|
Post by wireman on Oct 21, 2023 23:22:09 GMT
19. Wolf's Hole (1987) Czechoslovakian film
A group of teenagers are mysteriously invited to a skiing workshop in the mountains. There are eleven of them, but the camp supervisors insist that there should be only ten, and that one of them is an intruder.
The first 30 minutes were promising but then the film just turned into a strange and confusing mess. 3/10
|
|
|
Post by fushingfeef on Oct 22, 2023 0:39:09 GMT
21. The Call of Cthulhu (FTV)
2005 film of the H.P. Lovecraft tale done in silent black and white 1920’s style.
Many filmmakers have tried to put the tales of H.P. Lovecraft to film, with varying degrees of success. Even in the best interpretations, the main criticism tends to be that they just didn’t quite capture the feel of the written work. The Call of Cthulhu probably comes the closest to any of the films to looking like something that H.P. Lovecraft himself would have approved of.
Clocking in at a mere 47 minutes and lacking a large budget, it was a wise decision to set this in the time (and technological limitations) that the story was written. A little goes a long way (arguably the same could be said about Lovecraft’s flowery writing style). The actors and makeup style have the look of a genuine 1920’s film, even fake scratches, overexposures, and dust artifacts were added for a more period-filmic look.
The monster itself is also a highlight, done in period-accurate herky-jerky stop motion animation. In a shorter work they are able to get away with things that wouldn’t have worked in a full-length movie. There’s a Cabinet of Dr. Caligari look to the angular sets, lots of maps and news clippings, and perhaps a few too many Dutch angles and title cards, but I was enthralled.
A must-see for fans of Lovecraft, a worthwhile curiosity to casual horror fans.
4 out of 5 stars.Bob's October 2023 Horror Movie List *FTV denotes first-time viewings 1. Ghostwatch 4/5 (FTV) 2. Wendel & Wild 4/5 (FTV) 3. Dolls 3/5 (FTV) 4. Society 3/5 (FTV) 5. Tombs of the Blind Dead 3/5 (FTV) 6. The Brainiac 3/5 (FTV) 7. The Visitor 3/5 (FTV) 8. Talk To Me 4/5 (FTV) 9. Young Frankenstein 5/5 10. The Exorcist II: The Heretic 3/5 (FTV) 11. Creepshow 3 1/5 (FTV) 12. Skinamarink 4/5 (FTV) 13. The Tunnel (2011) 2/5 (FTV) 14. Friday the 13th part VI: Jason Lives 4/5 15. Dracula (1979) 3/5 (FTV) 16. Nekromantik 3/5 (FTV) 17. One Missed Call (2009) 3/5 (FTV) 18. Hatching 3/5 (FTV) 19. Evil Dead Rise 3/5 (FTV) 20. TerrorVision 3/5 (FTV) 21. The Call of Cthulhu 4/5 (FTV)
|
|
|
Post by wolf on Oct 22, 2023 1:11:53 GMT
I would love to see that 2005 “The Call of Cthulhu”! 😱🙂
31. “The Woman In Black” 2012
Daniel Radcliffe, Ciaran Hinds, Janet McTeer and quite a few other familiar and excellent character actors in the supporting cast.
(It’s terrible how too often I do not know, or don’t remember, the names to go with the faces 💔)
A Hammer film! And a really good one too. A very affecting, moody and dank atmosphere. Sad and often frightful, with a lot of tension and suspense. A tragic story, with a desperate but heroic act leading up to the shocking surprise ending.
Daniel Radcliffe is so awesome in the lead. Enjoyed this movie very much. I found it on YouTube, free with ads.
|
|
|
Post by osnafrank on Oct 22, 2023 15:09:16 GMT
18.) Run Rabbit Run (FTV 1,5/5)
A fertility doctor notices strange behaviour in her young daughter after she claims to have memories of another life and must confront a ghost from her past, challenging her own values.
I would have given it 1 point, but half a point is for the rabbit, because he was cute and the best actor.
