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31 Days of Horror 2023 |OT| There'll be food and drink and ghosts

sedg87

Member
Watched so far:
1. Talk to Me
2. House of Wax
3. The Shout
4. The Uninvited
5. Madhouse
6. VHS85
7. Totally Killer
8. Leviathan
9. Pet Sematary Bloodlines
10. Trilogy of Terror
11. Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
12. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
13. The Nun 2
14. The Evil Dead (2013)
15. The Beast Must Die

Going to watch Ghost Watch for the first time. Never seen it despite it being rather popular here in the U.K.

I rewatched Blair Witch (2016) and then The Blair Witch Project.

Blair Witch is not a good movie, but does have some memorable parts. The acting in it especially pales in comparison in the acting in:

The Blair Witch Project. People who say "NoThInG hApPeNs" must have been on their phones or have no imagination. The acting, especially by Heather, is raw and real. I'd put it up there with Toni Collette's grief scene in Hereditary, and Heather pulls off multiple scenes like that.

This movie is lightning in a bottle. Other found footage movies have been more "entertaining", but none of those come close to immersing me in the story and investing in the characters as TBWP. If you don't think the final shot is creepy, you might've missed how it ties back to a story the townsfolk tell at the beginning.

A classic for a reason.

Blair Witch Project is one of my faves. Definitely be watching it in the coming days.
 
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poppabk

Cheeks Spread for Digital Only Future
Slotherhouse 2023
Don't Watch This Alone (not because of the scares but because it is a riftrack type deliberately bad movie)
Let out a groan when I saw the PG-13 rating pop-up, and that stayed with me throughout. The movie is even dumber than you can imagine from the title and the previews, but it is fucking hilarious. Really needed that R rated violence and nudity to balance out the sheer inanity on screen the rest of the time though. Still worth a watch if you are in the mood for a movie that will make you laugh at the sheer balls required to put this on screen.
 
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Days like these...

Have a Blessed Day
I know this isn't a recommendation thread but I want to watch something disturbing along the lines of Anrichrist, Irreversible, Climax, Lake Mungo. No torture pron though not my thing
 

kurisu_1974

Member
I know this isn't a recommendation thread but I want to watch something disturbing along the lines of Anrichrist, Irreversible, Climax, Lake Mungo. No torture pron though not my thing

I am probably way off with my recommendations but here is some arthouse horror I really liked




 
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#20 They Live

Considered a classic, and I've seen it before. But this time I wasn't as impressed. The social commentary is so simplistic ("everyone else is asleep" is a smart insight if you're 13 and angsty) and you're beaten over the head with it, too. Just a 'meh' from me this time.

#21 House House LLC 2

First watch. Parts of it are really bad (as in, how did these actors ever get hired) but then when it was working, I was really into it.
 

Days like these...

Have a Blessed Day
I am probably way off with my recommendations but here is some arthouse horror I really liked




Under the skin and Suspiria I really enjoyed maybe I'll rewatch. I'll check out the other ones
 

sedg87

Member
Watched Ghost Watch for the first time. Enjoyed it very much and can see why people found it quite frightening in the 90s when it was released. I also watched The Blair Witch Project which is one of my favourites. Think I'm going to watch Ken Russell's The Devils for the first time later tonight.

Watched so far:
1. Talk to Me
2. House of Wax (1953)
3. The Shout
4. The Uninvited (1944)
5. Madhouse
6. VHS85
7. Totally Killer
8. Leviathan
9. Pet Sematary Bloodlines
10. Trilogy of Terror
11. Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
12. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
13. The Nun 2
14. The Evil Dead (2013)
15. The Beast Must Die
16. Ghost Watch
17. Blair Witch Project
 
#22 Constantine

First watch. I've seen people saying that its stock has risen recently, and the Letterboxd score looked pretty good, and it's full of stuff I usually love (Keanu, Rachel Weisz, Satan). But man, I thought it was super dull.
 
