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While searching for the poster for The Prophecy I found the poster for Prophecy, which looks like it kicks rear end
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May 1, 2019 19:12
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The monster movie
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May 1, 2019 19:17
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That movie's got six taglines.
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May 1, 2019 19:39
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Accidentally* got started a little early, but whatever, let's do this. *Not accidentally.  #1. The Sacrament (Shudder) -  /5A Vice News team trails a man as he travels into the world of Eden Parish to find his missing sister, where it becomes apparent that this paradise may not be as it seems. Spoiler: It is a Jonestown Massacre parable. So I stumbled onto this one on one of Shudder's live-streaming channels right as it got started, and I ended up intrigued enough to stick with it to the end. It's a well-put together little film, well acted, well scripted, well paced, etc. It's obvious that it's a Jonestown Massacre parallel well before you get there, and if you know that story you won't end up being terribly surprised by where it goes. (I was a little surprised by how much of that imagery they ended up borrowing for the big climax, down to the poisoned Kool-Aid, which I figured they might have shied away from as being too on-the-nose.) What ends up being most interesting about the whole thing, though, is the kind of tension that arises from its approach to artifice. I mean, look at the poster - they are upfront that this is a Ti West film, produced by Eli Roth. There's even opening credits for this thing, going against the whole "found footage" standard the film is playing with, since it's also formatted like a Vice News documentary. (And from what I've seen, they follow that Vice style pretty well at the beginning.) By being up front about the artifice, they end up in a weird position, where they justify "hey, shoot some b-roll" in order to actually have content to edit in, or to have the other side of a standard shot-reverse shot dialogue scene. But this works against the regular conventions of a found footage film - there are moments where the format being diluted ended up breaking immersion for me, especially in the back-half. I think they were trying to have the ability to capitalize on some of the great acting from Gene Jones as the head preacher, but knowing that this is an adaptation, starring actors reading a script, ends up undercutting some of that growing sense of horror. (We all know, intellectually, that this is true of any found footage film, but since most make more effort to consciously avoid calling attention to their unreality, it's easier to stay wrapped up in the experience... at least until the end credits.) I don't know if this project would be better served as a straight found footage film, as it ends up undercutting some of the best moments towards the end. But it is something that got me to chew on it a little while longer than usual compared to other found footage films, so I guess that means I'm gonna give it a recommendation. Watched so far: The Sacrament
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May 1, 2019 20:21
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Need something to watch? Want a recommendation but are afraid to ask? Here's the Letterboxd list version of the Horror Thread's Staff Recommendations https://twitter.com/HalloweenCounts/status/1123436906014965762
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May 1, 2019 20:25
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 11) Tourist Trap - 1979 - TubiTV I first saw this one years back on the USA channel's Saturday Nightmares. I swear, they showed the clip of Chuck Connors with the mannequin head bullhorn so much it probably burned into some older TV screens. While on the surface this looks like a standard slasher for the era, it surprises with a few twists that no one's going to see if they go in blind. It's not as gory as some, and don't let the PG rating deter you. This one's definitely a nice entry to any slasher marathon.  12) Doctor Mordrid - 1992 - TubiTV Interesting backstory with this is it was originally planned to be a Dr. Strange film, but the option expired before production could get rolling so some tweaks were made. What I'm about to say is a bold heresy to some, but this one is truer to the spirit of the old Dr. Strange comics than the Marvel movie. As always, Jeffrey Combs knocks it out of the park, and I recommend this one as a nice solid superhero film.
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May 1, 2019 22:17
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1. Annihilation (2018) A little sci-fi horror to start my challenge off. I'm watching this one to finally clear out some of my iTunes backlog (its full of unwatched horror because I wait for challenges to come up). Alex Garland is quickly becoming a figure in science fiction right now with Ex Machina and now this one. His themes include the human condition especially the darker and more uncomfortable side of us mixed with actual science. Annihilation is about a meteor that lands on Earth and creates a region called "the Shimmer" which is beyond human comprehension as to what it contains. I always enjoyed horror like Event Horizon that involved horror that the human mind cannot comprehend and to see it is to induce insanity when trying to do so. Annihilation is more in that same vein. What I liked about it was the presence of scientists, doctors and academics in the main cast who have an air of assurance and confidence in their knowledge to the point of disconnection from others without knowing it. Then they enter the Shimmer and witness things just beyond their comprehension which only amplifies their horror as they become even more disconnected much in line with the nature of the Shimmer. Overall, it had a little more drama than I was expecting as it's focus was really exploring the human condition. There were some scares and horror like a scene where a mutated bear takes on the voice of one of its victims in a truly body horror moment. I liked it (the visuals in particular are great) but I think my next one is going to be something more directly horror.  /5Total: 1. Annihilation (2018)
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May 1, 2019 22:41
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I think I'm going to go for 13 new to me movies. I was going to do some extreme movie challenge but I think I'd rather just watch a bunch of low budget schlock. M_Sinistrari posted:
drat I'll watch a Jeffrey Combs wizard movie.
