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General Horror Films & TV Discussion Thread
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RedJed
Rasslin' Rambler
Well from one tremendous sci-fi/horror in Psycho Goreman last week came a complete opposite of one this past weekend....
The Mad Hatter: So I went into the theater fully blind on this one. Not even a trailer watched ahead of time. Nothing. Not even a one paragraph synopsis read. Damn, do I ever regret that choice. This fucking piece of trash film was a dull and drab catastrophe of epic proportions. Basic premise is a group of students go with their college psych professor to a supposed haunted house for an entire weekend to study how fucked up the house is presumably? Upon getting there, they are groomed by the professor (who ends up being the main antagonist character) and even poisoned to constantly hallucinate and freak out over their own personal fears and demons that arise upon the hallucinations taking over. This probably sounds better than it was, believe me, it was horrid. The hallucinations turn into constant nightmares for the students that just get ridiculous and repetitive as the film meanders through this convoluted fucking mess. There's also a weird side component of a People Under the Stairs homage a bit in the film that I kind of appreciated, but it was executed so terribly. This is a super indy horror that really had no right to even be in a theater, much less direct to video/VOD. I'd call it barely watchable really. The effects also pretty much sucked. The one positive was Michael Berryman in a very minimal role but even his time was completely wasted. Worst film I've seen in a theater this year and probably last year as well.
The Mad Hatter: So I went into the theater fully blind on this one. Not even a trailer watched ahead of time. Nothing. Not even a one paragraph synopsis read. Damn, do I ever regret that choice. This fucking piece of trash film was a dull and drab catastrophe of epic proportions. Basic premise is a group of students go with their college psych professor to a supposed haunted house for an entire weekend to study how fucked up the house is presumably? Upon getting there, they are groomed by the professor (who ends up being the main antagonist character) and even poisoned to constantly hallucinate and freak out over their own personal fears and demons that arise upon the hallucinations taking over. This probably sounds better than it was, believe me, it was horrid. The hallucinations turn into constant nightmares for the students that just get ridiculous and repetitive as the film meanders through this convoluted fucking mess. There's also a weird side component of a People Under the Stairs homage a bit in the film that I kind of appreciated, but it was executed so terribly. This is a super indy horror that really had no right to even be in a theater, much less direct to video/VOD. I'd call it barely watchable really. The effects also pretty much sucked. The one positive was Michael Berryman in a very minimal role but even his time was completely wasted. Worst film I've seen in a theater this year and probably last year as well.
Gary
Mind. Body. Light. Sound.
RedJed
Rasslin' Rambler
Zombie Reddy: So this was a first. A Bollywood style zombie film finally hits the states. This was a very unusually crafted film, but I did like it. So many feels like Shawn of the Dead stuff here, very similar in tone and on the comedic/parody side of things. Characters were fun and over the top, as was the zombie characterizations. There was a lot of referencing Coronavirus in the outset of this film, and even created the storyline where zombies got created FROM covid. So alot of moving parts in this one. Pretty entertaining stuff, I don't even know if this is horror more than comedy, but fuck it......
Gary
Mind. Body. Light. Sound.
This is in (limited) theatrical release and VOD today. It looks like a better version of that "Banana Splits" movie we got, and will likely be better than the "Five Nights at Freddy's" movie we're going to get, so I'm down. Also, Cage apparently doesn't speak a word of dialogue in this.
Gary
Mind. Body. Light. Sound.
Everything that’s coming to Shudder in March
March 1The BurningA former summer camp caretaker, horribly burned from a prank gone wrong, lurks around an upstate New York summer camp bent on killing the teenagers responsible for his disfigureme…
binge-news.com
So, March is looking pretty solid on Shudder, as we'll be getting the following (* means it's something I recommend)
-The Devils (1971)*
-Nosferatu (1922)*
-The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari (1921)*
-The Burning (1981)*
-White Zombie (1931)*
-Amityville II: The Possession (1982)
-Edge of the Axe (1988)
-Vampyres (1974)*
-Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker (1981)*
-White of the Eye (1987)*
-Shakma (1990)
And some more recent ones that look interesting ("Slaxx", "Sword of God" and "Lucky)
RedJed
Rasslin' Rambler
This fucking ruled. Enjoyed every minute of this wonky mess, and I mean that in a positive manner. Some over the top moments for sure, but really well worth checking out. And I can confirm indeed, Cage says NOT ONE WORD IN THIS. It's all body language with him.
