BattleMonkey
Member
I would say Devils Rejects was perfect grindhouse material, not 1000 corpses. Still to flashy and modern, missed the mark in capturing the supposed period and atmosphere that Zombie wanted. I liked 1000 corpses though still
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31 Days of Horror 2 |OT| The October Movie Marathon
- Thread starter ThirstyFly
- Start date
I would say Devils Rejects was perfect grindhouse material, not 1000 corpses. Still to flashy and modern, missed the mark in capturing the supposed period and atmosphere that Zombie wanted. I liked 1000 corpses though still
The raft scene is easily one of the ten best kill scenes ever. I still can't believe they got away with it, to be honest.
the only rule i have is to try to watch 1 horror movie per weeknight. i'm shooting for movies i've never seen before but will definitely watch a few favorites as we get closer to Halloween.
10/01: Slither
10/02: The Woman in Black
after i'm done studying tonight's movie will be...
10/03: Paranormal Activity 3
10/01: Slither
10/02: The Woman in Black
after i'm done studying tonight's movie will be...
10/03: Paranormal Activity 3
I'm working my way through a few series this year, starting with Halloween.
1)Halloween
Easily one of my favorite horror movies. I just think the concept is so simple and amazing.
2)Halloween 2
I remember not liking this when I saw it a few years ago but it really isn't that bad. It just misses a bit of magic that the first one had.
Going to watch Halloween 3 tonight. "Happy happy Halloween. Silver Shamrock!"
1)Halloween
Easily one of my favorite horror movies. I just think the concept is so simple and amazing.
2)Halloween 2
I remember not liking this when I saw it a few years ago but it really isn't that bad. It just misses a bit of magic that the first one had.
Going to watch Halloween 3 tonight. "Happy happy Halloween. Silver Shamrock!"
SillyEskimo
Member
Agreed on both counts. Those kills on the raft made me say "Holy shit!" out loud. That does not happen very often, lol.
Jill Sandwich
the turds of Optimus Prime
#3 - The Woman
Curious one this. A man goes out hunting, happens across a feral woman, knocks her out and takes her home to shackle up in his bunker, to begin the process of civilising her. Turns out this man is a woman hating bastard who instills fear into his wife and daughters while bringing up his son to just as much of a cunt. Excuse my language. I went from not liking this guy to feeling a suppressed rage at how he treats people. Good job Sean Bridgers, class acting. The last time I really hated a character like that was
Jack O'Connell's sadistic gang leader in Eden Lake. But unlike that film, this had a satisfying conclusion.
The reason I say it's a curious one is that nothing 'horrific' happens until well into the film, and I would say it's more psychological horror as the Dad becomes more and more sadistic towards his prisoner and his family members, and you're just hoping The Woman makes good on all the evils she's been giving him as he's 'working' her. When it happens, you wish it went on for longer. Boo!
It's definitely an interesting watch, and I've just found out it's a sequel to another film, but you'd never know as it's a self contained story. I did wonder why there was a feral woman in the forest, but just accepted that she was just there, maybe abandoned as a child or something. It didn't matter.
Those quotes on the movie poster are a bit odd, I won't be having nightmares, and it's not a horror masterpiece, but it is decent, well acted (OH! The youngest daughter is absolutely adorable and there's a strange post-credits half-animated short with her in!) and compelling. I liked it.
Curious one this. A man goes out hunting, happens across a feral woman, knocks her out and takes her home to shackle up in his bunker, to begin the process of civilising her. Turns out this man is a woman hating bastard who instills fear into his wife and daughters while bringing up his son to just as much of a cunt. Excuse my language. I went from not liking this guy to feeling a suppressed rage at how he treats people. Good job Sean Bridgers, class acting. The last time I really hated a character like that was
Jack O'Connell's sadistic gang leader in Eden Lake. But unlike that film, this had a satisfying conclusion.
The reason I say it's a curious one is that nothing 'horrific' happens until well into the film, and I would say it's more psychological horror as the Dad becomes more and more sadistic towards his prisoner and his family members, and you're just hoping The Woman makes good on all the evils she's been giving him as he's 'working' her. When it happens, you wish it went on for longer. Boo!
It's definitely an interesting watch, and I've just found out it's a sequel to another film, but you'd never know as it's a self contained story. I did wonder why there was a feral woman in the forest, but just accepted that she was just there, maybe abandoned as a child or something. It didn't matter.
Those quotes on the movie poster are a bit odd, I won't be having nightmares, and it's not a horror masterpiece, but it is decent, well acted (OH! The youngest daughter is absolutely adorable and there's a strange post-credits half-animated short with her in!) and compelling. I liked it.
ThirstyFly
Member
I try to stick to the midnight = new day rule, but it's not something I think is worth enforcing. Last year I doubled up a few days so I could take a breather and skip a day here and there and I'll probably do that again this year. Once you start doing that the whole midnight thing doesn't really matter because you've already gone out of the 1 a day mold.
As long as my final movie is watched before midnight on the 31st, I'm good. First and last movies have to be within the midnight hours for me.
8BitsAtATime
Member
Lords of Salem Teaser!!!!!!
http://www.deadline.com/2012/10/hot-exclusive-teaser-trailer-rob-zombies-the-lords-of-salem/
Im looking for Ring: Kanzenban? anybody know where I can get it.
http://www.deadline.com/2012/10/hot-exclusive-teaser-trailer-rob-zombies-the-lords-of-salem/
Im looking for Ring: Kanzenban? anybody know where I can get it.
That is how I feel about the #2) Tall Man.
