The Horror Thread - Part 3

[NDX]

I can't tolerate many found footage films. I think the only ones I've sat through were Apollo 18, Blair Witch Project, Cloverfield and Cannibal Holocaust. Most of the other films just don't interest me after a while, or I just can't stand the story and how it's depicted.

Hell, I watched BWP not too long ago and I didn't like it then. Stopped watching after an hour.

 

[redhawk23]

Blair Witch Project works really well if you just focus on the three characters just kind of losing their ****. Its not particularly scary, but it is an interesting portrayal in that respect.

 

[Teelie]

I've seen those, Apollo 18, Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield. Not Cannibal Holocaust though.

Apollo and Cloverfield were fine. I really did not like Blair Witch and fell asleep watching it.

 

[TheDreamMaster]

I've seen those, Apollo 18, Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield. Not Cannibal Holocaust though.

Apollo and Cloverfield were fine. I really did not like Blair Witch and fell asleep watching it.

In some respects I find Cannibal Holocaust overrated. Its not really set up as a found footage film, but as people finding and watching a found footage film. The effects are top notch, with the unfortunate real animals deaths. It has a lot of moments that made me cringe, but yet overall it doesn't feel like the worst in content or best in terms of being a good film, but it does feel quite realistic.

On the others, I never saw Apollo 18, but Cloverfield was decent, but I was not a fan of BWP at all.

 

[jonathancrane]

Excluding Cloverfield, I do not like found footage films. At all.

 

[GremlinZilla89]

Cloverfield is more believable in execution to me with all it's pretty cast and effects than any of the Paranormal Activity films.

 

[DaRkVeNgeanCe]

Cannibal Holocaust is an absolute classic, nothing has touched it in the found footage genre yet, and I doubt anything ever will since it's filled with mostly garbage, though I don't even necessarily consider it a straight found footage film.

 

[Motown Marvel]

In some respects I find Cannibal Holocaust overrated. Its not really set up as a found footage film, but as people finding and watching a found footage film. The effects are top notch, with the unfortunate real animals deaths. It has a lot of moments that made me cringe, but yet overall it doesn't feel like the worst in content or best in terms of being a good film, but it does feel quite realistic.

On the others, I never saw Apollo 18, but Cloverfield was decent, but I was not a fan of BWP at all.

i'd give cannibal holocaust the edge. not only was a film like that unprecedented, and went way beyond any known boundaries of the time (or even of today), but the story had legitimate themes that are relevant to our culture, particularly consumer/news entertainment. it wasnt just straight shock value or popcorn entertainment that most "found films" are today.

 

[Heretic]

Watched my first 2014 film...Nurse 3D (though I didn't see it in 3D). It's a movie about a woman who kills married men who cheat on their wives.

First of all...the 3D. Lionsgate released the film in something like 10 theaters, and released it on VOD on the same day as the theatrical release. So, what was the point of 3D? So they could have 3D in the title? Stupid waste of cash.

Also, I hate to be "that guy" but the entire film is based around the star (Paz de la Huerta) being so hot that people are tripping over themselves when they see her. She has a decent body...but her face...I just don't think she's pretty at all. She kind of looks like a dude to me. That seems like a small detail, but her sex appeal is pretty much the entire point of the movie.

This is a Horror movie that never tries to be scary. You are supposed to just sit there watching as an unlikable lead character kills people you only barely know (or never met at all). Several movies lately have followed the crazy female killer around the whole film, and it hasn't worked at all for me yet. This is similar in many ways to American Mary. Both are billed as shocking, violent, ultra-sexy films. American Mary THOUGHT it was, but the directors were so busy making sure they came off as edgy and cool that they forgot to actually be edgy and cool (or craft a story that fit together). When your movie is hyped liked this, you need to be REALLY committed. There was a lot of nudity in Nurse, lots of sex, and when it gets bloody there is plenty of it. However, I still don't think that they really wallowed in the perversion quite like a movie like this should. I am willing to go along for an obscene ride...or not...just make up your mind and commit to one or the other. This movie took itself far less seriously than American Mary, so at least it didn't think it was high art.

