OCTOBER HORROR CHALLENGE: The Final Chapter ... (aka Demons 3)

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > Cinema Discusso > OCTOBER HORROR CHALLENGE: The Final Chapter ... (aka Demons 3)

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SMP: May 5, 2009

This will be my fifth year doing this, and second actually participating in the thread. I'm in hell yeah. Still sorting out my list for the month, but my Letterboxd list is here.

e: Since this challenge started on 09/14 I'll include some horror movies I've watched ahead of what I'd normally consider my October challenge.

1. Mandy - 4.5/5

quote:

loving WILD movie, but despite the insanity it's surprisingly straightforward. I was hoping for something a little more subversive or out there, because revenge movies aren't typically my thing. That being said, the 70s scifi book cover aesthetic more than makes up for it.

My biggest disappointment is that the Cenobite bikers didn't have a larger role, because they're insanely cool. Bill Duke leaning in with that "...and they loving love it" line was so god drat good.

2. Thelma - 4/5

quote:

Both darker and sweeter than you expect it to be, I really enjoyed this. Strong performances all around and a beautiful score. I'm a bit iffy on the use of flashbacks, and the imagery was a bit on the nose�oh ho, a murder of crows��but it's an otherwise great movie. I was worried that it'd just be Norwegian Carrie, but it's much more than that (though the comparison is fair).

SMP fucked around with this message at 01:12 on Sep 18, 2018

# ¿ Sep 18, 2018 01:04

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# ¿ May 17, 2024 12:11

SMP: May 5, 2009

Wasn't sure whether to count this one, as it strays fairly close to horror at times, but never quuuiiiiite makes that leap. It's got that foreboding atmosphere though, and hey, it's on Shudder.

3. The Midnight Swim - 3.5/5

quote:

I'm a bit disappointed by the inclusion of the horror-adjacent mystery plot. There's a pretty compelling drama here�and a bunch of fantastic performances�but it forces itself into detouring for a mystery that never really feels relevant. The mystery itself is well done, and on it's own would be interesting, but it never connects with the narrative themes. Nor did it feel like it had any kind of conclusion. Still well made, though.

I didn't expect it to be found footage, as it were, and I'm not sure it really needed that framing, but it was an interesting take nonetheless. The first found footage with someone in-universe who cares about lighting and blocking!

# ¿ Sep 18, 2018 02:57

SMP: May 5, 2009

Grave Encounters 2 was fantastic until Rickety Cricket showed up

# ¿ Sep 18, 2018 03:12

SMP: May 5, 2009

Forgot to mention, the staff pick for The Wind is a movie that isn't even out :v:

It just got picked up for a 2019 release

# ¿ Sep 18, 2018 14:59

SMP: May 5, 2009

Franchescanado posted:

FRAN CHALLENGE #1: Love Something You Hate
Pick a film that you have seen before that you hated, did not like or just didn't get. Rewatch it, and re-evaluate.

4. Halloween (1978) - 3/5 (Fran Challenge)

quote:

This is my third time watching this movie, and I just don't get it. I want to love it, I really do. I love Carpenter and the October/Halloween atmosphere, so on paper this should be perfect...but it just isn't.

Loomis is cool as poo poo though, and I love his investigation. The writing in his first scene is so sharp, it's probably the only part of the movie I love. My problem is that he paints a far different picture of Michael than the one we got. Michael...doesn't really do poo poo. He just stands menacingly for the first like hour-twenty. He's so boring. And when he starts killing, the only interesting part is the murder of Bob.

It's through a rather cold and calculative viewing experience that I've arrived at this ranking (three stars, up from two). I certainly see what there is to like, and it's incredibly well made, but it just does nothing for me. I give up. I'm done trying to make this work, but I'm keen to give some of the sequels (and Zombie's films) a go.

# ¿ Sep 20, 2018 02:28

SMP: May 5, 2009

SMP posted:

4. Halloween (1978) - 3/5 (Fran Challenge)

I immediately followed this up with...

5. Halloween II (1981) - 3.5/5

quote:

I liked this one! What's wrong with me? Everyone seems to dislike it, at best.

