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Jan 25, 2019 15:10
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bitterandtwisted posted:Friday 13th Part 5 A little trick to the series is that, like Star Trek, the even numbered ones are the best. Even Jason Takes Manhattan, which is 75% set on a boat and also incredibly dumb, has some of the most enjoyable scenes of the franchise.
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Jan 25, 2019 15:59
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 Here's my replacement for John Landis. Silver Bullet seems to be one of the more obscure Stephen King adaptations. Neither the novella Cycle of the Werewolf or its film adaptation are particularly well known outside of King aficionados. Like just about every King work, Silver Bullet is set in a small town in Maine that looks like every other small Maine town from Stephen King books. It bears some resemblance to It from the same time period, with kids solving a mystery to hunt down a monster plaguing their town. Rather than a group of misfits, Silver Bullet features a paraplegic Corey Haim (who later gets a wheelchair built like a three-wheeled motorcycle) and his sister teaming up with Alcoholic Uncle Gary Busey, which is really a cast that could have only happened in 1985. The film follows the typical King structure as well. The protagonist trio all have problems in their personal lives and relationships, especially with each other, which they confront and overcome to succeed. Kent Broadhurst gives a fantastic brief performance as the father of one of the werewolf victims, as does Everett McGill as the werewolf reverend himself. An excellent scene not in the original book features the reverend desperately attempting to stop the lynch mob hunting him, only to end up slaughtering them in the woods that night. The confrontation in the foggy swamp is easily one of the best "werewolf hunters get wrecked" scenes I've seen in the genre. While the film sometimes gets a bit too comedic at odd times (such as the werewolf looking like a wrestler in a fursuit, grabbing a hunter's bat out of his hand and beating him with it) and I find the after-the-fact narration by adult Jane a lazy way of filmmaking, it's a solid flick that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend for someone looking for a new 80s film to watch. Plus the motorcycle chair is awesome.
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Jan 25, 2019 18:58
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Basebf555 posted:Yea all four of those are top tier werewolf movies, and all very different too so they'd make a great marathon. The most "essential" are probably Ginger Snaps and Company of Wolves, but I'm sure plenty of people would go to bat for Dog Soldiers as essential too. I should clarify as I worded that poorly. I've seen Dog Soldiers and Ginger Snaps. But I've only see the former once and its been awhile since I've seen the latter. So yeah, I feel like just marathoning the lot and ODing on werewolves along with seeing how long I can tolerate the Howling sequels.
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Jan 25, 2019 22:10
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Today's Horror Essential is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goyVA26w5Ro Possession "Possession is the best movie ever" - Jay Bauman, professional critic "It's so much. Too much to grasp on the first watch." - FancyMike, professional poster "Possession is the most beautifully hosed up movie I've ever seen" - Lurdiak, professional fluffer "Watch Possession on your first date" - most of CD Available for streaming nowhere(?)
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Jan 25, 2019 22:53
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I saw this in the Discord a while ago, so I need to think of a good replacement. Or just watch the next Friday the 13th or Halloween in the series.
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Jan 25, 2019 22:58
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chitoryu12 posted:I saw this in the Discord a while ago, so I need to think of a good replacement. Lifeforce is thematically appropriate because it is also a very insane movie starring a disturbingly beautiful French actress.
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Jan 25, 2019 23:02
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 Maniac This ended up being a nice gore showcase for Savini, so in that sense I suppose you could call it essential because of how legendary he is. You really can't say you've seen all of Savini's tricks unless you've seen Maniac. I do think that the remake from a few years ago holds together better overall though, maybe because Elijiah Wood made Frank a more pitiable character, whereas Spinell is just so disgusting and repellent. It's elevated to another level though by the setting, if you're into these grimy almost dystopian presentations of New York in 70s and early 80s. It would definitely be right at home in a marathon with Driller Killer, Street Trash, or CHUD. Watched: Night of the Demons, Angst, Alice Sweet Alice, Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter, White Zombie, The Haunting, Pet Sematary Two, Maniac(1980)
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Jan 26, 2019 18:48
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Here is today's horror essential: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owdnnaNs2RI&t=12s Creepshow This collaboration between Stephen King, Tom Savini, George Romero and a grab bag of talented actors bills itself as "the most fun you'll ever have being scared", and it is absolutely correct. Taking inspiration from the aesthetic and structure of old EC horror comics, this campy anthology is bursting with creativity, wild colors, memorable gore and creature effects, and more dark comedy than you'll find in a Warren Ellis book. A yearly staple for the Scream Stream, if you can't enjoy this horror classic, you might need your fun gland replaced. If you can spare the time, I highly recommend making a double feature of it and watching Creepshow 2. While disappointingly featuring only 3 tales (and stretching one of them out to get the running time to 90 minutes), this sequel is still a wild ride and a lot of fun, especially when paired with the first one. Just stay away from the fraudulent part 3...
