|
Post by Captain Spencer on Apr 6, 2024 14:46:04 GMT
Scanners (1981)A mentally unstable man with telekinetic powers, known as a scanner, has plans to breed other scanners and take over the world. A doctor enlists a "good guy" scanner to help stop the evil one. Not one of my favorite David Cronenberg movies, as I find it curiously slow-moving at times. But it's still an intriguing mixture of science fiction, horror and spy thriller. Stephen Lack is incredibly bland as the leading man and it seems like he's sleepwalking in his role, but at least there's solid support from the likes of Patrick McGoohan, Michael Ironside and Jennifer O'Neill who make up for Lack's blandness. And a special nod to the late Canadian veteran actor Lawrence Dane who is an effective baddie. But of course the real star of the movie is the special effects. The exploding head scene is a triumph as are the mutated pulsing veins. These scenes would not have the same impact if they were done with GGI, so it's further proof that practical effects rein supreme. 7/10
|
|
forca85
Sophomore
@forca85
Posts: 424
Likes: 321
|
Post by forca85 on Apr 6, 2024 16:50:42 GMT
Byte Return of the living dead 3 Reunion from Hell 2 Killing Tree Nutcracker Massacre
And several Shark and Creature features...
|
|
|
Post by gspdude on Apr 7, 2024 13:40:53 GMT
The Time Travelers (1964) This one didn't ring a bell, but the instant I saw the time portal, in the first scene, I remembered it. Pretty standard time travel plot: scientists build a time machine and get trapped in a post nuclear armageddon where with the few remaining healthy humans live underground and are threatened by the surface dwelling mutants. Some comedy attempts fall flat, and parts of the music score might sound more at home in a musical comedy, but all in all it's not too bad and does have an interesting ending. 5/10. According to Horror Host Svengoolie, this film influenced Gene Roddenberry, who was developing Star Trek at the time. They did have a basic teleportation machine.
|
|
|
Post by Captain Spencer on Apr 8, 2024 1:02:54 GMT
The Relic (1997)A grand exhibition held in the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago becomes a night of sheer horror as a giant reptilian monster wrecks havoc. An exciting creature feature that cleverly combines the elements of horror, science fiction, and the disaster genre. Intelligent, suspenseful, thrilling, and witty (I especially love Audra Lindley's appearance as a wise-cracking pathologist). The perfect balance of CGI and Stan Winston's practical creature effects, which are truly amazing. My one complaint would be the cinematography, which tends to be too dark at times. 8/10
|
|
|
Post by gspdude on Apr 8, 2024 12:30:52 GMT
The Werewolf and the Yeti(1975) aka The Night of the Howling Beast. Euro horror. Paul Naschy becomes lost in the Himalayas while searching for a missing friend. He is helped by 2 women who turn out to be werewolves. They eventually attack him and he fends them off but is bitten. Being a werewolf actually helps him as he then has to deal with bandits, an evil sorceress, and, finally, almost as an afterthought a Yeti. This is said to contain full frontal nudity but I saw none in the version I saw on Tubi titled The Werewolf and the Yeti. for those interested I would recommend looking for the version titled The Night of the Howling Beast. 4/10.
|
|
forca85
Sophomore
@forca85
Posts: 424
Likes: 321
|
Post by forca85 on Apr 9, 2024 17:13:21 GMT
The Relic (1997)A grand exhibition held in the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago becomes a night of sheer horror as a giant reptilian monster wrecks havoc. An exciting creature feature that cleverly combines the elements of horror, science fiction, and the disaster genre. Intelligent, suspenseful, thrilling, and witty (I especially love Audra Lindley's appearance as a wise-cracking pathologist). The perfect balance of CGI and Stan Winston's practical creature effects, which are truly amazing. My one complaint would be the cinematography, which tends to be too dark at times. 8/10 I remember seeing it in Theatres and enjoying it. I watched it again some years ago. Still holds up.
|
|
|
Post by taylorfirst1 on Apr 10, 2024 21:16:07 GMT
"Electric Dreams" 1984
|
|
|
Post by taylorfirst1 on Apr 10, 2024 21:23:20 GMT
"The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini" 1966. Actually, a comedy but whatever.
|
|
|
Post by gspdude on Apr 11, 2024 12:20:08 GMT
Final Prayer (2013) aka Borderlands. I'm not a fan of Found Footage, but there are exceptions and Dread Central wrote some good stuff about this so I gave it a try. A 3 man team from the Vatican visit an out of the way church to verify a supposed miracle. The characters are believable and the suspense slowly builds to an intense ending, but it wasn't quite enough to overcome my FF dislike. 4½/10.
|
|
|
Post by Prime etc. on Apr 12, 2024 5:30:28 GMT
The Relic (1997)A grand exhibition held in the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago becomes a night of sheer horror as a giant reptilian monster wrecks havoc. An exciting creature feature that cleverly combines the elements of horror, science fiction, and the disaster genre. Intelligent, suspenseful, thrilling, and witty (I especially love Audra Lindley's appearance as a wise-cracking pathologist). The perfect balance of CGI and Stan Winston's practical creature effects, which are truly amazing. My one complaint would be the cinematography, which tends to be too dark at times. 8/10 I agree about the pathologist--unusual--stood out. I liked how James Whitmore reacted when confronted by the creature.
