Cinemassacre has Monster a Madness, we have 31 Nights of Halloween.
Here we can talk about the horror movies that we chose each night of the month, and if you haven't seen some of these films, then consider them good recommendations to watch before Halloween is over. Contrary to the title, however, I'll be trying to post most of the discussions up in the daytime so that people have the rest of the day to view the movie and share their thoughts on it. I will also try to link to any review of the film which I feel adequately describes what's in store for those who either haven't seen it or need a bride refresher. With that said, let's begin with:
NIGHT 1:
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F-Hq_U07RAKow%2FUB_zH6UJ3uI%2FAAAAAAAAD9E%2FZBOCTLYHz2I%2Fs1600%2FScream.jpeg&hash=25237d0ce54abdd5aa50080020728c7e0b3795e7)
Review (Spoiler-Heavy): http://youtu.be/1Vhj17YN904
So, I'm sure most people know about these films as they were insanely popular in the 90's, but for anyone who doesn't, Scream is one of the most popular films and subsequent franchises to be spawned by famed horror director Wes Craven (already a recognizable name in the horror genre from iconic films like The Last House on the Left and A Nightmare on Elm Street). Scream was also responsible for the great revival of the horror genre in the 90's, with the genre dying out during the middle of that decade, and Scream reigniting interest with a new spin on it. This spin was that of a satirical approach. To be clear, the movie played it straight like any other horror film, however it was also made with a very self-aware attitude that it was a horror film, and most of the dialogue from the characters, who are all actually familiar with horror films, both pays tribute to and simultaneously mocks all of the tropes of the genre. It's actually ridiculous how many horror references and jokes are crammed into this movie.
Knowing people on this board, I'm sure that it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I do feel that the first film, at least, has earned its strong reputation and following by doing something different for its time. As for the sequels, I'd actually argue that the second film was even better, and the third was atrocious. I haven't seen past the first 10 minutes of the 4th film, but I must say that the intro to that movie is one of the most legitimately hilarious things that I have seen out of any horror comedy.
Anyways, feel free to discuss this movie and the series. And, if this one doesn't float your boat, then there are still many more nights to come, so stay tuned! :thumbup:
I love the Scream movies. I used to rent multiple horror movies at my Blockbuster and other mom-n-pop stores in my area, and a lot of them were plagued with cliches that were either laughable or cringe-worthy. I finally gave Scream a rent in 2000 (the first three movies were already out by then) and it felt so cathartic to see them pointing out all the bullshit. I enjoyed all four movies.
I also liked its parody, the first Scary Movie. Hated the sequels, though.
Yeah, Scream was really great for its fresh take on the genre by both mocking it and reveling in the cliches at the same time. Randy was also a great character, as the surrogate horror movie fan who handled most of the exposition in the films regarding what cliches and tropes to watch out for in each movie.
I also thought it was clever how each film also satirized a specific kind of film in a series. Like, the first one was generally satirizing slasher flicks, the second was more specifically referencing sequels, the third was about the final film in a trilogy, and the fourth was about all of the modern reboots and remakes that we are getting, and how the rules of horror have changed since the original trilogy.
I'm watching it right now. It's a good horror movie that's smartly written and directed but I don't care too much for the sequels. The opening alone pretty handily skewers the whole slasher genre. I'd probably like the others as much if I was anywhere near as invested in this types of movies when Halloween is about the only one I like.
I think the 2nd was the best in the series, personally, but I was never too big on the 3rd one, if memory serves. And, I still have yet to see the 4th one, outside of the opening scene, though I've heard mixed opinions on the movie.
Personally, I think that the first movie at least works both ways in regard to whether you like slashers or not. If you do, then you'll appreciate all of the homages and references, as well as celebrating all of the tropes, and even if you don't like this genre of horror, you would still most likely enjoy the dumb tropes of it being mocked just as well as the people who do like it.
My only real gripe with the movie is that it does feel a bit too cemented in the 90's with its dialogue and depiction of high school students.
My favorite part is where
Spoiler
Billy and Stu keep stabbing each other.
Too funny.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on October 01, 2014, 10:08:20 PMMy only real gripe with the movie is that it does feel a bit too cemented in the 90's with its dialogue and depiction of high school students.
Well, that's kind of unavoidable. :sweat:
There's also this (http://youtu.be/L6fAsHCKHTU) little gem of a scene.
That was a good one. Randy's freakout in the middle of the video store is pretty funny, too. His passion for such a trivial thing is ridiculously over the top.
The entire climax of the film after the killer is revealed is hilarious. Wes Craven probably had a blast making this movie and playing with the tropes of a far beyond worn out genre of horror.
Good pick for the first night.
Ironically the person who actually picked it is nowhere to be seen on this thread, so far. :humhumhum:
Randy was easily my favorite character in the film.
Spoiler
It's just a shame that they ended up killing him off in the second movie, though to be fair he got A TON of great lines in it.
I also love the ending scene of the first movie. It's comedy gold, and unlike a lot of crappy slasher films, this was actually intentional for once.
I don't watch a lot of horror movies, so I was thinking of making use of this thread and check out the movie of the day each night of the month. So, I just finished
Scream, and I enjoyed it. I didn't find any of it particularly scary, but it was good at being suspenseful, and had a great sense of humor and actually got me to laugh quite a few times. Probably my favorite part of the movie was the beginning scene, which I thought set up the tone of the movie really well. The stuff after the killer was revealed was great as well, especially the
Spoiler
part where Billy and Stu keep stabbing each other and when Stu starts crying at the thought that his parents will get mad at him when they find out what he's done
I liked how the movie played the horror tropes mostly straight but with a certain self-awareness that lended itself to humor as well, making it work both as a straight horror film and as a comedy. Overall, I thought it was a fun flick. Will check out the second movie sometime if it's really as good or better than it.
I like the second movie better, myself, but others have mixed opinions on it.
If you haven't watched An American Werewolf in London, then I HIGHLY recommend that film, which is tomorrow night's movie, although unfortunately it's no longer streaming on Netflix, so it may be a bit tougher to find unless you go for the DVD or Blu-Ray. It's the best horror comedy that I've ever seen, personally.
Also, The Thing (John Carpenter version) is one of the best Sci-Fi horror movies ever, so definitely give that one a watch as well if you haven't seen it.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on October 01, 2014, 11:03:05 PM
Ironically the person who actually picked it is nowhere to be seen on this thread, so far. :humhumhum:
I will post about An American Werewolf In London tomorrow when I finally watch it. :sly: Don't really have much to say about Scream that everyone else didn't already mention.
NIGHT 2:
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fen%2Fe%2Fe5%2FAn_American_Werewolf_in_London_poster.jpg&hash=8f5f536b9430c10ec0faa3b47e79cf7dfc000def)
Review (Minor Spoilers): http://www.happydragonpictures.com/americanwerewolflondon
And also, Cinemassacre's Monster Madness video (Minor Spoilers): http://youtu.be/YERgTS6jEs4
It's time to go backpacking on a trip to London, go hiking with your best buddy, enjoy the sites, and also deal with the impending doom of slowly transforming into a werewolf on the side in tonight's classic horror comedy, An American Werewolf in London. Directed by John Landis, who previous to this was famous for directing classic comedies like Animal House and The Blues Brothers, we get his take on a horror film which still refuses to let go of his comedic roots in the slightest.
Actually, what works about this film is that, much like Scream, it IS played up completely straight, yet it has so much humor just in the dialogue and the way that certain characters act. For instance, when David first sees Jack's ghost, the first thing that Jack asks him is if he can have a piece of toast, with the straightest of delivery, and then goes on to talk about how he caught his girlfriend cheating on him after his own funeral. It's pure comedy gold, and probably wouldn't work if the movie didn't have the right balance of serious delivery yet humorous pros with the dialogue. I just love how casually he seems to take his own death. The rest of the film is excellent as well, with fantastic performances all around. A fun fact is that this movie would have originally been set in America, but Landis decided to move it to England since country tax laws for filming were more lenient over there than in the states, which made it cheaper to shoot there.
Anyways, this movie is a proven classic, so hopefully we get a lot more discussion this time around.
A personal favorite and, to me, the best werewolf movie there is. You've pretty much addressed why it's so likable (I love David's reaction when Alex says out on the street "David, please be rational!"). I also think we can't get through this day without discussing that phenomenal werewolf transformation. Still the best ever on film, and unfortunately we'll probably never see anything like it again with practical effects being less prominent these days.
Before this month ends, I wouldn't be surprised if I feel the need to watch this move again.
Watched it last night. Loved the humor in the film and the actors did a good job with both playing some things straight and adding witty dialogue to most conversations. The parts with Jack's ghost are especially hilarious. David's visions were also cool for the what-the-fuckery of them and for building the tension of what's going on with him and his increasing paranoia and mental instability. I also loved the special effects, which were really top notch. David's transformation sequence is absolutely incredible.
Spoiler
I did find it odd how the movie just stops after David is shot dead. It feels like there should how been some denouement or something. It is kinda funny how it cuts immediately to the credits with that upbeat song though. And in a way, it does make a bit of sense, since this is David's story and it would make sense for it to end once David died. It just felt a little abrupt to me, but maybe that was the point. Also, am I the only one who felt that the movie was implying that the werewolf stuff was all in David's mind? Especially in the ending, where he's shot dead and we see his human body, it just felt like that was what was going on. Of course, having looked it up, it seems that interpretation is incorrect and he actually did become a werewolf, but I do feel the movie does at least keep you guessing as to whether it's all in his head or not.
Overall, I really enjoyed the film. Perhaps my favorite horror comedy that I've seen so far (though admittedly, I have seen fairly few).
Quote from: Cartoon X on October 02, 2014, 12:58:18 PM
Watched it last night. Loved the humor in the film and the actors did a good job with both playing some things straight and adding witty dialogue to most conversations. The parts with Jack's ghost are especially hilarious. David's visions were also cool for the what-the-fuckery of them and for building the tension of what's going on with him and his increasing paranoia and mental instability. I also loved the special effects, which were really top notch. David's transformation sequence is absolutely incredible. Spoiler
I did find it odd how the movie just stops after David is shot dead. It feels like there should how been some denouement or something. It is kinda funny how it cuts immediately to the credits with that upbeat song though. And in a way, it does make a bit of sense, since this is David's story and it would make sense for it to end once David died. It just felt a little abrupt to me, but maybe that was the point. Also, am I the only one who felt that the movie was implying that the werewolf stuff was all in David's mind? Especially in the ending, where he's shot dead and we see his human body, it just felt like that was what was going on. Of course, having looked it up, it seems that interpretation is incorrect and he actually did become a werewolf, but I do feel the movie does at least keep you guessing as to whether it's all in his head or not.
I thought they established that there was indeed a monster running around the city, during the last 5 minutes? The Slaughtered Lamb also seems to know about them. David's body seen lying there is a common thing with monster movies, where they'll revert back to their human form when they die. It's even seen at the beginning of the movie, after the first werewolf that killed Jack dies.
Yeah, like I said, I think I was just interpreting that stuff wrong for most of the movie. :P
Spoiler
David technically dies at the beginning of the movie and the ending was just a reconfirmation of that. The entire movie is about death, after all. One of them just took longer to die than the other did. There was no better place to end it, in my opinion.
Will be watching it again tonight. One of the best horror movies ever.
Yeah, much like Desensitized, I love the ending. In modern movies I think that we're a bit to used to exposition heavy epilogues, which is why it may seem abrupt, but if you really think about it, the film concluded its story, so the ending works just fine.
As for CX's interpretation, to be fair, I was thinking that the first time that I saw the film, but when the doctor visits the pub that David and Jack went to, the people there pretty much confirm that the existence of Werewolves, and that David was indeed bitten by one.
The special effects in the dream sequences were great, but yes, that transformation is the best one ever put to film, or any medium, for that matter. No CG bullshit here, that was pure makeup and practical effects. We're just never going to get a transformation scene as good as this one again. I also doubt that we'll ever get a werewolf movie as good as this one again, because it's the best one in the entire genre, and one of my favorite horror movies of all time.
I think Universal's The Wolf Man starring Lon Chaney Jr. was originally going to be ambigious whether or not he was turning into a werewolf or he was going mad, but that they decided showing him as a wolf would make the movie a bigger success. I would say that it might interesting to see a movie try and tackle this original concept, but then again, looking at horror movies these days, they might as well not even bother.
EDIT:
And yeah, I too liked the ending.
We should also talk about the sequel, An American Werewolf in Paris! ... Right, guys? ... Huh, guys?
That film doesn't exist! :burn:
And if it did exist, then practical effects sure wouldn't exist in it, sadly. :bleh:
Just watched it myself. I probably didn't like it as much as you guys do, but it was very enjoyable and funny. I loved all the bits with Jack talking to David as a corpse. The overly enthusiastic dead people in the porn cinema were hilarious, as was the scene with everyone panicking and accidentally killing each other near the end. The special effects on the transformation sequence were still very impressive, and the makeup work in the first scene with dead Jack was amazing, though I thought the werewolf itself looked kind of dumb (perhaps intentionally?).
I agree that the ending was perfect. Nothing more really needed to be done with the characters or story after David's death. I also enjoyed the way the beginning of the film messes with the audience's expectations by killing off one of the major characters. Overall, very solid, and played the horror aspect much straighter than I thought it would; definitely a lot more serious than most horror-comedies, IMO. I've never really liked werewolf movies, but this one was great. I can see why it's considered a classic, and while I didn't outright love it, I can see why all of you would. :)
Quote from: Foggle on October 02, 2014, 08:04:33 PMJust watched it myself. I probably didn't like it as much as you guys do,but it was very enjoyable and funny. I loved all the bits with Jack talking to David as a corpse. The overly enthusiastic dead people in the porn cinema were hilarious, as was the scene with everyone panicking and accidentally killing each other near the end. The special effects on the transformation sequence were still very impressive, and the makeup work in the first scene with dead Jack was amazing, though I thought the werewolf itself looked kind of dumb (perhaps intentionally?).
Just watch it over and over again each year. You'll grow more appreciation for it. Trust me, the true classics never seem as great as they are hyped up to be on a first viewing. I could go into every little detail that I love about this movie that I never noticed on a first viewing, but that'd be moot unless you experienced it for yourself.
As for the a Werewolf design, I liked it myself, just not when they showed full-body shots, which looked less convincing (though, to be fair they didn't do that until the end).
As for it being a horror comedy that played it up straight, I honestly love that aspect of the film. That's what makes it stand out so well to me. I like other horror comedies like Shaun of the Dead and such, but I always consider stuff like that to really be more of a straight-up comedy that just happens to be parodying horror movies. There are very few films that I know of that can perfectly combine a legitimately serious tone with intentional humor, though I'd argue that The Evil Dead (the first one) manages to nail a serious tone and pack in plenty of unintentional humor.
(In the theater.)
David: Don't I need a silver bullet or something?
Jack: Oh, be serious, would you?
That exchange has always been one of my favorites in the movie.
I also love when the doctor refuses a phone call by saying "Tell him I'm dead!". That's got to be the ultimate full proof way of avoiding talking to someone you don't want to. :D
Quote from: Foggle on October 02, 2014, 08:04:33 PM
I thought the werewolf itself looked kind of dumb (perhaps intentionally?).
I think it looks good in the movie, largely because of how it's shown and the lighting and whatnot. This scene, for example, looks great.
Spoiler
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fbasementrejects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2012%2F06%2Famerican-werewolf-in-london-werewolf-cinema.jpg&hash=76cc0095f31411592e04668ee7131fd6a4363756)
I like it when werewolves in movies don't look like traditional werewolves.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on October 02, 2014, 08:33:55 PM
Just watch it over and over again each year. You'll grow more appreciation for it. Trust me, the true classics never seem as great as they are hyped up to be on a first viewing. I could go into every little detail that I love about this movie that I never noticed on a first viewing, but that'd be moot unless you experienced it for yourself.
Oh, definitely. That's how I feel about the first two Alien films and Casablanca. They get better with every viewing!
QuoteAs for the a Werewolf design, I liked it myself, just not when they showed full-body shots, which looked less convincing (though, to be fair they didn't do that until the end).
The design was
really good during the transformation. Just wasn't a fan of the animatronic they used in certain shots.
QuoteAs for it being a horror comedy that played it up straight, I honestly love that aspect of the film. That's what makes it stand out so well to me. I like other horror comedies like Shaun of the Dead and such, but I always consider stuff like that to really be more of a straight-up comedy that just happens to be parodying horror movies. There are very few films that I know of that can perfectly combine a legitimately serious tone with intentional humor, though I'd argue that The Evil Dead (the first one) manages to nail a serious tone and pack in plenty of unintentional humor.
I loved it too. That's also what makes Scream, Re-Animator, Cemetery Man, and American Psycho so good IMO.
Quote from: talonmalon333 on October 02, 2014, 08:40:33 PM
I think it looks good in the movie, largely because of how it's shown and the lighting and whatnot. This scene, for example, looks great.
Spoiler
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fbasementrejects.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2012%2F06%2Famerican-werewolf-in-london-werewolf-cinema.jpg&hash=76cc0095f31411592e04668ee7131fd6a4363756)
Oh yeah. It looks awesome right there! :thumbup:
I also think it's worth talking about the first 15 minutes of the movie, when David and Jack go to the Slaughtered Lamb and are out on the road. The atmosphere is perfect, and that whole section is easily one of my favorite parts of the movie.
