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

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I wasn’t even annoyed (I could barely hear the baby). I’m just laughing at the idea of taking a baby to see a Fulci movie.
When the kid is old enough to talk and insists on wearing safety goggles 24/7, the parents are going to wonder why.
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I wasn’t even annoyed (I could barely hear the baby). I’m just laughing at the idea of taking a baby to see a Fulci movie.

I still disapprove of any baby who wasn't fully engaged with Fulci. Even during the boring parts.


#lousybaby


Is the Kingsway the one in Roncesvalles?



I still disapprove of any baby who wasn't fully engaged with Fulci. Even during the boring parts.


#lousybaby


Is the Kingsway the one in Roncesvalles?
I think that’s the Revue. (Sorry, I don’t know the west end that well, I’m usually in the east end or downtown.) Kingsway is right beside Royal York station.



I think that’s the Revue. (Sorry, I don’t know the west end that well, I’m usually in the east end or downtown.) Kingsway is right beside Royal York station.

That's really west. No I've never been there



I found stuff to like in every episode of The Cabinet of Curiosities, even though none of them blew me away. They’re still worth watching though. Here’s what I thought:

1. Lot 36

I liked the main character being a desperate lowlife. Unfortunately, his comeuppance was not satisfying. I guess that one character waited for hours in the pouring rain for that moment.

2. Graveyard Rats

Another story about a degenerate, but this one done right. This guy gets stuck between Scylla and Charybdis, so to speak. The ending wasn't bad, but I agree with MKS that it could have used a little tweaking. My ending would be:

WARNING: spoilers below
The rats finish crawling out of the corpse's mouth. The grave robbers grab the necklace, he sits up and yells "Mine!"


3. The Autopsy

This is probably the best episode. It's a fully-realized story that doesn't feel like a basic idea stretched to an hour (which is what a lot of modern TV is). It also has good characters and disgusting creature effects. I thought it was cute how F. Murray Abraham kept apologizing to the corpses.

4. The Outside

I enjoyed the Fargo-esque main character and her husband's relationship, but the plot is trite and has been done better.

5. Pickman's Model

WARNING: spoilers below


No, not that.


Anyway, this is a solid Lovecraftian episode about paintings that can drive people mad. It has a good payoff and a fittingly bizarre performance by Crispin Glover.

6. Dreams in the Witch House

Apparently, this is another Lovecraftian adaptation, although not a very faithful one from what I read. I was into it in the first half and then it became overly complicated.

7. The Viewing

Like Mandy, Panos Cosmatos' The Viewing begins arty and surreal and eventually turns into a b-movie. I surprisingly really liked this episode. Peter Weller is great as the charismatic host who wins over his skeptical guests. It was funny to me that his team of scientists spent tons of time and money inspecting his mysterious object, only for a simple mistake to reveal its true nature.

8. The Murmuring

A well-acted episode, but it's a prime example of arthouse horror. It's slow, didactic, and the hauntings are just the result of a traumatic experience. Meh.



Hellraiser 2022 is fine, but not as interesting as the original. There are good ideas, but it could have done with much less talking. I get that the lore has to be established for that kind of scenario, but my gosh. The introduction of the configuration, for example, was much more interesting in the first movie than in this one.


It's odd too because the movie has a lot of very worked-on visuals, but people speak so much in places where things would do better just being shown.



it could have done with much less talking.

If that's all it takes to be a cenobite, I suppose I could join up and drop walls of text on unsuspecting victims.





The Autopsy (Cabinet of Curiosities, Episode 3), 2022

A medical examiner named Carl (F. Murray Abraham) is called in by his friend, the local sheriff Nate (Glynn Turman). It seems that a crew of miners were killed when a man named Joe Allen (Luke Roberts) leapt down into the mineshaft with a strange device. The incident in the mine is just the latest strange occurrence, and as Carl begins to examine the bodies of the dead miners, he discovers that there is something very odd afoot.

