The Horror Thread - Part 4

[Loki882]

To say that I'm not a fan of Michael Bay or Platinum Dune remakes in general would be an understatement. However, I actually enjoyed the TCM remake and thought that it was a decent flick. Is it as good as the original, no (mostly do to the fact that it lacked the sheer balls-out insanity of the original). However, it's decently shot, decently paced, decently acted (Jessica Biel and R. Lee Ermey are particularly good), I found it genuinely creepy/unnerving most of the time, the protagonists were all likeable despite being kind of *****e (but they weren't raging unlikeable a-holes like a lot of slasher movie protagonists tend to be, so I felt bad when they died), and even the gore was used mostly effectively.

TCM: The Beginning, on the other hand, was just garbage. It was mean, ugly, hateful, and gratuitous with no context/substance behind it. It wasn't scary, it was just sick and vile, and those are NOT the same thing. R Lee Ermey was the one bright spot in that blight upon cinema.

 

[Thundarr]

To say that I'm not a fan of Michael Bay or Platinum Dune remakes in general would be an understatement. However, I actually enjoyed the TCM remake and thought that it was a decent flick. Is it as good as the original, no (mostly do to the fact that it lacked the sheer balls-out insanity of the original). However, it's decently shot, decently paced, decently acted (Jessica Biel and R. Lee Ermey are particularly good), I found it genuinely creepy/unnerving most of the time, the protagonists were all likeable despite being kind of *****e (but they weren't raging unlikeable a-holes like a lot of slasher movie protagonists tend to be, so I felt bad when they died), and even the gore was used mostly effectively.

TCM: The Beginning, on the other hand, was just garbage. It was mean, ugly, hateful, and gratuitous with no context/substance behind it. It wasn't scary, it was just sick and vile, and those are NOT the same thing. R Lee Ermey was the one bright spot in that blight upon cinema.

You pretty much summed up my opinion of Michael Bay & Platinum Dunes remakes, as well as their remake of TCM, almost perfectly. As I've stated before, the one thing that would have made the movie a damn near perfect remake would be if they had maintained the family's cannibalism as part of the story (jars of eyeballs don't count IMO). Everything else was very well done.

I've only seen The Beginning once, so my memory of it isn't perfect. From what I recall, the main characters were less likeable. And the pacing wasn't as well done. But they did make Leatherface and his family cannibals in this one, so props for that at least.

 

[Loki882]

It wasn't even that they were unlikeable per se, it's that they were just bland and boring. You had no real emotional connection to them at all, they were just walking talking slabs of meat to be butchered. And yeah they did do the cannibal thing, but in the worst way possible. Frankly I'd rather watch the Friday the 13th remake over TCM: The Beginnings. At least I can get SOME kind of entertainment value out of the former.

 

[TheDreamMaster]

To say that I'm not a fan of Michael Bay or Platinum Dune remakes in general would be an understatement. However, I actually enjoyed the TCM remake and thought that it was a decent flick. Is it as good as the original, no (mostly do to the fact that it lacked the sheer balls-out insanity of the original). However, it's decently shot, decently paced, decently acted (Jessica Biel and R. Lee Ermey are particularly good), I found it genuinely creepy/unnerving most of the time, the protagonists were all likeable despite being kind of *****e (but they weren't raging unlikeable a-holes like a lot of slasher movie protagonists tend to be, so I felt bad when they died), and even the gore was used mostly effectively.

TCM: The Beginning, on the other hand, was just garbage. It was mean, ugly, hateful, and gratuitous with no context/substance behind it. It wasn't scary, it was just sick and vile, and those are NOT the same thing. R Lee Ermey was the one bright spot in that blight upon cinema.

I agree quite a bit on all points. And despite my previous comment on Eremy in TCM: The Beginning, I've actually only sat through that film once, in theaters years ago, so I don't particularly remember anything but him.

 

[Heretic]

Watched See No Evil 2 (2014) the long awaited(?) sequel to the first ever movie from WWE Films. Kane returns as the killer, and it's directed by the WAAAY over-rated Soska twins (American Mary). On the plus side, there is the one-two punch of Danielle Harris and Katharine Isabelle. Both of those actresses should just have "She did the best she could with the bad material she was given" placed underneath their pictures on imdb.

