Horror Movies

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Let It Snow (2020)


Another Russian horror/thriller production. Yet its not really a horror movie, and it sort of masquerades as a slasher thriller. A couple spend Xmas holiday venturing to a high elevation ski resort where they encounter a vengeful killer riding a snowmobile. Majority of the movie is spent watching the female flee from this axe-wielding maniac.

The survival element was fairly implausible. Not only because of hypothermia element, but also because the film spans 5 days in which this twig of a woman consumes almost no water or food. It only takes 3 days for lack of water to cause internal organ failure. Am I supposed to believe that she can live on pure adrenaline for that long? But looking past all that we get a fairly linear plot progression with some derivative flashbacks to humanize our victim, and also a mystery element where the antagonist's arc comes into view. You get the sense with the character elements that things will eventually twist around or add more shock factor but it sadly never does. All you get is a survival thriller of sorts. But that's not as bad as it sounds. It's very stylish, boasting some gorgeous scenery, and features some decent acting. Also the climax was a much more realistic result based on the progression. Glad it didn't try to outsmart itself.

Pretty decent stylized thriller with heavier survival & character conflict elements. Definitely not the smartest people in the world but made a decent go of things. Good imagery & decent progression. It lacks bite, but its still entertaining enough to watch. Just wanted it to be more than merely watching a sheep being herded around a mountain for 5 days.

Stylized survival thriller... 6/10

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Open 24 Hours (2020)


This one surprised me. I was fairly reluctant going into it thinkin it was going to be a mindless, low-budget slasher flick. Trailer made the plot look very basic that way. You realize pretty early on that this traumatized girl is suffering some serious PTSD which leads to some hallucinations. The introduction of this blurred reality makes you start to question what is real & what is merely going on inside her mind. This film does a good job of blurring these lines between hallucinations & reality, albeit it does overplay the hallucination angle at certain points to drive some character actions. Still feasible so it doesn't hurt the overall storyline.

The acting & characters are good. The lead protagonist playing the traumatized girl wasn't A-list but she was believable. The setting was small, but they did a great job of making it look & feel very isolated to compound the sense of dread when she finds out that the killer is on the loose. The deaths are pretty brutal and gory, even though the body count isn't particularly high for this slasher film. The practical fx are superb considering this is a fairly low budget production.

This movie made the best out of its budget. There were few plot holes which was nice, and the progression did a good enough job to keep itself from being predictable. Overall its just a fun movie to watch even if it doesn't blow you away. I wasn't necessarily a fan of the conclusion though. Still well worth the watch!

Engaging low-budget slasher... 7/10

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

@returnofjakedog or @Sparhawk - Have either of you watched Sputnik (2020) yet?

Foreign subtitled film, but the trailer looks epic. Looks like IFC Midnight productions put a lot into it. I posted about it a while ago with the intent to watch it but haven't gotten around to it yet.

 

[Sparhawk]

@returnofjakedog or @Sparhawk - Have either of you watched Sputnik (2020) yet?

Foreign subtitled film, but the trailer looks epic. Looks like IFC Midnight productions put a lot into it. I posted about it a while ago with the intent to watch it but haven't gotten around to it yet.

Nay, good sir.

Have not gotten around to watching this one.

Someone recommended The Odds (Amazon Prime) and that's next on my list.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Nay, good sir.

Have not gotten around to watching this one.

Someone recommended The Odds (Amazon Prime) and that's next on my list.

The Odds has been chillin in my Amazon queue for at least a month now... Looks decent.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

 

[Sparhawk]

The Odds has been chillin in my Amazon queue for at least a month now... Looks decent.

Just watched it.

The first 2/3 was really riveting and suspenseful.
But, I thought the final 1/3 was a bit lacking.

Still, while not entirely full of gore, there were several horror moments, both physical and psychological.

It's worth a watch and I'm curious to hear what others have to say about it.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Just watched it.

The first 2/3 was really riveting and suspenseful.
But, I thought the final 1/3 was a bit lacking.

Still, while not entirely full of gore, there were several horror moments, both physical and psychological.

It's worth a watch and I'm curious to hear what others have to say about it.

Thanks for the update. Now I'm moving it up to the top of my queue!

