Horror

[Gamblour.]

The organization of these posts does not really matter at all to me. I'd rather just have them collected in one thread and be consistent.

[RegularKarate]

The organization of these posts does not really matter at all to me. I'd rather just have them collected in one thread and be consistent.

agreed... I wish it had started like that, actually.

Also... did you watch the theatrical version of 1408 or the "unrated" version?... I understand that the unrated version has a different ending and you don't get both endings on the same disc.

[Gamblour.]

The unrated version, and from what I've read about the theatrical ending, I would get this one.

[modage]

my first two new viewings this year were both duds.  i was not a fan of the original Creepshow but the 2nd installment makes the first one look like a masterpiece of macabre.  all the stories are lame, besides george kennedy there are no recognizable actors (where art thou ed harris!) and the whole thing is as unscary as shit.  CRAPSHOW 2. 

candyman 2 was a classier piece of crap.  bill condon directs (god only knows why) and moves the action to new orleans where we are treated to an hour and a half retread of the first film but worse.  the score is good and phillip glassy still and condon shows lots of poor people which must mean something.  but there are 100 fake scares and no real ones and i'm not sure why i am supposed to care.  thats the trouble with a sequel when you have only one character (your villain) returning, the audience already knows whats up and their patience is much shorter for introducing a new batch of characters who are inevitably much less interesting than the characters from the previous film.  so you're watching but you're not sure why.  theres no hook.  ZING!

[modage]

my first sherlock holmes film (if you don't count The Great Mouse Detective) was a fairly okay hammer affair.  with the look that christopher lee gives on the box you'd expect him to be some sort of villain but unfortunately thats not the case and the film sags a bit because of it.  still, good acting, sets, and script from the typically dependable hammer studios.

It!  The Terror From Beyond Space is probably most notable for being the template for the first Alien film.  only made within a year or two of the above hammer film it feels like it could've been decades older but i suppose thats due to the budget and acting.  still, for what it is, not a bad film and definitely worth watching for the similarities to the first Alien.

[RegularKarate]

Bad movie night again... we actually watched two movies because the first one was so bad we had to get the taste out of our mouths.


The Number 23

This was just plain horrible.
Does Jim Carrey just accept any non-comedic role he's offered?
We kind of had to dig to find things to laugh about during this one.  Of course, it was fun to point out the stupid appearances of the number 23 before they were discovered by the characters and everytime Carrey's character has a saxophone in his hands, it's hilarious... he just randomly has it and looks so ridiculous with it.
Most movies that have some kind of "what's going on?" mystery like this, I'll sit through just to find out what's happening or to see if my predictions are right, but with this one if there hadn't been other people watching and laughing, I would have turned it off because I haven't cared less about how a mystery ends in years. 


Halloween 3:Season of the Witch

This was much more fun to watch than I remembered from the last time I saw it.
Dan Challis's alcoholic Doctor is amazing... he's always got a drink and he's a total asshole.  I'm pretty confident he was a strong influence for Josh Brolin's Doctor Block in Planet Terror.
As most know, this was an attempt to pull the Halloween franchise away from Michael Meyers and it failed miserably.
There are so many problems with the plot (They were able to steal a giant pillar from Stonehenge and secretly get it across the ocean and the reason the mad scientist character wants to murder all the children in the US (and I assume their parents) is "why not?"), but it's really fun to watch it all happen (assuming you're in the mood to make fun of the movie).

[Stefen]

I'm going to watch Carpenters The Thing tonight. Anyone seen this recently? How does it hold up? I remember this movie scaring the shit outta me.

[modage]

I'm going to watch Carpenters The Thing tonight. Anyone seen this recently? How does it hold up? I remember this movie scaring the shit outta me.

its still excellent, kurt russell is a total badass and i think its one of the best (horror) remakes ever.

check out my review here: http://xixax.com/index.php?topic=4600.msg205995#msg205995

[w/o horse]

The Thing gets better with each viewing.

[diggler]

i'll jump in and say carpenters the thing holds up very well today. (i realize how weird that sentence would sound if i left the word "the" out of it)

[Pubrick]

(i realize how weird that sentence would sound if i left the word "the" out of it)

it would change from true to false. considering his age and steady stream of flops from the last 20 years.

[john]

The Thing really is seminal Carpenter.

Speaking of JC, I just watched Someone's Watching Me. It came in the Twisted Terror collection Warners released... which, so far, has been a great purchase for the Halloween season. I got it because it seemed like six negligable horror films for a good price... including a couple "forgotten" films from Carpenter, Stone, and Craven (whose entire career is almost comprised of forgettable films)... anyway, so far I've been pretty impressed.

Eyes of a Stranger is a commendable enough little slasher pic... a few absurdly overblown murders, a young (briefly nude) Jennifer Jason Leigh, and a couple genuine scares.

But, anyway, Someone's Watching Me... Carpenter working within the frame of a made-for-tv movie, and it shows... the cinematography is flat, some of the acting's a bit stilted, but the low budget really helps.... there's a fine scare in the first act that makes the whole film worthwhile. A scare that is simple and effective.

That's really what I like best about The Thing (and most of Carpenter's better work, really) with the exception of the monster effects, he really uses simplicity to elicit interest and fright. It's not over-wrought, it's not over-thought, it's just fine-tuned and fucking fun. (see also: the Fog, Prince of Darkness).

[RegularKarate]

(see also:  Prince of Darkness)

actually, don't

[modage]

yeah The Fog and Prince Of Darkness are both pretty damn terrible. 

[john]

(see also:  Prince of Darkness)

actually, don't

Well played, sir.

yeah The Fog and Prince Of Darkness are both pretty damn terrible. 

Alright, I guess sentiment clouds objectivity when it comes to me and Prince of Darkness... but The Fog? Terrible? Really?

I've never really heard any totally negative responses to The Fog... so do tell...