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

main protagonists of both films are essentially able to survive only because of their past traumas iirc

― Οὖτις, Wednesday, October 30, 2019 9:20 AM (one minute ago) bookmarkflaglink

can't argue with this without spoiling both films so:

SPOILERS

the "past trauma" in you're next is that she grew up in a survivalist cult. this trauma does not destabilize her relationships with anyone in the family (who she's just meeting iirc), it just is extremely fuckin helpful when shit goes down. the invitation's central trauma is the much more visceral and mundane trauma of the main character's kid dying. there's also very little time spent *dwelling* on the actual nature of the situation they're in in you're next, so there's none of that self-doubt and feeling-like-you're-going-crazy energy, which is what gives the invitation its excruciating tension, *even if you know what's going to happen*

END OF SPOILERS

otm. in you're next, her background is like the punchline to a joke you didn't know was being told. But backgrounds in Invitation inform everything.

OH: Starry Eyes is another recent one I saw and liked a lot. I understand opinions are mixed on that one.

starry eyes is one of those movies i thought was great but it freaked me out so bad i’ll never watch it again

the "past trauma" in you're next is that she grew up in a survivalist cult. this trauma does not destabilize her relationships with anyone in the family (who she's just meeting iirc), it just is extremely fuckin helpful when shit goes down.

I thought there was more to it than that (isn't it implied that her family is dead)? Been awhile since I saw it and the wiki summary doesn't mention it, maybe I'm misremembering.

Starry Eyes is great. Beautifully gross in a few unusual ways.

Stuff that I loved from the last decade, in rough descending order:

Under the Skin
Leviathan
The Killing of a Sacred Deer
Climax
Get Out
mother!
You're Next
The Cabin in the Woods
The Crazies
It Follows
The Neon Demon
Let Me In

Yeah, I stan "elevated horror" bullshit, I guess. Hell, throw Stranger by the Lake up there near the top, too.

Watch Ready or Not if you want to see a You're Next where everything related to the protagonist is done much, much less effectively.

Cabin in the Woods is great fun, yeah

that rounds out my top 10!

i watched mother! for the first time recently. most annoying movie i’ve ever seen

the crazies is def undersung and awesome

MIDSOMMAR
Hereditary
You're Next
Get Out
Cabin in the Woods
It Follows
The VVitch
A Field in England
Under the Skin
Mandy

most annoying movie i’ve ever seen

I'm sure nearly every title in my list is that very thing to at least a few people.

Re: mother! (and It Comes at Night, IIRC?), my curiosity is always piqued by (horror) movies about which there is absolutely no critical consensus.

Look, I maintain that my all-time favorite horror movie is Possession and I'm certain I will eventually be slugged by someone for having suggested it to them/suggested that it was a horror film so I am onboard with divisive, lofty films of the genre.

Agreed on Luz being a miss.

Watched zombie musical Anna and the Apocalypse yesterday. Refreshing body count for a movie that tilts more towards the musical than genuine peril (i.e. zombies are respectful of the choreography). Liked it more than Slaughterhouse Rulez, a Pegg/Frost comedy/horror that struck me as tonally off.

Good lists above. I'd include The Void maybe in my own list.

I loved mother! and hated ICAN lol

Thanks for reminding me of Baskin's existence. I saw the trailer, wanted to check it out, then forgot all about it. I'll be renting that soon.

Liked it more than Slaughterhouse Rulez, a Pegg/Frost comedy/horror that struck me as tonally off.

written and directed by the lead singer of Kula Shaker!

