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

[Dukefrukem]

My October Halloween movie list with the GF

1. Hellraiser
2. Hellraiser
3. Hellraiser
4. Hellraiser
5. Hellraiser
6. Hellraiser
7. Hellraiser
8. Hellraiser
9. Hellraiser
10. A Ghost Story
11. The Void
12. Blair Witch
13. Martyrs (2016)
14. Nina Forever
15. Absentia
16. Lake Nowhere
17. The Woman
18. Sacrifice
19. The Minds Eye
20. Before I Wake
21. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
22. Horns
23. Late Phases
24. Life After Beth
25. Pound of Flesh
26. Scanners
27. Phantasm
28. Rupture
29. Southbound
30. The Green Inferno
31. Lost River

[Skitch]

Few things in cinema I hated more than The Woman.

[Peng]

Um, putting A Ghost Story in that kind of mind frame would have a high chance of you being very put off by it. Not a Halloween film at all.

[Irish]

1. Hellraiser
2. Hellraiser
3. Hellraiser
4. Hellraiser
5. Hellraiser
6. Hellraiser
7. Hellraiser
8. Hellraiser
9. Hellraiser

I take this to mean that you will watch the original film 9 times in a row---which seems like a better option than watching any of the sequels.

[Dukefrukem]

I take this to mean that you will watch the original film 9 times in a row---which seems like a better option than watching any of the sequels.

lol


Um, putting A Ghost Story in that kind of mind frame would have a high chance of you being very put off by it. Not a Halloween film at all.

I'm going in blind.

[megladon8]

Hellraiser: Inferno is pretty legit.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Hellraiser: Inferno is pretty legit.

The title always makes me think of a disco Hellraiser musical.

[megladon8]

That sounds brilliant.

"I will tear your groove apart!"

[D_Davis]

Watched this past weekend, while massively hungover:

Phantasm II - boy do I like the Phantasm movies. So weirdly made. It's almost as if Don Coscarelli doesn't know how all other movies are made. Unhinged, bizarrely paced, characters that never once act like any person would in any of the situations they are in...totally gonzo film making.

Hellraiser II: Hellbound - Still love this one. Great effects, and the low-budget nature adds a certain charm to the whole thing. I forgot how little screen time Pinhead and gang actually have in this one. I think they are featured more in the flashbacks to the first film than they are featured in any new footage.

Tales of Halloween - Really liked this anthology. Not as beautifully shot as Trick R Treat, but still pretty good. The little alien in the "Friday the 31st" segment was cute as a button, and the showdown between it and the deformed killer was bloody good. Lot's of fun in this one.

[D_Davis]

Hellraiser: Inferno is pretty legit.

It sure is. A few of the later straight to video Hellraiser films are good.

[D_Davis]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSpJu7f2sco&list=PLjH1 PilDaJWtq1ZBmSRghtYh3B1jGnVmp

Definitely want to check this out. Some fans created a workprint version of Hellraiser IV, based on the original screenplay. This movie notoriously had 25 minutes cut, and all kinds of stuff re-shot. Ended up being a Alan Smithee film. I had always heard about how ambitious the film was supposed to be.

[Skitch]

What the hell? I don't remember that at all. Been too long. I do own the Bloodline score, and its good.

[megladon8]

Jen and I rewatch the whole series semi-regularly and that one always bums me out because, as D said, it feels like SOMETHING was there. They had something special but it just got all cocked up and kerfuzzled.

It has one of the most unintentionally hilarious lines I've heard, when Pinhead says about a room that is designed to kill all the Cenobytes, "this is not a room! This is a Holocaust waiting to wake itself!"

I always make Jen laugh because I follow that up with a revamped version of The Dude chastising Walter during Donny's ash scattering: "this has nothing to do with the Holocaust, Pinhead! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!?"

[megladon8]

A few new viewings lately...

The Devil's Candy - pretty darn good. Went into it knowing pretty much nothing (something about an artist? Maybe a demon). Ethan Embry carries the movie very well, and is damn near unrecognizable. Pruitt Taylor Vince balances creepy and menacing very well. The violence has a punch, without being needlessly sadistic. Glad it pulled punches in a few instances - a few images it had the sense and taste to not show in detail.

Would make a great pairing with another metal-head Horror (though leaning more towards comedy than this one) - New Zealand's hilarious Deathgasm.


Don't Kill It - just...didn't work. It had a great concept that could have led to some bloody brilliat sequences. Seriously, a demon that possesses a person and causes them to kill anyone they're near, but if THEY are killed, they immediately possess the person who killed them? The movie has such a great, fun concept but the creators didn't seem to have the skill and ingenuity to push it as far as it could go.

Add to that a lacklustre script with very clunky dialogue, and this was a miss.


Okay so that's more like a "couple" than a "few". Whatever.

[D_Davis]

Deathgasm was pretty cool. Had fun watching that.

[D_Davis]

Hellraiser IV actually turned out like the last book, The Scarlet Gospels. I had heard about how epic both were supposed to be, but the final releases of each was a huge disappointment. The Scarlet Gospels was supposed to be an epic, thousands of pages long, spanning the reaches of time and space, and what Barker ultimately delivered was a 350 page action-horror blockbuster-like novel.

[D_Davis]

McG's The Babysitter. My god, what garbage.

[Dead & Messed Up]

BONES, the Ernest Dickerson flick from 2001 where Snoop Dogg is a vengeful blaxploitation ghost.

Crazily, I enjoyed the film most of the time. Dickerson offers a lot of creative haunted house effects - sometimes literal haunted house effects, like ghosts projected onto walls, which look so cheap they sorta lap themselves and become eerie for their antiquity. He throws in Raimi camera moves that swoop and shutter through the improbably Gothic brownstone that holds the spirit of Jimmy Bones (Snoop Dogg). A rain of maggots interrupts a label's opening night party - one plops in a woman's red cup, and you know she takes a satisfied sip. In the film's standout moment, a wall of oily-black corpses twitch and lurch out of a wall of limbs that looks like it was pulled from Gustave Dore's nightmares.

The first problem is watching the film rely on Snoop Dogg's (lack of) presence. He doesn't arrive, move, or speak with anywhere near the threatening regality of Tony Todd in "Candyman," clearly the movie that "Bones" most often evokes (and likes to imagine it is). It doesn't help matters that the back half turns into a less interesting slasher picture, with the spirit of Jimmy Bones resurrected in the name of revenge against the conspiracy that killed him. By then, the only creativity is in how the candle-wax blood spills onto the ground.

The second issue lies in how the film increasingly plays itself as a black comedy, complete with talkative decapitated heads, but that feels too little too late, an attempt to make amends for the lost sense of atmosphere and spookhouse pleasures, which become more and more chintzy as the story goes. The climax in particular overstuffs and dilutes itself in the process. But the imagination of the film, and its odd blend of of the ghetto and the Gothic (seriously, Jimmy's dilapidated brownstone looks like it was built for Roderick Usher) make it a better film than you'd expect. Not enough that the film can be called good (not by any stretch), but not without some real moments of wit and trashy fun.

Also, any film that brings Pam Grier into its neo-blaxploitation fold has its heart in the right place.

Rating: C+

[Skitch]

Has anyone seen Prophecy (1979)? Holy crap was this fun. Its Jaws pacing meets Leviathan crossed with ManBearPig.

[transmogrifier]

In the spirit of Halloween, if you get a chance, watch the Korean horror film Bedevilled (2010). It up in full on YouTube. (Avoid the trailer, it is too spoilery)

[Dukefrukem]

My Halloween viewings so far. Best Film: Martyrs. Worst Hellraiser: Bloodline Biggest Surprise Saw II. Great Direction Absentia

Saw IV (2007) ★★ Oct 20
Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996) ★ Oct 19
Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992) ★½ Oct 18
Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988) ★★ Oct 18
Nina Forever (2015) ★★★ Oct 16
Absentia (2011) ★★★★½ Oct 14
Late Phases (2014) ★★★ Oct 14
Saw III (2006) ★★ Oct 13
Saw II (2005) ★★★½ Oct 13
Saw (2004) ★★★ Oct 13
Exists (2014) ★★ Oct 12
Martyrs (2015) ★½ Oct 11
Martyrs (2008) ★★★★★ Oct 11
Blair Witch (2016) ★★ Oct 09
The Void (2016) ★★★★ Oct 08
A Ghost Story (2017) ★★★★½ Oct 08

[D_Davis]

The Void is pretty cool.

[Devlin]

My Halloween viewings so far. Best Film: Martyrs. Worst Hellraiser: Bloodline Biggest Surprise Saw II. Great Direction Absentia

Very nice recommendations.

Here are my viewings so far (been on a Hammer films kick lately)-

Horror of Dracula (1958) ***1/2
The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) ***1/2
The Devil Rides Out (1968) ***
Ghostbusters (1984) ****
Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) ***1/2
Dressed to Kill (1980) ***1/2
Christine (1983) ***
The Beguiled (1971) ***
Diabolique (1955) ***1/2
The Wicker Man (1973) ****

[D_Davis]

Going to watch TCM2 tonight. One of the all time great gonzo films.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVyDlsS3L6s

[Irish]

Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996) ★ Oct 19
Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992) ★½ Oct 18
Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988) ★★ Oct 18

See!!! You shoulda followed my advice ;)


Martyrs (2015) ★½ Oct 11
Martyrs (2008) ★★★★★ Oct 11

Now that's interesting

[Peng]

Pleasantly surprised you loved A Ghost Story. Thought for sure that it being very-outlier in that line-up might make one less receptive to it.

[Dukefrukem]

See!!! You shoulda followed my advice ;)


Yeh the sequels are very uninspired. But hey, I would have never known that Jason X is a ripoff of Hellraiser Bloodline if I never saw it though.


Pleasantly surprised you loved A Ghost Story. Thought for sure that it being very-outlier in that line-up might make one less receptive to it.

