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Post by theravenking on Oct 17, 2023 11:38:16 GMT
Pyewacket (2017; Adam MacDonald) I was rather impressed by Backcountry, so I took a chance on the director's follow-up movie which is more of a ghost story, although it's kept open to interpretation whether the events depicted are indeed of a supernatural origin. It's clear that Adam MacDonald is a much better director than writer. Just like in Backcountry he effectively uses the woods to convey a sense of unease and this time a more diffuse type of menace. The plot though is fairly by-the-numbers. Laurie Holden and Nicole Munoz do some excellent work here, depicting a realistic and at times painful mother-daughter relationship. This is a slow-burn where not much happens, but when it does it gets incredibly intense. The creepy scenes are all the better for only using blood and CGI very sparsely. Up until the last few minutes this was a solid 7 or even more for me, but, oh dear, I thought it really shot itself in the foot with a lacklustre ending. It's not so much what happens in the finale, but how it is depicted, it's one thing that we get no real explanations but the lack of emotional resonance is the real problem here, the trivial conclusion undermining the casts's best efforts, letting this atmopsheric flick sink into medicority. 6/10
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Post by theravenking on Oct 17, 2023 11:59:37 GMT
The Terror (1963; Roger Corman) I had no clue what I was watching here, until I read up on the movie's troubled production, and now it began to make sense, why so little of the plot seemed to make sense. You see, apparently this was stitched together from bits shot for a previous Corman movie, plus the infamous producer brought in half a dozen further directors to have them shoot various scenes for the film, among them a young Francis Ford Coppola, who reportedly went far over budget. Considering all this, it's a bit of a miracle that the movie still somehow works. Sure, it's slow and occasionally disjointed, but a fine atmosphere and a certain sense of mystery still hold it together. I wouldn't call it scary by today's standards, but I've seen far worse. 5/10
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Post by theravenking on Oct 18, 2023 11:47:58 GMT
Wrong Turn (2003; Rob Schmidt)Up until a couple of days ago I had never taken a wrong turn in my life. No, wait, of course I have, what I mean to say is, that I've never watched an instalment of the Wrong Turn franchise, because quite frankly it didn't seem like it would enrich my life in any conceivable way. I'm gonna make it short: I never liked backwoods horror much, and this did very little to change my mind. I might've enjoyed it more had they played the ludicrous story for laughs (a few miles off the main road there lives a family of mutant rednecks who have killed and eaten dozens of people over the years without anyone taking notice), but this was just too bland and lacking in atmosphere and creative visuals (the forest should've been a dark and otherworldly place like in a grim fairy tale). 5/10
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Post by Meseia on Oct 19, 2023 1:53:18 GMT
M3GAN (2022) - 33 minutes in, Sweet Jesus this is boring. I finished this and it does improve considerably in the last hour but there are still some serious misfires. In the first half hour there are two deaths, but they happen offscreen. A young girl, Cady, loses her parents and is pawned off on her aunt who is young, immature, selfish, ambitious, and successful. Rather than focusing on the loneliness, isolation, and fear of losing parents the story is told from the aunt's perspective of having an unwanted kid foisted on you that disrupts your life. So, the aunt puts the kid under the care of an experimental robot doll and from there it's a very good Devil Doll / Chuckie rip-off. The most terrifying aspect for me were the echoes of AI and what it portends for our future. There is a chat bot call PI that is designed as a counselor and it is very, very, good. M3GAN in the beginning reminded me of it. M3GAN, who is the spitting image of Fiona Gubelmann, is the caretaker AI in the body of a very powerful robot and in true Asimov style, takes her instructions to protect young Cady to the "logical conclusion" which is bad for everyone else in the movie. There isn't much more to say. It's not a bad movie but it's a bad horror movie because it focuses on the wrong things and is made for the wrong audience.
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Post by Meseia on Oct 19, 2023 3:43:25 GMT
Prophecy (1995) - Gabriel is trying to start a second war in heaven because he resents humans and has all sorts of emotional baggage, something something about a dead Army general, and Lucifer gets involved to stop the war because one hell is enough. It's a completely nonsensical story with some frightening imagery that lacks any context, like the battlefield of dead angels. Virginia Madsen is the only actor really putting in effort and damn she was so cute back then.
