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4 (9). The Possession of Michael King (2014) A smarmy atheist deals with the senseless death of his wife by making a documentary intent on proving the supernatural doesn't exist by tempting fate with as many occult ways as he can find, and things don't go the way he planned. I wanted to like this. I think the premise and first act were interesting. Watching Michael go down a winding road of supernatural avenues ranging from cheap plastic toys to John Edwards-esque "readers" to freaky rear end sex and drug weirdos was an interesting journey, especially watching Michael question what he had gotten himself into with this idea as things got weird and potentially dangerous. When things start going bad supernatural wise its also interesting to see Michael start to question his atheism and wonder if he was wrong all along. Unfortunately I don't think the movie knew what to do after that and seemed to just kind of shift into just a generic horror with nothing new to add to the genre. The second half of the movie really just fell flat for me and didn't seem to miss a single cliche. Honestly, if I described the basic makeup of the cast in the first half of the film you could probably all just guess the second half completely. Lets try. First Half: Michael's an atheist but his wife was a believer. He has a daughter and a sister who lives with them to help raise the daughter. He has a friend helping make the documentary. The demon Michael playfully summons likes to kill kids and has a thing for ants. Now, if you guessed ]things get freaky, ants start showing up everywhere, Michael kills his friend and sister but his daughter survives when his wife reaches just enough beyond the grave to help Michael kill himself then you correctly guessed everything that happened. Except for a really very silly montage of Michael trying to exorcise/kill himself. I have a minor quibble that this is a found footage film that plays a little fast and loose with the "rules." That annoys me because I like the found footage approach but if you don't follow the basic logical rules of it then its just kind of a cheat to me. This movie doesn't get really bad about it but there's some questionable elements of multiple camera angles, why some stuff is being recorded, and who exactly is editing all of this. Nothing TOO bad but it was going to be my minor complaint during the first half I enjoyed, but as the second half fell apart it really seemed secondary. I will say that the performance of the lead actor is really pretty strong. The movie is about 90% him alone with a camera to the point where it really kind of neglects the supporting characters and makes them feel utterly unimportant (in fact, Michael's dead wife probably gets more screentime than the rest of them). He does a good job carrying that load and showing the gradual breakdown and regret of a guy who realizes he's started down a really bad path and can't find a way to steer off the road. The script takes him to kind of silly places but credit to Shane Johnson for doing the best he could with it. Over all it wasn't terrible. I never thought about turning it off and it had its share of interesting ideas and a few scares. But it just squandered a lot of that and didn't work out in the end. I'm going with 2.5/5. It was half a good movie.
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Oct 5, 2015 05:02
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1. Housebound 2. The Monster Squad 3. Ginger Snaps 4. Prom Night 5. Stir of Echoes I have somehow never heard of this movie. I'm not the biggest Kevin Bacon fan, but I love him in Tremors and Super. This time he stars as a working class guy living with his wife and disturbing son in "a nice neighborhood" of Chicago. At a house party, he gets hypnotized. Now he's seeing weird visions, his son's disturbing nature of talking to himself has escalated, and weird things are happening in the neighborhood. Looks like we got a ghost on our hands! All based on a Richard Matheson story. I really liked this movie. It is attempting to be like The Shining in suburbia, but it's filmed more like The Gift (by Sam Raimi) with hints of Jacob's Ladder. There are some fantastic visuals (I enjoyed every hypnotism and dream sequence). The music is 90's as hell. Kevin Bacon is great, whoever plays his wife is great, the "college educated" weird sister is Illeana Douglas (who I know as the heartbreaking character in Cape Fear), and the dad from Transformers (Kevin Dunn) shows up as a neighbor. It starts off with some clunky dialogue, but it's a strong Psychic Talks to Ghosts Mystery/Suspense/Thriller with some scary moments thrown in. Not what I was expecting, and that's a good thing. I guess it got lost in the shuffle after The Sixth Sense, and it isn't as ridiculous as The Frighteners to be considered a cult classic. If you get a chance to watch it, check it out.  /5
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Oct 5, 2015 05:19
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No way am I going to watch 31 movies in a month. But I am going to be watching some horror this month, and I started with The Fly (the Jeff Goldblum version) and wow was it ever good! I had never watched it before and it totally blew me away. I expected the gross-out stuff, and laughed at the penis in the cabinet, but the emotional punch of this film was way more than I expected. Of course you've all seen The Fly. I'm posting in a thread full of horror film fans. But if somehow, improbably, you've not? Correct that immediately.
