ok lets all shit our pants to something new: post 2005 horror film thread

*trailer-like mild spoiler*

the subject of the movie appears on the betting board of "cabin in the woods", haha.

thanks for the tip, sebastien, gonna watch livide tonight

Okay, so Livide is wonderful! Not perfect by any means, but I had a hell of a lot more fun with it than I was expecting (wasn't a big fan of writer-director team Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury's previous À l'intérieur). It's a hybrid of a number of different horror approaches and tropes, generally gothic in style and more seductive than coherent.

It contains winking references to a number of classic horror films, but never succumbs to meta-movie jokeyness. Despite it's self-awareness and fan-letter trappings, Livide is quite serious and straightforward about its aims as a traditional horror film. It's spooky, atmospheric, increasingly dreamlike, visually inventive and rather old-fashioned in many respects, especially recalling the more surreal European horror films of the 70s and early 80s. And it's only occasionally punctuated with the kind of slam-bang gore and action you might expect from the writer-director team. Recommended.

wanna stress that's it not a perfect film by any means. the acting isn't great, the ending is iffy, its more a mash-up of borrowed bits than an original work of its own, and the characters & dialogue are pretty dull. the emphasis is clearly on the visuals and atmosphere, which is fine, but the film takes a while to really get going in that department.

the emphasis is clearly on the visuals and atmosphere

Which may explain a comment on some torrent thread that despite lacking English subtitles the dude felt he got the gist.

That said ... I'm having trouble finding a copy with subtitles.

The English sub script in circulation is extremely clunky. I opted to write my own. Curious to see how it compares to the subs on the forthcoming French Blu-ray.

As for the film, i'm more reserved in my enthusiasm. Some gorgeous bits, often beautifully lensed, and i didn't mind the slow-to-start structure. But where their first film got tighter once its players converged in the house, this one unravels, the story going nowhere and everywhere between setpieces. It tries to pull off that Euro-cine illogic that carried Argento, Bava, Fulci, etc. over their roughshod narratives, but never really convinces that Livide wasn't being made up by its creators, simply as an excuse to introduce allusive and generic elements, as they went along. the fauilure to establish a coherent, original mythology makes its horrors funhouse-freaky rather than in any way consequential. I got the impression that Maury & Bustillo built their script from images instead of ideas. fine for the phantasmagoric factor, but a recipe for a half-baked film.

Dude, you returned! Just in time for the all time horror poll!

hey welcome back hal jam! can't say you're wrong about livide, but i was more enamored of its strengths than distracted by its flaws.

Which may explain a comment on some torrent thread that despite lacking English subtitles the dude felt he got the gist.

That said ... I'm having trouble finding a copy with subtitles.

the copy i, uh, borrowed came with subs, but they're very bad, often completely nonsensical. didn't get in the way of my understanding/enjoyment of the film. i could mail the .srt to you if you haven't got anything else.

the fauilure to establish a coherent, original mythology makes its horrors funhouse-freaky rather than in any way consequential.

i at least half agree. the film's mythology is erratic and oneiric, which makes things seem incoherent, yes, but not entirely senseless, imo. i bought into the allowances granted by livide's dream-logic, though the film has basically no psychological subtext and is therefore only occasionally as weirdly evocative as its makers seems to intend.

the "funhouse-freaky" assessment is 100% otm. as it went on, livide reminded me more and more of insidious, james wan's cinematic carnival ride from last year. the two films have a lot in common, though bustillo & maury's in-genre reference points are different, and i think livide is a much, much better film overall. certain aspects also reminded me of hélène cattet & bruno forzani's amer, a richer exercise in retro-themed dream-horror.

mr. hal jam please report to this thread, also if you could tell us the 200 films we forgot to nominate that would be great

THE VAULT OF ILX Top 100 HORROR Movies Poll Voting Thread (voting closes May 7)

Bumping thread to get as many horror threads on the Site New Answers page as possible...

And because apparently, The Loved Ones is pretty good?

I saw it at TIFF's Midnight Madness a few years back. It's far from profound but it's a lot of fun.

is The Loved Ones finally getting US distro? it's a stylish, fun riff on torture and teen horror tropes. def. worth checking out.

didn't like it, but it's not dull

looks like it, MHJ

only three years later. christ. already ponies up for the UK DVD (and Blu-ray upgrade), but I enjoy it enough that I'd pay yet again to see/support the domestic theatrical release.

watched sion sono's cold fish last night. not sure what to think of it, tbh.

it's a long, a slow-building, and largely character-driven suspense thriller that eventually goes completely off the rails with grand guignol gore and brutality. somewhat reminiscent of takashi miike's audition in this regard. left a bad taste in my mouth though i'm not sure why, as it's less perverse and sleazily transgressive than strange circus, which i love.

couple of new-ish titles worth checking out.

