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Downloaded a bunch of '80s classics (for example: Evil Dead trilogy, The Blob, The Thing, The Fly) for a rewatch... awwww yeah

 

Has anyone seen/heard of the 2015 movie ''Deathgasm'' btw? It's going to be playing at a film festival here,and i'm wondering if it's worth watching in the cinema or if i can just settle for downloading it

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Downloaded a bunch of '80s classics (for example: Evil Dead trilogy, The Blob, The Thing, The Fly) for a rewatch... awwww yeah

 

Has anyone seen/heard of the 2015 movie ''Deathgasm'' btw? It's going to be playing at a film festival here,and i'm wondering if it's worth watching in the cinema or if i can just settle for downloading it

 

Tokage, I have watched it a few months ago. It's a good Horror Comedy, if you like this type of movies (and a lot of heavy metal) you can't go wrong!

 

B-movie at it's best!

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In Fear - Cold, chilling and minimalistic horror sure to put a scare into you. It's short, take sit time to build some suspense and has a sense of mystery to it. Nice cinematography, and there's a lovely claustrophobic feeling to it all as soon as things gets going. Sure made my heart run faster at times. It's well-acted, but Iain De Caestecker's character is awful and you just want him to die a slow, painful death. Sadly. But the rest here, aside from a few awful outside-and-in shots from outside the car is annoyingly bad, is pretty good. Recommended for sure.

 

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The Battery - A nice little horror-drama with some comedy where the drama stands a lot stronger than the horror. Calling this a horror film is a bit of a stretch to be honest, but I really liked this film. It's a very different zombie film with a good, small cast, some fantastic chemestry and a lovely soundtrack. The first half feels more like a montage of clips, but it works really well and the second half, though it drags on a bit towards the end, is really good and powerful. This isn't a film made to scare you in any way possible, but it's a very cool film. I really liked it's mellow, adventure-esque take on the zombie genre.

 

This is written by, directed by and starring Jeremy Gardner. Very impressive stuff, and a good debut.

 

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The Case of the Scorpion's Tail - Early 70's Giallo by Sergio Martino. It's a fairly standard film as far as giallos goes and you won't find anything new or remotely original here, and while it's quite obviously a low-budget film, or at least looks that way, it's very stylish in the giallo tradition, and the overall look of it is sexy. Lots of exciting angels used which ends up giving us plenty eye candy, and its shot in a veyr nice way. I love the set pieces for the murders, and the murders themself are sexy as fuck, just as you'd expect form a film like this. It's suspenseful, atmospheric and got a great mystery to it.

 

I wouldn't say it's an essential film and this wouldn't be among the films I would recommend starting with for people who want to get into giallo, but if you're slightly into giallos and slashers I would totally recommend this one. Great film!

 

The-Case-of-The-Scorpions-Tail-1971.jpg

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The only giallo-esque film I've seen so far is Tenebrae, what are some other good ones in the genre?

 

Also, something completely different, but I'm just curious; what's everyones favorite type of horror movie antagonist?

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As for classics, these five are a good place to start as they're top notch quality and really give a sense of what giallo is all about:

 

Deep Red

Blood and Black Lace

The Bird with the Crystal Plumage

Don't Torture a Duckling

Torso

 

These are all essential as far as giallo and slashers goes. If you like some of these, then you should dig way deeper into the genre as it has got a shitload of amazing movies to offer. I think Blood and Black Lace are my favourite out of this. Such a fine film, man!

 

As for more modern films, there's been a few releases over the past 10 years that's amazing as well:

 

Red Nights

Yellow (2012)

Berberian Sound Studio

Amer

The Editor

The Strange Colour of Your Body's Tears

 

These are a lot more experimental and artsy, though.But they're all fantastic. From these I'd say Red Nights are my favourite, but it's a very hard pick.

