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Horror Films

JamesWhitehead said:
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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I watched this recently and agree that it's good stuff.

I wondered how much to read into the fact that the Judge drinks a toast to the James III, former Prince of Wales and Catholic pretender to the throne. He's the establishment, but secretly 'other'. And yet despite saving the day with 'strict discipline', his character is comparatively wary and slow to accept the rumours of witchcraft. This is ambiguous and not perhaps what one would expect.

Best line of his: "I shall use undreamed-of measures."

I'm unsure what the historical or religious message is. Yes, he performs the conservative task of repressing the threat of youthful heterodoxy, re-establishing the status quo ante and uniting a disintegrating community, but that final shot of his eye in the flames clearly echoes the beast's single eye that was unearthed at the beginning—where the trouble all began.

If he's the hero, he's hardly ushering in a cheerful future, but at the same time he's not simply an austere martinet—there's often a sparkle in his eye in preceding scenes.

Lots to get into.
 
What Tyler said:
...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...
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One of my favourites, not all time, but an entertaining one.
 
Yithian said:
This is ambiguous and not perhaps what one would expect.
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Yes, I think the early part of the film leads us to expect some sort of English Crucible, where the conflcts and vulnerabilities of the adult world will be exposed by malicious children. Then we veer off into something more Lovecraftian.

I think it is a deliberate red herring that we are led to expect the judge will return from the city to restore the old order. That book must be powerful stuff, though I wonder if his sword of vengeance is inspired more by the emblematic plates than any text!

The original script, I gather, was a portmanteau trilogy of tales set in the same village; things got sutured together in an unholy hybrid.

All that and Benny from Crossroads, before the woolly hat defined his career! :popc:
 
blessmycottonsocks said:
Article in today's Guardian featuring writers' scariest moments in movie history.

Some good calls in there (and in the comments), complete with clips - Alien, The Omen, Suspiria etc. but I'm sure us forumists can think of some better ones....

https://www.theguardian.com/film/20...ie-scene-horror-final-destination-aliens-omen
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Well the writer certainly is a Final Destination fan. I only saw the original and didn't bother with the rest.

I enjoy the original Suspiria. The atmosphere and colours and the Goblins soundtrack. Wonderful.
 
Swifty said:
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.
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Jebus ... that was a waste of my time. It was beautifully shot, edited and lit if I'd wanted to watch a very expensive version of Holly Oaks. Talk talk talk talk .. Great acting as well but ... if felt like we got about 11 minutes of Michael Myers only at the end of the film .. and lots of people talking ..
 
Yithian said:
I watched this recently and agree that it's good stuff.

I wondered how much to read into the fact that the Judge drinks a toast to the James III, former Prince of Wales and Catholic pretender to the throne. He's the establishment, but secretly 'other'. And yet despite saving the day with 'strict discipline', his character is comparatively wary and slow to accept the rumours of witchcraft. This is ambiguous and not perhaps what one would expect.

Best line of his: "I shall use undreamed-of measures."

I'm unsure what the historical or religious message is. Yes, he performs the conservative task of repressing the threat of youthful heterodoxy, re-establishing the status quo ante and uniting a disintegrating community, but that final shot of his eye in the flames clearly echoes the beast's single eye that was unearthed at the beginning—where the trouble all began.

If he's the hero, he's hardly ushering in a cheerful future, but at the same time he's not simply an austere martinet—there's often a sparkle in his eye in preceding scenes.

Lots to get into.
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'Doctor Who' obsessives will also take delight in the fact that 'Blood on Satan's claw' features three actors well known from their parts on 'Who'.

- Wendy Padbury, the delightful Zoe
- Anthony Ainley, the last Master from the classic series
- and a brief glimpse of Roberta Tovey, who took the 'Susan' equivalent role in the 1965 movie 'Doctor Who and the Daleks'

Plus it is a quite watchable movie in addition.
 
I'm going to shove this in this thread, rather than choke up the forum with a new one. Hope nobody minds.

