General Horror Films & TV Discussion Thread

[Valeyard]

Due to my mixing up the titles so much when I was younger, I always consider the Jack Nicholson film Wolf to be Howling-adjacent.

 

[Brocklock]

I got mixed feelings about Terrifier 2. The final girl Sienna is great and carries the movie. Practical effects are great and this is definitely up there with Brain Dead for goriest movie. Art is a great slasher villain. The post credits scene is hilarious and has a awesome cameo.

For some reason it's 140 minutes and it feels it. The final battle between Art and Sienna went on for 20 minutes too long. The pacing of the final hour is pretty bad. The director definitely has some sort of violence against women fetish. The Allie death scene was the probably the cruelest (bordering on misogynistic) scene in years. I definitely could see that being way too much for some people. The acting is pretty questionable to bad from everyone besides Art, the clown girl, and Sienna.

I'd go 6.5/10. I really liked Sienna the final girl. She was so much cooler and badass than Allyson from the Halloween trilogy. And this movie is way better than Halloween Ends. It's definitely not worth the hype or 91% RT score though.

 

[HarleyQuinn]

Sometimes They Come Back - This is a movie I always want to like more when I start it up and it's always disappointing. I really like the casting of the main bullies but the movie feels very edited down, there's a sense of story but the editing makes it very jarring with sudden time jumps and very little explanation about what is going on. You can see the seeds of the plot/arc of the story in a few scenes but there's little complete characterization and it contrasts greatly with films like The Shining or IT from previous years.

 

[Brocklock]

I really liked the 101 Scariest Horror Movie Moments series on Shudder. There's a couple modern movies I would've left out. The Night House, for example, was a solid enough movie but it really wasn't that memorable to me. They also included two tv shows that I loved, but it isn't it MOVIE moments.

The placement of some movies is surprising, but it's a fantastic collection of horror moments. It really showcases the variety of the genre. I also thought pretty much all of the panelists were interesting or had good points. I liked Mike Flanagan breaking down his influences. I was also surprised Kevin Eubanks was a big horror fan and had great taste.

 

[Super Leather]

My Halloween month watchlist so far:
- Elvira, Mistress of the Dark (1988)
- X (2022)
- Frankenstein (1931)
- Black Sunday (1960)
- The Mummy (1932)
- Arsenic & Old Lace (1944)
- Cash on Demand (1961)
- Dracula (1931)
- Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
- Elvira's Haunted Hills (2002)
- Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
- The Wolf Man (1941)
- Halloween Kills (2021)
- The Mummy's Hand (1940)
- Night of the Living Dead (1968)
- The Snorkel (1958)
- Dracula's Daughter (1936)
- Halloween Ends (2022)
- Revenge of the Creature (1955)
- Son of Frankenstein (1939)
- Salem's Lot (1979)
- Werewolf of London (1935)
- An American Werewolf in London (1981)
- The Mummy's Tomb (1942)
- Cat People (1982)
- Dark Glasses (2022)
- Dawn of the Dead (1978)
- Maniac (1963)
- Rosemary's Baby (1968)
- Son of Dracula (1943)
- Dr. Jekyll & Sister Hyde (1971)
- The Creature Walks Among Us (1956)
- Ghost of Frankenstein (1942)
- Hellraiser (2022)
- Trick 'r Treat (2007)

This past week:
- Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943)
- The Mummy's Ghost (1944)
- Zombie (1979)
- Barbarian (2022)
- Never Take Candy from a Stranger (1960)
- House of Dracula (1945)
- These are the Damned (1963)
- House of Frankenstein (1944)
- The Exorcist (1973)

 

[HarleyQuinn]

I really liked the 101 Scariest Horror Movie Moments series on Shudder. There's a couple modern movies I would've left out. The Night House, for example, was a solid enough movie but it really wasn't that memorable to me. They also included two tv shows that I loved, but it isn't it MOVIE moments.

The placement of some movies is surprising, but it's a fantastic collection of horror moments. It really showcases the variety of the genre. I also thought pretty much all of the panelists were interesting or had good points. I liked Mike Flanagan breaking down his influences. I was also surprised Kevin Eubanks was a big horror fan and had great taste.

I love re-watching the Bravo! version that aired around the late 2000s for that reason too.

Re-watched The Witches from 1990 and it is still great. Angelica Huston just steals the scenes even when she's not talking with her presence and the reveal holds up and is still genuinely terrifying along with the mouse transformation scene.

 

[Big Beard Booty Daddy]

I really liked the 101 Scariest Horror Movie Moments series on Shudder. There's a couple modern movies I would've left out. The Night House, for example, was a solid enough movie but it really wasn't that memorable to me. They also included two tv shows that I loved, but it isn't it MOVIE moments.

