General Horror Films & TV Discussion Thread

[Gary]

I’d say “Texas Chainsaw 3D” and “The Beginning” are worse, but it’s a close third worst in the franchise. Honestly, I expected it and anything that comes afterwards to suck, so I can’t say I’m upset at this point.

 

[Youth N Asia]

I think Beginning is way better. I skipped 3D just because I never heard a word of positivity about it. 2022 was just obnoxious. Feels so far removed from the original, while being that one that seemingly tied into it the most.

 

[Brocklock]

Iirc Beginning at least has R Lee Ermey chewing the scenery. The two sisters and the rest of the characters in 2022 are either dull or obnoxious. The ridiculously dumb bus scene does help edge it out over TC 3D.

 

[Valeyard]

Coworker and I have gotten into a lot of TCM discussions in recent months, since he and his husband are horror nuts. He has given me a new appreciation for the Platinum Dunes movies. Not my favorite remakes or anything by any stretch but those are legit the only things worth watching after TCM 2 (if you're a TCM 2 person). They've got enough cool shit to make you enjoy yourself and have enough awful shit to make them fun to riff on, which is all I ask for horror movies a lot of the time.

Those movies are goofy as shit but still have an atmosphere and a level of creepiness compared to anything they made after. Like their own little universe isn't as bad as I remembered but that's also me comparing against the new ones. But I would watch literally any horror movie as long as it means I never have to watch the "uR CaNcElEd bRo" scene in the new one again.

 

[Big Papa Paegan]

Thought this'd be a fun topic for this thread... inspired by Dan Murrel's 40 Movies/40 Years Youtube video. Going from birthday to present, choose your favorite/most impactful to you horror movie for each individual year. You can either do a straight list or add a brief note with each choice. My picks coming in a future post.

Ooooohhhhh...

1986: Aliens (I'm counting it, as it's both a sequel to a god-tier horror classic AND sets precedent for a horror sequel incorporating action elements)
1987: Evil Dead II (the gatekeeper movie for indie horror)
1988: Phantasm II (my favorite of the series and a staple of Saturday afternoons on UPN 38)
1989: Pet Sematary (still hard to watch, as every man in my family has looked like Gaige when we're toddlers)
1990: Tremors (just great fun and introduced one of the best movie monsters ever)
1991: Ernest Scared Stupid (still a classic Halloween flick)
1992: Dead Alive (the movie that was a surefire way to get me some play from 16 to 23)
1993: Cannibal! The Musical (in the spirit of Friday the 13th Part II and Oklahoma)
1994: In the Mouth of Madness (the best Lovecraft movie ever made, and the last great Carpenter film)
1995: Tales From the Crypt: Demon Knight (I'm so goddamn glad this movie is starting to get the recognition it deserves as one of the best horror flicks of the 90s)
1996: Scream (just fucking a-doy)
1997: Event Horizon (just such a great flick, both in itself and on a meta level)
1998: Deep Rising (good, gooey fun)
1999: A Stir of Echoes (I still maintain that this is the better "kid sees ghosts" movie from 1999)
2000: Ginger Snaps (top 3 werewolf movies, and began my love for Katharine Isabelle)
2001: Frailty (this deserved an Oscar and I won't hear otherwise)
2002: 28 Days Later (dread, adventure, and Cillian Murphy being great)
2003: Freddy vs. Jason (weak year overall, but FVJ hit all the right notes at the time)
2004: Shaun of the Dead (GOAT horror comedy, toss up between this and the Dawn remake)
2005: The Descent (the last movie that genuinely creeper me out)
2006: Silent Hill (another bad year, this one's underrated)
2007: [REC] (no-brainer for me)
2008: Dance of the Dead (super fun zombie flick)
2009: [REC]2 (GOAT found footage, fight me)
2010: The Crazies (the rare remake that surpasses the original)
2011: The Cabin in the Woods (still great, even after #metoo and the awful wave of meta horror that followed)
2012: Sinister (so much love for this)
2013: V/H/S/2 (better than the first, and the short about the cult is one of the best horror shorts ever made)
2014: The Taking of Deborah Logan (maybe the last hurrah of genuinely good found footage/documentary horror)
2015: Baskin (quintessential nightmare horror)
2016: The Autopsy of Jane Doe (great performances by Emile Hirsch and Brian Cox highlight the building nightmare tone)
2017: The Babysitter (this romp from McG has no right being this good)
2018: Mandy (absolutely gorgeous)
2019: The Mortuary Collection (super fun anthology horror with a great show by Clancy Brown)
2020: Spree (pretty bad year for horror movies, but this sticks out for inventiveness)
2021: Army of the Dead (Snyder's second best movie, the dude gets how to make fun zombie flicks)
2022: Prey (such a surprise at how fucking good this is)