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May 2, 2019 01:24
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This will be my first challenge attempt. My goal is at least 13, with at least 7 first-time watches and at least 5 foreign. I hadn't intended for this to be my opener, but a friend wanted to watch it today so here we go. 1.) Jason X 2001ish, Rewatch, Netflix I have a good friend who has been slowly working their way through the franchise. We soldiered through Goes to Hell last week, so now we get to Go To Space.
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May 2, 2019 01:49
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 6) Happy Death Day (2017) It's Groundhog Day, but the resets happen when a particular coed is murdered. An enjoyable but slight movie. There's a lot of Plot Parts floating around in this movie's aether that aren't fully utilized. Mostly the script picks up and puts down ideas whenever it wants to shove a scene or characterization forward and then keep moving. This isn't necessarily a bad thing but it left me feeling that this was enjoyable experience that both doesn't do enough with its premise but also achieves a noteworthy amount just by existing in the form in settled into. So while I liked it and would recommend it for the concept's sake I'll likely never rewatch it and whether or not I see the sequel will depend entirely on if I remember that these movies exist and I've seen one of them by the time said sequel arrives on streaming platforms.  7) Haunting on Fraternity Row (2018) Members of a fraternity, while preparing for their annual blowout luau, accidentally uncover a hidden room in the frat house's basement. Things start to go downhill from there. There's a fun gem hidden under this film's attempts to be methodical and atmospheric. Spooky Things occasionally happen before the movie is ready to start properly escalating, and a couple of those moments aren't bad. By and large the pacing is too sluggish to let the story build proper momentum. Let's take a look at that poster, shall we? Yes, there's a Mean Thing that hurts people (and, in most ((but not all!)) scenes doesn't look any good). Yes, bodies will hit the floor (but it takes a while and the atmosphere isn't heavy enough to compensate). Yes, there are attractive women in various states of undress (and it's a little sleazy at times but not nearly as much as is being implied). It's also a found footage movie--because the frat pledges are filming the party for posterity--except the movie is a cut that contains montages (not even poorly done, but weird because the film isn't engrossing enough to make you forget that someone in-universe took the time to insert a couple music videos into a snuff film). The ending is good enough but doesn't do a great job of setting itself up. Parts of the plot reconvene at the climax and make sense but one aspect, arguably the most important, just gets plopped on your head at the end. But because it's haphazardly thrown onto the screen I think I like it more than if the pieces had been better arranged and I'd had a chance to know what was coming. So it comes a bit out of nowhere but I like the idea of it enough that I'm willing to be forgiving even if it's undeserving. A lot of back and forth for me on this one! Just about every positive has an accompanying negative. If you're willing to sit through a fifteen-minutes-too-long haunting movie that's also a found footage film that occasionally stops being a found footage film then go for it I guess. Additionally, if one or two cool ideas in an otherwise mediocre (not bad, but mediocre) movie are enough for you then go hog wild. Otherwise broadly not recommended but whatever, live your own lives, be free. Probably not rewatchable for me. Fun fact: the guy who directed this previously directed Blackballed: The Bobby Dukes Story. Thought you might want to know.  8) Don't Blink (2014) Brian Austin Green, Mena Suvari, Myka from Warehouse 13, Scut Farkus, and a gaggle of other people visit a remote cabin in Colorado for a weekend getaway. Not all of them make it back out. Does that plot summary make you think you know more or less what this movie is going to be about? Because you're probably only half right. Some people will get got, yes, but this is more of a mystery movie wearing a horror movie's varsity jacket than anything else. What the mystery is will become more or less apparent by the middle of the film. Whether or not sitting through this will have been worth your time is probably going to be entirely dependent on how you react to the revelation. Personally I thought it was a stupendously interesting idea only slightly held back by budget and execution until the final 1/3rd, which still has some quality moments, but is too heavy handed to bear. Actual no-jokes spoiler comparison: besides the dialogue missteps the biggest issue I have with this movie is that I've already seen The Grey do it better. Do I recommend it, I ask myself while staring at this computer screen? Nope. If you like this movie you'll probably just like it enough to think, "that was aight I guess" while not liking it enough to defend it when someone else rags on it. If you don't like this movie you'll probably just punch the arm of whoever recommended it to you while wondering why you ever listen to them. I didn't like the movie nearly enough to get punched. Won't revisit, especially when I can just watch that spoiler'ed movie I mentioned earlier instead. Adlai Stevenson fucked around with this message at 02:14 on May 2, 2019 |
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May 2, 2019 02:11
