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Post by 'Foretold' Joker on Sept 29, 2015 12:33:53 GMT -5
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pegasuswarrior
El Dandy
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Post by pegasuswarrior on Sept 30, 2015 18:33:52 GMT -5
I have seen all three. The Witch is jaw-droppingly good. Now, if you're a slasher fanatic and want cheap thrills, not so much. Elevated genre film, and a legit good delivery. It's kinda "beyond" just a horror movie because of its sensibilities and accuracies of Puritan life/creedos/etc. But make no mistake about it, it is a horror film, and one of my favorite movies this entire year. Love love love love love February. I love it! It's a bit of a slow burn, but it's filmed in the classical horror tradition yet gives me something fresh, and I loved it immensely. Whereas it's hard for me to say The Witch is such a good horror movie(because I think it has the legs to be muc more than just that), I will say that February is such a good horror movie. The Devil's Candy: freaking fun. It's not got the substance that February and The Witch have, but it's not trying to be that. If you liked TheLoved Ones, don't go into this one expecting that. February is a much better "Satan movie," but Devils Candy is more of an adrenaline rush and overt about what it is supposed to be. Has some nice music tied to it as well. Just sound in general--well done. Also, not to give anything away, but worth it just for some of the imagery. The Witch is a must see on the big screen. (January release, I think). Devil's Candy is also more of a big screen film for the fun factor involved. With February, I could see myself getting creeped the eff out watching it alone on the bedroom tv. (Hope this helps.)
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pegasuswarrior
El Dandy
Three Time FAN Idol Champion
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Post by pegasuswarrior on Sept 30, 2015 18:44:47 GMT -5
Hey guys, you might remember me saying this a couple of weeks ago: Hope the readers of this ol' Horror Thread don't mind if I ramble a bit. But my horror fandom has reared its ugly head once again. Y'see, I tend to experience fandom in weird short bursts. Like, seeing the recent MAD MAX: FURY ROAD brought in me an obsession with post-apocalyptic sci-fi, so I devoured a large chunk of that particular strain of cinema. Then after awhile, something else struck my fancy, and it's not that I stopped loving after-the-end stories, that fandom just lays dormant somewhere in my mind until something brings it out again. THE EDITOR (2014) - A creation of Astron 6, a low-budget Canadian production company specializing in throwbacks to 80s cult fare. Co-producer/co-director/co-writer/editor Adam Brooks also stars as Rey Ciso (one letter added to the Italian word reciso, which means "severed"), a put-upon film editor. Ciso was once considered the greatest editor in film, working on prestige pictures, but a few years ago his film star wife (played by Paz De La Huerta) was fired from an important film and Rey suffered a nervous breakdown, the result of which was four of Rey's fingers ended up on the cutting room floor, and Rey himself ended up in a psych ward for awhile. Those fingers were eventually replaced with wooden prosthetics, but anyway... Nowadays, Rey works on trashy giallo pictures, disrespected at work by vain actors and at home by his horrible shrew of a wife. Rey's assisted in the editing room by a beautiful young apprentice, Bella (played by the lovely Samantha Hill). Rey refuses to act on his desires for this young woman, out of respect for the sanctity of marriage. But those desires are certainly there, and even reciprocated! Rey's life becomes further complicated when the star of the film he's currently working on is brutally murdered. Enter Detective Peter Porfiry (co-producer/co-director/co-writer Matthew Kennedy), who immediately pegs Ciso as the prime suspect (despite a slew of other HIGHLY likely culprits). Detective Porfiry will continue to hound Ciso as other corpses start showing up, and Ciso's own grip on reality slips further and further away... If you're familiar with gialli, the stuff being parodied in this flick will be easily recognizable, including poor sentence structure (usually the result sound dubbing), rampant casual misogyny, weird sexual proclivities, and red herrings that, once revealed as having not been the killer, sure exhibited some serious sociopathic tendencies (included among them the wonderful Udo Kier as a doctor from Ciso's psych ward days). Also littered throughout the flick are references to the targets of the parody, works by Bava, Argento, and Fulci. While the film is well acted and features some beautiful imagery (and music by Claudio Simonetti!), it still manages to drag in parts; I've experienced this with actual gialli, though, so maybe that's part of the parody...? Still, I found myself thinking at times that I'd rather watch those old Italian thrillers than this parody, and other times thinking this is still a pretty solid piece of entertainment in its own right. Even if you're unfamiliar with the sub-genre, I'd like to think there's just enough silliness and certainly enough nudity and gore to make this a worthwhile viewing. I give it 3.9 out of 5 stars. Not always laugh-out-loud funny, but still interesting. Definitely check it out, but don't break the bank paying for it. Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta go set aside some Italian flicks for my annual October horrorthon... For what it's worth, I think this movie is low budget BRILLIANCE! I laughed my butt off (but not always, like DSR said) and I think that's part of the brilliance. Many different levels to its delivery. Overt and subdued within the same film. I think the actors NAIL it. It was my "little horror movie that could" for last year. Figured no one would ever see it, but Argento fanatics should, as long as you're not too sensitive. It's actually honoring that tradition and not lampooning it. Just brilliant for low budget limitations. Agree with 4 out of 5 stars.
