Okay, the old thread was pretty long, so I thought I'd start a new one.

Tonight we watched The Tripper. To recap: David Arquette directing a slasher flick about a killer in a Ronald Reagan mask loose among a group of modern day hippies at a concert in the woods.

Okay, David Arquette is not the next great horror director. His script is pretty good though. Never really scary at all, but funny.

Bonus points for great casting/cameos (Lukas Haas, Thomas Jane, Jason Mewes(!) and Paul 'Pee-wee Herman' Reubens), plenty of gore and extended scenes of nudity (male and female). So all the cheese you want in a horror movie.

It is political, but I think both sides of the aisle were battered pretty well. Arquette is obviously no fan of Reagan or W. But then all the lefty hippies are shown as pretty damn irritating, useless stoners who you don't mind seeing dispatched.

So, no classic, but worth a rent.

Watched the American remakes of The Ring and Dark Water for the first time. The Ring was entertaining enough. I liked Naomi Watts in it. The little boy was creepy - my son nearly gave me a heart attack by going "redrum, redrum" while he was walking along a corridor!

Samara wasn't as scary as Sadako, too much was explained or showed, but I did enjoy it. The faces of the victims were horrible, the attack on Samara by her mum was grisly. But the tv scene was too CGI.

Dark Water was pretty boring though. None of the atmosphere of the original but with nothing really added either.

I watched the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead the other day. The original is my favorite of the classic zombie movies. This one was not bad, except for the running zombies - zombies should never ever be fast, IMHO.

>2

I definitely preferred the original of Dark Water. I thought the American version of The Eye was very good, though. It didn't have quite as much fatalism as the original, but I thought the translation to US/Mexico worked out very well.

On the subject of running zombies, see the op-ed piece SImon Pegg wrote - it's great!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/nov...

Man, we just watched The Invisible. That movie was not good. Honestly after about half an hour, I was ready tu turn it off. I didn't mind that it so liberally swiped from both Ghost and The River's Edge, but on top of that it was just poorly written and melodramatic. (I love melodrama, but this was very bad melodrama.)

#2 - I haven't seen the original Ringu yet, so I can't say how the two compare, but I think the American Ring was a very good movie. That TV scene... believe it or not when we saw it in the theater (on opening day, so before many people knew much about it) people in the audience started screaming.

It was really pretty neat. The only other time I had an experience like that in a theater was when we saw The Strangers. It may lose some of its impact on TV, but in the theater that movie was terrifying.

I was disappointed in Dark Water. Again, I never saw the original, but the American version was very well made but deadly dull. (Jennifer Connelly was great at least.)

#3 - The remake of Dawn of the Dead shocked me. I was not expecting it to be so good. It doesn't match the original, but like the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre it is a good movie that is worth any horror fan's time.

I recently watched The Midnight Meat Train, adapted from the Clive Barker short story. I found it quite scary and good! Gory, but with a decent plot. The main bad guy just emanated evil.

>3:
Like jseger, I thought the remake of Dawn of the Dead was really good. I was very surprised by it.

>6:
You can't beat watching a decent horror at the cinema. Don't know if I've posted this but the first time I saw the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre was in a delapidated local cinema, just before they tore it down. There was me and a boyfriend, a young couple in the corner, and an older woman who brought her knitting and laughed hysterically at all the wrong moments - and that was IT. Me and my boyfriend sat through it holding hands, petrified, because the laughing lady was between us and the exit :)

LOL! Nice image there, Mama. That old lady would've freaked me out more than the movie.

The lady really added to the ambience... I thought we were done for.

I saw Tormented at the weekend. Pretty average UK slasher, had its amusing moments.

#9-10 I always thought watching horror films in scary places was a great idea. I vaguely remember reading a review of someone watching Jaws floating around an inner tube in a lake, sounded fun ;-)

Gah! I'll pass, thanks. ;) Probably the only perk to that is if you pee your pants, nobody'll know.

Anybody seen Shawn of the Dead? It looks hilarious and I'm adding it to my netflix list, but wondering if it'll be a stinker.

>11:
That sounds horrible (the Jaws viewing, not Tormented)!

>13:
Love Shawn of the Dead, I can't see how anyone can dislike it. Did you ever see the series Spaced? Don't know if it was ever shown in the US, or if you've ever seen the DVD's. Same people, same humour.

>13 karsenmd

Shaun of the Dead rocks! It's completely worth watching.

Edited to correct spelling - thanks jseger!

Message edited by its author, May 26, 2009, 6:47pm.

Just wanna third a thumbs up for Shaun of the Dead (No 'W' in Shaun BTW.) It doesn't seem like it should work, but it does.

George Romero was so flattered by it he flew Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright (the writers of Shaun across the pond for a cameo in Land of the Dead. (They are the zombies that are chained so you can have a photo taken with them.)

Message edited by its author, May 26, 2009, 6:47pm.

Oh yeah, so my wife liked The Tripper enough to convince me to order it. That arrived today along with the (American version of) Grudge 2 and Cloverfield.

I think I'll watch The Grudge 2 tonight. I've already seen it and remember liking it, but have forgotten the details.

I just saw Cloverfield on the weekend - it was quite impressive.

Also did White Noise 2 which I thought worked well as either a stand-alone or as a sequel.

Good luck with Grudge 2 again, jseger. I've seen the first (American version), and the 3rd is sitting by the TV, but I have yet to watch the 2nd one. Do you know if it's necessary to watch them in order?

Btw, I'm almost finished with Population 436. It's not too bad, but it's so hard to take Fred Durst seriously as an actor. Oh, and I forgot to mention watching Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer about a week or so back. As long as you don't expect too much out of it (it's not as funny as I'd hoped, and the special effects are old school--no CGI here), it's worth checking out. Robert Englund is amazing, of course. :)

Cloverfield is great if you can handle the motion sickness it induces.

#19 - Good luck with Grudge 3. No one involved with the first two did that one. I haven't heard good stuff about it.

You should watch Grudge before Grudge 2. The sequel picks up soon after the original (from what I remember. We watched X-Files last night instead).

Both Population 436 and Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer have been added to my queue. the special effects are old school--no CGI here - That sounds right up my alley.

#21-2: Oh, joy. (dreading the Grudge 3 now) But thanks for letting me know about watching 'em in order. I'm placing a hold on the 2nd one right now.

Hope you like those two. JB:MS has some great special features on it if you're into that sort of thing (how they created the monsters, etc). Fun stuff. And I especially liked the ending to Population 436, though they offer an alternate "happy" ending for those who don't like their movies too bleak.

Btw, I'm currently watching The Tattooist, which I'm really liking so far. Anyone else seen it?

Watched The Attic last night. Ghost story. Interesting idea, bad writing, really bad acting. Probably not worth the time unless someone does a quality remake.

I watched Underworld: Rise of the Lycans early this morning. Loved it; definitely recommended.

I saw the first Underworld in the theater and didn't like it at all.

Later, when it was released on DVD there was a director's cut. I took a chance on it and liked it quite a bit. I'm not sure if the director's cut made much of a difference or if I was just more accepting of the goofiness of the movie (for instance, characters with such melodramatic names as Kraven...).

I'll add Underworld: Rise of the Lycans to Netflix.

Oh yeah. If the stars line up correctly I'm going to see Sam Raimi's (hopefully triumphant) return to horror: Drag Me To Hell.

I'm a little wary about Drag Me to Hell. The trailer is not very compelling. But, I'll have to give it a try since it's from Sam Raimi.

Watched Dead Birds a couple of days ago. I liked it a lot, surprisingly. There were good scares throughout, but the ending was weak.

stefferjo, you're right on about Dead Birds. I also liked it a lot in spite of the weak ending.

Just saw Seance, a low budget college kids wake up bad ghost story. Amazingly the acting did not suck, though the writing was mediocre. Worth the time if you're a ghost story fan, like I am.

Drag Me to Hell was very good. A weird mix of old fashioned horror (Gypsy curses) and Sam Raimi's hyper camera work. There's some bizarre humor in a mostly 'straight' horror story that at first I wasn't sure about, but hey, it was Sam Raimi after all.

There were some bits that I found objectionable, but that's just me maybe. Also the lead actress kept making me think of Cindy Brady. But these were little things in the best horror movie I've seen since The Strangers.

Sam's beat up old Oldsmobile made an appearance. Unfortunately, Bruce Campbell didn't:(

I hope Sam has a few more horror flicks left in him.

Oh yeah, there were previews for a new Dennis Quaid movie called Pandorum that could be really good. Maybe even good enough to forgive Dennis for being in G.I. Joe...

Two astronauts awaken in a hyper-sleep chamber aboard a seemingly abandoned spacecraft. It's pitch black, they are disoriented, and the only sound is a low rumble and creak from the belly of the spacecraft. They can't remember anything - who are they, what is their mission? They quickly realize they are not alone.

Sounds good, huh? Looked nice and spooky. But it also looked like it could turn in to some sort of rehash of Predator if it isn't done right.

Dead Birds... I wrote a review for that somewheres...

I remember liking everything about the movie (acting, directing, production design, music) but thinking the movie itself was just too slow. Way better than I expected from a low budget movie starring the E.T. kid. Just there were too many long stretches of folks sitting around the house with not much happening from what I remember.

The guys that did Dead Birds have a new movie out: Red Sands.

A unit of U.S. soldiers is assigned to seize control of a strategically important Afghan road, but when the platoon stumbles upon an ancient statue and uses it for target practice, they awaken an evil spirit hungry for revenge.

I've added it to my Netflix queue.

Another movie finished: My Bloody Valentine (3D/the remake). I'm kind of on the fence about this one. I loved the mine setting (claustrophobics might not ;), but the ID of the killer was a no-brainer. And little goofs like a lense breaking and then appearing whole in the next scene really bugged me. Ok, basically the whole ending bugged me, but I'd say watch it if you happen to catch it on TV.

#26: Hmm, you might want to put Underworld: Rise of the Lycans lower on your Netflix queue then, not that it's horrible, but I think it might appeal more to fans of this series.

Drag Me to Hell sounds familiar (I think I saw the trailer and that was it), but the others don't--Dead Birds, Seance, etc. I'll have to root around for copies of those, since my library doesn't have them (yet).

I went to see My Bloody Valentine because it was in 3D, I think the 3D part made it much more enjoyable!

I wish I'd done that, clfisha, but no 3D glasses. :( Maybe next time.

Saw Re-cycle this weekend. I'd call it more fantasy than horror, although it had a lot of tense, scary bits. It was quite good, but I want to research some of the cultural symbols and watch it again. Trivial, but cool, is getting to watch someone type in Chinese using a western-style keyboard.

Watched My Bloody Valentine last week. I really didn't like the fact that half the kills consist of the pick axe being pointed at the camera (ooh 3D) followed by a headshot, but the plot was decent.

Also watched:

Dead Set - Okay, this is technically a TV show, but the total run time is something like 2 hours, so I'll count it. Very well done show.

The Uninvited - I was enjoying it until they went into M. Night Shyamalan "what's the most ridiculous swerve that we can get away with" mode. I know they're trying to be clever, but it makes the whole movie feel so incredibly artificial.

The Thing - Don't know how I managed to get around seeing this before. Great movie. I could see the beginning being a little confusing if you didn't know some of the basics going in.

While She Was Out - Thriller. Decent, although I somehow seem to be ending up with too many "woman gets chased through woods" movies. I can't see how people are finding the ending ambiguous; there's only one way to go from there.

Puppet Master I-III - The first two are not as good as I remembered. (Ruining my childhood one movie at a time.) Three is great, but not a horror movie.

I liked the My Bloody Valentine remake, but then I saw it in 3D and honestly was expecting it to be terrible. So just being tolerable was a pleasant surprise. (Plus the nudity in 3D was so campy!)

I added Re-Cycle. It sounds so quirky I just have to try it.

