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It's that time again!   THE CHALLENGE BEGINS TODAY, APRIL 28TH, RIGHT NOW THE CHALLENGE ENDS JUNE 1ST, @ 12PM EST You will have to have logged your final movie at this point. Final remarks and totals can be posted after 12PM, but new movies to add to your total will not be counted. The Rules: 1. Watch movies appropriate to the challenge (see below for what counts) 2. Write a review 3. Discussion is both welcome and highly encouraged, however if the discussion turns into a long derail please move it to the regular horror thread. 4. Don't be a dick.  Goals & Requirements: The most common goal among participants is 13 movies, and many may go for 31. You can participate with as much or as little enthusiasm as you want, but to qualify for the prize drawing at the end of the month you must watch at least 13. You can create any personal goals for yourself you'd like. Pick a subgenre to dive into, catch up on recent releases, rewatch some old favorites, etc. If you are working from a Letterboxd list, feel free to share it! Or go with no theme at all and watch whatever you feel like on any given day. Chaos reigns! The only requirement is to watch a horror movie and then write about it. You can write as much as you'd like, really break down a film and dig into some analysis, or it can just be a couple of sentences sharing your thoughts, but you have to write something. There is no specific minimum review length required, but if your review can fit into a single tweet then it's probably not long enough.  Challenges & Rewards: At the end of the month there will be a drawing for a fabulous prize, and to be eligible you need to have watched at least 13 films. One entry per person no matter how films you watch beyond that goal of 13.  Challenges will be posted by Monday 5/1. See the second post of this thread for details once those are up. Completing all challenges will earn you an extra entry into the drawing, plus the eternal respect and admiration of your peers. Wow! What Movies Can I Watch? movies, for the sake of this challenge, are considered anything longer than 60 minutes  Horror Movies Thrillers Horror-adjacent films of other genres (horror comedies, musicals, etc) Movies Set During or Around Halloween (Hocus Pocus, The Guest) Documentaries about horror films or horror-related topics (serial killers, the supernatural, etc) Family Friendly movies that meet the above requirements (Alvin & The Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein)If you have questions about whether or not a movie counts, feel free to ask me here or via PM. I'm not going to be overly strict about what is/isn't horror during this challenge, just don't try to argue that Saving Private Ryan counts because it's about the horrors of war, or that Scenes From a Marriage is about the horrors of divorce, and you should be good.  What DOESN'T Count TV Shows (This is CineD, not TVIV) mini/limited series* episodes of Black Mirror, Cabinet of Curiosities, Masters of Horror, etc MST3k episodes (you must watch the actual, unedited movie)* something like the '90s It that was originally a miniseries but later released on DVD as a single film is OK. Bottom line - this is a film forum and a movie challenge, so TV shows do not count. If you log one, I'm probably not going to call you out, but I will ignore it when it comes time to tally the results at the end of the month. That's it! Hopefully I didn't miss anything, but feel free to ask questions or add any comments. Go! Have fun! 
gey muckle mowser fucked around with this message at 23:38 on Apr 28, 2023 |
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Apr 28, 2023 23:16
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 CHALLENGE TIMEUnless otherwise noted, a film can only count for one challenge at a time and must be a first-time watch for you. For the challenges, make sure you are saying in your write-up how the movie fits the challenge (unless it’s super obvious like a movie with Bigfoot in the title for the cryptid one). e.g. for Holy Terror mention what the religion is. And if it’s for the Geography meta challenge, try to mention what country the film is from and not just the region, mostly because it’s interesting and I want to see what people come up with for the tougher regions! If anyone has questions on what qualifies for a particular challenge, ask away in the thread or PM me. I’m not gonna be too much of a stickler unless you are obviously trying to BS it. And in case it’s not clear, there are 13 challenges but you could potentially finish them all with only 11 films. You’ll still need to watch minimum 13 films total though for the overall thread goal. 1. Horror High - Watch a horror film that features drugs (recreational or medicinal), alcohol, or abuse/addiction as a major theme or as an important part of the plot 2. Tales from the Cryptids - Watch a film featuring any cryptid (Bigfoot, Jersey Devil, Loch Ness Monster, etc - anything on this list would count https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cryptids) 3. Holy Terror - Watch a horror film about or prominently featuring any religion/faith - EXCEPT Christianity or Satanism 4. Fresh Hell - Watch a horror film released in 2023. 5. Shooting Zombies - Watch the highest ranked film on the "They Shoot Zombies, Don't They?" list of 1,000 greatest horror films that you haven’t seen (and have access to) 6. Drawn and Quartered - Watch a horror film that is entirely or predominantly animated (stop motion counts) 7. Woke in Fright - Watch a horror film with themes related to social issues - race, LGBTQ+ issues, mental health, etc. In your review you must mention what the theme is and how it factors into the film. 8. Second Chance - Rewatch a classic or well-regarded horror film that you’ve seen before, but either didn’t like or liked but not as much as you expected to based on its reputation. In your write up you need to say what your original impression was, and whether or not it has changed with this rewatch. 9. Challenge of the Dead - Watch a film with a title that ends in "...of the Dead" or "...of the Living Dead" 10. Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things - Watch a film about evil/possessed dolls/toys - OR watch a film about evil/possessed children 11. It's-a Me! - Watch a film directed by Mario Bava - OR any Italian horror film made between 1960-1980 META-CHALLENGESThese can overlap with other the challenges and with each other, and can be applied retroactively to films you have already watched. 12. History lesson - Watch films from at least 5 different decades 13. Geography Lesson - Watch films from at least 5 of the following regions:
Europe Central/South America Middle East/Africa Australia/Oceania Asia (China, Japan, Korea, India, etc) Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, etc) gey muckle mowser fucked around with this message at 00:07 on May 3, 2023 |
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Apr 28, 2023 23:16
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Setting my own goal at 13 but I will almost definitely exceed that (depends on how sucked in I get to the new Zelda game) 1. Lokis, a Manuscript of Professor Wittembach (1970) (dir. Janusz Majewski) blu-ray Geography Lesson: Europe (Poland)History Lesson: 1970sWhile traveling across Lithuania studying customs and folklore, pastor and ethnographer Professor Wittembach is invited to stay at the estate of a local Count named Michał Szemiot, an odd and kind of unsettling man. Also living at the estate are the Count’s mother, who lost her sanity when she was attacked by a bear when pregnant with Michał, and the awful Dr. Froeber who is supposedly treating her. Wittembach finds that Count’s behavior is erratic and oddly bestial, and through his studies learns that the local peasants believe he is a “Lokis” - basically, a were-bear. This has a fantastic gothic vibe. The 19th-century costuming and sets look great, and the production values are high all around. The horror elements are fairly light throughout most of the film, but I like the folklore and there are some eerie moments here and there. I really liked the music too, which includes some folk songs, some chamber pieces, and a demented-sounding church organ. Vibes aside though, I thought this wasn’t all that exciting. Wittembach isn’t much more than an audience surrogate with no character arc or personality of his own, and most of the film is just loosely connected events happening around him. There’s hardly even a story. I feel like this could’ve been a really excellent 45 minute short, but at nearly 100 minutes there just isn’t enough plot to keep things interesting. Overall I thought this was just ok - the gothic tone and high production values go a long way in making up for the lack of narrative thrust, but it’s not enough to save this from being mostly on the dull side. 3  out of 5Total: 1 Watched: Lokis, a Manuscript of Professor Wittembach gey muckle mowser fucked around with this message at 18:00 on May 3, 2023 |
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Apr 30, 2023 01:39
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Challenges are up! Added them to the second post of the thread. Mostly business as usual if you've done these threads before, but the final two are a little different. CHALLENGE TIMEUnless otherwise noted, a film can only count for one challenge at a time and must be a first-time watch for you. 1. Horror High - Watch a horror film that features drugs (recreational or medicinal), alcohol, or abuse/addiction as a major theme or as an important part of the plot 2. Tales from the Cryptids - Watch a film featuring any cryptid (Bigfoot, Jersey Devil, Loch Ness Monster, etc - anything on this list would count https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cryptids) 3. Holy Terror - Watch a horror film about or prominently featuring any religion/faith - EXCEPT Christianity or Satanism 4. Fresh Hell - Watch a horror film released in 2023. 5. Shooting Zombies - Watch the highest ranked film on the "They Shoot Zombies, Don't They?" list of 1,000 greatest horror films that you haven’t seen (and have access to) 6. Drawn and Quartered - Watch a horror film that is entirely or predominantly animated (stop motion counts) 7. Woke in Fright - Watch a horror film with themes related to social issues - race, LGBTQ+ issues, mental health, etc. In your review you must mention what the theme is and how it factors into the film. 8. Second Chance - Rewatch a classic or well-regarded horror film that you’ve seen before, but either didn’t like or liked but not as much as you expected to based on its reputation. In your write up you need to say what your original impression was, and whether or not it has changed with this rewatch. 9. Challenge of the Dead - Watch a film with a title that ends in "...of the Dead" or "...of the Living Dead" 10. Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things - Watch a film about evil/possessed dolls/toys - OR watch a film about evil/possessed children 11. It's-a Me! - Watch a film directed by Mario Bava - OR any Italian horror film made between 1960-1980 META-CHALLENGESThese can overlap with other the challenges and with each other, and can be applied retroactively to films you have already watched. 12. History lesson - Watch films from at least 5 different decades 13. Geography Lesson - Watch films from at least 5 of the following regions:
Europe Central/South America Middle East/Africa Australia/Oceania Asia (China, Japan, Korea, India, etc) Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, etc)
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May 2, 2023 01:13
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Gripweed posted:Does Naked Lunch count? I don’t know what genre it is but I know it’s got monsters in it. Yes, it's horror-adjacent enough to count
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May 2, 2023 20:20
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For the challenges, make sure you are saying in your write-up how the movie fits the challenge (unless it’s super obvious like a movie with Bigfoot in the title for the cryptid one). e.g. for Holy Terror mention what the religion is. And if it’s for the Geography meta challenge, try to mention what country the film is from and not just the region, mostly because it’s interesting and I want to see what people come up with for the tougher regions! If anyone has questions on what qualifies for a particular challenge, ask away in the thread or PM me. I’m not gonna be too much of a stickler unless you are obviously trying to BS it. And in case it’s not clear, there are 13 challenges but you could potentially finish them all with only 11 films. You’ll still need to watch minimum 13 films total though for the overall thread goal.
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May 3, 2023 00:06
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STAC Goat posted:I have an eligibility question actually. How important is it that the “of the Dead” challenge movie actually ENDS with that phrase? Because I have Day of the Dead: Bloodline already planned but technically that doesn’t end with the phrase. But like clearly it’s in the spirit of the challenge? I can watch some other poo poo movie. I literally have dozens of them on my plex. But I was curious. That’s totally fine, as you said it’s in the spirit of the challenge.
