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The original Nightbreed is kind of a mess , but I always liked it because of the tone of the film. The director's cut is way better and worth checking out.
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May 25, 2021 14:53
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12. The Wild Boys aka Les Garçons Sauvages 2017 dir. Bertrand Mandico Horror Bracketology Contender After I watched this movie, I tried to explain it to my partner. From their reaction, I did a terrible job explaining the magic of this evocative, enigmatic surreal experience.  Take the droogs from A Clockwork Orange and transport them to a secluded island where Neverland's The Lost Boys descend into Lord of the Flies cut-throat betrayal, while the local fauna magically blends the gender line. A large part of the film is a sea-faring adventure, as our villainous characters are transported by a craggy captain on his ship, so it's also a pirate film. The inciting incident with this film is a Shakespearean performance that descends in a sexual assault, where the victim, our main characters' acting coach, is killed. This is not portrayed by a traditional rape scene, like I Spit On Your Grave. Instead, it is more psychedelic, like something out of a film by Ken Rusell, or Walerian Borowczyk, or even music video-ish films like Alan Parker's film of Pink Floyd's The Wall (the Comfortably Numb sequence especially comes to mind). The film parallels this sexual assault with another sexual assault, shown previous to the teacher's sexual assault, in stark dark monochrome, the victim one of the rapists we will get to know (though that isn't conveyed clearly until later), the victim's body revealed to have a single woman's breast as well as a penis. Both of these ideas are disturbing, but the tone for both is like a dream. This is, for the most part, the most disturbing the film will get, but the dream-like tone will be throughout. That's the greatest thing for me to emphasize for this film. It never once disturbed me. The tone is too fantastic and the ideas too magical and surreal, where the violence and cruelty feel allegorical rather than literal. (Still not something I will flippantly show friends, but this isn't Irreversible or A Clockwork Orange or Straw Dogs.) This is a fairy tale for adults.  It is easier to talk about the production than the actual ideas of the film. All of the main actors, our titular Wild Boys, are played by women. (The choice for the Boys to be obsessed with Shakespeare is another fun role-reversal, as it's well-known that the roles of women in Shakespeare's plays were portrayed by feminized male actors.) There are many prosthetic penises that are violently masturbated, which eventually fall off from pubic patches and leave bloody stumps. Vulgar to say, and probably not appealing to someone wanting a more casual movie-going experience; however, I should also emphasize, despite the constant sexual imagery, from literal tattooed penises and breasts and asses and vaginas to phallic plants that ejaculate thick viscous nectar and bushes that are shaped like legs that conceal yonic openings which can be hosed, the film is never pornographic. None of this is titillating, but it does heavily explore sexuality (especially unhealthy, predatory sexuality). The cinematography, helmed by Pascale Granel, (notably a fan/student of Borowcyzk) uses Super 8mm, 16mm and 32mm film, most of which is monochrome, some of which is color stock. The film stock is expired and creates beautiful distortions in color and composition, which especially emphasizes the magical realism of Island La Réunion. I don't know how she manages the colors or the balance between lights and darks, but I would now watch any film where she is the DP. Also of note is Laure Saint-Marc, the film's editor, who has collaborated with Granel and Mandico on multiple projects. This trio's work together creates a singular and mesmerizing cinematic voice. If there were any complaint to have about this film, it is a minor one: it's not a horror film. Not really. Some of the ideas are horrific, but more than anything it is a fantasy film and an adventure film. It feels more like a Gabriel Garcia Marquez novel come to life. It also reminds me of Pedro Almodovar's films, although with the benefit of being released in 2017, so it's themes of gender-fluidity feel more culturally relevant than how the same ideas feel dated from Almodovar's films. (Yes, I will still defend Almodovar's filmography, The Skin I Live In a notwithstanding blight on an otherwise fascinating, thought-provoking genre/gender-bending filmography.) You can also see the influence of Luis Buñuel, Harmony Korine, Alejandro Jodorowsky, the previously mentioned Ken Russell and Walerian Borowyzck, Andrzej Żuławski, even some Fellini, Argento, Pasolini, Cronenberg, and possibly some Michel Gondry. And, again, this is somehow a pirate film. While there's no swashbuckling, most of the film takes place on a ship at sea, with the imprisoned crew planning a mutiny. However, since it's a Bracketology film, I'm fine with including it here, among my own challenge list. The central idea, if there is one for me to grab onto, is the misguided belief that there is a difference between genders, that there are defined lines with what makes a woman and what makes a man. Our Wild Boys are sent to an island that will magically turn them into Wild Girls. The Captain and his later-revealed collaborator, Dr. Séverin(e), believe that effeminizing the brutal men of the world will make the world less brutal. The irony is that the Wild Ones commit more murders (justifiable or not) once they have been turned into women. Indeed, their genitals have changed, but their violent rambunctiousness has not. They are more energized towards violence and anarchy than ever before, they just feel more beautiful in their transformation. Our "most sympathetic" character, Tanguy, gets stuck in the middle of their transformation, having a single breast, a penis, possibly a partly formed vagina. Tanguy is conflicted in this. There is an insinuation that the fauna or magic of the island makes the transformation seductive, but there is room to wonder if Tanguy is compelled to complete their transformation because they want to, or because all of their friends have become women and they are afraid of being left behind. I also don't know what to make of TREVOR, a chaotic deity that fuels much of the cruelty the Wild Ones commit. It is a dazzling, colorful bejeweled skull-head, and it is never fully conveyed if it is a real outside force or a construct of the characters. Ultimately, this is a fantastic transgressive creative accomplishment. It left me with more questions than answers, which I appreciate. It pushed the boundaries of cinema almost effortlessly. 5 out of 5  Total: 12 Films Watched: Fright Night | The Brood | The Black Cat | Varan | The Roost | Friday the 14th Part 4: The Final Chapter | They Live | The Burning | Dario Argento's Phantom of the Opera | Sleepaway Camp | Edge of the Axe | The Wild Boys rewatch | new to me
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May 25, 2021 15:25
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 39. 1998. Ringu Directed by Hideo Nakata Watched on Shudder I saw the American remake when it came out, but I never saw the original until now. It’s probably because, for a long time, there was no dependable way to watch foreign horror movies unless you bought them and even then your options were limited.  Compared to the way I remember the American version, Ringu is less overtly scary and is way more of mystery/thriller than a horror movie. Nanako Matsushima is no Naomi Watts, but I think the original is the stronger movie overall.  There are a lot of really nice shots in Ringu and, even though the story progresses relatively slowly, it never really gets boring. One other thing that’s especially nice is that there really aren’t any special effects to make the movie look dated. It does have the kind of fakeout double ending that I remember being very popular int he late 1990s and early 2000s.  Time Travel Challenge: 39/31 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), 29. The Vanishing (1988), 30. Santa Sangre (1989), 31. Bride of Re-Animator (1990), 32. The People Under the Stairs (1991), 33. The Wicked City (1992), 34. Body Bags (1993), 35. Tammy and the T-Rex (1994), 36. The Day of the Beast (1995), 37. The Craft (1996), 38. Cube (1997), 39. Ringu (1998) Bracketology: 12/? 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, 8. Sightseers, 9. The House That Jack Built, 10. The Wild Boys, 11. Creature from the Black Lagoon, 12. Scanners Fran Challenges: 13/13 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, 5. Belzebuth, 6. Fright Night, 7. The Brood, 8. Village of the Damned, 9. Cat People, 10. Birth of the Living Dead, 11. The Lure, 12. Black Sabbath, 13. My Bloody Valentine 3D
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May 25, 2021 15:55
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27) Shorts Collection Fran Challenge #1: Short Cuts Where the Last One Hides (2013) 5min, link My friend is the lead in this one! It definitely has that student film feel, but I thought it was very enjoyable. Sort of an Appalachian take on I Am Legend? He Took His Skin Off For Me (2015) 11min, link I like this take on "what if Frank from Hellraiser, but a love story?" There's something really unsettling about the frankness (no pun intended) of it all - the highs and lows of having a partner with, well, no skin. It left me feeling weirdly sad. Possibly in Michigan (1983) 11min, link I love this short so much. SO MUCH. It's just so.... weird. Unsettling. Creepy. It's like the distilled essence of dream logic into a serial killer romp. Everyone needs to watch this. Kathy Don't Go! (date unknown) 3min, link I think this is more a music video than a short? Or maybe a... musical? I'm so confused. Basically a story about a dystopian future where everyone has a barcode on them. But... also the dangers of supermarket shopping? Like I said, I'm very confused. Don't Look Away (2017) 8 min, link I'm realizing that I have a lot more leniency for shorts than I do for full-length movies. The acting in this is pretty bad, and the cinematography is weird, but it's really cute. It's pretty much just a Slenderman knockoff? Except with the Scarecrow from Batman Begins? Decent tension, and some of the plot twists actually worked pretty well. The Devil's Passenger (2018) 4min, link I would totally watch a full length based on this premise. With this 4 minute short, it felt like I was just watching a trailer for something more substantial. But it was cute, really neat idea. We Die Alone (2020) 23min, link Oh wow I loved this one. I don't want to spoil anything, but it was setting itself up to be one thing, totally predictable, and then swerved into something else entirely. I thought the acting was great, the pacing was great. Really high marks for a short. Total time: 65min Total: 27 1. Crawl (2019) / 2. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) (FC1) / 3. Vampyr (1932) / 4. I Walked With A Zombie (1943) / 5. Kwaidan (1964) (FC12) / 6. Vampyres (1975) (FC9) / 7. The Howling (1981) / 8. Torso (1973) / 9. Frankenhooker (1990) / 10. Herschell Gordon Lewis: The Godfather of Gore (2010) (FC10) / 11. Them (Ils) (2006) / 12. Nina Forever (2015) / 13. Aliens (1986) / 14. The Cremator (1969) (FC4) / 15. Saw IV (2007) / 16. Dark Skies (2013) / 17. The McPherson Tape (1989) / 18. Saw (2004) (FC6) / 19. Mother's Day (1980) (FC7) / 20. The Lure (2015) (FC11) / 21. Belzebuth (2017) (FC5) / 22. The House That Jack Built (2018) / 23. Thankskilling (2008) (FC13) / 24. House of Wax (2005) (FC2) / 25. Sleepaway Camp (1983) (FC3) / 26. Army of the Dead (2021) / 27. Shorts Fran Challenges Remaining -- 8
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May 25, 2021 16:26
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29. El Vampiro Fran Challenge Cinco  Watched this as part of the Cinco challenge after it was suggested by another poster. Overall I really liked it. It's definitely got the same charm as those initial Universal monster movies . However it differs a little bit with kind of to a comple plot like the vampires goals are interesting they're not just there to suck blood. The Dracula stand in is good and there's lots of use of mood lighting and bats on string to make his performance enjoyable. It has a suitable score to it as well. Anway overall I really liked the film. According to Wikipedia its one of the first vampire films to show vampire with fangs.
