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Post by tartanphantom on Oct 28, 2020 8:39:21 GMT -5
Cronos is a really engaging film. With me it generated a genuine feeling of sympathy for the protagonist... not something I expected the first time I saw it back in the mid '90's.
del Toro had a great run of films over the last 20 years, including Hellboy and Pacific Rim, but I think his Spanish language films are much more effective in bringing his vision to the screen. In my opinion, Pan's Labyrinth is the crown jewel of his career. The Devil's Backbone is very good too.
Devil's Backbone is one of my top horror films, the look of that ghost was just amazing and the mood of the whole picture was just perfect. And yeah, I'm state side. I just sent you a PM. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Oct 28, 2020 10:50:21 GMT -5
A little catch up for me, for Monday my viewing was the 1925 Universal classic... The Phantom of the Opera  This is the film that started them all, arguably without the Phantom we would never have gotten to see the likes of Dracula, Frankenstein, the Mummy or the Wolfman so even if it wasn't a fantastic film in its own right it would be well worth seeing just for that...but it is really amazing in its own right, in some ways far superior to Dracula and even Frankenstein. Even all these years later the film still works as an actual piece of horror; it's deeply unsettling and ever scene is just saturated with a sense of pure foreboding giving it a real Gothic mood befitting its source material. And who can forget Chaney's make up for the Phantom? That skull like visage is just stunningly horrifying. Even if you have trouble getting into silent films you owe it to yourself to check this out. And for last night I went with a remake double feature with both the original 1973 made for TV version and the 2010 big screen remake of... Don't Be Afraid of the Dark  Both films wonderfully moody and atmospheric, and although they deal with a similar premise and even share a good number of the same plot beats its amazing just how different a story they each tell making it hard to say just which version I like more. What I like about the original is just how much it plays with the idea of whether or not the creatures are real or just a figment of Sally's imagination while in the remake we are given more of the little girl's perspective and shown the creatures much more frequently and then out right given told that they are real near the end. Despite their larger role in the remake they are no less creepy, keeping to the shadows for the most part and when we do get a good look at them their design is pretty fantastic, where as the effects in the original, albeit limited by a tv budget, were much more comical in their design. All said and don though both are well worth watching. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Oct 29, 2020 16:19:05 GMT -5
For last night's choice I went with... Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (2019, CBS)  As a kid this was my first real introduction into the horror genre on my own, I had of course seen the classic Universal monster movies and even Alien at the young age of six but those were with my Grandfather as my guide while when I checked out Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark from the library and read it appropriately under the covers of my bed at night I was on my own and it was truly scary. As an adult the film doesn't exactly capture that same feeling of terror but it does have some legitimate scares and the designs of the creatures are absolutely fantastic. |
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Post by tartanphantom on Oct 29, 2020 20:34:03 GMT -5
Last night, it was a HK import for me, complete with subtitles. I love HK horror films-- they are usually so over-the-top. This is actually a trilogy and I have all of them, but I only watched the first one last night.
A Chinese Ghost Story, released in 1987. If you're thinking wall-to-wall low-grade kung-fu flick, you're very wrong. This film has won several awards internationally. As long as you don't mind reading subtitles (unless you understand Mandarin or Cantonese), it's a very engaging story.
There were two sequels, A Chinese Ghost Story II and III (pretty original, huh?) Both of them are pretty good for sequels (II is my personal favorite of the trilogy). III is essentially a distant sequel set 100 years after the first film, but is somewhat of a re-imagining of the first one.
And the trailer--
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Post by brutalis on Oct 30, 2020 4:52:38 GMT -5
Love Live Love Chinese Ghost story! Now I'm craving some Chinese takeout for Halloween night while watching Svengoolie🤪. Thanks a lot ya' skirt wearing golf clubbing bag piping haggis eating son of a scott!
Gonna have to dig out a few of my Chinese horror movies. Nothing like some hopping vampires to give one the willie's.
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Post by tartanphantom on Oct 30, 2020 9:51:53 GMT -5
Love Live Love Chinese Ghost story! Now I'm craving some Chinese takeout for Halloween night while watching Svengoolie🤪. Thanks a lot ya' skirt wearing golf clubbing bag piping haggis eating son of a scott! Gonna have to dig out a few of my Chinese horror movies. Nothing like some hopping vampires to give one the willie's.
Dang it... now I'm craving General Tso's chicken...and Mongolian beef.
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Post by thwhtguardian on Oct 30, 2020 16:25:57 GMT -5
Your talk of Chinese food has me thinking I might go with a an odd choice for tonight, I'll let you guys know. For last night's viewing I went with Todd Browning's other great horror film.... Freaks(1932, MGM)  This is one of those films that sticks with you, not because it boasts an epic gruesome monster but because the "monster" looks just like us. Instead of a werewolf or vampire the villain of this picture is really the beautiful trapeze artist who tries to take advantage of the poor circus midget Hans. Sure the circus performers certainly have some creepy scenes( the "One of Us" scene is fantastic) but the pettiness of Cleopatra is the real monster here and that has always hit home with me because it flips your normal expectations for a horror film. |
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Post by tartanphantom on Oct 30, 2020 21:27:23 GMT -5
This evening, I've decided on perhaps one of the best low-budget films ever made. Carnival of Souls is not horrific so much as it is just plain eerie. Although the acting is quite wooden at times due to the number of amateurs in supporting roles, the film is boosted by stark cinematography and an incessantly haunting organ soundtrack (largely because one of the film's major investors was an organ company). A large part of the film was shot in Salt Lake City, at the abandoned original Saltair resort pavilion on the Great Salt Lake. It was closed in 1958, and the original building burned down in 1970. In 2011, I was in SLC and ventured out to the original site of Saltair. I have a few pieces of timber and carriage bolts from the original structure. In 1981 a newer Saltair pavilion was built in a different location a few miles down the road and still stands today, but it never had the success of the original and has been closed for several years.
