/horror/ general megathread - Let's talk about movies and shit.

[XYZpdq]

It probably doesn't have a moving speech by Peter Graves.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=y9iC7DvuD3s

No other movie had so many great speeches about a carrot monster from Venus and its attempted invasion of Earth

 

[Tor Lugosi]

I remember seeing the MST3K episode of 'It Conquered the World' and actually enjoying the movie. The script is surprisingly good, especially Lee Van Cleef's character.

 

[Internet War Criminal]

So I'm still watching From, it's very LOST-ish, but the gore keeps me in and enough people have died that it does feel like (almost) everyone could be killed off at any moment. Though it does suffer from the LOST/Walking Dead syndrome where if they need to get rid of a bunch of people in a single scene, suddenly a bunch of red shirts we've never seen or almost never seen before are the ones biting the bullet alongside one or two bigger players like they did at Colony House. It did get rid of a bunch of useless hippies/hipsters though..

The first two episodes were very strong, since then it has slowed down a little bit but it's still pretty enjoyable and episode 9 ended on a pretty nice cliffhanger.




Also, started Shining Vale's pilot, a horror comedy where a bunch of annoying New Yorkers move into a spooky house, including Courtney Cox, whose face is fucking deformed by all the plastic surgeries she's been having since cougar town was cancelled. It's... good?

I mean it kinda has a Insidious or Sinister feel to it (but not as good obviously). The direction is fucking top notch at various points. The acting is actually pretty good. Greg Kinnear is killing it so far.

There are six episodes out already, out of 8, and they only last half an hour so hopefully they'll be able to do something good out of it.

Something nice right now is that, I genuinely don't know where it's going. Is the house haunted? Is that a demon possession like they alluded to in the opening? Is she just going insane and imagining everything? It could easily be any of the three.

It's also pretty funny, there's a running gag with a really good pay off.

 

[Yaks]

Is anyone actually hyped for an upcoming horror release?

I’ll probably watch X just to see if it’s any good, considering the IMDB rating, but I’m not actually looking forward to anything with a planned wide release. I still haven’t seen the new TCM and based on the retarded social commentary subtext it will probably be a while before I do (though I inevitability will because I’m a masochistic completist). I’m burned out on that bullshit after Halloween Kills. You could make a fucking drinking game out of ‘evil dies tonight’. I’ve seen some teasers for Nope and I hold no optimism. Jordan Peele is only where he is because of what he is. Liberals entertained his nigger fantasy in Get Out and threw money towards him for Us, a film that wanted to have some semblance of a decent plot line, but just couldn’t. Peele can only write comedy and dream up some vaguely creepy visuals. I will still watch to see if he can at least pull himself up after the abysmal Twilight Zone revamp, but my hopes remain low. He should just go a la M. Night and embrace the schlock instead of trying to write deep-thunk screenplays.

Last film I watched was November and I would definitely recommend if you’re into Folk Horror, or general Euro superstitions, especially Estonian. It’s a bit long and artsy, but aesthetically and narratively pleasing in the way other folk horror (looking at you Hagazussa) only has been in the former. I’ve also seen: A Classic Horror Story, which was OK, not worth a recommendation. Annihilation, another film that wanted to be good Cosmic Horror, but just couldn’t. Just about snorted my beer out of my nose with the interracial cuck scene, shit was like a bad 4chan joke (that bear was terrifying though). Going to read the book, because I’m sure it’s better. And finally The Deep House, which was fun, but not proper kino. Worth a watch if nothing else is on. Kudos for the unexpected ending though.

Films I’ve meant to watch but haven’t the time are The Medium, VHS 94, Lamb, Last Night in Soho, Titane, The Scary of 61st, and Antlers. Sort of varied, but my interests are regardless.

Edit: I can not spell for shit.

Don't get your hopes up too high for Antlers. It definitely had things going for it, but felt like it was too afraid to go all the way and ended up being kind of shallow and mediocre. VHS 94 was a decent addition to the series.

 

[axeltrite]

Small PL here but I like to make horror art. What are some aspects you'd like to see more of, or currently see in the genre?

 

[Colonel Gaddafi]

Don't get your hopes up too high for Antlers. It definitely had things going for it, but felt like it was too afraid to go all the way and ended up being kind of shallow and mediocre. VHS 94 was a decent addition to the series.

Cheers. VHS Viral was a pretty big letdown with only a few shorts being interesting, so I’m looking forward to seeing if the new one is better.

Small PL here but I like to make horror art. What are some aspects you'd like to see more of, or currently see in the genre?

