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All right, I'm getting a real late start on my reviews but I have watched 13 so far. 1. All Hallows' Eve (2013) (Amazon Prime)    "Who makes this poo poo? Why am I watching it?" - Sarah Hands down the worst movie I watched for the fall challenge this past year was Terrifier, and I'm not sure what I expected out of the director's earlier effort. All Hallows' Eve kicks off with two kids and their babysitter finding a VHS tape in their Halloween candy stash. Unfortunately for them it's not Super Hornio Brothers, but three clips of women being harassed (mainly) by the mute killer Art the Clown. Of the three clips on the tape two are the director's previous short films and a new middle segment made for this movie. The first clip has Art kidnapping women for Satan for some reason. In both this and Terrifier I liked the short sequences where Art is more of a gross annoying clown as opposed to where he's mutilating people. The second sequence features an alien chasing and harassing a woman for some reason. I almost stopped watching at this point but I like to finish what I started. The only connection to the rest of the segments is a painting of Art. The third and final sequence is the short film Terrifier and contains a lot of the same beats (including Art making GBS threads all over a bathroom and shooting someone with a gun). There is a progression of the effects work in this segment, but the misogyny is ramped up to a ludicrous degree, culminating in an ending straight out of an Edward Lee novel. After watching the tape, predictably it can't be turned off! And of course Art the clown comes out of the tape and murders the kids and presumably the babysitter. 1/5 2. Slither (2006) - Re-watch (DVD)    "It's obvious the bastard's got Lyme disease!" - Jack MacReady I haven't watched Slither in about 12 years so I was glad to see it mostly held up, beyond some wonky effects. There are some very enjoyable performances here from Michael Rooker, Nathan Fillion and Gregg Henry, who always seems to play the most lovable douchebags. There's plenty of gross body horror here, which makes sense from a director who got his start with Troma. I don't have much else to say about Slither, but will probably watch it again at some point. 3/5 3. Child's Play (1988) - Re-watch (Amazon Prime)    "This is the end, friend!" - Andy Barclay Of all the horror movies to come out during my childhood (I was born in 1983) this was by far the one that gave me the most nightmares. One of my older cousins had this movie on when I was 6 or so and it caused a lifelong irrational fear of living dolls. Strangely though I had no trouble watching the Puppet Master movies. But it wasn't until a few years ago I was able to bring myself to actually watch the full movie and since then I've seen the entire series and consider it one of the stronger franchises. Brad Dourif is great as Charles Lee Ray and the voice of Chucky, and I appreciate that he's a killer that happened to learn Voodoo along the way. Alex Vincent does a good job as Andy as well, considering his age. Overall this movie holds up, and the battery scene is still a great reveal. I'm just very glad I never saw the end sequence as a child, because burned up melted Chucky would probably have deepened my fears. 4/5
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May 28, 2019 03:39
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12. It (2017): I missed this when it came out, but it’s quite good. The child actors were shockingly good and Bill Skarsgard was great as Pennywise. The characters feel real, which is a credit to King’s novel as well as the film script. It’s a bit incoherent early on as each of the kids is having their first encounter with It, but it eventually ties together. Overall just a very solid coming of age horror film. Excited for Chapter Two this fall.
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May 28, 2019 04:19
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 22. Tetsuo, the Iron Man (1989) (Shudder) A weird-rear end movie about a man who is cursed by a metal fetishist and transforms into an abomination of flesh and metal. It has a bit of an Eraserhead vibe to it, mixed with lots of body horror. Really striking effects and makeup. It's in black and white and the version on Shudder at least kind of looks like poo poo, maybe just because it was shot on 16mm and that's how it looks or maybe it's just a bad transfer, I dunno. I found a lot of the climax hard to follow because of this, I just couldn't tell what was going on during the fight scenes. The whole film has a very grimy and industrial feel to it. Many scenes use a sort of stop-motion effect that looks cool but also made it visually kind of confusing I think. Overall a very cool film that I highly recommend if you like body horror stuff and/or more experimental/surreal horror films. It's also pretty short (64 minutes) so it's a good watch for when you don't have time to commit to a longer film. Total: 22 Watched: Hagazussa | Deep Rising | Thoroughbreds | Wolf Guy | The Old Dark House | The House that Dripped Blood | Phenomena | Brain Damage | Demons | Demons 2 | Wolfcop | Suddenly in the Dark | Pieces | Candyman | Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh | Ganja & Hess | Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror | The Killing of a Sacred Deer | Saint Bernard | The Perfection | Spring | Tetsuo, the Iron Man
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May 28, 2019 14:50
