Sangre, cuchillos, y tetas --- Horror Film Discussion [Archive] - Page 7

Dead & Messed Up

10-25-2009, 06:27 AM

More than anything, I enjoyed the spirit of Trick 'r Treat. It assembles so many horror cliches that I felt dizzy, and it executes them all with maximum gothic cheer: werewolves, madmen, vampires, ghosts, zombies, demons! All in eighty zippy minutes. There's a bit of EC Comics in the end-segment moral twists, and that old-school attitude works better than the cute-but-ultimately-needless narrative interweaving. I must also admit that I rarely felt scared during the film, although the final segment with Brian Cox comes close (shades of the infamous Zuni fetish doll abound). But the film's still genuinely fun, and it may prove a great "entry point" for people unexposed to the horror genre.

B

Winston*

10-25-2009, 10:28 AM

I saw Bram Stoker's Dracula. This is a very silly movie. Does Dracula turn into a werewolf and rape a woman in the original book? I liked Tom Waits and the bit where the two topless vampire women scuttle backwards together like a spider.

B-side

10-25-2009, 10:31 AM

I'm acquiring Abel Ferrara's 1979 flick, The Driller Killer. Anyone seen it?

Raiders

10-25-2009, 03:52 PM

I'm acquiring Abel Ferrara's 1979 flick, The Driller Killer. Anyone seen it?

Yes. Didn't really like it, and I'm likely the board's biggest Ferrara fan. Still worth watching I guess.

BuffaloWilder

10-25-2009, 04:08 PM

I saw Bram Stoker's Dracula. This is a very silly movie. Does Dracula turn into a werewolf and rape a woman in the original book?

Yes.

jenniferofthejungle

10-25-2009, 07:36 PM

EyesWideOpen

10-25-2009, 07:43 PM

But the film's still genuinely fun, and it may prove a great "entry point" for people unexposed to the horror genre.

B

I disagree. It's almost entirely made for existing horror fans, I don't see the average filmgoer enjoying it.

megladon8

10-25-2009, 07:47 PM

I disagree. It's almost entirely made for existing horror fans, I don't see the average filmgoer enjoying it.

I've shown it to friends who hate horror movies and they adored it.

Bosco B Thug

10-25-2009, 08:46 PM

I saw Bram Stoker's Dracula. This is a very silly movie. Does Dracula turn into a werewolf and rape a woman in the original book? He's a gigantic bat brought to feelings of shame by Winona Ryder! It's awesome.

Awesome-fun movie-watching yesterday.

Soooo, got Repo! The Genetic Opera officially out of the way. Okay okay, the film's often charming and stylish, Stewart Head and Sorvino give it their all, and crowd musical numbers are actually shot with choreographed verve (also, the plot interestingly avoids easy resolutions at the end... I was very surprised)... but otherwise, this is clumsy, flashy, sometimes embarrassing Saw-level filmmaking transposed over material that occasionally brings out the visual poet in Bousman instead of the obnoxious showman.

And Jesus, Paris Hilton and Bill Mosely are awful. Hilton has no screen presence at all and every line she sings breaks down into that petulant, crackly exhale of hers that signifies a lack of faith in her own vocal chords, while Bill Mosely dogged me across two movies with his inflectionless hamming, which directors for some reason feel compelled to train their camera on for injudicious amounts of seconds.

Pavo was cool, though, haha.

I also saw Texas Chainsaw Massacre II at a revival screening. The film suffers from the same pacing problems and the fact that it's just terribly underwritten, but it's really beneficial watching a film print because film prints really bring out the lushness of a movie. TCM 2 is a film thats biggest asset is probably the grungy, low-key lit lushness of some of its images, so it was a definite advantage. In addition, the heightened soundtrack was somewhat a revelation. These two aspects actually made TCM 2 come off scary and menacing at certain points last night, which it never really struck me as before.

But its flaws persist. I think if the film trimmed off a lot of its fat it could be a much better movie; stuff like the protracted Chop Top blatherings and that pointless, endless scene of Stretch trapped in the charnel house room. I do love the LG character, but his and Stretch's reconciliation scene is pretty useless and eats up so much energy. As I mentioned, the film is super underwritten, so it's a testament to Hooper's constructions that he creates some striking visual parallels between sex and violence, family ties and unjustifiable aggression. The whole final act is a very neat criss-crossing of Stretch witnessing the self-aggrandized lifestyle of this family, trying to escape, but being increasingly foiled by Lefty's unaccountable destruction of the dwellings. It's just too bad I could hardly understand what Drayton Sawyer was saying half the time, without DVD subtitles and with the crunchy amplification of the soundtrack.

When I said before that Hooper directs like a poet, perhaps that should've been "painter." Hooper really has no concern for chic, economic storytelling. When he wants to be pictorial, narrative and audience engagement take a backseat to painterly uses of depth and lighting. This of course leads to a lack of intellectual engagement, but some intellectual point is always somewhat latent in Hooper's particularly bewildering and idiosyncratic compositions. The dinner scene in this film is really something.

Dukefrukem

10-25-2009, 09:10 PM

Saw III is f'ing retarded.

The ending was just one "oh brother" and "gimme a break" after another.

Terrible.

It gets way worse.

Dukefrukem

10-25-2009, 09:13 PM

Saw 4 is one of the most inane movies I have ever seen and I can list dozens of inane crap. I hated all of the Saw movies, but thought the first was at least a semi-decent attempt at a movie, however ridiculous. The logic (HA!) and the truly awful dialog are only matched by the ridiculousness of the actions on screen. I wish this series would end.

The later movies become worse because word gets out to the media that there really is a serial killer on the loose (Jigsaw) who "tests" people... so when people actually get captured... they realize they're now playing "the game".... :rolleyes:

Dead & Messed Up

10-25-2009, 09:27 PM

And yet we all keep watching the Saw movies. Fascinating.

Spun Lepton

10-25-2009, 09:51 PM

Paranormal Activity has dethroned Saw. Torture porn is officially on the way out.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118010377.html?categoryid=1 3&cs=1

Dead & Messed Up

10-25-2009, 10:17 PM

Torture porn is officially on the way out.

::sniff::

::sob::

Must...hold...tears inside...

Spun Lepton

10-25-2009, 10:18 PM

::sniff::

::sob::

Must...hold...tears inside...

Hold them inside ... with this bear trap on your head!!!

Dukefrukem

10-25-2009, 10:31 PM

Paranormal Activity has dethroned Saw. Torture porn is officially on the way out.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118010377.html?categoryid=1 3&cs=1

Well since they're already in pre-production of Saw VII, we at least have 1 more year of it.

The Mike

10-25-2009, 10:38 PM

balmakboor

10-25-2009, 11:05 PM

There is something so lush and operatic and romantic about Bram Stoker's Dracula that I just love it.

Rowland

10-26-2009, 03:33 AM

I like Bram Stoker's Dracula a lot. It's silly, but a great deal of fun in its operatic excesses.

Dead & Messed Up

10-26-2009, 04:26 AM

I like Bram Stoker's Dracula a lot. It's silly, but a great deal of fun in its operatic excesses.

Agreed. Terrific fun with Oldman and Hopkins hamming it up so lovingly. And I give Coppola credit for at least trying to emulate the epistolary form of the novel.

Bosco B Thug

10-26-2009, 04:33 AM

To be fair, he doesn't turn into a werewolf, he turns into a wolf. WAIT is he actually a wolf? I could swear he looked like a gigantic, fat bat. Am I thinking of the right scene? The one in the garden with Lucy?

BuffaloWilder

10-26-2009, 04:50 AM

I love me some Coppola's Dracula. One of my favorite films of the early nineties.

And, I've only painted my fingernails black once, when I was thirteen. So there, motherfuckers.

Winston*

10-26-2009, 05:07 AM

WAIT is he actually a wolf? I could swear he looked like a gigantic, fat bat. Am I thinking of the right scene? The one in the garden with Lucy?

He turns into a werewolf in the scene in the garden with Lucy and a giant bat later on. Also at various points turns into a regular wolf, green smoke and Gary Oldman.

Bosco B Thug

10-26-2009, 05:10 AM

He turns into a werewolf in the scene in the garden with Lucy and a giant bat later on. Also at various points turns into a regular wolf, green smoke and Gary Oldman.
Ooh, I think I remember now. That's right. Damn! Thank you.

The Mike

10-26-2009, 06:15 AM

Dracula can't turn into a werewolf. He can turn into a wolf.

Two entirely different things.

Winston*

10-26-2009, 06:34 AM

Dracula can't turn into a werewolf. He can turn into a wolf.

Two entirely different things.

I know what a wolf looks like. In that scene Dracula does not turn into wolf. I'll go as far as "wolf man" if it placates you, The Mike, but no further.

B-side

10-26-2009, 10:02 AM

Yes. Didn't really like it, and I'm likely the board's biggest Ferrara fan. Still worth watching I guess.

I loved it. Loved its trashy sensibilities. Loved the energy. Loved Ferrara as the serial killer artist. His performance itself being pretty silly, but the implications are fun.

Boner M

10-26-2009, 10:40 AM

I loved it. Loved its trashy sensibilities. Loved the energy. Loved Ferrara as the serial killer artist. His performance itself being pretty silly, but the implications are fun.
Yeah, for all its flaws, it captures the spirit of the punk rock and urban dementia better than any other film off the top of my head. Plus, any film that opens with this...

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_UpUDkpQvT-Y/RsnifyXNRcI/AAAAAAAACto/VY_NKNcdPVc/s200/driller_killer_msg.jpg

...gets my instant seal of approval.

B-side

10-26-2009, 10:42 AM

Yeah, for all its flaws, it captures the spirit of the punk rock and urban dementia better than any other film off the top of my head. Plus, any film that opens with this...

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_UpUDkpQvT-Y/RsnifyXNRcI/AAAAAAAACto/VY_NKNcdPVc/s200/driller_killer_msg.jpg

...gets my instant seal of approval.

Definitely. This Ferrara guy is impressing me so far, and he's dabbled in several genres, so there's sure to be plenty of variety in his work.

B-side

10-26-2009, 10:48 AM

On that note, I'm nabbing The Addiction right now as part of my newfound Ferrara love.

lovejuice

10-26-2009, 11:54 AM

I like Bram Stoker's Dracula a lot. It's silly, but a great deal of fun in its operatic excesses.

I love me some Coppola's Dracula. One of my favorite films of the early nineties.
indeed. i don't understand why people have so many problems with it. sure, it's not the godfather, neither on par with what the man did when he's at his best. it's still ahead of many things he did when he's not.

Raiders

10-26-2009, 12:40 PM

On that note, I'm nabbing The Addiction right now as part of my newfound Ferrara love.

Now this film I love. Probably my second favorite of his and something of a slight departure in its expressionistic mise-en-scene, but it's still glorious Ferrara all the same.

B-side

10-26-2009, 01:12 PM

Now this film I love. Probably my second favorite of his and something of a slight departure in its expressionistic mise-en-scene, but it's still glorious Ferrara all the same.

Nice. I'm looking forward to it.

Rowland

10-26-2009, 02:10 PM

Torture porn is officially on the way out.Was it still in? Gah, I still hate that label.

Anyway, Martyrs feels like the final word on the subject, not sure where else the "torture"-centric subgenre can be taken beyond that masterpiece.

Dead & Messed Up

10-26-2009, 05:01 PM

Was it still in? Gah, I still hate that label.

