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Horror Films

The Final Girls: Very much satire and a deconstruction of the teen slasher film tropes. Nevertheless the violence and horror is very real even when leavened with dark humour. Max is a teen girl whose late mother Amanda was a Scream Queen in the 1986 slasher film Camp Bloodbath. Amanda was only remembered for that role finding it difficult to get serious work. Max is persuaded to attend a special screening of Camp Bloodbath and through a set o bizarre circumstances is catapulted into the movie along with her friends. They have to battle not just the crazed killer, Billy, but also the caricature characters of the others who inhabit the film world. Dumb sexist males as well as airhead blondes. The power of The Final Girl who can slay the Slasher is explored. This Archetype is more powerful the chaotic slayer. An entertaining film with plenty of laughs but sometimes the laugh will die in your throat as heads are chopped off. Directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson from a screenplay by M.A. Forlin and Joshua John Miller. On Netflix. 8/10.
 
The Soul: Taiwanese SF/Horror Thriller which is also a murder mystery and several love stories, set in 2031. The Billionaire owner of a BioTech company is murdered, apparently by his own son. But it's no ordinary murder, Occult Sigils were painted on walls and the killer acted out a ritual as he carried out the deed. The boy's mother had committed suicide 2 years before whist also carrying out a ritual, believing she would return to curse her husband. The dead BioTech mogul's new wife is acting strangely as if possessed, saying she sees the dead woman's (angry) ghost. A family all unhappy in their own ways. The investigating magistrate leading the search for the guilty party has terminal cancer (this is crucial to the unfolding of the narrative). But it's not all Occult and murder, radical RNA transfer techniques are also mixed up in this SF Neo-Noir conundrum. Flashbacks are crucial to understanding what really occurred and with changing identities you will have pay close attention to the story. More than one viewing may be necessary to appreciate the fine details of the plot. There are also several twists and reveals as the intrigue develops. An intricate but engaging film. Written & Directed by Cheng Wei-Hao. On Netflix. 8/10.
 
ramonmercado said:
The Final Girls: Very much satire and a deconstruction of the teen slasher film tropes. Nevertheless the violence and horror is very real even when leavened with dark humour. Max is a teen girl whose late mother Amanda was a Scream Queen in the 1986 slasher film Camp Bloodbath. Amanda was only remembered for that role finding it difficult to get serious work. Max is persuaded to attend a special screening of Camp Bloodbath and through a set o bizarre circumstances is catapulted into the movie along with her friends. They have to battle not just the crazed killer, Billy, but also the caricature characters of the others who inhabit the film world. Dumb sexist males as well as airhead blondes. The power of The Final Girl who can slay the Slasher is explored. This Archetype is more powerful the chaotic slayer. An entertaining film with plenty of laughs but sometimes the laugh will die in your throat as heads are chopped off. Directed by Todd Strauss-Schulson from a screenplay by M.A. Forlin and Joshua John Miller. On Netflix. 8/10.
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I found Tucker & Dale to be a deconstruction of the teen slasher tropes. Please tell me you've watched that one?. It's an excellent satire. The ending's a bit hurried though. Otherwise, it's magnificent.

Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (2011) Official HD Trailer - YouTube

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This isn't bad either on the teen horror film trope tip ..

Lordi "Blood Red Sandman" - YouTube
 
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You Should Have Left: Haunted/Weird House Horror Thriller starring Kevin Bacon and Amanda Seyfried. A troubled couple, Bacon as the older. retired banker, Seyfried an actress. Things get worse in Wales, first they discover that neither of them actually made the Internet booking for the house they're staying in. The house has it's quirks, flitting figures, an odd geometry, doors appearing, a hidden corridor. In the nearby village locals make cryptic comments about the house, apparently it has had a disturbing past. Much of the horror is of the psychological variety with a rising sense of dread developing as the narrative unfolds. Some great shots of seemingly endless corridors in both dream and waking sequences. A staircase. many levels, lit by a single bulb, evokes The Cabinet of Dr Caligari. Time slips, warnings appearing in a journal kept by Bacon, a figure watching through a window when the house is empty, all add to an aura of weirdness. The film has the feel of a Twilight Zone episode and might have worked better as such. But is an engaging addition to the Haunted House trope. Written & Directed by David Koepp. On Google Play. 7/10.
 
Swifty said:
I found Tucker & Dale to be a deconstruction of the teen slasher tropes. Please tell me you've watched that one?. It's an excellent satire. The ending's a bit hurried though. Otherwise, it's magnificent.

Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (2011) Official HD Trailer - YouTube

edit:

This isn't bad either on the teen horror film trope tip ..

Lordi "Blood Red Sandman" - YouTube
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Oh my word Swifty - Tucker & Dale V’s Evil.

