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31 Days of Horror 7 |OT| The October Movie Marathon
- Thread starter ThirstyFly
- Start date
excelsiorlef
Member
That was its goal to be both a throwback and timeless.... sit's such an lesser mentioned element that makes the movie work as well as it does. That's why the tech feels above what we have but the aesthetic feels closer to the 80s.
Side note one thing that bothers me about the Friday the 13th Series, and I know it has to be this way, no one cuts his fucking head off or ever tries (other than JTG but JTG and the Demon worm shit is dumb as fuck)
Thinking back over It Follows, I just realized it's effectively a serious version of The Horribly Slow Murderer With The Extremely Inefficient Weapon. That it still works as a horror movie is a testament to it.
dr3upmushroom
Banned
Watched Evil Dead OG for the first time last night, really enjoyed the film and I was impressed on how well it still holds up given its age and indie status. Aside from some stiff acting in the beginning sections, the film was great throughout. I'll probably watch the second one today. 4/5
#19 - Final Destination (2000)
One of the pitfalls this movie, and I assume for the sequels as well, is to keep the parts in between the elaborate death scenes entertaining and engaging. For this first movie it mostly succeeds because of the needed world building. It does a really good job at setting up the rules of the Final Destination universe, the characters that are used for the exposition scenes catch on really quick and that just makes things all the clearer for the viewer. Thats a smart way to get the ball rolling and keep things moving. This is a very solid first entry with some solid storytelling, elaborate set-ups and crazy death scenes. The deaths are still quite tame in comparison to whats to come I reckon, but this was made with a lot of glee and I cant wait to see how these movies develop. 6/10
Violence Jack
Member
#24 - Last Girl Standing (FTV)
I'll get it out of the way right now. I knew what was going to happen based on the first 30 minutes of the film, and the box art kind of gives away what happens in the last act. That being said, this was not terrible for an indie horror film. However, it wasn't particularly good either. Instead of going into detail about this very average horror movie, I'll give some quick pros and cons:
Pros:
- Original story and interesting perspective on slasher films (It's no Leslie Vernon though)
- Good prologue
- Lead actress put on a good performance
Cons:
- Twist was obvious after the first 30 minutes
- Rest of the cast were obnoxiously poor actors
- The killer looked like he was given $20 bucks to find a wardrobe at his nearest Goodwill while borrowing his daddy's deer antlers and stapling some rabbit furs to his face.
- 2nd half of the film dragged a bit and the last scene is a bit silly
If you're bored and not well-versed in horror films, I'd say this would be worth a watch. For someone raised on horror films, I found it having potential before being ultimately disappointed at the end.
5 skinned rabbits hanging in your backyard out of 10
It's also funny to see Bruce Campbell mostly being fairly wimpy in the first film compared to the wisecracking badass he is from the sequels.
sp3ctr3
Member
LOL I can't believe I had 3 movies mixed up!! I remembered the girl from Day of the Dead (2008) and was sure that the gas attendant zombie that learns to shoot from Land of the Dead was in it and that they ran across the guy with the Jar from Planet Terror.
I should watch Planet Terror again. I only watched it once when it came out.
pitcairn55
Member
October 19
Film #22
Worry Dolls aka The Devil's Dolls
This is a film with a split personality. Is it a horror movie? Is it a cop drama? It just can't make its mind up. Sadly, it's not very good at being either. I had high hopes, after a nicely gruesome opening five minutes which featured entertaining use of a large power tool, that I was in for an enjoyable splatterfest. Sadly, it was not to be, and what I ended up with was pretty much the definition of a mediocre modern horror film. At no point did I really feel like turning it off, but equally, at no point did I really give a shit what happened next.
The main problem is the unbelievably cliched characters. Is every single cop in America divorced? Do they all have kids that don't get on with their mum's sensible, grounded, boring new partner? Does said mum still secretly hold a candle for the dad, but just couldn't take the pressure his job put them under when they were together? Do all these divorced cops tell their kids that they know they haven't been around much but they're definitely going to be there from now on, like the superdads they always were at heart?
The irony here is that if this particular cop (whose name escapes me) was actually a superdad and a halfway decent police officer, he would have followed standard chain-of-custody procedure for evidence in a murder investigation and not just chucked a bunch of stuff belonging to a serial killer and taken from a crime scene carelessly into the back of his car before going straight round his ex's house, and thus he would not have exposed his eight year old daughter to cursed Guatemalan worry dolls, with such disastrous results.
Apart from the script, the other real problem with the film is a total absence of anything like suspense. There is no tension, no fear to be had. Even the jump scares don't work, nor does the 'Here's Johnny!' moment or the Linda Blair impressions.
