3) Last Shift - Actually enjoyed this one quite a bit. Bit cliched, but good scares and felt creepy and tense throughout. Once it got going there weren't too many breaks. Liked the ending too.
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31 Days of Horror (2018) - The October Movie Marathon
- Thread starter ThirstyFly
- Start date
3) Last Shift - Actually enjoyed this one quite a bit. Bit cliched, but good scares and felt creepy and tense throughout. Once it got going there weren't too many breaks. Liked the ending too.
8) Village of the Damned (1995)
★★
Village of the Damned has two things going for it: John Carpenter and creepy children. The movie does quite well with the latter; the kids' inhuman emotionless "It's A Good Life" act is effective, although they're never exactly a scary threat.
But overall, the movie just feels aimless and repetitive. Between the actually eerie opening reminiscent of Under The Dome and the chaos at the end, Village of the Damned is never scary or tense, never giving us characters to care about, and feels locked in a cycle of "people express concern, someone annoys kids, that someone dies a gruesome death" for most of its runtime. Any themes or questions are expressed in the most blunt and shallow way possible. A surprisingly weak entry from Carpenter
9) Scream (1996) [Rewatch]
★★½
Unfortunately Scream doesn't hold up for me. I kept thinking of Black Christmas while watching, partially because of how the MOs of both killers involve scary phone calls.
What probably seemed really clever - the characters actually know about the genre and the horror movies like we do - now just comes across as ham-fisted references and shoutouts bluntly jammed into dialogue. The characters aren't particularly interesting or likable, and the string of red herrings feels more Scooby Doo-adjacent than like smart subversions.
What does still work through are the stalking scenes. Making Ghostface act like a regular guy in a costume, someone who's playful and cocky, who stumbles and makes mistakes and grunts with exertion, makes him feel distinct from other slashers. Along with the kinetic camera and pacing of the scenes, it keeps the chases exciting and suspenseful, not just someone trying to escape an unstoppable monster as we wait for the kill.
10) Mimic (1997)
★★½
Mimic is most interesting when its titular mimics are well...mimicking rather than when it's a creature feature with stock characters and everyone conveniently getting separated or coming together. At its best moments, Mimic is really effective, from the dim dank subway and sewer tunnels of Manhattan making for a perfect horror setting, to the creepy "uncanny valley" nature of the mimics. When the things are watching from the shadows, their not-quite-face peeking out of the darkness, it's like seeing the Del Toro we know poking through the mediocrity, the kind of weird inventive visuals and monster design that he has mastered.
Because when they're not mimicking, the mimics just feel like low-rent xenomorphs and lose any of the unsettling elements that make Mimic different. The late 90s CGI doesn't help either
===
1) The Blob (1988)
★★★★
2) Dead Calm (1989)
★★★
3) Hardware (1990)
★
4) The People Under The Stairs (1991)
★★★½
5) Braindead (1992)
★★★★★
6) Cronos (1993)
★★★
7) In The Mouth of Madness (1994)
★★★★½
★★
Village of the Damned has two things going for it: John Carpenter and creepy children. The movie does quite well with the latter; the kids' inhuman emotionless "It's A Good Life" act is effective, although they're never exactly a scary threat.
But overall, the movie just feels aimless and repetitive. Between the actually eerie opening reminiscent of Under The Dome and the chaos at the end, Village of the Damned is never scary or tense, never giving us characters to care about, and feels locked in a cycle of "people express concern, someone annoys kids, that someone dies a gruesome death" for most of its runtime. Any themes or questions are expressed in the most blunt and shallow way possible. A surprisingly weak entry from Carpenter
9) Scream (1996) [Rewatch]
★★½
Unfortunately Scream doesn't hold up for me. I kept thinking of Black Christmas while watching, partially because of how the MOs of both killers involve scary phone calls.
What probably seemed really clever - the characters actually know about the genre and the horror movies like we do - now just comes across as ham-fisted references and shoutouts bluntly jammed into dialogue. The characters aren't particularly interesting or likable, and the string of red herrings feels more Scooby Doo-adjacent than like smart subversions.
What does still work through are the stalking scenes. Making Ghostface act like a regular guy in a costume, someone who's playful and cocky, who stumbles and makes mistakes and grunts with exertion, makes him feel distinct from other slashers. Along with the kinetic camera and pacing of the scenes, it keeps the chases exciting and suspenseful, not just someone trying to escape an unstoppable monster as we wait for the kill.
10) Mimic (1997)
★★½
Mimic is most interesting when its titular mimics are well...mimicking rather than when it's a creature feature with stock characters and everyone conveniently getting separated or coming together. At its best moments, Mimic is really effective, from the dim dank subway and sewer tunnels of Manhattan making for a perfect horror setting, to the creepy "uncanny valley" nature of the mimics. When the things are watching from the shadows, their not-quite-face peeking out of the darkness, it's like seeing the Del Toro we know poking through the mediocrity, the kind of weird inventive visuals and monster design that he has mastered.
Because when they're not mimicking, the mimics just feel like low-rent xenomorphs and lose any of the unsettling elements that make Mimic different. The late 90s CGI doesn't help either
===
1) The Blob (1988)
★★★★
2) Dead Calm (1989)
★★★
3) Hardware (1990)
★
4) The People Under The Stairs (1991)
★★★½
5) Braindead (1992)
★★★★★
6) Cronos (1993)
★★★
7) In The Mouth of Madness (1994)
★★★★½
1. Wrong Turn (N)
2. Valentine (N)
3. Urban Legend (N)
4. Ghost Team One (N)
5. Constantine (R)
6. Monster House (R)
7. Warm Bodies (R)
8. Scream 2 (R)
9. Most Likely to Die (N)
10. Tragedy Girls (N)
11. The Windmill (N)
12. All the Boys Love Mandy Lane - A different type of slasher, but enjoyable. It's like toxic unhealthy relationships mixed with teen melodrama.
13. The House on Sorority Row (N) - Wanted a straight up slasher, and this was that, though it is rather gore-less. It does a good job of building tension with its scenes. Some good music as well. Oddly kind of knew the twist because I feel like Scream Queens "Generously" borrowed this plot
2. Valentine (N)
3. Urban Legend (N)
4. Ghost Team One (N)
5. Constantine (R)
6. Monster House (R)
7. Warm Bodies (R)
8. Scream 2 (R)
9. Most Likely to Die (N)
10. Tragedy Girls (N)
11. The Windmill (N)
12. All the Boys Love Mandy Lane - A different type of slasher, but enjoyable. It's like toxic unhealthy relationships mixed with teen melodrama.
