It's October baby....Horror flick time!

[DrNgor]

Deep Freeze (2002) - aka Ice Crawlers - In this upteenth Alien rip-off, a team of grad students (plus a few grizzled old laborers) are working at an oil-drilling installation in the Antarctic when they discover a giant, live trilobite. Lots of people running around corridors, getting separated from the rest of the pack, and killed. Directed by John Carl Buechler of Carnosaur and Friday the 13th Part VII fame. The creature effects are all practical, which is good. Too bad we don't see enough of the creature. The movie is also extremely tame on the gore, which is surprising, given who directed it. Whenever someone gets offed, Buechler opts for a strobe-light series of quick cuts to earlier scenes involving the character. I'm sure it was meant to invoke emotion, but it's annoying and distracts from the drama of the kill. The film ends with the two leads kissing despite a) they might not make it back to civilization, b) everybody else is dead, and c) two of their friends were killed, but that knowledge never actually reached them--for all they know, they might have been casualties of the Big Explosion. Martial arts fans will recognize Goetz Otto (Mr. Nice Guy and Tomorrow Never Dies) as the unhinged member of the team.

[nectarsis]

 

IT'S TIME!!

 

[Koravec]

The Brave [1997]- The is one of a handful of johnny depp horror related movies. Still have a few I need to see, that will probably end up on here sooner or later (this year or a following one). 

About an native american (depp) who hears of a place that will pay you to be tortured and killed as the victim of a snuff film. As you can imagine the victim would want the money to go to their family in any case since theyd be dead, still doesnt make it much more imaginable for me. 

I dont understand how anyone could think this premise was a good idea or remotely appropriate, then again Johnny Depp agreed to be apart of Kevin Smith’s disturbingly absurd Tusk movie. To make matters worse I dont even think this movie is categorized as a horror, but a drama rather and plays like a family film through a decent portion. Its a horror to me given the nature of the film. Of all companies, Touchstone Pictures, a distribution label of Disney picked up the film according to wikipedia! And the originally chosen director killed his wife and daughter before killing himself, ironic given the premise of the script. Killed himself not for his family’s benefit, but for the death of his entire family, strange.

And after all that, Depp and the producers still thought this morbid film idea was worthy of moving forward with. 

The film mostly chronicles the main character’s (depps) idiocy and obliviousness to his surroundings. You like him and see him as the good guy, but then consider his reckless behavior and horrible decision making. 

Its said they live beside a junkyard, but the movie shows them practically living inside of the junkyard with their trailers built inside of discarded scrap and other junk, what is this Waterworld? 

Surprisingly, you dont see any major problems in the community, theres a pimp noone likes but he comes across like the laughing stock of the community and noones seems to take him too seriously. Everyone seems to be having a good time in the community and the kids are playing and having fun, the relationships there seem strong. Despite all this Depp’s characters biggest priority is getting his family out of there, he apparently doesnt feel positively about the commune, and wants his kids to “be somebody”. 

Throughout the film we also consistently see how crucial the main character’s presence is to protecting and providing for his kids and wife in numerous ways, as well as just being there for them. I was almost certain the movie was making an obvious point to make the viewer and Depp’s character realize his importance to his family’s life, thereby making him realize he cant die, and would be doing them an obvious injustice rather than service. Theres even a preacher Depp goes to to confess the sin he’s going to commit to himself and you think theres no way he could go through with it now, heres his salvation. But sadly, theres still no avail. 

Makes you wonder where the sense is in this film, where the sense is in this character’s mind. Apparently, even more disturbingly in some way, the character in the book its based off of is brain damaged due to his alcoholism. We only see hints that he has an alcohol problem in the movie.

Marlin Brando has a brief scene that is extremely effective and philosophically disturbing, especially given the context. Read one review where they assumed Brando improvised the dialogue here, which top tier dialogue by any regards so thats harder for me to imagine. I also heard in an interview that Depp and Brando connected over a preface to the preface of a play, Ill have to read that later. Marshall Bell reminded me of Woody Harrelson, if not Jack Nicholson. Part of that is probably me just not being as familiar with him. His screen presence is also very bizarre, playing something of a gruff white collar guy. Theres a scene where he pops out of nowhere in front of Depp, reoccurring, and spits a very bizarre few lines I didnt understand about taking a sh*t earlier in the day and it cameout hard and shaped like a bell? Not to mention I happened to be eating a chocolate hoho cake at this time 😷😡.

