Halloween! What are some movies you like to watch during this time?

[Lark]

So far as Argento goes, I've only seen Suspiria (last week). I do have to say, it was beautifully done in total art-house fashion -- the scenes were beautifully framed, great use of bold areas of color to set tone and mood, great look and feel, wonderful vaulted architecture and sweeping staircases, and it was so dramatically over the top I had to enjoy it for what it was.

About the only shocking part was the use of the frame to obscure something from one of the characters (and the viewer), so it catches one off-guard, but that was pretty brilliant -- if it were shot today, I'm pretty sure the blood content would have been a lot higher in that scene. Altogether I enjoyed it more on an "artsy" level than a horror level per se.

Inferno and another one of his movies, cant remember the title now, were fantastic, what about The Beyond, Phenomenon and City of The Dead?

 

[Totenkindly]

Here's a list of some foreign (to the US) horror flicks. Most have already been discussed but there are one or two in there I hadn't heard of.

Scary Good - IMDb

I'll be honest, I did not like "The Host" that much. (I watched it this year on Netflix for my Halloween sweeps.) It had a lot of funny banter in it, and I appreciated the commitment/compassion of the characters, but I found myself bored for much of it. It should have been 30 minutes shorter. At least it had Doona Bae.

"A Tale of Two Sisters" is pretty complex. I've seen the American remake ("The Uninvited") and it is far far simplified and streamlined (sometimes to its detriment) in that cheesy USA way [where we make movies out of generic tropes], compared to the original movie. So I watched aToTS and found myself pretty bewildered by the end, although obviously I knew the immediate twists... I would have to watch it again and see what I can figure out.

"The Orphanage" is one of those more "haunting/heartbreaking" ghost stories, with a bittersweet ending. The music supports this emotional ambiance, it's got a lovely little soundtrack. yes, there's some scenes that actually are a bit tense, but there are ghosts and a gothic style house, and a gruesome scene or two. The director, JA Bayona, went on to do "The Impossible" and "A Monster Calls," so maybe that offers a sense of the emotional range even of his ghost stories.

I still prefer the original "Let the Right One In" although the American remake is decent enough (about time!) and with better special effects. I like the emotional/moral ambiguity of Oskar, the lead, where in a sense he's kind of a psychopath himself; the movie isn't afraid to allow its lead to be unsettling/off-putting.

 

[❀༺♥༻ℭ𝔞𝔢𝔩𝔦𝔞_𝔄𝔦𝔰𝔩𝔦𝔫𝔤༺♥༻❀༺]

Hocus Pocus
Halloweentown
Corpse Bride
9
Coraline
Frankenweenie
Nightmare Before Christmas
And of course Halloween specials of my favorite shows growing up

I'm not a fan of traditional horror flicks myself... too easily scared heh

 

[Tomb1]

I want to see Halloween 2018...Jamie Lee Curtis redeems franchise from an abundance of shitty sequels.

 

[Hellena Handbasket]

Hocus Pocus
Nightmare Before Christmas
Rocky Horror Picture Show
Nightmare on Elm Street Series
Halloween series
Halloween Town series
Labyrinth
Legend
Old Vincent Price and Alfred Hitchcock
The Omen
A lot of documentaries about vampires, witches, serial killers.

I read a bunch of scary books in October as well.

 

[Tomb1]

So I went to see Halloween 2018...and Jamie Lee Curtis redeemed franchise from an abundance of shitty sequels.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

So I went to see Halloween 2018...and Jamie Lee Curtis redeemed franchise from an abundance of shitty sequels.

Even the shitty sequels she already participated in? (See: Halloween II, Halloween H20, Halloween Resurrection).

Also, they’re at what, three different continuities now (four if one includes the Rob Zombie films)?

Continuity #1: Halloween 1, 2, 4, 5, 6
Continuity #2: Halloween 1, 2, H20, Resurrection
Continuity #3: Halloween 1, Halloween 2018

I left out 3 because it technically never took place within the Myers universe and also it’s actually a decent, underrated film that people bash for no other reason than the absence of Michael Myers

 

[Lib]

The Frighteners. At least it's meant to be a comedy.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

I think my distaste for the Halloween series (the sequels, at least) has to do with how the sequels and remakes have tried to over-explain Michael Myers' origins and motives. The original was such a great, pure film; it didn't go into a whole backstory or weird convoluted subplots about mommy issues or secret satanic cults. He was just the faceless Shape, a mindless killing machine, and that was really all the audience needed to know. Part of the appeal of the original film was the general mystery around The Shape. Every subsequent sequel about Myers tried to add motive and exposition, and in doing so, diluted the legacy of the original film. To add to the confusion and clusterfuck, the series retconned itself on more than one occasion, with H20 trying to overwrite or ignore the events of 4-6. Not that I can really blame the producers for ignoring those atrocious (okay, 4 is an OK, albeit typical 80s slasher film) abominations when they made H20, but it makes one wonder why they didn't just do a proper remake earlier, or simply give up on trying to milk the cash cow? Anyway, I always thought Myers was turned into a comical parody of himself with the sequels. With Jason Voorhees, at least the producers' intent was always to sort of poke fun at their series (see Friday the 13th Part 6 for good example of this), or in the very least, the Friday the 13th films never took themselves too seriously. However, with Halloween sequels, it seems like the filmmakers really genuinely believed they were doing the original justice, and there's nothing more pathetic than when the subject of a punchline is not in on the joke.

