The Horror Thread II: The Return

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  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,978
    I'd rather the film find it's feet with a film every 2-3 years than a tv series. But I will still watch the latter to see for myself.
  • Posts: 19,339
    I watched about just over half of 'A haunting in Conneticut' last night and then gave up....it did nothing for me at all and was so 'by the numbers' i could predict was was coming up before it even happened.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,077
    Gosh, I'm 20 minutes into The Lawnmower Man and my intestines are telling me to hate this. And it's the friggin' director's cut I'm watching so will need to endorse 2 more hours of this. Oh Pierce, what did you get yourself into before you did GE? :-<
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,978
    barryt007 wrote:
    I watched about just over half of 'A haunting in Conneticut' last night and then gave up....it did nothing for me at all and was so 'by the numbers' i could predict was was coming up before it even happened.

    I like Virginia Madsen, and thought that she was a perfect choice for the role of the wife/mother that must fight to protect her family (see also the Harrison Ford thriller, Firewall), but as a Horror fan, A haunting In Conneticut left me cold. And again, another film that I was surprised to find has had a sequel.

    When it comes to supernatural horror films, I think it's fair to say that The Haunting (1963 not the 1999 remake) is still #1.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,077
    @barryt007, I couldn't agree more. The 63 film is an effective horror film; some of those scary ghost scenes are, indeed, scary whereas in the 99 film we get a CGI exposition with little to no content worthy of any mention.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,865
    I've heard so much about how fantastic 'The Haunting' (1963) is, yet so many terrible reviews about the 1999 version, though I hear the latter version has some fantastic set pieces.

    Of course, Netflix Instant only has the 1999 version up to watch. If anyone on here has Netflix Instant and wants to recommend some scary, lesser-known horror films, please do.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,978
    Other than Catherine Zeta-Jones and the scene with the fireplace (which even then, isn't on par with the staircase scene from the original), I don't remember much about the remake.
  • Posts: 19,339
    It ends up simply CGI mad and all hell breaks loose...not fit to wipe the shoes of the b/w original.
    I must admit though,i feel a guilty pleasure with '13 Ghosts'..i've always liked it,and it is genuinely scary.
  • Posts: 1,595
    Just briefly browsing through the last couple pages - Jason Goes To Hell is probably my least favorite F13. That or Jason X. Yuck. My favorite is #2.

    Anybody see that new film Oculus all the critics have been praising as new and original? Because I did and it was the exact same modern horror cliches thrown back into a blender, not to mention probably the tamest R-rated flick I've ever seen. A disappointment on nearly every level.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,865
    @ThighsOfXenia, that's why I don't trust reviews from anyone for newer horror flicks, because I'm tired of being disappointed. I guess it's rare that a film truly has me on age or terribly scared, but after hearing that 'Sinister' and 'Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones' were 'sooo scary omg u hav 2 see it,' I'm only going to start trusting myself.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,978
    I like Jason Goes To Hell because it was different, and it has the best opening of the series. If you listen to people who don't like Horror or the F13 films, they'll tell you that the films are all the same, yet Jason Goes To Hell alone busts that myth.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,865
    Ahh, the opening to 'Jason Goes To Hell' is amazing. I remember watching it when I was much younger with no idea what to expect. I loved that movie for what it was worth.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    edited May 2014 Posts: 13,978
    "Incoming..."

    jasongoestohell-aminorsetback.jpg

    I can see why other fans don't like it, I just disagree. Though even I can't explain the shaving scene.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    edited May 2014 Posts: 40,865
    The police station and restaurant scene are fantastic, and I love the opening and finale brawl, as well.

    EDIT: The trailer for 'VHS: Viral' has been released:
    http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=118230
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,077
    I have recently decided to view JGTH as an extention of the Evil Dead universe. The Necronomicon and some of the comics I've read gave it away. :-)
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,865
    This is pretty cool, it's a POV slasher flick called 'You Are Not Alone.' Check out the trailer, looks pretty eerie:

    http://bloody-disgusting.com/images/3293683/alone-imagery-stalks-cannes/
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,077
    I'm intrigued by this:

    http://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3293471/grudge-beginning-end-second-trailer/

    Huge fan of The Grudge! This news is like Christmas to me.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,865
    @DarthDimi, I was looking at that link at about 3 A.M. today (for me) and refused to watch it in a darkened basement all alone, even though most of the comments I saw on that link said it doesn't look scary at all.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,077
    @Creasy47, I'm excited! Whether it'll be scary or not is something I can only judge when I've seen the thing. But I am confident. I know many people who tell me that the J-horror genre doesn't frighten them at all, that they find it dull, but somehow it scares me to death. Hell, even the novelization of Ju-On gave me goosebumps last Summer, and I read the bloody thing mostly during daytime! Somehow, The Grudge has a ridiculously terrifying effect on me. ;-)
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,865
    @DarthDimi, agreed! Hell, all of the Ju-on films I've watched on Netflix Instant scare me, including the two where it's just full of short little films that all tie together. Can't recall the name. Have you seen it? And yes, the very beginning of 'The Grudge' scares me every time.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,077
    You mean Black Ghost / White Ghost, @Creasy47? Oh yes, I loved those two.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,865
    @DarthDimi, that's it! I don't remember which one I was watching, but it involved a basketball in a lot of the scenes. Scared the hell out of me.
  • Posts: 2,341
    @Creasy47
    I am always on the lookout for good horror. "Here Comes The Devil", a spanish language film on Netflix has been recommended to me but I've yet to watch it.

