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Spatulater bro!
Aug 19, 2003

Punch! Punch! Punch!

#13

The Devil’s Advocate (rewatch)
Taylor Hackford, 1997



It'd been well over 20 years since I'd seen this. It holds up. Keanu Reeves give one of his best performances, and Pacino chews the scenery like a voracious hyena. The courtroom stuff and the characters are all compelling, and the finale is pretty wild. +1 for the anti-lawyer sentiment.

4/5



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), 13. The Devil’s Advocate (1997)

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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Class3KillStorm
Feb 17, 2011



Franchescanado posted:

2. Sometimes They Come Back

Watch a film that has had a remake. Either watch the original, or watch the remake. Whichever you watch, it must be new to you. No rewatches.


#11. House of Wax (1953) (YouTube TV via TCM)

A wax sculptor goes insane after nearly being burned to death for insurance fraud, and begins killing people and using their bodies in his new wax museum.

On the one hand, this is a decent enough showcase for Vincent Price, who is always a treat in these kinds of things. He's a lot of fun here - he's never better than when he gets to play artists and bon vivants, plus he gets to layer on the "tortured soul" pathos in the second half due to his burn scars. However, on the other hand, this is an adaptation of a film called The Mystery of the Wax Museum, but there's never any mystery to the fact that Price's character Jarrod is the weird disfigured proto-Darkman running around strangling people and stealing corpses, so the film is spinning its wheels trying to pad out the runtime. It's less than 90 minutes long and feels like it could still stand to lose almost a third of its runtime.

As one of the first 3D films, its way too reliant on gimmickry to sell the process; the paddle-ball playing promoter stands out like a sore thumb nowadays. Moreover, I don't know if this was a product of the time or the conversion to YouTube, but the film looks ugly and soft now, like things can't be properly focused on due to the technology. It makes the film harder to stay focused on then it needs to be, but coupled with how boring it is and I was just checking my watch constantly. Overly talky and not enough scary. Even Vincent Price doesn't save this thing, no matter how much he may try; that's the greatest tragedy of all.

:ghost::ghost:/5

Watched 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), House of Wax (1953) (FC #2)

twernt
Mar 11, 2003

Whoa whoa wait, time out.


27. 1986. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
Directed by John McNaughton
Available on AMC+, Tubi, Vudu

As you may have guessed from the title, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is the story of Henry, who is a serial killer. It’s definitely not a pleasant movie but I’d say it’s an interesting one.

Unlike other slasher movies, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer doesn’t really attempt to explain or excuse Henry’s behavior. He does tell a story about being abused as a kid and confesses to killing his own mother in multiple contradictory ways. It’s hard to say if any of this is true or even matters.



It’s a bleak, nihilistic movie. Henry kills because he feels like it not for any other reason, real or imagined. There aren’t any lessons learned. For what it is, it’s very well done. The low-budget, no-nonsense presentation of Henry and the people around him works.



I didn’t enjoy it, but I’d give it a :ghost::ghost::ghost::ghost:


Time Travel Challenge: 27/31
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), 27. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)
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

Spatulater bro!
Aug 19, 2003

Punch! Punch! Punch!

:spooky: Fran Challenge #8 - Dead & Buried (RIP Barbara Shelley) :spooky:

#14

Dracula: Prince of Darkness
Terence Fisher, 1966



This is almost the quintessential Hammer Dracula movie. All the characteristics are in place, from the ominous castle to the red-eyed Christopher Lee to the horse-drawn carriages to the gorgeous Technicolor. It is, however, missing the great Peter Cushing, so that's one big mark against it. The characters are all solid, if a bit uninteresting. The cast do a good job, and Barbara Shelley (RIP) is just gorgeous. My favorite character is the fly-eating, Renfield-esque Ludwig. Christopher Lee doesn't utter a single line in this film, which you'd think would be a detriment but it kinda works. My biggest complaint is the climax, which I won't spoil but will say it's probably the lamest way I've ever seen Dracula taken down. Good thing he'll return for like five more of these movies.

3.5/5



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), 13. The Devil's Advocate, 14. Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966)

4/13 Fran Challenges completed: 2. Sometimes They Come Back, 7. Mother's Day, 8. Dead & Buried, 10. Behind the Mask

Count Thrashula
Jun 1, 2003

Peak Performance.

Buglord

twernt posted:

27. 1986. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer

I love seeing new reviews for this. It's easily in my top 3 horror movies of all time just because of how effective it is at what it's doing. Even if what it's doing is horrible.

Class3KillStorm
Feb 17, 2011



Spatulater bro! posted:

:spooky: Fran Challenge #8 - Dead & Buried (RIP Barbara Shelley) :spooky:

Dracula: Prince of Darkness
Terence Fisher, 1966

Was this streaming anywhere, or did you just happen to have a physical copy? I was thinking of watching it for that very Fran Challenge, but for the life of me I can't find it anywhere.

Shaman Tank Spec
Dec 26, 2003

*blep*



Movie #9: Tremors



Can you fly, you sucker?

Holy hell this movie was fun! Rednecks vs. giant underground worms -- excuse me, graboids -- is just a recipe for success in my books. A really good cast, especially with Michael Gross as the insane prepper who has built a bunker to survive any scenario. Except of course giant underground monsters. You always miss one!

An excellent mixture of Jaws-like horror and tension with some surprisingly good comedy. I literally laughed out loud when we get the celebratory moment of Val and Earl coming up with their Cat plan... and then the camera zooms back in from the caterpillar to reveal it's half a mile away from where the guys are stuck. Excellent direction, excellent cinematography, hell, excellent everything. Tremors is surprisingly competent and well made for such a late period monster movie, but I guess maybe by 1990 we'd moved to a period where you could do something like this as a passion project and rope in a bunch of good character actors and a decent budget.

And the thing that makes Tremors extra impressive is that the movie was made in 1990, so it's not CG. It must have taken some herculean efforts to rig up all those ground effects as the graboids zoom around underground toppling buildings and making the ground ripple in waves. Looks great, the Blu-ray looked excellent. Are the sequels any good? If they're even half this fun, I've got a lot of watching to do!

:ghost::ghost::ghost::ghost::ghost: / 5

My earlier movies:
1. Evil Dead II, 2. The Legend of Hell House, 3. Hausu, 4. The Haunting, 5. Innkeepers, 6. Sleepaway Camp, 7. It Follows, 8. From Beyond

Shaman Tank Spec fucked around with this message at 19:36 on May 12, 2021

Spatulater bro!
Aug 19, 2003

Punch! Punch! Punch!

Class3KillStorm posted:

Was this streaming anywhere, or did you just happen to have a physical copy? I was thinking of watching it for that very Fran Challenge, but for the life of me I can't find it anywhere.

I couldn't find it streaming anywhere either. There is a physical release, but I don't own it.

gey muckle mowser
Aug 5, 2003

Do you know anything about...
witches?



Buglord
if anyone is looking for short films for the challenge I can’t recommend Possibly in Michigan enough. It was brought up the last time Fran did a short film challenge and it’s bonkers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLJNSD3H5sg

twernt
Mar 11, 2003

Whoa whoa wait, time out.
:spooky: Fran Challenge 3. Camp BLOOD



The Burning (1981)
Directed by Tony Maylam
Available on Tubi

After a summer camp prank goes wrong, a camp caretaker is left horribly burned and disfigured. As he recovers in the hospital, he becomes a ghost story, used to terrify younger campers.



