ok lets all shit our pants to something old: pre-2006 horror film thread

i rewatched next of kin AGAIN just bc it was on shudder, what a perfect movie

shudder really killed it with this recent crop of titles they just added

Some other things from the interview I didn't mention. Director says he hadn't seen The Shining at the time, was mostly inspired by Bertolucci (maybe mentioned Antonioni?), kept mentioning "Italian style" but didn't seem to be talking about Italian horror at all, I don't think he was particularly a horror fan, but he just did a horror film because the opportunity was there to make a film.

He said the script was on a deadline and he thought it could have been so much better. This ties into him saying that tight deadlines and quantity over quality are a big part of what killed the Australian film industry.

I'd add Tony Williams to list of directors I wish had directed a ton more, like Richard Blackburn (Lemora) and Juan López Moctezuma (Alucarda).

damn thank you for that info!

Machete Maidens Unleashed - I'm slightly disappointed by this but still enjoyed it well enough. Problem is how much of this is about Corman's productions and was in the Corman documentary (admittedly a year later) and covered extensively elsewhere.
Exploitation of Filipino crews could have been handled more sensitively, although some interviewees are laughing more in disbelief than anything else about it. John Landis is the only person to call any of it racist. Was glad to see some films with more homegrown Filipino cast and crew, several of them interviewed.
Oddly enough, Landis spends most of his interview deflating the films discussed and the claims made about them.

Bought this, Not Quite Hollywood and the Cannon documentary on Umbrella bluray and for the extras I mostly stuck to the interview footage.
Machete Maidens Unleashed extended interviews are perhaps as good as anything in the film, Marlene Clark (if I remember correctly, sorry if I got the wrong actress) recounts a particularly horrible filming experience and Chris Mitchum's experiences filming in korea sound like action movie plots.
In the Not Quite Hollywood extras, I was pleased to see there is indeed an extended interview with critic Bob Ellis, in which he does have some nice things to say and unlike you might expect (being unfamiliar with him as I was), he totally hates Peter Weir (he explains why) and has some hate to give other art films.

Razorback - Yes, it is stylish, quite punishing towards the good guys but I'm slightly hesitant to recommend that much. Could have used a better script and there's a bit too much cutting around at the end. Bonus extended scenes are even more gory. Another Umbrella bluray with extensive extras.

Really hope Mark Hartley keeps making these documentaries. Don't know how far he could take it or if he'd be willing to go into other languages because I didn't know how much more mileage you could get from widely English speaking territories. India next, please?

Watched Russian witch/folktale movie VIY on Shudder and loved it — not sure I understand it entirely but visually noteworthy/memorable and pretty well dubbed. Amazing sets/design etc. Would recommend if you haven’t already seen it and like those colorized photos of Russian village people from the 19th c + folk horror

I LOVE the last 15-20 minutes but not so sure about the rest. Not sure why there aren't more films like that, a lot of bigger budget Russian films look way cheaper somehow.
I assume you talking about the 60s version and not the one with cgi and Charles Dance?

Yes the 60s one. I enjoyed the whole thing! There were goofy parts but generally I liked the effects & the last 20 min were definitely O_O wowee

Actually I'd forgotten how much crossover there is between Machete Maidens and Corman's World but Mark Hartley is the better doc maker imo.

During the Dante/Arkush interviews I was wondering if some of this was the same footage.

the last 20 min were definitely O_O wowee
― weird woman in a bar (La Lechera)

Now that I think about it, those really are some of my favorite film scenes.

Talking about Viy reminds me that I really should be chasing up more of that stuff. Russico label is quite helpful and it's not unusual for Czech releases to come with English subtitles.

I got the Jack Zipes book Enchanted Screen but I'm quite daunted by how big it is (or how small the type is), I'll probably read the europe chapter first.

I thought Corman's World was quite good but the main thing that stands out for me is the Jack Nicholson interview, because I don't think I've ever seen him interviewed and he cries!

Both docs have Pam Grier for a confusingly short time.

The more I watch about Corman and the Cannon duo, the more confused I am about how their love of films was balanced with their love of money. All these guys were said to take more than their fair share. I guess if you're doing it for that many years, sometimes you love money more.

The Savage Hunt Of King Stach - Another soviet film from Ruscico label.

I'm going to spoil something but it's difficult to talk about without spoiling this 1979 gothic horror (based on a novel) where the supernatural is gradually explained away, I really dislike that kind of thing but the director (as seen in dvd interview) is very insistent about wanting to make a film about explaining the ghosts away. I respect that he had a bit more ambition than a typical Scooby Doo ending but it's still hard for me not to be disappointed because the legends and atmosphere are pretty enticing, nice ominous ambient music.

It's set in an isolated mansion in vast marshes called Marsh Firs. A visitor probes into the legends of the family who lives there. The architecture/interior design is lovely and the cameraman knows where to stand to enhance it's qualities.

Really doesn't feel like many gothic films I've seen before and it's told in a way that is refreshing because it doesn't go through so many of the familiar British/American/Italian motions. With a few pushes in this and that direction, it could have been a real classic. The idea of a king riding around acres of marshes and forests with his soldiers for hundreds of years to kill off a large trapped family is really cool and I'd like to see this potential realized in some form. But as it stands, I still like it quite a bit.

Heads up: Let's Scare Jessica to Death finally coming to Blu-ray via Scream Factory.

Story Of The Voyages/Tale of Wanderings - 1983 Russian/Czech/Romanian fantasy.

