Horror Films

ramonmercado said:
Saw (2004): Saw it again last night and it still has teeth. Love the way the timelines cut backwards and forwards, providing misdirection and red herrings. The existential terror experienced by Adam and Lawrence as they appreciate the nature of their plight. Made worse for Lawrence as his wife and child are also abducted. The intensity of Detective Tapp's obsession is white hot, he is intent on capturing Jigsaw but is he following the wrong suspect? The traps gruesome, gory yet effective. The torture level in this film is perhaps lesser than in the sequels but it's all the stronger for that: the horror is more concentrated. May twists and surprises in the plot. Directed by James Wan, written by Leigh Whannell from a story by Wan and Whannell. 8/10. On Netflix,
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I did figure this one out. Though it is graphic, I appreciate movies that really do follow the logical conclusion and reward you for thinking out how it can work. Not many movies, especially horror, do this.

The ones that put in red herrings and then just make an ending that you ask "where did that come from?", are just disappointing.

Scream is one other movie that came to the logical conclusion, which I had figured out before the ending.

These movies are fun and I feel the writers respect that people are smart enough to follow a well thought out plot line. I also respect them for putting in the work required to do this.
 
ramonmercado said:
Saw (2004): Saw it again last night and it still has teeth. Love the way the timelines cut backwards and forwards, providing misdirection and red herrings. The existential terror experienced by Adam and Lawrence as they appreciate the nature of their plight. Made worse for Lawrence as his wife and child are also abducted. The intensity of Detective Tapp's obsession is white hot, he is intent on capturing Jigsaw but is he following the wrong suspect? The traps gruesome, gory yet effective. The torture level in this film is perhaps lesser than in the sequels but it's all the stronger for that: the horror is more concentrated. May twists and surprises in the plot. Directed by James Wan, written by Leigh Whannell from a story by Wan and Whannell. 8/10. On Netflix,
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All the better for the torture level being less. Its a good film, I only ever managed one of the sequels, as they were going more for torture porn and gore than the original which is a good thriller.
 
gordonrutter said:
All the better for the torture level being less. Its a good film, I only ever managed one of the sequels, as they were going more for torture porn and gore than the original which is a good thriller.
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I think Seven (or Se7en) or however it was marketed was way better than Saw in the thriller aspect. The first Saw was good but then they digressed into torture contraption films and I still wonder to this day how Jigsaw would have had the time and finances to build all those things. They sort of addressed that elephant in the room by writing in accomplices in the later films which I didn't find very convincing.

I watched Saw X last night which was more of the same but has Jigsaw go to somewhere like Dignitas for cancer treatment, decide the place was a sham and start up again with the weird head torture devices. Presumably he'd shipped over an entire tool shop and more torture device constructors?. I have to ask where he got all his money to do this stuff.
 
Death Note: Remake of A Japanese film based on a manga comic book series. Light (Nat Wolff) finds a supernatural journal complete with a Demon/Death God Ryuk (Willem Dafoe), all he he has to do is write the names if those he wants to die in the book. Light and his soon to be girlfriend Mia (Margaret Qualley) have had run ins with a school bully, as usual the bully thrives and Light gets detention. Writing the bully's name in the book results in his head being cut in half by a ladder. You would need to have a heart of stone not to laugh at that. Light's mother had been killed by a drunk driver so he takes revenge on him as well. Mia persuades Light to go further, to target despots and evil crooks internationally. He adopts the Name Kira for misdirection and soon has a global death count of 400 having masses of supporters for Lord Kira worldwide. But he now attracts the attention of a strange international detective. This is more savage than the Japanese version with many more gory deaths. The set ups are also more impressive especially the way Light can control his victim's behaviour prior to their deaths. Dafoe is in fine form as the demon cackling away as he imposes arbitrary rules on Light, he looks like a mutant punk hedgehog- human hybrid. Remember yiu can never really trust a Demon. Trust is also an issue between Light and Mia as she wants to go further in choosing victims. The origin story of the detective is also fascinating. Many twists and turns in this tale as the narrative unfolds. Maybe one or two too many for it;s own good with too many writers/cooks spoiling the broth but it's definitely worth watching. Directed by Adam Wingard from a screenplay by Charles Parlapanides, Vlas Parlapanides, and Jeremy Slater. On Netflix. 7/10.
 