I loved the element of time in A Ghost Story. There was something so soothing about it.

[Dukefrukem]

Also for fun, I started creating a top 20 (or 30) All Slasher Movies Ranked List.

I'm thinking of doing a write up/thread like I did for the 90s action movie list.

I need to revisit a few franchises (Nightmare on Elm Street and TCM) and some golden era films

Specifically:

Maniac
My Bloody Valentine
Prom Night
Silent night Deadly Night
Sleepaway Camp
The Burning
House on Sorority Row
Slumber Party Massacure
When a Strange Calls
Stageright
Happy Birthday to Me
April Fools Day
The Town that dreaded Sundown
Hell Night
The Prowler
Funhouse Massacre

Let me know if I'm missing anything, but I think I have the majority down.

[Irish]

"Peeping Tom," "Texas Chain Saw Massacre" (74), and "The Hills Have Eyes" (77).

Maybe "Driller Killer," "Toolbox Murders," "Terror Train," "Evil Laugh," and "Maniac Cop."

[Dukefrukem]

Terror Train! Good one. I have Peeping Tom and Hills Have eyes already logged. And I'm going to rewatch the whole TCM series.

[Ezee E]

Scream.

[Skitch]

Sleepaway Camp, The Burning, and Silent Night Deadly Night...you're good to go.

[D_Davis]

Scream.

Such a great film.

Speaking of great films...

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 never disappoints. What an absolutely gonzo film, so absolutely packed with charm and character.

[Dukefrukem]

Jame's Gunn's favorite horror films. I've seen them all except for Shivers. Adding to queue. I LOLed when I saw Piranha 3D

1. Jaws – Spielberg, 1975
2. Audition – Miike, 1999
3. Invasion of the Body Snatchers – Kaufman, 1978
4. The Host – Bong Joon-ho, 2006
5. The Thing – Carpenter, 1982
6. Green Room – Saulnier, 2016
7. The Brood – Cronenberg, 1979
8. Rosemary’s Baby – Polanski, 1968
9. A Tale of Two Sisters – Kim Jee-woon, 2004
10. The Birds – Hitchcock, 1963
11. 28 Days Later – Boyle, 2003
12. Train to Busan – Sang-ho Yeon, 2016
13. House – Obayashi, 1977
14. Saw – Wan, 2004
15. Invasion of the Body Snatchers – Siegel, 1956
16. Night of the Living Dead – Romero, 1968
17. They Live – Carpenter, 1988
18. Cloverfield – Reeves, 2008
19. Cronos – Del Toro, 1993
20. Piranha 3D – Aja, 2010
21. Peeping Tom – Powell, 1960
22. The Night of the Hunter – Laughton, 1955
23. The Mist – Darabont, 2007
24. Dead Alive – Jackson, 1992
25. Shaun of the Dead – Wright, 2004
26. Funny Games – Haneke, 1997
27. Troll Hunter – Ovredal, 2011
28. Evil Dead II – Raimi, 1987
29. The Shining – Kubrick, 1980
30. The Descent – Marshall, 2005
31. Haxan: Witchcraft Through the Ages – Christensen, 1929
32. The Sixth Sense – Shyamalan, 1999
33. Aliens – Cameron, 1986
34. Bride of Frankenstein – Whale, 1935
35. Martin – Romero, 1977
36. Near Dark – Bigelow, 1987
37. Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein – Barton, 1948
38. Suspiria – Argento, 1977
39. Zombieland – Fleisher, 2009
40. King Kong – Shoedsack, Cooper, 1933
41. Get Out – Peele, 2017
42. Scream – Craven, 1996
43. Cemetery Man – Soavi, 1996
44. Shivers – Cronenberg, 1975
45. Carrie – DePalma, 1976
46. Basket Case – Henenlotter, 1982
47. The Blob – Russell, 1988
48. Alien – Scott, 1979
49. The Fly – Cronenberg, 1986
50. The Faculty – Rodgriquez, 1998

[Skitch]

I like that list! Minus Train to Busan, and a handful that I haven't seen.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I'm surprised he doesn't have the original Dawn of the Dead, but maybe he felt too close to it given his involvement with the remake.

But yeah, fun list.

[Irish]

Edgar Wright's top 100:

1. Nosferatu
2. Frankenstein
3. Freaks
4. Island of Lost Souls
5. The Mummy
6. The Old Dark House
7. The Invisible Man
8. Bride of Frankenstein
9. Dead of Night
10. Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Cont'd: https://mubi.com/lists/edgar-wright-s-100-favourite-horror-movies

[Dukefrukem]

See those movies are great and all, but if I'm going to sit down and watch Freaks again I better be drunk.

[Skitch]

Snore list...

[Dead & Messed Up]

Edgar Wright's top 100:

1. Nosferatu
2. Frankenstein
3. Freaks
4. Island of Lost Souls
5. The Mummy
6. The Old Dark House
7. The Invisible Man
8. Bride of Frankenstein
9. Dead of Night
10. Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Cont'd: https://mubi.com/lists/edgar-wright-s-100-favourite-horror-movies

Chronological (just in case anyone reads that as a top ten).

Full list is excellent, as expected.

[Skitch]

Oh that makes more sense.

That sounds snarky. I'm not being snarky. :)

[Dead & Messed Up]

I'm shocked at Wright's complete skip of any and all Val Lewton; I prefer to read that as simple error instead of the perspective that no Lewton film is as mentionable as The People Under the Stairs or The Ruins.

[Irish]

I'm shocked at Wright's complete skip of any and all Val Lewton

Also the relative lack of Hammer films and slasher movies, given Wright's age and nationality.

I think it's a snooze because it's very safe. Outside a few outliers, every film on here is the best example of its kind during its year of release. Most of this thing reads like a syllabus from an upper level cinema studies program. There's no personality to it at all, and reading it I learned nothing about Wright.

[Dukefrukem]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKFK7fGy4u0

[Dukefrukem]

https://i2.wp.com/bloody-disgusting.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/info-map.jpg

[Ezee E]

Is that a map of the state's favorite horror movies? I doubt that many people are a fan of Suspiria.

[Dukefrukem]

Is that a map of the state's favorite horror movies? I doubt that many people are a fan of Suspiria.

Yes and that was my biggest surprise here.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I'm more shocked that The Ring has nearly half of all states. What the hell? It's okay, mostly.

[Grouchy]

I thought it was where each film took place until I realized that didn't make sense.

[Skitch]

I thought it was where each film took place until I realized that didn't make sense.

I did too.

Silence of the Lambs is interesting pick for my state, I'll take it.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I tried Day of the Dead (1985) one more time the other night.

I can respect its themes and goals, but boy oh boy is it just not my kind of movie. It's just too damn bleak and mean-spirited and loud.

[Scar]

I tried Day of the Dead (1985) one more time the other night.

I can respect its themes and goals, but boy oh boy is it just not my kind of movie. It's just too damn bleak and mean-spirited and loud.

Of the original three, this is the one I’ve watched the most by far.

[megladon8]

It has some of the most tonally inappropriate music of any movie I’ve ever seen.

[megladon8]

Or heard, rather.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Of the original three, this is the one I’ve watched the most by far.

What can I say, I tried.

[Irish]

Of the original three, this is the one I’ve watched the most by far.

What is it that draws you to it? Bub? (I love Bub...everything else before you get to the good Bub-action, not so much.)

[Skitch]

Its my favorite of the original trilogy as well. It horrifies me the most.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Its my favorite of the original trilogy as well. It horrifies me the most.

It's certainly the hardest-hitting. The prior two have more humanism and empathy to balance out the gore and violence. Day is Romero saying we're not worth it. I don't think he makes the argument fairly, but I agree that the sentiment is deeply unsettling, moreso than any zombie gag.

[Irish]

I dunno about that.

The last time I watched "Night," I felt a little sick afterwards. It was more nihilistic and violent than I remembered (especially the scenes involving the little girl in the basement). There isn't much reprieve in the move; it's got the most downer ending of its period.

I mean, shit, even something as nasty as "Texas Chainsaw" let the audience off the hook, so to speak. :D

PS: Gonna revisit "Day" this weekend.

[Skitch]

It's certainly the hardest-hitting. The prior two have more humanism and empathy to balance out the gore and violence. Day is Romero saying we're not worth it. I don't think he makes the argument fairly, but I agree that the sentiment is deeply unsettling, moreso than any zombie gag.

I don't disagree.

Dawn used to be my favorite, but upon rewatch, its really boring with really strangely dodgy makeup for the zombies. Feels really half assed. Night will always be legend, but Day really gets to me.

*you have no idea how difficult this has been to type out after being up all night with fevered child. If I posted an unedited version ya'll would call the cops for a wellness check

[transmogrifier]

Some "horror" films I've seen recently:

Little Evil - shit
The Devil's Candy - shitter
The Bar - shittest

[Skitch]

The Devil's Candy - shitter

A cool soundtrack does not a good movie make.

[transmogrifier]

A cool soundtrack does not a good movie make.

Literally the only reason that I didn't shut it off early was that it was only 79 minutes anyway. One of the most pointless, boring stories I have ever sat through for the sake of cheap scares.

[megladon8]

Seeing this many people say Day is their favorite of the series makes me very sad.

[Skitch]

Seeing this many people say Day is their favorite of the series makes me very sad.

Could be worse, could be saying one of the next bunch of sequels is the best lol.

[megladon8]

Indeed.

Survival of the Dead is horrific. It makes Diary look brilliant, and Diary is pretty bad.

[Skitch]

I haven't seen any after Land (which is underrated imo).

[Grouchy]

Damn, those were bad. Land is at least fun.

[megladon8]

Romero’s dialogue was always terrible, but Night and Dawn were tolerable. Day is bad, and it gets worse with every entry afterwards.