Luckily doesnt show any shocking torture or murder of any sort, but your still left in disgust. Well, I was at least and Id be baffled by anyone that didnt have the same reaction to the premise. Still hard to believe this movie exists. 

[Drunken Monk]

Halloween Kills (2021) - I’ll start by saying that a lot of the reviews for this film are painfully pretentious. A lot of critics seem to want some kind of character study rather than what this film actually is: a fantastic, cheesy slasher.

It has issues. The script is horrendous and there’s a scene in the hospital that’s not only eye rollingly bad but overly long.

Beyond these minor gripes, this was a riot. Michael Myers ramps his killing spree up and things get a LOT bloodier. If that’s what you want from a slasher (and that’s all you should want), you might like this one.

[DrNgor]

Silent Predators (1999) - I'm guessing that this was the first spawn of Anaconda's unexpected success. This is a TV movie starring Harry Hamlin (of the original Clash of the Titans). He's the new fire chief in a small Southern California town that is beset by unusually-aggressive rattlesnakes, the hybrid of the Western Diamondback variety and a deadlier Central American species. Standing in his way is a greedy land developer and the town mayor. The story feels like a combination of both Jaws and Arachnophobia. Thankfully, real snakes are used instead of CGI. Nothing great, but a pleasant diversion for a snake lover like myself.

[DrNgor]

Rattlers (1976) - So I had a rattlesnake double-feature last night. This one has a den of aggressive rattlers terrorizing people living along the Mojave Desert in Southern California. A herpetologist and a freelance photographer are hired by the local sheriff to investigate. They discover that the illegal disposal of an outlawed biological agent by the local military base has gotten the snakes riled up. It was diverting, but there is not much of a climax: a brief gunfight between the now-crazed Colonel and the sheriff's deputies, followed by an explosion. Followed by the sound of rattling in another abandoned mine shaft. The end. Meh.

[Koravec]

Terrifier- Figured Id try to knock out some clown movies I hadnt seen. Didnt know this was such a low budget one based off how much notoriety this clown has gotten. 

Its a black and white mime looking clown so I would have thought the themes would be more nihilistic, slow paced and existential, basically just a terrifying (as the name implies) circus mime who lurks in the darkness and makes his victims go missing into nothing and darkness without a word. This is only slightly the case, there are no words, but Terrifyer is a full on slasher gore fest if not “torture porn”. These movies seem to rely on mutilation and disfiguration, two things (along with torture) Id consider myself pretty sensitive to, just sick distasteful stuff. 

Theres a scene of a woman getting hung upside down and sawed from the middle of her body down to her head... Other than that is the typical mutilated face trope that was first introduced in All Hallows Eve and recreated or continued here. 

Other than that I really began to appreciate what the director recreated from the All Hallows Eve segments to do in this one. You can see what were the core story ideas that were important to shaping the character.

 

All Hallows Eve- This is the shorter film anthology (3 films) where art the clown originated. Connected by a boy receiving a mysterious vhs on halloween in his trick or treat bag and the mom hesitantly deciding to play it in the living room.

I think I enjoyed this one even more than Terrifier, many more multi dimensional dynamics with the film segments and Ring style interaction of the perhaps cosmic, physic defying Art The Clown breaking through the screen. 

The clown scenes are great, aside from the later nastiness 🤢 🩸. The other scene is of this robot alien creature slowly chasing a woman through a house. This was awesome looking! Ive always said we need more strange original horror icons such as that. And unlike the clown scenes doesnt end in sadistic mutilation or disfigurement.

So speaking of the clown scenes, when he finally catches one of his female victims, the fate Art has for her is insanely debilitating what hes done to her. And the words he carves onto her skin had me wondering what the directors actual idea behind all this disgust was. Had me cringing side eyed and saying to myself “dude, what the fk”. Leads me to believe the creator of this is one twisted individual. 