1. Barking Dogs Don't Bite: Alternately funny and depressing, but it doesn't belong in the horror section of Netflix.
3. Innkeepers: The enjoyment that one can derive from this movie is directly proportional to how adorable Sara Paxton's character is.
indigo-cyclops
Member
I just wanted to let folks know that Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is doing a weekly showing of a bunch of fantastic horror movies on Wednesdays this month.
Here's the article:
http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/499693%7C0/Classic-Horror-Wednesdays-in-October.html
Sorry to hijack the thread but this is a great place to catch some of the amazing Universal/Hammer movies that don't seem to be on Netflix.
Here's the article:
http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/499693%7C0/Classic-Horror-Wednesdays-in-October.html
Sorry to hijack the thread but this is a great place to catch some of the amazing Universal/Hammer movies that don't seem to be on Netflix.
John Rabbit
Banned
the sequel is far superior. in that it is actually an enjoyable film to watch.5. White Noise
The ending sucks so much...The dudes wife's ghost leads him on wild goose chase..such a waste of time
I wonder what this will be like. I haven't seen House of 1000 Corpses, but I enjoyed Devil's Rejects for what it was, and I really liked Zombie's first take on Halloween. However, his sequel was an abomination. Halloween 2 felt like a vanity project designed to pimp his wife, and while I enjoy Sheri Moon as an actress, I don't want to see a promising film ruined because the director desperately wanted to shoehorn her into a starring role, mutilating the story arc of the franchise, corrupting the motivations of the characters, and perverting the mythology in the process.
Today's movie:
#3 - Dread
Trailer
I was curious about Dread because I enjoy a good portion of Clive Barker's writing, especially his Books of Blood trilogy which include the story on which this film is based. I didn't expect much from it, but it turned out to be an utter disappointment. For a film which chronicles a man's descent into madness via his study of the fear of others, it spectacularly failed to elicit any kind of empathic response to even one of its terrified subjects. It's boring and mildly depressing by turns, with horrible pacing and flat characters. Avoid.
BuddyJoeHooker
Member
#3 Prince of Darkness
I enjoyed this film. I like how Carpenter just let's a film develop instead of having to explain everything. The guardian of an ancient evil sanctuary dies and the church ask scientists to analyze it. The evil gets out and corrupts the crew. PoD reminded me of The Thing, Carpenter seems to love the claustrophobic way of shooting a film. The crew is surrounded by Homeless people who are already corrupted, which is also reminiscent to Assault on Precinct 13. There are also many stand out scenes. This was a Carpenter film that I hoped that he would always be able to make. It also had a great soundtrack. On to the next film.
Plasticine
Member
#3 Livid (October 3)
Absolutely loaded with striking visuals, the narrative moves in a dreamlike fugue through a Hammer Horror stylized nightmare tableau. The first half is all about a slow gradual build-up and creakily traditional haunted house scares before all hell breaks out. While nowhere nearly a gore-drenched as Bustillo and Maury's debut Inside, it still packs quite a bloody punch. The story completely spirals out of control during the last act, leaving only the imagery to carry the day. A strong modern Gothic horror that I'll be revisiting again.
Oct. 3: Paperhouse (dir. Bernard Rose)
If you were a kid in the 80s, you might recall a somewhat inexplicable string of films released that decade that explored the darker side of the imagination of children. Everyone would surely recall the likes of Return to Oz (as much as they'd probably prefer not to, especially regarding those creepy-as-fuck Wheelers), The Neverending Story, Labyrinth, Something Wicked This Way Comes, and Time Bandits, but far lesser known is Paperhouse, tonight's film and what is already shaping up to be the discovery of this year's marathon.
Anna (an extraordinary performance from first time actress Charlotte Burke, and amazingly her only acting job ever) finds herself far more interested in drawing than wanting to do anything else. At the onset of a glandular infection, she finds herself going in and out of reality into the house that she's drawn. Initially empty, she decides to give the place a resident, a young boy named Marc (equally extraordinary performance from Elliot Spiers, who also had a short-lived acting career) who finds himself unable to move around from what she initially believes as her forgetting to draw him with proper legs in the first place. She begins realizing the kind of power she has over the drawings, but her limits are tested when she finds herself unable to erase her creations. She's no professional artist, which leads to some rather offsetting creations, which wind up working and coming to life in unexpected and, eventually, undesired ways.
Director Bernard Rose, who is much better known in the world of horror as the director of Candyman, does not have the benefit of a massive budget like the films I mentioned previously, but he certainly knows how to get a lot of mileage out of what he does have. Although limited in locales (truly, there's only two), Paperhouse finds ways of transforming them into surprisingly unrecognizable yet visually fascinating constructs of dream and reality. He knows well how effective a simple change of lighting or a new coat of paint on the walls can alter the look and mood of a scene. I find it a lot easier to compare this film to the works that Val Lewton produced, a man who also knew well of the benefits of beautifully simple cinematic tricks.
I don't want to spoil too much of the film, as it certainly begs for an unsuspecting viewer to get lost in it, but I will say that the last third of the film goes in a very brave direction, a necessary one that only initially seems to run at odds with everything that's come before it. Gone are the dreamlike terrors that Anna and Marc have had to overcome, and are replaced with dealing with the reality that those dreams have influenced, a more emotional horror that needs to be faced head-on by our heroes. Although the genre is not exactly known for its sparing attitude towards the human condition, it's nice to see at least one film that winds up being so positively life-affirming.
Day 4 preview: The emotionally gooey stuff is out of the way, and we turn to the straight-up gooey stuff. Ostensibly a knock-off of Alien, Xtro takes a great many detours by its simple plot description. Is going from classy to trashy the right course of action so early in this year's marathon? There's only one way to find out!
