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 Fran Challenge #10 - Behind the Mask #12 What We Do in the Shadows Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement, 2014  A film crew sets out to document the lives of some vampires living together as roommates in New Zealand. Why the hell have I put off watching this for so long? It's the funniest thing I've seen in ages. Granted I don't watch many comedies because they rarely make me laugh and usually feel like a waste of time. But not here. I laughed constantly. The dialogue is insanely funny and the jabs at horror tropes are pitch perfect. Plus it's pretty gory and the effects are solid. Man what a great movie. 5/5 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), 12. What We Do in the Shadows (2014) 3/13 Fran Challenges completed: 2. Sometimes They Come Back (The Hunchback of Notre Dame), 7. Mother's Day (Who Can Kill a Child?), 10. Behind the Mask (What We Do in the Shadows)
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May 11, 2021 04:15
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 19 (22). Mark of the Vampire (1935) Directed by Tod Browning, Written by Guy Endore and Bernard Schubert Watched on Deb’s Bracketology Stream, available on the Internet Archive. Not a great film, but really a very fun little watch, especially if you can get your mind into the space of 1935. You go back and watch the horrors from that time and its kind of hard to process how scared people were by them and how different the sensibilities were. Similarly Mark of the Vampire utilizes a very dry humor mixed with those classic Universal "scares" to put together what I'm sure was a Scary Movie level parody by 1935 standards. Using Bela aping his classic Dracula performance and all the same basic outlines of the story from Browning's own Dracula film, he turns them on their ear and shows he can laugh at himself and not take something that was just a global landmark hit 4 years ago too seriously. I think there's two big contexts I really love this in. The first is looking at it from the Browning/Dracula perspective. If you go back and watch Dracula there's a lot of great elements of it but its also clearly kind of clunky and learning on the job. That's a big part of the reason many hold up the spanish version that filmed at nights after as superior, because they were able to study when Browning did and improve upon it. Well there's a similar deal with James Whale's classic Frankenstein. A classic in many ways, but also clearly clunky as directors learned a changing medium. But what's so impressive about Whale is that four years later he comes back with Bride of Frankenstein that is not only leaps and bounds more of a polished technical film, but also has a ton of humor and clever self awareness to it. I think this is the same kind of thing I see with Dracula and Mark of the Vampire. Four years separated, 1931 to 1935 for both directors, and Browning has another vampire movie with Bela that looks much better, is much smoother and slicker, but is also having a great big laugh at its own expense. A maturity and improvement that really impresses me. The other part I love is Bela playing Dracula. And I don't care what they call him or what they say, he's playing Dracula. And I had no idea there was a third Bela Dracula film out there but its kind of perfect. It creates the perfect half comedy/half horror bridge in a trilogy beginning with Dracula and ending with Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. And that's a trilogy I'm definitely gonna do sometime probably in October, especially since all told its under 3 1/2 hours. Not bad for a full trilogy. Or as we measure these things now, 3/4ths a Snyder Cut. All of this is contextual and certainly it can be argued that if you need all of that then it won't hit for viewers who don't have or appreciate that stuff. And that's fair. But I do. I also like dry humor. I also love Bela's Dracula. And I love the Vampirella type archetype which seems to originate here. I really did love this little movie. Also, I loved the kitty.   20 (23). Tigers Are Not Afraid (2017) Written and directed by Issa López Watched on Deb’s Bracketology Stream, available on Shudder, AMC+, DirecTV, and Pantaya. Gorgeous. Tragic. Beautiful. Heartbreaking. Magical. Gritty. All these things and more. Tigers Are Not Afraid blew me away and had the tension and pressure building in my chest for the entire run time until the drat finally broke at the end and I cried for half an hour. Out of sadness, but also just out of relief and release. The film is so tense and powerful that there was no time to truly react and grieve during it just as the children have no chance to grieve or be children. They take their moments, play when they can, cling to magic and faery tales, show glimpses of the children they should be able to be. But those moments are fleeting and short lived as danger lurks. The stuffed tiger held for comfort is also a fierce protector. The castle of safety and play is also a trap when the predators find them. The childlike wishes to be saved from these horrible things can only be answered with pain and suffering. You can obviously see the influence of Guillermo del Toro in this film. Its not just the use of supernatural elements and modern faery tales that GdT is known for but also the children in danger in the middle of a warzone that pops up in so many of del Toro's films. In the opening act Tigers Are Not Afraid is definitely very reminiscent of GdT's classic The Devil's Backbone but as it goes on I believe López finds her own voice and the film becomes its own in its own world with its own dark magic. There is no shame in being influenced by other artists. Everyone is. We constantly call films "Hitchcockian" or stories "Lovecraftian". Just because del Toro is still out there making things doesn't mean he hasn't clearly influenced a generation of artists like Andrés Muschietti and André Øvredal, And sometimes that can feel too much like aping or trying to be something you're not. But I think Lopéz completely finds her own voice here and by the second half of the film I was no longer thinking of del Toro. There's so much I want to say about this film and I just don't think I've fully processed it yet. Its a film I unquestionably wish to watch again soon. Its one I'd recommend to anyone, regardless of their genre favorites or apprehension to subtitles. Its a wonderful film that absolutely moved me and I really can't pick any flaws out of it. Some said the metaphor was heavy, but I don't think it was metaphor. It was fable and allegory. Its a faery tale. A dark one, but most are. Stories of children and predators are the backbone of faery tales, as are the magical elements that sometimes haunt them and sometimes help them. Some found those elements a burden on the film but they absolutely worked for me and kept the piece from ever falling too deep into the despair of its events. To me it was the perfect balance and is honestly one of the best films I've seen in a long time I think the best one I've seen in this Bracketology Tournament. I loved this. 🌻🎈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); 19 (22). Mark of the Vampire (1935); 20 (23). Tigers Are Not Afraid (2017);
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May 11, 2021 04:28
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Spatulater bro! posted:
If you haven’t seen the show definitely check that out, it’s somehow funnier. Anyways 3: REC Challenge 2:sometimes they come backJesus what a stressful movie. I’d seen the American remake so I knew the main beats, but there’s not a tremendous amount of plot anyways (though this is absolutely not a criticism). There’s about 5 minutes of setup and then it just kicks off and doesn’t let up for the rest of the run time. A reporter and her cameraman are doing a slice of life story about a local firehouse and they get get called out to assist with someone in distress; it goes poorly from there. It’s an interesting setup in that everyone is fairly sympathetic and you want to root for them and hope they survive and escape (the government has sealed them in) but you’ve also seen zombie movies before and you know the government guys are probably right to lock the doors. I’m a big fan of the original ending bit where the virus is basically communicable possession. that’s cool as poo poo. It’s also a found footage movie which provides a very good reason for it to be filmed and to continue filming, which is always a plus.