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Oct 5, 2015 05:38
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 #4. This was going to be Madmen of Mandoras (1963), a.k.a., They Saved Hitler's Brain!, but that turned out to be a sci-fi thriller/low-effort national security noir-thing. Cool shot of Hitler's head melting down to the skull at the end; the film-makers seemed to think so, since they cut back to it four times. So I went with El Orfanato (2007).  This turned out a lot better than I'd expected. Ghost stories operating on one level with family tensions on another until they intersect is a formula I tend to enjoy, and the actors of the main family in this did a great job of seeming to have real relationships and care for each other. The performance of the kid actor stood out, he did a good job of being as impulsive as a kid trying to prove something to an adult can be. A little bit of a satisfaction stumble with the ending, which was more fairy-tale-like than the movie up 'til that point had been (even if it did fit with the character decisions at that point), but still pleasing. Great filming in regards to the camera movement, set shots, focus, framing, etc. 7/10. Darthemed fucked around with this message at 22:19 on Oct 6, 2015 |
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Oct 5, 2015 05:45
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Oops. Ignore this.
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Oct 5, 2015 05:54
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8. Drag Me To Hell (2009) While hoping for a promotion at her bank, Christine turns down an old gypsy woman trying to get a third extension on her unpaid mortgage. This results in her being cursed to be stalked and taken to hell by a Lamia, a nasty creature. Now she has to figure out how to undo the curse. This was Sam Raimi's return to horror, and it's very uneven for it. Most of the movie is slow with bad acting and characterization, yet there are moments of genius peppered throughout, including an insane exorcism sequence. Also there's a fan theory out there that's pretty compelling that much of the film is metaphorical for eating disorders. Things are constantly going in or out of mouths. Monsters try to bite Christine. Vomiting features heavily. She is self conscious about being a fat child. Her hair gets pulled out more than once, much like how bulimics lose theirs. Bad things seem to always happen right after she eats. It's hard to argue against this theory. It's an alright movie, worth a watch, but don't expect something great. /5
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Oct 5, 2015 06:27
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#29.Offerings (1989). Uhhhh, so a mute kid with a drat high IQ and an ugly mother gets pushed down a well by some bullies. 10 years later he is in a mental hospital which he escapes from to kill the people who pushed him in. This one was boring. The cast was obnoxious, and I didn't care if they lived or died, and they had annoying southern accents. It had minimal gore, and boring kills. The best parts were that that the killer delivers pizza to the victims with human meat on it and they like it, and a snarky ginger who fucks with the dumpy sheriff. Also The soundtrack rips off not only Halloween, but A Nightmare on Elm Street too. #30.Brain Damage (1988). A man meets a worm creature that keeps him high in exchange for human brains. This was a blast. Frank Henenlotter directed this (he also did the Basket Case movies) and it really shows. It's got a dark, dirty feeling. Watching the main character spiral in drug induced trips while his little buddy munches on brains was an interesting dichotomy. The blood was plentiful, the plot was bizarre, and there was even a special cameo. I couldn't be happier. #31.Blood Beach (1980). Unlike Jaws, the terror is on the beach itself as beach goers are pulled into the sand. Well, I wanted to see people get pulled in the sand and die. That's what I got. It was pretty run of the mill. Oh, and I love John Saxon.
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Oct 5, 2015 06:58
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#2 Suspiria I had never seen a giallo film, but this one often gets mentioned as one of the best in the genre, loved Berberian Sound Studio and decided to just give it a try. The use of color and overbearing soundtrack work very well to create a strong atmosphere. The story itself is told with jumps of feverdream-like logic, with some of it only making sense on an emotional level. Understandably this is a fine line, but I think it manages perfectly to stay at the right side and not deteriorate into a sloppy mess. It is uneven, a bit chaotic, but very stylish and packs quite the punch. I liked it, added some more giallo to the watchlist so who knows what I'll see this month. #3 Planet of the Vampires This didn't do much for me. I get that many of the ideas showed up in Alien later, but that just gives the film some historical value and doesn't make it a good watch. On its own merits this was quite boring and very rough. I did really like the costumes and the ending was nice, but it wasn't enough.