Speaking of movies that you have to watch over and over to appreciate, I'll warn some of you guys right how, if tomorrow is your firs time watching John Carpenter's The Thing, I can guarantee that you won't love it nearly as much as I do. That, much like Alien, is a film that is decent enough on casual viewing as a straight-up Sci-Fi/Horror film, but it also didn't do well at the box office when it was initially released, and like many other films, its cult following only developed years later. Its a movie that lends itself really well to analysis since it's really good at not flat-out explaining everything to you, and that's where its cult following comes in, and the fan theories from people who have literally seen the films hundreds of times are amazing and many times are completely plausible given how much attention they pay to detail.
But also, don't let that scare you off if you haven't seen it yet. I think that most people will enjoy it just fine on their first time through. I just don't expect anyone to outright love it the first time that they watch it. Also, keep in mind that the beginning is a little slow, but personally I love the fact that this movie takes time to build up its suspense, and trust me, it's totally with the wait. I can promise you that shit really goes down in that film by the half-way point. And if that's not enough, it also had Keith "Fucking" David in it (the voice of Goliath from Gargoyles, himself). That automatically makes any movie at least twice as awesome as it already was.
Quote from: talonmalon333 on October 02, 2014, 04:49:15 PM
We should also talk about the sequel, An American Werewolf in Paris! ... Right, guys? ... Huh, guys?
It's a good example to bring up when talking about the genre as a whole.
The first movie is everything good about the genre and is a classic. The second is everything wrong with the genre and one of the worst movies I've ever seen. It's an amazing feat for two films to be so far apart from each other that have so many similarities.
The fact that the movie that released twenty years later has considerably worse special effects deserves particular mention in itself.
Quote from: Foggle on October 02, 2014, 08:41:52 PM
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on October 02, 2014, 08:33:55 PM
Just watch it over and over again each year. You'll grow more appreciation for it. Trust me, the true classics never seem as great as they are hyped up to be on a first viewing. I could go into every little detail that I love about this movie that I never noticed on a first viewing, but that'd be moot unless you experienced it for yourself.
Oh, definitely. That's how I feel about the first two Alien films and Casablanca. They get better with every viewing!
Hey guys, I don't have as much time as I want to participate every night (but I'll try to catch Evil Dead II when that happens, since it's on Netflix and I've been meaning to rewatch anyway), but I just wanted to say that it's so true that Casablanca deserves to be watched more than once.
I actually loved The Thing immediately on my first viewing. It's a masterpiece.
Quote from: Avaitor on October 02, 2014, 09:32:56 PM
Hey guys, I don't have as much time as I want to participate every night (but I'll try to catch Evil Dead II when that happens, since it's on Netflix and I've been meaning to rewatch anyway), but I just wanted to say that it's so true that Casablanca deserves to be watched more than once.
One of the top 5 film scripts ever written, easily. Gets so much better every time I re-watch it.
So with An American Werewolf in London, I was thinking about what are my favorite werewolf movies. This is obviously first. Ginger Snaps, which I only just saw recently, would be #2. But I can't think of a movie to round out my top 3. I could pick The Wolf Man, but I don't know. I like that movie very much, but I don't want to pick it. I feel like I
have to be forgetting something.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on October 02, 2014, 09:30:49 PM
The fact that the movie that released twenty years later has considerably worse special effects deserve particular mention in itself.
That's nothing special. CGI became big at that time, so of course the effects would be worse. :blush:
Quote from: Avaitor on October 02, 2014, 09:32:56 PM
Quote from: Foggle on October 02, 2014, 08:41:52 PM
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on October 02, 2014, 08:33:55 PM
Just watch it over and over again each year. You'll grow more appreciation for it. Trust me, the true classics never seem as great as they are hyped up to be on a first viewing. I could go into every little detail that I love about this movie that I never noticed on a first viewing, but that'd be moot unless you experienced it for yourself.
Oh, definitely. That's how I feel about the first two Alien films and Casablanca. They get better with every viewing!
Hey guys, I don't have as much time as I want to participate every night (but I'll try to catch Evil Dead II when that happens, since it's on Netflix and I've been meaning to rewatch anyway), but I just wanted to say that it's so true that Casablanca deserves to be watched more than once.
Who watches Casablanca only once?
There's some good films nominated, so I hope you can catch some of the ones you've never seen. I've never seen The Fog, for instance, but I found a copy cheap and I've always wanted to see it, so this is a good excuse.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on October 02, 2014, 09:30:49 PMThe fact that the movie that released twenty years later has considerably worse special effects deserves particular mention in itself.
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.werewolf-movies.com%2Fscreens%2Fmovie_21-3.jpg&hash=9e0e17907a0512d73406ecf62e0d4df9940b494f)
Now just compare that to the picture that Talon posted, and any notions that the original werewolf design didn't look like all that will immediately fade away.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on October 02, 2014, 09:30:49 PM
Quote from: talonmalon333 on October 02, 2014, 04:49:15 PM
We should also talk about the sequel, An American Werewolf in Paris! ... Right, guys? ... Huh, guys?
It's a good example to bring up when talking about the genre as a whole.
The first movie is everything good about the genre and is a classic. The second is everything wrong with the genre and one of the worst movies I've ever seen. It's an amazing feat for two films to be so far apart from each other that have so many similarities.
The fact that the movie that released twenty years later has considerably worse special effects deserves particular mention in itself.
Both American Werewolf films pale in comparison to this masterpiece, though:
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2F0blutdE.jpg&hash=d1c8a529271575a0200bbf195f36a07cc60aff27)
Quote from: Foggle on October 02, 2014, 09:34:35 PMI actually loved The Thing immediately on my first viewing. It's a masterpiece.
Well, we're not all as awesome as you, apparently. :humhumhum:
But I still know from experience, since most people I show it to don't get why I praise the fuck out of it so much. As far as pure horror films go, this is probably my favorite, though The Shining also gives it a run for its money.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on October 02, 2014, 09:36:40 PM
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on October 02, 2014, 09:30:49 PMThe fact that the movie that released twenty years later has considerably worse special effects deserves particular mention in itself.
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.werewolf-movies.com%2Fscreens%2Fmovie_21-3.jpg&hash=9e0e17907a0512d73406ecf62e0d4df9940b494f)
Now just compare that to the picture that Talon posted, and any notions that the original werewolf design didn't look like all that will immediately fade away.
Oh man, it looks even worse than I remember. :huh:
Quote from: Foggle on October 02, 2014, 09:38:11 PM
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on October 02, 2014, 09:30:49 PM
Quote from: talonmalon333 on October 02, 2014, 04:49:15 PM
We should also talk about the sequel, An American Werewolf in Paris! ... Right, guys? ... Huh, guys?
It's a good example to bring up when talking about the genre as a whole.
The first movie is everything good about the genre and is a classic. The second is everything wrong with the genre and one of the worst movies I've ever seen. It's an amazing feat for two films to be so far apart from each other that have so many similarities.
The fact that the movie that released twenty years later has considerably worse special effects deserves particular mention in itself.
Both American Werewolf films pale in comparison to this masterpiece, though:
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2F0blutdE.jpg&hash=d1c8a529271575a0200bbf195f36a07cc60aff27)
I agree.
Paris is an awful movie. If you want to appreciate the original more, I suggest watching it.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on October 02, 2014, 09:40:20 PM
Quote from: Foggle on October 02, 2014, 09:34:35 PMI actually loved The Thing immediately on my first viewing. It's a masterpiece.
Well, we're not all as awesome as you, apparently. :humhumhum:
But I still know from experience, since most people I show it to don't get why I praise the fuck out of it so much. As far as pure horror films go, this is probably my favorite, though The Shining also gives it a run for its money.
Did you ever see the newer remake of The Thing?
It's not good. :-\
I didn't dislike the recent remake as much as I thought I would, but it's not very good.
If we do this next year, I'd like to nominated the original Thing From Another World, though. I do think that Carpenter's is stronger, but the original still has some cool elements in it that deserve another look.
I see October 3rd came early. :P
Oh, I won't be able to get a chance to rewatch An American Werewolf in London tonight, but I can say that I do definitely like it. You guys have said everything that I could much better, though.
One thing I wanted to say for London is that the beginning of the movie is really well done. I also liked the real subtle use of horror rules at the beginning. That being, the victim has to choose their fate out of ignorance of the situation or willful disobedience of a given rule.
It looks just like two guys having a normal backpacking trip, but throughout the introduction they are repeatedly told to stay on the road and stay off the moors. They leave the road the first time after being warned and reach the Slaughtered Lamb where they are not given a warm welcoming and told once again to not go into the moors. The second time they still don't listen and it begins to rain as if warning them off, but not only do they not turn back, they start singing as if they had already forgotten what they were told. Then the howling starts and they finally realize they made a mistake.
But it's too late.
Excellent set-up.
Not to mention that early throwaway line, "Just remember, David, if anything happens, it's your fault." A line that seems to haunt the rest of the film especially considering the first thing he does when trouble strikes is to run away and leave Jack for dead. These early decisions influence everything that comes later. It's pretty great stuff.
Quote from: Avaitor on October 02, 2014, 10:04:34 PMI didn't dislike the recent remake as much as I thought I would, but it's not very good.
If we do this next year, I'd like to nominated the original Thing From Another World, though. I do think that Carpenter's is stronger, but the original still has some cool elements in it that deserve another look.
I thought it was a prequel rather than a remake. That of course makes it's title all the more stupid, since why the fuck would you give a prequel the exact same title as the first movie if it's not a remake? Way to confuse audiences everywhere.
As for the film, no, I haven't seen it, and I don't plan to. The original was as close to perfect as possible. It's a proven masterpiece just like An American Werewolf in London, and also just like that film, it never needed a sequel, prequel, or spin-off. In my eyes, nothing else that would come out of the franchise directly relating to John Carpenter's iteration of The Thing could be considered canon to it, so if anything, they would have probably been better off doing a remake than a prequel. I actually may have checked it out, then.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on October 02, 2014, 10:09:15 PM
One thing I wanted to say for London is that the beginning of the movie is really well done. I also liked the real subtle use of horror rules at the beginning. That being, the victim has to choose their fate out of ignorance of the situation or willful disobedience of a given rule.
Yeah, the opening of the film is brilliant:
TSL People: "Stick to the roads."
David and Jack: "Pshhh....fuck that!"
**And then they get attacked by a Werewolf**
Genius.
QuoteNot to mention that early throwaway line, "Just remember, David, if anything happens, it's your fault." A line that seems to haunt the rest of the film especially considering the first thing he does when trouble strikes is to run away and leave Jack for dead. These early decisions influence everything that comes later. It's pretty great stuff.
That's one of the many great details about this movie that I was talking about appreciating on repeat viewings. A lot of what's going to happen is telegraphed pretty early on in the film in retrospect which you'll notice on repeat viewings if you pay attention, much like in one of the Cornetto movies, except this one did it first. ;)
Also, to reply to something else that Avaitor said, The Thing From Another World is a good movie. I just don't agree with the people who act like that was the only version of the film that there should be. As a monster movie it's a classic, and John Carpenter's film shows it a lot of respect, but at the same time his take on the story is also a much more faithful adaptation of the original novella. It's all about which version you prefer, and personally, I prefer Carpenter's take on the story, but the original still has it's place in Sci-Fi/Horror history.
And to reply to Talon, yeah, I didn't mean to start talking about The Thing already, but to be fair, it's already almost midnight where I'm at, so technically in less than 30 minutes it'll be. October 3rd, anyways. :P
It's a prequel, but it's pretty much exactly the same as the first film. Just really stupid.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on October 02, 2014, 10:26:50 PMQuoteNot to mention that early throwaway line, "Just remember, David, if anything happens, it's your fault." A line that seems to haunt the rest of the film especially considering the first thing he does when trouble strikes is to run away and leave Jack for dead. These early decisions influence everything that comes later. It's pretty great stuff.
That's one of the many great details about this movie that I was talking about appreciating on repeat viewings. A lot of what's going to happen is telegraphed pretty early on in the film in retrospect which you'll notice on repeat viewings if you pay attention, much like in one of the Cornetto movies, except this one did it first. ;)
The best horror does that. Bad actions are punished and carry on throughout, and it usually takes until the end before the right decision is chosen (or maybe not, depending on the story) and the evil is stopped. The whole movie stems ultimately from David's actions, since he was the one who started the trip in the first place. That's why it's really rewarding on re-watch, because you catch everything that relates to his decision throughout.
Those dreams, though. :lol:
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Review (Spoiler-Heavy): http://sfdebris.com/videos/films/thing.php
We already talked about this movie some, but there's still plenty left to say about it. The first 2 nights weren't completely serious horror movies, but this is our first genuinely dark one of the month. And no, I don't consider it "scary" in the same way that no horror films can really scare me anymore since they are just movies. That said, I do find it to be an incredibly interesting and well-written story. It's sort of like if you took the concept of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, changed the way that the alien works, and then put it an an isolated Antarctic setting, which is fucking brilliant for a horror movie.
I love every aspect of this film. The characters are great, the mystery is played up incredibly well, and the special effects are top notch. Kurt Russel and Keith David especially pull out their A-game on this one. As far as John Carpenter films go this is by far my favorite one.
And, I already commented on the original film and the prequel, so I don't really have anything else to add about those other than the original is a classic, but I prefer the Carpenter version, and the prequel doesn't even have my interest, so I don't ever plan on seeing it.
As for favorite scenes from this movie, I have 2:
The first is the one where the head sprouts spider legs, to which the reaction is "You've gotta be fucking kidding."
The second is when they are doing the iconic blood-testing scene, which I won't spoil for anyone who hasn't seen the movie, but suffice it to say that it's so iconic that South Park even did a direct tribute/parody of it in the episode Lice Capades.
I watched this for a second time about a year ago. It was better than I had remembered it being. I always recognized the fantastic stop motion effects in the movie, but it's also really suspenseful.
:thinkin:
Spoiler
You know what's one thing I noticed about this movie last time I saw it? At the end, when MacReady and Childs acknowledge the fact that they can't trust each other anymore, then sit down to just wait, if you look closely, you can see that Childs isn't breathing normally. In the cold, human breath can be visibly seen. MacReady is clearly breathing quite regularly, but Childs isn't. Creates some potential ideas as to who is still themselves at this point.
Yeah, the end of the "prequel" is the chopper chasing the wolf. It's basically this movie again only with considerable lamer execution.
I'm watching it now. It's been a while.
Spoiler
That's a nice observation, but from what I've heard, John Carpenter wanted to leave the ending up to viewer interpretation, so any hints as to whether one of them was The Thing or not by the end were probably completely unintentional on his part. But, if one of them were to be The Thing, it'd almost certainly have to be Child's. While it's possible that MacReady could've been assimilated from off-screen, it just wouldn't make sense since he annihilated that monster form of The Thing with dynamite, so I doubt that any of it could have still remained alive to attack him. Meanwhile, Child's had been off-screen for a little while, and in that time the doctor could've gotten to him, and by all accounts probably did since he was nowhere to be found when they destroyed the ship that he was building.
Also, nobody mentioned how awesome Ennio Morricone's score for this movie is, so I'll mention it:
Ennio Morricone's score for this movie is awesome! And super atmospheric, to boot.
Those opening notes are killer. It's obvious where DOOM got its ideas for the sound.
DOOM took inspiration from one John Carpenter film, and it's rival FPS series of that era, Duke Nukem, took direct quotes from another one. Guess which one that was? :sly:
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on October 03, 2014, 08:10:58 PM
DOOM took inspiration from one John Carpenter film
Not to mention Aliens and Evil Dead, among other things.
Anyway, just got done seeing the movie, and it was every bit as good as E-K said it was. The opening bits were rather slow as he said, but it really hooks you in by the time they (minor spoiler) put the Thing in the storage room. My favorite scene had to be
Spoiler
where they tried to revive Norris.
Carpenter really knows how to do horror.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on October 03, 2014, 08:06:38 PM
Also, nobody mentioned how awesome Ennio Morricone's score for this movie is, so I'll mention it:
Ennio Morricone's score for this movie is awesome! And super atmospheric, to boot.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on October 03, 2014, 08:08:28 PM
Those opening notes are killer. It's obvious where DOOM got its ideas for the sound.
You mean aside from a bunch of popular metal bands. :sly:
But yeah, like I said, DOOM was inspired by a lot of things from 70's and 80's, and this movie was clearly one of them.