Wut

I mean, you could also say 'the son of Hayley Mills' but still: wut

Where's the love for RAW? that movie was excellent. does Upstream Color count? I loved that one too.

idk about a "top 5" -- many of my faves from the last few years (memorable movies i remember liking) have already been listed. Us, Get Out, Under the Skin, Mandy, Field in England, VVItch, Hagazzusa, Midsommar, Hereditary

and I thought A Quiet Place was pretty much dumb as hell
loathed this movie for a number of reasons, partially bc it was indeed dumb as hell

LL's short list basically contains my favourites too, except I'll add that A Field In England is absolutely incredible (and more of a pastoral exploration of magic and national identity than horror) and I really didn't think The VVitch was all that

I worship Upstream Color but beyond the first 15 minutes I wouldn't consider it even horror adjacent

i would cosign the frontrunners recent mini-trend in horror/action-comedy films: Happy Death Day 1/2, Escape Room, Crawl
they're fast fun watches and tend to shy away from implicit misogyny

Oh and Green Room obv

imago otm! i don't care if it's horror, i loved it and the soundtrack is perfection imo. forgot to add green room, loved that one too. i watched it twice!

i wasn't sure about upstream color, that's why i separated it. just a movie i liked then.

xxp add Cabin the Woods and maybe Train to Busan to that list.

Also recommending A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night as a best of the decade

I wondered about A Girl Walks Home... too, hadn't heard anyone mention it in a while.

Final Girls, anyone?

Where's the love for RAW? that movie was excellent. does Upstream Color count? I loved that one too.

i forgot about raw!!! it's so gross and perfect

I Am Not A Witch (which is not quite horror but contains palpable elements of it) is my 10s witch movie of choice.

Oh wait, PREVENGE! Maybe more slasher than horror but who's keeping score

I believe perhaps Brad : Starry Eyes :: me : Green Room. I thought it was goddamn astounding but I don't know if I can put myself through that again for at least a couple years. Exceptionally rare that a horror film leaves me shook.

I had totally forgotten about the existence of RAW. I'm glad I solicited recommendations!

the only movie that left me truly shook in the last few years that i can remember is Are We Not Cats, aka the movie where the woman eats her own hair

RAW is indeed super gross and also perfect

also the same guy who did music for Field in England did the score for Raw (Jim Williams). i love his stuff but have found him difficult to google bc his name is Jim Williams

RAW is great, would add to my list

Happy Death Day was slight but fun

i think happy death day 2 is a significant downgrade from the first. i still liked it but i feel like the opening 20 minutes promised a more interesting movie than the one i got

FWIW I'm even down with horror comedy recommendations that lean like 90-10 in favor of comedy (a la Tucker & Dale).

oh since i can't stop talking about the final destination movies, one of the movies on my decade list would be final destination 5. tony todd returns to the cast, all the deaths are excruciating, and the twist ending turns the franchise into an ouroboros, not that you need to be familiar with previous final destination movies to enjoy it

Yeah, I'm all the time thinking about pulling the trigger on these budget-priced collections of horror series that have passed me by altogether. I'm just going to assume that running through all the Final Destination movies would probably be a better use of my time than Saw or oh say Leprechaun.

yes they're so fun, even the shittiest one is fun

FD 2 I thought was novel, in that they're aware of, and involve, the first movie's characters. Also that having that knowledge doesn't help them survive.

I bought a Blu-Ray set of all six Resident Evil movies for like $10 a few months back and by the time I got to the last one my brain was dribbling out of my ears.

the fifth resident evil sequel, retribution, rivals event horizon for the best paul w.s. anderson film. i think it's brilliant

Sometimes this tack really pays off (as it did when I bought the Chucky set and slogged through those first three cinematic trash fires only to learn to my delight that the brilliance of the series lies entirely in the back half). But, yes, it's often a great way to underscore the essential futility of human existence.

imo the only bad child's play movie is the third one. 2 is extremely fun. greatest horror franchise of all time next to phantasm imo

the fifth resident evil sequel, retribution, rivals event horizon for the best paul w.s. anderson film. i think it's brilliant

― american bradass (BradNelson), Wednesday, October 30, 2019 12:38 PM (four minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

to expand on this, it incorporates a very video game-y concept (respawning) into the actual plot and it has incredible emotional impact

xpost I am being unfair inasmuch as, yes, 3 is the only really irredeemable entry, but the first two are rather perfunctory compared to what happened once they fully popped the cap off the can of batshit.

there are few cinematic experiences that will ever compare to the first time i saw seed of chucky

Seriously.