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Horror films

Started by dr_christian_troy, October 24, 2019, 11:05:02 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth

Quote from: BlodwynPig on October 02, 2020, 02:21:12 PM
Well, you are of course wrong. It is a somnolent nightmare. Falling asleep in your grandmother's house in 1979 in autumn and waking at dusk with all the adults gone and just a faint sense of dread and a nodding dog souvenir on the mantlepiece for company. An giallo horror flickers to life on the Grundig and you never return to sanity.
Pish. I've seen kittens that were scarier. And, just like them, I'd like to stamp out any notion that this is in any way an intelligent horror film.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: this whole 'atmospheric dread' brand of horror is an utter swizz.

BlodwynPig

Quote from: Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth on October 02, 2020, 02:36:09 PM
Pish. I've seen kittens that were scarier. And, just like them, I'd like to stamp out any notion that this is in any way an intelligent horror film.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: this whole 'atmospheric dread' brand of horror is an utter swizz.

it's not a horror film. It's an art film.

but you are being subjective, so I'll give you a free pass....to HELLLLLLL

Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth

Fine. I'd like to stamp out any notion that it's an intelligent art film.

BlodwynPig

Quote from: Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth on October 02, 2020, 04:25:12 PM
Fine. I'd like to stamp out any notion that it's an intelligent art film.

Fine. I'd like to stamp out any notion.

Brundle-Fly

I rather enjoyed Berberian Sound Studio for what it was, a psychological drama about alienation and isolation. It wasn't trying to be Argento or anything. The soundtrack(s) are worth the admission pri---blah blah.

zomgmouse

Happy Death Day. This was fun. Very light but pulls its weight extraordinarily. Mostly because of how fun it is.

Happy Death Day 2U. Sequel to above. Barely a horror film at this point but still equally as fun.

After Midnight aka Something Else. Heard a lot of negative responses to this but honestly it works really well. The style is rather lovely and
Spoiler alert
the reveal at the end that it's not a metaphor but a legitimate actual monster
[close]
was a brilliant touch.

Society. Spectacular. And of course...... that scene. The whole thing is just so beautifully off-kilter.

Corpse Bride. Wonderful animation even if the narrative is a tad not there. Nice dark fairytale, nice voice acting.

Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth

Quote from: BlodwynPig on October 02, 2020, 04:46:53 PM
Fine. I'd like to stamp out any notion.
I second that emotion.

TrenterPercenter

Rewatched Ti West's "House of the Devil" last night and I think it has improved with age a bit.  It was always good but I always thought they never used the idea of babysitting "mother" to it's fullest.  It is still a classy, excellent film.

Then did "The Woman in Black" the newer one.  It's fine and gorgeously produced but I just think Radcliffe is poorly cast, no offence to him, I like him but he is too young and hasn't got the presence needed for the main character.

PS - watched terrifier with the other half and she was a bit traumatised by it which is very unlike her.

SteveDave

Quote from: BlodwynPig on October 02, 2020, 02:21:55 PM
May I suggest Caddy Shack or Herbie Goes Bananas.

Herbie Goes Bananas is scarier than Berbarian Sound Studio. A Volkswagen with a mind of its own. Driving all over the place and going mad. If that isn't scary, I don't know what is.

SteveDave

Quote from: zomgmouse on October 03, 2020, 03:39:11 AM
After Midnight aka Something Else. Heard a lot of negative responses to this but honestly it works really well. The style is rather lovely and
Spoiler alert
the reveal at the end that it's not a metaphor but a legitimate actual monster
[close]
was a brilliant touch.

I watched this thinking it was a film by those lads who did The Endless and Resolution but one of them is in it rather than involved in the making of it.

The karaoke scene was quite something. 

zomgmouse

Bride of Frankenstein. Sadly didn't do much for me, partly because
Spoiler alert
the titular Bride was not introduced until the final 5 minutes, in a strangely at once powerful and anticlimactic sequence
[close]
. And the rest - apart from the blind man - was kind of flat. Maybe just me.

Blood and Black Lace. Fantastic stylistically, really quite impressive even without its reputation as a "proto-giallo" "father of slashers". Heightened mystery, imaginative killins, very very good.

