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

I got Sally.
I'm a runner, not a fighter.
Though, as I'm getting older, I'm not much of a runner anymore either.
I'm not surviving any horror movie.

Thoughts on Possession (1981)? I thought it was chaotic, crazy, terrifying, brutal, and best of all, pretty awesome. The critics in reviews I've read and I spotted similarities to The Brood, Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Eraserhead, but it's very much it's own entity. It's nice to see Sam Neill in a movie requiring more range from him since I've only seen him in blockbusters, but the movie wouldn't work without Isabelle Adjani's fearless and unhinged work, especially in that scene that I'm sad to hear has been memed (well, I guess it happens to everything eventually). I also love the wide-angled, swooping camerawork for how it accentuates those wide Berlin streets and the many variations on divides, whether it's the failing marriage, the Berlin wall, etc. I found Mad Love, the other Zulawski movie I've seen, impenetrable, but I glad I watched it first since it let me know what I was in for.

My takeaway from this movie that resonates the most is its Kind of fun fact: I blind bought the Possession/Shock DVD almost a decade ago and finally got around to watching both halves this year. Why'd I wait so long?

I watched it earlier this year and really enjoyed it as well. It's the kind of film I imagine will improve with rewatches.

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i like Possession a good bit but tbh of the 5 Zulawski films i've seen its probably my 4th favourite. wish i liked it more since its a trans girl staple.

october horror movie whatever day #3


In the Dark (Clifton Holmes, 2000?)

An unreleased SOV rarity based on the Richard Laymon novel. I don't know who Laymon is but its just interesting to see a book adaptation this low budget and I assume it being an adaptation is why it remains unreleased. Anyway this is like, really solid for what it is and if it was in a genre I was more into I'd probably be into it big time. It's one of those mystery films where the MC is being lead around by various clues left by a mysterious person, not really my thing typically but this isn't bad at all and there's some decently effective moments. Mostly just cool that it exists but its enjoyable enough in its own right for sure.

I’m a big fan, have a review in my thread and Letterboxd that I’m too lazy to link to at the moment.

I'm perfectly fine interpreting it as the emotional, chaotic turbulence one can go through during a bitter divorce, which the director was at the time of the filming.


It's my favorite Zulawski*, which might be a bit basic of me, and if I were to create a top ten list of horror movies, it'd be in there.
*: I've seen nine of his films now, fwiw. I think the next two I really like are On the Silver Globe and The Third Part of the Night (the latter, a recent watch). And then probably L'Amour Braque.


You say you watched the DVD. I heard the initial US release was heavily edited down to make it shorter. The DVD was probably before the big restorations that started about a decade ago, so I'm wondering how long was the version you saw?

I got Sarah from The Descent.

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I rated it 4 on Letterboxd, but I can see myself giving it a higher rating after thinking about it more and/or seeing it again.

Good to know that it's uphill from here. Where would you rank On the Silver Globe? That's the next one I want to see.

Found it!

123 minutes, which is the length of the original cut, so the 2003 Anchor Bay release that also has Shock is the one to look for if you want it on DVD. Other than that, in the U.S., it's only streaming on a service called Metrograph, which I know nothing about.

FYI - On the Silver Globe, The Devil, and The Third Part of the Night are all getting German blu-rays next year (but won't have English subtitles). I think someone I know found a link where you can stream the HD of On a Silver Globe, but I can't remember it (nor have used it).


Just saying, because I know the DVD I have didn't seem to be that great of a transfer, so I'm happy my first exposure was an HD screening at a repertoire theater.

In terms of Sam Neil's range, I know outside of this, I know him primarily for being in this and In the Mouth of Madness, but he was also in The Piano, which was fairly well acclaimed.

As far as Possession releases go, I have the blu-ray from Mondo Vision, not sure if that’s out of print. I think an Australian label did a release a year or two so that includes both cuts (original and American), so that might be the way to go if you have a region free player.

Sam Neill is good in Sleeping Dogs, My Brilliant Career and A Cry in the Dark.

crazy that his big movies are so hard to find while Mad Love has a region 1 4k lmao

I'm a Sidney, ya'll. And how did they get an actual picture of my house, LOL?

It's top 5 horror for me. I've seen it on the big screen twice. It gets better every time I watch it.

It works on multiple allegorical levels, but also surprisingly well as a "literal" story. The last 10 minutes are something else.

I also liked him a lot in Sirens.

*Internet fist-bumps Other Sidney.

Oh you just gave me an idea for my October Horror Watch. Thank You!

Held. Like The Rental from last night this is about affluent white people renting a house in the middle of nowhere and their relationship issues come to light, more by-the-numbers than The Rental and overall kind of dull, but there’s a reveal that I enjoyed over halfway through and wish it expanded more on that.

No Escape Room. Not to be confused with Escape Room. This is a made for TV horror and it shows. Lots of wandering around a spooky house calling people’s names. Not much here.

A Classic Horror Story. This Italian movie definitely has its inspirations and doesn’t reinvent the wheel but it mostly works and is brutal fun. I thought this was going to be the shining star for the evening but then I watched...

I Came By. This British mystery thriller went in some directions I wasn’t expecting but made it all feel natural and make sense. Kelly Macdonald is the only name I recognize and it’s weird she’s buried so deep into the credits because she’s kind of the main character. Overall though this was excellent.