The Horror Thread II: The Return

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  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 41,011
  • mattjoesmattjoes Pay more attention to your chef
    edited June 2022 Posts: 7,057
    Curse Of Chucky, that's my favourite. Followed by Childs Play, Cult Of Chucky, Childs Play 2, and lastly, Childs Play 3. I didn't car for Bride/Seed, they went a "little" overboard with the comedy. ;)
    DarthDimi wrote: »
    Curse
    Bride
    The rest

    I like Curse. Fiona Dourif is a cool lead. Pity about Father Frank though, that had to hurt.

    Chucky doesn't look too good in the film. They improved his design for Cult, and based on what I've seen of the new series, he looks even better there. I think they used CGI.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    edited June 2022 Posts: 41,011
    Neve Campbell will not be returning for Scream 6:

    https://deadline.com/2022/06/neve-campbell-scream-not-returning-1235038974/

    EN-US_ResidentEvil_S1_Main_Licker_Vertical_27x40_RGB_PRE.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=750&dpr=1.5

  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,999
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    Neve Campbell will not be returning for Scream 6:

    https://deadline.com/2022/06/neve-campbell-scream-not-returning-1235038974/

    EN-US_ResidentEvil_S1_Main_Licker_Vertical_27x40_RGB_PRE.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=750&dpr=1.5


    That left me distinctly lukewarm. Why is it so hard to get Resident Evil right?
  • Posts: 12,518
    Very disheartened to hear of Campbell declining to return, but it sounds like she was in the right on her decision, and I applaud her for all the work she put in to that series. It was a great run.
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    Posts: 8,231
    I don't think they should be making another sequel so I'm somewhat relieved Campbell isn't coming back.
  • Fire_and_Ice_ReturnsFire_and_Ice_Returns I am trying to get away from this mountan!
    Posts: 25,378
    I thought Scream 5 was good and one of the better sequels, Sidney's story haa been told, going forward it does not make much sense in her returning.
  • CraigMooreOHMSSCraigMooreOHMSS Dublin, Ireland
    Posts: 8,231
    I thought Scream 5 was good and one of the better sequels, Sidney's story haa been told, going forward it does not make much sense in her returning.

    Sidney is a fundamental part of what Scream is, I feel. Her story is the series.
  • Fire_and_Ice_ReturnsFire_and_Ice_Returns I am trying to get away from this mountan!
    Posts: 25,378
    I thought Scream 5 was good and one of the better sequels, Sidney's story haa been told, going forward it does not make much sense in her returning.

    Sidney is a fundamental part of what Scream is, I feel. Her story is the series.

    I think it's about the next generation now which they set up in Scream 5, though Neve's absence will likely effect the box office.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 41,011
    I'm glad she's not returning; I like her, both as a character and an actress, but it's clear that they've run out of ideas on how to best utilize the legacy characters, so less is more, in my opinion. Cox is returning, however, so I won't be surprised to see her killed off now.
  • mattjoesmattjoes Pay more attention to your chef
    edited June 2022 Posts: 7,057
    Is A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 the scariest Nightmare film? Seems that way to me.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,251
    mattjoes wrote: »
    Is A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 the scariest Nightmare film? Seems that way to me.

    I consider the first film the scariest, and New Nightmare the second scariest. 2 is not bad, but some silly scenes reduce the scariness.
  • mattjoesmattjoes Pay more attention to your chef
    Posts: 7,057
    I do agree 1 and New are among the scariest films of the series. It's just that 2 has this creepy story of the guy being taken over by Freddy. Also, Freddy's makeup looks really gross, and I find him angrier and more menacing. That scene where is "born" out of the guy is really disturbing.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,251
    mattjoes wrote: »
    I do agree 1 and New are among the scariest films of the series. It's just that 2 has this creepy story of the guy being taken over by Freddy. Also, Freddy's makeup looks really gross, and I find him angrier and more menacing. That scene where is "born" out of the guy is really disturbing.

