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 60. Godzilla: Final Wars (2004) Absolute insanity. I'm not even sure what to write about this crazy film. It's like a mix between a Godzilla film, an X-Men film, and the Matrix series. The basic plot is that aliens, named Xilians invade Earth and use mind control to make all of the kaiju attack so they can take over and use humans as cattle. Final Wars hinges on the idea that all of the monsters from Toho's library exist in the same universe and were still alive ready to be controlled by the aliens. This is a fun idea, but I was super apprehensive at first because of the weird nu-metal aesthetic that I don't think goes very well with Godzilla. Like there are a lot of characters wearing leather and trench coats, and the government characters wear what seem like fascist inspired clothing. Despite that I think it ended up winning me over with it's crazy characters and sheer amount of kaiju battles. One character in particular is a badass American military captain that speaks English 100% of the time while everyone else speaks Japanese to him. It makes no sense, like a lot of the film, but it ends up being a ton of fun. There are a ton of monsters in this thing and you get to see most of them in action. There are seriously too many to name, and even after watching every Godzilla film this month I saw some new ones. It even has a battle where "Zilla," which is just the TriStar version of Godzilla, gets his rear end handed to him by the real Godzilla. On top of the monster battles there are some fight scenes that are heavily inspired by The Matrix and they kinda sucked. I think I would have liked this one a ton more without those scenes, but overall I have to recommend checking this insane film out.  61. Halloween (2018) I think that this is a flawed movie. It unashamedly uses nostalgia and tropes from the original film to excite and interest its viewers, but this was kind of what I wanted. From the start I was a passenger, happy for the ride and too grateful to complain. The journey it took me on was atmospheric, tense, and competently constructed. I really liked how the film portrayed Laurie Strode and her family. Laurie's mind was splintered from the events of the first Halloween, causing her to find some relief in weapons and the idea of revenge. This laser focus on "being safe" nearly destroys her family. This was absolutely their film, and Michael was just an echo of past pain and suffering that they needed to extinguish. Personally I think that they should have focused even more on the family dynamic, and the pain and suffering a horrific night had on them. Unfortunately, it seems like there was a generic slasher quota that needed to be met and there is a good portion of the film dedicated to things we've seen hundreds of times in other movies. Like I said earlier, in the moment none of this really stood out to me, I was fine with these generic scenes because the atmosphere and use of nostalgia is so effective. If I would have written this review when I got home from the theater it probably would have been glowing praise, but on reflection I think so much more could have been done to make 2018's Halloween stand out from the crowd. Despite my problems with the overall package this is one of the best Halloween films. It's well shot, acted and the soundtrack is brilliant. There are some great kills and action. It's a wonderful slasher film, but it feels so damned close to being so much more. Franchescanado posted:
 62. Phenomena (1985) At first you might consider this an average Argento film, with it's wonderful cinematography, lighting, soundtrack, dreamlike murders from a gloved killer, and then Jennifer Connelly starts communicating telepathically with insects. Phenomena is pretty surreal and fantastical, even for Argento, and those qualities make it one of his most interesting. This gorgeous film tells a fish out of water story about a girl that moves to a swiss boarding school where some murders have taken place. She learns to come to terms with her power over insects from a lonely scientist and his chimpanzee assistant. The scientist, played by Donald Pleasence, convinces her that she has a great power that can be used to figure out why people are getting killed in the area. Jennifer decides to use her powers for good, seeking help from the great sarcophagus fly, and ends up in a surreal series of events that had me entranced. The films finale is intense, bizarre and one of the coolest things I have seen out of Argento. I need to revist some of his other work because it's been awhile, but Phenomena has leaped up close to the top of the list. Franchescanado posted:
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Oct 31, 2018 20:00
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The First Purge (2018) So John Carpenter, Michael Bay, and Reverend Jeremiah Wright walk into a teleporter... Assigns itself the unenviable task of explaining one of the goofiest premises in film history but given the times we live in, betting big on utter absurdity worked out well for this franchise in the long run. This has to jump through a lot of hoops to get around the series's original sin: a satire of right wing politics about them taking away the cops. Luckily, it's all to set up a climax in which an all-black cast can go all Precinct 13 on klansmen and secret police in blackface masks is a weird delight, and feels of the current moment in a way that something that wasn't blunt and completely absurd probably couldn't. The lead-up to Purge poo poo happening is actually really good, the disbelief on people's faces and the giddy anticipation of the first hour giving way to fear are shockingly well-handled. Marissa Tomei getting mad because the government is not playing fair during the "murder black people night" that she made up feels like an amazing satirical opportunity that they unfortunately chose to play straight. Also this movie has a guy in a horned skeleton mask and a guy named "skeletor" and they're two different guys so you can figure that one out. 3/5  sThe Masque of the Red Death (1964)  Corman and Roeg's lush, lurid, and playful look at depravity is probably a better match for Poe than the austere, elegant treatment he usually gets. For all their beauty and elegance, Poe's stories never forgot the primal appeal of "look at this hosed up way to die" and B-movies never did either. Corman probably never poured his heart and wallet into a movie quite as much as he did here and it shows, although the single location shoot and the eerie, apocalyptic sparseness of the beginning and end still speak to his low budget roots. Vincent Price is of course, Vincent Price. Hail Satan. 4.5/5  sTONIGHT: My annual viewing of Night of the Living Dead, first time watching the new Criterion restoration
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Oct 31, 2018 20:03
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Franchescanado posted:Oh, I wasn't referring to my tastes in TV, just what I hear complained about the most on all the big shows. I'm totally cool with a show about a loving rear end in a top hat protagonist, I just talk with a lot of people that either 1) hate when a character isn't easily defined or just a plain "good person", or 2) completely miss that the character is an rear end in a top hat. Oh yeah, my bad. Yeah, a lot of people tend to have an all or nothing take on characters that misses the point. Totally.
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Oct 31, 2018 20:40
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CRAYON posted:
Exactly. This problem is worsened by the fact it was supposed to be a 50th anniversary celebration, but Toho had to cram in modern Hollywood elements from The Matrix, X-Men, Independence Day and Star Wars in a desperate attempt to make the millennium Godzilla series profitable before pulling the plug. They failed. IMO Toho picked the perfect director for this stupid idea. Everything Ryuhei Kitamura does is derivative of far better movies. Seldom is the time I hear the word "hack" and Ryuhei Kitamura's name doesnt pop into my mind.
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Oct 31, 2018 20:51
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Mokelumne Trekka posted:Exactly. This problem is worsened by the fact it was supposed to be a 50th anniversary celebration, but Toho had to cram in modern Hollywood elements from The Matrix, X-Men, Independence Day and Star Wars in a desperate attempt to make the millennium Godzilla series profitable before pulling the plug. They failed. Versus owns.
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Oct 31, 2018 21:13
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51. I Walked With a Zombie (1943) Having just watched White Zombie right before this one thing that jumped out at me was how (relatively) not racist it is. White Zombie had broad racial stereotypes and blackface and in this film the Haitian characters are actual characters portrayed by actual black people. Race and slavery plays an important role in the narrative as well, with slavery being the original sin committed by the white plantation owners. It probably drops the ball a few times (there’s the general feeling that non-white people are magical for instance) but overall it’s not a bad handling of race for a 1943 horror movie. Also it’s a an adaptation of Jane Eyre, so thats weird. Briskly paced for an older film, and more approachable than Cat People I think. I think this Val Lewton guy might be pretty good at movies. 5/5 Movies seen: 1. Terrifier | 2. A Nightmare on Elm Street | 3. A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge | 4. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors | 5. Scream | 6. Mandy | 7. November | 8. Salem's Lot | 9. The Resurrected | 10. Demon House | 11. Pumpkinhead | 12. Prom Night | 13. Tales from the Crypt | 14. Carnival of Souls | 15. The Fly II | 16. Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker | 17. Resolution | 18. The Endless | 19. Spontaneous Combustion | 20. Hardware | 21. The Haunting of Molly Hartley | 22. Hold the Dark | 23. Truth or Dare (2017)| 24. Trick or Treats | 25. The ‘Burbs | 26. Dead and Buried | 27. Digging up the Marrow | 28. Frankenstein Conquers the World | 29. The War of the Gargantuas | 30. Errementari: The Blacksmith and the Devil | 31. Apostle | 32. Maximum Overdrive | 33. Blood Rage | 34. Tales from the Hood 2 | 35. Halloween (1978) | 36. Halloween (2018) | 37. The Old Dark House | 38. Truth or Dare (2018) |39. Slender Man | 40. An American Werewolf in Paris | 41. Mr. Jones | 42. Vampyros Lesbos | 43. Night of the Demons | 44. Summer of 84 | 45. Bad Ben | 46. Waxwork | 47. The Town that Dreaded Sundown | 48. Friend Request | 49. Trick r Treat | 50. White Zombie | 51. I Walked With a Zombie Fran Challenges: Drunkboxer fucked around with this message at 21:18 on Oct 31, 2018 |
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Oct 31, 2018 21:14
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Everyone who tunes in tonight for the Final Scream Stream can clear at least 2 Fran challenges!
