Horror Movies

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Recent reboots/remakes/spinoffs/etc:

The Predator (garbage reboot 2018)
Halloween (2018)
Child's Play (2019)
Black Christmas (2019)
Doctor Sleep (Shining sequel - 2019)
The Invisible Man (2020)
Halloween Kills (2021)
Chucky (2021 tv series)
Spiral (horrible Saw reboot 2021)
Candyman (2021)
Prey (2022 - predator prequel)
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022)
Scream (2022)
Hellraiser (2022)
Jeepers Creepers: Reborn (2022)
Halloween Ends (2022)

Future releases:

Scream 6 (Supposedly releasing in March 2023)
Evil Dead Rise (April 2023)
Insidious 5 (Insidious: Fear The Dark might be the title? - summer 2023)
Final Desination 6 (2023, supposedly. Been in the works since '19)
Crystal Lake (2023 - Friday the 13th spinoff tv series)
The Exorcist (no official title yet - slated for Oct 2023)
Saw X (Oct 2023)
Alien (reboot - in development for 2023 hopefully)
28 Months Later (hopefully 2023)
Cloverfield 2 (4th installment, JJ Abrams, started this year, supposedly releasing in 2023)
Welcome to Derry (2024 - IT prequel tv series)
The Lost Boys Reboot (no official title or ETA yet)

What am I missing?

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

 

[returnofjakedog]

......back to Korea!

The Wailing (2016)-

A policeman in a Korean country village investigates a series of familicide murders. The suspicion largely falls on a Japanese hermit monk/shaman guy who recently moved into the area. Things escalate as his daughter is affected by something so he brings in a priest of his own. Also a lady with some sort of powers, and who may or may not be helping gets involved. But who is good and who is evil?!?

This one is pretty highly thought of with a 99% on Rotton Tomatoes with an 8.0 average, and a 7.5 on IMDB, and I can't disagree that it is a very good movie but it does have it's flaws.

The good:
*It is a well directed and told story.

*There are some fun fxs, and a decent amount of violence and gore. Demons, devils, insect swarms, even a zombie attack tossed in for good measure.

*A great mystery to it that keeps you swinging back and forth on the who and what.

*A "fun" ending!

The bad:
*As with all foreign language films the subtitles can be a bit of a chore and sometimes a little choppy.
-I usually go dubbed on a first watch and then subs if I revisit it. But only the subtitled version was available to me.

*Not a major thing for me, but the 2 hour 36 minute run time wasn't necessary. It easily could have cut 15-20 minutes and it wouldn't affect much.

*The biggest issue for me was the main character. He is a cop but also one of the biggest cowards I've ever seen. He constantly recoils in terror and screams like a little girl when anything happens, and his friends are mostly just as bad. Plus he is just tubby and moppy, and acts like a freaking out child when the pressure is on.
-I know this was intentional and played for comedy aspects, but I feel that the potential to be a much better movie if they had downplayed that and went for a more serious tone.

All in all, I'll go a 7 outta 10 area, mostly for the last half or so when things start picking up. I enjoyed it but it does kinda bother me because I think there is an 8.5+ movie in there if they approached it with a slightly different tone for the lead.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

 

[returnofjakedog]

Alone (2020)-

A lady who was recently widowed packs up her stuff in a small u-haul and heads north. Along her journey she is targeted by a creepy serial killer dude who keeps popping up. Eventually he manages to kidnap her and take her to an isolated cabin in the middle of nowhere. She smartly finds a method of escape and a cat and mouse game in the deep, thick woods of Oregon ensues.

A well-done little horror thriller with solid performances by the leads and good all around production for a relatively small budget flick.
It is essentially a 2 person "showdown" type movie, with the leads being 99% of the film and only a hunter and people on phones being the others involved.

Not a lot of complaints as most everything is solid. She does make some bad decisions while running through the wilderness, and it isn't always realistic that the killer is seemingly popping up quite near her in such a large and heavily wooded area (Also the hunter she meets doesn't make smart decisions either). But beyond that everything is solid.
*The lead lady is a realistic and sympathetic character. She has a nice arc, and comes off strong.
Apparently she broke her foot early in production but powered through on with her stunt double having to take on more.
*The bad guy is creepy and realistic "hidden-in-society" psychotic.
*A spectacular stunt in which the stunt person throws themselves into and then rides a big river for sometime. I was literally scared for their life as it seemed quite dangerous. It is shot beautifully from a helicopter.
*Not really in gore and little blood. It relies more the the threat of the serial killer and the fear of the hunt, even before they get to the woods.

I liked it. A simple story but well executed with a pretty fun conclusion. I'll go about 6.5 outta 10 range.

 

[Sharkonabicycle]

Smile...

Wasn't this already done with It Follows a few years back? This movie was just obnoxious about it... straight down tot he stupid as fuck ending and loud jump 'scares'. Seriously, fuck this film. Lead actress did great and cinematography was good. 3/10. Saw the dumbass 'smile' ending coming a mile away... OH, you really got us there Hollyweird! OOOH I was so shocked. Get the fuck outta here.