The Craft. Somewhat fizzles its brilliant setup but enjoyable throughout nonetheless.

Quote from: SteveDave on October 05, 2020, 09:24:37 AM
I watched this thinking it was a film by those lads who did The Endless and Resolution but one of them is in it rather than involved in the making of it.

The karaoke scene was quite something.

They also co-produced it!

zomgmouse

The Blair Witch Project. One of those "should have seen this years ago" classics but I was avoiding for ages because I really thought it wasn't worth it mainly due to the whole "found footage" thing. How wrong I was. Scared me pantsless by the end, absolutely tremendously done. The splitting of shooting between colour video and b&w 16mm was really clever and effective, and the looming power of superstition, folklore and legend work wonders. It is indeed truly the parent of the genre and sets a bar for it which I'm not quite sure has been bested.

Parents. Watched this with a couple of friends (over the internet) and they absolutely hated this. They are wrong. It's very very good, showing the point of view of a child in the process of being traumatised by his parents through strict social conformity. Absolutely dripping with symbolism and metaphor - heaps to unpack and analyse and it's delightfully creepy.

Cry of the Banshee. Sub-Witchfinder General Vincent Price medieval witch villainry piece, enjoyable enough to pass the time but nothing amazing.

Weird Woman. Fun and slim, stars Lon Chaney, adaptation of the same novel as Night of the Eagle, which is overall better but this is still not bad!

Hausu. Another I am glad I finally got to - truly unique, batshit energy and visuals. Amazing and deservedly classic.

Superstition. Decent B-film, treads fairly familiar "house haunted by witch who was burned there" territory, however there's a lot to like about it. Maintains an eerie atmosphere throughout, the deaths are cool, the score is also pretty banging, which give it a real tinge of individuality.

The City of the Dead. Struck by the fact that it came out the year that Psycho did and also featured the whole
Spoiler alert
seeming protagonist dies in the middle and then people come looking for her
[close]
narrative. The titular city (more of a town really) was particularly well-crafted, the atmosphere there was delectable. Chilling performances from the cast, including Christopher Lee and the excellent Valentine Dyall.

The Witch. 1954 Mexican horror-drama by Chano Urueta, who also directed the much better The Witch's Mirror. This was mainly quite unremarkable but with a couple of good moments and aspects and the melodrama does catch on after a while.

Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth

I'm going to give Psycho 2 a viewing this evening, as it's due to leave Netflix tomorrow.

A year later, A Cure For Wellness has reappeared on there. I shall add it to my Halloween playlist one again. Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, so I'm planning to spend all day watching horror films.

TrenterPercenter

Quote from: zomgmouse on October 08, 2020, 08:29:50 AM
Hausu. Another I am glad I finally got to - truly unique, batshit energy and visuals. Amazing and deservedly classic.

Hausu is absolutely brilliant.  As you say it is completely batshit but it is incredibly entertaining - for others don't go in expecting to be scared it isn't that kind of film, however you you won't be disapointed.

This video essay explains why it is such a genius film and the deeper meaning of the film is absolutely terrifying when you realise what is actually about.

https://nofilmschool.com/2014/10/youll-never-watch-weirdest-horror-film-ever-made-same-way-again

Warning to others it is really worth watching the film first before this video essay - the film is such a unique classic you do not want to spoil it.


BlodwynPig

I bought it on DVD over 15 years ago and never got round to watching it

Hand Solo

Quote from: BlodwynPig on October 08, 2020, 10:51:46 PM
I bought it on DVD over 15 years ago and never got round to watching it

How-so?

zomgmouse

Eyes of Laura Mars. Starts off crackingly but unfortunately loses it in the middle somewhere and never properly recovers.

Feedback. Someone mentioned it on here so I thought I'd give it a go. Nice one. Wasn't sure how it'd go but it does a brilliant job as it goes on, clever
Spoiler alert
ending
[close]
as well. Great bits of tension and a very simple idea very expertly executed.

Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth

Psycho 2 was certainly much better than it could have been. As far as belated sequels to beloved classics go, it wasn't just a cheap cash in. There is a worthwhile story to be told in Norman Bates' attempt to return to normal life and how everyone reacts to him.

