i just watched drag me to hell last night, and as a old school Raimi fanboy it was a ton of fun (srsly sam it is amazing how much mileage you can get out of the power of people/corpses/demonwhatevers vomiting on other people). Curious to find out how it worked for people that weren't kind of the target audience, esp the classic moments of Raimi complete set up nonsense (the best of which had to be the "well duh why not use these ice skates i was about to pawn on my suspended anvil" idiot lunacy).
― Don Quishote (jjjusten), Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:00 (3 years ago) Permalink
anybody see any of the big remakes (last house on the left, whichever one rob zombie did this year, etc)?
― Don Quishote (jjjusten), Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:05 (3 years ago) Permalink
drag me to hell was so great -- just rewatched but seeing it in the theatre was amazing what with everyone laughing & screaming simultaneously
― elmo leonard (elmo argonaut), Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:08 (3 years ago) Permalink
i think the only nasty cut-em-up flicks i like anymore come from france or asia, though the first 'hostel' and the first 'saw' were good. i have a ton of friends who are in the horror film community and they're all pretty cynical about it these days, everyone wants to turn shit pg-13.
― access flap (omar little), Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:09 (3 years ago) Permalink
no desire to see the halloween remake, but the trailer was fucking terrifying (i've long held that horror movie trailers are usually way scarier than the actual movie, you just get a succession of jumps and creepy images without any context or warning).
― Ømår Littel (Jordan), Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:10 (3 years ago) Permalink
loved drag me... anyone seen paranormal activity yet?
or left bank?
― banned, on the run (s1ocki), Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:12 (3 years ago) Permalink
the french stuff is just brutal, but its been some of my favorite stuff as well, im sure a bunch of the usual whiners are going to lump it into the totally dumb invented "torture porn" genre but it just has such a deep sense of misanthropic malice and self-loathing xpost
― Don Quishote (jjjusten), Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:12 (3 years ago) Permalink
i have a ton of friends who are in the horror film community and they're all pretty cynical about it these days, everyone wants to turn shit pg-13.
― access flap (omar little), Thursday, October 22, 2009 2:09 PM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
^^^ omar's friends
― banned, on the run (s1ocki), Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:13 (3 years ago) Permalink
considering using my mod cheat powers to edit the title to include 2008 because so much great unheralded stuff came out last year
― Don Quishote (jjjusten), Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:13 (3 years ago) Permalink
'inside' was just as rough thematically as it was in terms of gore imo, i.e. it's one of my favorite films of the past few years.
― access flap (omar little), Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:14 (3 years ago) Permalink
id make it the whole decade but i think that the hostel/saw/ring/rob zombie non remake stuff would just take over and we've talked about that a billion times already (i love all three of the originals, and will go to bat for hostel 2 as well)
― Don Quishote (jjjusten), Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:15 (3 years ago) Permalink
me too hostel 2 is so underrated
― banned, on the run (s1ocki), Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:16 (3 years ago) Permalink
really felt roth didn't want to cheap out with an easy sequel on that one
― banned, on the run (s1ocki), Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:17 (3 years ago) Permalink
the saw series has turned into a joke imo
― access flap (omar little), Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:17 (3 years ago) Permalink
oh yeah saw 3 was particularly awful
― Don Quishote (jjjusten), Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:19 (3 years ago) Permalink
never seen a saw movie (i am okay w this)
― Ømår Littel (Jordan), Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:19 (3 years ago) Permalink
I didn't really feel Hostel when I watched it - though that might've been because I'd watched Wolf Creek the night before which ten times more brutal and believable. Still haven't seen any of the Saws.
― His skin is eroding. His suckers have divots. (chap), Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:19 (3 years ago) Permalink
martyrs was the best horror movie I've seen in years. it's french torture porn, and then again, it's not... which is what makes it so great. it totally transcends the genre and I can guarantee you won't guess where it's going.
eden park was pretty good. not the greatest film ever made but a nice patch on the "hunted by locals in the woods" genre.
― 鬼の手 (Edward III), Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:21 (3 years ago) Permalink
Eden Lake you mean? I liked that a lot, some bits haunted me for a few days. Such a dark ending!
― His skin is eroding. His suckers have divots. (chap), Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:22 (3 years ago) Permalink
duh, yeah eden lake
there are a lot of recent horror films I wanted to see that I haven't gotten around to. off the top of my head: teeth, the uninvited, embodiment of evil, dead snow... and I guess the haunting in ct now...
