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Post by lostinlimbo on Jun 18, 2020 1:09:41 GMT
Dead of Night (1977) Gotta go through some boring stuff to get to the last story but it was worth it. A mother summons her dead kid back to life, and he comes back and just fucks with her. Then tries to kill her. It was pretty creepy I liked it. Gives ya a little jolt at the end too. It also has to be a world record holder for the usage of the word “mommy” in an anthology segment. 2/5 I didn’t mind the second story... but the build up is let down by its meek payoff. But they indeed left the best for last. This story was used again in ‘Trilogy of Terror 2’. It’s not bad, but does pale in comparison to ‘Dead Of Night’ version of ‘Bobby’. Less eerie, if sillier. However as a whole anthology film it was way more consistent and entertaining.
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Post by lostinlimbo on Jun 18, 2020 1:28:17 GMT
I really wanted to make us of this films own thread (if there exist one in here?) and I know that there has to be at least one or two of the sequel (I know, as i started one and wrote in another) but since the search function is once again down and out (extremely annoying, as I will not waste time on going through 69 pages backwards, in search of one title), and so I will just drop it by here instead: The Howling (1981) by Joe Dante "You can't tame what's meant to be wild, doc. It just ain't natural." A female news reporter (Dee Wallace) have gone deep undercover in order to try and call out a dangerous serial killer and get a hold of an exclusive interview with him. But what she gets instead from their little "rende-vouz", is something far more terrifying, and it will continue on to traumatize and haunt her very thoughts and dreams, so much, that she is sent on a short holiday towards what seems to begin with, as a far more calm and relaxing place than the busy and stressful nature of the big city. Sadly for Karen White, this change of pace will soon reveal its true face and one that surely is anything but calm and peaceful.Surely one of the most well known werewolf films of the 80s, and where director Joe Dante would follow up his cult-favorite Piranha (1978) with another cult-classic, one which sadly kind of fell a bit behind the more known or popular An American Werewolf in London, which of course also were released in 1981, but I think The Howling beat it with almost 5-6 months. Anyway, The Howling is still quite an interesting and exciting horror movie, which blends in horror, adventure, satire, erotica and comedy, and while it may not be as great as I would have liked or hoped it would be on a much later re-watch, I still believe it is one of the more original and creative films of that time. It have been a while since I last time re-visited most of the more familiar werewolf titles of that decade, but there is no question that The Howling felt more dark or creepy in tone and story, than most of the others, and of course it comes with maybe my most favorite werewolf transformation scene as well, which is downright evil and unsettling in every way. Sure, An American Werewolf in London deserves its praise, rightly so, but still I often do prefer the one (transformation part) taking place in The Howling, and while many seem to complain about it being too "slow", I would "kill" for this kind of stuff taking place in modern horror movies, where it so often looks just dull/bland. Anyway, for Karen it must have been a horrible moment, knowing very well what kind of a horrible human being Eddie Quist really is, so then to meet up with his "other" side, now that is the stuff of true nightmares, and people do react very differently when in danger. Still, the most terrifying thing about the whole transformation part has to be the evil and gruesome close up Eddie's face and eyes, and it was such a nasty and creepy scene that what followed with the full sized werewolf, almost became a small "letdown" compared to the first 3 minutes or so, and I guess An American Werewolf pretty much succeeded better at that, than The Howling. But when it comes to the transformation part, my vote would surely go to Rob Bottin and his work on The Howling. Sure, the one film had probably a budget of about 1 to 1,5 million dollars, while the other had about 5-6 extra million dollars more to work from, so with that in mind, I think Joe Dante did one hell of a job with this film. In the leading role as Karen White, Dee Wallace once again proves what a talented actress she was back then, and quite the scream queen as well, who gets the shock of a lifetime and afterwards when trying to prove all the terrifying stuff that have taken place over the last few days, the audience only dismiss it as just another attempt of BS its viewers. Something I really enjoyed about the film and the story, is that it kind of goes beyond the usually and overdone horror book "rules", and here there is no need for the full moon to rise, as those who are "gifted" with the power of the beast, can turn into a killing machine whenever they feel like it, and that is quite interesting and cool, I think. In other parts, you find the always reliable Dick Miller, this time as a bookstore owner, and of course Patrick Macnee who portrays the seemingly kind and generous Dr. Waggner, while the stunning Elisabeth Brooks almost steal the show as the seductive and dark mistress that is Marsha. Another highlight of the film, is the music of Pino Donaggio, who creates a very dreamlike yet uncomfortable mood and setting through sounds and melodies. All in all, I really wanted to hand it a higher rating, but somehow it just did not work out as well as I had hoped for, but still it quite something different from most of the other werewolf films I have seen, and feel at times more like a mystery/suspense film than a horror movie. It would soon be followed by a doze of "sequels", where some are just awful in every way, while others are actually incredible funny and very entertaining bad movies, such as the second one, Your Sister is a Werewolf (1985), which is one of my favorite bad movies, of all time. The first one is of course the best film, no doubt about it. 7,5/10 It might be easier using the search engine in ‘View this members recent threads’ or ’recent posts’ in your profile page, if you know you had already started a thread, or created a post on a particular film/topic. It’s way more effective.