What a train wrack. The plot reads like a laundry list of horror movie cliches. The storyline is so baffling that even the rabbits would scratch their ears in confusion. Real Horror was the runtime.
|
|
|
Post by osnafrank on Oct 22, 2023 15:19:50 GMT
19.) Scream(2022) (FTV 4,5/5)
Sam Carpenter returns to Woodsboro after her sister gets attacked by the Ghostface. She approaches Dewey Riley to help catch the killer, who warns Sidney and Gale.
Surprisingly Good, really enjoyed this movie.
It's a very self aware film, that pays homage to the original. It offers incredible cinematography, a great score and some stand out performances. There is a comedy aspect, but not overdone, the kills are brutal.
The Cast is phenomenal good, and everyone’s performance was excellent in this.
|
|
|
Post by osnafrank on Oct 22, 2023 18:04:35 GMT
20.) Virus (3/5)
After their boat is destroyed, an American crew comes across a Russian communications vessel which is inhibited by aliens. The crew is left with no choice but to fight them.
A little gore, thrill and sci fi, worth a watch.
|
|
|
Post by fushingfeef on Oct 23, 2023 0:46:05 GMT
22. The Awakening (FTV)
Skeptic of the paranormal investigates hauntings at a boys’ boarding school in 1921 northern England.
It would be easy to criticize The Awakening as being overly familiar and too much of a slow burn to hold much appeal, but a well-done ghost story is always welcome in my home theater. Yes, it’s probably derivative of superior works in the genre--anyone who has seen haunted house stories involving children (The Innocents, The Others come to mind) or boarding school youths (Suspiria, Picnic at Hanging rock) may feel like they’ve seen this one before.
But The Awakening isn’t just some cash grab, it respects the genre as it pays homage to the tropes. The actors are uniformly excellent, with lead Rebecca Hall displaying strength, paradoxically, through her rare shows of vulnerability. This is the kind of movie where you feel like you’re in good competent hands, so you stick with it even as it begins to strain just past midpoint, the stillness setting up a final third that escalates tension and makes you rethink what you’ve seen up to that point. It’s not a particularly scary movie but it very much establishes an atmosphere of dread and loneliness that few modern movies bother to even try.
A bit predictable but well done, fans of English ghost stories will enjoy.
4 out of 5 stars.Bob's October 2023 Horror Movie List *FTV denotes first-time viewings 1. Ghostwatch 4/5 (FTV) 2. Wendel & Wild 4/5 (FTV) 3. Dolls 3/5 (FTV) 4. Society 3/5 (FTV) 5. Tombs of the Blind Dead 3/5 (FTV) 6. The Brainiac 3/5 (FTV) 7. The Visitor 3/5 (FTV) 8. Talk To Me 4/5 (FTV) 9. Young Frankenstein 5/5 10. The Exorcist II: The Heretic 3/5 (FTV) 11. Creepshow 3 1/5 (FTV) 12. Skinamarink 4/5 (FTV) 13. The Tunnel (2011) 2/5 (FTV) 14. Friday the 13th part VI: Jason Lives 4/5 15. Dracula (1979) 3/5 (FTV) 16. Nekromantik 3/5 (FTV) 17. One Missed Call (2009) 3/5 (FTV) 18. Hatching 3/5 (FTV) 19. Evil Dead Rise 3/5 (FTV) 20. TerrorVision 3/5 (FTV) 21. The Call of Cthulhu 4/5 (FTV) 22. The Awakening 4/5 (FTV)
|
|
|
Post by wolf on Oct 23, 2023 3:00:18 GMT
I’ve seen ‘The Awakening” before. I would like to see it again, if I can find it.
“Virus”, I am not sure if I’ve seen it or not.
I’ll have to look for both.
I did look for “Wolf’s Hole”, but it’s not available to me at this time.
|
|
|
Post by fushingfeef on Oct 23, 2023 18:36:37 GMT
23. Jack Frost (1997) (FTV)
After an experimental chemical accident, a serial killer becomes a killer snowman seeking to get revenge on the sheriff who caught him.
