Indeed Dem, few days late i know but still. True classic and while it's lost some of its scare factor over the years it still stands head and shoulders above many a modern horror film.

Totally agree. There aren't many films i could watch religiously each year as i do with Halloween and still thoroughly enjoy it each time.

Was hoping to the second one back to back but my woman wouldn't go to bed.

OCULUS - 'Oculus', by the director of the excellent 'Absentia', is about a pact made between a brother and sister back in their childhood years when their mother and father flipped murderously out on them. At the centre of it all is a mirror which really messes with people's heads. The brother and sister return to the scene of their tragic past, intending to make good on their mutual promise and destroy the mirror which ruined their lives, but, this being a latter day haunting type movie, things don't work out that way and their lives get pretty ruinous again. I thought 'Oculus' was great. It's not without its flaws, but it does much to conjure a slowly evolving doom-laden atmosphere, one which feels genuinely claustrophobic. It also effortlessly splices a narrative unfolding in the present with one which 'happened' ten years ago and mixes them to the point where both time streams become liquid and ultimately simultaneous, a technical and narrative decision which could have been really jarring but which is pulled of with a lot of flair. I could have done without some of the more obvious modern-ghost tropes - spectres with glowing eyes etc etc - 'Oculus' would perhaps have benefited from a more pared down approach, although there are a couple of VERY effective overt shocks along the way, particularly one involving a light bulb... I do recommend people check out 'Oculus', I have feeling that some might reckon it's a bit 'same old', but I thought it was very good.

THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE - I hadn't even heard of this one until I stumbled upon it the other day. That's a bit unusual, because I'm pretty up on seventies Brit horror and, on the other hand, I've discovered it's a well known film with a good reputation. Anyway, I thought it was pretty ace. Some psychic investigators arrive at a supposedly haunted house and set out to prove whether life after death is a reality or not etc etc. Bad things happen. 'The Legend Of Hell House' oozes atmosphere, some of which feels indebted to Italian Gothic - although it may just as easily have been a direct influence itself on later additions to the Euro cycle, I thought I saw a lot of eighties Fulci in there somehow. Might be wrong or misreading, but those aspects seemed a lot more vivid than standard Anglo fare of the time. There's also a paranoid feeling of disconnection between all the characters, none of whom are particularly likeable. For a Brit film made in 1973, it moves along at fast pace - we're in through the doors, then the ghost shit pretty much kicks off. Despite the air of ambiguity around the characters themselves, there's no debate as to whether the supernatural events are happening or not - just competing theories as to why. It's intense, sometimes violent (though not gory), occasionally erotic. However, despite many plus points, I couldn't quite bring myself to be disturbed by it - it just doesn't get under the skin in the same way as. for example, 'The Stone Tape' does. I think that's because the 'haunting' aspects are all very theatrical and overt, and, although a good deal of the atmosphere is generated by camera work and lighting, there is an element of obviousness about this as well. But still, one I highly recommend and will return to shortly - as I've said before, it's not often I finish watching something then want to put it on again. Oh, before I forget, it also has a great soundtrack by the equally great Delia Derbyshire.

SAVAGE VENGENACE - A testament to the power of eighties shot on video horror, 'Savage Vengeance', a Donald Farmer film, is a masterpiece of incompetence which will stretch your head and make you wish you'd watched 'Jaws' again instead (or 'I Spit On Your Grave' for that matter). Yes, it's a remix / reprise of 'I Spit On Your Grave', with Camille Keaton once again menaced to the point of rape by rednecks, this time with mullets. 'Savage Vengeance' is pretty mind melting. A lot of this is down to the fractured video aesthetic, which really does approach 'home movie' levels of technical disaster here. Also, the soundtrack is pretty bananas, a hybrid of casio improv and ultra amateur indie scuzz rock. I actually think that the latter aspect is fascinating and pivotal, because it makes a ten minute chase through the woods seem otherworldly and hypnotic when it should've been simply boring. Perhaps the sentiment of that last sentence pretty much sums up 'Savage Vengeance' - it's a work of rank ineptitude which almost deserves to be dull and unwatchable, but it isn't. When the action fizzles out and the camera focuses on a local band playing their anthem 'Ball Buster' for what seems like ages, it all makes sense in some perverse way. I was hooked for the whole 65 minutes, although I can easily imagine others might not be.