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Post by lostinlimbo on Jun 18, 2020 1:36:37 GMT
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Post by FridayOnElmStreet on Jun 18, 2020 1:45:13 GMT
5/10 Basic slasher film. If you like those kind then yes otherwise skip it.
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Post by lostinlimbo on Jun 18, 2020 2:05:08 GMT
Saw a couple of low budget horrors this week. The Night Watchmen (2017) A Horror-Comedy about a group of inept night watchmen battling a vampire hoard led by Blimpo, the Vampire clown. Got a few chuckles out of it and there's plenty of blood. The vampires act more like Zombies than Vampires, in fact one of our heroes even refers to them as Zompires. 4/10. Clawed (2017) Clawed monster formed from toxic waste killing campers. This one is bad. Almost raised Night Watchmen a point after watching this, as anything would improve by comparison. Poor dialogue, acting, and camera work. Only get quick looks at the monster and no really good kills. Tiffany Shepis & Felissa Rose are in it but their scene is a quick one, after which I was thinking of giving up on this but then it looked like the monster raped his next victim so the sleaze lover in me won out, but there was no more of that, just the usual chasing and killing. There's a twist at the end, if you can make it that far. 2/10 I definitely agree with ‘The Night Watchmen’. It had some laughs. The sparkling vampires comment got a chuckle from me. Low-brow, but a fun & breezy time waster. I remember watch listing Clawed (although it was under a different name at the time) around a decade ago on IMDb. It was sorta in limbo for years. IMDB had its release date 2008/or 2009. I remember people were inquiring about its release on the message boards. Then suddenly it had a release date (less than a decade later), title & year change and different story details of the monster, compared to what I remembered when it first got me interested. Doesn’t sound as enticing now.
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Post by lostinlimbo on Jun 18, 2020 2:22:54 GMT
A horror spoof which had me stone face, and bored for most part. Carol Kane, Judge Reinhold and Paul Reubens made it bearable. Kane was really good, and her physical comedy makes up for the limp material. Probably the weakest of the bunch that I saw which flooded the early 80s.
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Post by lostinlimbo on Jun 18, 2020 3:18:24 GMT
Well, this short fan film was better than ‘The Predator’.
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Jun 18, 2020 7:46:15 GMT
It might be easier using the search engine in ‘View this members recent threads’ or ’recent posts’ in your profile page, if you know you had already started a thread, or created a post on a particular film/topic. It’s way more effective. Sadly, that function did not work either, when I wrote the review of The Howling. But, the last two days it seems like the search function is back to normal, thankfully. Anyway, I usually tend to go into my own profile and then make use of the recent threads to search for or looking up any movie or title, if I am not sure if I have already started/written a similar thread or topic earlier on.
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Post by teleadm on Jun 19, 2020 21:03:38 GMT
From the time time Universal Pictures delivered the goods: Boris and Bela in the same movie, and Bela turned out to be the good guy this time. Through science Karloff character has measured out old meteor impacts on earth, in a spooky Hungarian castle, of millions of years ago, and since nobody else new, bought land rights down in southern Africa, hopng to get rich, finds it, calles it Radium X, and everything he touches. Bela uses knowledge for good, Boris wan't revenge instead. None of them wins in the end, but as is usual there is a young couple. If you like old horror actors... Judge yourself: ok.ru/video/1806573243060if that site works were you live
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Post by lostinlimbo on Jun 20, 2020 3:02:40 GMT
Mother Lode (1982) Old school adventure-thriller with a scruffy Charlton Heston murdering a Scottish accent. Gold fever, beautiful British Columbia wilderness, claustrophobic tension, simmering unease and an early Kim Basinger performance. John Marley had an amusing cameo too.