It gets real dicey after 2017, not sure if it's because my intake diminished or most horror trying to ape A24's whitebread style.

 

[Brocklock]

I'll participate as well.

1988 - The Vanishing (The original, not the remake. Could be argued as a thriller but I find the third act pretty terrifying.)

1989 - Society (Just has to be seen. One of a kind film.)

1990 - Jacob's Ladder (One of my favorite films period tbh. I find it very powerful and emotional on top of being really scary.)

1991 - Silence Of The Lambs (It's a horror film to me.)

1992 - Candyman

1993 - Army of Darkness

1994 - Cemetary Man (Still very underrated.)

1995 - Tales From The Hood (Gets better each viewing. Up there with Creepshow for me.)

1996 - Scream

1997 - The Night Flyer (Underrated made for HBO movie with the excellent Miguel Ferrer in a rare lead role)

1998 - Ringu (I do really like the remake but the dread in the originally is so unnerving.)

1999 - Blair Witch Project - (Totally understand why people hate it, but it just gets under my skin. I find the three performances very well acted and the ending is still great.)

2000 - American Psycho (I could see people not counting this as horror, but it's horror in my book.)

2001 - Session 9 - (Scares the hell out of me. I always feel uneasy after watching this. Love it.)

2002 - Frailty (Just an amazingly acted, directed, and written film.)

2003 - 28 Days Later

2004 - A Tale Of Two Sisters (Might be my favorite Asian horror film)

2005 - Noroi: The Curse (Very underrated K-Horror film)

2006 - The Descent (Holds up greatly. Still very intense.)

2007 - REC (Just an adrenaline rush. Scary as hell too.)

2008 - Let The Right One In

2009 - Martyrs (Not one I revisit often, but it accomplishes everything it set out to do and is absolutely unforgettable.)

2010 - Last Exorcism (Kind of a weak year unless Black Swan counts. This is a fun movie though with a very entertaining performance from Patrick Fabian.)

2011 - Tucker And Dale Vs Evil ( I love this a lot more than Cabin in The Woods. Tucker and Dale are hilarious and so lovable.)

2012 - Kill List (Sinister is close too, but I think this has a slightly stronger and more powerful ending.)

2013 - You're Next (So much fun and one of the best final girls ever.)

2014 - Housebound (Great horror comedy)

2015 - It Follows (fumbles in the third act bit I still really like this movie. Love how it looks, the cinematography, and especially the soundtrack.)

2016 - The Invitation ( Great year here. Could've went with 5 or 6 movies, but this one really creeps me out.)

2017 - Raw (This really sticks with me. So many images I'll never forget. I love the soundtrack too.)

2018 - Hereditary (Like Blair Witch, I get the detractors but I still love this movie and find it nearly flawless. This is also a pretty stacked year.)

2019 - Midsommar (I think I'm an Ari A star fanboy. His style and way of making movies just does it for me.)

2020 - Color Out Of Space (Not as good as Mandy, but still really good. Has some unreal imagery and one image that really disturbed me. Kind of overlooked.)

2021 - Saint Maud (Love the lead performance from Morfydd Clark)

2022 - Barbarian (Rock solid movie in a year that was a slight let down for me considering how many people I see calling 2022 one of the best horror years ever. There were a lot of films this year but not many I'd call great or classics. For recent years I would take any of 2014-2019 over 2022.)

 

[Youth N Asia]

Just watched Smile. That was almost fun. The jump scares, and ending were a bit too predictable. Would have benefited from losing 20 minutes or so. Didn’t need to be two hours.

