Horror RECOMMENDATION or WARNING thread. - Page 92

I watched both the [rec]s.  I loved them.  The tension escalation may have blown it's load a little early in part 1, leaving it a less time to slow down before the finale.  I loved the end of the sequel though.  What a payoff after the strange definition of the disease.

My next endeavor is Little Deaths, which I started about 5 minutes ago.  So far, no opinions.  I believe I may try out cold prey next, if I find time.

First rate Beaks interview with Rick Baker!

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/55981

Oh, [Rec] 2... while I ended up seeing Quarantine before I saw either film, I'll say that the first [Rec] is pretty cool. I mean, it's quite entertaining. The second, though... it certainly sounded awesome, with a SWAT team getting involved. But boy did I not like it. They ended up changing the first story with what they explained in the second, some characters I REALLY did not like, and the ending just pissed me off. In fact, I don't plan on continuing the story by watching the new movies in that series. I'll just pretend that the first film happened and that was it.

Onto something more enjoyable for me... months ago I saw a few minutes of the ending of Bloody Birthday on TCM Underground; it's a 1981 entry into the Killer Kids genre; the excuse they use here is that three 10 year old kids were born at around the same time in the same town and the births happened as a solar eclipse happened. Of course it would have made more sense for me to have watched the movie this past Sunday, but I dun goofed. Anyhow, they use astrology BS to say that Saturn was blocked so the kids have no conscience. It's all pretty goofy but this is a random low-budget film, after all.

Despite that and this not being what you'd call a good movie, at least it is entertaining, and wildly so at times and there are some intentional and unintentional laughs. There were some interesting setpieces/kills and it was more than what I was expecting. Sure, some killings only happen via a pistol but the others actually were different from the norm. So, it wasn't a waste of 85 minutes to finally see the movie in full, even if it's definitely not the newer The Children nor Orphan.

Besides, there's a brief role from none other than Michael Dudikoff, a few years before he became famous with Golan-Globus by appearing in some goofy action films. You get to see some cool vintage posters from the likes of Debbie Harry, Roger Daltry, Ted Nugent, and even Erik Estrada. And what's the best scene is that the girl of the trio has a deal where she has a peephole into her older sister's bedroom and she lets the two evil boys spy on her changing clothes! Of course it's the 80's so she's dancing around and listening to music as she's undressing and then dressing, and it's a random generic yet awesome rock/pop song by a no-name named John G. Jones. I wish that full song was available somewhere on YouTube but of course it's far too obscure even for that.

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevehauk 

Any one out there follow David Wellington' s books?

 

i read his zombie trilogy (the monster books) and loved them.  I never would have thought that the action, horror, tension, etc. of the zombie genre could translate so well into books.  and as the series progressed he took it on such mindbending mythological bent.

I didn't actually know he had other books.  I'll have to look for them, though truth be told I became exhausted with vampires a long time ago.  maybe the werewolf books.

Just finished Lucio Fulci's CAT IN THE BRAIN. Delightfully gross, silly meta-movie where Fulci plays himself, trying to continue filming on an extremely gory Nazi rape movie while seeing horrific hallucinations. Made for TV in the early nineties, it shows in the limited vision Fulci is allowed to employ, shot in a more straightforward manner. But it's never less than funny, and Fulci was clearly trying to outdo some of his darker, nastier work with a sinister smile. Loved it.

I've been meaning to watch Rec forever, but just haven't gotten around to it. It's probably due to having seen Quarantine and always opting for something else. My understanding is that Quarantine is more or less a very straight up remake, almost a reshoot rather than it's own thing. I personally enjoyed it more than I would have imagined. How does it compare to the original?

Arjun,  I just did Rec, and had been avoiding both.  I am definitely not the biggest fan of found footage, and until the beginning of this year, I thought I was done with them.  (Chronicle and V/H/S changed my mind).  I don't know if I care to follow through and watch Quarantine, as Jennifer Carpenter bugs me as an actress.  I've accepted her on Dexter, but not ready to accept her as a lead.  The girl in Rec was stunningly gorgeous and played her part well.  I would definitely recommend that even if you don't watch the first one, I would continue with the second.

Hey, guys, I was pleasantly surprised by THE WOMAN IN BLACK. A very effective, old-fashioned chiller. I'm loving the return of Hammer studios, and this was even better than WAKE WOOD (which I also liked quite a bit). This would make a great gateway to the genre for those of you with pre-adolescent kids.

Yes, I'm gonna hold out as long as I can on the R rating for my kid...but it's good that there are lots of enjoyable PG-13 horrors out there nowadays. More so than when I was  kid, so I'll be jealous.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arjen Rudd 

I've been meaning to watch Rec forever, but just haven't gotten around to it. It's probably due to having seen Quarantine and always opting for something else. My understanding is that Quarantine is more or less a very straight up remake, almost a reshoot rather than it's own thing. I personally enjoyed it more than I would have imagined. How does it compare to the original?