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Oct 5, 2015 09:35
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6. Insidious: Chapter 3 - A prequel to the first two, this tells the origin story (sort of) of Elise the psychic. Here she has to help a young girl and her family deal with a haunting and possession. If you like the characters, it's all right. I like the characters. The first was better, but they all fall apart when they get to the Dream World anyway. (2.5/5) 7. We Are Still Here - A couple move into a new home, but the previous occupants ARE STILL HERE. Ugh, I do not understand the love for this one. Very ham-fisted dialogue that I guess is meant as a knowing wink at the genre conventions. However, this isn't just a typical haunting story, it's also a cult story, and mashing up the two like this means character motivations are completely confused and nonsensical. (1/5) 8. Black Christmas (1974) - A crazy stalks a sorority house on during the holidays. Oh man, this is a classic. Remarkably deep characters. Great fun slasher movie. (5/5) 9. Black Christmas (2006) - A crazy guy escapes a mental facility and stalks a sorority house during the holidays. Ugh, terrible reboot of the original. All it retains from the original are names and settings, all of the subtlety and characterization of the first is completely lost in this one. (1/5) 10. Candyman - A researcher into urban myths gets in over her head. This isn't anything like I expected it to be. I expected a fairly traditional slasher type, but there's a lot more going on here. Papers could (and probably have) been written about what this movie has to say about race. Neat stuff. (4/5)
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Oct 5, 2015 14:43
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1. Psycho 2. Black Christmas 3. Deep Red I chose to focus on Christopher Lee this weekend. I'll skipped Horror of Dracula because I plan to watch that closer to Halloween. 4. The Mummy(1959): In my opinion this is Lee's most underrated performance. Sure, people know about Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, and Lord Summerisle. Few remember that he and Peter Cushing also starred in Hammer's production of The Mummy. This is my favorite Mummy film and also the version that is referenced the most by the very successful remakes starring Brendan Frasier. The flashback scenes starring Lee in his pre-mummified form are excellent, and Lee still manages to do a lot of acting once he's wrapped up and caked in mud. Lee always had a certain physical way of approaching these monsters, and it is scary because of how real it is. When the mummy is tearing through a window screen to get at its victim, he doesn't conjure up a supernatural wind to blow it open, or rip it open in one smooth motion. He tears at it animalistically, his anger seeming to build after each second that he can't get in the window. It makes you feel like if he catches you, it wouldn't be painless, he would tear you limb from limb with his bare hands. 5. The Curse of Frankenstein: Overall this is Cushing's show, but Lee does a great job with his role as well. The sets are fantastic, which becomes a calling card of the Hammer Frankenstein series, and for me the Monster is every bit as complex and sympathetic as Karloff's. This is one case where I'd recommend all of the sequels as well. They all star Cushing, most try out a few new ideas, and are just a lot of fun in general. 6.The Wicker Man: I saw this for the first time last year and liked it a lot, but I think I enjoyed it even more this time. This is one of the most beautiful horror films of all-time, and the beauty of the surroundings is precisely what becomes unsettling as the film goes on, along with Lee's performance of course. Lee's supreme confidence is both creepy and compelling, much like a real cult leader I suppose. Woodward's police officer is similarly confident that he has control of the situation, and that his Christian faith still holds sway over this island. The slow realization of just how wrong he is makes for the core of the film, and for anyone who doesn't know how it ends the climax brings it all together in a very terrifying way. I can't recommend this film enough, and I can see why Lee considers it his favorite performance. Basebf555 fucked around with this message at 15:31 on Oct 5, 2015 |
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Oct 5, 2015 15:20
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I think one of the most impressive things about The Wicker Man to me is how the ending sounds kinda blah and mediocre on paper, but when you watch it, it hits you square in the gut with the weight of a sack full of bricks. Even after you know it's coming and have seen the film before, it's still such a weighty ending to everything.
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Oct 5, 2015 15:32
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Choco1980 posted:I think one of the most impressive things about The Wicker Man to me is how the ending sounds kinda blah and mediocre on paper, but when you watch it, it hits you square in the gut with the weight of a sack full of bricks. Even after you know it's coming and have seen the film before, it's still such a weighty ending to everything. Its definitely a film that is rewatchable, and not just because of how great it looks. There were so many times throughout where I kinda chuckle at what the cop is saying, but at the same time there's a pit in my stomach because the guy just doesn't have a clue how dangerous his situation is.
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Oct 5, 2015 15:59
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1: Thou Wast Mild and Lovely 2: Queen of Earth 3: The Pact 4/31: Wes Craven's New Nightmare Oh my gosh! So incredibly fun. I haven't seen any Nightmare movies in forever but I think I still appreciated it pretty fully. Wes Craven had a pretty meta mid-90's between this and Scream. ^___^
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Oct 5, 2015 17:05
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Day 5 - Wolfcop With a name like Wolfcop, I feel like there is no possible way that this movie could have been bad. A classic Teen Wolf scenario except this time you have a cop instead of an idiot teenager. I’m amazed it has taken me this long to finally sit down and watch this movie as it has been in my Netflix queue for probably 6 months at this point. I cannot express how happy I am that this movie lived up to the expectations that I had for a movie named Wolfcop. Full Review 5 out of 5. It is the exact amount of insane and stupid coupled with the exact amount of decent yet still low budget effects that make me happy.