I am extremely skeptical of this new film. People are raving about it, and while that might say something, I also remember people raving about Halloween H20, talking about how it "saved" the franchise and was finally a sequel worthy of the original. I remember seeing it and being let down after all of the hype, wondering what was so special about that film aside from Curtis' return; in hindsight, H20 has aged pretty horribly and looks like a Scream knock-off more than anything else, and if not for Curtis' presence, it would probably be remembered on the same level as Halloween 4-6. I just don't think it's really possible to capture that exact lightning in a bottle more than once (slasher films have basically had their day), however I will be open-minded and reserve final judgment until I watch the latest movie, which will probably be when I can stream it or get the Blu Ray.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

I'm feeling like watching Deep Red/Profondo Rosso again. That film doesn't exactly scare me (few horror films do) but there's a great aura about it, and the kills are more creative than typical slasher fare. I think it's Argento's best, hands down.

Also been a while since I watched Carpenter's The Thing. That ending really does a great job of conjuring feelings of solitude and desperation.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

Scream was good but it also sort of killed the slasher sub genre

 

[Tomb1]

I look forward to Rob Zombie's Three From Hell. Devil's Rejects and House of a 1000 Corpses were great. I'm surprised I didn't like his Halloween movies.

Even the shitty sequels she already participated in? (See: Halloween II, Halloween H20, Halloween Resurrection).

Also, they’re at what, three different continuities now (four if one includes the Rob Zombie films)?

Continuity #1: Halloween 1, 2, 4, 5, 6
Continuity #2: Halloween 1, 2, H20, Resurrection
Continuity #3: Halloween 1, Halloween 2018

I left out 3 because it technically never took place within the Myers universe and also it’s actually a decent, underrated film that people bash for no other reason than the absence of Michael Myers

Them, too.

the original was such a great, pure film; it didn't go into a whole backstory or weird convoluted subplots about mommy issues or secret satanic cults. He was just the faceless Shape, a mindless killing machine, and that was really all the audience needed to know. Part of the appeal of the original film was the general mystery around The Shape. Every subsequent sequel about Myers tried to add motive and exposition, and in doing so, diluted the legacy of the original film.

H 2018 pushes a strong theme so the plot is simple but effective. There is a plot twist but not of real consequence once Michael puts his foot down.

 

[Totenkindly]

They're supposedly remaking / continuing the American Grudge line... I'm getting tired of "remakes" although I guess it depends on how remade it is. Usually remakes aren't as good and sometimes they're remakes of films that weren't even great to start with. I actually liked the first Grudge flick, it's got some genuinely unsettling moments, the edit isn't cut in time sequence (which makes it more mentally stimulating to piece together), etc. I don't really have a film I watch every year, I just make a list of films for the last 13 days of October and then watch one a day -- typically ones I haven't seen, along with 1-2 I really like.

This year has been kind of a dud, even with some films I thought would be decent. However, I do have to say that Black Sunday (1960) which I watched last night was a winner. It's only 1:23 long. It's filmed beautifully in black and white. The tone is consistent, which basically amounts to "over the top" throughout. It opens with this hilarious text warning about how the film is terrifying and you have to be at least 14 years old to watch it. And the first 10 minutes is just insane, compared to my expectations for a 1960's movie. I only really saw Hammer movies from that time period, and those are kind of flat. I actually yelled "Holy Shit!" at the screen and was agape at what I thought would be a rather ho-hum first 10 minutes. There's even a fight in the middle that far excelled what I expected of a film from that time period. We actually see a dead body reincorporating ... in 1960 special effects, and it's half-decent. The director had decent sensibilities despite the lack of hi-falutin CGI at the time. Just... delighted.

There's also a list of trailers from that time period on my bluray and they're just crazy. I guess this was leading into the giallo years in Italy?

Tonight on my list, I'm treating myself to a film I've already seen -- Let the RIght One In. I enjoyed the first viewing some years ago and even read the book, after.

I look forward to Rob Zombie's Three From Hell. Devil's Rejects and House of a 1000 Corpses were great. I'm surprised I didn't like his Halloween movies.