I also saw Quarantine first. Yeah, except for some added scenes at the beginning and the ending, they're pretty much identical.

Now, as to the ending...

Thus, I say that [Rec] is a better movie. I already ranted about the sequel a few times before so I won't go into that again. In fact, I'll quote what I said last year in this thread:

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Perfect Weapon 
Anyhow, after doing a brief search of this thread, I'll have to agree with Disciple_72's take on [Rec] 2 (or however you want to properly state the title) being "a load of shit". I just rented it tonight and finished watching it about an hour ago.

 

It wasn't even for the reasons he stated (the whole religion angle and how that changed the monsters in the sequel compared to how they acted in the original, although some of that did make me mad while I was watching it, and the twist... I wanted to throw my remote at the screen!) but rather me getting tired of all the whiny and bitchy characters and them whining and bitching at each other.

 

That didn't get real bad until about 40 minutes in, when things change; I won't spoil it, but I'll just say that I quickly grew to hate a trio of characters and someone else that they meet up with who has to try and help them avoid trouble. THEIR constant arguing, crying, and whining really got my dander up and from there things quickly soured for me; it picked up and got better towards the end, then it got really stupid the last 10 or 15 minutes, and that ultimately so disappointed me, it even makes me look upon the first movie in a worse way due to the changes they made here.

 

Sigh...

[Rec] 2 definitely seems to be a very divisive film.  It will be interesting to see what direction opinions take on the next two when they are released.

Always preferred [REC] to Quarantine for the simple, perhaps dumb reason that as an American I recognize the actors in Quarantine and I don't recognize the actors in [REC]. So it's easier to pretend we're watching real events — not that we actually think that, but it's easier to enter into the imaginative contract.

QUARANTINE is great if viewed in a vacuum. Which is how I saw it. I had no idea it was a remake, and in fact knew almost nothing about the movie's story to begin with. My friends and I saw it on a lark, assuming it would be hilarious garbage, and then kept turning to each other during the film asking, "Is it just me or is this movie kinda good?" Of course, after being super impressed, I immediately went on-line after the film ended to look up the filmmakers and discovered it was a nearly exact remake of a Spanish movie. So then I saw [REC] and became much less impressed with QUARANTINE. But if it were an original film it would be a minor classic I think.

I like both Rec and Quarantine a lot. I tend to lean more towards Quarantine, as the basis for the virus is frighteningly real, and it's got Greg Germann in the movie. I also, like Joshua, saw Quarantine first.

Rec 2 is pretty damn good except for some really annoying characters, and the also annoying fact that the SWAT guys don't seem to bring in more than a handful of bullets, along with only having 4 of them rather than 10 or more.

Looking forward to the other 2 films. Read up about the third one, and it seems ok, but nothing earth shattering. I'm looking even more forward to the fourth one, since that's supposed to be an actual sequel rather

I'll admit, when I first read the plot of Rec on Wikipedia, I was impressed. I dug the supernatural angle, and I still do. In fact, with the ending of part 2, I'm even more curious to see where they're headed with it.

I just happen to like the end of the world cult stuff that happens in Quarantine at the end. Kind of sucks there won't be anymore films after Quarantine 2: Terminal, which was a decent DTV film. At least there's still the last 2 Rec films.

HDNMV is premiering the paranormal Horror movie APARTMENT 143 tonite. 3 chances to catch it. I seem to recall some positive buzz, but I'll pretty much be going in blind.

HDNMV?

HDNet Movies. I get the channel with Dish.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rene (Mr.Eko) 

 

 

I just happen to like the end of the world cult stuff that happens in Quarantine at the end. Kind of sucks there won't be anymore films after Quarantine 2: Terminal, which was a decent DTV film. At least there's still the last 2 Rec films.

Push come to shove, I think I prefer QUARANTINE to REC. Both are very effectively suspenseful and scary, but I think Q draws me in a little more. Part of it may be that I too saw it first. Agree with you Q2 was a decent B. I had fun with it.

[Rec] then [Rec] 2 then Quarantine.  Assuming you enjoy the first one, that is.

Sorry for the post, think I accidentally responded to something super old.  

A fun TCM Underground double bill tonite: YOU BETTER WATCH OUT + NEW YEAR'S EVIL

Both those movies are a lot of fun, particularly YOU BETTER WATCH OUT. I love Tragic Slasher movies, where our protagonist is the murderer, but never set out to be a murderer.

