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Horror Fan Era: Eternally Overlooked
- Thread starter Hex
- Start date
I'll second The Void, it's pretty good for a low-budget affair that seemed to come out of nowhere. Really good, gooey creature effects. The ending is...hmm. It's something.
Not sure if either of them are on the chosen streaming services, but if you haven't seen em, definitely Re-Animator and From Beyond. Stuart Gordon's Masters of Horror episode Dreams in the Witch-House would be a good choice as well.
Yeah, third on The Void as well. I kind of forgot about that movie (saw it at a festival screening last winter), but I remember enjoying it. The ending was definitely something though.
I've seen Reanimator, love it. I did not know anyone ever adapted Dreams in the Witch House, I loved that story, will hunt that down.
I have a feeling I've seen From Beyond.
Thanks
Oh holy shit yes, ditto Re-Animator and From Beyond, particularly the latter as it is far more WTF (in a good Lovecrafty way) than the former.
Hey fam,
We have our latest episode of Thirteenth Floor's podcast "Choke On It" put up. The topic is sexual assault and the "rape-revenge" sub-genre. M.F.A. is the film focused on the most. Links if you're interested in listening:
Google Play Audio Only:
https://play.google.com/music/m/Inbhcizbckz2zezwny7nha2zlmi?t=CHOKE_ON_IT
Main Thirteenth Floor post (has links to download and view on YouTube)
http://www.ttf13.com/podcasts/mfa-and-sexual-assault
If anyone here has any suggestions to help us improve our fledgling podcast, feel free to PM me or post here. It's really tough running a news and reviews site, let alone publishing original content. We have a lot to learn and we're very much receptive to suggestions, or contributions.
We have our latest episode of Thirteenth Floor's podcast "Choke On It" put up. The topic is sexual assault and the "rape-revenge" sub-genre. M.F.A. is the film focused on the most. Links if you're interested in listening:
Google Play Audio Only:
https://play.google.com/music/m/Inbhcizbckz2zezwny7nha2zlmi?t=CHOKE_ON_IT
Main Thirteenth Floor post (has links to download and view on YouTube)
http://www.ttf13.com/podcasts/mfa-and-sexual-assault
If anyone here has any suggestions to help us improve our fledgling podcast, feel free to PM me or post here. It's really tough running a news and reviews site, let alone publishing original content. We have a lot to learn and we're very much receptive to suggestions, or contributions.
So I checked out this decently creepy youtube series called Hi I'm Mary Mary about a girl who wakes up trapped in a house with no memory outside her name. Creepy shenanigans ensue as everything, including her, is just a bit off. Little note, if you're googling the series, its hiimmarymary as in one word, otherwise you get just a bunch of people named Mary talking about their days and stuff.
Finally got around to watching IT.
I was not super impressed. I mean, it was OK? But everyone was going bananas for it, so I suspect I got a bit hyped. Not a BAD movie, but not something I'm telling all my friends to run out see ASAP.
I was not super impressed. I mean, it was OK? But everyone was going bananas for it, so I suspect I got a bit hyped. Not a BAD movie, but not something I'm telling all my friends to run out see ASAP.
Interesting. I was bored mindless up until the twist.
I'm enjoying this. The
shadow person
It helped that my coworker told me it was funny and not scary so that's what I expected and that's what i got. The only scary part for me was
the library scene, especially when the librarian is behind him out of focus but you can tell she has a huge grin. Him turning the pages and having the picture get closer and closer was scary too
I liked the void. Posted something to that effect to get trolled on GaEFFF. I don't think it had a big budget but it was actually really effective
Loved it when I saw it AUS at the Sydney film festival. Wrote a thread about it but no one cared on the other forum. It's great. Lots of unexpected things is all I'll say. Very very good with strong performances
Gonna have to watch that scene again. I totally didn't notice that.
Also got a copy of Clown (from 2014). It doesn't look terrible. Going to give it a watch soon. That and Get Out. I still haven't seen it.
I watched Bedeviled on Netflix. It was OK as a teen jump scare movie. The best kind of contrivances in plot for this fashion of horror film. Unfortunately it just wasn't really scary.
Haha, I thought you meant Bedevilled, the Korean movie, for a second.
(That was a pretty good revenge thriller, if you are interested.)
Depending on what you like most about Lovecraft's writing, let me recommend Cthulhu (2007) and The Borderlands. To me, these are movies that capture the spirit of Lovecraft's horror. Cthulhu in particular is woefully underrated. Not sure if they're available on any of those services I'm afraid, but if they pop up, jump on them.
The ending of The Void was a shot for shot remake of the ending of Fulci's The Beyond.
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Thanks for the unmarked spoilers. No need to see The Void then, now that I know how it ends.
The ending sucked anyway. Watch it for the first half. That was the best part. Which I kind of want to rewatch it myself. The movie wasn't great but it's like some odd tentacle beast has hold and tugs every so often to draw me back lol That and Baskin keeps pulling me back for a rewatch. Both had poor endings but the lead ups are awesome for me.
It's unforgivable to randomly spoil the ending though. Ignore & report.
Okay, for you ghouls who were part of the 31 Days of Horror thread on our previous dwelling, here's the better late than never finale to my list. Apologies if anyone actually noticed I never finished my write-ups and was waiting for them. The forum migration and a touch of upheaval in my life gave me the opportunity to be lazy and man, I took it.
