Sangre, cuchillos, y tetas --- Horror Film Discussion

[megladon8]

The Dorm That Dripped Blood is on BluRay, but He Who Gets Slapped is still nearly impossible to find even on DVD?

Epic failure for the human race.

[Dukefrukem]

B74BWKksBLI

[Dukefrukem]

also;

http://i12.fastpic.ru/big/2010/1126/5a/f1de1ff0f5631dd9893d7378122fe8 5a.jpg


When Michael arrives in the city to visit his girlfriend, he soon realises that a terrible virus has spread across the city, turning people into mindless homicidal maniacs. Trapped in his girlfriend's flat, he teams up with Harper, a teenage plumber, as hordes of infected zombies begin to swarm the building.

With astonishing special effects and a riveting storyline, Siege of the Dead is a thrilling gorefest laced with pitch-black humour, high tension and shocking scares.
Screenshots:

ErSQdtSNniA

[megladon8]

Using the Requiem for a Dream music in your movie trailer is sssoooo 10 years ago.

[Russ]

Phase IV (Saul Bass, 1974) ***/****

In his first and only directorial feature, famous graphic designer Saul Bass puts his unique stamp on this unnervingly effective cautionary tale of man vs. ant, presented as one of those thinking person's sci-fi films that were so in vogue in the early 70's post-2001 era. A mysterious cosmic force has affected all the colonies of ants and they quickly evolve into a higher intelligence than that of the humans who hunker down in a futuristic-looking desert outpost to study the changes and their possible effects. The pace is glacial and the action is non-existent. There's no blood or gore to speak of (except of a single close-up shot of a human hand with holes in it from which ants begin emerging!). Don't let that stop you from checking out this fascinating minimalist sci-fi film which was sometimes mistakenly marketed to emphasize the horror aspect (there's really no horror either, but there is a ton of creepy atmosphere). Bass wisely chose to spend as much time in developing the the characterization of his ant colony as he devotes to the core three actors who are confined to the interior of the lab for most of the film. He even begins the film with a ten minute sequence of what appears to be documentary footage of ants, with incredible close-ups and eerie insect noise, which is juxtaposed nicely with the equally eerie electronic soundtrack. The humans are presented in an equally clinical way, but less sympathetic. Bass wisely chose his desert locale and the futuristic trappings to emphasize a barren, alien environment and indeed, the scientist's outpost seems more like a spaceship than a lab. Since there are no real action set-pieces, Bass employs a steadily elevating sense of dread that deepens once the scientists realize the extent of the ants' startling evolution. To illustrate, one sequence shows the aftermath of an attempt to poison the ants: one by one, ant workers attempt to transport a chunk of the poison to their queen. This is shown in a lengthy series of shots where one ant carries the toxic chunk until he dies, only to be replaced by a fresh worker ant -- who also dies. This is repeated several more times until finally the poison is delivered to the queen. Immune to its toxic qualities, she devours it and proceeds to lay new eggs of ants who are immune to the poison! All of the ant shots are shown in loving close-up photography and indeed given more emotional weight than their human counterparts. Bass also utilized his keen sense of geometrical design in developing some amazing shots. The sense of isolation works in the film's favor as the humans quickly realized that as a species, they had become marginalized. The human acting is no great shakes, but part of me wonders if that was intentional. The real stars here are the ants, and boy do they deliver. Recommended.

http://jellybeansofdoom.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/phase-4-ants-rows.jpg

[Dukefrukem]

I've added Phase IV to my queue Russ. Second's Apart, Fertile Ground, Prowl and Husk are available on Demand until June 3rd.

Also, this is something I've been wanting to post for a while now and haven't got around to it.

2010 Horror Awards

Best Feature Film: [Rec] 2

Best Short Film: United Monster Talent Agency

Best Indie Film: Monsters

Festival Favorite: A Serbian Film

Most Original Concept: Daybreakers

Best Film You Dind't See: Blood Creek & The New Daughter

Best First Feature: Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale

Best Guilty Pleasure: Piranha 3D

Best Feature Film as Voted On By the Rue Morgue Message Board: Frozen

Best New Killer: Dr. Heiter (The Human Centipede)

Best Monster: Sharktopus

Goriest Film: Bloodpigs

Goriest Scene: Piranha 3D (Jerry O'Connell's character devoured by piranhas)

Cruelest Kill: I spit On Your Grave (anal shotgunning)

Best Blu-ray Package: Alien Anthology

Best Upgrade to Blu-Ray: Grindhouse

Most Welcome Reissue: Shout! Factory's Ongoing Roger Corman Reissue

Biggest Disappointment: Survival of the Dead

Worst Cinematic Atrocity to Wound Your Retinas: 2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams

Best Television: The Walking Dead

Best Album: Kreeps

Best Score: The Wolfman Soundtrack

Best New Music Discovery: The Unsettlers

Best Comeback: Danzig

Best Poster: Buried

Best Fiction Book: Dead or Alive by William Harms

Best Art Book: The Art of Hammer by Marcus Heam

Best Comic Book Series: American Vampire

Best Graphic Novel: Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom

Best Video Game: Dead Rising 2

Best Trend: Books about Classic Horror Comics

Worst Trend: Giving Classic Works of Literature a Horror Makeover

Most Anticipated in 2011: Hobo With a Shotgun & Alice Cooper's Welcome to my Nightmare 2

Least Anticipated in 2011: Scream 4

[Dukefrukem]

I just won a free copy of the Resident on DVD from Rue Morgue.

Trailer below

ixZMHng9kFU

Watched this tonight. Hillary Swank has some body on her. Damn.

2Z6jGZSI3Cc

[megladon8]

Um, Duke, that's the type of thing you should spoiler and/or mention is NSFW.

I strongly suggest both.

[Dukefrukem]

Why? There's no nudity. and is the title "Hilary Swank Naakt In The Resident" not descriptive enough?

[megladon8]

She gets out of a bathtub naked.


Whatever, I'm not getting into this argument again.

[Ezee E]

Yeah, probably should still be spoilered, nsfw'd for people that post at work.

[megladon8]

And the word "naakt" is pretty retard-speak.

I could see people not catching on to that. I had to do a double-take.

[Scar]

Spoiler it.

[MadMan]

Least Anticipated in 2011: Scream 4 Yeah I was surprised at how good it was, too :P

And I echo the opinions that the video should be spoilered and labeled NSFW.

[Dukefrukem]

Want to see this. (http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/24471)

[D_Davis]

I saw Saw I when it first came out.

Watched part of Saw III - about 10 minutes - and turned it off.

This weekend I watched Saw VI. It was kind of good. It's an extremely violent working class fantasy about lashing out at the establishment in the most gruesome of ways possible. I liked the whole insurance angle.

Also, the final 10 minutes are incredibly tense and chaotic. I was very impressed by the way this film ended. From the moment the main insurance guy learns of his fate, to when the mask snaps is incredibly well done, horrific, and *gasp* actually made me want to watch Saw VII.

The film did give me violent nightmares though. It's cruel, and nasty, and I don't feel good for having watched it. But I did kind of like it.

[Dukefrukem]

I saw Saw I when it first came out.

Watched part of Saw III - about 10 minutes - and turned it off.

This weekend I watched Saw VI. It was kind of good. It's an extremely violent working class fantasy about lashing out at the establishment in the most gruesome of ways possible. I liked the whole insurance angle.

Also, the final 10 minutes are incredibly tense and chaotic. I was very impressed by the way this film ended. From the moment the main insurance guy learns of his fate, to when the mask snaps is incredibly well done, horrific, and *gasp* actually made me want to watch Saw VII.

The film did give me violent nightmares though. It's cruel, and nasty, and I don't feel good for having watched it. But I did kind of like it.

If I remember correctly, spoilers to the movie below.


Saw 2 was withi Donnie Walberg and the twist was his son was in a safe in front of him the whole time. The scenes in the house were represented as currently happening, but really had already occured.

Saw 3 was the one with the guy walking from station to station facing people that have either done him wrong in his life? ( and by far the worst in the series that I've seen so far)

Saw 4 was centered around Rigg ?

[D_Davis]

I never saw Saw II, Saw IV, or Saw V.

Only Saw I, about 10 minutes of Saw III, and Saw VI.

[Dukefrukem]

I never saw Saw II, Saw IV, or Saw V.

Only Saw I, about 10 minutes of Saw III, and Saw VI.

Whoops. I just assumed you saw 2 since you started watching 3 and I flat out misread VI for IV.

[Rowland]

Anyone familiar with the made-for-TV Dark Night of the Scarecrow? It's a surprisingly polished, austere little horror movie that shames most of its ilk in terms of foreboding atmosphere and suggestively minimalist setpieces. So yeah, good stuff.

[Dukefrukem]

Anyone familiar with the made-for-TV Dark Night of the Scarecrow? It's a surprisingly polished, austere little horror movie that shames most of its ilk in terms of foreboding atmosphere and suggestively minimalist setpieces. So yeah, good stuff.

Adding to queue.

[megladon8]

Anyone familiar with the made-for-TV Dark Night of the Scarecrow? It's a surprisingly polished, austere little horror movie that shames most of its ilk in terms of foreboding atmosphere and suggestively minimalist setpieces. So yeah, good stuff.


Yeah, it's a good'n.

Some surprisingly shocking themes for a TV movie of its time, too.

[Dead & Messed Up]

If I remember correctly, spoilers to the movie below.


Saw 2 was withi Donnie Walberg and the twist was his son was in a safe in front of him the whole time. The scenes in the house were represented as currently happening, but really had already occured.

Saw 3 was the one with the guy walking from station to station facing people that have either done him wrong in his life? ( and by far the worst in the series that I've seen so far)

Saw 4 was centered around Rigg ?



I watched the first four, and I thought that, while pretty unsatisfying and frustrating, each movie was a little bit slyer than it needed to be...up until IV, which embodied the worst aspects of the previous films.

The first Saw

had the fun closed-room mystery going on, and it did have that vivid final image of Jigsaw standing up.

The second Saw

had the clever twist with the timelines not being concurrent

The third Saw

kept flubbing the idea of non-fatal traps, until you learned that the apprentice had no intention of adhering to Jigsaw's formula.

They're details in the formless and depressingly grim style, but I do appreciate them. The series is just smart enough to make you realize how smart it could be, if only it got over itself.

[D_Davis]

I was actually surprised by how the story played out in part VI. The twist was clever, and actually pretty smart. And like I sad, those last 10-15 minutes are pretty damn awesome.

[Ezee E]

Saw 2 is the only one I'll give a pass. Clever and twisty enough to make me watch 3 and 4. What an awful idea. I won't bother with them again.

[Spun Lepton]

Anyone familiar with the made-for-TV Dark Night of the Scarecrow? It's a surprisingly polished, austere little horror movie that shames most of its ilk in terms of foreboding atmosphere and suggestively minimalist setpieces. So yeah, good stuff.

Netflix Instant??

[Bosco B Thug]

Netflix Instant?? Netflix DVD mailer...

But no, it's not on Instant.

[Bosco B Thug]

So anyone heard of Kiyoshi Kurosawa's haunted house film Sweet Home? It has a small following due to being an early tie-in film to a cult video game that apparently was very influential to Resident Evil and the like.

