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[Steamlord]

The Awakening is pretty decent. I didn't think it quite lived up to the potential it showed at the beginning though. The core conflict of the protagonist is really cool,

Spoiler

with her exposing all these charlatans when really she's secretly hoping that just maybe ghosts are real because her husband is dead,

but then it throws in a bunch of plot points that don't really feel necessary or cohesive.

Spoiler

Oh hey, turns out she lived at the orphanage when she was little but she forgot, and she was friends with the ghost kid and whatever

 

[Melchiah]

The Awakening is pretty decent. I didn't think it quite lived up to the potential it showed at the beginning though. The core conflict of the protagonist is really cool,

Spoiler

with her exposing all these charlatans when really she's secretly hoping that just maybe ghosts are real because her husband is dead,

but then it throws in a bunch of plot points that don't really feel necessary or cohesive.

Spoiler

Oh hey, turns out she lived at the orphanage when she was little but she forgot, and she was friends with the ghost kid and whatever

I can agree with that, eventhough I enjoyed the movie. It was by no means perfect, but I did like the atmosphere, and the melancholic undertone.

 

[JJD]

The Awakening is pretty decent. I didn't think it quite lived up to the potential it showed at the beginning though. The core conflict of the protagonist is really cool,

Spoiler

with her exposing all these charlatans when really she's secretly hoping that just maybe ghosts are real because her husband is dead,

but then it throws in a bunch of plot points that don't really feel necessary or cohesive.

Spoiler

Oh hey, turns out she lived at the orphanage when she was little but she forgot, and she was friends with the ghost kid and whatever

I saw it about 5 days ago and I thought it had a good premise but it really didn't deliver. The actors were great but they had very little to work with, the characters specially the main one was really underdeveloped, and she really misses some of the charm she had as the film goes by.

Spoiler

The way she falls in love with the professor is ridiculous and really undermines the protagonist character IMO, so she just wanted to be like all the women of that time, and not a strong, independent one? And while I think it's cool that she actually wanted the ghosts to be real, the way she freaks out when she realizes that there is a possibility that they exist is just...disappointing. I mean she is a woman who has been searching for ghosts for years and dealing with all sorts of crimes, criminals and charlatans in her quest and when she finally finds what she is looking for she just...loses her shit completely???

The actual scares were mostly plain ineffective or just dumb as hell

Spoiler

the ghost face in the pillow was just plain stupid, I rolled my eyes at that scene.

.

Big Spoilers:

Spoiler

She didn't grew in the orphanage, her home was turned in the orphanage after the family tragedy. Since her family was rich everything was swept under the rug and no one knew about it. Frankly the whole family tragedy just don't make sense at all. So her father killed her mother just because she didn't give him a son? Even though he already had a bastard boy who was raised as his own??? It would make more sense if her mother killed the father and the boy to be honest

.

I can agree with that, eventhough I enjoyed the movie. It was by no means perfect, but I did like the atmosphere, and the melancholic undertone.

Yeah the movie setting was good and technically speaking the movie was really well done, except for the little CGI they used. But the script doesn't really do anything with the cool premise and setting they established.

I really wanted to like it, but I can't recommend The Awakening to anyone...

I think I'm going to see Ty West's The House of the Devil today. Hopefully it's a better movie.

 

[Aske]

I enjoyed The Awakening a good deal, but it definitely delivers more on atmosphere, performances, and surreal mystery than it does the supernatural side of things. Unlike, say, The Conjuring or The Babadook, the former were so good that I can forgive the weakness of the latter. Movies like this don't come along frequently enough.

 

[inm8num2]

Andrzej Zulawski, director of the amazing 'Possession', passed away at age 75.

edit - a nice tribute at RogerEbert.com

 

[Extra Sauce]

Is I, Madman worth a blind buy? Saw the blu-ray for $15 which is a low price for a Scream Factory release in my neck of the woods...

I know it scared the bejeesus out of me as a kid but I remember almost nothing about the film.

 

[T.O.P]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9SfWmXQY3o

This is lookin really good

 

[Melchiah]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9SfWmXQY3o

This is lookin really good

Looks intriguing.

Here's a couple of other interesting films.

A family who moved into a remote mill house in Ireland finds themselves in a fight for survival with demonic creatures living in the woods.

Trailer: https://youtu.be/8fDo3-mluOs

Five interlocking tales of terror follow the fates of a group of weary travellers who confront their worst nightmares - and darkest secrets - over one long night on a desolate stretch of desert highway.

Trailer: https://youtu.be/skNeUjtjD6Y

 

[Aske]

My brother turned me on to Southbound. Best horror anthology I'd seen - until I watched VHS Viral. But Southbound is brilliantly cohesive; well worth checking out.