That scene was great, especially with the spider head by the end of it. Also, I don't know if the joke occurred to you, but there's the scene where after the blood test revealed that Palmer has been assimilated, MacReady's flamethrower jams up and he tells "Windows" to blast him, but he freezes up and gets killed. The YouTube comments on that scene are fucking hilarious. "Goddamn Windows always freezing up at the most inconvenient moments!" It's just another example of the scary accurate foresight in Caprenter's films, even though that was completely unintentional, obviously. :D
Anyways, I'm glad to see that you enjoyed the movie. Really, it should be no surprise that this film was so good. At least as far as late 70's and 80's films go, Carpenter's output was amazing. With Halloween, The Fog, The Thing, and They Live, he was called a master and legend of horror for a reason. ;)
Also, if you haven't seen it yet, I totally recommend watching They Live, Rynnec. It's one of Carpenter's more underrated films, but it's a great mix of comedy, action, and horror. It's literally the exact plot to DmC: Devil May Cry, except done the right way, without any pretentious context about youth and the media and government and all that sort of bullshit, since the film is actually clever enough to not take itself that seriously with its subtext. It also inspired Duke Nukem's most iconic line (and by inspired, I mean that DN literally just ripped it off, word for word, because it was so bad-ass.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on October 03, 2014, 08:54:47 PM
That scene was great, especially with the spider head by the end of it. Also, I don't know if the joke occurred to you, but there's the scene where after the blood test revealed that Palmer has been assimilated, MacReady's flamethrower jams up and he tells "Windows" to blast him, but he freezes up and gets killed. The YouTube comments on that scene are fucking hilarious. "Goddamn Windows always freezing up at the most inconvenient moments!" It's just another example of the scary accurate foresight in Caprenter's films, even though that was completely unintentional, obviously.
Better than the "version" they did in the prequel. Everyone stands around doing nothing while one guy gets assimilated in the middle of the room. It's incredibly infuriating and stupid that NO ONE does anything. In this one, everyone has reasons and motivations for acting the way they do. The director never says, "Okay, this is the part where the character loses all their braincells and the monster takes advantage and kills them." which is probably my least favorite thing about the genre by far.
Yeah, in that scene from the original, it at least makes sense. For one thing, everyone else in the room is tied up, so they literally can't do anything. MacReady is shown to be trying to flame The Thing, but his flamethrower is jammed, so that just leaves Windows. In his case, you could say he's so stupid for not doing anything, but it's understandable that he freaks out in the heat of the moment (and to be fair, The Thing is literally mere feet in front of him, so he'd end up burning himself really badly with the flame at point blank), and furthermore if you pay attention earlier in the film, his character is show. To be rather cowardly the way he acts once he knows that weird shit is going down, so it works as part of his character that he's the one who freeze up in fear at the most inconvenient possible time.
Windows was established as being slow on the draw and very jittery, so it made sense that scene played out the way it did. Imagine if it was Childs in his place then you'd have a good idea of how ridiculous that scene (and several others) are in the newer one.
It's nice watching horror movies that don't fall into those traps. So far we're three for three.
Watched it. Loved it. Masterful shots, eerie and atmospheric music score, and brilliant tension all the way through. Had me glued to the screen pretty much every second of it. Though, somehow found the Thing's transformations more funny than disturbing/scary. When it was first revealed I actually laughed out loud. I must be more desensitized than I thought I was (maybe it's only "realistic" body horror that makes me uncomfortable). Either way, I loved the film's exploration of what people can be capable of when they stop trusting each other and become fueled by paranoia, and the ending was just perfect. I certainly will try and check out more of John Carpenter's films once I get more time to (or if some of them will be coming up later in this thread).
Two of them will be coming up later (in fact Halloween is the honorary closing film for the month).
Personally I loved the effects of the transformations, which I didn't find scary, but didn't quite laugh at either. To me it's just great practical effects. They look really good, just completely over the top in what's depicted, but to me that makes the design of the alien feel all the more unique and creative, since it has no definitive shape, and can morph into whatever is most beneficial for it, like when it sprouted spider legs and antennae out of a fake copy of Norris's face.
But, at any rate, I'm glad that you enjoyed it. I consider it to be the best Sci-Fi/Horrir film, or at least tied with Alien,many it's tied with tomorrow's film, The Shining, as my favorite pure horror film ever. That said, The Shining is a Kubrick film, so it's less about practical scares and more about serious "WTF was Kubrick smoking when he came up with this shit?" imagery.
I did love the special effects and thought the look of the Thing was cool (spider-Thing was also my favorite of it's transformations). Just somehow it's first appearance made me laugh. I'm really not sure why. :sweat:
I watched The Shining a few years ago and I remember enjoying it quite a good deal. Since it's been a long while since the last time I saw it I'll try and watch it again tomorrow, and perhaps I'll have an even better appreciation for it this time.
As far as other John Carpenter movies go, I can definitely recommend Assault on Precinct 13 and Escape From New York, they fall more into the action/suspense category, but both movies still have Caprenter's trademark bleak atmosphere and subtly disturbing tone. Both of them also showcase Carpenter's talent as a composer.
Also, I'm not sure if you've watched any of The Evil Dead movies, but since watching 3 films in one day will be too talk of an order for most people, I recommend watching Evil Dead 2 if you only have time for one. The first 20 minutes both recaps and completely retcons the first film, anyways, and while Army of Darkness is my favorite of the trilogy, it's not really a horror movie, and I only included it because it's impossible for me to talk about Evil Dead without bringing it up, anyways.
The first film is meant to be a straight-up horror movie, but came off as unintentionally funny in many parts (to be fair, it also still has some really well-placed jump scares). Sam Raimi obviously had a good sense of humor about it all, though, and made the sequel intentionally funny, though that one, to its credit, also has some decent jump scares. Army of a Darkness does feature the deadites, but by that point it was pretty much pure comedy for the most part.
Escape from New York is awesome, but it's been years since I last saw it, so I need to re-watch it at some point. I actually haven't gotten around to AOP13, yet, so I'll definitely need to get on that once this month ends and I have time to watch other movies again.
I think The Evil Dead is still excellent, but I will admit that 2 is the one that perfectly embodies the entire trilogy, featuring both horror and comedy which are both associated with this franchise.
I think that the first film is great, but just that the second represents the series the best. The first movie is still a classic, in my book. That said, these movies certainly aren't for everyone.
Quote from: Rynnec on October 03, 2014, 11:12:55 PM
As far as other John Carpenter movies go, I can definitely recommend Assault on Precinct 13 and Escape From New York, they fall more into the action/suspense category, but both movies still have Caprenter's trademark bleak atmosphere and subtly disturbing tone. Both of them also showcase Carpenter's talent as a composer.
AND
BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA. An awesome tribute to kung fu flicks, hilarious, and bizarre. You really should see it.
There's also Starman which isn't bad. John Carpenter has a lot of really good stuff.
How could I have forgotten Big Trouble? Great film.
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Review: http://youtu.be/7E6s9tDuR20
It's time to go crazy with "All work and no play makes 'Jack Nicholson' a dull boy" in this Stanley Kubrick horror masterpiece, based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. If the made-for-TV movie is any indication, Kubrick quite frankly does King better than King himself does.
So, let's just get this out of the way right now:
Spoiler
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Filluminatiwatcher.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2012%2F10%2FIlluminatiWatcherDotCom-The-Shining-46.jpg&hash=5e1b4461090e068166862a60f792a11e49b93c5e) No, I still don't know what the fuck I'm looking at whenever I watch this scene, but it still gets me every time.
Anyways, feel free to discuss this bizarre but classic horror flick.
This is one that I'e actually seen again fairly recently, which I just HAD to after seeing Room 237 (I do recommend it, btw). This is definitely a case where the film is better than the book.
Quote from: Avaitor on October 04, 2014, 12:54:50 PMThis is one that I'e actually seen again fairly recently, which I just HAD to after seeing Room 237 (I do recommend it, btw). This is definitely a case where the film is better than the movie.
You might want to clarify that one for us, although I'm sure that I know what you meant to say. :sweat:
Yeah, my bad. :sweat:
I haven't read the book, but I wouldn't be surprised that the film is better, given that the few movies based off of Stephen King books that I like seem to be ones that he despises since they don't accurately follow his books in the first place. In that regard, though, aside from The Shining, I have found The Children of the Corn and Carrie to be great horror films. Also, as far as TV mini-series go, It is a guilty pleasure for me, mainly because while the content of the film sucks, it did manage to scare the hell out of me when I first watched it at the age of 7, and I always did like the actual concept of the story, even if it wasn't written well, so that's more a case of nostalgia than actual genuine quality. Though, I would argue that Tim Curry as Pennywise is still incredibly entertaining, more for being hilarious in his failure to be scary than in terms of actually being scary.
At any rate, since I have already re-watched The Shining rather recently, I think that I'll try and re-watch one of the other King movies that I mentioned liking instead, tonight, only because it's been so much longer since I've last seen either of them.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on October 04, 2014, 12:26:20 PM
So, let's just get this out of the way right now:
Spoiler
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Filluminatiwatcher.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2012%2F10%2FIlluminatiWatcherDotCom-The-Shining-46.jpg&hash=5e1b4461090e068166862a60f792a11e49b93c5e) No, I still don't know what the fuck I'm looking at whenever I watch this scene, but it still gets me every time.
I know that Kubrick changed certain things in his movie adaption of The Shining, but did he ever give a reason at all for that seemingly random scene? Was it originally in King's book?
I always figured it was some messed up furry fetish thingy going on that Kubrick just added in for shits and grins when the story got really tense. Perhaps that's all it was? It didn't come off as being a metaphor for anything.
That's the great mystery of that scene. I have never been able to understand of its in there simply jut to get a "WTF?" reaction out of the audience, or if it genuinely has any deeper meaning to it. I still don't know what the hell it is to this day, and nobody's been able to explain it to me. I haven't read the book, but somehow I count that it's in there, seeing as how the whole movie was largely inaccurate to the novel in the first place, from what I've heard.
I was at work all day so I missed a lot here. But of course I'm a fan of a smart horror movie with one of the definitive performances by one of my all time favorite actors. ;)
I'm just going to put this out there:
Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker > Jack Nicholson's performance as The Joker
Jack Nicholson's performance as Jack Torrance >>>> Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on October 04, 2014, 09:44:41 PM
I'm just going to put this out there:
Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker > Jack Nicholson's performance as The Joker
Jack Nicholson's performance as Jack Torrance >>>> Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker
I agree with you, and I wouldn't even say this movie is my absolute favorite Nicholson performance.
I haven't seen The Shining in years, but it's a masterpiece and an all time favorite, for sure.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on October 04, 2014, 12:26:20 PM
So, let's just get this out of the way right now:
Spoiler
(https://animationrevelation.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Filluminatiwatcher.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2012%2F10%2FIlluminatiWatcherDotCom-The-Shining-46.jpg&hash=5e1b4461090e068166862a60f792a11e49b93c5e)
That. Fucking. Scene.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on October 04, 2014, 09:44:41 PM
I'm just going to put this out there:
Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker > Jack Nicholson's performance as The Joker
Jack Nicholson's performance as Jack Torrance >>>> Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker
Yes!
Also, don't get me wrong, I love Heath Ledger's Joker. I even love Jack Nicholson's Joker, for that matter. That post was just to highlight how amazing I found his performance in The Shining, rather than trying to paint either Joker performance in an inferior light, because those are still awesome.
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Review (Spoiler-Heavy): http://cinemassacre.com/2007/10/24/evil-dead/
Tonight we indulge in one of the most notoriously awesome gore-fests in all of cinema with the most unique trilogy ever. The first film is a horror movie, the second a horror comedy, and the third just a flat-out comedy. Before Sam Raimi went on to direct the big-budget original Spider-Man trilogy, he was one of the masterminds behind one of the most iconic characters in all of horror, the bad-ass incarnate Ash. The Evil Dead remake apparently brings things back to its horror roots, but as that's the only film in the franchise that I haven't seen yet, I'll be watching that tonight instead so that I can comment on it. As for the original trilogy, though, you'll never find another movie like then.
Anyways, like usual, please discuss any of these films. I'll give you guys my more detailed thoughts on each individual entry a little bit later, although I will say that I basically like each one more than the last, and I do enjoy all of them, overall.
The Evil Dead is just an excellent indie horror film. The story is creative, the effects are awesome, and it does have its scares. And then it has great camerawork.
Evil Dead II, as I said before, defines the whole trilogy. It has the horror elements of the original, and the comedy that Army of Darkness has. It's a lot of fun.
Army of Darkness is comedic gold, and I love how Ash has completely gone from a quiet guy to a complete one-line spewing jerk. I love all three, but if I absolutely had to pick a favorite, it would probably be this one.
The Evil Dead- While not exactly scary, per se (and really, nothing in movies scares me these days), it still had an effectively creepy atmosphere thanks to masterful camerawork and incredibly crude yet well done practical effects that were as grotesque as they were over the top and funny. The movie also has some effective scares, to its credit, and the grainy quality of the film actually helps it feel all the more creepy. That said, a lot of scares come off as unintentionally funny, and it's clear that the cast of this film didn't really have all that much acting experience, but the way they deliver their performances does help with the more unintentional comedic quality of the film.
Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn- This one basically pretended that the first film didn't exist and started the story over from scratch, but that allowed it to set up a much more humorous tone, although it cleverly played things up straight from the get-go, and didn't reveal it's humorous nature until a little later on into the film. Once that happens, though, then the whole movie goes completely insane without any sort of rules to abide by which works to its strength for those who enjoy wacky slapstick humor and tons of cheesy dialogue and one-liners. It's also in this film that Ash becomes the bad-ass that we know and love.
Army of Darkness- This picks up right where ED2 left off, and essentially just goes for a pure comedic tone, and it really works well. It still pays homage to its horror roots in certain scenes, but the relatively short 80-minute run time is wisely spent on cramming in as many hilarious gags as possible, culminating in an epic battle with stop-motion deadites for the climax. This is easily my favorite film of the trilogy.
I'm having some trouble finding the remake, so I may not be able to watch it tonight after all, but I'll still post my thoughts on it whenever I do finally see it. From what I've heard from the vernal ED fan-base, it's actually a pretty decent remake of the first film, while paying tribute to the other 2 movies in the trilogy.
I've heard that the recent movie is not just a remake, but that it actually "sort of" follows the previous movies.
There got to be more Evil Dead fans around here. :thinkin:
Nope, I guess we're the only 2 on the entire board. :>
Sorry, I just don't have much to say these days, nor have I been able to watch the movies we're using here again lately.
But I saw the Evil Dead films in a weird order. The first one I saw was II, which I recorded from a late night airing on TCM (I know, they actually aired Evil Dead II at one point! You gotta love TCM Underground). Honestly, I was a little disappointed with it. I thought that the film was well made, but I didn't find it all that funny. But it's a film that definitely stuck with me since that airing, to the point that I started to realize just how damn entertaining certain little things in it where. I ended up watching it again later, and I fell in love for sure! Easily among the greatest horror comedies of all time.
Next, I rented Army of Darkness from my local Blockbuster before it closed down (this was actually a couple of years before their recent demise, btw). As a more concrete comedy, the film is exceptional, although I was somewhat saddened that the terror that kept Evil Dead II so fresh was mostly MIA. That said, I'm very glad that it exists.
I wasn't sure if I was ever going to watch the first, though. I knew that it had plenty of dedicated fans, but I had heard before that it wasn't as strong as the more comedic films. But I was bored one Halloween night waiting for trick or treaters, and remembered that it was on Netflix. Why not? While it's true, I prefer the funnier flicks, this is top-notch budget horror, and it continues to blow me away that Sam Raimi could pull off some of these crazy shots as such a novice.
One of these days, I'll give the trilogy a rewatch in order, since I want to directly see the progression between them. But they're fantastic regardless, as the trilogy is clearly a celebration of the macabre, done in different ways.
I haven't seen the remake(ish?) yet, but I do want to. I was initially resent, since why would we need a reboot of the franchise? Especially one penned by Diablo Cody (and this isn't just Juno ambivalence talking- I actually saw Jennifer's Body, and it is ass). But then I heard the idea behind it, and how Cody's influence was barely present, which raised my interest. At some point, I'll get to it for sure.
I remember that I was just going through my brother's DVD collection a few years back and asked you guys if The Evil Dead was worth watching, as I found it among his many horror movies. I popped it in, not knowing what to expect, and have been a fan ever since. Yes, it's not a super high quality product along the lines of Poltergeist or something, but it is still a really entertaining horror film if you watch it with the right mindset. Like I said, while not actually all that scary on the whole, it did at least nail a scary atmosphere and provided some really effective scares in the middle.
I didn't get to the sequels until a couple years after that, but yes, those were certainly excellent follow-ups to a film that never really needed one; yet I'm glad that they were made, all the same.
I love the Evil Dead trilogy, but I'm very tired today and barely able to type coherent sentences.
The Evil Dead trilogy is awesome and gets better with each movie. Very rarely does a trilogy accomplish that feat.
Evil Dead is Raimi's best trilogy.
Quote from: Daikun on October 05, 2014, 09:41:40 PM
The Evil Dead trilogy is awesome and gets better with each movie. Very rarely does a trilogy accomplish that feat.
The Before trilogy certainly does, itself.
I didn't have time to watch either movie, but I have seen Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness and love both of them. Ash is a great protagonist and Bruce Campbell gives him a lot of personality and charisma. Any series that combines Cthulhu Mythos (well, one element of it at least) with horror, action, and comedy is a legendary one in my book.
I have nothing to say about Evil Dead that hasn't been said a million times. It's great, go see it.
As for The Shining, the book is absolutely worth reading. Stephen King has written a TON of crap throughout his career, but his early triad of books after Carrie (which is not really my thing) are totally worth reading. Forget whatever else you might have read of his, those three should be read if you're a fan of horror.
