The Horror Thread

[Smudge]

I reiterate my above comment. The 70s were ace. Finally got around to watching Suspiria. It's very good. Typical Argento, mad soundtrack, gorgeous to look at, gratuitously violent deaths, dodgy dubbing, all pulled together to make a very nasty piece of work.

I think a lot of modern horrors don't have the patience they used to. Classic horror films spend long periods building tension, giving you mystery and exposition, creepy unsettling red herrings to keep you on your toes, and then they hit you with scary bits. This, Don't Look Now, the Exorcist, Halloween, all some of the best horrors around and they all have long quiet periods.

 

[Gilly?]

Watched Halloween last night, forgot how good it was. Bags of tension, you forget how scary Michael actually is in this.

 

[Craig]

Under the Bed (2012)
Decent creature feature. A little disjointed but overall not bad at all and the creature effects were superior to a lot of recent horror. 7/10

My Halloween was a bit shit. Working while 10pm didn't help but I didn't watch any horror films (just the latest TWD ep) and looking at the TV guide I would have struggled to find one anyway.

 

[Craig]

Cabin Fever (2016)
I'm not a big fan of the original really. I can take or leave Eli Roth. I did quite enjoy it though, but this is one of those remakes where you just wonder to yourself why? I mean the original is far from a classic and when it comes to cabin in the woods horror it's nowhere near the top table I don't reckon. It all plays out like an unnecessary homage to a minor footnote in the genre, by no means a forgettable piece of trash, but by no means an important feature either. Produced by Roth you just get the feeling he was indulging his own ego on this one by having an up and coming young director remake his debut film. 6/10.

 

[Cas]

possession of michael king
6/10

 

[mowgli]

A dreadful remake of the 1979 film starring Ryan Reynolds and Melissa George ( I should have know better with her in it ) Just another remake of a decent original which is pointless and lazy. 2/10
I should have put The Amytiville Horror (205) so you know what i'm on about.

 

[Craig]

Within (2016)
A family moves into a new home but soon discover there's something iffy about the place and something or someone in the.... crawlspace (original title).

The Shrine (2010)
Investigative reporter drags her long suffering boyfriend and friend to Eastern Europe to try and find out what happened to a missing American. They come across a cursed Polish village and soon regret their little jolly.

The Monster (2016)
Half decent creature feature involving a mother and daughter who break down on a country road and are confronted by a monster in the woods.

Horror Express (1972)
Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing have to deal with a thawed out monster while travelling on the Orient Express.

 

[Craig]

The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)
This one I really enjoyed. Father and son coroners Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch are tasked with the autopsy of an unidentified young woman found in the basement of a house where all the occupants suffered horrible deaths while seemingly trying to escape. As the autopsy progresses a disturbing story unfolds and they come to wish they had never come across the corpse of this particular Jane Doe. Does pretty much everything right. From the gore to the psychological horror through the supernatural element of the story. Falls flat on a couple of occasions but still the best horror I've watched so far this year (granted a short list at the moment). 8/10

The Disappointments Room (2016)
From the pen of Prison Break's Wentworth Miller (did you know he has a degree in literature from Princeton? neither did I and from watching this offering you would't have guessed it either) comes a truly atrocious offering to the genre. It's a real shame too because the actual story, while a predictable trope in horror films, had the potential to be at least something approaching good. Kate Beckinsale and her husband and young son move into an old country home. Turns out the place has a dark history of child abuse and murder which naturally comes back to haunt her. The performances are terrible and I mean every single one, the production value is poor (for a film that cost around $15million) and the story is mostly a disjointed mess. One of the main arcs is the death of Beckinsale's infant daughter which is not expanded on nearly enough as it needs to be to really effect the story. A perfect example of the rubbish being churned out in the horror genre at the moment and if viewed in that respect then a complete and utter success story I suppose. 1/10

 

[ZianfrancoGoal]

the autopsy had me. when they stopped autopsing because of things, it lost me. the unravelling of the mystery felt too conventional, which is especially disappointing when you consider the director's previous film

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

still the best horror I've watched so far this year (granted a short list at the moment)

 

[Craig]

Recently watched...

Possession (1981)
Euro mind fuck with Sam Neill.

Blair Witch (2016)
Unnecessary and boring sequel.

Hell House LLC (2016)
Good creepy found footage.

Train to Busan (2016)
Zombies on a train. Not bad.

To watch..
The Wailing (2016)
Under the Shadow (2016)

Currently reading....
Occultation and Other Stories by Laird Barron.
Collection of short stories in the same vein as Lovecraft with more modern settings. Very good.

