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I'm in and I'm excited. My tentative list: https://letterboxd.com/twernt/list/spooky-may-2021/ The challenge I'm setting for myself is to start in 1960 and watch one movie per year that I haven't seen already.
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Apr 30, 2021 16:41
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 1. 1960. Jigoku Jigoku (literally Hell in Japanese) is a morality tale about taking responsibility for your transgressions, lest you become the center of a snowballing storm of death and despair. At first, it plays out like some kind of noir thriller. A young man named Shiro and his creepy friend Tamura accidentally run over a Yakuza boss, but don’t turn themselves in. Of course, things start to spiral out of control as the bodies pile up.  Eventually, our hero ends up in the titular hell and things get very interesting. All kind of torment and torture is doled out to sinners as Enma, the Lord of Hell, narrates and Shiro tries to find a way out.  To me, the most surprising thing about hell is how much shouting there is. Everyone is just shouting all the time!  All in all I thought Jigoku was very good, but not quite great. In spite of some of the subpar acting it has a lot going for it and it's definitely worth seeing. twernt fucked around with this message at 17:04 on May 1, 2021 |
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Apr 30, 2021 21:50
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graventy posted:Um, did you like it? I did! I should amend my post because I never actually said one way or the other.
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Apr 30, 2021 22:19
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 2. 1961. Curse of the Doll People Somewhere in Mexico, a small group of fat cats and intellectuals has assembled. Their host regales them with tales of his visit to Haiti, where he witnessed forbidden rituals and then stole a stone idol. “It’s quite alright” he assures them, because he’s a collector and the priest in the temple didn’t want to sell him the idol.  Soon enough, creepy little doll people appear and start murdering the fat cats and intellectuals one by one. Is it Voudou? Bòkò? It’s up to the two doctors who keep calling each other “Darling” to get to the bottom of this mystery before time runs out!  Curse of the Doll People is entertaining but not great. The acting is awkward and the stilted dub doesn’t do it any favors. Some scenes drag on much longer than they need to, maybe because the director was trying to pad the run time. Also, the creepy little dolls appear to be played by actors wearing masks that they obviously can’t see out of. I give it a 3 out of 5. twernt fucked around with this message at 17:07 on May 1, 2021 |
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May 1, 2021 02:14
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I’ll have to check that out! One of the reviews said that they were based on the same book.
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May 1, 2021 03:07
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 3. 1962. The Burning Court The Burning Court features Edith Scob (who you may remember as the titular Eyes Without a Face) as Marie D'Aubray Boissand, a descendant of Marie-Madeleine d'Aubray, Marquise de Brinvilliers, who is suspected of poisoning over 30 people in the late 1600s. She and her husband are visiting the estate of Mathias Desgrez, a descendant of Captain Godin de Sainte-Croix, who conspired with and denounced Madame de Brinvilliers.  Soon enough, The Burning Court becomes a supernatural murder mystery, with multiple possible suspects. Julien Duvivier takes full advantage of the setting, a nearly empty chateau decaying in the woods, to establish a wonderfully spooky atmosphere. For the most part, the performances are competent and convincing. The funeral is wonderfully surreal.  Unfortunately, the version of The Burning Court available on Amazon is in terrible shape. I think that if a decent restoration was possible, it would look fantastic. It really feels like a forgotten classic. I'd say it's a 4 out of 5, but a low 4.
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May 1, 2021 17:12
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 4. 1963. X: The Man with X-Ray Eyes X: The Man with X-Ray Eyes takes the trope of a doctor with a God complex and ratchets it up a few notches. Ray Millard plays James Xavier, a doctor investigating the possibility of seeing beyond the normally visible spectrum. He succeeds of course.  Millard is great as Xavier, the amiable and arrogant protagonist/villain. Along with Don Rickles, he even provides a few moments of genuine comedy. X: The Man with X-Ray Eyes also looks fantastic. It has all of the wonderful, vibrant color of early 60s movies. There is even a recurring gimmick where we’re shown what Xavier is seeing. It’s done surprisingly well.  It’s an interesting concept and entertaining enough, but doesn’t seem to have much to say beyond being a warning against pride. That’s ridiculous because I’m too smart and capable to need a movie to tell me what to think. I'd say it's a very solid 3.5 out of 5.
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May 1, 2021 20:22
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 5. 1964. The Long Hair of Death Available on Amazon, Hoopla, Kanopy If I’m being perfectly honest, part of the reason I wanted to watch this is to juice my Barbara Steele stats. This will be my first full year on Letterboxd and I love the stats features, so I’ve been obsessing over who will show up in my most-watched directors and actors lists Anyway, I’m no expert, but I’d say that The Long Hair of Death is a pretty standard 60s Italian gothic horror revenge story. There are some really nice spooky elements though — the rats in the tomb, the lightning hitting the grave, the skull hair effigy.  This is one of those movies where a few performances are good enough that they make all of the rest seem that much worse. Barbara Steele didn’t really bring her “A” game, but she still set the curve. I would also call out Halina Zalewska who plays the younger daughter. Otherwise, the performances are pretty forgettable. Humboldt is not a very convincing villain. Kurt spends 90% of the movie looking irritated, constipated, or perhaps both. Von Klage could have been replaced with a cardboard cutout.  The Long Hair of Death has a lot of great pieces and the ending is very metal. Even so, it doesn’t really seem to come together quite right. That doesn’t mean it’s necessarily bad. It’s just a bit disappointing.  I give it a 
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May 2, 2021 20:17
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Neon Demon is already on my list, but if I make it far enough I'll definitely watch it for the challenge.
