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Post by moviemouth on Oct 28, 2020 13:13:40 GMT
I actually have an almost direct opposite feeling about this one. The good guys stuff works but the Chris Sarandon scenes steal the show for me...probably because they are campy and over the top at times, but the combination of his characters suaveness and the soundtrack make me love this one. Evil Ed is one of the best minor characters in a horror movie. One thing that stuck out tho...why doesn't Evil Ed turn back into a human in the end? Marcy turned back into a normal girl but Evil Ed stayed a creature of the night. Im sure its just to have that last little scare/'You're so cool Brewster' line but still...it makes no sense. I watched this movie again, yesterday. I forgot how bloody annoying Charlie was.
I also think the scenes with Sarandon were better, mostly because the "teens" are annoyed the shit out of me. Right now Im watching the second one and Charlie is still a creepy douche. Thank god for Peter and Alex. Charlie is sort of a douche, but that is actually what make him interesting to me. I don't think he is at all creepy though. I mean part of the irony is that he wanted sex so bad and then when she turns around and decides he has a point, he is immediately distracted by something else and is no longer interested. That is the point. He has a right to be frustrated. They have been together for a year and it is implied that he has barely gotten to second base. If the first scene with them was like a second or third date then I would agree he is being sleazy, but that isn't the case.
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Post by moviemouth on Oct 28, 2020 14:15:39 GMT
An American Werewolf in London is a simple and thematic movie about a man being transformed and having no control over it leading to a tragic conclusion. This movie perfectly balances humor, emotion and scares and is one of the best in the genre, tapping into anxieties about culture influence and losing our sanity and humanity. The stuff with his dead friend (creatively being more decomposed with each appearance) telling him he must kill himself for the sake of other people is truly disturbing and the transformation sequence being one of the perfectly executed horror scenes in movie history. A classic that deserves it's place as one of the best horror movies of all time.
8/10
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Post by TheOriginalPinky on Oct 28, 2020 15:07:30 GMT
Yesterday's views:
Needful Things (1993) Oh. Leland Gaunt, you sly devil, you. I mean, literally! He comes to town to set up a shop of collectibles, and each item is perfectly suited to its purchaser . . . with a twist! And then, unknown to them, plays the town residents against each other. Loved the book, and the movie does it credit. Max von Sydow IS Leyland Gaunt, and plays him so mischievously. Rounding out the case is Ed Harris as Sheriff Pangborn who suspects something is up; Bonnie Bedelia as his arthritis-suffering love interest; JT Walsh (“DON’T call me Buster!”) and Amanda Plummer as shy, hapless Nettie. A literal explosive ending! And the score is so fitting. 7/10 Max von Sydow Ed Harris Bonnie Bedelia Amanda Plummer JT Walsh
The Fog (2005) OMG, this was just horrible! At least the original had Adrian Barbeau and her breasts! This just had Selma Blair and her terrible acting. And it had LOTS of fog! 1/10
The Skeleton Key (2015) Solid film about a caregiver to a paralyzed stroke patient who begins to think there is more to her charge than meets the eye. They live alone on a plantation in the bayou with the patient’s wife who hired the caregiver. Is this a haunted house story? Hmmmm, no; it’s so much more! Very gothic in it’s feel, it plays out brilliantly! Great ending! This film is vastly underrated and should be a part of everyone’s horror collection. 8/10 Gena Rowlands John Hurt Kate Hudson Peter Sarsgaard
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Post by moviemouth on Oct 29, 2020 0:54:30 GMT
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 Movie punks are rarely realistic and I was just a child in the 1980s, so I don't know what punks acted like or wore in the '80s anyway. I am not much of a zombie movie fan, but this is just so entertaining, funny and creative and it is one of the best horror comedies imo. My least favorite aspect of the movie is the punks though, but they are still cheesy fun. This type of horror movie can get away with the silly OTT punks in the same way The Lost Boys does. They are a representation of the outcasts. You are complaining about fast zombies, but not about zombies talking on the police radio and being self-aware? My favorite scene in the movie is when they ask the zombie why they like brains so much and the zombie relies "because it makes the pain go away" and the cynical ending is a delight. 7.5/10