Some Guy Who Kills People and a documentary entitled "Rewind This!" Both great.

I watched Wild Beasts last night for the first time. I enjoyed it apart from the animal cruelty, I found a lot of it quite difficult to watch. Is it really necessary to set rats on fire for the sake of a film?!

Anyway, it was an interesting watch and clearly a product of it's time. There is no way a film like this would be made these days.

deadly mantis

typical 50s monster B movie about a giant mantis that awakes from its hibernation in the north pole and sets out on a destructive journey towards the warmer climate of north america. really a cross between THEM! and the beast from 20,000 fathoms but no where near as good as either of those.

The creature effects are very poor compared to the creatures in the mentioned films and a lot of times it laughable to look at. while it will never be a classic it was a enjoyable 70 minutes or so. 6/10

Spot on. Once of my favorite things of this movie is that the title is misspelled in the intro!

I have to come clean, my own 'tribute' to the SV spelling error debacle was a typo!

I didn't even notice that!

Branded to kill.

Nikkatsu gangster flick from 1967. All the tropes of the western gangster film are present including double crossing dames, gunfights, betrayal and whiskey but with an eastern edge. Branded to kills influence on later pictures both eastern and western (including early Jim Jarmusch) is evident in this grittly tale of Japans #3 contract killer on the run after a job goes south. Plenty of violence, some fantastic camera work and editing, graphic sex and a smooth jazzy score make this worth seeing out.

Tapped in lust.

Later, full colour re-working of Branded to kill that while not as good is still worth checking out, the hitman is somewhat more worn out and seedy, but its still an entertaining slice of exploitation.


Blind Woman's Curse.

Meiko Kaji is the girl boss of a Yakuza family attempting to go straight, however a rival gangs ambitions threaten her family's existence and a bloody showdown ensues. So far so traditional Yakuza flick, except this one throws in supernatural curses, cannibalistic hunchbacks and sequences not out of place in films like horrors of malformed men. (Based on the same source material) Blind woman's curse is a gorgeous looking, slightly mental Nikkatsu exploitation pic that's well worth watching.

Haven't written anything in a while, as a few movies I wasn't sure how I felt about them, and thought I'd let them sit before writing about them. In the end I just got lazy and forgot to write about them, so I hope i remember stuff about the earlier ones.

American Splendour - Very odd little biopic about Harvey Pekar, the main character and writer (but not illustrator) of the American Splendour comics. The film chronicles his adult life from the birth of the comic to his retirement, interspersed with narration from Pekar himself, and small snippets with the real people or archive footage. Very good performances, but very odd and bleak. A bit slow, oddly charming, but slightly annoying. Despite leaving it for so long, I still have no idea how I feel about it. I give it a good rating, but only because I felt it was a good film, not sure if I enjoyed it. 7/10

Stand By Me - Had not seen this before, but had no idea why I waited, I wish I saw this when I was younger. Something about Northwestern US just clicks with me, I love the scenery. The performances and writing were spot on, a very young all star cast, a very very real portrayal of what it's like to be a kid, very well shot, just an all round perfect movie. The changing of stereotypes with the characters worked nicely, and it flowed very well. The ending was a nice touch as well. All round, I can't flaw this movie in anyway, and a list of everything good about it would get annoying. If you haven't seen it before, see it. 10/10

Enter The Void - Started this a while ago when I first got it, put it on my laptop to give a quick check of quality, and found myself blankly immersed in it for a good 2 hours or so. Despite long stretches of trips or blanks, it never got old. It was amazingly made and surprisingly engrossing. A tragic back story and some very real feeling character, however very graphic at points. I particularly liked the way it was made as well, with the POV. When i finally watched the final hour, I found myself getting a tad tired or annoyed, and one dream sequence didn't work well, keeping the POV of a character in the dream without any transition. Overall though, a truly special and unique piece of work that I'd definitely watch again for the visual. If you have a spare 3 hours and a long attention span with a blank mind, I recommend. 10/10