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Oct 5, 2015 19:19
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Oct. 1 Burnt Offerings - 1976 A family spends the summer in a spooky house and has spooky things happen to them. It almost felt like a dry run for The Shining as the house slowly begins to take over these people sending the father into fits of rage and the mother becomes obsessed with taking care of the house. The production design was great and there were a couple decent creepy moments but I found most of it kinda dull and it went on for waaay too long. Oct. 2 I Dismember Mama - 1972 So good! I liked that they really tried to get into the psychology of Albert. It made a movie about a sexually violent escaped mental patient who, after raping and murdering his mother's housekeeper, falls in love with and kidnaps the housekeeper's daughter feel slightly less exploitative. Emotionally stunted and misogynistic, give him a twitter account and an anime avatar and I feel like Albert is the spitting image of most gamer gate nerds. Oct. 3 Night Train to Terror - 1985 Holy moly, this might be one of my new favorite anthology movies. In the wraparound segment, God and Satan are on a train arguing over the souls of its passengers as it's set to crash at dawn. To help pass the time they reminisce about other battles for souls they've had which sets up the 3 stories that make up the rest of the movie. These shorts include an insanely elaborate scheme to sell body parts to medical schools, a death club, and an immortal Nazi demon (this short features some of the worst miniature work I've seen). It's all super campy and never boring. There's also a pretty amazing "rock group" on the train: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUHsLZ5t5w8 Oct. 4 John Carpenter's Vampires - 1998 I used to watch this all the time when I was a kid. It's got its problems but I still find it very entertaining. James Woods carries this movie as a snarky little poo poo and I wish the entire movie was him and his biker pals slaughtering eurotrash vampires but the middle sags as his entire crew gets killed and he putzes around the southwest looking for the ~original vampire~. Bonus! I bought a book called Hollywood Death and Scandal Sites which gives you directions for driving tours for (you guessed it) homes and locations of celebrity death and scandal sites around Los Angeles. Yesterday my girlfriend and I covered the Valley section of the book and it was pretty fun. The entry for Herve Villechaize was one that struck us the most as it was super depressing. quote:At 3:00 a.m. Villechaize sat on the back porch and tried to shoot himself in the chest, recording the event on a portable tape deck. The first shot missed and blew out the picture window behind him; Villechaize is heard muttering "Oh, poo poo..." before firing a shot into his heart.
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Oct 5, 2015 19:40
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Night Train to Terror is A-plus material for sure. It's tied with Dungeonmaster for best 80s anthology made out of unfinished horror movies that star Richard Moll.
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Oct 5, 2015 20:42
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Grnegsnspm posted:Day 5 - Wolfcop I met Wolfcop a few months ago and he said there's going to be a sequel.
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Oct 5, 2015 20:57
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CopywrightMMXI posted:I met Wolfcop a few months ago and he said there's going to be a sequel. It also says this on the end credits, for what it's worth.
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Oct 5, 2015 21:10
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1.10.2015 - Homicycle (2014) 2.10.2015 - A Christmas Horror Story (2015) 3.10.2015 - It Follows (2014) 4.10.2015 - Insidious (2010) Better late than never getting into this series, I guess. Second James Wan film after The Conjuring I've ever watched. Wasn't feeling it much until the Dream World, that was a great direction for the movie and something I enjoyed immensely. 5.10.2015 - 13 Sins (2014) Surprisingly good! A bit like Cheap Thrills, though I was surprised to see this one being described as a horror/comedy, I guess I see what bits of the film were supposed to be humorous but I found most of the gags just disturbing after the early running. Ron Perlman's role was pretty superfluous for the whole ordeal.
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Oct 5, 2015 21:28
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ha, refreshing to see that particular opinion on insidious, I usually hear the opposite. as in, that's where the movie breaks down and fails. I love all of it though :P
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Oct 5, 2015 22:12
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 #5. Nightmare In Wax (1969). Yeah, Cameron Mitchell's name in the credits was a sign of trouble. But this was one of his more bearable films (of the ones I've seen, at least). No major problems with editing or sound, and while the visuals were kind of washed-out, that might have been down to the Mill Creek transfer. Basic wax museum horror movie set-up, but with some minor Hollywood setting links to provide victims. The wax museum setting wasn't used that much either (no real 'blend in with the figures' scenes, just a couple 'ooh spooky figures!' spots), with under a dozen wax figures populating it, and most of the chasing was through sets so featureless they could have been in a warehouse. The characters weren't entirely flat, but it was a close thing, and the ending reveal makes it all a toss-off anyway. A few nice shots (opening with film played through a retina, a shot through a distorting jar), but kind of bland overall. Could have been decent, but wasn't. 4/10. Darthemed fucked around with this message at 22:19 on Oct 6, 2015 |
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Oct 5, 2015 23:00
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Took a day break for my birthday. 3. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari There was a free screening of Caligari at my local movie theater. It was a lot of fun to see that on the big screen. My one complaint is that they had local artists do the music for each act. It was a nice idea, but some of the acts had much much better music than others. They just had musical choices that didn't necessarily fit what was going on. Especially in the final act they had more experimental music and it detracted from the great ending. 4. Watching The Nightmare right now and this does such an amazing job of conveying the terror that comes with sleep paralysis. I could honestly just listen for hours to people describing their weird experiences.