There’s camp (TerrorVision) and then there’s schlock, and Jack Frost (no relation to the shmaltzy Michael Keaton movie released the following year) sits firmly in schlock territory. While the notion of an animated snowman isn’t a particularly unique one (hello, Frosty), there’s something inherently creepy about the idea of a snowman coming to life. Unfortunately Jack Frost doesn’t lean into the creep factor and instead remakes Child’s Play with the serial killer once again inhabiting an anthropomorphic form, wreaking havoc, and wisecracking all the way. You know the drill.
But I gotta admit, I didn’t hate this movie and often caught myself enjoying it. The budget was extremely low so they had to keep finding creative ways to show the snowman (or should I say, guy in a snowman costume) who had obvious mobility limitations. Hence, a lot of quick cuts back and forth, and some very fake snow that occasionally looked like white felt, shredded styrofoam, or instant mashed potato mix. You’d think they would have sunk more of their miniscule budget into the main star of the show, but from what I heard, the budget was less than a third of what a 30 second Campbell’s soup commercial got (the director’s previous job). Still, they found ways to keep things interesting, like giving the snowman the ability to melt himself so he can slip under doors and reassemble on the other side. It’s like Shocker, but with snow!
In other highlights, the characters are pretty good, with Chris Allport as the sheriff playing things entirely straight and serious (in perhaps the cruelest irony ever, after two Jack Frost movies and a third planned, Allport died in—not lying—an avalanche). We also get soon-to-be American Pie foreign exchange student Shannon Elizabeth in her debut role, taking a bath no less. Psycho, it ain’t.
Lovers of “so bad it’s good”, grab some Hostess Snoballs and enjoy.
3 out of 5 stars. Bob's October 2023 Horror Movie List *FTV denotes first-time viewings 1. Ghostwatch 4/5 (FTV) 2. Wendel & Wild 4/5 (FTV) 3. Dolls 3/5 (FTV) 4. Society 3/5 (FTV) 5. Tombs of the Blind Dead 3/5 (FTV) 6. The Brainiac 3/5 (FTV) 7. The Visitor 3/5 (FTV) 8. Talk To Me 4/5 (FTV) 9. Young Frankenstein 5/5 10. The Exorcist II: The Heretic 3/5 (FTV) 11. Creepshow 3 1/5 (FTV) 12. Skinamarink 4/5 (FTV) 13. The Tunnel (2011) 2/5 (FTV) 14. Friday the 13th part VI: Jason Lives 4/5 15. Dracula (1979) 3/5 (FTV) 16. Nekromantik 3/5 (FTV) 17. One Missed Call (2009) 3/5 (FTV) 18. Hatching 3/5 (FTV) 19. Evil Dead Rise 3/5 (FTV) 20. TerrorVision 3/5 (FTV) 21. The Call of Cthulhu 4/5 (FTV) 22. The Awakening 4/5 (FTV) 23. Jack Frost 3/5 (FTV)
|
|
|
Post by osnafrank on Oct 23, 2023 18:56:39 GMT
21.) The Cloverfield Project (3/5)
Orbiting above an Earth on the brink of catastrophic energy wars, scientists test a dangerous device that could provide unlimited power but also runs the risk of creating a terrifying paradox, leaving them face-to-face with a dark alternate reality.
As a Scifi fan, i wish,they had used the concept of paradoxical realities better.
I wished they continued the horror movie vibes, they had going on in the middle. The creepy suspense died near the end.
|
|
|
Post by spideyman on Oct 24, 2023 14:38:40 GMT
21- Escape Room- 2019- Six strangers find themselves in a maze of deadly mystery rooms and must use their wits to survive.
