2023 HORROR THREAD

[HumanChessgame]

I saw Scanners at the local Alamo and realized how good the sound design is when there's theater surround sound involved. During the "scanning" scenes you can feel the harsh, atonal noise in your head.

It's a documentary, but Monster Inside: America's Most Extreme Haunted House is about the most infamous "extreme" haunted house. I remember urban legends about these sorts of places way back when I was still in college, with rumors that they were so scary that you got your money back if you could make it through the whole thing. The place they profile isn't even a haunted house, but just an location where some guy just spends hours at a time torturing people after they sign a massive waiver. Several people who went it share their experiences, along with a few consultants weighing in on the legal aspects (very grey area due to consenting adults) of what was being done and psychological analysis of what happens to your brain along the way (it's considered pushing yourself much the same way engaging in extreme sports/heavy BDSM is). The guy behind it is, unsurprisingly, a sadistic carny who gets off on hurting people and ignoring consent. All the footage in there is actually real stuff that was taken during these peoples' sessions is pretty disturbing.

[J.T.]

15 hours ago, NoFistsJustFlips said:

Caught Terrifier 2. I thought as a movie it was worlds better than the first one. There's a plot and a cohesive story with a beginning middle and end. I still actually prefer the first one. While not a cohesive story, it had a tighter runtime and I almost thought the chaos without a lot of stopping to storytell or explain made him a more mysterious entity and thus scarier. Art The Clown ranks high for me as a horror character. I feel like he's a lot more marketable than a lot of what's out there. But the amount of gore and indulgence these movies thrive on, it's unlikely he ever gets put into the same lists as Jason or Freddy or Michael etc.

The final girl in this one was really good I thought. And knowing there's going to be a number 3 made, I hope she factors back in. And we find out the larger meaning of her father's artwork linking to Art & the murders. Not into the giving birth to his head thing, but it's campy and fine in a Jason kind of way. Hope Jericho is back at the start of 3 to get got too lol.

I think my thoughts on Terrifier 2 are on Page 13.  Lauren LaVera as Sienna Smith does make for an awesome final girl and it helps that the warrior angel cosplay is easy on the eyes.

And you are exactly on the money.  I think I would be more accepting of Art the Clown as a horror icon if his promotion weren't so indulgent and shameless.  I think that's what keeps me from fully embracing the character.

The mythology that the Terrifier movies is building is impressive.  The idea that not even Art knows that he's some demon's plaything is interesting.

[Curt McGirt]

3 hours ago, HumanChessgame said:

All the footage in there is actually real stuff that was taken during these peoples' sessions is pretty disturbing.

Well, what the fuck does he do to them?

[HumanChessgame]

2 minutes ago, Curt McGirt said:

Well, what the fuck does he do to them?

Various types of creepy verbal abuse, keeping them in cages or pits in the ground, dumping mud, sewage, paint, insects, and who knows what else on them and leaving it on them for long periods of time, waterboarding, various types of sensory deprivation, etc. It was almost like the guy fancied himself some horror movie villain. There was one scene in particular where a guy was bound and in a ditch and almost covered in mud and said he'd had enough and wanted to be done with it, but the guy kept telling him he wasn't done yet.

[(BP)]

The YouTube clip I saw showed him forcing rotten eggs down a woman’s throat. The clientele seemed to be people into getting abused. Lots of ick.

As far as the carny part, he supposedly offers a large cash prize for completing the challenges. No one has, but there are stories of hardcore former military types going in and getting kicked out before finishing when the guy realized he wasn’t going to break them. 

[Curt McGirt]

Well, I suppose its better that the dude do this then go into law enforcement or politics.

[(BP)]

Creepshow season 4 dropped today on Shudder. I’ve watched an episode and a half, and it’s great so far. The first segment in episode one is a bit more thoughtful and heartfelt than a typical Creepshow story, but it’s very good. 

[J.T.]

I will probably wait until the last episode of S4 and then binge with my kid when she is home for fall break.

 

Edited October 14, 2023 by J.T.

[(BP)]

I just finished V/H/S 85. These got so much better when they stopped bothering with the wraparound stories. There really aren’t any bad segments here, although I think the overall length of the film kind of drags it down a bit. Shudder should just make it a series, but my stopping to do chores between every couple of segments is the same difference I suppose. 

We watched the first episode of the Disney Plus Goosebumps series. They totally Riverdaled it, which is fine. I knew it would be a more mature interpretation, but it’s a lot closer in tone to the Netflix Fear Street movies than any Goosebumps IP that’s come before. The kids like the movies and the old shows (my son’s a huge Slappy fan), but this took more parental guidance than I was expecting. 