    Freddy's Revenge is an allegorical film, more than any of the others. Taking lessons from the body horror of Cronenberg, the film uses Freddy as the internalized fear of a teen exploring his sexuality. While Sholder initially denied most of this, the Never Sleep Again documentary actually more or less confirms that Freddy's Revenge is a coming-out nightmare. The gay angst is all over the place; it's text, not subtext. The road to an uncloseted life for Jesse is bumpy and presents frightening obstacles which he will have to navigate before all can be well. Freddy is the force that holds him back, that weakens him, that punishes him for being with a girl (Lisa), but also for being with a boy (Grady.) Freddy confuses him and messes with his mind; he channels Jesse's frustrations and repressed desires into anger and aggression. In many ways, Freddy's Revenge can be seen as the story of a kid who seeks help and confirmation, but can't find it anywhere. Case in point: the film never even once talks about being gay. We can see it, everyone knows it, but it remains taboo. Everyone wants to help Jesse and be his friend, but no one addresses the actual issue. As a result, we're dealing with a tormented youth inside of whom dark thoughts are brewing. Who really wrecked the party? Was it Freddy? Not very likely since Freddy operates in the dream world. Was it Jesse then? Perhaps it was. And how does Jesse finally beat his inner Freddy? He needs Lisa to acknowledge that she loves him, i.e. that she loves what he is. He can only push Freddy out by accepting himself.

    In many ways, Freddy's Revenge was ahead of its time, though not intentionally. I'm sure that such a reading of the film was not what anyone had in mind in the mid-'80s for the sequel to a successful slasher flick. But looking at the film today, it practically begs to be seen as a coming-out fable. And I have come to appreciate the film so much more since reading it as such. At that level, yes, I'd say it's definitely one of the scarier films in the series. The nightmare isn't Freddy in this one; the nightmare is the teenager's sexual awakenings and his attempts at coping with all the unknowns and fears that come with it. This turns the film into the "special" one in the series, bending the Krueger rules a bit to tell a different story. Dream Warriors will finally pin the rules down and omit most of what Freddy's Revenge allowed, like Freddy popping in and out of our world, perhaps the only twist in the original film that I regret. (It was used as a Deus-Ex-Machina and would continue to plague other films in the series as a cheap tool for beating Freddy.) But Freddy's Revenge blurs the boundaries between dreamscapes and reality more than any other film, another argument for the allegorical reading. Perhaps this is the Freddy film without Freddy. Perhaps Freddy is merely a figment of Jesse's imagination. I love to contemplate what the film means; I also think that this is the one that could easily be remade for modern audiences.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489

    My favourite, by far, is the first Frankenstein movie.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 41,011
    I've been going through the Classic monster flicks of late; saw The Mummy the other day, wasn't terribly impressed, but The Invisible Man is so excellent. Frankenstein is great too.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,251
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    I've been going through the Classic monster flicks of late; saw The Mummy the other day, wasn't terribly impressed, but The Invisible Man is so excellent. Frankenstein is great too.

    I'm not a big fan of the Universal Mummy films, to be honest. I prefer the Hammer collection myself. The first film is still perfectly passable, but its sequels are dull and repetitive.

    The Invisible Man is great! I'm also a big fan of the Black Lagoons.

    Frankenstein and Bride are both excellent, in my opinion.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,999
    I have never seen the original Frankenstein. And the Wolfman too, now that I am thinking about it. Dracula, The Mummy and The Invisible Man, I have seen, but not those two.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    I have never seen the original Frankenstein. And the Wolfman too, now that I am thinking about it. Dracula, The Mummy and The Invisible Man, I have seen, but not those two.

    Dracula is my other favourite.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 41,011
    I'm watching Dracula today, would love to get around to the other few I've not yet seen sooner rather than later.
  • Posts: 9,856
    Jaws is my favorite
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,251
    I like how Dracula, Frankenstein and The Wolfman went all crossover on us many decades before AvP or FvJ.

