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5. The Roost 2005 dir. Ti West Bracketology Thread  A rough movie by a young filmmaker. The movie is an attempt by Ti West to test the bounds of horror and to experiment with the genre, format, and story-telling. It doesn't exactly work, but I appreciate what it's doing. The Tom Noonan host segments are pitch perfect, and it makes me appreciate Noonan's indie cred more than ever. There were one or two jump-scare subterfuges that actually worked for me, too. Bland cast, though. 2 out of 5  Total: 5 Films Watched: Fright Night | The Brood | The Black Cat | Varan | The Roost rewatch | new to me
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May 10, 2021 15:56
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#11 Prince of Darkness John Carpenter, 1987  There are some neat ideas here, namely the confluence of science and religion, satanic holding chambers being kept secret for millennia, and dudes with bugs for guts. And I appreciate the ominous tone the film establishes in its first act. Unfortunately it all unravels in the second and third acts. The film draaaags. And there are way too many characters, and with the possible exception of Pleasence they all exist merely to vomit out exposition and/or get turned into demonic zombies. I have a beef with scripts that rely on characters' speculation to explain the plot. Where the characters' best guesses are meant to be taken for granted as accurate and true. I get that these are physics students, but pulling a hypothesis out of your rear end doesn't instantly make it correct. The film does this constantly. I didn't hate this movie. Like I said there's some good stuff here. But consider me underwhelmed. 2/5 Films watched: 1. Witchfinder General (1968), 2. The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923), 3. The Devil Rides Out (1968), 4. The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945), 5. Who Can Kill a Child? (1976), 6. The Raven (1935), 7. A Bucket of Blood (1959), 8. The Curse of the Werewolf (1961), 9. Hunter Hunter (2020), 10. Let’s Scare Jessica to Death (1971), 11. Prince of Darkness (1987) 2/13 Fran Challenges completed: 2. Sometimes They Come Back (The Hunchback of Notre Dame), 7. Mother's Day (Who Can Kill a Child?)
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May 10, 2021 16:00
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Oof Prince of Darknesss is one of my favorite Carpenter films. I've now got to decide on what will be my 13th horror movie to complete the 13 movies challenge.
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May 10, 2021 16:06
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Hollismason posted:Oof Prince of Darknesss is one of my favorite Carpenter films. Yeah I seem to have the minority opinion on this (it has an impressive 3.5 on Letterboxd). Generally I've really liked Carpenter's minor works like Christine and The Fog. This one just didn't do much for me.
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May 10, 2021 16:11
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6. Friday the 13th Part 4: The Final Chapter 1984 dir. Joseph Zito A little context:  This is my most watched movie on Letterboxd. I have to share something that I noticed recently with the Shout Factory blu-ray box set for the Friday series. The post of The Final Chapter:  Pretty iconic image. Is it just me, or is something weird about the blood? If my eyes are serving me well, this isn't an image of a hockey mask in a puddle of blood on a black surface. It looks like the hockey mask is on a red table, with red blood on it to match, with black goo (like a silicone) on top of it. The light seems to reflect more on the edges of the black instead of the edges of the red, and the black is what looks bulbous, like a liquid, and not the red. The flecks of red on the black for the splatter looks like they were added in post. I could be wrong, but I can't help but see it. For this watch, I listened to the fan commentary on the Shout blu-ray, featuring filmmakers Adam Green and Joe Lynch. I don't really care much for their films, but they love Friday Part 4 and it's a fun commentary. They provide insights unique to horror directors watching a horror film, and they point out a lot of creative directorial decisions Zito brought to the franchise that I hadn't considered before. I am a little sad that so much of the gore for this film, done by the great Tom Savini at the peak of his powers, was edited out. This is a classic slasher and the commentary was nice. 4 out of 5  Total: 6 Films Watched: Fright Night | The Brood | The Black Cat | Varan | The Roost | Friday the 14th Part 4: The Final Chapter rewatch | new to me
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May 10, 2021 16:15
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Spatulater bro! posted:Yeah I seem to have the minority opinion on this (it has an impressive 3.5 on Letterboxd). Generally I've really liked Carpenter's minor works like Christine and The Fog. This one just didn't do much for me. Opinions on Prince of Darkness are pretty varied. I mean, it's still a Carpenter films starring Donald Pleasance so I don't think anybody outright hates it but there are definitely people who would rank it pretty low in their Carpenter rankings.