#23 V/H/S

First watch. Really, really disliked it, for two reasons.

1. I don't think that the anthology format works for found footage movies. FFs work best when you can really immerse yourself in the atmosphere, setting, etc., and the anthology format draws attention to itself, makes you aware that you're watching a movie.

2. Oh my lord is this movie misogynistic. Yes, the male characters are horrible and you're supposed to cheer as they die, but I really felt like the movie was staging the misogyny so that I could enjoy watching it, voyeur style, and then pat myself on the back when they get their just desserts.

Yuck.
 

Days like these...

Have a Blessed Day
#1 In My Mother's Skin
Definitely not everyone's cup of tea. It's foreign (Filipino) folk horror with a Del Toro vibe because of the children protagonists.
 
#24 The Invitation

This is the Nathalie Emmanuel (Game of Thrones, Fasts and Furiouses) vampire movie from last year, not the Los Angeles dinner-party-gone-wrong movie. I picked it to be an antidote to V/H/S, basically looking for something relatively frictionless, and that's exactly what it was. Emmanuel isn't exactly Lily Gladstone from Killers of the Flower Moon, but she's completely fine in something like this. In fact, "completely fine" is how I'd describe the whole movie.
 
#25 The Blair Witch Project

The original from 1999. I saw it in the theater at release, but hadn't watched it since then. Still holds up, and I was surprised at how restrained it was. The balance between tension and payoff was skewed way, way more toward tension than even the most restrained found footage stuff that's come out since. Good stuff!
 

GreenAlien

Member
Prowl 2010
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It's an ok vampire flick. Nothing amazing, but I finished it so it's at least watchable.

Rosewood Lane 2011
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The villain was unintentionally funny. I was entertained :D

Malignant 2021
LmpwZw

Fails as a horror film, but the second half had some decent action.

Madres 2021
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Boring..

The Pact II 2014
LmpwZw

Terrible, disjointed, avoid.

Dead Zone 2022
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Terrible, avoid.

Villmark 2 2015
LmpwZw

Nice location, but then the ghosts showed up casually and it wasn't spooky or interesting.. avoid..

Carrie 2013
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Boring first 30 minutes, i skipped straight to the ending which was okay, but not worth sitting through the whole film for. I guess this is geared towards teenage girls so maybe period-horror works for them..

Dark Harvest 2023
Dark-Harvest-2023-min.jpg

Surprisingly competent. A bit like a version of The Purge I can actually enjoy.
Of course, afterwards I read an imdb review about how it was all an allegory on the evils of white western society, which dimmed my enthusiasm somewhat.
 
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sedg87

Member
Watched Lake Mungo which I enjoyed. Seen it before but couldn't really remember much about it.

I also watched Exorcist Believer. About as enjoyable as a prostate exam from Freddy Krueger.

Watched so far:
1. Talk to Me
2. House of Wax (1953)
3. The Shout
4. The Uninvited (1944)
5. Madhouse
6. VHS85
7. Totally Killer
8. Leviathan
9. Pet Sematary Bloodlines
10. Trilogy of Terror
11. Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
12. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)
13. The Nun 2
14. The Evil Dead (2013)
15. The Beast Must Die
16. Ghost Watch
17. Blair Witch Project
18. Lake Mungo
19. Exorcist Believer
 
#26 Insidious Chapter 2

It felt like a recent Marvel movie. It's got a serious subject but then they don't really seem interested in handling that subject, so they sprinkle in a bunch of jokes. But the jokes aren't funny, so you're just left with this movie that's doing two different things, both of them badly. What's funny is that I watched the first one a while back (over the summer?) and didn't really like it too much, then last night I saw Ch 2 while scrolling through HBO and was like "Ok, I'll do this one," remembering I'd watched the first one but forgetting that I hadn't liked it. And then I was half an hour into 2, and not liking it, when I realized I hadn't liked 1 either. Then the sunk cost fallacy bit me in the ass.

