What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[keirarts]

Things.

Shot on 8mm at the tail end of the 80's by two stoned as hell Canadians, Things is a film that I'm still trying to wrap my head around. After a frankly weird as f*** opening dream scene with a naked woman in a Satan mask being propositioned by a sweaty bloke asking if she will have his baby, the film switches back to "reality"
Two drunks turn up at sweaty blokes house looking to get their drink on. They find a tape recorder and some sort of satanic book in the freezer. After listening to it a bit they continue to get pissed. Sweaty bloke tricks his mate with the mullet into eating a spider. Then sweaty blokes wife gives birth alien style to a spider thing so the drunks decide to hit the whiskey. Eventually they decide to do stuff and things happen. All the action is broken up with occasional newsflashes with porn star amber lynne.
Things is a complete mess. The sound mix is sloppy, the editing crude and the script is... well the script is complete garbage. YET, I somehow managed to stick it to the end. You could almost say its hypnotically bad in a way films like Birdemic and The room wish they where.
This film is wrecked.

Dial help.

Charlotte lewis is stalked by phones. There I said it. And after Things this wasn't the most wrecked thing I watched this evening. In fairness, when put next to a train wreck of a film like things, a film like dial help shines in comparison. It's an odd bird of a film, can't say i've ever seen another film where a phone makes a guys pacemaker explode. Still, director Deodato makes the film stylish and Lewis is grade A eye candy and I like the more mental end of italian schlock cinema so this was enjoyable enough.

[Frankie Teardrop]

MADISON COUNTY - The final chapter in Frankie's Poundland Chronicles brings me to 'Madison County', a dead straight slasher flick from indie hotshot Eric England. It's about a quintet of student types on a mission to track down the writer of a book about a local serial killer. When they get to the backwater where all the bad stuff happened, they find a bit more bad stuff happening (to them, courtesy of a dude with an axe and a pig mask). 'Madison County' has its detractors, but I thought it was pretty good. Every slasher cliché is piled on, sometimes with a nod and a wink, but the tone is thankfully serious. Those willing to climb on board will need to accept a lengthy build up... whilst England doesn't go in for atmospherics in an overly stylised sense, 'Madison County' slowly gathers a feeling of unease until the bough breaks and the mayhem starts (the usual running around and a bit of gore). It helps that the acting is (for the most part) good and that the film is well shot. In fact, the whole thing almost feels like a calling card production, a very self conscious attempt to show how a clearly talented film maker can overcome threadbare resources and a rigid narrative framework. A silk purse from a pig's ear, then, or just another cheap slasher rip with a pig mask? You be the judge, but for my 'money', 'Madison County' works simply by being well made. And whilst it lacks ideas, imagery, originality and style, it still manages to entertain and occasionally disturb (a little, there are some scenes which at least brush against intensity) and I came away from it thinking "yeah. I liked that". I'd probably be much more into one of his other ones, 'Contracted', which I haven't seen yet and doesn't have a UK release, but 'Madison County' - would I buy that for a dollar? Well, I bought it for a pound, and so can you.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Frankie Teardrop

MADISON COUNTY - .

For me it stumbled because it was so well made, scripted and acted, then the kills unfortunately didn't match or indeed live up to the build up. It was a bit bloodless really, which in my view spoils a slasher completely.

I'm off to Poundland in a few minutes to see if anything new is on offer.

[Vipp]

The Owl Service - Currently on Youtube
This was recommended by MTDS.

The show is split into 8 parts with narration at the start of episodes 2 through 8 to explain what happened in the previous episode. (apparently the program was hard to follow to the narration was added to help bring viewers up to speed)

The story is quite simple and based on a welsh folk story of a man who makes a wife out of flowers because he is cursed to never take a human wife. The wife made of flowers then betrays her creator, in favor of another man, when the wife convince the other man to kill her creator, she is then cursed to live as an owl.
This short series tells the story of three young teens who basically get wrapped up in that folk story, to the point of re-creating the character histories.
When Grenada/ITV tried to sell this show to the European markets they were shunned because of the adult situations the teens find themselves in. I did question a few of the scenes in the show - the actress strolls around set with a shirt on and nothing else in a lot of the scenes - This shouldn't put you off like it did the Germans who refused to buy it, however i will say it's not your average show. The actors are very god for their age and i was sad to learn that one of them was murdered in a pub brawl some years ago.