 

[Melchiah]

My brother turned me on to Southbound. Best horror anthology I'd seen - until I watched VHS Viral. But Southbound is brilliantly cohesive; well worth checking out.

Good to hear. Anthology movies are pretty rare, and good ones even more so.

 

[harSon]

Anyone watch Slasher on Chiller?

It's Chiller's first attempt at television, and it premiered last night. Pretty decent actually, although the main actress' American accent slips into her natural accent every other sentence.

 

[wanderingprostheyltite]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9SfWmXQY3o

This is lookin really good

That looks wild, love me some Hellraiser/Netherworld-ish body horror. On Demand on release too, nice.

 

[inm8num2]

Exploring The Evil Dead

 

[Melchiah]

Exploring The Evil Dead

Thanks for sharing that. I'll watch it tomorrow.

Those who are interested in all the details about the movie should check out The Evil Dead Companion book as well.

 

[kinggroin]

Shameless plug (it's relevant to horror)

Check out the site my buddy and I are working on:

http://www.TTF13.com - Thirteenth Floor

If anyone is interested in contributing an article, or submitting a review, hit me up via PM. While it doesn't pay anything, it's great experience for an aspiring writer to reference on a resume.

Also, if ant one wants to watch a pretty gruesome slasher film about, well...just watch the trailer:

https://youtu.be/wpVwmXDcQk4

Hit these guys up - http://phantasmesvideo.com/?portfolio_item=contact-us and express interest in screening it. They're looking to spread the word, so if you have a legitimate channel through which you review films, I highly recommend covering this one.

Slightly more on topic:I'm really looking forward to getting my hands (and eyes) on "Francesca" and "Be My Cat: A Film for Anne"

The first is a tribute/homage to the giallo sub genre, and is gorgeous enough that even if it falls flat, there's something of value to gain from it.

https://youtu.be/r_J7wFrQTOE

The second one looks sick as fuck. Dealing with obsessions, a man goes to great lengths to have Anne Hathaway play a role in his film. Can't wait.

https://youtu.be/e3J9fNrKE6U

 

[SaintZ]

I watched Nurse 3D last night and lord what a crap movie. Like, I knew it was going to be a mess based on the trailer but it was even worse than I was expecting. The nonsensical plot, Paz de la Huerta's "acting", the climax of the movie in the hospital, the ending.

It was just too much.

 

[Dascu]

Any recommendations or positive press around the movies to be shown at this festival in Brussels? http://www.bifff.net/festival-2016/

I've got my eyes on Baskin and Southbound, mentioned earlier in this thread. Anything else that should be worth checking out?

 

[lordxar]

Any recommendations or positive press around the movies to be shown at this festival in Brussels? http://www.bifff.net/festival-2016/

I've got my eyes on Baskin and Southbound, mentioned earlier in this thread. Anything else that should be worth checking out?

I want to see Blood Sucking Bastards. Deathgasm was fucking hilarious. Green Room looks cool. I think Yakuza Apocalypse is supposed to be good. 31 of course. The rest I need to look up because some of those posters look promising.

 

[Melchiah]

Any recommendations or positive press around the movies to be shown at this festival in Brussels? http://www.bifff.net/festival-2016/

I've got my eyes on Baskin and Southbound, mentioned earlier in this thread. Anything else that should be worth checking out?

What We Become is a zombie flick that's well worth a watch. I've posted about it earlier on the thread.

 

[kinggroin]

We just saw Baskin. Its pretty, gory, and has style going for it. Doesn't earn the payoff though. Its sloppy.


Also reviewing Francesca (Onetti brothers). Which is more a sloppy wet kiss towards giallo than it is a love letter.

 

[Enk]

I was really into the insanity of Baskin up until a "key" moment. Didn't completely lose me as it was still quite a twisted ride. The imagery in this film was relentless in the second half. It was as if Clive Barker and Del Toro had some fucked up love child who grew up watching early Argento and Temple of Doom. Highly recommended for those looking for something a little unique and grotesquely screwed up in their horror presentation, even if that moment felt a bit too out of left field for me.

 

[zeemumu]

Kayako doesn't care for your VHS tapes

 

[Aske]

Just watched Baskin. Awesome, surreal horror. The Father is absolutely magnificent. Easily the most Clive Barker-esque movie I have ever seen, including Clive Barker's movies. This could have been a story from one of his Books of Blood. Worth a watch for anyone into gore and weirdness.

 

[EverythingShiny]

I watched The Canal a few days ago and was sadly disappointed. I would definitely have appreciated a bit more time to get to know/care about the characters. As it was, I didn't particularly like any of them so I didn't really care about what was happening to them.

