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Horror films

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

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frajer

Quote from: shagatha crustie on October 29, 2020, 10:29:38 AM
Watched Hellraiser for the first time last night. Enjoyable tosh, some terrible direction. I think it only really endured because Pinhead is such a striking image - used to jump right out at me in Blockbusters when I were a kid.

Rewatched this the other weekend myself and it's a curious one. I like it a lot. Low-budget and amateur in many regards (and Arrow Video's pristine restoration shows up a lot of the cracks that VHS papered over) but its bursting with creativity and with a great vein of black humour running through the entire thing.

As a film itself it's okay, but as a work of art I think its very impressive. As you say, the imagery is striking and the character designs of Pinhead and the cenobite crew are deservedly lauded. I also think the conjuration of a new take on "hell" that's completely separate from religion is remarkable. Very easy to see why it inspired so many spin-offs and sequels.

What I find to be its biggest flaw is the transatlantic mess of where its supposed to be set. I really wish the studio hadn't gotten cold feet about it being set in England and decided to retroactively set it in America (redubbing a few accents and keeping locations painfully vague). It's so clearly filmed in grim and grimy Thatcher's Britain that it just seems silly to pretend it's set in the States, and it makes the film feel generic in a way it really isn't.

purlieu

I was always underwhelmed by Hellraiser. I was hoping for a lot more fucked up Cenobite hellscape weirdness. Instead it's mostly just people getting killed in a house.
Thankfully, the second film was exactly what I was after.

frajer

Quote from: purlieu on October 29, 2020, 12:34:31 PM
I was always underwhelmed by Hellraiser. I was hoping for a lot more fucked up Cenobite hellscape weirdness. Instead it's mostly just people getting killed in a house.
Thankfully, the second film was exactly what I was after.

Hellbound is great. Never understood its bad rep, it's a perfect sequel - builds on the original concept in new and interesting ways and enriches the mythology.

The vision of a stark labyrinthine Hell with that endlessly rotating "god" Leviathan is really chilling.

Jumblegraws

Quote from: frajer on October 29, 2020, 12:38:20 PM
Hellbound is great. Never understood its bad rep, it's a perfect sequel - builds on the original concept in new and interesting ways and enriches the mythology.

The vision of a stark labyrinthine Hell with that endlessly rotating "god" Leviathan is really chilling.
Love Hellraiser 2, although Tiffany, the girl who compulsively solves puzzles, looks distractingly like I-judge-children-by-their-names era Katie Hopkins to me. I was also a little disappointed with
Spoiler alert
the Channard/Cenobites showdown, thought at least Pinhead would've out up a better fight.
[close]

El Unicornio, mang

#574
Quote from: frajer on October 29, 2020, 10:56:05 AM

What I find to be its biggest flaw is the transatlantic mess of where its supposed to be set. I really wish the studio hadn't gotten cold feet about it being set in England and decided to retroactively set it in America (redubbing a few accents and keeping locations painfully vague). It's so clearly filmed in grim and grimy Thatcher's Britain that it just seems silly to pretend it's set in the States, and it makes the film feel generic in a way it really isn't.

Yeah, there's even a shot where you can clearly see Battersea Power Station in the background. I seem to recall a bloke randomly popping up wearing a Yankees cap/saying something in American at some point as well, presumably added late on to make it seem like it's set in the US.

Love it though. Watched it with my Dad when I was about 11 and recall being highly embarrassed during the sex/nail in hand scene.

Interesting Cliver Barker clip from 1987 that seems like he's on trial for murder the way these frizzy haired 80s kids are questioning him

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOqaKgrbjfQ

11:00 "You share the same macabre tastes as Myra Hindley and Ian Brady" yikes!

