It's absolutely terrible. And the constant shakey cam is nauseating. Most of the time, you have no idea what the hell's supposed to be going on.
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31 Days of Horror (2018) - The October Movie Marathon
- Thread starter ThirstyFly
- Start date
It's absolutely terrible. And the constant shakey cam is nauseating. Most of the time, you have no idea what the hell's supposed to be going on.
It's his worst film by far. It's like a fan film inspired by his first two films, with the added demerits of making a pint-sized Hitler clown utterly boring and having an editing philosophy that's little more than hitting the frappe button on a blender.
Jesus Christ. lol it's out then.
White Zombie is one of my top 3 bands, I will forgive Rob anything. I liked the first Halloween remake a lot and while the (non studio version) of the sequel wouldn't have been great it had neat ideas, and I think Devils Rejects is the best grindhouse homage ever and is one of my top Five films no matter genre of all time.
That said all I have to say about 31 is it cost too much and I watched it for free, one of the few things in life I want that time back because it was literally wasted forever, no skulls out of five, not even a scalp cap. Avoid.
#5 - Leviathan: The Story of Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser II Part 1 (First time viewing) - A documentary that tells the behind the scenes stories of my favorite horror is something that I should have loved. But after watching Crystal Lake Memories, and Never Sleep Again, the bar for horror documentaries has been set rather high. Unfortunately, this one doesn't reach those heights.
First thing, there are two key people missing from the discussions of the film: Clive Barker (writer and director) and Ashley Laurence (Kirsty Cotton). It was awesome to hear from Andrew Robinson (Larry Cotton) after all these years, and his experiences on set. I certainly learned a little more about his character. Claire Higgins (Julia Cotton) contributed, but not as much as I expected. We did get all of the Cenobites (except the female one from the first film as apparently she did not enjoy being in the movie at all and wants nothing to do it), and their tales of hours of makeup were interesting to hear.
I also expected a lot more stories about the making of the film itself in the way of how the MPAA cut quite a bit out. There is a long section in the middle hearing from the special effects crew that really made the documentary drag as I found very few of their stories interesting or engaging. Ultimately, it was a disappointment, but I'm glad I watched it as I learned a little more about one of my favorite films ever. If they had spent a little more time talking about certain scenes, and the movie itself, while having input from the director, it would have been just as good as the Friday the 13th and Elm Street ones. There is a part 2 coming, but I'm not too sure I want to see it after this one.
5 endless stories about buying condoms and KY Jelly in the 80s out of 10
#3: Trick 'r Treat (2007)
Charlie Brown is an asshole!
From the director of Krampus and the upcoming Godzilla: King of the Monsters, we have his anthology Halloween film. In a refreshing spin on the holiday anthology format, all the stories take place at the same time, lightly crossing over. I thought Krampus was good, but not great, and was a little disappointed in its tone, which I'd expected to be much more camp and over the top gory. While not a serious film, I thought it would be more playful than it was.
Thankfully this film had the exact tone I wanted from Krampus, a black comedy with great morbid humour. What Krampus did best was a visual flair and delightful practical effects, which this film shared, with wonderful colours and style on display. What you really get here is a terrific vibe, rather than lots of overt scares. It's just a nice celebration of all things Halloween. There's also some real laugh out loud gags mixed in there, my favorite being
Highly recommended.
Charlie Brown is an asshole!
From the director of Krampus and the upcoming Godzilla: King of the Monsters, we have his anthology Halloween film. In a refreshing spin on the holiday anthology format, all the stories take place at the same time, lightly crossing over. I thought Krampus was good, but not great, and was a little disappointed in its tone, which I'd expected to be much more camp and over the top gory. While not a serious film, I thought it would be more playful than it was.
Thankfully this film had the exact tone I wanted from Krampus, a black comedy with great morbid humour. What Krampus did best was a visual flair and delightful practical effects, which this film shared, with wonderful colours and style on display. What you really get here is a terrific vibe, rather than lots of overt scares. It's just a nice celebration of all things Halloween. There's also some real laugh out loud gags mixed in there, my favorite being
The Evil Dead style pratfall Sam takes after being shot; being blown across the room and sliding into a wall, which got a good guffaw out of me.
Highly recommended.
- Godzilla (1954)
- Godzilla Raids Again (1955)
- King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)
This is the one of two Godzilla movies in my collection for which I only have a dubbed American release; the Japanese version was never released in North America. Honda returns as director but approaches his monsters with a lighter touch here, and this film is definitely meant to be more a "fun" movie than a horrific one. Godzilla has a new look that works quite well, but TOHO's super-sized King Kong (about five times taller than the 1933 original) is a rather shabby looking suit-monster with an affinity for the narcotic juice of a rare berry and the ability to grow stronger by storing electricity in his body. The effects are of variable quality; the optical work with a live octopus standing in for a giant one is a little rough around the edges, there's far less urban destruction in this film, and many of the scenes on Faro Island populated by large numbers of TOHO extras in black face are downright cringe-worthy today. This project was apparently the final result of an aborted Willis O'Brien work-up originating as King Kong vs Frankenstein; O'Brien's efforts were frustrated over several years until American producer John Beck essentially stole his idea and sold the rights to TOHO without his knowledge. The end result was two TOHO Kong films, this and 1967's King Kong Escapes.
