Horror Movies

[Shanemansj13]

The Autopsy Of Jane Doe... 2016


Weird things happen when a father and son do an autopsy of an unknown young female.

LOVE IT!

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Yeah some jump scares but to me it wasn't that scary, end made it even worse. Gotta say, these horror movies that have come out recently have been for the most part pretty disappointing. That's why I will always venture towards thriller/action personally.

Yea 2020 has been a tad disappointing in terms of horror. The Hunt & Invisible Man were the best things this year, but neither was really “horror”. The Grudge is the only one that was decent in that category but not great. Still haven’t seen Fantasy Island, Gretel & Hansel, or Horse Girl yet though.

Was really hopeful for Antlers to provide us some relief, but this damn covid pushed its release date. Same with AQP2.

I hear ya on the action. Wife & I opted for a war movie last Saturday night. The Siege of Jadotville on Netflix. I’d recommend it if you haven’t seen it.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Panic Button (2011)


This movie was surprisingly effective. The trailer didn't really do it any favors as it made it look a lot more low quality than it was. I'll admit right away you can tell the acting is a little subpar and the characters are a bit annoying, but they performed well enough to sell the plot. I've stated it before, but playing on the modern fear of our online security of our identities & privacy is a very real & very frightening thing. What makes matters worse is that younger generations simply ignore this fact, and opt to advertise every single damn thing they do at every waking moment. It's an ever-growing problem. This film draws ideas from the game-slasher Saw playbook, to use this online security fear against its victims. What I like most about it is that it uses more psychological torture than physical (torture/gore pron) to force its victims into situations in a small setting, and still is able to drive home tension. It's not an intrinsically scary film outside of your own paranoia, but its a believable movie & has a decent amount of suspense that continuously grows.

The progression is quickly paced, and linear. You get exactly what you expect & want out of this film. No prolonged dialogue or slow building plot premises. This film didn't need any of that, but still easily develops its characters well enough using its inherent plot premise of "exposing its victims".

I wasn't necessarily a fan of the portrayal of the antagonist, the "game master". Both in its childish alligator cartoon, and that it didn't really allude to it being something other than a 1-man-vigilante seeking justice. I think it stretches the credibility a tad. The cyber-hacker seeking justice & all. I guess if someone is able to hack into another person's personal info & found out all the things he did, he should be able to lure & kill a group of people on a private jet numerous times without being caught... right? Probably would have been more feasible if it were an organization. Maybe I missed that though.

Overall this was a decent low budget film. Definitely a derivative of Saw franchise, but it did well enough to separate itself into its own movie. A weak cast & somewhat implausible antagonist diminished its entertainment value, but considering its budget I'd say it was a better film than most under that sort of constraint. Not great but worth the watch.

Not bad, but needed a bigger budget to sell it better... 6/10

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Our House (2018)


IFC Midnight release. This film is a remake, but I never saw the original Ghost From the Machine (2010), so someone else can help me draw comparisons if they want. I did watch the trailer to see how comparable it was. On the surface, this remake definitely has upgraded cinematography & sound design (exponentially larger budget) but the plot looks like it stays very true to the script. A supernatural/sci-fi thriller based on the psychological perils of not dealing with grief.

The progression of this movie was a little slow in the early goings as it developed its story & characters. But the 2nd half picks up a little before the climax races to the finish line. The end result was a competent horror story, but it lacks suspense & scare factor. However this appeared to be by design. The initial manifestations of poltergeist occurrences around the house were meant to lure us into a false belief, to then flip the script on us and push the intensity. It did plenty to allude to something more malevolent (only speaking to the gullible younger sister, dark cloud apparitions, etc). However, while this plan was good in theory, it never seemed to hold any sort of suspense. It had a couple of suspenseful scenes (dad carrying his toolbox comes to mind), but it didn't sustain itself very well. Could be that the scare tactics were conventional & recycled from numerous other films, or that the pacing was simply too slow. The story was easy enough to stay enthralled, but it just felt like it lacked an edge to it to make it so much better & more memorable. As a result the experience felt a little ordinary despite the solid acting from a young cast.

Overall this was an easy watch, but I felt like it could have been better. Still would recommend it to those that haven't seen it, or the original (still would even if you have seen it). It's a good story with a genuine feel, and features polished cinematics that should impress any horror fan. But it is a somewhat forgettable experience.

Good story & concepts, but lacks personality & execution... 7/10

 

[Shanemansj13]

Yea 2020 has been a tad disappointing in terms of horror. The Hunt & Invisible Man were the best things this year, but neither was really “horror”. The Grudge is the only one that was decent in that category but not great. Still haven’t seen Fantasy Island, Gretel & Hansel, or Horse Girl yet though.

