-
Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
-
We have made minor adjustments to how the search bar works on ResetEra. You can read about the changes here.
31 Days of Horror (2018) - The October Movie Marathon
- Thread starter ThirstyFly
- Start date
9. Most Likely to Die (N) - I really liked the killer's design in the movie. The movie is roughly 75% enjoyable, but near the end right before the twist it just gets really dumb.
I've been wanting to this for a few years but I never feel I'll be able to commit but what the hell, I'll try it.
#1. Hold the Dark: More of a thriller than a horror but it had a few creepy moments here and there. Honestly, I was expecting a bit more from Saulnier but I enjoyed it. Well shot as expected but I felt like it ran out of steam about two thirds in.
#2. Insidious: Like a lot of these horror, they're interesting and creepy when their monster is kept mysterious but once they show more of it, I start to lose interest. Still enjoyable but ultimately, I will forget a lot of it.
#1. Hold the Dark: More of a thriller than a horror but it had a few creepy moments here and there. Honestly, I was expecting a bit more from Saulnier but I enjoyed it. Well shot as expected but I felt like it ran out of steam about two thirds in.
#2. Insidious: Like a lot of these horror, they're interesting and creepy when their monster is kept mysterious but once they show more of it, I start to lose interest. Still enjoyable but ultimately, I will forget a lot of it.
2. Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (1932): Pronounced "Jee-kul", as Robert Louis Stevenson intended. A good movie with unique ideas like having a first-person perspective in some shots (I wonder how they did this), as well as lingering wipe transitions. The transformation between Jekyll and Hyde is well done, but they don't show it at first. While Dr. Jekyll is certainly a gentleman with a wild idea, Mr. Hyde is the show-stealer, thanks to great makeup, writing, and Frederic March's acting. Also worth noting that since this is before the Code took effect in 1934, there's a surprising amount of sexual teasing in the beginning. While The Nutty Professor is a classic homage to the story, I think it'll be hard to top a straight adaptation.
Full list
Full list
1) Terrifier (2018)
★1/2
Just like Michael Myers in Carpenter's "Halloween", Art the Clown is a force of nature, an antagonist that does not need any motivation or complex background story. It is quite disappointing that he is stuck in one of the worst slashers imaginable, complete with painfully inane dialogue uttered by ditzy cardboard characters. Though the stylized grime works well as a throwback to the grisliest grindhouse flicks, there is such a thing as going overboard with your homage to B-movie sleaze. While the first 20 minutes create a certain sense of dread, "Terrifier" quickly runs out of ideas and the mindless slaughter becomes tedious. At least it's better than Rob Zombie's "31".
★1/2
Just like Michael Myers in Carpenter's "Halloween", Art the Clown is a force of nature, an antagonist that does not need any motivation or complex background story. It is quite disappointing that he is stuck in one of the worst slashers imaginable, complete with painfully inane dialogue uttered by ditzy cardboard characters. Though the stylized grime works well as a throwback to the grisliest grindhouse flicks, there is such a thing as going overboard with your homage to B-movie sleaze. While the first 20 minutes create a certain sense of dread, "Terrifier" quickly runs out of ideas and the mindless slaughter becomes tedious. At least it's better than Rob Zombie's "31".
Last edited:
so that's the name of that movie. i do recall watching this one one evening.
#3 - Night Angel (1990) - When I think of the days as a kid spent watching edited horror movie marathons back in the 90s on local TV, I used to thrive on cheap, low budget films that could only find an audience among hardcore horror enthusiasts usually found on USA's Up All Night. Among those films, a few stood out to me. Night Angel was one of them.
Released in 1990 (but completed in 1988), this movie deals with an art director for a fashion magazine (played by Mortal Kombat's Linden Ashby) who comes into contact with a sexy succubus that looks to seduce and murder men and women by placing them under a love spell to do her bidding, and murdering them. But when the art director falls in love with his boss's sister, can the power of love truly overcome evil?