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Oct 31, 2018 21:18
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I think I've made a huge mistake by leaving challenge #1 until last, so I now have to watch something I know I likely wouldn't like to finish off the challenge  29. Serial Mom (1994)  This is my first John Waters film, I've been always meaning to check him out so this was a great opportunity. The movie itself is exactly what you'd expect when you hear "Serial Mom" so I wouldn't waste time describing it. This is kind of American Psycho but with a suburban mom instead of an urban yuppie. Overall I think American Psycho works a bit better in terms of its satire and over-the-top violence but this was pretty fun at all.  .5:/530. Slither (2006)  A meteorite crashes outside a small town and drops an egg containing an alien worm that infects a local guy with a parasite. The parasite eventually causes the host to feed on raw meat and infect others, culminating in (probably literal) tons of little disgusting worms to pour out into the streets and infect others. The wife of this guy, together with her beefcake sheriff buddy has to save the world. It's a classic B-movie horror/comedy setup and I was really looking forward to it but didn't quite enjoy it as much as I would. It's well made and has decent (and appropriately gross) effects but somehow just didn't just mesh the elements together to my full satisfaction. Still it's a decent and fun flick and worth checking out. .5/5
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Oct 31, 2018 21:50
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I managed to watch two more to cap off my first time watched for this year. Prince of Darkness (1987 - AMC tv) A mysterious cylinder that may contain the devil itself is found, and the researchers have to deal with the the consequences. This isn’t Carpenter’s best, but it’s still pretty decent. It has good special effects and the transient population congregating outside of the church is creepy. It’s a fairly slow movie that gradually escalates the stakes and action and I can appreciate that. This is one I feel I may enjoy even more when I inevitably reqatch it. Grizzly (1976 - Prime) This has been described as “Jaws but a grizzly bear” and that’s pretty much correct. The local authorities try to deal with a giant grizzly bear so it doesn’t affect tourism in the forest. It’s really impossible to not compare this to Jaws (unless you’ve never seen Jaws, I guess) as it liberally borrows plot elements and stages it’s bear attacks in a similar fashion. This doesn’t have the memorable characters of Jaws though, and it really does feel like a retread. The attacks themselves come off like something out of a slasher film with the bear usually appearing out of nowhere. We don’t see much of the attacks beyond a reaction shot and maybe a paw or bear face. This really isn’t a bad movie. It’s entertaining enough, and there are a few decent shots. It’s just redundant and I’d rather watch Jaws. I also watched The Legend of Hell House (edit - no, it’s the Haunting of Hill House) this month. It wasn’t really my cup of tea but my wife really liked it. Flanagan is really reliant on jump scares, and everything just looks a little too clean in this, and that’s a huge problem for a show that largely takes place in an abandoned mansion. He really needs to work with different cinematographers or set designers to help make things look grimier and dilapidated. Watched (33) : Always Watching: A Marble Hornets story; Terrifier; Boys in the Trees; Creature from Black Lake; Parents; Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat; Murder Party; Hell Fest; Alone in the Dark; House of Purgatory; 30 Nights of Paranormal Activity...; Phantom of the Paradise; Dead Silence; Blood Diner; the Toolbox Murders; bride of Re-Animator; Baskin; The Mummy’ Curse; Nightmare City; Mystery of the Wax Museum; Shocker; Boy Eats Girl; Malevolent; Basket Case; Exorcist III; Annihilation; Halloween (2018); The Seventh Sign; Madhouse; The Stuff; The 50 best horror movies you’ve never seen; Prince of Darkness; Grizzly CopywrightMMXI fucked around with this message at 23:12 on Oct 31, 2018 |
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Oct 31, 2018 22:18
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Franchescanado posted:
#13: Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)  As far as I can tell, this is Herzog's only traditional horror movie. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong about that. I'd been meaning to watch this one for a while and this seemed like a great excuse to finally go for it. This movie is a goddamned painting. Every shot is gorgeous. I was surprised by how similar in a lot of ways this was to the original Nosferatu movie. I'm not sure why but I sort of expected Herzog to switch things up in a grander way. Despite all the similarities, this movie stands on its own and really feels like a labor of vision and love. I'm honestly not a huge fan of vampires and vampire movies in general. I wouldn't say I dislike the genre but it's one of the less interesting ones to me. I really dug this movie though. It's poetic in a very stilted but affecting way, and I'd probably count (pun) this as my favorite vampire movie at this point. There are a few shots that I expect to stick with me for a long time, and seeing Klaus Kinski in full Count Dracula makeup is a real treat. This is one of those movies that if I were to talk with someone about, I think it'd just turn into me describing incredible details and shots. I don't know what else to say about it other than that it's gotta be watched. Watched (13/15): #1 As Above, So Below (2014), #2 Shutter (2004), #3 A Dark Song (2016), #4 The Endless (2017), #5 Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell (1978), #6 Blade II (2002), #7 Tag (2015), #8 Tale of Tales (2015), #9 Under the Shadow (2016), #10 Blood Feast (1963), #11 The Hitcher (1986), #12 The Beyond (1981), #13 Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) Fran Challenges (6/13): #1,
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Oct 31, 2018 22:19
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CopywrightMMXI posted:I also watched The Legend of Hell House this month. It wasn’t really my cup of tea but my wife really liked it. Flanagan is really reliant on jump scares, and everything just looks a little too clean in this, and that’s a huge problem for a show that largely takes place in an abandoned mansion. He really needs to work with different cinematographers or set designers to help make things look grimier and dilapidated. I believe you mean The Haunting of Hill House. The Legend of Hell House is an excellent 1970's Psychics In A Haunted House movie with Roddy McDowell. It's one of my favorite haunted house movies.
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Oct 31, 2018 22:25
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18. Them! (1954) Them! was an altogether enjoyable 50s monster movie. Ants grow large due to the hubris of mankind (nuclear radiation in this case iirc?) and begin attacking people. The premise is pretty weak but the movie really pulls it off. I recommend. 4/5 very good 19. The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms (1953)  Another fun 50s monster movie. If you're into the 50s monster movie sub-genre this is one you will not want to miss. Although it's not as much of a standout as other monster movies from the 50s there's a lot to love. Recommended. 3.5/5 Good movie. 20. Halloween II (1981)  I liked this movie a great deal. I've only seen the first 3 Halloween movies so I have little to compare it to in the franchise but taken as a slasher sequel it's pretty solid. The fact that most of the movie takes place in a hospital got a teensy bit tedious but it didn't bother me really. Once M.M. finally gets to the hospital the movie dramatically improves imo. Some bits were genuinely terrifying. I recommend to anyone who likes slashers or John Carpenter's original Halloween. 4.5/5 great slasher 21. Gremlins (1984)  I shouldn't have waited so long to see this movie and I feel like my childhood would have been improved if I had seen it then. I like both versions of the gremlin creature and the human characters are great too. The dad is my favorite character. He's so incompetent and completely unaware of it, or maybe he is aware and he just powers through trying to sell his inventions knowing they're crap? Either way his family knows it and still loves and supports him so idk I like the dad he's great. This movie is a lot of fun and very charming. It's also kinda spooky in places but overall it's terrific. I recommend to anyone that is a human being. 4.5/5 outstanding and good fun
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Oct 31, 2018 22:40
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mobby_6kl posted:29. Serial Mom (1994) Serial Mom and Hairspray are probably the easiest John Waters movies to get into since they're the among the most traditional movies he's made. When you're ready to move up to the hard stuff, Pink Flamingos is pure distilled Waters.
