- Awards
- 8
Being October, I am enjoying various Horror Genre Films.
What was the last film you watched?
- Thread starter Mel O'Drama
- Start date
- Copy link Copy link
- Awards
- 27
Watched it back in the (last) days of VHS rentals. I wonder how it looks today.
A surprisingly straightforward and not too original small-town-terror story a la THE MIST.
The place is called Maiden Woods but it's really just another Castle Rock. However, I happened to love stories about communities in upheaval because of the inherent element of soap. The performance of the lead actor was good enough to keep me interested and the horror part was good until they showed it.
- Awards
- 21
- Awards
- 27
We started with the same thought.
I guess it depends on one's mood or world view how that commentary comes across. I got the impression that the film maker was making fun of the super-politically correct Gen Z protagonist.
But it stopped after a while because the 80s characters became more and more one-dimensional and didn't mind being bossed around by some weird girl from Canada.
And of course it goes without saying that a 1980s high school queen bee would never-ever try to look like Molly Ringwald. They should really check their pop culture references before using them because it felt like that song about "punk rockers with flowers in their hair".
That was a promising start and I wish they had followed through and let her be the bitch until the very last moment rather than playing it safe (ironically, very much like the average 80s movie).
It has plenty of funny moments: the Sweet 16 podcast, the dolls representing the murder victims, the chaos that ensues in the Dollhouse Of Horrors after Marissa gets killed by the second murderer before she can press the rape alarm - I thought that was a funny inbuilt reference.
I didn't understand how the podcaster ended up in 1987, I guess he attacked Jamie's friend and used the machine she was working on.
The unbeatable serial killer is my #1 frustration in these kind of films, and this time he was attacked by a whole group. Stabbed in the back? Don't panic, just take the knife out and continue the sweet 16 kill. If he is that powerful then there's no need to sneak up on them.
Overall, an enjoyable and frivolous horror comedy.
Before that I tried DARK HARVEST (2023).
It starts with a lot of chaos and it felt as if I had missed the first half of the film. Usually, the story goes back to beginning to explain how this-or-that could or would have happened.
But not here, we're expected to buy into the fantasy from the very first minute and then it turns into a story about lots of teenage boys disagreeing with each other because...because. I clocked twenty minutes when I decided that enough was too much. Or actually, too little.
Anyway, it's trash. Avoid at all costs.
- Awards
- 44
The Owners (2020)
This has been in my watch list for a long time, and last night was the night. Scrolling past it regularly and seeing some lines of descriptive text gave me everything I knew about the film before watching: it's a home invasion story starring Maisie Williams. Beyond this, expectations were low.
Ten minutes or so into the film, I started to feel I'd made a mistake. It certainly didn't feel like glossy escapism. The younger characters felt grungy and incredibly real in a Trainspotting kind of way. We spent time with them in a car in their trackies as they did their drugs and planned a burglary. The beginning of the burglary itself also felt uncomfortably real, and I found myself getting infuriated as one of them went round trashing someone's nice house for fun. There didn't seem to be a redeeming quality between them.
Mainly on the basis of Rita Tushingham and Sylvester McCoy's names in the credits, I stuck with it, and it was worth persevering. There are some nice twists thrown in that change the way I view characters and, once all the small cast is present and doing their thing , everything clicks horrifically into place. There are some terrific performances. Rita Tushingham is the standout. I couldn't take my eyes off her and the range she shows in this film is astounding. She certainly still has it.
I wouldn't call it comfortable, enjoyable or pleasant to watch. Even "entertaining" is debatable. And I'm not sure I'd want to watch it again. All the same, as a showcase of humanity at its ugliest and darkest it was a morbidly fascinating experience that - for me at least - made it well worth the time invested.
This has been in my watch list for a long time, and last night was the night. Scrolling past it regularly and seeing some lines of descriptive text gave me everything I knew about the film before watching: it's a home invasion story starring Maisie Williams. Beyond this, expectations were low.