Verdict: The kills are good gory fun, but not fun enough to warrant ploughing through the dull, unrealistic police procedural that surrounds them.
Films I've watched so far
Film #22
Worry Dolls aka The Devil's Dolls
This is a film with a split personality. Is it a horror movie? Is it a cop drama? It just can't make its mind up. Sadly, it's not very good at being either. I had high hopes, after a nicely gruesome opening five minutes which featured entertaining use of a large power tool, that I was in for an enjoyable splatterfest. Sadly, it was not to be, and what I ended up with was pretty much the definition of a mediocre modern horror film. At no point did I really feel like turning it off, but equally, at no point did I really give a shit what happened next.
The main problem is the unbelievably cliched characters. Is every single cop in America divorced? Do they all have kids that don't get on with their mum's sensible, grounded, boring new partner? Does said mum still secretly hold a candle for the dad, but just couldn't take the pressure his job put them under when they were together? Do all these divorced cops tell their kids that they know they haven't been around much but they're definitely going to be there from now on, like the superdads they always were at heart?
The irony here is that if this particular cop (whose name escapes me) was actually a superdad and a halfway decent police officer, he would have followed standard chain-of-custody procedure for evidence in a murder investigation and not just chucked a bunch of stuff belonging to a serial killer and taken from a crime scene carelessly into the back of his car before going straight round his ex's house, and thus he would not have exposed his eight year old daughter to cursed Guatemalan worry dolls, with such disastrous results.
Apart from the script, the other real problem with the film is a total absence of anything like suspense. There is no tension, no fear to be had. Even the jump scares don't work, nor does the 'Here's Johnny!' moment or the Linda Blair impressions.
Verdict: The kills are good gory fun, but not fun enough to warrant ploughing through the dull, unrealistic police procedural that surrounds them.
Films I've watched so far
Count Dookkake
Member
.
38) You're Next (2011)
Will you just die already? This is hard enough for me.
A well made, albeit generic home invasion slasher. There are a few wrinkles thrown in there, like the lead luckily being some sort of survivalist and able to fight back rather than just flee and hide, and some black comedy elements, but for the most part you get what you expect, basically.
A whole lot of flat characters are besieged by masked killers and picked off one by one in violent ways. In that regard it executes its job nicely. The kills are grisly and varied, there's plenty of tension, and it's all aptly shot and choreographed. I was entertained, but I don't think there's a great deal here that's memorable or original.
It's an easy watch. If you like this genre of horror give it a whirl.
Will you just die already? This is hard enough for me.
A well made, albeit generic home invasion slasher. There are a few wrinkles thrown in there, like the lead luckily being some sort of survivalist and able to fight back rather than just flee and hide, and some black comedy elements, but for the most part you get what you expect, basically.
A whole lot of flat characters are besieged by masked killers and picked off one by one in violent ways. In that regard it executes its job nicely. The kills are grisly and varied, there's plenty of tension, and it's all aptly shot and choreographed. I was entertained, but I don't think there's a great deal here that's memorable or original.
It's an easy watch. If you like this genre of horror give it a whirl.
#19 - Final Destination (2000)
One of the pitfalls this movie, and I assume for the sequels as well, is to keep the parts in between the elaborate death scenes entertaining and engaging. For this first movie it mostly succeeds because of the needed world building. It does a really good job at setting up the rules of the Final Destination universe, the characters that are used for the exposition scenes catch on really quick and that just makes things all the clearer for the viewer. Thats a smart way to get the ball rolling and keep things moving. This is a very solid first entry with some solid storytelling, elaborate set-ups and crazy death scenes. The deaths are still quite tame in comparison to whats to come I reckon, but this was made with a lot of glee and I cant wait to see how these movies develop. 6/10
Yeah, you'll find that starting with the first sequel that the elaboration of the deaths gets wild. You gotta give credit where credit is due for the series: they really do find new and interesting ways to destroy human bodies.
BTW, I haven't been ignoring this thread at all, so much as I've been in a rut as far as any desire to do any kind of elaborate write-up of anything I've been watching in the past couple of days. It also doesn't help that I'm starting to panic that I probably started off too slow with my programming this year, as I've got a lot of films to try and through in the next week and a half, and it's pretty daunting, to say the least.
mariachi507
Member
Endure.
I've sort of hit a wall for the first time this month as well. Luckily I'm well ahead of schedule when it comes to my viewings so I can afford a couple of days off. I've got to make sure I stay ahead of my writeups though since this is the point of the month where I usually start falling behind.
