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

(Jennifer Tilly has now played herself as inhabited by the soul of an evil doll in three installments of said franchise. Nuff said.)

child's play and phantasm are the best horror franchises imo

Anyone who's still stumping for New Nightmare on the basis of its clever conceit should force themselves to sit through the thing again, because it's not so hot.

this is incredibly wrong though

new nightmare and jason goes to hell feel intimately related to me prob bc of that early/mid '90s new line feel. they're also both slight reinventions of their franchises, where one is really effective and creepy and the other is one bad idea after another in a dizzying (and, imo, charming) progression

New Nightmare was so bad, iirc. The third and fourth ones both offer innovations without blowing out the basic concept.

nightmare 4 is genuinely underrated

It's my favorite in the series aside from 2, for gay reasons.

Yes, 2 and 4 are the best. We have found a point of accord.

The room-cleaning scene from 2 might be in my all-time top 10 non-horror scenes from horror movies (see also: non-sequitur karate attack in Pieces, others I will need to think long and hard about).

New nightmare is as bad as all the other Wes Craven films I've seen

Except I saw the original nightmare for the first time two nights ago (having seen a bunch of the sequels on tv) and liked it. The audience were laughing throughout

idk i find nightmare 2 kinda whatever (besides the homoeroticism ofc, which accounts for too little of the movie imo)

I chose Part 2 for last Friday, as well. It's got two of the hottest guys in the entire franchise.

― Uppercase (Eric H.), Friday, April 20, 2018 2:36 AM (thirteen hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

omg yes!

nightmare 2 has my favorite horror film score of the entire decade

It's kinda shocking when the series hits its height with 4 and then drops off a cliff with the next installment, especially since 5 is the only Elm Street sequel that didn't really mess with the formula of the previous film.

also i really don't find the first 2 13s dull! i love how rhythmic the pacing is, almost like the water; the still cinematography, the lens. love love love.

roger that RE: hellraiser. the weekend is my oyster!

If the Friday the 13th movies floored you, you might want to already be lying down for Hellraiser. The last time I saw it, I felt duty-bound to travel back in time and chastise my parents for letting me watch it countless times as a youth.

omg i'm totally pumped y'all.

also i really don't find the first 2 13s dull! i love how rhythmic the pacing is, almost like the water; the still cinematography, the lens. love love love.

agreed! friday 1 is so eerie, the scenes of uninterrupted darkness are so long

i feel like i've participated in a conversation exactly like this at least five times before on this board and i'm just saying the same things over and over again

haha that's life buddy
glad you see the film the same way!
so beautifully shot

I'm glad y'all enjoy it. Keep in mind that I'm that one dude who thinks Halloween is super overrated, so who even knows what my opinion is worth.

First two have a real shot on film for theatres look, misty and atmospheric. Third and beyond look mostly like shit, brightly lit, like a sitcom, ready for cable and VHS.

So...Suspiria.

Is it just the production design and the music that people respond to? I watched the recent upgrade last night and I'll give major props on those elements, and while it's certainly been elevated in my esteem from the muddy VHS copy I watched twenty years ago, that and Jessica Harper are pretty much all the movie has going for it. There are long stretches which, if Goblin weren't going ham on the soundtrack, wouldn't be out of place in some '80s direct-to-video schlockfest.

I dunno, it was gorgeous and mildly unnerving but mostly just fine. I think it might just suffer from overhype as one of the greatest horror films ever when I can't even say for sure that it cracks my top five for 1977.

Is it just the production design and the music that people respond to?

Ha, like that's not enough in this case! In fact, that's really all there is. I don't remember much about the plot or acting or anything. It's just an almost oppressively lurid mood piece.

yeah for me suspiria (and most giallo, i guess) primarily succeeds re: the balance of overwrought set design and dreaminess with overt shlockiness and incompetence

FTR, I have a very high tolerance for schlock and incompetence. On a similar front, I was primed for this somewhat by watching Cozzi's Starcrash last weekend, which is basically a Star Wars porn film with all of the porn cut out but which has similarly gorgeous production design and lighting, and Suspiria def delivered on that front. I'm very keen on seeing anything with a similar visual style right now (also watched Flash Gordon recently for I guess the first time ever, surprisingly, and it's so dumb but I'm just in love with all the color).