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 Psycho III(HBO) I find it kinda odd that Psycho isn't more highly thought of as a series instead of just this one towering iconic film, but I guess the original really does cast that large a shadow. Still, I've really enjoyed Psycho II and III quite a bit, much moreso than their almost non-existent reputation(it seems like these movies are totally forgotten) would've led me to expect. The more important element of that is obviously Perkins, his presence in all three films is the key to making them feel like a real series and not just shameless cash-ins. His performances in both sequels are legit, I guess Perkins was old school like that, he didn't phone it in. That said, I do think Psycho III is a step back from Psycho II and unfortunately some of that is due to Perkins taking the director's chair. It's not as if Psycho II exactly has Kubrick behind the camera but this film has less style to it, Perkins feels like he's learning the craft and still not confident enough to put his own stamp on things visually. It's very workmanlike compared to Psycho II, which had more atmosphere. From what I understand, Perkins found out that he was ill while filming Psycho IV and then passed away not long afterwards, so I'm not 100% sure I want to watch that but I'll read up on it some more before I decide.  The Perfection(Netflix) Jumping on the bandwagon here, seems that a lot of people watched The Perfection this month. The word around here was "go in blind if you can", so I thought the smart move would be to watch it ASAP to avoid spoilers. Definitely glad I did, and you should to. This is a twisting and turning thriller that does an excellent job of sticking to the genre conventions but yet always going just enough off the beaten path to be surprising. There were a few times where I thought the plot twists were handled a bit awkwardly in their presentation but I still enjoyed them well enough and the movie had me guessing right up to the end. Others are correct that it's hard to say any more without potentially spoiling some of the surprises(it's so hard to talk about horror plots with genre savvy people without spoiling them)so if you're into thrillers with twisted and hosed-up happenings, check this one out. 4 movies to watch, 4 days left to go. Easy. WATCHED: 1. Evil Bong 2. Let's Scare Jessica to Death 3. Mom and Dad 4. Train to Busan 5. Full Moon High 6. Elvira: Mistress of the Dark 7. It's Alive 8. King Cohen 9. Angel Heart 10. Forbidden World 11. Terrorvision 12. Noroi: The Curse 13. The Nest 14. Bad Taste 15. Errementari: The Blacksmith and the Devil 16. Amsterdamned 17. What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? 18. Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II 19. Evil Bong 2: Devil's Harvest 20. Psycho III 21. The Perfection Basebf555 fucked around with this message at 15:20 on May 28, 2019 |
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May 28, 2019 15:18
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Repulsion dir Roman Polanski | 1965 #14 on Slant's Top 100 Horror  One of the more nuanced, paranoid explorations of agoraphobia, or really androphobia, that I've seen. There's a weird level of detachment in each of Polanski's films I've seen. It oddly feels like watching a great film by a sociopath. He seems to understand fear, trauma, paranoia and mental illness, but he never empathizes with anyone on the screen. In a way, it's effective, as it allows us to feel the emotional isolation and emotional numbness of Carole. Personally, it makes Polanski's films difficult for me to find a connection with. For a different filmmaker, I would be excited by a film that requires multiple viewings just to suss out the details, but for Polanski, I don't feel so compelled. I did love the tracking shots, which created a weird sense of following Carole when she clearly wants to be invisible. Gilbert Taylor's cinematography is wonderful here, especially when the film becomes nightmarish. Of course, Catherine Deneuve is great. In some ways, I wish that Carole could have been more extroverted in her torment. While she succeeds in portraying Carole as disturbed, shell-shocked, I have seen her capable of great emotional range. The film allows such flourish with it's dreamy special effects--hands stretched out from shadows and walls, figures standing in the corner, walls crumbling under the weight of fear--and I was hoping that I would be more disturbed by Carole's breakdown. Really, I just feel sorry for the girl. Recommended for fans of subtle-slow burns and psychological creepiness. The Tenant dir. Roman Polanski | 1974 | available on Kanopy #36 on Slant's Top 100 Horror What was I expecting here? Maybe Rosemary's Baby by way of The 'Burbs? I don't know. I wasn't expecting Polanski's Kafkaesque take on Bergman's Persona* with a Hitchcockian lens.  There's plenty to digest here. This is a film where, by it's conclusion, 'reality' is an intangible idea. It's one of the few films where the simple assumption 'Oh, the protagonist is insane,' is not conducive to understanding what exactly is going on here. I was distracted by Roman Polanski throughout the film. Why has he decided to make himself his lead character? I've seen people discuss this as his most personal film--moreso than The Pianist--but I think that's a disturbing idea, if true. It has all of Polanski's trademarks--a shifting reality, questionable identity, paranoia (which is present every second of screen-time), interesting female characters, a central mystery that remains unspoken--and continues his bizarre detachment from the characters he is exploring. There's a bitter, dark sense of humor throughout this film, especially with dealing in the absurdity of the situation. Honestly, I found this film off-putting. It's elliptical nature makes rewatching it appetizing and maddening. However, I do think this is one of the best cinematic representations of a Kafkaesque story, a term which gets thrown around much too loosely. And the sense of humor, and sense of unease through-out do make this interesting. Of course Isabelle Adjani steals the show. Recommended for fans of slow-burn psychological paranoia, Kafkaesque stories, or an unconventional haunted house story. *fun fact, Sven Nykvist was the cinematographer for both The Tenant and Persona. Halloween II dir. Rob Zombie | 2009 | Showtime #63 on Slant's Top 100 Horror I really liked this.  