As usual, I only post details from the first third/half of the film, and dont actually reveal anything of note. But for those who want to avoid any info at all...

Spoiler

This takes place immediately after the first one ended. The killer's "corpse" is taken to the hospital morgue (which is massive and full of locked doors and gates but apparently has very few employees)...where there's a party going on (seriously).

As expected, the Soska twins can't stop themselves from adding in "shocking" low brow stuff just to prove how edgy and cool they are. It reeks of desperation to me. However, like with American Mary, they wuss out on actually going there with the gore. Most of the kills in this movie happen off screen and those we can see are fairly run of the mill stuff. Modern slasher movies need to have inventive kill scenes, and this simply does not.

Isabelle isn't even taking this seriously. She's a comedy character in a movie that doesn't have a comedic tone. Harris is playing the same role she's played in a hundred other direct to DVD Horror movies.

Also, they seem to feel the need to constantly flash back to the first film in several bad attempts to build a character for Kane. Every time we should be watching something tense, they show us flashbacks to the last film. Yeah...the last film wasn't very good and it was 8 years ago...and you're re-using those same scenes to try to build tension in the sequel?

Lots of walking around dark halls, refusing to take any exits. Lots of standing around watching as their friends get killed. Lots of "lets stop running and chat for a bit" scenes.

But...it isn't like we're getting a Jason or Halloween movie this year...so...See No Evil 2 might do the trick because it at least looks good.

 

[Heretic]

It wasn't even that they were unlikeable per se, it's that they were just bland and boring. You had no real emotional connection to them at all, they were just walking talking slabs of meat to be butchered. And yeah they did do the cannibal thing, but in the worst way possible. Frankly I'd rather watch the Friday the 13th remake over TCM: The Beginnings. At least I can get SOME kind of entertainment value out of the former.

Come on now...you don't want the victims to be unlikeable AND you want them to actually have a kiddie pool level of depth to their characters? That's just too much to ask!

 

[Spidey's Curse]

any 50s horror/sci fi fans here? I just watched The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms and I was very impressed with Ray Harryhausens stop motion work on "The Beast".

 

[Heretic]

Just watched Housebound (2014) a pretty fun little haunted house Horror/Comedy from New Zealand.

As usual, I'll discuss some story details from the first third of the movie or so, but I won't spoil the end of the film or anything...

Spoiler

A young woman gets busted trying to steal money from an ATM (and is apparently on meth) and is sentenced to living at her mom's house for 8 months. Trouble is...her mom thinks the house is haunted....and maybe it is!

The humor comes kind of naturally here. This isn't something like Scary Movie where it's an endless stream of jokes...they just let the humor flow out of this dysfunctional family and the crazy situations. Also, they manage to get some decent tension built up, despite the silliness. A couple things strain believability too much...but overall...it somehow works as a charming, though not very scary movie.

 

[Maximus One]

Words can barely describe how much I hate Leprechaun: Origins. What a steaming pile of ****

 

[TheDreamMaster]

Words can barely describe how much I hate Leprechaun: Origins. What a steaming pile of ****

That's actually what stopped me from picking up the Leprechaun collection that is out now. I haven't seen it, but the reviews have been abysmal, and even though the original series isn't exactly highbrow entertainment, even for horror, they're silly fun, and this sounds like a bland piece of crap.

 

[SpideyFan866]

Words can barely describe how much I hate Leprechaun: Origins. What a steaming pile of ****

Agreed. Agreed. And Agreed.

As someone who has seen every Leprechaun film, and considers himself a big fan, I was extremely disappointed. And while already having expectations lower than hell itself.

And while the Leprechaun films are FAAAAR from the pinnacle of horror movie making, there was a very present charm about Warwick Davis's original Leprechaun character that kept the films interesting (mostly). And in the end, the original films were fun, even if they lacked everywhere else.