 

[Brocklock]

I liked Smile. Not very original, but a lot of fun and Sosie Bacon carried it.

 

[Brooklyn Zoo]

I gotta look up different years lists cause I think Wikipedia is missing a bunch. Will modify at some point:

1988: Child’s Play

1989: Pet Sematary

1990: It

1991: The Silence of the Lambs

1992: Candyman

1993: Leprechaun

1994: Wolf

1995: Copycat

1996: Scream

1997: Event Horizon

1998: The Faculty

1999: Deep Blue Sea

2000: Ginger Snaps

2001: Jeepers Creepers

2002: Ju-On: The Grudge

2003: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

2004: Shaun of the Dead

2005: The Descent

2006:

2007: REC

2008: Let the Right One In

2009: The House of the Devil

2010: Insidious

2011: You’re Next

2012: The Cabin in the Woods

2013: The Conjuring

2014: It Follows

2015: The Invitation

2016: The Void/The Wailing

2017: Get Out

2018: Mandy

2019: Midsommar

2020: Possessor

2021: Malignant

2022: Barbarian

 

[HarleyQuinn]

This may just be the best thing ever...

 

[Fall of Epic]

I just watched M3GHAN and liked it a lot more than I thought I would. I was expecting female Child's Play but got a movie with a lot more heart with relatable characters and decent acting. The PG-13 rating didn't distract. The only negative thing I'll say is that they pretty much gave away every kill in all of the trailers and spots they aired.

 

[RedJed]

Went to a few outrageous horror films over the weekend.,,,,

Fear: This was a strange film to release nationally in more theaters than really is warranted for this low budget, no star, no substance film. I guess rapper TI having a role and producer credit in this maybe helped the distribution but in digging into useless trivia info, this piece of garbage was filmed in a few weeks during a heightened time of the pandemic, August 2020. It's been shelved for over two years. The quick shooting schedule and when they did the shoot showed in the output, at this was not good and at some points almost unwatchably bad with a subplot of everyone being paranoid about covid transmission taking alot of wind out of the sails of this. Really fuckin terrible stuff here.

Infinity Pool: This was certainly different, and I can't say I quite know what exactly I ended up watching but it was certainly interesting and intruiging. Real fever dream type of film that felt like a Cronenberg film all the way. There was a lot of atmospheric strangeness to this (no surprise), but both Mia Goth and Alexander Skargard really did a lot with what ambiguity their characters had in this. This is one of those I feel like perhaps I should re-watch again to catch perhaps certain nuances and connections I missed the first time. Wild story that keeps you guessing at what the fuck is next.

 

[HarleyQuinn]

I'm intrigued by Infinity Pool even though most of David Cronenberg's stuff can be hit/miss with me. Looks like his son, Brandon, is following right in his footsteps though so I may see if I can catch this on the cheap at the theater.

 

[RedJed]

So I ended up going back to the theater a second time for Skinamarink yesterday. And honestly....even though my initial thoughts on it were probably a bit harsh the first time, I'm glad I revisited this with an open mind. To boot, I saw it in an empty theater yesterday which heightened something for me. The first time the theater was packed and people were talking and whispering on the WTFs about it all and as I said prior, many groups of people left, including myself the first time. This empty theater all by myself made it much more atmosperically effective.

This time around just felt way different. I had a bit of understanding too what I was watching now.....the first time was a complete confusion on so many levels. I could barely grasp what anything meant. The second time it was much more clearer, and because of that, much more effective and by the end of it, I was freaking out a bit.

I still will say this isn't for everyone as the way the story is presented is very unique and easily doesn't connect or resonate with some. The best way I can describe this is like a childhood situation of being left home alone and the effect it has on a child. If you havent ever experienced this in your past yourself to a degree, this probably won't mean much for you. But if you have memories of being by yourself as a kid in a dark and scary feeling house, this might hit some triggers.

The last half hour was some weird stuff to the max and it certainly spooked me out by the end of it.