Butcher Baker Nightmare Maker is a real gem. I was surprised at how good it was and that it's still really unknown. The opening car crash is spectacular and had to be an inspiration for Final Destination 2.Everything that’s coming to Shudder in March
March 1The BurningA former summer camp caretaker, horribly burned from a prank gone wrong, lurks around an upstate New York summer camp bent on killing the teenagers responsible for his disfigureme…
So, March is looking pretty solid on Shudder, as we'll be getting the following (* means it's something I recommend)
-The Devils (1971)*
-Nosferatu (1922)*
-The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari (1921)*
-The Burning (1981)*
-White Zombie (1931)*
-Amityville II: The Possession (1982)
-Edge of the Axe (1988)
-Vampyres (1974)*
-Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker (1981)*
-White of the Eye (1987)*
-Shakma (1990)
And some more recent ones that look interesting ("Slaxx", "Sword of God" and "Lucky)
I'd throw a rec to Shakma just because a real baboon is doing things for most of the movie. The pace is really slow though as it feels 20 minutes longer than it is and Monkey Shines is the superior Monkey Horror Movie.
Big Beard Booty Daddy
Canadian Destroyer213
Everything that’s coming to Shudder in March
March 1The BurningA former summer camp caretaker, horribly burned from a prank gone wrong, lurks around an upstate New York summer camp bent on killing the teenagers responsible for his disfigureme…
So, March is looking pretty solid on Shudder, as we'll be getting the following (* means it's something I recommend)
-The Devils (1971)*
-Nosferatu (1922)*
-The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari (1921)*
-The Burning (1981)*
-White Zombie (1931)*
-Amityville II: The Possession (1982)
-Edge of the Axe (1988)
-Vampyres (1974)*
-Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker (1981)*
-White of the Eye (1987)*
-Shakma (1990)
And some more recent ones that look interesting ("Slaxx", "Sword of God" and "Lucky)
There are some real gems there.
Is The Devils the movie that has been missing for a long time? I mean that as in a movie that people have wanted a home release, but has never had one, or hasn't had one in a long, long time?
Shudder had it in a 109 minute version a couple years ago right when the service started. It's where I got to see it and it's fantastic in that form. There is a 117 minute version that was screened in 2002 by British Film Critic Mark Kermode. I don't know if the 117 minute version will ever be released, but I hope some day. The Criterion Channel had the 109 minute version streaming for a little bit starting in October 2019, but it has since been removed.
It's a must see, one of the best horror movies of the 70's, and absolute madness. I'm so glad Shudder is putting it back up. Now if only they can get the rights back to stream Ghostwatch again.
It's a must see, one of the best horror movies of the 70's, and absolute madness. I'm so glad Shudder is putting it back up. Now if only they can get the rights back to stream Ghostwatch again.
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RedJed
Rasslin' Rambler
Wrong Turn Remake: I normally shit all over the typical horror reboots/remakes but this one is certainly an exception. For once, I actually enjoyed this film much more than the original Wrong Turn, but not because it honored the original source material, quite the contrary. It's because it took only a very little formula of the original (hikers get attacked in the woods) and then everything else was COMPLETELY shifted, including the roles and positions of the antagonists, the characters, and the entire narrative. First off, they weren't rednecky cannibals like the original, in this one its a Scandinavian group of "founders" of the land who are disattached from society, that have actually more sinister methods than the redneck cannibals. The main point here was that this was written by the same guy that wrote the original, who then went in a completely different direction with the story, and in my opinion, improved alot of aspects of the original by essentially starting over completely with it and adding additional elements to make the story more compelling and engaging. This was so not a remake that it really shouldn't have been called Wrong Turn, but there was a few subtle nods to the series.
Mr. S£im Citrus
Representing Blacks Without Soul since 1975
Gary
Mind. Body. Light. Sound.
Coming this July from Shout! Factory
RedJed
Rasslin' Rambler
In the Earth: What a fucking trip this was. I'd say of any horror this year so far, this is the one to really get a look at. A totally psychedelic mind-bending shock and awe type of film that plays into the isolation of covid more than anything so far in film. This was written a few weeks into the pandemic and it showed in the output. Really terrifying imagery, especially in the third act, where it becomes even more subservely strange and twisted. I don't think this has hit on demand yet, and it's really a film that should be seen in a theater anyway. Really over the top and tense. Haven't left a movie in quite some time being psychologically affected by it like I was.
- Messages
- 22,645
- Reaction score
- 2,146
- Points
- 313
Watched 47 Meters Down: Uncaged just to kill some time and it was not very good. Paper thin characters with a "plot" that served to just have the characters in the location. It was fine for what it was until the final 15 minutes where it just would not end and kept throwing shit at the surviving characters because scary? drama? I don't know. If you look up the definition of overkill, that final scene will be pictured in gif format. The script was the biggest letdown as characters would repeat lines in virtually the same situation over & over again and a perfectly fine wrap-up ending moment was completely thrown in the trash just to get some more carnage/scares in. 4/10
Gary
Mind. Body. Light. Sound.