In Origins, they made him into mute, generic demon creature, and gave it a grim and depressing tone (and I mean that in the worst way). And to top it off, they paired it with a poor man's poor man's ripoff of the TCM plot, where the protagonists are being fed to the killer. And as many times as I've seen this plot device (and variations on it), it was done insultingly poor in this film.

That said, nothing is done well here. And by the end, I was just glad it was over.

 

[Kane52630]

Nothing could ever beat the best one in the franchise...Leprechaun Back 2 tha Hood.

 

[Heretic]

Just watched The Devil's Hand (2014)

There are zero spoilers in my post aside from what you'd read in the movie description...

Spoiler

An Amish-like cult has a prophecy of 6 girls born on the same day and one of them will become The Devil's Hand when they become an adult...and, of course, 6 girls are born on the same day. The story picks up almost 18 years later when the girls start disappearing.

Most of the actresses could actually pass for teenagers (no clue how old they actually are)...though Leah Pipes is apparently 26 and looks older than that. I guess I'm not alone in thinking that because I went to her imdb page and saw several people questioning the validity of her birth date. I guess she got the part because she's a semi well known actress.

Scenes of Horror are pretty scarce...but any time you deal with devil prophecies & religious cults and a potential killer, it's hard not to view the film as at least partially Horror.

The acting actually wasn't half bad. The lead actress just got to Hollywood, and also snagged a costarring role in that recent tornado movie Into The Storm. We probably have not seen the last of her.

I did not like the end.

Overall, I dont regret watching it. It was a little cliche and slow moving, but I don't mind watching backwater religious cults acting stupid about their prophecies.

 

[The Joker]

I watched The Exorcist last night for the first time in years. That movie is just funny to me now.

 

[bullets]

I watched The Exorcist last night for the first time in years. That movie is just funny to me now.

I've seen it about 147 times and it keeps getting funnier every single time I see it.

 

[Loki882]

I LOVE the Exorcist. There are a bunch of scenes in that movie that just make you go "WTF?" It makes me wonder what Linda Blair's parents thought when they read the script. "You want our daughter to do what with a Crucifix? You want her to say what? You're out of your mind."

 

[Hellion]

I've seen it about 147 times and it keeps getting funnier every single time I see it.

...and I just happen to read this after watching what...

 

[PyroChamber]

To say that I'm not a fan of Michael Bay or Platinum Dune remakes in general would be an understatement. However, I actually enjoyed the TCM remake and thought that it was a decent flick. Is it as good as the original, no (mostly do to the fact that it lacked the sheer balls-out insanity of the original). However, it's decently shot, decently paced, decently acted (Jessica Biel and R. Lee Ermey are particularly good), I found it genuinely creepy/unnerving most of the time, the protagonists were all likeable despite being kind of *****e (but they weren't raging unlikeable a-holes like a lot of slasher movie protagonists tend to be, so I felt bad when they died), and even the gore was used mostly effectively.

TCM: The Beginning, on the other hand, was just garbage. It was mean, ugly, hateful, and gratuitous with no context/substance behind it. It wasn't scary, it was just sick and vile, and those are NOT the same thing. R Lee Ermey was the one bright spot in that blight upon cinema.

I take it you haven't seen Texas Chainsaw 3D, now THAT was terrible.

 

[Loki882]

No I have seen it, and it is indeed really bad. But not TCM: The Beginning level of bad. It had Alexandra Daddario to elevate it, slightly.

 

[Heretic]

Watched The Town That Dreaded Sundown (2014) which surprisingly is not really a remake of the Slasher classic of the same name. It's kind of a sequel, kind of a reboot. It's a Blumhouse movie, so we can expect high quality production values, and a general audience/PG-13 style of Slasher Horror.

Mild spoilers inside, but nothing that you don't learn within the first 10-15 minutes of the film...

Spoiler

Basically, the real world unsolved murders happened, and the classic movie was made about it...and now, in the "real world" the murders have started again all these years later. Pretty cool way of acknowledging the classic film.