 

[RedJed]

Knock on the Cabin: I can't say I was overtly impressed with this one, and for an M. Night film, this didn't have the twists and turns one would expect from him. The story was pretty straight forward and not really too much meat to the proverbial bone, but it was a fine few hours to kill and I'd put it maybe in the top three M. Night films overall. My big take is that big Dave was really on point in this, easily one of his best performances in film outside of the Marvel movies. Rupert Grint's character was a bit unfleshed out and confusing a bit, wish there would have been more backstory with him and how he connected to everything. But the themes focused on were decent here for sure.

 

[HarleyQuinn]

I saw M3GAN and enjoyed it quite a bit, with about 8 people in the theater, which surprised me. It takes the concept of what is a toy vs. a friend/guardian and tweaks it enough to make it interesting. Still, it does the beats solid, has a memorable villain in the title character an American Doll aspect, and the girl who played Cady did a good job making you invested in their relationship.

Some of the writing was a little subpar and the movie didn't try to reinvent the wheel but there was some tension, decent kills, and more heart to the story than expected in some scenes, and worth the time. 6/10

 

[Valeyard]

I legit wish they'd modified M3GAN just enough to be a horror reboot of Small Wonder.

 

[RedJed]

Horror double feature over the weekend....

She Came From The Woods: Lots of 80s slasher tropes in this, especially in the second half, which plays almost as a parody of Friday the 13th in some ways, mixed with maybe a Body Snatcher type of vibe. I can't say I was fully entertained through this as it wasn't written very well and the characters were not very engaging either. Especially early on, this felt more like a Meatballs reboot than anything horror related.

Consecration: I thought this had soooo much potential from the outset, but as it went on the momentum kept falling short and the script became more muddled and confusing in the narrative. It's like the story didn't know what it wanted to define by the end of it. Jena Malone did decent in the lead, but there was so much missing here in this Catholic quazi horror.

 

[RedJed]

Winnie the Pooh: Blood & Honey: Hooo boy, was this an experience. The film itself was pretty much a super low budget piece of shit, chalk full of REALLY bad acting so bad the jam packed theater was laughing like crazy. That made it fun for sure. The story was about as shotty and disjointed as you can get as well for the genre, set pieces were awful, costumes of Pooh and Piglet flat out was garbage, the whole damn thing was just such a terribly executed clusterfuck of epic proportions. And to top it all off, the most anticlimactic ending in years for a horror film.

I say go see this just to see how fucking much of a massive trainwreck it is....and be prepared for tons of unintentional laughs at the absurdiity of every moment and every scene.

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1629336418857222144

 

[Fall of Epic]

Barbarian - This was actually not bad with a more original concept more than anything. I do like that it's essentially two acts and doesn't go where you think it will.

Infinity Pool - Definitely need to re-watch this one. Definitely very Cronenberg-y with the mindfuck-ness and shameless violence. The two leads (Skarsgaard and Goth) I thought were excellent.

I've been watching more horror films over the past year than I've done in awhile. I kind of swore off for awhile due to not really being into the franchise stuff from a decade ago (Purge, Sinister, Insidious etc.) but there looks to be a renaissance of sorts.

 

[HarleyQuinn]

I've been watching more horror films over the past year than I've done in awhile. I kind of swore off for awhile due to not really being into the franchise stuff from a decade ago (Purge, Sinister, Insidious etc.) but there looks to be a renaissance of sorts.

I'm kind of equating this to the 80s where there were a lot of franchises that became subpar but you had some great individual efforts, a lot of great first movie classics in the franchises, and directors/actors really willing to work with-in the genre rather than trying to springboard to Hollywood superstardom.

 

[RedJed]

Hunt Her Kill Her: Went blind into this one before the Children of the Corn remake (I'll talk about that in the bad movies thread) and....well...it was so much better than COTC but that's really not saying much. Very low budget film that relied on some strong atmospheric aspects and tension as the story progressed. Basic gist is a woman is starting a new job in a carpentry factory overnight as a janitor, and soon thereafter realizes she's being targeted by a group of masked men who break into the building and then lock it from the outside so she can't escape. While there was flaws at times (mostly logic gaps) I enjoyed this for the most part. A bit surprised this hit a mainstream theater locally as it was playing at an AMC location.

