A scary thing happened on the way to the Movie Forums - Horrorcrammers

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I mean, should I even bother? I've already seen The Norseman after all. What's the difference?






"This is my Northman." - Captain Terror



I mean, should I even bother? I've already seen The Norseman after all. What's the difference?



In theaters or at all?
I don't know, one part Conan the Barbarian, one part faithful-feeling adaptation of pre-christian epic story (my go to mental reference would be Beowulf, which goes hand in hand with the Conan aspect), one part... Robert Eggers type portrayal of mystical stuff.


I could have used more of the last. But it's not like I'm not going to buy the movie when it comes out. Is it his film that interests me the least? Sure. I find his other movies a lot more interesting than Conan or Beowulf, but given the sense I get from his earlier movies of wanting to recreate the myths/stories/legends of earlier times and the societies that produced them, I am not surprised by what we got here, it's just a less interesting story for me. But still interesting? Yes.



In theaters or at all?
I don't know, one part Conan the Barbarian, one part faithful-feeling adaptation of pre-christian epic story (my go to mental reference would be Beowulf, which goes hand in hand with the Conan aspect), one part... Robert Eggers type portrayal of mystical stuff.


I could have used more of the last. But it's not like I'm not going to buy the movie when it comes out. Is it his film that interests me the least? Sure. I find his other movies a lot more interesting than Conan or Beowulf, but given the sense I get from his earlier movies of wanting to recreate the myths/stories/legends of earlier times and the societies that produced them, I am not surprised by what we got here, it's just a less interesting story for me. But still interesting? Yes.
Ha, I was just having a little fun. Eggers is my dude, so I'm 100% watching this eventually.

BUT-- The Norseman stars Lee Majors and Deacon Jones as Vikings (and also Fred Biletnikoff), soooooo.... Eggers has got some big shoes to fill, is all I'm sayin'...
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Also I remember there was an argument earlier about those specific movies, so I intend for my Official Rankings to end this rhetorical bloodshed. Leave the violence to the stabby movies.
Agree on the last part, but I suspect the official rankings can only settle so much.

Anyways, two thirds of the way on The Block Island Sound. Not sure what to think yet. Film's one of those atmosphere heavy works. I like how they haven't shown their hand yet, although that does put more pressure for the reveal to be worth it.

I think I like it? But that last half hour or so can be crucial...





The Corruption of Chris Miller, 1973

Chris Miller (Marisol) is a young woman coping with a past trauma and living with her stepmother, Ruth (Jean Seberg). Chris's father has left them both, and in order to get revenge, Ruth routinely manipulates Chris to try to wreck her mental health so that her father will return to a daughter who is insane. One day, a young drifter named Barney (Barry Stokes) arrives at the home shared by Chris and Ruth. Forcefully integrating himself into the household as a handyman, his arrival just happens to coincide with a series of grisly murders.

Well chalk this one up as a really pleasant surprise. This isn't a title I feel like I've heard much about (and it has a paltry 700 ratings on IMDb), but I thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end.

The movie establishes early on that one manifestation of the trauma Chris experienced is that she sometimes gets . . . . stabby. Very stabby. The character of Barney oozes menace in several ways, and I'm sure we're all very familiar with the old "But who is the real monster?!?!?!" trope. While this film does keep you guessing about who will or won't survive, its effective use of a love triangle of sorts between Ruth, Chris, and Barney, along with making each character a mix of sympathetic and dangerous makes for a very interesting plot progression.

Despite a rather lurid and memorable sequence in which a woman is killed by her one night stand who is dressed as Charlie Chaplin and does a pretty passable Little Tramp impression before stabbing her to death, the heart of the film is the psychosexual dynamic between the central trio, made up of power struggles, dominance, seduction, co-dependence, and pure lust. These dynamics don't exits just between the women and Barney, but also between Ruth and Chris. Despite a lot of overt hostility between the two of them, there is a degree of intimacy and dependence between them that extends beyond cohabitation.

The trappings of the film are those of exploitation, but that's really not the main vibe I got from it. A lot of elements that could have been cheesy are more effective than I would have expected. The trauma that Chris experienced is revealed through a series of increasingly coherent flashbacks, but for the first half of the film we just have to infer the meaning of a dance class and a fear of rain that seems to be tied to something that happened in a shower. The gaze of the film lands almost equally on all three leads, and surprisingly the character of Barney is the one whose body is most on display, both as a way of conveying a threat (as when he intentionally exposes himself to Ruth when she finds him sleeping in their barn) and demonstrating the physical attraction that both women (isolated for so long) feel seeing a handsome young man in their midst.

The best part of the film, though, in my opinion, was the final act. And annoyingly, there are so many plot developments that I don't want to talk about it. But I will say that one of the sequences and the visuals therein were truly excellent. It is a really thrilling and unexpected conclusion. Even a tacked on "moral ending" couldn't quash my enjoyment of the way it all came together.

No complaints about this one, really. Definitely recommended if you haven't seen it yet.




THE SADNESS

https://boxd.it/2PQJmF

A STRONG recommendation for fans of zombie horror and extreme cinema.

4.5/5



I love a good zombie flick, so I'll have to check that one out.
Keep in mind, this hews closer to The Crazies and Crossed than traditional Romero zombies. But, like those and 28 Days Later, they still functionally fall into the genre and are at least "zombies by proxy."



Death of a Cyclist from the same director is worth a watch.
I've seen it and it is great, and I would have NEVER connected the two films!

Can't say I've even heard of that one. Nice find.
I had avoided it because I was confusing the title with another 70s film with some unpleasant stuff in it. It was really good and ya'll should check it out!