If you were a kid in the 80s, you might recall a somewhat inexplicable string of films released that decade that explored the darker side of the imagination of children. Everyone would surely recall the likes of Return to Oz (as much as they'd probably prefer not to, especially regarding those creepy-as-fuck Wheelers), The Neverending Story, Labyrinth, Something Wicked This Way Comes, and Time Bandits, but far lesser known is Paperhouse, tonight's film and what is already shaping up to be the discovery of this year's marathon.
Anna (an extraordinary performance from first time actress Charlotte Burke, and amazingly her only acting job ever) finds herself far more interested in drawing than wanting to do anything else. At the onset of a glandular infection, she finds herself going in and out of reality into the house that she's drawn. Initially empty, she decides to give the place a resident, a young boy named Marc (equally extraordinary performance from Elliot Spiers, who also had a short-lived acting career) who finds himself unable to move around from what she initially believes as her forgetting to draw him with proper legs in the first place. She begins realizing the kind of power she has over the drawings, but her limits are tested when she finds herself unable to erase her creations. She's no professional artist, which leads to some rather offsetting creations, which wind up working and coming to life in unexpected and, eventually, undesired ways.
Director Bernard Rose, who is much better known in the world of horror as the director of Candyman, does not have the benefit of a massive budget like the films I mentioned previously, but he certainly knows how to get a lot of mileage out of what he does have. Although limited in locales (truly, there's only two), Paperhouse finds ways of transforming them into surprisingly unrecognizable yet visually fascinating constructs of dream and reality. He knows well how effective a simple change of lighting or a new coat of paint on the walls can alter the look and mood of a scene. I find it a lot easier to compare this film to the works that Val Lewton produced, a man who also knew well of the benefits of beautifully simple cinematic tricks.
I don't want to spoil too much of the film, as it certainly begs for an unsuspecting viewer to get lost in it, but I will say that the last third of the film goes in a very brave direction, a necessary one that only initially seems to run at odds with everything that's come before it. Gone are the dreamlike terrors that Anna and Marc have had to overcome, and are replaced with dealing with the reality that those dreams have influenced, a more emotional horror that needs to be faced head-on by our heroes. Although the genre is not exactly known for its sparing attitude towards the human condition, it's nice to see at least one film that winds up being so positively life-affirming.
Day 4 preview: The emotionally gooey stuff is out of the way, and we turn to the straight-up gooey stuff. Ostensibly a knock-off of Alien, Xtro takes a great many detours by its simple plot description. Is going from classy to trashy the right course of action so early in this year's marathon? There's only one way to find out!
Ivan A Nguyen
Member
#1. Pontypool
This one got on my radar thanks to Patrick Klepic. It's on Netflix and those who are a fan of low budget, high concept movies would like it. At first I thought it had a time travel aspect, but I think that was intentional misdirection. The music is a bit heavy handed at times. It acts like a guide to when ever the cast is making an important revelation. Otherwise it's almost never there. I liked this movie, but as a rental.
This one got on my radar thanks to Patrick Klepic. It's on Netflix and those who are a fan of low budget, high concept movies would like it. At first I thought it had a time travel aspect, but I think that was intentional misdirection. The music is a bit heavy handed at times. It acts like a guide to when ever the cast is making an important revelation. Otherwise it's almost never there. I liked this movie, but as a rental.
2: Quarantine 2
I wasn't expecting much from it, but it wasn't bad. Predictable to a fault, but not a bad watch with some pretty good imagery at times. I did laugh that it had the intern from Dexter after Q1 had Deb, must have been a theme they wanted to create. They did try a bit hard to recreate a one of the cooler scenes from Q1/REC (
). They did mostly abandon the theme of being shot from the POV of a camera, but I can't blame them for that.
I wouldn't mind seeing a third, but that seems unlikely given the poor returns on it.
I wasn't expecting much from it, but it wasn't bad. Predictable to a fault, but not a bad watch with some pretty good imagery at times. I did laugh that it had the intern from Dexter after Q1 had Deb, must have been a theme they wanted to create. They did try a bit hard to recreate a one of the cooler scenes from Q1/REC (
the pitch-black night vision scene, one character leading another
I wouldn't mind seeing a third, but that seems unlikely given the poor returns on it.
Think I found my surprise hit of the marathon.
Movie #19 - Feed, dir. Brett Leonard (2005)
I'm rarely effected by movies psychologically, but there was something about this film that had me feeling uneasy the whole way through.
The movie is about a cybercrime investigator who takes interest in an online website consisting of a sub-culture of feeders (ie. the practice of feeding women to the point where they become overtly obese and incapable of taking care of themselves, and thus, entirely dependent on the feeder), where he believes something much more sinister and illegal is taking place.
The movie is by no means gory, but the film doesn't hold back any punches when it comes to the feeding aspect of the narrative. Morbidly obese women (I'm talking 600 pounds) are constantly shown completely naked, taking part in bizarre sex acts and feedings, ranging from conventionally being fed by the film's antagonist to being forced fed some homemade lard like concoction by a funnel. I'll refrain from spoiling other moments, but just to make it clear, the film contains a ton of imagery that is stomach nauseating.
The film works well as a direct challenge to one's own prejudices, and a narrative on societal held standards of beauty and eating habits, reinforced by some interesting, and at times needless/annoying, pseudo-scientific/social facts spouted by the antagonist that are relevant to his actions.