Brad Dourif and Danielle Harris elevate this above it's predecessor. Unironically, one of my favorite moments is Harris cajoling Dourif's unhealthy eating habits when he suggests he's gonna get a big doughnut for breakfast, and his happy resignation at his diet and frustrating his daughter. I think concentrating on survivor's guilt, trauma, abuse, and the pain of healing are all very excellent. It's ironic, because I don't really like RZ's first Halloween trying to paint Michael as a muscled pro-wrestler Jeffrey Dahmer. And yet, I loved pretty much everything going on in this film. If I ever have a chance to talk with Rob Zombie, I would ask him to elaborate on Halloween 2. The elements that make this film most fascinating--Laurie and Annie's PTSD and healing together as frenemies, Sheriff Brackett's helplessness as the father of a trauma survivor, the white horse, ghostly Mrs. Meyers, Loomis's career as a pop-psych fraud--are not in any way specific to Halloween. They are not exclusive to this story or franchise. (The Loomis character would garner plenty of comparisons to Sam Loomis, of course, but I don't think anyone would vilify Zombie for that choice, had it been an original character.) How much of this film was floating around in his head before he was coerced into making his own Halloween 2? Was this a different slasher before Michael came back? Or was this always a Halloween film in his mind? Recommended for fans of post-modern slashers looking for some disturbing realism and exploration of PTSD. Total: 9 New: The Vanishing, Inside, Trouble Every Day, Repulsion, The Tenant, Rob Zombie's Halloween II Rewatch: Final Destination 1-3 Franchescanado fucked around with this message at 15:33 on Jun 1, 2019 |
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May 28, 2019 15:30
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Franchescanado posted:Repulsion that's one of my favorite shots in a film filled with really good shots
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May 28, 2019 15:34
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gey muckle mowser posted:that's one of my favorite shots in a film filled with really good shots It's probably the most impressive work I've seen DP'd by Gilbert Taylor. He worked with Polanski again immediately after, with Cul-de-sac , which doesn't get discussed as much as other early Polanski work. Also, for anyone curious, I am very aware of Polanski's crimes. I wanted to watch these movies on their own terms, as hundreds of people were involved in their making. It's difficult to do so with a director like Polanski, who puts a lot of disturbing ideas in his films, but these are considered classics, and I wanted to give them a fair chance.
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May 28, 2019 15:42
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I don't think anyone's going to judge you for watching Roman Polanski films, or films by any other monstrous director (unless you go see Nazi Puppet Master in theaters or something). It's just that some of us would find it difficult to engage with these movies without being at the least distracted by the looming shadow of the director's crimes. That is a completely personal thing and it's honestly values-neutral.
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May 28, 2019 15:54
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Lurdiak posted:I don't think anyone's going to judge you for watching Roman Polanski films, or films by any other monstrous director (unless you go see Nazi Puppet Master in theaters or something). It's just that some of us would find it difficult to engage with these movies without being at the least distracted by the looming shadow of the director's crimes. That is a completely personal thing and it's honestly values-neutral. That's what's been interesting about these two movies. It's hard to watch these films and ignore his crimes, because they are thematically so relevant to the crimes he would commit. It's been said before, but the writer and director of Repulsion committing sexual assault is insane. The writer, director and star of The Tenant committing a crime that ruins a person's identity and their grip on reality and their trust in the people around them IS INSANE.
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May 28, 2019 16:07
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Franchescanado posted:That's what's been interesting about these two movies. It's hard to watch these films and ignore his crimes, because they are thematically so relevant to the crimes he would commit. Committing a crime that is almost exactly what the actual devil did in a movie you wrote and directed is uh, well.
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May 28, 2019 16:09
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Lurdiak posted:Committing a crime that is almost exactly what the actual devil did in a movie you wrote and directed is uh, well. And let's not forget that Chinatown is ultimately about the fallout of (incestuous) rape. Anyway, Polanksi's a real loving weirdo. I want to watch some documentaries about the dude, cuz he's a loving crazy rear end in a top hat. But I am glad I watched those two movies for this challenge, cuz they are indeed good and interesting.
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May 28, 2019 16:12
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I think it's important to keep Polanski's crimes in mind when watching his films, but they don't invalidate them as art oddly, I kind of feel like this is NOT the case with Woody Allen - maybe it's because so many of his films are specifically about him being in relationships. like him dating a really young girl in Manhattan is loving gross now. edit: okay this thread is probably not the best place for this, so moving on to something on topic... I'm going to try and watch May before the end of the month, I was saving it for this challenge.
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May 28, 2019 16:26
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People say that Allen and Polanski movies are good and important, so I feel like I should give some of them a try. But I want to wait until 1) they're dead, so they aren't profiting off me buying their movies, and 2) I've watched all the other good movies first.
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May 28, 2019 17:06
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Avoiding movies that trash people made can be tricky because there’s a ton of trash people. For instance, Halloween 2 was distributed by the Weinsteins. Also, Weinstein’s crimes are pretty standard compared to some of the old guys. I mean look at Jack Warner. I guess waiting till they’re dead is an effective policy but evil dickheads seem to live forever.
