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Post by Marv on Oct 5, 2021 23:38:01 GMT
Watched I Spit on Your Grave 3 (which is a sequel to the remake) and I Spit on your grave Deja Vu (which is a sequel to the original).
3 was decent. Brought Sarah Butler back in a ptsd kinda role as part of a counseling group who targets the other members abusers. Some decent graphic kills. Not as inspired as it’s predecessor but definitely very graphic. We see a knife through a penis. Like tip in a mouth, knife they the underside and up through, then ripped in half like she was peeling a banana! I can say I hadn’t seen that before.
Deja Vu was awful. Wasn’t sure if it was trying to parody itself or make fun of itself or be a dark comedy but it failed in all the ways it was trying and just wound up being really stupid and boring.
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Post by Sarge on Oct 6, 2021 0:19:07 GMT
Orphan 2009 was better than expected, due in no small part to the performances by Isabelle Fuhrman and Vera Farmiga. For the most part smartly written, it kept my attention and developed real suspense even though it was fairly predictable.
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Post by moviemouth on Oct 6, 2021 4:26:16 GMT
Bloodrayne (2005)
The basic story is below average, though not terrible. Evil vampire is trying to rule the world and a group of warriors, including his half-human daughter, are trying to stop him. It is really just medieval Blade with a woman. The screenplay, however, IS terrible. The characters barely have development and the directing is some of the worst I have seen. The action scenes are horribly horribly edited and while sort of amusing in their incompetence, they are mostly just really dull. The acting for the most part is very dull as well, Michael Madsen and Michelle Rodriguez (doing a fake British accent while nobody else is) in particular. I guess Ben Kingsey was just an easier target for a Razzie nomination than Michael Madsen. Ben Kingsey isn't terrible here, he is just phoning it in.
It isn't all bad though. Kristina Loken has some likability as the hero and is definitely sexy and it has some cool looking outdoors shots at parts. Geraldine Chaplin gives the most legit performance, but only has one scene. Udo Kier is decent in his one scene, Billy Zane is entertainingly bad in his few scenes and Meat Loaf goes full blown camp in his one scene. The first half is entertainingly awful in a very cheesy way, but that effect wears thin after a while. I think I might actually prefer Alone in the Dark, because that is a bit more creative and a bit more focused, if you can believe that.
2.5/10
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Post by Shane Falco on Oct 6, 2021 8:04:14 GMT
Watched the Sam Raimi Evil Dead last night for the first time. I had watched the remake a few years ago and liked it. This one, it held up a lot more than I expected. I assumed based on the premise of the sequels it would be a bit too for lack of a better term comedic. I enjoyed it a lot. I might give the sequels a shot if I need more FTV. Not sure what I'll watch tonight. Tomorrow is gonna be a binge I think.
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Post by Marv on Oct 6, 2021 12:40:48 GMT
Watched the Sam Raimi Evil Dead last night for the first time. I had watched the remake a few years ago and liked it. This one, it held up a lot more than I expected. I assumed based on the premise of the sequels it would be a bit too for lack of a better term comedic. I enjoyed it a lot. I might give the sequels a shot if I need more FTV. Not sure what I'll watch tonight. Tomorrow is gonna be a binge I think. The sequels definitely delve more into the horror comedy aspect…hell army of darkness is downright hilarious.
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Post by moviemouth on Oct 6, 2021 22:19:05 GMT
Till Death (2021)
More thriller than horror, but I mostly enjoyed it. The main issue I have is the complete lack of originality (It is basically the home invasion version of Gerald's Game) and Megan Fox just isn't talented enough to make you care about what is happening to her. She reads lines like she is in an action movie and not a dramatic thriller about a controlling husband. What makes up for it is the robbers. They have dynamic and great screen presence. There are definitely plot issues, mainly that everything just happens to go with how the husband intended, which is extremely unlikely. The metaphors in the movie are effective though and the themes of bad marriage are on point. It is definitely thrilling and well made, it builds suspense well and is has some nice twists and turns.