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May 3, 2023 03:18
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Skinamarink is definitely a “love it or hate it” kind of movie, it’s 100% about the vibe and if that doesn’t work for you then it’s gonna fall completely flat. I was completely transfixed in the theater and it might be my favorite movie of the year so far, but I totally get why opinions are very divided on it.
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May 3, 2023 13:07
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 2. The Manitou (1978) (dir. William Girdler) Shudder Challenge 3 - Holy Terror (Algonquin theology/spiritualism) Geography Lesson: North AmericaDoctors at a San Fransisco hospital are baffled by the tumor growing on Karen Tandy's (Susan Strasberg) neck - not only is it growing at an incredible rate, but in x-rays it appears to be a developing fetus. Not fully believing it and not knowing what else to do, they decide to remove the growth surgically. The night before the operation, Karen visits an old friend, a fake but charming fortune teller named Harry Erskine (Tony Curtis), who overhears Karen speaking a strange language in her sleep. Long story short, the surgery fails, and through a seance Harry learns that Karen is possessed by the spirit of a long-dead Indian medicine man trying to force himself back into the world, and he enlists the help of a modern medicine man named John Singing Rock to exorcise the spirit and save Karen's life. I was prepared for the parts of this concerning indigenous culture to have aged very poorly, but it's actually pretty OK. It pulls from actual Algonquin theology, I'm sure some great liberties were taken but at least it has some basis in reality. Although I'm not sure anyone ever says "Algonquin", it's always "Indian", but considering this was made in 1978 I give it a pass. John Singing Rock could've been a one-note stereotype, but he's maybe the smartest and most competent character in the film. There's even a scene where he basically says, "Why should I help you when the white man has hosed over my people for generations? If you were me, would you help?", to which Harry responds "yeah I guess I wouldn't" and starts to leave. And when he does agree to help, John asks for a donation to the American Indian Education Fund in lieu of payment. I'm not saying this is especially progressive by today's standards, but for a 45-year-old film I think it handles the material well. I really enjoyed this! In a lot of ways it's a riff on The Exorcist with the Christian parts swapped for Algonquin theology, but it also has some body horror elements and gets completely bonkers by the end. If you've ever wanted to see Tony Curtis throw a typewriter at an evil dwarf, or a topless Susan Strasberg shoot lasers from her hands at an ancient demonic entity, this is the film for you. It gets bloody at times, and even has one or two moments I found legitimately creepy. Tony Curtis is fun in the lead role, and I always like Strasberg even if she spends most of the film either unconscious or possessed. Burgess Meredith shows up in a small role too. If you're a fan of '70s horror I highly recommend this - it's a weird film that I had a lot of fun with. 4.5 tumors out of 5 Total: 2 Watched: Lokis, a Manuscript of Professor Wittembach | The Manitou (Challenge #3) Challenges: 1 2 History Lesson: 1/5 - 1970s Geography Lesson: 2/5 - Europe, North America
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May 3, 2023 17:57
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Shaman Tank Spec posted:Movie #4: Psycho (1960) 5. Shooting Zombies Heck yeah, this is the kind of post I was hoping for when I thought of that challenge. And now I want to rewatch Pyscho.
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May 3, 2023 21:20
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 3. Spoonful of Sugar (2022) (dir. Mercedes Bryce Morgan) Shudder Challenge 1 - Horror High History Lesson: 2020sMillicent, a college student taking a semester off, gets a job as a nanny for Johnny, a young boy with special needs. She is also microdosing LSD as part of an experimental therapy program, although her doses maybe aren't so micro. Johnny is non-verbal and completely withdrawn, but Millicent begins to make a connection with him (by spending time together and by microdosing him with LSD too), leading to resentment from Johnny's mother. I'm not even sure how to talk about the rest of this movie without spoilering its many twists and turns, but let's just say that Millicent isn't what she seems, and everyone else is pretty hosed up too. This reminds me a bit of Excision, another thriller featuring a young female protagonist who is basically a delusional psychopath, but it doesn't work as well. I think it's because there isn't really anyone to sympathize with here - the mother should've been the most sympathetic character, and she is at first, but she goes off the rails after a certain point and I had no idea who I was supposed to be rooting for. Maybe that's intentional and we're not supposed to root for anyone, but that doesn't make for an especially compelling watch. I think this might've worked better as a (very) dark comedy - there are plenty of bonkers twists and it's borderline comedic as is, but the film plays it all just a bit too straight. At the same time it touches on some heavy subject matter (like sexual abuse) that wouldn't really fit in a more "fun" film, so... I dunno. It's just missing something that I can't put my finger on. Anyway, I like the premise and there is some good stuff here, but the execution falls short. It's not bad, it's just not nearly as good as it could've been. Tentatively recommended if the premise sounds interesting, it just fell a bit flat for me. 2.5 drops of acid out of 5 Total: 3 Watched: Lokis, a Manuscript of Professor Wittembach | The Manitou (Challenge #3) | Spoonful of Sugar (Challenge #1) Challenges: History Lesson: 2/5 - 1970s, 2020s Geography Lesson: 2/5 - Europe, North America gey muckle mowser fucked around with this message at 16:28 on May 5, 2023 |
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May 3, 2023 22:29
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Jedit posted:1) Project Wolf Hunting (2022) Looks like that didn’t come out in the US until this year anyway, so it definitely counts. Sounds really cool too. And stuff like Skinamarink or M3GAN that say 2022 on iMDB but didn’t get wide releases until this year count as well
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May 4, 2023 02:40
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Shaman Tank Spec posted:I haven't seen it and I don't want to do too much googling because I don't want to spoiler it, but would Mandy count for Horror High? I somehow have the impression that it heavily deals with drugs. And if not, I am open for recommendations. yeah most definitely
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May 4, 2023 16:48
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Class3KillStorm posted:If I remember it right, there's a key scene where a kidnapped Mandy is drugged before being presented to the lead villain of the piece, and the whole scene is incredibly trippy before it goes really really sideways. But it's also the only scene where I remember drugs being overtly used and the rest of it is just really heavily stylized. Someone else may be able to weigh in if there's more to it that I'm forgetting, since I only saw it the one time, but I don't know if there's quite enough there to count. mostly I just want everyone to watch Mandy, haha. But also the biker gang makes like super LSD or something like that, the plot doesn't totally revolve around it but it's significant enough to count for the challenge
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May 4, 2023 16:52
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VROOM VROOM posted:idk about Mandy but there's Evil Dead (2013), Resolution, Beyond the Black Rainbow, and A Spoonful of Sugar all good suggestions! I'll add Climax and A Cure for Wellness
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May 4, 2023 16:59
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Class3KillStorm posted:Since A Field in England is up in the Bracketology thread, would that count as well? Yes!