13. The House on Sorority Row (N) - Wanted a straight up slasher, and this was that, though it is rather gore-less. It does a good job of building tension with its scenes. Some good music as well. Oddly kind of knew the twist because I feel like Scream Queens "Generously" borrowed this plot
2. Dracula (1931)
I think this is more interesting as a piece of film history than as an actual movie, but I still enjoyed it. The most fascinating part of the film is the complete lack of any music, presumably due to how recent the Advent of sound in film was at the time of release. It's a pretty unique experience to watch something where you are entirely focused on the dialogue and characters voices with little distraction. 3/5
A little behind so I'll have to do a double feature on some stuff this weekend. Black Christmas next.
I think this is more interesting as a piece of film history than as an actual movie, but I still enjoyed it. The most fascinating part of the film is the complete lack of any music, presumably due to how recent the Advent of sound in film was at the time of release. It's a pretty unique experience to watch something where you are entirely focused on the dialogue and characters voices with little distraction. 3/5
A little behind so I'll have to do a double feature on some stuff this weekend. Black Christmas next.
#1. Blood and Black Lace (1964) - We're approaching the time now where Mario Bava's Blood and Black Lace is starting to be known as the great-grandfather of Giallo. An October favorite of mine for years, B&BL tells the story of a masked killer that is brutally murdering women in a fashion house in Rome. Bava fills the movie with his trademark gorgeous visuals, excellent use of music, and sultry women who are classic beauties. Speaking of the music, the main theme is fantastic, and rivals the best I've heard used in a Giallo film. While the death scenes are very tame compared to movies these days, the scenes are tense, and the motivations of the killer aren't made clear until the very end which adds an air of mystery to the entire movie. I highly recommend it. At 83 minutes, it's not asking for much of your time, and it will give you back plenty of entertainment in return.
8/10
Fun fact: This movie literally began the genre of horror known as Giallo, and it remains to be Italy's longest running cinematic movement which has been borrowed in films such as Saw, Friday the 13th (1980), Dressed to Kill, color of Night, etc.
Just watched this myself for the first time. I don't think I've ever seen a giallo before either, which is why I picked a bunch this year. It really had me wondering the whole time and resolves perfectly in the last minute.
Ten movies in, and my 2017's movie selection was much better overall so far. This year aside from Braindead, which I absolutely loved, my best watches have been repeat viewings. Last year, I had already seen Night of the Living Dead, Suspiria, Dawn of the Dead, Halloween, The Shining, and Possession, where Halloween was the only one I had really seen before. Possession and Suspiria were wild experiences, Night and Dawn were fascinating, giving The Shining a real chance made finally me appreciate it.
Hoping my next ten are better
Hoping my next ten are better
It is because it was an early talkie, it's really interesting when you go from Frankenstein which also has barely any music from the same year as Dracula in 1931 and then go to Bride of Frankenstein in 1935 and it now has a full, lush score over the entire film, within only a four year span, film-making tech grew by leaps and bounds.
I very quickly found other things to do while I had it on. Watching it without anything else to occupy my mind would have ended me. And I say that as someone who enjoyed the first Ghoulies a fair amount.
I somehow still haven't seen C.H.U.D. I've always meant to, though. Maybe I'll watch it this month!
Personaly I feel C.h.u.d. At least worth a watch, but the one he mentioned, 2:bud the C.H.U.D. Is pretty avoidable.
On a different note since so many people keep mentioning Tubi.TV I noticed they have both the 3:Extremes films, I personally feel both have at least one segment worth watching, but (though I forget which one it's in) I truly recommend anyone with a strong stomach that has never seen it to give a viewing to the segment titled "Dumplings" still one of my favorite anthology segments of all time, though I find the extended version that came with the DVD even better.
1. Get Out
2. Rings
3. It Comes at Night
This one needs to sit with me for a bit longer before I can judge it accurately. It did some things remarkably well. The acting and dialogue were especially great for the genre (though it did have the benefit of coming directly after Rings). And while I appreciate what it was trying to do, that didn't stop it from leaving me feeling hollow and unsatisfied by the end. I feel like this will be a movie I look back on more fondly after I get some distance between us, like a fun girlfriend you had a bad breakup with. Except by fun I mean grim and atmospheric. Maybe that was a bad analogy. Like I said, I really needed more time before I wrote this paragraph.
2. Rings
3. It Comes at Night
This one needs to sit with me for a bit longer before I can judge it accurately. It did some things remarkably well. The acting and dialogue were especially great for the genre (though it did have the benefit of coming directly after Rings). And while I appreciate what it was trying to do, that didn't stop it from leaving me feeling hollow and unsatisfied by the end. I feel like this will be a movie I look back on more fondly after I get some distance between us, like a fun girlfriend you had a bad breakup with. Except by fun I mean grim and atmospheric. Maybe that was a bad analogy. Like I said, I really needed more time before I wrote this paragraph.
#3 - The Fog (1980)
A murdered crew of ghost sailors seeking revenge. Pretty awesome premise. I've managed to go into this classic Carpenter film totally blind, and while it could get a bit cheesy at times I quite enjoyed it. The use of lighting and shadows is masterful, never really giving you a good look at the crew other than their silhouettes against the fog. Very creepy and effective.
A murdered crew of ghost sailors seeking revenge. Pretty awesome premise. I've managed to go into this classic Carpenter film totally blind, and while it could get a bit cheesy at times I quite enjoyed it. The use of lighting and shadows is masterful, never really giving you a good look at the crew other than their silhouettes against the fog. Very creepy and effective.
My least favorite Carpenter movie. He took the gig as a favor to the folks at Universal Studios. The plan was to do Village, then move quickly onto the project he really wanted to do: A remake of The Creature from the Black Lagoon. If I remember it correctly, the power structure changed at Universal before Village began production. Such was his luck that Carpenter got stuck with Village, but wasn't rewarded with the Creature remake. His enthusiasm for the situation is readily apparent in the final product.
