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Horror Films

I watched Tales from the Crypt: Vault of Horror, it's like the first one only without Joan Collins; five stuffy olden days British blokes get trapped in a magic basement in their office building and it turns out they have done some bad stuff or had bad stuff done to them or both. We get to watch each sequence unfold slowly knowing what is about to come by about a third of the way through. It's OK I suppose, I quite like Terry Thomas' fate and enjoyed Tom Baker's fake ginger beard.
 
Innocence: Yet another girl starts at a new school and something spooky is going on. In this case it's an upscale Manhattan prep school, Hamilto, centuries old, exclusive. A girl jumps off a school building almost hitting Beckett, the new girl. There is an odd atmosphere, in the classrooms, the corridors, some Hamilton old girls (including teachers) have a creepy book club. Beckett investigates and finds that another two girls have committed suicide. There is a nest of Vampires in the school! This tale unfolds slowly and while a nice broody, Gothic atmosphere builds up it is overlong. Interesting Vampire action without the overuse of special effects but this might have worked better as an episode of an anthology series. Directed/Co-written by Hilary Brougher. On Netflix. 6/10.
 
Afterdeath: Five people in a house realise that they are dead and in some sort of afterlife. Four were washed up on a beach, one may be hovering between life and death They perished in a nightclub collapse: I died with a pink drink with an umbrella in it in my hand.Filmed in Norfolk, the low budget is all too obvious. Not too terrifying as they are chased and attacked by an angry ball of blue/black smoke. The male among the five is more frightening and violent. Some of the dead seem to get possessed. This is overlong but it has some interesting ideas and might have worked better as an episode of an anthology series. Directed by Gez Mendinger and Robin Schmidt, written by Andrew Ellard. On the Horror Channel. 5.10.
 
The Ascent: A special ops mercenary team are in the midst of a civil war, their mission is to retrieve intel but they encounter a strange prisoner. It's pretty savage, prisoners are being massacred by the civil war combatants and the team leader wants no complications. The team return to HQ in England and that's when things start going weird. The lifts are broken so they take the stars. But these stairs seem never ending, an explosion occurs, alarms go off, red lights flash. Then some thing starts to pick them off. Time loops where they try to change the past. A figure pulling a mercenary over a railing, horror on the stairs. But the real horror is their own actions and those of others in reiterations of the civil war events. A bit overlong at 102 minutes, a tighter horror thriller would have resulted from a 90 minute running time. It's a good story though and while it is quite violent, much of the horror is psychological. Written & Directed by Tom Paton (Redwood). On the Horror Channel. 7/10.
 
ramonmercado said:
The Ascent: A special ops mercenary team are in the midst of a civil war, their mission is to retrieve intel but they encounter a strange prisoner. It's pretty savage, prisoners are being massacred by the civil war combatants and the team leader wants no complications. The team return to HQ in England and that's when things start going weird. The lifts are broken so they take the stars. But these stairs seem never ending, an explosion occurs, alarms go off, red lights flash. Then some thing starts to pick them off. Time loops where they try to change the past. A figure pulling a mercenary over a railing, horror on the stairs. But the real horror is their own actions and those of others in reiterations of the civil war events. A bit overlong at 102 minutes, a tighter horror thriller would have resulted from a 90 minute running time. It's a good story though and while it is quite violent, much of the horror is psychological. Written & Directed by Tom Paton (Redwood). On the Horror Channel. 7/10.
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Sounds like a good traumnovel.
 
Hellions: Dora is 17, she's just found out that she is 4 weeks pregnant. She stays in while her family go Trick or Treating. Kids call around, more demanding than usual regarding the candy. Then it becomes clear that these are really little monsters! They decapitate Dora's boyfriend and want her foetus which is developing at an unnaturally fast rate. The costumes worn by the "kids" are truly weird and frightening. But Dora has also been suffering from hallucinations so we are in a world of smoke and mirrors wondering what is reality. Some really disturbing scenes but powerful ones as well, a field of pumpkins exploding as Dora runs through it, the "kids" standing in a group. Directed by Bruce McDonald from a script by Pascal Trottier. On the Horror Channel. 6/10.
 
