The Horror Thread

[VerbalPuke]

My son watched the FNAF movie last night and loved it. I wasn't really paying attention.

I did show the kids EVIL Dead 2 and Army of Darkness which they loved. Who doesn't love Ash?

[Gabriel]

This guy:

EDIT: Images not working I guess... it's Evil Ash, by the way.

 

Edited October 28, 2023 by Gabriel

[VerbalPuke]

43 minutes ago, Gabriel said:

This guy:

EDIT: Images not working I guess... it's Evil Ash, by the way.

 

A for effort atleast.

[Gabriel]

The Exorcist: Believer... not a bad movie. Not a great movie. I ended up just kind of sitting there afterwards, wondering why.

I know they've planned one or two more and that could have played a role in how I felt about Believer, but they didn't break any new ground. They didn't really add anything to the lore. It's just kind of there.

[Benji]

Hereditary

Spoiler

A good concept that is flawed in delivery (in particular the advertising, setting up false expectations and getting me invested in Charlie who turned out to largely be a big nothing in the grand scheme of the film). Shame, because I tend to dig the whole "demon possession" story.

 

[Gabriel]

The fourth Hell House film, the Carmichael Manor, dropped yesterday.

If you enjoyed the first three, it keeps adding onto the lore despite being separate from the Abaddon Hotel.

The limitations of the cinema-verite style are apparent though, for sure. I would have loved to have seen them set off on this new path in a different format.

3.5 rotting corpses out of 5. They answer some questions, ask some new ones, and set up what is hopefully going to be a new trilogy of films from the franchise. The frights are as good as they've been in the series, but the usual trappings of cinema-verite are more obvious than in the first three.

[Toe]

14 minutes ago, Gabriel said:

The fourth Hell House film, the Carmichael Manor, dropped yesterday.

If you enjoyed the first three, it keeps adding onto the lore despite being separate from the Abaddon Hotel.

The limitations of the cinema-verite style are apparent though, for sure. I would have loved to have seen them set off on this new path in a different format.

3.5 rotting corpses out of 5. They answer some questions, ask some new ones, and set up what is hopefully going to be a new trilogy of films from the franchise. The frights are as good as they've been in the series, but the usual trappings of cinema-verite are more obvious than in the first three.

I really need to sit down and watch these. I was watching the first one and just as it was getting to the climax, I got a phone call that just ruined the mood (nothing tragic, it just took me out of the moment) and I've never went back to finish the movie. 

[Gabriel]

24 minutes ago, Toe said:

I really need to sit down and watch these. I was watching the first one and just as it was getting to the climax, I got a phone call that just ruined the mood (nothing tragic, it just took me out of the moment) and I've never went back to finish the movie. 

I can't really pinpoint why it's a favorite in our house, but we typically watch through the whole series every year now around Halloween. I feel like it might be that they let our imaginations run wild with the possibilities, but unlike most other cinema-verite styled films, they still show us some of the things that those other ones won't.

I think that's my biggest  issue with that format, is that most film-makers use it as a way to try and hide their shortcomings instead of accentuate what it is that they're trying to accomplish. Hell House doesn't feel like that, and it keeps me engaged instead of taking me out of the experience.

 

Also, I just randomly had this pop into my head, so I need to tell everyone that if you're looking for a top possession based flick, you NEED to check out The Cleansing Hour. Absolute must. Best possession film I've ever seen. Easily.

[Benji]

Alien Covenant

Spoiler

Bit mid. Decent enough film but nothing about it really needed to be Alien nor did it feel like it added anything of value to the franchise which is a little disappointing because I really enjoyed Prometheus. Still, at this point in any franchises life, anything that doesn't actively suck is a welcome addition to the catalogue, but I can still wish for more.

 

[Gabriel]

1 minute ago, Benji said:

Alien Covenant

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Bit mid. Decent enough film but nothing about it really needed to be Alien nor did it feel like it added anything of value to the franchise which is a little disappointing because I really enjoyed Prometheus. Still, at this point in any franchises life, anything that doesn't actively suck is a welcome addition to the catalogue, but I can still wish for more.

 

Prometheus veered too far off-course, and despite it being a fresh direction, there was an abrupt course-correct that they tried to do with Covenant. Unfortunately, while it's a perfectly acceptable movie to sit down and watch, the course-correct took everything interesting about Prometheus and tossed it out the window, and it didn't lean enough into being a more typical Alien movie to counter-act that.