Afterward, I discovered there's an argument, or just feeling, online that the movie's transphobic. It's revealed that the Evil Ghost is (was) a man wearing a dress. But he was actually a cis man who had been misgendered by his mother, who was the real origin of all the evil. The debate over whether it's the character or the movie that's transphobic (a parent who forces their child to live a lie) is honestly probably the most interesting thing about the movie.
 
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#27 Viking Wolf

Norwegian werewolf movie. The title is the best thing about it. You'd think a werewolf movie set in Norway could at least have some cool atmosphere, but no. Basic ass directing, acting, and writing. The one thing I'll give it credit for is the ending is pretty unsettling if you think about it.

Main character is a mom who is also police. Her daughter gets turned into a werewolf and kills some people. At the end they have caught the daughter, and you get a very anguished mom loading a silver bullet into her service weapon and putting the muzzle up to the wolfdaughter's head, then fade to black. But the lights come back up, and mom puts the (unused) silver bullet on the nightstand in her daughter's empty bedroom. So I guess they let the wolfdaughter go so she could keep killing people?
 

poppabk

Cheeks Spread for Digital Only Future
Rewatched "Dog Soldiers" for the first time in a long time.
Still holds up due to the ensemble cast and the simple classic structure of the plot.
 

kurisu_1974

Member
11. The Nun II (USA, 2023)

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I don't remember much about the first one, but this one didn't do it for me. It looks polished but I think it is pretty daft to be honest. Lacks tension and needs a more interesting antagonist.

12. Bones (USA, 2001)

bones.jpg


Funny to see Snoop Dogg as some wrathful spirit, but man this was some 90s MTV style editing indeed.

13. You Are Not My Mother (Ireland, 2021)

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This was pretty excellent, loved the naturalistic style and the gradual but slow build-up of the family drama into horror.

14. Child's Play 3 (USA, 1991)

childs-play-3.jpg


Some weird blind spot apparently as I only this year realized I had never seen this. Not the best Chucky movie but I was entertained enough. These are just good cheese for Halloween.
 
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Days like these...

Have a Blessed Day
13. You Are Not My Mother (Ireland, 2021)

ed37d0399ae1f7980a48ea407cfecbb5e33d78479010c493c379321b70cd90c0.png


This was pretty excellent, loved the naturalistic style and the gradual but slow build-up of the family drama into horror.
I think you're the only other person besides myself that I've ever seen mention this movie on here. I really enjoyed this one and it doesn't get enough love.
 
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kurisu_1974

Member
15. Poltergeist II: The Other Side (USA, 1986)

poltergeistII_04.jpg


Another famous one I had never seen, and maybe I shouldn't have as it demystifies the original and also it is pretty bad.

16. Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (USA, 1990)

Tales%2Bfrom%2Bthe%2BDarkside%2B1990%2Bmovie%2Bpic2.jpg


Fun anthology with a remarkeable cast.

17. The Vampire Bat (USA, 1933)

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A cheapish Dracula style film mixed with some sci-fi as they liked to do back then, filmed on Universal's Frankenstein set. One very cool scene with colorized pitchforks though.

18. Incantation (Taiwan, 2022)

Incantation.jpg


Interesting but flawed Taiwanese found footage film.
 
#28 The Taking of Deborah Logan

Really liked it. I'm not sure the ending works, but I respect that it really tries for something when most found footage movies don't. I thought the movie worked best in the middle, as things start ramping up, lots of great tension. A few of the actors here are veterans (of acting, I mean, one of them is Grandpa from Mad Men, that level), and I think that approach works better than going with complete unknowns like most found footage movies do. This one obviously had a bigger budget, too, which helps.
 

poppabk

Cheeks Spread for Digital Only Future
M3GAN (unrated)
Fun little movie, nothing particularly special - but homicidal dolls are my jam and the facial expressions of M3gan were just too perfect. Not sure if it was the actress or CGI but they oozed malevolence and made me laugh everytime.
 
