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I'm in for a definite 31 but more than likely I'll blow past it. I've got a fresh Shudder list to blow through and some VOD stuff I've been saving.
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Sep 14, 2018 18:25
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Friends Are Evil posted:Anyone else thinking of coordinating their challenge with Hooptober? https://letterboxd.com/cinemonster/list/hooptober-cinco-your-terror-is-a-locked-room/ This is actually really close to what my challenge list rules are, even having Tales From The Hood 1 and 2 in it.
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Sep 14, 2018 22:09
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UltimoDragonQuest posted:Filmstruck Horror. Watch House and be sure to pick Filmstruck + Criterion when you sign up. Gutting the library is not worth saving $4. Oh good. I was looking for some place to watch Kuroneko.
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Sep 15, 2018 04:37
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1. The Beyond (1981) I'm a little surprised it took me this long to see The Beyond. It's got all the themes that are up my alley. The zombies in the movie were great and many of the later scenes reminded me of playing Resident Evil back in the day, even down to the groaning and movement. The occult elements were also pretty intriguing for me. The only thing that really fell flat was the score. The music during many of the horror scenes just didn't feel like it matched what I was watching most of the time. Overall though this was really great and a good way to open my challenge viewing. 3 1/2 out of 5
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Sep 15, 2018 14:52
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2. Prom Night (1980) Rolling along with another movie that at this point I can't believe I hadn't seen yet. The first thing I can praise about Prom Night are the characters. The characters I'm supposed to feel something for and like or effective. It makes the slow going of the first hour really pay off because I'm invested in these characters that thrust into mortal peril but also rooting for a few more to get maybe get what's coming to them. The kills and action are visceral and produce some great tension. Something that stood out to me is that you could strip away a few things in Prom Night and just make it a teen drama with the same setting. For the most part that's what it feels like before people start getting picked off. 4 out of 5. This is on my list any time good slasher movies.
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Sep 15, 2018 17:14
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3. Night Of The Living Dead Part of my theme for anniversaries, this movie is in it's 50th and is still I would say as relevant as ever from face value down to the unintentional subtext. I probably haven't seriously watched this movie and paid attention to it since I was a teen but I was happy to find I still found as entertaining as I originally did. It reminded me what I actually used to see in the zombie movie genre that's been so sadly watered down in the current year. The zombies are threatening, unknown, and horrifying. The humans are on edge, afraid, resourceful, but still fighting hard against their own insecurity or not wanting to understand the gravity of the situation even with literal death beating down the door. Dawn Of The Dead is seeing it's 40th anniversary and I'm even more excited to see it now than I was.
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Sep 15, 2018 20:28
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4. Mandy (2018) Phone post so forgive the lack of poster. But this owned and I don't really have much more to contribute to the discussion. I'd for sure like to see more movies like it though. 5. The Midnight Man (2016) This is the first true stinker of the challenge. If you were thinking about seeing it, don't bother. The Midnight Man himself looks cheap as hell and the characters are dumb to the point of being frustrating. There's no one to root for in this and there are so many plot holes. Just yuck. Go watch A Nightmare On Elm Street, it does everything this movie does but better.
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Sep 17, 2018 22:46
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6. Grave Encounters 2 (2012) This has languished on my shelf for some time since I heard it wasn't so good and didn't make a priority even though I enjoyed the first movie. I didn't like this one quite as much, to be honest it felt like a haunted house ride. Some of the effects were extremely cheap looking, but that's to be expected from something made on a budget. I also think the movie could have shaved ten minutes and been way better. About half way through I looked at the time bar and couldn't believe I was only half way through. My favorite parts of the movie though are the end. I know it's an older movie at this point but I won't spoil it just in case anyone is going in new. I love when they fully reveal what's happening, it's a fun idea. Also the performances really step up a notch about that point. 2.5 out of 5. I'll probably never watch it again, but it had some good ideas.
