Horror Movies

[Bear 1817]

October 9th:

Mutant Girls Squad - Gonzo gore galore! Do I need to say more? Probably not, but I'll say a few words anyway. Dumb, ove the top and totally ridiculous splatter by Noboru Iguchi, Yoshihiro Nishimura and Tak Sakaguchi. Like a lot of the other films in the "new wave of Japanese splatter" genres it's a film that is synonymous with madness. It's also one of those films where I can tolerate awful CGI, even though I would've prefered if there was more pratical special effects, especially considering Yoshihiro Nishimura is a special effects god. But as I said, in these type of cheesy films I can actually lean back and enjoy the awful CGI.

 

Silly from A to Z, but if you love childish Japanese absurdity there's no reason why you shouldn't check out this film. 7/10

 

[Jigsaw9 6783]

Finally got around to watching the original Ringu the other day, pretty fun movie. Not sure if I'll give the western remake a try, is it worth watching after you've already seen the original or is it just a 1-on-1 remake/just totally terrible? By the way, to this day I STILL don't know what Japan/Asia's deal is with the whole ''stringy black-haired ghost girl'' archetype, I just don't see what's so spooks about it tbqh.

 

I watched the American remake first, and it scarred me for life tbh. :'D I dunno, it was totally creepy and scary (tho I was younger when I watched it), very effective. Compared to that, the Japanese original seemed a bit tame and bland to me, but still not bad. So yeah, I'd definitely recommend watching the remake! (stay away from its sequel tho) The US remake is not a shot-for-shot retelling, it's very much a story that works in a Western context.

[Bear 1817]

I'm very surprised to see my man Jigsaw prefer the remake to the original. And I just love the grainy, gritty picture of the film. The technical aspect of the film is actually quite unimpressive, but it totally adds to the atmosphere of the film and just so happens to be the best part of the film. I think Ringu is a million times better, and a perfect examle of less is more, as opposite of the remake which uses cheap, simple scares, lots of quick cuts and fast zooms, CGI, sudden use of weird noises to freak you out and all those elements. But the simplicity and lack of technical brilliance of the original just rules.

 

Now, let's all listen to Mortification's "God Rulz" and just change the lyrics to "Ringu Rulz"

 

 

Ringu Rulz

Ringu Rulz

Ringu Rulz

Ringu Rulz

 

Ringu Rulz

Ringu Rulz

Ringu Rulz

Ringu Rulz

 

Ringu Rulz

[Bear 1817]

October 10th:

The Canal - Great psychological horror from 2014 with some breathtaking performances by Rupert Evans and child actor Calum Heath, as well as some very impressive performances by Antonia Campbell-Hughes and Kelly Byrne. It starts off as a straight-forward film in the vein of Sinister and the Babadook, but as it goes on I felt it went a bit more in its own direction and found something of its own. It's pretty slow, but it's atmospheric as fuck and totally worth it. The climax is superb as well.

 

Also, cool that we just talked about Ringu here because there is one scene that for sure is a huge homage to one particular scene in Ringu. Must be a sign from down below! 8/10

 

[Bear 1817]

October 11th:
The Editor - I've been waiting for this film to become available since forever now, and I've been probably search for it twice a week for a year now to see if it's available for us mortals. And when I finally found out it was I got quite excited. Now I've had it fo a while but I've just been saving it for the right moment, and the right moment, for me, was yesterday.

I'm very familiar with the Astron-6 team and I liked both the good Father's Day (6/10) and the very good Manborg (8/10). But since watching both these I've just had the feeling that they are capable of way more than what they've shown so far, and I was sure The Ediot was the film to prove me right - and it was. The budget is way bigger this time around, having something like $130k to spend on this film which is a lot compared to the $10k for Father's Day and $1k for Manborg. And the increased budget both shows and really pays off in every aspect of the film.