Drunkboxer fucked around with this message at 17:28 on May 28, 2019 |
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May 28, 2019 17:23
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Gripweed posted:People say that Allen and Polanski movies are good and important, so I feel like I should give some of them a try. But I want to wait until 1) they're dead, so they aren't profiting off me buying their movies, and 2) I've watched all the other good movies first. If you aren't buying a blu-ray copy or seeing it in theaters, the filmmakers aren't making money off of it. Even then, you can just go to the library or get a used copy. You'll be hard-pressed to watch "all the other good movies first" while ignoring Polanski. His movies are highly esteemed. For good reason. Allen, despite still working and making films, is pretty skippable. I haven't been impressed by much. (Annie Hall is really interesting for it's narrative techniques, but it's basically Toxic Nice Guy: The Movie)
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May 28, 2019 17:33
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Franchescanado posted:If you aren't buying a blu-ray copy or seeing it in theaters, the filmmakers aren't making money off of it. Even then, you can just go to the library or get a used copy. I dunno, there's a lot of good movies out there. I've only ever seen like three Thai movies, and I liked all of them. So presumably there's a lot more good Thai movies for me to watch before I have to resort to watching Polanski movies. Hell, even if I stick to the certified "good" movies of the Criterion Collection, there's almost a thousand other movies I should watch before Polanski's stuff
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May 28, 2019 17:44
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Just like I do not judge people who want to watch good movies made by bad people, I also don't feel anyone who feels otherwise should be urged to do so. Yes, some of these movies are not only great, but incredibly influential and pioneered some film techniques and horror archetypes. But nobody* has seen every great, influential groundbreaking film. We only have so much time on this earth, and we shouldn't tell others what to do with it, or spend it doing things we hate. *Except M_Sinistrari
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May 28, 2019 17:53
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 Blood: The Last Vampire. A demon-hunting Japanese vampire rescues an American high school girl and has to keep her alive while fighting demons It's OK. In the beginning the whole set up is that this vampire has gotta go undercover in the high school on an American military base to figure out what's going on with demons there. So you'd assume that there's gonna be some fish out of water humor, maybe some red herrings where you think the teacher is a demon but it turns out not, the vampire maybe starts to form friendships with the students, etc. No. There's a single scene of the vampire in class where basically nothing happens, then that afternoon a couple demons reveal themselves, she fights them, her cover is blown, the high school thing goes out the window and the rest of the movie is fights. Which is a shame, because humor and friendships would've really helped. If there was a single scene of the vampire interacting with anyone on a basis other than fighting demons or talking about fighting demons, I would've cared about the character more. Especially because she has this internal struggle about being part human and part demon, but there's never anything pulling her to the human side other than her hatred of demons. Give me something, a friendship, a moment where she has fun doing a human thing, anything. And when the high school girl is like, "I believe in you, I know you're not a demon" it's like, you don't know that! You've exchanged seven sentences with this lady and they were all about the immediate demon problems you were facing at the moment. The action's largely good tho. There's a cool bit where the vampire and the girl are in the middle of a mob of demons, and the vampire grabs the girl and keeps like throwing her around to get her out of the way of attacks and stuff, it's neat. And a long segment where an old dude murders like 50 ninjas, that's pretty great. the CGI is bad. Bad CGI blood and a bad CGI monster. Made really annoying by the fact that they have a really good practical full body suit of the monster. When it's the suit on a rooftop fighting the vampire, it's looks great. When it's CGI climbing up a wall or whatever, it looks like poo poo. Just write the monster scenes so it just does stuff you can do with the suit! We don't need the wall climbing if it's gonna look that bad! So overall, Blood The Last Vampire isn't great, but it's not a bad way to spend an hour and a half. Watched: The Prophecy, The Prophecy 2, The Prophecy 3, The Prophecy Uprising, The Prophecy Forsaken, Pet Sematary, Return of the Living Dead, Laserblast, The Shining, Tales From The Darkside The Movie, The Alphabet Killer, Ghost Ship, Delivery: The Beast Within, Pulse, The Lure, Stranger Things, The Vampire Lovers, Masters of Horror Stuart Gordon H.P. Lovecraft's Dreams in the Witch House, Monsters Dark Continent, Day of the Dead, It, Blood: The Last Vampire
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May 28, 2019 17:59
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Both fair points. I'm not the biggest Polanski fan, so I don't care if you watch his movies or not, but I just like to point out that "I don't wanna give them my money" is very easily achievable with most movies made before the last decade. The royalties from watching them on a streaming service are non-existent. (Not wanting to give them points on a streaming service's algorithm is more difficult.) Getting a physical copy or digital copy to watch is also very easy to accomplish and does not entail giving them money. "I don't wanna give income to a person guilty of sexual assault" and "I don't want to watch a movie about sexual assault by a person who would later commit sexual assault" are two very different, though inclusive, issues. The former is easily achievable, the latter involves personal discretion and sensitivity.
