Horror Movies

[Chef99]

Lol, just one more thing...if anyone EVER watches a Charlton Heston movie:

please prepare for the cheese.

 

[jakedog56]

Lol, just one more thing...if anyone EVER watches a Charlton Heston movie:

please prepare for the cheese.

..........and you certainly got it in The Omega Man!

It had such potential to be a great movie, and it really paid off over the first half. But the second half fell down quite a lot, and Heston runs around without a shirt on (he is in good shape but he has to be in his mid-50s here), nails the Foxy Brown wannabe, works as a brilliant scientist, stunt rides motorcycles like a madman, and beats up pasty faced ghouls until the fatal end.

If they would have just stayed the course that they followed in the first half, it could have been a classic. Instead it becomes a bit laughable B-movie.

 

[B_dub]

Actually watched this today. My gawd was this funny. I lost it when they were boarding up the house with pieces of wood and like 3 minutes later she says, "wait, don't beavers chew wood!"

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Get Out (2017)


This was a pretty clever mystery-thriller film that had an interesting plot. Quite the slow burn for the first hour or so, but it does have a great unsettling vibe that builds tension & ultimately leads up to a very thrilling & unpredictable finish. It does a really good job of interweaving thriller & mystery elements to keep you hooked, as well as providing some fantastic social satire. Perfectly directed piece by Jordan Peele from start to finish. The cast was brilliant for the most part and delivered great performances. Betty Gabriel (Georgina) was particularly spectacular. And everyone from Kaluuya & Keener to all the sub roles were all great. Didn't care much for the girlfriend, Allison Williams, until the 2nd half of the movie but that's nitpicking. Good cinematography & production values. Don't go into this expecting a typical horror movie, because you'll come out disappointed as it doesn't have many horror elements. It had a very brief sequence of gore during the climax & finish, and only 1 or 2 jump scares. Overall I'd definitely recommend this film. It's a very creepy & unsettling film all throughout, and one that keeps you hooked to see how it all plays out. For the most part it was a riveting entertainment and it produces a satisfying climax.

Perfect mixture of creeps & thrills... 8/10

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Rings (2017)


I'm not sure if it was "too little too late" or a classic case of overexposure (maybe a combo?) but this film just didn't do it for me. To keep with the storyline the writers dove into Samara's backstory a little deeper, and as is usually the case, the more you take away the mystery about it the less scary it becomes. At this point I think we have the full comprehensive autobiography so each time she made an appearance I didn't remotely find her to be scary. Also noticed that all of the style of the original film is gone too. Perhaps because of yet another director change (made me long for Gore Verbinski). This new film had a feel like any other nondescript teen horror flick chalked full of plot holes. Generic, cliché, & unscary. And of course, loaded with jumpscares that had ear-deafening bursts of score. The entire movie came off as a Hollywood cash grab that tried to ride the coattails of its predecessor. The only part I found to be remotely genuine was all the cgi/fx (makeup mainly). Those faces certainly lived up to the originals. Some of the death sequences were fairly creative too, however unthrilling they were. Maybe this film is best viewed in sequence with those predecessor's to establish a better mood? Whatever the case, I wouldn't recommend this film. Oh and spoiler alert, of course they had to leave this one open for yet another sequel... But you know that already, didn't you? If this latest installment is any indication, I'm not holding out much hope for the future of this movie series.

Cash grab that should have never been produced... 5/10

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Johnny Frank Garrett's Last Word (2016)


Thanks for the rec @jakedog56

Pretty interesting story in this film. But once you find out the movie was based on actual events it becomes a lot more enthralling, at least for history's sake. The movie itself was a bit of a mess. The writing & direction was bizarre. One thing that really irked me was they made the DA out to be crooked during the trial to ellude to JFG's innocence, but the DA wasn't the 1st to die in the film? If JFG's ghost was really that hellbent on vengeance, why wouldn't he go after the guy that deserves the most blame? I think you can understand my confusion. That wasn't the only problem I had with the writing, but I'll spare you the details. The theatrics of this movie were good. Cinematography & acting were decent. Didn't care for the ill-paced violin mood-setting sound fx. They were somewhat annoying to me to be honest. But the overall soundtrack, as jakedog noted, was pretty good. I also agree that the horror aspects of the film were very reliant on the death scenes, whereas most of the movie was essentially more of an extreme drama. The teacher's death in particular was brutal, but not by gore standards as it cuts the scenes just shy of her death. But railing 2 pencils up the schnoz! DAMN! As for the history behind the movie... Most of it was true, but Hollywood definitely embellished what they needed to produce a vengeance story. Thought I'd reply directly to Jakedog's post because it was a pretty cool dig into the history behind it. Stay tuned if interested! Overall it was an interesting movie and provided some decent entertainment.

