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Post by moviemouth on Oct 9, 2021 5:54:12 GMT
Microwave Massacre (1979) Extremely cheesy horror comedy about a man who hates his wife and his wife's cooking after she buys a microwave. He kills her and then eats her by cooking her in the microwave (go figure) and then has a craving for human flesh and starts killing random woman in order to eat them. The movie is knowingly awful and sort of amusing, but the bad joke wears thin very quickly and becomes repetitive and boring. The movie makes very little sense and has very corny bad acting, horrible gore effects and seems like a response to a fear of microwaves at a time when they were just becoming popular. This movie can be considered "so bad it is good" and I wouldn't be surprised if it had a cult following. If you enjoy movies like Blood Diner and Troma movies, you might enjoy this. It isn't scary, it isn't creepy and it isn't particularly funny, it is just mildly amusing trash.2.5/10 I did come across this one, last night. And I guess I am more on the low budget/Troma movies, since I quite enjoyed the quirky and ridiculous plot and characters, even though it sure did get early on, a bit too, yeah, of the same scenery, over and over. Sadly not enough of the microwave cooking, and way too much scenes that is probably just there, to fill up where the "plot" is nowhere near to be seen. However, some very fine looking ladies sure arrives and the style and tone is very light hearted, for what I (at first) thought could be a more "serious" movie. The cult following, I think is kind of true, but probably a very small following. I did hear of it, years ago, when it got released on DVD along with a much more fun and enjoyable low budget title known as The Woodchipper Massacre (or something close to that title), and they were so-called "Cult classics", but yeah, most likely for the special interested, not the larger audiences. Still I am kind of glad that these ones get a decent release, think it also has a Blu-ray out, not long ago. Anyway, I rated it a bit higher or more generous, and with a 5/10. Helped probably, that I was in the right mood, but if I had ended the night with it, the rating might have gone down a bit. Something like Class of Nuke'em Hight is far superior to Microwave Massacre. The difference is the former knows how to do cheesy horror better. It knows how to be fun. I still dislike all Troma movies, because they are just not to my taste. Charles Band is probably the best with these kinds of movies, but his are far more interesting and actually understand atmosphere and have plots. I actually found some stuff in Microwave Massacre to be in bad taste and in the case of this movie it isn't funny, it is just cringe-y.
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Post by darkreviewer2013 on Oct 9, 2021 5:56:15 GMT
Microwave Massacre (1979) Extremely cheesy horror comedy about a man who hates his wife and his wife's cooking after she buys a microwave. He kills her and then eats her by cooking her in the microwave (go figure) and then has a craving for human flesh and starts killing random woman in order to eat them. The movie is knowingly awful and sort of amusing, but the bad joke wears thin very quickly and becomes repetitive and boring. The movie makes very little sense and has very corny bad acting, horrible gore effects and seems like a response to a fear of microwaves at a time when they were just becoming popular. This movie can be considered "so bad it is good" and I wouldn't be surprised if it had a cult following. If you enjoy movies like Blood Diner and Troma movies, you might enjoy this. It isn't scary, it isn't creepy and it isn't particularly funny, it is just mildly amusing trash. 2.5/10 This is one of those movies that I've toyed around with watching over the years but have thus far not bothered. Your review doesn't sound very encouraging. I don't mind trash horror, but only when it's fun.
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Post by moviemouth on Oct 9, 2021 5:57:01 GMT
Next up was The Stepfather (1987) - the tale of an unhinged psycho who marries an unsuspecting widow and mother of a teenage daughter in the aftermath of having murdered his former family. The basic premise has unfortunate real-world parallels given all the instances of family homicide that have occurred over the years, but that isn't to detract from Terry O'Quinn's deft performance as the insane protagonist, channeling as he does his inner Norman Bates. I am of the view that the best thrillers are those which effectively combine elements of mystery and suspense. Unfortunately, this particular movie plays out as a straightforward thriller. There's no mystery for us to solve and the plot twists and startling revelations that make for the most engaging thrillers don't come into play here. It is very much a by-the-numbers story and no experienced horror viewer will be in any way surprised by the manner in which events unfold. Was thinking about re-watching it, but then noticed that I did so, last fall. Might however, give one of the sequels a go, later on. The atmosphere and acting is very good at times, but I seem to never go beyond a 6/10 on the rating scale. Also the solid end theme, by Patrick Moraz is one of my favorite 80s synth themes. This is one I like actually. The story is nothing special, but the acting and atmosphere make it work and it is suspenseful and I care about the characters. It also has the benefit of one of the greatest opening scenes in a horror movie of all time. The movie is fun horror all the way through and has a handful of very memorable moments, including when the killer loses track of what name he is using with the new family. 7/10 for me.
