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CharlesAoup's Avatar
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10-29-23
Second watch of Harbinger down.


Definitely not as good as I remembered. In my head, this was a bare bones script with good effects, but not quite. This is basically an Asylum script, and dialogue, with very passable directing. The effects are almost irrelevant, because the director insisted to make the camera vibrate almost every time effects appeared. From what we can see, the monsters are not terribly memorable or inspired. Like someone threw a grenade in a meat warehouse and glued it back together. Disappointing, all in all.



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10-29-23
I know I should be classy and watch Ghost Story or The House by the Cemetery for my 1981 film.

But I think I'm going with Hospital Massacre. I believe I've seen maybe 10 minutes of this film and my only impression is that the actress had breasts so big it made MY back hurt. (Maybe I'm thinking of a different film. Guess I'll find out in about a half hour!)

Now taking recommendations for the late 70s. Also, I'm trying to watch at least one film recommended by everyone who has been kind enough to be putting them out there. I was doing a good job of noting who had recommended what (so I know Torgo recommended Saloum and quite a few people recommended La Llorona, etc), but then stopped keeping track as well. Thank you for continuing to recommend films, even if I haven't gotten to one of yours yet!



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Fouke-a-delic
10-29-23



Once Upon a Midnight Scary (1979)


OK, this is going to appeal to a very limited demographic but I thought it was the cutest thing ever so here's a write up.
This is an hour-long G-rated made-for-tv (and kids) anthology of three classic ghost stories, interspersed with commentary by Vincent Price as some sort of library-dwelling vampire. Given the time constraints, the stories are whittled down to the bare bones. For example, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow has been reduced to just the scene on the bridge, but the stories are mostly played straight and would no doubt have given some kids the willies back in '79.






But the most endearing part is at the end of each story, when Price tells the audience: "What happened next? Did Alexander ever see the ghost again? Look for "The Ghost Belonged to Me by Richard Peck and read it for yourself." Which would have sent 8-year-old Captain Terror to the library at the next opportunity.

So yeah, I can only recommend this to folks with the patience for this sort of thing, and some fondness for 70s tv will definitely help, but this delivered on the Halloween vibes in a big way.
My only regret is that I didn't catch it when I was a kid.
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Fouke-a-delic
10-29-23
Originally Posted by Takoma11
But I think I'm going with Hospital Massacre. I believe I've seen maybe 10 minutes of this film and my only impression is that the actress had breasts so big it made MY back hurt. (Maybe I'm thinking of a different film. Guess I'll find out in about a half hour!)
I just found my write up from last year and I hope you do watch this one because I think your review will be entertaining.



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10-29-23
Originally Posted by Captain Terror
I thought it was fun-bad, to the point where it was almost good.
"Yo, Doctor Jacobs is dead!"
*choir starts chanting in Latin*

Yes, so far I'd say we're in fun-bad territory. I also like the protagonist sitting down to wait in a hospital hallway and lighting up a cigarette.



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10-29-23
Originally Posted by Takoma11
I know I should be classy and watch Ghost Story or The House by the Cemetery for my 1981 film.

Ghost Story is slow burn trash. I watched it for the first time in a few years last week and I really liked it, even though its two parts underwhelming mess, one part legitimately affecting geriatric horror. Exactly the kind of really works/doesn't work dynamic I always long for.



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10-29-23
Originally Posted by crumbsroom
Ghost Story is slow burn trash. I watched it for the first time in a few years last week and I really liked it, even though its two parts underwhelming mess, one part legitimately affecting geriatric horror. Exactly the kind of really works/doesn't work dynamic I always long for.
I don't feel like I've heard many opinions of it, despite a relatively high 6.1 score on IMDb.



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10-29-23
Originally Posted by Takoma11
I don't feel like I've heard many opinions of it, despite a relatively high 6.1 score on IMDb.

It was considered a real turkey at the time. Which probably had a lot to do with how much it changed details of the popular novel it was based on, and probably a little to do with some parts of it that just don't work but...I think it is due for a re-evaluation. It's not a classic by any means, but it has its moments.



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10-29-23
Originally Posted by crumbsroom
It was considered a real turkey at the time. Which probably had a lot to do with how much it changed details of the popular novel it was based on, and probably a little to do with some parts of it that just don't work but...I think it is due for a re-evaluation. It's not a classic by any means, but it has its moments.
Interesting.

I mean, it's too late, I'm 67 minutes into Hospital Massacre! But I'll keep it in mind next time I'm swinging through 1981.



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I forgot the opening line.
10-29-23
Originally Posted by Takoma11
I felt that its themes---and in particular the relationship between the mother and son---were woefully underdeveloped. It's the kind of film that from the get-go just lacks spark and you know that everything is going to be muddled tones and dour. It's a movie that held zero surprises for me, and the cat is probably the best symbol of that.
Okay. Hmm. We usually agree on most movies, so maybe I was reading way too much into everything with this one, and if I see it again one day I'll be saying to myself, "Oh, Takoma was right!" An interesting divergence - I'll put a mental question mark next to this one.
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Wooley's Avatar
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Victim of The Night
10-29-23
Originally Posted by Takoma11
I know I should be classy and watch Ghost Story or The House by the Cemetery for my 1981 film.