Spring remains the best horror movie I've seen recently. Although We Are Still Here is a close second. That one had a bit too much gore for my liking, though.

 

[kai3345]

I really didn't care for Southbound as much as some people seem to. The only story that really interested me was the hospital one.

 

[Melchiah]

I'm going to see The Witch: A New-England Folktale at next week's Night Visions horror festival in Helsinki, and I was wondering which of these three would be the best companion for it?

Infini

“In the late 23rd century, dangerous off-world mining jobs are being performed by badasses, beamed around the universe via a method known as ‘slipstreaming’. When a deadly outbreak is reported on the distant Infini mining colony, a search-and-rescue team (including the eldest Hemsworth, Luke) is sent to investigate. An exposition-heavy opening gives way to a modestly effective Australian mash-up of sci-fi/horror hybrids (Aliens, Event Horizon, 28 Days Later).” – David Hughes / Empire Online

Stung

”As history has proven, no matter how creepy insects are on their own, they become substantially creepier the larger they become. Thus is the case with Benni Diez’s Stung, which finds one of the most hated creatures on the planet—wasps—growing to frightening levels.

Paul (Matt O’Leary) and Julia (Jessica Cook) are a duo of young party caterers who are hopelessly in love, though neither is willing to admit it for fear of rejection. While working at an upper-class garden party, Paul and Julia try their hardest to keep the guests happy, which becomes virtually impossible when a group of violent wasps arrive and begin to sting everyone around.

To make matters even worse, those who are stung slowly begin to transform into massive, human-sized wasp monsters. Along with the town mayor (Lance Henriksen) and one of the hosts (Clifton Collins Jr.), Paul and Julia are forced to fight back against the wasps in an attempt to exterminate them once and for all.” – Blair Hoyle / Cinema Slasher

Huset

”The House is a Norwegian ghost film set in the Second World War. It follows two German soldiers escorting a Norwegian soldier and prisoner of war. The Scandinavian winter takes quite a toll on them, but at one point they discover a house where they finally can get some rest. However, this turns out to be anything but a warm and welcome shelter…

The House features solid performances from an experienced cast, and a beautiful, haunting soundtrack. Prepare yourself for a cinematic ghost story based on thousands of true stories told through the ages.” – Tromsø International Film Festival

As a scifi-horror fan, Infini interests me the most, but there's not that many gems in that sub-genre. Huset has the highest IMDb average of the three, so that seems a safer bet, and a "haunting soundtrack" is a big plus. Has anyone seen any of them?

 

[lordxar]

I'm going to see The Witch: A New-England Folktale at next week's Night Visions horror festival in Helsinki, and I was wondering which of these three would be the best companion for it?

Infini

Stung

Huset


As a scifi-horror fan, Infini interests me the most, but there's not that many gems in that sub-genre. Huset has the highest IMDb average of the three, so that seems a safer bet, and a "haunting soundtrack" is a big plus. Has anyone seen any of them?

Infini kind of sucked if memory serves. I loved Stung, pretty funny. Both of those are on US Netflix. Never heard of Huset so that would be my pick since it's not easily available for me anyway.

 

[ArgyleReptile]

I found Stung to be a great creature feature. I really didn't like Infini though.

 

[Melchiah]

Infini kind of sucked if memory serves. I loved Stung, pretty funny. Both of those are on US Netflix. Never heard of Huset so that would be my pick since it's not easily available for me anyway.

I found Stung to be a great creature feature. I really didn't like Infini though.

Thanks. Infini is out of the question then. I guess Huset would be a good choice, if it's not easy to see otherwise. Hopefully Stung will be available in some form later on. It's not yet on Netflix around here.

 

[inm8num2]

Top 10 Horror Directors of All Time (WatchMojo)

I'd have put Terence Fisher in the top 10 over James Wan. Not even an honorable mention for Mario Bava, either.

 

[Steamlord]

James Wan in the top ten is a joke. The rest is decent. However...

In what bizarro world is the Apartment Trilogy not horror? Psychological horror is still horror, and Rosemary's Baby is more than just psychological anyway. And let's not forget The Fearless Vampire Killers, a brilliant horror comedy that was way ahead of its time and a perfect parody of the Hammer style.

And yes, Bava absolutely should have gotten a nod. And Nakagawa, though maybe I have a bigger soft spot for him than most. I'd personally give shoutouts to Tourneur and Shindo as well. I suppose Lynch would at least be debatable, but I'd say his surrealist films could be placed at least partially in the horror genre.

