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Grabbed Card 25 at random, as per last year I’ll not actually look at any of the categories until the end then see what I happen to match with. Remembered earlier that I promised myself I’d pick up the loving Witchcraft movies from where I left off last year. I’m not happy about this. Did a bit of pre gaming yesterday with Terrifier as I hadn’t seen it before and my gf wasn’t planning on checking it out. Not a bad way to bringing the season in!
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Sep 29, 2024 06:03
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2) Dark Star (1974)  Dark Star Anniversary A small spaceship crew have the task of blowing up unstable planets to allow human settlement in other star systems. Second film in a row I chose based on the challenge name and the second where it's really stretching what I would consider horror. If I'd watched them unprompted I might not have felt they "counted" for this thread, so I'm glad the challenges set a more permissive standard allowing a more varied range of films. This is John Carpenter's first film and I always heard it was his worst, so I went in with super low expectations and I was pleasantly surprised. It's sloppy and meandering, but it's very watchable. Dan O'Bannon co-wrote and there's a lot of Alien-like qualities to this; a shlubby working class crew just there to do a job, a run-down, corridor-based spaceship with the terrifying alien in the gif above. The crew all act weird. I think they're going for a space-madness thing as they've all been cooped up together for years, but we don't see a deterioration or flashbacks to when they weren't all weird. The ship and the bombs that destroy planets are all sentient AIs that can be reasoned with and this is the most interesting aspect of the film. A lot of the rest feels like filler. It quite likely was, as this was a student film that was expanded to feature length. It's certainly not Carpenter's best, but if you're a fan of his, you should check this out, and not just out of obligation. There's some neat ideas here. total: 2 Mighty Joe Young (1949); Dark Star (1974) 
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Sep 29, 2024 10:41
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Basebf555 posted:
This definitely checks the box for “creepy murder family”  1. Singapore Sling (1990) (dir. Nikos Nikolaidis) blu-ray I’m at a bit of a loss as to how to even begin describing Singapore Sling. It’s a Greek hyper-erotic thriller/exploitation/torture/soft-core BDSM porn/neo-noir/art film, full of repulsive sex acts, disturbing violence, and an absurdly pitch black sense of humor. The film starts with the vaguely noir-ish premise of a detective searching for a missing girl, but he becomes a prisoner of the psychotic and incestuous mother/daughter duo who murdered her. It was originally recommended to me in the context of LGBTQ horror - I’m not sure I’d be quick to categorize it that way myself, but I can see similarities to the taboo-breaking depraved camp of something like Pink Flamingos, so I suppose it’s in the ballpark. If it’s not yet obvious, this film should come with a big ol’ content warning - there are scenes of rape, incest, necrophilia, torture, vomit, and other depravities. This could’ve been a miserable watch if the tone wasn’t right, but leads Meredith Herold and Michele Valley bring such psychotic glee to their characters that the film stays… almost fun? Not sure that’s the right word, because it is genuinely repulsive at times, but it also has an absurd edge to it that keeps it from feeling too disturbing. Like, at one point the daughter masturbates with a kiwi (the fruit, not the bird - bestiality is one of the few taboos this film doesn’t touch on) in a scene that could almost be erotic if it wasn’t so bizarre. Despite the often vile sex and violence happening on screen, this is a surprisingly good looking film. It features gorgeous black and white cinematography with strong film noir vibes. The music is excellent as well and much classier than you’d expect. I think the strong production values lend this a sense of legitimacy, making it feel closer to a transgressive art film than exploitative trash (although it’s still a bit of both). Based on everything I’ve said, this is kind of impossible to recommend. I think it’s memorable and effective and I can easily see why this is considered a cult film, but it absolutely will not appeal to most people. However, if you are interested in transgressive cult cinema and are prepared for some graphic and bizarrely depraved eroticism, I think it’s excellent and well worth seeking out. Side note, I wasn’t really joking when I described this partly as soft-core porn, as there is a lot of full frontal nudity and scenes like the kiwi masturbation appear unsimulated (at least in the sense that the actress is in fact smushing fruit into her genitals). It’s decidedly un-erotic eroticism, but still maybe not a great film to bring to family movie night. 4.5 strap-on knife cocks out of 5 gey muckle mowser fucked around with this message at 22:51 on Sep 29, 2024 |
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Sep 29, 2024 13:48
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7. Christmas Evil (1980) A young boy is traumatised by seeing his father dressed as Santa, and grows up obsessed with Christmas, until he decides to murder the people responsible for the over-commercialization of the holiday. This is a lot of fun! The absolute standout is the lead performance by Brandon Maggart (father of Fiona Apple!) who basically does the whole thing as Travis Bickle, just this bundle of anxious anger ready to explode because the corporate world is doing Christmas wrong, while the world takes advantage of his good nature. And it's unusual for a slasher movie to really show how sympathetic the killer is like this does, he spends his Christmas Eve doing genuinely good things in between the killings of people repeatedly shown to be just the worst people possible, making him almost an antihero. A particularly brilliant, almost magical realism ending too. "Who donated all of this?" "Some people who didn't realize how generous they could be!" 5 out of 5! Challenge: Black Christmas 50th Anniversary Challenge! Watched so far: Dead Snow, The Sand, Trick, The Coffee Table, Ghost in the Machine, Wizard of Gore, Christmas Evil
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Sep 29, 2024 14:08
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Would Messiah of Evil count for the Splasher challenge? I know it takes place in a beachfront town but don't know much else because I haven't seen it.