I figured I'd better get this finished before that holiday rolled around, and before I knew it, it came creeping up on me with cold, dead fingers. The end is nigh! So belated Happy Halloween, and Merry Christmas.
24) The Mutilator (1984) (Oct 25)
The Mutilator was introduced to me in a previous year of the marathon and I've had it sitting around for a while, so I made sure to include it this year. It's a micro-budget slasher with a bizarre tone, awful acting and just overall weird as hell, but still manages to be very entertaining.
The setup for the killer is very unique and some of these kills... damn. If you've seen it you know what I'm talking about. It also has quite possibly the best final scare that's typical of slashers I've ever seen. Great ending.
I'm giving this a score of average for the obvious limitations caused by the budget, but it's still recommended for some really shocking high points. 2.5 / 5
25) The Final Girls (2015) (Oct 26)
Another one I've had sitting around and decided to get to this year due to the praise in the thread. I don't really have too much to say about The Final Girls, but it was clever and full of fun characters. Also, it was surprisingly sweet which was a nice change of pace from the other movies I've watched during the month.
I didn't really think the PG-13 rating would bother me since it was a comedy, but there were definitely times where they really should have gone a little further with things to help sell the jokes. Overall though, I really enjoyed it.
Recommended. 3 / 5
26) The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh (Lo strano vizio della signora Wardh) (1971) (Oct 27)
Never before has a giallo giallo'd as much giallo as The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh.
Seriously, this is perhaps the most giallo movie I've ever seen. I really wish I had written this review right after watching the movie, not 2 months later because there's so much to say about a movie like this and my memory is fading.
While not as influential as Bava or Argento, director Sergio Martino is best known for his giallo work, many of which featured "Queen of the Giallo", Edwige Fenech. Fenech plays the titular role here and is always a joy to watch. While it was his first giallo, Martino plays with typical genre elements as well as injecting unexpected twists and creates a fresh, exciting film. As usual for my gialli reviews, I won't be going into plot details because it's best to watch this one unfold on your own.
Giallo fans, The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh should definitely be on your list if you don't mind your gialli a little on the sleazy side. Sergio Martino's films certainly aren't as classy as Mario Bava's, but we're not exactly getting into Andrea Bianchi territory here either.
Highly Recommended. 4 / 5
27) Four Flies on Grey Velvet (4 mosche di velluto grigio) (1971) (Oct 28)
Considered a "lost" film for a time, Four Flies on Grey Velvet was the finale of Dario Argento's "Animal Trilogy" and planned to be his final giallo before moving on to other genres. Thankfully for us, his next film (the comedy Le cinque giornate) performed poorly and he returned to giallo with one of his finest works, Deep Red.
Unavailable on home video until 2009, with the single exception of an out-of-print French VHS, Four Flies on Grey Velvet is probably more interesting as a novelty thanks to its history than the film itself. The modern release has been reconstructed from various sources including SD video inserts and an incomplete English track. A few lines switch over to the Italian audio, mainly at the end of the film, which proves to be rather distracting when you really don't want to be distracted.
That's not to say the film isn't worthwhile. It's a decent entry and while still an early Argento work, it shows signs of energetic style that he'd later cement with films such as Deep Red, Suspiria and Tenebrae. You can definitely see the seeds of what would later become Deep Red here. It also features a rather unique tone for a giallo where it features a very colourful cast of characters (including a rather... dated portrayal of gay characters) and quite a bit of comedy.
It's bogged down by an unfortunate major plot device used that relates to the title of the film which is a little too ridiculous by today's standards. Maybe audiences were more willing to suspend their disbelief in 1971, or maybe it was always dumb. The world may never know. Overall though, I'd say it's worth checking out.
Recommended. 3 / 5
28) The Lair of the White Worm (1988) (Oct 28)
Another one I don't have much to say about, but The Lair of the White Worm was an interesting reminder of how unique and weird 80s horror movies were. It was actually pretty refreshing to watch and reminded me quite a bit in tone to An American Werewolf in London. They'd make an excellent double feature for anyone who hasn't seen them.
Recommended. 3 / 5
29) The Unholy (1988) (Oct 29)
And continuing on with 80s horror movies, we have a slightly more serious effort with The Unholy. A religious themed movie where a priest becomes the target for a demon who takes the form of a beautiful woman and uses temptation and seduction.
Stern-faced Ben Cross leads this one, and makes for great casting choice to play the priest as does Nicole Fortier who plays the female form of the demon. She may not have much to do acting wise, but she's an image you'll remember for sure.
I believe The Unholy has a bit of a cult following due it it not being released on a digital format in North America until it making the jump to DVD in 2012 in a multi-film discount bin collection. Other than some cool visuals here and there and a nutty final act there really isn't much to this one though. It's pretty slow and plodding and doesn't really live up to its cult status.
Decent, but probably safe to Skip. 2.5 / 5
30) Patchwork (2015) (Oct 30)
Patchwork is basically one long Re-Animator homage with a little Frankenhooker thrown in to be safe. It's surprisingly well done for what I can only assume was a tiny budget. As usual with these kinds of films, I feel they could have gone a little crazier at points, like the insane final acts of the films they're paying homage too, but overall I think they did a good job with what they had and it's a fun enough diversion.