Anyway, Martyrs feels like the final word on the subject, not sure where else the "torture"-centric subgenre can be taken beyond that masterpiece.

I was agreeing up until "masterpiece." Ah, Rowland, you delightful scamp.

Rowland

10-26-2009, 05:08 PM

I was agreeing up until "masterpiece." Ah, Rowland, you delightful scamp.You can have Drag Me to Hell, Martyrs is my kind of horror. ;)

Dukefrukem

10-26-2009, 05:09 PM

Was it still in? Gah, I still hate that label.

Anyway, Martyrs feels like the final word on the subject, not sure where else the "torture"-centric subgenre can be taken beyond that masterpiece.

At least Martyrs added something supernatural to the genre. It wasn't just a Hostel in France.

Rowland

10-26-2009, 05:18 PM

At least Martyrs added something supernatural to the genre. It wasn't just a Hostel in France.Supernatural? I wouldn't go that far, though the "demon" in the first half does resemble such a force.

As for comparing it to Hostel, they aren't even in the same league. Martyrs is so much more uncompromising and ambitious in its thematic scope that Hostel is kids play by comparison. Hell, I'm willing to go out on a limb and argue that it's one of the definitive horror movies of the last decade.

megladon8

10-26-2009, 05:29 PM

Saw IV added another notch to the "retarded-o-meter".

What a load of crap.

Oh, and to anyone who read this...that was your test.

KK2.0

10-26-2009, 07:43 PM

Supernatural? I wouldn't go that far, though the "demon" in the first half does resemble such a force.

As for comparing it to Hostel, they aren't even in the same league. Martyrs is so much more uncompromising and ambitious in its thematic scope that Hostel is kids play by comparison. Hell, I'm willing to go out on a limb and argue that it's one of the definitive horror movies of the last decade.

Yup, "psychological" fits better than "supernatural"

I also found Martyrs to be surprisingly great. I guess this and Audition are the only horror movies involving torture that I actually liked.

Dukefrukem

10-27-2009, 02:39 AM

Supernatural? I wouldn't go that far, though the "demon" in the first half does resemble such a force.

As for comparing it to Hostel, they aren't even in the same league. Martyrs is so much more uncompromising and ambitious in its thematic scope that Hostel is kids play by comparison. Hell, I'm willing to go out on a limb and argue that it's one of the definitive horror movies of the last decade.

That's what I was referring to. Should have used a better word for it. For the first 45 minutes of the movie, the audience is trying to figure out what demon or force is bringing so much harm to this girl. A lot of those scenes are so well done, and the acting is top notch. Those are not easy roles by any means.

Dukefrukem

10-27-2009, 02:41 AM

Saw IV added another notch to the "retarded-o-meter".

What a load of crap.

Oh, and to anyone who read this...that was your test.

I can't wait to see your V rating. It might be a zero, as in, there is zero reason to ever watch V.

MadMan

10-27-2009, 07:36 AM

Saw isn't my kind of horror, I guess. Also Frankenstein is (so far) the best of the horror movies I've been watching since late September. I was somewhat surprised that it actually lived up to its rep.

Black Christmas (1974, Clark)

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_cM5vw5dzmtI/Sat3E6V3GxI/AAAAAAAABjk/LCndCNWhmro/s400/blackchristmas.jpg

When it comes down to it, most of the horror movies I watch are creepy at best, never really scary although I suppose there are those that manage to be disturbing or un-nerving. However you can easily stick this one in the "Goddamn freaky" cateogory, as the same guy who gave us the rather happy "A Christmas Story" later on made one mean and rather eerie horror movie in the 1970s. Striking first before "Halloween" came out four years later, Clark's contribution to the slasher brand proves that despite the many cash grabs associated with the sub-genre there are also movies that can be considered relatively good or great contributions to movies in general. If this movie doesn't scare you, then the film's tagline is right: "Your skin is on too tight."

Even in the age of cell phones, the movie's use of regular phone lines is very innventive and quite creepy thanks to "Billy's" nasty, frightening phone calls that can be best be described as a mixture of multiple personality disorder and un-printable dialogue. Just like "Halloween" the film's death count is quite low, but rather maximized to great effect, making the movie all the more scary. It also never really reveals the killer either, turning the movie into a mystery as well and only making the viewer wonder who is truly capable of these horrible and rehensible acts of violence.

Despite discussing the ending already with someone on RT, I'm not completely sold on what the final shot really indicates, and if the movie ever truly gives as any answers. That is rather irrelevent except for the sake of curiosity anyways, and the final moments result in a truly great last act. Sure this movie does have its flaws (John Saxon isn't one of them-he sure appeared in a couple other horror movies), but you can't go wrong with a movie this raw and unflinching. Looking at his filmography, it seems that he made a handful of other horror movies, and I intend to explore them all. 92

B-side

10-27-2009, 10:52 AM

Another day, another great Ferrara horror film.

BuffaloWilder

10-27-2009, 01:45 PM

indeed. i don't understand why people have so many problems with it. sure, it's not the godfather, neither on par with what the man did when he's at his best. it's still ahead of many things he did when he's not.

The only point I feel the movie is kind of hazy on is the whole newly-integrated Dracula/Mina romance, which plays right in the middle of the plot of the novel put right on film.

But, even then - we have that sequence where we see Mina tearing those pages out of her diary and throwing them into the ocean, so I suppose Coppola covered all his bases.

Dukefrukem

10-27-2009, 03:30 PM

Someone on these forums did a great job of explaining the evolution of horror in the US. from the 70s to 80s slashers to present torture porn... does anyone remember who said this and if they know where the post is?

megladon8

10-27-2009, 05:15 PM

I liked Saw V better than Saw IV, but that's really not saying much.

Dead & Messed Up

10-27-2009, 05:19 PM

Next up from Netflix is Uzumaki, which sounds both promising and transcendentally awful.

Dukefrukem

10-27-2009, 05:21 PM

Tonight, I'm watching Hostel 2 for the first time.

megladon8

10-27-2009, 05:23 PM

Next up from Netflix is Uzumaki, which sounds both promising and transcendentally awful.

It's awesome, I think you'll dig it.

Ezee E

10-27-2009, 05:26 PM

Tonight, I'm watching Hostel 2 for the first time.
Be ready for awfulness.

Dead & Messed Up

10-27-2009, 05:30 PM

Tonight, I'm watching Hostel 2 for the first time.

Hope you like it more than I did!

Dukefrukem

10-27-2009, 05:49 PM

Does watching it on Blu-ray add any value?

Raiders

10-27-2009, 06:03 PM

Reading up on this Ti West guy and damn he sounds interesting. I've already put Trigger Man at #1 on my Netflix queue. I also like the sound of his sequel to Cabin Fever (though he has disowned the final studio-cut version) and his latest bit of homage, The House of the Devil.

megladon8

10-27-2009, 06:48 PM

Spun Lepton

10-27-2009, 09:16 PM

Next up from Netflix is Uzumaki, which sounds both promising and transcendentally awful.

I'm really interested in what you think of this. Don't get your hopes up too high. It's composed beautifully, the story is quick and stimulating, there are some crazy-bizarre occurrances that ride the line between creepy and funny. But, few questions are ever answered, so you're left to piece together a lot of strangely shaped puzzle pieces.

Reading the manga actually helps to follow the story, but once you've read it, the movie seriously pales.

Scar

10-27-2009, 10:33 PM

Tonight, I'm watching Hostel 2 for the first time.

Fuck that shit.*

*Has not seen it, but still....

Bosco B Thug

10-27-2009, 10:53 PM

Tonight, I'm watching Hostel 2 for the first time.
It's well-made and classically engaging, and not as debased and vulgar as it's made out to be, but it's definitely nothing profound. It'll go down smoothly but it's neither as intricate or intricately crafted as Hostel (relative terms, of course).

About to watch Kurosawa's Retribution. Finally!

megladon8

10-27-2009, 10:54 PM

Hostel and "intricately crafted" are things I never imagined being used in conjunction with each other.

Bosco B Thug

10-27-2009, 10:55 PM

Hostel and "intricately crafted" are things I never imagined being used in conjunction with each other. Relatively! :) There's intricacies to Hostel's structure and sound design, I found, particularly. Plus, it's modern American horror that's restrained in certain senses. I take pretty well what i get, unfortunately.

Katiescarlett

10-27-2009, 11:31 PM

So far my October Scarefest isn't going so well.

I loved Drag me to Hell so I decided to rent it for my Mom and I (She loves scary movies) and she thought it was kinda dumb.

Ok, I can handle it. She thinks scary movies need to just scare her and didn't like it that there were parts to laugh at (which she didn't)

Then we tried to watch Paranormal Activity. I was looking forward to being really scared. I think Demons/Ghosts are pretty scare me and I'm open-minded enough to think they could be real.
Unfortunately it didn't scare me at all. Not even a little.

So tonight we're going to watch Trick r Treat. I pray it scares me even a little.

Scar

10-27-2009, 11:43 PM

Don't expect a whole lotta scares in Trick R Treat. Its fun!

Bosco B Thug

10-28-2009, 01:30 AM

Retribution is quite a fascinating movie. It's clearly one of those blatantly ironical, oh-so-clever genre send-up movies - and Kurosawa's amazing filmmaking and sobering somberness does take somewhat of a backseat place, in effect, though both remain in ration - but it's an intelligent and endlessly fascinating one that's densely detailed with rich metaphorical devices, plot points, and dialogue. It stacks innovative convention subversion upon innovative convention subversion, and it really never stops, such that the film is a delight even as it doesn't quite reach the profundity of other Kurosawa flicks and has more mind towards quick efficiency than any other Kurosawa film... although that doesn't include the "cheap-looking" main ghost effects, which I thought were brilliant, taking what would be cheap effects in a regular ghost film and making them akin to something out of an artsy avant garde piece.

Rowland

10-28-2009, 09:50 AM

Ezee E

10-28-2009, 10:34 AM

Yeah, Trick R Treat is anything but scary.

Rowland

10-28-2009, 10:38 AM

Seventh Moon, directed by one half of the duo responsible for The Blair Witch Project, was a pretty huge disappointment. Granted, he hasn't done much in the last decade to justify heightened expectations, but given my love for his debut, I was hoping for the best. Instead, a solid premise revolving around a young couple celebrating their honeymoon in China being served up as sacrificial lambs for ancient ghosts is derailed in large part by his stylistic approach, which is so infused with self-consciously disorientating visual tics piled atop one another (shaky cam, quick edits, naturally lit night cinematography, abstract shifts in shallow focus) that I was tempted to deem it pure incompetence, though it does admittedly work at times as both verite immersion (in an underground climax lit entirely by cell phone) and avante-garde (shots in which unrelated foreground elements remain in focus while characters exist as blurred blotches in the corner of the frame, for instance). I'm not spoiling much to reveal that the film ends at dawn (as it mostly unspools over a single night), resulting in such a contrast with the murkiness you've grown accustomed to over the last 80 minutes that the effect proves revelatory, reminding of the format switcheroo Boyle deliberately pulled at the end of 28 Days Later. Nevertheless, too much of what occurs is borderline-unintelligible as visual storytelling, which is compounded by a plot ridden with holes in its internal logic.