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Sep 18, 2018 01:41
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graventy posted:What I like about Grave Encounters 2 is that it just takes the idea and runs with it. I like meta-sequels a lot, where the first movie exists in the world, and I like the dumb things it does with found footage. See that's something I enjoy too. I just wish the movie were paced better and maybe some of the effects were switched to something that would have looked less like a local haunted house.
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Sep 18, 2018 02:59
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SMP posted:Grave Encounters 2 was fantastic until Rickety Cricket showed up Oh my god. I couldn't put my finger on who that reminded me of but you're right.
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Sep 18, 2018 03:16
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LORD OF BOOTY posted:while this is true, it's also worth noting that 95% of horror fans have no idea what the hell a Juicy Zombie is and call him Tar Man, so both names are worth knowing just so you can avoid confusion This talk triggered a memory I had kind of forgotten. So when I saw Return Of The Living Dead around the age of... 12, it was the most scary poo poo I had ever seen. In particular the scene where the zombie is strapped to the table and talks about the pain of being dead and why they eat brains That poo poo triggered some major anxiety about mortality in my young mind, the entire idea that just being dead was pain and how real the prop in particular looked. Cut to a few years later and I attended my first con and walking through the exhibit room. The actual torso prop from the movie was on display in there. It was an absolute mind gently caress to me at the time to be face to face with that thing. But, it did ease some of that to see it as a motionless piece of rubber and foam after I thought about it a while. A bit of dumb story, but I hadn't thought about it in a long time.
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Sep 18, 2018 21:05
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7. Little Monsters (1989) If this doesn't count as horror I will happily remove it from my watch list. This film is pretty light hearted and Howie Mandel turns in an energetic performance that's off the charts. It's for sure not straight horror but a few scenes and themes really land. Fred Savage slowly learning he's becoming a monster, seeing a baby subjected to these nightmare creatures, and then being drawn into the machinations of Boy all serve to show that while there is fun to be had being pranksters there are consequences and darker sides to the world of being a professional monster. 3 out of 5. Wonderful sets and makeup along with Howie killing it as Maurice. TheKingslayer fucked around with this message at 15:45 on Sep 19, 2018 |
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Sep 18, 2018 23:07
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8. Terrifier (2018) So I jumped on the train. Terrifier felt to me like a classic drive in exploitation movie that just went all the way and didn't apologize. I would say I enjoyed it for the most part. Art is by no means a slasher you would root for like Jason in some of the movies. He's brutal, sick, and totally awful (in the right ways). How the story turns out in the end is also a nice little different touch. 3 out of 5. I might have to watch it a couple more times honestly. I think I'd like it more on a second go.
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Sep 19, 2018 00:43
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9. The Strangers (2008) I'm revisiting this one as part of the added challenge and it also having it's tenth anniversary. It took me a few years to see this for the first time after it came out. It was touted as unbelievably scary. When I did watch it I couldn't roll my eyes hard enough. My friend i watched it with on the other hand was begging me to keep hanging out because he didn't want to be home by himself. Even on the second viewing it's not doing anything for me. There's nothing for me to grab on to with it. There are great shots, good acting, and effects. But everything going on just feels so pointless and cliche. It feels like a much more mean spirited version of Halloween and there are so many long stretches where nothing is happening. Maybe there is a layer of subtext I've missed or something else that would enhance my enjoyment? I just can't put my finger on it because usually I enjoy these atmospheric, isolated slashers. It kept reminding me of Hush, which I liked far more than The Strangers. 1.5 out of 5
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Sep 19, 2018 19:01
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Butch Cassidy posted:Have you given Ils a try? It's on Shudder under the English title of Them and may better catch your fancy. I haven't. But It's going on the list.