 

[RedJed]

Unwelcome: Caught this late night on Friday, I think its in pretty limited release now as there was literally only one showing of this each evening, pushing towards a midnight type of showing. Looks like it will move onto streaming platforms already this week via WB. Anyway fucking loved this wild ride.

If you like Gremlins, Ghoulies, Troll, and Leprechaun, and maybe even mix in Labyrinth this is right up your alley. Goblins inhabit a mysterious forest in Ireland, and they kinda escape the forest they are confined in. Part creature feature (and a gory one at that) and there are elements of a home invasion movie as well. The mashup works spectacularly.

 

[HarleyQuinn]

Loved the first one so hell yeah to this!

 

[Gary]

Bored, so some stuff coming to UHD and Blu


April 1st

End of the Line (Terror Vision)

April 11th

House of 1000 Corpses 20th Anniversary Edition (Lionsgate)
Infinity Pool (Decal Releasing)
Calamity of Snakes (Unearthed Films)
Bless the Child (Scream Factory)
Woman of the Photographs (Epic)

April 18th

The Haunting of Julia UHD/Blu (Scream Factory)
Kids vs Aliens (RLJ/Shudder)

April 25th

Suicide Club (Discotek Media)
Shiver of the Vampire UHD and Blu (Indicator)
Two Orphan Vampires UHD and Blu (Indicator)
Lover's Lane (Arrow)

May 9th

Knock at the Cabin UHD and Blu (Universal)
Mahakaal (Massacre Video)
Toxic Zombies (Massacre)
Children of the Corn remake/reboot/whatever (RLJ)

May 16th

Targets (Criterion)
V/H/S 99 (RLJ/Shudder)
Conquest of Space/I Married a Monster From Outer Space double feature (Scream Factory)
The Lake (Epic)

May 23rd

Brotherhood of the Wolf UHD (Scream Factory)
Consecration (RLJ/Shudder)

May 30th

The People Under the Stairs UHD (Scream Factory)
Danza Macabra - The Italian Gothic Collection Vol 1 Box set (Severin)
Mexico Macabre: Four Sinister Tales from the Alameda Films Vault box set (Indicator)
The Haunting remake UHD/Blu (Scream Factory)

June 13th

Subspecies V: Bloodrise (Full Moon)
Taxi Hunter (88 Films)
Magic Cop (88 Films)

June 20th

Insidious UHD (Sony)

June 27th

Black Magic Rites UHD and Blu (Indicator)

 

[Cackling Co Pilot Kamala]

Rob Zombie has been directing mostly marginal horror movies for 20 years. Where's ma cane?

 

[Gary]

Coming this June

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1641805910988267522

Remember the shelves of your local video store? Those days aren’t gone! Reject reality and substitute your own with Arrow Video! In 1983, entrepreneurial producer and director Charles Band founded Empire International Pictures, which would go on to make some of the most memorable and beloved genre movies of the 1980s. Empire became a mainstay of video stores across the world with their catchy titles, outlandish art and Band’s wholehearted belief in giving audiences a good time.

In The Dungeonmaster (AKA Ragewar), computer programmer Paul Bradford is sucked into a fantasy world by Mestema, a demonic sorcerer in search of a worthy opponent. Meanwhile, fresh from the one-two punch of Re-Animator and From Beyond, director Stuart Gordon takes a turn toward fairytale gothic in Dolls, in which a group of strangers find themselves forced to seek shelter at the isolated home of an old toymaker and his wife, only to find that the puppets and dolls have a vicious life of their own. In Cellar Dweller, a comic book artist (Jeffrey Combs) with a penchant for the macabre takes inspiration from an ancient tome and unleashes an ancient evil. Arena presents the ultimate fight night event: man vs monster! In the far future of 4038, a short order cook becomes the first human in fifty years to compete in an intergalactic boxing event on the far side of the universe. Finally in Robot Jox, Stuart Gordon directs Empire Pictures' most ambitious movie yet, as men and women pilot giant machines in gladiatorial battle to settle international disputes over territory.

Freshly restored for the digital era with a wealth of new and archival extras, these films have never looked better. No need for a time machine, these golden age video classics will send you back to the 80s!