It's a nifty Japanese horrorfest, a Poltergeist/Evil Dead/House on Haunted Hill-remake mash-up. The material is weak, but Kurosawa's brilliance is still noticeable, both as a horror film director and as a director of beatific emotion. Unfortunately, a solid first half ultimately gives way to the ho-hum climactic act, trafficking in standard (and boring) maternal angst themes, and mostly saved by slam-bang FX.

[Rowland]

26 Horror Directors to create 'The ABCs of Death' (http://www.indiewire.com/article/26_horror_directors_to_create_ the_abcs_of_death_for_magnet_r eleasing/)

A 26-chapter anthology that so far has 20 confirmed directors participating:

1. Banjong Pisanthanakun (Shutter, Alone)
2. Angela Bettis (Roman)
3. Adrian Garcia Bogliano (Cold Sweat)
4. Jason Eisener (Hobo With A Shotgun)
5. Ernesto Diaz Espinoza (Mirageman)
6. Bruno Forzani and Héléne Cattet (Amer)
7. Gadi Harel (DeadGirl)
8. Thomas Malling (Norwegian Ninja)
9. Yoshihiro Nishimura (Tokyo Gore Police; Frankenstein Girl Vs. Vampire Girl)
10. Simon Rumley (The Living and the Dead; Red, White and Blue)
11. Tak Sakaguchi and Yuji Shimomura (Yakuza Weapon)
12. Marcel Sarmiento (DeadGirl)
13. Srdjan Spasojevic (A Serbian Film)
14. Timo Tjahjanto (Macabre)
15. Andrew Traucki (Black Water, The Reef)
16. Nacho Vigalando (TimeCrimes)
17. Jake West (Doghouse, Evil Aliens)
18. Ti West (The House of the Devil, The Innkeepers)
19. Ben Wheatley (Down Terrace, Kill List)
20. Adam Wingard (Pop Skull, A Horrible Way To Die)

That's badass.

[Dukefrukem]

I've seen one movie those directors have made...

edit: sorry 2, The House of the Devil and Hobo With a Shotgun ( which was terrible)

[Dukefrukem]

The Hike 2011

http://shocktillyoudrop.com/nextraimages/The%20Hike%20still2.jpg

Trailer and Poster at BD (http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/24569)

Looks like the Decent meets Eden Lake.

[Dukefrukem]

also Fright Night 2011 trailer is out... with Colin Ferrell

http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/24565

[MadMan]

Pretty decent/solid trailer, but not enough David Tennant. I like the cast, and really as good as the original was it was also quite cheesy at times. We're not talking about a remake of, say, Dawn of the Dead or Halloween, here. Fright Night (1985) isn't even the best horror movie from that year. Nor is it the best vampire movie of the 80s, which (so far anyways) for me is Near Dark (1987).

[Bosco B Thug]

26 Horror Directors to create 'The ABCs of Death' (http://www.indiewire.com/article/26_horror_directors_to_create_ the_abcs_of_death_for_magnet_r eleasing/)

A 26-chapter anthology that so far has 20 confirmed directors participating:

1. Banjong Pisanthanakun (Shutter, Alone)
2. Angela Bettis (Roman)
3. Adrian Garcia Bogliano (Cold Sweat)
4. Jason Eisener (Hobo With A Shotgun)
5. Ernesto Diaz Espinoza (Mirageman)
6. Bruno Forzani and Héléne Cattet (Amer)
7. Gadi Harel (DeadGirl)
8. Thomas Malling (Norwegian Ninja)
9. Yoshihiro Nishimura (Tokyo Gore Police; Frankenstein Girl Vs. Vampire Girl)
10. Simon Rumley (The Living and the Dead; Red, White and Blue)
11. Tak Sakaguchi and Yuji Shimomura (Yakuza Weapon)
12. Marcel Sarmiento (DeadGirl)
13. Srdjan Spasojevic (A Serbian Film)
14. Timo Tjahjanto (Macabre)
15. Andrew Traucki (Black Water, The Reef)
16. Nacho Vigalando (TimeCrimes)
17. Jake West (Doghouse, Evil Aliens)
18. Ti West (The House of the Devil, The Innkeepers)
19. Ben Wheatley (Down Terrace, Kill List)
20. Adam Wingard (Pop Skull, A Horrible Way To Die)

That's badass. Am I the only one who's seen Roman? It's amateurish hipster artsy junk, but I respect it.


also Fright Night 2011 trailer is out... with Colin Ferrell

http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/24565
Looks like a bunch of non-linear crap!! This movie's gonna suck!!!

It's both as bland as it looks, and better than it looks.

[Spun Lepton]

also Fright Night 2011 trailer is out... with Colin Ferrell

http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/24565

Huh, well ... maybe? Trailer isn't all that great, but given what I remember from the original, this could be OK. The original is good, but it's nothing amazing. Although, if the trailer's bad enough, it doesn't matter how good the movie is.

Couldn't watch the trailer for The Hike. Clicked on the play button but nothing happened.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Fright Night (1985) isn't even the best horror movie from that year. Nor is it the best vampire movie of the 80s, which (so far anyways) for me is Near Dark (1987).

Yep and yep. And this cast looks tremendous. If they don't elevate the material, I'll be shocked.

[Scar]

Giving Legend of Hell House a try.

[megladon8]

It's sad that in order for people to write things realistically today, we have to take into account that stuff like smartphones make it possible to find information on doing, well, just about anything.

No longer does a character need to find someone with the appropriate skills or knowledge. They just need an iPhone.

[Ezee E]

Why is that sad?

[Scar]

Information is at everyone's fingertips. However, the amount of people out there who don't realize this is insane.

Plus, having the information is one thing, knowing how to use it is another.

Anyone can google how to break down VX gas into inert compounds, but can they actually do it, even with the proper equipment?

[Ezee E]

Anyone can google how to break down VX gas into inert compounds, but can they actually do it, even with the proper equipment?

This should be in a movie.

[Scar]

This should be in a movie.

Sort of reminds me of when I was watching Wolf Creek. Chick gets the guys revolver and goes to load it. She grabs a rifle round and goes to put it in, and I get pissed at the movie. The round doesn't fit, and I applaud the screen writers.

[megladon8]

Why is that sad?


"Sad" was the wrong word to use. It just presents a new challenge to writers. There are things that characters (particularly young people, who probably have some kind of mobile device in this day and age) are no longer challenged by. Like the trailer's showing Anton Yelchin looking up "how to pick a lock".

Scar's totally right, though, that with many of these things, looking up how to do it and actually doing it are two different things.

But I guess the writers can always employ the old "no service / battery is dead" gimmick.

[megladon8]

Sort of reminds me of when I was watching Wolf Creek. Chick gets the guys revolver and goes to load it. She grabs a rifle round and goes to put it in, and I get pissed at the movie. The round doesn't fit, and I applaud the screen writers.


Did you watch The Beyond yet?

Where the woman loads a gun by dropping a round down the barrel?

[Scar]

Did you watch The Beyond yet?

Where the woman loads a gun by dropping a round down the barrel?

Oh God. I think you or Spun mentioned that.

I think I'll wait to watch it until I can watch it on 'Gore Night', or the next time Spun is over.

[megladon8]

Oh God. I think you or Spun mentioned that.

I think I'll wait to watch it until I can watch it on 'Gore Night', or the next time Spun is over.


It's definitely one to watch with a friend or two, and some beer and pizza.

[MadMan]

Giving Legend of Hell House a try.One of the best haunted house movies ever made. I think its better than The Haunting (1961), although both get the same rating and they each are different in terms of style, tone, and the fact that Hell House actually has some blood and gore.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I watched Prophecy last night, posted about it in my blog, but here's the review. There are some serious spoilers afoot, but given that the movie's thirty years old and not really deserving of "respect," I figure it's not a big deal. Also, warning: I tried to be funny. The results may not agree with you.


Prophecy initially proselytizes about urban squalor, Native American marginalization, and industrial impact on the environment, and then those threads take an extended breather while our heroes run away from a man in a rubber mutant bear outfit. The Native Americans in the film dub the monster Katahdin, and did you know that Katahdin also means "the great mountain"? I didn't, not until I wiki'd "Katahdin" in a desperate effort to inflate this review by taking as many tangents as possible. By the way, did you also know that the Native Americans in this film hail from the Penobscot tribe, which included shaman and Henry David Thoreau acquaintance Old John Neptune?

It's true.

Prophecy focuses initially on Maggie (Talia Shire), a concert cellist who can't focus on her music because she's got a baby on the way. Later, stuck in the forest with her distracted husband Robert (Robert Foxworth), she learns that all the mercury byproducts from the evil paper mill provoked mutations in the local wildlife and can - cello roll - even affect fetuses. She eventually comes to terms with this symbolically, by swaddling and hugging a mutant bear cub like a newborn. She's so determined that she doesn't let go the whole time, not even when the mutant bear cub bites into her neck. This will give her some idea of what to expect when her own child enters the terrible twos. Am I right, moms?

Oh my God, Talia Shire was in the movie Rad! Did you ever see Rad? I grew up watching that flick. It had Lori Loughlin of Full House fame, and she was lookin' fine back then. I wouldn't mind summiting her Katahdin, if you catch my drift.

Where was I? Oh. I mentioned the evil paper mill, right? Richard Dysart plays the floor manager of the company, and the face should look familiar. He played the doctor who got his arms bitten off by the stomach-mouth in The Thing, and in this film, Katahdin bites off his legs, which gives the two films a nice symmetry. Early in the film, Robert accuses Richard's character - given the manly name of Bethel Isley - of hiding the facts about using mercury, and Bethel responds by demanding that Robert can't accuse Bethel. If anything, Robert needs Bethel, because Bethel produces the very paper that Robert would use to file his pollution reports. Check and mate.

See, when this kind of thing is happening, the film offers a watered-down Larry Cohen vibe, with its fusion of preposterous monsters and social criticism. Larry Cohen, by this point, already directed the much-superior It's Alive, which starts with a real mutant baby (instead of ending with an implied one) and somehow remained earnest and realistic despite its absurd monster. Prophecy isn't so lucky, offering one-dimensional environmentalism before making its climax entirely about people running away from an enormous mutant bear that can breathe underwater (?) and bite off people's heads like they're gingerbread men. You should be happy to know that, despite the nasty decapitations, this film was rated PG upon release, which is fair, since kids have as much a right to laugh at this movie as adults do.

By the by, I just checked Lori Loughlin's IMDB, and she's in a movie called Medusa's Child, which is not about the monster Medusa and her noisome progeny, but is in fact about a pacemaker-triggered electromagnetic bomb stuffed on a plane that's headed directly into a hurricane. Her co-stars include President Bartlet, Mr. Big, and Johnny Drama. This film's absence from Netflix is a national tragedy.

But I digress. At the end of Prophecy, scientist Robert furiously jabs an arrow at the neck of Katahdin, who serves as either a symbol of industrial malfeasance or a metaphor for Foxworth's agent. Either way, I'd be a liar if I said I wasn't entertained by all this crap. To say if this film is "good" or "quality" is to miss the point. Prophecy is high-energy dreck that's by turns inspired, idiotic, idiotically inspired, and inspiringly idiotic. Nobody who sees this movie could conceivably want their hundred minutes back, because they'll now be able to talk about the absurdity of Prophecy. At the least, it's the most frightening mutant bear movie I've seen since Disney's The Country Bears.