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May 11, 2021 05:05
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 12) Night of the Living Dead: Reanimated - TubiTV - 2009 I'd been looking for this one for a while, but kept finding NotLD: Reanimation. Approximately 150 artists contributed to this, animating portions of the movie to the movie sounds. The variety of styles is impressive, ranging from claymation, stop motion action figures, comic book, and more. Some of it works, and some of it doesn't. Overall this is definitely worth a watch for the experience.
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May 11, 2021 05:22
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An October or two back... or maybe last April when I was binging franchises... I tried to find that and the other little open copyright adaptions of NotLD but it was just a nightmare to try and make sense of all of it and I kept just clicking on copies of the original. Of course that was Before Letterboxd for me. So maybe I'd be able to pull it off this October.
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May 11, 2021 05:30
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10: The Crazies (2010) FC 2. Sometimes They Come Back  It's the same premise as the original, people get infected by a bio weapon and go crazy. This time the craziness always manifests as violence, whereas in the original a lot of people just went ditzy and vague. Could have done with more violence honestly, that combine harvester was a terrible tease. The original wasn't a top-tier Romero, but one thing I really liked was how the authorities were portrayed as very human, arrogant and incompetent. Just a bunch of total fuckups. Here, the government is efficient, all powerful and all seeing, which would be a fine direction to go except it keeps raising questions on the subject of "if you have such amazing surveillance powers, how are you loving this up so bad?". Showing us the decision makers loving things up would have helped. The cast are fine, it's well shot (if a little dark during some fight scenes). There's some tense moments. It was OK. Competent. Solid C+ Competed: 10 Four Flies on Grey Velevet; Gods and Monsters FC9; Alice, Sweet Alice, Witchfinder General; Street Trash; Cannibal Holocaust; C.H.U.D; Raw Force; In Search of Darkness 2; The Crazies (2010)FC2
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May 11, 2021 11:19
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6. Hausu First time watch for me. One exercise I always like to apply to older movies while watching is to imagine what it was like to see it in a theater for its original release. How many people walked out on this half way through? Of course in hindsight it is a classic but I can not imagine anyone who bought a ticket was originally expecting a technicolor acid dream that is lynchian at points. From the moment they get to the watermelon stand through the very end Hausu does not relent on the madness. Everyone knows about the skeleton and then the ghost cat painting but my favorite moment was just before that when the lamp bites Kung Fu in half but her legs escape to deliver a flying kick to the cat painting. Just one of many great moments but the one that got the heartiest chuckle from me. 7. Pyscho (1998) FC2 So much about this remake is puzzling. Made by a talented director, with an INCREDIBLE cast from top to bottom (somehow though, the highlight is Flea playing “Bob” while wearing a shirt that says Rick) and yet it stinks out loud. The biggest disappointment to me is that Vince Vaughn, who’s best trait is his charisma, provides 0 of the personality and charisma that Perkins brings to Norman. Maybe this was an artistic choice but if so it was a bad one. Yes, Norman is a creepy murderous wacko, but in the original he at least comes off as human enough to fool Marion for a bit until the mask slips. But as he’s portrayed by Vaughn anyone would immediately be able to tell something is way off. It makes it much tougher to believe Aborgast would be trusting enough to let Norman get the jump on him. Even the shower scene in the original is more effective and believable despite being black and white. Also if this is a modernization, why does Vigo Mortensen look like he was bussed in directly from 1952? It stinks.
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May 11, 2021 13:58
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TheBizzness posted:Do Psycho 2 or 3 count for the Motherhood challenge? I didn't ignore this question, by the way. I've never seen Psycho 2 or 3, so I have no idea how much of Norman's mother looms in them. I asked in the discord and didn't get any answers. So, as of now, it's inconclusive! Sorry.
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May 11, 2021 14:00
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Well the second vaccine shot kicked my rear end for the past 48 hours. The good news is I got one of the Fran Challenges done, the bad(or maybe also good?) news is that I was shivering under a blanket for this whole movie and may or may not have invented a whole different movie in my feverish mind.  Mother's Day I know bringing up names like Joe Bob Briggs and Eli Roth is not exactly the best conversation starter around here, and for good reason. But Joe Bob showed Mother's Day for one of his recent episodes and brought Eli Roth on for commentary. It turns out that Mother's Day is actually one of key horror films of Roth's childhood and the one that he says influenced him the most when he started directing. So between him and Joe Bob the depth of knowledge on this particular film was really nice to have while watching it, and even more useful for me in this case because it was hard for me to totally focus and have my own thoughts about it so I appreciated the ongoing dialogue. Tonally Mother's Day is all over the place. It's directed by Lloyd Kaufman's brother so I expected goofy but then at certain points the film is genuinely disturbing. The fate of one particular character is actually very haunting and affecting, much moreso than you'd think it would be in a movie like this. The characters are actually pretty drat good all around, although most people are probably going to single out Beatrice Pons as the real standout performance that makes the movie memorable. Apparently she wanted this role very badly, but because it was a non-union film she had to use a fake name in the credits to avoid getting into trouble. All in all I think Mother's Day is one of those films that's like, right on the edge of greatness and just falls short. So I can totally see why a young Eli Roth would've latched onto it and why it's become a cult favorite, it has unique and entertaining qualities that you don't often find in a typical backwoods slasher type movie, but of course it was never going to be a mainstream hit and was always destined to collect dust on video rental shelves until a kid walks by and the cover catches their eye.    1. The Leopard Man 2. The Curse of Frankenstein 3. The Old Dark House(Fran Challenge #2) 4. The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb 5. Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3 6. Mother's Day(Fran Challenge #7) Basebf555 fucked around with this message at 16:12 on May 11, 2021 |
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May 11, 2021 16:10
