Your Blood Runs Cold at the Sight of prfsnl gmr’s October Horror Movie List Spook-tacular!
Scream at prfsnl gmr’s Pre-Gaming Watchlist of Blood!
Racketboy Month of Horror 14: Please Call First
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prfsnl_gmr
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Re: Racketboy Month of Horror 14: Please Call First
Last night, we watched Ouija: Origin of Evil. It’s a PG-13-rated prequel to a PG-13-rated movie based on a Hasbro toy. Still…that toy is the Ouija Board…and the film is written and directed by Mike Flanagan, a modern horror master. The result is OUTSTANDING. I’ve watched some really solid horror films this year, but remarkably, Ouija: Origin of Evil is the best. The central premise is simple, but perfect for a horror film. A Ouija Board opens the door to murderous spirits (which is kind of weird selling point, Hasbro…) The film is anchored by excellent acting, set design, and writing, and it delivers genuine fright without any jump scares. I really can’t recommend this movie highly enough. (Available on Netflix)
Your Blood Runs Cold at the Sight of prfsnl gmr’s October Horror Movie List Spook-tacular!
Scream at prfsnl gmr’s Pre-Gaming Watchlist of Blood!
Your Blood Runs Cold at the Sight of prfsnl gmr’s October Horror Movie List Spook-tacular!
Scream at prfsnl gmr’s Pre-Gaming Watchlist of Blood!
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Raging Justice
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Re: Racketboy Month of Horror 14: Please Call First
prfsnl_gmr wrote:@RJ…I appreciate the video game review! We need more of those on this thread!
Speaking of games, I just found out that there was a video game based on Carpenter's The Thing. It got good reviews too. If I had a copy of the game I'd try it out.
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PretentiousHipster
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Re: Racketboy Month of Horror 14: Please Call First
Freaky (2020) - Freaky Friday is honestly one of my guilty pleasures, and I thought using a serial killer twist to it worked really well. Great humour to it, especially Vince Vaughn's performance.
Despiser (2003) - Really low budget to the form that it's outsider art. It's incredibly silly, especially if you see the "outsider CGI" graphics that are used, and PLENTY is used, but that's what makes it awesome. I had a blast seeing its light hearted nature, and the disconnect with the people and the graphics made it look like a late MS-DOS era FMV game in the best way possible.
Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist (2005) - It's hard to judge this one, because Schrader was only given $30k to finish the film, and it does show. Some of the editing is awful, and the CGI is PS1 level. However, it has a very interesting plot to it. I felt like it could have explored the PTSD aspect more, but it was interesting showing a connection between the nazis and british colonialists. The religious crisis angle was also explored in an interesting. I'm not sure if it was because of the low budget, but the actual exorcism part just felt like an afterthought, and it was easily the weakest part of the film. Still, this was worth watching.
The Exorcist: Believer (2023) - This on the other hand, was a complete mess. It actually starts out very well. The girls missing made a great way of intensifying the plot, horror done by the panic of the people. David Gordon Green is clearly a talented director as well. The rest of it, kind of seemed like an MCU format for an exorcist film. The possession part was easily one of the most underwhelming things I've seen, and it goes for some things that ended up just being hilarious, but more in a "this is stupid" way, like the cameos and the well-timed heroic priest. I have beef with its religious angle as well, but I don't want to delve too deep into it as it starts getting into its social-political angle, but I can safely mention that one scene just felt out of place. It was literally a 2-3 minute ad about how great it is to attend church. Why was that needed in a film like this?
Despiser (2003) - Really low budget to the form that it's outsider art. It's incredibly silly, especially if you see the "outsider CGI" graphics that are used, and PLENTY is used, but that's what makes it awesome. I had a blast seeing its light hearted nature, and the disconnect with the people and the graphics made it look like a late MS-DOS era FMV game in the best way possible.
Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist (2005) - It's hard to judge this one, because Schrader was only given $30k to finish the film, and it does show. Some of the editing is awful, and the CGI is PS1 level. However, it has a very interesting plot to it. I felt like it could have explored the PTSD aspect more, but it was interesting showing a connection between the nazis and british colonialists. The religious crisis angle was also explored in an interesting. I'm not sure if it was because of the low budget, but the actual exorcism part just felt like an afterthought, and it was easily the weakest part of the film. Still, this was worth watching.