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Post by TheOriginalPinky on Oct 29, 2020 1:15:57 GMT
Just got done with my viewing today:
Darkness Falls (2003) Convoluted twist on the Tooth Fairy. In the olden days, kindly woman is disfigured by fire, wears mask, when a couple of kids go missing, town blames her and burns her. She extracts her revenge in the visage of the tooth fairy on all but one child who grows up and is afraid of the dark. He moves away. Girl who grew up with him has little brother who is afraid of the dark because tooth fairy will get him. Survivor goes back reluctantly to help. It is filmed in darkness and it feels depressing. Acting is subpar and no real scares. 5/10 Chaney Kley Emma Caulfield
The Creeping Flesh (1973) Set in the Victorian era, scientist (Peter Cushing) looks for a cure for evil. He brought back a full skeleton of primitive man from New Guinea that purportedly contains the origin of evil! His wife, who he told his daughter is dead was actually in an insane asylum run by his half-brother (Christopher Lee). She died while he was in New Guinea. Lee advises Cushing he will no longer subsidize his expeditions and experiments. Cushing goes back to his lab, and while washing off the skeleton’s hand with water, the skeleton’s finger regenerates. Meanwhile, Lee is trying his own experiments to regenerate dead tissue. And there are a few backstories as well concerning an escaped lunatic, Cushing’s daughter and the dead mother. And then Lee steals the skeleton which is exposed to water as it’s being rushed away when the carriage turns over the rain pours down. So much going on!! It’s like a soap opera. Very cool ending!!! 7/10 Peter Cushing Christopher Lee
And Now the Screaming Starts (1973) An Amicus horror film, but not an anthology. With stable of characters Peter Cushing, Herbert Lom and Patrick Magee. The lovely Stephanie Beacham rounds out the main cast. Premise: In the late 1700’s, landowner rapes new bride of worker; worker disrespects landowner, landowner has worker’s hand cut off, worker swears vengeance that the next virgin bride will be his ancestors. Years later, landowner’s grandson brings new bride home, she gets raped by ghost and gets pregnant. I actually enjoyed this film. Shot nicely, good pace except for a bit at the end. 7/10 Peter Cushing Patrick Magee Herbert Lom Stephanie Beacham Ian Ogilvy Geoffrey Whitehead
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Post by Sarge on Oct 29, 2020 4:20:29 GMT
Nurse 3D 2013, but I watched in 2D. A psychopath nurse punishes men and stalks her coworker. Paz de la Huerta as a female perverted Dexter killing in the nude is something to see. If that sounds promising then you'll probably be entertained. Her co-star Katrina Bowden is forgettable. It's fairly bloody but too much bad cgi and would have benefited substantially from practical effects. I noticed only one 3D scene but I might have missed some.
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Post by Prime etc. on Oct 29, 2020 4:44:53 GMT
The thing with Fright Night is whether Jerry Dandridge was sincere in saying he was going to give Charlie a chance to forget about him. Would he? Or was he just leading him on so he could come back later to kill him? He would have definitely broken his promise when he saw Amy's photo. I think he was like the Devil and just pretending to be tormented about being a vampire--all his other behavior suggested he was perfectly fine with it. Also it drove me crazy wondering why fruit kept dropping into his hand--until I read it was to suggest he was a fruit bat.
I don't like that reincarnated love angle--with vampires it usually comes off as cheap IMO. The scene where Evil Ed visits Peter Vincent and then his attack as a wolf is really the scariest parts of the movie. Even the wolf managed to look creepy as hell running down the hall.
Also, how many years it took me to finally see Scars of Dracula, the movie shown on the tv--as well, they cut in scenes from the 1970 Count Dracula for when Peter Vincent opens a coffin and stakes a vampire.