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Franchescanado posted:9. Scream, Queen!  #10. Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street (Shudder) A documentary around the life and career of Mark Patton, the star of A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2, and the issues that film caused him as a gay man in the 1980s and beyond. I was born not long before A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2 originally released, and for a long time I bought into the same "this move is so gay = this movie is so bad" early internet mentality. I've since semi-re-evaluated: It's not a good film, but its gayness is not the source of its issues. And while I don't believe that Mark Patton put in a terribly good performance in said film, he certainly did not deserve the bile that the internet foisted upon him for his performance, or that film, or his sexuality in general. So it's a wonderful thing to see him able to reclaim that film from the internet trolls, my previous self included, and to put his influence to good use. And it's upsetting to see how much he had to go through in his personal life, to be able to reach that position, both leaving behind his career and all of the losses that AIDS inflicted on him and the wider gay community in the 1980s. Scream, Queen!, as a documentary, is fairly dry and simplistic, and I think it relies on Patton as a source of moment-to-moment interest maybe a bit too much. As an aggregate, his story and his place in that wider world of 1980s gay history is fascinating, and he can be an interesting storyteller when he is being open and honest. However, I noticed that, in his day-to-day life and in his interactions with people in public that were catalogued in the film, he's very aware of the camera and becomes more insular and quiet than he is in those interview sections. I think less focus on him outside of those controlled environments would have benefited the basic ebb and flow of the movie a lot better, and might have helped Patton come across as more authentic at times. Also, having come off of watching the two In Search of Darkness documentaries in the past week, I will note that some of the anecdotes from the other cast members are basically repeated, almost verbatim, from those earlier films, so that familiarity hurt this film a bit. The wider story of the 1980s AIDS crisis and the world of Reaganomics is an interesting one, and one that I have little awareness of outside of dry general historical knowledge. I do want to investigate it a bit deeper, thanks in part to Patton and this film. I will note that there is an interesting tactic that the film takes, which is to not give power to those people and politicians who are attacking the gay community and using the specter of the AIDS crisis to their own ends. It's an undercurrent that bubbles up occasionally here; it's impossible to release a film like this in the Donald Trump era and not have his presence as the racist homophobic boogeyman be felt in some capacity. Still, I admire its restraint in avoiding him, and the people like him, as much as possible - this isn't their story, and they don't deserve to be mentioned anyway.  /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), Scream, Queen! (FC #9) Franchescanado posted:I didn't ignore this question, by the way. I've never seen Psycho 2 or 3, so I have no idea how much of Norman's mother looms in them. I asked in the discord and didn't get any answers. So, as of now, it's inconclusive! Sorry. For what it's worth, I'd say that Psycho 2 does count, but also that the "evil mother" ('evil Mother"'?) aspect of it is fairly subdued compared to something like a Mother's Day or something of that ilk. It's a restrained movie, and while those elements are there, it's far more interested in being a psychodrama about Norman Bates being gaslit back into re-losing his sanity than it is about people being chopped up by an evil mother figure. Class3KillStorm fucked around with this message at 16:14 on May 11, 2021 |
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May 11, 2021 16:11
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 13. The Devil Rides Out (1968) dir. Terence Fisher blu-ray When the Duc de Richelieu (Christopher Lee) discovers that an old friend has gotten involved with a Satanic cult, he must face the forces of evil to save the souls of the cult's victims. Directed by Terence Fisher and written by Richard Matheson, this is one of the best classic Hammer horror films I've seen. It features everything I love about Hammer films, including lavish production values, great acting (from Lee of course, but also from Charles Grey as the charismatic cult leader), and some really fun (if dated) effects. Love it! 5 goatmen out of 5  Fran Challenge #7. Mother's Day14. The Taking of Deborah Logan (2014) dir. Adam Robitel Shudder For her thesis project, a grad student is making a documentary about Sarah Logan and her mother Deborah, who is suffering from the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. Deborah's symptoms start off mild - memory lapses and disorientation and the like - but she becomes increasingly unstable and even violent. Soon, inexplicable events begin to occur around the house, and both Sarah and the film crew fear that something supernatural may be happening. I liked this, but didn't totally love it. It's presented in a documentary/found footage style that mostly felt unnecessary, and I think it could've worked better if it were shot like a normal film. Too many "why are they filming this?" moments and cheap tricks like the camera glitching for no reason. Also there are a lot of scenes where it's clear that the actors are improvising and it always comes across as awkward and fake. It does have some legit creepy and scary moments though, even if it does move away from the horror of seeing a loved one's mind deteriorate and into more standard horror movie territory. I enjoyed it well enough, but Relic is much a better take on similar material and I can't see myself wanting to revisit this one again. 3.5 scary old ladies out of 5 Edgar Wright's Top 100 Horror: 97/100 Slant Top 100 Horror: 97/100 TSZDT 2020: 671/1000 Total: 14 Watched: White Zombie | M | Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter | The Demoniacs | The Addiction | The Fall of the House of Usher (1928) | The Queen of Black Magic (2019) | Warlock | Prince of Darkness | A Record of Sweet Murder | The Neon Demon | The Day of the Beast | The Devil Rides Out | The Taking of Deborah Logan (FC#7)
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May 11, 2021 17:30
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Also because I don't know what I'll have an opportunity to watch later this month, I'm going to retroactively count a couple films for the challenges:Fran Challenge #2. Sometimes They Come Back The Queen of Black Magic (2019) - remake of a film of the same name from 1981 Fran Challenge #13. Horrible HolidaysThe Day of the Beast - Anti-nativity story set on Christmas Eve Watched: White Zombie | M | Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter | The Demoniacs | The Addiction | The Fall of the House of Usher (1928) | The Queen of Black Magic (2019) (FC#2) | Warlock | Prince of Darkness | A Record of Sweet Murder | The Neon Demon | The Day of the Beast (FC#13) | The Devil Rides Out | The Taking of Deborah Logan (FC#7) Fran Challenges: 1
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May 11, 2021 17:35
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Oh, thanks for mentioning that Day of The Beast is set on Christmas Eve, I had it on my list to watch already so that's an easy choice.
