Horror Movies

[Chef99]

So what's up with this? Is it just another version of the disappointing Hollow Man, or is it the real deal? Like Frankenstein, I've always thought this was a great horror concept.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Polaroid (2019)


Another one of those bizarre horror movie product tie-ins using different concepts. Sort of like how the ouija board is used, or to a more technologically advanced age, the cell phone in Countdown (2019). This film wasn't a remake to my knowledge since I don't recall another movie with the same name; just a plethora of horror short films with the same title (haven't seen them). And considering Shutter (2004) & the remake Shutter (2008) were more about possession & ghosts than a singular demonic entity going around killing off everyone. Forgive me, I don't really remember those movie very well other than vaguely remembering the plot & cast. But the same curse concept of an evil camera signing its captured victims to a fated kill list applies. By contrast the shadowy demon in this film has the added convenience that it gets to pick & choose which victims it wants to kill no matter the order in which they were photographed. It mostly plays like a gimmicky spin-off of the previously mentioned movies, maybe with a touch of Final Destination type films, but it does shake things up a little bit. The way it has the characters figure out the "rules of the game" was cool, especially when the girls start spontaneously combusting when they try burning the polaroid. Also liked how the demon had the same weaknesses as undeveloped film being sensitive to light/exposure. Convenient for the scare tactics I'll admit, but still creative connection. And Mitch Pileggi's death was pretty epic.

The progression in this film was a mixed bag. It has plenty of flaws with internal logic & general stupidity throughout the film and about midway you realize how simple & repetitive the entire movie has become. Sort of gives the rest of the movie an action-oriented feel instead of horror. The resulting climax was not very effective after the scare tactics became old.

The acting was unremarkable, even though I liked the cast. They certainly elevated terrible script dialogue, but it was all for naught as nothing about this movie made us feel very connected to the characters. The actors did a good job of displaying a wide range of emotion, but the movie did nothing to enhance it or build character arcs into anything meaningful.

Overall I can see why this movie wasn't in a hurry to be released in the US. This movie was filmed in 2017 and released overseas, but due to the collapse of the Weinstein Company the movie never officially released in America until late last year. Was it a tangle in production rights or simply a bad reception to foreign audiences? Or a combo? Whatever the case we are left with an underdeveloped film with a curious lack of energy. Disappointing considering the visuals & plot concepts seemed like an easy recipe for a decent flick.

An unremarkable, but OK film... 5/10

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

COMING SOON!


Release Date: Feb 28th

Synopsis: When Cecilia's abusive ex takes his own life and leaves her his fortune, she suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of coincidences turn lethal, Cecilia works to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see.

So what's up with this? Is it just another version of the disappointing Hollow Man, or is it the real deal? Like Frankenstein, I've always thought this was a great horror concept.

I can never place her so I had to look it up, Elisabeth Moss... she was most recently in Us (2019) and Light of My Life (2019), both of which I saw last year. The trailer shows quite a dynamic range of acting so I'm excited to see how she does with it. Don't believe I have ever seen her in an expanded or lead role before.

It will naturally draw comparisons to Hollow Man, but this looks like it has a more sinister feel to it. But I'm sure gonna miss Kevin Bacon. lol

Here's a twist for ya, what if it gets revealed that the boyfriend in this movie was an assistant to Dr. Sebastian Caine or some sort of understudy!?

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Black Christmas (2019)


For shame. What do you get when #MeToo feminists remake a horror classic? A plot littered with exhausting & stereotypical political agendas that aims to tear down the male gender. This remake loosely follows suit of the original, Black Christmas (1974) introducing an ensemble cast & presenting a slasher. However it removes "Billy" and turns him into a cultish cabal of men, because.... All men are rapist-murdering pigs, right feminists? How the hell can you remake Black Christmas without Billy? That's almost like making Halloween without Michael Myers. Billy was arguably the original slasher within the genre. The 1974 film is often credited as one of the first slasher movies, if not the official originator of the genre. Black Christmas (2006) remake got it right even if it wasn't particularly memorable... This one... is just pathetic all around.

The story progression was sort of sluggish. It's one-dimensional & moves along just fine but there was nothing suspenseful & tense about any of it. It lacked background & atmosphere. The first act sets up like a typical slasher but becomes insanely predictable. By the time I got to the climax I was honestly pretty damn bored with it. But fear not, I was quickly rewarded by a climax that devolved into a new level of ridiculousness involving a girl power battle between frat boys & sorority sisters. That was a painfully dumb scene. Some of the weapons of choice were an ice skate & a menorah. FFS.