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Oct 6, 2015 01:30
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Day 5 - Rock 'n Roll Nightmare sure was a movie. Yep, definitely something that was shot with people saying lines in front of a camera and assembled the intention of telling a story. A rock band goes to a house in the country to work on a new album. Once there, the devil seduces each of them in turn until the last one left alive is the writer/director/lead actor/band front man who faces the devil down in single combat. I know this film is infamous for it's sheer camp value and it deserves every bit of that love. The goofy puppets, the weird stagey-ness of everything, the absolutely bonkers ending. Rock 'n Roll Nightmare was everything that I've heard it was and it was a great absurd ride from beginning to end. The low production quality looped around from terrible to actually being charming. It really does deserve its reputation as a kind of Plan 9 for the 80's.  Also, now I have to get that Rifftrax. Tomorrow I'm watching another movie about a rock band that goes to a remote house to work on a new album where they're picked off by the devil one-by-one. But I suspect 2015's Demons (as opposed to about eight other movies called "Demons) isn't going to live up to Rock 'n Roll Nightmare.
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Oct 6, 2015 01:55
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CopywrightMMXI posted:I met Wolfcop a few months ago and he said there's going to be a sequel. I actually just had Wolfcop retweet the review. Good to know the writer/director thought it was amusing.
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Oct 6, 2015 02:15
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Random Stranger posted:Day 5 - Rock 'n Roll Nightmare sure was a movie. Yep, definitely something that was shot with people saying lines in front of a camera and assembled the intention of telling a story. Be sure to check out Zombie Nightmare to complete your 80s John Mikl Thor Canadian horror-with-the-word-nightmare-in-the-title experience.
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Oct 6, 2015 02:40
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Random Stranger posted:Day 5 - Rock 'n Roll Nightmare sure was a movie. Yep, definitely something that was shot with people saying lines in front of a camera and assembled the intention of telling a story. I watched Demons a couple days ago. It's awful. I would find something else if I were you.
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Oct 6, 2015 03:36
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An American Werewolf in London I can't believe this was my first time seeing this. Scary, funny and even touching at the end, it really fires on all cylinders. Also features one of the best transformations I think I have seen, as well the beautiful Jennifer Agutter. The best movie I have watched so far this month. /5
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Oct 6, 2015 03:53
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Dr.Caligari posted:An American Werewolf in London If I recall. That was the first time a full transformation was shown on screen. #32.City of the Living Dead (1980). A priest kills himself opening a gate of hell in Dunwich. A medium and reporter go to try and stop it. This is part of Fulci's gates of hell trilogy. Supernatural zombies are a plenty, with plenty of gore in their wake. #33.Blood Hook (1986). A killer is targeting people at a fishing contest using a giant hook. This was ridiculous, but awesome. The killer just casts out his line and catches people. This movie delivered exactly what it promised. #34.Eyes of Fire (1983). A handful of pioneers in the late 1700's settle in a valley to find that a demon witch is there too and wants to capture and kill them. There aren't too many horror flicks that take place in this time period. This ends up being pretty interesting. A preacher is leading everyone to their promised land and is ignorant to what's going on, essentially leading them to death. Their isolation and the time period help give is a really creepy atmosphere. And for 1983 the effects were pretty drat good. #35.[b]Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II (1987). A sequel only in name. The '57 prom queen, Mary Lou, is burned to death in an accident. Now she has retuned for vengeance. This has some really cool effects and kills. The plot didn't make a whole hell of a lotta sense, but it was fun. Watrick fucked around with this message at 04:01 on Oct 6, 2015 |
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Oct 6, 2015 03:58
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I don't think I have any shot at making 31, especially if I keep detouring to things I've already seen on the stream, but I may as well see how far I get. I don't think I'll write up thoughts on rewatches, but I will echo for the billionth time that Shadow of the Vampire is fantastic. 1. Final Destination, 10/2(?) - It was a couple of days ago on stream and I didn't tune in until they were boarding the plane, but I think that was pretty close to the beginning so I'm giving myself a point for it anyway. Kid has a vision of plane explosion, gets himself and some other people kicked off, then they start dying in extremely silly ways. I really liked a couple of the deaths (Tod and the boozefire), but I don't think you'd be missing out on anything if you just watched a compilation on youtube. 2. Terrorvision, 10/5 - This falls pretty firmly onto the comedy side of horror/comedy, but some people get eaten and there's a monster so I'm going to roll with it. Some aliens beam a monster out into space, it gets picked up by the Puttermans' new sattelite dish, grandpa raises lizards so he can make jerky out of their tails. Because they grow back. A man suggests ouzo margaritas. There's a theme song. I could just keep listing random observations and I love every single one of them. It's dated, but in the best way possible and you should watch this.