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OK, gonna do this. 13 films, and let's kick it off with a bang: A Serbian Film I've had this film sitting on my shelf for about 7 years, still shrink-wrapped, next to Martyrs, Inside and Saló, thinking it made me edgy to have such a controversial film. Finally unwrapping this and giving it a whirl, I have to say: it's a nasty little bit of filmmaking, undeniably grisly and exploitative in the extreme. I think I read once it's a reaction to how the once-great Serbian people felt as a nation after the wars in the 90s. I can dig on that, it's not like the US hasn't dealt with its own poo poo through cinema. I think what bothered me the most, though, was the poor work behind the camera. Shots are lazily framed, and the script definitely needed another pass to get everyone on the same page. It ultimately has the same problem Godsend did; there's about a half-hour of "will-they-won't-they" that you know the answer to, otherwise it's a 30m short film. When the full scope of what has happened (with the final acting playing out as a mini-Oldboy) becomes apparent, it then just becomes a funhouse ride to recover everything from Milos' brain. Granted, this is a funhouse ride straight out of The Killing Joke but so it goes. The too-cute-by-half coda wrapping it up was the point where I gave up on hoping this movie would make some sort of statement other than "hey, this scenario is pretty hosed up, right?" 3/5
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May 2, 2019 02:27
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1. As Above, So Below (Netflix) As someone who loves Dante’s Inferno and am intrigued by all depictions of Hell, I’ve wanted to see this based on The Horror Thread recommendations for awhile. I don’t really feel any type of way about “found footage” style movies. This movie has the best and the worst of it, but the cinematography is mostly as good as you can expect from this style. There was a lot to like about this movie. Our heroine Scarlet enlists help from an old friend and French locals to try and complete her fathers work of finding “The Philospher’s Stone”. The first act is like a strange hybrid of Tomb Raider meets The Davinci Code. To find the stone they have to explore the underground catacombs of Paris. There is definitely a palpable sense of dread as the protagonists explore and become ever more lost and believe the only way to get out, is to go deeper and deeper into the “cave”. The scariest part for me was when the documentarian gets stuck trying to crawl through a small opening early on in the adventure. It was too early in the film for anything bad to happen but man I could feel the panic setting in. I really enjoyed most of the Hell that is portrayed, though the creepiest part to me is the singing Catacomb Cult that appears long before the crew gets to Hell. However, I was not really thrilled with the climax to the movie when Scarlet realizes how to use the Philosopher’s Stone the magic was inside her all along!. It felt kind of... rushed. I was also kind of hoping the movie would end when the living crew members jumped into a seemingly endless hole only to end up in actual biblical Hell (fire and brimstone and screams and whatnot). That said I thought it was drat entertaining but could have used 10/15 more minutes runtime to flesh out the ending. 3/5. TheBizzness fucked around with this message at 02:45 on May 2, 2019 |
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May 2, 2019 02:42
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TheBizzness posted:1. As Above, So Below (Netflix) As much as I love the film I admit I'm always a little iffy on that whole Philosopher's Stone aspect as well. Ultimately I think I chalk it up partly to just the Indiana Jones/Lara Craft DNA of the film where there's that magic macguffin that ends up factoring in in the last act. I think I like to think that their journey through Hell is more of a spiritual one than a physical one and to that end Scarlett's use of the Stone and its power are just kind of steps of their journey and she's not like up on Earth healing the sick. But its definitely a little iffy and the biggest flaw of the film I have. I'm just engaged enough by that point that I'm willing to go with it. Its the weird side of that Tomb Raider/Indiana Jones thing. Because I think for most of the film it works incredibly well as a horror with dread and claustrophobia and panic. But then it does sort of resolve in the final act like one of those adventure films. STAC Goat fucked around with this message at 02:56 on May 2, 2019 |
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May 2, 2019 02:54
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I 100% buy the reading that the Philosopher's stone is the result of spiritual healing and the only reason it's actually real and in the tomb is because the lead lady wants it to be because that's how she can reconcile her emotions about her father and as such I have no problems with it
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May 2, 2019 03:13
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Day of the Animals 1977, streaming on Shudder Definitely a disaster movie from the 70s. Stock characters run afoul of an ecological disaster. Apparently, UV rays getting through the depleted ozone are making the animals in higher elevations team up to kill all humans. I don't think disaster movies necessarily all fit in the horror genre, but since I do think crazed animal attacks do, I guess this counts? I thought it would have shared more DNA with Jaws than Poseidon Adventure before I started it, but I was wrong. Leslie Nielsen plays a bad guy in it, which is a fun novelty: "Well you're not with hot shot Buckner now, miss Beverly Hills bitch! So shut up and keep moving!" Nothing against his performance, but I can't really buy he went from smugo ad exec to murderous, raping caveman after 2 nights in the woods. There's some choice bits in the movie like when Nielsen wrassles a bear but the uneven performances and dumb concept keep it from being anything but a good-bad movie in my mind. Might be fun to watch in a group. 2/5 1. Day of the Animals
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May 2, 2019 03:15
