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I’ll be in, going for 31 first time watched between now and October 31. Well, hopefully by October 26 because RDR2 may be occupying most of my spare time by then. I’ve been getting some rewatches done over the past few weeks and only have a few left before I start on new content.
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Sep 15, 2018 02:19
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STAC Goat posted:Woohoo! If you can’t find anything else for 1957, both I was a teenage Frankenstein and I Was a Teenage Werewolf are on YouTube.
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Sep 15, 2018 04:23
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1. Always Watching: A Marble Hornets Story (2015) So this is from the team that brought us the web series, which is something I was into for the first season but didn’t bother going beyond that. Like the web series this is a found footage movie about the Slender Man. Our story is about a 3 person news crew who discover a box of tapes in a repossessed house. They discover the disappearance of a family through these tapes and notice that Slender Man appears on them. Slender Man then proceeds to stalk the news crew. This turned out to be a pretty dull film. It’s not terrible or anything, but it just seems like a retread of superior films, most notable the Paranormal Activity series and Sinister. It really reminded me of Sinister, which used found footage much more creatively. And that may be the biggest problem this movie faces. It’s not too creative in its format. It’s just the standard film where someone is filming everything in their life for reasons not really adequately explained. It was a novelty in the FF genre at first but by 2015 I’d expect a bit more. Slender man himself does not come off as an especially intimidating presence in this either. He’s a little too well done, and the ambiguity of the original web series and SA photoshops.
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Sep 16, 2018 16:35
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2. Terrifier Much like seemingly everyone else, I watched this over the weekend. Sometimes you watch a movie that’s so sadistic that you wonder how anyone can watch it. Terrifier can certainly fit into that category, but something about this movie as a whole kind of elevates it beyond mere sadistic trash - but not too much above. The main credit has to go to Art the clown. I had to look it up to see if the actor was actually was a full time clown or something, he really just nails the mannerisms so well. Other reviews have pointed out he would have been a horror icon if he came around a few decades earlier and I agree with that assessment. But as much as I appreciate Art, he suffers from Annabelle syndrome - he's so terrifying in a basic visual level that I can't imagine him as anything but evil at first sight - I would not want to pose for a selfie with him! The cinematography is good as well. It has good lighting and a good sense of geography. The plot itself is paper thin, and it really suffers from not having an effective protagonist throughout the film. The main characters are all disposable. Overall, while I appreciate a lot of this movie I find it very hard to recommend to people. It is a very gory movie and some scenes are really difficult to watch. It’s not anything I plan on watching again. Watched (2): Always Watching: A Marble Hornets story; Terrifier
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Sep 17, 2018 22:17
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Boys in the Trees This was more of a coming of age drama than a horror movie, but it’s set on Halloween night and there’s supernatural elements so I’m going to count it. The plot involves two estranged friends, Corey and Jonah, who are on the verge of graduating high school. Due to circumstances, they end up walking home together and reminisce about their memories and why they grew apart. This movie didn’t land with me at all. The plot itself is competent but the script is terrible. The dialogue comes off as pretentious, with everyone speaking metaphorically and trying to convey a deeper meaning in every sentence. And as much as we’re supposed to sympathize with Jonah, I found I really didn’t like him. He just came off as smarmy. The movie has a long run time as well. It would have benefited from some more editing. For example, there are several montage scenes which only serve to establish the setting/characters. This is fine in and of itself, but each montage runs about 4 minutes while they play through entire songs The film is fairly well shot and the above mentioned montages do look pretty. The costume design and set design are good as well and really invoke strong imagery of Halloween. It also really hammers home that this is set in the late 90s through the soundtrack and posters. Overall I really wanted to like this movie but the screenplay worked too hard against it. This would have benefited from some script doctors to go over things. Other viewers may appreciate this more than I, but I really don’t recommend this one. [b]Watched (3)[b] Always Watching: A Marble Hornets story; Terrifier; Boys in the Trees CopywrightMMXI fucked around with this message at 13:49 on Sep 20, 2018 |
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Sep 19, 2018 17:39
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Creature from Black Lake (1976) This was okay. It’s part of a Bigfoot crazed of the 70s that I’m not really too familiar with. Two “college” (35 year olds) go to Louisiana to investigate rumours of a Bigfoot type creature. The locals aren’t too interested in sharing info but eventually the students meet people who want their help. It’s fairly comedic for the most part. It’s more fun watching the main characters interact with the townsfolk than anything else. Some of the shots of the swamp look pretty nice too. This isn’t a strong recommendation to rush out and watch but it’s not a waste of 90 minutes either. It’s just a completely average movie. [b]Watched (4): [b] Always Watching: A Marble Hornets story; Terrifier; Boys in the Trees, Creature from Black Lake
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Sep 20, 2018 13:40
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Random Stranger posted:Day -10 - Alien House of Wax is one of the best 3D Blu’s I’ve seen. Some scenes pander towards 3D but everything is so well shot that the effects really enhance the film. Creature is probably even better than HoW. I haven’t seen Dial M in 3D but I’ve heard good things.