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Oct 6, 2015 04:01
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14. The Evil Dead (1981) This is absolutely one of my favorite horror movies. It has a very odd, unnatural tone to it that gets me every time. I remember literally being on the edge of my seat when I first saw it (yet another movie with an awkward rape scene that I first watched with my parents). Can't help but laugh at how many times Ash is flung into things. The blu-ray Anchor Bay put out in 2010 is top notch, by the way. Easily the best the film has ever looked. Oh, and after being together for almost 10 years, my wife FINALLY broke down and said she'd watch this with me, but she is currently sleeping. I'll call an attorney tomorrow, because I'm pretty sure this is grounds for a separation, at least.
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Oct 6, 2015 05:16
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October Tally - New (Total) - (1). Scream (1996) / 1 (2). Shocker (1989) / - (3). Grave Encounters (2011) / 2 (4). The Babadook (2014) / - (5). Beetlejuice (1989) / - (6). House on Haunted Hill (1999) / - (7). The Leprechaun (1993) / 3 (8). As Above, So Below (2014) / 4 (9). The Possession of Michael King (2014) 5 (10). The Unborn (2009) - A young woman is getting haunted by evil kids. I put as much effort into that description as was put into this script.  My first true dud of the season. I had a long day and was fried so just pulled up a random movie on my DVR so I could save some space, and boy did I pick wrong. This movie offers absolutely nothing interesting to it. The plot is paper thin to the point where even the characters don't seem clear on what's happening. There's a few jump scares early on and then the movie just kind of gives up on trying to scare you at all. The monster seems to be simultaneously all powerful and totally defenseless. The thing's goal is allegedly to possess a human body - which supposedly has to be one of this family or something - but then it spends half the film possessing humans left and right. And why the hell did that baby die early on? Was that even part of the spirit's stuff or was it just random? For an extended period of time the only thing keeping me remotely engaged in the movie was Odette Anabelle's rear end. Which explains why its the movie poster. This is one of those movies that seems to bring down everyone involved in it. David Goyer isn't perfect or anything but this barely seemed written. Odette Anabelle isn't an Oscar winner but she's always been at least competent in everything I've seen her in but in this film she comes off like every D-List horror girl who couldn't deliver a line. Actual Oscar nominated Gary Oldman shows half way through the movie and then basically disappears until the final act where he shows up to do something any extra could have done. But that's nothing compared to Idris loving Elba randomly wandering into the movie 2/3rds of the way through and getting maybe 5 minutes of dialogue before falling into a massively lazy, kind of confusingly unnecessary, and vaguely racist bit part. Genuinely, why did the spirit have to possess a big black guy to kill people when it killed 8 people without possessing anyone like a minute earlier? What's this thing's deal anyway? James Remar plays the dad in the movie just long enough to let you know he exists and then he utterly disappears from the movie as his daughter spends like a week being terrorized by a ghost as people get murdered left and right around her. Maybe he had to go haunt Dexter or something? Not to mention that Carla Gugino is onscreen for 30 seconds without any dialogue... I half think she was CGIed in. A true waste of time and a sad stumble on the season. Its inevitable that when marathoning new and random horror you'll have a bunch of duds but something about this one just seems like a special waste of time and talent. 1/5 STAC Goat fucked around with this message at 05:44 on Oct 6, 2015 |
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Oct 6, 2015 05:40
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The first episode of my Horror Challenge podcast, Horror Kiwi is now LIIIIIVE. We watched Paranoia Agent and a bunch of short films, since last week was too short for a proper theme. Horror Kiwi Episode 1 - Short Week; Short Stories You can get it in audio only form here. e: I realize there is some clicking in parts, but try as I might I couldn't get rid of all of it. There was like 500% more before I edited, though. If anyone else has further comments/criticisms/suggestions, please tell me and I will definitely keep them in mind for the recording this weekend (and beyond). mikeycp fucked around with this message at 05:46 on Oct 6, 2015 |
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Oct 6, 2015 05:42