Even though it’s not nearly as well known as Friday the 13th, The Burning feels like much more of a classic summer camp slasher movie. The first and most important reason is that it all happens at a functioning summer camp full of campers. Some of the victims are actual children. Also, at least some of the characters are aware of the danger, so you feel more empathy for them as the killer works his way through his victims.



The Burning does take a bit of time to get going, but once it does, you won’t believe all the inappropriate ways this guy uses pruning shears. As an aside, I know you’re supposed to feel bad for Alfred when he gets bullied but it’s hard because he is genuinely a creep.

This is an easy :ghost::ghost::ghost:1/2


Time Travel Challenge: 27/31
Fran Challenges: 3/13
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), 27. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)
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, 3. The Burning

twernt
Mar 11, 2003

Whoa whoa wait, time out.

No. 1 Juicy Boi posted:

I love seeing new reviews for this. It's easily in my top 3 horror movies of all time just because of how effective it is at what it's doing. Even if what it's doing is horrible.

I kind of want to give it another watch at some point but not anytime soon.

Opopanax
Aug 8, 2007

I HEX YE!!!


Challenge 1: Short Cuts :spooky:

I set a goal to stick to shorts under 10 mins, beyond that I just hopped around youtube more or less randomly.

The Ballerina (7:45)
A ballerina is haunted by her reflection during a practice.
Dialouge free with some good body horror. Super old concept but it's done well and the actress pulls it off.

Damage Control (8:01)
While surprising his fiancée with a newly inherited property, a man is forced by a mysterious woman to confront his past behavior.
Predictable but goes in kind of interesting direction with the premise.

Slaughterbots
A defense contractor debuts his new AI controlled, killer mini drones. Goes about as well as you'd expect.

The Third Hand (9:06)
A lonely night worker discovers a mysterious room which might hold in it his wildest dreams or his worst nightmares.
Well shot and good use of a low budget. Nice and weird and reminiscent of an SCP story.

Rebel (1:36)
At his execution, a 1798 rebel looks forward to a better life to come.
Very short but a neat premise, don't want to say anything to not spoil it.

Swet Tooth(4:18)
For little Norman, the Piñata isn't the only thing to bleed candy.
Pretty horrific and bizarre, I liked this one

The Hanging Balloons (1:59)
Based on the Junji Ito. This was fine but it's very obviously just someone's school project.

Foxed (4:37)
Very cool and creepy short modeled after those old 60s claymation movies. Quite well done.

Cover Up (3:36)
Features some recognizable names. I guess it's a comedy horror but I'm not really sure I get what it's going for, might be a little bit too short.

Mikus (3:42)
Your childhood is a dangerous thing to forget.
Goes where you expect to it but it's creepy and effective.

The Maiden (8:54)
A real estate agent tries to sell a haunted house.
Same guy who directed Cure of La Llorona. Very similar vibe to that/James Wan stuff if you're into that kind of thing. This is one of those ideas that works well as a short as you really couldn't do a feature length movie with it, but it fits this time frame perfectly.

Stand (8:41)
A man finds himself standing in the midst of a garage, staring off against a creature that only moves when the man sits.
Does what it says on the box. The monster looks like a cheap halloween mask but otherwise it was ok.

The Video Store Commercial (4:07)
A desperate video store owner hires a crew to shoot a commercial in his shop. But when they accidentally destroy a cursed VHS, suddenly, all their lives are in danger. And worse yet, the commercial may never get finished.
Wanted to finish with something a bit lighter, this hit the spot. It has a good greasy, goopy vibe, and the monster looks really cool.

Total Runtime: 60m59s

The Berzerker
Feb 24, 2006

treat me like a dog



19. On the Silver Globe (Andrzej Żuławski, 1988)
I watched this for the Bracketology Tournament thread. It's a tough one to really review, since it's almost three hours long, and unfinished - Żuławski was essentially forced to abandon it by the Polish government and had to come back to it a decade later, so he narrates the missing stuff himself. It's dense and confusing and difficult to follow but the general outline is that a group of astronauts are leaving Earth for... reasons, and they land on another world and eventually that civilization makes all the same mistakes. I think this will click more on a rewatch but it was really interesting and while I'm a little lost on what to say about it, I think it's certainly worth watching.

:ghost: 4/5


20. Cannibal Holocaust (Ruggero Deodato, 1980)
I watched this specifically to cross it off my watchlist, as it was the last of the top 100 movies from the TSZDT list that I had yet to see. So, that sub-challenge is complete. Anyway, the film - it's notorious. I knew what I was getting into, so I skipped all of the animal cruelty, which means all I was left with was a plodding, poorly made movie full of rape and racism. Guess what, it sucks.

:ghost: 0.5/5

Challenge Count: 20/31
Fran Challenges: 1 (Various) 2 (Suspiria 2018) 3 (Cheerleader Camp) 4 5 (Tigers Are Not Afraid) 6 7 8 (The Clown at Midnight) 9 10 (Video Nasties) 11 12 13

M_Sinistrari
Sep 5, 2008

Do you like scary movies?



Franchescanado posted:


1. Short Cuts

Watch 60+ minutes worth of horror short films and review them.


Hopefully I haven't repeated any from the last 60+ minutes of horror shorts challenge.

A) Death Metal 4.46 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BpmKnEtVO0

A metalhead plays a satanic guitar in the park. I liked this one, it was funny.

B) Recovered Footage: Tau Omicron Xi Initiation Tape 4.34 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyV12sGdY0U

Local58 inspired quite a few channels doing creepy or mysterious found tapes. While not quite the quality of Local58, they are telling pretty decent creepy stories. The Minerva Alliance this one's from looks to be doing a 'there's a paranormal world just out of sight of our own' thing. In this sorority initiation tape, there is some briefly flickered message that I've copied under the spoiler tag so you can read it after watching. Of course after I transcribed it, someone else already did it in the comments.

We siphon the ichor of youth. So we can discover the truth. Of what our full potential is. And why we could not achieve this.

Nature itself is a burden. On our lives, already broken. By the cold, cruel world around us; To overcome all of this we must.

Our ancient practices permit. Us to make time itself submit. To our will, to our desire. For us to never expire

Rejuvenation is the key. To our ultimate destiny. Eternal youth will set us free. From natural powers that be

Youth is only for the worthy. Those who prize it like a trophy. Any who do not believe this fact. Should not be in sisterly pact

Our existence is forbidden. By those who want the truth hidden. In the decades since our founding. The hunt for us, never ending

The sisters brought into our midst. Swear to abide by all of this: Serve the flock at any and all costs. Else all we have worked for is lost

The sister on high is our guide. By her vast wisdom we abide. From her come the fruits of knowledge. That we use to our advantage

Our youthful forms pervert nature. And thus are anything but pure. But eternal youth is the light. That keeps our futures shining bright


C) Home Invasion Help - Gemini Home Entertainment 5.39 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yX55S8lGQ0

Gemini Home Entertainment's storyline looks to be covering some strangeness going on in rural Minnesota. I picked this as one of the more interesting ones.

D) Welcome Back, Mr. Buzzcock 4:43 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itoZtRZDdAo

I snortlaughed at this. I hope it ends up being one of their miniseries.