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Sep 29, 2024 15:43
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bitterandtwisted posted:Second film in a row I chose based on the challenge name and the second where it's really stretching what I would consider horror. If I'd watched them unprompted I might not have felt they "counted" for this thread, so I'm glad the challenges set a more permissive standard allowing a more varied range of films. It's funny I never really thought about a scenario where someone watches Mighty Joe Young and Dark Star first thing right off the bat. Naturally you'd be like "are we sure this is a horror challenge??" The Berzerker posted:Would Messiah of Evil count for the Splasher challenge? I know it takes place in a beachfront town but don't know much else because I haven't seen it. I'll have to defer to others on this one, I'm not sure if I've seen Messiah of Evil and if I have it was a long time ago.
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Sep 29, 2024 15:48
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I would say no.
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Sep 29, 2024 15:49
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Though you should totally watch Messiah of Evil, it loving rules.
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Sep 29, 2024 16:08
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In for 13 but hoping to hit 31–busy month, you know how it is
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Sep 29, 2024 17:39
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Since doing my first challenge I've tried and repeatedly failed to watch and review everything I set out to, partly because of work/life balance (I travel a lot for work and don't have time/energy/ability to watch that volume of movies), but I'm still gonna try. It's always fun, and I usually end up liking at least some aspects of whatever I watch. Phantom of the Paradise has been on my radar for years and I never could get around to it, so I'm certainly looking forward to that.
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Sep 29, 2024 17:58
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MOVIE 2: Cannibal! The Musical (Hungry Horror) "Maybe we'll all get really sick. And maybe we'll all die -- Sooooooooooooo, let's build a snowman" I firmly believe that Cannibal! The Musical is the best thing Matt Stone and Trey Parker have ever done, by some distance. There's just this beautiful earnestness about the movie that made me fall in love with it the first time I saw it. Yes, this is a rewatch, the only one I'll be doing this marathon.  Anyway, Cannibal! The Musical was originally a stage play conceived by Parker and Stone while they still were students at the University of Colorado. It was eventually made into a low budget and very amateurish, but thoroughly amazing movie. It's loosely based on the real story of Alfred Packer, "the Colorado Cannibal". The movie is mostly told in flashbacks, as Packer is sitting trial for supposedly killing and eating the group of travelers he was supposed to guide from Utah to Colorado Territory. But turns out things were maybe not that simple. The movie is a splatstick musical.  Things kick off when the world's dumbest and least prepared gold miners hire Packer to guide them to Colorado to mine for gold. They don't bother packing anything and just walk off with a couple of tools in their hands. As you could expect, things don't go well as the group run into weird situations and eventually start to starve on account of being the world's dumbest motherfuckers who can't help but make the worst possible decisions every time. The film is genuinely hilarious, and has a surprisingly sharp wit. For instance, during their trip the miners meet the "Nihonjin Indians", who are just played by the owner of a local sushi restaurant and some Japanese exchange students, who speak Japanese, eat Japanese food and are armed with katanas, poking fun at how western movies often tended to have all kinds of non-native people playing Native Americans.  Even though the costumes are all over the place and a lot of the actors clearly were just eager amateurs, the film's got really good comic timing, is surprisingly well directed and shot and like I said, just has a ton of heart and this wonderful earnest attitude. It doesn't hurt that the songs are also genuinely good. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlGUwb2R5sQ I don't know how hard the movie is to find these days. There certainly haven't been any HD remasters that I know of, so I've just been watching the dodgy DVD I got over 20 years ago. If you somehow haven't seen it, I can't recommend Cannibal! The Musical enough. It's a great comedy, great splatstick gorefest, and a really fun musical. / 5My October 2024 Movies: 1. Longlegs, 2. Cannibal! The Musical 
Shaman Tank Spec fucked around with this message at 18:05 on Sep 29, 2024 |
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Sep 29, 2024 18:03
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FYI Troma just fully remastered Cannibal and is prepping a limited release
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Sep 29, 2024 18:08
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Opopanax posted:FYI Troma just fully remastered Cannibal and is prepping a limited release HOLY loving poo poo. That's gonna be an insta-buy for me. E: looks like the preorder is live on Refuse Films, ordered. Thank you so much for the heads up. Shaman Tank Spec fucked around with this message at 18:15 on Sep 29, 2024 |
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Sep 29, 2024 18:09
