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

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The Housemaid - Korean thriller that was recommended to me. Not to be confused with The Handmaiden. This one is from 2011. A film by the same name, but Vietnamese from 2016, is also available and is more explicitly horror. I may watch both.
Haven't seen this version, but if you can get the 1960 original, that comes highly recommended, from Martin Scorsese and myself.

Personal Shopper - I've been wanting to watch this, but I had no idea that it apparently involves a "sinister spirit", making it supernatural enough to qualify.

I liked this a lot (and more proof that Stewart was the only worthwhile thing in Cloud of Sils Maria), but it's not spooky enough to prioritize during the month. Still, bonus points for being one of the few movies I've seen that can wring tension out of characters looking at phone screens.


The Velvet Vampire - Did Rock write this one up recently?

That would be extremely on brand, but alas, I've yet to see any Rothman. I remember somebody on RT being a big fan of The Student Nurses.


Shiver of the Vampires/Grapes of Death - Another couple of Rollin's I need to see.
I'd prioritize Grapes of Death. I thought Shivers was good, but it blended together with a few other Rollins. Grapes felt more distinct, and featured the great Brigitte Lahaie for extra credit.

I haven't watched any of the many Jess Franco's on Kino Cult, and I'm not sure if I'll get to them or not.

If you haven't seen it, A Virgin Among the Living Dead is well worth your time. I was considering giving Female Vampire a rewatch, but alas, I'm in the home stretch and focusing on revisiting old favourites so will leave it for now.



Haven’t done a lot of rewatches this October but tonight I wanted to watch something that didn’t suck. So I did Frailty. It’s still a damn fine film, maybe a little over dramatic in moments. I miss Bill Paxton. Watching him play sleaze balls and cowards in our favorite action movies never gets old but he could do serious and realistic really well too. And he’s a decent director on top of it.



Vampires vs. the Bronx -


"Leave the Bronx!" Sorry, wrong movie. Still, it's what the bloodsucking villains want its residents to do in this amusing Netflix horror comedy. Not far off from being In the Heights with vampires instead of songs, it's bound to satisfy your "kids on bikes" craving until the next season of Stranger Things arrives.

My favorite kid on a bike is Gregory Diaz IV's Luis, who also happens to be in In the Heights and not just because he's also a heavy metal-loving bookworm. Reliable character actress Sarah Gadon is another welcome presence as Vivian, the kind of newcomer to the borough who gives natives anxiety, and speaking of Bronx natives, it's also nice to see Mero of Desus and Mero in a small role as a bodega manager. If you're guessing vampirism is a metaphor for something, you're right. The movie's none too obvious about it being gentrification, and that it makes a point of showing that the vampires turn the mom-and-pop businesses they empty into soulless, corporate coffee shops, pan-Asian restaurants, etc. is a nice touch.

Despite this commentary, the strong performances, some decent scares, and its respectful treatment of the vampire mythos, I found the movie to just be pretty good overall. It has the same issues I have with the typical Netflix movie in that it's simply content to be safe and good, but not too good, all the while attempting to whet the viewer's appetite for additional content. I also found its portrayal of local gang members to be so stereotypical that I felt embarrassed for the actors who played them. I still think it's a good choice for vampire story lovers and/or ones who aren't horror aficionados, but whose friends or partner are. Those whose hometowns are also gradually experiencing unwanted identity changes are even more likely to enjoy it.



I don't mean to butt in, but how do you guys feel about a Hellraiser reboot where Jamie Clayton is Pinhead? And if this has already been talked about, my apologies.

I'm a big fan of David Bruckner, but I honestly think this idea is beyond bad.

Also, happy Halloween!



I don't mean to butt in, but how do you guys feel about a Hellraiser reboot where Jamie Clayton is Pinhead? And if this has already been talked about, my apologies.

I'm a big fan of David Bruckner, but I honestly think this idea is beyond bad.

Also, happy Halloween!
Hellraiser: Revelations has set the Hellraiser bar SO LOW, that nothing could be worse. If someone wants to take a fresh stab at the material, go for it. I feel like ever since the second film, all of the Hellraiser movies have wavered between "that wasn't so bad" and "dear lord why?". Half of them have been unrelated horror scripts retrofitted to be part of the Hellraiser universe.

If this is actually being conceived as its own film from beginning to end, I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.