Salem's Lot is a good modern vampire tale where most of them change the rules and neuter the monster, but King doesn't. He follows classic vampire rules which makes the story really tense and quite an interesting read. There has never been an adaption that nails the feel of the book, and hoping for one nowadays is a waste of time. If you're a Bram Stoker fan, you should give this one a try.
The Shining is old school psychological horror, and really good. Kubrick was able to make a movie this good because he had a really good base to build off of. If you're a fan of the film, you should read the book. The differences between the book and film are enough that your appreciation between the two should grow. He recently wrote a sequel called Doctor Sleep that stars a grown up Danny which is supposedly his best book since The Stand as if he suddenly remembered what he was best at. The man may be arrogant and pompous, but even he has to know that his best work was in the classical horror vein.
The Stand is about the end of the world and the battle of good and evil. There are a lot of characters, a lot of things going on, a villain that's quite eerie (the villains in these three books are quite good at being bad) and a surprising life-affirming message throughout despite all the horror going on. It's an extremely long book, but it earns the length as instead of being padded the story is just that long. Part dystopia, part adventure, part horror, and part end of the world, it is undeniably his best work. He must know it, too, because nothing he's done since then has had nearly the ambition, passion, or drive he had when writing this one. Either marred by stupid premises (Christine), stupid endings (It), or a coke-addled tale of ultimately nothing worth reading (Tommyknockers), he never quite reached those heights again. As such, I've been waiting for an adaption to do it justice, but no one has done it yet. In the right hands, it would be quite a good trilogy of movies.
If you want my opinion, Kubrick should have done Salem's Lot, too. Hoping for a good vampire movie nowadays is just a hopeless proposition.
NIGHT 6:
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Review (Minor Spoilers): http://cinemassacre.com/2009/10/23/23-return-of-the-living-dead-1985/
It's "Party Time" tonight with this zombie horror comedy. In this tale, we learn that Night of the Living Dead was patently based on true events, and as our dumb-ass characters release a strange sealed up gas, they are once again reigniting the terror of that film in their very own neighborhood.
This is yet another one of the greatest horror comedies ever, and one of the best 80's films in general. The Return of the Living Dead is by far my favorite zombie film, and yes, I love Romero's trilogy to death (no pun intended), but this one gets the most re-watches out of me. I also enjoy Shaun of the Dead as a zombie parody flick, but this one is one of the aforementioned that does, for all intents and purposes, play its premise pretty straight, but with so many excellent humorous moments from start to finish. The tone is just perfect.
If you haven't seen this movie yet, I absolutely implore that you do. It really is among the best of the best of its genre, and totally worth multiple watches.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on October 06, 2014, 12:10:53 PMAs for The Shining, the book is absolutely worth reading. Stephen King has written a TON of crap throughout his career, but his early triad of books after Carrie (which is not really my thing) are totally worth reading. Forget whatever else you might have read of his, those three should be read if you're a fan of horror.
Salem's Lot
The Shining
The Stand
Once I go back to my mom's house where I have access to the local library, I'll definitely check those books out. ;)
Favorite character in Return of the Living Dead: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpeN0ct95hk
"You think this is a costume? This is a way of life!"
Great movie.
The ambulance (or should I say ambulances?) scene almost made me die laughing the first time I saw it.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on October 06, 2014, 12:27:38 PM
The ambulance (or should I say ambulances?) scene almost made me die laughing the first time I saw it.
Is that when help approaches the ambulance and you see zombies swarm them through the window? Or when the zombie talks over the radio? I nearly died from both.
The zombie talking over the radio calling for more backup was hilarious. In general, I just love the creative decision to let the zombies talk in this one. It makes them much more interesting than any other zombies I've seen, even if their dialogue is mostly pretty comedic stuff.
I also love just how egregiously huge the outbreak becomes (with an ending that suggests it'll go global) all because of a little slip at the beginning of the film.
Quote from: talonmalon333 on October 06, 2014, 12:34:47 PM
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on October 06, 2014, 12:27:38 PM
The ambulance (or should I say ambulances?) scene almost made me die laughing the first time I saw it.
Is that when help approaches the ambulance and you see zombies swarm them through the window? Or when the zombie talks over the radio? I nearly died from both.
Do I really have to choose? :lol:
If you haven't seen this movie before, let me give you a hint. Remember that Simpsons THOH episode with the zombies from the early seasons? This movie is a full length version of that, and just as funny.
I love how, at the end, when the missile is launched toward the city, one of the characters literally asks "Did you hear something?". Such a comedic way to make light of the fact that they're all about to die. :D
So, are we the only 3 people on this board who have seen this movie? Because if that's true, then it seriously needs to be remedied quickly. How can you not love a movie that has the awesome sense to play Party Time by Grave 45 during its iconic "Zombies emerging from the graveyard" scene? That's just pure class. :sly:
Oh, I also love this exchange from the movie:
-"I thought you said if we destroyed the brain it'd die!"
-"It worked in the movie!"
-"Well it ain't work'n now, Fred!"
-"You mean the movie lied!?"
Only two people here have seen the Evil Dead trilogy, and only three people have seen Return of the Living Dead. Animation Revelation is confirmed to be horror malnourished.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on October 06, 2014, 04:49:30 PM
-"I thought you said if we destroyed the brain it'd die!"
-"It worked in the movie!"
-"Well it ain't work'n now, Fred!"
-"You mean the movie lied!?"
I knew I was forgetting to post a good exchange!
For a second opinion on Carrie, I really recommend it, myself. The book and film.
Return of the Living Dead is ace, as well.
Quote from: talonmalon333 on October 06, 2014, 04:56:51 PM
Only two people here have seen the Evil Dead trilogy
Actually, I think everyone here has seen it. ROTLD, I don't know about.
So far this "event" has been really fun. I've rewatched a lot of good movies I tend to forget about otherwise. I'm pretty sure I won't be able to participate in them all, though.
*raises hand* I've seen Return of the Living Dead more than once and loved it.
When I was a kid, the scene that freaked me out the most was the half dog that came to life. Go figure. :il_hahaha:
I forgot to say that "Surfin' Dead" by The Cramps is the best song in the movie. Really nails the whole tone of the film.
NIGHT 7:
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It's time to go psychotic with tonight's horror comedy thriller that's all about the American Dream, or a much more twisted version of it, anyways. Before he dawned the iconic cape and cowl, billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne was apparently a homicidal serial killer who had many issues to sort out over the traumatic experience of witnessing his parents being murdered right in front of him. This trauma clearly buried itself deep inside if him and brought out his dark(er) side in a sinister and disturbing way, until years later he was trained by the League of Shadows and then became a crime fighter for justice with a no killing policy, keeping himself from having his previous identity being discovered by masking his voice with an impossible to understand grumbling sound. And that, my friends, is the story of the American Psycho....who oddly enough is played by a British dude.
Alright, bad joke aside, I actually haven't seen this movie in ages, so I honestly barely remember anything about it. I'll remedy that by re-watching it tonight. ;)
From what I've seen, this movie is Bale's best performance.
As far as "delusional worldly man gets swallowed by the world and madness" stories, I prefer this to Fight Club. It hits the mark a lot harder I've always thought.
That said, the chainsaw on the stairs gave me a lot of laughs when I first saw the scene.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on October 07, 2014, 02:22:19 PM
As far as "delusional worldly man gets swallowed by the world and madness" stories, I prefer this to Fight Club. It hits the mark a lot harder I've always thought.
That said, the chainsaw on the stairs gave me a lot of laughs when I first saw the scene.
I agree, though I never liked Fight Club quite as much as most people.
Fight Club is a good movie. You guys are just nuts. :bleh:
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on October 07, 2014, 02:45:00 PM
Fight Club is a good movie. You guys are just nuts. :bleh:
I like it! But I've heard a lot of people call it a masterpiece, to which I disagree. ;D
True, it's not as great a film as many people overhype it to be, but that's not the film's fault, but rather that of the rabid fans who over praise it. Whenever something gets praised that much, it inevitably sets people up to go in ready to just scrutinize it for all of its flaws just to show that it's not as great as the fans seem to believe it is.i viewed the film, thankfully enough, before I even knew how popular it was, so I went in with literally no preset expectations, and I can say that from my viewing experience, it is a pretty good movie with a nice sense of humor and some admittedly poignant subtext. It's no masterpiece by any stretch, but it's still definitely well-made for what it does right, and I also enjoy that it doesn't take itself completely seriously, as it shows a good sense of humor throughout the film.
But, anyways, I digress. I meant for people to talk about American Psycho, not Fight Club. Of course it's Desensitized who had to bring it up in the first place, despite not being a fan of the latter. :P
I was just comparing intentions. I just feel American Psycho does it better.
That's all. Yeesh, you're touchy. :>
No, I'm not touchy. I'm right. There's a difference. :humhumhum:
I'm pro-Fight Club all the way, myself.
I honestly don't like American Psycho very much at all.
Uh-oh....don't let Desensitized read that. :>
No, but to its credit, I do at least think that American Psycho is definitely funnier, from what I can remember of it, if that counts for anything. Like I said, I'm planning on re-watching it tonight.
Spark, look what you did.
As for American Psycho, I heard that the writer wished he had did the ending differently.
Foggle's the one who suggested it. I don't have a dog in this fight. :humhumhum:
I dunno, I came into AP with open arms, but very little of the humor did much for me Christian Bale's performance was strong, but that's all it had going for me. :??:
Quote from: talonmalon333 on October 07, 2014, 02:15:40 PM
From what I've seen, this movie is Bale's best performance.
Agreed!
For some reason, the humor in this picture just really does it for me. I've seen the film three times, and I always crack up near-constantly throughout. I think it's an incredibly well-written and acted movie, with some of the greatest dry and/or morbid comedy of all time. I love it to pieces. :swoon:
NIGHT 8:
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It's time to send the undead back to their graves in this insanely bizarre horror comedy. And....that's about all I've got. I only ever saw part of this movie a long time ago, and just like American Psycho, I really need to re-watch (or in this case finish watching) it.
But, by all means, discuss away! :joy:
This one is actually new to me! But I have the DVD from Netflix, so I'll try to watch it tonight.
This is one of my all time favorites, in my top 3 for sure. Everything about this film is amazing to me; the writing, the directing, the acting... everything. It's a bit (okay, a lot) weird, so I think you need some level of appreciation for surrealist film making to truly love this movie like I do, especially the last act. It's an incredibly hilarious, intriguing, bizarre, and rewarding film. I hope everyone enjoys it!
Quote from: Foggle on October 08, 2014, 03:57:48 PM
This is one of my all time favorites, in my top 3 for sure. Everything about this film is amazing to me; the writing, the directing, the acting... everything. It's a bit (okay, a lot) weird, so I think you need some level of appreciation for surrealist film making to truly love this movie like I do, especially the last act. It's an incredibly hilarious, intriguing, bizarre, and rewarding film. I hope everyone enjoys it!
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I have no idea what that gif is supposed to mean. I'm going to interpret it as, "Yes, Foggle, you are correct; also, I love you and worship the ground upon which you stand." :sly:
Quote from: Foggle on October 08, 2014, 07:32:07 PM
I have no idea what that gif is supposed to mean. I'm going to interpret it as, "Yes, Foggle, you are correct; also, I love you and worship the ground upon which you stand." :sly:
And that he wants a Tom Kenny body pillow.
My dark secrets... :cry:
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He cares not for secrets, but for carnal love.
I'll take one in Ice King, please.
Oh wow, I have got to watch this again soon. I definitely enjoyed the film, but I don't really think that I understand it.
NIGHT 9:
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Tonight, we get re-animated with....Re-Animator....and....yeah, I'm running out of clever things to say about these movies. Anyways, this is yet another one of my favorite horror comedies. So many priceless scenes to remember in this one. My favorite parts are with Dr. Hill's corpse and talking head. I just burst out in laughter whenever he's on screen. You really need to watch this movie if you haven't seen it already. It's right up there with An American Werewolf in London and The Return of the Living Dead as being among the very best in the genre.
On another note:
Desensitized, since I know that you aren't here to post on the weekends, would you like me to move some of your entries around so that they all show up on weekdays when you can discuss them? I'd just have to switch them around with movies that nobody would mind me shifting around between days.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on October 09, 2014, 02:32:45 PM
On another note:
Desensitized, since I know that you aren't here to post on the weekends, would you like me to move some of your entries around so that they all show up on weekdays when you can discuss them? I'd just have to switch them around with movies that nobody would mind me shifting around between days.
I would like that since my copy of Body Snatchers hasn't arrived yet and I really wanted to rewatch it before posting on it.
Alright, I'll move both to later dates that you can post on. ;)
New order:
11th: Ring
12th: The Omen (1976)
15th: The Exorcist
30th: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (original)
Talon, I hope you don't mind that I moved around one of your movie selections to make the change work. If you're not OK with that, then just let me know and I'll figure something else out.
Re-Animator is hilarious and all around excellent! It was also my first introduction to Lovecraft, whose work I have an odd fascination with. It's been many years since I've seen it, and if I wasn't so busy tonight, I'd definitely be watching it again. Fantastic film. :joy:
I'm honestly not that familiar with Lovecraft's literature, which I've heard is a it dense and hard to get into, but the concepts found there have certainly influenced many great horror films, this one included. I do love how they really play up the comedy in this movie, though, yet don't skimp on the effects and actually make them look as grotesque as possible, rather than laughably bad simply just because the film is comedic in tone. Honestly, the 80's was THE decade of the horror comedy. So many classics in that genre from that era alone.
Hell, they take up a majority of my top 5, with the only one on my list that's not from that decade being The Host.
The grotesqueness of the effects really adds to the humor in my opinion. I love it when comedies aren't afraid to do things like that. As a genre film, it wouldn't work nearly as well without the gross stuff.
Lovecraft loved purple prose. On the plus side, all his works are short, so it shouldn't take you much time to read a short story or novella here or there.
I don't have time to watch the movie again, but I do have a copy of his complete work, so I'll try to read "Herbert West–Reanimator" again to compare notes on the film itself from what I recall.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on October 09, 2014, 08:08:03 PM
Lovecraft loved purple prose. On the plus side, all his works are short, so it shouldn't take you much time to read a short story or novella here or there.
I actually kind of like purple prose, if I'm honest. The worst sin that kind of writing commits is that it flaunts how good the author is at their craft. I'd certainly rather read flowery BS than YA crap or VN exposition.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on October 09, 2014, 03:36:44 PM
New order:
11th: Ring
12th: The Omen (1976)
15th: The Exorcist
30th: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (original)
Talon, I hope you don't mind that I moved around one of your movie selections to make the change work. If you're not OK with that, then just let me know and I'll figure something else out.
I was actually kind of anxious to talk about Ring, so I'm pleased by this change. ;D
As for Re-animators, I'm ashamed to admit I still need to see it.
It's on Netflix, I believe. I'll try and see if I can watch it myself before it gets too late tonight, but I still have a lot of work to do for a class tomorrow, so I'm kind of iffy on that.
Quote from: Foggle on October 09, 2014, 08:13:17 PM
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on October 09, 2014, 08:08:03 PM
Lovecraft loved purple prose. On the plus side, all his works are short, so it shouldn't take you much time to read a short story or novella here or there.
I actually kind of like purple prose, if I'm honest. The worst sin that kind of writing commits is that it flaunts how good the author is at their craft. I'd certainly rather read flowery BS than YA crap or VN exposition.
Old school space opera is full of purple prose, so I have nothing against it when strange concepts have to be explained. Just that most modern readers don't like that sort of writing, and a lot of the stuff tends to go on about the color of leaves or things the reader doesn't really care about, so it serves as a sort of warning.
That said, Lovecraft and Poe are pretty much the standard for modern horror reading.
Lovecraft loves to get into the nitty gritty of every little facet he portrays in his story, which I personally love to read. I understand that it's not for everyone, but hey, Victor Hugo doesn't do it for me. Everyone's different.
Medusa's Coil is a good one of Lovecraft's. The reveal is pretty shocking too.
NIGHT 10:
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Tonight, we'll have a bloody mary first thing, a bite at the King's Head, couple at the Little Princess, stagger back here and bang...back to the bar for shots. Then we'll open up a red Cornetto cone and watch all of that happen in tonight's movie, Shaun of the Dead.
I have to admit, I used to not like this movie, but the humor eventually grew on me. It's still my least favorite of the Cornetto trilogy, but it has plenty of really funny moments and some truly memorable lines that are really fun to quote.
I mentioned before that I got to see this in a double feature with Zombieland when that came out, to a packed theater no less. Such a great experience.
Oh yeah, Zombieland was another great one. Oddly enough, I have a friend who thinks that it's really overrated, but part of that is because he detests Jesse Eisenberg. I'm not a fan of the guy, myself, as he basically acts the same in every goddamn role that he does, but I do feel that his formulaic performance actually suited that film quite well.
I'd say that SotD is the stronger comedy film with zombies, but Zombieland is still really worthwhile in its own right, IMO. Those bits with Bill Murray had me bursting out with laughter almost uncontrollably, which is really saying a lot since very few comedies can get me to do that.
I'm not a fan of this movie, personally. The movie stops dead in its tracks once they enter the bar, then it's just a waiting game till the zombies break inside. I think it's the weakest of the Cornetto trilogy.
