The Horror Thread II: The Return

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  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,183
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    I'll have to add that one to the list then once I finish this and have seen the Golden Vampires one. This one moves far away from the original releases but occult snipers? A tucked away army of nude female vampires? I'm digging it.

    Keep in mind that it's to the series what CR67 is to Bond, or so I think. ;-) Don't take my word for it.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    edited August 2022 Posts: 13,978
    Glad you liked it, @Creasy47. Welcome to the club.

    The spy thriller / contemporary Dracula mashup really appeals to me. And I absolutely love the cast; from Cushing and Lee, to Michael Coles, Richard Vernon, William Franklyn, Joanna Lumley, Freddie Jones and Valerie van Ost. I could complain that I wish it also had Veronica Carlson... but i'll just be happy with what we got.

    1. The Satanic Rites of Dracula
    2. Horror Of Dracula
    3. Dracula A.D. 1972
    4. Dracula Has Risen from the Grave
    5. Taste the Blood of Dracula
    6. Dracula: Prince Of Darkness
    7. Scars of Dracula
    8. Brides Of Dracula
    9. The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires

    I have never seen the Jess Franca Dracula with Lee, but if I had, I wouldn't rank it among the Hammer Horrors for obvious reasons. if I did, I would then have to rank EVERY Dracula film i've seen. ;)
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,976
    DarthDimi wrote: »
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    I'll have to add that one to the list then once I finish this and have seen the Golden Vampires one. This one moves far away from the original releases but occult snipers? A tucked away army of nude female vampires? I'm digging it.

    Keep in mind that it's to the series what CR67 is to Bond, or so I think. ;-) Don't take my word for it.

    I do find a good deal of enjoyment in the unofficial releases, CR67 included, so there's hope yet.

    @MajorDSmythe, absolutely, this one sports one of my favorite casts so far, some really classic actors and fan favorites throughout.

    And you rank it #1 of all, eh? That's awesome. I'm not sure what rating I'll give it, I'm nearly finished, but it's so damn entertaining.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,976
    Are we finally, maybe getting some hopeful Friday the 13th news by the end of the year, after 13 years? It sounds likely:

    https://bloody-disgusting.com/exclusives/3726335/a-return-to-crystal-lake-producer-roy-lee-teases-friday-the-13th-franchise-news-very-soon-exclusive/
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,183
    It's about bloody time--emphasis on bloody. I was about to go out and stalk a few camp counselors myself.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,976
    DarthDimi wrote: »
    It's about bloody time--emphasis on bloody. I was about to go out and stalk a few camp counselors myself.

    You would've had my full support if we had to wait any longer. It's a depressing gap.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,978
    You'll have to excuse my cynicism, but i'll believe this when it happens. For a new film to enter production, let alone make it to filming, both Cunningham and Miller have to set aside their differences. Of course, it is possible that with both parties not being able to earn anything, that will break the deadlock.

    Assuming, for a second, that this happens, where could they go with it? Would they dust off the aborted plot where Crystal Lake has been turned into a water park? I don't remember a whole lot about it, other than the kill that would have every male member of the audience crossing their legs in unision.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,976
    I'm only optimistic cause it would be foolish to hint about year-end news that isn't solidified and confirmed to be happening. Of course, it could always be some overblown or irrelevant announcement that the fans aren't remotely after.
  • Posts: 12,473
    Even if this is true, I'm very worried what a film for this series in the modern age would look like...
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,183
    FoxRox wrote: »
    Even if this is true, I'm very worried what a film for this series in the modern age would look like...

    All they have to do is ride the underground wave of films that don't give a flying bleep about hurting the feelings of the sensitive. I want some gratuitous sex and violence. At least in those departments, the last one didn't disappoint.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,976
    Gratuitous sex and violence would be more than appreciated. It's been so long, I'd be fine with a traditional installment, or even spicing up the formula with a winter setting or something akin to that. They don't need to reinvent the wheel or anything to keep me satisfied.
  • Posts: 12,473
    DarthDimi wrote: »
    FoxRox wrote: »
    Even if this is true, I'm very worried what a film for this series in the modern age would look like...

    All they have to do is ride the underground wave of films that don't give a flying bleep about hurting the feelings of the sensitive. I want some gratuitous sex and violence. At least in those departments, the last one didn't disappoint.

    You and I are always on the same wavelength with these things haha, but you know this series is somewhat kinda mainstream. It's at least iconic. The last one was 2009 though, which was still a very different time. I feel like one of the biggest pieces to Friday's identity is an overall "trashy" feel, and stripping it of the gratuitous and fun explicit content of all kind would be a real shame.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,183
    FoxRox wrote: »
    DarthDimi wrote: »
    FoxRox wrote: »
    Even if this is true, I'm very worried what a film for this series in the modern age would look like...