Absentia - patient, subtle, admirably Lewtonesque. sticks with you.
Ashes - moody, mature, thoughtful. shame about the third act. had to go there?
DeadHeads - overlong but endearing zombuddy flick #1
Enter Nowhere - stagy but clever. though i can't see the point of re-watching once you're keen to the trick
Evidence - FF-by-numbers, but this one builds to an exhilarating, disorienting, frankly batshit finale (that continues through the credits. don't tune out prematurely)
Father's Day - irreverent Troma-approved exploitation. works best when it's not tripping over its own excesses
A Horrible Way to Die - mumblecorror? some will hate this more than life itself
Nazis at the Center of the Earth - no, really. totally entertaining.
Respire - inventive and almost great. see qualifier for Ashes
Restraint - Aussie cat-and-mouse thriller, adult variant (read: with sexy overtones)
The Revenant - overlong but endearing zombuddy flick #2. mentioned upthread, i believe.
Some Guy Who Kills People - didn't completely work for me. still worth seeing for the acting and good intentions.
Wrath - Aussie cat-and-mouse thriller, teen variant (read: with slasher overtones)

can't wait for DEAR GOD NO! promises to be the last word in demon biker Bigfoot meta-exploitation.

I hated Cold Fish - too long, too loathsome, too self-satisfied.

co-sign on Absentia and The Revenant.

the former is noteworthy for pulling off quite a bit on a seriously skimpy budget.

Some Guy Who Kills People - didn't completely work for me. still worth seeing for the acting and good intentions.

gets points for title obv

what Shion Sono movie isn't too long, too loathsome, and too self-satisfied? that's his trademark.

i liked CF - more than Guilty of Romance, which i can't get into no matter how i try. it's operatic in a way that recalls the OG Straw Dogs.

CF, that is. not GOR.

I mentioned it way upthread, but did anyone else get around to seeing "S&MAN (Sandman)?"

well, Love Exposure at least managed to dodge the "loathsome" requirement, though I still only like it about 1/10 as much as everyone else I know does.

like S&Man a lot. didn't we discuss it?

Luv X and Noriko double up on the overlong.

up=down.

NOT recommended, without hesitation:

Bordello Death Tales
Clownstrophobia
A Darker Reality
Demons Never Die
Devil's Playground
The Green Monster
Hellraiser: Revelations
House of Flesh Mannequins
Kill
Madison Country
Sleepaway Camp IV: The Survivor
Strippers vs Werewolves
Won Ton Baby!
Terror Overload

I liked S&Man a lot too. I wanted to discuss it ages ago but no one was interested.

a few more that should have made the noteworthy list. kicking myself for leaving off Rabies. still one of the best things i've seen this year.

Beyond the Black Rainbow - '70s sci-fi/horror stylistic pastiche. gorgeous to behold-and-hear but maddeningly void of meaning. also saddled with maybe the worst ending of all time ever. turn off your mind.
Cold Sweat - geriatric Nazis, horny teens, nitroglycerine. doesn't quite gel, but has a handful of great moments. another close-but... from the promising Adrián García Bogliano. i'm very eager to see Penumbra
Rabies - daaaaaaaaaark comedy of errors and errant intentions. subversive and quite brilliant. horrible things happen, so often that it's not a stretch to call it "horror." - see also Headhunters (Hodejegerne)

for our purposes, are Daylight, MMMM and Sound of My Voice to be considered horror films?

always up for a S&Man discussion, Jon. fire away.

Yeah, hit me. It was one of the more unique fake/real docs I've ever seen, its subject matter so unseemly that when it veers from truth (assuming any of it was real) it's pretty subtle and scary.

what Shion Sono movie isn't too long, too loathsome, and too self-satisfied? that's his trademark.

well, suicide circle, strange circus and exte are relatively brief. honestly, this is the only sono where the length has been a problem for me. would have worked better, overall, if it'd taken more cues from the wonderfully deadpan and kinetic opening scene.

xpost I saw it quite awhile ago so my memories have some moss on them now. I should rewatch so it's on the tip of my tongue. But basically it was p damn powerful stuff and I wanted to hear other ppl's thoughts.

Exte?! a mildly amusing idea that would've been better served as an anthologized short. but noooooo, Sono had to drag it out, through domestic melodrama and sociopolitical subplots, to an excruciating 108 min.

i might also need to re-view, Jon.

yeah, exte didn't feel too long to me. my objection was that it felt lazy and pointless. the horror had no bite and the comedy wasn't particularly funny.

intrigued by beyond the black rainbow

OH FFS!

BTBR is all shiny, shiny surfaces and killer soundtrack. it may be a bizarro coming-out allegory - or it may just be a shiny, shiny load of reverent/referential bullshit. or a little of both. it would be fun to see on the big screen.

The title of S&Man is too clever and never fails to confuse me before I remember what it means. Good movie, though, and the everyguy main subject is pretty convincing, whether it's total acting or not.

agreed. and it is. fortunately.

that final S&Man tape. (shudder).

<3 Beyond the Black Rainbow, so much. Conversely, kinda hated Rabies.

huh. what did you find to love about BtBR? i've been tryin'.

Besides that it's visually stunning and has a great analog-synth soundtrack, I find it inscrutable in the best way, throwing out just coherent enough a narrative - complete with a year-specific flashback! - to suggest readings without throwing any in your face. Plus, great villain.