 

[Blackshirts BLVD]

I rewatched The Shining today, first time since I have really been into reviewing movies and really into horror movies. You will probably see my keep my posts brief as I believe I have covid (getting tested tomorrow) and the fatigue is real. Anyway, the acting was obviously great even though I am not a fan of Duvall, she seemed a little much at times, but still did really well overall. I really like the interesting, intense, and pervasive use of color throughout the film. I didn't feel that the color was used as well as it could have been to draw on the viewers emotions, but it was nice nonetheless. I never read the books or anything, but I feel like there are a lot of inconsistencies with Doctor Sleep, but I plan on rewatching that either tonight or this weekend.

All in all 7/10.

 

[Blackshirts BLVD]

My 5yo son...

Him: Why do you get to watch scary movies?
Me: Because I'm a grown-up.
Him: Well, if you had to be 100 then you would get arrested.
Me: **chuckles**

 

[returnofjakedog]

The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2018)


Gotta start this review by telling you to avoid watching the trailer altogether. Your overall experience will benefit from it. It's one of those mood killers where once you've seen the trailer you will already know most of the themes that are explored in the movie (with exception to the ending). Better to go in blindfolded.

This movie is really weird, but in a good way. The settings, the ambiance, the characters, etc. All of it is tailored to a tense & unsettling theme which is brilliantly done. Its very hard to describe but to paint a picture for you, this film depicts the life of upper class people who hold the highest societal status as most common people like to imagine it. The family is unrealistically perfect in all standards of living. They speak in well-versed & complete sentences, and in polite yet firm socialized order. All the while doing so in an uncharacteristically bland manner. Try to imagine 2 Harvard professors having a intellectual conversation and that's pretty much what this entire script feels like, even the dialogue from the deranged boy & coworkers. Their house is gorgeous & perfectly well-kept (neat & tidy). The children are unbelievably smart, talented and well behaved. It all amounts to a very insufferable ambiance. Then you insert the deranged boy filled with malintent and the movie gets surprisingly chaotic.

Where I felt like the movie went wrong is from my fairly newly acquired parental perspective. As a parent you would agree with me that the extents to which Colin Farrell & Nicole Kidman take their decision making in this film are just plain wrong. They go against everything that is instilled in a parent from the moment a child opens their eyes for the first time, even earlier. I don't want to say anything else in fear of spoiling it, so please feel free to start a discussion with me using the Hoop's spoiler feature.

From a cinematic standpoint this film was iron-clad. The acting was phenomenal. Surprised to see Colin Farrell produce this sort of performance. But the role was tailor-made for his "uncharacteristic" acting skills, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Amazing performance by Barry Keoghan. The score, the filming, etc were all perfect. Even though I deeply disagreed with some of the decisions & hated the climax because of it, I still think this movie was very well done. Some of the themes or ideas were very strange and hard to figure, but they worked well. Felt almost like a puzzle missing 1 final piece, but I still liked it enough to call it a must-see film. It's not exactly horror though. More of a crime drama & thriller but still fits in well with this thread. I have a feeling after a few more viewings I will want to rate this higher. Although I'm not entirely sure its a film that I will want to watch too many times. You'll know what I mean after you watch it.

Very tense & unsettling film... 9/10

Just watched this, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, and the @FaCe-LeE-uS synopsis is spot on as usual (with one specific point I disagree on), however...............this is one of the few times that we disagree on the overall ratings!

A very well done film from a technical standpoint. The cinematography, the soundtrack, etc are all top notch. The problem for me is that I didn't find it tense or unsettling. I found the ambience to be yawn inducing, and I wholly blame the director on this.

Every character in this delivers their lines with flat monotone, and even in the direst of circumstances they react with little emotional range (there are a couple of exceptions). The story meanders along very slowly and the "conclusion" is highly unsatisfying.

I know that the director was going for a Hereditary-type movie dealing with the character interactions, and the story itself being the main focal points, but I just can't get past the performances (again, I don't blame the actors), the inhuman lack of reactions, and the slower than necessary pace.

It is said that the worst thing a movie can be is boring. Well, I was generally bored with this. It had some fine moments and could have been really good (imo) with a slightly different approach but it was mostly a snooze fest with no conclusion. I typically enjoy a good slow-burn story but this one......?? I just couldn't connect with it.

