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Franchescanado
Feb 23, 2013

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

Grimey Drawer
What do you get when you cross Event Horizon, The Thing, From Beyond, Prince of Darkness and Halloween 2?

8. The Void!



I don't really advocate reading H.P. Lovecraft. He was a weird and lovely person; a racist neurotic filled with fear with interesting story ideas and circumlocutory prose. In my opinion, if you want to know Lovecraft, read his Wikipedia article and then read a story, that's all it takes. Which story is a debateable, as evidences by anytime he is discussed on the forums. Inevitably, everyone can point to at least one story they can admit they enjoy. The ideas have lasted close to a century, and they've been emulated by many other short stories, novels, visual art, theater, film, even music.

The Void is one of the most faithful adaptations of the ideas of H.P. Lovecraft. Unseen cults are summoning otherworldly creatures in a (hospital in a) small town and the people involved are losing their sanity.

The biggest complaint I've heard against the movie is the lighting: it's too dark. I disagree. Each creature is definable enough and dark enough to keep me guessing. It feels like the filmmakers watched The Thing, From Beyond and Re-Animator and said "too bright". It works. Lovecraftian horror is about the unknowable, monsters so terrifying their very look is absurd. To me, it's a stylistic choice, not a fault on the filmmakers. They had a small budget to work with: throw a little more shadow to hide how cheap it looks, and it might actually turn out creepier.



The actual flaws: The first act's pacing is just too fast. Everything would be more effective if the first fifteen minutes after the opening credits had more time to breath. This is when we are shown all of the characters in the story, this is when the stakes are set up, and there is no time to make anything believable (the sheriff gets threatened by a faceless nurse with a pair of scissors, shoots her in the loving head immediately, without question; two minutes later the same sheriff gets threatened by a healthy aggressive man with an axe who keeps making attempts to strike him, so he concedes and listens to everything he says and offers him a shotgun.What the gently caress..

Overall, the movie looks very good. The directors have an eye for visuals, but I'm just bored by green and blue movies:



Thankfully the movie incorporates actual blueish-white/blacks more often than green/blue

The biggest save: I'm not used to horror movies about the existential dread of going through a miscarriage and living with the grief of losing a child. It's unfamiliar territory for me and really scary to think of how far you'd go to bring someone back. That's the idea that kept me watching.

:spooky::spooky::spooky:/5

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Heavy Metal
Sep 1, 2014

America's $1 Funnyman

Sounds intriguing, been meaning to catch that sometime. Have you seen the other stuff those Astron6 guys who made it have done? I love all their comedy horror/sci-fi stuff, Manborg and Father's Day are great fun movies by the guys who did The Void. And their Giallo parody The Editor rocks too, by some of the other Astron6 guys. Lots of great comedy shorts too.

Leave
Feb 7, 2012

Taking the term "Koopaling" to a whole new level since 2016.
2. Contracted

This movie is...Interesting. It's about a lesbian named Samantha who has an affair with a random man at a party one night. The next day, she wakes up with a hell of a hangover and what appears to be the period from hell.

Over time, she begins to have severe stomach cramps, more crotchal blood loss, loses sensitivity to heat, is constantly cold, no appetite, loses fingernails, hair, and things seem to be getting worse, just like her relationship with her mother, girlfriend, and best friend.

The movie starts kind of slow, in a, "Why the gently caress am I watching this?" sense. The camera work is never steady and seems to be barely above a good home video camera. At first, I thought it detracted from the movie, but at some point, it started working for it. It lends this odd, sorta realistic feel to the whole thing, like we're just bobbing along in the movie, following Samantha as she tries to figure out what's wrong with herself.

I'm writing this as I'm watching the movie and holy poo poo, her teeth have gone all rotten and one eye is a milky dead white. I'm waiting for her to eat somebody. Or to just fall to pieces.

And now that I've finished the movie, I'd give it a solid 7/10. It's worth checking out and sticking around if you're interested. If not, I could understand.

Her vagina is rotting and maggots fall out of it while she's banging another dude.

Drunkboxer
Jun 30, 2007

Franchescanado posted:

What do you get when you cross Event Horizon, The Thing, From Beyond, Prince of Darkness and Halloween 2?

