Horror Movies

[Elazmus 1873]

Anyone know the best service for classic horror movies? Netflix cleared like fuckin everything from before 1980 and I'm very depressed because they used to have so much and now they wanna replace it all with their own programming I kinda stopped even looking lately and I'm wondering if i should just sign up for something else that still archives the old...

 

 

[Bear 1817]

https://archive.org/details/SciFi_Horror

http://publicdomainmovies.net/science_fiction_and_horror

 

I think they are basically the same, but you'll find plenty classics there. In fact, you'll find a crazy amount of classics from the 70's and earlier. There's also a great amount of cult films and pure cheese as well.

[Bear 1817]

Really stoked about Insidious 4: The Last Key. Adam Robitel really impressed me with his debut The Taking of Deborah Logan, so I am really looking forward to seeing what he can do with the universe of Insidious. Hearing great things about the trailer.

[Elazmus 1873]

On 9/25/2017 at 3:50 PM, Bear said:

Really stoked about Insidious 4: The Last Key. Adam Robitel really impressed me with his debut The Taking of Deborah Logan, so I am really looking forward to seeing what he can do with the universe of Insidious. Hearing great things about the trailer.

Same here, I was a fan of Deborah Logan too!

On 9/25/2017 at 3:29 PM, Bear said:

https://archive.org/details/SciFi_Horror

http://publicdomainmovies.net/science_fiction_and_horror

 

I think they are basically the same, but you'll find plenty classics there. In fact, you'll find a crazy amount of classics from the 70's and earlier. There's also a great amount of cult films and pure cheese as well.

thanks very much I'll check it out!!

[Bear 1817]

Just scream out if you're not too familiar with the films that's available there. I can easily pick out must-sees from the list as I've seen it all anyway.

[Bear 1817]

October is already upon us and you know what this means: a month of horror!

 

Day 1:

 

It Comes at Night - Dark, gritty and intense psychological horror that'll keep you on the edge of the seat for sure. It's beautifully shot, well-written and superbly acted all the way through. Starts off as a strong drama before things get more and more claustrophobic, intense and frightening by the minute. If you're looking for a fast-paced horror film that'll feed you answers, this isn't it. This is far from it. This is slow-burning, intense and gritty horror-drama with a lot of focus on the latter genre.

 

8/10

 

 

Day 2:

 

The Love Witch - The Love Witch was one of my most anticipated films of the year, and Anna Biller's second feature does not disappoint at all. The Love Witch is a comedic horror film about a modern day witch who uses spell and magic to make men fall in love with her. Sounds silly? You bet it is! It's silly, it's sleazy, it's witty and it's looks and feels very much like a lot of  the late 60's-early 70's sexploitation films, but it never becomes trashy or cheap. It stays classy throughout. This horror film isn't meant to scare anyone. Quite the opposite. It's both playful and gentle, strange and odd, but it all blends together into a very original and unique film.

 

We have cells phones, modern cars and all that. But despite these things, The Love Witch always feels like an authentic late 60's-early 70's horror film. The bright, beautiful Technicolor-coloring and colorful clothes and sets offers a film that is visually stunning, and the script, acting and direction is very playful. Everything about this film, with the exception of few elements, just screams of early 70's and I love it. 

 

This film is a future cult-film and it's a film that will divide the horror fans. I for one loved it and am really looking forward to see it again.

 

9,5/10

 

[Bear 1817]

Train to Busan -  A thrilling ride that has a lot to offer. Not only is the premise and execution of the premise quite unique and extremely good for being a zombie film, but it's got actual characters and lots of development in both characters and plot and is, at this moment, a sorely needed addition to a genre that's not had much to offer over the last decade. It's hella lot more than just a two hour long fast-paced zombie-actioner, even though there's a lot of action and zombies throughout. 

 

In many ways it's just Snowpiercer with zombies, but that's good. Snowpiercer was awesome to say at least, and this is just as good if not better.

 

8,5/10

 

[Bear 1817]

Day 4:

 

A Dark Song - Another film that is firmly rooted in drama, and just like It Comes at Night it also features a very small cast. The debut film by Liam Gavin focus on magic and everything that it involves, and unlike other films I've seen that's heavy on the use of magic and rituals this shows the hard and dangerous work involved. It showcases study, labor, the chalky graphics into the floor, and is very much about how everything must be very precise and accounted for, and the smallest mistake will fuck both you and the ritual up. But there's also a lot of tension laying beneath because you can feel Gavin is holding something back about all and everything throughout the film.

