Horror Movies

[Nasty_Magician]

Watched The Grudge (2020), went in with no expectations and was pleasantly surprised. By no means great but the jump scares were good, the creepy haunted house setting did its job. The plot and decision making were nonsensical but I enjoyed it.

 

[DarthVedder]

Saw "Saint Maud" (2020) yesterday with my wife... Very interesting, moody and different, a bit slow at times and a bit too short overall, but well worth a look.

 

[DJ]

 

[DJ]

 

[Nasty_Magician]

Checked out Fantasy Island, I thought it was entertaining. Very stupid, very low brow but I enjoyed it. Kept moving, had some decent jumps. Not a great movie by any means but definitely better than I was anticipating and worth a mindless watch.

 

[returnofjakedog]

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (2021)


Not to dismiss the negativity in here about this movie, but I want to show it some support! No this movie is not better than the first 2, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a lot more heavy-handed with modern horror tropes, but I think it did enough to stay true to the vibes that made the first 2 films in this franchise so popular. It leaned more to the mystery horror theme which presented some fallacies (as pointed out by others), but I thought it it was still very entertaining and a fresher take for the franchise. Playing towards the same plots as the first two could have grown stagnant, much like what happened with the Insidious franchise. There's only so many times that you can rinse & repeat before it gets stagnant & boring. And people complaining about the jump-scares must not have remembered the previous films, because it used the same amount as these films always do. They were a little more telegraphed at times but the scare makeup is still the same.

One thing that was lacking was with character building. The previous films did a great job of connecting us to everyone involved in the story, whereas this film did little to make us care about anyone outside of Ed & Lorraine Warren. The Arne Johnson character should have pulled a lot more emotion, and they had an easy opportunity with his step-brother (?) & girlfriend. They gave him numerous moments to do so (none more so than the ending when awaiting his verdict at trial) but they all fell very flat. They did play up the Warren relationship angle again, going further into the background to explain what makes them click, which was a highlight. I hope they weren't going for a sense of closure to their characters, and rather continuing to build the connection that makes these 2 so much fun to watch.

The film has a good pace and a decent story, even if it does present some problems. As always its helped by the tenuous link to a true story basis which adds a more terrifying undertone. I didn't get the feeling that the majority of scenes felt staged. Everything was polished & felt fluid. The psychic visions are meant to look & feel dream-like & surreal. It did take a lot more risks in this bold new venture. The first 2 Conjuring films were mostly contained in one location with the Warrens facing off against the demons in a battle of attrition type confrontation. This film took on more of a small-town setting where the Warrens traverse the town while they investigate the paranormal/occult mystery. This changed the dynamic of the film where the constant pressure & tension is broken up by periods of run-time for investigative threads. While interesting & ultimately worth the pay-off, this did dilute the "Conjuring experience." The dark occult magic angle was open to a lot more interpretation, which presented some logical flaws. Everything from how the curse totems worked, to how the possessions & demons manifested... It worked ok but did present more questions than answers. But I thought the witch/occultist character was decently vetted out enough to work with the plot, and it leads me to believe that it was pulling an emotional string on the Warrens and ultimately how they raise their daughter.

If you're a fan of the previous films then you know what you're going to get. Well produced, slick horror with paranormal mystery, jump-scares and well-timed score. From top to bottom its well made and tailored to unsettle the audience. But as I said before, this movie has a different dynamic that is much bolder and as a result it doesn't have the same amount of tension as the previous films. Which isn't to say that the movie isn't good. It is still a very good film. It just didn't raise the bar as it was being sold to do. Saying things like "the most terrifying case the Warren's worked on" made it appear to be raising that bar. I certainly hope this isn't the last we get to see the Warrens.

A bold & fresh take on the Warren saga... 7.5/10

I can generally agree with this. I might go a bit lower on the rating, somewhere in the 6.5ish range.

It was a bit different than their previous entries. I respect them for at least not stagnating.

I don't have a lot emotionally invested in the previous movies, but they were quite good. My biggest hurdle enjoying these movies is that the real Warrens seem to have been a couple of shysters who prayed on desperate people, so I don't like to think I am contributing to their estate.

 

[returnofjakedog]

A Quiet Place Part II


IMDB Synopsis: Following the events at home, the Abbott family now face the terrors of the outside world. Forced to venture into the unknown, they realize the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats lurking beyond the sand path.

This movie picks up immediately where the first one left off. There is a flashback to 'Day 1' to show you how it all started, but it isn't really explained and doesn't necessarily make sense by itself. I am not sure if what is shown in the flashback is meant to explain the creatures or if perhaps it is just a setup that will be revealed in Part III. Given the ending, I would bet that there will be a Part III, but the ending is enough in my opinion to allow the audience to make their own. The issues I had with the first film, particularly with the creatures, I still have with this film, but since this is a continuation, it is easier to forgive lol.

With that said, the acting is really good from everyone. The conveying of need, hope, hopelessness, thanks, etc... is done well. I appreciated the cinematography and camerawork, some really good and smart choices. Cillian Murphy is a good addition that needs to be snuffed out more. The effects are good. The sound design is good, as that is a pretty important part of this film.

As for the bad... I find the story and the characters frustrating at times. The story is interesting, but never feels like strides are made and the moment you think a stride is about to be made, it ends lol. The characters are frustrating because at times they are creative, intuitive, smart, etc... but then later they make stupid decisions that you feel they should know better. There are also a couple parts where the creatures and characters interact with sound that doesn't work overly well in my opinion.