The Exorcist: Believer (2023) - This on the other hand, was a complete mess. It actually starts out very well. The girls missing made a great way of intensifying the plot, horror done by the panic of the people. David Gordon Green is clearly a talented director as well. The rest of it, kind of seemed like an MCU format for an exorcist film. The possession part was easily one of the most underwhelming things I've seen, and it goes for some things that ended up just being hilarious, but more in a "this is stupid" way, like the cameos and the well-timed heroic priest. I have beef with its religious angle as well, but I don't want to delve too deep into it as it starts getting into its social-political angle, but I can safely mention that one scene just felt out of place. It was literally a 2-3 minute ad about how great it is to attend church. Why was that needed in a film like this?
Re: Racketboy Month of Horror 14: Please Call First
Vince Vaughn absolutely made Freaky fantastic. I highly agree, it's well worth watching just to see him. I feel bad nowadays that I used to see him as just a rough comedian who couldn't hold much actual acting weight, because I've now seen him in multiple movies where his abilities blew me away. I greatly recommend Brawl in Cell Block 99.
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prfsnl_gmr
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Re: Racketboy Month of Horror 14: Please Call First
Great reviews, everyone! I’m really enjoying this thread. (I’m also a fan of Freaky, BTW. Vince Vaughn killed it, figuratively and literally in that movie.)
…..
Two more movie, neither of which was very good…
The first is Cargo. It’s an Australian zombie-drama film starring Martin Freeman as a man trying to rehome his infant daughter after his wife is zombified and he is infected. It’s a good premise: he has about 48 hours before he turns, and it’s not easy finding someone to take a baby in good times, much less during a zombie apocalypse. It has a few critical issues, though. First, the main character is supposed to be sympathetic, but is mostly just an a-hole. Second, people of aboriginal descent are depicted as consistently “more connected to the earth” and capable of killing zombie horses with just smoke and sharpened sticks, which is a bit problematic. Third, the zombies (and the zombie infection) aren’t that threatening. You can easily dispatch many of these undead with a sharp stick, and if you’re infected, you have a good few days before you turn. How this zombie plague overtook society, I don’t know…Nit recommended. (Streaming on Netflix)
The next is The Brides of Dracula. It’s a classic Hammer film, with Peter Cushing reprising his role as Dr. Van Helsing. The title is a bit misleading, though, because, although the film features sexy vampire brides, it doesn’t feature Dracula. Rather, the main antagonist is some other Transylvanian nobility turned into a vampire. Otherwise, the movie is pretty standard Hammer fare: opulent costumes, detailed sets, heavily saturated photography, gothic castles, crucifixes, fake bats suspended by visible wires, bright red blood, and goofy vampire teeth. It’s fine, but not Hammer’s best by any means. (Streaming on Prime)
Your Blood Runs Cold at the Sight of prfsnl gmr’s October Horror Movie List Spook-tacular!
Scream at prfsnl gmr’s Pre-Gaming Watchlist of Blood!
…..
Two more movie, neither of which was very good…
The first is Cargo. It’s an Australian zombie-drama film starring Martin Freeman as a man trying to rehome his infant daughter after his wife is zombified and he is infected. It’s a good premise: he has about 48 hours before he turns, and it’s not easy finding someone to take a baby in good times, much less during a zombie apocalypse. It has a few critical issues, though. First, the main character is supposed to be sympathetic, but is mostly just an a-hole. Second, people of aboriginal descent are depicted as consistently “more connected to the earth” and capable of killing zombie horses with just smoke and sharpened sticks, which is a bit problematic. Third, the zombies (and the zombie infection) aren’t that threatening. You can easily dispatch many of these undead with a sharp stick, and if you’re infected, you have a good few days before you turn. How this zombie plague overtook society, I don’t know…Nit recommended. (Streaming on Netflix)
The next is The Brides of Dracula. It’s a classic Hammer film, with Peter Cushing reprising his role as Dr. Van Helsing. The title is a bit misleading, though, because, although the film features sexy vampire brides, it doesn’t feature Dracula. Rather, the main antagonist is some other Transylvanian nobility turned into a vampire. Otherwise, the movie is pretty standard Hammer fare: opulent costumes, detailed sets, heavily saturated photography, gothic castles, crucifixes, fake bats suspended by visible wires, bright red blood, and goofy vampire teeth. It’s fine, but not Hammer’s best by any means. (Streaming on Prime)
Your Blood Runs Cold at the Sight of prfsnl gmr’s October Horror Movie List Spook-tacular!