RATING: B-

[Dukefrukem]

I watched [Rec] for the first time last night, however I had already seen Quarantine . I actually prefer Quarantine. The movies are EXACTLY the same and there doesn't seem to be any reason to watch REC over Quarantine unless Spanish is your native language.

The firehouse intro is longer and sets up the characters better in Quarantine. They sex it up a bit more in the english remake. There are more slower points in REC and the acting in REC is not as good as Quarantine. For example, when they investigate the old woman's apt in the beginning, I found the camera man to be way too aggressive bumping into the firefighters. They took a more realistic approach in Quarantine...

There's also large disconnect in language between the English subtitles and the English dub. Why is this? They use completely different words in some cases. Are a lot of these English dubs adlibed? Or do they stay strictly on script?

[Scar]

:|

[Dukefrukem]

:|

Well... They start the same, the same events occur and they end the same. Why wouldn't I prefer the English one?

They even copied scenes like the reporter being startled by breaking down the door and startling the old woman with the light on the camera. A lot of foreign horror remakes are slightly different. This one is exactly the same. Almost to the point where I was wondering if they shot Quarantine in the same building.

[megladon8]

The Spanish one is done infinitely better, and I felt the extra characterization of the firemen in the English version to be not only unnecessary, but poorly done and actually served to disconnect me from the characters and their fates more than anything.

[REC] >>>>>> Quarantine.

[Dukefrukem]

The short scenes of the firemen flirting with the reporter causes you to disconnected from the characters? How?

[megladon8]

The short scenes of the firemen flirting with the reporter causes you to disconnected from the characters? How?


The firemen seemed like assholes in the English film, and really removed me from caring at all about them. Add to that the piss-poor acting in Quarantine and I didn't like it at all.

The acting was more convincing and the characters more sympathetic in [REC].


Also thought the cameraman was pretty annoying in the English one.

[Dukefrukem]

The firemen seemed like assholes in the English film,

Pretty accurate though. AmIright? :P

[megladon8]

Pretty accurate though. AmIright? :P


Firemen are assholes? :confused:


It was just unnecessary characterization, and add to that the huge nosedive in acting (and even overall production value) and [REC] was a tighter, scarier ride.

[Dukefrukem]

Firemen are assholes? :confused:


It was just unnecessary characterization, and add to that the huge nosedive in acting (and even overall production value) and [REC] was a tighter, scarier ride.

No but they're cocky. Which ties in nicely with overheard bet. It was definitely Americanized, which is why I think I like it more. I see this a lot with foreign horror remakes where actions just don't make sense to me. Dark Water and Kairo are two movies I remember there being very awkward senseless scenes that didn't flow to the plot. These scenes are fixed in Quarantine.

I gave both movies the same grade, because I can watch either of them. But I prefer Quarantine.

[Rowland]

Doesn't Quarantine excise the entire religious angle revealed in the closing act of [.Rec]? That was what elevated the original for me from a masterful exercise to a genuinely unsettling creepfest. I haven't seen the remake, can't say I'm all that interested either.

[Rowland]

Also, I liked House on the Cemetery a lot more last night than I did when I trashed it in this thread a year ago. *shrug* I'm probably overrating it in terms of actual merit (in the strictest sense), and certainly underrating it for sheer entertainment value. I suppose then that I'm officially one of those Fulci apologists.

[Dukefrukem]

Doesn't Quarantine excise the entire religious angle revealed in the closing act of [.Rec]? That was what elevated the original for me from a masterful exercise to a genuinely unsettling creepfest. I haven't seen the remake, can't say I'm all that interested either.

It was barely a "religious" angle...

Read below if you want to see the ending to Quarantine . They're so similar it's not even worth me putting it in spoilers.

Instead of the former tenant being a member of the Vatican (in search of finding the cause of demon possession), he was a member of a doomsday cult who stole the virus from a lab

[megladon8]

Doesn't Quarantine excise the entire religious angle revealed in the closing act of [.Rec]? That was what elevated the original for me from a masterful exercise to a genuinely unsettling creepfest. I haven't seen the remake, can't say I'm all that interested either.


Exactly.

The difference is quite large, actually.

[Rowland]

It was barely a "religious" angle...

Read below if you want to see the ending to Quarantine . They're so similar it's not even worth me putting it in spoilers.

Instead of the former tenant being a member of the Vatican (in search of finding the cause of demon possession), he was a member of a doomsday cult who stole the virus from a labAhh ok. The implications of the original reveal strike me as a creepier and more ballsy deviation from the usual biochemical angle.

[Rowland]

Trailer for Beyond the Black Rainbow (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKdWj9-VMzs&feature=player_embedded), described by Slant's Nick Schager in his rave review as "A reverential ode to Kubrick, Argento, Cronenberg, Altered States, John Carpenter synth scores, ‘70s sci-fi and ‘80s fantasy, and mind-boggling, hyper-stylized madness, Beyond the Black Rainbow simultaneously pays homage while blazing its own uniquely insane trail."

[Dukefrukem]

Exactly.

The difference is quite large, actually.

I'ts not quite large.

[D_Davis]

Trailer for Beyond the Black Rainbow (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKdWj9-VMzs&feature=player_embedded), described by Slant's Nick Schager in his rave review as "A reverential ode to Kubrick, Argento, Cronenberg, Altered States, John Carpenter synth scores, ‘70s sci-fi and ‘80s fantasy, and mind-boggling, hyper-stylized madness, Beyond the Black Rainbow simultaneously pays homage while blazing its own uniquely insane trail."

Heck yeah, looks (and sounds) rad.

[megladon8]

I'ts not quite large.


Yes, they are pretty different, even though that difference could be seen as superficial.

It drastically changes, as Rowland stated, the creepiness level of the ending few minutes.


The final 10 minutes of [REC] remains one of the scariest things I've ever seen, whereas I felt pretty much nothing with Quarantine.

[Dukefrukem]

Yes, they are pretty different, even though that difference could be seen as superficial.

It drastically changes, as Rowland stated, the creepiness level of the ending few minutes.


The final 10 minutes of [REC] remains one of the scariest things I've ever seen, whereas I felt pretty much nothing with Quarantine.

I felt something in both movies but if I were to try and see it from your perspective, I would have to think that my spoiler above was creepier to begin with (which I don't) and then I would have to get over the fact that I'm reading subtitles versus listening to someone whimper in the darkness.

[Bosco B Thug]

Also, I liked House on the Cemetery a lot more last night than I did when I trashed it in this thread a year ago. *shrug* I'm probably overrating it in terms of actual merit (in the strictest sense), and certainly underrating it for sheer entertainment value. I suppose then that I'm officially one of those Fulci apologists. I remember you having nothing nice to say about it and thinking it was odd, as it's probably the Fulci film with the least alienating effect. Doesn't reach the heights of The Beyond, but it's more even entertainment.

[Bosco B Thug]

Oh, and don't see The Rite. It's a snoozefest. I'm looking at you, the one person who doesn't snark on Anthony Hopkins whenever the ample opportunity rises and the one who still remembers what they liked about 1408.

[Rowland]

I remember you having nothing nice to say about it and thinking it was odd, as it's probably the Fulci film with the least alienating effect. Doesn't reach the heights of The Beyond, but it's more even entertainment.I must have been sleepy, which tends to result in excessively crabby ratings. I had a ball with it this time around.

[MadMan]

Trailer for Beyond the Black Rainbow (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKdWj9-VMzs&feature=player_embedded), described by Slant's Nick Schager in his rave review as "A reverential ode to Kubrick, Argento, Cronenberg, Altered States, John Carpenter synth scores, ‘70s sci-fi and ‘80s fantasy, and mind-boggling, hyper-stylized madness, Beyond the Black Rainbow simultaneously pays homage while blazing its own uniquely insane trail."Added to the Netflix queue. Cool rec.

PS: Damn its not avaliable.

[Boner M]

Man, I wanted to love The Entity. The first 30 mins or so are really strong, and Barbara Hershey's performance is as good as any female horror film lead ever. But goddamn it's repetitive. Hershey gets attacked, cries for help from family, Hershey gets attacked, cries for help from friends, Hershey gets attacked, cries for help from shrink, Hershey gets attacked, cries for help from lover, Hershey gets attacked, cries for help from scientists, etc etc. A while through I wondered if its repetitiveness was some way of giving us space to contemplate potential allegorical readings (the helplessness of women in the face of abuse... I guess), and the lack of explanations for the demonic occurrences is admirable, but my eyes were glazing over long before the laughable FX-showcase climax.

EDIT: Thank god Peter Tscherkassky made something good out of it. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTarJ0Op7W8)

[Dukefrukem]

Anyone see Joel Schumacher's Blood Creek?

[Rowland]

Anyone see Joel Schumacher's Blood Creek?Yeah, I thought it sucked.

[Dukefrukem]

Yeah, I thought it sucked.

:lol: No expecting much, but I just added it to my Netflix Instant Watch Queue

[Dukefrukem]

I watched Troll Hunter last night. It's cut together at an incredibly fast pace (as lost footage Blair Witch Style) which is smart, because I think people would lose interest if it wasn't. There's some running through the woods with a camera, so if you were always annoyed with that, you probably won't like this, but the footage was definitely interesting enough and the characters are likable that I'd want to watch it again. I think it's just over 100 minutes. Some of the best footage is the raw HD environments, shots of rivers, mountains roaming fields of Norway. What a beautiful country.

[Spun Lepton]

Caught the Piranha remake last night, watched it on Blu-Ray, with anaglyph 3D glasses.

The 3D is sketchy, some ghosting, when objects are supposed to be very far away or very near. Occasional shots were completely obscured by blurring, mostly the underwater gore shots. Typical anaglyph.

I was surprised at how gory it was! I mean, holy cow, we've gone back to the level of gore that I enjoyed in the early-80s. I mean, this sucker is gratuitous. Eli Roth's death and the motorboat propeller death were both completely unnecessary and WAY over the top.

(Come to think of it, I wonder if it was the unrated version?)

Jerry O'Connell stole every scene he was in. You could tell he loved playing that sleazeball character. His final line made me laugh so hard I had to pause the movie.

Once again, Ving Rhames played a thankless part. He's a damn good actor, he needs to get meatier roles, dangit.

7/10. I'll see the sequel. :)

[Russ]

Huh. Slant reviews (http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/a-serbian-film/5515) the unrated version of A Serbian Film and gives it 3 stars. Color me surprised.

[Ezee E]

[REC] 2 narrowly keeps the visceral horror effective by taking on the religious/paranormal route. The zombies in the shadows start to get a little old, but the military approach, with some creatively done kills makes those scenes effective.

I dug the hell out of it.

[Spun Lepton]

The Final Destination was a big improvement over part 3. They did attempt to add a new spin to the movie by giving the lead multiple premonitions, and all the stuff around the final premonition was actually quite fun. Aside from that, it's by-the-numbers.

One thing THE has in common with 3 is a pretty uninspired final scene.

6/10

[D_Davis]

Huh. Slant reviews (http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/a-serbian-film/5515) the unrated version of A Serbian Film and gives it 3 stars. Color me surprised.

That's a very thoughtful review. Almost makes me want to watch it again.