― 鬼の手 (Edward III), Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:25 (3 years ago) Permalink
anybody repping for inside in this thread needs to see martyrs stat
― 鬼の手 (Edward III), Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:27 (3 years ago) Permalink
paranormal is not that great. download it and see it at home. more of a living room thing than a theatre experience.
― let them eat cankles (jeff), Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:33 (3 years ago) Permalink
I wanna see nightmare, too. it's an older film that just got released on DVD, kind of low budget but looks promising.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0455983/
― 鬼の手 (Edward III), Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:34 (3 years ago) Permalink
oh hey btw for the french horror heads, if you haven't seen frontier(s), thats pretty essential
Eden Lake is british, right? some great horror coming out of britain in the past few years, esp if you like a bit of comedy mixed with your gore (top recs would be Severance and Shrooms)
― Don Quishote (jjjusten), Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:35 (3 years ago) Permalink
― let them eat cankles (jeff), Thursday, October 22, 2009 2:33 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink
really? how so? i would think it would be a quintessential movie theater movie!!
― banned, on the run (s1ocki), Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:35 (3 years ago) Permalink
I liked Drag me to Hell. Also liked Jennifer's Body actually. I think a lot of good recent US horror has been genre pastiche/comedy (I'd include Hostel ii). The French/Asian stuff is nice because it still does well playing the eeriness/bone-gristle straight. I've only seen the first 2 Saws but had to stop because why bother when there's stuff like Martyrs out there.
― xcixxorx, Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:35 (3 years ago) Permalink
dead snow is pretty half-assed tbh
theres a foreign language film that is a great companion piece to Eden Lake that i can't remember the name of right now and it is killing me.
― Don Quishote (jjjusten), Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:36 (3 years ago) Permalink
Eden Lake is british, right? some great horror coming out of britain in the past few years, esp if you like a bit of comedy mixed with your gore
Yep, it's British. Not many laughs though.
― His skin is eroding. His suckers have divots. (chap), Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:37 (3 years ago) Permalink
Just grabbed some new 80s movies to watch. Can anyone vouch for these?
Combat ShockDementedDon't Go In The HouseNight of the Demon
― let them eat cankles (jeff), Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:37 (3 years ago) Permalink
oh yeah wait, Ils (or Them) is the Eden Lake parallel. creeeeepy
― Don Quishote (jjjusten), Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:38 (3 years ago) Permalink
haha yeah Eden Lake is def not chock full o' laughs
― Don Quishote (jjjusten), Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:39 (3 years ago) Permalink
Because...
SPOILERSSSSSSS SPOILERSSSSSSS SPOILERSSSSSSS SPOILERSSSSSSS SPOILERSSSSSSS SPOILERSSSSSSS SPOILERSSSSSSS SPOILERSSSSSSS SPOILERSSSSSSS SPOILERSSSSSSS SPOILERSSSSSSS SPOILERSSSSSSS ...it is pretty much just a Blair Witch clone and more fun than scary. For me, the experience was ruining by a theatre of 500 groaning teens.SPOILERSSSSSSS SPOILERSSSSSSS SPOILERSSSSSSS SPOILERSSSSSSSSPOILERSSSSSSS SPOILERSSSSSSS SPOILERSSSSSSS SPOILERSSSSSSS SPOILERSSSSSSS SPOILERSSSSSSS SPOILERSSSSSSS SPOILERSSSSSSS
― let them eat cankles (jeff), Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:39 (3 years ago) Permalink
*ruined
combat shock is fucked up. also pretty interesting and pretty good.
― access flap (omar little), Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:42 (3 years ago) Permalink
thread title edit for the purposes of why not
― Don Quishote (jjjusten), Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:43 (3 years ago) Permalink
In light of the new title I will mention Wolf Creek again.
― His skin is eroding. His suckers have divots. (chap), Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:45 (3 years ago) Permalink
yeah it looks totally cheeseball but I'm a huge shock waves fan so...
― 鬼の手 (Edward III), Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:46 (3 years ago) Permalink
speaking of which, the aussies have def had a horror boom this decade as well xpost
― Don Quishote (jjjusten), Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:47 (3 years ago) Permalink
for aussie film fans i def recommend this hilarious doc:
― banned, on the run (s1ocki), Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:48 (3 years ago) Permalink
"The Descent" is still the scariest film of that time span. "Drag Me to Hell" was tons of fun, though essentially just a remake of "Night of the Demon." "Zombieland" was entertaining, but totally sloppy and lazy.