Scream at prfsnl gmr’s Pre-Gaming Watchlist of Blood!
Last edited by prfsnl_gmr on Wed Nov 01, 2023 1:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Racketboy Month of Horror 14: Please Call First
Hey Prfsnl, Cargo started life as a short film, and I felt like it worked infinitely better in that format. I think it's worth tracking down still, even if the movie version isn't so great.
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prfsnl_gmr
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Re: Racketboy Month of Horror 14: Please Call First
Ack wrote:Hey Prfsnl, Cargo started life as a short film, and I felt like it worked infinitely better in that format. I think it's worth tracking down still, even if the movie version isn't so great.
Good to know! I thought the concept was solid, but the execution was definitely lacking.
Re: Racketboy Month of Horror 14: Please Call First
Been...watching...so.....much....
The final two movies for my "theme" for the month:
Hard Candy <--- Link to more detailed write-up thoughts here
A photographer meets an underage girl online and takes her back to his house. But his nefarious plans are thwarted when it turns out that he's been the prey all along.
I thought this one was...alright. The acting was good, and whoever was in charge of the set design really had an awesome eye for color and where to put it. So it looked lovely. But the story just didn't grab me like I think they were hoping for. I don't know. I just felt Paige's character was a little to smart for her own good. Like, she seemed to have contingencies for her contingencies, even when it looked like she didn't have a contingency. But that just might be me. It was good, and I'm glad I finally watched it. But it's not my favorite and unlikely to be something I'll go back to.
And moving on...
The Exorcist III <--- Link to more detailed write-up thoughts here
A detective searching for a recent serial killer ends up finding them...already locked in a mental facility, where they've presumably been for the last 15 years.
Apparently everyone else decided to watch this one this year too. I swear that was coincidental
Anyway, this one was kinda weird. Good, but weird. Great atmosphere, and acting, and scares, and that initial interrogation scene was damn near perfect. And on top of that it also amused me with odd dialogue (so much focus on the carp in the bathtub), and off-kilter visuals (Hi, Spider-Grandma!) and just downright random moments (Angel Fabio, Joker making a guest appearance in church...). But it was fun, and I really liked it. It's probably the film I was most surprised by this year. Glad I watched it.
And moving on from that...
The Devil On Trial
Documentary involving interviews with the friends and family involved in the 1981 trial in Connecticut where a man attempted to use "possession" for his defense against a murder charge.
I watched this because I decided I needed to watch something semi-"educational" for the month. It was alright. If you're the religious type you might find it super creepy. But if you're a skeptic you'll want to skip to the last third of the film, cause that's the part where the elder brother shows up and brings up some events that'll make you give everyone claiming it was a possession the side-eye. Overall though, it covered multiple angles, so it was a decent documentary.
And ....
No One Gets Out Alive
An illegal immigrant takes a cheap room at rundown boarding house. But when she starts hearing strange noises and other boarding members mysteriously go missing, she decides it's time to "get out of dodge". But unfortunately for her by the time she figures this out she's already trapped.
I'm mixed on this one. When it comes to illustrating the fears and horrors related to being an immigrant, often with few, if any people to turn to, I think it works really well. The lack of funds, the lack of trust, the lack of safety, and all the related psychological aspects, are used very well. But then it really starts to lean into the supernatural aspect in the second half, and I don't think that works quite the same. It also doesn't help that the movie keeps reusing the same scares over and over again, or that the CGI monster looks a little wonky. So, it was okay, but not great.
And ....
Look Away
An awkward, introverted teenager whose often mocked at school finds herself confronted about her life at home...by her reflection in the mirror. The girl in the mirror offers to help her fix her life if they switch places. But once she finally agrees the girl realizes that the motives of her reflection may not be as helpful as she'd hoped.
This one started off really well with a nice, moody atmosphere. But for a horror/thriller it just feels like it never really hit its stride. I think to be more effective it should have gotten creepier and creepier the longer it went on. But honestly, once the two girls "switch" the movie just kinda stagnates. Because you already know the girl in the reflection is up to no good from the get-go, so it's no surprise when bad things start to happen. There is no mystery of who the girl in the reflection is, there are no scares, and there are no surprises. Other than maybe the fact that the girl's bully, the one person undoubtedly most deserving of some form of gruesome fate, is miraculously spared for some unfathomable reason. So yes, his non-death did surprise me. But other than that everything is pretty predictable. So I give this one a solid: Meh.