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May 25, 2021 17:33
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I had never heard the term snogging before and laughed really good at it. The movie was great.
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May 25, 2021 17:57
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15. Paganini Horror (1989) How did I watch this? – Blu-ray How long have I gone without watching this? – This was another Black Friday 2020 purchase Why do I own this? – I mean, did you see that poster? It’s a masterpiece! Some people here probably said it was ok too. An all-ladies rock band is desperate for a hit, when their manager delivers: a secret, unrecorded song by Niccolò Paganini, said to be the music he used to summon the devil and sell his soul for musical success. They rent a nearby spooky house to film the music video; a house also associated with Paganini. Then the murdering starts. It’s dreamlike, by which I mean meandering, confusing, and pretty much forgotten after it ends. Which I guess kind of describes a lot of Italian horror, although usually there’s more substance. It’s mediocre, but not offensively so. I agree with STAC: the ending has a lot more promise than the actual story they told. 2/5 Was it a good purchase? – Ehhhhhh… no. 16. Tales From the Dark 1 (2013) Fran Challenge #12: Cavalcade of Creepiness  How did I watch this? – Plex There are three chapters to this Hong Kong cavalcade. In the first, Stolen Goods, a man loses his job and turns to a life of crime: stealing urns from the cemetery and ransoming them back to their loved ones. A Word in the Palm features two mall fortune tellers, who team up to solve a haunting. The last, Jing Zhe, features a someone who performs ‘villain-hitting’ magic dealing with an unexpected client. I don’t think it starts very strong, the first segment has a bland, predictable nature; some slight twists but nothing to really spook or get your attention. The second segment is great! It has a Scooby Doo kind of goofy vibe to it, the Velma-like crystal fortune teller is great, and plays really well with the more serious guy. I would pay good money to see these two solve The Conjuring films, instead of the Warrens. All that said I’m not happy with the message of the segment: the ghost turns out to be a high school swim club team member. The coach sleeps with her, gets her pregnant, and then abandons her. She commits suicide, and then haunts him and his wife. The ghost girl is made out to be the problem here, which I was not a fan of. Still it did redeem itself a little by calling him a douche at the end. The third segment was neat, just a weird local magic thing I’d never heard of. Villain-hitting is basically just taking a picture of the person you want to curse to the local witch, and she will literally beat them with a shoe and curse their existence. It’s the most famous director in the bunch, Fruit Chan, who directed Dumplings and a segment from Three…Extremes. It does a good job of building up creepiness and dread but it ends almost like a bad-CGI Final Destination. On the whole it’s pretty uneven, but I enjoyed the goofy/creepy nature of the second one a lot. 3.5/5
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May 25, 2021 18:03
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Basebf555 posted:Did I even really recommend Nightbreed? I guess I just try to be as positive as I possibly can about the stuff I watch but it's definitely a deeply flawed movie. No argument there. Not specifically but it was your review that got me to search it out and you’ve never done me wrong.
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May 25, 2021 18:07
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TheBizzness posted:Not specifically but it was your review that got me to search it out and you’ve never done me wrong. Sometimes I feel like I brute force my way into liking a movie, or at least appreciating it. I ended up giving Nightbreed like 3 or 4 chances just because of my love for Barker and Hellraiser and so I've started to enjoy it more than I did initially. At first I was much closer to where you are, having trouble finding any redeeming qualities in it other than Cronenberg.
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May 25, 2021 18:14
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 40. 1999. Ringu 2 Directed by Hideo Nakata Watched on Shudder Ringu 2 picks up right where Ringu left off. Ryuji Takayama is dead, Reiko Asakawa is missing, and Ryuji’s “student” Mai Takano is trying to find out what happened. It bumps up the spookiness right away by dropping the bomb that Sadako may have lived in the well for decades. The tape and its copies are also still apparently wreaking havoc.  The sequel is definitely spookier than the original, but the pieces don’t hang together quite as well. Maybe it’s because there are too many parallel plot lines that only tangentially intersect instead of a central mystery or problem to solve? There’s Masami and the doctor studying spirit photography, Reiko’s disappearance, the forensics team investigating the body in the well, and Mai following the same clues that Ryuji and Reiko followed in the first movie. It does eventually come together but not in a satisfying way.  If I had seen Ringu and Ringu 2 in the opposite order, I do wonder if I would have thought of Ringu as the boring one. The ending just so absurd and dumb that it veers back into awesome somehow. Time Travel Challenge: 40/31 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), 29. The Vanishing (1988), 30. Santa Sangre (1989), 31. Bride of Re-Animator (1990), 32. The People Under the Stairs (1991), 33. The Wicked City (1992), 34. Body Bags (1993), 35. Tammy and the T-Rex (1994), 36. The Day of the Beast (1995), 37. The Craft (1996), 38. Cube (1997), 39. Ringu (1998), 40. Ringu 2 (1999) Bracketology: 12/? 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, 8. Sightseers, 9. The House That Jack Built, 10. The Wild Boys, 11. Creature from the Black Lagoon, 12. Scanners Fran Challenges: 13/13 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, 5. Belzebuth, 6. Fright Night, 7. The Brood, 8. Village of the Damned, 9. Cat People, 10. Birth of the Living Dead, 11. The Lure, 12. Black Sabbath, 13. My Bloody Valentine 3D
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May 25, 2021 19:16
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https://twitter.com/FANGORIA/status/1397009128174784515?s=20 RIP Aunt Martha
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May 25, 2021 19:29
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Franchescanado posted:12. The Wild Boys Excellent write-up! And I'm ecstatic that you enjoyed it so much
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May 25, 2021 20:02
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30 . The Resurrected (1991) The best Lovecraft adaptation you've probably never seen. This film has a great pedigree of actors and Directed by Dan O'Bannon. I love this movie. Its a really straightforward Neo Noir Horror film, which is a genre you never knew you needed. It's a pulpy goopy horror movie from the guy who directed Return of the Living Dead. The story is rather straight forward and a bit predictable but just because its predictable doesn't mean it isn't good. There's some fantastic goopy special effects in this. It takes a bit to get going with the "mystery" of the story leading into the ferocious finale. Anyway this is one of my favorite Lovecraft adaptations. I hope you watch it and enjoy it as much as I did.