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#9 The Order (2003) Alex is a priest for the ultra rare Catholic order known as the Carolinians (Note: They are fictional). When his superior is found dead of apparent suicide in his home in Vatican City, he is summoned along side his fellow (and only other) Carolinian, Thomas. He is joined on his trip by Mara, a woman he once saved from an exorcism that he is in love with but held back from by his cloth. Investigation reveals that the priest may have had a Sin Eater with him at death, a being not thought to have existed for hundreds of years, being men who literally consume ones sin at the time of their death, absolving them of their guilt and allowing them into Paradise, in direct opposition to the Catholic Church's laws of confession. See, the Carolinians are the order of Catholics who fight demons and the undead that most pretend do not exist in our world. So now Alex, Thomas, and Mara must get to the bottom of their elder's death and the existence of the Sin Eater in a Rome in chaos over a dying Pope and the resulting power struggle. 2003 was an unusual time for Horror. Still reeling from 9/11, Hollywood was struggling to find what the next horror trend would be, kinda of coasting on the growing zombie popularity, and allowing small films to sneak by with very original concepts that often would pass by unnoticed. This is one of those films. It's a very rich movie, filled with horror and intrigue, and while it does use CGI, it does so with a very delicate touch, which barely tingles my suspension of disbelief. The set pieces are lavish and full of history, as the Vatican should be. The characters are deeply built with complex motivations. The world the plot takes place in is one filled with demons and ghosts just beneath the surface. Where secret societies and magic exist if you know how to look for it. I'm a sucker for that sort of rich mythology, and the outsider investigators living within it. I suspect much of the obscuring of the film had to do with its very dark and hazy morality, and the fact that it knowingly walks in the realm of sacrilege. It is a complex film with difficult decisions to make, but it is one I think is a worthwhile watch. /5
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Oct 6, 2015 06:02
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Jack Gladney posted:Night Train to Terror is A-plus material for sure. It's tied with Dungeonmaster for best 80s anthology made out of unfinished horror movies that star Richard Moll. I loving love Dungeonmaster.
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Oct 6, 2015 07:53
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#4 From Beyond I had a blast with this movie. There is one very rough shot near the ending, but everything else just works. Nice vibe and cool practical effects.
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Oct 6, 2015 08:25
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Jack Gladney posted:Be sure to check out Zombie Nightmare to complete your 80s John Mikl Thor Canadian horror-with-the-word-nightmare-in-the-title experience. Already seen it. At least on MST3K. Speaking of which Watrick posted:#33.Blood Hook (1986). A killer is targeting people at a fishing contest using a giant hook. Blood Hook's only claim to fame is that Kevin "Tom Servo" Murphy worked on it in a minor crew position.
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Oct 6, 2015 12:07
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Watrick posted:#34.Eyes of Fire (1983). A handful of pioneers in the late 1700's settle in a valley to find that a demon witch is there too and wants to capture and kill them. Awesome. I put this on my watchlist after seeing this on a list of movies featured in Nightmare USA. I might have to give it a watch this month
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Oct 6, 2015 12:07
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11. Resolution - A city dude heads to the backwoods to help a high school friend recover from drug addiction. While there mysterious poo poo begins to happen. I don't really think the mysterious poo poo works the way it wanted it to work. The mystery is laid out but I didn't really buy the way it was pieced together. That said, the two main guy's were well-acted and I believed their jokey 'gently caress you man/no gently caress you man' relationship. Funny and slightly creepy. (3.5/5) 12. The Pyramid - An archaeologist and his team explore a recently discovered pyramid in Egypt. It does not go well. Boy oh boy when found footage sucks it sucks. It has a significant amount in common with As Above, So Below, except here it isn't handled nearly so well. Also, lots of exposition and lame enemies. (1/5) 13. Wrong Turn 2: Dead End - A reality show decides its setting should be the ol' Wrong Turn Woods, where all those crazy cannibal hillbillies live. Other than crazy cannibal hillbillies this has little to do with the original, but, honestly, it's not like there was a complex plot to reference. Cliches and gore abound! It's kind of a fun romp, but it didn't do much for me. (2/5) 14. Grave Encounters - A ghost hunter reality show encounters actual ghosts. I like FF movies, and this went places I didn't expect it to go. The ending felt like it really dragged, though. (3.5/5)
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Oct 6, 2015 12:59
