Horror Movies

[Nasty_Magician]

I get it, the teen market is massive for horror but why can't these kids just sneak in or have a parent sit 12 rows away from them like every other horror crazed kid for the past 40 years?

I distinctly remember seeing Conjuring 2 and the 3 girls in front of my wife and I asked if I could lie and say I was their brother if anyone asked. Sure kid, you got it.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

I get it, the teen market is massive for horror but why can't these kids just sneak in or have a parent sit 12 rows away from them like every other horror crazed kid for the past 40 years?

I distinctly remember seeing Conjuring 2 and the 3 girls in front of my wife and I asked if I could lie and say I was their brother if anyone asked. Sure kid, you got it.

I had one of those awesome families where my mom was practically begging to take me to see a new horror movie every month lol. But it made my teenage years a little awkward when I started dating... "Sorry mom but I'm going to take (insert dumb chick's name here) this weekend, maybe next weekend?"

I remember dumping one of my junior high gf's on the spot in the theater after she said "that was a dumb movie" once the credits rolled on Final Destination (IIRC)... Not just because of that, but mainly because she was an atrocious kisser. But still... fond memories lol

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Can we please get back to the horror elements with that franchise? Please?!

 

[returnofjakedog]

Can we please get back to the horror elements with that franchise? Please?!

From the poster I had hope for a post societal collapse with huge "purges" being performed by the remaining elite classes, perhaps financing mercs to pull the triggers.

......but no. Reading the premise it is apparently about the post-Purge era when a couple becomes prey to a group of extremists in the desert that is bent on continuing the purge tradition.

So it appears to be horror, but it also calls into question the budget and story. It seems to be "people in the wilderness being terrorized by baddies" troupe (desert instead of the more commonly woods for this one) with The Purge history tacked on.

I guess the question from me is: Was this originally a Purge movie, or was that aspect added later for promotion? This is done more often than we realize. The best example is probably the Cloverfield franchise where both sequels were not in franchise until reshots and adds in post-production, to both positive and negative affect. Because of this practice I am concerned this could be a latch-on cash grab. If that is the case it could still be good but the odds are significantly reduced.

The other option is that it was always a Purge francise movie, and they cut the budget so much that they moved it to the desert and cut the actors to 2 protagonists and a small group of antagonists. As with the other scenerio, it could still be good but I wouldn't bet on it.

I guess we will find out in 2 months.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

From the poster I had hope for a post societal collapse with huge "purges" being performed by the remaining elite classes, perhaps financing mercs to pull the triggers.

......but no. Reading the premise it is apparently about the post-Purge era when a couple becomes prey to a group of extremists in the desert that is bent on continuing the purge tradition.

So it appears to be horror, but it also calls into question the budget and story. It seems to be "people in the wilderness being terrorized by baddies" troupe (desert instead of the more commonly woods for this one) with The Purge history tacked on.

I guess the question from me is: Was this originally a Purge movie, or was that aspect added later for promotion? This is done more often than we realize. The best example is probably the Cloverfield franchise where both sequels were not in franchise until reshots and adds in post-production, to both positive and negative affect. Because of this practice I am concerned this could be a latch-on cash grab. If that is the case it could still be good but the odds are significantly reduced.

The other option is that it was always a Purge francise movie, and they cut the budget so much that they moved it to the desert and cut the actors to 2 protagonists and a small group of antagonists. As with the other scenerio, it could still be good but I wouldn't bet on it.

I guess we will find out in 2 months.

So umm... Sort of sounds like The Domestics... or kinda-sorta like Book of Eli no?

 

[Schmoopy1000]

a non rated R Horror movie?

 

[returnofjakedog]

So umm... Sort of sounds like The Domestics... or kinda-sorta like Book of Eli no?

We can hope. It sounds like The Hills Have Eyes, but hopefully not The Hills Have Eyes 2!

 

[Blackshirts BLVD]

a non rated R Horror movie?

Ok, so.... begs the question. What is the best PG-13 Horror movie?

I might have to go with Signs. I love that movie, but because it isn't overarchingly horror, I will go with 1408. I think that has a stronger horror vibe than Signs though I like Signs more.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Ok, so.... begs the question. What is the best PG-13 Horror movie?

