Or maybe it was dark to hide the shittiness of the cgi.
― Room 227 (cryptosicko), Sunday, 28 October 2012 16:37 (eleven years ago) link
Man, did not like "V/H/S/." A bunch of good ideas, none taken advantage of to any real degree of satisfaction. Reminded me of, I dunno, "Tales from the Dark Side," the movie, but done indie and hand-held.
― Josh in Chicago, Sunday, 28 October 2012 19:59 (eleven years ago) link
Not only am I effing sick of that whole grainy, hand held "indie" aesthetic in horror movies, I mostly became sick of it just from watching the trailers for these movies, not the movies themselves.
― Room 227 (cryptosicko), Monday, 29 October 2012 04:53 (eleven years ago) link
i enjoyed the first v/h/s short alot and the last one ok (not the wraparound), the second and fourth? (the skype one) had potential but didn't work for me really, the third one was straight garbage. i'm a pretty big sucker for found footage type things but found myself very happy they were all brief. considering the popularity of found footage horror and the inexpense of it i'm kinda amazed no tv channel has done their own esp since this is the kind of thing tv could pull off and not be crippled from the get go by broadcast standards the way they usually are when tv attempts horror. considering how great ghostwatch was twenty years ago it's seem like a gimme for syfy or fox.
― balls, Monday, 29 October 2012 05:44 (eleven years ago) link
Prince of Darkness - John Carpenter's final wave to fans before sinking into mediocrity.
this was much better than I remembered it. I think They Live! is a cut above mediocre tho
― Force Boxman (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 29 October 2012 16:01 (eleven years ago) link
Watched Lovely Molly last night and liked it quite a bit. for people who get turned off by handheld cam stuff - soldier through the intro, the movie only uses the hand cam occasionally.
― I'M THE ONLY ON (jjjusten), Monday, 29 October 2012 16:07 (eleven years ago) link
I'm glad to hear you liked Lovely Molly, I enjoyed how far it went in it's theme. The deer scene was gut turning and scary! We watched Apartment 143 last night, I dunno, maybe I'm getting tired of handheld cam horror ghost stories. I enjoy the cast, but I told Tera at the beginning that I'm going to be pissed if it's the daughter, and then big shocker. I loved all three Paranormal Activities, but it's wearing thin now.
― JacobSanders, Monday, 29 October 2012 16:10 (eleven years ago) link
Crazy talk. In the Mouth of Madness is great. Both of his "Masters of Horror" episodes were good too.
In other news, Paranormal Activity 4 was a let-down, the weakest in the series, but at least it has a good last couple minutes.
In still other news, I watched Human Centipede 2 and it was actually better than expected. Great casting, b&w photography, and sound design. Last 30 minutes have nowhere to go but into the crapper but up until then it had potential.
― The Thnig, Monday, 29 October 2012 16:22 (eleven years ago) link
Yeah I might even like In The Mouth better than They Live and Prince O' D.
― this update fixes the following known sugs (Jon Lewis), Monday, 29 October 2012 16:36 (eleven years ago) link
Watching In the Mouth of Madness on the screen was terrifying!!
― JacobSanders, Monday, 29 October 2012 16:38 (eleven years ago) link
never seen it, will get around to it
― Force Boxman (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 29 October 2012 16:39 (eleven years ago) link
Huh, "Kill List" is like "The Wicker Man" crossed with "A Serbian Film" (though nowhere near as gross as the latter).
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 29 October 2012 17:27 (eleven years ago) link
Ah, sorry, They Live! came out a year or two after Prince of Darkness, didn't it? I certainly don't love it, but, yeah, it is above mediocre. I remember not liking In the Mouth of Madness, but that's all I do remember. I need to revisit.
― DavidM, Monday, 29 October 2012 18:50 (eleven years ago) link
trying to figure out what exactly made Carpenter go off the rails. I mean, Memoirs of an Invisible Man? what was he thinking?
― Force Boxman (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 29 October 2012 23:03 (eleven years ago) link
This is undoubtedly the kind of thing I should feel embarrassed about admitting, but I actually rewatched Memoirs for the first time since it was new a few years back and was surprised how much I enjoyed it.