Oh, I'm not giving up or anything like that. It's just going to be tough to watch everything I put on my list before Halloween.
Im in the same situation. Decided to watch the good stuff and leave the rest of the list for next month. Itll still be fun then!
More_Badass
Member
25) Lake Mungo (2008)
Not particularly scary, but definitely uneasy. The movie does a remarkable job at emulating the look and feel of a real documentary, maybe the best I've ever seen attempt that style. But it's a slow burn story of grief invaded by unsettling unexplained horror, done quite well.
Day 19,
19. I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House
It's a slog. Avoid. Unless you really like Ruth Wilson (of Luther fame). It's pretty much written as a book, or a poem, even, but it goes far too long even at an hour and a half runtime. It meanders and the scares barely happen and even at the last one you're just thankful something happens. This is the tamest haunted house. Minus the murders.
19. I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House
It's a slog. Avoid. Unless you really like Ruth Wilson (of Luther fame). It's pretty much written as a book, or a poem, even, but it goes far too long even at an hour and a half runtime. It meanders and the scares barely happen and even at the last one you're just thankful something happens. This is the tamest haunted house. Minus the murders.
21) I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In The House
Agree with everything Toa TAK said above me. It's fine, but didn't leave much of a lasting impression due to its pretty lackluster pace and meandering ways. There are some pretty neat visual tricks, though.
22) The Eyes of My Mother
This thing. This thing! It's certainly one of the more disturbing movies on my list. It opens with something disturbing, and then that third act says, "Oh yeah? Well check this shit out!" But beyond the somewhat shock of it is a really damn good movie, a movie that knows how to use its slowness and its quiet to its advantage. And the black and white images and photography is exceptional. The fact that this is a directorial debut makes it all the more of a surprise.
Agree with everything Toa TAK said above me. It's fine, but didn't leave much of a lasting impression due to its pretty lackluster pace and meandering ways. There are some pretty neat visual tricks, though.
22) The Eyes of My Mother
This thing. This thing! It's certainly one of the more disturbing movies on my list. It opens with something disturbing, and then that third act says, "Oh yeah? Well check this shit out!" But beyond the somewhat shock of it is a really damn good movie, a movie that knows how to use its slowness and its quiet to its advantage. And the black and white images and photography is exceptional. The fact that this is a directorial debut makes it all the more of a surprise.
One of my absolute favorite slow burns. I first saw it several years ago during one of these marathons. Spoilers.
This is one of the few movies where the ideas it toys with really got under my skin, rather than just images or scares. It's bad enough to know you're going to die. It's something else entirely to see yourself after you've died, and then to actually die and get caught in this loop between time and worlds. It utterly screwed with my head for months.
The scene at the end, where the mother is describing her perspective on the shared dream/reality still gives me the willies. As does the closing photo of Alice staring out the window as the family moves on.
The scene at the end, where the mother is describing her perspective on the shared dream/reality still gives me the willies. As does the closing photo of Alice staring out the window as the family moves on.
It's a really slow burn, but it literally kept me up all night the first time I saw it. The feeling of grief that hangs over the entire film really hit me, too. It's as much about loss as everything else.
LightofRohan
Member
Hahaha, that's completely fair. I watched Halloween Horrors at Midnight before that one though (basically a halloween porn with the porn edited out) and _____ looked like the same kinda thing, so I had 0 expectations. Was surprised and liked it...
But, I'm a sucker for: 1. Halloweeny feeling movies 2. and movies made up of a bunch of short stories (Trick'R Treat does it better).
iShouldGoPro
Member
Horror Night #19 - IT COMES AT NIGHT
Before I begin, just look at this poster... How could you not watch this movie after seeing this image? I actually want this on my wall lol.
This film is awesome. I remember seeing the trailer in theaters awhile ago and was intrigued even then. I'm glad I discovered it again because it's definitely worthwhile.
If you want your head fucked with then this is the movie for you. Trey Edwards, the director of this film, said that movies like The Shining and Night of the Living Dead inspired him during the writing of this movie and it definitely shows.
It's about a family living in their home in the woods following a suggested apocalypse caused by a terrible illness. One night an intruder breaks into their house and claims that he had no idea anyone was living there and that he was just scavenging water for his family. Is he telling the truth? What's in the woods that scares everyone so much at night?
Watch this one. It'll fuck you up.
Before I begin, just look at this poster... How could you not watch this movie after seeing this image? I actually want this on my wall lol.
This film is awesome. I remember seeing the trailer in theaters awhile ago and was intrigued even then. I'm glad I discovered it again because it's definitely worthwhile.