The original drafts of Prometheus that were much more tied to the Xenomorph were infinitely more interesting than what we ended up with, and I think that if they had stuck with that instead of giving in to Ridley's insistence that the creature was played out, we would have ended up with quite the interesting little trilogy of movies leading directly into the original Alien.

Fortunately for us, Fede Alvarez wrapped production on his upcoming Alien film. Alvarez has a great respect for the IP's that he's worked with in the past and wanted very much to make a Xenomorph movie. Reports are that he screened it for Ridley and got a very favorable reaction from him. So, we've got a fan in the driver's seat and approval from the guy who thought nothing more could be done with the creature.

For the record, I quite enjoy Prometheus and the questions it asked. I was very interested in seeing where this whole thing was headed, and then corporate stepped in and demanded more of the Xenomorph and less of Scott's grand ideas. I did also enjoy Covenant, but it was severely impacted by a lack of cohesiveness creatively.

[Benji]

The Invisible Man (2020)

Spoiler

Leigh Whannell should just basically get the keys to modern horror and his name needs to be known among the greats. Every single time he's involved in a horror film it is great. Probably my favourite iteration of the Invisible Man "franchise" (for lack of a better word).

Incredibly creepy in a very "real" way, it's impressive how much the constant absence of something is used so well. The absence being scarier than the thing itself is so often used in horror, but when it's grounded in the very real feeling of an emotional and controlling partner it does that classic thing of driving home the true terror of humanity.

 

[King Ellis]

Invisible Man 2020

Spoiler

I only watched that the once, in the cinemas right before COVID, but absolutely loved it. Curious to see how it would hold up to the lofty mantel it holds in my head.

That whole 'absence' thing to me made it so much more than just a passive experience and it tied in very well to the overall vibe of the movie. Like, it's very much 'Gaslighting: The Movie' but it felt like it was actively screwing with my head as well. The way they'd hold on those shots that are meant to be used to represent POV but there wasn't actually anyone there. Or the way it would linger on something simple like a sofa, curtains or a kitchen worktop and your mind would be playing tricks on you, convinced that something moved.

 

[GhostMachine]

4 hours ago, Benji said:

The Invisible Man (2020)

  Reveal hidden contents

Leigh Whannell should just basically get the keys to modern horror and his name needs to be known among the greats. Every single time he's involved in a horror film it is great. Probably my favourite iteration of the Invisible Man "franchise" (for lack of a better word).

Incredibly creepy in a very "real" way, it's impressive how much the constant absence of something is used so well. The absence being scarier than the thing itself is so often used in horror, but when it's grounded in the very real feeling of an emotional and controlling partner it does that classic thing of driving home the true terror of humanity.

 

 

3 hours ago, King Ellis said:

Invisible Man 2020

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I only watched that the once, in the cinemas right before COVID, but absolutely loved it. Curious to see how it would hold up to the lofty mantel it holds in my head.

That whole 'absence' thing to me made it so much more than just a passive experience and it tied in very well to the overall vibe of the movie. Like, it's very much 'Gaslighting: The Movie' but it felt like it was actively screwing with my head as well. The way they'd hold on those shots that are meant to be used to represent POV but there wasn't actually anyone there. Or the way it would linger on something simple like a sofa, curtains or a kitchen worktop and your mind would be playing tricks on you, convinced that something moved.

 

Its a decent enough movie, with great special effects. But I'd rather watch the old black and white Claude Rains film OR Hollow Man.

In fact, if you watch the Claude Rains movie, I suggest also watching The Invisible Man Returns, which is a mis-named sequel: Its NOT same Invisible Man, but it *is* the same formula. And the new Invisible Man is the hero, not the villain. Also...It's Vincent Price.

[King Ellis]

I love the Claude Rains movie but it's a completely different beast. As Jack Black put it in an interview once, it's more like something out of the Three Stooges.

I do have the legacy collection for classic Universal Invisible Man films that I need to dig into at some point.

Hollow Man I recall being okay, think I've only ever seen it twice and it's been a while since that last viewing.

[Baddar]

It Follows is getting a sequel! 🤗

[Gabriel]

Terrifier 3 drops next October and will see Art tackle the Xmas season.

Damien Leone has done a bunch of interviews of late, and some interesting tidbits included that he felt like there was a lot of backlash to three areas of the 2nd film.

