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Hollismason posted:A good selection but really you should add Fascination .. Already seen it. As well as Lips of Blood.
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Apr 29, 2017 16:29
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Started last night with Black Sabbath. It definitely deserves all the praise it gets. Bava is as stylish as ever. Each segment of this anthology was unique while also tackling similar themes to other Bava movies. I enjoyed all the segments and the twist in The Telephone was one of my favorite moments. Boris Karloff turns in a great performance as a father turned vampire. My wife's favorite was The Drop of Water, she loved the use of sound in that one and the effects work on the deceased woman. Off to a good start in selection. 1/13
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Apr 29, 2017 16:55
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Scariest poo poo ever? Scariest poo poo ever.
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Apr 29, 2017 17:06
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Alright friends, I "officially" started last night even though we still have a few days before May 1st. Call it cheating if you want, but I'm gonna probably end up watching like 30 movies anyway so who cares. Decided on a Bava double feature, one old and one new. 1.Shock(Shudder) Written and co-directed by Lamberto, this was actually kind of a pleasant surprise. I wasn't really expecting to like it all that much, but then I realized Daria Nicolodi was the main character, which is nice. She's rarely had opportunities to carry a movie on her shoulders like she does here. The movie itself is a fairly straightforward ghost story, and the visual touches that Bava is known for aren't really on display much, but overall it still kept me interested and there were some pretty frightening moments. There's an incredibly effective and disturbing jump scare, where a possessed little boy comes running towards his mother, then morphs into the ghostly image of his dead father. Not a whole lot of gore, but the movie makes up for it with some very uncomfortable sexual situations. You know, the kind that can only be created in a movie where a little boy is being possessed by a man who wants to gently caress his mother.. Certainly not top-tier Bava, but if I had to guess I'd say this is more Lamberto's film than Mario's. I decided after finishing it that some iconic, classic Bava was in order. 2. Blood and Black Lace I'd say this is Bava's best, and probably the best giallo ever made, especially if you don't count Suspiria(I do but that's a discussion for another time). Every kill is incredibly stylish, in no small part because of the ridiculously good looking lighting that Bava is famous for. The costumes are great, the set design is great, there's really no element here that isn't top notch. In classic giallo fashion, almost every character in the movie is a major rear end in a top hat in one way or another. Personally I love the scene where an antiques dealer finds a dead body in his studio and his first move is to hurry over to his friend's place to establish a fake alibi. Or the woman who finds a body in her trunk and her first priority is to hide the body. These are people who really only care for themselves, and their immediate thoughts are always centered around covering their own rear end. The design of the killer is absolutely perfect and incredibly influential. It is I'm sure one of the films that taught Carpenter that simplicity can be terrifying. Blood and Black Lace can be tough to track down, and I eventually caved and bought the Arrow blu ray edition last year. I highly recommend it, because Bava's best work really explodes your eyeballs in 1080p. This was my third viewing of the film and it hasn't really started to lose its power yet, an unquestioned Mount Rushmore-level giallo that all horror fans should experience.
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Apr 29, 2017 17:08
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Drunkboxer posted:I've been meaning to watch Targets. Does that count as a horror movie? If pushed I'd say it's a thriller but I think there's enough of an argument for it being horror for it to qualify, like Silence of the Lambs.
