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I'm ready to roll! Put me down for a minimum 31 films this go, with doing at least two films a day. I'm going to be continuing my progress on watching/rewatching anything that I've not reviewed in past October/May Ironmans. This time I'm not going to actively pursue the movie challenges, instead if I happen to hit one, that's just gravy.
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Sep 29, 2023 16:43
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Erin M. Fiasco posted:I've never participated in one of these challenges because I haven't poked around the forums nearly enough but I watch so many movies in October that I might as well get in it to win it Key thing to remember: Don't get intimidated by how gonzo some of us get with watching stuff. Just watch movies and share your thoughts.
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Sep 29, 2023 16:47
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Excited to be part of it and post some thoughts! I'm sure I can make 31...
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First off, let me know if I'm doing the new challenge format correctly. 1) Ringu - 1998 - Shudder This one had been recommended to me at length during the big J-Horror trend back in the day. Everyone I knew was hailing this as the most revolutionary thing they'd seen. Of course, I sit through it and it's okay enough. I think the main reason is that I'd sat through a fair amount of Japanese cinema by that point so I wasn't having the cultural fresh feel others were having. It wasn't particularly scary to me, but equally I was familiar enough with Japanese folklore that I understood where they were going with this. It's a decent enough film, and I recommend it in a comparison watch with the American remake. Basebf555 posted:INDIVIDUAL BONUS CHALLENGES(13 TOTAL) Basebf555 posted:GENERAL/META BONUS CHALLENGES(18 TOTAL) quote:
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Sep 29, 2023 18:53
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CineD HORROR THREAD POLL CHALLENGE
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Basebf555 posted:Yup, all good. I have a little checklist for each poster so I'm marking this stuff down. Thanks. And so much for my 'I'm not actively going for the challenges' stance. LOL
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Sep 29, 2023 18:58
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 2) Insidious - 2010 - MAX I've had this on a watchlist for a long while and just didn't get around to it until Red Door was coming out and figured I might as well get the mole out of my rear end and finally watch it. That I got an earful in the breakroom over 'how have you not have sat through Insidious yet??', might've added to the push to see it. For what's a fairly standard 'average family gets touched by the paranormal' film, this was rather well done. It moved at a good pace and the actors did a good job. It ended on enough of an engaging cliffhanger that I started watching the sequel soon as the credits started. This is a recommend from me.  3) Insidious: Chapter 2 - 2013 - MAX This one directly picks up from the end of the first film, and it's just as good as the first one. I'd synopsis this but it'd be too spoilery. Everything meshes so well that it feels like it's best to do a double feature with the first film just because of the callbacks and elaborations. It ends on a positive note that makes one curious to see where they go next in the franchise. It's definitely worth doing as a double feature with the first film.
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Sep 29, 2023 23:03
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 4) Haunted Mansion - 2023 - Theater I saw this as a double feature with Talk to Me so it was a 'how to deal with grief' theme this outing. To start, I really liked the Eddie Murphy Haunted Mansion, and I'm very nitpicky when it comes to Disney's live action films. Only liked Watcher in the Woods and the afore mentioned Haunted Mansion. I can now add this one to that tiny list. I've always loved the Haunted Mansion ride, even though I have yet to actually go on it. I've watched plenty of documentaries on the ride and read plenty of books on it, authorized and unauthorized. With this movie, the story hews delightfully close to the stories within the ride. The effects were really nice and the actors really did a fine job. I was pleasantly surprised to see Wynonna Rider in this. I loved how they included both parks respective mansions in the film. Overall, this was a nice family friendly film that does address grief and healing from it. Why Disney decided to drop this in summer rather than around October where it would be a perfect fit among the rest of the horror entries as a non-R option is beyond me. Hopefully it'll drag along enough to get a second wind with October on the horizon. If not, there's always second wind post-theater release. Basebf555 posted:GENERAL/META BONUS CHALLENGES(18 TOTAL) 2023 quote:
Justin Simien  5) Talk to Me - 2023 - Theater First I heard about this one was seeing the poster while on walkthrough at work. It wasn't really compelling, just a hand reaching out of darkness. It wasn't until I saw the trailer that I had some interest. Decided to give it a watch since it's A24, so good/bad, I'm guaranteed weird. I'd already heard from customers that it was really scary, but on the flipside as I was heading to the auditorium, I had coworkers telling me it kinda sucked. Whelp. I don't know if it's because of the sheer volume of horror movies I've seen over the decades, but it was pretty predictable to me. Other than a couple scenes which skirt the line of R, this could've easily been PG-13. Plot is the basic 'idiots go messing around with the paranormal and it bites them in the rear end'. From the moment they call out the time on Mia's possession, I knew here was when things go south for the kids and I pretty much called it from there on out. I wish I could predict Lotto numbers as well as I knew where this film was going. Despite all this, I did for the most part enjoy the film. It's the horror movie equivalent of comfort food. The actors really came across as genuine and believable which was absolutely refreshing. Yes, people made stupid choices, but they were the plausible stupid choices teens would make instead of stupid for the sake of plot stupid. I really liked Sophie Wilde in that she pulled off being so unlikable. Mia brought about her own troubles and the others held her to her poor choices. They did leave it open as to are the dead being actively malicious or just assholes. It can go either way or both. There is a kangaroo death that wasn't as bad as I was dreading, and the dog lives, though does go through a major weird scene. The effects were nicely done and there is discussion about a prequel which I'm definitely curious on. Being I get free movie tickets, I could've gone either way with seeing it at the theater or wait for streaming. edited to add: misnumbered entries. M_Sinistrari fucked around with this message at 06:51 on Sep 30, 2023 |
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Sep 30, 2023 06:46
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 6) Insidious: The Red Door - 2023 - Prime The trailer had me intrigued in being a continuation of the first two films, especially with having the actors playing the kids from the earlier films back. That the plotline was going to be centered around the aftermath of the other films pretty much sealed the deal with me since it's an area that doesn't often get addressed with films such as this or slashers in what happened after since it's unrealistic for everything to go back to the normal before things happened. This one picks up with Dalton going off to college. His parents have divorced, his grandma's passed on. While Dalton and his dad have no memory of the paranormal events, there's still that miasma of something's not settled. Of course the hypnosis that's been hiding Dalton's ability gets cracked and both he and his dad's powers start stirring again. Other than a bit here and there that didn't feel as strong as the rest, I did enjoy the film. I felt it left at a good point to conclude the Lambert family's story. There's still potential in the franchise, but they can move on from the Lamberts.  7) Insidious: Chapter 3 - 2015 - Peacock When I first heard of this one, I figured it was doing the usual of continuing on from the second film with most of the same characters. Turned out it was a yes and no. It's a kinda sorta prequel with the paranormal investigators and them getting together. Overall, it was pretty good. It elaborated more on The Further, gave us a new creepy antagonist ghost and fits in well with where the first film starts off. While I still have yet to sit through the fourth film because I'm cheap, I'm expecting more of the same, a decently solid paranormal horror.