    All they have to do is ride the underground wave of films that don't give a flying bleep about hurting the feelings of the sensitive. I want some gratuitous sex and violence. At least in those departments, the last one didn't disappoint.

    You and I are always on the same wavelength with these things haha, but you know this series is somewhat kinda mainstream. It's at least iconic. The last one was 2009 though, which was still a very different time. I feel like one of the biggest pieces to Friday's identity is an overall "trashy" feel, and stripping it of the gratuitous and fun explicit content of all kind would be a real shame.

    We do agree a lot, indeed. 😄 Let's face it, F13 is half Jason throwing tweens through the meat grinder, half "naughty" fun. Without these two, what else is there?
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,978
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    I'm only optimistic cause it would be foolish to hint about year-end news that isn't solidified and confirmed to be happening. Of course, it could always be some overblown or irrelevant announcement that the fans aren't remotely after.

    I want this to happen, I really do. I don't want to just pooh pooh it. But I feel as though we have been here numerous times already. The last time an F13 film was in production, as they were entering the casting phase of production, Miller picked that time to crawl out of obscurity, and enter legal proceedings.

    I can understand why Miller has done this. In that situation, I would most likely, feel the same. What I don't understand, is why he waiting all these years? Why didn't he try for a bigger piece if the pie back in the 80's, when F13 was at it's peak? Or the 90's between JGTH and Jason X? Or between FvJ and F13 09?

    As for what a new F13 should be like... what about something along the lines of the films that F13 massively inspired....? Hatchet. Trashy, silly, and cartoonishly violent.

    When a film opens with a character getting strangled and decapitated by their own intestinal tract, it sets the tone for the rest of the film. ;)
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,976
    Good points, @MajorDSmythe. I do love when a film opens up by letting you know exactly what to expect throughout, especially in the horror arena.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,183
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    Good points, @MajorDSmythe. I do love when a film opens up by letting you know exactly what to expect throughout, especially in the horror arena.

    I only half agree. Evidently, an old-school slasher can show its cards early to bring you in the right mindset. A more mysterious, elevated horror film should probably toy with our expectations a little. I enjoy a good surprise. Take 'X' for example. That film didn't give anything away until much later, and it's probably a better film for it.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,976
    DarthDimi wrote: »
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    Good points, @MajorDSmythe. I do love when a film opens up by letting you know exactly what to expect throughout, especially in the horror arena.

    I only half agree. Evidently, an old-school slasher can show its cards early to bring you in the right mindset. A more mysterious, elevated horror film should probably toy with our expectations a little. I enjoy a good surprise. Take 'X' for example. That film didn't give anything away until much later, and it's probably a better film for it.

    Hey, I love them both. I'm all for horror schlock that invites you in instantly with its madness or cheese just as much as a film that keeps me guessing until the final moments. We've clearly gotten way more of the latter than the former lately, though.

    X was so damn good, just the sort of horror movie I'd been missing for a long time. I'm eager to see Pearl as soon as I get the chance.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    edited August 2022 Posts: 24,183
    Allow me to give an interesting example. PIECES (1982) is a very sleazy, cheap, but unbelievably amusing early '80s slasher film that has it all: whodunit, a campus full of girls who for absolutely no reason are eager to take their tops off, and amusingly creative ways for taking them all out in the extremely brutal tradition of the genre.
    The film opens with a little lad, hardly 11 years old, casually putting together a jigsaw puzzle... of a naked lady. When his puritanical mom catches him, she turns furious. Next thing you know, the boy goes full Jason on her like it's nobody's business.
    We then jump ahead forty years. Someone's killing campus girls. And whaddayaknow; we have many middle-aged men who could all be that deranged boy, now "grown up", working at the school, from teachers to groundskeepers and even policemen interested in the killings. Yes, PIECES is the kind of film that you may or may not enjoy. If you do, like me, you'll no doubt spontaneously combust as soon as you set foot in a church. It's also the kind of film that hammers it in real hard in its first couple of minutes: gallons of blood and lots of naked girls are on the menu. So sit tight, buckle up, travel back to more permissive days, and enjoy. Someone will see to your safe return home afterwards, don't worry. Unless you're the killer. Or a girl who thinks it's perfectly alright to do some topless swimming... at school.

    And then there's THE VVITCH, Robert Eggers' hard-hitting masterpiece (in my opinion), a film so indulgent with its symbolism and metaphors, you had better sleep well the night before and study up on your history of Christian emigration in the 17th century because it's all read-between-the-lines horror until its WTF climax. This is "elevated" horror, a film that spends its first hour setting traps for the "uninitiated" who may be wondering, arms crossed, what the bleep they're watching. This film is "about something" but you'll have to do the heavy lifting and figure it all out. A second and third viewing may be intellectually rewarding. But it's never really about what you're seeing, it's about what is conveyed between the lines--the themes that the "auteur" would love for you to contemplate even after the film has finished playing.

