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

[Dead & Messed Up]

Silver Bullet was...okay. I guess. Actually it's kind of bad, particularly after watching both An American Werewolf in London and The Howling fairly recently. Considering Silver Bullet is later than both of those, you'd think it wouldn't have such terrible werewolf effects, but sheesh, it looks more like a man-sized teddy bear.

And strangely, Stephen King wrote the script for the film, and the script is the very worst part. Probably because it sounds like a novel - from the narration to the dialogue, it seems King just felt he could re-format the prose and dialogue from a book and "TA-DA!" have a script.

It wasn't awful, but compared to the two earlier and far superior werewolf films of the '80s, it feels closer to being an episode of "Goosebumps".

There are some times when it's gloriously awful, like when the whole town goes into the ominous waist-high fog, and the lady asks her husband, "Are you gonna make lemonade in your pants?"

:lol:

Honestly, I think it is straight-up awful. I remember watching to the end as being this Herculean labor.

[Qrazy]

So yeah I liked Poltergeist a great deal. Good job Tobe Hooper (and/or Spielberg) you have redeemed yourself for me.

[Bosco B Thug]

The Ghost Ship - Finely, finely drawn portrait of masculine self-image and the complex network of authority and obedience, empowerment and self-subordination it takes to withhold one's masculine place. Equal to Beau Travail in its evocation of a masculine order, with a wonderful treatment of Captain Stone as not just crazy but a man slowly going crazy from the falsity that is his power over and separation from the social harum-scarum (in this way, this film communicated what There Will Be Blood should have, albeit without TWBB's speciously topical choices of institutional orders - yet it still manages to be more politically charged, e.g. the early, very intense conflict point with the hook), The Ghost Ship is still a bit... very stilted and often unconvincing. It's good this film takes place in the specially neutered and cloistered social order of a ship, because I much prefer the representation of men as a bunch of randy bulls instead of the complacent herded cows this film personifies the Marine employed. Mark Robson has some great mise en scene sometimes, but his camera and visualizing of scenes is clunky and unconvincing many times, as is his carrying over the emotions (and transitions - this film has some awful transitions) of the screenplay's sequencing of scenes. Russell Wade is also kind of wooden.

But the good override the bad. The plot developments that take place on land just go to show the minute attention the Lewton co gave to story and real-world logic.

Also, Walter Chaw at Film Freak Central just came out with his extensive DVD review of the Val Lewton collection here (http://filmfreakcentral.net/dvdreviews/vlewtoncollection.htm). Chaw's got some really "high-end" readings of these films that I have to say I didn't really catch onto myself. I'd be interested in seeing who's with him in some of these readings, like his psycho-sexual reading of The Seventh Victim.

[Bosco B Thug]

So yeah I liked Poltergeist a great deal. Good job Tobe Hooper (and/or Spielberg) you have redeemed yourself for me. Hmm... I feel as if anything I say, I'll be taking some sort of premature bullet. :)

[Grouchy]

Texas Chainsaw Massacre >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>not even funny>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Poltergeist

Sorry, Qrazy. 'Tis the truth!

[Bosco B Thug]

What I mean is, if I said, "Poltergeist is more Hooper," you can very well go on to hate all his other films. While if I say, "Spielberg can have Poltergeist," you can... very well go on to hate all Hooper's other films. Is all.

And I might've been going for the expression "Biting the bullet." I'm not sure.

[MadMan]

The Howling rocks, meg. My thoughts:

http://www.quickstopentertainment.com/diatribe/images/2003/aug26/howlingwerewolf.jpg

Despite the fact that I'm not a big fan of werewolves in general, I liked this movie a lot. Dante starts out with a strange and creepy encounter and then gives us some measure of calm before plunging us into a world even stranger, deadlier, and featuring hot werewolf sex. I'm not kidding about that last part, and yes its heavy. Although this movie isn't better than Gremlins, which I consider to be his best work, its still a must see for fans of his work and horror movie buffs in general.

Furthermore, the atmosphere here is laid on pretty damn thick. The characters (just like in An American Werewolf in London) are somewhat familiar with the werewolf mythology, and there are several key scenes that actually freaked me out. What Dante delivers is a workman like film, one that pulls very little punches, manages to be entertaining, and is a worthy companion to its superior competitor that was released the same year.

No I have not seen the sequels, and I hear they are quite terrible so I think I'll pass. But I do eagerly recommend this one to viewers, as its quite possibly one of the best horrors of the 80s. Even though I kind of saw the twist and the ending coming, the last scene is actually great, and the final shot is deliciously eerie. Too bad the current decade hasn't been as kind to Joe Dante, as he's really a good director and has a substantial body of work. 87

Tonight I will watch Paranormal Activity and let you all know what I think of it. Since I work at a movie theater and all, I actually discovered the twist-but I'm sure some aspects of it will still surprise me a bit.

Silver Bullet is just absolutely horrible. Thank God I caught that for free on TBS and didn't pay for a rental. Never mind it has teh Gary Busey.

[Rowland]

I didn't much care for The Howling. Piranha is a better example of early Dante, before his breakout with Gremlins.

[Spun Lepton]

I didn't much care for The Howling. Piranha is a better example of early Dante, before his breakout with Gremlins.

Yep, I'm gonna have to side with Rowland on this one. The Howling is a laugh riot. The "werewolf sex" scene had me rolling, and the showstopper transformation sequence in the shack just fucking DRAAAAAAAAGS when it should be one of the most exciting moments. I'd have to see it again to nitpick any more, but I remember being disappointed.

Piranha FTW!

[Qrazy]

Texas Chainsaw Massacre >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>not even funny>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Poltergeist

Sorry, Qrazy. 'Tis the truth!

A true falsehood indeed.

[Qrazy]

What I mean is, if I said, "Poltergeist is more Hooper," you can very well go on to hate all his other films. While if I say, "Spielberg can have Poltergeist," you can... very well go on to hate all Hooper's other films. Is all.

And I might've been going for the expression "Biting the bullet." I'm not sure.

Yeah I'm not expecting to like any of his other films. I saw some of Funhouse as a kid and much like Texas Chainsaw it made me want to wretch (out of disgust, not fear).

[The Mike]

The only thing I recall about The Funhouse is thinking "Oh shit, that chick's way too young to be showing her tits...." and getting paranoid I would go to prison when I saw it.

[EvilShoe]

The problem with Helia being the woman in labor is that the date of her disappearance and her present age doesn't match.

Agreed on all counts, though. It's frustrating but I can't help but love it, and like you say about the knee injury, as a whole it's probably best seen as a metaphor than a literal Horror movie.
Hm, good catch. Makes the ending even more complicated than I thought.
Apparently the director's second movie "A Dirty Mind" is really good as well. Drama/comedy though. Haven't seen it yet, but been meaning to.

Same with Small Gods, movie by the cinematographer of Left Bank.

[Dukefrukem]

Another Duke Movie...


Downstream tells the story of a young man left to fend for himself in a world where oil has run dry and civilized society has collapsed. Looking for the fabled city of Plutopia, Wes Keller traverses the wastelands amidst roving bands or mercenaries to find what may very well be mankind’s last hope for a future.

Trailer (http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/18540?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+bloody-disgusting+(Bloody+Disgusting+ Horror+News)&utm_content=Google+Reader)


http://img109.imageshack.us/img109/9853/downstream.jpg

[MadMan]

Piranha is a gloriously campy, semi-serious sendup of Jaws.

A few nights ago, I finally watched Paranomal Activity. If I stop being lazy, I'll even write a review for it; needless to say, I like how the movie built up its scares, and that there were some downright creepy moments. The twist ending in itself was probably the scariest part of the whole movie, although granted I was even more freakied out by the scene where Katie speaks with two voices.

[Raiders]

Ti West's Trigger Man is a greatly effective discourse on the art of the long take. Combining numerous scenes where the camera roams around, behind or next-to the characters, the film creates a connected series of wordless and uninterrupted glimpses at the isolation and mundanity through which the characters now exist. Nothing much happens for the first forty minutes, but West insidiously uses this time to further isolate his characters. The handheld style is very befitting to the film's use of location as well as the very nature of the terror here which is derived from being hunted by an unseen person (or force); the terror is made immediate. The film also, intentionally or not, slyly places you in the mindset of the hunted and I found the randomness of the attacks, the quick brutality and the enigmatic relationship between hunter and hunted to critique not only the wrong-headed "superiority" most hunters entitle themselves but also the impersonal and random nature of much of today's domestic violence (in particular echoes of the many mindless college shootings).

It can try your patience, and the film leaves characterization at almost an absolute zero; but as a stylistic expression of dread and terror, this is top-notch filmmaking.

[D_Davis]

http://photos-c.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs124.snc3/17156_397101650175_673775175_1 0555152_706824_n.jpg

[megladon8]

Nice write up of Trigger Man, Raiders.

I'm eagerly awaiting the DVD release of The House of the Devil. I quite liked The Roost, but have yet to see any of his other films - and admit I have zero interest in his sequel to Cabin Fever.

How did you get to see Trigger Man? From what I can find it's not available on DVD.

[Raiders]

How did you get to see Trigger Man? From what I can find it's not available on DVD.

It is. I got it through Netflix. You can also rent it online via Amazon's Video On Demand service (which is pretty cool) for $2.99.

http://www.amazon.com/Trigger-Man/dp/B002S8NSDI

[Dukefrukem]

Got my Jan Issue of Rue-Morgue yesterday, I'll post the 2009 awards in this thread when I get home. I was very surprised by their choice of Best Horror Movie of the Year. A lot of you won't be though.

[Spun Lepton]

Got my Jan Issue of Rue-Morgue yesterday, I'll post the 2009 awards in this thread when I get home. I was very surprised by their choice of Best Horror Movie of the Year. A lot of you won't be though.

Let the Right One In?

[Dead & Messed Up]

Let the Right One In?

I think that was 2008. I would suspect Paranormal Activity.

[Spun Lepton]

I think that was 2008. I would suspect Paranormal Activity.

I knew that, I was just testing you.

[Rowland]

Given Duke's comment about being surprised while most of us won't be, maybe it's something he didn't like that most of us did? Not that I care about the likes of Rue-Morgue.

[Dukefrukem]

Given Duke's comment about being surprised while most of us won't be, maybe it's something he didn't like that most of us did? Not that I care about the likes of Rue-Morgue.

There was 1 person on the forums that had predicted this winner. Well, he said it was the best made horror of the year. I think a lot of us would choose a different movie over this particular movie, but I suppose I can agree with their choice, and a lot of us on the forums can see it going both ways.

I'm typing up the list now so you have a few more min to guess. I'll explain in a bit.

[Spun Lepton]

There was 1 person on the forums that had predicted this winner. Well, he said it was the best made horror of the year. I think a lot of us would choose a different movie over this particular movie, but I suppose I can agree with their choice, and a lot of us on the forums can see it going both ways.

I'm typing up the list now so you have a few more min to guess. I'll explain in a bit.

Saw VI.

[D_Davis]

There was 1 person on the forums that had predicted this winner. Well, he said it was the best made horror of the year. I think a lot of us would choose a different movie over this particular movie, but I suppose I can agree with their choice, and a lot of us on the forums can see it going both ways.

