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Post by theravenking on Oct 21, 2023 15:03:45 GMT
Mute Witness (1994; Anthony Waller) I've been meaning to watch Mute Witness for what seems like an eternity. Now that I have, I can't help feeling a bit disappointed. There are some strong elements here, but also some stuff that doesn't work that well. The decision to turn the movie from a contained chase thriller in the first half into a spy comedy for the latter part was certainly a weird one. Like so many first-time directors Anthony Waller's debut feature lacks discipline, wanting to be too many things at once. Well, at least it's never boring, and while it didn't quite deliver the blood-curdling horror I expected, I feel that this is one that might improve on repeat viewings. 6.5/10 |
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Post by theravenking on Oct 21, 2023 15:38:59 GMT
 Lady in White (1988; Frank LaLoggia)
What the hell did I just watch? Variety's review called it a superb supernatural horror film. Pauline Kael seems to have been charmed by it too. Well, I wasn't. Call me an old curmudgeon, but I found the whole thing rather annoying and lame. Lukas Haas' performance was also a bit one-dimensional. I know, not everybody can be Jean-Pierre Léaud or Christian Bale, but his turn lacked the type of (emotional) intelligence that would characterise a decent young thespian. The director tries to cram so many genres into his film: family drama, ghost story, comedy, sordid abuse tragedy, - even themes like racism and the source of literary inspiration are brought up, - that it ends up being an uneven hodgepodge of disparate parts. The somewhat similar Paper House had at least a more concise plot and better handmade effects, while this one relies too much on dated CGI. A weird curio which did very little for me. 4/10 |
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sog
Elliot Carver
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Post by sog on Oct 21, 2023 22:17:51 GMT
I've been forgetting to update here, so I'll just post a list of everything watched this past week and try to keep up from now on.
Pharaoh's Curse (Lee Sholem, 1957)
Pretty standard low budget 50s affair where the same sets are reused and every possible budget saving effect is in place. We don’t even get a proper mummy killer in it, rather a young man who rapidly turns old and then becomes like a vampire draining the archeologists of their blood. Wish I could say it was better, or at least so bad it’s good, but it’s a bit on the dull side for that. 4/10
The Wailing (Na Hong-jin, 2016)
I’ve heard several call this the best Korean horror movie they’ve ever seen. I feel like I must have watched a different movie. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not bad at all, but it’s nothing that I found spectacular (and honestly there’s an aspect of an invading foreigner causing all the problems that I have a bit of an issue with) and it’s overlong for the story it tells (over two and a half hours). Worth a watch, but I don’t quite see what so many seem to. 6/10
All Hallows' Eve (Damien Leone, 2013)
Leone’s first attempt at introducing us to Art the Clown before the much more successful Terrifier films. This is an anthology film with three stories (and a frame story) that all in some way feature Art. It’s low budget, but Leone’s effects are still great. That said the none of the three stories are really spectacular and Art is played by a different actor who does not capture the physical comedy as well. Still, it’s a fun and rather interesting little watch if you like the Terrifier films. 6/10
Don't Breathe (Fede Alvarez, 2016)
This is going to be an unpopular opinion based on how much love this one receives, but I didn’t care for it. It’s a movie that has one really good scene (the basement in the dark) but other than that I didn’t find it overly suspenseful. I hated all the characters in it (which isn’t a problem if I like what’s going on around them, but that is not the case here) and while it is technically well made I just couldn’t get into it. I actually lowered my score from when I first watched it having given a 5 at the time. Aspects annoyed me enough later to go 4/10
Monstrum (Huh Jong-ho, 2018)
Pretty fun little Korean monster movie. It reminded me a bit of Brotherhood of the Wolf in that both films are period pieces with a lot of the first half being a hunt/investigation to see if there even is a monster. This one is certainly action packed and with a bit of political intrigue to add to the mix. I can’t say it pulls off everything it tries to do, but it is quite a fun ride. 6/10
Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things (Bob Clark, 1972)
Before he directed Black Christmas (and a Christmas Story for that matter), Bob Clark made this little horror comedy. It’s low budget and nowhere near as polished (or as good) as his other two other films mentioned, but it’s a nice early start. 6/10