I don't know whether to laugh or cry!

So that lamented British institution - Hammer Horror Films-rides out again and they've produced a reboot of my all time favourite horror legend - Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

I ought to be biggly excited, and I sort of am, but for the wrong reasons.

It stars Ediie Izzard in the lead role. Now if you ask me, Izzard stopped being funny years ago and now cuts a rather ridiculous figure I don't give a damn what sex s/he thinks s/he is - but, what with the running for London mayor and sprinting across the UK too, he is awfully pompous about it all.

I thought at first that this might be a modish remake of `Doctor Jekyll and Sister Hyde` from the seventies but it looks as though both Jekyll and Hyde are women in this - and not just women but blowsy-wowsy matronly kind of women at that. It looks as though Hammer have gone for a campy pathos angle on the story.

Judging by this trailer it doesn't appear to be particularly atmospheric either and, worst of all, it seems to have a country house setting - thus nullifying the urban sprawl nightmare which lies at the heart of the story. Poor old R.L.S must be spinning like a Victorian top in his grave in Mount Vaea.

That said - I could be wrong. Bold re-imaginings of old classics sometimes work and maybe this will. But I won't get to see it, so I'm relying on you guys to recview it for me!

And while I'm on that subjsct: is nobody going to review A Haunting in Venice for me? (Another one I am not able to see). Is it not `Horror` enough for you, or what?

 
The Exorcist: Believer: As in the original the opening scenes of Believer involves dogs fighting. There are no immediate hints on Demons on a Haiti beach in 2010 but heavily pregnant Sorenne (Tracey Graves) who is on her honeymoon is blessed by a Voodoo priestess. Shortly afterwards Sorenne is seriously injured in an earthquake and her husband Victor (Leslie Odom Jr.) must make a choice. 2023, Victor is living with his daughter Angela (Lidya Jewett) in Georgia. Angela along with her friend Katherine (Olivia Marcum) go into the woods to practice a ceremony to contact the long dead Sorenne. The girls disappear and after a frantic search they are found three days later, hiding in a barn. They think only three hours have passed. The girls start acting strangely and it is soon obvious to their ex-Nun, nurse neighbor Ann (Ann Dowd) that they are possessed. Eventually Chris MacNeill (Ellen Burstyn) the mother of Reagan from The Exorcist is contacted, she has become a world wide authority on exorcisms through her 50 years of studying the topic.

The possession scenes here are quite convincing with burns and scars appearing on the girls' flesh, strange voices, the Demon having knowledge about others, levitation, vomiting, poltergeist effects. We've seen all of this before but it's skillfully presented here and doesn't seem jaded. The two girls put in tremendous performances. But nevertheless the familiarity of the whole thing perhaps prevents this from being a classic. As Chris MacNeill says when speaking to the Demon in one of the girls: We've met before. The Exorcism team this time around is Ecumenical and Multi-Cultural involving a Priest, Nun, Voodoo Priestess, Baptist Minister and Pentecostal. That lot would make anyone gag. Maybe too many screenwriters were involved. Still, it's well, worth watching and even has a couple of jump scares, plot twists and surprises. Directed by David Gordon Green, who co-wrote the screenplay with Peter Sattler from a story by Scott Teems, Danny McBride, and Green. 7.5/10.

