Any other horror fans out there?

[Mr Mystery]

Is it just me, or are horror films really good fun?

I'm asking because I'm starting to rebuild my collection having binned my VHS prior to moving house - and I kind of want recommendations alongside general chit-chat about those low budget, poorly acted videonasties I absolutely love.

Anyone?

No?

Dust?

Anyone?

Bloodsucking Pharaohs in Pittsburgh?

No?

Dust?

[Arkhan Land]

always have dug the sleepaway camps, bruce Springsteen's sister is a cutie in the later ones.

[Kirsten]

I'm a fan of monster films particularly within the horror genre, slashers and stuff that tries to make you jump doesn't really do anything for me. I like things like The Bunker, The Descent, Pandorum, Monsters, and the bad b movie monster films, and weird supernatural stuff like Event Horizon, The Sphere, Ninth Gate etc.

[Arkhan Land]

i dont know that theres anything B for me bout those last three,
as far as B-psych-horror with a cheese monster how about THE ABYSS!?

[Rev. Tiberius Jackhammer]

The Alien Tetrology's a good (and obvious) start. Opinions are all over the map for 3 & 4, but I think they're worth at least watching and deciding for yourself.

As for my "to-watch" list, I've had recommended to me;
Martyrs (for gutwrenching horror)
Descent ("mainstream" horror, but pretty good)
[Rec] (the Spanish original, not the dire English version, Quarantine)
(I really need to find some friends in my area that are into horror. Or local friends at all, moving apartment three times in a year's a pain.)


as far as B-psych-horror with a cheese monster how about THE ABYSS!?Holla!

[Mr Mystery]

Descent is ace, as is its directorial predecessor Dog Soldiers. I love how Neil Marshall isn't afraid to tweak the formula - Descent and Dog Soldiers both lack flailing, screaming proagonists in favour no-nonsense sensibilities to surviving.

Neil Marshall's third film, Doomsday is less horror, but still a fun (if slightly messy) film.

Not heard of Sleepaway Camp. I shall endeavour to find it!

Also, massive shout out to Arrow Video who are masters of the DVD format. Proper restorations, decent extras. Totally worth checking out their ever expanding library of titles.

[Kirsten]

I thought Doomsday was awful, was a big surprise and massive letdown after the first two

[Mr Mystery]

I really enjoyed it. It's completely daft and overblown, but fun.

Though I do get it won't be everyone's cup of tea.

[Kaptain Badrukk]

Cabin in the Woods.
I'm a HUGE horror fan, and I heartily endorse it.

[Mr Mystery]

Yes. A twelftyjillion times YES.

Might watch that tonight, because reasons. Though I've also got the Nightmare on Elm Street set turning up at some point today too....

[Arkhan Land]

anybody checked BABADOOK or Housebound out recently?

[Mr Mystery]

I've watched both.

Babadook is utterly fantastic. Properly creepy, and I love the plot.

Housebound is also good for a laugh. Quite a dark comedy with decent horror chops.

I've got a bit of a backlog to watch at the moment, including some 'classic' Slasher flicks. I think I'll have a wee marathon sesh on Sunday!

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

Yes, of course - should of guessed i like horror by now :P i definitely consider myself a connoisseur when it comes to the weird or good creature ends of the genre. Heres my list :

John Carpenters The Thing is my #1
Necronomicon
The blob (1980's)
From Beyond
Videodrome
Eraserhead
Hellraiser 1 and 2
Alien (first one only)
Nightbreed
Dark Waters (1993)
The Strangeness
John Dies at the End
The Keep
Uzumaki

[Mr Mystery]

I've seen most of those (and all Hellraiser films...)

Those I haven't I shall check out!

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

I've seen most of those (and all Hellraiser films...)

Those I haven't I shall check out!

Yeah I figured you'd of seen *most* of them, which ones haven't you? Recent one for me was the strangeness which i watched on halloween. Obscure average "stuck in a very very dark cave" 80's horror. i mostly liked it cos it has a stop motion, tentacled worm creature which obviously ticked my monster box very well.

[Mr Mystery]

The Thing, The Blob, From Beyond, Videodrome, Hellraiser, Alien, Nightbreed, The Keep.