[Dukefrukem]

8a_2fKmjekk


oeGMxE2vYlg

[Dukefrukem]

http://s3.amazonaws.com/coolproduction/ckeditor_assets/pictures/1843/original/SharkNightPos.jpeg?1306191182

[MadMan]

Despite liking that tagline, I can't imagine that movie not being terrible :lol:

[Spun Lepton]

http://s3.amazonaws.com/coolproduction/ckeditor_assets/pictures/1843/original/SharkNightPos.jpeg?1306191182

Terrible poster, terrible title. Movie's gonna bomb.

[Dukefrukem]

Surprising. They rated the Fright Night remake R.

[Bosco B Thug]

Surprising. They rated the Fright Night remake R.
It's pretty R. F-bombs and showy gore effects. Not to get your hopes up or anything for anything intense, though, the film should be pretty friendly to anyone over 13.

[Dukefrukem]

Stephen Kay's

fYZpSc2FXE8

[Rowland]

La Casa Muda (The Silent House) has an English remake coming out soon from the directing team behind Open Water, but the Uruguayan original is a very worthy effort in its own right, granted you can look beyond its reliance on some tired cliches and appreciate it as an expertly executed stylistic exercise in genre minimalism. It's highly engrossing as long as you can accept its main gimmick, that it's shot in "real-time" Russian-Ark-style, which it clearly isn't, using mostly subtle trickery to achieve the effect, but it's a fun, tense ride all the same.

[Boner M]

What's the consensus on Narciso Ibáñez Serrador's Who Can Kill a Child here? Seems pretty highly regarded, and I'm surprised that I'd only heard of it until recently.

[Bosco B Thug]

What's the consensus on Narciso Ibáñez Serrador's Who Can Kill a Child here? Seems pretty highly regarded, and I'm surprised that I'd only heard of it until recently.
It's solid. Standard genre fare, but creepy and solid. Eli Roth is a fan.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Feel obliged to post this:

Some friends of mine from college produced a 30 minute short zombie musical called "Rigamortis: A Love Story." They posted it online HERE (http://www.rigamortismovie.com/), free to watch, so if you guys want to scope it out, y'know, there it is.

I think it's well-mounted, well-shot, with respectable technical work (particularly the zombie makeup), but it's not as clever as it wants to be, and material of this sort needs a lot more zip and wit to really impress.

[megladon8]

Going to watch Return of the Living Dead tonight.

[Spun Lepton]

I've heard some praise for Scarecrows (1988), and I remember watching it when I first found it on VHS. (Whew, VHS!!) And I also remember enjoying it. So, I crossed my fingers and fired it up on NI.

Somewhat disappointing. A great idea that's poorly executed, but sprinkled with some inspired moments. The acting bounced between decent to poor, the worst culprit being the young woman. She didn't have a natural bone in her body, even her non-speaking moments were ruined by strange, stiff physicality as if she were really uncomfortable in front of the camera.

Character decisions were, overall, stupid. We've got all the 80s cliches. Splitting up, multiple times, even after the characters have realized the threat. Hearing a strange voice in the dark and going toward it. Shit like that. Oh, and one of the most maddening parts ...

Everybody is dead, save for the most (according to the script) ruthless thief/kidnapper and the young woman. They're making a break for the plane when the thief gets attacked. The woman (who knows how to pilot the plane) GOES BACK TO SAVE HIM. No, sorry, if your kidnapper was being attacked, you wouldn't go back to save him. No. Sorry. I don't buy it. AT ALL. There was no Stockholm Syndrome going on here. She would've counted her losses and kept running. Period.

The hints to the scarecrows' history could have been less vague. I would have enjoyed it if one character actually took the time to sort out WTF was going on around that farmhouse. The movie was just over 80 minutes long, so there was definitely room for it. That said, you'll figure it out if you really pay attention.

Finally, one of my biggest pet-peeves. Day-for-night. All of the shots of the plane -- ALL of them -- were poorly done day-for-night. It was jarring to go from actual night shots of the people to day-for-night shots of the plane. It ripped me out of the movie every single time. I have a feeling the filmmakers realized too late that they couldn't see the plane in the sky in the dark, so they decided to do day-for-night instead -- but that doesn't explain why we still got day-for-night in the shots where the plane was on the ground.

Best moment of the movie is when Jack reappears near the end.

4/10

[Grouchy]

What's the consensus on Narciso Ibáñez Serrador's Who Can Kill a Child here? Seems pretty highly regarded, and I'm surprised that I'd only heard of it until recently.
It's great. Perhaps its biggest flaw is that it takes a long time for it to get started, but once it does, it's great.

[Rowland]

Scarecrows (1988)I wrote (http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=291808&postcount=18) about this in my horror thread last year. I was probably being a bit generous, but with lowered expectations, it's passable schlock.

[Spun Lepton]

I wrote (http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=291808&postcount=18) about this in my horror thread last year. I was probably being a bit generous, but with lowered expectations, it's passable schlock.


Furthermore, every one of them is saddled with idiotic dialogue (samples: "God to Bert - your birthday has been cancelled!"; "Yeah Bert, I think I'm gonna have to write you out of my will!") and boneheaded behavior suggesting how an alien may react to any given situation (example: your partner-in-crime has apparently been cut open, gutted, and stuffed full of the stolen money he double-crossed you for, after which he proceeds to attack you while being invulnerable to bullet fire. Your response? "OMG, he ate all the money!").

100% agreed. I'm glad you mentioned the "he ate the money" bit, because I thought the exact same thing. The guy has a slit going up his middle, he's missing his guts, instead he's stuffed with money and straw ... and you conclude HE ATE THE MONEY? Come on. Anybody with a working pair of eyes and half of a brain would figure something bad was going on.

[megladon8]

Got the trilogy of Puppet Master films (not to be confused with Puppet Masters starring Donald Sutherland) for $5 today at Wal Mart.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, Wal Mart is sandwiched between Satan and Saddam in the master bedroom of hell...but their bargain bins are great!

[Dukefrukem]

I watched my first Masters of Horror over the weekend. Cigarette Burns. Was good. But not great. A lot more gruesome than I was expecting.

[EyesWideOpen]

I watched my first Masters of Horror over the weekend. Cigarette Burns. Was good. But not great. A lot more gruesome than I was expecting.

It only goes downhill from there.

[Raiders]

It only goes downhill from there.

Except for the numerous episodes that are superior to Carpenter's first entry, you're right.

[Dukefrukem]

http://blastr.com/assets_c/2011/05/ImageBadGuys053111-thumb-550x734-63397.jpg

[Dead & Messed Up]

Hey, a MutAnt! It's not unlike one of our Earth creatures, larger of course.

[Spun Lepton]

Except for the numerous episodes that are superior to Carpenter's first entry, you're right.

I would reluctantly disagree. I'm curious what episodes you liked better.

And Duke, MoH was never a five-star television show. The majority of the episodes were pretty bad. (I'm looking at you, HAEKEL'S TALE or however it was spelled.)

[Dukefrukem]

I would reluctantly disagree. I'm curious what episodes you liked better.

And Duke, MoH was never a five-star television show. The majority of the episodes were pretty bad. (I'm looking at you, HAEKEL'S TALE or however it was spelled.)

Thanks Spun. These got a lot of buzz on the original Axis sit from what I remember.

I've been waiting for the DVD box set prices to fall for a long time now and Just saw them all on Netflix. I'm glad I didn't blind buy them all like I am prone to doing.

It looks like they're all expiring tomorrow though. :-/

[Dead & Messed Up]

I think about half of the MoH series is worth watching. The problem is that when an episode sucks...hoo boy.

[Scar]

Watched Troll Hunter last night, and it was.... alright.

Would be better with friends and drinks.

[Raiders]

I would reluctantly disagree. I'm curious what episodes you liked better.

In order of preference:

Sick Girl
Homecoming
The Fair-Haired Child
Dreams in the Witch House
Sounds Like
The Black Cat
The Screwfly Solution
Jenifer

Other than that, I liked a couple more (Cigarette Burns and Incident... spring to mind), but I would agree the series was mediocre at best. Still, some of the best episodes are well worth the 50 minutes they require.

[megladon8]

...the series was mediocre at best. Still, some of the best episodes are well worth the 50 minutes they require.


Summed it up perfectly.

[Dead & Messed Up]

In order of preference:

Sick Girl
Homecoming
The Fair-Haired Child
Dreams in the Witch House
Sounds Like
The Black Cat
The Screwfly Solution
Jenifer

Other than that, I liked a couple more (Cigarette Burns and Incident... spring to mind), but I would agree the series was mediocre at best. Still, some of the best episodes are well worth the 50 minutes they require.

Good man. Those are pretty much all the episodes I enjoyed, although I thought Landis's "Family" was deliciously warped.

[Rowland]

I've only seen about half the episodes, which I'd rank as such:

Best
The Black Cat
Imprint
Jenifer
Fine
Fair-Haired Child
Pick Me Up
H.P. Lovecraft's Dreams in the Witch-House
Incident On and Off a Mountain Road
Nah
Cigarette Burns
Pelts
The Screwfly Solution

[Dukefrukem]

Nah to Cigarette Burns eh? That was one that people talked about a lot thats why I started with it.

I'm getting mixed reactions to whether or not episodes can exceed the quality of Cigarette Burns. Carpenter did another one too didn't he?

[Spun Lepton]

I've only seen about half the episodes, which I'd rank as such:

Best
The Black Cat
Imprint
Jenifer
Fine
Fair-Haired Child
Pick Me Up
H.P. Lovecraft's Dreams in the Witch-House
Incident On and Off a Mountain Road
Nah
Cigarette Burns
Pelts
The Screwfly Solution

Good
Cigarette Burns
Jenifer (I'm surprised that I'm not the only one who liked this.)
Pick Me Up
Fair-Haired Child
Incident On and Off a Mountain Road
Family
Right to Die

OK
Dreams in the Witch House
Sick Girl
Imprint
Pelts
Sounds Like
We All Scream for Ice Cream
The Washingtonians
The Deer Woman
Homecoming

Bad
Pro-Life
The Damned Thing

REALLY BAD
Haeckel's Tale
Valerie on the Stairs
The V Word

[Dead & Messed Up]

We're doing this? Okay, we're doing this:

Great:
"The Black Cat"
"Cigarette Burns"
"Homecoming"
"Family"

Good:
"Fair-Haired Child"
"The Screwfly Solution"
"Sick Girl"
"Sounds Like"
"Dreams in the Witch-House"
"Incident On and Off a Mountain Road"
"Pelts"
"Deer Woman"

Not Good:
"Chocolate"
"Jenifer"
"Imprint"
"Pick Me Up"
"Right to Die"
"The Damned Thing"
"Valerie on the Stairs"

Awful:
"We All Scream for Ice Cream"
"Haeckel's Tale"
"Dream Cruise"
"The Washingtonians"
"Pro-Life"
"The V Word"
"Dance of the Dead"

Obviously, the results were painfully mixed, as they were with other TV anthologies of that time (Fear Itself, Nightmares and Dreamscapes), but I loved the concept of the show, and how it emphasized the auteur status of most of the directors, and how there was no interest in kowtowing to the youth demographics. Granted, there was a push for female nudity (which helps with overseas distribution deals), but what you were seeing was, barring the small budgets, what the directors wanted to present. Especially in cases like "Homecoming" and "Sick Girl," which became playgrounds for their respective directors.