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Sep 22, 2018 04:08
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Parents (1989) This film started suckering me in right from the get go, but by the end I was somewhat indifferent. We are introduced to our main character, Michael, and his parents in the opening scenes as he and his family are moving into an idyllic 1950s suburb. This scene made me think of this films contemporary boomer-nostalgia films and made me think we were going to get a satirical rebuke of the 1950s myth. And we kind of do, but not really. Michael starts to think his parents may be cannibals and starts having weird dreams. The Dream scenes are very good, and we get his perspective on events he doesn't really understand, such as after seeing his parents having sex he dreams of them as monsters biting each other. We also learn his dad is a merchant of death as he is developing an Agent Orange type chemical at his work. The dream scenes are really well done and have a Lynchian vibe to them. The effects are really good too. What really holds this film back from being a true classic is it's inconsistent tone. It never really settles on of it wants to be a satire or a horror comedy or a straight up horror movie and these tonal shifts are really disengaging. Overall I would mildly recommend this movie as it does have some good scenes and it's interesting to see Randy Quaid play a role other than Cousin Eddie at this stage in his career. It's not an absolute classic but it's good enough for an 80 minute movie. Watched (5): Always Watching: A Marble Hornets story; Terrifier; Boys in the Trees, Creature from Black Lake, Parents
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Sep 23, 2018 14:03
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Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat (1989) This is a pretty obscure movie. I bought a six pack DVD of Vestron video releases and this is the only one I had never heard of on it. It was only played at a few festivals at its release and its lovely VHS/DVD cover art didn’t really pop out on the rental shelves. It’s developing a bit of a cult following though, and it’s a decent movie. Its a horror/comedy/western about a group of vampires who have settled down in the Southwest in an attempt to tame their predatory instincts. They have a synthetic blood machine that needs repairs so they call in its designer and well, this is getting a little too re-cappy at this point. Let’s just say the presence of others in town leads to dissent. Oh, and Bruce Campbell shows up as a descendants Van Helsing. It’s a good little movie, and Campbell, M. Emmet Smith and David Carradine completely ham it up. There’s a lot of actors in it that you’ll recognize from other horror movies too. The effects are a bit of a mixed bag. Some stuff looks good but other effects look worse than similar effects from the 40s. It’s a little too convoluted of a plot for the story it’s telling and that holds it back a bit. 105 minutes is just too long for this and it drags at times. Despite a few complaints though I would recommend checking this out if you have the chance. Watched (6) Always Watching: A Marble Hornets story; Terrifier; Boys in the Trees; Creature from Black Lake; Parents; Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat
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Sep 25, 2018 13:23
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Choco1980 posted:Annnnd, Sinistri beat my record from last year before October even started. And you all wonder why some of us think the head start is horsegarbage. Head start or not she still did it in 14 days. That's pretty drat impressive.