I have also compiled quite a large list of horror film anthologies I haven't seen before and will be ploughing through these as and when I come across decent copies.

 

[Stevencc]

I'll be watching Possession relatively soon, does it get the Craig seal of approval?

 

[Cas]

Neon Demon
7/10

Don't Breathe
7/10

Don't Knock Twice
7/10

All enjoyable without being anything special.

 

[KevinMcallister]

CAS!

 

[Smudge]

Everyone go watch Get Out. You wont be sorry.

 

[Craig]

Going to see it on Thursday.

Spring (2014)
American feller goes on a jolly to Italy after his mum dies and falls in love with a girl who isn't quite what she seems.

Would You Rather (2012)
A group of desperate people are lured into a horrifying game of would you rather by a sadistic billionaire.

Hush (2016)
Death and mute writer living in relative seclusion is tormented by psycho who stumbles on her isolated home.

 

[Leewilson]

Everyone go watch Get Out. You wont be sorry.

Saw Get Out at the weekend. Excellent film. It has an uneasy tone in it right from the beginning and whilst it's not jump scary particularly, there are certain moments that are so uncomfortable.

Loved it.

 

[Craig]

 

[Craig]

That was tight until the last frame. Still psyched for this one though.

 

[KevinMcallister]

The Bye Bye Man 7/10 not too bad

 

[Gilly?]

Really curious about 'IT'.

Looks like they're going to rely on jumping scares with Pennywise and that's not what made him scary. Hope they don't fuck this up.

 

[Smudge]

Saw Get Out at the weekend. Excellent film. It has an uneasy tone in it right from the beginning and whilst it's not jump scary particularly, there are certain moments that are so uncomfortable.

Loved it.

Yeah, had the same sort of feel of Rosemary's Baby meets the Stepford Wives. That kind of 'everything here seems okay so why do I feel like something really bad is going to happen' vibe!

 

[piézo]

Watched Get Out (2017). I was expecting an ok movie but it overcame all my expectations. It has a strong reference of Stepford Housewifes. Both are inclined to make us deal directly or indirectly with social criticisms being the gender (women stereothyped as housewives) or the racial (black people stereothyped as slaves) issue. Even the protagonists, Chris (Get Out) and Joanna (Stepford Wives), have the same interest for photography. We think we know all the time where the movie is going and the reasons but we’re completely wrong, the plot twist is amazing. Also for me this delivers a better and deep approach of mentality and the situation as the original movie adaptation of Stepford Wives. And this is the highest point of the movie, we can know what’s passing through their minds. This is a real psychological thriller/horror and not this ones so called like this that only release us some fake jump scares and are praised for it. And can we talk about the simplicity but geniality of this title? Most horror movies, particularly this one, makes us keep with this thinking/phrase “get out” in mind. I caught myself acounseling the protagonist in my mind to get out uncountable times and got the conclusion this really was the best name.

 

[Smudge]

That was tight until the last frame. Still psyched for this one though.

Especially given the budget and quality of TV these days, Ive always thought with the depth of the book, IT would be best served by a miniseries, rather than a film. Say 10 episodes? Okay, no TV series or film is ever going to do justice to some books, but I think there are so many stories in this book, that the longer it can have, the better?

Parts of the original two parter/ film were okay and were done well. But as a version of the book, it was poor, cut a lot out and filled in with jump scares. I just hope this doesnt do the same, because it looks like it could be ace.

 

[Craig]

It's going to focus on the group when they were kids with a potential sequel when they're adults. So it's going to differ quite a bit from the early 90's version by the sound of it.

 

[Smudge]

That's interesting...longer overall runtime if you're packing it into two films instead of one, so could potentially work. We wait and see I guess!

 

[Smudge]

Watched the Birds last night. Same as when I watched Psycho, wondered if it could still be enjoyed given its been imitated for over 50 years now. It can though, excellent film. Classic Hitchcock with the building of suspense, point of view shots etc. The scenes outside the school, and the very beginning of the attic scene are just brilliant 9/10

 

[Craig]

Watched The Void (2016). Gory Lovecraftian mindfuck. Would watch again.

Like the look of this one...

 

[Cas]

Phantasm Ravager
Fooking shit 3/10

Southbound
Really solid anthology. 7.5/10

Blair Witch
More of the same. Quite liked it thought. The actual witch looked naff though. 6/10

Unfriended
Just okay. 5/10

Get Out
Excellent. 9/10.

 

[Smudge]

Went to see Colossal tonight. While it's not a horror film, it takes a lot of inspiration from the old Godzilla films, and is great fun.