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I'm sick as fuck so it's the best time to marathon a few horror movies. Today I got two, and both were nice surprises:
Zombie movies, or zombies in general, have probably told already all they could tell. This movie is not mind-blowing, is not extremely original or anything. It's yet another one in the "post-apocalypse lone man strives to survive" sub-genre. It is though extremely well shot, acted and has a few idea up its sleeves that set it apart. First, huge congratulations to the director which was able to make zombies actually scary again, or better yet creepy. How? They don't emit any sound, they are completely muted and you know they're around only by their footsteps basically. A pretty simple idea but it works perfectly, the first time you encounter them it's so weird. As any film in this sub-genre, there is no ending which is particularly satisfying. This one doesn't change that, and the final couple of scenes are pretty generic, but as they say, it's all about the ride, and the ride is pretty damn good, even if it might feel stale.
OK hear me out on this. I'm probably one of the seven people out there who actually enjoyed the first Unfriended. It was a simple story, derivative sure, but it was told in an interesting manner nonetheless and I think they nailed it perfectly. With this sequel, I expected a shallow cash-in just to make an easy +1 to the franchise. Boy, was I wrong. This film is actually pretty damn great. It's completely unrelated to the first except the style of cinematography. It doesn't even share the same paranormal undertone, this time it's completely 100% "realistic". I always thought a movie about the deep web was long overdue and a pretty obvious thematic choice for an horror. Well, for this one to be the first (that I know of) that treats this argument, I was genuinely surprised. The story is engrossing, "kinda" believable, and fascinating, could easily be a Black Mirror episode. The actors are pretty good for being no-ones, and the cinematography is great. If someone out there thinks it's "easier" to shot films like this, trust me, the work on the editing is top notch and the pacing is absolutely perfect. Didn't bore me one second, and it didn't rely on gore at all which was surprising. I also loved the depiction of the program the hackers use to visit the dark web, looked like Minecraft. Promoted 100%, it surprised me like the first, with this one actually going up there along the best horror movies of the year.
Zombie movies, or zombies in general, have probably told already all they could tell. This movie is not mind-blowing, is not extremely original or anything. It's yet another one in the "post-apocalypse lone man strives to survive" sub-genre. It is though extremely well shot, acted and has a few idea up its sleeves that set it apart. First, huge congratulations to the director which was able to make zombies actually scary again, or better yet creepy. How? They don't emit any sound, they are completely muted and you know they're around only by their footsteps basically. A pretty simple idea but it works perfectly, the first time you encounter them it's so weird. As any film in this sub-genre, there is no ending which is particularly satisfying. This one doesn't change that, and the final couple of scenes are pretty generic, but as they say, it's all about the ride, and the ride is pretty damn good, even if it might feel stale.
OK hear me out on this. I'm probably one of the seven people out there who actually enjoyed the first Unfriended. It was a simple story, derivative sure, but it was told in an interesting manner nonetheless and I think they nailed it perfectly. With this sequel, I expected a shallow cash-in just to make an easy +1 to the franchise. Boy, was I wrong. This film is actually pretty damn great. It's completely unrelated to the first except the style of cinematography. It doesn't even share the same paranormal undertone, this time it's completely 100% "realistic". I always thought a movie about the deep web was long overdue and a pretty obvious thematic choice for an horror. Well, for this one to be the first (that I know of) that treats this argument, I was genuinely surprised. The story is engrossing, "kinda" believable, and fascinating, could easily be a Black Mirror episode. The actors are pretty good for being no-ones, and the cinematography is great. If someone out there thinks it's "easier" to shot films like this, trust me, the work on the editing is top notch and the pacing is absolutely perfect. Didn't bore me one second, and it didn't rely on gore at all which was surprising. I also loved the depiction of the program the hackers use to visit the dark web, looked like Minecraft. Promoted 100%, it surprised me like the first, with this one actually going up there along the best horror movies of the year.
3) Motel Hell (1980)
★★★
You might think you have this one figured out. Farmer Vincent and his portly sister sell the yummiest smoked meat in the county, and we all know what the special ingredient is. But backwood horror quickly gives way to satire, slapstick comedy, cheesy romance, family drama, and what amounts to a zombie scene featuring a bunch of moaning, croaking victims that's almost reminiscent of "Night of the Living Dead".
Farmer Vincent's chipper demeanor while tending to his human animals planted up to their necks in a secret garden is hilarious and adds to the surreal atmosphere of the goings-on. The great chainsaw duel would later be copied in Tobe Hooper's similarly unhinged "Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2". None of it makes much sense and our young lady in peril constantly seems to make the strangest life choices. It's often all over the place, somewhat disjointed, and it might leave you scratching your head. But it's certainly unique and utterly bizarre.
★★★
You might think you have this one figured out. Farmer Vincent and his portly sister sell the yummiest smoked meat in the county, and we all know what the special ingredient is. But backwood horror quickly gives way to satire, slapstick comedy, cheesy romance, family drama, and what amounts to a zombie scene featuring a bunch of moaning, croaking victims that's almost reminiscent of "Night of the Living Dead".
Farmer Vincent's chipper demeanor while tending to his human animals planted up to their necks in a secret garden is hilarious and adds to the surreal atmosphere of the goings-on. The great chainsaw duel would later be copied in Tobe Hooper's similarly unhinged "Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2". None of it makes much sense and our young lady in peril constantly seems to make the strangest life choices. It's often all over the place, somewhat disjointed, and it might leave you scratching your head. But it's certainly unique and utterly bizarre.
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2) Pumpkinhead
I've seen parts of this through the years but just never watched the whole movie through. It's about average. Lance Henriksons acting in some parts are rather hilariously over the top. I've watched it now, and thats about it. your average 80's horror movie.
