The Horror Thread

[CashforStash]

Drew Barrymore has like doubled in popularity since Scream.

 

[Wesley Dodds]

Not really. I can't even remember the last time I saw Drew Barrymore in a movie... or even came up in casual conversation.

In a lot of ways, her appearance in Scream represented the peak of her career.

 

[Majik1387]

She has had plenty good and notable work pre and post-Scream, it wasn't the peak of her career, it's just one of the more note-worthy times.

 

[Wesley Dodds]

I dunno... the mid/late '90s was basically the only time in Drew Barrymore's career that a studio could use her to "pull a Janet Leigh" and genuinely expect people to be shocked by it.
Can you imagine if they tried that with her these days? Most of the audience wouldn't even know who she was.

 

[Motown Marvel]

Watched a movie last night called Nightmare City. It had some totally decent gore in it. Probably one of the earliest examples of fast zombies in a movie.

Also watched a modern horror movie called Murder Party....it sucked.

 

[Rocketman]

As for the supposed "true story" nature of the Exorcist, the case upon which it is loosely based actually involved a 13 year old boy in 1949. The boys family lived in Washington DC. They started hearing scratching noises in their walls and got an exterminator thinking it was rats or something but it didn't stop the noises. Not long after the boy started acting bizarrely, and welps appeared on his torso. The family decided to leave and visit relatives in the midwest, but the boy's behavior turned for the worse and he began acting hateful and more bruises and cuts and things appeared on his body. One of his family members was a student at St. Louis University and sought help from one of the Jesuit professors. Eventually the boy was brought to campus, kept in a room on the top floor of Verhagen Hall. Apparently they had to restrain him. At some point while he was on campus, the the words "NO" and "LOUIS" appeared scratched into his chest. Several Jesuit Preists, including Father William Bowdern partook in an exorcism. Before they began the boy was moved to Alexian Brother Hospital a few miles south of SLU. The exorcism ceremony, which is supposed to take 10 minutes, took several hours do to difficulty with the boy. What ever the case may be as to the cause, the boy snapped out of his behavior claiming that St. Michael saved him.

Personally I don't believe in possession, but the Jesuits at SLU certainly do. I'm a student at Saint Louis University currently and while its not something they advertise, SLU in no way denies the events said to have taken place on campus or involving their employees. The room in Verhagen Hall was walled off for decades, first with drywall but later a full wall was built when the whole building was restored in the late 80s. They had to do some work a few years back though because they had some problems with the room. Apparently through some old chimney pipe or something there was access to the outside and several dozen pidgeons and squirrrels had made their way into the room and died.

Several of Father Bowdern's personal effects including a crucifix they claim was used in the exorcism reside in SLU's art museum, the top floor of which is devoted to Jesuit history.

The ward of Alexian Brothers Hosipital was not in active use even in '49 when the boy was taken there. It too was walled off after the events and was actually torn down about 15 years ago.

It's all rather strange. Something certainly happened. It is a fact the boy was brought here. Even if it all was a complete myth, it certainly wouldn't be the most ridiculous thing treated as fact at this Catholic school.

Excellent post!
Very fascinating stuff - thank you for sharing!

 

[Rocketman]

I bought a French film on a whim called Inside because I heard it was amazing. Has anyone seen it? Hoping to pop it in tonight.

 

[Rodrigo90]

To me it was just silly, no more shocking than goofy demon movies like Night of the Demons or Evil Dead.

I much prefer the approach in films like Emily Rose and Last Exorcism. I'd have liked it better if they went for a more subtle take on whether she was possessed or not. The possession scenes are by far the worst stuff about the movie for me.

The Exorcist felt so real and believable to me, more so than any other exorcism movie.

And the things that happens in others, happens to adults. What we saw was a 12 year old girl stabbing a crucifix between her legs, as the demon was mocking Christ and taking away her innocence in doing that.

That's powerful when you think about it.

 

[redhawk23]

Other films have just opted for less extreme versions. Time after time it's girls or young women in white night gowns being corrupted by demons. Its a trope I'm rather bored with.

 

[Majik1387]

Watched a movie last night called Nightmare City. It had some totally decent gore in it. Probably one of the earliest examples of fast zombies in a movie.

I adore this movie save for the dream thing. But yeah, it's definitely worth watching.

Also watched a modern horror movie called Murder Party....it sucked.