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Jan 26, 2019 20:17
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Watches Creepshow trailer. Have... I not watched Creepshow?
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Jan 27, 2019 00:45
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STAC Goat posted:Watches Creepshow trailer. Now's your chance to fix that.
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Jan 27, 2019 02:16
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Lets see... Creepshow (1982) That’s weird. There’s parts of this I remember very vividly. The Stephen King bit, of course. The Danson/Nielsen scene. As someone who grew up in the projects the cockroach scene is second only to Candyman for horrors I actually really got as a kid. At the same time I didn’t remember the Father’s Day segment at all. I remember the Danson/Nielsen scene but had no memory that it was Ted Danson and Leslie Nielsen in it. And even though I remember the Crate scene and Adrienne Barbeau’s role in it I totally had it merged in my mind with a similar scene from another film starring Christian Slater. I feel like somewhere along the line all those 80’s horror anthology films and tv shows just merged together in my mind. Creepshow, Tales of the Darkside, Amazing Stories, Tales from the Crypt, The Outer Limits, Twilight Zone. I don’t think my mind can keep any of them straight anymore and they’re just all part of some big mash up of segments in my memory. Now THAT’s Tom Atkins. And sure enough, he’s a douchebag. Anyway, as advertised loads of fun. King’s performance was always such a weird little treat even if the story isn’t much. Leslie Nielsen plays a very good slimy psychopath. And Barbeau will forever be the queen of Horror for me and one of my all time crushes. I don’t know that there’s much I can say that probably hasn’t been said. This obviously isn’t some revolutionary film or anything with deep subtext or nuanced characters. Its some horror legends getting together and making something that works because they know and love horror and know what works. Like I said, this kind of campy horror is really what I grew up on in the 80s and its all kind of smooshed together in my brain now but even if this wasn’t a new movie its clearly been long enough that I didn’t remember everything and was a good rewatch. RIP Ed Harris’ hair. You never stood a chance. The goal is three movies for tonight’s Saturday night in. I am so cool. Watched - New (Total) 1. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1989); 2. The ‘Burbs (1989); - (3). Frankenstein (1931); 3 (4). The Bride of Frankenstein (1933); 4 (5). Cat People (1942); 5 (6). The Haunting (1963); 6 (7). Peeping Tom (1960); 7 (8). The Howling (1981); - (9). Creepshow (1982);
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Jan 27, 2019 04:17
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What, I'm the only one who stays home all Saturday night watching horror films? In honor of Suspiria I went into the main horror thread and asked around about what the next best Argento film to watch for a newb to him was and was surprised to get back a film I had never heard of. Then I went and looked up a bunch of “Argento’s Greatest” lists and was surprised to find that that same move was consistently #1 on every single list even over Suspiria. So while part of me doesn’t REALLY want to watch a giallo after that previous stuff about how giallo like movies don’t appeal to me part of me thinks I SHOULD watch a proper universally agreed upon giallo that also happens to apparently be regarded as the best Argento film. Besides, every Argento film is described by Wiki as a “giallo” so whatever…  Deep Red (1975) What the gently caress was the toy man? Honestly, this didn’t feel like a horror film to me (aside from that scene) much at all. I’m reading this described as Argento’s “transition” from “whodunits” to “supernatural” and it feels like 95% one and 5% other. I’m not gonna harp on the giallo thing too much because i hate people who are obsessive about stuff they subjectively dislike that others do well after the point has been made and they should move on. Suffice it to say that murder mysteries don’t do a lot for me and graphic killings do much less. There’s a reason i don’t watch the local news or those shows like Criminal Minds. And I know horror is a wide genre but I’m not sure how a film like this truly fits into it. It’s mainly those killings, huh? And I guess I’m coming to understand that its not that they’re hyper sexualized, its that they’re hyper stylized. I think in retrospect that’s obviously the biggest thematic difference between this and the other two films I described as “giallo like” in Peeping Tom and Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer. In Henry the killings are ugly, in Tom they’re shameful, but in Deep Red they have their very own “Its Murder Time!” up tempo theme music. It sends the very clear message that THESE are the show and its a show that had me literally