If you want your head fucked with then this is the movie for you. Trey Edwards, the director of this film, said that movies like The Shining and Night of the Living Dead inspired him during the writing of this movie and it definitely shows.
It's about a family living in their home in the woods following a suggested apocalypse caused by a terrible illness. One night an intruder breaks into their house and claims that he had no idea anyone was living there and that he was just scavenging water for his family. Is he telling the truth? What's in the woods that scares everyone so much at night?
Watch this one. It'll fuck you up.
Roronoa Zoro
Gold Member
19. New nightmare (new)
I really enjoyed this one. Its a super meta concept and they dont play it too cheesy. Really maintains the suspense throughout and that kid is really scary in some scenes!
I really enjoyed this one. Its a super meta concept and they dont play it too cheesy. Really maintains the suspense throughout and that kid is really scary in some scenes!
Cruising Where to even begin. If you have issues watching gay dudes, don't bother with this one because a lot of time is spent in the bars and some weird shit is shown. I think the most out there was a dude lubing his hand for some uh....chocolate action. Honestly though as a straight guy the scenes weren't that bad and I think it very effectively set the film up. Al Pacino plays an undercover cop who is trying to find a serial killer targeting gay men. The ending was a bit of a letdown but overall a good slasher flick.
This one gets four bitch slaps from a big black guy in an interrogation room who is dressed in nothing but a jock strap and a cowboy hat.
While that may seem like an oddly peculiar way to rate this...it is, I shit you not, in the movie. Pacino pulls in a suspect for interrogation. Now he's undercover so their playing it straight...heh...and working him like the other guy who is the suspect. They can't get Pacino to finger....heh...the guy so they open the door to the room and...
That guy strolls in. Pacino and the suspect are like what the fuck. Black dude bitch slaps the fuck out of Pacino. Launches him to the floor. Like out of nowhere. Dude in jockstrap and cowboy hat is there for pimp slapping suspects. I was rolling cuz it was so absurdly out of place.
This one gets four bitch slaps from a big black guy in an interrogation room who is dressed in nothing but a jock strap and a cowboy hat.
While that may seem like an oddly peculiar way to rate this...it is, I shit you not, in the movie. Pacino pulls in a suspect for interrogation. Now he's undercover so their playing it straight...heh...and working him like the other guy who is the suspect. They can't get Pacino to finger....heh...the guy so they open the door to the room and...
That guy strolls in. Pacino and the suspect are like what the fuck. Black dude bitch slaps the fuck out of Pacino. Launches him to the floor. Like out of nowhere. Dude in jockstrap and cowboy hat is there for pimp slapping suspects. I was rolling cuz it was so absurdly out of place.
Hellwarden
Member
The Void
The Void hits the ground running, and that's probably the best and worst aspect of the film. Before we have a chance to settle into the settling, get a lay of the land, an eldritch horror is coming at our heroes. Granted, that walking nightmare looks real good, and explodes real good. (Hell the final monster genuinely unnerved me.) The thing is, The thing is, due the lack of a beginning, when the end rolls around, it doesn't exactly hit with an omph. It's hard to care that much about anyone in this movie, even though I think some of the actors give a pretty solid performance. Better shot than I expected too.
Still, a pretty fun movie.
The Void hits the ground running, and that's probably the best and worst aspect of the film. Before we have a chance to settle into the settling, get a lay of the land, an eldritch horror is coming at our heroes. Granted, that walking nightmare looks real good, and explodes real good. (Hell the final monster genuinely unnerved me.) The thing is, The thing is, due the lack of a beginning, when the end rolls around, it doesn't exactly hit with an omph. It's hard to care that much about anyone in this movie, even though I think some of the actors give a pretty solid performance. Better shot than I expected too.
Still, a pretty fun movie.
More_Badass
Member
26) Antichrist (2009)
I can appreciate the craftsmanship and such here, but this wasn't scary in the slightest, nor disturbing or even unsettling. Certainly nailed a surreal fever dream atmosphere, but I really didn't enjoy Antichrist at all. Not a movie for me.
I can appreciate the craftsmanship and such here, but this wasn't scary in the slightest, nor disturbing or even unsettling. Certainly nailed a surreal fever dream atmosphere, but I really didn't enjoy Antichrist at all. Not a movie for me.
dr3upmushroom
Banned
A coming of age tale.
Hmm, seems like It Comes at Night is a well recommended movie on here, so should I go with that, psycho, or Evil Dead 2?
