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

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Keep your fantasies to yourself….this is a clean board…..
The heart wants what it wants.



Pumpkinhead is really good and much better than it has the right to be. I was initially concerned it would make a couple mistakes (the teen characters being annoying and being an awkward blend between serious and goofy horror), but it managed to avoid these pitfalls for the most part and made for a really solid horror film. Topped with more character depth than you'd expect from a low-budget horror film, a couple surprising kills, and some nice practical effects which hold up pretty well, I had a good time with it.
I really like Pumpkinhead. And some of the sequels aren't half bad. It might low-key be one of my favorite franchises when taken as a whole.



I really like Pumpkinhead. And some of the sequels aren't half bad. It might low-key be one of my favorite franchises when taken as a whole.
I'll have to keep an eye out for the sequels then.



Actually, it was released in 1988.

Yes, that makes sense. I think I probably just associate anything from 87 up as part of that long drought of bad horror. That is when the rot started to seep in.



I'll have to keep an eye out for the sequels then.
I mean, keep expectations in check. The first is the best one by a fair margin. But the sequels don't trash the premise the way that happens in some other series.



I mean, keep expectations in check. The first is the best one by a fair margin. But the sequels don't trash the premise the way that happens in some other series.
Just out of curiosity, what are some sequels that you would say do that?



Yes, that makes sense. I think I probably just associate anything from 87 up as part of that long drought of bad horror. That is when the rot started to seep in.
Correct- in my opinion the 90s began around 1988 or so, aesthetically speaking. It's an era I'm not especially drawn to, so I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Pumpkinhead



Just out of curiosity, what are some sequels that you would say do that?
The Hidden 2 totally changes the mythology of the aliens and even retroactively changes key events from the original.

The Hellraiser sequels, which started as being grounded in dealing with people who sought out the boxes--to the extent that they decline to harm a mentally ill girl in the second film because they understand that it was her OCD being used to solve the puzzle, not her desire to open the box--but morphed into them killing anyone within range.

The Jaws sequels that get completely outlandish and distanced from any character-based work.

I'd even say that many of the Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street films---while sort of successful and entertaining in their own way at times--really step away from the dynamics that made the original films so compelling in the first place.



Watched Vampires vs. The Bronx tonight with a friend. A horror comedy where the gentrification of a poor neighborhood is being manipulated by rich elite vampires who are kind of pretending to be rich trendy white people could be an interesting idea but alas the sort of subtle storytelling that would require is not in this films wheelhouse. That lack of subtlety along with baffling character decisions kind of rob the film of the gravitas it seems to want to present. Also it has the go up in flames at encountering almost any weakness vampires and while those work for action horror films they dial down the threat level so much that it kills most of the fear that the horror part of horror comedy could deliver.



The Hidden 2 totally changes the mythology of the aliens and even retroactively changes key events from the original.

The Hellraiser sequels, which started as being grounded in dealing with people who sought out the boxes--to the extent that they decline to harm a mentally ill girl in the second film because they understand that it was her OCD being used to solve the puzzle, not her desire to open the box--but morphed into them killing anyone within range.

The Jaws sequels that get completely outlandish and distanced from any character-based work.

I'd even say that many of the Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street films---while sort of successful and entertaining in their own way at times--really step away from the dynamics that made the original films so compelling in the first place.
Yeah, there are plenty of series out there that lose that certain something that made the original special as they go on, because a lot of movies just aren't fundamentally good sequel material in the first place, regardless of how good they were on their own. I mean, I get that they made Die Hard sequels due to how successful/iconic the original became, but what made the first movie so special is the way it brought the Action movie back down to earth during a decade when it was at its most over the top, especially with the way John McClane started out as just an ordinary beat cop who was forced to become an action hero (while remaining continually afraid for his life anyway)... but, making sequels at all instantly loses that, because than John becomes an action hero "for a living", so seeing him regularly risking his life every couple of years loses the impact it once had (and that's without even factoring in how exaggerated the action in the sequels became, to the point that he was casually shrugging off things that should've killed him multiple times over):




Yeah, there are plenty of series out there that lose that certain something that made the original special as they go on, because a lot of movies just aren't fundamentally good sequel material in the first place, regardless of how good they were on their own.
I think that the Pumpkinhead series works as well as it does (which, again, I'm not saying is GREAT) because Pumpkinhead stands for vengeance. We aren't following a main character who just keeps happening to run into monsters. Pumpkinhead as a creature is easy to adapt to different stories, and I think the sequels do that fairly well.



The trick is not minding
I asked this in Crumbs thread, and figured I’d come over here and ask the same thing:

Has anyone seen the Canadian Sci Fi apocalyptic film Nightraiders yet?**

This Caught my eye last year but I’ve been unable to watch it yet, and I wonder if any of you have had the chance?



Victim of The Night
Pumpkinhead is really good and much better than it has the right to be. I was initially concerned it would make a couple mistakes (the teen characters being annoying and being an awkward blend between serious and goofy horror), but it managed to avoid these pitfalls for the most part and made for a really solid horror film. Topped with more character depth than you'd expect from a low-budget horror film, a couple surprising kills, and some nice practical effects which hold up pretty well, I had a good time with it.
Absolutely. It's almost like it fakes you out like it's gonna suck and just be cliches and then it does the other thing where it's good. It's really the characters not being so one-dimensional that makes the movie.



I asked this in Crumbs thread, and figured I’d come over here and ask the same thing:

Has anyone seen the Canadian Sci Fi apocalyptic film Nightraiders yet?**

This Caught my eye last year but I’ve been unable to watch it yet, and I wonder if any of you have had the chance?
I have not, but it's available to me via Kanopy. The director appears to be a Cree woman, which I find intriguing.



The trick is not minding
I have not, but it's available to me via Kanopy. The director appears to be a Cree woman, which I find intriguing.
Canada has had a few interesting horror films in the last few years, like Blood Quantum and Bloodthirsty.



I watched the 1998 teen horror Disturbing Behavior. I had a lot more fun with this than I was expecting. It had an anti-whitebread ‘50s nostalgia angle that felt surprisingly refreshing for its time. William Saddler chews the **** outta the scenery and Nick Stahl spits out some absolutely bonkers dialogue. Plus there were some laughably dumb moments. I had a good time.