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Oct 1, 2018 01:48
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Murder Party (2007) I caught this on Netflix on the weekend. It’s Jeremy Saulnier’s directorial debut. In this film a lonely traffic cop finds an invitation to a Murder party and gets exactly what he was looking for. This movie was good but I will concede that the satire of art students isn’t really my thing and since that’s the whole movie I felt a bit of a disconnect. Despite feeling like I was on the outside of an in joke, I still found this to be very well made and entertaining. It’s very fast-paced and gets genuinely tense at times. I’ll recommend this. Hell Fest (2018) I caught this movie yesterday at the theatre. I was really into it’s atmosphere and for a while I was thinking this movie may be a future cult classic. By the time the movie was over my assessment had changed. This movie has great atmosphere but not really much else going for it. We follow a group of college students into a Halloween horror park and the main girl gets stalked by a Myersesque masked man. Who is he? Why is he doing this? We never really learn the answer to these questions. It’s random and frustrating that we have such an underdeveloped character. It’s extra frustrating as he has several chances to kill the main girl but doesn’t take them. Maybe if there was a point to his killings we would understand why. The main characters are probably the least likeable group I’ve come across in a horror movie in a long time, perhaps ever. There’s the main girl (typical horror movie virgin) the horror obsessed girl, the love interest and 3 non-descript characters. It’s really hard to get behind anyone in this movie. If we actually cared about the characters this may have helped make the stalking scenes more effective. I did enjoy the atmosphere in this movie. The setting, the theme parks, the Halloween imagery is all over the place and it’s great. We get all sorts of ghouls here and it made me want to go there. There’s also a really good kill in this movie. Overall though I am lukewarm on this. It will definitely get you in the Halloween spirit so that’s a plus. But the overall blandness of its characters hurts it to an irreparable degree. This movie could have been great but it ultimately feels like we’re watching a Cabin in the Woods style scenario that goes as planned. Watched (8) Always Watching: A Marble Hornets story; Terrifier; Boys in the Trees; Creature from Black Lake; Parents; Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat; Murder Party; Hell Fest
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Oct 2, 2018 00:21
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Alone in the Dark (1982) This has nothing to do with friend of the forums Uwe Boll’s identically titled movie. This movie sports somewhat of an all-star cast of older actors including Jack Palance, Martin Landau and Donald Pleasance. It also has Murdock from the A-Team as a new psychiatrist at a mental hospital. The elderly patients think the new psychiatrist killed the old one and during a power outage they escape and seek revenge. This is a good slasher, but it takes its time getting there. The plot is somewhat convoluted but not to the degree that it’s alienating or it loses you. We get lots of characterization along the way and we get to really have fun with these characters. A highlight is when they end up at a punk show with the Sick Fucks. The main actors really dive into their role and ham things up but are able to turn up the intensity and create tension along the way. There’s one scene where a pedophile inmate is alone with a young girl that does an excellent job of balancing tension with comic relief. I do have to criticize the portrayal of mentally ill people in this movie. It’s by no means exclusive to this movie but I just wish there was more portrayal of mentally ill people as actual human beings who need help instead of childlike sociopaths. Overall I enjoyed this movie and would recommend you watch it if you get the chance as it’s a really underrated 80s slasher. Plus it’s got a great poster. Watched (9) Always Watching: A Marble Hornets story; Terrifier; Boys in the Trees; Creature from Black Lake; Parents; Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat; Murder Party; Hell Fest; Alone in the Dark
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Oct 3, 2018 01:32
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Time to play catch up with a double feature. Both are bad, but for entirely different reasons House of purgatory (2016) I found this on Amazon Prime Canada. The plot synopsis was that a group of teens go to a haunted house named Purgatory and encounter their own personal hells in there. I was intrigued by this and at 75 minutes I figured it would be worth a watch. It’s the type of movie I initially thought was okay for a low budget horror but as I started reviewing it and really thinking about it I kind of started to hate it more and more. This is obviously a super low budget film and the sets are pretty minimal. The actors all look way too old to play teenagers and there's some characters and plot points that add nothing to the film. Still, it was kind of charming in its own little way. What I really didn't like was the thematic implications in this movie. These teens really didn't deserve their fates in this movie. Most of their "sins" are things that are really outside of their control, or situations in which they were already the victim, and this just leaves a sour taste in my mouth. One more thing - I was reading other reviews for this and it’s worth pointing out the director wrote a glowing review for it on IMDb under a barely-disguised sock puppet account.  