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Oct 31, 2018 22:41
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Random Stranger posted:Serial Mom and Hairspray are probably the easiest John Waters movies to get into since they're the among the most traditional movies he's made. When you're ready to move up to the hard stuff, Pink Flamingos is pure distilled Waters. Eh, I'd say Female Trouble before Pink Flamingos. It's themes and ideas are similar to Serial Mom, it's schlocky and gross, but in a more approachable way than Pink Flamingos, which comes with a few asterisks for a new viewer.
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Oct 31, 2018 22:43
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Franchescanado posted:I believe you mean The Haunting of Hill House. Yeah that’s what I meant. I’m not sure how I got those two confused.
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Oct 31, 2018 23:11
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#121. Skins (2017) We look at several people with different deformities going through their sad and lonely lives. Their lives end up intersecting in strange and unexpected ways. Wow this is such a unique film. It's many, many different things. It's horrifying. It's beautiful. It's funny. It's romantic. It's visually stunning, and unlike anything I've seen before. More people need to know this film. out of 5#122. The School (2018) A doctor whose son has been in a coma for years suddenly finds herself in a strange, other-dimensional version of the hospital she works at and he is a patient at, that was once a school before being burnt down years ago. Inside are feral children, demons, and possibly her son? I picked this one by random and was happily surprised. Besides a few swears, this Australian film is pretty kid friendly, while not sacrificing its horror or dark fantasy with sanitization or goofiness. A rare bird indeed. out of 5#123. Malevolent (2018) A team of con artist brother and sister ghost hunters investigate an old Scottish manor. Only the ghosts here are real, and aren't the only threat. Eh, I'm getting pretty tired of this trope that's been done to death the last decade or so of ghost hunters, breakers, and fakers, coming across real g-g-g-ghosts. It's getting stale. I mean, the acting and makeup are okay in this, but eh. out of 5#124. An Incident At Ghost Land (2018). As a child, a successful horror writer had a home invasion traumatize her and her family. Now she returns to her family's home, and is no longer sure what is real anymore... This one is alright for what it is, which is a combination of reality muddying and just your standard terrorizing maniac flick. I think it'd be much less known were it not for a tragic accident on set resulting in a terrible, scarring injury of one of the lead actresses. Otherwise, it's pretty middle of the road forgettable. out of 5
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Oct 31, 2018 23:17
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# 29 Jeepers Creepers (2001) - I wasn't sure what Justin Long's career was like before Dodgeball and boner comedies, so it was kind of funny seeing him as that guy in a mostly serious horror film. His delivery of lines were occasionally laugh at loud funny: "INBREEEEEEDING!!!" , "it's some kind of psychopath version of the Sistine Chapel!" This movie had a long driving sequence that set up the two main brother and sister leads very well. Good suspense that evokes questions about the creature. As soon as we get a sense of the creature, however, it is like the writers ran into a dead end and didn't quite know where to take the story. The ending was abrupt and inconclusive, leaving the door open for sequels which I believe made their way to Sci -Fy or straight to vid. Perhaps th ese gave it a much needed boost in mythology. You can tell the creature is a guy in rubbery prosthetics, but far better than, say, Species, watched last week, in which the humanoid is dated CGI. 6.5/10
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Oct 31, 2018 23:51
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All right, NOES time! I watched the first three movies and New Nightmare when I was first getting into horror (and multiple times since then), but I never got around to finishing the series until now. 20. Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) A stone cold classic for a reason. Loved it as a teen, still do today after many rewatches! Freddy is more scary than anything else, and the kills are intense and creative. 21. Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985) I had sort of forgotten about this one, but it was better than I remembered. Freddy possessing people is pretty cool, and the queer themes are interesting. 22. Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987) Still my favorite! Fun cast of characters, awesome soundtrack, and Freddy is the perfect balance of funny and scary. 23. Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988) I was surprised how much fun this was! Not as good as 3, but I think Alice is my new favorite NOES final girl. Freddy is maybe a little too silly, but he's still great. Just a fun time all around. 24. Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989) Freddy lives through an unborn child's dreams! The premise is dumb, but the end product is surprisingly still kind of fun. The more gothic aesthetic was pretty cool, but the movie suffers from pacing issues and a story spread too thin. Freddy is often too silly. 25. Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991) Oh, here's the lovely one. This is Freddy at peak silliness, and it's just cringey as hell. The whole video game sequence is just embarrassing. Series ranking for now: 3 > 1 > 4 > 2 > New Nightmare > 5 >>>> Freddy's Dead
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Oct 31, 2018 23:57
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Managed to watch some more but having problems finding time to write them up. Work and life happened, I guess. FRAN CHALLENGE #10: Fear and Now Watch a horror movie released in 2018. 15. Mandy (2018) (rewatch) Dir Panos Cosmatos One of my favourite Cage performances, I really can’t imagine who else would be able to portray Red in the way he did. His devotion and dependency on Mandy, his pain and aguish, descent into despair and emerging as an incarnation of deliberate seething rage waiting to erupt. The rest of the cast - especially Andrea Riseborough and Linus Roache who give great performances - really fill out the movie. I did a screening in the office for a few colleagues that we do every month who are normally quite chatty but sat through the whole movie without a single sound. It was my second time seeing it and I loved it as much as the first time, maybe more seeing extra little bits. I’m trying to remember them all but I seem to remember there’s some repeated imagery I didn’t see the first time like the tiger t-shirt Cage wears and then the Chemist’s tiger. Even knowing what’s going to happen I still loved every part of it. The opening to the sound of King Crimson’s Starless (from the album Red, nonetheless) is just perfect. / 5 FRAN CHALLENGE #7: The World Is A Scary Place Watch a horror film made outside of the USA & Canada. If you live outside of the USA & Canada, you cannot choose a film made in your home country. 16. The Death King (1990) aka Der Todesking Dir Jörg Buttgereit A series of vignettes taking place over 7 days, telling the story of death, either from suicide or murder, inter-stitched by the image of a decomposing body. My first Buttgereit movie and judging from reading the plots of his others probably the only one I’ll watch, but I did quite enjoy it. There’s somehow a quiet serenity to it. Buttgereit doesn’t wallow in his portrayal of death, wether violently inflicted on others or by their own hand, nor is it glamorised, just shown in a very matter of fact way that gives every segment enough time to breathe but not overstay their welcome. .5 / 5 17. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987) Dir Chuck Russell Fun cast, some dodgy effects (looking at you skeleton…), but mostly a fun movie. / 5 FRAN CHALLENGE #11: Dead & Buried Watch the film Dead & Buried 18. Dead & Buried (1981) Dir Gary Sherman I remembered someone posting at some point that they didn’t want to say too much about this to not really give anything away. I went in blind and really enjoyed it. Jack Albertson as Dobbs is really the stand out of this movie. I will say that having seen Death Line from 1972 as part of this challenge, which is director Gary Sherman’s previous movie, I can really tell the progress he made between them. It just flows so much better. .5 / 5Movies Seen: Creep | Creep 2 | Halloween | Halloween II | Halloween III: Season of the Witch | The Void | Ghosts of Mars | The Ward | Apostle | Death Line | Mother of Tears | The Invitation | Re-Animator | Bride of Re-Animator | Mandy | The Death King | A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors | Dead & Buried Total: 18 [b]Fran challenges:[b]
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Nov 1, 2018 00:02
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26. Halloween (2018) Who would have expected that in 2018 we would have a good Halloween sequel with Jamie Lee Curtis? Doesn't break new ground or anything, but it's a really solid slasher/sequel to the original film. The part where Michael pulverizes not-Loomis's head was fantastic! 3.5/5 27. Hereditary (2018) What the gently caress did I just watch? I was definitely not expecting a child getting decapitated less than halfway through. So tense and uncomfortable from start to finish. 4/5
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Nov 1, 2018 00:08
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Random Stranger posted:Serial Mom and Hairspray are probably the easiest John Waters movies to get into since they're the among the most traditional movies he's made. When you're ready to move up to the hard stuff, Pink Flamingos is pure distilled Waters. Franchescanado posted:Eh, I'd say Female Trouble before Pink Flamingos. It's themes and ideas are similar to Serial Mom, it's schlocky and gross, but in a more approachable way than Pink Flamingos, which comes with a few asterisks for a new viewer.