3: Army of Darkness
This is the third and final movie in the evil dead series. I wasn't even sure I should include this. I forgot how much of the horror element got drop in this movie. It basically became a fantasy comedy movie. The movie starts with Ash getting sent back in time thanks to the cursed book. After impressing the village people with his shotgun skill it is revealed the he is a prophecy meant to save the people. He relunctantly agrees to help them in order to get back to his time. While I think this is a good movie. It's definitely the weakest of the three movies but worth a watch if your looking for something different.
OP
OP
This sounds right up my alley. I just got the blu-ray set that includes it recently, so it's in my pile to get to... eventually. I have to finish Hammer's Dracula and Frankenstein series first, so it's gonna be a while. Thank god it isn't another long-ass series.
7. The Church - I really liked this one. The plot gets pretty muddled in the second half and there are some specific plot threads that are just abandoned, but the whole thing looks and sounds amazing. Philip Glass was an inspired choice. Soavi is a genius. Also, fastest police response ever.
Full list
Full list
Is this the 2017 or 2018 Endless? I see two on imdb.#2 - The Endless
Good old mindbending Cosmic Horror. I dig how this film draws parallels between the powers of the entity and the bleak, repetitive lifestyle of the two struggling brothers. Perhaps not a film for everyone but a must watch for Lovecraft fans.
#3) The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)
I'd kinda forgotten this existed and had it written off as something I could easily ignore but recent reviews I read of it made me interested in finally watching it. I actually remember seeing the trailers when it was first releasing.
Too bad it was mostly courtroom drama that I didn't care much for and the few possession bits were kinda tame.
The girl who played Emily did a fantastic job. Really all the acting was nice. Just didn't care for the plot or scares.
I'd kinda forgotten this existed and had it written off as something I could easily ignore but recent reviews I read of it made me interested in finally watching it. I actually remember seeing the trailers when it was first releasing.
Too bad it was mostly courtroom drama that I didn't care much for and the few possession bits were kinda tame.
The girl who played Emily did a fantastic job. Really all the acting was nice. Just didn't care for the plot or scares.
OP
OP
03) Piranha Part Two: The Spawning (1981) (Oct 3)
So here we have James Cameron's directorial debut, though he was fired from the production after filming and was not allowed to see his footage. Allegedly, Cameron went as far as breaking into the editing room to cut his own version (what he had planned to do with it after completion, I have no idea) but was caught by producer Ovidio G. Assonitis who re-cut it again. Various versions have seemingly been released on video, so I'm not sure how of Cameron's film remains and how much of it is reshoots by Assonitis, but I can take some educated guesses about who did what.
If only the film itself were as interesting as its story...
The film is as much of a mess as you'd expect. I have a theory that Cameron himself is actually a robot encased in flesh. While he excels at the technical aspects of movies and makes incredible action films, whenever he has to have human characters act... human, it always feels like they're some artificial facsimile as if a computer program was attempting to explain human emotion. It's very odd and on full display in Piranha Part Two: The Spawning. Baby Lance Henriksen is as robotic and cold as ever, and the lead character (his estranged wife) has a relationship with her son that's so uncomfortable it would make Norman Bates blush.
And then you have the "comedic" scenes that take place in the soon-to-be piranha chow resort. These are some of the most awkward and bizarre scenes I've ever seen and most certainly the work of Assonitis. They have that unmistakable stink of a non-native English speaker trying to make a film for American audiences, right down to the obvious dubbing. These scenes don't even connect with the rest of the movie and could be cut without effecting a damn thing... well, other than making the movie less awful, I suppose.
And as for the technical aspects of the film, well, you get a few shots here and there that have that classic Cameron look to them so you can see the seeds of what would later become Terminator, but he clearly didn't have the time and money to do anything satisfying with the piranha attacks as they're all pretty awful and as bad as the rest of the movie is. It just falls apart during the final set piece with a very unsatisfying finale.
Piranha Part Two: The Spawning doesn't even come close to matching the charm or fun of Joe Dante's original, and in all honestly, isn't even worth watching as a Cameron curiosity. It actually makes me think I was a little too hard on Frogs. Oh well, at least it's better than Avatar.
It's too late for me. Save yourself. Skip it. 1.5 / 5
1. Under the Skin: I had known about the nature of ScarJo's character ahead of time, so it was interesting looking at the events of the film from her perspective. Kinda glad I knew the twist, cause I would've been very confused had I gone in blind. It was a great take on sex dynamics and Johansson was stunning.
2. Hocus Pocus: I like to revisit some movies from my childhood to see how well they hold up. This one's about a trio of witches revived after 300 years who try to suck the life force from kids. I enjoyed this one quite a bit. For a kids movie, they went in pretty hardcore. There's child sacrifices, great innuendo, an old lady gets straight punched in the face... it has it all. Characters make smart decisions despite it being a kids movie AND a horror movie. There's fun gags as the 17th century witches try to deal with being in 1993. Fun time.
3. Bone Tomahawk: Went in knowing mostly nothing about this one. I had thought it was going to be another meditative piece similar to The Revenant. Had heard about this one for a few years, mainly due to a violent scene that seems to have stuck with people for a long time. That scene didn't really do much for me tho. I was pleased to see some familiar actors like Russel, Fox, and WIlson. Through the whole movie, I thought something involving Patrick Wilson's broken leg was gonna pop up. Slowly pulling that apart would have made me more squeamish than the "wishbone" scene. This movie rocked anyway.
Watching this based on a rec this week, did it fit well in your horror list? Wondering whether to include it.
And your Under the Skin thoughts made me happy. :)
First week and I'm already running late :(
Well, now to the movies I've watched:
01. Black Christmas (1974)
I didn't know nothing about the movie, I was expecting something campy in the style of Friday the 13th. But it wasn't like that. I've found it pretty refreshing and serious in tone. The killer was pretty fascinating to watch (well, listening) and was genuinely creepy.
That eye shot was amazing.
I thought the revelation was gonna be too obvious so I believed that the movie was doing a bait and switch. But then when I accepted that my initial believing was right the ending tricked me D:
4/5
02. Carrie (1976)
Speaking of bait and switch, this movie did do it to me. I assumed everyone in this movie was an asshole (except poor Carrie and the teacher) and then is revealed that there are some decent people, but that only made the movie more tragic :(
Also a wild Travolta appears, I didn't know he was in this movie.