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May 10, 2021 16:34
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19) Mother's Day (1980) Fran Challenge #7: Mother's Day  This was such a surprise! A movie I'd never really heard of, produced by the less-famous Kaufman brother - I really didn't expect much. But it's so much fun! It's sort of a mix of The Hills Have Eyes and Last House on the Left by way of Troma Films. The villain leads are all comically overacting, and the protagonist leads are all comically, well, boring. The acting is pretty bad. The few blood effects are pretty bad. The story meanders. But I don't care, this strikes the perfect balance between "I'm uncomfortable" and "I'm having fun." Highly recommended. 4 / 5 Total: 19 1. Crawl (2019) / 2. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) (FC1) / 3. Vampyr (1932) / 4. I Walked With A Zombie (1943) / 5. Kwaidan (1964) (FC12) / 6. Vampyres (1975) (FC9) / 7. The Howling (1981) / 8. Torso (1973) / 9. Frankenhooker (1990) / 10. Herschell Gordon Lewis: The Godfather of Gore (2010) (FC10) / 11. Them (Ils) (2006) / 12. Nina Forever (2015) / 13. Aliens (1986) / 14. The Cremator (1969) (FC4) / 15. Saw IV (2007) / 16. Dark Skies (2013) / 17. The McPherson Tape (1989) / 18. Saw (2004) (FC6) / 19. Mother's Day (1980) (FC7) Fran Challenges Remaining -- 2, 3, 5, 8, 11, 13
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May 10, 2021 16:55
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Weekend catch-up time. #7. Ginger Snaps (rewatch) (Shudder) A pair of death-obsessed teenagers, Ginger and Brigitte, are outcasts in their suburban community. On the night where Ginger finally starts menstruating, the two are attacked by a werewolf and Ginger is bitten. Now, her body is going through some... changes... and the big Halloween dance is 28 days away... There's a lot that can be said about Ginger Snaps as a progressive, feminist horror film; I'm not the person to be able to make that case. I will note that one of the film's strengths that I'd forgotten about was how tight the scripting and plotting is - this film has an incredible energy to propel it from scene to scene, and everything is laid out beautifully to reinforce its conceits and themes. Which makes it also apparent that this is not really a film that benefits from the Joe Bob Briggs interludes on "The Last Drive-In"; his laconic interruptions are a welcome diversion in other films with more sedate pacing or off-kilter energy, but do a disservice here. If you're going to watch this one - and you should - it would be more beneficial to you to seek out the original version instead.  /5Franchescanado posted:10. Behind the Mask  #8. In Search of Darkness Part II (Shudder) Another documentary about 1980s horror movies, starring notable actors, directors and media critics, this time with less of a focus on the biggest titles from the era. Well, it's less a documentary about one horror film, and more a documentary about three dozen or so of them, but I guess this counts. As before, I was watching this in batches while working out. It's not a bad way to spend time like that, but I noticed that there was a lot less of interest in this one; it seems to be mostly comprised of lesser known and appreciated films, and with most of the big films by the big directors involved in the first covered here, their presence is largely missing. They also end up following the same structure as before - 10-15 minutes of short blurbs on individual films, 10-15 minutes on a topic of interest - but they look to have less content to fill the individual topic sections, so they're more reliant on career retrospectives by some notable names and branching off into other topics. (Not sure what 1980s horror video games have to do with 1980s horror movies, but it's a fun digression. And I guess if you have the Angry Video Game Nerd there, you may as well use him, right?) On the whole, it's not bad, just kinda blander than the original. I think it did bring up some films I hadn't really paid attention to in the past, though, so at least it might help me further flesh out my 80s watchlist. /5Franchescanado posted:7. Mother's Day  #9. Mother's Day (2010) (HBO Max) A family of thieves and killers descend on their former house, which has since been sold in foreclosure. They torture the new owners and their friends, as secrets and lies emerge and both groups work to survive. I didn't finish the original 1980s Mother's Day when it was shown on "The Last Drive-In" a few weeks ago; there's an infamous rape scene which turned me off of finishing the thing at this point, and I was already kinda tired of the grimy nature of it anyway. With this one, the slicker, more handsome production values and better acting across the board (Rebecca De Mornay is fantastic as the evil mother, and Jaime King, Shawn Ashmore and Frank Grillo are all solid here) helps this one come across as the "better" movie. That said, it has its own incredibly nasty streak, courtesy of director Darren Lynn Bousman, and seems to delight in torturing the main cast, both physically and mentally; the ending stinger is a particularly cruel twist, though not one you can't see coming. I dunno; it's not the worst movie ever, but it seems to feel content to just wallow in pain and misery, similar to Bousman's Saw outings but without the benefit of franchise strength or inventive trap-based mayhem. If I'm going to wallow, I don't think that this is the place that I want to do it. /5Watched so far: The Curse of the Cat People, Freaky, Vampires vs the Bronx, Rawhead Rex, Tarantula, In Search of Darkness, Ginger Snaps (rewatch), In Search of Darkness Part II (FC #10), Mother's Day (2010) (FC #7)
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May 10, 2021 18:21
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For the Mexican movie do English GDT movies count? Been meaning to check Crimson Peak off my list. Or what was that one that everyone in the horror thread liked a few months ago, Bario or something like that. Might have been further south but I seem to recall it being Mexican
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May 10, 2021 20:03
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Retro Futurist posted:For the Mexican movie do English GDT movies count? Been meaning to check Crimson Peak off my list. That's something I think about a lot. Like are Cobra or The Zero Boys a Greek films even though both have American casts and and are set in America because the directors are Greeks? Alternatively is Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters, a film directed by an American but with an entirely Japanese cast speaking Japanese dialogue based on a Japanese subject filmed in Japan an American film? I have yet to come to a conclusion.