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I always get so jealous when I hear about seeing stuff like American Werewolf in London and From Beyond for the first time. Anyway I'm right on pace, 7 movies down and only 5 days into the month. At this rate I'll probably get to 40. 7. Drag Me to Hell: I missed this on the Scream Stream the other night but its a must-watch every October for me. I actually have more fun watching this film than I do Evil Dead( Evil Dead 2 is better than both though). There's been a lot of talk about lackluster CGI in the Scream Stream, probably to be expected since the theme is post-2000 horror. I watched Drag Me to Hell with that very much on my mind, and I can see why someone might complain about it. There are a few times where CGI blood(or mucus) is used when you'd think a director like Raimi would have gone out of his way to avoid it. Still, I've seen the movie 4 or 5 times now and the CGI never bothers me. The wacky tone of the film encourages the audience to laugh at scenes where gigantic geysers of blood are erupting, so the goofiness of the CGI blends right in with the goofiness of everything else going on around it. Is that just an excuse? Maybe, but the bottom line is I unconditionally love this movie. 1.Psycho 2.Black Christmas 3.Deep Red 4.The Wicker Man 5.The Mummy(1959) 6.The Curse of Frankenstein 7. Drag Me to Hell
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Oct 6, 2015 14:58
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Got up to my daily count, here we go... Horror Movie Challenge Completed List: 1. Sleepaway Camp What I just watched: 2. In the Mouth of Madness A tale of of Carpenter's ego and a tribute to Lovecraft, we follow a insurance investigator hired by a publisher to locate a missing writer, famed for his works about Lovecraft-ian horrors. It's hard to eloquently explain my position on this film. I remember liking this movie a lot when I first saw it, which was '94 so I was 10 at the time, so that may explain what I'm about to criticize. The biggest problem with this film for me is the acting, which is ranges from over the top to underwhelming to just odd. Sam Neil's portrayal of a skeptical investigator at points looks like he's just either tired or uninterested in doing certain scenes. BUT Neil does redeem himself when he is portrayed as scared/terrified, which thankfully happens in abundance as the movie's setting becomes the Lovecraft-ian playground. I really enjoyed the horror elements of this film and how the pace out the scares and suspense. Once they arrive in the Lovecraft village the plotting of the film is paced quick but doesn't overwhelm/confuse you; the Lovecraft horrors are thrown at you in a way that lets you understand the main's character's frustration and panic as he is scrambling to understand what is happening. (I wanted to rate this higher but the acting really took me out of it enough to give it the rating below) .5 / 53. Friday the 13th I wanted to keep the movie summaries vague on the chance that a goon reading hadn't seen the film, but it's Friday the 13th, everyone knows the tale -- counselors helping renovate and re-open Camp Crystal Lake are being murdered by Pamela Voorhees, who lost her son Jason years prior because the counselors then weren't paying attention. I love 80s horror movies. Just love 'em. This is no exception. I love the pacing, the music, everything. Compared to more modern horror films it's incredibly tame but that's what I love about it. The horror elements of this film are more grounded and more impactful because of it. It's Friday the 13th, just go watch it! / 54. Friday the 13th pt. II The introduction into Jason proper -- after the first film, counselors are gathered at Crystal Lake for training and become the target of Jason's revenge. This one is a hard one for me to rate. In my memories this film doesn't really stand out compared to the later sequels (better than Jason Takes Manhattan to be sure though), but that doesn't mean it's a bad film. I liked Jason's presence in this one, but the rest of the cast aren't as memorable. It's a good watch, but overall doesn't really stand out of the crowd, for the most part. / 55. Friday the 13th pt. III IN 3-D! Hoooo-boy, this film. How do you get people to watch your movie? Stick poo poo right into the camera! Whether it's a wooden handle, weed, or a eyeball, you're gonna have poo poo shoved at your screen. Since people don't get that Crystal Lake is a death sentence, we have yet again another group of teenagers visiting a cabin on said Lake who get hunted by Jason. This film marks the first time we see Jason with his iconic mask, along with the signature crack in the upper portion from a axe (which I think either disappears or changes sides in later films). The 3D is sooooooo dumb...they couldn't even hide the strings pulling the objects to the camera! 15 minutes into the film and we already see a snake on a string coming at ya! The cast here is more memorable than the prior film, although some for their bad performance (hello, biker gang). Also, gently caress Shelley, even I was annoyed by that guy. The terrible 3D and the bikers are the main reason for my rating below: .5 / 5BetterToRuleInHell fucked around with this message at 18:55 on Oct 6, 2015 |
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Oct 6, 2015 18:36
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