E) The Video Store Comercial 4.07 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Epz_RRpGlW0

They had me at 'The cultiest cult film'.

F) Frost Bite 9.25 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPkx6aGR_2s

I wouldn't mind seeing this fleshed out into a movie. Ending had me sniffling.

G) One Last Meal 10.39 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1-Z6XN6hAE

I had a feeling where this one was going, but it does have me wondering how would they handle something like this in real life.

H) Don't Look Away 8.19 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4f3hG-5grlw

This is another that I'd like to see fleshed out into a movie. As it is, it feels like a portion of one. I did laugh at the "I'll tell you tomorrow" bit.

I) Childer 17:00 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRCK3umiKQQ

I knew I was going to be in for something tense when the mother flipped out over possible dirt on her shoes from standing on the front stoop. I didn't quite expect the twist that happened, but it fit considering everything else. It does leave me wondering how the hell did she end up with kids? I can't see her having them the traditional way so was she stealing them or something else?

M_Sinistrari fucked around with this message at 22:32 on May 12, 2021

Debbie Does Dagon
Jul 8, 2005



More X-Files

12. Elle - Date night :swoon:

Elle is a fascinating addition to the rape/revenge subgenre, and I don't want to spoil any of the plot because from the first shot onward it's full of surprises. The general gist is that Michele, played by Isabelle Huppert, is raped in her home. We then follow her in the following days and weeks, as we see her muted yet seething response, and get to know her as a character.

The central thesis of the film appears to be the conflict between men and women, and it's not the first time Verhoeven has tackled this issue. My wonderful girlfriend was quite on the fence while we were watching this, unsure as to whether the depiction was sexist or not. As a Verhoeven fan, I have a much more forgiving interpretation, but I acknowledge that doesn't necessarily equate to the correct one.

The women of the film do fall into the somewhat traditional binary of madonna and whore. Elle is the CEO of a games company that produces brutally graphic games, containing extremely violent rape scenes. Her mother is sexually promiscuous despite her old age, her son's partner is shown as a vicious philanderer, and the next-door neighbour, by contrast, is a saintly figure largely devoid of character. Whereas the men are pretty evenly depicted as easily lead slaves to their biology.

It'd be quite easy to take these facts, and construct an MGTOW reading of "Women are evil, men are blameless victims", but I feel like the film takes that premise and adds enough layers of nuance and character development, such that our interest and sympathies are with the women characters. Michele, for instance, is perhaps one of the more complex characters I've seen on screen. She is simultaneously a victim and a relentlessly "bad" person, but none of her actions are beyond understanding or sympathy. There's a terrific scene in which she purposefully vandalises a car, and then later we learn the emotional significance of the act, and how the act is used to protect herself.

Any fan of Huppert or Verhoeven will definitely love this film too, for me it's easily my favourite film from both careers, which is a tall order as I'm a huge fan of The Fourth Man (Go watch The Fourth Man). While it perhaps isn't as visually inventive as some of Verhoeven's other films, the combination of the taught storytelling, ceaseless emotional manipulation, and the razor-sharp performance from Huppert, is just unbeatable. If you take any recommendation from me this month, let it be Elle.

5/5

13. On the Silver Globe - Bracketology Stream

For me, this is the superior version of Mother!, complete with religious allegories, manic crowds, and an atypical time-bending narrative. I could see this being remade as an HBO miniseries, it's an absolutely fantastic sci-fi romp, with plenty of deep symbolism, and powerful visual elements, it's also dense and imposing enough to force the viewer to wrestle with its themes. I think it will take me a few viewings to really pin down my thoughts, but I'll be taking away images that will last a lifetime.

5/5

14. The Phantom of the Opera - Bracketology Stream

This is the Dario Argento version, and while there are cheeky and humourous moments, I can't get over how leering the camerawork is, and how so often the object of these leers is Dario's daughter, Asia. Added to that, it's just not very good. The changes made to the original text don't aid the story at all, and the characters frequently make baffling choices to get back on track. It's just a mess.

2/5

15. Vampire's Kiss - Sunday Chill Stream

People so often focus on Nic Cage's bizarre performance here, and I think that focus misses the point. The whole film is a bizarre comic-book version of life, the kind that could only come out of the late '80s, and yet the subject matter here is unrelentingly dark. Nic comes to believe that he is turning into a vampire, and expresses this by harassing and raping his secretary, murdering a bar patron, and then ultimately wandering the streets, having imagined conversations, as onlookers look on perplexed. You could easily remake this in the New French Extremity style, and change nothing but the tone, and it'd still work, and still be just as horrific. The real point, however, is that stark mix of comic-book humour combined with the horrific subject matter, and how the '80s created a tissue paper artifice to hide the realities of Reagan-era abuses.

The film itself is fine. It's laudable that New York is presented as the multicultural mecca that it is, and isn't white-washed as it was in Seinfeld and Friends et cetera, but there's nothing here that screams timeless classic. It is definitely of an age and limited by the clear inexperience of the crew. Not incredible, but very good.

4/5

16. Kissed - Sunday Chill Stream

Kissed is a sweet, sensitive, sensual coming-of-age story of a necrophile, who meets a man who wishes to love her, and who quickly understands that there's only one way to make that happen. I was really quite taken aback by this film, it feels like an earnest Todd Solondz film. There's a stilted, though wonderful sweet and innocent quality, where we explore the life and loves of Sandra, played sensitively by Molly Parker, who reminded me here of Sherilyn Fenn.

My one complaint is that I didn't want the romance, or at least I didn't want it to be heterosexual. I want to explore the internal workings of this fascinating character, and once the cishet-male character was introduced, suddenly the film became about his grappling with her identity as an onlooker, and then his struggle of attempting to fit into her world. It felt voyeuristic. I wanted to know Sandra from her point of view, or the pov of a sympathetic equal, and I feel like that was robbed from me. May is a much more successful version of this story, I feel, though again there we have humour undercutting the emotions.

In any case, I loved it. Give me more sensitive weirdo girls.

4.5/5

17. Freeway II: Confessions of a Trickbaby - Sunday Chill Stream

This is a rewatch, and I feel I've made my feelings well-known before now. You have puke, you have lesbian serial killers, unfortunately the ending is transphobic, but I'll take what I can get.

4.5/5

18. Mark of the Vampire - Bracketology Stream

Someone in the stream said it's the original Scary Movie style horror parody, and I really can't fault that description. It's cute, but not particularly memorable, and sometimes that's enough. And there's also a kitty in a suit of armour! :3:

3/5

19. Tigers Are Not Afraid - Bracketology Stream

A very powerful, touching, and affecting film that uses its gimmicks to perfectly punctuate its emotions, tone, and story. Just wonderful.

4.5/5

20. Brew House - 𝚈𝚎𝚎‐𝙷𝚊𝚠 🤠's Tubi Tuesdays

Yee-Haw on the Discord is starting a terrible Tubi movie stream on Tuesdays, or Tubi Tuesdays to be short. And the movies are definitely bad, bad, bad, and plain no good, though often humorously so. Brew House is one so obscure I had to create the Letterboxd entry for it, and while it's let down by the painfully wooden one-note acting, and bafflingly obscure script, this spooky-house found footage movie isn't too terrible. There are a few cute character moments, and the effects, whilst cheap digital efforts, actually work as intended. It's hard to become invested in a script when all of the tattered edges are so obviously on show, however.