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Adlai Stevenson posted:I 100% buy the reading that the Philosopher's stone is the result of spiritual healing and the only reason it's actually real and in the tomb is because the lead lady wants it to be because that's how she can reconcile her emotions about her father and as such I have no problems with it Yeah, that's the simplest way to resolve/read it, I think. There's so many instances in the film of things being there for no logical reason or explanation except that it factors into one of the character's spiritual journeys that it really does make sense that the stone and even the crypt and body they find are all just manifestations of what Scarlett needed to be tormented/tested/healed from her own unresolved poo poo with her dad and their obsession. But definitely on first watch I'm all "So she has super powers now?" Like one question I still have after multiple viewings is why Pap's tag is on the caves he says he's never been in. But I'm totally down with just saying its "Hell" loving with him and his superiority complex and poo poo. STAC Goat fucked around with this message at 03:21 on May 2, 2019 |
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May 2, 2019 03:17
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My weird goal I wanna do for this is check out what I can from Adam Green and Joe Lynch. Their podcast, The Movie Crypt has been kind of a weird low-key help for me for the past few months. Some times they can grate on me a little bit, but no matter what, they'll drop something so perfectly useful to me, or cathartic that it gets me pumped up to do more filmmaking. So I figured I owe it to them to finally check out their work. We'll start with Number 1 of 15  I'm a fan of slasher films. I should love this film, but it didn't quite work for me. Right off the bat, I think the biggest issue with it that threw me off was how much it wanted to be like an old school 80's slasher, but without any modern sensibilities. Which i can see how, for some, this would be a plus. But I found it to be a little boring. The characters are all pretty flat, and mostly incredibly awful people. Done so, so you won't feel bad when they get completely destroyed. Which I totally get, but at the same time, we spend way more time with these people than we do our antagonist or with streams of gore exploding everywhere, so it grated on me pretty hard. The main cast spent multiple scenes discussing the same things over and over just in different locations, constantly going around in circles. It felt like it was done to fill time and not much else. Black guy is mad he can't see boobs. The two girls are both dumb and vapid. The tour guide is a scam artist. It just kept going on and on, until finally they all died and it was great. I know I shouldn't judge a slasher movie on it's characters, but I just feel like if you're going to do a modern day throw back, at least throw in some of that modern day to make it kind of interesting. Behind The Mask is an all timer for me. It loves the slasher genre as much as it comments on it. It breaks it down, only to build it back up. I feel like Hatchet doesn't do too much other than bring in a possibly cool new slasher character with some gore. Which I guess may have been it's goal but I want a little bit more. Also Crowley didn't have enough time for me to really dig him. I really love his backstory and that whole bit was awesome as hell. Really well shot compared to the rest of the film, and I enjoyed Kane Hodder as sweet Papa Crowley. But I just wish there was more to that villain other than him just going "OOOGGAH RRROGHHH". The first scene he fully appears in is kind of weirdly done. But first kill is some A++ poo poo. I'd say it was a low mixed bag for me. But I am curious to see more from Green here. I do like the guy, via the podcasts.
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May 2, 2019 03:29
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I guess I sort of viewed it as they weren’t in Hell until they physically pass the tunnel with the inscription from Inferno. All the other physical manifestations they’ve seen are just beings that are able to leave (in my mind). But if you look at it through the lense that as soon as they enter the doorway that Pap didn’t want any part of, Hell is kind of spilling out, yeah it makes more sense that way. I forgot to mention that as Scarlett is on her trip back to the wall where she found the stone, and falls into the blood and hands pulling at her, my youngest daughter was walking by and jumped 2 feet in the air and then hid next to me on the couch under a blanket and watched the rest of it. This is a kid that will only sit still for horror movies and the first time I’ve ever seen her be startled, for whatever that’s worth. TheBizzness fucked around with this message at 04:03 on May 2, 2019 |
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May 2, 2019 03:33
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Yeah, I think you HAVE to see it as "Hell spilling out" even beyond that for much of the film to make sense. Like there's lots of stuff on the periphery of the Catacombs like the man who tells Scarlett about Pap being the one in the burning car who kills him or the woman who kills Benji first being seen by him at the club but the very first taste of the supernatural we get is in the first scene when Scarlett sees her father hanging in Iran. I think you just have to go with the idea that evil wanders a bit and could sense them nearing Hell or was pulling them towards Hell and to that end it seems fair game that as soon as they crossed the threshold Pap didn't want to he was getting messed with.
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May 2, 2019 03:41
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Singing Catacomb Cult loving ruled. I wish they’d been in it for more than 20 seconds. I suppose it doesn’t make thematic sense for them to be, I just want it.
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May 2, 2019 04:10
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I think that's what I like about it so much. There's so many small little pieces that could have gotten full scenes dedicated to them or focused jump scares or more explanation or something but they just come and go making you hungry for more of it. Its not a case were they feel wasted or unresolved, just a really big tapestry of creepy poo poo. Its a film that I think really rewards multiple viewings.