 

Gavin got a limited budget and limited time to shoot within the house, but it's shot in such a way that it looks like he spent years on getting it perfect, instead of the actual 20 days he did get to film inside the house. Ends up being very claustrophobic and nice.

 

I wasn't too keen on the ending and it looked cheap to my eyes as well, but it worked.

 

8/10

 

[Bear 1817]

Day 5:

 

Hatchet - I saw this film years ago, maybe as much as 8-9 years, and did not like it at all. However, Hatchet is a film that's gained quite a status among horror fans so I thought I had to give it a new chance. And holy cow, do I not regret it. What a great film. Dark, gritty, brutal and gory as fuck, with a nice score and some surprisingly well-written and fun dialogue. It's not original or anything, but it sure does the trick if you want something that's just simple and fun. Especially if you like classic 80's slasher films.

 

This shit is so much better than all the crappy remakes of classic slasher films made over the past 10-15 years. 

 

8/10

 

[Bear 1817]

Day 6:

 

Hatchet II - As with 99% of all slasher sequels, this isn't nearly as good as the original. But you can just see that director Adam Green is a huge fan of horror films and especially slashers, and while the first one is mainly a tribute to the original late 70's/early-80's slashers, this is mainly a tribute to mid 80's slasher sequels. It's more over the top and got a very comedic edge to it, but without being a full blown horror-comedy. This isn't great film making, but it's fun film making and it's easy to tell that it's made with a big amount of passion and heart. That really shines through. And when it's violent and gory it look a-fuckin-mazing. The gore is so awesome! Recommended for slasher fans who like some mindless, over the top violent fun.

 

The sex scene was absolutely brilliant btw. Holy fucking cow did it make me laugh out loud in real life. I'd be surprised if my landlord didn't hear me laugh. Hilarious! Two thumbs up. Creative, original and fun.

 

The ending was also top, top notch. The last 25-30 minutes in general. But the last 3-4? Holy cow! Yes, more of that please.

 

7/10

 

 

[Bear 1817]

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdGURdnqIJly3SLmki0Lkxg

 

 

I recommend anyone who's interested in horror beyond just watching a few films to take a look at this channel. Uploads horror film documentaries, films, interviews, beyond the scenes and revisited videos, horror stories audio books, documentaries about witchcraft and the occult and so on. Lots of candy for anyone interested in the genre, as well as other dark things.

 

Just watched these myself:

 

Why Horror? - Some guy who is obsessed with horror wonders why he is, and decides to take a closer look at it. A bit messy, but at times very interesting.

 

British Film Forever - Magic, Murder and Monsters: The Story of British Horror and Fantasy - This is a single episode from a mini-series, but it takes a look at British horror and it was very, very good. Provides lots of great info and even though it skips a lot of films and such, you get a good idea about British horror in general. 

[Bear 1817]

Day 7:

 

Hatchet III - A step up from the very enjoyable Hatchet II. While it does have some comedic scenes, especially the one with Sid Haig which was as dumb as it was funny, it goes back to a more serious tone. And it progresses nicely from the last one, taking a different path to it all. It's the first and only not to be directed by Adam Green, instead it's directed by BJ McDonnell, and so far this is his only feature length. It's more brutal and over the top than ever, and it's a real pleasure to the eye. I love gore, and the more brutal it is the more fun it is. I would go as far as say this is as good as the first one.

 

One fun fact, which truly helps this series in becoming more enjoyable, is the fact that Adam Green prides his NO CGI" rule and constantly challenge the special effects crew to come up with sicker ways to die. And it works really well! We get some truly remarkable death's through out this series.

 

[Bear 1817]

Day 8:

 

Don't Breathe - Very good film that actually suffers a bit from Alvarez wanting less blood and violence than previous films. So, this is basically a new and updated Wait Until Dark, even though Alvarez claims to not have seen the film before after he made this. It's dark, gritty and suspenseful as fuck, but every single time there's a violent scene it comes off as incredibly half-hearted. It's like Alvarez tried to avoid violence and blood so that he could get a lower rating, which is stupid for a film like this. I mean, just imagine if you'd taken away all the violence in Green Room. That's what this feels like in many ways. But it was very good nonetheless, but it won't get any status as a classic and people will forget for the simple reason that there's not enough violence shown. This isn't a psychological thriller/horror where the elements you don't know or get to see is half the scares. It's a fairly plain and straight-forward suspense-horror with a lot of violence, just not graphic or shown. Stephen Lang is sublime tho!