1.5/5

21. The Leprechaun's Game - 𝚈𝚎𝚎‐𝙷𝚊𝚠 🤠's Tubi Tuesdays



If you've seen a Leprechaun movie you already know the set up here. Lep wants his gold back and will kill anyone in the way, with his one weakness being four-leaf clovers, and to give this film its due, there are some nice shots, there's a nicely diverse cast, and not all of the performances are awful. It is however a no-budget Leprechaun rip-off with no Warwick Davis, no professional actors, scenes that go on for far too long, no interesting kills, not a shred of an engaging plot, and a six-foot-tall Leprechaun in a shake-and-go wig. It's awful, but it's watchable and funny enough to group-watch.

1.5/5

Offical: 4/13
X-Files: 21/x
Fran Challenges: 0/13

Spatulater bro!
Aug 19, 2003

Punch! Punch! Punch!

The Berzerker posted:

20. Cannibal Holocaust (Ruggero Deodato, 1980)
I watched this specifically to cross it off my watchlist, as it was the last of the top 100 movies from the TSZDT list that I had yet to see. So, that sub-challenge is complete. Anyway, the film - it's notorious. I knew what I was getting into, so I skipped all of the animal cruelty, which means all I was left with was a plodding, poorly made movie full of rape and racism. Guess what, it sucks.

:ghost: 0.5/5


Did you at least like the music?

Opopanax
Aug 8, 2007

I HEX YE!!!


Challenge 8: Dead and Buried :spooky:
5: Dial M for Murder (1981) (RIP Christopher Plummer)


This is not the Hitchcock version and you can definitely tell, but it's a strong cast (Plummer in particular is a standout as you watch him plot and scheme on the fly) and as it was originally a play, the TV Movie atmosphere doesn't really hurt it, since it all mostly takes place in one room. It was a lot of fun if you're into the old school Agatha Christie style mysteries with plenty of twists and turns throughout.

E.G.G.S.
Apr 15, 2006

Dolly Parton's cover of 'Save the Last Dance for Me's opening note sounds just like Cannibal Holocaust music.

The Berzerker
Feb 24, 2006

treat me like a dog


Spatulater bro! posted:

Did you at least like the music?

Sure.

E.G.G.S. posted:

Dolly Parton's cover of 'Save the Last Dance for Me's opening note sounds just like Cannibal Holocaust music.

Hahaha, you're right.

graventy
Jul 28, 2006

Fun Shoe
7. Student Bodies (1981)

How did I watch this? – Blu-Ray
How long have I gone without watching this? – Well, I ordered Jekyll & Hyde Together Again because it was a hilarious hidden gem introduced to me by the Scream Stream. In October of 2016. This dragged itself along with that in the form of a combo pack!
Why do I own this? – Goooood question.

It’s the "first" horror spoof, a “zany send-up of teen slashers”. Maybe it was just ahead of its time? Not enough to spoof? Whatever the case may be, it just doesn’t really work. There were a few gags I found genuinely funny, but they were overwhelmed by the repetitive, and the stuff that hasn’t aged well.

1/5

Was it a good purchase? – Well hopefully I still like J&HTA, but on it’s own Student Bodies is a miserable experience.

8. Tigers Are Not Afraid
Fran Challenge #5: Cinco

How did I watch this? – Plex, but available on Shudder.

When her school is shut down due to escalating gang violence, Estrella home to find her mother missing. She unites with a gang of four similar orphans, and they try to survive.

It’s a movie that I think would really thrive on the big screen, with no distractions available. The magical realism is great, and the fairy tale setup really works wonderfully with the dark, sad world the children exist in.

The ending is brutal.
5/5

Hollismason
Jun 30, 2007

Witchfinder General

Spatulater bro! posted:

I couldn't find it streaming anywhere either. There is a physical release, but I don't own it.

Clever girl

FreudianSlippers
Apr 12, 2010

Shooting and Fucking
are the same thing!

5. SHORT CUTS






The Black Tower (1987) UK

23 minutes
A young Londoner going about his business spots a strange black tower peering slightly over the rooftops in his neighborhood. Soon he begins noticing identical buildings around the city and begins to wonder what their purpose is. Soon however he becomes convinced that all of them are one malevolent structure that is following him around the city.

The presentation for this one is a bit unusual. The entire film is told through narration by a protagonist whom we only glimpse briefly in a few shots. In one we see his chest as he gets up from bed, in another we see his fingers as he does his dishes, and other appearances are similarly fleeting and unclear. Most of the imagery is of cityscapes with the titular tower either there or not.

When I first began watching I couldn't help but feel that with this mostly audio presentation this might as well have been a radio drama but around the halfway point there is a sequence where the protagonist attempt to outrun the tower only to find it at every corner. This is shown by a sequence of rapid cuts between the tower in various different locations with the only real sound being the fast rhythmic patter of running feet. Near the end of the scene each shot cuts closer and closer to the tower until it almost fills the entire screen with a small section in the upper corner where the sky still shows through. At this moment I realized that this exact frame had been shown several times before in the film but I never realized that what I was looking at then was a close-up of the tower. This rather subtle reveal was honestly chilling in it's simplicity

I get the feeling the film is supposed to be some sort of metaphor for depression or mental illness in general. Depression has often been euphemistically referred to as "The Black Dog" so a tower isn't much of a stress but mainly because of how inescapable it feels and because the protagonist makes frequent attempts to ask other people about the tower and at best he is ignored which eventually leads to him self isolate to avoid the tower and eventually get committed to a hospital

The scariest film about hostile architecture I've ever seen.





The Signalman (1976) UK
38 minutes


A upper class twit bothers a railway worker at his job.

A great example of the 1970s A Ghost Story for Christmas TV adaptations of classic ghost stories. Not quite as good as the gold standard of that genre the 1968 Whistle and I'll Come to You but still definitely one of the best. Most of the film is two men, the aforementioned toff who one day randomly decides to drop in on a railway signalman and start asking him about his job and life. The signalman reveals that for some time he has been haunted by a specter that appears only shortly before fatal accidents on the line and that specter has been appearing again recently. He is torn on whether to report the possible danger to his superiors and be branded a madman if nothing actually happens or not to warn anyone and simply watch as disaster unfolds knowing he might've prevented it.

I've never read the story this is based on so I don't know how much justice it does to it but I feel it really nails the spooky atmosphere and ratcheting tension that any good ghost story needs. It also has a fair share of striking imagery and a great use of disconcerting sound. The specter itself is also very effectively spooky in the few times we glimpse it.



twernt
Mar 11, 2003

Whoa whoa wait, time out.


28. 1987. Wolf’s Hole
Directed by Věra Chytilová
Available on Criterion

In Wolf’s Hole, ten students are invited to attend a skiing course. When they arrive at the mountain, they discover there are actually eleven of them, each with an invitation. The instructors continue to insist that there should only be ten and make the students swear that they will be responsible for the burden of the “intruder.”



To make matters worse, they learn that there has been an avalanche and the cabin where they are staying is effectively cut off from the outside world. Not wanting to miss out, they ride a cargo lift up the mountain to the cabin. Before too long, it becomes obvious that there is something strange about their instructors and it’s not exactly a skiing course. The lead instructor, who asks the students to refer to him as “Father” starts to sow suspicion and discontent among the students, trying to turn them against each other.



