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

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So I love horror films of all the sub-genres and I would be the first to argue that there are horror films with as much artistic merit and importance as any drama or documentary.

But I also tend to enjoy a lot of the schlock that the genre has to offer, and frankly I can't help myself from feeling a little bad whenever I interrupt an important discussion in the FDT to say that I re-watched Killer Klowns From Outer Space. It feels a little ridiculous. And with the frequency that I (and I believe several others here on the forum) watch horror films, I thought we could use a thread devoted to horror discussion.

Last night I watched what would be a perfect example of campy, crappy horror so it's a great time to start this thread methinks.

No Man's Land: The Rise of Reeker is one of the past set of "8 Films to Die For" (now titled "Ghost House Underground") and it is the sequel to a horror film that came out a few years ago and was simply titled Reeker.

The original was an interesting little slasher that suffered from some poor writing and acting (pretty typical of the non-theatrical horror) but overall I thought it was "okay". I could say the same for this, a sequel/prequel with pitiful characterizations and acting...but damn was it ever fun!

I just really like the whole concept behind the "Reeker". It's a great twist on Final Destination's ideas, but we actually see the Reaper (Reeker) as he dispatches his victims.

Here's a brief overview of how the Reeker formula works:

A small group of people become stranded somewhere in an American desert. Towards the beginning of the film there is a catastrophic event that they all survive (a car crash, explosion, whatever) and then suddenly they begin experiencing strange things. Phones are dead, they seem unable to leave the area, etc. Then they notice the smell...the reeker. The smell of rotting flesh, the stench of death. This being, the Reeker, kills them one-by-one in gruesome fashion with a variety of bastardized medical equipment for optimal grossness in the effects. Then at the end of the film, we get a flashback to that catastrophic event where we see that all of them actually died, and in similar fashion to how they were killed by the Reeker in this Purgatory-like world (for example, if someone is impaled by one of the Reeker's blades, then in the "real" world they might be impaled by a shard of metal from an explosion).

It provides the same kind of outlandish death scenes that Final Destination is known for, but I just find this "universe" to be more interesting. The Reeker himself is actually kind of creepy, and in this sequel/prequel No Man's Land, we discover a "secret" behind Reeker and where he comes from that would potentially allow for an infinite number of variations on the formula, locale, and of overall approach to the story.

It's nothing groundbreaking and I hesitate to even call it "good", but I really had fun watching this one despite the fact that just about everything about it is awful. It's paced really nicely and has great payoff, and I hope they make more of these because I'd definitely see them.

I have to see more horror films. I can also understand the thread title. A winning combination.

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Originally Posted by Beau

I have to see more horror films. I can also understand the thread title. A winning combination.

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Any favorites of the genre?

Have you seen Robert Wise's The Haunting?

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Originally Posted by megladon8

Any favorites of the genre?

Have you seen Robert Wise's The Haunting?

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Yeah. A long time ago. I quite liked it. I'm not sure what qualifies as horror. I love Suspiria. I love Tscherkassky's Outer Space. I wouldn't consider that a horror film, but it's on an anthology of short horror films, so what do I know? I don't mind The Exorcist. Not the biggest fan. The Phantasm movies are, well, they're bizarre, but I liked them, for all their campiness and weirdness (or because of those things). Troll 2 is the greatest thing commited to celluloid. Teenage Caveman is the worst. Eraserhead I don't consider horror, but some people do, so again, what do I know? I love it, at any rate. Flaming Creatures is not horror, but it was horrific to watch, so I'll call it horror. I kind of liked it though. What else? Eyes Without a Face is, again, not horror for me, but people call it as such. I really enjoyed that. Epstein's Fall of the House of Usher is another non-horror-to-me-but-horror-to-some example, and I love it. It's hard, or impossible, to scare me. I like the idea of horror, not for the horror, so much as for the fantasy and the atmosphere. I might be forgetting some other movies, but as you can see, my experience with the genre is rather slim.

When I was a kid a horror film would freak me out quite easily, but lately I've found all my emotions fairly hard to tap into with films.

If you're looking for something genuinely scary, I'll take this opportunity to pimp out [REC] again.

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Originally Posted by Beau

Troll 2 is the greatest thing commited to celluloid.

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Haven't seen Samurai Cop yet, eh?

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Originally Posted by Russ

Haven't seen Samurai Cop yet, eh?

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I read about that on this forum a long time ago. I really want to see it.

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Originally Posted by Beau

I read about that on this forum a long time ago. I really want to see it.

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You don't want to see it. You need to see it.

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Originally Posted by Kurosawa Fan

You don't want to see it. You need to see it.

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:)

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Originally Posted by megladon8

If you're looking for something genuinely scary, I'll take this opportunity to pimp out [REC] again.

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Don't make me hurt you.

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Originally Posted by Kurosawa Fan

You don't want to see it. You need to see it.

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Is it as good as Le Samourai?

What's the purpose of serparating this from the FDT?

Oh, nevermind. I'm not going to make a stand on my view of genre and the way this kind of stratification stands in opposition to it. Whatevs. Enjoy your horror thread.