Fran Challenge: Love Something You Hate30 Nights of Paranormal Activity With the devil Inside the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo I find this challenge kind of hard because there’s not really much I don’t like in horror - j-horror and bad parodies are pretty much it. I looked deep in the horror section on Prime and came across this. With very few exceptions, these parody movies are always terribly unfunny but I thought maybe this one would have a few laughs so I'd give it a shot. So this parodies horror movies such as Paranormal Activity and The Devil Inside and...The girl with the dragon tattoo? And um, The Dark Knight... and Adele and whatever else they could think to include in a 2013 movie. Oh, and there’s lots of reality show references. There’s probably as much reality show stuff as horror movies.I'm not sure when these parody movies started targeting everything under the sun but it definitely isn't making them any funnier. The only good movies of this type at least have some reverence and understanding of the source material. Plot doesn’t matter to garbage movies like this. It’s always just the same thing - take a recognizable scene from a movie and make a sex joke with it. Bonus points if you can get casual homophobia, transphobia or racism in as well. This movie is pretty bad, but it’s probably no worse than the later scary movie series or the Haunted House series. And to give credit where it’s due, the concept of regular reality shows capturing paranormal activity could be interesting in the right hands. I did let out a small laugh at a Ghost reference in this, but this movie is still definitely not worth watching, even out of morbid curiosity. Watched (11) Always Watching: A Marble Hornets story; Terrifier; Boys in the Trees; Creature from Black Lake; Parents; Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat; Murder Party; Hell Fest; Alone in the Dark; House of Purgatory; 30 Nights of Paranormal Activity...;
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Oct 5, 2018 12:26
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King Vidiot posted:While I'm glad they were concerned for Linnea's safety, it was hilarious watching her dance daintily around with two chainsaws that weren't even on while they ADR'd some chainsaw revving noises. On the subject of expenses during this, Arrow Video is doing a digital sale on the iTunes Store. $0.99 rentals and $3.99 purchases. The selection will change weekly: https://arrowfilms.com/news/arrow-video-itunes-shocktober-sale/
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Oct 6, 2018 00:07
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It was Thanksgiving here in Canada this weekend. I managed to watch quite a few movies but I'm in a turkey coma and don't feel like writing much, so here's some quick and dirty reviews. Phantom of The Paradise (1974) (blu ray) This movie pretty much won me over immediately. It has such a great atmosphere and great music. It seamlessly blends camp with horror. Everything about this movie has an amazing style, from the editing to the set design to the songs. I highly recommend this and recommend watching it in HD. This is a really nice blu ray and if you buy physical media I recommend purchasing this disc. Dead Silence (2007) (DVD) This was a disappointing movie. I’m normally a fan of James Wan and I figured a ventriloquist dummy would suit his style, but this was just boring. It wasn’t scary at all and had some terrible acting. Blood Diner (1987). DVD This movie threw everything against the wall but nothing seemed to stick. There’s a few nice scenes and good effects/design but it just never seemed to come together. Annoying characters and bad acting just killed this for me. Fran Challenge-watch a video nasty- Toolbox Murders (1978) (Prime) This was pretty good. It’s a proto-slasher but all the killings happen right away then it turn into exploring who did it and why. It has some pretty visceral gore and a lot of nudity so I can see why this qualified as a video nasty. The movies back half is a little too slow and dependant on too much exposition scenes but the front half was cool enough to make up for this. Bride of Re-Animator(1989) (iTunes) This was really great. I might even prefer this to the first Reanimator in fact. There’s just so much incredible practical effects and awesome creature design Watched (16) Always Watching: A Marble Hornets story; Terrifier; Boys in the Trees; Creature from Black Lake; Parents; Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat; Murder Party; Hell Fest; Alone in the Dark; House of Purgatory; 30 Nights of Paranormal Activity...; Phantom of the Paradise; Dead Silence; Blood Diner; the Toolbox Murders; bride of Re-Animator
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Oct 9, 2018 03:08
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Fran Challenge - watch a non-Us/Canadian film Baskin (2015, Prime) This is a gory Turkish movie. It’s about a group of cops who respond to a back up call and pretty much end up in hell. It’s a pretty surreal film, with a lot of really gory imagery. I found it pretty uncomfortable at points, which is a good thing for this type of movie as that’s exactly what it aims for. It really does a good job at actually building up tension and fear. Most of the ghoul design was great, with the exception of the main villain. He looked way too cartoony, like something out of a kids fantasy movie. The movie was subtitled and I’m not sure if it was just how it is on Prime, but the dialogue was appearing at the bottom of the screen way before being spoken on screen. This made it difficult to follow at times. There’s a lot of exposition scenes which kind of drag when you have to read instead of listen. This was definitely good though, but the pure, visceral gore may be off putting to some. Watched (17) Always Watching: A Marble Hornets story; Terrifier; Boys in the Trees; Creature from Black Lake; Parents; Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat; Murder Party; Hell Fest; Alone in the Dark; House of Purgatory; 30 Nights of Paranormal Activity...; Phantom of the Paradise; Dead Silence; Blood Diner; the Toolbox Murders; bride of Re-Animator; Baskin
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Oct 11, 2018 04:14
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SMP posted:That's his real face. Well now I feel like an rear end in a top hat.
