|
Post by GuyOfOwnage on Apr 22, 2009 4:03:46 GMT -5
Time for a review methinks.... Black Christmas (1974) I knew nothing of this film until I saw it yesterday and of course I thought another holiday themed horror trying to cash in on Halloween!! Imagine my shock when I found out this was made in 1974! Anyhoo, for those who haven't seen it the premise is pretty simple- deranged murderer kills girls at a sorority house. While I don't think this is as good as Halloween, I did find it a bit creepy in places, especially in the Killers ("Billy") phone calls to his victims in which he can seemingly change his voice with ease (sort of reminiscent of Norman Bates in Psycho). I also like the fact that little to nothing is revealed about the killer, we don't even get to see what he looks like, let alone get any kind of backstory. We are only given enough for our imaginations to work with - which by the by I think is one of the best approaches to horror characters, take that as my two cents on the Villain backstory debate. All in all, this film surprised me and I would certainly recommend it. Appaerntly it was remade in 2006 so I'll probably watch it to see how they treat "Billy" in this one. Nice review. I'm really surprised you hadn't seen the original (a horror classic) up until this point, but better late than never. Also, don't bother with the remake - they gave Billy an entire (lame) backstory, which, of course, paints him as a sympathetic character. A waste of time and a total disappointment. The original, however, gets props for me - if it hadn't been for this film, we may not have gotten Halloween. Based on that reason alone, I can't deny its status as a classic.
|
|
Ken Ivory
Hank Scorpio
This sorta thing IS my bag, baby.
Posts: 5,282
|
Post by Ken Ivory on Apr 22, 2009 4:06:30 GMT -5
Just looked up the remake on wikipedia I can't for the life of me understand Hollywoods obsession of trying to humanise monsters in remakes. It just makes me fear what they'll do to Freddy in the NOES remake.
|
|
|
Post by GuyOfOwnage on Apr 22, 2009 4:10:28 GMT -5
Just looked up the remake on wikipedia I can't for the life of me understand Hollywoods obsession of trying to humanise monsters in remakes. It just makes me fear what they'll do to Freddy in the NOES remake. I already have an idea, and for that reason, I'm probably not going to bother with it.
|
|
|
Post by G✇JI☈A on Apr 22, 2009 4:21:22 GMT -5
I watched: The Hitcher the other day. The 80s one with Rutger Hauer, C Thomas Howell and Jennifer Jason Leigh.
Not a bad film. Rutger is menacing as The psycho Hitcher. Howell is a terrible actor and that is why he is stuck making Asylum movies these days.
Have not seen the recent remake with Sean Bean.
|
|
Welfare Willis
Crow T. Robot
Pornomancer 555-BONE FDIC Bonsured
Game Center CX Kacho on!
Posts: 44,259
|
Post by Welfare Willis on Apr 22, 2009 5:54:29 GMT -5
I watched: The Hitcher the other day. The 80s one with Rutger Hauer, C Thomas Howell and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Not a bad film. Rutger is menacing as The psycho Hitcher. Howell is a terrible actor and that is why he is stuck making Asylum movies these days. Have not seen the recent remake with Sean Bean. I enjoy the Hitcher a lot myself. You know Rutger Hauer is just one bad ass actor. However, even he could not save that Salem's Lot remake. Ahhh Black Christmas. You know I don't think the team of Bob Clark as director & Alan Ormsby as special effects guy gets enough credit for the cool films they made together. Stuff like Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things, Death Dream, and Black Christmas. Soon after Alan and Bob had a falling out and each went their seperate ways. Alan went on to direct Deranged, a movie closely based on the life of Ed Gein. Bob went on to direct some big movies including A Christmas Story, Porky's, Rhinestone, etc. Bob and his son died in a car accident a couple years ago. R.I.P. Bob Clark.
|
|
andrew8798
FANatic
on 24/7 this month
Posts: 106,084
|
Post by andrew8798 on Apr 22, 2009 6:03:41 GMT -5
Coming at you in March: 'Piranha 3-D'
Scott on Piranha 3-D
|
|
Lick Ness Monster
Dennis Stamp
From the eerie, eerie depths of Lake Okabena
Posts: 4,874
|
Post by Lick Ness Monster on Apr 22, 2009 9:13:35 GMT -5
The Black Christmas remake is bad...just really bad. Guy is right, Billy's incredibly lame back story bogs the whole movie down to nearly unchartable levels of badness. And it's not like they just spent a few minutes on Billy at the beginning of the film - we get periodic, lengthy flashbacks of all this nonsense involving incest and a psycho mother. I apologize if I'm messing stuff up, but I really don't want to bother looking it up; nonetheless, the 2006 Black Christmas is the ONLY movie that I have ever walked out of before it finished playing.
|
|
Welfare Willis
Crow T. Robot
Pornomancer 555-BONE FDIC Bonsured
Game Center CX Kacho on!