So a few to catch up on :p

Currently exploring the 80's Slasher Flick genre, and dabbling with Giallo - though I don't recommend The Night Train Murders. It's not a poor film, but it's stomach churningly rooted in reality.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

The Thing, The Blob, From Beyond, Videodrome, Hellraiser, Alien, Nightbreed, The Keep.

So a few to catch up on :p

Currently exploring the 80's Slasher Flick genre, and dabbling with Giallo - though I don't recommend The Night Train Murders. It's not a poor film, but it's stomach churningly rooted in reality.

I don't like ones too close to reality, they tend to upset me a little as I am quite sensitive to that stuff. I avoid the so called "torture porn" genre for that very reason, just too close to real life. Give me killer blobs instead. Never really got into the slasher genre but did like the first Candyman film - had such a great gothic street fairy-tale vibe and the killer was kinda relatable due to what happened to him, rather than being the 1-dimensional relentless faceless killer most seem to be.

[Mr Mystery]

Indeed.

Horror films should be entertainingly gory or creepy.

Put in too much realism (and the one in question has stuff all too real) and it just becomes an uncomfortable watch. Compare to another where a bloke is decapitated by a digger? Totally different effect.

[Kirsten]

just watched Harbinger Down. it is basically a remake of The Thing, so on the one hand it wouldn't exist without The Thing first, on the other, it does some elements of it better. the monster is quite interesting, and is very much helped by modern special effects. definitely worth watching.

[Mr Mystery]

I'll keep an eye out for it.

Also, I'd like to posit that Netflix is one of the best things to happen to Horror fans in a long time. Usually has a decent selection of films you don't mind watching, but wouldn't necessarily pay for.

[Kirsten]

yup, that is where I watch all mine

[Brakkart]

Not really a fan of horror in general but I love gothic horror. To me horror set in the modern world just isn't that scary I suppose. There's something about dealing with monsters with a trusty revolver, lantern and things like telegraphs and steam trains that makes the stakes so much more real. I also have a real loathing of black and white movies, because the world isn't black & white, seeing a story in that medium is a constant reminder to me that it is a story, so I never get properly drawn into it. To that end I love modern gothic horror films like The Wolfman, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Sleepy Hollow, the tv series Penny Dreadful and so on. I've watched the Alien movies a few times and only the second one ever really entertains me. Event Horizon though is a really good "haunted house in space" movie, and also a Warhammer 2k movie when you think about the ship as having made a warp jump without a gellar field (even if no-one had any idea that that is what they were doing with their experimental engine).

Despite my love of Victorian era horror movies, my favourite horror movie is the exception to that: The Relic, a film that because it's set in a museum has a real gothic horror vibe too it, even though its firmly set in the late 20th century.

[Kirsten]

I like The Relic, watched that a few times

[YorkNecromancer]

So this is the list of horror films that I think are worth watching. They are in rank order, top being the best, bottom being least. That doesn't mean 'bad', just 'not as good as the others'. If a film isn't on the list, I either haven't seen it, I've forgotten to add it, or I just don't like it. I've also deliberately left horror comedies (for example, the superb 'Cabin In The Woods') off the list because those are comedies.