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Post by Anonymous Andy on Oct 9, 2021 13:56:15 GMT
Next up was The Stepfather (1987) - the tale of an unhinged psycho who marries an unsuspecting widow and mother of a teenage daughter in the aftermath of having murdered his former family. The basic premise has unfortunate real-world parallels given all the instances of family homicide that have occurred over the years, but that isn't to detract from Terry O'Quinn's deft performance as the insane protagonist, channeling as he does his inner Norman Bates. I am of the view that the best thrillers are those which effectively combine elements of mystery and suspense. Unfortunately, this particular movie plays out as a straightforward thriller. There's no mystery for us to solve and the plot twists and startling revelations that make for the most engaging thrillers don't come into play here. It is very much a by-the-numbers story and no experienced horror viewer will be in any way surprised by the manner in which events unfold. Was thinking about re-watching it, but then noticed that I did so, last fall. Might however, give one of the sequels a go, later on. The atmosphere and acting is very good at times, but I seem to never go beyond a 6/10 on the rating scale. Also the solid end theme, by Patrick Moraz is one of my favorite 80s synth themes. Stepfather II is a lot of fun! Sometimes I think I prefer it to the first. The third is not worth looking into. Different actor and cheaply made.
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Post by Sarge on Oct 9, 2021 22:29:13 GMT
Microwave Massacre (1979) Extremely cheesy horror comedy about a man who hates his wife and his wife's cooking after she buys a microwave. He kills her and then eats her by cooking her in the microwave (go figure) and then has a craving for human flesh and starts killing random woman in order to eat them. The movie is knowingly awful and sort of amusing, but the bad joke wears thin very quickly and becomes repetitive and boring. The movie makes very little sense and has very corny bad acting, horrible gore effects and seems like a response to a fear of microwaves at a time when they were just becoming popular. This movie can be considered "so bad it is good" and I wouldn't be surprised if it had a cult following. If you enjoy movies like Blood Diner and Troma movies, you might enjoy this. It isn't scary, it isn't creepy and it isn't particularly funny, it is just mildly amusing trash. 2.5/10
You left out the best part, the main character is the voice of Frosty the Snowman. For those of us who grew up in the 70s, it's a real mind phuck. I liked it more than you but it is a ridiculous trashy movie.
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Post by Sarge on Oct 9, 2021 22:50:59 GMT
Undead (2003), Once upon a time I believed it was possible to see every zombie movie ever made and by 2000 I was close to my goal, it was getting harder to find things I hadn't seen and very few new zombie movies were coming out. 28 Days Later released a month before Undead (in the US) which stole its thunder and horror forums were all about 28DL and everyone forgot about Undead. It is an Australian take on Night of the Living Dead + Return of the Living Dead + some inspiration from other sources such as Dead Alive. Meteorites strike a small Australian town and turn people into talking, brain eating, zombies. A group of survivors hole up in a farmhouse basement, your typical pressure cooker situation, unfortunately they have no supplies and are forced to leave. Everything about the low-budget movie is excessively over the top, the acting, the gore, the gunplay, there is nothing remotely realistic about it. It's not a movie for general horror fans but if you think you'll like it, you probably will and if you think you'd hate it, you definitely will. The following year Snyder's Dawn of the Dead remake released and zombies were cool again, and I gave up any hope of ever being able to see every zombie movie ever made.