turning away. I’m not really prudish about this stuff, I don’t think. I don’t like it but I love the Evil Dead franchise and zombie movies. I’m ok with gore, even if its not a draw for me. But there’s something about the style and FOCUS and LENGTH of these killings that consistently had me cringing and got an audible “Oh Jesus!” at the final one. Obviously that was kind of the point as it was the closing shot. It seems obvious Argento wants me to soak in them and be shocked. And it worked. Obviously lots of people love that and its the draw, I guess as it is in a lot of slashers and stuff like the Friday the 13th franchise. Just not my thing. Despite all this Argento’s obviously great at what he does. The film looks amazing and while I may not like those stylized killings they do stand out and make an impression. Music, color, imagery. Its all very pronounced and gorgeous in its way, even when its ugly. Story wise I don’t know. For the most part the plot moves easily enough along and I was never bored or confused (except for that toy man) but there were two big things that stood out to me. First, a character seems to get introduced and exist solely to be murdered brutally. Like it just happens in the middle of the film and feels like it screeches the story to a halt just to up the body count and give us more “Its Murder Time!” Second, Gianna just disappears from the film. I assume that was done to set her up as a red herring killer suspect when she shows up to save Marc right after he’s attacked and then acts all sketchy but I didn’t really buy into that so it just felt hackneyed and odd. It probably didn’t help that I happened to totally see the woman in the mirror at the beginning and more or less guessed at the mystery as I was going. I’m not a mystery person and I didn’t really devote much energy or thought space to trying to guess who the killer was, but like I saw that and then Carlo’s mom is there all weird and pointless and Marc is over the top misgynstic about how women are weak pretty much telegraphing that the killer is a woman and Carlo clearly couldn’t have been the sole killer so… yeah. Or maybe we were supposed to know? I couldn’t tell what was written on the mirror. I assume it was in Italian? Ultimately I feel like maybe this was the wrong Argento film to watch as like my 3rd ever. Maybe this should have been more of one of the last ones I saw after I had already been accustomed to his style and the giallo thing. But que sera sera. I prefer Suspiria. Oh yeah, I really hate that dubbing poo poo. It makes everyone look so detached and over the top melodramatic. I actually turned on closed captioning so I could just pretend it was subtitled. in honor of Possession I submit… eh, gently caress it… Lurdiak posted:Lifeforce is thematically appropriate because it is also a very insane movie starring a disturbingly beautiful French actress.  Lifeforce (1985) Boy. That’s a movie that really escalates and goes places. How does one even write a script that starts with people on a spaceship finding dead aliens and ends with a dude running through a zombie apocalypse destroyed London so he can stab a bat with a sword who is protecting two vampires doing it in St. Paul’s Cathedral so they can send souls to a penis ship? My imagination is just lame. quote:In an interview, Tobe Hooper discussed how Cannon Films gave him $25 million, free rein, and Wilson's book. Hooper then shares how giddy he was. "I thought I'd go back to my roots and make a 70 mm Hammer film.” “So, Mathilda. We’re going to make you the star of this movie and give you one of those ‘Introducing’ billings but you’re gonna have to be naked like the whooooole movie. Cool?” Whose hair was more tragic? Young Ed Harris or Young Patrick Stewart? quote:Jay Carr wrote in The Boston Globe that "it plays like a tap-dancing zombie.” I really feel like if this thing had been called Space Sex Vampires more people would have seen it. I don’t know if that was a good movie or a bad movie. I don’t know if its an essential or some weird artifact of the 80s best forgotten. I don’t know what I think of that this thing was brought to life by the creators of Texas Chainshaw Massacre and Return of the Living Dead teaming up. But this film is a loving experience, that’s for sure. quote:Leonard Maltin called the film "completely crazy" and said it was "ridiculous, but so bizarre, it's fascinating.”  I feel ya, Lamson. I do. Watched - New (Total) 1. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1989); 2. The ‘Burbs (1989); - (3). Frankenstein (1931); 3 (4). The Bride of Frankenstein (1933); 4 (5). Cat People (1942); 5 (6). The Haunting (1963); 6 (7). Peeping Tom (1960); 7 (8). The Howling (1981); - (9). Creepshow (1982); 8 (10). Deep Red (1975); 9 (11). Lifeforce (1985)
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Jan 27, 2019 09:36
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Godamn STAC, you just had one of the all-time greatest movie nights a human being can possibly have. I'm extremely jealous.