Night Angel is a short, simplistic film that's actually pretty good. It doesn't take long to establish the characters, their roles, and who the obvious redshirts are. The succubus seduction/death scenes are surprisingly gory, and felt the wrath of the MPAA to tone them down for an R-rating. Lots of good practical effects here for such a low budget film. We even get a scene in a club that I dubbed the precursor to the infamous orgy scene in Event Horizon. The lead performances are passable, but not by much. Everyone else put on the most overacted, cheesy performance possible. The soundtrack is a mix of smooth jazz, lots of tribal drums, and a very out of place main tune featuring Screamin' Jay Hawkins. The tone of the film gives off a dark, seductive, sexy vibe throughout. A little more nudity, with less story, and I swear this would've been the most awkward soft-core porn, horror film ever.
If you like films similar to the Species series, or 2009s Splice, give Night Angel a shot. Just don't go in expecting anything near those levels in terms of production value or acting.
7 heart-ripping succubi needing A Morning After sang backwards out of 10
Sounds like Jeepers Creepers 2, but most of the details are off so probably not.
1. Bone Tomahawk
I've been meaning to watch this for a while now. At first glance, I thought it was just another western. Then I heard it had a horror element. Combine that with Kurt Russell and how could I say no?
I'll get it out of the way: didn't enjoy it. However, I did respect the approach. It would've been easy to treat it like another supernatural scarefest and it wasn't that. There are tense moments, but no prototypical jump scares. Almost everything that happens is well lit and/or in broad daylight. Everything that happens is presented unceremoniously and without the commonplace frills that are designed to trick you into feeling scared/etc. (no pronounced backing score, no obnoxious camera fuckery) Instead, you're confronted with some genuinely uncomfortable moments that feel refreshingly earnest in contemporary horror.
Pacing is what killed it. The introduction creates genuine interest, the setup happens quickly and then the journey is... long and surprisingly uneventful. When the encounter finally happens I was back in, but it just didn't feel like all the waiting was worth it. I'm fine with something slower paced or that builds, but this was without a true feeling of suspense or dread. Cutting it down to a sub-90 minute run time would've gone a long way in making it a more enjoyable film.
5/10 for the movie, 10/10 for Kurt Russell's facial hair
I've been meaning to watch this for a while now. At first glance, I thought it was just another western. Then I heard it had a horror element. Combine that with Kurt Russell and how could I say no?
I'll get it out of the way: didn't enjoy it. However, I did respect the approach. It would've been easy to treat it like another supernatural scarefest and it wasn't that. There are tense moments, but no prototypical jump scares. Almost everything that happens is well lit and/or in broad daylight. Everything that happens is presented unceremoniously and without the commonplace frills that are designed to trick you into feeling scared/etc. (no pronounced backing score, no obnoxious camera fuckery) Instead, you're confronted with some genuinely uncomfortable moments that feel refreshingly earnest in contemporary horror.
Pacing is what killed it. The introduction creates genuine interest, the setup happens quickly and then the journey is... long and surprisingly uneventful. When the encounter finally happens I was back in, but it just didn't feel like all the waiting was worth it. I'm fine with something slower paced or that builds, but this was without a true feeling of suspense or dread. Cutting it down to a sub-90 minute run time would've gone a long way in making it a more enjoyable film.
5/10 for the movie, 10/10 for Kurt Russell's facial hair
everything you dislike about BONE TOMAHAWK is why i love it. i love the slower pace. i love that we spend time with these people and get to know them, even just a little bit. then it takes these people we've grown to care about and walks them into a buzzsaw. it's terrible and perfect.
The slow pace is what makes Bone Tomahawk great. It's a legit Western, and then these regular Western characters get dropped into a nightmare. Plus the characters are quite well written and very well established. Seeing each of these character actors bounce off each other, as personalities and quirks clash or in quiet conversations that imply years of friendship and acquaintance, was just as engaging as the action and gore for me. It means we care about what happens to these people when the bloodshed begins. It makes the horror feel tense and desperate, like something our protagonists are barely prepared to handle, because the movie has established them as just regular people, full-fledged characters with flaws and idiosyncrasies, who get hurt and make mistakes, going up against ruthless relentless impossibly-unsettling monsters.
