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

Sigh.
Talk To Me is an Aussie Horror film telling the story of a young woman (age is unclear, seemed like they were in high school but the actors are mostly in their mid-20s and look it and one of them is actually 37 years old) who has trouble fitting in, is still getting over the death of her mother, and now chooses to play a dangerous supernatural game in order to fit in. Which goes really, really well for her, lemme tell ya
As a hint, the movie has a cold open in which a teen at another party, seemingly sulking in his room, suddenly stabs his own brother and then himself in front of the whole party. Obviously we have now revealed the destination and the movie will be how the main characters get back to this point.
The party-game boils down to a difficult conceit to swallow: A local punk-ass kid who is, ostensibly, cool (?), has been posting videos on social-media of people grasping this hadn't-statue thingy (see poster) and seemingly becoming possessed. Somehow this teenage wannabe-thug has obtained the most convincing supernatural object in human history and... uses it as a party trick. That is not the hard part to swallow as this is a Horror movie, but apparently everyone wants to do this. Like, people are lining up at his parties to take hold of this thing and become possessed by the dead. So, Mia, trying to fit in at a party where people are saying, out loud, "Why did you bring her" and such kindnesses, jumps at the chance to be first to try it.
Mia finds the experience euphoric and wants to do it again and again and then the part with her dead mother comes in. And things get worse from there. Sadly, this is also about the point where you realize this movie is not going to be fun and it's probably not going to end well (for the characters).


Leaving the plot there, I must pause to say my presentation sounds somewhat negative but actually this is a pretty good movie in spite of itself. Despite straining credibility throughout the story, the presentation is so solid, cinematography, acting, directing, music, editing, etc., that it's hard not to just go along with it.
The way I watch Horror movies and movies in general is that I try to match movies to my mood (and my allotted time-frame) so that I can try to maximize my enjoyment of a film. If I know I'm in the mood for something contemplative, I don't watch an Adam Sandler movie. And if I'm in the mood for a fun Horror movie, I don't watch Martyrs.
So, for people like me, for people who don't want to watch a movie they're really in the wrong mood for, I am going to tell you how this movie makes one feel, in spoiler tags:

Like I say, good movie, all the things done well. Caveat above.

Saw part 2 as a wee little kid, and it scared me a good deal. Trying to remember it now and thinking through people's general take that it's "pretty forgettable" I suspect it's probably not very good and have never revisited it.


Saw a little bit of 3 as a teen and it looked bad (but I wouldn't trust my teenage evaluation of horror sequels).
I never actually ended up watching it. It probably is bad, but my curiosity can't completely write it off because of the S&M themes. It's probably still bad.


/Not helpful response

Sounds like a difference of appreciation between (classic) atmosphere and the desire for modern tension and blood*.
Which bodes poorly for them liking Messiah of Evil (I think there's enough tension in there it at least has a shot, but I wouldn't have high hopes**). I haven't seen Spider Baby (from you lot talking about it in the past, sounds like it wouldn't be there thing). Sounds like they wouldn't like Let's Scare Jessica to Death.


*: Or something. Going off of that, "likes horror movies to be scary," line, extrapolating from my tepid responses to 70's giallos, and then still scratching my head a bit at anyone loving Hell House, LLC.
**: Fell asleep during Carnival of Souls? Oh boy.

Well, Hell House LLC has scary bits and is trying to take itself very seriously. I'll have more to say on that soon.
Yeah, I don't know what the hell they like because they loved Talk To Me but then apparently (I just texted them to find out) also gave very high marks to my choice, Tales From The Crypt: Demon Knight, which borders on farce.

My experience is horror fans (or any fans who too deeply subscribe to any one particular genre) are extraordinarily narrow minded in what they like. 9 times of out 10 if I'm speaking with someone who self identifies as a horror enthusiast, they might be great people otherwise, but they ****ing suck talking about horror movies with.


