|
Post by Captain Spencer on Aug 21, 2022 13:30:55 GMT
The Funhouse (1981; Tobe Hooper) Through some weird coincidence Nalkarj has just reviewed Hell Fest. Since while watching The Funhouse I started wondering whether Hell Fest was an uncredited remake of this movie. Both films take a place at a travelling carnival where the teenage protagonists are stalked by a killer. Now, I'm not knowledgable enough when it comes to 80s horror to be able to tell whether dark carnival rides were a constant staple of 80s slashers, but these two films definitely share some of the same DNA, although there are differences too. The Funhouse is more like a monster movie with its hideously deformed killer seeming to have sprung from a fantasy world. But there is sadly another thing the films have in common: they both fail to do justice to their concepts. Funhouse starts out so well with a charming title sequence and a spirited opening, paying homage to past horror classics, that it's nothing short of perplexing, that instead of continuing in the same fashion director Tobe Hooper slows things down considerably, almost letting the plot coming to a standstill in the first act. What should've been a fast self-ironical teen horror, soon turns into a painful slog as our characters explore the carnival's various attractions. The movie never recovers from this baffling decision, turning itself more and more into a clumsy freakshow, that has forgotten where its strenghts lie. It doesn't help that the cast are not the most gifted actors, and unusually for a slasher the girls aren't even particularly pretty and the kills rather lame. The title is misleading, this is more of a Yawnhouse. The excellent start promises a lot that the rest just can't live up to. Hell Fest at least had some creative set design. 4.5/10 Sorry you didn't like it much. Myself I liked it quite a bit, and I'm looking forward to Shout! Factory's collector's edition coming out on September 6th. 7/10
|
|
|
Post by politicidal on Aug 22, 2022 4:21:45 GMT
|
|
|
Post by Nalkarj on Aug 22, 2022 16:37:38 GMT
The Funhouse (1981; Tobe Hooper) Through some weird coincidence Nalkarj has just reviewed Hell Fest. […] Great minds! That’s funny, I saw some people online comparing Hell Fest and The Funhouse and thought of putting Funhouse on my to-watch list! But I haven’t been impressed with the Tobe Hooper movies I’ve seen (though I haven’t seen Texas Chainsaw Massacre).
|
|
|
Post by politicidal on Aug 22, 2022 17:08:37 GMT
|
|
|
Post by Captain Spencer on Aug 22, 2022 19:03:40 GMT
I remember watching this in 3D when it first came out. The 3D was terrible and it gave me a headache.
|
|
|
Post by Nalkarj on Aug 24, 2022 19:33:03 GMT
Freddy vs. Jason, 2003, dir. Ronny Yu. Apparently people don’t like this one. Not sure why: I think it’s decent, for what it is—a slasher skirmish pretty darn similar to the Universal monster mashes of the ’40s. The ending is even borrowed from Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. To be sure, the script isn’t good, with a lot of bad dialogue that sounds like what the writers must have said to each other (“Freddy died by fire, Jason by water. How do we use that?”). And, yes, the one-note characters and their plot line are clearly ripping off Scream, except boring and without the good acting. But it looks good. Just as a matter of visuals, the Jason parts look better than all the Friday the 13ths I’ve seen. The opening with his first kill and his mother (OK, Freddy pretending to be his mother) mocking him is atmospheric. Final Girl’s dream sequence in the police station, using the hoary Old Dark House gag of pictures with moving eyes, is spooky and atmospheric too. The filmmakers didn’t need to put that kind of effort into it—they probably could’ve just had loads of slashing and no atmosphere. They do have loads of slashing, but someone decided to put more effort into it. The best scene has Jason on fire and tearing through a cornfield. That’s a steal from homage to the Uni Frankensteins as well, but that’s OK, it still looks cool. Biggest problem is that Jason is not half the character Freddy is. He’s the Frankenstein Monster without the sympathy or innocence. Someone probably could give him some more character: This movie originally seems like it’s trying to, with him unable to escape Mother Bates Voorhees. But the movie soon drops any attempt at characterizing Jason, of course. I dunno, this is exactly what I expected from a movie called Freddy vs. Jason. I didn’t love it and didn’t hate it, and I even liked a couple of scenes, which means I liked it more than every Friday I’ve seen except Jason Lives (which also borrows copiously from the Uni Frankensteins). So there ya go. Too bad that this is (very probably) Robert Englund’s last performance as Freddy, though.
|
|
|
Post by politicidal on Aug 26, 2022 14:59:45 GMT
|
|
soggy
Sophomore
@soggy
Posts: 720
Likes: 1,207
|
Post by soggy on Aug 26, 2022 23:22:50 GMT
I wish I would have seen this as a teenager. Teenage Soggy who was more than slightly goth would have delighted in this film. Now I'm in my thirties and I still enjoyed it but probably no where near as much as I would have then. 7/10
|
|
|
Post by politicidal on Aug 27, 2022 15:08:20 GMT
|
|
|
Post by FridayOnElmStreet on Aug 29, 2022 2:24:54 GMT
6/10
Pretty good and bloody action thriller with a great cast.
|
|
|
Post by FridayOnElmStreet on Aug 29, 2022 2:26:43 GMT
6/10Not as good as the first yet solid sequel.
|
|
|
Post by FridayOnElmStreet on Aug 29, 2022 2:28:57 GMT
1/10Kane Hodder and Michael Berryman sadly star in this grade Z horror film that is just flat out annoying with its weird style of editing and repeated scenes snippets. Its beyond horrible.
|
|
|
Post by politicidal on Aug 29, 2022 3:27:11 GMT
|
|
|
Post by Nalkarj on Aug 29, 2022 20:20:20 GMT
The Invitation, 2022, dir. Jessica M. Thompson. Note: Unfortunately, I’m seeing a bunch of people say the trailer for this movie totally spoils the thing—and I just watched the trailer, and yes, it does. That’s ridiculous. I was lucky enough never to have seen the trailer; I hope no one has. Please don’t watch the trailer.