Addison Timlin plays a girl who isn't very popular with the guys (because what guy would want to have sex with a girl who looks like Addison Timlin??? We have standards, amirite?). What's weird about this fact of the story is that pretty much every guy in her age group we meet in the movie has the hots for her. It's an odd tidbit thrown in that conflicts with the reality we're presented with and plays no part in the rest of the film. Hardly matters, it's mentioned once and never brought up again...it just sticks out as odd.

Usually I HATE the music that is included in these films. It's always screeching violins that tell you to be scared, overpowering every other aspect of the film...but here I actually enjoyed the music. Not sure why...it isn't like an amazing score...it just worked.

Ultimately though...this movie is quite derivative. I'm guessing that in the closing minutes, many eyes will roll. That's disappointing because I feel like it was a solid effort otherwise.

Despite being formulaic and derivative, it is very well shot and clearly an attempt has been made to make a film they can all stand behind, while not straying far from the trappings of the genre. As far as 2014 Slashers go, I'd ABSOLUTELY rank this higher than See No Evil 2 or Wrong Turn 6 (and certainly higher than some of the smaller indies like Blood Widow and Camp Dread).

 

[Resistance61513]

Thanks for your insight, Heretic! I was just about to ask if anyone had seen it. I want to get together with some friends and watch scary movies. That film came to mind. I may have us all watch it.

 

[bullets]

Watched See No Evil 2 (2014) the long awaited(?) sequel to the first ever movie from WWE Films. Kane returns as the killer, and it's directed by the WAAAY over-rated Soska twins (American Mary). On the plus side, there is the one-two punch of Danielle Harris and Katharine Isabelle. Both of those actresses should just have "She did the best she could with the bad material she was given" placed underneath their pictures on imdb.

As usual, I only post details from the first third/half of the film, and dont actually reveal anything of note. But for those who want to avoid any info at all...

Spoiler

This takes place immediately after the first one ended. The killer's "corpse" is taken to the hospital morgue (which is massive and full of locked doors and gates but apparently has very few employees)...where there's a party going on (seriously).

As expected, the Soska twins can't stop themselves from adding in "shocking" low brow stuff just to prove how edgy and cool they are. It reeks of desperation to me. However, like with American Mary, they wuss out on actually going there with the gore. Most of the kills in this movie happen off screen and those we can see are fairly run of the mill stuff. Modern slasher movies need to have inventive kill scenes, and this simply does not.

Isabelle isn't even taking this seriously. She's a comedy character in a movie that doesn't have a comedic tone. Harris is playing the same role she's played in a hundred other direct to DVD Horror movies.

Also, they seem to feel the need to constantly flash back to the first film in several bad attempts to build a character for Kane. Every time we should be watching something tense, they show us flashbacks to the last film. Yeah...the last film wasn't very good and it was 8 years ago...and you're re-using those same scenes to try to build tension in the sequel?

Lots of walking around dark halls, refusing to take any exits. Lots of standing around watching as their friends get killed. Lots of "lets stop running and chat for a bit" scenes.

But...it isn't like we're getting a Jason or Halloween movie this year...so...See No Evil 2 might do the trick because it at least looks good.

It's a shame that this was sort of bland. I liked the direction of some scenes and Kane was badass. I also liked the new look. It was very run of the mill but one characters demise towards the end was very surprising . I like Danielle Harris , but it does seem like she's everywhere and this was similar to Hatchet.

 

[bullets]

The Town that dreaded Sundown (2014)...... I mainly felt the same as heretic. It starts out strong , but towards the second half I lost interest and the ending kind of killed it. It's nice to see a meta sequel instead of a remake though.

Life After Beth...........Aubrey was great as she unravels into a zombie throughout the film. It's a silly movie that I think should of went darker. I was expecting more carnage. I liked this more than Warm Bodies.

 

[Thundarr]

Day 18

Texas Chainsaw Massacre (remake)

Day 19

Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning

Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday

 

[Maximus One]

Nothing could ever beat the best one in the franchise...Leprechaun Back 2 tha Hood.

Still to this day I have never watched that one. It's the only one I never watched. 3 in Las Vegas was always my favorite though