Horror Films

[skinny]

Just watched The Bad Batch , not bad. It's kind of a dystopian type near future , where "undesirables" are sent past the "wall" , which looks to be in the USA/Mexico border somewhere. Obviously the film is making a statement on USA policy of the time. Some really gruesome parts as our heroine trys to make her way in the wastelands with only her standard issue gallon of water , in beating sun and desert scrub as far as the eye can see. Not a situation i would want to be in. Things go from bad to worse when she eventually finds some semblance of what passes for civilisation out in the badlands.

Keano Reeves makes an appearance as an unusual Cult leader type. Well worth a watch.

Did you think the ending was gonna be what I thought it was gonna be? An eye for an eye?
As it was, it maintained my interest all the way to the denouement. The ending fucken sucked harder than I would've thought possible. Sooo stupid. After all that was invested in building up a solid premise with pretty good tone and performances, they flushed it down the crapper. A waste of 2 hours. 1/5

 

[BaronHardacre]

Smile: The idea of a chain curse, spread from person to person is a well worn trope, it's how Smile approaches the idea makes it a well worth watching film. Rose (Sosie Bacon) is a doctor in an Emergency Psychiatric Unit, working long hours, you can see how tired she is. she assesses a patient, Laura (Cautlin Stasey), who is seeing entities, suddenly Laura starts smiling and cuts her own throat. Rose discovers that Laura had also witnessed a suicide only days before. This sets her off on a quest for patient zero or someone who has broken the chain. with the help of her ex, Joel (Kyle Gallner) who is a detective. The chain of smiling suicides stretches way back. There are some good jump scares in Smile, a lot of the horror scenes take place in her reveries where she sees terrible visions. Flashbacks to her youth and her mentally troubled mother in a distorted form also happen in these day-nightmares. There is also the psychological horror of Rose's disintegrating personality, she has no insight into her behaviour or how it is perceived by others. Smile's 115 minute running time is fully justified as the narrative unfolds. Written and Directed by Parker Finn (in his feature directorial debut), based on his 2020 short film Laura Hasn't Slept. 8.5/10.

In cinemas

Other than the somewhat CGI heavy finale, I really enjoyed Smile

However.... and spoilers this way lay...

Given the numbers that it's done, it seems likely that a sequel of sort will happen, but I do think that they missed a trick with the ending

*****spoilers*****
I thought it would have made a better conclusion if the ex-boyfriend/cop, sister, and fiancé had all turned up at the shack and witnessed the death, thus laying a sequel open to the demon attacking all three at the same time.

(Apologies; can't seem to see the Spoiler tags function in the BB menu)

 

[brownmane]

Other than the somewhat CGI heavy finale, I really enjoyed Smile

However.... and spoilers this way lay...

Given the numbers that it's done, it seems likely that a sequel of sort will happen, but I do think that they missed a trick with the ending

*****spoilers*****
I thought it would have made a better conclusion if the ex-boyfriend/cop, sister, and fiancé had all turned up at the shack and witnessed the death, thus laying a sequel open to the demon attacking all three at the same time.

(Apologies; can't seem to see the Spoiler tags function in the BB menu)

Here's the link for spoilers:

https://forums.forteana.org/index.php?threads/good-posting-practices.16430/post-2224270

 

[skinny]

Anyone seen Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist (2005)?
Quite a clumsy effort. Lots of money spent on sets, but not so much on casting talent, editing, scripting, direction, stuff like that.

The Exorcist is IMO the best film in its genre. It's a masterpiece. My favourite scenes from that 1973 film are the first 20 minutes depicting Merrin in northern Iraq, so I was hoping this 2005 film might flesh out his trajectory in relation to why he shits himself when he finds the Pazuzu charm. But it didn't really. Little more than a string of things that happen with no apparent causal progression at all. Rotten tomato.

 

[ramonmercado]

Anyone seen Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist (2005)?
Quite a clumsy effort. Lots of money spent on sets, but not so much on casting talent, editing, scripting, direction, stuff like that.

The Exorcist is IMO the best film in its genre. It's a masterpiece. My favourite scenes from that 1973 film are the first 20 minutes depicting Merrin in northern Iraq, so I was hoping this 2005 film might flesh out his trajectory in relation to why he shits himself when he finds the Pazuzu charm. But it didn't really. Little more than a string of things that happen with no apparent causal progression at all. Rotten tomato.