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Post by the knife on Oct 19, 2023 4:42:47 GMT
60. The Boogeyman (Rob Savage, 2023) 6/10 Shadow monster go boo! This film, based on a Stephen King short story, is pretty generic story-wise. Doesn't mean it's bad, though. Gets in, gets the job done, gets out. Sure, youβve seen it before, but Rob Savage crucially prioritises tension over exposition, and it moves at a fast clip for a story as gloomy and brooding as this one. It's well done and actually chilling at times. You have to wonder why these people who are apparently terrified of the dark never turn on a damn light! Sophie Thatcher, whom I gather is already making a splash on the television show Yellowjackets, is quite good in the lead role, and I'm a big fan of Chris Messina from The Mindy Project. The monster is pretty good when we do finally get to see it. They tease it well and they even leave it a bit mysterious even at the end.
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Post by the knife on Oct 19, 2023 7:06:03 GMT
61. Knock at the Cabin (M. Night Shyamalan, 2023) 7/10 It's times like these when I just wanna blow this shithole of a pop stand. Lately it feels like this world and its selfish, violent, hateful, imbecilic inhabitants are more undeserving than ever. With Knock at the Cabin, director M. Night isn't asking that we blindly follow his enormous faith in mankind, but rather to reason with held beliefs and doubts. Like, what are the chances that the good in me and in the people I love doesn't exist invariably in others? The first time in 20+ years M. Night has felt uniquely hopeless. Even his most potent tragedies would find some guiding light at the end of the tunnel, but this feels like such a crisis of faith for him, an anguished cry into space that needed to be expressed by any means necessary, lest it poison his belief any longer. And what results is maybe the saddest film of M. Night Iβve seen, leaving me in the exact same disorienting but remarkable daze. Shoutout to M. Night for recognising the cinematic properties of giving Dave Bautista glasses.
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Post by the knife on Oct 19, 2023 20:20:09 GMT
62. The Pyramid (GrΓ©gory Levasseur, 2014) 6/10 What can possibly go wrong when you idiotically and blindly adventure in the uncharted labyrinth of a freshly discovered pyramid? Obviously, the answer is: everything. Yes, the movieβs dumb, but I enjoyed it. I really like horror films in which the characters get stuck underground with some sort of creature (or creatures). I really like historically ancient backdrops, especially Ancient Egypt. Usually, in order for these films to work, people involved in their making have to get really creative and deliver tension with very little space and elements. I can not say that The Pyramid bursts with creativity but if I truly appreciate one thing about it, itβs that they refrained from using too much the computer-generated monster which is efficiently exposed and engaged in the last moments of the film. (I have this poster hanging on my kitchen walls.)
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Post by the knife on Oct 19, 2023 20:33:19 GMT
63. Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead (Tommy Wirkola, 2014) 5/10 This had so much potential but made me hate a great deal of it by inserting terrible, plodding, cringey comedy subplots like the βzombie squadβ and the bits with the police. None of this was funny or even vaguely amusing, and it took up sooooo much screen time that could have been used for more nazi zombie vs. red army zombie action! What a waste! 64. The Night Flier (Mark Pavia, 1997) 5/10 A bit of a horror, a bit of a noir, a bit of a mystery with a nice biting performance by the late great Miguel Ferrer that is based on an early Stephen King short story. Also, featuring groovy and inventive monster make-up. Even Dan Monahan, Pee Wee from Porky's, has a juicy role. All the pieces are there. I can see what The Night Flier should have been and could've been. And I like that theoretical film. A lot. Unfortunately, at the end of the day what it is, is not very good. This movie spends a lot of time spinning it's wheels and being dull when it should be exploring characters and creating a richer world with some semblance of nuance. All that potential is wasted and despite some excellent ingredients nothing comes together to equal much of anything. I'd love to see this recreated through the eyes of a better writer and director.