Michael is WAY more proactive and interesting. Dude walking through the glass door was stone cold. There's a bit of sadism in his kills this time around (compared to the first's mostly utilitarian murders) so I get why people might think it's a bit extra.

I really dug the hospital setting, and the timeframe being the immediate aftermath of the first film. Kind of odd and refreshing to see a movie start at the point where everyone recognizes the threat. Donald Pleasance kicks rear end. I was also very impressed by Curtis' hamstrung physical performance.

# ¿ Sep 20, 2018 04:14

SMP: May 5, 2009

6. The First Purge - 4.5/5

quote:

This movie fuckin rules. I've grown really sick of post-apoc media assuming wanton murder is a natural conclusion, so I was really pleased with how The First Purge subverted that. Seeing the community come together was so refreshing. Never let anyone tell you it's human nature to be greedy. The "satiric" depiction of the state is upsetting, given the reality of it, but it's a very cathartic movie. There's nothing quite like seeing fascists get gunned down and torn apart with some John WIck poo poo.

# ¿ Sep 21, 2018 01:51

SMP: May 5, 2009

7. Hell House LLC II: The Abbadon Hotel - 1.5/5

quote:

Massive overreach on a weak premise. Non-linear storytelling and flashbacks were such a huge mistake, it completely kills what little tension they actually had. I've never seen someone so proactively sabotage themselves as the filmmakers have with this editing.

8. House of 1000 Corpses - 4.5/5

quote:

Loses me a bit when it steps back from its incredibly charismatic main cast, but I loved this one otherwise. The perfect mix of trashy, campy, and horrific. It's funny to me that this movie has an infamous reputation for its gore, when 18 years later it doesn't even compare to the poo poo you see on cable TV.

# ¿ Sep 23, 2018 19:45

SMP: May 5, 2009

9. mother! - 3.5/5

quote:

A technically wonderful film with the perfect atmosphere and slow-burn horror, but really just a straight remake of Rosemary's Baby. The big setpiece is stunning...right up until Mother starts getting mauled by the crowd. At that point, the fantastical metaphor strayed a bit too close to reality. You flew too close to the sun, Arronofsky. You had it all with your stepped up Anchorman-cum-Children of Men sequence, then you lost me. There was no subtlety to the metaphor to begin with, so when the film sees the need to use graphic violence towards women as a cheap prop, it really just highlights how dumb Arronofsky thinks we are.

# ¿ Sep 24, 2018 21:43

SMP: May 5, 2009

10. The Devil's Rejects - 4.5/5

quote:

Sloppier than House of 1000 Corpses, but still kicks unbelievable amounts of rear end. I'm a bit sad Zombie traded the carnival funhouse look for gritty brown, but such is the 00s. Whatever issues I had with the plot are pretty much whatever, because the Rejects' charisma and chemistry is so perfect. There will never be a better use of Freebird �or Midnight Rider, for that matter�in any media.

I accidentally watched the first 15 minutes without the dialog track and assumed Zombie had just made some incredibly bold directorial decisions. I have to wonder how that experience might have gone, because honestly, it kinda worked.

# ¿ Sep 25, 2018 03:24

SMP: May 5, 2009

Don't make me rewatch What Lies Beneath just to complete a challenge

# ¿ Sep 26, 2018 14:18

SMP: May 5, 2009

11. The Hills Have Eyes (OG) - 1/5

quote:

Not for me. These hill people are so god drat boring.

Was hoping to get on a hillbilly horror kick after loving House of 1000 Corpses/Devil's Rejects so much, but this was a big swing and a miss for me. I need a bit more personality in my killers.

# ¿ Sep 27, 2018 02:19

SMP: May 5, 2009

Friends Are Evil posted:

12. A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night (2014). Directed by Ana Lily Amirpour.

I think there's some definite pacing problems, but I still love the concept. The idea of a skateboarding Iranian vampire killing terrible men is pretty much right up my alley. The punk vibes are great and it has really gorgeous black and white photography. Got a shocking amount of Jarmusch vibes from it. Curious to know what the rest of the Iranian ex-pat horror scene is like. Under The Shadow's also on my to-do list, but still.