The fire effects at the end looked dated (even for 1997). What did they do to that dog to make him look so sickly and miserable?
THE FOURTH VICTIM - 1971 - Michael Craig finds his third wife drowned in the pool. He is put on trial but gets off. Then Carroll Baker shows up and he marries her. Will the marriage last? Do we care? Or are we distracted by Baker's face? In the final analysis, does it really matter as much as the revelation that Sharon Stone's plastic surgeon based the rhinoplasty operation on Baker's nose. I can't prove it--but I suspect so. Yet Sharon Stone never had the advantage of late 60s giallo filmmaking, so what does a nose matter?
|
|
|
Post by gspdude on Apr 12, 2024 13:45:46 GMT
Between Worlds(2018). Fantasy-Thriller where Nicolas Cage's GF, Franka Potente, daughter has a near death experience where she is possessed by Cage's deceased wife. Cage and Potente have shown themselves to be competent actors but both put in poor performances here. Perhaps after they read the absurd script they figured "Why bother?". 3/10.
|
|
|
Post by Captain Spencer on Apr 12, 2024 14:54:10 GMT
Ghost House (2018)The malevolent spirit of a Japanese woman latches on to an American tourist who is vacationing in Thailand with her fiancé. Overall, a good horror outing with an intriguing premise, a terrifying ghost, and nice work by Scout Taylor-Compton as the possessed woman. It only falters when it resorts to generic jumps scares. 7/10
|
|
|
Post by gspdude on Apr 13, 2024 13:04:47 GMT
Demonic(2015) Several fresh bodys are found in an abandoned house that was the site of a mass murder during a seance some years ago. As the police try to figure out what happened, we see flashbacks leading up to the crime. Kept me interested. Maria Bello is a police psychologist. 5/10.
|
|
|
Post by gspdude on Apr 14, 2024 12:59:56 GMT
Island of Terror(1966). On an isolated British isle with no contact with the mainland, scientists accidentally create a fast reproducing life form that lives on human bones. The monsters aren't that scary looking, but it's played straight and the tension builds well. Peter Cushing, as usual, is good. 7/10.
|
|
|
Post by Prime etc. on Apr 15, 2024 0:54:19 GMT
Island of Terror seemed to play endlessly on afternoon tv in the 70s and 80s.
|
|
|
Post by gspdude on Apr 15, 2024 14:20:16 GMT
Pandorum (2009). Two crew members come out of Hypersleep on a large spaceship with many passengers who are still in their sleep pods. They cannot remember where they are going or what for. And the ship is also populated with monsters. Saw this some years back and liked it then, and liked it now, especially the ending. 8/10.
|
|
|
Post by taylorfirst1 on Apr 15, 2024 20:11:08 GMT
"Fear the Night" 2023
"Zombie High" 1987
|
|
|
Post by gspdude on Apr 16, 2024 13:11:18 GMT
Brides of Satan (2020) An amateurish exploitation movie of a young woman seeking revenge against a Satanic girl gang who sacrifice her BF. Some nudity, some not very believable fight scenes, and some psychedelic camera work. 3/10.
|
|
|
Post by Captain Spencer on Apr 18, 2024 3:07:19 GMT
Wake Wood (2009)After the tragic loss of their nine-year-old daughter, a grieving couple relocate to a remote village. A pagan cult informs the couple they can bring back their deceased daughter from the dead, but only for three days. Moody, eerie, atmospheric Irish-British production in the Monkey's Paw mode. Also has the distinction of being the first horror movie to be distributed by Hammer Film in about thirty years. A gripping story that does not disappoint, with a shockingly satisfying conclusion. There may even be some commentary about how strong emotions should never interfere with sound judgements. 7/10
|
|
|
Post by gspdude on Apr 18, 2024 12:47:47 GMT
Take Back the Night(2021) A young woman with a checkered past is attacked by a monster, but no one believes her story. Not sure what to make of this. Part a critique of societies treatment of victims, part a study of a person on the edge of insanity, and I'm still not sure if the monster really existed. It is well acted by the main character played by Emma Fitzpatrick. 5/10.
|
|