If I had been the Farrell character the little shit would still be tied to the chair and taking a daily beating.

4 out of 10 in my book, but this goes against most reviews of it.

Last note: The title is based on Greek mythology about a hero who kills one of sacred deer of the goddess of the hunt Artemis. I get the whole "choose your sacrifice to pay for your sins" stuff but Artemis, much like the majority of the Greek gods, was prone to being an asshole who kills and/or tortures anyone who crosses them in the slightest. One lady boasted that she had 14 children so Artemis kills all of the kids. Her hunting partner accidently sees her naked so she turns him into a deer and has the hunting dogs rip him apart, etc etc.......and the guy who kills her sacred deer has to kill his child (thus this story). I don't really get the connection or why we should consider Artemis' actions as justice in any sense (unlike Farrell who actually did something wrong).

I guess the conclusion is that actions have consequences. But you could at least show a little human emotion while doing it.

 

[returnofjakedog]

@returnofjakedog or @Sparhawk - Have either of you watched Sputnik (2020) yet?

Foreign subtitled film, but the trailer looks epic. Looks like IFC Midnight productions put a lot into it. I posted about it a while ago with the intent to watch it but haven't gotten around to it yet.

Haven't heard of it until now. Will add it to my ever growing list!

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Just watched this, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, and the @FaCe-LeE-uS synopsis is spot on as usual (with one specific point I disagree on), however...............this is one of the few times that we disagree on the overall ratings!

A very well done film from a technical standpoint. The cinematography, the soundtrack, etc are all top notch. The problem for me is that I didn't find it tense or unsettling. I found the ambience to be yawn inducing, and I wholly blame the director on this.

Every character in this delivers their lines with flat monotone, and even in the direst of circumstances they react with little emotional range (there are a couple of exceptions). The story meanders along very slowly and the "conclusion" is highly unsatisfying.

I know that the director was going for a Hereditary-type movie dealing with the character interactions, and the story itself being the main focal points, but I just can't get past the performances (again, I don't blame the actors), the inhuman lack of reactions, and the slower than necessary pace.

It is said that the worst thing a movie can be is boring. Well, I was generally bored with this. It had some fine moments and could have been really good (imo) with a slightly different approach but it was mostly a snooze fest with no conclusion. I typically enjoy a good slow-burn story but this one......?? I just couldn't connect with it.

If I had been the Farrell character the little shit would still be tied to the chair and taking a daily beating.

4 out of 10 in my book, but this goes against most reviews of it.

Last note: The title is based on Greek mythology about a hero who kills one of sacred deer of the goddess of the hunt Artemis. I get the whole "choose your sacrifice to pay for your sins" stuff but Artemis, much like the majority of the Greek gods, was prone to being an asshole who kills and/or tortures anyone who crosses them in the slightest. One lady boasted that she had 14 children so Artemis kills all of the kids. Her hunting partner accidently sees her naked so she turns him into a deer and has the hunting dogs rip him apart, etc etc.......and the guy who kills her sacred deer has to kill his child (thus this story). I don't really get the connection or why we should consider Artemis' actions as justice in any sense (unlike Farrell who actually did something wrong).

I guess the conclusion is that actions have consequences. But you could at least show a little human emotion while doing it.

Well I tried to warn about the dialogue being insufferable and bland! Lol. The entire tone of this film was flat out strange. So maybe “tension” was the wrong word. The “tension” is obviously driven by a single role here so I can see with the boring viewpoint. It’s all about watching 1 person dissect a perfect family and watching them all fall into this strange blend of madness. Definitely wasn’t a suspenseful film. Just an eerie & moody one with stellar performances.

I’m weird that way but I found it very intriguing to be honest.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

My 5yo son...