[megladon8]

Nah to Cigarette Burns eh? That was one that people talked about a lot thats why I started with it.

I'm getting mixed reactions to whether or not episodes can exceed the quality of Cigarette Burns. Carpenter did another one too didn't he?


Yes, and the other one he did - "Pro Life" - is the very worst of the series.

Just...so, so awful.

[Spun Lepton]

Yes, and the other one he did - "Pro Life" - is the very worst of the series.

Just...so, so awful.

Not. Even. Close!!! To the worst.

EDIT: Haeckels' Tale was a total embarrassment. Now, I'm certainly not saying Pro-Life was good, because it definitely was not, but both of Clive Barker's entries were complete, "What were they THINKING?" experiences for me.

[Dukefrukem]

Clive Barker hasn't done anything decent in decades.... I wasn't expecting much from that anyway.

[Raiders]

In Barker's defense, he had nothing to do with making Haeckel's Tale and Valerie on the Stairs.

[Dead & Messed Up]

In Barker's defense, he had nothing to do with making Haeckel's Tale and Valerie on the Stairs.

This. Mick Garris adapted story concepts to script for both, McNaughton directed the former, and Garris the latter.

[megladon8]

Not. Even. Close!!! To the worst.

EDIT: Haeckels' Tale was a total embarrassment. Now, I'm certainly not saying Pro-Life was good, because it definitely was not, but both of Clive Barker's entries were complete, "What were they THINKING?" experiences for me.


They were bad for sure, I thought "Pro-Life" took the cake.


Duke - strongly recommend going to "Fair-Haired Child" next. Not only is it one of the better ones, but I could really see you digging it.

[Rowland]

Spun, I'm surprised you haven't seen The Black Cat, which is one of the most stylish and clever of the bunch. I'm not surprised however that I'm the only person who didn't dig Cigarette Burns. Honestly, it just kinda felt like an inert, dull variation on In the Mouth of Madness to me, but who knows, maybe I wasn't in the right mood at the time.

[Bosco B Thug]

Yes, and the other one he did - "Pro Life" - is the very worst of the series.

Just...so, so awful. Agreed, Pro-Life was terrible! I gave up on Season 2 after seeing even Carpenter and Argento's episodes were hardly watchable (yep, Pelts-hater here).

I'd still call Cigarette Burns the best, as it's the most interesting tale coupled with the most noteworthy artistic flourishes by Carpenter. But even then, it's no masterwork, so I can accept the "mediocre at best" evaluation. Ditto this with Miike's ep, probably.

I'll wholeheartedly recommend the "fun" episodes, though: Lucky McKee's Sick Girl and both John Landis's episodes.

[megladon8]

I'm really digging the hell out of the (admittedly terrible, but awesome) horror films from Full Moon Entertainment.

It's like movie versions of the (admittedly terrible, but awesome) cheap dimestore sci-fi/horror comics and novels of many decades ago.

They're so much fun.

[Rowland]

Yep, I didn't like Pelts either. It felt like fanboy-pandering gore-porn, which was admittedly kind of amusing, especially with Simonetti's ethereal score hilariously playing over the carnage, but it was still crap. Miike's episode is pretty awesome though in my opinion, with probably the highest production values and most assured style of the bunch, plus it's just wicked crazy.

[Bosco B Thug]

I'm really digging the hell out of the (admittedly terrible, but awesome) horror films from Full Moon Entertainment.

It's like movie versions of the (admittedly terrible, but awesome) cheap dimestore sci-fi/horror comics and novels of many decades ago.

They're so much fun. So what have you seen?

I've only seen The Dead Hate the Living!, which my memory does tell me was really fun.


Yep, I didn't like Pelts either. It felt like fanboy-pandering gore-porn, which was admittedly kind of amusing, especially with Simonetti's ethereal score hilariously playing over the carnage, but it was still crap. Miike's episode is pretty awesome though in my opinion, with probably the highest production values and most assured style of the bunch, plus it's just wicked crazy. Argento's recent stuff does highly suggest if porn directors directed horror films. Esp. Pelts, with the slobby guys getting lap dances.

Miike's episode was good. Sadistic nonsense, but an artistic effort at least.

[megladon8]

So what have you seen?

I've only seen The Dead Hate the Living!, which my memory does tell me was really fun.


I've seen that, which was terrible but watchable fun.

Castle Freak, which is terrible but watchable fun.

A couple of the Puppet Master movies, which are terrible but watchable fun.
:D

[Bosco B Thug]

I've seen that, which was terrible but watchable fun.

Castle Freak, which is terrible but watchable fun.

A couple of the Puppet Master movies, which are terrible but watchable fun.
:D Next step is the Gingerdead Man movies. Those seem to be their claim to fame outside of the Puppet Master films and you know it, you Full Moon shill! :)

[MadMan]

I liked The Screwfly Solution. But the rest I haven't seen yet.

[D_Davis]

Full Moon movies I've seen:


Puppet Master (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puppet_Master_%28film%29) (1989)
Subspecies (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subspecies) (1991)
Puppet Master II (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puppet_Master_II) (1991)
The Pit and the Pendulum (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pit_and_the_Pendulum_%2819 90_film%29) (1991)
Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puppet_Master_III:_Toulon%27s_ Revenge) (1991)
Dollman (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dollman_%28film%29) (1991)
Puppet Master 4 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puppet_Master_4) (1993)
Puppet Master 5: The Final Chapter (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puppet_Master_5:_The_Final_Cha pter) (1994)
Shrunken Heads (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrunken_Heads) (1994)
Castle Freak (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_Freak) (1995)The first three Puppet Master films were pretty cool, and Shrunken Heads is very cool - totally bizarre.

[Dukefrukem]

Cool, somehow they fit Nightmare on Elm street 2 and 3 on one Blu-ray disc.

[EyesWideOpen]

I remember when blu-ray was first being discussed and they said how amazing it was gonna be that you could have whole seasons of tv shows on one disc. And then they realized that the more discs you put in a set the more people are willing to pay for it.

[megladon8]

Full Moon feature Arcade is embarassingly bad, even by Full Moon standards.

It features a script written by a young David S. Goyer, and it seems that he really hasn't advanced much at all since his early script writing days - characters wear their hearts on their sleeves, speak in near constant exposition, and the few attempts at "heart" are horribly forced.

Goyer can be a good idea man, but he really should leave the actual writing of the script to someone else.

It's worth watching for appearances by: a very, very young Seth Green, a teenage Peter Billingsley (the kid from A Christmas Story), and that dude who played Q on "Star Trek: The Next Generation".

It's pretty much an episode of "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" that rips off Tron, and throws in cuss words about a dozen times throughout the length of the film.

[megladon8]

If you like the kind of '80s horror schlock on display in films like Night of the Creeps and C.H.U.D., I strongly suggest you check out the FUll Moon feature Bad Channels.

While an infamous shock jock works his first night at a radio station in the middle of nowhere (the only place that will hire him at this point) an alien and its robot companion take over the building and begin using the radio signals to hypnotize and kidnap beautiful women.

It's funny, briskly paced, has some great creature designs and effects, and it's just a whole lot of fun.

[EyesWideOpen]

Just a heads up Duke they added all the Masters of Horror back up to netflix today.

[Dukefrukem]

Just a heads up Duke they added all the Masters of Horror back up to netflix today.

No shit? That's weird. Hmmm. Not all of them it seems. But it says Coming Soon at least... Netflix contracts are weird.

Also,

I can't find any info on this director on imdb.

http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/independent/therift/

[Dukefrukem]

I had no idea they were remaking Rec 2. IT's got a limited theater release June 17th

[Ezee E]

I had no idea they were remaking Rec 2. IT's got a limited theater release June 17th
As in Quarantine 2? Since Quarantine took a different approach, I find it hard to believe that they'd remake Rec 2.

Have you seen Rec 2 Duke?

[megladon8]

Did [REC] 2 ever come to DVD here?

I'm still dying to see it.

[Scar]

Did [REC] 2 ever come to DVD here?

I'm still dying to see it.

Amazon has a July 12 release date listed.

[megladon8]

Nice, thank you.

I've seen bootlegs of it floating around here and there, but that's the first I've heard of a real release.

[Ezee E]

Watched it on Karagarga. If you liked the first, you'll probably like the 2nd, although it kind of rehashes the same scares. The religious angle works though.

[Dukefrukem]

As in Quarantine 2? Since Quarantine took a different approach, I find it hard to believe that they'd remake Rec 2.

Have you seen Rec 2 Duke?

I was referring to Quarantine 2. Do You mean Quarantine 2 took a different approach? Since Quarantine and Rec are pretty much the exact same movie.

I may watch Rec 2 tonight now that we're talking about it.

[Rowland]

Full Moon feature Arcade is embarassingly bad, even by Full Moon standards.Hah, I remember forcing my Aunt to rent this for me when I was maybe 9 years old. I could tell it sucked even then.

[Ezee E]

I was referring to Quarantine 2. Do You mean Quarantine 2 took a different approach? Since Quarantine and Rec are pretty much the exact same movie.

I may watch Rec 2 tonight now that we're talking about it.
Didn't Quarantine and Rec have different ideas of how the building got contaminated?

[Dukefrukem]

Didn't Quarantine and Rec have different ideas of how the building got contaminated?

It was barely a difference.


Instead of the former tenant being a member of the Vatican (in search of finding the cause of demon possession), he was a member of a doomsday cult who stole the virus from a lab

[Ezee E]

It was barely a difference.


Instead of the former tenant being a member of the Vatican (in search of finding the cause of demon possession), he was a member of a doomsday cult who stole the virus from a lab
Yeah, then "Quarantine 2" would have to take a slightly different approach.

You'll understand after you see it.

[megladon8]

Once again, I feel I must point out that [REC] and Quarantine are hugely different.

They're more different than they are similar.

[Robby P]

Re-watched The Descent last night. Just as terrifying the second time around. Pity about Neil Marshall. Not sure what happened to the guy.

[Dukefrukem]

Re-watched The Descent last night. Just as terrifying the second time around. Pity about Neil Marshall. Not sure what happened to the guy.

You make it seem like his career is over. He got a hold of big boy money. That's what happened.

[Ezee E]

Re-watched The Descent last night. Just as terrifying the second time around. Pity about Neil Marshall. Not sure what happened to the guy.
Indeed. He fell in love too much with the gore, but forgot what made it effective. Doomsday had some moments. I still hold out some hope for him.

[megladon8]

Full Moon feature Netherworld is absolute shit, and not in a good way.

Even the (substantial) number of breasts on display doesn't save it from being utterly retarded, terribly paced crap.

The plot is nonsensical, the acting horrid, and nothing really happens for a great long while.

The only plus I can give it is that there are maybe 4 shots in the film that had an almost Argento-like flare to them, but I am convinced they were an accident since the rest of the movie was so inept.

Just awful.

[Spun Lepton]

Full Moon feature Netherworld is absolute shit, and not in a good way.

Even the (substantial) number of breasts on display doesn't save it from being utterly retarded, terribly paced crap.

The plot is nonsensical, the acting horrid, and nothing really happens for a great long while.

The only plus I can give it is that there are maybe 4 shots in the film that had an almost Argento-like flare to them, but I am convinced they were an accident since the rest of the movie was so inept.

Just awful.