Would probably land its way on being a halloween goto in future years had it not been for the graphic nature of the flicks.

[Koravec]

Wrinkles The Clown-

another killer clown for ya, well according to him hes “just a clown”

I remember seeing the trailer to this a few years ago and thinking it was a movie with documentary elements and influences, being something of a horror mockumentary. I just watched it recently  and still wasnt sure as I was watching it or even after it ended. The verdict is, that its an actual documentary and not just mockumentary, so I think? Suppose it was actually a viral spooky clown.

The documentary covers different facts and surroundings of the wrinkles phenomenon all while keeping its creator hidden in anonymity. 

One of the things it goes over is the fictional actor representation to the fake documentary of the clown, is this documentary of that documentary even real? So many layers. Anyway this is a really neat aspect of the character and its lore. 

The supposed creator of the clown describes the character as being what people make of him. Some react violently and fearfully, others humorously or playfully.

The whole thing is neat and somewhat amusing, but I find it all a bit pretentious. Id argue that clearly the clown is supposed to look scary. The original viral video of the clown under the girls bed is clearly meant to be creepy. And again, I think this was an actual viral video, I wasnt there on the internet at the time to see it become popular lol.

[Koravec]

Orca [1977]- This is a great nautical movie first and foremost. Certainly enough horror suspense music, such that as Jaws had, to accompany it being a ‘horror’. But I never understood how killer fish (or other underwater mammals) are considered horror villains, and thats coming from me with a loose definition of what can be considered horror. I remember watching Jaws at a friend’s house as a kid and my dad later telling me how everyone thought the movie was so nightmarish, and me just not being able to comprehend how. Swimming in deep or dark water is certainly scary, no argument there.

@DrNgor brought up the killer animal genre having me consider checking something within that area out. Ive got way more outlandish sea creature titles on my shelf to check out. This one has really negative reviews mostly for just being a cash grab from the popularity of Jaws. 

This would have fared a lot better for me in the summer with its great nautical scenery, though ends with a cool partially frozen sea second act. Due to the filming locations and time period, the cinematography is quite amazing. 

Stars Richard Harrison, who I know as being the early Dumbledore or for his late 60s chamber pop album, looking more like Gene Wilder. I thought this movie was pretty good. The dolphin’s given intellect of recognizing humans from certain boats, or ability to intentionally burn down the town is hokey, but the movie plays and ending concludes well. One creepy looking animal dolphins are, black mass of stealth. Depicted just as they are here, using real underwater footage of the animal swimming through the ocean.

 

Edited October 17, 2021 by Koravec

[Koravec]

Jolly Roger:Massacre at Cutter’s Cove [2005]- Staying with the nautical theme, here I have a slasher based off a supernatural pirate back from the dead. When I heard there was a horror about a pirate I was instantly ‘on board’, actually am just a fan of pirates and sea stories. Didnt realize this was an Asylum production til I pressed play. By then I knew exactly what I was in for, and thats exactly what I got.

Asylum movies range from dumb to dumb. I find them more eye rolling and cringey than quirky and campy (in a good way), but still find myself throwing them on occasionally, appreciate them for the exploitation at least. And condemn them for more things then I care to list off at the moment.

This is a very very basic slasher movie. The pirate costume design is great. Even wears a mask for some reason that you wouldnt really realize without thinking about it. Not sure if its supposed to be apparent that hes wearing one or if its supposed to make him look more rugged. But hell, he looks so put together that he appears out of place for everything else thats so lackluster.

Very straightforward movie as youd expect from a low budget, asylum in particular. Lacking in filmwork and cinematography as all asylum productions do.

Edited October 17, 2021 by Koravec

[Koravec]

On 10/16/2019 at 12:49 PM, DragonClaws said:

Hat's of to those of you trying to watch one everyday, I just wouldnt have the stamina.

Hats off to everyone posting reviews this season. 