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Jan 27, 2019 16:02
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Where did you watch Deep Red at that was dubbed English because generally the rule is "Dubbed English = Bad Version / Cut Version of the film". The bad version of Deep Red is easy to tell because it freeze frames at the end. However there is a restored version of Deep Red that is not dubbed original language uncut but it is freeze framed at the end and a version that is not freeze framed. It sounds to me that you watched the Amercian cut of Deep Red which is vastly inferior to the original uncut version. The "real" version is the Italian Langauge, English Subtitles, Does not end with Freeze Frame at Credits AND > 120 minutes. The complaints you have it seems may be with the fact that in the cut version multiple subplots are cut from the film that make the film WAY more coherent. Also yes you can CLEARLY on the blu rays see who the killer is in the mirror Hollismason fucked around with this message at 20:55 on Jan 27, 2019 |
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Jan 27, 2019 20:52
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Yea the cut version is the one where it seems like Daria Nicolodi just vanishes from the movie. With her scenes added back in it's a lot better.
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Jan 27, 2019 21:00
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Yeah that is what appears to me as well is that they watched the American cut version. A terrible shameful horror fail. Hollismason fucked around with this message at 22:04 on Jan 27, 2019 |
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Jan 27, 2019 21:46
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Ah, that sucks. I usually try and keep an eye out for that. There were two different versions of Lifeforce and I picked the one I figured out was Hooper's original cut. It just didn't even occur to me with Deep Red. I just watched the version that came up on Prime. Although the version I watched was 144 minutes and didn't end on a freeze frame. So I dunno. It doesnt sound like the bad one you guys are describing. Edit: I'm an idiot. 1 hour, 44 minutes is 104 minutes. I watched the bad version. Well rewatching the end now i guess it freezes about halfway through the credits, if that's what you guys mean. I hadn't watched that deep last night. Either way I apologize for some of the criticism lobbied at Argento and his film. Basebf555 posted:Godamn STAC, you just had one of the all-time greatest movie nights a human being can possibly have. I'm extremely jealous. It kind of paced perfectly too. I got the fun, schlocky opened in Creepshow, the heavy involved entre of Deep Red, and the insane, decadent dessert of Lifeforce. Dumb luck really. STAC Goat fucked around with this message at 22:53 on Jan 27, 2019 |
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Jan 27, 2019 22:32
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STAC Goat posted:Although the version I watched was 144 minutes and didn't end on a freeze frame. So I dunno. It doesnt sound like the bad one you guys are describing. Now I'm really confused because the original version of Deep Red is 126 minutes long. There is no 144 minutes cut.
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Jan 27, 2019 22:47
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Samuel Clemens posted:Now I'm really confused because the original version of Deep Red is 126 minutes long. There is no 144 minutes cut. I'm a sleep deprived idiot who misread 1 hour, 44 minutes as 144 minutes. So yeah, seems like I watched the bad US cut.
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Jan 27, 2019 22:50
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Most of the scenes you missed out on are Daria Nicolodi scenes which are charming as hell because you know, Daria Nicolodi. I think it's pretty important because the movie works best as like a romantic comedy where also some brutal murders happen to be occurring.
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Jan 27, 2019 23:00
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Yeah, that makes sense because there's clearly a romantic subplot between those two but in the version I saw they fight, she flirts, and then they like never see each other again until he nearly dies and just trade a few phone calls. It's super weird. But knowing it's bad editing that removed scenes changes that dramatically. Also I imagine those scenes would have helped connect that middle part of the film where i said the story takes a break for some murders. Maybe even give context to one of those victims. That sucks. But at least it seems to directly counter my two main problems with the film that weren't just "I may not like giallo". I just watched a bad version.
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Jan 27, 2019 23:19
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Today's horror essential is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sknsvtX68yw Onibaba (1964) Legendary director Kaneto Shindo's black and white masterpiece, Onibaba is a tense, emotional look into 14th century Japan and the toll its 50-year long civil war took on the people. Visually haunting, with a pulse pounding score, this raw, brutal, sexually charged film shows us that humanity is capable of far more monstrous things than any creature of legend. Not available for streaming, but is on youtube
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Jan 27, 2019 23:27
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Lurdiak posted:Not available for streaming, but is on youtube I'm now hyper conscious of this... Wikipedia says the film is 102 minutes long. I find a non Youtube english subtitled version at this length. There's a version on youtube that is in Japanese and is 114 minutes long. There's an english subtitled version on youtube that is 138 minutes long. I'm going with the 102 unless someone's got a reason why there's 36 extra minutes of footage going around that must be watched?