I thought Dominion was just so-so, sti;ll a watchable horror film though,

Also:

Exorcist: The Beginning. I have seen Dominion (Directed by Paul Schrader), the rival for the title Exorcist IV which I thought was so-so but this was my first viewing of the beginning. A prequel, set in 1949 Kenya, Fr Merrin (Stellam Skarsgard) has lost his faith due to wartime experiences which haunt him. When a 5th Century Byzantine Church is found, he cannot resist investigating this anomaly as Christianity (officially) didn't reach Kenya until the 19th Century. Of course a Demon is loose, possessing people all over the place. The previous head of the dig was driven insane. Some good scenes especially underground as the possessed runs towards Merrin. Also the way hyenas appear, attacking and eating people. Some good jump scares. A grand guignol finale results. It drags at times though and the script could have been better. Still worth a watch. Directed by Renny Harlin, screenplay by Alex Hawley. On the Horror Channel. 6/10.

 

[ramonmercado]

Cocaine Bear: Set in 1985 and based on a true story but the only truth which survives is that a drug dealer died when his parachute failed to open and a black bear overdosed on the cocaine which landed in a Georgia forest. In the film the bear develops a taste for the coke and goes marching through Georgia leaving a trail of mayhem in it's wake. The bear eats people alive rends them limb from limb, nothing hds better get in the path of it;s hunt for more cocaine. A park ranger, assorted crooks, kids playing skipping school, an anxious parent and cops all come into contact with bear with tragic, comic and tragicomic results. There' plenty of humour in this film but it's mostly of a very dark nature which reflects the many gory incidents which occur. This is the late Ray Liota's last film, he plays a gang boss who is intent on recovering the cocaine, he ends up pursuing a vendetta against the bear, like Ahab in pursuit of Moby Dick. A fun horror comedy but not for the squeamish. Directed and produced by Elizabeth Banks and written by Jimmy Warden. 8/10.

In cinemas.

 

[charliebrown]

On October 13, a remake of the 1973 film, The Exorcist, will be released.

All I can say is why ?

I never saw the original, but I have seen the scene a million times of the little girl throwing vomit at everybody.

To make it worse, the studio is taking about making a trilogy of The Exorcist.

Get ready for vomit and more vomit.

 

[Mythopoeika]

On October 13, a remake of the 1973 film, The Exorcist, will be released.

All I can say is why ?

I never saw the original, but I have seen the scene a million times of the little girl throwing vomit at everybody.

To make it worse, the studio is taking about making a trilogy of The Exorcist.

Get ready for vomit and more vomit.

I guess a remake is necessary because they have already planned to make a trilogy.
Trying to get together the people who were in the original to make sequels would be impossible, so they are starting afresh with new actors.

 

[blessmycottonsocks]

Honeydew.

Watched this 2021 horror on Prime last night.

As the story started to pan out, I thought to myself "do we really need another movie featuring a young couple, getting lost in rural USA and being terrorised by hillbilly cannibals"?

An hour and a half later, I'm still unsure.
The disquieting atmosphere is quite cleverly stoked, with the gore and torture-porn elements being more inferred than explicitly shown. The use of discordant music and some creepy old cartoons (Betty Boop and Popeye) worked well. Barbara Kingsley as the creepy old matriarch was excellent. It was though hugely derivative and attempts to add a few surreal, arthouse touches felt incongruous and added little to the show. The sub-plot about ergot poisoning never felt truly developed either.

Overall I'd rate it a 6.5/10

 

[ramonmercado]

Scream VI: Sort of a sequel To last year's requel, Again Stab, especially the unfinished Stab 3 is referenced. indeed you have Scream characters who very much accept that they are living in a film franchise. This along with the erst of the in jokes and self referential stuff will annoy some horror fans but it comes with the territory here. The Core Four are back, Sam, Tara, Mindy and Chad, now in New York. Gale Weathers returns, once more causing havoc, Kirby Reed is now an FBI Agent both are also in New York. Sam of course is over protective towards Tara and it's understandable when the Ghostface killings begin again.

In an interesting pre-titles sequence a film studies professor who specialises in Slasher movies is lured into an ally and killed. How ironic! This is disturbing though,both in the violence used and the way the killer speaks about it afterwards. However he and his equally fiendish flatmate are soon slaughtered by another Ghostface. No spoilers this happens in the opening ten minutes. The killer goes on to try to frame Sam for the killings. Sam is already suffering online and real life hate, being accused of being the real killer behind the deaths in Scream V.

You will have to apply a suspension of disbelief to accept many of the plot developments but again this comes with the territory in the Scream films. Quite a few brutal, gory, disturbing scenes. The strain of black humour which permeates this pastiche just about leavens the dark mood of the narrative. You get a few jokes though they might die in your throat as it's cut.