The Editor is one big, fat homage and parody to the Italian giallos, and it's really well done. If you are familiar with the Astron-6 team you know that they like it silly and absurd, and while this is still silly as fuck at time, everything way toned down and it's a way more impressive effort. The plot is really nice, the characters lovely, the humor is spot on and the special effects superb. And the film just manage to capture this great, classic giallo feeling. The film is dubbed, and that might come off silly, which is of course is, but I loved it and I understand why they did it this way. And it looks great. It's a rather stylish film in the giallo tradition, but unlike the majority of the giallos I've seen, this blends a

huge dose of humor into the mix, and it's fantastic. It's so funny!

 

And the soundtrack is massive as well. Brilliant soundtrack!

Hands down, this was a fantastic film. What more can I say? Well, I'll just say that the Astron-6 team finally reched their potential. 9/10

[Bear 1817]

October 12th

Baron of Terror - I think the actual title is The Brainiac, but I prefer Baron of Terror a lot more. The Brainiac makes it sound more like a campy horror comedy. Anyway, Baron of Terror is a Mexican horror film from 1962, and while it isn't a very good film, it's a damn entertaining one. And I think it's a fairly dark and grim film for being made in 1962. The plot is so-so, you've seen it before, but it's engaging and cool and all. The characters isn't given much time to grow, what makes this film so cool is the monster design which is really cool and fascinating, as much as it is ridiculous. The pulsating head comes off as very original considering when it was made, and it's something that makes the clearly fake monster rather creepy. And the monster adds som surrealism to the film. It's so fucking weird.

 

Anyway, it's not a good film per se, but it's a fun one with a great monster and some delicious-looking sets. I totally understand its cult status, and I am sure that with a few more rewatches in the future I will worship its altar as well. 8/10

 

[Licio123 181]

I dunno why, but "The Canal" gives me a lot of "Kill List" vibes. Is it anything like that movie, Bear (assuming you've watched it xD)?

[Bear 1817]

The Canal and Kill List is two very different movies if you ask me. Very, very different.

[Licio123 181]

Lol. So it's just the vibe. I've been wanting to watch The Canal, but somehow I didn't. Gotta do that fast!

[Bear 1817]

Now I haven't seen Kill List, but I thought it was a more folk horror-inspired film with clear connections to films like The Wicker Man, Blood on Satan's Claw, Witchfinder General and so on with a touch of Martyrs thrown in? Which wouldn't come as a surprise considering Ben Wheatley, the man behind Kill List, also made the fantastic psychedelic folk horror A Frield in England which is totally recommended by the way. Superb film! Really looking forward to Wheatley's upcoming films High-Rise and Free Fire as well. Should be great.

 

October 13th:

The Fly (1958) - As much as I love David Cronenberg remake of this, I just can't help but love the original a lot more. The original is dark, disturbing and got bloody brilliant special effects, but the original has Vincent Price and Patricia Owens who are both just driving this film forward with their brilliant performances, and while I am a huge Vincent Price fan and consider him one of my all-time favourite, it's Patricia Owens who actually steals the show here. And the film's overall tone is, despite the bleakness of it all, magnificently campy, and as a huge fan of camp I just love that. And I feel like this film is a lot more dramatic than the remake, which is more horrific.

 

I also think the fly looks disgusting as fuck, and at the time of the release of this there wasn't many monsters that could compare to this. Magnificent film, and to my eyes better than the remake. 9/10

 

 

October the 14th:

Santo vs. the She-Wolves - Another Santo film and more of the same. Kind of at least. Well, while it does follow more or less the same formula we've seen in other Santo films, this film's got more of a cheesy, campy exploitation film to it, and I really liked that. It's slow, and considering how little actually happens I am surprised I didn't get bored. But there's something very dream-like over it. It's like having a bad fever and dreaming something bizarre and absurd. It's so weird, but I enjoyed it quite a lot. 7/10

 

[Bear 1817]

October 15th:

The Blood on Satan' Claw - Fantastic old school folk horror with a brilliant occult atmoshere from begining to end. The entire film, to me at least, is about the atmosphere which I think is amazing. It's not scary, but it's creepy, much due to Linda Hayden's brilliant performance. But the star of the show? Patrick Wymark. He'll captivate you from the moment you lay eyes upon him. Amazing!

