I give
Cabin in the Woods points for creativity, but I didn't enjoy the movie very much. Too meta for its own good. I could practically hear the writers clapping themselves on the back with every subverted trope, which gave the movie a certain smugness that I found off-putting. After recently watching and loving the director's
Bad Times at the El Royale, I'm curious to go back and give
Cabin in the Woods another shot.
Re-visited
Gremlins not too long ago. I hadn't seen it since I was probably eight years old or younger. I was surprised by how well I remembered most of it. Even though I don't love it, I have no problem with it making the countdown. As I said during the eligibility controversy,
Gremlins is essentially horror for kids. At least
The New Batch didn't make the countdown. I watched that earlier this year and thought it was absolute butt cheeks. If Joe Dante's intention was to kill the franchise by making the sequel as shrill and grating as possible, he certainly succeeded.
I knew that
Event Horizon was a popular guilty pleasure, but I'm still shocked and disappointed to see it place this high. I love the premise, but the execution is extremely lacking. I've wanted to see
Martyrs for a long time now, but it's never been available to me through my normal viewing methods. I'm a fan of other New French Extreme movies, and everything I've seen and heard about
Martyrs makes me think I'll love it.
I think
Bram Stoker's Dracula sucks more than just blood. I generally like Keanu Reeves, but this movie feels like Exhibit A for all the people who sh*t on his acting ability. Winona Ryder is my all-time biggest celebrity crush, but she feels miscast as well. I guess if you're really into makeup, costume design and Gary Oldman overacting, this is the movie for you. The adjectives that people typically use to describe the movie -- "lush," "sensual," "theatrical," etc. -- are basically the antonyms for my preferred type of horror, so clearly the movie isn't for me.
I go back and forth between
Nosferatu (1922) and
Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) as to which is the greatest vampire movie ever made. It's basically 1A and 1B. I decided to vote for the silent version, but Herzog's remake is equally impressive. Herzog brings his sense of extraordinary realism to the horror genre, making the fantastical seem frighteningly plausible. The atmosphere and all-encompassing dread are nearly unparalleled. Kinski gives an incredibly haunting performance. Herzog pays homage to the original by recreating certain shots, but also makes the film completely his own. Pure cinematic poetry. If only all horror films were made with such staggering skill.