 

[returnofjakedog]

Smile...

Wasn't this already done with It Follows a few years back? This movie was just obnoxious about it... straight down tot he stupid as fuck ending and loud jump 'scares'. Seriously, fuck this film. Lead actress did great and cinematography was good. 3/10. Saw the dumbass 'smile' ending coming a mile away... OH, you really got us there Hollyweird! OOOH I was so shocked. Get the fuck outta here.

Lol!

Yeah, thematically it isn't going to resonate with everyone. Smile is first and foremost "mental health" horror, and we've heard some people express their dislike for the recent overuse of these tropes in horror in recent years

However if you can handle the themes, I thought the execution of Smile was quite well done. Sosie Bacon did a good job as the lead (despite that damn mole!), and it was solid production all around.

@Sharkonabicycle Watch Terrifier 2 and let me know what you think. Some wholesale slaughter with not so much message to get in the way of the bloody viscera!

Just got power back on after 32 hours! That windstorm really did a number out here on the OlyPen.

 

[Sharkonabicycle]

Sosie Bacon did a good job as the lead (despite that damn mole!)

lmao.... Jake I'm putting you in the will, I was thinking the same thing. I mean it was a well shot film, I'm just so done with the paranormal jump scare crap... why can't some chick show up in my home smiling where I can just charge in? Getting tired of all these ghost movies... look, just saying, some chick comes crawling out of my TV or smiling in my kitchen, and we're goin in.

Is Terrifier 1 worth a watch (never saw it)? Or would you just recommend going Terrifier 2? And of course glad you're okay mah dude

 

[Sharkonabicycle]

What in the absolute F did you just recommend me @returnofjakedog ....? Is this payback for Street Trash?

 

[returnofjakedog]

lmao.... Jake I'm putting you in the will, I was thinking the same thing. I mean it was a well shot film, I'm just so done with the paranormal jump scare crap... why can't some chick show up in my home smiling where I can just charge in? Getting tired of all these ghost movies... look, just saying, some chick comes crawling out of my TV or smiling in my kitchen, and we're goin in.

Is Terrifier 1 worth a watch (never saw it)? Or would you just recommend going Terrifier 2? And of course glad you're okay mah dude

I was kinda joking, but if you enjoy some "ultraviolence", then the Terrifier series is a splatterfest for ya.

*Terrifier 1 is barely a movie, as it exists only to showcase the awesome Art the Clown.
*Terrifier 2 is 138 minutes long, and has a bunch of story.
-It could easily have 15-20+ minutes chopped.
-Some acting is "meh"
-Taken in it's entirety it might be the most grusome, gory thing I've ever seen!
-Art the Clown is great!!!

Should you watch the first or skip straight to the second? Hard to say. It depends on your tolerance for nasty schlock and low budget. While part 1 seemlessly transitions into part 2, part 2 is by far the superior movie. But I don't think that starting with part 2 would hurt anything.

 

[returnofjakedog]

What in the absolute F did you just recommend me @returnofjakedog ....? Is this payback for Street Trash?

Lol! Not really, as both are far superior to Street Trash! But they are certainly a mess of nasty shit goin down!

 

[Sharkonabicycle]

Lol! Not really, as both are far superior to Street Trash! But they are certainly a mess of nasty shit goin down!

Not gonna lie, still watching it (the 2nd)... lol.. it is amusing.

 

[R.J. MacReady]

......back to Korea!

The Wailing (2016)-

A policeman in a Korean country village investigates a series of familicide murders. The suspicion largely falls on a Japanese hermit monk/shaman guy who recently moved into the area. Things escalate as his daughter is affected by something so he brings in a priest of his own. Also a lady with some sort of powers, and who may or may not be helping gets involved. But who is good and who is evil?!?

This one is pretty highly thought of with a 99% on Rotton Tomatoes with an 8.0 average, and a 7.5 on IMDB, and I can't disagree that it is a very good movie but it does have it's flaws.

The good:
*It is a well directed and told story.

*There are some fun fxs, and a decent amount of violence and gore. Demons, devils, insect swarms, even a zombie attack tossed in for good measure.

*A great mystery to it that keeps you swinging back and forth on the who and what.

*A "fun" ending!

The bad:
*As with all foreign language films the subtitles can be a bit of a chore and sometimes a little choppy.
-I usually go dubbed on a first watch and then subs if I revisit it. But only the subtitled version was available to me.

*Not a major thing for me, but the 2 hour 36 minute run time wasn't necessary. It easily could have cut 15-20 minutes and it wouldn't affect much.

*The biggest issue for me was the main character. He is a cop but also one of the biggest cowards I've ever seen. He constantly recoils in terror and screams like a little girl when anything happens, and his friends are mostly just as bad. Plus he is just tubby and moppy, and acts like a freaking out child when the pressure is on.
-I know this was intentional and played for comedy aspects, but I feel that the potential to be a much better movie if they had downplayed that and went for a more serious tone.