Jerzy Bondov

If Psycho made us afraid to take a shower, and Jaws made us afraid to swim in the sea, Hellraiser made us afraid to solve a Rubik's Cube, and Hellbound made us afraid to incorrectly dispose of an old mattress[nb]Done this joke before, Jerzy Bondov Greatest Hits Out Now[/nb]

Famous Mortimer

A mate of mine is showing a Stuart Gordon double-bill tonight on Facebook Watch:

Re-Animator
It's been years, and I still love it. Jeffrey Combs really plays a prick well.

and

From Beyond
I feel like I've seen this a lot recently. I don't know, it's a fun movie, but it'll be after midnight before they get to showing this and I don't know if I can be bothered to stay up.

zomgmouse

The Noonday Witch. Recent Czech film, one of the "exploring grief through horror" types, evoking the titular Eastern European folk figure. The horror mainly comes through as a literalised fear of a bereaved mother looking after her daughter, the "witch" being a version of herself (even played by the same actress). It's fairly effective and the realism adds a certain grounded nature for a change with these sorts of films.

City of the Living Dead. The first Fulci film I've actually properly liked, some terrifically vivid and properly disgusting imagery and keeps up a brilliant sense of dread throughout it. Great score too.

The Fly (the original adaptation). A little too on the melodramatic side, but solid and builds up to some really good moments.

Dementia 13. Early Coppola, from his Corman-produced times. Competent enough B-film, you can definitely see where his talents would later flourish.

zomgmouse

Quote from: Famous Mortimer on October 30, 2020, 03:32:35 AM
Jeffrey Combs really plays a prick well.

His Prickness came out in full swing in The Frighteners which I watched a couple of days ago. Glorious villainry.

Famous Mortimer

Quote from: zomgmouse on October 30, 2020, 03:53:17 AM
His Prickness came out in full swing in The Frighteners which I watched a couple of days ago. Glorious villainry.
It's been donkey's since I saw the Frighteners. Might have to pop it on this weekend.

Brundle-Fly

Quote from: frajer on October 29, 2020, 12:38:20 PM
Hellbound is great. Never understood its bad rep, it's a perfect sequel - builds on the original concept in new and interesting ways and enriches the mythology.

The vision of a stark labyrinthine Hell with that endlessly rotating "god" Leviathan is really chilling.

And what the fuck happens to
Spoiler alert
Dr. Channard
[close]
when he disappears in that descending box with the snakey things?  It's a bit like what happens to t
Spoiler alert
he baddie
[close]
in Ghost. See Drag Me To Hell and Terrified as well. The notion of being tormented or trapped for eternity terrifies me. How anyone could be a devout Catholic or whatever nutty religion that belives in eternal damnation is beyond reason. To put the idea of going to Hades into a child's head is plain mental abuse.

Ignatius_S

Another Coombs film I enjoyed was Would You Rather - saw it on Netflix a few years ago; it stopped being on the service, but has been added again.

The whole cast (IIRC) do a good job (and with the likes of Sasha Grey and Robb Wells, it's quite an interesting line-up) but what really made it for me and my friends was Coombs and the role was the lynchpin for the entire movie.

petercussing

He's great in the Black Cat Masters of Horror and in The Evil Clergyman what got released on dvd from an unrelease anthology from Black Moon, too. He's great i think we can agree, basically.

Non Stop Dancer

I'd somehow not got round to watching Halloween until tonight, and fuck me it was shit, albeit in so shit it's good territory. Is this the typical opinion about it or is it actually considered decent?

Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth

The original? It's widely considered a classic.

Then again, so is Dawn of the Dead.

lipsink

Quote from: Non Stop Dancer on October 30, 2020, 09:51:02 PM
I'd somehow not got round to watching Halloween until tonight, and fuck me it was shit, albeit in so shit it's good territory. Is this the typical opinion about it or is it actually considered decent?

The original 1978 version I rewatched recently and I still find it incredibly effect. Creepy and tense and still made me jump.  It's the first proper 'slasher' film (sure, there's Black Christmas, Texas Chainsaw Massacre but Halloween is where it all falls into place and it set the template) so it's been copied so many times it might have lost a little of its impact.

lipsink

I keep meaning to watch Night Of The Creeps, Dolls and The Stuff. Anyone recommend these or any other 80s horror? I've just watched the original Fright Night which was great fun.

zomgmouse

Quote from: Non Stop Dancer on October 30, 2020, 09:51:02 PM
I'd somehow not got round to watching Halloween until tonight, and fuck me it was shit, albeit in so shit it's good territory. Is this the typical opinion about it or is it actually considered decent?

Yeah not sure what this is about either. The 1978 Halloween is a 5/5 classic, everything comes together perfectly. Would be curious to know what exactly you found shit about it.