I'm typing up the list now so you have a few more min to guess. I'll explain in a bit.

Trick R Treat

[Dukefrukem]

Best Short Film - The Horribly Slow Murder with the Extremely Inefficient Weapon

Best New Killer - Sam (Trick R Treat)

Best Monster - B.O.B. (Monsters and Aliens)

Goriest Film - Martyers

Best Death Scene - Embodied of Evil (eaten alive by rats)

Best Comeback - TIE Coffin Joe (Embodied of Evil) & Sam Raimi (Drag Me to Hell)

Best Special Edition DVD - The William Castle Film Collection

Best DVD Packaging - Ghostbusters 1 & 2 Limited Edition Gift Set

Most Welcome Reissue - Night of the Creeps

Biggest Disappointment - My Name is Bruce

Worst Cinematic Atrocity to Wound your Retinas - Halloween II

Best Televsion - True Blood

Best Album - Deathbum II - DethKlok

Best Score - Drag Me to Hell

Best Music Reissue - Dick Jacobs Orchestra Themes from Horror movies

Best Poster - The House of the Devil

Best Fiction Book - Under the Dome - Stephen King

Best Non-Fiction Book - Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff - the Expanded Story of a Haunting Collaboration

Best Art Book - Knowing Darkness

Best Comic Book - The Unwritten

Best Comic Book Artist - Fiona Stapes (North 40)

Best Video Game - Left 4 Dead 2

Best Board/Card Game - Konxari Cards

Best Trend - Return of 3D

Worst Trend - Sparkly Vampires

Best Feature as Voted by Members of the Rue Morgue Forum - Trick 'R Treat

Most Anticipated in 2010 - Tetsuo 3

Least Anticipated in 2010 - Rob Zombie's The Blob

Best Indie Feature - I Sell the Dead

Best Feature Film - Trick 'R Treat

I was expecting Drag Me to Hell to take it.

[Spun Lepton]

Trick R Treat

Oh, bleh.

And...

I would not be surprised.

Edit: OH, BLEH.

[Dukefrukem]

Let the Right One In?

The awarded that to 2008's list. I also have 2007's issue somewhere too. Their Jan issues are always the best.


Trick R Treat

winnah

[D_Davis]

Trick R Treat is great fun. A film I'll watch many times in the future.

[megladon8]

Trick R Treat is great fun. A film I'll watch many times in the future.


Yep.

My love of it has fallen a bit with rewatches. I thought it was near-brilliant when I first saw it, now I think it's really great fun.

One thing remains steady though - it's one of the best, most loving representations of the "feel" of Halloween that I've seen in a movie.

[D_Davis]

One thing remains steady though - it's one of the best, most loving representations of the "feel" of Halloween that I've seen in a movie.

Totally. Reminded me of all those great Halloween stories we used to read as kids, but with a more sinister layer on top. It's just so wonderfully shot - looks like a Ronny Yu/Peter Pau film.

[Spun Lepton]

Come on, people, seriously? That "vampire" story was god-awful.

Drag Me To Hell deserved it far more.

[The Mike]

I'm OK with Trick 'r Treat. Drag Me to Hell's better, as is House of the Devil and probably Paranormal Activity, but I'm still OK with it.

[D_Davis]

Drag Me to Hell is terrible. One of the worst films I've seen all year.

[Spun Lepton]

Drag Me to Hell is terrible. One of the worst films I've seen all year.

Now you're just looking to get smacked. Don't make me do it. Don't make me bring out my pimp hand.

All right, then, you brought this on yourself...

[megladon8]

Totally. Reminded me of all those great Halloween stories we used to read as kids, but with a more sinister layer on top. It's just so wonderfully shot - looks like a Ronny Yu/Peter Pau film.


Yeah, it felt like a great Halloween special for grown-ups.

Vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and psycho killers, mixed with plenty of jack-o-lanterns, trick r treaters and funky costumes.

Moody lighting, neat cinematography, and some wonderfully cartoonish performances.

Man it's a fun time. I'm sure it'll end up a Halloween tradition for me.

[The Mike]

In a conversation about potential Bond movie directors today, the best idea I had (in my head) was letting TrT's Michael Dougherty have a shot and run with a creepy voodoo Caribbean setting for Bond to romp in.

[Dukefrukem]

Come on, people, seriously? That "vampire" story was god-awful.

Drag Me To Hell deserved it far more.

I agree that Drag Me to Hell deserved it more, but I'm okay with handing it to TrT. I had a lot of fun with both movies.


Drag Me to Hell is terrible. One of the worst films I've seen all year.

whaaa?

[Ezee E]

I don't even consider Drag Me To Hell a horror movie.

[D_Davis]

Drag Me to Hell fails at being a horror film because it is devoid of tension and scares. It's also lacking in atmosphere, and it looks like an slightly more expensive episode of Buffy - boring camera work, uncreative to its core.

Drag Me to Hell fails at being a comedy because the best parts are just lifted from other better Raimi films.

Raimi said that he wanted to inject some more meaning into this film, and yet the morals and lessons it touches upon are totally misguided, at best, and completely irresponsible at worst.

The performances were terrible.

The overt racism was embarrassing, and served no purpose but to try make people scared of "the other," in a totally un-ironic fashion.

The audio mix was atrocious - totally brickwalled. It's the loudest film I've ever heard, a casualty of the loudness wars.

So yeah - terrible, terrible movie. I hate it.

[Ezee E]

Ha. I nominated it for Best Sound. Maybe it was your theater D?

Otherwise, I feel amost completely opposite. While it certainly isn't scary, I liked its cleverness, and was laughing throughout it all. It remained inventive, while playing on horror tricks from the past several years, some of them even working. One of my favorites of the year.

[D_Davis]

Ha. I nominated it for Best Sound. Maybe it was your theater D?


I've heard the same from many people, about it being mixed too loud. I am, however, especially sensitive to this matter coming from an audio-producing background. I'm not talking about the volume level (as in the theater just had the volume too loud), but instead the level of compression used in the mix. It strips away the differences between the quiet moments and the loud moments - the dynamic range of the mix (I think I explain this in more detail in the actual thread). Now, maybe my theater happened to have additional compression, but the fact that I've read this complaint from other reviewers and audience members leads me to believe that majority of the problem is with the mix itself. People perceive loudness as being better, thus the loudness war we are in right now with music and movies - I just can't stand it.

Here is a really good article on the very basics of the problem (with more links within):

http://musicmachinery.com/2009/03/23/the-loudness-war/

[Dukefrukem]

I've heard the same from many people, about it being mixed too loud.

Yup (http://www.match-cut.org/showpost.php?p=169155&postcount=94)

[Ezee E]

I remember reading that, and then also reading the opposite where there were critiques about its great use of sound. Unfortunately, I have no links, so you win.

[D_Davis]

I remember reading that, and then also reading the opposite where there were critiques about its great use of sound. Unfortunately, I have no links, so you win.

I would argue that the critiques of its great use of sound come from the common misconception that has caused the loudness wars - that compressed loudness is better. People tend to hear something loud and think it sounds great, without paying attention to the loss in dynamics that naturally occurs with this amount of compression, nor the real problem of ear fatigue when exposed to this style of mixing over long periods of time.

However - without being able to see the audio files I cannot say with 100% certainty that the problem is with the original audio mix, and not with the theaters. Theaters are equipped with compression in their audio set ups, so it could be a case of them not compensating for an already loud mix. God knows theaters don't hire people who really know how to operate their tech like they used to.

So let's call it draw.

:)

[megladon8]

Drag Me to Hell was racist? What?

[D_Davis]

Drag Me to Hell was racist? What?

The portrayal of the Gypsies?

[Dead & Messed Up]

It's more racist toward whites, collectively portraying them as ineffectual and pompous.

[D_Davis]

A simple Google search of "Racism Drag Me to Hell" yields a number of results - reviews and articles that at least mention it. So I'm not the only one who was somewhat troubled by this.

However, if this were the only flaw in the film it wouldn't be a deal breaker, but coupled with everything else and it's just another nail in the film's coffin.

[Spun Lepton]

Drag Me to Hell fails at being a horror film because it is devoid of tension and scares.

I can think of at least two or three moments of tension. The parking garage ... the squealing gate ... also, a number of jumpscares.


It's also lacking in atmosphere, and it looks like an slightly more expensive episode of Buffy - boring camera work, uncreative to its core.

Agreed that the lighting was a too flat, but calling it "uncreative" smacks more of bias than anything.


Drag Me to Hell fails at being a comedy because the best parts are just lifted from other better Raimi films.

:| Raimi's sense of humor fails because he's using his own sense of humor?


Raimi said that he wanted to inject some more meaning into this film, and yet the morals and lessons it touches upon are totally misguided, at best, and completely irresponsible at worst.

Ah, so the the message about how selfishness is wrong was irresponsible?


The overt racism was embarrassing, and served no purpose but to try make people scared of "the other," in a totally un-ironic fashion.

Let's not forget that there were plenty of unlikeable white people, and plenty of positive minority characters, as well. One evil minority character does not equal racism.

[Spun Lepton]

A simple Google search of "Racism Drag Me to Hell" yields a number of results - reviews and articles that at least mention it. So I'm not the only one who was somewhat troubled by this.

Look for any kind of outrage on the Internet and you're going to find it.

[Bosco B Thug]

Worst Cinematic Atrocity to Wound your Retinas - Halloween II
Least Anticipated in 2010 - Rob Zombie's The Blob Oh, Halloween II is kinda cute and satisfying in many ways, when it's not being needlessly sadistic. The Horror-zine just needs to get their panties untwisted. e.g. stop mixing their dislike of a film with notions of purism and fandom betrayal.

[Scar]

I put Halloween II at the top of my queue, comes out next week. I liked the remake, so we'll see how I do with the sequel.

[D_Davis]

Look for any kind of outrage on the Internet and you're going to find it.

Doesn't mean that things should be dismissed.

[D_Davis]

:| Raimi's sense of humor fails because he's using his own sense of humor?


Not quite. He's straight up lifting scenes and sequences he did better in other films. The deadite jig was done better in Evil Dead II, and the handkerchief scene was a poor imitation of the possessed hand bit from Evil Dead II.

[Spun Lepton]

Not quite. He's straight up lifting scenes and sequences he did better in other films. The deadite jig was done better in Evil Dead II, and the handkerchief scene was a poor imitation of the possessed hand bit from Evil Dead II.

I viewed the movie as another story that takes place in the Evil Dead universe, so I found the dancing deadite perfectly acceptable.

The only scene I have a problem with was the bit in the storage shed.

[megladon8]

I think the accusation of racism in Drag Me to Hell is really grasping at straws.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Drag Me to Hell portrays Asians as sniveling thieves.

[The Mike]

Moreover, what about the racist portrayal of llamias? Why does hell have to be a bad place to be drug to? What's the deal with the kitten being portrayed as helpless? That's speciesist!

Yeah, fuck that movie. :crazy:

[D_Davis]

I think the accusation of racism in Drag Me to Hell is really grasping at straws.