Is The Bad Batch good?

As someone who loved A Girl Walks Home Alone, I really didn't like The Bad Batch. It's a bit too meandering and not much really happens. The great cast doesn't save it because they're conceptually way cooler than anything they actually do.

# ¿ Sep 27, 2018 13:31

SMP: May 5, 2009

12. 31 - 1.5/5

quote:

Did you know? You can save money on costly effects by shooting them in close up! The viewer's mind will fill in the blanks, and your gruesome scene could be even scarier! You can even trick your audience into thinking this is completely fine by shooting the entire loving movie in close-up!

There's a reason this was crowdfunded and not studio backed, it reads like a parody of his own work. Just the worst, cringiest dialogue and characters. You can really feel that $1.5 million budget, from the aforementioned camerawork to the parade of nondescript industrial rooms. It's like 25 minutes too long, too.

# ¿ Sep 28, 2018 03:54

SMP: May 5, 2009

13. Hold the Dark - 4/5

quote:

I fear Green Room set people's expectations poorly. This is a way more contemplative (for lack of a better term) movie. More along the lines of Saulnier's Blue Ruin or something by Taylor Sheridan, for better or worse. Harsh landscapes, shootouts, stoic men, and almost no women. The film has some dubious gender politics. Still, it's a very compelling mystery as long as you aren't sick of this kind of story. Arguably not a horror movie, but Alexander Skarsg�rd is a fantastic Michael Meyers.

SMP fucked around with this message at 04:05 on Sep 29, 2018

# ¿ Sep 29, 2018 04:01

SMP: May 5, 2009

14. Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum

quote:

Should have ended a minute or two earlier, but otherwise great. Obnoxiously over-animated IRL streamers desperate for views is a great premise, and was done convincingly. Having just watched Hell House LLC II wherein a streamer mugs the camera and says "yeet yah, eh?", I found the authenticity of Gonjiam refreshing. There's enough new gimmicks that come with the premise (and budget) that the long setup was itself enjoyable to watch. Overall a pretty fresh and scary FF movie, even if it wears its inspiration on its sleeve.

This one's kind of under the radar I think, the only place I've heard about it was a few posts in the main thread a while ago. It's a pretty drat good Korean FF movie. It's available through Hoopla.

# ¿ Sep 29, 2018 19:18

SMP: May 5, 2009

Franchescanado posted:

FRAN CHALLENGE #3: Hometown Horror

Lucked out on this one, because to my surprise there's a classic filmed here that I hadn't seen since I was very very young...

15. Beetlejuice - 4.5/5

quote:

What's not to love here? It's such a genuinely fun and funny movie. I particularly love all the rear end in a top hat bureaucrat ghosts. The sets are a treat, and any movie shot in New England�Vermont, no less�gets free points from me. I feel nostalgic for a place I haven't even left. Winona Ryder owns and I cannot believe that's Michael Keaton. Everyone responsible for this movie was really firing on all cylinders.

I was gonna swing by the town it was filmed in with all this nice autumn foliage, but it seems it's wasted away a bit since then.

# ¿ Sep 30, 2018 03:21

SMP: May 5, 2009

Bruteman posted:

Updating here with where I watched stuff:
1) Leviathan: The Story of Hellraiser Part 1 - Shudder

This any good? I googled it and it seems like there's an 11 hour version of this documentary that covers Hellraiser I and II.

# ¿ Sep 30, 2018 04:54

SMP: May 5, 2009

16. Re-Animator - 3.5/5

quote:

Love a good gooey movie. Nothing quite like a liberal application of blood. The crazy thing about this movie is that it kinda feels like a slow burn, but it's not at all. It's a fairly fast paced with plenty of blood and guts along the way, but the finale is just that wild in comparison.

# ¿ Sep 30, 2018 21:04

SMP: May 5, 2009

Franchescanado posted:

FRAN CHALLENGE #4: Worst of the Best or Best of The Worst

Watch a notoriously bad director's best movie.