Horror Express, 1972

Dr Saxton (Christopher Lee) boards a train alongside a crate containing a prehistoric body that he has discovered in Manchuria, a body he believes may be a tremendous scientific find. Also aboard the train is a friendly rival of his, Dr. Wells (Peter Cushing). Shortly into the train ride, mysterious deaths begin to take place--the victims are left with blank white eyes and it is clear that the killer is not human. Saxton and Wells must race to discover just what was really in that crate.

Chalk up another win for a film that I've been eyeing for a while but just hadn't checked out yet.

As is so often the case, I am really glad that I went into this film with almost no knowledge about it, because there were certain reveals and plot developments that had me saying "Wait, WHAT?!" in a good way. I was incredibly entertained from beginning to end.

What I enjoyed most about this one was the way that it created a sense of other-worldliness. Not just in the design of the creature itself, but in the way that the killings were filmed. The music and the style of shooting is peak 70s atmosphere, and it made me think a lot of what I love about the way that Phantasm is shot. The plot summary's use of the word "vampire" sets you up to expect a certain kind of murders, and what you get in Horror Express is very much its own thing.

The performances are also really fun and engaging. Cushing and Lee deliver exactly what you'd hope for, but there's also a really strong turn from Alberto de Mendoza as a priest who first fears, then comes to worship the killer. An absolute gift of a performance comes in the form of surprise Telly Savalas (the best kind of Telly Savalas!) as an outlandish and brutal military officer who boards the train to deal with the problem.

If you've seen this movie, you know that it's hard to talk about almost the entire second half without giving away a pretty cool plot development. Suffice it to say, I loved the unexpected directions that this film went and for maybe the few people in this thread who haven't already seen it, definitely go in without reading much about it.




Victim of The Night


Horror Express, 1972

Dr Saxton (Christopher Lee) boards a train alongside a crate containing a prehistoric body that he has discovered in Manchuria, a body he believes may be a tremendous scientific find. Also aboard the train is a friendly rival of his, Dr. Wells (Peter Cushing). Shortly into the train ride, mysterious deaths begin to take place--the victims are left with blank white eyes and it is clear that the killer is not human. Saxton and Wells must race to discover just what was really in that crate.

Chalk up another win for a film that I've been eyeing for a while but just hadn't checked out yet.

As is so often the case, I am really glad that I went into this film with almost no knowledge about it, because there were certain reveals and plot developments that had me saying "Wait, WHAT?!" in a good way. I was incredibly entertained from beginning to end.

What I enjoyed most about this one was the way that it created a sense of other-worldliness. Not just in the design of the creature itself, but in the way that the killings were filmed. The music and the style of shooting is peak 70s atmosphere, and it made me think a lot of what I love about the way that Phantasm is shot. The plot summary's use of the word "vampire" sets you up to expect a certain kind of murders, and what you get in Horror Express is very much its own thing.

The performances are also really fun and engaging. Cushing and Lee deliver exactly what you'd hope for, but there's also a really strong turn from Alberto de Mendoza as a priest who first fears, then comes to worship the killer. An absolute gift of a performance comes in the form of surprise Telly Savalas (the best kind of Telly Savalas!) as an outlandish and brutal military officer who boards the train to deal with the problem.

If you've seen this movie, you know that it's hard to talk about almost the entire second half without giving away a pretty cool plot development. Suffice it to say, I loved the unexpected directions that this film went and for maybe the few people in this thread who haven't already seen it, definitely go in without reading much about it.

I gotta revisit this.
I assume this would be right up my alley but I got really bored early on and didn't stick it out.
I think I'm better equipped now to appreciate it.



I gotta revisit this.
I assume this would be right up my alley but I got really bored early on and didn't stick it out.
I think I'm better equipped now to appreciate it.
I can see how the first 30 minutes or so might not be the most gripping. Especially since it seems like it might just be an unseen creature cornering screaming people in dark train cars. But then it takes all those turns and it turns into something really unique.



Victim of The Night
I can see how the first 30 minutes or so might not be the most gripping. Especially since it seems like it might just be an unseen creature cornering screaming people in dark train cars. But then it takes all those turns and it turns into something really unique.
I don't know cause I bailed on it. This was literally like 13 years ago, though. I'm looking forward to getting to this in October.



Horror Express is a personal favorite. Saw it for the first time about 5 years ago, knowing nothing about it, and I would now consider is a staple. I love every bit of it.

I'm amazed that it hasn't been rediscovered and made a part of the horror canon at this point. Even more amazed when I realize how many critics and fans completely write it off.



I don't know cause I bailed on it.
Whoa, yeah.

I mean, no guarantees of course, but something happens around the halfway point that totally changes the dynamic of the film and for me really took it up a whole level.

And, again, I'd really advise not reading ANYTHING about it so that you can enjoy the plot developments.



Horror Express is a personal favorite. Saw it for the first time about 5 years ago, knowing nothing about it, and I would now consider is a staple. I love every bit of it.

I'm amazed that it hasn't been rediscovered and made a part of the horror canon at this point. Even more amazed when I realize how many critics and fans completely write it off.
I didn't know people wrote this one off. Admittedly, I went into a screening of it with the description of
WARNING: "Horror Express" spoilers below
That it was either a precursor to JC's The Thing or an influence on it or something like that. So, unsurprisingly, I had the open mind of, "I'm game to see how this goes."


So hey, I found it interesting. And it was a screening, so it's not like it ever crossed my mind that I was ever going to get up and leave. A couple years later the blu-ray came out, so I took it as a sign it had been rediscovered.