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May 10, 2021 20:15
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Retro Futurist posted:For the Mexican movie do English GDT movies count? Been meaning to check Crimson Peak off my list. Eh, no. It's a USA production company, filmed in Ontario, without a single Mexican actor or crew member. Cronos is kind of the easiest one to point to for something that counts. The Devil's Backbone and Pan's Labyrinth, while the former was heavily produced through Mexican producers, were both filmed in Spain and largely based in Spain's film industry, and also deal with Spain's history. Cronos was financed, produced, filmed in and is about Mexico. edit: To give a bit more room and context on what I think could qualify: Santa Sangre was co-funded by an Italian production company and a Mexican production company. The director is Mexican, it was filmed in Mexico. Even though the dialogue was performed in English, it's still heavily produced by, written by, and starring Mexicans in Mexico. Franchescanado fucked around with this message at 20:23 on May 10, 2021 |
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May 10, 2021 20:17
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Movie #7: It Follows It could look like someone you know or it could be a stranger in a crowd. Whatever helps it get close to you. I can't decide if It Follows is making an STD allegory, or just playing with the old horror movie trope of "have sex -> die". Either works, and I'm not sure it's that important, because the unnamed demon is mostly a motivator in the movie, rather than an active antagonist. What follows is an extremely atmospheric almost road movie with lots of absolutely stunning cinematography and a hauntingly awesome and very unique chiptuneish soundtrack by Disasterpeace, the guy who made the music for Fez. Lots of lovely, lingering shots of teenage ennui as our heroes lounge on beaches or in bedrooms interspersed with moments of panic as the demon catches up to Jay and the group tries to avoid it, so they can get to the next hangout spot. That sounds dismissive, and I suppose in a way it is, because even though there were certainly horrible things in the movie, It Follows didn't strike me so much as a traditional horror movie. Instead if felt like insanely pretty, extremely atmospheric and very well acted existential dread. Hell, it is pretty much flat out stated by the movie's closing quote from Dostoevsky's Idiot: "But the most terrible agony may not be in the wounds themselves but in knowing for certain that within an hour, then within ten minutes, then within half a minute, now at this very instant – your soul will leave your body and you will no longer be a person, and that is certain; the worst thing is that it is certain." Much like the monster, the one thing in life that it certain is that eventually we'll all die. How do you carry on knowing that? / 5 My previous movies 1. Evil Dead II, 2. The Legend of Hell House, 3. Hausu, 4. The Haunting, 5. The Innkeepers, 6. Sleepaway Camp Shaman Tank Spec fucked around with this message at 20:23 on May 10, 2021 |
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May 10, 2021 20:20
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Fran Challenge 1. Short Cuts Un Chien Andalou (1929) Directed by Luis Buñuel 21 minutes Watched on Tubi This is the movie Black Francis is singing about in Debaser. It’s a series of seemingly incongruous images that was engaging, but also kind of weirded me out. According to Luis Buñuel, it doesn’t mean anything, but he’s dead so what does he know. I'd give this  The Big Shave (1967) aka Viet '67 Directed by Martin Scorcese 6 Minutes Wached on Criterion Channel The Big Shave is a dialog-free short about a man shaving and shaving until he is raw and bloody. It is apparently a metaphor for America’s self-destructive involvement in Vietnam. Anyone who has done something they know they shouldn’t, but they feel compelled to do anyway, can empathize. It's a must-watch for Scorsese completionists but otherwise I'd say it's just a really good student film. A pretty solid 1/2 Kitchen Sink (1989) Directed by Alison Maclean 14 minutes Watched on Kanopy In Kitchen Sink, a woman finds something stuck in her kitchen sink. At first, I thought it was about the fear of parenthood and responsibility. It seems to be more about the obligation we feel towards other people regardless of how they entered our lives. The ideas and execution are great and I will definitely try to check out Maclean's full-length work. A high 1/2 Foxes (2012) Directed by Lorcan Finnegan 16 minutes Watched on Amazon Prime A freelance photographer who works out of her home becomes obsessed with the foxes she sees in and around her empty neighborhood. For such a short movie, Foxes does an amazing job creating a creepy and unsettling atmosphere. A solid  Portal to Hell!!! (2015) Directed by Vivieno Caldinelli 12 minutes Watched on Kanopy In this horror comedy, Roddy Piper plays a put-upon janitor who must figure out how to close a portal and prevent the Great old Ones from taking