LittleBoots
Member
Love the style. The beginning of the trailer reminded me of Suspiria. What a classic horror film. It's one of my favorites.
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Horror-GAF |OT|
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obin_gam
Member
Saw it a couple of hours ago. Very well shot film and fantastic score and like Drive had the 80s feel, this one had a great 70s feel. The story felt a little empty though but I guess it fits for the style of movie it wanted to be.
Definitely recommend it!
I watched Megan is Missing. Amazing film.
In many ways, it feels like everything The Poughkeepsie Tapes wishes it could be, and I say that as someone who appreciated TPT. It's relentless, unflinching, and masterfully directed. The final scene is incredible.
The content is going to be profoundly disturbing to a lot of people, but I found that the movie kept me at arm's length: things that would have been horrendous in the context of a traditional film lost some impact and gained some distance, because the style of story-telling feels so clinical. Like Poughkeepsie, the film remains emotionless. These are some facts, make of them what you will, we're not going to push you in any particular direction. But this style of storytelling also makes the film feel less fictional. I felt almost unclean afterwards, like I'd really witnessed something vile.
Hard to discuss without spoilers. But I'm surprised the film doesn't seem to have gained ubiquitous notoriety amongst horror fans, and I urge anyone who hasn't seen it (and isn't completely put-off by my impressions) to find it on Netflix and post their thoughts.
In many ways, it feels like everything The Poughkeepsie Tapes wishes it could be, and I say that as someone who appreciated TPT. It's relentless, unflinching, and masterfully directed. The final scene is incredible.
The content is going to be profoundly disturbing to a lot of people, but I found that the movie kept me at arm's length: things that would have been horrendous in the context of a traditional film lost some impact and gained some distance, because the style of story-telling feels so clinical. Like Poughkeepsie, the film remains emotionless. These are some facts, make of them what you will, we're not going to push you in any particular direction. But this style of storytelling also makes the film feel less fictional. I felt almost unclean afterwards, like I'd really witnessed something vile.
Hard to discuss without spoilers. But I'm surprised the film doesn't seem to have gained ubiquitous notoriety amongst horror fans, and I urge anyone who hasn't seen it (and isn't completely put-off by my impressions) to find it on Netflix and post their thoughts.
Melchiah
Member
I'll have to check that out, as it certainly sounds intriguing, although personally I loved The Poughkeepsie Tapes.
8BitsAtATime
Member
I bought this movie because of the hype and i hated it. Its so boring.
I saw Maniac last night and im in love with it.
I just re-read the official GAF thread. Typical reactions to a movie designed to shock: it's either worthless trash, or you're a bad person if you appreciate it.
Edit: Just read the posts above - at least Horror-GAF isn't casting aspersions against my character!
All I know is that I've seen a hell of a lot of movies, and nothing has ever made me feel quite like this one did. I'll be very interested in your opinion, especially as a fellow Poughkeepsie fan.
Melchiah
Member
Hmm, that doesn't sound so good.
I'll post my thoughts when/if I'll be able to see it, as it probably isn't available on EU Netflix, and these kind of films usually take a while to be released over here.
obin_gam
Member
I want to comment on this a bit. A movie can be designed to shock and still have good quality to it. Just look at Serbian Film - say what you will about it (I for one like it) but it has fantastic production values with the cinematography and score, great actors and very good special effects. And it's sole purpose is to shock. And this could to some degree apply to the August Underground movies as well, even if those are mostly boring, they at least have good actors and special effects to them. What MiM has, is nothing of what I have mentioned above.
Host Samurai
Member
Saw Lords of Salem. It was pretty "meh". I say this as a big fan of Zombies work (outside his Halloween movies). I feel like the move could have been really good, but it drops the ball. Zombie's imagery in the film is great. I love the creature designs, but he doesn't really do anything with it besides a scene or 2. The movie had some build up (taking place all within a weeks time, starts off on a Monday morning). I just feel lots of the tension was missing in the last half of the movie.
Sherry Moon Zombie is great though like always.
Sherry Moon Zombie is great though like always.
It sure doesn't, although I didn't have a problem with the acting at all. It's not that kind of film. It's deliberately stripped down, and about as bare-bones as it gets. There's not a lot of room for it to wow viewers with conventional film making techniques.
And I'm not discounting your (or any other) opinion; it's just a fact that when a movie tries to be shocking, viewers tend to judge it as a pass or fail: it shocked me or it didn't. If it didn't, it's often dismissed as garbage; especially if it offers little besides shock value.