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Post by moviemouth on Oct 9, 2021 23:29:54 GMT
Microwave Massacre (1979) Extremely cheesy horror comedy about a man who hates his wife and his wife's cooking after she buys a microwave. He kills her and then eats her by cooking her in the microwave (go figure) and then has a craving for human flesh and starts killing random woman in order to eat them. The movie is knowingly awful and sort of amusing, but the bad joke wears thin very quickly and becomes repetitive and boring. The movie makes very little sense and has very corny bad acting, horrible gore effects and seems like a response to a fear of microwaves at a time when they were just becoming popular. This movie can be considered "so bad it is good" and I wouldn't be surprised if it had a cult following. If you enjoy movies like Blood Diner and Troma movies, you might enjoy this. It isn't scary, it isn't creepy and it isn't particularly funny, it is just mildly amusing trash. 2.5/10
You left out the best part, the main character is the voice of Frosty the Snowman. For those of us who grew up in the 70s, it's a real mind phuck. I liked it more than you but it is a ridiculous trashy movie.
I didn't know that. I have seen Frosty the Snowman, but not in a long time.
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Post by Sarge on Oct 10, 2021 1:50:32 GMT
Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula (2020), is a movie in the Train to Busan universe but not a direct sequel, which pissed off a lot of people. And it's not the same kind of movie either, which also pissed off a lot of people. Peninsula is a heist movie with lots of frenzied car chases that would be right at home in a Mad Max movie, if Max were fighting zombies. Four years after Train to Busan, Korea has been quarantined, nothing and no one gets in or out ... well unless you have a lot of money and there happens to be a lot of money trapped inside Korea and a local warlord decides he wants it. So he recruits four survivors of Incheon to go back and bring out a truck full of money that a prior crew got halfway out of the city before they disappeared. The movie is fast-paced and full of action. It's missing the emotional connections of the first movie, so the horror aspect is only skin deep, but it is a fun movie, the acting, writing, and other technical aspects are excellent. There are things I could nitpick, but it was entertaining enough, way better than the Netflix zombie/heist movie.
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Post by moviemouth on Oct 10, 2021 3:35:44 GMT
Phase IV (1974)
This is an interesting hidden gem. There is a event in space that cause a colony of ants to rapidly evolve and a research team is sent to the secluded area where the ants are to research what is going on. What happens is a fascinating stand-off between the ants and the researchers. The story is interesting, but it is Saul Bass that gives this B-movie plot gravitas. What he does with the camera in capturing the ants and their liar is remarkable. The movie knows how to build intrigue and has perfect atmosphere, helped even more by a haunting score. The cast is led by Michael Murphy and Nigel Davenport as 2 characters with very different personalities. The first 2/3 of the movie are very good, but with a somewhat disappointing and rushed, though creepy ending.
7.5/10
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Post by darkreviewer2013 on Oct 10, 2021 4:53:15 GMT
Tombs of the Blind Dead (1972) next - my first foray into continental European horror this Horrorthon.
This was an interesting piece of work and I appreciated how the film-makers put a lot of effort into creating their own unique take on the zombie mythos. The ghouls look absolutely fantastic here - especially when one considers that this is a low-budget Spanish horror flick from almost half a century ago. Moreover, the cinematography during the zombie attack sequences possesses a hazy, nightmarish quality that perfectly matches the sinister, otherworldly terror that consumes the horrified victims-to-be and, combined with a haunting musical accompaniment, represents an especially praiseworthy aspect of the film.
I ended up watching the dubbed version as opposed to the original Spanish language version with subtitles and - as is often the case with these vintage Euro shockers - the dialogue isn't all that strong and would be best described as functional more than anything else, but it's got a pretty good plot and the Portuguese setting facilitates the use of actual old ruins that add a feel of authenticity to the proceedings.