I've seen parts of this through the years but just never watched the whole movie through. It's about average. Lance Henriksons acting in some parts are rather hilariously over the top. I've watched it now, and thats about it. your average 80's horror movie.
#3: Trick 'r Treat (2007)
Charlie Brown is an asshole!
From the director of Krampus and the upcoming Godzilla: King of the Monsters, we have his anthology Halloween film. In a refreshing spin on the holiday anthology format, all the stories take place at the same time, lightly crossing over. I thought Krampus was good, but not great, and was a little disappointed in its tone, which I'd expected to be much more camp and over the top gory. While not a serious film, I thought it would be more playful than it was.
Thankfully this film had the exact tone I wanted from Krampus, a black comedy with great morbid humour. What Krampus did best was a visual flair and delightful practical effects, which this film shared, with wonderful colours and style on display. What you really get here is a terrific vibe, rather than lots of overt scares. It's just a nice celebration of all things Halloween. There's also some real laugh out loud gags mixed in there, my favorite being
The Evil Dead style pratfall Sam takes after being shot; being blown across the room and sliding into a wall, which got a good guffaw out of me.
Highly recommended.
one of the truly great unwatched movies... imagine joe dante making an r-rated horror flick
i watched The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane earlier, and i must say it was a fantastic little oddity from the 70s with an imperious performance from a young Jodie Foster
if anyone wants something a bit different to fill a gap, it's on netflix in the UK (not sure about the US)
if anyone wants something a bit different to fill a gap, it's on netflix in the UK (not sure about the US)
All of my ratings are out of 5
#1 Peur(s) du noir (or Fear(s) of the Dark) (2007) ★★
#2 Perfect Blue (1997)
★★★★½
#1 Peur(s) du noir (or Fear(s) of the Dark) (2007) ★★
#2 Perfect Blue (1997)
Perfect Blue is a very unique film. It gives you an uneasy feeling from the get go and maintains it throughout. The twist was guessable, but that's not the point of the movie, it's how it's constructed, the way it not only messes with the perception of time and sanity in the movie, but how it's projected onto the watcher. The whole idea of the movie is what's real and what's fake, it toys with this idea through the entire movie, pointing it out explicitly and subtly. I would definitely recommend this movie for anyone who like psychological thrillers!
★★★★½
3). Tonight She Comes (available on Hulu)
What the shitting shit is this shit?!?! The quality of the camera and initial soundtrack completely blindsided me to this amateur hour turd. Seriously this is like if some 4chan edgelord high schoolers got together and their rich parents bought them a high quality film camera and a cinematographer to go with it. And I can just picture these guys sitting around going "man we can make the coolest goriest horror movie ever and we have these sick as fuck jokes. It's going to be bad ass!"
This is shit. Utter and objective garbage. It's edgelord mindless gore for the sake of gore and gross forum humor for the sake of gross forum humor. I can't imagine the script for this being more than 1 or 2 napkins of scribbles. And worse I googled reviews and found a couple sites trying to praise this piece of shit for trying to reinvent horror or pay homage or some bullshit. No, you are trying to give this turd credit for something it's not all trying to do.
Complete waste of two hours I can never get back.
What the shitting shit is this shit?!?! The quality of the camera and initial soundtrack completely blindsided me to this amateur hour turd. Seriously this is like if some 4chan edgelord high schoolers got together and their rich parents bought them a high quality film camera and a cinematographer to go with it. And I can just picture these guys sitting around going "man we can make the coolest goriest horror movie ever and we have these sick as fuck jokes. It's going to be bad ass!"
This is shit. Utter and objective garbage. It's edgelord mindless gore for the sake of gore and gross forum humor for the sake of gross forum humor. I can't imagine the script for this being more than 1 or 2 napkins of scribbles. And worse I googled reviews and found a couple sites trying to praise this piece of shit for trying to reinvent horror or pay homage or some bullshit. No, you are trying to give this turd credit for something it's not all trying to do.
Complete waste of two hours I can never get back.
1. Before I Wake (Netflix)
2. 47 Meters Down (Netflix)
Wow, this movie was tense, to the point where I almost paused the movie to get a break.
Two sisters decide to spice up their vacation in Mexico by going into a shark cage to look at great whites. Unfortunate for them the boat and equipment are sketchy at best and they end up stranded 47 meters down running out of air with sharks surrounding them.
Can't hold a candle to Jaws but my god was it tense. Too dark though, but understandable, as it's far underwater. Some jump scares worked and some were telegraphed but two thirds of the movie had me on the edge of my couch the whole time.
I give this movie 3/5
Is The Shallows better or worse than 47 Meters Down?
2. 47 Meters Down (Netflix)
Wow, this movie was tense, to the point where I almost paused the movie to get a break.
Two sisters decide to spice up their vacation in Mexico by going into a shark cage to look at great whites. Unfortunate for them the boat and equipment are sketchy at best and they end up stranded 47 meters down running out of air with sharks surrounding them.
Can't hold a candle to Jaws but my god was it tense. Too dark though, but understandable, as it's far underwater. Some jump scares worked and some were telegraphed but two thirds of the movie had me on the edge of my couch the whole time.
I give this movie 3/5
Is The Shallows better or worse than 47 Meters Down?
All of this is true, yet if you picked a random horror movie from the Netflix lineup the random pick would most likely be worse.
#3: Trick 'r Treat (2007)
Charlie Brown is an asshole!
From the director of Krampus and the upcoming Godzilla: King of the Monsters, we have his anthology Halloween film. In a refreshing spin on the holiday anthology format, all the stories take place at the same time, lightly crossing over. I thought Krampus was good, but not great, and was a little disappointed in its tone, which I'd expected to be much more camp and over the top gory. While not a serious film, I thought it would be more playful than it was.