The premise is your usual ugly-Americans-surviving-foreign-land business, rendered vaguely interesting by how the lead couple is effectively humanized shortly after opening the film wandering about as patronizing tourists as they later acknowledge their behavior as obnoxious and sincerely apologize, as well as the person responsible for setting them up expressing genuine compassion and regret rather than being a one-note villain. The monsters are creepy but poorly utilized by Sanchez, who on the one hand deserves credit for keeping them out of complete sight for a solid portion of the film, but on the other hand fails to wring much horror out of them through sheer formal ineptitude. The score is pretty intense as well, which is a plus, but I hate to say that this really doesn't work much at all as a whole.

Dukefrukem

10-28-2009, 11:53 AM

Nice write up Rowland. Never heard of it before today.

On a side note, I didn't end up watching Hostel 2 last night, and instead watched a few episodes of Castle.

Katiescarlett

10-28-2009, 02:59 PM

Yeah, Trick R Treat is anything but scary.

See, I need to stop having KF rent the movies. I just assume he knows I want to be scared.

Ezee E

10-28-2009, 03:40 PM

See, I need to stop having KF rent the movies. I just assume he knows I want to be scared.
Outside of Paranormal Activity, which you didn't like, I can't really think of any scary movies within the last few years.

I'm curious about The Fourth Kind though.

balmakboor

10-28-2009, 05:45 PM

Dead & Messed Up

10-28-2009, 05:53 PM

I was wandering through Netflix and queued up some movies from the Asian horror section that looked interesting. I'm still pretty much a newbie in these waters. Any of these that I should see right away? Any that I should remove right away?

Infection
The Eye
Noriko's Dinner Table
Casshern
Ab-Normal Beauty
Entrails of a Virgin
Reincarnation
One Missed Call
Suicide Club
Matango: Attack of the Mushroom People
Premonition
Dark Water
Retribution

I have some of those on my Netflix queue (One Missed Call, Premonition, Dark Water), but the only one I've seen is The Eye. But that's a great one, so you should check it out.

Dukefrukem

10-28-2009, 06:16 PM

megladon8

10-28-2009, 06:45 PM

Infection - 5
The Eye - 7
Casshern - 4.5
One Missed Call - 4
Dark Water - 8

That's all I've seen.

After I saw Casshern the first time, I thought it was amazing for about 5 minutes. Then I re-visited it and realized it's boring, messy and incoherent. One or two flashy action sequences couldn't save it from being overlong (it's about 2 1/2 hours if I remember correctly) and bloated.

balmakboor

10-28-2009, 07:19 PM

Horror films have been good to me lately. I loved the last three I saw: The Descent, [Rec], and Paranormal Activity. I have three horror discs coming next from Netflix. I Walked with a Zombie/The Body Snatcher, The Children (recommended by Film Comment, not sure if they're reliable or not), and Don't Look Now (I guess it's a horror film anyway).

For my next grouping, I'd like to try some Asian horror and I think I'm now leaning toward:

The Eye
Dark Water
Premonition

Kurosawa Fan

10-28-2009, 07:22 PM

I thought both Casshern and The Eye sucked. Casshern was just terrible. Bloated, indulgent nonsense. The Eye was about as frightening/suspenseful as brushing my teeth.

Kurosawa Fan

10-28-2009, 07:23 PM

Horror films have been good to me lately. I loved the last three I saw: The Descent, [Rec], and Paranormal Activity.

You can disregard my opinion, because clearly you and I don't look for the same things in horror films.

megladon8

10-28-2009, 07:25 PM

You can disregard my opinion, because clearly you and I don't look for the same things in horror films.

You didn't like The Descent either????

Dukefrukem

10-28-2009, 07:26 PM

You didn't like The Descent either????

I haven't met anyone who dislikes the Descent, probably the best horror movie in the last 10 years.

Hopefully he's only referring to Paranormal Activity.

Kurosawa Fan

10-28-2009, 07:28 PM

You didn't like The Descent either????

I liked it until the monsters showed up. Then I lost interest. And I hated the ending.

megladon8

10-28-2009, 07:28 PM

I haven't met anyone who dislikes the Descent, probably the best horror movie in the last 10 years.

Hopefully he's only referring to Paranormal Activity.

He also wasn't too thrilled with [REC].

Spun Lepton

10-28-2009, 07:28 PM

Infection -- Very bad.
The Eye -- Very good.
Suicide Club -- I hate this movie with a passion.
Dark Water -- Excellent.

Spun Lepton

10-28-2009, 07:34 PM

You can disregard my opinion, because clearly you and I don't look for the same things in horror films.

Given what you've said so far in the thread, I don't even know why you're bothering to watch horror.

Kurosawa Fan

10-28-2009, 07:35 PM

He also wasn't too thrilled with [REC].

Yep. Disliked [REC]. That one might be a victim of high expectations. I was expecting it to do more for the zombie genre (since that's essentially what it was), and I felt like all it did was cover the same ground. The end was really tense, but that aside I was bored and very disappointed.

Kurosawa Fan

10-28-2009, 07:43 PM

Given what you've said so far in the thread, I don't even know why you're bothering to watch horror.

:lol:

You're probably right, but I LOVED Drag Me to Hell. When a horror film clicks with me, I end up loving it.

Spun Lepton

10-28-2009, 07:52 PM

:lol:

You're probably right, but I LOVED Drag Me to Hell. When a horror film clicks with me, I end up loving it.

All right, you've redeemed yourself. :) Any love for Raimi is good in my book. I haven't seen Drag Me to Hell, yet. Soon.

Raiders

10-28-2009, 07:59 PM

I liked it until the monsters showed up. Then I lost interest. And I hated the ending.

Indeed.

:: high five ::

Dead & Messed Up

10-28-2009, 08:02 PM

I liked it until the monsters showed up. Then I lost interest. And I hated the ending.

Well, that's certainly an opinion of some kind.

balmakboor

10-28-2009, 08:13 PM

Well, I suppose the monsters in The Descent could've been left up to the imagination, but I thought they were well realized.

balmakboor

10-28-2009, 08:16 PM

:lol:

You're probably right, but I LOVED Drag Me to Hell. When a horror film clicks with me, I end up loving it.

You inspired me to go with Drag Me to Hell next instead of Don't Look Now. I'll get to Roeg's film soon though.

Spun Lepton

10-28-2009, 08:20 PM

You inspired me to go with Drag Me to Hell next instead of Don't Look Now. I'll get to Roeg's film soon though.

I would encourage this based only on my general "bleh" opinion of Don't Look Now.

Rowland

10-28-2009, 08:32 PM

Outside of Paranormal Activity, which you didn't like, I can't really think of any scary movies within the last few years. The two best movies released during the recent French splatter movement, Inside and Martyrs, both scared the bejesus out of me, but given their widely varied reception, that's hardly a guarantee.

balmakboor

10-28-2009, 08:34 PM

I would encourage this based only on my general "bleh" opinion of Don't Look Now.

I think Don't Look Now has been sitting around #10 in my queue for three years. I just can't quite pull the trigger.

I do love Raimi though. It was just a weird twist of fate that caused me to miss it in theaters.

Rowland

10-28-2009, 08:41 PM

The Eye - **
Casshern - **½ (not horror)
Reincarnation - ***
One Missed Call - **½
Suicide Club - ***½
Dark Water - ***½
Retribution - ***

Bosco B Thug

10-28-2009, 09:02 PM

Retribution didn't stir many waves in these parts, but I liked it, and it has grown in my estimation with time. Certainly, it's one of his most polished efforts, given the obvious increase in budget, so the imagery/aural work is consistently evocative, if not all that original, since Kurosawa borrows most of the film's ideas, visual and otherwise, from his past efforts, albeit spruced up into their own individually striking whole. It's polished, but it doesn't have the same level of austerity of Kurosawa's other films, so sometimes it comes off a bit lesser polished. I felt like I was watching the new! fun! free-wheeling! Kiyoshi Kurosawa. In fact, at times the film felt like a Miike film instead of a Kurosawa film.

We discussed the film in class today, and a lot of the film's themes really became clearer. I hope to get them down and distilled sometime. The film's use of the ecological as metaphor for its ghost story is much more thorough than Pulse's use of the technological.

I was wandering through Netflix and queued up some movies from the Asian horror section that looked interesting. I'm still pretty much a newbie in these waters. Any of these that I should see right away? Any that I should remove right away?

Re-watch needed for The Eye and Suicide Club.

The Eye - 4.5
One Missed Call - 7
Suicide Club - 5.5
Matango: Attack of the Mushroom People - can't really rate it, but it's that sort of fun and kitschy, but also sorta dry 60s monster film. There's a kitschy song number early in the film, though. I remember enjoying that.
Dark Water - 6
Retribution - 7.5

Ezee E

10-28-2009, 09:08 PM

As I think about it, making a truly scary movie might be the hardest goal in all of filmmaking.

balmakboor

10-28-2009, 09:15 PM

As I think about it, making a truly scary movie might be the hardest goal in all of filmmaking.

Probably hardest of all is making a movie that scares a hardened horror fan. I'm probably rather easy to scare because I've only seen probably 50 horror films in my life.

Rowland

10-28-2009, 09:20 PM

It's polished, but it doesn't have the same level of austerity of Kurosawa's other films, so sometimes it comes off a bit lesser polished. I felt like I was watching the new! fun! free-wheeling! Kiyoshi Kurosawa. In fact, at times the film felt like a Miike film instead of a Kurosawa film. Funny you should say that, because thinking about it now, I'd liken Retribution to what Miike was attempting with One Missed Call in response to the J-Horror movement, only this being a Kurosawa mixtape of his past horror tropes pushed into overdrive, and it's better than the Miike movie as well.

Bosco B Thug

10-28-2009, 09:30 PM

Funny you should say that, because thinking about it now, I'd liken Retribution to what Miike was attempting with One Missed Call in response to the J-Horror movement, only this being a Kurosawa mixtape of his past horror tropes pushed into overdrive, and it's better than the Miike movie as well. Absolutely. Thinking about it now, too, I think a lot can be said about how similarly these two films work.

And yes, one is definitely better. But I think I'm one of the few who would say, I really, really like One Missed Call. It is a super movie.

Dukefrukem

10-28-2009, 10:36 PM

As I think about it, making a truly scary movie might be the hardest goal in all of filmmaking.

For sure. When you think about it more, think about the times in movies when you were scared the MOST. We're scared when we don't understand what's going on... Blair Witch Project, War of the Worlds, the Descent, even the Happening... then when the movie steers into the direction of explanation, all is known, and the movie isn't scary anymore... that's why I love the ending to BWP so much. We don't end up seeing anything really.

The Mike

10-29-2009, 05:21 AM

Speaking of Asian horror, brought home the Ringu Anthology from Wal-Mart tonight. All 4 films for a total of $4. Yay.

Dead & Messed Up

10-29-2009, 05:30 AM

I was just watching Resident Evil, and I feel the need to say that, while the film itself is piss-poor on nearly every level (and something of an affront to the atmospheric, insinuating video games), it has a massively awesome final shot.

Goes no way toward excusing the picture, but it's a good shot.

EyesWideOpen

10-29-2009, 06:12 AM

I was wandering through Netflix and queued up some movies from the Asian horror section that looked interesting. I'm still pretty much a newbie in these waters. Any of these that I should see right away? Any that I should remove right away?

Infection
The Eye
Noriko's Dinner Table
Casshern
Ab-Normal Beauty
Entrails of a Virgin
Reincarnation
One Missed Call
Suicide Club
Matango: Attack of the Mushroom People
Premonition
Dark Water
Retribution

Just a heads up for when you get around to watching them, I'd recommend you watch Suicide Club before Noriko's Dinner Table. Noriko is a "semi" sequel which has parts that you will enjoy more having already watched Suicide Club. I highly recommend both.