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Post by dablueboy on Oct 1, 2015 19:57:47 GMT -5
So I started up my now annual Horror month today with four films from 3 different decades
First was Alice Sweet Alice from 1976 which I thought was ok but nothing special, followed by April Fools Day from 1986 which again was decent enough but I really hated the twist ending, next came the 1990 film Frankenhooker which I really hated, none of the characters were likeable at all and lastly I watched another 1986 film, Troma's Class of Nuke 'Em High which I really enjoyed due to the sheer cheesiness and cheapness that comes with any Troma film
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Post by 'Foretold' Joker on Oct 1, 2015 20:16:05 GMT -5
So we begin and the best way to start is in glorious black and white B-Movie tradition The Brain Eaters! (1958)This is a tale of small intelligent parasitic leeches from another world that take over a persons brain and then kill them with acid if they don't comply with there world domination plans. It's a by the numbers 50s B-movie. Officials investigate a large cone object that appears in a sleepy american town which is then soon under attack. The cast isn't too bad but nothing too memorable and the plot moves along at a reasonable pace (given it's 60min running time). A lot of what happens in this film is similar to Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Heck they even carry glass bowls around instead of pods in this to carry over the similarities) yet it's not as good. The actual leeches are ok as special effects and they do kill off quite a few of the townsfolk so from the body count perspective it's quite entertaining. Overall though this is a kind of forgettable sci-fi/horror/monster movie of the time and it's not even silly enough to be watched as a so bad it's good event. Couple of cool things about this film is the poster/dvd art is great as you can see above and it also has a brief appearance by Leonard Nimoy (As a wise mouthpiece for the creatures in there cone towards the end.) I give it 2 pumpkins out of 5.
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Post by Non Banjoble Tokens on Oct 2, 2015 21:46:47 GMT -5
So I figured I would post about the different horror movies I end up watching this month. Instead of another Scary-Poop-Your-Pants-Fest thread, I'll just talk briefly aboot them in here. The ApparitionBasically about a young couple who are terrorized by an unseen force after a group of college students perform a para-psychological experiment to conjure the spirit and it goes awry. Hilarity ensues. Bleh, overall the movie was pretty boring and not even the hotness of Ashley Greene made it a very worthwhile film. It really was pretty much your standard PG-13 ghost outing with an attempt or two to change things a bit towards the end. Ultimately, these attempts fell flat and while helping establish itself as its own movie, it barely made it worth the watch. Everything that went down involving the actual haunting was pretty bland and maybe if I were an impressionable teenage girl watching the movie in the theater, I might have been a little scared, but as it stands I was just bored as hell. So pretty much, the reputation this film has for being crappy is deserved as far as I'm concerned. I mean its not offensively bad or anything, just boring and uninspired basically. My rating scale - From terrible to excellent The Apparition gets a
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Post by mysterydriver on Oct 3, 2015 3:05:15 GMT -5
Two days through and I've watched two horror movies.
House of the Devil which really is an amazing throwback style film that I put off for way too long, and Curse of Chucky which is exactly what I expected it to be, which was okay and a good restart if they'd like to be more serious in the future.
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Post by Kash Flagg on Oct 4, 2015 16:51:59 GMT -5
Just started my annual horror list on my blog. This year it's on underrated films. Click the pic in my sig if interested.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 4, 2015 16:54:40 GMT -5
So far on my horror marathon month.
I spit on your grave 2010 remake and newest one Vengeance is mine Gremlins 2 People Under the stairs
Chose go a bit more lighthearted lastnight after the brutality of that first night.