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May 28, 2019 18:01
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Wet Tie Affair posted:Of all the horror movies to come out during my childhood (I was born in 1983) this was by far the one that gave me the most nightmares. One of my older cousins had this movie on when I was 6 or so and it caused a lifelong irrational fear of living dolls. Strangely though I had no trouble watching the Puppet Master movies. But it wasn't until a few years ago I was able to bring myself to actually watch the full movie and since then I've seen the entire series and consider it one of the stronger franchises. Are you me? Cuz other than the fact of how I saw the first movie and it freaking me out - parents had flipped to it on HBO, and I came in right before Chucky attacked the detective in the car - I think I could have written this out largely word for word.
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May 28, 2019 21:39
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8. The Quatermass Xperiment (1955) An experimental rocketship crashes in the English countryside. Three men went up with it but only one emerges alive the other two having seemingly disintegrated into nothing. The survivor is catatonic and obviously changed from his journey. Based on a cult television serial of (almost) the same name from '53. The original was broadcast live and was a huge television event that left the streets of even the busiest cities in Britain empty, but as far as I can gather most of it is now lost to time. This is obviously the more polished high-budget version of the story with some fantastic cinematography and amazing make-up and creature effects for it's time. Being a 1950s sci-fi/horror movie most of the runtime is people talking about SCIENCE! in laboratories until the monster pops up at the climax but it's all handled very well so it never really drags. Quatermass himself is a bit of a odd one. He is a complete rear end in a top hat that's rude to basically everyone he encounters and appears to have little or no care for how his experiments may affect other people. It's a bit like a distant ancestor of Dr.House or the cavalcade of socially awkward rear end in a top hat geniuses that now dominate the airwaves. It is notable that in the original he is British but in the film he's an American, probably so they could better sell the film across the Atlantic. The actual star of the show is Richard Wordsworth as Victor, the returned astronaut, who is slowly mutating and absorbing other lifeforms as some alien force has taken over his flesh. He is very reminiscent of Karloff from the Frankenstein film in that even as he becomes more monstrous he still retains some of his humanity. Most obvious in a scene in which he encounters a little girl playing by the canal. Instead of throwing her in the water as the creature does in Frankenstein he recoils and runs away to protect the child from himself. Highly recommended for any fans of 50's monster movies.    I'm heading to Denmark for a few days on the 30th so I probably need to wrap this up before then. Can I make it or am I doomed? Dooooooooooooooooooomed!
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May 28, 2019 23:27
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19. A woman is possessed by the devil and finds herself in a strange mansion inhabited by the beezlebub, a murderous young man and his overbearing mother. After the success of The Exorcist, Mario Bava's spooky Lisa and the Devil had extra scenes inserted to shamelessly rip off the American horror success. The movie alternates between the original movie, which has a great atmosphere, interesting plot and an absolutely delightful devil, and the completely unnecessary tacked on framing story that replaces several scenes, including the ending, to make it far more incomprehensible. It's utter trash and total shame that the movie was ruined by a bunch of hackjobs wanting to cash in on The Exorcist. Avoid at all costs, watch Lisa and the Devil instead.
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May 29, 2019 01:34
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Lucky #13 -  Absurd aka Zombie 6 aka Anthropophagus 2 In this video nasty, the Catholic church plays mad scientist and gives George Eastman (as Milkos) amazing restorative powers, but also makes him a murderous zombie. The movie opens (and in it's entirety) focuses on a pastor tasked with chasing him down and destroying him in the only way they can.... "destroy the cerebral mass" . The cops (well, cop) is quick to be convinced of the goings-on and gives the mysterious pastor a gun to go kill the super-human man massacring the town. This movie is gets a little dull toward the end and doesn't make sense sometimes, but it does have Eastman menacing about an American town, carrying his intestines, and putting a guy into a bandsaw. Also has a loving metal ending just as your getting tired of it. Really a lot better than my low expectations. 4/5
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May 29, 2019 02:50
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4. The Church (1989) (Amazon Prime)   "What's happening is not in God's name, but Satan's" - The Bishop I've been trying to watch more Italian horror, and when someone mentioned this one earlier in the month it piqued my interest. I have seen Soavi's previous film Stage Fright which I remember enjoying. The plot isn't always coherent but there are some strange and cool visuals. Things don't really kick off until the last third or so when everyone gets trapped inside the church, and then things get weird. My two favorite small vignettes were the old woman using her husband's severed head to ring the church bell and the young couple who dig through the floor into a subway tunnel and get hit by a train. Overall The Church is worth a watch. 3/5 5. The Mist (2006) - Rewatch (DVD)    "There's something in the mist!" - Dan Miller This was my second time watching The Mist and I think it holds up very nicely. There isn't really any wasted time and the action never seems to drag. The creature design is really good (and horrifying!) too. I go back and forth on the ending. I do agree that it is better than the novella ending, but I'm not sure Drayton shooting his son after no effort to continue moving forward (iirc in the story they siphon gas from other vehicles to keep driving) fits his character. It definitely is still an ending that sparks debate. As a side note, I tried to watch the TV series but quit after a few episodes. 4/5 6. Deep Red (1975) (Amazon Prime)    "You have killed, and you will kill again" - Helga Ulmann Now Deep Red I can get into. I'm sorry I waited this long to watch it, but like I said I haven't seen much Italian horror. There are some beautiful shots on display and the plot is engrossing. I hadn't had the plot spoiled for me so the ending was a nice surprise. The Goblin soundtrack was really cool too, although I had to laugh when Marcus is exploring the spooky abandoned house and some funky grooves start playing. I'll hopefully explore some more of these older movies in October. 4/5
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May 29, 2019 03:03
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I've only got one more movie to watch for the May Horror Challenge.