8. The Void!



Is this streaming someplace free now? I didn't hate it but I did think it was too dark to follow a lot of the action on my TV. I'd be interested in watching parts of it on my PC again to see what I missed, but I don't want to pay for it again.

Hollismason
Jun 30, 2007

Witchfinder General

Drunkboxer posted:

Is this streaming someplace free now? I didn't hate it but I did think it was too dark to follow a lot of the action on my TV. I'd be interested in watching parts of it on my PC again to see what I missed, but I don't want to pay for it again.


I think it's worth the 7 dollars it costs to rent on Amazon Prime. That's where I watched it. If you already watched it I'd just say wait it'll probably be on Shudder or Amazon for free in a few months.

Drunkboxer
Jun 30, 2007

Hollismason posted:

I think it's worth the 7 dollars it costs to rent on Amazon Prime. That's where I watched it. If you already watched it I'd just say wait it'll probably be on Shudder or Amazon for free in a few months.

Yeah I paid it once, I'll watch it again when it's free.

Spatulater bro!
Aug 19, 2003

Punch! Punch! Punch!

3. Bride of Re-Animator - Brian Yuzna, 1989



I have no idea why I waited so long to watch this. I worshipped Re-Animator back in highschool. I knew of this sequel but never got around to watching it. Maybe I feared it wouldn't live up to the original and would tarnish my opinion of it? I dunno, but I was wrong.

Now over 17 years after first falling in love with Re-Animator, I've fallen in love with its sequel. It has all of the dark humor, gore, and general fun of the original. And most importantly it has Jeffrey Combs playing one of the greatest mad scientists in all of film. He plays Herbert West completely straight, which makes his reactions to all the crazy poo poo that goes down really hilarious.

It's also a great looking movie. Yuzna fills the scenes with colorful lighting and tons of atmospheric little details. The effects are clever and convincing. It's so much more technically impressive than I expected it to be.

I haven't had this much fun with a horror movie in years. It's not just a worthy follow-up to its classic predecessor, but it's every bit as good.

/ 5

e: After some careful consideration I'm changing my score. The movie deserves an extra half Herbert head.

Spatulater bro! fucked around with this message at 16:24 on May 5, 2017

Franchescanado
Feb 23, 2013

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

Grimey Drawer

Drunkboxer posted:

Is this streaming someplace free now? I didn't hate it but I did think it was too dark to follow a lot of the action on my TV. I'd be interested in watching parts of it on my PC again to see what I missed, but I don't want to pay for it again.

Nope, it's $4 on Amazon Prime.

I forgot to mention in my review, I saw it in theaters, so I'm sure that has to do with how I could see things better than if it were a TV or computer.

Heavy Metal posted:

Sounds intriguing, been meaning to catch that sometime. Have you seen the other stuff those Astron6 guys who made it have done? I love all their comedy horror/sci-fi stuff, Manborg and Father's Day are great fun movies by the guys who did The Void. And their Giallo parody The Editor rocks too, by some of the other Astron6 guys. Lots of great comedy shorts too.

No, but I did look them up and I will keep my eyes posted for future projects, because I had a lot of fun with The Void. They "Get It".


Spatulater bro! posted:

3. Bride of Re-Animator - Brian Yuzna, 1989



I've never watched this because there's no way to top Re-Animator, but you've convinced me to give it a shot.

Hollismason
Jun 30, 2007

Witchfinder General

Bride of Re-Animator is actually just as good as the first one.

Drunkboxer
Jun 30, 2007
8. Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2 (1986) Starz Streaming
This is basically a live action cartoon. The grit and dirty feel of the original is replaced with slapstick and gory goofs. There's also a ton more chainsaws, and a lot more "Texas" in it. Shiner Bock and Big Red soda make cameos and there's a fair amount of cowboy hats around. The earthen walls of the murder compound are literally filled with skeletons, implying that Leatherface and co have killed tens of thousands of people, or dug up as many graves. There's also remains of characters from the first movie, implying that the family moved their corpse collection hundreds of miles to the Dallas area. All of this is good in my opinion.