 

 

By the way, I don't buy Alvarez' words about him not seeing Wait Until Dark until after Don't Breathe. Fuck off with your lies. Jesus.

 

8/10

 

[Bear 1817]

Day 9:

 

The Hallow - For most part a nice and atmospheric horror film with some very nice practical effects, but every now and then I am just completely dragged out of the film's atmosphere because is abysmal CGI. It's not much, but enough to really weaken the film a lot. But I liked the overall mythology and fairytale-esqe atmosphere which certainly is a big plus. Imagine Straw Dogs  as a dark fantasy/horror or something and you get what this is all about.

 

Nice seeing Benjen Stark and Roose Bolton too.

 

7/10

 

Edited October 9, 2017 by Bear

[Bear 1817]

Day 10:

 

The Autopsy of Jane Doe - I was very much looking forward to this, but at the same time I just had to meet the film with a good dose of scepticism because it has a Norwegian director. And director André Øvredal's previous film Trolljegeren got so grand reviews in the Norwegian media that I did not bother seeing it. The Norwegian films that gets covered over here are usually the more mainsteam and boring-as-fuck-ones, while the good ones don't get anything. Barely gets a mention.

 

Anyway, André Øvredal shows great promise with The Autopsy of Jane Doe. He's not afraid of taking his time, show close ups of a body being cut apart, and telling his story in a most unusual way, while he at the same time use well-known techniques used in horror films to creat something very familiar. It's smart and clever, creepy and atmospheric, and even the jump scares are fairly well-done, even though you can sense them coming from long away. But they are not in focus at all. Claustrophobic, slightly arty and very exploitation-like. Liked it a lot!

 

8/10

 

[The Reverend 3566]

On 10/3/2017 at 1:29 PM, Bear said:

Train to Busan -  ... Snowpiercer with zombies

 

Just checked out Train to Busan recently as well... and I enjoyed it a lot too. (I hope someone pitched it with that exact phrase: "Snowpiercer with zombies" haha)

 

Enjoying your month of horror movies @Bear!

[Bear 1817]

Day 11:

 

AM1200 - 40 minute long short film by a man called David Prior, starring people like Eric Lange (Narcos), John Billingsley (Star Trek: Enterprise) and Ray Wise (Twin Peaks). If I didn't know any better I'd say this was a H.P. Lovecraft adaption, but in this is actually an original script. But I can say that's director-writer David Prior knows his Lovecraft and how Lovecraft build his tales. This is dark, cold and eerie as fuck, well-acted and superbly shot to create some immense atmosphere. A must-see for any fan of Lovecraftian horror.

 

My only real complaint is some dodgy CGI, but it's just minimal.

 

8/10

 

[Tokage 5930]

I tried to do a 'Halloween horror month' thing too, but I already ended up being swamped by uni-related work and other stressful shit after like day 2 so I kind of gave up on it lol

 

Anyway, recent viewings have been Audition, The Twilight Zone Movie, and Infection. Of the three, I REALLY enjoyed the former and the latter, but I found the middle one to be lackluster for the most part. The Twilight Zone's opening bit and the final two segments were amusing enough, but the first two 'proper' segments did nothing for me, with the one directed by Spielberg probably counting as the lowest point of the movie for me. Heavy-handed sentimentality has never done anything for me and most likely never will. Audition was pretty much as good as its 'legend' predicted. I really liked some of the visuals near the end. Kind of makes me want to try to hunt down a copy of the Ryu Murakami novel the film's based on, I generally like his work. Infection also ended up really surprising me in a positive sense. The atmosphere throughout gave me Silent Hill vibes somehow, and I really liked the overall aesthetic. The story itself also caught me off guard here and there. 

[plastic_rainbow 2162]

Whenever October comes I always try to watch as many horror movies as I can, but since I just picked up The Evil Within 2 today I may not get through as many I want....

 

Recently, I watched Possession (1981) and hooo boy I have no idea what I just watched. Very unsettling and quite disturbing too, but all the visuals were really well done. There was a lot of symbolism that I couldn't quite pick up so I'll need a second viewing to fully appreciate the movie, but as a first viewing damn I don't know what to say. It was quite a messy ride. It left me a grimy taste, in a good horror film way.

 

@Tokage

Audition was a good movie. I've been meaning to pick up the book as well.