over his building. For a crowd-funded short, it’s surprisingly entertaining and well done, with decent effects. Another solid Time Travel Challenge: 22/31 Fran Challenges: 1/13 Other Movies: 5/? Watched: Time Travel: 1. Jigoku (1960), 2. The Curse of the Doll People (1961), 3. The Burning Court (1962), 4. X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963), 5. The Long Hair of Death (1964), 6. Planet of the Vampires (1965), 7. Daimajin (1966), 8. Viy (1967), 9. A Quiet Place in the Country (1968), 10. The Cremator (1969), 11. Equinox (1970), 12. Lake of Dracula (1971), 13. The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (1972), 14. The Crazies (1973), 15. Deathdream aka Dead of Night (1974), 16. Race with the Devil (1975), 17. The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976), 18. The Incredible Melting Man (1977), 19. The Grapes of Death (1978), 20. Tourist Trap (1979), 21. The Changeling (1980), 22. My Bloody Valentine (1981) Shorts: 1. Un Chien Andalou, 2. The Big Shave, 3. Kitchen Sink, 4. Foxes, 5. Portal to Hell!!! Other: 1. Vampires vs. the Bronx, 2. The Roost, 3. Varan, 4. On the Silver Globe, 5. The Phantom of the Opera, 6. Un Chien Andalou twernt fucked around with this message at 21:08 on May 10, 2021 |
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May 10, 2021 20:25
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 17 (20). Carrie (2002) Directed by David Carson, written by Bryan Fuller, based on the 1974 novel by Stephen King. Watched on DVD. King Spring 5/13 You may tell yourself that there's no need to remake Carrie... and this film will not change your mind. I'm 99% sure I've never seen this before but a lot of it felt VERY familiar. I'm kind of chalking that up less to me having seen it and forgotten and more that it feels like it takes very directly from the book and DePalma adaption. Its been awhile since I've visited either but I've read/watched them many times and a lot of the lines and scenes felt very true and familiar like the gym teacher reading the girls the riot act. Other stuff like the entire tone and behavior of characters felt like a change. And then there's the "rain of stones." Not every detail of a King book should be adapted, something DePalma wisely recognized but which this version just leans hard into with all the glee of someone who has no idea what tv budget 2002 cgi meteors are gonna look like 20 years later. Tonally this feels all wrong. Angela Bettis does well as Carrie but she's given way less to do than she should and the film never really manages to build up any fear or tension. A lot of that is in the toned down TV nature of a lot of it. Carrie's mom is mean but she's really not shown as dangerous or abusive as she should be. She's presented drat near like just an overly concerned mom. But its kind of across the board. Carrie talks back and goes on the internet. Most of the kids at school actually start to be nice to Carrie after the moment they went too far in the shower. The nature of the situation is just all shifted tonally and less intense or dangerous, and that results in a weird consequence where the ones pulling the prom prank come off as full blown psychopaths and the cgi horror mass murder bloodbath finale that comes feels like it belonged to a different film. And definitely not the pilot for a sympathetic tv show character. A lot of those tonal changes probably come down to that TV pilot factor. Its a generally tamer fair that feels like its made for a CW audience. But like... you can't tell Carrie without her murdering a whole poo poo load of people at the end in a fit of anger at their cruelty. But this kind of tries. Its there, it just doesn't belong there because all the other stuff is missing. And Fuller even tries to write Carrie as innocent and ignorant of the whole thing in a misguided attempt to keep the victim of the story from becoming the monster through all the terrible stuff done to her. Even though that's kind of the entire point of Carrie. There's some small charms here. Rena Sofer as the gym teacher is pulled straight out of the original and is all tonally wrong but genuinely amusing. Emilie de Ravin and Katharine Isabelle show up as the mean girls which is fun and Kandyse McClure is Sue. I guess this was shot in Vancouver. And Billy is so over the top psychotic that I would have wanted him to stick around as the villain in a tv show. Also the CGI is SO bad and SO plentiful in the finale that it just wraps back around to amusing. But this is exactly what you expect a failed tv pilot from 2002 remaking a classic horror film to be. I had hopes that Bryan Fuller writing it might give it a chance and you can definitely hear his voice at times, but that really just works further against this since Carrie being kind of quirky really just makes where we have to end up weirder and the lack of any real tension or scares more pronounced. You can almost see little hints of stuff like Dead Like Me or Hannibal in here, but they're very small hints. And really, its the wrong man for the job. This whole thing just feels like a misguided error in