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Nov 1, 2018 00:20
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graventy posted:there is no character to Jen except sexpot before she is reborn as an angel of death. That's by design. She starts the movie completely defined by the powerful, handsome and rich man she's loving. Her "death" and rebirth turns her into a completely new person, one who sets her own rules. And she of course has to kill every one of the men who raped her, or tried to kill her, or reduced her to a sex object or just stood by and did nothing. Notice that the camera starts out by lingering on her body, because in the first part of the movie we're seeing the action from the perspective of the men. Then later it's all male nudity and her body is now covered in a thick layer of concealing blood and scars. Her killer is shown completely naked and vulnerable and the camera lingers on his naked rear end, and even though he tries to wield a phallic shotgun he's been turned into the object. He's now the victim even as he struggles to hold on to his male power. Man, Revenge was so good.
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Nov 1, 2018 00:31
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blood_dot_biz posted:#13: Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) Edit: Sorry, misread your post I believe you're correct.
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Nov 1, 2018 00:34
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 28. Planet of the Vampires (1965) Watched on DailyMotion FRAN CHALLENGE #4: Worst of the Best or Best of The Worst All FRAN CHALLENGES Complete!This is Mario Bava's lowest-rated film on IMDB, and I usually like his stuff so I figured I'd give this a whirl. And honestly, this movie is super uneven. Even the movie's title is a weird choice - it's not even close to proper translation of the Italian, and there...aren't actually any vampires at all? The interior sets and costume design are tacky and cheap-looking, and it opens with a bunch of bad sci-fi jargon (though, unlike Star Wars, it does manage to use the word "parsecs" correctly), but the exterior shots are gorgeous - the painted backdrops are so pretty that they legitimately distract from scenes where the more wooden cast members bumble around, and the lighting, colors, and general atmosphere (especially in the alien ship) are great, and you could draw a pretty straight line from there to the later set design on Alien and some of Carpenter's stuff. The plot is pretty basic and the "twist" is telegraphed as hell, though I haven't seen enough 60s sci-fi to know if that particular trope was worn out at the time. There are some cool scenes - the dead giants are great, and so is the shot of the "vampires" rising from their graves. The sets are small and should be claustrophobic, especially the surface of the alien planet, but the masterful way Bava sculpts shadow and color just gives it a very dreamlike, delirious feeling. There's a lot holding this movie back, but honestly the music, set design, and effective alien-ness of the entire film are worth checking it out. .5 / 5---  29. Leák, a.k.a. Mystics in Bali (1981) Watched on Youtube A very bizarre piece of Indonesian horror cinema, though funnily enough, it's relatively linear structure and lack of genre-hopping actually led to the director being known for his "Western" style of filmmaking. This movie is drawing from a really interesting wellspring of folk legend, and chiefly concerns the leyak, an evil female spirit that can shapeshift and detach her head and fly around (with her entrails hanging out) to drink the blood and eat the flesh of pregnant women and infants. There's lots of black magic on display - a couple of the weirder scenes involve a were-pig duel and a woman vomiting up live mice after spending the night transformed into a were-python - and the effects, while pretty bad even for the time period, are kind of charming. There's also a pretty gnarly scene of the leyak sucking the baby out of a pregnant woman. The film breaks from a lot of typical narrative conventions - important characters don't even get introductions until they've been mortally wounded in a fight, time passes in extremely disjointed and disorienting ways, and the characters' reactions to events are often baffling, but instead of feeling accidental, it seems like it's just playing by a different set of narrative rules. The one major issue here is the dubs. They're incredibly bad, to the point that some dialogue sounds like it was ripped out of a cheesy 70s porno, with zero nuance or any attempt to match what was happening on the screen, and I would have vastly preferred reading subtitles instead. This isn't a good movie, but it's a fun one, and would make a great double-feature with The Boxer's Omen. .5 / 5--- So Far: Tremors | Blood and Black Lace | Cube | Killer Klowns from Outer Space | Kuso | The Fog | Borgman | The Tenant | Braindead | Al Final del Espectro | The Boxer's Omen | Phase IV |Der Student von Prag | The Invisible Man | Balada Triste de Trompeta | Gozu | Annihilation | Hour of the Wolf | Viy | The Quatermass Xperiment | Cat People | Society | Return of the Living Dead | Dark Night of the Scarecrow | Possession | Les Diaboliques | Pontypool | Planet of the Vampires | Leák Total: 29/10 Challenges: Years Spanned: 1913 - 2018 Decades Represented: 1910s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s Countries Represented: 14 (United States, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Colombia, Hong Kong, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Russia, France, Canada, Indonesia) Grizzled Patriarch fucked around with this message at 00:41 on Nov 1, 2018 |
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Nov 1, 2018 00:36
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 19. A Cure for Wellness (2016) Dir Gore Verbinski A rich douchebag is sent to bring back another rich douchebag by the company’s board of douchebags from a remote spa run by a douchebag. ‘Hm, this movie has some good set pieces, an annoying character getting a lot of focus, a lot of other characters that are very underused, and, man, it’s really long, really overstaying its welcome, kind of reminds me of The Lone….oh, Verbiniski….’ Yeah, not for me. Looks good but ultimately felt meandering and hollow. .5 / 5 20. The Alchemist Cookbook (2016) Dir Joel Potrykus A man goes to live in the woods with his cat, doing his alchemy experiments that leads to him trying to offer himself to the devil. As more and more strange things start to happen, especially in the woods at night, his mental state steadily deteriorates in response. Or is it the other way around? I saw a review for this in this thread thinking that this is my poo poo, and to an extent it is. The descent into madness is fairly well done but it felt like the director didn’t have the confidence to just go with that and instead had to put in the line about him not having his pills. The progression from weird loner in the wood to wanting to sell his soul to reaching the point where he is not sure what he sees is real or not could have been handled better I feel. I think I was hoping more for something like A Dark Song that really nails the ‘is it real or not?’ feeling and setup. I am interested enough to want to see another Potrykus movie. I looked him up and am, however, a bit scared by the synopsis of his movie Relaxer that he made after The Alchemist Cookbook. With the impending Y2K apocalypse fast approaching, Abbie is faced with the ultimate challenge - the unbeatable level 256 on Pac-Man - and he can't get off the couch until he conquers it. A survival story set in a living room. ..5 / 5 FRAN CHALLENGE #13: What We've All Been Waiting For Watch a movie that takes place on Halloween. 21. Trick ’r Treat (2007) Dir Michael Dougherty Now this is how you to a connective story. Just a great movie from start to finish, from the story binding it together that doesn’t just exist to connect parts but expands over the span of the playtime into a fully fledged story of its own. Speaking of the segments - I normally find that there is always at least one that really drags to the detriment of the others but I liked everything about this. I have to admit I’m not a massive horror fan and had never really heard of this so thanks for introducing me to it. I’m sure it will be a recurring one from now on. ... / 5That is my challenge for myself done. Did a couple of extras afterwards. FRAN CHALLENGE #12: (Self-Described) Masters of Horror Watch a staff pick! 22. The Lure (2015) aka ‘Córki dancingu’ Dir Agnieszka Smoczynska Two mermaids exit the water to work at a nightclub. One craves love, the other human flesh. A great looking movie, good performances, the effects were good, both the tails and especially their needle like teeth, but it just didn’t click with me. Nothing wrong with the musical numbers, and I say that as someone who doesn’t like musicals at all, but in the end I can just put it down as not for me. The rating reflects my enjoyment rather than the quality of the movie, though it does play into it a bit. / 5 23. The Thing (1982) Dir John Carpenter I did have some thoughts about what to actually watch on Halloween but in the end it came down to this or In The Mouth Of Madness, which is another favourite of mine, but this narrowly won out this time. The environment, the script making the absolute most of the set, the actors, etc, the wonderful score. Oh and the lighting which I really appreciated watching it this time. The script really pushes the story forward without ever feeling it’s just moving from plot point to plot point. The effects still look great and are used to great effect - having seen this more times than I would like to admit, the blood test scene still gets me every single time! / 5So in the end I managed to meet my own goal of 21 movies. I will definitely be aiming for 31 for the next one. It's been a lot of fun and it's been fantastic reading all the posts in here, ranging from funny to insightful to informative, and been giving me a lot of ideas of what to watch, both for this challenge and afterwards. Thanks everyone involved making it happen and those participating, it's been a blast! Movies Seen: Creep | Creep 2 | Halloween | Halloween II | Halloween III: Season of the Witch | The Void | Ghosts of Mars | The Ward | Apostle | Death Line | Mother of Tears | The Invitation | Re-Animator | Bride of Re-Animator | Mandy | The Death King | A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors | Dead & Buried | A Cure for Wellness | The Alchemist Cookbook | Trick ’r Treat | The Lure | The Thing Total: 23 Fran challenges:
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Nov 1, 2018 01:00
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22. The Exorcist (1973) I got to see this movie screened at my local library theater and it was a lot of fun. The stunt lady who did the backwards crab walk down the stairs was there and did a short q&a beforehand which I thought was pretty neat. The only drawback was that a woman who may have been homeless sat a few seats down from me and mumbled to herself the whole time. There was a girl on my right who clearly hadn't seen the movie before and was definitely frightened. She let out an audible gasp during the crucifix scene. I envied her. This is a re-watch for me so it doesn't count toward my 31 challenge. 5/5 Outstanding 23. Dagon (2001)  Lmao at this movie. The part with the doorlock had me rolling. This movie is extremely schlocky but still manages to hold its own as a story. It has a beginning, middle and end and it has numerous twists and turns along the way. 3.5/5 good stuff 24. Demonic Toys (1992)  I remember loving this movie but it's been a while since I watched it and I'm hazy on the details. I just looked up the plot and about half way through I don't remember seeing any of it. I still recommend though because what I remember was truly something else. Demon robbers inhabiting toys trying to possess a cop lady's fetus? Idk but I don't care. I remember Bentley Mitchum being good and the fat security guard was alright too. 3/5 above average 25. The Stone Tape (1972)  If you've never seen The Stone Tape I highly recommend it. Back in the 70's, the BBC would air made-for-tv movies based on ghost stories, usually one by MR James, on or around Christmas, and The Stone Tape comes from that tradition. The story follows an R&D team who lease a space in an old building in the country in order to discover a new and better way of recording sound, or something to that effect. Their work is held up when they encounter a room that appears to be haunted. In order to continue with their work they decide to study the haunting using their fancy scientific equipment. What they discover has far reaching implications. Being from the 70s and made for tv, the movie is a bit dated and it also suffers a bit from overacting, but if you can get past that what you're left with is a really solid and pretty darn spooky movie about ghosts, and the attempt by our protagonists to study the phenomena of haunting using cutting edge (for the time) science and technology. It's the earliest example that I've seen of characters using scientific methods to study paranormal phenomena and it's fascinating how well they were able to pull it off. The story feels wholly original even though I've seen other, later movies that deal with the same topics. If you haven't seen it you should check it out, it's available for free on youtube. 4.5/5 Great movie
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Nov 1, 2018 01:14
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Franchescanado posted:
 31) Creepshow (1982) - I would also like my cake It's been a long month and I'm glad I was able to have fun with all these movies while I dealt with it. Capping it all with Creepshow is appropriate; it's the horror movie I've probably seen more than any other save Gremlins. Having said that I think I've seen it maybe five or so times; it's not a personal institution and certainly not a yearly tradition. It's something from my youth that I have fun memories of but I see it infrequently enough these days that I forget many of the story details by the time I sit down with it next. As a result I've probably gone through the same process every time I've seen it the past twenty years. Father's Day starts slow but I honestly prefer it that way. It eases me into the proceedings while pleasantly reminding me, yes, that's what the stylized shots and frames look like, don't you remember? This gives me the time necessary to settle into the mood most of the movie utilizes. The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill is dumb but gosh darnit Stephen King is trying so hard to be a goober I can't get mad at him. It's a dead spot, yes, and the best opportunity to get that thing I forgot from the other room that I wanted to have during the movie. It's like an early intermission. Something to Tide You Over is chock full of Leslie Nielsen being evil so I buckle in. The funny thing is that this is the short I always forget about. Every time I start watching this movie I'm surprised when this story pops up and I'm like, "Oh yeah! This one! I remembering loving this one!" And I do. The Crate is too long and somehow has too much Adrienne Barbeau but this is the one that made the deepest impression on me as a kid. The monster was deep in my memory for years after seeing this for the first time and is probably my biggest source of my nostalgia for this movie. Watching it now I can't ignore the pacing. Slashing Barbeau and Holbrook's roles would greatly help push things along without, I believe, losing much if anything from the impact of the story. They're Creeping Up On You always surprises me with how effective it is with its composition. I don't think insects are scary or gross and honestly I like watching the lead be a mean loon honking angrily at people over the phone and intercom systems. It also eschews the film's style almost entirely bar one shot. But it replaces that style with a real cold and sterile aesthetic that I find much more suitable for the movie's capstone. So I settle into the movie's style, then I enjoy a Leslie Nielsen interlude in-between bouts of looking at my watch, and then I have a great time at the end when the movie seems to already be done with itself and what it set out to do. By the time the credits roll I find myself circling back to the opinion that the time I spent was fine but the movie never seems to be as good as I remember it being. Given long enough, though, the issues I have with it fade in the back of my memory behind splashes of vibrant color and frosting frames. Then I watch it again a year or two later with a group and the cycle starts anew. ~~~ ------- ~~~ Hey, I completed my expanded personal goal and all the Fran Challenges!  Superfluous tier listing I spent too much time on ~ some opinions may have settled in flight I loved it and will recommend it to you even if I think you won't like it, you can't stop me: Daughters of Darkness, The Babysitter, Thoroughbreds I really liked it and will probably recommend it with some amount of qualifiers: I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House, Jennifer's Body, Bride of Frankenstein, Summer of 84, The Spiral Staircase I liked it but I probably won't bring it up unless we're talking specific sub-genres: Slasher Season Two: Guilty Party, Huuheldei (The Doll), The House on Sorority Row, Slumber Party Massacre, The Initiation, The Burning I guess I liked it but I don't think I'm going to leave my chair: Dagon, Murder Party, Sleepaway Camp, Creepshow, Murder-Rock Overall I didn't like it but maybe you will, there's certainly good things here: It Follows, Seizure, Carnival of Souls, Splinter, CreepTales I didn't like it but I won't belabor the point: Oroolon (The Demon), Seven in Heaven Whatever value is here is strongly outweighed by its negatives: Zoor (The Vault), Video Dead, Slasher Season One: The Executioner Get out, stay out, good riddance: The Beast Within, The Children
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Nov 1, 2018 01:17
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 10. Interview with the Vampire - This wasn't really quite what I expected, but I enjoyed it a lot. The group of vampires was really well done. I love the idea that they all have different little quirks, and the raid and sealing of Louis in a coffin was such a uniquely cruel fate, which fully invited and justified his retaliation. All of the main vampires were just excellent characters, with Lestat being especially entertaining. Definitely glad I watched this one.  11. A Dark Song - It definitely had an interesting premise, portraying an advanced ritual that wasn't inherently evil. I kinda felt like there were some pacing and plot issues around the ending though while the design of the angel was cool, the actual arrival seemed sudden and abrupt, especially after she "broke the rules", it felt like "oh it's time for the movie to end here you go". Also didn't see really see any lead up to her to picking the ability to forgive, but apparently the angel felt it was a good favor to request. Overall, it did something unique, but had some flaws that just didn't make it a very strong movie beyond that.  12. Troll 2 - Expected a terrible movie and got a terrible movie, luckily it's the sort of terrible that's hilarious. Deborah Reed was actually pretty great as the troll queen, it was completely absurd but made the performance actually memorable despite the boring dialog.  13. Hellbound: Hellraiser 2 - This was actually kinda fun. Definitely went more into the fantasy side than the original. Just like in the original, the effects, sets, and costumes have really aged pretty well - there just isn't really anything that looks or feels quite the same. There are questionable plot points, and I kinda feel some questions it answered really didn't need to be answered, but aside from that it's an interesting and exciting ride.  14. Malevolent - Eh. Decent production values, and mostly solid acting, but really doesn't do anything special or interesting plotwise. One thing I noticed is that many of characters just felt weak/shallow. Elliot was fine, he likes tech and Angela and aspires to be a video producer - that's enough that his motivations and behaviors made sense. Jackson though, his basic character was fine, but the quirks he had (like listening to the motivational tapes) just didn't really contribute to his behavior and felt like they were thrown in just to attempt to make him a more interesting character. Beth was forgettable. Both of them just seemed artificially unlikeable, and they also happen to be the two that die, which makes it seem they were intentionally designed to be unlikeable. That surpasses my goal of 13 new movies! Favorites were probably The Cell and Interview With a Vampire, with Hellraiser 1/2 also being a lot of fun and memorable.