For me it’s more unsettling when you don’t exactly see what’s going on and there’s just a void or something similar. Dragan Bibin is famous for this style.

Dragan Bibin

www.draganbibin.com

Also rural settings are especially creepy. I think of Christina’s World specifically, but pretty much all of Wyeth‘s body of work has this vibe.


Hope this helps. I can think of probably a dozen or so pieces that creep me out, but like any horror, it’s subjective.

 

[Internet War Criminal]

Films I’ve meant to watch but haven’t the time are The Medium, VHS 94, Lamb, Last Night in Soho, Titane, The Scary of 61st, and Antlers. Sort of varied, but my interests are regardless.

Don't get your hopes up too high for Antlers. It definitely had things going for it, but felt like it was too afraid to go all the way and ended up being kind of shallow and mediocre. VHS 94 was a decent addition to the series.

See for me it's the opposite, I thought that VHS 94 fucking sucked balls, 0/10 but Antlers was decent if a bit boring/underwhelming but I maybe overhyped myself about it when I shouldn't have.

Last Night in Soho was total fucking garbage, I'd put that in the fucking negative and I'd rewatch VHS 94 over it any day.

 

[Yaks]

See for me it's the opposite, I thought that VHS 94 fucking sucked balls, 0/10 but Antlers was decent if a bit boring/underwhelming but I maybe overhyped myself about it when I shouldn't have.

Last Night in Soho was total fucking garbage, I'd put that in the fucking negative and I'd rewatch VHS 94 over it any day.

The overarching plot for VHS 94 is what brought it down for me, but I did like the shorts.

I could have told you Last Night in Soho would be terrible just from the trailer. Haven't watched it and don't intend to, glad my suspicions were correct. When someone with shit taste like me thinks it's going to be bad that's sad.

 

[Internet War Criminal]

The overarching plot for VHS 94 is what brought it down for me, but I did like the shorts.

Yeah that was definitely terrible, but the cyborg thing went on way too long I was fucking bored, and the first with the rats had potential but it went way too WACKY ZANY for me . In fact I think all the segments had potential but they just managed to shit the bed every time.

I could have told you Last Night in Soho would be terrible just from the trailer. Haven't watched it and don't intend to, glad my suspicions were correct. When someone with shit taste like me thinks it's going to be bad that's sad.

I really enjoyed Baby Driver and almost everything else Edgar Wright directed so I was fucking hyped for that one.

Now I'm really worried he's gonna fuck up The Running Man as well.

 

[Commander X]

Was rewatching Mad Love, and apparently if Peter Lorre shaved his head it made him look even creepier.

Mad Love was based loosely on Maurice Bernard's novel Les Mains d'Orlac, where a concert pianist loses the use of his hands in a train accident and the accomplished but controversial transplant surgeon Dr. Cerral transplants a new pair of donor hands onto him, which the pianist later learns were from a murderer who had kept his recent appointment with Madame Guillotine.

The Hands of Orlac, the 1924 silent Austrian feature based on the novel, drags in places during the 90 minute run time but it's easy to see why people revisited the film, with it's eerie visuals that strike a balance between expressionistic and naturalistic and the physicality of Conrad Viedt’s performance.

The 1991 film "Body Parts" also feels like something inspired by "Orlac" even though it was based on a story based on a horror/satirical novel from the French duo of "Boileau-Narcejac". I can't help but wonder if it was a homage to Mad Love that Body Parts also has the final parts crashed by the appearance of a stranger in a huge neck brace.

 

[Tor Lugosi]

Antlers had great atmosphere, good cinematography, and decent ideas but it never really comes to together into anything really interesting. The story's clearly meant to be about the cycle of abuse being like a curse that gets passed on and turns people to monsters but it's all very surface level and safe, it doesn't go too in depth into any of it, and all just feels like a waste.

 

[Colonel Gaddafi]

I could have told you Last Night in Soho would be terrible just from the trailer.

Im a sucker for mid century stuff, otherwise it would be a hard pass. I get the feeling it’s going to have woke elements, horror has always acted as subtle social commentary, I’m just tired of getting beaten over the head with Hollywood’s values. Certainly not going to waste any money buying a copy (yeah I’m a nerd who still has a physical collection).

I really enjoyed Baby Driver and almost everything else Edgar Wright directed so I was fucking hyped for that one.

Now I'm really worried he's gonna fuck up The Running Man as well.

Also this. I enjoyed Shaun of the Dead when it was released. I’ll have to rewatch to see how well it’s aged.