17. The Lost Boys - 3.5/5 (HBOGo)

quote:

This is the most 80s poo poo I have ever seen, god drat, it's almost parody. The Lost Boys is mostly a corny teen version of Near Dark but it's good, campy fun. The biggest drag is probably Sam's b-plot, he's always cramping Michael's style, man, just be cool. It feels annoyingly realistic though. He's right at the age where in a years time, he'll go from being kid-lame to teen-lame like his older brother. Kiefer and the gang had a foot in each camp, but Edgar and Allen Frog...they're cool as hell.

All this to say: coolness is the only appropriate measure for this aesthetics-obsessed film.

# ¿ Oct 2, 2018 01:38

SMP: May 5, 2009

King Vidiot posted:

Wait wait, which one of those is it? I mean, it's your opinion and you're entitled to it but I really want to know if you think Joel Schumacher is terrible and it's his best film or if Schumacher is good but it's his worst film.

I mean I could see the former, but I don't think Schumacher's work is that bad.

I mean hot takes on his Batman movies aside, I've never heard a single positive thing about Schumacher besides The Lost Boys.

# ¿ Oct 2, 2018 02:07

SMP: May 5, 2009

Franchescanado posted:

FRAN CHALLENGE #2: Queer Horror

18. A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge - 3.5/5

quote:

Man this was...kinda sad, actually. The Freddy poo poo is toned way down compared to the first, so a lot of the movie is just this kid struggling with being closeted. When he's breaking down to the point of tears I just feel really bad for the guy. There is no gay subtext in this film, just text. It's maybe not the most competent of films, but it went in such an interesting direction that I can't help but be generous.

And now I'm all caught up on the challenges.

alansmithee posted:

1) Raw
It's a French film, and seems t fit in with the overall tone of the new wave of French horror from a few years ago that seemed to dry up. The movie starts off with Justine

I absolutely love Raw, so what other movies from this wave should I check out? It occurs to me I haven't seen many French horror movies. I assume Martyrs is one of them.

Spatulater bro! posted:

14. The Tenant (1976, Roman Polanski) Source: DVD (library)

This movie gripped me, shook me and absolutely floored me. As a director and writer Polanski is excellent at painting a picture of normalcy and then skewing it just enough to totally gently caress with me. He did it expertly in Repulsion and Rosemary's Baby and he does it even better here.

I described this to my wife as Repulsion meets Rosemary's Baby. I think that sums it up pretty well but still doesn't quite do it justice. It's actually a little better than those films, and I adore both of them. I loved this. It's top tier psychological horror and the best movie I've seen from Polanski.

I watched his apartment trilogy recently and cosign this. I wasn't big on Repulsion and mostly like Rosemary's Baby (save the ending), but ho boy The Tenant fuckin' got me. The bathroom window voyeurism is killer.

# ¿ Oct 2, 2018 04:16

SMP: May 5, 2009

Random Stranger posted:

Yeah, there's 0% chance that this wasn't shot to fulfill the director's fetish.

My pet theory is that this is the case for every horror movie.

19. Downrange - 3/5 (Shudder)

quote:

Bad acting, dialogue, and paper-thin characters, but that's just a given for low budget horror. Downrange's strength is its well executed simple plot. Guy snipes young adults on a lonesome road and that's it. No conspiracies, twists, or overwrought backstories. Just straight gun horror, a subject that feels surprisingly absent in the genre.

With the level of gun violence we face today, it seems like it'd lend itself to the genre more. Sure it's tasteless, but horror has never been one for taste, so why not? Torture porn exploded when the US suddenly had to reconcile its use of torture (a "reconciliation" that ended with a concerned shrug at best). There's really no holding back the genre at this point, so just make some horror movies about gun violence and be painfully blunt about it. Downrange isn't that movie, but it's a welcoming (or worrying) change of pace.

# ¿ Oct 2, 2018 21:22

SMP: May 5, 2009

Anyone have any recommendations for movies released/set in 1993? I've seen Body Bags and Cronos and don't particularly want to rewatch either.

