zomgbear
Well-Known Member
Rewatch it! it seems like something that wouldn't hold up because it's "technology" based but surprisingly it holds up really well.
6th Annual N&G 31 Days* of Halloween (2024)
- Thread starter LeeVing
- Start date
zomgbear
Well-Known Member
10) The Blackcoat's Daughter (2015) 
I enjoyed this one a lot. It's a pretty dark story & a slow burn. I didn't realize that Kat & Joan being the same person was supposed to be a twist? I thought it was written to make you think that way? I feel the bigger twist of it all was how she felt abandoned by her parents death and looked to the demon as a parental figure - which is pretty sad if you think about it I wish they delved a bit more into the how it all came about but it was still great.
I enjoyed this one a lot. It's a pretty dark story & a slow burn. I didn't realize that Kat & Joan being the same person was supposed to be a twist? I thought it was written to make you think that way? I feel the bigger twist of it all was how she felt abandoned by her parents death and looked to the demon as a parental figure - which is pretty sad if you think about it I wish they delved a bit more into the how it all came about but it was still great.
Hemotep
Well-Known Member
Really want to go see that and The Shade. The wife is working late on Wednesday night so if a showing is playing when I get done teaching I might try and go for it.
EvanBenner
Well-Known Member
Here's what's popping onto streaming subs this month:
gaporter
Well-Known Member
Hey everyone! Sorry for the lack of posts in here as of late - September was one shitshow after another it seemed, and I kept meaning to sit down and catch up on here but I neglected it all month and now it's October! Well, happy spooky month, friends. I'm going to just real quickly summarize what all I watched last month and keep it brief so that maybe this month I can actually post as I watch.
MOVIE #3
The Hideous Sun Demon (1958)
Based solely on the title, I expected that the titular monster in this would probably be an alien that emerged from the sun to wreak havoc on the earth or some other wacky sci-fi premise like that. To my surprise, however, this was actually more in line narratively and tonally with the something like a Universal Monsters picture; in fact, it's almost exactly like The Wolf Man, just with the caveat that the main character is transformed by the sun instead of the moon. It's far from perfect - and perhaps not even really that good - but I did enjoy my time with it.
Rating:
MOVIE #4
The Thing from Another World (1951)
This is a case where I almost wish I was able to view this with a blank slate, because while I respect it immensely as a significant sci-fi classic, it's hard to deny that it was improved upon in almost every respect three decades later by Carpenter's film. With that being said, it's still a great movie.
Rating:
MOVIE #5
Suitable Flesh (2023)
I thought this was fun but flawed, a pervy possession movie that doesn't take itself very seriously. It's a clear attempt to evoke the kind of smutty Lovecraftian 80s horror film that co-star Barbara Crampton used to appear in (even being written by Dennis Paoli of Re-Animator and From Beyond fame), though the execution is at times a bit amateurish. I also don't know how I feel about the handling of some of the heavier ideas here; I'm all for mixing horror and comedy but some of the attempts here were a bit uncomfortable. I don't know, it's probably closer to a three skull movie, but it has its moment and the performances from Heather Graham and Crampton elevate it.
Rating:
MOVIE #6
Abigail (2024)
I thought this was pretty decent, if a little longer than it needed to be. The kidnapping plot was an interesting angle and the actors were all great and brought a lot to their respective characters. Add in some gory special effects and a devious little vampire girl on top of that and I was mostly happy with this.
Rating:
MOVIE #7
The Grudge (2004)
I realized pretty early into this that I probably should have just watched the original Japanese film instead of this Americanized remake (especially after seeing @EvanBenner's ringing endorsement of it) but I still liked this fine enough. I enjoy that there's this sort of creepy atmosphere hanging over the whole movie that never really lets up and some of the images, while probably watered down for international markets, are striking in how unsettling they are.
Rating:
MOVIE #8
Skinwalkers (2006)
This was pretty bad, with the only real saving grace coming in the final act with halfway decent werewolf effects. Even that can't save one of the worse written stories I've seen in a movie as of late, though. It's a shame, because the premise had some potential and it's the rare werewolf movie that actually has some kind of a budget, but unfortunately all this movie proves is that money doesn't automatically result in a high quality product.
