venomwolves

This is the last of my little horror movie series! I did watch another one just recently though, which was House On Haunted Hill (1999). Very cheesy/cliche and I found myself kind of bored with it at times, though it definitely had its fun moments. I also watched a non-horror movie called Bros that apparently hasn't even left the theaters yet, but I managed to snag it on a lovely piracy site 🖤 It's a gay comedy that kind of pokes fun at the differences between straight and gay relationship standards, as well as LGBT culture in general, and though it was really hilarious at times, it did border on a little too ridiculous at points, and I wish it would have allowed itself to have a few more genuine moments-- though I guess it was trying to make a point about the idiotic nature of m/m relationships, which is fair.

Anyway, on to the last round of horror reviews~

16. Disturbing Behavior (1998) ***
Another B-list, and not actually that far off from The Faculty, concept-wise. Although, I liked this one more, weirdly. It definitely has its teen movie cliches, but as horror goes the idea was fairly individual (though I haven't seen every horror movie in existence, so what do I know lol). I was also kind of surprised that I ended up liking the characters a decent bit-- I remember really rooting for the main guy, like... king 💖 lastly, it was very vibe-y, like visually. All the main characters are these grimy motherfuckers, some of the sets were pretty grimy, the soundtrack was pretty good... I recommend, honestly.

17. The Exorcist (1973) ****
I was really surprised by how well-done this film is. Obviously the special effects for the time were incredible and even hold up great today, but what really impressed me was how richly we get to know the mother and daughter's life and relationship with each other before everything goes to shit. Masterful juxtaposition-- it was like a shock to the system, it made the obvious uncharacteristic behavior of the girl all the more disturbing. I feel like many "possessed child" movies tend to skip this pre-catalyst character building, which is a damn shame as it does wonders for this film. Also the pretty little insecure priest guy..... Bexless, I see you taking notes! God.

18. Poltergeist (1982) ***
I don't have much to say about this one. I liked it-- it was surprisingly wholesome for a horror movie-- but it's not a favorite. To be honest, I don't actually remember much about it. One thing I CAN say is I didn't realize "it's heeeere" is from this, but when it hit... honestly a bit anti climactic. Kind of interesting about the rumored curse on the franchise, though.

19. Studio 666 (2022) ***
THIS IS HILARIOUS... Goddd. Horror comedy can be so fucking great sometimes, and it staring the Foo Fighters taking place in a haunted mansion studio rung SO MCR-paramour-mansion-- it felt so familiar, I couldn't stop throwing around the fusion in my head 🤣 Even without that connection, the movie's a ton of fun; though it's gotta be a whole other experience as a deep-cut Foo Fighter fans, I'm sure there were a ton of little details that went over my head.

20. Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022) ****
This is THE most Gen Z horror film. Staring spoiled rich 20-somethings, this includes so much of today's terminally-online self-diagnosed/medicated drama/cancel culture it's almost painful how REAL it is, like. Fuck, it really is ridiculous. There is a very WRY twist that I won't give away, but it's... WELL, it's a real kicker. Fantastically done.

That's it! We've reached the end of my horror review for this season-- though absolutely catch me throwing in various recs on future posts, cause I do be watching movies. Next time I'll probably be back with MCR/bandom related stuff again, finally, oof. Hope yall enjoyed this little series, though, I had fun with it!

Current Mood: wistful
Current Music: Medellia of the Gray Skies - The Smashing Pumpkins

I am back with more horror movies! I additionally watched some new ones recently--
Like Hereditary (2018), which. This film was absolutely traumatizing! She's not like other girls...... it was a little too well done, things got too real. Like trouble-sleeping-for-the-next-couple-nights real. Feeling-the-need-to-tell-your-family-you-love-them real. Yikes! Not for the fainthearted!
I also watched the first season of The Midnight Club, a very very good thriller/mystery Netflix show-- though I will say it's a bit heavy handed on the jump-scares at first, jfc. It's centered around a group of young people with terminal illness all staying at a hospice of shorts, so it gets quite sad, but there's a lot of fun filler with ghost stories and the driving mystery of the history of the building they're staying at is incredibly suspenseful, I strongly recommend... I also need that next season like. right now.

Anyway! On with the reviews.

11. The Evil Dead (1981) *
I'm gonna be real, I.... did not like this much at all. Classic or no, I just found this distasteful in many ways. Namely the tree rape scene, that was just ridiculous and incredibly insulting to women. I can tolerate a lot of bullshit with how women are treated in horror, but this crossed a line for me. I also hated how instead of a final girl, there was a "final guy" who I personally didn't really care for as a character, like he was kind of stupid... and he didn't make it out anyway! Booo. Plus, very misleading title, sounds like it should be about zombies.
I think about the only thing I liked was some of the original score and there were some pretty cool special effects.

12. The VVitch (2015) ****
I actually really liked this. Very disturbing, but doesn't overdo it and it was filmed in a really visually captivating fashion. Also a very thought provoking plot... I really can't blame the girl at the end, like damn might as well. The fact that she was never targeted leads me to believe the coven's plan was to recruit her all along, which is interesting to think about. I also find it interesting we didn't get a straight answer on what happened to the twins.