Now then, I've been a horror-watching, horror-reading, horror-enthusiast since my early teens. Exposure to Fango, various other mags, all the usual reference books, etc etc, means that my "knowledge" of the genre (particularly cinema) from the '20s to the turn of the millennium is pretty rock solid.

And then... kids! Family! Other things!

As a result, horror of the past twenty-plus years, while being haphazardly consumed, is all higgledy-piggedly in my mind. I could *probably* do a year-by-year breakdown of what was released/ what's interesting for all the decades of the twentieth century... but post about 1997, well- what year was 'The Conjuring' released? No idea. How many 'Saw' sequels are there? (Shrugs), how many films has Ti West directed? Not a clue. What's the best horror film of 2014? Haven't a scooby.

I wish to rectify this.

Does anyone have a notion of a nice, up-to-the-minute (ish) reference book of horror films, like those which we all grew up with, that would serve? I've dipped a toe into Steve Hutchinson's self-published 'Decades of Terror' volumes- picked up the 2010s book, and 2000s is in the post- each containing 100 capsule reviews, and the 2010s one at least is useful for what it is. But I want something deeper. An Aurum-style "Encyclopedia of Horror" type thing, maybe.

Does such a thing exist?

All nods and help offered gratefully received.
 
I've seen The Vigil, It Lives Inside, The Wailing. All 3 are well worth watching.

Beyond The Exorcist: Five Movies That Explore Possession From Non-Christian Perspectives​


The Exorcist: Believer opened in theaters just a couple of weeks ago, reminding us that if you don’t want to get possessed, you should probably just stay in church forever (just kidding—that doesn’t help either, apparently!). The new film tries (and mostly fails, unfortunately) to push The Exorcist mythology beyond the bounds of the Catholic Church, bringing in everything from Pentecostalism to Voodoo to compel the demon that is tormenting two young girls.

The “Jesus Avengers” approach sounds like a terrific idea on paper but the new film bungles the execution. Possession films in the Catholic tradition are working from a particular set of themes, tropes, and assumptions about how spirits interact with humans. Those assumptions have shaped American cinema—they show up in everything from The Exorcism of Emily Rose to The Last Exorcist to The Conjuring-verse films… even Dr. Evil knows to call for an old priest and a young priest.

When the strange becomes familiar, it loses its ability to terrify (maybe that’s why repeating “The power of Christ compels you” over and over again drives the demon out?). Fortunately, the Catholic Church doesn’t have a monopoly on demonic possession or on exorcism rites—let’s take a look at several possession films where both the spirits and the rites of exorcism exist outside of Christianity. With different rules and expectations, these films offer fresh scares, just in time for Halloween…

It Lives Inside (2023) ...​

Blood Flower (2023) ...​

The Vigil (2021) ...​

The Wailing (2016) ...​

When Evil Lurks (2023) ...​

https://www.tor.com/2023/10/24/beyo...e-possession-from-non-christian-perspectives/
 
Steev(still) said:
I'm going to shove this in this thread, rather than choke up the forum with a new one. Hope nobody minds.

Now then, I've been a horror-watching, horror-reading, horror-enthusiast since my early teens. Exposure to Fango, various other mags, all the usual reference books, etc etc, means that my "knowledge" of the genre (particularly cinema) from the '20s to the turn of the millennium is pretty rock solid.

And then... kids! Family! Other things!

As a result, horror of the past twenty-plus years, while being haphazardly consumed, is all higgledy-piggedly in my mind. I could *probably* do a year-by-year breakdown of what was released/ what's interesting for all the decades of the twentieth century... but post about 1997, well- what year was 'The Conjuring' released? No idea. How many 'Saw' sequels are there? (Shrugs), how many films has Ti West directed? Not a clue. What's the best horror film of 2014? Haven't a scooby.

I wish to rectify this.

Does anyone have a notion of a nice, up-to-the-minute (ish) reference book of horror films, like those which we all grew up with, that would serve? I've dipped a toe into Steve Hutchinson's self-published 'Decades of Terror' volumes- picked up the 2010s book, and 2000s is in the post- each containing 100 capsule reviews, and the 2010s one at least is useful for what it is. But I want something deeper. An Aurum-style "Encyclopedia of Horror" type thing, maybe.

