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Horror Films

ramonmercado said:
Mutant midges!

The dreaded biting Highland midge could be set for horror movie infamy.

Scottish crime novelist JD Kirk has pitched the concept of mutant flesh-eating midges to his readers. His fans' reaction to just a few lines of script and mocked-up movie stills has encouraged him to pursue the idea further. With fellow writer Alex Smith he hopes to work up a full script and eventually secure the backing needed for the film to be made.

Real-life biting midges are well-known to residents and visitors of Scotland, particularly the Highlands. They are often encountered on mild, damp summer evenings, and are the scourge of campers and hillwalkers.

Female midges gather in swarms of millions as they seek out a blood meal to feed their eggs, leaving many of their human "victims" with red, itchy sores.

"I think the real menace of the midge is that they are tiny and there are so many of them," said Fort William-based Kirk.

Mocked up still for Midges horror movie
IMAGE SOURCE, JD KIRK/MIDJOURNEY
Mocked up still for Midges horror movie
IMAGE SOURCE, JD KIRK/MIDJOURNEY
Mocked up still for Midges horror movie
IMAGE SOURCE, JD KIRK/MIDJOURNEY

After 10 years writing children's stories for publishers Harper Collins and Penguin, and stints writing comedy sci-fi and Beano comic storylines, Kirk has established himself as a crime writer with his DCI Jack Logan Highland police series.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-66064776
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It's going to be made!

What started out as a jokey suggestion for a midges horror movie now has a script, a director, a producer - and a plan to begin filming next year.

Fort William-based author and screenwriter Barry Hutchison only posted his idea for mutant flesh-eating midgies on social media in late June, while finishing a book.

"It did go a bit crazy," said Hutchison, who writes crime novels under the name JD Kirk.

"My phone didn't stop ringing for two weeks with people who wanted to find out more about it - journalists, TV producers and lots of different people who were caught up with the idea of mutant killer midgies." ...

Avezzano said: "A challenge closer to the time will be filming at an ideal time of the year in the Highlands - and also battling with actual midgies."

Hutchison added: "There will be scenes when we don't want midgies because we'll building up the tension."

He joked: "There will be more money spent on digitally removing actual midgies than adding them in."

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1d7m4e5y9zo
 
"Gavin McTavish was an ordinary teenager until, out walking one day, he was bitten by a mutant midge from a top secret government laboratory and he became ..."
 
ramonmercado said:
Talk to Me: A rather disturbing and violent Australian horror film, from the opening sequence to it's end you will encounter shock after shock.. My one quibble with it is that the accents are difficult to understand at times and it would have benefited from subtitles! Teens summon up the spirits of the dead at parties, it's more than just a game, they expect it to work. They use a porcelain hand which supposedly contains an embalmed hand. There is a ritual to be gone through and you see the face of the spirit who you must then invite in. Mistakes happen and the spirits linger. taking possession, being seen by those who went through the ritual. Some really effective/nauseating scenes where the spirits get the teens to commit self harm, thinking that they are combating a threat. Really akin to Japanese Angry Ghosts. The shape shifting nature of the spirits and their ability to fool the teens into thinking they are dead or even living loved ones is vividly portrayed. Great performances from a mostly young cast led by Sophie Wilde with Miranda Otto as the mother of two of the teens. A remarkable dark work of horror, one you will be mulling over long after the final credits roll. Directed by Danny and Michael Philippou, Written by Danny Philippou and Bill Hinzman. 8.5/10.

In cinemas.
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Great movie. I saw this last week. The special effects were very good especially on a large screen.

"My one quibble with it is that the accents are difficult to understand at times and it would have benefited from subtitles!"

Funny, @ramonmercado, I made a similar comment about subtitles to my friend I was with. Along the lines of "I usually have subtitles when watching these (foreign:chuckle:) movies". But really it is because when watching it in a theatre and having the volume amped up, the background noise takes over the spoken dialogue. Sometimes quips are missed.

Otherwise I had no difficulty with the Aussie accents. I do watch many foreign ie not North American series and movies, so I am fairly adept at understanding what is said, unless something is spoken really quickly or it is an idiom.