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Post by Kash Flagg on Oct 4, 2015 17:02:51 GMT -5
People Under the Stairs is very underrated IMO.
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Post by 'Foretold' Joker on Oct 4, 2015 18:40:21 GMT -5
After those leeches tried to eat my brain I decided to head out and browse the shops at the... Chopping MallThis was a fun film which I quite enjoyed. The basic plot for those who haven't seen it is security robots go homicidal in a shopping mall while a bunch of teens have a party that evening in the mall. This hits every note you can expect from this kind of movie; lots of elaborate deaths, a girl going topless, DIY weapons, lasers, explosions and of course Dick Miller as a janitor who gets killed off early unfortunately. The robots themselves are quite ridiculous with there extensive weapons, tank track mobility and evil red bar eyes, this is before lightning somehow makes them homicidal. If you want a fun horror movie that isn't taking itself too seriously then you can't really go to wrong with Chopping Mall. 3 out of 5 Pumpkins. Have a nice day!
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Post by 'Foretold' Joker on Oct 5, 2015 19:05:54 GMT -5
The movies don't stop, as I get out of the mall onto the streets of New York ... Q: The Winged SerpentWhat can I say about this little gem. A pretty great film about a monster summoned via ancient Aztec sacrifice that promptly goes about decapitating and eating New Yorkers. Even though I mainly watched this for the dragon like monster I really got into it because of Michael Moriarty playing a small time crook and David Caradine the main cop, the acting from these two is really good although Moriarty's character is a complete jackass. The actual reason for summoning the Quetzalcoatl isn't really explained but if it creates a loony killer sacrificing people as a sub-plot then that's fine by me. The monster effects are not too bad although it's not quite Ray Harryhausen quality, but the creature works as a fleeting menace for the early parts of the film and as a suitable finale, it gets quite the kill count by the end. Also I loved the Aztec cult leader who would give Boris the Bullet Dodger from Snatch a run for his money in survival. Overall decent acting and a unique view of New York makes this a better that you think giant flying monster movie. I give it 3 out of 5 pumpkins.
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Post by dablueboy on Oct 5, 2015 19:15:45 GMT -5
Watched another 2 films off my list today, See No Evil 2 starring Local Man Kane which was as enjoyable as the first film and Creepshow 3 which was ok but missing the King/Romero/Savini magic touch from the first 2 films
I'm kinda hamstrung for half this week watching films as I have been in work this evening and will be for the next 2 nights as well meaning I have to pick and choose how many films I can pack in before I leave, Thursday and Friday are less an issue so will likely use them days to catch up with any hangover films I couldn't fit in earlier
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Lick Ness Monster
Dennis Stamp
From the eerie, eerie depths of Lake Okabena
Posts: 4,874
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Post by Lick Ness Monster on Oct 5, 2015 21:51:01 GMT -5
Loving the reviews, people. Keep 'em coming. Here's this week's new blog post. What the F**k is that?: Jason Unmasked Everyone in my age bracket who saw their first Friday the 13th movie as a kid remembers the first time they ever saw Jason Voorhees without the hockey mask. For me, it was The New Blood, when my reward for laughing and gasping through 90 minutes' worth of this big brute in a blue suit butchering countless teens in the woods was the fantastic makeup stuff that John Carl Buechler and his talented team were able to cook up, complete with a well-deserved "holy shit" from my brother watching the movie with me at the time. Every movie in the franchise eventually features Jason unmasked. Most of the time, it happens at the end, but there are a couple films in the series that give away this money shot at the beginning. I'm guessing that those particular directors subscribed to Kane Hodder's theory about the character, spelled out in "Crystal Lake Memories" where he expounded that Jason just isn't as scary after he loses the mask. No matter how grandly unveiled and grotesque they make the guy's face, it's the ominous presence of that mask that makes the character. I'm actually inclined to agree, but this is nonetheless one of the series' tropes that I'm most fond of. I admire the various takes that each screenwriter and director had on Jason's actual LOOK; some of them went a bit more human, some of them went for as freaky and gross as humanly possible, and one of them