Ichi The Killer - Always heard about this because of all it's shocking content. With no access to the film, I read the original manga last year. And I ****ing loved it. Absolutely depraved, I had no idea how the movie could live up to it. This year, I watched the movie. And it did a surprisingly good job! Kept nearly all the key sequences, didn't back off, a very very good adaption. Some changes were made involving the twins, as there was no way the excessively brutal and disgusting antics of them could be completely put in the movie, but I felt that actually worked better. The movie for the most part is well made, fun to watch, and a good score. The tongue cutting made me cringe so bad, but otherwise i felt I must have become rather desensitized. However, the movie seriously lost it at the end. The fight between Jiji and the bodyguard was stupid, ruining a great moment of the book by rushing it with silly effects. And the ending itself, the funniest part of the manga, and also uplifting, made no sense whatsoever in the movie. Other than that, a truly great watch. 9/10

The Exorcist - I've put this off for years. Why? Not because I was scared, but because I knew it would never live up to the scariest movie ever. Was it disturbing? Yes. Did it live up to the hype? Not a chance. Was it a very good movie though? Absolutely. Smart, chilling, well thought out and just all round satisfying to watch. At first I didn't understand the obsession (I know it has some fanatical fans on here), but in the end I quite enjoyed it and would certainly rewatch it. Easy 10/10, not many horror classics left to watch now (I think Carrie and The Fly remake and I've done all the major 70/80's. If anyone has any definitive lists of must watch absolute classics from those periods, major not obscure, that would be great. Also what's the opinion on the sequels for this?)

John Wick - Went into this with a friend knowing absolutely nothing except Keanu Reeves. What did I get? 0 plot, 0 back story, everything we're assumed to have known, and just a all round stupid but absolutely fantastic watch. Amazing action, no shaky cam, just mega cool and absolutely brainless. Give it a watch with some beers and mates. 8/10

The Blob - Twilight Time blu ray arrived, and watched it last night, and to be honest i was hoping to enjoy it more. The effects of the victims were very cool, and for the most part the blob. Some blob scenes were very confusing as the perspective was completely off though. Otherwise, the characters felt a bit flat, it was very slow at times, and the military angle felt really odd. Also mega mega stupid and cheesy at points but i guess that comes from the source material. Was it fun? I guess. Were the effects good? Yep, worth a watch. Worth $40? Not a chance. 6.5/10

As I'm probably the most fanatical of fanatical fans here, I'm very glad you felt that way!

In terms of the sequels, Exorcist II: The Heretic is terrible, but watchable if you pretend it's a comedy (a little like Repossessed) and has nothing at all to do with Friedkin's masterpiece. The Exorcist III, on the other hand, is a very good and, at times, very scary horror film. It doesn't have the same intensity or verisimilitude and suffers because of some studio interference (Morgan Creek still need to make amends for that), but it is definitely one to add to your collection.

When it comes to classic genre films which are 'essential viewing', there isn't a definitive list, but, in 1999, Empire released a Special Collector's Edition supplement called The Greatest Horror Films Ever, which is a really good 'beginners guide' to horror. In it, there are 50 films in different categories of films, which I'll list here.

Creature Features
Frankenstein
Nosferatu
Dracula (1931)
The Mummy
The Bride of Frankenstein
Cat People
The Curse of Frankenstein
Night of the Demon
Dracula (1958)
The Birds
Night of the Living Dead
Dawn of the Dead
The Fog
The Howling
The Keep
The Company of Wolves
Near Dark
Interview with the Vampire

Nightmare Movies
Don't Look Now
Witchfinder General
The Wicker Man
The Hills Have Eyes
Videodrome
The Blair Witch Project

Hauntings
The Sixth Sense
Carnival of Souls
The Haunting
Poltergeist
Candyman

Slasher Movies
Halloween
House of Wax
Psycho
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
Suspiria
A Nightmare on Elm Street
Re-Animator
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer