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Post by Marv on Oct 29, 2020 4:51:55 GMT
The thing with Fright Night is whether Jerry Dandridge was sincere in saying he was going to give Charlie a chance to forget about him. Would he? Or was he just leading him on so he could come back later to kill him? He would have definitely broken his promise when he saw Amy's photo. I think he was like the Devil and just pretending to be tormented about being a vampire--all his other behavior suggested he was perfectly fine with it. Also it drove me crazy wondering why fruit kept dropping into his hand--until I read it was to suggest he was a fruit bat. I don't like that reincarnated love angle--with vampires it usually comes off as cheap IMO. The scene where Evil Ed visits Peter Vincent and then his attack as a wolf is really the scariest parts of the movie. Even the wolf managed to look creepy as hell running down the hall. Also, how many years it took me to finally see Scars of Dracula, the movie shown on the tv--as well, they cut in scenes from the 1970 Count Dracula for when Peter Vincent opens a coffin and stakes a vampire. I noticed on my last rewatch of Fright Night also...When Brewster is watching Peter Vincent on tv at the beginning, he’s holding the stake backwards as he goes to stab the female vampire. I’m sure it was intentional but I laughed out loud when I noticed it.
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Post by Prime etc. on Oct 29, 2020 4:57:03 GMT
I noticed on my last rewatch of Fright Night also...When Brewster is watching Peter Vincent on tv at the beginning, he’s holding the stake backwards as he goes to stab the female vampire. I’m sure it was intentional but I laughed out loud when I noticed it. He was good in those fake gothic horror inserts. I hated slasher movies so really appreciated his line about "nobody wants to see vampire killers any more, or vampires either. Apparently all they want are demented madmen, running around in ski masks hacking up young virgins."
BTW the popularity of Fright Night is such that Chris Sarandon and some other cast members are doing a live script read of it for October 30. Saw it posted on the Fright Night Facebook group.
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Post by poelzig on Oct 29, 2020 5:48:13 GMT
Some quick thoughts on Fright Night (1985). This movie is at it's best when it focuses on the good guys and Evil Ed, whenever it starts focusing on Chris Sarandon it can get quite campy in a bad way. I have mixed feeling about his performance, sometimes he is interesting and sometimes he isn't. The movie also doesn't utilize Evil Ed to his full potential and I think if he was given more focus the movie would be more interesting. The movie gets too vampire soap opera-y in the second half with the Dracula love-interest/seduction stuff and it just doesn't fit with the overt silliness of the rest of the movie. Everything about Roddy McDowell's character is just wonderful though. I think the movie should have spent more time building things up instead of the main character figuring out his neighbor is a vampire right off the bat and it sort of just goes on autopilot in the second half. Overall the movie is fun enough, but it gets bogged down by some of the stuff I mentioned. I have watched the movie a handful of times in the past and I keep coming back to it because I remember the good stuff, but then I re-watch it and I am reminded why it doesn't work for me on the whole. The remake actually does some stuff better, but it lacks the unique glee of the original and David Tennant and Christopher Mintz-Plasse pale in comparison to the original versions of those characters. 6.5/10 I must be in the minority. I really hated Evil Ed. The actor has such a punchable face and the character is an annoying douchebag. Painfully over the top bad acting in every scene. "Breeewsteeer" And that ridiculous laugh was like fingernails on a chalkboard. There is literally nothing at all likable about him. He was a dick then he was a little crybaby gutless bitch and I was supposed to feel sympathy for him? I was so happy when the asshole seemed to be killed and disappointed that they implied he was alive later. At least he wasn't in the sequel which was kind of meh. Even McLoving was better in the remake and Imogen Poots was soooooo much better than homely Amanda Bearse. Not sure what I was missing because Ed has a ton of fans. Potato douchebago I guess.
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Post by Sarge on Oct 29, 2020 6:38:43 GMT
Evil Ed in Fright Night is supposed to be unlikable, at least I always assumed it was intentional since he's so obnoxious.
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Post by poelzig on Oct 29, 2020 7:33:54 GMT
Evil Ed in Fright Night is supposed to be unlikable, at least I always assumed it was intentional since he's so obnoxious. I agree yet most fans of the movie adore him. I admit I'm rarely a fan of overtly obnoxious characters in movies or tv shows. In TV shows in particular I have stopped watching shows because of really annoying characters that others love. Villanelle in Killing Eve is a perfect example of a super obnoxious character so annoying I stopped watching the show but she is worshiped by most others. Archer from Archer tho is hilarious and awesome to me and he's a total douchebag.