The House Of The witch: Teens decide to spend Halloween night at a haunted house but get more than they bargained for. The ghost of a witch torments them. A mirror becomes permeable and a girl loses a finger. Smoke turns into solid arms, drags someone into a pond. Another girl is possessed by the witch, bites chunks out of a boy. This is one angry ghost. Some good effects and scares, figures distorting in mirrors and old photos. But there's nothing really new here and yet again it feels overlong even at 85 minutes. Would have been better as an episode of an anthology series. Directed by Alex Merkin, written by Neil Elman. On Netflix. 6/10.
 
I've watched two Tales from the Crypt, Demon Knight and Bordello of Blood. The former is pretty good, I was surprised to discover it's one long story, as opposed to an anthology. Mostly set in one decidedly odd looking hotel in the middle of nowhere somewhere in the US. A man is carrying a key/cross/bottle hybrid containing the blood of Christ which Billy Zane - who is fantastic as demon prince type, hamming and camping it up; really wants to open a portal to hell and end humanity all that good stuff. Fairly action heavy.

The latter is a weaker follow up, a 20 something Corey Haim goes to a brothel with friends but the brothel is a funeral parlous and the ladies of the night are vampires with Lilith herself as madam, who is being controlled by one of the little people from Willow, who is working for an evangelical preacher.... for some reason... Haim's sister hires a sleazy PI to look for him and hi-jinks ensue.

Both have great practical effects and cartoon-y gore, could maybe have done with less broad humour in the second one.
 
St Agatha: A tale of evil nuns running a mother and baby home. Some terrible things happen in this film, scenes of genuine horror. But it pales in comparison to what nuns really did in Ireland, letting babies die of neglect and lack of medical treatment, throwing their corpses into septic tanks. This story is set in Georgia, U.S. in the 1950's, the girls are drugged, gaslit, gotten to sign their rights away. Their names changed, Mary (Sabrina Kern) is brainwashed into accepting her name is Agatha but fights back. Carolyn Hennessy plays the murderous Mother Superior. The drugged scenes morph into nightmares and fantasy. A dark film in every sense of the word. Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman. Available to stream free at: https://www.channel4.com/programmes/st-agatha/on-demand/69403-001 . 8/10.
 
Nobody Sleeps in the Woods Tonight : Polish horror film.A Bootcamp for teens addicted to social media, gaming, no phones, tablets, laptops are allowed. A priest even exorcises the devices. The camp is in the midst of a forest and the teens are split into teams. A group of five led by a counselor head into the woods to go camping. Even in daylight the trees look sinister. Nearby a woman keeps her ogre-like son in the basement, feeding him with deer carcasses, she slips and is killed by the monster who escapes. The creature sets about killing the teens and naturally they split up. A boy in his sleeping bag is swung against a tree trunk, another teen is impaled through the head with a tree branch. Other forest dwellers are slain, including being woodchipped alive. Some pretty gruesome and violent scenes throughout the film with a few jump scares. The monster is well imagined and has an interesting origin story. Some interesting and odd characters pop up but the story isn't particularly original. It is helped though by a vein of dark humour which permeates even the most horrific sequences. !02 minutes running time. it would have worked better at 90 minutes. Directed and Co-written by Bartosz M. Kowalski. On Netflix. 7/10.
 
The Day Of The Lord: Menendez (Juli Fábregas) is a former priest, a boy died during an exorcism and he was imprisoned. He drinks whiskey, has nightmares, people appear to him, he speaks to a mysterious person on the phone. It's difficult to tell his realty from his delusions. A friend he met in prison visits and tells the ex-priest that his teen daughter Raquel (Ximena Romo) is possessed and begs him to perform an exorcism. Eventually Menendez agrees and the girl arrives at his house. But is she possessed or just an ordinary teenager acting up. Menendez uses a violent form of exorcism convinced that she is plagued by a demon who is taunting him. A violent and disturbing film, there are some scenes which might even distress a hardened horror fan. All of the film is shot in the priest's dark and gloomy house and there is only a thin vein of humour to relieve bleakness of the proceedings. Good performances by Fábregas and Romo. Directed and Co-Written by Santiago Alvarado. On Netflix. 7/10.
 
Kim Newman on the horror films of a horrifying year, 2020:
Article

It's kind of quaint he thinks the pandemic will be over by next year, but this is an excellent overview.
 