Although the part form the prom night to the ending is awesome I didn't find the rest of the movie to compelling. For example the change of Carrie's attitude against her mother was too sudden for me.
But if nothing else, the prom scene make this movie worth to watch.
Three crispy Travoltas/5
Well, now to the movies I've watched:
01. Black Christmas (1974)
I didn't know nothing about the movie, I was expecting something campy in the style of Friday the 13th. But it wasn't like that. I've found it pretty refreshing and serious in tone. The killer was pretty fascinating to watch (well, listening) and was genuinely creepy.
That eye shot was amazing.
I thought the revelation was gonna be too obvious so I believed that the movie was doing a bait and switch. But then when I accepted that my initial believing was right the ending tricked me D:
4/5
02. Carrie (1976)
Speaking of bait and switch, this movie did do it to me. I assumed everyone in this movie was an asshole (except poor Carrie and the teacher) and then is revealed that there are some decent people, but that only made the movie more tragic :(
Also a wild Travolta appears, I didn't know he was in this movie.
Although the part form the prom night to the ending is awesome I didn't find the rest of the movie to compelling. For example the change of Carrie's attitude against her mother was too sudden for me.
But if nothing else, the prom scene make this movie worth to watch.
Three crispy Travoltas/5
OP
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Well, I can't say I feel misled. That poster looked pretty messy and I got a messy film. Having seen some of the people involved both behind and in front of the camera, I wondered if maybe this would just be an example of bad advertising but sadly it's not.
Can't help but wish this was a bit less sleazy/gross. Could've seen this landing a bit better for me if that were the case. It isn't though and that's okay. There's always other films.
I really tried to be open minded with this but wow this was pretty bad. I don't want to say it's the worst of the US remakes of asian horror films I've seen but the only one I might say this is better than is One Missed Call.
I wasn't particularly enthused with the original to begin with but this was just completely off the mark on most levels.
Only for completionists who lack self love.
This was a pretty big improvement on the first film. It wasn't great by any means but after the experience I had watching the original earlier this season, I'll take what I can get.
I think the pacing had the biggest impact on the quality increase. There wasn't as much random jumping around and the exposition mostly felt trimmed back except for a few bits. The death sequences are able to build up a bit of mystery and tension when it isn't constantly cutting to other things, who would've thought? Behind the pacing, the cast was also better with less annoying characters.
Hopefully my enjoyment of the series continues to increase or at least stay on this level.
While most of the films in this series are continuing to grow on me, this is the one exception. In fact, it might be the only one that has fallen in my favor over time.
The A Nightmare on Elm Street series stands out to me since each film is unique and doing its own thing (whether that works or not for each film is debatable) but this one doesn't have a lot going for it. This feels like a few standout moments (which aren't even that good to begin with) stringed together with little or no thought put into the rest. I feel like getting distracted/caught up in something else for 15-20 minutes would result in a similar viewing experience. This is just all over the place.
It isn't helped that this goes through the effort of bringing back the survivors from 3 only to kill them off unceremoniously. I understand wanting to move on with a new cast but at this point they might as well have just did that in full. The casting for Kristen was especially disappointing.
I don't want to go on all night so I'm gonna cut myself off and go watch a movie/do something else. I wish I liked this more than I do. I've never been huge on The Dream Child but I remember that having a pretty unique gothic aesthetic in context of the series so maybe that will appeal to me when I get to it.
Okay this is where things fall apart with the US films for me. I had hopes that this would grow on me after the first film surprised me like it did but all of my previous issues remain.
There's a pretty severe lack of moderation to be found here. Things that worked in the case of the first film are pushed to their breaking point. I mentioned that the original had a lot of jump scares (which I'm not crazy about usually) but they were at least effective. This one doubles down on those and they don't work as well as they want to. There's only so many times they can attempt to execute almost the same exact scare without any major variation. It almost feels like this was an attempted "greatest hits" of moments of the Ju-On/The Grudgeseries at large just with all of the impact sucked out.
This wouldn't have been so bad by itself if the rest of the film wasn't like it is. The non-linear chronology I praised the original for is stretched even further here. The issue is that for a film with so many characters and branching story lines, there's really not much of anything happening in any of them. I can understand that the curse being tied to one location (the house) could be a bit troubling as far as storytelling but the way things were developed here felt really half baked.
Despite all of this, the film is competent and not a complete disaster. The variety of settings is nice and it's great to see Sarah Michelle Gellar back as Karen even if it's for a mostly short period. It's just without the things that worked so well for the other ones there isn't much to draw me in personally.
Very curious to see how the next reboot of this series goes.
I know that feeling, I think it was 2014 where I was in a serious slump where I didn't care for many of the movies in the entire first half of that month.
It's not horror in the literal sense. Maybe more "tense" than "horror." But I had Ghost in my list last year, and that's more of a love story, so my horror list isn't too strict.
It's still a rad movie, so watch it in any case.
Yeah baby. I should watch that again sometime this month.
Holy shit are you in for a treat.
I rewatched this because it was on Netflix. Still fucking love this film. Matthew Fox is great in it, as is the rest of the cast. Love how matter of fact though brutal the action scenes are.
I'm sadly a tad ignorant on most of their one-and-done movies from the 60s, as I do hear enough favorable things about The Gorgon, The Plague of the Zombies, The Reptile and The Devil Rides Out to make me seek them out in the future. There's definitely a lot to be done when you're not "on-cycle," such as the case was for their biggest monsters.
Got through four movies over night
Truth Or Dare (2017)
This is the bad version of Truth Or Dare that SyFy made not the bad version of Truth Or Dare that Blumhouse made. Netflix caught me slipping.
The Last House On The Left (1972)
Not a fan of Craven's directorial debut but it was the launch pad for a great director and I can respect that.
Ghoulies II
Liked it more than the original. Fun B movie that actually focuses on the ghoulies.
Extraordinary Tales
Hit and miss animated anthology of five Edgar Allen Poe works.
Full reviews - https://letterboxd.com/tculturevulture/films/reviews/by/added/
Truth Or Dare (2017)
This is the bad version of Truth Or Dare that SyFy made not the bad version of Truth Or Dare that Blumhouse made. Netflix caught me slipping.