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Originally Posted by S.D. Bob Plissken 
[Rec] then [Rec] 2 then Quarantine.  Assuming you enjoy the first one, that is.

Yeah, that's about right. I mean, [Rec] 2 takes place 15 minutes after the first one ends, so it's natural to do it that way. And there actually is a DTV Quarantine 2 that has nothing to do with [Rec] 2. I haven't seen it so I can not tell you a thing about it besides the fact it takes place at an entirely different location.

Tonight I went and saw a movie from Netflix. It was Shrooms. I know it was briefly mentioned in the first few pages of this thread but that was it. The idea of it being about being high and seeing strange shit and not knowing what is real and what is fake is cool with me. A movie I rank real highly is Total Recall and a big reason is that a big part of the plot revolves around whether or not the adventure that Quaid is on is real or he's just dreaming and it never being cleared up and thus you have to decide on your own... that sort of thing is real cool with me. Plus, it was filmed in Ireland and it's a different setting for me so that was appealing. Oh, and the attractive ladies in the cast weren't bad either!

Of course, on its IMDb page there was a big argument about how one of the ladies (Alice Greczyn) happened to have the look in the movie of a lady who doesn't shave her armpits. Of course I know that's more common in various parts of the world so that wasn't too big of a deal with me. I know that a long while ago she gave up that belief and now shaves that part of her body. Don't ask how I know this so definitively... and trust me it's a typical IMDb messageboard argument, meaning that you do NOT want to read most of it. Anyway, you only briefly see it in one scene so it's not a big deal at all.

As for the actual film, it's about some kids who go to Ireland to do 'shrooms. Personally, I'd rather sight-see around that pretty country, but that's just me. They get told a local legend about some spooky stuff that happened in the area and then they take some magical mushrooms. The lead blonde finds one that is a lot stronger than the others and it allegedly gives her the ability of precognition. But is that part of the trip too...

Overall, while I thought it was definitely better in idea than execution, I thought it was a fine-enough flick. It being different was nice, there were trippy moments throughout and the forest location was used nicely. There was also a nice scene set in the marshes with tall reeds. Now, the ending... it unfortunately went somewhere and I did not like that twist. However, you could argue that the ending was also a trip and did not actually happen; you really could explain what happened in the movie in a few different ways, which like I said earlier is pretty cool. So, it could have been pretty awesome but instead it was just a fine way to spend a little more than 80 minutes. The fact that the acting was fine and none of the characters acted in a way that enraged me and turned me off from the film, that's always a plus with me.

Also, note that it definitely isn't about gore but instead it's about being odd and freaky.

EDIT: Oh yes, and I can't forget the best part... a talking cow! That was great.

Never heard of them before, but from a little quick reading they look awesome. Going to have to track them down myself.

Definitely pop back in here and let us know how they are!

So, finally got around to watching Galaxy of Terror (as a double feature with Martha Marcy May Marlene...cuz I'm a well-rounded motherfucker).

I liked it, but ultimately, not as much as Forbidden World. That has a lot to with the cast, which is full of battle-tested veterans (w/ mortgages and limited options) who can actually act, but never get much of a chance to make an impression with the dull as dishwater dialogue. Speaking of dull, Edward Albert and Erin Moran are a goddamn snooze as the leads. The "plot", such as it is, contains one or two interesting ideas, but they're completely incoherent and are essentially there to explain (poorly) things like how a giant maggot materializes and fucks a woman to death. On the infamous scene, after hearing so much about it, I have to say I wasn't blown away. It's a goofy, salacious bit of fun, but I found the story behind the scene to be more interesting.  

Did you guys see the announcement that they're doing a KILL BILL of Stephen King's "It" directed by Cary Fukunaga? That's pretty exciting. I'm of the opinion that the '90 miniseries is an overrated bore, getting only the casting of some of the kids and Pennywise right. Now, they got Pennywise really, really right, and Tim Curry's iconic performance will be hard to top, but everything else has a chance to be an aprovement. This project is in the hands of a unique and interesting filmmaker, who has proven he understands young people and can do gothic atmosphere and spookiness. The cinematic possibilities could be epic.

I hear they were doing the kid story in the first film and the adults in the second. I have not read the book, but I hear that one of its major strengths is the way the past in present is interwoven...with key points better known at certain times for dramatic effect.
 

I don't know how else you could do it. The structure of the original miniseries is actually great, it's just the acting and writing, especially with the adults, that make everything so stupid. I'm very interested in how the hell they're going to do Pennywise. That Curry performance is seismic. I'm thinking the only way to do it is go smaller and more naturalistic. If they find a way to improve on that role, look out.

What was great about the structure? The use of flashbacks?