Which Infection did you watch btw? I tried looking it up, but several different titles came up......I"m assuming it's the Japanese one though? Anything that has Silent Hill vibes is a must see for me.

[Tokage 5930]

It was the Japanese one from 2004, yeah. I thought it was interesting, I think you'd enjoy it as well based on your tastes.

[Bear 1817]

Day 12:

 

A Night of Horror Volume 1 - Great anthology horror 10 directors, 8 different short films. As usual with films like this there quality is very up and down, but for most part is was very enjoyable. Lots of nice practical special effects and lots of fun.

 

Point of View and Scission was the highlights for me, followed by The Priest and Hum. Some of the other were good fun too, and a couple were on the weaker side of things. Dark Origins and Ravenous were the least enjoyable ones.

 

8/10

 

[Bear 1817]

Day 13:

 

Wolf Creek 2 - The Hitcher meets Wolf Creek? That's a fairly accurate description I'd say. While the original Wolf Creek was more of a standard thriller, it worked really well offering nice atmosphere, a badass villain and lovely chemestry between the cast. And there was this sense of claustrophobia and realism that really made the film what it is.

 

For this, John Jarratt returns as Mick Taylor and he is as good as he is over the top. He offers a lot of entertainment throughout the film, and this is more or less based around him. But at the end, through the 100 minutes, we get a bit too much of him as he loses some of his mysticism which is something I really need for bad guys like him. But the film starts really strong and the first half an hour or so is brilliant. Then, after that. it slowly starts to drag a bit.

 

Some fantastic, brutally gory scenes and violence throughout the film and some nice cat and mouse games. But the film is 25 minutes too long for its own good. Enjoyable and lots of fun, but could and should've been a bit better.

 

7/10

 

 

[Bear 1817]

Day 14:

 

The Babysitter - I had not heard about this film until it popped up on Netflix as I was just browsing through the newly added film. I loved the poster and checked the genre, and as it said horror I just had to check it out. So what I knew about this film was its title, its poster and ultimately genre.

 

The Babysitter...what the fuck? Well, The Babysitter is Netflix's new original film. A very teeny horror-comedy filled with incredibly childish, immature and dumb humor, lots of violence and lots of blood. It's a campy coming-of-age story, while flawed and far from deep or superbly written, offers one hell of a fun ride and I was in tears several times during the film, and I was laughing out loud for real. It was that fucking funny.

 

So, this isn't a film that'll please a lot of people. But it really did wonders for me, and it's only slightly behind I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore as far as Netflix films goes.

 

9/10

 

[Bear 1817]

Day 15:

 

I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House - I'd say I am above average interested in horror films, and I'd say I've seen a decent amount of horror films. I probably hit a four digit amount over 8-10 years ago. But despite this I am not sure if I've ever seen a horror film as slow as I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House. This will bore 99/100 people who watch it to death, but I thought it was a stunning film.

 

I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House is something as rare as a modern film set to a rather modern time that truly catches the gothic atmosphere of the past. A dream-like, gothic haunted house film unlike anything I've seen. Director Oz Perkins doesn't seem to give a fuck and just plays around with his filmmaking. Perkins choose very unusual way to tell a tale, and doesn't really give us a narrative film. Perkins instead plays around with structure. It's not about plot at all. It's about atmosphere, it's about death and the dead. It's just one of the most gothic film I've seen, but you have to be able to enjoy pure mood pieces to be able to enjoy this. It's mellow, slow and dream-like.

 

Quote

A house with a death in it can never again be bought or sold by the living. It can only be borrowed by the ghosts who have stayed behind.

 

8/10

 

[Bear 1817]

Day 16:

 

Annabelle: Creation - The first Annabelle was nothing short of a disappointed where more or less everything was wrong. So with that in head, I did not exactly expect much of this. Before this, director David F. Sandberg impressed the world with his short film Lights Out, while he later disappointed the world with his first feature film, Lights Out, which was just one huge, standard boring and modern horror cliche after another.

 

But Annabelle: Creation is almost exactly what the first one should've been. Ok, so it's a tad too long, go for a few cheap scares too many and takes the easy way out at the end. But for the vast majority of the film you get some very good atmosphere, beautiful shots and a good cast doing some very nice acting. I don't think this is nearly as good as The Conjuring, and not quite as good as The Conjuring 2, but unlike the first one which was a mess of a cheap fucking horror film, this actually has something in common with these films in form of how the scares are chosen and how the atmosphere is created, despite being much further away from the premise of The Conjuring I & II than the first film.

 

7/10