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What did you think of Black Swan, Dem? Was this the first time you've seen it? I watched that one in the cinema and my initial assessment was that it was a mini masterpiece but I haven't revisited it since. |
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I reviewed it 2 days ago. :) It should be the second post down on the linked page. :pop2: It was my first viewing, by the way. |
I swear I looked in that thread before asking that and didn't see it.:doh: 14. The Innocents Okay, shamed confession time. I've never seen The Innocents despite hearing wonderful things about it for a very long time. I don't know why I never watched it. I guess, as they say, procrastination is the thief of time. Anyway, it certainly didn't disappoint. This film was captivating from beginning to end with just enough of a menacing tone that lurks in the first act to keep you feeling uneasy. The second act is a little more playful while maintaining a slight subtext that carries into the third act where things begin to come unraveled. There is something that emanates from within this film that made me feel claustrophobic and I think that is partly due to the superb cinematography which encapsulated the edges of the frame in a subtle vignetting. Truly a marvelous film and one I will seek to revisit often. Criterion's blu-ray is seemingly perfect in replicating the stark, monochromatic contrast of celluloid. |
Loving the daily reviews Jinx. :clap: Nice work. |
Me too, the reviews are small and easy to digest.... Just how my wife likes it |
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15. The Evil Dead (Original) The Evil Dead, say the title and it evokes excitement, even in the most jaded horror fan's heart. To borrow a phrase from a friend, this is the quintessential "splatter punk" horror. Once this film hits the accelerator it never falters from it's break neck pace which twists us along in a foggy whirlwind of demonic possession, grisly gore and even a tree raping poor Cheryl. Of course, most everyone who reads this will have seen the film many times so this is nothing new. In what could have been just another B horror film, Sam Raimi turned this into a doctrine for how to make an effective low budget horror film with invigorating spirit and inventive cinematography. The crude special effects, rigid acting and, most importantly, misty exteriors all contribute to the film's atmosphere. I think the most unsettling scene for me is when Linda is sitting in a doorway in the center of the frame with that inexplicable grin plastered on her face. Something about her adolescent behavior just hasn't sat right with me from the first time I watched this. Give me this film over Raimi's later, crummy, ultra budget super hero efforts any day. |
Funnily enough, I also watched The Evil Dead last night, but love it for most of the reasons you don't! I love that Ash is such an ineffective character for most of the running time, becoming trapped under a flimsy shelf unit, being unwilling to face the truth and dismember those around him who are clearly possessed. As far as I'm concerned, he is basically the 'everyman' as, in the same situation, most of us wouldn't grab an axe or chainsaw and massacre everyone around us! |
Interesting Nos. Believe it or not I was actually going to go into that but I wanted to keep it brief and concise so I chose to wrap it up instead of having three or more paragraphs. Reading it again, exploring the subtle nuances of the film probably would have benefited the mini review. |
16. Trick Or Treat Part 3 of my repressed high school horror viewing. (EvilSpeak, Fear No Evil) I don't really have many comments on this one other than it's a fun, energetic, rock n roll horror film that you can watch with your brain switched off. I do suppose there is a fairly blatant message that can be read about idolizing celebrities but I just choose to watch it for what it is. It truly feels like the filmmakers had an authentic passion about the music they were making the film about and never make it a novelty act despite interjecting some comedy relief. I've dug this film since the first time I watched it which coincidentally was when I was in high school and sort of a metal head like Eddie in the film. If there is one negative I can find it is the fact that I don't feel like they established the autumn/Halloween atmosphere very well. It's really only a minor quibble though. Killer soundtrack that I'm proud to say I own on vinyl. Rock n roll, steal your soul! |
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15th - Halloween Night / The Devil Rides Out 16th - Intruder / I Walked with a Zombie (with Newman / Jones chat track) |
Would anyone like me to start giving a basic plot outline? I just assumed most people have already seen the films so I have avoided it to prevent bloating. 17. Night Of The Demons (Original) A subversive, often times outrageously vulgar horror film with many moments of comedy sprinkled in. Now, imagine my delight when I was first acquainted with this film at the ripe old age of 13 by my best friend. He went on and on about it (it's still his favorite film to this day) until it boiled over and I finally rented it. Needless to say a grin was plastered on my face for the entire film. Instead of using the standard protocol for haunted house/demonic/teen horror movies as so many late 80's horror filmmakers did, this one feels a little unique while not straying too far from what made money at the time. This film greatly depends on character dynamics however insipid they may be. For instance, Roger spends most of the movie terrified and looking for an escape so we can assume he is the most logical thinker out of the group yet he is chastised for behaving this way. Judy seems like a good girl which is why her Alice In Wonderland costume (it is Halloween after all) is an important piece. The pacing of this film is perfect in my opinion as well. The bizarre dance sequence with Angela seems to break up the monotony before the film launches an all out assault on our senses. Two other highlights that the director seems to exploit are the set pieces which definitely read as genuine on the screen and become a pivotal character in the film. Second, is the wonderfully extravagant practical effects of which there are plenty to go around. Another film with a outstanding soundtrack that contributes to the tone of the film. |