OK. It bothered me.

It's also a really terrible film in a lot of other areas.

[megladon8]

OK. It bothered me.

It's also a really terrible film in a lot of other areas.


Sorry, I didn't mean to sound like I was calling you out on it.

All I'm saying is I don't see it at all.

Then again I seem to be the only person on the forum who doesn't see Paranormal Activity as a metaphor for domestic abuse, so maybe my opinion is moot anyways :P

[D_Davis]

Sorry, I didn't mean to sound like I was calling you out on it.

All I'm saying is I don't see it at all.

Then again I seem to be the only person on the forum who doesn't see Paranormal Activity as a metaphor for domestic abuse, so maybe my opinion is moot anyways :P

NP, man. It's all good.

I don't see that allegory or metaphor in PA either, but I can see how some may. I viewed it as just a straight up haunted house/ghost story thing.

[MadMan]

Then again I seem to be the only person on the forum who doesn't see Paranormal Activity as a metaphor for domestic abuse, so maybe my opinion is moot anyways :PSay what???? Maybe I need to watch the movie again, but I wonder where the hell people actually go that idea from.


In a conversation about potential Bond movie directors today, the best idea I had (in my head) was letting TrT's Michael Dougherty have a shot and run with a creepy voodoo Caribbean setting for Bond to romp in.So basically a far cooler version of Live and Let Die? I'm down.

And My Name is Bruce was awesome, haters be damned.

[Dukefrukem]

I think the accusation of racism in Drag Me to Hell is really grasping at straws.

Agreed.



Paranormal Activity as a metaphor for domestic abuse, so maybe my opinion is moot anyways :P

Disagree.

[megladon8]

Yeah, Let the Right One In is pretty incredible.

[Rowland]

Yeah, Let the Right One In is pretty incredible.With a few tweaks, I'd consider it a masterpiece myself. As is, it's one of the most simultaneously tender and brutal horror films of the aughts, with an undercurrent of tragedy that deconstructs romanticist vampire revisionism with a terrible incisiveness, which lends the ending such a thorny ambiguity that to consider its ramifications in light of the young boy's sure-to-be short-lived happiness is heart-breaking.

[Dukefrukem]

How good is the ending scene?

[Rowland]

How good is the ending scene?I'd give it a 16.27 out of 18.93.

[Dukefrukem]

I'd give it a 16.27 out of 18.93.

bwhahaha.

I'd so watch this movie tonight if I wasn't flying to Vegas.

[Spun Lepton]

bwhahaha.

I'd so watch this movie tonight if I wasn't flying to Vegas.

The whole movie is terrific. I had a few minor pacing problems, but otherwise, it's quite good.

[Scar]

Oooh, it's available for streaming through Netflix.

[Dukefrukem]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/cb/Blood_Creek.jpg


In 1936, the Wollners - a German family living in rural Town Creek, Maryland - are contacted by the Third Reich to host a visiting scholar, Professor Richard Wirth. In need of money, they accept Wirth into their home. Wirth's grand occult project seals the Wollners off from the rest of the world and makes them players in a horrifying game of survival. After 71 years, in 2007, Evan Marshall's life has stalled at twenty-five years old. Left without answers after his older brother Victor's disappearance from a camping trip near Town Creek, he has tried to move on. But when Victor returns one night, very much alive and having escaped his captors, Evan asks no questions - at his brother's request, he loads their rifles, packs up their boat and follows him back to Town Creek on a mission of revenge that will test them in every possible way.

Blood Creek Footage (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dll660r1WQI&feature=player_embedded)

[Raiders]

"A Joel Schumacher Film"

No thanks.

[D_Davis]

"A Joel Schumacher Film"

No thanks.

Yeah - why would any film admit to that now?

[The Mike]

That one played here for a week. Wasn't entirely bad.

But I'm pretty fine with Schumacher.

[Scar]

The whole movie is terrific. I had a few minor pacing problems, but otherwise, it's quite good.

Yeah, it was pretty good.

[Spun Lepton]

http://www.iwatchstuff.com/2008/01/16/signal-poster.jpg

The Signal has strong production values and decent acting. Unfortunaely, when it comes to story, it really lags. A nice setup, but once The Signal takes hold of the characters, it quickly falls apart. Aside from the occasional gaping plot-hole, characters make decisions that defy simple logic.

For example, one character has just been attacked by her husband. She runs into the hallway of her apartment building, trips over a dead body, is threatened by a man with a pair of hedge-clippers, escapes in one of the lamest ways possible (have to see it to believe it), and locks herself inside another apartment. She falls asleep. When she comes to and decides to make a run for it, what does she do? She seeks out her headphones and puts them on immediately, wandering through the building, looking at all the carnage. Stupid "style-over-substance" decision by the filmmakers. Later, we hear a story of another person in the building who tripped the fire alarm, but she was never awakened by it. (You'd think that after being ATTACKED by several people, she'd have a heightened sense of danger, right? Why wouldn't the fire alarm wake her? Stupid movie, make sense!)

The film is told through the eyes of three people caught in a "love triangle" of sorts, separated into three stories or "Transmissions." The second story is a self-parodying story, filled with dark comedy. This is the most entertaining portion of the movie because they "take the piss" out of their own idea. Unfortunately, this undermines any attempt at seriousness they make during the third and final "transmission."

One of the big problems is that the majority of the movie flounders around these people hallucinating. It's handled with some amount of interest in the second story -- again, played a little bit for laughs. By the third story, though, they wallow in long, drawn-out hallucinations with the inevitable, "SURPRISE IT WASN'T REAL!" revelations. By the time they were wrapping it up and throwing hallucination after hallucination at the viewer, I found myself growing more impatient for it to just end.

Not recommended. 4/10

[Rowland]

I hated The Signal. The first act was fairly accomplished as direct-to-video horror goes, but I found the discordant tonal shifts, smarmy social commentary, thematic incoherence, and sheer mean-spiritedness of the remaining two acts nearly intolerable. I liked the last shot, but the preceding nonsense sorta negated it.

[Spun Lepton]

I hated The Signal. The first act was fairly accomplished as direct-to-video horror goes, but I found the discordant tonal shifts, smarmy social commentary, thematic incoherence, and sheer mean-spiritedness of the remaining two acts nearly intolerable. I liked the last shot, but the preceding nonsense sorta negated it.

Probably doesn't help that it was written and directed by three people -- doubtless that each story was handled by a different person. I thought the first story was the most problematic as far as logical behavioral gaps go (see my review). 2nd story worked to an extent, and I kept thinking that if that had been the tone of EVERY story, it would've been far more successful, overall. The third story started out well enough, but then it became a series of "HAHA FOOLED YOU! ANOTHER HALLUCINATION!" scenes that grew more and more tired with each turn.

[Rowland]

Probably doesn't help that it was written and directed by three people -- doubtless that each story was handled by a different person. I thought the first story was the most problematic as far as logical behavioral gaps go (see my review). 2nd story worked to an extent, and I kept thinking that if that had been the tone of EVERY story, it would've been far more successful, overall. The third story started out well enough, but then it became a series of "HAHA FOOLED YOU! ANOTHER HALLUCINATION!" scenes that grew more and more tired with each turn.Eh, the first act was the most straightforward, setting up the beginning of the crisis with economy and some flair, but the second act abandoned the protagonist, took on this smug satirical tone (complete with dorky sitcom-inspired musical cues), and dragged on forever with an endless procession of bad jokes, before suddenly taking another turn into gratuitously sadistic violence, and the last act was just nonsensical. Also, for a movie shot by three filmmakers, each segment looked like it was shot by the same person in the same dingy, bland style. Blech.

[Spun Lepton]

Also, for a movie shot by three filmmakers, each segment looked like it was shot by the same person in the same dingy, bland style. Blech.

This complaint makes absolutely no sense to me. If anything, the production values were far better than anything else in the film. Handheld cameras worked to give it a good sense of realism. Colors were appropriately muddy and muted. What would've made it less "bland"?

[Rowland]

Handheld cameras worked to give it a good sense of realism. Colors were appropriately muddy and muted. AKA dingy and bland. :P

I just never had any sense that the filmmakers knew how to use the medium to express anything through form, whether it be emotion, suspense, or what have you. The only inspired moment I recall was the one you labeled as style over substance, with the tracking shot through the hallways as the protag wears her headphones. It expressed what seemed to be a running theme in the movie, being the use of technology to willfully desensitize.

[Spun Lepton]

AKA dingy and bland. :P

I just never had any sense that the filmmakers knew how to use the medium to express anything through form, whether it be emotion, suspense, or what have you. The only inspired moment I recall was the one you labeled as style over substance, with the tracking shot through the hallways as the protag wears her headphones.

I dunno, I'm not sure the film would've benefitted any by giving it more visual flair. I thought the "static" (*rimshot*) production design worked fine. It served its purpose.

I do agree with your complaints about the "sitcom musical cues" in the second story. That was something that did stick out like a sore thumb, making that unwanted tonal shift in the second story even more bothersome.


It expressed what seemed to be a running theme in the movie, being the use of technology to willfully desensitize.

If that's the theme, then it was completely undermined by the "rescue" at the end.

[D_Davis]

We got HBO this week, because we got a home phone line through Comcast, because we got an alarm installed.

Anyhow, long story short:

I watched about 15 minutes of Diary of the Dead last night. Man, that was terrible. I never want to watch the other minutes.

[Rowland]

I watched about 15 minutes of Diary of the Dead last night. Man, that was terrible. I never want to watch the other minutes.Yes, it was quite bad. The inordinate level of praise it received by many critical circles just baffles me.

[megladon8]

I liked it well enough.

I'd probably give it a 5.5 or a 6 out of 10.

[Scar]

We got HBO this week, because we got a home phone line through Comcast, because we got an alarm installed.

Anyhow, long story short:

I watched about 15 minutes of Diary of the Dead last night. Man, that was terrible. I never want to watch the other minutes.

You're a wiser man than I. I watched the whole damn thing.

[megladon8]

Jen and I may just have to see Daybreakers sometime this weekend.

The reviews are surprisingly OK.

[Spun Lepton]

You're a wiser man than I. I watched the whole damn thing.

GAAAHH! It kills me to see Romero fall this hard! I just can't bring myself to watch Diary. I don't want to ruin my love for Romero.

*clutches Night, Dawn and Day of the Dead closely*

*looks at Bruiser* "Why couldn't you be more like your brothers, here?"

[Spun Lepton]

Jen and I may just have to see Daybreakers sometime this weekend.

I can not believe this will be worth a damn. I simply can not.

[megladon8]

I can not believe this will be worth a damn. I simply can not.


I don't think it's some new horror masterwork or anything, but the reviews are pretty good, actually. Saying it's a pretty neat take on vampires with some good action and decent character work.

I'm kind of looking forward to seeing it. Probably Monday.

[Spun Lepton]

I swear, DaMU, Meg, that you have got to be taking the piss out of the message boards by gushing over The Last Winter. I wanted to give you both and Fessenden the benefit of a doubt. Turned this on with the idea in my mind that Wendigo was a fluke and that, hey, they got Ron Pearlman, so how bad could it be?