MIM isn't a film about character development, and it's not especially dramatic. It's nothing more than an expression of the director's fear, and his attempt to share that fear with others. He claims nothing in the film is purely fictional; it's a blend of various different child abduction events. I think the film succeeds in being what it tries to be, though obviously that doesn't mean everyone who sees it will relate to it in the same way.
muntersaur
Member
Yeah, I saw it a couple of weeks ago. Really liked it, especially the score, and enjoyed how well shot some of the scenes were. I'll need to watch the original again at some point to compare and contrast. I think I remember the original being more grim in tone.
ThirstyFly
Member
I keep forgetting to post my impressions so here's a quick rundown of the horror flicks I've watched over the last month or so.
Manborg (2011)
Okay, not a horror movie, but I figure the audience that would appreciate Manborg would be this one. It was a fun throwback to 80s VHS crap, but I think it just falls short of living up to Astron-6's past work like Father's Day and the fake Lazer Ghosts 2 trailer. The real gem of the DVD though is Bio-Cop.
For those who don't know, Bio-Cop is a 5 minute fake tailer they added at the end, most likely just to pad the time since Manborg is only 60 minutes long. It's a homage to 80s buddy cop movies and has the stink of films like Toxic Avenger, Sargent Kabukiman NYPD and Dead Heat all over it. It's absolutely hilarious and I was laughing my ass off at the entire thing. This NEEDS to be made into a full movie.
Blood Night: The Legend of Mary Hatchet (2009)
Blood Night is your pretty typical slasher with a very 80s feel. It's basically a Halloween ripoff with a female killer and a terribly predictable twist. Still, for those looking for more 80s styled flicks (minus the in-your-face references like VHS noise and such) it's decent. I could have done without the casting of Danielle Harris though. She's too iconic to blend into the role as required and I don't think she's a particularly good actress. Not that acting ability mattered much in this one...
The Collection (2012)
While I do try to judge remakes and sequels on their own merits, it's hard for me not to compare The Collection to The Collector because everything I loved from the original is missing in the sequel. The great style and urgency are gone and the plot is completely illogical. I guess I still kind of had a little fun with it, but it was a huge let down considering how much I enjoyed the original.
The Taint (2010)
Oh Troma... I picked this up because the trailer made it look pretty absurd and I was hoping for a repeat of Father's Day - but this is garbage, even by Troma's standards. It's one of those flicks that depends on being as offensive and disgusting as possible, but all they really do is repeat the same 2 or 3 jokes over and over again and after about 5 minutes you just become desensitized to the whole thing.
There isn't really much of a narrative either. By the end of it, it just feels like they're throwing in whatever to pad the time or to disgust the viewer. It really comes off like they just wrote enough for a fake trailer, then padded it out into a "full" movie. It does have a pretty awesome 80s intro though, but that just makes the rest of the movie worse because it gives you some hope before it pulls the rug out from under your feet.
Prison (1988)
I'm not sure if I gave my opinions on this one already or not because I watched it a while ago, but here goes...
So this is an old school spirit seeking revenge movie, this time in a prison. The story is nothing terrible exciting, and honestly once they start explaining things it's a little muddy, but it makes up for that with a great atmosphere. It was filmed in a real prison, using real inmates as extras, so it has a very natural, gritty feel and that makes a huge difference.
The use of practical effects really makes it a lot more fun than modern supernatural movies and a familiar cast of faces (including Viggo Mortensen in his first leading role) really helps it too. I wish it had 1 or 2 more practical kills, because what they did have were great, but it doesn't sound like they had the money for that.
Overall, it's a fun ride for anyone looking for movies of that time period.
Manborg (2011)
Okay, not a horror movie, but I figure the audience that would appreciate Manborg would be this one. It was a fun throwback to 80s VHS crap, but I think it just falls short of living up to Astron-6's past work like Father's Day and the fake Lazer Ghosts 2 trailer. The real gem of the DVD though is Bio-Cop.
For those who don't know, Bio-Cop is a 5 minute fake tailer they added at the end, most likely just to pad the time since Manborg is only 60 minutes long. It's a homage to 80s buddy cop movies and has the stink of films like Toxic Avenger, Sargent Kabukiman NYPD and Dead Heat all over it. It's absolutely hilarious and I was laughing my ass off at the entire thing. This NEEDS to be made into a full movie.
Blood Night: The Legend of Mary Hatchet (2009)
Blood Night is your pretty typical slasher with a very 80s feel. It's basically a Halloween ripoff with a female killer and a terribly predictable twist. Still, for those looking for more 80s styled flicks (minus the in-your-face references like VHS noise and such) it's decent. I could have done without the casting of Danielle Harris though. She's too iconic to blend into the role as required and I don't think she's a particularly good actress. Not that acting ability mattered much in this one...