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Sep 19, 2018 19:19
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10. Friend Request (2016) I've enjoyed films that play with our anxieties about social media and online culture, especially the almost omnipresence of cameras and recording devices along with the social ramifications of it all. Films like The Den do this in really chilling ways while still be grounded in some kind of reality. Friend Request on the other hand feels like the most cheap way to cash in on that with a teen market. There isn't any kind of statement here to be made. A bunch of privileged college kids think a disturbed outcast type is too weird for their friend to hang out with and after the outcast girl freaks out she's unfriended by the popular girl. After that a supernatural turn of events begins picking off our main character's friends one by one through social media. The worst part I think is there are no lessons to be learned about acceptance or what addiction to social media can do to people. There is just something evil that comes after these people for no real crime other than not continuing a friendship. None of them victims deserved any of what happens through the whole film and it's like a pointless exercise in misery. There is what I thought to be an interesting twist towards the end, but it's not worth sitting through the run time. 1 out of 5. Just avoid this one unless you're big into this sub-genre.
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Sep 20, 2018 19:14
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I'm saving the real good stuff and more Halloween themed movies until October. For now I'm just hitting random stuff that catches my fancy. Pretty sure today will be 47 Meters Down.
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Sep 21, 2018 16:26
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Basebf555 posted:I'd advise against that. Drunkboxer posted:Man I started that poo poo one night last week and did not even make it to the sharks. I was incredibly annoyed the whole time, it felt like I was watching Laguna Beach or something. Well on these notes I'll be aborting to something for the new Fran challenge. 47 Meters Down must be the turboshits.
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Sep 21, 2018 17:27
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11. Child's Play (1988) Hoo boy. I love this movie. Chucky scared the hell out of me a lot and my brothers bought a replica doll to really freak me out wiht. Chucky and I pretty much grew up together since I was born in the same year it released. Out of the gate, for some reason this watch I found Andy to be annoying as hell. I was groaning every time he was on screen. I don't ever remember him bothering me this much so I can't exactly figure out why it was so now. But that isn't to say he isn't acting well along with the rest of the cast. Something that was fun on this rewatch was a special feature I'd never messed with, which is actually Brad Dourif as Chucky giving his commentary on certain scenes. I honestly wish they would have him sit down for all the movies and do a few tracks for each one. Child's Play is still a classic though and it's really impressive how they use the camera to make the advancing doll insanely menacing. 4 out of 5. This is just what I needed to break a streak of less than great watches. 12. Hell House LLC 2 (2018)  After loving the original this was such a huge letdown with the pieces of something that could have been good. But my snap judgement, this is part Grave Encounters, part Grave Encounters 2 and not nearly as good as either. I already wasted enough time watching it so I'm not going to waste any more time reviewing it. 1 ouf of 5
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Sep 22, 2018 22:09
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Lumbermouth posted:8. Scream 4 (2011) As a last hurrah for Wes Craven I loved it. I really hope they let it stay dead. But I know they won't.
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Sep 25, 2018 02:15
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13. Killer Klowns From Outer Space (1988) For some reason most of my life people told me Killer Klowns was an awful movie and I have no drat clue why. The Klowns in question look incredible and the kills are memorable. Plus I just couldn't help but have fun. Even down to the theme song. Killer Klowns has fun at a drive-in written all over it. I wish I could have double featured this with Ernest Scared Stupid just to see all the heads reused. The last monster was so drat cool. 3 out 5 14. Monster Squad (1987)  I had never seen this before and I would say it has a lot going for it other than seeming very dated from a dialogue standpoint. Not just the some of the slurs and tropes being of their time but just something about it doesn't work for me. But, holy moly is Dracula amazing, looks great, has the presence, I just love this Dracula. The monsters in general are pretty drat fantastic and all the set pieces looked nice. This would be an easy classic for me to show to kids with a little editing (I'm not a fan of censorship but gay slurs don't have any place in the current time.) I would say it didn't live up to the nostalgia hype I've heard about it but it was still a good time. 3 out of 5
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Sep 29, 2018 17:48
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M_Sinistrari posted:69- Wrath of Daimajin 1966 - DVD Nice
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Sep 29, 2018 18:41