Bland, vaguely defined characters, misguided attempts to thrill or build suspense that end up more comedic than anything. Ham-fisted attempts to preach to the audience.

Deer tracks presented in ANY WAY are not scary. Ever. Naked guys running around, spouting "creepy" lines are comedic, not scary. I once knew a guy who would undress at parties and say creepy stuff. He was known as Naked Steve, and he wasn't scary. Any moments that could've actually had some tension to them -- the tent -- the remote box -- are all that more frustrating, because there's some glimmering potential in those, but it's fumbled with rapid-fire cuts to OH NO MUD! OH NO OIL! OH NO SNOW! and SWOOPING CAMERA!!! OH NO, NOT A RAVEN!!!! NOOOOSE-BLEEEED!!!

Come the fuck on.

You've got to be taking the piss. I can not account for your love for this and Wendigo when your tastes are otherwise so stellar.

I turned it off when I started laughing at it and couldn't stop.

1/10

[Dead & Messed Up]

...I have no use for piss.

[D_Davis]

You've got to be taking the piss. I can not account for your love for this and Wendigo when your tastes are otherwise so stellar.

I turned it off when I started laughing at it and couldn't stop.

1/10

I hated Wendigo something fierce.

[Raiders]

I love both Wendigo and The Last Winter, but to be honest, and no disrespect intended, I would have predicted them to not be Spun-like films.

[megladon8]

I dunno, Spun, but I can assure you I'm not "taking a piss".

I love both movies and have watched both two or three times. I think they're very smart, genuinely creepy movies.

[The Mike]

If more 2000s horrors were like Wendigo or Last Winter, the world would be a better place.

[megladon8]

If more 2000s horrors were like Wendigo or Last Winter, the world would be a better place.


:lol:

I see what you did there.

[Scar]

"Taking the piss" basically means he's giving you shit.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&hs=Re&defl=en&q=define:Taking+the+piss&ei=tMRLS9rYLJKwNtaP_JAJ&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title&ved=0CAcQkAE&cts=1263256759046

[MadMan]

Yeah, Let the Right One In is pretty incredible.Its pretty dang good, but I didn't think it was the best vampire movie of all time.

Bah, Diary of the Dead was creepy and somewhat effective. But then again I am a Romero fanboy of sorts :P

[Rowland]

Tod Browning's Dracula is another iconic '30s horror film that, like Karl Freund's The Mummy, I found wanting. This one suffers from the same defect as The Cat and the Canary, being that it starts out marvelously, with atmospheric direction, boldly stylized set design and lighting, and remarkably fluid storytelling that had me questioning its reputation as a dusty relic, more influential than vital. As soon as Dracula arrives in England however, the movie stalls completely and never regains its footing, as the hammy actors become the focus in a flatly directed stage play ridden with plot holes, lousy comic relief, and a complete lack of involving dramatic impetus. In the end, we don't even get to see Dracula's demise, handled off-screen so we can focus on the reuniting love interests. What a bummer.

[Bosco B Thug]

Come the fuck on. Haha. The film is more than a bit half-baked when it comes to being a horror film and establishing its threat, and I agree Naked Steve's madness was executed more awkwardly and comically than startlingly.

A Bucket of Blood was very good. A lot less comedy sketch-y like 'Little Shop.' The ending stretch could've used some extra surprises and pizazz, though, didn't match the insights and cleverness of the rest of the film.

[Spun Lepton]

I finished The Last Winter just so I could give it a proper rating. The final half is a *little* better, but still plagued with problems. Fessenden swings wildly between "too subtle" and "hammy." There's very little middle-ground with this guy.

Lead enviornmentalist guy has all his arguments for manmade climate change in order, but when Perlman's character is given the opportunity to voice the other side of the argument, he stomps his feet and claims God told gave him the right to drill.

Come on, it's not like there isn't a wealth of real arguments on boths sides. How is preaching only your own point-of-view "intellectual"? Wouldn't an intellectual find arguments on both sides and explore them? Or even attempt to explore the real mindset of somebody who doesn't believe climate change is an issue? Fessenden doesn't know anybody like that whose mind he could pick?

The only effective moment is Perlman stumbling across the dead body of Naked Steve. Even that was ruined when it's discovered, "Oh, it's just some bloke." Way to undermine yourself, Fez.

I wanted to slap the movie when the Ghost Deer appeared. I kept hearing Shaggy in the background yelling, "Guh-guh-guh... GHOST DEER!!"

3/10 because the sound and production design were nice.

[Spun Lepton]

Tod Browning's Dracula is another iconic '30s horror film that, like Karl Freund's The Mummy, I found wanting.

What Browning fumbled in Dracula, he made up for in Freaks.

[Dead & Messed Up]

What Browning fumbled in Dracula, he made up for in Freaks.

No kidding. That's still one of my absolute favorites. Its combination of heartfelt sympathy and twisted, cruel justice is still potent as hell.

[Spun Lepton]

No kidding. That's still one of my absolute favorites. Its combination of heartfelt sympathy and twisted, cruel justice is still potent as hell.

The final image remains a bit shocking, even today, I think.

[MadMan]

Freaks is actually one horror movie I'm afraid to watch, simply because it seems so goddamn disturbing. The other one being The Descent. I'm a whimp sometimes :|

And yes, 1932 Dracula only manages to not suck because of Lugosi. I rather liked the original The Mummy, though-mainly due to Karloff, who once again shows his ability to be quite menancing and act with his eyes and emotions very well.

[megladon8]

If the Spanish version of the 1932 Dracula had starred Bela Lugosi, it would be a solid 10.

That film is just so much better in every conceivable way.

[Grouchy]

If the Spanish version of the 1932 Dracula had starred Bela Lugosi, it would be a solid 10.

That film is just so much better in every conceivable way.
The guy that played Dracula was still pretty good.

I dunno, I agree with everyone. Browning's Dracula is a bore. The spanish version is old-fashioned but effective, entertaining and cinematic. Freaks is genius.

[The Mike]

Who else has seen The Roost? Because it's AWESOME.

Also, I saw Dead Alive for the first time yesterday. I get the appeal, and the Zombaby is priceless, but it did wear on me a little as it went on. Still liked it a lot, but I think I expected the second coming.

I also watched Sleepaway Camp (YAY!), From Within (BOO!), Tooth And Nail (BLAH!), and The She-Beast (SNOOZE!) yesterday as part of a self-inflicted horror marathon. Good times.

[Raiders]

Who else has seen The Roost? Because it's AWESOME.

I'll be seeing it soon. I did see West's Trigger Man (my review is a couple pages back) and it was terrific.

[MadMan]

Dead Alive is just one of those movies where after watching it you go "That was some awesome, but absolutely crazy, shit." Probably the goriest movie I've ever seen, although I'm guessing I'll encounter even bloodier movies down the road. The zombie baby is hilarious, but the Kung Fu priest really is sort of overrated, although I laughed when he said "I kick ass for the Lord!"

As for the last act, well, once you've seen a guy kill all of his neighbors with a lawnmower, you have come close to seeing just about everything. Jackson used to make great horror/comedies like this one before he went off and became all famous and stuff.

[jenniferofthejungle]

Self-inflicted horror marathon? Love that!!

I saw the remake of My Bloody Valentine today and thought it was better than a lot of remakes, though that ain't saying much, I know. The cast isn't too shabby,( though there was so much nudity it was shocking) and the twist on the original was a nice touch, but it had no tension at all and so I can't recommend it to anyone I like.

Excuse the poor writing, but I'm on an i-pod and can barely see my text.

[Dukefrukem]

I still need to see My Bloody Valentine. After seeing Daybreakers over the weekend, I decided to continue the vampire trend.

I watched John Carpenter's Vampires last night. As much as I love James Woods and his "let's kick some ass" attitude, I can't get past how slow the film moves. The lack of gore is very disappointing for a Carpenter film.

[Rowland]

The My Bloody Valentine remake had its moments (specifically, the first half hour and the last ten minutes), but everything in between was a bore.


I watched John Carpenter's Vampires last night. As much as I love James Woods and his "let's kick some ass" attitude, I can't get past how slow the film moves. The lack of gore is very disappointing for a Carpenter film.I liked the laid back attitude in this one, it contributed to the western feel Carpenter was striving for. And as for the violence, I remember it being one of his more explicitly gory movies. The motel massacre alone is chockablock with red-hued mayhem.

[jenniferofthejungle]

I liked Vampires, but it's been a while since I've seen it. I hope it holds up.


Yesterday I watched Hatchet again and I could not stop myself from liking it in spite of it being very slight and silly. I guess I'll have to accept the fact that I am flighty when it comes to certain movies.

[Dukefrukem]

I liked the laid back attitude in this one, it contributed to the western feel Carpenter was striving for. And as for the violence, I remember it being one of his more explicitly gory movies. The motel massacre alone is chockablock with red-hued mayhem.

I was ready for that scene, and there's barely any gore. It's mostly the "master" throwing people left and right. Sure the first guy get's cut in half but that's about it. The room is full of people!

Watch for yourself at 8:43 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjlfP9bwm2A)

[Grouchy]

http://www.uruloki.org/felipeblog/imagesflickr5/20090418_h2halloween2.jpg

Halloween 2 was a huge disappointment. Whatever Zombie had accomplished with his remake is thrown overboard on this one. In fact, this is so different from the "original" (heh) it's almost not worthy of being considered a true sequel. I thought Sam Loomis had had his eyes plucked out - and I thought he wasn't a laughable asshole but the hero of the story, like Mike Myers's Van Helsing. Worth noting: this is the first Halloween movie which mentions the Austin Powers actor in the dialogue.

Anyway. This movie is a very violent slasher which doesn't always make a lot of sense. There are some haunting images, mostly related to Myers's childhood, which is the only real Zombie contribution to the Halloween myhos - but they're repeated throughout the movie until they lose all of their power. There is also an overabundance of Horror movie clichés, including an elaborate chase and kill scene that ends with the protagonist waking up on her bed. More importantly, the movie doesn't really have a sense of drive and purpose. It could have three or four more scenes and it could have three or four less. Fortunately, it at the very least has good acting, with Brad Dourif on the lead on his expanded sheriff role.

Also, - if you're Laurie Strode and you have been chased by a homicidal maniac barely a year ago, would you - seriously - keep a framed Charles Manson picture on your bedroom? I guess the implication is that, as revealed in the ending, she's going crazy herself, but that was a really dumb way to imply it.

I didn't care much for Zombieland either, although I have a lot less to say about it. Basically, it just wasn't very funny. It had one hilarious scene - the one with Bill Murray. The rest was occassionally witty, but too slight for me. Woody Harrelson steals most of the screen to the extent that everything else the scriptwriters were going for (like the corny romance) doesn't really work. And yet, though he does an excellent badass performance, he isn't really all that memorable as a character. All of his eccentricities, like his search for Twinkies, are very contrived. Also, I don't care for Shrek and I don't care for any movie that focuses most of its "comedy" on simply mentioning other movies that its target audience might recognize. I read on another thread that Peter Sellers isn't funny. Well, bullshit. THIS isn't funny.