I'm admittedly super harsh on horror that's played completely straight and I can't say that the character interactions were interesting enough to carry me through the traveling bits. However, I'd watch Bone Tomahawk a dozen more times before I'd give something like the IT remake another chance. (tried a few months ago when it hit HBO, found it excruciatingly boring and made it about half way through before turning it off)
I hope that puts my scoring into better context. I had some nice things to say about Bone Tomahawk. I can't do the same with most contemporary horror.
Edit: I also probably would've enjoyed it more had I went in with my original assumption that it was a straight Western.
I don't even need my horror movies to be scary. Actually, I've never really been frightened by a movie in my adult life — but I have been made uncomfortable. (BT succeeded in this) I just used IT as an example because it's the last modern horror movie I've tried to watch before this one and it was just the same formulaic trash I've come to expect. Gave it a shot because some were gushing over it when it released.
Just do something different or give me them funhouse feels.
Last edited:
Bone Tomahawk is what would happen if the posse from The Searchers took a wrong turn at Albuquerque and wound up somewhere near the Green Inferno from Cannibal Holocaust, but with way the fuck less animal cruelty.
Just want to add to the Bone Tomehawk conversation that I love Richard Jenkins' character so much. An absolutely solid flick.
That's a great summary. I absolutely despise all three movies, though.
Them!
Something Old: Killer Ants
Going in I wasn't sure what to expect other than maybe a cheesy rubber suited monster movie. What Them! is though, is a really well done monster flick. Amazingly, this came out the same year that Godzilla did, only a few months earlier. If I had to pit the two against each other, I'd say this definitely has a lot better story than Godzilla does. Now we don't exactly get city devastation, but the ant effects are done well enough and there are quite a few location changes that keep this one really interesting. Of course your not going to be getting a sequel out of the ordinary household ant, but one is most certainly enough. We get a very young looking James Arness and a little teensy bit of a love story that thankfully did not overpower the whole ant thing.
I'm giving this one four mandibles chewing on army dudes.
PS Bone Tomahawk rules
Something Old: Killer Ants
Going in I wasn't sure what to expect other than maybe a cheesy rubber suited monster movie. What Them! is though, is a really well done monster flick. Amazingly, this came out the same year that Godzilla did, only a few months earlier. If I had to pit the two against each other, I'd say this definitely has a lot better story than Godzilla does. Now we don't exactly get city devastation, but the ant effects are done well enough and there are quite a few location changes that keep this one really interesting. Of course your not going to be getting a sequel out of the ordinary household ant, but one is most certainly enough. We get a very young looking James Arness and a little teensy bit of a love story that thankfully did not overpower the whole ant thing.
I'm giving this one four mandibles chewing on army dudes.
PS Bone Tomahawk rules
Last edited:
That's a perfect summary
Everyone is great, even Matthew Fox absolutely nails his character
Actually why don't we see more horror westerns? The only ones I can think are Exit Humanity, The Burrowers, and Bone Tomahawk. It seems like the perfect genre hybrid: the dangerous vast isolation of the frontier and inherent sense of the unknown, the analog weapons that are slow to reload making the action more tense and desperate, the various archetypes and scenarios you can play around with (gunslingers and bounty hunters, boomtowns and ghost towns, wagon trains and mines and the railroad, Native American folklore like the wendigo, etc)
Like westerns are relatively rare as it is so I get why. But given the current revival, I'm surprised there haven't been more.
Like westerns are relatively rare as it is so I get why. But given the current revival, I'm surprised there haven't been more.
Last edited:
Have you seen A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night?
It's an iranian vampire western and one of my favorite horror films of this decade
OP
OP
Forgive me for posting another image of the poster with the frog, but if you think that tagline is funny, you have to see the hilarious alternate one.