#29 Halloween

The OG. Right now, if I had to name the greatest horror movie, this is probably what I'd pick. Simplicity, expert craftsmanship, thematic significance, it's got it all.

Also, it had been a long time since I'd watched it and I'd forgotten how hilariously Not Illinois the landscapes are.
 

kurisu_1974

Member
19. Saw X (USA, 2023)

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Not good at all. Flimsy plot and ridiculous setup.

20. The Boogeyman (USA, 2023)

Boogeyman2023.png


I have seen this only a couple of days ago and I literally remember nothing about it...

21. The Exorcist: Believer (USA, 2023)

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Insultingly bad and unnecessary sequel. I don't know how David Gordon Green and Danny McBride can make these awesome HBO comedy series but then absolutely suck at these horror movie reboots.

22. Haunted Mansion (USA, 2023)

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This actually started out entertaining enough but lost steam pretty fast. So weird to see Darius from Atlanta in this.
 
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rao.d.luffy

Member
20 - The NuN 2 - 7/10


21 - Hermana Muerte - 7/10


Unfortunately, I won't be able to complete all 31 films this year.
It's amazing how I spend the whole year waiting to see horror movies in October, to get into the Halloween mood, but when October arrives, my work doubles, there's too much to do and not enough energy...
Next year maybe...
 
#30 Day Shift

Netflix movie with Jamie Foxx as a vampire slayer. It's got good action scenes (very, very obviously choreographed by one of the John Wick guys), and a lot of good (or at least solid) actors doing this "hey let's goof off in this goofy Netflix vampire thing" (Foxx, Snoop Dogg in a major role, Scott Adkins, Peter Stormare, Megan Good, that one girl from Ahsoka, Dave Franco). Plus it's very colorful and it's good solid music. The weird thing is that they seems like they started out going for a Blacksploitation vibe, but they've got too much money and too many stars to fit that. Anyway, it's not great but it's fun and very solid.
 

jshackles

Gentlemen, we can rebuild it. We have the capability to make the world's first enhanced store. Steam will be that store. Better than it was before.
#3 The Exorcist - Believer
An interesting premise the first half turns into a shitshow in the third act. Also huge nostalgia bait that absolutely wastes its legacy characters.

#4 Evil Dead 2
Classic Bruce Campbell is classic. My son had never seen it. A lot more prop comedy than I remember. A fun watch.

#5 Army of Darkness
I have a bone to pick with this movie. While fun and entertaining, it really strays from it's Evil Dead roots. Pure camp.
 

kurisu_1974

Member
23. Mikey (USA, 1992)

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Fun cheesy movie about an evil kid, really enjoyed this. This film is actually still banned in the UK which is ridiculous.
 

xrnzaaas

Member
Exorcist Believer was shit, it's gonna have pretty hard time lasting three movies like the new Halloween. The exorcism scene was a bunch of weak characters trying random things instead of having another chad priest show up and kick the shit out of Pazuzu or some other demon. Bringing back old characters was a complete waste, especially the mother who said herself she didn't witness the original exorcism and therefore has no real experience. With the new Halloween there was acutally a good cause to bring back Laurie, but this doesn't always work like that.
 
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#31 Hell House Origins: The Carmichael Mansion

There might be some additional words in that title, not sure. But I really liked it. It's obvious they had more money this time, and the acting is a big improvement too (not saying it's good, but it doesn't drag everything down). And they have polished their formula at this point, focusing on what worked in the previous entries and minimizing the other stuff. Definitely in the top tier of the found footage subgenre.

And that's 31 horror movies in 31 nights (okay, one I had to watch in the afternoon because of work stuff). Movies I hadn't seen before that I'd recommend: Us, Hell House Origins, Rec, The Taking of Deborah Logan, Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum, The Mist.
 
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