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May 4, 2023 18:19
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 4. Faust (1926) (dir. F.W. Murnau) Moonflix (Website) Challenge 5 - Shooting Zombies - ranked #112 History Lesson: 1920sThe old man from the "pondering my orb" meme makes a deal with Mephisto to gain power and youth, then completely ruins the life of a young girl because he couldn't keep it in his pants. Versions of Faust (or stories heavily inspired by it) have been a basic part of horror media (and the Western canon as a whole) forever, but I don't believe I've ever actually seen a straight film adaptation before. The story's good, but it's the look and style of the film that makes this a classic. This is an absolutely insanely gorgeous film. The German Expressionist cinematography and set design are incredible, and there are quite a lot of special effects that are not only impressive for the time, but hold up well today. There's a "flying" shot with the camera swooping across a model landscape that looks very modern, plus endless scenes that are composed like classical paintings. I'm just going to post some screenshots.     I found the last third or so less engaging - it focuses heavily on Gretchen, the young woman who Faust screws over. There are some nice shots here still, but it's just generally less interesting than the more supernatural stuff that makes up much of the first hour of the film. Super glad I watched it. I'm not often attracted to silent film - I can appreciate something like <b>Metropolis</b> or <b>Häxan</b>, but I'm not likely to want to rewatch them often. <b>Faust</b> is absolutely a film I will revisit, if only to soak up the visuals. 4.5 unholy contracts out of 5 Total: 4 Watched: Lokis, a Manuscript of Professor Wittembach | The Manitou (Challenge #3) | Spoonful of Sugar (Challenge #1) | Faust (Challenge #5) Challenges: History Lesson: 3/5 - 1920s, 1970s, 2020s Geography Lesson: 2/5 - Europe, North America
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May 5, 2023 16:35
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Jedit posted:Murnau invented that shot for the movie. I'm not surprised, it feels kind of rough but in an interesting way. Must've been really impressive at the time. Gripweed posted:Man, I was on Cox's case about her weirdly dated lipstick in the first one, and here she's got red streaks in her hair. What was going on with her hair and makeup people with this franchise? just wait til you see her bangs in Scream 3
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May 5, 2023 17:33
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A True Jar Jar Fan posted:Me, every time I watch a Ben Wheatley film A Field in England didn’t do much for me either, In the Earth is similar and a little better but still not at the level of Kill List. Shaman Tank Spec posted:Movie #6: Knock at the Cabin (2023) 4. Fresh Hell I assume you mean you almost turned it off because you were unprepared to watch a film by one of our greatest living auteurs? (Kidding obviously but I do like him a lot)
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May 6, 2023 14:27
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 5. The Medium (2021) (dir. Banjong Pisanthanakun) Shudder Geography Lesson: Southeast Asia (Thailand)(would've been a good pick for "Holy Terror" too) This is presented as a documentary about Nim, a middle aged woman from the Isan region of Thailand who is the shaman of the goddess Ba Yan. Essentially, Nim is possessed by the god, but fortunately Ba Yan is benevolent. For generations the role of shaman has been passed down through the women in Nim’s family, and we learn that it was actually Nim’s sister Noi who was supposed to be the current shaman, but rejected it in her youth. While conducting interviews, the film crew learns that the goddess may be moving to a new host soon, and so begins following Nim’s niece Mink around as well. Sure enough, Mink starts to show signs of possession, but her increasingly disturbing behavior makes Nim question if this is really Ba Yan’s doing, or if something more sinister has taken over. This is a really cool movie! While possessed, Mink is basically a Thai Deadite, gleefully inflicting graphic violence and cruel psychological torment on those around her. There are some genuinely scary and disturbing scenes, and the whole last act is pretty intense. The religious themes are interesting - I don’t really know anything about Thai culture, but the film presents a clash between ancient traditional beliefs and modern religions, especially Christianity (which Noi converts to for the sole purpose of rejecting Ba Yan). Someone with more insight into the religions of Thailand could probably do some interesting analysis on this. At over two hours, this is pretty long for a found footage-style movie, and I think it probably could’ve used a little tightening up, especially in the first half. It’s not a huge problem, but even just 10-15 minutes trimmed out probably would’ve helped. Still, it’s paced well and it never dragged for me. Recommended for sure! 4 broken eggs out of 5 Total: 5 Watched: Lokis, a Manuscript of Professor Wittembach | The Manitou (Challenge #3) | Spoonful of Sugar (Challenge #1) | Faust (Challenge #5) | The Medium | Challenges: History Lesson: 3/5 - 1920s, 1970s, 2020s Geography Lesson: 3/5 - Europe, North America, Southeast Asia