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Oct 10, 2021 5:34:56 GMT
Completed the challenge of getting to 31 films including 14 first time watches, but of course, I have no plans of ending the run of horror films. But might see a few less, as sadly last night, turned into one of those: "Lets just be done with, and then move on" saturday nights, and very little fun and only one film stood out positively, and that was one I have seen several times, and always enjoyed, due to the atmospheric tone, use of locations and quite solid cast. The Subspecies franchise of Full Moon Entertainment did start up well, and might continue on with the rest of the series.
I am not very motivated to write about the other films, for now that is. As none of them really ever kept me very interestered nor entertained, and I felt like watching dry paint, and yeah, just not my luck with the impulsive pickings.
Might put in a few reviews later on, but yeah, some films are just so damn forgettable, and feels like I have wasted enough time on watching them, and not very interested in wasting more time writing about them.
Yeah, a bit grumpy this morning, and might just need some good old "comfort" horror to cheer me up, later on. At least I did finish the other day, with Subspecies, which I thought was still lots of fun.
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Post by FridayOnElmStreet on Oct 10, 2021 8:04:59 GMT
As of now these are my 3 best and worst first time views.
Best
1. Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016) I was not expecting much here but damn I was pleasantly surprised. I had fun with this film.
2. The Forever Purge (2021) Again I had a better time here then I thought I would have. This was very suspenseful.
3. Night of the Animated Dead (2021) Well its no masterpiece but its still watchable.
Worst:
3. Amityville Death House (2015) Its an Amtyville knock off with Eric Roberts as a warlock. Nuff said.
2. Shook (2021) Yikes. This involved a guy killing dogs complete with dead dog pics. As a dog lover I hated that. And the rest of the film was just a bore.
1. Nightmare Asylum (1992) This is a bunch of nothing. I didnt even figure out what the basic plot was here. The sound was so bad I could barley ear a thing they were saying.
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Post by darkreviewer2013 on Oct 10, 2021 9:34:02 GMT
Completed the challenge of getting to 31 films including 14 first time watches, but of course, I have no plans of ending the run of horror films. But might see a few less, as sadly last night, turned into one of those: "Lets just be done with, and then move on" saturday nights, and very little fun and only one film stood out positively, and that was one I have seen several times, and always enjoyed, due to the atmospheric tone, use of locations and quite solid cast. The Subspecies franchise of Full Moon Entertainment did start up well, and might continue on with the rest of the series. I am not very motivated to write about the other films, for now that is. As none of them really ever kept me very interestered nor entertained, and I felt like watching dry paint, and yeah, just not my luck with the impulsive pickings. Might put in a few reviews later on, but yeah, some films are just so damn forgettable, and feels like I have wasted enough time on watching them, and not very interested in wasting more time writing about them. Yeah, a bit grumpy this morning, and might just need some good old "comfort" horror to cheer me up, later on. At least I did finish the other day, with Subspecies, which I thought was still lots of fun. Well done finishing the Challenge this early in the month. Just forget about the crappy films (which is what I do) and focus on the ones you enjoyed. I still have a long way to go, but there are plenty of options so I intend to be selective in the hope that I can avoid watching too many clunkers. I've been fortunate thus far in that I've managed to choose mostly good movies, but the more first-time viewings I opt for the greater the risk of disaster.
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Post by darkreviewer2013 on Oct 10, 2021 9:35:05 GMT
As of now these are my 3 best and worst first time views. Best 1. Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016) I was not expecting much here but damn I was pleasantly surprised. I had fun with this film. 2. The Forever Purge (2021) Again I had a better time here then I thought I would have. This was very suspenseful. 3. Night of the Animated Dead (2021) Well its no masterpiece but its still watchable. Worst: 3. Amityville Death House (2015) Its an Amtyville knock off with Eric Roberts as a warlock. Nuff said. 2. Shook (2021) Yikes. This involved a guy killing dogs complete with dead dog pics. As a dog lover I hated that. And the rest of the film was just a bore. 1. Nightmare Asylum (1992) This is a bunch of nothing. I didnt even figure out what the basic plot was here. The sound was so bad I could barley ear a thing they were saying. I still have never watched a single Resident Evil film and know virtually nothing about the franchise.