I haven't seen The Uninvited, but I don't think M. Night Shyamalan was involved. (edit: Never mind! I figured out what you meant!). I wonder if the ending was the same as it was in the Korean original? (I haven't seen either, but added the remake to my Netflix queue.)

The Thing is a real classic. Too bad it didn't do better when it was released. Dang E.T.!

I almost added While She Was Out. My wife, at least, likes "woman gets chased through woods" movies. (She was so tense the first time she saw the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre we had to turn it off and come back the next day.) But the reviews on Netflix were not too pretty good. I dunno. I do still like Kim Basinger... Would you recommend it?

Message edited by its author, Jun 1, 2009, 7:21pm.

#37 I maybe said but the whole zombies running thing ruined Dead Set for me. sigh.

#38 I think The Thing is one of my favourite films, but that maybe slightly to do with nostalgia. I just can't think of a film that gets the paranoia quite as well! I hope you enjoy

#36,38 I enjoyed Re-Cycle too, some of the scenes were brilliant (bit on the bridge) but not sure about it overall.

@38

It was decent, and I'm normally a bit biased against movies with non-paranormal villains. I'm sure that the rating is getting dragged down by non-horror fans who rented it based on star power and were not familiar with the woman-gets-chased-through-woods subgenre.

Also watched Puppet Master IV last night. Not bad, but it's not really scary when the bad guys are drastically outclassed by the good guys.

Message edited by its author, Jun 2, 2009, 2:01pm.

Watched Splinter, Razortooth, and Devil's Tomb over the past couple of days. All very average. Devil's Tomb has Henry Rollins as a priest. The last 15 minutes of Splinter may kill epilectics.

Over the last few days I've watched:-
Grudge 3.
Hellboy 2
Mirrors (with Kiefer Sutherland)
The Orphanage.
Hellraiser (again!!!)
Carnival of Souls

and I'm off to the pictures tomorrow to see Drag Me to Hell!!
Please excuse the lack of comment and criticisim its just that my tastes aren't everyone elses and I'd hate to put anyone off just because of my opinion.

#42 - Please excuse the lack of comment and criticisim its just that my tastes aren't everyone elses and I'd hate to put anyone off just because of my opinion.

Hey, don't worry about expressing your opinion of a movie here. Hashing over movie opinions is half the fun.

Did you see the original Carnival of Souls or the late '90's 'remake'? (Really a completely different movie with the same name.)

Really, (the original) Carnival of Souls isn't a very good movie. But the shots of the stalking ghoul are so deeply creepy that to me the movie is a classic in spite of itself.

Hope you liked Drag Me to Hell. I did, but can see that it is NOT a movie for all tastes.

Message edited by its author, Jun 7, 2009, 12:47am.

Hey, found a column Stephen King wrote for EW about the superiority of low-budget horror film. (Hope the link works for you guys.) Glad to see he liked The Strangers as much as I did.

Message edited by its author, Jun 7, 2009, 12:26am.

Had to watch The Duchess the other night. Not a horror flick, but some of those costumes sure were scary!

Due to being too lazy to shift around the Netflix queue, we should be getting the '70's Invasion of the Body Snatchers Monday or Tuesday. Hard to believe it was directed by the same guy who later did (the EXCELLENT) The Right Stuff.

>28 and 29

I saw Dead Birds a few years ago. I was impressed. I wasn't thinking I would get much from it, but I do remember being plesantly surprised!

I've watched recently:

While She Was Out - Starring Kim Basinger. I has high hopes for this, especially because Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth) was an executive producer. I was SO disappointed! I would summarize this movie was an unnecessarily gore-filled Lifetime movie. It was all about "a woman scorned," and about half the movie, Kim Basinger's character was trotting around the woods running away from a gang of young criminals. I don't know how they knew where to follow her, because the woods are big and it was pitch black, but you know the drill, of course they were right on her tail. I really thought this was terrible.

Home Movie - This was a great, short, simple and yet highly disturbing movie. It was based around a young couple's filming of their two children with thie personal video camera. The children, for lack of a better word, who aren't quite right. The movie was only 77 minutes, but it was very creepy. It has great rewatchability, because you can see the transgression of the children as time elapses. My only criticism is you probabnly will find it difficult to watch if you don't like the Cloverfield/Blair Witch Project film style.

Next in my queue: Fears of the Dark (animated), Catacombs, and Friday the 13th (the remake)

While it's not a movie, I've been watching reruns of Millennium on the Chiller channel lately. I'd forgotten how good that show could be, and how effectively creepy it was.

#43 - I've re-read my message and it does make me sound like a total wimp doesn't it???
It's just that because I once listened to someone else's opinion, I missed the entire 1st season of Babylon 5 (they had said it was a cheap rip-off of DS9) and was left deeply shell-shocked for almost a year until Season 2. I would hate to do that to anyone else!!!!
Carnival Of Souls (the first one) was shot, I believe, on a tiny budget and the Collecter was played by the director, Herk Harvey.That's probably why it looks so gritty. I agree, it did drag a bit in the middle but the I think the last scenes at the deserted funfair were real nightmare stuff!!!!
Didn't get to see Drag Me to Hell but am going tomorrow!
What do you think of the Grudge Series????

>>48

I have seen the listings of Millennium on the Chiller network too. I am very interested in seeing this show (season one is in my Blockbuster queue). I just have a weird thing about having to watch TV show episodes in order. I'd hate to come halfway into a season of the show and be totally lost! But I have definitely heard good things about the show.

#49 - I loved the first two (American) Grudge movies. I haven't yet watched the Japanese originals and am just going to avoid Grudge 3

#'s 48, 50 - I just recently bought all three seasons of Millennium on DVD. I think you could easily get away with watching five or six episodes of season one and skip ahead to season two.

The second season is where Millennium really came into its own. That's where all the stuff about what the Millenium Group is up to with the owls and the roosters and the end of the world.

Season one is good, but too often it felt like 'serial killer of the week'

Sounds Good. I haven't seen season 2 yet but they are running it on sky so I'll make sure to watch!!!

Watched the '70's Invasion of the Body Snatchers last night. That is a terrific movie. At least the equal of the original. Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Jeff Goldbloom, Veronica Cartwright and Leonard Nimoy? What a cast!

It was very well filmed. Lots of skewed camera angles to make you feel off kilter. The paranoia builds nice and slow. Nice cameos by the star and director of the original.

The only problems I had was that some of the background music wasn't very good and maybe the second half dedicated too much time to chases. Still, minor problems. Easily worth a rent. The ending is a real kick too.

Oh yeah. Tonight we watched The Mothman Prophecies. I think that is an under-appreciated scary movie. If you can sit through Richard Gere's phone call with 'Indrid Cold' and not be covered in goose bumps you are a stronger person than me.

If you really wanna get weirded-out some time, look into the actual Mothman sightings in Point Pleasant. I'm used to horror movies claiming to be based on real events, but most of The Mothman Prophecies (well, the non-Richard Gere stuff anyway) was based on actual reports to the Point Pleasant police department.

Message edited by its author, Jun 14, 2009, 3:19am.

>53 & 54:

The 70's version of Invasion of the Bodysnatchers is a great film.

The Mothman Prophecies - haven't seen it yet, but will get round to it. Really liked the look of it but then I read the book...

Yeah, I heard The Mothman Prophecies book was pretty terrible. I haven't read it because of the almost universally negative reviews.

Please don't use the terribleness of the book to judge the movie. It looks like they made that silk purse out of a sow's ear.

I have the special edition of The Mothman Prophecies. There is a second disc that has a documentary on the real Mothman sightings. I haven't watched it yet, but am looking forward to it.

Oh! I also picked up the two disc edition of Francis Ford Coppola's Dracula. I haven't watched that in years and it has some major problems (Keanu for instance), but what a beautiful horror flick.

>56:
The book is mind-bogglingly awful, and almost worth a read for the experience alone. Treat yourself one day ;)

Do let us know if the documentary is any good. I'm intrigued by the subject, just didn't learn much from the book.

I saw 'Mothman' some years ago; it didn't make much of an impression at the time, I'll have to watch it again.
#57 I agree - 'Dracula' was incredibly stylish. It's amazing how many liberties were taken with the text and some of the casting sucked but still completely visually compelling. Dracula's castle bore an incredible resemblance to an ink drawing by an artist called Franz Kupka - I think it was called 'Resistance - The Black Idol'. If I can find a reproduction, I'll scan, then download and you can see for yourself.

Message edited by its author, Jun 14, 2009, 4:36pm.

I am interested in the Mothman documentary! I think the only thing I know about it is from the Fortean Times magazine (short article here) Not sure it will tell you much more than the book (which I have never read).

I saw Doghouse , quite a funny low budget UK horror flick where all the women turn into rabid zombie cannibals. Riffs off Shaun of the Dead a bit but in a cool way and it's not too sexist...

Message edited by its author, Jun 15, 2009, 8:54am.

#57: Ha! I have a coworker who is just pissed about what Keanu did to that movie. :D I didn't think it was all that bad; but I'll have to rewatch it and listen to his "accent" again.

#60: Hmm, for a second I thought you were talking about A Dog's Breakfast (which is a pretty good dark comedy), but I don't think I've heard of Doghouse. I'll definitely have to look for that one. Which reminds me, has anyone seen Zombie Strippers? I keep seeing the trailer for it (I think it's on DVD by now), but haven't been able to find a copy.

The Mothman Prophecies -- I'll try and put a hold on that one as well at my library. I think ours got stolen.

I think the last horror movie I watched was the other night: Blood Monkey. First off, it's not a monkey, more like a gorilla. And even though you don't see it very often, I think that it's better that way, considering this is a relatively low budget movie. There's nothing worse than knowing it's a man wearing a gorilla suit, imo. The location's beautiful, acting kind of "meh", and I liked the ending (no happy endings for me, thanks!); so I was kind of surprised by all the negative reviews of it. If you like the whole man-vs-nature thing, you might like this one. Nothing to go out of your way for, though.

I doubt this really fits into horror, but I also watched Death Race earlier this week. (Yeah, I know how many Jason Statham fans we have here. ;) Plot: uh...do action films really need one? But the special effects, stunts, etc. are the best things that make this movie. Kind of a nice no-brainer movie to watch if nothing else is on. (Apparently, it's a remake, but I have no plan on watching it. Sylvester Stallone? No thanks.)

Recently watched:

Japanese versions of The Ring and Dark Water. Both still terrified me, even though I've seen them before. Both are similar in tone, with Dark Water having two excellent "jumps" (which still got me this time round).

Salem's Lot (1970s mini-series) - great fun to watch it after reading the book. Still screamed when Barlow jumps out at Tibbits! Follows the book very well, there are the obvious changes, none of which spoil anything, although I thought that David Soul was all wrong as Ben (in fact you could have swapped Ben and Tibbits in the film).

Hot Fuzz - I thought this was going to be to cops what Shaun of the Dead was to Zombies, but there are some gory bits and twists that would please any horror fan.

>60:
Doghouse ads are all over the telly at the mo, it looks a lot of fun.

Moomin,

Is it just me or was Barlow in the mini-series (Nosferatu-swipe that he was) creepier than Barlow in the novel?

Having read 'Salem's Lot recently for the SK group, I do appreciate the book and the original Barlow more, but I still prefer the truly inhuman one from that mini-series.

Hot Fuzz was fun silliness. The folks in the monks robes at the end was sorta horrific.

Message edited by its author, Jun 15, 2009, 7:46pm.

Ugh, grossest memory of Hot Fuzz for me was the steeple through the chin/jaw bit. XP I think My Bloody Valentine 3D has a similar scene--well, just a little bit bloodier though. ;)

I have Salem's Lot (the movie) but haven't watched it yet. Thanks for reminding me about it; I'll have to watch it asap. Maybe read the book first (yes, yes, I admit I haven't read it yet--bad SK fan).

#65 Yeah Hot Fuzz was a lot of fun but that scene grosses me out everytime!