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May 25, 2021 22:23
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Fran Challenge: Sometimes They Come Back The Thing from Another World (1951) Directed by Christian Nyby Watched on Filmin.es(EU)  Despite hearing how good this film is for a few decades now, I've been putting it off under the assumption that it wasn't going to be for me. It's from a decade of film that I don't particularly enjoy, and, I'm not sure if "creature feature" applies here, but it seemed to share some of the hallmarks of that subgenre that I don't particularly care for, the monster with no personality, who acts seemingly randomly and in a blundering manner. Whilst some of that assessment fits, I actually quite enjoyed the film. On a day in which I watched Nightmare Detective and Hellboy (2004), it was easily my favourite film of the day. The basic plot is naturally quite similar to John Carpenter's The Thing. A cold remote base discovers an alien being and then spends much of the rest of the movie in a paranoid race to defeat it before it spreads to the rest of the world, replicating itself unfathomably with us as its food source. What's impressive about the film is also, coincidentally, what I'd consider impressive about Carpenter's remake, namely the depth of character building and the impressive practical effects.. Firstly, and despite the large cast, I actually got the sense that I knew each of the characters, understood their motivations and quirks and even got to like a few of them. Margaret Sheridan's Nikki, in particular, stands out as a fun, rich, characterful, and strong presence, which was incredibly impressive to me. Her character is perhaps a step down from some other women characters from the '30s and '40s, but compared to Julie Adams' Kay from Creature From the Black Lagoon, she's practically a firebrand suffragette. Secondly, the effects are just magical. The suit is deceptive, as when you see still images you assume the monster is a two-dimensional Frankenstein, and he absolutely is in some ways. What really sets it apart though is the fantastic cinematography, the lightning work, and, yes, the fire stunts. I think the only other fire stunts I've seen that compare with this are in Maniac Cop 2 and House of Wax (1953), and even there the fire didn't feel as menacing or as dangerous. Maybe there's just something unpredictable about fire, that it's almost like cheating to use it, it's just going to bypass logic every time, regardless however I was incredibly impressed. I'm sure I could go on but I've probably said enough. It's just a wonderfully surprising film, and one I would highly recommend, despite any misgivings you may have. 4.5/5 Official: 10/13 X-Files: 23/x Fran Challenges: 3/13 Debbie Does Dagon fucked around with this message at 00:04 on May 26, 2021 |
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May 25, 2021 23:56
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23. The Unholy (2021) "When God builds a church, the Devil makes a chapel next door" In Evan Spiliotopoulos' directorial debut (he previously wrote the screenplays for The Huntsman: Winter's War and the 2017 Beauty and the Beast, among other things), based on a James Herbert book, Jeffrey Dean Morgan plays a disgraced journalist who previously faked stories to get attention, now at the forefront of a story almost too good to be believed: a young deaf-mute girl he finds kneeling in front of a tree and speaking clearly. Eventually she proclaims the person who healed her keeps talking to her and calls herself Mary. As the town is amazed by this and a few other apparent miracles, believing this to be the Virgin Mary, some things don't add up. Especially when horrific visions occur, and when someone dies. Can JDM discover the truth while the town can still be saved from whatever's coming? That's a lot of words to say "this is Religious Horror 101 with a first-time director, produced by Sam Raimi, and starring the bat guy from the Walking Dead". In complete fairness, this still feels like better creative work to have than the flatlining Walking Dead, even if I wouldn't call it Good There's nothing you haven't seen here before and better elsewhere. And if you just want jump scares, The Nun had better ones And more deaths/excitement (if I have one major negative to say about The Unholy 2021, it's how surprisingly boring it was despite the concept), and was atmospheric. I didn't even like The Nun that much! It even has a scene of creepy contortionist walking like Sadako or *insert any of half of Javier Botet's characters here* Not to say that this didn't have potential at all: Cricket Brown's performance as Alice, the aforementioned young girl, is legitimately the highlight and kept my interest in every scene as she desperately tries to keep increasing faith in this person she hears from, unknowing all the while if the intentions are good or not. The scene where she successfully heals another kid in a wheelchair is captured surprisingly beautifully in a rare emotional moment for the film. Cary Elwes is even also randomly here as a bishop whose personality is "doesn't trust Jeffrey Dean Morgan", which, fair But yeah, that's just not enough for 100 minutes and at least $20 (whether you see it in theaters or buy it on VOD, where it's now available everywhere as of today) of commitment in my opinion. When you can essentially throw a dart at an aisle labeled Religious Horror and more often than not find at least one older film that either has better or creepier scares, or more deaths, or more blood, or better tension, or a more compelling story, why would you take that much of a chance to pass it up and go for The Unholy (2021) instead? ** 23/13 (The New York Ripper, Gwen, Sleepless Beauty, The Head Hunter, 13: Game of Death, Deerskin, Curve, The Incredible Melting Man, Starry Eyes, Eyes Without a Face, In the Earth, Macabre 1958, Macabre 1980, Oxygen 2021, The Djinn 2021, Wer, Spiral: From the Book of Saw, Moonstalker, Army of the Dead 2021, The Retreat 2021, Held 2021, Tooth Fairy: The Last Extraction, The Unholy 2021)
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May 26, 2021 00:14
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 - (56). Hellboy (2004) Written and directed by Guillermo del Toro, co-written by Peter Briggs, based on the graphic novel Hellboy: Seed of Destruction by Mike Mignola. Watched on Starz and Deb’s Bracketology Chillstream, available on Hoopla and DirectTV. I like Hellboy, but I don't love it. I'm not entire surely why. There's lots of parts I do love. I love Pearlman's Hellboy. I love how it looks with the mix of practical effects and well used CGI into a very gothic kind of look that has aged better than films made 10 years later. I love Doug Jones' Abe even if I wish they had let him just do the voice, but David Hyde Pierce is good too. I love Selma Blair, even if there's some problematic elements of her character arc, but they feel like poorly thought out tropes of the time and genre rather than anything malicious. I love My... I love a the monsters and creature designs. I love the opening. I love the closing. I love the comedy. For some reason I just don't love the movie. There's Myers. Look, I don't really like Myers either but do I think he's a serious problem? No, not really. Did the film need a basic white dude as an audience stand in or avatar. No, I don't think so. But I think GdT handles it well. He's not the star of the film. He's not the chosen one or specially gifted in some way. He doesn't grow a golden sweater and turn out to be from a destined line of champions. He's a dork, and he's in over his head. He's mostly just along for the ride. And he serves some purpose. He's a sounding board for the Professor to drop us some exposition and how he feels about Hellboy. He's bridge for Liz to bring her back into the fold and compare what she has with "normalcy." He motivates Hellboy to confront his feelings, mature, and tell Liz how he feels. You know, he's basically a support pet. Maybe he does good, maybe he just makes people feel better, maybe that's the same thing. But I don't think he's too obtrusive to the film. And hilariously I saw the Director's Cut concurrently with the Theatrical Cut tonight and like 90% of the difference are Myers scenes that were cut without a ton being lost. GdT prefers the Director's Cut and you know, I'm sure he likes the scenes he made and the film he cut. And like I said, I'm ok with Myers. But its funny that when it came down to trimming the fat its was largely him. But no, I don't think its Myers. I just don't think the movie fully rounds together. But I'm not sure why. The villains are all cool but I guess none of them are truly commanding. Probably the other 10% of the cut scenes were Rasputin ones but I don't think they really changed anything. I dunno. I would say the film could stand to be a bit longer but apparently its already two hours, which shocked the hell out of me because I didn't feel that. But I dunno. There's just something I've never really been able to figure out. But still, I think this a really fun movie that doesn't feel its length. I think Pearlman is a great Hellboy. I love the world GdT creates (or adapts) with its monsters and creatures and "freaks." And its a fun story. And a dark and gritty CGI superhero film from 2004 that ages really well and still works and looks good. Which feels like something of a miracle. So I dunno. Maybe its great? It just feels a little off for some reason.  50 (57). The Field Guide to Evil (2018) Written and directed by Ashim Ahluwalia, Can Evrenol, Severin Fiala, Veronika Franz, Katrin Gebbe, Calvin Reeder, Agnieszka Smoczynska, Peter Strickland, and Yannis Veslemes, co-written by Roberto Bolseto, Elif Domanic, Peter Strickland, and Silvia Wolkan Watched on Hulu. Fran Challenges 12/13 Franchescanado posted:12. Cavalcade of Creepiness This anthology is a bit of an around the world supergroup of directors who’ve made films I’ve seen get little cult followings over the last few years such as In Fabric, Baskins, The Lodge, and The Lure. Creators from 8 different countries and cultures exploring regional folklore, legends, and fears. Its all very loose. Segments all stay around 10-15 minutes and none of them really dig too deep into exposition or explanation but they’re all very high on their own personal style and aesthetic. Its very “style over substance” where the style very much is the substance and changes and starts new every 10 minutes. Like an arty horror buffet. They get in, they show some tasty freaky stuff, and they get out and make room for the next course. Also for some reason there’s a LOT of goats. Goats really pop up a lot in global horror folklore. “The goat is on your conscience." Anthology wise I probably prefer segments a little longer and meatier. Just enough to really chew on without wearing out their welcome. Anthologies that pack too many short pieces in tend to feel very scattered to me and not much hangs round to really be memorable. But one the other hand art stuff always tends to work better for me in smaller doses where I can appreciate the aesthetic choices and get out before they become old hat and I get antsy for story or characters or more meat. And the incredibly diverse style of pieces here and highly “dive right in” aspect of the shorts really kind of worked for me once I kind of figured out what was happening. Kind of. Truthfully I was lost a lot but I didn’t mind that too much once I settled into “just ride it out, its gonna change up in 10 minutes.” Calvin Reeder’s piece Beware of The Melonheads is probably the weakest piece in part because it does a lot of talking. I mean its also kind of silly looking but that probably could be chalked up to cultural stuff. Some of the stuff in other segments might have been a little odd too but since they felt so “foreign” my mind processed them differently. It also felt kinda Twin Peaks influenced and I’m not a fan so, ah well. But again, that feels like it goes back to the “familiarity” of it. There were other segments I just barely understood at all but in that mass confusion I was engaged. Maybe if I had understood them more I might have found them lamer. On the flip side Yannis Veslemes’s Whatever Happened to Panagas the Pagan story of a Christmas goblin who gets brutalized by a horde for drunken greeks is so bizarre and what the gently caress that my mind couldn’t even decide if it was “silly.” I was just too busy holding on for my life and marveling at the pure wtf of it. “Lets gently caress the goblin up!” My favorite segment might have been Katrin Gebbe’s A Nocturnal Breath although that might be because it was arguably th simplest and most accessible of the pieces. If you can call a segment about demonic field mice and incest “accessible” and “simple.” But in an anthology where its immediately followed by a heavily arty Hungarian fairy tale about brothers with a fetish for the princess’ feet the sidelines really start to disappear and “normal” becomes a really relative term. Its wild. I’m not sure if any of it makes sense and usually that would bother me, but as essentially 8 short stories none of the weirdness ever really had time to get to me and the story is so loose that you can’t find any holes in it even if you tried (and sometimes I probably try). I don’t know if its good or great or what but its very unique, very different, very diverse and varied, and definitely worth checking out. Goat recommended, goat loaded. 🌻🎈Spook-A-Doodle Half-Way-To-Halloween ’21: Return of the Fallen & King Spring🎈🌻 King Spring: 9/13🎈Return of the Fallen: 9/13👻Fran Challenges: 12/13🐺Svengoolie: 7/13 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); 23 (27). Summer Camp (2015); 24 (28). Man Made Monster (1941); 25 (29). Earth vs. the Spider (1958); 26 (30). Vampyr (1932); 27 (31). The Black Scorpion (1957); 28 (32). The Wild Boys (2017); 29 (33). City of the Living Dead (1980); 30 (34). We Are What We Are (2010); 31 (35). Mercy (2014); 32 (36). Baba Yaga: Terror of the Dark Forest (2020); 33 (37). Cell (2016); 34 (38). Sightseers (2012); 35 (39). Trucks (1997); 36 (40). Dead Hooker in a Trunk (2009); 37 (41). BloodRayne (2005); 38 (42). Big Driver (2014); 39 (43). The Body Snatcher (1945); 40 (44). Run (2020); 41 (45). Paganini Horror (1989); 42 (46). Army of the Dead (2021); - (47). The Invisible Man (1933); 43 (48). Scanners (1981); - (49). The Invisible Man Returns (1940); 44 (50). PG: Psycho Goreman (2020); 45 (51). Kindred Spirits (2019); 46 (52). Daughters of Darkness (1971); 47 (53). Cropsey (2009); 48 (54). The Girl (2012); 49 (55). Mermaid Isle (2020); - (56). Hellboy (2004); 50 (57). The Field Guide to Evil (2018); STAC Goat fucked around with this message at 00:29 on May 26, 2021 |
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May 26, 2021 00:24
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There's also a The Unholy (1988) starring Ben Cross which is loving wild as poo poo finale.