Decent. 2.5 / 5
31) Martin (1978) (Oct 31)
In tribute to George Romero I had planned to watch The Crazies, but I didn't get the Blu-ray in time so I substituted in Martin. I'm not really a huge vampire fan (especially the modern portrayals) so going in blind to Martin I wasn't expecting much. I do enjoy vampire movies that take a different approach, especially if they treat vampirism as more of a sickness (for example, I loved Blood for Dracula). Luckily for me, my fears were put at rest in the opening scene when we see Martin's first attack.
While it's a slow moving, bland looking movie where not a lot happens, it's a really unique take on vampirism and the ending was great. I was quite pleased with the way this one turned out and am glad I had to substitute it in. Best of all, now I still have The Crazies to look forward to next year.
Recommended. 3 / 5
Bonus 09) Night of the Living Dead (1968) (Oct 31) (rewatch)
I'm a zombie guy. While I've always liked horror movies growing up, I probably wouldn't be as serious of a horror fan as I am today if it wasn't for zombie movies. Clearly I couldn't do a marathon dedicated to the memory of Romero in the year of his passing without revisiting his most famous work, Night of the Living Dead.
I don't know what else I can say about the granddaddy of them all. The zombies are still terrifying, Ben is still awesome, Barbra is still frustrating and Johnny is still an asshole. It's still a masterpiece.
Thank you George, and R.I.P.
Final Viewed List (2017):
01) Gerald's Game (2017) (Oct 1) - 4 / 5
02) Hatchet for the Honeymoon (Il rosso segno della follia) (1970) (Oct 3) - 4 / 5
03) The Stepfather (1987) (Oct 3) - 3 / 5
04) Possession (1981) (Oct 4) - 4 / 5
05) Touch of Death (Quando Alice ruppe lo specchio) (1988) (Oct 5) - 2 / 5
06) A Cat in the Brain (Un gatto nel cervello) (1990) (Oct 5) - 3 / 5
07) The Funhouse (1981) (Oct 7) - 2.5 / 5
Bonus 01) The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) (Oct 7) (rewatch)
08) Rosemary's Baby (1968) (Oct 08) - 5 / 5
09) The Backcoat's Daughter (February) (2015) (Oct 9) - 4 / 5
10) The Love Witch (2016) (Oct 10) - 1 / 5
11) The Wolf Man (1941) (Oct 11) - 3 / 5
12) The Greasy Strangler (2016) (Oct 12) - 3.5 / 5
13) What We Become (Sorgenfri) (2015) (Oct 13) - 3 / 5
Bonus 02) Friday the 13th (2009) (Oct 13) (rewatch)
14) Saturday the 14th (1981) (Oct 14) - 1 / 5
15) Better Watch Out (2016) (Oct 15) - 4 / 5
Bonus 03) Child's Play (1988) (Oct 15) (rewatch)
16) The Babysitter (2017) (Oct 16) - 4 / 5
Bonus 04) Child's Play 2 (1990) (Oct 16) (rewatch)
Bonus 05) Child's Play 3 (1991) (Oct 16) (rewatch)
17) Death Smiles on a Murderer (La morte ha sorriso all'assassino) (1973) (Oct 17) - 3.5 / 5
Bonus 06) Bride of Chucky (1998) (Oct 17) (rewatch)
Bonus 07) Seed of Chucky (Oct 18) (rewatch)
18) Phantasm IV: Oblivion (1998) (Oct 19) - 2.5 / 5
19) Phantasm: Ravager (2016) (Oct 20) - 1.5 / 5
Bonus 08) Curse of Chucky (2013) (Oct 20) (rewatch)
20) Cult of Chucky (2017) (Oct 21) - 4 / 5
21) The Kiss of the Vampire (1963) (Oct 22) - 3.5 / 5
22) Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966) (Oct 24) - 4 / 5
23) Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968) (Oct 25) - 3.5 / 5
24) The Mutilator (1984) (Oct 25) - 2.5 / 5
25) The Final Girls (2015) (Oct 26) - 3 / 5
26) The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh (Lo strano vizio della signora Wardh) (1971) (Oct 27) - 4 / 5
27) Four Flies on Grey Velvet (4 mosche di velluto grigio) (1971) (Oct 28) - 3 / 5
28) The Lair of the White Worm (1988) (Oct 28) - 3 / 5
29) The Unholy (1988) (Oct 29) - 2.5 / 5
30) Patchwork (2015) (Oct 30) - 2.5 / 5
31) Martin (1978) (Oct 31) - 3 / 5
Bonus 09) Night of the Living Dead (1968) (Oct 31) (rewatch)
Postmortem:
Number of New Movies Watched: 31
Number of Bonus Movies: 9
Highlights: Gerald's Game, Possession, The Backcoat's Daughter, Better Watch Out, Cult of Chucky, The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh
Best Overall: Rosemary's Baby
Biggest Surprise: Death Smiles on a Murderer
Complete Crap: The Love Witch
Biggest Disappointment: Saturday the 14th
Biggest Blasphemy: Calling The Love Witch a comedy
Best Kill:
from Touch of Death.
Most Messed Up Kill:
in The Mutilator. You know the one I'm talking about.