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Jan 28, 2019 00:12
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 Riki-Oh is a Hong Kong adaptation of a Japanese manga. This is the most normal part of it. It's a movie that you watch with friends with absolutely no expectations of being good. What seems from the very barest exterior to be yet another kung fu movie is a baffling gorefest in which nobody seemed to consult a script before moving on to the next scene. Men who can disembowel or decapitate with a single punch somehow stay in prison instead of slaughtering everyone and walking out. The warden carries around a single-shot pistol that can fire multiple rounds in a row, all of which are compressed air bullets that make people explode. And he can hulk out and turn into a monster; this receives no explanation. It's a river of blood and guts. The plot is meandering from one scene to another, as if every scene is just a reaction to the previous one with no foresight of what's going to happen next. Likewise, there's no sense of pacing or a climax because the final scenes aren't really that much more insane than the first ones. Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky is an always-on menagerie of weird death.
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Jan 28, 2019 03:46
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 Night of the Comet I expected this to be more of a traditional zombie movie but it really wasn't, which was great because it turned out to be something a lot more interesting and unique. The movie wastes no time, the opening scenes establish the premise of a highly anticipated comet set to streak by the planet, and within about ten minutes we've got little piles of red dust where all the people used to be. There are a few survivors, and yea also some people who were "indirectly exposed" are turning into ghouls but there's a lot less emphasis on that then I thought there would be. The fun part for me was the end of the world scenario, I think there's a lot of influence from this film in the Fallout games. If you're willing to suspend your disbelief that this post apocalyptic situation is unfolding after less than a week, it's pretty immersive and entertaining. Our group of protagonists kind of go from one pickle to another, running into the various hazards of the new wasteland but they are maintained as pretty strong women throughout, which I appreciated. These girls will gently caress you up with Uzis if you step out of line.  The red sky effect is a really nice touch as well. It's not exactly subtle but it results in some pretty striking images.  Definitely recommended, and yea I think in the world of 80's b-horror flicks, Night of the Comet deserves to be considered essential. Watched: Night of the Demons, Angst, Alice Sweet Alice, Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter, White Zombie, The Haunting, Pet Sematary Two, Maniac(1980), Night of the Comet
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Jan 28, 2019 16:07
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 Creepshow was a bit of an oddity at the time of its release. Anthology films weren't very common at the time of its release and The Twilight Zone had been off the air for almost 20 years. An anthology series doing a throwback to Pre-Code horror comics is a popular idea today, but unusual and rather radical in 1982. Because Stephen King and George Romero knew they were doing something unusual, they decided to throw caution to the wind and eliminate anything traditional about a film's structure or appearance in favor of making a moving comic book. Shots are often shrunken down and bordered to resemble panels, sometimes with several on screen at once. Colors and animated backgrounds are used with wild abandon and Tom Savini creates grotesquely cartoonish living corpses and gore. The acting is often just as over the top to give the feeling of reading a 1950s comic. Usually the only thing people talk about with Creepshow is the stories themselves, but they're only a small part of what some of the best craftsmen of 1980s horror accomplished. Especially since this was Stephen King's coke period, so you just know he was off his loving rocker to make this. Maybe he gave Romero some of his stash.