Diabolic
The Exorcist
Rosemary's Baby
The Omen
Hellraiser

Psychomania
The Shining
the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
The Pit and the Pendulum
Carrie
The Evil Dead 2
Fight Club

Comedy Horror
Scream
An American Werewolf in London
Gremlins

Bear in mind, this publication is dated because, at the end, the Final Word ('See No Evil'), written by Kim Newman, goes through films which aren't available on video. These include Straw Dogs, Last House on the Left, I Spit on Your Grave, The House at the Edge of the Park, Cannibal Holocaust, Deep River Savages, Eaten Alive, Cannibal Ferox, Ilsa, She-Wolf of the SS, SS Experiment Camp and Child's Play 3 – how times have changed!

Hitchcock (2012)

I'm sure that there is a film to be made about the making of 'Psycho', but this is not it!

Disappointing sums it up

As a factual recreation it's bollocks but I thought it was great fun.

Ahh knew I'd find the fanatic! :P

Thank you very much for your advice, with the amazing and very thorough list, and for this. Both sound great, so I'll give them a watch at some point soon hopefully :) If they're any good, ill pick up the blu ray set with the prequels.

As for the list, here's what im yet to see

Creature Features
Frankenstein
Dracula (1931)
The Mummy
The Bride of Frankenstein
Cat People
The Curse of Frankenstein
Night of the Demon
Dracula (1958)
The Howling
The Keep (Have and need to watch)
The Company of Wolves
Near Dark
Interview with the Vampire

Nightmare Movies
Don't Look Now
Witchfinder General
The Hills Have Eyes (Started but wimped out. need to finish)

Hauntings
Carnival of Souls
Candyman

Slasher Movies
House of Wax (Original I hope)
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer

Diabolic
Rosemary's Baby (Have and need to watch)

Psychomania
the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
Carrie (Started just yesterday but wasn't comfortable with a lot of things. Will push through)

Straw Dogs, Last House on the Left, I Spit on Your Grave, The House at the Edge of the Park, Deep River Savages, Eaten Alive, Cannibal Ferox, Ilsa, She-Wolf of the SS, SS Experiment Camp

I will admit I'm woefully uneducated pre-1970's, and as for Nasties, Ive worked through a few but not many of the serious ones as listed above.

Time to save this list and get watching! :nod:

I thought so too.

That makes three of us!

The prequels don't really add anything to the original film, except undermining the dialogue about Father Merrin's experience ("The exorcism supposedly lasted months. I heard it damn near killed him."). Of the two, Paul Schrader's is better than Renny Harlin's version, but that's because for Schrader is an interesting filmmaker and Renny Harlin is a hack!

Seen a lot of Schrader's films have you Nos? :)

I've seen two and thought them both poor. - Exorcist Dominion and American Gigolo.

Harlin has some very enjoyable action films to his name - Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger, The Long Kiss Goodnight, Mindhunters, 12 Rounds and a very good horror in Prison.

To me there's only one winner.

Schrader is certainly a better screenwriter than he is a director in my opinion, although I haven't seen a great deal of his directorial work.

However, with writing credits for Taxi Driver, Obsession, Rolling Thunder, and Raging Bull under his belt there is little doubt that the guy can transfer a good story very well to the silver screen.

Have you seen his remake of Cat People? It is very different to the Jacques Tourneur film, but visually striking and with plenty going on, both plot-wise and in the subtext.

He is definitely a better writer than director, but I find his films interesting because they aren't just popcorn action movies and always seem to have something to say, whether they are completely successful or not.

Forgot about Cat People. I've not seen it for twenty years at least. I have had the dvd knocking around unopened for at least three years.

What else do you recommend?

It's tough to know what to recommend as you've seen the two I would primarily suggest (American Gigolo and Cat People), but Affliction and The Comfort of Strangers are good places to start.

Monolith Monsters


A some what intresting take on the usual 50s monster movie, instead of a monster or alien the Mence here is a rock/ crystal.