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Sep 30, 2023 14:17
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 8) The Last Voyage of the Demeter - 2023 - Prime Well, as far as vampire films go, this one was okay. However, as far as a Dracula adaptation goes, when I first saw this at the show, I was on my phone as I left the auditorium, digging up my copy of the book on Kindle to start grumbling on how much they got wrong. There is so much wrong here, there's ample wrongness for everyone involved to bask in. Based off The Captain's Log chapter in Stoker's Dracula, the movie forgets the important fact that a ship captain's logbook was the equivalent of the modern black box on planes. Everything would be documented, it was ingrained behavior. It would be noted if a crewman left and a doctor signing on, same for a woman fell out of one of the cargo boxes they've got, livestock on the ship all turned up dead, or a crewman burst into flames when the sun came out. Now, I understand by modern standards the source material's not that actiony and we all know the crew's going to die with the dead captain lashed to the wheel with a rosary, still steering. It's pretty much a lot of feeling dread, seeing someone not crew on the ship and crew going missing. I think in skilled hands it would be possible to pull that off rather than go the route of fighting Dracula and trying to sink the ship. They didn't even get the captain's death right. Looking at this as a generic ship with a random vampire, it's okay. But for stating it's adapted from the 1897 novel, it's a massive pile of got it wrong. The poster however, is gorgeous.  8) The Shining - 1980 - Paramount+ For as much as I've talked about this one in the main thread, apparently I never reviewed it for the October Challenge. It's the film that introduced me to the concept that a film can be a great film in one angle, and awful in another. First time I read the book, I was in my early teens with a raging case of the flu and unable to sleep. I tore through it mirror cover to mirror cover. When I heard there was going to be a movie, my mind was spinning over how would they do the hedge animals or who'd they cast. I was looking forward to this one, even did a pre-game reread of the book in preparation, and then I saw it at the show. Whelp. In short, I was disappointed, and so were my cousins I'd seen this with. The actors were okay, just not who we were envisioning and the portrayals were wrong, no hedge animals, no wasps, no George Hatfield. When we heard Stephen King hated the adaptation, we were all 'no poo poo'. This was all enough for me to want to check out the other films of Kubrick to see if he was a bad director or was this a one off regarding The Shining. Sat through 2001, Spartacus, Dr. Strangelove and Clockwork Orange. That was when I realized The Shining is a perfectly fine Kubrick film, but as a King adaptation, it sucks. Over the years I've rewatched it, read up on the behind the scenes goings on, and pretty much King wrote a decent script, but Kubrick felt he could do a better job which does make me really want to see what King had in mind. Kubrick changed Jack from a flawed alcoholic wrestling with his personal demons who still loves his family to an rear end in a top hat who probably didn't need the Overlook's influence to go off the edge. Wendy went from a capable and resourceful woman trying to keep her family together into a twitchy screamy wreck (though a lot of that's definitely from Kubrick being atrocious to Shelly Duvall). Danny went from being smart for his age with the hyperobservance that comes from living with an addict while also having powers to normal kid with powers. Kubrick also dropped a lot of the supernatural elements out, leaning more for the cabin fever angle. I completely understand that King's work is a difficult thing to adapt for a visual medium just because so much is inner monologue and it's not like you can just voice over that and call it good. While I understand they went with the hedge maze over the hedge animals because of effects limitations of the time, the maze just doesn't have the same dread/horror as the hedge animals. Same goes for the attack firehose. The ending, eschewing the boiler explosion with Jack freezing yet appearing in the vintage photo just felt more like a 'oookay?'. Despite my shredding of the film, it's an okay enough horror film, a fine Kubrick film, but as a King adaptation, it's awful. The TV miniseries adaptation, while better as an adaptation, also has it's flaws. Hopefully someday there will be an even more faithful adaptation.
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Sep 30, 2023 19:39
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 10) The Pope's Exorcist - 2023 - Netflix I had originally planned on seeing this one at the show. Considering my theater was also showing Nefarious at the time, I was looking forward to comparing the two. Unfortunately timing was my enemy with being scheduled to work during our showtimes and it getting rotated out when I did have the time to see it. Decided to rectify that when I saw it was on streaming. In short, I should've prioritized this over Nefarious. It's just so much better in every way. Storyline's pretty standard for the genre, but it does manage to make it not feel same ol' same ol'. Actors all did a great job and the effects were nicely done. Franco Nero was a delight to see again. Ending does leave off for a sequel which apparently is in the works. I'm definitely all for Exorcist Crowe riding around on his vespa fighting evil on orders from Pope Django. Basebf555 posted:INDIVIDUAL BONUS CHALLENGES(13 TOTAL)
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Sep 30, 2023 22:21
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 11) Psycho - 1960 - Peacock Without question, this is one of the 'mandatory to watch' foundation films for the horror genre, and a critical entry in film history. Its story, along with what for then was a shocking twist ending has been incorporated into modern culture. So much has been said about this film, there's not much I can really add. It was controversial for a wide range of reasons. To start, Paramount didn't want Hitchcock to make the picture, even rejecting Hitchcock's suggestions he'd be using the crew from his TV show and filming in black and white. It took him offering to finance the film himself, dropping his director's fee in lieu of a stake in the negative, filming on different sound stages as long as Paramount distributed for the film to happen. The book the film is adapted from was considered unfilmable because of it's content. There was even controversy over showing a toilet in the bathroom. The legendary shower scene was mad controversial, and does suffer from the same misremembering another influenced by the Ed Gein case film, Texas Chainsaw Massacre does of people insist there's full nudity or you see the knife enter skin when neither happens. The censor board insisted they saw boobs and wanted an edit. Hitchock just sat on the footage for a few days, and resubmitted where the board now reversed on who saw boobs or not. They also had issues with the opening where Hitchcock told them if they stop fussing over the shower scene, he'd reshoot the opening with them on set. Guess who didn't bother showing up. The 2020 blu ray release is the full film with whatever minor edited footage from over the years restored and is gorgeous. Psycho has also been added to the Library of Congress's archive for it's cultural significance. When I was showing my son how movie effects were done, we recreated the blood down the drain scene with some chocolate syrup. Started his interest in what it takes to create movies. Basebf555 posted:GENERAL/META BONUS CHALLENGES(18 TOTAL)  12) Alien - 1979 - Hulu Just from the trailer alone, you knew this was going to be a hell of a ride. Just give it a watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjLamj-b0I8 drat, they don't make trailers like that anymore. It's got it all, just gives you a taste of the tension and the intensity. Of course, I was worried for Jones at first trailer watch. Story is the basic trapped on a space ship with a dangerous alien, but the execution of that story is absolutely compelling. The actors completely sell the tense desperation of the situation. The alien looks genuinely alien compared to clearly dude in a suit thanks to the design from H. R. Giger. Many comparisons have been made between Alien and It! The Terror from beyond Space, and they're not exactly wrong. O'Bannion borrowed elements from many sci-fi/horror B movies, but how the film handles them, nothing feels tired or cliche. Because of the still ongoing hype from Star Wars, there were some interesting merchandising aimed for younger audiences for a rated R film. I had the 18" alien doll, the egg puzzle, and the graphic novel adaptation. I do remember a board game also being available. It has also been included in the Library of Congress's archive for cultural significance which does make me smile because I remember Siskel and Ebert originally calling the film a disappointment compared to Star Wars and 2001: A Space Odyssey for being a 'haunted house thriller on a spaceship'. Granted, Ebert would finally get on the bandwagon for realizing how incredible the film was decades later, but yet again, another case of official critics are idiots. Basebf555 posted:GENERAL/META BONUS CHALLENGES(18 TOTAL)
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Oct 1, 2023 06:06
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Basebf555 posted:INDIVIDUAL BONUS CHALLENGES(13 TOTAL) 13.1) Mukbang (5:25) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9DW-tHrQB8 How far will you go for likes? 13.2) Mukbang 2 (5:17) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvVlmYxVxeo Are the likes worth it? 13.3) Netflix and Chill ( 4:38) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dgejSjVnsU Lies have consequences. 13.4) OnlyFans (7:37) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dgejSjVnsU Desperation is a horrifying thing. 13.5) OnlyFans 2 (10:19) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUIFJhy9-_k Desperation is a dangerous thing. 13.6) Kalley's Last Review (9:17) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ma6HhbxnI2M The lengths some will go for internet fame. 13.7) Karen (2:51) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LIT75jXVXA How far will a karen go when there are no witnesses? 13.8) Love Potion (3:54) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-lW-IILa0M When will they learn these things never pan out? 13.9) Magic 8 Ball (6.23) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OWCVKQ6aGQ Don't ask what you fear the answer will be. 13.10) Lost in the Woods (2:33) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJzndGdoqGw Danger takes many forms, even in the daylight. 13.11) Mime (7:02) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ch9whsqtUb4 They're unsettling for a reason.