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Apr 29, 2017 18:03
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Decided to pair up a first time viewing with a rewatch so yesterday was... 1. The Mirror (Netflix) Typical haunted item found footage flick, I dug it but I have a thing for found footage movies anyway. The characters weren't annoying but do dumb poo poo which comes with the territory of this subgenre. Surprisingly a bit gory towards the end as well. 8/10 (First time) 2. The Thing (Blu ray) The 2011 prequel which gets a lot of hate but I kinda likeit a lot, certainly not on the level of Carpenter's Thing but what the hell could be? CGI ain't too bad and the one scene with The Thing merging with Eric Christian Olsen is hard to watch. 8/10 (Rewatch)
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Apr 29, 2017 18:22
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1. I watched The Prowler (1981) for the first time, and it was really great. I can safely say it's one of the greatest in the slasher genre for fun, effects, pacing, characters, setting, killer costume, etc. Tom Savini's special effects are much more effective because there are less cuts, so the shots linger. The second big kill is quite grisly and uses white contact lens, several blood pumps and death acting to amazing effect. It's cool that the director went on to direct Friday the 13th Part 4 The Final Chapter, and I'm happy to say that this is even better than that entry. I like that the killer is a human instead of supernatural, and they played the Who-Dunnit angle a little bit. Some good gags, too. The opening now makes me want to watch a slasher that takes place in the 1950's. If you haven't seen it yet, give it a go.  out of 5I'm going to see Raw in my theater tonight. Cannibalism grosses me out, so this should be a treat.
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Apr 29, 2017 23:58
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I've traditionally watched 31 movies every October but struggled really bad last year trying to do that and balance a more responsible life-style so doing 13 films now to lighten the load later seems like a good idea. Going to try and shorten my shortlists on Netflix/Amazon Video via this, hopefully uncovering some gems. 1. Blood Moon - UK Amazon Video This is a werewolf movie set in the Wild West where all the stereotypes are represented; the stale dialogue, the variety of stock Western/offensive characters, gunslinging and scriptwriting ways to minimise the horsies. I didn't hate it but it's obviously not a labour of love for anyone outside of maybe the prop/wardrobe department, it does just enough to not be entirely boring whilst still contributing very little to the genres it's representing (Dead Birds was able to do this sort of thing much better, at least to my mind, back when I saw it on original release) although this film has semi-decent effects and I jumped at least once from a well staged surprise it is a typical example of film-makers dropping the ball on the Wolfman's nards by depending on the same schtick and tropes of the werewolf film. My "theme" for the Horrorthon this year is supposed to be Werewolves so hopefully there's some better stuff out there which I haven't already seen, not sure how much hope to hold out for films called PROJECT METALBEAST, HOWL and TOTAL ECLIPSE... but we'll see. Werewolf movies ranked [context]: Ginger Snaps: Unleashed > Blood Moon > An American Werewolf in Paris 2. Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead - UK Amazon Video Walking in blind I wasn't sure about Wyrmwood, from the gist of it (mostly the poster) I feared it would be a super-Nerd's masturbatory fantasy on what the perfect zombie weapon, armour, cool car. etc they would have in a zombie apocalypse but I was surprised by how much I ended up liking this because of some inventive writing and fun editing/directing. The script lost it's own internal logic a few too many times to make this a high recommendation, the timeline is a bit confused but it's likable enough and adds enough elements that feel original for a viewer to just forget that poo poo and enjoy the action... it's not as funny as I thought it would be, though. For an Aussie movie the dialogue is very dry most of the time; but there are some funny scenes that don't have any speaking in them and that's where the strength of this movie lies. Glad I finally knocked this off my watchlist, it was fun enough. Zombie movies ranked [context]: Chopper Chicks in Zombie Town > Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead > Juan of the Dead
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Apr 30, 2017 01:30
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Okay 1. The Girl with all the Gifts : Overall I really enjoyed this ( although I still insist I remember reading a comic book version of this). Excellent acting , a seeing Glen Close in this movie really surprised me. She's such a gem in any movie she is in. It's disappointing that this film has not gotten better attention. I will say as well having played The Last of Us video game that the plot ( it's a fungus!!) that makes Zombies was a little to similar in some aspects. It also have a phenomenal performance by the young Sennia Nanua . All around it was well paced film, the only weak spots were some of the matte paintings ( I assuming matte painting ) visuals , but it's understandable with such a low budget. On the spook scale I would rate this out 5 2. Split I was really apprehensive about this because I really don't like "mental illness gives you powers"! However, I thought the way they portrayed the psychiatrist and Macvoy's relationship with her was pretty good actually. I still didn't really like that the theme of the film seems to be that pain and suffering is necessary to be a better person. Overall I enjoyed the film but I had some issues with how it portrayed women and some statements that it seemed to make about abuse. out of 511 to go. Hollismason fucked around with this message at 03:14 on Apr 30, 2017 |