In cinemas.
 
ramonmercado said:
The Exorcist: Believer: As in the original the opening scenes of Believer involves dogs fighting. There are no immediate hints on Demons on a Haiti beach in 2010 but heavily pregnant Sorenne (Tracey Graves) who is on her honeymoon is blessed by a Voodoo priestess. Shortly afterwards Sorenne is seriously injured in an earthquake and her husband Victor (Leslie Odom Jr.) must make a choice. 2023, Victor is living with his daughter Angela (Lidya Jewett) in Georgia. Angela along with her friend Katherine (Olivia Marcum) go into the woods to practice a ceremony to contact the long dead Sorenne. The girls disappear and after a frantic search they are found three days later, hiding in a barn. They think only three hours have passed. The girls start acting strangely and it is soon obvious to their ex-Nun, nurse neighbor Ann (Ann Dowd) that they are possessed. Eventually Chris MacNeill (Ellen Burstyn) the mother of Reagan from The Exorcist is contacted, she has become a world wide authority on exorcisms through her 50 years of studying the topic.

The possession scenes here are quite convincing with burns and scars appearing on the girls' flesh, strange voices, the Demon having knowledge about others, levitation, vomiting, poltergeist effects. We've seen all of this before but it's skillfully presented here and doesn't seem jaded. The two girls put in tremendous performances. But nevertheless the familiarity of the whole thing perhaps prevents this from being a classic. As Chris MacNeill says when speaking to the Demon in one of the girls: We've met before. The Exorcism team this time around is Ecumenical and Multi-Cultural involving a Priest, Nun, Voodoo Priestess, Baptist Minister and Pentecostal. That lot would make anyone gag. Maybe too many screenwriters were involved. Still, it's well, worth watching and even has a couple of jump scares, plot twists and surprises. Directed by David Gordon Green, who co-wrote the screenplay with Peter Sattler from a story by Scott Teems, Danny McBride, and Green. 7.5/10.

In cinemas.
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I have read that this is planned to be part of a trilogy.
 
brownmane said:
I have read that this is planned to be part of a trilogy.
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Yes but it depends in box office receipts. It was projected to gross $30–36 million in its opening weekend in Canada & US but made $27.2 million. Universal spent $400 million to acquire the rights, although Believer had a production budget of only $30 million.
 
ramonmercado said:
The official trailer, looks promising!


Now that Winnie the Pooh is in the public domain, we can finally get the horror movie that Disney was too cowardly to make. Check out the trailer for the insane flick in the video linked above.

https://boingboing.net/2022/09/01/w...trailer-the-winnie-the-pooh-horror-movie.html
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I bet the kids loved it!

In January 2022, the original Winnie-the-Pooh book from 1926 entered the public domain, freeing up the character from copyright protection.

One outcome was Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey (2023), a British splatterpunk film about Pooh and Piglet terrorizing and killing women at a university near Hundred Acre Wood, the setting of the original book series. Here's the IMDB description of the movie: "After Christopher Robin abandons them for college, Pooh and Piglet embark on a bloody rampage as they search for a new source of food." (Trailer above.) While the reviews were bad, the film is a cult success. Apparently, even some kids appreciate it, at least according to one parent of twins in a fourth grade class at Miami's Academy of Innovative Education charter school. Apparently a math teacher showed the film to the class and, according to parent Michelle Diaz, it was students who had requested it.

From CBS News:

"He didn't stop the movie, even though there were kids saying, 'Hey, stop the movie, we don't want to want this'," Diaz told CBS News, adding that some kids were seriously affected[…]
According to Diaz, the students selected the movie.
"It's not for them to decide what they want to," she said. "It's up to the professor to look at the content."
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https://boingboing.net/2023/10/11/s...-the-pooh-slasher-film-to-fourth-graders.html
 