Violence Jack
Member
Cruising Where to even begin. If you have issues watching gay dudes, don't bother with this one because a lot of time is spent in the bars and some weird shit is shown. I think the most out there was a dude lubing his hand for some uh....chocolate action. Honestly though as a straight guy the scenes weren't that bad and I think it very effectively set the film up. Al Pacino plays an undercover cop who is trying to find a serial killer targeting gay men. The ending was a bit of a letdown but overall a good slasher flick.
This one gets four bitch slaps from a big black guy in an interrogation room who is dressed in nothing but a jock strap and a cowboy hat.
While that may seem like an oddly peculiar way to rate this...it is, I shit you not, in the movie. Pacino pulls in a suspect for interrogation. Now he's undercover so their playing it straight...heh...and working him like the other guy who is the suspect. They can't get Pacino to finger....heh...the guy so they open the door to the room and...
That guy strolls in. Pacino and the suspect are like what the fuck. Black dude bitch slaps the fuck out of Pacino. Launches him to the floor. Like out of nowhere. Dude in jockstrap and cowboy hat is there for pimp slapping suspects. I was rolling cuz it was so absurdly out of place.
This is a slasher flick? I thought it was another cop drama investigating murders.
More_Badass
Member
27 movies into this, my favorite watches so far would be Night of the Living Dead (never expected to enjoy the OG zombie movie so much), Inside (holy crap, French horror movies are insane), Possession (holy crap, this movie was crazy), and In The Mouth of Madness (the perfect Lovecraftian tribute)
I have high expectations for Kill List, Under The Skin, and Raw
I have high expectations for Kill List, Under The Skin, and Raw
mechashiva
Member
1. (New) Jason Goes to Hell (Vudu)
2. (New) Trick 'r Treat (Blu)
3. (Rewatch) From Dusk Till Dawn (hulu)
4. (Rewatch) The Faculty (hulu)
5. (New) My Bloody Valentine (3d Blu)
6. (Rewatch) Sleepaway Camp 3 (vudu movies on us)
7. (New) Tag (Netflix)
8. (New) Pumpkinhead (Amazon prime)
9. (Rewatch) Final Destination 5 (3-D Blu)
10. (Rewatch) Piranha 3-D (3-D Blu)
11. (Rewatch) Sleepaway Camp 2 (Vudu on us)
12. (Rewatch) Zombieland (blu)
13. (Rewatch) The 'Burbs (Arrow Blu)
14. (Rewatch) Scream (Vudu)
15. (Rewatch) Mars Attacks (hulu)
16. (Rewatch) Devils Advocate (Hulu)
17 (New) Hatchet (Hulu).
18. (New) Night of the Living Deb (Netflix)
19. (New) Cult of Chucky (Netflix)
20. (New) The Babysitter (Netflix)
21. (Rewatch) Final Destination (Vudu) I love this series but havent watched the original in a long time. To me this is one of the most entertaining horror series too to bottom. Tony Todd is the man setting up the premise here and Clear Rivers has one of the silliest names in movies.
22. (Rewatch) Final Destination 2 (Vudu) it seems others are taking this ride right now so I wont go into to detail but no one who has ever seen this movie looks at traffic on the highway the same again. Also theres a guy that could have been Casey Jones in it.
2. (New) Trick 'r Treat (Blu)
3. (Rewatch) From Dusk Till Dawn (hulu)
4. (Rewatch) The Faculty (hulu)
5. (New) My Bloody Valentine (3d Blu)
6. (Rewatch) Sleepaway Camp 3 (vudu movies on us)
7. (New) Tag (Netflix)
8. (New) Pumpkinhead (Amazon prime)
9. (Rewatch) Final Destination 5 (3-D Blu)
10. (Rewatch) Piranha 3-D (3-D Blu)
11. (Rewatch) Sleepaway Camp 2 (Vudu on us)
12. (Rewatch) Zombieland (blu)
13. (Rewatch) The 'Burbs (Arrow Blu)
14. (Rewatch) Scream (Vudu)
15. (Rewatch) Mars Attacks (hulu)
16. (Rewatch) Devils Advocate (Hulu)
17 (New) Hatchet (Hulu).
18. (New) Night of the Living Deb (Netflix)
19. (New) Cult of Chucky (Netflix)
20. (New) The Babysitter (Netflix)
21. (Rewatch) Final Destination (Vudu) I love this series but havent watched the original in a long time. To me this is one of the most entertaining horror series too to bottom. Tony Todd is the man setting up the premise here and Clear Rivers has one of the silliest names in movies.