Rating:
MOVIE #9
Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)
It was pretty much mandatory that I watch a Jason movie on Friday the 13th as the timing just lined up too perfectly. I went with Jason Lives for no reason in particular other than that it's amazing and I love it. This is the one where they pretty much said "fuck it" and decided to start leaning into the absurdity and it is glorious.
Rating:
MOVIE #10
Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost (1999)
I like to put this one on around fall time about every other year or so, it helps get me in the mood for the season. Autumn leaves, pumpkins, Hex Girls, what more could you ask for?
Rating:
MOVIE #11
Child's Play (1988)
Despite the massive fanbase he has, I admit that Chucky has never been my favorite horror movie villain, but going back and rewatching this reminds me of how good and creepy the core concept of the character is. Much like Freddy in the first Nightmare movie, it's refreshing to remind yourself of a time when these characters were played for more straightforward horror rather than the more ridiculous and quippy incarnations they'd be reduced to in later years.
Rating:
MOVIE #12
Tremors (1990)
Who doesn't love to watch giant worms fuck shit up every now and then? This is such a fun flick that I waited too long to watch for myself; so simple yet so effective.
Rating:
MOVIE #13
The Others (2001)
One of the best haunted house movies I've ever seen; this kind of atmospheric, melancholic ghost story is right up my alley. Nicole Kidman is of course great, but the two main child actors in the movie are pretty fantastic too, which is something you don't get very often and is probably a major key in why this movie works as well as it does.
Rating:
MOVIE #14
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019)
This was alright, maybe a little better than I expected but still just okay. Outside of adapting some of Stephen Gammell's memorably freakish illustrations for the creatures and cribbing some story ideas very loosely, this doesn't really have a whole lot to do with the source material. I almost question why they didn't just go the anthology route, as the actual story isn't especially strong. It's entirely watchable, though, and it is surprisingly gruesome for a PG-13 movie based on a children's book.
Rating:
MOVIE #15
Immaculate (2024)
Sydney Sweeney visits a convent and it does not go well. I actually thought this was pretty good, to the point where I was surprised to see it have such a low average on Letterboxd. I guess I can see how some people might not like the turns the story takes or how obvious some of the messaging gets, but eh, I enjoyed it.
Rating:
MOVIE #16
Monster House (2006)
Nostalgia probably is doing some heavy lifting with this one, but this is still a spooky season staple for me. I know the motion capture style turns a lot of people off (understandably so), but I actually think the creepiness of it adds to the overall tone of the movie in this instance. Plus I love the design of the titular monster house and how this takes advantage of the medium of animation to do things with the premise that would probably come off silly in live action. Your mileage may vary, but it will always remain a personal favorite horror-comedy of mine.
Rating:
MOVIE #3
The Hideous Sun Demon (1958)
Based solely on the title, I expected that the titular monster in this would probably be an alien that emerged from the sun to wreak havoc on the earth or some other wacky sci-fi premise like that. To my surprise, however, this was actually more in line narratively and tonally with the something like a Universal Monsters picture; in fact, it's almost exactly like The Wolf Man, just with the caveat that the main character is transformed by the sun instead of the moon. It's far from perfect - and perhaps not even really that good - but I did enjoy my time with it.
Rating:
MOVIE #4
The Thing from Another World (1951)
This is a case where I almost wish I was able to view this with a blank slate, because while I respect it immensely as a significant sci-fi classic, it's hard to deny that it was improved upon in almost every respect three decades later by Carpenter's film. With that being said, it's still a great movie.
Rating:
MOVIE #5
Suitable Flesh (2023)
I thought this was fun but flawed, a pervy possession movie that doesn't take itself very seriously. It's a clear attempt to evoke the kind of smutty Lovecraftian 80s horror film that co-star Barbara Crampton used to appear in (even being written by Dennis Paoli of Re-Animator and From Beyond fame), though the execution is at times a bit amateurish. I also don't know how I feel about the handling of some of the heavier ideas here; I'm all for mixing horror and comedy but some of the attempts here were a bit uncomfortable. I don't know, it's probably closer to a three skull movie, but it has its moment and the performances from Heather Graham and Crampton elevate it.