I don't know why I waited so long to see a mid-80s horror-comedy, since I always enjoy them on some level. Still, it's not the original. 3.5 headcheeses out of 5.

Drunkboxer fucked around with this message at 17:08 on May 5, 2017

Spatulater bro!
Aug 19, 2003

Punch! Punch! Punch!

How is Beyond Re-Animator?

Spatulater bro!
Aug 19, 2003

Punch! Punch! Punch!

Drunkboxer posted:

Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2 (1986)

I love tcm2 so much. And I'm convinced that it's the movie that Rob Zombie has based his whole career on.

Franchescanado
Feb 23, 2013

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

Grimey Drawer

Drunkboxer posted:

Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2 (1986) Starz Streaming
This is basically a live action cartoon. The grit and dirty feel of the original is replaced with slapstick and gory goofs. There's also a ton more chainsaws, and a lot more "Texas" in it. Shiner Bock and Big Red soda make cameos and there's a fair amount of cowboy hats around. The earthen walls of the murder compound are literally filled with skeletons, implying that Leatherface and co have killed tens of thousands of people, or dug up as many graves. There's also remains of characters from the first movie, implying that the family moved their corpse collection hundreds of miles to the Dallas area. All of this is good in my opinion.

I don't know why I waited so long to see a mid-80s horror-comedy, since I always enjoy them on some level. Still, it's not the original. 3.5 headcheeses out of 5.

The chainsaw in the ice between Stretch's leg is an insane scene.

I also love Chop Top's habit of burning the skin around the plate and then licking the clothes hanger.

It's the small details, guys.

Basebf555
Feb 29, 2008

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

Fun Shoe
I had a hell of a slasher double feature last night. I'd been watching a lot of Italian stuff recently and I didn't realize how nice it would be to get back to the more familiar trappings of the American slasher.

7. The Burning

Of loving course Jason Alexander doesn't play the rear end in a top hat jock character! I was sold a bill of goods on that one, he kinda fools you in screenshots by wearing a football uniform. He's more like the king of the nerds, the one nerd who is personable enough to actually interact with women.

Costanza aside, The Burning is better than Friday the 13th in every way. I don't even think its a discussion. The thing that I think makes this movie work so well is that it has the balls to let the cast just be together in the day to day activities of the camp for like a solid 40 minutes before the poo poo really hits the fan. Its a risk, because if the cast wasn't so consistently entertaining and watchable then it could backfire, but in the case of The Burning its absolutely perfect. Even the (real)rear end in a top hat jock character is hilarious, and as a result I was not at all happy to see him get killed. That goes for all of the campers, they were all likeable in one way or another and they'd all been well established by the time of their death scenes. There was never a scene where I was saying to myself "who is this character again?" like with so many inferior slashers or giallos.

It also occurred to me while watching this that Friday the 13th doesn't even attempt to show the camp when its actually up and running. Those scenes were some of my favorites in The Burning, and I realized that I could have watched a 90 minute comedy about these characters even if Cropsey never showed up. The Burning is also probably a better looking film than Friday the 13th, there are some really nice shots of the outdoor locations. The final showdown with Cropsey is another standout scene, and another way that it completely trumps Friday the 13th.

I didn't really intend to reference Friday the 13th so much in this review. I think it was inevitable though because of how many similar elements there are here, and how so many of those elements are used to greater effect than they are in Friday the 13th. Sad that we didn't get to see what a sequel may have looked like for this franchise that should have been.

8. The Prowler

This film was just mean as hell, its down and dirty in a way that The Burning definitely isn't. The kills felt more graphic(although Savini worked on both), and the characters seemed to be made to feel a lot more pain and anguish. So it is a disturbing film on that level, but also a very well made one. The little mini period piece opener is nice, and once things get going they don't really stop.

This was made in the same year as the Burning, but Savini's work seems to be more realistic here for some reason, I wonder if that was a purposeful choice. And of course there's his trademark head explosion, always worth the price of admission. My one complaint would be that the reveal of the killer is kinda lame, but that's almost to be expected with most slashers, even the good ones. I prefer something like The Burning where there's no mystery at all as to who's responsible.