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The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh - The first entry into the giallo genre by Sergio Martino, and probably his best film ever. The first thing you'll notice here is that it looks gorgeous. It's super-stylized and shot in a way that makes the entire film look like a billion dollars. It looks a lot better than his next film, The Case of the Scorpion's Tail, even though it should have been the other way around. The film is again written by Ernesto Gastaldi who would write most of Martino's giallos, but it is a lot better written, and the plot is a lot more interesting and way mroe complex than The Case of the Scorpion's Tail. It's very well-acted as well, with familiar Sergio Martino and giallo-actors like George Hilton, Edwige Fenech and Ivan Rassimov in the leads. All three excellent of course.

 

But to just sum it up: everything from the way the film is scripted, shot and scored are nothing short of impressive. A lot of the scenes are incredible and they're that kind of scenes you'll remember for a long time after you've watching them. I love the dream-sequences in the film. They look bloody fucking amazing! This film is up there with the very best in the genre, and that says it all.

 

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Your Vice Is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key - Let me just start off by telling you all what a lovely title Sergio Martino choose for his fourth giallo. That is one hell of a title, and one that just screams giallo a long way. I love it! The title is also taken from his first giallo film, The Strange Vice of Mrs Wardh, where the killer leaves a card where that is written. How god damn cool is that, kids? Anyway, the film stars Edwige Fenech, Ivan Rassimov and Anita Strindberg, all who does a very fine job, and like many of his other giallos it's written by Ernesto Gastaldi who once again does a good job delivering a nice and gloomy mystery. The film uses many elements of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Black Cat", which I think is very cool, and it's an overall cool, gloomy, stylish and well-made giallo.

 

Also, as with most giallos out there, the  film feature an excellent score. Giallo scores is the shit!

 

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Torso - First off, let me just start off by saying that its literal English title is much cooler: The Bodies Presented Traces of Carnal Violence. Fuck yeah, that's a title I love! Anyway, Torso is the fifth giallo by Sergio Martino, but with this he went in a different direction than earlier. This is sleazier, dirtier and more fitting for grindhouse theaters than regular giallos. This is also considered one of the really, really big influences on the modern slasher genre. It's grim and brutal, and it features many elements that would end up defining the slasher genre only years later.

 

As I said, this is a bit sleazier and grindhouse-esque than his earlier giallos, as well as most other giallos around to be honest, but this is a must-see for anyone interested in either giallos or slashers, or both.

 

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I watched The Midnight Meat Train last night after being intrigued by this gif I saw on tumblr and it was pretty interesting!
tumblr_nxkunyoorF1te61b7o1_500.gif
 

Everything came quite clear towards the end and I was wondering why the man never talked. Nice twist to the ending as well!

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I watched The Midnight Meat Train last night after being intrigued by this gif I saw on tumblr and it was pretty interesting!

 

 

Everything came quite clear towards the end and I was wondering why the man never talked. Nice twist to the ending as well!

 

One should never reveal anything about twists in films, not like that at least. Should be put in a spoiler. When you know there's a twist, the twist won't come as a big surprise as you already know there'll be one. You might not know exactly what the twist is, but you know it's coming. And if yo know there's a twist, chances are much bigger you've already guessed the twist.

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Field of England... the atmosphere was terrific, but I just had no idea what really happened, lol.

 

IMO

 

nothing really happened. the ending was the beginning of the film

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One should never reveal anything about twists in films, not like that at least. Should be put in a spoiler. When you know there's a twist, the twist won't come as a big surprise as you already know there'll be one. You might not know exactly what the twist is, but you know it's coming. And if yo know there's a twist, chances are much bigger you've already guessed the twist.

 

Whoops, sorry about that! And I see your point. I was not referring exactly to the preceding sentence when I said that however, but I can see how some people may still guess from that.  I put it under spoiler now.