Beneath the surface story of kids in danger, Wolf’s Hole is really about peoples’ willingness to submit to authority, whether than authority is real or imagined, and the lengths they will go preserve normalcy.



The performances are not necessarily great, but Věra Chytilová does an excellent job establishing the mood of tension and general unease up until the reveal.

I give this one a :ghost::ghost::ghost::ghost:


Time Travel Challenge: 28/31
Fran Challenges: 3/13
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), 27. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986), 28. Wolf's Hole (1987)
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, 3. The Burning

Sono
Apr 9, 2008




2. The Eyes of the Mummy (1918)

A pre-cursor to She-Wolf of London in the exact way that every one hates that film for, this stars Pola Negri with a bit of shoe polish on her face as Ma and future first-ever Best Actor winner Emil Jannings with a whole lot of shoe polish on his face as Radu. Ma is held prisoner by Radu as part of a fake mummy scam he's running. She's rescued at the end of the first act by vacationing painter Wendland and taken back to Europe as a trophy his betrothed. Then it gets racist.

Wendland promptly takes Ma out to a fancy dinner and tells the woman who's been held in captivity for god knows how long that she eats too much. Then she's pressured into Westernizing and gets depressed, which I started to read as some acknowledgement of the issues here, but then she goes back to native dress, performs a dance, and is promptly thrown in the circus a variety show, so nah. Radu has also come to town and finally manages to track Ma down in the last thirty seconds of the film, murder-suicides her, The End.

Also, Jannings is credited as "Radu, an Arab" despite the character being Egyptian, Egypt is repeatedly referred to as the Orient, Osiris is referred to as a high priestess, and did I mention the blackface? Because there is a lot of blackface.

The transfer on Youtube is terrible, although the score someone stuck on it is adequate.

1/5

Sono fucked around with this message at 04:23 on May 13, 2021

E.G.G.S.
Apr 15, 2006

12. Amityville: Dollhouse (1996)
A hoot of 90s DTV nonsense. I'm almost certain they ran with the dollhouse angle because some set designer got Spinal Tap'd over feet and inches. Remember in the first movie when that family was terrorized by the house they just moved into well how about this time we move that house into ... another house.

:ghost::ghost::ghost: /5

Opopanax
Aug 8, 2007

I HEX YE!!!


Challenge 7: Mothers Day
6: Serial Mom


Another one to cross off my list after several years. This was great fun, if you know Waters you’ll have a reasonable idea of what you’re in for with the subversion of the kitschy 50s style, though if anything this is one of his more subdued works (aside from the gore, at least).

STAC Goat
Mar 12, 2008

Watching you sleep.

Butt first, let's
check the feeds.

I’m adding a 4th challenge because I’m sick in the head and my DVR is almost full with 18 episodes of Svengoolie. So I’m gonna try and burn off 13 of them this month. This is all kind of getting out of control and I mean that on every level.


- (25). The Beast with Five Fingers (1946)
Directed by Robert Florey, Screenplay by Curt Siodmak and Harold Goldman, Based on 1919 short story in The New Decameron by William Fryer Harvey
Watched on Svengoolie


A pretty fun if largely unremarkable film. At 88 minutes its pretty short by today's standards but a bit long for the time and I think that shows a bit. There's probably a bit too much talking time and maybe one or two many unimportant characters. Although maybe not. Its basically a supernatural whodunit and you do need those sketchy family members and associates to round out the cast. Really its just that two performances really steal the show and that's the charming scoundrel played by Roger Alda (who holy poo poo was Alan Alda's dad!) and the delightfully deranged Peter Lorre. The story's perfectly ok but also nothing super memorable or amazing, but its really carried by Lorre just losing his poo poo and Alda playing that classic role of the guy who you like even though you know he's probably playing you somehow. But drat it, you like him.

I don't know that I have a lot to say. Like I said, its kind of thin on content or depth of story or anything and it really is just all about Lorre being Lorre. But he's great and I'm realizing I really haven't seen him in much and mostly known him just through cultural osmosis from stuff like Looney Tunes. So that's a whole bunch of movies to check out. Alda's also a guy I definitely want to see more from even if part of that is just because of the family connection. The film is a fun little watch but I wouldn't say something you have to go out of your way for. Good for a Lorre performance certainly and I haven't seen enough of him to see where it ranks in those, but the rest is kind of run of the mill and not super tight. But still a good time.




- (26). Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
Directed by Jack Arnold, Screenplay by Harry Essex and Arthur Ross, Story by Maurice Zimm
Watched on Svengoolie


Gosh Julie Adams is pretty...

I'm no stranger to this film. Even though I only saw it the first time a few years ago I've seen it 3 or 4 times now. I considered skipping past the Svengoolie recording but then I saw a couple of stills and gifs and remembered how drat good and gorgeous this film is. Its such a modern film in many ways constructed and shot very much like a modern summer blockbuster. The underwater scenes are just wonderful and give the film a very big feel and create an interesting pacing affect where even when not a lot is happening it doesn't feel like its dragging because you're visiting this entirely other world. And the scene of the Creature swimming in synch with Julie Adams is really something else and the lasting images and moments of this film for way more reasons than Adam's gorgeous legs and bathing suit. Its just a really amazing looking scene.

Including the way the Creature looks in the water. I think the rubber suited monster holds up pretty well on land, but in water he really works with the way his fins flow and the great work of the diver managing the suit and scenes without even breathing so that the Creature had no air bubbles (after all he has gills). I watch this on a tv sitting next to a fish tank and its something else to look at the Creature and look at my fish and see the similarities. Really stellar costuming work and an under-appreciated performance from the diver Ricou Browning who played the creature under water.

Story wise its a bit thin but really its just a kind of classic adventure tale. Scientists explore an area, find something dangerous, try to get away, and end up having to fight for their lives. The ideas get more complicated in the sequels as people star ripping the Creature out of his habitat and torturing the guy. But here its pretty straight forward. He's not some malicious villain, he's a wild animal and probably apex predator reacting to new predators in his home. But the scientists are mostly ethical and manage to stay ethical and the Creature's a little rapey so it keeps the balance where it needs to be and is a fun and gorgeous ride that stays under 90 minutes.

I very comfortable put this on the top tier of Universals with James Whale's The Bride of Frankenstein and The Invisible Man. I think all three have a very modern feel that just seems leagues ahead of the rest of the films of that time and feel timeless. I'm a little less sure where I put Creature amongst those three. It might be 3rd but I think its all the same tier of revolutionary filmwork and great movie. And all three have proven amazingly rewatchable in the few years since I've seen them and I'm sure that won't change.



🌻🎈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🐺Svengoolie Episodes: 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); - (25). The Beast with Five Fingers (1946); - (26). Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954);

bitterandtwisted
Sep 4, 2006




12: Trilogy of Terror (1975)
:siren: FC12. Cavalcade of Creepiness :siren:


Karen Black plays four roles in three shorts. The first has some very middle aged "teenagers" and amazingly ugly 70s fashion. The second has the most obvious plot twist ever, there's no one who wouldn't see that ending coming after five minutes. The third was the most fun, like a very cheap Chucky movie. Someone's just waggling this puppet about and making growling noises as the camera bounces about.
Karen Black is good enough to carry all three shorts
It's a made for TV movie from 1975 and with that in mind it's good enough for what it is, but I wouldn't say this is one to seek out.