Rating:
MOVIE #6
Abigail (2024)
I thought this was pretty decent, if a little longer than it needed to be. The kidnapping plot was an interesting angle and the actors were all great and brought a lot to their respective characters. Add in some gory special effects and a devious little vampire girl on top of that and I was mostly happy with this.
Rating:
MOVIE #7
The Grudge (2004)
I realized pretty early into this that I probably should have just watched the original Japanese film instead of this Americanized remake (especially after seeing @EvanBenner's ringing endorsement of it) but I still liked this fine enough. I enjoy that there's this sort of creepy atmosphere hanging over the whole movie that never really lets up and some of the images, while probably watered down for international markets, are striking in how unsettling they are.
Rating:
MOVIE #8
Skinwalkers (2006)
This was pretty bad, with the only real saving grace coming in the final act with halfway decent werewolf effects. Even that can't save one of the worse written stories I've seen in a movie as of late, though. It's a shame, because the premise had some potential and it's the rare werewolf movie that actually has some kind of a budget, but unfortunately all this movie proves is that money doesn't automatically result in a high quality product.
Rating:
MOVIE #9
Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986)
It was pretty much mandatory that I watch a Jason movie on Friday the 13th as the timing just lined up too perfectly. I went with Jason Lives for no reason in particular other than that it's amazing and I love it. This is the one where they pretty much said "fuck it" and decided to start leaning into the absurdity and it is glorious.
Rating:
MOVIE #10
Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost (1999)
I like to put this one on around fall time about every other year or so, it helps get me in the mood for the season. Autumn leaves, pumpkins, Hex Girls, what more could you ask for?
Rating:
MOVIE #11
Child's Play (1988)
Despite the massive fanbase he has, I admit that Chucky has never been my favorite horror movie villain, but going back and rewatching this reminds me of how good and creepy the core concept of the character is. Much like Freddy in the first Nightmare movie, it's refreshing to remind yourself of a time when these characters were played for more straightforward horror rather than the more ridiculous and quippy incarnations they'd be reduced to in later years.
Rating:
MOVIE #12
Tremors (1990)
Who doesn't love to watch giant worms fuck shit up every now and then? This is such a fun flick that I waited too long to watch for myself; so simple yet so effective.
Rating:
MOVIE #13
The Others (2001)
One of the best haunted house movies I've ever seen; this kind of atmospheric, melancholic ghost story is right up my alley. Nicole Kidman is of course great, but the two main child actors in the movie are pretty fantastic too, which is something you don't get very often and is probably a major key in why this movie works as well as it does.
Rating:
MOVIE #14
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019)
This was alright, maybe a little better than I expected but still just okay. Outside of adapting some of Stephen Gammell's memorably freakish illustrations for the creatures and cribbing some story ideas very loosely, this doesn't really have a whole lot to do with the source material. I almost question why they didn't just go the anthology route, as the actual story isn't especially strong. It's entirely watchable, though, and it is surprisingly gruesome for a PG-13 movie based on a children's book.
Rating:
MOVIE #15
Immaculate (2024)
Sydney Sweeney visits a convent and it does not go well. I actually thought this was pretty good, to the point where I was surprised to see it have such a low average on Letterboxd. I guess I can see how some people might not like the turns the story takes or how obvious some of the messaging gets, but eh, I enjoyed it.
Rating:
MOVIE #16
Monster House (2006)
Nostalgia probably is doing some heavy lifting with this one, but this is still a spooky season staple for me. I know the motion capture style turns a lot of people off (understandably so), but I actually think the creepiness of it adds to the overall tone of the movie in this instance. Plus I love the design of the titular monster house and how this takes advantage of the medium of animation to do things with the premise that would probably come off silly in live action. Your mileage may vary, but it will always remain a personal favorite horror-comedy of mine.