The Saltair resort in the mid 1950's (the dance pavilion is visible to the right):
Despite its shortcomings, this film stands up to multiple viewings. There is a colorized version as well, but don't sell yourself short-- the original black & white version is much more effective visually. If you purchase this film, beware of multiple public domain versions-- save your money and buy the Criterion edition--it's well worth the cost. 
And the original (restored) trailer:
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Post by brutalis on Oct 31, 2020 10:15:36 GMT -5
This week continues the nightly harrowing movie nights after work. Each night begun with an episode of the Jonathan Rhys Meyers season of Dracula. Really fine production that should have been allowed to continue and build its story. Following that I then pulled from my vast Dvd collection to watch some spine tingling fun.
Monday: Chillerama. Great throwback to those weekend nights watching b, c, d-list comedy and horror movies.
Tuesday: Creepshow. More episodic fun.
Wednesday: Elvira. Mistress of the Dark.
Thursday: Svengoolie: Munster Go Home.
Friday: Svengoolie: Gargoyles.
Saturday the trick or treat day itself had breakfast while watching the new holiday DVD Happy Halloween Scooby Doo. Saturday afternoon House of Dark Shadows. Topping off the night is the usual Saturday night goof off with Svengoolie dvd recorded Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein. Happy Halloween folks!
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Post by thwhtguardian on Oct 31, 2020 16:18:11 GMT -5
Following the eastern theme I went with... House (1977, Toho)  This is a film that's pretty hard to accurately describe, about the only way I can really describe it is that its like a fever dream made real. At its core its a haunted house film but so much of the scares in the film are so absurd that you can't help but be bowled over. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Oct 31, 2020 18:32:01 GMT -5
For my Halloween night viewing I went with a double dose of Ray Bradbury with 1983's Something Wicked This Way Comes and the 1994 animated Hanna-Barbera TV special The Halloween Tree. While neither film quiet lives up to the stories they are adapting they really do capture that homey feel that Bradbury drew on in crafting these tales and that makes them pretty special in my mind.
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Post by tartanphantom on Nov 1, 2020 14:02:42 GMT -5
For my Halloween night viewing I went with a double dose of Ray Bradbury with 1983's Something Wicked This Way Comes and the 1994 animated Hanna-Barbera TV special The Halloween Tree. While neither film quiet lives up to the stories they are adapting they really do capture that homey feel that Bradbury drew on in crafting these tales and that makes them pretty special in my mind. Man-o-man, the last two post of yours are pushing all of my Samhain buttons... That's an All Hallow's Eve grand slam.
I was at my traditional Halloween overnight gathering... we were talking around the fire and came to the realization that next year will be the 30th anniversary of our annual gathering.
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Post by thwhtguardian on Nov 2, 2020 8:24:31 GMT -5
For my Halloween night viewing I went with a double dose of Ray Bradbury with 1983's Something Wicked This Way Comes and the 1994 animated Hanna-Barbera TV special The Halloween Tree. While neither film quiet lives up to the stories they are adapting they really do capture that homey feel that Bradbury drew on in crafting these tales and that makes them pretty special in my mind. Man-o-man, the last two post of yours are pushing all of my Samhain buttons... That's an All Hallow's Eve grand slam.
I was at my traditional Halloween overnight gathering... we were talking around the fire and came to the realization that next year will be the 30th anniversary of our annual gathering.
That sounds like a great way to spend your night. |
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Post by brutalis on Oct 3, 2021 18:26:07 GMT -5
Halloween watching 2021 kicked off seeing Venom this Sunday morning 10/3/21. With the Cletus Kasady Carnage and his girlfriend Shriek off on a pre-wedding kill spree with plenty of dark, eerie atmospheric murder along with eating brain's talk from the Venom symbiote I think it qualifies for setting up the proper scary atmosphere.
Coming home I popped in the DVD of Mad Monster Party? From Rankin/Bass which I had never seen. Found it marked down for $3 at Target after Halloween last year. Is there anything better for holiday viewings than R/B puppet shows? I think NOT! Then watched a couple of recorded oldy moldy Horror Host movies from RetroTV. Halloween Harvey hosted the Mad Monster, while Horror Hotel ran Topper Returns last night. Good old black and white fun to start the fall horror movie season with.
Let the scares begin! And yes, 13 nights is never enough fright fest fun for us aficionado's of horror.
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Post by thwhtguardian on Oct 4, 2021 8:35:02 GMT -5
For those looking for a spooky fix...she's Baa-aack |
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