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Oct 9, 2017 20:31
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