Well, I can definitely understand where you're coming from. It took me a few viewings before I started to like this movie, myself. When it first came out, I thought people were just overrating it and I didn't find it that funny, but after Hot Fuzz and The World's end, I really got into Edgar Wright and Simon. Pegg's brand of humor, and those in turn made me appreciate just how densely packed with great jokes SotD was. It's arguably one of the smartest horror comedies ever. That said, I do agree that it's the weakest entry in the Cornetto trilogy. It's very funny, IMO, but not even close to Hot Fuzz or The World's End in terms of being laugh out loud funny.
I love Shaun of the Dead all the way through, even since the first time I watched it. I personally find the other Cornetto films and Spaced to be funnier, but SotD is still fantastic and genuinely gets better with every viewing.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on October 10, 2014, 02:38:34 PM
Oh yeah, Zombieland was another great one. Oddly enough, I have a friend who thinks that it's really overrated, but part of that is because he detests Jesse Eisenberg. I'm not a fan of the guy, myself, as he basically acts the same in every goddamn role that he does, but I do feel that his formulaic performance actually suited that film quite well.
I dunno, I find Eisenberg to be the sharper, more interesting Michael Cera. Or at least, that's what I took from The Social Network.
I'm not sure how I'd rank the Cornetto trilogy, myself. All I know is that Spaced is my favorite project of Wright's, and there's no way that a good, concise Scott Pilgrim movie could have been made in one part, but he tried his hardest.
I do really need to watch Spaced, someday. It's really short, so it shouldn't take too much time out of my schedule, but I'll need to find a place that's streaming it.
As for the Cornetto films, I'd say that I honestly liked Hot Fuzz and The World's End just about as much as each other, which is saying a lot given how much TWE had to live up to as the spiritual successor to HF. I do really like SotD, but like I said, it only grew on me after I watched those films.
For some reason, a lot of people seem to think The World's End was the weakest Cornetto film, with some of them even calling it legitimately bad. I cannot possibly fathom this opinion. I thought it retained the humor/action of Hot Fuzz and the intelligence of Shaun of the Dead. Easily the best film of 2013 IMO, and probably my favorite of the trilogy (though Hot Fuzz makes me laugh out loud more).
Those people are idiots. Dilemma solved. :>
I have to admit, I don't find The World's End as funny as SOTD or Hot Fuzz, but it's a stronger film in terms of execution and narrative. It is indeed mighty funny itself, though.
Jesse Eisenberg and Michael Cera need to star in a remake of Dude, Where's My Car? Then we'd truly see the range they are capable of.
I like this movie, but also agree that the bar is where the movie slows to a crawl and becomes entirely obvious as to where it's going. That said, it's a good movie. It's just not my favorite of their movies.
The only Cornetto movie I've seen is The World's End (yeah, I know, I need to fix that), but it ranks as one of my favorite movies, personally. It was by far my favorite film from last year, and I thought it was extremely clever, well-written, and had lots of laughs and some of the best action scenes I've seen in any movie. I can't imagine there are actually people who call it a bad film. :wth:
Anyway, uh, Shaun of the Dead. I'll try and watch it later tonight, or at the very least watch both it and Hot Fuzz before the weekend is up.
Quote from: Daikun on October 10, 2014, 02:48:48 PMThe movie stops dead in its tracks once they enter the bar
I love the Don't Stop Me Now sequence.
Shaun of the Dead is great (just not as great as Hot Fuzz). The scene where he attempts to hop over picket fences originally made me think think Hot Fuzz was made first (back when I first saw the movies and didn't research them enough). As him attempting to hop the fences, and fail, naturally seemed to me like a reference to when he successfully did that.
NIGHT 11:
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Tonight we take a trip to the islands of Japan, which is not only the home of our beloved anime, but also some of the greatest horror films of all time, and our movie of the day, Ring (also known as Ringu), is among the best. Based on the novel by Koji Suzuki (which is way more fucked up than anything in the movie), this horror film adaptation managed to ignite the horror boom in Japan during the late 90's and early 2000's, even going so far as to influence Western horror cinema, and even spawn it's own American remake. Now that's what you call international success.
What I love about this movie is that, despite its reputation, it's really a much smarter film than just a scary one. In fact, the only real traditional sorts of "scares" in the movie happen in the very beginning and very end. The rest of it actually plays out like a mystery, and just from a plot standpoint, it's a very intriguing story to follow. That said, the movie never loses its creepy tone and atmosphere, which is why it still qualifies as a legitimate horror film.
It's worth mentioning that the American remake actually wasn't horse-shit like you'd expect. While nowhere near as good as the original movie, it's still a well put-together horror film in its own right, and worth checking out at least once. It does help that Koji Suzuki himself co-wrote the screenplay for the American adaptation (as well as the original Japanese version, for that matter).
Having said that, Ring is a great entry point into Japanese horror cinema (and Asian horror films, in general), so feel free to discuss other films in this category as well. While I'm not well-versed in foreign horror at all, I did particularly enjoy Sweet Home (ignore the people who say that the game is the only good version; the film is still really entertaining, IMO), Ju-On, and Audition (although I'm still not quite sure if I want to count it as a horror film, outside of the last 20 minutes or so).
I also love the Korean film The Host, which is a horror comedy, and one of my favorites in the genre.
That said, Ring is definitely one of the best straightforward horror films that I've seen, Japanese or otherwise.
Oh, and I just have to mention this, but in regard to that infamous TV scene at the end (which was an awesome tribute to Poltergeist, aside from being a great stand-alone moment in the movie), it's done MUCH more effectively and is MUCH creepier in the Japanese version. That digital effect in the American remake just ruins it, IMO. I know that it's just a minor detail, but that really goes to prove how tiny little things like that can really ruin an iconic scene if they just don't fit.
Also, remember that one specific shot of Sadako's eye? Just as a fun fact, it was a dude playing her for that one moment, which I must admit somehow ruins the scariness of that one point in the scene for me. :D
For my history with Ring, let me take us back 10 years or so.
I saw the American remake when it was still relatively new. Now, admittedly, I was fairly easy to scare when I was a kid, and even when I was a young teenager. You know, my imagination was prone to running wild. I saw Amityville Horror and thought it was really scary (seriously, I thought that movie was scary when I was a kid). But anyway, when I saw Ring, I was pretty afraid from the very first death. Though of course I was intrigued, so I kept up with and followed it. The videotape itself from the movie was unsettling. I still remember seeing images from seeing it. And then, there was the ending. You know the scene I'm referring to. That scene terrified me. Seriously. It's not like I screamed or even reacted to it verbally, but the scene did haunt me. The ending stuck with me as one of my more frightened moments with movies... except the shot of the girl's face. Even as a 12-13 year old kid, I thought it was silly and she just looked like a generic zombie. But that wasn't the important part of the scene. It's the lonely image of the well, and the girl climbing out of it and literally walked toward the screen, then crawling out of it, that etched into me mind.
And I only saw this movie once. Never saw a single image of it after that viewing. Well... sort of. It was much later (only a few years ago, in fact) when I finally got around to seeing the original Japanese version. I had still remembered the ending, and seeing it again (at that point, nearly ten years older), I still think it's a really scary movie moment. And really, my age was countered by the fact that the original version of this scene was scarier than it was in the American remake. And on top of that, instead of that bad moment where you see her whole face, I like how you just see the eye in the Japanese version. The original Ring as a whole just benefited from not having to have been translated. A Japanese horror story is scarier when kept in its Japanese roots.
I like that the movie is as much a mystery movie as it is a horror movie, if not more so. And I legitimately think the idea of this video tape that kills people is a good concept. And I like how the backstory of the young girl is executed, at least in the original version of the movie (this isn't a flaw, but I'm not clear why the American remake made it the girl's mother that killed her, when it was originally her mother). And as for that ending... I have to say that, despite how ingrained into pop culture it may be, and despite how much of a wimp this might make me sound, I'll say it: the ending of Ring is, in my opinion, the scariest moment I've ever seen in any movie. Period.
That ending scene is definitely one of the most iconic moments in all of horror cinema, for sure.
I've even heard it said that, where Jaws made people afraid to go to beaches, Ring made people afraid to turn on their TVs. Not that it would matter, though, because Sadako's just projects her image on the TV at will. :sly:
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on October 11, 2014, 08:03:31 PM
That ending scene is definitely one of the most iconic moments in all of horror cinema, for sure.
I've even heard it said that, where Jaws made people afraid to go to beaches, Ring made people afraid to turn on their TVs. Not that it would matter, though, because Sadako's just projects her image on the TV at will. :sly:
I'm not sure if I was afraid to turn on my TV when I was young, but I'm sure this movie probably caused me to imagine at nights seeing the video tape on my TV. :P
Also, I recently learned that apparently, before the American remake hit theaters, the video tape would occasionally air on late night TV, without making any references to the movie. Basically, it was not only a commercial, but a legitimately creepy thing to have seen if you happened to stumble across it.
I imagine a part of the effectiveness of the ending is the fact that the characters had just spent the entire movie trying to the curse, and then after all their efforts, it just takes its effect on the the male lead as it normally would've.
Yeah, it was a marketing campaign. Certain found footage films had done similar things in the past to build up hype for them, which is where they got the idea of doing it for The Ring. It's brilliant because people who were already familiar with the Japanese version would appreciate it and get a kick out of it, and people who had never heard of the film would be totally freaked out about it, and then there interest would be peaked and they'd learn about the film by looking into what the hell they just saw, or by word of mouth if they talked to other people about the freaky thing that they saw on TV. I love simple yet creative marketing like that.
Also, since you mentioned it, I feel like bringing up that, when I saw the original Ring a few years ago, I think I saw it and The Grudge about two nights apart from each other. Since you did say we were free to also mention other Japanese horror movies, The Grudge is good but I do think it could've been better. The out of order and incoherent storytelling was the intention of it, and had a lot of potential, but for me I felt the movie was a bit too incoherent. Maybe I'm just a dumb American, though, but I do think Ring is easily better.
Ring is better, but I did like Ju-On. I don't necessarily see a reason for the out of of order structure other than the director wanting to stand out, which is admittedly a bit pretentious, but the actual story is coherent. You just have to use some logic and piece together the correct order of sequences....or you could just read the movie's Wikipedia page, which already took the trouble of doing that for you. :P
Also, my brother saw the American remake of The Grudge back when it was in theaters a long time ago. Apparently that took a little more of a straightforward approach with the story, though supposedly it's still inferior to the original. I guess that part is typical, though. :P
I haven't seen the remake, and still don't plan to. The only thing it seemed to have going for it was that it stars Sarah Michelle Gellar and is directed by the same guy who directed the Japanese version in the first place, but from what I've heard, it's still a far inferior film to the original.
That's how I feel. I've seen a few scenes from it, and they aren't as good. A few that I've seen try too hard, too. Admittedly, though, I don't have a desire to rewatch the American remake of Ring, either. I mean, it was certainly one of the better remakes out there. And as a stand alone film, it wasn't bad at all. But I feel like, if I ever need to rewatch Ring, I have the original Japanese version.
Also, once again we are clearly the only 2 people on this board who have seen this movie. I'm noticing that with a lot of movies. I guess that you and I are just true horror buffs and everyone else here are a bunch of pansies who will freak out at the drop of a screw, hence they can't handle scary movies. Horray for us being manly! :>
I've actually seen both versions of The Ring, and that really shitty Japanese sequel called Spiral or whatever. I just don't have much to say about the film since I haven't seen it in like 8 years.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on October 11, 2014, 09:47:07 PM
Also, once again we are clearly the only 2 people on this board who have seen this movie. I'm noticing that with a lot of movies. I guess that you and I are just true horror buffs and everyone else here are a bunch of pansies who will freak out at the drop of a screw, hence they can't handle scary movies. Horray for us being manly! :>
Exactly what I was thinking. For that reason, maybe it's better that they haven't seen these movies if they get that afraid. :happytime:
Yeah, I haven't had a chance to watch this one again in years, but I did see it a while back after I got a little nostalgic about the American Ring. Good stuff.
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On the 12th night of Halloween the Devil gave to me....his little demon spawn who's super fucking scary....:devil:
If all of you pussies were pissing your pants with the other movies on offer so far, this one will outright cause you to defecate in them. Aside from that, though, it's just a really good movie, and one of my favorite classic horror movies. It's right up there with The Exorcist as being one of the best religion-based horror films of all time. Let's just forget about that crappy 6/6/06 remake that's the worst thing to happen to classic cinema since the Psycho remake that also lifted every single shot straight from the original.
Anyways, on top of having a fucking amazing soundtrack, the movie also stars Gregory Peck. Yes, the very same guy who starred in the classic Cape Fear (now that I think about it,how the fuck did I not nominate either version of that film?), the excellent drama To Kill a Mockingbird, and the highly underrated Western classic, Mackenna's Gold. To get an A-list actor like that to star in a horror movie, at a time when the genre was far from well respected by both critics and the general public alike, was truly a big deal. His performance was truly excellent, of course, but you know what, he still doesn't steel the show. That honor goes to the nanny, the dog, and of course that damn kid. Fucking Damien. You're the creepiest little shit that I've ever seen.
This is easily among my all-time favorite soundtracks.
The sequel has a pretty good score, as well, but the film isn't nearly as good. It's not bad, but let's be real, as much as I like William Holden, he's no replacement for Gregory Peck. Still, I wouldn't mind owning the original franchise set. I actually haven't seen the last 2 films, either.
As far as horror movie sequels go, 2 was surprisingly not that bad, if memory serves. I recall it having a decent story and some good acting (at least better than what I expected), but yeah, it just pales in comparison to the original.
But yes, that soundtrack is amazing. I honestly consider The Omen to have the best horror movie soundtrack of all time, by far.
Really, I watched Damien because it's supposed to be the inspiration behind this indie track (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsmcDLDw9iw), but there's some surprising meat to it, and maybe if we do this again next year, I'll nominate it.
But yeah, let me see if I can try to get to the original tonight so I can talk about The Omen some more. I will say that this is one of my favorite scenes in any horror movies (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7N7TDBceHY), though. The reactions from everyone is what sells it for me.
The Omen is a creepy movie. I probably don't like it as much as you guys do, but Gregory Peck is great as usual. I like how they managed to get Damien to give that smile in the last shot of the film. Apparently they literally kept whispering to him things like "Don't laugh. Don't you dare laugh". Sure way to get a reaction from a child.
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Tonight we visit a neighborhood built over a Native American burial ground and see just why that's probably the worst idea ever. It's worth mentioning that before it was even conceived in Ring, this movie, among it's other interesting uses of horror, basically started that famous coming out of the TV scare. In fact, the author if the novel for Ring even cited this movie as his inspiration for that scene, so there's also that.
Anyways, this was a PG film that still has far more to offer in the way of atmosphere and special effects than most R-rated horror films, both of its own time and especially to this day. No, it's not particularly scary, but it is always a very engrossing movie to watch thanks to its brilliant execution. It's definitely one of those great horror movies that you can show to your kids, but still enjoy just fine as an adult.
You can kind of feel the combined efforts of Tom Hooper and Steven Speilberg's different styles at work in this movie.
Solid movie. I think it was inspired by The Twilight Zone episode Little Lost Girl. If so, that means we got from The Twilight Zone, to Poltergeist, and then to The Ring, which proceeded to inspire many horror films in its own country. I guess, in the end, it all goes back to The Twilight Zone.
I haven't seen this one since I was like 9. That said...
THE CLOWN DOLL
I haven't seen this one before, strangely enough. I can't tell you why, either. I do know that this and Temple of Doom were big arguments as to why the PG-13 rating was made, and that Spielberg very possibly had the same position in the film as Howard Hawks did for The Thing From Another World, but that's about it. Besides the Family Guy episode, of course.
I can try to get to this tonight, but I might not be able to. If not, TCM shows it here or there, so I'll see if it's coming in the next few days and I'll come back.
Quote from: Foggle on October 13, 2014, 03:55:36 PM
I haven't seen this one since I was like 9. That said...
THE CLOWN DOLL
Spoiler
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Quote from: Avaitor on October 13, 2014, 04:54:16 PM
I haven't seen this one before, strangely enough. I can't tell you why, either. I do know that this and Temple of Doom were big arguments as to why the PG-13 rating was made, and that Spielberg very possibly had the same position in the film as Howard Hawks did for The Thing From Another World, but that's about it. Besides the Family Guy episode, of course.
I can try to get to this tonight, but I might not be able to. If not, TCM shows it here or there, so I'll see if it's coming in the next few days and I'll come back.
I find this very surprising.
Though not directed by him, there's a big Spielberg presence in this film that really adds to this one and just makes it an enjoyable watch. It probably helps that it's his story and he co-wrote the screenplay. It's not the scariest horror movie, but it's a fun movie to watch every Halloween. I'm glad I was able to nominate it, because there's nothing quite like a Spielberg film.
That said, I hope everyone's planning on giving it a watch.
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Tonight we indulge in the remake of the REAL first vampire to make his way to film. While originally intended to be a Dracula film, the title was changed to Nosferatu when the director could not secure the rights to adapting the novel, but it's basically the story of Dracula, so you sometimes see this horror icon referred to as the OTHER Dracula.