The acting is awful. It seems intentional, but when your lead character is blank faced and monotone voiced like she's bored as hell the entire time, it doesn't help draw me into the film.

There's some really stupid scenes and characters doing things people wouldn't do...like, the new head of human resources catches a doctor having sex with a woman in the hospital, is startled, then bumps into the lead character, has a conversation and walks off as sex is going on behind her. It's silliness like this that I can't accept as the behavior of a real human being (which then takes me out of the movie).

 

[Heretic]

Just watched Cabin Fever: Patient Zero which is supposedly a prequel to the original...but they do make reference to earlier break-outs in the US, so maybe they decided after the fact to make it a prequel instead of a sequel.

A man who is supposedly patient zero of the flesh eating disease is captured and a scientist guy (basically a low-rent Kevin Spacey) is supposedly trying to figure out why he is immune to its effects etc.

Elsewhere, some dude's friends are taking him to an island for a bachelor party getaway.

Obviously, the island happens to be where the scientists are doing their work.

The first issue is...this guy is immune to a disease that killed his whole family and is working it's way to others...yet he is so unwilling to help cure it that he has to be taken by force, AND in fact he seems to want to infect as many people as possible for no reason at all. There's some lip service paid that the scientist guy was exploiting the disease so he could cure it and get rich and famous...but whatever.

The acting is pretty bad. The male party friends are terrible, as are the young female assistants to the scientist (who seemingly are completely untrained...in the most dangerous hazmat type area on the planet). One of the assistants clearly learned English as a second language, and her delivery is just awful, even for a movie of this level. I get that you're going to cast young chicks as scientists in a Horror movie...but at least write them as if they know how to tie their own shoes.

It is what it is...a low budget cash grab attempt based on a movie many of us enjoyed.

On the plus side...

Jillian Murray (from the god-awful The Graves) is in this...and I didn't mind seeing her again. She is involved in THE scene in the film. I don't want to spoil too much because it's pretty much the highlight of the movie and it's very likely that the plotting began with "how do we make THIS happen in the film?" and the rest was written around it.

Plus, it's a Cabin Fever movie...so you are pretty much guaranteed a few gross out type scenes of blood spewing and body parts turning to mush.

 

[TheDreamMaster]

Just watched Cabin Fever: Patient Zero which is supposedly a prequel to the original...but they do make reference to earlier break-outs in the US, so maybe they decided after the fact to make it a prequel instead of a sequel.

A man who is supposedly patient zero of the flesh eating disease is captured and a scientist guy (basically a low-rent Kevin Spacey) is supposedly trying to figure out why he is immune to its effects etc.

Elsewhere, some dude's friends are taking him to an island for a bachelor party getaway.

Obviously, the island happens to be where the scientists are doing their work.

The first issue is...this guy is immune to a disease that killed his whole family and is working it's way to others...yet he is so unwilling to help cure it that he has to be taken by force, AND in fact he seems to want to infect as many people as possible for no reason at all. There's some lip service paid that the scientist guy was exploiting the disease so he could cure it and get rich and famous...but whatever.

The acting is pretty bad. The male party friends are terrible, as are the young female assistants to the scientist (who seemingly are completely untrained...in the most dangerous hazmat type area on the planet). One of the assistants clearly learned English as a second language, and her delivery is just awful, even for a movie of this level. I get that you're going to cast young chicks as scientists in a Horror movie...but at least write them as if they know how to tie their own shoes.

It is what it is...a low budget cash grab attempt based on a movie many of us enjoyed.

On the plus side...

Jillian Murray (from the god-awful The Graves) is in this...and I didn't mind seeing her again. She is involved in THE scene in the film. I don't want to spoil too much because it's pretty much the highlight of the movie and it's very likely that the plotting began with "how do we make THIS happen in the film?" and the rest was written around it.

Plus, it's a Cabin Fever movie...so you are pretty much guaranteed a few gross out type scenes of blood spewing and body parts turning to mush.

They made a prequel? I knew they made a crappy sequel, which I didn't see because I didn't like the first film.

 

[gwynplaine]

Anyone heard anything about a horror film called The Babadook, looks interesting.

 

[redhawk23]

^ I've heard very good things about that movie out of festivals last month.