The Last House On The Left (1972)
Not a fan of Craven's directorial debut but it was the launch pad for a great director and I can respect that.
Ghoulies II
Liked it more than the original. Fun B movie that actually focuses on the ghoulies.
Extraordinary Tales
Hit and miss animated anthology of five Edgar Allen Poe works.
Full reviews - https://letterboxd.com/tculturevulture/films/reviews/by/added/
Main Post
3 nights down and I'm genuinely surprised that I've managed to keep to a good start so far.
3 movies down, a slasher, some zombies and a ghost/monster; not bad going so far and all good viewings.
3 nights down and I'm genuinely surprised that I've managed to keep to a good start so far.
3 movies down, a slasher, some zombies and a ghost/monster; not bad going so far and all good viewings.
Hush (2016)
Interesting premise of having a deaf/mute protagonist, makes for some very tense scenes especially at the start when the attacker is testing just how much he can mess around. Falls apart a little at the end but a good watch.
3/5
The Cured (2018)
A zombie movie not about the world falling to it knees but about the aftermath when people are able to be "cured" and returned to live out their lives. Well-acted and it was cool to recognize some of the locations (the movie was film in different parts of Ireland).
3/5
Mama (2013)
Mama's been on my watchlist for quite a while, the child actors are very good and there is lots of tension and some genuinely scary scenes with Mama herself. It has a bit of an identity crisis towards the end when it decides to turn this mostly horror movie into more of a fantasy one, left me a little torn.
3/5
I watched Hammer last year and chose to bounce around rather than plow through a whole series. The Hammer film releases are pretty limited on bluray or out of print expensive in the US anyways, and order doesn't really seem to matter that much.
Extraordinary Tales
Hit and miss animated anthology of five Edgar Allen Poe works.
Full reviews - https://letterboxd.com/tculturevulture/films/reviews/by/added/
I actually saw this over the weekend. That Fall of the House of Usher segment narrated by Christopher Lee was fucking aces
I'd suggest checking out the Spanish language version of Dracula made at the same time on the same sets. While its Dracula actor is much inferior to Lugosi, I think the actual film itself is stronger.
This is actually on my list for this month. I really like the first 20 minutes of the Lugosi Dracula, but thought the movie became kind of a slog after that. Curious to if the Spanish version improves on it.
The Spanish-language version is a pretty great film, thanks to a much more assured hand behind the camera to evoke far more atmospheric visuals, far better acting across the board and it does an admirable job of filling in the story gaps of the admittedly crappy screenplay so that plots resolve properly, if not exactly cleanly. It's about 30 minutes longer, and yet it feels much shorter than the original because the flow of events is that much smoother.
I'm not sure why someone would skip it regardless of what you know. Great movie and I don't mean great as in cinematic classic, I mean great as in fun, violent, and enjoyable. The sequels are total garbage so just avoid them. Season one of the tv series retreads the first movie over the whole season. Haven't watched season 2 or beyond if anything exists.
Day 3 - THE VAMPIRE LOVERS
https://letterboxd.com/kinggroin/film/the-vampire-lovers/
My favorite Hammer film.
https://letterboxd.com/kinggroin/film/the-vampire-lovers/
My favorite Hammer film.
Just turn it off when the twist happens. Decent movie until that point
So, I finally finished Phanstasm remastered. Despite it being a well known "horror" film, I see it more as a science fiction film first. I didn't know what to feel by the end of the movie, as the twist is telegraphed well but the final scene undoes the "order" that the ending had brought to the film. Iconic "bad guy" in this one probably saves it for me. I know that there are a number of sequels but I've gotta move on.
I'm thinking Terrifyer for the weekend and then I'll regroup next Monday.
I'm thinking Terrifyer for the weekend and then I'll regroup next Monday.
Been enjoying reading people's impressions now we're in October, very interesting.
As to my own list, I had to swap out nearly the entire first week as my BFI subscription ended earlier than I thought it would. Luckily other streaming services are full of horror this month to fill in the gaps.
01 - Ouija: Origin of Evil - 5/10
Rather good first half, absolutely ridiculous exposition dump, crap second half. Solid performance from the young lass, best part of the movie was her describing strangulation to the gormless boyfriend. Pretty good by modern Hollywood horror standards.
02 - Insidious: The Last Key - 2/10
Quiet... quiettt..... quuuuuiiiiieeetttttttt........ LOUD NOISE. Absolutely rubbish Big Mac horror with almost no redeeming features. A flashy but empty movie stuffed with awful acting, a terrible plot with shocking twists no one cares about and poor pacing that made the movie feel 30 minutes longer than it was. James Wan's "look scary thing and loud bang" legacy taken to the extreme. Gets an extra point for the decent "toot toot" whistle sequence that had the shocking restraint to not end in a jump scare.
03 - Rigor Mortis - 7/10
I didn't know anything about this movie heading in other than it was supposed to be an homage to Chinese vampire flicks such as Mr Vampire, which put it in good stead with me. I expected more action horror than straight scares and, as the movie climaxes with a man vs possessed vampire fist fight featuring elemental magic, was right in that regard. I was not expecting the fantastic production design and imagery, wonderful muted colour palette with great bursts of vibrancy and a sprinkling of genuinely natural and emotional scenes. The grey, grimy, crumbling, monolithic apartment complex in which the movie takes place is as much a character as any of the forgotten souls running out the clock in their coffin-like abodes. A well paced story in which the supernatural violence ramps up in a way that the ridiculous fantastical climax fits well and the neat little twist leaves you with a satisfying emotional gut punch. Too much CGI though.
As to my own list, I had to swap out nearly the entire first week as my BFI subscription ended earlier than I thought it would. Luckily other streaming services are full of horror this month to fill in the gaps.
01 - Ouija: Origin of Evil - 5/10
Rather good first half, absolutely ridiculous exposition dump, crap second half. Solid performance from the young lass, best part of the movie was her describing strangulation to the gormless boyfriend. Pretty good by modern Hollywood horror standards.
02 - Insidious: The Last Key - 2/10
Quiet... quiettt..... quuuuuiiiiieeetttttttt........ LOUD NOISE. Absolutely rubbish Big Mac horror with almost no redeeming features. A flashy but empty movie stuffed with awful acting, a terrible plot with shocking twists no one cares about and poor pacing that made the movie feel 30 minutes longer than it was. James Wan's "look scary thing and loud bang" legacy taken to the extreme. Gets an extra point for the decent "toot toot" whistle sequence that had the shocking restraint to not end in a jump scare.