Competed: 12
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; Trilogy of Terror FC12

Franchescanado
Feb 23, 2013

If it wasn't for disappointment
I wouldn't have any appointment

Grimey Drawer
7. They Live
1988
dir. John Carpenter
Shout Factory 4k UHD

This was a watch-along with the With Gourley And Rust podcast, and also my first time with the new 4k remaster by Shout Factory. I didn't have time to dig into the special features, but the movie looks and sounds fantastic.



While it's not one of Carpenter's most dynamic looking films, there are some excellent, creative moments, especially with the chaos of the 3rd act.

It is also a bit funny how up-front the film is about what it's saying. There is no subtext, it's all text. The rich are the ruling class and we are pawns of consumption. I think this approach is why the film has managed it's longevity; the message doesn't get lost under the story-telling.

It is hard not imagining the same film with Kurt Russell, but as it's been pointed out by others, Russell's not gonna be in a sci-fi romp where American capitalism is the bad guy.

4 out of 5 :cool:


Total: 7
Films Watched: Fright Night | The Brood | The Black Cat | Varan | The Roost | Friday the 14th Part 4: The Final Chapter | They Live
rewatch | new to me

Spatulater bro!
Aug 19, 2003

Punch! Punch! Punch!

:spooky: Fran Challenge #3 - Camp BLOOD :spooky:

#15

Madman
Joe Giannone, 1981



It's your standard teens-murdered-at-camp early '80s slasher. Nothing more, nothing less. I liked the killer. He's a big lumbering monster-like dude. Though the rest of the characters are varying degrees of terrible. The kills are solid with a decent amount of gore, and the ending left me a bit surprised. There's nothing particularly special about this, but it fits just fine into the F13-inspired slasher cannon.

3/5



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), 13. The Devil's Advocate, 14. Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966), 15. Madman (1981)

5/13 Fran Challenges completed: 2. Sometimes They Come Back, 3. Camp BLOOD, 7. Mother's Day, 8. Dead & Buried, 10. Behind the Mask

Basebf555
Feb 29, 2008

The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!

Fun Shoe
I'm gonna watch Madman too because there's only so many camp slashers I haven't seen and Madman is readily available.

Franchescanado
Feb 23, 2013

If it wasn't for disappointment
I wouldn't have any appointment

Grimey Drawer
8. The Burning
1981
dir. Tony Maylam
Shout Factory blu-ray



This is a Weinstein film, written and produced by the brothers, and a huge beginning to their careers in film-making. As is their wont, they were frustrating to work with for the director and editor, and they kicked the director out of the final edit and re-shot a new ending. On the Shout blu-ray--which I will say is essential for fans of this film or slashers in general--the only extra that features the director is a commentary, which I have not listened to yet. I mention these things because if in 2021 you do not want to partake in a Weinstein film, I understand and want to provide that warning. I haven't heard any horror stories from behind-the-scenes on this, and this is one of my favorite slashers, so I give this a thumbs up as an experience, but the Weinstein influence is unavoidable.

I think this is peak slasher pacing, alongside Halloween, Friday the 13th, ANoES, Child's Play, and proto-slashers like Alice Sweet Alice. Knowing what to expect, I timed the film. There is one kill about 7 minutes into the film--a rather sad, tasteless murder of a sex worker--and then there isn't another kill until 45 minutes into a 90 minute film. The entire first half of the film is character development, which is crucial to why The Burning is excellent, and is so lacking in the slasher genre, especially as the format was exploited and cheapened years later.

The first half of the film are teens being teens. There's a baseball game. There's an afternoon of swimming. A canoe trip is coming up. There's a campfire tale where urban legends are shared. There's several scenes of girls talking to each other, sharing cigarettes, discussing the boys. There's several scenes of the boys looking at nude magazines and making fun of each other. The summer camp in this film breathes. On this watch--with the clear 2k restoration on blu-ray--I was delighted by how many extras there are in this film. For the swimming scene, there is a platform where a group of eight girls tan, while a group of four guys stand at the dock preparing for a swim and an attempt to flirt with the girls; behind them as this action plays out is at least 20 extras in the background--all teens or young adults--also swimming and playing on the beach. The Burning's summer camp is so pleasant to visit and revisit, because it is the most accurate Summer Camp Slasher I've seen, off the top of my head. (Even something like Friday the 13th Part 6: Jason Lives, which is the only film to have an active summer camp, doesn't feel as lively. Friday the 13th Part 2 is a blast because it has such a large cast of counselors, but since it's set before the summer season begins, it doesn't have that life to it.)

A major discussion point with The Burning is how up-front it is with showing toxic masculinity. I do not know or care about the intention of the writers; what I can point at is what the film shows me, and what I see is an interesting, somewhat complicated portrait of how lovely teenage males can be, and does so without sympathy.

Glazer is a bully, and it can be inferred his tough-guy act is a deflection of being slow, insecure, and unfulfilling in his sexual interests. He spends most of the film pining for Sally, who plays hard-to-get with side-glances at her friends, and promising her sexual satisfaction; but when they actually gently caress, he's frustrated when he prematurely ejaculates and experiences Sally's disdain. Sally's now away from her friends, and answers Glazer's frustrating with sincerity, opening up about her crush to him. If we're playing moral police with the film, Glazer doesn't deserve Sally but does deserve getting pinned to the tree by the hedge trimmers. However, I don't really see the two as related. Glazer is a bully. Sally likes him, knowing he's a bully. They both die, and it doesn't have anything to do with their actions.

Then there's Eddy, who is an even bigger piece of poo poo than Glazer. Eddy likes Karen, but he only shows it through intimidation and sexual harassment. What I find fascinating about this relationship in the film is that there are several scenes where Karen discusses this relationship. "I like Eddy, but he scares me." "Sometimes I like him and want to be with him, but then he gets into these moods and I don't know what to do." Her friends tell her to end it or be straight forward about her boundaries. I really like the performance behind Karen; you can see her trying to think the best of her friends, Eddy, pushing herself outside of her comfort zone for better/worse, but still channeling that fear. When Eddy and Karen skinny dip and Eddy forces himself on Karen, she leaves him only to realize her clothes have been stolen. While there's nudity in this section--we see all of Karen--I was also surprised how the camera doesn't linger too much on her nudity; instead it feels naturalistic, with the nudity emphasizing the character's vulnerability--towards Eddy, and then towards the environment. She is killed, of course, and Eddy survives. If we're playing morality police with the film, this seems horrific and unjust. However, this leads to scenes where Eddy is accused of hurting Karen himself, and the sad truth of his abusive nature is held against him. I find these moments far more interesting and complex than if Eddy had gotten killed--which does happen in the film's most notorious scene--and if Karen survived. Cropsey is like the shark in Jaws; he does not care who or what these teens are doing. He is amoral, in that he wants to kill ALL the teens, and the motivation for him as a killer works more than most "pure evil" slasher villains. Karen dying and Eddy living emphasizes that.

This also counts for one of the most effective deaths, because it's sad: Woodstock, the skinny goofy prankster, gets mutilated later while on a mission to help his friends get rescued. The tropes of slasher films--nameless kids getting killed for breaking "rules"--does not apply to The Burning, partially because it was written after Halloween but before Friday the 13th, and partially because there is so much about the characters in the script.