But I think I'm going with Hospital Massacre. I believe I've seen maybe 10 minutes of this film and my only impression is that the actress had breasts so big it made MY back hurt. (Maybe I'm thinking of a different film. Guess I'll find out in about a half hour!)

Now taking recommendations for the late 70s. Also, I'm trying to watch at least one film recommended by everyone who has been kind enough to be putting them out there. I was doing a good job of noting who had recommended what (so I know Torgo recommended Saloum and quite a few people recommended La Llorona, etc), but then stopped keeping track as well. Thank you for continuing to recommend films, even if I haven't gotten to one of yours yet!
If you haven't seen Ghost Story you should watch it regardless.



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10-29-23
Originally Posted by PHOENIX74
Okay. Hmm. We usually agree on most movies, so maybe I was reading way too much into everything with this one . . . An interesting divergence - I'll put a mental question mark next to this one.
Yeah, it's interesting. The film had gotten some really strong reviews, and my sister and I were really excited to go and see it in the theater. You could tell that the crowd was pretty jazzed as well.

At first I was into the film, at least on a visual level. I love the premise. I love the idea of this family where the "missing pieces" stand around and between the mother and son.

But then it just . . . didn't work for me. It started feeling lazy (the cat) and predictable (the torture, the "reveal").

There's something really powerful about the idea of someone, especially a child, thinking
WARNING: spoilers below
"You didn't process this thing the way I think you should have, therefore you are not really you"
.

I didn't hate the movie by any means, but it felt ultimately very hollow to me and like a major missed opportunity. By the end, the energy in the theater was really low, and there was no good buzz by the time the credits rolled.

and if I see it again one day I'll be saying to myself, "Oh, Takoma was right!"
Aw, heck. You don't have to wait for a rewatch, you can just say it now!



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I forgot the opening line.
10-29-23


THE DARK AND THE WICKED - (2020)

The Dark and the Wicked tries to sustain it's spooky, haunted atmosphere from the very get-go, non-stop start to finish, and provides a series of pay-offs that range from the very good to not so good. I don't know. Without much of a narrative, this feels like a very generic horror film - it's all frights, even though it has a solid theme. Louise (Marin Ireland) and Michael Straker (Michael Abbott Jr.) arrive at their parents' farm with their father on his deathbed. Mother Virginia (Julie Oliver-Touchstone) is acting strangely, and before long hangs herself in the goat shed, leaving brother and sister alone to find her diary, detailing the evil presence that has long since arrived, hungry for their father's soul. I really liked some of the scares here, and Bryan Bertino knows how to maintain an atmosphere of dread, fear and paranormal fright - but overall the film feels a little anemic and generic. It's not bad, but could go either way for those who watch it.

Discomfort : 6/10
Art : 6/10
Weird : 6/10
Fun : 7/10
Interesting : 4/10
Enjoyable : 7/10
Exciting : 6/10

Overall : 6/10



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Victim of The Night
10-29-23
Originally Posted by PHOENIX74


THE DARK AND THE WICKED - (2020)

The Dark and the Wicked tries to sustain it's spooky, haunted atmosphere from the very get-go, non-stop start to finish, and provides a series of pay-offs that range from the very good to not so good. I don't know. Without much of a narrative, this feels like a very generic horror film - it's all frights, even though it has a solid theme. Louise (Marin Ireland) and Michael Straker (Michael Abbott Jr.) arrive at their parents' farm with their father on his deathbed. Mother Virginia (Julie Oliver-Touchstone) is acting strangely, and before long hangs herself in the goat shed, leaving brother and sister alone to find her diary, detailing the evil presence that has long since arrived, hungry for their father's soul. I really liked some of the scares here, and Bryan Bertino knows how to maintain an atmosphere of dread, fear and paranormal fright - but overall the film feels a little anemic and generic. It's not bad, but could go either way for those who watch it.

Discomfort : 6/10
Art : 6/10
Weird : 6/10
Fun : 7/10
Interesting : 4/10
Enjoyable : 7/10
Exciting : 6/10

Overall : 6/10
I like this rating system you've got here.



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Victim of The Night
10-30-23

I assume I needn't give a plot-summary.
I took advantage of the opportunity to see this on the big-screen for the first time in my life. I expect this is around the 10th or so time I've seen it and guess what? It's still one of the best Horror movies ever made.
I mentioned that I took a Gen Zer with me, my friend Caroline who is 22, and I had a feeling that this was actually gonna be up her alley. She loved it, felt it was something we had to discuss at length afterward despite the late hour, and she was thrilled that she got to see it on the big screen.
Really, this was such a pleasure. I'll leave you with some choice words from The New York Times that I think says it perfectly.

“The peculiar strengths of “Chain Saw” have rarely been replicated because they are often misunderstood. Despite its unsubtle title, this is a formally exquisite art film, packed full of gorgeously nightmarish images, as poetic as they are deranged.”
Last edited by Wooley; 10-30-23 at 12:18 AM.

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