Basebf555 fucked around with this message at 15:27 on May 5, 2017

Butch Cassidy
Jul 28, 2010

Before I log the next movie, anyone know if [rec] 4 can work as a standalone film having seen no others in the series? I'm about to give up looking for 1-3 but really want to check out the premise.

Butch Cassidy posted:

Late Phases was a great movie. Well, an okay movie with serious nerd trappings made just for me so I reserve the right to call it great. Yeah, the cops are a painfully retarded element, script largely not good, pacing off, side character interactions weak despite being very interesting, and final shot phoned in. The actors chosen, bits of comedic relief, and small details added to what it did well to make it very much worth a watch. What did it do well? I The practical effects were a sentimental treat, creature design fairly interesting, protagonist used a sharpened entrenching tool as a cane, and everything about the protagonist, actually. Stake Land was already in my Netflix watchlist but is now on this schedule.

:smugdog::smugdog::smugdog::smugdog:/5

Stake Land:

Nick Damici also stars as a lone vampire hunter after a viral, blood-suck plague burned an apocalypse through the world. Well, it's a mentor film so he's not actually a loner. Wait, it's an ensemble cast, kinda, so "lone" may not mean what I think it means. While Late Phase's Ambrose was a character full of potential that Damici lived up to, Stake Land's Mister was still fun and well acted despite the lesser potential. While the movie can be a bit paint by numbers in its plotting, the whole thing ties together as a better quality movie than Late Phases. THe two films are worth watching back-to-back to see a neat concept film trip over its own rough edges and a basic genre repackage carry tired material with some grace.

To end the comparison and take this film on its own, it is very much worth a watch. The creature design is nice, acting good all around, the premise of "zombie vapire...yeah, vampires" surprisingly a capable gimmick, and aesthetic on point. I don't have any actual complaints. It's a decidedly small B-movie and hit its marks better than most. This doesn't really feel like something to talk about but rather a good filler re-watch for my October marathon.

Drunkboxer
Jun 30, 2007

Hollismason posted:

Bride of Re-Animator is actually just as good as the first one.

I give the original a slight edge but yeah both are really great.

Franchescanado posted:

The chainsaw in the ice between Stretch's leg is an insane scene.

I also love Chop Top's habit of burning the skin around the plate and then licking the clothes hanger.

It's the small details, guys.

Yeah that's the big red soda scene!

Basebf555 posted:

I had a hell of a slasher double feature last night. I'd been watching a lot of Italian stuff recently and I didn't realize how nice it would be to get back to the more familiar trappings of the American slasher.

7. The Burning

Of loving course Jason Alexander doesn't play the rear end in a top hat jock character! I was sold a bill of goods on that one, he kinda fools you in screenshots by wearing a football uniform. He's more like the king of the nerds, the one nerd who is personable enough to actually interact with women.


Aw, I was pumped to see jock-George. Still sounds good though.

Franchescanado
Feb 23, 2013

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

Grimey Drawer

Basebf555 posted:

I had a hell of a slasher double feature last night. I'd been watching a lot of Italian stuff recently and I didn't realize how nice it would be to get back to the more familiar trappings of the American slasher.

7. The Burning

I think I'm going to re-watch this soon. You're right, it's pretty much the best Friday the 13th movie without being a Friday the 13th movie. Friday the 13th Part 6 gets the closest with an up-and-running camp, but even that's for maybe 7 minutes of the run-time and the most for the whole series.

Basebf555 posted:

8. The Prowler

This film was just mean as hell, its down and dirty in a way that The Burning definitely isn't. The kills felt more graphic(although Savini worked on both), and the characters seemed to be made to feel a lot more pain and anguish. So it is a disturbing film on that level, but also a very well made one.

That shower scene!

I understood it as a stylistic choice, given the concept that the killer is a soldier back from a war. Also, Joseph Zito seems to really like painful deaths for the characters. Friday the 13th Part 4 is still probably the most painful deaths for the characters based on their reactions.

Spatulater bro!
Aug 19, 2003

Punch! Punch! Punch!

I'd say he's a jock, he's just not an rear end in a top hat jock.

Basebf555
Feb 29, 2008

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

Fun Shoe

Spatulater bro! posted:

I'd say he's a jock, he's just not an rear end in a top hat jock.

