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Victim of The Night
PS- I remember what I didn't like about Hellbound:

WARNING: "spoiler" spoilers below
I didn't like the whole Leviathan thing. It felt like that either needed to be more developed or it needed to be cut. It landed kind of in the middle and so it seemed kinda like nonsense.

But ultimately that's kind of a nit to pick in a movie with so much awesome.




This is only one of many ways that the specter of Ed Gein has come to bleed over so much of popular culture in the years since his grave robbing, cannibalistic, cadaver carpentry ways. In Hollywood he has been reborn as both Norman Bates and Buffalo Bill.

Speaking of Gein, we watched Psycho at the drive-in last night. Its structure is fascinating, building up Marion as a desperate person first falling into a trap of her own making, then undone by one she could never see coming. The work of the first half of the film and her connections to her sister and boyfriend ensure her presence remains felt. If there's a weak point, it's just that I'm never entirely satsfied by
WARNING: "Mild spoilers of the conclusion" spoilers below
the psychiatrist horning in at the end to give the whole Bates backstory. It always feels very explainy to me. On the other hand, the penultimate final shot of Bates breaking the fourth wall by staring at us is gloriously creepy.


The drive-in itself was great. I'm pretty sure the first one I've ever been to (we had drive-ins in Dallas when I was a kid, but we had a dollar theater nearby so that was our go-to for movies).




This is so good. So good.
Correct!

It's a very different film from the original (which I also like). It is both good and at the same time over-the-top. I think it walks that line in a great way.

PS- I remember what I didn't like about Hellbound:

WARNING: "spoiler" spoilers below
I didn't like the whole Leviathan thing. It felt like that either needed to be more developed or it needed to be cut. It landed kind of in the middle and so it seemed kinda like nonsense.

But ultimately that's kind of a nit to pick in a movie with so much awesome.
I think that the film
WARNING: spoilers below
needed to introduce a "higher power" in hell so that you can understand how the Cenobites and the Doctor/Julia would be on different sides. I agree that it's underdeveloped, but they don't really linger on it too much.


This is easily the horror movie I've watched the most. Years ago I would just put it on in the background while I cooked or did puzzles or whatever.



I suppose Hellraiser and Hellbound are about equal in quality. Which is better, and how much, changes every time I rewatch them (last time I liked Hellbound more). I wouldn't count either as a major favorite, but they hover somewhere on the fine line between OK and good.
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Theater of Blood -


This movie is as audacious as it is hilarious. In a role that is as much of a gift to a performer as it would be to let Tom Hanks play a history professor specializing in NASA and World War II, Vincent Price plays Edward Lionheart, a presumed dead Shakespeare actor who comes out of hiding to vanquish critics who denied him a best actor trophy. Like Price's best roles, it's one that lets him be devilish and charismatic in equal measure and that allows for maximum scenery chewing. Even so, like the best villain and antihero roles, the movie also makes him sympathetic. The '70s were no friend to the UK's economy, so it was inspired to make the audience root for Lionheart by making him seem like one of its victims. His allies consist of London's destitute and homeless while his prey plot and scheme in an ostentatious penthouse and behave like the kind of upper class twits Monty Python lampooned. They include British character performers like Ian Hendry and Robert Morley who are just as much of a joy to watch as Price, and on top of that, Diana Rigg is along for the ride as Lionheart's daughter. The movie is also a feast for the eyes thanks to the grandiose camerawork of Wolfgang Suschitzky - father of also-great cinematographer Peter Suschitzky - and for its use of real London locations instead of sets. The movie has twists and turns here and there, and while they are good, do not expect anything more complex from the plot beyond my description. Still, as soon as the rational part of my brain said "I guess I'm in for another murder scene," the movie surprised me by how elaborate and funny it makes each one. Not to mention, if you're a Shakespeare buff, you'll enjoy them even more for the references they contain. Like I said, Edward Lionheart is as much of a gift of a role to any one performer you could imagine. Regardless, as this fan attests, the movie is just as much as a present to those who love Price's work.



Things I Love About Hellbound: Hellraiser 2

1. The quick transition from the former story to the current one. It literally picks up with Kirsty in the hospital and recaps the needed information very efficiently.

2. The way that it not only discards her useless boyfriend, but also quickly
WARNING: spoilers below
disposes of the bland (if well meaning) Kyle in favor of the more interesting fellow inmate as a sidekick. Also, I kind of love that Kyle gets killed because he assumes Julia is a victim.