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May 29, 2019 03:04
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15. Deep Red (Shudder) My first Argento, my first giallo (arguably). This is way more my speed than the other Italian horror I’ve watched this month. Even for its age it looks great, with bright colors (kind of reminded me of Black Christmas) and awesome shots. The score was incredible and I generally thought I knew who the killer was, but I was wrong. Perhaps my favorite thing about Deep Red are the night shots. The way they are lit actually look realistic to what it would be look like to be roaming around a house in the dark. I’m not technically savvy enough to express what the difference is but it’s just not something I’ve seen often.
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May 29, 2019 03:28
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13. Class of Nuke ‘Em High (1986): This is exactly what you expect a Troma film to be. Goofy low budget effects, jokes, tits, punk rock. Not as good as some of the other Tromas I’ve seen, but still fun.
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May 29, 2019 03:50
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Alfred P. Pseudonym posted:13. Class of Nuke ‘Em High (1986): This is exactly what you expect a Troma film to be. Goofy low budget effects, jokes, tits, punk rock. Not as good as some of the other Tromas I’ve seen, but still fun. Nuke 'Em High rules. Have you seen the new ones? They're off the fuckin' hook.
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May 29, 2019 03:55
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9. Shock Waves (1977) (fantastic title card) The cheapest and most run-down dingy of a cruise ship in the history of sailing is forced aground near a mysterious island and soon the crew and passengers are picked off by a troop of undead Nazi super-soldiers that've been laying dormant beneath the waves for 40 years waiting to strike. I went in expecting silly gore drenched schlock, which is not unreasonable seeing as it is a movie about aquatic Nazi zombies, however what I got was a a grim po-faced film that relies far more on eerie atmosphere than blood and guts. I think that even if you were to take every drop of blood spilled in the entire film you'd barely fill a decent sized cup. There's plenty of death but it's all surprisingly bloodless for a movie of it's time and genre. Shock Waves employs the classic low-budget trick of hiring only one or two well known but aged actors, in this case John Carradine and Peter Cushing, and only having them in a handful of scenes so their stuff can all be done in a few days of shooting which means they're pretty cheap and add a ton of production value and a chance to sell the film to a lot of markets that would otherwise not be interested. The soundtrack is fantastic and can best be described as sounding like an electric nightmare. It manages to make the dozens of shots of zombies emerging from the depths, which might otherwise be repetitive, pretty drat creepy.    10. El Santo vs Frankenstein's Daughter (1972)  The daughter of the famous Dr.Frankenstein discovers by chance that the blood of famous wrestler El Santo, the silver masked man, is a key ingredient to a youth elixir that could extend her already unnaturally long life. So of course she kidnaps Santos girlfriend forcing him to fight hordes of henchmen and two flavors of Frankenstein's monster: original taste and mutant gorilla (both presented as burly bare chested dudes with some make-up only on their faces) For those not in the know this is only one of 50 or so films starring legendary luchador El Santo. In these films Santo is playing a fictionalized version of himself that is not only a wrestler but a monster slayer, an inventor, a crime fighter, and superhero who fights everything from Dracula to aliens to a cyclops to the mafia to the phantom of the opera to Nazis and wolf-men and everything in between. Being a luchador Santo never once removes his mask in any of the films, even when he's supposed to be sitting at home reading a book or sunbathing on the beach, the real Santo was never seen publicly without his mask and was even buried in it. These films usually follow a very similar formula. Something sinister is afoot. Santo gets drawn in somehow and his girlfriend or some other loved one is threatened and/or captured. Santo shows up and defeats the baddies with his wrestling moves. Roll credits. Usually interspersed with a scene or two of Santo fighting a regular wrestling match in the ring. Though they sometimes mix things up a bit like that one time the opponent turns into a wolf-man mid match. This film in particular stick to the formula but is interesting enough if you enjoy this sort of thing. It's very silly and the budget isn't much but if you enjoy watching a man in a silver mask beat the crap out of monsters and goons then this won't disappoint. I didn't enjoy quite as much as I did El Santo and Blue Demon vs. the Monsters (1969) or The Mummies of Guanajuato (1970) both of which are just jampacked with monsters and over the top action and are my favorite of the tiny fraction of El Santo films that I've seen.   