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Hello spoops and gerbalins! It's my favorite time of year again, and probably a bunch of yours too! Between having a very busy month (lots of job interviews, plus visiting family) and already having an amazing avatar and gangtag, I don't think I'm going to formally do the contest this year. Instead of having a particular goal, I'm just gonna go through the categories and watch a bunch of stuff and do reviews ; I'm basically auditing a college class, but with horror films. Will still probably be watching 31 movies, but I ain't making promises in case weird poo poo happens. Most importantly though you might remember that last year, I had recently adopted a pair of kittens from a local shelter. Well, they're now fully grown and incredibly photogenic so I think I owe you some pictures of my kitties.  For reference, this is about 8-9 feet off the ground, on top of a cabinet I keep snacks and stuff for lighting the woodstove in. This is Finn. He's an absolute ridiculous himbo who just wants to go on dumb adventures and ram his face into you. Frequently forgets that he has back legs so he falls off stuff.  They both loving love sleeping in little bowls. This is Esme(relda), the Halloween Cat, because she's mostly black and she constantly arches her back like a Halloween decoration. She really loves being picked up when I'm cooking, especially if I'm listening to a waltz and I dance her around the kitchen. This has been a cat update You're welcome. Okay, important work out of the way, let's get to some movies.  In my memory, this guy always turns into "Spanish Udo Kier" the second he's off screen. Dagon ; (2001, Stuart Gordon) Yup! I felt the urge and just had to watch Dagon (2001) again last night! I even watched this after the other film and I'm going in reverse order, but I wanted to do this first in reviews to start things off on the right (webbed) foot. What can I say about my favorite Stuart Gordon movie that I haven't already? 2 possibilities : you've already seen this movie and you agree with me it rules, or you're wrong. Could probably call this a Splasher, but I've been saving Under Paris so this is just for shits and giggles.  O so this is why everyone loves Mary Elizabeth Winstead so much. I get it now. 10 Cloverfield Lane ; (2016 ; Dan Trachtenberg) Isolation Horror I actually had never seen this one before. For a big chunk of the middle 2010's I lived in a studio apartment with my then-girlfriend who absolutely could not stand horror, she had no stomach for it, so my ability to watch my favorite genre was minimal. I've gone through and watched a bunch of stuff since we broke up, but there are still gaps and this is one of them. This is quite solid with amazing performances and a pretty good script, but it's also a bit over-stuffed and overstays its welcome. It's pretty obvious that it started out as a smaller film and then the "cloverfield" aspect was bolted on ; I don't know how much that's to blame for its problems, but it seems to be a non-zero amount. Most of the movie, the good parts, are a lovely throw-back pot-boiler of a bottle story about people surviving in an underground bunker. It dexterously weaves between genres, first as an abduction-escape piece with Michelle (Winstead) trying to get out of the bunker, then the briefest of interludes to relieve tension before it really gets going in the final act. Before there is another, additional final act for no reason that Return of the Kingses it more than a little bit. All of the cast is amazing. Especially Winstead and Goodman, who are absolutely superlative, and the script is good at giving them tons to work with. But the final form winds up muddier than it needed to be in ways that annoy me to no end ; it's miles from bad, but it's close enough to perfect that the flaws a very obvious. Trachtenberg would later go on to do Prey which seems like much less of a bolt from a blue sky with this context. He seems to be a very good genre director and I hope he does more horror. Definitely the best of the 3 movies with "cloverfield" in the title though.
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Sep 29, 2024 18:13
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Xiahou Dun posted:
Want to pet and kiss that Finn.
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Sep 29, 2024 18:16
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Shaman Tank Spec posted:Want to pet and kiss that Finn. He is an insane but very loving little boy, despite making that hilarious Satan-jackal face.
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Sep 29, 2024 18:30
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Shaman Tank Spec posted:MOVIE 2: Cannibal! The Musical (Hungry Horror) Loved this movie back in high school, haven’t seen it in years but I still occasionally get some of the songs stuck in my head out of the blue. The commentary track where they get increasingly drunk is a good one, I remember it having lots of interesting behind the scenes stuff while also being pretty funny. Shpadoinkle!
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Sep 29, 2024 18:46
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gey muckle mowser posted:Loved this movie back in high school, haven’t seen it in years but I still occasionally get some of the songs stuck in my head out of the blue. The commentary track where they get increasingly drunk is a good one, I remember it having lots of interesting behind the scenes stuff while also being pretty funny. Yeah, the commentary track is great. And that's kinda also what brought on this rewatch, I realized I'd been humming the trapper song for a few days and fished out my DVD folder to get the movie out.
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Sep 29, 2024 18:53
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Xiahou Dun posted:
10 Cloverfield Lane made its way into my favorites list when I was doing my first mega-binge of horror in 2020 if just because of how the overstuffed ending first lost me, but then reeled me back in completely and wholly. Sure, from a meta perspective it's not unreasonable to criticize what is definitely a "quick, bolt on the IP!" move to an otherwise tight, tense, and unrelated picture carried by tremendous leads, but the final radio transmission stating that human were actually winning by uniting and fighting and helping each other rather than by doing what Howard insisted on and going Every Man For Himself made me whoop with glee. I do think it's...slightly less realistic an ending nowadays, but it's a nice sentiment nonetheless. I'm not sure if I would keep it as an all-time favorite now that I've seen so many others, but I'll always have a soft spot for it. And John Goodman really is just incredible.
