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

Never seen it. Colin Wilson hated it and made a semi-famous joke about it and I only ever see it recommended for Mathilda May.

I saw it awhile ago, it's not great but it's not terrible.

but now I'm curious about Invaders from Mars

I just remembered I've also seen his Toolbox Murders remake. It's odd that it feels a lot like the nastier slasher films of that era. There were some things that nearly worked but could have been way scarier. But I don't think it's as poor as people say.

haha our tastes definitely differ, TCM2 is imo pretty non stop awesome, and the toolbox murders remake was one of the worst things ive seen in years, finding out about tobes involvement was like learning that your favorite elementary teachers sponsors a dog fighting ring

It's not a good film but it doesn't seem to be much worse than the films around it in his filmography and the slashers of the day.

The lair at the end of the film and Savini's creations in TCM2 are pretty good though.

Aw, I think those 400 Blows freeze frame zooms in Salem's Lot are really effective, or at least the one with Danny jumping from the coffin is.

Savini is another reason why Friday the 13th IV is relatively strong.

I know it's a rehash, but especially since you just rewatched all of that, I totally buy the conspiracy theory take on Hooper vis a vis Poltergeist and Spielberg. TCM aside, that movie is so far and away better made, better written, scarier and better directed than pretty much anything else by Hooper, and it's also so eerily in Spielberg's wheelhouse that it's hard to believe he didn't have some major sway over the final product.

I didn't rewatch anything, I haven't seen most of these in years.

I still prefer Salem's Lot, Funhouse and Eaten Alive to Poltergeist.

Wow. I love Poltergeist. I think it's scary as hell. I like Funhouse a lot, too, for a generic slasher. Eaten Alive I think is terrible, Salem's Lot betrays its TV-movie roots.

TCM > Poltergeist > The Funhouse > Salem's Lot > TCM2 > Eaten Alive > Invaders from Mars

Haven't watched Lifeforce anywhere near recently enough to judge.

huh guess I should see Funhouse eh

currently have Let's Scare Jessica to Death waiting at home

Anyone who doesn't think Poltergeist is at least 51 percent Spielberg is nuts.

xp I should watch that one again; I feel I missed something

I think the debate has always been how much more than 51%, since the movie scans at least 90% Spielberg and, based on everything else by Hooper, at best 10% Tobe.

I think the big Spielberg influence is likely why I don't much care for it. I'm not anti-Spielberg but it has some things I don't like about his approach, the sort of things he shares with Stephen King.

I'm pro-Spielberg and pro-Hooper so it works out nicely.

In this case, Spielberg's the steak and Hooper's the char.

NYC fest pairs films by grindhouse directors with the industrial shorts they made! Click on individual titles for the shorts info.

http://anthologyfilmarchives.org/film_screenings/series/43330

Thanks, I don't think I've heard of the latter 4 on that line-up.

I never knew the special edition of Carnival Of Souls included a hours worth of industrial shorts. But I doubt it's worth getting on that basis.

I really wish Herk Harvey (Carnival Of Souls) and Richard Blackburn (Lemora) directed many more horror films but I guess there are lots of directors who only did one or two good ones.
I keep thinking John D Hancock (Lets Scare Jessica To Death) did only one film but he actually has lots in various genres and is still going. From reading the imdb reviews it seems he hasn't fallen into a rut.

There is a Blackburn episode of Tales From The Darkside and Hanock done several Twilight Zone episodes.

Some of those industrial shorts are really creepy iirc.

Really?! For a second you have excited me past realistic expectations. Please tell me more and lower them.

Creepy in a "this movie's old and terribly lit and 16mm" sense. Corporate films that look like snuff.

Right. For a second I was imagining educational films with completely inappropriate and indulgent gothic fantasy.

Right. And no gory workplace accidents either, if memory serves.

I watched a bit of the drinking/driving educational film by the Carnival of Souls director. I love grade-Z black and white schlock, but it's pretty wretched.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uh30DWaOuzk

Has anyone else seen Forklift Driver Klaus?

