Horror film review thread

[Vanillaphant]

Hello, hello!

I thought, what with it being the Halloween season, some of you might have watched one or two horror films recently…? Anything good? Bad? Surprising?

I watched Fright Night recently (the original from 1985). Well, you couldn’t call it a great film lol. But it’s good fun. Pretty tongue-in-cheek. The sort of film where you’re thinking, “Well ANYTHING could happen here” lol. And for that reason you can’t help but see it through to the end! One can see how it would become a cult classic. Pretty decent special effects as well actually.

Caught about half (the beginning and end) of a British horror film from last year called A Dark Song. I suppose the fact that I lost interest somewhere in the middle tells its own story lol. It was an interesting concept though. A bereaved mother seeks out the help of some occultist fella, ostensibly in the hope of being reunited with her deceased son. It’s unusual for a horror film in that most of the tension comes from the sense of mistrust between the two central characters. I was also surprised to learn that the male lead, Steve Oram, is more of a comedy writer/actor, and this was his first serious lead role! Seemed like a very natural performance. But like I say, the film has its flaws.

Anyone? 🙂

 

[TMF Jeff]

I saw Leatherface the other day, it was pretty good. It's a prequel to Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and an origin story for Leatherface.

I also liked Krampus a lot. I'm not usually a fan of horror comedies, but this one actually works because it plays the horror very straight and goes light on the jokes.

I also liked Tales of Halloween. It's an anthology of short halloween stories, which are hit and miss but short enough for it not to become a slog. The ones that work are worth going through the ones that don't.

 

[IrvingKrebb]

I'm not a connoisseur of horror movies but I've seen a hell of a lot of them. Some I'd recommend include:

The original Texas Chainsaw Massacre was scary and disturbing. It kinda looked like it was filmed with an old VHS Camcorder. Scared the bejezus out of me when I was a kid.

Salem's Lot is a great novel by Stephen King but was also made into a TV movie back in '79, I think. Very scary, great vampire, excellent diaologue. James Mason calling the priest a shaman, ha!

Bloody Pit of Horror was made in the '60s and stars Mickey Hargitay, then husband of Jayne Mansfield, and father of Mariska Hargitay. Not scary at all but a bevy of adorable minxes, a lot of bondage and silly torture devices gave me the tinglies in the south of my pants.

The Thing from the 80s is terrifying if you think about it, and if you read the novella it's based on called, Who Goes There, written in 1938 you'll think: Damn...1938?

And...Hammer films from England - sexy, 60s horror; anything with Vincent Price - will make you wish you were as cool as Vincent Price; and of course, The Blair Witch Project. Oh, wait, no, The Blair Witch Project sucked so bad I asked for my money back in the theater and got into a huge fight with my best friend's girlfriend about it because, well, she was an idiot.

 

[Vanillaphant]

I think The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a great film. I tend to steer clear of prequels, sequels, remakes etc, as I feel like I’m just setting myself up for a disappointment lol. Sounds like this Leatherface might be better than most such films, however.

Krampus sounds like an interesting concept – almost like an anti-Santa. lol


@IrvingKrebb:
I remember you expressing your dislike for The Blair Witch Project on another film thread. The fact that you still seem angry about the experience of sitting through that film makes me chuckle! 😛 I’d like to see a horror film which stars IrvingKrebb as a deranged moviegoer who, seeking revenge for their having wasted two hours of his life, stalks and terrorizes Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez (the directors of Blair Witch). lol

Also, I didn’t know The Thing (another favourite) was based on a novella. In fact, when I read At the Mountains of Madness by H P Lovecraft not so long ago I thought, “Hmm… This is reminiscent of The Thing… Maybe this story inspired the original film…?” Clearly I was wrong about that! lol Though, funnily enough, it was published just a couple of years before Who Goes There. May have to give that one a read!

 

[Tenebrae]

There is a horror movie called Martyrs, made in 2008. It is a French movie, PLEASE DO NOT confuse it with the CRINGE-WORTHY watered-down American remake of the same name, which was made in 2015.

It is a bloody masterpiece. Everything works right with this movie. It is a horrific experience which has the potential of scarring you for life. The acting is pitch perfect, the story very suspenseful and mature, and it will make you think. A lot. It is just as much cerebral horror as it is physical. It is so smart and fascinating that you could almost say it is a philosophical work. The main cast (antagonists and protagonists) is entirely female, and the themes explored include survival, self-loathing, femininity and spirituality.



It is not only my favorite horror movie, it is also my favorite movie, period. All genres taken together. Beware though, this is no mainstream flick like SAW or SCREAM. It will scare you 😉

 

[Vanillaphant]

It is a horrific experience which has the potential of scarring you for life.

And you’re a fan of the film, you say? Good Lord.

I have to say, it sounds exactly the sort of horror film that I wouldn’t enjoy myself lol. Each to their own and all that!

Call me old-fashioned, but I prefer my film experiences not to be horrific and psychologically injurious. lol

 

[Tenebrae]

And you’re a fan of the film, you say? Good Lord.

I have to say, it sounds exactly the sort of horror film that I wouldn’t enjoy myself lol. Each to their own and all that!

Call me old-fashioned, but I prefer my film experiences not to be horrific and psychologically injurious. lol

Matter of fact, I am a fan! It is really my favorite movie. The first half will have you at the edge of your seat, while the second one will blow your mind. And if like me you enjoy seeing young women suffer, you'll have one hell of a good time

Well if a horror film gives you PTSD, I say "mission accomplished", am I right? It's horror after all, not rom-com. Okay I am just kidding with ya. Like I said, it's not for all audiences. And when I am passionate about something I do tend to oversell 😀

 

[IrvingKrebb]

@Vanillaphant --

Ha, yeah, I guess that one left a bad taste in my mouth...Blair Witch, Shmlair Witch. I think she might've said something like, "You just don't get it!" Well, I didn't get scared and that's kinda the point of a horror movie, no? Someone said that to me about Donnie Darko too, that I didn't get it...I said, no, you didn't get it because if you did you'd realize that it wasn't very good. So ha!