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Nov 1, 2018 01:21
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Decided to spend an evening with Freddy and Jason last night. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors: This one rules. Right at the point of Freddy starting to break into full Scary Terry mode, but not yet at the point of becoming a parody of himself, my favourite kills being the marionette and TV ones, both on completely different ends of the body horror vs. comedy spectrum. The mental hospital setting is handed well, and serves as a solid connective tissue between Freddy's targets. If I have one minor complaint, it's that a couple kills don't get quite the same gravitas that earlier deaths/attacks get, by virtue of the two of them occurring in the middle of the climax, and then having to be pushed aside for Nancy's and Donald's deaths after the fact. Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives: I think I liked 4 a bit better, but I enjoyed this nonetheless. I enjoyed the shift in perspective to Tommy Jarvis knowing and warning about Jason but being disbelieved, rather than him being a completely unforeseen presence. I also like that it doesn't take itself too seriously, but also feel that it sometimes leans a bit too hard in the comedy direction and stick the landing (the two kids yucking it up under the bed near the end of the movie come to mind). Horror/slasher-wise this was about what I've come to expect out of the franchise, though I feel the kills on average feel a bit weaker than I recall them being in 2 and 4 (which admittedly I haven't watched or thought about too much since last year's challenge), and it kind of meanders a bit in the middle between random victims to pad out the kill count, whereas previous films felt more tightly focused on him terrorizing a specific cast of characters. Freddy vs. Jason: Absolutely more an exercise in pure fanservice than in making a great movie in its own right, but a hell of a lot of fun regardless. The first half is basically a shared take on the slasher framework that you would expect from both franchises, with Jason's kills coming quicker and more numerous, and Freddy's sequences (though he isn't able to properly kill until a bit later) more insidious and planned out. From the second half, the focus shifts to steering things as hard as possible into the titular confrontation, and approaching it from as many angles as they can squeeze out of the concept (in both character's dream realms and their real world home turfs). The film does a good job at playing to the two character's unique strengths, smartly focusing on Freddy as the driving antagonist towards an Elm Street-centric cast, while also letting Jason loose to do what he does best, terrorizing an unsuspecting cast of characters as a focused killing machine. Movies Watched (29): Mandy, Hobgoblins (MST3K), American Psycho, Mimic, Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, The World's End, Carnosaur, Lake Mungo, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, Dracula, Gorgo (MST3K), Monsters, Inc., Halloween (1978), Halloween (2018), The Evil Dead, Motel Hell, Venom, Slither, The Return of the Living Dead, Trick 'r Treat, Creepshow, Tales From the Crypt, It Follows, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives, Freddy vs. Jason Challenges Completed (13/13): #1 (It Follows) #2 (Frankenstein), #3 (American Psycho), #4 (Mimic), #5 (Carnosaur), #6 (The Evil Dead) #7 (Gorgo (MST3K)), #8 (Slither), #9 (Motel Hell) #10 (Halloween (2018)), #11 (Creepshow), #12 (The Return of the Living Dead), #13 (Trick 'r Treat)
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Nov 1, 2018 01:29
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#34- Scream and Scream Again Ugh, what a mess. This film has an okay premise, but presents it in the most obtuse and disjointed way. Lots of scenes go by with no apparent connection to the main plot or even a clear indication of what the main plot is- like there are a bunch of scenes in a totalitarian eastern bloc country which eventually has something to do with the plot but only like an hour in. Mostly it's about the hunt for a serial killer who assaults women. There's a scene where a policewoman goes undercover to lure him out at a dance club, which it turns out is taking place in the middle of a gorgeous sunny day, the better that it can eventually transition into a seemingly endless chase sequence. It takes forever for any kind of protagonist to emerge, the soundtrack is this bouncy light jazz affair, and the whole thing has this very arch late-60s/early-70s ironic hipness that becomes grating after a time. Gordon Hessler has made some good movies, so I don't know what went wrong here.
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Nov 1, 2018 01:36
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#30 - Pet Semetary (1989) - I coincidentally saw the trailer for the remake last night before Halloween H40 while I still had the 1989 adaptation lined up on Amazon Prime. The trailer looks hella bad and loosely based on the book. Anyway, having read the book some years ago I would say the 1989 film is a solid, well made adaptation even if it feels like a TV movie. Was it? It successfully carries over the primal fear of death, especially of our loved ones, as a theme and brings very challenging questions and hypothetical moral dilemmas to the table. (Ressurrect a loved one's form without the content?) While one may not find this to be a significant accomplishment, I am again going to pick on the remake trailer and suggest the Studio Boardrooms will suck the marrow out of the bone, making me hopelessly nostalgic for a time when even average horror movies gave us more to ponder. The family feels like a genuine family with imperfections and we sympathize. The casting of the elderly neighbor across the street was excellent, whoever that guy is. The setting is eerie and true-to-form - you get an actual sense of place and dark secrets hidden in them woods. A blemish is the child actor playing a menacing zombie which was awkwardly edited and unconvincing. The story also runs out of fuel and I was disengaged by the end. It got a bit silly, like the book. The horrific concepts carry more weight than the events. All in all it holds up. 6.5/10 # 31 - mother! (2017) - Ugh. If there are new apologists for this film one year after its backlash, count me not among them. I must steal what RedLetterMedia said, which is that this is "the most expensive film school project ever made." I wouldn't even say it's a terrible film, just that is so dull and packed full of pretentious Bible and Apocalypse metaphors. They Live* packs more punch than this, for heaven's sake - because at least it had social and economic commentary on sinister undercurrents in our present. This was nothing but detached, abstract nonsense, and vaguely states we are doomed to environmental catastrophe and global disorder due to "our nature". At least They Live has is a way out through class consciousness; Mother! nihilistically accepts defeat from man's inherent defects. How Biblical and Judeo-Christian indeed. *This movie was unlikeable enough to immediately think of some random, barely related film! 5/10
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Nov 1, 2018 02:03
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Day 31 - El Dracula https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=argWCHR7qz0 There's no trailer for this movie, but that video features one of the cast talking about the production for a few minutes. The end of another October and this time I managed to save a real treat for myself. I think I mentioned in my first post in this thread that this year I'd finally watch the Spanish language version of 1931's Dracula after having it on my list forever. A quick plot synopsis: it's the same story as Universal's English language version of Dracula from 1931, expanded a bit, and in Spanish! Also, this version is half an hour longer but it doesn't feel padded. So a very common complaint about the English language Dracula is that it's incredibly stagy. It reflects a weaknesses you see in direction in the films of the era. The Spanish language version doesn't completely avoid that problem, but the editing and shot composition is usually much better than the English language version. Carlos Villar's portrayal of the count often has him put on a bit of a goofy grin with his top teeth showing. It makes him look just like Nick Cage in my eyes and that made me wish we'd get a version of Dracula with Cage in the title role. Villar isn't as good as Lugosi in the role, but that's not a real surprise. A stand out actor that I wasn't expecting was Lupita Tovar as Eva, the movie's Mina character. She's especially good once she's under Dracula's thrall where she gets a passionate scene with her boyfriend while adapting to unlife. I wish I had watched the English language version more recently before I watched this since it makes it hard for me to do some direct comparisons beyond my memory. Still, if I had to choice between the two I'd still probably go with the English one entirely on the basis of Lugosi's iconic performance. There's a reason why he's remembered so well. The improvements in the Spanish language version result in a decent movie, but it doesn't have the core that Lugosi provided. And that brings my challenge to a close with my rules of one a day and new film only. Overall, I think I had a pretty good month. Very few films that I out and out despised, though there were plenty I was  about. I'll do my big conclusion post tomorrow. As always, this is a great and cool thread.