Does such a thing exist?

All nods and help offered gratefully received.
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Books? .. good luck with that. I also grew up buying Fangoria and Gorezone magazines and I haven't seen anything that fun since.
 
Swifty said:
Books? .. good luck with that. I also grew up buying Fangoria and Gorezone magazines and I haven't seen anything that fun since.
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Rue Morgue is a Canadian magazine. I read it occasionally. It is a good quality magazine in both production and articles. It is not always easy to find on the newsstand, but looking it up, it says it is available in North America and Europe.

Link to its site:
https://rue-morgue.com/
 
brownmane said:
Rue Morgue is a Canadian magazine. I read it occasionally. It is a good quality magazine in both production and articles. It is not always easy to find on the newsstand, but looking it up, it says it is available in North America and Europe.

Link to its site:
https://rue-morgue.com/
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I remember Rue Morgue yeah :) .. I didn't realise it was Canadian .. there's also Shamain and Shivers which I believe were British but nothing beat Fangoria. Gorezone was also good. Toxic Horror was a bit extreme in places but I still own quite a few of these magazines. I used them as make up reference material and I've been told some of them are valuable now.
 
Swifty said:
I remember Rue Morgue yeah :) .. I didn't realise it was Canadian .. there's also Shamain and Shivers which I believe were British but nothing beat Fangoria. Gorezone was also good. Toxic Horror was a bit extreme in places but I still own quite a few of these magazines. I used them as make up reference material and I've been told some of them are valuable now.
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I really enjoyed Fangoria. It's coverage of horror movies was the best. I enjoyed all of the photos and their coverage of the how movies were made, especially the special effects. This made it a favourite of mine.
 
ramonmercado said:
Infinity Pool: Mia Goth runs the gamut of emotions once more just like in Pearl, going from mild to to worrisome, to sociopathic, ending up as downright psychotic. Here she plays Gabi Bauer, a supposed fan of author James Foster's (Alexander Skarsgard) sole novel. They meet up in an exclusive resort on the island of Li Tolqa. James is accompanied by his wife Em (Cleopatra Coleman{ and they're having marital troubles. This isn't helped when Gabi along with her manipulative partner Alban (Jalil Lespert) invite them to go for dinner and drinks outside of the resort. Gabi handily makes her interest in James quite obvious. Indeed the vibe between the couples reminds me of The Comfort of Strangers. On the way back to the resort james is driving and runs over and kills a local. The Bauers persuade James and Em to flee the scene. The next morning the Bauers are nowhere to be seen as the police arrive and arrest James and Em. It turns out the penalty for such crimes is death (actually many crimes on Li Tolqa carry the death penalty) to be carried out by the dead man's son.

But there's an out clause! You can pay for a clone to be made and executed in your place. The scene where James goes through the clone creation process is disturbing but the execution of the clone which James and Em must witness is downright terrifying. After this the film becomes hedonisticaly horrifying as James joins up with Bauers and their friends in vandalism, murder and mayhem with clones paying the price. Or are they? A question of identity arises, one scene in particular will make you reflect on what is occurring. Shades of Blade Runner abound. This is also a tale of the divide between the rich denizens of the resort and the locals who mostly live in poverty In the opening sequence of Infinity Pool the camera turns upside down and back again taking in both the luxurious resort and rusted corrugated iron roofs outside, delivering a message without using too heavy a hand. The locals are described as savages and their judicial system is primitive but the Bauers and their acolytes are akin to a barbaric Bullingdon Club on speed. There are many disturbing, even sickening scenes in this film. Dream and drugged sequences suggest more may be at play here than is immediately obvious.Great performances by Goth and Skarsgard. It won't be to everyone's taste but Writer/Director Brandon Cronenberg has delivered a worthy addition to the Science Fiction/Horror Film Canon. 8.5/10
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Watched it last night, now that it's on Sky.
Strong stuff indeed!
Having also watched the excellent Pearl earlier this week, I wonder if Mia Goth, with her baby doll looks that morph so readily into a snarling rictus grin, is in danger of becoming typecast as little miss psychopath?
Was great to see that Infinity Pool was filmed in and around Šibenik and Croatia's Adriatic coast - I've driven along that very coastal road.
Liked the attention to detail, notably the use of a strange alphabet, which I thought resembled Georgian, but was actually invented for the movie just to add to the unsettling atmosphere. Perhaps a wee bit hard to suspend my disbelief in an ostensibly primitive and rustic Soviet-style society having developed such amazingly advanced cloning technology. Also, the gross overuse of strobing/flickering effects in the hallucination/orgy scenes made it uncomfortable for me to watch for all the wrong reasons. Overall though, another solid chunk of futuristic body-horror from the legendary Cronenberg family. I'd rate it as an 8/10. Think I slightly preferred Pearl, with its dreamlike Wizard of Oz vibe that suddenly turns nasty. 8.5/10 from me for Pearl.
 