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May 6, 2023 22:20
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 6. Ringu (1998) (dir. Hideo Nakata) Shudder #8 - Second Chance Geography Lesson: Asia (Japan) History Lesson: 1990sI last saw this around 20 years ago, not long after the American version came out. I remember thinking it was kind of slow and dull and inferior to the remake, but at the time I had seen very little (if any) Japanese horror and was really only casually into horror in general, so I didn’t really have a frame of reference. I’ve seen the remake several times over the years, but haven’t taken the time to revisit this one until now. I definitely appreciate this more now. I didn’t find it slow at all - if anything, it moves along at a quicker pace than many other j-horror films from the era. It’s still more about mood than action, but it maintains an appropriate level of dread and suspense throughout and it never drags. However, I do still think that the remake improves on this in basically every way. There are some differences in the story details, but otherwise it hits all the same plot beats and does so in a much more stylish and atmospheric way. The famous delayed jump scare near the start of the film is executed better in the American version, the cursed video is creepier, and I think the whole film is just generally better made and scarier. Not by as much as I used to, though - this is very good and I really enjoyed it, and I could see how some people may prefer it. 4 fingernails out of 5 Total: 6 Watched: Lokis, a Manuscript of Professor Wittembach | The Manitou (Challenge #3) | Spoonful of Sugar (Challenge #1) | Faust (Challenge #5) | The Medium | Ringu (Challenge #8) Challenges: History Lesson: 4/5 - 1920s, 1970s, 1990s, 2020s Geography Lesson: 4/5 - Europe, North America, Southeast Asia, Asia
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May 7, 2023 19:27
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Franchescanado posted:When I was a child, my parents took me on a trip to Disney World in Orlando. It was a weekend at multiple parks: Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and MGM Studios (now known as Hollywood Studios). It was probably 1996. There was a (relatively) new ride that had been getting a lot of air on The Disney Channel called Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror. Despite my proclivities towards horror now, I was a cowardly child.  I chickened out the first time my parents tried to take me on that ride, I can't remember how old I was but probably too old to be terrified of a Disney ride. We went back a couple years later and I got on and loved it.
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May 9, 2023 19:24
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 7. The Boxer's Omen (1983) (dir. Kuei Chih-Hung) blu-ray History Lesson: 1980sIn this completely insane Shaw Brothers film, a Hong Kong gangster travels to Thailand and becomes a Buddhist monk in order to learn magic and fight a group of black magicians. I went in expecting a bonkers movie, but this out-bonkers even my high expectations. Rarely does more than a minute or two go by before some new wild idea is thrown on screen. Skeletal bats, big fuzzy fake spiders, reanimated crocodile skulls, ancient mushrooms, blood and gore and magic bolts and undead fighters… and all that barely scratches the surface. It’s fantastic and super fun. It’s also gross as hell - there are scenes in this that made me feel physically ill, and I have a strong stomach. Casting black magic apparently involves lots of eating disgusting things, regurgitating them, and then passing them to your magician buddy who shoves the mush into his own mouth and repeats the process. If you like crazy Asian ‘80s horror films like The Seventh Curse or Seeding of a Ghost, this is fantastic and a must see. Just be prepared for some extremely gross bits. 4.5  out of 5Total: 7 Watched: Lokis, a Manuscript of Professor Wittembach | The Manitou (Challenge #3) | Spoonful of Sugar (Challenge #1) | Faust (Challenge #5) | The Medium | Ringu (Challenge #8) | The Boxer's Omen Challenges: History Lesson: 5/5 - 1920s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2020s Geography Lesson: 4/5 - Europe, North America, Southeast Asia, Asia
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May 9, 2023 19:28
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Gripweed posted:Is As Above So Below well-regarded enough for Challenge 8: Second Chance? I see people list it all the time as one of the best found footage movies, and sometimes even as a good movie beyond the found footage format. yeah I’d say so, it’s not an all-time classic or anything but a lot of people (myself included) really like it and it gets talked about enough to be worth revisiting.