[Rowland]

I was ready for that scene, and there's barely any gore. It's mostly the "master" throwing people left and right. Sure the first guy get's cut in half but that's about it. The room is full of people!

Watch for yourself at 8:43 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjlfP9bwm2A)Yeah, looks like my memory failed me with that one. Still pretty kick-ass though.

[The Mike]

The lack of gore is very disappointing for a Carpenter film.

Since when has Carpenter been known for gore?

EDIT: And I'd agree with Rowland, I'd say this is one of his three or four goriest films.

[D_Davis]

I like JC's Vampires a lot. Great flick. Some really pretty landscape photography as well.

[Grouchy]

For what it's worth, I love Vampires too.

[MadMan]

Halloween II is a disappointing mess that relies too much on overly extreme, pointless violence. The dream sequences are the best thing about the whole damn thing, and I too hated that they made Loomeis into an asshole. WTF? It didn't make any sense to do that.

Zombieland on the other hand, is a very funny and entertaining horror movie that is one of the best movies I've seen this year. If anything I think the characters really make the movie, as the zombie plot really isn't anything special or new.

[Bosco B Thug]

Well, I for one enjoyed Zombie's go-for-broke knucklehead approach to extapolating on the characters: Loomis = asshole sellout, Laurie = good-girl-clearly-cum-bad-girl, Sherriff Brackett and Annie = foster family.

It's cheesy ass but I thought Loomis was fun and got a kick out of it.

[Grouchy]

Yeah, it has to be said, McDowell as profiteering bastard Loomis rocks. But the character change is random anyway.

Characters in Zombieland... Eh... Woody Harrelson playing a badass riff on himself. The guy from Adventureland, a little more dorky than in that other movie. Two badass chicks with guns?

[Scar]

Well, I for one enjoyed Zombie's go-for-broke knucklehead approach to extapolating on the characters: Loomis = asshole sellout, Laurie = good-girl-clearly-cum-bad-girl, Sherriff Brackett and Annie = foster family.

It's cheesy ass but I thought Loomis was fun and got a kick out of it.

Should be here tomorrow.

[D_Davis]

Popcorn: check
Root Beer: check
Howling III: The Marsupials: check

[Spun Lepton]

Howling III: The Marsupials: check

I've seen clips. Laughable clips. I'm looking forward to your review.

[megladon8]

Popcorn: check
Root Beer: check
Howling III: The Marsupials: check


Jen and I tried to watch this one a few weeks ago. I bought her that nice tin set containing Howling 3, 5 and 6.

She had fond memories of seeing it as a kid.

We couldn't get past the first half hour.

[Spun Lepton]

Jen and I tried to watch this one a few weeks ago. I bought her that nice tin set containing Howling 3, 5 and 6.

She had fond memories of seeing it as a kid.

We couldn't get past the first half hour.

There's a neat documentary on Netflix Instant called, Not Quite Hollywood. It's about Aussie exploitation from the 60s through the 80s and how it lead to where they are now. Recommended if you haven't seen it.

They briefly mention Howling III and they show one of the goofy-looking transformation sequences. I've been tempted to pop it in and watch it ever since. It's also on Instant. Just to see the badness.

In case there's any question, yes, I fucking LOVE Netflix Instant.

[D_Davis]

It's pretty terrible, but really funny - both intentionally and unintentionally. I'm pretty surprised at the complete lack if gore. It's also full of many awkward moments where the camera lingers at the end of a scene for no particular reason.

[D_Davis]

I'm watching it on Netflix streaming. It's a terrible version. Must be ripped from some crappy DVD, because the sound is totally jacked up.

[jenniferofthejungle]

Gah, I'm sorry my faulty memory led to your buying that set, Braden. For Howling hilarity nothing beats the retardation of the second film.

[MadMan]

Yeah, it has to be said, McDowell as profiteering bastard Loomis rocks. But the character change is random anyway.Zombie raping a classic character and giving him a tonal change shift in the second movie equals=just freakin' wrong. But I did laugh at the scene where McDowell looks in the mirror and calls himself an asshole. Plus the dream sequences were pretty goddamn freaky, and I loved the use of The Moody Blues' Nights in White Satin.


Characters in Zombieland... Eh... Woody Harrelson playing a badass riff on himself. The guy from Adventureland, a little more dorky than in that other movie. Two badass chicks with guns?I didn't really think either chick was all that badass. The characters are quite likable, that's what I really meant. Without that quality, the movie just would have been a Shaun of the Dead clone, although granted Zombieland is a comedy with zombies while SOTD is a comedy making fun of zombie movies. Both succeed at what they're aiming for.

[Bosco B Thug]

Should be here tomorrow. Get ready for a NEW kind of horror.

Jerry Springer kind, that is.

[Grouchy]

Zombie raping a classic character and giving him a tonal change shift in the second movie equals=just freakin' wrong. But I did laugh at the scene where McDowell looks in the mirror and calls himself an asshole. Plus the dream sequences were pretty goddamn freaky, and I loved the use of The Moody Blues' Nights in White Satin.
Yes, but you're laughing AT it. You're laughing at the wrongness and randomness of it. Frankly, if Zombie had done his Halloween remake with McDowell's Loomis as a buffoon, I would be less offended. With this, I felt that he was betraying his own newfound universe.


I didn't really think either chick was all that badass. The characters are quite likable, that's what I really meant. Without that quality, the movie just would have been a Shaun of the Dead clone, although granted Zombieland is a comedy with zombies while SOTD is a comedy making fun of zombie movies. Both succeed at what they're aiming for.
I understand your reasoning, but I still think Shaun succeeds in being a comedy with zombies as well, while I could never take the characters in Zombieland seriously enough to get past the spoof factor. I mean, they're likeable, but they're still stereotyped. I believe in Shaun and his friend more than in any of these guys.

Nevertheless, when you compare it to what Hollywood usually considers a spoof nowadays, it's great.

[Scar]

Get ready for a NEW kind of horror.

Jerry Springer kind, that is.


Hellz Yeah!

[The Mike]

Just started Ti West's Trigger Man. Between the first 10 minutes of this and the totals of The Roost and The House of the Devil....I'm absolutely certain I'll watch anything this man ever directs.

Hell, his first three films darn near remind me of Carpenter. :eek:

[Bosco B Thug]

Halloween II (Zombie, 2009) **½ (via Twitter, of course):

flmfrkcentral: Rob Zombie's HALLOWEEN II is almost as depressing as ANTICHRIST. I loved it. Loved, loved, loved it. 1 hour ago from web

flmfrkcentral: The damn thing actually made me sob. 36 minutes ago from web

[MadMan]

Yes, but you're laughing AT it. You're laughing at the wrongness and randomness of it. Frankly, if Zombie had done his Halloween remake with McDowell's Loomis as a buffoon, I would be less offended. With this, I felt that he was betraying his own newfound universe.Uh, I only laughed at that scene. Otherwise, I'm still pretty annoyed/pissed that Zombie raped the Loomis character.


I understand your reasoning, but I still think Shaun succeeds in being a comedy with zombies as well, while I could never take the characters in Zombieland seriously enough to get past the spoof factor. I mean, they're likeable, but they're still stereotyped. I believe in Shaun and his friend more than in any of these guys.

Nevertheless, when you compare it to what Hollywood usually considers a spoof nowadays, it's great.Oh no, I agree fully that Shaun is a much better movie. Shaun and Ed are far more relatable to me than anyone in Zombieland, but I still liked the characters in Zombieland.

The spoof genre is mostly dead. The Brits seem to be among the few who can actually do it well these days.

[Rowland]

(via Twitter, of course):

flmfrkcentral: Rob Zombie's HALLOWEEN II is almost as depressing as ANTICHRIST. I loved it. Loved, loved, loved it. 1 hour ago from web

flmfrkcentral: The damn thing actually made me sob. 36 minutes ago from webYes, well... I rented the theatrical version without realizing it, unfortunately. (Damn you Redbox!)

Perhaps it's the unrated Zombie cut that would reduce me to tears. :cry:

[Ezee E]

What's with the longer dream sequences in bad movies these days? The Perfect Getaway (flashback I guess) and Halloween 2 each seemed to have a half hour sequence. That's a third of the movie.

[Bosco B Thug]

Yes, well... I rented the theatrical version without realizing it, unfortunately. (Damn you Redbox!)

Perhaps it's the unrated Zombie cut that would reduce me to tears. :cry: Hey, you've saved your critical identity from being calamitously entwined with the FFC crew.

[Rowland]

Hey, you've saved your critical identity from being calamitously entwined with the FFC crew.Hey now, that isn't fair. Just because I cite them a lot when I do agree with them doesn't mean I always do. Heck, I just defended Jeepers Creepers 2 in DaMU's horror thread; I don't think they liked that one, as just one recent example.

[Bosco B Thug]

Hey now, that isn't fair. Just because I cite them a lot when I do agree with them doesn't mean I always do. Heck, I just defended Jeepers Creepers 2 in DaMU's horror thread; I don't think they liked that one, as just one recent example.
Haha, didn't necessarily mean to imply your FFC fraternization.

Even if I did, heck, I wouldn't mind being birds of a feather with Chaw and co.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Hey now, that isn't fair. Just because I cite them a lot when I do agree with them doesn't mean I always do. Heck, I just defended Jeepers Creepers 2 in DaMU's horror thread.

I love the premise to Jeepers Creepers 2, and some of the suspense sequences - I'm a sucker for daylight horror - but I found the not-quite-subtext uncomfortable and unenlightening, and the story completely nonexistent, and most of the characters poorly-drawn stereotypes, notable only for their ugliness.

[Rowland]

I found the not-quite-subtext uncomfortable and unenlighteningUnderstandable. I wouldn't call it enlightening so much as respectably audacious for its self-flagellating lasciviousness. It's a pretty forthright example of a troubled artist wielding a disreputable genre to work out some serious shit.


the story completely nonexistent, and most of the characters poorly-drawn stereotypes, notable only for their ugliness.Eh, the story is no more non-existent than your usual genre exercise of this nature. But yes, I'll agree about most of the characters being sketchily drawn; the Lifeboat-esque scenario within the bus would have been more involving had the character dynamics been less shrewdly written.

[Rowland]

I'm confident in asserting that Halloween II is a superior film to Zombie's original remake, which doesn't mean it's altogether successful, but it is a fascinating near-miss. It's explicitly about the aftermath of traumatic tragedy and its lingering legacy, how it's coped with as well as how it's exploited, and as usual, Zombie captures the ugly brutality of the carnage he orchestrates with a palpable empathy. Alas, there is simultaneously too much filler and not enough meat to certain character arcs, so that the climax (as well as the more phantasmagorical imagery) doesn't resonate as one expects it should.

[MadMan]

The ending to Halloween II was pretty awesome, I'll certainly give it that. Nice Psycho reference, and I wonder if that will carry on into the third one, if it does actually get made.

[Grouchy]

The ending to Halloween II was pretty awesome, I'll certainly give it that. Nice Psycho reference, and I wonder if that will carry on into the third one, if it does actually get made.
In the third one, Laurie will be a man and Sam Loomis will be the sheriff.