03 - Rigor Mortis - 7/10
I didn't know anything about this movie heading in other than it was supposed to be an homage to Chinese vampire flicks such as Mr Vampire, which put it in good stead with me. I expected more action horror than straight scares and, as the movie climaxes with a man vs possessed vampire fist fight featuring elemental magic, was right in that regard. I was not expecting the fantastic production design and imagery, wonderful muted colour palette with great bursts of vibrancy and a sprinkling of genuinely natural and emotional scenes. The grey, grimy, crumbling, monolithic apartment complex in which the movie takes place is as much a character as any of the forgotten souls running out the clock in their coffin-like abodes. A well paced story in which the supernatural violence ramps up in a way that the ridiculous fantastical climax fits well and the neat little twist leaves you with a satisfying emotional gut punch. Too much CGI though.
Day 3:
Warm Bodies
This modern take on the classic zombie movie mixed with the love story of Romeo and Juliet really was a strange one. Opening up with narration from the antagonist turned protag R, we follow his day in the life as an already turned zombie. We take some time to go through his routine, and even show the hierarchy of zombie types. In this film there are two; zombies and boney. The regs have most of their motor functions and have their normal color and human shape. The bones look like the redeads from The Legend of Zelda and don't like anything with a heartbeat.
So very on brand for your horror movie. We then follow R to the end of his day at this airport where he he goes to rest at an abandoned airplane. Here we see just how bad of a hoarder he must have been before he became the undead. Dude has everything a zombie would never need. We are then treated to the wonderful majesty of vinyl. He puts this record on and zones out. It is made pretty clear upfront that zombies don't dream. So remember that key fact. Our next day take R out on an adventure w/ his one friend zombie, and a small pack of walkers. Well I guess not walkers, because these bad boys can run when they need to. Anyway. We are then shown a brief aside of the humans that are going out to forage for supplies. And our other main protag Julie! We get some movement from the walkers, and their distaste for the boney. The living make it to a medical facility (??) and then they are attacked by the zombies. R see's Julie and it's just star crossed lovers at this point. He see's Julies BF and decides he looks like a legit snack. Sweeps the leg and is in chow town. There's some inner monologue about how he hates to do it. But eating brains shows memories of the people they eat. So you gotta do it to still feel alive. He see's some of the goon BF's memories, and decides it would be a good idea to not eat Julie b/c he's in love. He smears some dodo(??) on her so the other zombies don't notice her and shuffles her out. We get back to the airport and he's in full on creeper mode. Talking bout' how much he really likes her. And wants to see if she could come to like him. Like dawg. You are a whole ZOMBIE!!! Like please cool your jets. Anyway he's like learning speech again. And grunts out that he needs her to stay. So she's a prisoner now. She tries to get away and realizes she's too deep into zed country to get away without help. There's some montage of them having fun and getting closer. All the while R is snacking on the old BF's brains and getting his memories. He is still trying to find a way to stay w/ Julie when they decide it's time to make a break for it. R's old friend helps them escape and they do some Benny Hill running from the boney. Also s/n R looks like the younger Skarsgard from Castle Rock when he runs. Like his whole shit is at a slant. Just funny to watch. Anyway, this dude get's away w/ Julie and they make it to a housing development. Here Julie finally learns that R killed her old dude who's name I cannot remember. But it's the younger Franco. She get's upset and leaves without him while he's dreaming. BTW this dude is becoming human now. Somehow his connection to Julie is bringing him back to life. He wakes up from his dream and chases after Julie. We get some stuff back at the human encampment. The father is a strung out John Malkovich which answers all the questions I had about how the humans left survived. R gets a motivational grunt speech from his zombie buddy and then goes after her. We get the R&J balcony scene, and then a montage of them trying to pretty up this dead dude to prove to Julies dad that the zombies are turning back. R looks worse as a person. Ol' John boy aint having it and pulls the strap on R. They escape. And then the zombie boney war happens. This ends with R sacrificing himself to save Julie. At which point he becomes human again. I dunno how I feel about it. But they reintegrate all the zombies back into human society. While killing off all the boney's. All in all I was surprised by how well this held up.
See my older posts here.
Warm Bodies
This modern take on the classic zombie movie mixed with the love story of Romeo and Juliet really was a strange one. Opening up with narration from the antagonist turned protag R, we follow his day in the life as an already turned zombie. We take some time to go through his routine, and even show the hierarchy of zombie types. In this film there are two; zombies and boney. The regs have most of their motor functions and have their normal color and human shape. The bones look like the redeads from The Legend of Zelda and don't like anything with a heartbeat.
So very on brand for your horror movie. We then follow R to the end of his day at this airport where he he goes to rest at an abandoned airplane. Here we see just how bad of a hoarder he must have been before he became the undead. Dude has everything a zombie would never need. We are then treated to the wonderful majesty of vinyl. He puts this record on and zones out. It is made pretty clear upfront that zombies don't dream. So remember that key fact. Our next day take R out on an adventure w/ his one friend zombie, and a small pack of walkers. Well I guess not walkers, because these bad boys can run when they need to. Anyway. We are then shown a brief aside of the humans that are going out to forage for supplies. And our other main protag Julie! We get some movement from the walkers, and their distaste for the boney. The living make it to a medical facility (??) and then they are attacked by the zombies. R see's Julie and it's just star crossed lovers at this point. He see's Julies BF and decides he looks like a legit snack. Sweeps the leg and is in chow town. There's some inner monologue about how he hates to do it. But eating brains shows memories of the people they eat. So you gotta do it to still feel alive. He see's some of the goon BF's memories, and decides it would be a good idea to not eat Julie b/c he's in love. He smears some dodo(??) on her so the other zombies don't notice her and shuffles her out. We get back to the airport and he's in full on creeper mode. Talking bout' how much he really likes her. And wants to see if she could come to like him. Like dawg. You are a whole ZOMBIE!!! Like please cool your jets. Anyway he's like learning speech again. And grunts out that he needs her to stay. So she's a prisoner now. She tries to get away and realizes she's too deep into zed country to get away without help. There's some montage of them having fun and getting closer. All the while R is snacking on the old BF's brains and getting his memories. He is still trying to find a way to stay w/ Julie when they decide it's time to make a break for it. R's old friend helps them escape and they do some Benny Hill running from the boney. Also s/n R looks like the younger Skarsgard from Castle Rock when he runs. Like his whole shit is at a slant. Just funny to watch. Anyway, this dude get's away w/ Julie and they make it to a housing development. Here Julie finally learns that R killed her old dude who's name I cannot remember. But it's the younger Franco. She get's upset and leaves without him while he's dreaming. BTW this dude is becoming human now. Somehow his connection to Julie is bringing him back to life. He wakes up from his dream and chases after Julie. We get some stuff back at the human encampment. The father is a strung out John Malkovich which answers all the questions I had about how the humans left survived. R gets a motivational grunt speech from his zombie buddy and then goes after her. We get the R&J balcony scene, and then a montage of them trying to pretty up this dead dude to prove to Julies dad that the zombies are turning back. R looks worse as a person. Ol' John boy aint having it and pulls the strap on R. They escape. And then the zombie boney war happens. This ends with R sacrificing himself to save Julie. At which point he becomes human again. I dunno how I feel about it. But they reintegrate all the zombies back into human society. While killing off all the boney's. All in all I was surprised by how well this held up.