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May 2, 2019 04:25
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#2. Wolfguy Sonny Chiba investigates mysterious murders in Tokyo. He is also a werewolf. The movie feels like two ideas were squeezed into one movie and while both have their own strengths they do not come together well and the transition is jarring. The first part is amazing. A noir movie in 70s Tokyo, with a banging soundtrack, decent gore, a sleezy vibe, more than a bit of Shaft mixed in, it was extremely my thing. Then there is a lull and the second half starts, where things get weird. It combines the Japanese CIA, trapdoors, electrified ceilings, supernatural government experiments, ninja guards and a way too long finale that takes place in a quarry, about as far away from Tokyo city life where this all started as possible. As said the first part is amazing and while the camp makes sure the second part is enjoyable, I cannot help but wish the movie continued the way it started. It did everything with mobsters, drugs, loose women and shady politicians under old neon lights so well, it was a waste to trade it for wacky antics. Oh yeah, I was laughing way too loud when yet another woman throws himself at Sonny, shows her boobs and he only thinks of when his mother breastfed him.
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May 2, 2019 08:05
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Ok, I haven’t declared a goal so lets say 13 like everyone else. But realistically I expect to blow past that and the goal is just to knock off as many movies that I’ve been meaning to watch that I keep putting off as I can. So top on my list I’m gonna go with a forum favorite that not only has sat on my list forever but I’ve had at least 3 attempts to watch it that didn’t pan out. One time it just disappeared from the streaming service I was sure it was on, another time the service said it had it but I couldn’t get it, and one time I accidently watched The Beyond and kept wondering when Jeffrey Combs would show up. So lets get going. 1. From Beyond (1986) Available on Hoopla, Vudu, and TubiTV. Stop me if you’ve heard this one… Jeffrey Combs plays a scientist messing with experiments beyond his understanding and things get out of hand. This time he finds a way to see and feel things beyond our five senses and open one’s “third eye”, but it turns out those things aren’t things we want to see or feel and they can get through the door too. After watching this and Society I’ll say this about Brian Yuzna, he’s not a guy who makes films where I can anticipate where the third act is gonna go. Except of course for really freaky body horror and maybe too much of a look into his sexual stuff. I’m just saying there were a LOT of phalluses in this movie. As far as the Stuart Gordon side of things I think this is my favorite of his films I’ve seen. It felt like it had the most focus and real story beyond just hosed up visuals and happenings. Its probably the fullest performance I’ve seen from Barbara Crampton where she’s given a multi faceted character to play and hits it out of the park. Well meaning shrink? Greedy mad scientist? Both? And I was gonna open this up with a joke about how for the first time Jeffrey Combs is never actually the craziest guy in the room, but then Act 3 happened. It was nice that everyone got their chance to be out of their minds. Except poor Ken Foree. Big fan, man. And it took me til nearly the end of the film before I finally realized why it looked so familiar. Its Basebf555’s avatar! Ohhhh! That was bothering me for awhile. I feel like I should have more to say but its mostly just jokey comments. I did enjoy this quite a bit. Its probably my favorite Stuart Gordon film, maybe my favorite HP Lovercraft adaption, and maybe also my favorite Crampton performance. There was a moment or two where i was worried the sexual stuff and the treatment of Crampton was gonna go somewhere really sketchy, but they seemed to always pull themselves back from the brink. And like I said, it was fun to see Combs plays the level head for once. I was a little apprehensive about watching this right after Mandy because I haven’t really been feeling the whole “cosmic/lovecraftian” subgenre and I thought watching them back to back would be too much. But really I just came out thinking that this was a good movie and sort of resetting that maybe I do enjoy those films more than I thought and its just a matter of specific ones.  2. Train to Busan (2016) Available on Netflix and Hoopla. The zombie apocalypse has begun in South Korea and a lovely dad is stuck on a commuter train with his daughter and you can guess what happens next. A group of survivors have to somehow manage a zombie outbreak on a train long enough to find somewhere on the line that’s safe. Where’s Sam Jackson when you need him? I am in loving tears right now. I was not expecting that at all but drat. I went into this pretty blind. I knew it had zombies, presumably had a train, and was well regarded but beyond that I didn’t even know what country it was from. This is a drat good zombie film. I mean… I’m still sitting here trying to collect myself. Lets get some minor nitpicks out of the way to try and harden me up. It felt a BIT long. I have no idea what I’d cut as there was nothing bad or overly long, its just that there were basically enough sequences in this film to make 2 films. Its like an entire season’s worth of The Walking Dead. It all pays off in the end and as I said there were no sequences of the film that I thought were bad or dragged. Its just that like when one big sequence ended I’d be like “Ok, final act?” And then there’d be another one. Somewhere around the 90 