The Devil Rides Out (Terence Fisher, 1968)
Very solid Hammer horror where Christopher Lee actually gets a rare chance to play the hero (and he does it very well). There’s a rather amazing scene where he and a group of people stand in a circle of protection which is quite stunning and very suspenseful (and not even ruined by a very fake spider monster despite its best efforts). Recommended to any classic horror fans. 7/10
Haunted Mansion (Justin Simien, 2023)
Most people I’ve talked to didn’t like this... much to my surprise, I really did. Now, to be fair, I’m pretty much one of their prime candidates to like it. I remember being a kid and going to Disney World and riding the Haunted Mansion what was no doubt to my parents an obnoxious amount of times as it was by far my favorite thing. After having my own daughter and going back, well, the Haunted Mansion was still my favorite thing. The movie captures so much of the wonderful aspects of the ride that I couldn’t help but kind of love it. Is it a great movie? Hell no. Is it flawed? Oh, yes. Did I find Tiffany Haddish’s character annoying to the point that I questioned my enjoyment? At least once or twice. Still, overall, I really enjoyed it. 7/10
The Deadly Camp (Bowie Lau, 1999)
I know what this movie wants to be. It wants to be a Hong Kong Texas Chainsaw Massacre. What it is though is a truly horrible slasher movie that’s only notable aspect is being made in Hong Kong rather than America. Poorly edited, poorly shot, no suspense, terrible decisions and just all around a bad movie, and not even in a fun way. 1/10
Supernatural (Victor Halperin, 1933)
This movie is so much fun. In this seemingly forgotten pre-code classic, a woman gets possessed by the ghost of a murderess to kill the ex-boyfriend of said murderess who turned her in. The boy friend is a fake spiritualist who is trying to get to the woman for her fortune using her dead brother (sound a bit convoluted yet? You have no idea!) and turns out he’s also a murderer! My favorite scene is when the woman invites him to her old apartment (well, old apartment when she was alive), and when the man asks how she knew about this particular place, she says "Oh, a friend of mine lived here" and then pulls a sheet down from a standing frame to reveal that former murderess kept a massive, lavish, and indulgent full-size painting of herself in her studio apartment. It’s such a delightfully 30s horror reveal and I’m so there for it. I actually significantly prefer this to the director’s much better known horror film White Zombie by far. 8/10
Erotic Nightmare (Wai-Man Cheng, 1999)
Hong Kong Cat III film about a man who buys erotic dreams from a salesman while his wife is ill. The dreams turn deadly in real life as he ends up killing people while in them. It’s stupid Cat III fun if you like these sorts of things, which frankly I find them hilarious. That said, I certainly would not suggest it for everyone. 6/10
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Post by the knife on Oct 22, 2023 0:47:08 GMT
not doing reviews atm or counting, but here's what i've watched since:
Renfield (2023) 6/10
The Bell Keeper (2023) 4/10
Malum (2023) 8/10
The Haunting (1999) 5/10 rewatch
Totally Killer (2023) 10/10 watched this twice today. it is soooo much fun
The Fog (2005) 5/10
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Post by Meseia on Oct 22, 2023 1:58:41 GMT
Renfield (2023) - Better than expected. Briskly paced, gory, action packed, Nicholas Cage nails Dracula, I loved it. 
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Post by Meseia on Oct 22, 2023 3:26:52 GMT
An American Haunting (2005), based on the true story of the Bell Witch. This movie has the right ingredients: a great story, top notch acting (Donald Sutherland, Sissy Spacek, Rachel Wood, etc.), great sets, but there is something missing in the way it's all put together that leaves it kinda boring. Rachel takes a lot of abuse but never shows a mark or drop of blood (except on sheets and her night dress), she is held off the ground by her hair and slapped silly, dragged around the house and up the stairs, tossed around violently, and not a mark on her. There is not a single antagonist, rather it's something of a mystery until the end. And there is the end, {Spoiler}where it turns out the whole thing was the father sexually abusing his daughter, then cut to the present day where it's happening again to a different family. The movie doesn't really work for me. 
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Oct 22, 2023 16:58:41 GMT
Dressed to Kill (1980)
Really liked it. Always do with Brian DePalma movies.
I really liked the visuals. They lingered with me long after.
The Haunting (1963)
This one I've seen a few times. I've always liked it, but it's creeping up to my favourite movies list period. If I see a copy around I'd buy it.