Going by the plot synopsis I found, it sounds sucky.

 

[Thundarr]

The Exorcist felt so real and believable to me, more so than any other exorcism movie.

And the things that happens in others, happens to adults. What we saw was a 12 year old girl stabbing a crucifix between her legs, as the demon was mocking Christ and taking away her innocence in doing that.

That's powerful when you think about it.

I agree the movie has some powerful imagery. Its just that I don't personally believe in demonic possession. And it's hard for me to be frightened of a story I find unbelievable. That's why I don't find vampire or zombie movies scary either. But that's just me.

 

[Rodrigo90]

I'm a sceptic in the supernatural, I've witnessed bizarre things before.

I'm not sure about demonic possession.

But the Exorcist really captured a realistic grittiness, more so than any other film out there, where it felt like this could be happening next door to any one of us.

 

[The Dark Defender]

I bought a French film on a whim called Inside because I heard it was amazing. Has anyone seen it? Hoping to pop it in tonight.

Yes, pretty awesome and extremely brutal.

 

[The Dark Defender]

And the things that happens in others, happens to adults. What we saw was a 12 year old girl stabbing a crucifix between her legs, as the demon was mocking Christ and taking away her innocence in doing that.

One of the few possession moments in the movie that I actually liked.

That was creepy, but the head-spinning, spider walking down the stairs, spitting up green sludge...that's a tad much for me and just turned the movie into unintentional comedy.

 

[Thundarr]

I'm a sceptic in the supernatural, I've witnessed bizarre things before.

I'm not sure about demonic possession.

But the Exorcist really captured a realistic grittiness, more so than any other film out there, where it felt like this could be happening next door to any one of us.

There are certain supernatural things I do believe in, such as ghosts. Demons and the like, not so much. So I can see how a believer would be terrified by watching a movie like The Exorcist. And it was a very well made movie for sure. I'm just saying that to me, it's not very scary. Well made, just not very scary.

 

[66 Face]

Saw WWZ... PG 13 in every sense of that rating. I liked the pace and action, and it is an action movie not a horror movie, but give me 28 Days Later over this any day of the week. Not bad but I was expecting more.

 

[ironwez20]

What I meant was that unlike some of these other people, its not really surprising that Jaimie Lee Curtis had her start in horror films as she was in a bunch of them, where as with Johnny Depp and McConaughey its far less known.

There are certain supernatural things I do believe in, such as ghosts. Demons and the like, not so much. So I can see how a believer would be terrified by watching a movie like The Exorcist. And it was a very well made movie for sure. I'm just saying that to me, it's not very scary. Well made, just not very scary.

Demons are very real my friend. I should no. I hunt them.

 

[Rodrigo90]

One of the few possession moments in the movie that I actually liked.

That was creepy, but the head-spinning, spider walking down the stairs, spitting up green sludge...that's a tad much for me and just turned the movie into unintentional comedy.

I just take that as how it is. Linda Blair, Ellen Burstyn, Max Von Sydow, Jason Miller, they managed to keep it real and believable enough with their acting responses for me to overlook that stuff. They convinced me to be terrified by what I saw, no matter how silly it was.

 

[zeroapoc]

Saw WWZ... PG 13 in every sense of that rating. I liked the pace and action, and it is an action movie not a horror movie, but give me 28 Days Later over this any day of the week. Not bad but I was expecting more.

CGI looked awful in the trailers. Was it that way throughout?

 

[Motown Marvel]

One of my favorite B-horror flicks is currently streaming on Netflix, HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP.

 

[zeroapoc]

One of my favorite B-horror flicks is currently streaming on Netflix, HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP.

Ok that's hilarious to me. That scared the crap out of me when I was about 5 years old, especially the ending.

I didn't see it again for 20+ years and only then realized what a campy "guy in rubber suit" flick it was.

 

[Motown Marvel]

Rubber monsters, boobs, blood, gore....I couldn't ask for much more.

 

[zeroapoc]

Pretty much.

 

[Figs]

One of my favorite B-horror flicks is currently streaming on Netflix, HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP.

Motown, I'm at work and can't see the video. Is that the one where those fish dudes rape the girls and it ends at a fair,carnival?

 

[Motown Marvel]

Motown, I'm at work and can't see the video. Is that the one where those fish dudes rape the girls and it ends at a fair,carnival?

Yessum.