Hellraiser: Revelations has set the Hellraiser bar SO LOW, that nothing could be worse. If someone wants to take a fresh stab at the material, go for it. I feel like ever since the second film, all of the Hellraiser movies have wavered between "that wasn't so bad" and "dear lord why?". Half of them have been unrelated horror scripts retrofitted to be part of the Hellraiser universe.

If this is actually being conceived as its own film from beginning to end, I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.
Agreeing with this, though I’d say Scott Derrickson’s “Twin Peaks meets Angel Heart” entry, Hellraiser Inferno, is probably my favorite entry in the franchise overall. I’m not much of a fan to begin with though.

Bloodlines and Revelation are astoundingly bad. Can’t recall if I ever bothered with Hellworld.



Agreeing with this, though I’d say Scott Derrickson’s “Twin Peaks meets Angel Heart” entry, Hellraiser Inferno, is probably my favorite entry in the franchise overall. I’m not much of a fan to begin with though.

Bloodlines and Revelation are astoundingly bad. Can’t recall if I ever bothered with Hellworld.
I will defend the original film, the second film, and Hellraiser: Deader, which is one of those horror scripts that was "modified" to be in the Hellraiser universe, but it has some really interesting sequences even if it's kind of a mess. IMDb says I haven't seen Inferno, so I'll check it out at some point. I will give some reluctant props to Hellraiser: Judgement for containing a sequence that made me feel physically sick.

I do genuinely think that the second film is brilliant, and I've probably watched it more than any other horror film (ironically, I used to put the VHS on while I was doing puzzles).

I also listened to the audiobook of the most recent book in the series (I'm not even joking when I say that Pinhead vs Satan was a key plot point), and that was decent.



I will defend the original film, the second film, and Hellraiser: Deader, which is one of those horror scripts that was "modified" to be in the Hellraiser universe, but it has some really interesting sequences even if it's kind of a mess. IMDb says I haven't seen Inferno, so I'll check it out at some point. I will give some reluctant props to Hellraiser: Judgement for containing a sequence that made me feel physically sick.

I do genuinely think that the second film is brilliant, and I've probably watched it more than any other horror film (ironically, I used to put the VHS on while I was doing puzzles).

I also listened to the audiobook of the most recent book in the series (I'm not even joking when I say that Pinhead vs Satan was a key plot point), and that was decent.
The Scarlet Gospels? I remember enjoying that, although I was baffled by the part where Barker brings up a monster's flailing genitals and then NEVER MENTIONS THEM AGAIN!


You can't leave the reader hanging like that.*



Also I have no problems with the casting, mostly because I've only seen the first two movies.


Now who's playing Butterball, that's the most important question.



The Scarlet Gospels? I remember enjoying that, although I was baffled by the part where Barker brings up a monster's flailing genitals and then NEVER MENTIONS THEM AGAIN!


You can't leave the reader hanging like that.*
Yes! The Scarlet Gospels! I share an audiobook account with my sister and she was like, "Um, what the hell is this book?!" I don't think she made it past that first sequence where Pinhead torments that group of academics (?) and the older woman gets spontaneously pregnant and starts lactating and gives birth to a monster or something.

Now who's playing Butterball, that's the most important question.
OG Butterball Simon Bamford is still kicking around, just sayin'.



Finally, I'm done with Don't Go in the Woods. Don't watch this film would be my warning.

Four campers decide to spend a couple of days in the woods. The same woods occupied by a mountain man that is a bad cross between a homeless guy during Mardi Gras and Rupert from Survivor. Other people wander into the woods to allow the killer to rack up a body count. Including one ornithologist whose cluelessness allows for the biggest laugh.

The score is bad, the audio issues are so bad you'll swear this was an Italian film shooting in the US, the stupidity of the characters are so bad that it's practically off the charts, and the filming is amateur hour. And that's before there's a rough shift in tone in the final third of the film. Oh, and they play one wheelchair bound character's struggles to climb a mountain as comedy fodder.

At least the kills you see on screen are fairly brutal and the fake blood is copiously applied. And I guess none of the four campers annoyed me enough to make me root for their deaths?

It's not so bad that it's good. It's just bad enough to make you realize you wasted your time.



The last couple Halloweens I asked myself if I really wanted to watch Cabin in the Woods again, since I’ve seen it so many times. Then I put it on and am enraptured all over. This year is no different.