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Sep 29, 2024 19:09
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 1. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) A classic I've been putting off watching for a long time. This challenge was the perfect excuse to get it out of the way and I'm really glad I did. I had been reluctant because so many other films have either been inspired by it or ripped it off wholesale. It's easy to see why. This movie is undeniably low budget, but there is a level of craft here that elevates it beyond simply being a cheap horror flick. I thought I would've been a little underwhelmed by this one, but I really wasn't. I get it now. TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 50TH ANNIVERSARY CHALLENGE What other movie could I pick for this one?  2. Underwater (2020) I really liked this. Right from the start we've got structural failures and implosions with no clear indication why. Spooky noises, monsters, and an environment that is as much of a threat as anything else. Everything is tight and claustrophobic, even during the walks between structures. Deep water just has that effect. Kristen Stewart really carries this one. My only real (minor) complaint is that I thought the behemoth at the end was kind of unnecessary. I know what they were going for, but it didn't really add anything in my opinion. SPLASHER CHALLENGE I thought about going for a more typical shark movie, but then this popped up in my head instead. It takes place in the Mariana Trench so I think it qualifies. There's certainly a lot of water and a lot of splashing.  3. The Wicker Man (1973) A wonderfully chill film until it suddenly isn't. The vibes are impeccable. The soundtrack consists of soothing folk music which just fits so well. The islanders are unabashed, open pagans and that kind of ruled. Edward Woodward and Christopher Lee are both fantastic in this. It's a classic for a reason, what else can I say? WOODLANDS DARK AND DAYS BEWITCHED CHALLENGE Given that I hadn't seen the original Wicker Man, it seemed like the only choice here. Then the intro hit me with that folk music and I knew I made the right call.  4. The Invisible Man (2020) A psychological horror film by the guy who did Upgrade? Alright, sign me up. I had heard good things about this back when it came out, but 2020 was a weird year. Didn't get around to it. I'm glad I watched it though as this was a really great update to a classic story. The poor protagonist, played by Elisabeth Moss, is just tortured in this one. There are moments in this that are just painful to watch as the villain invisibly does his thing. I know there's some interesting analysis to be had here, but I'm going to keep this short and simple. UNIVERSAL MONSTERS CHALLENGE Obviously, this is a Universal Film starring a Universal monster, but this managed to survive the Dark Universe fiasco and I think that deserves mentioning.  5. From Beyond (1986) Hell yeah. We've got mad scientists. We've got extraplanar monsters. We've got goop. We've got it all. Some really fun creature effects in this one. I think I like this better than Re-Animator which I felt only really got going towards the end. Definitely recommended. “THAT GUY” CHALLENGE Stars Ken Foree! Sort of.  6. Maxxxine (2024) I liked X, but I really liked Pearl so I was looking forward to this one. Mia Goth is great in this, but I don't think she got to stretch as much as she did in Pearl. It's fun though. The grimy 80's LA setting fits and the supporting cast is excellent. I had heard mixed things about the finale, but I thought it worked well enough. Maybe a little over the top. Overall, this one was a fine ending to the series and I'm looking forward to whatever Ti West and/or Mia Goth do next. GOTTA STAY CURRENT CHALLENGE This is a movie I meant to see in theaters earlier this year and missed so it was nice to catch up and finish off the X/Pearl/Maxxxine trilogy.  Movies (6/31): The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Underwater, The Wicker Man, The Invisible Man, From Beyond, Maxxxine
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Sep 29, 2024 19:10
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8. The Ritual (2017) A group of old friends take a hiking vacation in northern Sweden in memory of a mutual friend, where one member is injured and, in a good-hearted attempt to get him to safety, they take a shortcut through the dense forest, which goes as well as you'd anticipate, when the forest is also full of pagan cult stuff. It certainly doesn't try to subvert any expecations, but it's just a very solid rendition of all the old hits you'd expect from a movie like this, helped out by a really good script, some notably gorgeous nature photography, and a gnarly monster. "What could have done that?" "A bear?" "Can bears do that?" "I'm not a loving bear expert." 4 out of 5! Challenge: Woodland Dark and Days Bewitched Challenge! (There's even an honest-to-god Wicker Man!) Watched so far: Dead Snow, The Sand, Trick, The Coffee Table, Ghost in the Machine, Wizard of Gore, Christmas Evil, The Ritual
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Sep 29, 2024 20:58
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 1. INLAND EMPIRE (2006) – a tale of curses, doppelgängers, and phantoms – a solid first-time viewing to launch spooky season. I muttered “Oh my God…” frozen in my seat near the end when that (Laura Dern’s?) warped face appeared in the hallway. Lynch uses minimalism to avoid becoming self-parody – the most elaborate set piece is a weird sitcom with anthropomorphic rabbits; Lynch’s other tools are nothing more than extreme close-ups and strobe lights - mixing highbrow and lowbrow filmmaking, art and schlock. A plot thread about a Polish gypsy curse was especially laughable, only for one to lower their guard and feel unsettled yet again. A recurring motif seems to be animals. Could this be a key to the mystery, the dreams? SCORE: 4/5  2. BONES AND ALL (2022) – early on, concerns on whether this was a horror movie were quickly resolved (the answer is yes). Luca Guadagnino is a director I have come to keep an eye out for over the years, and his sure-handed direction keeps this absurd premise heartfelt. I don’t know how they got Timothy Chalamet to agree to this, but here he is more magnetic and fun to watch than any over movie I’ve seen him in. Thematically, I found the movie tangled and self-contradictory – if innate cannibalism is a metaphor for people struggling to be well-adjusted to society due to their traumatic upbringing or their lifestyle differences (i.e. sexuality) – I am befuddled as the narrative clearly depicts the main characters’ situation as doomed. SCORE: 4/5  3. CUBE (1998) – this movie was cool. The opening kill? Oh man. The scene where the characters must get through a trap triggered by sound? Give me a break. The cop revealing himself to be violent and lacking self-control? Just when I thought these people made the dream team. I only wish the third act had a bigger pay-off. But some secrets are better left to the imagination. SCORE: 3.5/5
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Sep 29, 2024 21:38