The deaths were also a serious disappointment. Didn't take long to realize this film was PG-13. Almost zero gore. The results were nothing more than cloak & dagger jump scares that quickly cut to the next scene. Yawn. At the very least they could have used some creative staging for more sinister impact. For a film with such a painstaking feminist agenda, it's very ironic that the director gave us zero character development as if to state these women are nothing more than lambs for slaughter. We're "supposed" to connect with the lead protagonist because she was raped. But there is very little build with that background thread. All we really get are some brief distorted flashbacks, and a couple scenes where she clearly has PTSD from the event. Sorry, that wasn't enough for me to believe or invest in her character.

The acting wasn't too bad. It was the cringe-worthy feminist plot focus that made it hard to stomach more so than the actors themselves. But there was nothing memorable about any of them. Nothing particularly great about the cinematography other than some good framing within the house scenes.

Thanks Sophia Takal for ruining a classic. And shame on Blumhouse for allowing this to be produced. Avoid this film at all costs people.

#MeToo remake of a classic... 2.5/10

 

[Taddy Mason]

Black Christmas (2019)


For shame. What do you get when #MeToo feminists remake a horror classic? A plot littered with exhausting & stereotypical political agendas that aims to tear down the male gender. This remake loosely follows suit of the original, Black Christmas (1974) introducing an ensemble cast & presenting a slasher. However it removes "Billy" and turns him into a cultish cabal of men, because.... All men are rapist-murdering pigs, right feminists? How the hell can you remake Black Christmas without Billy? That's almost like making Halloween without Michael Myers. Billy was arguably the original slasher within the genre. The 1974 film is often credited as one of the first slasher movies, if not the official originator of the genre. Black Christmas (2006) remake got it right even if it wasn't particularly memorable... This one... is just pathetic all around.

The story progression was sort of sluggish. It's one-dimensional & moves along just fine but there was nothing suspenseful & tense about any of it. It lacked background & atmosphere. The first act sets up like a typical slasher but becomes insanely predictable. By the time I got to the climax I was honestly pretty damn bored with it. But fear not, I was quickly rewarded by a climax that devolved into a new level of ridiculousness involving a girl power battle between frat boys & sorority sisters. That was a painfully dumb scene. Some of the weapons of choice were an ice skate & a menorah. FFS.

The deaths were also a serious disappointment. Didn't take long to realize this film was PG-13. Almost zero gore. The results were nothing more than cloak & dagger jump scares that quickly cut to the next scene. Yawn. At the very least they could have used some creative staging for more sinister impact. For a film with such a painstaking feminist agenda, it's very ironic that the director gave us zero character development as if to state these women are nothing more than lambs for slaughter. We're "supposed" to connect with the lead protagonist because she was raped. But there is very little build with that background thread. All we really get are some brief distorted flashbacks, and a couple scenes where she clearly has PTSD from the event. Sorry, that wasn't enough for me to believe or invest in her character.

The acting wasn't too bad. It was the cringe-worthy feminist plot focus that made it hard to stomach more so than the actors themselves. But there was nothing memorable about any of them. Nothing particularly great about the cinematography other than some good framing within the house scenes.

Thanks Sophia Takal for ruining a classic. And shame on Blumhouse for allowing this to be produced. Avoid this film at all costs people.

#MeToo remake of a classic... 2.5/10

LOL, when I saw it the other day I knew it would get some panties twisted.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

LOL, when I saw it the other day I knew it would get some panties twisted.

Involving politics into anything is typically not a good idea. But that wasn't the only reason why that movie was terrible.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Looks like Paul Tremblay's novel, "A Head Full of Ghosts" is full steam ahead on a film adaptation for Cross Creek Pictures...

Quick facts:

Director: Scott Cooper (Out of the Furnace, Black Mass, Hostiles, Antlers)
Stars: Margaret Qualley (Once Upon A Time In Hollywood)

Scott Cooper Margaret Qualley A Head Full Of Ghosts Cross Creek, Team Downey – Deadline

Looking forward to this one as I loved the book. But I fear what Scott Cooper might do to it. He has a tendency to rewrite source material to make it his own. But you don't feature a production list with names like Ridley Scott, Guillermo del Toro & Leonardo Dicaprio if your rewrites aren't any good.