The film is well shot, with an interesting gritty look to it alongside some decent camera work, which is surprising considering the constrained budget. The premise is obviously something we've never seen before, and while the plot does move a bit slowly at times in the middle, overall, I think the filmmakers carved themselves out a pretty decent narrative. The 3rd act of the film, in particular, is incredibly suspenseful, appropriately raising the stakes and making the premise so much more fucked up. And the ending is pretty satisfying. The acting was pretty decent overall. The protagonist of the film (I've personally never heard of the actor) was serviceable, but the star of the show was definitely Alex O'Loughlin. Aside from his voice which sort of sounds like Keanu Reeves from Point Break, dude was absolutely fucking psychotic. He was Patrick Bateman in his execution, seamlessly transitioning from articulate and eerily calm to an absolute maniac, capable of executing some incredibly messed up acts.
I mentioned before the the protagonist was a cybercrime investigator. One of my biggest pet peeves within film, and I'm sure many people share this view, is the representation of computers and the internet being so damned laughable. This film handles computers, the internet and hacking better than most films I've seen. It uses real web design for websites, DOS, mIRC, etc to accomplish this task, and that element of the film makes the premise so much more believable and creepy.
This is probably the surprise hit thus far. Despite the nastiness of the subject matter and the fact that I wanted to look away at several occasions, I found myself wanting stick with and see what happened next, a quality that any good film should hold. I think my only complaint was the soundtrack, which contained a few wacky classic songs that took me out of the experience a bit, but outside of that, I'm struggling to find many glaring faults with the film.
Rating: *** 1/2 out of ****
Absoludacrous
Member
#2) The Ward
This was a weird one, in that it's a John Carpenter movie that's played about as by-the-numbers as you can get, which is strange coming from him. That said, it manages to hit all the things you'd expect from a ghost story set in an asylum. Unfortunately it was overly reliant on jump scares, and had very little of a lasting impression. By the end of the movie you've lost any sense of fear at all. So not a terrible movie by any means, just disappointed in how bland it was.
This was a weird one, in that it's a John Carpenter movie that's played about as by-the-numbers as you can get, which is strange coming from him. That said, it manages to hit all the things you'd expect from a ghost story set in an asylum. Unfortunately it was overly reliant on jump scares, and had very little of a lasting impression. By the end of the movie you've lost any sense of fear at all. So not a terrible movie by any means, just disappointed in how bland it was.
Main list.
Not a bad film, though definitely have my nitpicks with it. When it's good, it's good. But there were some baffling choices and scenes that really should have stuck to practical effects, that let it down. Really didn't like the
. Still had fun with it though and it's pretty tense in parts. Nothing amazing, but was worth the watch at least.
- Film 01 Day 04
The Horde (Yannick Dahan & Benjamin Rocher - 2009)
Not a bad film, though definitely have my nitpicks with it. When it's good, it's good. But there were some baffling choices and scenes that really should have stuck to practical effects, that let it down. Really didn't like the
sudden mandatory humans are the real monster scene, with the guys abusing the zombie
#3 Livid (October 3)
Absolutely loaded with striking visuals, the narrative moves in a dreamlike fugue through a Hammer Horror stylized nightmare tableau. The first half is all about a slow gradual build-up and creakily traditional haunted house scares before all hell breaks out. While nowhere nearly a gore-drenched as Bustillo and Maury's debut Inside, it still packs quite a bloody punch. The story completely spirals out of control during the last act, leaving only the imagery to carry the day. A strong modern Gothic horror that I'll be revisiting again.
This sounds superb. If I can track it down quickly enough I'll include it as one of my 31, but coupling your write up with the trailer I'm sold regardless.
Marty Chinn
Member
#4 - Dark Tide
I thought this was going to be another shark killer movie, but it's more of a suspense movie than a horror flick. Not a whole lot happens and everyone's ego goes haywire by the third act of the film. Nothing to write home about but Halle Berry was nice eye candy and I thought the movie was visually well shot. I'd really like to see a making of to see how they did all the shark footage integration. A lot of it was real footage and only a couple shots where the CG really stood out. Overall, visually it was well put together to make you think the sharks are there and I'm sure in a lot of cases, they were.
I thought this was going to be another shark killer movie, but it's more of a suspense movie than a horror flick. Not a whole lot happens and everyone's ego goes haywire by the third act of the film. Nothing to write home about but Halle Berry was nice eye candy and I thought the movie was visually well shot. I'd really like to see a making of to see how they did all the shark footage integration. A lot of it was real footage and only a couple shots where the CG really stood out. Overall, visually it was well put together to make you think the sharks are there and I'm sure in a lot of cases, they were.
MattyH
Member
#3 Dead Set. Im from the UK and i love zombies but i also love the work of Charlie Brooker back in 2008 he wrote dead set taking the nations love of big brother and not just chucking zombies in but manages to create something that not only has moments of real dark humor but also tears strips from the nations love for big brother and the cult of celebrity.
#4(doing this now as im with the girlfriend tonight) Candyman
#4(doing this now as im with the girlfriend tonight) Candyman
SillyEskimo
Member
I snuck in another one last night and boy am I glad I did.
8. The Final - 10/3
A group of tormented high school students invite all of their bullies to a party, drug them, tie them up, and extract hellish revenge. That's it. That's the movie. It's a revenge slasher with real life connections to it's audience. Acting was a tad shaky at times, but the theme resonates so loudly that the faults are overshadowed IMO.
At the start, the bullies are all a virtual parody because their traits have been exaggerated so much. Still, it worked, because I hated every single one of those motherfuckers. When they get their just desserts though, I had a similar feeling as to when I watched Devil's Rejects. Sure, these are despicable human beings who have knowingly inflicted abuse on others and have even taken great pleasure in doing so. However, I still couldn't help but think that no one deserves what they are forced to endure. It had some great cringe worthy moments and a surprising amount of twists for such a simple plot.