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 5) The Mean One - 2022 - Starz For a film that was originally only meant to be just the fake trailer we all saw, this was better than I expected. The backstory for the film is the studio behind it made the trailer for a laugh and had no plans to do anything more with the idea. However since they ended up getting bombarded with questions about a movie, they decided to make one just to get some peace. The result pretty much cribs from all of Dr. Seuss' works with a focus more on actual parody compared to others like the Winnie the Pooh films which come across as more 'it's public domain, let's get EDGY!'. There's plenty of discreet references such as the fishbowl with a red fish and a blue fish, along with names tweaked just enough you'll get the reference. The film mostly leans on How the Grinch Stole Christmas which is one of my favorite Christmas entries. It's just moved to a more real world setting, which I thought the crew handled the best they could. I did think it was a skosh too heavy on the CGI, but it makes sense for a small indie studio struggling with a budget. I did enjoy the film, which brings me to the uncomfortable admission. I thought the actor playing the not-Grinch was doing a very good job conveying the character with the volume of prosthetics he was wearing. I liked his performance enough to go look up who it was...and it's the same guy who plays Art the Clown from the Terrifier films that I really have issues with. It has me in the disconcerting position of in light of how much I enjoyed his work in this film, I might have to revisit his Terrifier work for a second opinion reevaluation. I might even end up sitting through 3 when it comes out.  6) Exhuma - 2024 - Shudder The plot for this one involves a shaman hired by a family to resolve a supernatural matter with the ancestral family gravesite that ends up being something much bigger. Oh God, this film was good. I was already hooked with the aspect of the shaman handling the gravesite situation, but when it started delving into the history of the occupation era, the history major in me was positively bouncy. It's a veritable feast of twists with dark family secrets, angry ghosts, possessions by the dead, curses, spirit creatures, and vengeful dead. The cast was solid, the pacing good and the effects very well done. Highly recommend this one. Basebf555 posted:BONUS CHALLENGES
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Sep 29, 2024 21:55
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Basebf555 posted:
 2. Abigail (2024) (dir. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett) Peacock A group of criminals are hired to kidnap Abigail, the daughter of a very rich man. The abduction goes perfectly to plan, and all they need to is lie low in an old mansion with the girl until the ransom is paid. Things take a turn when they learn that her father is a notorious crime boss named Lazar, who is infamous for the brutal hitmen he employs. When one of their crew is found dead, they fear that they’re being picked off by Lazar’s men, but things take an unexpected turn when they learn that the situation is much more dire - Abigail is a bloodthirsty vampire, and they are trapped in the mansion with her. Kinda wish the trailer for this didn’t give away the whole vampire bit, because it would’ve been a really fun and bonkers twist for anyone expecting a movie about a normal kidnapping. Of course it would’ve been a difficult movie to market without actually showing the premise, but if I have the opportunity someday I am 100% going to show this to someone who doesn’t know anything about it just to see what their reaction is. Still, the “twist’ is only the first turn the plot takes, and knowing about it in advance doesn’t at all ruin the experience. The story plays out in plenty of unexpected ways, it stays fun and exciting throughout. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett also directed 2019’s Ready or Not (which I loved) and the tone of this is similar (they also directed the two most recent Scream films, which I also really liked, but I know those are more divisive). It’s fast-paced and fun, with some gnarly kills and a great sense of humor. The cast is great, and I especially love Dan Stevens and Kathryn Newton. I also love movies where killing a vampire results in a gigantic explosion of blood and viscera, and there is plenty of that here. Overall just a very fun movie that delivers on the “killer vampire ballerina” premise and never takes itself too seriously. 4 pliés out of 5 Total: 2 Watched: Singapore Sling | Abigail
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Sep 29, 2024 23:04
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Man Abigail was 2024? I feel like I watched that a lifetime ago. It’s been a long year. And damnit. Now I want to watch the bad Grinch horror film.
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Sep 29, 2024 23:10
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Oh hell yeah. This is my 2nd year participating but I'm taking it very casually between being busy at work and watching too much reality TV. I'm not sure if I'll get 31/31 and a full bingo card but 13 is my bare minimum. It also forces me to catch up on movies, read some great reviews and  1. THE WATCHERS (2024) WOODLANDS DARK AND DAYS BEWITCHED CHALLENGE  *squawk* Try not to die! Not a... great movie to start out with but the trailer was enticing and it's been on my watchlist for awhile now. This movie kinda reminds me of when I went on a camping trip in grade 6 and one of my classmates spread a rumour that she saw a ghost deer on her cabin roof at night and it made my entire class hysterical. I thought that the monsters would be a classic Shyamalan metaphor for something that doesn't exist. Like surely they were all drawn together in this isolated Irish bunker to overcome their intangible past demons together? But no, it's really about fairy race relations lmao?? I actually do like the concept at its core—Irish folk horror isn't commonly tread upon and there's an attempt at world building here without dangling a carrot towards a franchise. The movie is somehow devoid of tension though. Everything I was watching and hearing should've come across much scarier than it actually was. Maybe it would've been better in passionate hands and not just somebody in the family business. / 5
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Sep 29, 2024 23:15
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9. It Came From Beneath the Sea (1955) Big Octopus! It's what we're all here for, it's what we all want, and by god, this movie delivers some Big Octopus. The plot is obviously by-the-numbers and as with all monster movies of the era, a lot of it is men wearing suits looking worried in offices, but when it pays off, it pays off, the big finale of It attacking the Golden Gate Bridge is still incredible from a technical standpoint. "I would say she's probably the outstanding authority on marine biology, with the possible exception of Dr Vanderhume himself. And before you start looking, Vanderhume is dead." 2 out of 5! Challenge: Mighty Joe Young 75th Anniversary Challenge! Watched so far: Dead Snow, The Sand, Trick, The Coffee Table, Ghost in the Machine, Wizard of Gore, Christmas Evil, The Ritual