― Room 227 (cryptosicko), Monday, 29 October 2012 23:06 (eleven years ago) link
word! Mouth of Madness is one of my favorite Carpenter films! Haven't seen his Masters of Horror efforts though, but if they're better than shit like Ghosts of Mars I assume I'll enjoy them.
― Frobisher the (Viceroy), Monday, 29 October 2012 23:11 (eleven years ago) link
I don't think They Live! should be taken as a serious horror film. It's more of a satire w/ scares and action IMO.
― Frobisher the (Viceroy), Monday, 29 October 2012 23:13 (eleven years ago) link
yeah, it's closer in tone to Big Trouble
the only Masters of Horror one I watched was this one, which was ridiculous but not bad
― Force Boxman (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 29 October 2012 23:15 (eleven years ago) link
Well at least Tobe Hooper is getting work.
― Frobisher the (Viceroy), Monday, 29 October 2012 23:19 (eleven years ago) link
Village of the Damned was the one where Carpenter went off the rails
― Matt Armstrong, Monday, 29 October 2012 23:24 (eleven years ago) link
In The Mouth of Madness is a well-directed movie and no one would suspect that Carpenter had lost it from watching it, but the plot doesn't work
― Matt Armstrong, Monday, 29 October 2012 23:28 (eleven years ago) link
Weather permitting, I'm planning on an Alien/The Thing (Carpenter) double-bill Wednesday night--didn't they finish one-two in our poll? On the weekend, I'm seeing Romero (who, I didn't realize, has been living in Toronto for the past eight years) introduce Night of the Living Dead.
― clemenza, Monday, 29 October 2012 23:29 (eleven years ago) link
They did indeed, clemenza.
Any of you horror freaks got any suggestions for some last minute soundtrack downloading? DJing a krautrock & horror night on the 'ween itself. So far I've got Possession, Valerie, Hausu, Suspiria, All the Colours of the Dark, Bollywood Bloodbath and some miscellaneous Fulci...
― emil.y, Monday, 29 October 2012 23:39 (eleven years ago) link
Krzysztof Komeda!
Carpenter went downhill for much the same reason Romero did: sort of an eyes bigger than his stomach thing, where the stories they wanted to tell were much bigger than the budgets they had to work with. Both those guys worked much better with imposed limitations. Also, a lot of later Carpenter flicks really needed another run at the script, but it's almost as if the movies had to go forward before they were really ready to go. Hence sort of half-told movies like "Prince of Darkness," "Mouth of Madness" and "They Live.," "Escape from LA," et al.
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 29 October 2012 23:44 (eleven years ago) link
Komeda, of course! Cheers, Josh.
― emil.y, Tuesday, 30 October 2012 00:03 (eleven years ago) link
Pino Donaggio always a good choice
― these albatrosses have no fear of man (La Lechera), Tuesday, 30 October 2012 00:28 (eleven years ago) link
I had to look him up - some good films on his roster, any in particular you'd recommend soundtrack-wise?
― emil.y, Tuesday, 30 October 2012 00:48 (eleven years ago) link
Carrie is my favorite! Plus there's the "they're all going to laugh at you" track.
― these albatrosses have no fear of man (La Lechera), Tuesday, 30 October 2012 01:19 (eleven years ago) link
The Howling and Don't Look Now are the other ones I have, but I have to say The Howling is more horrory than Don't Look Now iirc.
― these albatrosses have no fear of man (La Lechera), Tuesday, 30 October 2012 01:20 (eleven years ago) link
Fabio Frizzi's The Beyond has a few nice cheesy creepy tracks.
― JacobSanders, Tuesday, 30 October 2012 01:23 (eleven years ago) link
this one is great http://www.discogs.com/Giallos-Flame-House-At-The-Edge-Of-The-Dark/release/1237925
― these albatrosses have no fear of man (La Lechera), Tuesday, 30 October 2012 01:24 (eleven years ago) link
Yeah, Jacob, I picked a couple of tracks from The Beyond from the Fulci soundcloud, need to choose a few more though, I reckon. http://soundcloud.com/luciofulci
Just realised La Lech actually started a whole thread for this topic a while ago, but oh well, conversation is here now.