3. It expands on the "rules" of the universe, and allows for differentiation in how the villains see their own role. The point of the Cenobites is not to randomly hack and slash (which is what they were sort of reduced to at the end of the first film)--but rather to take those who intentionally engage with the puzzle box. You see this when Pinhead calls them off from attacking the young woman because she was only the "hands" being used to solve the box.

4. I liked getting some background for the Cenobites.

5. I enjoyed the mix of practical effects and "painterly" look of the Hellscape.

6. The multiple antagonists and how they play off of each other Kirsty vs Frank. Julia vs Frank. Kirsty vs the Cenobites. The Cenobites vs the Doctor. Kirsty vs Julia. It's a more complex mix of characters without feeling overstuffed.

7. A satisfying overall arc. The ending might be kind of bonkers (and filled with puns) but you can understand the whole thing and both the character arcs and overall plot wrap up nicely.



Victim of The Night

'Crammers know this one well, a fun little romp from James Whale with Boris Karloff, Charles Laughton, and Raymond Massey.
Some people, lost in a storm, seek shelter at... well, an Old Dark House. The family that lives there may just be odd or they could be deadly and we'll while away the 72 minutes discovering which and how.
Laughton really shines as always but really everyone in this little ensemble piece carries their load as snappy dialogue with snappy delivery carries a pretty slight little story that does have a surprise or two.
Karloff is probably under-used and I actually remembered there being a little more real danger but, whatever, it's a fun little movie.



Victim of The Night
Theater of Blood -


This movie is as audacious as it is hilarious. In a role that is as much of a gift to a performer as it would be to let Tom Hanks play a history professor specializing in NASA and World War II, Vincent Price plays Edward Lionheart, a presumed dead Shakespeare actor who comes out of hiding to vanquish critics who denied him a best actor trophy. Like Price's best roles, it's one that lets him be devilish and charismatic in equal measure and that allows for maximum scenery chewing. Even so, like the best villain and antihero roles, the movie also makes him sympathetic. The '70s were no friend to the UK's economy, so it was inspired to make the audience root for Lionheart by making him seem like one of its victims. His allies consist of London's destitute and homeless while his prey plot and scheme in an ostentatious penthouse and behave like the kind of upper class twits Monty Python lampooned. They include British character performers like Ian Hendry and Robert Morley who are just as much of a joy to watch as Price, and on top of that, Diana Rigg is along for the ride as Lionheart's daughter. The movie is also a feast for the eyes thanks to the grandiose camerawork of Wolfgang Suschitzky - father of also-great cinematographer Peter Suschitzky - and for its use of real London locations instead of sets. The movie has twists and turns here and there, and while they are good, do not expect anything more complex from the plot beyond my description. Still, as soon as the rational part of my brain said "I guess I'm in for another murder scene," the movie surprised me by how elaborate and funny it makes each one. Not to mention, if you're a Shakespeare buff, you'll enjoy them even more for the references they contain. Like I said, Edward Lionheart is as much of a gift of a role to any one performer you could imagine. Regardless, as this fan attests, the movie is just as much as a present to those who love Price's work.

Thanks for the rec, Thief!
I haven't see this one in years, despite it sitting in my queue for nearly a decade. I gotta get this one in.



Victim of The Night
Things I Love About Hellbound: Hellraiser 2

1. The quick transition from the former story to the current one. It literally picks up with Kirsty in the hospital and recaps the needed information very efficiently.

2. The way that it not only discards her useless boyfriend, but also quickly
WARNING: spoilers below
disposes of the bland (if well meaning) Kyle in favor of the more interesting fellow inmate as a sidekick. Also, I kind of love that Kyle gets killed because he assumes Julia is a victim.


3. It expands on the "rules" of the universe, and allows for differentiation in how the villains see their own role. The point of the Cenobites is not to randomly hack and slash (which is what they were sort of reduced to at the end of the first film)--but rather to take those who intentionally engage with the puzzle box. You see this when Pinhead calls them off from attacking the young woman because she was only the "hands" being used to solve the box.

4. I liked getting some background for the Cenobites.

5. I enjoyed the mix of practical effects and "painterly" look of the Hellscape.

6. The multiple antagonists and how they play off of each other Kirsty vs Frank. Julia vs Frank. Kirsty vs the Cenobites. The Cenobites vs the Doctor. Kirsty vs Julia. It's a more complex mix of characters without feeling overstuffed.

7. A satisfying overall arc. The ending might be kind of bonkers (and filled with puns) but you can understand the whole thing and both the character arcs and overall plot wrap up nicely.
I agree with all of that.
We all especially enjoyed
WARNING: "spoiler" spoilers below
what happened with Kyle. Taking out a male hero to "save" Kirsty fairly early and totally unexpectedly was a nice touch and, as you say, because he foolishly sees Julia as a victim.