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May 11, 2021 17:50
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Movie #8: From Beyond No, I want to see more... more than any man has ever seen! From Beyond is a movie that doesn't gently caress around. The movie's run barely two minutes when a scientist turns on a machine that colours everything purple, reveals weird skeleton moray eels swimming in the air and gets his face bitten by one of them. A few minutes more and another scientist has had his head twisted off and a dog is eating the stump. That's one hell of a mission statement! Before I saw "The Colour Out of Space" I insisted that there has never been a good Lovecraft movie. This was only because I had never seen From Beyond, which certainly counts as one even though it's only loosely based on a short story of the same name, because boy howdy, here's some loving cosmic horror for you! Turns out that our world is also inhabited by slimy tentacle monsters, only we can't see them, and they can't see us, unless our pineal glands are stimulated by very precise magnetic fields. That's a good thing, because the moment this happens, heads start getting twisted off, people get eaten into bloody skeletons by tiny (but presumably tentacled) mites and impotent professors turn into impotent tentacle monsters who eat brains. My enjoyment of the movie followed a roller coaster curve. The beginning is awesome. Then the movie continues awesome until we hit the middle point where Lovecraftian horror takes the back seat for "oh the pineal gland also controls our sexuality so I guess we're all turbo horny weirdoes now even though one of us almost got eaten by a Dhole (a giant worm, not a cute fox thing)", at which point I was about ready to check out. But then the movie finds another gear and we go into full brain eating, flying tentacle monster territory and how the hell can I not love a movie where two slimy skulls are snapping at each other in a gribbly fight to the death? And of course everything ends the only way a good Lovecraft story should: our heroes win the very definition of a Pyrrhic victory, because the things from beyond are only delayed, whereas our heroes are all either dead, or batshit insane. Holy poo poo what a god drat ride. / 5 Earlier movies: 1. Evil Dead II, 2. The Legend of Hell House, 3. Hausu, 4. The Haunting, 5. The Innkeepers, 6. Sleepaway Camp, 7. It Follows
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May 11, 2021 18:50
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8. The Cellar (1989) dir. by Kevin Tenney A good little slice of monster fun set in rural TX. It's basically an 80s kids monster movie, and I am here for that. The monster has some neat lore dealing with the western colonialism, but is a bit more concerned with the family dynamic. Largely a well meaning father with some stereotypical and toxic ideas of being a man. Not all bad views mind you, like scaring his boss and getting fired in order to stand up for his son. The climax dives into the dad's worst side though and while it brushes along a little too quick I do think he's the one that learns a lesson, listen to your kid and deal with your issues about showing emotion properly. The kid actor is pretty good and has some solid line reads. I wish his friendship with the old man who knows whats up had more time though. Their little moments together were pretty great. This isn't going to be anyone's favorite 80s monster movie, but it's still a pretty fun trip. I watched the directors cut and not the producers cut. 3/5 -- 9. Autopsy (1975) dir. by Armando Crispino A unique and moody giallo. Maybe a little convoluted at times, but it also helps with the heatstroke vibe of the films atmosphere. The Morricone score certainly helps in that regard too. Using voices/whispering in the score really adds to the feel of the whole thing. The movie is very strange, like that opening is pretty wild. I thought the use of the solar spot footage was interesting, adding a bit more mood at times. The lead was wonderful, selling her demeanor and sense of fear very well. All her male counterparts are your typical misogynist scumbags, though I admit to finding the rich bf a bit charming at times, he has a wonderful smile. Gives away the reveal a little too soon I thought, but it makes for an exciting conclusion. Definitely a higher up entry on the giallo tier list for me. 3.5/5 Movie Count - 9/15
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May 11, 2021 19:45
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 A Record of Sweet Murder I was looking forward to this one. I'm a big Koji Shiraishi fan, Noroi and Cult are both fantastic and Occult is one of my favorite movies. When I found out there was a Koji Shiraishi movie available on Region 1 bluray I immediately bought it without reading a a word of the synopsis. I was so hyped up for it I started getting worried that it wouldn't live up to my expectations. I am happy to report that A Record of Sweet Murder does not disappoint. It's a found footage one-take bottle movie. There's one camera running for 80 minutes with some people in an apartment, one of who believes he is being commanded by god to kill. At first it's mainly just about the people trying to talk the guy out of killing, and the guy trying to convince them that he really is being commanded by god. But as it goes on unexpected character dynamics emerge, and the movie becomes more about the fact that these people are trapped together with knives. The violence is well choreographed and realistic, the small set and one-take camerawork make every stab feel intense. There is no superpowered villain or plot-mandated lucky hero, everybody is just scrabbling to not get stabbed. A word of warning, there is a rape scene. It is not tasteful and it does feel very uncomfortable. But not at all in the way you would expect. I can't really explain it without just explaining the back half of the movie, but I do feel an obligation to do a content warning for a movie I'm recommending that has a rape scene in it, but I do want to stress that it does not hit like a regular rape scene in most horror movies. So with that caveated caveat I do strongly recommend A Record of Sweet Murder. Like every other Koji Shiraishi movie I've seen, you aren't gonna have seen anything quite like it. 
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May 11, 2021 21:21
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 24. 1983. Christine Directed by John Carpenter Available to rent in the usual places Despite its title, Christine is really the story of Arnie Cunningham. Arnie is a lovable high school loser whose only friend, Dennis, drives a blue 1968 Dodge Charger. The first day of the school year is a mixed bag for Arnie and Dennis. They get into an altercation with Buddy, the school bully. Then, on their way home, Arnie falls in love… with a car. He spots a red 1958 Plymouth Fury for sale and has to have it. This does not go over well with his parents, who own a yellow 1971 Volvo 144.  Christine is definitely a John Carpenter movie, so if you’re a fan you’ll probably like it. Surprisingly, there isn’t much in the way of blood and guts. There are some pretty nice effects though.  For what it’s worth, the year Christine came out, a 1958 Plymouth Fury would have been 25 years old. If Christine was remade today, the 25-year-old Plymouth would be either a 1996 Breeze or Neon. Also, in case you were wondering, Buddy drove a gray and black 1967 Chevy Camaro.  Christine is an easy 1/2Time Travel Challenge: 24/31 Fran Challenges: 2/13 Bracketology: 7/? Watched: Time Travel Challenge: 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), 24. Christine (1983) Fran Challenges: 1. Un Chien Andalou / The Big Shave / Kitchen Sink / Foxes / Portal to Hell!!!, 2. Invasion of the Body Snatchers Bracketology: 1. Vampires vs. the Bronx, 2. The Roost, 3. Varan, 4. On the Silver Globe, 5. The Phantom of the Opera, 6. Mark of the Vampire, 7. Tigers Are Not Afraid
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May 11, 2021 21:29
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15. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) Before there was the hit tv series there was a movie. I actually really enjoy this movie a lot , I mean its got a certain charm to it that only a 90s movie could have. Sara Michelle Gellar is not in this which is a plus I always never really particularly cared for her as Buffy even as someone who watched the entire series of Buffy. Its a fun movie with Luke Perry and Donald Sutherland in it as well. Sutherland is of course ecellent. You also have Rutger Hauer as the main bad guy. If I could come up with one word for this film it would be Pithy. Everyone is super sarcastic through. Anyway its a fun B Movie that doen't take itself to seriously and its also got Paul Reubens as a vampire as well.