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Nov 1, 2018 02:13
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26. Prince of Darkness (1987) This movie has everything I loved about The Stone Tape except with John Carpenter and turned up to 11. I love the concept, the characters, the production design, pretty much everything. Donald Pleasence and Victor Wong are both treasures. Super highly recommended. 5/5 outstanding 27. Arachnophobia (1990)  This is the very first horror movie that I can remember seeing. I must have seen it in like 1996 and it scared the absolute bajeezuz out of me back then. I watched it for only the 2nd time ever for this challenge, and I must say, I had a much more restrained reaction to it. 6-7 year old me definitely didn't realize it's a comedy with somewhat hokey effects, no, I was absolutely terrified of the spiders and the movie had a long lasting impact on me. I was afraid of spiders for years afterward. I remember sometime later my dad found a black widow spider in a plastic bottle in the garage. He capped the bottle and brought it in to show us kids and I wished he hadn't because for a long time after that I was sure my house was riddled with black widow spiders that were just aching to bite me. For years it seemed, any time I climbed under the bed sheets I was sure a spider would bite my toes. Having that thought would make it feel like there actually were spiders in the bed with me, but of course there never were. It took me quite a long time to get over my fear of spiders, but I eventually did. I guess you could say it's the most effective horror film I've ever seen for that reason alone. I had a strong feeling of nostalgia re-watching this movie for the challenge. It was like going to your Kindergarten classroom and seeing how small everything looks in comparison to your memory of it. If this was my first time viewing Arachnophobia I don't know how I would have received it, but I think I would have found it enjoyable. Jeff Daniels and John Goodman bring something to the movie. Recommended. This is another re-watch that doesn't count toward my 31. 4/5 very good 28. Split (2016)  James McAvoy and the girl from the VVitch star in this M Night Shyamalan film about a man with split personalities. It was a surprisingly good thriller. There's parts that are really good and intense. McAvoy brings some acting chops playing a character with like 50 different personalities. That alone would be unusual, but this character's different personalities also manifest themselves biologically. The personality with diabetes actually needs insulin shots etc. We discover all of this from the perspective of 3 teenage girls that he's kidnapped for idk why. The girl from the WWitch is our protagonist and we follow her as she attempts to escape her captor and maybe overcome some other stuff from her past that she's been carrying around. I recommend to anyone who likes M Night or McAvoy. 3.5/5 good 29. The Nanny (1965)  This was my first Hammer Horror film and I loved it. Bette Davis is absolutely fantastic. The other actors do a good job too, even the children. Bette Davis plays a nanny in the house of an English husband and wife. They have a son in boarding school and they recently lost a daughter due to an accident. We later come to doubt whether her death was accidental. When the son comes home from school he refuses to have anything to do with the nanny believing her to be an untrustworthy and dangerous opponent. What happens next is a cat-and-mouse-like battle of wits between the son and Bette Davis that ends with some shocking revelations. Highly recommended. 5/5 Outstanding 30. The Addams Family (1991)  I remember growing up seeing reruns of the Addams Family show on TV Land or some other network and liking them at the time. They screened this movie at my local library theater the other day and, surprisingly, this movie fell flat for me. There were some good parts, in fact most of the movie was good with good characters. I just couldn't get on board with the humor. There were some funny parts but most of the humor seemed to be "meh" jokes. In the theater there was very little laughter in the audience and what little there was seemed almost forced. I think I laughed at one scene. The Addams Family seemed to me to fail where a movie like Hocus Pocus succeeds - carefully balancing the over the top humor with the underlying story. Morticia is a dead ringer and good. Christopher Lloyd is great as uncle fester. Not really recommended sorry. 3/5 above average
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Nov 1, 2018 02:36
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#24 / 31 - The Ring (2002) This one holds up a lot better than I expected it to. I'm pretty sure, again, that everyone here has seen this and that there's not really a huge amount new I can say about it in generalities, so again, I'm gonna just laser-focus stuff that stuck out to me this viewing: - This is pretty much the quintessential ideal that all PG-13 horror movies aspire to. It's not some bizarre neutered version of a movie that should by all rights be R, it's a story that works perfectly fine within the limitations of the PG-13 rating. With that said, there's no way in loving hell this would still get a PG-13 in 2018 and not a Conjuring R; I watched a bit of Rings (2017) before putting this on, and while I'm not gonna count that one because I didn't get anywhere close to finishing it, you can see a pretty immediately obvious difference in how it portrays the violence and scares, with Rings being the much lighter movie by far. The reveal of the first girl's corpse is still one of the most  bits I've ever seen in a Hollywood horror flick.- For a remake of a J-horror movie, this feels... really, really, really Italian. It's a gorgeous procedural-mystery in which a reporter digs into the case of a VHS ghost that's killing teenagers; if I hadn't just described The Ring with that sentence, I'm pretty sure most of you would think I was talking about an obscure giallo or modern-day Argento riff. - Seriously holy poo poo this movie looks good, the only flaw I can name with its visuals is the sickly-green pall over everything. Even that works pretty well for certain bits, it's just not a choice I enjoy in a vacuum. Usually most movies from this time period look like complete rear end, but this one kind of stunned me with how well it holds up visually; the relatively CGI-light nature of it helps (I think the only big CG effect in the movie is Samara coming out of the TV, and that effect looked amazing for the time and still holds up pretty well). edit: my hunch about the movie feeling super Italian might, in part, come from the fact that the movie's main theme, "Before You Die, You See The Ring", is basically the Jimmy Hart version of the Suspiria theme. WeedlordGoku69 fucked around with this message at 02:47 on Nov 1, 2018 |
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Nov 1, 2018 02:43
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I can't make it to the screening of new Suspiria tonight like I thought I could, so I'll just do one more review and close this out. 51. Murder Party (2007). Directed by Jeremy Saulnier. Watched on Netflix This is so mid-2000s, it prominently features a dude who keeps playing his PSP during important moments. It's a Jeremy Saulnier film, so this is paced like a motherfucker. Not even close to his other movies (I haven't seen Hold The Dark yet) in terms of quality and the art school jokes get a bit groanworthy, but you can already see he has a knack for this stuff. Murder Party makes some of the smartest use of the no-budget "set a film in one location" rule I've seen in a while. The cinematography is actually pretty solid, with the barbiturate truth-or-dare sequence being a stand out. --- Best discoveries this challenge were The Devils, The Boxer's Omen, Martyrs, Vampyr, and Blood and Black Lace, but there's already a whole lot of these that are going to become staples for me. If I do this again next year, it'll still probably be first watches only for me. My goal with this challenge was to force myself to get some serious diversity in my horror film diet, and it worked. Sequels may be worked in next year, though? Don't think I outright hated anything I saw for the challenge this month, except for Terrifier and maybe Vampires. Even the other bad stuff had some things to like about them, or were at least enjoyably bad. Terrifier just gave me massive douche chills. There were a whole lot of foreign horror movies on my count, which I see as a point of pride. Mostly from Japan and Italy, but I saw some good stuff from Poland, South Korea, and Hong Kong among others. Here's the whole list of what I watched this past month and a half, ranked. I already listed my Fran Challenges in the last post. Friends Are Evil fucked around with this message at 03:26 on Nov 1, 2018 |
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Nov 1, 2018 02:51
