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

[Dead & Messed Up]

Creepshow is great fun, and that's that.

[Rowland]

Creepshow is a mixed bag ranging from great fun to why the fuck is Stephen King in this acting like an asshole.

[Grouchy]

Exorcist II: The Heretic - Wow. Where do I even start. This one's reputation as a strange film is completely earned. John Boorman went absolutely nuts on this fucker. Visually, it's fucking fascinating. It's also a more ambitious and demanding film than the Friedkin original, although not nearly as good and a lot more ridiculous. I'm not scared by The Exorcist, never been, even though I admire it. But this sequel inspires laughter and awe in equal measures.

I think what Boorman should have done is made his own film to explore this themes that wasn't a sequel. Because, as a sequel, it's a complete failure. And one of the more obvious reasons for this is that it doesn't even have a starting point. As an audience we're simply asked to assume that Regan is still possessed, which renders much of the events of the first film kind of meaningless. Richard Burton's priest character is kind of funny. He's like a Catholic superhero who travels the world, climbs mountains and simply punchs Pazuzu in the face instead of performing an exorcism.

I also laughed really hard at this exchange.

Female Psychologist: Don't you ever want a woman, Father?
Father Burton (deadly serious): Yes.

[Dukefrukem]

It's one of my horror favorites.

I just watched it about two weeks ago, and smiled through most of it.

I'm pretty sure I was oblivious to all of the intentional camp when I first saw it, and I used to detest that story, Duke. It seemed to stop the movie, and I would often hit FF until it was done or just skip ahead, but I honestly enjoy it now, especially the ending.

I think my extensive collection of EC Comics made me appreciate it all the more.

Ok. I admit it. I stopped watching after the farm one. The rest of the stories are AWESOME. Loved the Leslie Nielsen episode.

[Dukefrukem]

Creepshow is a mixed bag ranging from great fun to why the fuck is Stephen King in this acting like an asshole.

oh my god. It IS him!!!!!! :lol::lol::lol: I love this even more now.

[Spun Lepton]

Man, I was so ready to claim Hostel Part II Eli Roth's first great film, but then he had to go and fuck it up in the last 20 minutes. He managed to make me feel particularly bad for these women, especially Heather Matarazzo's character. The writing and direction were better than the first. The overall story was much more interesting. Seemed like a slam dunk!

But, then ...

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Roth pulled a really lame switcheroo with the male leads. The meek and timid one became vicious, and the douchebag guy who was all gung-ho about murdering people meeked-out at the first sight of blood. None of it was foreshadowed, not even in the slightest!

God damn it, Eli. Give us a HINT. It doesn't have to be much, just a HINT that these two aren't what they appear to be. You can't build up these characters' personalities for 70 minutes and then swap them at the last minute. That's cheap fucking bullshit.

]

And I was enjoying it so much until then. God damn it.

6/10

[Dead & Messed Up]

The first forty-odd minutes of Pontypool were absorbing. The remainder was muddled, contrived, and dispiriting.

[megladon8]

The first forty-odd minutes of Pontypool were absorbing. The remainder was muddled, contrived, and dispiriting.

I do think the concept was not very well communicated in the final third and could be seen as "dumb" (though I'm an admitted big fan of the film, and just think the execution wasn't entirely effective).

But man, the movie is downright frightening for the first half.

The phonecalls from the reporter in the field were terrifying. Very unsettling stuff.

I also really dig Stephen McHattie.

[Pop Trash]

Exorcist II is horrible, but I totally dig Exorcist III.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I do think the concept was not very well communicated in the final third and could be seen as "dumb" (though I'm an admitted big fan of the film, and just think the execution wasn't entirely effective).

But man, the movie is downright frightening for the first half.

The phonecalls from the reporter in the field were terrifying. Very unsettling stuff.

I also really dig Stephen McHattie.

Yeah, it's a potentially interesting idea...maybe. I turned skeptical almost instantly, and it was impossible for me to regain my enthusiasm. Maybe if the explanation would've been meted out a little more, or if there was a stronger emphasis on relating

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the nonsense words to some sort of brain function. I mean, my understanding is that people shouldn't use "terms of endearment" in the film because those are common types of nonsense - nonsense that the brain accepts. And when McHattie says "Kill is kiss," he's attempting to reboot her brain by using an incongruity the brain wouldn't accept.

Or something.

]

You're right about the first half, though. Claustrophobic as hell. I briefly wondered if I was going to get a great zombie film in which I never once see a zombie. I thought those calls from the helicopter pilot were terrifically eerie, especially when he put the phone to the guy who...

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was supposedly only a torso and was speaking like a two-year-old. That sounds preposterous typed out, but boy did it work.

]

And McHattie did a fine job.

[megladon8]

Yeah, the moments like the one you mentioned, and the description of the riots and horrors taking place really got to me. I was genuinely disturbed for a while after the first time I watched it.