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May 3, 2021 02:27
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 6. 1965. Planet of the Vampires Available on Amazon, DIRECTV, Epix In the far off retro future of 1965, two ships (the Argos and Galliot) are sent to investigate a mysterious and spooky planet. As they approach, their communications are disrupted, most of the crew is knocked out by massive G forces, and they are both forced to land. Once the crew of the Argos begins to regain consciousness, they go bonkers and attack other. Eventually, the violence subsides and the spookiness begins.  Many folks have noted that Planet of the Vampires must have influenced both Alien and Prometheus. I can see that. It’s also worth noting the obvious influence on Bryan Singer’s X-Men. It’s definitely a visually striking film.  Aside from the visuals — costumes, set design, props — Planet of the Vampires doesn’t have a lot going for it. It’s weird. It’s hammy. It’s actually kind of boring. I didn’t really care what happened to these stylish space doofuses. I just wanted something interesting to happen and I only got my wish a handful of times. It's definitely one of those videos at the rental place that tricked you with its awesome box art, only to disappoint you when you get home to watch it.  I would give it 1/2
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May 3, 2021 02:31
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 7. 1966. Daimajin Available on YouTube I was originally planning to watch Queen of Blood, but after Planet of the Vampires I really didn't want to watch another space vampire movie. Like Dawn of the Dead, Daimajin drops you right into the action, not bothering with any exposition. It’s great! In a mountain near a town somewhere in Japan, a majin (devil) is stirring. The townsfolk spring into action, performing a ritual to appease the majin. Meanwhile, an ambitious noble takes advantage of the distraction to stage a coup. The lord’s children escape, setting up our demon statue revenge story.  It takes a while for the giant demon statue to show up, but even without him, the framing story is a competent period drama. That’s not to say that the second act doesn’t drag a bit. This is a kaiju move at heart and in my experience that’s to be expected. The setup is all worth it with when Daimajin finally stomps all over the evil warlord and his presumably evil henchmen.  My only real quibble has more to do with the subtitles than the movie itself. Characters use the terms God, Mountain God, Majin, and Daimajin interchangeably and it took me a little while to figure out they were all talking about the same thing. It's a very respectable 1/2
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May 3, 2021 13:59
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 8. 1967. Viy Available on Shudder, Tubi In Viy, a bumbling seminarian gets tangled up with a witch. When she dies, he ends up having to spend three nights praying over her body. Viy has the look, feel, and sound of an early Disney live-action adventure, like Toby Tyler or That Darn Cat. It even has some nice, old-school blue (or maybe green or yellow) screen special effects.  There really isn't a lot of action, but it's pretty short, so you get to the finale pretty quickly. Then you get to see where 90% of the budget went. Overall, Viy is fun, charming, and way too silly to actually be scary. It’s definitely worth watching though. Depending on who you ask, it may also be the first horror movie to be produced in the Soviet Union, which makes it an interesting piece of movie history.  I'd give this one 1/2Time Travel Challenge: 8/31 Watched: 1. Jigoku (1960), 2. The Curse of the Doll People (1961), 3. The Burning Court (1962), 4. X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963), 5. The Long Hair of Death (1964), 6. Planet of the Vampires (1965), 7. Daimajin (1966), 8. Viy (1967)
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May 3, 2021 18:02
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 9. 1968. A Quiet Place in the Country Available on Criterion In A Quiet Place in the Country, Franco Nero plays Leonardo Ferri, a painter who is losing is grip on reality. In order to relax and recuperate, Franco decides to move to the countryside. Specifically, he moves to a creepy abandoned villa that he was drawn to during some kind of waking dream.  Immediately after moving in, Franco begins to experience all sorts of disturbing, possibly supernatural, things. Strange noises in the night. Imagination intersecting with reality. A man with a pipe picking flowers.  Franco soon discovers that the house may be haunted. Haunted by a sexy ghost! The locals tell him all about Wanda, the young countess who had sex with every man in the village until she was killed by a British fighter plane. Of course, Franco becomes obsessed with Wanda. Franco Nero does an excellent job playing the increasingly unhinged Leonardo Ferri. A Quiet Place in the Country oozes with style and atmosphere. If you give it a chance, you’ll be in for an increasingly weird and wonderful giallo adventure. Also, have you ever really considered how excellent Vanessa Redgrave’s name is? Redgrave. Red. Grave.  This is a very solid !Time Travel Challenge: 9/31 Watched: 1. Jigoku (1960), 2. The Curse of the Doll People (1961), 3. The Burning Court (1962), 4. X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963), 5. The Long Hair of Death (1964), 6. Planet of the Vampires (1965), 7. Daimajin (1966), 8. Viy (1967), 9. A Quiet Place in the Country (1968)
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May 3, 2021 23:55
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 10. 1969. The Cremator Available on Criterion It’s the eve of World War II in Czechoslovakia where Mr. Kopfrkingl is a jovial fellow who works in a crematorium. He likes to extol the virtues of cremation, as it speeds up the process of rebirth. The Cremator is the last 60s movie I’ll be watching for this challenge and I’d have to say it’s the best-looking of the lot. Not even X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes, with its vivid colors, or Planet of the Vampires, with its wonderfully weird sets and props, comes close in my opinion. There are just so many clever and beautiful scene compositions and transitions.  Rudolf Hrušínský is amazing as Kopfrkingl. He sells everything with the tiniest eye movement or expression. Miloš Vognič, who plays his son, is also great.  Even though I was pretty sure I knew where the story was going, the big reveal still put a lump in my throat. I feel like I can’t say much more about it without ruining it.  Anyway I was really blown away by The Cremator. I definitely have to thank Spatulater bro! for making it the movie of the month because I swapped it in for my original 1969 pick and I have zero regrets. I give The Cremator 1/2Time Travel Challenge: 10/31 Watched: 1. Jigoku (1960), 2. The Curse of the Doll People (1961), 3. The Burning Court (1962), 4. X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963), 5. The Long Hair of Death (1964), 6. Planet of the Vampires (1965), 7. Daimajin (1966), 8. Viy (1967), 9. A Quiet Place in the Country (1968), 10. The Cremator (1969) twernt fucked around with this message at 21:23 on May 4, 2021 |
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May 4, 2021 21:20