I already was familiar with Zoe Terakes from the series Wentworth. They are a very good actor and, imo someone to watch.
 
Remember a couple of years ago, there was a thread on here about mysterious staircases in the middle of forests and which turned out to be yet another Creepypasta piece of fiction?
Well it was only a matter of time before someone made a movie out of it and "The Stairs" (2022) is currently streaming on Prime Video.
It starts some 20 years ago, with an annoying old git of a grandfather teaching his grandson to kill animals, when they first discover the staircase.
Then, fast forward to the current day, when an unconvincing group of paper-thin clichéd characters (square-jawed alpha male, wise-cracking loud-mouth, greedy unfit incompetent, sassy female etc.) go on a long hike through the woods and rediscover not only the stairs, but the boy (who hasn't aged a day) along with a whole heap of gross-out body horror.
The gore is adequately well done, the time-slip motif was moderately interesting and there were a couple of reasonable jump-scares.
Overall though, it's let down by a clearly low budget, some iffy acting, plot-holes aplenty and a rather silly-looking monster.
Still, get a few beers in, leave your brain at home and you may enjoy it.
A 5/10 from me.


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Blood (2022) on Netflix was a surprisingly effective horror movie.
It starts with the family dog going missing, only to return in a snarly, feral state. Shades of Cujo I thought.
From that point though the movie blind-sided me somewhat by going off on a tangent and exploring a rather different horror theme (I suppose the clue was in the title). It pointedly asks the question what lengths would a mother go to to protect her son.
Lots of suspense, some moments of genuine horror and it's very well acted throughout - notably young Finlay Wojtak-Hissong as the boy.
Oh and don't miss the post-credits scene.
A solid 8/10 from me.

blood.png
 
The Blackening: Very much a parody, even a parody of parodies of Horror Films, the wit is razor sharp as racial stereotypes are set up and knocked down. Some will find the language offensive but it's uttered by black actors and written by black writers. We see how even middles class black professionals are often portrayed as using a street patois, A group of Black college friends organise a Juneteenth reunion at a remote forest lodge, If the black actor is the first to die then what happens if all of the characters are black? From the outset trouble brews as the advance couple encounter a murderous masked killer. The others face whire suspicion on their way to the lodge, there's even a park ranger named B. White. The Blackening itself is a board game with a speaking racist "Sambo" style head at it's centre. The old college friends must answer questions on Black culture trivia if they are to survive, having been locked in the cabin. Every horror trope and cliche in the book is used and turned upside down. There is some horror and jump shocks though as people are killed in gruesome styles. A few intereseting plot twists as well. A fun film which will make you think about what you laughed at in the past. Directed by Tim Story and written by Tracy Oliver and Dewayne Perkins, 8/10.

In cinemas.
 
Vampires vs the Bronx (Netflix). A horror comedy. The Bronx is being bought up by a property developer who looks to upscale the neighbourhood, maybe - the title says it all. A local teen wants to save his local bodega (variety store) and community from being taken over.

Oz Rodriguez writes and directs this movie.

I knew immediately that the writer LOVES all things vampiric. It has many nods to vampire lore, movies and writings.

There is a property development company, Murnau Properties, in the area meeting with home and business owners offering to buy them out. Frank Polidori is the deal maker working for Murnau.

Three teen friends discover that there are vampires looking to move in. They go to their local bodega to find a relevant video to teach them how to protect their community.

Not only is it a movie about kids and vampires, but it makes a light social commentary regarding the gentrification of communities.

The movie is a PG movie so it is not scary, but if you have kids who are into horror movies, this would be perfect to whet their appetite.