There seems to also be a discourse that Alfred is an audience surrogate, or someone worth rooting for, but he's objectively a peeping tom despite being reprimanded for it on multiple occasions. I don't think the film necessarily sympathizes with Alfred, or thinks his actions are okay; the women of the film rightfully call him a piece of poo poo for it. However, specifically the character Todd offers Alfred a second chance, and doesn't think he should be fully punished for these actions, since he's a misguided youth having a hard time fitting in. This feels a little too Boy's Club, but it makes sense by the end (or on a rewatch), knowing that Todd is one of the teens in the opening scene where it shows him directly responsible for Cropsey's torturous burning, and directly affecting the rest of the story. I've watched the film in group settings with my friends, with a majority of them being women, and it's always been the conclusion that the film does not approve of Alfred's perverted shenanigans, but that's what makes him an interesting character.

The supplemental features on the Shout blu-ray shine the light on two major players for this film: Tom Savini gets multiple showcases of his work on the film, and they provide a lot of footage of him and his collaborative nature. If you're a Savini fan, the special features are essential, as are his personal stories on the film. Another surprising showcase was an interview with the film's editor, Jack Sholder. I recognized him immediately as the director of A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge. His interview is pretty funny. You can hear him side-step bad-mouthing the Weinsteins (this blu-ray was released in 2013, before the #MeToo movement). He talks about being a literature buff and his unusual journey into a career in film--starting as an editor for commercials, then editing The Burning as his first feature, which taught him how horror films worked, which lead to him re-writing scripts he had and getting them produced. Indeed, the editing for The Burning is creative, especially with how it works with Savini's effects, and Sholder is open about Savini collaborating on the editing process for the best use of the effects, and playing in-between with the director and Weinsteins, which he said became out-right hostile.



As a horror film: 4 out of 5 :kingsley:
As a slasher: 5 out of 5 :kingsley:


Total: 8
Films Watched: Fright Night | The Brood | The Black Cat | Varan | The Roost | Friday the 14th Part 4: The Final Chapter | They Live | The Burning
rewatch | new to me

Class3KillStorm
Feb 17, 2011



Franchescanado posted:

8. Dead & Buried

Watch a film featuring a cast member who has passed away since October. It can be an actor, composer, director, producer, etc. Must be new-to-you.


#12. Vampire in Venice (Tubi)

A professor goes to Venice, to trace the path and disappearance of an infamous vampire during the plague, but gets caught up when the creature returns after centuries.

On paper, this sounds like it should be interesting - a spiritual sequel to the Werner Herzog/Klaus Kinski adaptation of Nosferatu, starring Kinski and also featuring Christopher Plummer (RIP) and Donald Pleasance. (The film's original title was "Nosferatu in Venice," and Kinski was supposed to re-use the makeup from the 1979 film, to really hammer it home. That ended up not happening, so the connections are tenuous at best and only add to the weird, off-kilter feeling of the film.) In practice, this thing is kind of a weird, shambling mess - equal parts dreamlike and incompetent. There are some moments, mostly centered around Kinski and his lonely journey back to Venice, that are suitably trance-like and ethereal - but then we cut back to the human protagonists and its all stilted, partially dubbed performances and bizarre, half-formed characterizations and mediocre dialogue.

On paper, Plummer sounds like an excellent "Peter Cushing as Van Helsing" stand-in; he has a similar look and can convey similar gravitas. In practice, while I think they wanted to go with a characterization of "cynical and melancholic," it comes across as stiff and bored. The film being somewhat loose in characterization and plotting also undermines his character arc in the end - I can't tell if he's supposed to commit suicide at the end, after being beaten, or allowing himself to be taken by Nosferatu. Similar ends, but the act would at least illustrate something about him. Between the normal weirdness of English-speaking actors on Italian and the messy production, I can see how he could lose his passion for the project. Similarly, Donald Pleasance has next to nothing of interest to do in the film, which is a rare thing to say. Only Kinski comes across as giving something like an actual performance - he toggles between feral rage and Romantic-era melancholy, and it can be fascinating to watch. He seems like the only thing animated on screen at times, so you want to zero in on him, but he also feels like he belongs in another film entirely.

NOTE: Normally I would probably rate this a 2/5, due to the weird pacing issues and generally sloppy storytelling. However, checking out the IMDB page about it after the fact, it is alleged that Kinski actually committed sexual assault against most of the younger female costars while making this film; thinking back on it, that definitely sounds plausible, as the nudity and sex in the film feels weird and gratuitous throughout. Because of that, I don't feel comfortable giving this a formal rating - it wasn't much worth your time anyway, but with that knowledge about it now, no one needs to bother seeking this out.

Watched 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), House of Wax (1953) (FC #2), Vampire in Venice (FC #8)

gey muckle mowser
Aug 5, 2003

Do you know anything about...
witches?



Buglord
15. :siren:Fran Challenge #1. Short Cuts:siren:

Total Runtime: 1h 52m (technically I could've stopped after the first three but there are a billion shorts on YouTube and I didn't feel like going to bed yet!)

Hominid (2014)
19m

Two cryptozoologists hunting for evidence of Bigfoot find... evidence of Bigfoot. This isn't great - I think it tries to include too much backstory and emotional weight into too short of a runtime, and not much of what happened made much sense. Decent production values though I guess.

Zygote (2017)
23m

Like the third act of an action/sci-fi/horror film that doesn't otherwise exist. The creature reminds me of something out of Bloodborne and is super cool and creepy. I had to turn closed captions on because I couldn't understand what the male actor was saying, he kind of mumbles and rasps everything and combined with the loud background noises it was completely unintelligible for me. Otherwise a really cool and fun short.

The Black Tower (1987)
23m

A man notices a strange black tower in his neighborhood and wonders what it could be, but soon realizes not only that other people can't see it, but it never seems to appear in the same place. This has an experimental feel to it, being mostly just narration over either a totally black screen or static shots of the tower, with some occasional abstract sequences and repeated imagery. The story has an early weird fiction vibe to it that I really dug. Loved it!

The Ten Steps (2004)
10m

A decent low budget short from Ireland about a girl who is afraid to go into the cellar to turn the power back on. Feels like a spooky campfire story or urban legend sort of thing. Not sure it's totally effective, but it's a neat creepy idea.

Death Metal (2016)
5m

A lovely metal guitarist inherits a cursed guitar from his father, but it comes with rules that must not be broken... a fun and silly short with a whole lot of blood and gore crammed into its less than 5 minute runtime. Certainly worth the time to check out!

Foxed! (2013)
4m

A very short animated film about a girl held captive by humanoid foxes. Has a Coraline vibe to it. Too short to be much more than a creepy idea, but I liked the style.

The Video Store Commerical (2019)
4m

Another silly short, this one about a video store owner filming a commercial. One of the crew accidentally breaks an old VHS tape and unleashes an evil force... This is fine and I liked the '80s horror vibe and the effects, but you can't do much in only 4 minutes. A feature length version of this with the same style could be fun though!