http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/...ps62f98cac.png [10] Night Train To Terror Night Train To Terror is confounding at times, an anthology of tales knitted together by an imaginative but completely bonkers wraparound story. The tales are all truncated versions of features (I believe one was never completed), scrapped together in a rather unhinged way. This all leads to an inconsistent experience, but a damned enjoyable one. From the genius premise to the addictive musical number, which recurs throughout, it’s hard to dislike Night Train To Terror. It’s effortlessly evocative of its time and I genuinely treasure it, perhaps even partly due to its faults. :pumpkin::pumpkin::pumpkin: http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/...ps76ac9796.png [11] Nosferatu I do enjoy Nosferatu very much, but I think I respect it more than I enjoy it. It’s a truly beautiful and haunting film, has undoubtedly been one of the most influential films of all time, but as a tale has become so over saturated. I don’t find it as watchable as something like Caligari, for instance. I’ve often found the ending a little anticlimactic, especially considering what has preceded it. But I understand they’re balancing the purity and the darkness, and thematically it works more than the ending to the book. :pumpkin::pumpkin::pumpkin::pumpkin: http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/...psced7137d.png [12] Curse Of Chucky I’ve always been a huge fan of that deliciously black sense of humour Don Mancini imbues into Chucky and the Child’s Play series. Over previous films it became more pervading, and the horror elements took a back seat, which they’ve tried to redress with this instalment. Sadly they’ve lost what made the series standout from its peers. The kills lack creativity, never more outlandish or spectacular than previous entries. The toning down of the black humour has made for a really bland and pointless entry into the series. The two cameos towards the end of the film rectify this a little, particularly the earlier one, but the latter makes zero sense in context with the scenes that directly precede it. :pumpkin::pumpkin: http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/...psbae18948.jpg [13] What’s The Matter With Helen? What’s The Matter With Helen is one of those films that took the mould of What Ever Happened To Baby Jane, two aging stars (Shelley Winters and Debbie Reynolds) in a dark drama tinged with horror elements. It’s a little over the top at times, but there are some wonderful moments, particularly a dread filled opening which the film never quite delivers on. It’s beautifully shot at times. It doesn’t reach the heights of those it takes inspiration from, but is nonetheless very enjoyable. :pumpkin::pumpkin::pumpkin: [14] The Vagrant I’m very fond of the Vagrant. At a time when the horror bubble was deflating, after years of franchise sequels during the late eighties, we saw studios turning more towards horror comedies, and this trend continued into the early nineties. The Vagrant is one of the better horror comedies of that period. It’s over the top, silly, hinged with a brilliant performance by the always dependable and hugely underrated Bill Paxton. It’s bewildering that it never seemed to attain the cult status many of its peers of the period did. :pumpkin::pumpkin::pumpkin: [15] The Godsend The Godsend is one of the glut of killer kid movies that came out in the wake of The Omen, but sadly doesn’t do anything original or distinctive enough to stand out from the pack. It has the odd effective scene, but for the most part plods along, lacking the bite of something like Who Can Kill A Child. Donald Pleasence’s daughter Angela gives a creepy performance, but little else is of note. :pumpkin::pumpkin: [16] The Outing The Outing is a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine. It’s one of those films from the late eighties that overuses the wind and smoke machines, has an abundance of glowing green effects that look like someone has taken a florescent marker to the prints. It has a wonderful opening, quite brutal in places, but then descends into a meandering mess for most of the movie. It picks up at the end, for some quite cool death scenes, but for the most part is a little bland. :pumpkin::pumpkin: |
Woo new emoticons too. I hope they're staying, and not just for Halloween. :freddy::jason::skullscream::zombiegrave: I'm a film behind on my marathon. Hopefully I shall catch up, but I'm going to London for a few days next week, which will not help either. Unless, heaven forbid, there's actually a decent horror movie coming out for Halloween this year. |
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18th - Humans vs Zombies 19th - Storage |
Jinx, i was wondering after watching one or two more Halloweenie films how long the celebrations go on for in the States, or should i say how many days prior are pumpkins put out etc.? Over here it's just the one night then that's it. |