Holy shit, everyone who has ever been bullied will find an odd satisfaction in this movie. The people behind this movie obviously had some real demons in them. This one really stuck with me.
I think everyone should see this one.
8. The Final - 10/3
A group of tormented high school students invite all of their bullies to a party, drug them, tie them up, and extract hellish revenge. That's it. That's the movie. It's a revenge slasher with real life connections to it's audience. Acting was a tad shaky at times, but the theme resonates so loudly that the faults are overshadowed IMO.
At the start, the bullies are all a virtual parody because their traits have been exaggerated so much. Still, it worked, because I hated every single one of those motherfuckers. When they get their just desserts though, I had a similar feeling as to when I watched Devil's Rejects. Sure, these are despicable human beings who have knowingly inflicted abuse on others and have even taken great pleasure in doing so. However, I still couldn't help but think that no one deserves what they are forced to endure. It had some great cringe worthy moments and a surprising amount of twists for such a simple plot.
Holy shit, everyone who has ever been bullied will find an odd satisfaction in this movie. The people behind this movie obviously had some real demons in them. This one really stuck with me.
I think everyone should see this one.
Team Jones
Member
#3 - Resident Evil: Degeneration (2008) (Oct 3)
Impression: I don't know if this is considered a Horror Movie, but it has Zombies, so good enough. This just might be my favorite Resident Evil movie. I thought it would be terrible because I assumed an entire CGI movie couldn't possibly be good, but it's GOOD! I recommend watching it. GOOD MOVIE.
#1 - 'Vile' (2011)*
#2 - 'The Final' (2010)*
#3 - 'Resident Evil: Degeneration'*
*Netflix Stream
Day #2 - Eaten Alive (1977; Dir. Tobe Hooper)
When the first scene features a redneck caricature trying to anal rape a negligee-clad prostitute, followed by another scene a 10 minutes later in which another man tries to rape the same woman, you know you're in for a sleazy, sleazy movie. Fortunately, Eaten Alive does what good exploitation should do, slathering the titillation of sex and violence under a thick coat of grease, more likely to disgust than arouse. Unlike many exploitation movies, Eaten Alive rarely pads out its plot, giving even its most exposition heavy scenes either a spike of insanity or striking gravitas.
This craftsmanship shouldn't be surprising, as Eaten Alive is Hooper's follow-up to Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Unfortunately, though, this movie feels more like a lead-up to TCM, covering a lot of the same ground, but veering more into hicksploitation instead of the abject horror. Which isn't to say that it isn't effective, but some of the missteps -- particularly the pacing of the second act, which inserts a number of interludes into the mad innkeeper's pursuit of a little girl, thereby deflating any tension -- are more forgivable in a first-time director.
Overall, the movie's strength of its lack of conviction, its solid performances, and genuine horror is enough to leave you feeling appropriately unsettled.
GRADE: B+
Day #3 - The 'Burbs (1989; Dir. Joe Dante)
I know this movie has a strong enough following on GAF to warrant its own thread, but I've never been a huge fan. Usually, I like Dante's madcap approach to horror, but there's something just a bit too broad here -- from the boorish neighbor, to the responsible wife, to the Eastern European outsiders -- and I always feel like the movie's end is a bit of a cheat, trying to have its cake and eat it too.
That said, if I can put those hang-ups aside, its hard not to get sucked into the goofy fun and pratfalls. It's a loving homage to old-time monster movies and neighborhood spook stories, back when we didn't know not to worry about foreigners or to expect our wives to be the adult all the time, and works best when we forget that stuff.
GRADE: C+
BattleMonkey
Member
Think that's the first I've ever seen anyone like that CG RE monstrocity.
miller_time22
Neo Member
#3 Night of the Living Dead (1990)
Last night I watched this movie for the first time. I had seen the original many times, but had never gotten around to seeing this. I just recently bought the new blu-ray release. Evidently there's some changes to the look of the film early on that had everyone up in arms, but with a first time viewing it didn't really bother me too much (but something did seem a bit off).
As for the film itself, I quite enjoyed it. Of course, the concept and basic plot of the original film is fairly simplistic, but so very effective. I thought that this version kept enough of the basic structure the same, but added enough tweaks in characterizations and plot twists to keep things interesting. Having said that, I do think the ending of the original is much more effective, but understand why they wouldn't want to do the exact same thing again.
Overall, I quite enjoyed this and feel like it makes a good companion piece to the original film.
Last night I watched this movie for the first time. I had seen the original many times, but had never gotten around to seeing this. I just recently bought the new blu-ray release. Evidently there's some changes to the look of the film early on that had everyone up in arms, but with a first time viewing it didn't really bother me too much (but something did seem a bit off).
As for the film itself, I quite enjoyed it. Of course, the concept and basic plot of the original film is fairly simplistic, but so very effective. I thought that this version kept enough of the basic structure the same, but added enough tweaks in characterizations and plot twists to keep things interesting. Having said that, I do think the ending of the original is much more effective, but understand why they wouldn't want to do the exact same thing again.
Overall, I quite enjoyed this and feel like it makes a good companion piece to the original film.
I am jumping in on this, 4 days out but Im sure I can catch up.
Day 4. - Movie #1 - The Cabin In The Woods.
I thought it was a very smart and fun film, enjoyed how it takes the formula of a lot of horror movies and turns it into what it is. I highly recommend.
I should be able to get more movies in sooner than later. Apartment is having maintenance done on it, but should be done today so I can set back up my entertainment system. I generally watch nothing but horror movies as it is, my gf and I both actually, so this won't be hard to fulfill.