And finally....
Saw 1-8
A killer, who often utilizes a creepy doll, kidnaps and tortures his victims for their moral failings, because he thinks causing them immense pain and possibly loosing a limb will make them understand the true value of life.
My excuse for watching all of these is that the SyFy channel had a marathon on, and it occurred to me that while I own the first three (don't judge me!) I had never seen any of the others before. So I watched them all up through the 8th installment. In short, they're basically all the same. Once you've seen one, you know the basic formula: (1) Killer kidnaps victims (or they're already kidnapped), (2) police are baffled, (3) {enter torture porn segments here}, (4) repeat steps 2-3 a couple times, (5) Revelations!, (6) The Twist!, (7) {end]. And thus you have the majority of the Saw movies. It's pretty basic, but it works for what it's going for. Two things I was impressed by, though, now that I've watched most of them.... The first is how well connected the plots in installments 3-7 actually are. I mean, it's clear they put some effort into connecting all those movies, so kudos to them for that, even if a lot of it is ridiculous. And the second is how they have somehow managed to keep Tobin Bell involved in all of these movies, despite the fact that his character was actually killed off in the third film. That, ladies and gentlemen, is dedication, and I commend them for it.
The final two movies for my "theme" for the month:
Hard Candy <--- Link to more detailed write-up thoughts here
A photographer meets an underage girl online and takes her back to his house. But his nefarious plans are thwarted when it turns out that he's been the prey all along.
I thought this one was...alright. The acting was good, and whoever was in charge of the set design really had an awesome eye for color and where to put it. So it looked lovely. But the story just didn't grab me like I think they were hoping for. I don't know. I just felt Paige's character was a little to smart for her own good. Like, she seemed to have contingencies for her contingencies, even when it looked like she didn't have a contingency. But that just might be me. It was good, and I'm glad I finally watched it. But it's not my favorite and unlikely to be something I'll go back to.
And moving on...
The Exorcist III <--- Link to more detailed write-up thoughts here
A detective searching for a recent serial killer ends up finding them...already locked in a mental facility, where they've presumably been for the last 15 years.
Apparently everyone else decided to watch this one this year too. I swear that was coincidental
Anyway, this one was kinda weird. Good, but weird. Great atmosphere, and acting, and scares, and that initial interrogation scene was damn near perfect. And on top of that it also amused me with odd dialogue (so much focus on the carp in the bathtub), and off-kilter visuals (Hi, Spider-Grandma!) and just downright random moments (Angel Fabio, Joker making a guest appearance in church...). But it was fun, and I really liked it. It's probably the film I was most surprised by this year. Glad I watched it.
And moving on from that...
The Devil On Trial
Documentary involving interviews with the friends and family involved in the 1981 trial in Connecticut where a man attempted to use "possession" for his defense against a murder charge.
I watched this because I decided I needed to watch something semi-"educational" for the month. It was alright. If you're the religious type you might find it super creepy. But if you're a skeptic you'll want to skip to the last third of the film, cause that's the part where the elder brother shows up and brings up some events that'll make you give everyone claiming it was a possession the side-eye. Overall though, it covered multiple angles, so it was a decent documentary.
And ....
No One Gets Out Alive
An illegal immigrant takes a cheap room at rundown boarding house. But when she starts hearing strange noises and other boarding members mysteriously go missing, she decides it's time to "get out of dodge". But unfortunately for her by the time she figures this out she's already trapped.
I'm mixed on this one. When it comes to illustrating the fears and horrors related to being an immigrant, often with few, if any people to turn to, I think it works really well. The lack of funds, the lack of trust, the lack of safety, and all the related psychological aspects, are used very well. But then it really starts to lean into the supernatural aspect in the second half, and I don't think that works quite the same. It also doesn't help that the movie keeps reusing the same scares over and over again, or that the CGI monster looks a little wonky. So, it was okay, but not great.
And ....
Look Away
An awkward, introverted teenager whose often mocked at school finds herself confronted about her life at home...by her reflection in the mirror. The girl in the mirror offers to help her fix her life if they switch places. But once she finally agrees the girl realizes that the motives of her reflection may not be as helpful as she'd hoped.