The Collection (2012)
While I do try to judge remakes and sequels on their own merits, it's hard for me not to compare The Collection to The Collector because everything I loved from the original is missing in the sequel. The great style and urgency are gone and the plot is completely illogical. I guess I still kind of had a little fun with it, but it was a huge let down considering how much I enjoyed the original.
The Taint (2010)
Oh Troma... I picked this up because the trailer made it look pretty absurd and I was hoping for a repeat of Father's Day - but this is garbage, even by Troma's standards. It's one of those flicks that depends on being as offensive and disgusting as possible, but all they really do is repeat the same 2 or 3 jokes over and over again and after about 5 minutes you just become desensitized to the whole thing.
There isn't really much of a narrative either. By the end of it, it just feels like they're throwing in whatever to pad the time or to disgust the viewer. It really comes off like they just wrote enough for a fake trailer, then padded it out into a "full" movie. It does have a pretty awesome 80s intro though, but that just makes the rest of the movie worse because it gives you some hope before it pulls the rug out from under your feet.
Prison (1988)
I'm not sure if I gave my opinions on this one already or not because I watched it a while ago, but here goes...
So this is an old school spirit seeking revenge movie, this time in a prison. The story is nothing terrible exciting, and honestly once they start explaining things it's a little muddy, but it makes up for that with a great atmosphere. It was filmed in a real prison, using real inmates as extras, so it has a very natural, gritty feel and that makes a huge difference.
The use of practical effects really makes it a lot more fun than modern supernatural movies and a familiar cast of faces (including Viggo Mortensen in his first leading role) really helps it too. I wish it had 1 or 2 more practical kills, because what they did have were great, but it doesn't sound like they had the money for that.
Overall, it's a fun ride for anyone looking for movies of that time period.
Anyone seen House Hunting?
Debating whether to watch it tonight.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1608368/
Debating whether to watch it tonight.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1608368/
I've seen it. It's deeply flawed, but I enjoyed it a fair bit. I love a good mystery, so I'm biased.
8BitsAtATime
Member
Watched it a couple of days ago. I liked it but i can see why people hate it. It has a huge Suspiria vibe to it.
Just finished it. Wasn't great, but for a free flick to stream on Netflix Instant it was entertaining enough.
Reminds me of Triangle at times. Except Triangle was better IMO.
You're right, the two films have a lot in common. I'm all about Triangle, though I can understand the criticism it gets.
I watched this:
Stitches
I loved it! It is low budget, silly and cliched but it was so funny and enjoyable that I didn't mind it. I specially loved the part with the kids being assholes to the poor Stitches. I hope they make a sequel.
I also watched:
Maniac (1980)
I heard a lot of good things about this film but I didn't feel it at all. It was so slow and I lost interest pretty quickly (although I still finished it). The gore was nice but the pacing was really atrocious. And the ending was really bad. I think I'll watch the remake later today to see if that's any better.
Stitches
I loved it! It is low budget, silly and cliched but it was so funny and enjoyable that I didn't mind it. I specially loved the part with the kids being assholes to the poor Stitches. I hope they make a sequel.
I also watched:
Maniac (1980)
I heard a lot of good things about this film but I didn't feel it at all. It was so slow and I lost interest pretty quickly (although I still finished it). The gore was nice but the pacing was really atrocious. And the ending was really bad. I think I'll watch the remake later today to see if that's any better.
Just finished House of the Devil. A wonderfully slow burning horror movie with a late 70's / early 80's style that is alarmingly authentic. One of those movies where the lead ignores every bright red flashing warning sign possible, but does so for well established and plausible reasons. It had a sense of patience about itself that sadly falls apart in the finale; the director made some unfortunate stylistic decisions. And the actual ending, the closing moments, were kind of cheap, IMO. Still, great flick and worth seeing.
Also enjoyed Grave Encounters a few weeks ago, another nice slow burner. Though the whole stretched mouth horror effect wore out its welcome after the first use, it still left me pretty unsettled.
Also enjoyed Grave Encounters a few weeks ago, another nice slow burner. Though the whole stretched mouth horror effect wore out its welcome after the first use, it still left me pretty unsettled.
Melchiah
Member
That's on my films-to-watch list. I'll have to rent it, when it becomes available.
Going to see the Evil Dead remake next week.