(spoiler tagged just in case of phobia)
Actually, reading that... now I think I'm developing a phobia. Yuck!
Yep, that's a real keeper. For as cheesy as the premise is, they do a great job with raising and maintaining the stakes throughout, and it does it without diminishing what would be the actual reality if there did happen to be giant ants one day. A lot of real craft and care went into that film, and it's not hard to see why that has aged so well compared to the competition.
I doubt I'll get into the review aspect of this but my first watch was The Frighteners. I haven't seen this movie since I rented it on VHS when I was 9 or 10. I think the performances and story held up really well, the special effects not at all. It's crazy to think that there's like a 5 year separation between this movie and Fellowship of the Ring because the special effects between the two are worlds apart. I'd give the movie a 7.5-8/10 Jeffrey Combs is really living it up in this movie.
OP
OP
I keep meaning to re-watch that because R. Lee Ermey is in it (and had planned to do so well before his death) but haven't gotten to it yet. I keep forgetting Combs is in it because I had seen it when it first hit cable and I didn't know who he was at the time. Maybe I'll try and work it in as a bonus view before Halloween.
2. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)
I wasn't expecting something so far removed from reality. But I guess that's appropriate for Henry Lee Lucas. While I didn't find this movie particularly engaging, despite Michael Rooker's solid performance and my preexisting interest in the subject matter, it did have a few legitimately grotesque scenes, particularly the one where Henry and Otis videotape themselves murdering a family. I also think that too many of the murders were via neck breaking, which I assume was a concession for the low budget of the movie. I also quite liked the climax and ending.
I wasn't expecting something so far removed from reality. But I guess that's appropriate for Henry Lee Lucas. While I didn't find this movie particularly engaging, despite Michael Rooker's solid performance and my preexisting interest in the subject matter, it did have a few legitimately grotesque scenes, particularly the one where Henry and Otis videotape themselves murdering a family. I also think that too many of the murders were via neck breaking, which I assume was a concession for the low budget of the movie. I also quite liked the climax and ending.
Watching this made me decide to add Braindead/Dead Alive to my list of movies. Another Peter Jackson movie I haven't seen in over a decade now.
2: 1408
Pretty interesting psychological thriller. Again, not one of the best but it was a good watch. I do like movies that play with perception of time.
Also his wife was kinda useless. If your estranged husband shows up on your webcam, injured an hysterical and asking you to call the police because he's trapped somewhere, maybe now isn't the best time discuss marital problems or brush it off as his wacky shenanigans. No one calls their wife after a year for a prank. But that's probably the room's fault.
Pretty interesting psychological thriller. Again, not one of the best but it was a good watch. I do like movies that play with perception of time.
Also his wife was kinda useless. If your estranged husband shows up on your webcam, injured an hysterical and asking you to call the police because he's trapped somewhere, maybe now isn't the best time discuss marital problems or brush it off as his wacky shenanigans. No one calls their wife after a year for a prank. But that's probably the room's fault.
Last edited:
The Birthday
What do you get when you have Corey Feldman doing a bizarre 'Peter Falk by way of Jerry Lewis' impersonation and yet still giving the performance of his career, awkward comedy, bizarre characters, mixed that all together into a story about a man meeting his girlfriend's parents for the first time, a cult trying to birth their profane God onto the earth, the clandestine group trying to stop said cult, all during a birthday party at a hotel? You have the masterpiece that is The Birthday.
There really isn't much else to say, it is a great cult movie just waiting to be discovered.
Random Thoughts:
out of 10.
or maybe:
out of 10.
It's close, either way.
What do you get when you have Corey Feldman doing a bizarre 'Peter Falk by way of Jerry Lewis' impersonation and yet still giving the performance of his career, awkward comedy, bizarre characters, mixed that all together into a story about a man meeting his girlfriend's parents for the first time, a cult trying to birth their profane God onto the earth, the clandestine group trying to stop said cult, all during a birthday party at a hotel? You have the masterpiece that is The Birthday.
