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Post by Anonymous Andy on Oct 8, 2020 19:08:31 GMT
Watched The Strangers: Prey at Night earlier in the week and was pleasantly surprised. Yes, it's a bit patchy and some of the acting isn't quite up to snuff but holy hell that last half hour was full of all the stuff I just love in a slasher flick: throbbing synths, bright neon, classic pop tunes being repurposed, wide shots, excellent use of shadows, comeuppance for the villains etc. Had a really good time with it. 7/10
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Post by moviemouth on Oct 8, 2020 23:09:22 GMT
The Keep is a strange one, but I always keep coming back to it. It’s a mess of a film, but I just find it hypnotic thanks largely to Mann’s stylistic brushes and the tangerine dream score. I might just re-watch it this month. I remember reading that the studio asked Mann to cut down his 3+hr film to 2 hrs, which he did, but the studio still wasn’t pleased, so they cut it to what it is now. The alternate ending was floating around. Then not helping matters the person in charge of the special effects/FX died. Scenes were still incomplete and he was the only one who knew how some of special effects worked. So instead of getting in a new SFX guy, they tried to figure it out themselves. You gotta think this limited some set-pieces too.... maybe the final 15 mins would have been way more expansive than how it turned out? I kinda feel the same way about Monster Squad too. Saw for the first time when I was in my late teens, and it didn’t do much for me. Outside of the monster fx. A friend lent to me, who was a big fan of it, but he grew up with it. Last time I saw it was a couple years ago at a cinema during a film festival. Actually enjoyed it more this time around, but I think it was just the atmosphere of the theatre of watching with what looked like mostly fans. The Keep definitely comes across as one of those movies that was ruined in post-production. It looks and sounds great, is very eerie and provides a novel setting and dynamic. I mean, many of the principal protagonists are a bunch of Nazis! It's one of the few horror movies out there that really could merit a remake - provided they found the right director. I actually reduced my rating of The Monster Squad down to 4/10. It has a nice 80s vibe and the premise isn't bad, but like you say it's just one of those movies you need to have grown up with. For me, being in my 30s and having no sentimental attachment to the film it never spoke to me. I was never a big fan of The Monster Squad and I did grow up with it. I re-watched it some years back as an adult and I still feel more or less the same as I did about it when I first watched it. Sort of childish horror fun that fails to be fully engaging, but is an okay watch. 6/10 The Keep is a very frustrating movie. Good style and sometimes creepy, but the story is a mess. 5/10
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Post by moviemouth on Oct 8, 2020 23:13:41 GMT
Watched The Strangers: Prey at Night earlier in the week and was pleasantly surprised. Yes, it's a bit patchy and some of the acting isn't quite up to snuff but holy hell that last half hour was full of all the stuff I just love in a slasher flick: throbbing synths, bright neon, classic pop tunes being repurposed, wide shots, excellent use of shadows, comeuppance for the villains etc. Had a really good time with it. 7/10 Same. I actually despise the original.
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Post by Marv on Oct 9, 2020 1:44:32 GMT
Feral...not much to say. Its a forgettable and kind of bland zombie flick...i guess its zombies. People get attacked by these feral creatures who only come out at night, and if you're bitten by one you will become one, and they rise from the dead so even the corpses become them...and they look like the vampires from the Strain. It feels like an amalgamation of several classic horror monsters. I wish the cast left an impression. The only one that got any attempt at depth was the strong willed lesbian final girl...but even she felt cookie cutter. Anna and the Apocalypse....I have a lot to digest here. For one...didn't know it was a musical until 15 minutes into the film. Must have missed that part of the tagline. So when they break out into a song and dance number at a high school i thought 'oh so the movies doing this now?'. By the time the main character is singing her way to school in a happy go lucky fashion while the background is filled with people fighting for their lives during the beginning of the zombie outbreak, it had me hooked. Its humorous and kind of surreal in a lot of ways. Horror movies with a christmas backdrop usually set up a nice clash in moods. The actual plot is a little humdrum of stereotypes, not sure if that was intentional but all the characters felt by the book...single parent, teenager who wants to escape their small town, a male best friend whos secretly in love with her, the guy she actually went out with being a douche, etc. I will say tho...Ella Hunt is a beautiful girl. She's like a younger hotter Katie Holmes with a bit of Michelle Mylett thrown in. I am a fan. I think if you enjoy stuff like Shaun of the Dead, give this a shot. It wont be for everyone...especially because of the song and dance numbers...but it was a nice odd change of pace while still qualifying as a horror film. Ella Hunt
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Post by Captain Spencer on Oct 9, 2020 3:05:44 GMT
The Keep definitely comes across as one of those movies that was ruined in post-production. It looks and sounds great, is very eerie and provides a novel setting and dynamic. I mean, many of the principal protagonists are a bunch of Nazis! It's one of the few horror movies out there that really could merit a remake - provided they found the right director. I actually reduced my rating of The Monster Squad down to 4/10. It has a nice 80s vibe and the premise isn't bad, but like you say it's just one of those movies you need to have grown up with. For me, being in my 30s and having no sentimental attachment to the film it never spoke to me. I was never a big fan of The Monster Squad and I did grow up with it. I re-watched it some years back as an adult and I still feel more or less the same as I did about it when I first watched it. Sort of childish horror fun that fails to be fully engaging, but is an okay watch. 6/10 The Keep is a very frustrating movie. Good style and sometimes creepy, but the story is a mess.5/10 The novel The Keep by F. Paul Wilson was really good. But yeah, the movie was pretty bad.