I might have to go with Signs. I love that movie, but because it isn't overarchingly horror, I will go with 1408. I think that has a stronger horror vibe than Signs though I like Signs more.

Hmmm off the top of my head I know these are for sure PG-13:

Insidious
Tremors
The Sixth Sense
Split
The Ring
Mama
A Quiet Place
The Skeleton Key
Exorcism of Emily Rose
Cloverfield
Drag Me To Hell
The Others
Happy Death Day
The Final Girls

Quite a few good ones to choose from

 

[returnofjakedog]

Watched The Divide (2011), an apocalyptic character study about a group of people trapped in the basement of an apartment building after a nuclear attack on NYC. Stars, among others, the perpetually under-rated Michael Biehn, and Roseanne Arquette in perpetual breakdown mode.


Biehn is the building super, and manages to "save" 9 people as the nuclear blast comes booming in. As the situation progresses it becomes a Lord of the Flies power struggle scenerio. Things degrade as the nuclear radiation seeps in, and the group turns on each other.

The good:
*Yes, it is one of the "group trapped together under dire circumstances" genre but at least it gives us a couple of minutes of the nuclear blast at the start, and an epilog out in the destroyed city in the nuclear fall out.
Most of these types of movies just cut to the group locked in and only talks of the apocalypse in exposition dialog so credit to them on that.
*FXs were pretty good. The cgi explosions are "meh" but the practical fxs are well done. Quite a bit of physical wounds and radiation affects.
*High quality production. They had the bank to make the situation look realistic.

The bad:
*The acting is both good and bad, but too many inconsistent moments. Some of the actors really put the effort in but the consistent over-the-top scene chewing was a bit too much at times. This could be attributed to direction.
*An unnecessary abandoned storyline about an unknown government group that shows up, cuts into the basement, kidnaps Rosannes' kid (which turns her into even more of a hot mess).
It seems to be a tool to both push the group to turn on each other, and to provide equipment to them. But since Biehn is shown to have a large prepared cache they could have just made it so he already had some stuff.
*Character "progression" (or degradation) is a bit clunky. This might be because the passage of time is unclear.
*All characters are generally unlikable.

Worth a watch if you enjoy this type of movie, but admitably a bit of a mixed bag.

I'd go 6 outta 10 range. Decent aspects with minor issues.

 

[Blackshirts BLVD]

Hmmm off the top of my head I know these are for sure PG-13:

Insidious
Tremors
The Sixth Sense
Split
The Ring
Mama
A Quiet Place
The Skeleton Key
Exorcism of Emily Rose
Cloverfield
Drag Me To Hell
The Others
Happy Death Day
The Final Girls

Quite a few good ones to choose from

What is your take on The Exorcism of Emily Rose? I haven't watched it in years, but I recall enjoying it quite a bit.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

What is your take on The Exorcism of Emily Rose? I haven't watched it in years, but I recall enjoying it quite a bit.

Demonic possession film done right. I liked how it presented the entire movie through the courtroom, giving the viewer a jurors' viewpoint to unravel the story. Also need to appreciate that this movie didn't focus on shock value, like 99% of possession films like these do. The fact that its based on a true story, the Anneliese Michael case, brings an added realistic element to it.

Shocking Images From The Exorcism Of The Real Emily Rose

Just like the woman who inspired "The Exorcism Of Emily Rose," Anneliese Michel would become infamous for her tragic fight with "demons."

allthatsinteresting.com

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Songbird (2020)


Pandemic drama! First I've seen that is actually based on the real pandemic, albeit jumping forward a bunch of COVID strains to enhance the apocalyptic element. From that realistic standpoint its easily gripping even though the plot is underwhelming. Judging by the trailer you think you're getting into an apocalyptic type thriller, but instead you get a somewhat dull romance drama based in the pandemic. Its not bad at all, and I think you would be better off adjusting your expectations before watching it.