[Grouchy]

I should rewatch them, but I remember Day having a very interesting storyline and characters, and being more than a bit mystified at the time that it was considered the worst.

[Irish]

Favorite thing I've read about Romero recently (from a story about his getting a star on the Hollywood walk of fame):


Romero began making his own short films as a teenager and was arrested at 14 for throwing a flaming dummy off the roof of a building while making "Man from the Meteor" in 1954.

[Scar]

I dunno about that.

The last time I watched "Night," I felt a little sick afterwards. It was more nihilistic and violent than I remembered (especially the scenes involving the little girl in the basement). There isn't much reprieve in the move; it's got the most downer ending of its period.

I mean, shit, even something as nasty as "Texas Chainsaw" let the audience off the hook, so to speak. :D

PS: Gonna revisit "Day" this weekend.

I never liked Dawn, (granted, its been ages), mostly for the reasons skitch mentioned. Night is obviously good, and could certainly revisit it. I think I've been able to ignore the less than ideal dialogue and acting in Day because of the story, and Savini's ridiculously effective effects. And Bub, Bub is awesome.

[Devlin]

Amending my Halloween viewings-

Horror of Dracula (1958) ***1/2
The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) ***1/2
The Devil Rides Out (1968) ***
Ghostbusters (1984) ****
Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) ***1/2
Dressed to Kill (1980) ***1/2
Christine (1983) ***
The Beguiled (1971) ***
Diabolique (1955) ***1/2
The Wicker Man (1973) ****
An American Werewolf in London (1981) ****
The Innocents (1961) ***1/2
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986) **1/2
Carrie (1976) ****
Evil Dead 2 (1987) ****
Sleepy Hollow (1999) ***1/2
Halloween (1978) ****
Alien (1979) ****
Young Frankenstein (1974) ****
House of Dark Shadows (1970) **1/2
Prince of Darkness (1987) **1/2

[D_Davis]

Night of the Living Dead is the only good Dead movie Romero made.

Return of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead '04 are both better than any of Romero's films except for Night of.

[Dukefrukem]

Night of the Living Dead is the only good Dead movie Romero made.


Said no one ever.

[D_Davis]

I just said it.

[Dukefrukem]

yeh but it doesn't count.

[Devlin]

Night of the Living Dead is the only good Dead movie Romero made.

Return of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead '04 are both better than any of Romero's films except for Night of.

Here's how I would rank them-

Romero's films
Night of the Living Dead ****
Dawn of the Dead ****
Day of the Dead **1/2
Land of the Dead **1/2
Diary of the Dead ***
Survival of the Dead *

Related films
Return of the Living Dead ***1/2
Night of the Living Dead (1990) ***
Dawn of the Dead (2004) ***1/2

[D_Davis]

Here's how I would rank them-

Romero's films
Night of the Living Dead ****
Dawn of the Dead ****
Day of the Dead **1/2
Land of the Dead **1/2
Diary of the Dead ***
Survival of the Dead *

Related films
Return of the Living Dead ***1/2
Night of the Living Dead (1990) ***
Dawn of the Dead (2004) ***1/2

That's pretty close to me. Except for everything after Day is one start at best.

[D_Davis]

The unrated Return of the Living Dead 3 is also fantastic.

[D_Davis]

yeh but it doesn't count.

I preferred it when you weren't a mod, so I could have you on my ignore list.

[Skitch]

Spoilered for length. This is most I've ever done for horrorthon, and I'm home sick today so probably add three more if possible.

1. The Bad Batch - 7/10
2. Gerald's Game - 6
3. The Houses October Built - 5.5
4. The Devil's Candy - 6.5
5. Here Alone - 7
6. Circle - 7
7. A Christmas Horror Story - 7
8. Tank 432 - 6
9. Infini - 6
10. The Burning - 8
11. House of 1000 Corpses - 3
12. Stigmata - 5
13. The Pit and the Pendulum (1961) - 6
14. King Cobra - 2
15. Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things - 4
16. Lifeforce - 5.5
17. 13 Demons - 4
18. Roar - 5
19. Urban Legend - 7
20. Tales of Halloween - 8
21. Backcountry - 6
22. The Cabin in the Woods - 10
23. Dead Space: Downfall - 8
24. Embrace of the Vampire - 2
25. The Midnight Meat Train - 8.5
26. Sin: The Movie - 4
27. The Ring (2002) - 7.5
28. Prophecy (1979) - 8.5
29. Silent Hill - 8
30. The Signal (2007) - 5.5
31. The Babysitter - 7
32. Saw - 6
33. ABCs of Death - 5
34. The Blob (1988) - 6
35. 976-EVIL - 3.5
36. 30 Days of Night: Dark Days - 3
37. Get Out - 8
38. The New Daughter - 3
39. Mosquito - 7
40. The Pit and the Pendulum (1991) - 6.5
41. Madhouse - 2
42. Dracula: Untold - 6
43. Pandorum - 8
44. Scarecrows - 4.5
45. Creepozoids - 5
46. Raw Force - 6
47. Nightmares - 7
48. The Belko Expirament - 6.5

[Grouchy]

I realized just now I never got around to seeing Survival and I don't think I ever will.

Return of the Living Dead 3 is fucking awesome stuff.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9ZvQ6Qa-XE

[D_Davis]

Return of the Living Dead 3 is fucking awesome stuff.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9ZvQ6Qa-XE

Yeah. It has some amazing moments with some really creative practical effects. It's a little slow, and takes it's time getting to the good parts, but when it does...boy howdy!

[D_Davis]

Also, Melinda Clarke is a stunner.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Here's how I would rank them-

Romero's films
Night of the Living Dead ****
Dawn of the Dead ****
Day of the Dead **1/2
Land of the Dead **1/2
Diary of the Dead ***
Survival of the Dead *

Related films
Return of the Living Dead ***1/2
Night of the Living Dead (1990) ***
Dawn of the Dead (2004) ***1/2

So this is happening, huh?

Night - ****
Dawn - ****
Day - **1/2
Land - ***
Diary - **
Survival - *

Return - **1/2
Night '90 - *1/2
Dawn '04 - ***

The Night remake sorta infuriates me. It's just loud and busy and never nearly as interesting as the original. Ugh. And Return I've never really been able to embrace. It's riotous and inventive and fun for about half of its runtime, but it always runs out of gas. I tried watching it many times and even owned it for a while, but watching it always felt obligatory instead of something I anticipated.

Also:

Shaun - ****

[Dukefrukem]

I preferred it when you weren't a mod, so I could have you on my ignore list.

I prefer it when you don't make blanket statements like they were true with no reason(s) or supportive evidence. So essentially, my post is equal to yours.

[D_Davis]

Night of the Living Dead (original) - *****
Return of the Living Dead - *****
Dawn of the Dead '04 - ****
Return of the Living Dead 2 (unrated) - ****
Dawn of the Dead - ***
Day of the Dead - ***


Land, Diary and Survival - range from * to couldn't finish. Land is one of the worst movies I've ever finished.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Land, Diary and Survival - range from * to couldn't finish. Land is one of the worst movies I've ever finished.

That's funny, I was just watching bits of it the other night. Hardly great, but I enjoy its scale and forward momentum and gore effects. There's that one unforgettable moment where the zombie slices the dude's arm off and-- checking Youtube:


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

Hah! Love it.

[Dukefrukem]

Love it too. On the scale of horror movies that are terrible, that wouldn't even crack that bottom half of total movies I've seen.

[Skitch]

Updated with corrections and additions. Bolded means first time watching.

1. The Bad Batch - 7/10
2. Gerald's Game - 6
3. The Houses October Built - 5.5
4. The Devil's Candy - 6.5
5. Here Alone - 7
6. Circle - 7
7. A Christmas Horror Story - 7
8. Tank 432 - 6
9. Infini - 6
10. The Burning - 8
11. House of 1000 Corpses - 3
12. Stigmata - 5
13. The Pit and the Pendulum (1961) - 6
14. King Cobra - 2
15. Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things - 4
16. Lifeforce - 5.5
17. 13 Demons - 4
18. Roar - 5
19. Urban Legend - 7
20. Tales of Halloween - 8
21. Backcountry - 6
22. The Cabin in the Woods - 10
23. Dead Space: Downfall - 8
24. Embrace of the Vampire - 2
25. The Midnight Meat Train - 8.5
26. Sin: The Movie - 4
27. The Ring (2002) - 7.5
28. Prophecy (1979) - 8.5
29. Silent Hill - 8
30. The Signal (2007) - 5.5
31. The Babysitter - 7
32. Saw - 6
33. ABCs of Death - 5
34. The Blob (1988) - 6
35. 976-EVIL - 3.5
36. 30 Days of Night: Dark Days - 3
37. Get Out - 8
38. The New Daughter - 3
39. Mosquito - 7
40. The Pit and the Pendulum (1991) - 6.5
41. Madhouse - 2
42. Dracula: Untold - 6
43. Pandorum - 8
44. Scarecrows - 4.5
45. Creepozoids - 5
46. Raw Force - 6
47. Justice League Dark - 8
48. Nightmares - 7
49. The Belko Expirament - 6.5
50. The Gate - 9

[Grouchy]

Yeah, you can do a hell of a lot worse than Land of the Dead. Romero immediately did, too.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Yeah, you can do a hell of a lot worse than Land of the Dead. Romero immediately did, too.

Twice!

[D_Davis]

Yeah, you can do a hell of a lot worse than Land of the Dead. Romero immediately did, too.


Twice!

Land is the one star, the others are couldn't even finish. So it's better than those.

I think my original review of Land on Rotten Tomatoes got me more death threats and suicide-wishes than my review for Silent Hill.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Land is the one star, the others are couldn't even finish. So it's better than those.

I think my original review of Land on Rotten Tomatoes got me more death threats and suicide-wishes than my review for Silent Hill.

Where did you land on Silent Hill? Hated it?

[D_Davis]

Where did you land on Silent Hill? Hated it?