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Oct 1, 2023 09:04
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 14) Texas Chainsaw Massacre - 1974 - DVD This one's on my 'I was probably too young to see this when I did' film list. I first saw it on a bootleg a friend of my Mom's brought over. We ordered pizza. As we watched the movie, I was the only one who didn't lose their appetite. Not sure what that says about me. The plot is the quintessential group runs afoul of others out in the boonies, but how it'd depicted is real and gritty. The intensity ramps up and doesn't ease once it really gets going. By the time the ending hits, you feel like you've been through the same wringer Sally Ann has. For as much as many have insisted this film is insanely gory, it really isn't. I've talked with some who swear the infamous meathook scene is gore drenched when it isn't at all. Her screams are horrifying as they go on and it's easy to envision a bloody struggle on the hook. The initial appearance of Leatherface is one of the finest on film. That slow build tension of Jerry in the house and BOOM door open, there's Leatherface with the hammer is simply memorable. This was influenced by the real case of Ed Gein, leaning more towards the horrific dressing in human skin and furnishings from corpses than Psycho's leaning more towards the domineering mother angle. Having seen some of the crime photos from the investigation, the film's pretty on point with that. A film this memorable was naturally going to spawn sequels, which after the third become a very mixed bag of quality and competency. This one's one of my longtime faves to the point I have a reprint of the poster hanging in my kitchen.  15) The Thing - 1982 - DVD I will always remember when I went to see this at the show. It was at the Niles theater where The Thing was playing in auditorium 1 and ET playing across the hallway in auditorium 2. Pretty much love the alien in one theater, fear it in another. We all know the story on this one. It's closer to the original story than the Howard Hawkes adaptation. I really can't add much to say about this one because it's absolute perfection. I can't imagine this film with any other cast, director or effects guru. The score is Morricone perfection. The kennel scene's still rough for me. One of the times I watched this and my wolf/husky hybrid was very upset with that scene. I do still chuckle over my fiance's first time watch and early on with the surviving Norwegian confrontation, my fiance looked at me and said 'it's not a dog?'. Didn't know he knew enough of the language to catch that and the then hidden to me forewarning was a delightful reveal. I can't recommend this movie enough. It was also one of my Mom's favorite movies we always would watch together after the first snowfall. Basebf555 posted:GENERAL/META BONUS CHALLENGES(18 TOTAL) Challenge complete-1990s, 2020s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s
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Oct 1, 2023 13:11
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 16) Jaws - 1975 - DVD This one's another of my 'saw at the show when it came out because my parents couldn't find a babysitter' entries. I will admit that I did fall asleep during the movie after the first shark attack and woke up when they were on the boat. This was also my introduction to the book not being as good as the movie adaptation. The story's so well known it's become a part of culture. I've been in many a work breakroom doing a compare the scars contest. It's pretty much become a template for 'nature hates you' films. While many did develop some anxiety around water because of this film, I didn't. I was already iffy thanks to my paternal grandfather who had PTSD from the ship he was on during WWII going down in shark infested water. Many a family trip to the beach would have him yelling for us to get out of the water at some point since I guess you never know if there's going to be shark in Lake Michigan. Jaws did so well during it's opening run, it got the ball rolling on the concept of the Summer Blockbuster. The book for the most part is kinda okay, it mostly drags until the last third or so. Without question, the film's a must see and it's part of my annual 4th of July movie viewing.  17) Rosemary's Baby - 1968 - DVD Synopsis essentially is 'Guy, you're not the father'. Pretty much the movie follows the book pretty well. It moves the idea of Satanists out of the medieval depictions into the modern world. It does a rather good job of highlighting what a woman goes through with pregnancy. The advice from pretty much everyone with a pulse over what's right to do, the constant worry about anything that doesn't fit the presented expectations might mean something's wrong. Seriously, with both my pregnancies, I didn't have a little morning sickness during the first trimester, I had 24/7 all three trimesters morning sickness. I still marvel that I didn't somehow manage to throw up my digestive tract until my shoes flew out my mouth, it was that bad. It did make me a connoisseur on what foods taste good going down and coming back up. Dirtbag's involvement aside, the film's very good if a bit overlong at times. I like the ending with Rosemary determined to be the normal human influence in her tiefling son's life. I've sat through this one multiple times, but it did resonate harder during my pregnancies. Still wish I could've had a bassinet like that for my kids.
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Oct 1, 2023 17:06
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 18) Nosferatu - 1922 - Tubi This film is essentially an unofficial/unauthorized adaptation of Dracula. It's been streamlined down to the main characters of Harker/Hutter, Dracula/Orlok, Mina/Ellen with it moving fairly quick from Hutter's time in Transylvania, realizing Orlok's a vampire and the arrival in Wisborg and Orlok's defeat by Ellen. Despite all the changes made, it was still enough for the Stoker estate to get sue-happy. The courts ruled in their favor and an order issued for all copies of Nosferatu to be destroyed. Obviously, some survived. It's this backhistory of this film that keeps me hoping other at this time lost films might someday turn up. I first saw this film on PBS when they'd do an occasional night of just silent films, and I was hooked at first watch. Visually, it's stunning. So much of the imagery and cinematography laid the groundwork for so much of early horror cinema, this film's a need to see just for film history alone. There was a remake in '79 which is pretty faithful for the most part and apparently there's another remake in the works with Bill Skarsgård as Orlok which wrapped up principal filming in May of this year. Count me as definitely intrigued. Basebf555 posted:GENERAL/META BONUS CHALLENGES(18 TOTAL) Germany (Europe)  19) The Boogeyman - 2023 - Prime Stephen King's Night Shift is chock full of some incredible short stories. Many of them have been adapted to film such as Children of the Corn, The Mangler, Trucks, Quitter's Inc, The Ledge. Hearing there was going to be one for the Boogeyman which hadn't seen an adaptation since the film short included in the 1994 Night Shift Collection, I was curious. It does hew close to the short story with some deviations since the story's more dread than action. It wasn't awful, but it wasn't particularly stand out either. I think it would've hit harder if the focus was more on Sawyer than Sadie. The boogeyman's design was intriguing, coming across as something in a warped skin suit. Overall, it's a fine enough creature feature.
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Oct 1, 2023 21:02
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 18) A Nightmare on Elm Street - 1984 - DVD The film that made New Line Cinema. It so terrified my fiance when he was a teen that he refused to watch horror movies until he met me. For the time, Freddy was a fresh take for a slasher with existing in the dreamscape and essentially unstoppable until Nancy figures things out. His victims were picked because of their parents' actions instead of the usual harassed someone who would become the killer, or trespassed where they shouldn't've been, or harmed/killed someone who had someone close to them become the killer. He was a little quippy, just enough to heighten the horror aspects. When I first saw the movie, I never would've expected it to spawn the franchise it did, or even the resulting Freddy-mania. Totally did dive in on the Freddy-mania. Had the Freddy doll with the pull string phrases, the official glove, the hat, and two of the board games along with other stuff. Now I'm down to a Freddy pen, a yo-yo, socks, and the Hawthorne Village Elm Street house. I do feel it was a good call to shift Freddy from a definite molester to it being vague as to was it just rumor to fire up the parents or actual since I don't think Freddy would've taken off as huge as he did if they made it a definitive. It's a definite must watch for the slasher subgenre, though you can skip the 2010 remake. That one sucks so hard it blows.  19) Dawn of the Dead - 1978 - DVD This was the first rated X film I saw. Even with Romero rejecting the rating classification and releasing it unrated, no theaters by me were showing it so, I watched it on bootleg. Looking back, this was probably another of the 'I might've been too young to see this when I did' entries. It did however make getting dragged along shopping with my Mom to the North Riverside Mall more entertaining since I could look around the mall envisioning a zombie invasion, thinking what resources were there with the stores. It's pretty much a classic of zombie cinema. Everyone knows the story, knows about the original plan to have Fran and Peter die, and so on. I used to wonder why the zombies were bluish, but it turns out like Captain Kirk's green/gold tunic, a combination of the lighting and film. Rewatching with attention to the lighting, the zombies are actually grey. There are three versions of the film. The U.S. Theatrical, the International, and the Extended which combines the two. I've sat through all three and they're all fine choices for a viewing. I'm a little partial to the International because of the Goblin soundtrack, and the Extended because I want it all.