It's a cleverly written drama piece that does a good job pulling emotion & making your think... Also has plenty of pandemic material to give it a more realistic feel. Mixing different plot threads amongst the upper & lower social classes gave it a political subtext that was easy to digest. It wasn't heavy handed or trying to have an agenda in that regard, simply telling you how it is & how that applies to any sort of societal downfall. The rich will always have a hand in guiding the fate of the lower class. The acting was pretty damn good. The leads KJ Apa & Sofia Carson do a great job. I was a bit surprised that Daddario signed on to play the more promiscuous role. Being as popular of an actress as she is I thought this role was a bit beneath her, but her character's limited arc does pull a surprise on you.

It was well made and the writing was good, but selling it as a thriller is misguided & will only disappoint. The only thrilling moments were the last 10-15 minutes. Also panning it with Michael Bay's name headlining the production was also misleading. About the only Bay-esque features in this film were the wide-angled shots of the city, and some of the filming during driving/riding sequences. Still its a decent movie pulled off in exceptional circumstances (each setting & character is isolated making this movie easy to film during a pandemic). I thought it was worth the watch, but my wife thought it was too dull.

Underwhelming but realistic pandemic drama... 6.5/10

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Extracurricular (2018)


Teen slasher drama about a group of teenagers that secretly work together to kill people. It's a pretty straightforward drama thriller, although the motives were hard to fathom because they didn't give us any sort of backstory or agenda. Merely killing for the sake of killing. That's fine & dandy, but when you see the household for Miriam in particular its becomes a bizarre reach for her character. Her family is well off, and very supportive. She has firm foundations & is driven by her dancing hobby. So why does she like killing? Just doesn't make sense. The Gordon brothers make a little more sense since they have a more disjointed household with a semi-absent father, but they still had an appearance of being well-loved. Maybe Miriam was merely pushed into this life by these boys, which makes her arc all the more tragic? Somewhat plausible, but still strange. I did like how they gave every single character a likable moment to humanize them and make us root for them.

The progression of this film was great. How these kids entwined their regular life with their sinister life was well written & made for an entertaining sequence of events. And thankfully they made these kids clever too... Some of the methodical things they did to keep themselves from getting caught was smart. Those sort of details are essential for these types of crime drama movies to work. I was sort of pissed that eventually the downfall was because of a cliché... I think they could have thought of something better than that, because "teens will be teens" doesn't really work when they were so smart about every detail before that climactic night sequence. But that climax was pretty good. Watching that final sequence was surprising & enthralling, although a bit confusing how it unfolded.

Overall I'd call this a hidden gem IMO! It was well acted for a teenager drama, and the writing & cinematics were great. It took more of a crime drama approach vs the stereotypical & cliché-ridden messes that we've seen with teenager slasher films.

Teenaged murder club for crime drama enthusiasts... 7.5/10

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

The Devil Below (2021)


Another neo-monster creature feature to add to the list... @Sharkonabicycle Although I don't know if I would recommend this one lol.

This quick-baked movie was a bit of a mess. They tried hard to quickly sell you on a mystery to drive the plot, but it ended up making no practical sense whatsoever. The weak start with the not-so-intimidating locals was oddly placed. Lots of clichés mixed with an abundance of plot holes. The characters are supposed to be smart researchers, but they end up being confoundingly stupid. Their actions did not even remotely portray the common sense anyone would have. And their hired guide turns out to be some castoff version of Lara Croft. Its like the writers said to themselves, 'let's make a creature feature where we make a Tomb-Raider character try to save a bunch of nerds in cave filled with Descent-like neo-creatures.'

Not all is lost though. The creatures were semi-decent, which they wisely made obscured for most of the film. Pale & toothy creatures in caves is an easy draw. But writing them as some sort of demons from lower world being guarded by backwood rednecks in denim & plaid was farcical at best. Some of the deaths featured practical fx which was mildly entertaining. It also featured decent cinematography & athmospherics to make it more passable than most, but this movie simply failed from the writing standpoint. Wouldn't recommend it, but I've seen far worse than this movie, so there's that.

Poorly written neo-creature feature... 4/10

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Watched The Divide (2011), an apocalyptic character study about a group of people trapped in the basement of an apartment building after a nuclear attack on NYC. Stars, among others, the perpetually under-rated Michael Biehn, and Roseanne Arquette in perpetual breakdown mode.