Oh god yes.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Oh god yes.

I tried watching that again this year and made it about 30 minutes. The visuals are sometimes pretty. That's all I got.

[D_Davis]

I tried watching that again this year and made it about 30 minutes. The visuals are sometimes pretty. That's all I got.

It does have some nice visuals, but not nearly enough. The acting is OK-ish.

[D_Davis]

I had to report someone to RT because I got an IM saying that the person was going to find me and kill me for my negative review of Silent Hill.

[Skitch]

I like Silent Hill but I'm not homicidal about it.

[Grouchy]

I had to report someone to RT because I got an IM saying that the person was going to find me and kill me for my negative review of Silent Hill.
Hahahah can you share your reviewer page? I didn't know you had one.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I like Silent Hill but I'm not homicidal about it.

Yet.

[D_Davis]

Hahahah can you share your reviewer page? I didn't know you had one.

I wasn't even part of the Tomato meter. My site hadn't even been approved at the that time, and once it had we had pretty much called it quits.

The review was posted in the forums.

That's the craziest thing. My negative review wasn't even part of the rotten meter.

[D_Davis]

I tracked down my review.

Maybe I should have received death threats. LOL!

Man...going back and reading some of my old reviews is like being slapped in the face with a harsh reality.

I really hated writing bad reviews. I always preferred writing about movies I loved. Whenever I wrote about bad movies, I always fell into the trap of trying to hard, and for what?

Embarrassing! The movie really pissed me off. Now I kind of want to watch it again to see if it still does.

There are many great words in the English language. Words that when combined together, form sentences that convey meaning and emotion, and create concrete descriptive images. When these sentences are combined and placed in sequential order, they in turn conjure an author's imagination and birth narrative and character. Since Roger Avery chose not to use any such skill in choosing his words and sentences for his script, or crafting a narrative worth the paper it's printed on, I will chose the only word I know capable of describing this movie: Crap. "It's gonna' be okay, it's gonna be okay," a phrase spoken forty-seven or so times throughout the two hours of hell this film puts its audience through, must have been the filmmaker's mantra - too bad for them, for in the words written by Tarantino, for a story co-written by Avery, “ pretty f****n’ far from okay.”

I cannot fathom the notion that there are people out there who really believe that it was Roger Avery who was the talent behind Pulp Fiction and not Tarantino. If those people still believe this after seeing this tragically written narrative, I know some good doctors, they work in [I]Silent Hill, and are bit demonic, but they should do the trick. The narrative structure is broken while at the same time, Avery writes some of the worst dialog I have ever heard, I mean, it is bad. The narrative is really just a series of loosely connected bad ideas on part of the characters and the filmmakers, one of the biggest offenders being when Sean Bean’s character “googles” Silent Hill. I began to wonder if Avery really even wrote anything down; perhaps he just had the script in mind, but never got around to actually writing it. I like to imagine Christopher Gans, the director, telling the actors to “Just kind of run from here to there, and we’ll put in some monsters every once in a while – don’t worry, it’s gonna be okay.”

And then the actors ask Gans, “What should we say here?”

Gans turns to Avery, “Any ideas?”

Roger Avery answers, “Well, it looks like there might have been a fire at some point, so say this: Looks like a fire happened here, don’t’ worry baby, it’s gonna be okay.”

Oh really captain obvious, what gave it away? Was it all the freaking ashes falling from the sky and all the charred wood, furniture and debris scattered about?

It’s gonna be okay. It’s gonna be okay. It’s gonna be okay.

It’s too bad that Avery’s script is not the only thing about this film that crawled out of the depths of hell, for Christopher Gans' directing followed closely behind. A competent director can, and often will, turn a poorly written script into a cohesive narrative and entertaining film. Too bad Gans is not a competent director. A competent director would have also known that a horror film, should at some point, be a tad bit scary, or terrifying. Again, it’s too bad for Gans. I am not a huge fan of his Brotherhood of the Wolf, and I feel that Gans needs to become number-one-best-friends with an editor, you know, someone who can slap Gans around, keep him on track, and tell him, “it’s gonna be okay.” Silent Hill, like Brotherhood, goes nowhere, and takes its sweet time getting there. Although unlike Brotherhood, Silent Hill doesn’t have anything about it that even comes close to being entertaining. However, the poor directing is not The Hill’s (as I like to call it now, although the WB may want to use that moniker for it’s television series) biggest problem.

The biggest problem about The Hill is its complete lack of anything even remotely resembling fright. There is not a single ounce of terror, horror, or anything that could pass for tension during the entire two-hour running time. There weren’t even any cheep thrills, like a cat, jumping out from an old locker or something – anything! This poses a problem for a horror film. Horror films need tension, they need atmosphere, and they need for the audience to believe at some point that the characters might be in peril, or that something matters. There is never a moment like this in The Hill. Everything is so vapid and insipid, the acting is so wooden, the script is so heinous, and the directing so lackluster, that the film never achieves to even register on the scale of horror. As far as lightweight horror goes, The Hill is less significant than a feather caught in a hurricane.

On the plus side, it looked really nice, and the music, while mostly from the game, set the proper mood.

The saddest thing for me is this: I believe The Hill will be moderately successful because of the built in fan base for the game. However, I beg of you - do not waste your money on this crap - go and see a good film instead, a film like Slither. If you've seen Slither already, see it again. It's really freaking sad that this crap infested garbage bag called Silent Hill will probably make more money than Gunn's masterpiece of gore, goo and space-zombie mayhem. Gunn deserves more fan support, where as the filmmakers on The Hill deserve only to be locked in a room for all of eternity while the non-MST3K version of Manos the Hands of Fate plays over and over again at a volume loud enough to cause serious ear damage. If there are horror fans out there who go to see Silent Hill, but failed to support Slither in the theatre, just remember this: in the future, when horror films suck so bad you can no longer muster the enthusiasm to see them anymore, you got what you paid for – support the crap, and you will get it.

[Skitch]

I feel that way about the majority of my posting on RT. It was my first online forum. It takes time to learn how interact with people in this fashion. (Not saying this about your review, that barely deserved a postcard saying "You suck" let alone a death threat.)

[D_Davis]

That might have been the last negative review I wrote for the site.

I realized that all I was trying to do in negative reviews is out snark the other negative reviews, and it wasn't fun.

I think it was after that that I realized that it was more fruitful to champion more deserving films, and write more positively about films I actually liked.

It'd be an interesting experiment to rewatch all of the films I reviewed to see how much my opinions have changed.

[D_Davis]

I feel that way about the majority of my posting on RT. It was my first online forum. It takes time to learn how interact with people in this fashion. (Not saying this about your review, that barely deserved a postcard saying "You suck" let alone a death threat.)

Yeah. totally. We were really trying to MAKE IT with the site at that time, and that definitely had an impact on the way we wrote during those first couple of years. After we realized that we weren't going to MAKE IT, we changed our focus and things were better for it.

[Skitch]

I realized that all I was trying to do in negative reviews is out snark the other negative reviews, and it wasn't fun.


That's exactly what we all did in the beginning, and I came to hate it too. Maybe just getting older lol. I often now say "This film is just not meant for me" rather than "I hate this piece of shit". Unless it genuinely is a piece of rubbish, that is.

[D_Davis]

Return of the Living Dead (1985) - Dir. Dan O'Bannon

“I know you're in there. I can smell your brain!”

“Send more cops.”

“Braaaaiiiinnnnssss.”

“Are you saying we're....dead?”

“It makes the pain go away!”

Say the words, “Return of the Living Dead” to me, and instantly dozens of quotable lines pop into my head. I love this film, and in terms of pure entertainment, in terms of a rocking damn-good time, and in terms of pure, genre, punk-rock, bad-assness, Return of the Living Dead is a masterpiece. It is also hilarious, a tad bit scary, kind of gory, and totally inventive. It also helped to expand the zombie sub-genre, and by adding to some of the rules it also modifyed the mythos by degrees.

I know this was not the first zombie comedy (perhaps that milestone belongs to Bob Clark's Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things, or perhaps it goes back, further still) but I do think it is one of the best, and most notable. It is also self-referential and aware of the conventions it is working with. The characters in this film know of what happened in Romero's and Russo's original classic, and they definitely know what in the hell a zombie is. These are characters who possess knowledge similar to the audience of the time. What they don't know is that they are in a really messed up comedy. The tragic, sometimes disgusting, totally crazy situations they find themselves in are played straight as an arrow, which makes the absurd events even more hilarious.

One example of this humorous tragedy occurs when the band of survivors captures a zombie-half-torso, and interrogates it (her) about her condition. The female zombie-thing gets strapped to an embalming table and screams out in gut-wrenching pain - the pain of being dead. It is here that we learn being dead hurts, really farking bad. Who knew? And the only cure for this pain? Brains of course! In RotLD, it is established that zombies really want to eat brains, and only brains. All that munching on other stuff, the intestines, and the arms, and the legs, and the blubber, is only for shits and giggles. Maybe its all the endorphins in our twisted gray-matter that suppresses the pain, or maybe the still firing synapses do something to ease death's cold clutches. Who really knows what does it, but it obviously helps the poor zombie saps feel a little better. And who would want to stand in the way of a little feel-goodery?

While this sequence is tremendously funny, it's also kind of sad, and a bit disturbing. I mean, seeing a zombie cry out in agony, suffering from the pain of being dead, isn't something I am normally affected by. However, Dan O'Bannon, the film's director and co-writer, does such an amazing job of delivering on this absurd notion that it totally works. I actually feel empathy for the stubby, naked, half-torso, zombie chick! While there are definitely gags involved, sights and sounds that are played simply to elicit a chuckle or wince, much of the film is played straight and fast. O'Bannon keeps the pace tense, and delivers each new reveal at precisely the right time.