Is that the vampire one?

[megladon8]

Is that the vampire one?


No, it's about voodoo, and some psychic woman who is able to make people live forever...so of course she sets up a brothel and brings dead hotties back to life to fuck for money!!

I mean, who wouldn't do that??

[Dead & Messed Up]

Chuck Russell's The Blob was pretty fun, but absent of the wit and personality I hoped it would have.

[megladon8]

Chuck Russell's The Blob was pretty fun, but absent of the wit and personality I hoped it would have.


Kevin Dillon's mullet.

[megladon8]

While not as enjoyable as Bad Channels, the Full Moon film Seedpeople is similarly campy low-budget horror sci-fi fare.

This time, meteorites crashing in a small town in rural America turn out to be giant space seeds, which grow trees that pollinate toxins, turning citizens into big, goopy green monsters.

The script and acting are pretty bad, but the monsters are awesome (in a rubber suit way).

It also features a woman who is clearly no younger than about 27-30 playing the teenage niece of the protagonist.

The female lead is played by Andrea Roth of Rescue Me fame.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Kevin Dillon's mullet.

No.

[MadMan]

meg most of the movies you've mentioned over the past couple of days sound like great fun to me. Well, some of them, anyways appear to be worth checking out.

I have House (1977) on DVD. Time to find out what the hell this crazy movie really is all about.

[Rowland]

I suspect most here would dismiss cult director Jean Rollin's Requiem for a Vampire as ludicrously pretentious camp (which it sorta is), but I had a blast with it as an audacious exercise in surreal minimalism that plays like a gothic Eurotrash/sexploitation fever dream. Safe to say that Rollin now has my attention.

[Spun Lepton]

Rollin did Living Dead Girl, right?

[Dead & Messed Up]

I suspect most here would dismiss cult director Jean Rollin's Requiem for a Vampire as ludicrously pretentious camp

How dare you make such a presumption.

[Rowland]

Rollin did Living Dead Girl, right?Yep.
How dare you make such a presumption.Hell, I kinda did and I still really dug the movie. Almost nothing happens in it, and what does makes very little conventional narrative sense, which is likely a deal breaker for most.

[Spun Lepton]

I enjoyed Living Dead Girl, although I thought the effects were balls. Haven't seen anything else he's done.

[MadMan]

I suspect most here would dismiss cult director Jean Rollin's Requiem for a Vampire as ludicrously pretentious camp (which it sorta is), but I had a blast with it as an audacious exercise in surreal minimalism that plays like a gothic Eurotrash/sexploitation fever dream. Safe to say that Rollin now has my attention.Well you were right about Strange Behavior being good, and you brought Raw Meat to my attention, which I liked a lot, so I'll try and check this one out, too.

Oh and House is one batshit crazy movie. A girl gets eaten by a piano for crying out loud. I was reminded of Suspira, The Shining, The Evil Dead, and even Burnt Offerings to a certain degree. And yet, House manages to be even more weird and bizarre than any of those movies. Just like Eraserhead, I think its a movie that really defies proper ratings.

[Rowland]

Anyone familiar with Harry Kumel? I just rented Daughters of Darkness, should be arriving from Netflix tomorrow. After that, I'm thinking about The Boxer's Omen, even though I haven't been too impressed by the Shaw Brothers horror pictures I've seen so far.

[megladon8]

Anyone familiar with Harry Kumel? I just rented Daughters of Darkness, should be arriving from Netflix tomorrow. After that, I'm thinking about The Boxer's Omen, even though I haven't been too impressed by the Shaw Brothers horror pictures I've seen so far.


Daughters of Darkness isn't too good. It's surprisingly un-erotic considering the film's reputation and its own claims, and it's slow, plodding and fairly uninteresting.

It has a bit of visual flare, but other than that not much is going for it.


I really kind of hated The Boxer's Omen, but I know it's one of D_Davis' personal all-time favorites.

I, too, am not much of a fan of the Shaw Brothers' horror output. There are some awesome kung-fu horror/comedy films, but not any I've seen that were by the Shaw Brothers studio.

[Dead & Messed Up]

My review for The Blob (1988):

Sci-fi camp silliness gets less of an upgrade and more of a sidegrade in Chuck Russell's The Blob, which reworks the fifties drive-in "classic" for the eighties, keeping the basic premise while injecting post-Vietnam government paranoia, post-AIDS pathophobia, and post-Bottin creature effects. The stew of ideas and imagery proves less fruitful than expected, and the majority of The Blob plays too comfortably as a standard creature-feature. What's here is formula, well-wrought but absent of personality, about as thoughtful as its titular beast. The film isn't bad, but with this much potential, it really should be better.

The original film's template serves the remake well. Object falls from space. Homeless man unwisely pokes object from space, reveals space-goo. Space-goo inside object goes on human-absorption rampage. Plucky teens stop threat. Director Russell and co-writer Frank Darabont add a subplot about villainous hazmat-suited scientists who quarantine the small town, and I have to wonder, is a horror film ever going to make the observation that quarantining a small town to save the world might be the smart, reasonable thing to do? George Romero or Larry Cohen would attack that concept with zeal, blurring lines and challenging us with the full implications of the story's elements. Chuck Russell has no such ambitions.

Instead, he focuses on cutout characters like juvenile delinquent Brian (Kevin Dillon) and smiley cheerleader Meg (Shawnee Smith), who discover that, like in the first film, the Blob can't stand the cold. You'd think that if all the animals we've documented have multiple vulnerabilities, so would the Blob, but cinema beasts always have exactly one vulnerability, so their weakness can be dramatically exposed and exploited in the final reel. It's just the way these things have to go. To say more about these two teenagers would assume that their lives in-film involve much more than reactive stares and screams and breathless explications of plot. So I won't say more.

I will, however, commend special effects supervisor Tony Gardner (Return of the Living Dead, Nightbreed), who brings a terrific amount of squelchy, gruey disgusterrific scenes to life. Like Carpenter's version of the Thing, the Blob can mutate endlessly, slithering and flowering and crystallizing as it chases after anyone in its path. This beast is supposed to be an evocation of viruses and germs, and Gardner nails the macro-proto-plasmic look of the Blob, thanks to a savvy combination of rear-projection, stop-motion animation, and physical props and animatronics. The stand-out sequence of the film, with someone stuck in a Hitchcockian phone booth while the Blob convincingly oozes down the sides, genuinely frightens.

Other sequences excite, like the heroes' escape from an unusually large sewer system, and the finale where the townspeople perform their best impression of Rio Bravo. The Blob is an efficient film, to be sure, but, then again, it isn't much more. The film lacks the sideways zingers and stealthy cheer of Tremors and Slither. Apart from a few period details (Kevin Dillon's Samson-esque power mullet), the film lacks idiosyncrasy. It's an acceptable tread through familiar terrain. Then again, is that a bad thing? Can't this just be a slight-if-satisfying monster movie? Then again, why bother remaking a film if there's no passion? The Fly, The Thing, Cat People, and Invasion of the Body Snatchers all engaged the viewer on a number of levels. By comparison, The Blob feels distant.

Then again, what does it mean, exactly, when I say that I think a movie about a ravenous blob of protoplasm is emotionally and intellectually unfulfilling?

B-

(Up in the blog w/ pictures)

[MadMan]

Cool review, DaMU. I've only seen the original The Blob, and I recall it being campy and fun, but not really a particularly good movie. Before someone says something, yes its possible to enjoy a movie without giving it a positive rating.

Shivers is considered Cronenberg's first movie, even though he made a bunch of student films before it. I like how he incorporates many of his trademarks here: the body horror, a creature created by man messing with science, the protagonist clearly in over his head. His mediating upon sex is here too, although in this case its beyond obvious-I don't mind blunt force metaphors here and there, but something a bit more subtitle would have worked better.
Regardless, its a gory and disturbing well made debut, and so far the only one of his that I've found to be merely decent has been Scanners. I think this about does it for me 70s wise with his films, and I hope to get to The Fly and then Naked Lunch and Dead Ringers soon. I would also like to thank IFC, which showed this late at night last week, and enabled me to tape it so I wouldn't have to wait forever for it to become available on Netflix.

[Dukefrukem]

The blob has THE BEST death scene in all of Horror. I give you Exhibit A.

CW6maJgzk7E

[Dead & Messed Up]

The blob has THE BEST death scene in all of Horror.

Nah.

[D_Davis]

I'd say The Boxer's Omen is more bizarre and weird than it is horror; it has more in common with the spiritual questing of El Topo. It is truly one of the most unique films you'll ever see; like it or not, there is nothing else really like it.

The best horror film the Shaws made is probably Human Skin Lanterns, a brilliant mix of wuxia pian, detective story, and slasher film.

[MadMan]

I don't know if that's the best death scene in all of horror, but its still pretty freakin' cool.

[Scar]

The blob has THE BEST death scene in all of Horror. I give you Exhibit A.

CW6maJgzk7E

I see your Blob, and raise you a Zombi 2.

Qah3Q9BnRHM

[Ezee E]

I should see this Blob movie at some point.

[Dukefrukem]

I see your Blob, and raise you a Zombi 2.

Qah3Q9BnRHM

Great scene. And the only scene I give credit to Fulci.

We should make a "best death in movies" thread


I should see this Blob movie at some point.

It's very enjoyable. Holds up well. (the remake of course)

[MadMan]

I still think Suspiria really takes the cake for death scenes (I can't get the YouTube link to work):

Best Scene in Suspiria (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6zJGUUiG0c&oref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube. com%2Fresults%3Fsearch_query%3 DSuspiria-death%2Bscenes%26aq%3Df&has_verified=1)

[Grouchy]

http://imagenes.subadictos.net/afiche/4367.jpg

You gotta admire the over-the-top quality of a moive like The Dentist even if you know it isn't very good. I remember seeing the TV ads for this plenty of times as a kid and being horrified beyond anything the actual movie has to offer. Cobin Bernsen is perfect as the evil dentist who thinks everybody is about to bang his wife, and in the context of this movie, he's usually right. His obsession is never clearly mapped or explored - with more precision he might have built an even better performance. Watch this if you enjoy on-screen torture and debauchery. Brian Yuzna has made some better shit.

[Dukefrukem]

I saw the Dentist at my grandmother's as a kid, who was one of the few people I knew who had HBO. I was terrified of the dentist afterward.

[Rowland]

John Carpenter's The Ward sucked. I was disappointed, and you probably will be too.

I remember watching The Dentist on cable when I was a kid as well. The guy from the Terminator movies getting his mouth fucked up is all I can vividly remember.

[Dukefrukem]

John Carpenter's The Ward sucked. I was disappointed, and you probably will be too.

Did you see it on Demand? Do you have Comcast???

[Dukefrukem]

wC9W2GsGmWA

[megladon8]

Full Moon's Dollman is great pulpy fun.

Tim Thomerson plays Brick Bardo, a cop on an alien world who has the most powerful handgun in the universe, capable of pretty much vaporizing people.

Between the huge gun, his sparse dialogue and Clint Eastwood aping, he's pretty much Dirty Harry in a sci-fi world.

While chasing after his arch enemy, Sprug, (who is now just a head attached to a jetpack, after Bardo blew off the rest of his body) they end up both crash landing on Earth.