Originally billed as a horror film on Netflix. Tuned in one night and within the first 5 minutes realised that this was no horror film……what it was in fact was comedy gold.

I laughed like a drain throughout, and at one point around midnight Mrs DT came down stairs to tell me to shut fu*k up as I was keeping her awake.

I did read somewhere they were making a sequel, but I haven’t come across it yet.

Good shout mate
 
Dick Turpin said:
Oh my word Swifty - Tucker & Dale V’s Evil.

Originally billed as a horror film on Netflix. Tuned in one night and within the first 5 minutes realised that this was no horror film……what it was in fact was comedy gold.

I laughed like a drain throughout, and at one point around midnight Mrs DT came down stairs to tell me to shut fu*k up as I was keeping her awake.

I did read somewhere they were making a sequel, but I haven’t come across it yet.

Good shout mate
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It's brilliant. I wish they'd get on with a sequel.
 
Cult Girls: A Pagan Apocalyptic Cult in Australia led by a woman who believes she is the reincarnation of a Goddess. They believe that they will rule the Earth after civilization collapses due to climate change etc. They practice human sacrifice and one night they are raided by the police. One sister Dalia, is rescued but two others are taken by the Cult leadership who escape. Fifteen years later Dalia is still seeking her sisters she sees a tv show about a Black Metal guru/hermit who uses the same Rune as her cult. She attends a Black metal gig and meets a metalhead who helps her on her quest. Some really good imagery and horror, though most of the violence is suggested or happens off camera. Nevertheless apostates to the Cult are burned alive, people are shot and stabbed. The acting is uneven though and the narrative can be difficult to follow at times. A few plot twists as well as some of the action switches to Lithuania. If you're into Apocalyptic Cults then you might like this horror flick. Written & Directed by Mark Bakaitis. 5/10.
 
Things Heard & Seen: Amanda Seyfried finds herself in yet another haunted house and yes - her relationship is disturbed. This time she has largely sacrificed her artistic career to move to upstate New York where her husband, James Norton, has been appointed as a professor at a private college. Swedenborg and his teachings feature in the film, and the area where it's set was a seedbed for his followers. The house itself is soon a hotbed of poltergeist and other ghostly activities. Even a seance is held there. Seyfried discovers that the house has a sinister past and her husband is also hiding secrets. Mostly psychological horror but there are several murders and attempted murders including an ax attack. A Gothic haunted house thriller which is overlong at 121 minutes., it might have worked better with 20 minutes shaved off it's running time. Still worth watching though. Written & Directed by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pucini. On Netflix. 6/10.
 
ramonmercado said:
The Final Girls: Very much satire and a deconstruction of the teen slasher film tropes. Nevertheless the violence and horror is very real even when leavened with dark humour. On Netflix. 8/10.
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I rented this several years ago. I totally agree with your assessment of it. It is quite good.
 
Train to Busan Presents: Pennisula (Korean, 2020) This is supposed to be a sequel to Train to Busan, but it is definitely not at all like Train to Busan. I have seen both Train to Busan as well as Seoul Station (animated prequel) and enjoyed both of them. All three have been directed by Yeon Sang-Ho. I give credit to a director who has used three different styles of storytelling. All three are worth seeing, if only for this reason.

Pennisula starts 4 years later with all exits from South Korea being closed down. It starts off as a heist movie, but once the hero arrives on the pennisula, he realizes that it has not been completely taken over by zombies. Pennisula is more of an action movie with lots of CGI and automobile stunts (probably mostly CGI). I like Train to Busan because it was more of a character movie. Pennisula is not character driven. In fact it reminded me of watching/playing a zombie video game - lots of flash and action, but little plot. If you like action movies that are not so much horror, then this is not bad. It did run almost 2 hours, and 1/2 hour at least could have been cut. 6/10 on Shudder.
 
Fans of the barf-bag school of film-making may be delighted to know that someone has posted Mark of the Devil on Youtube in HD.

It dates from around 1970, preceding the Video Nasty era by a good decade, but it got caught up in that controversy.

This German-made witch-finder exploitation gem kicks off with a jaunty theme, which might be more appropriate to a kids' tv serial!

Much gleeful witch-pricking and burning ensues; Reggie Nalder, best known as one of the child-snatchers in Hitchcock's 1955 version of The Man Who Knew Too Much, owed his own distinctive looks to burns he had sustained. The young, male lead is pretty but atrocious, while the females were required to be buxom and suffer, mainly.

Running 97'24" the Youtube version appears to be uncut. It is rather startling to see all those prickings in rich colour and high definition, as this is exactly the type of fare which is served up, usually, in blotchy vhs-vision. It is the English-dub but I think all versions have lip-synch. issues; it may well have been a polyglot production.

Wikipedia has a page on this cinematic curio, here.

This is the Youtube link.