A fun movie to watch. 7/10
 
blessmycottonsocks said:
Remember a couple of years ago, there was a thread on here about mysterious staircases in the middle of forests and which turned out to be yet another Creepypasta piece of fiction?
Well it was only a matter of time before someone made a movie out of it and "The Stairs" (2022) is currently streaming on Prime Video.
It starts some 20 years ago, with an annoying old git of a grandfather teaching his grandson to kill animals, when they first discover the staircase.
Then, fast forward to the current day, when an unconvincing group of paper-thin clichéd characters (square-jawed alpha male, wise-cracking loud-mouth, greedy unfit incompetent, sassy female etc.) go on a long hike through the woods and rediscover not only the stairs, but the boy (who hasn't aged a day) along with a whole heap of gross-out body horror.
The gore is adequately well done, the time-slip motif was moderately interesting and there were a couple of reasonable jump-scares.
Overall though, it's let down by a clearly low budget, some iffy acting, plot-holes aplenty and a rather silly-looking monster.
Still, get a few beers in, leave your brain at home and you may enjoy it.
A 5/10 from me.


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These are off a pathway somewhere in my home town. I've been kicking myself ever since I took this picture that I didn't make a note of where they are and I haven't been able to find them again since.

astairscromer.jpg
 
Asvins: Indian Tamil-language horror film. Starts with an animated section about how a Demon came to Earth. In the present day an Indian team of youtubers brought to England to spend a night in and film a haunted house where a massacre took place. The house os on an island only reachable by a causeway during low tide. Some poignant scenes as the the team cross over (in more ways than one) and the incoming tide gradually covers the path and a cross on it. Some disconcerting scenes in the dark, with only flashlights as demonic forces attack. Gets even more horrifying as murders apparently occur. A film about possession, wins, a pair of idols, the duality of good and evil,not just in humans but between our plane of existence and the shadow world where Demons may be defeated. Written by Aadhithya Bahudhanam Prakash and directed by Tarun Teja in his directorial debut. On Netflix. 7/10.
 
Swifty said:
These are off a pathway somewhere in my home town. I've been kicking myself ever since I took this picture that I didn't make a note of where they are and I haven't been able to find them again since.

View attachment 69040
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Holy shit .. I'm about to re find these steps and it seems they were attached to Newhaven Court ... Oscar Wilde and M.R. James, Churchill and Einstein amongst other celebrities used to hang out there before the place burned down in '63 according to this link ..

https://www.family-tree.co.uk/news/the-story-of-newhaven-court/
 
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Empire V (Russia, 2022).

This urban fantasy extravaganza is the brainchild of the Russian director Victor Ginzburg, (who now resides in the States) and is based on the famous novel by the Russian author Voctor Pelevin. Ginzburg already has form in this area, having produced the well regarded film Generation P some 12 years back, which was also a screen adaptation of a Pelevin novel. (And which so excited me at the time that I named my blog after it).

The people who are least likely to see Empire V are its intended audience: Russians. It was due for release at the beginning of last year but the authorities refused to allow it distrribution rights. This is almost certainly because it features Miron Fyodorov - AKA OXXXYMORON - the rapper who has staged concerts to protest the war in the Ukraine and to raise money for its victims, as well as some other actors who have expressed similar concerns.( I saw this in Kazakhstan, which takes a neutral stance on this war -although the film had very limited showing times).

In present day Moscow we are introduced to Roman ( Pavel Tabakov - who puts me in mind of a young Malcolm Mcdowell). He is a sort of everyman, shuffling his way though exploitative dead end jobs, when he chances on an advert writtten on the pavement offering new opportunities for the likes of him. He follows this up and finds himself, in short, in the company of vampire. This vampire is dyying but under an obligation yo pass his vampiredom onto another select person - i.e Roman.

The rest of the film is a sort of extended initiation process, not unlike a much darker and more adult Harry Potter scenario, where Ramon - now Rama - enters the secret world of the Vampires - an elite sect who really run the show. We learn how they control humanity through propagating `Glamour` (the desire for consumerist objects) and `Discourse` (The official line on things - pronmoted through apparent logical debate). Rama undergoes many visionary experiences invovlving narcotic serums which strip away the veils of reality and, of course, he meets a fellow Vampiress woman....

There is even a cameo role for such big names as Fyodor Bondarchuk (who directed Attraction and its sequel).