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Oct 11, 2018 11:23
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The Mummy’s Curse (1944) (Turner Classic Movies) I find the original Mummy to be the least accessible of the original universal monster movies. It took me about 3 or 4 watched before I was really on board with it. So I’ve always been a little hesitant to delve further into the series so this is the first of the sequels I’ve seen, despite being the last of the series. I really don’t feel that I have missed too much. This movie feels like it was just kind of thrown together in a rush to capitalize on the remaining market for these types of horror movies. It looks low budget and uses a lot of stock footage. The plot seems pretty basic too. Lon Chaney Jr was good as the mummy at least, and Louisiana is a decent setting for this type of movie, even if the only decent set piece is an abandoned monastery. I’d only recommend this to Universal horror completionists. Watched (18) Always Watching: A Marble Hornets story; Terrifier; Boys in the Trees; Creature from Black Lake; Parents; Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat; Murder Party; Hell Fest; Alone in the Dark; House of Purgatory; 30 Nights of Paranormal Activity...; Phantom of the Paradise; Dead Silence; Blood Diner; the Toolbox Murders; bride of Re-Animator; Baskin; The Mummy’ Curse
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Oct 12, 2018 13:49
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Fran challenge: The Birth of Horror Nightmare City (1980 - Prime) This is like an Italian version of The Crazies. A military plane lands and all the passengers have been turned into zombie-like creatures due to nuclear radiation. They operate under zombie rules but they all use weapons and seem slightly intelligent. The whole movie is just them attacking people intercut with the occasional exposition or dancing scene. The movie is sleazy, the make up is bad, the special effects are cheesy and the dubbing is poor, but I still kind of liked it. There’s a frantic energy present throughout that makes this easy to watch, and it at least succeeds in making the creatures seem threatening. I’m also still deciding if the ending is a cop out or absolutely brilliant. Mildly recommended. Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933 - blu ray) I haven’t seen this before but it’s an extra on the House of Wax (1953) disc. This was good. I was surprised to see it was in color - it’s in that old early technicolor effect that was really only used for a brief period in the late 20s/early30s. The effects are quite good, especially when considering when this was made. The plot is almost the same as 1953 version but focused a little more on the mystery part. The heroine in this is great, and her dialogue is very pre-code. She is pretty great. Overall I prefer the Vincent Price version but this is fine too. Recommended. Shocker (1989 - PSN) I used to see ads for this on the back of comics from when it was released and I always wanted to watch it but for some reason I never got around to it until now. I quite enjoyed this movie. It’s a lesser heralded Wes Craven flick about a death row inmate who becomes an electric monster seeking revenge on the young man who sent him to the chair. The film was way more creative than I expected it to be. I figured the killer just be like the electric Gremlin but there’s a possession element that is used quite creatively. I liked the various special effects used that made the killer look like he’s literally a tv character come to life. There is some serious pacing issues at time. The movie is 1:51 and the first act alone is 51 minutes. There’s a lot of set up to get to the bulk of the action and it almost feels like we get shortchanged as a result. The acting is subpar as well. At least star Peter Berg realized he is better off behind the camera. This movie seems to not be too well-loved but I quite enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it. Boy Eats Girl (2005 -DVD) This is the only movie from some DVD 6 pack in my collection that I hadn’t seen and it’s a British zombie romcom from the mid 2000s! This will be good, right? Right? There’s not much to say here. It’s a typical straight to video zombie comedy that manages to neither be scary nor funny. Not recommended. Watched (22( : Always Watching: A Marble Hornets story; Terrifier; Boys in the Trees; Creature from Black Lake; Parents; Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat; Murder Party; Hell Fest; Alone in the Dark; House of Purgatory; 30 Nights of Paranormal Activity...; Phantom of the Paradise; Dead Silence; Blood Diner; the Toolbox Murders; bride of Re-Animator; Baskin; The Mummy’ Curse; Nightmare City; Mystery of the Wax Museum; Shocker; Boy Eats Girl CopywrightMMXI fucked around with this message at 04:08 on Oct 16, 2018 |
