Now you can watch the sequel American Werewolf in Paris!
Going to try to watch Under The Skin and Murder Party tonight or tomorrow. Heard good things about them.
I totally forgot to post up day 2 for 31 Days of Horror.
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For today’s installment of 31 Days of Horror, I decided to head back into the late 70’s for some good old fashioned Italian horror from none other than Dario Argento’s classic Suspiria.
I have never seen this movie before, but I have heard nothing but great things about it. This movie is actually on a lot GOAT Horror lists, and rightfully so, because Argento truly added a new element to the Horror genre through his vivid imagery coupled with the amazing score performed by Progressive Rock group Goblin.
The first thing I will say about Susperia, is that it is incredibly bizarre. From the extra bright colors assaulting the screen to the obscure camera angles, this movie creeped me out just on set and sound design alone. The story wasn’t too shabby either. Basically it is about a dancer named Suzy (Jessica Harper) who attends a prestigious dance academy in Germany. Upon arrival, things are not quite as they seem and gruesome and mysterious deaths start to occur around the school. What Suzy doesn’t realize is that the school is ran by a coven of witches.
I will stop there with explaining the plot, because I don’t want to take away from this unique experience. What I will say is that even though the movie was released in the late 70’s, it still holds up quite well. The suspense and amount of gore is most definitely one that I can tip my hat to. Everything about this movie is extremely odd, but I say that in a good way. Basically if I were in that movie I would really salty to say the least. Almost like it is an extremely bad dream come to life.
All in al, if you have yet to watch Suspiria and really want to see a good quality horror film, then do yourself a favor and find a copy and start watching it right now. I promise you will not be disappointed.
5/5
K.C.[/details]
I’m sparing you guys my write-ups on all the audio commentaries/docs/extras from the Halloween Complete Collection box and just musing on the films themselves
Halloween 2
[details=Spoiler]
HALLOWEEN 2
Halloween 2 was the first horror movie I ever bought. It was a VHS release some time in the early/mid 90s when consumer-priced vhs tapes became a thing. I actually had to get my older friend to buy it as the store in the mall wouldn’t let you if you were under 18. I really liked the movie back then and watched it all the time. I felt it was a really focused, taut suspense thriller with a bunch of cool deaths. There was definitely a line worn in the video at a point during the sauna scene. For one reason or another I never upgraded that vhs tape until now, so I was excited to revisit it after so many years and see if it held up. Short answer: it hasn’t.
My viewing of Halloween 2 was a big disappointment. This was the movie I thought at one point was the strongest sequel? I spent the entire time watching this movie picking it apart and ruminating on why it wasn’t working. There’s so much wrong with it but the overarching problem I think is that this just wasn’t the story that should’ve been told. There were lots of ways to take a sequel, even a sequel that takes place immediately following the first film, and this was the worst possible option. Unlike almost all sequels, everything about this one feels smaller than the first one. it even seems like they had a smaller budget to shoot the thing! The suspense is non-existent and practically all the scares are cheap jump scares. But the biggest knock against it is the characters.
What really struck me on this viewing is how lame the characters are and how little we are invested in any of them. JLC is completely wasted in the film and her character is basically unrecognizable from the heroine in the first film (a big reason why this story shouldn’t have been told). She has maybe 3 lines in the entire film, having to spend most of it in different states of shock or fear. This isn’t the dynamic personality we bonded with before - this is a stiff mute mannequin that could’ve been played by anyone.
The rest of the cast doesn’t even rise to Friday the 13th-levels of respectability. I can’t think of a less interesting, less sympathetic group of victims. So much of the film is spent on Michael killing them, but we just don’t care. We aren’t invested in the slightest, so it’s not scary at all. It’s like the opening scene of Friday the 13th Part 3 is drawn out for a a whole movie. Hell the only somewhat interesting character, the black female doctor, is the one who dies off camera!
The other thing that kills the suspense in the film is the amount of POV shots from Michael’s perspective. Why are we seeing these at all? Were there any in the first one once he became The Shape? If the audience is seeing the action through Michael’s eyes, then by definition it isn’t scary.