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15. Monster House (2006) Might be the standard def but the animation feels pretty dated, like, maybe a tier or two above Food Fight. But it's only in the character bodies and the way they interact with things, it seems choppy. The faces though still hold up very well. The acting seems more natural than usual too since I guess the motion capture let everyone actually say lines more naturally than you would get standing around a sound booth. Monster House really is a cute story for kids and normally I'd be sad they didn't go with the darker elements that were on the table, but I think it works to make the ending feel good while still keeping a certain darkness as the story is told. I was probably a bit old for this but would have been totally in love as a kid. 3 out of 5
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Sep 29, 2018 19:47
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16. Vampire In Brooklyn (1995) WORST OF THE BEST CHALLENGE  Doing a little reading it seems like this became a mess as far as tone since Wes Craven and the Murphy brothers had different ideas for what the movie should be like. Wes implies he wanted more horror and Eddie insisted on comedy, while Eddie and Charlie claims the opposite. The casting even seems all over the place in that regard (though good). You don't really call in John Witherspoon for serious horror. But either way a guy getting his heart ripped out in the first five minutes shouldn't comically say, "Ouch" if you want something serious. Eddie Murphy also said the wig he wore as Max was too bad, but he really should have been more critical of the contacts he wore and the vampire finger nails that look like candy corn. The accent he's going for also suffers from trying to talk around the fangs. It's frustrating because he's charming, has charisma, and delivery, but just doesn't carry himself with the menacing presence of a vampire. Generally though the performances are good especially from Julius, the titular vampire's ghoul. As for the writing, the general plot points they want to hit are good and the changes they've made to the lore of vampires to accommodate their story are as well. But... things just sort of happen for the sake of the plot and Max only has vampire weaknesses when convenient, like when Max is in a van full of crosses unaffected but minutes later crosses in a room bother him. Or when our detective lead protagonist is portrayed as a rather poor detective or even downright stupid for not even having suspicions about her roomate literally disappearing with all her belongings in hours and conveniently not remembering the very obvious ghoul she's met before. A whole scene of Max transformed into a preacher pretty much doing a comedy skit? What? After that Max just blatantly rips a person to pieces (off camera) in front of an open restaurant run by the mob. The effects also seem a bit all over the place. Max in full vamp mode is rather unimpressive and most of the blood and gore is kept to a minimum. Julius as he descends further into being a ghoul though looks pretty nice and sometimes really gross, almost like Freddy Krueger towards the end actually But for all the good and bad after an hour the movie just lost me. I was painfully bored and nothing they were doing could really draw me back in for the finale. Which was still 40 or so minutes away. I honestly felt like I was watching a vampire practice the D.E.N.N.I.S. system on some poor woman for almost two hours. Maybe going flow blown comedy would have saved this production, because the potential was really there but sadly this poo poo is a mess. 1 out of 5.
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Sep 29, 2018 22:37
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17. Friday The 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988) HOMETOWN HORROR CHALLENGE Watched on Bluray  Luckily this satisfies my theme of anniversaries and the challenge. This particular movie was filmed about 30 minutes from where I'm sitting right now and my friend's dad was the fire martial on set for the house burning down at the end. If I'm feeling froggy I might go down to the location and take some pictures but the sets are all totally gone of course. I also noticed for the first time a boat in an early scene still has the "AL" for Alabama registration on the side of it. First out the gate. Kane Hodder as Jason is really overrated and it pisses me off to no end he makes a zombie heavily breathe to add character. Total hack poo poo. Otherwise though this wars with Part 6 as my favorite because I really like the characters in Part VII. They're mostly tropes you would see in any slasher movie but they're played well and seem fairly natural. Other than the mean girl, who the gently caress would keep such an awful person in their circle? The effects are generally great but the kills are pretty obviously hacked up by censors which is a shame. The nerdy kid getting a machete to the neck I bet looked amazing before they chopped it up. But maybe the most visceral kill has almost no gore and that's the sleeping bag against the tree. Also once the mask comes of Jason he's pretty drat gnarly. 4 out of 5. 18. Halloween (1978) Watched on 35th Anniversary Bluray  This was watched with commentary from John Carpenter and Jamie Lee Curtis. This is my hands down all time favorite horror movie. I can't really say more about it but the Halloween movies are responsible for getting me into the genre. Michael Myers as faceless evil is timeless, no matter how much the sequels try to gently caress all that up. My main take away from the commentary is that Jamie Lee Curtis is genuinely scared of this movie and points out things that are scary that I may no process from a male perspective. It's refreshing to hear her say what she finds scary as the movie goes on. I think it's also endearing she's never been too good for the genre films where she got her start. Jamie Lee Curtis owns.