Eh, I'm bored. Here's a list of things coming to Blu and whatnot
May 11th
-King Kong 1976 (Scream Factory)
-Saw 4K (Lionsgate)
-No Reason (Unearthed Films)
May 18th
-Santa Sangre 4K (Severin)
-Grizzly (Severin)
-Eyes of a Stranger (Scream Factory)
-He Knows Your Alone (Scream Factory)
-Son (RLJ Entertainment)
May 25th
-Psycho 4K steelbook
-The Birds 4K steelbook (Universal)
-Benny Loves You (Epic)
-The Hand (Scream Factory)
June 1st
-Weird Wisconsin: The Films of Bill Rebane box set (Arrow Video)
-The Stylist (Arrow Video)
-The Love Butcher (Code Red/Kino Lorber)
-Spare Parts (RLJ Entertainment)
June 8th
-Howl of the Devil (Mondo Macabro)
-Lover of the Monster (Full Moon) Full Moon have been releasing some old Euro horror titles as of late
-Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell (Media Blasters)
-Kindred (IFC Midnight/Scream Factory) no not "The Kindred" unfortunately
June 15th
-Anything for Jackson (RLJ Entertainment)
-The Awakening (Scream Factory)
-The Sphinx (Scream Factory)
-The Being (Code Red/Kino Lorber)
June 22nd
-The Eurocrypt of Christopher Lee box set (Severin)
-The Strangeness (Code Red/Kino Lorber)
June 29th
-The Bird With the Crystal Plumage 4K (Arrow Video)
-Delerium (Code Red/Kino Lorber)
July 6th
-The House on Sorority Row (MVD Rewind)
-Mortuary (MVD Rewind)
-The Crime of the Black Cat (Cauldron Films)
-Beyond Terror (Cauldron Films)
July 13th
-House of Wax 2005 (Scream Factory)
-The Night (IFC Midnight/Scream Factory)
-Threshold (Arrow Video)
-Dark Spell (IFC Films/Scream Factory)
July 20th
-Dead and Buried 4K (Blue Underground)
-Eight Legged Freaks (Scream Factory)
-Skinned Deep (Severin)
-A Stranger is Watching (Scream Factory)
July 27th
-The Dead Zone (Scream Factory)
-The Cat o' Nine Tails 4K (Arrow Video)
-Brotherhood of the Wolf (Scream Factory)
-Chamber of Horrors (Scream Factory)
August 24th
-Evil Dead Trap (Unearthed Films) one of my all time favorite slasher movies
-Two Evil Eyes 4K (Blue Underground)
-One Dark Night (MVD Visual)
-The Dark (MVD Visual)
May 11th
-King Kong 1976 (Scream Factory)
-Saw 4K (Lionsgate)
-No Reason (Unearthed Films)
May 18th
-Santa Sangre 4K (Severin)
-Grizzly (Severin)
-Eyes of a Stranger (Scream Factory)
-He Knows Your Alone (Scream Factory)
-Son (RLJ Entertainment)
May 25th
-Psycho 4K steelbook
-The Birds 4K steelbook (Universal)
-Benny Loves You (Epic)
-The Hand (Scream Factory)
June 1st
-Weird Wisconsin: The Films of Bill Rebane box set (Arrow Video)
-The Stylist (Arrow Video)
-The Love Butcher (Code Red/Kino Lorber)
-Spare Parts (RLJ Entertainment)
June 8th
-Howl of the Devil (Mondo Macabro)
-Lover of the Monster (Full Moon) Full Moon have been releasing some old Euro horror titles as of late
-Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell (Media Blasters)
-Kindred (IFC Midnight/Scream Factory) no not "The Kindred" unfortunately
June 15th
-Anything for Jackson (RLJ Entertainment)
-The Awakening (Scream Factory)
-The Sphinx (Scream Factory)
-The Being (Code Red/Kino Lorber)
June 22nd
-The Eurocrypt of Christopher Lee box set (Severin)
-The Strangeness (Code Red/Kino Lorber)
June 29th
-The Bird With the Crystal Plumage 4K (Arrow Video)
-Delerium (Code Red/Kino Lorber)
July 6th
-The House on Sorority Row (MVD Rewind)
-Mortuary (MVD Rewind)
-The Crime of the Black Cat (Cauldron Films)
-Beyond Terror (Cauldron Films)
July 13th
-House of Wax 2005 (Scream Factory)
-The Night (IFC Midnight/Scream Factory)
-Threshold (Arrow Video)
-Dark Spell (IFC Films/Scream Factory)
July 20th
-Dead and Buried 4K (Blue Underground)
-Eight Legged Freaks (Scream Factory)
-Skinned Deep (Severin)
-A Stranger is Watching (Scream Factory)
July 27th
-The Dead Zone (Scream Factory)
-The Cat o' Nine Tails 4K (Arrow Video)
-Brotherhood of the Wolf (Scream Factory)
-Chamber of Horrors (Scream Factory)
August 24th
-Evil Dead Trap (Unearthed Films) one of my all time favorite slasher movies
-Two Evil Eyes 4K (Blue Underground)
-One Dark Night (MVD Visual)
-The Dark (MVD Visual)
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Haws Bah Gawd
TRTSM's Color Commentator