Product Features​

• High Definition Blu-Ray (1080p) presentations of all five films
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• Limited edition packaging featuring newly commissioned artwork by Laurie Greasley
• Reversible sleeves featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Ilan Sheady
• Double sided posters for each film featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Ilan Sheady
• 15 postcard-sized reproduction artcards
• Arrow Video store “membership card”
• 80-page perfect bound book featuring new writing on the films by Lee Gambin, Dave Jay, Megan Navarro, and John Harrison plus select archival material

DISC ONE - THE DUNGEONMASTER

• New 2K restoration by Arrow Films from the original negative
• Three different versions of the film via seamless branching: the US theatrical version (The Dungeonmaster), the pre-release version and the international version (Ragewar)
• Original lossless mono audio
• New audio commentary with star Jeffrey Byron, moderated by film critics Matty Budrewicz and Dave Wain
• I Reject Your Reality and Substitute My Own, a new interview with star Jeffrey Byron
• Theatrical trailers
• Image gallery

DISC TWO - DOLLS

• New 2K restoration by Arrow Films from the original interpositive
• Original lossless stereo audio
• New audio commentary by David Decoteau, Empire alumnus and friend of Stuart Gordon
• Archive audio commentary with director Stuart Gordon and writer Ed Naha
• Archive audio commentary with cast members Carolyn Purdy-Gordon, Stephen Lee, Carrie Lorraine, and Ian Patrick Williams
• Assembling Dolls, a new interview with Lee Percy, editor of Dolls, Re-Animator and From Beyond
• Toys of Terror: The Making of Dolls, an archive featurette with Gordon, Yuzna, Purdy-Gordon, Williams, Brian Yuzna, Charles Band and Gabe Bartalos
• Film-to-storyboard comparison
• Theatrical trailers
• Image gallery

DISC THREE - CELLAR DWELLER

• Additional picture restoration by Arrow Films
• Original lossless stereo audio
• New audio commentary by special make-up effects artist Michael Deak who inhabited the Cellar Dweller creature suit, moderated by film critics Matty Budrewicz and Dave Wain
• Grabbed by the Ghoulies, a new appreciation of John Carl Buechler, special make-up effects artist of many Empire Pictures films and director of Cellar Dweller, by film critics Matty Budrewicz and Dave Wain
• Inside the Cellar, a new interview with special make-up effects artist Michael Deak
• Original sales sheet
• Original production notes
• VHS trailer
• Empire Pictures trailer reel
• Image galleries, including behind the scenes photos courtesy of special make-up effects artist Michael Deak

DISC FOUR - ARENA

• New 2K restoration by Arrow Films from the last known surviving 35mm elements
• Original lossless stereo audio
• New audio commentary with director Peter Manoogian, moderated by film critics Matty Budrewicz and Dave Wain
• Alternative fullframe presentation
• Not His Arena, a new interview with co-screenwriter Danny Bilson
• Empire of Creatures, a new interview with special make-up effects artist Michael Deak
• Theatrical trailer
• Image gallery

DISC FIVE - ROBOT JOX

• New 2K restoration by Arrow Films from the original negative
• Original lossless stereo audio
• Archive audio commentary with director Stuart Gordon
• Archive audio commentary with associate effects director Paul Gentry, mechanical effects artist Mark Rappaport, and stop-motion animator Paul Jessell
• Crash and Burn, a new interview with actor Gary Graham
• Her Name is Athena, a new Interview with actor Anne-Marie Johnson
• The Scale of Battle: David Allen and the FX of Robot Jox, a new appreciation of stop motion animator David Allen by those who knew him, featuring contributions from fellow visual effects artists Steve Burg, Yancy Calzeda, Paul Gentry, Kevin Kutchaver, Dennis Muren and John Vincent
• Looking Back, an archival interview with actor Paul Koslo
• Original sales sheet
• Original production notes
• Theatrical trailer
• Image galleries, including behind the scenes stills courtesy of associate effects director Paul Gentry

 

[Valeyard]

Told a coworker I would see the new Scream if he would watch Anthropophagus. Will report back when he pusses out.

 

[Gary]

This looks interesting