I can appreciate that they at least gave Fisher and Whale honorable mentions though, even if I prefer them to at least Wan and Barker...and Fulci, if I'm being honest.

They also seem to think that Frank is Pinhead, considering they're constantly talking about Pinhead while only showing clips of Frank. Seemed kinda weird.

K I'm done complaining now

 

[wenis]

Slightly more on topic:I'm really looking forward to getting my hands (and eyes) on "Francesca" and "Be My Cat: A Film for Anne"

The first is a tribute/homage to the giallo sub genre, and is gorgeous enough that even if it falls flat, there's something of value to gain from it.

https://youtu.be/r_J7wFrQTOE

The second one looks sick as fuck. Dealing with obsessions, a man goes to great lengths to have Anne Hathaway play a role in his film. Can't wait.

https://youtu.be/e3J9fNrKE6U

Whoa these look promising.

 

[T.O.P]

Trailer: https://youtu.be/skNeUjtjD6Y

Just watched this, it was an absolute blast, dat soundtrack!

 

[Melchiah]

Just watched this, it was an absolute blast, dat soundtrack!

Hopefully it gets released here in Finland at some point.

 

[SaintZ]

Just watched this on Netflix. I had read that this was a good little movie and I agree although it felt very formulaic/by the book.

The most interesting part was the lead being deaf, it certainly gave it a bit of an edge over other house invasion movies. I liked that

Spoiler

the killer revealed himself pretty early on too.

The movie reminded me of You're Next but in a much smaller scale.

 

[drotahorror]

Any other horror movies coming out in the next few months on blu ray worth picking up?

Got Krampus and The Witch preordered. Haven't seen either but heard good things about both.

 

[Steamlord]

Just watched this on Netflix. I had read that this was a good little movie and I agree although it felt very formulaic/by the book.

The most interesting part was the lead being deaf, it certainly gave it a bit of an edge over other house invasion movies. I liked that

Spoiler

the killer revealed himself pretty early on too.

The movie reminded me of You're Next but in a much smaller scale.

I've seen thrillers with blind protagonists that worked really well (Wait Until Dark, Julia's Eyes), but not deaf ones. Seems like it could be interesting.

 

[Linkhero1]

GoHastings has 5 for $20 deal going on. Any must own horror movies?

http://slickdeals.net/f/8650962-blu...arious-tv-shows-movies-5-for-20-6-50-shipping

I'm thinking of expanding my current collection:

• Halloween
• Evil Dead 2
• Let Me In

 

[Extra Sauce]

So I guess Mike Flanagan's (Oculus) new movie was just released on Netflix Canada. Will try to check it out tonight.

(it's called Hush)

edit: Ran a text search for Hush so I missed SaintZ's post.

 

[ThirstyFly]

Do we have any Lamberto Bava fans around? I'm looking for 2 recommendations to fill out a Mario & Lamberto Bava week for the marathon in October. I've already seen the original Demons but have Demons 2 along with 4 Mario movies ready to go.

I'm trying to go into these movies fresh, so I haven't read much about them. With a quick look at his filmography, these look the most interesting:

- Macabre (1980)
- A Blade in the Dark (1983)
- Delirium (1987)

And then in the maybe category:
- Midnight Killer (1986)
- Graveyard Disturbance (1987)
- Body Puzzle (1992)

So, any recommendations on which 2 to go with, or what to avoid? Currently I'm leaning towards A Blade in the Dark and Delirium.

And did he do any zombie stuff besides Graveyard Disturbance (not counting Demons)?

 

[salty_Josh]

Hey I'm new to this thread but I just watched HUSH on Netflix and thought it was great enough to write a big post about. I'll start by saying it's probably the best horror film I've seen in a long while (probably because I'm really not that into horror at all and have never been in the horror loop). I love it's gimmick of the main character being deaf to add a new layer of isolation and the fact it's more of a survival horror film adds to it's uniqueness. I loved the parallels of this film and die hard particularly with Maddie getting truly fucked up

Spoiler

ouch on her hand

. Her turning into Ripley is the icing on the cake. Maddie is definitely up there among my favourite heroines protagonists of all time which says a lot for a film under two hours. With only five characters (6 if you count the cat) and a great and original gimmick that adds to this film's intensity and sense of isolation. HUSH was a great watch from beginning to end that didn't let me off the edge of my seat.

Spoiler

That end is like 80% of why Maddie is so cool to me

I'd love to hear your thoughts if any of you watched it and I'm open to any recommendations to films with similar gimmicks or styles as I loved this one so much

 

[Steamlord]

Hush was pretty good. Not perfect, and the

Spoiler

death fakeout and Maddie's conversation with herself

were a bit lame, even though I could at least appreciate what they were going for with the latter. Still satisfying overall, though. Kate Siegel did a great job with the character.