I think Suspriria has quite a lot of good scenes and the pin eyed girl and the invisible witch used to really scare me. Maybe it was just too much hype for you, but I really do think it's one of the best.

Cozzi did the special effects for Phenomena so that might have to be my next Argento. I know they worked together in other capacities but a visual collaboration between the two seems like it could really be something.

I don't recall that one being visually that impressive. That's Jennifer Connelly controlling bugs with her brain right?

Phenomena is amazing!!
I just saw it (see above) and LOVED the insects, the monkey, JC, everything
she is a modern girl who can communicate with insects, sign me up please
wish i had seen it when i was a kid

Donald Pleasance said the script was so daft he had to go for the role.

y'all there's a post-2006 thread isn't there? i really need to like say something about a recent movie

Post-2005. Scroll down a little in SNA. It's been updated today.

RIGHT thank you :)

Anyone seen De dødes tjern/Lake Of The Dead (1958)? Once voted the 4th best Norwegian film. Used to be a subtitled dvd but it's hard to find now.

Yes! It's quite good (although revealed to be more psychological thriller than the supernatural horror it appeared to be). I discovered this and a pair of 1952 Finnish horror films (The White Reindeer and The Witch/Noita palaa elämään) around the same time. Dunno why '50s Nordic horror is so sparse but it turned out some good stuff. Arrow should put out a box of these three.

Lake of the Dead is on YouTube, btw.

I think it's only Spanish subtitles and a fraud version. I found Witch though.

Luckily White Reindeer has good disc options. There's a restored bluray.

One of Abel Ferrara's best movies, The Addiction, is coming to Blu-Ray via Arrow Video on 6/26.

New restoration from a 4K scan of the original camera negative by Arrow Films, approved by director Abel Ferrara and director of photography Ken Kelsch
High Definition (1080p) Blu-ray presentation
Restored 5.1 audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Audio commentary by Abel Ferrara, moderated by critic and biographer Brad Stevens
Talking with the Vampires (2018) A new documentary about the film made by Ferrara especially for this release, featuring actors Christopher Walken and Lili Taylor, composer Joe Delia, Ken Kelsch, and Ferrara himself
New interview with Abel Ferrara
New interview with Brad Stevens
Abel Ferrara Edits The Addiction, an archival piece from the time of production
Original trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Peter Strain
FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Illustrated collector’s booklet containing new writing on the film by critic Michael Ewins

Six Japanese films.

Ghost Of Oiwa (1961) - It doesn't really stand out among the Oiwa & Lemon/Yotsuya films, apart from Oiwa's sister playing a bigger part and even taking up a sword. I had heard this is a bad version but it isn't, it just doesn't have enough to stand out.

Peony Lantern/The Bride Of Hades (1968) - This actually might be based on the same story as Hong Kong's The Ghost Lovers (if I remember correctly, a lot of these films blur together in my head). It certainly has a lot of the same elements. It's not bad, the sentimentality gets a little annoying but I liked Ko Nishimura in it. Kurosawa regular Takashi Shimura is in it too.

Cruel Ghost Legend (1968) - Like a lot of the other samurai ghost films but cruder, more sex and violence, everyone is horrible. So it stands out in the genre and it's a bit more fun. Two of the women look like bbw models.

Village Of Eight Gravestones (1977) - A quiet mountain village murder mystery. Beautiful landscape shots. Samurai warriors from centuries ago cast a curse on a large family, there's a spooky demon woman and a memorable chase scene in the caves under the mountains.
This was a huge hit when it came out and I'm surprised it isn't better known because I think it could have a much larger following. Based on a popular novel and remade in the 90s.

I watched parts of the 1981 and 2003 versions of Makai Tensho (there are many more). Supposed to be a historical epic with resurrections and demonically powered Christians (later anti-Christians?) but neither looked like they had a big enough budget and I just couldn't be bothered. The earlier version is a bit more noteworthy for the set design, Sonny Chiba, the Lone Wolf & Cub guy and the fight in the burning building looks pretty dangerous to film.

Village Of Eight Gravestones has cool posters too.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0204745/?ref_=nv_sr_1

As I probably wont find Shinoda's Demon Pond, Kumashiro's Jigoku and Living Skeleton any time soon, I think I'm pretty much done for now with 50s-80s Japanese horror films until more emerge. Snake Woman's Curse is supposed to be a bit weak so I think I'm okay with avoiding it. Goke and Matango are supposed to be good but I was never interested enough (even with the latter being a William Hope Hodgson adaptation).