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May 9, 2023 23:59
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 8. Magic (1978) (dir. Richard Attenborough) Shudder #10 - Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things - just look at that poster!After completely bombing his first public performance, an up-and-coming magician named Corky Withers (Anthony Hopkins) reinvents his act by adding a ventriloquist dummy, "Fats". His act is so impressive that he is skyrocketed to fame, landing appearances on Johnny Carson's late show. Despite his erratic behavior - like never dropping the act, even when alone with Fats - Corky is offered a television show by a major network, but when he finds out that a medical exam is necessary as part of the contract, he refuses "on principle" and secludes himself in a lakeside cabin near his hometown, where he rekindles a romance with a woman he grew up with. This is pretty good! Rather than a Child's Play-style killer doll movie, this is a psychological thriller where it's unclear if Fats is actually alive or if Corky is just a lunatic. Anthony Hopkins plays an excellent unstable weirdo, Burgess Meredith is as classy as always as his agent, and the rest of the supporting cast is very solid as well. Unfortunately, the version I watched on Shudder kind of looked like poo poo - I thought maybe it was originally a TV movie because of the 4:3 aspect ratio and was full of what seemed like commercial break edits, but according to the internet it was a widescreen theatrical release. It's unusual for Shudder to have a lovely TV cut instead of the real version, but I suppose that's the only one they could license. It didn't totally ruin the experience, as the main attraction here is Hopkins' performance, but it did make the film look pretty flat and ugly. I'll revisit this someday when I can watch a proper transfer of it. Overall this is good and I recommend checking it out, just maybe not on Shudder. 3.5 rising aces out of 5 Total: 8 Watched: Lokis, a Manuscript of Professor Wittembach | The Manitou (Challenge #3) | Spoonful of Sugar (Challenge #1) | Faust (Challenge #5) | The Medium | Ringu (Challenge #8) | The Boxer's Omen | Magic (Challenge #10) Challenges: History Lesson: 5/5 - 1920s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2020s Geography Lesson: 4/5 - Europe, North America, Southeast Asia, Asia
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May 10, 2023 19:29
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The Berzerker posted:Would Taiwan count under Asia, or Southeast Asia for Geography Lesson challenge? I looked at Wikipedia and saw "Some definitions of Southeast Asia may include Taiwan. Taiwan has sometimes been included in Southeast Asia as well as East Asia but is not a member of ASEAN" so I wasn't really sure. Taiwan would fall under Asia. It does seem like there is some variation in the definition of Southeast Asia, but for the purposes of this challenge, these are the countries that count as Southeast Asia: Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam
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May 10, 2023 21:21
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twernt posted:18. Tales from the Hood - 1995 yeah I saw it for the first time in 2017 and the scariest thing about it is how relevant it all still is, maybe even more so  Class3KillStorm posted:However, I was still finding myself getting bored and antsy during the film - the extended cut probably helps things flow better (not having seen the film in over 15 years - Jesus - I can't attest), but there's still a feeling of padding over the whole thing. I didn't think the longer version really added anything, and maybe even makes it worse. More Daria Nicolodi is always good, but most of the extra scenes involve David Hemmings' character being sexist to her and don't advance the plot or anything. I can see why they were trimmed out for the International cut. Plus it's like 25 extra minutes on an already decently long film.
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May 11, 2023 21:44
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Crescent Wrench posted:11. Knife+Heart (2018) (first viewing) Fun fact that I didn't realize until I watched a bunch of Yann Gonzalez's short films - his brother is Anthony Gonzalez, the lead singer/songwriter of M83 I also recommend Yann Gonzalez's You and the Night, it's not horror (although it has some slightly spooky bits) but if you like his style and are interested in queer cinema it's pretty good. The blu-ray of it has another disc with most of his short films too which are overall quite good, and both the movie and the shorts feature a lot of the same cast members as Knife+Heart.
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May 18, 2023 18:23
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I'm behind where I wanted to be at this point, too much going on lately. Also Tears of the Kingdom is sucking up a lot of my leisure time. 9. Clearcut (1991) (dir. Ryszard Bugajski) Blu-ray #7 - Woke in Fright - environmental activism and indigenous rightsPeter (Ron Lea), a white lawyer representing indigenous peoples in a case against the owners of paper mill who want to cut down the forests on their land, becomes frustrated when they lose the case. After experiencing hallucinations in a sweat lodge ceremony, Peter meets Arthur (Graham Greene), an indigenous activist whose anger drives him to take more direct action, and Peter is caught up in increasingly violent events when Arthur kidnaps the president of the mill. This is really excellent! It's included in Severin's folk horror set, but it's less of a straight horror movie and more of a revenge thriller with a somewhat supernatural layer to it. At times this is subtle and quiet, but it builds to a violent and gory third act. It's both horrific and cathartic - the film doesn't really take Arthur's side, but neither does it fully condemn his violence. It's about the frustration of fighting a losing battle in a system that's stacked against you from the start, where violence seems like the only recourse. I think the message is maybe a little unclear at times, but the compelling performances, haunting music, and gorgeous landscapes make this a really engaging watch. Definitely recommended! 4 scalps out of 5 Total: 9 Watched: Lokis, a Manuscript of Professor Wittembach | The Manitou (Challenge #3) | Spoonful of Sugar (Challenge #1) | Faust (Challenge #5) | The Medium | Ringu (Challenge #8) | The Boxer's Omen | Magic (Challenge #10) | Clearcut (Challenge #7) Challenges: History Lesson: 5/5 - 1920s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2020s Geography Lesson: 4/5 - Europe, North America, Southeast Asia, Asia
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May 18, 2023 21:14
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Gripweed posted:#15: Happy Birthday To Me You can do better than that! If you have the internet you have free access to a large number of the films that are actually good. YouTube, Archive.org, Moonflix, etc. I just said the "have access to" part because I didn't want people to feel like they needed to spend money on something.