1st, the length of the movie. For myself, yeah, it's a long one, but we just watched Terrifier 2 again last night, and there's very little I would cut. That being said, I do suppose that more could have been added and it could have been separated into two films. First part being the backstory for Sienna, Art and the Demon Child... second part being Sienna really stepping up and playing the character that her father created for her. Stretching it out into two movies may have actually been a good idea, as it would give more time to explore the connection between all the characters. I'm sure Terrifier 3 will address that, but that was my biggest lingering question from 2.

2nd, Leone has said a lot of the negativity that he saw was about the hard shift in tone from the grindhouse style of the first film to the second film including and leaning into 80's fantasy type elements. People who complained about that can suck it. It's an interesting and unique way to continue the series. There's clearly something supernatural about Art, and there are a million different generic slashers out there. Let's get fucking crazy with this. Make him a vessel for an old demon. Make Sienna a vessel for the angel or warrior or whatever that once put him to rest and needs to do it again.

3rd, was that people were mentioning that Art was too likeable, and not despicable enough to be hated. Fucking what? Yeah, I cheer him on, he makes me laugh and I love to see what Art's got up his sleeve. There's a morbid enjoyment in the glee he exhibits when torturing people. It's a beautiful sight for a fucked up mind, but if you're sitting there and thinking to yourself "Man, I really can't get behind anyone wanting to stop or kill Art"... the problem isn't Art the Clown being not evil enough. The problem is that you need to go seek psychiatric help immediately because you're probably a god damn psychopath. Sienna is clearly the good guy in the film, and as much as I enjoy me some Art the Clown, I was firmly behind seeing her overcome the villain. You know, because he's quite despicable and I'm not a danger to society.

[GhostMachine]

Haven't seen the films, nor do I plan to. But is the reason Art keeps coming back to life is because he's either a demon or possessed by one?

[Gabriel]

16 minutes ago, GhostMachine said:

Haven't seen the films, nor do I plan to. But is the reason Art keeps coming back to life is because he's either a demon or possessed by one?

We still haven't really found out. But...

Spoiler

at the end of the first Terrifier movie, Art blows his own brains out when he's found by the police, right in the middle of eating the face of Victoria. When he returns in the second movie, it's clearly something supernatural and alluded to that he's brought back by the "little pale girl" or the demon girl. In the 2nd film, she's revealed to have been a previous victim of Art (potentially his first).

At the end of the 2nd film, Sienna decapitates Art with her father's sword and all seems finished... until the little pale girl returns to collect his head. In the post-credits scene, Victoria is shown in an institution and she gives birth to the fully formed head of Art the Clown.

My theory is this: the pale girl isn't the same girl that Art had murdered. It's a demon or some other type of being that has chosen that form from Art's mind. Whatever it is, it doesn't want Art dead. He clearly has the limitations of being a physical being. He can be injured and hurt. Though, he does seem to react to the fact that he should be dead, gleefully playing with his wounds as if he's just figuring out that he's something more than human.

So, I believe that the lore would be that the demon found Art the Clown as a human monster, rescued him from death and turned him into something more. Sienna, would likely be the vessel for whatever being or power it is that would be needed to combat the little pale girl and any monster she might bring with her.

Sienna's father clearly had an understanding of what was going on. Whether that is because he was some type of monster hunter himself, or gained powers of clairvoyance somehow, we're still waiting to find out.

 

[GhostMachine]

I want a horror movie where the killer is actually the hero, and all the victims are actually getting what's coming to them. In the vein of I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE or UNFRIENDED. But its not revealed that that is the case until near the end of the movie, and the "final girl" (or guy) that everyone has been rooting for is actually the "final boss". And the bad guy who is actually the hero isn't supernatural, just strong as hell, skilled and royally pissed off. 

[Gabriel]

Just now, GhostMachine said:

I want a horror movie where the killer is actually the hero, and all the victims are actually getting what's coming to them. In the vein of I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE or UNFRIENDED. But its not revealed that that is the case until near the end of the movie, and the "final girl" (or guy) that everyone has been rooting for is actually the "final boss". And the bad guy who is actually the hero isn't supernatural, just strong as hell, skilled and royally pissed off. 

I love the idea of turning things on their head like that. In fact, I brought up something very similar to my partner recently.

Off the top of my head, I can't think of anything that fits the bill exactly... though if you haven't seen them, you may enjoy both Tucker and Dale Versus Evil, and You Might Be the Killer.

Both are horror comedies, but kind of play with that idea a little bit.