I liked this! I was pleasantly surprised because the reviews aren’t that good, but I liked it quite a bit. (So did the people I was with.) It’s a nicely shot, atmospheric horror picture with a memorable haunted house (the statue of the Dragon killing St. George is a nice touch). I wasn’t sure where the story was going; I even picked up on one clue but then dismissed it as window-dressing. The pace is quick. Thompson lets her camera roam around the haunted house, letting us soak in the mood and get a good conception of where things are happening. It has a few scenes that genuinely startled me, along with some moments of gothic dread. The heroine is lovely and likable. To be sure, the movie is far from flawless: The ending, for one thing, is such an anticlimax that I’m sure something major was cut. Some plot points are messy (wherefore—and whither—grandmother’s ghost?). And it isn’t anything shockingly new or different. But it’s just a fun little horror flick. Recommended. Also, major spoiler: It made me remember why I was so scared of vampires when I was a little kid! It brings out all the clichés, but here the vampire clichés worked for me, possibly because it’s not set up as a vampire story.
And it’s a better modern adaptation of Dracula than the 2020 miniseries, which was way too much in love with its own cleverness—a Moffat-Gatiss trait.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
@Deleted
Posts: 0
Likes:
|
Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2022 0:47:16 GMT
9/10Genre-defying film couldn’t be more relevant to watch today. Interesting story, stellar performances and surprisingly funny. Reminded me of Escape from Tomorrow (2013), 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) and The Lighthouse (2019).
|
|
|
Post by politicidal on Sept 2, 2022 2:33:05 GMT
|
|
|
Post by Captain Spencer on Sept 2, 2022 4:37:37 GMT
Cupid (2020)A teenage girl seeks revenge against her tormenters by summoning Cupid, a demon who shoots arrows not for love but for killing. A competently-made British slasher that turned out to be fairly good. By combining elements of Greek mythology with inspiration from such movies as Carrie and Heathers, Cupid delivers the goods in style and is a lot of fun. Writer/director Scott Jeffrey builds up plenty of good suspense and comes up a few pleasant surprises, as well as delivering a hell of a punchline at the end. Gorehounds won't be disappointed as there is ample gore provided. Some of the effects are CGI, but it's kept at a minimum. The standout gore sequence is the hacksaw scene; that was quite nasty and is total Grand Guignol. The cast does a serviceable job, but it's Sarah T. Cohen who steals the show as the main antagonist Elise. That character is a snotty, privileged, lippy, stuck-up bitch and Cohen played that part to perfection. You can feel that she's going to get her just desserts and can't wait for it to happen.
|
|
|
Post by FridayOnElmStreet on Sept 3, 2022 8:51:20 GMT
3/10
Pretty boring and oddly toned monster-based horror/thriller. It just felt like a waste. However, Christina Ricci is very good (and hot) in this. Shes the one redeeming factor.
|
|
soggy
Sophomore
@soggy
Posts: 720
Likes: 1,207
|
Post by soggy on Sept 3, 2022 13:12:29 GMT
A horror movie that takes place almost entirely in one room… a restroom stall in a rest stop. A man named Wes goes through a very bad breakup, and when he stops for a bit, a voice in a bathroom stall next to his informs him that it is a god and that it has an important task for him. J.K. Simmons is great as the elder god, and the movie is surprisingly funny and makes good use of its one setting. It seems like online reviews have not been that favorable for it, but I personally enjoyed it. That said, it's a little too ridiculous and over the top at times for its own good. 6/10
|
|
|
Post by Nalkarj on Sept 4, 2022 20:09:47 GMT
Night Tide, 1961, dir. Curtis Harrington. This should be so good—it’s a fantasy-horror about a sailor bewitched by a mermaid who kills her lovers! And some people consider it an underrated horror gem, surreal, atmospheric, symbolic. It’s bad. And—worse than bad—it’s clumsy, amateurish, boring, the ’60s equivalent of those tedious Amazon Prime indie horrors. This is Dennis Hopper’s first leading role, and whew, can you tell. The script is a pretty darn close ripoff of the original (Val Lewton-Jacques Tourneur-DeWitt Bodeen) Cat People, and that’s the best thing about the movie. I wish I could say Curtis Harrington’s work got better, but his Games—6 years later and 925,000 dollars more expensive—has all the same problems. One shot is cool and probably inspired a similar shot in Robert Eggers’s The Lighthouse, which has all the atmosphere this movie fails to create. If I had to guess, I’d say that one shot is probably responsible for people’s good memories of this flick. The superb title is from Poe’s “Annabel Lee”; I wish it were attached to a better movie. That’s about it.
|
|