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Jan 28, 2019 18:38
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 Bram Stoker's Dracula almost feels like an accident. It makes so many bizarre decisions and flies off the handle at so many moments that it's almost like Francis Ford Coppola, Roman Coppola, and all of the actors went into a studio together with an entire tractor trailer of drugs and emerged a week later with no memory of the film reels that were now sitting around their scattered, nude bodies. On a surface level, it's yet another retelling of the story of Dracula. But it's just so goddamn weird. The intro (in which Dracula wears red armor that resembles either muscles or the contents of a bag of Ruffles depending on your perspective) seems weird enough with Gary Oldman overacting his heart out and making a cross bleed by stabbing it. I can assure you that you haven't seen anything yet, as the elderly Dracula is even worse. Coppola seems to have known that zero audience members would go into the film not knowing Dracula was evil, so Oldman acts as such a stereotypical evil vampire that it's almost like he's in a bad comedy. He does his hair up in a bizarre horseshoe bun, has fingers the size and shape of freshly picked carrots, and wears a robe with a cape that must be 50 feet long. Keanu Reeves is known in the film for his horrible acting, which I can only blame on his direction given that he's normally a perfectly fine actor. Jonathan Harker is a clueless idiot incapable of any emotion beyond childlike bemusement with a lilting British accent that rapidly disappears, as if he's intentionally trying to be as bland as possible to help highlight the hilarious insanity of everyone else. He also seems to be the only one not given a costume created by a group of maniacs in a steampunk store. One of the most well-known parts of the film is the utter lack of CGI. Told that the effects he wanted were impossible without it, Francis Ford Coppola fired his entire visual effects team and told his 29-year-old son to do it. Despite having no real experience in film beyond what he got at Tisch, Roman delivered such a masterpiece of visual work that it almost feels like it was dictated to him from above. Matte paintings, models, forced perspective, projections, multiple exposures, etc. The entire film is achieved in-camera for no apparent reason other than them wanting to. It's one of the greatest pieces of art of all time. Every single frame is crafted with the utmost care. It's just the kind of care that you get from a lunatic's asylum.
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Jan 29, 2019 01:34
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Sorry again, was unexpectedly busy today. It's almost like deciding to run someone else's thread idea at the last minute with zero planning wasn't the best idea. Today's horror essential is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCVh4lBfW-c A Nightmare on Elm Street Yet another of the obvious Greatest Hits horror films, this Wes Craven masterpiece created the most charismatic horror icon of them all. This is another case of most people being much more familiar with the sequels (which I remember being on tv a ton when I was growing up) than the original film. Nigthmare on Elm Street was a truly innovative film made on a much smaller budget than its sequels, and it's full of terrifying imagery and unbridled creativity. Are you ready for Freddy? Available to stream at Cineplex, iTunes, Google Play, Playstation Store, and Youtube As with Friday the 13th, I recommend those who've already seen this film check out one of the entries in the Nightmare on Elm Street series they've never seen instead. It's a much more uneven series, but all of them have some creativity involved. Just please don't watch the remake.
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Jan 29, 2019 03:33
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 The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971) Oh, Dr. Phibes. Where have you been all my life? You know what’s weird? I love Vincent Price but I haven’t seen near enough of his films. I guess its a thing where i just absorbed him as a cultural icon growing up in the 80s without actually seeing the movies he had made in the 2 or 3 decades before I was born. He was the guy in the Thriller video and Animaniacs. I knew he was a horror icon and I loved him for it and yet I just hadn’t seen the films. But I just bought a dozen of them so we can change that. I know that what’s most famous for is playing amazing madmen and oh boy, is this one of those. Dr. Phibes is such an amazing, bizarre, unexplainable character. Oh sure, we get WHY he’s doing this and that he’s a brilliant musician and theologian to explain HOW but the method and the theatrics and the mysterious beautiful assistant and Dr. Phibes Clockwork Wizards. I don’t think I’ve ever been more excited by an opening than I was with the just pure “WTF?!” no excuses and no explanations introduction to us to Dr. Phibes in his lair mid murder plot. And of course the wonderful design of the sets and costumes. The waxy makeup to make Price’s real face look like a mask while the ultimately revealed true face looked so good I almost wish he had spent the entire film wearing it. Mid way through I was maybe starting to wear thin of the cop side of it but that lasted for maybe 10 minutes when suddenly the cops had me laughing out loud. It was the stupidest poo poo I was laughing at. Dumb 3rd grade stuff like “Where are you headed no?”/“The Lavatory.”