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May 11, 2021 22:06
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5. The Witch Who Came From the Sea How did I watch this? – Blu-Ray How long have I gone without watching this? – Less than a month! I picked it up in the last sale on Grindhouse. Why do I own this? – I thought multiple people were gushing about it on these very forums but I can’t find those posts, so, I don’t know. Perhaps I hallucinated the whole thing to cover up for childhood trauma? drat, ok. This was not what I was expecting at all, though I was thoroughly prepped by watching the introduction by Stephen Thrower. Millie Perkins is really wonderful as Molly, a woman with a traumatic past that she has hidden behind a carefully constructed façade. As that begins to crack and we see the truth of what had happened, Molly’s fantasies of violence against the men in her life begin to manifest as reality... I think? It’s a trippy film, but I’m pretty sure she’s killing those dudes. I mean it has to be the most contemplative look at sexual trauma on the Video Nasties list, that’s for sure. 3.5/5 Was it a good purchase? – It’s not a fun movie to watch, exactly, but it is a really interesting and pretty good film. 2. Witchboard (1986) Fran Challenge #8: Dead and Buried  How did I watch this? – Plex. Also on Tubi and Prime. At a party, Brandon pulls out his Ouija board and wows the crowd with his spirit contacting shtick, particularly Linda. It ends with the spirit of David, a ten year old boy, lashing out and throwing the board across the room. Linda becomes captivated by the board, and talking to David. Meanwhile people in her circle begin to be killed, and Brandon and her boyfriend Jim search for answers. Tawny Kitaen, rest in peace, is pretty good as Linda. The plot is pretty dumb but it’s an enjoyable watch. 3/5 I'm retroactively counting two more Fran Challenges: Dial Code Santa Claus as Fran Challenge #13: Horrible Holidays Castle Freak (2020) as Fran Challenge #2: Sometimes They Come Back. I'll tally everything at the end for simplicity's sake.
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May 11, 2021 22:23
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graventy posted:5. The Witch Who Came From the Sea Plenty of us have said good things about it, scattered across many challenge threads over the years. I find it a tough one to form a clear opinion on because it's a pretty good movie but, like, drat. I wanted to watch the poster movie instead. I really wanted that.
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May 11, 2021 22:35
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Yeah, I'm not sure I've ever seen a film that is less what I expected it to be from the poster and title than that. But its definitely a very interesting and thoughtful examination of abuse.
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May 11, 2021 22:37
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 21 (23). Death Walks on High Heels (1971) Directed by Luciano Ercoli, Written by Manuel Velasco, Dino Verde, Ernesto Gastaldi, & Mahnahén Velasco. Watched on Amazon Prime, available on Arrow and TubiTV. Was that a blackface dance? Seriously? I don't like giallo, so why watch giallo? Well partly its just because its hard to filter through Italian horrors to find non giallo films. But also this movie fell on my radar after watching All the Colors of Giallo a couple of months ago although to be honest I have no idea why now. I don't know if this film was singled out as prominent or a trailblazing giallo or if Luciano Ercoli just made an impression on me. Honestly I think I might have just watchlisted the top film of any director featured I had never seen. Kind of "clean off the play before I close the door" thing. After all I like Bava and Argento so I don't hate all giallo. So maybe there's someone I love I just haven't tried out yet. For the first half this felt less like a horror or crime film than some kind of soft porn or something. What was that french girl's name? Emmanuelle? Its just our main lady jumping from creepy stalker guy to creepy stalker guy ostensibly trying to figure out which one is her ACTUAL stalker but mostly just doing sexy things and not caring. Like there's a five minute scene of her eating sexily. Then a scene of her sexily painting her toe nails while eating. I think someone might be into food stuff. At least that's what the film was for the first half and then it takes a turn and I didn't even know what it was. I mean, I think I know what drew me here. That giallo doc really emphasized the whodunit origins of giallo and a couple of directors/writers criticized that the genre kind of cheated with that, so I was kind of curious what those guys did. This clearly is much heavier on the Agatha Christie like twists and turns of the mystery but its kind of just a convoluted mess. The film blows itself up like 3 or 4 times to throw another curve and leave everyone clueless and if that's what you like oh boy does this film have a lot of of it from beginning to end. But it just kind of drove me insane and literally gave me a headache. And then toss in all the blackface and violent sexual assault and creepy perv predator stuff and then a late dash of transphobia? Just all combined for a really miserable experience for me. But for giallo fans it might be worth the ride.  22 (24). Maniac (1980) Directed by William Lustig, written by C. A. Rosenberg and Joe Spinell Watched on Amazon Prime, also available on AMC Plus, DIRECTV, Night Flight Plus, Shudder, Tubi TV, and VUDU Free Fran Challenges 2/13 Franchescanado posted:2. Sometimes They Come Back I'm not really sure what to make of this. I've been just kind of sitting on it for the better part of an hour and reading things and I still don't really know. I hate slashers, I hate exploitation, and I haven't enjoyed Lustig's films so I've largely avoided this one. But its so often brought up as an "essential" that I kind of couldn't shake it and decided to finally give it a watch. And honestly, I can understand why its singled out. It didn't feel as exploitative or vulgar as many other of its ilk do. Yes, just gruesome and dark and horrible but at its core its really a character study. So while this character does terrible things and we see and experience them, the film doesn't linger on them or revel in them the way many films do. Sometimes when watching a horror film I can't help but feel like the director is enjoying himself too much, but that thought never crosses my mind when watching Maniac. Its clear Lustig and Spinelli don't like this man or what he's doing, they're just interested. I don't know if I was interested though. Spinelli definitely elevates the role and gives it everything he's got acting wise, but I don't know if it works writing wise. Frank Grillo's shifts from charming guy to raving lunatic felt too big and unnatural to me. Now I'm no expert on the subject so maybe its a very accurate portrayal and Spinelli and Lustig did their research. But it feels more cartoonishly