There really isn't much else to say, it is a great cult movie just waiting to be discovered.
Random Thoughts:
- It is criminal that this film is basically unknown to all.
- Feldman's performance is a thing of beauty.
- Robert Felix, who plays Theodore, also gives an amazing performance. So ridiculous and over the top but it works perfectly.
- The sound in the film is great, most notably during the excellent climax.
- The band playing the party is Tiny Ricky Nelson and The Baltimore Flamingos Rainbow Orchestra. Why? No idea, but they are amazing despite being a minuscule part of the film.
or maybe:
It's close, either way.
#2 Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) - Classic for a reason, the epitome of a drive-in slasher experience with incredible imagery.
DAY 10
Tokaido Yotsuya kaidan (or The Ghost of Yotsuya): Long before anyone breathes the word of anything supernatural, you are already treated to a world half-stepped in Hell. Ugly ambitions turn to horrifying plots against the innocent, lust hangs over actions in sickening ways, and even the gentler moments are pregnant with the threat of violence and degradation erupting at any second. There's little of the film's expertly-paced 76 minutes that doesn't make you wish for something, anything to pull you out of the oppressive atmosphere, and perhaps the eventual presence of ghosts would make you think that the theatricality they bring with them would offer a moment of reprieve. Think again. The visuals then turn more horrific, more gruesome, more nightmarish and more graphic than you may ever be prepared to handle, including a stroke of a comb across infected skin that was enough to make me physically recoil in my chair. This is a film that, to put it mildly, has no consideration to those hoping for a reprieve from the horror on display, and that's precisely the point of the tale being told here. It's a lot to take in, for sure, but for those with strong constitutions, it's a triumph of visual storytelling to help fill in the gaps scene transitions make to catch you up on what has occurred in the interim, as well as filmmaking with its striking Scope visuals and sparing use of special effects to accentuate the Hell these samurai have made for themselves, including a climax so intense a nightmare that you'll wish you'd wake up from it yourself. This is almost unbelievably great and surely knocked me flat on my ass with how great the horror elements are handled. But throw in an engaging story, an interesting handle on the feminist undertones inherent in a tale such as this and some strategically deployed instances of sound design to send the tension right through the roof, and you have yourself a genuine all-timer for the genre. Absolutely incredible from start to finish.
Black Pit of Dr. M (or Misterios de ultratumba): Despite the title's luridness, one might be a tad disappointed to find out that there's not a literal Black Pit of Dr. M in the film, a title that evokes the kind of pseudo-sadistic direction that horror films would be taking on in short order. The Mexican title, Misterios de ultratumba (almost literally "mysteries of life after death), is a lot closer to the aims of the movie's story, though as it turns out, the clever character writing for the titular Dr. M does find a way of getting a black pit of sorts in there. With most of my exposure to Mexican horror being of the substantially more contemporary variety, going back in time with a film like this offers up a really cool glimpse into how much more vertically integrated the influence of Catholicism to the society was at that time, as there's definitely a strong undercurrent present of how much faith pushes back against science from uncovering the truth of that most sacred of secrets. It is surprising, then, that the filmmakers keep it as a steady undercurrent without overpowering the rest of the film, giving time to it in understated ways that get the point across without once becoming too overbearing. The same also goes for the good doctor: it would have been easy to leave him at a mad scientist without any elaboration, but his genuine affection for those under his care does a lot to make him more than just someone whose pride blinds him to the fact that he's asking a question that he will eventually regret knowing the answer to. The film has a nice appreciation for the genre's history, as there's an unmistakable vibe throughout that the filmmakers were really big fans of Universal's output in the 30s. The shooting style, filled with gorgeous shots that boast simple yet effective tricks of both fog and lighting and the Gothic underpinnings for the environments do a great job of evoking those films while the story ensures that it's also making sure to leave its own mark by the end of it. And I'll admit it: I love films that give just a little bit more form to the invisible hand of fate like this one does, an apparition of a man that dies in the opening scene, as it not helps to give the film a nice paranoid bent to it that everything is being watched, but it also lends a strange satisfaction to the story by achieving its aims as a cautionary tale by also doubling as a kind of bizarre revenge plot, adding just a little more spice to an already tasty stew. The result is a very fun film with a lot of melodrama to go around, but also plenty of intrigue to go around with its nuance and somewhat unconventional plotting that makes for quite the fascination. It's not hard to see why this has long been held as a major contribution to the genre from Mexico, and its credentials beyond its country of origin are very strong on all fronts.