Babysitter Fatalities: 3
Best Character: Tiffany in the Chucky series
Worst Character: Franklin in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
Bullshit Artist: Big Ronnie in The Greasy Strangler
Cutest Dog: Rinnie (?) in The Stepfather
Least Cute Dog: The stray in Gerald's Game
Most Icky: Tie (for totally different reasons): Gerald's Game and The Greasy Strangler
Most Vomit Inducing Line: "Looks like a massive mouse's head." from The Greasy Strangler
Best Fashion Sense: Big Ronnie in The Greasy Strangler
Second Best Fashion Sense: Chucky in the Chucky series
Too Old to Still Be Calling Himself "McG": McG
Number of Movies That Start With "The" in the Title: 14
Most "What the FUCK?": Possession
Boy, that Escalated Quickly: The Stepfather
Boy, that Escalated Slowly: Rosemary's Baby
I figured I'd better get this finished before that holiday rolled around, and before I knew it, it came creeping up on me with cold, dead fingers. The end is nigh! So belated Happy Halloween, and Merry Christmas.
24) The Mutilator (1984) (Oct 25)
The Mutilator was introduced to me in a previous year of the marathon and I've had it sitting around for a while, so I made sure to include it this year. It's a micro-budget slasher with a bizarre tone, awful acting and just overall weird as hell, but still manages to be very entertaining.
The setup for the killer is very unique and some of these kills... damn. If you've seen it you know what I'm talking about. It also has quite possibly the best final scare that's typical of slashers I've ever seen. Great ending.
I'm giving this a score of average for the obvious limitations caused by the budget, but it's still recommended for some really shocking high points. 2.5 / 5
25) The Final Girls (2015) (Oct 26)
Another one I've had sitting around and decided to get to this year due to the praise in the thread. I don't really have too much to say about The Final Girls, but it was clever and full of fun characters. Also, it was surprisingly sweet which was a nice change of pace from the other movies I've watched during the month.
I didn't really think the PG-13 rating would bother me since it was a comedy, but there were definitely times where they really should have gone a little further with things to help sell the jokes. Overall though, I really enjoyed it.
Recommended. 3 / 5
26) The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh (Lo strano vizio della signora Wardh) (1971) (Oct 27)
Never before has a giallo giallo'd as much giallo as The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh.
Seriously, this is perhaps the most giallo movie I've ever seen. I really wish I had written this review right after watching the movie, not 2 months later because there's so much to say about a movie like this and my memory is fading.
While not as influential as Bava or Argento, director Sergio Martino is best known for his giallo work, many of which featured "Queen of the Giallo", Edwige Fenech. Fenech plays the titular role here and is always a joy to watch. While it was his first giallo, Martino plays with typical genre elements as well as injecting unexpected twists and creates a fresh, exciting film. As usual for my gialli reviews, I won't be going into plot details because it's best to watch this one unfold on your own.
Giallo fans, The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh should definitely be on your list if you don't mind your gialli a little on the sleazy side. Sergio Martino's films certainly aren't as classy as Mario Bava's, but we're not exactly getting into Andrea Bianchi territory here either.
Highly Recommended. 4 / 5
27) Four Flies on Grey Velvet (4 mosche di velluto grigio) (1971) (Oct 28)
Considered a "lost" film for a time, Four Flies on Grey Velvet was the finale of Dario Argento's "Animal Trilogy" and planned to be his final giallo before moving on to other genres. Thankfully for us, his next film (the comedy Le cinque giornate) performed poorly and he returned to giallo with one of his finest works, Deep Red.
Unavailable on home video until 2009, with the single exception of an out-of-print French VHS, Four Flies on Grey Velvet is probably more interesting as a novelty thanks to its history than the film itself. The modern release has been reconstructed from various sources including SD video inserts and an incomplete English track. A few lines switch over to the Italian audio, mainly at the end of the film, which proves to be rather distracting when you really don't want to be distracted.
That's not to say the film isn't worthwhile. It's a decent entry and while still an early Argento work, it shows signs of energetic style that he'd later cement with films such as Deep Red, Suspiria and Tenebrae. You can definitely see the seeds of what would later become Deep Red here. It also features a rather unique tone for a giallo where it features a very colourful cast of characters (including a rather... dated portrayal of gay characters) and quite a bit of comedy.
It's bogged down by an unfortunate major plot device used that relates to the title of the film which is a little too ridiculous by today's standards. Maybe audiences were more willing to suspend their disbelief in 1971, or maybe it was always dumb. The world may never know. Overall though, I'd say it's worth checking out.
Recommended. 3 / 5
28) The Lair of the White Worm (1988) (Oct 28)
Another one I don't have much to say about, but The Lair of the White Worm was an interesting reminder of how unique and weird 80s horror movies were. It was actually pretty refreshing to watch and reminded me quite a bit in tone to An American Werewolf in London. They'd make an excellent double feature for anyone who hasn't seen them.
Recommended. 3 / 5
29) The Unholy (1988) (Oct 29)
And continuing on with 80s horror movies, we have a slightly more serious effort with The Unholy. A religious themed movie where a priest becomes the target for a demon who takes the form of a beautiful woman and uses temptation and seduction.
Stern-faced Ben Cross leads this one, and makes for great casting choice to play the priest as does Nicole Fortier who plays the female form of the demon. She may not have much to do acting wise, but she's an image you'll remember for sure.
I believe The Unholy has a bit of a cult following due it it not being released on a digital format in North America until it making the jump to DVD in 2012 in a multi-film discount bin collection. Other than some cool visuals here and there and a nutty final act there really isn't much to this one though. It's pretty slow and plodding and doesn't really live up to its cult status.