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Oct 2, 2023 00:21
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Shrecknet posted:post yoyo I'm still digging around for mine, but here's a pic of what it looks like when I find it. 
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Oct 2, 2023 00:57
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 20) Pastacolypse - 2023 - TubiTV Oh God...what the hell did I just sit through. Pretty much a celebrity pasta chef goes insane when a global gluten ban's put into action, and gets mutated into a pasta creature set on destroying humanity. It's got flying fanged farfalle, attack conchiglie with skull piercing rotini drills, and spaghetti soldiers. This Tubi Original is billed as an animated horror comedy, the humor's a mixed bag. While I didn't find anything laugh out loud funny, I did smile at times. There is a mid and post credits scene which neither really add much aside from more fart sensing aliens. Overall, it's a perfect example of 'I only watched this because of the poster image'. Basebf555 posted:INDIVIDUAL BONUS CHALLENGES(13 TOTAL) quote:GENERAL/META BONUS CHALLENGES(18 TOTAL)  21) Evil Dead - 1981 - DVD When I first read about this one in Fangoria, I knew I had to see it. It wasn't playing in any of the theaters by me so, bootlegs to the rescue. The story's a delightful mashup of the 'you read the book of Evil, didn't you' and the 'remote cabin in the woods, what can go wrong?' subgenres. It's also proof one doesn't need a huge budget and high end effects to make a great film. It made me curious to know more about the Kandarian demons, and I felt so bad for Ash getting put through the wringer like he was. I never would've expected this film to explode into the franchise it has, and I'm not complaining one bit about that. I've enjoyed the games, the comics, and the TV series. This one's a highly recommended one from me. I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.
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Oct 2, 2023 05:08
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 22) Suspiria - 1977 - DVD For as much as my fiance couldn't quite get into this one, you can show him a still from anywhere in the movie and he'll point it out as being from Suspiria. Influenced by a story Daria Nicolodi was allegedly told about her grandmother fleeing a boarding school where occult practices were taking place, the story follows Suzie who's been accepted to a prestigious European dance academy, but of course the academy isn't all it appears to be. It's a total feast for the eyes and ears to the point that meshes well with the dreamlike quality of the story. Apparently Argento had Goblin playing on the set to set the mood since they were going to dub the actors later. That would be awful for me since I'd be too distracted jamming out to Goblin to pay attention to anything else. One of the last films done in Technicolor, it's so vibrant I'm hesitant to pick it up on blu-ray because that much exquisite might make my head explode. While the story might not work for some, it's definitely worth a watch for the visuals and soundtrack. It's definitely better than the overlong, misses the point 2018 remake.  23) Silence of the Lambs - 1991 - MAX I will never forget how all the horror media hyped this up as a horror film, only for the studios to brand it a thriller. I wonder if it would've won as many awards as it did if they promoted it as horror. Story follows the book pretty faithful, and it does follow the format of the majority of police procedurals we know today. Anthony Hopkins' performance as Lecter is iconic. I don't know if any of the others considered for the role like Sean Connery, Pacino, De Niro or Forrest Whitaker would've pulled it off as well. I thought the book and film ended fine, not really needing a sequel, but there was one and I felt it wasn't on the same level as Silence. Funny work story I have on this one was when I decided to wear the death's head moth pin I got from a promo event for the film. My co-workers recognized it right away, but a customer complimented me on my 'bee pin'. She looked at me like I just sprouted horns when I mentioned it was a Silence of the Lambs death's head moth. I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.
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Oct 2, 2023 13:19
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 24) Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn - 1987 - DVD When this one came out, I mostly remember people surprised this was a sequel. It makes sense if they were in the same spot I was with no theaters in the area showing the first one, which also explains why it starts with what's essentially a synopsis of the first film. Once the recap part's over, it picks up right where the first film left off and rolls from there. It's pretty much similar to the first film, but taking advantage of the increased budget and leaning more towards the slapstick. Overall, it's a must see film I can't recommend enough.  25) The Fly - 1986 - MAX I remember the first time I heard this was in the works, I couldn't stop thinking about the ending of the original and how Vincent Price and Charles Herbert kept cracking up during the filming of the fly in the web pleading 'help me'. At the time this came out, remakes of this sort from older films was still relatively new thing, so no one knew what to expect. Hearing Cronenberg was directing, we really didn't have a clue what we were going to get. What we got was a doozy of a ride. Storyline follows the original well enough, but goes off the rails in a way only Cronenberg can. The transformation is gradual, gruesome, and goopy. There's also a significant amount of more pathos and tragedy in this version compared to the original. The ending had me sniffling in the theater. Highly recommend this one, though its sequel isn't as good. I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.
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Oct 2, 2023 19:02
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 24) An American Werewolf in London - 1981 - DVD Without question, one of the top films in the werewolf subgenre if not the top film in the subgenre. I remember being very excited for this one reading the coverage in Fangoria after I got over the 'it's the guy from the Dr. Pepper commercials' bit. This one's so good, saw it twice at the show and snapped up the soundtrack soon as it came out. It brings some freshness into the werewolf subgenre. That Halloween was one of the few where I didn't dress up as a vampire or Dr. Death from Madhouse, but did a knockoff version of werewolf David. I cut up a werewolf mask and spiritgummed it to my face and dressed as he is in his nightmare sequence. I hope to someday get a life sized replica of the full werewolf to replace my coffee table. I can't recommend this one enough. It's a near perfect balance of horror and humor. It's also I believe, the first horror film to win an Academy Award that was promoted as a horror film.  25) The Haunting - 1963 - Prime This one was one of my Mom's favorites and the one that introduced teenaged me to the concept of 'subtle can be scary too'. For the longest time I'd get this one confused with Legend of Hell House. Granted, both stories have a similarity of a paranormal investigation taking place at a house with a sinister past, but are both completely distinct entities. Where to begin with this one, compared to other films in this subgenre, the paranormal's played very close to the vest, leaving the viewer unsure if the paranormal events are real or not. The effects are very subtle through camera angles, use of infrared film, and use of an experimental 30mm lens and add to the building dread and tension. The later 1999 remake forgoes all this for heavy CGI which does kinda detract from conveying the unease the original has. Definitely a recommend from me on this one. I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.
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Oct 3, 2023 07:02
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Biff Rockgroin posted:
By today's standards, they can have a pretty good quality of life especially when you look at what options they had going back. If they weren't abandoned at birth to an orphanage, they might end up in a disappointments room or abandoned to an asylum. For a long while the only option for a job they had was the sideshow until those were made to shut down (many for very just reasons), so acting in a movie was one of the few options left until we did better. I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.
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Oct 3, 2023 09:38
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 26) The Innocents - 1961 - DVD My first experience with the story was on Shelley Duvall's Nightmare Classics series on Showtime. Amy Irving did an amazing job as The Governess. It did make me end up reading the original novella and giving this a watch. It did also introduce me to the concept of sometimes going open interpretation nosedives when someone's already determined on their perspective. Story follows a newly hired governess looking after two orphans in the care of their distant uncle where past secrets get unearthed to a tragic ending. The original story is a ghost story, the Nightmare Classics version leans towards ghosts, but the governess isn't the most stable either. This film leans towards maybe ghosts, but the governess has Serious Issues. My interpretation is there's ghosts, but the governess has issues and that's making things worse. Most commentary on this stampedes into the it's all in the governess' head to the point if I read one more mention about Freudian analysis, my eyes will roll out of my head. There was a 2020 adaptation set in the 1990s that quite frankly, one's better off sitting through the 1961 film than that one. It's definitely worth a watch. I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.