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 11. 1970. Equinox Available on HBO Max, Criterion This one is a little weird. It was originally released in 1967 as The Equinox... A Journey Into the Supernatural. Then, additional footage was added and it was re-released in 1970 as Equinox. I was mostly interested in watching this because I remember seeing it on my local TV station’s Saturday afternoon matinee show when I was a kid, but I could really only remember bits and pieces of the end.  Equinox starts with a bang, literally. There’s an explosion. Susan may be dead. Our intrepid hero runs through the woods and… it’s a flashback! David, our hero, is in an asylum and he tells the story of how he ended up there. Four friends venture into the woods and/or mountains to visit their geology professor pal. Along they way, they meet a park ranger named Asmodeus, which is a very normal name for a very normal park ranger. They also spot some large, two-toed footprints in the sand and discover a spooky cave full of spooky cackling.  Equinox is fun and punches way above its weight. It apparently had a budget of about $8000 and I’d say they definitely got their money’s worth. The effects are, of course, 100% practical and include some nice miniatures and stop-motion pieces. The acting is not great — only one of the leads was ever in anything else — but it gets the job done. Overall, I think Equinox is what you would get if Ray Harryhausen and Sam Raimi made a creature feature together in high school.  I'd say it's a very respectable Time Travel Challenge: 11/31 Watched: 1. Jigoku (1960), 2. The Curse of the Doll People (1961), 3. The Burning Court (1962), 4. X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963), 5. The Long Hair of Death (1964), 6. Planet of the Vampires (1965), 7. Daimajin (1966), 8. Viy (1967), 9. A Quiet Place in the Country (1968), 10. The Cremator (1969), 11. Equinox (1970)
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May 5, 2021 19:40
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 12. 1971. Lake of Dracula Available on Arrow, Tubi Toho does Hammer.  Akiko is a teacher who encountered a vampire when she was young and has been plagued by spooky dream visions ever since. When a mysterious coffin is delivered to her lakeside town, she is the only one who seems to notice all of the strange, vampiric things that happen.  Her sister tells her that she’s seeing things. Her boyfriend is skeptical and a bit condescending. The local fishing guy won’t even acknowledge that anything has happened. Eventually, though, Takashi the doctor boyfriend is forced to confront the truth. There is a vampire on the loose and something must be done.  Lake of Dracula features sporadic spooky action and occasional spooky atmosphere. I really wanted to like it more than I did but it all felt kind of flat. The main vampire is not terribly charismatic and the ending feels very forced. To be fair, when his motivation is finally revealed, it’s a doozy. Hammer fans may find a lot to love here and I would consider revisiting Michio Yamamoto’s Dracula trilogy once I’ve seen more of the movies that inspired it. I'd give it a because it was well done even if I didn't necessarily enjoy it.Time Travel Challenge: 12/31 Watched: 1. Jigoku (1960), 2. The Curse of the Doll People (1961), 3. The Burning Court (1962), 4. X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963), 5. The Long Hair of Death (1964), 6. Planet of the Vampires (1965), 7. Daimajin (1966), 8. Viy (1967), 9. A Quiet Place in the Country (1968), 10. The Cremator (1969), 11. Equinox (1970), 12. Lake of Dracula (1971)
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May 5, 2021 22:06
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 13. 1972. The Red Queen Kills Seven Times Available on Arrow, Shudder The Red Queen Kills Seven Times is the story of a family curse. Every hundred years, the Red Queen appears and commits seven murders before she disappears. The film’s title is a subtle nod to this curse.  After the patriarch of the family dies, his grandchildren are set to inherit his estate. Of course, there is a twist. The will mentions Eveline, who died in an accident, though not everyone is aware that she is dead. The will is also not final until the end of the year. Before too long, a mysterious woman in a red cloak begins to commit a series of murders. Is this the curse? Is the Red Queen Eveline, the sister who is supposed to be dead?  The Red Queen Kills Seven Times is as stylish as they come. It’s so stylish that the main characters all work for a fashionable clothing company. Don’t worry, there is still plenty of blood with a mysterious murderer on the loose. The performances are all also suitably melodramatic and there are plenty of twists and turns to keep you interested.  Keep your eyes open for the Jägermeister bus about 39 minutes. This is a very respectable 1/2Time Travel Challenge: 13/31 Watched: 1. Jigoku (1960), 2. The Curse of the Doll People (1961), 3. The Burning Court (1962), 4. X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963), 5. The Long Hair of Death (1964), 6. Planet of the Vampires (1965), 7. Daimajin (1966), 8. Viy (1967), 9. A Quiet Place in the Country (1968), 10. The Cremator (1969), 11. Equinox (1970), 12. Lake of Dracula (1971), 13. The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (1972)
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May 6, 2021 20:53
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 14. 1973. The Crazies Available on Amazon Prime, Arrow, Criterion, Mubi, Tubi In a story ripped from the headlines, the government terrorizes good, small-town Americans in order to protect them from a “virus” that they created in the first place. Violence erupts all over town as brave citizens resist, using any weapon at their disposal, be it dynamite, rifle, or broom.  I really appreciate Romero’s hectic, loose, lo-fi aesthetic here. It really works for a movie like The Crazies, where a disaster is quickly spiraling out of control. The movie itself is just okay. Romero was working with a small budget and the story is pretty ambitious.  I'll have to check out the remake at some point. To me, this is a but maybe a low one. Time Travel Challenge: 14/31 Watched: Jigoku (1960), The Curse of the Doll People (1961), The Burning Court (1962), X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963), The Long Hair of Death (1964), Planet of the Vampires (1965), Daimajin (1966), (1967), A Quiet Place in the Country (1968), The Cremator (1969), Equinox (1970), Lake of Dracula (1971), The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (1972), The Crazies (1973)
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May 7, 2021 14:17
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 15. 1974. Deathdream aka Dead of Night Directed by Bob Clark Available on Criterion, Night Flight, Tubi, Vudu The same day that a family learns their son Andy has died in Vietnam, they get a surprise. Their son returns and appears to be very much alive! Something is different about him, though. He’s strange. He’s distant. The dog won’t stop barking at him.  Andy’s behavior causes conflict between his parents. His father accuses his mother of making him soft, while his mother accuses his father of pushing him away. It plays on well-worn tropes about mothers whose judgement is clouded by love and fathers who feel threatened by their adult sons. The fact that Andy kills the family dog doesn’t help things at all. Deathdream is an important piece of horror film history. Not only is it the movie that Bob Clark directed just before Black Christmas, it’s also Tom Savini’s debut movie as a special effects tech.  Overall, it’s an above average Monkey’s Paw horror flick with decent performances all around. Richard Backus, who plays Andy, is especially creepy. The actual scares are a little sporadic, but Deathdream establishes a mood very well. The makeup effects on Andy are nicely done. Deathdream is also effective at using the supernatural to amplify an otherwise mundane conflict between parents. Deathdream aka Dead of Night is a solid 1/2Time Travel Challenge: 15/31 Watched: Jigoku (1960), The Curse of the Doll People (1961), The Burning Court (1962), X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963), The Long Hair of Death (1964), Planet of the Vampires (1965), Daimajin (1966), (1967), A Quiet Place in the Country (1968), The Cremator (1969), Equinox (1970), Lake of Dracula (1971), The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (1972), The Crazies (1973), Deathdream aka Dead of Night (1974)
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May 7, 2021 16:36