[Spun Lepton]

I watched The Orphanage last night and enjoyed it quite a bit. Although, my enjoyment was partially damaged because I had running commentary sitting next to me the whole fucking time. GRRAAAAHH!!

Every moment of suspense or intrigue was interrupted by the friend I was watching it with. For example, the later "knock on a wall" game, probably one of the most suspenseful moments in the movie was ruined by some random comment like, "THOSE KIDS ARE GOING TO APPEAR AND LEAD HER ON THE GAME!!!"

Dude, seriously. If I'm not talking or ragging on the movie, keep your mouth shut. Frustrating.

The romanticised suicide at the end didn't quite work for me.

The Orphanage -- 7/10

[Dead & Messed Up]

Understandable. I wouldn't call it enlightening so much as respectably audacious for its self-flagellating lasciviousness. It's a pretty forthright example of a troubled artist wielding a disreputable genre to work out some serious shit.

He's been working out some serious shit since Powder ended with an albino genius outcast made of "pure electrolysis"...ultimately vilified by townspeople cause he liked sweaty, muscular young men.


Eh, the story is no more non-existent than your usual genre exercise of this nature.

That's true - it's a minor criticism.


But yes, I'll agree about most of the characters being sketchily drawn; the Lifeboat-esque scenario within the bus would have been more involving had the character dynamics been less shrewdly written.

I think if he would've pared down the cast, justified those prophetic visions a bit more, and built the leads beyond their "types," he could've had something here. I'm a sucker for horror/suspense pictures in a small location with limited options.

[MadMan]

In the third one, Laurie will be a man and Sam Loomis will be the sheriff.Heh, yep. But Zombie said he won't direct it, so by all means there will be no rape, and therefore it will be safe art. Where's the fun in all that? :P

[Grouchy]

Heh, yep. But Zombie said he won't direct it, so by all means there will be no rape, and therefore it will be safe art. Where's the fun in all that? :P
No fun without rape.

[Scar]

I really enjoy Zombie's first Halloween. The second one, bleagh.

[Dukefrukem]

I really enjoy Zombie's first Halloween. The second one, bleagh.

I've been wanting to see this still, even after all the negative reviews. Does it have any redeeming qualities?

[Dukefrukem]

as much as i hate Uwe Boll, the imagery in this movie looks pretty neat. He only produced it, but who knows...

Teaser (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=El8HssGm1PU&feature=player_embedded) / Full Trailer (http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/18789)

[Ezee E]

I've been wanting to see this still, even after all the negative reviews. Does it have any redeeming qualities?
Brutal, HARDCORE...

[MadMan]

No fun without rape.Apparently so. Zombie's one twisted dude.

[Scar]

I've been wanting to see this still, even after all the negative reviews. Does it have any redeeming qualities?

A greedy Loomis cashing in on Mikey's killings.

[Rowland]

I've been wanting to see this still, even after all the negative reviews. Does it have any redeeming qualities?I liked it, gave it a positive capsule-length review just a few posts above.

[Scar]

Gonna give Freaks a spin in a few minutes.

First I gotsta rub my brisket.

[Winston*]

Gonna give Freaks a spin in a few minutes.

First I gotsta rub my brisket.

Well at least you're not doing it during...

[bac0n]

Gonna give Freaks a spin in a few minutes.

First I gotsta rub my brisket.

TMI

[Scar]

TMI

Oh please, you of all people LOVE IT when I rub my brisket.

[bac0n]

Oh please, you of all people LOVE IT when I rub my brisket.

TMI

[Spun Lepton]

Oh please, you of all people LOVE IT when I rub my brisket.

Bac0n isn't saying "Too Much Information." He's saying, "Touch My ... I ... penis."

[Spun Lepton]

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/rosa.l/tumbleweed_004.jpg

Uuhhh ... so, how about that local sports team?! I've heard they won some and lost some -- (*GONG*)

*leaves stage*

[bac0n]

Bac0n isn't saying "Too Much Information." He's saying, "Touch My ... I ... penis."

AGIAGSRAT

[MadMan]

What the hell.....:lol:

Damnit when is Netflix going to let me rent Pontypool. I finally watched the trailer and I think it looks pretty good.

[Dukefrukem]

What the hell.....:lol:

Damnit when is Netflix going to let me rent Pontypool. I finally watched the trailer and I think it looks pretty good.

I watched it because of Meg's write up on it. It's pretty good.

[Bosco B Thug]

So yeah, Last House on the Left 09 is exactly how you'd imagine a studio remake to turn out. Drain out to about 2% the perversity, and then fine tune its premise into a crackerjack thriller. Krug and co. are just kind of low-lifes. Haute bourgeoisie Mom and Dad are terribly competent and resolve to just "do what we have to do."

But it's actually a pretty engaging and atmospherically strong movie. If you liked the Craven film's premise but wanted it to be more exciting and more about the dignity of humanity than the opposite (and less theological like the Bergman film...), this would probably be pretty satisfying entertainment.

[Spun Lepton]

So yeah, Last House on the Left 09 is exactly how you'd imagine a studio remake to turn out. Drain out to about 2% the perversity, and then fine tune its premise into a crackerjack thriller. Krug and co. are just kind of low-lifes. Haute bourgeoisie Mom and Dad are terribly competent and resolve to just "do what we have to do."

But it's actually a pretty engaging and atmospherically strong movie. If you liked the Craven film's premise but wanted it to be more exciting and more about the dignity of humanity than the opposite (and less theological like the Bergman film...), this would probably be pretty satisfying entertainment.

Honestly, Craven's original had so much room to improve upon, it doesn't surprise me that the remake was at the very least entertaining. Did they lose that really tasteless slapstick "subplot" (if you could call it that) with the Sheriff and his wAcKy-buMBliNg MISADVENTURES, all set to a CrAzy BANJO-a-pluckin'?! Ah-hyuck-hyuck-hyuck!

[Bosco B Thug]

Honestly, Craven's original had so much room to improve upon, it doesn't surprise me that the remake was at the very least entertaining. Did they lose that really tasteless slapstick "subplot" (if you could call it that) with the Sheriff and his wAcKy-buMBliNg MISADVENTURES, all set to a CrAzy BANJO-a-pluckin'?! Ah-hyuck-hyuck-hyuck! Oh for sure, they're no where to be found. This is an all-new, tactful LHotL.

[Spun Lepton]

Oh for sure, they're no where to be found. This is an all-new, tactful LHotL.

:D

[megladon8]

Honestly, Craven's original had so much room to improve upon, it doesn't surprise me that the remake was at the very least entertaining. Did they lose that really tasteless slapstick "subplot" (if you could call it that) with the Sheriff and his wAcKy-buMBliNg MISADVENTURES, all set to a CrAzy BANJO-a-pluckin'?! Ah-hyuck-hyuck-hyuck!


That bugged the hell out of me, and I have yet to read a convincing argument for the inclusion of that ridiculous Sheriff.

I am in the "The Last House on the Left was terrible" camp.

[jenniferofthejungle]

Blood and Black Lace - a stylish slasher, one of the best and most famous of the horror genre. It's gorgeous, but hindered by typically terrible dubbing. They always choose the worst actors for that very important job. I'll try to watch it in Italian sometime, just to see if it's any improvement.

It's about a series of murders that take place in a fashion house where a model has been killed and her diary, (which implicates almost everyone in the movie), disappears. The women are foxy, the set designs are almost obscenely colorful, and the music is great (though too freaking loud most of the time), but it is a thriller with very little thrills. :( There was one ghastly, frightful scene, but most of the time the awkward cuts and dialog leave you with a sense of something being missing---the thrills.

I still love it to bits, but am not blind to its faults.

[megladon8]

I love Blood and Black Lace, Jen.

One of my favorite Bava films (and I LOVE me some Bava).

I just wish the DVD transfer had a better sound mix. I hate having to turn the volume up to full to hear the dialogue, then scrambling to turn it down because of the piercing screams and music cues.

But at least it's on DVD, and from what I understand the transfer we have is INCREDIBLE compared to what they had to work with, which is really saying something.

[jenniferofthejungle]

I watched The Orphanage last night and enjoyed it quite a bit. Although, my enjoyment was partially damaged because I had running commentary sitting next to me the whole fucking time. GRRAAAAHH!!

Every moment of suspense or intrigue was interrupted by the friend I was watching it with. For example, the later "knock on a wall" game, probably one of the most suspenseful moments in the movie was ruined by some random comment like, "THOSE KIDS ARE GOING TO APPEAR AND LEAD HER ON THE GAME!!!"

Dude, seriously. If I'm not talking or ragging on the movie, keep your mouth shut. Frustrating.



The Orphanage -- 7/10


This is why I don't watch movies in my living room anymore. If it isn't a running commentary it's usually a game of 20 Questions which can only be answered by looking at them and saying "Shut the fuck up or leave."

Braden's first Orphanage viewing was a bit spoiled by his dad playing the guitar in the next room. It was really distracting.

[jenniferofthejungle]

I love Blood and Black Lace, Jen.

One of my favorite Bava films (and I LOVE me some Bava).

I just wish the DVD transfer had a better sound mix. I hate having to turn the volume up to full to hear the dialogue, then scrambling to turn it down because of the piercing screams and music cues.

But at least it's on DVD, and from what I understand the transfer we have is INCREDIBLE compared to what they had to work with, which is really saying something.

I hate that! The music is too loud for daytime views, too. Anytime I'd put it on in the living room I was told to turn it down because it was too loud. :frustrated:

Kudos for the commentary because it is really informative, but the guy has zero charisma and sounds as if he is reading directly from a manuscript.

[jenniferofthejungle]

The Evil Dead is playing on the 29th and 30th at Landmark's Sunshine Cinema. Oof.

[Scar]

99 times out of 100, the first time I watch a flick, its by myself. And I am VERY thankful for it.

[megladon8]

I hate that! The music is too loud for daytime views, too. Anytime I'd put it on in the living room I was told to turn it down because it was too loud. :frustrated:

Kudos for the commentary because it is really informative, but the guy has zero charisma and sounds as if he is reading directly from a manuscript.


It's that Tim Lucas, right?

I love that man. If it weren't for him most of Bava's filmography would never have seen the light of day on DVD.

[Bosco B Thug]

Mamoulian's Jekyll and Hyde was revelatory-good. It was smart and funny, then it was resplendent and sparkling and lovely, then it was audacious, then it was despairing, frightening, tragic.

The reasons Fleming's version is so inferior are many. Generally, Spencer Tracy cannot save himself from delivering a terribly neutered performance as Jekyll. All sense of consequence and the irreparable is seeped out, resulting in some of the most bloodless torment you can imagine. Shouldn't really be a fault, but Ingrid Bergman is far too strong and distinctive a female presence to play Ivy. I took little productive affirmation being made from seeing Bergman being beaten and controlled, as I did the irrepressibly common Ivy of Miriam Hopkins.

Also, the Muriel character and Jekyll's relationship with her is remarkably strong across the versions, although especially so in Mamoulian's. Seeing Rose Hobart forcing kisses on Fredric March, telling him she'll do anything to be with him as he impotently tries to break it off with and explain himself to her, was really something.