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May 26, 2021 00:27
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Hollismason posted:There's also a The Unholy (1988) starring Ben Cross which is loving wild as poo poo finale. Yeah, I heard good things. It's on Tubi, I might watch it tomorrow or later in the week
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May 26, 2021 00:29
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Chris James 2 posted:Yeah, I heard good things. It's on Tubi, I might watch it tomorrow or later in the week Ben Cross is awesome in it. Stick it out til the end it can get a bit meandering but that loving ending is wild and worth the wait.
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May 26, 2021 00:40
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25. Moontrap (1989) It is a movie starring Chekov of course there’s going to be no budget. There’s a few amusing parts, no not the monster stuff but they added a look how many pushups Walter Koenig can do scene. In space no one can hear your sighs of boredom. .5/5
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May 26, 2021 01:33
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I have to figure out what I'mma watch for my 31st movie now. I'm leaning Halloween or possibly Hammer Horror. Can't decide. I also want something kind of goopy that I have't watched yet.
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May 26, 2021 02:07
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12. Army of the Dead As I’m seeing with a lot of people, I found this one a bit of a mixed bag. I love the idea of this film, a zombie heist movie with dumb action with a big cast. I wanted Ocean’s 11 meets The Expendables meets Dawn of the Dead. But it didn’t quite deliver for me. It’s too tonally inconsistent. It’s not the big dumb action movie that I wanted since most of the action isn’t all that exciting, barring whenever Batista starting knocking the poo poo outta some zombies. And if it wanted to be more focused on character drama then cut out about half these people and focus on that. And the heist isn’t really developed- give me a twisting and turning, clever journey to get to that vault. Once they get into Vegas they just find the vault and it’s a lame boring hallway. No intrigue there at all. So instead of being a great action or drama or heist film, it tries to be all 3 and doesn’t do a great job at any of those genres. And visually, it’s just butt-ugly. Blurry, artificial, grey, and brown.  But it’s not all bad. I loved pretty much everything with the zombies, the look, the little society they have built, the opening sequence. Sure it borrow a lot from an already established genre but everything with the zombies was done well. Zeus and the Queen were great. I have a lot of time for a zombie tiger. Batista has gone from “isn’t it crazy how good he is?” to just “he is a very talented actor” fullstop. Dieter and Tig were very funny. I loved how obviously inserted in post Tig was but with her weird dry humor it worked perfectly. A happy accident given some real lovely circumstances.  Its runtime is ridiculous but didn’t feel oppressive. It’s an interesting world that has been built by Snyder here, I just wish it had more focus and a higher attention span. Watchlist ranked Best to Worst 1. Bride of Re-Animator* 2. Ginger Snaps 3. Frankenhooker* 4. Bride of Chucky* 5. Seed of Chucky ( ) 6. House on Haunted Hill ‘99 () 7. Rawhead Rex 8. Army of the Dead 9. Victor Crowley 10. Scare Package ()11. Jason Goes to Hell 12. Verotika *=rewatch = Fran Challenge- #2, #9, #12
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May 26, 2021 02:14
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 Parasite NGL, early on I was wondering why you guys counted this as a horror movie. Then the housekeeper showed up. The last half hour of this movie had me more tense than any movie I can remember What's really brilliant is that it has the structure of a comedy. You've got all these characters getting into a different social situation through deception. And once its all set up and it seems like it's under control, boom, an element of chaos threatens to throw it all out of control. Basically, Parasite is a horror movie structured like an episode of Frasier  And with that, my May October Half October Challenge is complete! I have watched 13 new-to-me horror movies. And there's some days left, will I sneak in a cheeky #14? Probably not.
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May 26, 2021 03:01
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#29 School of the Holy Beast Norifumi Suzuki, 1974  Next up on my dive into nunsploitation is this gem from Japan (do they even have Catholic convents in Japan? I dunno). It's about a girl who enters a convent for the purpose of discovering how her mother died. The girl - as well as we - quickly become privy to the hypocrisy, depravity and sadism at play. This one definitively fits the "exploitation" moniker. There's blood, rape, whipping, stabbing, self-flagellation, lesbianism, acid pits and tons of boobs. But it's not as trashy as you might think. I mean don't get me wrong it's trashy, but it's competently trashy. It's actually pretty gorgeous looking. The only other film I've seen from this director at the time of this writing is Sex and Fury, which also could be described as "gorgeous and trashy" (and which I also loved). The revenge-centered plot feels more akin to a women in prison film than something like The Devils. Nevertheless the movie's filled to the brim with wonderful blasphemy. A nun masturbates to porn, a crucifix gets pissed on, one nun goes down on another nun, and every religiously devoted character is essentially a huge piece of poo poo. Ahhh this movie loving rules. 4.5/5 29 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), 16. The House That Dripped Blood (1971), 17. The Evil Dead (1981), 18. Alligator (1980), 19. The Terror Within II (1991), 20. Homicidal (1961), 21. El Vampiro (1957), 22. Cure (1997), 23. West of Zanzibar (1928), 24. 29 Needles (2019), 25. The Reckoning (2020), 26. Alucarda (1977), 27. Demonia (1990), 28. Resident Evil (2002), 29. School of the Holy Beast (1974) 11/13 Fran Challenges completed: 2. Sometimes They Come Back, 3. Camp BLOOD, 4. Movie of the Month, 5. Cinco, 6. Playing With Power, 7. Mother's Day, 8. Dead & Buried, 9. Scream, Queen!, 10. Behind the Mask, 11. Myths & Legends, 12. Cavalcade of Creepiness
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May 26, 2021 04:22
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9. Midnight Faces (1926) - Perfectly fine old dark house mystery. Lynn Claymore inherits a mansion from the uncle he never knew he had and suddenly there are two mystery men creeping about the property (one in yellowface), a damsel in distress who magically shows up at the mansion that everyone else had to take a boat to get to, and attempted murders everywhere. As I said, fine if not remarkable for the most part, but I'll give extra credit for the neat twist at the end. 3.5/5 10. Salome (1922) - Scream, Queen! - Based on the Oscar Wilde play based on the Biblical story, Letterboxd has it classified as horror and it is about a guy getting murdered. Art film with minimalist set design and maximalist costume design, especially the hair... It's glorious. Unfortunately, it spends way too long on Salome obsessing over wanting to kiss John the Baptist, which is mostly long shots of her standing on tip-toes looking through the cage at the top of the pit he's being held in. Once we're through that, there's some excellent emotion displayed throughout the cast during her dance and her request for her reward being his head in a silver charger. Am I glad I watched it? Yes. Am I ever going to watch it again? No. 4/5 Lot in Sodom (1933) (28 minutes towards the shorts challenge) - Speaking of LGBTQ movies based on the world's oldest horror anthology, I saw this mentioned on the Salome Wikipedia page and decided to give it a watch. Not quite silent (there is one line of dialogue when Lot prays towards the beginning) and very surreal. Some of the shots of the model city with overlaid effects reminded me of the American version of House of Usher, and there's a constant stream of effects, generally with nude or semi-nude men dancing, wrestling, or "wrestling" under them. This contrasts well with the shots within Lot's house that are drastically more plain, with the only real effect being God speaking via words appearing on the screen. I found it particularly interesting in that this is a gay film where gay men are portrayed as unrelenting antagonists. There's a psychotic glee that reminds me of A Clockwork Orange when they're demanding that Lot turn the angel over to them.  Actually, now that I've taken that screenshot, I know exactly what I'm seeing: "Warriors, come out to plaaaaa-aaaaaaay." Things turn surrealist again when the angel decides it's time to murder everyone, and the effects here call back to those of the early film. There's a very nice model city with some very nice fire overlaid, and a great series of double exposures as Lot's wife transforms into a pillar of salt. 4.5/5 11. A Fool There Was (1915), a.k.a. "The Vampire," but I'll get to that. First, my favorite thing about the movie is that it's set contemporaneously with its filming, so we get lots of great shots of the streets of New York, with cars, horse-drawn carriages, and pedestrians all doing their best to The "vampire" is not the traditional fanged blood-drinker, although her penchant for dark lipstick and red wine certainly evokes it. (On the other hand, she spends a lot of time sunbathing.) She does seem to have some rudimentary mind control abilities and drains the life out of her victim, aging him from his 30s to his 70s in the course of a few months. Credit there goes to Edward Jose, as "The Husband" John Schuyler, and the makeup team, as his appearance and character devolve smoothly from a young family man to a disgraced, tottering drunk over the course of the film. On the minus side, there are a lot of scenes of people speaking and very few intertitles in the film, including entire conversations where the subject matter is unknown. Some of these work (Schuyler being shunned by high society for showing up to parties in London with his mistress); some of them (a contextless, angry conversation between Schuyler and the vampire) don't. 4/5