- Messages
- 8,244
- Reaction score
- 3
- Points
- 143
Anyone check out Spiral? I had my reservations due to the casting of Chris Rock, but I was very surprised. He does an incredibly solid job in the lead. There are only 3 games or so, which were shown via flashback, reminding me a lot of the first Saw. You can guess the signature plot twist about halfway through with little effort though. It ignores Jigsaw, which honestly disappointed me a little. I would give it a 2.5/5 overall.
RedJed
Rasslin' Rambler
I plan on it this weekend as I'm going through a Saw marathon on a nightly basis. I'll post some thoughts this weekend. So far its been interesting both in good and bad ways sifting through these Saw films. I'm to part four so far, but this is the part where I feel the story runs off the rails a bit with the Hoffman character getting more of the focus (for far too long).
RedJed
Rasslin' Rambler
Day late and dollar short, but did see Spiral weeks ago after torturing myself through the Saw marathon. God damn parts 5 thru 7 totally sucked to the max. They were brazenly gross, uncreative, and a really brutal vibe for the "finale" of these that I didn't enjoy even less the second time around. Jigsaw, though, held up well and I wish this would have been more of a companion piece to Spiral (especially considering the same writers did both films). Ultimately, the producing team decided to nix the canon of the Jigsaw film completely instead of fusing it into what felt more like a reboot based off the events of the other films (except Jigsaw).
Now was Spiral a decent kick-off to a new series of Saw films? I'm a bit back and forth on it. There was some fun twists in this one, and the star power felt like it was a step up from most Saw entries. Chris Rock's character was great, and rest....eehhhhh. But on the flip side, I felt like there was some stuff that felt contrived in the ensuing story as the film went on, including an ending that felt so incomplete and pretentious in execution. Will they do a sequel to this? I'm assuming that's the idea but I didn't feel like enough was put out there to warrant such a thing.
Now was Spiral a decent kick-off to a new series of Saw films? I'm a bit back and forth on it. There was some fun twists in this one, and the star power felt like it was a step up from most Saw entries. Chris Rock's character was great, and rest....eehhhhh. But on the flip side, I felt like there was some stuff that felt contrived in the ensuing story as the film went on, including an ending that felt so incomplete and pretentious in execution. Will they do a sequel to this? I'm assuming that's the idea but I didn't feel like enough was put out there to warrant such a thing.
RedJed
Rasslin' Rambler
Conjuring 3: I finally got to this after a binge of all of the Conjuring Universe films through HBO Max (it was a nice touch they had all of them on there). I ended up watching the films in a chronological order, starting with The Nun (actually holds up very well), followed by a few of the earlier Annabelle films, then Conjuring, Annabelle Comes Home (thought this was a decent way to close the Annabelle trilogy), Conjuring 2 (not too much of a fan of this one) and then finally the new one. Generally speaking, I think part 3 was a titch better than the second, but still couldn't hold a candle to the original. Ultimately, it once again falls into the hole of the third film in a trilogy being ultimately very disappointing. The bad streak of a bland close to a horror trilogy seems to continue here. I can't see a next step for the Conjuring universe that is worth a further investment to be honest. This just felt rushed a bit, and James Wan was massively needed on a directorial level.
Gary
Mind. Body. Light. Sound.
Stuff coming to Blu updates
-Scream Factory will be releasing Halloween 1-5 on 4K UHD in September. They will also be releasing the 1982 slasher "Alone in the Dark" on Blu the same month.
-Vinegar Syndrome will be releasing the 80s slasher The Lamp later this month.
-Synapse will be releasing Demons 1 and 2 on 4K UHD in October.