 

Proper underrated film. A film that deserves so much more praise than what it's got. 9/10

 

 

 

It's such a shame that the folk horror boom didn't last any longer. While the first examples of folk horror can be traced back to the early 20's with films such as The Phantom Carriage and Häxan, the early-mid 60's boom would last only for 10-15 years before it would die out again, and that's a shame because the overall feeling to a lot of these films are so awesome. The quality of a lot of these folk horror films were just superb, no matter if they were British, German or Japanese. The Wicker Man, Witchfinder General, The Blood on Satan's Claw, The Devil Rides Out, The Witches, To the Devil a Daughter, The City of the Dead, Mark of the Dead, Onibaba, Kuroneko, Kwaidan and so on. There's something special about these films IMO.

 

 

Let me end this with one of the coolest doom metal songs ever as it's quite relevant to this post:

 

[Bear 1817]

Started on Scream and two episodes in I'm almost provoked by how bad it is. So far it's 90% Gossip Girl, 5% Vampire Diaies and 5% Scream. The characters are too dumb, even for something based on a slasher, they are annoying and they feel so artificial. And this is topped with poor performances from the actors. And the mask looks awful. Looks like a cheap copy ade by some kids.

 

Way too early to judge it completely, but there's nothing here that makes me think of Scream. It's pretty embarrassing to be honest. I feel sorry for every single human being who enjoy this shit.

[CAT5 9075]

Horror usually isn't my cup of tea, but what are some good movies that you'd recommend enjoying with your significant other?

[Licio123 181]

Now I haven't seen Kill List, but I thought it was a more folk horror-inspired film with clear connections to films like The Wicker Man, Blood on Satan's Claw, Witchfinder General and so on with a touch of Martyrs thrown in? Which wouldn't come as a surprise considering Ben Wheatley, the man behind Kill List, also made the fantastic psychedelic folk horror A Frield in England which is totally recommended by the way. Superb film! Really looking forward to Wheatley's upcoming films High-Rise and Free Fire as well. Should be great.

 

Yeah, you pretty much nailed it. It's a slow burn, much more psychological than physical horror, involving cults and devil worshipping. I don't recall it being very bloody, and what surprised me a lot was the change of direction. In the beggining, it seems like a normal thriller, and by the end you will be biting your nails, lol. The Canal is much more supernatural oriented, right? Ghosts, spirits and all that. 

 

Damn, I haven't seen A Field in England yet! Ben Wheatley really surprised me with KL, looking forward to what he will bring with a more known cast.

 

Horror usually isn't my cup of tea, but what are some good movies that you'd recommend enjoying with your significant other?

 

Hmmmm... Warm Bodies? xD

 

If you are looking for a horror movie with romantic elements, I'd recommend checking out Thirst (2009). Its veeery good! 

[Bear 1817]

As with your girlfriend/boyfriend? It obviously depends on what kind of films you both enjoys. It's hard to recommend anything if one doesn't know anything about the taste of the one you recommend something to. I've decided to focus on rather new films though, as a lot of people don't like very old films.

 

For scares: Alien, The Exorcist, Ringu, The Blair Witch Project

For laughs and monsters: Gremlins, Piranha, An American Werewolf in London, Housebound, Tremors, Frankenstein's Army

For blood, gore and special effects: The Thing, Zombi 2, Braindead

For sick and disturbing: Martyrs, Irreversible, Inside

For atmosphere and mood: The House of the Devil, The Conjuring, The Others,

 

 

 

Yeah, that's a few ones at least.