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Oct 3, 2023 11:33
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 27) Poltergeist - 1982 - DVD The film that made everyone look at their Sony Trinitron TV in a different light. My Dad had the exact same floor model. This one's a modern haunting classic. I really wish when current era films get set in the 80s, that they'd watch Poltergeist to get an honest sense of how the 80s looked for the majority of the decade because it definitely wasn't all neon and New Wave the entire time. Where to begin, this film's so good. To start, the characters are realistically plausible. The kids are genuinely kids, the parents have their flaws. The neighborhood feels genuine, with being friends or quibbling with the direct neighbors. When the paranormal stuff kicks off, everyone's thinking normal reasons for why it's all happening and when that's run its course, it's hiding it from the outside because they wouldn't understand since it's not happening to them. Even the researchers are refreshingly normal. They've seen enough they're confident when they go in and are genuinely rattled at the degree of events the Freelings are living with. I remember during a discussion on this film, someone was having an issue over how could a housing be built without bones turning up during the foundation work. The fact some areas don't have basements due to the hardness of the ground was new to them. There's still tons of debate over how much did Tobe Hooper direct and how much was Speilberg, but whatever the ratio actually was, we still got a great movie out of it. I saw this when it first came out, and again during an anniversary showing at my theater. I still laugh at heading up to podium with my ticket and dude on duty asked if everyone who was off that time was in that showing. Going in, everyone was except for one manager who was at his kid's graduation. Definitely a high recommendation from me. And skip the 2015 remake, it's a forgettable mess.  28) A Haunting in Venice - 2023 - Theater When it comes to the classic mystery novel detectives, my top fave is Hercule Poirot and as far as I'm concerned, David Suchet did the best version of him. It wasn't until I saw the trailer for this that I learned it was a Branagh Poirot film since the standee and posters we had up for it was the skull with lips design. Since it didn't look like any of the Poirot stories I know, I figured this was a totally new thing and I had no plans on seeing it. Then I learned it was an adaptation of Hallowe'en Party. That was the first Poirot I ever read and got me hooked on his books, and that trailer seemed absolutely nothing like the book. Since I get free tickets and had the time, might as well give this a 'what the hell did they do' watch. Pretty much the only thing the film has in common with the book are character names. The book starts with the murder of Joyce, an obnoxious 13yr old at a party celebrating the school's eleven-plus exams where she had claimed to've seen a murder but didn't know it was one because she was too young at the time. Poirot has to figure out who murdered Joyce along with what murder had she claimed to have seen. The film involves a murder at a seance where Poirot was invited to expose Joyce the medium as a fraud. The film's a fine enough mystery with plenty of horror trappings for the mood, but as an adaptation of a Poirot novel, it's beyond awful. They would've been better off just stating this was an original story and not an adaptation. It's left me with zero interest in seeing any current or future Branagh Poirot films. I'll stick with David Suchet. All that said, I'd recommend this to anyone who doesn't mind this severe a deviation from the source material. Basebf555 posted:INDIVIDUAL BONUS CHALLENGES(13 TOTAL) Agatha Christie's Poirot dips the toes in the ghosts pool. I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.
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Oct 3, 2023 16:29
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Nikumatic posted:Probably watching the original sometime this month myself, but found it very funny when my partner wondered a few months ago if we were probably due for a Poltergeist remake at some point. That's what's so odd, exactly how forgettable it is. It's one thing if it's been a really long while since you've seen something, or films in a franchise are so drat similar they blur together *glares at some of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre films*, but at some point something will ding in the head that you did see this before. The Poltergeist remake just wipes itself from the mind like it's a real world SCP artifact. I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.
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Oct 3, 2023 17:46
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 29) The Omen - 1976 - DVD I still remember me and my cousin Mikey checking our scalps for a 666. After The Exorcist, there was a trend for 'The Devil is real' films. Oodles of possessions and Satanspawn. In the case of The Omen, it's the latter. Going from the premise of the Son of God coming from humble origins, then the AntiChrist would come from a position of wealth and influence so the US Ambassador to the UK ends up with the little divvil. Even though we all go in knowing we're in for some infernal shenanigans, the film takes the approach of mundane yet horrible tragic events that begin to get more ominous until we're at 'yep, it's the Devil at work'. The movie moves at a decent enough pace, though the novelization does get really dry at times. It's not a bad film, though critics have called it junk and a silly piece of trash. This is why I don't listen to critics. There's been sequels and a TV series, but they're kinda meh. There was a remake in 2006 which the only reason that was worth seeing was to get the 666 ticket stub.  30) Let the Right One In - 2008 - Tubi Funny story with this one. I've mentioned before on my fiance's family reactions to me being a horror movie fan, and they're not. We all like each other, but even then, it's a bit bumpy at times as everyone's trying to connect. So, they do suggest movies as best as people who are really more into artsy and/or social commentary film can. My fiance was on the phone with his Mom and going from what I overhear on his side I know a movie recommendation's coming up. After the call he comes over to me with a look on his face and says 'Mom and Dad think you might like this interesting movie they watched the other day. Have you heard of Let the Right One In?' It was a good thing I was already sitting because I would've needed to sit down. On one hand it was unexpected, but on the other, his Mom's Danish and watches a ton of stuff from Denmark, Sweden and Norway. It made their day when he was able to say I watched it and liked it. The feeling was mutual when I recommended Troll (2022) to them and they liked it. It's baby steps, but I'll take it. This movie stands out in the vampire genre in covering an aspect that rarely gets touched on. The experience of child vampires. Interview with a Vampire touched on it slightly with Claudia, but here we see something in the modern world. Go back to the early 1900s and earlier, most wouldn't react to a child off on their own during the night. Nowadays, people would be making calls and that'd make the news. Even a kid seeming way more adult than they should be, that's going to get noticed. Vampire kid's going to need an adult servant to present a facade, so what options do they have? After any family who might fill the role pass on, then what? End up with a sketchy adult? Influence another kid and wait for them to grow up? Let the Right One In goes with the latter two options. As far as the story goes, it follows the novel it's adapted from pretty closely. Most notable changes are Håkan is definitely a pedophile, but this was toned down for the movie so it didn't detract from Oskar and Eli's relationship. Another was Eli was castrated by a sadistic vampire. This was planned to be told in bits of flashback, but ended up cut. Unlike a fair amount of vampire films focusing on the savagery of vampirism, this centers on Oskar and Eli and their relationship. Here's where the title hammers in. Oskar is viciously bullied by his classmates so he has to be careful of who he tries to be friends with because of the risk of them turning out to be another bully. Eli has to be careful of who to let in on the vampire secret. They're both outsiders who gradually build a connection. While I've not seen the American remake, I'm not particularly interested in doing so. This version is so perfect I can't see another take come across anywhere near as good. Highly recommend this one. I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.
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Oct 3, 2023 22:15
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 29) Don't Look Now - 1973 - Prime The Italian title is A Venezia... un Dicembre rosso shocking, or In Venice...A shocking red December which I think fits better. I was aware of the Daphne du Maurier story this was based on when I saw the film and figured it was a giallo take on it. Then I read the story and nope. It's really this giallo-esque. Story follows John and Laura who recently lost their daughter in an accident. They go to Venice where John's gotten a job offer and after a chance encounter with a psychic, things start getting weird. I don't know if psychics in Italy are a different quality, but for how often I'm at the bus stop or on the bus that I'm not being proselytized on anything one can imagine including 'take more zinc', there's a self proclaimed psychic spouting off and I've not had any weirdness beyond what's the normal for Central Ave in Albuquerque. Upon reflection, Towel Guy might've been pushing it a bit. First time I saw this one, I felt it was okay. It did hit a little harder once I had kids. The ending completely blindsided me even with the amount of gialli I've seen. It is a well done film, though I don't really go out of my way to watch it unless I have a reason (In this case, I hadn't reviewed it on Letterboxd yet). I do recommend this for a watch. I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.