Here's my top 15 from 50s-80s from best to least best (I love Tetsuo but I'm going to avoid it here)

Haunted Castle/Secret Chronicles Of The Ghost Cat
Curse Of The Snow Witch
Under The Blossoming Cherry Trees
House
Ghost Of Yotsuya (Nakagawa)
Kwaidan
Kuroneko
Onibaba
Ghost Cat Of Otama Pond
Portrait Of Hell
Lake Of Dracula
Village Of Eight Gravestones
Snake Girl & The Silver Haired Witch
Mansion Of The Ghost Cat/Black Cat Mansion
The Woman Vampire

The sixties version of Jigoku has some cool scenes but I'm reluctant to include it.

Hard to find decent trailers of many of these sadly. I hope Arrow listens to my pleas to release some of these because the upper ones deserve to be standard viewing.

Haunted Palace - Just watched features and the commentary, I didn't expect David Del Valle to be as knowledgeable about horror books as he was (although I'm sure he mixes up Saki and Sarban at one point) and he talks about meeting August Derleth.

Vampyros Lesbos and She Killed in Ecstasy - I wasn't previously aware of Soledad Miranda but I'm glad I know her now, have to say I enjoyed the documentary about her (really just an interview with her biographer with lots of glorious clips and photos) more than these two films.
Vampyros Lesbos has a good soundtrack, some of the more surreal parts are good and She Killed In Ecstasy has some scenes of Soledad killing men that look quite cathartic for her and it's a more expressive performance than in Lesbos. But without her I wouldn't have got much out of either film.
Enjoyed the interviews with Franco in which he talks about not being that excited by awards and acclaim, he doesn't think highly of his own films and he says Yoda's face was based on his because he knew the Stuart Freeborn (based on some quick searching he's also claimed Borgnine, Einstein and himself for inspiration).

Got a Blu-Ray of Witchfinder General in the mail the other day.

oh i watched vampyros lesbos yesterday! i looooooooooved it. hypnotic, amateurish, beautiful shot composition, unbelievable soundtrack

i really love that one too. i gotta see Ecstasy

Seen 4 Francos recently (Virgin Among Living Dead, Erotic Rites Of Frankenstein, Vampyros Lesbos and She Kills In Ecstasy), only ones I still particularly want to see is Succubus (which strangely hasn't had a fancy new edition) and Female Vampire (which I think I may have found in Fopp if the current Screenbound version wasn't called Bare Breasted Countess, of all the daft names).

The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey - This is sometimes called Vincent Ward's best film but it's really miles beneath his amazing earlier film The Vigil (which looks wonderful in the recent bluray release). I generally don't mind inaccurate accents too much, but here they're a constant problem. There is a few striking images (especially the distanced view of the travelers tunneling early on) but I think this just isn't that great a film overall.

Spider (Vasili Mass, 1991, Latvia) - Evil painter repeatedly sexually assaults his new model, sometimes in the form of a giant spider. Looks quite lush at times but other times like a glum television soap. Uneven special effects but the giant spider looks pretty great for a relatively low budget film.

It gets disappointingly conventional towards the end but this is well worth seeing for the stronger images and the quite unique feeling of the film. Awesome large painting of hell featured, I wish I could find the name of the painter.

This is an all region Mondo Macabro bluray (great cover art too). Director says in featured interview that Spider was a straight faced parody of American horror films but he didn't seem to mind whether audiences taken it as a parody or as a straight horror film.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2GsYGuyyLU

Oh Italy, you so crazy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Casa_(film_series)

Films in the series
1.La Casa (a.k.a. The Evil Dead)
2.La Casa 2 (a.k.a. Evil Dead II)
3.La Casa 3 (a.k.a. Ghosthouse)
4.La Casa 4 (a.k.a. Witchery)
5.La Casa 5 (a.k.a. Beyond Darkness)
6.La Casa 6 (a.k.a. House II: The Second Story)
7.La Casa 7 (a.k.a. The Horror Show, a.k.a. House III)

...but no Army of Darkness or House 1 or 4.