You know, I didn't realize the movie 1408 was based on a Lovecraft story, just found out the other day. Haven't read it yet but I will. Who Goes There... along with a lot of other cool short stories, novellas, and even full sized novels are available as free PDFs. I look up anything I might want to read now before I buy it, especially older stuff. I thought Who Goes There... was especially impressive because of when it was written and the fact that the re-make was actually more accurate that the original!

 

[Vanillaphant]

Hadn’t heard of 1408, but it sounds like it got favourable reviews. Mind, most Stephen King adaptations do! 😉

 

[BritishSteel]

One of my absolute favourite horror movies is Dracula Has Risen From The Grave, a Hammer classic from 1968. Christopher Lee is still superb as Dracula, and it has some of the best horror movie cinematography I've seen. The soundtrack is also very eerie and atmospheric and definitely makes the movie even more chilling!

 

[Tenebrae]

One of my absolute favourite horror movies is Dracula Has Risen From The Grave, a Hammer classic from 1968. Christopher Lee is still superb as Dracula, and it has some of the best horror movie cinematography I've seen. The soundtrack is also very eerie and atmospheric and definitely makes the movie even more chilling!

This is my favorite of all the Christopher Lee's Dracula movies. If you like classic Hammer horror, you should check out The Wicker Man if you haven't (also with Christopher Lee). There is also The Black Cat from 1934 (!), an amazing confrontation between Bela Lugosi at the peak of his charm and Boris Karloff. A fantastic film I love to revisit from time to time, a bit light on the horror, but very atmospheric. And it was released just before the Hayes code kicked in, so some scenes are quite bold for the time.

Hadn’t heard of 1408, but it sounds like it got favourable reviews. Mind, most Stephen King adaptations do! 😉

Funny, I think the opposite. I find most of his adaptations really underwhelming, with a surprising gem found here or there. I heard good things about the new version of It, but the fact that King's excellent ending was yet again censored does not make me want to see it.

 

[BritishSteel]

I'd also like to throw Alien into the mix as well! I guess you could call it a sci-fi/horror movie, but to me, it's fabulously unnerving and beautifully shot. The fact that you hardly ever see the creature itself is part of the appeal; it's very tense and very edgy. The movie had a great cast as well.

At the other end of the spectrum, The Abominable Dr Phibes is as flamboyant and entertaining a horror film as you'll ever see. A true Vincent Price classic 😀

 

[Tenebrae]

I'd also like to throw Alien into the mix as well! I guess you could call it a sci-fi/horror movie, but to me, it's fabulously unnerving and beautifully shot. The fact that you hardly ever see the creature itself is part of the appeal; it's very tense and very edgy. The movie had a great cast as well.

At the other end of the spectrum, The Abominable Dr Phibes is as flamboyant and entertaining a horror film as you'll ever see. A true Vincent Price classic 😀

Once again, two of my favorites! I am a huge Alien Trilogy fan (the rest is crap) and Vincent Price in that movie is at his Evil Genius best. I prefer Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing though. Have you ever seen The Witchfinder General with him (Price)?

 

[BritishSteel]

Once again, two of my favorites! I am a huge Alien Trilogy fan (the rest is crap) and Vincent Price in that movie is at his Evil Genius best. I prefer Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing though. Have you ever seen The Witchfinder General with him (Price)?

I'm with you on Christopher Lee! I think he's possibly the best horror actor of them all, with Vincent Price close behind.

I haven't seen The Witchfinder General, sadly! It's on my 'must watch' list, along with many other horror movies! 😀

 

[Tenebrae]

Careful it's quite violent, even for its time. I find some scenes hard to stomach myself; I love torture scenes as much as the next sadistic bastard, but there's a scene of a handsome young man getting tortured and humiliated that only the most diehard feminists would enjoy 😛

Just kidding. It's a great flick, albeit a bit dark. And Price is simply majestic in it. He himself considered this performance the best in his career~

 

[BritishSteel]

I remember back in the day, 'Kerrang!' magazine here in the UK had a list of the fifty most gruesome horror movies ever. Maybe I'll dig out that magazine at some point and check out some of the movies on the list! 😀

 

[Tenebrae]

If it's a UK mag, chances are the Witchfinder General will be in it 😉

If you find it could you post the list here? I am curious~

 

[BritishSteel]

If it's a UK mag, chances are the Witchfinder General will be in it 😉

If you find it could you post the list here? I am curious~

I will indeed! It might be a bit of a long shot, but if I can find it, I'll post it! 🙂

 

[Tenebrae]

I will indeed! It might be a bit of a long shot, but if I can find it, I'll post it! 🙂

Thank you! I know it's a bit of a stretch, and I understand if it's too much trouble. But the thing is, I love cinema, and I am a sucker for this kind of lists 😛

 

[Laughthirsty Lr]

I watched one recently called "The Monster" in which a woman and her daughter are stranded on a deserted stretch of highway, surrounded by woods and a mysterious, flesh-eating monster stalks them. I liked it but, then monsters and ghosts are my thing.
Also Vincent Price in the Tower of London. Mean. Never seen him play someone so cruel.
Also movies about sea monsters terrorizing and eating people, late 70's and early 80's slasher films where most of the heavier violence was left to your imagination because what can be scarier than the minds eye? Oh! I've got a cool one. "From Beyond". Weird and cool. And the original "The Haunting" as it left you questioning whether the house was really haunted or was the main character just insane? Creepy.