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May 26, 2021 04:44
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 51 (58). Devil Doll (1964) Directed by Lindsay Shonteff, Written by Ronald Kinnoch and Frederick E. Smith Watched on Svengoolie Svengoolie Episodes: 8/13 There’s a decent film in here somewhere, or perhaps that’s just me thinking of the very similar classic puppet segment from Dead of Night. But William Sylvester is solidly chilling as the murdering, rapist monster… wizard? And maybe a nazi too? And maybe a pedophile? He pulls all of it off. Dude’s evil as hell. And Hugo is as creepy as any evil puppet or doll, even if I think the scenes of him maybe linger too long and kind of drag the illusion out past the point of suspension of disbelief? I think that’s mostly the film’s problem in general. It just feels like a smaller story that’s really stretched out. When Hugo and his evil master (yeah, he’s kind of a slave owner too, I guess) are doing their thing the film works pretty well. When the “hero” of the story is running around smoking and figuring tuff out the whole thing drags. And there’s a bit too much of that. The film does have a pretty great ending that like jumped it up half a star for me. Especially good because I thought they were gonna wuss out and let the hero guy come in and save the day but, no. The film does a pretty good job subverting the killer doll idea and actually commits to it in the end. That sets it apart from similar stories of the time period and really does finish the film strong and give it a solid string. Unfortunately the journey there is just too protracted and spends too much time in the basic formula following a guy who ultimately matters even less to the story than you think. And while I can appreciate that when the film is over, it didn’t really make all that time spent with him any more fun. Its not a terrible film, and probably not deserving of the MST3K association most people probably know it from. But it doesn’t really hold up fully to call some kind of classic or hidden gem. But if you’re a connoisseur of killer doll movies it does do something pretty fun and different so isn’t a bad one to check out.  52 (59). The Thing That Couldn’t Die (1958) Directed by Will Cowan, Written by David Duncan Watched on Svengoolie Svengoolie Episodes: 9/13 ”In vintage SD!” - Svengoolie I really wanna see this get remade. The skeleton of it is actually really interesting, if maybe not the absolute most unique thing. An evil artifact is uncovered. Its starts possessing people turning nice people mean and innocent people sexual. They’re all driven to recover the body of the evil thing controlling them. Its very simple but its filled with potential for creepiness and sexiness and drama. Unfortunately there’s just not a ton of that here. The whole thing feels cheap and rushed, more like an episode of some TV show rather than a feature film. It doesn’t help that the evil sorcerer doesn’t actually get to do anything until the very end of the film when he’s truly resurrected. And then its like… over. We spend like an hour with nice people being a little meaner… or more interesting… and then like 5 minutes with the evil guy and out. There’s an evil flashback in the middle here that keeps the film alive a little and one of those classic good girl gets an evil makeover - which the movie hilariously handles as literally as possible because she’s like dressed all in white the whole time praying and being chaste and then she puts on a black dress, ties her hair back, and gets horny. Its kind of hilarious and adorable. But the few good moments - ironic or otherwise - really don’t add up to a lot and mostly its an episode of the Waltons with a murder case or something. I dunno. Movie needed some leading character of some kind for sure, and a little more drive of what to do. The film run time is only 69 minutes and even that feels a little long. Its just really, really stretching itself to try and tell a full story. And really, there was tons of room for story and characters here even without an actual villain (which the film should have absolutely had). It just didn’t feel like they put a lot into this one. Its like the kind of thing you could film in a weekend on one set. According to Svengoolie Universal even recycled the soundtrack from past films. Its just that kind of effort that you can really feel throughout this entire film.  53 (60). A Good Marriage (2014) Directed by Peter Askin, Screenplay by Stephen King from his 2010 novella. Watched on IMDB TV, available on Peacock, Crackle, fubo, hoopla, Pluto, Popcornflix, Roku, Tubi, Plex, and Vudu King Spring 10/13 This is a really interesting premise and a bad movie and I blame the director entirely. I’m a King fanboy so that might seem biased and maybe it is, but I can criticize King. Its King’s fault a lot of the time. But I don’t think it is here. The premise is really different. “Wife finds out her husband is a notorious serial killer” seems easy and when she had already discovered everything less than twenty minutes into the film I got a little worried that it was going to be a lot of dull cat and mouse or something. But the story takes an interesting route there. Husband comes totally clean and just asks for a second chance and for them to move past this. And she the wife buys in because she doesn’t know what else to do and doesn’t want to destroy her family’s life. It feels like a stretch but Joan Allen does a great job playing the impossible conflicted wife forced to choose between justice and what’s right and everything she and her children have. Allen makes it not feel selfish or cowardly, just impossible. And Anthony LaPaglia is kind of chilling in a reserved way with how calmly and seemingly sincerely he approaches the idea that they have a good marriage and this is just a problem they have to work through like so many others before this. Like he made bad investments or called her the c word or kissed his secretary when he was drunk. You keep expecting him to reveal its all a scheme but somehow, this deranged psycho seems sincere. And that’s somehow scarier than if he had gotten angry. The problem is this film has absolutely zero tension. Like zero. None. At all. How? Given the content, given the stakes, given the impossible position, given the strong leads and their strong performances. How can there be no tension in all of this? The pacing, the framing of the scenes, the score, the lighting. Its all shot like a Sunday Brunch pharmaceutical commercial or something. Its just so dry. No tension, none of that dark King humor, just nothing. No feeling at all. Its bizarre. The final act is completely unpredictable and filled with twists I absolutely did not see coming. And yet there’s no tense music cues. No dark shadows. No perfectly timed reveals. Just the most mater of fact playing out of events that could possibly be played out. They should show this film to classes to illustrate the importance of music and cinematography and lighting. The entire final scene just has no music at all, no framing, no special lighting. No effort at all to enhance the work of the actors or words put on paper. Just point and shoot. Peter Askin appears to have spent his career making documentaries and stage plays and like… it shows. Not to undermine the skill it takes to make those but there’s none of the skill or effort to turn fiction into something real. Askin feels completely incapable of creating a cinematic atmosphere. Or at least completely uninterested in it when making this film. Its a shame. I think this could have been good. But its not. Its not at all. Its at best an interesting example of what’s done wrong. If there's a "language of film" this movie's director doesn't speak it. 🌻🎈Spook-A-Doodle Half-Way-To-Halloween ’21: Return of the Fallen & King Spring🎈🌻 King Spring: 10/13🎈Return of the Fallen: 9/13👻Fran Challenges: 12/13🐺Svengoolie: 9/13 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); 23 (27). Summer Camp (2015); 24 (28). Man Made Monster (1941); 25 (29). Earth vs. the Spider (1958); 26 (30). Vampyr (1932); 27 (31). The Black Scorpion (1957); 28 (32). The Wild Boys (2017); 29 (33). City of the Living Dead (1980); 30 (34). We Are What We Are (2010); 31 (35). Mercy (2014); 32 (36). Baba Yaga: Terror of the Dark Forest (2020); 33 (37). Cell (2016); 34 (38). Sightseers (2012); 35 (39). Trucks (1997); 36 (40). Dead Hooker in a Trunk (2009); 37 (41). BloodRayne (2005); 38 (42). Big Driver (2014); 39 (43). The Body Snatcher (1945); 40 (44). Run (2020); 41 (45). Paganini Horror (1989); 42 (46). Army of the Dead (2021); - (47). The Invisible Man (1933); 43 (48). Scanners (1981); - (49). The Invisible Man Returns (1940); 44 (50). PG: Psycho Goreman (2020); 45 (51). Kindred Spirits (2019); 46 (52). Daughters of Darkness (1971); 47 (53). Cropsey (2009); 48 (54). The Girl (2012); 49 (55). Mermaid Isle (2020); - (56). Hellboy (2004); 50 (57). The Field Guide to Evil (2018); 51 (58). Devil Doll (1964); 52 (59). The Thing That Couldn’t Die (1958); 53 (60). A Good Marriage (2014);
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May 26, 2021 09:51