73 films left, and it's time to head into the 60s!
Tokaido Yotsuya kaidan (or The Ghost of Yotsuya): Long before anyone breathes the word of anything supernatural, you are already treated to a world half-stepped in Hell. Ugly ambitions turn to horrifying plots against the innocent, lust hangs over actions in sickening ways, and even the gentler moments are pregnant with the threat of violence and degradation erupting at any second. There's little of the film's expertly-paced 76 minutes that doesn't make you wish for something, anything to pull you out of the oppressive atmosphere, and perhaps the eventual presence of ghosts would make you think that the theatricality they bring with them would offer a moment of reprieve. Think again. The visuals then turn more horrific, more gruesome, more nightmarish and more graphic than you may ever be prepared to handle, including a stroke of a comb across infected skin that was enough to make me physically recoil in my chair. This is a film that, to put it mildly, has no consideration to those hoping for a reprieve from the horror on display, and that's precisely the point of the tale being told here. It's a lot to take in, for sure, but for those with strong constitutions, it's a triumph of visual storytelling to help fill in the gaps scene transitions make to catch you up on what has occurred in the interim, as well as filmmaking with its striking Scope visuals and sparing use of special effects to accentuate the Hell these samurai have made for themselves, including a climax so intense a nightmare that you'll wish you'd wake up from it yourself. This is almost unbelievably great and surely knocked me flat on my ass with how great the horror elements are handled. But throw in an engaging story, an interesting handle on the feminist undertones inherent in a tale such as this and some strategically deployed instances of sound design to send the tension right through the roof, and you have yourself a genuine all-timer for the genre. Absolutely incredible from start to finish.
Black Pit of Dr. M (or Misterios de ultratumba): Despite the title's luridness, one might be a tad disappointed to find out that there's not a literal Black Pit of Dr. M in the film, a title that evokes the kind of pseudo-sadistic direction that horror films would be taking on in short order. The Mexican title, Misterios de ultratumba (almost literally "mysteries of life after death), is a lot closer to the aims of the movie's story, though as it turns out, the clever character writing for the titular Dr. M does find a way of getting a black pit of sorts in there. With most of my exposure to Mexican horror being of the substantially more contemporary variety, going back in time with a film like this offers up a really cool glimpse into how much more vertically integrated the influence of Catholicism to the society was at that time, as there's definitely a strong undercurrent present of how much faith pushes back against science from uncovering the truth of that most sacred of secrets. It is surprising, then, that the filmmakers keep it as a steady undercurrent without overpowering the rest of the film, giving time to it in understated ways that get the point across without once becoming too overbearing. The same also goes for the good doctor: it would have been easy to leave him at a mad scientist without any elaboration, but his genuine affection for those under his care does a lot to make him more than just someone whose pride blinds him to the fact that he's asking a question that he will eventually regret knowing the answer to. The film has a nice appreciation for the genre's history, as there's an unmistakable vibe throughout that the filmmakers were really big fans of Universal's output in the 30s. The shooting style, filled with gorgeous shots that boast simple yet effective tricks of both fog and lighting and the Gothic underpinnings for the environments do a great job of evoking those films while the story ensures that it's also making sure to leave its own mark by the end of it. And I'll admit it: I love films that give just a little bit more form to the invisible hand of fate like this one does, an apparition of a man that dies in the opening scene, as it not helps to give the film a nice paranoid bent to it that everything is being watched, but it also lends a strange satisfaction to the story by achieving its aims as a cautionary tale by also doubling as a kind of bizarre revenge plot, adding just a little more spice to an already tasty stew. The result is a very fun film with a lot of melodrama to go around, but also plenty of intrigue to go around with its nuance and somewhat unconventional plotting that makes for quite the fascination. It's not hard to see why this has long been held as a major contribution to the genre from Mexico, and its credentials beyond its country of origin are very strong on all fronts.