The acting is somewhat hammy, but it works in a heightened, melodramatic sort of way. Sadly, I felt like the ending was a bit cack and retroactively made the whole film worse:
Spoiler alert
I liked the twist that Mary had initially been working against Norman. Maybe I wasn't paying close enough attention, but I didn't see it coming. The ambiguity over whether Norman was losing his mind again was well maintained throughout and his final return to madness could have been an effective tragedy, with his chance at redemption destroyed by Lila Loomis' inability to forgive. But then the film dollops on the cheap twist with Norman's real mother - a character that seemed poorly set up - and it seems like Norman is just congenitally insane and never had a chance.
[close]

Bit a Mandela effect thing: I could have sworn Red Letter Media's episodes on the the series were released last year, but it turns out to have been two years ago. SPOILERS www.youtube.com/watch?v=adGebPmRjxg

El Unicornio, mang

Yeah it's surprisingly decent, and the first one is one of my top 10 of all time. 3 & 4 are just about watchable mediocre fare if you consider them as separate entities. But definitely avoid
Bates Motel (1987), which my parents rented for us all to watch back in the days when you couldn't look up reviews for films. One of the most atrocious cash-ins.


Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth

Another thing I liked was that, intentionally or not, Lila Loomis felt like a timely sendup of Reaganite law and order policy. No nuance, no rehabilitation, just lock 'em up.

Shaky

Psycho III is a more conventional slasher sequel but it's great fun. Some lovely pitch black humour and Perkins is excellent.

Moribunderast

More of a comedy/horror but I enjoyed The Wolf Of Snow Hollow. The latest film written, directed by and starring Jim Cummings who made the excellent (imo) Thunder Road a few years back. This feels very similar tonally, even down to Cummings again playing an unwell cop struggling with family issues, but has the added element of small-town murders, possibly at the hands of
Spoiler alert
a werewolf.
[close]
As I say, horror is only an element but might be worth a look for fans of the genre.

mjwilson

Horror podcast "With Gourley and Rust" has escaped Stitcher Premium and ended up as a free podcast (with ad-free early access on Patreon). They're covering Nightmare on Elm Street at the moment.

zomgmouse

Creature from the Black Lagoon. Loved the underwater sequences (for the most part anyway) and the ending, but the pacing and content otherwise left a little to be desired.

BlodwynPig


phantom_power

City of the Living Dead - badly made film that makes no real sense and has no discernible plot, but a banging soundtrack and a few good bits of gore. The drill in the head was particularly well done

Artie Fufkin

I watched The Witch (The VVitch) on Saturday. Finchy from The Office stars in creepy little Folk Horror story. Really well done by the guy who directed The Lighthouse. Quite a Hammer House vibe to it, I thought. I gave it a 4. Wouldst thou like to live deliciously?

Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth

This year's All Hallows Eve movie marathon is taking shape, but I feel like it needs some good comedy horror to act as a palate cleanser. Current options are: Braindead, Evil Deads 2&3, Shaun of the Dead, Slither, Dog Soldiers, Attack the Block, Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil and Addams Family 1&2. I feel like I've seen them all about a thousand times though, so what else is there in that severed vein?

I do have that animated Addams Family, from last year, bookmarked on Netflix, but the reviews were rather tepid as I recall.

El Unicornio, mang

Quote from: Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth on October 14, 2020, 01:17:34 PM
This year's All Hallows Eve movie marathon is taking shape, but I feel like it needs some good comedy horror to act as a palate cleanser. Current options are: Braindead, Evil Deads 2&3, Shaun of the Dead, Slither, Dog Soldiers, Attack the Block, Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil and Addams Family 1&2. I feel like I've seen them all about a thousand times though, so what else is there in that severed vein?


Couple of 80s horror comedy classics: The Howling (and sequels) and Fright Night

JaDanketies

Try Evil Aliens, Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth. It's full of laughs and insider horror movie references, some great scenes, lines and deaths, doesn't take itself too seriously, and is British! It features Holly from Red Dwarf and the wonderful Emily Booth.