22. Escape Room 2- Tournament of Champions 2021- Six people unwittingly find themselves locked in another series of escape rooms, slowly uncovering what they have in common to survive -- and discovering they've all played the game before.
|
|
|
Post by spideyman on Oct 24, 2023 14:41:55 GMT
23. Dracula 2000- Long ago, Abraham Van Helsing (Christopher Plummer) imprisoned the infamous Count Dracula (Gerard Butler) within a vault inside Carfax Abbey. In the present day, Van Helsing relies on Dracula's immortal blood to remain alive. But then thieves breaks into the vault and steal the vampire's coffin, thinking it contains something valuable. Liberated from his prison, Dracula seizes the opportunity to escape, but Van Helsing sets out to banish him to the crypt once again.
24.Hocus Pocus 2--2022- Three young women accidentally bring back the Sanderson Sisters to modern day Salem and must figure out how to stop the child-hungry witches from wreaking havoc on the world.
|
|
|
Post by wireman on Oct 24, 2023 14:43:31 GMT
20. Captive State (2019) John Goodman
The movie takes place 10 years after an alien occupation and a resistance movement is trying to fight back. It's a bit slow at the beginning as it introduces all the characters. I like how the characters all seem to be acting somewhat independently and out of electronic surveillance range. It makes it a little confusing at first but it also makes perfect sense. It's a little hard to follow but it's a good one if you can hang in there. John Goodman is fantastic in this. 8/10
|
|
|
Post by osnafrank on Oct 24, 2023 19:07:10 GMT
22.) VFW (4/5)
A team of war veterans take it upon themselves to protect a teenager who finds herself on the wrong side of dangerous mutants. They use their skills in combat to try and defeat their nemesis.
The movie feels like a homage to J. Carpenter. An action siege kind of movie,and a good old fashioned gore fest, with an excellent cast.
|
|
|
Post by fushingfeef on Oct 24, 2023 21:08:03 GMT
24. The Devonsville Terror (FTV)
Town that unjustly killed three women accused of witchcraft in 1683 is cursed to pay the price 300 years later when the witches return in the form of (gasp) modern liberated women.
The movie started out semi-promising with creative witch executions (eaten alive by starving pigs, tied to a flaming wagon wheel and rolled down a hill) so despite the obvious low production values I had hopes for an early 70’s style exploitation horror film. This was also a not-at-all-subtle feminist horror movie in which the sleazy men who control the town (and control the women) get their comeuppance, so I was sure this had been made in the early 70’s when women’s lib was a hot trending topic at the drive-in. I was pretty surprised to find out this movie was made and released in 1983. Maybe everyone passed on the script for 10 years?
Alas, after a promising beginning it settles into a pretty tedious slog. The grainy, sparse look that I had associated with the early 70’s exploitation was just a low budget lack of cinematography, occasionally wobbly hand-held camera work, and lifeless monotone acting. I had hoped that Donald Pleasence would inject life into the proceedings, but he obviously put in one day of work on a single indoor set where he mostly sits at a desk and annoys us with a flickering light to hypnotize his subjects. You know a movie is in trouble when the main villain is Paul from Cheers. You don’t remember Paul from Cheers? Yeah, no one does. He’s the heavy guy with glasses who sat by Norm and Cliff drinking beer while they got all the good lines.
Laughable special effects towards the end (a toothy foam rubber devil mask, melting men that look like unsuccessful test footage from Raiders of the Lost Ark) can’t quite save this dull mess.