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May 29, 2019 04:32
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 The Mummy (1999) - Amazon. To close out this series of mummy movies I rewatched the 1999 version with Brendan Fraser. At first I was worried that it might be too pulp action to count, but there were plenty of horror beats in the mix, and so many of these mummy movies were entirely forgettable, so I'm going to let it pass. It was pretty fun to see what movies had what influence on it - the first reappearance of Im-Ho-Tep from the original rather than the Kharis they settled on, the plot line of Im-Ho-Tep Franking his way back to a body by absorbing the cursed raiders, and the obvious influence on the Assassin’s Creed game that started me on this most stupid of adventures were all cool to see. It did have a *lot* of dumb bits and some wonky CG effects at times (maybe less embarassing in 1999 than they are today but still post-Jurassic Park), but was otherwise a decent conclusion to my May Mummy Marathon. 1 - The Mummy (1932), 2 - The Mummy’s Hand (1940), 3 - The Mummy’s Tomb (1942), 4 - The Mummy’s Ghost (1944), 5 - The Mummy’s Curse (1944), 6 - Abbot And Costello Meet The Mummy (1955), 7 - Pharoah’s Curse (1957), 8 - Time Walker (1982), 9 - The Mummy (2018), 10 - Frankenstein vs. The Mummy (2015), 11 - Blood From The Mummy’s Tomb (1971), 12 - Dawn Of The Mummy, 13 - The Mummy (1999)
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May 29, 2019 04:43
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FreudianSlippers posted:9. Is this streaming anywhere?
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May 29, 2019 04:56
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It's on Amazon Prime.
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May 29, 2019 04:58
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Horror Express Not Hammer Studios but an incredible simulation! Archeologist Christopher Lee brings a rare archeological find aboard the trans-siberian express, which is accidentally freed by his curious colleague Peter Cushing. The more generic than usual title probably comes from not being able to describe exactly what kind of horror is happening here, the film shifts pretty quickly from Mummy creature feature, to Lovecraft, to Dr. Who style campy sci-fi, to a sort of zombie movie action climax. While this lacks the atmosphere of many of the stronger Hammer efforts, it's a pleasure to see Lee and Cushing working together on the same side for once and the frequent genre shifts keep the film interesting and nutty. Highlights include Telly Savalas showing up towards the end as an arrogant Cossak officer and Peter Cushing dissecting an alien mummy's eyeball and finding an image of a Brontosaurus. Yeah, it's one of those movies 3.5/5 Let's Scare Jessica to Death  Coming home to the US for the final film of the challenge. This is a naturalistic, low-key horror drama that makes the most of its misty Northwest location. Zhora Lampert gives a remarkable performance as a possibly unstable newlywed growing suspicious of her new surroundings and ultimately even her husband. She keeps the film anchored through long, placid stretches that serve to immerse us in her mindset and make the Rosemary's Baby-style conclusion that much more disturbing when it comes. While "is it real or in her head" is a played out trope in more high-minded horror movies, this one keeps the ambiguity up past the ending, making it more complicated and disturbing than a clear answer would have been. 4/5  Challenge complete!: 13/13 Countries "visited": China, Italy, Norway, Japan, Argentina, Austria, Brazil, France, New Zealand, Spain, Korea, UK, US
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May 29, 2019 05:05
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 Happy Death Day This was a fun watch and I can't say I didn't enjoy it, but still it felt sterile and bloodless in a way that I thought held it back from greatness. Not that every horror movie has to be graphically violent, some of my favorites aren't, but the premise of Happy Death Day really demands it in my opinion. This should've been Groundhog Day with blood and guts, but really it's not even all that much darker than Groundhog day itself. That said, it's still worth watching because the script is solid and does a nice job of laying out the various suspects and red herrings, and the lead performance is really good. I enjoyed the process of eliminating suspects while dodging a slasher villain and going through the now standard Groundhog day shenanigans where the protagonist starts to use their knowledge of the day to their advantage, that was all fairly well done. So there's nothing in the movie that I specifically dislike, it's what's missing that makes me downgrade it and wish for more. But there's enough to like that I'll be checking out the sequel, probably tonight. WATCHED: 1. Evil Bong 2. Let's Scare Jessica to Death 3. Mom and Dad 4. Train to Busan 5. Full Moon High 6. Elvira: Mistress of the Dark 7. It's Alive 8. King Cohen 9. Angel Heart 10. Forbidden World 11. Terrorvision 12. Noroi: The Curse 13. The Nest 14. Bad Taste 15. Errementari: The Blacksmith and the Devil 16. Amsterdamned 17. What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? 18. Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II 19. Evil Bong 2: Devil's Harvest 20. Psycho III 21. The Perfection 22. Happy Death Day
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May 29, 2019 14:42
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ruddiger posted:Nuke 'Em High rules. Have you seen the new ones? They're off the fuckin' hook. I had no idea they were still making them. I think the only other Tromas I’ve seen are Toxic Avenger and Terror Firmer.