    Dracula is awesome. Lugosi brought his A game and Von Sloan is such a delight! If it weren't for Cushing, the latter would be my favourite Van Helsing.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,999
    The thing that doesn't sit right with me, is Martin in Dracula '31. The humour surrounding him, sits awkward among the rest of the film. I still place it as one of my top 3 favourite Dracula films (the other two being the Nosferatu remake and Dan Curtis' Dracula). With the respective Dracula actors also being my 3 favourite versions of Dracula.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,251
    The thing that doesn't sit right with me, is Martin in Dracula '31. The humour surrounding him, sits awkward among the rest of the film. I still place it as one of my top 3 favourite Dracula films (the other two being the Nosferatu remake and Dan Curtis' Dracula). With the respective Dracula actors also being my 3 favourite versions of Dracula.

    The Nosferatu remake is very palatable indeed. Strangely upsetting yet deliciously mystifying little film.
  • mattjoesmattjoes Pay more attention to your chef
    Posts: 7,057
    Next week there are a bunch of Nosferatu-related events happening where I live, honoring the 100th anniversary of the first film. I can't attend the screening of the 1922 film with live music, because of other commitments. I was hoping to attend the screening of the Herzog film but seats ran out. I'll settle for Shadow of the Vampire and a talk with David Skal.
  • @DarthDimi, that's a superb reading of Freddy's Revenge. I think on some level the filmmakers must have been aware of the subtext they were working with, even if only on a subconscious one, but I agree that the film offers far richer grounds for analysis than the filmmakers ever intended and you did a fantastic job illustrating that.

    As for whether it's the scariest of the lot, it does have some chilling effects and the whole school bus falling into the earth sequence feels pretty apocalyptic. I'd have to do a rewatch of the series to compare them all though, and I still haven't seen 5 or 6...by choice.

    Creasy47 wrote: »
    I've been going through the Classic monster flicks of late; saw The Mummy the other day, wasn't terribly impressed, but The Invisible Man is so excellent. Frankenstein is great too.

    While I do get some enjoyment out of the Mummy films (I think the original with Karloff, Hand, and Ghost are the best), they are overall the weakest of Universal's.

    For personal preference, counting the originals and sequels, I might go:

    Creature from the Black Lagoon
    Frankenstein
    Invisible Man
    Wolf Man
    Dracula
    Mummy

    Trying to be more objective about it, I'd have to flip Creature and Frankenstein though.

    mattjoes wrote: »
    Next week there are a bunch of Nosferatu-related events happening where I live, honoring the 100th anniversary of the first film. I can't attend the screening of the 1922 film with live music, because of other commitments. I was hoping to attend the screening of the Herzog film but seats ran out. I'll settle for Shadow of the Vampire and a talk with David Skal.

    That is unbelievably cool your town is doing that event. Too bad you can't get into the '22 screening or Herzog's, but Shadow of the Vampire is a fantastic film too. Such a good performance by Dafoe. You'll have to let us know how it goes!
  • Posts: 12,518
    Freddy’s Revenge is incredibly underrated, even by Robert Englund himself. It’s the scariest, darkest, and artistically deepest. Tons to love. 1 and 3 are my favorites but 2’s not far behind.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 41,011
    Dracula is a pretty tight and deadly experience, just finally got to finish it. There needn't be an overabundance of gore and blood on display (in fact, just the opposite) to ensure Lugosi offers one of the most deadly and terrifying takes on the character. He's no doubt up there as being one of the best in the role and this is another great classic.
  • Posts: 16,221
    I suppose if I were to pick a least favorite franchise in the Universal Horror era it 'd probably be the Mummy films. I still love them, but almost always go for a Dracula or Frankenstein instead any day.
    I never tire of the Universal or Hammer horrors and still have the same enthusiasm for those films now I did as a kid. I've probably watched the 1931 DRACULA easily as many times as I've seen most of the Bonds.
  • ThunderfingerThunderfinger Das Boot Hill
    Posts: 45,489
    My third favourite of those old ones would be The Phantom of the Opera.
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