I started watching a film called 'CAGE' tonight .. she wakes up in a flimsy looking wooden cage, tells her brother not to worry or to tell her Mum about it all ('Peter' has left her phone with her and has told her not to phone the police so she doesn't for some stupid reason then phones her brother instead), she strolls around a bit inside the cage like this is all very very inconvenient so I switched that off and watched some 80's Twilight Zone episodes instead. I'll never know how CAGE ends .. perhaps her brother is also the mysterious voice on the phone bloke, Peter. Either way I don't care.
 
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Ghosts Of War: Late 1944, five US soldiers are assigned to guard a chateau in North-Eastern France. They relieve a squad who are extremely eager to leave. It looks like a cushy billet but soon they hear strange noises, see apparitions, Knocking noises in Morse code give them warnings. Obscure messages over the radio seem vaguely threatening. They encounter poltergeist effects and find a pentagram on the floor. The nazis who previously held the chateau had carried out Occult Rituals. This is also a war film and they have to battle nazis. But even then there are supernatural events.The horrors of war as well as the activities of angry ghosts are well illustrated. Disturbing scenes of violence and jump scares occur throughout the movie. Good effects, levitation, ghosts, even the battle scenes. The dark castle is an ideal setting for this tale. There are also a few plot twists which I can't reveal here but the clues are there. Written and Directed by Eric Bress. On Netflix. 7/10.
 
Halloween II: Just watched it again. Holds up well. The Simpsons style mob attacking the old Myers house, the cat jumping out of the trashcan, Myers creeping into houses, stabbing merrily. The constant feeling of dread, pursuit in the dark, thinking Myers is dead when the kid goes up in flames. John Carpenter wrote and produced thus one but it was directed by Rick Rosenthal. Carpenter was responsible for the extra gore though. It was even blamed for murders. 8/10.
 
sherbetbizarre said:
I saw this today as well, not bad. Similar to the South Korean movie R-Point.

The best new horror on Netflix is the British His House - give that a go!
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Watching Ghosts of War now. I could forgive the dodgy CGI, but, unless I'm missing something, it's full of idiotic anachronisms.
The movie is supposed to be set in 1944 France, but the GIs refer to Abbot and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955) and I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957). There is also a reference to Scrabble's triple word score (1948).
Are the anachronisms deliberate, to unsettle us, or just cock-ups?
 
blessmycottonsocks said:
Watching Ghosts of War now. I could forgive the dodgy CGI, but, unless I'm missing something, it's full of idiotic anachronisms.
The movie is supposed to be set in 1944 France, but the GIs refer to Abbot and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955) and I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957). There is also a reference to Scrabble's triple word score (1948).
Are the anachronisms deliberate, to unsettle us, or just cock-ups?
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Ah! Now it makes sense.... kind of!

Better than I expected. 8/10.
 
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His House: A different sort of horror film involving asylum seekers from South Sudan. Boi (Sope Dirisu) and Rial (Wunmi Mosaku) are given a house "in need of improvements" in an outer London suburb. Bol ties to assimilate joining with other men in the social centre singing football songs, Rial sticks more to her culture. They both mourn their daughter who was lost at sea during their journey. Nightmares, visions and memories of the sea journey plague them to a frightening extent. While decorating, Bol finds a wire in a wall which turns out to be attached to a seaweed draped rope. Creatures and their dead friends appear in the house. Eventually Rial realises that an Apeth (Night Witch) is their house. Good imaging of this frightening monster as well other disturbing scenes. To be suddenly thrust again into the sea and be at risk of drowning incites existential terror. Being plagued by petty bureaucrats on to p of that doesn't make for an easy life. Convoluted at times but it hangs together in the end. Co-Written and Directed by Remi Weekes. On Netflix. 8/10.
 
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.
 
X Moor: A couple set out to make a documentary about the Beast of Exmoor hoping that with the help of a hunter they will manage to film the fabled beast. But all is not as it seems. A serial killer is at work on the moor and they find bodies he has dumped. A cat and mouse hunt proceeds where they try to trap the killer but he is dangerous prey. some interesting twists along the way with stabbings and shootings interspersed with chases through a dark forest. Perhaps the film is a bit too clever for its own good with one plot twist too many. Still, it's a watchable horror-thriller. Written and Directed by Luke Hyams. On the Horror Channel. 6/10.
 