I do agree that the concept was a little obtuse, and the movie seemed, itself, confused in trying to communicate it. I just kind of went with it, I guess.

It's far from perfect, but I thought it was, say, one of the more interesting failures in the horror genre from the last decade. And I say that affectionately.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Yeah, the moments like the one you mentioned, and the description of the riots and horrors taking place really got to me. I was genuinely disturbed for a while after the first time I watched it.

I do agree that the concept was a little obtuse, and the movie seemed, itself, confused in trying to communicate it. I just kind of went with it, I guess.

It's far from perfect, but I thought it was, say, one of the more interesting failures in the horror genre from the last decade. And I say that affectionately.

I don't think it's a failure. It was kinda like watching a baseball player hit what looks like a home-run...but then the ball falls inside the field, and the opposite team stops him between first and second base, and he dodges just in time to slide back into first base.

Or something. I don't like sports.

[Spun Lepton]

Are there any respectable horror-fan websites on the Internet? 'Cuz I've been pretty disappointed by what I've found so far.

[MadMan]

Are there any respectable horror-fan websites on the Internet? 'Cuz I've been pretty disappointed by what I've found so far.

The only one I've encountered has been Bloody Disgusting, which I post at under a name that I only realized too late was a reference to a sci-fi film really and not a horror movie, but it works.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I post a little at Bloody-Disgusting, but I'm not really a fan of the style and writing approach for sites like that (ShockTillYouDrop and DreadCentral are other examples). It's all a little too cheesy and tacky for me, with the blood spatters and scary fonts and and studio-press-release-as-news stuff.

(He said with his Walking Dead scary font avatar.)

[MadMan]

No I agree about the style of Bloody Disgusting. Also some of the users though can get quite angry if you challenge any of their thinking-I hardly bother posting in the Halloween thread since so many of them in there hated the Halloween remake; from my understanding, they hated it before it even existed, so they never gave it a fair shake imo. Still its not a bad site, and I think I'll try posting there more since no one knows me there.

(He said with his Walking Dead scary font avatar.)

:lol: ritch:

[Mr. Pink]

Saw The Innkeepers last night. It was good. A few things kept me from completely loving it (subject matter and undressed plot points, mostly), but it was still a solid movie. It basically has the exact same structure of House of the Devil, where it builds slowly and releases a shitstorm of chaos in the remaining minutes, which I enjoy quite a bit. Ti West is pretty good with that structure, so ultimately the movie works, but it wasn't particularly scary, save a few moments at the end. Still a solid 7/10 though.

Re-watched Puppet Master after, and I still enjoy that one. It's a little scattered and some of the movie's logic seems inconsistent, but otherwise it's enjoyable fare. I might watch the sequel tonight. Probably a 6/10.

[D_Davis]

Exorcist II is horrible, but I totally dig Exorcist III.

Exorcist III > The Exorcist

I'd love to see Blatty's final cut of III, but apparently it's been completely lost.

There is a great new book coming out soon:



Also, the new 40th Anniversary edition of the novel is amazing. It was my third time reading the novel, and this new version is the one to read. I can't exactly pinpoint what was changed, but it does read better. It's not as much as a redux as King's Unabridged Stand, or the updated Gunslinger, but it is definitely an improved version.

Blatty is just the best.

[megladon8]

Got Arachnophobia for $5 and Red State for $7 at Wal Mart today.

[D_Davis]

Watched the Fright Night remake last night - very good. Loved the part where he lets them escape. Wicked cool.

[Rowland]

Watched the Fright Night remake last night - very good. Loved the part where he lets them escape. Wicked cool.

Yes, this is one of last year's most unfairly neglected films, just an all-around, to borrow your apt phrasing, wicked cool genre film, and a vast improvement over the mediocre original.

[MadMan]

Considering that I really dug the original (my rating might be a bit high-85-since I'll admit it is sort of dated and cheesy) based on the buzz surrounding the Fright Night remake I can't help but imagine I'll like it. I think the reason I passed on it in theaters was due to no one else wanting to go with me. Yes I know that you can't talk during the movie, but its nice to have someone else with you after the credits to discuss the film with.

[D_Davis]

Yes, this is one of last year's most unfairly neglected films, just an all-around, to borrow your apt phrasing, wicked cool genre film, and a vast improvement over the mediocre original.

And casting Collin Farrel as the vamp was really genius.

I only wish that they would have introduced the Peter Vincent character sooner. It seemed a little tacked on, or rushed; I felt that they had a hard time meshing the two settings - Vegas and the Suburbs. Seems like they could have done more.

But over all it was just really cool.

[Dukefrukem]

And casting Collin Farrel as the vamp was really genius.

Agreed. That role and his role in Horrible Bosses might be his two best roles he's even taken.

I can't wait to see him in Total Recall.

[Spun Lepton]

Exorcist III > The Exorcist

Hahahahano.