All in all, I'll go a 7 outta 10 area, mostly for the last half or so when things start picking up. I enjoyed it but it does kinda bother me because I think there is an 8.5+ movie in there if they approached it with a slightly different tone for the lead.

I did a review of this way back when.

I will add that people need to know this movie is a long (2 1/2 hr) emotional roller coaster.
You need to be ready to watch this movie ...it will drain you. I would compare it to Interstellar on that front.

Yes, the main character is flawed and it's part of the brilliance of this movie. Strong leads can act as a buffer for the audience in horror movies. Would you be scared of the monster if John Wick was in the horror movie? ....probably not.

People can relate to being scared shit at every turn and if the lead is that way ...the audience feels it even more.


.

 

[returnofjakedog]

I did a review of this way back when.

I will add that people need to know this movie is a long (2 1/2 hr) emotional roller coaster.
You need to be ready to watch this movie ...it will drain you. I would compare it to Interstellar on that front.

Yes, the main character is flawed and it's part of the brilliance of this movie. Strong leads can act as a buffer for the audience in horror movies. Would you be scared of the monster if John Wick was in the horror movie? ....probably not.

People can relate to being scared shit at every turn and if the lead is that way ...the audience feels it even more.


.

Yeah. I just couldn't relate to the "humor" of the character. IMO they could have dialed it back his complete pussiness and it would have worked better, but (again) just my opinion.

It was a very good movie regardless. The Exorcist influence is pretty obvious also (in a good way). Also the back and forth swinging of the mystery is really good.

I would have never thought of the Interstellar comparison, but weirdly, it does have a kinda similar arch. You threw me a bit with that one though!

 

[returnofjakedog]

Not gonna lie, still watching it (the 2nd)... lol.. it is amusing.

Looking forward to your thoughts on it!!

 

[R.J. MacReady]

Yeah. I just couldn't relate to the "humor" of the character. IMO they could have dialed it back his complete pussiness and it would have worked better, but (again) just my opinion.

It was a very good movie regardless. The Exorcist influence is pretty obvious also (in a good way). Also the back and forth swinging of the mystery is really good.

I would have never thought of the Interstellar comparison, but weirdly, it does have a kinda similar arch. You threw me a bit with that one though!

Your lead for sure has to exhibit some backbone at some point. you want them to be too pathetic. But to be honest, I can't remember if he ever did grow a pair.

And yea, the only 2 movies that i felt actually drained me after watching was this and interstellar ...that only reason I would compare the 2.


.

 

[returnofjakedog]

Uh oh folks.......'tween horror!

The Wretched (2019)-

An annoying teen stays with his dad in New England over a summer where he observes his neighbors acting really strange. He investigates and uncovers sinister witch-creature possession stuff going on. No one believes him, and soon the witch-monster sets her sights on him.......

This essentially takes Rear Window/Disturbia and blends it with nature possession movies like The Hallow and The Ritual, and tosses in some Fallen just for good measure. But the attempts to walk the line between making a disturbing horror flick and lighter teen appealing horror kinda hurt it a bit.

There are some genuinely horrific moments, and creepy stuff going on. The lore is good, and the production is generally well done.
But the lead is somewhere between annoying and just ok, and the majority of the other characters (the love interest teen chick, the dad, the dad's gf, the bully dude) largely fall into the somewhat annoying catagory for me. In fact, the "in the midst of being possessed" neighbor family was more interesting to me, and I think it would have been a better movie if they had focused on them instead.
The neighbor lady/creature is probably the best character in the film. She is a bit understated creepy.

The fxs were pretty good. The creature stuff is well done, and the gore is solid but quite limited.

The tonal inconsistencies were a bit weird, as they even have kids being possessed and killed onscreen (limited) but others they do the happy save the kid thing.......only to have a possible twist (which is admitably kind of a cool way to approach it) be tossed in.

I'll go about a 6 outta 10 area. Well done enough for what it is, but the walking the edge of pandering to teen audiences and making an actual scary horror movie hurt it a bit.

Interestingly, this is the first movie since Avatar to hold #1 at the box office for 6 straight weeks, but that is an illusion because it was released at the start of the lockdown.

 

[returnofjakedog]

Your lead for sure has to exhibit some backbone at some point. you want them to be too pathetic. But to be honest, I can't remember if he ever did grow a pair.

And yea, the only 2 movies that i felt actually drained me after watching was this and interstellar ...that only reason I would compare the 2.


.

He kinda got a little tougher at the end. But that was a bit too late!

I went into it blind and was expecting a dark horror movie (which it is!) but wasn't expecting a comic edge, and didn't really connect with the humor. He was kinda like you took the comic Lionel (less so, but also less likeable) from Peter Jackson's Dead Alive/Braindead, but put him into a much darker, and more serious movie.

I think I will need to rewatch it at some point. Going in understanding the movie will probably help, but I did like it quite a but regardless.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

 

[DarthVedder]

The Nun was terrible… but so was the first Annabelle, while the second was much better.

The whole franchise seems like it is running on fumes.