/“Appropriate.” Just how deadpan they played it all really made it all click to me. Its kind of a brilliant storytelling format I’m not sure I’ve ever actually seen in another film. Just moving back and forth between Dr. Phibes’ completely unexplainable madness and brilliance with barely any dialogue and no expositions and then jumping to the befuddled cops constantly 5 steps behind him just scratching their heads as they attempt to explain what’s happening to themselves and us. Making the comedy of the film not jokes or a tone but just in how lost the police are by this insanity that is being played completely straight. The unicorn was just the amazing peak of it all as they finally get ahead of Phibes and then… whoops. Good think no cops went out onto the street to look for a man with a catapult, huh? Watching I began to see all the Horror Icons who were probably inspired by Phibes. Jigsaw seems fairly obvious and I’m not sure I would believe you if you told me James Wan and Leigh Whannell denied it. Just the insane traps and the ultimate key challenge to the doctor that Saw basically completely copied. Not to mention obviously the vendetta against the doctors who failed him. Jigsaw is totally a Dr. Phibes ripoff right down to Tobin Bell’s stilted form of speaking and Billy the Puppet’s robotic voice he spoke through. There was something else the film reminded me of towards the end but I’m totally drawing a blank. I honestly consider it a great shame of my life and missed opportunity that I haven’t spend my entire life watching and rewatching this film. After one watch there’s no way for me to say it but this may well be one of my favorite horror films ever. If I had watched it when I was a kid I have no doubt I would have watched it 50 times since, known every scene and line by heart, and would love it with all my heart. i was right to love you, Vincent Price. I just didn’t know why. Lurdiak posted:As with Friday the 13th, I recommend those who've already seen this film check out one of the entries in the Nightmare on Elm Street series they've never seen instead. It's a much more uneven series, but all of them have some creativity involved. Just please don't watch the remake. If I had time I was gonna do that for lols solely because its the only Nightmare film I've never seen but I picked it up years ago in a bargain bin with the Friday the 13th remake and Freddy vs Jason. But I definitely wouldn't have counted it as an "essential".
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Jan 29, 2019 06:33
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Don't forget, you have a sequel to watch too! And it's almost just as good! It's hard to give specific recommendations with Price, because it's all so good. Just watch his entire filmography, basically.
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Jan 29, 2019 14:42
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I don't need recommendations for Price, because as I said, I ended up buying like a dozen films of his along with Dr. Phibes for $20. Most of the big ones i know of are in there so I'm definitely gonna slot in a bunch for October, watch some more in May, and maybe some more in between if I'm in the mood. I watched this and typed it up as well last night but dozed off before i could post it. Sadly I didn't stay asleep and I'm SO TIRED I COULD STAB SOMEONE AND STEAL THEIR ARMOR FOR SOME RICE!  Onibaba (1964) Hmm. I’m not 100% sure what I thought of that, especially of it being a “horror”. Seems like according to the Wiki that’s long been a debate about what genre it is and I might lean away from horror. I can see why its seen as horror but at the same time I had an idea of where it might go with the jealous mother and unstable Haichi that would have been more horror to me and it went in a very different direction. I dunno. Is it weird that the film kind of reminded me of a Spike Lee Joint? Something about the summer atmosphere and long laid back days and neighbor drama where no one does anything too terrible but it just kind of escalates? I dunno. It was just this odd thing that jumped into my head and once it was there it seemed to make more sense. I should note I know almost nothing about Japanese cinema. I’ve never heard of Kaneto Shindo. I think my Japanese film viewing may actually be limited to this, Ju-On, Ringu and Audition. I’m probably forgetting something and saw some random kaiju films as a kid but like, that’s all that’s really coming to mind. All that aside I really did enjoy the film. Its a very well done piece that ages very well. Very beautiful shots and a great soundtrack that builds tension very well. Just a handful of characters, most of whom are well developed and feel full (the wife was a tad shallow but I got the sense she was kind of supposed to be because she had to be naive enough to fall for the old woman’s tricks). And that mask was awesome. I couldn’t figure out if the eyes moved or if it was one of those “the eyes follow you around the room” painting type things. Either way it was very cool and when it first appears I honestly wasn’t sure if there was an actual demon or not. An interesting view, for sure. I’m still not sure what I think of it but one I probably have to digest. Watched - New (Total) 1. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1989); 2. The ‘Burbs (1989); - (3). Frankenstein (1931); 3 (4). The Bride of Frankenstein (1933); 4 (5). Cat People (1942); 5 (6). The Haunting (1963); 6 (7). Peeping Tom (1960); 7 (8). The Howling (1981); - (9). Creepshow (1982); 8 (10). Deep Red (1975); 9 (11). Lifeforce (1985); 10 (12). The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971); 11 (13). Onibaba (1964) STAC Goat fucked around with this message at 15:14 on Jan 29, 2019 |
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Jan 29, 2019 15:10
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STAC Goat posted:I should note I know almost nothing about Japanese cinema. I’ve never heard of Kaneto Shindo. I think my Japanese film viewing may actually be limited to this, Ju-On, Ringu and Audition. I’m probably forgetting something and saw some random kaiju films as a kid but like, that’s all that’s really coming to mind. For horror, watch A Page of Madness, Tetsuo the Iron Man, Kuroneko and Kwaidan. And more Miike. For non-horror, you're pretty much obligated to watch Kurasawa. But that's a pretty awesome obligation. I've only seen a handful of his flicks, but they're always a treat.