Aussie-wise, "Rogue" is an undervalued and very well made gem in the giant croc genre.
Just came across some Korean POV torture porn flick called "The Butcher," which from the look of it may be the most unpleasant movie ever made.
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:49 (3 years ago) Permalink
WC is the only Aussie horror I've seen that I can recall. Recommendations?
xxpost
― His skin is eroding. His suckers have divots. (chap), Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:49 (3 years ago) Permalink
xp to jeffI saw 'Don't Go In The House' last October. It has a nice gritty grindhouse vibe along w/ a Norman Bates type guy who uses a flamethrower instead of a knife.
― xcixxorx, Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:49 (3 years ago) Permalink
Any good Japanese stuff from this period?
― His skin is eroding. His suckers have divots. (chap), Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:50 (3 years ago) Permalink
It's another Korean flick, but if you count "The Host" as horror, "The Host" is a blast. The director's "Memories of Murder," while slightly pre-2005, is worth seeing, too, though not really a horror film. More a serial killer procedural along the same lines as "Zodiac."
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:53 (3 years ago) Permalink
if you are in the mood to see one of the worst films ever made, you can't go wrong with the 1980 night of the demon
http://www.youtube.com/v/CryBPpYTWfk
― 鬼の手 (Edward III), Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:53 (3 years ago) Permalink
so weird i was just going to mention memories of murder with that same caveat
― access flap (omar little), Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:54 (3 years ago) Permalink
memories of murder is almost on par with zodiac i think
At some point J-horror switched from ghost girls to low budget OTT 80's style gore. I'm not really keen on it. One I liked was 'Exte' by the guy who did Suicide Circle about cursed hair extensions. Tonally a lot like Uzumaki & pretty fun.
― xcixxorx, Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:55 (3 years ago) Permalink
the horror film 'the booth' is a very good japanese flick about a haunted DJ booth. not gory but i thought it was pretty spooky especially considering the setting.
― access flap (omar little), Thursday, 22 October 2009 18:59 (3 years ago) Permalink
i am watching john dies at the end. slow going.
― I have many lovely lacy nightgowns (contenderizer), Sunday, 21 April 2013 01:21 (4 weeks ago) Permalink
The two leads are kind of awful, which doesn't help. I think there's an absurdist thing going on that I ended up enjoying, but in the same way that I enjoyed Rubber, which most of y'all hated iirc.
― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Sunday, 21 April 2013 01:42 (4 weeks ago) Permalink
I am more than a little convinced at this point tht coscarelli can't really direct his way out of a paper bag, but somehow that works for him a lot of the time? He does feel a little bit like he is keeping the inadvertent shock schlock genre alive, but in a genuine way, not a wink wink way. Because he might actually be really terrible at what he does, but in a way that I find oddly charming.
All told, I really liked JDATE.
― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Sunday, 21 April 2013 01:46 (4 weeks ago) Permalink
But it is also an unraveled baffling mess.
― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Sunday, 21 April 2013 01:48 (4 weeks ago) Permalink
^ mostly the latter. the opening wasn't at all promising, but i gave it a fair shake on phantasm's behalf. it has moments and, yeah, a kind of dunderhead charm, but it's ultimately a trainwreck. done in by charisma-free lead performances, gratingly wacky dialogue, and lazy plotting that seems driven by nothing so much as a desire to seem "random".
i'm not the biggest rubber booster, but i enjoyed it a hell of a lot more than this.
― I have many lovely lacy nightgowns (contenderizer), Sunday, 21 April 2013 16:17 (4 weeks ago) Permalink
I watched Resolution last night and although I wasn't too happy with it's own resolution it was a very unsettling, freaky ride. Excellent film for a low budget debut and if the ending had been handled differently it would be A+.
― Jason Dowd, Sunday, 21 April 2013 16:52 (4 weeks ago) Permalink
JDATE
Lol, I hope this is intentional.
― emil.y, Sunday, 21 April 2013 16:53 (4 weeks ago) Permalink
110%
― silent ouzo eclipse (Mr. Hal Jam), Sunday, 21 April 2013 20:58 (4 weeks ago) Permalink
Need to see Resolution. And It's in the Blood.