6.5/10
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Post by Sarge on Oct 7, 2021 3:13:33 GMT
Mama (2013). If you like supernatural movies with creepy girls, jump scares, loud noises, things that walk unnaturally, this is one of the better movies of the type, that I've seen. Disclaimer, I don't usually like ghost stories so I don't watch many. The story has issues, first that the motivation of the ghost doesn't make any sense. Second is there are two adult characters when there probably should have been only one. Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jaime Lannister) plays both the father and uncle of the two girls, but keeps getting knocked out of the story so that his girlfriend, played by Jessica Chastain, is the main adult but her character is poorly developed and has a very weak attachment to the children so it ends up feeling hollow. There is also an evil grandmother that serves no purpose. A doctor that serves no purpose. But the style is very well done, the acting credible, the effects are well done, the violence is believable, so it might deliver an emotional impact for some if they don't need things to make sense.
It's on HBO.
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Post by Sarge on Oct 7, 2021 3:28:59 GMT
Also want to mention I've been watching Midnight Mass on Netflix, about a small NE fishing village that gets a new priest and he teaches a literal interpretation of the Bible, and then miracles start happening. I find the acting to be superb for a limited series, and they keep the plot simple so it never feels bogged down in unnecessary detail or exposition. It has a little bit of a slow start, the first two episodes are mostly character introduction and development but I wouldn't call it boring. Recommended. We eventually learn the priest encountered an angel that gave him a blessing and he has come to share it with the town.
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Post by darkreviewer2013 on Oct 7, 2021 4:46:08 GMT
Watched Long Weekend (1978) - an Australian eco-horror concerning a combative couple who take a trip into the wilderness in a desperate, nay futile, attempt to rescue their disintegrating marriage.
Unwisely cutting themselves off from any contact with modern civilization by removing themselves to an isolated forest close to the shores of a remote beach, their chronic self-absorption and callous treatment of their natural surroundings soon leads to tragedy.
An effectively creepy thriller with a pervading sense of encroaching dread set against a scenic yet intimidating-looking landscape, this is an absolute must-watch for fans of Australian horror, intimate two-person thrillers or nature on the rampage.
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Post by Captain Spencer on Oct 7, 2021 11:15:34 GMT
Pumpkins (2018) Okay, let's see if I can make some sense out of this story. So these two young punks vandalize several pumpkins that belong to an old mentally-challenged farmer. The old man seems to instantly die of grief (I guess) but he rises from the dead wearing a creepy pumpkin mask and gets his revenge, plus he will slaughter anyone who invades his property. Or something like that.
This might have been a better horror movie if enough time was given to plot development and logic. Also the bad direction prevents it from having a good, creepy atmosphere or chills. And to top it all off, there's no real ending to speak of; the movie just...quits. Talk about anticlimatic! Other factors include poor acting and an annoying music score.
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TheSowIsMine
Junior Member
@thesowismine
Posts: 2,652
Likes: 1,684
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Post by TheSowIsMine on Oct 7, 2021 13:06:38 GMT
Till Death (2021) More thriller than horror, but I mostly enjoyed it. The main issue I have is the complete lack of originality (It is basically the home invasion version of Gerald's Game) and Megan Fox just isn't talented enough to make you care about what is happening to her. She reads lines like she is in an action movie and not a dramatic thriller about a controlling husband. What makes up for it is the robbers. They have dynamic and great screen presence. There are definitely plot issues, mainly that everything just happens to go with how the husband intended, which is extremely unlikely. The metaphors in the movie are effective though and the themes of bad marriage are on point. It is definitely thrilling and well made, it builds suspense well and is has some nice twists and turns. 6.5/10 Why didn’t she just fucking break his hand to a pulp
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Post by moviemouth on Oct 7, 2021 13:17:23 GMT
Till Death (2021) More thriller than horror, but I mostly enjoyed it. The main issue I have is the complete lack of originality (It is basically the home invasion version of Gerald's Game) and Megan Fox just isn't talented enough to make you care about what is happening to her. She reads lines like she is in an action movie and not a dramatic thriller about a controlling husband. What makes up for it is the robbers. They have dynamic and great screen presence. There are definitely plot issues, mainly that everything just happens to go with how the husband intended, which is extremely unlikely. The metaphors in the movie are effective though and the themes of bad marriage are on point. It is definitely thrilling and well made, it builds suspense well and is has some nice twists and turns. 6.5/10 Why didn’t she just fucking break his hand to a pulp She does do that with the anchor eventually. He also removed a lot of stuff that could be used to do that from the house. I am sure she could have found something, but he did get rid of all the tools and stuff. I was thinking just break his thumb as when in movies characters dislocate their thumbs to get out of handcuffs.