Im getting way more into it than I thought I would :/ lol

[Drunken Monk]

The Birds (1963) - What a weirdly paced movie. The first hour plays out as a strict drama with little to zero elements of horror. It’s good drama but not what I expected.

When things finally ramp up, it gets even better. Brilliant effects for a film from the early 60’s. Some wonderful shots too. Again, the film suffers from from slumps here and there (the diner scene for example), but for most of its two hour run time it’s a consistently entertaining horror. And I can imagine it being pretty terrifying back in the day.

[Super Ninja]

18 hours ago, Koravec said:

Orca [1977]- This is a great nautical movie first and foremost. Certainly enough horror suspense music, such that as Jaws had, to accompany it being a ‘horror’. But I never understood how killer fish (or other underwater mammals) are considered horror villains, and thats coming from me with a loose definition of what can be considered horror. I remember watching Jaws at a friend’s house as a kid and my dad later telling me how everyone thought the movie was so nightmarish, and me just not being able to comprehend how. Swimming in deep or dark water is certainly scary, no argument there.

@DrNgor brought up the killer animal genre having me consider checking something within that area out. Ive got way more outlandish sea creature titles on my shelf to check out. This one has really negative reviews mostly for just being a cash grab from the popularity of Jaws. 

This would have fared a lot better for me in the summer with its great nautical scenery, though ends with a cool partially frozen sea second act. Due to the filming locations and time period, the cinematography is quite amazing. 

Stars Richard Harrison, who I know as being the early Dumbledore or for his late 60s chamber pop album, looking more like Gene Wilder. I thought this movie was pretty good. The dolphin’s given intellect of recognizing humans from certain boats, or ability to intentionally burn down the town is hokey, but the movie plays and ending concludes well. One creepy looking animal dolphins are, black mass of stealth. Depicted just as they are here, using real underwater footage of the animal swimming through the ocean.

 

One of my favorite animal attack movies.

[Koravec]

@Super Ninja hell yea. must be a more well known title or have a cult following because this one did pop up from a simple google search

[Koravec]

Croc [2007]- Another killer animal movie. Except this one not so great like the other, god awful and not even in a fun way. Made for tv sci fi channel movie but plays like a made for tv lifetime movie.This is on a Dvd collection I have with 6 other movies and the only one in the collection not made by Asylum. So it actually feels and plays like a real movie as opposed to an Asylum picture, albeit a tv one still.

Great example of when I dont understand how writers/directors can write so much without anything actually happening, just screen time. Theres finally an on screen croc kill near the end that uses cgi to animate the croc lunging his mouth at a pool swimmer cause the pool to turn red. People hate on cgi, but Im begging for it at times, if your watching something like this you will be too. 

If you watched this movie on mute you may have no idea it was solely about a killer croc. Dont recommend. 

 

[Drunken Monk]

Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013) - It seems this sequel is pretty universally panned by reviewers and I have no idea why. It's a pretty vast departure from the first film and relies more on a serial killer thriller plot than a demon-based one. But there are plenty of spooky happenings and hey, I really enjoyed it! I'm glad James Wan didn't resort to the same old shit and gave us something a little different. The serial killer stuff paired well with the ghostly stuff and we're given a pretty in-depth plot, all in all, with multiple moving parts. We're also given Wan's trademark scares though, admittedly, not as many as the first film or those found in the The Conjuring films.
I like this one a lot. It's unfairly compared to other films when it's its own thing. I'd recommend it.

[DrNgor]

The Vanished (2006) - original title Ame no Machi - Souta Kaneichi is a writer for a trash mag about the occult with a troubled past who receives a strange assignment: investigate reports of dead kid in a rural area whose autopsy revealed the complete absence of internal organs in the child's body(!). Souta's investigation leads him to a small village where, thirty years before, some thirty school children disappeared without a trace. Upon visiting the school--now transformed into a museum of sorts--Souta notices that one of the children in the thirty-year-old yearbook photo is the same one whom he had seen on the autopsy table...the same one who happened to get up leave the hospital.