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Post by Sarge on Oct 9, 2020 5:26:12 GMT
Truth or Dare 2018 has 2 irredeemable flaws: it ramps up too quickly and the acting is abysmal. The plot is young people are forced to play truth or dare by a malevolent force, "do the dare or the dare does you." The only warm up dare is 2 girls kissing, then it jumps to: tell a secret that ruins two relationships, then- maim yourself, kill yourself, and finally kill someone else. The dares are obvious based on personalities or other clues and the acting needed to sell the dread is completely absent. The final girl was predictable, sort of, you'll understand if you watch it. The last 10-15 minutes did make me uncomfortable a few times, though I may be getting soft in my old age, but they definitely saved the best for last. Another annoyance was the players constantly debating whether they had to play the game, well into the 2nd act and well past the point where the entity has proven that refusal to play carries a heavy penalty. It's like those zombie movies where after watching dozens or hundreds of people reanimate after death, there is still hand wringing over shooting the infected. Truth or Dare is easily the worst movie of my challenge to date.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 9, 2020 8:54:37 GMT
Idk how some of you do it. Watching random movies on YouTube is a nightmare trying to figure out wtf the name of it was. Plus the picture icon is always misleading.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 9, 2020 9:00:26 GMT
Truth or Dare 2018 has 2 irredeemable flaws: it ramps up too quickly and the acting is abysmal. The plot is young people are forced to play truth or dare by a malevolent force, "do the dare or the dare does you." The only warm up dare is 2 girls kissing, then it jumps to: tell a secret that ruins two relationships, then- maim yourself, kill yourself, and finally kill someone else. The dares are obvious based on personalities or other clues and the acting needed to sell the dread is completely absent. The final girl was predictable, sort of, you'll understand if you watch it. The last 10-15 minutes did make me uncomfortable a few times, though I may be getting soft in my old age, but they definitely saved the best for last. Another annoyance was the players constantly debating whether they had to play the game, well into the 2nd act and well past the point where the entity has proven that refusal to play carries a heavy penalty. It's like those zombie movies where after watching dozens or hundreds of people reanimate after death, there is still hand wringing over shooting the infected. Truth or Dare is easily the worst movie of my challenge to date. That movie wasn't good but for me its one that isn't a regret that I watched it. The ending was dumb but at that point I didn't really care how it ended. Im desperate for new horror movies that I damn near watch them all but mostly never find myself thrilled but don't regret. The Fantasy Island film is the same oddly with the same actress.
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Post by sostie on Oct 9, 2020 10:50:35 GMT
Every year for the challenge I look at lists for the best horrors of that year. It seems a lot of those lists contain films that some wouldn't call "horror" in a traditional sense, and I seem to gravitate to a lot of those, so some of these some may not think of as horrors...
Feedback (2019) A DJ is held hostage while he is forced to confess to past crimes on air. Bloody & violent and stars the excellent Eddie Marsan (if you don't knowe the name, you'll know the face)
The Pool (2020) I love films with a simple idea executed well. This Thai film is basically a man trapped in an empty swimming pool with a crocodile. There is one moment I'm not sure if it's unintentionally funny or heartbreaking, but the film is well worth seeing
Get Duked! (aka Boyz in the Wood)(2020) A group of inner city kids are sent to the Scottish Highlands to take part in the Duke Of Edinburgh scheme and are hunted down by a masked aristocrat (Eddie Izzard). Human hunts in the wilderness is a sub-genre I enjoy when done well, as is comedy horror. This was not as gory or violent as I expected, but way more enjoyable than anticipated.
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TheSowIsMine
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Post by TheSowIsMine on Oct 9, 2020 11:57:50 GMT
I watched The Lighthouse yesterday. It was a good movie. The actors do a great job carrying the film and the artistic choices work really well to give this film an old look and feel.
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Oct 9, 2020 12:19:26 GMT
Idk how some of you do it. Watching random movies on YouTube is a nightmare trying to figure out wtf the name of it was. Plus the picture icon is always misleading.Yeah, tell me about it.
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Post by lostinlimbo on Oct 9, 2020 13:35:26 GMT
The Wind (2018) This was a pleasant surprise. Low-key, and measured psychological western-horror heavy on mood and atmosphere. Where a supernatural entity possibly haunts the prairie. Best first-time viewing thus far.