Thankfully this film had the exact tone I wanted from Krampus, a black comedy with great morbid humour. What Krampus did best was a visual flair and delightful practical effects, which this film shared, with wonderful colours and style on display. What you really get here is a terrific vibe, rather than lots of overt scares. It's just a nice celebration of all things Halloween. There's also some real laugh out loud gags mixed in there, my favorite being
The Evil Dead style pratfall Sam takes after being shot; being blown across the room and sliding into a wall, which got a good guffaw out of me.
Highly recommended.
Charlie Brown's an asshole.
i have absolutely zero idea what the general consensus is of the two... but i much prefered the shallows over 47 meters down
47 meters down is another one of those flicks which comes with a bizarre level of praise
(now i'm not saying the shallows is a classic, but i did enjoy it for what it is)
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The shallows was a good suspenseful movie but they absolutely ruined it in the last 15 minutes. Horrible CGI and absolutely nothing that made sense.
Oct 3rd - Film 2 - The House With A Clock In its Walls
I was not originally going to include this in my tally for the month, but I've changed my mind because A) I'm already behind schedule, and B) bits of it are a damn sight creepier than anything in Leatherface, the only 'grown-up' horror movie I've managed to see so far this October. Plus I really enjoyed it.
Set in 1955, it's the story of an orphan boy, Lewis, who goes to live with his uncle (played by an on-form Jack Black), who turns out to be a warlock. There's also a friendly witch living next door (the magnificent Kate Blanchett), and the two of them teach Lewis a whole bunch of stuff about magic, all while searching for a mysterious clock that's been hidden somewhere in the house by the previous, deceased owner.
For a film that features a running gag about a topiary griffin shitting itself, it gets surprisingly dark and serious at times. While the magic is initially fun, it leads on to midnight cemetery walks, and necromancy. Through a brief glimpse of a tattoo on her arm, we learn that Kate Blanchett's character is a holocaust survivor, and the villain of the piece (played with scenery chewing gusto by Kyle MacLachlan) only becomes such a villain because of the horrors he's seen during the war.
It's directed by Eli Roth, and whatever you may think of his output (I'm a fan, for the most part), it's clear he knows about horror movies, and this shows in the film. A group of large dolls and mannequins come to fantastically creepy life at one point, and the (infrequent) jump scares are handled very well. There's even an end-credit Texas Chainsaw Massacre homage.
All in all, a fun kids horror movie.
I was not originally going to include this in my tally for the month, but I've changed my mind because A) I'm already behind schedule, and B) bits of it are a damn sight creepier than anything in Leatherface, the only 'grown-up' horror movie I've managed to see so far this October. Plus I really enjoyed it.
Set in 1955, it's the story of an orphan boy, Lewis, who goes to live with his uncle (played by an on-form Jack Black), who turns out to be a warlock. There's also a friendly witch living next door (the magnificent Kate Blanchett), and the two of them teach Lewis a whole bunch of stuff about magic, all while searching for a mysterious clock that's been hidden somewhere in the house by the previous, deceased owner.
For a film that features a running gag about a topiary griffin shitting itself, it gets surprisingly dark and serious at times. While the magic is initially fun, it leads on to midnight cemetery walks, and necromancy. Through a brief glimpse of a tattoo on her arm, we learn that Kate Blanchett's character is a holocaust survivor, and the villain of the piece (played with scenery chewing gusto by Kyle MacLachlan) only becomes such a villain because of the horrors he's seen during the war.
It's directed by Eli Roth, and whatever you may think of his output (I'm a fan, for the most part), it's clear he knows about horror movies, and this shows in the film. A group of large dolls and mannequins come to fantastically creepy life at one point, and the (infrequent) jump scares are handled very well. There's even an end-credit Texas Chainsaw Massacre homage.
All in all, a fun kids horror movie.
I've seen worse myself, but I think something like 31 is a lot more devastating with its failure simply because Zombie has shown himself to be a talented filmmaker. For him to do worse than even House of 1000 Corpses on a technical level, even with the excuse of him only having a Kickstarter budget to work with, is simply unforgivable.
I don't have a definitive list or anything but I plan on watching more than 31 horror movies this month.
And i usually watch them throughout the year anyway. I wouldnt mind coming in here and chiming in on some good (or bad) movies ive watched!
I kicked off Oct with Hellhouse LLC and Hellhouse LLC 2
Nothing but positive things to say about the former. Spooky atmosphere, great acting, not too too many jump scares and a fairly interesting concept/plot. Ill keep this brief, a group of friends come into possession of an old abandoned hotel and turn it into a haunted house for Halloween. Ill leave it at that, as going in with as little knowledge as possible makes for a better experience. I really don't care for found footage stuff but I didn't mind it here. I highly recommend this one. I was pleasantly surprised. 4/5
The later, however, takes a shit on everything the first built. There was no need for a sequel, especially one that's worse in every way. Terrible acting, cringe worthy scenes, repetitious jump scares and a poor, predictable ending. 1/5
And i usually watch them throughout the year anyway. I wouldnt mind coming in here and chiming in on some good (or bad) movies ive watched!