judgment. Franchescanado posted:1. Short Cuts Fran Challenges 1/13 18 (21). The Stylist (2016) Written and directed by Jill Gevargizian, co-written by Eric Havens Watched on Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CMO2nOoOi0 This popped on my radar back in October when I watched Contracted and really enjoyed Najarra Townsend's performance and wanted to see more of her. I once again enjoyed her performance, although the piece really isn't long enough to get into her character nearly as much as I would have liked. There's something interesting there about the pressure of appearance standards on women and the sadness of the character pushing her to this place but we don't know near enough about her to understand her motivations or story. The piece has real good style though, and I do like Townsend and the premise. There's a 2020 feature length version of this that popped up since October from the same director starring Townsend and I'm definitely interested in it. That one's on my watchlist now for sure. This piece itself doesn't really have enough meat for me to recommend going out of the way for but its a fine teaser for something else out there. Stucco (2019) Written and directed by Janina Gavankar and Russo Schelling Watched on Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cExhFUuRUNE When you've been locked in your place so long you start dreaming of making out with the wall. That was sure something. Well done tension and mood builder that plays on inner anxieties into outer horrors. Agoraphobia, a fear of what may be behind the walls, what might be on the other side of it, what you might do when you're sleeping or loopy on cough syrup. I dunno, really. It doesn't feel entirely focused on one thing in particular, but all the stuff we do see is engaging and entertaining. Good style, well done effects. And probably simple enough that it doesn't need much more digging in or time. I definitely have questions but thy might all be answered simply enough in the final shot. Like that really weird fever dream you had that messed with you but also kind of helped you work through some stuff. He Took His Skin Off for Me (2014) Written and directed by Ben Aston, co-written by Maria Hummer Watched on Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERP_jb6c9fQ Huh. That one didn't fully click with me but its kind of an interesting way to look at the human tendency to change yourself to fit a relationship or satisfy others or fit into norms or expectations. That even when it seems like the right thing and gets the immediate response you might it might lead to other, new issues or growing resentment. Interesting, and good, effective makeup and costuming for the affect. Just didn't fully get there for me. But short enough that it never wore out. Zygote (2017) Written and directed by Neill Blomkamp, co-written by Terri Tatchell and Thomas Sweterlitsch Watched on Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKWB-MVJ4sQ It occurs to me that watching four shorts in a row is basically just a DIY anthology. To that end this was kind of the perfect choice to close it out as its just all in on the intense, go go go action finale without all that pesky movie that comes before it. And its a fun finale for a movie I randomly turned on in the last act... but then flipped away 15 minutes before it was over. I kinda wish I saw the rest of the movie. Maybe TNT will air it again this weekend. But Dakota Fanning was fun as an action star and the monster was pretty cool and horrific. Its all weirdly big budget and well done for a short of this nature. I guess someone just really wanted to create a cool hands monster without any of the pesky movie stuff? Honestly, I'm ok with that. That's what these anthologies are for... or er, shorts. Whatever. But it was fun. I might check out the guy's other shorts. And I wonder if Fanning is any action or horror or sci fi flicks I haven't seen... Oh what's this... Twilight... oh... no... 🌻🎈Spook-A-Doodle Half-Way-To-Halloween ’21: Return of the Fallen & King Spring🎈🌻 King Spring: 5/13 Return of the Fallen: 5/13 Fran Challenges: 1/13 Watched - New (Total) 1. Riding the Bullet (2004); 2. Cat’s Eye (1985); - (3). Vampires vs. the Bronx (2020); - (4). The Thing (1982); 3 (5). Sleep Tight (2011); - (6). Dark Shadows (2012); 4 (7). The Wicker Man (1973); 5 (8). Varan (1958); 6 (9). The Roost (2005); 7 (10). The Poughkeepsie Tapes (2007); 8 (11). The Leech Woman (1960); 9 (12). Sometimes They Come Back (1991); 10 (13). Varan the Unbelievable (1962); 11 (14). 1922 (2017); 12 (15). What Keeps You Alive (2018); 13 (16). On the Silver Globe (1988); 14 (17). The Phantom of the Opera (1998); 15 (18). Nina Forever (2015); 16 (19). Area 51 (2015); 17 (20). Carrie (2002); 18 (21). The Stylist (2016)/Stucco (2019)/He Took His Skin Off for Me (2014)/Zygote (2017); STAC Goat fucked around with this message at 21:10 on May 10, 2021 |
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May 10, 2021 20:56
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What length is considered to be a short film for the purposes of Fran Challenge #1?