'The Fly', dir David Cronenberg, 1986
'Martyrs', dir Pascal Laugier, 2008
'The Wicker Man', dir Robin Hardy, 1973
'Battle Royale', dir Kinji Fukasaku, 2000
'Ring', dir Hideo Nakata, 1998 (And anyone who calls it 'Ringu' is a pretentious dick)
'Videodrome', dir David Cronenberg, 1983
'Lake Mungo', dir Joel Anderson, 2008
'The Silence of The Lambs', dir Jonathon Demme, 1990
'Prince of Darkness', dir John Carpenter, 1987
'The Thing', dir John Carpenter, 1982
'8mm', dir Joel Schumacher, 1999 (and I can't believe a film by this bellend is on my list!)
'The Devil Rides Out', dir Terence Fisher, 1968
'IT', dir Tommy Lee Wallace, 1990 (Part 1 only)
'The Mist', dir Frank Darabont, 2007
'Excision', dir Richard Bates, Jr., 2012
'The Bay', dir Barry Levinson, 2012
'Saw', dir James Wan, 2004
'Dead Silence', dir James Wan 2007
'Jaws', dir Steven Spielberg, 1975
'The Omen', dir Richard Donner, 1976
'Candyman', dir Bernard Rose, 1992
'The Orphanage', dir Juan Antonio Bayona, 2007
'In the Mouth of Madness', dir John Carpenter, 1995
'The People Under the Stairs', dir Wes Craven, 1991
'Le Yeux Sans Visage', dir Georges Franju, 1960
'Dagon'. dir Stuart Gordon, 2001
'The Shining', dir Stanley Kubrick, 1980
'Poltergeist', dir Tobe Hooper, 1982
'The Sixth Sense', dir M. Night Shyamalan, 1999
'Jacob's Ladder', dir Adrian Lyne, 1990
'Angel Heart', dir Alan Parker, 1987
'.REC', dirs Jaume Balagueró and Paco Plaza, 2007
'Evil Dead', dir Fede Alvarez, 2013 (not the original; I despise Sam Raimi's 'horror' work)
'It Follows', dir David Robert Mitchell, 2014
'Never Let Me Go', dir Mark Romanek, 2010
'Exam', dir Stuart Hazeldine, 2009
'Creep', dir Christopher Smith, 2004
'Black Death', dir Christopher Smith, 2010
'Alien', dir Ridley Scott, 1979
'Hostel: part III', dir Scott Spiegel, 2011
'Hostel', dir Eli Roth, 2005
'V/H/S' dir Radio Silence, 2012
'Child's Play', dir Tom Holland, 1988
'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre', dir Tobe Hooper, 1974
'A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors', dir Chuck Russell, 1987


If a horror film isn't on this list? I don't think it's worth watching. There are a few that come close ('Paperhouse', 'V/H/S 2', and a couple more) but mostly, these are the ones I would recommend. Which is deeply frustrating to me, because horror is my favourite genre. I like it more than anything else (to the point I have what is functionally a Bachelor's degree in it - I did my dissertation on Peter Jackson back in 1999 when no-one knew who he was and he was best known for 'Heavenly Creatures' - still his best film, in my opinion), but only 5% of it is really worth watching. I don't think I like it the way other horror fans do; they always seem to love 'so bad it's good' films. I think they've been disappointed so many times by so many bad films, they've just given in and decided to laugh along. I don't work that way. I just can't f**king stand it, because I don't watch horror to laugh. If I'm laughing, it's not a horror film, so I'm not interested.

I also want to leave horror films deeply, deeply traumatised. I want to have the horrible things I saw going round my head for the next few days, leaving me shaken and profoundly distressed, and most horror films just won't do that. Jump scares are cheap, so I'm not a fan of them. Gore is often used in lieu of anything actually frightening. Effective gore is easily the most difficult thing to do well, but very few directors can pull it off. I do enjoy torture porn films - mostly because at least there the gore isn't presented as a joke - and unlike many, I'm not against the current fashion for 'found footage'. No, what I think is ruining horror are these cheap films filled - FILLED - WITH long, slow shots of people walking through shadows, that go on for ages, and then... nothing happens. And that ends up being the film the film. No monsters, no gore, just endless boring corridors and the director saying 'Oh, but the audience's imagination makes it scarier'.

No it doesn't. There needs to be the suggestion of something there, otherwise it's just a bad actor gurning in the dark. Otherwise, it's poor, lazy storytelling. I've sat through enough shots of people walking through shadows to last me a lifetime, and I won't put up with any more. I'm with 'The Thing' era John Carpenter: show me the monster.

'But your imagination is scarier...'

John Carpenter's 'The Thing' proves you wrong. The climax of 'Martyrs' proves you wrong. Cronenberg's 'The Fly' proves you wrong. Yes, the audience's imagination can work wonders... But Nothing's isn't as effective as Something done well.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

You should really check out my movie props project blog if you want to see my bizarre horror film creatures I'm making:

http://www.lounge.belloflostsouls.net/showthread.php?59780-Eldritch-Abomination-puppets

http://www.beastsofwar.com/wp-content/uploads/forumfiles/the-lighthouse-keeper-complete-05.jpg
http://www.beastsofwar.com/wp-content/uploads/forumfiles/the-shadow-complete-01.jpg

[Arkhan Land]

tight!

[Mr Mystery]

Blarg! GRIBBLE! And somehow, I think trying to kill it with fire would only make matters worse!