73 films left, and it's time to head into the 60s!
And to think, there's at least 29 more days to keep up with!
I am feeling so pumped up this year, though, and I think that it really helps that putting down such a big challenge in the first place has ensured that I do my best to rise to it.
Day 3. Another double feature.
10. Parasyte
11. Parasyte pt 2
These ones are difficult to rate for me. It's not so much horror as a kind of modern horror fantasy drama hybrid, which is basically my thing. I really enjoyed the manga so it's hard to divorce that from this but the fact that the adaptation isn't repulsive is a huge plus.
I'm not sure if it's really even meant to scare or even unsettle the audience but it has the horror trappings of body snatching invaders and there's body horror and violence abound. The effects aren't great but they aren't horrible imo. They're noticeable but they didn't pull me out of the movie. Good enough.
The plot isn't shockingly original but it's not overly tropey either and it hits most of its notes pretty honestly with some pretty strong moments.
3/5
10. Parasyte
11. Parasyte pt 2
These ones are difficult to rate for me. It's not so much horror as a kind of modern horror fantasy drama hybrid, which is basically my thing. I really enjoyed the manga so it's hard to divorce that from this but the fact that the adaptation isn't repulsive is a huge plus.
I'm not sure if it's really even meant to scare or even unsettle the audience but it has the horror trappings of body snatching invaders and there's body horror and violence abound. The effects aren't great but they aren't horrible imo. They're noticeable but they didn't pull me out of the movie. Good enough.
The plot isn't shockingly original but it's not overly tropey either and it hits most of its notes pretty honestly with some pretty strong moments.
3/5
Rewatched the first Jeepers Creepers tonight. Completely forgot about the director being a pedo. Was focused on filling my horror movie quota I guess.
Think I'll watch Terrifier tomorrow. I still haven't watched Mandy yet either. Or A Quiet Place. And I hope the new Puppet Master comes direct to dvd or something. Not gonna be able to find it in theatres anywhere around here.
Think I'll watch Terrifier tomorrow. I still haven't watched Mandy yet either. Or A Quiet Place. And I hope the new Puppet Master comes direct to dvd or something. Not gonna be able to find it in theatres anywhere around here.
1. Wrong Turn (N)
2. Valentine (N)
3. Urban Legend (N)
4. Ghost Team One (N)
5. Constantine (R)
6. Monster House (R)
7. Warm Bodies (R)
8. Scream 2 (R)
10. Tragedy Girls (N) - A fascinating movie. Not exactly a slasher or a parody of one, but uses elements of it in a dark comedy about high school girls who try to get famous on social media by using these tragedies to create a narrative. It gets really dark by the end.
2. Valentine (N)
3. Urban Legend (N)
4. Ghost Team One (N)
5. Constantine (R)
6. Monster House (R)
7. Warm Bodies (R)
8. Scream 2 (R)
9. Most Likely to Die (N) - I really liked the killer's design in the movie. The movie is roughly 75% enjoyable, but near the end right before the twist it just gets really dumb.
10. Tragedy Girls (N) - A fascinating movie. Not exactly a slasher or a parody of one, but uses elements of it in a dark comedy about high school girls who try to get famous on social media by using these tragedies to create a narrative. It gets really dark by the end.
Well like 4 of them were Sat/Sunday
Work has been dull this week! And ABC family has some safe ones!
(And trying to front load it since busy with NYCC this weekend and stuff next)
Watched The Fly last night for the first time.
Real good movie if you haven't checked it out.