The 8 episodes are 30mins each and not a chore to get through in one sitting if you have a free afternoon. It has a fantastic opening and closing sequence with good 'folk horror' style music. The show has a nice look to it and overall i enjoyed it.
I'd recommend for Folk Horror fans and thank MTDS for sharing this nice hidden gem.

If you have a moment check it out via youtube. the DVD set is about £7.

[Demoncrat]

Originally Posted by bizarre_eye@Cult Labs

The Evil (1978)

Overall, The Evil is a pretty formulaic haunted house flick in as much as we have a psychologist and his group of co-workers trapped inside an old mansion courtesy of a malevolent force of some kind.

Supernatural events start to occur gradually increasing in frequency and severity, in turn tormenting the various bell-bottom trouser sporting cast members, all of which leads to some creative kills and spills (and a spectral sexual assault) along the way.

However, the final act tilts more towards the bat-shit insane end of the paranormal scale, as our resident supernatural entity grows tired of playing little ghastly games in favour of revealing themselves and inflicting some truly torturous terror on the remaining members of the cast.

Evil by name, evil by nature indeed.

Originally posted here: Nightmare USA Films Discussion Thread

Love that ending.....

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Fatal Games (1984)

Fatal Games falls somewhere within 'medium tier' slasher territory for me, as a crazed killer is stalking and bumping off a group of teenage Olympic hopefuls; a javelin being their weapon of choice.

Whilst he javelin aspect allows for a few creative (and unique) kills, the film is a little light on tension overall, instead deciding to concentrate more on the trials and tribulations of the teen athletes, their pushy over-bearing coaches, inter-teen fornication and horseplay, and a side plot involving performance enhancing drugs.

Despite not guessing who the killer was, I certainly guessed how they would meet their end due to the set piece in question being meticulously and deliberately set up in such a way you couldn't help but know what was coming.

When the revealing of the killer does finally come, it all feels a little rushed. Plus, as mentioned above, due to suspecting how they will perish, a little anti-climactic too.

Originally posted here: Nightmare USA Films Discussion Thread

[trebor8273]

Alien

When I was younger aliens used to be my favourite of the movies but as I have gotten older and tastes change this is now my favourite( same goes for terminator and terminator 2) . a classic that's still as atmospheric and griping as the first time I saw it.10/10

Exorcist 3

A huge step up from the second movie but still not in the same league as the first and it really could of been its own movie with the slender link to the first. Some great imagery (heaven beng one which I found a little creepy ) added to that some chilling and disturbing moments and decent acting, we have a good movie that can stand on its own merits. 8.5/10

Mr majestyk

A average run of the mill Bronson film that's very tame compared to most of his movies around the same time. But that thanks to good old Charlie it's still a enjoyable tale of a watermelon farmer who who has trouble with the mob and sets out to set things right. In a lot of ways it reminded me of a episode of the A team minus the a team. I would love to see a remake that is more violent with Jason Statham as Mr Kipling taking on the criminal underworld as they try to muscle in on his cake business . 7.5/10

Now watching the visitor which I'm enjoying a lot more than the poor reviews on Amazon would suggest.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by trebor8273

Exorcist 3

A huge step up from the second movie but still not in the same league as the first and it really could of been its own movie with the slender link to the first. Some great imagery (heaven beng one which I found a little creepy ) added to that some chilling and disturbing moments and decent acting, we have a good movie that can stand on its own merits. 8.5/10

The US BD has just been shipped to me; it's a film I like a great deal but I really wish 20th Century Fox and Morgan Creek would allow William Peter Blatty to release the 'Legion' version of the film without the exorcism scenes and such things as the original opening. It is apparently lost, but I really hope that's not the case.

[trebor8273]

Originally Posted by Nosferatu@Cult Labs

The US BD has just been shipped to me; it's a film I like a great deal but I really wish 20th Century Fox and Morgan Creek would allow William Peter Blatty to release the 'Legion' version of the film without the exorcism scenes and such things as the original opening. It is apparently lost, but I really hope that's not the case.

Just read up the legion verison and its suits the movie a lot better I hope Blatty finds the footage as its sounds interesting and I would buy it, the exorcism parts where my least favourite of the film and they felt tacked on. Still even with those scenes its. A great film and a lot better than the second.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Gun Fury (1953)

By the numbers Rock Hudson starer with Lee Marvin in one of his usual token early bad guy roles.

Despite some enjoyable action set pieces, the script has paper thin characterization, meaning you don't really care either way about anything. It's sole redeeming feature being it's wholly on location shoot in Sedona, Arizona - A place i've visited twice.