Halloween viewing

[Operty1]

A parallel thread similar in theme to the Halloween Reading one, but for films and documentaries. Lets recommend some decent Halloween viewing as TV companies don't seem to make any effort on Halloween anymore.

My recommendations:

The Changeling (not the Angelina Jolie one) a great slow build haunted house movie:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Changeling-DVD/dp/B001AOHPYO/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1350556233&sr=1-1

Requiem, is what the Exorcism of Emily Rose was based upon I think, yet instead of the supernatural route, it looks at the psychological, and is much more effective:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Requiem-DVD-Burghart-Klaussner/dp/B000LE0TY2/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1350556319&sr=1-1

and if you want just plain nasty, the French movie 'Inside'
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Inside-DVD/dp/B002CIZPRQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1350556346&sr=1-1

Does anybody know of any decent supernatural documentaries?

[Pete23]

You can't beat The Haunting (original):

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Haunting-DVD-Julie-Harris/dp/B0000AISKY/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1350558195&sr=8-2

And the controversial BBC "live broadcast" Ghostwatch:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ghostwatch-DVD-Michael-Parkinson/dp/B005OJCPZU/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1350558244&sr=1-1

I'd also add Rec (the original Spanish version) purely for the last 15 minutes:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rec-Single-Disc-Edition-DVD/dp/B001DSPHEW/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1350558340&sr=1-1

[Stone Cold Jane Austen]

I just posted this in the MR James thread but I'll pop it here too. Nigel Kneale's The Stone Tape:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wixCpfngyG4

Wonderfully unnerving 1972 BBC play, a masterpiece in sound design and creeping menace. Great stuff.

[VegaLA]

Couple of Horrors hitting the Cinema for Halloween:

Sinister:

http://www.trailermovieguide.com/sinister-2012-03-11/

Looks like Carrie will be remade for next year, teaser trailer below.

http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/carrie-2013/teaser-trailer

Is anyone looking forwards to the new Silent Hill movie? Quite liked the first film but not sure if it was such a big hit here.

http://www.trailermovieguide.com/silent-hill-revelation-3d-2012-10-25/

Halloween 2012, needs more HORROR!

[DukeDeMondo]

Does anybody know of any decent supernatural documentaries?

Not really a documentary about the supernatural, as such, but I think Cropsey from 2009 might be roughly in line with what you're looking for. Excellent, and creepy as bejeesus. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1277936/

[BlodwynPig]

Never made it to the end of The Stone Tape.

[biggytitbo]

Any halloween horror marathon has to start with:

- Ghostwatch

the followed by something like:

- Halloween 3: Season of the Witch (Most underrated horror ever)
- Phenomena (Got to have a bit of Argento, and this is as good as it gets)
- The Beyond (Have to have some crazy euro video nasty horro, and this is as crazy as it gets)
- The Entity (My vote for the single best actually scary horror film ever)
- Horror Express (We have to have a Cushing/Lee one i there ans there are so many to choose from, but this is so delightfully schlocky it wins my vote)
- Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein (If we had to choose a film that represents the golden era of early horror than I'd choose this, its got 'em all in, and even Abbot and Costello aren't as annoying as usual)
- Stone tape/Baby/During Bartys Party (one of these - nothing is scarier for me than those eery shot on video 70s TV horrors, especially the Kneale ones)


Of all of them, the one I'd encourage people to see the most is the Entity. Its one of the few horror films, like the Exorcist, that's genuinely disturbing. Mostly atmosphere, punctuated by extreme brutality.

[Rolf Lundgren]

And the controversial BBC "live broadcast" Ghostwatch:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ghostwatch-DVD-Michael-Parkinson/dp/B005OJCPZU/ref=sr_1_1?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1350558244&sr=1-1

Oh God. That absolutely ruined me for weeks afterwards. Every creak at night made me think of Pipes.

I remember Mike Smith's voice quivering as he read scary stories out from people watching at home and thinking "If serious grown-up Mike Smith is scared about all this then I should really be shitting myself". Which I was (not literally).