The placement of some movies is surprising, but it's a fantastic collection of horror moments. It really showcases the variety of the genre. I also thought pretty much all of the panelists were interesting or had good points. I liked Mike Flanagan breaking down his influences. I was also surprised Kevin Eubanks was a big horror fan and had great taste.

Agreed. Overall, it was much better than most horror countdown shows are. I liked that it brough new titles to the discussion, and got me interested in checking out a few titles that I haven't seen before (but were on my watch list). IF you haven't watched it yet, Queer for Fear is fantastic as well. It's only 4 episodes, so it's a quick watch, and really opened my eyes.

I saw Barbarian the other day, and have to say, it was the most batshit insane movie I've seen in a very long time and loved every second of it. All I knew going in was that Justin Long had a role in it, but nothing else. I loved how it really didn't go in any direction I was thinking.

 

[Youth N Asia]

I really liked the 101 Scariest Horror Movie Moments series on Shudder. There's a couple modern movies I would've left out. The Night House, for example, was a solid enough movie but it really wasn't that memorable to me. They also included two tv shows that I loved, but it isn't it MOVIE moments.

The placement of some movies is surprising, but it's a fantastic collection of horror moments. It really showcases the variety of the genre. I also thought pretty much all of the panelists were interesting or had good points. I liked Mike Flanagan breaking down his influences. I was also surprised Kevin Eubanks was a big horror fan and had great taste.

I thought The Night House was a great build to a real shrug of an ending.

 

[HarleyQuinn]

Agreed. Overall, it was much better than most horror countdown shows are. I liked that it brough new titles to the discussion, and got me interested in checking out a few titles that I haven't seen before (but were on my watch list). IF you haven't watched it yet, Queer for Fear is fantastic as well. It's only 4 episodes, so it's a quick watch, and really opened my eyes.

I saw Barbarian the other day, and have to say, it was the most batshit insane movie I've seen in a very long time and loved every second of it. All I knew going in was that Justin Long had a role in it, but nothing else. I loved how it really didn't go in any direction I was thinking.

Barbarian is on my list to try and watch tonight if possible. Very excited as like you, I literally only know that Justin Long is in it and it's been highly praised.

 

[Brocklock]

I loved Barbarian. I'm not even that big of a Justin Long fan, but he was great. That's all I really want to say. It's best to go in blind.

I also watched Pearl and it honestly blew me away. X was a decent modern slasher, but I thought Pearl was an improvement in every way. Mia Goth is incredible and in a just world would have a shot at getting an Oscar nom. There are scenes that will be burned in my head forever. It's the best movie Ti West has made imo.

Those are definitely my top 2 horror movies of the year.

 

[HarleyQuinn]

Barbarian was a fantastic little horror movie. Highly recommended viewing.

 

[RedJed]

I finished up my Howling viewing and whew.......everyone really needs to check out part 7 (New Moon Rising is the tagline I believe) as its Troll 2 level of bad bad BAD stuff, and also at the same time they try to tie in most all of the other films into this very vague narrative. There's tons of bad acting, bad singing, and bad line dancing. It's a hoot to witness the clusterfuck ensue.

Then came the reboot, Howling Reborn. I can't decide what is worse. The complete lunacy and absurdity of parts 2, 3, and 7 particularly or the complete garbage that was the reboot. It had very little resemblant to the original film at all. Was just a film that was a product of its' time for sure, I think it came out in 2011 and that was around the whole Twilight craze, and it shows in how they approached this one. It's basically a heavy handed tween fantasy love story instead of whatever the fuck it should have been. Frankly, part four ("The Original Nightmare") is probably much more faithful to the elements of the original than this snorefest was.

Also on the subject of the remake, apparently in 2020, Andy Muschietti was hired to do yet another remake, this time actually an intention to remake the original film. We will see if it ever happens, hopefully not.

So this is how I would rate all of these, and what a strange and enduring trip it was to watch them all.....

8) Howling Reborn (One of the most unneccessary and miscalculated reboot I've seen)
7) Howling 3 (Borderline unwatchable at times, and the effects are real bad)
6) Howling 7: New Moon Rising (This is certainly atrocious, but so unintentionally funny in so many parts. Almost want to call it "The Room of Horror")
5) Howling 2: My Sister is a Werewolf (terrible stuff but lots of so bad its good material, including Sybil Dannings tits being shown in a montage 17 FUCKING TIMES IN THE CREDITS)
4) Howling IV: The Original Nightmare
3) Howling VI: The Freaks
2) Howling V: The Rebirth
1) Howling

 

[Youth N Asia]

Put me down for the Barbarian love as well. All I knew going in was one actor, and the location of the movie.

Really liked how they broke the extreme dread with some scene changes. I was thinking to myself how would a movie like this work, but then it changed gears.