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I decided to DL Amer, The Editor, Torso and The Strange Colour of Your Body's Tears (since those were the only ones I could find torrents w/ seeders for whoops), thanks for the recs :D

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I decided to DL Amer, The Editor, Torso and The Strange Colour of Your Body's Tears (since those were the only ones I could find torrents w/ seeders for whoops), thanks for the recs :D

 

That's weird. Both Deep Red and Blood and Black Lace, which tend to be included in more or less everyone's top 5 giallo lists (with good reason, as these are the best!) are very easy to find with a decent amount of seeds. kat.cr has both, as well as a shitload of other giallos. Anyway, all those are very cool. Four very different types of giallos as well. Amer and The Strange Colour of Your Body's Tears might be a bit too fucked up and weird for most people, though, but if you like weird there's no reason why they shouldn't please you.

 

 

Whoops, sorry about that! And I see your point. I was not referring exactly to the preceding sentence when I said that however, but I can see how some people may still guess from that.  I put it under spoiler now.

 

I don't know as I have never seen the film, but in general a twist tends to mean that's there's something very surprising and unexpected coming, and that itself is a huge spoiler. But as I said, no idea if that's what happens in the film you mentioned. Good work, though. The spoiler tag is here to be used. :D

 

 

Field of England... the atmosphere was terrific, but I just had no idea what really happened, lol.

 

IMO

 

nothing really happened. the ending was the beginning of the film

 

I can see why this ain't a film for everyone, but I really liked it. Thought it was superb to be honest. Psychedelic and nice. I'm sure taking acid gives you the exact same feeling as watching this film. It's a huge trip.

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All the Colors of the Dark - A very nice title to go along a very nice film. All the Colors of the Dark was Sergio Martino's third entry to the giallo genre, and as most his giallos it stars Edwige Fenech, George Hilton and Ivan Rassimov, and it's once again written by Ernesto Gastaldi. However, is this really a giallo, though? I say no. There's plenty giallo elements here, but this film are more in line with films such as Rosemary's Baby and Repulsion, or even Suspiria, than a regular giallo. Psychedelic, occult horror with touches of giallo is what I'd call this little gem. This is stylish, a bit messy and very, very cool.

 

If you want a giallo I'd search somewhere else, but if you want a great, psychedelic ride through a wold filled of horror and madness, this should be your pick of the night.

 

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The Suspicious Death of a Minor - Sergio Martino's sixth entry to the giallo genre isn't really a giallo. Like with All the Colors of the Dark there's giallo elements here, but this is something like 75% poliziotteschi and 25% giallo. Written by Ernesto Gastaldi as usual, and he's written a nice little gem, and stars Claudio Cassinelli, Mel Ferrer and Lia Tanzi in the main roles. Claudio Cassinelli is totally badass here and just drives the movie forward with his excellent performance as a loner-cop who does whatever the fuck he wants and makes up his own ruled as he moves along. The assiassin rules too. Looks so cool!

 

There's some very odd humor thrown into the mix as well, and while not hilarious, it worked fairly well as it for the most part was the same, ridicolous joke over and over again.

 

Also, the score is fantastic. Total fucking Goblin-vibes along the way which is cool as fuck.

 

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I also received this in the mail the other day:

 

jpg_blindDeadCollection.jpg

 

Box with the four Blind Dead movies, a disc with a documentary on Amando de Ossorio and an interview with the guy, and a 40 page booklet. It looks very nice.

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The Scorpion with Two Tails - When Sergio Martino made this it had been 6-7 yars since his last giallo and it shows, because this is one hell of a disappointing film. It's alright for what it is, but it's lacking in all departments with the exception of the score. The score, by no other than the genius that is Fabio Frizzi, is amazing and Claudio Cassinelli is badass as usual, but his role is way too small and the rest doesn't really do it in this film. There's also a somewhat supernatural element to this film that I'm not all that impressed with.

 

I liked it, but it's nowhere near his other giallo(-inspired) films. Not even close.

 

scorpion-with-two-tails.jpg

 

 

 

The Bird with the Crystal Plumage - This giallo masterpiece is Dario Argento's directorial debut, but from watching it you'd never guess it was his first film. It's a perfect film, and by just watching it you'd think Dario Argento had directed at least 40-50 films before this. It's well-written, it's well-acted and more than anything it's brilliantly directed. The film looks incredible , is shot beautifully and is very stylish, the plot is interesting and intriguing and the atmosphere is tense and haunting.

