Horror Flicks?

**dookeyXXX** · 10-09-2020, 10:48 AM

I know that the zombie genre is kinda played out, however the Euros always seem to manage tweaking it just enough to make it feel fun and fresh.
In this regard, YUMMY brings the goods.
Usually I am a stickler for exposition, but here it wasn't necessary. The set-up is a couple visiting a shady plastic surgery clinic in Eastern Europe, so you know right away that shit is gonna go sideways. And the filmmakers waste no time; the pacing of the film is what makes it so enjoyable and helps to overlook any shortcomings.
The gore appears to be largely practical, which is a win.
There is quite a bit of outdated sexist humor which fell flat, but then this might just be a Dutch thing, I don't know.
Overall, while it doesn't bring anything startlingly new to the genre, it is fast and furious and has a lot of nice touches (you'll never look at a paper shredder the same after watching this flick)

RIYL
Dead Snow; Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse; The Babysitter; Satanic Panic

Streaming on Shudder

**dookeyXXX** · 10-11-2020, 03:08 PM

HEAD COUNT (streaming on Prime)
This low budget horror endeavor tweaks a number of familiar tropes to wonderful effect. For starters, it relocates the cabin-in-the-woods to the desert. Then it culls from a number of Bloody Mary-like urban legends and references the Creepy Pasta phenomenon. On top of that, it generally does an effective job creating an ominous and disorienting environment.
My only complaint is that the ultimate ending craps out, succumbing to generic Blumhouse territory ( there was a perfect spot for the filmmakers to end the film at 1h23m , but instead they opted to tack on a groan-worthy, stereotypically pandering conclusion). Aside from this slight, the film has a lot of sly things happening, many of which slid right by me (when I finally realized what was happening, I went back and rewatched a number of scenes and was amazed at all the Easter Eggs lurking in plain sight).
The other cool aspect is that it is refreshingly more psychological than slasher, relying more on mind-fuckery than gore.

**SHarmon** · 10-12-2020, 04:48 AM

Originally Posted by dookey67

HEAD COUNT (streaming on Prime)
This low budget horror endeavor tweaks a number of familiar tropes to wonderful effect. For starters, it relocates the cabin-in-the-woods to the desert. Then it culls from a number of Bloody Mary-like urban legends and references the Creepy Pasta phenomenon. On top of that, it generally does an effective job creating an ominous and disorienting environment.
My only complaint is that the ultimate ending craps out, succumbing to generic Blumhouse territory ( there was a perfect spot for the filmmakers to end the film at 1h23m , but instead they opted to tack on a groan-worthy, stereotypically pandering conclusion). Aside from this slight, the film has a lot of sly things happening, many of which slid right by me (when I finally realized what was happening, I went back and rewatched a number of scenes and was amazed at all the Easter Eggs lurking in plain sight).
The other cool aspect is that it is refreshingly more psychological than slasher, relying more on mind-fuckery than gore.

Looks good, I can't believe I haven't watched this yet. Gonna have a long night later.

**dookeyXXX** · 10-14-2020, 03:51 PM

BLISS (streaming on Shudder)
For some reason I keep giving Joe Begos the benefit of my doubts. His first film, Almost Human, was almost unwatchable. His latest effort, VFW, was a limp and uninspired retread of the trapped-in-a-building-surrounded-by-hordes-of-rabid-attackers horror and thriller trope. Yet despite his less than stellar track record (in regards to my personal taste in horror films, mind you) I queued up another of his films last night. Why? Because for some unknown reason, when it comes to horror films, I am ever the optimist. And you know what? Dude finally finds his groove with Bliss, both in terms of direction and storytelling. Begos has always been about the splatter infested practical gore and here he continues to deliver, but he also seriously ups the ante in terms of a multi-layered story, competent actors, and a dizzying direction style (he straight snatches Spike Lee's signature dolly shot and elevates it to harrowing heights). The double-edged subtext regarding addiction and the origins of artistic expression is great, but there are also plenty of goo-and-eww moments that counter balance the underlying headyness.