Sister Death: A prequel to Veronica (2017) which gives the backstory of Sister Narcisca. As a child in 1939 she has a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary and is much admired. In 1949 as a Novice she travels to a convent to join the teaching staff. The Reverend Mother warmly welcomes her but the stern Sister Julia doubts her sincerity. These two nuns are hiding a secret which is central to what follows. Narcisca sees visions, hears voices, she is guided to the basement where she finds the mummified hand fo a Saint, it had been missing since the Convent was ransacked during the Spanish Civil War. More hauntings occur and the atmosphere at the school becomes darker. Narcisca's investigations puts her in physical and spiritual danger, Not a great horror film but it does hold your attention, The mystery works well, who is child whose voice we hear? Why is Sister Sagrario missing? Quite a few jump scares as the tale leads to a grand guignol ending. The shadow of the Civil War hangs over this entire film. Directed & Co-Written by Paco Plaza, On Netflix. 7/10.
 
Gaia: South African Eco-Horror. Two forest rangers run into trouble, one, Gabi, getting injured by an animal trap (she's the lucky one) the other being attacked by a human/fungus hybrid. Gabi takes shelter with two back to nature survivalists. An odd relationship develops between them as they fight off an attack by the mutants. Another film with a secret at the heart of it. Gabi does learn though that a vast fungal entity is developing and infecting humans. Some great feral fungi, well imagined as is the early stages if infection using prosthetics rather than CGI . You wouldn't want to be chased through a jungle by these guys. Things get a bit mystical at times and the film would have benefited from a 5 minute cut of this aspect. Shades of The Girl With All The Gifts, In the Earth and even Twelve Monkeys infuse this film. that's not to say that it's over derivative though, it has it's own strengths. Directed by Jaco Bouwer from a screenplay by Tertius Kapp. 7.5/10.

Streaming free until 3 December at: https://www.channel4.com/programmes/gaia
 
This sounds er... interesting.
Bruce Dickinson To Star In ABBA Tribute Band Horror Movie ‘Bjorn Of The Dead’ From Elza Kephart & Austin Dickinson; Raven Banner To Sell
By Peter White

Peter White
Television Editor


EXCLUSIVE: Mamma mia, Bruce Dickinson is starring in a new horror movie.

The Iron Maiden singer has signed on to star in Bjorn of the Dead, which centers around an ABBA tribute band who find themselves, along with various other tribute acts, trapped in a nightclub at the start of the apocalypse. Bjorn and his band must work together to save themselves, humanity, and the future of music.

The film comes from director Elza Kephart (Slaxx) and was written by co-producer Austin Dickinson, based on an original story by Andrew Prendergast, who produces, and Austin Dickinson.
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https://deadline.com/2023/11/bruce-dickinson-horror-movie-bjorn-of-the-dead-1235595790/
 
Stormkhan said:
Just from the look of that, I think I'd prefer the original Predator.
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Always. It doesn't look great yet. The teaser's just showing 'grunts' shouting .. maybe the first trailer will show more predators. Until then .. get to the chopaaaa!!.
 
I mean, a combat crossbow is great for silent infiltration but, as we see in the trailer, at a disadvantage in a firefight.
 
Er, hello..!?