If you have read a Viktor Pelevin novel and/or seen Generation P then you will know the drill: the fusion of the very latest in popular culture with ancient - partuicularly Babylonian culture, the Moscow-centerdness, the preoccupation with narcotics, the sense of reality being manipulated by a hidden elite and the deadpan grotesquerie. Above all, this is a real visual jamboree of opulent old world interiors and psychedelic odysseys. There are many things in this film tthat could be funny - but it sidesteps humour in favour of an atmosphere of psychological disassociation which is very true to Pelevin's novels.

It doesn't take much analysis to view this as a satire on the oligarchs who control Russia and use media bombardment as their tool to do so. The vampire metaphor does seem just a tad passe nowadays (the novel is from 2006) but the film extends its iconoclasm to vampire lore too so that keeps it fresh.

Empire V left me feeling a bit queasy, but some scenes will definitely linger. This trailer has English subtitles so I suspect a full film version with subtitles will be knocking around somewhere.

 
Killer Book Club: It's a well worn trope, a group of teens involved in a death which they cover up BUT someone knows the truth and pursues them. This film has a few interesting twists, all of the students involved are members of a horror book club with a particular passion for Killer clowns. One of their members is harassed and threatened by a predatory professor so they decide prank him while dressed as Killer Clowns. Things go wrong and the professor falls to his death, Naturally they decide to conceal what really happened and the death is believed to be due to suicide or an accident. But someone starts writing a book about the murder, only slightly concealing their identities. The anonymous author tells of the death of members of the club in each chapter posted on an online horror fiction site. Paranoia breaks out as they suspect each other but they begin to disappear. Great Killer Clown action as victims are dispatched with an ice axe, stalked in library stacks, corridors and deserted buildings (will they never learn?)..Some great perspective shots with a Killer Clown under a walkway beneath a victim, witnessing slayings through plate glass windows. Plenty of gore, jump shocks and a few plot twists and surprises. Not a great Slasher/Killer Clown film but a good one and at 89 minutes it doesn't overstay it's welcome. Directed by Carlos Alonso Ojea, written by Carlos García Miranda. On Netflix. 6.5/10.
 
I don't know if it qualifies as horror or comedy, but I watched Renfield on DVD last night.
I actually enjoyed it! It was just another opportunity for Nicolas Cage to over-act, but I did perceive that he had some difficulty with dialogue because of the crazy vamp teeth he was wearing. For those who love such things, there's old-fashioned special FX a-plenty too.
Sadly, it lost money at the box office. I don't know what rating to give... maybe 7/10?
 
blessmycottonsocks said:
Watched Phenomena / Fenómenas (2023) on Netflix last night.
Based on real events, it tells the tale of the real-life Hepta paranormal researchers investigating an infamous poltergeist case in Madrid.
All the right boxes are ticked; a creepy old antique shop, a Ouija session, a pre-teen girl seemingly at the centre of the events, a walled-up hidden room and loads of (probably too much) poltergeist activity. The three middle-aged, chain-smoking women's investigation turns up far more than they bargained for though, including child-abuse and a murder. There are a few moderate jump-scares and some irritating use of strobe-lighting in the latter stages.
I found it reasonably entertaining, but the director opted for a rather tongue-in-cheek style, including some ironic use of background music and comedic interludes (notably the guy with alopecia) which I found detracted from rather than enhanced the plot.
Overall I'd probably rate it a 6/10.
I did just about enjoy it enough though to research the real events that inspired the film - see link below the picture.


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https://auralcrave.com/en/2023/04/15/netflixs-phenomena-the-true-story-of-the-hepta-group/
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I'll have to look at my local Madrid ghost book now, to see if it is covered there...
 