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Oct 4, 2023 03:59
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STAC Goat posted:I always think I'm way behind and then I remember its October 3rd. I'm probably not helping either. My work hours have been weird since the projections have been weird (Thanks Taylor Swift...bleh) so I've had more time to explode out of the gate. And before anyone asks, yes I'm getting sleep and I'm eating real food, not all snacks and takeout. So, no one look at my number count. That's the reason I always post about don't get intimidated by how crazy we get at this time. I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.
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Oct 4, 2023 06:33
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 30) Scream - 1996 - DVD I'm kinda on the fence about calling Scream a breath of fresh air in the Horror genre. Horror in the mid 90s wasn't dead. Yeah, there was a glut of direct to video entries, a fair amount of cash grab sequels, but there were also some notable entries like Demon Knight or Species. There's also that Scream really doesn't do anything that hasn't been done before. Slightly self aware slasher with dashes of humor? Interesting look for the slasher? But somehow even though nothing new's added to the mix, there's a definite energy present that just touched things off and it really did feel like a breath of fresh air in the genre. A lot of people who dismissed horror were on the bandwagon with Scream. Of course it also ushered in the era of 'pretty face' where the cast is all young and attractive instead of a mix of appearance, and the 'face poster' with the main cast on it all looking stoic or pensive. It was definitely a dark time in poster design. It also opened the door for self aware horror moreso than earlier films which was a mixed bag in quality. Scream had the balance right, a mix of appreciation for the genre along with the meta humor whereas some were more caught up in the meta with little to no respect to the genre. I highly recommend the film. Even the rest of the franchise is at worst, decent but mostly pretty good.  31) Invasion of the Body Snatchers - 1956 - Paramount+ Last time I sat through this one was the first time I sat through it as a kid/preteen on TV, and I've avoided it since until now. Considering the sheer volume of horror films I've sat through to the point I've pretty much rewired my brain's fear response, this film still genuinely scares the poo poo out of me. The storyline's become so culturally ingrained that we joke if someone's not acting like they usually do about 'where's the pod?'. That's where it gets to me. The concept that someone you know suddenly aren't them scares the living poo poo out of me. Even watching a documentary on Capgras Syndrome is enough to have me a wreck. During it's original run, theaters had paper mache pods in the lobby, which would've been a nope from me. I can't even do the assorted remakes of this film for the same reason. All that said, I do recommend it for others. Basebf555 posted:INDIVIDUAL BONUS CHALLENGES(13 TOTAL) I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.
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Oct 4, 2023 13:38
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 32) Repulsion - 1965 - Tubi I first saw this decades back on cable when I was in my teens. Either American Movie Classics or Turner Classic Movies, and they were making a big deal about it being the first time being aired on TV/Cable. I'd never heard of it so I gave it a go. I was incredibly bored and ended up flipping through the TV guide for anything else to sit through. Revisiting it again, now that I'm older and more life experience under the belt I was at least able to finish watching the film, but it was just okay, I guess. It's a well made film, but it just didn't click with me. On some posters, there's the text about "The nightmare world of a Virgin's dreams becomes the screen's shocking reality!!", which I do take issue with since Carol's definitely got issues exacerbated by solitude and men whether from misandry or untreated PTSD from abuse. Mentioning virgin status is a misleading thing setting the image of older virgins having something mentally wrong going on. Choosing to remain a virgin for whatever reason still falls under Her Body-Her Choice. I don't really see recommending this to most aside from those who really get into the psychological themes.  33) Videodrome - 1983 - Peacock I really don't know of anyone other than Cronenberg who could've pulled this one off. He's the master of body horror that makes you think, and Videodrome does make you think. The questions Videodrome brings up are still relevant to the point of they could remake this swapping out cable channels with internet channels. The plot follows the head of a extreme cable channel coming across a program called Videodrome and starts investigating when it's apparently showing real snuff type videos. Things go off the rails and get really weird after that. It does bring to question the interest in watching sex and violence. Thing is, our species has always had an interest in watching that whether it takes the form of gladiator arenas, public executions, or even rubbernecking with accidents on the road. Introduction of publicly available Internet hasn't changed a thing. I remember the early internet days with Rotten.com, Ogrish, and SteakandCheese. As far as the snuff angle goes, I do believe they exist, but they're in the hands of the extremely rich and/or dangerous who've got them secured. They wouldn't be turning up on a cable channel or even the deep web. Claiming they're an urban legend or myth just helps some sleep at night. So, that brings us to the question of how much is too much? On one end of the spectrum, you've got me who's sat through a ton of horror films, watched a load of true crime stuff, and saw plenty of medical grossness when I was studying to go into the medical field to the point I've rewired my fear response to where my friends and co-workers regularly say when something crazy's going on to look at me since we'll be fine unless I'm actually panicking. On the other end of the spectrum, we have things like a study that was done when Power Rangers was getting big that claimed the show was so dangerous that just one episode made children violent because the kids were yelling and imitating the characters. It wasn't until the study went up for peer review that it came out the children selected for the study were all from homes where the parents refused to have a TV, and when the kids did watch something on TV, it was limited to educational PBS shows. It was probably the mental equivalent of someone only knowing bland boiled food all their life suddenly introduced to seasoning and flavor. Back to the question, I'd say it depends on the individual and even then, there's a ton of variables at play. What's too much for one person, might not be for another. All that said, Videodrome's worth a watch. I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.
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Oct 4, 2023 23:30
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 34) Stir of Echoes - 1999 - DVD I was ready to see this the moment I saw the trailer. Give it a watch, it's just too good. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Daa5VOnUWsA The story follows the book it's based on pretty well, the changes are more Chicagofying things and this and Blues Brothers are the two films settings that feel the most genuinely the Chicago I grew up with. Essentially this film's what happens when someone isn't mindful of phrasing during hypnosis. I would have to say that this is if not the best performance Kevin Bacon's done, it's definitely up there. It's earned it's place as one of my favorites. While the film's not considered to've done well at the box office and does tend to get overlooked when talking late 90s horror, it's not from flaws in the film, but more it had to go up against Blair Witch, The Mummy and Sixth Sense. Highly recommend this one. Basebf555 posted:INDIVIDUAL BONUS CHALLENGES(13 TOTAL) Born in Chicago, grew up in Little Italy and the nearby burbs.  35) The Descent - 2005 - DVD Spelunking is definitely not my thing. Not so much a matter of claustrophobia, but more I know my chunky rear would get wedged in somewhere. Story follows a group of thrill seeking friends on a spelunking trip which goes south very fast. Overall, this one's pretty decent. From the start, we know there's some issues going on with the friends. Sarah lost her husband and daughter in an accident the last time the friends got together whitewater rafting and Juno hadn't been there for her afterwards. Tensions rise when it turns out Juno decided to take them to an unexplored cave network rather than the explored one they'd already planned on in an attempt to restoring the friendship with Sarah. Much more happens from there but going to not spoil for anyone going in. The film has two endings, one more of a downer than the other that I kinda prefer the downer one. I feel it has a better flow. I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.
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Oct 5, 2023 13:06
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 36) The Pumpkin Karver - 2006 - TubiTV Considering how many good films I've sat through so far, it was just a matter of time before I hit a clunker. This one's definitely a clunker. The plot is so basic, you could plunk this film down during the Golden Age of Slashers and it'd fit in with any of the generic forgettable cash crank outs of the time. The acting's not good and the dialogue's awful. If anything I regret watching this one because I could've spent the time watching anything else that would be better. I had more entertainment searching for a poster image and seeing some incredible pumpkin carving art. Basebf555 posted:INDIVIDUAL BONUS CHALLENGES(13 TOTAL) Happens on Halloween. I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.