Yorkie - interesting that you've got Hostel part III on there. I thought it was pretty terrible overall, particularly compared to Hostel Part II, which I felt added to the mythos, and gave us glimpse (not necessary a competent glimpse, but a glimpse all the same) at the kind of people who might avail themselves of the facilities.

III however was just daft. I mean, dump Cockroaches on a living person, and they'll swarm the mouth? Utter nonsense. An entertaining death, but very, very silly.

[YorkNecromancer]

Yorkie - interesting that you've got Hostel part III on there. I thought it was pretty terrible overall, particularly compared to Hostel Part II, which I felt added to the mythos, and gave us glimpse (not necessary a competent glimpse, but a glimpse all the same) at the kind of people who might avail themselves of the facilities.

III however was just daft. I mean, dump Cockroaches on a living person, and they'll swarm the mouth? Utter nonsense. An entertaining death, but very, very silly.

I could forgive it its silliness largely because the core idea was entirely horrible. Yes, the cockroach death was stupid, but the build up to it was horribly atmospheric - as were all the others. Not to mention: American villains for once! That always wins points with me, because American villains in films are rarer than black people in sci-fi. Especially given that the concept wouldn't have worked anywhere except America; the thing was tied into that 'Vegas' culture. 'Hostel' 1 was all about that American fear of the Otherness of the rest of the world outside its own empire, much like 'Dracula' was all about the English fear of that same Otherness. 3 on the other hand, was much more about the fear of the wealthy, which is much closer to home, and in many ways, grimmer, because it's about one's own culture.

It wasn't remotely the best horror film I've seen, but it did stay with me. I think I like the 'Hostel' series, because the 'torture porn' label, well, it's bollocks. What they are, is the natural successor to the Victorian 'penny dreadful'. Just cheaply produced, revolting stories, designed for a quick thrill, but with enough atmosphere that you actually care about what's going on.

That was the reason 2 was off the list - it was just a retread of 'Hostel', did nothing new with the formula, and didn't have enough innovative sadism to make it engaging. 'Hostel but with chicks!' isn't enough to be a good film, because I've already seen 1, and 'Martyrs' exists, which does everything 'Hostel 2' tried to do, only on f**king steroids.

'The Fly' is my top horror film, but I suspect 'Martyrs' will always be the most horrifying film. If you can get to the end of that and not just be emotionally destroyed, well. Something is very, very wrong with you and you should probably seek help.

[Mr Mystery]

I'll have to check out Martyrs. It's managed to fly under my radar so far.

Until I have, I can't reasonably contribute back to your points about Hostel II - though I maintain that I liked how it showed the other side of the process more.

Martyrs now ordered, arriving tomorrow. Yes, I love Amazon Prime!

[Kirsten]

watched Mimic 1, 2, and 3 this evening. 2 was the weakest I think, I like the fact that 3 did something totally different.

[Mr Mystery]

Wizard of Gore - confused mess.

Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead - absolutely fantastic so far! Australian black comedy. Think Shaun of The Dead mixed with Mad Max.

[Wolfshade]

I can't believe no one has mentioned the human centipede triology...

[Rev. Tiberius Jackhammer]

So this is the list of horror films that I think are worth watching...Thanks for the list - we've got enough overlap that I feel confident jumping in blind to those on the list I haven't seen (best way to view most movies, really).

[Mr Mystery]

I can't believe no one has mentioned the human centipede triology...

Saw the first one, found it daft.

Tried the second, so bad I couldn't watch all of it

Third? Don't see the point :p

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

just watched Harbinger Down. it is basically a remake of The Thing, so on the one hand it wouldn't exist without The Thing first, on the other, it does some elements of it better. the monster is quite interesting, and is very much helped by modern special effects. definitely worth watching.

watched that one tonight, yeah it is a shameless thing ripoff, but that is still a billion times better than the unending tide of zombie movies out there (for me anyway!) Great practical FX - the creatures seemed more shoggothy for the most part, which is good. Nice atmosphere too. Only thing I didn't like really was how the russian ended up the villain along with the anti-communist quips which made me roll my eyes.