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May 10, 2021 20:57
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This isn't mandatory, but for everyone posting their short films, if you watched them online, could you include a link to them? (I'm going to steal the ones that are well-reviewed and put them in the Short Films thread.) Spatulater bro! posted:What length is considered to be a short film for the purposes of Fran Challenge #1? Same rules as the challenge in October: You must include all of the short films in a single post labeled with Fran Challenge "Short Cuts". For easy reference, the short films can't be spread across multiple posts until the requirement is met. Each short film must be written about just like a full-length film. Include a link to the short film, or a link to the short film's Letterboxd or imdb page. "What short films qualify?" If it tonally would qualify for the challenge, it's probably okay. Student Films, professional short films, YouTube films Halloween short films, scary/horror short films Thriller shorts that err on the side of horror Horror comedy Live action Animated Just make sure it's actually a short film and not, say, a Halloween special, like the Paul Lynde Halloween Special. Music videos are a weird in-between. I'm fine with something like The Monster gently caress, because while it's more of a skit, it's got enough going on in it, and it's short enough, that I would say it counts. Thriller technically counts; it even has a Letterboxd entry as a short film. However, use these sparingly. Don't just do a write-up about 70 minutes of music videos with slightly spooky imagery. I'd rather you watch and write about a 21 year old's first attempt at a horror movie about a killer doll than a write-up about Haddaway's What Is Love music video. "Are there short films that don't qualify?" Really long short films defeats the point. Don't watch Host or a Masters of Horror episode and then a 5 minute long short film to push you over the 60+ minute requirement. I'd rather you watch ten 6 minute long films than one 55 minute and one 6 minute short. However, something like Halloween Is Grinch Night, at 26 minutes long, is okay. Franchescanado fucked around with this message at 21:01 on May 10, 2021 |
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May 10, 2021 20:58
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Would these two qualify: https://letterboxd.com/film/the-signalman/ https://letterboxd.com/film/whistle-and-ill-come-to-you/ I'm SO close to successfully shoehorning the Fran Challenges into the TSZDT list.
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May 10, 2021 21:12
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Spatulater bro! posted:Would these two qualify: Yes, go for it.
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May 10, 2021 21:13
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The 1968 Whistle and I'll Come For You is by far the best M.R. James adaptation. It's mostly a middle aged dude mumbling and eating but when it gets spooky it goes full on boundless terror. Night of the Demon comes close but it's such a loose adaptation that it barely counts. The Stalls of Barchester, Honest Hearts, and The Ash Tree are all good though if you have a taste for somewhat dry British TV stuff. I'm working on an even looser adaptation of the same story ( Oh, Whistle and I'll Come For You, My Lad that is) but my main worry is that it won't live up to the classic. The recentish version is alright.
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May 10, 2021 21:37
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Is a movie based on a video game considered a tie-in? (looks like it might finally be time to see Resident Evil)
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May 10, 2021 21:58
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Spatulater bro! posted:Is a movie based on a video game considered a tie-in? (looks like it might finally be time to see Resident Evil) Yes, that definitely fits. I edited the prompt to allow horror movie adaptations of video games. Franchescanado fucked around with this message at 22:07 on May 10, 2021 |
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May 10, 2021 22:04
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Spatulater bro! posted:Is a movie based on a video game considered a tie-in? (looks like it might finally be time to see Resident Evil) Unless they made a video game based on the movie based on the video game I'd think no. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGav4TMW1mI
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May 10, 2021 22:05
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Do Psycho 2 or 3 count for the Motherhood challenge? Psycho 2 especially considering who is doing the killing and why?
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May 10, 2021 22:10
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13. Gremlins, Horror Challenge completed! Fran Challenge 13. Horrible Holidays It's Gremlins! Directed by Joe Dante and produced by Steven Spielberg. Pretty much a perfect film. Also I totally forgot this came out in 1984 which is surprising to me. I think maybe I'd forgotten how early into the 80s this had come out. The special effects are great , the story is great, and Gizmo is fantastic as something every kid would want. Itss also drat funny. It has a real mean sense of humor. Anyway I love this film. My 13 films are complete! I've met the challenge of watching 13 horror film in the month of May. I may watch more most likely I will. Hollismason fucked around with this message at 17:02 on May 24, 2021 |
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May 10, 2021 22:15
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Franchescanado posted:OR Watch a film about a group of people making a horror film I'm not big on documentaries so this part here appeals to me, but I can't seem to phrase it in a way Google understands and all the ones I can think of (Diary of the Dead, One Cut) I've already seen. Any recommendations?
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May 10, 2021 23:33
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 The Wolf of Wolf Hollow This was pretty great. Jim Cummings delivers a great performance as a horrible cop who loses the extremely tenuous amount of control he had as he fails to solve a series a grisly murders. The character is a genuinely bad person who is still stuck in an unfair and lovely situation Another thing I liked is that all the victims get a little personalization. It's not just a series of disposable people murdered for the sake of gore, they are all characters. And that's balanced by the way the deaths are edited, cut in with the investigation and the fallout so the sting of the murder is sort of dispersed into a general spiraling out of control. Which helps keep the black comedy tone. I really liked The Wolf of Snow Hollow, but I can easily see other people not liking it. The main character is genuinely lovely and some people are going to ounce off the movie because of that. And since it's all written and directed by the guy who plays the starring role, it's a movie where one single personality really shines through and if you don't like that personality I can see it being not a fun watch. So with that caveat, strong recommendation for The Wolf of Snow Hollow. 