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Oct 6, 2023 06:28
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 36) Hellraiser - 1987 - DVD This was one of my 'rented because of that coverbox' from back in the day. I'd save my allowance up enough for two or three rentals and a box of raisinettes and walk to the Movies To Go at Winston Park Mall after school. If I had Birthday or Christmas money, we're also walking next door to Poppin' Fresh for the jalapeno cheddar popcorn. I still remember my first time watching. The tape had a giveaway advert with this little old granny lady who's cat was looking forward to watching the movie. Said cat was an incredibly cheap looking prop with nails and pins stuck in it. With many films that end up the start of a franchise, we can see it going either way for having a sequel. With Hellraiser, there's so much put in that it was going to need more films with how intriguing the worldbuilding is. How did the box come to be? What about the guy who was selling it in the beginning? What are the Cenobites? How is the bone dragon guy connected in all this? Granted most of this would all get answered in later films, comics and whatnot. Highly recommend this one. And yeah, despite what I said before about the coverbox pulling me in, soon as I saw that image, I had to use it.  37) History of the Occult - 2020 - TubiTV The trailer was interesting enough to make me give it a watch and it's definitely an intriguing watch. Premise follows the last broadcast of a journalism show that intends to uncover an occult conspiracy that goes all the way up to the highest politicians. To start, it did help to have some awareness of the political situation in Argentina during the late 70s-80s. To this day they're still trying to find out what happened with the 30,000 people who were disappeared during the Dirty War. The ending is a bit ambiguous, but my take on it is the ritual did work to a point. Until this point everyone was bound in what I see as an alternate reality since we see oddities like a modern day smart phone in the 80s, and names that any horror fan would recognize from other media. Anyone who was able to hear Marcato's word was freed with that remaining black & white were still bound. While this one might not be for everyone, I do recommend it. Basebf555 posted:GENERAL/META BONUS CHALLENGES(18 TOTAL) quote:
Argentina (South America) I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.
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Oct 6, 2023 15:34
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 38) Saw X - 2023 - Theater I freely admit I've been iffy on the Saw franchise. I really liked the first one, but somewhere around the third, it felt like deathtrap soap opera. I was really unsure about this one until I saw the trailer and decided I need to see this one. This was good, incredibly good. I'd put it up there with the first film as far as just how solid it was. I have heard a few nitpicks that this one makes Jigsaw too sympathetic and the ending is 'eww wholesome'. I think they're really missing the point on Jigsaw's distinctness. Unlike a lot of killers in horror, he's rational and genuinely believes in what he's doing. He's long term planning with training apprentices to take over when he's gone. He's also in a situation we can sympathize with. We've seen plenty of cases in the news where someone terminally ill fell for some snake oil cure. It's just in this case we have the victim of the scam's going to be more proactive than just filing a lawsuit. As far as 'eww wholesome' goes with the ending, that's just fussing over nothing. We know where they're going after this. Anyway, highly recommend this one. I'm considering picking this up when it's available for purchase. Basebf555 posted:GENERAL/META BONUS CHALLENGES(18 TOTAL)  39) Eyes Without a Face - 1960 - Max This one's very impressive for it's time. Plot follows a doctor's quest to restore his daughter's face after she was disfigured in a car accident he was responsible for. For the time, the concept of a face transplant probably sounded like mad science. It wasn't until the 90s we had successful transplants from the patient's own skin, and not until the 2000s that we've had success from donor tissue. Edith Scob really sells Christiane's slow suffering in isolation and failed surgeries. That she's in a mask that only shows her eyes just makes it more impressive. The surgery scene is still talked about for how intensive it is by 60s standards. I first saw this film in my teens when if things didn't start getting to the good stuff quick, I'd insist it was 'booooring', and pretty much rented it because of the Billy Idol song. This one pulled me in enough to keep watching. Highly recommend this one. I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.
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Oct 7, 2023 00:00
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 40) The Hills Have Eyes - 1977 - Scream Stream When I first saw this as a teen, it made me swear to avoid the Southwest. Naturally, I now live New Mexico. This one's an early entry in the 'beware rural areas' subgenre. While the genre tends to split in being sympathetic to the clueless city people and rolling eyes at their ignorance/assholery. This one leans to the latter as you wonder how the family would handle unincorporated suburbs with how much they do wrong. To start, they're heading to California with a detour to check out a silver mine they've gotten a deed for. Where to begin with this... First off, keep your dogs in the car or on a leash. Letting them run wild is a recipie for disaster. Little dogs are at risk because we've got eagles, hawks and falcons who will consider them dinner. Large dogs are at risk for coyotes, bears and mountain lions. Second, if you're not on the main expressways, expect miles of absolutely nothing under the blazing sun. So you risk overheating and running out of gas unless you plan ahead, and cell coverage gets iffy with same goes for CB if it's still around. Third, any old deed for a precious metals mine is likely a dead mine. There's reasons why there's scads of ghost towns out here. Any productive mine's already in ownership of some major business. So, even without the mutant cannibals, the family was in danger, though Beast probably would've made it through like the MVP he is. Overall, the film's very intense. There is a dog death that while you don't see it, they did buy a dead dog to use for the scene which is an 'ewww' from me. There was a remake done in the early 2000s which is even more intense and graphic. I do recommend this one, but understand it's very much not for everyone.  41) The Toxic Avenger - 1984 - Scream Stream Classic early Troma. Over the top and unapologetic with ample crass and campy humor. It's also Marissa Tomei's first film. Plot follows Melvin, the janitor at the Tromaville Health Club gets exposed to toxic waste in a prank that gives us the world's first superhero from New Jersey. There is a dog death that's clear the dog was having fun acting. Essentially the film that put Troma on the map. It's got everything that one now expects from a Troma film which also means this isn't a film for everyone. While it did get sequels, this also really makes it bizarre that this movie also got a Saturday Morning cartoon and toyline. The early 90s was a very strange time in it's own way. For those who get the over the top humor, I highly recommend this one. I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.
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Oct 7, 2023 04:59
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 42) V/H/S 85 - 2023 - Shudder I have to admit I'm really liking the format they're going with of skipping the clear wraparound segment in favor of this being like a VHS tape that's been recorded over multiple times with bits cutting in and out. Overall, I liked all the stories, though TKNOGD did feel a bit overlong. If I have to pick a top fave, it's No Wake/Ambrosia. That they had a custom song over the end credits earned major points with me since dammit, we need more custom songs for horror movies. I'm already looking forward to whatever next they do with the franchise. Basebf555 posted:GENERAL/META BONUS CHALLENGES(18 TOTAL)  43) Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors - 1987 - DVD I remember seeing this day one at the show with my friends. We had a blast and weirdly enough, we all dreamed of Freddy that night. While my friends were getting chased by him, in my dream I was helping him out. Really not sure what that says about me. This one's more of a direct sequel to the first since the second film just takes place in Nancy's house and a mention of her ending up in a mental facility. Here, we get Nancy back and a continuation of her fight with Freddy. This was just so good. We get more of Freddy's backstory, we get to see the effects of Freddy preying on Springfield's teens. We get to see how Nancy's been after fighting Freddy in the first film. I also consider this film to be where Freddymania really started off. Definitely a recommend from me. Basebf555 posted:INDIVIDUAL BONUS CHALLENGES(13 TOTAL) I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.