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Oct 15, 2018 23:52
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Malevolent (2018 - Netflix) I decided to check this out. It’s about scammy paranormal investigators going to a haunted house that turns out to actually be haunted. This does take a few twist with that formula but ultimately still comes off as generic. This was okay. It had a fine plot, even if it was a little predictable. The performances were ok, but nothing really stands out. I kind of found it dull for the most part, maybe due to the dim lighting or quiet dialogue? I didn’t hate it but it’s really the type of movie that you’ll forget you even watched. I can’t really recommend this. Watched (23) : Always Watching: A Marble Hornets story; Terrifier; Boys in the Trees; Creature from Black Lake; Parents; Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat; Murder Party; Hell Fest; Alone in the Dark; House of Purgatory; 30 Nights of Paranormal Activity...; Phantom of the Paradise; Dead Silence; Blood Diner; the Toolbox Murders; bride of Re-Animator; Baskin; The Mummy’ Curse; Nightmare City; Mystery of the Wax Museum; Shocker; Boy Eats Girl; Malevolent
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Oct 16, 2018 04:10
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Fran Challenge - Queer Horror: watch a horror movie by a LGBTQ+ director Basket Case (1982 - iTunes) This is another movie that’s been on my radar for ages but never had a chance to see until now. This was a complete blast. The concept itself is completely bizarre, as a young man named Dwayne and his deformed Siamese twin brother Belial (who looks like a piece of chewed up bubble gum with arms) go to New York to get revenge on the doctors who separated them. The movie is really weird, and the effects are really low budget but it’s the type of movie where you can tell someone’s demented vision is making its way to the big screen and you have to appreciate that. There is a lot of blood in this and some good kills too. It’s also a great depiction of the old, grimey New York City and the main apartment building where the movie takes place is full of great characters. My biggest complaint might be that the movie is too long, with characters constantly screaming. I realize it was a plot point but I felt like I was watching an adult version of the Goonies with the amount of screaming going on. As far a LGBTQ+ themes, I suppose Dwayne’s reaction to women’s affection could be read as him being in denial about his sexuality, but I felt the themes suggested more that the timid Dwayne and the aggressive Belial just represented two aspects of Dwayne’s sexuality. Overall this is probably my favourite movie I’ve watched so far for this year’s challenge so I definitely recommend it. Watched (24) : Always Watching: A Marble Hornets story; Terrifier; Boys in the Trees; Creature from Black Lake; Parents; Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat; Murder Party; Hell Fest; Alone in the Dark; House of Purgatory; 30 Nights of Paranormal Activity...; Phantom of the Paradise; Dead Silence; Blood Diner; the Toolbox Murders; bride of Re-Animator; Baskin; The Mummy’ Curse; Nightmare City; Mystery of the Wax Museum; Shocker; Boy Eats Girl; Malevolent; Basket Case
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Oct 17, 2018 03:46
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Franchescanado posted:
What about other recent theatrical releases like Hell Fest, Mandy or Venom?
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Oct 19, 2018 18:05
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Watch a horror movie released in 2018.