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Oct 2, 2018 03:48
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drat 1988 is a good year for that challenge. So many choices.
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Oct 3, 2018 16:02
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Justin Godscock posted:All I remember about Halloween Resurrection is Busta Rhymes fights Michael Myers. Busta doesn't just fight Michael, he Kung-Fu fights Michael and electrocutes his balls.
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Oct 4, 2018 00:21
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19. Dagon (2001) Viewed on: Scream Stream Dagon was a movie I'd only seen in snippets on late night network TV but it always looked kinda cool. This go around watching it from the beginning I can say it is actually really cool and pretty fun. Things start slow but really start to pick up at the halfway point and include an really really gnarly special effects scene that a lot of people might not like if it's sprung on them. 20. Demonic Toys (1992)  Viewed On: Scream Stream I did not have high hopes for this at all. But I was pleasantly surprised. It's camp fun and following everyone's comments on the stream really improved the experience. The child actor they got for this movie is honestly doing a great job of body language and facial expressions. The baby doll toy is also just a treat with some fantastic lines. 21. I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In The House (2016)  Viewed On: Scream Stream (Netflix) I won't lie, I had a hard time focusing on this movie because of a work call. I'd like to sit down with it without any distraction because I liked the visuals and it appeared to build a good atmosphere an tension, but it was maybe too long. 22. Nail Gun Massacre (1985)  Viewed On: Scream Stream I was not very hot on how this movie opened up. That out of the way, what a glorious poo poo show the rest of it was. The modulated voice of the Nail Gun Killer was amazing and I couldn't stop laughing when they would just make odd noises. You're getting something that's cheap, padded, and very poorly acted. I somehow couldn't look away and found this to be very memorable. 23. Night Of The Demons (1988)  THE BIRTH OF HORROR CHALLENGE Viewed On: Scream Factory BluRay The very first Scream Factory and it actually took a while for me to watch the first time years ago. This is pretty much exactly what I want out of an October movie, monsters, blood, sexuality, creepy sets, and young people getting scared. The intro and music are also really top notch. I had no idea there were sequels and I'll have to give them all a look over soon. 24. Prince Of Darkness (1987)  Viewed On: Scream Factory BluRay First time viewing and I have to say, this worked for me pretty well. It was so weird and surreal. Also very very bleak and left a real doomed feeling hanging over me for a bit after the movie was over. A big contributor was the main theme composed by John Carpenter that plays through much of the movie, it's synthy and dark and I love it. I also have to give props for a lot of the concepts and general story, I'd really be interested in more like it.
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Oct 10, 2018 22:46
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25. Tales From The Hood 2 (2018) Viewed On: Netflix To open this review, I don't know if I can personally find all the correct words to talk about this film. To start, this is not a very high budget movie and it does show, but they do the best with what they have and I think it works. This is a modern set of morality tales, not just about race, but also about not forgetting where one comes from, about taking advantage of others, apathy, and general predatory behavior. Keith David is also fantastic in the wrap around segments while interacting with a very obvious Trump stand in. In fact characters representing that character are all over this. Some of the stories veer into the comedic, but overall there are very serious themes and situations at play. I don't really think any of them are bad, at least just ok to good. Which I can't say for many anthology films. Some of the effects are rather good too in spite of the low budget, but the parts where CGI came into play looks very very cheap. Which does bring me around to the credits scene, which I'm flip flopping about whether it's the most awesome CGI skeleton dancing or merely corny. The film ends on a very powerful message not just to people of color but to all Americans. I won't spoil it, but I was personally very touched by the it, even if some might call it heavy handed. I would say if you're a fan of the original this is totally worth your time but it does fall short of it. The original in my opinion is a classic while this is just good.