gave him goddamn hair and eyebrows. Oh, and by the time it was time for Jason to go to hell, he looked like a sponge. Don't ask. Thus, it's time for a new countdown in the 2015 35th Anniversary Friday the 13th Countdown of Countdowns. For the record, this is going to be the sixth such countdown this year, and there is one more forthcoming. I think seven is a decent number for this thing, because it's just such a great number. Seven...dwarves, seven. Seven little chipmunks twirlin' on a branch, eatin' all the sunflowers on my uncle's ranch, and you're dreaming of Gorgonzola cheese when it's clearly Brie time, baby. THE TOP FIVE JASON "UNMASKED" LOOKS 5. Initial Undead Jason - Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason LivesThere are all kinds of fan theories about just what kind of being Jason Voorhees is, but the most commonly held theory - including by yours truly - is that he is a deranged human in Parts II-IV before being brought back to electrical life in this movie. As such, director C.J. Graham had the task of showing us the effect that being buried for many years had on Jason, and he doesn't wuss out with the grisly details. The opening bits of Jason Lives might be the best attention-grabber in the series, and a large part of it is in Jason's look and newfound invincibility. A+++. 4. Wet Sponge Jason - Jason Goes to Hell: The Final FridayA controversial choice, but I'm sticking to it. I spent many years hating JGTH, but I've turned the corner on it in recent years after multiple viewings on AMC Fearfest. Unfortunately, it's biggest flaw is still there - we don't see a whole lotta Jason IN the movie, but when he's there, Kane Hodder makes it count. A few years had passed since the last time we saw him, and the interpretation this time - yeah, it was unique. Lumpy and weird, big and shambling, this one was something else for the movie where Sean Cunningham decided to rip off The Hidden. 3. Farmer Brown Jason - Friday the 13th Part IIWay back in 1981, no one at Paramount Pictures had a clue that Jason Voorhees would grow to become a massive pop culture phenomenon. Hell, they thought it was only going to last ONE movie, with plans on making the surviving girl the villain in the next one. Thus, they decided to go as realistic as possible when it came to crafting a guy who had survived in a backwoods shack for over 20 years, giving him long hair, overalls, and a big, saggy drooping eye. It's not an impossibly disfigured look, and that almost makes it scarier. Folks...you might actually run into someone who looks like this. 2. Mongoloid Alien Jason - Friday the 13th Part IV: The Final ChapterI'm sure that people have noticed that TFC ranks pretty high on almost all of these lists, so consider this foreshadowing for the next list of the best movies in the franchise. But as for THIS category, this is my personal favorite of the "Human Jason" looks. After Farmer Ted, Voorhees was given a major makeover for the following film in the franchise, and the look was perfected in this one. Water damage, an expansion on the big drooping eye, and just the slightest hint of stuntman Ted White's face bleeding into the look made the amazing finale to this movie pop even more. 1. Battle Damage Jason - Friday the 13th Part VII: The New BloodAll these years later, and my first exposure to Jason Unmasked is still my favorite. Of course, at that time I didn't even know all of the lore associated with his look in this movie. Nonetheless, John Carl Buechler had a clear goal when it came to Jason's look here - reflect everything that has happened to him. Thus, not only does he look cool here, he looks like a badass Swamp Thing even in masked form. When that mask comes off, it was a treat to pick out the details; the axe shot from Part III and the long-ways machete slice from Part IV are reflected in the makeup, and it's simply awesome. Folks, we're almost there. Six down, one to go, so stay tuned for that final Countdown of Countdowns the week of the final Friday the 13th of 2015. Ch ch ch ch...\
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Post by Sir Woodrow on Oct 6, 2015 1:14:40 GMT -5
People Under the Stairs is very underrated IMO. Gotta revisit that one soon in memory of Wes
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Post by DSR on Oct 6, 2015 1:21:40 GMT -5
New sig and screenname in honor of the month. All characters from 80s horror flicks, which has been the general theme of my viewings so far (though I haven't watched all of these movies this year, I have watched them all at some point in my life).
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Post by dablueboy on Oct 6, 2015 9:07:55 GMT -5
Another two down as I've watched today Monster Squad from 1987 and the 1932 film White Zombie, probably the two best I've seen thus far.