Posts: 44,259
|
Post by Welfare Willis on Apr 22, 2009 10:01:20 GMT -5
The Black Christmas remake is bad...just really bad. Guy is right, Billy's incredibly lame back story bogs the whole movie down to nearly unchartable levels of badness. And it's not like they just spent a few minutes on Billy at the beginning of the film - we get periodic, lengthy flashbacks of all this nonsense involving incest and a psycho mother. I apologize if I'm messing stuff up, but I really don't want to bother looking it up; nonetheless, the 2006 Black Christmas is the ONLY movie that I have ever walked out of before it finished playing. As I like to say You know it's bad if you walk out a movie that Lacey Chabert is in.
|
|
|
Post by GuyOfOwnage on Apr 22, 2009 11:09:23 GMT -5
The Black Christmas remake is bad...just really bad. Guy is right, Billy's incredibly lame back story bogs the whole movie down to nearly unchartable levels of badness. And it's not like they just spent a few minutes on Billy at the beginning of the film - we get periodic, lengthy flashbacks of all this nonsense involving incest and a psycho mother. I apologize if I'm messing stuff up, but I really don't want to bother looking it up; nonetheless, the 2006 Black Christmas is the ONLY movie that I have ever walked out of before it finished playing. I didn't even give it a chance in theaters. I rented it after it came out on DVD, and I immediately wanted my $5 back... And, in other news, my horror DVD splurging continues with my order of the Sleepaway Camp Survival Kit. I'm really on the fence about buying Return, though, seeing as you guys have completely buried it in past threads. Also, Slaughter High FINALLY showed up on my doorstep this morning after a shipping delay. Finally, after many delays, I'm hoping to start up my movie reviews in about the next week or so. I have selected the first film I'll be reviewing. It's a bit on the obscure side, but I'm sure most of you will recognize it anyway. Stay tuned...
|
|
Welfare Willis
Crow T. Robot
Pornomancer 555-BONE FDIC Bonsured
Game Center CX Kacho on!
Posts: 44,259
|
Post by Welfare Willis on Apr 22, 2009 11:36:55 GMT -5
The Black Christmas remake is bad...just really bad. Guy is right, Billy's incredibly lame back story bogs the whole movie down to nearly unchartable levels of badness. And it's not like they just spent a few minutes on Billy at the beginning of the film - we get periodic, lengthy flashbacks of all this nonsense involving incest and a psycho mother. I apologize if I'm messing stuff up, but I really don't want to bother looking it up; nonetheless, the 2006 Black Christmas is the ONLY movie that I have ever walked out of before it finished playing. I didn't even give it a chance in theaters. I rented it after it came out on DVD, and I immediately wanted my $5 back... And, in other news, my horror DVD splurging continues with my order of the Sleepaway Camp Survival Kit. I'm really on the fence about buying Return, though, seeing as you guys have completely buried it in past threads. Also, Slaughter High FINALLY showed up on my doorstep this morning after a shipping delay. Finally, after many delays, I'm hoping to start up my movie reviews in about the next week or so. I have selected the first film I'll be reviewing. It's a bit on the obscure side, but I'm sure most of you will recognize it anyway. Stay tuned... Grats on your purchase of the sleepaway camp kit. It's a very cool box set for a underappreciate trilogy of movies. As for "return"...RENT IT FIRST. I watched it on my 360 for a couple bucks and decided against a purchase. It's a movie I really recommend renting before you buy. I'm think of selling certain films in my collection. Nothing major just the films I ended up double dipping for (Friday the 13th, Hellraiser, etc.). Yet I'm a fanatic about my dvd purchases. I hate to sell a dvd that may have a trailer on it or some other bonus feature that the newly updated dvd doesn't have (such as the candyman: SE dvd).
|
|
|
Post by Rorschach on Apr 22, 2009 12:12:48 GMT -5
On the PIRANHA remake:
JAWS for the new generation? Don't kid yourselves, guys. This movie will be fun, but if it's this generation's JAWS....this generation must be aiming REALLY low.