Ten minutes or so into the film, I started to feel I'd made a mistake. It certainly didn't feel like glossy escapism. The younger characters felt grungy and incredibly real in a Trainspotting kind of way. We spent time with them in a car in their trackies as they did their drugs and planned a burglary. The beginning of the burglary itself also felt uncomfortably real, and I found myself getting infuriated as one of them went round trashing someone's nice house for fun. There didn't seem to be a redeeming quality between them.
Mainly on the basis of Rita Tushingham and Sylvester McCoy's names in the credits, I stuck with it, and it was worth persevering. There are some nice twists thrown in that change the way I view characters and, once all the small cast is present and doing their thing , everything clicks horrifically into place. There are some terrific performances. Rita Tushingham is the standout. I couldn't take my eyes off her and the range she shows in this film is astounding. She certainly still has it.
I wouldn't call it comfortable, enjoyable or pleasant to watch. Even "entertaining" is debatable. And I'm not sure I'd want to watch it again. All the same, as a showcase of humanity at its ugliest and darkest it was a morbidly fascinating experience that - for me at least - made it well worth the time invested.
Yes, that's the issue I had. The sensibilities were just a tad too Millennial to give the Gen-Z PC schtick the contempt it truly deserved.
I have a vague recollection (which may or may not be accurate) that we last saw the podcaster talking to Jamie's friend as she worked on the time machine, so I drew the same conclusion as you: that he attacked her off-screen in order to access the machine.
That sums it up nicely.
Thanks for saving me the trouble. I almost added it to my watch list a couple of days ago.
- Awards
- 27
That would be an interesting sub-genre theme for the Movie Top 10 (although the thread seems to have petered out, like The Artist Top 10 thread. But that's the nature of internet forums).
!
- Awards
- 17
The Marsh King’s Daughter (2023)
If I had listened to the reviews I would never have seen this movie. Not to mention I was the only one in the auditorium, but sometimes that can be a good thing. Daisy Ridley turns in a terrific performance as the daughter of a kidnapper, a most imperfect father yet you can feel her pain as she never stops loving him despite his transgressions. Definitely worth a watch.
If I had listened to the reviews I would never have seen this movie. Not to mention I was the only one in the auditorium, but sometimes that can be a good thing. Daisy Ridley turns in a terrific performance as the daughter of a kidnapper, a most imperfect father yet you can feel her pain as she never stops loving him despite his transgressions. Definitely worth a watch.
- Awards
- 44
Chariot (2013)
Well, Prime wrongly says this was made in 2023 which really helped me keep my expectations low since I was expecting TV movie production values (correctly, as it turned out). It feels low budget, with a very small cast of unfamiliar faces and taking place entirely on one set: the cabin of an aeroplane.
There were one or two moments that stretched it a bit (most of all, an ill-timed tearful monologue towards story's end when every second is supposed to count). All the same it's an incredibly effective story with very good writing and performances.
The concepts here are fascinating. Part Airport, part Big Brother (from Nineteen Eighty Four) and part Big Brother (the reality TV series where a dysfunctional group tries to get along). And plenty more besides. Something about the isolated location and the threat from within even reminded me of Alien.
I won't lie... I was drawn completely into the story and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Well, Prime wrongly says this was made in 2023 which really helped me keep my expectations low since I was expecting TV movie production values (correctly, as it turned out). It feels low budget, with a very small cast of unfamiliar faces and taking place entirely on one set: the cabin of an aeroplane.
There were one or two moments that stretched it a bit (most of all, an ill-timed tearful monologue towards story's end when every second is supposed to count). All the same it's an incredibly effective story with very good writing and performances.
The concepts here are fascinating. Part Airport, part Big Brother (from Nineteen Eighty Four) and part Big Brother (the reality TV series where a dysfunctional group tries to get along). And plenty more besides. Something about the isolated location and the threat from within even reminded me of Alien.
I won't lie... I was drawn completely into the story and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Ooh yes. It certainly would.
Very true. If they ever make a comeback, count me in as I like a good list.
- Awards
- 27
They're quite inconsistent regarding "year of release" versus "year of added to prime catalogue".
And sometimes they even get their thumbnails wrong i.e. image of the original when it's the remake, or vice versa.
Btw, was CHARIOT really inspired by actual events? I had never heard of a plane that went missing for 10 years.