Another example of the dark comedy involves two of the main characters, Frank and Freddy. Now Frank and Freddy are well-meaning, and some what dim headed. They work in an old medical supply warehouse. It is here, on Freddy's first night of work, that the two stumble bums inadvertently let loose the apocalypse. After releasing the toxic, military, weapons-grade gas that brings the dead back to life, Frank and Freddy start to feel like total crap. Throughout the rest of the film, we get to see them slowly, and quite painfully, turn into the brain-hungry undead. The agony these two characters go through is extraordinary, and the actors portray their pain and torment in a convincing manner. They start to get all sweaty, their skin starts to turn yellow, their muscles atrophy, they develop Rigamortis, and they wallow and writhe around in hellish throes of intense suffering. Everything they go to is both extremely funny, and really messed up, and perfectly encapsulates the balance of the film.

Return of the Living Dead is a genre masterpiece. It is a master mash-up of a film that gets almost everything right. If I have one complaint about the film, it is the lack of a ton of gore. Truth be told, the film is a bit lacking when it comes to the old red stuff and the buckets of guts. Had the fountains of free flowing crimson been more extreme, I would even hold this film in even higher regard. However, as it stands, the lack of gore really doesn't take much away from this marvelous little flick. It is a film I can turn to at almost any time, and have a total blast for the 90-or-so minutes it's on. Oh yeah, it also has one of the best endings ever, and even though it is totally absurd, it seems more and more plausible in today's modern world.

A slightly better review. Not as embarrassing.

[D_Davis]

It's pretty crazy to think about how much time and energy I devoted to cinema between the years of 1999 and 2010.

[Devlin]

The Night remake sorta infuriates me. It's just loud and busy and never nearly as interesting as the original. Ugh. And Return I've never really been able to embrace. It's riotous and inventive and fun for about half of its runtime, but it always runs out of gas. I tried watching it many times and even owned it for a while, but watching it always felt obligatory instead of something I anticipated.

I can understand your point of view on both these films.
The Night remake is a major step down from the original, but for an eighties remake I think it's pretty effective and makes some interesting changes. However, it's nothing special.
I love Return, but there are some real missteps in the film. The most obvious is the one you mentioned; it can't sustain it's manic momentum, and the ending feels tacked on. Still, I really enjoy what does work and will watch it every couple of years.


Shaun - ****

I agree

[Devlin]

Land, Diary and Survival - range from * to couldn't finish. Land is one of the worst movies I've ever finished.

Land really disappointed me the first time I saw it. It's grown on me, but I still think it's a ridiculous concept. It has it's moments, but overall is kind of bland.
I did like Diary though. It certainly wasn't great, but had a neat execution. I've only seen it once (about ten years ago), so it's possible I could have a different opinion if I viewed it now.
With Survival I couldn't believe what I was seeing. A complete waste of time.

[Devlin]

Where did you land on Silent Hill? Hated it?

Oh god yes.

I hated it too.

[D_Davis]

I love Return, but there are some real missteps in the film. The most obvious is the one you mentioned; it can't sustain it's manic momentum, and the ending feels tacked on. Still, I really enjoy what does work and will watch it every couple of years.


I slightly agree with both you and DAMU that Return can't quite keep up its creative momentum for the entire run-time. It would probably be an even better film with 7 or so minutes cut. But it has so much charm and character that I can easily overlook that.

[Peng]

Night of the Living Dead is one of my favorite films of all time. Dawn is ok but effective in more of a "ohhhh nice subtext" than being an actual film (horror or otherwise) for me. I like both Snyder's remake, Day, and Land better. Probably need to rewatch all of them though.

I actually wrote some short capsules for Night remake and Return four years back (non-spoiler but put in one just not to make this post too long):

Night of the Living Dead (1990) -

Overall, it's kinda fun and very respectable remake. The heroine's personality change is a positive modern retelling, even though I don't mind the original's. Ben (the black guy) also fared well. Unfortunately, Romero (who wrote the screenplay) should have updated all the other characters for the modern time too. Mr. Cooper is almost unbearably annoying in this version, even though it's basically the same character. The thing is, that character works well within that time period and the original film's aesthetics, but he stands out jarringly in the remake, especially alongside new Barbara. Same goes with the other girl's banshee screaming for minutes.

However, I'm kind of taken with the ending. I've been hearing about how it doesn't compare favorably to the original's. It's true that it lacks the pitch-black starkness and power of that one, but I think this is also clever in its own right, without abandoning some darkness and irony that marks the original. A very good example of how to deviate without downgrade, imo. 6.5-7/10

Return of the Living Dead (1985) -

Well that was a blast. Not really scary, except for a few jumps and some chase scenes, but great comedy. What I really like about it is that although the material is (kind of) not serious, the craft totally is, and that both makes film highly watchable and doesn't diminish the camp, characters or story. The moment I knew I'm going to love this: when a "split dog" turned living and they tried hitting it repeatedly. 7.5/10

[Peng]

As for what I actually watched for Halloween this year, only a recent horror film (will post in its own thread) and this:

The Masque of the Red Death (1964)

Vincent Price moderates his villainy to delicious perfection, but everyone else is too one-note, which works well for the grotesque court scenes, but becomes a slog everywhere else. Still, the foggy outdoor, the color-coded multi-rooms (or just those gorgeous colors in general, courtesy of Nicolas Roeg), and the grand finale that lives up to the splashy film title though... worth the price of admission for them alone. 6.5/10

[Dead & Messed Up]

Rabid

First time viewing.

...ehh.

There's one holy moment where the lead hero drives through a rabies-ridden street, a rabid man jumps his car, a sniper takes out the rabid man, two men in hazmat suits pop out and scrub down the hero's car, and then slap the hood and motion him along. That almost makes the whole film worth it. But the film plays like a pretty loose grab-bag of Social Issue Horror, and the moments with scares never quite function. Interesting stuff conceptually - especially how Marilyn Chambers' flip on Dracula (with the rabids as her Renfields) never requires real seduction. Most men fling themselves at her big eyes and perfect blond hair. (And many act amazed when she reciprocates, a funny touch.)

In general, I haven't responded strongly to any of the early Cronenberg I've seen: The Brood was okay, this was unembarrassing, Scanners was just too damn goofy. (I even thought Videodrome was just okay, which basically makes me a pariah.)

[Devlin]

I did like Diary though. It certainly wasn't great, but had a neat execution. I've only seen it once (about ten years ago), so it's possible I could have a different opinion if I viewed it now.
I decided to revisit this last night as my final Halloween movie for the month. After watching it this time I believe I must have been drunk or delirious during my first viewing because I was not impressed. The best parts of this film have to do with Romero's commentary on the internet age and the inundation of video availability. Most of this commentary, however, comes outside the narrative of the basic story and undermines the first person point of view concept. There are some good gore effects, but the characters are typically annoying and illogical most of the time. It seems as if when he made Land and then Diary Romero was pandering to the young audience that was embracing the contemporary zombie films of the day (like 28 Days Later and the Dawn remake) while attempting to bring his own brand of social commentary, but unfortunately he failed.
I originally gave this film three stars, but based on this recent viewing I'm reducing it to two stars. Not a total loss, but certainly disappointing and a further indication that after Day of the Dead Romero really had nothing fresh to bring to the zombie table.

[D_Davis]

Rabid

First time viewing.

...ehh.

There's one holy moment where the lead hero drives through a rabies-ridden street, a rabid man jumps his car, a sniper takes out the rabid man, two men in hazmat suits pop out and scrub down the hero's car, and then slap the hood and motion him along. That almost makes the whole film worth it. But the film plays like a pretty loose grab-bag of Social Issue Horror, and the moments with scares never quite function. Interesting stuff conceptually - especially how Marilyn Chambers' flip on Dracula (with the rabids as her Renfields) never requires real seduction. Most men fling themselves at her big eyes and perfect blond hair. (And many act amazed when she reciprocates, a funny touch.)

In general, I haven't responded strongly to any of the early Cronenberg I've seen: The Brood was okay, this was unembarrassing, Scanners was just too damn goofy. (I even thought Videodrome was just okay, which basically makes me a pariah.)

Early David Cronenberg movies are usually better remembered than watched. They're great on paper, and in the intellectual ways they can be analyzed, but more often than not they're not very good movies.

[Skitch]

I wrapped up with The Witch, and it was an absolutely delightful time.

[Devlin]

I wrapped up with The Witch, and it was an absolutely delightful time.

Really liked this. One of the best horror films in recent years.

[Dukefrukem]

Delightful wouldn't be the word I choose to describe that movie.

[Dead & Messed Up]

It's decent. [/controversy]

[Ezee E]

I prefer the Snyder version and probably wouldn't give any Romero movie higher than ** 1/2.

Talk to y'all later.

[megladon8]

MatchCut gets weirder every year.

[D_Davis]

Maybe you're just normaling.

[transmogrifier]

I thought The Witch was labored and silly.

[D_Davis]

I thought The Witch was labored and silly.

Yep.

Not a good movie.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I thought The Witch was labored and silly.

I liked its aesthetic and performances very much, enough to recommend it, but I found it muddled in regard to its themes/messaging and presumed historicity, which seems to me a slap in the face to the actual history of witch trials and all the people who died. I've been thinking of doing one of those YouTube video essays about it for a while, but I figure it'd be downvoted into oblivion.

[megladon8]

Maybe you're just normaling.


Dislike of Night and Dawn (and saying Day is the best of the bunch), lukewarm feelings on Return, dislike of early Cronenberg...this place has gone batshit crazy.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Dislike of Night and Dawn (and saying Day is the best of the bunch), lukewarm feelings on Return, dislike of early Cronenberg...this place has gone batshit crazy.

You're the only normal one left.

Which means you are the outlier. You are the monster.

You are legend.

[megladon8]

Well done.

[Skitch]

Delightful wouldn't be the word I choose to describe that movie.