minute mark after they got to the front of the train and the cool dad died it was starting to feel a little long in the tooth. But like I said, it did pay off. The other minor nitpick was that there was a kind of lack of character development in the first half. We spent the first 20 minutes really only focused on the two main characters and I’m not sure I know anyone else’s name. But the length of the movie kind of made up for that because there was enough time that I ended up caring deeply and feeling the losses when they came. There were no weak or lack of reaction from me so it all worked out. Ok, minor nitpicks aside, that was great. As far as zombie premises go being stuck on a train was definitely a new and interesting one and there were some very fun things they did with it especially the awesome as poo poo cabin run. That’s probably the highlight scene but there’s at least half a dozen tense, well done, great scenes in the film. The main character was a big dick early and I felt maybe they went too fair on it, but boy did they deliver on his reformation by the end. Like I said, I felt every loss of every character even if I didn’t know their names. Except of course for thatI that loving CEO dick who I hated with the fire of a 1000 suns. And as discussed, I am undone and have finally stopped crying or sniffling. The ending, man. Woah. And honestly they totally faked me out with the possibility of a sadistic ending. I was in tears actively ANGRY at the filmmakers and audibly BEGGING the TV not to shoot. Like I was that engrossed. By the end of the film I’m just screaming at the movie begging it to work out for someone. While its a dramatically different movie in both terms of goals and approaches, the zombies are super reminiscent of World War Z’s. The quick spastic turns, the blatant disregard for their own bodies, and the pile up hordes creating terrifying walls and floods and stuff are all stuff I’ve only really seen in WWZ before. But its done MUCH better here with more focus and attention and what at least felt like more practical effects and real extras. They were genuinely scary and the scenes where they collected in numbers and created “floods” were genuinely harrowing poo poo that delivered in a way that WWZ totally failed. And it delivers where WWZ totally failed in giving us characters I gave a poo poo about. If there’s one thing I’m upset about at the end its that the dick didn’t die in the worst way imaginable. The fucker got off easy. ”Wonder How This Holds Up” PreGaming in April 1. World War Z (2013); 2. As Above, So Below (2014); 3. The Cabin in the Woods (2011); 4. The Last Exorcism (2010); 5. Trollhunter (2010); 6. The Blair Witch Project (1999); 7. Unfriended (2014); 8. Absentia (2011); 9. The Last Exorcism Part II (2013); 10. The Prophecy (1995); 11. Dawn of the Dead (1976); 12. Mandy (2018) May “New To Me” Marathon Watched - New (Total) 1. From Beyond (1986); 2. Train to Busan (2016); STAC Goat fucked around with this message at 09:33 on May 2, 2019 |
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May 2, 2019 09:30
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CelticPredator posted:My weird goal I wanna do for this is check out what I can from Adam Green and Joe Lynch. I hope you get around to Adam Green's film "Frozen". It's the Green film I've enjoyed most, and some aspects are haunting. It's one of those films with a premise that's fun to ponder with friends afterwards.
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May 2, 2019 12:47
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STAC Goat posted:Yeah, I think you HAVE to see it as "Hell spilling out" even beyond that for much of the film to make sense. Like there's lots of stuff on the periphery of the Catacombs like the man who tells Scarlett about Pap being the one in the burning car who kills him or the woman who kills Benji first being seen by him at the club but the very first taste of the supernatural we get is in the first scene when Scarlett sees her father hanging in Iran. I feel like it's a...wavelength thing... Once they start looking for Hell, when that's the goal on their mind, even though they aren't physically close to it, they've already opened themselves up for it's messengers to start approaching you. Scarlett has this intention even in the first scenes, which is why the spook-a-doodles are sneaking around even then.
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May 2, 2019 12:52
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STAC Goat posted:And it took me til nearly the end of the film before I finally realized why it looked so familiar. Its Basebf555’s avatar! Ohhhh! That was bothering me for awhile. What makes me really appreciate the sexuality in From Beyond, as opposed to the cringey aspects of the predatory sexuality in Re-animator, is that Barbara Crampton was involved in all of the choices, from how they approached the scenes to picking out the costume, etc. In a way, it adds to the theme that it's not necessarily bad that the characters are experiencing a sexual awakening, but they are afraid of the actual changes and maybe how obsessive and compulsive their sexual desires are becoming, and/or that they are experiencing shame for feeling these desires. It's a juxtaposition to Dr. Pretorious, who's interest in BDSM is actually an interest in sadomasochism and cruelty from his own insecurities. Dr. McMichaels just experiences a sexual awakening, and that's intimidating and scary for her, but not villainous or evil in itself. I am not in BDSM culture, and I haven't read what the BDSM culture thinks about the sexuality on display in From Beyond, but that would be a really interesting angle to look at the film.
