The Horror Thread - Part 3

[Heretic]

Watched The Returned (2014) a movie about what happens AFTER a zombie apocalypse...you know, after it's contained and they find a way to stave off the disease in the infected. It's rare to see a zombie movie outside of the initial outbreak.

I'm a huge fan of the idea that Horror movies, and zombies in particular, can be more than just dumb horror. Unfortunately, most don't even try to anything approaching Romero's takes on race relations and consumerism. The Returned tries to rise above most zombie films though. This is a movie about treating people infected with the illness, so they can lead fairly normal lives. By looking at them, you can't even tell that they are infected. As long as they get their daily dose of medication, they are good to go. There are anti-Returned protesters, and calls to round them all up and put them in camps...it's all a Sci-Fi/Horror retelling of the AIDS crisis.

So...bonus points for all of that.

Also, in general the acting is good enough, and the production side is well done.

The problems:
While it STARTS off being an allegory for the AIDS epidemic, it eventually changes course. The characters make a dumb decision that doesn't make a whole lot of sense, and then use that bad decision as an excuse to dig themselves into an even deeper hole, and then make another dumb decision, and another. The movie just keeps tripping itself up as it stumbles to the finish line. There's one plot point that I think is supposed to be a surprise, but you'll see it coming a mile away.

Also...they copped out on a tough subject. The virus spreads through blood contact etc, like any zombie movie. You get bit, you turn into one. However, they go out of their way to say that you CANT spread the virus through sexual contact. They did this intentionally, but they shouldn't have. Don't make your movie an obvious allegory for AIDS and then say that the virus can't be spread sexually.

 

[chamber-music]

^
Heretic you should check out BBC show In The Flesh that deals with a rehabilitated Zombies being reintroduced into society. The show also acts as allegory for racism/homophobia/xenophobia as the human population who are mentally scared from the zombie apocalypse deal with trying to reintegrate these former zombies that were killing back into normal community life.

[YT]/3uAJklDka_U[/YT]

 

[Ant-manic]

Found footage MIGHT work for Jason.

that's a big might, imo. it's as bad of an idea as merging reality tv shows and Michael Myers.

 

[Ant-manic]

We won't be seeing another NOES film for quite a long time at this point and as much as we all would like the idea of another Freddy vs Jason film, without Englund this is no Freddy which means it will NOT ever happen.

I am very open to new ways to explore these characters but going the cheap found footage route for either is not the right direction, especially not for Jason.

is Englund just flat-out uninterested? they could mo-cap his face onto a younger body.

 

[Heretic]

^
Heretic you should check out BBC show In The Flesh that deals with a rehabilitated Zombies being reintroduced into society. The show also acts as allegory for racism/homophobia/xenophobia as the human population who are mentally scared from the zombie apocalypse deal with trying to reintegrate these former zombies that were killing back into normal community life.

[YT]/3uAJklDka_U[/YT]

Will give it a shot, thanks.

 

[TheDreamMaster]

is Englund just flat-out uninterested? they could mo-cap his face onto a younger body.

He once said he'd play Freddy until he couldn't walk. I think he's just turned off that they rebooted the character, and as far as I know didn't offer a cameo or anything for the remake, and he's bitter because he really did make that his own.

 

[Thundarr]

that's a big might, imo. it's as bad of an idea as merging reality tv shows and Michael Myers.

It all depends on how it's done. Blair Witch style alone wouldn't work, as everyone would have to have a camera which would be just ridiculous. Paranormal Activity style might work a bit better, if there's a good enough story behind it. Behind The Mask: The Rise Of Leslie Vernon style would work okay as well. Personally, I think a combination of the three would work best. If you check out my suggested Found Footage Friday The 13th film which I posted earlier, I think that would work quite well.

 

[Ant-manic]

He once said he'd play Freddy until he couldn't walk. I think he's just turned off that they rebooted the character, and as far as I know didn't offer a cameo or anything for the remake, and he's bitter because he really did make that his own.

they asked him about it on a local radio station and he didn't seem too bent out of shape about the recast. he's still acting. i think someone should give him another shot at it.

 

[Thundarr]

is Englund just flat-out uninterested? they could mo-cap his face onto a younger body.

I'll ask him next month while he's autographing my ANOES DVD. I don't see why they would have to mo-cap his head on a younger body though. The character only started doing all that crazy kung fu stuff after Part 3. It's not essential to the character. And even if it was, that's what stunt doubles are for.

 

[Ant-manic]

I'll ask him next month while he's autographing my ANOES DVD. I don't see why they would have to mo-cap his head on a younger body though.

because Freddy's already deceased and doesn't age. it's not like they haven't always been special effects-heavy movies anyways. it's just that the last time that i saw him, he had put on enough weight to make the sweater look funny.

 

[Thundarr]

because Freddy's already deceased and doesn't age. it's not like they haven't always been special effects-heavy movies anyways. it's just that the last time that i saw him, he had put on enough weight to make the sweater look funny.

In that case, I have two words for you. Stair Master.

 

[DaRkVeNgeanCe]

is Englund just flat-out uninterested? they could mo-cap his face onto a younger body.