Practical effects were amazing and I've never felt so disturbed by body horror ever. Some shit in there really grossed me out.
Cronenberg did a real good job blending horror, drama and tragedy.
Real good movie if you haven't checked it out.
Practical effects were amazing and I've never felt so disturbed by body horror ever. Some shit in there really grossed me out.
Cronenberg did a real good job blending horror, drama and tragedy.
It's the defining body horror movie IMO. The Thing is the better movie overall and more inventive, and other movies like Society are more gross and icky, but The Fly perfects the tragic terror of body horror, that slow degradation of mind and flesh. It understands what makes body horror so scary, that it's not just weird grotesque gore. Nothing else has done it better since and nothing probably ever will
Yesterday I didn't feel like diving into anything too deep so I watched 3 episodes of Goosebumps lol. Tonight was Trick R Treat which I've seen before but my wife hadn't.
She liked it!
Thinking either pumpkinhead tomorrow or something new to both of us.
She liked it!
Thinking either pumpkinhead tomorrow or something new to both of us.
Seen a couple flicks so far
1) The Devil's Tree: Rooted Evil: was pretty below average flick, the acting felt really rough, and I'm usually not that aware of poor acting in general but definitely noticed it in this movie. I did like the twist though.
Also saw 2) The Sleeping Room: was okay, but didn't really feel overly scary. Was disappointed at how little suspense/scariness the movie actually had.
1) The Devil's Tree: Rooted Evil: was pretty below average flick, the acting felt really rough, and I'm usually not that aware of poor acting in general but definitely noticed it in this movie. I did like the twist though.
Also saw 2) The Sleeping Room: was okay, but didn't really feel overly scary. Was disappointed at how little suspense/scariness the movie actually had.
#2 - The Endless
Good old mindbending Cosmic Horror. I dig how this film draws parallels between the powers of the entity and the bleak, repetitive lifestyle of the two struggling brothers. Perhaps not a film for everyone but a must watch for Lovecraft fans.
Good old mindbending Cosmic Horror. I dig how this film draws parallels between the powers of the entity and the bleak, repetitive lifestyle of the two struggling brothers. Perhaps not a film for everyone but a must watch for Lovecraft fans.
1. Get Out
2. Rings
I have to preface this by saying The Ring affected me more than any other horror movie I've ever seen. A lot of it was right place/right time, but the imagery has stuck with me ever since and when I have nightmares, Samara is the thing coming to get me. So even with that out of the way, it shouldn't be a surprise when I say this movie is terrible. I knew it would be bad going in, and it mostly lived up to those expectations. Literally the only thing that works in this movie is the imagery and mood they lift directly from the original. Everything added by the movie itself holds up less than a copy of a copy. It was like someone took an outline of The Ring and handed it to a bunch of student filmmakers and told them to go shoot their own version. Part of me is sad that this is what the series has devolved to. The other part is just relieved I still only have one movie to haunt my imagination as I walk down dark hallways at night.
2. Rings
I have to preface this by saying The Ring affected me more than any other horror movie I've ever seen. A lot of it was right place/right time, but the imagery has stuck with me ever since and when I have nightmares, Samara is the thing coming to get me. So even with that out of the way, it shouldn't be a surprise when I say this movie is terrible. I knew it would be bad going in, and it mostly lived up to those expectations. Literally the only thing that works in this movie is the imagery and mood they lift directly from the original. Everything added by the movie itself holds up less than a copy of a copy. It was like someone took an outline of The Ring and handed it to a bunch of student filmmakers and told them to go shoot their own version. Part of me is sad that this is what the series has devolved to. The other part is just relieved I still only have one movie to haunt my imagination as I walk down dark hallways at night.
Did you see Resolution?#2 - The Endless
Good old mindbending Cosmic Horror. I dig how this film draws parallels between the powers of the entity and the bleak, repetitive lifestyle of the two struggling brothers. Perhaps not a film for everyone but a must watch for Lovecraft fans.