For the rest of your list I've seen The Eye, Casshern and One Missed Call and remember liking them but it's been awhile since I watched them.

MadMan

10-29-2009, 08:16 AM

My friend bought Night of the Creeps on Blu Ray, and it turns out it was the director's cut with the director's preferred ending. Sure the theatrical ending is good, but the director's cut ending is amazing. The movie rules btw, with Tom "Thrill Me!" Atkins kicking ass and taking names. Sure the film starts out slow, but by the third act it shifts into high gear and becomes something truly special. Probably stands a good chance of cracking my Top 20 Horror Films list, and easily one of the best horror movies of the 80s.

Kurosawa Fan

10-29-2009, 01:28 PM

All right, you've redeemed yourself. :) Any love for Raimi is good in my book. I haven't seen Drag Me to Hell, yet. Soon.

Well then, I should also point out that Evil Dead 2 has a permanent spot in my top 100.

Indeed.

:: high five ::

Awesome. You and I, we've been on the same page lately. I like it.

Rowland

10-29-2009, 03:27 PM

Speaking of Asian horror, brought home the Ringu Anthology from Wal-Mart tonight. All 4 films for a total of $4. Yay.I haven't seen Rasen, but I thought Ringu was merely okay (I'm one of those guys who prefers the remake), Ringu 2 isn't great but certainly better than its reputation suggests, and Ringu 0 just sucks.

Rowland

10-29-2009, 03:29 PM

Well then, I should also point out that Evil Dead 2 has a permanent spot in my top 100. The first Evil Dead would land in mine, and it remains my favorite Raimi joint.

Rowland

10-29-2009, 03:54 PM

Xavier Gens' Frontier(s) isn't subtle. Overly slick exploitation at its most unabashedly brutal and nihilistic, this latest reworking of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre works because it doesn't fuck around, making its political points with blunt, traumatic force. Despite Gens' apparent predispostion towards juicing up his "down" moments with AVID-flashes, Aronofsky-style rhythmic montages, and other assorted bits of showy business, his film remains thorny through its unrelenting adherence to a particular brand of topical nihilism that appears rooted in France's modern social climate. It isn't for nothing that the topics of offspring, bloodlines, race, rioting, and what have you (themes shared with the superior Inside) play such a predominant role here amidst the revoltingly realized splatter effects. Credit is also due to the lead actress for performing the effects of shock to such a convincing degree that I found myself genuinely concerned for her well-being at points, as well as to Gens for shading members of his backwoods family with grace notes, the most memorable being a moment where an oafish butcher appears genuinely traumatized by his own brutality while subjecting a character to his own personal gas chamber. If Gens had only demonstrated a bit more directorial tact, written the protagonists to be less blatantly asshole-ish in the opening act, and shaved a solid fifteen minutes off the running time, this could have really been something. As is, it's still a solid recommendation for those who dig this sort of thing.

jenniferofthejungle

10-29-2009, 04:23 PM

Infection -- Very bad.
The Eye -- Very good.
Suicide Club -- I hate this movie with a passion.
Dark Water -- Excellent.

Get out of my head.

Dead & Messed Up

10-29-2009, 04:39 PM

Good thoughts on Frontier(s), Rowland, although I was less receptive to it than you, apparently. The film's ultimate goals struck me as far too derivative of TCM, up to and including the stunning dinner scene with a bloodthirsty grandpa, assorted loons, and the clearly traumatized heroine. The political context was kinda of clever, in a one-dimensional way (you think your conflicts are bad?), but the rest felt redundant and needlessly cruel. It's this last adjective, more than anything, that seems to define the French horror scene for me, and it's something I'm just not that interested in.

Grouchy

10-29-2009, 05:51 PM

The Eye - solid stuff
One Missed Call - also like this movie a lot, an intelligent satire of J-Horror
Suicide Club - hated it, but loved Strange Circus
Dark Water - this is actually a minor Horror classic for me, even better than Ringu

I agree with the comparison between Retribution and One Missed Call, but I like the Miike movie a lot more because it manages to be truly outrageous and scary at the same time. With the Kurosawa, I just felt like it was a slow, overly complicated mystery that every once in a while was halted by a comedic special effect. Didn't really like it.

Grouchy

10-29-2009, 05:56 PM

By the way, IFC compiled a list of the 25 Scariest Moments in Non-Horror Movies (http://www.ifc.com/news/2009/10/25-scariest-nonhorror-movies.php). The first five are pretty good, but the site really isn't working for me and I can't access the rest of the list.

Grouchy

10-29-2009, 06:25 PM

Movies in the Buenos Aires Rojo Sangre Film Festival, exclusively Horror, starting today:

Must Love Death (http://www.ifc.com/news/2009/10/25-scariest-nonhorror-movies.php) (Germany)
Morgue Story: Blood, Blowfish and Comic-Books (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1358996/) (Brazil)
Yesterday (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1326278/) (Canada)
Recortadas (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1326278/) (Argentina)
Samurai Princess (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1412334/)(Japan)
Blood on the Highway (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1094294/) (US)
Slaughter Tonight (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1470883/) (Argentina / Mexico)
Colin (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1278322/) (UK)
The Orpheus Method (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1496780/) (Italy)
Smash Cut (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1245735/) (Canada)
Zone of the Dead (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1191971/) (Serbia / Italy / Spain)

Also a short movie I produced is in competition. Awesome. My friend from Brazil was the director. Huh, unfortunately I guess it's not on YouTube anymore, I can't find it.

Anyone has heard about / seen any of these? I think Zone of the Dead reads pretty cool.

megladon8

10-29-2009, 08:03 PM

I used to feel kind of lukewarm towards the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre. I'd only seen it once, and I found myself only really remembering things I didn't like about it - for example the character of Franklin.

But man oh man, watched it again last night and I think I can officially call myself a big fan.

It's amazing that the film is still shockingly brutal. It's not exactly a "fun" experience to watch it, but it sure is an experience all right. Disturbing as all hell.

That first look at Leatherface is very scary.

Dead & Messed Up

10-29-2009, 08:12 PM

Spun Lepton

10-29-2009, 08:14 PM

And it's amazing how little of that brutality is communicated through gore. Instead, it comes from the oppressive environments, the bizarre characterizations, and the inherent loneliness of the situation.

That's one of the things I love about it. It's grotesque and brutally violent without actually showing much. The hook bit still makes me squirm. (Although, I think I read that her performance was convincing because the harness she was in hurt like hell.)

Spun Lepton

10-29-2009, 08:16 PM

<----- Rep Points: 666

:twisted:

megladon8

10-29-2009, 08:24 PM

And it's amazing how little of that brutality is communicated through gore. Instead, it comes from the oppressive environments, the bizarre characterizations, and the inherent loneliness of the situation.

Yeah, as violent as the film is, the horror is still psychological.

I don't think I can think of even one instance of a gory film that was scary because of the gore.

jenniferofthejungle

10-29-2009, 08:29 PM

I'm right in the love camp for the original TCM. I saw it for the first time when I was about 14 or 15 and that movie just about tortured me. Sally's running away and the dinner table scene....augh I find it brutal to this day.

I was trying to watch the remake last night, a remake I used to hate with a passion, but I was a little sleepy and gave up on it. I'll try to finish it this afternoon.

jenniferofthejungle

10-29-2009, 08:30 PM

<----- Rep Points: 666

:twisted:

*wants to rep, but likes the 666*

Get a screenshot before it disappears. :P

MadMan

10-29-2009, 10:06 PM

So with the release of the newest Saw film, I think I finally pinpointed just exactly why I have a serious lack of interest in seeing any of them (besides the fact that they usually get terrible reviews). I realized that, after watching a few scenes from Saw VI that do succeed in grossing me out, but not scaring or even disturbing me-yet there is a good amount of gore involved. Where as the original TCM manages to be scary, frightening, and disturbing without any use of blood or gory moments. Now that impresses me.

Rowland

10-29-2009, 10:23 PM

Rowland

10-29-2009, 10:42 PM

Tonight, I hope to watch a Canadian indie horror called The Chair. I believe it's about a haunted chair. Maybe evil too. In any case, I've heard from a few sources that, in spite of its unflattering DVD cover (http://www.dreadcentral.com/img/reviews/chairb.jpg), the film itself is something of an undiscovered gem, and I'm in the mood to watch something for which I have few preconceptions or predispositions.

I'll also rewatch The Descent over the next few days, along with an annual viewing of Carpenter's Halloween and hopefully something my girlfriend may really dig. I'm leaning towards Dracula: Pages from a Virgin's Diary.

megladon8

10-29-2009, 11:33 PM

What I like a great deal about TCM that hasn't been said yet is how credible the character relationships are, such as the mix of exasperation and tenderness Sally shows towards her brother Franklin (intentionally obnoxious I believe), or the family dynamics within the clan, an important point given the film's thematic interest in the decay of the prototypical American rural family. Leatherface is shown with an almost sympathetic light, in that he is merely defending his territory as outsiders keep appearing around/within his home, one memorably sticky moment including him panicking after attacking the third stranger by throwing open the curtains and appearing genuinely frightened by the intrusions, wailing to himself in disorientated dismay. This is another element Frontier(s) was smart enough to carry over, this credibly wrought family dynamic repurposed for contemporary topicality while being made its own through the introduction of children birthed and unbirthed.

I agree with your assessment of the characters' relationships in TCM, but I still found Franklin to be so unlikable I kind of wanted him to die. That is, I found it was the performance itself that was obnoxious, not just the character. The scene where he does that tongue-flapping thing that little kids do...that was (to me) in the same vein as what Jen was talking about with the "winding up the middle finger" thing in Night of the Creeps - it just left a "WHO DOES THAT??" feeling with me.

The fact that the character is invalid didn't cover it. I thought that was just a ridiculous little scene, and I find myself wanting to fast-forward through it.

Other than that, yes, I did think it was a great portrayal of the sister being both loving and frustrated with "baby sitting" her brother.

Rowland

10-30-2009, 12:18 AM

I agree with your assessment of the characters' relationships in TCM, but I still found Franklin to be so unlikable I kind of wanted him to die. That is, I found it was the performance itself that was obnoxious, not just the character.Funny enough, I think the performance may intentionally be annoying as well. Considering that the film was made as a response to the shifting American landscape in the Vietnam era, I'd argue that Franklin may represent our own distaste with our returning Vets, themselves physically disabled and dismissed by popular culture as unwanted baggage.

Grouchy

10-30-2009, 12:24 AM

Funny enough, I think the performance may intentionally be annoying as well. Considering that the film was made as a response to the shifting American landscape in the Vietnam era, I'd argue that Franklin may represent our own distaste with our returning Vets, themselves physically disabled and dismissed by popular culture as unwanted baggage.
I agree with this, and it's worth noting that almost everyone who watches the film intensely dislikes Franklin. I think it's a case where Hooper clearly wanted the audience to channel some dark side of their own where they find themselves hating a person in a situation where they would ordinarily inspire pity.

So, none thinks anything of the movies in Rojo Sangre?