#62 The original Death Race 2000 is cheesily brilliant and from what I have seen nothing like the remake. I do want to see the new version though.. nothing wrong with Jason Statham :-) ( mean Crank 2 was genuis)

#60 I keep pestering my friend to lend me Zombie Strippers . Let me know if it's worth the hassle.

Edited to fix italic error

Message edited by its author, Jun 16, 2009, 7:06am.

#56: For all the terrible movies made from excellent horror novels, there are some great ones made from crap books, too. Just read the original Jaws--totally lacking in suspense. Psycho isn't terrible, but no one would even remember it if it weren't for Hitchcock.

I just watched The Messengers and was pleasantly surprised. It's not life-changing, but I thought it was an excellent way to spend a Saturday night...

>64:
I do think the mini-series Barlow is scarier, although he's a bit too blue...

>65:
That scene is brilliant, isn't it? One of the most creative deaths I've seen, and it's not in a horror film!

Bentley, I liked The Messengers too, was also pleasantly surprised with The Return (watched them both around the same time so I've tied them together)

I thought Zombie Strippers was well worth watching.

I finally got around to watching the new Friday the 13th over the weekend. I found it easier to look past Sam Winchester than I did Dean in My Bloody Valentine, which is somewhat odd since the character in F13 is much more Winchesterish.

I just watched Let The Right One In. I really enjoyed this movie. It was creepy, unsettling and touching all at the same time.

We just watched a pretty good low budget 1992 horror flick called The Resurrected.

Directed by Dan O'Bannon (who also directed the classic Return of the Living Dead), this is an adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's The Case of Charles Dexter Ward.

This movie reminded me (in a good way) of Stuart Gordon's Lovecraft movies (Re-Animator, From Beyond and Dagon), except without the goofy humor. It isn't as good as those films, but it is close.

The pluses are good direction, good writing and very good make-up and special effects. Also, Chris Sarandon gives it his best. I'm glad they laid out some money for a good actor for the part of Charles Dexter Ward. He's a secondary character, but the movie turns on him and wouldn't have been as good with a bad actor.

On the downside, this movie was put together by Full Moon's Charles Band and like those Full Moon pictures, the film looks pretty cheap (the movie screams 'low budget' right from the DVD menu) and most of the actors are stiff no-names.

If you can get past the cheap look of the film and the bad acting, this is a nice, creepy, gory movie better written and directed than most B-pictures and well worth a rent.

Message edited by its author, Jun 21, 2009, 2:15am.

I watched The Gathering it was good, a nice slow story in the telling. Last night I watched The Devils Tomb and stayed annoyed by another rip off from Aliens, they pretty much took the same dialog (you'll love that jseger) only it takes place in the desert. Special Ops team goes in to save the day gets their asses kicked. Some gratuitous nudity, the obligatory lesbian scene, some gore and icky moments sum up the film. Directed and produced by Sean Connery's son. Not something I would tell anyone to run out and get.

"Game over, man! Game over!"

The casting of The Devils Tomb is going to make me rent it. Ron Perlman is always worth watching and Cuba Gooding, Jr. should be cast in better movies.

But Henry Rollins as a priest? Oh man, that goes in the queue for sure!

Message edited by its author, Jun 21, 2009, 11:40am.

LOL you are a glutton, don't say I didn't warn you ;) This didn't help Cuba at all, he was mechanical at best. I think the cast owed someone a favor.

if you like Ron Pearlman, check out The last Winter at least it was good.

I just watched Martyrs and I also have to say eugh. I was expecting an nasty grossout movie but it's somehow worse than that, managed to get under my skin and leave my mouth hanging open. I hesitate to recommend it but it is a interesting horror flick.

Message edited by its author, Jun 22, 2009, 7:31am.

#76 You are quite right, The Last Winter was Brilliant. And I've been a fan of Ron Perlman ever since Beauty and the Beast (sigh)
I was watching the american version of The Ring last night. It's a little uneven in places, but creeps me out every time, especially the girl in the cupboard. That horrible face!!!!!!!!!!!!

We just watched The Devil's Tomb. It wasn't bad. But it wasn't particularly good either.

We have Fido which we will probably watch tomorrow night. Anyone seen that one yet? Billy Connolly as a pet zombie.

I think I'll check out The Last Winter since two people pimped it. (Oh! I remember The Last Winter now! I looked into it before, but the reviews were kinda so-so.)

Message edited by its author, Jun 24, 2009, 10:54pm.

hey, I just said it was better than The Devil's Tomb if you like Ron Pearlman. So didn't the beginning remind you of Aliens?

I saw Billy Connolly last night in The latest Xfiles movie, and just finished watching Passengers. Not scary but a total mind fuck.

edited for typos

note to self, never post in the morning after just waking up.

Message edited by its author, Jun 25, 2009, 1:08pm.

Yeah, The Devil's Tomb did sort of have that Aliens vibe. I'd say it reminded me more of the Doom movie though. (Doom was better though, so what does that say about The Devil's Tomb?)

Hey, what did you think of The X-Files: I Want to Believe? To me it was a very well written, well directed movie, but was maybe too slow for its own good.

I really enjoyed Fido. I has a "Leave it to Beaver with zombies" feel to it.

Wouldn't it be interesting if you could add zombie to the "are you a cat or dog person"?

Message edited by its author, Jun 25, 2009, 9:39am.

Jseger, I liked the movie, I liked it better than the first one. I didn't mind the slowness, I thought it told a good story and liked the process, but man I keep thinking Fargo do they get better rates if they use a freezing state?

Our air conditioner crapped out on Friday. Here in Texas we are going through heat wave, so our house (and outside) are +100 degrees. Watching Fargo and The X-Files: I Want to Believe with all their snow is really tempting.

Oh yeah, Fido was terrific. Such a quirky, midnight movie.

I also saw the '80's BBC version of Day of the Triffids. I liked that one quite a bit. Yeah, the Triffids are kind of cheesy looking, and I never really got over it in the entire three hours. But everything else was so well done that you just sort of have to accept them. Plus, they really aren't a major part of the story. It was really more of a post apocalyptic thriller.

Easily worth a rent. I sat through the entire three hours in a boiling hot room and never wanted to pause it for later.

The thread has sort of died. thought I'd revive it.

We watched the (American remake) of The Vanishing this weekend. I think we've already talked about that one in this thread or the last. I just wanted to say, Jeff Bridges, who always comes off as such a likable guy in his other roles, was terrific as the amoral crazy in The Vanishing.

Netflix is shipping Let the Right One In and The Unborn. We should have 'em tomorrow or the next day.

I just saw Let the Right One In. I really wish it had been subtitled instead of dubbed - I think a lot of the pacing would have been improved with the original actors' intonations. It was, weird though it sounds, a really sweet movie, though, and worth the watch.

#86: I've noticed that, too. I keep attempting to post my horror check-outs, but my messages sound more like a list than a review. I've never been very good @ reviewing anyway, but I'll try again (see below).

#87: I think you can change the dubbing via the language option on the menu screen, because I was able to view it w/ subtitles. (Dubbing is the worst! It should seriously be outlawed. :) Naw, it doesn't sound weird that you thought the movie was sweet. One of my coworkers jokingly said he almost cried at the end because of how much the two kids cared for each other.

Anywho, on to a few of the horror movies I watched these past few weeks:

Vamp -- An 80's vampire horror comedy that I'm kind of glad I missed as a kid. I mainly checked this out for Grace Jones, because she's just wild looking in it (take a look @ the cover--red bob and white skin), though she doesn't have one line in the whole movie. Tough role to prepare for. ;)

Dead Space: Downfall -- Your typical Alien-esque flick --takes place in outer space where some monsters start preying on humans. Out of all of the movies I'm listing here, this was probably the one I liked the best. And I loved that it was animated; it was a nice change of pace. (I've been looking for some anime to scare me and just haven't found any till now.)

Friday the 13th (the remake) -- I hate to admit this, but I never saw the original version (I know, how can I call myself a horror fan??), but a coworker filled me in on how inaccurate it was. The movie was your typical serial killer chasing/killing over-sexed mimbos/bimbos -- but I did jump @ the end (only because I was reaching up to turn the TV off about then--yeah, right, believe me? ;).

Skinwalkers -- I really wanted to like this movie -- hot actors/actresses, interesting werewolf twist, etc. -- but I just felt like a lot was lacking. I wish they had gone into more depth with the main characters and maybe a little more with the back story, something. Anyway, I think a few of the members here will like that the werewolves are mostly non-CGI, though I kind of prefer the full-on wolf transformation (like in Blood & Chocolate, etc), but either way, I still like what they did.

Sara,

The remake was sort of a remake of both Friday the 13th and Friday the 13th, Part 2. The first ten minutes covered the first and the rest of the movie covered Part 2.

Vamp is one I've been thinking of rerenting just based on the cover. I saw it decades ago and remember it not being very good, but I can't remember a single detail of the movie. I'll wager that if it weren't for Grace Jones, nobody would remember that one.

I rented Dead Space: Downfall as well. Like you, I liked the idea of an animated horror movie (please don't recommend Vampire Hunter D. That movie was terrible), but can't remember if I liked the movie or not. I may just rerent it.

I know that it was done as a prequel to a Dead Space video game. I am planning on picking that up some time.

Message edited by its author, Jul 8, 2009, 9:05am.

**SPOILER**

That's what I thought, jseger, because when I was watching the remake, I kept thinking, "Where's Jason's mom?" I guess there's no point in remaking a movie when most people know the surprise ending. Maybe that's why they combined the two?

**END O' SPOILER**

And speaking of giving away endings, I'm currently watching Sleepaway Camp (I just bought it yesterday), and I'll have to say I'm kind of glad I already know the surprise ending. Otherwise, I doubt I would've watched so much of it (kind of boring). It is short (80 min.), so I'll give it that. Btw, does anyone know if the sequels are worth watching?

I can't remember a single detail of the movie.

Welcome to the club! :) I just watched it a few weeks back, and all I remember is something about a strip club and underground tunnels at the end. At least it's short; that's one plus.

Vampire Hunter D -- No, I wouldn't do that to you. ;) I'm glad I wasn't the only one who didn't like it.

I don't play video games, so I'm not sure how the Dead Space movie/game compares, but let me know what you think. I have to agree--it is kind of forgettable (nothing really stands out in my mind other than monsters and soldiers)--but it was the first animated horror movie I'd seen in a long time, so I enjoyed it.

Ah, Sleepaway Camp. I watched that one a few months back. What a weird movie that was. I agree, I'm glad I knew the ending, because otherwise it was not too good of a movie. The end wasn't so good either, come to that.

All I remember about that movie (aside from the end) was that the 'aunt' seemed like 'she' belonged in a John Waters movie.

One animated horror movie that I did like (though it does have lots of problems too) is the animated version of Doomed Megalopolis. It gets very mixed reviews and I can see why. It isn't perfect and is sometimes pretty confusing (a sleeping spirit is the protector of Tokyo, but if his spirit is awakened he will destroy the city. Maybe it makes sense to the Japanese?), but it does have some creepy moments anyway.

Definitely weird! I was still a little confused by the abrupt ending, so I rewatched it with the commentary on. That made the movie much more enjoyable. And what was that aunt on? Serious John Waters material, you're right!

Unfortunately, my library doesn't have Doomed Megalopolis, but I'll keep an eye out for it when I'm shopping. Any other horror anime you've seen and liked?

I just finished watching Captivity this morning. It was one of those movies that's short and complex enough to keep you glued to your seat for the entire thing. (And if I'm late to work this afternoon, I'll know why. :) I thought it was going to be your typical Saw rip-off (a woman is held captive and tortured by a serial killer), but I was surprised by all the twists it makes. It's definitely worth checking out, especially if you're into the "8 Films to Die For" series.

Dead Space (the game) is one of the best games from the past year, and one of the few that I've liked enough to take the time to 1000GS it.

We watched The Unborn. Was it just me or did the movie not really make any sense?