 

[Yaks]

Im a sucker for mid century stuff, otherwise it would be a hard pass. I get the feeling it’s going to have woke elements, horror has always acted as subtle social commentary, I’m just tired of getting beaten over the head with Hollywood’s values. Certainly not going to waste any money buying a copy (yeah I’m a nerd who still has a physical collection).

I don't personally mind it, as you said it's always been there, but I wish they'd focus on something other than women and minorities lately. There's a lot more societal issues out there that affects every race, sex, and creed, but they only want to focus on what's popular at the moment. It makes sense if say, a Middle Eastern horror flick does it on women's issues, not so much in the West where that shit is pretty much regulated to dirty old men in bars who can't keep their mouths shut. Doesn't hit the same like it did in the 60s and 70s.

Men make up 77% of murder victims, let's do a film on that in a farming town or something that doesn't focus on upper-middle class techies thinking rednecks scary.

 

[Doctor of Autism]

I'm thinking of watching any of the VHS movies, which of them are good and what to avoid?

 

[Yaks]

I'm thinking of watching any of the VHS movies, which of them are good and what to avoid?

My top favorite shorts come from VHS2, but you can't go wrong with the original either imo.

 

[Exterminatus]

I watched The Cursed yesterday, thought it was good. The story was simple and was somewhat interesting and everything felt very focused without introducing too many characters and the gore was decent.

I'm thinking of watching any of the VHS movies, which of them are good and what to avoid?

I thought the first one was good, second one was alright. I think those were the only two I watched though but if either one would probably be worth a watch.

 

[Kyria the Great]

This is just a broad question that isn't exactly focused on specific films themselves, but what does everyone think about "Found Footage" type films?

Do you think they're all cheap trash that uses its shaky cam as an excuse for a pitiful budget, or do you believe that there's actual merit to the genre and that some legit scares can come out of them?

 

[indigoisviolet]

This is just a broad question that isn't exactly focused on specific films themselves, but what does everyone think about "Found Footage" type films?

Do you think they're all cheap trash that uses its shaky cam as an excuse for a pitiful budget, or do you believe that there's actual merit to the genre and that some legit scares can come out of them?

Can the film answer the question: "How is the audience watching this supposedly unedited raw footage?" Found Footage works best within the framework of a proper film, I reckon. 8mm is a good example of this, ditto things like Sinister, where there's a reason we the audience are sifting through this supposed random recording: we're watching it with the protagonist. The little clips of Hannibal Lecter eating a nurse are creepy, that sort of thing.

And then: "Why the fuck are you still filming this?" That's a really important one. It's a massive fucking monster pulling the city apart, you got your shot, now fucking run. Or... four of our mates are dead, can you stop fucking about with your phone and pay attention? Films like Rec try to sidestep the issue by having the camera crew be documentarians or news people, and I guess it almost works. Even then, though, why are you filming the non-newsworthy parts where the people bicker etc?

If both questions can be answered or handwaved away, then found footage is fine. I can't think of a decent example where both are addressed in a satisfying way, though. More often than not it's just an excuse to jumpscare directly at the camera. I can't think of an example where found footage has made a monster more believable, which was pretty much the gimmick it sold on, more or less? I can't think of an example where filming things properly would detract from what the found footage approach achieved. That bizarre film set entirely on someone's laptop screen may be conceptually the only exception, as the story sucked balls anyway. Five Across The Eyes is pure torture, but could have been salvaged somewhat as a real film. Maybe.

 

[Syaoran Li]

This is just a broad question that isn't exactly focused on specific films themselves, but what does everyone think about "Found Footage" type films?

Do you think they're all cheap trash that uses its shaky cam as an excuse for a pitiful budget, or do you believe that there's actual merit to the genre and that some legit scares can come out of them?

It honestly depends on the film in question and how it's handled.

The pre-Paranormal Activity stuff tends to be a lot better IMHO.

IMHO, Cannibal Holocaust is the best example of the genre but it's also pretty heavy and operates on the premise of being a film within a film.

If you want pure found footage horror without the longer framing story, I'd go for The Last Broadcast.

The original Blair Witch Project is pretty good, even if it was way too overhyped back in the late 90's/early 2000's.

The first August Underground works if you're into the edgy and over the top extreme cinema thing. But it's also only focused on the gore and edgy shock value content.

The sequels are trashy and proved Fred Vogel was a one-trick pony.

 

[Internet War Criminal]

There are some fantastic found footage movie, it's a format like everything else and to say they all suck is as dumb as saying that 'all country/rap is bad'. That usually comes from people who couldn't name more than 3-5 movies they've seen like that.

Grave Encounters is a must watch imo.