And while Earth is populated by humans, like their world, everything (and everyone) is much bigger - Bardo is only 13 inches tall, and referred to as "Dollman" by the group of gangsters he ends up battling in a rough NYC neighbourhood.

The gangsters are led by Braxton (played by Jackie Earl Haley in a hilariously over-the-top performance) and have in their possession a bomb given to them by Sprug, capable of "blowing everything within 3 parsecs to another dimension".


The movie is brief, quickly paced, features some awesome gore and creature effects, and is generally a lot of very, very dumb fun.

I really enjoyed it.

[Spun Lepton]

Dark Tide trailer.

Meh.

[Dukefrukem]

Meh.

Hard to imagine how it interested the likes of Halle Berry.

[Mr. Pink]

Just saw Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981). Damn, what a thoroughly solid movie. Reminded me of a feature length episode of Tales From the Crypt. A retarded man is wrongly accused of a murder and a small band of townspeople kill him as he hides in a scarecrow. Soon after, his killers begin to die mysteriously.

Excellent atmosphere, setting, script, direction, and great performances all-around (for the most part). This is what I had hoped for with The Town that Dreaded Sundown. Don't miss it.

[Rowland]

Just saw Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981). Damn, what a thoroughly solid movie. Reminded me of a feature length episode of Tales From the Crypt. A retarded man is wrongly accused of a murder and a small band of townspeople kill him as he hides in a scarecrow. Soon after, his killers begin to die mysteriously.

Excellent atmosphere, setting, script, direction, and great performances all-around (for the most part). This is what I had hoped for with The Town that Dreaded Sundown. Don't miss it.Yep, this was better than I expected as well. I particularly admired its insistence on atmosphere and suggestion over schlock and cheap scares, and it's much better made than most tv movies.

[D_Davis]

Hard to imagine how it interested the likes of Halle Berry.


$$$ and the chance to film in exotic locations.

She got paid to take a vacation.

[Spun Lepton]

Just saw Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981). Damn, what a thoroughly solid movie. Reminded me of a feature length episode of Tales From the Crypt. A retarded man is wrongly accused of a murder and a small band of townspeople kill him as he hides in a scarecrow. Soon after, his killers begin to die mysteriously.

Excellent atmosphere, setting, script, direction, and great performances all-around (for the most part). This is what I had hoped for with The Town that Dreaded Sundown. Don't miss it.

I've heard nothing but good things for Dark Night. It wouldn't happen to be on Netflix Instant would it?

[Dukefrukem]

sgXWKqIGbEk

[Dukefrukem]

This is sooooooooo good (http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/24980). Is Tropical's single "The Greek" - mixes anime with live-action... with kids.

Couldn't get enough. I watched it twice.

[MadMan]

Just saw Dark Night of the Scarecrow (1981). Damn, what a thoroughly solid movie. Reminded me of a feature length episode of Tales From the Crypt. A retarded man is wrongly accused of a murder and a small band of townspeople kill him as he hides in a scarecrow. Soon after, his killers begin to die mysteriously.

Excellent atmosphere, setting, script, direction, and great performances all-around (for the most part). This is what I had hoped for with The Town that Dreaded Sundown. Don't miss it.I think I've heard of that movie somewhere. Sounds really good to me.

Attack The Block could be a fun movie. Or not.

Oh and I blind bought Creepshow for only $6.00. I might hold off on watching it until horror movie season, though.

[Dukefrukem]

I always get Creepshow and Popcorn confused.

[MadMan]

I always get Creepshow and Popcorn confused.I have Popcorn on my Instant Viewing queue. The trailer made it appear really exciting. I'm skeptical, but I figure why not give some cult movie from the 90s a shot.

[Dukefrukem]

I have Popcorn on my Instant Viewing queue. The trailer made it appear really exciting. I'm skeptical, but I figure why not give some cult movie from the 90s a shot.

It's not that great but still kinda fun. It's a classic example of what Scream pokes fun at.

[Spun Lepton]

I have Popcorn on my Instant Viewing queue. The trailer made it appear really exciting. I'm skeptical, but I figure why not give some cult movie from the 90s a shot.

I agree with Duke, it's a good film, but not great. I haven't seen it since it was in the theater, though. I also have it queued.

[megladon8]

Full Moon's Demonic Toys is quite awful for the first 1/3 or so, then gets ever so slightly better with some creepy moments from the child-demon, and some funny, over-the-top demon-toy action.

Tracy Scoggins is just awful.

[MadMan]

Well Spun and Duke maybe I'll watch it tonight. Its been a while since I last viewed a horror movie.

[megladon8]

Dollman vs. Demonic Toys is pretty bad. It actually combines three of Full Moon's franchises - Dollman and Demonic Toys, obviously, but also the one-off Bad Channels.

The film's biggest problem is that the script seems to have been committed to film when only the first draft was completed. Not only is it rife with plot holes and inconsistencies, but there are pieces of dialogue that make no sense, and almost seem like they are out of order.

There's a conversation between Dollman and "Ginger" (a woman who is his size) in which she says "I've told you how I got this way, now you tell me your story"...and yet, no, we haven't been told anything about how she got this way.

Then, AFTER he tells his story, she says "well, I guess now you want to hear how I got so small."

Uh...what?

It has some monster and make-up effects that are good in the "that's so terrible, it's funny to watch" way, but other than that, there's no too much of value here.

Tracy Scoggins is still bloody awful.


Puppet Master is one strange movie. A few very interesting ideas combined with an entire cast that is...so, so miscast.

A group of psychics are brought together at a currently-closed hotel to mourn the death of a coworker (who all of them hated!) and are picked off one-by-one by haunted puppets.

The puppet designs are awesome and there are some neat death scenes, but the film's pacing is all over the map, and its conclusion less than satisfactory.

But it was good enough that I'm interested in checking out the next films in the (apparently quite long) series.

[Mr. Pink]

I've heard nothing but good things for Dark Night. It wouldn't happen to be on Netflix Instant would it?

No. It's on youtube, but the dvd looks way better. It's definitely worth tracking down a copy, though.



And, meg -- let me know when/if you ever get around to Full Moon's Shrunken Heads and/or Head of the Family. Those aren't recommendations, but I remember not hating them (that's usually how I judge Full Moon movies).

[Pop Trash]

Any thoughts around here on Hatchet? I noticed Hatchet 2 is out and realized I haven't seen the first one.

[Scar]

Any thoughts around here on Hatchet? I noticed Hatchet 2 is out and realized I haven't seen the first one.

Not really any good, but it features a really awesome kill.

Say ah!

[megladon8]

I'm one of the few who thought Hatchet was great fun.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I thought it was funny how Hatchet was all, "This isn't a remake, or a sequel, or one of those Asian flicks, so deal with it!"...and it was one of the most derivative, uninspired slashers I've ever seen. Not that it sucked - I thought it had some good chuckles and a couple of impressive makeup effects, and I dug the forest setting - but what a deception. "This isn't unoriginal...oh wait."

I thought Adam Green's follow-up, Spiral, was more rewarding. I'm very curious to see Frozen.

[Rowland]

Haven't seen the Hatchets, but I thought Frozen was really good.

[Pop Trash]

Not really any good, but it features a really awesome kill.

Say ah!

I'm not really expecting it to be that good. As long as it has gratuitous violence and nudity it will be all right. Let's say: hovering above the "quality" of the Friday the 13th remake, but maybe slightly less than Zombie's Halloween remake.

[Scar]

I'm not really expecting it to be that good. As long as it has gratuitous violence and nudity it will be all right. Let's say: hovering above the "quality" of the Friday the 13th remake, but maybe slightly less than Zombie's Halloween remake.

Its hard to top the gratuitous nudity of the F13th remake. I found that movie more 'fun' than Hatchet, but you should at least check it out.

Also, the Halloween remakes have really grown on me.

[Spun Lepton]

I'm not really expecting it to be that good. As long as it has gratuitous violence and nudity it will be all right. Let's say: hovering above the "quality" of the Friday the 13th remake, but maybe slightly less than Zombie's Halloween remake.

I don't recall a whole bunch of nudity in Hatchet, but I recall gallons of gore. As Scar said, there's one very memorable death, one that made me rewind a couple times just to admire the effect. (Open wide!!)

[Dukefrukem]

Frozen is so underrated. You need to look past the camp a bit but it's really a terrifying movie.

[Scar]

Frozen is so underrated. You need to look past the camp a bit but it's really a terrifying movie.

Not a fan. I know a lot of people like it, but I just rolled my eyes a lot at it. ESPECIALLY the blood thirsty man eating wolves.

[megladon8]

Its hard to top the gratuitous nudity of the F13th remake. I found that movie more 'fun' than Hatchet, but you should at least check it out.

Also, the Halloween remakes have really grown on me.


The second Zombie Halloween movie has especially impressed me over time.

He really did something totally different which took balls to do, and (for the most part) worked pretty well.

[Ezee E]

Frozen is so underrated. You need to look past the camp a bit but it's really a terrifying movie.
The only thing terrifying about it is the possibility of seeing it again.

[Scar]

Watched Troll Hunter last night, and it was.... alright.

Would be better with friends and drinks.

And how!

[D_Davis]

I really liked Troll Hunter. Amazing f/x work, and that last battle was truly epic. Really neat movie.

[Dukefrukem]

Not a fan. I know a lot of people like it, but I just rolled my eyes a lot at it. ESPECIALLY the blood thirsty man eating wolves.

Yeh I totally understand that. You never know though...

NqVE9qfg7yI

[D_Davis]

I think coyote are known for being more aggressive towards humans than wolves are. We always had to watch for them when I lived in So Cal, and often times we'd wake up with dead animals on our lawns.

[Ezee E]

That's a pretty big coyote. In my neighborhood, most are frail and starving. They won't attack anything big, but cats are warned to be kept insides all summer.

[Dukefrukem]

Believe it or not, we have a lot of coyotes in our area too. In fact, I took these shots a week ago. But they run away when I go out onto my porch.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AmvSTnu2DvU/TghvAeuZhOI/AAAAAAAARPo/VJmdwuF263c/s800/DSCN0709.JPG
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-xEP5MDda2g8/TghvAeS6zGI/AAAAAAAARPs/bQUJfjJKgWU/s800/coy8.JPG
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-NpxA2O-SASs/TghvAYm0S7I/AAAAAAAARPw/YIvjLmOLpSw/s800/coy7.JPG

[Spun Lepton]

Hellraiser: Inferno (aka Hellraiser 5) was surprisingly competent. I didn't have very high expectations, which might account for my mild enjoyment.

Acting was passable to good. The story had direction, although I think it started to get a little confused near the end. Some of the later scenes seemed like filler. The ending was predictable.

(You'll probably call it not long after the puzzle box is first opened.)

Hellraiser fans might be disappointed that the cenobites are tertiary to the story, almost as if the script were originally a stand-alone, later molded to fit the Hellraiser universe. Pinhead makes two very brief appearances before he wraps everything up at the end. His cenobite companions are nicely creepy.

5/10

[MadMan]

Killer Klowns From Outer Space is one stupid, goofy, cheesy 80s movie that also has freaky clowns and moments of inspired insanity. Some of the gags work quite well, but other moments are rather eye rolling. Its a rather decent movie, and I enjoyed it, but it represents some of the 80s horror offerings: not particuarly scary (some creepy moments), and plenty of camp, but also high replay value. I think I saw somewhere that this might be remade, but if they do it won't be the same. I loved this film's practical old school effects, and they worked really well considering the movie was made on a low budget. Oh and I'm not afraid of clowns at all, but I can imagine this movie would be a nightmare for someone who actually is scared shitless of 'em.
Most awesome moment: John Vernon being used as a human meat puppet by a sadistic alien clown. WTF.

