Horror Franchise Thread

[odessasteps]

I'm guessing two movies doesnt count as a franchise, but i just recently watched the bluray of Re-Animator and my old copy of From Beyond.

Boy, i loved Re-Animator as a teenager. The doc on the blu ray was cool. Never knew stuart gordon had been part of the 1980s chicago theatre scene with Mantenga and Mamet.

[Newb82]

I'm thinking about tracking down as many unused FREDDY VS JASON scripts as I can find and reviewing what might have been.

Unfortunately the first one I've started reading is by Lewis Abernathy, and it's the "Kennel From Hell" of screenplays just a few pages in.

A bunch of bad ideas made worse by the fact that he can't write dialogue for shit.

[Reggie20x6]

The only movie script I've ever read was George Romero's version of 'Resident Evil' and it depressed me because he used actual stuff from the game (set in a mansion, giant snake, etc). As opposed to the in-name-only adaptation the studio went with.

 

The only thing worse would have to be how badly 'Silent Hill' was butchered.

[The Unholy Dragon]

Second Silent Hill movie was pretty good. Ostensibly a direct sequel, it largely ignores the stuff from the first that doesn't work and becomes more or less a direct adaptation of Silent Hill 3 with a few flourishes to change things. Some scenes are STRAIGHT out of SH3 and Heather Mason looks EXACTLY like she does in the game.Also, it's a mini-Game of Thrones reunion with Ned Stark and Jon Snow.Super worthwhile and more what I was hoping for from the first (which I think has nice visuals and I enjoy overall, but is not a good adaptation)

[Niners Fan in CT]

It shouldn't be THIS hard to do a Silent Hill or Resident Evil movie. I don't understand it. Play the games + copy the games...  =  $

[piranesi]

Just watched the 4th PARANORMAL ACTIVITY movie and it was terrible.  I'm a big fan of the first two.  Both of them did a great job of something that I always look for in a horror movie, utilizing space.  They gave us these wonderfully complex spaces in these palatial houses with lots of hallways and doorways and odd little corners, and then really got us to live in that space.  So when you heard a sound you felt it, like you could feel which direction it was coming from.They also did something I didn't expect, which was coaxing you into this kind of intense focus, since the initial "stages" of the haunting were so sublte, when you would get to a moment of quiet, you would be scanning the screen, focusing on doorways and windows and little objects.  That was great and was engaging in a way not a lot of horror movies manage to be.I loved how they connected Part I and Part II together as well and it kept me invested in the overall story.Part 3 was pretty bad.  It still had a few good scares and at least tried a few new tricks (the swivel camera thing).  But the problem was that they had already told us the entire backstory in Part 2...and then they just went ahead and filmed that same backstory for Part 3...but somehow we were supposed to be in suspense or surprised at the ending?  An ending which was absurd.  I get that they got a lot of mileage out of the abruptness of the endings in the first 2, and that in part was because the buildups were so much better and the endings, as sudden as they were, at least revealed something new.  But in Part 3 it felt like a cheat, like you've invested a bunch of time in seeing how this turns out, but we're going to 1) make it so dark and grainy that you can't see what happens and 2) make the ending such that the entire previous 80 minutes was utterly inconsequential since you already knew this happened anyway.And then they doubled down on that strategy with Part 4, which added the unforgivable sin of being incredibly dull.  It was 87 minutes of nothing.  They had no new ideas and didn't ever reach threat level yellow.  WTF was the thing about a knife floating over the counter?  The two leads were somewhat likable (the dating teenagers) and the guy seemed design to answer the questioin "How effective would a young Seth Rogen be in this situation?"  (A: not at all effective).I was soooo bored.  And then they managed to get the final "chase" scene down to about a lean 90 seconds with an ending that screams to the viewer "Did you really think you were going to see anything new or interesting this time?  How fucking stupid are you?  That will be $12 please!"

[Brian Fowler]

On one hand, the simple fact that I own the first three makes me keep on almost buying Part 4.

 

On the other hand, the fact that I'm yet to hear anyone say anything even slightly positive about it (and how fucking bad Part 3 was) keeps on leading to me putting it back down and buying something else.

[Curt McGirt]

The scene Nightmare 3 in the hall of mirrors where the dude screams and everyone blasts through the glass is awesome. That is all.

[Reggie20x6]

Part 3 was pretty bad.  It still had a few good scares and at least tried a few new tricks (the swivel camera thing).  But the problem was that they had already told us the entire backstory in Part 2...and then they just went ahead and filmed that same backstory for Part 3...but somehow we were supposed to be in suspense or surprised at the ending?  An ending which was absurd.  

 

The lead-up/reveal to the ending is the first thing in a movie that legitimately scared me since I was a kid.

 

 

Holy sh*t.