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May 19, 2023 14:13
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May has turned out to be a very busy month and I am falling behind in both watches and write-ups, so these are a little shorter. Both are also arguably not really horror movies, but they're close enough 10. The Meg (2018) (dir. Jon Turteltaub) Hulu #2 - Tales From the Cryptids - Megalodon!Pretty much exactly what you’d expect from a movie about a giant prehistoric shark starring Jason Statham (who unfortunately does not play the shark). The first half takes itself a little too seriously, but there is some neat deep sea stuff and it never goes too long without someone being eaten by a shark. It leans more into big dumb action movie territory in the second half, and it’s better for it. It’s hardly a great film, but it’s decent mindless entertainment. 3 surprise shark attacks out of 5  11. The Suspicious Death of a Minor (1975) (dir. Sergio Martino) Shudder #11 - It's-a me! - I had intended to watch a Bava film for this, but it turns out I've already seen all the Bava stuff available to me on streaming.An undercover detective meets a young woman shortly before she is brutally murdered, and while investigating her death he uncovers a sex trafficking ring. This is a weird movie - it’s part giallo, part poliziottesco, and part goofy comedy, and the tone is all over the place. It was kind of jarring and disappointing at first as I was expecting a Sergio Martino giallo, but I started to get into it after a bit. It’s light on the horror elements, but it does feature a shootout on a moving rollercoaster and for that I have to give it four stars. 4 broken lenses out of 5 Total: 11 Watched: Lokis, a Manuscript of Professor Wittembach | The Manitou (Challenge #3) | Spoonful of Sugar (Challenge #1) | Faust (Challenge #5) | The Medium | Ringu (Challenge #8) | The Boxer's Omen | Magic (Challenge #10) | Clearcut (Challenge #7) | The Meg (Challenge #2) | The Suspicious Death of a Minor (Challenge #11) Challenges: History Lesson: 5/5 - 1920s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2020s Geography Lesson: 4/5 - Europe, North America, Southeast Asia, Asia
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May 23, 2023 23:32
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 12. Birth of the Living Dead (2013) (dir. Rob Kuhns) Shudder #9 - Challenge of the DeadA neat little documentary about Night of the Living Dead. Sometimes these types of documentaries are just various horror personalities talking about what makes the film great or it's influence on the genre (and there is a little bit of that), but it also gets into a lot of production details that I thought were interesting - Romero's early career filming commercials, how he got funding for NotLD, info on various cast members and zombie extras, etc. It also features a film class for little kids and their reactions to watching the film for the first time, and it's pretty adorable. This also talks a fair amount about the impact the film had by featuring a black lead actor in 1968. I've often heard that Romero wasn't trying to make any kind of statement, but he discusses it here and that seems only half true. Ben wasn't written with any specific race in mind, but once Duane Jones was cast, Romero was very aware of how that would play and he and Jones gave a lot of thought to the character. They ultimately didn't change much, if anything, but it certainly makes some parts of the film read differently and they were fully aware of that. Romero even muses that maybe they should've leaned into the racial aspect a little, but I think not doing so was ultimately the right choice. This isn't an essential documentary, but if you're a fan of Night of the Living Dead or just enjoy learning production details on classic films, I think there's some pretty good stuff here. Plus it's nice and short! 4 ghouls out of 5  13. Angel's Egg (1985) (dir. Mamoru Oshii) YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YopWyb75G7o #6 - Drawn and Quartered (is this horror? it's very hard to fit this into a genre but it's got majorly spooky gothic vibes so I think it counts)A young girl wanders a gothic post-apocalyptic landscape clutching a large mysterious egg. She meets a man who takes an interest and begins to follow her - she is scared of him, but she is even more frightened of the giant rolling war machines and silent fishermen who futilely throw their spears at the shadows of unseen giant fish. Full of gorgeous yet haunting imagery and music, Christian symbolism, and a pervasive feeling of hopelessness and loneliness, this film is, as they say, a whole-rear end vibe. I'd be lying if I said I had any idea what this was about. Supposedly even the creator doesn't know what it means, but it's obtuseness lets the viewer project their own personal interpretation onto it. I think that's called "art". There is very little dialogue outside of one scene where the man relates a Christian parable to the girl. If there's a key to understanding the film, it's probably found there, but it doesn't offer any clear answers. Maybe the creator was working though a crisis (or outright loss) of faith - if there is a God in this world, it is hostile and alien. This is one of those films where a star rating seems meaningless - it's a capital-A work of Art, and wholly original and unique. 5 eggs out of 5 Total: 13 Watched: Lokis, a Manuscript of Professor Wittembach | The Manitou (Challenge #3) | Spoonful of Sugar (Challenge #1) | Faust (Challenge #5) | The Medium | Ringu (Challenge #8) | The Boxer's Omen | Magic (Challenge #10) | Clearcut (Challenge #7) | The Meg (Challenge #2) | The Suspicious Death of a Minor (Challenge #11) | Birth of the Living Dead (Challenge #9) | Angel's Egg (Challenge #6) Challenges: History Lesson: 6/5 - 1920s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2010s, 2020s Geography Lesson: 4/5 - Europe, North America, Southeast Asia, Asia
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May 26, 2023 20:28