# ¿ Oct 3, 2018 16:42

SMP: May 5, 2009

Thanks for the recs. Dark Waters seems like my poo poo

# ¿ Oct 3, 2018 17:35

SMP: May 5, 2009

20. Friday the 13th Part III - 1.5/5

quote:

The guy's handstand kill was pretty funny but it's an otherwise mind numbing experience. Why I continue watching these, I don't know. I guess I have a sick sense of obligation as a horror fan.

I will continue watching these until I physically can't take it anymore.

Franchescanado posted:

FRAN CHALLENGE #5: Birth of Horror
Watch a horror movie released in the year you were born.

21. Dark Waters (1993) - 4/5

quote:

Dario Argento's Dark Souls.

A hackneyed comparison but I was really feelin it here. Everyone in this film could have been lifted right from the Souls games' cast of weirdos. Always mumbling and acting like they're in on some joke the viewer isn't. Its all about the atmosphere with this one: oppressive, rainy, and medieval as all hell. There's an interesting mystery too, but the film is pretty lethargic about getting much into it. Clues are doled out almost as an afterthought, and then it kinda just lets loose at the end. Somehow, despite all that, there's a strong Lovecraftian payoff. Cults, candle light, Catholics, and catacombs. Hell yeah.

Great shout on this one FancyMike, it turned out to be extremely my poo poo.

# ¿ Oct 4, 2018 01:23

SMP: May 5, 2009

22. Scream 2 - 3/5

quote:

Two hours is way too long for a slasher film, which is also the main problem I had with the first film. I rated Scream pretty low because of it, but I enjoyed this one despite the length, so I should probably re-evaluate at some point. Still, it's hard to see the runtime as anything other than padding to give you time to "forget" the identity of the killer. It's about as ideal as a slasher can get, fun murders and a plot that's actually interesting, but it's all so long winded. It feels like it could benefit from a snappier pace, for humor's sake at least. Maybe I just missed the boat on seeing this at a time when it would be considered tense or scary.

# ¿ Oct 5, 2018 03:52

SMP: May 5, 2009

23. Return of the Living Dead - 5/5 (Amazon)

quote:

Maybe the funniest horror-comedy I've seen, but also the most horrifying zombie movie. Man what an incredibly tight first act, that intro sting is on par with Always Sunny's best. Amazingly, Return is actually punk as gently caress and doesn't just use the aesthetic as set dressing. Authority figures are bumbling morons terrified of their own higher ups, and always put their subordinates in the line of fire first.

This poo poo is Halloween canon, right alongside other classics like Night of the Demons and Trick r' Treat. Anytime two or more people are gathered in the month of October, they should be watching this (if not already watching another canonical film).

# ¿ Oct 6, 2018 03:57

SMP: May 5, 2009

Franchescanado posted:

FRAN CHALLENGE #6: Video Nasties
Watch a Video Nasty*

24. The Beyond (1981) - 2.5/5 (Shudder)

quote:

Is 'surrealistic' synonymous with 'inexplicable'? It's a pretty common label for this movie, but I'm not quite sure how it's applied here. I love a lot of movies with tenuous plots, but I'm struggling to get a sense of this movie's supposed surreality. The plot isn't any weirder than say, Prince of Darkness, nor are any of the supernatural shenanigans. Most of the abstraction seems to come from the cast. Characters come and go with no introduction or motivation, and form relationships with each other because...?

Horror movie plots and characters being utilitarian is par the course, but The Beyond is a level of not caring I've never seen before. The focus of the movie is so disjointed it feels like an anthology. None of the (admittedly cool) murders feel connected to anything at all. Add in the wraparound story about a clueless, privileged woman inheriting property that kills everyone that works for her, and you've got the anthology film wrapped. It's remarkably like Inferno in that regard.

That being said, all the deaths are cool as hell and I really dug just how grimy the entire thing is. There's some seriously disgusting textures layered all throughout this.