I find it strange that my memory of this film is all about the cat and mouse game between JLC and Michael, but watching it now, that takes up a relatively short portion of the 3rd act, with the majority of the film being Michael killing the hospital staff and Loomis acting crazy. It’s a steep drop for Loomis - he had a cheesy line or two in the first film, but in this one he’s just batshit hammy.
Dean Cundey is still great, although there were a few garishly-lit shots with Michael in them that I didn’t love. I also like the cheesy music alterations to the original score. The movie looked great on blu ray. I don’t know how I’m going to make it through the tv cut…[/details]
One of my favorite movies of all time and one I try to watch every so often…Suspiria never gets old for me. Best end credit start-up in all of horror.
Going to watch both The Woman In Black and Horns tonight… Daniel Radcliffe night~ lol
I also have ABCs of Death 2… btw Suspiria is awesome, I’d watch it again anytime but this Oct im planning to only watch movies that I’ve never seen before.
Forgot to post up day 3&4. Check out the reviews below (Manhunter and You’re Next)
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I have always enjoyed a good detective movie where it would become a game of cat and mouse. There is something to be said about two opposing forces using their intellectual prowess to destroy the other. In the case of Manhunter, this is where I am truly in awe of the man that we all know as Dr. Hannibal Lecter.
I heard a lot of things about this movie, but never quite understood why it was considered a classic until I was older. The best way I can describe this film is genius. I found it very interesting how Lecter and Detective Graham were always analyzing each other. And what really had me intrigued was the way Lecter just seemed to know everything. The man was way too smart, and it was scary how he was still able to do so much from behind bars. This really had to make me think about other serial killers in movies. its like they all pale in comparison to Dr. Lecter.
The biggest plus for me was the fact that this movie was released in 1986, so that means it had everything awesome about the 80’s wrapped up in one insanely dark package. The score was beyond fitting for every scene, and the style choices of the characters just reminds me what a lot of scenesters and hipsters are trying so hard to obtain. The packaging of this film was one that stuck with me.
Manhunter is one of those movies that you can’t just sit and watch one time and be done with it. This is a movie that I feel I still don’t quite understand the characters involved. I feel that the characters have a lot of depth to them that one would not be able to explain from one sit through. The movie has the elements of horror all over it, but I think what the scariest aspect of this movie is that the characters and the events felt all too real. But I mean that in a good way. Regardless, this movie is a classic for a reason, and you get to see a younger Hannibal Lecter creep you and everyone else who is watching this out. Manhunter is most definitely in my top 10 Horror movies of all time.
4.5/5
K.C.[/details]
Spoiler
http://media.tumblr.com/1b4dea005b9b8964feaa41f697241b84/tumblr_inline_nd0201FXIU1t29748.jpg
Adam Wingard’s You’re Next breathes new life into the home-invasion horror genre. Don’t get me wrong, Wingard doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but he does bring a certain “X” factor to what would typically be a home invasion film where everyone dies in a horrible manner and no one survives and the killers live to kill again. Well that stuff does happen, just not in a cookie cutter fashion to which we all have become accustomed to.
You’re Next is about a young lady named Sharni Vinson who accompanies her boyfriend (who is also her professor) for his parents’ wedding anniversary ceremony. The family gathers for dinner and things quickly turn awkward. You get to see the annimosity between the professor and his non bearded brother, and you get to see his sister’s boyfriend Tariq(played by director Ti West) get mocked at the dinner table, well that is until and arrow is shot through the window and nails Tariq right in the head. And from here until the movie ends, you pretty much know how it is going to progress.
What I enjoyed about this movie is that it didn’t feel so cheesy. I liked that there was something more to the gruesome event other than folks killing for fun. Even if the message has been done over and over, it was still refreshing to see how everything played out. It was also really nice seeing the villains actually be vulnerable for once. Wingard did a good job with You’re Next, not perfect by any means but most definitely entertaining and fun.
3.5/5
K.C.
Outside of that caught Blade Runner Final Cut and Manhunter, I may speak more on Manhunter here as out of all the Hannibal films made I feel it is the strongest and creates a dreamlike setting with more investigative work involved.