I mean, he's handing out porno mags and encouraging the other nerds to jerk off while the real jock makes fun of them and tells them that they should try the real thing sometime. Then one time the jock actually starts messing with him physically and he instantly melts into a puddle and his voice goes up like 3 octaves.

MacheteZombie
Feb 4, 2007

Spatulater bro! posted:

How is Beyond Re-Animator?

Beyond is super disappointing. If you want to see Combs as West one more time give it a watch, but you could also just watch one of the other two instead. I was really bummed because West operating out of prison is a great concept.

MacheteZombie fucked around with this message at 16:03 on May 5, 2017

gey muckle mowser
Aug 5, 2003

Do you know anything about...
witches?



Buglord
I should re-watch Bride of Re-Animator, I saw it maybe 2-3 years ago and I didn't love it at the time but it's possible I was in the wrong state of mind or something because the first one is one of my absolute favorite horror movies.

SaavikSpocksDaddy
Dec 22, 2012

Butch Cassidy posted:

Before I log the next movie, anyone know if [rec] 4 can work as a standalone film having seen no others in the series? I'm about to give up looking for 1-3 but really want to check out the premise.


Stake Land:

Nick Damici also stars as a lone vampire hunter after a viral, blood-suck plague burned an apocalypse through the world. Well, it's a mentor film so he's not actually a loner. Wait, it's an ensemble cast, kinda, so "lone" may not mean what I think it means. While Late Phase's Ambrose was a character full of potential that Damici lived up to, Stake Land's Mister was still fun and well acted despite the lesser potential. While the movie can be a bit paint by numbers in its plotting, the whole thing ties together as a better quality movie than Late Phases. THe two films are worth watching back-to-back to see a neat concept film trip over its own rough edges and a basic genre repackage carry tired material with some grace.

To end the comparison and take this film on its own, it is very much worth a watch. The creature design is nice, acting good all around, the premise of "zombie vapire...yeah, vampires" surprisingly a capable gimmick, and aesthetic on point. I don't have any actual complaints. It's a decidedly small B-movie and hit its marks better than most. This doesn't really feel like something to talk about but rather a good filler re-watch for my October marathon.

I know the first 3 REC's are on Shudder
4th is a continuation of first two so definitely see them first
The 1st is a found-footage classic & 2nd has grear parts
Haven't seen 3 (unrelated film like Halloween 3) or 4 myself

Butch Cassidy
Jul 28, 2010

I'll keep holding off on [rec] until I can get them in order, then.

Anyway, Train to Busan was a really good movie. Thanks to whichever of you posted about it during the last Halloween marathon thread. SOme of the effects showed its budget and it didn't do much or really anything new. But it didn't have to because the things it ran with were solid.

Heavy Metal
Sep 1, 2014

America's $1 Funnyman

1. Blood and Black Lace (1964)

The first stop on my May marathon is an influential 60s giallo movie, already covered here in an excellent review. I'll be a bit of an Ebert to the other review's Siskel, this movie was not my cup of tea. Didn't care about the characters, how it all played out, the kills and scenes intended for tension didn't work for me much either.

I love Dario's 70s and 80s movies, so having already seen those, and being so my fav style, maybe this movie that was influential was going to have a tough time connecting for me. But I love Psycho which I found much more striking and grabbed me from a few years before this, and I love Hammer horror movies from the 50s etc. Not really much to say in a negative review of a classic, just not really my thing. I like say Lamberto Bava's Delirium a lot more than this Mario Bava classic, oddly enough, so my taste may just be a bit nutty.

I do know if Jessica Fletcher (Murder She Wrote) showed up, things would've gone down a bit differently.

Spatulater bro!
Aug 19, 2003

Punch! Punch! Punch!

But Blood and Black Lace is just so drat pretty!

gey muckle mowser
Aug 5, 2003

Do you know anything about...
witches?



Buglord
I got a late start, but I'll try to make up some movies this weekend.