    In regards to the Haunting (1963) and the trasy 1999 remake. I recommend the 1963 original It is a classic ghost tale. And there are no ghosts in the film at all. Shot in glorius B&W and lots of mood music, shadows, and just great performances by the actors.

    If you haven't seen it then be sure and watch for one of our Bond actresses, Lois Maxwell in the film.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,865
    I've heard of that film, as well, @OHMSS69. I watched the trailer a while back but it didn't seem very interesting to me.

    Lois Maxwell is in the original 'The Haunting'?? Wow, then I really need to see it. Yeah, I've heard it's just an overall eerie, spooky film that doesn't rely on today's typical jump scares.
  • Posts: 2,341
    @Creasy47
    I won't tell you where she is in the film but I will say she's pretty prominent.
  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,865
    Does anyone here have the complete 'Nightmare on Elm Street' collection? I've been wanting it pretty bad lately as I loved the films when I was younger, just wanted to get some input on if the price (roughly $40-50) is worth it.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,077
    Creasy47 wrote:
    Does anyone here have the complete 'Nightmare on Elm Street' collection? I've been wanting it pretty bad lately as I loved the films when I was younger, just wanted to get some input on if the price (roughly $40-50) is worth it.

    I have it, @Creasy47! Of course I do. I'm one of the biggest Freddy fans you may ever encounter. ;-) The films alone are worth the price I reckon. My version also contains short interviews and a few making of featurettes that are definitely worth it. It's surprising how interesting Wes Craven can be when he talks about film. I don't think he deserves to be called the "master of horror" but he surely knows how to talk about horror IMO. Please keep in mind that we may be referring to different collections here. Mine is a R2 DVD collection containing all 7 films from the original to Wes Craven's New Nightmare. Freddy versus Jason and the NOES remake I have bought separately, as I did the great, lengthy Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy documentary.

  • Creasy47Creasy47 In Cuba with Natalya.Moderator
    Posts: 40,865
    The one I'm talking about goes from the original NOES to 'Wes Craven's New Nightmare,' it's the Region 1 blu-ray collection, so I'm sure it's just about the same thing. It was so nostalgic going back and watching bits and pieces from all of the films on YT and surprisingly remembering so much. I'm dying to buy it now and have myself a Freddy marathon, but I want to wait for a price cut first, I'm thinking.

    What were your thoughts on the NOES remake, and with Haley playing Freddy?
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,077
    I thought the remake was competent, @Creasy47. It focussed on the original film (and none of its sequels) when deciding which elements to revive, almost as much as it tried to be its own thing. So it's not a mindless duplicate, nor something unrecognisably new.

    The casting is good enough; the actors are overall better trained than the teenagers in the original film, including Heather Langhencamp and Johnny Depp. Jablonski's music is dark and effective, as were his scores for the Texas Chainsaw and Friday 13th "remakes".

    Haley is a good enough Freddy if you accept from the start that you're not going to see the Englund Freddy. His voice, his looks, even some of his manners are reduced versions of Englund's often outrageous portrayals, but this helps to get a more basic form of evil through. I wouldn't have wanted a wisecracking Freddy in this film anyway. They kept him completely devoid of practical jokes and as such made the tone of the film more persistently sadistic and brutal.

    I overall like this film though it lives in the shadow of a couple of the older ones. It's not fair to call out the fact that it lacks Englund, but it's a fact nonetheless that it lacks Englund. And there's a certain plot twist which got me fairly excited at first and which they then decided not to explore. I can't spoil it now but you might pick it up when you watch the film. Had they gone there, this film might have lifted itself to a higher place in my ranking; but for now, I'm happy with the remake as it is and a little sad that no plans for sequels were ever developed despite its fairly good BO numbers.
  • MajorDSmytheMajorDSmythe "I tolerate this century, but I don't enjoy it."Moderator
    Posts: 13,978
    I know that there have been a number of different editions of the collection, but I wouldn't know which is better as I have the individual DVD's of the 7 original films. As for the remake I have not seen it yet.

    I don't know if this is true, but somewhere at the back of my mind, I have the idea that Platinum Dunes were going to make A Nightmare On Elm Street 2 once they have completed Friday The 13th Part 2.

    Talking of Friday The 13th...

    http://bloody-disgusting.com/interviews/3294226/tv-new-details-friday-13th-tv-series-exclusive/

    To be honest, I would be satisfied they they just got the film series up and running again. I will watch the series, but I would rather a new films every 2-3 years.
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