ramonmercado said:
A Vigilante: A thriller which strays into horror territory. Sadie (Olivia Wilde) is the eponymous vigilante, putting the frighteners on men who abuse women, convincing them that she will kill them unless they leave now. She works out at gym, at home, honing her skills. But she also suffers from PTSD and has panic attacks. She sleeps fully clothed with a knife under her pillow. Her husband (Morgan Spector) is still out there. This isn't just revenge porn, the most moving scenes are those of flashbacks to Sadie attending a support group. Each woman present tells their tale and finally it is Sadies turn. We also see how Sadie came to be a warrior. But it's not just men, abusive mothers also have to be dealt with. Some truly disturbing scenes of violence both physical and psychological make this a film that you won't forget in a hurry. Wilde gives a career best performance in this moving and under-appreciated thriller written and directed by Sarah Dagger-Nickson. 8/10. On Netflix.
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Ballerina: A Korean revenge thriller which like Vigilante above strays into the slipstream of horror. Jang Ok-ju (Jeon Jong-seo) is a bodyguard, quite effective as we see when she foils a robbery at her local corner shop. She feels isolated but things change when she forms a strong friendship with Choi Min-hee (Park Yu-rim) a part-time ballerina after a chance meeting in a cake shop. How their relationship developed unfolds in a series of flashbacks but early on in the film we learn that Choi Min-hee has committed suicide after being blackmailed into prostitution through a compromising video. Jang Ok-ju sets off to get revenge but soon discovers that she is dealing with a criminal organistion operating this blackmail on an industrial scale. Her nemesis is the evil gangster/pimp Choi Pro (Kim Ji-hoon). It's not going to be an easy job but Jang Ok-ju is as determined and capable as Lisbeth Salander, Some great hand to hand fighting but also larger scale conflicts where Jang Ok-ju has to face many foes. Some particularly savage scenes of violence, fortunately the torture is mostly implied or takes place off screen. An impressive fight sequence takes place within a cannabis grow house/factory. A dark tale involving corruption as well as exploitation. An elderly gun-dealing couple inject an element of dark humour into the proceedings. The narrative development is a bit disjointed to the jumps back in time so pay close attention. Directed & Written by Lee Chung-hyun. On Netflix. 7.5/10.
 
Can we come up with a list of Religious horror films?? I find these are generally the scariest… I’m not sure why, I’m guessing it’s a pretty fundamental meaning of life thing?

Obviously, The Exorcist, The Conjuring films kinda, Stigmata….. we watched The Omen tonight, any hidden gems????
 
HamandCheeseSandwich said:
Can we come up with a list of Religious horror films?? I find these are generally the scariest… I’m not sure why, I’m guessing it’s a pretty fundamental meaning of life thing?

Obviously, The Exorcist, The Conjuring films kinda, Stigmata….. we watched The Omen tonight, any hidden gems????
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The Wicker Man. Blood on Satan's Claw.
 
Silent House (2011): Supposedly filmed in one take though it was actually filmed in a series of 12 minute rakes. still, it gives an impression of continuity. Sarah (Elizabeth Olsen) is helping her father and uncle to prepare their rundown Summer home for sale. She meets a girl eho claims to have been her childhood friend but she has no real memory of her. The house is spooky enough before things start to go strange. What follows is confusing, there seems to be an intruder but some of the things she sees can't possibly be happening. Perhaps there's a supernatural element to whats going on? In any case the apparent attacks and strange noises provide an ongoing sense of trepidation, even terror. The real solution to the enigma came as a surprise to me even though it had been partially signaled by scenes which were open to several interpretations. A worthwhile Indie horror film.which explores some disturbing issues. Directed by Chris Kentis and Laura Lau, Written by Laura Lau. On Netflix. 7/10.
 
The Conference: A Swedish Slasher film which provides an entertaining blend of horror, comedy and satire. A group of public sector employees are off on a team building exercise prior to the sod being turned on new shopping/enterprise centre project they've worked on. THere is disharmony as not all of the ream are happy to stay at an outdoor activities camp. Also not everyone agrees that the project has been properly put together. The camp comes under attack from the slasher, using a machete and other implements to massacre first the unfortunate camp staff and then moving in ti the project team. It's hard not to root for the slasher given how local farmers have been cheated of their land even if not all of his victims are culpable but hey, that's slasher movies for you. Some good and funny hand to hand combat with gory scenes which might wipe the smile off your face. Might have been a better film if 10 minutes had been shaves off the 1h 40m running time. Directed & Co-Written by Patrik Eklund. On Netflix. 7/10.
 