Edited October 15, 2023 by (BP)

[J.T.]

11 minutes ago, (BP) said:

I just finished V/H/S 85.

I am trying to meter my expectations, but Scott Derrickson and Gigi Saul Guerrero are tied to this so I am anticipating quality segments. 

I will probably fire up Shudder sometime over the next few days while I am working swing shift in support of some US Army units training in Japan.

Edited October 14, 2023 by J.T.

[(BP)]

Never Hike Alone 2 was released today, and it’s the best fan film I’ve ever seen. I don’t know how I’d rank it among the Friday films, but it’s legit enough that I’d consider the question in franchise conversations going forward.  

 

[RIPPA]

John Carpenter has gotten tired of his cinematographer's shit (in a "lot of truth is said in jest" kinda way)

Quote

The Thing cinematographer Dean Cundey has previously shared that specific lighting that can be seen in the eyes of human characters that can give away who is human and who is "The Thing," with the final moments of the film showing that MacReady has the light in his eyes and Childs doesn't appear to have them.

When ComicBook.com asked about the validity of Cundey's remarks, Carpenter clarified, "He has no clue." When pushed about whether there was a definitive answer or if it was intentionally ambiguous, Carpenter confirmed, "Yes, I know. I know who's the Thing and who's not in the very end."

As far as whether he would reveal that answer, the filmmaker teased, "Nope ... Cannot tell you. Sorry."

Cundey's remarks do hold true about earlier sequences in the film, though the theory doesn't seem to reflect the final scene. Carpenter went on to jokingly tease his former collaborator.

"[Dean Cundey] doesn't know. He has no idea. He puts the lights up. He puts the lights up, and we were in the snow. He has no clue," Carpenter expressed. After revealing that this news will be revealed to Cundey himself eventually, the filmmaker taunted, "You tell him that. Tell him he's full of sh-t."

https://comicbook.com/horror/news/the-thing-ending-explained-john-carpenter-reaction-human-lights-eyes-childs-macready/

[odessasteps]

Joe Bob’s Halloween special is this week on Shudder.

[jaedmc]

Okay, I've been keeping on track with my 31 days of Horror and here's how I've done so far:

Sea Fever: Basically made a Covid metaphor movie a year before covid. Nothing new here, with a crew getting infected with something creepy at sea. BUT the cast is really good. The last act felt like they just needed to end it, maybe for budgetary reasons, so it feels a little flat - but not a bad start.
 

Curse of the Blue Lights: Hoo Boy, a 1988 regional horror out of Colorado. It's not "good", but there are some really fun ideas, and that's just about all I ask for. I think there's at least three instances of "So I guess the legend is true..." followed by someone explaining some lore.

Spoonful of Sugar: Almost awesome? Maybe too many ideas, none of which are fleshed out in a satisfactory way.

Ernest Scared Stupid: How about a bumper sandwich booger lips?

Influencer: A better movie that the director's previous effort, but I think they're too in love with the cyclical plotting. The first shot kinda botches the movie from the get go. Great initial concept and a more realistic take on social media influencer.

Children of the Corn: OUTLANDER! Tell me you don't laugh when they crack that girl in the face with a car door at the end of the movie.

Jeepers Creepers. Still one of the best first acts in horror movies. Then slowly loses the thread the more we see the Creeper. Of course that's also its charm, no? At first we're like, who is this psycho? Then we're like "he's not of this world.." then he's doing backflips over a car like he's Jackie Chan or something.

Elevator Game: Should've been a short film. You can't do the same fucking elevator ride multiple times in the movie.

No One Will Save You: Almost awesome, but I think it committed to its gimmick to a fault. Gets a little repetitive but totally worth hitting up.

Letherface: TCM3. I'd never seen this one. Leatherface is basically an awkward heavy metal teen - which is an idea support. I look at every sequel as it's own world and none of them affect my feelings to the original. Ken Foree is great in this and feels like he's from a John Carpenter movie.

Orphan: First Kill. Not a bad sequel at all. HOWEVER it looks terrible. The director and DP decided they didn't want anyone's faces to be very legible. It's just a wash of backlighting gray muck.

The Dark and The Wicked. Pretty good, though I feel like when you're dealing with demons and devils, the protagonists should have some kind of agency that can lead them out of the dark.

Scream We're doing all the Scream movies this year. That opening sequence is still a banger. But I still cool on the movie once Tatum dies. It feels like the party takes an awkward shift, and it's absurd that she's still hanging in the place where the fucking BEEEER is.

We're All Going to the World's Fair: Effectively captures what it feels like to be chronically online. Prone to drifting and allowing you to sit in discomfort. Left us with some interesting questions.