**Viva** · 10-14-2020, 07:47 PM

There was a movie from New Zealand that came out in the mid-late 80s, titled Bliss. Wasn't a horror flick, though. More of a very dark comedy. But a good one.

**dookeyXXX** · 10-20-2020, 09:14 AM

DON'T LEAVE HOME (Shudder)
This is wonderfully low-key mashup of both religious and folk horror genres.
It succeeds thanks to creepy characters, blurry shifts between nightmares and reality, and an interesting premise, not to mention a classic morality play lurking at the center.
RIYL: Rosemary's Baby; Kill List; Hereditary; A Dark Song

**dookeyXXX** · 10-20-2020, 01:13 PM

BLIND SUN (Shudder)
This immersively paranoic French/Greek production is centered around a detached and hallucinatory dystopian landscape teeming with intimations of totalitarianism and global warming. The cinematography is sweltering, delivered in rich orange and yellow hues that perfectly capture the sun baked despair and disparity of the protagonist.

RIYL
Fear X; Wake In Fright; Long Weekend, (these last two are Aussie classics with a similar vibe)

**dookeyXXX** · 10-20-2020, 05:39 PM

LUZ (streaming on Shudder)
This German flick tweaks the tired possession genre in interesting ways. Shot in subdued neon coated hues, it brings a slick and twisted sheen to the proceedings. It can be a bit confusing at times and the chronology is mildly wonky (the ending doesn't quite jibe with the beginning of the film), but it is a creepy and mesmerizing effort overall.

**dookeyXXX** · 12-29-2020, 08:53 AM

10 Horror Films from 2020 Which May Have Been Better In The Theater:

https://crookedmarquee.com/the-top-1...-in-a-theater/

**SkiBall** · 12-29-2020, 09:04 AM

The series Haunting of Hill House was really good. Good quality horror, but the commitment of a series. There is a follow up series after we are about to dig into with a lot of the same cast.

**JackHamilton5** · 01-06-2021, 07:52 AM

Recomend Sinister, one of the best horrors for me. But only first film, second sucks a lot

**dookeyXXX** · 05-08-2021, 08:10 AM

Toy Story meets Child's Play?

**dookeyXXX** · 05-10-2021, 08:37 AM

RELIC
4/5
Watched this creepy endeavor last night.
Still ruminating about it and trying to figure out what it was all about.
On the surface it's about dealing with the aging and deterioration (both mental and physical) of your parents. It's also about memories and childhood fears.
I think.

RIYL
Occulus; Amulet; Under the Skin; Don't Leave Home; Hereditary

**buttahflake** · 07-20-2021, 07:16 AM

Just watched The Empty Man on HBO Max, it’s creepy as hell, really enjoyed it.

https://youtu.be/tk6u9X1bW30

**bobz** · 08-04-2021, 01:39 PM

Black Sheep (currently free on Prime, with ads) actually isn't the first killer mutant sheep flick I've seen; that honor goes to the amusingly inept Godmonster Of Indian Flats. Unlike Godmonster, Black Sheep is a fully realized, reasonably well made campy horror flick, with the added novelty appeal of being from New Zealand.

The plot follows a standard formula: Genetic engineering and greed birth monstrous creatures, and oops, it escaped the lab, on account of biology the mutation spreads, to other animals and to people, so creature gore becomes progressively more rampant. This movie strays from the flock with its offbeat humor, including a couple of vegan activists (an awkward dude with a man-bun, and a young woman who gets through bloody violence scenes by talking about chakras). It's not exactly great, and kind of slow going through the first half, but towards the end I was laughing out loud numerous times.

And I'm not sure, but it appears to be filmed at the same big-white-farmhouse-with-balconies estate where Peter Jackson's early infamous gore-o-rama Bad Taste was.