SCP-096 (2020)
24m

An entity identified as SCP-096 escapes containment and runs at high speed towards a specific faraway victim. If you look at it's face you will... die I guess? That wasn't really clear to me, but it's definitely something you don't want to do. The story is presented as a scientist being debriefed about the event by a representative of the SCP Foundation, which is mostly just the agent delivering awkward dialogue explaining what happened and the scientist protesting that it's not his fault. There's a neat idea buried in here I think, but it hurts that the creature looks like a super generic movie monster and that the film focuses way more on the behind the scenes foundation stuff than it does on the actual creepy parts. High production values but probably the least interesting of all the shorts I watched today.

Edgar Wright's Top 100 Horror: 97/100
Slant Top 100 Horror: 97/100
TSZDT 2020: 671/1000

Total: 15
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) | Short films (FC#1)
Fran Challenges: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

The Berzerker
Feb 24, 2006

treat me like a dog



21. Goodnight Mommy (Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz, 2014)
:spooky: Fran Challenge 7: Mother's Day :spooky:
Not sure I can talk about this without spoiler tags. While I didn't know anything about this going into it, I knew the directors were the same who made The Lodge, so I expected some twisty elements and some 'things are maybe not as they seem' moments. I figured out pretty early on that Lukas was either dead or not real or something along those lines, I guess they wanted me to wonder why Mother was ignoring him entirely, but she straight up never looks at him or anything so it was pretty apparent that he wasn't real. With that suspicion, I was pretty much suspicious of everything after that, and at no point did I really think that Mother was a villain or whatever, which made the first two-thirds pretty slow moving. The last third, where the boy(s) take control, is really great and tense, and I like the ambiguity of the ending quite a bit. Definitely worth a watch!

:ghost: 3.5/5

Challenge Count: 21/31
Fran Challenges: 1 (Various) 2 (Suspiria 2018) 3 (Cheerleader Camp) 4 5 (Tigers Are Not Afraid) 6 7 (Goodnight Mommy) 8 (The Clown at Midnight) 9 10 (Video Nasties) 11 12 13

Debbie Does Dagon
Jul 8, 2005



Franchescanado posted:

It is also a bit funny how up-front the film is about what it's saying. There is no subtext, it's all text. The rich are the ruling class and we are pawns of consumption. I think this approach is why the film has managed it's longevity; the message doesn't get lost under the story-telling.

I think there is subtext. It begins as a takedown of Reagan era America and Capitalism, then it pivots toward being about a shadowy cabal of others manipulating the system for their own ends. The conclusion of the film is that the system isn't broken, it's the people behind the system who are to blame, and they importantly are different from us genetically. We're just lucky that they were aliens and not lizard-people.

dorium
Nov 5, 2009

If it gets in your eyes
Just look into mine
Just look into dreams
and you'll be alright
I'll be alright






14. Prom Night [1980] - Dir: Paul Lynch [Fran Challenge: 2. Sometimes They Come Back]

Well this was really cool. I could see the turn happening a mile away, but the build up, the setting and tone all worked real well and the reveal hit pretty well. It's a very simple film, but its got a lot of interesting ideas on grief and trauma. I especially liked the weird Stephen King vibes I was getting transitioning from kids to teenage (well as teenage as 20-somethings can look). I did dislike I couldn't tell some characters apart and they all kinda just mashed together personality wise so there wasnt really characters worth following, but the paths and choices made it worth sticking around. Also Jamie Lee Curtis is a babe, so that didnt hurt either.



4 Skulls out of 5



15. Attack of the Killer Tomatoes! [1978] - Dir: John De Bello

Yeaaa this movie sucked. It gets two and a half skulls from me for the ingenuity of how this movie was produced and made, but its deeply unfunny for the bulk of its run time, the tomatoes are barely in it and the gags and weird subplots all just stunk. Maybe I watched this at the wrong point in my life and it would've been more funny as a kid, but man it was just a bore. I appreciate the craft of making a deeply small budget film and recruiting everyone you know to kick in some work, but yea, this was just dull. Great for burgeoning filmmakers though. Shows it especially now doesnt take much to just go make a movie about whatever the gently caress you want. You just gotta do the work, but hopefully it turns out better than this.



2 and a half Skulls out of 5



16. Street Trash [1987] - Dir: J. Michael Muro

People were not kidding when they said this was a deeply cruel and humiliating film. It's acerbic, homophobic, misogynistic and ugly film, but I sorta liked it. Its hard to brush aside the pure awfulness of the movie and its writers, but there was some fun scenes here and there and I really liked the liberal use of crazy colors for people who drank the viper drink and started to melt. It's an interesting premise that never felt like a real threat to anyone in the main cast until the end, but even then it was always the focus that the people around our "heroes" were the true villains all along and this drink was just around for any sucker to get got by. Interesting premise but poorly done.



3 Skulls out of 5



17. Demons [1985] - Dir: Lamberto Bava

This movie fuckin rocked. It's about as punk rock as a Italian horror flick has gotten for me. I liked the effects, the premise and the location especially. It was just a lot of fun front to back and I am really looking forward to checking out the second movie now. Especially since the way this ends its an actual pandemic happening and I didnt expect that at all. Really thought it would've been a one and done sorta situation, but nope this is full scale poo poo going down. Horror movies being set in theaters are awesome (See Stagefright).



4 Skulls out of 5

twernt
Mar 11, 2003

Whoa whoa wait, time out.
:spooky: Fran Challenge 4. Movie of the Month



Dead Ringers (1988)
Directed by David Cronenberg
Available on Amazon Prime, Hoopla, Kanopy

Allegedly, Dead Ringers is about a pair of twins, Elliot and Beverly Mantle, who are gynecologists. Instead, I think it’s about a single deteriorating personality. This occurred to me when, at one point, I wasn’t sure which twin was in a scene and decided that I really didn’t care.



Beverly and Elliot are introduced as children, clinically discussing the the necessity of sex for mammals. Then, the movie fast forwards to college, where Elliot and Beverly have developed a new style of retractor that would be painful to use externally, but becomes an industry standard for surgery. It’s a literal gold-plated symbol of their self-superiority.



As soon as the movie gets to the “present day” of 1988, we can see cracks forming in Beverly and Elliot’s relationship. Elliot takes Beverly for granted and Beverly resents Elliot. Things just get worse from here. As their relationship becomes more adversarial, both of them suffer, psychologically and physically.



Jeremy Irons is amazing as Elliot and Beverly Mantle. Geneviève Bujold also does a great job as Claire Niveau. I’d describe everything else about Dead Ringers, from the set design to the music, as meticulous.

Dead Ringers is a :ghost::ghost::ghost::ghost:



Time Travel Challenge: 28/31
Fran Challenges: 4/13
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), 27. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986), 28. Wolf’s Hole (1987)
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, 3. The Burning, 4. Dead Ringers

Basebf555
Feb 29, 2008

The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!

Fun Shoe
Yea I think you're definitely meant to lose track of which twin is which as the movie goes on, just as they themselves are losing their own individual identities and sort of merging into one.

I was surprised after I saw Dead Ringers to find out that Irons didn't get any major awards nominations for it(he did win a Canadian Oscar though!), the performance is stunning.

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graventy
Jul 28, 2006

Fun Shoe

Basebf555 posted:

I'm gonna watch Madman too because there's only so many camp slashers I haven't seen and Madman is readily available.

Yeah, I feel like my only real options for fresh movies here are Madman or Cheerleader Camp, and neither is too exciting.

I'd like to find a good option for videogame movie that isn't just Silent Hill 2, I've seen most of the obvious ones.

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