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May 2, 2019 13:05
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 2. Deep Rising (1998) (Prime via Cinemax add-on) A luxury cruise ship on its maiden voyage is attacked by sea monsters, and shortly afterwards by hijackers who find themselves battling the creatures instead of looting the ship. This is a super fun movie, more action than horror but it does have some pretty good moments of gross gore. I like the design of the tentacle creatures, but there is a little too much bad late-'90s CGI. It contains just about every action movie cliche in the book, full of explosions and cheesy one-liners, but the tone is light and fun and at no point does it take itself too seriously. Treat Williams is goofy as hell in the lead role. The (human) villains are the sort of stereotypical hyper-masculine dudes that you see in almost every '80s/'90s action film. Definitely recommended as a fun monster movie that's heavy on the action and light on the horror. Total: 2 Watched: Hagazussa | Deep Rising side note: you can get a free 7-day trial to the Cinemax add on for Prime, and it has this movie as well as Thoroughbreds and a couple other decent horror flicks on it. The selection is not great but I'm going to watch 2-3 this weekend and then cancel. gey muckle mowser fucked around with this message at 14:13 on May 2, 2019 |
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May 2, 2019 14:06
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2. The Snarling 2018, streaming on Prime (note: the werewolf does not look like this) Low budget UK werewolf comedy. I'm guessing the thinking went like this: 1) We love the Howling movies and want to make a werewolf movie with a howling-like werewolf. 2) we have no money 3) zombie movies are cheap, so lets make a movie about a film crew making a zombie movie so we can have fake cheapo scares, then have the werewolf finally show up in the last 6 minutes. There's some funny lines here and there and some of the performances are pretty good, but the budget really shows. I know that it's generally considered smart to hide your monster as much as possible to make the payoff better, but there's multiple scenes in this where characters are watching an unseen TV or computer monitor (who know's which, we can't see it) and describe what sounds like shakey-cammed vague werewolf attacks. Did they only have the wolf costume for an hour? It's definately horror fans making a horror movie so I feel bad making GBS threads on it, but come on. I'm guessing the best setting to see this movie would be at around 2 AM at a horror fest or something similar. 1.5/5 1. Day of the Animals | 2. The Snarling Drunkboxer fucked around with this message at 14:11 on May 2, 2019 |
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May 2, 2019 14:08
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I'm pretty sure I remember when STAC watched The Beyond by accident and I swear I thought you were joking when you were like "hey when does Jeffrey Combs show up" lol I love the Barbara Crampton talk, because yea she's gotta be the biggest asset that From Beyond has, aside from I guess the amazing creature effects. In the commentary track for the film, Gordon and Combs both talk about how amazing she is throughout, but specifically when you get to the ending they really just heap the praise on her for pulling that off. The movie just straight-up doesn't work without her, I mean think about all the young actresses that have come along in the horror genre that would not have been capable of that performance. She is a rare talent.
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May 2, 2019 14:12
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I'll try and do 13, any excuse to bone up ( ) on horror. Mostly just gonna do stuff at random from my big backlog. 1. Noroi: The Curse dir. Kōji Shiraishi (2005) This is more good evidence that watching too many paranormal TV "documentaries" as a child has somehow warped me. I'm not the biggest found footage fan in general, but when films like this and Ghost Watch have a novel setup and really commit to it they can really get under my skin. (By the way, how good could a Japanese remake of Ghost Watch done in the style of a variety show be?) The detail of having actors playing themselves is clever but was unfortunately lost on me while I was watching because I didn't know who they were. Used the video aesthetic very well, the sequence after they go to the dam and start finding dogs in the woods was especially unnerving. I'm a sucker for woods lit only by flashlights! 4 out of 5 Menacing pigeons Watched: 1 Noroi 4/5
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May 2, 2019 14:27
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Drunkboxer posted:
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May 2, 2019 14:30
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2) The Descent (2005) Six women go on a caving expedition, but it all goes wrong when first they're trapped by a cave-in, and then the caves turn out to be full of cannibalistic monsters. I feel like some of the movie's shock and awe has been lost on me as I watch it 14 years after everyone else, because everyone knows now that there are cave C.H.U.Ds down there and so the surprise for that is long gone. For the first 50+ minutes of the film, if you didn't know, you could easily believe that it's just a psychological thriller involving a woman who may or may not be mentally stable being trapped in a cave with several friends and a woman who was having an affair with her husband just before he and her daughter died horribly in a car crash... but since I did know, I just kept thinking, "This is all well and good, but where are the cave C.H.U.Ds?" Still, the characters were for the most part appealing and engendered sympathy from me, and none of them really became generic action women (until maybe the end). I can't help but wonder though if I was the only person who noticed that nearly all of the cave C.H.U.Ds/crawlers who attacked the women were naked, feral males... but Sarah got the only mother and child pairing we saw in the entire film... 3) They Live (1988) (seen before)  A drifter comes into possession of a pair of sunglasses that reveal that the world is secretly being run by skinless aliens, and decides to do something about it. The late, great Roddy Piper plays John Nada, the burly drifter who has the veil lifted from his eyes and realises he's living in a world where the masses are kept docile and controlled by subliminal messages all around him, run by the strange skinless aliens. Where did they come from? How long have they been here? These are questions the movie isn't interested in dealing with, because it's got Roddy Piper and he's here to kick everyone's rear end. It also contains one of the greatest fight scenes in movie history, where Piper and co-star Keith David spend six minutes knocking seven bells out of each other. Seen so far: Alice, Sweet Alice (1976); The Descent (2005); They Live (1988)
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May 2, 2019 14:58
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I’m in for 13. Don’t expect anything as well written or insightful, but I’m happy to share my thoughts and watch some movies with you all. I normally try to do 100% first time watches, but as most of my watches will come from JBB on Fridays and Luridak and Hollis Streams, I’m going to waive that
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May 2, 2019 15:50
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Easy Diff posted:that's a shame, that werewolf looks dope Even if it did you would have barely seen any of it. The monster is seriously just in the final sequence, and even then you only get fleeting glances of it.