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Post by lostinlimbo on Oct 7, 2021 14:58:42 GMT
Count Dracula (1970)This Italian-Spanish-German production is hailed as being more faithful to the Bram Stoker novel than previous Dracula movies at the time. It stars Christopher Lee and he's always been my favorite Dracula. As usual, he's in fine form as the count. Although done on a low budget, it still looks like a handsome production; nice settings and costumes, plus good period detail. But in spite of its good points, Count Dracula is...well...just ordinary. Cult director Jesus Franco doesn't do much with the material to make it good horror, but he sure loves doing those zoom-in shots and close ups of faces. Also, this was not a Hammer production, so that may be part of the problem as well. And there’s Klaus Kinski as Renfield and Soledad Miranda as Lucy. A good supporting cast. For a Franco film, I was hoping he would put his psychedelic spin on the material like he did with ‘The Erotic Rites of Frankenstein’. ‘Count Dracula’ wasn’t awful, just very vanilla.
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TheSowIsMine
Junior Member
@thesowismine
Posts: 2,652
Likes: 1,684
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Post by TheSowIsMine on Oct 7, 2021 15:40:12 GMT
Why didn’t she just fucking break his hand to a pulp She does do that with the anchor eventually. He also removed a lot of stuff that could be used to do that from the house. I am sure she could have found something, but he did get rid of all the tools and stuff. I was thinking just break his thumb as when in movies characters dislocate their thumbs to get out of handcuffs. There were lots of doors.
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Post by lostinlimbo on Oct 7, 2021 15:43:55 GMT
So one week down, and probably watched less films than I originally planned. Just not been in the mood to binge watch more than one film a day, after starting with a couple double viewings on the first two days. So far its been mainly mediocre films. All first-times. Might start on some re-watches to hopefully get into watching more double or triple features.
My quick thoughts on what I watched for the first week;
The Clown at Midnight (1998) FTV - youtube - 4/10 A very 90s (with a fitting soundtrack to boot), run-of-the-mill DTV slasher made the more interesting because of the cast, and the old abandoned theatre backdrop. You got Christopher Plummer slumming it. Margot Kidder in a few scenes bringing energy. While James Duval and Tatyana Ali (Fresh Prince of Bel Air fame) head the young cast. The cheap origins of the production can show it up, but still there’s an oddball atmosphere to it, mean-spirited kills and some moments might create a chill with the framing of the killer clown in the back of shots stalking his unaware victims.
Grave Secrets (1989) FTV - blu-ray - 6/10 A simple, low-key ghost story of haunting guilt. Predictable, yet cosy in its formula. Kinda slow, low-stakes and tame in its visual tricks, in spite of the backstory’s macabre and traumatic underlining. Which probably concludes too neatly once everything around the poltergeist activity comes to the surface. I liked the cast though. Paul LeMat and Renee Soutendijk are serviceable. However it’s the smaller, but colourful supporting roles of David Warner and Olivia Brash who make an impression. Just wish they had more screen time.
Paganini Horror (1988) FTV - Tubi - 5/10 “There’s something maddening. Something monstrous in this house”. This one had my head spinning. Ultra dumb Italian supernatural-horror, which took its flimsy story beats from the often told tale of ‘Faust’. Despite a pulsating music score and short running time. The story lulls as often as it delivers random thrills, chintzy splatter and otherworldly weirdness. Donald Pleasence shows up briefly (in awful dubbing), and also Daria Nicolodi (who co-wrote the story).