All in all, it is a solid addition, but I feel I have more questions than I did after the first film.

7/10.

Watched this with the whole family after Sunday night dinner. Even Dad watched it!

I agree with your overall thoughts on this one. A pretty good sequel, even if it does have a much different feel to it. It kinda reminds me of the difference between Alien and Aliens: bigger budget, more action, but sticks to it's roots.

The good:
*The execution. I like how they fairly seamlessly referenced so much from the original within the context of the first movie. Mostly small things, but it worked well.
-One of my biggest complaints of the first movie was the perfect rows of well-maintained corn. I get that the corn itself was a bit of sound creator, but I just couldn't wrap my head around the fact that they were able to do this without making noise.
Well, they actually corrected that! The corn is only at the very beginning, but it looks unkempt, and unmaintained. It is no longer in neat rows, as it shouldn't be after 1.5 years. Kudos for listening to the fans John K.!
Of course, the "Why don't they live by the waterfall?" never gets addressed but it is no longer relevant.

*The acting was pretty good. Losing John K's strong character for the majority of the flick would usually make it an akward transition, but Cillian Murphy is always good, and he takes over nicely. Even the kids are ok (acting at least. The characters themselves? Well.....)

*The special fxs- this is an fxs driven movie, moreso than the original, and the vast majority is cgi. Usually this can be a big problem for me, but they do a good job here.
Don't get me wrong. There are still quite a few bad to questionable cgi moments, but they are easily outdone by the good moments.
-Generally speaking, it was some of the best cgi physics I recall having seen. The creatures' violent, fast movements are pretty realistic, and the humans being sliced and tossed around like ragdolls don't look fake.

*The storyline- good story, flows well, progresses in a reasonable manner.

*One last note in the good: they had a couple of big action scenes where the action was split between 2 different parties, and it worked very well! Hard to do so thumbs up for that!

The bad:
*The brother character- first off, I don't think he did a bad job acting, but his character was whining and annoying. They were trying to show the effects of mental trauma on him, which is commendable and realistic, but the more he whined, the more I wanted him to die asap.

*Some stupid shit:
-They kept going in and out of the sealed furnace basement through the big cast iron hatch (not the furnace hatch, but the top hatch). They don't even struggle to lift and lower what looks like at least 150 lbs of hatch. The skinny armed brother and the mom raise and lower it over and over as if it was made out of styrofoam (which it probably was).
-They run out of air in the furnace/shelter very quickly. Even if the furnace didn't have an air intake, or a chimney vent (which it would have to have to operate) there should be hours of air in there.

*The special fxs were great overall but some of the cgi stuff still suffered. When they blast the frequency at the creatures I felt like I was watching Venom again.

I'll go 7.5 outta 10. A well done movie!

Last note: I love the creature design! Moving up towards Xenomorph quality territory for me.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

 

[BigKen]

I'd put Wonder Woman 1984 in the HORRORable category.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

I'd put Wonder Woman 1984 in the HORRORable category.

WW-1984 & Birds of Prey are easily the worst comic films that were ever made...

 

[returnofjakedog]

........so any semblance of it being a horror movie is gone, and Dieter is the main character???? Wtf??

What about the guy that was bit, somehow survived both the bite and the nuclear explosion, and was flying to Mexico City?

So you make a stupid open-ended finale to set up a future movie.........then you just throw it away, and make something else entirely??

Fuck Snyder. The studios need to tell him he is no longer allowed to write movies, only direct them. Everything he is given more power than that on turns into convoluted messes.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

........so any semblance of it being a horror movie is gone, and Dieter is the main character???? Wtf??

What about the guy that was bit, somehow survived both the bite and the nuclear explosion, and was flying to Mexico City?

So you make a stupid open-ended finale to set up a future movie.........then you just throw it away, and make something else entirely??

Fuck Snyder. The studios need to tell him he is no longer allowed to write movies, only direct them. Everything he is given more power than that on turns into convoluted messes.

Could be a smokescreen... But since its Snyder I have to believe its true. He's a moron when it comes to writing.

And yes... a heartfelt "Fuck Snyder" is indeed in order. But then again, why not let him flop a few blockbuster budgets so that Hollywood finally figures him out and quits giving him the benefit of the doubt lol.

 

[Bridgeburner]

Watched Fear Street P1 on Netflix the other day.

30 minutes in I shit my pants as a distraction.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Watched Fear Street P1 on Netflix the other day.

30 minutes in I shit my pants as a distraction.

Knowing you... I bet you had the bathroom sexual scene on a loop

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Actually pretty excited about this relaunch of Hellraiser... David Bruckner is very solid (Netflix's The Ritual [2017]) . Not very big on the writers that are on board but we shall see.

Casting a make-up artist & drag performer is an interesting choice. Haven't read Barker's Hellbound Heart, but everything I've heard points towards Pinhead taking on a more feminine persona.

Why the New Pinhead/Hell Priest Should Definitely Be Female in the HELLRAISER Reboot

Why the New Pinhead/Hell Priest Should Definitely Be Female in the HELLRAISER Reboot

www.dreadcentral.com

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

 

[DJ]

 

[Schmoopy1000]

View attachment 275677

in my defense. This pic was taken during covid & the mask was mandatory

 

[Blackshirts BLVD]