[Bear 1817]

Yeah, you pretty much nailed it. It's a slow burn, much more psychological than physical horror, involving cults and devil worshipping. I don't recall it being very bloody, and what surprised me a lot was the change of direction. In the beggining, it seems like a normal thriller, and by the end you will be biting your nails, lol. The Canal is much more supernatural oriented, right? Ghosts, spirits and all that. 

 

Damn, I haven't seen A Field in England yet! Ben Wheatley really surprised me with KL, looking forward to what he will bring with a more known cast.

 

That's what I thought, even though I thought it was supossed to be really fucking bloody and brutal.

I won't say if The Canal is supernatural or not, because I'd say it would be a pretty big spoiler. Best thing is to just watch it.

 

Yeah, check out A Field in England. But keep in mind that it's a trip. I've never tripped on anything before, but I imagine tripping on mushrooms or something would be much like watching this film. It'll be too slow and weird for most, but I'm under the impression that people who like slow and weird easily fall for the film.

 

 

Hmmmm... Warm Bodies? xD

 

If you are looking for a horror movie with romantic elements, I'd recommend checking out Thirst (2009). Its veeery good!

 

These two are great recommendations. I didn't think of romantic horror films.

 

I'll also throw a few more romantic ones to the list, and as with my other post I'll focus on newer horror films:

 

Honeymoon

Låt den rätte komma in

Retun of the Living Dead III

Shaun of the Dead

Bram Stoker's Dracula

The Fly (1986)

Hellraiser

A Chinese Ghost Story (I-III)

 

Some of these, like The Fly and Hellraiser, are bleak, gory and disgusting in a lovely way, but romantic nonetheless.

 

And films like A Chinese Ghost Story is just comletely different than anything you've ever seen and will see again. Here and here you can read my thoughts on these fantastic films. These films are a mix of horror, wuxia (Chinese martial arts fantasy films) and romantic comedy. Quite unique, and they've got this amazing dream-like fairytale feeling to them that just drags you in. But the unique blend of genres can also be what turns people off big time. Not everyone is into wuxia and often people find it too god damn stupid. But these films are highly recommended, and I'd say A Chinese Ghost Story are among my favourite films and would be included on my top 10 horror films, top 10 martial arts/wuxia films and top 10 comedy films. What a film!

 

 

However, if you feel adventurous and don't mind older films you could always try films like Bride of Frankenstein, The Mummy (1932), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939), King Kong (1933) and more. But these might be too old for you, and a film like The Mummy, while incredible, is very slow. So yeah, not for everyone.

 

But there shoul be something for everyone here. Heh.

[Bear 1817]

October 16th:

The Wicker Man - This film isn't just seen as THE folk horror film, it's seen as one of THE horror films ever made, and it's easy to see why. It doesn't offer any gore and very few thrills and chills, but the atmosphere is incredible, the mystery is very intriguing and the plot is fantastic. It's well-directed and superbly acted, and personal favourites like Christopher Lee, Britt Ekland and Ingrid Pitt are all fantastic. And even though it's not a dark film with gore, blood or anything like that, it's a very creepy film, much due to it's mysticism and brilliant characters. It's just unique, and a must-see for any fan of horr, mystery films or thrillers.

 

Yeah, you just gotta see this. I've seen it something like 10 times, and with each watch it just gets better and better, creepier and creepier. Brilliant film, and the ending are one of the geatest one in the history of films. THAT shot is incredible. Breathtaking! 10/10

 

The soundtrack is amazing too. The soundtrack throughout the entire film just helps set the atmosphere.

 

 

[The Reverend 3566]

 

And even though it's not a dark film with gore, blood or anything like that, it's a very creepy film, much due to it's mysticism and brilliant characters. It's just unique, and a must-see for any fan of horr, mystery films or thrillers.

 

Seconding the recommendation of (the original!) Wicker Man so hard.

 

I'd like to call myself a horror fan, but am not so enthused by 'blood and guts' so I hold this movie up as a prototypical *kind of scary movie I like*.