MadMan

10-30-2009, 01:28 AM

Whoa Rowland, I never thought of that when it came to Franklin. Huh. Nice catch. I should have also noted it considering that the film stars a Vietnam vet as the drifter who is in fact one of the crazed members of the Sawyer family.

balmakboor

10-30-2009, 03:26 AM

When I picked Leatherface as one of my 50 favorite characters, I singled out the scene where he has just killed an invader into his home and then retreats to the safety of the livingroom. He looks so upset and lost and confused as if he's wondering where these people are coming from and what they want. He's a sad, even pathetic creature at that moment. I love the way he keeps hitting himself on the head while walking around in a circle.

B-side

10-30-2009, 06:48 AM

Acquiring Mario Bava's Bay of Blood via KG's free to leech services. Blood and Black Lace didn't blow my mind, but it was decent enough.

Dukefrukem

10-30-2009, 11:45 AM

Tonight I'm going to see Paranormal Activity. Finally. The perfect Fri night Halloween movie?

balmakboor

10-30-2009, 12:50 PM

Tonight I'm going to see Paranormal Activity. Finally. The perfect Fri night Halloween movie?

We'll see. You have about a 50/50 chance of liking it -- based on my non-scientific analysis of the data so far.

MadMan

10-30-2009, 06:24 PM

Acquiring Mario Bava's Bay of Blood via KG's free to leech services. Blood and Black Lace didn't blow my mind, but it was decent enough.I have the following Bava in my possession (thanks to the library and Netflix):

*Blood and Black Lace
*The Girl Who Knew Too Much
*Black Sabbath

Whether or not any of these will be good, I don't know. His movies are a bit on the campy side (mostly unintentional, as he never had large budgets), but I like the three movies I've seen from him so far.

Dead & Messed Up

10-30-2009, 08:38 PM

Uzumaki is fucking strange. It's a Baroque nightmare set in a cursed town where, clearly, there's no escape to be had, since the subject isn't broached until there's only ten minutes left. Said curse is awfully abstract, since its only defining feature is the presence of spirals. But even that can mean you might turn into a snail, have your body twisted beyond repair, or simply become too fascinated with the barrel of a gun. That renders the film as little more than the sum of its parts - but what crazy, inventive parts it has. Akiro Higuchi has a lot of fun translating the hit manga to screen, finding all sorts of twisted ways to attack his cast, and the finale is refreshingly, unapologetically bonkers.

B+

Spun Lepton

10-30-2009, 08:55 PM

megladon8

10-30-2009, 11:20 PM

Re-watching Poltergeist I was greeted by, well, a really great movie with a wonderful, strong performance by JoBeth Williams.

But the whole time watching it I felt that Tobe Hooper's hand in this felt almost non-existent. It almost seemed like Spielberg practically told him where to the point the camera and at what time, and Hooper just reiterated those same orders to the cast and crew and got the director credit.

Even Jerry Goldsmith was trying his darnedest to emulate John Williams in the score (which is fantastic, as well).

It's a very solid movie. Great casting, moments of terror and tenderness which compliment each other perfectly.

The only thing that really bugged me was a very strange and jarringly out of place edit - the cut to the scene where JoBeth Williams and Craig T. Nelson are on the porch of their neighbour's house asking him if he's experienced anything weird. It's weird how horribly executed that scene transition is, when everything else in the movie is top notch.

Rowland

10-30-2009, 11:35 PM

The Chair, directed by Brett Sullivan (responsible for the better-than-average DTV Ginger Snaps 2), is really lame. The plot is retarded, the characters exist only to grease the cogs of the nonexistent narrative, the acting is subpar (especially by the lead actress, whose presence dominates the running time), the original score is laughable, there is no thematic material to consider, and the direction/editing is needlessly flashy for what appears to have been conceptualized as a slow-burn horror film, most egregious being his abuse of turbo-montages for flashbacks, fades, and jump cuts (his primary career as an editor is self-evident). So why not a one-star rating? Sullivan has a good eye and knows how to impart visual information with judicious efficiency, favoring clean tracking shots and dynamic framing that suggest imagination, storyboarding, and all-around care was involved in crafting many sequences, rather than the mere visual cacophony to which so many horror filmmakers resort. Furthermore, he imbues the piece with a sense of playfulness that prevents it from becoming a complete drag at even its worst moments. It's just a shame then that nothing else about the movie works, and furthermore, that its dissonant tonal balance prevents it from being neither as successfully creepy or guilty a pleasure as it could have been.

megladon8

10-30-2009, 11:37 PM

Rowland I think this is the first time I've ever seen you describe something with the word "retarded".

It's fantastic. :lol:

Rowland

10-31-2009, 01:06 AM

I'm baffled by the high reputation largely held for Michael Curtiz's Doctor X, a horror/whodunit infused with atmosphere through the two-strip Technicolor process and heavy expressionistic influences upon the set design and direction, techniques Curtiz would again employ a year later for his vastly superior Mystery of the Wax Museum. This film doesn't have much else going for it however, as neither its horror or its mystery elements work all that effectively, the narrative being a sloppily devised mess, while the lead character is played for little more than irritating comic relief, his budding romance with the requisite love interest lacking anything faintly resembling chemistry. The best moments occur early on with the amusingly forthright introductions of red herrings, my favorite being a pair of doctors who survived on a raft for weeks after a shipwreck left them stranded on the open seas years beforehand, while a third survivor mysteriously disappeared without a trace. As it turns out, this movie's killer is believed to partially cannibalize his victims. Well, hmmmmmmmm...

Rowland

10-31-2009, 01:31 AM

My signature is beginning to look pathetic. I haven't really liked a movie since my rewatch of The Fly nearly two weeks ago. Ugh.

Ezee E

10-31-2009, 02:01 AM

My signature is beginning to look pathetic. I haven't really liked a movie since my rewatch of The Fly nearly two weeks ago. Ugh.
It happens.

Kurosawa Fan

10-31-2009, 12:16 PM

Trick 'r Treat was a fairly good time. The finale with Brian Cox saved the film from a negative rating from me. For a film that wasn't taking itself seriously, it needed to have more fun and bring more laughs. Luckily weird ass pumpkin boy and Brian Cox delivered that at the best possible time.

Dukefrukem

10-31-2009, 06:04 PM

We'll see. You have about a 50/50 chance of liking it -- based on my non-scientific analysis of the data so far.

Yeh I'm stuck in the middle right now... I don't want to totally ignore the movie's effectiveness, but there's very little story and it doesn't play very smoothly.

Spun Lepton

10-31-2009, 06:05 PM

I think Trick 'r Treat is a sure bet for tonight. Either that, or Drag Me to Hell.

Spun Lepton

10-31-2009, 06:07 PM

My signature is beginning to look pathetic. I haven't really liked a movie since my rewatch of The Fly nearly two weeks ago. Ugh.

Try trimming it down to the last five you've watched?

Dukefrukem

10-31-2009, 06:09 PM

My signature is beginning to look pathetic. I haven't really liked a movie since my rewatch of The Fly nearly two weeks ago. Ugh.

Yeh that Drag Me to Hell rating is all sorts of broken.

BuffaloWilder

11-01-2009, 01:34 AM

Pathogen, by this Emily Hagins girl - interesting stuff. Makes me jealous. I tried to make a film when I was twelve, and all that was salvageable by the end was footage of a pair of feet running through grass.

Damned remorseless kids, though.

balmakboor

11-01-2009, 03:15 AM

MadMan

11-01-2009, 09:16 AM

Tonight was enjoyable. Seeing Plan 9 From Outer Space with a friend who hadn't viewed it before was great, and we were all laughing our asses off at how horrible the movie truly was. We made the mistake of viewing Faces of Death, which is complete and utter trash and one of the worst movies (if you can call it a movie) I've ever seen. However, the night was finished off strong by watching the really good, very creepy Children of the Corn (love that eerie score music), and viewing the remainder of Night of the Living Dead on AMC. Romero was actually present to offer commentary, which was cool. But I'm not really done with horror movies just yet, as I have three Bava movies and Let The Right One In to finish.

Dukefrukem

11-01-2009, 02:51 PM

I watched Night of the Living Dead on AMC last night.

Dead & Messed Up

11-01-2009, 05:13 PM

Okay, so I think I'm gonna ease up on the horror, now that Halloween month's reached its end. The final three I watched yesterday:

Night of the Living Dead is still fantastic, as it always will be, but I believe I never have to see it again, since I've seen it over twenty times, and I know the film by heart. Maybe in a decade or so. We'll see. This viewing reminded me of people's complaints that Barbra's a weak representation of women, and I'd agree, were the film not going out of its way to paint every single main character as weak or ineffectual, from the hero who keeps fucking up to the well-meaning idiot teens to the sensible prick that gets eaten by his daughter.
A

Versus (a first viewing) was way, way too long for what it was trying to do, and its forest setting was never photographed with anything approaching art - it felt like everyone just walked to the nearest park with cameras in hand. Some of the martial arts were well-done, and the characters occasionally push things in a welcome cartoony direction, but this kind of cheeky, posturing "coolness" needs a faster pace and less exposition. I watched the director's cut, and its two hours of overconfident silliness became an endurance test towards the end.
C+

The Alphabet Killer disappoints, reinvigorates, then disappoints even further. What begins with all the art and novelty of TV crime procedurals takes a fascinating turn when it focuses more on how the titular murders unhinge Eliza Dushku's character. But then it retreats into tepid cliche, up-to-and-including an actual solution to a case that famously went unsolved. And the solution basically feels like randomly pointing a finger at someone in the cast and saying, "Sure, why not?" And the decision to visualize Dushku's obsession as gray apparitions of the victims? A bad one.
D+

Dukefrukem

11-01-2009, 05:54 PM

Spun Lepton

11-01-2009, 06:43 PM

I watched ...

Underworld: Rise of the Licans -- 3/10
If you like your characters with an extra-helping of histrionic goth, this will do nicely. I was constantly cracking up at the goth extras, standing around the set, posing and trying to look like models. They obviously didn't have the budget they'd planned on -- much of the CG looks cheap and/or unfinished. Bill Nighy, who I think is terrific normally, salts, peppers, and eats the scenery with a gusto reserved for somebody who doesn't believe in the project. Rhona Mitra pouts and puckers and broods and pouts. The lead werewolf guy looks like Simon Pegg on a bad-hair day, so I couldn't take him seriously, either. Overall, just a sloppy mess.

Trick 'r Treat -- 6/10
Maybe my expectations were too high. But, seriously, a "new horror classic"? No way. The best parts of the movie are Dylan Baker and Alan Cox. Baker's story had its moments, some nice dark comedy, and to be honest I didn't actually see such an obvious ending coming, but I should have. The Jack-O-Lantern story was the second-strongest, even though the scares are televised three miles away. Anna Paquin's story was D-U-FUCKING-M-BEE. Alan Cox's story was decent, but not nearly as scary as it could have been. The last story needed to be a real stinger, and that one wasn't quite it. Their major mistake, I thought, was revealing what the bubble-headed kid looked like under his mask. It really wasn't all that special.

I'm a little irritated that they ruined what would've been the ONLY decent scare in the entire movie by revealing it in the trailer. (Cox's character looking up the staircase.)

And the naked women strip off their skin-costumes to reveal, hahahaha, they're actually werewolves! You were expecting vampires, but it's werewolves! HAHAHAHA, didn't see that coming did you?! HAHAHAHA!!

FUCK YOU MOVIE!!!