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Apr 30, 2017 03:11
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For this challenge my goal is to watch as many horror films from my Amazon watchlist, which are almost all from Shudder. I started off today with Pieces, which I'm not sure if it was aiming to be funny or not, like the cops find the murder weapon after like the second murder but no one takes it into custody or anything? They also kept using the groundskeeper as the most obvious red herring. The ending was awesome though. Up next: Splinter
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Apr 30, 2017 03:41
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I'm officially starting on May 1st but I'm getting a couple rewatches out of the way before starting with Hellraiser 3. Hellraiser - Clive Barker, 1987 (rewatch) Having now read The Hellbound Heart, I have a new-found appreciation for Hellraiser. The book works as a perfect companion to the film, and certain elements of the film that are left under-explained are now more fleshed out. The character of Frank, for example, is now more fully formed in my mind. His motivations for opening the box and his sway over Julia is left a bit ambiguous in the movie, but the book makes it all click. I never think that a person should be required to read the book in order to enjoy the movie, but in this case the creative genius of Clive Barker that's shown in the film becomes more apparent. So I highly recommend the read. His imagination is unlike any other horror writer/director. I'd argue his creation is the most unique and creative horror movie concept out there, even beating Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street. 4.5/5
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Apr 30, 2017 15:12
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I have a long list of horror movies I've been meaning to watch, so all mine are going to be new viewings. 1. Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) - (Shudder) I've been meaning to watch this forever. I liked all the remade shots from the original silent movie, the twist ending, and Kinski's surprisingly sympathetic portrayal of Dracula, but I may have psyched myself up too much for it. I found myself thinking more about how strange and nightmarish the original was rather than focusing on Herzog's version. I still enjoyed it though. I give it 3.5 pointlessly dead actor-rats out of 5. 2. Possession (1981) - ( \/  \/ )I guess this has been talked to death in the horror thread, for good reason. It's weird as gently caress and has some really intense performances from the two leads. The creature work in it is awesome as well. I give it 11 Sam Neill squid hybrids out of 10. 3. Black Roses (1988) - (https://www.midnightpulp.com) <-- This is worth checking out of you want to watch some free streaming schlock. This one of the most "good-bad" movies I've ever seen. 80's hair metal is literally the devil, it has a great ridiculous soundtrack, a speaker eats a guy, and a mustached man punches multiple puppets. Also there's a lot of boobs. I give it 4 out of 5 of these guys: 
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Apr 30, 2017 15:42
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3. The Mist (DVD) It's awesome, we've all seen it (and if not, it's on Prime) and we all either dig or hate the ending (I dig it). Watching the colored version again does make me prefer the black and white version on the DVD even more though.10/10 (Rewatch) 4. The Disappoints Room (Netflix) Dull Haunted House/Psychological trauma movie that has Kate Beckinsale who looks eerily like Dee from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and a thankfully short run time that even then stretches your patience because we've seen all of this poo poo before. 3/10 (First time)
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Apr 30, 2017 16:26
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If you want a balls out crazy film watch We Are the Flesh or The Unholy
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Apr 30, 2017 17:23
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3.Q The Winged Serpent This turned out to be perfect for this challenge, because it takes place almost 100% in broad daylight on the streets of NYC. Larry Cohen is a crazy person, this much I've learned in the past week or so since I've watched God Told Me To, and now this. The elements he throws together are bizarre, unlike what any other director would do. I didn't think Michael Moriarty could play a more ridiculous character than he did in The Stuff, but I think this one tops it. The titular Q is almost secondary. Is there some "Larry Cohen Horror Trilogy" box set that I don't know about? Because I'd buy it immediately.