Supply your own vomit-bags! :p
 
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JamesWhitehead said:
Fans of the barf-bag school of film-making may be delighted to know that someone has posted Mark of the Devil on Youtube in HD.

It dates from around 1970, preceding the Video Nasty era by a good decade, but it got caught up in that controversy.

This German-made witch-finder exploitation gem kicks off with a jaunty theme, which might be more appropriate to a kids' tv serial!

Much gleeful witch-pricking and burning ensues; Reggie Nalder, best known as one of the child-snatchers in Hitchcock's 1955 version of The Man Who Knew Too Much, owed his own distinctive looks to burns he had sustained. The young, male lead is pretty but atrocious, while the females were required to be buxom and suffer, mainly.

Running 97'24" the Youtube version appears to be uncut. It is rather startling to see all those prickings in rich colour and high definition, as this is exactly the type of fare which is served up, usually, in blotchy vhs-vision. It is the English-dub but I think all versions have lip-synch. issues; it may well have been a polyglot production.

Wikipedia has a page on this cinematic curio, here.

This is the Youtube link.

Supply your own vomit-bags! :p
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It wants age verification! I think not.

Choose how to verify your age

Use a credit card to verify immediately
You won’t be charged. Any transaction fee will be fully refunded.
Use your ID
Submit an image of a valid ID like your driver’s license or passport. It may take up to 3 days to verify your ID.
 
JamesWhitehead said:
Fans of the barf-bag school of film-making may be delighted to know that someone has posted Mark of the Devil on Youtube in HD.

It dates from around 1970, preceding the Video Nasty era by a good decade, but it got caught up in that controversy.

This German-made witch-finder exploitation gem kicks off with a jaunty theme, which might be more appropriate to a kids' tv serial!

Much gleeful witch-pricking and burning ensues; Reggie Nalder, best known as one of the child-snatchers in Hitchcock's 1955 version of The Man Who Knew Too Much, owed his own distinctive looks to burns he had sustained. The young, male lead is pretty but atrocious, while the females were required to be buxom and suffer, mainly.

Running 97'24" the Youtube version appears to be uncut. It is rather startling to see all those prickings in rich colour and high definition, as this is exactly the type of fare which is served up, usually, in blotchy vhs-vision. It is the English-dub but I think all versions have lip-synch. issues; it may well have been a polyglot production.

Wikipedia has a page on this cinematic curio, here.

This is the Youtube link.

Supply your own vomit-bags! :p
Click to expand...

That young male lead is the immortal Udo Kier, star of Flesh for Frankenstein and Blood for Dracula, among a million others (he also played Dr Jekyll in a spectacularly weird horror, and is still going strong).
 
JamesWhitehead said:
Try replacing the "www." with "ss" and see what happens! It's not the Storm-Troopers . . .

Shonky Russian ads apart, the site is not a nasty one. :)
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No luck:


This site can’t be reached
Check if there is a typo in ss.youtube.com.
 
MrRING said:
Ben Wheatley's newest, In The Earth:
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As an avowed Wheatley fan-boi I have just watched and really enjoyed this.
Fans of A Field In England will not be disappointed, some truely hallucinogenic visuals and some trademark Wheatley nastiness too. People looking for jump scares, lashings of gore and teens in trouble in them woods should stay away.
 
The Unholy: When is a miracle really a miracle and not an act of the Devil. A woman accused of witchcraft in 1845 is killed by a mob and her spirit. is trapped in a doll. The present day, a skeptical reporter (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) who investigates Fortean events is about to leave the scene of a hoax when he steps on the doll and releases the spirit. A local deaf-mute girl (Cricket Brown) regains the ability to speak and hear. she claims to have seen the Virgin Mary. She then heals people including the local priest. The bishop decides to cash in on this. An interesting tale of faith, cynicism and exploitation. The horror scenes aren't too badly done but the creature is best represented when suggested (rising from a lake) rather than when fully displayed. A good death by being crushed by a burning crucifix scene but te creature also has an atrocious Oirish accent, definitely the work of Satan. Also not particularly original but definitely worth watching. Directed & Written by Evan Spiliotopoulos (from the novel Shrine by James Herbert). 6.5/10.
 
Pledge: Three outsiders have problems getting a College Fraternity to accept them but then they get invited to a frat party by a girl. Booze, girls! This looks good and the existing frat members don't treat them like freaks. So they become pledges, expecting some hazing. Then things become strange, they're branded against their will. Murder and mayhem ensues. Torture, including the Room 101 variety actually being carried out, stabbings. Some chilling horror scenes. There are also some plot twists but also a few loose storyline threads regarding the girls' involvement. Directed by Daniel Robbins and written by Zack Weiner. 7/10.

Streaming free at: https://www.channel4.com/programmes/pledge
 
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