I'd love to hear your thoughts if any of you watched it and I'm open to any recommendations to films with similar gimmicks or styles as I loved this one so much

Like I mentioned earlier, Wait Until Dark and Julia's Eyes are both good thrillers (especially Wait Until Dark) with blind protagonists that use the premise in clever ways. I wouldn't be surprised if Hush was influenced by one or both.


I also watched Darling recently. It was...OK. The good and the bad kind of balanced out. It was well-made, but it really really really wanted to be Polanski's apartment trilogy, to the point that it never really felt like its own thing. The editing and score were pretty overbearing at times too. I did like how they just gave some hints about backstory without going into full exposition mode. Also I like Lauren Ashley Carter and she was good as usual so it was worth it overall.

 

[Extra Sauce]

Having only found out about its existence this morning, Hush was a nice little surprise.

Refreshing twist on an old premise, clever cat and mouse games, a welcomed focus on tension buildup over cheap jump scares and decent characterization.

I will say there was not much in the way of substance and the film didn't look or sound particularly inspired but yeah, I definitely recommend this film to genre fans.

 

[drotahorror]

Didn't know Hush was from the dude behind Oculus.

Any word on it coming to blu ray? Can't seem to find it.

 

[kai3345]

Hush is great.

I also managed to catch The Invitation in the theater, also a really fun thriller. It's a real slow burn, and the ending is a little weak, but I still very much enjoyed it.

Didn't know Hush was from the dude behind Oculus.

Any word on it coming to blu ray? Can't seem to find it.

iirc, they signed some deal with Netflix so I'm guessing it's exclusive at least for now

 

[Steamlord]

It's interesting to compare Oculus and Hush. Oculus was obviously a much more ambitious film, and I thought it was better for the most part, but its weaker elements were much more glaring than those in Hush. As of right now though I think I'd say Oculus is the better film overall. Mostly because I'm a sucker for psychological horror, I guess.

Flanagan is definitely a beacon of light in the dark hellhole that is Blumhouse, though.

 

[mariachi507]

Do we have any Lamberto Bava fans around? I'm looking for 2 recommendations to fill out a Mario & Lamberto Bava week for the marathon in October. I've already seen the original Demons but have Demons 2 along with 4 Mario movies ready to go.

I'm trying to go into these movies fresh, so I haven't read much about them. With a quick look at his filmography, these look the most interesting:

- Macabre (1980)
- A Blade in the Dark (1983)
- Delirium (1987)

And then in the maybe category:
- Midnight Killer (1986)
- Graveyard Disturbance (1987)
- Body Puzzle (1992)

So, any recommendations on which 2 to go with, or what to avoid? Currently I'm leaning towards A Blade in the Dark and Delirium.

And did he do any zombie stuff besides Graveyard Disturbance (not counting Demons)?

I'm actually planning on venturing into some of Lamberto's filmography this October starting with Demons. I don't know that much about him aside from those flicks.

 

[Aske]

Has Deathgasm come up in this thread yet? Superb splatter-comedy from NZ. Imagine Idle Hands meets Braindead with a Metalocalypse twist.

 

[ThirstyFly]

I'm actually planning on venturing into some of Lamberto's filmography this October starting with Demons. I don't know that much about him aside from those flicks.

It's been years since I've seen Demons, but it's a fun one. Lamberto definitely takes more influence from Argento for Demons than he does from his fathers' work (or at least as I understand Mario's filmography since I'm still new to it). It's closer to Argento's cheesy 80s era stuff and stylistically quite similar to Soavi's films.

I'm curious on where his gialli fall since he's worked under both his father and Argento. Argento's definitely slant more to the sleazy side than what I've seen of Mario's more artful work.

Has Deathgasm come up in this thread yet? Superb splatter-comedy from NZ. Imagine Idle Hands meets Braindead with a Metalocalypse twist.

Deathgasm was a lot of fun. It definitely handles the heavy metal theme better than Knights of Badassdom and the lead actor was great. The character felt really sincere.

It's a little too derivative of Braindead and Evil Dead 2 though. That's not really too big of a problem, but because it's trying so hard to be like those films and it can't match their level of insanity it just feels a little lacking. It's one of those movies that needed to push things just a tad further, but feels like they were forced to hold back a bit due to their budget. It's been a while since I watched it, so I can't go into detail but I recall the final act being a little weak as well.

Still, definitely worth checking out and easily one of the better recent horror comedies.

 

[wenis]

Just finished watching The Invitation. That was a hell of a movie. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Highly recommended.