― silent ouzo eclipse (Mr. Hal Jam), Sunday, 21 April 2013 21:00 (4 weeks ago) Permalink
watched the Criterion of Goke: The Body Snatcher From Hell (okay it's from 1968 so not post 2005 but whatever) - campy as fuck but some great really arresting imagery too
― four Marxes plus four Obamas plus four Bin Ladens (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 22 April 2013 15:57 (3 weeks ago) Permalink
If any of you have the chance, see Upstream Color while it's in the theater. The sound stuff is amazing, and it's basically a horror movie, what with the worms and the surgery and the plants and the mind control stuff.
― and that sounds like a gong-concert (La Lechera), Monday, 22 April 2013 17:00 (3 weeks ago) Permalink
what if I hated Primer
― four Marxes plus four Obamas plus four Bin Ladens (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 22 April 2013 17:07 (3 weeks ago) Permalink
I don't know because I honestly can't remember if I saw it or not. Pretty sure I didn't.(I know it's a cult favorite but I'm not a member of the cult is what I'm saying.) Anyway, I thought Upstream Color was scary and good fwiw.
― and that sounds like a gong-concert (La Lechera), Monday, 22 April 2013 17:12 (3 weeks ago) Permalink
but this threads for good and scary.
― silent ouzo eclipse (Mr. Hal Jam), Monday, 22 April 2013 17:13 (3 weeks ago) Permalink
That's why I mentioned it!
― and that sounds like a gong-concert (La Lechera), Monday, 22 April 2013 17:14 (3 weeks ago) Permalink
i mentioned it on the appropriate thread but y'all should be made aware that Upstream Color is really just a horror movie at heart.― gr8 tr∞lls i have known (forksclovetofu), Friday, April 12, 2013 4:22 AM
― brb buying poppers w/my employee discount (forksclovetofu), Monday, 22 April 2013 20:24 (3 weeks ago) Permalink
i dunno if i would recommend this if you hated primer
― brb buying poppers w/my employee discount (forksclovetofu), Monday, 22 April 2013 20:25 (3 weeks ago) Permalink
So, Resolution. I had such high hopes for this one. Nope. It's never quite boring, and generates a good amount of uneasiness at times, but the story is underdeveloped and ultimately very unsatisfying. It just doesn't add up to quite enough. a curio with a high YMMV factor. for me, Dawning did this sort of ultraminimalist character-driven genre-"ish" thing more effectively. and of course Absentia, which remains the gold standard. I should add Lovely Molly and The Pact, with reservations.
― silent ouzo eclipse (Mr. Hal Jam), Thursday, 25 April 2013 05:32 (3 weeks ago) Permalink
The shadow of Ti West's inflence grows e'er longer.
― silent ouzo eclipse (Mr. Hal Jam), Thursday, 25 April 2013 05:33 (3 weeks ago) Permalink
I finally saw Evil Dead. I was kinda happy to find that I really dug it! Definitely in the spirit of the original, even if it pales in comparison. I was kind of frustrated that there wasn't any one character to take you through the whole thing, it was like the brother, the sister, and Lou Taylor Pucci sort of had their interchangeable Ash moments throughout the thing. The brother/sister backstory was layed on waaaaaay too thick, the song and the mom and the ugggh stop.
But, I mean, like aero said upthread...once they get in the cabin and they find the demony stuff and then there's the book and the kooky music it's like your favorite horror movie blanket. I liked the uber-gore, and there were a few little humorous moments, like Lou Taylor Pucci slipping on the tongue like it's a banana peel was p lol
I enjoyed that it looked like a lot of it was done with practical effects. It was a nice reverential touch, I thought. Oh, and the rusted out Classic in the backyard <3
― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 27 April 2013 06:06 (3 weeks ago) Permalink
Watched Mama, was ok with a few jump scenes. Only gripe was the "mama", cgi face was ridiculous.
― not_goodwin, Saturday, 27 April 2013 10:55 (3 weeks ago) Permalink
Always excited to make fun of "Evil Dead" some more. Like the scene where the sister, drooling and limping, walks into the room dragging a shotgun and they're all, sister, are you all right? What's wrong sister?
And then she shoots him.
Ha ha. What a moronic movie. Sound and fury signifying etc.
― Josh in Chicago, Saturday, 27 April 2013 13:05 (3 weeks ago) Permalink
i completely cant get behind that critique/style of critique but maybe thats more of a general topic for the horror films why do we/don't we like them thread more than this one since it isn't specific to this movie.
― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Saturday, 27 April 2013 16:02 (3 weeks ago) Permalink
It's In the Blood another disappointment. well-made but unremarkable. getting frustrated.