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 16. 1975. Race with the Devil Directed by Jack Starrett Available for rent on pretty much every service In Race with the Devil, two couples are on a vacation in their new RV. It doesn’t take long before they witness a ritual human sacrifice and they’re on the run, with the cultists hot on their tails. The cultists seem a little goofy at first — some of them appear to be wearing robes made of bedsheets. You know they’re legit though, because they use phrases like “so mote it be.”  As is the custom in small-town America, nobody trusts outsiders and it seems like everybody is part of whatever shady business is happening. There’s a coverup and it’s hard to tell who's in on it. Race with the Devil definitely plays on city folks’ paranoia about rural America. Those people aren’t just backwards, they’re actually evil.  Despite recognizable faces like Warren Oates and Loretta Swit, Race with the Devil was just a bit disappointing. The premise was solid and I liked the way they played up the paranoia angle. I think it would have been much more effective if the characters weren’t so flat. It's a low for me.Time Travel Challenge: 16/31 Watched: Jigoku (1960), The Curse of the Doll People (1961), The Burning Court (1962), X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963), The Long Hair of Death (1964), Planet of the Vampires (1965), Daimajin (1966), (1967), A Quiet Place in the Country (1968), The Cremator (1969), Equinox (1970), Lake of Dracula (1971), The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (1972), The Crazies (1973), Deathdream aka Dead of Night (1974), Race with the Devil (1975)
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May 7, 2021 18:48
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 17. 1976. The Town That Dreaded Sundown Directed by Charles B. Pierce Available on Amazon Prime, DirecTV, Epix, Hoopla It’s 1946 in Texarkana and the good folk of neither Texas nor Arkansas are being menaced by a maniac in a white hood. When the so-called Phantom strikes a second time, help arrives in the form of Texas Ranger Captain J.D. Morales, the most famous investigator in the state. He’s a tough-as-nails caricature who chomps cigars and tells everyone that it’s his way or the highway.  The Town That Dreaded Sundown is the mostly true story of the 1946 Texarkana Moonlight Murders. In pretty much every way, it feels like a somewhat elevated true-crime TV show. The production values are high, but most of the performances are lackluster. There are also weird moments of humor scattered randomly through the movie. The director, Charles B. Pierce, even appears as a made-up character who exists purely to provide comic relief.  Honestly, I was not sold on this at all until about 50 minutes in. There’s a scene with a trombone that single-handedly redeems the whole movie. Anyway, if you like weird comedic tonal shifts with your true-crime thrillers, you may want to put The Town That Dreaded Sundown on your list. A very respectable 1/2Time Travel Challenge: 17/31 Watched: Jigoku (1960), The Curse of the Doll People (1961), The Burning Court (1962), X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963), The Long Hair of Death (1964), Planet of the Vampires (1965), Daimajin (1966), (1967), A Quiet Place in the Country (1968), The Cremator (1969), Equinox (1970), Lake of Dracula (1971), The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (1972), The Crazies (1973), Deathdream aka Dead of Night (1974), Race with the Devil (1975), The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976)
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May 7, 2021 23:52
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 18. 1977. The Incredible Melting Man Directed by William Sachs Available on Amazon Prime Steve West is the only astronaut to survive a disastrous expedition to Saturn. While in space, he is exposed to RADIATION. You know this, because it’s written in red marker on his medical chart, and it’s underlined. Not only is this Steve horribly disfigured, he’s also very mad.  For reasons that aren’t completely clear, Steve needs to consume human flesh to survive. So, he goes on a rampage, killing and eating people left and right. His doctor friend from the lab and a very gruff general set out to find Steve before it’s too late.  The Incredible Melting Man is very fun and better than I expected. The acting isn’t great and the plot is kind of flimsy, but it doesn’t really matter when you’ve got a melting cannibal astronaut on the loose. There’s even a little bit of comic relief, courtesy of a horny old lady who wants to steal some lemons.  Otherwise, it’s a nice vehicle for showcasing Rick Baker’s effects work. If you like your movie villains bloody and goopy and you don’t care about the story, it’s definitely worth seeing. I might love this a little bit. It's a high 1/2Time Travel Challenge: 18/31 Watched: Jigoku (1960), The Curse of the Doll People (1961), The Burning Court (1962), X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963), The Long Hair of Death (1964), Planet of the Vampires (1965), Daimajin (1966), Viy (1967), A Quiet Place in the Country (1968), The Cremator (1969), Equinox (1970), Lake of Dracula (1971), The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (1972), The Crazies (1973), Deathdream aka Dead of Night (1974), Race with the Devil (1975), The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976), The Incredible Melting Man (1977)
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May 8, 2021 02:33
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 19. 1978. The Grapes of Death Directed by Jean Rollin Available on Hoopla, Kanopy Industrial agriculture is turning people into zombies in the French countryside. The Grapes of Death is a very interesting movie. Not good necessarily, but interesting. There are zombies, but they’re introspective zombies. Some of them are violent, but the majority just stand around looking slightly irritated.  It does have the feel of an actual nightmare though. The main character doesn’t know where she is or what is happening. She is perpetually disoriented and everywhere she goes, strange people try to kill her.  I assume there’s some kind of French class struggle metaphor going on here (beyond exploitation of the working class and immigrants) that I don’t understand because The Grapes of Death just feels awkward overall. Otherwise, this is the first Jean Rollin movie I’ve seen so maybe he’s not for me. For me, this is only a 1/2Time Travel Challenge: 19/31 Watched: Jigoku (1960), The Curse of the Doll People (1961), The Burning Court (1962), X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963), The Long Hair of Death (1964), Planet of the Vampires (1965), Daimajin (1966), Viy (1967), A Quiet Place in the Country (1968), The Cremator (1969), Equinox (1970), Lake of Dracula (1971), The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (1972), The Crazies (1973), Deathdream aka Dead of Night (1974), Race with the Devil (1975), The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976), The Incredible Melting Man (1977), The Grapes of Death (1978)
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May 8, 2021 15:15
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 20. 1979. Tourist Trap Directed by David Schmoeller Available on Shudder, Tubi Tourist Trap (my final movie of the 70s) is a pretty standard story. Some young adults are taking a trip, they have car trouble, and a creepy stranger warns them about trouble.  Of course they find themselves at a remote roadside “museum” where they make all kinds of bad decisions and they get killed off one by one. If that’s all there was to it, Tourist Trap would be completely forgettable. Luckily, this is a movie full of creepy supernatural mannequins.  I’m not sure if it was just the version I saw, but many of the scenes seemed to be way too dark. It was helpful for establishing atmosphere, but it made it difficult to tell what was happening in scenes that involved any kind of action. Tourist Trap is surprisingly violent for a PG movie, though much of the violence is implied. Overall it feels like an hybrid of Psycho and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre that’s at least 20 minutes too long.  It’s also worth nothing that one this movie’s stars, Kevin Joseph Aloysius "Chuck" Connors, is one of only 13 (the spookiest number) athletes to have played in both the NBA and the MLB. This is only a 1/2 to me.Time Travel Challenge: 20/31 Watched: Jigoku (1960), The Curse of the Doll People (1961), The Burning Court (1962), X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963), The Long Hair of Death (1964), Planet of the Vampires (1965), Daimajin (1966), Viy (1967), A Quiet Place in the Country (1968), The Cremator (1969), Equinox (1970), Lake of Dracula (1971), The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (1972), The Crazies (1973), Deathdream aka Dead of Night (1974), Race with the Devil (1975), The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976), The Incredible Melting Man (1977), The Grapes of Death (1978), Tourist Trap (1979)