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Post by the knife on Oct 19, 2023 20:36:04 GMT
65. The Burning (Tony Maylam, 1981) 7/10 One of the more vicious and unrelenting slashers, in mood and maw. Usually you're allowed a sense of restraint in all the bloodshed, but this is rustled pine tree rage, traumatised dermis touched by sunshine through the cracks of an old cabin, and no creeks slow down a vengeance. Rather than individual heads on a revenge checklist, those shears snip for the generations of Cropseys. Different faces, different traumas, same camp. Delicious Savini blood-spurts. Even though the writing is kinda bleh and the editing might be worse, this is too entertaining for me to care. This was tons of fun. So fun that I'm actually upset that it didn't spawn a franchise. Oh well - I might just start a new tradition of watching The Burning on Friday the 13th. Canoe handle that, Jason?
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Post by Meseia on Oct 20, 2023 4:35:51 GMT
11) Hell of the Living Dead (1980) - Old school zombie movie where they paint the zombies blue and victims stand around as the zombies close in at a snail's pace until they finally start munching on the victim. There is a lot of overacting typical of the time period but for the most part the actors are competent. The plot doesn't really matter, it boils down to a chase movie, some military guys in a reluctant alliance with two reporters against a corrupted nature. Most guys will remember this movie for the Margie Newton topless scene where for whatever reason she peels off her top, paints her face and runs through the jungle into a native village. She is absolutely stunning. The stereotypical "crazy soldier" quickly figures out you have to shoot them in the head but despite telling the other soldiers, they keep doing it wrong. It would be easy to imagine this as part of the Romero universe except that it has a blurb about mad scientists and their experiment gone wrong. I have to include a shot of this face paint.
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Post by the knife on Oct 20, 2023 7:59:36 GMT
66. The Nun II (Michael Chaves, 2023) 8/10 If The Nun franchise has 100 fans, I am one of them. If The Nun franchise has 10 fans, that is me. If The Nun franchise has 1 fan, still me. If The Nun franchise has 0 fans, Iβm no longer alive. If the world is against The Nun franchise, I am against the world. Second installment is even better than the first one! Scary yet fascinating. Letβs just appreciate the Farmiga sisters owning The Conjuring Universe.
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Post by the knife on Oct 20, 2023 16:03:43 GMT
Becky (Jonathan Milott, Cary Murnion, 2020) 8/10 This was a total crap load of fun that gets bloody and violent as hell. Home Alone on cocaine. Lulu Wilson tears the screen apart; I can't wait for her to become one of the most recognised horror stars. She has been following this path and it has been glorious so far. Kevin James is also great in an untypical role that will give you daddy issues. The boredom of teenage girls can be lethal and this accumulated with anger, well, good luck. Lmao There is something very disturbing and beautiful about it and this movie displays that wonderfully. Also, banging synth-y score! Now I'm ready for the sequel, The Wrath of Becky (2023)!
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Post by the knife on Oct 20, 2023 18:29:28 GMT
The Wrath of Becky (Matt Angel, Suzanne Coote, 2023) 9/10 "You should've given her her fucking dog back."I think Becky and John Wick would get along great. I really liked the first film and I enjoyed this sequel even more. Short, sweet, and to the ultra-violent point. Well-shot and well-acted. Exploding heads. Genuinely pretty funny. Nazi hunting Becky is my hero and Lulu Wilson owns this role. We don't get nearly as much agonised screaming as I would have liked from her, but I'm all for her new-found swagger and wit. Also, Seann William Scott as the main villain nails his part perfectly. He played it completely straight, no bullshit character. I wish theyβd had better editing and pacing but I am fucking on board for 10 more of these. BECKY IN SPACE!
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Post by theravenking on Oct 20, 2023 20:30:43 GMT
The Blob (1988; Chuck Russell)One of those films that flopped badly on original release, but went on to gain a cult following over the years. Having never seen the original I can't be the guy telling you how much better it is than the remake. There are some nice surprises: People seemingly introduced as the heroes at the beginning are killed off early on and Kevin Dillon of all people turns out to be the leading man. Must be kinda sad when the high point of your career comes so early. Some gooey, gory effects, but since it's not to be taken too seriously I wouldn't exactly call it scary. It has a sort of trashy B-movie charm to it. I enjoyed the first act, but once they brought in the military with the obligatory shady scientist type who just wants to study the creature, keeping it alive so it could serve as a bioweapon I was ready for a facepalm. From there it ticks off all the boxes you would expect, with our small town heroes outwitting the army and saving the day. 6/10
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