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SleepyPanda said:
Ah I.love that film. I don't know why I haven't read the book yet!
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A great book. Back when the film was fresh in people's minds there were complaints from some of those who came to the novel after watching the movie. Generally though, those complaints seemed to have been based on the fact that it's maybe not the easiest read for someone expecting a simple companion piece to the film.

Foucault's Pendulum could have been written for the QAnon era, and The Prague Cemetery covers some similar ground.

Reading the novels is like being caught up in a ramshackle peregrination to various dilapidated hidden libraries, with an extremely erudite but somewhat unreliable guide, and a torch with failing batteries. None of which is a criticism.
 
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brownmane said:
Not exactly a horror, but definitely a thriller "In The Name of the Rose" (1986). Based on the excellent novel of same name by Umberto Eco.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Name_of_the_Rose_(film)
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Loved that one. Been a while since I saw it. I think it being low on the dramatic score and high on the ambient sound made it really creep good. Hollywood is still in 1928 as far as blasting everything with OTT music. Give me a good quiet indie with crickets any day for atmosphere.
 
Apparently this footage hasn't ever been put on any DVD/Blueray. Other than the cast members of Elm Street 4, I only recognise the make up boss for this film Steve 'splat' Johnson and I think that's also Howard Berger, the letter B part of the famous KNB F/X group. It's good fun watching them fool around and having fun in the work shop while creating excellence at the same time.

 
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Monolith: Australian SF/Horror/Conspiracy/Psychological Thriller. Lily (Lily Sullivan) is a journalist who has been sacked for getting a story wrong, maybe she was correct but just couldn't prove it. She might be an unreliable narrator though as we will come to suspect as the narrative unfolds. Lily is now running a podcast series exploring unexplained mysteries. We hear an impatient caller who wants her to believe that his family has been under surveillance by agents from the future for decades. Lily's disbelief will rebound on her as another story unfolds, she gets an anonymous email regarding a brick, a strange black brick. One family was cheated out of it and the brick was sold to a German Art Dealer. The tale becomes even weirder as the dealer recounts his experiences and the existence of other bricks. Lily finds evidence of the bricks existing in the 1980s. The horror is mostly psychological, the tension building as Lily becomes increasingly stressed as aspects of the mystery partially circle back to her own past. But there are some gruesome scenes, including the creation of a brick and a violent clash with a doppelganger. Lily Sullivan has to carry the visual action on her own though the various voices on phones and tapes are convincing. A worthy portrayal by Lily of an isolated woman spiraling into paranoia and illness, a performance which brings the veracity of some of the events we have witnessed into question. Directed by Matt Vesely, Lucy Campbell wrote the script. 7.5/10.

Saw it at Horrorthon in the IFI.
 
The Deep Dark (Gueules Noires): French horror film set in 1956, a professor wants to go down a mine in northern France supposedly to extract some mineral samples. The audience already know that there's more afoot as we have witnessed strange events and a cave in occurring in that same mine in 1856. The miners are suspicious of the professor but facilitate him in accessing the lowest levels of the mine. Events take a bizarre turn after ancient hieroglyphics/runes are discovered on the walls along with skeletons and a sarcophagus. A life or death struggle ensues after the group come under attack from a monster. The culture of mine workers is important to the development of this narrative, the only thing leading them to ditch their code being the discovery of treasure, The resulting greed is reminiscent of scenes from The Treasure of the Sierra Madre and subsequent self-destructive behaviour. The skeletons of warriors and sacrificial victims along with wall inscriptions, tunnels and cages carves by an ancient civilisation who worshiped the creature in the dark are impressive, As are the attacks coming from the darkness before we actually see the monster. Quite a few jump scares and some very gruesome and violent scenes, definitely not a film for the squeamish. The Lovecraftian imagery becomes more pronounced as the tale unfolds and the creature itself is wonderfully portrayed. There is also a particular sequence which pays homage to Aliens. The Deep Dark displays the influences if a few previous works but it is very much it's own film. Written & Directed by Mathieu Turi (Hostile). 8/10.