Just read horror movie reviews on any horror centric site. They are probably even worse than your generically shitty reviewers. Way too many of them, it seems, get stranded on their genre island (and usually just one strain of their particular genre) making them hugely ignorant regarding any other kind of filmmaking, which does the genre a disservice. Talking about horror exclusively through a lense of horror leads to a lack of appreciation of all different facets of the genre, whether it be the use or overuse of violence, or resistance towards elements of camp or experimental filmmaking, or how these films comment on the world, or how they operate simply as films.


I sometimes wonder if the respectability these movies always seem to have to fight for, is less to do with the films themselves, than how bad so many of the official ambassadors are at explaining why they are good films, regardless of their genre trappings.

Basically, if I recommend a horror movie and their first question is 'but is it scary', I've probably already started to walk away

I can't fathom Viy eliciting any response other than utter joy.

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I know, right?
I was shocked. Really, I couldn't believe it.
But they were like, "I can't believe you recommended this, are you sure we got the right movie?"

Once you stop underestimating just how terrible the taste of the average person is, nothing is perplexing about a person disliking an obviously great film.


I can't think of a single person I know I would recommend Viy to. Not that none would like it, only that I have no reason to assume any would.

Yeah, to me there's just a little sadness in this. I mean, it's inherent to the Human Condition (if you will) that we can never fully share ourselves with anyone. I mean, and be received.
I know that's why I'm here and have been on all these forums was the opportunity to share in this particular joy that we get from Film. And in this thread in particular to share in the joy we get from Horror. And at that point we're already down to a really, really small percentage of the population. And yet we haven't even started parsing sub-genres and decades and styles and all of that. How do you explain to someone how the way the blue lighting made you feel in that one scene and how it stuck with you?
And I'm not even selling THAT, I'm selling Viy and Vampyr and Carnival Of Souls and I Walked With A Zombie and Lemora and Messiah Of Evil and I can't find a living soul who'll buy it.

Oh, and it appears I have some crow to eat. Not a ton, not like a whole pie-full, but maybe like a Stouffer's TV-dinner dessert size crow muffin.
A movie I have maligned for decades turned out to at least not be as bad as numerous movies I have since championed. Film at 11.

That's part of why I don't do movie nights anymore. All too often, I find myself worried with whether or not the people I'm showing the film to are actually enjoying it or if it's just boring them to death. I greatly prefer to watch films by myself as I feel I'm able to get the most out of them that way. That said, I did stream Vampyr and The Old Dark House to a group of my friends in the past and the responses to both films were a lot more positive than I expected. I wasn't expecting for anyone to enjoy The Old Dark House, in particular (another of my friends wanted me to stream it). Still though, even when I have experiences like those, I still have too much anxiety when watching them.

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I'm disturbed that there are movies like Viy out there that I have never heard of before. As soon as I noticed that it had a potential for greatness for me, I stopped looking so I can experience it partially blind. I wonder how many other films are out there that will strike a chord with me. I like films that have the vibe of The Blair Witch Project, Picnic at Hanging Rock, Lake Mungo or Skinamarink. I'm also up for the likes of Martyrs, Audition and Hereditary. All really well known - but I really fall down when it comes to the more obscure great horror films that would have a psychological effect on me. I keep thinking there aren't that many out there - but I can see there are, and that they're just to deep within film culture to see from the surface. I watched August Underground last week, which I'd describe as a "shameful ordeal" - but if there are films like that out there, I generally have to see them.

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Oh man I loved Viy, and Vampyr is also a classic but I can see how they may not be for everyone. I really need to get around to seeing Lemora one of these days, from your posts about it, it seems right up my alley.

I did get TODH by this very group of miscreants but largely on the strength of Karloff... and the general complaint was "Not enough Karloff". But when is there ever?
Vampyr I thought they would love. You thought your friends wouldn't like it. We were both wrong. Such are the perils of this passion we share.

Lemora, to be warned, is almost an trial in what you can tolerate in low-budget 70s Horror filmmaking to also savour that sweet nectar that is low-budget 70s Horror filmmaking. My friend literally stood up and said, "This is one of the worst movies I have ever seen." We disagree but the man is not a complete toad.