- Awards
- 44
Despite the on-screen text suggesting yes, I'm not convinced it was, but haven't found anything to definitively confirm or debunk.
I will say that it's a convincing presentation of something that feels as though it could occur and perhaps has. And on that level it feels disturbing.
- Awards
- 7
Stir of Echos (1999) is Brilliant but stay away from that really awful sequel that one is really really bad anyways i watched Ziegfeld Girl (1941) and while it had really good acting in it some good music it was honestly overlong and wasn't that great of a movie to be honest i really doubt i'll ever watch it again it was Jimmy Stewart's last film he made before he went off to War in (1941) he made this and Pot O' Gold (1941) at the same time he was the star of that one but in this one he got top billing for some reason? and was in only 26 minutes of it! he was really an unlikable guy in the film in the start and he end he seemed to have mellowed out but he was a prick in the vast majority of the films. honestly he was a character that really didn't even need to even be there.
- Awards
- 20
I was thinking the reverse. Was the Manifest TV series inspired by this movie?
- Awards
- 20
The Hunger Games (2012)
My first visit to this world.
"The Hunger Games" is essentially a TV reality show like Survivor or I'm a Celebrity taken to its logical extreme with the contestants literally having to kill each other to win the competition.
It's all fairly predictable but Katniss is an engaging heroine and there are just enough threads left dangling to make me want to see what happens next.
My first visit to this world.
"The Hunger Games" is essentially a TV reality show like Survivor or I'm a Celebrity taken to its logical extreme with the contestants literally having to kill each other to win the competition.
It's all fairly predictable but Katniss is an engaging heroine and there are just enough threads left dangling to make me want to see what happens next.
- Awards
- 44
A Quiet Place (2018)
Based on the imagery and name, I was getting this film muddled with a couple of others. From the name I was quite convinced this was a remake of an older film, but it turns out I was thinking of A Summer Place... a film I've never seen. And from a "blonde woman with hand over mouth" poster I saw I got this confused with Don't Breathe... another film I've never seen.
Something at the back of my mind told me this film was nerve-janglingly terrifying, and I hoped I could cope with that. I needn't have worried because it turns out I was wrong about that as well. I wouldn't even describe it as a horror, though I'm sure many would.
To me this is an absorbing thriller, but I simply wasn't prepared for how beautiful it was. It looks absolutely stunning (and I chose the perfect time to watch since it's sumptuously autumnal), and has characters that the audience feels rather than watches. The storytelling is incredible, as is the sound design, which is a key part of the film. For much of the film, the lack of dialogue gives it a universal appeal and also makes it feel less tied to a particular place. In fact I found it a little surprising to hear the rhotic American accents because it's not how I'd "heard" the characters up to that point.
The cast is small but perfectly formed. Everyone is seriously good, but particularly Millicent Simmonds who is wonderful and has the most expressive face it's impossible not to feel a connection. Knowing nothing about it meant I could enjoy it on its own merits. I must confess that upon reading about the film this morning the perverse part of me leapt to the fore upon reading that the lead actor also directed, had a hand in the screenplay, and casting (there's a good degree of self-promotion and nepotism involved - including his own wife being handed the lead role after telling him "I need to do this". Good as they are in the film, I'm glad I didn't know this last night because I'd have enjoyed it less).
There is a Part II, and I'm not sure how to feel about this. Even though the the first film does allow for a potential sequel, it's such a great standalone story that I like the idea of it existing alone and fear that further instalments might dilute it somehow. All the same, I'll probably end up watching it at some point.
Based on the imagery and name, I was getting this film muddled with a couple of others. From the name I was quite convinced this was a remake of an older film, but it turns out I was thinking of A Summer Place... a film I've never seen. And from a "blonde woman with hand over mouth" poster I saw I got this confused with Don't Breathe... another film I've never seen.
Something at the back of my mind told me this film was nerve-janglingly terrifying, and I hoped I could cope with that. I needn't have worried because it turns out I was wrong about that as well. I wouldn't even describe it as a horror, though I'm sure many would.