Quote from: lipsink on October 30, 2020, 11:34:03 PM
I keep meaning to watch Night Of The Creeps, Dolls and The Stuff. Anyone recommend these or any other 80s horror? I've just watched the original Fright Night which was great fun.

Night of the Creeps and The Stuff are both horror-comedies so there's a lot of tongue in cheek about them. If you want more like that then maybe something like Society, Brain Damage, Bad Taste, Re-Animator, The Toxic Avenger, Christmas Evil, Mr. Vampire, The Return of the Living Dead, Gremlins... if you're after more "serious" stuff then you might want to try things like Possession, Videodrome, Angst, maybe even Maniac. Some things are kind of in the middle as well, like The Thing, Child's Play, A Nightmare on Elm Street or Pumpkinhead. Heaps to choose from!

brat-sampson

Also saw Hellbound this week after watching the first a couple of years back. I liked it a lot more overall, especially when things go off the rails in the second half. It's definitely not a film that suffers from lack of imagination, that's for sure. Loved the fingers that have tentacles that have eyes that have knives.

El Unicornio, mang

Rewatched Halloween for the first time in ages and it still holds up OK but what's with him being able to drive perfectly despite having been locked up since he was 6?

Junglist

His House on Netflix is a really good refugee horror.

Great debut.

Tombola

Quote from: El Unicornio, mang on October 31, 2020, 11:59:39 AM
Rewatched Halloween for the first time in ages and it still holds up OK but what's with him being able to drive perfectly despite having been locked up since he was 6?

I sure hope someone got fired for that blunder. Haven't seen the Rob Zombie version but from what I gather, this is exactly the sort of detail that would be fleshed out in it.

petercussing

There was part of the story that did explain some one at the mental facility taught him to drive, but it wasn't included in the final film

Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth

And who taught him to be immortal?

JaDanketies

I watched the Rob Zombie version in the cinema and all I remember about it was that it was forgettable. And the murders were not visceral like they should be imo. More silhouettes of axes being slammed down rather than organs being pulled out and worn as scarves. Surprising for Rob Zombie.

I'm not sure if I've killed horror for myself though. Like on Gogglebox the other day, they watched Drew Barrymore getting iced in Scream, and they were all hiding under the covers, jumping off the sofa, yelling and hollering, that kind of thing. I wish Scream could affect me like that.

Hellraiser is one of my gf's favourites and I suggested watching it this Halloween. But weirdly, we're watching Troll 2 instead.

zomgmouse

Rewatched the Cronenberg version of The Fly last night for the first time in about ten years and it's so much better than I remember it. This was my first Cronenberg back in the day and now in the interim having seen pretty much everything else he's done it really makes a lot more sense within the context of his body of work. The practical effects are super detailed and cool, and the ideas are worked in in very effective ways. There's only, what, 3 proper characters in the whole thing and yet it feels like a gargantuan story about everything in the world. Simultaneously being explicitly and implicitly about "what it is to be human" and all the other things it's about. Truly among his best work.

Famous Mortimer

WNUF Halloween Special

It's pretty good! I first watched this in bits at my friend's bar, and I was pretty well fooled by it. I assumed it was some local UHF channel's weirdo Halloween experiment, so kudos to them. It's a bit more obvious when you watch it from the beginning, of course. 

Custard

Watched The Conjuring last night. I can never decide if it's quite good or dog eggs. Apparently the second one is better, so maybe we'll try that next

Are the Annabelle films any good?

frajer

Quote from: Shameless Custard on November 01, 2020, 03:15:36 PM
Watched The Conjuring last night. I can never decide if it's quite good or dog eggs. Apparently the second one is better, so maybe we'll try that next

The Conjuring and its sequels all seem to get deemed "surprisingly good" but I thought the ones I've seen were quite shit.

Feel very slick and soulless, which are good qualities in ghosts but turns out not films about ghosts.

The Mollusk

A friend recommended the 1965 compendium flick Dr. Terror's House of Horrors last week, describing it as "good clean family fun". Seeing as it stars Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee and Donald Sutherland, we figured it would be at least decent and so we gave it a spin. Load of dull fucking shite it was.