Spun Lepton

11-01-2009, 06:57 PM

Versus (a first viewing) was way, way too long for what it was trying to do, and its forest setting was never photographed with anything approaching art - it felt like everyone just walked to the nearest park with cameras in hand. Some of the martial arts were well-done, and the characters occasionally push things in a welcome cartoony direction, but this kind of cheeky, posturing "coolness" needs a faster pace and less exposition. I watched the director's cut, and its two hours of overconfident silliness became an endurance test towards the end.
C+

The gore is fun, and there's buckets of it. But, yes, waaayyy too long for its own good. 90 minutes would've been ideal, maybe 100, but anything longer than that was overkill. So to speak.

Bosco B Thug

11-01-2009, 07:07 PM

My signature is beginning to look pathetic. I haven't really liked a movie since my rewatch of The Fly nearly two weeks ago. Ugh. Well, you have been piling on the DTV and Next-Gen French horror. Not quite demanding for excellence. :)

Why haven't I seen Paranormal Activity yet? Oh yeah, because it seems lots of people want to see the horror film sensation that's swept the nation at 7 o clock on Halloween. Fck! Disappointment!

jenniferofthejungle

11-01-2009, 07:17 PM

I watched ...

Underworld: Rise of the Licans -- 3/10

Trick 'r Treat -- 6/10
Maybe my expectations were too high. But, seriously, a "new horror classic"? No way.

I'm a little irritated that they ruined what would've been the ONLY decent scare in the entire movie by revealing it in the trailer. (Cox's character looking up the staircase.)

And the naked women strip off their skin-costumes to reveal, hahahaha, they're actually werewolves! You were expecting vampires, but it's werewolves! HAHAHAHA, didn't see that coming did you?! HAHAHAHA!!

FUCK YOU MOVIE!!!

:lol::lol::lol:

I was glad I had ignored the trailer due to my aversion to anything Paquin, but that was a really stupid thing to do and I would have been pissed off if I had seen the trailer before the movie.

I really do like it, but the love and exaggerated praise it received is a mystery.

jenniferofthejungle

11-01-2009, 07:27 PM

I think Trick 'r Treat is a sure bet for tonight. Either that, or Drag Me to Hell.

Waiting for your Drag me to Hell thoughts!

Last night Braden and I watched The Evil Dead which is still one of the best damned horror movies of all time screw the dissenters and whatnot. It has made me want to revisit the second, which I used to hate more than a mofo. I had been such a lover of the original that the revision of the first, and the extreme humor just pissed me off so bad I hated the shit out of it.

We'd had plans to watch a TON of horror films last night, but we didn't watch anything else. I find that when I plan to watch or write about movies it all just goes to hell so I'm going to stop declaring what I intend to watch tonight or tomorrow.

Oh, I also watched Tombs of the Blind Dead, in Spanish of course, because the English version looks horrible by comparison and has been chopped up a bit, too. Like it tons, and I think they did a great job with it. I hope to watch the rest of the films again, but I don't know when that's going to happen.

The second sequel is weak, but it has some great images.

Dukefrukem

11-02-2009, 01:06 AM

White Noise 2: The Light - Having no relationship with the first movie, nor did I expect it to, White Noise 2: The Light did a surprisingly good job keeping me interested. I don't think it was my man crush on Nathan Fillion that caused me to like this movie, although casting him as the lead surely added charm to a script that needed SOMETHING extra, but it was more the direction they went with the franchise. In the first movie, the 'White Noise' aspect was strictly done through video cameras, monitors and tape recorders. In the sequel, after Fillion has a NDE (Near Death Experience) they allowed the "communication" with the dead through Fillion's character just by walking around and him seeing a "white light" aura around people, who we later learn are about to die. It's almost like a fifth Final Destination film but then adding in some ghosts that sometimes appear out the blue for no apparent reason. Fillion believes it's his job to try and save the people who are about to die, but the movie throws in a twist that goes off the tracks rather quickly. This movie doesn't suck, but it's not well executed either. This could possibly be a rare case where a sequel to a horror movie is better than the original. I don't even know how the original got a sequel to begin with.

Anyone else see it?

megladon8

11-02-2009, 01:08 AM

I kind of liked the first White Noise. I'd probably give it a 5 or 5.5.

I want Michael Keaton to be huge again. He deserves it.

Spun Lepton

11-02-2009, 06:42 AM

I'm so bummed the only way I can get Drag Me to Hell through any of my available, immediate sources is to BUY it off PSN. I don't want to spend $15 on a file that's just going to be deleted in a month or two.

Dead & Messed Up

11-02-2009, 09:39 PM

Dead & Messed Up

11-03-2009, 03:53 AM

Also, Dagon came in the mail today. I watched it maybe four years ago and found it serviceable, if tedious. I would like to like it, since I'm a big fan of Gordon/Paoli flicks.

Spun Lepton

11-03-2009, 03:56 AM

Also, Dagon came in the mail today. I watched it maybe four years ago and found it serviceable, if tedious. I would like to like it, since I'm a big fan of Gordon/Paoli flicks.

It's a little rough. The humor seems strangely out of place at times. The one actor's accent was nigh incomprehensible. But, there are a number of powerful moments that still stand out in my mind today. (The dude with the tentacles, the Old One rising out of the well to take its sacrifice...)

megladon8

11-03-2009, 04:04 AM

Also, Dagon came in the mail today. I watched it maybe four years ago and found it serviceable, if tedious. I would like to like it, since I'm a big fan of Gordon/Paoli flicks.

I love it.

Some days I want to say it's my favorite Gordon flick, but then I remember From Beyond and come to my senses :)

Dukefrukem

11-03-2009, 11:38 AM

I was on a run for work, and I drove past a Blockbuster that was going out of business. I knew I could do it quickly, so I ran in, found Cronenberg's The Fly, Transsiberian, and A Tale of Two Sisters, bought 'em all for twenty bucks, and continued on my run with five minutes lost.

That's awesome. I did the same thing when a smaller DVD rental place went out of business. I stocked up on about 30 DVDs. They were ALL $5.

Bosco B Thug

11-04-2009, 07:44 AM

Has anyone seen a Chinese ghost movie called Rouge? We watched it for Asian Horror, but it's not a horror film, it's a sort of period drama/romantic comedy/fantasy a la Ghost thing. It's half-interesting (directing is artful and colorful), half-kitschy (themes and historical fetishization very on-the-nose), half-boring.

And I re-watched The Texas Chain Saw Massacre... it's still evocative and artful and a hell of a mood piece, but I was also less enamored by its more rote spots and overall thinness. I have to admit my patience grew thin in some moments. There's very little meat on its bones, so it's thankful Hooper's such a striking visualist.

It may be numerous things that make me so hard on this film. For one, I've found I've trained a less forgiving eye when it comes to watching Hooper films. Secondly, perhaps because I've seen the film so many times its lost its very point, which is to traumatize. The fact that that's all it really makes a point to do takes it down a notch.

Franklin ain't too bad.

MadMan

11-04-2009, 08:24 AM

For me, a second viewing of TCM only enhanced it horrors, and made the whole thing seem even more scary and disturbing than before.

Also Let The Right One In deserves a lengthy review. Just finished watching it and I have to say that this is one film I'll be actually thinking about before I write anything. Hell, right now I have no idea what rating it even deserves. Wow.

lovejuice

11-04-2009, 11:48 AM

ok, horror buffs: in a nutshell, what're the aesthetic differences between carpenter and craven, perhaps two of the most prolific american horror directors right now?

Dukefrukem

11-04-2009, 12:12 PM

ok, horror buffs: in a nutshell, what're the aesthetic differences between carpenter and craven, perhaps two of the most prolific american horror directors right now?

Great question.

They both have their gems, Wes Craven had Last House on the Left and A Nightmare on Elm Street, Carpenter's gems are considerably better; the Thing, Big Trouble in Little China and Halloween.

And they both have fallen out of touch with horror as of late. The main different I feel is Carpenter's movies tend to be more screenplay driven (with the exception of Red Eye and Scream which have fabulous screenplays). Carpenter started his carrier where he builds fear more with tension and events foreshadowing tension. Craven's fear is driven more by what you're seeing on screen at the time. However, their more recent bodies of work seem to suggest they both have swapped this approach.

lovejuice

11-04-2009, 12:21 PM

if you are shown an unknown movie directed by one of the two, do you think you can tell apart who's the director?

Dukefrukem

11-04-2009, 12:28 PM

if you are shown an unknown movie directed by one of the two, do you think you can tell apart who's the director?

Not me. I bet a few people on this forum could. I don't consider myself skilled enough in the creative eye to see the obvious differences. Maybe if Kurt Russel was in the movie.

The Mike

11-04-2009, 02:15 PM

if you are shown an unknown movie directed by one of the two, do you think you can tell apart who's the director?Absolutely. Carpenter's filmed everything he's ever done in 2.35:1, Craven hasn't.

Grouchy

11-04-2009, 04:51 PM

Absolutely. Carpenter's filmed everything he's ever done in 2.35:1, Craven hasn't.
Exactly.

Besides, Carpenter has a lot of stylistic peculiarities that are unchanged from movie to movie. The synth music, the widescreen compositions, the lenghty opening titles, the Western-inspired stories, the themes of bonding, etc.

Craven is a much more generic director.

Grouchy

11-04-2009, 04:57 PM

Oh, I saw The Children. Very good Horror movie, for some reason overlooked by me this last year, but I don't think it was a very good idea for me to watch it this shortly after Who Can Kill A Child? I just kept comparing the two, and how the older one was smarter in a few details - never even hinting at any explanation of the killing kids phenomena, for example. However, where the new, British movie really excels is the character interaction that provides the whole point of the film - by exposing the failures of parents in taking responsability for their children, they provide a much more inmediate "reasoning" behind the attacks than the earlier movie's somewhat too vague war-related themes. I dare you to watch this movie and, despite the brutality of the attacks, not want most of the grown ups to bite the dust.

Dead & Messed Up

11-04-2009, 05:02 PM

ok, horror buffs: in a nutshell, what're the aesthetic differences between carpenter and craven, perhaps two of the most prolific american horror directors right now?

Carpenter pays much more attention to the composition in a shot, the use of foreground and background and how they interact, the use of space. Look at the depth of field in Halloween and The Thing, the way he organizes heroes and villains, or groups of people. He emphasizes those shots with smooth tracking shots, utilized to keep that sense of space and tension between figures. Narratively speaking, his horror output tends to be apocalyptic on a large or small scale, and, despite a few examples like Ghosts of Mars, he loves endings that defy optimistic resolutions.

Craven is not nearly as interested in the use of the camera and space, which gives his work something of a nuts-and-bolts approach. His fascinating visual elements generally come from the mise-en-scene: the wonderland-ish People Under the Stairs, the surreal nightscapes of the Nightmare films, the voodoo trinkets of Serpent and the Rainbow. Overall Craven's more interested in the stories he's telling (and often writes himself), which deal with heroes who vengefully turn the tables on their pursuers (Nightmare, Hills Have Eyes, Scream).

In a nutshell, Carpenter's films tend to be more mood-based and pessimistic, while Craven's are more story-based and optimistic.

Dukefrukem

11-04-2009, 05:08 PM

In a nutshell, Carpenter's films tend to be more mood-based and pessimistic, while Craven's are more story-based and optimistic.

Looking back now this is so obvious.

MadMan

11-04-2009, 06:36 PM

When it comes down to it though, I prefer Romero to both. Love Carpenter to death, however, and I actually have grown to like Craven a bit. Sure he's not a great director, but some of his movies have been quite good. Dante is another I'm a big fan of-I wish he had made more horror movies.