The Lodge: Not one creepy house but two; there's The Lodge itself in the upstate Massachusetts wilderness and a doll's house model of it. At time it;s difficult to tell the interiors apart. Laura Hall (Alicia Silverstone) commits suicide when her estranged husband Richard Hall (Richard Armitage) informs that he is going to marry Grace Marshall (Riley Keough). Grace is the only survivor of a mass suicide by a Religious Cult, we see film of the Prophet preaching followed by the dead sect members, then we realise that Grace is doing the filming. Aidan (Jaeden Martell) and Mia Hall (Lia McHugh) grieve for their mother and are hostile towards Grace, Mia has a strange doll. Richard decides to spend Christmas at The Lodge to ty and bring them all together. Disaster intervenes at an early stage as Grace falls through the ice as they skate on a lake but is rescued. Richard reluctantly returns to the city to deal with work, Grace assures him all will be fine, he'l back to the wilds for Christmas Day. Then things get strange, food and clothes disappear. A weird film, we first see Grace in silhouette and through frosted glass. Her nightmares are truly deranged. what is really going on though? We have several plot twists before we head towards a terrifying climax. Most of the horror here is psychological but there are some shocking and violent scenes. Good performances by Keough, Martell and McHugh. It comes in at 108 minutes, IMO it would have been a better Horror-Thriller at 98 minutes. Co-Directed and Co-Written by Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz. Amazon Prime. 8/10.
 
ramonmercado said:
The Lodge: Not one creepy house but two; there's The Lodge itself in the upstate Massachusetts wilderness and a doll's house model of it. At time it;s difficult to tell the interiors apart. Laura Hall (Alicia Silverstone) commits suicide when her estranged husband Richard Hall (Richard Armitage) informs that he is going to marry Grace Marshall (Riley Keough). Grace is the only survivor of a mass suicide by a Religious Cult, we see film of the Prophet preaching followed by the dead sect members, then we realise that Grace is doing the filming. Aidan (Jaeden Martell) and Mia Hall (Lia McHugh) grieve for their mother and are hostile towards Grace, Mia has a strange doll. Richard decides to spend Christmas at The Lodge to ty and bring them all together. Disaster intervenes at an early stage as Grace falls through the ice as they skate on a lake but is rescued. Richard reluctantly returns to the city to deal with work, Grace assures him all will be fine, he'l back to the wilds for Christmas Day. Then things get strange, food and clothes disappear. A weird film, we first see Grace in silhouette and through frosted glass. Her nightmares are truly deranged. what is really going on though? We have several plot twists before we head towards a terrifying climax. Most of the horror here is psychological but there are some shocking and violent scenes. Good performances by Keough, Martell and McHugh. It comes in at 108 minutes, IMO it would have been a better Horror-Thriller at 98 minutes. Co-Directed and Co-Written by Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz. Amazon Prime. 8/10.
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This is one I've wanted to watch since it came out.
 
ramonmercado said:
The Lodge: Not one creepy house but two; there's The Lodge itself in the upstate Massachusetts wilderness and a doll's house model of it. At time it;s difficult to tell the interiors apart. Laura Hall (Alicia Silverstone) commits suicide when her estranged husband Richard Hall (Richard Armitage) informs that he is going to marry Grace Marshall (Riley Keough). Grace is the only survivor of a mass suicide by a Religious Cult, we see film of the Prophet preaching followed by the dead sect members, then we realise that Grace is doing the filming. Aidan (Jaeden Martell) and Mia Hall (Lia McHugh) grieve for their mother and are hostile towards Grace, Mia has a strange doll. Richard decides to spend Christmas at The Lodge to ty and bring them all together. Disaster intervenes at an early stage as Grace falls through the ice as they skate on a lake but is rescued. Richard reluctantly returns to the city to deal with work, Grace assures him all will be fine, he'l back to the wilds for Christmas Day. Then things get strange, food and clothes disappear. A weird film, we first see Grace in silhouette and through frosted glass. Her nightmares are truly deranged. what is really going on though? We have several plot twists before we head towards a terrifying climax. Most of the horror here is psychological but there are some shocking and violent scenes. Good performances by Keough, Martell and McHugh. It comes in at 108 minutes, IMO it would have been a better Horror-Thriller at 98 minutes. Co-Directed and Co-Written by Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz. Amazon Prime. 8/10.
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Just searched on Amazon Prime but couldn't find it.
 
Pandemic 2020 etc .. for those who've never seen THE MIST, full movie, have fun .. (fan edit)

 
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