# ¿ Oct 7, 2018 03:45

SMP: May 5, 2009

25. The Noonday Witch - 3/5 (Shudder)

quote:

More drama than horror, to be honest. It's a good movie about processing grief, but the horror elements are few and far between. There's a lot of comparisons drawn to The Babadook, which is pretty fair in my opinion, but it doesn't go as far with it's central concept. It's a little disappointing because I was hoping a movie billing itself as "daytime horror" would have more of the latter. Most of the film does indeed take place during the daytime, and it looks gorgeous. The sweltering Czech countryside is a fresh setting for the genre. Complaints aside it was an enjoyable watch, just not the kind of movie it's billed as.

This one went pretty under the radar (just 173 logs on Letterboxd) and it's pretty good, so I'd recommend it sometime, just not for someone's October challenge.

# ¿ Oct 7, 2018 18:44

SMP: May 5, 2009

26. Unfriended: Dark Web - 3.5/5

quote:

haters will say it's fake 😂

Somehow less plausible than its supernatural predecessor, which is honestly an amazing feat. This movie is stupid as gently caress, but I don't care because it's having fun! I'm having fun. Give me a hundred more of these million dollar budget experiments. I genuinely love how different the experience is from watching a normal movie. There are times where the story is simultaneously unfolding through like four different apps, and it's a treat. It's exactly the kind of tactile realism I crave in found footage. That's just how people interact with the world now. I have fond memories of watching news break through livestreams and Twitter, all while chatting on Discord with friends and balancing like three different conversations. It's a chaotic mess, and a wonderful new way to piece together a story.

If you hated the first one, you'll hate this one more. If you liked the first one, then you're probably of the same mindset as me and will like this one as well.

# ¿ Oct 7, 2018 21:26

SMP: May 5, 2009

27. Insidious: The Last Key - 2/5 (MaxGO)

quote:

I'll ride or die for the first two movies, and I enjoyed the third, but it's time to stop. The Last Key barely feels like an Insidious movie, let alone a horror movie. Every franchise inevitably gets mired down by its own lore, and Insidious is no exception I guess. What a boring film. Lin Shaye is lovely and I still enjoy her sidekicks, but the deep dive into her backstory completely kills the pacing. It's frustrating, because what horror exists is generally done well. The demon is creepy and the jump scares are about as good as jump scares get, but it's spread so thin. I'm disappointed by the weak score as well, Bishara's work was always a highlight for me and it's far more generic this time around.

Hopefully now that the prequels have caught up to the first film it can move onto something new and different. Wipe the slate clean and get back to basics.

# ¿ Oct 8, 2018 17:58

SMP: May 5, 2009

I'm sick as hell so I guess I'm going to burn through my October list quickly.

28. Night of the Demon (1957) - 3.5/5

quote:

Yeah man that's a cool demon. All around tight movie but I'm ambivalent towards 50s horror, perhaps my most unwoke opinion.

29. Evil Dead II - 4.5/5 (Starz)

quote:

The Evil Dead series doesn't quite click with me like it does for most (miss me with all that tree rape), but I can't deny Evil Dead II kicks rear end. The movie jumps straight to full speed like five minutes in and never lets up, it should be the model for any movie that styles itself a bloodbath. There's little I could say that hasn't been said better already, but I'll just say the laughing room is maybe one of the best scenes in the entire genre. This movie is undiluted, beautiful, manic energy.

SMP fucked around with this message at 03:09 on Oct 10, 2018

# ¿ Oct 9, 2018 02:03

SMP: May 5, 2009

30. Blind Sun - 3.5/5 (Shudder)

quote:

Great movie, but Shudder has got to chill with these barely-a-horror-exclusives (though I'm glad they're giving these movies a wider release/platform). There's a wonderful sense of dread throughout the film�thanks to its Children of Men-lite setting�but the plays at being a paranoid thriller are never as interesting as the A-plot. The Kafkaesque nightmare of being a migrant in a resource starved country is horror enough.

Another obscure Shudder exclusive.

31. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors - 4/5

quote:

Real quick, two things that really bothered me:

1. Jesus Christ was that Freddy origin really necessary?
2. Jesus Christ that looks like Bill Maher. Horrifying.

Dream Warriors is dope though. It's clear the series is never going to be as raw as the original, so I might as well get with the spectacle of ~dream world~. Though the fire and brimstone is a bit much, at least New Nightmare makes more sense.