evil than I think the film really needed. Like compare it to Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer which is roughly the same idea but handles Henry in a much more natural and believable way. Henry chilled me and is a film I'm not sure I'll ever willingly rewatch. I'm in no rush to rewatch Maniac but Frank Grillo didn't have the same affect on me. He feels a little too close to the slasher monster to have that real impact Henry had. But again, Spinelli works hard to get there. And Lustig keeps his focus on the character and doesn't get distracted leering at women or getting excited by abuse. The most gratuitous scene is probably the early one of Tom Savini getting his head blown off. Something I'm sure Tom had a ball making happen to himself. But it kind of feels like an outlier in this film. Or at least a shocking event intended to establish a mood and a level that isn't constantly revisited because its already done its job. I don't think I really enjoyed this film, but I can't say I hated it either. Its certainly got interesting elements and performances and I can understand why it has the reputation it has. I think its more thoughtful and ambitious than the average slasher or exploitation film. Spinelli puts in a memorable performance. And the ending is pretty different and satisfying, again choosing not to revel in the genre excesses but instead really lean into the character's state. I don't know where to rate this or how I really feel about it, but if nothing else I definitely think this was an interesting watch from a unique film. I'm never getting this song out of my head. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brmYXsi7Qzs 🌻🎈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: 2/13 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); 19 (22). Mark of the Vampire (1935); 20 (23). Tigers Are Not Afraid (2017); 21 (23). Death Walks on High Heels (1971); 22 (24). Maniac (1980);
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May 11, 2021 23:12
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Fran Challenge 1: Short Cuts Not counting these towards my total films watched, just wanted to separate this out from my regular feature-length reviews to keep myself organized.  The Quiet Room (Sam Wineman, 2018) - 28 mins We open with a man named Michael attempting suicide and then waking up in a hospital. He meets some of the other patients (and staff, including a nurse played by Brian McCook aka Katya out of drag). He is haunted by nightmares of his former partner Ben, who died during a camping trip, and learns about a demon named Hattie (played by another queen, Alaska) that stalks suicidal patients. It does a good job of keeping you guessing throughout, and doesn't feel like any time is wasted. I really liked this. Available on Shudder. [Letterboxd]  The Umbrella Factory (Nick and Lexie Trivundza, 2019) - 3 mins A pretty standard interpretation of the monkey's paw story with some cool animation. I feel like having it be so short takes away the impact of most of the big moments, or maybe it's because I've seen a zillion versions of this story. If you know the monkey's paw story, you can guess exactly what will happen. Available on YouTube.  The Captured Bird (Jovanka Vuckovic, 2020) - 12 mins This was EP'd by Guillermo del Toro and won a bunch of awards, so I decided to check it out. There isn't much to it - a little girl drawing on with sidewalk chalk is drawn to a spooky old building, inside she finds some spooky monster looking things and screams. It's absolutely beautiful, though. My little image above does not do it justice. Worth watching for the visuals alone. Available on YouTube.  Mama (Andy and Barbara Muschietti, 2008) - 3 mins I watched the full-length for the Bracketology tournament somewhat recently, and thought I had seen this, but I hadn't. This 3 minute short is like, a million times more interesting than the full movie, because Mama is not exposed as much, and her movement is more stilted and spooky. I liked the short! Available on YouTube.  2AM: The Smiling Man (Michael Evans, 2013) - 4 mins This short is apparently based on a reddit post somebody made about a scary experience, and while this is super simple, it scared me because I had a very similar experience one time. A man is out for a late walk, and sees someone smiling, and possibly following him. Very effective sound design on this one, or maybe I was just more susceptible because it was bringing up spooky memories. Available on YouTube.  Zygote (Neill Blomkamp, 2017) - 22 mins Found this on a 'best short horror' list, and it was a great way to end this challenge. We're dropped into what feels like the start of the last act of a full-length feature, with Dakota Fanning and Ricky from the Crank movies being chased by... something. I think they said something about quartz, I'm not 100% sure, but I can tell you that it is a big gross monster that wails and is just a big mish mash of body parts absorbed by the people it has already killed. It's very The Thing, very Dead Space, and very fun. The creature looks great and both of our heroes have solid arcs considering the runtime. Now I want to look into other stuff that 'Oats Studios' has put out, because this was a bop. Available on YouTube. Overall a good crop of shorts, but the standouts are definitely The Quiet Room and Zygote. If you're looking to complete this challenge and don't have any specific shorts in mind, I'd recommend those for sure. (total: 72 minutes)
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May 11, 2021 23:46
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Gripweed posted:A word of warning, there is a rape scene. It is not tasteful and it does feel very uncomfortable. But not at all in the way you would expect. I can't really explain it without just explaining the back half of the movie, but I do feel an obligation to do a content warning for a movie I'm recommending that has a rape scene in it, but I do want to stress that it does not hit like a regular rape scene in most horror movies. I should’ve mentioned that too. When that part started I had my finger hovering over the fast forward button, but just like the rest of the film it’s like an inversion of what you’d normally expect. But yeah, it’s still a rape scene regardless of how it plays out.
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May 11, 2021 23:47
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 13) Talon Falls - Prime - 2017 I think this might've worked better if it'd been released five years earlier. It's the standard people go to an exclusive and extreme haunted house which turns out badly for them. The gritty torture-ganza things comes across dated and stale since the genre's moved on from that. It's not impossible to make a torture-ganza film now, but the key thing is you have to bring something new to the table and Talon Falls definitely doesn't. It's overlong at 74 minutes, and could've worked fine as a short film. Unless you're doing a torture-ganza movie marathon, this is quite skippable.