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Post by sostie on Oct 29, 2020 10:29:12 GMT
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 You are complaining about fast zombies, but not about zombies talking on the police radio and being self-aware? My favorite scene in the movie is when they ask the zombie why they like brains so much and the zombie relies "because it makes the pain go away" and the cynical ending is a delight. 7.5/10 My issue with the fast zombies was not because it broke zombie "conventions". I had no problem with talking and organised zombies in that respect. It was more to do with it reducing any real tension or horror - everytime the police or paramedics turned up it was an instant.speedy swamp of the undead turning up, and then the scenes were over. I just think slower zombies would have been more effective.
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Post by Marv on Oct 29, 2020 10:47:46 GMT
Cats Eye and Creepshow...two anthologies that are at least partly molded by Stephen King...I like em both. It’s funny how many actors there are in these that are, or would become, household names.
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Post by gspdude on Oct 29, 2020 12:06:08 GMT
Dracula, Lord of the Damned (2011) Found this little known (18 ratings on IMDB) strange movie on Tubi. If I had ever done LSD while watching any Dracula movie, I think this is the movie I would have seen. The plot is true to Dracula as portrayed in most movies so I managed not to get lost. The main difference is Dracula's motive, he thinks he's on a mission from God, or Satan, I'm not sure which. The movie is pretty trippy, and probably not for everyone, but I liked it. 7/10.
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Post by moviemouth on Oct 29, 2020 12:35:25 GMT
You are complaining about fast zombies, but not about zombies talking on the police radio and being self-aware? My favorite scene in the movie is when they ask the zombie why they like brains so much and the zombie relies "because it makes the pain go away" and the cynical ending is a delight. 7.5/10My issue with the fast zombies was not because it broke zombie "conventions". I had no problem with talking and organised zombies in that respect. It was more to do with it reducing any real tension or horror - everytime the police or paramedics turned up it was an instant.speedy swamp of the undead turning up, and then the scenes were over. I just think slower zombies would have been more effective. I can understand that, I just think the fast zombies make the movie funnier.
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Post by moviemouth on Oct 29, 2020 12:47:47 GMT
Some quick thoughts on Fright Night (1985). This movie is at it's best when it focuses on the good guys and Evil Ed, whenever it starts focusing on Chris Sarandon it can get quite campy in a bad way. I have mixed feeling about his performance, sometimes he is interesting and sometimes he isn't. The movie also doesn't utilize Evil Ed to his full potential and I think if he was given more focus the movie would be more interesting. The movie gets too vampire soap opera-y in the second half with the Dracula love-interest/seduction stuff and it just doesn't fit with the overt silliness of the rest of the movie. Everything about Roddy McDowell's character is just wonderful though. I think the movie should have spent more time building things up instead of the main character figuring out his neighbor is a vampire right off the bat and it sort of just goes on autopilot in the second half. Overall the movie is fun enough, but it gets bogged down by some of the stuff I mentioned. I have watched the movie a handful of times in the past and I keep coming back to it because I remember the good stuff, but then I re-watch it and I am reminded why it doesn't work for me on the whole. The remake actually does some stuff better, but it lacks the unique glee of the original and David Tennant and Christopher Mintz-Plasse pale in comparison to the original versions of those characters. 6.5/10 I must be in the minority. I really hated Evil Ed. The actor has such a punchable face and the character is an annoying douchebag. Painfully over the top bad acting in every scene. "Breeewsteeer" And that ridiculous laugh was like fingernails on a chalkboard. There is literally nothing at all likable about him. He was a dick then he was a little crybaby gutless bitch and I was supposed to feel sympathy for him? I was so happy when the asshole seemed to be killed and disappointed that they implied he was alive later. At least he wasn't in the sequel which was kind of meh. Even McLoving was better in the remake and Imogen Poots was soooooo much better than homely Amanda Bearse. Not sure what I was missing because Ed has a ton of fans. Potato douchebago I guess. He is unlikable and OTT in a fascinating and endlessly watchable way and he is also hilarious. I have never seen a performance quite like his before. I felt a sort of sympathy for him when he is "killed", but not full sympathy. I felt bad for the guy because it seemed that he can't help being who he is and that made him an outcast and an easy target for Chris Sarandon. I think the mistake is that the movie doesn't elaborate on his character enough, because Chris Sarandon's character gets him to agree to be a vampire way too easily and while he is very strange, I don't see him as someone who would enjoy killing people in the first parts of the movie.