Is nobody going to review Hammer Horror's Doctor Jekyll for me? It's in cinemas!

@ramonmercado ?

Or am I going to have to track it down in some obscure far flung cinema here and watch it dubbed into Russian with Kazakh subtitles in the middle of the night?

Come on guys, pull your fingers out!
 
Zeke Newbold said:
Er, hello..!?

Is nobody going to review Hammer Horror's Doctor Jekyll for me? It's in cinemas!

@ramonmercado ?

Or am I going to have to track it down in some obscure far flung cinema here and watch it dubbed into Russian with Kazakh subtitles in the middle of the night?

Come on guys, pull your fingers out!
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I'm not going to see a film with Eddie Izzard in it. I despise that MAN.

I won't put my fingers anywhere near him so no fear of me having to pull it out!
 
Not just Exorcist Exorcists, some others as well.

Ever since Rosemary’s Baby, The Exorcist, and The Omen revitalized gothic religious horror in the 1970s, the “troubled priest has to perform an exorcism” character has been a reliable fixture in horror. Is the priest troubled because he’s in love? Is he having a crisis of faith? Is he the only one who believes in the reality of demons, and the bureaucracy of the church has his hands tied? Maybe all three!

Over the decades there have been subversion, reversions, parodies, rote rehashes—I’ve tried to round up some of the most interesting ones below.

To be clear, this is not a ranking of Exorcist films, although they will feature heavily throughout. Hell, if you want that:
  1. Exorcist II: The Heretic
  2. Exorcist: Believer
  3. Renny Harlin’s Exorcist: The Beginning
  4. Paul Schrader’s Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist
  5. Exorcist III
  6. The Exorcist (TV series) (Criminally Cancelled After Only Two Perfect Seasons)
  7. The Exorcist
There, a ranking list inside another ranking list! Exor-ception! Ahem.

There are a lot of exorcism movies out there. Many of them are terrible. What I’m going to attempt here is a definitive ranking of the exorcists of horror, by exorcism style. I’m not gonna get all of them because, as I say, they are Legion, and also many of them are so bad even I couldn’t make myself sit through them. However! As always, if I missed your favorite exorcist (Why do you have one of those? Who hurt you?) let me know about them in the comments!

Now, may the power of worst-to-best listing conventions compel you! ...

https://www.tor.com/2023/10/31/its-an-excellent-day-to-rank-our-favorite-fictional-exorcists/
 
ramonmercado said:
Not just Exorcist Exorcists, some others as well.

Ever since Rosemary’s Baby, The Exorcist, and The Omen revitalized gothic religious horror in the 1970s, the “troubled priest has to perform an exorcism” character has been a reliable fixture in horror. Is the priest troubled because he’s in love? Is he having a crisis of faith? Is he the only one who believes in the reality of demons, and the bureaucracy of the church has his hands tied? Maybe all three!

Over the decades there have been subversion, reversions, parodies, rote rehashes—I’ve tried to round up some of the most interesting ones below.

To be clear, this is not a ranking of Exorcist films, although they will feature heavily throughout. Hell, if you want that:
  1. Exorcist II: The Heretic
  2. Exorcist: Believer
  3. Renny Harlin’s Exorcist: The Beginning
  4. Paul Schrader’s Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist
  5. Exorcist III
  6. The Exorcist (TV series) (Criminally Cancelled After Only Two Perfect Seasons)
  7. The Exorcist
There, a ranking list inside another ranking list! Exor-ception! Ahem.

There are a lot of exorcism movies out there. Many of them are terrible. What I’m going to attempt here is a definitive ranking of the exorcists of horror, by exorcism style. I’m not gonna get all of them because, as I say, they are Legion, and also many of them are so bad even I couldn’t make myself sit through them. However! As always, if I missed your favorite exorcist (Why do you have one of those? Who hurt you?) let me know about them in the comments!

Now, may the power of worst-to-best listing conventions compel you! ...

https://www.tor.com/2023/10/31/its-an-excellent-day-to-rank-our-favorite-fictional-exorcists/
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I'm guessing by parodies you mean Repossessed?

 
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