I kicked off Oct with Hellhouse LLC and Hellhouse LLC 2
Nothing but positive things to say about the former. Spooky atmosphere, great acting, not too too many jump scares and a fairly interesting concept/plot. Ill keep this brief, a group of friends come into possession of an old abandoned hotel and turn it into a haunted house for Halloween. Ill leave it at that, as going in with as little knowledge as possible makes for a better experience. I really don't care for found footage stuff but I didn't mind it here. I highly recommend this one. I was pleasantly surprised. 4/5
The later, however, takes a shit on everything the first built. There was no need for a sequel, especially one that's worse in every way. Terrible acting, cringe worthy scenes, repetitious jump scares and a poor, predictable ending. 1/5
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Fun fact, I started watching the Prom Night remake and like 20 minutes in, I feel like I've seen this movie before was able to search and find that I had seen the movie before. Just that forgettable.
11. The Windmill (N) - On Netflix. I really like this movie. It's more of a psychological slasher than a pure blood and guts one, but it works. The killer design isn't anything special, but gruesome enough to be unique, the characters are mostly likable and waiting for the shoe to drop. And unlike other movies it doesn't completely fall apart at the end.
I still don't know if I liked the ending of 47 Meters Down. It was...weird...
Phase IV
Something New: Killer Ants
I have had this movie on my list for some time. I don't recall how it managed to get on there, but I do know I've been interested in watching this for a long time now and the something old/new theme this year is really working out well because Them! last night followed by this tonight was great. We go from big ants yesterday to normal size smart ants today.
So when you see a film named Phase IV about killer smart ants, your probably going to expect a really bad b movie. However, this one was nicely done and took the premise totally serious. We get a lot of really close up shots of ants doing ant things that look very impressive for the time. To me anyway.
Much to my surprise, they actually played this very straight. There is quite a bit of science applied as far as trying to communicate with the smart ants which reminded me of Arrival quite a bit. Well, Arrival probably borrowed some ideas from this, but you get the idea. I put this one in my buy pile. I think I could revisit this periodically.
I'm rating this three and a half gallons of yellow ant poison.
Something New: Killer Ants
I have had this movie on my list for some time. I don't recall how it managed to get on there, but I do know I've been interested in watching this for a long time now and the something old/new theme this year is really working out well because Them! last night followed by this tonight was great. We go from big ants yesterday to normal size smart ants today.
So when you see a film named Phase IV about killer smart ants, your probably going to expect a really bad b movie. However, this one was nicely done and took the premise totally serious. We get a lot of really close up shots of ants doing ant things that look very impressive for the time. To me anyway.
Much to my surprise, they actually played this very straight. There is quite a bit of science applied as far as trying to communicate with the smart ants which reminded me of Arrival quite a bit. Well, Arrival probably borrowed some ideas from this, but you get the idea. I put this one in my buy pile. I think I could revisit this periodically.
I'm rating this three and a half gallons of yellow ant poison.
3. Dial M for Murder - Unsurprisingly, this was a really good thriller from Alfred Hitchcock. A man thinks he can pull off the perfect crime and get away with it. He's a smug bastard and I immediately wanted to see him get his comeuppance. The scene where he invites over an old college friend and explains his plan is just fantastic. You see the whole extent of his psychosis, while still being impressed with his attention to detail. It keeps you guessing until the very end if he can successfully alter his plan on the fly and come away unscathed.
1. The Mummy (1932) (rewatch)
2. Extraordinary Tales (2013)
3. Justice League Dark (2017)
4. The Wicker Man (1973) (rewatch)
Such a bizarrely-creepy film. Very much a slow burn, but really engaging.
2. Extraordinary Tales (2013)
3. Justice League Dark (2017)
4. The Wicker Man (1973) (rewatch)
Such a bizarrely-creepy film. Very much a slow burn, but really engaging.
#3: Resolution: I watched this one because someone mentioned it in the thread earlier and I really enjoyed it. It took an abstract thing and presented it in a more coherent way than you would expect from a horror film of its type. The detox storyline was ok. I did read that it was put in there to give the film structure but it mostly worked. The Chris guy was pretty funny. I liked the ending and was begging the film to not show me the final 'monster' because seeing it would ruin it completely. Put it on the pile of movies that I'll have to read/watch analyses of it for years to come. I'll watch the sequel you guys were talking about tomorrow.
That's easily one of my favourite horror films. Only watched it the once though.
3. Saw
Boy, Adam's acting in this one really doesn't hold up in this one, if it ever did. The first one is so jarring compared to the others. The traps are extremely straightforward (crawl through barbed wire, stab man to get key, etc.) and the carnage is pretty tame by comparison. You don't even see a lot of the deaths happen because of camera cuts. Comparing this to the last Saw film where there were lasers and a blender powered by a motorcycle is interesting. There was a clear amping up in terms of complexity between 2 and 3. It also has the best reveal of any of the Saw films.
Boy, Adam's acting in this one really doesn't hold up in this one, if it ever did. The first one is so jarring compared to the others. The traps are extremely straightforward (crawl through barbed wire, stab man to get key, etc.) and the carnage is pretty tame by comparison. You don't even see a lot of the deaths happen because of camera cuts. Comparing this to the last Saw film where there were lasers and a blender powered by a motorcycle is interesting. There was a clear amping up in terms of complexity between 2 and 3. It also has the best reveal of any of the Saw films.
Had a lot of down time at work today so I finished Truth or Dare... it's not a 0/10! I'd give it like a 5. Definitely could've been a lot worse given the premise.
Day 2: Night of the Living Dead
Great movie, this was the original zombie that more or less created the modern zombie. Also it was pretty cool to see an African American star in a lead role which was pretty rare for the 60's. While dated in many ways today I imagine this was one of the scariest movies released at the time and still one of the best zombie movies to date. I give it 4 flesh eating ghouls out of 5.