This one started off really well with a nice, moody atmosphere. But for a horror/thriller it just feels like it never really hit its stride. I think to be more effective it should have gotten creepier and creepier the longer it went on. But honestly, once the two girls "switch" the movie just kinda stagnates. Because you already know the girl in the reflection is up to no good from the get-go, so it's no surprise when bad things start to happen. There is no mystery of who the girl in the reflection is, there are no scares, and there are no surprises. Other than maybe the fact that the girl's bully, the one person undoubtedly most deserving of some form of gruesome fate, is miraculously spared for some unfathomable reason. So yes, his non-death did surprise me. But other than that everything is pretty predictable. So I give this one a solid: Meh.
And finally....
Saw 1-8
A killer, who often utilizes a creepy doll, kidnaps and tortures his victims for their moral failings, because he thinks causing them immense pain and possibly loosing a limb will make them understand the true value of life.
My excuse for watching all of these is that the SyFy channel had a marathon on, and it occurred to me that while I own the first three (don't judge me!) I had never seen any of the others before. So I watched them all up through the 8th installment. In short, they're basically all the same. Once you've seen one, you know the basic formula: (1) Killer kidnaps victims (or they're already kidnapped), (2) police are baffled, (3) {enter torture porn segments here}, (4) repeat steps 2-3 a couple times, (5) Revelations!, (6) The Twist!, (7) {end]. And thus you have the majority of the Saw movies. It's pretty basic, but it works for what it's going for. Two things I was impressed by, though, now that I've watched most of them.... The first is how well connected the plots in installments 3-7 actually are. I mean, it's clear they put some effort into connecting all those movies, so kudos to them for that, even if a lot of it is ridiculous. And the second is how they have somehow managed to keep Tobin Bell involved in all of these movies, despite the fact that his character was actually killed off in the third film. That, ladies and gentlemen, is dedication, and I commend them for it.
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Raging Justice
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Re: Racketboy Month of Horror 14: Please Call First
I actually rewatched some fun stuff
A co worker of mine was raving about the new Chucky show. Has anyone watched it?
You guys should check out Squid Game if you haven't already. It's not horror, but rather a survival show, but it's very tense and unnerving to watch. It a disturbing show and also has a sort of appeal similar to some slasher flicks. You never know who will die and how awful of a death it'll be. I watched the first season with someone and even though she was thoroughly engrossed in it and had to watch it with me to the end, when I told her it was getting a second season she said, "I'm definitely NOT gonna be watching it with you"
)
A co worker of mine was raving about the new Chucky show. Has anyone watched it?
You guys should check out Squid Game if you haven't already. It's not horror, but rather a survival show, but it's very tense and unnerving to watch. It a disturbing show and also has a sort of appeal similar to some slasher flicks. You never know who will die and how awful of a death it'll be. I watched the first season with someone and even though she was thoroughly engrossed in it and had to watch it with me to the end, when I told her it was getting a second season she said, "I'm definitely NOT gonna be watching it with you"
Re: Racketboy Month of Horror 14: Please Call First
For my evening, I sat down with [REC]2.
Unfortunately for me, it falls flat in comparison to the original. It's tough to follow immediately after a really great film, and since the same locations, characters, and more were reused, the film suffered from both feeling like a rehashing and not being as interesting or intense. Most of the horror was focused on grotesque things popping out and charging the camera, followed by a stuttering image of the attack as the camera feed cuts out (not uncommon in found footage), and with characters who are supposed to be an elite SWAT team yet can't follow basic tactics like properly clearing corners and not sweeping their weapons directly over each other, it's a frustrating experience more than anything. For me, this was the 28 Weeks Later equivalent for [REC], more there to criticize without understanding as well as show a bunch of scared faces on night vision shots.
Unfortunately for me, it falls flat in comparison to the original. It's tough to follow immediately after a really great film, and since the same locations, characters, and more were reused, the film suffered from both feeling like a rehashing and not being as interesting or intense. Most of the horror was focused on grotesque things popping out and charging the camera, followed by a stuttering image of the attack as the camera feed cuts out (not uncommon in found footage), and with characters who are supposed to be an elite SWAT team yet can't follow basic tactics like properly clearing corners and not sweeping their weapons directly over each other, it's a frustrating experience more than anything. For me, this was the 28 Weeks Later equivalent for [REC], more there to criticize without understanding as well as show a bunch of scared faces on night vision shots.