[YorkNecromancer]

I am so heartily sick of zombie-anything, because it's all so derivative and cliched. There's so, so little good writing. Every hack just seems to think it's enough to stick ten assh*les in a room together and use the zombies as a way to hothouse them, without ever considering anything more than that. It's like, look, I get you loved 'Day of the Dead', but that film's been made, and a lot better. Even Charlie Brooker's 'Dead Set' didn't really succeed, and Charlie Brooker's the genius who made 'Black Mirror'. If you're not going to improve on what's already out there, why bother?

The only good zombie-related thing in the last decade was the BBC's 'In The Flesh', because it did something utterly new with the concept. Derren Brown's 'Apocalypse' wasn't bad either, but only because it was real. Everything else has just been wearying, and not in a good way.

Until someone makes a film of Garth Ennis' 'Crossed', I'm done with zombies as a concept. Especially now they're showing up in romantic comedies and the like. Just no. Take your lame-@ss Jane Austen joke concept and just f**k off.

[Mr Mystery]

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is a crap read anyway. Piss poor writing and blending.

But there is good stuff out there. As a long time dead-head, I'll freely agree 90% of it is utter crap. But that 10% that's good is so worth it. Like the aforementioned Dawn of the Dead, the best ones use the Zombies as an external force. The real drama comes from the human interaction.

And now to go into Mr Mystery's History Box.

What's in the box I hear you cry?

Well, it's my complete collection of the Amicus anthology films. Each and everyone of them an absolute joy of low budget horror tomfoolery. Given they were restricted not just by budget but by zealous censors, the films are pretty damned good.

I don't think there's any on Netflix or Amazon Prime, but have a Google and see what you can dig up. Absolutely worth a whirl.

From my modern vault? The Pyramid. Overtures of Alien, but pretty well made and worth a watch.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

I am so heartily sick of zombie-anything, because it's all so derivative and cliched. There's so, so little good writing. Every hack just seems to think it's enough to stick ten assh*les in a room together and use the zombies as a way to hothouse them, without ever considering anything more than that. It's like, look, I get you loved 'Day of the Dead', but that film's been made, and a lot better. Even Charlie Brooker's 'Dead Set' didn't really succeed, and Charlie Brooker's the genius who made 'Black Mirror'. If you're not going to improve on what's already out there, why bother?

The only good zombie-related thing in the last decade was the BBC's 'In The Flesh', because it did something utterly new with the concept. Derren Brown's 'Apocalypse' wasn't bad either, but only because it was real. Everything else has just been wearying, and not in a good way.

Until someone makes a film of Garth Ennis' 'Crossed', I'm done with zombies as a concept. Especially now they're showing up in romantic comedies and the like. Just no. Take your lame-@ss Jane Austen joke concept and just f**k off.

I dislike them because they have 2 arms and 2 legs ;) If it ain't floatin' or slitherin' it ain't good enough for this Thing.

[Kirsten]

28 Days Later and 28 Weeks later, doesn't get much better than those for zombies.

[YorkNecromancer]

Nothing beats 'Crossed' as far as scary zombies go.

it's the standard 'plague sweeps the world; transmission vector is fluids' thing. Said plague doesn't reanimate the dead. It just switches off all human empathy and ramps up the sadism. So you've got a planet suddenly filled with highly intelligent people, none of whom are interested in anything except hurting others for fun. They can't be reasoned with, they all know how to use weapons and they absolutely want to catch you.

It's utterly horrible, because the 'zombies' in it aren't slow or fast - they do things like putting bodily fluids onto their weapons so that the slightest nick and you're one of them. That includes ranged weapons. If they get bored, they start to hurt each other, and the ones who are getting hurt clearly love it. I don't actually think I've ever seen anything that quite comes close to how horrible 'Crossed' is.

It's really obvious that Garth Ennis wrote it entirely as a huge 'f**k you' to both zombie films and every zombie fan who thought 'I know what I'd do in a zombie apocalypse'.

'Oh you do, huh? Well how would you survive this one?'

[Rissan4ever]

I'm pretty sure I know exactly what I'd do in a zombie apocalypse. It's a simple, 3-step plan.

1. Freak out.
2. Run screaming.
3. Die.

Now that I think about it, this plan could be applied to just about any apocalyptic scenario. That's how brilliantly versatile it is! :)

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

Watched "The Stuff" tonight, pretty fun killer blob movie where the "blob" in question is turned into an eddible product that people consume and get addicted too in kind of parody/criticism of capitalism.