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May 10, 2021 23:40
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Retro Futurist posted:I'm not big on documentaries so this part here appeals to me, but I can't seem to phrase it in a way Google understands and all the ones I can think of (Diary of the Dead, One Cut) I've already seen. Any recommendations? I know you said you don't like documentaries, but you should maybe try American Movie?
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May 10, 2021 23:57
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Retro Futurist posted:I'm not big on documentaries so this part here appeals to me, but I can't seem to phrase it in a way Google understands and all the ones I can think of (Diary of the Dead, One Cut) I've already seen. Any recommendations? Shadow of the Vampire Incident at Loch Ness fits maybe? Pieces of Talent
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May 10, 2021 23:59
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Retro Futurist posted:I'm not big on documentaries so this part here appeals to me, but I can't seem to phrase it in a way Google understands and all the ones I can think of (Diary of the Dead, One Cut) I've already seen. Any recommendations? Found footage 3d
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May 11, 2021 00:01
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 16. The Clown at Midnight (Jean Pellerin, 1998) Fran Challenge 8: Dead & Buried I'll be honest, the challenge of 'watch something that features someone who died recently' is never my favorite, because I don't pay much attention to celebrity deaths and find it frustrating to try and figure out who died, if they have been in horror movies I haven't seen and so on. In this case, I knew Christopher Plummer died within the last few months, so I just picked something that he was in, that was horror, and was easy to find. My laziness in completing the challenge was reflected in the laziness of filmmaking on display here. From the writer of Linnea Quigley's Horror Workout, and the director of a bunch of Def Leppard videos, comes this half-assed slasher set entirely within some run down old theater in Winnipeg. Features Margot Kidder briefly, and 'extremely 1998' James Duval and Tatyana Ali. Christopher Plummer has top billing... he's in like 3 scenes. There is a killer clown, turns out it's an incel clown, oh wait there's two clowns actually. Well, three, if you count me for watching this crap. 1/5I'll start tracking my Fran Challenges - I love doing them (except the dead people one). Retroactively counting Tigers Are Not Afraid for Fran Challenge 5: Cinco and Suspiria 2018 for Fran Challenge 2: Sometimes They Come Back both of which I logged earlier in the thread.Challenge Count: 16/31 Fran Challenges: 1
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May 11, 2021 00:03
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Franchescanado posted:I know you said you don't like documentaries, but you should maybe try American Movie? I’ll second this. American Movie is really good.
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May 11, 2021 00:19
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gey muckle mowser posted:Pieces of Talent I want to add some support to this suggestion. A fantastic no-budget flick with a great main villain.
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May 11, 2021 00:19
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Would The Last Broadcast qualify for that?
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May 11, 2021 00:28
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 23. 1982. Human Lanterns Directed by Sun Chung Available to rent in the usual places In long-ago Shaw Brothers China, Master Tan and Master Lung are wealthy rivals.  Master Lung is determined to be the champion of the lantern festival so he can embarrass Master Tan. To ensure he wins, he hires the creepy lantern-making hermit who lives in the woods outside of town. Little does Master Lung know, but the creepy lantern-making hermit has a dark secret.  Human Lanterns exists in kind of a strange space. On one hand, the action isn’t nearly as good as it is in other Shaw Brothers flicks. On the other hand, the spooky elements suffer from being shoehorned into the framework of an overwrought period piece. There’s plenty here to disappoint fans of both kung fu and horror.  This one is only a 1/2Time Travel Challenge: 23/31 Fran Challenges: 1/13 Other Movies: 5/? Watched: Time Travel: 1. Jigoku (1960), 2. The Curse of the Doll People (1961), 3. The Burning Court (1962), 4. X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963), 5. The Long Hair of Death (1964), 6. Planet of the Vampires (1965), 7. Daimajin (1966), 8. Viy (1967), 9. A Quiet Place in the Country (1968), 10. The Cremator (1969), 11. Equinox (1970), 12. Lake of Dracula (1971), 13. The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (1972), 14. The Crazies (1973), 15. Deathdream aka Dead of Night (1974), 16. Race with the Devil (1975), 17. The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976), 18. The Incredible Melting Man (1977), 19. The Grapes of Death (1978), 20. Tourist Trap (1979), 21. The Changeling (1980), 22. My Bloody Valentine (1981), 23. Human Lanterns (1982) Shorts: 1. Un Chien Andalou, 2. The Big Shave, 3. Kitchen Sink, 4. Foxes, 5. Portal to Hell!!! Other: 1. Vampires vs. the Bronx, 2. The Roost, 3. Varan, 4. On the Silver Globe, 5. The Phantom of the Opera, 6. Un Chien Andalou
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May 11, 2021 00:52
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twernt posted:I’ll second this. American Movie is really good. American Movie has also been a CineD Movie of the Month. If no one's seen it before, they could use it for that Challenge instead. Franchescanado fucked around with this message at 01:11 on May 11, 2021 |
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May 11, 2021 01:08
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Maybe I'll just do that because I've seen all the suggested ones too
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May 11, 2021 01:44
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American Movie is so so so loving good (jesus told me so).
