What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[trebor8273]

Watched these. Beast and don't go into the woods weren't that good but really enjoyed madhouse found it to be a fantastic creepy and well acted little movie, the uncle was fantastic completely bonkers and the scene were the heroine informs her class of young deaf children that one of there class mates had died was very moving.

Now watching Dracula prince of darkness

Don't go into the park 6/10
Night of the beast 5/10
Madhouse 10/10

[Hawkmonger]

Bay of Blood (1971)

Mario Bava's last and arguably most iconic Giallo. Banned as part of the ludicrous "Video Nasties" witch hunt and listed as one of the 50's scariest movies of all time by Bravo (make of that what you will).

I enjoyed it. I've mentioned I love giallo so it's a surprise it's taken me so long to watch this. Though hardly scary, many of the effects are very well executed including the notorious throat slitting and fish hook to the face scene. Though well done the actual gore scenes are somewhat few and rather tame by today's standards. The decapitation and the two aforementioned killings are the most gruesome, while the pole to the spine was very restrained indeed. You could get all the others into a 12A movie right now.

Plot hardly takes center stage in this film, as with many giallo not directed by Argento, with the first ten minuets setting up the key players, the next 30 to teenagers being killed off (possibly this movie was the birth of this trope) and the rest focusing on two parents jumping from incident to incident trying to make clear of whats happening. It's a fairly more structured affair than other Italian murder mysteries, but still somewhat jumbled. But I find that part of the charm of this genre and why I can take it less seriously.

Probably most confusing about the film is the facts it had the most alternative titles of any horror movie. Besides the title it was banned under it was also named Carnage, The Oder of Flesh, Thus Do We Live to be Evil, Blood Bath (The title it was resubmitted as and subsequently banned again as), Before the Fact, The Ecology of Crime, Chain Reaction, Bay of Death and Last House on the Left-Part II (!!!).

The Arrow Video BD has one of the cleanest transfers I've ever seen for a movie of this age and pedigree, and can be bought fairly cheaply on amazon at the moment. The extras include a slightly extended cut with Italian subtitles and plenty of interviews and a reversible cover for the original Blood Bath VHS cover (which I use).

[sjconstable]

Originally Posted by Hawkmonger

The Arrow Video BD has one of the cleanest transfers I've ever seen for a movie of this age and pedigree

With incorrect gamma as I recall, the US Kino release fixed that.

[Hawkmonger]

I honestly have no idea what "gamma" is as i'm not overly interested in how a transfer is restored. Care to explain?

[sjconstable]

Originally Posted by Hawkmonger

I honestly have no idea what "gamma" is as i'm not overly interested in how a transfer is restored. Care to explain?

The image appears washed out and flat with greys instead of blacks - Arrow's release of Demons had the same problem.

[Invid Ninja]

Originally Posted by sjconstable

The image appears washed out and flat with greys instead of blacks - Arrow's release of Demons had the same problem.

Thankfully I've not bought either Arrow release of those particular films, so glad there are going to be the standard versions of Synapse's Demons releases later this year.

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Bummer (1973)

Bummer was a bit of a chore to get through; mainly because the entire film feels as if the various scenes (albeit all involving the same group of characters) are spliced together as a series of loose, dreary vignettes to the extent the film doesn't seem to ever 'go' anywhere. The music cues also don't help, what with the soundtrack jumping from funk/disco/jazz/synth throughout and cutting out abruptly at times too.

Maybe this was the intention, but for me Bummer was a bit of a, er... bummer.

Originally posted here: Nightmare USA Films Discussion Thread

[keirarts]

Originally Posted by Hawkmonger

I honestly have no idea what "gamma" is as i'm not overly interested in how a transfer is restored. Care to explain?

I thought Gamma was what turned people into the hulk?

[Hawkmonger]

Honestly, as it's my first time watching both films I would have no point of reference and I think it looked superb. Shows what I know, but for a fiver i'm very happy.

[J Harker]

I thought Arrow's blu of Demons looked great too.