He actually said recently in an interview that he would be open to playing Freddy again in a prequel type of film, but since the property is remaining stagnant currently and the studio not having any current interest in it, along with the fact that Robert isn't getting any younger I don't see it happening.

 

[Thundarr]

He actually said recently in an interview that he would be open to playing Freddy again in a prequel type of film, but since the property is remaining stagnant currently and the studio not having any current interest in it, along with the fact that Robert isn't getting any younger I don't see it happening.

Wes Craven's name has a lot of pull though. If Wes were to write, direct, and executive produce the movie, WB/New Line would likely jump at the chance to release another Nightmare On Elm Street movie. The less work they have to do, the more likely they'll be to say yes.

 

[redhawk23]

because Freddy's already deceased and doesn't age. it's not like they haven't always been special effects-heavy movies anyways. it's just that the last time that i saw him, he had put on enough weight to make the sweater look funny.

You can tell the age of the guy through all that makeup? Freddy more or less appears as he wants to anyways.

 

[chamber-music]

New Trailer for The Signal looks pretty good.

[YT]/oXV_CU_ryKs[/YT]

Three college students on a road trip across the Southwest experience a detour: the tracking of a computer genius who has already hacked into MIT and exposed security faults. The trio find themselves drawn to an eerily isolated area. Suddenly everything goes dark. When one of the students, Nic (Brenton Thwaites of "The Giver" and "Maleficent"), regains consciousness, he is in a waking nightmare.

Film also features Laurence Fishburne, Sarah Clarke (24's Nina Myers), Olivia Cooke (Bates Motel, The Quiet Ones, Ouija) and the psychic woman from the Insidious).

 

[Ant-manic]

In that case, I have two words for you. Stair Master.

i was just trying to make it easier for him.

 

[Thundarr]

i was just trying to make it easier for him.

To quote Spike on Buffy The Vampire Slayer, "Love hurts, baby."

 

[Thundarr]

I've just done a little bit of research on the character of Freddy Krueger. According to the available lore on the character's background, he was born in September 1942. The exact date of his capture, trial, and subsequent release is a little fuzzy, but in a deleted scene from the original 1984 movie, Nancy's mom says that it was when Nancy was still an infant and too young to remember having an older sibling. Since Nancy was 17 in the first movie, that would make her birth date around 1967. Therefore Freddy dies sometime between 1967 & 1970 (most people don't retain any conscious memories from before they were 4 years old). That would make Freddy somewhere between 25 and 28 when he was killed.

Robert Englund was already in his thirties when he was cast as Freddy, and thus technically too old for the part if they wanted someone about the same age as the character. However, Wes Craven's original concept of the character was for him to be a creepy old man, thus the birth date of the character was most likely an oversight. In any event, Freddy has been physically depicted as being older than he was (perhaps accidentally) written, both in Freddy's Dead as well as Freddy vs Jason. Thus I think they could simply fudge the date of his birth (which I think made him a little too young anyways, most serial killers don't start until their late twenties or early thirties, and usually rack up a fairly large body count before they get caught, especially back then). Just say Freddy was born in 1922 instead of 1942, making him about 48 when he gets torched in 1970. A little hair dye and make up, and I think Mr Englund could pass for a man in his late forties.

 

[PalmerTheThing]

I've just done a little bit of research on the character of Freddy Krueger. According to the available lore on the character's background, he was born in September 1942. The exact date of his capture, trial, and subsequent release is a little fuzzy, but in a deleted scene from the original 1984 movie, Nancy's mom says that it was when Nancy was still an infant and too young to remember having an older sibling. Since Nancy was 17 in the first movie, that would make her birth date around 1967. Therefore Freddy dies sometime between 1967 & 1970 (most people don't retain any conscious memories from before they were 4 years old). That would make Freddy somewhere between 25 and 28 when he was killed.

Robert Englund was already in his thirties when he was cast as Freddy, and thus technically too old for the part if they wanted someone about the same age as the character. However, Wes Craven's original concept of the character was for him to be a creepy old man, thus the birth date of the character was most likely an oversight. In any event, Freddy has been physically depicted as being older than he was (perhaps accidentally) written, both in Freddy's Dead as well as Freddy vs Jason. Thus I think they could simply fudge the date of his birth (which I think made him a little too young anyways, most serial killers don't start until their late twenties or early thirties, and usually rack up a fairly large body count before they get caught, especially back then). Just say Freddy was born in 1922 instead of 1942, making him about 48 when he gets torched in 1970. A little hair dye and make up, and I think Mr Englund could pass for a man in his late forties.

Good post.

Yeah I am down for another Freddy movie. Like I said, it should be filmed with 80's equipment and set place in the 80's. Have everyone dress like the 80's too.

It would be the ultimate homage slasher film for the 80's, and it would feature one our favorite slashers.

 

[redhawk23]

But why? The movies of the 80s were just set in their present. We already have 5 Freddy films set in the 80s.

 

[PalmerTheThing]

But why? The movies of the 80s were just set in their present. We already have 5 Freddy films set in the 80s.

Let's see here, the best Friday and Freddy movies came from the 80's. Why? There is a charm associated with the 80's.