Biehn is the building super, and manages to "save" 9 people as the nuclear blast comes booming in. As the situation progresses it becomes a Lord of the Flies power struggle scenerio. Things degrade as the nuclear radiation seeps in, and the group turns on each other.

The good:
*Yes, it is one of the "group trapped together under dire circumstances" genre but at least it gives us a couple of minutes of the nuclear blast at the start, and an epilog out in the destroyed city in the nuclear fall out.
Most of these types of movies just cut to the group locked in and only talks of the apocalypse in exposition dialog so credit to them on that.
*FXs were pretty good. The cgi explosions are "meh" but the practical fxs are well done. Quite a bit of physical wounds and radiation affects.
*High quality production. They had the bank to make the situation look realistic.

The bad:
*The acting is both good and bad, but too many inconsistent moments. Some of the actors really put the effort in but the consistent over-the-top scene chewing was a bit too much at times. This could be attributed to direction.
*An unnecessary abandoned storyline about an unknown government group that shows up, cuts into the basement, kidnaps Rosannes' kid (which turns her into even more of a hot mess).
It seems to be a tool to both push the group to turn on each other, and to provide equipment to them. But since Biehn is shown to have a large prepared cache they could have just made it so he already had some stuff.
*Character "progression" (or degradation) is a bit clunky. This might be because the passage of time is unclear.
*All characters are generally unlikable.

Worth a watch if you enjoy this type of movie, but admitably a bit of a mixed bag.

I'd go 6 outta 10 range. Decent aspects with minor issues.

I don't recall this movie very well but my review says I liked it!

Horror Movies

COMING SOON Don't Knock Twice (2017) Release date: International release is on January 12th. But I heard it had limited releases elsewhere (UK?). Synopsis: A mother desperate to reconnect with her troubled daughter becomes embroiled in the urban legend of a demonic witch. UK horror film...

sportshoop.la

 

[Sharkonabicycle]

The Devil Below (2021)


Another neo-monster creature feature to add to the list... @Sharkonabicycle Although I don't know if I would recommend this one lol.

This quick-baked movie was a bit of a mess. They tried hard to quickly sell you on a mystery to drive the plot, but it ended up making no practical sense whatsoever. The weak start with the not-so-intimidating locals was oddly placed. Lots of clichés mixed with an abundance of plot holes. The characters are supposed to be smart researchers, but they end up being confoundingly stupid. Their actions did not even remotely portray the common sense anyone would have. And their hired guide turns out to be some castoff version of Lara Croft. Its like the writers said to themselves, 'let's make a creature feature where we make a Tomb-Raider character try to save a bunch of nerds in cave filled with Descent-like neo-creatures.'

Not all is lost though. The creatures were semi-decent, which they wisely made obscured for most of the film. Pale & toothy creatures in caves is an easy draw. But writing them as some sort of demons from lower world being guarded by backwood rednecks in denim & plaid was farcical at best. Some of the deaths featured practical fx which was mildly entertaining. It also featured decent cinematography & athmospherics to make it more passable than most, but this movie simply failed from the writing standpoint. Wouldn't recommend it, but I've seen far worse than this movie, so there's that.

Poorly written neo-creature feature... 4/10

Man the trailer looks like a film that's right up my ally. Creature feature, I like Patton (and for a second I thought that was Jordana Brewster), and almost gave me a bit of an Until Dawn vibe (PS4 game, check it out if you have one and haven't played, one of the best horror games I've played and the plot was amazing, wish they'd make a movie of that although the game kind of is one).

But GOD OH GOD the reviews are awful lol. I'll probably have to check it out anyway, creature features usually boost a film rating by +1-2 for me anyway since 'at least they tried and didn't do another paranormal/boring ghost movie complete with lame BANG noise jump scares'. Fuck those films.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

creature features usually boost a film rating by +1-2 for me anyway since 'at least they tried and didn't do another paranormal/boring ghost movie complete with lame BANG noise jump scares'. Fuck those films.

SO you're tellin me that the bat creature boosted your rating of the woman-empowering Shadow In the Cloud (2020)?

I always thought you were just a softy with an inner-feminist...

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]