I know it seems odd, but its such good filmmaking that its a feast for my eyes.

[Skitch]

Which means you are the outlier. You are the monster.

You are legend.

He may not be the Meg we deserve, but he's the Meg we need.

[Dukefrukem]

I know it seems odd, but its such good filmmaking that its a feast for my eyes.

Delightful implies pleasantness during the viewing. Hocus Pocus is delightful.

[megladon8]

I loved The Witch. Have watched it several times.

[Scar]

Dislike of Night and Dawn (and saying Day is the best of the bunch), lukewarm feelings on Return, dislike of early Cronenberg...this place has gone batshit crazy.

I first saw Dawn as a teen, and was bored and found the make up poor. Now, mind you, this is teen Scar, who's idea of a great flick was whatever Schwarzenegger flick was available. I will revisit it. I do enjoy Night quite a bit, but something in Day resonated with me. Whether it was the effects, or Bub, or what not, it really stuck with me.

It sure as shit wasn't the music or acting....

[Dead & Messed Up]

Ernest Scared Stupid >>> Hocus Pocus

[Skitch]

Delightful implies pleasantness during the viewing.

The photography is pleasant to me.

[Devlin]

I first saw Dawn as a teen, and was bored and found the make up poor. Now, mind you, this is teen Scar, who's idea of a great flick was whatever Schwarzenegger flick was available. I will revisit it. I do enjoy Night quite a bit, but something in Day resonated with me. Whether it was the effects, or Bub, or what not, it really stuck with me.

It sure as shit wasn't the music or acting....

I had a similar reaction the first time I saw Night. I just didn't get what was so great. The second time I saw it though was like a revelation and it is now one of my favorite movies. I liked Dawn from the first viewing. I get why some are put off by what on the surface appears to be an amateurish production, but I was able to overlook those aspects because the story was so compelling. Give it another shot. You might be surprised.

[Scar]

I first saw Dawn as a teen, and was bored and found the make up poor. Now, mind you, this is teen Scar, who's idea of a great flick was whatever Schwarzenegger flick was available. I will revisit it. I do enjoy Night quite a bit, but something in Day resonated with me. Whether it was the effects, or Bub, or what not, it really stuck with me.

It sure as shit wasn't the music or acting....

Rewatching Dawn, and it certainly is much better than I remember.

[MadMan]

I thought The Witch was labored and silly.

So did I. We agree on something for once.

[MadMan]

MatchCut gets weirder every year.Eh that is just part of its charm.

Incidentally I did revisit ROTLD on Halloween night for the first time in years. Its a fun movie but I agree too that it runs out of gas. I do love its characters, though.

[MadMan]

Romero's Dawn is a classic, with great characters and better dialogue than Night. Snyder's remake is more flashy and I like it. I should compare the two for that remakes thread of mine.

[MadMan]

Ernest Scared Stupid >>> Hocus Pocus

I just saw this and I agree 100%.

[MadMan]

I also dig early Cronenberg, although Videodrome was his first truly great film. I like Rabid a lot.

[Skitch]

I wondered how such an obviously terrible movie that I turned off could have indy film awards so I did some digging.

What a load of horseshit. (https://filmfreeway.com/IndependentHorrorMovieAwards) Thats some scam they got there.

[Irish]

I wondered how such an obviously terrible movie that I turned off could have indy film awards so I did some digging.

What a load of horseshit. (https://filmfreeway.com/IndependentHorrorMovieAwards) Thats some scam they got there.

I skimmed the article until I saw this was a group that gives an award for "Best Nudity." Then I closed the tab.

So what the hell is this about, then?

[Skitch]

Some excerpts...

"Every two months, we choose nominees and winners so filmmakers don't have to wait an entire year for results. "

"We are an online competition that does not screen films to the public so you don't have to worry about ruining your premiere status. This also keeps submissions fees as low as possible."

"Laurels in JPG format will be sent to all nominees and winners. No physical trophies, medals, or certificates are given in order to keep entry fees lower."

[Irish]

Some excerpts...

"Every two months, we choose nominees and winners so filmmakers don't have to wait an entire year for results. "

"We are an online competition that does not screen films to the public so you don't have to worry about ruining your premiere status. This also keeps submissions fees as low as possible."

"Laurels in JPG format will be sent to all nominees and winners. No physical trophies, medals, or certificates are given in order to keep entry fees lower."

Ahaaaaaa, yeah that's fucked.

[TGM]

2017 was a fantastic year for horror. Here are my Top 10 horror films of the year:
10. Split
9. The Killing of a Sacred Deer
8. Alien: Covenant
7. Get Out
6. Personal Shopper
5. Happy Death Day
4. Gerald's Game
3. Mother!
2. Detroit
1. 47 Meters Down

Also shout-out to #FromJennifer and The Lure (2017 American release).

[Skitch]

That reminds me to go dig up the thread for mother! to see what others here thought.

[Dead & Messed Up]

2017 was a fantastic year for horror. Here are my Top 10 horror films of the year:
10. Split
9. The Killing of a Sacred Deer
8. Alien: Covenant
7. Get Out
6. Personal Shopper
5. Happy Death Day
4. Gerald's Game
3. Mother!
2. Detroit
1. 47 Meters Down

Also shout-out to #FromJennifer and The Lure (2017 American release).

Ooh, this guy needs to watch 47 Meters Down, apparently.

[Skitch]

It just hit Netflix, I plan to soon.

[D_Davis]

Detroit?

[TGM]

Detroit?

Yes. ;)

[Scar]

I'd consider Detroit horrifying. Watched it last night.

[Ezee E]

Detroit has just as much in common with Straw Dogs as it does with the political side.

[Ivan Drago]

I'm most likely in the minority on this, but I had a blast watching Happy Birthday To Me for the first time. It flat out rules as a piece of 80s slasher B-movie bliss.

[megladon8]

Happy Birthday To Me is great.

[MadMan]

New Year's Evil is good, solid fun. I even viewed it on New Year's Eve.

[Morris Schæffer]

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Night-of-the-Living-Dead-Blu-ray/190297/#Review

Criterion release of Night of the Living Dead. Seems like a revelatory upgrade in audio and video.

[Dukefrukem]

Will buy that.

[Morris Schæffer]

Will buy that.

If you can tell me how to make my region 2 uhd player region free, I would too.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I always liked how grungy and raw my older VHS copies of Night looked. Like they were a copy of a copy passed along illicitly. (It also helped cover up effects issues with makeup appliances.) The whole thing felt more like an artifact. My Millennium edition DVD looked too clean as it was; I can't imagine what 4K will look like.

[Dukefrukem]

If you can tell me how to make my region 2 uhd player region free, I would too.

Buy a playstation?

[Morris Schæffer]

Buy a playstation?

I have a ps4 pro bought in Europe. Surely it won't play us discs?!

[MadMan]

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Night-of-the-Living-Dead-Blu-ray/190297/#Review

Criterion release of Night of the Living Dead. Seems like a revelatory upgrade in audio and video.

A must purchase.

[Dukefrukem]

I have a ps4 pro bought in Europe. Surely it won't play us discs?!

Maybe the PS3 was region unlocked? I forget.

[megladon8]

I like when horror movies try to do something under the surface. Whether it’s the oft-used “Zombies as sociopolitical commentary”, or something smaller and more personal in scope like 2013’s Dark Skies using a family’s encounters with aliens to tell the story of a father trying to maintain his grip as the breadwinner in the home.

We went into The Bye Bye Man pretty much blind. I was pleasantly surprised at first when it seemed to be tryin to use the horror to tell a story of jealousy and infidelity.

Unfortunately the acting is HORRENDOUS across the board, the scares are all telegraphed, and it all amounts to...zilch.

I mean, kudos for incorporating the song “Bye Bye Love” into the film’s themes (and title), but man, what a waste of a potentially great concept.

The movie should have just been called “Mister Steal Yo Girl”.

[Dukefrukem]

Oof. The Bye Bye Man might be some of the worst cinema in existence. That's not a hyperbole.

[Morris Schæffer]

Came across the movie 'Hereditary' with Toni Collette and Gabriel Byrne. Did some more digging, seems the race to find the best horror of 2018 is already over.

[Morris Schæffer]

Detroit is not horror. Sorry I don't buy that.

[TGM]

Detroit is not horror. Sorry I don't buy that.

The bulk of it is, without a doubt.

[TGM]

Came across the movie 'Hereditary' with Toni Collette and Gabriel Byrne. Did some more digging, seems the race to find the best horror of 2018 is already over.

http://matchcut.artboiled.com/showthread.php?7075-Hereditary-(A24-Sundance-horror-hit) ;)

[Morris Schæffer]

The bulk of it is, without a doubt.

Then there are two interpretations of horror in that horrific is not the same as horror in its cinematic guise. Since we are talking about movies here, Detroit is unquestionably drama for me. ;)

[Grouchy]

If Detroit is a Horror movie so is stuff like Midnight Express or One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest and they are not.

[Ezee E]

If Detroit is a Horror movie so is stuff like Midnight Express or One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest and they are not.

Detroit is practically a Straw Dogs approach with political commentary. Plenty have classified Straw Dogs as horror.

Trying to loop Midnight Express and Cuckoo's Nest in there makes no sense.

[Dukefrukem]

What about Green Room? That's considered horror. Isn't the tension in that film similar to Detroit? (haven't seen Detroit yet)

[Ezee E]

What about Green Room? That's considered horror. Isn't the tension in that film similar to Detroit? (haven't seen Detroit yet)

Another good comparison.

[Grouchy]

Ok, then maybe I should see Detroit before voicing my loud opinion.

[Ivan Drago]

I'd argue the entire second act of Detroit is its own horror movie.

[Morris Schæffer]

You guys still going at it?! :D I always thought horror in the cinematic sense meant shit got explicit.

[Dead & Messed Up]

There's no useful definition of horror as a genre.