22. (Rewatch) Final Destination 2 (Vudu) it seems others are taking this ride right now so I wont go into to detail but no one who has ever seen this movie looks at traffic on the highway the same again. Also theres a guy that could have been Casey Jones in it.
mariachi507
Member
19. The Babysitter
I'm fairly certain that at least half the participants in this thread have written about this movie by this point, so I'm going to keep it short. McG's style was a bit much to take in at the start of this film. It's kind of like hanging out with my niece when she's all jacked up on caffeine. One minute she's bouncing off the walls and running around all over the place, but after a while she starts to settle down and is a blast. The two leads really sold it and Samara Weaving was great in particular. It's kind of similar in tone to The Final Girls where it's this over the top horror comedy that finds enough room to have some heart. Sometimes it goes too over the top but it's all in good fun.
Verdict: 7.5/10
I've come close to buying this based off the packaging alone, I haven't heard too many good things about the movie itself though.
I'm fairly certain that at least half the participants in this thread have written about this movie by this point, so I'm going to keep it short. McG's style was a bit much to take in at the start of this film. It's kind of like hanging out with my niece when she's all jacked up on caffeine. One minute she's bouncing off the walls and running around all over the place, but after a while she starts to settle down and is a blast. The two leads really sold it and Samara Weaving was great in particular. It's kind of similar in tone to The Final Girls where it's this over the top horror comedy that finds enough room to have some heart. Sometimes it goes too over the top but it's all in good fun.
Verdict: 7.5/10
I've come close to buying this based off the packaging alone, I haven't heard too many good things about the movie itself though.
pitcairn55
Member
I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In The House was my favourite movie from last October. The amount of people hating on it in this year's thread makes me sad...
8) Night of the Living Dead | via Amazon streaming
I'd seen most of this film in bits and pieces over the years, but never seen it straight through. What surprised me was seeing the origin of not just modern zombies, but so many modern zombie movie tropes. The siege structure; the internal conflict between the humans; the botched escape plan; someone within the survivors getting infected; the zombie rush/slaughter near the end; the pitch black ending. I'd seen this movie, or rather echoes of it, for years but never realized the extent of it.
Using the TV and radio to provide glimpses of the chaos happening beyond the farm was a good device to build out the story, but I wish the film did not go so far as to explain the origin of the zombies.
I was also surprised at how graphic it was, for the time. We get quite a bit of blood splatter, entrails bouncing around while clutched greedily, lots of innards and limbs getting munched, and a random nude zombie. The black and white photography was gorgeous, lots of wonderful shots inside leveraging deep shadow and slices of light casting over characters.
I wish Barbara didn't collapse into a helpless heap for most of the film, something I hear Romero spent the next couple of films in the series making up for with stronger female characters.
All in all this was both a great film - it holds up remarkably well - and an educational one, from a film history standpoint. One scratched off a very tall backlog pile.
As an aside, it was rather depressing to see the tale of a smart, take-charge black man who comes into a bad situation, gets things in order, and a bellicose white guy barges in, calls him incompetent, and wreaks all his plans. This was not quite the escape from reality I was hoping for this evening.
I'd seen most of this film in bits and pieces over the years, but never seen it straight through. What surprised me was seeing the origin of not just modern zombies, but so many modern zombie movie tropes. The siege structure; the internal conflict between the humans; the botched escape plan; someone within the survivors getting infected; the zombie rush/slaughter near the end; the pitch black ending. I'd seen this movie, or rather echoes of it, for years but never realized the extent of it.
Using the TV and radio to provide glimpses of the chaos happening beyond the farm was a good device to build out the story, but I wish the film did not go so far as to explain the origin of the zombies.
I was also surprised at how graphic it was, for the time. We get quite a bit of blood splatter, entrails bouncing around while clutched greedily, lots of innards and limbs getting munched, and a random nude zombie. The black and white photography was gorgeous, lots of wonderful shots inside leveraging deep shadow and slices of light casting over characters.
I wish Barbara didn't collapse into a helpless heap for most of the film, something I hear Romero spent the next couple of films in the series making up for with stronger female characters.
All in all this was both a great film - it holds up remarkably well - and an educational one, from a film history standpoint. One scratched off a very tall backlog pile.
As an aside, it was rather depressing to see the tale of a smart, take-charge black man who comes into a bad situation, gets things in order, and a bellicose white guy barges in, calls him incompetent, and wreaks all his plans. This was not quite the escape from reality I was hoping for this evening.
I just watched The Descent and good lord that was fucking terrifying. I thought the ending could have been better but that it was still pretty good. The ending I saw was
where it cuts back to the cave at the end, which I think was the original ending?