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Sep 30, 2024 00:03
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3. The Oracle - 1985 Directed by Roberta Findlay 🎃 HOUDINI CHALLENGE  Are these spirits, like, dead people? The Oracle has a relatively straightforward premise for a horror movie -- a murdered man is out for revenge. It's also a weird jumble of a cast with no other acting credits, too many interchangeable mustachioed characters, and a plot that's partially baked, but not entirely. Being super low budget you can forgive a lot and it The Oracle definitely has its own particular charms. It's definitely an interesting part of movie history. It's set on or around Christmas for anyone looking for a BLACK CHRISTMAS 50TH ANNIVERSARY CHALLENGE movie. 👻👻.5/5 
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Sep 30, 2024 00:18
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quote:
 3. Senritsu Kaiki File Kowasugi! The Most Terrifying Movie in History (2014) (dir. Kōji Shiraishi) YouTube If you’re not familiar with the “Senritsu Kaiki File Kowasugi!” film series (which is likely unless you follow the CineD Horror Thread, as they have never gotten proper releases outside of Japan), it’s sort of like a found footage Japanese X-Files. The two main characters (director Kudo and assistant director Ishikawa) are filmmakers who investigate reports of supernatural activity - in this case, an abandoned village that is rumored to drive people mad and then cause them to either disappear or die. This is the sixth film in the series, and it continues to build on the absolutely bonkers lore of the previous entries - ghosts, exorcisms, cosmic entities, alternate dimensions, time travel, and Kudo solving all of his problems by beating the poo poo out of everyone around him. No one makes found footage horror films quite like Kōji Shiraishi. Many directors use found footage as a cheap and easy way to set up lazy jumpscares and hide the lack of budget, but Shiraishi understands how to use the limitations of the format to create effective scares and tell stories that wouldn’t work nearly as well if shot traditionally. Outside of Japan he is best known for films like Noroi: the Curse and Occult, and this series is very much in the same vein as those films. He combines urban legends, ghost stories, and cosmic horror in a really unique and effective way. This is a series that definitely needs to be watched in order, and if you’re this far in then you’re probably already fully on board and need no encouragement to watch this. It’s another very good entry, although it is clearly doing a lot to set up the next film and so doesn’t have a super satisfying ending. However it’s still creepy, creative, fun, and original. I waited much too long between watching the previous film and this one, so I’m going to make a point to check out part 7 very soon! 4 demon god soldiers out of 5 Total: 3 Watched: Singapore Sling | Abigail | Senritsu Kaiki File Kowasugi! The Most Terrifying Movie in History
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Sep 30, 2024 00:31
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 3)VHS Violence Bootlegged challenge:Blair witch project anniversary I do not want to be overly harsh because this really feels like the neighborhood kids made their own VHS anthology horror movie. That'd be charming! They do a lot with party city special effects, and while the acting isn't fantastic and it doesn't always make sense its something scrapped together over a weekend. On the other hand this is apparently a real movie on tubi. But it whether or not it actually is made by amateurs for cable access and wound it's way onto tubi, it does have that kind of charm which I can't hate. ill give it a 1.5. but Id really only recommend if you've watched every other found footage movie and still need to mark off that square on the bingo card\ :.5/5 1)the invisible man vs the human fly 2)The Watchers3)VHS violence bootlegged
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Sep 30, 2024 01:04
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Thanks for hosting, Basebf555! One tidbit, the OP mentions "you are free to design your own 31 movie challenge", but it'd also be cool to mention how you can set your own challenge with a lower number too. I'm in for 13 myself, and I see another 13 film fiend or two here so that's cool. Even 13 is probably high for me this year, I think I even did 8 or something last time. Haven't been watching movies at home much lately, gotta get back in the groove! Spooky groove!
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Sep 30, 2024 01:44
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#3: Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995) Challenge: Dark Star 50th Anniversary  Tried to rebound from a crappy day by knocking out the horror comedy challenge. Shame about what happened next. Dracula: Dead and Loving It is definitely the worst Mel Brooks movie I've seen personally, and I was right to avoid it based on reputation for this long. Jokes go on far past their expiration dates — there's one scene in particular between Peter MacNichol and Harvey Korman that is just flat-out excruciating to watch. There's also an over-reliance on hacky physical comedy and casting Leslie Nielsen as Dracula is not a substitute for actually making the movie funny. At least some of the sets are nice. The obvious point of comparison here is Young Frankenstein, which also showed Brooks' affinity for the classic Universal monster movies. The difference, I think, is that with the earlier film Brooks borrowed the setting and some of the key set pieces but still made something his own. Dracula: Dead and Loving It is basically a straight remake of Universal's Dracula, but with pratfalls. Because the story slavishly follows the structure of the original, the characters are locked down. There's no room for the script or the actors to make any of the characters funny in their own right. If you want to know how lazy and uninspired this movie is, just know that Nielsen wears Gary Oldman's bun-style hairdo and removes it to reveal it's a hat. This joke happens TWICE and it's played like a reveal both times. There's nothing worse than a bad comedy. #4: Elvira, Mistress of the Dark (1988)  It's weird to me that Elvira's Haunted Hills from 2002 does a better job of using Elvira in a movie than this, and that it took almost 15 years to figure it out. I wonder if she wanted to model this movie after Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, which isn't a bad idea on paper. But the fish-out-of-water stuff where Elvira clashes with the stuffy small town only works to an extent, and the magical maguffin story is a non-starter. So much of the movie is given over to the culture-clash side of the story that you wonder why they even bothered with the magic stuff at all. It's clunky but has its moments. .5 Watched so far (new to me bolded): 1. Trick 'r Treat (2007) 2. Phantom of the Paradise (1974) 3. Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995) 4. Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (1988)
