What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[MrBarlow]

Laid to Rest. 2009.

A woman wakes up in a casket and has no memory of who she is and why she was there, only to find out she was abducted by a serial killer and tries to survive the night.

This is one of this films that seemed to slip through the cracks for me on whether it be good or not even though amazon have been recommending, right from the start we thrown into the main character "The Girl" who meets Richard Lynch (in a small role) meeting his maker and then becomes a night of survival meeting a few characters who meet a grizzly ending.

Writer/director Robert Hall seemed to rejuvenate the slasher genre with proper gore effects that makes CGI obsolete, some bits are not really cringe worthy but can make you think "oh that's gonna hurt". It can be a bit like a cat and mouse game, you think someone is safe but then gives out a curve ball. It's not perfect as there is a few noticeable goofs but they can be ignored. Enjoyable. Onto to watch number 2.

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[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Love Laid to Rest. Some serious gore on offer. The second one was a massive let down.

[MrBarlow]

Chromeskull:Laid to rest 2. 2011.

This opens up on a new concept of the film but doesn't mention anything from the previous film, even after the first film of the guy putting his mask back on and the content surely have done something to his eyes but hey its a film. Danielle Harris takes the lead in this and somewhat target for the Chromeskull slasher. Although there is a good amount of gore the plot to it was a bit boring and ended up becoming some background noise for me, some sequels work and some don't, sadly this one falls in to the doesn't work for me category with the plot.

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[Demoncrat]

I thought, Oh, this trope now is it?
For some reason, I kept thinking of a video game.
The first is a hidden gem imho. Let's keep it that way ...

[gag]

When a stranger calls

a very chilling and atmospheric film from the opening to the closing scene, this are why people complain they don’t horrors quite as good as they use to, a cat and mouse chase from a escaped deranged killer who terrorised the baby sitter years earlier, while it’s not exactly the greatest horror made it certainly ranks up there as one of the best in an era when they made real and proper horrors like the exorcist, omen, Tcm and many more, creepy, atmospheric, tension its all there and prime eg you don’t need plenty of blood guts and gore which a lot of films rely on one these days.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by gag

When a stranger calls

a very chilling and atmospheric film from the opening to the closing scene, this are why people complain they don’t horrors quite as good as they use to, a cat and mouse chase from a escaped deranged killer who terrorised the baby sitter years earlier, while it’s not exactly the greatest horror made it certainly ranks up there as one of the best in an era when they made real and proper horrors like the exorcist, omen, Tcm and many more, creepy, atmospheric, tension its all there and prime eg you don’t need plenty of blood guts and gore which a lot of films rely on one these days.

Although it's been a few years since I last watched it, When a Stranger Calls is probably the weakest of the three films from 1979 in which the babysitter is terrorised – Halloween and The Amityville Horror are better – but the first act alone almost makes the film worth watching. When the action leaves the house, the tension almost disappears

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Nosferatu@Cult Labs

Although it's been a few years since I last watched it, When a Stranger Calls is probably the weakest of the three films from 1979 in which the babysitter is terrorised – Halloween and The Amityville Horror are better – but the first act alone almost makes the film worth watching. When the action leaves the house, the tension almost disappears

Agreed. It becomes pretty boring. No wonder when they remade it they concentrated solely on the first third of the film.

As for 'hider in the house/ babysitter' movies it doesn't come close to Fright, Black Christmas, Halloween or many others.

[gag]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Agreed. It becomes pretty boring. No wonder when they remade it they concentrated solely on the first third of the film.

As for 'hider in the house/ babysitter' movies it doesn't come close to Fright, Black Christmas, Halloween or many others.

I haven’t actually seen the remake is it any good ? Yes black Christmas certainly does it better, watched that pretty recently as well.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by gag

I haven’t actually seen the remake is it any good ? Yes black Christmas certainly does it better, watched that pretty recently as well.

It's basically the opening half of the original film stretched to an 80 minute film.

Sure it's daft and the house is an ultra swish modern affair but it certainly has it's moments.

Not that this is saying much but even though the critics disliked it, at the box office it made over four times it's money back.

Just noticed that Clark Gregg is in it as is Arrow's Katie Cassidy. As Demoncrat would say. Rewatch!

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

The Tournament (2009)

Cracking action thriller set in Middlesbrough of all places. Every seven years in an unsuspecting city somewhere in the globe the top thirty assassins in the world gather for a tournament to see who survives and claims the $10m first prize in a battle to the death. Robert Carlyle, Ving Rhames, Scott Adkins and Kelly Hu head the cast of this highly enjoyable kill fest. Limbs are lopped, bullets are sprayed as the body count goes through the roof. We have running battles in the streets and strip clubs. Some of the action set pieces such as the bus chase along the M1 are very creative.

Think Shoot 'em Up crossed with the recent Death Race films and you'll be on the right track.

For a straight to video release this is top notch and i was delighted to upgrade my dvd to HD this week for the cheery sum of £2.35, especially as it made my order of Night of the Demon free postage on Amazon.