Also, Gary Oldman was obviously doing David S. Goyer a favor. At first, I was wondering what he was doing in the movie and then remembered the two worked together on the Batman movies.

I haven't seen The Unborn, but the trailer was pretty creepy with the upside-down dog (or whatever it was). I'll check it out when I can.

I finished watching Laid to Rest tonight. I really wanted to like this one (I saw the trailer a couple weeks back and was excited to stumble across it just the other day); unfortunately, the ending really does this movie in. Not to mention a pretty forgettable heroine. I kept thinking her older cane-wielding sidekick was the main character. The killer's costume is pretty cool, imo (he even comes with a name: Chrome Skull -- ah, how cute ;), but again, the ending -- his ID (or lack thereof) and some of the deaths -- was a major letdown.

Let the Right One In was very good. I have to agree with #71: Creepy, touching and unsettling.

Though it wasn't terrifying, it did show me one thing that too many American horror movies do that really doesn't work: the over reliance on something popping out of the side of the screen with a string swell to make it seem scary.

In Let the Right One In when something scary happened, it was shown matter-of-factly, which made it scarier to me. No sudden 'scary' music cues were needed to tell the audience "hey, this is a scary part".

We just watched Wes Craven's New Nightmare. I'm pretty sure I've said it before, but Wes Craven is much better at coming up with ideas than actually carrying them out.

I had a zombie movie weekend, watched;

Dead Snow - Nazi zombies, need I say more. Reaaly more of a comedy then a horror

Zombie Nurse Falls in Love - wouldn't really call it horror, it is the only zombie movie I've seen where someone infected with the zombie virus gets more attractive.

Dead And Breakfast - Again not so much scary as it is painfully funny; Includes zombies line dancing, a person possessed by a dead fetus and a working gun made of a piece of pipe a nail and a hammer.

Also going to watch Drag me to Hell on Thursday; Sam Raimi snobbed low-budget horror for too damn long.

We watched Valentine. I wasn't really expecting much out of the movie, I admit. I was always curious about it (despite the bad reviews) because the cupid mask on the cover seemed so promisingly creepy.

There were a lot of plot holes and "why would she do that?" moments, but still it was pretty fun.

Well, I admit that it may have been my low expectations, but I wound up liking the movie. It's no classic. A sort of slightly above-average slasher movie. I did like that the victims were adults rather than average teenager/college student pack that usually gets bumped off. The cupid mask was a pretty neat visual. From what I could see, it had little to nothing to do with the (well reviewed) Tom Savage novel it was 'based on'.

By the way, Dead Snow looks like a lot of fun.

Message edited by its author, Jul 26, 2009, 11:22pm.

We just watched Disney's Haunted Mansion (the in-laws loaned us the blu-ray). I didn't expect it to be any good (and it wasn't), but it is just a shame that they didn't take the movie a little more seriously.

Disney isn't the studio to make a horror classic, but they could have at least tried to make it a little spooky. As soon as you see that Eddie Murphy is the star you know what you're in for. No knock on Eddie Murphy, but when I saw he was the star of Haunted Mansion, my instant reaction was 'Oh, forget it brother'.

Oh, yeah, I vaguely remember Haunted Mansion. I watched it more for Nathaniel Parker and Jennifer Tilly than Eddie Murphy, so I forgot he was in it, even though he was the star. Bleh, thanks for reminding me, jseger. ;) I still like Disney's older scary movies--The Watcher in the Woods (I wasn't allowed to watch this one as a kid, because it was supposed to be satanic), Something Wicked This Way Comes (ditto), Return to Oz (I actually liked this one better than the first) . . . uh, were there more?

Valentine--That's been on my want-to-watch list for years now (I loved the mask too), but I keep finding other horror movies to take its place. I'll have to put it on hold asap before I forget it completely. Thanks for jogging my memory, jseger! :)

Okay, I'm a freak for kids' stuff, but I kind of liked Haunted Mansion (which is not to say I thought it was a good film). It was cute enough. And I have a real soft spot for Hocus Pocus and Halloweentown. (Of course, I've been known to watch whole marathons of Sabrina the Teenage Witch, if that tells you anything.) They aren't horror at all, but I think they're kind of cute and fun--sort of like "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown." :-)

#102 - I agree. I like Return to Oz more than the Judy Garland Wizard of Oz.

I'd like to see Tim Burton do a version of The Wizard of Oz in a style similar to Return to Oz. I think he is overrated, but that movie would seem to be right up his alley.

The problem with The Haunted Mansion for me was that there was just too much humor. I guess I wish they would have kept the tone of the 'scary' Disney movies Sara mentioned. Those aren't particularly scary either, but are still worth watching.

I guess The Haunted Mansion was never going to equal Pirates of the Caribbean, but if it had the atmosphere of Something Wicked This Way Comes it would have at least been one of those movies that is undying on video.

I like Eddie Murphy and all, but the movie would have been better with someone else in the role

#103: I loved Hocus Pocus, too. :) I used to be able to quote lines from that movie, but I've totally forgotten them by now. I never really got into Sabrina... (though I remember the main actress from Clarissa Explains It All--is that the right title?--and watched that show a lot); but I'd watch a few minutes of Sabrina just for the black cat.

#104: I really like Tim Burton--I mean, if someone can make me love a musical (The Nightmare Before Christmas) then he's all right in my book!--but I don't know if I could stand a remake of Return to Oz. Or maybe it's just because I'm getting old and want things to stay as they were. :D Maybe he could do a remake of High School Musical; then maybe I'd actually watch that movie.

#105: Yep, I agree--too much humor, not enough scares. It's a haunted mansion, for pete's sake. Eddie should probably just stick with comedies instead.

#106 - I meant I'd like to see Tim do a (non-musical) version of The Wizard of Oz, but in a style similar to Return to Oz (which seemed much closer to the way the characters were portrayed in the original book illustrations).

Really, I give Henry Selick and Danny Elfman credit for my enjoyment of The Nightmare Before Christmas, but Tim's Sweeney Todd musical was very good.

Message edited by its author, Jul 30, 2009, 11:46pm.

Aahhh, gotcha. Redoing The Wizard of Oz makes much more sense.

And I was surprised I liked Sweeney Todd, too. I'm not really into musicals, but I liked the dark theme and most of the actors/actresses.

I agree that Tim Burton is overrated - I've always thought of his stuff as "horror/fantasy for kids and young adults" (okay, maybe not Ed Wood).

Think my favourite Tim Burton film is Sleepy Hollow although I also enjoyed Ed Wood but then I quite like his atrocious films too! I saw The Bride of the Monster at the cinema recently, with added spice from actors to ham it all up (so tentacles and water sprayed on the audience etc..).

Saw the shining on tele last night, its still an amazing film.

The Shining never gets old - it scares the living daylights out of me every time.

Recently watched (spoiler alert):

Quarantine - a good, jumpy, gory horror, liked it a lot. Was a little disappointed with the "reveal", what is it with emaciated albino killers that have been shut away for years? (worked in The Descent as there was a certain logic to it, didn't really spoil Quarantine as it was only at the end, really did ruin Creep if you ask me).

Rose Red - typical SK made-for-tv fare with obligatory cameo of author. Entertaining enough, a bit silly in places, it was fun watching it with younger family members and I love haunted houses.

The Cell - not sure if you can call it horror but I'll put it out there. Never seen it before, and while I wasn't bored watching it I had mixed feelings. Visually the dream sequences are gorgeous but a little empty, like a music video, and didn't really go with the straight-forward "search for the serial killer's victim ala Silence of the Lambs" storyline. The non-dream sequences also looked too... glossy. The most startling scene, which sticks in the mind, is the one with the horse.

Quaratine spoilers
It's been a while since I've seen Quarantine, but I can tell you that they weren't emaciated albinos at the end. They were the scientists that were working in the lab that is discovered at the end, if I remember correctly.
Quarantine spoilers end

When I said Tim Burton was an over-rated director, I didn't mean that I don't like his movies. It's that he's really only skilled at a certain type of whimsical dark fantasy and when he's there (Edward Scissorhands, Sweeney Todd or Sleepy Hollow especially) he's firing on all cylinders. But when he steps out of that (Planet of the Apes, Big Fish) the movies aren't nearly as good.

I do have to give him credit for two fun un-Burton movies that were terrific: Mars Attacks! and Ed Wood.

That's an especially insightful comment about Tim Burton, seger. I never realized it, but that's exactly the case.

Of course, I also think that Edward Scissorhands was the story Burton was born to tell (like Rear Window was Hitchcock's), and everything else he has ever done sort of has to be compared against that. He might do other very good stuff, but right there is Tim Burton's film...

#111/112 Is Quarantine the remake of Rec (which is the one I have seen). Ending sounds a bit different if it is although the end in Rec was still silly enough to let down what was otherwise a good film.

I agree with on about Cell too, visual stunning but lacking in character.

>112:

Mars Attacks! My other favourite Tim Burton film. I prefer this sort of stuff to Edward Scissorhands and Sleepy Hollow (I know everybody loves these two but I find them a little boring).

SPOILER ALERT - I got who it was but they did remind me of the thing in Creep ie not too healthy-looking from being hidden away. Didn't think the film needed that really, finding the lab was enough (possibly too much) information. Who cares where the disease came from? The film was pretty scary as it was.

finding the lab was enough (possibly too much) information. Who cares where the disease came from? The film was pretty scary as it was.

I agree. George Romero would have cut that. That's why his zombie movies are classics and others are not.

Netflix finaly got a hold of .Rec. I'm hoping to watch it soon.

Do let us know how Rec compares :)

I watched Ils(Them) a couple of days ago. I thought it was great in terms of really keeping up the suspense. I have not yet seen Strangers, which I guess is the American version.

I've also gotten into Being Human on BBC America lately. As much as the set-up sounds potentially cheesy (werewolf, vampire and a ghost sharing a flat), I think it's pretty well done.

I really liked Being Human, despite the set-up sounding like the start to a bad joke.

Ils and The Strangers are not the same. One is not a remake of the other. The Strangers was made at about the same time as Ils but was left sitting on the shelf for a couple of years.

Having said that, I've had Ils in my queue for a while but haven't moved it up, because they are pretty similar looking...

We're about to watch Sweeney Todd again.

I'm so pleased you are getting Being Human over in America! I was a bit disappointed by the direction the series took (sort of Buffy meets Dr.Who) but everything else about it was great - it was at it's best when they were all at home together, with the ghost making endless cups of tea for everybody :)

Just watched The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Weird. Very weird.

Just watched The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Weird. Very weird.

Oh! Which one did you watch? The 1920(?) original or the 2006-ish 'talky' remake?

Either way, that is a neat (but weird) movie. Any time I see The Nightmare Before Christmas I get the feeling that Tim Burton took more than a little inspiration from The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.

jseger: The original (I didn't even know about the remake). I totally thought the same thing about Burton while watching the movie - Caligari looks just like one of the Nightmare characters (the mayor, maybe? It's been awhile since I've watched it)! Great minds, eh?

The remake is mostly a neat experiment. The filmed it the same way they did Sin City a few years ago. They filmed the actors against a green screen and then digitally added in the background. What's neat though is that they lifted all of the backgrounds from the original movie and recreated all of the costumes and make-up, so the remake looks like a (slightly clearer) shot for shot copy of the original. That you can hear the actors talk instead of having to read title cards is a sort of bonus.

jseger: That *does* sound cool - I may have to check it out, but I think I'll wait awhile. I don't think I could watch it again this soon (too much weirdness for me) - lol!

Although I tend towards subtle and spooky, I caught The Descent on cable recently, and thought it was very well done. It reminded me a bit of The Ruins (which came out after The Descent) but it was less cheesy and was definitely horrific at points. I also watched The Happening. It got panned by critics, but the first 40 minutes or so were genuinely creepy and interesting. Alas, the overall idea/plot/theme was a bit of a let down, but I suppose it was a very 'timely' solution. Longing for another Sixth Sense from this director............