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Sep 30, 2024 01:47
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I couldn’t contain myself any longer. I started October early.  - (1). Beetlejuice (1988) Directed by Tim Burton; Screenplay by Michael McDowell and Warren Skaaren; Story by Michael McDowell and Larry Wilson Watched on Max The intention is to start the month with the OG classic and end it Halloween night with the sequel. Love to build that anticipation and have a plan. Everyone is so young. Catherine O’Hara. Alec Baldwin. Geena Davis. Winonna Ryder. The pedophile. Its a trip. But man Beetlejuice has been a part of things for so long. I think I probably saw the saturday morning cartoon and had some action figures before I even saw the movie. But its a favorite and one of those films I can just rewatch again and again although its been a minute since my last watch. Still a classic though. Easily one of the best horror comedies and one of Tim Burton’s marquee films. Whatever you may think of him now and however his career may have gone there’s so much style and vibes established in the “Burton style” that may count against him in the second half of his career for repeating himself but is clearly being formed and established here. An incredible iconic performance from Michael Keaton, lots of great effects and gore, a vision of the afterlife that walks the line between goofy and Burton’s nightmarish style. Also one of the films that established Ryder as such a crushable icon of the 80s and 90s and my generation with us still crushing today with stuff like Stranger Things and the whole uncanny Jenna Ortega parallel. This is a great way to kick off the Halloween season. Maybe not the scariest film but I love to start with some fun and Beetlejuice is a load of fun. And still so very horrory in content. I am excited to see the sequel and I don’t even know if I’ll wait until Halloween if I can get a chance to watch before then. It will be nice to have a film I’m really excited for then but I also might just give in early while its fresh. We’ll see. But a great way to start things off. Basebf555 posted:
 1 (2). D@bbe (2006) Written and directed by Hasan Karacadağ The devil will take over the world over the internet or something. I don't know, I just couldn't get into this at all. It was described to me as "accidently David Lynch" and I was a bit apprehensive after that. As much as people may hate me for saying it I'm just really not a fan of Lynch for the most part. Too weird, too esoteric, too whatever. And this definitely felt like that to me. I just could never really engage with the story or characters and I struggled to really follow things. I mean I followed the basic idea of the plot and the rest was weird poo poo happening that wasn't supposed to make sense. The movie even had a dude half way through the film give a monologue on how this poo poo can't be explained. Fair enough. But that's not my thing. Certainly it didn't help that I watched a very poor quality version. The type people often describe as "rubbed wth a potato". And the subtitles were a bit iffy. I wasn't sure if some fo the translations were off and made no sense or if that was the point that phrases weren't supposed to make sense. It was very confusing and for all I know the translations were perfect. But there'd be this line that sounded like nonsense put through an automatic translator and then someone would say "what does it mean?" So I could not for the life of me figure out which one it was. But ultimately that just comes back to it. This film was all freaky and nonsensical for the sake of it and while I know that appeals to a lot of people it just doesn't for me. I need something to anchor me and I just never found it in this film.  🎃💀 Halloween 2024: Hooptober 11, HalloweeNIT, and Spook-a-Doodle BINGO… Oh my!💀🎃 Hooptober: 2/42 🎃 HalloweeNIT: 1/31 🎃 Spook-A-Doodle BINGO: 1/25 Watched - New (Total) - (1). Beetlejuice (1988); 1 (2). D@bbe (2006); [/sub]
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Sep 30, 2024 02:26
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4. Thanksgiving - 2023 Directed by Eli Roth 🎃 BLACK CHRISTMAS 50TH ANNIVERSARY CHALLENGE  We let the police handle it, we're all going to end up 50% off. It's fine. Thanksgiving probably would have been better if it had maintained the tone of the Grindhouse trailer and not immediately abandoned its strong anti-consumerism stance in favor of a relatively conventional story covered with cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes. The effects for some of the kills are nice though. 👻👻👻/5 
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Sep 30, 2024 02:27
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 7. Terrifier 2 (2022) Ok, so here's the thing. I think I like Art the Clown as a character, but I wish his movies were goofier. They're just a little too gruesome and mean for me. When Art's just goofin' around, even when there's violence involved, I'm having fun. Like when he wags his finger at a kid for reaching for a second piece of candy from a bowl that was made out of a victim's head. But then he'll spend the next scene joylessly torturing someone. The juxtaposition isn't for me. More goofin', please. You can be mean as long as you're goofin'. The actual movie has a few issues beyond my general complaints about the series. The characters are much better than those in the first, but there's no reason for this to be over 2 hours long. A tighter edit could've helped a lot. There's also a weird sort of Chosen One narrative that feels out of place. I love a good carnival haunted house finale though. SAMHAIN CHALLENGE This movie is set on Halloween just like the first movie and it's an important part of the plot and setting.  8. Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972) This movie is the right kind of goofy. Some idiot 20-somethings resurrect Dracula because their new friend, Johnny Alucard, convinces them to hold a satanic rite for a laff. He, of course, is a descendant of one of Dracula's minions and we go from there. We gotta talk about the soundtrack too. The first scene in the modern day of 1972 has a bunch of dumb kids crashing an upper class party because Stoneground of all bands is there. Funky-rear end guitars and horns pop up throughout. This isn't a good movie or particularly well made, but it's fun. I mean, look at this:  This is dumb as hell and I love it. Dracula's minions are even dumber and basically defeat themselves. The final confrontation between van Helsing and Dracula isn't particularly exciting, but Hammer was on a budget, damnit. FOGGY BRITISH HORROR CHALLENGE This is a Hammer production and features Christopher Lee as Dracula and Peter Cushing as van Helsing('s descendant). They both give the script more effort than it's probably worth, but you've got to respect that.  9. Trick 'r Treat (2007) This was really solid. It's kind of rare to get an anthology where all the stories are great, but this delivers. I really liked how they all tied together in minor ways too. Nothing's too nasty or gory and this would honestly be a decent family horror film. Sam's also a great little mascot as the fae arbiter of Halloween traditions. I had just kind of assumed this movie had gotten a sequel and I was disappointed to find out that wasn't the case. It seems like there might still be a chance though. BITE-SIZED HORROR CHALLENGE We've got an anthology here. And that's a bingo! I'm not sure it matters since I'll be trying to complete the card, but there it is.  Movies (9/31): The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Underwater, The Wicker Man, The Invisible Man, From Beyond, Maxxxine, Terrifier 2, Dracula A.D. 1972, Trick 'r Treat Safety Factor fucked around with this message at 05:33 on Sep 30, 2024 |