**dookeyXXX** · 12-12-2021, 10:32 AM

In Fabric
I am still not 100% sure what I just watched, but it was visually and aurally hypnotic.
Best way I can describe it: imagine if Dario Argento teamed up with Monty Python and the end result was a film about the mundanity of consumerism and the vanity of fashion featuring a killer dress.
A fantastic score from Cavern of Anti-Matter (https://pitchfork.com/artists/33445-...f-anti-matter/) holds the whole thing together.
If you like your horror films teeming with lush imagery and infused with massive doses of weird, this is for you.
RIYL
Susperia; Beyond The Black Rainbow; The Colour of Your Bodies Tears

**dookeyXXX** · 03-28-2022, 03:40 PM

X
(Currently in theaters)
Writer/Director Ti West has been hit or miss with me. His "satanic panic" offering, The House of the Devil, was also a wonderful ode to late '60s/early '70s horror films. I was in the minority in that I dug his haunted hotel effort The Innkeepers. As for the rest of his work? What I have seen--The Roost, Cabin Fever 2, In A Valley of Violence--has left me nonplussed.
So it was with a bit of trepidation that I ventured to the Cineplex to see his latest effort, X. That it was waving the A24 banner was what got me motivated.
The film, much like HotD, is an homage/riff on '70s horror films; it wears its influences boldly on its sleeves.
Be warned, this is a film aimed squarely at horror film geeks, so if you aint a die-hard you may wanna steer clear.
West's predilection for making faux '70s films is on full display here and every time The shtick begins to wear thin he slaps the viewer with a jump scare, ironic snark, or just some leftfield WTFuckery. It also helps that the cast is top-notch and the pacing is brisk. Plus the score is subdued and creepy.
While the story mines a number of familiar horror tropes, it also pokes fun at them, spanking the likes of Southern Gothic, giant killer animals, the cabin-in-the-woods, found footage, as well as the porn industry.
Again, this film is aimed at the horror film geeks, so if you're one you'll no doubt dig its not so subtle tongue-in-cheek digs at the genre.

RIYL
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (the original); Wolf Creek; The Visit

**dookeyXXX** · 04-14-2022, 10:19 AM

Zombies from Down Under?
Um, yes, please!

**dookeyXXX** · 04-27-2022, 04:33 PM

MALIGNANT [rented via Redbox]
Whoa, is this film a hoot.
I actually shunned it when it was in the theaters because 1. I have been pretty underwhelmed by most of director James Wan's cinematic output and 2. The trailer made the film look like every other Blumhouse horror film on the market.
Man, was I misled.
The film is a glorious 1980s inspired romp that mashes up myriad genres from detective procedural to demonic possession to evil doctors in a creepy sanitorium to serial killers and haunted houses. It also has some seriously gonzo action and some nifty practical effects, not to mention some really cool camera shots and photographic trickery.
Wishing I had taken a chance and seen it in theaters...

RIYL
Darkman; I Madman

**dookeyXXX** · 09-28-2022, 01:56 PM

Originally Posted by buttahflake

Just watched The Empty Man on HBO Max, it’s creepy as hell, really enjoyed it.

https://youtu.be/tk6u9X1bW30

THE EMPTY MAN
I did the Skinemax 7-day free trial just so I could watch this film.
It’s a strange and interesting flick.
Definitely creepy, but also a weird genre mash. It also borrows bits and pieces from myriad other horror films, but tweaks things just enough to avoid complete groan inducing trope appropriation.
On the negative side, The Empty Man apparition FX were kinda weak and the “reveal” at the end was incredibly ambiguous (could have used just a bit more exposition).
But the cold open is nuts, the Bhutan shrine was cool (nods to H.R. Giger), and the neo-noir and cult aspects were kinda nifty.
On the whole it was like a really weird X-Files episode.

RIYL
The Sentinel (1977); Dead and Buried; Oculus; Dark City; Kill List; The Wicker Man (1973)

**allmountainsnowskating** · 09-28-2022, 02:10 PM

The Platform was aight.

Concept and production were steller, but storytelling was meh

https://youtu.be/bnGAgAgorC4

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