I just saw my first RZ movie -- The Lords of Salem. Some fun banter/interactions, and some unsettling imagery/sound, but kind of a mess story-wise and it felt longer than necessary. Despite any of the film's plusses, I was kind of bored or at least detached by the end.

I do plan to watch the three you mention (once 3 from hell comes out), I usually see Devil's Rejects touted as his best. Hard to believe one of those three leads is pushing his late 70's now and still filming in this genre.

I think my distaste for the Halloween series (the sequels, at least) has to do with how the sequels and remakes have tried to over-explain Michael Myers' origins and motives. The original was such a great, pure film; it didn't go into a whole backstory or weird convoluted subplots about mommy issues or secret satanic cults. He was just the faceless Shape, a mindless killing machine, and that was really all the audience needed to know.

Yeah, I mean, I guess that's how the original worked. Sometimes that is all that is necessary -- it doesn't have to be over-explained, and if you're going to explain it, it better be worth it.

I finally saw Halloween straight through for the first time last year. I was kinda meh over it, and have little desire to watch any of the others. I've never been big on the Friday 13th stuff either (with Jason), although I was amused and occasionally horrified at Freddy Krueger. At least with Freddy, the mythology / rules reinforce why you should be scared of him: (1) you can't tell what is real versus fake and (2) this means you have nowhere to hide, because when you think you're safely not asleep, you could be completely wrong and (3) we have to sleep.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

I'm pretty lowbrow, I've always been a big fan of the first 8 Friday The 13th films (before New Line got the rights and ruined Jason). I don't even think the first film is the best one (blasphemy, I guess). I'd probably rank Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (part 4) and Friday the 13th Part 3 as my personal favorites, although I also really enjoy Part 6 (self-parody of the slasher genre before Scream popularized it) and the criminally underrated Part 5 (people hate it by default because it's not technically Jason doing the killing). Part 7 is good for no other reason than the final battle and Jason's amazing costume and makeup work, which was continuity porn in the way it showed every bit of damage and weathering he'd experienced over the course of the series thus far). I personally prefer the earlier films with the "human" Jason who runs, grunts, and is slightly more vulnerable--his almost human status makes him far scarier than the larger-than-life super zombie he becomes in the later films, IMHO.

Jason is basically the James Bond of horror movies, in that every film is pretty much the same story, you sort of want to cheer for Jason, and the series has never tried to take itself too seriously (unlike franchises like Halloween).

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

I finally saw Halloween straight through for the first time last year. I was kinda meh over it, and have little desire to watch any of the others. I've never been big on the Friday 13th stuff either (with Jason), although I was amused and occasionally horrified at Freddy Krueger. At least with Freddy, the mythology / rules reinforce why you should be scared of him: (1) you can't tell what is real versus fake and (2) this means you have nowhere to hide, because when you think you're safely not asleep, you could be completely wrong and (3) we have to sleep.

I just don't think a lot of slasher films age very well. I imagine in 1978, it would have seemed much scarier and visceral, but when you're a veteran and have seen countless horror films, the effect starts to wear off. Like, I remember being genuinely freaked by Jason movies as a kid, but now I see them in an entirely different light. They're more like fun half-comedies or James Bond movies (which never really give me any sense of suspense anymore). With Freddy, I did enjoy the unpredictability of it, you never know when he'll pop up and everything is a dream. It was a pretty neat spin on the slasher genre, sort of crossing it with more supernatural horror.

 

[Totenkindly]

I personally prefer the earlier films with the "human" Jason who runs, grunts, and is slightly more vulnerable--his almost human status makes him far scarier than the larger-than-life super zombie he becomes in the later films, IMHO.

Yeah, I would prefer that versus the supernaturally invulnerable dude who you can't stop regardless. I think that's one of the things that bores me. At that stage, you're simply left hoping that each death is creative and that there's some kind of moral payoff in who gets killed versus survives, because the central character is predictable and untouchable.

---

I actually enjoyed the remake of The Ring a lot as well, although the "spooky kid" trope was kind of eh. Dorfman or whatever his real name is wasn't really that great. But Naomi Watts carries the film, and the cameo by Brian Cox is unsettling (you get the talent you pay for), and in this case effects were well-used to create some unsettling imagery. The film is rather unpredictable. I've seen the second one and it was overlong and not very frightening (everything is overexplained), and I haven't had the guts to watch the third one which bombed.