2 out of 5 stars.Bob's October 2023 Horror Movie List *FTV denotes first-time viewings 1. Ghostwatch 4/5 (FTV) 2. Wendel & Wild 4/5 (FTV) 3. Dolls 3/5 (FTV) 4. Society 3/5 (FTV) 5. Tombs of the Blind Dead 3/5 (FTV) 6. The Brainiac 3/5 (FTV) 7. The Visitor 3/5 (FTV) 8. Talk To Me 4/5 (FTV) 9. Young Frankenstein 5/5 10. The Exorcist II: The Heretic 3/5 (FTV) 11. Creepshow 3 1/5 (FTV) 12. Skinamarink 4/5 (FTV) 13. The Tunnel (2011) 2/5 (FTV) 14. Friday the 13th part VI: Jason Lives 4/5 15. Dracula (1979) 3/5 (FTV) 16. Nekromantik 3/5 (FTV) 17. One Missed Call (2009) 3/5 (FTV) 18. Hatching 3/5 (FTV) 19. Evil Dead Rise 3/5 (FTV) 20. TerrorVision 3/5 (FTV) 21. The Call of Cthulhu 4/5 (FTV) 22. The Awakening 4/5 (FTV) 23. Jack Frost 3/5 (FTV) 24. The Devonsville Terror 2/5 (FTV)
|
|
|
Post by osnafrank on Oct 25, 2023 18:58:46 GMT
23.) Us (FTV 4/5)
Accompanied by her husband, son and daughter, Adelaide Wilson returns to the beachfront home where she grew up as a child. Haunted by a traumatic experience from the past, Adelaide grows increasingly concerned that something bad is going to happen. Her worst fears soon become a reality when four masked strangers descend upon the house.
This was a suspensful horror film. Well crafted and well directed with many tension-filled cat and mouse scenes and creepy moments. Tricky, intriguing and edge of the seat horror thriller, which keeps your interest alive once the thrilling part kicks in.
|
|
|
Post by fushingfeef on Oct 25, 2023 19:54:37 GMT
25. The Houses that October Built (FTV)
Thrill-seekers looking to vlog the scariest haunted house attractions end up getting in over their heads.
This is called a found footage movie but many parts of it are framed more like a news documentary. The actors seem to be improvising quite a bit through their scenes, which makes the occasional scripted line seem unnatural and clunky. I enjoyed seeing several haunted houses and costumed characters, and how they became more rough around the edges (and often creepier) as the team gets deeper into what they refer to as “the backwoods.” Certain characters have a good creep factor such as the porcelain faced girl, others such as the skull-masked guy just look silly.
As a movie, I think this could have done with some tightening up and a bit more plot to drive things along. It makes less and less sense as more warning signs occur that they would just simply proceed ahead as if nothing wrong was going on. For example, in one scene the woman is cornered in the ladies room by two drunk locals and she has to tear herself away. Why at this point they would continue on their tour of haunted house attractions, after a physical assault that was moments from becoming much worse?
The end could have used more dialogue than just a hundred variations of “Guys? Where are you?” over and over, but as far as found footage films go, this one was serviceable.
3 out of 5 stars.
Bob's October 2023 Horror Movie List *FTV denotes first-time viewings 1. Ghostwatch 4/5 (FTV) 2. Wendel & Wild 4/5 (FTV) 3. Dolls 3/5 (FTV) 4. Society 3/5 (FTV) 5. Tombs of the Blind Dead 3/5 (FTV) 6. The Brainiac 3/5 (FTV) 7. The Visitor 3/5 (FTV) 8. Talk To Me 4/5 (FTV) 9. Young Frankenstein 5/5 10. The Exorcist II: The Heretic 3/5 (FTV) 11. Creepshow 3 1/5 (FTV) 12. Skinamarink 4/5 (FTV) 13. The Tunnel (2011) 2/5 (FTV) 14. Friday the 13th part VI: Jason Lives 4/5 15. Dracula (1979) 3/5 (FTV) 16. Nekromantik 3/5 (FTV) 17. One Missed Call (2009) 3/5 (FTV) 18. Hatching 3/5 (FTV) 19. Evil Dead Rise 3/5 (FTV) 20. TerrorVision 3/5 (FTV) 21. The Call of Cthulhu 4/5 (FTV) 22. The Awakening 4/5 (FTV) 23. Jack Frost 3/5 (FTV) 24. The Devonsville Terror 2/5 (FTV) 25. The Houses That October Built 3/5 (FTV)
|
|
|
Post by fushingfeef on Oct 25, 2023 20:31:12 GMT
26. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022) (FTV)
Millennials attempting to gentrify a Texas ghost town run into Leatherface and pay the price.