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Post by James on Oct 9, 2020 14:45:47 GMT
ArchelausI see that you watched Hocus Pocus again, even though that technically isn't considered horror. I've personally never seen it, so maybe this is my opportunity to finally check it out (was worried that I couldn't).
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Post by Anonymous Andy on Oct 9, 2020 16:57:09 GMT
Idk how some of you do it. Watching random movies on YouTube is a nightmare trying to figure out wtf the name of it was. Plus the picture icon is always misleading.Yeah, tell me about it. I need to see this movie. 😄
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Post by Archelaus on Oct 9, 2020 16:57:20 GMT
Archelaus I see that you watched Hocus Pocus again, even though that technically isn't considered horror. I've personally never seen it, so maybe this is my opportunity to finally check it out (was worried that I couldn't). I may be cheating now that you mention it. Hocus Pocus isn't technically horror, but more of a fantasy comedy. So, now, I'm down two movies behind. I can watch two 90-minute Vincent Price horror films to catch up.
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Post by Ass_E9 on Oct 9, 2020 17:40:36 GMT
House (1986) was not unwatchable or boring and the actors were appealing… but a mess, especially at the end as it tried to tie everything together. The thing that bothered me most, however, was: The question of whether the creatures were real or imagined is answered rather early, fine. But if Roger wants to convince someone that they are real, why not show it to Harold at the first opportunity? Especially if he already has a flesh and blood creature in a bag and carrying it out to the yard to physically bury (and which keeps trying to come out of the bag as he’s speaking with the female neighbor)? Clearly Harold is able to see one of the creatures himself later on, so it was never intended that Roger would be the only one seeing these things. Also, Harold is worried enough about Roger’s sanity to call both Roger’s ex-wife and the police, but he still shows up at the house at Roger’s invitation to watch TV?
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TheSowIsMine
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Post by TheSowIsMine on Oct 9, 2020 21:58:16 GMT
I just watched Ghost in the Machine, yikes, that was not good. Its your typical 90's "OMG THE INTERNET" story.
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Post by theravenking on Oct 9, 2020 22:20:25 GMT
Two (for me) new ones:
Evil Dead 2 (1987; Sam Raimi) – This is supposed to be a comedy, right? I haven’t seen the first one, they say it’s more serious. I enjoyed it for the inventive camera-work, Bruce Campbell’s committed performance and its inventive shocks, but I’m not sure whether it’ll have any rewatch value for me. 7/10
The Haunting (1963; Robert Wise) – This classic comes with such a stellar reputation, that I felt like I was going to watch the Citizen Kane of haunted house movies. I appreciate what it was trying to do and as a psychological drama it’s fairly interesting, but there is just not nearly enough terror. This gets the set-up with the various conflicts between the characters right, but then fails to deliver any meaningful or engaging plot. I also dislike how it focused on just one single character, with the others not getting enough screen time. I would’ve preferred had the story been told from different points of view. So in the end the entire tale only amounts to a neurotic woman’s overwrought imagination. But then I already disliked the Shirley Jackson novel, so perhaps it’s just me. 6/10
and 2 rewatches:
Lake Mungo (2008; Joel Anderson) – This subtle and intelligent found footage chiller is a slow-burn, eschewing annoying horror clichés like loud jump-scares or dumb screaming teenagers. It is a fairly believable story, thanks to the unshowy performances but the restraint also means that some people would quickly dismiss it as boring. 7/10
The Others (2001; Alejandro Amenabar) – A beautifully made, elegant ghost story, featuring what is (in my opinion) one of Nicole Kidman’s finest performances. But it’s also perhaps a bit too much on the gentle side, and once you know the twist you realize that the movie’s concept isn’t particularly scary. Just like The Orphanage this is more like a dark fairy-tale than full-blown horror. 7.5/10
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Post by James on Oct 9, 2020 22:26:42 GMT
Archelaus I see that you watched Hocus Pocus again, even though that technically isn't considered horror. I've personally never seen it, so maybe this is my opportunity to finally check it out (was worried that I couldn't). I may be cheating now that you mention it. Hocus Pocus isn't technically horror, but more of a fantasy comedy. So, now, I'm down two movies behind. I can watch two 90-minute Vincent Price horror films to catch up. Oh, you do have a point. I didn’t want to call you out or anything, just wanted to mention it. At least you have two movies to watch back-to-back to catch up.
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Post by lostinlimbo on Oct 9, 2020 22:57:50 GMT
Archelaus I see that you watched Hocus Pocus again, even though that technically isn't considered horror. I've personally never seen it, so maybe this is my opportunity to finally check it out (was worried that I couldn't). I may be cheating now that you mention it. Hocus Pocus isn't technically horror, but more of a fantasy comedy. So, now, I'm down two movies behind. I can watch two 90-minute Vincent Price horror films to catch up. As long as a legitimate movie site (IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes, Letterboxd, TMDB, etc) tags it as horror. The latter two sites have it as so. I won’t argue with whatever choice you go with.
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