This was a really solid episode, from start to finish. In particular, it nails the last act and offers up some pretty unsettling imagery along the way.

The MVP of it all is Abraham (in his 80s and looking great!) as Carl. From his conversational, deferential relationship with the corpses he examines, we get a sense of Carl's humanity and curiosity. As he learns more about what is happening, he is both horrified and a bit captivated. There is a calm to his reactions, even as events begin to veer into the supernatural.

There are some very strong (and grisly!) visual sequences in the final act of this one, making full use of the autopsy room setting. The action is grim and slow, and it heightens the horror of it all. I was a big fan of the decision to shoot Roberts at an upside-down angle---it creates that very strange effect where when you look at a face upside down for long enough, it starts to look a bit alien. It's a simple but effective technique.

I had an incredibly minor critique, which is just a matter of blocking. At the end it
WARNING: spoilers below
looks like Carl should be able to cut the rubber with the scalpel (or at least try!) but instead he goes straight to the suicide option and that bothered me.
. Like I said, a very minor critique.

This is the best one so far, and it sounds like the general consensus is that it is one of the best if not the best.




There's a bit of an F. Murrenaisance going on TV lately. That ep and ep 7 of Mythic Quest s2 stand out in particular, but he was also in Moon Knight and White Lotus. Not bad for an actor getting his second wind while most his age are winding down.



Do you wanna party? Its party time!
Yeah I also really liked Halloween Ends, too. More on that later, I'm still behind on Horrorfest writeups.
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Latest Movie Viewing: Wings (1927)
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Finally finished The Imp (1981). A Chinese giallo (Chiallo?) about a guy trying to provide for his family by working as a night watchman in a corporate building when strange things start happening and a few of his colleagues end up dead under mysterious circumstances. Is it a coincidence or is there something else afoot?

Some of the comedy is corny and there's some bad tonal shifts between the funny stuff and the serious stuff...

YET

It picks up in the second half as we get introduced to a geomancer who reveals things about the guy. The green tinted look and copious amounts of gore remind you a little of Argento. And that last shot was a jolt and a half.

I'll recommend it for the adventurous.



Victim of The Night
There's a bit of an F. Murrenaisance going on TV lately. That ep and ep 7 of Mythic Quest s2 stand out in particular, but he was also in Moon Knight and White Lotus. Not bad for an actor getting his second wind while most his age are winding down.
Honestly, after Salieri, I'll watch that guy do anything.



Honestly, after Salieri, I'll watch that guy do anything.
Absolutely. I always felt like he was under used and now it seems streamers have finally realized what an asset he is to every project.



Victim of The Night
Absolutely. I always felt like he was under used and now it seems streamers have finally realized what an asset he is to every project.
'bout f*ckin time



I watched The Wolf House (2018, Chile) very recently. It's a dark fantasy/fairy tale that's animated, but is mix media animation. Like painting and stop animation (I think using paper-mache as the material).


It's visually interesting to a degree that I think it's a strong recommendation to everyone who frequently inhabits this thread.



Madeleine: Anatomy of a Nightmare is a very Italian Giallo-y movie with interesting supernatural elements. The end is a letdown and the runtime is padded in parts, but if you're looking for a movie to fall asleep to, you could do significantly worse.



I watched The Wolf House (2018, Chile) very recently. It's a dark fantasy/fairy tale that's animated, but is mix media animation. Like painting and stop animation (I think using paper-mache as the material).


It's visually interesting to a degree that I think it's a strong recommendation to everyone who frequently inhabits this thread.
I loved it.



Victim of The Night
I watched The Wolf House (2018, Chile) very recently. It's a dark fantasy/fairy tale that's animated, but is mix media animation. Like painting and stop animation (I think using paper-mache as the material).


It's visually interesting to a degree that I think it's a strong recommendation to everyone who frequently inhabits this thread.
I've almost-watched this at least half a dozen times. This may be just the kick I need to finally do it.