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Oct 7, 2023 13:31
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 44) Long Weekend - 1978 - Kanopy In short, even Nature can get tired of your bullshit. As I was watching this, I got tired of the couple's bullshit before Nature did. Story follows a bickering couple out camping in the Outback. Their carelessness and assholery ends up pissing off Nature. It's not often that I'm rooting for people to die so early in a film, but here we are. Peter and Marcia are awful people. I actually winced when Peter tosses a cig and starts a fire. I live in New Mexico where wildfires are no joke and often get caused by someone being careless. I'd like to think since Australia shares the same environ as New Mexico that it'd be taken just as seriously there as here. The two just continue on from there with the assholery to where when Nature starts striking back, I was cheering. There was a different ending planned where Nature decides to give Peter a second chance, but he blows it and Nature lets him get killed by humans, it was changed to the ending we have because of difficulty filming with the animals. I doubt I'll sit through this again, but it was worth the watch. Basebf555 posted:GENERAL/META BONUS CHALLENGES(18 TOTAL)  45) Cat People - 1942 - Max I think the first time I saw this was on Svengoolie back in the day. I remember being a bit disappointed with no werecat transformations like in the Wolfman. Story follows Irena, a fashion designer who fears she'll turn into a panther who will kill if she gives in to passion. Out of everyone in the film, I'm most sympathetic to Irena. While she does have issues, be it from past trauma or she's actually a werecat, she's sent to a psychiatrist who's not only friends with her husband, but also hits on her while her husband starts cheating on her with his assistant with all three planning on putting Irena in a psych ward. That's the sort of messed up scenario you'd expect from the Victorian era. I wouldn't've felt bad if all three ended up on the business end of claws. The use of light and shadow along with the editing are what really makes the film. It's amazing how much is done with so little to set the mood and build tension. While I'm a bit iffy on the sequel, Curse of the Cat People and the 82 remake is really its own thing, this one's definitely worth a watch. I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.
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Oct 7, 2023 19:35
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 46) 28 Days Later - 2002 - DVD Funny story with this. It came out during my Great Theater Drought where I didn't go to the movies for years because my kids were too little and having a babysitter was a spotty affair, so I rented a lot. I'd generally wait until everyone was in bed and watch to see if it was okay for the kids to also sit through or if it'd need the censoring hand to cover the eyes, or it was a no go at this time. So, kids are in bed, house is dark and quiet, and I'm watching this with the volume low. Get through the opening with the rage chimps, and get to Cillian in the bed...and boom, there's a hand in front of my eyes with my son giggling and saying 'no watching'. I couldn't get mad since I covered his eyes for boobs/sex plenty of times. The turnabout was fair. My biggest complaint with this film isn't so much with the film, but with the marketing stating the Infected are zombies when they aren't by any stretch. They're living people whose brain chemistry's been pushed to rage/violence to where everything else is overwhelmed. Adrenaline's pumping's enough to shrug off many injuries, and if they eat/drink it's by accident when they're attacking someone so it's only a matter of time before they'll die from malnutrition/dehydration. Thing is the surviving long enough to get to that point. I like the film, it also introduced me to Godspeed You! Black Emperor. I also liked that we're seeing an apocalypse situation in anywhere other than America because I want to see how other locations in the world would handle this sort of thing. Compared to my usual gripe with these type of films with how they stampede towards warlords of suburbia at the first sign of something's not right, here we're already into the situation after mass evacuations and chaos where it actually works with no one who's left knowing what's going on beyond 'we're proper hosed'. There were three other potential endings, but I think they went with the best one. With how bleak the film gets at points, a vaguely hopeful ending was needed. There is a sequel which does have its moments, and I still hold out hope for a 28 Months Later. Recommend this one.  47) Totally Killer - 2023 - Prime Catching the trailer and seeing it was pretty much Back to the Future, but slasher, I was curious. It is, with the expected cross time humor, and some interesting takes on temporal changes. Story follows Jamie who's mom was a Final Girl from the Sweet 16 killer's spree. After her mom's murder, she accidentally goes back in time to the 80s when the killings happened. Overall, I liked this. Some of the cross time humor doesn't land, but that's a minor thing. I really liked that the 80s were shown more realistic than most modern films do. Too many think it was all New Wave and neon, when it definitely wasn't. Soundtrack was pretty good too, didn't come across too try hard like some. I particularly liked how they handled temporal changes. This is a recommend from me. Basebf555 posted:GENERAL/META BONUS CHALLENGES(18 TOTAL) I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.
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Oct 8, 2023 00:50
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 48) Freaky - 2020 - Prime Since I liked Happy Death Day (Groundhog Day, but slasher), and Totally Killer (Back to the Future, but slasher), I figured to give Freaky (Freaky Friday the 13th) a watch. I guess this was okay, I think it might've worked better for me if I saw any of the Freaky Friday films rather than just know the premise. That said, Vince Vaughn and Kathryn Newton were great in this. Doubt I'll sit through this again, but it was a decent enough watch. I am very interested in seeing what other genre films get the ', but horror' treatment. Basebf555 posted:GENERAL/META BONUS CHALLENGES(18 TOTAL)  49) Deep Red - 1975 - Prime Over the years I've seen this under various edits and I'd have to say the best is the longer Italian edition. Too much characterization, subplot and humor are cut from the other editions. Definitely a must see if you like giallo. It's stylish, gory, and Argento's first collaboration with Goblin and Daria Nicolodi. It's one of my favorites in the genre and I highly HIGHLY recommend this one. I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints. M_Sinistrari fucked around with this message at 16:29 on Oct 8, 2023 |
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Oct 8, 2023 16:06
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 50) Aliens - 1986 - DVD Very much in the style of more = better. When we heard there was going to be a sequel to Alien, we were wondering where they were going to go with it. Then we heard there was going to be more than one and our minds were blown. The first film showed how dangerous one was and here there were going to be more? This is a sequel which is on par with the original. They're both solid films, just with a difference in tone. Aliens is more action-y, but still very much horror as well. A lot of solid performances in this one. Story picks up when Ripley's pulled out of hypersleep decades after the first film and is needed to deal with the aliens again. Some decades back at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, they had a temporary exhibit on movie special effects and they had the full sized alien queen prop facing off against a Ripley manikin in the exoskeleton. I freely admit to crawling around the exhibit ropes to take pictures as if the queen was about to get me and I had to grab a last shot before getting killed. This film's definitely a must see.  51) That Guy Dick Miller - 2014 - TubiTV Without question, this is a need to see documentary. I knew Dick Miller was in a ton of films, but not quite the metric ton of them that he was. I could probably do a only Dick Miller films theme and still not get all of them in. This one's packed to the gills with interviews and shared stories. It's a career retrospective that shows the love. I can't recommend this one enough. Basebf555 posted:INDIVIDUAL BONUS CHALLENGES(13 TOTAL) quote:GENERAL/META BONUS CHALLENGES(18 TOTAL) I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.
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Oct 8, 2023 22:27
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 52) Deep Rising - 1998 - DVD Treat Williams really deserves more of a career than what he's had. He balances action and comedy well, and Deep Rising's just another example of how good he is. Plot follows a small ship's crew who've been hired to take a band of mercenaries to a specific set of co-ordinates on the open sea. Already this is a recipe for something bad going to happen. That something bad was something none of them could've expected. This is a complete sit back with your popcorn and enjoy the ride. There's plenty of action, humor and goopiness abounding. The CGI does come across a bit dated, but that's expected for how old this film is. I definitely recommend this one for a cheesy movie night with friends.  53) The Children - 2008 - TubiTV When this first popped on my recommendeds, I thought it might be a remake of The Children from 1980. It's not, but it does share the concept of killer children. Story follows a couple of insufferable families coming together for the holidays where things take a bad turn more than the usual family fussing on the holidays. This was an exasperating watch. As much as I'd like to think it's because I'm a parent so I'm more aware of what it's like, the adults here are so eye rollingly clueless anyone would be head-desking while watching this. What's happening is a virus is turning the children into killers and it starts like the normal feeling sick and nauseous. Now, going from my experience with my kids, you learn how your kids handle this sort of thing. You also learn what's normal and when to be hauling rear end to the ER. For example, if at any time your kid is throwing up black stuff and it's not directly connected to eating too many Oreos, you go to Urgent Care or the ER. Same goes for when the questionable poo poo starts happening and the parents just are brushing it off. Seriously. A toy gets broken or the like is one thing. Kid giggling while poking at a bloody wound while not stopping when you're telling them to stop and I'm wondering what the hell is going on in your home life that you're brushing this off. There is a cat death that while you don't see it happening, you see enough of the afterwards to know it was bad. I doubt I'll sit through this one again, unless it's a watch with friends where we can kvetch at how stupid the parents were in this. I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.
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Oct 9, 2023 14:54
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