Rating:
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gaporter
Well-Known Member
MOVIE #17
Us (2019)
This was really interesting and extremely well-made, which is unsurprising coming from Jordan Peele, who is establishing himself more and more as a master at bringing unique, creepy ideas to life in a way that only he can. The real MVP of this movie though is Lupita Nyong'o; disappointed but not surprised to find out she was mostly passed over by the major award ceremonies that year even though a win would have been more than deserved. The range on display is absolutely insane. I admit I have more than a few questions about the premise after watching it, though I do think that's by design to a degree. It's just open-ended enough to leave room for your mind to fill in the gaps with various implications and give yourself the heebie-jeebies all over again. Much like Nope, I predict this being a movie that sticks with me and only becomes more brilliant to me the more I sit with it.
Rating:
Us (2019)
This was really interesting and extremely well-made, which is unsurprising coming from Jordan Peele, who is establishing himself more and more as a master at bringing unique, creepy ideas to life in a way that only he can. The real MVP of this movie though is Lupita Nyong'o; disappointed but not surprised to find out she was mostly passed over by the major award ceremonies that year even though a win would have been more than deserved. The range on display is absolutely insane. I admit I have more than a few questions about the premise after watching it, though I do think that's by design to a degree. It's just open-ended enough to leave room for your mind to fill in the gaps with various implications and give yourself the heebie-jeebies all over again. Much like Nope, I predict this being a movie that sticks with me and only becomes more brilliant to me the more I sit with it.
Rating:
Selaws
Well-Known Member
Film 1 - Alien (1979)
.5I didn't realise this thread was starting earlier than October annoyingly. Anyway, started strong with Alien, an incredible film that still holds up today. The only reason I haven't rated this higher is because I prefer the 2nd which leads me to....
Film 2 - Aliens (1986)
How can you possibly top Alien? Add more aliens.
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gaporter
Well-Known Member
MOVIE #18
Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1995)
Or apparently "The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre" according to the end credits and Letterboxd.
The final line of dialogue spoken in this film is something to the effect of "What the hell is going on?" which is very funny to me because those are my sentiments exactly. I can usually stomach these infamous "so bad they're good" horror sequels without much issue, but this was just nonstop noise and nonsense for the majority of its runtime. It's a sad day when Matthew McConaughey with a cybernetic leg is more of a threat than Leatherface. Just bizarre.
Rating:
Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1995)
Or apparently "The Return of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre" according to the end credits and Letterboxd.
The final line of dialogue spoken in this film is something to the effect of "What the hell is going on?" which is very funny to me because those are my sentiments exactly. I can usually stomach these infamous "so bad they're good" horror sequels without much issue, but this was just nonstop noise and nonsense for the majority of its runtime. It's a sad day when Matthew McConaughey with a cybernetic leg is more of a threat than Leatherface. Just bizarre.
Rating:
avecigrec
Well-Known Member
#8.
Friday the 13th [1980]
True classic. More suspenseful than scary and quite simple, almost understated, in its kills (Kevin Bacon is my favourite of the lot.) I find it funny that pretty much nothing of what people associate with the franchise even appears in this film; it stands very on its own as a scrappy low-budget movie with all the scrappiness, heart and soul that the 2009 remake lacks. It could easily be removed from the rest of the franchise. That said I plan to work my way through the next seven this month --nearly all of which I've never seen.
Friday the 13th [1980]
True classic. More suspenseful than scary and quite simple, almost understated, in its kills (Kevin Bacon is my favourite of the lot.) I find it funny that pretty much nothing of what people associate with the franchise even appears in this film; it stands very on its own as a scrappy low-budget movie with all the scrappiness, heart and soul that the 2009 remake lacks. It could easily be removed from the rest of the franchise. That said I plan to work my way through the next seven this month --nearly all of which I've never seen.
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Selaws
Well-Known Member
Film 3 - Speak No Evil (2024) .5
Man, this film was something else. At first, I actually found it a bit boring and really slow but it gradually started building the tension with some moments of unexpected outbursts. By the end, I was on the edge of my seat. McAvoy is terrifyingly good in this.
.5Man, this film was something else. At first, I actually found it a bit boring and really slow but it gradually started building the tension with some moments of unexpected outbursts. By the end, I was on the edge of my seat. McAvoy is terrifyingly good in this.