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May 8, 2021 17:50
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 21. 1980. The Changeling Directed by Peter Medak Available on AMC, Shudder In The Changeling, George C. Scott plays John Russell, a composer who has recently moved to Seattle following a family tragedy. He rents an enormous old Victorian mansion owned by the local historical society, and settles in to work, teaching a seminar at the local university and composing.  Of course, the house he rents has a tragic past and all sort of unexplainable, spooky things start to happen. There are loud, rhythmic banging noises. All of the water taps are turned on. A window is broken from the inside while the house is empty.  The Changeling is pretty much exactly the kind of scary movie I like. It’s all atmosphere and dread as John researches the house’s dark past. There is actually very little explicit violence or scares. Instead, The Changeling relies on sound and shadow to establish a mood. It doesn’t hurt that George C. Scott is fantastic. The movie depends on his performance and he definitely delivers.  As with many haunted house movies, this one spends a decent amount of time in murder mystery territory, but it doesn’t necessarily drag. I feel like I’m really underselling this but I would definitely recommend it to anyone who likes haunted house movies. This is an easy Time Travel Challenge: 21/31 Other Movies: 5/? Watched: Time Travel: 1. Jigoku (1960), 2. The Curse of the Doll People (1961), 3. The Burning Court (1962), 4. X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963), 5. The Long Hair of Death (1964), 6. Planet of the Vampires (1965), 7. Daimajin (1966), 8. Viy (1967), 9. A Quiet Place in the Country (1968), 10. The Cremator (1969), 11. Equinox (1970), 12. Lake of Dracula (1971), 13. The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (1972), 14. The Crazies (1973), 15. Deathdream aka Dead of Night (1974), 16. Race with the Devil (1975), 17. The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976), 18. The Incredible Melting Man (1977), 19. The Grapes of Death (1978), 20. Tourist Trap (1979), 21. The Changeling (1980) Other: 1. Vampires vs. the Bronx, 2. The Roost, 3. Varan, 4. On the Silver Globe, 5. The Phantom of the Opera twernt fucked around with this message at 19:04 on May 9, 2021 |
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May 9, 2021 18:56
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 22. 1981. My Bloody Valentine Directed by George Mihalka Available on Amazon Prime, Kanopy In Valentine Bluffs, the little town with a big heart, they’re planning the first Valentine’s Day dance in 20 years. It’s been a while because there’s a curse. Harry Warden, a miner driven insane after he was buried alive, killed some folks during the last dance and warned the town against ever celebrating again.  It’s 1981, the dance is potentially back on, and Harry Warden is potentially on the prowl again. Throw in a love triangle, a green Camaro, and an endless supply of Moosehead and you’ve got a recipe for some very polite Canadian murders. My Bloody Valentine is a solid slasher, even if the killer does more stabbing than slashing. I’m assuming that when you kill someone with a pickaxe it’s stabbing. Anyway, it happens quite a bit. The death toll is pretty substantial and the extended finale in the mine is creative and unique.  I have mixed feelings about the fact that this wasn’t more successful. Not everything needs to become a franchise, but the intersection of small town industrial misery and a unique looking killer could have provided a lot of material. To me, this is a solid Time Travel Challenge: 22/31 Other Movies: 5/? Watched: Time Travel: 1. Jigoku (1960), 2. The Curse of the Doll People (1961), 3. The Burning Court (1962), 4. X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963), 5. The Long Hair of Death (1964), 6. Planet of the Vampires (1965), 7. Daimajin (1966), 8. Viy (1967), 9. A Quiet Place in the Country (1968), 10. The Cremator (1969), 11. Equinox (1970), 12. Lake of Dracula (1971), 13. The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (1972), 14. The Crazies (1973), 15. Deathdream aka Dead of Night (1974), 16. Race with the Devil (1975), 17. The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976), 18. The Incredible Melting Man (1977), 19. The Grapes of Death (1978), 20. Tourist Trap (1979), 21. The Changeling (1980), 22. My Bloody Valentine (1981) Other: 1. Vampires vs. the Bronx, 2. The Roost, 3. Varan, 4. On the Silver Globe, 5. The Phantom of the Opera
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May 10, 2021 02:55
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 Fran Challenge 1. Short Cuts Un Chien Andalou (1929) Directed by Luis Buñuel 21 minutes Watched on Tubi This is the movie Black Francis is singing about in Debaser. It’s a series of seemingly incongruous images that was engaging, but also kind of weirded me out. According to Luis Buñuel, it doesn’t mean anything, but he’s dead so what does he know. I'd give this  The Big Shave (1967) aka Viet '67 Directed by Martin Scorcese 6 Minutes Wached on Criterion Channel The Big Shave is a dialog-free short about a man shaving and shaving until he is raw and bloody. It is apparently a metaphor for America’s self-destructive involvement in Vietnam. Anyone who has done something they know they shouldn’t, but they feel compelled to do anyway, can empathize. It's a must-watch for Scorsese completionists but otherwise I'd say it's just a really good student film. A pretty solid 1/2 Kitchen Sink (1989) Directed by Alison Maclean 14 minutes Watched on Kanopy In Kitchen Sink, a woman finds something stuck in her kitchen sink. At first, I thought it was about the fear of parenthood and responsibility. It seems to be more about the obligation we feel towards other people regardless of how they entered our lives. The ideas and execution are great and I will definitely try to check out Maclean's full-length work. A high 1/2 Foxes (2012) Directed by Lorcan Finnegan 16 minutes Watched on Amazon Prime A freelance photographer who works out of her home becomes obsessed with the foxes she sees in and around her empty neighborhood. For such a short movie, Foxes does an amazing job creating a creepy and unsettling atmosphere. A solid  Portal to Hell!!! (2015) Directed by Vivieno Caldinelli 12 minutes Watched on Kanopy In this horror comedy, Roddy Piper plays a put-upon janitor who must figure out how to close a portal and prevent the Great old Ones from taking over his building. For a crowd-funded short, it’s surprisingly entertaining and well done, with decent effects. Another solid Time Travel Challenge: 22/31 Fran Challenges: 1/13 Other Movies: 5/? Watched: Time Travel: 1. Jigoku (1960), 2. The Curse of the Doll People (1961), 3. The Burning Court (1962), 4. X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963), 5. The Long Hair of Death (1964), 6. Planet of the Vampires (1965), 7. Daimajin (1966), 8. Viy (1967), 9. A Quiet Place in the Country (1968), 10. The Cremator (1969), 11. Equinox (1970), 12. Lake of Dracula (1971), 13. The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (1972), 14. The Crazies (1973), 15. Deathdream aka Dead of Night (1974), 16. Race with the Devil (1975), 17. The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976), 18. The Incredible Melting Man (1977), 19. The Grapes of Death (1978), 20. Tourist Trap (1979), 21. The Changeling (1980), 22. My Bloody Valentine (1981) Shorts: 1. Un Chien Andalou, 2. The Big Shave, 3. Kitchen Sink, 4. Foxes, 5. Portal to Hell!!! Other: 1. Vampires vs. the Bronx, 2. The Roost, 3. Varan, 4. On the Silver Globe, 5. The Phantom of the Opera, 6. Un Chien Andalou twernt fucked around with this message at 21:08 on May 10, 2021 |
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May 10, 2021 20:25
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Franchescanado posted:I know you said you don't like documentaries, but you should maybe try American Movie? I’ll second this. American Movie is really good.