The Strange World of Planet X (aka Cosmic Monsters) A bit of a chore, leading to some oversized insects.

Scream 2 : I never thought this before, but Scream 2 might be a better movie than Scream 1, if it weren't for the ending. I think it gets tooooo fucking cute at the end, but some of the sequences are really good, and Gale Weathers/Dewey are great together.

[J.T.]

So, I heard so many good things about Creepshow S4E1 that I had to watch it for myself.  I will still binge the entire season with my kid when she's home for fall break.

Aaaaaaand on to the review....

There was nothing wrong with Smile.  It was a solid, if predictable, EC Comics style supernatural revenge story with an admirably vicious tone.

It just had the misfortune to run behind the most brilliant thing ever shown in this series.  "20 Minutes with Cassandra" is a masterful essay on the horror of personal tragedy and how people cope with it.  Or in this case, don't cope with it.  This story has everything:  an insightful and provocative message, gallons of blood, dark comedy.  Everything.

The cast is fucking great (especially the East African pizza delivery guy) and I am not crying, you are.  I don't think there has been a Creepshow segment that has kicked me this hard in the feels since The House of the Head.

Did you spot the Stephen King callback in the first segment?  I DID~!

Spoiler

STILLSON COFFEE~!!

 

 

Edited October 18, 2023 by J.T.

[J.T.]

I totally forgot that Dark Harvest came out last weekend.  I know that most of us are suckers for the haunted scarecrow gimmick, so we should probably enjoy it even it it is campy and kinda stupid.

[jaedmc]

Onyx The Fortuitous is  getting the Fathom Event treatment this Thursday. Yes, my wife and I are going to support this guy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKpkjcspfiQ

[Eivion]

Anyone catch The Fall of the House of Usher? Was curious if its worth catching.

[driver]

Watched Slotherhouse and I am glad I did. I've always wondered what a movie about a killer sloth would be like and now I know. It's bat shit insane and I'll leave it at that.

[elizium]

27 minutes ago, Eivion said:

Anyone catch The Fall of the House of Usher? Was curious if its worth catching.

It’s on my list so I haven’t yet, but I know a couple people who watched it and really enjoyed it 

[(BP)]

Creepshow season 4 is solid, maybe the most consistent. A couple of the stories felt like they could’ve been on Are You Afraid of the Dark, which isn’t really a complaint. There were also plenty of EC-inspired darkly cynical comeuppances.

I caught most of Leatherface (2017) the other day. It wasn’t awful (or good), but it’s weirdly a lot closer in tone to Corman’s 70s Depression-era crime dramas than any Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie. Stephen Dorff and Lili Taylor are both very good in it. 

[J.T.]

13 hours ago, Eivion said:

Anyone catch The Fall of the House of Usher? Was curious if its worth catching.

Mike Flanagan is helming this and it feels like his Netflix version of Legend of Hell House, so it is probably awesome.

[Curt McGirt]

The Fall of the House of Usher is supposed to be really good. Flanagan basically cut up and bunch of Poe stories and redid them so it's not all about that specific story. 

I think I've only seen pieces of Leatherface but the fourth one has been doing the rounds on SyFy and I watched a good deal of it. The end is batshit but the rest of it is pretty much just a ripoff of the first one. McConnaghey is gnarly in it at least, and I like them keeping the mechanical leg from one of the characters in III. The Fangoria piece that David Schow wrote about it was really good; he indeed wanted Leatherface as a rebellious teenager, who wore a black leather jacket and smoked. Meanwhile, they rewrote his script so much that the different colored pages made it look like a rainbow. IIRC Jeff Burr was not a splatter fan, plus the MPAA was on their asses the whole time. I think it turned out better than expected. The "MEAT" gag was brilliant. 

Jeepers Creepers would have made an awesome short film, or episode of Tales from the Crypt. 

[Curt McGirt]

God, I looked it up and they cut FOUR MINUTES of stuff out of TCM 3. Not only that but the "uncut" print is poor footage since they cut the master when the MPAA decided to ream them. I guess they had a work print hidden somewhere. Also, I forgot that Viggo Mortenson was in it! So that's three big stars that got a start in the series: him, McConnaghey, and Renee Zellweger ("Who is Renee Zell-wedger?" - Dave Chappelle).

[(BP)]

TCM: The Next Generation introducing the concept that the family is acting as low-level agents for some kind of Elitist Satanic Cult was certainly a choice. It was too late for the 80s satanic panic and way too early for Pizzagate, so I’m not sure what they were even doing. I guess Halloween had gotten into that around the same time too with the Cult of Thorn. 

Debra McMichael is also inexplicably in it as a police officer for thirty seconds.