A heads up, gang: tonite on TCM Underground the creepy THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN

Well, as a TV movie, it's just about perfectly structured. The first half devotes each segment to one character fully, and we get the entire 1950s story through each kid's eyes, one at a time. And it ends with a good suicide. The second half isn't really a great structure so much as it is a completely serviceable one. 

But more than anything, if you're telling the story in two blocks, I don't see how you do it any other way, unless you set the entire first half in the past (80s in the version, I guess). By the by, I've said this before, but I am ecstatic about the idea of updating this and setting the kids story in the 1980s. That hits so many targets for me and my relationship with the story and childhood and horror stories that I truly couldn't be more excited about this.

It would be neat to have a two part horror film in the mainstream. IT would be one of the few that could pull it off, thanks to the famous clown. In my experience it seems like Pennywise is just behind Jason, Freddy, etc as famous horror film monsters, even if people don't necessarily know his name.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fat Elvis 

HDNMV is premiering the paranormal Horror movie APARTMENT 143 tonite. 3 chances to catch it. I seem to recall some positive buzz, but I'll pretty much be going in blind.

Watching this now. What did you think?

It was okay. Made me appreciate how effective the original PARANORMAL ACTIVITY was. Did it work for you?

Speaking of PARANORMAL ACTIVITY, I saw the first sequel on Saturday Night for the first time. My god is that first  hour a grind, but cometh the hour cometh the scares, to the point when I think I would recommend it to people. It's not anywhere near as effective as the original, but the jump scare around 65 minutes in got me, and got me good.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fat Elvis 

It was okay. Made me appreciate how effective the original PARANORMAL ACTIVITY was. Did it work for you?

Not really. I did like the team of scientists. But I was a little confused about what exactly they were discovering while they were there. Incest! Murder! Suicide! Adultery. Schizophrenia! Plus, there really wasn't a ton of ghost stuff. Hmm. Eh.

FROM BEYOND! So good.

Got me thinking... what do you guys think is the best non-Stuart-Gordon Lovecraft adaptation? THE UNNAMABLE scared the crap out of me when I was a kid, and I've been meaning to revisit it on Instant. But I'm not expecting much, given the fact that I've never heard anything positive about it in the ensuing years.

GRAVE ENCOUNTERS is my new favorite Found Footage. It's like SESSION 9 meets BLAIR WITCH. Scary stuff.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joshua Miller 

FROM BEYOND! So good.

 

 

 

Got me thinking... what do you guys think is the best non-Stuart-Gordon Lovecraft adaptation? THE UNNAMABLE scared the crap out of me when I was a kid, and I've been meaning to revisit it on Instant. But I'm not expecting much, given the fact that I've never heard anything positive about it in the ensuing years.

I loved the silent low budget Call of the Big C  from a few years ago.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fat Elvis 

GRAVE ENCOUNTERS is my new favorite Found Footage. It's like SESSION 9 meets BLAIR WITCH. Scary stuff.

Thanks for the recommendation. I'll have to check this out.

As an aside, I watched (paid for, even) The Darkest Hour last night.

Goofy as hell. And did not hate.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin Matchstick 

 

As an aside, I watched (paid for, even) The Darkest Hour last night.

 

Goofy as hell. And did not hate.

I watched this recently too.  Surprised at how wacky it got in the second act, with the badass electrician guy and the soldiers.  I hated the reveal towards the end regarding what the blobs of energy actually are, but whatever.  A really weird and kinda fun flick.  I guess there are worse ways for Emile Hirsch to pay the bills.  

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joshua Miller 

FROM BEYOND! So good.

 

 

Got me thinking... what do you guys think is the best non-Stuart-Gordon Lovecraft adaptation? THE UNNAMABLE scared the crap out of me when I was a kid, and I've been meaning to revisit it on Instant. But I'm not expecting much, given the fact that I've never heard anything positive about it in the ensuing years.

There's nothing that comes close to the goopy brilliance of FROM BEYOND, but Dagon gives it a good college try. H.P. Lovecraft's Necronomicon is only available on VHS, which is a real shame, as it's my other favorite.

Dagon is still Stuart Gordon right?  It sure as shit doesn't feel like it, but I think it is.

But yeah, From Beyond is fantastic.  I think I may prefer it to Re-animator.  

Quote:

Originally Posted by fuzzy dunlop 

 

I watched this recently too.  Surprised at how wacky it got in the second act, with the badass electrician guy and the soldiers.  I hated the reveal towards the end regarding what the blobs of energy actually are, but whatever.  A really weird and kinda fun flick.  I guess there are worse ways for Emile Hirsch to pay the bills.  

I agree that the revealed aliens looked really dumb. But it's kind of fun, right? Was just so hated when in hit.