Definitely agree with and liked point 3.
Loved seeing
WARNING: "spoiler" spoilers below
the real faces of the Cenobites when they died. And the moment that Bradley smiles at Kirsty.

And, yes, all the games that were going on in this movie between all the different little factions and nobody really being on anybody's side but their own except for the two girls.



The Mummy - According to IMDb Hammer studios released 58 horror films and I can account for having seen 28 or 29. There are some that sound familiar but I'm not 100% certain of actually having watched them. Cross this one off the list. It's a 1959 remake starring Peter Cushing as archaeologist John Banning and Christopher Lee as the titular character (and also an unwrapped Kharis in a prolonged flashback). The Mummy character has never been one of my favorites as far as Universal monsters go and I never got into the 1932 original with Karloff but director Terence Fisher keeps it interesting enough. And Cushing and Lee can make just about anything better by their presence alone. 80/100



Victim of The Night
...If there's a weak point, it's just that I'm never entirely satsfied by
WARNING: "Mild spoilers of the conclusion" spoilers below
the psychiatrist horning in at the end to give the whole Bates backstory. It always feels very explainy to me. On the other hand, the penultimate final shot of Bates breaking the fourth wall by staring at us is gloriously creepy.
Agreed.



Victim of The Night
The Mummy - According to IMDb Hammer studios released 58 horror films and I can account for having seen 28 or 29. There are some that sound familiar but I'm not 100% certain of actually having watched them. Cross this one off the list. It's a 1959 remake starring Peter Cushing as archaeologist John Banning and Christopher Lee as the titular character (and also an unwrapped Kharis in a prolonged flashback). The Mummy character has never been one of my favorites as far as Universal monsters go and I never got into the 1932 original with Karloff but director Terence Fisher keeps it interesting enough. And Cushing and Lee can make just about anything better by their presence alone. 80/100
Yeah, as much as I love Karloff and Universal Horror, and as much of a Mummy fan as I am (at one point I believe I was able to boast that I had seen every theatrically-released, English-language Mummy movie ever made), if I'm gonna watch The Mummy, it's gonna be Hammer's version.



Sorry I misread it - would be very keen to read a short (or long!) version of the anti-Hereditary rant and discuss, as long as no one minds!
Sure; I'll just spoiler it below just in case I go into any plot details, as well as just if any former Corrie-er is sick of seeing me gripe about it:
WARNING: "Hermehditary" spoilers below
Basically, I didn't think it was a straight-up BAD movie or anything, just an extremely disappointing one in comparison to my expectations. There were good aspects, of course; the creepy cinematography and lovingly detailed production design were all quite good on their own, it's just in the overall tone and execution that the film struggled, as it from a slightly problematic but still relatively promising first half, to an endless parade of tiresome Horror cliches (demonic cults, ghostly possessions, gratuitous nightmare fake-outs, etc.), mostly executed in as tediously an over-the-top manner as possible, one-right-after-another with almost no sense of pacing or restraint, as if Ari Aster hoped that all the vaguely demon-themed crap he was throwing at the wall and us would somehow end up coalescing into a cohesive film (they didn't), and it ended up feeling like a series of arbitrary Horror setpieces strung along with the connective tissue between them being a complete afterthought, which Aster basically did admit was the case: https://film.avclub.com/director-ari-aster-tells-you-everything-we-cant-about-h-1826651443 The execution of a lot of it just felt downright sloppy to me, with supernatural "rules" that changed at random depending on the screenwriter's mood, contradictory/inconsistent characterizations, lots of moments that made little sense, an awkward mishmashing of Supernatural Horror and family Drama, and a blatant misuse of a great actress in Toni Collete's performance, who was forced to go so over the top so much of the time with her Jim Carrey-level facial contortions, that not even she could keep them from becoming unintentionally comedic in the end. So, no offence, but the scariest thing about it for me is the fact that anyone thinks it's a good movie, let alone a great one.



Also, MKS just Tweeted at me to see if I could share this link to a trailer for this local TV show that he just directed an episode of, so here it is if anyone's interested:





Also, MKS just Tweeted at me to see if I could share this link to a trailer for this local TV show that he just directed an episode of, so here it is if anyone's interested:


Ooh, ask MKS to join this forum!
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Ooh, ask MKS to join this forum!
I already did; he said that he would probably take a break from forums for a bit, and then show up here later.



Also, MKS just Tweeted at me to see if I could share this link to a trailer for this local TV show that he just directed an episode of, so here it is if anyone's interested:


Looks like the actress from his other works. Cool!