I quite enjoyed The Descent but I just couldn't watch any scenes involving crawling in narrow spaces! Shudder.. caving is not for me.

I just watched Mirror with Kiefer Sutherland (set was great, story average) and The Haunting in Connecticut which I enjoyed a bit more (great set too!).

The thing about The Happening is that watching the people commit suicide was sometimes goofy (I'm thinking of the guy that dives under a lawnmower). I think it would have worked better if people suddenly turned homicidal instead of suicidal.

I kinda feel bad for ol' M. Night. I think his movies are pretty good (The Happening was the first one that I just didn't like). People seem to like writing him off as a one hit wonder and don't seem to remember what a big movie Signs was.

Unbreakable and Lady in the Water were also good and I really liked The Village. I'd rank it alongside The Sixth Sense and Signs, but I think that one was handicapped because people were expecting the twist ending all along.

You know, I can almost, almost believe that The Happening was intended to be a very intense dark comedy. (The movie often feels as if it should be really funny. Marky Mark talking to a plastic tree. The hippie's hot dog monologue. And the lion scene seems like it could be a lost Monty Python clip.) But the "human element" part of it seems to have been brought in from a much more normal, albeit cloying movie. The Marky Mark-Zooey Deschanel relationship never seems realistic or even interesting. And at the end, the little girl is talking again and going back to school. (And how could any city in the affected area not basically become a ghost town for years afterwards? Or does the final bit with the leads take place in a completely different city entirely?) I did find it amusing that M. Night's is the only other movie (after Corman's adaptation of The Dunwich Horror) to try to squeeze as much terror as possible from scenes of wind blowing through shrubbery.

I have to admit I skipped Lady in the Water and Signs, but I have to give him credit for The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable. The Village was also pretty good, though definitely clunky in parts.

Message edited by its author, Aug 24, 2009, 11:30pm.

It's been a while, but I remember Signs being very good. It has a cloying/sugary ending, but I figure that is just to be expected from a mainstream American movie (see Steven Spielberg's otherwise terrific version of The War of the Worlds for another good movie with a sappy ending).

Has anyone seen anything about Rob Zombie's Halloween 2? House of 1,000 Corpses aside I've liked the movies he's directed. It looks like Halloween 2 is going to pack in all the scares that were missing from his version of Halloween. I almost wonder if he conceived of the two movies being a single whole?

Potential M. Night Shamalan spoilers ahead, maybe....

I think poor M. Night Shamalan is really suffering from the fact that The Sixth Sense was just SO good. Signs is actually a very good movie. And it's not just a sappy tacked-on ending. The whole movie is about signs from God--it's Capra-corn with aliens. But it's good at what it does.

Unbreakable would be a very good movie, but the casting is all wrong. Shamalan's scripts are really written for very deadpan actors. I can't imagine what made him choose Samuel L. Jackson for that part. I think his screen presence just sort of ruins the twist in that one. It's sort of like Vince Vaughn was just TOO BIG to play Norman Bates. Any woman in her right mind would be afraid of Vince Vaughn. He's too imposing. Anthony Perkins was this little wimpy, pitiful guy, which is what really made Psycho work. Shamalan would have been better off with someone smaller and sadder and more able to blend in--like Courtney B. Vance or Don Cheadle maybe.

As for your question about Halloween and Halloween II being part of a single whole, jseger, I think the fact that the principals are returning from Halloween (even though Laurie has a total of SEVEN films coming out this year) suggests that he signed them to both films at once. I'd say you're absolutely right. At least, he knew he was going to make the sequel from the beginning.

Good points on M. Night's movies, you guys. Idk, I never got into his movies, especially after The Sixth Sense, because I already knew the ending ahead of time. Kinda ruined it for me. I'll have to try the others again.

Anywho, I just finished The Haunting in Connecticut the other day and was pleasantly surprised, since ghosts/hauntings aren't really my thing (1, I don't believe in them--the alleged "based on true events" quote got an eye roll from me--and 2, I can't imagine spirits being so vindictive to strangers for no reason).

I'm now watching the True Blood series (I'm only into episode #2), but I'm liking it. Not as scary as I'd hoped, but good. Sookie's so unbelievably innocent, but she's slowly growing on me.

I was trying to go see Halloween 2 this weekend, but couldn't gather interest. Looks like it's District 9 instead.

For tonight we have the remake of Last House on the Left, which if it is just competent will already outshine the lousy original.

And I don't know how many cool points I'm about to lose from the group, but I also got Flowers in the Attic from Netflix. Now, I haven't seen it in fifteen years or so and am half expecting a slightly above average Lifetime movie, but I remembered liking it when I was fifteen or so...

Flowers in the Attic?!! *runs away in horror*

seger--If I recall correctly, it is a slightly above average Lifetime Movie, so I'm sure you won't be disappointed. :-)

Last House on the Left -- Awesome, jseger. That's on my TV right now. Let me know what you think. I haven't seen the original.

lol @ I don't know how many cool points I'm about to lose from the group. Don't worry about it. I'll lose cool points with you, too, and admit I actually own the movie. The book was good, but you're right--they could probably air it on Lifetime. Nothing scary there. I really wish they'd remake that one.

Okay, I liked Flowers in the Attic. I wish they had gotten better actors (most especially the youngest boy, though I grooved on his blond afro), but for a cheesy movie it wasn't bad. Haven't read the book, so I can't say how it compares. I have to admit, I'm curious to read the book now, though so far I have avoided V.C. Andrews (and her 'continuers') like the plague.

#139 - Stay away from the original Last House on the Left at all costs! It is a terrible, terrible movie with no redeeming qualities. Poorly filmed, poorly acted, poorly everything. It's not even so bad it's good.

The idea of making The Virgin Spring into a horror movie isn't a bad one, it's just that as usual Wes Craven is incompetent. There's a reason remakes of his movies are usually better than the originals. Think of The Hills Have Eyes. And even though they are all kinda crappy, any of the Nightmare on Elm Street sequels is better than the original or the New Nightmare.

Message edited by its author, Aug 29, 2009, 3:59am.

jseger, I take issue with your assessment of Wes Craven only on behalf of Scream, which I still love...

I picked up a recommendation for The Orphanage somewhere on this site (I thought this thread, but apparently not!) and watched it last night. It was fantastic.

It's something of a low-key ghost story/drama - it reminded me in feel a bit of The Others - which is my favorite sort of movie. And it managed to scare me plenty several times throughout! Very good.

ETA: Gosh, my link to imdb apparently broke my comment. That's weird.

Message edited by its author, Aug 30, 2009, 10:27am.

@135

"Based on true events" always reminds me of the opening to Student Bodies: This movie is based on true events. 26 horror movies were released last year. All of them made money.

@140

I always thought that the consensus on the NoES movies was that the first one was the only good one? This is second time I've seen the opposite posted on here.

#141 - Wes Craven did a good job on Scream, I'll give you that. But c'mon, the real reason that movie succeeded was the script by Kevin Williamson.

I will give him credit for The People Under the Stairs which I remember was a lot of fun.

#135 - "based on true events"

I love the opening of Return of the Living Dead "The events portrayed in this film are all true. The names are real names of real people and real organizations."

The remake of The Last House on the Left was pretty good. Not a classic or anything, but pretty good anyway. It was faithful to the original version, but was better in every way.

#140: Wow, I'm glad you liked Flowers in the Attic (the movie). And yes, the acting is bad, not to mention the actors looked nothing like the characters in the book, imho. And blonde afro?? LOL! It took me a moment to remember who you meant, but you're totally right! One thing I loved about the movie, though, was the music. (I wish there was a soundtrack, but I don't think there is.) Anywho, the book isn't necessarily a must-read (though I love it), but it is probably one of the few good books by the real V. C. Andrews. (She died several books into her career, and Andrew Neiderman took it from there, still using her name.)

#141: Ditto, Bentley. I love that series.

#142: You probably did read it here, Aerrin. Or somewhere . . . (scratches head) Glad you liked it. I like The Orphanage and The Others, too, even though I'm not big into ghosts. (Oops, hope that wasn't a spoiler.)

#143: LOL! Good one, goydaeh. Now, that I'll believe.

#145: I'm almost finished with The Last House on the Left (maybe a couple minutes left), and I loved it. I heard the original sucked, too, so I'm glad I never saw it. I wonder if Otis got part of its inspiration from the original LHotL? Did anyone see/(dis)like that one? I got a kick out of it.

I came across this review of The Last House on the Left (it discusses both the original and the remake), which I thought was pretty interesting. (Warning: It does contain spoliers.)

You know all this talk actually me want to watch Flowers in the Attic .. go figure.

#147 Interesting review, thanks. I still cannot make myself watch the remake, the orginal was soo bad.

Went and saw Pandorum tonight. Very good movie. And it's nice to see Dennis Quaid again.

I just watched him in the Horseman, whoa he's aged.

Just watched the Hills Run Red. Pretty good, a little heavy on the jump-scares. The swerve was well-done, although I felt the ending left me hanging.

#150: I bought the Horsemen a couple weeks ago but haven't watched it yet. Did you like it, beeg?

I'm currently 3/4 through House of Blood, and I'm massively disappointed. I guess I was expecting too much because of the DVD's front cover and the movie's association with Lionsgate (I usually like most of the movies they put out). But I just couldn't get past the bad acting and the absurd, archaic language by the clan of Christian vampires (is that even possible??). Then there's the repeated storyline--the first part has escaped convicts stumbling across the vampire's cabin/wannabe mini-castle; and then the second part is the exact same thing, just different convicts, only a doctor/hostage linking the two escapes. Probably the only thing I liked about the movie is that it takes place in Washington State (where I live--and apparently quite a few vampires, too; ie, the whole Twilight series takes place here). So, my pathetic 2 cents worth: skip it!

One movie I would recommend (even though it's not technically horror; more psychological drama/suspense) is Quid Pro Quo, which I just finished watching the other day. It's basically about a wheelchair-bound reporter who discovers/investigates a subculture of people who want to be disabled (which is somewhat likened to transgendered people). The movie's very intense, and I just loved the ending. Wasn't expecting it at all.

Watched this weekend (spoilers):

A Haunting in Connecticut - not bad, not great. An over-reliance on jump scenes, like a lot of "horror-by-numbers" films that have come out in the past decade. But it was entertaining enough. I thought the finding of the corpses at the end was pretty grim, a little too like old footage of mass burials in WW2, but the similarity seemed accidental as nothing in the plot called for it. And I did like the Suspiria reference (did anyone else catch it)?

Let the Right One In - jseger was right, the horror was put out there in a very matter-of-fact way. It was very touching but also funny at times - the cat attack, the lifting of the corpse out of the ice, the whacking of the bully round the head with a stick. The vampire attacks were scary, as was the little girl crawling up the hospital building, and the scene where the woman bursts into flames was something else. And the girl's relationship with the older man who killed for her left all sorts of things to the imagination. Absolutely brilliant.

sara, I did like it. It wasn't too surprising but I'm not sorry I watched it. Also saw The Unborn, jump factor was super high, creepy story, weak ending.

I watched Amusement last night, which was just awful. The only decent thing in the movie was a creep scene based on ye old "we don't have a clown statue" urban legend.

I started to watch Hit and Run, but was just too tired and had to turn it off halfway through. It seemed to be off to a good start though.

#153: I probably need to watch A Haunting in Connecticut again, because I don't remember any of what you mentioned. :D Bad memory on my part. And I'm glad I'm not the only one who laughed @ times during Let the Right One In. I thought I just had a warped sense of humor. No, wait, I do. ;)

#154: Cool. Thanks for the input, beeg. I also have The Unborn lurking around here somewhere, but I've been putting it off for the past month or so. Too many of my coworkers didn't like it, so that's kind of ruined my opinion of it.

#155: I haven't heard of either movie, so I'm adding 'em to my Want to Watch pile. Thanks, goydaeh.