Just to get this up front, this movie calls itself Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and while it is set in Texas, and yes there is a chainsaw massacre, this movie doesn’t feel at all like what we’ve come to expect from this franchise. It’s a “straight to Netflix” sequel in name only. This is one of those movies where you are rooting for the killer, you just wish he’d do it more painfully.
Even at a brisk 83 minutes the film drags. For some reason they spend an inordinate amount of time talking about who has the deeds to the property, and a stupid plan to revitalize an isolated ghost town into some idealistic millennial paradise, as if any of that belongs in a TCM movie. And yes, this is yet another one of those “social media bad”, “influencer bad” movies, like we haven’t been hit over the head with that a million times. We get it Hollywood, you’re still angry and jealous that someone else has stolen all those eyeballs and attention spans that you used to monopolize.
Also, I found it completely tasteless and tone-deaf to have one of the characters be a survivor of a school shooting who is somehow made better and ostensibly “toughened up” by her past traumatic experiences. Is using the victim of a school shooting as a character in a movie whose title is synonymous with gratuitous violence really a good idea? I wasn’t so much offended as flabbergasted at their sheer gall.
Plus column? A couple decent kills, and one truly spectacular one towards the end. Bringing back the final girl from the original could have had potential but she’s wasted. You may think you want to see this because of the title, but you’ve been warned.
2 out of 5 stars.Bob's October 2023 Horror Movie List *FTV denotes first-time viewings 1. Ghostwatch 4/5 (FTV) 2. Wendel & Wild 4/5 (FTV) 3. Dolls 3/5 (FTV) 4. Society 3/5 (FTV 5. Tombs of the Blind Dead 3/5 (FTV) 6. The Brainiac 3/5 (FTV) 7. The Visitor 3/5 (FTV) 8. Talk To Me 4/5 (FTV) 9. Young Frankenstein 5/5 10. The Exorcist II: The Heretic 3/5 (FTV) 11. Creepshow 3 1/5 (FTV) 12. Skinamarink 4/5 (FTV) 13. The Tunnel (2011) 2/5 (FTV) 14. Friday the 13th part VI: Jason Lives 4/5 15. Dracula (1979) 3/5 (FTV) 16. Nekromantik 3/5 (FTV) 17. One Missed Call (2009) 3/5 (FTV) 18. Hatching 3/5 (FTV) 19. Evil Dead Rise 3/5 (FTV) 20. TerrorVision 3/5 (FTV) 21. The Call of Cthulhu 4/5 (FTV) 22. The Awakening 4/5 (FTV) 23. Jack Frost 3/5 (FTV) 24. The Devonsville Terror 2/5 (FTV) 25. The Houses That October Built 3/5 (FTV) 26. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022) 2/5 (FTV)
|
|
|
Post by wolf on Oct 26, 2023 17:58:53 GMT
32. “Cobweb” 2023
Lizzie Caplin, Cleopatra Coleman are the most recognizable faces. And a young boy in the supporting cast, named Luke Busey….I’m thinking he must be Jake Busey’s son! 🙂
This one was VERY good! Very scary and different story. 🙂
this morning I found “The Serpent and the Rainbow” on YouTube. You have to sign in to watch. I’ll see about that one later, I hope it’s in English and good quality. 🙂
|
|
|
Post by osnafrank on Oct 26, 2023 19:03:55 GMT
24.) Dante's Hotel (FTV 3/5)
An event planner teams up with a mysterious tenant to free a cursed hotel.
Some kind of Haunted Hotel Story, but with a different kind of Ghost, and some interesting ideas. It's an attempt of an interesting plot hook, with a slasher.
The kills are brutal and it has some creepy moments.
The acting was, mediocre, and almost every character acted like an idiot.
I wish this ghost had killed the annoying girl that stood next to the DJ. She seemed to be able to throw her hands in the air forever.
|
|