I must admit, I haven't seen this remake, but I'll try to find it by tonight.
You definitely should see this one, E-K, preferably in a dark room. I highly recommend it. It's not just a remake of the original film, but a genuine recreation of it. Max Schreck was probably the scariest vampire of all time, but I think Klaus Kinski is just as good in his own completely different way. And I don't consider this a spoiler, but since copyright issues weren't an issue for this movie, director Werner Herzog was able to use all the original names... though, from what I gather, most surviving prints of the silent film just call the count "Dracula" anyway, and that's what I recognize him as, and I would call it the first Dracula movie.
I'm pretty decently versed in Herzog, but this is another one that I'm not familiar with. Sadly, I don't really have the time to catch it tonight, since I'm going to be rather busy soon. I really do want to see it, though.
Hey EK, what's today's movie?
Sorry, I've been busy, so it's taken me longer than usual to get around to posting up the new movie.
I will post it up soon.
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Tonight we twist our heads in terror at this classic horror feature. Arguably the most popular horror movie of the 70's, The Exorcist is also based on a popular horror novel which "claims" to be based off of a real life case. But of course none of that really matters, it's just an excellent horror movie, and a must watch for any fan of the genre.
While it's not my personal favorite film of the decade (it's in my top 3, but my top 2 favorites are The Omen and Dawn of the Dead), it is unquestionably the most influential of them, and just as important of a horror film. I love how, in contrast to so many modern horror films, this movie is all about maintaining an intense and disturbing atmosphere. There's no cheap jump scares or terribly explicit gore in this picture. Sure, it has amazing special effects and some especially grotesque use of makeup, but this is a film that truly manages to earn its status as a classic through solid performances. In this case, whereas I'd usually re-watch it, admittedly I have seen it so many times that there's no need, but I may still try to re-watch to anyways since it's just that good of a movie.
Far and away one of the best horror movies, and quite possibly the scariest horror movie I can think of. Unlike E-K who has seen this movie quite a few times, though, I have only watched it once. Because, as much as I love it, it's not the easiest movie to sit through. I can watch Dawn of the Dead or American Werewolf in London every October with ease. But for The Exorcist (which I like more than both of those movies), it's a rougher experience.
Guess what? I actually got to see this tonight! :P There's a pawn shop that had the previous Blu release for pretty cheap, so I decided to hit it up for the sake of this event. Also, because it's a great movie.
The thing that I always notice when I watch this film is how it starts building on its atmosphere instantly. The film doesn't start bringing in its horror elements until a little later in, but there's a definite feeling of terror during the opening scenes in Iraq that travels throughout. It only pauses as the film begins developing Chris and Regan's characters, but it comes back quickly after.
This release has the original theatrical release and the directors cut on separate discs, but this time I decided on the original. The directors cut has some good scenes, but I feel that the original's pacing is stronger.
Come to think of it, I don't even think that I've seen the directors cut before, despite how many times I've re-watched this movie. I'll have to get on that sometime.
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Review (Spoiler-Heavy): http://cinemassacre.com/2011/10/02/bride-of-frankenstein/
I saw this movie a few months after James Rolfe spoke so highly of it in his Monster Madness review. While I respect most classic Universal monster movies as revolutionary for their time, I do feel that most of them haven't aged very well. This film is one of those exceptions that's still pretty entertaining for what it is, though, and I'd argue that it manages to surpass the original Frankenstein, at least in terms of standing the test of time. This also seems to be a fan favorite, and is still very popular as you see the direct references to this film more than any other when it comes to parodies and such. You could even argue that the bride monster is just as iconic as Frankenstein's monster.
James Whale's best work and the masterpiece of the Universal monster golden era. I love the camp touch in this movie, and Doctor Pretorius is great. Colin Clive as Frankenstein is still great. And yeah, it's crazy that the Bride is only on-screen for a few minutes, but no one has forgotten her design. I like her last moment, too. The Frankenstein monster is ready to destroy the castle, but turns to her one more time with a final inkling of hope. But she just glares and hisses at him, and he sheds a tear. The monster, no matter what, could never have love.
Elsa Lanchester was married to Charles Laughton, and was also in one of my favorite I Love Lucy eps, as well as played the nanny that left in the beginning of Mary Poppins, besides being the Bride.
But you guys said everything that I could have. At the end of the day, this is Universal's strongest film in their classic monster series.
I think next week I'm going to have to sit down and rewatch some of these movies again. I'm already falling behind.
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Review (Spoiler-Heavy): http://cinemassacre.com/2013/10/20/alien-1979/
Tonight, no one can hear you scream as you are isolated on a ship with a creature designed so perfectly for killing, that you have no hope of survival. Alien is probably the most influential Sci-Fi Horror film of the modern era of cinema, and I'd personally say that it ties with The Thing as being the two greatest films in the sub-genre. I love everything about this movie. The atmosphere, the slow buildup, the amazing special effects. While I do personally prefer the sequel, this is still a masterpiece of a film, and a just watch for anyone who's a fan of either Sci-Fi or Horror, and especially if you're a fan of both.
Alien actually scared me as a kid, and as an adult I can now see just how amazing it is. A true masterpiece.
Alien is one of my favorite horror movies.
Personally, I actually like it more than Aliens. While the sequel is a good movie, I find the tonal shift between the films to be rather jarring. I felt more immersed with the haunting, claustrophobic feeling than the "let's kick some alien ass and not be at all afraid of monsters that could eat my flesh" feeling. Aliens, while good on its own, had the unfortunate side effect of influencing later horror franchises and making them into action films, toning down their mystique.
I just had to mention this since nobody ever brings it up, but do you know what special effect impresses me the most in this movie?
It's everything involving the face hugger. From the time that you see it incubating in its egg-sac to the part where they are dissecting it, the thing looks like an honest to god real creature that you could actually see, touch, and interact with in real life id it actually existed. It's just that this movie is more than 30 years old, and no amount of CG could ever come close to being as convincing as those old-school practical effects that were done so well. Actually, comparatively, the Xenomorph, despite having a great design, honestly doesn't look anywhere near as scary as the face hugger that it was conceived from. It's still a very unsettling creature, but the fact that you have a guy in a suit essentially controlling it makes it feel a bit too human at times in the vibe that it gives off. The face hugger seems like such an I human concept for a creature that it makes me cringe (in a good way) even when I'm just watching it on a shitty TV screen. If that thing actually existed and I found one in my room or something, I'd literally jump from sheer terror.
Quote from: Daikun on October 17, 2014, 07:38:40 PM
Alien is one of my favorite horror movies.
Personally, I actually like it more than Aliens. While the sequel is a good movie, I find the tonal shift between the films to be rather jarring. I felt more immersed with the haunting, claustrophobic feeling than the "let's kick some alien ass and not be at all afraid of monsters that could eat my flesh" feeling. Aliens, while good on its own, had the unfortunate side effect of influencing later horror franchises and making them into action films, toning down their mystique.
Which franchises specifically took influence from it in that regard? I'm just asking because I can't think of any offhand.
As for the two films, it's one of those things where you could prefer either one and you wouldn't be wrong. Alien is a much slower but more claustrophobic and frightening experience, whereas Aliens is more of an excellent action movie that still pays respect to its horror roots and has great atmosphere by action film standards, but comes nowhere close to the feeling of the original film. Still, I prefer it because it's the type of film that, for me, I can re-watch at any time and still love it as much as I always have. With Alien, it's a film that I definitely love, but because of its slow nature, I have to be in a certain kind of mood to feel up to re-watching it. Both are among my favorite movies in their respective genres, though.
They made another Alien movie like the first one and nothing like the second.
It was pretty awful.
Are we talking about Alien 3 or Prometheus, here?
Because, I actually liked Prometheus, despite all of its flaws. I still think it had good acting, a great atmosphere, and actually managed to use a lot of practical effects that were quite good, even though it did still have more CG than I would've liked.
Alien 3.
E-K, do you remember James Rolfe's Monster Madness review of Alien? I think that may be one of the better videos.
Quote from: Daikun on October 17, 2014, 07:38:40 PM
Alien is one of my favorite horror movies.
Personally, I actually like it more than Aliens. While the sequel is a good movie, I find the tonal shift between the films to be rather jarring. I felt more immersed with the haunting, claustrophobic feeling than the "let's kick some alien ass and not be at all afraid of monsters that could eat my flesh" feeling. Aliens, while good on its own, had the unfortunate side effect of influencing later horror franchises and making them into action films, toning down their mystique.
I actually think the tonal shift works very well. It's very nice having a sequel that's awesome but has a completely different type of experience to offer. Besides, Ripley just barely survived that alien in the first movie, and now, it's her chance to strike back at them. I do agree that the original is so absolutely perfect and Aliens doesn't
quite match it in quality. But I really love Aliens and feel that it is still mostly equal to Alien.
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Night of the Living Dead
Dawn of the Dead
Day of the Dead
I don't have the means to post up pictures right now, so I'd be grateful if somebody could edit it into this post for me.
Anyways, it's the most iconic series of Zombie films ever, and each film is a true horror masterpiece in its own right, with my personal favorite being Dawn of the Dead. Is there really any need to say anything else? These films are good and iconic enough to speak for themselves. Just go watch them already!
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on October 18, 2014, 04:46:14 PMI don't have the means to post up pictures right now, so I'd be grateful if somebody could edit it into this post for me.
A quick Google search found this image. (http://www.soundonsight.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/georgeromeropodcast.jpg)
I figured that the Day of the Dead poster would be a good enough fit. ;)
I actually haven't seen that yet, although it is on my instant queue. Since my plans to go see tomorrow's movie in theaters at midnight fell through, I'll try to watch that tonight instead.
Thanks, Avaitor! :thumbup:
Day of the Dead was met with mixed reception upon initial release, but since then it has been looked upon more favorably. It's actualky the only one to have a female protagonist who's actually competent and even holds her own better than most of the guys. Women in tge first two movies were portrayed as VERY incompetent and whiny, so this was a really refreshing change, IMO.
Yeah, Bowman was great, easily my highlight.
Day of the Dead feels like a straight action film with some tense moments, like a continuation of Dawn in that regard. It's still a rich film that succeeds at much of what it does, including some hilarious moments. I think Night is still my favorite of the trilogy, but this was a great way to end it.
Night of the Living Dead is, of course, a classic. I love that Romero didn't compromise the movie he wanted to make for more money (I heard they wanted him to add a love plot and to change the ending). Like, no one can ever forget that ending. There's just something that's really creepy about the movie, largely thanks to the sound. The stock horror music works, but I also really like the other sounds in the movie, like those loud noises that can be heard when the zombie girl is killing her mother, and the frequent rumbling "music" that can be heard at points.
Dawn of the Dead is the zombie movie. I think most seem to agree with that. The social commentary is cool, Tom Savini's effects are great, characters are all likable, the the setting is perfect. I think I've said this before, but Dawn of the Dead is one of those horror movies that I could rewatch every October (though, do to time restraints and the call of movies I haven't seen, I've been unable to do that lately).
Day of the Dead is good, but I do have to admit that I fall into the crowd that doesn't put it on the same level as the other two. Still, it works, and I like the ideas that it explores about zombies. I also like that, after the bad ending from Night ("bad" as in "the good guy died in the end") and the heavily ambiguous ending of Dawn, they finally went ahead and gave the characters a good ending in Day of the Dead. Of the millions of people in a zombie apocalypse, you'd hope that maybe two or three people would escape by finding a location that's totally beyond the reach of the apocalypse to live in safety.
I'll be honest, while I love Night and it's by far the most revolutionary film in the trilogy, I still prefer the other two films. The thing about Night is that it arguably has the best set-up, but most of the acting is very hammy with the exception of two characters, and you can tell that Romero was only a novice filmmaker at that point in time given some of his weaker directing decisions. James Rolfe does an excellent job of pointing this out in his commentary. Still, the film is an indisputable classic, but I just prefer the smarter characters and better flow of the latter two movies.
I like the more lo-fi approach Romero used in Night. Obviously he became a much stronger director come Dawn and I do very much dig both of those film's set-ups, but Night appeals to me a little more somehow.
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THE WICKER MAN
Sorry guys. I have VERY limited Internet access right now. So, please edit in a picture for me like last time, and discuss this classic and deeply disturbing horror film. Unless we're talking about the remake, which is an excellent unintentional comedy.
Original, of course. :)
I was hoping to see this in theaters last night, but my friend had to go back to her hometown, so that fell through. I considered going on my own, but the theater's about 20 minutes away, and I have a Disney date next week, so I need to save the gas.
I actually first saw the film a year or so ago, after realizing that samples from the film are used in this song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJrE_rVAWbk), and wow, is it great. A hell of a mindfuck that only the best of horror can live up to, and yes, Christopher Lee is excellent in it.
Also, this (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bhOGV3Qo9sU) is another great, easier song to listen to that's relevant.
One of the best endings to any horror movie.
NOT THE BEES! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Finished it just moments ago, A+ film for sure. Of course, the fact that it inspired an awesome Iron Maiden song doesn't hurt in the slightest. ;)
And for those of you who haven't seen this movie yet, make sure you go into it blind.
It has one of those really disturbing endings that I find to be legitimatelynhard to watch. We all have things that make us cringe, and....
Spoiler
....burning alive is one of those things that always gets me on edge, even if it's just a movie.
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Tonight we hunt witches with this early 1960's take on an Edgar Allen Poe story, starring the horror legend and icon from that era himself, Vincent Price. I wish I could say more about this film, but I've never seen it. Hopefully I can find it by tonight to give it a proper watch.
This isn't really based on the Poe story at all. AIP decided to give the film the title of The Conqueror Worm and added in some passages from the story to fit with Roger Corman and Vincent Price's Poe series of films, even though Corman had no involvement with it whatsoever.
I actually never saw this film until just yesterday. I really wanted to pick a Price film, and I almost went with the Abominable Dr. Phibes (which I might actually pick next year as a double feature with its sequel, which I've also never seen), but I wanted to try this one out for a while, which is why I went with it. And y'no, some of it is still pretty graphic today. You can find the director's cut now, but there was meant to be even more violent images that were let on the cutting room floor or didn't even make it past earlier drafts, and I think that's fine.
The film still holds up quite well, regardless. This is easily among Price's best roles, as he tones down the camp to bring in a serious, subtle performance that totally works. I know that some purists aren't crazy on how Hopkins was portrayed in the movie, and while it may not be historically accurate, it's too engrossing to simply write off.
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We once again find ourselves dealing with the living dead tonight, in this thriller from director Lucio Fulci. Once again, I must admit that I don't have anything to say about tonight's film because this is another one that I haven't seen, and some of these more obscure horror movies are a bit difficult for me to find through legal means. That said, I'll still try to attempt to watch it at some point, along with the other films from this month that I still haven't been able to watch, yet.
If you Google the film, the first link you'll get is the full movie on DailyMotion. ;)
But goddamn is Fulci twisted. I think The Beyond is still my favorite work of his, but I really enjoy the imagery behind this one, as well.
Well, I did say "legal" means, but hey, since nobody who has the rights to this film wants to make money off of it since they aren't doing a good job of making it easy to attain a physical or digital copy, I'll be glad to indulge in "the other way" of viewing it once I get some free-time on my hands. ;)
Oh, and our film club is going to show The Omen next week, so I might come back with more comments for that!
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The third film in a row that I haven't seen, but I've heard that it's one of the greatest horror films ever, so I really should go out of my way to see it as soon as possible. Many, I've really been falling behind with this month, but even if I don't get to watch all of these movies, I'll definitely get to all of them eventually.
I'd tie this with The Haunting for the best ghost movie ever made.
It's actually airing on TCM tomorrow, at 8 PM, so I'll try to catch it then to add some more. I'd recommend reading Henry James' story, as well.
It seems like E-K and I have seen a lot of the same movies, and missed a lot of the same movies. :P
Eh, I didn't want to rely on the same handful of mid 70's-early 90's horror flicks that would have otherwise made the list, which is why I tried to branch out a little. I wish we had more time to check out all of the films that are new to us this year, though.
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What a perfect film to discuss on my birthday (hint-hint)! :joy:
Psycho is by far Alfred Hitchcock's most iconic film, and while Vertigo has given it a run for its money in being considered as his absolute best film, absolutely nobody can deny that no film was nearly as influential on contemporary horror cinema as Psycho. While my personal favorite Hitchcock film is Dial M for Murder, this was my first introduction to his work, and what a way to start off! Even to this day the film holds up remarkably well, not only thanks to its excellent acting (because it has that in spades), but also from Hitchcock's excellent direction. Whereas most directors at the time tended to overdo the the suspense and horror elements to sometimes unintentionally ridiculous and hilarious effect, Hitchcock proved to be well ahead of his time by playing his stories straight, yet giving you subtle hints as to the darker layers of his stories through everything from little details in the background that you didn't consciously notice were affecting the mood of the scene (seriously, just count how many stuffed birds you see in Psycho without him explicitly drawing attention to it), to having the actors make certain gestures or facial expressions, or deliver what initially seemed to be throwaway lines, but ultimately had a greater purpose as to explaining what was really going on with them psychologically, as well as what dark secrets lay in wait as the film would progress to its climactic conclusion.
This is easily a must-watch, and one of the best films in the genre.