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Oct 12, 2018 16:06
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FancyMike posted:Well I have a new favorite horror anthology and it's not even close. My man.
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Oct 12, 2018 16:48
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Against my better judgement I'll probably watch Hellraiser: Bloodlines for that challenge.
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Oct 12, 2018 22:21
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26. Vampire Boys (2011) QUEER HORROR CHALLENGE I picked this honestly because the thumbnail looked like a Chuck Tingle book cover. On that front it didn't disappoint. This was just about an hour of softcore gay pornography with a vague vampire theme. The vampires could walk in the day for this movie, likely because it would have been impossible for the low budget production to shoot so much at night and the vampires themselves are this odd attempt to be cool that just comes off as comedic. My favorite part maybe is how the acting is generally so bad that the characters sound like idiots no matter what they're doing. I ain't mad at it because I pretty much knew what I was getting, but I can't recommend it at all. 1 out of 5
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Oct 13, 2018 14:14
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27. Hellraiser IV: Bloodline (1996) ONCE IN A LIFETIME CHALLENGE (Kevin Yagher) We took Pinhead to space, baby! As the planned end of the series at the time, I love it. The early parts feel like a return to form in the atmosphere and imagery along with bringing in a more seductive Cenobite in Angelique. I'm especially a fan of the of first segment that takes place during the creation of the The Box. I was also a big fan of the second segment since it was nice seeing Kim Myers again since I've had a crush on her from when I saw A Nightmare On Elm Street 2 as a teen. What a lady, she's beaten both Freddy AND Pinhead. I really expected something a lot worse and other than dodgy CGI I think it's a very worthy but markedly weaker film to stand with the first two and really wrap up a trilogy. I think the pseudo anthology format helps a whole lot and makes this not feel like a slog at all, it was a very easy watch. Also some of the kills are fantastic. 3 out of 5
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Oct 13, 2018 15:33
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Dr.Caligari posted:There were several interesting to pick from (I'm still looking to fit in Doctor Butcher) but ultimately I went with ; 
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Oct 27, 2018 00:54
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My October ended up not going nearly as I had planned and I'm rather disappointed. But, I did hit my goal. 28. Lake Mungo Watched on DVD. Fran Challenge: The World Is A Scary Place 29. Winterbeast Watched on Scream Stream 30. Puppet Master Watched on Scream Stream 31. Night Of The Demons 2 Watched on Scream Stream I went a few over but I'm not too worried since they weren't part of my initial bid.
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Nov 1, 2018 14:42
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Guy Goodbody posted:I got a question for y'all. I never really watched slasher movies before this month, but one thing I'd heard a lot is that you end up rooting for the killer instead of the disposable teens. That never happened to me. aside from the occasional designated rear end in a top hat character, I always rooted for the dumb teens. I always wanted to see the last girl kick the poo poo out of Jason. The only time I rooted for Jason was when he was fighting Freddy. For me it all depends on how the characters make an impression on me. Like in Prom Night I'm rooting for most everyone because they're all pretty likable and the movie establishes them well. But say in something like Hatchet, the characters are mostly one note and annoying so while I want suspense and interesting chases, I'm also there to see how they eventually end up dead meat.
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Nov 1, 2018 22:42
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| # ¿ Apr 23, 2024 15:22 |
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I'll also throw in that it depends on the killer's circumstances and backstory. I never once feel any desire to root for Freddy even if they make him fun, the guy murdered kids and got what was coming to him but just keeps on keeping on at it.
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Nov 1, 2018 22:46
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