― silent ouzo eclipse (Mr. Hal Jam), Sunday, 28 April 2013 03:36 (3 weeks ago) Permalink
rob zombie's new one: predictably dumb as fuck, but without evil rednecks (!) and has at least one weird demonic midget thing (!!). dunno if i'd call it good, but i wasn't bored really. his wife really shouldn't act ever again, though.
a friend also loaned me a dvd-r of the Maniac remake, which i'm real skeptical of obv but what the fuck, i'm sure i'll end up watching it
― ta-nehisi goatse (fadanuf4erybody), Sunday, 28 April 2013 04:43 (3 weeks ago) Permalink
I concede it's a pretty fickle standard. Obviously people being stupid shouldn't invalidate horror films, because otherwise I would dismiss some of the best horror films ever made. I suppose somewhere in my calculations I consider style/originality/effects/general effectiveness/wit/surprise/shock/scares/mood, etc.. The "Evil Dead" remake was an example of a film that failed on all of these levels save perhaps effects, which is why I guess stuff that doesn't usually bother me really bothered me. Also, the characters were really, really stupid, which reduced it to the level of an exercise for me, both as a film and as a filmgoing experience. Especially coming just a year after "Cabin in the Woods," "Evil Dead" was like watching a children's balloon animal fart out all its air and flutter aimlessly across the screen.
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 28 April 2013 12:40 (3 weeks ago) Permalink
xpost
i think part of the problem was that the remake brought character to the fore in a way the original never did, spending all that time building up the protagonist's tragic backstory, the strained relationships, etc. it attempted to be roughly "realistic" in the manner of most contemporary commercial horror films (and failed, imo), while the characters in the '81 version are distanced and framed by weird naive-but-knowing stylization of that era. the latter approach is much more forgiving, since the audience is never really asked to believe in what they're seeing.
― controversial vegan pregnancy (contenderizer), Sunday, 28 April 2013 12:57 (3 weeks ago) Permalink
That could be it. If you're going to fill your film with real people rather than punching bags, they have to act like real people.
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 28 April 2013 13:15 (3 weeks ago) Permalink
I have Sinister to watch this weekend, yay
― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Friday, 3 May 2013 23:57 (2 weeks ago) Permalink
It's so good
― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Saturday, 4 May 2013 00:15 (2 weeks ago) Permalink
it was yr raveups that convinced me :)
― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Saturday, 4 May 2013 00:21 (2 weeks ago) Permalink
I started Sinister with the lights out...1/3 of the way through I got up and turned the lights back on. Jeeeeezus it made me jump like 90 times!I really enjoyed it, except towards the end. *spoilerish* the kids took me right out of the movie, so the ending ended up feeling kinda dumb. But the rest of it was fun! And JAMES RANSONE Sergeant Ziggy at yr service <3
― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Sunday, 5 May 2013 02:19 (2 weeks ago) Permalink
Has anyone caught anything good on Netflix streaming recently, other than Grave Encounters, Lovely Molly, JDATE, etc?
I've just installed a chrome plugin that gives me access to the whole US catalogue, which is pretty huge but looks mostly terrible. I'm sure there are some hidden gems though.
― хуто-хуторянка (ShariVari), Monday, 6 May 2013 06:25 (1 week ago) Permalink
About to watch "we are what we are" will report back.
Not streaming on Netflix, but should be on fear.net if you have on demand cable or whatever
― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Wednesday, 8 May 2013 04:12 (1 week ago) Permalink
Sadly mediocre at best
― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Wednesday, 8 May 2013 06:03 (1 week ago) Permalink
Thanks. Might give it a miss then.
― хуто-хуторянка (ShariVari), Wednesday, 8 May 2013 07:37 (1 week ago) Permalink
to expand, it just seems really painfully aimless? and man, for those of you that don't like big leaps of anti-logic, the lead up to the climax is crazy crazy stupid and totally beyond belief.
― O_o-O_O-o_O (jjjusten), Thursday, 9 May 2013 16:48 (1 week ago) Permalink
watched the maniac remake last night. repellent and rather dull. not recommended, but gorehounds will appreciate the effects work.
then i watched sinister. almost the opposite: disturbing, but not inclined to wallow, and a hell of a lot of fun. loses some steam when it goes ott in the 2nd half, but i loved the build-up. clever play on the "found footage" genre, too.
― controversial vegan pregnancy (contenderizer), Monday, 13 May 2013 02:02 (6 days ago) Permalink