Day 4. - Movie #1 - The Cabin In The Woods.
I thought it was a very smart and fun film, enjoyed how it takes the formula of a lot of horror movies and turns it into what it is. I highly recommend.
I should be able to get more movies in sooner than later. Apartment is having maintenance done on it, but should be done today so I can set back up my entertainment system. I generally watch nothing but horror movies as it is, my gf and I both actually, so this won't be hard to fulfill.
Like others, I wish the film hadn't showed its hand so soon, and that it was more successful at effectivey utilizing the various horror tropes it was lampooning, but overall I agree it was fantastic. I couldn't call it a horror movie per se, but it still felt like a love-letter to fans of the genre. More could have been done with the film while it was still above ground - I'd say the only real highlight was the basement scene, which successfully teased so much, and consequentlially whet my appetite for the incredible climax. I knew the 'incdent' was coming, but never imagined it would feature such diversity, or so many basement call backs. Looking forward to watching it again.
Jill Sandwich
the turds of Optimus Prime
I'm aiming for 1 a night, and if it goes past midnight I have failed.
mariachi507
Member
#2 Curse of Frankenstein (Oct. 1)
"I've harmed nobody, just robbed a few graves!"
Awaiting execution, Victor Frankenstein recounts the details his life to a priest which may or may not have included the creation of a monster.
I've never been too big on Hammer Horror but I always make sure that I include one of their films in my marathon. After being disappointed by Vampire Circus and the Horror of Dracula I wasn't expecting much from this one, fortunately I was wrong. Curse of Frankenstein is not only a fantastic Frankenstein flick, it's also a great horror movie. Unlike the Universal movies (which I love) the star of the show here is the Doctor (Peter Cushing) himself, and he is an evil sonofabitch. The makeup for the monster (Christopher Lee) is original and grotesque, which complements the violence very well. Superbly shot and acted, if you dig Frankenstein or horror in general, check this one out.
8/10
"I've harmed nobody, just robbed a few graves!"
Awaiting execution, Victor Frankenstein recounts the details his life to a priest which may or may not have included the creation of a monster.
I've never been too big on Hammer Horror but I always make sure that I include one of their films in my marathon. After being disappointed by Vampire Circus and the Horror of Dracula I wasn't expecting much from this one, fortunately I was wrong. Curse of Frankenstein is not only a fantastic Frankenstein flick, it's also a great horror movie. Unlike the Universal movies (which I love) the star of the show here is the Doctor (Peter Cushing) himself, and he is an evil sonofabitch. The makeup for the monster (Christopher Lee) is original and grotesque, which complements the violence very well. Superbly shot and acted, if you dig Frankenstein or horror in general, check this one out.
8/10
John Rabbit
Banned
day 3. movie 2. - apollo 18
--
god damnit. god damnit this movie.
i should preface this by saying i absolutely love this concept.
so how does one completely botch this concept? by asking way too much of the audience.
apollo 18, for the uninitiated, is another entry into the found-footage subgenre. it (re)tells the supposed events of a clandestine 18th apollo mission sent to the moon to install listening devices for soviet ICBMS. from the start, the film also hints that there is a reason that we have not been back to the moon for nearly 40 years.
the film is comprised entirely of footage that is (very believably, probably the best aspect of the film) faked to look as though it is from camera equipment from the early 70s. i suspect that much of the footage, specifically from later in the film, is of a much higher quality than kodachrome of the time could actually produce, but thats irrelevant in the scheme of things.
supporting this footage is audio presumably captured from either transmissions between the crew and NASA, and possibly from the cameras? a lot of the dialogue is far too clean sounding, and from what i understand, the cameras they took with them to the moon were not capable of recording sound directly. again this is largely irrelevant as you can simply write it off as "some technology NASA had" that was not commercially available at the time.
these minor issues pale in comparison to the fact that the film simply is not effective whatsoever in conveying the fear and terror that it obviously wants you to feel. the problems with the film for me stem from 4 very important issues:
any one of these problems would be smoothed over by the lack of the others and are disputably, problems that only a found-footage film must overcome. hellraiser isn't scary because pinhead might pop out of my closet, it's scary because of how goddamned visually and aurally disturbing everything in the film is. however, in the case of apollo 18, i am being asked to overcome ALL these issues simultaneously in order to "get into" the mind set of the film, it's characters, and the setting. nothing connects here; it's like watching a youtube video through a window on a busy street in broad daylight.
as a comparison, something like paranormal activity (which, arguably, this films attempts to emulate on some basic level) works more effectively because of it's immediacy and relatability. the characters seem like everyday people, live in everyday houses, and aside from the most recent film, the events take place in near-past/present. as an audience member, you're sold on the veracity of the events unfolding. with apollo 18, you're just constantly reminded of being inside an old camera, watching something that (supposedly) happened 40 years ago, to people you can't relate to in a situation you can barely empathize with.
the film has a few good bits, there's about a good 7 minute chunk toward the middle that works amazingly well and probably would best be re-tooled into a 10-15 minute short film, but overall the execution is lackluster. while i wasn't bothered by it in this capacity, there is also basically zero explanation for the events unfolding for the entire duration of the film. motivations for character behavior as things start to deteriorate are mostly absent, but i gave that up to simply adding to the panic and confusion the film was trying to convey. my girlfriend however was particularly bothered by how "almost nothing [character X] did in the last 20 minutes made any sense". so if you're wanting a tightly woven narrative with a chilling backstory, apollo 18 doesn't have it. at a relatively short running time of 86 minutes, the film could have really used another 15-20 minutes of character and atmosphere development.
apollo 18 - 4/10
good for convincing effects/visuals and brilliant concept; poor for just about everything else.
tl;dr version - astronauts on a secret 18th apollo mission go to the moon under suspicious circumstances; eventually something terrible happens, everybody flips out, shit hits the fan and it's all captured on grainy 1970s film cameras. except you don't care about anything that's happening and spend half the film trying to decipher what the fuck anyone is saying because it's just constant noise for 86 minutes.