I'm surprised the remake wasn't nominated just to mess with people.
But yeah, this is a classic. I'm not exactly sure what to say about it.
I find it interesting how this movie wasn't well loved when it was new. People were so shocked by it. Though though was a different time.
Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates is one of the all time greats, and he always will be.
I'm going to risk getting torn to shreds here, but while it's nothing compared to the original Hitchcock masterpiece, Psycho II actually isn't half bad as a film. Anthony Perkins reprises his role and does a pretty good job, and to be fair, this IS based off of the sequel book to the original novel, so it's not like they just made it to bastardize the first film, since it actually had source material to go off of. It's worth a look, at the very least.
Quote from: Spark Of Spirit on October 23, 2014, 06:24:25 PMI'm surprised the remake wasn't nominated just to mess with people.
Well, I would give it an award for the most shameless rip-off of literally every single shot in an entire film, adding absolutely nothing original of its own to the mix and profiting off of another more talented film crew's hard work, but now I can't, since the impossible happened and The Omen remake somehow did the exact same thing (literally). We can't have 2 champions of absolute theft, can we? :??:
At least The Omen remake had Mia Farrow playing the nanny who was maybe even better than the original actress. Well, maybe not "better" but I would certainly call her an equal. She was effective in her own way, not as crazy but more eerily calm, and she has more of a gradual descent. And of course, it's hard to not love the irony of her playing the evil nanny of the devil, when remembering one of her most known roles from the past in Rosemary's Baby. Then there's also that she, in my opinion...
Spoiler
gave Damien's mother a more realistic and intense death than the original.
With the Psycho remake, it's just nothing but... what? Did anything come from it?
Quote from: talonmalon333 on October 23, 2014, 06:59:09 PMAt least The Omen remake had Mia Farrow playing the nanny who was maybe even better than the original actress. Well, maybe not "better" but I would certainly call her an equal. She was effective in her own way, not as crazy but more eerily calm, and she has more of a gradual descent. And of course, it's hard to not love the irony of her playing the evil nanny of the devil, when remembering one of her most known roles from the past in Rosemary's Baby. Then there's also that she, in my opinion...
Uh, Hell no. I'm not sure what you're problem with the original movie was, but the performance of the nanny was perfect. It wasn't over the top at all as most horror villain roles from that era tended to be. It was played up perfectly, where she first came off as a very straightforward and ordinary nanny, and the reveal of her evil intentions as Damien's guardian came as a genuine shock to anyone who didn't already have the movie spoiled for them from the get-go. She never overacted or underacted, and you could believe that she could fool these people into believing that she was a regular nanny, as that's what she acted as except for when nobody but Damien was around. When she did finally go full-on evil, she was perfect at that, too.
Mia Farrow is a great actress, there's no doubt about that, but even great actors and actresses can have their performances botched by bad direction. In the case of The Omen remake, they had Mia Farrow play it up more like she was obviously hiding something, which IMO made her feel more suspicious from the get-go, and much less interesting. It wasn't a terrible performance like most of the other roles, but it certainly as hell did not surpass the original, nor was it even on par with it. Just because the actress is great doesn't mean that the performance is.
QuoteSpoiler
gave Damien's mother a more realistic and intense death than the original.
Spoiler
No. No it wasn't more intense at all. It was just her choking her to death. It lacked any sense of horror because quite frankly the director dwelled on that scene for far too long. The more you show something, the less scary and more human and understandable it becomes. It's horror 101, and that scene just dragged. I honestly felt like Mia Farrow was just phoning in her performance for a paycheck, as well. She just didn't come off as scary or threatening in that scene. I get that she was supposed to come off as cold and disturbing in how calmly she was killing Damien's mother, but instead she just had a very bored look to her (which is probably what the actress was feeling having to be in a shitty remake).
In the original, you could say that her pushing the mother out of the window was more abrupt, but I found that more effective since it was more instant and in effect felt colder. She ended her life like it was nothing, and honestly it wasn't played up to be over-the-top at all. She pushes her out the window and the mother screams to her death. And once again, her tone is perfect. She doesn't overact or underplay the scene. She just does it and you get a sense of the evil behind her eyes when she does it, which the remake completely lacked.
Sorry, but you can't justify a remake's performance being better than the original just because it's from a normally good actress, and it certainly isn't even its equal. Mia Farrow is great, but this was certainly not one of her better roles.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on October 23, 2014, 10:28:53 PM
Uh, Hell no. I'm not sure what you're problem with the original movie was,
I never said she overacted or underacted. I said they were different. For me to praise Mia Farrow's performance, and then call them equals, you can see from my post that I was a fan of the original nanny, and that I don't have any problem with her. :P
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on October 23, 2014, 10:28:53 PM
Spoiler
No. No it wasn't more intense at all. It was just her choking her to death. It lacked any sense of horror because quite frankly the director dwelled on that scene for far too long. The more you show something, the less scary and more human and understandable it becomes. It's horror 101, and that scene just dragged. I honestly felt like Mia Farrow was just phoning in her performance for a paycheck, as well. She just didn't come off as scary or threatening in that scene. I get that she was supposed to come off as cold and disturbing in how calmly she was killing Damien's mother, but instead she just had a very bored look to her (which is probably what the actress was feeling having to be in a shitty remake).
In the original, you could say that her pushing the mother out of the window was more abrupt, but I found that more effective since it was more instant and in effect felt colder. She ended her life like it was nothing, and honestly it wasn't played up to be over-the-top at all. She pushes her out the window and the mother screams to her death. And once again, her tone is perfect. She doesn't overact or underplay the scene. She just does it and you get a sense of the evil behind her eyes when she does it, which the remake completely lacked.
Spoiler
I actually just rewatched the scene recently and it was shorter than I remember, so I disagree that it was dragged out. But my thing about the mother's death in the original is that it's a bit more obvious. I mean, the scene itself was executed well, but that's a bit harder to escape from, to go into someone's room and throw them out the window in a hospital. :P
However, what I do hate in the remake's version of the mother's death is those cutaways to Damien staring at the guard and having the guy start to freak out. Damien in general is one of my biggest problems in the remake.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on October 23, 2014, 10:28:53 PM
Just because the actress is great doesn't mean that the performance is.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on October 23, 2014, 10:28:53 PMSorry, but you can't justify a remake's performance being better than the original just because it's from a normally good actress, and it certainly isn't even its equal. Mia Farrow is great, but this was certainly not one of her better roles.
Where are you getting that I was saying that? I explained why I liked Mia Farrow. You don't have to agree, but I honestly don't think Mia Farrow was phoning in. I wasn't even really challenging the two Omen movies much. I was mostly taking a jab at the Psycho remake. The Psycho and Omen remakes were put in the same category, and I was wanted to express that, unlike the Psycho remake, the Omen remake has one thing that I like.
Quote from: talonmalon333 on October 23, 2014, 10:50:29 PMI never said she overacted or underacted. I said they were different. For me to praise Mia Farrow's performance, and then call them equals, you can see from my post that I was a fan of the original nanny. :P
Sorry, I may have overreacted. I'm just really passionate about the original, so I got defensive for that performance.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on October 23, 2014, 10:28:53 PMSpoiler
I actually just rewatched the scene recently and it was shorter than I remember, so I disagree that it was dragged out. But my thing about the mother's death in the original is that it's a bit more obvious. I mean, the scene itself was executed well, but that's a bit harder to escape from, to go into someone's room and throw them out the window in a hospital. :P
Spoiler
Maybe it's subjective, but my point is that it felt dragged out to me since anything involving suffocating another human being is a relatively slow death compared to more abrupt methods of killing. I just find such deaths to usually be much less effective except for certain circumstances where it's pulled off extremely well. I just didn't find this scene to be one of those cases, personally.
As for the original, nobody actually saw her push the mother out of the window. And it's a big hospital in the middle of the AM hours where the staffing is pretty low. It wouldn't be that hard for her to slip out of the room (which was established to be several stories up) before anyone actually got there. And as for getting out of the hospital, it's not like anybody would know who she was accept for anyone who knew Damien and his family and knew that she was Damien's nanny, and no such person was even close to the hospital at the time.
QuoteSpoiler
However, what I do hate in the remake's version of the mother's death is those cutaways to Damien staring at the guard and having the guy start to freak out. Damien in general is one of my biggest problems in the remake.
Yeah, they really fucked him up. I like how in the original, for all intents and purposes, outside of his evil scenes, he was mostly played up like a normal kid who acted how you would normally expect a kid to. The remake just made him so obviously "creepy and evil" in demeanor, which totally killed the whole character, IMO.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on October 23, 2014, 10:28:53 PMWhere are you getting that I was saying that? I explained why I liked Mia Farrow. You don't have to agree, but I honestly don't think Mia Farrow was phoning in. I wasn't even really challenging the two Omen movies much. I was mostly taking a jab at the Psycho remake. The Psycho and Omen remakes were put in the same category, and I was wanted to express that, unlike the Psycho remake, the Omen remake has one thing that I like.
Sorry, like I said, since I'm a huge fan of the original I got overly defensive and took your post the wrong way. My response was a bit harsh. I got way out of line. I apologize for that.
I'm just really not a fan of the remake. As you can clearly tell. :P
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on October 23, 2014, 10:59:45 PM
Sorry, I may have overreacted. I'm just really passionate about the original, so I got defensive for that performance.
No offense taken. I do really mean it when I say that I do think she gave a great performance. And even though I made a bit of a criticism to that hospital scene, that glare she gives on-screen during that part is legitimately freaky. :P
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on October 23, 2014, 10:28:53 PMSpoiler
Maybe it's subjective, but my point is that it felt dragged out to me since anything involving suffocating another human being is a relatively slow death compared to more abrupt methods of killing. I just find such deaths to usually be much less effective except for certain circumstances where it's pulled off extremely well. I just didn't find this scene to be one of those cases, personally.
As for the original, nobody actually saw her push the mother out of the window. And it's a big hospital in the middle of the AM hours where the staffing is pretty low. It wouldn't be that hard for her to slip out of the room (which was established to be several stories up) before anyone actually got there. And as for getting out of the hospital, it's not like anybody would know who she was accept for anyone who knew Damien and his family and knew that she was Damien's nanny, and no such person was even close to the hospital at the time.
Spoiler
I think the scene was done well in the remake, but I do see what you mean that, in many cases, such deaths can be harder to pull off effectively. And I can concede that you're probably right about it maybe not being too unrealistic for her to slip away.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on October 23, 2014, 10:28:53 PM
Yeah, they really fucked him up. I like how in the original, for all intents and purposes, outside of his evil scenes, he was mostly played up like a normal kid who acted how you would normally expect a kid to. The remake just made him so obviously "creepy and evil" in demeanor, which totally killed the whole character, IMO.
It seems like, in the remake, Damien seems to relish in his evilness. That's just wrong to me. I agree with you on how I really like how innocent the original Damien was. In fact, I get the sense that he didn't even know he was evil. I mean, he did a few bad things, but I get the feeling that much of that was from the nanny's guidance.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on October 23, 2014, 10:28:53 PM
Sorry, like I said, since I'm a huge fan of the original I got overly defensive and took your post the wrong way. My response was a bit harsh.
At least, we can agree on the pointlessness of the remake. I actually had the displeasure of seeing it before the original, back when it was in theaters. I thought it was scary, and I did remake certain parts of it, but back then I hadn't yet seen that many horror movies. I saw the original a few years later and immediately recognized not only how much better it is, but how much the remake just rehashed it way too much.
Psycho is boundary-pushing cinema done right. Hitchcock really was a master of his craft. An all-time favorite, for sure.
Yea, Psycho is top 3 for me as far as horror movies go.
I watched Psycho with my bae and got muy triste that it spoiled next season of Bates Motel for me. :zonk:
Psycho is really damn good. Hitchcock was truly one of the greats.
Aww man, I missed the Psycho discussion.
But the thing that makes the film hold an eternal appeal for me is that each viewing makes it a little funnier. Hitch's brilliant sense of timing plot for a tense story is still present, but there's a very black edge to the film that makes it nearly as funny as it is timeless suspenseful. Arbogast especially cracks me up.
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In tonight's movie, we get a very interesting and unique follow-up to horror legend Wes Craven's most iconic film, A Nightmare on Elm Street. To me, this is the only real "sequel" that feels like its worthy of standing in the original's legacy. The concept behind it is ingenious, and not only is it a great Nightmare film, but it's a fantastic commentary on the state of horror movies from that era, and how 80's icons basically got bastardized through terrible sequels that truly missed the point of the original films. It's definitely worth a watch, and I think I may try to re-watch both the original and this movie back-to-back, as they really do go extremely well together.
While the other sequels do have their strengths (particularly Dream Warriors) I agree that New Nightmare is the movie that truly stands as an equal to the original. I love the way they reinvented Freddy in this movie. Honestly, I think he's even better here than in the original. His personality is largely the same (though maybe even more evil), but his new design is great. I feel like this movie didn't make as much money, or at least, it seems like not as many people talk about it when discussing the franchise. But I'm guessing that's a combination of the fact that it's not necessarily a sequel (as in, it's not set in the same universe as the Elm Street movies), and that the last few sequels, namely Freddy's Dead, killed people's interest in the series before this came out.
I also like to think that this movie firmly established that Nancy is the true hero of the franchise.
Yeah, I used the term sequel loosely because of the concept of the movie being that it takes place in a Universe where the rest of the movies are just that....movies. However it focuses on the main actress of the original as Freddy seeps into reality to torment her and her family. Like I said, I consider it to be an ingenious plot.
I've still only seen the first Nightmare. I've heard that this and Dream Warriors are the only other ones I should consider watching, so maybe some day I will.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on October 24, 2014, 09:27:28 PM
Yeah, I used the term sequel loosely because of the concept of the movie being that it takes place in a Universe where the rest of the movies are just that....movies. However it focuses on the main actress of the original as Freddy seeps into reality to torment her and her family. Like I said, I consider it to be an ingenious plot.
Agreed. From what I've seen, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors is considered to be the best after the original. Assuming I was wrong in my last post and that people just didn't like New Nightmare as much, I feel that'd be a shame because New Nightmare is such a smart film. In my opinion, it's by far the best "sequel". I mean, Dream Warriors was a fun, creative, and overall colorful movie, but I don't think it was particularly a great movie. The dream powers were cool, but not as interesting as when Nancy battled Freddy using her wits in the original film. Plus, in New Nightmare, you get to see Robert Englund be himself, Freddy, and himself
playing Freddy. :P
That being said, if someone were considering checking out the series, I'd recommend the original, 3, and New Nightmare. I think James Rolfe also said something similar to that.
I do have to admit that I always had mixed opinions about them making a franchise out of A Nightmare on Elm Street. First of all, Wes Craven didn't want it to happen. In fact, the ending of the original was originally sequel-proof. Now, it's only... half sequel-proof. I mean yeah, in the last scene, Freddy traps them in the car and attacks Nancy's mother. But on the other hand, they still largely have his death scene. Nancy said it herself, all of his power came from her, and she took back every last ounce of it. To me, that's the ultimate demise of Freddy. I don't see how they could continue from that (even though they did), and none of his deaths in the sequels were as final. So, in my opinion, it just kind of leaves it with a messy ending that's my only major problem with the film. Wes Craven's original ending does still exist though, to a certain extent.
That's my problem with them making a franchise out of it. But on the plus side... if they didn't make any sequels, we never would have gotten 3 or New Nightmare. So, despite my problems, it may be for the best that we got a series out of it.
Quote from: Avaitor on October 24, 2014, 09:39:06 PM
I've still only seen the first Nightmare. I've heard that this and Dream Warriors are the only other ones I should consider watching, so maybe some day I will.
As you can see from my posts, I agree with that recommendation. Going from 1 to 3 works very well because they are sort of connected to each other. Meanwhile, 2 is very different, doesn't actually effect anything, and isn't mentioned ever mentioned again. 4 through 6 are just pointless.
When it comes to overmilked horror franchises, A Nightmare on Elm Street holds up a lot better than its contemporaries. Halloween had a couple of okay sequels (although most of them were mediocre) and Friday the 13th is just awful. ANoES actually had some sequels that I wouldn't mind seeing again. Freddy treads the line between hilarious and frightening, and his kills are creative beyond just stab-stab-stab. You can't have a better scene from a horror movie than this. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSPJhfdAUDs) :happytime:
The only movie in this series that I didn't like was the second one. The rest are a lot of fun.
I didn't like A Nightmare on Elm Street 2, either. But I thought Freddy's Dead was even worse. To be honest, I feel like 1, 3, and New Nightmare really are the only movies I particularly like (admittedly 4 and 5 aren't necessarily bad, though). As for Friday the 13th, I think 1 through 4 are fun slashers, and 6 is a good tongue-in-cheek take on the series. The rest are just bad, though. I'd probably agree on Nightmare being a better franchise.
Halloween probably fell the hardest, though. Like you said, a few of those movies are fine (I'd even say II and III are better than any Nightmare sequel besides Dream Warriors and New Nightmare), but when the series went bad, it really, really went bad. Curse of Michael Myers just broke the series, and then Resurrection broke it again.