In Search of Darkness: Part III. This finale in a trilogy of documentaries about horror movies from the 1980s dives into mostly lesser-known entries and tackles subjects like representation, home video, and nostalgia. I almost didn’t bother with this because I remember Part II doing a bit of a slog but I’m glad I ended up watching it because it’s great. The passion on display from the people who worked on these films and fans of horror working in adjacent industries is moving and infectious. I also got a few recommendations from the decade that I never heard of but now want to seek out. Oh and if you’re wondering why I didn’t watch more than one movie tonight like I usually do, it’s because this thing is ****ing five hours and forty one minutes long!

I might have punched the guy right there and then

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I think there is probably a limit to how many horror films anyone of us might find extraordinary, but I'm still always coming across things that are at least worth having the conversation about. Here is a handful of sometimes overlooked or obscure ones that I've watched (or rewatched) fairly recently that I think qualify as horror films which got under my skin, on different levels, in different ways. And this isn't even counting horror films which I've seen recently which I just thought were amusingly odd, or played with the form in interesting ways or are simply well made. There are a tonne out there.



Calvaire
Evil Dead Trap
Martin
Frightmare
The Brood
Eyes of Fire
Cat in the Brain
The Reflecting Skin
The Golden Glove
The Blackcoat's Daughter
Demon
Demons
Demons 2
Wake in Fright
Baskin
Creepy
Coherence (more Sci-Fi, but it plays with the same sense of dread you find in Body Snatchers)
Halley
Hour of the Wolf
Eye of the Devil
Invocation of My Demon Brother (just an experimental short, not a full movie)

Deranged
Last House on Dead End Street


As for also being a recent watched of August Underground, which was horrendous in most ways, I'm still weighing how much that shame of watching it plays into the way it horrifies. How much of my hatred of the film was based on my feelings that it 'shouldn't' have been made in the first place, and how much was actually based on me thinking it was a worthless bit of horror. Jury is still out (even if I will never stop hating it from the bottom of my soul)

The odds are not high that I would enjoy this and if the film(s) actively offend me in any way, I feel like that is exactly what the film maker wants, and I don't want to give some edgelord the satisfaction of having traumatized a "normie".

So while there is some part of me that's curious and I'm normally inclined to confront things before I dismiss them, this is one case where I'm comfortable leaving this at the absolute bottom of my watchlist.

Fade to Black -

This darkly funny horror movie plays out like Carrie for film buffs. The cinephile in question is Eric Binford (Christopher), a grown man who lives with his disapproving mother, works at a film warehouse and who makes high-stakes bets with his co-workers about film trivia like Rick's full name in Casablanca (it's too bad IMDB didn't exist yet, but I digress). In love with the classics the most, he falls for aspiring model Marilyn (Kerridge), who resembles that other Marilyn. After she stands him up, he takes his disappointment out on the many tormenters in his life, reenacting the grisliest moments from his favorite movies in the process. Meanwhile, there's a kinder, gentler and more thoughtful kind of police officer in town, Moriarty (Thomerson), who makes Eric his first assignment.

From Breaking Away to his guest roles on TV, I've enjoyed all of Dennis Christopher's work. His intensity and vibe that he could become unhinged at any moment are my favorite things about his work, which he puts to good use here. Each of Eric's revenge schemes made me laugh at one moment and sent chills down my spine the next. Also, from all the posters in Eric's room to his elaborate costumes like the Mummy and Richard Widmark in gangster mode to the expertly-timed movie clips, I felt thankful to be a movie lover in the process. As for the subplot, Falling Down may be a more fitting companion piece to this movie because like Duvall's subplot, it seems to belong in another movie for a long time. Regardless, I appreciate the hilarity that the kinder, sensitive cop is Thomerson's peak of early '80s masculinity; i.e., someone you would expect to be a bully on sight. Both plots eventually collide in a finale reminiscent of a movie that...let's just say also involves a bad guy in an unhealthy relationship with his mother.

Like those other movies I mentioned, this one also proves that tormenting outsiders is never a good idea. Is it the best movie like this? It's hard to say since there are so many of them, but it's one of the most unusual ones I've seen and I appreciate how it makes me want to check out more of them now that I realize how much potential for creativity the have. At the same time, it will be a while until I start browsing movie posters again.