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May 11, 2021 23:50
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10. Murder Mansion (1972) dir. by Francisco Lara Polop A neat Spanish giallo. Decent characters and the setting of the old mansion and foggy cemetery were cool. The opening and the finale are both the strongest points but there's enough in the middle to keep me entertained. I like the supernatural leanings of this one as well. Just a bit too slow in the middle, something I've grown accustomed to with these. 2.5/5 -- 11. Crazy Desires of a Murderer (1977) dir. by This was a lot more fun than my last giallo. The cast and costuming is great, the music is cool, and there's some excellent gore scenes. It's also incredibly sleazy and alcohol fueled, which is something I really like out of these movies haha. The detective, an Agatha Christie style investigator, made for a wonderful addition about halfway through and carried it over the finish line. Not every subplot goes places, but the drug smuggling one was pretty good. An excellent blend of whodunnit and euro goth makes this worth a watch for giallo fans. 3/5 -- That finishes off my Giallo box sets so I'll be switching gears to some low grade American horror. Movie Count - 11/15
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May 11, 2021 23:53
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gey muckle mowser posted:I should’ve mentioned that too. When that part started I had my finger hovering over the fast forward button, but just like the rest of the film it’s like an inversion of what you’d normally expect. But yeah, it’s still a rape scene regardless of how it plays out. yeah its a pretty weird scene. really dug the movie though
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May 11, 2021 23:55
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The Berzerker posted:
Zygote really does effectively capture that feeling of when you randomly tune into a movie 2/3rds of the way through and then miss the last 15 minutes but that 20 minutes you did see were pretty cool and you'd like to see the whole movie. Its weird someone made that but it was fun.
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May 12, 2021 00:14
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 25. 1984. Night of the Comet Directed by Thom Eberhardt Available on Tubi, YouTube In Night of the Comet, Earth is about to pass through the tail of a comet that hasn’t visited for 65 million years. Coincidentally, that’s about when the dinosaurs were wiped out. Nobody seems to care though, as comet fever sweeps the country and everyone plans huge outdoor parties where they can watch the comet pass. The next morning, our hero Regina “Reggie” Belmont wakes up to find that her boyfriend has disappeared and the city is apparently deserted. It seems like everyone who was exposed to the comet has either died or become a zombie.  Night of the Comet is incredibly 80s. There’s a shopping montage set to Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, a radio station full of neon and improbable furniture, and a smattering of problematic language. It’s also much less of a conventional horror movie than I expected. Sure, pretty much everyone is dead, but the spookiness is all more existential than tangible. If society collapsed, what would it be like to be there exactly when it happened?  The final gag is pretty good though. This is a but I thought it would be higher.Time Travel Challenge: 25/31 Fran Challenges: 2/13 Bracketology: 7/? Watched: Time Travel Challenge: 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), 24. Christine (1983), 25. Night of the Comet (1984) Bracketology: 1. Vampires vs. the Bronx, 2. The Roost, 3. Varan, 4. On the Silver Globe, 5. The Phantom of the Opera, 6. Mark of the Vampire, 7. Tigers Are Not Afraid Fran Challenges: 1. Un Chien Andalou / The Big Shave / Kitchen Sink / Foxes / Portal to Hell!!!, 2. Invasion of the Body Snatchers twernt fucked around with this message at 03:53 on May 12, 2021 |
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May 12, 2021 00:38
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The best way I can describe Night of the Comet is that it feels like it very heavily inspired Joss Whedon to create Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
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May 12, 2021 00:42
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STAC Goat posted:The best way I can describe Night of the Comet is that it feels like it very heavily inspired Joss Whedon to create Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Now that you say that I can totally see it.
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May 12, 2021 00:50
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6. Ginger Snaps I’ve been meaning to check out Ginger Snaps for an eternity and it did not disappoint. I knew it had a reputation as a coming of age story wrapped up in a werewolf story, I didn’t realize it was quite so literally menstruation and burgeoning sexuality  There’s not much for me to add that hasn’t already been discussed, this film wears its themes on its sleeve and strikes a great balance between horror and drama. But there were some surprises along the way. For one I wasn’t aware how drat funny this film is. Some great lines in this script and a really funny performance from Mimi Rogers.  It’s also an absolute marvel of low-budget filmmaking. 5 million isn’t a minuscule amount of money but they get the most out of it. It looks great, I love the mind-numbing suburban setting, the “show more with less gore” and I applaud them not being afraid to bring that awesome rubber suit back out in the end  But in the end, the best part of Ginger Snaps is the relationship between our leads. Emily Perkins and Katharine Isabelle do a fantastic job. They are authentic and powerful and watching them torn apart is painful. Also Emily Perkins has one of the best wide-eyed “WTF is happening” looks in horror history!  It’s just a really great film, tightly scripted, cleverly made, looks and sounds great. I’m a little scared to check out the sequels if they are diminishing returns but at the very least they look interesting. Watchlist ranked Best to Worst 1. Bride of Re-animator* 2. Ginger Snaps 3. Frankenhooker* 4. House on Haunted Hill ‘99 5. Victor Crowley 6. Jason Goes to Hell *=rewatch WeaponX fucked around with this message at 01:02 on May 12, 2021 |
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May 12, 2021 00:51
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The sequels are... ok. They're both pretty different so you don't really get that diminishing returns thing, but neither really made a strong impression or feel near as close to the original. They're just kind of cheap, ok werewolf films. Tatiana Maslany is in the second one, which is kinda cool.
