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

[Dead & Messed Up]

Cat People
Belongs on the short list of horror film remakes that manage to honor their source material and swing it in a different direction. Schrader takes the subdued sexuality of the original film and brings it front and center, so that we're watching a liberated erotic journey. This feels like a product of the seventies, with its explicit nudity and a style seemingly influenced by Antonioni and Polanski. For all its class and visual intrigue and good acting, however, the film never aims to frighten. Whether or not that's a detriment is a call for others to make. I appreciated the film's languid pace and its insistence on image, and pause, and reflection. Like Schrader's Dominion, this is a horror film in name only; there's something deeper happening. B

[Bosco B Thug]

Inside (Alexandre Bustillo/Julien Maury, 2008) 64

Don't know what I was expecting, but this wasn't it. Pretty good stuff, certainly superior to last year's similar The Strangers, including a shot involving unperceived background menace that out-creeps the iconic Liv Tyler shot used in all of the latter film's promotional material. And upon some research, I'm relieved to discover that those cheesy CGI fetus inserts weren't included by the directors' design, but rather enforced through studio manhandling. A few narrative-related head-scratchers diffuse tension in the picture's third act, but it still holds together nicely, imbued as it all is by such a gripping sense of anxiety anchored by terribly convincing performances as well as the ever-vulnerable condition of the protagonist, and the middle act remains tight as a drum. I'm embarrassed to admit that the ending caught me off-guard, especially in light of how obvious it seems in retrospect, but the payoff feels earned, if not outright affecting.

Eh, this film had lost me by the end. I hate to admit it, but - for one - I thought it was way too graphic and violent. For two, head-scratchers that diffuse tension in the third act is right. Thirdly, I dunno, the subtextual evocations were there (she's a war photographer, she's jaded, she's unfit to be a mother yet she fights for it throughout the film, French youths can be asking for it, and whoa! non-lethal police guns!), but it didn't mean or impart much in the end.

Cat People
Belongs on the short list of horror film remakes that manage to honor their source material and swing it in a different direction. Schrader takes the subdued sexuality of the original film and brings it front and center, so that we're watching a liberated erotic journey. This feels like a product of the seventies, with its explicit nudity and a style seemingly influenced by Antonioni and Polanski. For all its class and visual intrigue and good acting, however, the film never aims to frighten. Whether or not that's a detriment is a call for others to make. I appreciated the film's languid pace and its insistence on image, and pause, and reflection. Like Schrader's Dominion, this is a horror film in name only; there's something deeper happening. B

Yeah, I liked the direction it took and decisions it made with the story, and Schrader as a director does have moments of off-kilter excellence, but the film is way cheesy and goofy.

Might watch Splinter tonight.

[Rowland]

Thirdly, I dunno, the subtextual evocations were there (she's a war photographer, she's jaded, she's unfit to be a mother yet she fights for it throughout the film, French youths can be asking for it, and whoa! non-lethal police guns!), but it didn't mean or impart much in the end.

Indeed, I noted this lack of a coherent subtext after the picture dipped its toe in so many waters, but I suppose I was tolerant of this after recently being subjected to Eden Lake's more overtly clunky opportunism.

[Dukefrukem]

Did you guys know Adam Sandler is producing a horror movie?

The Shortcut: Trailer here.

[Bosco B Thug]

Splinter
Stupidity in the last act nearly kills what is otherwise a fun variation on that old horror standby where enemies join forces in an isolated location against a greater threat. This time, the threat is a spiky fungus that turns animals (and men) into undead "splinter" monsters. The movement of splintered victims is eerie and frightening, and there are a few requisite gore moments that should result in winces. In their wisdom, the filmmakers kept this film eighty minutes long, which is just enough time for the premise to deliver on its goals without overstaying its welcome. It's cheap fun, but why complain? B-

For those who saw Splinter:

[

Show Spoiler

Why in the HELL would Seth try to freeze himself instead of waiting a few hours for daylight, when the temperature would easily top 100 degrees? And why would he freeze himself when they were so successfully distracting the monster with fire? Why not just, I don't know, light a big fucking fire?

And if I never see the "guy-hides-his-death-wound-from-the-others" scene again, it'll be too soon.

]

Yeah, the freezing thing was pretty stupid just any way you look at it. When he was tripping over pretty much everything between him and the car, it's like, "Yeah, you thought this was a good idea?"

But hey, I really enjoyed this film! Old-fashioned fun most definitely. Engaging and amiable, very likeable characters, taut, no lulls, good horror thrills and grue. Wilkins has skills in creating dramatic tension. There's nothing too mind-blowing, but Wilkins' film isn't utter gracelessness like most cheap-trick horror quickies. Creature moves a lot like the 'Grudge' ghosts, seems like the criteria that got him (probably misfortunately) the Grudge 3 gig.