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Exorcist III (1990 - Tv, AMC) This movie was pretty good, but my overall enjoyment may have been marred by the way in which AMC presents movies. The movie wasn’t really what I expected - It was a lot of dailogie and monologues. Luckily they are delivered well so the movie doesn’t drag at all. Brad Dourif rules. The movie is also way more psychological than I expected, but there is enough supernatural shenanigans to not disappoint. It also has one of, if not the best, jump scare in movie history. I’ve seen clips of it before and even though I knew it was coming it was still a very effective and chilling scene. The ending was a little weird but I understand it was studio mandated. Also, watching on AMC is not ideal as their bizarre commercial placing just wrecks the flow at time. There are times when they cut to commercial mid-scene which shows really poor planning. I grew up watching movies taped off of tv and they used to be formatted so well... I should like watch this movie again at some point in a commercial free format. Is the directors cut worth tracking down or should I just watch the theatrical release? Watched (25) : Always Watching: A Marble Hornets story; Terrifier; Boys in the Trees; Creature from Black Lake; Parents; Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat; Murder Party; Hell Fest; Alone in the Dark; House of Purgatory; 30 Nights of Paranormal Activity...; Phantom of the Paradise; Dead Silence; Blood Diner; the Toolbox Murders; bride of Re-Animator; Baskin; The Mummy’ Curse; Nightmare City; Mystery of the Wax Museum; Shocker; Boy Eats Girl; Malevolent; Basket Case; Exorcist III
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Oct 19, 2018 22:24
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I managed to hit my target over the past week, I’ve just been too busy/lazy to write much up. I started writing some reviews last weekend but didn’t get a chance to finish any write ups until now. Annihilation (2018 - Netflix) Fran challenge- here and now This is Alex Garland’s follow up to Ex Machina, a film I enjoyed very much. Now Annihilation is more sci-fi than horror, but there’s enough creepy and monstrous poo poo in here to qualify it in both genres. Annihilation has a lot of gorgeous imagery and effects, and a deep story, but despite all these positive qualities, I didn’t find myself loving or even really liking it all too much. I found it somewhat heavy on exposition and kind of explained too much. Still, it’s a very pretty film and it has some great creatures and scenes so I’d recommend this. Halloween (2018 - theatre) Like last year’s It, this movie was released at just the right time to really strike a cultural chord and become a huge hit, as evidenced by its near $80 million opening weekend. Now we all know that box office gross isn’t necessarily reflective of film quality but I am glad to say that Halloween is a movie that deserves its success. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel and it doesn’t really go meta, its just a very well made slasher. There’s a few callbacks to previous entries but nothing comes off as too jarring or out of place. The film can get pretty scary at times, and we learn early in the movie that Michael has very few restraints on who he kills. This leads to an incredibly tense scene later in the movie involving Michael and a baby. There’s some complaints in the Halloween thread about characters kind of randomly disappearing in the movie but I really didn’t mind that. These characters had served their role and anything else would have just seemed to exist to pad out the run time. Definitely go check this out in the theatres if you haven’t already done so. The Seventh Sign (1988 - DVD) This was a pretty dull movie about the prelude to the apocalypse starring Demi Moore. It was made in the late 80s but it kind of looks like a bland, mid-90s horror movie. It’s really plot-heavy and has a few decent scenes but nothing really worth going out of your way to see. Madhouse (1981 - iTunes) I enjoyed this when I watched it, but I honestly forgot I even watched this a few days later and that's never a great sign for a movie. It’s a murder mystery involving two twins and a Rottweiler. It gets pretty gory at times as well. As I mentioned, it was enjoyable, just not particularly memorable. The Stuff (1985 - hoopla) “America is under attack by a dessert known as the stuff” What a bizarre movie. The tone is immediately set when an old man finds white goo in the ground and decides that eating it is the obvious thing to do. It’s like an old 50s style Body Snatcher/Blob movie with anti-consumerism and anti corporate undercurrents. It has some of the weirdest characters I’ve seen in horror movies, like the southern protagonist and racist military man. As low budget as the stuff looks, the kills are still a lot of fun. I think what really hit home was how authentic all the commercials seem. I had more nostalgia from those than any faux-80s stuff made now. So yeah, definitely check out The Stuff if you get the chance. It’s a truly underrated gem of the 80s horror scene. The 50 Best Horror Movies You’ve Never Seen (2014 - Prime) This is a talking heads style documentary that was originally released as VOD. It’s over 2 hours so I feel this can count. It’s clips of movies interspersed with actors/directors/other personalities talking about why they liked the films. Some people are a little snarky and annoying but most of the guests are genuinely interesting. It gets a little too spoilers at