Melissa Barrera puts in a good performance as Sam, an indomitable spirit in spite of all the gaslighting and violence. Even though it's a cameo role there's also something dark and impressive in the way Tony Revolori plays Jason Carvery, the killer in the opening scenes. Actually, good to acceptable performances all round from the cast. It is a bit overlong at 122 minutes, some repetition and self indulgence on the part of the directors. Still. surprises, plot twists, secrets revealed and a body count of characters make Scream VI worth watching. Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett and Written by James Vanderbilt and Guy Busick. 7.5/10.

In cinemas.

 

[FunkyTT]

I've just watched " The Field Guide To Evil" on the FreeVee app on firestick, although I know there's other ways of watching FreeVee. This is an 8 story horror anthology , with folklore takes from around the world. Some stories better than others as is typical with these things , but overall definitely worth watching for all folklore /folk horror fans . 7/10

I also noticed that the ads are not too numerous or intrusive, unlike. a lot of these free view apps (YouTube has got terrible)

 

[blessmycottonsocks]

I've just watched " The Field Guide To Evil" on the FreeVee app on firestick, although I know there's other ways of watching FreeVee. This is an 8 story horror anthology , with folklore takes from around the world. Some stories better than others as is typical with these things , but overall definitely worth watching for all folklore /folk horror fans . 7/10

I also noticed that the ads are not too numerous or intrusive, unlike. a lot of these free view apps (YouTube has got terrible)

I reviewed that over on the Folk Horror thread back in 2020.
Yeah, wasn't bad.

 

[sherbetbizarre]

 

[ramonmercado]

Minutes Past Midnight: Horror Anthology film, nine segments of varying quality. Roid Rage is OTT, disgusting but perhaps funny in a sort of sick way, Awake is the business though, parents of a young boy worry as the kid can't get to sleep, his behaviour becoming odder and more violent, Onvincing performances by cast. Directed by Francisco Sonic Kim, written by Collin George. Ghost Train is set in Ireland, a man returns to his hometown, meeting up with an old friend who looks ravaged by booze. There are flashbacks to an incident during their childhood when they went to a derelict ghost Train with a third boy, Real Horror if not terror here with great acting by both the child and adult actors. Written and directed by Lee Cronin. Never Tear Us Apart is also about a homecoming but murderous cannibals are encountered. Sort of slapstick. The Mill At Calders End is an interesting mixture of puppetry, live action (I think) and stop motion about an old curse. Much of the rest depends on hit and miss humour and gore. Overall worth watching for the stand out short films. Saw it on AMC Channel which is now on Virgin Media Cable.. 7/10,

 

[skinny]

Minutes Past Midnight: Horror Anthology film, nine segments of varying quality. Roid Rage is OTT, disgusting but perhaps funny in a sort of sick way, Awake is the business though, parents of a young boy worry as the kid can't get to sleep, his behaviour becoming odder and more violent, Onvincing performances by cast. Directed by Francisco Sonic Kim, written by Collin George. Ghost Train is set in Ireland, a man returns to his hometown, meeting up with an old friend who looks ravaged by booze. There are flashbacks to an incident during their childhood when they went to a derelict ghost Train with a third boy, Real Horror if not terror here with great acting by both the child and adult actors. Written and directed by Lee Cronin. Never Tear Us Apart is also about a homecoming but murderous cannibals are encountered. Sort of slapstick. The Mill At Calders End is an interesting mixture of puppetry, live action (I think) and stop motion about an old curse. Much of the rest depends on hit and miss humour and gore. Overall worth watching for the stand out short films. Saw it on AMC Channel which is now on Virgin Media Cable.. 7/10,

Looking forward to your review of Nope.

 

[blessmycottonsocks]

Old People.

A 2022 German horror that's just made it onto Netflix.
The eponymous old people we get rather too close and touchy-feely with in this powerful and quite disturbing movie, have been ostensibly abandoned by the younger generation in seedy apartments or run-down old people's homes and seem to have resigned themselves to a fate based around slow decay. That is until some mysterious event transforms them from an almost bovine indifference to their miserable lot, into homicidal maniacs.
There's obviously a hefty dose of social commentary going on here, but there is also an abundance of adrenaline-filled moments to ensure Old People works effectively as an action movie with a not dissimilar vibe to some classic zombie movies.
Well acted, decent gore effects and plenty of nail-biting tension.
A solid 8/10 from me.

 

[ramonmercado]

Looking forward to your review of Nope.