[Russ]

Speaking of Splinter (haven't seen it, but want to), has anyone seen director Toby Wilkns' short, Kidney Thieves? Quite polished and very amusing. Which is why I want to see Splinter.

[Dukefrukem]

Has anyone seen Pontypool? IMDB

One Sheet

http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/16247

[Dead & Messed Up]

Yeah, the freezing thing was pretty stupid just any way you look at it. When he was tripping over pretty much everything between him and the car, it's like, "Yeah, you thought this was a good idea?"

But hey, I really enjoyed this film! Old-fashioned fun most definitely. Engaging and amiable, very likeable characters, taut, no lulls, good horror thrills and grue. Wilkins has skills in creating dramatic tension. There's nothing too mind-blowing, but Wilkins' film isn't utter gracelessness like most cheap-trick horror quickies. Creature moves a lot like the 'Grudge' ghosts, seems like the criteria that got him (probably misfortunately) the Grudge 3 gig.

My first thoughts on the full-sized monster were how similar it looked to video game monsters from Resident Evil 4 and Silent Hill.

But yes, it is confident and fun, and while my review isn't all that effusive, I do anticipate Wilkins's next feature.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Martyrs

Possibly the most cruel, graphic, unrelenting "horror" picture I've ever seen. Quite often I considered simply turning off the film, as the violence seemed to serve little purpose. It's there to revolt, and despite the last-act effort to attach spiritual significance to what's happening, I was unconvinced. For the three or four minutes of quiet contemplation, there's another ninety based firmly on the idea that watching blood shoot out of self-inflicted wounds is worth one's time. That's a lot of violence, and the late-act Joan-of-Arc goals, rather than elevating the film, instead lets it descend into even more unremitting cruelty, as a girl is systematically beaten, force-fed, and psychologically tortured. The irony being that, for all the presumptions of "enlightenment" at the end, this is a remarkably stupid film.

D

[Dukefrukem]

Martyrs

Possibly the most cruel, graphic, unrelenting "horror" picture I've ever seen. Quite often I considered simply turning off the film, as the violence seemed to serve little purpose. It's there to revolt, and despite the last-act effort to attach spiritual significance to what's happening, I was unconvinced. For the three or four minutes of quiet contemplation, there's another ninety based firmly on the idea that watching blood shoot out of self-inflicted wounds is worth one's time. That's a lot of violence, and the late-act Joan-of-Arc goals, rather than elevating the film, instead lets it descend into even more unremitting cruelty, as a girl is systematically beaten, force-fed, and psychologically tortured. The irony being that, for all the presumptions of "enlightenment" at the end, this is a remarkably stupid film.

D

I'm very disappointed you didn't like it. I thought by the end, you'd be convinced the violence was there for the reason they give. I don't agree that it's pointless and I find the psychological aspect to be quite profound and real. You're not giving credit at all to the actresses in this film, which I feel adds significantly to how this movie hits home. They were perfect. A lot of the times in horror we see a "psycho" and they're running around with a chainsaw (American Psycho.. how cliche), in this case it's a knife, and we happen to see reasoning for it...what's the difference? By the time we reach the ending 15 minutes, we're way past anything that could be conceived as pointless or crude. I love the way this film stages. I love the ending 15 minutes, and I love the final shot. This is still my favorite horror film of the year.

[Dukefrukem]

This reminds me of Die You Zombie Bastards!

[Dead & Messed Up]

I'm very disappointed you didn't like it. I thought by the end, you'd be convinced the violence was there for the reason they give. I don't agree that it's pointless and I find the psychological aspect to be quite profound and real. You're not giving credit at all to the actresses in this film, which I feel adds significantly to how this movie hits home. They were perfect. A lot of the times in horror we see a "psycho" and they're running around with a chainsaw (American Psycho.. how cliche), in this case it's a knife, and we happen to see reasoning for it...what's the difference? By the time we reach the ending 15 minutes, we're way past anything that could be conceived as pointless or crude. I love the way this film stages. I love the ending 15 minutes, and I love the final shot. This is still my favorite horror film of the year.

By all means, dude, I can see why you respect it. I do not fault Laugier's direction (which is effective and precise), nor do I fault the actresses, who really do give it their all. In the back of my head, I was constantly thinking of how fearless they were to take on such grim roles.

But I cannot reconcile the eventual goal with the path that led to it. The violence is simply too much for me. It doesn't balance. It feels too easy. It feels too self-serving. I can't help thinking that Laugier wrote himself a license to wallow in the lowest pit of human grotesquerie.

[Dukefrukem]

By all means, dude, I can see why you respect it. I do not fault Laugier's direction (which is effective and precise), nor do I fault the actresses, who really do give it their all. In the back of my head, I was constantly thinking of how fearless they were to take on such grim roles.