The Suckling (1990) FTV - Tubi - 6/10 I was getting “Texas Chain Saw Massacre” vibes from its opening credits/foreword backed up by its Halloween-like score. Interesting hook. What I got was a crazy, and particularly violent independent creature-feature outing with standout monster FX. Surprised how good it looked. Virtually a standard siege set-up unfolds in a brothel/illegal abortion clinic. Although the threat is unique. One-by-one the cast fall prey. Sometimes a nasty end. Clunky, but had its charms. Would make a good triple alongside DIY productions ‘The Abomination’ and ‘The Deadly Spawn’.
Doom Asylum (1987) FTV - Tubi - 4/10 “You’re in a lot of trouble torpedo tits.” I found “Doom Asylum” irritating to sit through. At least most of it. Outside of its decent splatter (...executed to perfection), detailed make-up FX and a few throwaway lines of dialogue. This cornball horror-comedy fell flat for me. Overdone to the extreme, it became off-putting as I waited for the winks to the camera. Exaggerated self-knowing humour and obnoxious acting (with one exception) tries too hard in its attempt to send up slasher/body count films. I didn’t realise that was Kristin Davis amongst the cast. Making her film debut, alongside former Penthouse model Patty Mullen. Who’s probably better known for the titular role (“wanna date?”) in the cult film ‘Frankenhooker’. Mullen’s clueless performance, and deadpan delivery here is perfectly on the nose.
Blue Monkey (1987) FTV - YouTube - 5/10 Not bad. William Fruet’s ‘Blue Monkey‘ aka ‘Insect’ is a cheap, yet slightly effective one-note throwback to old school 1950s Sci-if horror with a hokey looking big bug terrorising a county hospital. However I thought the story’s starting point of a contagious infestation was better handled, and way more fascinating than when it fell into the basic creature on the loose/search and destroy formula. Still this b-movie gets by on its comic spirit, mild gooey effects and the casts’ commitment (not surprising when you have Steven Railsback and John Vernon) to the silly, slapdash material. And there’s no shortage of jokey material, especially regarding the daily rounds of the E.R working its way into the creature/feature script. However there was a shortage of gross-out, and carnage, outside of the cocoon (ala Alien) shock and one head ripping jolt.
Zombie Strippers (2008) FTV - Dvd - 5/10 Does exactly what it says on the tin. Low-budget, camp horror-comedy. Tacky thrills, gratuitous sleaze and a slime-bag Robert Englund performance.
Open House (1987) FTV - YouTube - 6/10 Off-kilter slasher with a quota (...kills, nudity etc) & a ham fisted social commentary to boot. Honestly, I couldn’t tell if it was meant to be funny, or not. The tonal shifts are jarring, and at times mind-boggling. Especially after such a downbeat intro. Scenes can linger on shock moments, and dramatically so. And again I’m not sure if it’s meant to be intentional for a laugh, or just over doing it. Then there’s the nasty killer, and bizarre editing. His face hidden. But he’s a brute of a guy who grunts, giggles, eats pet food out of a can(?!), pats kittens & regularly calls a radio station doctor (Joseph Bottoms) to vent about society & sharing thoughts on the killings of Beverly Hills real estate agents. And the doctors girlfriend (the lovely Adrienne Barbeau) just happens to work in the field.
Iced (1988) FTV - YouTube - 3/10 So after just watching ‘Iced’, I decided to change my rating for ‘Open House’. Both are bad slashers, however the latter was at least entertainingly bizarro. While ‘Iced‘ was just flat & dull. Virtually a cheaply produced, & straight-to-video cheesy drama-fused slasher with a few striking deaths saved for the backend. It takes good hour of melodrama, & goggle POV shots before this snowbound slasher peaks. And even then it’s short-lived. As for the unknown killer decked out in ski gear. The reveal is obvious, however their motivation was out-of-left-field. Like those unexplained visions/or are they Fantasies/or maybe dreams... of people getting it on... which just seem to pop up out of nowhere.