Was really hopeful for Antlers to provide us some relief, but this damn covid pushed its release date. Same with AQP2.

I hear ya on the action. Wife & I opted for a war movie last Saturday night. The Siege of Jadotville on Netflix. I’d recommend it if you haven’t seen it.

Yeah really loved the Hunt & Invisible Man.
I didn't finish Horse Girl but I will say wasn't paying attention for some time...I think I was playing a board game while watching but it seemed somewhat slow.

Just watched Fantasy Island last night. I enjoyed it, not labeled in the Horror category persay but it was an enjoyable and interesting movie. I think you will enjoy it.
Probably going to watch Gretel & Hansel tonight, saw the trailer and my expectations aren't very high so I hope I am surprised lol.

 

[Shanemansj13]

I will check out the Siege of Jadotville...haven't heard of it but have been looking for good war movies.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Yeah really loved the Hunt & Invisible Man.
I didn't finish Horse Girl but I will say wasn't paying attention for some time...I think I was playing a board game while watching but it seemed somewhat slow.

Just watched Fantasy Island last night. I enjoyed it, not labeled in the Horror category persay but it was an enjoyable and interesting movie. I think you will enjoy it.
Probably going to watch Gretel & Hansel tonight, saw the trailer and my expectations aren't very high so I hope I am surprised lol.

Good to know on Fantasy Island. Heard mixed reviews. Hadn't even watched the trailer for Horse Girl yet, but added it to my watchlist.

Everything I've read about G&H says its dreadfully slow & dry. But I heard the same things with The VVitch (2015) that year and I still liked it. "Period Horror" is definitely a different sort of horror altogether. Needs the atmosphere & creepiness to sustain itself, but its always slow.

I will check out the Siege of Jadotville...haven't heard of it but have been looking for good war movies.

Pretty crazy story. I wrote a short review in the "Last Movie You Watched" thread.

 

[Taddy Mason]

Not sure if this movie was mentioned but I saw The Turning last night. Not really into the supernatural/ghost kind of plot but it was okay. My wife loved it so if you are into those kind of movies I suggest you watch this one. Some jump scares but I feel it was one of those movies that you keep waiting and waiting for something very dramatic to happen and it just never happens. I will say that ending just makes you wonder, sometimes that can be good, sometimes not...didn't care for it this time lol.

it was mentioned before. just caught it. at the start i was like, what is this reminding me of??? Oh, it's a remake of The Innocents (1961). Yeah, it paled in comparison.

 

[Blackshirts BLVD]

I watched Doctor Sleep over the weekend...

Now admittedly, I have not seen The Shining in FOREVER, been a long time, but I think I still remember the big scenes. With that said... I thought it was pretty good. Granted I may have gone in with low expectations, but nonetheless the acting wasn't bad, the effects weren't overdone, the writing was spotty at times, but all in all it was okay. If I had some complaints it would be that I wish they went into the "shining" stuff a bit more and provided a more thorough story in that same regard. But I was ultimately pleasantly surprised.

7/10.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

I watched Doctor Sleep over the weekend...

Now admittedly, I have not seen The Shining in FOREVER, been a long time, but I think I still remember the big scenes. With that said... I thought it was pretty good. Granted I may have gone in with low expectations, but nonetheless the acting wasn't bad, the effects weren't overdone, the writing was spotty at times, but all in all it was okay. If I had some complaints it would be that I wish they went into the "shining" stuff a bit more and provided a more thorough story in that same regard. But I was ultimately pleasantly surprised.

7/10.

If you’re interested, my review here: Horror Movies

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

@Shanemansj13 - you were right on Fantasy Island, I did enjoy it! The concepts were pretty cool. Liked how they tied all the characters together by the Jared character (I think that was his name). Didn’t care for the twist at the end but overall it was a fun movie!

ever get to watch Gretel & Hansel?

 

[Shanemansj13]

@Shanemansj13 - you were right on Fantasy Island, I did enjoy it! The concepts were pretty cool. Liked how they tied all the characters together by the Jared character (I think that was his name). Didn’t care for the twist at the end but overall it was a fun movie!

ever get to watch Gretel & Hansel?

Yeah wasn't a big fan of the twist at the end either, didn't see it coming though! lol

I haven't watched Gretel & Hansel yet...probably will this weekend though

 

[Blackshirts BLVD]

Just watched The Platform on Netflix. Subtitles don't match the dubbing so that kind of sucks, but an interesting movie if you try to make it political. Not going to rate it, but there was one scene in particular that was kinda funny, sad, disgusting... a whole range of emotions.