Here it is:

Nope: Science Fiction/Horror, difficult to say much about the horror aspects without giving away major plot points, sames goes for the peculiar type of UFO/UAP involved. But there's plenty of quirky characters including Ricky (Keith Yeun), he runs a Western Theme Park, he was a child actor in Kid Sheriff and Gordy's Home; in the last episode of Gory's Home a chimp playing Gordy went apeshit, killing or maiming all the cast members apart from Ricky. In a ranch next to Ricky's, horse trainer for Hollywood, Otis (Keith David) is killed by a nickel falling from the sky, his horse is injured by key. Otis's children OJ (Daniel Kaluuya) and Emerald (Keke Palmer) inherit the ranch, the restrained OJ trying to keep things going, Emerald being a bit narcissistic and flamboyant. But the strange events continue, power cuts occur as OJ spots a UFO, the siblings decide to install more cameras hoping to make money from UFO footage. They bring onboard Angel to install the surveillance system and he turns out to be equally offbeat. Thus begins the hunt. There are a few jump scares but and some quite gruesome and disturbing scenes but the film largely depends on building a sense of weirdness as the narrative unfolds. There is a streak of dark humour which runs throughout the film, a lot of it supplied by the antics of Emerald. OJ and Angel, gallows humor indeed at times. It's a bit of a road movie confined to a ranch and the road crew grows as they are joined by Antlers Holst (Michael Wincott), a famed filmmaker. Some great cinematography, script and effects. Written, directed, and co-produced by Jordan Peele who delivers the goods once again, my one caveat being that the 130 minute running time would have benefited from a 10 minute cut. 8.5/10.

 

[ramonmercado]

Old People.

A 2022 German horror that's just made it onto Netflix.
The eponymous old people we get rather too close and touchy-feely with in this powerful and quite disturbing movie, have been ostensibly abandoned by the younger generation in seedy apartments or run-down old people's homes and seem to have resigned themselves to a fate based around slow decay. That is until some mysterious event transforms them from an almost bovine indifference to their miserable lot, into homicidal maniacs.
There's obviously a hefty dose of social commentary going on here, but there is also an abundance of adrenaline-filled moments to ensure Old People works effectively as an action movie with a not dissimilar vibe to some classic zombie movies.
Well acted, decent gore effects and plenty of nail-biting tension.
A solid 8/10 from me.

View attachment 64448

It's been on Netflix for a few months, I saw it back in October, I thought the message was delivered with a heavy hand at times and would have benefited from a 10 minute cut in the running time. Still well worth watching though. 7/10.

 

[skinny]

Here it is:

Nope: Science Fiction/Horror, difficult to say much about the horror aspects without giving away major plot points, sames goes for the peculiar type of UFO/UAP involved. But there's plenty of quirky characters including Ricky (Keith Yeun), he runs a Western Theme Park, he was a child actor in Kid Sheriff and Gordy's Home; in the last episode of Gory's Home a chimp playing Gordy went apeshit, killing or maiming all the cast members apart from Ricky. In a ranch next to Ricky's, horse trainer for Hollywood, Otis (Keith David) is killed by a nickel falling from the sky, his horse is injured by key. Otis's children OJ (Daniel Kaluuya) and Emerald (Keke Palmer) inherit the ranch, the restrained OJ trying to keep things going, Emerald being a bit narcissistic and flamboyant. But the strange events continue, power cuts occur as OJ spots a UFO, the siblings decide to install more cameras hoping to make money from UFO footage. They bring onboard Angel to install the surveillance system and he turns out to be equally offbeat. Thus begins the hunt. There are a few jump scares but and some quite gruesome and disturbing scenes but the film largely depends on building a sense of weirdness as the narrative unfolds. There is a streak of dark humour which runs throughout the film, a lot of it supplied by the antics of Emerald. OJ and Angel, gallows humor indeed at times. It's a bit of a road movie confined to a ranch and the road crew grows as they are joined by Antlers Holst (Michael Wincott), a famed filmmaker. Some great cinematography, script and effects. Written, directed, and co-produced by Jordan Peele who delivers the goods once again, my one caveat being that the 130 minute running time would have benefited from a 10 minute cut. 8.5/10.

Thanks. Really keen to discuss the UAP at some future point. I have to watch it again to test my sense of an allegory.

I was held to the end. His Tarantino leanings were evident in this one. I haven’t seen Us yet, so that’ll be next for me. Good show. Bit long. 4/5

 

[brownmane]

Thanks. Really keen to discuss the UAP at some future point. I have to watch it again to test my sense of an allegory.

I was held to the end. His Tarantino leanings were evident in this one. I haven’t seen Us yet, so that’ll be next for me. Good show. Bit long. 4/5

Us is excellent.

 

[ramonmercado]

Us is excellent.