[Operty1]

Agree with Halloween 3, a film that I saw when I was too young and couldn't put a mask on for years after. Still pops into my mind during my weaker moments.

Am definitely going to be checking out The Entity.

[biggytitbo]

I was at school when that went out and was amazed afterwards that so many in the playground were convinced it was real. What planet do these people live on? It was so obviously artificial that only Michael Parkinson getting possessed live on TV (ohh yeah, that actually happened) could make it more obvious. None of that stops it being really really creepy though.

[BlodwynPig]

- Phenomena (Got to have a bit of Argento, and this is as good as it gets)

I see why you like this one -

Jennifer and the chimpanzee embrace as the film ends.

[monkfromhavana]

I remember watching a film about ten years ago called "The Last Session" with that ginger guy out of CSI. A bunch of guys removing asbestos at an isolated and empty mental hospital. Scared the pants off me. I've heard people who've watched it since, and they say it's shit, so what do i know[nb]I like North Sea Hijack FFS[/nb].

[The Giggling Bean]

Every Halloween I kick off with the South Park episode Korns Groovy Pirate Ghost Mystery (Cartmans Christmas obsession throughout the ep always cracks me up). Then I'll throw a horror movie or 2 on. Over the past three years I've had Trick R Treat, Creepshow, Halloween 3 and last year was Paranormal Activity 3. This year, what with it being 20 yrs old, I'll be throwing Ghostwatch on. I'm going to try and time it for 9.25pm like the original broadcast.

Also on a side note I went to see Sinister at the pictures on Tuesday. I thought it was a nice creepy little film, the music which accompanied the home movies gave me a real chill (made me think of snuff films)

Spoiler alert

Which of course they were (within the movie not for real)

[close]

. The scene with the Lawnmower made me jump. I found it to be quite well paced and atmospheric.

[Noodle Lizard]

I'm posting one a day that are in full on YouTube on my Facebook, I'll share what I've got so far here:

Mario Bava's 'Black Sabbath'

The (in my opinion) superior Italian version.  It's really good fun, and the 'A Drop Of Water' segment spooked me big style when I was a young'un. 

Oh, and some band took their name from it, apparently.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olj4z1sDNJc

Night Of The Demon

Would be one of my favourite horror movies of all time if the producer hadn't interfered and insisted that they show the Demon (which looks a bit like my late dog), but it's still worth a watch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utaT0c55O6E

Shutter

The original Thai version, of course.  This is one of the very few horror movies I've seen that does jump-scares properly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEJ7UVA3op4


More to come.

[DukeDeMondo]

I remember watching a film about ten years ago called "The Last Session" with that ginger guy out of CSI.

You mean Session 9? Yeah, far from shit, that.

[monkfromhavana]

You mean Session 9? Yeah, far from shit, that.

That's the one! I knew i'd got the title wrong.

[SteveDave]

That's the one! I knew i'd got the title wrong.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CudA99mUoz0

The best bit there ^

I'd also like to be the 3rd person to suggest Ghostwatch. I watch it now 20 years later & still get the shits put up myself.

[Glebe]

Mario Bava's 'Black Sabbath'

Night Of The Demon

Would be one of my favourite horror movies of all time if the producer hadn't interfered and insisted that they show the Demon (which looks a bit like my late dog), but it's still worth a watch

Watching Sleepy Hollow the other night, was reminded of a documentary about horror (can't remember what it was called) in which Tim Burton talks about Black Sabbath being an influence, particularly the scene with

Spoiler alert

Johnny Depp's mum in the iron maiden

[close]

.

Loved Night of the Demon, agree that the demon itself is completely unnecessary, does look quite impressive for a low-budget film of the time, though. Have read Casting the Runes and James' Oh, Whistle and I'll Come to You, My Lad too, which is great, haven't seen either of the BBC adaptations though.