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Post by moviemouth on Oct 7, 2021 16:07:06 GMT
She does do that with the anchor eventually. He also removed a lot of stuff that could be used to do that from the house. I am sure she could have found something, but he did get rid of all the tools and stuff. I was thinking just break his thumb as when in movies characters dislocate their thumbs to get out of handcuffs. There were lots of doors. I didn't think of that, so maybe she didn't either. Interesting what occurs to some people and not others.
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Post by Sarge on Oct 7, 2021 21:51:54 GMT
The Most Dangerous Game (1932), IMDb classifies this as horror, I wouldn't, but they do, so I included it and am glad I did. As a hunter myself, I found the philosophical discussion on hunting interesting. Joel McCrea stars as a famous big game hunter who comments he feels no remorse in killing the tiger because the tiger could have easily gotten away but chose to stalk the man, foreshadowing for what is to come. The gorgeous Fay Wray is the damsel in distress and IMO has never been surpassed in the role by any actress. My strongest criticism are the fight scenes, which appear improvised and almost slapstick. When McCrea is attacked by a dog, it looks like the dog is licking his face. Two dogs get into a scuffle more than once which adds authenticity, although such a thing would never be allowed, or at least appear on-screen, nowadays for good reason. All in I enjoyed it and at 61 minutes it's a tidy, well paced story. on HBO
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Sophiefoxx
Sophomore
@smilesophiesmile
Posts: 407
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Post by Sophiefoxx on Oct 7, 2021 22:26:19 GMT
Maniac (William Lustig, 1980)
first of all, there are some nasty death scenes on display that are portrayed in a grimy, realistic, disturbing manner, but i think this film raises itself above simple exploitation. a big reason for this is that the killer is the main character and is on screen for almost the entire runtime. his interactions with himself and his victims are rather interesting. in fact, one of the best scenes involves the killer as he very charismatically interacts with a woman photographer. the depth of sadness of all this is pretty remarkable. 8/10
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Post by Marv on Oct 8, 2021 1:14:53 GMT
The Most Dangerous Game (1932), IMDb classifies this as horror, I wouldn't, but they do, so I included it and am glad I did. As a hunter myself, I found the philosophical discussion on hunting interesting. Joel McCrea stars as a famous big game hunter who comments he feels no remorse in killing the tiger because the tiger could have easily gotten away but chose to stalk the man, foreshadowing for what is to come. The gorgeous Fay Wray is the damsel in distress and IMO has never been surpassed in the role by any actress. My strongest criticism are the fight scenes, which appear improvised and almost slapstick. When McCrea is attacked by a dog, it looks like the dog is licking his face. Two dogs get into a scuffle more than once which adds authenticity, although such a thing would never be allowed, or at least appear on-screen, nowadays for good reason. All in I enjoyed it and at 61 minutes it's a tidy, well paced story. on HBO I watched this a few months ago. Wasn’t bad. I didn’t get horror vibes either but I see HBO has it under the horror column too.
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Post by moviemouth on Oct 8, 2021 2:31:12 GMT
My Heart Can't Beat Unless You Tell It To (2020)
This is a very unsettling, subtle and very well made commentary on the burdens we carry and the burden to others we feel we are. It does this with a story of a brother and sister who kill homeless people to feed their vampiric younger brother. As a vampire movie it is very interesting, because it doesn't give us any information about why the younger brother is a vampire. He isn't given a whole lot of information about the outside world by his siblings, he is physically weak and he is treated like a child. This is a sad and depressing movie, but there is truth here that we often don't like to think about. The cast is solid, led by Patrick Fugit as the older brother who is having a much harder time continuing to murder people for the sake of keeping his younger brother alive than his sister. There are probably a couple ways the movie can be seen thematically, one is obvious and the other is up to the viewer's interpretation.
8/10
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