Also appreciate how the tone of the movie switched going to different characters. Was a comedy for a little while.

Also love the uneasy feeling during the daytime. Don’t get a lot of that in horror.

 

[RedJed]

Weekend was spent mostly rewatching Chucky season 1 and then got into the second season so far. Really liked the first ep of the second season, esp that homage to the Halloween films! Anyone keeping up on this one? The Catholic boarding school idea is a bit all over the place, and a bit surprising yet interesting to see one of the main characters dealing with a narcotics addiction, presumably based off the events of the previous season.

 

[AA484]

Let's see if I can remember the rest of what I watched this month. It all culminates with Trick 'r Treat tonight at the local Drafthouse cinema.

The Sixth Sense
Cloverfield
The Witch
The Lost Boys
The Howling
Halloween II
Hellraiser II
Silver Bullet
The Blob (remake)
The Blob (original)
The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms
Creature from the Black Lagoon
Them!
Godzilla (original Japanese version)

 

[HarleyQuinn]

Weekend was spent mostly rewatching Chucky season 1 and then got into the second season so far. Really liked the first ep of the second season, esp that homage to the Halloween films! Anyone keeping up on this one? The Catholic boarding school idea is a bit all over the place, and a bit surprising yet interesting to see one of the main characters dealing with a narcotics addiction, presumably based off the events of the previous season.

Using this thread here but enjoying the series: https://culturecrossfire.com/forum/threads/childs-play-remake.13625/

 

[RedJed]

Fun news dropped on Halloween, the Friday the 13th franchise is FINALLY being resurrected!

‘Friday the 13th’ Prequel Series ‘Crystal Lake’ From Bryan Fuller Ordered at Peacock

Peacock has given a straight-to-series order to a “Friday the 13th” prequel currently titled “Crystal Lake,” Variety has learned. Exact plot details are being kept under wra…

variety.com

I didn't fully expect things to start back up in this fashion, and with Fuller and of all studious, A24, attached, but I can get behind this.

How it got on Peacock is a wild turn, does that mean we will see more Friday the 13th material coming from Universal?

Due to the court ruling as it did, this means this has to be a prequel series really. Victor Miller only has the ability to create stories based from the first film and NOT the actual hockey mask version of Jason. And from my understanding, now that the court case is over, this would mean that in time, Cuttingham or who knows who else could theoretically develop another Jason film for whatever studio (I think?)

 

[Gary]

Ending the month with Fulci's "Zombie" tonight. Anyways, here's a list of everything I watched this month, and some random thoughts on a few of them.

-Revisited "Cannibal Ferox" and it's the first time I noticed an adult character is wearing an OshKosh Bogosh neckerchief

-Next to the first two "Frankenstein" movies, "The Black Cat" (1934) might be the best of the Golden era Universal horror movies. Pretty fucked up for it's time too. Another older Universal horror film that deserves more love is "Murders in the Rue Morgue"

-Hot take: Rob Zombie's "Munsters", while bad, isn't the worst thing ever. It's biggest problems are that it's way too long, usually isn't funny and Jeff Daniel Phillips was the wrong choice to play Herman. That being said, Sherri Moon Zombie isn't bad (she's not a great actor, but I tend to think she's not that bad), Daniel Roebuck is a good grandpa and while his vampire is lame, I liked Richard Brake as the doctor. Jorge Garcia seemed like he wanted to be somewhere else, and I'm pretty certain Zombie is the only man on the planet who thinks the idea of a Rock n Roll stand up comic is cool. Like most of his movies, it would have been better if someone else had written it.

-Hot take: same on "Halloween Ends", which to me is more on the spectrum of RZ's "Halloween II" (director's cut) or "Halloween 6" (producer's cut) in that it's an interesting idea, but the end result leaves you wanting more. Oh, and what's with the band camp kids being bullies?

-No matter how many times I see "Return of the Living Dead", I still love that two of the characters are named Burt and Ernie.

-Tobe Hooper's remake of "The Toolbox Murders" should be on Blu already. It's also a good example of a remake that's better than the original.

-Sorry haters, but "Scream" still rules. I also remember Jingus thinking the garage door murder (which is one of my favorite slasher kills was lame and "didn't make any sense", and I'm like "years of slasher movies and THIS is what you point out as nonsensical?"

-"Hack-O-Lantern" has become one of my go to bad horror movies for October. It's a terrible movie made by a Middle Eastern director who knew nothing about Halloween, directing or America in general, so it makes for a brain melting experience that defies description. Also has Mac's dad, and Hy Pyke (Taffey Lewis in "Blade Runner") in one of the weirdest performances I've ever seen. Oh, and a random bit of stand up comedy that's possibly the worst in recorded history, and porn star Jeanna Fine as a girl with a pentagram branded on her ass (which no one seems freaked out by.)