Saw it at Horrorthon in the IFI.
 
...How about “ Dog Soldiers” ? - watched it again last nite after ages- my new partner hasn’t seen many if any horror films, so I thought “ here’s a decent start” ... it’s slam bang action, bit of irony and dark humour yet with enuf peril, and the beasts are interestingly and pretty well done, and all on a budget much much less, than say James Cameron would spend on coffees during one of his productions...
Shame the two Landys got totalled though...
 
The Sacrifice Game: It's annoying if Mormons or Jehovah's Witnesses come knocking on your door at Christmastime but it's even worse if it's a Manson style Satanic Cult who stab you in the throat and carve up your wife. The Cult have a method to their madness as they carve pieces of skin off of their victims to be used in a ritual. The Satanic Serial Killers end up at a girls boarding school where two introverted teen girls, Samantha (Madison Baines) and Clara (Georgia Acken) have to stay for Christmas along with a teacher and a handyman. Things quickly get pretty savage and it becomes obvious that the cult haven't randomly picked the school. gruesome and gory scenes of stabbings, gutting and skinning. The cult members are sadistic towards the staff and girls. The cult fail to remember that Demons may be duplicitous, both of the girls also show unexpected strengths on differing ways. Some good jump shocks and the ritual is interesting but it;s the tension created by the struggle of the girls to survive which keeps the narrative on track. Some bizarre plot twists occur which can't be revealed without spoiling the film for you. Good acting all round but especially by the girls with Georgia Acken putting in an outstanding performance. A superior Occult/Slasher Thriller. Directed & Co-Written by Jenn Wexler. 8.5/10.

Saw it at Horrorthon in the IFI.
 
We'll be watching 'Halloween Ends' tomorrow night. I know I'm a bit late to the party on this one as it came out last year but it's the only one out of every one ever made I haven't watched yet. I've seen the first ten minutes which I'm enjoying so far, I've read that this one is very gory which I haven't got a problem with so long as it's well made at the same time. I think the only one I didn't like from memory was Pt4, the one with the psychic powers little girl. I can't remember without checking which film came out first, Friday the 13th Pt4 when the twist at the end is that the young boy turns into a psycho or Halloween Pt4 when the twist at the end is the young girl turns into a psycho.
 
I have just "seen in" Halloween with The Blood on Satan's Claw, 1970. It was a title I knew of and assumed I had seen at some point. It features in lists of films about Old Weird Britain, so I downloaded it back in 2020, just before lockdown. I had never seen it. If I had, I would have remembered it, for sure!

For me, it was the missing link between Witchfinder General and The Wicker Man. It predates The Devils and I guess it was made on a fraction of Ken Russell's budget. The long-haired and the hippy types looked like point-making in Ken's orgiastic visions but they seem to fit the period look here. Exploitation, it certainly is, as befits a Tigon production but it delivers a lot more, even if, at times, the events seem bewildering - as well they might, if anyone was caught up in them.

I imagine it was too dour, in the main, for mainstream audiences, though it certainly delivers full-frontal nudity and graphic horrors with some full-on sex plus violence scenes that may raise eyebrows still. If you have missed it till now, catch up! :nods:


Edit: Here is an enthusiastic memoir by a fan who met Tony Tensor at the time of the film's release. We are reminded that the cinematographer was Dick Bush! :rofl:
 
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