But I cannot reconcile the eventual goal with the path that led to it. The violence is simply too much for me. It doesn't balance. It feels too easy. It feels too self-serving. I can't help thinking that Laugier wrote himself a license to wallow in the lowest pit of human grotesquerie.

I would hope you'd also feel the same way about both Hostel movies, all of the saw movies (with the exception of maybe the first) and every cannibal movie ever made... I find those movies to be pure unnecessary violence to which the eventual goal is just escaping the violence that is brought to the main characters. Hell even the Hostel plot is to inflict torture on someone for no reason except for the thrill of it. At least Martyrs has taken a new direction...and with some style; I find it more believable than the movies I just listed.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I would hope you'd also feel the same way about both Hostel movies, all of the saw movies (with the exception of maybe the first) and every cannibal movie ever made... I find those movies to be pure unnecessary violence to which the eventual goal is just escaping the violence that is brought to the main characters. Hell even the Hostel plot is to inflict torture on someone for no reason except for the thrill of it. At least Martyrs has taken a new direction...and with some style; I find it more believable than the movies I just listed.

I don't believe I have to feel the same way about all the films you listed, because those films have different approaches to their violence, and different stories, and different underlying goals.

[Dukefrukem]

I don't believe I have to feel the same way about all the films you listed, because those films have different approaches to their violence, and different stories, and different underlying goals.

Then you feel those goals, stories and violence are better executed than Martyrs?

[Dead & Messed Up]

The you feel those goals, stories and violence are better executed than Martyrs?

I'd have to take it on a case-by-case basis, since I dislike most of the Saw films, Hostel Part II, and most of the overtly gory films I've ever seen. As I said, I have a low tolerance for unflinching, realistic, continual gore.

If you want to compare this film to Hostel and say it's better, then we can have that debate.

[Grouchy]

You know a Horror movie has gone wrong when you start laughing at the scares. That's what happened to me with The Unborn. In fact, I think the basic premise is a good one, but it relies so heavily on sound scares and clichés that it's totally wasted. The lead actress is a pain in the ass (well, it's a gorgeous ass, but still), her black sidekick is a laugh for all the wrong reasons, and Gary Oldman is a glorified cameo. Despite the overabundance of scary scenes, the only one that managed to hit a nerve is the one at the old people's home with the guy walking backwards, and that was burglary both from The Exorcist and Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness.

To make a long story short, it sucks. Although the last movie Goyer wrote and directed was Blade: Trinity, so I don't know what I was expecting from this.

[megladon8]

Ugh.

David Goyer needs to disappear.

[Grouchy]

Ugh.

David Goyer needs to disappear.

But he wrote your favorite movie!

[megladon8]

But he wrote your favorite movie!

No, I don't really have a favorite movie anymore.

Even saying Blade Runner is my favorite doesn't feel right.

[Dukefrukem]

That's too bad for me that Unborn sucks. I'm planning on blind buying it at some point.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Dream Cruise

The last episode of the unfortunately canceled Masters of Horror, Norio Tsuruta's contribution plays like a reinterpretation of Polanski's Knife on the Water, as a love triangle cooks under the pressure of a seemingly innocent boat trip. Tsuruta manages a bit of style, emphasizing the greys and blues of the setting and allowing some scenes to play in one take. However, the restrictions of the MoH format prove clear, as the conversations between the fluent Japanese and American actor Daniel Gillies are often poorly timed, and sometimes in need of new translation. Had Tsuruta been allowed to hire a native actor instead of Gillies, some of the problems may have been smoothed over. As it is, though, the episode isn't offensively bad. It's just bad enough to keep the good from surfacing.

C

The Sentinel

If you thought The Omen was overwrought, take note: The Sentinel is even worse (or better). Cristina Raines stars as Alison Parker, a beautiful model who's desperate for a reasonable New York rent. She finds the ideal room, with one small caveat: it's the gateway to Hell. Proof: in one scene, she watches helplessly as Beverly D'angelo masturbates to orgasm. Chris Sarandon plays Alison's boyfriend Michael, bringing a sturdy confidence that would later work as villainy (The Princess Bride) and heroism (Child's Play). Uncomfortable scenes with deformed people playing Hell's denizens are thankfully balanced by the bizarre star power. Balsam! Gardner! Walken! Goldblum! Together at last!

B-

[Rowland]

Has anyone seen the 1931 version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde? It's amazing.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Has anyone seen the 1931 version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde? It's amazing.

01. Peeping Tom
02. The Bridge Over the River Kwai
03. Vampyr
04. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)
05. Rashomon
06. Drag Me to Hell
07. Watchmen
08. Let the Right One In
09. Bug
10. Transsiberian

ritch:

[Rowland]

ritch:

It's easily the most lurid pre-code picture I've seen. I mean my god, that POV strip-tease!