As other, more smarter people have written, the film has an unusually empathetic view of its own victims. For a genre known for its cynicism and cruelty�the slasher subgenre in particular�to find such a reading is just wonderful. I'm glad people can find more meaning in these films than just the usual reactionary subtexts.

Highly recommend the two Letterboxd reviews I linked there. Way more profound than any reading I could have came up with.

Well I hit 31. I probably shouldn't have cheated by starting my count in September, but I'll definitely hit 31 in October alone anyways.

SMP fucked around with this message at 04:28 on Oct 10, 2018

# ¿ Oct 10, 2018 03:08

SMP: May 5, 2009

CopywrightMMXI posted:

Most of the ghoul design was great, with the exception of the main villain. He looked way too cartoony, like something out of a kids fantasy movie.

That's his real face.

# ¿ Oct 11, 2018 04:35

SMP: May 5, 2009

32. Army of Darkness - 5/5

quote:

Evil Dead II : OK Computer :: Army of Darkness : Kid A

33. Pyewacket - 3/5

quote:

Not the most innovative of horror movies, but well executed. Strong performances and great atmosphere lock down what might otherwise be a bit forgettable. I'm a complete sucker for autumnal horror and the occult, so I was bound to like it. Props to the crew for making the titular spirit actually creepy.

# ¿ Oct 11, 2018 17:33

SMP: May 5, 2009

34. The Addiction (1995) - 4.5/5 (YouTube)

quote:

What a grimy fuckin movie, man. I love it. 90s NYC in black and white, hip hop, vampires, Christopher Walken. All vampire films should aspire to be this cool.

I probably shouldn't call it "cool" though, because it's an incredibly misanthropic film. It begins with a documentary about U.S. war crimes and just gets darker from there. Vampirism is the "realization" of how utterly evil we are, and the nihilism that immediately follows. It's not a particularly healthy worldview, but I have to sympathize. The film's philosophy definitely mirrors how I've felt at my angriest and most hopeless. Thankfully I've always found catharsis in identifying with the most depressing poo poo ever.

Great movie!

# ¿ Oct 12, 2018 02:56

SMP: May 5, 2009

35. The Apostle - 3.5/5 (Netflix)

quote:

A great horror movie hamstrung by trying to do too much. Evans tried to pull off a slow burn, but made what feels like two separate films: a paranoid thriller in the first hour, and his trademark lunatic bloodbath in the second. Both "films" are exceptionally done, but don't come together in a way that feels right for the pacing. Most of the plot setup in the first half is all but abandoned in the second, which feels a bit wasteful. It would benefit from being a much leaner movie. Everything he shot fuckin rules though, so I get why the movie is so extra. Tough decisions.

# ¿ Oct 14, 2018 02:26

SMP: May 5, 2009

I watched both of the Halloween "remakes" and loved them so much I ended up writing drat near essays. Now that's 5/6 of Rob Zombie's movies that are favorites of mine.

36. Halloween (2007) - 4/5

quote:

Update: I initially gave this 3.5 stars, but having now seen the sequel I have to revise. Rob Zombie's Halloween and Halloween II are inseparable. To judge one without the other is insane. My review for the second film is basically a review of both.
__________

The two hour runtime and some cringey lines hold it back from greatness, but I really liked it! It's an odd inversion of the '79 Halloween that could have only been made after thirty years and seven sequels. Zombie's take is decidedly not the same story about Laurie Strode. It's all about Michael Myers, and undoing decades of erosion from pop culture. The infamously bad sequels, parodies, and general commodification of yet another horror icon�RIP the Xenomorph�had stripped him of his intimidation. This remake clearly set out to bring the horror back, and it works! At least for me.

I never found him scary or interesting in the original, but I definitely did here. 6'8" Myers bursting through doors is fuckin scary, man. He's an absolute unit that will just roll right through you. Most people poo poo on this movie for spending an hour on his backstory, but I appreciated it. It's not much more than a basic serial killer origin, but it adds some degree of sympathy and menace to his character. At the very least, it makes you feel bad when he kills certain people.