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Originally Posted by Beau

Yeah. A long time ago. I quite liked it. I'm not sure what qualifies as horror. I love Suspiria. I love Tscherkassky's Outer Space. I wouldn't consider that a horror film, but it's on an anthology of short horror films, so what do I know? I don't mind The Exorcist. Not the biggest fan. The Phantasm movies are, well, they're bizarre, but I liked them, for all their campiness and weirdness (or because of those things). Troll 2 is the greatest thing commited to celluloid. Teenage Caveman is the worst. Eraserhead I don't consider horror, but some people do, so again, what do I know? I love it, at any rate. Flaming Creatures is not horror, but it was horrific to watch, so I'll call it horror. I kind of liked it though. What else? Eyes Without a Face is, again, not horror for me, but people call it as such. I really enjoyed that. Epstein's Fall of the House of Usher is another non-horror-to-me-but-horror-to-some example, and I love it. It's hard, or impossible, to scare me. I like the idea of horror, not for the horror, so much as for the fantasy and the atmosphere. I might be forgetting some other movies, but as you can see, my experience with the genre is rather slim.

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You'd probably love Val Lewton's stuff. The two Cat Peoples, The Leopard Man, and I Walked With a Zombie were my faves, but they're all good, and they straddle that gulf between horror and dark fantasy.

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Originally Posted by Sycophant

What's the purpose of serparating this from the FDT?

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I kind of outlined that in the first post.

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Originally Posted by Dead & Messed Up

You'd probably love Val Lewton's stuff. The two Cat Peoples, The Leopard Man, and I Walked With a Zombie were my faves, but they're all good, and they straddle that gulf between horror and dark fantasy.

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Yes! That's such a great set.

My personal favorite was The Bodysnatcher.

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Originally Posted by Dead & Messed Up

You'd probably love Val Lewton's stuff. The two Cat Peoples, The Leopard Man, and I Walked With a Zombie were my faves, but they're all good, and they straddle that gulf between horror and dark fantasy.

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Noted.

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Originally Posted by Sycophant

What's the purpose of serparating this from the FDT?

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It's all for the lulz.


Reeker is a fun little flick. I saw it, and was pleasantly surprised.

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Originally Posted by Sycophant

What's the purpose of serparating this from the FDT?

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Personally I'm not a big horror fan, so the idea that perhaps horror discussions could possibly be contained in its own little corner of Match-Cut away from my eyes is a blessing.

::realizes the hypocrisy of posting in said horror discussion::

Also, I am a fan of the Spanish, but wouldn't Italian be more in line with the horror theme? I guess there's [REC].

::fades away into non-horror obscurity::

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Originally Posted by soitgoes...

Also, I am a fan of the Spanish, but wouldn't Italian be more in line with the horror theme? I guess there's [REC].[/SIZE]

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Or Japanese.

I watched Blood On Satan's Claw a few days ago, expecting little more than some enjoyably blasphemic hysterics based on the schlocky DVD cover and IMDb plot keywords, but instead got a pretty atmospheric and relatively nuanced portrayal of witchcraft in 17th century England. I think the 'subversiveness' of the depiction of the town's governors as being just as hysterical as the cultists was maybe a bit overemphasised, but really it's just the well-sustained mood of dread and occult creepiness that is the film's obvious main virtue. And Linda Hayden... *droooooolllllll*

Have to say I also liked it more than the superficially similar Witchfinder General.

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Originally Posted by Sycophant

What's the purpose of serparating this from the FDT?

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What's the point of putting all discussion in the FDT? I would much rather see us utilize the rest of the forum.

if this were a real world, i would drop into any conversation about horror films by demonstrating my awesome knowledge of an italian word "giallo," and how it means "yellow," and how it refers to some specific genre.

here in matchcut, i'll silently bow away.

I welcome a horror thread, or many horror threads. I too need to watch a lot more of the genre.

On thing you said struck me as odd though: "...and I would be the first to argue that there are horror films with as much artistic merit and importance as any drama or documentary."

I can't imagine anyone, at least in these parts, who would argue any differently.

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Originally Posted by fasozupow

I can't imagine anyone, at least in these parts, who would argue any differently.

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In point of fact, many people here seem to welcome horror films. Cloverfield, Let the Right One In, and Diary of the Dead got massive attention from this forum, as I recall, and most of that was respectful discussion.

Not to say that I dislike this thread. I plan on posting my thoughts on upcoming views of Fisher's The Mummy, Moore's Spiral, and Schrader's Cat People.

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Originally Posted by Dead & Messed Up

In point of fact, many people here seem to welcome horror films. Cloverfield, Let the Right One In, and Diary of the Dead got massive attention from this forum, as I recall, and most of that was respectful discussion.

Not to say that I dislike this thread. I plan on posting my thoughts on upcoming views of Fisher's The Mummy, Moore's Spiral, and Schrader's Cat People.

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Yes, I think Let the Right One In is among the finest films of any genre from the past year. And I don't put The Texas Chain Saw Massacre in my top 10 just to be provocative. I consider it a great work of art.

I look forward to your thoughts on Cat People. I haven't seen it for a long time, but remember liking it -- of course that was when I desperately wanted to marry Nastassja Kinski.