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 14. Gaia (2021) (dir. Jaco Bouwer) Hulu Geography Lesson - Africa (South Africa)While out doing some maintenance on trail cams, a park ranger is forced to stay with two wilderness survivalists after accidentally stepping into one of their game traps and severely injuring her foot. The men are father and son, and it soon becomes apparent that the young man has never known another life, and that the intense and unsettling father seems to worship the forest they live in, or more specifically, the massive network of fungi that lives below it - the largest living organism on earth. This is OK. There are some neat original ideas in the premise, but I could've done without the Last of Us-style fungus zombies that look sort of neat but are basically just forgettable generic movie monsters. The idea of an unknowable and nearly god-like being that can mess with your mind is much creepier to me, this would've been cooler if it explored that a bit more. The story is kind of weak, too, and I didn't really buy most of Gabi's actions. Plus it keeps doing this thing where something creepy happens, then we find out it was a dream when Gabi wakes up with a gasp. I guess it's supposed to be the fungus influencing her, but by the fourth or fifth time it happens it feels more like the filmmakers wanted to add scary scenes but didn't know how to work them into the actual plot. Neat premise, mediocre execution. 3  out of 5Total: 14 Watched: Lokis, a Manuscript of Professor Wittembach | The Manitou (Challenge #3) | Spoonful of Sugar (Challenge #1) | Faust (Challenge #5) | The Medium | Ringu (Challenge #8) | The Boxer's Omen | Magic (Challenge #10) | Clearcut (Challenge #7) | The Meg (Challenge #2) | The Suspicious Death of a Minor (Challenge #11) | Birth of the Living Dead (Challenge #9) | Angel's Egg (Challenge #6) | Gaia Challenges: History Lesson: 6/5 - 1920s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2010s, 2020s Geography Lesson: 5/5 - Europe, North America, Southeast Asia, Asia, Africa Pretzel Rod Stewart posted:I don’t know if this is intentional but lol that that woman is named “Content Warning”. it's definitely intentional
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May 28, 2023 17:46
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Reminder that tomorrow is the last day of the challenge, and that all movies must be logged by noon EDT on Thursday. Posting a "wrap up" post with your totals and all that can be done afterwards. This is not required but will save me the trouble of digging through posts when figuring out who is eligible for the prize drawing
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May 30, 2023 14:35
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Gripweed posted:I don't suppose any one has recommendations for movies that qualify for Woke in Fright or Challenge of the Dead that were made in Central/South America, Middle East/Africa. Australia/Oceania, or Southeast Asia? I just watched Gaia, which is a South African film with strong environmental themes. It's only an OK movie but it would qualify for Woke in Fright
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May 30, 2023 19:26
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 15. Influencer (2022) (dir. Kurtis David Harder) Shudder Fresh Hell - (listed as 2022 but didn't actually get released until this year)I've been really busy this week (watched this on Monday actually) and haven't had time for a proper write up, so I'll just say this was a really solid thriller with some spot on commentary about social media and influencers. 4 followers out of 5 Total: 15 Watched: Lokis, a Manuscript of Professor Wittembach | The Manitou (Challenge #3) | Spoonful of Sugar (Challenge #1) | Faust (Challenge #5) | The Medium | Ringu (Challenge #8) | The Boxer's Omen | Magic (Challenge #10) | Clearcut (Challenge #7) | The Meg (Challenge #2) | The Suspicious Death of a Minor (Challenge #11) | Birth of the Living Dead (Challenge #9) | Angel's Egg (Challenge #6) | Gaia | Influencer (Challenge #4) Challenges: History Lesson: 6/5 - 1920s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2010s, 2020s Geography Lesson: 5/5 - Europe, North America, Southeast Asia, Asia, Africa
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Jun 1, 2023 15:05
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Crescent Wrench posted:A hearty thank you to gey muckle mowser for organizing this heading this up. This was a pretty fun batch of challenges, too. The "Woke in Fright" title is inspired, still smiling at that one. Yeah I was proud of that one, haha. I'm glad people seemed to like the challenges in general, I put some effort in to avoid overlap with the challenges Fran tends to use in October. Which is hard when Spooky Bingo has 36 of them.
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Jun 1, 2023 15:36
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Thanks for participating everyone! I will be going over the results and selecting a random winner this weekend.
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Jun 2, 2023 03:23
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Xiahou Dun posted:*Don't wanna back-seat challenge here, but maybe having literally half of the world's population in one category isn't very equitable Population didn't really factor into it, like the Africa/Middle East region has ~triple the population of North America but produces a tiny fraction of the number of horror films. I debated breaking it down further but I think that would mostly result in people ignoring the more difficult regions. e: one thing I would do differently is instead of having North America and Central/South America, make the two regions US/Canada and then Mexico/Caribbean/Central/South America. The point of that challenge is to get people to watch stuff from other countries + cultures, and a Cuban film shouldn't count the same as an American one. Or even leave out the US and Europe entirely, it's not like there is any effort involved in finding films from those regions. gey muckle mowser fucked around with this message at 14:31 on Jun 2, 2023 |
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Jun 2, 2023 14:13
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| # ¿ May 22, 2024 11:59 |
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Here's my wrap-up post: Only 15 films total - I had planned on watching way more and maybe even targeting 31, but this was a busy month at work and also all I really wanted to do with my leisure time was play Zelda. Still, I finished all my own challenges so I'm happy with it! All first-time watches except for Ringu. Highlights were Angel's Egg, Faust, The Manitou, and The Boxer's Omen (even though it made me physically ill). Nothing was truly terrible, but Lokis and Spoonful of Sugar were the weakest films I watched. Total: 15 Watched: Lokis, a Manuscript of Professor Wittembach | The Manitou (Challenge #3) | Spoonful of Sugar (Challenge #1) | Faust (Challenge #5) | The Medium | Ringu (Challenge #8) | The Boxer's Omen | Magic (Challenge #10) | Clearcut (Challenge #7) | The Meg (Challenge #2) | The Suspicious Death of a Minor (Challenge #11) | Birth of the Living Dead (Challenge #9) | Angel's Egg (Challenge #6) | Gaia | Influencer (Challenge #4) Challenges: History Lesson: 6/5 - 1920s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2010s, 2020s Geography Lesson: 5/5 - Europe, North America, Southeast Asia, Asia, Africa
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Jun 2, 2023 21:20
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