[Dukefrukem]

FZsYJ-MWeYg

[megladon8]

Not only does that look like a terrible rip off of about 6 other movies, but the use of the chant from the Dark Knight Rises viral marketing was pretty weird.

Like, could you not find any other sound bite for that?

[soitgoes...]

but cats are warned to be kept insides all summer.I read this as a flyer written for cats, by cats.

[MadMan]

I have finally gotten around to seeing some of the monster movies I DVR-ed off of TCM last week. The Monster That Challenged The World (1957) is actually entertaining. Yes its very campy, and a low budget movie, and the acting is bad, but there was some decent moments. A couple going off of to swim only to be attacked reminded me of Jaws' opening, where as Piranha 3D clearly took some of their overall plot from this film as well. Oh and the monster itself is one ugly bastard, that's for sure. Its clearly a puppet/guy in a suit, but the design is rather original and actually quite cool. I can't say this movie gets anything higher than in the 60s for a rating, but its worth checking out just because its a classic drive in type movie.

There's a bunch more to go, really. I taped from 8:30 pm to 4 am.

[Dukefrukem]

jSUQq5Jgcho

[Dukefrukem]

Also, Thomas Jane to star in a movie called The Lycan:


"Im doing a werewolf movie called, 'The Lycan,' which is a gothic werewolf romance set in the late 1700s. Its fuckin cool," Jane tells Collider. "Its basically 'Alien,' set in a castle, with werewolves." It sounds more like Underworld, set in another castle, without vampires

[MadMan]

I like Thomas Jane, but that movie sounds awful.

And I guess Repeaters is a darker, more violent, youth filled version of "Groundhog's Day."

[megladon8]

What the hell happened to Thomas Jane?

I love the guy, but goddamn dude, why do you keep making such crap?

[Scar]

How would one 'classify' Eight Legged Freaks?

[Spun Lepton]

Maybe I'm just getting old, but neither 11 11 11 nor Repeaters looked any good to me.

[megladon8]

Maybe I'm just getting old, but neither 11 11 11 nor Repeaters looked any good to me.


No, they both look terrible.

[Dukefrukem]

Maybe I'm just getting old, but neither 11 11 11 nor Repeaters looked any good to me.

Yeh they look bad. I just post anything horror I come upon.

[Spun Lepton]

And now a list of more fitting titles for Hellraiser: Hellworld

Hellraiser: We Didn't See the Previous Films
Hellraiser: Pinhead's a Slasher Now
Hellraiser: Count the Cliches
Hellraiser: You've Seen Better Home Videos of Cats
Hellraiser: Why, Lance Henriksen, WHY?!
Hellraiser: This One Has Three Endings!
Hellraiser: The Franchise Killer, And Good Fucking Riddance

AVOID this pile of shit. There's ONE scene that remotely resembles anything from the actual Hellraiser mythology, and it's one of the three endings. You have to sit through 90 minutes of TOTAL GARBAGE to get to it.

Honestly, I think they hired somebody developmentally challenged to write this dismal pile of yak vomit. In one asinine scene, Pinhead appears (without the box being opened), and chops off a guy's head. Then he spouts a shitty one liner, AND THAT'S IT!! NEXT SCENE!!

There's no flow, no story progression, no character development, no sense of the world the characters inhabit, NOTHING resembling interesting or worthwhile fiction AT ALL. AT FUCKING ALL!!!!

I really hope Lance Henriksen got paid well for being in this abomination.

-200/10

[Raiders]

Speaking of Hellraiser films, I was doing some stuff around the house the other day and one of them was on and I didn't get to see much of it but it looked fairly impressive. I did notice that in the moments of it I caught, there must have been someone's skin coming off like, two or three times. Disturbing.

[MadMan]

I imagine I'll just watch the first two Hellraisers and call it good.

The Giant Behemoth (1959) was rather decent, and its serious take on the monster genre was interesting. A radioactive dinosaur attacks London, which is cool, I guess, but the monster wasn't really that great. I liked the ending a lot, mainly because its one of those "This is just the beginning" moments but really this one isn't as good as Eugène Lourié's other two, much better sci-fi monster movies The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms and Gorgo, which are actually both favorites of mine. TCM screened The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms before showing The Giant Behemoth. Now that's a monster movie.

Scar I'd classify Eight Legged Freaks as a monster movie that's also paying homage to classic 50s monster movies. Its also great fun, and is right up there with Tremors and Tremors 2 in terms of 90s/2000s creature features. My favorite part might be the hapless hero being forced to spray a rather large and angry spider in the eye just so he can escape.

[megladon8]

Watch the first two Hellraiser films, then watch Inferno.

That gives you the three best films in the series. The others range from awful to WHAT THE FUCK WERE THEY THINKING?

[Dukefrukem]

Cool short film

0AK8Cogy6Sg

[Rowland]

Hellraiser: Inferno (aka Hellraiser 5) was surprisingly competent. I didn't have very high expectations, which might account for my mild enjoyment.

Acting was passable to good. The story had direction, although I think it started to get a little confused near the end. Some of the later scenes seemed like filler. The ending was predictable.

(You'll probably call it not long after the puzzle box is first opened.)

Hellraiser fans might be disappointed that the cenobites are tertiary to the story, almost as if the script were originally a stand-alone, later molded to fit the Hellraiser universe. Pinhead makes two very brief appearances before he wraps everything up at the end. His cenobite companions are nicely creepy.

5/10Agreed for the most part, though I found Sheffer a remarkably repellant lead presence, even by the standards of how we're supposed to perceive his character. And while I agree about the story having a more coherent design than most DTV dreck, it kinda plays like a padded out, feature-length Tales-From-the-Crypt episode that pretty much anyone should be able to predict the entirety of early on, which gives it an air of "get on with it already" further compounded by its laughably preachy climax. What makes it work as well as it does then is the skillfully atmospheric direction, with its smart use of surreal imagery, foreboding sound design, and nightmare logic. By DTV standards, this is a more than passable effort.

[Dukefrukem]

9HLM4ytta2M

[megladon8]

Hellraiser: Inferno (aka Hellraiser 5) was surprisingly competent. I didn't have very high expectations, which might account for my mild enjoyment.

Acting was passable to good. The story had direction, although I think it started to get a little confused near the end. Some of the later scenes seemed like filler. The ending was predictable.

(You'll probably call it not long after the puzzle box is first opened.)

Hellraiser fans might be disappointed that the cenobites are tertiary to the story, almost as if the script were originally a stand-alone, later molded to fit the Hellraiser universe. Pinhead makes two very brief appearances before he wraps everything up at the end. His cenobite companions are nicely creepy.

5/10


Yes, that's exactly what it was.

Everything after Bloodline was not originally meant to be a Hellraiser film. They were random thriller and horror scripts purchased and turned into Hellraiser films.


I'm glad you at least somewhat liked this one. I actually consider it the best one after the first. I find it genuinely disturbing, with an interesting plot and concept.

[MadMan]

Thoughts on "Rubber," Rowland? Its going to have to go on my Netflix queue, since its apparently already out on DVD.

[Dukefrukem]

Thoughts on "Rubber," Rowland? Its going to have to go on my Netflix queue, since its apparently already out on DVD.

I liked it. Wrote a review on it on my blog. But you didn't ask me did you?

[MadMan]

I liked it. Wrote a review on it on my blog. But you didn't ask me did you?I didn't see it listed in your sig :P

But yes I'm curious in general about what everyone thought about it. I just randomly asked Rowland because I saw he had a rating for it in his sig, and this was the first thread I visited today. I also noted that baby doll (I think it was him) also viewed it.

[Mr. Pink]

Just a heads, up: this movie is pretty awesome.



http://blog.creativesaloon.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/The-Barbarians.jpg

Not horror, but Ruggero Deodato directed it and it's hilarious. They don't play it straight, so if you're willing to go with it, it's a fun ride.

[Kurosawa Fan]

I had completely forgotten about The Barbarian Brothers, and that steaming pile Double Trouble, until just now. Thanks a lot, Mr. Pink. :|

[Dead & Messed Up]

Watched Vanishing on 7th Street. Enjoyed it. I mean, it's shamelessly an Americanized Pulse, but Anderson managed to keep it brisk and creepy. A few of the sequences had my hairs standing on end.

I liked the absence of a big reveal, although this also piggybacks on Pulse. Both are nakedly allegorical, with the ghostly experiences essentially a metaphor for life itself. Hold on as long as you can, and then disappear.

I don't think it's on the level of a Session 9 or Transsiberian, however, and it doesn't seem to fit with what I thought was Anderson's auteurist "stamp"...

In every single one of his horror/thriller films so far, the main character sins greatly and spends the rest of the time erecting a wall between him or her and his or her actions.

However, he didn't write it, so I can understand if it stands out a bit from his previous material. Anyway, I do think it's worth investigating, especially if you're a fan.

[MadMan]

Creepshow (1982) was a great blind buy, as all of the stories save for Jordy's with Stephen King were creepy/really freaky. And even the Lonely Death of Jordy Verill was really good, a mixture of the eeire, tragedy, and humor. The first segment had one hell of an ending, and this movie has everything for everyone. Ed Harris disco dancing, Hal Halbroke plotting to kill his wife, Leslie Nielson engineering a diabolical demise for Ted Danson and so on. Not really sure if the sequels are worth checking out, but I have read a small amount of Creepshow graphic novels, so yes the movie captured the nasty spirit of the comics really quite well.

One more recent Creepshow segment I would love to see adapted is a story about what happens to a suicide bomber. Its deliciously ironic, and would fit in well with the current political climate and the threat of terrorism to a degree.

[megladon8]

Full Moon's Subspecies is terrible and fun.

The villainous vampire Radu is actually a little creepy in some points, and very silly in most others. What's with the long fingers?

It makes no sense at all and the editing is horrid leading to the film being incoherent, but it moves at a brisk pace, has some fun little set pieces, and is entertaining in its awfulness.

[Morris Schæffer]

I once saw this Ruggero Deodato classic:

http://images.fan-de-cinema.com/affiches/fantastique/atlantis_interceptors,2.jpg

I remember being terrified by its apocalyptic vision at the time, but times, as they always do, change.

[D_Davis]

Watched Vanishing on 7th Street. Enjoyed it. I mean, it's shamelessly an Americanized Pulse, but Anderson managed to keep it brisk and creepy. A few of the sequences had my hairs standing on end.


I liked the first 30 minutes, but then it failed to go anywhere. It felt like a 30-minute television episode stretched to feature-length.

There were some very creepy parts though, and while watching it in the dark I did look around nervously a few times.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I liked the first 30 minutes, but then it failed to go anywhere. It felt like a 30-minute television episode stretched to feature-length.

There were some very creepy parts though, and while watching it in the dark I did look around nervously a few times.

That's true. I felt like, around the halfway mark, I'd seen enough of the shadow people and flickering lights, but I came around to enjoying

his stubborn refusal to clarify what the hell was going on.