 

With this debut feature Dario Argento showed the entire world that he was more than just a talent: he was a genius. He was simply a unique specimen. This film has got everything you'd want in a giallo. Every single element is here. Beautifully scored by Ennio Morricone as well!

 

Perfect!

 

bird2.jpg

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The New York Ripper - 93 minutes of pure sleaze and mayhem by one of the two Masters of Gore, Lucio Fulci. And as usual in a Fulci film, there's gore. There's plenty of it. And it looks fantastic. The New York Ripper is a giallo that's silly, ridiculous and over the top, yet so intriguing and appealing. There's a certain mayhem that's present throughout the entire film, and the mystery of it all is great. A bit predictable perhaps, but great nonetheless. Intense and cruel. A must-see IMO!

 

Yes, the killer IS ridicolous, but that is much of the charm with this cult film if you ask me. You'll not believe it's true until the film is finished, then you'll realize the killer in this film is actually like that. antastic!

 

This film is one huge, sleazy gorefest. Lovely bits of sadistic violence, lots of blood and plenty nudity. This is sleaze and trash cinema at its best.

 

 

By the way, THAT one scene is incredible. So mean, cruel and sadistic, yet so beautiful and realistic. How anyone made violence like that looks so good before or after? I'm not so sure anyone has. And not only is making and including a scene like that very ballsy, but having it last for so long? That takes a massieve pair of balls.

All in all a fantastic rewatch. Way better than the fantastic film I remembered it as.

 

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The Case of the Bloody Iris - Great traditional early 70's giallo with all the trademarks present and a very cool murder-mystery. It's well-directed and acted, and superbly scripted for a mystery film. It's a stylish film full of atmosphere, terror and sexy. Well worth a look for all of you.

 

You know, I actually watched this because I thought it was a Sergio Martino flick, and it easily could've been. But it is not, it's actually directed by Giuliano Carnimeo, but I did not realize that until it was over and I went to read about the film. It's written by Ernesto Gastaldi who wrote most of Martino's giallos and it stars Martino favourites Edwige Fenech and George Hilton, and it very much looks like a Martino-flick as well.

 

bloodyirismirrors.png

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The Black Belly of the Tarantula - Great, underrated giallo by Paolo Cavara (Mondo Cane), starring an impressive Giancarlo Giannini as a very unusual inspector and some lovely Bond-babes such as Claudine Auger, Barbara Bouchet and Barbara Bach. It's stylish as a giallo is supossed to be, beatifully shot, well-acted and a bit sleazy. There's a bit too much going on at times and it starts exploring a few things which it doesn't follow up on, but when everything else is as well done as in this there's not really much to complain about.A bit too predictable as well, but all in all a superb film!

 

There's something so refreshing about the murderes in giallos, especially those from the 60's and early to mid-70's. They're so nicely orchestrated and so brutal, yet so beautiful in many ways. The Italians just knew how to execute them perfectly. They perfected it.

 

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I started on a horror anthology TV-series called Darknet this evening and is two episodes in now. Proper horror series for a change with 20-25 minute long episodes with a few different things going on in each. First episode was even written and directed by Vincenzo Natali (Cube). I thought both episodes were very good, and this is totally recommended for fans of VHS I & II. You'll like this for sure! Can't wait to coontinue on this tomorrow.

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Seven Deaths in the Cat's Eye - A very nice giallo by cult director Antonio Margheriti (Castle of Blood, The Long Hair of Death). It's very stylish, filled with lots of beautiful details, bloody and very atmospheric, and it is unusually set to the Scotish coutnryside and a remote castle which gives it a fairly original feeling. Well-acted and really well-scored by the great Riz Ortolani.