Halloween ghost nail art
Horns was great despite maybe more leaning towards dark fairy tale than horror while The Woman in Black worked for me despite not liking some of the jump scares…
ABCs of Death 2 is definitely better than the first one. Surprised me in a way. Tomorrow I’m probably going to watch Takashi Miike’s Gozu, I’ve looked for it since my college days and only managed to find it this year…
Suspiria is great, but out of the Three Mothers Trilogy I’ve always really enjoyed Inferno. Same great look, a more concise story, and a rare Final Boy switch in an Italian Giallo no less. Only other film I can think of that utilizes Final Boy off the top of my head is The Burning and possibly Sleepaway Camp.
Alien this week and Evil Within next week, probably going to get both on my next check. (On inferior now PS3, bummer) and let you guys know how they are.
For movies I’ve watched KILLDOZER and that is about it, probably watch something tonight.
Speaking of ABC’s of Death 2, here is my review for that.
Spoiler
http://media.tumblr.com/452184f68f68b20e2fdd21c57e989ff4/tumblr_inline_nd1ov3Aath1t29748.jpg
If any of you have seen the first installment of the massive anthology series ABC’s of Death, then you will know exactly what to expect with the second go around. So this will be a pretty short review to say the least.
This movie was…. Okay to say the least. There were a few segments that I liked (A,S,W and Z) but a lot of the others were quite forgettable. I recommend watching it just to say that you have seen it, but besides from the better cinematography, there really isn’t anything about this movie that would make me want to sit through it again. So go ahead and give it a watch, and while you are at it also try to guess each letter, that will be sure to make it a bit more entertaining.
2/5
K.C.
I am excited for The Evil Within. When I pick it up I will be sure to post the stream link in here.
Saw Annabelle a few days ago. It sucked. A few good scares here and there but man it’s boring to watch. You’re just waiting for the doll to move the whole time -_-
I thought ABC 1 was so boring and forgettable outside of the shock for shock’s sake Japanese one. (you know what I’m talking about.) But even that wasn’t enjoyable.
I’ll probably skip this one until it shows up on Netflix and I get reeeeeally bored.
I recently rewatched End of the Line, which is a pretty good movie. It’s a Canadian horror was made in 2007, but has a very 80’s/90’s feel.
Yeah, being a fan of horror anthologies, I was really looking forward to the first ABCs of Death and was left extremely disappointed and mad because it sucked so bad. The sequel, on the other hand, definitely surpassed the low expectations I had for it, its probably not worth a full rewatch but some of the segments are pretty good imo.
I am excited for The Evil Within too but still contemplating on whether to pre-purchase it or just wait (leaning towards the latter).
I think I have that movie in my list. To be honest I have a lot of movies in my list, some of them I dont even remember what they are about, which can be a good thing as I like surprises (minus the loud noise) lol
Watched these in order last night: Cabin Fever: Patient Zero, Hatchet III, Vamp, and Fright Night OG.
Cabin Fever was odd, I enjoyed the first film and the sequels for creating a more unique Horror movie that relied on gross out situations and an illness you just can’t fight. With Patient Zero they dial that back a bit, favoring a more…zombie like approach? Best way I can describe it. The first half of the film is jarring to watch, as if it is two films pieced together. You have Sean Astin as the Patient Zero who is quarantined in a remote (And cheap looking) mountain lab with a Professor and his perky henchwomen trying to find a cure from his blood. The other story involves a man about to be married and his douchebag stereotype group of friends going out for his Bachelor party on a boat.
Lo and behold they end up on the island where Dr. Doctorman is doing stuff. Sean Astin infects someone and the virus somehow gets out. Two of the party are infected, leading to bachelor man and his pothead friend finding the lab to secure help. Outside of a few scenes (Like the infected cat fight that starts for literally no reason but is amusing, and the general gore factor) it was largely a forgettable film with a morbid ending that felt very out of left field. Skip it.
Hatchet III is the third and possibly final film in an amazing nostalgic waxing of 80’s Slashers. It’s like someone saw the Cold Opening on Jason goes to Hell (The best part of said film) and was like “What if we made this an entire movie?” In other words, it’s brilliant and unabashedly violent. The only nitpicking I have is the weak story, so much so that the highly touted Danielle Harris (For reasons I am not sure) only repeats “Why do I have to hand him the ashes?” about fifteen times, and so many “Fuck off/fuck you” lines that I lost track after thirty. But the story hardly matters, what matters is seeing that monster tear the hell out of people in glorious ways.