It was a super gory German comedy short film in the style of a health and safety video. It was on tv when I was in high school and in retrospect in was unusually popular for a foreign short film, maybe it got several repeats because quite a few people seemed to know about it.

Well worth searching for, it was hilarious.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forklift_Driver_Klaus_-_The_First_Day_on_the_Job
http://www.staplerfahrerklaus.de/

Watch it on the English section.

Will do, thanks! Way off topic for this thread, but if you like that sort of thing, this is a spot-on audio parody. If the crunching celluloid, wobbly music and wooden acting don't hook you in the first :30 seconds...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNa9WdayY-M

should i go see Nosferatu in a 1929 movie palace with a pipe organ tomw night, or The Exorcist for the first time?

http://www.loewsjersey.org/films/92-nosferatu

http://www.movingimage.us/visit/calendar/2014/10/24/detail/the-exorcist

love Let's Scare Jessica to Death btw. does a lot with a little, great atmosphere maintained throughout, almost Polanski-esque in places, predictable but awesome "twist" ending etc. thx for the rec folks

xp I don't The Exorcist will appeal much to you based on your dislike of most horror, but even then it is worth it for the Lee J. Cobb/Jason Miller interaction and performances if nothing else. But AFAIC it's a must-see for horror fans but won't leave much of a gap if you never see it.

Exorcist was on TV last night and even with all my reservations about posession movies expressed on that other thread, it really is great. I don't see how a nice catholic boy like Morbz could resist

also when the devil is yelling "fuck him in the ass" at von sydow... I see that line a bit differently in light of the church's paedo proclivities

Right, great performances on the whole and a genuinely ugly worldview (never did read the last five minutes the way I'm sure Catholics generally do).

b-b-but pipe organ

Nosferatu with pipe organs for sure. I'd love that personally.

Oh, I wasn't saying that you should choose Exorcist *this* weekend. There'll be many other chances.

I am a huge Exorcist fan but Orlok with pipe organ is kinda hard to pass up.

Do murnau every time

Okay, The Innocents was great. Gorgeous and effectively spooky and it doesn't feel dated at all. All of the actors were fantastic, but I think the little boy in particular might've given one of the best child actor performances I've ever seen.

Saw this again on the big screen last year I think, where it's particularly effective in 'scope. Kerr never better.

The boy (Martin Stephens) is also the lead child-demon in Village of the Damned, a TV constant in the '70s.

Bought Stuart Gordon's Dolls and Rollin's Requiem For A Vampire and Night Of The Hunted. There was quite a few unfamiliar horror and noir films at the shop. Some Hammer films I kinda want to see but all the best ones were only there on bluray.

Totally forgot Patricia Arquette was the star of "Nightmare 3," and that Larry Fishburne is in this, too. And that Angelo Badalamenti did the score!

Actually, the lol full credit:

Music by Angelo Badalamenti, Dokken

Hahaha that dokken song is so bad.

shouldve used fresh prince amirite

The Dokken song is terrible but it's also ridiculously catchy (he says as he continues to periodically sing it weeks after the fact).

3 was also co-written by Frank Darabont. Who I'll no longer be quite as flip about after finally seeing The Mist recently.

Oh, I forgot that I also watched Valerie And Her Week Of Wonders this weekend. Really unsure how I felt about that one. I liked a lot of the constituent parts but... There's generally a through line of sorts (however elusive or disjointed) that allows me to enjoy those dreamlike/nightmarish movies that I count among my all-time faves (e.g. The Tenant, Possession, a number of Lynch's films), and I think that's what was missing from Valerie. It was like watching a kaleidoscope of beautiful and haunting images but it really didn't leave much of an impression once it was over. Maybe further viewing will help.

I'm a fan of it. Always wanted to read the book.

I quite like The Innocents but the ending is great, those sounds when the hand moves are amazing.

can i take a minute to recommend ALUCARDA?!

1) nuns who sweat blood 2) lots of screaming 3) exceptional costuming 4) cast 90% women

very memorable

Alucarda is an all time great!