---

Some of the films I find have a great rewatch value for me personally (in addition to The Ring and The Grudge) are The Descent, The VVitch, Alien, and The Fly (Cronenberg's). I tend to like psychological drama with a relational component, and if that's there, I don't shy away from body horror or awful things ... it's simply all got to be in support of the character fracture. I am also noting that scary horror for me also involves interpersonal and/or physical isolation... essentially your connections to others are being sundered somehow, physically, emotionally. The most blatant stuff is like The Fly or Tusk where you're actually becoming something else and losing your humanity, for example; but this happens both literally and figuratively in general... humans become divorced from other humans and their own humanity sometimes.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

Yeah, I would prefer that versus the supernaturally invulnerable dude who you can't stop regardless. I think that's one of the things that bores me. At that stage, you're simply left hoping that each death is creative and that there's some kind of moral payoff in who gets killed versus survives, because the central character is predictable and untouchable.

---

I actually enjoyed the remake of The Ring a lot as well, although the "spooky kid" trope was kind of eh. Dorfman or whatever his real name is wasn't really that great. But Naomi Watts carries the film, and the cameo by Brian Cox is unsettling (you get the talent you pay for), and in this case effects were well-used to create some unsettling imagery. The film is rather unpredictable. I've seen the second one and it was overlong and not very frightening (everything is overexplained), and I haven't had the guts to watch the third one which bombed.

---

Some of the films I find have a great rewatch value for me personally (in addition to The Ring and The Grudge) are The Descent, The VVitch, Alien, and The Fly (Cronenberg's). I tend to like psychological drama with a relational component, and if that's there, I don't shy away from body horror or awful things ... it's simply all got to be in support of the character fracture. I am also noting that scary horror for me also involves interpersonal and/or physical isolation... essentially your connections to others are being sundered somehow, physically, emotionally. The most blatant stuff is like The Fly or Tusk where you're actually becoming something else and losing your humanity, for example; but this happens both literally and figuratively in general... humans become divorced from other humans and their own humanity sometimes.

The later "zombie" Jason films are the "Roger Moore" era of Friday the 13th In the sense that Moore rarely seemed to be in any danger of losing, he always had that smug smirk on his face and victory was a foregone conclusion. I think it's a shame the Jason films didn't defy or twist the formula around more often, like it would have been cool once in a while to actually see no survivors, something that's a more common trope in newer horror.


I would not mind seeing The Descent again, and I also enjoyed Pandorum quite a bit. I prefer Cronenberg's Fly to the original. One of the few times where a remake really outdoes the original (maybe Carpenter's Thing is another good example).

 

[The Cat]

 

[Totenkindly]

I would not mind seeing The Descent again, and I also enjoyed Pandorum quite a bit. I prefer Cronenberg's Fly to the original. One of the few times where a remake really outdoes the original (maybe Carpenter's Thing is another good example).

Yeah, I agree with that. The effects didn't age quite as well with The Thing, but the sense of alienation and isolation is intense; it was a better approach to the monster than "giant carrot guy." The much later "prequel" isn't nearly as good even if it ties everything together.

The Fly seems to be Cronenberg without all the dead/speculative space; it always feels like there's something interesting happening, and it's all very visibly demarcated. Also, while some people love Goldblum and some hate him (due to his quirk), I think he really owned the role. There's a sense of Brundle as a loner geek off on his adventure of scientific discovery, sometimes too smart and self-reliant for his own good, but this internal wail of humanity and loss... like when he's broken down about the potential for Vernonica to abort their child. it's emotionally horrific tied with the body horror, that choked snuffle of a weep, and a brief flash of vulnerability... It just very much felt like real, unique people lost in this horrific scientific mishap. Lots of dark humor as well.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

Yeah, I agree with that. The effects didn't age quite as well with The Thing, but the sense of alienation and isolation is intense; it was a better approach to the monster than "giant carrot guy." The much later "prequel" isn't nearly as good even if it ties everything together.

The Fly seems to be Cronenberg without all the dead/speculative space; it always feels like there's something interesting happening, and it's all very visibly demarcated. Also, while some people love Goldblum and some hate him (due to his quirk), I think he really owned the role. There's a sense of Brundle as a loner geek off on his adventure of scientific discovery, sometimes too smart and self-reliant for his own good, but this internal wail of humanity and loss... like when he's broken down about the potential for Vernonica to abort their child. it's emotionally horrific tied with the body horror, that choked snuffle of a weep, and a brief flash of vulnerability... It just very much felt like real, unique people lost in this horrific scientific mishap. Lots of dark humor as well.

Yeah, I was talking to, I think it was [MENTION=13112]Stigmata[/MENTION] on discord recently, and we were talking about the Fly and agreed it's really an emotionally heavy film. Like, it's one of the few horror films that almost works equally well viewed as a tragic drama piece.

Anyway, that scene when he tells her to leave and not come back because he might hurt her, that one in particular always really gets to me. Great score by Howard Shore too.

I also like how it's all sort of told through her perspective, in how you sort of experience it from her perspective, how each visit shows a different stage of transformation



It's one of Cronenberg's more emotionally accessible films, IMO