1. Q: the Winged Serpent (1982) - This was a lot of fun, really campy and goofy but it embraces these qualities and runs with them. I really love the creature effects, they are a little dated but still pretty well done. David Carradine kind of stumbles through his part, but Michael Moriarty is great in the lead role. Franchescanado said it better than me in this post. The only other Larry Cohen film I've seen is The Stuff, but I'll have to fix that. A good start to this challenge!

gey muckle mowser fucked around with this message at 12:17 on May 6, 2017

SaavikSpocksDaddy
Dec 22, 2012

Butch Cassidy posted:

I'll keep holding off on [rec] until I can get them in order, then.

Anyway, Train to Busan was a really good movie. Thanks to whichever of you posted about it during the last Halloween marathon thread. SOme of the effects showed its budget and it didn't do much or really anything new. But it didn't have to because the things it ran with were solid.

The first three are available on Shudder

Spatulater bro!
Aug 19, 2003

Punch! Punch! Punch!

I'm going off script because I saw this was on Shudder and it looked good

4. Sweet, Sweet Lonely Girl - A.D. Calvo, 2016



An atmospheric slow burner, it adeptly builds a nice layer of dread throughout its short running time. It's superbly shot, with lots of striking compositions and a great 80s aesthetic. Plot wise it's solid, though I feel the last act is rushed and the story points don't gel together as cohesively as I'd hoped they would. But despite not sticking the landing, the experience is totally worthwhile.

/ 5

TheKingslayer
Sep 3, 2008

1. Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy

I've probably watched this about four or five times now and there's always something I either have forgotten or missed and I'm also reminded on this go around I haven't seen Nightmare on Elm Street 5 many times, so maybe that will be one of my 13 movies...

Anyway, if you're a fan of the series this doc is really incredible. Tons of interviews with cast members and directors from every movie up to Freddy vs. Jason. Clu Gulager (Jesse's dad from Nightmare 2) is especially a hoot. Robert Englund also seems like a lovely guy who always has something nice to say about people he worked with or films he worked on.

 

Some of my favorite parts of this are the scenes highlighting the special effects work. Such as the giant Freddy torso or the rotating room from Nightmare. Some original scripts get talked about too, like Peter Jackson's original script for Nightmare 6 I think where Freddy is all decrepit and powerless and has to get his groove back.

 

This is a great companion to Crystal Lake Memories which is also very good. Might have to go watch that in a little while.

 

4/5, this is probably something I'll watch many more times.

 

2. Hellbound: Hellraiser 2

 

It has been many years since I watched this from start to finish and I wonder why it took me so long. I might say I even like this more than the first film, but not by much.  This even has one of the most incredible scenes of gore and horror I can recall in the bed scene. I was a few drinks in at that point and completely grossed out from start to finish. Also the early brain surgery scene is so twisted looking and makes me think of a torture chamber,  just really effective.

 

There are parts that feel a little disjointed and out of place, like the early scene where Pinhead solves the box as a human. But I've heard the movie was chopped up heavily because of censors and an actor not wanting to return for the sequel. Though the end is completely bonkers and fun. It's a good way to end the series if you can just forget any sequels were made after it. Hellraiser 4 might be the only one worth anything.

 

3 1/2 out of 5

 

3. The Houses October Built

 

This is a second viewing with friends. Full disclosure, I hated it the first time through despite wanting to like it because a lot of the haunted houses featured were familiar. My friends hadn't seen it yet so I figured we could at least pass time.

 

I was surprised to find that I liked it a lot more this go through. The basic ploy is a group of friends are piled up in an RV with cameras everywhere filming their search for the most real and extreme haunted house during the Halloween season that allegedly moves and is said to contain real corpses and the like. Personally I have no idea why this really pedestrian looking people would be looking for such a thing especially considering it sounds incredibly dangerous, but whatever, it's a movie.

 

One of the things I liked is how natural a few of the characters felt and I actually liked most of them and were rooting for them to not have anything bad happen. There are also a lot of "interviews" with Haunt owners and footage from inside the actual haunts thrown in to lend the found footage some authenticity. I also appreciated that it doesn't fall into the pit of, "why are these people still filming?" since many of the incidents are captured by static cameras or the characters aren't aware something potentially dangerous is occurring, it's all just an adventure.