Day 3: Evil Dead (2013)
Wow this was really scary and I rarely get scared watching horror movies these days but this did it. Despite being a huge fan of the original trilogy I hadn't seen this until tonight. Its also one of the goriest films I've seen in a while and like straight out of a slayer song it literally rains blood. Really recommend this one, I give it 4 dismembered arms out of 5.
Great movie, this was the original zombie that more or less created the modern zombie. Also it was pretty cool to see an African American star in a lead role which was pretty rare for the 60's. While dated in many ways today I imagine this was one of the scariest movies released at the time and still one of the best zombie movies to date. I give it 4 flesh eating ghouls out of 5.
Day 3: Evil Dead (2013)
Wow this was really scary and I rarely get scared watching horror movies these days but this did it. Despite being a huge fan of the original trilogy I hadn't seen this until tonight. Its also one of the goriest films I've seen in a while and like straight out of a slayer song it literally rains blood. Really recommend this one, I give it 4 dismembered arms out of 5.
Day 4
12. The Descent
I think I saw this in high school but didn't much care for it at the time. The monsters threw me off and indeed they are pretty shitty still. However, I found this time that the drama between the characters, the music, and some really arresting visual shots more than make up for that. Really enjoyed it this time and I was really impressed that by the end of the movie I felt more tension between that characters still alive than by the monsters. But then, still a testament to exactly how shit the monsters were. Still
4/5
12. The Descent
I think I saw this in high school but didn't much care for it at the time. The monsters threw me off and indeed they are pretty shitty still. However, I found this time that the drama between the characters, the music, and some really arresting visual shots more than make up for that. Really enjoyed it this time and I was really impressed that by the end of the movie I felt more tension between that characters still alive than by the monsters. But then, still a testament to exactly how shit the monsters were. Still
4/5
Movie 2: Evil Dead 2
Had to break out the VCR for this one. I forgot how good VHS could look on a VCR. This movie was wild. While I think the original is an outright better film this is the one most people know. It gave Ash his iconic look and some of his catch phrases. If you haven't watched any of the Evil Dead movies you are missing out.
Even though It's called Evil Dead 2 this is actually a retelling of the first movie. It has a lot more comedy in it and the gore has been turned up to 11. Even the house bleeds. While there are side character the film mainly revolves around Ash. I actually think watching the first film should be mandatory since the story in this one is pretty light. Watching the first and then watching this gives you a lot of context to what is happening.
Had to break out the VCR for this one. I forgot how good VHS could look on a VCR. This movie was wild. While I think the original is an outright better film this is the one most people know. It gave Ash his iconic look and some of his catch phrases. If you haven't watched any of the Evil Dead movies you are missing out.
Even though It's called Evil Dead 2 this is actually a retelling of the first movie. It has a lot more comedy in it and the gore has been turned up to 11. Even the house bleeds. While there are side character the film mainly revolves around Ash. I actually think watching the first film should be mandatory since the story in this one is pretty light. Watching the first and then watching this gives you a lot of context to what is happening.
I watched this tonight, the one on Netflix. I kept saying to myself the actors don't look like from the trailer and none of the scenes from the trailer matched. So I looked it up and the Truth or Dare that just popped on Netflix is a SyFy movie from 2017. That's why the Sharknado lady is the star. For a SyFy movie it suddenly wasn't too bad. Still disappointed, that's messed up to have two movies with the same name in less than a year.
4. The Last Warning - It's pretty sad when, outside of some action in the last ten minutes, the most interesting part of a silent film is the typography in the intertitles. Paul Leni made much better films than this (The Cat and the Canary, The Man Who Laughs), so I imagine at least some of the blame lies with the source material. Still, it's all just so stiff and boring, which is especially bad considering it was released at the end of the silent era.
5. The Last Performance - That's more like it. Totally unrelated to The Last Warning, except that they're both Universal productions. The Last Performance is so much more dynamic and engaging. The story is still simple, but the camera work and Veidt's characteristically excellent performance elevate it. Plus it's only an hour long, so it doesn't have a chance to drag.
6. Demons 2 - Well, that was utterly stupid, but it was also fun. I think I liked it a bit better than the first one.
Full list
5. The Last Performance - That's more like it. Totally unrelated to The Last Warning, except that they're both Universal productions. The Last Performance is so much more dynamic and engaging. The story is still simple, but the camera work and Veidt's characteristically excellent performance elevate it. Plus it's only an hour long, so it doesn't have a chance to drag.
6. Demons 2 - Well, that was utterly stupid, but it was also fun. I think I liked it a bit better than the first one.
Full list
I thought it was weird that they kept calling the other one Blumhouse's Truth Or Dare. Now it makes sense.
Fantastic movie. There's one or two scenes that really bothered me.
1. The Monster
2. Sleepaway Camp 2
3. Ghoulies 3: Ghoulies Go To College
The order I watched them in but also the order of how much I enjoyed them.
Also if anyone's having a hard time finding movies to watch I recommend checking out Vudu. A lot of good stuff streaming for free.
2. Sleepaway Camp 2
3. Ghoulies 3: Ghoulies Go To College
The order I watched them in but also the order of how much I enjoyed them.
Also if anyone's having a hard time finding movies to watch I recommend checking out Vudu. A lot of good stuff streaming for free.
3. Mom and Dad
Parents become crazed and start killing their children starring an over the top great performance from Nic Cage.