One of my biggest complaints about the original is that Myers doesn't do poo poo. Well, he Does poo poo here. A whole lot of it. All of the murder in the first half sets appropriate stakes, and makes his still presence in the second actually feel ominous. This time, when the kids spy on street corners I actually feel something.

The downside to all this is that it makes Loomis' character redundant. His role in the original as Myers' hype man was excellent, but now we see all the psychopathy ourselves. His grave warnings aren't needed anymore, he's just a guy with a gun.

Anyway, this didn't need to be two hours long. There's some fat in the beginning and end you could trim. After Michael was downed in the pool I was like "that was great", and then saw there was twenty minutes left. The remaining time ended up being a tiring chase through the house that just felt repetitious. It finished strong though, with a fantastic ending I didn't quite expect.

All in all, Zombie's Halloween is far from a perfect "remake", but it has the right philosophy. Straight re-tellings are rarely worth it, but a new perspective will always been interesting.

37. Halloween II (2009) - 5/5

quote:

Y E S. This is the best god drat slasher I think I'll ever see, and one of my new horror favorites. The Rob Zombie Halloween films are the first slashers I've ever appreciated for their genuine horror, and not just for their novelty. Maybe it's just the more relatable modern aesthetic, but the sheer brutality and relentlessness actually got to me. Shooting on 16mm was a fantastic choice too.

Whereas the first movie was entirely Michael's, this one is entirely Laurie's, and that's important because the two movies are inseparable. This poo poo is the first slasher epic, you gotta watch both back-to-back for the full experience. It's not just that Halloween II is a good sequel, it's that without it, you're only getting half the story. At the end of the first movie, Laurie pulls the trigger and the credits roll, but Michael's terror never ends.

I lauded the original 1981 sequel for touching on the trauma angle, but Zombie's version really takes that concept and runs with it. For all its trashiness, Halloween II is one of the most empathetic horror movies I've ever seen. Most of the movie is about Laurie coping with PTSD and trying to find normalcy again. The scenes of her domestic life are especially painful, because you can tell her new family cares for her so much and actually wants to help. I feel so bad for Laurie in a way I almost never do in horror movies. That extends to most other characters in the film too, all these deaths actually have weight.

It's a heartbreaking movie from the first frame to the last, and just like its prequel, II has a brilliant ending of its own. I'm honestly glad there will never be a third film, because it's about as perfect an ending you can get for a slasher franchise.

This is going to sound insane, but I'm honestly reminded a lot of another dear favorite of mine: Hereditary. The director, Ari Aster, gave an interview after its release and said something that's stuck with me ever since:

VAGUE SPOILERS ABOUT THE NATURE OF THE ENDINGS TO HEREDITARY AND HALLOWEEN II BELOW
__________

"I wanted to make a film about grief and trauma. I wanted to make a film that was honest about those things. I feel like there�s a trend of American domestic dramas and tragedies where a family suffers a loss, things get hairy for a while, it gets tumultuous, and communication breaks down� but ultimately, the bonds are strengthened, and everything�s going to be okay. People have been brought together by the experience� And there�s nothing inherently false about that idea, but it�s not always the case. Some people don�t recover."

Zombie's Halloween isn't just about bodycount and thrills�despite being great at both�it's about genuine tragedy. To be a truly great horror movie, there has to be genuine care for the victims. You can have fun with the movies that fake it, but the films that don't are in a league of their own.

SMP fucked around with this message at 03:02 on Oct 15, 2018

# ¿ Oct 15, 2018 01:39

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# ¿ May 17, 2024 12:11

SMP: May 5, 2009

Franchescanado posted:

FRAN CHALLENGE #7: The World Is A Scary Place

38. Audition

quote:

I love a slow burn, but an hour thirty with almost no horror or tension at all is asking a bit much. This is just a drama about an old dude's casting couch fantasy going wrong, until the hard right turn at the end. There's a twisted sense of fun in the end that unfortunately isn't found anywhere else in the movie. Disappointing.

# ¿ Oct 16, 2018 00:04

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > Cinema Discusso > OCTOBER HORROR CHALLENGE: The Final Chapter ... (aka Demons 3)

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