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Jan 29, 2019 15:17
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Akira Kurasawa is a name I've always known (I was a huge Wu Tang fan growing up, after all) but like I never actually saw Seven Samurai or anything. I've just never really been into that stuff and I guess I just didn't come across it easily. Nowadays I'm expanding my interests more. Part of that is probably maturity and more curiosity, some of it is probably that its easier to get stuff now than it ever was before, but part of it is definitely my involvement in these horror challenges that has forced me out of my comfort zones. Kurasawa at least is definitely one of those checks I should set out to mark off on my general non horror list. edit: Holy poo poo, Seven Samurai is 3 and a half hours? Maybe that's why I never watched it.
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Jan 29, 2019 15:23
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STAC Goat posted:Akira Kurasawa is a name I've always known (I was a huge Wu Tang fan growing up, after all) but like I never actually saw Seven Samurai or anything. I've just never really been into that stuff and I guess I just didn't come across it easily. Nowadays I'm expanding my interests more. Part of that is probably maturity and more curiosity, some of it is probably that its easier to get stuff now than it ever was before, but part of it is definitely my involvement in these horror challenges that has forced me out of my comfort zones. Yeah, his flicks are a little long, but they're worth it. Yojimbo, Seven Samurai and Ikiru are the top three I'd recommend, but RAN and Rashomon are the other two big ones for him (which I haven't seen yet). Yojimbo is under two hours, and Ikiru is a little over two hours. They're both drastically different but both will deliver emotional resonance for you to sit with.
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Jan 29, 2019 15:32
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Honestly, the most exciting thing to happen to my film-watching in the last two years has been watching more Eastern films, especially Hong Kong and Japanese films. A lot of that comes from FancyMike recommending me a ton of great films, and then browsing through lists on Letterboxd.
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Jan 29, 2019 15:45
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STAC Goat posted:Akira Kurasawa is a name I've always known (I was a huge Wu Tang fan growing up, after all) but like I never actually saw Seven Samurai or anything. I've just never really been into that stuff and I guess I just didn't come across it easily. Nowadays I'm expanding my interests more. Part of that is probably maturity and more curiosity, some of it is probably that its easier to get stuff now than it ever was before, but part of it is definitely my involvement in these horror challenges that has forced me out of my comfort zones. There are some Kurosawa films that are fine to watch before Seven Samurai if you don't feel ready to make the 3+ hour time commitment. Yojimbo is probably my go-to suggestion because it's streamlined and plays kinda like a modern action movie. It's the film that Leone's Fistful of Dollars was adapted from. I will say though, you'd have a hard time finding a 3+ hour film that feels as justified in that length as Seven Samurai(even my all time favorite film Lawrence of Arabia could be said to have more bloat and a less satisfying conclusion). If you give it the chance to win you over, it will probably do so very quickly and then when the credits roll you'll be surprised that the time went so quickly. Basebf555 fucked around with this message at 15:50 on Jan 29, 2019 |
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Jan 29, 2019 15:46
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Can we get a collected list of all the film's selected so far?
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Jan 29, 2019 17:07
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You should also check out Seijun Suzuki if you like classic Japanese cinema. Branded to Kill and Tokyo Drifter both rule. Super stylish and fun Yakuza/action films. if you need convincing check out this short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6e9mowbmys
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Jan 29, 2019 17:12
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| # ? Apr 24, 2024 23:12 |
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The list so far: The Exorcist The Birds Audition Sleepaway Camp Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer Let the Right One In Dawn of the Dead Frankenstein & Bride of Frankenstein The Burbs An American Werewolf in London Candyman Return of the Living Dead Suspiria Cat People Halloween The Haunting Pet Sematary Rosemary's Baby Peeping Tom Bram Stoker's Dracula The Abominable Dr. Phibes Friday the 13th Gremlins Possession Creepshow Onibaba Nightmare on Elm Street It seems I missed one though so if someone can figure out what it was they can let us know.
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Jan 29, 2019 17:20
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