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May 11, 2021 00:19
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 23. 1982. Human Lanterns Directed by Sun Chung Available to rent in the usual places In long-ago Shaw Brothers China, Master Tan and Master Lung are wealthy rivals.  Master Lung is determined to be the champion of the lantern festival so he can embarrass Master Tan. To ensure he wins, he hires the creepy lantern-making hermit who lives in the woods outside of town. Little does Master Lung know, but the creepy lantern-making hermit has a dark secret.  Human Lanterns exists in kind of a strange space. On one hand, the action isn’t nearly as good as it is in other Shaw Brothers flicks. On the other hand, the spooky elements suffer from being shoehorned into the framework of an overwrought period piece. There’s plenty here to disappoint fans of both kung fu and horror.  This one is only a 1/2Time Travel Challenge: 23/31 Fran Challenges: 1/13 Other Movies: 5/? Watched: Time Travel: 1. Jigoku (1960), 2. The Curse of the Doll People (1961), 3. The Burning Court (1962), 4. X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963), 5. The Long Hair of Death (1964), 6. Planet of the Vampires (1965), 7. Daimajin (1966), 8. Viy (1967), 9. A Quiet Place in the Country (1968), 10. The Cremator (1969), 11. Equinox (1970), 12. Lake of Dracula (1971), 13. The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (1972), 14. The Crazies (1973), 15. Deathdream aka Dead of Night (1974), 16. Race with the Devil (1975), 17. The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976), 18. The Incredible Melting Man (1977), 19. The Grapes of Death (1978), 20. Tourist Trap (1979), 21. The Changeling (1980), 22. My Bloody Valentine (1981), 23. Human Lanterns (1982) Shorts: 1. Un Chien Andalou, 2. The Big Shave, 3. Kitchen Sink, 4. Foxes, 5. Portal to Hell!!! Other: 1. Vampires vs. the Bronx, 2. The Roost, 3. Varan, 4. On the Silver Globe, 5. The Phantom of the Opera, 6. Un Chien Andalou
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May 11, 2021 00:52
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Fran Challenge 2. Sometimes They Come Back Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) Directed by Don Siegel Something’s amiss in Santa Mira, California. Nobody seems to notice that all of the people who aren’t white have disappeared. What they do notice is that some of their friends and relatives don’t seem to be themselves.  Today, Invasion of the Body Snatchers seems like a relatively ham-fisted metaphor for the dangers of Communism. Any one of us could be one of them! They’re going to take over and steal our freedoms! It’s a very solid framework for a fantastic story driven by fear, paranoia, and suspicion of some kind of other, so it’s no wonder Invasion of the Body Snatchers has been remade so many times.  The performances can get a bit hammy, but not out of the ordinary for a 50s sci-fi movie. The dialog is well written and the pacing is great. Overall it really holds up and definitely deserves its place as one of the most important horror movies ever made.  This is an easy Time Travel Challenge: 23/31 Fran Challenges: 2/13 Other Movies: 5/? Watched: Time Travel: 1. Jigoku (1960), 2. The Curse of the Doll People (1961), 3. The Burning Court (1962), 4. X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963), 5. The Long Hair of Death (1964), 6. Planet of the Vampires (1965), 7. Daimajin (1966), 8. Viy (1967), 9. A Quiet Place in the Country (1968), 10. The Cremator (1969), 11. Equinox (1970), 12. Lake of Dracula (1971), 13. The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (1972), 14. The Crazies (1973), 15. Deathdream aka Dead of Night (1974), 16. Race with the Devil (1975), 17. The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976), 18. The Incredible Melting Man (1977), 19. The Grapes of Death (1978), 20. Tourist Trap (1979), 21. The Changeling (1980), 22. My Bloody Valentine (1981), 23. Human Lanterns (1982) Shorts: 1. Un Chien Andalou, 2. The Big Shave, 3. Kitchen Sink, 4. Foxes, 5. Portal to Hell!!! Other: 1. Vampires vs. the Bronx, 2. The Roost, 3. Varan, 4. On the Silver Globe, 5. The Phantom of the Opera, 6. Invasion of the Body Snatchers
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May 11, 2021 02:55
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 24. 1983. Christine Directed by John Carpenter Available to rent in the usual places Despite its title, Christine is really the story of Arnie Cunningham. Arnie is a lovable high school loser whose only friend, Dennis, drives a blue 1968 Dodge Charger. The first day of the school year is a mixed bag for Arnie and Dennis. They get into an altercation with Buddy, the school bully. Then, on their way home, Arnie falls in love… with a car. He spots a red 1958 Plymouth Fury for sale and has to have it. This does not go over well with his parents, who own a yellow 1971 Volvo 144.  Christine is definitely a John Carpenter movie, so if you’re a fan you’ll probably like it. Surprisingly, there isn’t much in the way of blood and guts. There are some pretty nice effects though.  For what it’s worth, the year Christine came out, a 1958 Plymouth Fury would have been 25 years old. If Christine was remade today, the 25-year-old Plymouth would be either a 1996 Breeze or Neon. Also, in case you were wondering, Buddy drove a gray and black 1967 Chevy Camaro.  Christine is an easy 1/2Time Travel Challenge: 24/31 Fran Challenges: 2/13 Bracketology: 7/? Watched: Time Travel Challenge: 1. Jigoku (1960), 2. The Curse of the Doll People (1961), 3. The Burning Court (1962), 4. X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963), 5. The Long Hair of Death (1964), 6. Planet of the Vampires (1965), 7. Daimajin (1966), 8. Viy (1967), 9. A Quiet Place in the Country (1968), 10. The Cremator (1969), 11. Equinox (1970), 12. Lake of Dracula (1971), 13. The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (1972), 14. The Crazies (1973), 15. Deathdream aka Dead of Night (1974), 16. Race with the Devil (1975), 17. The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976), 18. The Incredible Melting Man (1977), 19. The Grapes of Death (1978), 20. Tourist Trap (1979), 21. The Changeling (1980), 22. My Bloody Valentine (1981), 23. Human Lanterns (1982), 24. Christine (1983) Fran Challenges: 1. Un Chien Andalou / The Big Shave / Kitchen Sink / Foxes / Portal to Hell!!!, 2. Invasion of the Body Snatchers Bracketology: 1. Vampires vs. the Bronx, 2. The Roost, 3. Varan, 4. On the Silver Globe, 5. The Phantom of the Opera, 6. Mark of the Vampire, 7. Tigers Are Not Afraid
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May 11, 2021 21:29
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 25. 1984. Night of the Comet Directed by Thom Eberhardt Available on Tubi, YouTube In Night of the Comet, Earth is about to pass through the tail of a comet that hasn’t visited for 65 million years. Coincidentally, that’s about when the dinosaurs were wiped out. Nobody seems to care though, as comet fever sweeps the country and everyone plans huge outdoor parties where they can watch the comet pass. The next morning, our hero Regina “Reggie” Belmont wakes up to find that her boyfriend has disappeared and the city is apparently deserted. It seems like everyone who was exposed to the comet has either died or become a zombie.  Night of the Comet is incredibly 80s. There’s a shopping montage set to Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, a radio station full of neon and improbable furniture, and a smattering of problematic language. It’s also much less of a conventional horror movie than I expected. Sure, pretty much everyone is dead, but the spookiness is all more existential than tangible. If society collapsed, what would it be like to be there exactly when it happened?  The final gag is pretty good though. This is a but I thought it would be higher.Time Travel Challenge: 25/31 Fran Challenges: 2/13 Bracketology: 7/? Watched: Time Travel Challenge: 1. Jigoku (1960), 2. The Curse of the Doll People (1961), 3. The Burning Court (1962), 4. X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963), 5. The Long Hair of Death (1964), 6. Planet of the Vampires (1965), 7. Daimajin (1966), 8. Viy (1967), 9. A Quiet Place in the Country (1968), 10. The Cremator (1969), 11. Equinox (1970), 12. Lake of Dracula (1971), 13. The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (1972), 14. The Crazies (1973), 15. Deathdream aka Dead of Night (1974), 16. Race with the Devil (1975), 17. The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976), 18. The Incredible Melting Man (1977), 19. The Grapes of Death (1978), 20. Tourist Trap (1979), 21. The Changeling (1980), 22. My Bloody Valentine (1981), 23. Human Lanterns (1982), 24. Christine (1983), 25. Night of the Comet (1984) Bracketology: 1. Vampires vs. the Bronx, 2. The Roost, 3. Varan, 4. On the Silver Globe, 5. The Phantom of the Opera, 6. Mark of the Vampire, 7. Tigers Are Not Afraid Fran Challenges: 1. Un Chien Andalou / The Big Shave / Kitchen Sink / Foxes / Portal to Hell!!!, 2. Invasion of the Body Snatchers twernt fucked around with this message at 03:53 on May 12, 2021 |
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May 12, 2021 00:38
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STAC Goat posted:The best way I can describe Night of the Comet is that it feels like it very heavily inspired Joss Whedon to create Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Now that you say that I can totally see it.