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May 12, 2021 00:55
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 17. Video Nasties: Moral Panic, Censorship & Videotape (Jake West, 2010) Fran Challenge 10: Behind the Mask Rented this on Vimeo as I have been wanting to watch it for a while. I remember learning about censorship from my mother, who let me watch horror movies from a young age - conversations about those types of movies is where I first heard of 'video nasties', as my mom is from England. I always assumed they were the scariest, realest, most scarring movies in the world, although as an adult I've seen a ton of them and they vary wildly in quality and content, like anything else. This film is a great deep dive into where the movement came from, how totally nonsensical the criticisms were, and so on. It includes interviews with people on both sides which is quite interesting because you have conservative politicians like Graham Bright who still says these movies are "evil", along with commentators like Kim Newman or Martin Barker who rightly point out the rampant hypocrisy from those attempting to censor these films. It's fascinating to see how far people were willing to go in pursuit of control, the doc does a great job of breaking it all down (including an excellent moment where they explain how an incredibly small sample size of data from a very unreliable group got pumped up as this insane statistic of 40% of 6 year olds having seen a video nasty). I mean, for gently caress's sake, a man went to prison for 12 months because he sold an extended, unapproved cut of "Nightmares in a Damaged Brain". Worth seeking out. You can find a poor quality copy on YouTube. 4.5/5 18. Cheerleader Camp (John Quinn, 1988) Fran Challenge 3: Camp BLOOD I've seen most of the more popular summer camp horror films, so I decided to check this out because I remember the cover (a cheerleader jumping with pom poms, but with a skeleton face) from wandering the video rental store when I was a kid. This is ostensibly a "horror comedy" except you won't laugh, unless you're the type to lose it over a fat guy getting his bare rear end stuck hanging out a car window while he farts. The premise of this slasher is pretty simple - there's a camp, and there are cheerleaders, and they're competing. The girls all fit your typical tropes - the mean one, the meaner one, the dumb one, the awkward one who has to wear the mascot outfit, and the hero, Alison (Betsy Russell, from most of the later Saw movies). The men also fit your typical tropes - the jock who cheats, the fat guy who makes jokes, and of course George 'Buck' Flower as the handyman who says the girls will "make your pee pee harder than a ten pound bag of nickel jawbreakers". There are boobs, and neon blood, and some "well we tried" effects. The hook is that Alison, stressed out from the competition, is having visions and nightmares and might actually be the one responsible for all the killings! She isn't, it's the mascot girl, who frames Alison and laughs as we fade to black. It's pretty much exactly what I was expecting, and certainly meets the criteria of "summer camp horror movie". 2.5/5Challenge Count: 18/31 Fran Challenges:
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May 12, 2021 01:43
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16. Van Helsing  I love this movie. Its so bad that it wraps around to being good again. This is a gonzo CGI fest film with some questionable now CGI. ITs got Hugh Jackman as Simon Belmont, I mean uh Van Helsing right this is not a Castlevania movie, or is it? Seriously great time for B Movie fair , also its got a great cast.
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May 12, 2021 02:44
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 26. 1985. Demons Directed by Lamberto Bala Available on Hoopla, Mubi, Shudder In Demons, a random assortment of vaguely continental characters are invited to a mysterious movie at a mysterious theater. Then the rest of the movie happens. If someone said to me, “Hey! I just watched this crazy Italian horror movie from the 80s,” Demons is pretty much exactly what I would imagine.  All of the voices sound dubbed, regardless of the language the actor actually speaks. The plot barely makes any sense. A guy rides a dirt bike around the inside of a movie theater. The lightning is colorful and garish. There are all kinds of exceedingly goopy and bloody practical effects.  None of it really matters though. If you want to watch a movie about people turning into demons in an evil movie theater and you don’t want to think about it too much, you could do worse than this one. This is definitely a Time Travel Challenge: 26/31 Fran Challenges: 2/13 Bracketology: 7/? Watched: Time Travel Challenge: 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), 24. Christine (1983), 25. Night of the Comet (1984), 26. Demons (1985) Bracketology: 1. Vampires vs. the Bronx, 2. The Roost, 3. Varan, 4. On the Silver Globe, 5. The Phantom of the Opera, 6. Mark of the Vampire, 7. Tigers Are Not Afraid Fran Challenges: 1. Un Chien Andalou / The Big Shave / Kitchen Sink / Foxes / Portal to Hell!!!, 2. Invasion of the Body Snatchers twernt fucked around with this message at 03:59 on May 12, 2021 |
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May 12, 2021 03:52
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Finally started on my actual challenge rather than binge-watching whatever Shudder puts up. 1. Satan's Rhapsody (1917) Faust but female. Alba makes a deal with the devil to regain her youth, gets her strut on, and then, well, it's Faust. This is really close to being great, but it has some weird pacing problems. The sets and costuming are absolutely gorgeous, but the first part of the film has far too much of them - it's dance scene, party scene, dance scene, dance scene, party scene. I suppose it drives in the benefits of the deal she made, but it just feels interminable. Once it gets towards the end of the first part and picks up a plot, it gets a lot more interesting. The lead does a great job of emoting both the joy of youth and the cruelty of someone who'd make a deal with the devil in the first place. Her two paramours are played competently, and the devil, typical of the period, isn't really evil, he's just a jerk (and, in this case, a creeper). It gets very impressionistic towards the end of the film, with a great multi-mirror shot of her preparing for the wedding that she thinks is happening and a great long-shot of her in shadow exiting the mansion. And then the pacing problems kick in as she wanders through the woods for an excessive amount of time until she finds her supposed groom, and gets turned old again. (Also, goes to hell. They depict getting old as the more important part of that.) Bonus: A cat that really, really does not want to be on camera. 4/5
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May 12, 2021 04:18
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4: REC 2 I got all four so figured we'd jump into the next one. This picks up pretty much immediately from the first one and ramps everything up a bit. Now we're following a swat team heading into the aftermath, but it's cleverly broken up by an intersecting group so it doesn't drag too much or need more padding. This one leans way more into the demon stuff and expands the lore a lot. I very much enjoy that aspect but I can see why others may not. It turns the action up a la Aliens but in doing so it turns the tension way down. All in all its definitely worth checking out if you liked the first one, but I can't say it's as good.
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May 12, 2021 05:43
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11: Tigers are not Afraid (2017) FC5. Cinco  It's dark and bleak and beautiful. Fantastic young cast. The way it weaves the fantasy aspects into this dangerous world for children is very reminiscent of Del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth and Devil's Backbone. I looked up what the Director, Isa Lopez, was working on next and according to wikipedia, Del Toro is producing her next film: a werewolf western. Well I'm interested. The monkey's paw aspect was played subtly but effectively and the way it concluded with Estrella wishing away the scar on Shine's face was really shocking and hearbreaking. I could only stare into the middle distance when the credits played. This is a great film and I highly recommend. Competed: 11 Four Flies on Grey Velevet; Gods and Monsters FC9; Alice, Sweet Alice, Witchfinder General; Street Trash; Cannibal Holocaust; C.H.U.D; Raw Force; In Search of Darkness 2; The Crazies (2010)FC2; Tigers are not Afraid FC5
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May 12, 2021 10:55
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11. Cruising (1980) I can still hear all the leather. This is one of the sweatiest grimiest slashers there is. Joe Spinell at his absolute sleaziest which should be impossible. The jockstrap and hankie budget on this must’ve been astronomical. The new audio commentary track on the Arrow release is wilder than the movie. /5Fran Challenge 9. Scream, Queen! E.G.G.S. fucked around with this message at 14:49 on May 12, 2021 |
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May 12, 2021 14:42
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