October Horror Challenge 2020 - DISCUSSION THREAD & RESULTS

Thank you. I appreciate that.

Watching "Gothika" for the first time since my original viewing. Loved this film upon my first time. Forgot RDJ was in this.

Silent Rage (1982) - 3.5/10

I have to write about this gem. Here we have a Chuck Norris action movie crossed with a B-monster movie and they do not mesh at all. It is actually quite remarkable how ridiculous this movie is on so many levels. The movie opens with a mentally unstable man who murders his wife and this is suppose to be disturbing...I think. Then the cops show up and Chuck Norris as the sheriff has a fight with this guy and then he is shot multiple times by the other cops. Oh, and his psychiatrist (and apparently also his personal surgeon), played by Ron Silver is there too. Then this hospital/experimental research facility (I guess) uses some random experimental drug on this guy after he dies from his gun shot wounds. Then the movie goes back and forth very awkwardly between Chuck Norris and his mentally challenged deputy doing police stuff, a parody level cliche of a rekindled romance with his ex-girlfriend and a mediocre monster movie.

This movie has a scene where Chuck Norris and his incompetent deputy confront a biker gang in a bar, in which one of the females whips her boobs out and the deputy literally reaches out to grab them. Seriously people, this scene is one of the dumbest and most out of place scenes in the history of movies. The deputy then goes out to the police car and seems to be taking to one of his friends over the police radio and saying he is now in love and how epic the woman's boobs were, meanwhile Chuck Norris is still in the bar opening a can of martial arts whoop-ass on this laughable group of morons. The scene doesn't even manage to be fulfilling because of how laughably unrealistic the entire situation is. The scene is just randomly thrown in because Chuck Norris is in the movie.  The movie almost manages to be so bad it's good, but it is more just so confusing that it ends of being mildly amusing.

I don't normally write reviews, in part because I am not very good at it, but... this fucking movie, this wonderful gem of a movie. As I write that I think of the scene in True Romance when Dennis Hopper is telling Christopher Walken the story of his ancestors and Walken can only respond by saying "This fucking guy." He doesn't know how else to respond but with amusement and thinking about how much he is going to enjoy killing him. That is my relationship with Silent Rage.

I think Gothika is unfairly panned, and probably due to people not much liking Halle Berry. It has a great storyline, some wonderful twists, and as you said, the cast makes it.

Best wishes for your dad. They do amazing things nowadays, and I'm sure he's in good hands. Still not a fun thing to go through.

Thank you so much.

Thank you very much.

The Nest (1987/8)

Semi-competently made killer cockroaches movie.

• Isn't that...no, it isn't: Initially thought the exterminator guy was Harlan from Videodrome. No.
• Lead love interest Lisa Langlois is one boring actress...
• ...which makes me wonder why the male lead would prefer her over the diner lady...
• ...particularly when the latter makes a rather impressive last stand over a whole army of cockroaches?
• Terri Treas's female scientist/kind-of-villain is a delicious portrayal that deserves a much better film.
• The cockroach in the poster not drawn to scale. Oh, and "she's just an appetizer" on the poster. There is no monster c*ckroach rape in the film, despite this being a Corman production.

The Return of the Living Dead (1985)

Not seen this in probably decades. I admit I was never a huge fan...never understood what was so special. It's good...just not great.
Part of the problem is the fast zombies - I always thought the film would be better with "shamblers". Also, 80s American films seemed to have a real problem depicting punks. Ok I moved in these circles back in the day (80s not 70s, and in London not the US) so I notice these things, and the gang in ROTLD always seemed just, well, pathetic. All over the top nihilism, faux anarchy and bad clothes (kind of feel the same about the Lost Boys except they look even more hilarious). The only 80s film I can think of that got it nearly right was Repo Man.

There's a lot of good there too. There are some good (not all) tracks on the soundtrack - any film that has the Cramps on it's ST can't all be bad. Tarman is stupendous - both the make-up and the performance. And it was a bit of a novelty having 3 (great) middle age male leads in a horror film that targeted a younger audience. Still probably a 6.5/10