    And lastly, here's one of my all-time favourites, ALIEN, a true work of art that combines both styles, a film that will please both segments of the audience--the people who seek thrills of tension and gore, and the people who can decipher its more or less hidden ideas as well. Images are both the source of immediate satisfaction for the gore-hungry as well as code for deeper thoughts.

    And what does Dimi love? All of the above! Some days I want my pizza, some days I prefer the finest sashimi, and some days a simple slice of bread will do but with a piece of the finest French cheese.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,978
    I think I understand Dimi, but I feel that is ok for Friday The 13th to stay in its lane, and not try to reinvent the wheel.

    The 3 key musts, that I feel are important are 1) a physically imposing actor to play Jason that can act with their body through movement, 2) a charming and competent enough actress for the final girl and 3) some well thought out and painful kills with maybe an old favorite thrown in for the fans.
  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    Posts: 7,551
    I’m not much for watching horror films really, but I just watched Brandon Cronenberg’s Possessor and loved it. Wonder if there are any other fans of the film here?
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,976
    I’m not much for watching horror films really, but I just watched Brandon Cronenberg’s Possessor and loved it. Wonder if there are any other fans of the film here?

    That's a really excellent and visionary film right there. I love seeing him follow in his father's footsteps. I can't wait to see something from his next film, Infinity Pool.
  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    Posts: 7,551
    I'm watching a podcast about it now, so much to think about it, a really great allegory for how your work aims to take over your entire life, and the struggle to have an identity and connect with the world around you outside of work... really well executed film IMO.

    Didn't know he had his next one in production... I definitely will check it out, but man, the violence in this one... I had to pause it halfway through and take a walk outside before finishing it :))
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,976
    I'm watching a podcast about it now, so much to think about it, a really great allegory for how your work aims to take over your entire life, and the struggle to have an identity and connect with the world around you outside of work... really well executed film IMO.

    Didn't know he had his next one in production... I definitely will check it out, but man, the violence in this one... I had to pause it halfway through and take a walk outside before finishing it :))

    The violence is extremely visceral and shocking. The practical effects are insane.
  • NickTwentyTwoNickTwentyTwo Vancouver, BC, Canada
    Posts: 7,551
    Poor 006...
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,976
    Poor 006...

    He has the worst luck in pretty much all his films.
  • Is there a horror franchise that's unluckier than Friday the 13th? If there's any forward momentum at all on a 13th Friday the 13th that would be fantastic. Here's hoping some significant news truly is forthcoming.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    edited August 2022 Posts: 13,978
    Is there a horror franchise that's unluckier than Friday the 13th? If there's any forward momentum at all on a 13th Friday the 13th that would be fantastic. Here's hoping some significant news truly is forthcoming.

    Well.... depends on what you mean by luck. Hellraiser has sunk low enough to produce an ashcan film (Revelations). F13 hasn't had to suffer one of those, thankfully. We'll see if the recent news leads to anything.
  • mattjoesmattjoes Julie T. and the M.G.'s
    Posts: 7,021
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    Poor 006...

    He has the worst luck in pretty much all his films.

    And then in Ronin, De Niro reveals him as an incompetent, and when you think they're going to off him, they just let him go. It's like they took pity on his awful luck.

    -Okay, we'll forgive you this time. But don't come back.
    -What, you don't want to kill me? I've got no problem with it, I'm used to it by now.
    -No, you can go.
    -I mean, you can shoot me, or stab me, throw me out the window, call your IRA people to torture me...
    -No, we're good.
    -Okay. I'm going to hang around for a bit in case you change your mind.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,976
    mattjoes wrote: »
    Creasy47 wrote: »
    Poor 006...

    He has the worst luck in pretty much all his films.

    And then in Ronin, De Niro reveals him as an incompetent, and when you think they're going to off him, they just let him go. It's like they took pity on his awful luck.

    -Okay, we'll forgive you this time. But don't come back.
    -What, you don't want to kill me? I've got no problem with it, I'm used to it by now.
    -No, you can go.
    -I mean, you can shoot me, or stab me, throw me out the window, call your IRA people to torture me...
    -No, we're good.
    -Okay. I'm going to hang around for a bit in case you change your mind.

    "Here's my permanent address just in case you change your mind later on."
  • Is there a horror franchise that's unluckier than Friday the 13th? If there's any forward momentum at all on a 13th Friday the 13th that would be fantastic. Here's hoping some significant news truly is forthcoming.

    Well.... depends on what you mean by luck. Hellraiser has sunk low enough to produce an ashcan film (Revelations). F13 hasn't had to suffer one of those, thankfully. We'll see if the recent news leads to anything.

    True, I suppose there are fates worse than development hell.
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