[driver]

Ginger Snaps, y'all?

[Travis Sheldon]

I give the Paranormal Activity movies credit for turning me from the silent guy who analyzes everything about a movie to the guy cursing at the top of his lungs because they didn't answer one goddamn question.

And my personal favorite is the 3rd film.

Sorry.

[Newb82]

I...liked part 4. *shrugs*

[S.K.o.S.]

Kind of strange that the next Paranormal Activity is coming out next January rather than around Halloween, and it's not called part 5, it's called "Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones".  Then part 5 is scheduled for October 2014.

[Reggie20x6]

I...liked part 4. *shrugs*

 

Part 4 has the Skype bit, which reminds me of V/H/S, which makes me remember that I am what feels like a handful of people who loves that movie.

 

I loved the first one more than most probably do, and V/H/S 2 really stepped things up - even the wrap-around storyline had a purpose this time. I hope it can keep going.

[Newb82]

The Marked Ones is a spin-off for Hispannic audiences. 5 being pushed back a year even though it's been filmed is weird though.

[Brian Fowler]

Maybe they feel the extra year off will help get the box office back up, after 4 somewhat underperformed?  Although it still made an absurd ROI.

[The Unholy Dragon]

Paranormal Activity 3 is probably the best movie in the series from a storytelling and visual scares perspective. The demon takes on a whole new dimension, having this distinct physical presence and aggressive physicality in general. The bedsheet and whole damn kitchen drops are the best visual scares in the whole franchise to date and the stuff at the end with the witch cult? Wicked creepy. It just suffers from doing more to flush out the backstory than add to it. I was super disappointed on first watch but subsequent viewings have made it grow on me,Paranormal Activity 4 is basically the opposite. It adds a lot of neat stuff to the mythology and the mega-arc without having much in the way of scares. Part of it really comes down to Katie being too damn overpowered at this point and basically able to Godzilla stomp whatever's in her way. It's something they need to figure out a solution to. But the plot stuff, I really enjoyed. I liked the new protagonist, I liked seeing what's happened to Hunter, I liked the new technology stuff and the super tense garage scene, and I liked the ending. It left me wanting more and really hoping part 5 picks up with the same lead.So yeah, I think 4 is a pretty good movie but completely lacks the scare value the others had. And 3 is really underrated due to expectations vs. reality.VHS is a series of pretty good shorts with one or two standouts marred by a lot of sexism and male gaze in a really short turnaround. I tend to like it better watching the shorts individually than as an overall piece. VHS2 improved on this a lot, with the short by the Raid guys being the clear standout, worth the price of admission alone. The first short has a lot to offer scare-wise and the second is a fun experiment. Really, I only disliked the last one. Great characterization but just kind of repetitive and going nowhere. Better meta-arc this time too, albeit less scary.Shit, I am so ready for Halloween season. Why isn't it October yet?

[Brian Fowler]

Oof.  I didn't even kinda get startled once during Part 3.  Whereas Part 1 had me jump a few times, and Part 2 is on the very short list of films that have actually somewhat scared me beyond just a quick jump and calm down.  Pretty much the only other two in my adult life were The Descent and Halloween.

[The Unholy Dragon]

Again, it's the visual scares thing. Hard to be too worried for a character when you KNOW they survive.

 

But tell me that kitchen drop is not pitch-perfect horror.

 

Also, PA 5 was allegedly moved to January after Woman in Black and the Devil Inside set a precedent for horror movies performing well there. I suspect they also saw it as easier competition-wise, rather'n wanting to brawl with the Carrie remake. Which, incidentally, looks awesome.

 

EDIT: This.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j390ZcP0-q4

[Brian Fowler]

It literally had zero effect on me. At all.

[Reggie20x6]

Too many years of following the Pistons and Lions have left you numb to all human emotion.

[The Unholy Dragon]

So guys, You're Next is REALLY good. Like, one of the best non-suspense horror flicks in years. It is bloody and violent and nasty, and really gets under the skin at times. The characters mostly avoid tropey bullshit, the one or two times someone goes off on their own makes a lot of sense. The killers are far from immortal or unstoppable and the first time that's proven, the movie takes a major turn. It's got great characterization and plot, and even manages to include scenes of nudity without the creepy male gaze stuff. It's REALLY good. Home invasion flick where everyone is very human and the home fights back. All the twists work for me too, and Erin is one of the most badass female leads in the history of badass female leads.

 

Of course, the real corner it turns that makes me LOVE it is super spoilery.

 

In the late game when Erin knows this was an inside job, and starts actively hunting everyone involved. I LOVE that she takes the role of the slasher and gets all the power it allows. You can actually feel a shift in the tone of the thing as she becomes the hunter and it's a powerful inversion. And unlike similar concepts like I Spit on Your Grave, it didn't require horrible extended rape/torture scenes to get there, which makes her seem that much scarier/more awesome.

