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Halloween viewing

Started by Operty1, October 18, 2012, 11:48:28 AM

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Noodle Lizard

Quote from: El Unicornio, mang on October 19, 2012, 01:17:40 AM
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.

Yeah.  I was too young to remember it going out live, but I've seen it since and it's fairly good fun on its own merits.  I wish someone would figure out a way to do something comparable again.

El Unicornio, mang

I think it was pretty revolutionary for the time. There's been a lot of similar films done since then like Blair Witch, and with the internet it's hard to keep things secret, so I'm not sure it would have the same effect. They'd have to do something really surprising like an episode of Deal or No Deal turns into a zombie invasion half way through, or Come Dine With Me where the host starts killing off the guests or something.

Derren Brown's Seance from a few years back was highly indebted to Ghostwatch. If I remember correctly that got tons of complaints from people who thought it was legit when it aired. I thought it was okay but my cynical adult mind didn't buy it for a second, plus he revealed it was a hoax at the end of the show.

I was 12 when Ghostwatch aired and I fell for it completely, so much so that I switched off halfway through, and didn't see any of the possessed Parky scenes that could've raised suspicions of hoaxery. I didn't realise it wasn't real until a week later when they read out loads of complaints on Points of View. I watched it all the way through for the first time last year and it's a cracking piece of work. Even though I knew it was fake and some of the acting's a bit creaky it still gave me the shivers. The pause-button 'Pipes sightings', that I only knew about from the internet, gave it an extra layer of creepiness.

DukeDeMondo

Quote from: Stone Cold Jane Austen on October 19, 2012, 01:51:38 AM
I was 12 when Ghostwatch aired and I fell for it completely, so much so that I switched off halfway through

I was ten or so, and when Pipes appeared at the curtain I erupted in screams and tears and wails of a sort that left me ma with no option but to turn the TV off altogether. Never ever have I experienced anything like that again. I was beside myself when a lass at school said she'd taped it, and was bitterly disappointed when the tape she presented me with contained nothing but some film about a fat bloke with a moustache is doin shags on someone and then somebody crashes through the wall with a suitcase full of money.

Years and years I searched for a copy of Ghostwatch, to no avail. When the BFI finally released it on DVD I'm pretty sure I wept with joy. I've watched it about 20 times since then, and will do so again this Halloween. 

One of the main reasons that it couldn't happen now, IMO, is that nothing is unavailable any more. Unless you taped it on the night, you'd no way of seeing it. Now, you'd have it downloaded in an hour, pulling it apart.

There's a brilliant channel on youtube dedicated to Ghostwatch, which has all the stuff I hoped would be on the DVD, but wasn't (they do have an excellent commentary on there, mind): http://www.youtube.com/user/GhostwatchBtC

The further down the list you go, the better the videos become. All the old Ghostwatch segments from Points of View and so on and so forth.

Anyway. Yes. I'm obsessed with the damn thing, is the point.

Jerzy Bondov

I got the Ghostwatch DVD last Christmas and I've been saving it for Halloween so I'm very excited to see people raving about it on here. Did The Others last year, which was pretty good, but it's not The Innocents or The Orphanage. Or The Awakening, did anybody see that? Rebecca Hall and Dominic West in a haunted boys' school, firmly in the tradition of those others I mentioned and really quite good. In fact I'll go back and put the name in bold to make it clear that's a recommendation with the Bondov Seal of Approval. There, done that now.

They've got the original Halloween at my local cinema on, erm, Halloween, which I'm quite tempted by. 

Noodle Lizard

Quote from: Jerzy Bondov on October 19, 2012, 08:55:40 AMOr The Awakening, did anybody see that? Rebecca Hall and Dominic West in a haunted boys' school, firmly in the tradition of those others I mentioned and really quite good. In fact I'll go back and put the name in bold to make it clear that's a recommendation with the Bondov Seal of Approval. There, done that now.


God, I thought The Awakening was absolutely terrible.  It had all the right elements but completely shat all over them at every given opportunity.  Ugh.  I was really looking forward to it as well.

For my money, the only good ghost film to come out of the English-speaking world in (relatively) recent memory is 'The Others'.  And that was done by a Spaniard, as well.

Mini

Quote from: Noodle Lizard on October 19, 2012, 09:02:50 AM
God, I thought The Awakening was absolutely terrible.  It had all the right elements but completely shat all over them at every given opportunity.  Ugh.  I was really looking forward to it as well.