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 FINAL Fran Challenge #13: What We’ve Been Waiting For 33. Tales Of Halloween (2015) Anthologies are always a mixed bag, and this one is no different. There were a couple of segments that I really liked (The Night Billy Raised Hell, Friday The 31st, Bad Seed), some that I thought were pretty good (The Weak And The Wicked, Ding Dong), and the rest were alright. I don’t think any were terrible, just a lot of meh - especially This Means War and Sweet Tooth, despite it’s obvious Halloween tribute ending. Overall, this wasn’t bad, but I much prefer Trick R’ Treat or the better VHS segments to this - they felt like they had given the stories more room to breathe. If three or four of these were cut and the rest given a bit more time to develop I think this would have been great. Watched List (33): Savageland, Ghostbusters (2016), Creep, Vampyr, Hereditary, Frontier(s), Butterfly Effect 3, Only Lovers Left Alive, The Tenant, The Screaming Skull, Hell House LLC, Ringu 0, Cat People, Banshee Chapter, Critters 2, The Endless, The Witch Who Came From The Sea, Behind the Mask: The Rise Of Leslie Vernon, The Old Dark House, Cold Moon, Rec 2, Phenomena, Mandy, It (2017), Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man, Nightmare City, The Ghost Of Frankenstein, The Phantom Of The Opera, The Hidden, Cemetery Man, Sanctimony, Raw, Tales Of Halloween Fran Challenges Fulfilled(13): #1 Love Something You Hate: Only Lovers Left Alive, #2 Queer Horror: The Old Dark House, #3 Hometown Horror: Butterfly Effect 3, #4 Best Of The Worst: Sanctimony (Uwe Boll), #5 Birth Of Horror: The Tenant, #6 Video Nasties: The Witch Who Came From The Sea, #7 The World Is A Scary Place: Ringu 0, #8 Once In A Lifetime: Raw, #9 Stranger Danger: The Hidden, #10 Fear And Now: Mandy, #11 Dead And Buried: The Ghost Of Frankenstein, #12 Staff Pick: Cemetery Man, #13 What We’ve Been Waiting For: Tales Of Halloween
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Nov 1, 2018 03:00
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So that’s it for me - personal challenge of 31 new-to-me movies completed (and two more on top) along with a few rewatches, and all 13 Fran challenges done. I think my favorite new movies was easily Hereditary. It was tense, well done, moody, bleak, suspenseful, and culty all at once. I liked Mandy quite a bit, but ended up watching it twice, and while I still really liked it the second time, some of the shine had worn off. I could still see watching it in years to come, it captured a vibe few movies have. Raw was probably my next favorite, it was amazing. It felt free to play with it’s themes, and it was somewhat refreshing to have the lead just kind of deal with it, rather than endless horror. Speaking of The Endless, it was a fun ride. Interesting idea executed well, with some genuinely unsettling set pieces. Creep was also unsettling to be sure. Cemetery Man was probably my last really favorite movie, what a weird, sad, bizarre, fun ride. Watched List (33): Savageland, Ghostbusters (2016), Creep, Vampyr, Hereditary, Frontier(s), Butterfly Effect 3, Only Lovers Left Alive, The Tenant, The Screaming Skull, Hell House LLC, Ringu 0, Cat People, Banshee Chapter, Critters 2, The Endless, The Witch Who Came From The Sea, Behind the Mask: The Rise Of Leslie Vernon, The Old Dark House, Cold Moon, Rec 2, Phenomena, Mandy, It (2017), Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man, Nightmare City, The Ghost Of Frankenstein, The Phantom Of The Opera, The Hidden, Cemetery Man, Sanctimony, Raw, Tales Of Halloween Fran Challenges Fulfilled(13): #1 Love Something You Hate: Only Lovers Left Alive, #2 Queer Horror: The Old Dark House, #3 Hometown Horror: Butterfly Effect 3, #4 Best Of The Worst: Sanctimony (Uwe Boll), #5 Birth Of Horror: The Tenant, #6 Video Nasties: The Witch Who Came From The Sea, #7 The World Is A Scary Place: Ringu 0, #8 Once In A Lifetime: Raw, #9 Stranger Danger: The Hidden, #10 Fear And Now: Mandy, #11 Dead And Buried: The Ghost Of Frankenstein, #12 Staff Pick: Cemetery Man, #13 What We’ve Been Waiting For: Tales Of Halloween
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Nov 1, 2018 03:08
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Happy Halloween everybody. I got through my 31, but I don't have much time tonight to write up as much as I'd like to or format correctly, just want to get these in tonight. 28. Street Trash (1987): This movie is a gold loving turd. Its fantastically done but not really recommendable. Could have used more melting honestly. /529. Minutes Midnight (2016): Most of these segments were pretty painful. Especially the rear end monster. I was cool with the amusement park one though. /530. A Quiet Place (2018): This movie felt like art to me, it was interesting to see a mainstream movie with mostly sign language. Kept on the edge of my seat the whole time.  /531.Slumber Party Massacre 2 (1987): This felt really stretched out with it Night Trap esque song segments. I zoned out in the last 20 minutes and the slasher movie started up (or did it?) /532. The Phantom Empire (1989): I don't know if this is really a horror movie, but I watched it on the scream stream so it counts damnit. Pretty much just lovely adventure movie with vaguely horror elements. I didn't mind it. /533. The Keep (1983): I'm pretty sure I paid attention to this thing thoroughly, and I didn't get like half the things the Wikipedia article mentions happened in this movie. /534. Creepshow 2 (1987): Nowhere as good as the first one. (But then again I only really like the Ted Danson / Leslie Neilsen segment) /5Final thoughts: As always I enjoyed doing this. There was quite a few things I didn't get around to seeing this year, but I guess I'll just leave them until next year. Top 5 no order, Cast A Deadly Spell, Happy Death Day, A Quiet Place, Night of the Demons 2, and Phantasm 3 Trakt link with watched and unwatched movies The list: 1.The Changeling (1980), 2.Cast A Deadly Spell (1990), 3.Orca: The Killer Whale (1977), 4.Phantasm III: Lord of the Dead (1994), 5.Nail Gun Massacre (1985) 6. Belko Experiment (2016) 7. Bad Samaritan (2018) 8. Hell House LLC (2015) 9.Insidious: The Last Key (2018) 10. Splinter (2008) 11. CreepTales (1989(?)) 12. Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings (1994) 13. Winterbeast (1992) 14. Near Dark (1987) 15. Christine (1983) 16. It (2018) 17. Another WolfCop (2018) 18. An American Werewolf in London (1981) 19. WNUF Halloween Special (2009) 20. Puppet Master (1989) 21.Sometimes They Come Back (1991) 22. Night of the Demons 2 (1994) 23.Demons 2 (1986) 24. Happy Death Day (2017) 25. Shocker (1989) 26. Apostle (2018) 27. Hardware (1990) BONUS: Best Worst Movie (2009) BONUS: Channel Zero: Candle Cove (2016)/ Evil Vin fucked around with this message at 03:11 on Nov 1, 2018 |
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Nov 1, 2018 03:09
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31. 🔥  🔥 Hack-🎃-Lantern 🔥 🔥You're the Devil's son! Well if a movie's bad, and make no mistake this one's loving awful, it should at least not be boring. And Hack-🎃-Lantern is certainly not boring. If the scene doesn't have people totally failing to act human it has breasts, if it doesn't have breasts it has awkward Satanic rituals, if it doesn't have awkward Satanic rituals it has blood, if it doesn't have blood it has a two-minute long sequence of the world's worst comedian doing a stand up bit for people who are way too into it. The story is a standard slasher movie through the lens of the late-80's Satanic Panic, where we get to play a game of Guess the Killer as one or multiple killers in identical devil costumes kill seemingly at random. They set up the main (only?) killer as a big twist reveal at the end, but it's not hard to figure out whodunnit. As bad as this movie was I didn't hate it, it's worth watching at the very least for Hy Pyke's breakout performance as a gravelly-voiced grandpa from hell, and the music video dream sequence where a daydreaming aspiring Satanist gets his head skewered on a pitchfork. It was such an iconic scene they used it for the blu ray release! e: And that concludes my October Challenge for the year! I set a very modest first-time goal of 20 by the 20th, but with a week left I paced myself and watched some movies on some atypical nights and managed to get a Full 31. I'm satisfied with that, maybe next year I'll go above and beyond but I'll probably just space the movies out a little more instead or do the traditional one every day. Movies watched: 1. Terrifier, 2. Mandy, 3. Creep, 4. Creep 2, 5. The First Purge, 6. I Am Not a Serial Killer, 7. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3, 8. Lake Bodom, 9. Dolls, 10. Maniac Cop 2, 11. Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers, 12. Halloween 1978, 13. Bloody Moon, 14. The Blob '88, 15. Psycho II, 16. Unfriended: Dark Web, 17. The Houses October Built, 18. What Keeps You Alive, 19. Cremator, 20. Halloween 2018, 21. The Mutilator, 22. Grave Encounters, 23. Halloween II, 24. Ginger Snaps, 25. An American Werewolf In London, 26. Dracula Has Risen From the Grave obviously, 27. Twins of Evil, 28. Tales From the Hood 2, 29. The Exorcist III, 30. Re-Animator, 31. Hack-o-Lantern All challenges completed: Best of the Worst: Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers Hometown Horror (Illinois): Halloween 1978 Video Nasties: Bloody Moon Birth of Horror (1983): Psycho II Love Something You Hate: Unfriended Dark Web Queer Horror: What Keeps You Alive The World is a Scary Place (Czechoslovakia): Cremator Fear and Now: Halloween 2018 Stranger Danger: Grave Encounters What We've All Been Waiting For: Halloween II Masters of Horror: Ginger Snaps Dead & Buried: Dracula Has Risen From the Grave Once In a Lifetime: The Mutilator King Vidiot fucked around with this message at 03:31 on Nov 1, 2018 |
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Nov 1, 2018 03:12
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31. The Omen (1976): This was pretty solid. I tend to dig overtly religious horror. The kid is creepy, Gregory Peck is good, the birthday party scene owns, the ending is spooky. I would have prob fired that nanny though. And with that, I’ve hit my 31!
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Nov 1, 2018 04:09
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