As far as the cast... Going to guess they are casting Qualley as Meredith & not Marjorie, since Marjorie is 14 years old in the book IIRC. Passing off Qualley, whom is mid-20's, as a teenager wouldn't work. Or maybe Cooper envisions aging up the character? Sure hope not, but nothing is out of bounds for Cooper's rewrites.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Guy Pearce Starring In Horror ‘The Seventh Day’ – Deadline

Looks good! Pitched as "Training Day Meets Exorcist"

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

 

[Taddy Mason]

Involving politics into anything is typically not a good idea. But that wasn't the only reason why that movie was terrible.

the movie certainly wasn't good for a lot of reasons, but i've never considered r*pe political. how they handled it certainly wasn't very impressive. dress like sloots and sing a cute song about said r*pe to really show them? to which the raped girl even goes to the ultra-protester friend saying she's a bit much. the cult angle could have been a decent new wrinkle rather than rehash the same thing over and over again, but that was just slapped together too. you can talk about billy, but cary elwes deserves better.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

the movie certainly wasn't good for a lot of reasons, but i've never considered r*pe political. how they handled it certainly wasn't very impressive. dress like sloots and sing a cute song about said r*pe to really show them? to which the raped girl even goes to the ultra-protester friend saying she's a bit much. the cult angle could have been a decent new wrinkle rather than rehash the same thing over and over again, but that was just slapped together too. you can talk about billy, but cary elwes deserves better.

The act itself is legal, not political. But the #MeToo movement certainly carries a lot of weight nowadays, which was this movie is in a nutshell.

I'm not a big fan of putting new wrinkles into classics that involve something iconic. You can trim the hedges all you want, but the roots still need to be the same. For me, Billy is that icon in this movie. If you want to change the characters that badly then why not just make it a new movie and not a remake?

 

[Comeds]

Looks like Paul Tremblay's novel, "A Head Full of Ghosts" is full steam ahead on a film adaptation for Cross Creek Pictures...

Quick facts:

Director: Scott Cooper (Out of the Furnace, Black Mass, Hostiles, Antlers)
Stars: Margaret Qualley (Once Upon A Time In Hollywood)

Scott Cooper Margaret Qualley A Head Full Of Ghosts Cross Creek, Team Downey – Deadline

Looking forward to this one as I loved the book. But I fear what Scott Cooper might do to it. He has a tendency to rewrite source material to make it his own. But you don't feature a production list with names like Ridley Scott, Guillermo del Toro & Leonardo Dicaprio if your rewrites aren't any good.

As far as the cast... Going to guess they are casting Qualley as Meredith & not Marjorie, since Marjorie is 14 years old in the book IIRC. Passing off Qualley, whom is mid-20's, as a teenager wouldn't work. Or maybe Cooper envisions aging up the character? Sure hope not, but nothing is out of bounds for Cooper's rewrites.

Sounds good, I really liked that book as well. I liked Disappearance At Devil's Rock too. Have you read The Cabin At The End Of The World? I am scared of it, on one hand I like him - but on the other I kept hearing terrible things about it.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Sounds good, I really liked that book as well. I liked Disappearance At Devil's Rock too. Have you read The Cabin At The End Of The World? I am scared of it, on one hand I like him - but on the other I kept hearing terrible things about it.

Only other Tremblay novel I have read was Disappearance At Devil's Rock. It was decent, but I liked A Head Full of Ghosts better. Haven't looked into The Cabin At the End of the World, but it is on my list of books I want to read.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Oh happy day... Jeepers Creepers is trending on twitter because someone asked what movies traumatized you as a kid.

Thought this was cool:

Dude owns the Creeper Truck and drives it daily

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Nostalgia... Cool pic of Robert Shaw on the set of Jaws

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Lin Shaye & Tobin Bell... Could be epic

Kids Torment a Witch in ‘The Call’, Starring Tobin Bell and Lin Shaye!

 

[Nasty_Magician]

Locke & Key on Netflix is pretty entertaining so far. More mystery/fantasy than horror but still has some horror elements. The trailer made it seem like it would be geared towards kids which it absolutely is not. It's by Joe Hill so if you liked his other stuff you'll enjoy this.

 

[UVA_Guy81]

Lin Shaye & Tobin Bell... Could be epic

Kids Torment a Witch in ‘The Call’, Starring Tobin Bell and Lin Shaye!

Sounds like an interesting premise with two horror veterans.

 

[Nasty_Magician]

Just watched Midsommar, strange strange movie. Very artsy, not super scary and fairly predictable but certainly worth a watch.

The Outsider has been really good, certainly recommend it.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Just watched Midsommar, strange strange movie. Very artsy, not super scary and fairly predictable but certainly worth a watch.

The Outsider has been really good, certainly recommend it.

Just watched it as well and will review it shortly. Agreed, very strange. The predictability was sort of painful for me. But I loved the imagery, score, and subtle fx/cgi. The score was almost hypnotic. That maypole song in particular, holy hell.

Quite the experience. Felt like the viewer got to partake in the hallucinogens as well.

I also wished we got to see or experience more of the deaths. I don't recall if we ever got to see what happened to Will Poulter's character, Mark? The one that pissed on the elder tree. He just followed that chick out into the woods and we never saw him again. Nor did we get to see how Josh or Connie died. Just got a quick glimpse of Josh's leg in a garden.