It's funny that Shue would be playing the sheriff though...a few years ago, I mulled over whether or not, if Hollywood ever remade JAWS, they'd make Brody a female. I posted that thought on Dread Central, and it was met with mixed reviews, to say the least. Now Dante seems to have done just that with his PIRANHA remake.
Still...I think it could be really fun to see in 3D, so I'll give it it's due.
|
|
|
Post by DSR on Apr 22, 2009 13:02:14 GMT -5
Quick notes:
-I really like Black Christmas. In addition to being a precursor to Halloween and the 80s slasher explosion, I like that they manage to tell a slasher story that actually involves the police, and doesn't make them keystone kop-ish (like later slasher movies seem to do often). Plus, Black Christmas has a bitchin' cast, with Margot Kidder, John Saxon (who never gets enough props, as far as I'm concerned), and Olivia Hussey (whom I love...*swooooooon*).
-Piranha 3D sounds kinda fun, so far. We'll see how it turns out.
-I kinda want to buy some more DVDs, but I still gotta see how much my dental bill's gonna cost (I told y'all about that, right?). Plus, I really don't have room for more DVDs at the moment...and I gotta sell off a whole crap-load of VHS tapes that I've got layin' around.
-Last night I watched "Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II", which isn't really a horror movie, but it was pretty fun, even if a little cutesy. Ah hell, here's a brief synopsis: The Japanese gov't. is building a big robot Godzilla in the hopes of defeating the regular one. Meanwhile, some scientists find a large dinosaur egg and take it to mainland Japan to study it. The egg hatches, and a Baby Godzilla is revealed. Baby Godzilla somehow sends a distress signal out, causing Godzilla and Rodan to come get him (apparently Rodan is Baby G's half-brother...who knew?). Its up to G-Force (the gov't. team behind Mechagodzilla) to try and put a stop to the big G and Rodan. This movie was from 1993, so its part of the second Godzilla series (Toho rebooted with Godzilla 1985, saying everything after the original Godzilla never happened, basically). I liked the somewhat serious take on the material, rather than the "kiddy fare" attitude of the 70s Godzilla movies. And the human cast was likeable. 3.2 stars out of 5.
|
|
andrew8798
FANatic
on 24/7 this month
Posts: 106,084
|
Post by andrew8798 on Apr 22, 2009 23:50:13 GMT -5
|
|
Welfare Willis
Crow T. Robot
Pornomancer 555-BONE FDIC Bonsured
Game Center CX Kacho on!
Posts: 44,259
|
Post by Welfare Willis on Apr 23, 2009 7:25:30 GMT -5
For those wondering what she looks like and are too lazy to google...
|
|
|
Post by GuyOfOwnage on Apr 23, 2009 8:37:24 GMT -5
Well, based on the glowing reviews I saw from you guys, I decided to pre-order My Bloody Valentine 3D on DVD. If you'll recall, I mentioned that my local theater never showed the film due to their dislike for 3D gimmicks. Why they didn't just show the 2D version is beyond me. But yeah, here's hoping I'm not let down.
|
|
|
Post by Rorschach on Apr 23, 2009 13:22:43 GMT -5
Well, based on the glowing reviews I saw from you guys, I decided to pre-order My Bloody Valentine 3D on DVD. If you'll recall, I mentioned that my local theater never showed the film due to their dislike for 3D gimmicks. Why they didn't just show the 2D version is beyond me. But yeah, here's hoping I'm not let down. I don't know if seeing it at home is gonna compare to seeing it in a packed theater, Guy...that, and seeing it in red/blue 3D instead of RealD, as well, could take a bit of the fun out of it, but I still think it's a worthy purchase. As for the "new Nancy"....she's no Heather Langenkamp, but I like her. Let's see what she does with the role! And man, DSR....you've got me jonesing for some Godzilla action right now, with that review. I always enjoyed the big kaiju battle flicks as a kid, and watching them today is kind of...relaxing. It takes me back to a more innocent time.