I would have preferred if there was no fake out before that cause I don't really like fake out stuff like that, but I still really appreciated the totally depressing end.
I would have preferred if there was no fake out before that cause I don't really like fake out stuff like that, but I still really appreciated the totally depressing end.
More_Badass
Member
Yeah, NoLD was probably my biggest surprise this month. I was surprised by the violence present in the movie, and you know it must have been jaw dropping for audiences in the 60s. As a zombie movie, it holds up remarkably well, even comparable to modern entries in the genre.
Like you said, you can see the foundations of the entire genre: the intragroup struggles, the opening chaos and confusion, needing to destroy the head or get headshots, the threat of the horde, the various character archetypes that so familiar and common, and so on.
Oh, and we never learn the origins or how it starts. They were just speculating, and then that guy's theory gets shot down.
Also check this video out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UI1kqlt4vkA
If not for a single error, the entire zombie genre would have never existed as we know it today.
I must have missed this. They spent a lot of time talking about the Venus satellite they destroyed in orbit, radiation being detected and spreading, radiation re-activating the brain, etc. At what point was it shot down?
More_Badass
Member
One of the other scientists says that the idea of the satellite and radiation is ridiculous when they're discussing it; so it's kept ambiguous and none of the other Romero movies ever try to explain the cause of the zombies
Ah, got it. I just took that to mean he thought it was incredulous, which seemed about right under the circumstances. Given how much time was devoted to the explanation I took it at face value. But I realize Romero abandoned attempts to explain it in later films, which was smart.
Something else that surprised me here: the zombies in NOTLD used tools, both to attack and to solve problems: breaking car and house windows, using clubs to break down doors, as stabbing weapons, etc. They were not just lumbering forward blindly. I haven't seen a lot of zombie films, but that's an aspect of Romero's zombies I'm surprised wasn't picked up on more often. They tend to either fast or slow, but I don't think I've ever seen any using tools as they were here. I'm not sure why, as that was an element that added to the fright: Barbara wasn't safe in the car because the fucker bashed the window in. The kid was dangerous because she used a weapon.
More_Badass
Member
Actually, if you rewatch The Walking Dead Season 1, it looked like that was the direction Darabont wanted to take the walkers. We see a walker smashing a window with a rock, walkers having memories of their lives, the first walker we see is carrying a doll, etc.
Also was interesting how the fear of fire didn't become part of the zombie rules.
dr3upmushroom
Banned
Just got done watching It Comes at Night, holy fuck man... What an intense movie. Technically a great movie, great lighting, shooting, acting, etc. but man this movie has me fucked up right now. Welp, time to sleep on it. 5/5 barking dogs.
October 19, 2017:
19 of 31 - Hell House LLC
A found footage movie about a Halloween haunt gone terribly wrong...
This is based on a group that travel to Abaddon NY to setup their annual Halloween haunt, Hell House at an out-of-business and abandoned hotel. The place had been left unused for quite some time and their leader Alex felt half their job was done for them because of how creepy and dilapidated the interior of the hotel was. Unfortunately things do not go well for them leading up to their opening night.
It was hard to like this movie. The characters weren't exactly likable. There were plot points that were introduced that were never mentioned again and tropes that have been used before that are used here again but with no originality and the special effects were so-so. This was probably from the smaller budget that these types of movies have. I am not saying the movie is bad at all. There were points where it was entertaining, a part where I felt tension and fear and the premise of watching a ‘behind-the-scenes' setup of a Halloween haunt was fun. I would recommend if part of a Netflix or Shudder subscription. -5/10
19 of 31 - Hell House LLC
A found footage movie about a Halloween haunt gone terribly wrong...
This is based on a group that travel to Abaddon NY to setup their annual Halloween haunt, Hell House at an out-of-business and abandoned hotel. The place had been left unused for quite some time and their leader Alex felt half their job was done for them because of how creepy and dilapidated the interior of the hotel was. Unfortunately things do not go well for them leading up to their opening night.
It was hard to like this movie. The characters weren't exactly likable. There were plot points that were introduced that were never mentioned again and tropes that have been used before that are used here again but with no originality and the special effects were so-so. This was probably from the smaller budget that these types of movies have. I am not saying the movie is bad at all. There were points where it was entertaining, a part where I felt tension and fear and the premise of watching a ‘behind-the-scenes' setup of a Halloween haunt was fun. I would recommend if part of a Netflix or Shudder subscription. -5/10
sp3ctr3
Member
#01 Serial Mom
#02 [REC]2
#03. Bloodsucking Bastards
#04. Train to Busan
#05 It Follows
#06 Hush
#07 Lights Out
#08 Cabin in the Woods (Re-watch)
#09 Krampus: The Christmas Devil (2013)
#10 The Conjuring 2
#11 Jason Lives: Friday 13th part VI (Re-watch)
#12 The Babysitter (2017)
#13 Sinister II
#14 Tales of Halloween (Re-watch)
#15 Monster House (Re-watch)
#16 Gerald's Game
#17 Day of the Dead (2008) (Re-watch)
#18 P2 (2007)
Misery in a parking garage. Nice depiction of a sociopath but it's really uninspired. You could imagine there would be some really tense moments in there as she hides from the killer but it never feels that way?