To me this is an absorbing thriller, but I simply wasn't prepared for how beautiful it was. It looks absolutely stunning (and I chose the perfect time to watch since it's sumptuously autumnal), and has characters that the audience feels rather than watches. The storytelling is incredible, as is the sound design, which is a key part of the film. For much of the film, the lack of dialogue gives it a universal appeal and also makes it feel less tied to a particular place. In fact I found it a little surprising to hear the rhotic American accents because it's not how I'd "heard" the characters up to that point.
The cast is small but perfectly formed. Everyone is seriously good, but particularly Millicent Simmonds who is wonderful and has the most expressive face it's impossible not to feel a connection. Knowing nothing about it meant I could enjoy it on its own merits. I must confess that upon reading about the film this morning the perverse part of me leapt to the fore upon reading that the lead actor also directed, had a hand in the screenplay, and casting (there's a good degree of self-promotion and nepotism involved - including his own wife being handed the lead role after telling him "I need to do this". Good as they are in the film, I'm glad I didn't know this last night because I'd have enjoyed it less).
There is a Part II, and I'm not sure how to feel about this. Even though the the first film does allow for a potential sequel, it's such a great standalone story that I like the idea of it existing alone and fear that further instalments might dilute it somehow. All the same, I'll probably end up watching it at some point.
And, as I found out last night, they also mess up the running times. The main reason I chose A Quiet Place last night was because Prime listed it as being just 75 minutes long which fitted perfectly into my evening's plans. Turns out it was 20 minutes longer than they'd promised.
- Awards
- 27
HOWL (2015)
A squeaky-clean but somewhat hopeless and joyless young man (a "Hugh Grant" for the depressing 2020s) is forced to work a double shift as conductor on a train.
All the passengers are equally joyless and some of them downright rude, and I just love these stories about people not really wanting to be where they are, let alone together with other people.
The first 20 or 30 minutes before anything significant happens are quite suspenseful, but I was also feeling a bit anxious and agitated myself so perhaps that exaggerated the feeling of doom in the film.
The train rudely-unexpectedly stops and everybody complains about the inconvenience.
One guy says to the conductor that it made him drop his book just when the story "was getting very exciting" and now he doesn't remember the page he was reading.
I thought it was the loveliest complaint I've ever heard.
The first moments of horror are good but as with DARK WAS THE NIGHT, once the horror shows itself it kills a lot of the suspense.
There are of course the moments of howling and the group of people screaming and running for their lives - which looks unintentionally funny - and at some point it becomes so over-the-top that I stopped caring altogether, but it was still stupid fun to watch.
The phones don't work (that's a rule, of course) and the outside world doesn't seem to care about the train that has vanished into thin air.
It's a mix of good and rubbish but it's never boring. I hope that helps.
A squeaky-clean but somewhat hopeless and joyless young man (a "Hugh Grant" for the depressing 2020s) is forced to work a double shift as conductor on a train.
All the passengers are equally joyless and some of them downright rude, and I just love these stories about people not really wanting to be where they are, let alone together with other people.
The first 20 or 30 minutes before anything significant happens are quite suspenseful, but I was also feeling a bit anxious and agitated myself so perhaps that exaggerated the feeling of doom in the film.
The train rudely-unexpectedly stops and everybody complains about the inconvenience.
One guy says to the conductor that it made him drop his book just when the story "was getting very exciting" and now he doesn't remember the page he was reading.
I thought it was the loveliest complaint I've ever heard.
The first moments of horror are good but as with DARK WAS THE NIGHT, once the horror shows itself it kills a lot of the suspense.
There are of course the moments of howling and the group of people screaming and running for their lives - which looks unintentionally funny - and at some point it becomes so over-the-top that I stopped caring altogether, but it was still stupid fun to watch.
The phones don't work (that's a rule, of course) and the outside world doesn't seem to care about the train that has vanished into thin air.
It's a mix of good and rubbish but it's never boring. I hope that helps.
- Awards
- 27
Last year I watched a film about two young brothers and a mother whose face was completely covered with bandages after (asesthetic) plastic surgery.
The story had a feeling of dread and helplessness that really worked - for a while anyway because I don't remember how it ended.