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May 29, 2019 16:15
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Alfred P. Pseudonym posted:I had no idea they were still making them. I think the only other Tromas I’ve seen are Toxic Avenger and Terror Firmer. Tromeo and Juliet is good. I think it's hilarious that James Gunn went from writing the script for that to making huge Disney blockbusters. The original Mother's Day was hosed up but I enjoyed it, and I remember liking Redneck Zombies although it's been so long that I remember virtually nothing about it. Strangely I found that DVD in a bargain bin at Walmart for like $3
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May 29, 2019 16:23
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20. Death Laid An Egg After firing all their workers, the owners of a fully automated chicken factory get involved in a fatal love rectangle  This movie rules! It took me a while to warm up to the movie to be honest - the weird editing, the bizarre soundtrack, the almost complete lack of murders up to a certain point, I just wasn't quite getting it. After a certain point (no spoiler, a dog dies) I reached a tipping point where it clicked for me, and boy was it a ride from then on. I don't want to say too much, but if an anticapitalist giallo with the sensibilities of David Lynch and Terry Gilliam sounds in any way appealing to you, this is the movie for you!
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May 29, 2019 23:35
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11. The Plague of the Zombies(1966) Something is rotten in the kingdom of England. It is the 1860s and a mysterious plague is ravaging the countryside. However those who die from the sickness do not stay buried. A Hammer take on zombies and as such it's a period drama with rich colourful costumes and lavish sets for British people to be stern in serious in between the scenes of gruesome horror. Probably one of the last films to place such a heavy emphasis on the Carribbean roots of the zombie myth even in a film set in rural England. It's made just two years before Romero changed zombies forever with Night of the Living Dead but it somehow feels much older even though it is in full colour and Night is in black and white. One thing I greatly appreciate is that the zombies look genuinely rotten, not quite as putrid as Fulci's walking flowerpots but much crustier than most zombies that came before them. A must see for any fan of Hammer horror and/or zombie cinema.   
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May 30, 2019 06:32
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15. The Vanishing dir. George Sluizer (1988) Well I feel like garbage now! Almost the entire film I felt a growing pit in my stomach and the ending just killed my spirit. Would recommend. It's all the more potent from how genuinely sweet and well drawn the relationship is before the vanishing, not idyllically perfect but far from a Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf case or anything like that. Same goes with the difference between Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu's interactions with his family and how ice cold he is the rest of the time, really an unsettling performance. 4 pretty key chains out of 5 Watched: 1. Noroi 4/5, 2. Mandy 3.5/5, 3. The Stuff 4/5, 4. Gozu 3.5/5, 5. Dark Water 3/5 6. Hellraiser 3.5/5, 7. God Told Me To 4/5, 8. The Others 4/5, 9. Dead Birds 3/5, 10. Q 3.5/5. 11. Shivers 2/5, 12. Pan's Labyrinth 4/5, 13. Suspiria 3.5/5, 14. Inland Empire 4/5, 15. The Vanishing 4/5
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May 30, 2019 07:33
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| # ? May 6, 2024 05:29 |
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 Happy Death Day 2 U I like the set-up for this, it's admirable that they tried to go a different route than just throwing another protagonist into the same kind of loop as the first film. It kinda starts that way and then they go way beyond the expected which I always appreciate. Still, the movie is not very good. It has the same issue as the first where it's PG-13 horror that really feels like PG-13. There's never a moment where you say "huh, is this R or PG-13?", it stays in it's PG-13 lane the entire time which I think hurts it just like it did with Happy Death Day. Also, in making the jump from a Groundhog Day/slasher hybrid to a crazier sci-fi Back to the Future type thing, some of the charm of the original is lost. It feels much more like a parody than the loving homage that the original was. Again though I enjoyed Jessica Rothe in the lead and I hope she gets more opportunities, but I'd be much more interested to see her play other roles than this one again. I think it's run it's course.  Bloody Birthday The quote on that poster is "There's no doubt that this movie could not be made today", and I have to agree. Yes there have been killer kid movies before and since, but there's just something very matter of fact about how those scenes are handled in Bloody Birthday that makes it extra disturbing. Part of it I think is that these kids aren't toddlers, they're 10 years old and somewhat physically capable. They're more or less treated as adults in the script, except when they want to manipulate their parents. But I dunno if I'm conveying it very well. There's just something about an 80's kid with glasses nonchalantly shooting people with a revolver that is much creepier to me than the traditional Village of the Damned style evil kid.  One movie left, I haven't decided what to watch tonight yet. WATCHED: 1. Evil Bong 2. Let's Scare Jessica to Death 3. Mom and Dad 4. Train to Busan 5. Full Moon High 6. Elvira: Mistress of the Dark 7. It's Alive 8. King Cohen 9. Angel Heart 10. Forbidden World 11. Terrorvision 12. Noroi: The Curse 13. The Nest 14. Bad Taste 15. Errementari: The Blacksmith and the Devil 16. Amsterdamned 17. What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? 18. Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II 19. Evil Bong 2: Devil's Harvest 20. Psycho III 21. The Perfection 22. Happy Death Day 23. Happy Death Day 2 U 24. Bloody Birthday Basebf555 fucked around with this message at 14:59 on May 30, 2019 |
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May 30, 2019 14:56
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