[megladon8]

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/7941/80heirarchyofthedead.jpg

[jenniferofthejungle]

I'd proudly wear that if it were a T-shirt. If it were a poster I'd expect more monster categories on it. :D

[Spun Lepton]

I bumped The Orphanage to 8/10 after reflecting on it. Although the ending doesn't mesh with my own personal sensibilities, I can't deny that it's a damn good example of what can be accomplished with the genre. I'll watch it again one of these days, I'm sure of it. Alone, this time.

[megladon8]

I bumped The Orphanage to 8/10 after reflecting on it. Although the ending doesn't mesh with my own personal sensibilities, I can't deny that it's a damn good example of what can be accomplished with the genre. I'll watch it again one of these days, I'm sure of it. Alone, this time.


I'm really glad you enjoyed this one, Spun. Jen and I really loved it.

I found the medium scene quite creepy.

[Rowland]

Mamoulian's Jekyll and Hyde was revelatory-good. It was smart and funny, then it was resplendent and sparkling and lovely, then it was audacious, then it was despairing, frightening, tragic.Yep, it's brilliant. I was singing its praises last year, only seen one other Mamoulian film since then, the equally near-brilliant Love Me Tonight, which I've only bumped down the slightest bit in retrospect because you can tell it was chopped up a bit in post and the French protagonist, even though he is supposed to be a bit smarmy, still comes across as too much of a douche at points. I mean, just look at this picture, borrowed from the Arbitrary Best of List thread:

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee171/soitgoes22/aRoubenMamoulianLoveMeTonightD VDPDV.jpg

I really want to sock that guy.

[soitgoes...]

:lol:

I'm inclined to agree.

[Bosco B Thug]

Yep, it's brilliant. I was singing its praises last year, only seen one other Mamoulian film since then, the equally near-brilliant Love Me Tonight, which I've only bumped down the slightest bit in retrospect because you can tell it was chopped up a bit in post and the French protagonist, even though he is supposed to be a bit smarmy, still comes across as too much of a douche at points. I mean, just look at this picture, borrowed from the Arbitrary Best of List thread:

http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee171/soitgoes22/aRoubenMamoulianLoveMeTonightD VDPDV.jpg

I really want to sock that guy. That douche, Monsieur, is France's proudest Hollywood export Maurice Chevalier! [/French indignation]

Just kidding, I really don't know anything about Maurice Chevalier, other than "popular French actor."

I've seen Love Me Tonight a few years ago. Can't say it stuck with me much, but I'm sure it's somewhere circling awesome, and that another, more eager re-watch will do it wonders. All I really remember is the opening scene and being disappointed the horny Myrna Loy character wasn't the heroine.

[Philosophe_rouge]

I'm not huge on shameless self-promotion, but I think this "review" is best seen with all my pictures. It's of the movie Blood and Lace (1971), which is some of the most fun I've had with a movie in a while. It has Uncle Leo!

http://houseofmirthandmovies.wordpres s.com/2010/01/25/blood-and-lace-philip-s-gilbert-1971/

[jenniferofthejungle]

I bumped The Orphanage to 8/10 after reflecting on it. Although the ending doesn't mesh with my own personal sensibilities, I can't deny that it's a damn good example of what can be accomplished with the genre. I'll watch it again one of these days, I'm sure of it. Alone, this time.

When was the last time you watched The Changeling? It is truly another great haunted house movie. I didn't fully appreciate it until last year.

[MadMan]

That bugged the hell out of me, and I have yet to read a convincing argument for the inclusion of that ridiculous Sheriff.

I am in the "The Last House on the Left was terrible" camp.:| The Sherriff represented the simple fact that the small town authority figures were unable to, and deal with, such terrible evil. They had simply never encountered people who would do such things, as the villains in the original Last House on the Left raped one girl, and murdered both girls. The ending helps drive this home in that their response to the parents taking the law into their own hands is a feeling of dispair, and a dawning realization that such events could have been averted had they been properly equipped to nab the murderous party.

Last November, I finally saw Blood and Black Lace. Fantastic giello, and so far the best of Bava's movies that I have seen. Loved the stunning visuals, and the movie actually had some very effective creepy moments. The public library has a couple more of his movies, and I'm going to try and watch them. This year I hope to dive more into his work and the movies of Argento as well.

[Spun Lepton]

:| The Sherriff represented the simple fact that the small town authority figures were unable to, and deal with, such terrible evil. They had simply never encountered people who would do such things, as the villains in the original Last House on the Left raped one girl, and murdered both girls. The ending helps drive this home in that their response to the parents taking the law into their own hands is a feeling of dispair, and a dawning realization that such events could have been averted had they been properly equipped to nab the murderous party.

Nothing conveys "unprepared authority figure" like 180-degree shift in tone that undermines all attempts at seriousness you've made until that point, and almost seems to make light of the horrible things you have done to your characters thus far.

[Rowland]

The director's cut ending (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COzywsFbhLA&feature=related) of Halloween 2 is on youtube, and I'd say it's easily superior to the theatrical version. This climax makes far more sense with my take on the film than the theatrical, which feels comparatively cheap by echoing the climax of Halloween 4 and applying the Carpenter score where it didn't belong. The score here gives it an elegiac air that, coupled with the expressive use of freeze frames and dream imagery, somehow recalls David Lynch. I read somewhere the film described as Zombie's redneck-slasher variation on Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, which is an apt perspective.

[megladon8]

:| The Sherriff represented the simple fact that the small town authority figures were unable to, and deal with, such terrible evil. They had simply never encountered people who would do such things, as the villains in the original Last House on the Left


See Boon-Jong Ho's Memories of Murder.

It does this much, much better.

[Bosco B Thug]

The director's cut ending of Halloween 2 is on youtube, and I'd say it's easily superior to the theatrical version. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COzywsFbhLA&feature=related I partly agree. All the Laurie stuff is improved.

No mask wearing, I liked Laurie getting shot, and of course the sentimental ballad is going to add some emotional loftiness to the proceedings. OH, and the metaphorical corpses subtly strewn across the ground as she walks outside - nice, Rob Zombie.

But, even if it's the studio mandated slam-bang ending, I miss the protracted within-the-shack light-show and phantasmagoria. And I can't deny it, Loomis and Michael's uber-gory deaths are a large part of what made the finale satisfying for me.

It's probably more honest, but the new ending's unmasking and banalization didn't strike me enough for me to prefer it.

[MadMan]

Nothing conveys "unprepared authority figure" like 180-degree shift in tone that undermines all attempts at seriousness you've made until that point, and almost seems to make light of the horrible things you have done to your characters thus far.I think you and I watched a different movie, or something. Oh well, I know Raiders is the only other defender of Craven's version, anyways. And no I don't feel that it made light of the horrible things that happened, at all. If anything it lead to the parents' committing terrible acts of revenge, thus resulting in them being murders.

Bergman's version is avaliable on Netflix Instant viewing, and I'm sure that if I enjoyed Craven's take on the actual story the Swedish director's effort will be highly regarded.


See Boon-Jong Ho's Memories of Murder.

It does this much, much better.That's the movie from the guy who made The Host, right? Its one I've been meaning to see, but just haven't gotten around to, yet.

Man the director's cut ending to H2 was much better than the ending they actually went with in the theatrical version. Still, I also dig the theatrical ending a lot, as it was equally creepy. Love the eerie cover of "Love Hurts," which is a great use of music. I think down the road I'm going to look back and note that H2 could have actually been a great movie, but too many things failed to work. The psychological angle>>>>the slasher elements by a long shot.

[jenniferofthejungle]

Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father

9/10.

Yeah, it's a horror film. I feel brutalized.

[The Mike]

I'm currently watching Pandorum. No idea what the hell it's up to.

Also, though I despise whoring, I am stoked to say that my humble midnight movie blog is up for Bloody-Disgusting.com's Horror Blogger Awards. You could click below to check out the blog and find the link to the vote, if you like. :D

[D_Davis]

Also, though I despise whoring, I am stoked to say that my humble midnight movie blog is up for Bloody-Disgusting.com's Horror Blogger Awards. You could click below to check out the blog and find the link to the vote, if you like. :D

Dude - that's awesome. I'll totally vote. Nice job!

[MadMan]

I'm currently watching Pandorum. No idea what the hell it's up to.

Also, though I despise whoring, I am stoked to say that my humble midnight movie blog is up for Bloody-Disgusting.com's Horror Blogger Awards. You could click below to check out the blog and find the link to the vote, if you like. :DWhoa, that rocks. Pandorum looked weird as hell, btw-in the end I decided against seeing it, mainly because of the director involved.

[Dukefrukem]

I'm currently watching Pandorum. No idea what the hell it's up to.

Also, though I despise whoring, I am stoked to say that my humble midnight movie blog is up for Bloody-Disgusting.com's Horror Blogger Awards. You could click below to check out the blog and find the link to the vote, if you like. :D

Fuckin A. Today marks the day that my company blocks BD. Damn it!!!!!

[megladon8]

Voted!

[jenniferofthejungle]

I'm currently watching Pandorum. No idea what the hell it's up to.

Also, though I despise whoring, I am stoked to say that my humble midnight movie blog is up for Bloody-Disgusting.com's Horror Blogger Awards. You could click below to check out the blog and find the link to the vote, if you like. :D

Hell yes! :D


YOU HAVE MY VOTE, Mike.

[Spun Lepton]

I have Kurasawa's Pulse queued up on Netflix Instant. I may watch it tonight, but I am currently undecided.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I have Kurasawa's Pulse queued up on Netflix Instant. I may watch it tonight, but I am currently undecided.

My prediction: you'll dismiss it as an artsy-fartsy bore.

[Raiders]

I thought Spun already dismissed it as such... you haven't seen it yet?

[Raiders]

I can't say I was impressed with either Pulse or Cure. In fact, I recall disliking Cure quite a bit for being anti-climactic. I disliked Pulse because the story was secondary to mood and artsy-fartsy flourishes.

...

what the hell?

[Philosophe_rouge]

My video store doesn't have Pulse :( I want to see it! Anyone seen The Entity? I'm planning on watching it tonight.

[Russ]

I guess I'm a fan of The Entity, tho it has been awhile. Liked Hershey's performance in this (she is really quite good), although the story does get fairly silly (and repetitive) as it progresses.

[jenniferofthejungle]

I guess I'm a fan of The Entity, tho it has been awhile. Liked Hershey's performance in this (she is really quite good), although the story does get fairly silly (and repetitive) as it progresses.

I agree with everything except the "I guess I'm a fan" part. I will add that Ron Silver's doubting doctor is paper thin and annoying as all hell.

[Bosco B Thug]

Think I'm gonna give Ti West his first go-around this weekend with The Roost. It's one of those "fun" horror flicks, right?

It was between this and King of the Ants and Netflix reviews tell me that one's not one of those "fun" horror flix.

[Rowland]

It was between this and King of the Ants and Netflix reviews tell me that one's not one of those "fun" horror flix.It isn't even horror, more of a gritty noir in a similar vein as Stuck.