See my older posts here.
I had mixed feelings about The Church. It was originally supposed to be the 3rd Demons movie, but the director wanted to make something different and referred to the Demons films as "pizza schlock". I think it's very abstract and feels very much like you're in a really weird nightmare, but I like it well enough for all its strangeness.
2. The Strangers (2008) [October 3]
Hmm, I think I walked away from this a bit disappointed. Home invasions are a very real, and very scary thing in real life, yet so many movies fail to translate that into cinema. The Strangers made a decent attempt, but I don't think it stuck the landing if I'm being honest. I made sure not to compare the movie to my favorite Home Invasion film (and one of my GOAT films ever), You're Next, seeing as the tone of this was dead serious, while You're Next clearly wanted to be funny in various parts. One thing that bothers me about the ending/reveal of the movie is that while I understand that sometime violent crimes happen "just because", it was so damn lame when one of the villains explained their motive as
Like, yeah, sometimes that is the case, but that doesn't mean that it makes for an interesting movie. You can't expect the audience to ignore the intruders's motivations like you would forces of nature such as Jason or Michael Myers. The intruders weren't presented as much; they made mistakes, and they displayed realistic human qualities. The movie also takes forever to get started yeesh, I was super uninterested in the relationship drama.
Now, one of the things this movie has going for it is that it is very well-shot a various points. Almost all of the shots are deliberate, and are often hiding visages of the intruders watching the main characters. This was effective in unnerving me because I spent time looking at the characters, and actually startled myself when I made out an intruder's mask. Very cool shots.
Ultimately I feel like this is a movie that would've been more effective to watch when it first came out because apparently, this was meant to subvert the expectations that violent crimes are way less likely to happen in rural areas as opposed to urban. I've never felt that was the case before, but YMMV. I wonder if the sequel is better...
Also, Glenn Howerton is in this, and I found it funny that I immediately expected him to be one of the killers because of his character on It's Always Sunny, haha.
Pros:
_________________________________
So Far...
Hmm, I think I walked away from this a bit disappointed. Home invasions are a very real, and very scary thing in real life, yet so many movies fail to translate that into cinema. The Strangers made a decent attempt, but I don't think it stuck the landing if I'm being honest. I made sure not to compare the movie to my favorite Home Invasion film (and one of my GOAT films ever), You're Next, seeing as the tone of this was dead serious, while You're Next clearly wanted to be funny in various parts. One thing that bothers me about the ending/reveal of the movie is that while I understand that sometime violent crimes happen "just because", it was so damn lame when one of the villains explained their motive as
"Just because you were home"
Now, one of the things this movie has going for it is that it is very well-shot a various points. Almost all of the shots are deliberate, and are often hiding visages of the intruders watching the main characters. This was effective in unnerving me because I spent time looking at the characters, and actually startled myself when I made out an intruder's mask. Very cool shots.
Ultimately I feel like this is a movie that would've been more effective to watch when it first came out because apparently, this was meant to subvert the expectations that violent crimes are way less likely to happen in rural areas as opposed to urban. I've never felt that was the case before, but YMMV. I wonder if the sequel is better...
Also, Glenn Howerton is in this, and I found it funny that I immediately expected him to be one of the killers because of his character on It's Always Sunny, haha.
Pros:
- Cool shots
- Mask designs
- Some mannerisms of the intruders were disturbing
- Boilerplate jump scares
- Killers's motivations are disappointing in the context of the film
- Takes too long to get to the good stuff
- Glenn Howerton not acting like a psychopath
_________________________________
So Far...
- As Above, So Below (2014) Recommended [October 1]
- The Strangers (2008) Conditionally Recommended [October 3]
I mean, the Demons films are schlock, not that that's necessarily a bad thing. I thought The Church was a much better movie, even if it remains a bit schlocky in its own way.
#02 - Häxan (1922)
Part documentary, part dramatized sequences portraying witchcraft throughout the ages. It's an interesting take on the subject that had me excited, but unfortunately Häxan did not really click with me. Maybe it was the seemingly disjointed parts of the movie and its lack of cohesion, or maybe I was just not in the right mood. It features some incredibly disturbing imagery, fantastic moody scenes and an amazing musical score to accompany it all. I just wasn't very engaged. 6/10
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Next ten off to a great start with Blair Witch Project. It was my first time watching it and I loved it.
11) Apt Pupil (1998)
★★½
There's a dark disturbing drama at the core of Apt Pupil. I imagine that the Stephen King novella fully delves into that darkness. But as it's told onscreen, the story comes across as lacking, jumping weeks and months ahead to get to the next important moment in the relationship between Todd and Denker instead of feeling like their dynamic is developing naturally. It made the story seem rushed and compressed to me, and I never bought the protagonist's change throughout the narrative. The ending was disappointing as well, an anticlimatic finale that feels like it got cold feet instead of being proper pay-off for the story's dark undercurrent and Todd's arc.