Vamp has been on my radar for a while, and I decided to finally give it a shot. I really found myself enjoying the film outside of a few elements. The basic premise is two friends need a stripper to join a fraternity, picking up an Asian dude who has a car to visit the BIG CITY in hopes of obtaining one. So out goes the peaceful suburds to the 80’s hellhole of what a big city is suppose to look like. Grimy but colorful, I found the general lighting and atmosphere to be top notch for this film, the color spectrum was Suspiria levels of vibrant and combined with the various chase scenes had a Warriors vibe to me.
The vampire effects are well done for what they are, ranging from Fright Night levels of awesome for main ones to laughable B-movie quality for smaller roles. The Albino street gang, strange Reinfield like old minions, and the clash of 80’s 'tude from the kids gave it such a bizarre quality. I might have been reading to much into it but I thought the Albino gang was going to end up having a twist to them, my general thought was they were going to end up being a group of Vampire Killers out looking for the nest. But I was clearly wrong here, but given the amount of screen time they occupy I was hoping for a better payoff. The general flow is handled well, you aren’t suddenly perplexed as to why hero kid is using a bow to fight the undead, as it along with other quirks and passing remarks were handled well earlier into the film. If you are a fan of 80’s/90’s Vampire flicks check this out, I was pleased.
Fright Night…what can I really say about this film? If you haven’t seen this then shame on you, go do so now. Easily in my top ten Horror films, I can endlessly watch it and find new things I missed the first time around. For example during this viewing: In one of Peter Vincent’s vampire films being shown, as he stops his dramatic monologue to stake the vampire, the pointed end is being held the wrong way, indicating the B-level quality of his career. It gave me a good chuckle to notice that.
If you somehow haven’t seen it Fright Night is a film where young Charlie becomes enamored with his new next door neighbor, after finding evidence that he is in fact a Vampire (Or is he? Dun dun duh!). As is always the case no one believes him, and his deteriorating madness and panic over this plays out as insane for all around him, yet you the viewer know he is telling the truth (?). Eventually Charlie seeks the help of Peter Vincent, a former actor who now hosts a local Horror show (Played by the brilliant Roddy McDowell in a homage to Vincent Price). Naturally Peter brushes Charlie off, prompting Charlie’s girlfriend Amy and “Evil” Ed to pay him off in an attempt to disprove that Jerry Dandrige is the vampire.
Suffice it to say, shenanigans ensue ending in a climatic battle of good versus evil with brilliant special effects work. The movie keeps you interested throughout the whole length, but really ramps it up for the finale in a satisfying way. Great script, great direction, amazing cast that had basically free will to change and elaborate on their characters. You can feel the enthusiasm, you can sink into this world for a brief moment and enjoy a true gem of the 1980’s.
My only issue is that the only BD release so far is OOP and has a high asking price on the third market. And that is sad.
EDIT: Well it seems two days ago Twilight Time announced a new 30th Anniversary BD release of Fright Night to be expected in January of 2015. No news on special features yet, but still that is some uncanny timing.
Inferno was probably the classic Argento I liked the least bitd (which isn’t to say I didn’t like it), there was only one set piece I really liked and it didn’t feel as exciting as my favorites from him, Suspiria, Phenomena, and Deep Red. Also if you are an Argento fan you have to play the original Clock Tower for the snes…the game is a horror masterpiece that draws almost entirely from his films.
Still plowing through the Halloween box set
[details=Spoiler]Halloween II: The Television Cut (HCC disc 4)
I had a lot of fun with this one. It was a real departure from the theatrical cut so it held my interest throughout. Some of the editing decisions I actually thought worked better than the theatrical version. I like how the credits are all up front and then we stay with Laurie for a while from the old footage to her trip to the hospital without any of the Michael Myers pov shots. This centers the story a little better and doesn’t demystify Michael as much right up front that seeing things through his eyes right off the bat did in the theatrical. I like that the cut did stuff like this throughout - we get the regular ADR and shortened kill scenes you would expect from a tv cut, plus all the added deleted scenes, and then new editing on top of that, all taken together creating almost a brand new viewing experience.
