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

i don't understand why people think the invitation is stupid except that they guessed (?) the twist (?) (i don't think the invitation really has a twist)

i also don't really buy the syphilis argument because in the film, it seems like people are dying of plague-like symptoms...but there are some reasons behind this that give away major plot points, so i digress. i just don't think it's syphilis, as interesting as that historical interpretation might be.

Has anyone seen the Turkish movie Baskin, or The Oregonian? Trying to come up with a spooky Halloween lineup for friends.

Those are two different movies tbc, lol

I just got bored with the Invitation, it took way too long to build up to the conflict at the end, which was also predictable as hell.

You're Next is a much better recent "awful people trapped in a house" film imo

Lords of Salem sucked.

You're Next also v funny, underscores class conflict - the kind of things that always keep me engaged when it comes to horror

I just got bored with the Invitation, it took way too long to build up to the conflict at the end, which was also predictable as hell.

oh yeah that's right people were mad because it's "predictable." imo: who cares

looking back over my personal top 10, this has been a helluva decade for the genre

I liked The Invitation but I'm a pretty easy sell. I would also recommend Veronica, Housebound (horror-comedy), Train to Busan (if it counts), and Creep (haven't seen the sequel).

i love the invitation bc it aesthetically and psychologically nails how trauma trains your brain to both 1) find suspicion and dread in everything and how that's horrible 2) respond usefully to actual new traumatic situations. never seen a movie do that before

imo: who cares

predictability in and of itself isn't a fatal flaw (MIDSOMMAR is very predictable, for ex.) but the film had nothing else going on in the design, the characters, the direction, just... anything. All it had was it's setup/premise, and that was not enough.

xp

... it's also really beautifully shot

never seen a movie do that before

in this case you really should see You're Next!

the invitation is great and has nothing in common with you're next other than people being in a house

in this case you really should see You're Next!

― Οὖτις, Wednesday, October 30, 2019 9:13 AM (twenty-six seconds ago) bookmarkflaglink

i've seen you're next, it's not the same thing

for one, the invitation isn't playing it for laughs

I don't consider that a fault

neither do i, i'm just that the approaches are profoundly different

i'm just saying*

the invitation is great and has nothing in common with you're next other than people being in a house

fans of The Invitation and You're Next might also enjoy Monster House

lol

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

I think I fell out of step with the current crop because I saw a few too many films with the House of the Devil template (very well-maintained buildup hampered by a fumbling, kinda shitty denouement) and was tired of getting burned by what seemed to be a trend.

there were so many of those in the 00s. Oculus, The Strangers, etc.

You're Next has a little in common with Ready or Not, but not The Invitation. Invitation (which I love) really gets a lot of mileage out of the lack of twist. You suspect something is going on early on, but you are so primed for a twist that you spend the movie wondering if that's what actually going on or if they are going to pull the rug out from under you.

House of the Devil, too.

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