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Apr 30, 2017 17:44
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3. Spring (2014 film) I have to say I don't know how I missed this despite the horror thread adulation. Excellent low key romantic horror fantasy film. This was by the same creators of the very excellent low budget horror Resolution . Excellently acted , excellent special effects for it's budget and a absolutely fantastic " HOLY loving poo poo BALLS ON CRACKERS" Possession level insane scene. You've got excellent performances, beautifully shot cinematography , and I think perfect pacing. It's also very funny. In a way it's like Possession meets a Richard Linklater film. I can't recommend it enough. It's rare that we get a really great entry into Romantic Horror something that really isn't done often. It's free on Amazon Prime. out of 5.
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Apr 30, 2017 19:21
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4. Basket Case 2 (1990) - Amazon Prime A worthy sequel to a truly great film. It did lack my favorite parts of the original (long stop motion sequences and tight close ups of a screaming puppet), but it made up for it with a bunch more monsters. I was legitimately surprised by the twist ending because it was so dumb. I give it 3.5 screaming puppets out of five.
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Apr 30, 2017 23:58
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2. Raw Beautifully shot, loved the ideas in the first act. After watching The Eyes of My Mother, it was not as bad as I was expecting. In fact, there were quite a few darkly comic moments. That said, I think the two would make a good double feature. Great acting from the three leads. A lot of fun ideas. The body paint scene, the crawling, the party scenes, the sisters fight were all excellent Great sex scenes. I don't mean in an erotic way, or a perverted way, but just kind of...Animalistic? Tense? Suspenseful? A big sell on the movie is how often it could veer into perverted male-gazing, but it's never does. It keeps the nudity and sexuality oddly platonic instead of titillating. The gore was effective, but the smaller moments stand out better: the Brazilian wax scene before the finger-eating, the rash, biting. /53. The Howling Last night some friends came over and they said they have never seen The Howling. They were not impressed. I don't really blame them: it's well-shot for sure, I like the color scheme, I like the idea, but it hasn't aged well. It doesn't come close to my favorite werewolf movies, and I'll admit I have more fun watching the sequel than the original. /5
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Apr 30, 2017 23:59
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2. Splinter Splinter was a good movie with solid effects that actually takes place in my home state. It moves ahead at a pretty brisk pace that makes it's hour and a half running time feel like less than an hour. Really enjoyed it. Could've done without the sting at the end, but for the past 10 years or so horror movies have been required to have downer endings. All in all a good movie though.
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May 1, 2017 02:06
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4. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein directed by Kenneth Branagh. Honestly, I had forgotten how good this was. Many people consider this to be a bad film and it did not fair well with reviews, but it's still one of the better adaptations of the source material. There aren't any punches pulled in the film either with brutal violence and gore in the film. The score is huge and bombastic and the visuals are just as striking. I think people overlook it this because maybe they're not used to these types of films specifically a tragedy which is what the film is. Deniro is pretty amazing as the Creature and Branagh's take on Frankenstein is much different than other films where he is portrayed as malevolently arrogant, where here you feel pity for both Creature and Creator. If you like huge scale gothic horror films then you'll probably like this. out of 5
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May 1, 2017 02:16
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I'm in for a lucky 13. I'm also writing my dissertation this month, so mandatory breaks will probably be good for me. First viewings only and I'm not counting anything before May 1st, but I did watch Trash Fire last night. 0. Trash Fire (2016) This thing starts as a romantic comedy in which the male lead is attempting to be slightly less of a shithead. As part of the effort his girlfriend insists they try to reconnect with what's left of his family after a fire that killed his parents when he was a child. Kind of a mess, but between this and Spring I'm starting to feel like relationships in horror work, like, a billion times better when there are no children involved and can make for some really cool stories that are usually obliterated in favor of completely rote mother distressed by threat to child poo poo. So kudos to this for having a more interesting relationship between its leads, but now I'm mostly just thinking about how cool Spring was.