-Revisiting "Ginger Snaps", and I forgot how the movie seems to think dog murder is hilarious.

-"Trick r Treats" is the worst movie I saw this month, and one of the worst slasher movies ever made. The kid in the movie filled me with rage.

-"Dark Glasses" isn't amazing, but it's the best movie Dario Argento has made in years. At this point of his career, being as good as "The Stendahl Syndrome" and "Sleepless" is the best we're gonna get, and I accept that.

-"Audrey Rose" is interesting in that it's more a paranormal drama than it is horror. Not a bad movie, but I'm going to have to revisit it sometime largely so I can view it in that context.

So yeah, 57 horror movies in a month. Howabout that.

 

[Valeyard]

Oh god no no prequel. Jason is the epitome of a character that should remain mysterious. Unless they confirm the Deadite thing then no.

I just want the Freddy prequel if we gotta prequel.

 

[Valeyard]

Cannibal Ferox is one I want to check out again because I think when I saw it I expected it to be way worse (from a fucked up movie standpoint) than it was. I gotta refresh my memory beyond the asshole Trey Parker-looking guy getting his dick hacked off.

Hey remember when Cannibal Ferox was on Hulu?

 

[Gary]

Cannibal Ferox is one I want to check out again because I think when I saw it I expected it to be way worse (from a fucked up movie standpoint) than it was. I gotta refresh my memory beyond the asshole Trey Parker-looking guy getting his dick hacked off.

Hey remember when Cannibal Ferox was on Hulu?

It's on Shudder. That actor is also Italian Horror's favorite whipping boy (he's also the guy who gets a huge drill through his head in "City of the Living Dead" and gets a huge hole blown through his chest in "Cannibal Apocalypse"), and his character is so coked out that I'm amazed the natives didn't get high while eating him.

 

[HarleyQuinn]

-Sorry haters, but "Scream" still rules. I also remember Jingus thinking the garage door murder (which is one of my favorite slasher kills was lame and "didn't make any sense", and I'm like "years of slasher movies and THIS is what you point out as nonsensical?"

Unless you didn't grow up with Scream or are only familiar with it due to the twist/"satire" of horror movies... I dunno how anybody can hate this movie. It's not the greatest horror movie ever but it still holds up really well and Neve Campbell's Sidney Prescott portrayal is pretty underrated in its acting ability compared to most final girls before and after IMO. Lillard and Ulrich (and Randy) kind of steal the movie but Neve is what grounds it and makes you really buy into everything although I'm not surprised if people think she's flat or gets overshadowed because she does.

 

[Brocklock]

I think I hate Scream 2 (that classroom scene where Jamie Kennedy, Tim Olyphant, and more pontificate about sequels is one of the worst things ever), but the first Scream is a classic and holds up so well. So many actors give career performances too.

 

[Valeyard]

Scream's biggest issue for me is that it made it very hard for people I personally know to get into or even enjoy slashers. They spoiled a few and killed some experiences.

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

The only Scream I actively dislike is the latest one, but even that has the awesome line "I'm Sydney Prescott, of course I have a fucking gun."

It really is incredible to revisit Scream 2 after seeing Deadwood and Justified, though. Olyphant going from playing forcefully unhinged assholes to the most respectable good ol' boy type ever is amazing.

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

Oh, and fuck a F13 prequel. Gimme Jason killing camp counselors or get the fuck outta here.

...unless it's about Pamela's first massacre...

 

[strummer]

I saw Scream 2 in theaters in 97 but remember very little because of dumbass people who were running around the theater in those Ghost face masks trying to scare people the whole time

Subsequent viewing I remember not thinking much of it

 

[Brocklock]

It's a very overlong and smug movie imo. Jamie Kennedy is overly obnoxious in it. David Warner and the Agamemnon subplot were not needed. Neither was the tribute to Top Gun with Jerry O'Connell singing. The snarkiness and dialogue bothers me so much more than in the original.

I like Scream 3 more because Parker Posey plays her part very well.

 

[strummer]

I can remember thinking the Richard Gere/gerbil joke by Rose McGowan in the original seemed like a pointless cheap shot. It was also a dated reference by that point in 1996

 

[Valeyard]

I still love that joke but I have always hated Richard Gere. Much less devastating an urban legend as a result, opposite of Jamie Lee Curtis' penis.

Last House On The Left is still my favorite Wes Craven movie, and remains one of the very very few movies that deeply bothers me. Like, one of those I feel like less of a person for watching. Again it's one of those I count as horror although it's absolutely as much (or moreso) grimy expoitationy gross/genius. Fucks with me so much that I love it, and I really hope that isn't overly weird and that everyone has one of.