Lacked execution, but cool story... 6/10

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

I just watched Johnny Frank Garrett's Last Word.

The most interesting thing about the movie was that it is supposably based on real events and that many people died from strange circumstances after the execution.

Digging into the history... It is apparent that all the basic facts of the events & what ensued were all intact in the film; the brutal murder of Benz, the trial that sentenced a young kid to death, and a curious case of deaths. Pretty wild findings if you're interested...

The murder... A nun by the name of Tadea Benz. Happened sometime in the early 80's. There was a different murder that was linked to JFG's trial, another woman named Narnie Bryson, which was later connected to another man by DNA match who plead guilty to it almost 25 years later. That man, Leoncio Rueda, was never connected to Benz's murder though.

The trial... At the time of the trial JFG was only 17 years old. On the official report Garrett issued a statement to the police admitting his guilt, which I'm still unclear on why that had no implications thereafter. The entire real trial process seemed rushed. Not one single objection from the defendant's attorney. Probably the only or biggest issue of his lawyer's contention was that JFG was insane and suffered from multiple personality syndrome as a result of physical & sexual abuse he had endured as a child. It seems there was only 1 juror who did not think JFG was guilty. Instead of holding out for a hung jury, he decides to cast the dye and they sentence Johnny to death. Nothing really clarifies why that juror flipped his opinion. Amarillo Author & Attorney, Anthony Josef discovered facts proving Garrett's innocence in 1995. He decided to write a book about the case. Afraid of reprisal from the legal community in which he worked, Josef decided to fictionalize Johnny Frank Garrett's story instead of telling the truth. The final revision of his untitled manuscript was completed near the end of the 1996.

The curse... Fast-forward 10 years at the age of 28 and on the eve of his lethal injection he writes the "cursed letter" threatening his accusers. Even though he issued the statement that admitted guilt, JFG proclaimed his innocence until death. Here is the real letter he wrote: .

The deaths... All happened after the death of JFG. One juror fell down a flight of stairs and died days later. One juror's daughter & sister died from accidental gunshot wound & a drunk driver crash, respectively. Garrett's trial lawyer Bill Kolius died of pancreatic cancer. Garrett's first appellate lawyer Bruce Sadler and post-conviction trial Judge Sam Kaiser contracted the same form of leukemia. Kaiser died after initially being cured. His healthy bone marrow (collected in case of recurrence) inexplicably disappeared from the hospital. Another of Garrett's many appellate attorneys, Jeff Blackburn lost his wife when she committed suicide. His son was accidentally locked inside a hot car in Houston and is permanently brain damaged. Jimmy Don Boydston, the head of the Special Crimes Department - Homicide Division, contracted leukemia and died. Officer Walt Yerger also died of leukemia. NBC Reporter Cathy Jones, who covered the story, died in an airplane crash in Oklahoma. Eugene "Heavy Duty" Patterson was found dead in his vehicle & the cause of death was never determined. Watley, a jailhouse snitch who testified against Garrett for a reduced sentence, committed suicide. Carol Moore, Garrett's school teacher who testified against him at trial, also committed suicide. 15 years later, District Attorney Danny Hill also committed suicide after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of driving while intoxicated. His daughter hung herself a few years later.

 

[jakedog56]

Digging into the history... It is apparent that all the basic facts of the events & what ensued were all intact in the film; the brutal murder of Benz, the trial that sentenced a young kid to death, and a curious case of deaths. Pretty wild findings if you're interested...

The murder... A nun by the name of Tadea Benz. Happened sometime in the early 80's. There was a different murder that was linked to JFG's trial, another woman named Narnie Bryson, which was later connected to another man by DNA match who plead guilty to it almost 25 years later. That man, Leoncio Rueda, was never connected to Benz's murder though.