 

It feels like there are some long gaps between anything that actually moves the story forward or that really grabs your attention, but in a group watching I didn't notice them quite as much as viewing it by myself. The characters also make some horrible decisions  that  I don't think any normal person would, which took me out of it towards the end. The movie hadn't really set up that the characters had any skin in the game other than just doing it for fun, so it didn't make sense for anyone to do anything they would risk their lives over.

 

I would say it's worth checking out if you want to see a little bit of some cool haunted houses, which it captures the atmosphere around well. But no one is missing anything at all if you pass it up. Totally average. One more qualifier is that my tastes tend to give movies with a Halloween theme a little more leeway and this one delivered that at the very least.

 

2 1/2 out of 5

Spatulater bro!
Aug 19, 2003

Punch! Punch! Punch!

Glad you liked Hellraiser 2. Yeah that bed scene is the most disturbing gore scene in the series (well, in the first four films at least. I haven't seen the rest).

Basebf555
Feb 29, 2008

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

Fun Shoe

Heavy Metal posted:

1. Blood and Black Lace (1964)

Its actually kinda nice to have a negative review sprinkled in once in a while, gets kinda boring when its a non-stop lovefest.

TheKingslayer
Sep 3, 2008

Locked in the office for the next ten hours with nothing of substance to do. So let's watch more stuff.

4. Tank 432

I didn't really know what to expect going into this and was still pretty let down. It was a pretty dry movie without a lot going on. A group of mercenaries ends up trapped in a tank after being stalked by... something.  I felt like this should have been driven a lot by the characters interactions while trapped and I honestly didn't feel like that happened. Everyone was playing an archetype and even then they were rather thin. Hard rear end squad leader, caring medic, rookie, surly veteran, etc.

The movie keeps everyone mostly in the dark right up until the end for a pretty cliche twist that made me feel like I had wasted my time. There are some great shots over all, but the movie ultimately fails to deliver tension or horror. There just wasn't anything compelling here.

If I could compare it to anything, I would say it's Cube 2: Hypercube with all the cool ideas stripped out.

1/5

Butch Cassidy
Jul 28, 2010

Tank 432 had a couple neat scenes but is definitely not worth watching.

TheKingslayer
Sep 3, 2008

Just go find the scene of the guy getting flattened by the tank and call it a day. A 5/5 tank squishing.

TheKingslayer
Sep 3, 2008

Sorry for the double post but it's a mega slow work day.

5. Scream

Welp, after the last disappointing movie I figured I would go to something I know to kill some time. This is one that scratches all my itches, masked killers, Halloween feel, and slashin’! I think this is also a big favorite of mine because I was just realizing how much I liked Halloween and horror at this time as a kid and Ghost Face was the Freddy or Jason of my era and the craze for the character was everywhere in my town. Pair that with the rise of caller ID and cell phones and it draws some real nostalgia out of me.

That is one of the first things I’ll comment on actually. How visceral anything involving the killer is, the killer feels more realistic in that they can be hurt, clumsy, and get frustrated. It even seems like they take their frustration out on victims who put up a hard fight. Even after repeated viewings I still think the first scene is really effective, it’s always a treat to show to new people. Thanks to the whodunnit element to the movie it’s still worth repeat viewing to catch little hints or setups you might have missed along with all the horror references scattered around.

I’ll compliment the acting as well because everyone is utilized well, even Jamie Kennedy is turning in a performance I enjoy where I would usually avoid him like a plague. Henry Winkler is also a really entertaining over the top principal. All these characters really help to show that the movie takes place in a small town, with everyone spreading rumors and talking about the town’s dirty laundry in certain scenes. I think Courtney Cox might turn in my favorite performance as Gale Weathers (what a great reporter name) and I’ll give some props to David Arquette as well. And because I feel it should be stated, Rose McGowan was smokin’ in this movie, wow.

Depending on the day you catch me I might say this is Craven’s best movie over Elm Street on my personal list. I’m reluctant to give anything a perfect score but this is one of the few that deserves it in my book.

5/5

Heavy Metal
Sep 1, 2014

America's $1 Funnyman

Agreed on the Scream love, very cool movie. Gotta love Henry Winkler. I finally saw all of Children's Hospital over the last year, Henry Winkler is so drat funny in that show. He's got it all that guy. My fav TV show is Buffy, so that 90s style of fun/horror vibe of Scream goes down smooth. And the violence and tension is genuine, so it's not just clever writing/humor, good mix.