The opening scene in You Are Not My Mother is quite disturbing and I feel that the film struggles to live up to it. There are no surprises to speak of and since the protagonist constantly signals that she is in a nightmarish situation - and yet does nothing to escape it - the dramatic aspect of the story is practically non-existent.
There is one little scene about another girl and her mother that was both surprising and touching.
The father of that other girl made a comment that seemed significant to me, or actually the fact that he made that comment, but overall there's no sense of community and this isolates the story of the main characters even further.
It's almost as if someone is watching a film in a film.
There are some things in it that reminded me of THE GUARDIAN (1990) starring Jenny "A Woman Of Substance" Seagrove.
I wouldn't say that You Are Not My Mother is a bad film, it's just not intriguing or satisfying enough.
Perhaps it was meant to be watched as an exaggerated version of dealing with depression, or perhaps the hidden message was that the girl was Not My Daughter.
Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps.
- Awards
- 27
DUMB AND DUMBER meets OFFICE SPACE.
The story isn't funny (let alone original) the characters aren't funny (and often frustratingly stupid) but it's got lots of funny details that made me laugh out loud.
Like this National Lampoon-esque "leaving the parking lot" scene.
Or the Bond villain-esque "button to shut the door electronically" in Jennifer Aniston's office.
But because there's so much going on, dialogue and action-wise, I felt a numbness kicking in after the first half hour - and I checked out 30 minutes later.
Of the main characters I only know Jason Bateman and he can play this kind of role in his sleep. Kevin Spacey is the other actor who looks a bit typecast as the super-villainous boss.
It's OK but also very much a comedy for the heck of it. There's a thread about films that "you want to fix" and I think this film could have been better - without changing anything - by keeping some stuff in the background and putting other stuff in the spotlight.
- Awards
- 44
I watched this and the sequel a few months ago, and this probably sums up how I felt. It possibly surpassed expectations, but I was pretty much expecting something lowbrow and one-dimensional.
Usually I'd go back and look, but I'm currently restricted to a touchscreen device and such a search would probably be hell* on the blood pressure.
(Oh - I just discovered that "hell" isn't a recognised word in the predictive typing feature on the Kindle thingy I've borrowed. I've just had a fun few minutes typing in several other words I thought might be banned. As expected, I got only censored suggestions like Danny, badger, sit, chuck, wink, arsenal, treat, chock and count... but no sign of the words I'd attempted to write. I've entered the Land Of The Twee).
- Awards
- 44
Last night I attempted to watch...
Most Horrible Things (2022)
I abandoned it after around 7 minutes. So far as I can tell there's no plot. Just annoying young people coming to a strange house for no reason and a drag queen performing badly then running to the nearest mirror to watch themselves having a nervous breakdown. It's not even as entertainingly bonkers as it sounds. It's just awkward and painful to watch.
Instead I watched...
The Wicker Man (2006)
I'd heard good things about The Wicker Man, but unwittingly stumbled into watching the American remake without realising it was a remake.
Fortunately I didn't find it as terrible as reviews would seem to indicate. Nicholas Cage's latter scenes are served up with thickly-sliced ham, but he's perfectly adequate for most of it. Leelee Sobieski is present and I always find her extremely watchable (not that I've seen her in many films).
The theme of
was... interesting.
Most Horrible Things (2022)
I abandoned it after around 7 minutes. So far as I can tell there's no plot. Just annoying young people coming to a strange house for no reason and a drag queen performing badly then running to the nearest mirror to watch themselves having a nervous breakdown. It's not even as entertainingly bonkers as it sounds. It's just awkward and painful to watch.
Instead I watched...
The Wicker Man (2006)
I'd heard good things about The Wicker Man, but unwittingly stumbled into watching the American remake without realising it was a remake.
Fortunately I didn't find it as terrible as reviews would seem to indicate. Nicholas Cage's latter scenes are served up with thickly-sliced ham, but he's perfectly adequate for most of it. Leelee Sobieski is present and I always find her extremely watchable (not that I've seen her in many films).
The theme of
women attaining "strength" by keeping men and boys in their rightful place (mostly killing them at birth, with a few submissive specimens kept for breeding purposes, or lured in from outside by young women who pretend to need them)