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May 1, 2017 03:02
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Drunkboxer posted:1. Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) - (Shudder) As always when someone watches this, I have to recommend watching/rewatching Shadow of the Vampire, which is a great film and has several touches that are influenced by or pay homage to the Werner Herzog remake. These movies are the best of companions. Wilhelm Scream posted:4. The Disappoints Room (Netflix) Dull Haunted House/Psychological trauma movie that has Kate Beckinsale who looks eerily like Dee from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and a thankfully short run time that even then stretches your patience because we've seen all of this poo poo before. 3/10 (First time) Sounds like truth in advertising.
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May 1, 2017 03:22
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I'm gonna go through my last two October lists and pull a list made out of the movies I never got around to. Also, it's not as wide as Netflix, but I was pleasantly surprised to see Friday the 13th 1-8 on Starz Play in HD
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May 1, 2017 10:51
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Lurdiak posted:As always when someone watches this, I have to recommend watching/rewatching Shadow of the Vampire, which is a great film and has several touches that are influenced by or pay homage to the Werner Herzog remake. These movies are the best of companions. I've actually seen Shadow of the Vampire, but it was years ago now and all I can really remember is that I liked it.
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May 1, 2017 12:23
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4. Opera (1987) (Prime/Shudder) Filling in my (large) gaps of Argento knowledge. This is a giallo about a killer stalking the set of a Macbeth opera. Suspiria's the more colorful movie (as well as the creepier movie), but I think Opera is better over-all. The energetic camera frames the movie beautifully and keeps it (literally) moving. Cristina Marsillach is beautiful and one of my new favorite female horror leads. I am a big fan of how they incorporated the opera music as well. Just an overall very fun movie. /5!5. Tales From The Darkside: The Movie (1990) (Netflix) This movie wants to be Creepshow so loving bad. This anthology has three stories which get progressively better and more batshit insane. The first story is front-loaded with all of the movie's stars, Christian Slater, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, all easily in their early 30's and playing sophomores in college, the rest are mostly nameless. The stories are all middling in the good-but-not-great gray area and never really top that despite each skit getting their "Oh poo poo" moment (stronger in the second and third story). The gore is silly and fun, there are some good moments of color, but (again) it wants to be Creepshow so bad, but it just doesn't have enough energy to nail it. /5
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May 1, 2017 12:42
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Franchescanado posted:
I have a soft spot for this movie because it scared the piss out of me as a 8 year old. I distinctly remember my mom making fun of me for being scared of the ghost cat story. Edit: also, how dare you not count Buster Poindexter among the stars.
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May 1, 2017 13:58
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It's definitely with its charm. Your mom is insane, the cat story ending would be traumatic to an 8 year old. How do you feel about cats now?
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May 1, 2017 13:59
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Franchescanado posted:It's definitely with its charm. Your mom is insane, the cat story ending would be traumatic to an 8 year old. How do you feel about cats now? I have two of them and they haven't killed my family yet so I guess I feel fine about cats.
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May 1, 2017 14:29
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"Yet" being the key word.
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May 1, 2017 14:36
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4. Fright Night Well, I definitely feel dumb for waiting this long to check out Fright Night. I wanted to discover at least one new horror film to slot into my annual October horror marathon, and I already did before the challenge officially starts! I guess I never really understood how much of a love letter to vampire flicks this was, and I also never realized that it was made by the director of Child's Play. Someone earlier in the thread said that Fright Night is their go-to "fun" vampire movie, and I can totally see why. Stuff like What We Do in the Shadows has its place, but I'll always enjoy that more earnest style of parody/homage a lot more, I guess Tom Holland was a master of it because Child's Play is another great example. Self-aware horror can often be the most fun, and Fright Night definitely belongs right alongside some of the greats like Monster Squad and Gremlins. Chris Sarandon is great in this, I love the scene where he does the typical vampire hello to the girlfriend, but then flips the switch and acts like he was just joking. And of course, there's Peter Vincent, my favorite bit of the movie. Everything involving this character was gold, and I want a sequel where he and the kids team up and hunt vampires.