Indeed! As I thought at the time of it;s release:

After this the film literally goes down the rabbit hole, we are dealing not just with existential terror and a killer cult but something far stranger. A horror story straight out of an unexpurgated fairy tale. Jordan Peele has written and directed this alarming tale which will have you mulling over it's meaning long after the final credits roll. 9/10.

 

[blessmycottonsocks]

Tonight's dose of Netflix horror (well off-beat thrills more like) was the 2023 Belgian psychological movie "Noise".
The trailer (it's in Belgian Dutch) and blurb looked quite intriguing, with a young couple and their baby moving into a large sprawling family home, where a tragedy had hit the previous generation.
The atmosphere becomes slightly unsettling as the woman - Liv finds the locals somewhat less than friendly and the man - Mattias starts to behave erratically and develops an extreme aversion to noise, whether it be the electrical hum of a creepy old chest-freezer in the basement or, and rather more worryingly, the crying of his infant son. The awkwardness of the situation is compounded by Mattias' father, who seems to suffer from a degree of dementia, escaping from the local care home. Hints are dropped like breadcrumbs throughout - is the dad hiding a dreadful secret? What really happened to Mattias' mother? What occurred at the father's factory and did some toxic spill/hallucinogen have a bearing on events. So far so intriguing, and the clues had us speculating as to what the denouement or twist might be.
I can't really say much more without including spoilers but, suffice it to say, that our guesses at the possible twist would almost certainly have made for a more entertaining conclusion than the non-ending, which is sure to leave you feeling extremely short-changed here.
Noise is basically a 90 minute shaggy dog story that feels far longer than its run-time and I wish I hadn't bothered with.
A 3/10 from me.

 

[ramonmercado]

Tonight's dose of Netflix horror (well off-beat thrills more like) was the 2023 Belgian psychological movie "Noise".
The trailer (it's in Belgian Dutch) and blurb looked quite intriguing, with a young couple and their baby moving into a large sprawling family home, where a tragedy had hit the previous generation.
The atmosphere becomes slightly unsettling as the woman - Liv finds the locals somewhat less than friendly and the man - Mattias starts to behave erratically and develops an extreme aversion to noise, whether it be the electrical hum of a creepy old chest-freezer in the basement or, and rather more worryingly, the crying of his infant son. The awkwardness of the situation is compounded by Mattias' father, who seems to suffer from a degree of dementia, escaping from the local care home. Hints are dropped like breadcrumbs throughout - is the dad hiding a dreadful secret? What really happened to Mattias' mother? What occurred at the father's factory and did some toxic spill/hallucinogen have a bearing on events. So far so intriguing, and the clues had us speculating as to what the denouement or twist might be.
I can't really say much more without including spoilers but, suffice it to say, that our guesses at the possible twist would almost certainly have made for a more entertaining conclusion than the non-ending, which is sure to leave you feeling extremely short-changed here.
Noise is basically a 90 minute shaggy dog story that feels far longer than its run-time and I wish I hadn't bothered with.
A 3/10 from me.

I thought it deserved 6/10. Could have been much better with a few tweaks to the script.

 

[blessmycottonsocks]

I thought it deserved 6/10. Could have been much better with a few tweaks to the script.

Sorry, but I honestly expected more.
I guess I have to accept that sometimes the twist is that there's no twist!

 

[ramonmercado]

Sorry, but I honestly expected more.
I guess I have to accept that sometimes the twist is that there's no twist!

There were some loose strands at the end of the film.

 

[Swifty]

If you liked Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and you like going to restaurants, the main house used for TTCM has once again been restored into a restaurant. Previously it was named 'The Grand Central Cafe', this time it's called 'Hooper's' in reverence to the director and the film ..

https://www.facebook.com/HoopersKingsland

(tours of the place over the years are on youtube )

 

[gordonrutter]

If you liked Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and you like going to restaurants, the main house used for TTCM has once again been restored into a restaurant. Previously it was named 'The Grand Central Cafe', this time it's called 'Hooper's' in reverence to the director and the film ..

View attachment 64535

View attachment 64536

View attachment 64538

https://www.facebook.com/HoopersKingsland

(tours of the place over the years are on youtube )

I don't know if the silver door is for the kitchen or the toilet but mmy recollection of the film -I would feel uncomfortable if it were either!

 

[Swifty]

I don't know if the silver door is for the kitchen or the toilet but by my recollection of the film -I would feel uncomfortable if it were either!

I've put a word in for you Gordon and you start next Friday. (the silver door's the current kitchen, there's a video tour of the place in that facebook link ..

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=463040229345268

)