Him: Why do you get to watch scary movies?
Me: Because I'm a grown-up.
Him: Well, if you had to be 100 then you would get arrested.
Me: **chuckles**

I tell my 4 year old... “one day son... whenever you can get past watching Goosebumps without begging me to turn it off maybe we’ll take things up a notch”

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

I rewatched The Shining today, first time since I have really been into reviewing movies and really into horror movies. You will probably see my keep my posts brief as I believe I have covid (getting tested tomorrow) and the fatigue is real. Anyway, the acting was obviously great even though I am not a fan of Duvall, she seemed a little much at times, but still did really well overall. I really like the interesting, intense, and pervasive use of color throughout the film. I didn't feel that the color was used as well as it could have been to draw on the viewers emotions, but it was nice nonetheless. I never read the books or anything, but I feel like there are a lot of inconsistencies with Doctor Sleep, but I plan on rewatching that either tonight or this weekend.

All in all 7/10.

Have you read the book?

 

[returnofjakedog]

Well I tried to warn about the dialogue being insufferable and bland! Lol. The entire tone of this film was flat out strange. So maybe “tension” was the wrong word. The “tension” is obviously driven by a single role here so I can see with the boring viewpoint. It’s all about watching 1 person dissect a perfect family and watching them all fall into this strange blend of madness. Definitely wasn’t a suspenseful film. Just an eerie & moody one with stellar performances.

I’m weird that way but I found it very intriguing to be honest.

I can see a lot of folks liked it! Which makes it all a bit baffling to me since I typically enjoy the "thinky" and the "artsy" stuff.

You say "dissect a perfect family" but the family seemed so robotic with a hint of dislike that I just assumed from the start that they all hated each other.

I would have liked a 15-20 minute short of this one but a full 2 hours of intentionally emotionally dead inside acting by everyone just killed it for me.

 

[returnofjakedog]

I rewatched The Shining today, first time since I have really been into reviewing movies and really into horror movies. You will probably see my keep my posts brief as I believe I have covid (getting tested tomorrow) and the fatigue is real. Anyway, the acting was obviously great even though I am not a fan of Duvall, she seemed a little much at times, but still did really well overall. I really like the interesting, intense, and pervasive use of color throughout the film. I didn't feel that the color was used as well as it could have been to draw on the viewers emotions, but it was nice nonetheless. I never read the books or anything, but I feel like there are a lot of inconsistencies with Doctor Sleep, but I plan on rewatching that either tonight or this weekend.

All in all 7/10.

We've already discussed it a bit here not long ago, but regarding Duvall's performance there is an interesting story.
Kubrick wanted her to convey utter helplessness and a complete breakdown so he would often call her in the middle of the night to wake her and just remain silent on his end. He told the crew not to include her or sympathize with her so she was as isolated as possible. No one was to complement her work, or socialize with her.
*The famous "Give me the bat Wendy" scene was done at least 127(!) times (Kubrick was famous for doing many, many takes)


In addition to having to cry on demand for 12 hours a day for over a bunch of days, her hands were basically just bloody blisters after that scene.

The "Here's Johnny" scene took over 3 days and over 60 doors.

Duvall was a wreck during the 13 months on set. She lost a bunch of weight (which she couldn't afford to lose) and her hair started falling out.

I'm not a huge Duvall fan (the only other role of hers I remember liking is in Popeye) but when I heard about what she went through I viewed her performance in a different light.

Also of note is that the portrayals of both Jack and Wendy were the 2 biggest issues Stephen King had with the movie (that and probably the ending). Jack was supposed to descend into madness, not start there, and Wendy was supposed to be strong. But King's version has shown that maybe the author shouldn't always be given control of the product.

Much more importantly I hope the covid situation is under control for you. Sending best wishes to ya man!

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

I can see a lot of folks liked it! Which makes it all a bit baffling to me since I typically enjoy the "thinky" and the "artsy" stuff.

You say "dissect a perfect family" but the family seemed so robotic with a hint of dislike that I just assumed from the start that they all hated each other.

I would have liked a 15-20 minute short of this one but a full 2 hours of intentionally emotionally dead inside acting by everyone just killed it for me.

Understandable. I remember thinking after the first 20 minutes or so “enough is enough.” Even though I was enjoying the weirdness I felt like I had my fill of the character building lol. They could have shaved 20mins off the runtime and it wouldn’t have affected the movie. Maybe would have made it more enjoyable for you!

Dissect the family... I may not be remembering it as well as I think I am, but the entire family was wound so tight that just pulling a single thread caused them to spiral. They definitely had a lot of issues covered up and all the kid had to do was light the match.