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Time to finish off the Fran Challenges.Franchescanado posted:4. Movie of the Month  #23. Vampyr (The Criterion Channel) A dreamer, obsessed with the supernatural, visits an old inn where a vampire appears to be stalking young women. Carl Theodore Dryer knows how to compose a shot, I'll give him that. This film's story, if we're being charitable and calling it such, badly needed further refining. I know that this was Dryer's first sound picture, and you can tell no one is really comfortable with the technology yet. The film is put together like an old silent film, complete with multiple on-screen info dumps via the deus ex manuscript that got delivered in the first reel. Here, we get all of the old Germanic vampire lore we'd ever need, but none of it really applies here, as the vampire is a largely off-screen presence that occasionally threatens to do something of mild interest. Alas, nothing ever does happen. There's stuff here to like, like some of the early mood setting with the roving shadows and an eerie extended sequence where our hero Allan Gray (the one character that seems to get a name I can both remember and attribute to the right person) imagines himself being buried in a coffin. That sequence, where our viewpoint is that of the dead person being borne out and to the grave, staring up through a glass window to watch the ceiling and sky pass by, is appropriately haunting and the standout of the whole thing. However, it comes so late in the film that I was well and truly bored before it showed up. In the end, the dreamlike atmosphere and haunted manor house setting isn't really enough to overcome the fractured storytelling structure or the glacial pacing. I want to grade this on a curve, but even then I can't admit that I had a terribly good time with this one. A shame - I've liked other Dryer pictures I'd seen in the past, but this one just doesn't work for me. /5Franchescanado posted:13. Horrible Holidays  #24. Black Christmas (2019) (HBO Max) After a group of sorority sisters pulls a prank on the elite fraternity on campus, they start disappearing and getting attacked by strangers in robes. Sometimes Christmas themed weapons are used, even. I'm glad the Fran Challenge specified that the holiday theming didn't need to be throughout, as the Christmas element of this movie gets dropped pretty hard around the 2/3rds mark. Actually, I'm not even sure why this film ended up being a Christmas movie at all, outside of owning the rights to the name and cynically imagining that it might help the box office returns. (It didn't.) Or just using the holidays as an excuse for why these sorority houses all seem so underpopulated. Outside of the big Christmas party "prank" - which is actually using the structure of a Christmas song to call out a rapist to a crowd, so, uh, fun? - and a handful of kills using Christmas themed items, there's really nothing about this film that ties to the holiday in any way. It could be set whenever and have a different name, and it'd still be crap. Like, I want to be on the movie's side, here. I can appreciate it's messaging about female empowerment and women not tearing each other down and its whole "smash the patriarchy" vibe. But it's just so sloppily put together and obviously chopped down to get a PG-13 rating, so none of the big horror moments land with any weight. They even try stealing the famous long-take jump scare set up of The Exorcist III, down to the camera zoom on the big shock moment, and it just drifts past like a fart in the wind. A moment of disgust and then it's passed, with only a lingering memory of mild revulsion to mark the occasion. A fitting metaphor for this movie, mayhaps? /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), House of Wax (1953) (FC #2), Vampire in Venice (FC #8), Possessor, Mandy, various shorts (FC #1), Saw (rewatch) (FC #6), Southbound (FC #12), Wendigo (FC #11), Stage Fright (2014) (FC #3), Tigers Are Not Afraid (FC #5), Psycho Goreman, Spiral, Vampyr (FC #4), Black Christmas (2019) (FC #13) Class3KillStorm fucked around with this message at 19:00 on May 26, 2021 |
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May 26, 2021 16:26
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28) Gretel & Hansel (2020) Gretel & Hansel is easily one of the most beautiful films I've seen in a long time. The use of framing, of color, of expository shots, it's one of those films where you can pause at any moment and just stare at the shot. Plot-wise, I liked it a lot. I think there were some things that held it back from being excellent, mostly the dialog. It seemed like they were going for a sort of The VVitch-esque folksy poetic dialog, but some of it just came off as stilted. However, this is an excellent adaptation of a classic story, and I highly recommend it. 4/5 29) Inferno (1980) Fran Challenge #8: Dead & Buried (Daria Nicolodi)  It was... fine. It definitely has that Argento charm in spades, and I think that the visuals and music make this worth watching solely on their own accord, but the plot is a bit thin and the acting is a bit bad. I don't know if this rightfully falls under the giallo banner or not, but I do know that it doesn't come anywhere close to how good Suspiria is. 3/5 Total: 27 1. Crawl (2019) / 2. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) (FC1) / 3. Vampyr (1932) / 4. I Walked With A Zombie (1943) / 5. Kwaidan (1964) (FC12) / 6. Vampyres (1975) (FC9) / 7. The Howling (1981) / 8. Torso (1973) / 9. Frankenhooker (1990) / 10. Herschell Gordon Lewis: The Godfather of Gore (2010) (FC10) / 11. Them (Ils) (2006) / 12. Nina Forever (2015) / 13. Aliens (1986) / 14. The Cremator (1969) (FC4) / 15. Saw IV (2007) / 16. Dark Skies (2013) / 17. The McPherson Tape (1989) / 18. Saw (2004) (FC6) / 19. Mother's Day (1980) (FC7) / 20. The Lure (2015) (FC11) / 21. Belzebuth (2017) (FC5) / 22. The House That Jack Built (2018) / 23. Thankskilling (2008) (FC13) / 24. House of Wax (2005) (FC2) / 25. Sleepaway Camp (1983) (FC3) / 26. Army of the Dead (2021) / 27. Shorts / 28. Gretel & Hansel (2020) / 29. Inferno (1980) (FC8) Fran Challenges - DONE!
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May 26, 2021 16:31
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Fran Challenge: Cavalcade of Creepiness The Field Guide to Evil (2018) I quite enjoyed the mini-reviews I did during the short film challenge, so, as this is an anthology film, I thought I'd apply the same method here. When Goat was watching this, he described it in a way that was absolutely irresistible to me, a mix of queer themes, fetishes, and bizarre horror. I just couldn't resist. The Sinful Women of Hollfall Directed by Veronika Franz & Severin Fiala (Austria) This very shallowly reminded me of Hagazussa in setting and theme, being that it's a pre-industrial setting that focuses on outcasts, the peasantry, and the Christian moralistic panopticon. We also get some Sapphic themes, which I feel Hagazussa touches on briefly. Unfortunately, this film isn't quite as ambitious, and leans a little heavily on the "spooky scary CGI ghost lady scares me" subgenre for my liking, but we do get to see a lady masturbate furiously whilst brandishing a knife, so that was fun for me. 3.5/5 Haunted by Al Karisi, the Childbirth Djinn Directed by Can Evrenol (Turkey)  There's something about young people caring for older frail people that always chokes me up. I've been in that position many times in my life. It's an honour to be there for people in their final days, but it always takes its toll. This short plays upon those themes of laboured duty, and twists it in a typical moral-tale format, of how mistreating an older loved one will come back to haunt you, though here it's very literal. I do love the focus on body horror here, it's very reminiscent of Drag Me To Hell, but a less obviously objectionable version. 4/5 The Kindler and The Virgin Directed by Agnieszka Smoczynska (Poland)   This short is from the director of The Lure, and it's easily the most beautifully filmed of the shorts here. The plot is quite simple, as a spectral, ghostly, vampiric woman promises a man wisdom and power if he can only eat three hearts of the newly dead. What follows is a mix of fairytale logic, body horror, and, well, the plot is a bit perplexing honestly, it feels like it's missing an act or two. The general feel is that it's a Faustian/monkey's paw wish situation, but much of the time is given toward showcasing the beautiful cinematography, the plot really feels like more of an afterthought, but that's honestly fine for me. 4.5/5 Beware the Melonheads Directed by Calvin Lee Reeder (USA) I agree with Goat that this is a weaker entry, but not my least favourite. It feels like a less transgressive, less amusing Troma film, but it's not without its charm. The general gist is that a family goes out into the wilderness and stumbles upon a cult of hydrocephalic cannibalistic children, which, sounds like a great premise, right? Unfortunately, it's very ordinary, the camera work is bland, the effects look lazy, and none of the characters are particularly interesting, with the father being perhaps the one exception. 2.5/5 Whatever Happened to Panagas The Pagan? Directed by Yannies Veslemes (Greece)   This had perhaps the opposite issue for me. The story is simple, a goblin comes to Earth at Christmas, is captured, hijinks ensue, yadda yadda. It's a beautiful film too, it just felt very lacklustre, very low stakes. Our sympathies are with the goblin, but there's no real attempt to give character to them, and the effect is that my interest waned rather quickly. 3/5 The Palace of Horrors Directed by Ashim Ahluwalia (India) This is my least favourite of the bunch, and unfortunately, it might also have the most to say. The story is of an English collector who comes to India to exploit the locals for monetary gain, and becomes unstuck in the process. But the scope is just so narrow, the acting is so wooden, and the point is laboured so clumsily that I quickly lost patience with it. If I could, I'd remove this, the Greek entry, and the US entry, and it would improve the film immensely. 1.5/5 A Nocturnal Breath Directed by Katrin Gebbe (Germany)  To continue in the long-running tradition of Goat and I disagreeing, I found this story to be a little dry, dull, and unengaging. The folklore being explored is quite close to that seen in Tilbury (1987), with a possessing spirit leaving the host's body at night to feed. While the concept and effects are well-done, a lot of the shots are rather uninventive, and there's a distracting and needless vaseline smear effect throughout much of the film. There's some interesting body horror here, but not enough to make even this meagre runtime feel worthwhile. 3/5 Cobblers' Lot Directed by Peter Strickland (Hungary)    And here is the real treat, the reason to watch, the segment that will send you home with fond thoughts, debating whether you can justify giving the whole film 5/5. This is a short from the director of In Fabric and Berberian Sound Studio, and it's just absolutely glorious. It's beautifully shot, wonderfully acted, with just immaculate costuming and art direction. The story concerns two foot-fetishist cobblers in an old fairytale Kingdom, both of whom fall in love with the feet of a Princess. One of the cobblers then asks for the Princesses' hand in marriage, and to prove his worth, must journey to retrieve a flower guarded by foot-fetish sirens. Need I say more? It's funny, it's whimsical, it's weird, it's gross, it's supremely inventive, it's just everything I look for in a film. 5/5 Overall: 4.5/5 Official: 10/13 X-Files: 23/x Fran Challenges: 4/13