Decent, but probably safe to Skip. 2.5 / 5
30) Patchwork (2015) (Oct 30)
Patchwork is basically one long Re-Animator homage with a little Frankenhooker thrown in to be safe. It's surprisingly well done for what I can only assume was a tiny budget. As usual with these kinds of films, I feel they could have gone a little crazier at points, like the insane final acts of the films they're paying homage too, but overall I think they did a good job with what they had and it's a fun enough diversion.
Decent. 2.5 / 5
31) Martin (1978) (Oct 31)
In tribute to George Romero I had planned to watch The Crazies, but I didn't get the Blu-ray in time so I substituted in Martin. I'm not really a huge vampire fan (especially the modern portrayals) so going in blind to Martin I wasn't expecting much. I do enjoy vampire movies that take a different approach, especially if they treat vampirism as more of a sickness (for example, I loved Blood for Dracula). Luckily for me, my fears were put at rest in the opening scene when we see Martin's first attack.
While it's a slow moving, bland looking movie where not a lot happens, it's a really unique take on vampirism and the ending was great. I was quite pleased with the way this one turned out and am glad I had to substitute it in. Best of all, now I still have The Crazies to look forward to next year.
Recommended. 3 / 5
Bonus 09) Night of the Living Dead (1968) (Oct 31) (rewatch)
I'm a zombie guy. While I've always liked horror movies growing up, I probably wouldn't be as serious of a horror fan as I am today if it wasn't for zombie movies. Clearly I couldn't do a marathon dedicated to the memory of Romero in the year of his passing without revisiting his most famous work, Night of the Living Dead.
I don't know what else I can say about the granddaddy of them all. The zombies are still terrifying, Ben is still awesome, Barbra is still frustrating and Johnny is still an asshole. It's still a masterpiece.
Thank you George, and R.I.P.
Final Viewed List (2017):
01) Gerald's Game (2017) (Oct 1) - 4 / 5
02) Hatchet for the Honeymoon (Il rosso segno della follia) (1970) (Oct 3) - 4 / 5
03) The Stepfather (1987) (Oct 3) - 3 / 5
04) Possession (1981) (Oct 4) - 4 / 5
05) Touch of Death (Quando Alice ruppe lo specchio) (1988) (Oct 5) - 2 / 5
06) A Cat in the Brain (Un gatto nel cervello) (1990) (Oct 5) - 3 / 5
07) The Funhouse (1981) (Oct 7) - 2.5 / 5
Bonus 01) The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) (Oct 7) (rewatch)
08) Rosemary's Baby (1968) (Oct 08) - 5 / 5
09) The Backcoat's Daughter (February) (2015) (Oct 9) - 4 / 5
10) The Love Witch (2016) (Oct 10) - 1 / 5
11) The Wolf Man (1941) (Oct 11) - 3 / 5
12) The Greasy Strangler (2016) (Oct 12) - 3.5 / 5
13) What We Become (Sorgenfri) (2015) (Oct 13) - 3 / 5
Bonus 02) Friday the 13th (2009) (Oct 13) (rewatch)
14) Saturday the 14th (1981) (Oct 14) - 1 / 5
15) Better Watch Out (2016) (Oct 15) - 4 / 5
Bonus 03) Child's Play (1988) (Oct 15) (rewatch)
16) The Babysitter (2017) (Oct 16) - 4 / 5
Bonus 04) Child's Play 2 (1990) (Oct 16) (rewatch)
Bonus 05) Child's Play 3 (1991) (Oct 16) (rewatch)
17) Death Smiles on a Murderer (La morte ha sorriso all'assassino) (1973) (Oct 17) - 3.5 / 5
Bonus 06) Bride of Chucky (1998) (Oct 17) (rewatch)
Bonus 07) Seed of Chucky (Oct 18) (rewatch)
18) Phantasm IV: Oblivion (1998) (Oct 19) - 2.5 / 5
19) Phantasm: Ravager (2016) (Oct 20) - 1.5 / 5
Bonus 08) Curse of Chucky (2013) (Oct 20) (rewatch)
20) Cult of Chucky (2017) (Oct 21) - 4 / 5
21) The Kiss of the Vampire (1963) (Oct 22) - 3.5 / 5
22) Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966) (Oct 24) - 4 / 5
23) Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968) (Oct 25) - 3.5 / 5
24) The Mutilator (1984) (Oct 25) - 2.5 / 5
25) The Final Girls (2015) (Oct 26) - 3 / 5
26) The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh (Lo strano vizio della signora Wardh) (1971) (Oct 27) - 4 / 5
27) Four Flies on Grey Velvet (4 mosche di velluto grigio) (1971) (Oct 28) - 3 / 5
28) The Lair of the White Worm (1988) (Oct 28) - 3 / 5
29) The Unholy (1988) (Oct 29) - 2.5 / 5
30) Patchwork (2015) (Oct 30) - 2.5 / 5
31) Martin (1978) (Oct 31) - 3 / 5
Bonus 09) Night of the Living Dead (1968) (Oct 31) (rewatch)
Postmortem:
Number of New Movies Watched: 31
Number of Bonus Movies: 9
Highlights: Gerald's Game, Possession, The Backcoat's Daughter, Better Watch Out, Cult of Chucky, The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh
Best Overall: Rosemary's Baby
Biggest Surprise: Death Smiles on a Murderer
Complete Crap: The Love Witch
Biggest Disappointment: Saturday the 14th
Biggest Blasphemy: Calling The Love Witch a comedy
Best Kill:
Eye knocked out and skull split open by a log, and then head shoved in a microwave and face melted off
Most Messed Up Kill:
The hook and axe
Babysitter Fatalities: 3
Best Character: Tiffany in the Chucky series
Worst Character: Franklin in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
Bullshit Artist: Big Ronnie in The Greasy Strangler
Cutest Dog: Rinnie (?) in The Stepfather
Least Cute Dog: The stray in Gerald's Game
Most Icky: Tie (for totally different reasons): Gerald's Game and The Greasy Strangler
Most Vomit Inducing Line: "Looks like a massive mouse's head." from The Greasy Strangler
Best Fashion Sense: Big Ronnie in The Greasy Strangler
Second Best Fashion Sense: Chucky in the Chucky series
Too Old to Still Be Calling Himself "McG": McG
Number of Movies That Start With "The" in the Title: 14
Most "What the FUCK?": Possession
Boy, that Escalated Quickly: The Stepfather
Boy, that Escalated Slowly: Rosemary's Baby
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What's some good, recent Japanese horror films. Like, past 5 years or so? I've been catching up on some interesting looking ones that were a bit older and want something recent. Doesn't matter how absurd or grotesque (speaking of Grotesque was awesome), just want some scary.