[Grouchy]

I have heard good things about The Entity, mainly from the guy who works at my cult video store. Also, Barbara Hershey makes me horny.

[Bosco B Thug]

It isn't even horror, more of a gritty noir in a similar vein as Stuck. OK. I find I do like, and condone, knowing these things beforehand.

Netflixers already clued me in, "Not a creature feature. THE TITLE TRICKS YOU!"

[Spun Lepton]

...

what the hell?

I've already seen it. I'm giving it another chance because the audience I was with was hostile toward it. Same goes for The Devil's Rejects.

That said, I haven't watched it, yet.

[MadMan]

Eight Legged Freaks (re) (Elkayem, 2002) -- 4/10Bah, this movie is great fun. An awesome throwback to the 50s monsters movie.

[Spun Lepton]

Bah, this movie is great fun. An awesome throwback to the 50s monsters movie.

Giving the giant spiders cartoony voices ruined it for me.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Giving the giant spiders cartoony voices ruined it for me.

Heh. That's one of the reasons I enjoyed it so. Their ridiculous chirpy voices keep it from being needlessly nasty.

[Dukefrukem]

Giving the giant spiders cartoony voices ruined it for me.

As did for me as well. I think i might have rated it lower than 40, but higher than Legion.

[Spun Lepton]

Heh. That's one of the reasons I enjoyed it so. Their ridiculous chirpy voices keep it from being needlessly nasty.

Seems like they were trying to hit that Gremlins vibe, aiming for 13 or 14 year old boys as their demographic. I thought the performances and upbeat music were plenty to keep the whole affair light. I thought the cartoony voices would have worked with more moderation, like an occasional scream or "whoa!" instead of being as constant as it was.

It did seem to me like they'd gone in and added the voices later, so I can't help wonder if their test audiences said it was too scary.

Either way, Gremlins got away with a little bit of nastiness, and I loved it all the more when I was a kid. But, then again, I was already watching movies like The Evil Dead and Alien by the time I was 13. :D

[jenniferofthejungle]

Revisiting Friday the 13th Season 1. I don't think I'll make it through every episode. :lol:

[jenniferofthejungle]

The Fearless Vampire Killers bored me.

I'll give it another shot tomorrow, but it doesn't look good.

[Winston*]

Trick R Treat was pretty enjoyable. I love this structure for a horror film and it some very fun bits (I really liked all of the endings to the segments, except for the one with the kids). Don't think it's really funny or scary enough to make it that memorable though.

[megladon8]

Trick R Treat was pretty enjoyable. I love this structure for a horror film and it some very fun bits (I really liked all of the endings to the segments, except for the one with the kids). Don't think it's really funny or scary enough to make it that memorable though.


I absolutely loved the multiple angles of the conversation between Brian Cox and Dylan Baker, when Baker is digging in his backyard.

[Spun Lepton]

It seems like the only Kiyoshi Kurosawa flick I'm ever going to really enjoy is Seance.

I watched Pulse again last night. The production design is admirable. Kurosawa is very good at generating atmosphere. There were a few very creepy moments.

I still didn't like the mythology, though. Too vague. So, what's the order of events, here?

You find the website, you say yes to wanting to meet a ghost, the person on the other end of the site kills themselves and ... then what? You tape up your apartment door? You kill yourself, too? You become one of the people on the website? You just die and turn into a black splotch? You chase ghosts around in a library?

Something this bleak is normally right up my alley.

6/10

[Bosco B Thug]

So The Roost, that was a very... "special" movie.

It's one of those "By-No-Means-Possible" movies. Which there are no other films in that category. When I tried to think of something, I came up with Wendy and Lucy, then I realized Larry Fessenden had his indie-producer mitts on that one too.

An Oh-so-clever and oh-so-self-deprecating quasi-creature feature with a case of horror-hipster-itus. It's like snooty horror fans put up the time to make an especially arcane haunted house ride in order to laugh at the people not getting scared. And of course it's because they don't "get" that special type of "creep" sophisticated horror fans know and love.

Being one of those horror fans, I'm glad I watched this movie. It's not especially well-made, but it's inventive. Ti West, in this film at least, isn't particularly brilliant, but he's probably a really colorful character. Many will very understandably think it's boring, and it's got some mildly retarded (intentionally???) moments where the film stops dead... WITH TENSION! Seriously, the movie tenses, and tenses some more, and makes you wait for it... then nothing happens. Haha, good joke. The movie's weird.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I still didn't like the mythology, though. Too vague. So, what's the order of events, here?

You find the website, you say yes to wanting to meet a ghost, the person on the other end of the site kills themselves and ... then what? You tape up your apartment door? You kill yourself, too? You become one of the people on the website? You just die and turn into a black splotch? You chase ghosts around in a library?

I'm happy you gave it another shot.

I don't think too much about the mythology. I just have a broad notion. Death traveled through frequencies available on computer networks. It builds throughout the world by inducing people to die either directly (touching them) or indirectly (provoking suicide or complete emotional breakdown). Red tape might stop it somehow.

The website is not "patient zero," but simply someone who left a webcam going in a sealed-off room that contains a ghost. It's our entry point, but it's not the starting point, if that makes any sense.

[Bosco B Thug]

I still didn't like the mythology, though. Too vague. So, what's the order of events, here?

You find the website, you say yes to wanting to meet a ghost, the person on the other end of the site kills themselves and ... then what? You tape up your apartment door? You kill yourself, too? You become one of the people on the website? You just die and turn into a black splotch? You chase ghosts around in a library? Haha, I kind of liked how each ghost worked differently. Like, library ghost was gonna have none of that technology crap. Über-ghost in the factory is all acting like he's king of the whole thing. Dancer ghost is probably one of the true pioneers, just doing what she does and doing it her own way. Arcade ghost is a poser jumping on the bandwagon (that's why he's all alone and stupid looking).


Red tape might stop it somehow. I definitely agree mythology is meaningless in the film.

But I've never mentioned, I was listening to a hoity-toity professor talk about the film, and she read the red tape as the people marking off rooms as portals allowing the ghosts to enter our world, instead of the whole "Trapping them/keeping them out" thing you, I, everyone else in the world including the makers of the American remake, saw it as.

It's a nice thought, I think.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Mick Garris loves the horror genre more than anybody, but the poor guy can never quite nail the dynamics cohesively. Sleepwalkers, one of his first efforts, takes a premise by Stephen King and molds it into a flatly-lit, amateurish riff of Cat People. The film centers on a mother/son couple (oh yeah) who are actually cat-people-vampires who suck out the souls of young virgins. They're at their most interesting when they look like normal people, and Alice Krige's performance deserves some kind of respect, considering how honestly she plays such a preposterous role. As the action heightens, the film moves from mediocrity into full-blown awfulness, or maybe self-aware camp. Honestly, I'm not sure. How would you take a scene where Krige stabs a cop in the back with a corncob and announces, "No vegetables...no dessert!"

D+

PS: For those of you with Netflix Instant Watch, you might enjoy skipping to time codes 1:00:00 and 1:12:30. The former is a scene with cameos by Stephen King, Tobe Hooper, and Clive Barker. The latter includes Joe Dante and John Landis. In essence, you're watching the fetal stage of Showtime's Masters of Horror.

[Raiders]

Hm, interesting connection to Reichardt with The Roost Bosco (I haven't seen it or Wendy and Lucy) as West's Trigger Man could very easily be described as a more tense, violence-oriented version of Reichardt's Old Joy.

[Bosco B Thug]

Hm, interesting connection to Reichardt with The Roost Bosco (I haven't seen it or Wendy and Lucy) as West's Trigger Man could very easily be described as a more tense, violence-oriented version of Reichardt's Old Joy. That makes a lot of sense. Not that The Roost and Wendy and Lucy have that much in common, but they're of the same "Filmmake your heart out, you idiosyncratic filmmaker you, just remember you're not swimming in megabucks and all the better for it! Use it! Own it!" philosophy.

Despite The Roost striking me as something very open to ridicule, I'm looking forward to Trigger Man and The House of the Devil.

[megladon8]

I still really like The Roost. Have seen it (I think) three times now.

Certainly not flawless, and claims that it gets a little too slow at times are valid. But there's much more good than bad here. Tom Noonan's creepy as hell.

[Scar]

Zombieland is the Whopper to Shaun of the Dead's dry aged ribeye.

[Adam]

The Fearless Vampire Killers bored me.

I'll give it another shot tomorrow, but it doesn't look good.

Nah, Fearless Vampire Killers is top notch early Polanski. For my taste, it's a better and funnier send-up of vampires than Young Frankenstein is of Frankensteins. Hilarious and sexy and sometimes even scary and it looks way gorgeous, too. Maybe more than anything, though, I rate Fearless Vampire Killers as highly as I do because of how hard it seems to be to intentionally make something so wickedly campy; usually that sort of thing has to happen on accident

Did you ever give it that second shot?

[megladon8]

I find it hard to believe anything could be better than Young Frankenstein. It really is one of the funniest movies ever made.

[Spun Lepton]

Young Frankenstein > Fearless Vampire Killers.

I like FVK. But, nothing tops the monster squealing, "PUTTIN OOON THE RIIIITZ!!" or Igor being startled by his own hand or "Abbie Normal" or "Put ... the candle ... back." or "Damn your eyes!" "Too late," or "Frau Blücher!" *whinny* or Gene Hackman's cameo or ... or ... or ...

[Spun Lepton]

... or the dart game.

[Rowland]

I thought Young Frankenstein was pretty lame actually. It may be top tier Mel Brooks, but most of his stuff sucks anyway.

[Dukefrukem]

I thought Young Frankenstein was pretty lame actually. It may be top tier Mel Brooks, but most of his stuff sucks anyway.

:eek:

[Grouchy]

I thought Young Frankenstein was pretty lame actually. It may be top tier Mel Brooks, but most of his stuff sucks anyway.
Oh.

No. No, it doesn't.

[MadMan]

:| :crazy: :rolleyes: to anyone who doesn't find Young Frankenstein funny.

[Adam]

I'll back Rowland here and say I actually kinda sorta hate Mel Brooks and while I understand Young Frankenstein is untouchable for most, for me it's just one of his least grating. Both Genes are definitely firing on all comic cylinders in that movie, though, yeah

For yuks (and totally off-topic)

The Producers, C-
Blazing Saddles, C+
Young Frankenstein, B-
History of the World Part 1, B-
Spaceballs, D
Robin Hood: Men in Tights, D+
Dracula: Dead & Loving It, F

[Dead & Messed Up]

I thought Young Frankenstein was pretty lame actually. It may be top tier Mel Brooks, but most of his stuff sucks anyway.

I loved The Producers, liked Blazing Saddles, and the rest just bore me to tears. I find that the man has no sense of comic rhythm and momentum and too frequently falls back on easy, obvious broad comedy.

[MadMan]

Bah, I say, bah. Mel Brooks is one of my favorite directors. I think most of his output has ranged from quite funny to utterly hilarious. The only bad movie I've seen from him is Dracula Dead and Loving It.

[Dukefrukem]

I think you guys will love this

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