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Post by the knife on Oct 22, 2023 17:19:21 GMT
Totally Killer (Nahnatchka Khan, 2023) 10/10 Campy time travel slasher-comedy sounded so fantastic. And it is! It's also hilariously funny. I laughed heartily throughout! I love that Kiernan Shipka has been playing a high school student since 2015. You go girl. She really is adorable in this with her little sarcastic ass. I see you, bestie! Right away, the movie hooked with its Halloween atmosphere. The plot picks up quickly and keeps the beat the entirety of its runtime! I never found myself bored, actually growing more and more invested as time went on. The story makes for a fun time; a great blend of perfectly-timed clever comedy, thrilling horror sequences, and heartfelt moments all scattered throughout. The humour in this cinematic gem is razor-sharp, delivered with impeccable timing and laced with biting wit. It's not merely a source of comic relief but a vehicle for trenchant social commentary, underscoring the film's depth. The ingenious balance of levity and gravitas is a testament to the narrative dexterity at play. The references and homages to other films are tasteful and work every time. I really enjoyed the Scream name drop! As a slasher fan, I am pleased with the gore and kills. I also love the sets, the amusement park being my favourite. The wardrobe is perfect, especially the Molly Ringwald inspiration! I can’t go without mentioning the soundtrack, which most definitely pulls the ‘80s vibe all together! The entire cast is phenomenal, Kiernan Shipka and Olivia Holt giving my favourite performances to no one’s surprise! I also adore Troy Leigh-Anne Johnson, Kelcey Mawema, Julie Bowen, and of course Liana Liberato. But like I said, every cast member fits right into their role, almost each character being entertaining to follow. Definitely better than even I expected it to be. A blast of a time-travel slasher that I’ll be revisiting quite a lot! Olivia and Kiernan, please do more in the horror genre!!!
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Post by Meseia on Oct 23, 2023 4:22:48 GMT
House on Haunted Hill (1959), I won't argue it's the best haunted house movie, but it's my favorite haunted house movie and my favorite Vincent Price movie, and I watch it almost every October and still love it. 
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sog
Elliot Carver
Posts: 487
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Post by sog on Oct 23, 2023 4:40:29 GMT
 The Wrath (Young-sun Yoo, 2018) Another Korean horror period piece to add to my list this October. There was a good movie buried in here somewhere, but sadly it couldn’t quite pull it off. It feels like it needed to be a slower burn as at first I was enjoying the build up, but unfortunately the last half of the movie moves way too fast. It feels like it needed to be thirty minutes longer, take its time and explain things a bit more/have a more natural way for the characters to learn past events and just build up the threat. As things stand it moves in an unnatural way to keep things “exciting” and has way too many bad CGI moments. 3/10 |
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Post by Meseia on Oct 23, 2023 5:49:03 GMT
The House of Secrets (1936), Meh, barely worth summarizing. An American inherits a house in England and there is a buried pirate treasure inside, nonsensical story ensues.
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Post by theravenking on Oct 23, 2023 11:14:22 GMT
Dracula Untold (2014; Gary Shore) I like the idea of bringing Dracula back to his roots and telling the character's origin story in form of a historical feature. It's just that I fear, that the way they actually went about doing it here was all wrong. This should've been a small, intimate, R-rated movie. Instead it's an expensive fantasy-adventure flick, heavy on CGI and rather underwhelming battle scenes. By trying to appeal to the family crowd the frightening aspect of the character is largely lost. I'm not asking for vampire torture porn, but after all there's a reason he was called Vlad, the Impaler. The moral coundrum the protagonist finds himself in is not sufficiently explored either. This could've been stuff for a powerful tragedy. Dracula is trying to do the right thing by protecting his people and his family, but in order to do so he has to make a pact with the devil, losing his humanity and turning into a monster in the process. However Dracula Untold seems to be more interested in delivering superficial thrills. At least the dark and moody visuals are lovely to look at, and Luke Evans makes for a great, energetic leading man. 5.5/10 |
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Post by Meseia on Oct 24, 2023 1:41:07 GMT
Clue (not horror but I don't care).
The Invisible Man, 1933.
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Post by theravenking on Oct 24, 2023 12:16:21 GMT
Down aka The Shaft (2001; Dick Maas) A different kind of "elevated" horror. I've been originally meaning to watch the Dutch original from 1983, but eventually had to settle for this one. The movie wasn't exactly well-received on its release, it got panned both in Europe and the US. In America it even had its theatrical release cancelled, because of a scene where two characters speculate about terrorists flying a plane into a building, which was deemed tasteless right after 9/11 (Though the movie had obviously been shot previous to the attacks making for one of those weird coincidences / premonitions which often seem to occur in life.) Sadly even aside from this controversy Down is a weak and plodding movie which attempts to be an over-the-top horror-comedy but the humor is often of the cringeworthy variety. The problem with an evil lift is, that you would only have to take the stairs to escape it, and one starts wondering, why they don't simply switch the goddamn thing of after multiple "accidents" have occured.
Naomi Watts is also pretty terrible here, it's probably a good thing David Lynch hadn't seen her in this before casting her in Mulholland Drive.
4/10 |
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Oct 24, 2023 17:11:00 GMT
Mark of the Vampire (1935)
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