The Ruins (2008): Two young American couples holidaying in Mexico link up with a German who is searching for his missing brother, They travel into the jungle to a remote Mayan pyramid, There they encounter some angry villagers who shoot the German and as they all seem to have broken some taboo, won;t let them leave the pyramid. Supplies are low and they ponder over their chances of rescue. Then things take a turn for the worse as they are attacked by seemingly sentient vines! This is a rather gruesome and gory film as the tourists have to fight carnivorous plants which can also mimic sounds and voices. These fierce flora make Triffids look tame in comparison. Seeing the horrible herbage dragging a corpse away to be consumed is more than a little disconcerting. The tension is maintained as the remaining tourists try to survive the night and think of ways of outwitting the villagers who surround the pyramid. A worthy addition to the vicious vegetation Canon. Directed by Carter Smith and written by Scott B. Smith. On Netflix. 7.5/10.
 
ramonmercado said:
The Ruins (2008): Two young American couples holidaying in Mexico link up with a German who is searching for his missing brother, They travel into the jungle to a remote Mayan pyramid, There they encounter some angry villagers who shoot the German and as they all seem to have broken some taboo, won;t let them leave the pyramid. Supplies are low and they ponder over their chances of rescue. Then things take a turn for the worse as they are attacked by seemingly sentient vines! This is a rather gruesome and gory film as the tourists have to fight carnivorous plants which can also mimic sounds and voices. These fierce flora make Triffids look tame in comparison. Seeing the horrible herbage dragging a corpse away to be consumed is more than a little disconcerting. The tension is maintained as the remaining tourists try to survive the night and think of ways of outwitting the villagers who surround the pyramid. A worthy addition to the vicious vegetation Canon. Directed by Carter Smith and written by Scott B. Smith. On Netflix. 7.5/10.
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I read the book years ago. I enjoyed it.
 
SimonBurchell said:
I'll have to look at my local Madrid ghost book now, to see if it is covered there...
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It's there! pp. 165-166 in Fantasmas de Madrid by José Luis Rodríguez-Checa.
Moving objects, phantom odours, and sounds of animated discussion. After a few months, as is common in poltergeist cases, the paranormal events stopped. There was speculation that it was caused by the ghost of a lawyer who burned to death in his bed due to a careless cigarette.
 
ramonmercado said:
The Ruins (2008): Two young American couples holidaying in Mexico link up with a German who is searching for his missing brother, They travel into the jungle to a remote Mayan pyramid, There they encounter some angry villagers who shoot the German and as they all seem to have broken some taboo, won;t let them leave the pyramid. Supplies are low and they ponder over their chances of rescue. Then things take a turn for the worse as they are attacked by seemingly sentient vines! This is a rather gruesome and gory film as the tourists have to fight carnivorous plants which can also mimic sounds and voices. These fierce flora make Triffids look tame in comparison. Seeing the horrible herbage dragging a corpse away to be consumed is more than a little disconcerting. The tension is maintained as the remaining tourists try to survive the night and think of ways of outwitting the villagers who surround the pyramid. A worthy addition to the vicious vegetation Canon. Directed by Carter Smith and written by Scott B. Smith. On Netflix. 7.5/10.
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This film is No.1 in my “Nauseating First Aid” category, narrowly beating The Descent and Blackhawk Down.

:puke2:

maximus otter
 
maximus otter said:
This film is No.1 in my “Nauseating First Aid” category, narrowly beating The Descent and Blackhawk Down.

:puke2:

maximus otter
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There's a new category I hadn't thought of, though I enjoy the special effects in horror movies, so I would probably not even think of such a category.

I haven't seen the movie, but the novel "Between a Rock and a Hard Place" - real life survival written by Aron Ralston - would no doubt be in my top ten of that category.
 
Golden-oldie time.

If you think of Hammer Horror, you think of Dracula, Frankenstein Must Die (et al) and, maybe The Hound of the Baskervilles but The Two Faces of Doctor Jekyll from 1960 gets oddly left out of this roll call.

As far as I know this was Hammer's only attempt to make an adaptation of Stevenson's classic novel that had introduced the world to Jekyll and Hyde - and they bring something fresh, almost iconoclastic, to what was already a well told tale by then.