[monkfromhavana]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CudA99mUoz0

The best bit there ^

It's good, but not quite as good as:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRi0FT8uYMY

[Serge]

I have to defend the Demon in 'Night Of The Demon' here, as I think it's great. But I agree that it would probably have been better to leave it ambiguous. Niall MacGinnis is fantastic in it. And watch out for a young Brian Wilde.

I didn't like either of the BBC 'Whistle' adaptations, though it is one of the few M.R. James stories I actually liked.

[biggytitbo]

I see why you like this one -

I've written about this film before, it literally contains every insane idea one film can possibly contain. A disabled mad scientist played by Donald 'Un'-Pleasenace with a monkey butler, a monkey butler that becomes a chimp tramp with a cut throat razor, a teenage girl that can control insects with her mind, a deformed crab faced boy, Jennifer Connoly drowning in a swimming pool full of mashed up corpses. Its a dazzling effort by any standard.

[biggytitbo]

I have to defend the Demon in 'Night Of The Demon' here, as I think it's great. But I agree that it would probably have been better to leave it ambiguous. Niall MacGinnis is fantastic in it. And watch out for a young Brian Wilde.

I didn't like either of the BBC 'Whistle' adaptations, though it is one of the few M.R. James stories I actually liked.

Yeah not only is Night of the Demon a truly great film, the Demon in it is really not half as bad as made out. Yes it would have been better to leave it ambiguous, but half of me is secretly glad they included it.


Of course, 'Hounds of Love' is one of the many Kate Bush songs inspired by horror films[nb]Others include The Innocents in 'Infant Kiss', The Shining in 'Get out of My House' and obviously Hammer Horror films in 'Hammer Horror'[/nb] and even included a sample from the film. The self directed video has a few homages to the film in it too.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

That's the one! I knew i'd got the title wrong.

Perhaps you were also thinking of The Last Broadcast. It's the same basic premise as The Blair Witch Project but presented more like a documentary, and was released a year before. I remember, during all the Blair Witch hype, that Last Broadcast was the superior film, but I watched it again recently and it's actually pants.

[Operty1]

I maybe in the minority here, but I have found the Paranormal Activity series to be particularly effective.

[Mini]

The Shining is back in cinemas on Halloween, that's where I'll be. Meanwhile, the new season of American Horror Story has just started.

[Noodle Lizard]

The Shining is back in cinemas on Halloween, that's where I'll be.

And it's the longer, American version too.  For some reason, Kubrick cut about 20 minutes out of the international version on a whim, and though I'm not one to contradict such a great director, I'm going to: it was a big mistake. 

They show the full-length version on TV, though, weirdly enough, but the theatrical and subsequent video releases were always missing about 20 minutes, most of which are important scenes.

[Glebe]

I mate of mine had the longer version taped off UTV... there's also the Australian version which includes a scene featuring Wendy in hospital at the end, apparently. The US version is also getting a Blu-ray release over here, yah!

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

The Shining is back in cinemas on Halloween

And I'm not going to be able to get to the cinema. Needless to say, I am annoyed.

[Noodle Lizard]

there's also the Australian version which includes a scene featuring Wendy in hospital at the end, apparently.

I think that's in the US version too, though I may be misremembering.  I've definitely seen it, though.

I got very confused before since the first time I saw it was on TV, the US version, and then when I bought it on DVD thought I'd somehow imagined a bunch of scenes that weren't there or that my DVD may be defective or something.  Scenes where it's explained why there's no liquor in the hotel and the doctor visiting Danny, not to mention cool parts like the room full of corpses etc, were all gone.  I were angry, and I done did gone on the internet and found out what done occurred.

[El Unicornio, mang]

Ghostwatch, jesus. I guess I must have been a pretty naive 14-year old because I was genuinely shaken up by it, to the point where I staggered into the living room where my Mam was and she said I looked like I had seen a ghost (which, in my mind, I had). The bit with Parky at the end should have given it away but I was so taken away by it that it seemed like it was really happening, that a BBC TV presented had been possessed.

Anyway, I recommend the new Universal Classic Monsters blu-ray, £36 and features 8 beautifully restored classics like Bride of Frankenstein and The Mummy.