ThirstyFly I believe Final Girls was originally written to be R-rated but it became a case of "cut out the hard shit or you don't get money," so they had to snip-snip.
Speaking of financing: I hope somebody opens up their deep pockets and helps get the sequel made.
Speaking of financing: I hope somebody opens up their deep pockets and helps get the sequel made.
That's disappointing, but understandable considering the tone and young cast.
Okay, for you ghouls who were part of the 31 Days of Horror thread on our previous dwelling, here's the better late than never finale to my list. Apologies if anyone actually noticed I never finished my write-ups and was waiting for them. The forum migration and a touch of upheaval in my life gave me the opportunity to be lazy and man, I took it.
I figured I'd better get this finished before that holiday rolled around, and before I knew it, it came creeping up on me with cold, dead fingers. The end is nigh! So belated Happy Halloween, and Merry Christmas.
24) The Mutilator (1984) (Oct 25)
The Mutilator was introduced to me in a previous year of the marathon and I've had it sitting around for a while, so I made sure to include it this year. It's a micro-budget slasher with a bizarre tone, awful acting and just overall weird as hell, but still manages to be very entertaining.
The setup for the killer is very unique and some of these kills... damn. If you've seen it you know what I'm talking about. It also has quite possibly the best final scare that's typical of slashers I've ever seen. Great ending.
I'm giving this a score of average for the obvious limitations caused by the budget, but it's still recommended for some really shocking high points. 2.5 / 5
25) The Final Girls (2015) (Oct 26)
Another one I've had sitting around and decided to get to this year due to the praise in the thread. I don't really have too much to say about The Final Girls, but it was clever and full of fun characters. Also, it was surprisingly sweet which was a nice change of pace from the other movies I've watched during the month.
I didn't really think the PG-13 rating would bother me since it was a comedy, but there were definitely times where they really should have gone a little further with things to help sell the jokes. Overall though, I really enjoyed it.
Recommended. 3 / 5
26) The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh (Lo strano vizio della signora Wardh) (1971) (Oct 27)
Never before has a giallo giallo'd as much giallo as The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh.
Seriously, this is perhaps the most giallo movie I've ever seen. I really wish I had written this review right after watching the movie, not 2 months later because there's so much to say about a movie like this and my memory is fading.
While not as influential as Bava or Argento, director Sergio Martino is best known for his giallo work, many of which featured "Queen of the Giallo", Edwige Fenech. Fenech plays the titular role here and is always a joy to watch. While it was his first giallo, Martino plays with typical genre elements as well as injecting unexpected twists and creates a fresh, exciting film. As usual for my gialli reviews, I won't be going into plot details because it's best to watch this one unfold on your own.
Giallo fans, The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh should definitely be on your list if you don't mind your gialli a little on the sleazy side. Sergio Martino's films certainly aren't as classy as Mario Bava's, but we're not exactly getting into Andrea Bianchi territory here either.
Highly Recommended. 4 / 5
27) Four Flies on Grey Velvet (4 mosche di velluto grigio) (1971) (Oct 28)
Considered a "lost" film for a time, Four Flies on Grey Velvet was the finale of Dario Argento's "Animal Trilogy" and planned to be his final giallo before moving on to other genres. Thankfully for us, his next film (the comedy Le cinque giornate) performed poorly and he returned to giallo with one of his finest works, Deep Red.
Unavailable on home video until 2009, with the single exception of an out-of-print French VHS, Four Flies on Grey Velvet is probably more interesting as a novelty thanks to its history than the film itself. The modern release has been reconstructed from various sources including SD video inserts and an incomplete English track. A few lines switch over to the Italian audio, mainly at the end of the film, which proves to be rather distracting when you really don't want to be distracted.
That's not to say the film isn't worthwhile. It's a decent entry and while still an early Argento work, it shows signs of energetic style that he'd later cement with films such as Deep Red, Suspiria and Tenebrae. You can definitely see the seeds of what would later become Deep Red here. It also features a rather unique tone for a giallo where it features a very colourful cast of characters (including a rather... dated portrayal of gay characters) and quite a bit of comedy.