Really thought I would have enjoyed this more. The music was all over the place and the style was too frenetic. The quick flashbacks really didn't seem to add much either. From one of the directors of Crank so I shouldn't be too surprised but that style worked better in a high octane action movie. I'd say this one is really only decent at best.
Parents become crazed and start killing their children starring an over the top great performance from Nic Cage.
Really thought I would have enjoyed this more. The music was all over the place and the style was too frenetic. The quick flashbacks really didn't seem to add much either. From one of the directors of Crank so I shouldn't be too surprised but that style worked better in a high octane action movie. I'd say this one is really only decent at best.
October 3, 2018
Blood Fest
Synopsis: Three teens decide to attend a secluded horror fest at an unknown location designed to pay homage to successful horror movies for a night of great fun, but nothing goes as planned...
Review: After watching Hell Fest and reading about it being a copy of this, I would have to kind of disagree. Yes, they both occur at a horror themed amusement park with young people but really that is where the similarities end. The 'evil villain' is different between the movies. Very different. Blood fest definitely has a less budget feel but the acting was serviceable and the different zones the characters went through were pretty fun. Actually, I wouldn't mind going to a horror themed park based on either Blood Fest or Horror Fest. All in all, it was a fun ride. Oh, it stars Shazam's Zachary Levi and Spiderman's (Tom Holland) friend Jacob Batalon.
- 6/10
Blood Fest
Synopsis: Three teens decide to attend a secluded horror fest at an unknown location designed to pay homage to successful horror movies for a night of great fun, but nothing goes as planned...
Review: After watching Hell Fest and reading about it being a copy of this, I would have to kind of disagree. Yes, they both occur at a horror themed amusement park with young people but really that is where the similarities end. The 'evil villain' is different between the movies. Very different. Blood fest definitely has a less budget feel but the acting was serviceable and the different zones the characters went through were pretty fun. Actually, I wouldn't mind going to a horror themed park based on either Blood Fest or Horror Fest. All in all, it was a fun ride. Oh, it stars Shazam's Zachary Levi and Spiderman's (Tom Holland) friend Jacob Batalon.
- 6/10
Also some unbelievably shitty movies, if you're into that sort of thing.
A Zombie Croc is still streaming for free on Vudu. It may be the least competent movie to ever get distribution of any kind.
Counterpoint ~ quoting my post from the other forum, October 2011 (I was on a real binge that year):
Sweet christ I've actually seen this one as well, came with a double pack of C.H.U.D. II.
Two of the absolute worst "movies" I've ever committed an hour two, I couldn't finish either.
Day 1: Hellraiser
I haven't watched the original Hellraiser in a while, and seeing that it was on Netflix, I figured I'd give it a re-watch.
There's always something really unsettling about Clive Barker's imagery beyond the gore itself. Maybe it's due to the ritualistic / fetishistic nature of it it. Regardless, something about it disturbed me deeply on a level things like Freddy and the Friday The 13th movies never did when peeking through the horror section at the local video store. Those snippets of flayed Frank on the back of the box stuck with me through my childhood and into my adolescence.
Watching it again, it's easy to see why. The film really showcases some incredible practical creature and makeup effects (on a budget of less than a million dollars, no less), and scenes, like Frank re-generating in the vacant room he was torn apart sometime earlier, really linger on the gooey details in a way other films don't.
Knowing how cheap the budget was gives me a new appreciation for how evocative a lot of this film looks as well, such as the shot of a now skinless Frank in front of the window with just a smidgen of light shining through like a cathedral are beautifully composed. In general, the use of light and shadow for the cinematography and as a means of hiding the lower budget is superb, and shows that even though Barker was an amateur director at the time, his artistic sensibilities (Barker is an avid painter and illustrator in his spare time) shine through brilliantly.
Despite a rushed finale that has the Cenobites act out of character despite Kirsty holding up her end of the bargain with them, the film is worth watching just for the sheer raw force of Barker's creativity and ingenuity, something that every generation of horror needs.
DAY 11
Mill of the Stone Women: Italian horror goes color! The historical significance can't be understated, given the country's parade of all-time visual masterpieces in the genre that are to come, which comes as a surprise then that this felt strangely flat, with the lighting being too overbearing to let the luridness of the color choices come anywhere near what the heights of its descendants would achieve. This isn't to say that it doesn't produce some solid visual moments throughout, but it does feel like it has put up a barrier that it can't break through. The biggest problems with the film, though, aren't of the visuals, but the issue of having a great idea for a story and a not-so-good story execution. The premise is quite good: the dark secret of the mill (of the stone women!) winding up being two that are related to one another is a good spin, and despite the title, this flirts with a particular kind of supernatural creature without having to carry all the baggage if they were to have engaged with it directly and makes it ripe for an intriguing reinterpretation. The problem is that, well, it's not even really sure what it wants to do with what it has, leading to a story that feels very confused about when to hit the gas and not knowing how to connect much of anything to one another. It gets on the wrong foot almost immediately by heading right into the love affair and it never recovers properly, especially when the climax is in sight and it just keeps trying to lengthen it needlessly. It's such a poorly told story that it effectively teleports players to where they're needed without any kind of reason how or why they got there. Of course, story cohesion is frequently not the reason why one goes around watching Italian horror films in the first place, but it's hard to forgive this one in particular when it does largely dispense with the overtly supernatural elements in large and instead grounds itself as best it can, making such missteps all the more damning. As is often the case, an important film isn't necessarily a great one, but it is frustrating that for all the promise that the underlying idea behind this story was, it's not even fit to be particularly good.