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May 11, 2021 01:48
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14. Gremlins 2 I originally set out to watch only 13 movies but really after watching Gremlins I just had to watch Gremlins 2. Its everything that you love about the first movie ratcheted up to loving 11. Joe Dante returns to direct. The movie starts with a animated introduction by Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck which should give you a clue as to the tone of the film. Everything about it is over the top. Anyway its a great film and I love it , one of the few sequels that's as great as the original.
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May 11, 2021 02:46
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Fran Challenge 2. Sometimes They Come Back Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) Directed by Don Siegel Something’s amiss in Santa Mira, California. Nobody seems to notice that all of the people who aren’t white have disappeared. What they do notice is that some of their friends and relatives don’t seem to be themselves.  Today, Invasion of the Body Snatchers seems like a relatively ham-fisted metaphor for the dangers of Communism. Any one of us could be one of them! They’re going to take over and steal our freedoms! It’s a very solid framework for a fantastic story driven by fear, paranoia, and suspicion of some kind of other, so it’s no wonder Invasion of the Body Snatchers has been remade so many times.  The performances can get a bit hammy, but not out of the ordinary for a 50s sci-fi movie. The dialog is well written and the pacing is great. Overall it really holds up and definitely deserves its place as one of the most important horror movies ever made.  This is an easy Time Travel Challenge: 23/31 Fran Challenges: 2/13 Other Movies: 5/? Watched: Time Travel: 1. Jigoku (1960), 2. The Curse of the Doll People (1961), 3. The Burning Court (1962), 4. X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963), 5. The Long Hair of Death (1964), 6. Planet of the Vampires (1965), 7. Daimajin (1966), 8. Viy (1967), 9. A Quiet Place in the Country (1968), 10. The Cremator (1969), 11. Equinox (1970), 12. Lake of Dracula (1971), 13. The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (1972), 14. The Crazies (1973), 15. Deathdream aka Dead of Night (1974), 16. Race with the Devil (1975), 17. The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976), 18. The Incredible Melting Man (1977), 19. The Grapes of Death (1978), 20. Tourist Trap (1979), 21. The Changeling (1980), 22. My Bloody Valentine (1981), 23. Human Lanterns (1982) Shorts: 1. Un Chien Andalou, 2. The Big Shave, 3. Kitchen Sink, 4. Foxes, 5. Portal to Hell!!! Other: 1. Vampires vs. the Bronx, 2. The Roost, 3. Varan, 4. On the Silver Globe, 5. The Phantom of the Opera, 6. Invasion of the Body Snatchers
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May 11, 2021 02:55
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4. D@bbe Essentially Turkish David Lynch's attempt at Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s Pulse. This movie really, really shouldn’t work as well as it does. It’s badly acted, the scares can be described as ham-fisted at best, the colour grading is often bizarre, the CGI is terrible, it unironically uses l77t speak as a plot element, and yet, I swear it works somehow. I don’t know if it’s intentional, but it taps into the same nightmare realm that Lynch’s horror is situated in. I'm not gonna say more. It's on youtube in terrible quality, and it might even enhance your experience. You might absolutely detest it too. Give it a shot. 5. Mark of the Vampire  There is a kitty in an armor and that is enough for me to make it a winning movie. But there is also an opossum, several real (sadly) and fake (aw yea) bats, spiders, nice effects, and a quiiiite unexpected and a bit silly ending. And honestly, it’s almost a bit scary. There is a shot of Dracula walking towards the camera that, if they’d held on it longer, would have been unsettling. There’s the whole aspect of the vampires invading the house, which generally doesn’t really elicit much because it’s done in every Dracula movie, but somehow here it feels a bit more eerie. I don’t know why, especially since the movie overall has a comedic tone. But it works as a package, and overall definitely a step up from Dracula for Browning. It’s fascinating how quickly people of that era came up with a language for movies, and then seeing it evolve over time. 6. Queen of Black Magic (1981)  Aw yeah! What’s not to love about a movie that ends 10 seconds after the bad guy explodes in a shower of gore? The first half of the movie is essentially a supernatural rape revenge flick without the rape so there’s no ickiness to it. The titular character is thrown off a cliff and subsequently turns into a sultry witch who wrecks everyone’s day. The second half is a redemption story that takes away most agency from the protagonis in exchange for a hefty dose of earnest religious preaching. Not a fan of that. The end turns it around again with fireballs,, backflips, magic spears and chunky gore explosions. Previously Watched: 1. Child's Play 2, 2. Varan, 3. The Roost married but discreet fucked around with this message at 04:05 on May 11, 2021 |
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May 11, 2021 04:00
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