Spoiler

Obviously.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Fantasy Island (2020)


This movie was a cool idea. I never watched the TV show from the '70s-80s that this is based on, but it wasn't necessary to enjoy this film. It is a creative & entertaining film, regardless of its apparent weaknesses.

The mystery progression was entertaining. Lots of twists and turns here & there to keep us enthralled in the story/stories. I liked how they connected all of the characters to a prior incident and didn't reveal it until later. Didn't care for the final twist with Lucy Hale as it didn't feel necessary, nor came off as very menacing, but at least none of us guessed it was coming. My main problem with this film was there wasn't any scare factor and very little suspense, which could have taken this movie to the next level. But given the PG-13 rating, you had to know the gore was going to be mild at best. Still, with all the plot twists you would guess there would be a fair amount of suspense but it sure didn't feel that way for me. I think all the plot threads were too tonally inconsistent, with varied levels of emotion, which made it difficult to sustain any tension.

Character development was unique. There was no background to anyone, just a cast of characters thrust onto an island to add to the mystery element. But in single-file fashion each was fleshed out & 'humanized' during their individual fantasies. Not a fan of the cast, but individually they weren't terrible. As a whole it was a somewhat underwhelming crew. I had a problem connecting to anyone or anything to pull emotion, so it was a somewhat hollow experience. The script didn't help anything. Lots of cringey one-liners that didn't feel very fluid, and some of the more personal fantasies felt too vague. I think the army fantasy with the cop & his father was the only plot thread that effectively pulled emotion but it didn't sustain itself. I think some of the characters were drawn out a little too long, giving it a convoluted & clunky feel in the 2nd half. The 2 partying 13-going-on-30 stepbrothers plotline was annoying & probably should have been cut out. Aside from some of the funnier one-liners, those 2 didn't contribute much of anything to the overall story. The death & final 'sacrifice' didn't do anything for me and most of their humor fell flat. Michael Rooker's role was an odd & flat addition as well.

Overall it was a campy popcorn film that sort of lacked an identity, even though it was sold as a fantasy horror. I think it just needed more suspense or bite. Still well worth the watch and the creativity made for an entertaining ride. Possibly even opening the door to more sequels. Cinematography was on point. Loved the island settings, and how they made it feel like an elaborate maze.

Unique endeavor, but lacks a bite... 6/10

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

 

[Taddy Mason]

Fantasy Island (2020)


This movie was a cool idea. I never watched the TV show from the '70s-80s that this is based on, but it wasn't necessary to enjoy this film. It is a creative & entertaining film, regardless of its apparent weaknesses.

The mystery progression was entertaining. Lots of twists and turns here & there to keep us enthralled in the story/stories. I liked how they connected all of the characters to a prior incident and didn't reveal it until later. Didn't care for the final twist with Lucy Hale as it didn't feel necessary, nor came off as very menacing, but at least none of us guessed it was coming. My main problem with this film was there wasn't any scare factor and very little suspense, which could have taken this movie to the next level. But given the PG-13 rating, you had to know the gore was going to be mild at best. Still, with all the plot twists you would guess there would be a fair amount of suspense but it sure didn't feel that way for me. I think all the plot threads were too tonally inconsistent, with varied levels of emotion, which made it difficult to sustain any tension.

Character development was unique. There was no background to anyone, just a cast of characters thrust onto an island to add to the mystery element. But in single-file fashion each was fleshed out & 'humanized' during their individual fantasies. Not a fan of the cast, but individually they weren't terrible. As a whole it was a somewhat underwhelming crew. I had a problem connecting to anyone or anything to pull emotion, so it was a somewhat hollow experience. The script didn't help anything. Lots of cringey one-liners that didn't feel very fluid, and some of the more personal fantasies felt too vague. I think the army fantasy with the cop & his father was the only plot thread that effectively pulled emotion but it didn't sustain itself. I think some of the characters were drawn out a little too long, giving it a convoluted & clunky feel in the 2nd half. The 2 partying 13-going-on-30 stepbrothers plotline was annoying & probably should have been cut out. Aside from some of the funnier one-liners, those 2 didn't contribute much of anything to the overall story. The death & final 'sacrifice' didn't do anything for me and most of their humor fell flat. Michael Rooker's role was an odd & flat addition as well.

Overall it was a campy popcorn film that sort of lacked an identity, even though it was sold as a fantasy horror. I think it just needed more suspense or bite. Still well worth the watch and the creativity made for an entertaining ride. Possibly even opening the door to more sequels. Cinematography was on point. Loved the island settings, and how they made it feel like an elaborate maze.