Now that the Freddy remake came out and went to it's darker roots, and it still came off as boring, it made me believe that the only way Freddy or Jason works is with that 80's setting.

You'd be lying if you said you would not see this film.

-New NOES set in 1986 (between part 2 and part 3).
-Robert Englund
-Wes Craven
-Same High school and references to other characters from Part 1 and 2.
-Filmed with 80's equipment (film, no digital, to give it that grainy 80's look)
-Everyone dressed with 80's wardrobes and the likes to make it authentic.
-Serious tone like the first ANOES
-No CGI of any kind.

And because if the above was all done but in present day, I bet you the film would not do as well in theatres because of the charm associated with the culture behind the 80's. When you go that theatre to see the film you WILL feel like a teenager who saw the first ANOES in theatres.

 

[thejon93]

I've just done a little bit of research on the character of Freddy Krueger. According to the available lore on the character's background, he was born in September 1942. The exact date of his capture, trial, and subsequent release is a little fuzzy, but in a deleted scene from the original 1984 movie, Nancy's mom says that it was when Nancy was still an infant and too young to remember having an older sibling. Since Nancy was 17 in the first movie, that would make her birth date around 1967. Therefore Freddy dies sometime between 1967 & 1970 (most people don't retain any conscious memories from before they were 4 years old). That would make Freddy somewhere between 25 and 28 when he was killed.

Robert Englund was already in his thirties when he was cast as Freddy, and thus technically too old for the part if they wanted someone about the same age as the character. However, Wes Craven's original concept of the character was for him to be a creepy old man, thus the birth date of the character was most likely an oversight. In any event, Freddy has been physically depicted as being older than he was (perhaps accidentally) written, both in Freddy's Dead as well as Freddy vs Jason. Thus I think they could simply fudge the date of his birth (which I think made him a little too young anyways, most serial killers don't start until their late twenties or early thirties, and usually rack up a fairly large body count before they get caught, especially back then). Just say Freddy was born in 1922 instead of 1942, making him about 48 when he gets torched in 1970. A little hair dye and make up, and I think Mr Englund could pass for a man in his late forties.

You describing Freddy makes me want to see a movie where it's all about Freddy this time around (not like the others, which focus stronger on the kids), his murder, his time in hell and learning how he would later become a Dream Master but on a grander-scale (like a comic-book origin story). Imagine if a Freddy movie was made with the same level of conviction as a comic-book film, the focus would be around Freddy for a reason, other than having to kill people, so it may be scarier seeing this guy live through a normal day in hell for a change. I wish remakes didn't mean exact copies of the original as much as Hollywood thinks that they should be, I wish they meant that they were more so expansions of the original to the powers that be instead, so that the higher-budgeted films would add more depth to the original movie, it allows you to see new insights, to witness what couldn't be done visually back then. Now, anything is possible.

Even if a Freddy movie was brought straight-to-DVD, I think it would still be a good movie (just look at the last Chucky movie, for instance, which is either my second or third favourite of the series). A direct-to-DVD Freddy film, with Robert Englund especially, would be much better than the middle-of-the-road remake they did. Watching True Detective like crazy now makes me want to see a detective-based Jason Voorhees film with the same level of filmmaking and craftsmanship that is displayed on that show. Seriously, the season finale alone is the scariest thing I've watched in the past 10 years or more. It's the slow-build displayed structurally in a show or movie that makes the reveal of the monster so much more satisfying and yet terrifying all at the same time.

 

[Thundarr]

Good post.

Yeah I am down for another Freddy movie. Like I said, it should be filmed with 80's equipment and set place in the 80's. Have everyone dress like the 80's too.

It would be the ultimate homage slasher film for the 80's, and it would feature one our favorite slashers.

I think it should be a prequel about Freddy's years as The Springwood Slasher. Make it set in the late 1960's & early 1970's. Music, clothing, cars, etc from that time period for sure. If it's filmed digitally, rework it in post production so that it doesn't LOOK like it was filmed digitally. As Freddy hasn't been burned to death yet, there won't be any nightmare sequences, so no need for any fancy CGI effects. Also, since his victims before becoming a dream demon were all under the age of 11, most likely the death scenes will be implied rather than shown (again, watch the fan films by Blinky Productions to get an idea, especially Krueger: A Tale From Elm Street, and Krueger: Another Tale From Elm Street). It's an old Hollywood taboo that you never show physical violence (especially horror violence) towards children. That's why the victims in these types of movies are always teenagers. They're "still kids" but no longer "children".

 

[Ant-manic]

Let's see here, the best Friday and Freddy movies came from the 80's. Why? There is a charm associated with the 80's.

i was having a discussion about this with my non-horror-fan brother; over the weekend. it's not just the charm. it's that things were scarier in the 80s. people didn't have cell phones to call up the police. abducted children were less likely to be found. things just seemed less safe. or maybe that's just how we percieved it as children. but i remember there being creepy old guys just like Freddy hanging around everywhere kids used to hang out.

 

[culver3vlr22]

Are we saying horror reached it's peak?

Or with the Internet and cell phones that things seem less scary?

Idk why more horror movies arent time pieces lately.