[Mr Mystery]

Yep, seen that one. It's kind of insane.

Street Trash is in a similar vein and worth checking out.

[Kirsten]

Storage 24, quite a British horror film about people trapped in a self store building with a monster

[Mr Mystery]

That could be good for a laugh.

And speaking of Good for a Laugh - Cockneys Vs Zombies. Really, really funny!

[Kirsten]

it was good yeah, Micky from Doctor Who, the monster is great too, really good effects for a low budget film. a bit like Attack The Block in as much as it is one of those low budget British films, quite different to American horror.

[Mr Mystery]

Noel something?

Unfortunately, whilst I've enjoyed many of his films, I remain reticent to watch others because of how bad he was in Dr Who.

Crazy I know, but there it is.

[Kirsten]

Noel Clarke I think, he is good in this.

[Mr Mystery]

Have taken a leap of faith.

Ordered up 'Evolve' from Amazon. A horror film set post-Zombie apocalypse, where it appears the Rotters have return, and have changed.

Will let you know if it adds owt new to the genre.

[Kirsten]

I have a feeling I have seen that, not sure

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

it was good yeah, Micky from Doctor Who, the monster is great too, really good effects for a low budget film. a bit like Attack The Block in as much as it is one of those low budget British films, quite different to American horror.

Does it have tentacles and slither?

[Kirsten]

no, it walks around, it does have multiple mandibles though and eats faces

[Alaric]

no, it walks around, it does have multiple mandibles though and eats faces

Sounds like my ex girlfriend.

[Kirsten]

just watched Grabbers, very funny, and a slithery tentacle monster. great aliens parody, "get away from him you c**********nt!"

[Mr Mystery]

Well, I get my interwebs back tomorrow, so shall look for it on Netflix.

But tonight? Tonight is for Until Dawn - a PS4 game so scary I've been too wussy to play it since I first procured it.

[Kirsten]

Ragnarok was rather excellent, Norwegian film with a slithery monster.

also, can't believe nobody has mentioned Let the Right One In, easily the best.

Daybreakers is great too.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

just watched Grabbers, very funny, and a slithery tentacle monster. great aliens parody, "get away from him you c**********nt!"

oh I liked that one too, creatures looked 'craftian as fook + irish accents are hot

[Kirsten]

Frankenstein's Army, probably the worst monster film I have seen for a long time, not even so bad it is good.

[Mr Mystery]

Trilogy of Terror, 1975

First story is good, second rubbish, third is fantastic!

[Mr Mystery]

Now watching 'Extinction'

Kind of a zombie film, but a good one and surprisingly light (so far, with 25 minutes to run) on the Zombies.

Much more about the relationships between the characters.

[Kirsten]

I rather liked Extinction.

I just watched Dark Space. didn't grab me at any point, ended up reading other stuff while it played, just a bit dull, though not easy to say exactly was lacking

[Mr Mystery]

Extinction kind of lost it a wee bit toward the end, but is still worth a watch I'd say.

And for tonight's viewing pleasure? I'm spoiled for choice.

1. Finish off Nightmare on Elm Street
2. Martyrs
3. Sleepaway Camp 1-3
4. We Still Live Here

Yep. I've gone and overshopped. Again. But I'll get through them all! Just you watch!

[YorkNecromancer]

Watch 'Martyrs'! I want to know what you think of it! :)

Also, I've just watched Ti West's 'Sacrament' - not really a horror film, per se, more a sort of horror-by-default. It's a fictionalised retelling of the Jonestown massacre. Pretty atmospheric, with some horrible moments, but it didn't really have anything to say. Which is a shame.

[Mr Mystery]

It's a hot contender for tonight's fare - and procured at your recommendation. So if I don't enjoy it, expect something for the Roses through your letter box :p

[Kirsten]

I have just watched The Relic again, always fun

[YorkNecromancer]

It's a hot contender for tonight's fare - and procured at your recommendation. So if I don't enjoy it, expect something for the Roses through your letter box :p

Technically, no-one enjoys 'Martyrs'; they simply survive it, and either respect it, or else they do not, and spend the rest of their lives wishing for their innocence back. :)

[Kirsten]

just watched and rather liked The Lazarus Effect, pretty creepy stuff and a cool ending, didn't finish the way most films like that do

[Rev. Tiberius Jackhammer]

Yeah, Martyrs isn't a "fun horror night!" film.