If you haven't yet, go see this movie. Seriously.

[J.T.]

It was nice to see that You're Next! had a brain in it's head and it was pretty awesome to see Ti West get killed slasher style, but there were a couple of plot points that bothered me..

 

I knew by the time that the first body fell that the attack was probably an inside job and the movie just telegraphs FELIX IS THE LITTLE SHIT~! when he yammers on during the family panic that the killers are using a jammer to keep them from calling out on their cell phones.  Why don't you just confess right there, dude?

 

It was smart to put a modern spin on the whole PHONES ARE DEAD gimmick in slasher movies that keeps the action encapuslated in one set piece, but why not just have a simple scene out in the forrest where you see a black-gloved hand flip the switch on some device and trust the audience to be smart enough (or at least indoctrinated enough into horror movies) to figure out that the killers are somehow jamming the cell phones?

 

Felix and Zee were suspect to begin with but there was no need to put them on the radar so early.  However, I didn't see the other brother's involvment coming.  That was surprising or at least I didn't want to believe he was in on the plot.

 

Also, why didn't the killers use that old fuck's house as a base of operations and clean up after themselves?  I know their plan was to go all ILS and make it seem like a random bunch of hooligans were responsible, but couldn't you turn off the stereo and hide the fat guy's body until AFTER you killed the other family?  The coincidental after effect of the record player luring the sister to the neighbor's house just in time for the obligatory find the bodies / meet your grisly demise scene was so slasher movie cliche that it was unbelievable.

 

Other than that, yeah, nice to see a smart slasher movie with a survivor girl that fucking rules.

 

Speaking of Ti West, the scene at dinner where Drake (actor / director / fellow Collective member Joe Swanberg) makes fun of Tariq's chosen profession (director of art films) was fucking great, but I was a little disappointed that Drake suggests that Tariq direct commercials.  It would've been a better inside joke if Drake had suggested that Tariq direct horror movies.

[The Unholy Dragon]

It was nice to see that You're Next! had a brain in it's head and it was pretty awesome to see Ti West get killed slasher style, but there were a couple of plot points that bothered me..

 

I knew by the time that the first body fell that the attack was probably an inside job and the movie just telegraphs FELIX IS THE LITTLE SHIT~! when he yammers on during the family panic that the killers are using a jammer to keep them from calling out on their cell phones.  Why don't you just confess right there, dude?

 

It was smart to put a modern spin on the whole PHONES ARE DEAD gimmick in slasher movies that keeps the action encapuslated in one set piece, but why not just have a simple scene out in the forrest where you see a black-gloved hand flip the switch on some device and trust the audience to be smart enough (or at least indoctrinated enough into horror movies) to figure out that the killers are somehow jamming the cell phones?

 

Felix and Zee were suspect to begin with but there was no need to put them on the radar so early.  However, I didn't see the other brother's involvment coming.  That was surprising or at least I didn't want to believe he was in on the plot.

 

Also, why didn't the killers use that old fuck's house as a base of operations and clean up after themselves?  I know their plan was to go all ILS and make it seem like a random bunch of hooligans were responsible, but couldn't you turn off the stereo and hide the fat guy's body until AFTER you killed the other family?  The coincidental after effect of the record player luring the sister to the neighbor's house just in time for the obligatory find the bodies / meet your grisly demise scene was so slasher movie cliche that it was unbelievable.

 

Other than that, yeah, nice to see a smart slasher movie with a survivor girl that fucking rules.

 

Speaking of Ti West, the scene at dinner where Drake (actor / director / fellow Collective member Joe Swanberg) makes fun of Tariq's chosen profession (director of art films) was fucking great, but I was a little disappointed that Drake suggests that Tariq direct commercials.  It would've been a better inside joke if Drake had suggested that Tariq direct horror movies.

RE: Spoilery stuff.

I think it was more to do with Felix babbling because he was clearly not super in control. It was also a good shorthand moment to show that the dude is into some fucked up stuff and his family clearly knows it. As for the lack of home base deal, I kinda felt that despite being reasonably proficient, the killers also had kind of a sick flair for the theatrical. Which is to say, they got too into the role. I see where you're coming from, but none of that stuff really bothered me honestly. If anything, the on-the-nose tip about it being an inside job should have been the early "So my family is REALLY FUCKING RICH NOW" line. In hindsight, that was some potent foreshadowing.

 

Other thing I love? Dad going off in 'get righteous vengeance' mode...only to get killed effortlessly because being mad doesn't make you any better at tracking and killing someone.

 

[bink_winkleman]

Well it's That Day.  Think I'm definitely going to watch Part II on the marathon tonight.  Not sure which others just yet.