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Post by 'Foretold' Joker on Oct 6, 2015 21:13:25 GMT -5
New York may be free of aztec dragons but something lurks in a small town called ... Salem's Lot (1979)This was suggested to me by a work colleague so I picked it up and then tried to navigate the awful dvd setup/menu. After that I realised first it was a Stephen King story and second a tv mini-series originally so that's different. You don't really get too many tv mini-series that explore horror but I think this has benefited from the small screen. At it's heart it's a vampire tale that has close similarities to Dracula, the difference being it's set in small town america and not some gothic location. Inevitably there is a hero played by David Soul (likeable and a good lead), a man called Straker (excellent in all his scenes) who is the vampire's human handler during daylight hours and the vampire itself. I was pleasantly surprised to see they went for the Orlock Nosferatu kind of vampire which was menacing and scary. What really separates it though is the initial first half which contains a lot of character development for all the town inhabitants and has a completely separate sub-story of a man catching his wife having an affair. It's kind of odd as this scene has very little bearing on the story and only really coincidentally leads to one characters death, with the troubled married couple then leaving town. Despite that there is a lot happening that is quite chilling, the boy who becomes a vampire early on has a great scene outside a window at night when he goes after his friends. The Gravedigger vs the friendly old man was another good moment, the climax in the Marston house and the whole thing has this sense off small town dread which I liked. You should definitely check it out if you are in need of an old-modern vampire horror for the season. I give it 3 1/2 pumpkins out of 5. How the little vampire really ended. Another two down as I've watched today Monster Squad from 1987 and the 1932 film White Zombie, probably the two best I've seen thus far. Great films both of them.
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Post by DSR on Oct 8, 2015 19:37:10 GMT -5
DOOM ASYLUM (1987) - This year, I started my month-long horrorfest with this late 80s slasher comedy.
We begin our story with a sleazy lawyer, Mitch, who is driving down the road with his fiancee. The two of them are celebrating the fact that said fiancee has just gained a large amount of money from divorcing her previous husband. Their celebration is cut short, however, when their car is run off the road, resulting in an accident that claims the woman's life. Mitch is believed dead, as well, but you'd never know it by how he gets up from his autopsy table and, in a rage, murders the Medical Examiners who prematurely declared him no longer among the living (including this film's producer Steven Menkin in a cameo).
Fast forward ten years, as a car loaded with late 80s teenaged stock characters drive out to have a picnic near a long-abandoned asylum (y'know, like all teenagers used to do). There's a goofy nerd, a hip-hopping black guy, a brainy beauty (Kristin Davis, now super-famous from the Sex & The City TV show and movies), a jock, and perhaps most importantly Judy (Patty Mullen), a girl whose mother died in a car accident ten years ago!
This group of friends is immediately accosted by an all-girl punk group, Tina & The Tots, who are using the asylum to practice their tunes. But this group are probably not as dangerous as the asylum's other inhabitant: a mysterious disfigured, uh, figure known locally as The Coroner, who legend has it walks the halls of the asylum, stalking and killing any intruders...
I realize I haven't exactly done the comedy of this film a great service in that write-up, but trust me when I say that this film's tongue is planted firmly in its cheek (when that cheek isn't being buzzsawed into, that is). The comedy here isn't exactly highbrow, this is a deliberately campy take on the slasher subgenre. I think this film would've felt at home alongside something like CLASS OF NUKE 'EM HIGH on an edition of USA Up All Night. Maybe not as ambitious as Troma's most infamous output, but it's gory, goofy, and features the most gratuitous topless scene I've seen in quite some time: a member of that punk band shows her breasts for literally no reason (well, no reason aside from the fact that said punk rocker was played by Playboy centerfold Ruth Collins).
For those that have been keeping track, this is all stuff that I like, so watching DOOM ASYLUM naturally put me in a nostalgic mood. I had a lot of fun with this flick. The special effects aren't the best, and from an acting standpoint you can see why anyone who isn't Kristin Davis mostly went on to obscurity (the exception being Patty Mullen, who went on to do FRANKENHOOKER). But like I said, this is camp, where the subpar acting is part of the charm. And the jokes, much to my surprise, were actually pretty funny. The Coroner cracks wise about on the level Freddy Krueger would go on to (this film was released the same year as A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3: THE DREAM WARRIORS, which was the beginning of the shift from Freddy as a genuine monster into Freddy as a murderous cartoon character).
I give DOOM ASYLUM 4 out of 5 stars. Lots of fun.
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Post by 'Foretold' Joker on Oct 9, 2015 5:11:40 GMT -5
Got a question, is the TV show American Horror Story any good and what is the overal plot?
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