13. As Above, So Below (2014) ***
Here we have our first documentary/found footage type movie. Though I really liked this, I must say I don't feel the filming style was working in its favor. To me, this just wasn't realistic enough for that to really work-- the characters were too archtypical and the plot was very national treasure-esque... it just wasn't believable. I found it was incredibly unnecessary to have it filmed like it was for real. BUT, besides that it was a really cool movie and I do recommend.

14. The Conjuring franchise (2013-2021) ***
This is the only one on my list I know of that's based on real life events apparently with decent accuracy, so that's pretty cool. It's also connected to a few other films, namely Annabelle, which I haven't dug into yet. I think something that's particularly fun about these is that they're not really scary. They definitely try! But frankly they try too hard imo-- which works out for me, cause then I can just chill with these films no problem and enjoy the mystery solving and stuff.

15. The Blair Witch Project (1999) *****
God, I fucking love this movie. It's another found footage type, but does is better than everyone else, I swear to god. I remember having a moment of "wait, is this actual found footage??" and had to fact check, it felt so un-staged. The acting is phenomenal. The way the characters interact with each other is so realistic, and the stress and fear of the situation is palpable. I also found the filming style added so much to this. "Less is more" really works it's magic here-- throughout many key parts of the film you never see anything, you just hear. Fucking power move. No special effects or cg in the world could ever top the horror of leaving it up to imagination-- or even beyond the viewer's comprehension. Genius.
This has a very cheesy looking sequel that I don't plan to waste my time on, however there's also a mockumentary on the "found footage" that I might actually watch tonight... we'll see.

Anyway, next up is Disturbing Behavior, The Exorcist, Poltergeist, Studio 666, and Bodies Bodies Bodies!

Current Mood: pensive
Current Music: Dear And The Headlights - Drunk Like Bible Times

So Friday the 13th part 2 was kind of a let down-- it was nearly the same plot as the first one, but more horny and no twist, as Jason was the actual killer, which. by the way, it is completely nonsensical how Jason works as a killer, like the fact that he really should be the ghost of a young boy and did appear to be so in the first one with that glimpse of him at the end! But they spin some shit about him being this creature that's somehow manifested from the death that grew up to be a deformed man with the brain of a mute and extremely sheltered child that avenges his mother's death or something...? The whole manifested creature thing doesn't bother me that much I guess, like whatever, it's a horror movie. But the real kicker is that in the first film we clearly see Jason as a child-creature thing that dwells in Crystal Lake, but the sequel is only 5 years later and Jason is suddenly a full grown man. Where's the logic? Sloppy writing. Also, how many Friday the 13th movies am I gonna have to watch until the iconic goaltender mask makes an appearance! I swear to god.

Anyway, on to the next round of reviews.

6. The Silence Of The Lambs (1991) *****
FANTASTIC FILM. One of my favorites of the classics, and also one of the first I saw, which was unfortunately about a year ago... I can't remember a lot of specifics, but this is a great one if horror isn't your usual thing or you're just dipping into the genre. from what I remember, it's more prominently a mystery/psychological thriller than straight horror, so the plot is very compelling and suspenseful.

7. Carrie (1976) ***
Stephen King. What else can I say... The amount of nudity in the very beginning was Very unnecessary, and the original score made many scenes hard to take seriously, hence 3 stars. But I do like cinematography-- there's just something about the way 70s and early 80s horror was filmed that looks so pleasing to me, plus it had some pretty great parallels/foreshadowing. Also, seeing John Travolta that young was a trip, lmao.

8. The Faculty (1998) **
This is one of the more B-list ones I've seen. Kind of unoriginal in my opinion, it's pretty much invasion of the body snatchers, but in a high school setting. Not terrible per se, but the epilogue made me roll my eyes-- just a tad over-idealized.

9. The Wolf House (2018) ****
THIS. This is amazing. It's actually a Chilean stop-motion that's based on the true story of Colonia Dignidad, a German "colony" *ehehm* cult in southern Chile that rose to prominence in the early 1960s... in fact, the film is fashioned like a promotional video for the cult, masquerading as a sort of fucked up fairy tail. It's not exactly scary, but it's incredibly unsettling and impossible to look away from, like the artistry is unfathomable. Very arthouse horror. Now, it IS only available in Spanish and German, however there is not much dialogue and it's all very slow paced speaking so the subtitles weren't a bother to rely on.

10. Possession (1981) ***
Another foreign arthouse horror film! Though it's set in Berlin, it's actually performed in (heavily accented) English for some reason. Also, a fun fact, this is a banned film for its incredible nasty-ness, apparently? Which is overkill in my opinion, like I've seen equally fucked up films put out today that no one seems to mind? Anyway, most sites are saying this was specific to the UK, but it seems to be unavailable to stream and is difficult to find on dvd in general, so idk. Thankfully, it was on an archive site at the time I wanted to see it, so I didn't have to search all over; although, it unfortunately did not have subtitles as an option, which made things even harder to follow than they already were... and god let me tell you. Watching this with no precursor for what you're in for is like being a lost child in a Walmart supercenter. Vaguely scared and deeply deeply confused... I must say, this plot is nearly incomprehensible to the naked eye-- I pretty much had to watch a few video essays to be at peace after finishing it. BUT, once everything was spelled out for me by very nice youtube people, I actually am extremely impressed with the whole thing. It's all about divorce, really.