Kills are pretty brutal though and Rachel Nichols is pretty hot running around in a very basic party dress.
#02 [REC]2
#03. Bloodsucking Bastards
#04. Train to Busan
#05 It Follows
#06 Hush
#07 Lights Out
#08 Cabin in the Woods (Re-watch)
#09 Krampus: The Christmas Devil (2013)
#10 The Conjuring 2
#11 Jason Lives: Friday 13th part VI (Re-watch)
#12 The Babysitter (2017)
#13 Sinister II
#14 Tales of Halloween (Re-watch)
#15 Monster House (Re-watch)
#16 Gerald's Game
#17 Day of the Dead (2008) (Re-watch)
#18 P2 (2007)
Misery in a parking garage. Nice depiction of a sociopath but it's really uninspired. You could imagine there would be some really tense moments in there as she hides from the killer but it never feels that way?
Kills are pretty brutal though and Rachel Nichols is pretty hot running around in a very basic party dress.
Yea it's definitely a slasher flick but more of a serious film rather than a big dude killing horny teens. It's not about hate crime either. The killer happens to be gay so instead of chicks...he targets dudes. Overall it was pretty damn good.
I have to imagine that the ending probably kept you silent for a little while afterward, then. It's still crazy to me that Romero didn't even realize the implications at that time with that ending, because he accidentally created a conclusion to that film that is always going to be devastatingly relevant and timely.
iShouldGoPro
Member
I know right? I thought it was so good.
The part where
Travis is dreaming that hes looking for Stanley in the woods and he gets closer to the barking/wailing and the look of terror in his eyes...
DeathoftheEndless
Crashing this plane... with no survivors!
I love the part of Roger Ebert's review of Night of the Living Dead where he talks about the kids in the audience. He said they were all talking and laughing early on, soon became dead silent, and then they left the theater in tears.
Its a Clive Barker movie, if that carries any weight with someone. Its not a good film per se, its a great corny horror movie though. Back in the day we kept wishing for it to be on mst3k because its ripe for that treatment. It has such an iconic scene too
the turncoat preacher being baptized by Rex by peeing on him
Thats worth the price of admission alone.
39) Housebound (2014)
Wednesdays and Fridays are Coronation Street night.
I had no idea what to expect from this one, going in totally blind. The Netflix description gave zero indication this was a comedy, either. Luckily, this was pretty darn good.
Now, it's a comedy, but not a spoof. It's still a haunted house horror film, it just takes a lighthearted, playful approach. I'm reminded of the films of Taika Watiti a little, in fact it's probably no coincidence this is also a New Zealand production. Perhaps it's just their style of humour. There aren't tons of "gags" per say, it's more in the jocular execution of the thrills and scares. As an example, one of the early ghostly encounters leads to the protagonist punching a Teddy Ruxpin type bear in the face. I will say no more on that front.
The plot even has a few good twists on the traditional haunted house tale that I actually didn't forsee.
Suffice to say this was a real hoot. It seems to be an under the radar film, so I appear to have found one of those sought after "hidden gems". Easily recommended.
Wednesdays and Fridays are Coronation Street night.
I had no idea what to expect from this one, going in totally blind. The Netflix description gave zero indication this was a comedy, either. Luckily, this was pretty darn good.
Now, it's a comedy, but not a spoof. It's still a haunted house horror film, it just takes a lighthearted, playful approach. I'm reminded of the films of Taika Watiti a little, in fact it's probably no coincidence this is also a New Zealand production. Perhaps it's just their style of humour. There aren't tons of "gags" per say, it's more in the jocular execution of the thrills and scares. As an example, one of the early ghostly encounters leads to the protagonist punching a Teddy Ruxpin type bear in the face. I will say no more on that front.
The plot even has a few good twists on the traditional haunted house tale that I actually didn't forsee.
Suffice to say this was a real hoot. It seems to be an under the radar film, so I appear to have found one of those sought after "hidden gems". Easily recommended.