Top Wes Craven movies, that is a tough one, so many to choose from, but I'll go Nightmare On Elm Street. I thought his last few movies were really entertaining and underrated, My Soul To Take was a lot of fun. The Serpent and the Rainbow is rad, People Under The Stairs, The Hills Have Eyes, Wes rocks.

Hollismason
Jun 30, 2007

Witchfinder General

8. The Burning The Weinsteins ( and Miramax) first film. It has special effects by Tom Savini when he was really at the top of his game in that department. It's actually one of the better done slasher films and I think one of the best. The only weakness I find is that it has some fairly weak female roles, which is unusual because it does not follow the standard "final girl", although this also kind of gives it a unique quality compared to other slashes at the time as the Final Girl is a man. It's a great 1980s horror films and one of the best by the "books" slasher horror films. It doesn't reinvent the wheel or anything but it does everything so well that you don't really care. It's got an amazing young cast as well. I think the thing that changes the film really and puts it in the great column is that there are genuinely well acted roles in this and you actually do care about the kids in the film.

:spooky: :spooky: :spooky: :spooky: out of 5.

Hollismason fucked around with this message at 22:09 on May 6, 2017

TheKingslayer
Sep 3, 2008

Probably my last one for the day.

6. Hellions

The second IFC movie I’ve watched today and sadly it also fell a little short.

Hellions is about a 17 year old who found out she was pregnant on Halloween day, coincidentally there is a blood moon that night and group of murderous children clad in homemade Halloween costumes out of the 1930’s come to steal her unborn child.

The good points. I really enjoy the concept and it does a lot with themes of fear of parenthood and raising children and trying to be a metaphor for the anxiety and struggle of young pregnancy. There are some very nice shots, especially of pumpkin patches and other such things. There’s also the pleasant surprise of Robert Patrick in the movie, who I always enjoy. Costume design for the villains are also pretty competent and creepy without seeming out of place on Halloween. There are also some honestly weird things going on that are reminiscent of Eraserhead, but they don’t have near the surreal quality.

Now on to the bad. It seems like budget and maybe the amount of time the crew had to film was a hurdle. Almost no characters actually die on screen and there is little in the way of gore, despite there being some promise of violence with the bad guys wielding hatchets and electric carvers and such. The villains just spend a lot of time breaking things and standing around trying to be creepy. The movie is also very dark and it’s hard to make out details through a lot of it. Then there is a switch to this odd magenta lighting which felt like a decision the crew made to film during the day instead of night or at least in addition to.

I think this movie had some good ideas going for it but there was a failure in execution that caused it to not quite come together and be just ok. Maybe with a little more money or time things could have been fully realized. I don’t regret watching it but can say for sure I wouldn’t again.

2/5

Drunkboxer
Jun 30, 2007
9. Cat People (1942) Dailymotion
Finally seeing this after being familiar with the exploitative 80's movie. It's worthy of it's reputation, and despite having the plot more or less spoiled by the 80's remake I still really enjoyed it. This is the second Jacques Tourneur movie I've seen and I guess count me as a fan. 5 out of 5.

10. Detention (2011) Shudder
In the horror thread there seems to be polarized opinions about this. Count me as someone who doesn't like it. I was put off by the rapid, Gilmore Girls-eque, witty banter. It's more of a comedy/sci-fi story anyway. I did laugh at some bits (the fly guy) but overall it's not for me. 1.5 out of 5.

11. Demons (1985) Shudder
Finally catching this other classic. Fun enough take on the zombiedemon movie formula, with the weird never explained movie theater thing being pretty interesting. Is it me or is this not as "colorful" as other italian movies from the same era? Either way, there's some pretty sweet gore and silly performances. Loved the soundtrack. 4 out of 5.

Drunkboxer fucked around with this message at 00:31 on May 7, 2017

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Heavy Metal
Sep 1, 2014

America's $1 Funnyman

Demons is so drat cool and fun, one of the best. Oddly enough the 80s Cat People is on my list I was considering for this, lot of movie connections in here

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