I'm raising my eyebrows at Detroit being considered in such a way, but I haven't seen the film.

[megladon8]

I haven’t seen Detroit either, but could it be the difference between a film being of the horror genre, and a film being “horrific”?

I find the Omaha Beach scene in Saving Private Ryan to be horrific, but I would never call it a horror film.

[TGM]

The stuff in SPR doesn't actually play like a horror film, though. The sequences in Detroit very much do.

[Ezee E]

The Ritual might be the first legit horror movie of the year. And it's on Netflix.

[transmogrifier]

Some recent horror viewings:

Happy Death Day- 47 - Doesn't take advantage of its concept at all, either narratively or in terms of characterization.
Scream 3 (rewatch) - 50 - Parker Posey and Courtney Cox make for an interesting pairing, but that is as far as it goes for this rather hollow meta-exercise. Incompetent slashers suffering pratfalls has run its course.
Raw - 55 - I rather liked the punchline at the end and the direction overall is suitably deranged, but Ducournau loses the thread of the characters at the halfway point and it becomes an exercise in arty gross outs.
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale - 72 - A field of naked old men in the snow! Hilarious.
The Descent (rewatch) - 68 - Tense, direct, primal, but the whole marital affair backstory coming back up near the end weakens it.
Mom and Dad - 60 - Just an avalanche of things thrown at the screen (70s credits sequence? Why not?) but its the comedy and Selma Blair's performance that sticks. Weirdly abrupt ending, like they ran out of money.
Dead of Night - 64 - Amateur technical filmmaking competes with a genuine sense of dread and some unusually sympathetic victims
Black Christmas - 70 - Mines the skeeviness of the inexplicably of mental illness while also making a statement on the pervasiveness of misogyny. Again, Clark is able to generate some memorable side characters.

[D_Davis]

I think there needs to be a distinction between thriller and horror. For me, a horror film needs to be exploitative in some way, as a film, beyond its subject matter.

[Dead & Messed Up]

There's so much overlap anyway that I just don't stress. Wanna call Jaws a horror? Great. Thriller? Fine. I don't care if you put in the category of "ham sandwich" as long as you recognize it's good.

[Scar]

The Ritual might be the first legit horror movie of the year. And it's on Netflix.

It certainly was decent.

[MadMan]

I rather liked Raw. It felt like a fine companion piece to Ginger Snaps.

[megladon8]

I haven’t seen Ginger Snaps in years. Always loved it. Jen isn’t much of a fan so we rarely watch it.

The second was fairly decent too.

Never saw the third.

[MadMan]

I have not bothered with any of the sequels.

[megladon8]

Veronica was quite good.

An original take on the possession formula.

[Morris Schæffer]

Well, they weren't cheap, but I really wanted to get the restored (blu-ray) editions of Dutch filmmaker Dick Maas' The Lift (remade by himself in 2001 with 'Down' with Naomi Watts) and Amsterdamned, especially because the new transfer really gives both an amazing new lease of life apparently.

[Morris Schæffer]

Just saw the French revenge movie 'Revenge'. If you like this sort of thing, don't miss it. Extremely visceral and gory, but stunning as well.

[megladon8]

Would anyone here be interested in a thread where I explore off-the-beaten-path interpretations of classic monsters?

[Dukefrukem]

Absolutely.

[Skitch]

Fuck yes.

[Grouchy]

Bring it on.

[Dukefrukem]

I love personal threads like that. I've been working on one lately that is similar to my Top 18 MERICAN Action movies and top 20 American Horror movies.

[MadMan]

Would anyone here be interested in a thread where I explore off-the-beaten-path interpretations of classic monsters?

Go for it.

[Dukefrukem]

Holy shit. Has anyone ever seen the movie Sleepaway Camp?

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086320/

[Irish]

Are you kidding?

[Dukefrukem]

Are you kidding?

Is that a "of course I have it's legendary"? or "wtf is this shit you're showing us?"

[Scar]

Is that a "of course I have it's legendary"? or "wtf is this shit you're showing us?"

First one.

[Irish]

Is that a "of course I have it's legendary"? or "wtf is this shit you're showing us?"

I coulda sworn you had seen it, or at least heard of it. Your post surprised me because it's a well known slasher in genre circles (and you're posting in the horror thread).

It's not as mainstream as Freddy, Jason, or Michael but sorta on the level of "Terror Train," "My Bloody Valentine," "Slumber Party Massacre," "April Fool's Day," "Prom Night," "Happy Birthday to Me," etc etc.

ETA: But yeah, it's the definitive "holy shit" movie. :D

[Dukefrukem]

I've been watching a shit ton of 80s horror movies lately, (getting ready for a little Match Cut Halloween game ... more on that later) somehow this one eluded me, but yes. Absolutely, 100%, "oh shit" moment, fucking bonkers of an ending (both in story and execution).

[Grouchy]

Yeah, it's an absolute classic, mainly because of that twist ending.

[megladon8]

The sequels are significantly lesser, but still fun camp.

There are so many creepy, unnerving characters in that first movie. Not a single staff member at that camp should have been anywhere near children.

[Skitch]

Love Sleepaway Camp. The whole thing is insane.

[Grouchy]

I never got around to watching the sequels but I love that the first one is called Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers.

[MadMan]

I have already started my Horrorfest and have seen 7 films so far. Three have been reviewed.

[Dead & Messed Up]

The Insidious movies do this interesting thing where whenever things might get genuinely unnerving, a ghost pops in front of the screen and the mix blasts your ears with the sound of a bowling ball slamming into the open back of a grand piano.

It's just the pits.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Finally watched the original Piranha, and it was exactly what I like to see in a good B-movie horror. Sketchy but sturdy central characters, great character actors in supporting roles, a touch of mean-spiritedness, lots of laughs, blunt social commentary. Schlock done right. Dante clearly had a lot of fun dicking around on the flatbed, getting those drawn-out cross-cut suspense moments just right (and just long enough that we laugh at how long it sometimes takes).

[Dukefrukem]

Finally watched the original Piranha, and it was exactly what I like to see in a good B-movie horror. Sketchy but sturdy central characters, great character actors in supporting roles, a touch of mean-spiritedness, lots of laughs, blunt social commentary. Schlock done right. Dante clearly had a lot of fun dicking around on the flatbed, getting those drawn-out cross-cut suspense moments just right (and just long enough that we laugh at how long it sometimes takes).

I just watched the original for the first time last week too!

3 years after Jaws opens with a couple going for a seemingly innocent swim at night, Piranha opens with a couple going for an innocent swim in an abandoned Army pool at night. Little do they know, the pool is harboring Piranhas; man made killer Piranhas. It feels very familiar until the very next scene our main character, Maggie, is playing Jaws the video game, making this movie and Joe Dante completely self aware.

Now, how do you take a killer shark concept and translate it to smaller fish that are self contained? Make the pool they were living in able to be drained into the river and beyond of course.

Most of the movie is spent trying to convince people the mutated piranhas are swimming down river to a children's camp. But the movie becomes a little off pudding when the kids are attacked. I much prefer the college kids beach attack. Dick Miller makes his Joe Dante appearance as mayor of the town.

Gore-5/10
Acting-(5/10)
Nudity-2/10 - Topless girl at very beginning
Story- 5/10
Cheese-2/10
-----------------------------
70s Slow Pacing Factor (6/10)

[Dead & Messed Up]

I agree that the movie veers into needless crassness with the attack on the children, but the movie's also careful to show only two actual deaths in that scene, with near-everyone able to stand. I'm not sure if that makes the scene better (because kids weren't killed) or worse (because the film exploited that anxiety for cheap titillation), but I'd agree it's the least successful part of the film. The film kicks back into gear, like you say, around the time of the park attack, and the whole movie's worth it for this priceless exchange:

"Sir, the piranhas--"
"What about the piranhas?!"
"...they're eating the guests."

[Irish]

Well, shit, now you guys have made me want to see it.

(I dunno why I haven't before. I've come around on Joe Dante and the fucking movie was written by John Sayles!!)

[Skitch]

I cant wait to start my horrorthon. I am horror deprived.

[transmogrifier]

Best horror(-ish) movies of the last 15 years (horror-comedies most definitely count).

Lake Mungo (76)
What We Do in the Shadows (76)
Thirst (75)
Funny Games (75)
Bedeviled (73)
Hereditary (72)
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (72)
Shaun of the Dead (72)
It Follows (71)
Resolution (71)
Cabin in the Woods (71)
The Girl with all the Gifts (71)
Fright Night (71)
Seoul Station (71)
You're Next (70)
Stuck (70)
Joshua (70)
Dawn of the Dead (70)

[transmogrifier]

Worst horror movies of the last 15 years (that I have seen, obviously; these probably wouldn't make the bottom 100 if I was forced to watch all the dreck that is released):

The Red Shoes (11)
Black House (14)
The Forgotten (15)
The Exorcism of Emily Rose (19)
Let Us Prey (22)
Into the Mirror (24)
Proxy (25)
The Bar (25)
The Neighbors (26)
The Devil's Candy (28)
Tusk (28)
Rammbock: Berlin Undead
Little Evil (31)
Gozu (33)
The Last Winter (33)
Goodnight Mommy (33)
Death Note (34)
Creep (34)
Alien vs. Predator (34)
The Happening (35)
The Visit (36)
Truth or Dare (36)
Pathology (37)
Grave Encounters (37)
Bluebeard (37)
Madre (37)
The Piper (38)
The Strangers (38)
Black Sheep (38)
The Innkeepers (39)

(Movies in bold are Korean movies I would expect no-one to recognize)

[Dukefrukem]

Worst horror movies of the last 15 years (that I have seen, obviously; these probably wouldn't make the bottom 100 if I was forced to watch all the dreck that is released):

The Red Shoes (11)
Black House (14)
The Forgotten (15)
The Exorcism of Emily Rose (19)
Let Us Prey (22)
Into the Mirror (24)
Proxy (25)
The Bar (25)
The Neighbors (26)
The Devil's Candy (28)
Tusk (28)
Rammbock: Berlin Undead
Little Evil (31)
Gozu (33)
The Last Winter (33)
Goodnight Mommy (33)
Death Note (34)
Creep (34)
Alien vs. Predator (34)
The Happening (35)
The Visit (36)
Truth or Dare (36)
Pathology (37)
Grave Encounters (37)
Bluebeard (37)
Madre (37)
The Piper (38)
The Strangers (38)
Black Sheep (38)
The Innkeepers (39)

(Movies in bold are Korean movies I would expect no-one to recognize)

The only real question mark here is the Innkeepers which I thought was a nice slow burn. I love me some Ti West.