I also watched Waxwork, starring Zach Galigan. College kids go to a Waxwork. This was...good?! It’s got a goofy fun energy to it. There’s some solid creature and set designs and gore. Surprised this doesn’t get mentioned more when bringing up horror comedies or hidden gems of the ‘80s.



Victim of The Night
So two of my favorite movies from this year's Horrorthon were Lemora: A Child's Tale Of The Supernatural and Messiah Of Evil. And I felt like these movies lived in the same ethos of low-budget, nihilistic, dream-like/nightmarish, dread-based Horror.
I want more.
Anybody who knows these films have any recs of similar things that might have flown under my radar?



Victim of The Night
The last couple Halloweens I asked myself if I really wanted to watch Cabin in the Woods again, since I’ve seen it so many times. Then I put it on and am enraptured all over. This year is no different.
I had the same experience.



The Mummy (1959) -


This is another reliably strong Hammer production featuring legends Peter Cushing as a British archaeologist and Christopher Lee as a mummy who is intent on killing him and his team. Like he also does in Dracula: Prince of Darkness, Lee, thanks to his incomparable eyes and screen presence, proves that he doesn't need words to give a terrifying performance. Equally hard to forget is George Pastell as Mehmehet, an Egyptian man who commands the mummy to punish the archaeologists and who is utterly convincing that he holds his country's history and religion much more sacred than the British do. I also really like the production design, especially of the mummy's tomb and in the flashbacks to when he was alive, as well as the musical score, which rivals those of bigger budget studios of its era. There's that important question, however: is it scary? Definitely: Lee portrays the mummy as an unstoppable force that even the door of a bank vault would be no match for. My main criticism of the movie, though, is that there aren't enough scares. It seems like there is more talk than action, i.e., setup than payoff. While it's all necessary, it's as if the movie a bit too concerned with laying the groundwork for sequels. It still delivered on my expectations, whet my appetite for these sequels and its condemnation of the worst aspects of British colonialism resonated with me, for what it's worth. Oh, and not to spoil it too much, but if you're also a fan of Hammer movies' hilariously abrupt endings, you won't be let down.



Steve Buscemi dressing up as Steve Buscemi for Halloween is gold.



So two of my favorite movies from this year's Horrorthon were Lemora: A Child's Tale Of The Supernatural and Messiah Of Evil. And I felt like these movies lived in the same ethos of low-budget, nihilistic, dream-like/nightmarish, dread-based Horror.
I want more.
Anybody who knows these films have any recs of similar things that might have flown under my radar?
Have you seen The Child? I wasn't a huge fan personally, but it has some of the same lo fi feeling and atmosphere by omission.



The Mummy (1959) -


This is another reliably strong Hammer production featuring legends Peter Cushing as a British archaeologist and Christopher Lee as a mummy who is intent on killing him and his team. Like he also does in Dracula: Prince of Darkness, Lee, thanks to his incomparable eyes and screen presence, proves that he doesn't need words to give a terrifying performance. Equally hard to forget is George Pastell as Mehmehet, an Egyptian man who commands the mummy to punish the archaeologists and who is utterly convincing that he holds his country's history and religion much more sacred than the British do. I also really like the production design, especially of the mummy's tomb and in the flashbacks to when he was alive, as well as the musical score, which rivals those of bigger budget studios of its era. There's that important question, however: is it scary? Definitely: Lee portrays the mummy as an unstoppable force that even the door of a bank vault would be no match for. My main criticism of the movie, though, is that there aren't enough scares. It seems like there is more talk than action, i.e., setup than payoff. While it's all necessary, it's as if the movie a bit too concerned with laying the groundwork for sequels. It still delivered on my expectations, whet my appetite for these sequels and its condemnation of the worst aspects of British colonialism resonated with me, for what it's worth. Oh, and not to spoil it too much, but if you're also a fan of Hammer movies' hilariously abrupt endings, you won't be let down.
Superior to the Universal Mummy in virtually every way. The Mummy himself may not look as good as the opening scene of the older film, but at least he stays a Mummy presence throughout.

Draws more parallels from the Kharis Mummy films and is all the better for it (as I also prefer the Universal sequels to the original).

The Mummy’s Shroud is probably the best at having an unstoppable Mummy presence. That one is halfway between the Terminator and Michael Myers.