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Post by Freddy Kroogz on Jun 20, 2020 4:25:05 GMT
Dead of Night (1977) Gotta go through some boring stuff to get to the last story but it was worth it. A mother summons her dead kid back to life, and he comes back and just fucks with her. Then tries to kill her. It was pretty creepy I liked it. Gives ya a little jolt at the end too. It also has to be a world record holder for the usage of the word “mommy” in an anthology segment. 2/5 I didn’t mind the second story... but the build up is let down by its meek payoff. But they indeed left the best for last. This story was used again in ‘Trilogy of Terror 2’. It’s not bad, but does pale in comparison to ‘Dead Of Night’ version of ‘Bobby’. Less eerie, if sillier. However as a whole anthology film it was way more consistent and entertaining. Second story was cool, I liked the gothic atmosphere but like you said it seemed to be all for nothing. First story I actually liked with the twilight zone vibes but felt very out of place. Never seen Trilogy of Terror 1 or 2 but may have to check them out!
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Post by Captain Spencer on Jun 20, 2020 15:59:26 GMT
I'll never forget the first time I saw The Evil Dead when I was a teenager back in the 80s. I couldn't get over how wild and shocking it was at the time. It really was a rollercoaster ride of a horror film. And of course I've seen it many times since and I own the blu-ray. Having seen it again recently, I still enjoy it very much and it holds up quite well, aside from the ridiculous stop-motion effects at the end which looks like one of those Rankin-Bass cartoons (yeah I know they had very little money to work with) and some amateurish acting. Still this is 80s horror at its finest.
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Post by Freddy Kroogz on Jun 20, 2020 22:38:49 GMT
Scream 2 - Never liked it as much as most horror fans, but I don’t really have anything against it either. Not bad by any means just not one I tend to revisit often. 3/5
Scream 3 - So goddamn stupid I think I might actually love it someday. 3/5
Chopping Mall - Lol. 3/5
Audition - Holy shit. Slow burn with an amazing payoff. If you’ve never seen it, I highly recommend checking it out. If you start to feel bored about halfway through go grab yourself a whiskey and buckle up. 4.5/5
Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night II - Doesn’t really make any sense but still a very good horror flick with intense “A Nightmare on Elm Street” vibes. I can see this becoming a personal favorite over the years. 3.5/5
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Post by Chalice_Of_Evil on Jun 21, 2020 2:21:58 GMT
Scream 2 - Never liked it as much as most horror fans, but I don’t really have anything against it either. Not bad by any means just not one I tend to revisit often. 3/5 Scream 3 - So goddamn stupid I think I might actually love it someday. 3/5 I was never that fussed on Scream 2 either. As for Scream 3...I did appreciate the one 'horror movie' moment where Sydney dream of her mum outside the window. I thought that was creepy. I preferred Scream 4 to both of those^.
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Post by Chalice_Of_Evil on Jun 21, 2020 2:25:26 GMT
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Post by FridayOnElmStreet on Jun 21, 2020 3:30:48 GMT
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Post by Freddy Kroogz on Jun 21, 2020 3:32:50 GMT
Scream 2 - Never liked it as much as most horror fans, but I don’t really have anything against it either. Not bad by any means just not one I tend to revisit often. 3/5 Scream 3 - So goddamn stupid I think I might actually love it someday. 3/5 As goofy as Scream 3 is that scene is definitely well done and still creeps me out every time I watch it. I agree with you 100% about Scream 4
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Post by Freddy Kroogz on Jun 22, 2020 13:12:17 GMT
Trick r’ Treat (2007) - Creepshow meets Pulp Fiction drenched in October vibes.
4/5
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Post by Ass_E9 on Jun 22, 2020 17:20:56 GMT
Wacko (1982)
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Jun 23, 2020 11:23:19 GMT
Poltergeist III (1988) by Gary Sherman
I think it was the first of the Poltergeist movies I ever saw, usually it was often sent during the middle of the night in summertime in the late 90s, so I used to catch it every now and then. Have not seen it since, well, very long now and I kind of liked the whole use of this new and futuristic skyscraper approach, but sadly the movie was not all that.
It had some potential, I guess, but far too many annoying characters and re-use of typical haunted house cliches being used, where the story seem a little too hasty put down, and when Tangina suddenly arrives, as cocky and arrogant as ever (never been a fan of her) but, yeah, the film did not sit down too well with me this time around, sadly. Still, it did pack some enjoyable and rather well done special effects and it was nice to see such a young Lara Flynn Boyle, but also Nancy Allen.
I never was too fond of the whole Poltergeist franchise, and often prefer my haunted house/supernatural horror movies a bit more "minimalistic" and by making more use of atmosphere and tone, rather than have them ending up as some kind of a overblown special effect "theme park", and compared to stuff like The Entity (1982) which I thought was really disturbing and creepy, Poltergeist III ends up almost played out like a parody at times.
Still, I can not be too hard on it, as I had some good times back in my teens when watching it late at night, all by myself, but then I had not seen too many horror movies, and had very little to compare it with.
5/10
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