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TheSowIsMine
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Post by TheSowIsMine on Oct 10, 2021 11:55:04 GMT
As of now these are my 3 best and worst first time views. Best 1. Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016) I was not expecting much here but damn I was pleasantly surprised. I had fun with this film. 2. The Forever Purge (2021) Again I had a better time here then I thought I would have. This was very suspenseful. 3. Night of the Animated Dead (2021) Well its no masterpiece but its still watchable. Worst: 3. Amityville Death House (2015) Its an Amtyville knock off with Eric Roberts as a warlock. Nuff said. 2. Shook (2021) Yikes. This involved a guy killing dogs complete with dead dog pics. As a dog lover I hated that. And the rest of the film was just a bore. 1. Nightmare Asylum (1992) This is a bunch of nothing. I didnt even figure out what the basic plot was here. The sound was so bad I could barley ear a thing they were saying. I still have never watched a single Resident Evil film and know virtually nothing about the franchise. I have seen them all and I don’t know why.
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Post by lostinlimbo on Oct 10, 2021 12:58:56 GMT
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Post by Sarge on Oct 10, 2021 17:28:48 GMT
I still have never watched a single Resident Evil film and know virtually nothing about the franchise. The first is an action/sci-fi/mystery and one of my favorite zombie movies, the rest I watched and forgot.
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Post by Marv on Oct 10, 2021 18:55:04 GMT
As of now these are my 3 best and worst first time views. Best 1. Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016) I was not expecting much here but damn I was pleasantly surprised. I had fun with this film. 2. The Forever Purge (2021) Again I had a better time here then I thought I would have. This was very suspenseful. 3. Night of the Animated Dead (2021) Well its no masterpiece but its still watchable. Worst: 3. Amityville Death House (2015) Its an Amtyville knock off with Eric Roberts as a warlock. Nuff said. 2. Shook (2021) Yikes. This involved a guy killing dogs complete with dead dog pics. As a dog lover I hated that. And the rest of the film was just a bore. 1. Nightmare Asylum (1992) This is a bunch of nothing. I didnt even figure out what the basic plot was here. The sound was so bad I could barley ear a thing they were saying. I still have never watched a single Resident Evil film and know virtually nothing about the franchise. They are fun action/horror flicks. Easy to get into imo. It probably helps if you aren't a fan of the video game series because they don't follow the games at all or even do many characters justice.
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Post by Sarge on Oct 10, 2021 22:56:05 GMT
Peeping Tom (1960), Mark is a filmographer that documents the look of terror on women he kills. Many reviews say it was ahead of it's time but I think it shows that people never change, technology changes, culture changes, but people stay the same. The writing is superb, the acting is very good, the direction is so-so. The best scenes are between Mark and women who are drawn to him like moths to a flame, like the young woman and her blind mother that live downstairs. The daughter has a fatal attraction, the mother senses danger and fears for her daughter, but is also drawn to Mark in a way that is hard to understand or even describe. Most disturbing of all is the scene where we discover why Mark is obsessed with documenting life, especially fear, and we are reminded that killers are made. I would summarize by saying the idea is bigger than the director's talent, but it is a very good movie.
on Amazon Prime
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Post by Captain Spencer on Oct 11, 2021 4:07:40 GMT
The Banana Splits Movie (2019) Imagine taking characters from a beloved 1960s children's TV show and turning them into homicidal maniacs for a feature-length horror movie. Well, that's exactly what happened here. In this universe the Banana Splits are actually robots performing on the show, but when their computer updates go haywire, and then finding out the show has been cancelled by the network VP, the Splits go on a gory killing spree.
This is indeed a sick and twisted premise, but I just couldn't resist so I took the bait. I was expecting this to be completely campy, stupid nonsense but I found it to be surprisingly entertaining! There is some silliness to be sure, however there's good character development, witty writing, and outrageously creative killings. Oh, and it was great seeing Mom suddenly turn into a badass Sarah Connor-type gal.
Think of Westworld with shades of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, only on a splatter scale. This is pretty much what you get.
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