To start with, for some weird reason it's set in 1874 (that's twelve years before Stevenson wrote the original novel). Then Jekyll is married and his wife lives just as much as a double life as he does. She is having an affair with Christopher Lee (in a rare non-villain/ non-hero role). Rather than the usual iconography of foggy back alleys of London - this film is all boudoirs and clubs and drawing rooms. Then there's the character of Hyde - here, instead of being the usual simian thug, he is positively debonair - an amoral egotistic man-about-town played by Paul Massie without any make up. (Actually this seems to be closer to Stevenson's original conception as his Hyde, after all, had an account with Coutts bank and furnished his private rooms with good taste). Finally - Spoiler Alert! -Jekyll/Hyde doesn't die at the end!

Otherwise, the film is very `1960` with one foot in the fifties, with its stiff proprieties and the other in the `Swinging sixties`. Don't expect any gore or (explicit ) sex. It is very stagey with a script, complete with aphorisms, that almost recalls Wilde at times. There are also some lingering shots of slightly risque dance hall routines. Despite the odd date, this is very `Naughty Nineties` - as in the 1890s that is.

It's a cliche to say that they don't-make-'em-like-this-no-more, but here that really is the case. The leisurely pace, the literate script, the well lit and colour drenched photography, the soaring romantic musical score, the way the actors perform for the camera - all are relics of a bygone era.

All here. Enjoy.

 
Cobweb: We've been here before, a boy , Peter (Woody Norman), bullied at school, overprotective parents who won't let him go trick or treating due to a child going missing near their home years earlier, a new teacher who takes an interest in the boy. But there are some sinister twists from the outset in Cobweb, Peter hears knocking from his wall, this develops into him hearing a girl's voice. His parents Carol (Lizzy Caplan) and Mark (Antony Starr) assure him that he's imaging it. But when his worries result in a visit to the house from his new teacher (Cleopatra Coleman) his emotionally distant but seemingly caring parents reveal a dark side. The "girl in the wall" advises Peter to fight back against the bully (Luke Bussey) but he goes too far and the bully suffers broken limbs.

A disturbing film with the emphasis on psychological horror in the early parts, Peter's bedroom window overlooks a field of pumpkins, with a swing and barn which all seem ominously threatening. The bullying too is part of his everyday routine which can make going to school a a living hell. His parents mood swings as they morph into martinets are terrifying. The real horror and jumps scares literally emerge later when we encounter a real life monster and wonder if nature or nurture made it as it is. Some really gruesome scenes which are not for the fainthearted. The house itself is a star with it' dark corridor, stairs, basement and sinister garden. Good acting all round especially from Norman and Bussey. Directed by Samuel Bodin in his directorial debut, screenplay by Chris Thomas Devlin. 8/10.

In cinemas.
 
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ramonmercado said:
Cobweb: We've been here before, a boy , Peter (Woody Norman), bullied at school, overprotective parents who won't let him go trick or treating due to a child going missing near their home years earlier, a new teacher who takes an interest in the boy. But there are some sinister twists from the outset in Cobweb, Peter hears knocking from his wall, this develops into him hearing a girl's voice. His parents Carol (Lizzy Caplan) and Mark (Antony Starr) assure him that he's imaging it. But when his worries result in a visit to the house from his new teacher (Cleopatra Coleman) his emotionally distant but seemingly caring parents reveal a dark side. The "girl in the wall" advises Peter to fight back against the bully (Luke Bussey) but goes too far and the bully suffers broken limbs.

A disturbing film with the emphasis on psychological horror in the early parts, Peter's bedroom window overlooks a field of pumpkins, with a swing and barn which all seem ominously threatening. The bullying too is part of his everyday routine which can make going to school a a living hell. His parents mood swings as they morph into martinets are terrifying. The real horror and jumps cares literally emerge later when we encounter a real life monster and wonder if nature or nurture made it as it is. Some really gruesome scenes which are not for the fainthearted. The house itself is a star with it' dark corridor, stairs, basement and sinister garden. Good acting all round especially from Norman and Bussey. Directed by Samuel Bodin in his directorial debut, screenplay by Chris Thomas Devlin. 8/10.

In cinemas.
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Looks like it is also available on a few streaming services according to this:
https://decider.com/2023/07/20/is-cobweb-streaming-on-netflix-or-amazon-prime-video/
 
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