Spoilers -

>156:
Sara, in A Haunting in Connecticut I was referring to the bodies that were trapped in the walls. As the panelling was removed, the corpses were revealed, some wrapped up, some not, and they were stacked on top of each other. They then toppled down onto the floor. Reminded me of certain footage of mass burials/graves in WW2/holocaust footage, so I found it pretty gruesome. I don't think it was supposed to bring that to mind as it had nothing to do with the film.

As for the Suspiria reference - when the writing was being carved onto the corpses, there is a close-up of the word SUSPIRIA. I double-checked on the IMDB boards and I wasn't seeing things! Some claim that the word TENEBRAE also appears.

As for Let the Right One In - I think anyone with a real love of horror who DOESN'T have a warped sense of humour is very, very unhealthy...

#'s 153, 157, I was wondering just how 'based on a true story' Haunting in Connecticut was. I mean, I'm not dumb enough to believe any of what happened happened I guess. But spoiler did they find a body in the walls?end spoiler

There was one of those A&E documentaries about the story and friends I saw the movie with who had seen the doc said the doc was actually scarier.

BTW: Can I face the wrath of the group and say that Suspiria (and most Dario Argento films, really) is beautifully shot but is really crap? There's not one film of his that I could recommend to someone who wasn't an absolute horror buff (unless they were a cinéaste) because they are generally plodding, nonsensical messes. I do admit that I have almost every Dario Argento movie on DVD up through around Creepers/Opera, but he doesn't have the crossover talent that John Carpenter, George Romero or even Sam Raimi has.

Really, the only Italian horror movie that I would (and have) watch(ed) with my wife is Michele Soavi's Stagefright. That one has a terrible beginning (who would see that play they were rehearsing?), but man, the last forty minutes or so is near perfect tension.

Message edited by its author, Oct 1, 2009, 11:34pm.

#157 Oh, yeah, the bodies in the wall. I totally forgot about that part. (smacks forehead) And I think it's also good to add humor to horror, because it makes the reader/viewer let their guard down for a bit and release some tension. Then you can scare the crap out of everyone.

#158: And I'm not sure if they actually found bodies in the wall. Maybe the only "based on a true story" thing about Haunting in Connecticut is that a family bought an old house. Who knows. But the documentary you mentioned sounds pretty interesting. I'll have to look it up.

Can I face the wrath of the group and say that...most Dario Argento films...{are} really crap?

LOL! No, you actually have my respect for saying it. I've only seen Tenebrae and that pretty much ruined my interest for anything else by him. However, I did like his additions to the Masters of Horror TV series. Who knows, I may watch Suspiria (and some of his others) later on. Just not any time soon.

You're absolutely right about Argento, seger. His cinematography is gorgeous, but the brilliance pretty much ends there. Of course, that's sort of the legacy of Italian horror, isn't it--breath-taking (and very disturbing) individual scenes?

I always think the Italians paved the way for the "body horror" that's been so popular in America--things like Saw and Hostel. That creepy "can't you feel the needles" ethic seems to me to be right up Argento's alley. Only here we've made such ugly films with it...

I saw Final Destination 4: Finaler Destination last night. I know the previous ones were mostly about the kill scenes, but this one really takes it to the point where there's absolutely no attempt to make you care about the characters or the plot.

Then I finished off Hit and Run. Decent movie, albeit not at all what I was expecting from the pitch. Weak ending though.

>158:
I thought Tenebrae was overrated, and it put me off seeking out any more Argento films. Then I saw Suspiria and loved it! It was the visuals that did it, I thought they were lovely. It was like watching a twisted fairy tale, and I adore fairy tales. The only thing I didn't like (and everybody else raves about it) was the Goblin soundtrack, which gave me a bit of a headache.

161:
My sister recently saw FD4 and said the death scenes were extremely icky. I'll have to wait till it comes out on video so I won't get the 3D effects.

#'s 161, 162: Final Destination 4: Finaler Destination. Is that really the name? Honestly, I stopped paying attention with the release of the second one. The first one (like Saw) was a good movie that was complete as it was.

@164

The second one is the best of them.

>163:
You know I didn't even notice the name!

Know what you mean about the FD and Saw films. One was enough, it got silly after that (have only seen the first two of either series).

I just watched an old ultra-low budget Larry Cohen (It's Alive 1, 2 and 3, Q: The Winged Serpent) movie called God Told Me To... It started out pretty well. There's a string of spree killings in New York. When the killer is caught, each one says 'God told me to...' and dies.

For the first hour it was really intriguing. But in the last thirty minutes the movie sort of just drifts away. I got the feeling that I had missed a scene somewhere as all of a sudden, the hero seems to know exactly what to do, though I couldn't really make sense of it myself.

It's too bad the ending didn't match the beginning in terms of quality, as for the first hour the movie is excellent.

(Andy Kaufman has a very brief cameo, though I wouldn't recommend watching the movie just for that. He has something like five minutes or less screen time.)

Message edited by its author, Oct 10, 2009, 2:37am.

#165: You know I didn't even notice the name!

Ha! You and me both. I should sit down one night and watch the Final Destination series from beginning to end, since I've only seen bits and pieces of them over the years.

And yeah, I have to agree with you guys. Even though I've seen all the Saw movies, I'd probably only recommend the first (maybe the second if you're into more sick twists and can't get enough of cliffhangers).

Anywho, I just finished watching Kaw tonight. Obviously, The Birds comes to mind since 1) it's about a group of killer ravens attacking a small Pennsylvania town, and 2) Rod Taylor also stars in this one. I'm always a sucker for when-animals-attack movies, because I'm usually rooting for the animals, especially this one since I love crows and feed the ones in my neighborhood. The ending (which is kinda weak) is left up to the viewer to decide whether the ravens win or not. The special effects are also a little annoying (it's pretty obvious where the CGI begins and ends); and I thought the raven wounds were pretty superficial to cause so many deaths. Still, the reason behind why they were attacking was pretty believable (to me, anyway) than just them being "evil". Summed up: it's not a terrible movie, but it's not one you just have to run out and see either. It was worth the couple $ I shelled out for it (used, of course).

I saw Zombieland and Doghouse over the weekend. I liked Doghouse more. It managed to go for scares and laughs and do both effectively, whereas Zombieland is too far on the Com end of Zom-Com for me. Liked the cameo though.

I watched Severance last night, which was supposed to be a mix between The Office and The Hills Have Eyes. Definitely good on the gore part, but I don't remember it being too funny (though the front cover is pretty smirk-worthy). A thumbs up from me. And--along with the Hostel movies--it certainly gave me one more reason not to visit Eastern Europe any time soon. ;)

Thanks for the recommendations, goydaeh! I kinda burned my paycheck over the weekend, so I won't be going to the cinema for awhile, but I'll look for both Zombieland and Doghouse when they come out on DVD.

Message edited by its author, Oct 13, 2009, 4:28pm.

I quite liked Severance , I remember the (minor spoilers) got quite a reaction in the cinema due to the missile/plane joke! I also second both the recommendations for Zombieland and Doghouse (although I prefer the latter).

I had my first drive-in experience a couple of weeks ago watching Halloween II (Rob Zombies version). Trouble is it was so damned dark I couldn't really see anything.. Anyone think its worth watching again (when its on DVD)? I am not convinced myself.

edit: I meant to strike through not underline.. I am soo bad at html!

Message edited by its author, Oct 15, 2009, 4:23am.

Thanks for the reminder, clfisha! I totally forgot that one. Priceless! XD

I miss drive-ins for no other reason than the space. I don't think there are any more where I live. :( I haven't seen Halloween II, but I'll still give it a go when it's released on DVD. You might be able to see better with the screen a little bit closer next time around. :)

One thing I learned growing up in Southern California: Don't see a scary movie at a drive-in.

They are usually dark and the few remaining drive-ins that were around when I was a kid always had to compete with all the street lights and general suburban glow. We could never make out what was happening on the screen!

Oh yeah! Rented Idle Hands the other night and surprisingly, liked it quite a bit.

It was a splatstick movie in the tradition of Evil Dead 2 and DeadAlive. Sometimes the humor would fall flat, but overall I was very impressed.

It features Seth Green as a reanimated corpse whose slacker life isn't much changed by being dead. And bonus points for having Fred Willard in the cast.

Not perfect by any means, but tons better than I was expecting. Worth a rent at least.

Message edited by its author, Oct 15, 2009, 11:31pm.

>174
Idle Hands was a hoot. I remember a few sections dragging but there were some great laughs.

I watched most of the recent remake of the Amityville Horror. They took the Amityville story and mixed it up with a lot of The Shining references / rip offs. Bad film all around but lots of shirtless Ryan Reynolds if that does anything for anybody.

Dead silence by James Wan... a very good film about a ventriloquist doll... a fascinating topic for me althought Magic was one of the more boring horror films I have seen... a question... Dead silence was released in cinemas in the EEUU...?
other good films I have seen recently are Drag me to hell... really the only film by Sam Raimi I like...
The uninvited... I enjoy his touch of melodrama...
The unborn... a great debut for the screenwriter David S. Goyer...
The children... weird...
Shuttle... although the end reminds very much to Hostel...
Grace is interesting althought I expect much more... The roost is maybe the worst horror film I have seen... kind of amateur short film... what's the word in English for cortometraje...?

#173: I totally forgot about Idle Hands. Thanks for the reminder! I saw the trailer eons back and wanted to watch it, but never got around to it. I'll have to now.

#175: How odd--I'm rewatching Dead Silence right now. :) I've wanted to watch a few more ventriloquist movies out there--Magic (like you said, ollonois), Triloquist, etc.--but have no idea if they're worth the time or not (most of them have gotten poor reviews). EEUU = US, right? I had to look that one up. :) And if so, yes, Dead Silence was released here in cinemas (though I didn't see it then).

I really liked The Uninvited, too. I just wish I hadn't watched the special features first, because it ruined the ending for me.

I've never heard of The Children (probably because it's a British movie), Shuttle (loved Hostel, so I'm sure I'll like this one), or Grace, but all 3 look really good. I can't wait till we get them at work. Thanks for the recommendations! :)

And cortometraje--short film or movie. You were right. (Another one I had to look up. :)

Message edited by its author, Oct 18, 2009, 12:02pm.

EEUU= Estados unidos de America... United states of America in Spanish...
one film that really cause me fright was The strangers with Liv Tyler... the isolated house... the weird people... the masks...
and I saw the 1981's tv movie Dark night of the scarecrow too... very effective... as I read in some webpage a mixture of ghost story and slashers films...
by the way do you know other telefilm of 1982 called Don´t go to sleep about the ghost of a little girl...?

Oh! The Strangers! That was one of the best horror movie experiences I ever had in a theater. We saw it opening night and the theater was jam packed with the usual lot of teenagers who snicker whenever they feel uncomfortable. Once that movie got rolling though, the audience was terrified and stayed that way. The fear in the auditorium was palpable.

The only other time I experienced anything like that was when I went to a theatrical re-release of The Exorcist.

I can't believe the studio had that film complete and let it sit on a shelf for a year.

Not exactly horror, but horror-like: we just watched Igor. A computer animated movie, but I don't know if I'd say it's a kid's movie. It's a little too morbid for a kids movie to me (though I would have loved it as a kid). A kingdom full of mad scientists (each with his/her own Igor) who have an evil science fair every year.

Really neat looking. Very German expressionist.

John Cusak, Molly Shannon, Eddie Izzard, John Cleese, Steve Buscemi, Christian Slater, Jay Leno and Arsenio Hall. Good cast.

#177: Don't Go to Sleep -- Hmm, I don't think I've ever heard of it. I'll have to Google that one.

#178: I agree. If I hadn't seen Them prior to The Strangers, I would've been a lot more disturbed by it. But I heard the two were virtually identical, so it kinda took all the fear and fun out of it for me.