If Alien v Predator is on this list I would say you made out pretty well considering you haven't seen Wish Upon, the Bye Bye Man and any Paranormal Activity films.

Then of course there's the C-list D-Video stuff that would make anyone's list.

[transmogrifier]

The only real question mark here is the Innkeepers which I thought was a nice slow burn. I love me some Ti West.

If Alien v Predator is on this list I would say you made out pretty well considering you haven't seen Wish Upon, the Bye Bye Man and any Paranormal Activity films.

Then of course there's the C-list D-Video stuff that would make anyone's list.

I think I've seen the first two PA films; they were alright. Haven't seen the last two, and I basically don't watch any horror that has been critically panned because the chance of any of them being a hidden treasure is basically nil. So I will never see Slender Man or The Nun or Jigsaw etc. If a couple of the people I follow on Letterboxd praise something, I will generally give it a go, so I'm planning on watching
Unfriended: The Dark Web and The Babysitter for that reason, even though they aren't generally liked so much.

[megladon8]

Which Creep, trans?

[transmogrifier]

The Mark Duplass one

[MadMan]

Already on 11 horror films since August, three this month so far. The House By The Cementery is the best of the bunch.

[transmogrifier]

Sleepaway Camp - 65/100

Opening credits are auspicious, showing a subtle touch not often seen in this genre, but then the opening scene on the lake is so terribly staged and acted, so you don’t know what the hell to expect. Well, what we get is mostly amateurish acting and more poor staging mixed with a more “realistic” depiction of teenagers and interesting things happening in the margins and some quite well-done physical effects detailing the aftermath. It’s all pretty okay, until the final 20 minutes, where the killer starts to ramp things up and lose control, where the victims start to be less convincingly “deserving” of violent death, and we get to see other campers actually look distraught and beaten. And then the final scene is as perfect a distillation of psychologically disturbing horror as I’ve ever seen.

Cinema is a wonderful beast.

[megladon8]

We watched this again the other night too!

The camp counselors are all so creepy and give off a low-rent porno vibe that makes everything even more uncomfortable.

[transmogrifier]

We watched this again the other night too!

The camp counselors are all so creepy and give off a low-rent porno vibe that makes everything even more uncomfortable.

The thing is, some of them are dicks, some are sympathetic... but there is no excusing that hairy stomached guy with that half t-shirt thing.

The pedophile cook was so over-the-top obvious in his pedophilia that it almost scanned like a comedy.

[Dukefrukem]

The thing is, some of them are dicks, some are sympathetic... but there is no excusing that hairy stomached guy with that half t-shirt thing.

The pedophile cook was so over-the-top obvious in his pedophilia that it almost scanned like a comedy.

An exact line from the film: "No such thing as too young"

[MadMan]

I prefer Sleepaway Camp II, anyways. I do like the first one but I agree it has some wacked out moments. Also Aunt Martha is the strangest horror movie aunt, ever. I will view the third one, but I have low expectations for it.

[Dead & Messed Up]

The Invisible Man Returns - B - Unexceptional in terms of its aesthetic. Like Son of Frankenstein, you can feel the loss of James Whale as a director and supervisor of the artists. But also like Son, this film finds enough juice left in the lemon to squeeze out some entertainment. The biggest pleasure? Watching the effects, some of which are lovably transparent (like the strings holding up guns), while others still dazzle nearly 80 years later. One inspector sucks on a cigar, turns, and puffs smoke directly onto the Invisible Man, and I'll be goddamned if that moment didn't shock me. I didn't think the craftsmen could do that, and so I wasn't expecting the reveal. The film starts slow, but around the halfway mark the film narrows in on the encroaching mania of the title villain, which leads to a terrific dinner sequence where a poisoned glass of wine sits there on the table, waiting to be drunk. Classic tension, done to effect.

The director of this film also worked with Vincent Price on an adaptation of The House of the Seven Gables, which I'm very curious to watch now.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Halloween first-time viewings so far:

Piranha - B+
The Invisible Man Returns - B
Death Bed: The Bed That Eats - (stopped after 20 minutes)
A Bay of Blood - C
Pumpkinhead - B

[MadMan]

Horrorfest 2018 (https://letterboxd.com/madman/list/horrorfest-2018/)

All viewings since August. I have seen 17 so far this month.

[Morris Schæffer]

What are anyone's thoughts on Suspiria (1977)?

I saw the restoration again last night on Blu-Ray, and although I like the movie and there's no faulting its swanky aural and visual upgrade, the movie's a bit, well, over the top, sound and fury signifying something for sure, but not something enormously scary. The movie feels a bit ramshackle, with merely decent acting, a finale which doesn't quite push the heroine to her limits.

I guess it's good, but its reputation seems a bit much.

[Dukefrukem]

What are anyone's thoughts on Suspiria (1977)?

I saw the restoration again last night on Blu-Ray, and although I like the movie and there's no faulting its swanky aural and visual upgrade, the movie's a bit, well, over the top, sound and fury signifying something for sure, but not something enormously scary. The movie feels a bit ramshackle, with merely decent acting, a finale which doesn't quite push the heroine to her limits.

I guess it's good, but its reputation seems a bit much.

Super overrated.

[Grouchy]

It's one of the greatest Horror masterpieces of all time. The first time I saw it I was creeped out to hell, particularly by the chase through the forest scene set to Goblin music.

I haven't seen it in years but I'd understand it if it required a certain ambience to work. It's not like the plot makes a lot of sense when divorced from the style.

I'm never watching the remake.

[Morris Schæffer]

It's one of the greatest Horror masterpieces of all time. The first time I saw it I was creeped out to hell, particularly by the chase through the forest scene set to Goblin music.

I haven't seen it in years but I'd understand it if it required a certain ambience to work. It's not like the plot makes a lot of sense when divorced from the style.

I'm never watching the remake.

See it again. There's no chase through the forest. :D

[Dead & Messed Up]

Speak of the devil, I got about 20 minutes into Inferno the other night before I had to pass out, but liked what I was seeing so far. I just love watching Argento paint those sets in evil rainbows.

[Ezee E]

Was wondering what forest chase I missed out on too.

[Peng]

And my understanding from the reactions is that the remake is very different enough to stand on its own, for good or bad.

[MadMan]

What are anyone's thoughts on Suspiria (1977)?

I saw the restoration again last night on Blu-Ray, and although I like the movie and there's no faulting its swanky aural and visual upgrade, the movie's a bit, well, over the top, sound and fury signifying something for sure, but not something enormously scary. The movie feels a bit ramshackle, with merely decent acting, a finale which doesn't quite push the heroine to her limits.

I guess it's good, but its reputation seems a bit much.

Near great, but Argento has done better.

[Morris Schæffer]

Near great, but Argento has done better.


Deep Red?

[Morris Schæffer]

Speak of the devil, I got about 20 minutes into Inferno the other night before I had to pass out, but liked what I was seeing so far. I just love watching Argento paint those sets in evil rainbows.

Apparently, there is a third one, The Mother of Tears which came out in 2007. Reading on some crazy Suspiria facts, these ones stood out:


Because the film was so heavily influenced by fairy tales, the original screenplay called for the students at the dance school to be very young girls (http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/92027/Suspiria/articles.html#00), aged eight to 10. This made producers nervous, not just because of the idea of brutally murdering little girls onscreen—which Argento thought could only improve the horror—but because Argento’s tendency toward perfectionism was not a good fit for child actors. The combination could have proved costly due to production delays.

Eventually, Argento relented and agreed to recast the students as teenagers. However, he and Nicolodi did not update the script to reflect this, hence the often unnerving childlike dialogue between the girls. To heighten the effect, Argento also reflected his original intention to use child actors in the set design. As Suzy makes her way through the film, you’ll notice that the doorknobs are usually at eye level, rather than waist level. Argento included this design element to heighten the subconscious effect of a fairy tale populated with little girls.


Suspiria’s visual delights are enticing and horrifying enough, but the film is absolutely put over the top by its haunting score from Goblin. The band had already composed early versions of many of the themes for the film by the time Argento began shooting, so he opted to play the score (http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/92027/Suspiria/articles.html#00) over loudspeakers on set to create a mood. Because all of the film’s dialogue would later be dubbed in post-production (a very common practice in Italian filmmaking at the time), Argento played the score as loud as he could in an effort to create tension among the cast. It seems to have worked.


To the shock of many, there was no forest chase sequence.

[Grouchy]

I couldn't find the right screenshot but I meant this scene.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFaQIC0sWOA

[Yxklyx]

I re-watched Peter Jackson's Brain Dead (Dead Alive). As hilarious as it was the first time. I love this movie - BUT the baby in the blender scene was cut, so I guess I watched the American version?

[Peng]

Loved this. So interesting to see some pure reactions of audience to the start of a genre (or sub-genre), before many things become tropes ("I don't believe it!").


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GRSz1XNT-Q

[Ezee E]

Myers later became a freelance money/drug retriever in West Texas, known for using a cattle gun on victims, and spooking people with a coin flip.

[MadMan]

Deep Red?

One of them. Tenebre would be another.