Anyway, expect to see my thoughts on Evil Dead, The VVitch, As Above So Below, The Conjuring franchise, and The Blair Witch Project next.

Current Mood: blah

Is anyone else having issues with rich text not showing a window to type in when you go to post here, or is it just me? I'm not that great with HTML, but this will do I suppose...

Well, since it's October now, I think I'll share some horror movie reviews. I'm very new to this genre, I've really only dived into it last year, technically. Before this, I'd only seen about 4 proper horror movies in my entire life, but I decided my movie knowledge is lacking, and naturally many horror movies are a must-- turns out I actually really enjoy the genre! I've gotten many of the classics out of the way so far, but I'm still working on the sequels. There are a few B list and newer films as well.

1. Ginger Snaps (2000) *****
I haven't seen this in about a year so my thoughts on it are very hazy, but I remember being in awe after finishing it, thinking "well, I guess I've got a new favorite film." It's often compared to The Craft and Jennifer's Body, and though I see the similarities and enjoy both movies in their own rights, Ginger Snaps is simply a whole other breed in my opinion... also this felt very different from other werewolf media I've consumed in the past, it's a very unique take. Thinking about it now, I'd actually love to own this on dvd and get my hands on some bonus features, like commentary and such...
This does apparently have a sequel, but I'm wary of it honestly. I don't want it tainting the perfect canon of the story in my head e_e

2. Scream (1996) ***
I didn't realize this was technically a parody until I started watching it! This was really fun, while still maintaining the genre... I also must say, I loved seeing the 90s fashion in full swing, particularly Tatum Riley's outfits (before she was done in by the garage, of course).
I have yet to watch any sequels for this franchise, but I know a new one came out not too long ago... are they worth it? Any I shouldn't bother with?

3. Friday The 13th (1980) ****
I surprisingly really loved this! Though the twist wasn't news to me due to watching scream before hand, I found myself really immersed... I won't pretend I know much about filming technicalities, but I personally felt the visuals for this movie were awesome, and the suspension was just chefs kiss, mwah. Watching each character get picked off while the rest are oblivious! The final girl getting away within an inch of her life! The fake-out end! Friday The 13th serves cunt, honestly.
Again, though! No sequels-- I haven't even seen Jason in action yet, but I plan to get part 2 out of the way tonight... any others of the franchise worth my time?

4. A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984) ***
This is soo sooooo 80s. From the clothing, to the dialogue, to the original score! SPEAKING OF, I had a fun little fandom moment in which I actually recognized a bit of the original score from a fanmix made for 24 Frames Per Second by Leandra (on ao3), so that was entertaining to run into... anyway, honestly this was so cheesy in a lot of ways, but I must say there was a good bit of special effects I was really impressed with-- like in the beginning when the main girl's friend is being killed in her dream and she's being thrown about the room and crawling on the ceiling, like that was a fantastic scene!
Now, I have actually seen the first sequel for this franchise, but. Well first, I don't remember much of it because I was in a feverish haze from a covid booster shot at the time. And second, I remember finding the protagonist of this one absolutely repulsive. Like... can I just say, this slimy little freak boy was a far cry from the original heroine, I just could not get with it. Also, I kept wanting to fall asleep near the end and for the life of me can't remember how it closes. Anyone want to fill me in? Did slimy freak boy live?

5. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) ****
Most of the the horror films I've seen so far have not been particularly scary in my opinion, but this one was actually quite spectacularly freaky. I was particularly curious what this was all about, as it's apparently one of Frank's all time favorite movies, and boi did it fucking serve... I think the two most skin-crawling parts were 1.) when one of the characters goes into the farmhouse looking for their missing friends and hears clunking coming from a freezer, opening it to find one of said friend's corpse having aftershocks from the bang to the head, and 2.) ANYTHING involving the grandfather, but mostly when he's sucking the blood from the final girl's finger 🤢🤮 Actually, I don't think I've ever felt so incredibly bad for a final girl in my life, talk about life-long trauma, Christ on the cross.... I truly Did Not think she was gonna make it and the death was simply being dragged out since she was the last, but god. the two cars who stopped for her... 🥰😘 I don't get what was up with the first person who stopped tho, like why did he get out, lmao?? Like no, drive away!!
Anyway, A+ horror film. 100% disturbing. Not even sure I'd want to watch more from this series, honestly. I think one is enough in this case...

Anyway, I may or may not pick this up at number six and do another five reviews. I have too many to go through in one sitting, but I definitely have Things To Say about all of them, so it's likely... well, expect to see Silence Of The Lambs, Carrie, The Faculty, The Wolf House, and Possession from me next time ✌

Current Mood: sleepy
Current Music: Jail Cell - Charles Bernstein