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May 26, 2021 19:14
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17. King Kong (1933) Fran Challenge #11: Myths & Legends  How did I watch this? – Via this neat 2-disc Collectors Edition DVD set  How long have I gone without watching this? – I’m going to guess about 15 years. Why do I own this? –Shortly after I saw Peter Jackson’s King Kong in theaters I said to myself, “self, we should watch the original let’s add it to our Christmas list”. And then I got it for Christmas and put it on a shelf forever. An adventure film director hires a boat and kidnaps a waif on a mission to find the elusive Skull Island. There’s a big monkey. There’s quite a bit of racism and sexism, and, it’s worth knowing that up front. Despite that, it holds up really well. The stop motion animation is still very impressive in parts, and a lot of the shot compositing is done really well. Not everything, but still it’s impressive for 90 years ago. Was it a good purchase? – I mean not really because I’ve owned it long enough for new media formats to be invented, but it seems like a nice set and I’ll have to check out the extras. 4.5/5 18. Army of the Dead  (That’s a good poster, and the movie has almost none of that visual style.) How did I watch this? – Plex/Netflix Las Vegas has been overrun with zombies, and the US plans to nuke the whole thing in a few days. That gives us just enough time to attempt a heist – assemble a team of malcontents, sneak in to the city past zombie hordes, and try to make out with hundreds of millions of dollars. It sounds cool, right? It’s just so bloated. We spent over half an hour assembling the team, but by the time we get to Las Vegas I don’t even know why half the people are there. Fodder, I guess? We do at least take time to see at least three characters raid their personal John Wick-style gun cache to arm up for the mission. Once inside the movie is slow-paced enough that you start to question how dumb it is. There's basically not a single aspect of this movie that makes sense when you think about what's happening. At times the depth of field is so low that I started to wonder if maybe every single actor was filmed separately, not just Tig Notaro. I found the whole thing very disappointing, and I *liked* the goofy musical drops. 1.5/5
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May 26, 2021 19:42
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 41. 2000. Ginger Snaps Directed by John Fawcett Watched on Shudder Ginger Snaps is a werewolf movie in which there are literal werewolves, but at least one of those werewolves is also a metaphor for puberty. Ginger and Brigitte are sisters stuck in a horrifying suburban housing development where something has been killing and mutilating dogs. On the night of Ginger’s first period, she is attacked by this thing and she starts to change.  This movie may actually be as much about the fear of being left behind as it is about the sometimes terrifying changes our bodies go through. As Ginger becomes meaner and more aggressive, Brigitte looks for a way to help her, but it’s not completely altruistic. Brigitte can see her sister pulling away from her and being abandoned may frighten her as much as Ginger’s transformation.  I probably never gave Ginger Snaps a try before because the cover poster makes it look like a terrible, straight-to-video piece of crap. It’s actually a surprisingly funny, gory, sweet, and bloody movie. I would probably recommend it to any horror fan who hasn’t already seen it. Time Travel Challenge: 41/31 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), 29. The Vanishing (1988), 30. Santa Sangre (1989), 31. Bride of Re-Animator (1990), 32. The People Under the Stairs (1991), 33. The Wicked City (1992), 34. Body Bags (1993), 35. Tammy and the T-Rex (1994), 36. The Day of the Beast (1995), 37. The Craft (1996), 38. Cube (1997), 39. Ringu (1998), 40. Ringu 2 (1999), 41. Ginger Snaps (2000) Bracketology: 14/? 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, 8. Sightseers, 9. The House That Jack Built, 10. The Wild Boys, 11. Creature from the Black Lagoon, 12. Scanners, 13. Nightmare Detective, 14. Hellboy Fran Challenges: 13/13 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, 5. Belzebuth, 6. Fright Night, 7. The Brood, 8. Village of the Damned, 9. Cat People, 10. Birth of the Living Dead, 11. The Lure, 12. Black Sabbath, 13. My Bloody Valentine 3D
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May 26, 2021 19:55
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 32. The Shining (1980) dir. Stanley Kubrick UHD re-watch I’ve seen this many times, but this was my first viewing of the UHD release, and WOW are the opening aerial shots stunning! Of course this is a wonderfully shot film and many scenes really pop in 4K, but the shots as Jack drives up the mountain are simply gorgeous and maybe the best thing I’ve seen on the format so far. Anyway this has been written about to death already and I don’t really have anything to add to the conversation. Nicholson chews the gently caress out of the scenery and Shelley Duvall is so drat good at looking terrified. I don’t think the film would be half as scary if she didn’t do such a great job selling it. And the music in the last hour or so is amazing, all the dissonant chaotic string parts really add to the feeling of unease. Just a fantastic film all around. 5 hedge mazes out of 5   Fran Challenge #11. Myths & Legends33. Demon (2015) dir. Marcin Wrona Shudder On the night before his wedding, Piotr discovers a human skeleton buried outside the house where they will be holding the ceremony. His friends and soon-to-be father in law brush it off and tell him not to worry about it (“this whole country was built on a graveyard”), but it disturbs him anyway. During the wedding, Piotr begins acting strangely, and over the course of the night it becomes clear that he has been possessed by some sort of spirit. This is a Polish film, and I had to get a little cultural context from the internet to fully understand the themes. It’s about how Poland as a country ignores its history and its past treatment of Jews, especially during the Holocaust. The spirit turns out to be a dybbuk, a wandering spirit from Jewish mythology, and at one point as things continue to escalate out of control the father character stands up in front of the wedding guests and basically says “don’t worry about this because it’s not real, this is a collective hallucination”. Indeed, the wedding guests seem content to continue dancing and getting drunk instead of face what’s happening right in front of them. I liked this, although even beyond the cultural things I found it a little hard to understand. It’s bookended by scenes on a ferry that I didn’t understand the significance of at all. It’s not a particularly scary film - in fact I don’t think there are any actual scares in it at all - but it’s effective in showing how Piotr loses control of himself over to this spirit. More tragic than frightening, but of course the themes are horrific. It has some issues and it meanders a bit but overall I recommend it if you like slow burn supernatural horror. I hadn’t heard of it before picking it out on Shudder and I was pleasantly surprised. 3.5 vodkas out of 5 Edgar Wright's Top 100 Horror: 99/100 Slant Top 100 Horror: 98/100 TSZDT 2020: 677/1000 Total: 33 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) | Don't Panic (FC#5) | The Hitcher | Resident Evil: Retribution (FC#6) | Saint Maud | Stranger by the Lake (FC#9) | Frenzy | Spirits of the Dead (FC#12) | Spiral: From the Book of Saw | The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire | Madman (FC#3) | Dream Demon | Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde (FC#4) | Wolf (FC#8) | The Last Broadcast | Army of the Dead | Who Can Kill a Child? | The Shining | Demon (FC#11) Fran Challenges:
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May 26, 2021 20:09
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twernt I love the theme of your challenge, I might do that in October. I beat my goal of 31 last week but as of this week I've finished the top 50 of Indiewire's Top 100 Horror list, I'm done the top 100 of TSZDT, and I've finished the Fran Challenges. I might still throw a few more reviews in before month's end, if I am not too lazy to do so.  35. Army of the Dead (Zack Snyder, 2021) This was stupid, and fine. I didn't really get a lot out of it but it was very watchable. The two and a half hour runtime did not feel like it (this could either be good pacing or because I was stoned but I'll take it). Bautista was great, and I love to see Tig Notaro in anything especially if she's replacing a scumbag. I think like most ensemble zombie movies, there are a lot of characters that basically get one trait and have to lean into it as their whole deal, but it is forgiveable because there were a lot of things crammed into this (some executed better than others). Really uninterested in the whole alpha zombie nonsense and probably wouldn't watch a sequel, but hey, it was fine. 3/5 36. The Legend of Hell House (John Hough, 1973) A solid haunted house movie where a team that includes a physicist, his wife, and two mediums are sent to investigate the Belasco House. It plays out like most haunted house movies, with some of the guests experiencing different types of paranormal phenomena (horny ghosts, angry cats, and chandeliers dive-bombing to the floor as often as possible). One fun early 70s ghost banishing machine later and the problem is solved - or is it!? (It isn't.) The reveal, when they find Belasco and make fun of him for being a ~Short King~, is totally bananas and at first I thought I was being pranked. Enjoyable lazy Sunday afternoon type of movie. 