Unique endeavor, but lacks a bite... 6/10

Yeah, the cinematography was on point. I enjoyed the movie overall. From a storytelling perspective, I get why they chose to go with the fantasies being the narratives to get to know the characters. And the Ryan Hansen Jian Yang part worked for me from the perspective that the other fantasies were kind of dark, that said, I didn't quite hear Mr. Island said the fantasy was. Like you, I only knew of the series through the Tattoo de plane de plane commercials, along with My Dinner with Herve.

Once the curtain was open, I didn't think that was a twist that couldn't have been pondered. I knew it wasn't the direction they were going, as it made no sense for the high school tormentor to still be in play in the plot. That said, can't see how the Rooker character makes sense in trying to stay within the story.

Like you said, no scares (do any horror movies have them once you've seen this many?). I was intrigued to see where it was going. The thing that disappointed me overall is with the final story being told, I never got why or if there really was a monkey paw type juju on the fantasies other than assuming it was based on the nature of the wisher?

Overall, I was just in good spirits. Laptop broke a few weeks back, couldn't get a new one shipped out for a while. Also caught Gretel and Hansel. While I didn't care for the prior two Oz Perkins movies, I liked the mood of this one. Again, liked the cinematography on this one as well. Set a nice mood throughout.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Yeah, the cinematography was on point. I enjoyed the movie overall. From a storytelling perspective, I get why they chose to go with the fantasies being the narratives to get to know the characters. And the Ryan Hansen Jian Yang part worked for me from the perspective that the other fantasies were kind of dark, that said, I didn't quite hear Mr. Island said the fantasy was. Like you, I only knew of the series through the Tattoo de plane de plane commercials, along with My Dinner with Herve.

Once the curtain was open, I didn't think that was a twist that couldn't have been pondered. I knew it wasn't the direction they were going, as it made no sense for the high school tormentor to still be in play in the plot. That said, can't see how the Rooker character makes sense in trying to stay within the story.

Like you said, no scares (do any horror movies have them once you've seen this many?). I was intrigued to see where it was going. The thing that disappointed me overall is with the final story being told, I never got why or if there really was a monkey paw type juju on the fantasies other than assuming it was based on the nature of the wisher?

Overall, I was just in good spirits. Laptop broke a few weeks back, couldn't get a new one shipped out for a while. Also caught Gretel and Hansel. While I didn't care for the prior two Oz Perkins movies, I liked the mood of this one. Again, liked the cinematography on this one as well. Set a nice mood throughout.

Scares aren't any harder to come by for me, but I get your point. We know what to expect anymore. Needs that creative edge to work. It generally has to have some sort of sustained mood & atmosphere mixed with a fair amount of suspense. Or just one helluva costume/cg design and executed correctly. In order for jumpscares to work they simply just need to NOT telegraph it with sound design going completely silent in tense moments. That's bush league! lol. Plus I like it when they keep jumpscares to a bare minimum and only leave them to moments where they do catch you off-guard.

Final story of Fantasy Island... Seems to be as simple as everything we saw was based on the nature of the wisher. But I guess you have to specifically request that these people you want revenge on to be physically present on the island and to be duped into their own fantasies to further psychologically torment them. We were left to believe that Lucy Hale's character was some vengeful mastermind and knew a significant amount about the island prior to arriving. Because the island seemed to be perfectly capable of creating its own lookalike entities for you to play with without needing the physical presence of those you want your fantasies to involve.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Revenge (2017)


If your in the mood for a grindhouse revenge film that takes itself a little more seriously than the rest, then this ones right up your alley. Well... At times it certainly doesn't take itself seriously, as it does feature plenty of absurdity, but it does take a much more simpler survival & revenge approach vs. balls to the wall chaos like other grindhouse films.

The beginning of this film built up our protagonist to be a stereotypical Cal-girl: an idiotic, gullible, gold-digging bimbo. As soon as the 2 frenchmen show up you just knew things weren't going to go well for her. And she made matters so much worse for herself by continuing to act the part of the bimbo. I found it incredibly hard to feel sympathy for her when things went bad, and ultimately to connect to her vengeance & triumph. But not all is lost. This movie didn't try to key on those emotions and rather focused on the thrill ride of said vengeance. And revenge is always good, which works just fine! There were plenty of unrealistic moments in this film: how she survived the injury, how she didn't badly burn herself when she freed herself from the tree, how she seemed to be bleeding unrealistic amounts of blood without ever being weakened (in the freezing cold of night no less), and how she ultimately bests these hunters with zero knowledge of how to handle guns. Shmantics right? That's when you just chalk it up to grindhouse. Plus her choice of vengeance wardrobe really seals the deal. Once you make the decision not to take this movie seriously, you will enjoy it. It's a bloody fun ride. Speaking of the blood, this film had quite the ample supply of it. The gorehounds will be more than satisfied. The suspense in this film was good. It does a good job switching seamlessly between action to intense, drawn-out suspenseful moments. Mixed in with gut-wrenching gore! The glass shard in the foot scene had me feeling squeamish, so kudos for that!