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May 2, 2019 15:57
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Drunkboxer posted:Even if it did you would have barely seen any of it. The monster is seriously just in the final sequence, and even then you only get fleeting glances of it. Werewolves are tough because of the fur. Like, imo Cursed has some of the worst werewolves of all time, but it's not as obvious if you just look at stills. You have to see them in motion because the fur just doesn't work, it makes the CGI that much more obvious and distracting. Its only recently that special effects have been able to do that effectively(The Revenant, Planet of the Apes trilogy) but even then it still takes a really big budget to pull it off.
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May 2, 2019 16:03
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Basebf555 posted:Werewolves are tough because of the fur. Like, imo Cursed has some of the worst werewolves of all time, but it's not as obvious if you just look at stills. You have to see them in motion because the fur just doesn't work, it makes the CGI that much more obvious and distracting. Its only recently that special effects have been able to do that effectively(The Revenant, Planet of the Apes trilogy) but even then it still takes a really big budget to pull it off. In this its a guy in a suit that seriously looks borrowed from a lesser Howling movie. Like I was saying I feel bad knocking it for budget reasons but it looks and sounds terrible. I had to turn my TV volume all the way up in some scenes, only to have to turn it back down again 5 minutes later. If I hadn’t been watching it through fuchsia tinted eyes I probably would have bailed on it at some point.
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May 2, 2019 16:15
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Basebf555 posted:Werewolves are tough because of the fur. Like, imo Cursed has some of the worst werewolves of all time, but it's not as obvious if you just look at stills. You have to see them in motion because the fur just doesn't work, it makes the CGI that much more obvious and distracting. Its only recently that special effects have been able to do that effectively(The Revenant, Planet of the Apes trilogy) but even then it still takes a really big budget to pull it off.
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May 2, 2019 16:32
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Easy Diff posted:Or - hear me out - have a dude in a suit. It's a problem that's been solved. I assumed based on the cover art that it was CGI. Bad assumption I guess.
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May 2, 2019 16:43
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Basebf555 posted:I know you can just use the They Shoot Zombies master list(in the OP)and organize by release year, but I also put together some decade by decade lists this past October if you want individual lists that are a bit less overwhelming. Here's the one for the 60's, but the other decades are there too under my profile. gey muckle mowser posted:there are plenty of great recent horror movies that don't use jump scares. The Blackcoat's Daughter or The Eyes of My Mother come to mind. that doesn't mean they aren't scary/disturbing though. Thanks to both of you for the recommendations! I have some on the pipeline already, but will definitely be checking these out. I'll probably do my first review today or tomorrow.
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May 2, 2019 17:02
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| # ? Apr 24, 2024 10:28 |
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Continuing on my May journey into the weird and obscure... #4. Blades (1989) The Tall Grass Golf Course just hired a new pro, Roy Kent, to be in charge with their course. He's got a load of problems, from a waning swing, to a waxing drinking problem, to the oversexed wife of the course owner, to Kelley, his assistant who thought SHE was to become the course pro after years of hard work. And to top it all off, on his first day it's discovered that there's a maniac hacking random golfers to pieces lurking somewhere, but the owner won't let that stop the big upcoming charity pro-am tournament! I was surprised by this one, the more spoiler filled description I read, and the fact that it's Troma distributed made me expect worse than I got. I mean, it's a film about a killer lawnmower, how good can it be? Well, early on there's some bad jokes, but as the low budget movie went on, it felt like a sincere attempt to like, make a pastiche out of Stephen King and Jaws, and it somehow kind of worked? 3 and a half sand traps out of 5 #5. Geek Maggot Bingo (1983) Doctor Frankenberry is obsessed with creating life from dead body parts, a homo superior if you will. However, a local vampire has different plans for he and especially his beautiful daughter. So instead Frankenberry must turn his creature into a formaldehyde based creature to fight these monsters! Okay, there's low budget films, and there's low budget films. This is an underground, doofy little number that uses paper drawings for walls and telephones, and has a cast of like, eight people altogether? It's grimy, it's sleazy, and it's so very goofy, and I love it and you all will hate it. 4 out of 5 dismemberments.
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May 2, 2019 17:09
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