times as it gives away some plot twists or shows crucial scenes from movies so that’s a bit of a downer. As for the list itself, it’s pretty drat solid. I’ve logged hundreds of horror films over the years and I haven’t even seen half of these. They’re not all deep cuts, especially by CineD standards, but it’s a good list. I found the list on Letterboxd here: https://boxd.it/ea3S If you don’t have Letterboxd, here’s the list: Basket Case When a Stranger Calls Silent Night, Deadly Night The Slumber Party Massacre Valentine Grace The Hunger Prophecy The Dentist The Food of the Gods Motel Hell Wrong Turn The Fury April Fools Day Humanoids from the Deep Hatchet May Lemora Brides of Dracula The Exorcist III Burnt Offerings The Funhouse Halloween III Hard Candy Castle Freak Feast Slither Inside Tourist Trap Trilogy of Terror Splinter Session 9 Ginger Snaps Alice Sweet Alice Visiting Hours Repulsion Alone With Her Near Dark Joshua Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark Audition Let the Right One In Reanimator Wishmaster The Descent Alone in the Dark The Night of the Hunter The Beast Within Pumpkinhead Black Christmas I’ve hit my target of 31 new movies, but I may keep going. Red Dead 2 is pretty addicting but I should be able to squeeze a few more movies in. Watched (31) : Always Watching: A Marble Hornets story; Terrifier; Boys in the Trees; Creature from Black Lake; Parents; Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat; Murder Party; Hell Fest; Alone in the Dark; House of Purgatory; 30 Nights of Paranormal Activity...; Phantom of the Paradise; Dead Silence; Blood Diner; the Toolbox Murders; bride of Re-Animator; Baskin; The Mummy’ Curse; Nightmare City; Mystery of the Wax Museum; Shocker; Boy Eats Girl; Malevolent; Basket Case; Exorcist III; Annihilation; Halloween (2018); The Seventh Sign; Madhouse; The Stuff; The 50 best horror movies you’ve never seen
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Oct 28, 2018 14:49
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I managed to watch two more to cap off my first time watched for this year. Prince of Darkness (1987 - AMC tv) A mysterious cylinder that may contain the devil itself is found, and the researchers have to deal with the the consequences. This isn’t Carpenter’s best, but it’s still pretty decent. It has good special effects and the transient population congregating outside of the church is creepy. It’s a fairly slow movie that gradually escalates the stakes and action and I can appreciate that. This is one I feel I may enjoy even more when I inevitably reqatch it. Grizzly (1976 - Prime) This has been described as “Jaws but a grizzly bear” and that’s pretty much correct. The local authorities try to deal with a giant grizzly bear so it doesn’t affect tourism in the forest. It’s really impossible to not compare this to Jaws (unless you’ve never seen Jaws, I guess) as it liberally borrows plot elements and stages it’s bear attacks in a similar fashion. This doesn’t have the memorable characters of Jaws though, and it really does feel like a retread. The attacks themselves come off like something out of a slasher film with the bear usually appearing out of nowhere. We don’t see much of the attacks beyond a reaction shot and maybe a paw or bear face. This really isn’t a bad movie. It’s entertaining enough, and there are a few decent shots. It’s just redundant and I’d rather watch Jaws. I also watched The Legend of Hell House (edit - no, it’s the Haunting of Hill House) this month. It wasn’t really my cup of tea but my wife really liked it. Flanagan is really reliant on jump scares, and everything just looks a little too clean in this, and that’s a huge problem for a show that largely takes place in an abandoned mansion. He really needs to work with different cinematographers or set designers to help make things look grimier and dilapidated. Watched (33) : Always Watching: A Marble Hornets story; Terrifier; Boys in the Trees; Creature from Black Lake; Parents; Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat; Murder Party; Hell Fest; Alone in the Dark; House of Purgatory; 30 Nights of Paranormal Activity...; Phantom of the Paradise; Dead Silence; Blood Diner; the Toolbox Murders; bride of Re-Animator; Baskin; The Mummy’ Curse; Nightmare City; Mystery of the Wax Museum; Shocker; Boy Eats Girl; Malevolent; Basket Case; Exorcist III; Annihilation; Halloween (2018); The Seventh Sign; Madhouse; The Stuff; The 50 best horror movies you’ve never seen; Prince of Darkness; Grizzly CopywrightMMXI fucked around with this message at 23:12 on Oct 31, 2018 |
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Oct 31, 2018 22:18
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Franchescanado posted:I believe you mean The Haunting of Hill House. Yeah that’s what I meant. I’m not sure how I got those two confused.
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Oct 31, 2018 23:11
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My full list is here: https://boxd.it/1ZvEe I started at the end of August and ended last night. I only counted first time watches during the challenge period for this thread. I watched lots of really good stuff this year with Shocker, Basket Case, Phantom of the Paradise, Bride of Reanimator and the new Halloween being the standouts. The worst was obviously that stupid Paranormal activity parody, and I find I hate House of Purgatory more and more as time passes.
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Nov 2, 2018 02:55
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