I liked most of the deleted scenes integrated into the movie because they added sorely needed characterization to the dull hospital staff. Most of the kill scenes were humorous as they were cut so short it was usually impossible to tell what actually happened to the victim if you hadn’t seen the theatrical cut. I especially like how during the climax at the end, they cut to a shot of Lance Guest randomly walking down the hall, then the explosion happens and they cut to him slipping on the blood and getting knocked out, but done in a way to make it seem like he’s falling because of the force of the explosion. This then sets up the unused ending of him with JLC in the ambulance, which actually kinda works.
This cut was on a dvd instead of a blu ray and it was interesting seeing how desensitized I’ve become to hi-def. I didn’t think the print looked particularly bad at all, although it was pretty dark and fuzzy. It felt like a nice throwback to watching movies bitd.[/details]
Speaking or Argento, he has started a crowdfunding project for a new movie The Sandman
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/dario-argento-s-the-sandman-starring-iggy-pop--2
that’s not Argento…Argento died after directing Opera, then was resurrected in a short term limited capacity to direct Stendhal Syndrome and has never been heard from since.
Synapse films is releasing movie only versions of Demons and Demons 2 on BD, after the limited special edition steelbook case runs they did earlier this year.
I own both the special edition sets (Soooo awesome), and while you are missing some of the extraordinary special features and interviews the film quality to BD is beautiful, as they took it from the original negatives as all companies should.
If you missed out on the special sets and like these films pick them up for sure.
Here are a few more reviews for movies I watched this week.
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Okay first off, I am a fan of the original Chainsaw Massacre, and I even enjoyed the first remake with Jordana Brewster. But this remake was beyond terrible. I have no idea why they decided to put Trey Songz in this movie. It probably would have been a lot better if Tyrese or Genuwine were in it (plus they probably would have been able to suppress the urge to take their shirts off).
I tried very hard to like this movie, but I just could not get into it. Was not fun to watch, and it was a constant struggle for me not to turn it off and watch reruns of The Husbands of Hollywood or Total Divas (yes the movie is that bad).
If you do decide to watch this movie then be warned that it is not good. If you go in with the mindset that the movie is a hot pile of garbage then you won’t have to worry about being disappointed.
1/5
K.C.[/details]
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Another day of horror and another remake. This time it is Carrie. Unlike the Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake, Carrie wasn’t too bad. Don’t get me wrong, it most definitely is not without its issues, but for the most part the movie was enjoyable.
I think it is safe to assume that we all know the story of Carrie, so I will skip the synopsis. The movie is basically a gory teenage revenge flick that does a good job at showcasing the cruelty of teenagers of today. I think my only gripe was that these kids went out of their way to mess with Carrie, and there really wasn’t anything like “okay so why are we messing with her again?”. Just the serious tone the Jock bully had was just so stupid. As if this guy was was about to murder her whole family. Either way I did enjoy some of the shots of the teenage bullies getting what they deserve.
The remake was not groundbreaking or even great, but it wasn’t terrible which I was actually surprised. I do recommend watching the movie, just to have something to watch. The acting isn’t terrible and the special effects are also pretty decent. Give it a watch over the weekend if you need a decent horror movie to watch.
3/5
K.C.[/details]
[details=Spoiler]
Okay, all I will say is that I am a big fan of Clive Barker and his Hellraiser series. But this movie should not be considered a part of the same series. Basically if it was not for Doug Bradley bringing his usual exquisite acting to the movie, then this would be beyond unsalvageable. Unfortunately Mr. Bradley could salvage this movie. It was just a movie that never should have been made.
I you feel you must watch this movie, then do yourself a favor and take a couple of shots of Johnny Walker before you do.this movie is bad, and it maybe could have passed as decent, but it simply didn’t. Honestly just go back and watch Hellraiser 1&2 again.
1/5
K.C.[/details]
Also I was searching Hulu Plus and I see that they have the Indonesian horror film Macabre to stream right now. I am currently watching it now and it is pretty good. Tons of gore for those of you into that stuff.