|
|
|
Post by DSR on Apr 23, 2009 13:32:53 GMT -5
Well, based on the glowing reviews I saw from you guys, I decided to pre-order My Bloody Valentine 3D on DVD. If you'll recall, I mentioned that my local theater never showed the film due to their dislike for 3D gimmicks. Why they didn't just show the 2D version is beyond me. But yeah, here's hoping I'm not let down. I don't know if seeing it at home is gonna compare to seeing it in a packed theater, Guy...that, and seeing it in red/blue 3D instead of RealD, as well, could take a bit of the fun out of it, but I still think it's a worthy purchase. As for the "new Nancy"....she's no Heather Langenkamp, but I like her. Let's see what she does with the role! And man, DSR....you've got me jonesing for some Godzilla action right now, with that review. I always enjoyed the big kaiju battle flicks as a kid, and watching them today is kind of...relaxing. It takes me back to a more innocent time. Glad I could be of service, RE: Godzilla and Kaiju. I've always been a big fan of Godzilla, and I've got an idea for my own crappy low-budget Kaiju movie (Can I still call it "Kaiju" if its an American movie?). Now, if I could just get up enough ambition to write the damn thing... As for this new Nancy, I haven't seen any of her previous work. She's kinda cute, though.
|
|
|
Post by Rorschach on Apr 23, 2009 15:44:30 GMT -5
LAID TO REST (2009) Starring: Bobbi Sue Luther, Kevin Gage, Sean Whalen, and Lena Headey Imagine waking up inside a sealed coffin, with no idea of who you are, where you are, or how you got there. Now, imagine that once you get OUT of said predicament, there's a homicidal killer with a chrome skullplate on his face stalking you. Thus is the premise of LAID TO REST, the new horror entry from director Robert Hall. I have to say, having heard all of the hype surrounding this one, I went into it fully prepared for another HATCHET-like let down. Surprisingly, this wasn't the case, as LAID TO REST was a much better film than that one, and far more worthy of HATCHET's "return to old school horror" tag line. There's nothing twisty or turny about LAID TO REST, really. Yes, the mystery of who the lead girl is, and how she got in that casket is addressed, but not to the point of needing Cliff Notes to understand it. LAID TO REST is a straight slasher flick that more than delivers on the gore, and has a bad ASS killer in Chrome Skull. THIS is the flick that Dread Central should have annointed with the tag line "The next icon of fright has arrived!", as Chrome Skull has a unique look, unique killing methods, and in my opinion, is more of a true old school slasher than ANY of the recent incarnations of Myers, Leatherface, or Jason. In fact, I hope Rob Zombie watches this movie, and takes notes: THIS is how you write Michael f***ING Myers. He is silent, he is stealthy, and he LOVES to use a big f***ing knife to stab the HELL out of people in very creative ways. He blends into, and melts out of the shadows with such efficiency, at times it is genuinely startling. The acting is the one place that this film suffers, in my opinion, as Luther...well, she's easy on the eyes, but her acting really, really left a lot to be desired, especially in the opening sequences. In many cases, how well we as an audience respond to, and how much we root for the hero or heroine is determined by our first impressions of him or her, and in this case, on first blush, I hated Luther's character and wanted her to die very quickly. But as the film wore on, the writers did something very intelligent: they came up with a valid REASON for her being as stupid as she is in the opening. Once that was explained to me, I actually started rooting more for her, and wanted her to survive. Kevin Gage as Tucker really carried this film on his shoulders, and his likability, coupled with the amiable nature of Sean Whalen as Steven, helped to offset Luther's deficiencies and make the film as a whole MUCH easier to tolerate. And hey, speaking of that: how nice IS it to have a villain with NO sympathetic backstory, or no reason at ALL to root for him? Chrome Skull is never painted as anything other than a sick psycho, and the film never gives us reason to cheer for him. In fact, (and in order to avoid spoilers I won't mention the one gripe I had with Chrome Skull OR the ending of the film) I cannot think of a single thing really WRONG with LAID TO REST. If you want blood, guts, gore, and kind of a neat little story, this one's for you. It's not the "best ever" but for what it is, it's damn good. Call it **** out of five.
|
|
andrew8798
FANatic
on 24/7 this month
Posts: 106,084
|
Post by andrew8798 on Apr 23, 2009 22:55:54 GMT -5
The trailer for Rob Zombie's Halloween 2
As soon as a better version is online I will post it
|
|
andrew8798
FANatic
on 24/7 this month
Posts: 106,084
|
Post by andrew8798 on Apr 23, 2009 23:03:47 GMT -5
Don't know how people here are fans of the Children of the Corn series It comes out on July 28th: Extras will include: Commentary with director Fritz Kiersch, producer Terrence Kirby and actors John Franklin & Courtney Gains Featurettes ("It Was The Eighties!", "Stephen King on a Shoestring", "Welcome to Gatlin: The Sights and Sounds of Children of the Corn", "Harvesting Horror: The Making of Children of the Corn") Original storyboard and original title sequence art Galleries Film facts Original trailer
|
|