Rowland

11-04-2009, 06:39 PM

The Descent is still awesome in large part, only fumbling the group dynamics a bit by failing to properly establish each character as her own individual identity, which diffuses some of the emotional gravity and logistical coherence from the action-heavy second half, and Marshall throws in a few jump-scares too many when he proves perfectly adept at shredding nerves through other means, the highlight being a ceiling climb over a chasm that nearly had me holding my breath in suspense through its blunt physicality and real-time execution.

lovejuice

11-04-2009, 07:26 PM

Dante is another I'm a big fan of-I wish he had made more horror movies.
i wish he had made more movies. to me he sure is the most underrated name in hollywood.

The Mike

11-05-2009, 03:45 AM

Exactly.

Besides, Carpenter has a lot of stylistic peculiarities that are unchanged from movie to movie. The synth music, the widescreen compositions, the lenghty opening titles, the Western-inspired stories, the themes of bonding, etc.

Craven is a much more generic director.
Agreed, that was just the easiest distinction.

Bosco B Thug

11-05-2009, 06:44 PM

I've been regarding Wes Craven as kinda hackish for a while now, but I'd be open to counter-positions. He does produce pretty cool stuff, I'll admit. I place him as being Danny Boyle-ish.

Then again, the only film of his I can confidently rate is Shocker (which is pretty neat at times, actually...). I caught the first ten or fifteen minutes of 'Nightmare' not too long ago, though, and I'm not suspecting I'll be very kind to that movie once I give it a full re-watch...

Sycophant

11-05-2009, 06:48 PM

Going back a couple pages, I wanted to upgrade my Versus disc since a Blu-Ray just came out. But what was released was the 2-hour cut. What I really want to buy is Ultimate Versus, which is like 153 minutes long.

Versus is awesome.

megladon8

11-05-2009, 06:49 PM

I've been regarding Wes Craven as kinda hackish for a while now, but I'd be open to counter-arguments. He does produce pretty cool stuff, I'll admit. I'd place him as being of the Danny Boyle ilk.

Then again, the only film of his I can confidently rate is Shocker (which is pretty neat at times, actually...). I caught the first ten or fifteen minutes of 'Nightmare' not too long ago, though, and I'm not suspecting I'll be very kind to that movie once I give it a full re-watch...

What has Danny Boyle produced outside of his own films?

Bosco B Thug

11-05-2009, 06:52 PM

What has Danny Boyle produced outside of his own films? Oh, haha, I just meant "produce" as in "direct."

megladon8

11-05-2009, 06:53 PM

Oh, haha, I just meant "produce" as in "direct."

Ah, OK.

I don't understand though. Wes Craven and Danny Boyle produce (direct) pretty cool stuff...but they're both hacks?

Spun Lepton

11-05-2009, 08:23 PM

Wes Craven ... produce[s] (direct[s]) pretty cool stuff...

Debatable.

balmakboor

11-05-2009, 08:27 PM

Debatable.

That's true. But making statements that aren't debatable is pretty boring.

I've liked all three Cravens I've seen -- The Last House on the Left, The Hills Have Eyes, and Nightmare on Elm Street.

megladon8

11-05-2009, 08:32 PM

I think you quoted the wrong person there, Spun...

Spun Lepton

11-05-2009, 08:42 PM

I think you quoted the wrong person there, Spun...

I replied to the statement I disagreed with.

megladon8

11-05-2009, 08:43 PM

I replied to the statement I disagreed with.

But my saying that was repeating what he said...

Ugh, nevermind.

Spun Lepton

11-05-2009, 10:38 PM

But my saying that was repeating what he said...

Ugh, nevermind.

:P

Rowland

11-05-2009, 10:46 PM

Dead & Messed Up

11-05-2009, 11:25 PM

Craven has made some good films, but I'd agree that he comes across like a hack, in that he doesn't appear to have any distinctive/consistent sensibilities, and most of his work is pretty immanently disposable.

Narratively, I do think he picks/writes stories in which the heroes exact retribution on their enemies by descending to the villains' chosen level. In his earlier works, there's a sense of ambivalence to that descent (Hills, Last House), but lately, those vengeful final acts have felt more positive. I'm thinking of the hero entering the video world of Shocker, all three of the Scream pictures, and the hilariously protracted finale of Red Eye, a film that I find preposterous and lovable in about equal measure.

"Hack" is a bit strong, as I think that New Nightmare and Scream 2 have some especially striking set-pieces, inside and outside the frame (respectively, the dreams sequences, and end-film stage chase). But you're right in that his films aren't as immediately distinctive, and when he fails, he fails without any type of redemption (Deadly Friend, Cursed).

Grouchy

11-06-2009, 12:49 AM

The Hills Have Eyes - 8
Swamp Thing - 5
A Nightmare on Elm Street - 8
The Serpent and the Rainbow - 7
Scream - 8
Red Eye - 4

Dead & Messed Up

11-06-2009, 12:53 AM

MadMan

11-06-2009, 05:05 AM

Not much have I seen from Craven, but I've liked all that I have viewed:

1. Scream (1996)-90
2. The Last House on the Left (1972)-85
3. A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)-85
4. Scream 2 (1997)-81
5. The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988)-79
6. Scream 3 (2000)-70

Rowland

11-06-2009, 07:41 AM

The Hills Have Eyes - **½
A Nightmare on Elm Street - ***½
The People Under the Stairs - **
New Nightmare - **½
Scream - ***
Scream 2 - **
Scream 3 - I don't remember this movie at all.
Red Eye - ***

lovejuice

11-06-2009, 11:31 AM

i really like red eye and the serpent and the rainbow. i wish there were more movies like the latter. it has a nice blend of horror and documentary. and i mean real "documentary" not hand-held camera shaking type.

Dukefrukem

11-06-2009, 12:30 PM

01. A Nightmare on Elm Street - A-
02. Scream - A-
03. New Nightmare - B+
04. Scream 2 - B+
05. The Serpent and the Rainbow - B
06. The People Under the Stairs - B
07. Red Eye - B
08. Scream 3 - B-
09. The Hills Have Eyes - C+
10. Shocker - D+
11. The Last House on the Left - D

Jesus those Scream sequel ratings are high.

01. A Nightmare on Elm Street - 91
02. Scream - 90
03. New Nightmare - 88
04. Red Eye - 85
05. The Last House on the Left - 82
06. Scream 2 - 64
07. The Hills Have Eyes - 45
08. Scream 3 - 44
09. The Hills Have Eyes 2 - 30

I need to see The People Under the Stairs and Shocker

Rowland

11-06-2009, 12:47 PM

The Mummy is another classic from the Universal horror era that doesn't justify its reputation. One fabulous flashback sequence, assorted sometimes-amusing hokum, agreeably (if in large part unremarkably) atmospheric direction, and agile use of transitional devices in the first act don't make up for all the stiff acting, sloppy writing, flimsy pretensions, unquestioned colonialist overtones, and the frequently comical lack of chemistry between the lead couple, whose budding love pays off during the hilariously unconvincing climax. Still, it proves relatively harmless at a mere 74 minutes, and it has its charms even when it isn't working, so I can't hate on it too much, but it's a disappointment all the same.

Kurosawa Fan

11-06-2009, 07:18 PM

New Nightmare is easily my favorite Craven film, followed by The Serpent and the Rainbow.

Raiders

11-06-2009, 07:25 PM

Craven:

The Last House on the Left - 7.5
Red Eye - 7.5
Scream - 7.0
New Nightmare - 7.0
A Nightmare of Elm Street - 6.5
Shocker - 6.0
The People Under the Stairs - 6.0
The Serpent and the Rainbow - 5.0
The Hills Have Eyes - 5.0
Scream 2 - 4.5
Scream 3 - 3.5
Swamp Thing - 2.5

megladon8

11-06-2009, 07:46 PM

A Nightmare on Elm Street - 10
Scream - 8
New Nightmare - 6.5
The Serpent and the Rainbow - 6
The People Under the Stairs - 6
Scream 2 - 5
Scream 3 - 4.5
Shocker - 4
Vampire in Brooklyn - 2
The Last House on the Left - ZERO

balmakboor

11-06-2009, 08:02 PM

I just read through all of the so far existing reviews of Survival of the Dead and I'm really stoked to see it. It seems to be possibly his most divisive movie yet though. I read a handful of reviews that called it total trash and an equal number that called it a near masterpiece. I'm attracted to it because of its being described as a western, filled with a great deal of slapstick comedy -- well, besides that I've loved all five previous Romero zombie movies. I find all of the comparisons to John Ford and Howard Hawks and William Wyler's The Big Country to be very exciting actually.

Bosco B Thug

11-06-2009, 10:10 PM

The Last House on the Left - I'd have given it an 8 before, but I'm gonna be cautious and give it a 7
Red Eye - 5 probably? I remember it being fun and engaging... anyone have a particular argument for what makes it worthwhile? I guess I'm looking to Raiders particularly, since you give it the same rating with Last House which you're a defender of.
Scream - 5
Shocker - 4

Spun Lepton

11-06-2009, 10:29 PM

The Last House on the Left (orig.) - 1/10
The Hills Have Eyes (orig.) - 2/10
Swamp Thing - 3/10
A Nightmare of Elm Street - 7/10
Shocker - 5/10
Deadly Friend - 2/10 (1 point for the hilarious basketball death.)
The Serpent and the Rainbow - 5/10
The People Under the Stairs - 7/10
New Nightmare - 5/10
Scream - 7/10

Can't say I'm much of a fan.

Rowland

11-06-2009, 10:48 PM

Red Eye - 5 probably? I remember it being fun and engaging... anyone have a particular argument for what makes it worthwhile? I guess I'm looking to Raiders particularly, since you give it the same rating with Last House which you're a defender of.
Well, fun and engaging are generally enough in my estimation to warrant a mild recommendation, since the majority of movies don't even land within those parameters. Otherwise, it's a tightly constructed, swiftly executed, superbly performed crackerjack B-movie that is canny enough to engage with its political zeitgeist without going all patronizing-liberal.

Bosco B Thug

11-06-2009, 11:09 PM

Well, fun and engaging are generally enough in my estimation to warrant a mild recommendation, since the majority of movies don't even land within those parameters. Otherwise, it's a tightly constructed, swiftly executed, superbly performed crackerjack B-movie that is canny enough to engage with its political zeitgeist without going all patronizing-liberal.
Fair. I'd recommend it too. And I wouldn't be surprised to realize it does a lot of smart things, despite all I really remember being the effortlessly crass image of terrorists on a cruiser with a bazooka.

Grouchy

11-07-2009, 01:30 AM

http://i34.tinypic.com/24enhqh.jpg

Oh, man.

Like, Nightbreed. Shit. Fuck.

Motherfucker.

My brain EXPLODED watching this.

So, anyone else other than The Mike enjoys this... thing that's too awesome to be called just a movie?

Dead & Messed Up

11-07-2009, 01:31 AM

So, anyone else other than The Mike enjoys this... thing that's too awesome to be called just a movie?

Great creature design...

That's about it.

Spun Lepton

11-07-2009, 01:54 AM

Great creature design...

That's about it.

Lies! It also had plenty of wasted potential.

The Mike

11-07-2009, 05:12 AM

1) Nightbreed does indeed rule.

2) Wes Craven's best film is Scream 2.

jenniferofthejungle

11-07-2009, 05:59 AM

Oh, man.