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May 12, 2021 00:50
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 26. 1985. Demons Directed by Lamberto Bala Available on Hoopla, Mubi, Shudder In Demons, a random assortment of vaguely continental characters are invited to a mysterious movie at a mysterious theater. Then the rest of the movie happens. If someone said to me, “Hey! I just watched this crazy Italian horror movie from the 80s,” Demons is pretty much exactly what I would imagine.  All of the voices sound dubbed, regardless of the language the actor actually speaks. The plot barely makes any sense. A guy rides a dirt bike around the inside of a movie theater. The lightning is colorful and garish. There are all kinds of exceedingly goopy and bloody practical effects.  None of it really matters though. If you want to watch a movie about people turning into demons in an evil movie theater and you don’t want to think about it too much, you could do worse than this one. This is definitely a Time Travel Challenge: 26/31 Fran Challenges: 2/13 Bracketology: 7/? Watched: Time Travel Challenge: 1. Jigoku (1960), 2. The Curse of the Doll People (1961), 3. The Burning Court (1962), 4. X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963), 5. The Long Hair of Death (1964), 6. Planet of the Vampires (1965), 7. Daimajin (1966), 8. Viy (1967), 9. A Quiet Place in the Country (1968), 10. The Cremator (1969), 11. Equinox (1970), 12. Lake of Dracula (1971), 13. The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (1972), 14. The Crazies (1973), 15. Deathdream aka Dead of Night (1974), 16. Race with the Devil (1975), 17. The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976), 18. The Incredible Melting Man (1977), 19. The Grapes of Death (1978), 20. Tourist Trap (1979), 21. The Changeling (1980), 22. My Bloody Valentine (1981), 23. Human Lanterns (1982), 24. Christine (1983), 25. Night of the Comet (1984), 26. Demons (1985) Bracketology: 1. Vampires vs. the Bronx, 2. The Roost, 3. Varan, 4. On the Silver Globe, 5. The Phantom of the Opera, 6. Mark of the Vampire, 7. Tigers Are Not Afraid Fran Challenges: 1. Un Chien Andalou / The Big Shave / Kitchen Sink / Foxes / Portal to Hell!!!, 2. Invasion of the Body Snatchers twernt fucked around with this message at 03:59 on May 12, 2021 |
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May 12, 2021 03:52
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 27. 1986. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer Directed by John McNaughton Available on AMC+, Tubi, Vudu As you may have guessed from the title, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is the story of Henry, who is a serial killer. It’s definitely not a pleasant movie but I’d say it’s an interesting one. Unlike other slasher movies, Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer doesn’t really attempt to explain or excuse Henry’s behavior. He does tell a story about being abused as a kid and confesses to killing his own mother in multiple contradictory ways. It’s hard to say if any of this is true or even matters.  It’s a bleak, nihilistic movie. Henry kills because he feels like it not for any other reason, real or imagined. There aren’t any lessons learned. For what it is, it’s very well done. The low-budget, no-nonsense presentation of Henry and the people around him works.  I didn’t enjoy it, but I’d give it a Time Travel Challenge: 27/31 Fran Challenges: 2/13 Bracketology: 7/? Watched: Time Travel Challenge: 1. Jigoku (1960), 2. The Curse of the Doll People (1961), 3. The Burning Court (1962), 4. X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963), 5. The Long Hair of Death (1964), 6. Planet of the Vampires (1965), 7. Daimajin (1966), 8. Viy (1967), 9. A Quiet Place in the Country (1968), 10. The Cremator (1969), 11. Equinox (1970), 12. Lake of Dracula (1971), 13. The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (1972), 14. The Crazies (1973), 15. Deathdream aka Dead of Night (1974), 16. Race with the Devil (1975), 17. The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976), 18. The Incredible Melting Man (1977), 19. The Grapes of Death (1978), 20. Tourist Trap (1979), 21. The Changeling (1980), 22. My Bloody Valentine (1981), 23. Human Lanterns (1982), 24. Christine (1983), 25. Night of the Comet (1984), 26. Demons (1985), 27. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986) Bracketology: 1. Vampires vs. the Bronx, 2. The Roost, 3. Varan, 4. On the Silver Globe, 5. The Phantom of the Opera, 6. Mark of the Vampire, 7. Tigers Are Not Afraid Fran Challenges: 1. Un Chien Andalou / The Big Shave / Kitchen Sink / Foxes / Portal to Hell!!!, 2. Invasion of the Body Snatchers
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May 12, 2021 18:06
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Fran Challenge 3. Camp BLOOD The Burning (1981) Directed by Tony Maylam Available on Tubi After a summer camp prank goes wrong, a camp caretaker is left horribly burned and disfigured. As he recovers in the hospital, he becomes a ghost story, used to terrify younger campers.  Even though it’s not nearly as well known as Friday the 13th, The Burning feels like much more of a classic summer camp slasher movie. The first and most important reason is that it all happens at a functioning summer camp full of campers. Some of the victims are actual children. Also, at least some of the characters are aware of the danger, so you feel more empathy for them as the killer works his way through his victims.  The Burning does take a bit of time to get going, but once it does, you won’t believe all the inappropriate ways this guy uses pruning shears. As an aside, I know you’re supposed to feel bad for Alfred when he gets bullied but it’s hard because he is genuinely a creep. This is an easy 1/2Time Travel Challenge: 27/31 Fran Challenges: 3/13 Bracketology: 7/? Watched: Time Travel Challenge: 1. Jigoku (1960), 2. The Curse of the Doll People (1961), 3. The Burning Court (1962), 4. X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963), 5. The Long Hair of Death (1964), 6. Planet of the Vampires (1965), 7. Daimajin (1966), 8. Viy (1967), 9. A Quiet Place in the Country (1968), 10. The Cremator (1969), 11. Equinox (1970), 12. Lake of Dracula (1971), 13. The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (1972), 14. The Crazies (1973), 15. Deathdream aka Dead of Night (1974), 16. Race with the Devil (1975), 17. The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976), 18. The Incredible Melting Man (1977), 19. The Grapes of Death (1978), 20. Tourist Trap (1979), 21. The Changeling (1980), 22. My Bloody Valentine (1981), 23. Human Lanterns (1982), 24. Christine (1983), 25. Night of the Comet (1984), 26. Demons (1985), 27. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986) Bracketology: 1. Vampires vs. the Bronx, 2. The Roost, 3. Varan, 4. On the Silver Globe, 5. The Phantom of the Opera, 6. Mark of the Vampire, 7. Tigers Are Not Afraid Fran Challenges: 1. Un Chien Andalou / The Big Shave / Kitchen Sink / Foxes / Portal to Hell!!!, 2. Invasion of the Body Snatchers, 3. The Burning
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May 12, 2021 21:00
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No. 1 Juicy Boi posted:I love seeing new reviews for this. It's easily in my top 3 horror movies of all time just because of how effective it is at what it's doing. Even if what it's doing is horrible. I kind of want to give it another watch at some point but not anytime soon.