The best part of the movie, as expected, was Ian McKellen, who nails the reluctance, sliminess, and re-emerging evil of the character. The conversations between him and Todd are when Apt Pupil shines the brightest.
12) The Blair Witch Project (1999)
★★★★½
Watching this was like when I watched The Exorcist for the first time, finally seeing the originator after so many imitators and influenced movies. The Blair Witch Project distinctly does not feel like so many modern found footage movies. Much like how Lake Mungo felt like an authentic documentary, Blair Witch looks and sounds like something that three amateurs filmed in the woods.
As a film, it is so deliberately unassuming, so detached from the modern expectations and style of the genre, that the opening logos and credits at the end almost feel jarring. The framing and camera angles are never trying to slickly frame reveals or make sure we see everything in cool first-person shots. The largely improvised dialogue has the kind of natural conservation flow that most others in the genre lack: the interruptions, the yelling over each other, the back-and-forth and ribbing between friends. The movie even tackles the genre's common "why would anyone keep filming this" criticism and the rationale actually makes sense, giving the perspective a tragic vibe rather than a voyeuristic one.
Blair Witch Project never tries to be anything more than a log of people breaking down as they get lost and go crazy in the woods amid increasingly creepy happenings, and that's what makes it so effective as a horror movie. It pulls that off so well, like the early interactions and set-up that succinctly establish personalities. Or the quietly creepy interviews with townsfolk who feel like people being asked questions on the street and not actors trying to ominously foreshadow stuff. Or how the dread of the movie doesn't come from jump scares or blatant horror imagery, but from watching the trio gradually realize what's happening, as they grow more desperate and frantic, as their relationships crumble. When something terrible or unsettling happen, it's the characters' growing despair that makes it scary.
===
1) The Blob (1988)
★★★★
2) Dead Calm (1989)
★★★
3) Hardware (1990)
★
4) The People Under The Stairs (1991)
★★★½
5) Braindead (1992)
★★★★★
6) Cronos (1993)
★★★
7) In The Mouth of Madness (1994)
★★★★½
8) Village of the Damned (1995)
★★
9) Scream (1996)
★★½
10) Mimic (1997)
★★½
11) Apt Pupil (1998)
★★½
There's a dark disturbing drama at the core of Apt Pupil. I imagine that the Stephen King novella fully delves into that darkness. But as it's told onscreen, the story comes across as lacking, jumping weeks and months ahead to get to the next important moment in the relationship between Todd and Denker instead of feeling like their dynamic is developing naturally. It made the story seem rushed and compressed to me, and I never bought the protagonist's change throughout the narrative. The ending was disappointing as well, an anticlimatic finale that feels like it got cold feet instead of being proper pay-off for the story's dark undercurrent and Todd's arc.
The best part of the movie, as expected, was Ian McKellen, who nails the reluctance, sliminess, and re-emerging evil of the character. The conversations between him and Todd are when Apt Pupil shines the brightest.
12) The Blair Witch Project (1999)
★★★★½
Watching this was like when I watched The Exorcist for the first time, finally seeing the originator after so many imitators and influenced movies. The Blair Witch Project distinctly does not feel like so many modern found footage movies. Much like how Lake Mungo felt like an authentic documentary, Blair Witch looks and sounds like something that three amateurs filmed in the woods.
As a film, it is so deliberately unassuming, so detached from the modern expectations and style of the genre, that the opening logos and credits at the end almost feel jarring. The framing and camera angles are never trying to slickly frame reveals or make sure we see everything in cool first-person shots. The largely improvised dialogue has the kind of natural conservation flow that most others in the genre lack: the interruptions, the yelling over each other, the back-and-forth and ribbing between friends. The movie even tackles the genre's common "why would anyone keep filming this" criticism and the rationale actually makes sense, giving the perspective a tragic vibe rather than a voyeuristic one.
Blair Witch Project never tries to be anything more than a log of people breaking down as they get lost and go crazy in the woods amid increasingly creepy happenings, and that's what makes it so effective as a horror movie. It pulls that off so well, like the early interactions and set-up that succinctly establish personalities. Or the quietly creepy interviews with townsfolk who feel like people being asked questions on the street and not actors trying to ominously foreshadow stuff. Or how the dread of the movie doesn't come from jump scares or blatant horror imagery, but from watching the trio gradually realize what's happening, as they grow more desperate and frantic, as their relationships crumble. When something terrible or unsettling happen, it's the characters' growing despair that makes it scary.
===
1) The Blob (1988)
★★★★
2) Dead Calm (1989)
★★★
3) Hardware (1990)
★
4) The People Under The Stairs (1991)
★★★½
5) Braindead (1992)
★★★★★
6) Cronos (1993)
★★★
7) In The Mouth of Madness (1994)
★★★★½
8) Village of the Damned (1995)
★★
9) Scream (1996)
★★½
10) Mimic (1997)
★★½
- Godzilla (1954)
- Godzilla Raids Again (1955)
- King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)
- Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964)
Ishiro Honda directs again, but the tone remains light as TOHO begins to tone their Godzilla output to a younger audience. This movie is the first of a series of three loosely connected sequels wherein Godzilla is a fact of life for Japan. Bumbling but ruthless entrepreneurs try and capitalize on Mothra's egg washed up on a beach during a typhoon, while reporters and a scientist attempt to intervene with the help of the fairy guardians of Mothra's home, Infant Island. There's a great scene where Godzilla revives and rises from under the beach. The Big G's weakness to electricity (exploited in King Kong vs. Godzilla) is played up here as the military uses conductive netting dropped from helicopters in concert with lightning towers to zap Godzilla into temporary submission in parts. An aging Mothra defends her egg long enough for twin caterpillars to emerge, and they eventually subdue Godzilla with their silk threads before swimming off to the horizon with the fairies...
#03 - The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
Would you believe this is my first introduction to the classic story of The Phantom of the Opera? Well, it is. Something that is immediately noticeable, is the incredible set design. From the opera house to the spooky dungeon below, everything is brought to life with lush cinematography, use of light, shadow, and color. The classic tale, which lacks depth but has many layers and aspects of horror, drama and (a twisted sort of) romance is told in a rather swift pace, never allowing the movie to let up or become boring. Lastly, the titular antagonist is portrayed brilliantly by Lon Chaney. Both with and without the mask, he displays such menace and tragedy. Great movie. 8/10