I keep seeing Igor every once in awhile at work, but could never decide if I wanted to see it or not. I'll give it a go then. I love animated movies anyway. And speaking of which, I watched Coraline a long while back (I may have already mentioned it above) and really loved that one. Like Igor, not your typical horror, but a lot of strange fun. :)

Saraslibrary take a look here about Don't go to sleep...
http://www.hysteria-lives.co.uk/hysteria...

Just know that Igor is no Coraline. But it is a fun movie anyway. John Cleese as a man scientist. How can you go wrong?

Hatchet... gore... humour... a mutant freak and the swamp...

Hatchet... is that the name of the movie or one of the ingredients?

the title is Hatchet... I use too many.........

Thanks for the link, ollonois. There were some really good old "video nasties" I'll have to try.

Hatchet -- Yeah, I've seen the trailer a few times and really want to see it (that is, if it's worth watching). Funny thing, the site you listed above has this image on the home page, which immediately reminded me of Hatchet.

Message edited by its author, Oct 22, 2009, 7:29pm.

We're about to watch a movie called Trick 'r Treat, Don't know much about it yet, but it is Halloween-themed horror. Looks promising.

I went to add Hatchet and realized I've seen it already. I remember it being a good idea, but not as good a movie as I'd hoped.

Trick 'r Treat was decent. I think I gave it an 8/10 on IMDB. Unfortunate that they put the worst segment at the end.

I watched Blood: the last Vampire. I was expecting a stylized vampire movie that looked like Crouching Tiger and it was. I have no idea what happened to the scrip, and the lack of vampires. The CGI monster was pretty cheesy. The kill shots were pretty cool, no splatter just pebbles of blood, I rather like that - less gore factor.

For a while there, I was hating Trick 'r Treat (the teenagers trying on their costumes). Why was that so badly written and the rest so much better? It was a send-up of most horror movies, I guess. Overall, I was impressed.

Is it just me or was Trick 'r Treat sort of the horror version of Pulp Fiction or Sin City? An anthology film where the stories all sort of crossed over one another and shared a pool of characters. Very well done except for the shaky bits.

Message edited by its author, Oct 24, 2009, 1:55am.

Not much of a movie watcher but this weekend saw "Shawn of the Dead" -- hilarious! -- and bought a $4.99 dvd of IT. Had an afternoon alone and watched it. Classic!

Intrigued by "Paranormal Activity." But, like I said, not much of a movie person. Might wait for the dvd.

I saw Paranormal Activity over the weekend and really didn't think it lived up to the hype. It started well, but the fast-forwarding clock flagrantly telegraphs every single jump scare.

I watched Cujo last night. It's the most dated 80's movie I've seen, at least in a while, (I blame the cars), but the effects are really well done (either that or they really pissed off the ASPCA). And they cut most of the ad agency scenes, which were by far my least favorite part of the book.

Message edited by its author, Oct 27, 2009, 10:07am.

I finished watching Ghost Writer early this morning. Maybe it's my insomnia talking, but it wasn't half bad. Probably not worth watching again, but I didn't hate it either. Despite the sinister cover and horror label, I'd say it's more of a black comedy or "over-the-top thriller" (as they put it), and vaguely reminded me of a more gay version of Misery. Worth watching to at least see David Boreanaz in women's underwear. :D

Btw, thanks for mentioning Trick 'r Treat, you guys. I'll add that one to my TBW pile.

tbw pile...?
you see films on dvd or on tv...?
you go to the cinema...?

Oh sorry. :) TBW = To Be Watched. Most of the movies I watch are checked out from work (I work in a library). Free's always good!

I supposed it... but it's the first time I heard it in English or in Spanish... I know TBR pile...
all that kind of horror movies... some of them b or z grade... are in this library...?

Anything that's popular we'll probably have, though not for long. Horror DVDs seem to be stolen the most here, so I try to watch as many of them as I can before they "vanish".

The synopsis gay version of Misery and black comedy made me add Ghost Writer to my Netflix queue (or my tbw pile).

We have Monsters and Aliens at home right now. Promising plot, but I highly suspect it will be mediocre at best.

We also have a '60's Italian western called Navajo Joe. Why am I mentioning this in the scary movies thread? Because it stars Burt Reynolds... as a Navajo.

Because it stars Burt Reynolds... as a Navajo.

LOL! Ok, you had me just at Burt Reynolds, but Navajo? Hmm, "interesting". ;) I think I'll pass.

Monsters and Aliens I might eventually watch, but no hurry.

in which state is your library...?

Washington state. It's public; that's why we have so many DVDs

Just watched Basement Jack, kind of. He's a serial killer, he kills people, I get bored and screw around on the Internet, he gets killed, I go on IMDB and give the movie a 1.

The best thing about this movie was that I found out they're remaking Night of the Demons while I was on IMDB. :)

Starring Shannon Elizabeth. :(

At least the original Night of the Demons isn't any sort of classic. The remake may or may not be good, but odds are it will at least be as good as the original.

We just watched Monsters Vs. Aliens. Meh. Not a bad movie, but not a particularly good movie either. Most of the humor felt forced. I wouldn't recommend it.

#202: "...kind of." Ha! Love your honesty. I don't think I've ever heard of Basement Jack. Heard of a similar name, but it's a band, so never mind. :)

#203: Night of the Demons -- Uh, drawing a blank on that one, so I'm guessing I never saw it, but I'll still look for it.

Btw, I finally finished watching The Broken tonight (after starting and stopping it half a dozen times over the past couple months). Overall, I liked it (fans of quiet/psychological horror might like it, too); but call me dense, 'cause I didn't really get it. It slightly reminded me of Invasion of the Body Snatchers/The Invasion with all the paranoia of who's bad/good and the overtaking of people's identities by their dopplegangers, but the ending had me going, "Wait...what??" So I'm gonna have to do some Googling and find out what that flick was all about. Anybody else see it and can clue me in?

#177--I cannot overstate how much I love "Dark Night of the Scarecrow." I watched that one over and over again as a kid. That's one I'd like to see again. I wonder how it holds up....

On Halloween night, watched Vincent Price's House on Haunted Hill and The Last Man on Earth with my eight year old. Love Vincent Price stuff...

in The broken last half of the story... more or less... is told under the point of view of the image scaped from the mirror...
I have watched Don't go to sleep... better than even Dark night of the scarecrow... absolutely creepy and frightening... the last scene is very disturbing... it's hard to find but try it... much better than many modern films...

I'll admit it: I preferred the remake of The House on Haunted Hill to the original.

I liked The Last Man on Earth, but wish there was a better director. I liked the script and the actors, but the movie wasn't made with any real skill. Still it was the best 'official' adaptation of I Am Legend that I have seen.

Hey, I was looking up Dark Night of the Scarecrow. Did you know it was directed by Frank De Felitta, the author of Audrey Rose? Also, Image is going to release it on DVD next year.

#207: That's what I thought, but I wasn't sure if I was right or not. Thanks for clearing that up for me!

I really enjoyed The Innocents (1961), which was an adaptation of Turn of the Screw by Henry James. Very unsettling no matter what reading you subscribe to.

Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933) was less impressive but still fun. A wax museum sculptor is attacked and left handicapped and needs to find a way to continue to create his statues. It's sort of a blend of typical 30's horror film and a noir detective story. It also has an early version of the stereotype of the fast talking, hard drinking, no nonsense female news reporter.

Overall, I have to say AMC and especially Turner Classic Movies ran a bunch of great stuff this year.

The second H on HH was definitely more scary -- I almost consider it another story -- and I'll admit a better story. Still love Vincent Price movies tho'.

I was hopeful about Will Smith's I am Legend, but, like Bon Scott sang, it "shot down in flames." If a screen writer could keep to the original story I think it would make a good movie. The Price version was cheesy -- but I guess cheese was the menu item of the day back in the 50/60's.

Need to rent Amityville Horror -- haven't seen that one in a while. Scared me shitless as a kid -- and I only saw bits and pieces on a 20/20 segment.

BTW: Canada has a new (rabbit ears) movie channel. I caught a 50's movie on the weekend that had flying saucers and vampires. The vampires were supposed to be zombies, but the wardrobe dept. messed up I guess. Premise: Aliens can't make contact with warlike humans, so they reanimate the dead to kill them. Makes perfect sense! LOL

I love The House on Haunted Hill - both new and old versions. I thought Geoffrey Rush was a great Vincent Price. I remember liking the newer 13 Ghosts too, but don't know if there are any other remakes of William Castle films. The original 13 Ghosts sounds a lot of fun - apparently, the ghosts could be seen with special (3D?) glasses but not without (I'm sure someone here will correct me if I got that wrong).

The old Amityville Horror is a guilty pleasure of mine, while the newer version is typical "noughties" horror-by-numbers with all the standard effects. Watchable with some decent jumps but nothing special.

First 3 Saw films were recently shown on terrestrial tv and I enjoyed re-watching the first two. The third was atrocious! The "drowning in blended pigs" method of torture was particularly stupid.

Night of the Demons was the de facto official sleepover movie when I was growing up, so I'll admit to being overly fond of it. (As well as CHUD, which was the first horror movie I ever saw, back when Fox was nascent and in its trash and late late movies phase.)

I watched Eaten Alive last night. The Jonestown stuff was scarier than the cannibalism/rape. It would have been interesting to see the reaction the movie would have gotten without the latter.

I'd like to watch some of those old Italian cannibal movies, but I just can't get past the fact that they would so often kill animals just for their schlocky exploitation movie.

Last night we watched The Hills Run Red which was a good idea handled badly.

A kid obsessed with an infamous 'lost' eighties slasher flick tries to hunt it down. For reasons to complicated to bother with, this leads to his friends and him wandering through the woods.

Not exactly high concept, but it could have been good. But the kid is never given any motivation for why he is so obsessed with the movie or why right now is the time for him to start searching for it.

The middle half (the kids lost in the woods being chased) is good, but the beginning is awful and the ending just sprawls out into crazyville.

@214

Oh. So those weren't special effects. Hrm.

Has anyone seen Dead Silence? If you're scared by ventriloquist's dolls, this is for you. Also, a little gem from the 'eighties, I, Madman. One of my all-time favs.

#216: Dead Silence--yep. :) I bought it a few weeks back and still like the twists.

Dead Silence... is that the one with all the ventriloquist's dummies that was directed by James Wan (the director of Saw)?

If that's the one, I remember I didn't like it, but liked the style of it quite a bit.

I, Madman. Now there's a blast from the past. How does it hold up?

Has anyone here seen the old Vincent Price movie Witchfinder General? Netflix should be delivering that one today or tomorrow.

Message edited by its author, Nov 16, 2009, 7:18pm.

#218: I think that's the same one, jseger. (I'm just guessing, since I'm too lazy to go look.)

Oh, and I forgot to mention Boogeyman, which I bought/watched a couple weeks ago. Not as bad as I was expecting, though the boogeyman at the end was pretty cheesy.

Oh man, I remember hating Boogeyman. And why even use CGI at the end anyway? Were there no skinny bald guys around?

It's a shame too, because it could have been good. I got the feeling that it had been rewritten a bunch of times and each time they sort of lost track of the story, so that in the end stuff sort of happened for no reason.

Ha @ Were there no skinny bald guys around? CGI's cheaper, I think. ;) I agree with you on the rewriting bit. Around the end with the hotel scenes, I was scratching my head (but then, I was pausing/restarting to do other stuff). I'm gonna give the sequels a go anyway. I don't know if they have to be watched in order, but at least I got the first one out of the way.

i recently watched the classic horror series Hammer House Of Horror and remember enjoying nearly every episode immensely,there true classics,I think Ill probably get some more Hammer Horror films, if your a fan of classic english horror films, I cant reccomend this series enough.

> 192

I watched Paranormal Activity on Friday and I had the exact opposite reaction - that ticking clock in the corner kept me wound into a ball of tension that was far greater than any of the ultimate scares warranted. That is to say, it did its job, for me! I left the theater still shaking from the nerves of what was going to happen.

It's definitely a movie wound up on suspense rather than action, but those tend to be the sorts of movies that appeal to me. I quite liked it!