The trial... At the time of the trial JFG was only 17 years old. On the official report Garrett issued a statement to the police admitting his guilt, which I'm still unclear on why that had no implications thereafter. The entire real trial process seemed rushed. Not one single objection from the defendant's attorney. Probably the only or biggest issue of his lawyer's contention was that JFG was insane and suffered from multiple personality syndrome as a result of physical & sexual abuse he had endured as a child. It seems there was only 1 juror who did not think JFG was guilty. Instead of holding out for a hung jury, he decides to cast the dye and they sentence Johnny to death. Nothing really clarifies why that juror flipped his opinion. Amarillo Author & Attorney, Anthony Josef discovered facts proving Garrett's innocence in 1995. He decided to write a book about the case. Afraid of reprisal from the legal community in which he worked, Josef decided to fictionalize Johnny Frank Garrett's story instead of telling the truth. The final revision of his untitled manuscript was completed near the end of the 1996.

The curse... Fast-forward 10 years at the age of 28 and on the eve of his lethal injection he writes the "cursed letter" threatening his accusers. Even though he issued the statement that admitted guilt, JFG proclaimed his innocence until death. Here is the real letter he wrote: .

The deaths... All happened after the death of JFG. One juror fell down a flight of stairs and died days later. One juror's daughter & sister died from accidental gunshot wound & a drunk driver crash, respectively. Garrett's trial lawyer Bill Kolius died of pancreatic cancer. Garrett's first appellate lawyer Bruce Sadler and post-conviction trial Judge Sam Kaiser contracted the same form of leukemia. Kaiser died after initially being cured. His healthy bone marrow (collected in case of recurrence) inexplicably disappeared from the hospital. Another of Garrett's many appellate attorneys, Jeff Blackburn lost his wife when she committed suicide. His son was accidentally locked inside a hot car in Houston and is permanently brain damaged. Jimmy Don Boydston, the head of the Special Crimes Department - Homicide Division, contracted leukemia and died. Officer Walt Yerger also died of leukemia. NBC Reporter Cathy Jones, who covered the story, died in an airplane crash in Oklahoma. Eugene "Heavy Duty" Patterson was found dead in his vehicle & the cause of death was never determined. Watley, a jailhouse snitch who testified against Garrett for a reduced sentence, committed suicide. Carol Moore, Garrett's school teacher who testified against him at trial, also committed suicide. 15 years later, District Attorney Danny Hill also committed suicide after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of driving while intoxicated. His daughter hung herself a few years later.

That is all a bit freaky, but I will assume extreme coincidence over curse intervention (.....but you never know!).

In this case, I think that real life was probably a bit more interesting than the movie but knowing the background actually makes the movie a bit more interesting also.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

That is all a bit freaky, but I will assume extreme coincidence over curse intervention (.....but you never know!).

In this case, I think that real life was probably a bit more interesting than the movie but knowing the background actually makes the movie a bit more interesting also.

Exactly my thought process. I found my brief investigation after the movie to be more interesting than the movie itself lol. But like you said, it does make the movie more interesting. Most of all of the deaths in the movie were closely related to the real deaths. Pretty creepy.

 

[jakedog56]

Watched First Born the other day. Medium-low budget British horror in which a girls goes out, gets totally hammered on whiskey shots, pukes all over, and then tells her boyfriend that she is pregnant (that is not relevant to the plot but it seemed ridiculously irresponsible).
Daughter is born. Strange things start happening. Things start turning violent. Occult loving grandpa gets involved. Things esculate. Violence, blood, death ensue.
Decent but not great offering. Pretty standard fare. Story is pretty good. A couple of decent actors. Fxs are limited but well done, except the creature's face looks like Flukeman from The X-Files.
5.5 out of 10.

 

[jakedog56]

Also watched Exam, which it turns out is a psychological sci-fi thriller, and not horror but I will review it anyways.
8 people go into a room for a test/job interview for a highly coveted position during a pandemic.
The test is a mystery that the people have to work together on but things take a turn for the worse and they start turning on each other as one by one they are eliminated from contention.
Well done for a one room show. Acting is solid as is direction. Story is quite good until an ending which you will either love or hate (I was actually torn on it).
6.5 out of 10. A perfect companion piece to the superior The Cube.