 

[LIDL 692]

Anyone seen Crimson Peak yet?

I'd like to know if it's good?

I mean, yeah, it's Del Toro's, but still

[Bear 1817]

Seconding the recommendation of (the original!) Wicker Man so hard.

 

I'd like to call myself a horror fan, but am not so enthused by 'blood and guts' so I hold this movie up as a prototypical *kind of scary movie I like*.

 

 

Yeah, nothing wrong with that. There's plenty of horror without any blood and gore, so being a horror fan without liking blood and gore is OK. I'm a huge fan of blood and gore myself, though.

 

What do you think of other folk horror films like Witchfinder General, The Blood on Satan's Claw, The Devil Rides Out, The Witches, To the Devil a Daughter, The City of the Dead, Mark of the Dead, Onibaba, Kuroneko, Kwaidan, A Field in England, or even TV-series like The Owl Service and Children Of The Stones? Seen any of them?

 

 

Anyone seen The Borderlands? A found footage folk horror film from 2013. It looks pretty neat.

[Bear 1817]

I already watched tomorrows film as I am going away for the weekend.

 

October 17th:

Headless - This film is promoted as lost slasher film from 1978 and has the tagline "UNEARTHED, UNCENSORED, UNLEASHED... The most shocking film you've never seen!" so I was really looking forward to this, but man, what a disappointment. It's nt bad, it just didn't do much for me at all. It starts off fairly well and gave me a proper Last House on Dead End Street and two first Guinea Pig feeling, with it's grainy, amateurish filming and desolate feeling. But then the film really starts with lots of dialogue and acting, and that's when it lost me. It gets boring and uninteresting. It's sick and all that, but it just isn't good or bad enough. It's just somewhere inbetween- Shame. 5/10

 

After watching it I also found out it's a spin-off of the film Found. It's a film within that film which was so popular they decided to make it into a full-lenght.

 

[Licio123 181]

 

Anyone seen The Borderlands? A found footage folk horror film from 2013. It looks pretty neat.

 

I've had it on my list to watch, but it was heavily bombarded by critics, so I gave up on it. Still have it, though.

 

While not exactly horror, I forgot to recommend Exhibit A. What a fucking fantastic found footage movie! After the movie, you feel exhausted but impressed with the great use of the FF technique. Fans of the genre can't miss it!

[Bear 1817]

What? I thought it was a fairly well-recieve film? It holds 79/100 on Rotten Tomatoes, and reviews around the internet seems mostly positive when taking a quick look. Lots of 3/4, 3,5/5 and 4/5 going on. My expectations are quite high to be honest.

 

 

Exhibit A looks good too. Will take a look someday.

[Licio123 181]

What? I thought it was a fairly well-recieve film? It holds 79/100 on Rotten Tomatoes, and reviews around the internet seems mostly positive when taking a quick look. Lots of 3/4, 3,5/5 and 4/5 going on. My expectations are quite high to be honest.

 

 

Exhibit A looks good too. Will take a look someday.

 

True dat. I think I got things mixed up. Maybe the IMDB score messed my head xD Gotta use rotten tomatoes more...

[Bear 1817]

I don't pay attention to scores on IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes or any other side like that. Especially not to IMDB. It's complete shit IMO. So many ridiculous cores.

 

A couple of examples: The Dark Knight and Inception are higher rated than  One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Goodfellas and Seven Samurai.

Interstellar is higher rated than Spirited Away, Psycho and Raiders of the Lost Ark.

The Prestige is higher rated than Alien, The Lion King and The Great Dictator.

 

This is only by a little, but come on, let's be honest here: The Dark Knight, Inception, Interstellar and The Prestige got nothing to do on a top 250 list. Not even a top 500. Simple as that. Yeah, I just can't take the scores on IMDB seriously no matter how hard I try.

 

Nah, I'll take recommendations from friends or whatever with similar taste and check out films based on that instead. Or just by the director/poster/genre/acors involved and shit. It's imple.