Like, Nightbreed. Shit. Fuck.

Motherfucker.

My brain EXPLODED watching this.

So, anyone else other than The Mike enjoys this... thing that's too awesome to be called just a movie?

I used to love it, but watching it more than 20 times made me realize the two leads were awful and had no charisma, and the thing I loved the most were Cronenberg and the damned the creatures, especially Peloquin.

I think it was more like 50 times watched.

Anyhow, the story makes the movie seem even worse and I kind of regret reading it.

hell yeah it was wasted potential, Spun.

jenniferofthejungle

11-07-2009, 06:08 AM

Wes Craven list!

The Last House on the Left - 2
The Hills Have Eyes - 1
Stranger In Our House - 2 (I know this was called something else)
Deadly Blessing - 6 (A guilty pleasure I don't feel guilty about)
Swamp Thing - 5 (I haven't seen it in forever and I am afraid to watch it again)
Invitation to Hell - 3 (Hooray for TV movies!!!)
A Nightmare On Elm Street - 8
Deadly Friend - 4
Shocker - 5 (Could have had something there, but the stupid won out)
The People Under the Stairs - 5 (Fuck you for making it look like a zombie/monster movie}
New Nightmare - 5
Vampire in Brooklyn - 2
Scream - 7
Scream 2 - 7.5
Scream 3 - 6
Cursed - 1
Red Eye - 6

Rowland

11-07-2009, 07:30 AM

Scream 2 over the first? I don't get it.

The Mike

11-07-2009, 07:57 AM

Scream 2 over the first? I don't get it.Liev Schreiber.

Plus, it just seems like it's having so much more fun than the first one.

Adam

11-07-2009, 08:28 AM

Wow, kismet. I was about to jump in with a post before that said something like "Mo' Liev Schreiber = Mo' Betta," but then I thought that might come off too gay. And I mean I say that even though I know deep down I'm totally at least a little gay for Liev Schreiber

jenniferofthejungle

11-07-2009, 05:03 PM

Scream 2 over the first? I don't get it.

I was going to give them both an equal rating, but I did enjoy the second one a bit more.

I haven't seen any of them in years so I'll probably end up changing my ratings on all of them at some point.

Grouchy

11-07-2009, 06:15 PM

The Hills Have Eyes - 1
Huh?

I've now signed my name to the Mark Millar petition (http://clivebarker.info/morenightbreed.html) to release the director's cut of Nightbreed with 25 more minutes.

Dukefrukem

11-07-2009, 07:39 PM

Liev Schreiber.

Plus, it just seems like it's having so much more fun than the first one.

Liev Schreiber is in the first Scream too. ;)

Scar

11-07-2009, 08:54 PM

Is it inappropriate that I'll be drinking a good syrah while watching The Toxic Avenger?

Perhaps I should switch to High Life when I watch it.

Dead & Messed Up

11-07-2009, 10:09 PM

Liev Schreiber.

Plus, it just seems like it's having so much more fun than the first one.

He's also the best part of Scream 3, with his hit talk show 100% Cotton.

:lol:

megladon8

11-07-2009, 10:29 PM

Is it inappropriate that I'll be drinking a good syrah while watching The Toxic Avenger?

Perhaps I should switch to High Life when I watch it.

What's wrong with that?

Don't good things come in pairs?

Spun Lepton

11-07-2009, 10:46 PM

Is it inappropriate that I'll be drinking a good syrah while watching The Toxic Avenger?

Perhaps I should switch to High Life when I watch it.

High Life? Well, look at you, Mr. Fancy-Pants.

The Toxic Avenger calls for Boone's Farm or Night Train.

Scar

11-07-2009, 10:49 PM

High Life? Well, look at you, Mr. Fancy-Pants.

The Toxic Avenger calls for Boone's Farm.

Mogen David?

:lol:

Scar

11-07-2009, 11:41 PM

First we'll have to see if I can get myself to stop watching Heroes for the first time.

The Mike

11-08-2009, 12:27 AM

Liev Schreiber is in the first Scream too. ;)

Yes, but he's utilized best in 2.

Production for use, man. Production for use.

Grouchy

11-08-2009, 12:42 AM

I can't stop thinking/talking about Nightbtreed.

Dukefrukem

11-08-2009, 12:43 AM

Yes, but he's utilized best in 2.

Production for use, man. Production for use.

I agree, I was just being an ass pain. :P

I'm gonna watch Nightbtreed tomorrow. Hate it when people talk about stuff I haven't seen. :frustrated:

The Mike

11-08-2009, 01:15 AM

Yeah, Nightbtreed rules. :D

Rowland

11-08-2009, 10:29 PM

I watched this tonight:

http://images.dailyradar.com/media/uploads/horror/story_large/2009/04/07/children030509.jpg

Terrifically creepy and engaging British horror flick that takes a look at people who had kids before they were ready to have kids. The teenager with a tatoo of a fetus on her belly and who describes herself as an abortion that got away says it all really. That the parents keep on drinking and partying and failing to notice that all the kids are sick and turning psycho until it's too late also says it all.Although something I can't put my finger on is telling me I may be overrating this, I enjoyed it a great deal myself. Shankland orchestrates some very tense set pieces, exhibits a great flair for suggestive montage, wintry menace, and most of the usual horror mechanics, nails the creepy otherness of children at their most inscrutable, and lends the story strong social overtones by implying that the disease these children are being infected by is the fault of the self-absorbed, ineffectual parents. After all, as one of the husbands asserts to nodding heads, who knows what chemicals are put in those inoculations these days.

Dukefrukem

11-08-2009, 11:46 PM

So what's with all the Nightbreed love? I'm not getting this movie at all.

The Mike

11-09-2009, 12:27 AM

So what's with all the Nightbreed love? I'm not getting this movie at all.

What's there to get? It's a guy, a girl, a crazy doctor, and a shit ton of cool lookin' monsters.

Dukefrukem

11-09-2009, 01:30 AM

Dunno. The concept is just... weird.

The Mike

11-09-2009, 01:47 AM

Dunno. The concept is just... weird.Heard of Clive Barker before? :P

balmakboor

11-09-2009, 02:44 AM

Watched the original Japanese version of Dark Water today and liked it a lot. For about the first half it was almost a female version of Kramer vs. Kramer that gradually grew more ominous due to an expanding water stain on the ceiling. But once it started getting creepy, it started to seriously creep me out.

Somehow, I never even knew the American remake had ever been made.

Dead & Messed Up

11-09-2009, 03:15 AM

Somehow, I never even knew the American remake had ever been made.

As far as these things go, the remake wasn't that bad. The absolutely superb cast (Pete Postlethwaite, John C. Reilly, Tim Roth) keeps the thing trucking along.

The Mike

11-09-2009, 04:06 AM

As far as these things go, the remake wasn't that bad. The absolutely superb cast (Pete Postlethwaite, John C. Reilly, Tim Roth) keeps the thing trucking along.
Agreed. In fact, I think I liked the American ending better.

Rowland

11-09-2009, 04:10 AM

The remake is also technically spectactular, and infused with a sober sensibility that most modern horror efforts lack. Nevertheless, I found the original a creepier, more affecting movie.

jenniferofthejungle

11-09-2009, 05:58 AM

Good God, I hated the remake. I saw it once on DVD and thought it was boring crap! Looks like I'll be watching that one again because I don't remember liking it at all. Guess I was having a bad day when I watched that one.

jenniferofthejungle

11-09-2009, 06:08 AM

Huh?

I've now signed my name to the Mark Millar petition (http://clivebarker.info/morenightbreed.html) to release the director's cut of Nightbreed with 25 more minutes.

I really hated it, Grouchy, but I think I'd raise that to a 3 because I have seen a lot worse. I actually liked Aja's remake quite a bit.

I hope they are able to release that version of Nightbreed.

Dukefrukem

11-09-2009, 11:30 AM

Heard of Clive Barker before? :P

I suppose my post was an understatement, and I've seen all the Hellraisers as well as Midnight Meat Train, maybe I need to watch more of his work. At least more of his screenplay work.

Dukefrukem

11-09-2009, 11:34 AM

As far as these things go, the remake wasn't that bad. The absolutely superb cast (Pete Postlethwaite, John C. Reilly, Tim Roth) keeps the thing trucking along.

I didn't think it was too bad either. It's definitely IMO the BEST American remake out of the recent trend of foreign to American horror remakes. This includes, both Rings, Grudges, One Missed Call and Pulse.

Dukefrukem

11-09-2009, 12:09 PM

Eli Roth's new product;

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/4147/cottong.jpg
http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/photosizer/timthumb.php?src=/photosizer/upload/cotton2110609.jpg&w=600&zc=0

The Mike

11-09-2009, 01:16 PM

If you believe in god
Then you believe in the devil?

What a crap tagline. Up yours with your all-inclusive, omnipotent statements movie. Don't tell me how to believe my beliefs! :lol:

lovejuice

11-09-2009, 01:21 PM

Somehow, I never even knew the American remake had ever been made.
i love dark water. even though the movie doesn't have the classic status of ringu, it has a better rewatch value.

Agreed. In fact, I think I liked the American ending better.
i saw the remake but forgot about the new ending. can you remind me? i am not too hot on the original ending either. the remake is a well-meaning movie. they try and try to make it more character oriented. the problem is, as far as a horror movie goes, it's just not very scary. unlike the original which does quite well on both fronts.

Dukefrukem

11-09-2009, 01:29 PM

If you believe in god
Then you believe in the devil?

What a crap tagline. Up yours with your all-inclusive, omnipotent statements movie. Don't tell me how to believe my beliefs! :lol:

it's not that bad. It's blunt and get's the message across. Makes you say, "well that logic makes sense..."

Grouchy

11-09-2009, 04:30 PM

i saw the remake but forgot about the new ending. can you remind me? i am not too hot on the original ending either. the remake is a well-meaning movie. they try and try to make it more character oriented. the problem is, as far as a horror movie goes, it's just not very scary. unlike the original which does quite well on both fronts.
Exactly. The more stylized the movie gets, the less scary it becomes.

The Mike

11-10-2009, 12:42 AM

i love dark water. even though the movie doesn't have the classic status of ringu, it has a better rewatch value.

i saw the remake but forgot about the new ending. can you remind me? i am not too hot on the original ending either. the remake is a well-meaning movie. they try and try to make it more character oriented. the problem is, as far as a horror movie goes, it's just not very scary. unlike the original which does quite well on both fronts.New ending has the daughter seeing mom's ghost just weeks after the incident, and doesn't have the drawn out conversation 10 years later.

Dead & Messed Up

11-10-2009, 06:39 AM

Stuart Gordon's Dagon has gone up in my estimation from mild trash to enjoyable trash. Bridging the divide between Lovecraft's fears of great unknown and miscegenation, the film also throws in incest, scalpings, and blasphemy for good measure, making the film as cheerfully offensive as anything Gordon's produced. The acting and dialogue are unremarkable, although Ezra Godden gives it the ol' college try, and the flaccid middle section consists of way too much direction-less running, but the film has a great look, and some strong set-pieces, and Gordon's trademark sleazy charm. It also has one of the very best Lovecraftian images the cinema's produced:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v179/deadandmessedup/DagonAwesome.jpg

B

Note: Gordon may be the only eighties horror director that not only survived his decade, but advanced. His work in this film, Stuck, and "The Black Cat" are on par with (and sometimes surpass) his early efforts.