Although I really enjoyed PARANORMAL ACTIVITY, it didn't bother me in the least. And isn't that what really makes a horror movie? I thought it was entertaining, great acting, and amazing shots with the with the gliding camera. Comic relief had me laughing out loud.

Maybe the disappointment came from all the false advertising of one of the scariest movies of all time, with shots of people jumping up with popcorn flying all over the place. I don't know. It was a good movie for sure, but I wish they would have intensified the suspense, made it a bit creepier. It still had its moments where it was eerie, but I was prepared for an edge of the seat kind of flick.

I can't wait until it comes out on DVD. I think it will be a good movie to watch at home, while you hear creaks around your own house.

Message edited by its author, Nov 18, 2009, 12:23pm.

#222 - Around the end with the hotel scenes, I was scratching my head...

I remember wondering what the deal was with the 'teleporting closet'. I could tell that it was supposed to be important, but as the movie was it was just another disjointed, unexplained thing.

I was intrigued enough with the story to actually pick up the novelization on one of my visits to Half Price Books. But that movie was one of the few that I managed to finish but rate one star.

#218 - As far as Dead Silence is concerned, I have to agree with you. Apart from the first 15 minutes, the plot had more holes than a swiss cheese, but the set pieces were brilliant!

I, Madman is still as good today as it was back then - I think its because the storyline is so unusual, and then the whole film is so atmospheric - almost poetic in places.
I'm a big pulp fan, maybe that's why I like it so much.

Message edited by its author, Nov 17, 2009, 3:28pm.

@223

I watched them five or six months ago, and have to agree. 80% of them are classic, and there are very few that are even below-average. I really need to start watching more classics and less things with IMDB averages under 3, but I can't resist a good tagline/cover combo.

226: 'Teleporting closets'--that's a good way to describe it. Fun idea, but I must've missed something too. I don't know; maybe the sequels explain more. And yes, I saw your 1-star rating. What, no 0.5 stars? ;)

>219:
I love Witchfinder General! Great film, hope you enjoy it. One of the least hammy performances by Vincent Price, and pretty brutal for the time.

>223:
One day I'll treat myself to the series on DVD, but occasionally I catch an episode on late night tv. The one about the house that bled is my favourite.

Watched Ghost Ship recently. Not bad, entertaining enough with some fun moments but not in the least bit scary! I do like the Dark Castle horror films, they are almost cartoony in style and more gory and fun than scary (although at least half of House on Haunted Hill was pretty twisted and had some good scares).

#230: I do like the Dark Castle horror films

Same here, MM, though I've only seen a couple of them--House of Wax and RocknRolla (definitely not horror, but good). Most of the others I've only seen bits and pieces of. I can't wait for most of this years' releases to come out on DVD so I can check them out (and catch up on the others).

{I had to Wikipedia Dark Castle since my memory's not what it used to be. ;) More titles here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Castle... }

I watched For Sale by Owner last night. 85 minutes of prologue and 5 minutes of cop-out. The most intense "I just wasted an hour and a half of my life" movie I've seen in a while.

I started watching Fear Itself (in reverse order, since I seem to have seen the first few at some point). The Circle (last episode) was decent, although I liked the gimmick better in Open Graves, and there's some huge plot holes (spoiler below). Echoes was technically very well done, I just didn't find it interesting.






Spoiler: Why would the witch create an infinite loop in which she gets repeatedly stabbed to death?

Message edited by its author, Nov 18, 2009, 10:01am.

#232: Maybe she was a masochist? ;) Who knows. But I'll definitely add Fear Itself to my TBW pile. Thanks!

I'm probably gonna get a lot of flack for this, but I tried to watch Drag Me to Hell last night (I alread watched the extras weeks ago and enjoyed those) and just couldn't do it. I expected it to be so much scarier than it was; but for most of it, I was just grossed out--and not in a good way either. What was up with that old lady trying to smooch/drool all over the lead lady? I've been able to stomach animal killings before in some movies, but sorry, killing your kitten over a curse? Sorry, that did it for me. One positive note I'll give the movie: Justin Long's in it. He was great comic relief.

#233 - I've been able to stomach animal killings before in some movies, but sorry, killing your kitten over a curse? Sorry, that did it for me.

Yeah. That kind did the movie in for me too. From that point on I was rooting for our hero (who reminded me of Cindy Brady) to be dragged to Hell.

I think that was a mistake on the script's part. It was just too dark of a turn for what is a pretty silly movie and lost sympathy for the star.

LOL! A Brady in hell? We can only wish. ;) But yeah, I'm with you--she didn't get much sympathy from me either. Hope she went that way by the end. (I won't ask how it ended, just in case some people haven't seen it. I'll have to Google around and find out.)

I finished Sea of Fear tonight. Nothing exceptional--not terrible; not brilliant--but it was a nice no-brainer after a day @ work. Basic story: half a dozen or so young adults go a-boating and end up dying the way they most fear--eaten by sharks, suffocated, etc. For a horror flick--even if it was PG13--it was surprisingly bloodless and tame (no profanity/nudity either). **Spoiler** But remember, folks, always make sure the "dead" guy is really dead. Poke him in the eye if necessary. Works with possums. ;) **End o' spoiler** Oh, and did I mention it's short? 90 minutes to be exact. That's always a plus in my book. :)

Overall: Not worth rushing out to see; but if you have nothing better to do, why not? (Just sounds so much more tempting when I put it that way, huh? ;)

I am glad I turned Drag Me to Hell off after half an hour. I know I was being grumpy but I thought it was pretty uneven, not scary but not very funny either.

What put me in a bad mood was Infestation . I was hoping for an amusing B movie, so bad it's good kinda thing but it's just plain bad.

edit:spelling

Message edited by its author, Nov 20, 2009, 12:41pm.

Oh no, I just rented Drag Me to Hell for to night, and I'm wondering whether I should watch it now!!!!!!!

I just saw They Wait, which was an interesting ghost story set in Chinatown. The child actor was really impressive.

Also saw Ghost of Mae Nak, a Thai ghost story that had potential, but the pacing was too slow for it to really work. Lots of interesting little glimpses into Thai culture, though.

Message edited by its author, Nov 20, 2009, 2:42pm.

Overall, I enjoyed Drag Me To Hell. Just remember that this is by the same guy that did Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness. So it's a 'splatstick' movie and it's not a bad one. It's just that there's this one part that probably should have been cut as it really did sour the movie for me (and others as well). I probably won't watch it again because of that.

I have similar feelings about The Royal Tenenbaums. By all means, a terrific movie. Probably the best Wes Anderson has done. But I really can't get past the jokes about taking the grand-kids to a dogfight. It's not a harmless quirky thing and it really bothered me.

I loved Drag Me to Hell.

Watched The Aristocrats last night. Pretty horrifying, maybe, or I'm off-topic.

#240 - The Aristocrats as in the documentary where a bunch of comedians tell their version of the Aristocrats joke?

I kinda wanted to see that, but was afraid it would come off as pretty one note.

I watched Witchfinder General last night and thought it was terrific. Several levels of quality above the Hammer and Amicus movies I've seen.

I do have to say though, that to my mind it wasn't really a 'horror' film in any way.

As I was watching it I was almost thinking that the basic narrative felt a little like a spaghetti western.

Anyhow, very good movie. It was nice to see Vincent Price being unutterably evil without any campiness.

Message edited by its author, Nov 21, 2009, 11:46am.

There's enough comedy history to keep it going. Besides, people have done hour-long tellings of the joke before. Great movie if you like obscenity.

Saw Drag Me to Hell last night and I must admit, I rather enjoyed it - it had rather the quality of an evil fairy tale. The old lady reminded me of an actress called Judith Anderson - she played Mrs Danvers in the black-and- white version of Rebecca (oops, showing my age...). And there was something of that old story by M.R James - Casting the Runes. Does any of this make sense????

28 Weeks Later is running on IFC (Canada) right now.

Chainsaws are not the ultimate zombie-shredding tool. Helicopters are.

Message edited by its author, Nov 21, 2009, 10:40pm.

Watched The Mist - really liked it, and LOVED the ending! What a twist...

> 245 I caught The Mist on a free Showtime weekend recently. I wasn't that big a fan of most of it, but the ending /was/ killer! I think I gasped out loud.

I haven't seen it -- now my curiosity is piqued!

Go for it. The movie's decent and the ending's worth it.

I hope we haven't built it up too much for you, Scaryguy - I think I was surprised because I'd read the Stephen King story it was based on and had certain expectations. If you're familiar with the story I think you'll like the film.

I read it (in Skeleton Crew) last year.

Maybe it's just me, but I loved The Mist!

I don't think it is a movie you need to lower expectations on.

Message edited by its author, Nov 26, 2009, 4:20pm.

I saw a couple of film adaptations recently. One was "The Queen of the Damned," which adapts Anne Rice's The Vampire Lestat and The Queen of the Damned. I read the books back in high and even at the time took them as dark but cheesy entertainments. (Even at that age, Akasha's feminist justifications for her big slaughterfest struck me as hokey.) The movie, though, man, talk about bad. Mashing up the two novels into one movie just makes for an incoherent, emotionally flat experience. It doesn't help that every time Lestat (Stuart Townsend) was on-screen, I couldn't help he looked like a more effeminate version of Robert Pattison.

I also saw "The Ruins," since I'd just read the Scott Smith book from which it was adapted. Though Smith was also the screenwriter, the movie didn't really work. Smith the novelist managed to take a fairly ridiculous premise and make it work by really getting you in the heads of the characters and their struggle to survive. The movie, on the other hand, is mostly just the highlights, so it ends up being a bunch of pretty people menaced by a silly-looking threat. (And what's with the cold opening of a young woman sitting in the dark and looking scared. Are horror audiences really so fickle that they'll turn off the movie if some pretty young thing isn't being menaced within the first thirty seconds?)

Message edited by its author, Nov 26, 2009, 12:59pm.

i watched my first Italian cannibal exploitation movie last night: Jungle Holocaust. It was pretty awful.

Leaving aside the objectionable killing of animals for a movie, I also just thought the movie wasn't very good.

I mean, I know that after all it was an exploitation movie, but man, it was so... exploitative of primitive people.

I do give points though for extended scenes of male and female nudity (the male lead is nude for most of the movie) and the gore was pretty well done.

Went out on a first date last night and saw Paranormal Activity. Movie: boo! New romance: yea!

Tonight I watched 100 Feet on Netflix. The 2 movies are similar but I thought 100 Feet was twice as good, even if the effects were mostly laughable. And the ending was a dud. Still, I recommend it as a "watch instantly" movie, but don't bother waiting for it to come in the mail. ;-)

Edited to correct the title of the movie Paranormal Activity which I pluralized before. See, it was so bad I couldn't even remember the title one day after seeing it!

Message edited by its author, Nov 28, 2009, 10:54pm.

I just rented The Mist and between yelling at the two dimensional characters that were too easy to hate to the utter silence of the twisted ending, I wished I hadn't bothered. I never got a chill once. The alien creatures were too malevolent looking -- easily hated. The stereotypical 'religious nut' got followers too easily.

My abundant use of adverbs should say it all. Where's my basket of rotten tomatoes?

And, uh, what do you call this act?

The Mist!

#256 -Ha!

Posting for about the past week:

Fourth Kind - Incredibly dull.

Hacked Off - Terrible slasher movie with the Village People version of the Terminator.

Last of the Living - really good zombie survivors movie, especially considering that it was made for $5,000.

Lesbian Vampire Killers - Great, uh, vam-com? The horror part of it is rote, but well-done, and it has some hilarious moments.

Seamstress - Well-shot, but the plot makes absolutely no sense. (Pro tip: If you walk into some guy's house and start screaming that he killed your father, there's a pretty good reason why he's throwing you out.)

Skullheads - Full Moon horror movie with demonic puppets randomly stuck in because, hey, Full Moon. Awful.