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Sep 30, 2024 03:12
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3. Texas Chainsaw Mascara (2022) TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 50TH ANNIVERSARY CHALLENGE - Bill Zebub tribute to TCM, where a bunch of stereotypical Yankee liberal/atheist/vegetarians head to Texas to tour the site where TCM was filmed and run into some crazy rednecks. Except they're not actually crazy rednecks, they're just hazing them, until the New Yorkers over react and we head into a cycle of retaliation. Mostly an excuse for symphonic metal and nudity. 2/5 4. Prague Nights (1969) BITE-SIZED HORROR CHALLENGE - Formerly lost anthology from Czechia. Beautiful cinematography, incredibly well-scored, and each story, including the wrap-around, brings something new to the table. Our wraparound has a woman who describes herself as dangerous dragging our protagonist into a cemetery to tell him stories. And because it's Eastern European, you can't presume that the Eastern European woman hanging out in cemeteries is a vampire.We have a unique twist on the golem tale, as the rabbi who created the golem tries to stop a corrupt rabbi from bringing it back in service of the emperor; a corrupt countess who orders bread slippers for a costume party to mock the peasantry and does a whole bunch of other hedonism (it's an incredibly well done version of ---Faust---); and a "silent" comedy (scored with Czech pop songs, but no diegetic sound) about a tavern keeper who poisons and murders passing merchants. Consistently excellent. 5/5 5. Hyena of London (1964) BLACK CHRISTMAS 50TH ANNIVERSARY CHALLENGE - Early giallo about a 19th century serial killer who is executed. Then the murders start again. No hyenas, little London, and it's rather dull. Early enough that most of the kills take place off-screen, and while it does a tolerable job of throwing out false leads, the ending is preposterous. In basically an epilogue, a voiceover reads from the doctor's diary to reveal that he stole the serial killer's corpse, grafted the killer's brain onto his, and unsuccessfully tested a cure for insanity on himself. 2/5
Sono fucked around with this message at 03:31 on Sep 30, 2024 |
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Sep 30, 2024 03:25
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 4. His House Browsing Netflix trying to find something for tonight and somehow landed on this. Never heard of this film before so this is my Wild CardTwo South Sudanese refugees survive the harrowing journey to cheery Britain, although their daughter does not. They are put up in a half dilapidated house on bail which they are not allowed to move out of, but as it turns out… they brought some spooks along with them. This is not a “fun” horror movie which I kind of figured. Lots of metaphors for survivors guilt and PTSD from the poo poo they survived. The main horror is the very real-life aspect of being dumped in a shithole part of London with minimal sympathy and support. Still, there are spook-a-doodles and some decent jump scares and haunting imagery. The plot isn’t terribly surprising but it’s serviceable. They have a very satisfying reason for not being able to run away from the spooky house, at least. 3/5
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Sep 30, 2024 04:06
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1. Dr. Phibes Rises Again  Vincent Price returns as Dr. Phibes, back from the dead to embark on a journey to Egypt to resurrect his wife while elaborately murdering anyone who gets in his way. This movie is not as good as the first but it is still a lot of fun. They smartly give Price a lot more screentime and dialogue and the murders are entertaining, but if there is one thing that carries this movie along with Price's excellent performance it's the outlandish and memorable imagery. Like the first film anything built by Phibes has a sci-fi art deco aesthetic that looks great and many shots are framed and lit in ways that are more striking than a movie as silly as this has any right to be. It's a bit slow paced with the time between kills a little too long but the kills themselves are theatrical and absurd in a good way. If you've seen the first one then I'd recommend checking this out as well.
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Sep 30, 2024 04:15
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3-Abigail Isolation What a goddamn delight. I remember this having a pretty positive reception in the thread, and I sure loved it. The cast rules and the absolute buckets of blood are all well used, and it was just a lot of fun. It'd be a neat one to see in a world where you could actually be surprised by the reveal, but I can't see how they'd market it at all without at least hinting at it.
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Sep 30, 2024 05:28
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Got my first one out of the way tonight: 1. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986) -- TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE 50TH ANNIVERSARY CHALLENGE I've seen the original; I watched it a couple years ago the first time. It still holds up and is genuinely scary despite the lack of gore. Definitely a hallmark of the genre and I recommend watching it at least once if you never have. But again, I've seen it already, and I wanted something I haven't seen yet. So why not the sequel? From the opening scene, this one makes it clear that it's going to have a completely different tone than the original. It goes for fun camp, and it hits. Where the original delivered scares, this one takes the promise implied in the title and runs with it. It's got Texans! It's got chainsaws! Massacre-ing gets done! It's got Leatherface in love! Dennis Hopper triple-wielding chainsaws while singing "Bringing in the Sheaves"! Oingo Boingo and Joe Bob Briggs! It manages to be bloodier and gorier than the original despite having a lower bodycount. The Sawyers in general don't come off nearly as threatening as in the original; they seem more like goofy live-action cartoon characters. It's still a good time, but also shows just how much the landscape of the genre had shifted in the twelve years since the original. /5And with that, I'm off to a good start! Maybe it's not October yet, but if Germany can get away with holding Oktoberfest in September, I can drat well start my horror movie marathon at the end of the month too. I randomly chose Bingo Card #15 this year: 
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Sep 30, 2024 05:54
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