In a medieval setting, a small boy is stolen from his sister because he is a living gold detector (he feels great pain whenever gold is close to him). The sister searches for him with the help of a travelling doctor/philosopher.

Early on there's a dragon embedded in one of the regions they travel, so it just looks like rocky terrain with a dragon's spinal spikes popping out. You do see its head and tail, and it looks okay-ish, a big rubbery monster blowing fire, but the scene with it blowing fire at the boats on the raging waves works.

This suffers from way too much light comedy, would have been much better without the humor. But the cuteness of Tatyana Aksyuta (sweetheart of early 80s Russia) is profound.

Not easy to find on disc but I was lucky to find a copy, I think there's two different editions of it with English subtitles.
Despite the availability of screenshots and clips of these kind of films, I feel like sometimes I'm trying to tell people about a dream I had. There's hardly ever a good trailer and maybe someday I should get the tools to make trailers and good screenshots.

Oh, wait, this is where people are talking about Next of Kin. Yeah, it was good! Not scary but super atmospheric, and with some inspired camera stuff. And great score! Very Carpenter meets Popul Vuh.

Another two Russian fairy tale films. Snow Queen from the 60s is a bit disappointing, kind of garish in the way they too often are (I've always felt this about Wizard Of Oz).
I cant tell if Black Hen from the early 80s is made for children because it's quite stylized and quite bleak, much better than the above.

http://monsterbrains.blogspot.com/2016/05/ghana-film-posters.html

Most of these are new to me.

their insta is a must follow: https://www.instagram.com/deadlypreygallery/

Thankyou

Parents - Totally forgot Badalamenti is on this with another composer. It is pretty much what I expected apart from the mother having a bit more humanity and doubt than the father. The scene of the boy jumping into the bed is probably my favorite thing. Might surprise some with it's Lynchian side but I was already prepared for that. Would like to know how Balaban's other films compare when he isn't a hired hand. My Boyfriend's Back looks a bit more comedic.

for New Yorkers who plan ahead

https://www.bam.org/film/2019/nyc-horror

oooh q in 35mm

i really liked Wolfen 38 years ago

I saw Of Unknown Origin last year, I can't believe that movie was made. Someone got the greenlight to make a studio horror film about yuppie anxieties with rat infestations with pre-Robocop Peter Weller and Shannon Tweed. The '80s were a crazy time.

Holy shit, directed by Panos’ dad?!?!!

yup

soul survivor: 1984 proto-final destination... yet not really a slasher at all. like next of kin it feels like it belongs to '70s horror in its slow shifts in mood and motion. compositions are relentlessly beautiful, dialogue is disarmingly clever and real-feeling, empty rain-slicked streets of l.a. look like the most abandoned place on earth. phenomenal

the people under the stairs: wow wes craven really was the best to ever do it. landlords are fuckin cannibals

I keep meaning to see Sole Survivor because the lead (who I just found out was also in Claudia Weill's Girlfriends) was the teacher of one of my summer school acting classes as a child. She brought the script in one day for us to take a look through.

lol i knew i spelled the title wrong! i am too stoned

also holy shit eric

museum of the moving image has an incredible horror movie lineup for halloween, all 35mm http://www.movingimage.us/programs/2019/10/26/detail/retroactive-a-disreputable-cinema-halloween/

Shoulda maintained the theme and screened Prom Night 3. Not that anyone wants that but still.

I continue to maintain that the early Nightmare sequels (2-4, specifically) are underrated and I would happily see any/all of them on a big screen again.

i think the only nightmare sequel that's properly rated is the dream child. 6 is a blast (of garbage) (but a blast nonetheless)

i used to think 2 was kind of boring and stupid beyond being gayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy but i've gotten over that

Based entirely on shaky memory, here's how I rank the first string of sequels.

The Dream Master (4)
Freddy's Revenge (2)
Dream Warriors (3)
The Dream Child (5)
Freddy's Dead (6)

And New Nightmare below the entire lot of them tbh.

Your ranking is eerily close enough to mine that I will toss you an OTM. 4 is the undisputed best/most entertaining.

And New Nightmare below the entire lot of them tbh.

― Pauline Male (Eric H.), Friday, October 11, 2019 11:36 AM (five minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

you're the worst eric!!!!!

xpost Freddy is brought back to life by incendiary dog piss, for the love of everything.

4 is a little obviously made during a writer's strike but i do love it

I feel like we've trod this ground a dozen times by now, but New Nightmare is truly bad. All concept, no execution.

New Nightmare is good iirc

i know we have discussed this before but i can't tell you how vigorously i disagree still. as a meta horror film i think it's even better than scream and heather lagenkamp's performance is the best of the series

New Nightmare is great if you enjoy watching someone chase behind a little kid for 45 minutes trying to keep him from accidentally killing himself.

... i feel like you need to rewatch it

I have! Within the last couple years! It was bad then and it's bad now.

It's just bad, folks.

Okay, if 'bad' feels like a step too far how about just 'boring'.

i guess i understand being bored by it?

Here is the sum total of what you need from the 'big 3' slasher franchises:

NoES 1-4
Halloween 3 and the scene from 2 when Lance Guest accidentally kills himself by slipping in blood
Jason Goes to Hell and the scene from Friday 4 where Crispin Glover dances and maybe the scene in Manhattan where Jason punches that guy's head off

The rest can go straight in the terlet (unless you're drinking with friends in which case they make for fun background noise)

I do have some fondness for Jason vs. Carrie (is that the 7th?)

yes, it's my favorite friday the 13th movie