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After dominating the superhero genre with his Spider-Man trilogy, Sam Raimi went back to his roots and conjured up this modern-day blend of his trademark horror and comedy. Now, I'll be perfectly honest, I'm more lukewarm in this movie than anything else, granted that I've only seen it once, so far, and haven't had any opportunities to re-watch it, which hopefully I can change, soon. But, as a Sam Raimi film, I find it only fair to compare it to the Evil Dead movies, and IMO, while it's decent on its own, I don't think it's nearly as well put-together as those films, in either horror or comedy.
That said, I did still enjoy it well enough, and compared to most modern horror movies, it comes off as a masterpiece when everything else that had come out around the same time as that movie was utter shit. It's also nice to see that it's a full on horror comedy, since we rarely ever get those, anymore (though I will say that I prefer Zombieland, which I believe came out around the same time). I will say that this film, however, is MUCH better than The Cabin in the Woods. But, you all know how I really feel about that movie.
No comments? I guess that everyone just agrees with me, then. :sly:
I dunno, I just haven't had a chance to see it yet.
I haven't been around today, though even if I was, I actually haven't seen this movie.
I saw it at the week it premiered (immediately after watching Up), and it entertained me. Seemed a bit unfocused at to whether it wanted to be a horror movie or a pastiche of horror movies though, like when the Lamia made the medium dance in the air.
NIGHT 26:
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Admittedly I still haven't seen this one. The funny thing is that, back when it was first being advertised, I remembered being pissed off by the trailer claiming that so many classic horror movies were for pussies and that this was the real deal. But that was at a time when I was way too uptight about everything and didn't realize when I wasn't actually made to take something seriously, meaning that it's good that I didn't see the movie back then, because I probably wouldn't have been in the right state of mind to appreciate it. I do feel like it'd be right up my alley if I saw it now, though. And, hey, I loved Guardians of the Galaxy, so if nothing else, I can trust in James Gunn's ability to make movies with legitimately great humor.
I'm not a fan of James Gunn's work. This is the only film he's done that I actually like.
Slither is hilarious! It's a really great tribute to old B movies with lots of gore and fun performances. Highly recommended modern schlock horror. :thumbup:
Quote from: Daikun on October 26, 2014, 05:12:39 PM
I'm not a fan of James Gunn's work. This is the only film he's done that I actually like.
Whoa, you're not a Guardians fan?
NIGHT 27:
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And here we are, with yet another John Carpenter film. While not my personal favorite horror film of his, The Fog is a movie with a rich concept and contains much of Carpenter's trademark brilliance. Needless to say, it was absolutely butchered with the 2005 remake, but we still have this underrated and mostly forgotten gem from the very early 80's to turn back to. It's been a long while since I've seen this movie, so admittedly it's one of the many that I need to go back to for a re-watch, which probably won't be soon enough given my backlog, but I can still remember some iconic scenes from it, including that scene with the fisherman on the boat, as well as that infamous kitchen scene as well, and that last shot of the movie that deserves to be as iconic as some of the most famous scenes in horror cinema.
My only real gripe with this movie is that most of the side characters are kind of flat, and it has that one annoying kid actor that kind of drags down otherwise good movies like this, but on the whole, it's a really minor complaint. I'd say it's definitely worth your time for a fresh horror movie experience that strays away from embracing far too many of the cliches that Carpenter's earlier film, Halloween, had set up. Though, this movie does still take part in its own fair share of cliches, but Carpenter's execution always makes it feel entertaining. Now, if only they could release a DVD collection pack of all of Carpenter's best horror films, that'd be a must buy for me. And yes, they do have a 4-pack with some of his cult favorite 80's films, but they contain only 2 movies that really belong in the collection in terms of matching genre, and they severely lack in special features. I want a 4-pack with Halloween, The Fog, The Thing, and They Live, and with tons of special features. All I really have is a cheap DVD of Halloween with practically no special features, and an old DVD of The Thing which actually has a respectable amount of bonus content.
Quote from: Dr. Ensatsu-ken on October 27, 2014, 03:40:37 PMMy only real gripe with this movie is that most of the side characters are kind of flat, and it has that one annoying kid actor that kind of drags down otherwise good movies like this, but on the whole, it's a really minor complaint.
Yeah, developing characters isn't exactly one of Carpenter's strengths. Surprisingly, though, his style and execution are so damn good that his movies still wind up entertaining.
I actually just saw this for the first time about a week or so ago. It's true, the characters aren't exceptional, but Carpenter nailed the atmosphere here, which made for a great experience that I'm definitely hoping to try again.
But yeah, that fisherman scene is ace, as are the other bits you mentioned.
This is on my pile to watch for Halloween. Should be fun.
Have you seen They Live, yet? Because that should totally be part of anyone's Halloween pile.
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This movie is a really entertaining combo of horror, action, and comedy. I used to just flat-out not get this movie when I was a kid, but coming back to it years later, I just loved how there was really nothing else like it in the genre. I mean, this movie gave us a fucking vampire with a crotch gun. How can you get any more ridiculously awesome than that? And if that's not enough, you get to see Quentin Tarantino as a vampire, and even if you don't like Quentin Tarantino, then....
Spoiler
....you get to see him violently killed off, so either way, it's a win-win. :D
This film is a one of a kind experience, and like many old-school B-horror movies, this one featured a then much less well known George Clooney before he became such a prominent movie star, so it's just another one of those movies featuring a big actor before their career truly got kick started.
Anyways, if you take this movie for what it is, it's a ton of fun. I just never cared for any of the sequels, though, which seemed to comprehend the right tone, but just weren't able to successfully blend all 3 elements that make this movie in particular so memorable.
I saw this movie a couple years ago, but this was my first time seeing the whole thing, and I love it even more. Like all of Rodriguez and Tarantino's movies, it has great acting, great action, and a kickass soundtrack. The only other franchise I'm familiar with is the TV series that aired earlier this year, which was an OK sort of remake of this film, but doesn't really hold a candle to it in comparison.
From Dusk Till Dawn is awesome! I think the most surprising thing about it is that Tarantino actually managed to turn in a good performance. :lol:
Ah, yeah! This movie is awesome! ;D
Quote from: Rynnec on October 28, 2014, 11:27:11 PMI saw this movie a couple years ago, but this was my first time seeing the whole thing, and I love it even more. Like all of Rodriguez and Tarantino's movies, it has great acting, great action, and a kickass soundtrack. The only other franchise I'm familiar with is the TV series that aired earlier this year, which was an OK sort of remake of this film, but doesn't really hold a candle to it in comparison.
There's a TV show? First I've heard of this. That must have been what kept turning up when I was googling a movie poster image for this movie, and saw pictures that looked completely unrelated but with the same title and made me wonder WTF I was looking at.
Eeyup. It only aired on El Rey, which is a pretty cool channel that not a lot of people get. It's 10 episodes long and is mostly a retread of the first movie set in modern times. Since it's a series, there's quite a few changes from its source material, some of which is for the better, and some for the worse. Regardlesss it's at least worth a watch if you're able to catch it.
Thanks for letting me know. Sounds interesting. I may give it a try if I can find a way to stream or rent it from somewhere.
But, yeah, I don't think anything can too the original film. There's just something about it that can't ever be replicated, hence why I didn't care for any of the sequels.
NIGHT 29:
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It's Hammer-time, tonight! That is, Hammer film studio's first take on one of the classic Universal monsters, with Dracula, or as was known in North America, Horror of Dracula. While the Hammer-made films were mostly thought of as schlock horror, I do remember their earlier entries seeming a bit more dignified in their presentation, including this film, even if it's still full of hokey moments (and let's be honest, so was the Lugosi version).
Peter Cushing as Van Helsing is excellent casting, and Christopher Lee as Dracula is also great, with this particular role really helping to kick-start his career in film, and good god what a career it was considering that the guy is still going strong today as one of the most well-respected character actors of all time. Overall, this movie isn't perfect, and barely bares any resemblance to the original novel, but it's still a classic in its own right.
In some ways, this is definitely better than Universal's Dracula. But you just can't top Bela Lugosi.
Hammer's stuff is always fun to watch, though.
I might argue that it's better than the 1931 Dracula (though Lee isn't necessarily better than Lugosi). The 1931 Dracula was great solely because of Lugosi's iconic performance but I always felt that the acting of everyone else was either too over the top (Renfield, etc.) or too stiff (Van Helsing, etc.), and pretty much any scene without Lugosi kind of dragged. I highly recommend the Spanish version of Dracula. All of the performances are better, except for Dracula (though Carlos Villarias puts his own great spin on the role), the camerawork was better, and the story flows better. In fact, the Spanish crew supposedly actually watched footage of the English version with the goal of "topping it".
But anyway, Horror of Dracula was great. Peter Cushing is a perfect casting choice, and Christopher Lee gives one of the scariest Dracula performances. Their final confrontation is classic.
NIGHT 30:
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As we are sadly nearing our end of the Halloween season, we at least have some great movies to go out on. In our second to last night, we delve into the timeless tale or Invasion of the Body Snatchers, based on a novel of the same name.
So, just what is it that makes this story so timeless, to the point of having been "directly" remade 3 times over, while having had countless other films draw heavy inspiration from its plot and subject material? Well, I'd say that the overarching theme of mass paranoia over losing one's individuality and freedom is a fear that many can relate to. This story, as well as that of the remakes deals with alien life forms assuming the roles of people and replacing the role of the person they copy, with the goal of spreading throughout the entire world's population until they are all one. In all but the most recent version, they come in the form of people grown out of plant pods, and as they gradually begin to grow in number and overwhelm the few core characters that drive these stories, leaving them in a hopeless situation, they always seem to try and reason with the victims that what they are doing is for the better, for their world is one of now war or violence or hatred....but also no need for love or compassion or any emotions whatsoever, even positive ones. It's a stark reminder to all of us that there is no true utopia, as in order for their to be good, there also must exist bad. Without either of them, we cease to keep the very thing that makes us human in the first place.
The original novel and film were excellent commentary on the McCarthy era and his anti-communism campaign which in and of itself was a form of massive and largely unfounded paranoia that put fear into people, and thus limited some from being able to truly express their individuality in fear of being accused that they were an outsider. The film in particular captures that very well through tremendously good writing and acting, and in this regard, it holds up extraordinarily well and arguably better than most breakthrough Sci-Fi and Horror movies from the 1950's, and that era of film in general.
Having said that, the 1978 version deserves special praise for taking the elements of what the original film did, and rather than just copy it scene-for-scene, it did its own thing while staying completely faithful to the original message and still effectively recreating the most iconic scenes from the original, where it really counted. As a message, I do feel that the original film worked a bit better, but as an overall movie experience and one that really captured the intensity of the situation, I do slightly prefer the 1978 remake to the original, but both are absolute masterpieces in my eyes.
As for the other 2 remakes, neither came nearly as close to matching what the first 2 films basically perfected, of at least came close to as perfect as possible with their subject material. The 1993 version, simply titled Body Snatchers, has it's merits, but it's a 90's movie at heart, stuck with many of the tropes of its time, and since the characters feel much more flat and underdeveloped, the movie doesn't come off as timeless as the first few outside of the message itself. As for the 2000's version, given the modernized title of The Invasion, it was simply a pretty badly put together film, despite having some good actors in it. If nothing else, though, it's mere existence does at least highlight how the intent of the original story is still so relevant to this very day.
Such an awesome highlight of 50's horror. What can I say though, you nailed everything better than I could.
This movie was a required viewing for me back in college. It's a great film that reflects the changing times in America during its time period. However, despite popular belief, this movie really isn't about communism. When the class was assigned to write an essay on this movie, comparing this film to communism would result in an automatic "F", since it would be missing the point. The filmmakers and author of the novel have denied any political allegory.
The movie is actually a reflection on American conformity in the 1950s. Following WWII, the U.S. had amassed great wealth and television exploded as a medium. As a result, America had dulled itself into a mental state of punch-clock scheduling, going through the motions of daily routines like zombies without much care or worry. That's what the movie is about.
The movie is open to different interpretations. It's common for authors and film makers to deny any connections with other real-life things, but whether done consciously or not, when so many film enthusiasts come to that conclusion when analyzing the film, it's still very telling about what may have influenced it. For instance, even if not directly referencing the anti-communism movement, there was still an undeniable theme of losing freedom and individuality as a society in the film, and there's no denying that it was also a prominent issue of that era. That feeds into what my overall point was, anyways, if how regardless of the time, there's still always something in our modern age to connect this story to, which is why it's relevance has persisted for so long, and obviously it couldn't have been referencing future events, but rather it just captures a truthful element of how our society functions that regardless of whether there were intentions to connect it to anything or not, people will still be able to draw parallels.
HALLOWEEN NIGHT:
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And what better way to celebrate the holiday than with the most iconic slasher film of all time, that happens to be named after it. This is yet another John Carpenter masterpiece for this month, and I traditionally re-watch it every October.
I won't lie and say that I think that this is the best horror film of all time, or even the best John Carpenter film, because it's not. That said, it is one of the most iconic movies ever for a reason, and it really does display how to do a good slasher movie and keep the audience in suspense and wanting to see more, rather than showing too much and becoming an utter parody itself like some of the later sequels did.
This, to me, is the perfect film to close out the month with. Happy Halloween, everyone! :devil:
Happy Halloween, folks!
Also, before talking about the movie, I just want to say... this was a great thread idea, E-K. Even though there were movies that plenty of us didn't see, I think we all enjoyed this. Here's hoping we get to do it again next October!
Now as for Halloween, this is, and perhaps always will be, my choice as the greatest slasher film. And I love the amount of class it has, in that it puts atmosphere and suspense over gore and blood. Also, I think we should mention that soundtrack. It's one of those soundtracks that, when I hear it outside the movie, I'm pulled right back into scenes from it. It might just be my favorite horror movie soundtrack, and I've had it playing in my house today to commemorate the holiday. Some of the best tracks include...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BI0QNdIi508
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFHZS6yH5YQ (This, before even the main theme, is the song that immediately comes to mind when I remember the movie.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCEmdNDDhtI&list=PL22F8B69AA1F54632&index=7
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AdK0yl7hrc&list=PL22F8B69AA1F54632&index=8
I also feel that the movie has subtext about Celtic lore. From what I gather, this isn't a widely discussed interpretation on the movie, but Samhain (which is largely where Halloween comes from), is said to be have been when evil spirits would appear and haunt the living. Even Debra Hill has this to say...
Quote...the idea was that you couldn't kill evil, and that was how we came about the story. We went back to the old idea of Samhain, that Halloween was the night where all the souls are let out to wreak havoc on the living, and then came up with the story about the most evil kid who ever lived. And when John came up with this fable of a town with a dark secret of someone who once lived there, and now that evil has come back, that's what made Halloween work.
And of course, Michael Myers is, after all, the Boogeyman. Or rather, the Shape. And if you look at it this way, he essentially is Halloween.
Quote from: talonmalon333 on October 31, 2014, 01:49:49 PMAlso, before talking about the movie, I just want to say... this was a great thread idea, E-K. Even though there were movies that plenty of us didn't see, I think we all enjoyed this. Here's hoping we get to do it again next October!
Yeah, we had a lot of interesting discussions on here, and I still plan to get around to the movies on this list which I still haven't seen, Halloween month or not. So, I'm definitely going to be doing this next year. I'm also considering doing something like this for Christmas as well, in December, and perhaps doing different themed movie discussion months next year.
I love this movie because of how little you see. I love minimalism as an art form, and because of that, this movie captures a sense of dread and mystique better than any other horror film I've seen, IMO. It's the main reason why the sequels falter--they're weaker in atmosphere because they show off way too much.
Frankly, I really wish Halloween was the anthology series they originally had in mind. There would be more creativity and not so many horrible sequels of the same damn thing.
I have an idea for a series we can do each month, but it'd be weekly- a director's spotlight, where we pick 5 or so movies from a specific director and discuss them each week.
Although I guess since we've used most of Carpenter's best stuff, we might need to skip over him. :sweat:
Just as long as we keep most horror films for October.
You know what I like about Halloween? Michael Myers really didn't have that much of a reason to take a special interest in Laurie (sequels aside). She just happened to be the one who he first saw when he returned to Haddonfield, when he saw her drop off a key under the mat to his house. In fact, he didn't just target her. He also targets that small child that she was babysitting, who happened to be with Laurie when he saw her for the very first time. But other than that, he just kills. That's what I like about him. Nothing makes perfect sense. Nothing adds up. He doesn't act with reason. He's just an entity of pure evil.
I'm about to watch Night Of The Creeps. Better late than never since it'll be the only horror movie I've recently watched.
Oh, I finally got to see Poltergeist last night. I can see why it was one of the incentives behind the PG-13 rating being made, even if the most graphic stuff comes and goes so quickly.
But it's strong enough, with a strange mix of Speilberg's oft-explored suburban atmosphere and actual terror, which works well here. It also remains pretty entertaining all the way through, which is a big plus.
Yeah, it's a solid flick, even if it isn't that scary.
And anyone else can feel free to update this thread with their thoughts on any movies featured in it. Just because October is over doesn't mean that we can't enjoy horror films. I, myself plan to do so when I get around to the movies in my backlog. ;)
Sounds fair!
If you guys are interested in the monthly director series, tell me, and I'll try to come up with ideas. I'll wait until January to do it, but there's definitely a few directors worth digging deeper into as a group.