It's bogged down by an unfortunate major plot device used that relates to the title of the film which is a little too ridiculous by today's standards. Maybe audiences were more willing to suspend their disbelief in 1971, or maybe it was always dumb. The world may never know. Overall though, I'd say it's worth checking out.
Recommended. 3 / 5
28) The Lair of the White Worm (1988) (Oct 28)
Another one I don't have much to say about, but The Lair of the White Worm was an interesting reminder of how unique and weird 80s horror movies were. It was actually pretty refreshing to watch and reminded me quite a bit in tone to An American Werewolf in London. They'd make an excellent double feature for anyone who hasn't seen them.
Recommended. 3 / 5
29) The Unholy (1988) (Oct 29)
And continuing on with 80s horror movies, we have a slightly more serious effort with The Unholy. A religious themed movie where a priest becomes the target for a demon who takes the form of a beautiful woman and uses temptation and seduction.
Stern-faced Ben Cross leads this one, and makes for great casting choice to play the priest as does Nicole Fortier who plays the female form of the demon. She may not have much to do acting wise, but she's an image you'll remember for sure.
I believe The Unholy has a bit of a cult following due it it not being released on a digital format in North America until it making the jump to DVD in 2012 in a multi-film discount bin collection. Other than some cool visuals here and there and a nutty final act there really isn't much to this one though. It's pretty slow and plodding and doesn't really live up to its cult status.
Decent, but probably safe to Skip. 2.5 / 5
30) Patchwork (2015) (Oct 30)
Patchwork is basically one long Re-Animator homage with a little Frankenhooker thrown in to be safe. It's surprisingly well done for what I can only assume was a tiny budget. As usual with these kinds of films, I feel they could have gone a little crazier at points, like the insane final acts of the films they're paying homage too, but overall I think they did a good job with what they had and it's a fun enough diversion.
Decent. 2.5 / 5
31) Martin (1978) (Oct 31)
In tribute to George Romero I had planned to watch The Crazies, but I didn't get the Blu-ray in time so I substituted in Martin. I'm not really a huge vampire fan (especially the modern portrayals) so going in blind to Martin I wasn't expecting much. I do enjoy vampire movies that take a different approach, especially if they treat vampirism as more of a sickness (for example, I loved Blood for Dracula). Luckily for me, my fears were put at rest in the opening scene when we see Martin's first attack.
While it's a slow moving, bland looking movie where not a lot happens, it's a really unique take on vampirism and the ending was great. I was quite pleased with the way this one turned out and am glad I had to substitute it in. Best of all, now I still have The Crazies to look forward to next year.
Recommended. 3 / 5
Bonus 09) Night of the Living Dead (1968) (Oct 31) (rewatch)
I'm a zombie guy. While I've always liked horror movies growing up, I probably wouldn't be as serious of a horror fan as I am today if it wasn't for zombie movies. Clearly I couldn't do a marathon dedicated to the memory of Romero in the year of his passing without revisiting his most famous work, Night of the Living Dead.
I don't know what else I can say about the granddaddy of them all. The zombies are still terrifying, Ben is still awesome, Barbra is still frustrating and Johnny is still an asshole. It's still a masterpiece.
Thank you George, and R.I.P.
Final Viewed List (2017):
01) Gerald's Game (2017) (Oct 1) - 4 / 5
02) Hatchet for the Honeymoon (Il rosso segno della follia) (1970) (Oct 3) - 4 / 5
03) The Stepfather (1987) (Oct 3) - 3 / 5
04) Possession (1981) (Oct 4) - 4 / 5
05) Touch of Death (Quando Alice ruppe lo specchio) (1988) (Oct 5) - 2 / 5
06) A Cat in the Brain (Un gatto nel cervello) (1990) (Oct 5) - 3 / 5
07) The Funhouse (1981) (Oct 7) - 2.5 / 5
Bonus 01) The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) (Oct 7) (rewatch)
08) Rosemary's Baby (1968) (Oct 08) - 5 / 5
09) The Backcoat's Daughter (February) (2015) (Oct 9) - 4 / 5
10) The Love Witch (2016) (Oct 10) - 1 / 5
11) The Wolf Man (1941) (Oct 11) - 3 / 5
12) The Greasy Strangler (2016) (Oct 12) - 3.5 / 5
13) What We Become (Sorgenfri) (2015) (Oct 13) - 3 / 5
Bonus 02) Friday the 13th (2009) (Oct 13) (rewatch)
14) Saturday the 14th (1981) (Oct 14) - 1 / 5
15) Better Watch Out (2016) (Oct 15) - 4 / 5
Bonus 03) Child's Play (1988) (Oct 15) (rewatch)
16) The Babysitter (2017) (Oct 16) - 4 / 5
Bonus 04) Child's Play 2 (1990) (Oct 16) (rewatch)
Bonus 05) Child's Play 3 (1991) (Oct 16) (rewatch)
17) Death Smiles on a Murderer (La morte ha sorriso all'assassino) (1973) (Oct 17) - 3.5 / 5
Bonus 06) Bride of Chucky (1998) (Oct 17) (rewatch)
Bonus 07) Seed of Chucky (Oct 18) (rewatch)
18) Phantasm IV: Oblivion (1998) (Oct 19) - 2.5 / 5
19) Phantasm: Ravager (2016) (Oct 20) - 1.5 / 5
Bonus 08) Curse of Chucky (2013) (Oct 20) (rewatch)
20) Cult of Chucky (2017) (Oct 21) - 4 / 5
21) The Kiss of the Vampire (1963) (Oct 22) - 3.5 / 5
22) Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966) (Oct 24) - 4 / 5
23) Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968) (Oct 25) - 3.5 / 5
24) The Mutilator (1984) (Oct 25) - 2.5 / 5
25) The Final Girls (2015) (Oct 26) - 3 / 5
26) The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh (Lo strano vizio della signora Wardh) (1971) (Oct 27) - 4 / 5
27) Four Flies on Grey Velvet (4 mosche di velluto grigio) (1971) (Oct 28) - 3 / 5
28) The Lair of the White Worm (1988) (Oct 28) - 3 / 5
29) The Unholy (1988) (Oct 29) - 2.5 / 5
30) Patchwork (2015) (Oct 30) - 2.5 / 5
31) Martin (1978) (Oct 31) - 3 / 5
Bonus 09) Night of the Living Dead (1968) (Oct 31) (rewatch)
Postmortem:
Number of New Movies Watched: 31
Number of Bonus Movies: 9
Highlights: Gerald's Game, Possession, The Backcoat's Daughter, Better Watch Out, Cult of Chucky, The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh
Best Overall: Rosemary's Baby
Biggest Surprise: Death Smiles on a Murderer
Complete Crap: The Love Witch
Biggest Disappointment: Saturday the 14th
Biggest Blasphemy: Calling The Love Witch a comedy
Best Kill:from Touch of Death.Eye knocked out and skull split open by a log, and then head shoved in a microwave and face melted off
Most Messed Up Kill:in The Mutilator. You know the one I'm talking about.The hook and axe
Babysitter Fatalities: 3
Best Character: Tiffany in the Chucky series
Worst Character: Franklin in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
Bullshit Artist: Big Ronnie in The Greasy Strangler
Cutest Dog: Rinnie (?) in The Stepfather
Least Cute Dog: The stray in Gerald's Game
Most Icky: Tie (for totally different reasons): Gerald's Game and The Greasy Strangler
Most Vomit Inducing Line: "Looks like a massive mouse's head." from The Greasy Strangler
Best Fashion Sense: Big Ronnie in The Greasy Strangler
Second Best Fashion Sense: Chucky in the Chucky series
Too Old to Still Be Calling Himself "McG": McG
Number of Movies That Start With "The" in the Title: 14
Most "What the FUCK?": Possession
Boy, that Escalated Quickly: The Stepfather
Boy, that Escalated Slowly: Rosemary's Baby
Holy brain dump two months in the works lol
So Krampus: The Christmas Devil (2013) is completely atrocious. Not one redeeming, so-bad-it's-funny thing about it. Awful acting, effects, cinematography and sound mixing. Should have gone with Santa's Slay.
Merry Christmas HorrorERA!
Merry Christmas HorrorERA!
Better Watch Out was decent. Go in blind though, I'd guess trailers will ruin it. Krampus is fun. Santa's Slay is really fun. Black Christmas is 70's slasher goodness. That's all I can think of off the top of my head. The snowman killer flick sucks, avoid it. You'll know it when you see it, Jack Frost I think. There are some funny lines but overall it's trash.
Edit: Rare Exports how can I forget that movie. Loved it! It's kind of the epitome of a Christmas tale lol.
Thx i will check those out :^)
And lol i was just going to mention Rare Exports! Because i saw it on this list yesterday, but the trailer looked off/boring, so its fun.
You're not alone!
I've seen it twice and hated it both times. First time by myself and the second time with someone who read the book, so I got a lot of insight at how it failed to live up to it on top of me hating Kubrick's direction.
I hated Insidious 1 and 2 AND skipped 3...but I'm excited for 4? The marketing looks awesome, Deborah Logan was awesome, and the release date is awesome.
All awesome, all around.
Rewatched IT recently. Film really bogs in the 2nd half, worse than I remember. Pennywise also peaked in the first scene (Georgie) and was downhill from there. Pretty dumb and pedestrian scares tbh.
Anyway, working on my horror script currently. Hoping for some traction with it.
Anyway, working on my horror script currently. Hoping for some traction with it.
Best movies I've seen in 2017 [Horrible Reviews]
I always get tons of recommendations from Jeroen's videos. The following stand out to me...
Boxer's Omen
Destruction Babies
Hobgoblins
Pieles (aka Skins)
Anybody have any thoughts on those in particular?
I always get tons of recommendations from Jeroen's videos. The following stand out to me...
Boxer's Omen
Destruction Babies
Hobgoblins
Pieles (aka Skins)
Anybody have any thoughts on those in particular?
Just got out of Insidious: The Last Key and uhhhh, what a bizarre movie. Also, like half the trailer didn't even make it into the final movie? There's a lot I liked about it but I think Leigh's writing is starting to drift a bit too far into comedy and it really messed with the tone of the film.
I will say tho that (mid grade spoilers)
I will say tho that (mid grade spoilers)
I really enjoyed how they fleshed out Elaine's backstory throughout the movie. I was kind of turned off at the beginning with the child abuse backstory, but it began to mesh well with the imagery and revelations about Elaine and the spirits that surround her. On top of that, it really showed that her eagerness to help spirits has made life horrible for those still living. It finally made the series feel like it was one long story, told out of order, about this woman and the grief her abilities have brought her and her loved ones.