-Blu Underground will release Maniac Cop 2 & 3 on 4K UHD in October. Maniac Cop 2 is awesome BTW.
-Arrow will release the 80s slasher Death Screams and the 50s horror box set Cold War creatures in September. They will also give Children of the Corn a 4K UHD release the same month.
-Finally, horror adjacent stuff I guess, but Severin will release Drop Dead Fred in September. Arrow will release Legend in the same month.
-Scream Factory will be releasing Halloween 1-5 on 4K UHD in September. They will also be releasing the 1982 slasher "Alone in the Dark" on Blu the same month.
-Vinegar Syndrome will be releasing the 80s slasher The Lamp later this month.
-Synapse will be releasing Demons 1 and 2 on 4K UHD in October.
-Blu Underground will release Maniac Cop 2 & 3 on 4K UHD in October. Maniac Cop 2 is awesome BTW.
-Arrow will release the 80s slasher Death Screams and the 50s horror box set Cold War creatures in September. They will also give Children of the Corn a 4K UHD release the same month.
-Finally, horror adjacent stuff I guess, but Severin will release Drop Dead Fred in September. Arrow will release Legend in the same month.
Big Beard Booty Daddy
Canadian Destroyer213
Has anyone else watched the Fear Street trilogy yet? I watched 1994 last week and 1978 today. Both were really fun. I didn't read the books growing up, so I had no idea what to expect going in. I plan to watch 1666 by the end of the weekend, hopefully. The kills have been pretty gruesome, and the characters are likeable enough to not root for them to get killed off.
Big Papa Paegan
L. A. Z.
We just finished the trilogy last night. The 1994 stuff is lame, but 1978 was a great throwback to the best era of slashers and 1666 is like if The VVitch wasn't boring as shit.
The characters annoyed me so much in 1994 that I didn't continue. The gore was great, but that main character and the love story was such a slog to watch. A couple of the characters like Simon just sounded like zoomers too, so it took me out of the immersion. The soundtrack was full of bangers though. I might watch the others down the line.
For a modern slasher that is paying tribute to Scream, The Tragedy Girls was so much better and I wish that had some of the hype and marketing behind it that this series has had.
For a modern slasher that is paying tribute to Scream, The Tragedy Girls was so much better and I wish that had some of the hype and marketing behind it that this series has had.
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Big Beard Booty Daddy
Canadian Destroyer213
- Messages
- 22,645
- Reaction score
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- Points
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Surrealestate started up on SyFy and I enjoyed the first pilot. Reminds me a little bit of something like Leverage in its cast of characters.
HSJ
Integral Poster
I'm actually the opposite where I really enjoyed 1994 (maybe due to the soundtrack, but I'm a big 90's nerd) and loved 1978 for the throwback camp slasher style, but found 1666 to really drag. By the time they came back to 1994 to finish, it felt so rushed and I was zoned out.
Cackling Co Pilot Kamala
Integral Poster
- Messages
- 22,645
- Reaction score
- 2,146
- Points
- 313
Just watched Blood Red Sky on Netflix. Pretty enjoyable "plane gets hijacked, vampire Mom tries to save her child/the plane" plot. Peri Baumeister is the glue that really holds the film together, giving her character a real deep sense of humanity as the film goes on and helps evolve the internal characterization throughout the movie. The first hour is stronger than the second as it kind of devolves into a bit of a typical vampire in an enclosed space movie but the ending retains some of the better character-centric storytelling that made the first hour work better.
7/10
7/10
Gary
Mind. Body. Light. Sound.
Shout Factory will be releasing "Deadly Friend" on 10/12, as well as "Nothing But Trouble" (aka "Dan Akroyd tries and fails to make a horror/comedy") and the 80's Slasher "Killer Party" on 10/26. Arrow will release a 4K UHD of "Deep Red" on 10/26.
No dates made, but Arrow is also going to release the classic 60's Italian Horror film "Mill of the Stone Woman" and the 80's slasher "Phantom of the Mall: Eric's Revenge" (featuring Pauley Shore!), and they've been teasing a highly beloved 80's slasher for the future. Also, Synapse just premiered an new remaster of "Tombs of the Blind Dead" at the Fantasia Film Festival, so that will likely be their next Steelbook title.
No dates made, but Arrow is also going to release the classic 60's Italian Horror film "Mill of the Stone Woman" and the 80's slasher "Phantom of the Mall: Eric's Revenge" (featuring Pauley Shore!), and they've been teasing a highly beloved 80's slasher for the future. Also, Synapse just premiered an new remaster of "Tombs of the Blind Dead" at the Fantasia Film Festival, so that will likely be their next Steelbook title.