The film opens with a metor strike in the desert. A sample is taking back to the local town. The next morning the man who found the sample is found dead near a large crystal structure and in a sort of petrified state. It's not long after we find out that the crystals/ rocks absorbe the silicon from what ever touches them but only when they come into contact with water. Things take a turn for the worse when after a storm the crystal grow to fanatstic size and then collapse shattering into pieces which themselves grow and collapse and the cycle continues. Until the point where it they destroying the town and if not stopped will spread over the entire american continent if someway is not found to stop it. At times it's as slow moving as the crystals but it was still very enjoyable and has to have the one of the strangest/ most unique creatures 6.5/10

Now what bing world without end. Which from the little I have seen reminds me of the time machine and a classic Star Trek episode.

Schrader is a brilliant filmmaker - he's made great films (Blue Collar, Hardcore, the aforementioned American Gigolo) even his failures are fascinating and Dominion fits into the latter camp.

Schrader is a writer first and foremost but unlike many other scribes who've made the transition to directing he has a very unique vision - his films LOOK amazing. His influence is incredibly big too - the aesthetic of American Gigolo was what became that of almost every Bruckheimer produced film (pop-filled soundtrack, gorgeous visuals) and has had a massive impact on the mainstream.

Harlin made some solid action films but he's a bit of a "director for hire with little that sets his work apart from many other similar films, IMO.

That's much better put than when I simply said "Renny Harlin is a hack!"

I completely agree with you about Paul Schrader and really need to buy the DVDs/BDs of films I've rented or seen on TV.

Anyone seen Schrader's "The Canyons"? I've seen a fair bit of James Deen's day job and wondered what he was like with his penis in his pants!

It's the closest a film has come to capturing the nihilism and aimlessness of Bret Easton Ellis's novels, but there isn't a great deal to keep you interested.

As for James Deen, he's decent enough, both him and Lohan have that vacuous, dead-eyed thing down perfectly,which probably doesn't come as a surprise.

Its not the car crash a lot critics described it as, but its also difficult to recommend. It kind of meanders along and then ends.

Deen's, er, rather lively in his porn work so perhaps he can act then. I'll get my girlfriend to watch it first, she has a thing for Deen though I suspect she's never actually looked at his face.:tongue1:

Just got home from my local cinema where they showed Rear Window. There is a little Hitchcock retrospective there. In the next weeks: Psycho, The birds and How to catch a thief. Great to see those movies on a big screen.

I wouldn't call him a hack because he's technically proficient just not someone who has a distinctive style. I've enjoyed plenty of his films, CLIFFHANGER being a standout, but he's no Donner or McTiernan.

Me.
I liked it. It's not great but it's well worth a look.

I thought it was terrible, suffering from budgetary and time constraints and with a woeful performance by Lindsay Lohan, who is easily out-acted by James Deen!

Even with those problems, it is, as Frankenhooker says, a pretty nihilistic film which makes me want to read the source material.

I watched Halloween 6. Is it meant to be a comedy??

Also perused The Conjuring. Lilli Taylor should know better, as this will be the second time she has played the "conduit" role in a "horror" film. See also Patrick Wilson. The sappy ending as well!! And that awful photoshop demon. :rip::doh:

Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones.
A film that literally forces you to take it seriously. Sadly (for the filmmakers) tis hilarious:laugh:. Some cool imagery towards the end doth not make up for the sheer cheek of this film. At least the ending puts a full stop to this particular franchise...if only on a meta level;)

BLACULA
William Marshall is the titular Count in this blaxploitation re - telling of the legendary vampire. At times camp, funny and scary ( and with a great soundtrack ) this is a much better movie than it has any right to be. Groovy, funky and very entertaining.

ISLAND OF TERROR
Peter Cushing and some dodgy accents star in this tale of invasion of a small island by blobs of porridge with an eye stalk. The make up for the boneless bodies is wonderfully gruesome, but it's all a load of nonsense really. This is the uncut version ( complete with hand chopping ) and a nice print too.