 

[Heretic]

They made a prequel? I knew they made a crappy sequel, which I didn't see because I didn't like the first film.

Yep...Cabin Fever: Patient Zero is brand new...and Cabin Fever: Outbreak is being made now. Outbreak seems to be following the events of Patient Zero. Again, both are supposedly prequels to the first one, but I'm not sure how that works. In Patient Zero they mention some small outbreaks in the US that were contained...and clearly this movie is setting up a widespread pandemic (which was not happening in the first film).

 

[Ant-manic]

Anyone heard anything about a horror film called The Babadook, looks interesting.

yeah. but i get the feeling (from watching the trailer) that all of the horror is taking place in the mother's mind.

 

[Ant-manic]

Just watched Cabin Fever: Patient Zero which is supposedly a prequel to the original...but they do make reference to earlier break-outs in the US, so maybe they decided after the fact to make it a prequel instead of a sequel.

i was so disappointed in the sequel that i'm not sure that i could survive another one of these.

 

[Motown Marvel]

Tonight I'm gonna check out Hospital Massacre (1982, aka X-Ray, aka Ward 13).

 

[Ant-manic]

Tonight I'm gonna check out Hospital Massacre (1982, aka X-Ray, aka Ward 13).

please review it, if you remember to. i'm always looking for more 80s horror to watch.

 

[redhawk23]

yeah. but i get the feeling (from watching the trailer) that all of the horror is taking place in the mother's mind.

Spoiler

Nope, and many reviews I've read were actually disappointed that didn't end up being the case.

 

[redhawk23]

For the record, I find that both versions of My Bloody Valentine are worth checking out, the newer one less so since it was so 3d in theater focused.

 

[Rocketman]

I'm watching Alien tonight so I can get the bad taste of Prometheus out of my mouth.

 

[gwynplaine]

^ I've heard very good things about that movie out of festivals last month.

yeah. but i get the feeling (from watching the trailer) that all of the horror is taking place in the mother's mind.

. Thanks for answering.
I'm interested to see the Babadook himself which seems to be inspired by German Expressionist Monsters and apparently done with practical FX rather than CGI.

 

[Ant-manic]

. Thanks for answering.
I'm interested to see the Babadook himself which seems to be inspired by German Expressionist Monsters and apparently done with practical FX rather than CGI.

there are only blurry/quick glimpses of Babadook in the trailer i watched. but what did grab my attention was the drawing of the monster they show at the beginning. i'm glad to hear that there will be practical FX. this seems like it could be the movie that 'The Boogeyman' was trying to be.

 

[Ant-manic]

Spoiler

Nope, and many reviews I've read were actually disappointed that didn't end up being the case.

interesting. i'm actually glad to hear it.

For the record, I find that both versions of My Bloody Valentine are worth checking out, the newer one less so since it was so 3d in theater focused.

i can find things to appreciate about both of them. the WB-ish remake's ending seems to set up a sequel (that probably won't happen). i was diappointed with the 3D. but that was just becoming big again, at the time. it helped some of the pick throwing scenes, though.

 

[Heretic]

Just watched Knights of Badassdom, a Horror comedy featuring Peter Dinklage and Summer Glau.

It was filmed a few years ago and the trailer got some buzz, but the financier apparently pulled a bunch of shenanigans, screwed everyone over, edited the heck out of the movie, cheaped out on effects etc and the movie was delayed for a few years as bad vibes built up. The story of how the company screwed over the production became more legendary than the film itself...until finally the edited version was tossed out recently.

It's basically about some live action role players that accidentally summon a real demon. It's weird...the movie involves several things that I like (fantasy type stuff, demons killing people, heavy metal music etc) but it felt passionless. It felt to me like people who dont like this stuff made a movie in hopes that people who do like this stuff will buy it. Or maybe it's for people who don't like this stuff to watch and be able to somehow claim that they are now involved in geek culture.

It commits a terrible sin...it's a Horror comedy that is silly without being funny. As a result, I can't take it seriously, but I didn't enjoy the "fun." The special effects are so terrible that it isn't even at SyFy Channel levels.

Oh well...