3.5/5 37. Hangover Square (John Brahm, 1945) Laird Cregar is a criminal being chased by George Sanders who plays a Scotland Yard employee. If this sounds familiar, it's because I recently reviewed The Lodger which had the same actors in this same scenario, though that one was about Jack the Ripper, and this one is about George Bone, a composer who experiences episodes of amnesia when he is stressed, during which he worries that he is doing bad things. He's right - the film opens with him stabbing someone to death and then lighting their shop on fire. Dr. Middleton basically tells him he needs to learn to relax, which leads him to a concert at a pub where he meets Netta. George is immediately smitten despite having a girlfriend, and Netta starts manipulating him into buying her things, writing songs for her, and so on. A few amnesia-driven crimes later (including George throwing a body in a public bonfire during Guy Fawkes Night) and the cops start to figure things out, eventually leading to a completely unhinged George banging away on a piano while the building burns down around him. I liked this more than The Lodger, though whether or not this is a horror movie is debatable (LB has it tagged as Drama, Thriller, and Crime, but it was on the indiewire top 100 horror list so I watched it for the sake of crossing it off). 3.5/5 38. The Cremator (Juraj Herz, 1969) Fran Challenge 4: Movie of the Month What an amazing film. Rudolf Hrušínský gives an incredible performance as Karel Kopfrkingl, a man who runs a crematorium in late 1930s Czechoslovakia. Karel has an interest in Buddhism and believes that cremation helps speed people along into reincarnation over traditional burial, and liberates their souls. He meets Reinke, an Austrian, who wants to sway Karel's political affiliation. I won't say more about the plot, but it's an excellent story - certainly a horror, but also funny (Karel choosing a sex worker who looks exactly like his wife, played by the same actor, is a hoot) and shows some incredible technique - the camera work in the boxing match, the way Herz zooms in for a close-up and zooms out to find us in a different scene, etc. all feel very modern and slick. More than anything else though is Rudolf Hrušínský, he can play slimy and scary and weird-but-charming very well and does so many subtle things I stopped noting them (but here's one: at the carnival wax museum, the way his expression changes when the barker says that one victim committed suicide because he had the plague - "He died rather than contaminate others" - tells you so much). This is an underrated absolute banger of a film that I can't wait to watch again. 5/5Fran Challenges: 1 (Various) 2 (Suspiria 2018) 3 (Cheerleader Camp) 4 (The Cremator) 5 (Tigers Are Not Afraid) 6 (Resident Evil: The Final Chapter) 7 (Goodnight Mommy) 8 (The Clown at Midnight) 9 (The Wild Boys) 10 (Video Nasties) 11 (The Lure) 12 (Tales of Halloween) 13 (April Fool's Day) TSZDT Challenge: 100/100 Indiewire Challenge: 50/50
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May 26, 2021 23:48
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The Berzerker posted:twernt I love the theme of your challenge, I might do that in October. Thank you! I wanted to give myself some structure and it was really helpful. My rules were that I had to watch everything in chronological order and all the movies had to be new to me. Also, I was browsing last year's October Challenge today and it looks like STAC Goat has done the same sort of thing for a few years, so I was definitely subliminally influenced by him.
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May 27, 2021 01:56
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I can't take full responsibility. I think it was Hollismason who started "the last 31 years" in '17 and I just lobbed on. Then I went back another 31 in '18 and really got crazy in '19 and did a total of 100 years. STAC Goat posted:I did 31 years of 2017 to 1987 2 years ago. I did 31 years of 1986 to 1956 last year. STAC Goat posted:100 Years of Horror It was fun, like you said, it gave me structure. I tend to be indecisive so this way I knew I had to do a certain year and didn't overthink it and get stuck. Allowed me to finally get into this properly and commit with a goal. And now I'm forever chasing that.
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May 27, 2021 02:27
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30. Bride of Re-Animator (1990) Have you ever been to a live show, where the band plays their big hit, but then at the end they kind of noodle around and riff on it for like twice the length of the actual song, and like, yeah, it reminds you of the song and it's fine and all but like... it's not as good? I feel like that's what they're doing here with the sequel to Re-Animator. It riffs on the same themes, it has the same fun, the same actors, but... it doesn't have the magic of the original. It's fine, I guess, but I will 10 times out of 10 just grab the original movie if I'm in the mood for one. 2.5/5 Total: 27 1. Crawl (2019) / 2. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) (FC1) / 3. Vampyr (1932) / 4. I Walked With A Zombie (1943) / 5. Kwaidan (1964) (FC12) / 6. Vampyres (1975) (FC9) / 7. The Howling (1981) / 8. Torso (1973) / 9. Frankenhooker (1990) / 10. Herschell Gordon Lewis: The Godfather of Gore (2010) (FC10) / 11. Them (Ils) (2006) / 12. Nina Forever (2015) / 13. Aliens (1986) / 14. The Cremator (1969) (FC4) / 15. Saw IV (2007) / 16. Dark Skies (2013) / 17. The McPherson Tape (1989) / 18. Saw (2004) (FC6) / 19. Mother's Day (1980) (FC7) / 20. The Lure (2015) (FC11) / 21. Belzebuth (2017) (FC5) / 22. The House That Jack Built (2018) / 23. Thankskilling (2008) (FC13) / 24. House of Wax (2005) (FC2) / 25. Sleepaway Camp (1983) (FC3) / 26. Army of the Dead (2021) / 27. Shorts / 28. Gretel & Hansel (2020) / 29. Inferno (1980) (FC8) / 30. Bride of Re-Animator (1990) Fran Challenges - DONE!
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May 27, 2021 02:59
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The horror challenge of 31 is easier to me if I set a clear goal. Like last year I did "older than me" so no movie before 1979. If I just try and watch 31 I very rarely succeed.
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May 27, 2021 03:13
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26. Panic in Year Zero! (1962) Things go to poo poo just as fast as they restore order. What it lacks in terrifying nuclear holocaust it makes up for in people getting slugged in the face. /5
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May 27, 2021 03:59
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12. 80 minutes of Short Cuts Lot in Sodom (1933) (28 minutes) - See previous. Koko's Haunted House (1928) (5 minutes) - Fleisher Brothers with a very cute animation over film featuring a clown and a dog. The central conceit is that the animator takes a real inkwell, pushes it into a canvas, stretches it out into a haunted house, and then takes the haunted house model back out of the canvas. Koko leaves his canvas and enters the house, while the animator uses a drum and a bellows to create thunder and wind outside of the house. A lot of good gags in 5 minutes, including "THERE'S A SKELETON INSIDE YOU" made literal, and Koko eventually escapes and brings the ghosts with him into the real world. 5/5 The Ouija Board (1920) (5 minutes) - An earlier, cruder version of the same gag. Koko is left alone on a canvas with a haunted house while the brothers play with a Ouija board. He eventually escapes and hides under the planchette, moving it around with no one touching it and freaking the brothers out. 5/5 Prelude (1927) (7 minutes) - A man falls asleep reading Poe's "Premature Burial" and dreams of premature burial (duh), heaven, and hell. This would be fine if it was 20 years older, but there's nothing in it that wasn't done better, earlier. The heaven scene could have been done on a magic lantern. 2/5 The Witch's Fiddle (1924) (6 minutes) - A tale of an enchanted fiddle that makes people dance non-stop, this also feels older than it is and doesn't bring anything interesting to the table. That said, it was made by Cambridge students, and I always grade amateur efforts on a curve. 3/5 The Haunted House (1921) (23 minutes) - Hilarious set of Buster Keaton pratfalls as he screws up his job at a bank, accidentally runs into a (fake) haunted house, and accidentally arrests the counterfeiting operation in the basement who is using the haunted house story to keep people away from their hideout. 5/5 Felix the Ghost Breaker (1923) (6 minutes) - Who ya gonna call? Cute, if crude (not a great print either), cartoon about Felix the Cat battling a ghost to get it to stop haunting a house. 3/5 13. West of Zanzibar (1928) - Absolutely carried by Lon Chaney exhibiting menace, then tragedy, throughout, but Mary Nolan stands as his equal whenever they're together, and Lionel Barrymore is great in the few scenes that he's in. If anything, it's too quickly paced, and we could have used more of Maizie's degeneration at the compound. Also, the revenge plot of "I'm going to raise the daughter you don't know you have to be a raging alcoholic" is rather far out there, but the film works regardless. 5/5
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May 27, 2021 04:21
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| # ? Apr 16, 2024 14:30 |
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Challenge 9: Scream Queen 11: What Keeps You Alive Jackie and Jules, a married couple, head up to Jackie’s old family cabin for a vacation, but things go murderously wrong. This is a tough one to talk about, as the twist makes for a pretty good shock and is better gone into without suspecting anything, but it also happens like 10 minutes in and drives the rest of the plot so you can’t discuss much without it. Jackie attempts to kill Jules for insurance money/she’s a psychopath, and a very tense game of cat and mouse ensues. I enjoyed the unique spin on the old cat and mouse game, though this movie certainly had its frustrations. I get that it’s probably a more realistic take on how people in these situations would react but drat Jules, fight back already. Even when she does it’s way too late and at the expense of 2 or 3 lives. I did like the lgbt side of things too here, in that them being a married lesbian couple has no bearing on anything whatsoever. Genders could have been swapped around a bit and not changed the story much, and there’s no sneering yokels or anything that come into the picture. A very good, if frustratingly uncathartic, thriller
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May 27, 2021 06:15
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