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May 12, 2021 21:02
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 28. 1987. Wolf’s Hole Directed by Věra Chytilová Available on Criterion In Wolf’s Hole, ten students are invited to attend a skiing course. When they arrive at the mountain, they discover there are actually eleven of them, each with an invitation. The instructors continue to insist that there should only be ten and make the students swear that they will be responsible for the burden of the “intruder.”  To make matters worse, they learn that there has been an avalanche and the cabin where they are staying is effectively cut off from the outside world. Not wanting to miss out, they ride a cargo lift up the mountain to the cabin. Before too long, it becomes obvious that there is something strange about their instructors and it’s not exactly a skiing course. The lead instructor, who asks the students to refer to him as “Father” starts to sow suspicion and discontent among the students, trying to turn them against each other.  Beneath the surface story of kids in danger, Wolf’s Hole is really about peoples’ willingness to submit to authority, whether than authority is real or imagined, and the lengths they will go preserve normalcy.  The performances are not necessarily great, but Věra Chytilová does an excellent job establishing the mood of tension and general unease up until the reveal. I give this one a Time Travel Challenge: 28/31 Fran Challenges: 3/13 Bracketology: 7/? Watched: Time Travel Challenge: 1. Jigoku (1960), 2. The Curse of the Doll People (1961), 3. The Burning Court (1962), 4. X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963), 5. The Long Hair of Death (1964), 6. Planet of the Vampires (1965), 7. Daimajin (1966), 8. Viy (1967), 9. A Quiet Place in the Country (1968), 10. The Cremator (1969), 11. Equinox (1970), 12. Lake of Dracula (1971), 13. The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (1972), 14. The Crazies (1973), 15. Deathdream aka Dead of Night (1974), 16. Race with the Devil (1975), 17. The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976), 18. The Incredible Melting Man (1977), 19. The Grapes of Death (1978), 20. Tourist Trap (1979), 21. The Changeling (1980), 22. My Bloody Valentine (1981), 23. Human Lanterns (1982), 24. Christine (1983), 25. Night of the Comet (1984), 26. Demons (1985), 27. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986), 28. Wolf's Hole (1987) Bracketology: 1. Vampires vs. the Bronx, 2. The Roost, 3. Varan, 4. On the Silver Globe, 5. The Phantom of the Opera, 6. Mark of the Vampire, 7. Tigers Are Not Afraid Fran Challenges: 1. Un Chien Andalou / The Big Shave / Kitchen Sink / Foxes / Portal to Hell!!!, 2. Invasion of the Body Snatchers, 3. The Burning
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May 13, 2021 03:19
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Fran Challenge 4. Movie of the Month Dead Ringers (1988) Directed by David Cronenberg Available on Amazon Prime, Hoopla, Kanopy Allegedly, Dead Ringers is about a pair of twins, Elliot and Beverly Mantle, who are gynecologists. Instead, I think it’s about a single deteriorating personality. This occurred to me when, at one point, I wasn’t sure which twin was in a scene and decided that I really didn’t care.  Beverly and Elliot are introduced as children, clinically discussing the the necessity of sex for mammals. Then, the movie fast forwards to college, where Elliot and Beverly have developed a new style of retractor that would be painful to use externally, but becomes an industry standard for surgery. It’s a literal gold-plated symbol of their self-superiority.  As soon as the movie gets to the “present day” of 1988, we can see cracks forming in Beverly and Elliot’s relationship. Elliot takes Beverly for granted and Beverly resents Elliot. Things just get worse from here. As their relationship becomes more adversarial, both of them suffer, psychologically and physically.  Jeremy Irons is amazing as Elliot and Beverly Mantle. Geneviève Bujold also does a great job as Claire Niveau. I’d describe everything else about Dead Ringers, from the set design to the music, as meticulous. Dead Ringers is a Time Travel Challenge: 28/31 Fran Challenges: 4/13 Bracketology: 7/? Watched: Time Travel Challenge: 1. Jigoku (1960), 2. The Curse of the Doll People (1961), 3. The Burning Court (1962), 4. X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes (1963), 5. The Long Hair of Death (1964), 6. Planet of the Vampires (1965), 7. Daimajin (1966), 8. Viy (1967), 9. A Quiet Place in the Country (1968), 10. The Cremator (1969), 11. Equinox (1970), 12. Lake of Dracula (1971), 13. The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (1972), 14. The Crazies (1973), 15. Deathdream aka Dead of Night (1974), 16. Race with the Devil (1975), 17. The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976), 18. The Incredible Melting Man (1977), 19. The Grapes of Death (1978), 20. Tourist Trap (1979), 21. The Changeling (1980), 22. My Bloody Valentine (1981), 23. Human Lanterns (1982), 24. Christine (1983), 25. Night of the Comet (1984), 26. Demons (1985), 27. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986), 28. Wolf’s Hole (1987) Bracketology: 1. Vampires vs. the Bronx, 2. The Roost, 3. Varan, 4. On the Silver Globe, 5. The Phantom of the Opera, 6. Mark of the Vampire, 7. Tigers Are Not Afraid Fran Challenges: 1. Un Chien Andalou / The Big Shave / Kitchen Sink / Foxes / Portal to Hell!!!, 2. Invasion of the Body Snatchers, 3. The Burning, 4. Dead Ringers
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May 13, 2021 18:37
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Basebf555 posted:Yea I think you're definitely meant to lose track of which twin is which as the movie goes on, just as they themselves are losing their own individual identities and sort of merging into one. I looked it up and I was surprised too! His performance is amazing and the whole movie really depends on it.
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May 13, 2021 18:53
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