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The Halloween feeling that I experienced as a child is unimaginable. It seemed like my senses were heightened. I could smell the autumn atmosphere and when the sun just began to drop over the horizon it would cast this ominous haze over everything and that's when my sister, brother, and I would dash out ALONE and not come back until our bags (sometimes pillow cases) were full. They got heavy but it was worth it. I wish I could feel it again if only for just one time. It's a shame you guys don't have any sort of traditions for the holiday. I'll see if I can find a childhood picture of me in costume and post it. |
Thanks for the great reply post Jinx. :) :broomstick: |
No problem Dem. I'm hoping to start the mini reviews back up tonight/tomorrow. |
The last part of that post sounds like heaven great stuff Jinx. |
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I do plan to depart slightly from my schedule though. I feel like I could devour something Bava related very soon. |
Ok, so I'm back on track but I have to play some catch-up so tonight I'm going to try and sneak two films in. 18. The Antichrist (L'Anticristo) Part two of possession-sploitation The film begins at some sort of religious festival where we can decipher that it is where people ask for healing. This is where we meet Ippolita, a wheelchair bound young woman who is there to ask a "special healing" statue of the Virgin Mary for the power to walk again on her own. As she approaches she collapses onto the floor. A local crazy begins spewing insanities which leads to him throwing himself from a cliff near the church. This launches a whirlwind of doubt, repression and jealously from Ippolita and eventually possession. Although it is often and rightfully dismissed as "just another ripoff of The Exorcist" this film has much to offer. The entire film is actually quite competently directed by Alberto De Martino save for a few trivial scenes. Joe D'Amato's camerawork is engaging and energetic. Morricone and Bruno Nicolai's effective score hits all of the right notes. (Pun intended) Now, don't get it wrong. This film is sleazy and is very aware of it. If you like your possession films with a side of incestuous lust, spirit fornication, and perhaps a goat rimjob then this is your film. The sequences of possession are obviously the highlights of the film with some of the filler in between falling a little flat. With a great cast of genre legends consisting of Mel Ferrer, Arthur Kennedy, and Alida Valli the film attains a certain quality that would not be realizable with lesser actors. Let us not forget the bewitching performance by Carla Gravina. Certainly not an easy role to take for an actress, she really commits herself to role and goes as far as necessary. Overall, this is most likely the best of The Exorcist clones in a sea of them. Well worth a look.:devilbanana: Has anyone seen De Martino's The Killer Is On The Phone? |
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21st - Halloween: The Revenge of Michael Myers / Halloween 6 The Curse of Michael Myers / The Signalman 22nd - The Pumpkin Karver / The Mummy (59) 23rd - Night of the Demons: Demon House / The Curse of Frankenstein / The Ash Tree |
I didn't have time to watch two films last night unfortunately. 19. Trick 'r Treat I will never understand the way this film was treated by the studio. Not that this would be the first time they've made a bone headed decision but this one really screams Hollywood politics. It is a fun, energetic affair that might just be the film to best capture the essence of the Halloween spirit. From the lighting to the dialogue, nearly everything about this film is perfect. It's nice to see that it has become an instant cult classic with a sequel on the way. |
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I loved the film from the first time I watched it and it holds up just as well on repeat viewings too. Definitely a Halloween favourite. |
http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/...ps3d8f4196.png [17] Spirits Of The Dead There’s often a lot of love for Fellini’s segment in this anthology, but very little for the segments from Louis Malle and Roger Vadim. I love all three. It’s fascinating how all of them resonate with each other, the haunting of central characters, the disparate states of the environment the characters inhabit. From the hedonistic and overwhelming (orgies, awards ceremonies) to desolate and solitary, each story seems to run the gamut. :pumpkin::pumpkin::pumpkin::pumpkin: http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6c29c88a.png [18] Dolls There’s more to Dolls than is often given credit. Structurally laid out like a story for a child, it seems for much of the opening of the movie to actually be aimed at children. But there’s a bite, delivered with a flurry of practical and stop motion effects that is far more effective than anything CGI could deliver. Like many a Stuart Gordon film, it’s lean and doesn’t outstay its welcome. It’s hard not to enjoy this film. :pumpkin::pumpkin::pumpkin: http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/...ps79dfc6cf.png [19] Rites Of Spring Rites Of Spring adopts a similar concept to Ben Wheatley’s Kill List, splicing a crime film with a rural horror film. But sadly unlike Kill List you’re not blindsided by the rural horror elements. Written and directed by Padraig Reynolds, Reynolds seems more adept at directing, able to build tension and effectively execute the odd jump scare, but the writing, particularly the dialogue is very poor. It may not have an original bone in its body, but it’s an enjoyable little film that perhaps could have been something special with a bit more work on the script. :pumpkin::pumpkin::pumpkin: http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/...ps657a3bfa.png [20] Varsity Blood I was really looking forward to Varsity Blood after watching Bloody Homecoming. Bloody Homecoming in terms of script was a love letter to 80s slasher cinema, but executed in a mediocre way. This time Jake Helgren (writer of Bloody Homecoming) takes on both writing and directing duties, and I had hoped would deliver where the previous director had failed. While it is much more competently directed, the script feels rushed. There’s a steady build up of clichés culminating in a horrific Scooby-Doo style reveal, which is painful to watch. The killer’s costume is effective at times though. :pumpkin::pumpkin: http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/...psbe4a47c9.png [21] Night Of The Creeps Night Of The Creeps is a joy, awash with references and homage to B-movies and those responsible. It’s stuffed with tropes typically associated to such films, there’s an escaped mental patient, aliens, sororities, a school formal, a detective haunted by the past, an experimental cryogenic laboratory, slugs which require a human host to incubate, etc, etc. It’s a witty, self-aware little gem of a film that I find myself coming back to again and again. :pumpkin::pumpkin::pumpkin::pumpkin: |
Nicely written BAKA. Fellini's segment in Spirits Of The Dead is one of the last few remaining films to truly rattle me. It seems to penetrate my subconsciousness and haunt me for days every time I watch it. I think the undeniably rapid pace is complimented well by Vadim and Malle's less schizophrenic entries. 20. The First Power More of an action-horror hybrid with superb stunt scenes, this film manages to balance out the two genres quite well to craft a thrilling watch. The music cues in Stewart Copeland's soundtrack often make it feel more horror and less action while the stunt sequences do the exact opposite. The building jump, in particular, was executed with fine attention to detail and made the antagonist feel all the more powerful. Lou Diamond Phillips does an okay enough job to carry the film from scene to scene while Jeff Kober portrays "The Pentagram Killer" a fully fleshed out villain that we can be somewhat scared of. Even through some of the tired clichés the film manages to express it's own take on the horror/action/cop thriller genre and that's what makes it worthy of a watch. |
21. Twice Dead Fairly standard horror film that can be somewhat charming at times. Released by Roger Corman's Concorde Pictures, the film begins as a sort of haunted house story, then plays as a paranormal slasher before a groan worthy reveal at the end of the second act. Luckily, the third act redeems the film with nice gory moments of tension that launch us back into the supernatural slasher genre. Starring the always lovely Jill Whitlow the film isn't going to rewrite the history books and I don't think it was meant to but it has it's amusing moments and that's what makes it worth a watch. |
I've decided not to do anymore plot rundowns, seems pointless among us horror fanatics. I'm going to have to work hard to achieve my goal of 31 films. 22. The House With Laughing Windows One does not have to search very hard to see my championing of this film. Just take a look at my Top 25 favorite horror films list. While that list may be interchangeable depending on the day one thing is for sure, The House With Laughing Windows is likely to stay there. I feel like this is the essential giallo film. It manages to capture the best of the genre despite being a later entry. With a mixture of mystery, thriller and horror against the rural Italian landscape, Pupi Avati has crafted an elegant horror film that defines why giallo fans are so rabid. When they're good, they're masterpieces. Avati quietly plays on human emotions rather than sheer terror or gore which is all the more resonating, at least for me. For example, when Stefano, the painter who is hired to restore a haunting fresco version of St. Sebastian, listens to an ambiguous voice on a recorder the mood becomes so heavy it can feel as if you're choking. With such a lurid title you would almost expect the film to be non stop terror or chills but Avati does exactly the opposite, expecting the viewer to absorb the subtle hints of malevolence that surround Stefano. The importance of St. Sebastian remains extremely prevalent throughout the entire run time of the film but especially so during the chaotic and bizarre finale. The cinematography creates a dreamlike atmosphere with sinister nuances that are complimented well by the minimalistic but compelling score. Do yourself a favor and make this a double feature with Lucio Fulci's Don't Torture A Duckling. |
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I agree about the dreamlike atmosphere because it sent me to sleep. |
I can see why it might not interest some but for me the slow burn nature of the film suits it beautifully. Now with that being said I've had to banish you to my ignore list along with the others. It seems as if I'm not going to have any posts to read at this rate.:tongue1: (This is a joke, sarcasm doesn't read very well on the internet.) |
23. The Being Martin Landau and José Ferrer ham it up in this slimy drive-in fare. Enjoyable 24. Alien The absolute pinnacle of sci-fi horror. Brilliant in every way imaginable. |
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25th - From a Whisper to a Scream 26th - The Night Child 27th - City of the Dead / Dead Scared |
What did you make of Rubber, Dem? |
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It didn't sustain itself for me. As an episode of say, Masters of Horror, at 60 mins,i would have given it 9/10. |
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