The Vanished starts out very interesting with some eerie scenes and a great mystery. What's up with the dead kid with no organs? Why does he/it still move around? What is its connection with the story of the missing children? What exactly happened to those children? The first half is very intriguing and enjoyable as new clues are introduced and the mystery grows in scope. The problem is that the first half is followed by the second one. The second half becomes a low-octane siege flick with only a few obscure attempts at an explanation, a confrontation with one of the missing children ruined by bad effects, a lack of follow-up on the earlier scenes establishing Souta's disturbing past, and a generally insatisfying denouement. 

[Drunken Monk]

P2 (2007) - A fairly run of the mill stalker movie that's, at times, punctuated by some pretty solid tension and some pretty awesome gore (this one feature one of the best kills I've seen lately). Unfortunately, it's pretty uneven, with the slower parts dragging on. We get far too many scenes of the primary maniac yelling "ANGELA!" into the night. If it only did away with these moments and gave us more of the tension it's oh-so-good at, it would have been a far more enjoyable watch.
Now, that's not to say it's bad. It's not. I actually liked it. But I experienced a distinct disappointment because it could have been so much more. But if you like your stalker movies, this one is definitely one to watch. I'm especially thankful for the neat little gimmicks the film has. For example, the lead actress is handcuffed early on in the movie and, for the rest of the run time, she stays handcuffed. A lesser film would have her magically pick the cuffs with a hair pin or something.

Oh, I have to give a warning. Those of you that are put off by animal violence may want to skip this one. It features one of the most egregious animal killings I've ever seen. 

[Koravec]

Mandy- Amazing movie, really puts you in a trance. Phenomenally acted and casted, with Nicholas Cage of all people. Very colorful and psychedelic. The soundtrack was so in congruence with the entrancing experience of watching this one that it even stands strong on its own I think. I was in awe just listening to the full album the next night coming home from work, and Im not typically that guy to always be hung up on movie soundtracks. I couldnt wait to listen to it again. Droning encapsulating synth to give you an idea.

The film is about a creative type, fan of horror and sci fi, young woman who plays opposite nicholas cage in a relationship. A home invasion occurs by a family of hillbillies led by a tripped out narcissistic/sadistic cult leader along with creatures that look like cenobites from hellraiser. The cult ends up burning her alive... such an abhorrent fate.

Cage is granted a unique fantasy-esque sword and it turns to a revenge horror from here. All while keeping you entranced and encapsulated in the creative wonders of Mandy’s mind. Just typing this is making me recall how beautiful this movie is. 

Idk if this movie was hyped up like crazy by a ton or anything (of course it would have been received positively). But Im on the praise train for this one. My brother actually told me he didnt care for it... which makes me wonder if it may be a resistance on his part to jumping on the hype. We always disagree on movies... haha.

[Koravec]

Wicker Man [1973]-

Fatality by burning alive, just like Mandy. Also another Nick Cage movie, but this isnt his remake lol.

I really didnt know what to expect going into this so what I saw was surprising. Appears like a made for tv looking movie. The music, which I thought was great, had a greater impact on me than the horror elements lol, maybe I should go check out Sound of Music since I enjoyed that aspect so much. Burning alive is too cruel of an idea to even fathom so wasnt too entertained by that aspect.

 

[Drunken Monk]

Maniac Cop (1988) - I know this one has gained a cult status over the years but I just don't see it. I found it slow, boring and, for what is basically halfway near being a slasher, it lacks any good gore. The performances are fine and it's always nice to see both Bruce Campbell and Tom Atkins, but it just didn't hold any excitement for me. There's some cool imagery of the titular maniac cop dwelling in the shadows but, beyond that, I found it to be rather lame.
I chose this one for its run time because I wanted to squeeze another movie in before my day ended. I wish I'd just watched a martial arts movie and opted for another horror the next day. This really wasn't worth the watch.

[DrNgor]

2 hours ago, Drunken Monk said:

Maniac Cop (1988) - I know this one has gained a cult status over the years but I just don't see it.

I saw this several years ago. The best part was the brief scenes depicting the fallout of the initial murders, like the scared old lady shooting an innocent policemen. I think we needed more of that.