― emil.y, Tuesday, 30 October 2012 01:35 (eleven years ago) link
i just consulted that thread to jog my memory -- shoulda just linked!
― these albatrosses have no fear of man (La Lechera), Tuesday, 30 October 2012 01:40 (eleven years ago) link
Hahaha, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (it counts!) - now I'm tempted to take that along. Also, Wicker Man, duh.
― emil.y, Tuesday, 30 October 2012 01:42 (eleven years ago) link
Wow, "Absentia." That was like one of those classic Stephen King "Night Shift" stories, except executed with a really uncommon sensitivity.
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 30 October 2012 15:44 (eleven years ago) link
Still catching up. "The Tall Man:" like it or not, what a truly surprisingly, honestly provocative movie. Makes up for the facile shocks of "Martyrs," imo. Though like "Martyrs," very oddly structured., almost radically, subversively so.
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 30 October 2012 19:16 (eleven years ago) link
Anybody love *both* Martyrs and The Tall Man?
― Bobby Ken Doll (Eric H.), Tuesday, 30 October 2012 19:31 (eleven years ago) link
I'm not even sure the director does.
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 30 October 2012 19:48 (eleven years ago) link
“I’m not sure you have made the right decision.” —director Pascal Laugier, in his video introduction to the Martyrs DVD
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 30 October 2012 19:54 (eleven years ago) link
I like *both* Martyrs and The Tall Man, though the first half of Martyrs is much better than the second, wish it had carried on more with the first half.
― JacobSanders, Tuesday, 30 October 2012 20:26 (eleven years ago) link
Hey I just watched the French film the pack on streaming and congratulations, now you don't have to! Totally wildly incoherent and despite some good atmosphere nothing holds together at all.
― I'M THE ONLY ON (jjjusten), Tuesday, 30 October 2012 22:09 (eleven years ago) link
Thx bro, I was gonna end up watching that at some point.
― this update fixes the following known sugs (Jon Lewis), Tuesday, 30 October 2012 22:15 (eleven years ago) link
I finally saw Black Christmas for the first time
Goddamn that is one creepy movie. I had no idea that was where 'THE CALL IS COMING FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE' came from, lol
Also Andrea Martin rules
― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 1 November 2012 16:09 (eleven years ago) link
LOVE that movie. The... err... 'vocalizing' on the phone calls is straight up virtuoso.
Creepshow expires today on streaming.
― this update fixes the following known sugs (Jon Lewis), Thursday, 1 November 2012 16:12 (eleven years ago) link
oh the phonecalls are crazy! the pig noises and the baby crying and ... yeah.
a friend had told me 'it's good, it's just slow' but honestly I found it slow in the way that is SUPER compelling. Like I felt like I knew the story already, but I was hooked in becasue I wanted to see where they went with it.
and I love that it delivers 100% creep factor without delivering any kind of killer reveal or killer backstory or killer resolution at all.
― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 1 November 2012 16:15 (eleven years ago) link
Black Christmas is one of my favorite horror movies of all time
― Jesus said "What the hell is a Wumpscut?" (jjjusten), Thursday, 1 November 2012 16:18 (eleven years ago) link
Also the woman who gets to be the 'last girl' is so NOT the one which later formulaic slasher films would favor. Don't want to give anything away but i like how the deaths are not dealt out as some form of paternalistic moral opprobrium.
― this update fixes the following known sugs (Jon Lewis), Thursday, 1 November 2012 16:21 (eleven years ago) link
I agree! At first I wondered if that's what was going to happen and it really didn't play out that way.
Also I saw Olivia Hussy talking on one of the special features - goddamn she just got more and more beautiful with age. What a stunner.
― set the controls for the heart of the sun (VegemiteGrrl), Thursday, 1 November 2012 16:27 (eleven years ago) link
I've never seen Black Christmas!!
― JacobSanders, Thursday, 1 November 2012 16:38 (eleven years ago) link
SEE IT
I am biologically opposed to slasher films and I think "Black Christmas" is one of the greatest horror movies ever made
― Gandalf’s Gobble Melt (DJP), Thursday, 1 November 2012 16:54 (eleven years ago) link