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May 1, 2017 14:45
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There actually is sequel to Fright Night it was not as good and there has not been a good release of it on DVD/Blu Ray so that's another problem. I think there are probably issues to related to rights etc... that are preventing it from being released again on DVD/Blu Ray.
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May 1, 2017 15:20
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Countdown film #2 (I'll officially begin the challenge tonight): Hellbound: Hellraiser II - Tony Randel, 1988 With plenty of original ideas, it expands on the premise without being too repetitive. Some of the "rules" of the Cenobites and their world become a little muddled (e.g. why did Julia go to the world but Larry died?). But what the film lacks in logical coherency it makes up for in balls-to-the-wall insanity, with some incredibly imaginative visuals and brilliant makeup effects. The doctor character in the last act is just bonkers. The movie's not as strong as the original overall, but it's an entertaining, worthy followup. 3.5/5
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May 1, 2017 16:23
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I need to finish Hellraiser 2, but all the skinless characters got to me and I had to stop ( reasons)
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May 1, 2017 16:28
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Clive Barker reportedly has a strong fear/discomfort with skinlessness, which is why he incorporates it into his work so often. Sort of a catharsis sort of thing.
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May 1, 2017 16:32
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I really wouldn't want to have to choose Hellraiser or Hellraiser II, I think of them as one continuous story. There's so much great stuff in Hellraiser but I also love how insane Hellraiser II gets towards the end, I consider them both essential.
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May 1, 2017 16:36
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I think I may watch them both as a double feature for the challenge.
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May 1, 2017 16:56
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The Asphyx was incredible. The setting and plot were perfect for the mood of horror I was in when I watched this. It seems like a really silly premise at first and I cracked a joke about it being a proto-ghostbusters flick while watching it however it sucks you right into the world and "science" of it with some good performances from Robert Stephens and Robert Powell. Powell especially stood out to me with his Giles. The ending has some great twists and turns culminating in some delightful dark humor at the end. I thought the design work on the Asphyx creature was pretty creative and the lighting was a highlight of the picture. A solid movie about cheating death and the ultimate costs paid in the pursuit. Still taking votes on which of these I get to watch for my final 4. 10-13: Dracula Has Risen From the Grave- 1 Taste the Blood of Dracula- Brides of Dracula- 2 Dracula AD 1972- 1 Curse of the Werewolf- The Mummy- 2 The Devil Rides Out- 1 (if it can be tracked down) Horror Express(not technically a Hammer film, but everyone tells me it might as well be)- 3 Previous Watches: 1. Black Sabbath MacheteZombie fucked around with this message at 18:07 on May 1, 2017 |
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May 1, 2017 16:58
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I did another search on youtube for The Devil Rides Out and came up empty. Its not on Amazon streaming either, so you may be out of luck on that one. Assuming The Devil Rides out isn't an option, I'm going to throw in a vote for Dracula AD 1972, because its ridiculous and features the best line of Christopher Lee's career. Johnny: Master! I did it, I summoned you! Dracula: It was my will.*extends ring to be kissed*
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May 1, 2017 17:28
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MacheteZombie posted:Still taking votes on which of these I get to watch for my final 4. Horror Express is a must watch, that's my vote. Followed by any of the Dracula films, especially Brides.
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May 1, 2017 18:04
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I've been meaning to watch it for a while and someone mentioned it in one of the horror threads today, so I decided to start with 1. Antiviral (2012) - High expectations going into this because I love Videodrome so much that I just naturally assume everyone who's ever even shaken hands with Cronenberg will be great. Mostly pleased. It's a little slow in places, but pretty enough to look at that I never particularly minded. Probably the most understated and restrained body horror I've ever seen, but more effective than most if you let yourself dwell on it a little. A good start to the month.
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May 2, 2017 06:53
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