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Post by theravenking on Oct 29, 2020 14:32:55 GMT
Lake Placid (1999; Steve Miner) – The perfect B-movie: Great, witty dialogue: “Crocodiles were more worshipped during history than Jesus.” - Fun characters (Oliver Platt’s croc expert would’ve deserved his own spin-off), and the animatronic crocodile designed by Stan Winston is a beauty too. 7/10
Sleepy Hollow (1999; Tim Burton) – This used to be a Halloween favourite. I didn’t enjoy it as much this time. Great atmosphere and excellent set-design, but the convoluted plot distracts from what could’ve been a great gothic-horror whodunit. Also Depp is fairly annoying, he plays Ichabod Crane as if he was doing a practise run for Jack Sparrow. The character is far too bumbling and silly and started grating on my nerves. Are we really supposed to believe that a person who deals with mutilated corpses each day would be this scared of some supernatural ghoul? 7/10
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Post by Marv on Oct 29, 2020 14:57:36 GMT
Lake Placid (1999; Steve Miner) – The perfect B-movie: Great, witty dialogue: “Crocodiles were more worshipped during history than Jesus.” - Fun characters (Oliver Platt’s croc expert would’ve deserved his own spin-off), and the animatronic crocodile designed by Stan Winston is a beauty too. 7/10 Sleepy Hollow (1999; Tim Burton) – This used to be a Halloween favourite. I didn’t enjoy it as much this time. Great atmosphere and excellent set-design, but the convoluted plot distracts from what could’ve been a great gothic-horror whodunit. Also Depp is fairly annoying, he plays Ichabod Crane as if he was doing a practise run for Jack Sparrow. The character is far too bumbling and silly and started grating on my nerves. Are we really supposed to believe that a person who deals with mutilated corpses each day would be this scared of some supernatural ghoul? 7/10 I usually like both these films...Lake Placid especially has such a fun cast to me. I loved the banter between Platt and Gleeson and the one liners like after he holds up a finger he finds on the shore "Was this your friend?" "He seemed taller."...its just so dry I love it.
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Post by theravenking on Oct 29, 2020 15:07:19 GMT
The Darkness (2016; Greg McLean) – I didn’t even realize at first, that this was directed by Greg McLean. I loved Wolf Creek and Rogue, but this is by far his weakest work yet. Technically everything about it is solid, but it’s incredibly boring. The youngest child of a family gets possessed by Native American spirits while they’re holidaying at the Grand Canyon. When they return home, the kid starts acting weirdly and creepy things start happening around the house. This is the rare horror movie where no-one dies, and there is very little sense of danger. 2/10
Demonic (2015; Will Canon) – I’m not even sure I understood what was going on here. It starts out with some cop (Frank Grillo) called to a house full of dead bodies, then we switch to a group of young people who seem to be paranormal investigators looking into what happened at the house years later. It’s rather dull and the jumping back and forth between the two timelines didn’t really help either. 2/10
I Had A Bloody Good Time At House Harker (2016; Clayton Cogswell) – This is a bit like the horror version of Galaxy Quest. Two inane brothers, the youngest offspring of the legendary vampire-hunting Harker family, are the joke of town as amateur horror-filmmakers, but when a real vampire turns up they get the opportunity to honour the legacy of their ancestors. I really wanted to like this. It was made on a shoe-string budget from crowd-funding, but the low-brow humour didn’t really connect with me. 3/10
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