--
god damnit. god damnit this movie.
i should preface this by saying i absolutely love this concept.
- desolate extraterrestial landscapes? yes.
- derelict spacecraft? yes.
- crushing sense of isolation set against the infinite void of space? YES.
- forboding sense of dread around something terrible that happened before you arrived? FUCK. YES.
so how does one completely botch this concept? by asking way too much of the audience.
apollo 18, for the uninitiated, is another entry into the found-footage subgenre. it (re)tells the supposed events of a clandestine 18th apollo mission sent to the moon to install listening devices for soviet ICBMS. from the start, the film also hints that there is a reason that we have not been back to the moon for nearly 40 years.
the film is comprised entirely of footage that is (very believably, probably the best aspect of the film) faked to look as though it is from camera equipment from the early 70s. i suspect that much of the footage, specifically from later in the film, is of a much higher quality than kodachrome of the time could actually produce, but thats irrelevant in the scheme of things.
supporting this footage is audio presumably captured from either transmissions between the crew and NASA, and possibly from the cameras? a lot of the dialogue is far too clean sounding, and from what i understand, the cameras they took with them to the moon were not capable of recording sound directly. again this is largely irrelevant as you can simply write it off as "some technology NASA had" that was not commercially available at the time.
these minor issues pale in comparison to the fact that the film simply is not effective whatsoever in conveying the fear and terror that it obviously wants you to feel. the problems with the film for me stem from 4 very important issues:
- I am not an astronaut, nor have I been to the moon. I have never once experience a situation remotely similar to that of the film, i am completely unable to identify with these characters or their situation. unlike say, apollo 13, there is almost no time spent on humanizing the characters or developing an empathy for them. nobody was unlikable, but i didn't really care about them either.
- as a viewer, i spent the entire film inside of a camera. granted, all films are spent "inside" of a camera, but given that this is a found-footage film, you are constantly reminded that you are experiencing these events passively as they were recorded (because of time code, glitches, low-framerate, poor image quality, etc). there is no sense of presence or immediacy to anything.
- the film is too goddamned noisy and claustrophobic. there is little time paid to the vast loneliness of the lunar surface, and there is hardly a 5 second span of time that isn't filled with dialogue, creepy noises or comms chatter/interference.
- being set in 1974, it's been almost 40 years since the events of the film. so if something went terribly wrong, it's obviously not made so much an impact as to affect me directly. the film tries, pithily, to put a "the end...or is it?" moment just before the credits, but it's way too little way too late. i am simply not moved by the plight of these men or the events taking place because it has no potential to affect my world.
any one of these problems would be smoothed over by the lack of the others and are disputably, problems that only a found-footage film must overcome. hellraiser isn't scary because pinhead might pop out of my closet, it's scary because of how goddamned visually and aurally disturbing everything in the film is. however, in the case of apollo 18, i am being asked to overcome ALL these issues simultaneously in order to "get into" the mind set of the film, it's characters, and the setting. nothing connects here; it's like watching a youtube video through a window on a busy street in broad daylight.
as a comparison, something like paranormal activity (which, arguably, this films attempts to emulate on some basic level) works more effectively because of it's immediacy and relatability. the characters seem like everyday people, live in everyday houses, and aside from the most recent film, the events take place in near-past/present. as an audience member, you're sold on the veracity of the events unfolding. with apollo 18, you're just constantly reminded of being inside an old camera, watching something that (supposedly) happened 40 years ago, to people you can't relate to in a situation you can barely empathize with.
the film has a few good bits, there's about a good 7 minute chunk toward the middle that works amazingly well and probably would best be re-tooled into a 10-15 minute short film, but overall the execution is lackluster. while i wasn't bothered by it in this capacity, there is also basically zero explanation for the events unfolding for the entire duration of the film. motivations for character behavior as things start to deteriorate are mostly absent, but i gave that up to simply adding to the panic and confusion the film was trying to convey. my girlfriend however was particularly bothered by how "almost nothing [character X] did in the last 20 minutes made any sense". so if you're wanting a tightly woven narrative with a chilling backstory, apollo 18 doesn't have it. at a relatively short running time of 86 minutes, the film could have really used another 15-20 minutes of character and atmosphere development.
apollo 18 - 4/10
good for convincing effects/visuals and brilliant concept; poor for just about everything else.
tl;dr version - astronauts on a secret 18th apollo mission go to the moon under suspicious circumstances; eventually something terrible happens, everybody flips out, shit hits the fan and it's all captured on grainy 1970s film cameras. except you don't care about anything that's happening and spend half the film trying to decipher what the fuck anyone is saying because it's just constant noise for 86 minutes.
Awesome review. Never heard of this film before, concept sounds fantastic, yet I feel I would have exactly the same reaction to it as you.
But I still sort of want to see it.