 

Seven Deaths in the Cat's Eye plays along as a fairly standard 70' giallo flick as far as the plot goes, but it's unusual setting and stylish, gothic atmosphere sets it apart from other giallos from the time and makes it into something very, very worthwhile, and not too far behind the best ones in the genre. Very underrated and totally recommended.

 

seven+deaths+in++a+cats+eye_in+secret+pa

 

 

Strip Nude for Your Killer - A total sleaze-fest from the mid-70's. Sadistic violence, stylish and lots of sexy nudity. This film has everything you could possibly want from a sleazyball of a film. Ok, so it's not well-directed despite some lovely shots here and there and nice cinematography, and, for most part at least, not very well-acted either, even though Edwige Fenech is as good and sexy as ever. But it's just got that feeling you'd want in some of these films. A feeling a bit similar to the ones in Torso and The New York Ripper. Cheap and sleazy, but really entertaining.

 

The film also has a certain feeling of political incorrectness that I just love. All the men comes off as abusive, sadistic fuckers with no respect for the opposite gender. They know what they want and they'll take it. So stupid and silly, yet so entertaining. Underrated and cool film!

 

strip-nude-for-your-killer-1.jpg

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Bear, do you keep a list somewhere of everything you've watched?

 

Yeah, I have a profile on ICheckMovies, as well as a private IMDB account where I rate the films I've seen. But neither is fully updated on what I have actually seen as I created my IMDB page in 2011 and only rated films and series I've seen after 2010. So that I could keep it "clean" to my current taste without a shitload of totally wrong ratings. But this is just for personal use, and I'm a bit nazi on that. :P

 

 

Four Flies on Grey Velvet - Dario Argento' third movie, and the last in his "animal trilogy". I really like this film, but I think both The Bird with the Crystal Plumage and Cat O'Nine Tails are better. This is a fairly standard affair, but it's a 70's Dario Argento giallo, which means it's very good. It's stylish and sexy, and quite experimental I'd dare say. But it is also 10-15 minutes too long, and especially the ending coul've been shortened down a few minutes. The hysterical killer was a bit too much. But it's still a very good film. Great score by Ennio Morricone too!

 

So great film, but not the first Argento film I'd recommend. Not the 10th either. But that just says it all about the man's films.

 

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Giallo in Venice - Mario Landi's controversial Giallo in Venice is a poorly directed, awfully acted and hilariously scored giallo that offers nothing but trash. It's sleazy, sadistic, misogynistic and perverted trash cinema. This film is 90 minutes long, but 55-60 minutes or so of that are awful soft-core porn that wouldn't be able to give a pimpled 13 year old boy a boner. It's a bizarre film, and it's a poor film, but it's still entertaining in many ways. Not a masterpiece, but I liked it.

 

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Spasmo - A giallo-inspired film by Umberto Lenzi, a man who would help develop the giallo genre in the late 60's as well as starting the cannibal boom in the 70's with his 1972 classic Man from the Deep River, even though the boom itself wouldn't start before the late 70's. But this was the original, even though it was more or less a rip off of the western A Man Called Horse. Anyway, the man is a legend which got my expectations up, maybe a bit too high.

 

Spasmo is a giallo, or a "semi-giallo" that stands out from the masses for being so god damn weird. It starts off as a regular giallo, but it doesn't take long until the film starts going down a whole other path. As the film goes on it just gets more and more bizarre, and more and more surreal. It ends up being very weird and dream-like, as if a Jean Rollin film met a Dario Argento film. It's a bit all over the place, the dialogue is very goofy, the acting is subpar for most part, but there's something charming and cool about the whole film. It's suspenseful and haunting, and Ennio Morricone's soundtrack help creating a sense of bizarre, dream-like and haunting atmosphere. An absurd film that should please fans of the genre, and even if it isn't a masterpiece it's still worth seeing just for the absurdity of it all. A nice "semi-giallo".

 

Lenzi himself hates this film for reason I don't know, but I can totally understand how people in general would dislike this film as weird as it is.

 

dvd_snapshot_00.25.30_%255B2015.05.23_03

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