I found it satisfying enough as a nicely made haunted house film, while obviously not up there with The Orphanage or The Others.

Jerzy Bondov

Nah. It was good. Maybe it helps that I watched it in between The Woman in Black (film) and Insidious. The only bit that bothered me was
Spoiler alert
when the twists first start coming out and McNulty says 'What do you mean? There's only three of us here!!', which is extremely clunky and a bit dull, but all the other twists were great
[close]
. I also though Rebecca Hall's character was really interesting and her shifts in attitude were nicely handled. And it looks gorgeous. Like The Others it owes a huge amount to The Innocents but that's a screw I'm always quite happy to watch turn[nb]hur hurr!!![/nb]. It shat all over The Woman in Black anyway.

The Others has Eric Sykes in it so it's not fair to compare it to that.

Noodle Lizard

No, you are wrong, it was bad.

Noodle Lizard

By the way, the little-known Japanese flick 'Noroi: The Curse' is worth a watch.  It's a far cry from the kind of Asian horror we're all used to, probably closer to 'The Blair Witch Project' but significantly more intricate (though I still prefer TBWP because I think it's ace).  A lot of people found it very scary, anyway.  Think it's on the YouTube.

BlodwynPig

Is that the thing with the mask?

Noodle Lizard

Quote from: BlodwynPig on October 19, 2012, 10:09:19 AM
Is that the thing with the mask?

I believe there is a mask involved, yes.  It's the mockumentary thing with all the Japanese people in it.

Jerzy Bondov

I'm challenging myself to come up with good English language ghost films post-The Others[nb]bar The Awakening even though it is actually good[/nb] and I'm struggling a bit but:

  • Below (2002) Haunted submarine
  • Lake Mungo (2008) Haunted Australian lake
  • The Innkeepers (2011) Haunted inn
  • Erm...
  • Well what about... nah...
Okay that's it. I'm sure a case could be made for any of these not being much cop, but I would have to disagree.

Noodle Lizard

I like Ti West generally because he does a pretty good job of harking back to what makes traditional horror films good, but 'The Innkeepers' was a bit rubbish I thought, despite the good set-up.  'The House Of The Devil' was far superior, but not a ghost film really.

Haven't seen the other two, but I shall investigate.

Noodle Lizard

I'll make a great ghost film one day.  You'll see.  I'm bringing it back.  I've made great progress already with the universally-acclaimed 'Anticrostini', available from all good YouTube searches[nb]Admittedly more of a toast film than a ghost film[/nb].  Now there's some essential Halloween viewing.

Also, I'm going to throw some love out there for the Roger Corman Poe adaptations.  They don't feel particularly Halloweeny, mind.

Brundle-Fly

Quote from: Rolf Lundgren on October 18, 2012, 08:43:08 PM
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).

I'm pissed off that I was 26, too old for Ghostwatch and down the pub the night it was on, so it holds no significance. It would have been perfect nightmare material for me,  had it been broadcast in 1977.

Noodle Lizard

Quote from: Brundle-Fly on October 19, 2012, 11:03:44 AM
I'm pissed off that I was 26, too old for Ghostwatch and down the pub the night it was on, so it holds no significance.

Who the fuck goes "down the pub" in the early 90s?  Imagine that:

"It's Halloween, 1992 - just nipping off down the pub.  For a pint."

Honestly, some people baffle me.

Kane Jones

Quote from: Brundle-Fly on October 19, 2012, 11:03:44 AM
I'm pissed off that I was 26, too old for Ghostwatch and down the pub the night it was on, so it holds no significance. It would have been perfect nightmare material for me,  had it been broadcast in 1977.

Same here (except maybe change 1977 to 1987).  It means nothing to me, and only seems to be talked about on this board!  I would've been 17 in 1992 and likewise, was probably under-age drinking in the Exeter Inn.  Or the 'Eccy' as we called it.

SteveDave

Quote from: El Unicornio, mang on October 19, 2012, 01:17:40 AM
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.

Today I learnt that I'm the same age as El Uniconio, mang. Awww. I just had an overactive imagination (as well as being very naive) & so when my Dad pointed out things like Pipes hanging around in the background of a few shots I got convinced it was real. The bit
Spoiler alert
where they cut to a different camera & it goes from boardgames in the front room to a black screen with wind & cat noises
[close]
was the moment I thought I would never sleep again.