Lumpy Onion
Member
Have you seen Kill List (2011)? A really good british horror thriller that gave me some pretty decent scares. Really creepy atmosphere.
Lumpy Onion
Member
Just watched The Shrine (2010) on Netflix. Judging from the average ratings on imdb etc I was expecting garbage, but it wasn't bad at all. Got some real RE 4 vibes from it.
Anyway I found this one to be quite watchable and it didn't insult my intelligence either.
Anybody know if it's worth watching Tale of Two Sisters if I've already seen the US remake Uninvited?
That one dude looked so much like Sadler lol
Anybody know if it's worth watching Tale of Two Sisters if I've already seen the US remake Uninvited?
Can anyone recommend some good horror anthologies? Good ones seem to be scarce. Last good one I saw was Trick r Treat.
Currently watching The Theatre Bizarre on Netflix Instant. So far, not nearly as good as Trick r Treat but probably better than the last anthology I saw, V/H/S.
Currently watching The Theatre Bizarre on Netflix Instant. So far, not nearly as good as Trick r Treat but probably better than the last anthology I saw, V/H/S.
Lumpy Onion
Member
Seen Creepshow 1&2? For Creepshow 2 skip the first one and you've got two pretty good horror shorts. But I am guessing you've probably seen both of these already. Still the definitive horror anthology flicks imo.
Yeah VHS and Theatre Bizarre didn't do much for me either.
I watched Black Death a few days ago and really liked it. Bean and Melisandre together was great, and the plot twist (
) was a neat way to bring things together given the setting.
I watched The Shrine as part of the 31 Days of Horror this past year and had the same reaction, including the RE4 aspects. Definitely better than I had expected from the ratings, more of a pleasant surprise since it's often tough to judge horror films just on those for me.
the town is isolated and the woman just tricking people, not actually a necromancer sacrificing people to stay healthy
I watched The Shrine as part of the 31 Days of Horror this past year and had the same reaction, including the RE4 aspects. Definitely better than I had expected from the ratings, more of a pleasant surprise since it's often tough to judge horror films just on those for me.
I own both, and yeah I love em.
Might give the ABCs of Death a go after this flick or tomorrow.
InVinoVeritas
Member
I watched them in the opposite order and I can definitely say that Tale of Two Sisters blows Uninvited out of the water. You definitely should watch it, it's one of my favorites, the atmosphere is second to none.
Melchiah
Member
Three... Extremes is worth a watch due to Dumblings alone. Cut and Box aren't bad either, eventhough they don't reach its level.
I haven't seen the remake, as I generally don't care about American remakes of European and Asian movies, but I'd definitely recommend seeing the original. Ringu, Ju-on: The Grudge, Dark Water, The Eye, [REC], and The Wicker Man were all far better than their remakes. I've heard the same about the remake of Let the Right One In, but I haven't seen it myself.
NotTheGuyYouKill
Member
Yeah. It's quite good. Very slow burn though.
Melchiah
Member
It's an amazing film, and one of my all-time favorites. The same goes for Session 9. Heavily recommended.
Jacob's Ladder in turn seems to have taken some inspiration from another source...
From the Creepy Image thread; http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=55768476&postcount=2200
Ah, Joel-Peter Witkin, my favorite photographer/artist.
They used one of his works for the hospital scene in Jacob's Ladder.
The original:
Jacob's Ladder:
Most of his works are NSFW, so google him if you're interested.
Seen it. I think I've seen every single piece of film associated with Takashi Miike.
Beermeister
Banned
Melchiah
Member
Really?! The man has directed an astonishing 90 movies since 1991; http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0586281/
Hah I stand corrected. Seen about 20 films on that list.
Melchiah
Member
That's far more than I have, which is about a handful.
Haha yeah. I never looked up his repertoire. I've just been watching everything I could get my hands on. A lot of that stuff I never heard of and have no idea how I could watch it.
He has several mediocre to crappy films, so you aren't missing out on a whole lot.
If you've seen Audition, Ichi the Killer, Zatoichi, Visitor Q, Full Metal Yakuza, One Missed Call, his Masters of Horror flick, his 3 extremes flick, Dead or Alive, and Thirteen Assassins you are probably good to go.
He has a few others that are decent like Zebraman but not really all that great.
Host Samurai
Member
I liked some of Bizarre Theater. It had maybe 2 or 3 decent stories.
There is another anthology on Netflix (and I forgot the name) Has a scary clown on the cover. It was a bit better. All the stories take place in L.A and in the same universe, while not really intervening into eachothers story arc. Pretty cool film.