#4 - The Midnight Meat Train
Trailer
Another adaptation of a tale from Clive Barker's Books of Blood. Far superior to Dread, the stellar casting really shines here, and the plot of the original short story is expanded via solid writing in keeping with the theme and tone of the source material. The film is let down by poor CGI effects, particularly during a few kill scenes which would have benefitted profoundly from a grittier punch; and while I was needlessly afraid the film would shy away from the weird ending of the short story, the interpretation it delivered was distressingly toothless. If the production crew had really gone to town on the final scenes they could have salvaged the film and delivered something special, but the lazy set design and underwhelming depiction of what ought to have been the film's most shocking revelation was a total let down. An engaging story very well told neutered by poor visual effects and a lack of bite.
Thinking of Clive Barker, I'd love to see a competent director adapt In the Hills, The Cities.
But at least we'll always have Hellraiser.
fluffydelusions
Member
Oh syfy, I'm not mad in the least but how does Star Trek movie marathon qualify as halloween movies lol
http://www.syfy.com/schedule/
http://www.syfy.com/schedule/
mariachi507
Member
#3 Black Sunday (Oct. 3)
"You will never escape my vengeance, or of Satan's!"
A gothic horror tale where a witch is to be executed by her brother but before this is carried out she places a curse on his descendants.
This movie is awesome. The opening shocked me with how graphic it was and Mario Bava certainly knows his way around a camera. The film oozes with atmosphere in every frame and the shots are just as important as the narrative is. Props to Barbara Steele for being able to pull off the dual roles of the innocent heroine and the demonic witch who can convey more emotion with her eyes then words ever could. I'll be looking forward to watching this one again. 8.5/10
"You will never escape my vengeance, or of Satan's!"
A gothic horror tale where a witch is to be executed by her brother but before this is carried out she places a curse on his descendants.
This movie is awesome. The opening shocked me with how graphic it was and Mario Bava certainly knows his way around a camera. The film oozes with atmosphere in every frame and the shots are just as important as the narrative is. Props to Barbara Steele for being able to pull off the dual roles of the innocent heroine and the demonic witch who can convey more emotion with her eyes then words ever could. I'll be looking forward to watching this one again. 8.5/10
#4 Megan is Missing (2011)
Well I made the mistake of watching this movie. I'm actually a sucker for found footage movies, despite them being generic and played out, I always find them interesting. This one is poorly done for multiple reasons.
1. The acting/writing and portrayal of teenagers in general is beyond embarrasing.
2. The way the footage is strung together makes no sense, for instance girls using razor phones to video chat somehow being recorded.
3. How the footage was all found and presented.
This stuff doesn't really bother me too much, because this comes with the territory of found footage films, however it was particularly bad in this movie. All of this being said the movie is still profoundly effective and mainly for 1 reason... the final 22 minutes. I've seen just about ever shock and gorror/torture porn movie there is- Martyrs, Cannibal Holocaust, Audition, A Serbian Film, so on so forth. I've got to be completely honest, this was one of the most disturbing, if not the most disturbing movie I've ever seen. I hated every drawn out, gut wrenching second of it.
Don't watch this movie unless you want to fill depressed/sick to your stomach. Having read the background of the movie, the effect has worn off a bit as I believed this was based on something more specific. That being said it's a fact that this stuff does happen out there, and it's horrifying to think it could be happening right now.
4/10
Full list
#1 Sleepaway Camp- 6/10
#2 Psycho II- 7.5/10
#3 House- 6.5/10
#4 Megan is Missing- 4/10
.......#4a. Cabin in the woods- 9/10 This was a bonus. Already had seen it and doing the challenge to watch all new movies. That said movie kicks ass.
John Rabbit
Banned
if the concept is a strong enough pull to see it after reading my review, i would say go ahead and give it a whirl (maybe after the 31 days). it's short enough that it doesn't feel like you're investing an entire evening to watch it, and i would still recommend it to anyone that loves movies about terrible things happening in space. just expect to be let down.
i felt the same way about midnight meat train as you. i've never read the story, but the ending was definitely limp. the first 3/4s or so were very enjoyable though.
#8 - Black Christmas (1974)
Apparently one of the first slashers made and it influenced a lot of other (American) horror movies that followed. I think Black Christmas itself might have been influenced by some of Argento's early giallo's. This movie is very deserving of its cult status, it had a lot of atmospheric shots, tense sequences all drenched in black humor. Worth mentioning are the genuinely disturbing phone calls the girls receive and the very daring ending of which I'm not sure what I think of it. 7/10
BattleMonkey
Member
Black Christmas doesn't get enough credit!
And of course best part about it, by the same director as a Christmas Story.
And of course best part about it, by the same director as a Christmas Story.
#5 Chernobyl Diaries
What a waste, I could have forgiven this for being bad in the way monsters was bad, with shitty characters and story but beautiful shots of the inspirational location. This is just a complete trainwreck, badly shot shaky cam footage without any of the point of view or tension of a found footage film. When stuff finally does happen it's too dark to see what's going on most of the time and when you do see the mutants they're bottom tier zombies.
* out of *****
What a waste, I could have forgiven this for being bad in the way monsters was bad, with shitty characters and story but beautiful shots of the inspirational location. This is just a complete trainwreck, badly shot shaky cam footage without any of the point of view or tension of a found footage film. When stuff finally does happen it's too dark to see what's going on most of the time and when you do see the mutants they're bottom tier zombies.
* out of *****
Secret Fawful
Member
#8 - Black Christmas (1974)
Apparently one of the first slashers made and it influenced a lot of other (American) horror movies that followed. I think Black Christmas itself might have been influenced by some of Argento's early giallo's. This movie is very deserving of its cult status, it had a lot of atmospheric shots, tense sequences all drenched in black humor. Worth mentioning are the genuinely disturbing phone calls the girls receive and the very daring ending of which I'm not sure what I think of it. 7/10
One of the only movies I can't watch all the way through. Scares the shit out of me.