BlodwynPig

Pipes? wTF!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ghostwatch_Pipes.jpg

On topic:

i recommend Anticrostini - a superb little flick from an unheralded director. i think you can find it on youtube if you look around. Terrifying

Operty1

I can remember Jacob's Ladder being a scary movie, and cropping up on a lot of horror movie lists. 

If you're looking for some body-horror I would recommend 'Society' by Brian Yuzna. It's a bizarre film, made as an allegory of American society, not scary as such, just weird melty weirdness.

If you're after a zombie movie, Return of the Living Dead 3 is great. From memory it ditched the 'humor' and characters of the first two movies, and was much more gruesome, it's also a modern day Romeo and Juliett tale.

For Halloween daftness the 1988 remake of the Blob is a good shout.

Brundle-Fly

Quote from: Noodle Lizard on October 19, 2012, 11:12:45 AM
Who the fuck goes "down the pub" in the early 90s?  Imagine that:

"It's Halloween, 1992 - just nipping off down the pub.  For a pint."

Honestly, some people baffle me.

Hmm, I suppose I should've been necking Es in a super club back then but all that malarky rather passed me by, more's the pity.

I think the pub might have had a Halloween theme. They had a rubber spider hanging on the bar.

SteveDave

Quote from: Operty1 on October 19, 2012, 12:40:50 PM

If you're looking for some body-horror I would recommend 'Society' by Brian Yuzna. It's a bizarre film, made as an allegory of American society, not scary as such, just weird melty weirdness.


The Shunting. Good Lord. I showed that film to a few friends one quiet Sunday afternoon. They left quietly afterwards. I love it though. I saw that film far too young on BBC 2's Moviedrome.

Operty1

The shunting!! We must have seen the same moviedrome as that was when i first saw it too.

Also, you have reminded me of another great body-horror - Videodrome, how could i have forgotten!!

Long Live The The New Flesh

Operty1

#54
One Horror movie that I remember from my childhood that I always wanted to see but have never gotten around to it was: The Stuff.

The lurid video cover would always draw me to it whenever I was in Ritz Video. Has anybody seen it, or can recommend it?

The best thing about those old video shops were that they were divided up by genre.

DukeDeMondo

Quote from: Operty1 on October 19, 2012, 02:07:58 PM
One Horror movie that I remember from my childhood that I always wanted to see but have never gotten around to it was: The Stuff.

The lurid video cover would always draw me to it whenever I was in Ritz Video. Has anybody seen it, or can recommend it?

The Stuff is great. It's been a while, mind, but from what I remember, it's up there with the best of Larry Cohen's, um, stuff. Very funny (if hardly as radical as it thinks it is) and pleasantly gooey when it gets down to it.

billtheburger

I've started my Hallowe'en extravaganza already.

This year I've been watching a Spaniard called Paul Naschy. Basically because his films look like Spanish Hammer horror films. He is only actor to have played all of horror's staple characters; Dracula, Frankenstein, the mummy, a Warlock, Rasputin, Fu Manchu, a zombie, an inquisitor, a serial killer, but most famously (except to me) a Polish werewolf named Waldemar Daninsky due to the good fortune of Lon Chaney Jr. turning down the role. He played this particular part fourteen times.

I've done 3 of his films already and put up summaries of their madness elsewhere.
I'm enjoying them.
My wife hates him.

Operty1

An under-seen and under-rated 'treat' for Halloween, is Dead Heat. Starring Treat Williams and Joe Piscopo, both clearly having a good time in their roles. I first caught this late one evening in the early years of BskyB, and I've yet to meet another person who has seen it. It's a Horror-Comedy, cop-buddy movie, very entertaining and funny with some great special effects. And a snip at only 99p from Amazon:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dead-Heat-DVD-Treat-Williams/dp/B003TFUJMM/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Another video release from my youth that I have always wanted to track down was Highway To Hell:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Highway-Hell-VHS-Storke-Adam/dp/B000055Z1E/ref=sr_1_4?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1350655086&sr=1-4

There doesn't seem to be a DVD release of this that I'm aware of, and like The Stuff, it has always held a fascination with me.

Incandenza

Quote from: DukeDeMondo on October 18, 2012, 07:02:55 PM
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/

Well, I just finished watching this and am now profoundly disturbed.
A pretty terrible film, with no real answers or substance, but the
Spoiler alert
hospital stuff and the alleged link between the victims
[close]
was really, really unsettling.

And not in a fun 'Ooh Halloween!' way. I just feel a bit sick now.

monkfromhavana