Pulse (2001, d: Kiyoshi Kurosawa) - Orig. title - Kairo - Eerie ghost story about a supernatural force that is associated with computers that drives people into depression and often suicide. There are two parallel stories: the first involves the employees of a floriculturist business--Michi, Junko, and Yabe--whose co-worker might have been the first victim. The second storyline involves a college student, Kawashima, who is testing the internet (ah, the quaint days of dial-up internet) when he receives spooky invitations to websites that show ghosts. The head of the school computer lab, Harue, commits herself to investigating his claims. The ghost "infestation" ends up taking an absolutely apocalyptic turn by the end of the movie. A lot more understated than I thought, but interesting to watch all the same.

[AlbertV]

On 10/16/2021 at 9:33 AM, DrNgor said:

Rattlers (1976) - So I had a rattlesnake double-feature last night. This one has a den of aggressive rattlers terrorizing people living along the Mojave Desert in Southern California. A herpetologist and a freelance photographer are hired by the local sheriff to investigate. They discover that the illegal disposal of an outlawed biological agent by the local military base has gotten the snakes riled up. It was diverting, but there is not much of a climax: a brief gunfight between the now-crazed Colonel and the sheriff's deputies, followed by an explosion. Followed by the sound of rattling in another abandoned mine shaft. The end. Meh.

Director Dustin "Dark Infinity" Ferguson spliced footage from this film and new footage featuring Mel Novak and Brinke Stevens to make Rattlers 2.

https://worldfilmgeek.com/2021/04/15/rattlers-2-2021/

[AlbertV]

On 10/16/2021 at 9:56 AM, Koravec said:

Terrifier- Figured Id try to knock out some clown movies I hadnt seen. Didnt know this was such a low budget one based off how much notoriety this clown has gotten. 

Its a black and white mime looking clown so I would have thought the themes would be more nihilistic, slow paced and existential, basically just a terrifying (as the name implies) circus mime who lurks in the darkness and makes his victims go missing into nothing and darkness without a word. This is only slightly the case, there are no words, but Terrifyer is a full on slasher gore fest if not “torture porn”. These movies seem to rely on mutilation and disfiguration, two things (along with torture) Id consider myself pretty sensitive to, just sick distasteful stuff. 

Theres a scene of a woman getting hung upside down and sawed from the middle of her body down to her head... Other than that is the typical mutilated face trope that was first introduced in All Hallows Eve and recreated or continued here. 

Other than that I really began to appreciate what the director recreated from the All Hallows Eve segments to do in this one. You can see what were the core story ideas that were important to shaping the character.

 

All Hallows Eve- This is the shorter film anthology (3 films) where art the clown originated. Connected by a boy receiving a mysterious vhs on halloween in his trick or treat bag and the mom hesitantly deciding to play it in the living room.

I think I enjoyed this one even more than Terrifier, many more multi dimensional dynamics with the film segments and Ring style interaction of the perhaps cosmic, physic defying Art The Clown breaking through the screen. 

The clown scenes are great, aside from the later nastiness 🤢 🩸. The other scene is of this robot alien creature slowly chasing a woman through a house. This was awesome looking! Ive always said we need more strange original horror icons such as that. And unlike the clown scenes doesnt end in sadistic mutilation or disfigurement.

So speaking of the clown scenes, when he finally catches one of his female victims, the fate Art has for her is insanely debilitating what hes done to her. And the words he carves onto her skin had me wondering what the directors actual idea behind all this disgust was. Had me cringing side eyed and saying to myself “dude, what the fk”. Leads me to believe the creator of this is one twisted individual. 

Would probably land its way on being a halloween goto in future years had it not been for the graphic nature of the flicks.

Terrifier 2 is coming soon. Cast members will be in Orlando this weekend for the Spooky Empire convention. I will be going there Sunday. 

[DrNgor]

Just now, AlbertV said:

Director Dustin "Dark Infinity" Ferguson spliced footage from this film and new footage featuring Mel Novak and Brinke Stevens to make Rattlers 2.

I'm always tickled pink by the fact that Mel Novak, a supporting character from Game of Death, gets so much work in low-budget horror and sci-fi films these days.