The Curse of the Werewolf: Hammer makes its first and only werewolf movie! Though Terence Fisher is behind the camera, the lack of Cushing and/or Lee would certainly be enough to keep most folks away, especially with some new guy named Oliver Reed that no one had heard about before this film as the star. But despite the setting changing to Spain (the Bray Studios version of Spain, at least) and the lack of familiar faces, this is undoubtedly a Hammer production in texture and detail, filled with the same handsome appearance and a dignified tone for normally lurid subject matter, along with a gorgeous score. The tone is an especially important detail for this production in particular, as Hammer decided to throw out the rule book for this film and crafted themselves a nicely literary film. Starting with a long windup to describe the social situation that brought major players to begin with, the function here is not only effective in driving home the large scope of the tale but also instilling a sense of how important the social hierarchy of this era of Spain was for how it can twist even the purest at heart into acts of unspeakable evil. There's also a strong flavor to having this werewolf be of spiritual origins, an unusual take by any metric, but one that puts much more emphasis on the impending tragedy than the grislier aspects. There is blood, but it's never the focus of the story and all the better for it. The story is so interesting because it's not a conventional werewolf tale that it should come as little surprise that the weakest parts of the films are when there is substantial werewolf action. Backloaded as it is, it doesn't amount to much more than watching a werewolf climb buildings as angry villagers seem somewhat confused by his antics. That was never the aim of the film, though; not with a story this laden with interesting themes, not with the largely good acting across the board, and not with a great lead performance from a future titan of acting who amazingly doesn't appear for more than half of the film. It's such an engaging film because it is so atypical for a genre that can't wait to show you how they pulled off the transformation sequences, how good the makeup looks on werewolf and victims alike and can often forget the tragedy that powers these tales. The ending here is especially effective in that regard, not because we lose the connective tissue between all the leads in the cast with the death of our tragic hero, but with all the various subplots coming together at that moment, we also know that their suffering will last long past the end titles. In other words, this may just be the saddest howler of them all, and all the better for it.
71 films are coming on up!
Mill of the Stone Women: Italian horror goes color! The historical significance can't be understated, given the country's parade of all-time visual masterpieces in the genre that are to come, which comes as a surprise then that this felt strangely flat, with the lighting being too overbearing to let the luridness of the color choices come anywhere near what the heights of its descendants would achieve. This isn't to say that it doesn't produce some solid visual moments throughout, but it does feel like it has put up a barrier that it can't break through. The biggest problems with the film, though, aren't of the visuals, but the issue of having a great idea for a story and a not-so-good story execution. The premise is quite good: the dark secret of the mill (of the stone women!) winding up being two that are related to one another is a good spin, and despite the title, this flirts with a particular kind of supernatural creature without having to carry all the baggage if they were to have engaged with it directly and makes it ripe for an intriguing reinterpretation. The problem is that, well, it's not even really sure what it wants to do with what it has, leading to a story that feels very confused about when to hit the gas and not knowing how to connect much of anything to one another. It gets on the wrong foot almost immediately by heading right into the love affair and it never recovers properly, especially when the climax is in sight and it just keeps trying to lengthen it needlessly. It's such a poorly told story that it effectively teleports players to where they're needed without any kind of reason how or why they got there. Of course, story cohesion is frequently not the reason why one goes around watching Italian horror films in the first place, but it's hard to forgive this one in particular when it does largely dispense with the overtly supernatural elements in large and instead grounds itself as best it can, making such missteps all the more damning. As is often the case, an important film isn't necessarily a great one, but it is frustrating that for all the promise that the underlying idea behind this story was, it's not even fit to be particularly good.
The Curse of the Werewolf: Hammer makes its first and only werewolf movie! Though Terence Fisher is behind the camera, the lack of Cushing and/or Lee would certainly be enough to keep most folks away, especially with some new guy named Oliver Reed that no one had heard about before this film as the star. But despite the setting changing to Spain (the Bray Studios version of Spain, at least) and the lack of familiar faces, this is undoubtedly a Hammer production in texture and detail, filled with the same handsome appearance and a dignified tone for normally lurid subject matter, along with a gorgeous score. The tone is an especially important detail for this production in particular, as Hammer decided to throw out the rule book for this film and crafted themselves a nicely literary film. Starting with a long windup to describe the social situation that brought major players to begin with, the function here is not only effective in driving home the large scope of the tale but also instilling a sense of how important the social hierarchy of this era of Spain was for how it can twist even the purest at heart into acts of unspeakable evil. There's also a strong flavor to having this werewolf be of spiritual origins, an unusual take by any metric, but one that puts much more emphasis on the impending tragedy than the grislier aspects. There is blood, but it's never the focus of the story and all the better for it. The story is so interesting because it's not a conventional werewolf tale that it should come as little surprise that the weakest parts of the films are when there is substantial werewolf action. Backloaded as it is, it doesn't amount to much more than watching a werewolf climb buildings as angry villagers seem somewhat confused by his antics. That was never the aim of the film, though; not with a story this laden with interesting themes, not with the largely good acting across the board, and not with a great lead performance from a future titan of acting who amazingly doesn't appear for more than half of the film. It's such an engaging film because it is so atypical for a genre that can't wait to show you how they pulled off the transformation sequences, how good the makeup looks on werewolf and victims alike and can often forget the tragedy that powers these tales. The ending here is especially effective in that regard, not because we lose the connective tissue between all the leads in the cast with the death of our tragic hero, but with all the various subplots coming together at that moment, we also know that their suffering will last long past the end titles. In other words, this may just be the saddest howler of them all, and all the better for it.
71 films are coming on up!