 

[B_dub]

Good gawd! Just watched "The Disappointments Room" on Netflix...

 

[jakedog56]

Good gawd! Just watched "The Disappointments Room" on Netflix...

I'll take that as a negative review?!?

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Good gawd! Just watched "The Disappointments Room" on Netflix...

I didn't even bother to review it... Unless its mainstream, I don't think I'll review anything lower than a 5/10 anymore. Waste of time unless I'm done watching the grass grow & paint dry.

Did you already plow through all my Netflix recommendations?

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Child Eater (2016)


Based off the original horror short film under the same title from back in 2012. Directed by the same guy, & stars the same main actress. This one took me by surprise. This was a very admirable attempt to revive the boogeyman lore. Except with this movie they mixed it with a heavy dosage of Friday the 13th. The villain in this movie was very reminiscent of Jason Vorhees, minus the mask. Everything from the stalker walk to the gut-wrenching killing style, even the tattered apparel. I loved how they first presented him in obscured fashion. The closet scene really creeped me the f*ck out. I did have a minor problem with the writing. In 1 scene the boogeyman managed to hoist a corpse up into a tree, and flings it with superhuman strength... And then towards the end he wrestles a wounded teenaged girl and somehow struggles with her? WTF? Minor details lol. The cinematography, production values, & acting were good. Nothing spectacular, but the film wasn't hindered by any of it. Some of the characters were a bit odd. The deputy cops & the boyfriend mainly. Ultimately they were nothing but fodder though. The setting was also reminiscent of Camp Crystal Lake, minus the lake. The only problem I had with the setting resided in the house basement. How in the world did nobody disclose or find that bunker-like network of tunnel systems connecting the house to the forest? It wasn't as if the entrance was hidden. The door was about 10 feet tall by 4 feet wide, and covered by a damn tarp. If a 7-9 year old child was able to find it then how did the dad not come across it while putting all those boxes down in the basement? Absurd! Although it had some glaring issues, it was still an entertaining film. Decent low-budget slasher flick with a predictable ending. If you are a fan of The Boogeyman & Friday the 13th films, then this movie is for you!

Quality low-budget entertainment, albeit flawed... 6.5/10

 

[B_dub]

I'll take that as a negative review?!?

I didn't even bother to review it... Unless its mainstream, I don't think I'll review anything lower than a 5/10 anymore. Waste of time unless I'm done watching the grass grow & paint dry.

Did you already plow through all my Netflix recommendations?

I've taken dumps scarier than this movie. If only I would have seen this earlier, I'd have an hour and a half of my life back.

 

[B_dub]

I didn't even bother to review it... Unless its mainstream, I don't think I'll review anything lower than a 5/10 anymore. Waste of time unless I'm done watching the grass grow & paint dry.

Did you already plow through all my Netflix recommendations?

Think so. Some aren't on there anymore but I think I knocked out most of them. Definitely was worth watching. Come back to me was so freaking crazy. You have this amazing gift and that's what you use it for? Dude was pretty messed up.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Whaaaa? You guys see this?

M. Night Shyamalan Unveils ‘Split’/’Unbreakable’ Sequel Starring Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson

@Chef99 @B_dub @jakedog56 @Taddy Mason

 

[B_dub]

Whaaaa? You guys see this?

M. Night Shyamalan Unveils ‘Split’/’Unbreakable’ Sequel Starring Bruce Willis, Samuel L. Jackson

@Chef99 @B_dub @jakedog56 @Taddy Mason

Had to know it was coming after how Split ended. Didn't expect it so soon though. Can't wait. McAvoy deserved an Oscar for his performance in Split.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Had to know it was coming after how Split ended. Didn't expect it so soon though. Can't wait. McAvoy deserved an Oscar for his performance in Split.

No doubt. I have to imagine this upcoming "sequel" is going to be pretty crazy. I hope they don't go all Marvel on it though and try to make it over-the-top with all sorts of meta-humanoids. I hope he keeps it simple. Like I've said before, Shyamalan's best work is done on a low budget.