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Hemotep
Well-Known Member
The original was disturbing, but I'm excited to watch this off the trailer of his performance.Speak No Evil (2024)
Man, this film was something else. At first, I actually found it a bit boring and really slow but it gradually started building the tension with some moments of unexpected outbursts. By the end, I was on the edge of my seat. McAvoy is terrifyingly good in this.
View attachment 215178
gaporter
Well-Known Member
I'm pretty generous with my
s. I feel like I typically try to find the positive even in the worst things I watch so something usually has to be either really bad or really boring to get below a 2.5 from me.
Hemotep
Well-Known Member
I'm usually pretty generous too, but I've been watching a lot of crap this year that I haven't posted, lolI'm pretty generous with my
Selaws
Well-Known Member
Ah I didn't realise it was a remake. Going to have to find a way of watching the origianl too at some point.
Ghost
Original Resident Ghost
I haven’t seen this one but I’ve heard it takes all the bite off the original film. The original was seriously disturbing and was one of the few horror movies that has sent me to bed in a genuinely bad mood. It’s powerful in that regard but unsettling in a real way.Speak No Evil (2024)
Man, this film was something else. At first, I actually found it a bit boring and really slow but it gradually started building the tension with some moments of unexpected outbursts. By the end, I was on the edge of my seat. McAvoy is terrifyingly good in this.
View attachment 215178
It’s hard to say I recommended or enjoyed the first one, but I guess I do and I did.
EvanBenner
Well-Known Member
It's exclusive to Shudder/AMC+ but totally worth a sub for a month. (If you can swing a 7-day trial of either, do make the original SNE a priority. Total gut puncher.)
EDIT: JK, I'm speaking for our side of the pond. Since it's a European production hopefully it's more readily accessible for you!
Here's what JustWatch says:
zomgbear
Well-Known Member
11) A Quiet Place - Day One (2024)
I thought this was OK. Lupita is fantastic in this (and is carrying this movie) but felt like the story could have been a bit more fleshed out. It's missing something that made the first 2 movies special. The cat also did a great job lol.
I thought this was OK. Lupita is fantastic in this (and is carrying this movie) but felt like the story could have been a bit more fleshed out. It's missing something that made the first 2 movies special. The cat also did a great job lol.
avecigrec
Well-Known Member
#9.
The Substance [2024]
As I was walking out the door last night, my wife asked what the movie was about. I told her I'd been keeping away from as much information as possible, all I really knew was that it was body horror, people have been raving about it, and people have also been walking out of screenings. I mentioned that the only time I'd ever seen people walk out of a movie, en masse, was when I saw Requiem for a Dream all those years ago. I didn't realize at the time how many parallels there would be between the two... both are hyper-stylized depictions of people taking things too far, with stellar performances. The viewing experience was easily a 5 or more for me, and it's worth seeing in theaters for the sound alone. Demi Moore puts in an especially fantastic performance here, and the finale is completely OFF THE RAILS! There were a few choices I found a little puzzling throughout, but the concept itself is fantastic and I'm looking forward to revisiting this one once it hits streaming-- I feel like another viewing may bump the score up or down half a point. Absolutely worth a watch, either way.
The Substance [2024]
As I was walking out the door last night, my wife asked what the movie was about. I told her I'd been keeping away from as much information as possible, all I really knew was that it was body horror, people have been raving about it, and people have also been walking out of screenings. I mentioned that the only time I'd ever seen people walk out of a movie, en masse, was when I saw Requiem for a Dream all those years ago. I didn't realize at the time how many parallels there would be between the two... both are hyper-stylized depictions of people taking things too far, with stellar performances. The viewing experience was easily a 5 or more for me, and it's worth seeing in theaters for the sound alone. Demi Moore puts in an especially fantastic performance here, and the finale is completely OFF THE RAILS! There were a few choices I found a little puzzling throughout, but the concept itself is fantastic and I'm looking forward to revisiting this one once it hits streaming-- I feel like another viewing may bump the score up or down half a point. Absolutely worth a watch, either way.