I think my biggest gripe with the plot was the fact that this girl kept being incredibly lucky, and not smart. Best case for this point was the climax where she faces off with the main guy that brought her to the desert house. She has the guy on the ropes and bound to bleed out but continues to play the cat & mouse game of running in circles through the house before slipping & giving him the upper hand. Thankfully for her, the luck never ran out. I would have preferred if the kills/deaths were more methodical. Because you just keep begging for her to be smarter, and she rarely does. And in some moments, like the climax, she finally does have a moment of being very smart (noticing the blood spilling out) but quickly turns back into an idiot soon-after. The acting was good though! Much better than you would suspect. There is very little dialogue but the execution of their performances doesn't suffer from it.

Overall this was an entertaining film with plenty of weaknesses. Best served without taking it too seriously. But I do feel that it would have benefited from better writing. This was female director, Coralie Fargeat's first full-length feature. Not trying to be sexist by pointing out her gender, but merely wanting to spread knowledge that female directors don't get much cred in this industry, and specifically these horror/thriller genres. To make a movie this memorable as her debut film is remarkable. "The toughest part about climbing the ladder is getting through the crowd at the bottom". This movie was well worth the watch!

Grindhouse level realism, but loaded with vengeful fun... 7/10

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Downrange (2017)


This movie was a simple & effective idea, but the execution of it left a lot to be desired. I checked this one out because of my fanfare for Ryûhei Kitamura (Midnight Meat Train (2008), No One Lives (2012)). Sadly, his previous American films offered a LOT more than this one did. I was hoping for his atypical stories & twists even though the trailer made this seem like a very cut & dry movie. Disappointingly so, there's nothing particularly special about it and it features a cringe-worthy cast. I would have never guessed that Kitamura would have directed something as bad as this, given all that he has accomplished before it. Not sure how Shudder was able to get him to sign on for it lol.

Acting was downright atrocious at times and mostly came off as annoying characters. Especially during the emotional displays. Luckily you don't have to spend much time getting to know anybody early on as the progression doesn't take long to dive into survival mode. And that's when you find out the only character you want to survive is Keren. I must have missed her "background" builder (dialogue) because it was odd to me that she was suddenly knowledgeable in both the military field & first-aid like she was some sort of combat medic (how convenient!). The shooter situation they find themselves in is plausible & terrifying, and even though it features some absurd moments early on you are still drawn into the plot. It scratches at the primal fears for survival against forces out of your control. And in today's world filled with mass shootings, its very relevant. This film sort of reminds of simple thrillers like Phone Booth (2002) & ATM (2012), where you are completely isolated/trapped at the mercy of someone else's malice. The gore in this film was about the only highlight. The initial killings were designed to unsettle you from the outset. But the inconsistencies with the ballistics between the deaths of Sara & Jeff distracted me from it lol. How it went from making a crater in someone's head to looking like someone got stabbed in the eye with a pencil was too alarming in contrast.

Overall this was a B-thriller movie with a low budget. The progression was linear, with plenty of "shaking my head" moments as just about everyone outside of Keren basically asks to be killed. There was a very odd wolf scene that didn't make any sense. And the officer brigade that comes in to help was a laughable moment, leading up to an even more laughable ending when one of the most annoying characters of the entire film, Jodi, gets to square off with the antagonist. For fucks' sake... I was plenty ready for that film to end.

Low-budget B-thriller filled with annoying characters & moments... 4/10

 

[Shanemansj13]

@FaCe-LeE-uS

Finally "watched" Gretel and Hansel lol. Not much to say bc I only got about 30 minutes in. I didn't finish it mainly bc of my wife, she doesn't like slow movies and she doesn't like that main actress...haha. I will probably watch it by myself but from what I saw...it was slow (like expected) and I feel like from what I watched it is one of those movies that has little scares here and there but it won't fully give you what you want, just kinda teasing you. But since I didn't watch the full movie I can't give an accurate assessment. I will rewatch at some point possibly but if someone watched the full movie I would really want to hear their opinion.