[YorkNecromancer]

Yeah, Martyrs isn't a "fun horror night!" film.

Exactly why it's so bloody brilliant. :)

[Mr Mystery]

Sleepaway Camp. It's alright. Bit tame by modern standards, but a solid ending.

Martyrs on now. A brutal opening and no mistake. Perhaps a bit raw after last night too.

[Mr Mystery]

Thus far, right up there with Babadook.

[Mr Mystery]

Proper, proper bleak film. Wonderful, but bleak.

[YorkNecromancer]

It's the fact it's kind of three horror films in one; every act is a completely different nightmare, and they all lead logically into each other.

It's like, every 'breather' moment is a prelude to the next awful thing.

And the final stages of what they do to her.

*shivers*

Amazing film. Nothing else comes remotely close.

[Mr Mystery]

I see the 'like Hostel, but better in every conceivable way' comparison.

Not to say Hostel doesn't have an appeal to a gore hound like me, just Martyrs does it all better. It's a more brutal, honest and challenging film.

Spoiler coming


my take on what Madamoiselle was told? There is nothing after. Not heaven. Not hell. Just nothing. Not even oblivion. And that's why she takes her own life - her life's work has been a farce, suffering and all.

But gloriously, it's left to the viewer to decide the whys and wherefores, just as we are the motivation for doing it all in the first place.

[YorkNecromancer]

Yup. The thing is, her reaction works either way - the way you suggest, or the alternatives.

It's just a remarkable piece of film-making because it never once relents in how bleak it is. There's no jokes, no respite, no relief... The sheer existential nightmare of the thing is just perfect.

It's a film I would only recommend to horror fans, no-one else.

[Mr Mystery]

And certainly not to anyone who has been through physical trauma.

I mean, I'm pretty 'dead inside'. I felt every crunch and every slash - but I wasn't horrified. Discomforted yes. Empathetic, yes. But not actually personally scared.

But for anyone who has suffered physical abuse? I wouldn't directly recommend the film. And I'd give them a serious warning that they may want to give it a wide berth because of how brutal it is. Proper 'in your face'

More possible spoiler!


the senseless of it all in particular. There's sort of a 'but why' explanation, but it's gloriously brief. Like proper nutters, they feel just saying 'this is why" is enough, assuming others will just get it. And given horror has a (not entirely undeserved) reputation for being pretty mindless, to portray mindless abuse in such a compelling manner is genius. You cannot, absolutely cannot, achieve the end results through sheer, blind luck.

[YorkNecromancer]

Spoilers:

See, the cultists - for me, at least - remind me a lot of the same specific horror 'The Wicker Man' evokes: we're going to hurt you for reasons that are completely made up, but we believe in them completely, and so that makes it okay. Which is kind of the horror of true faith, which is that it believes without question, and is therefore not open to argument or discussion.

And I seem to recall an interview with the director where he explained his reasons for that ten minute segment where she's basically just beaten and nothing else happens. His idea was to make us bored by the violence, until the horror of it was gone, the fear was gone, just a deadened kind of 'I know this is awful, but I can't feel that this is awful any more' desensitisation...

Because that's exactly what the character's going through.

[Mr Mystery]

True that.

Spoiler

And again, it's important that the senseless violence committed in the film is just that. Utterly senseless. It's not glamourised. It's not even justified. It simply occurs, and occurs repeatedly.

There's definite shades of Cube (another fantastic film) - if you've seen it hopefully you know what I mean - it's all about the limited perspective, that of the lead character(s).

Tonight, before Walking Dead, I'm hoping to fit in 'We Are Still Here', which seems promising and has had some positive reviews. Nice bit of haunted house fare rarely disappoints my appalling taste in cinema ;)

[YorkNecromancer]

There's definite shades of Cube (another fantastic film) - if you've seen it hopefully you know what I mean - it's all about the limited perspective, that of the lead character(s).

Absolutely.

And I think you'll find that I saw 'Cube' during its brief period of cinematic release. *twirls horror nerd moustache manfully*

That was about the same time my mate Dom and I were the only two people IN THE WORLD to watch 'Space Truckers' during the week it was out at the cinema.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgdeaHr5LT0

I tell a lie actually. There was another guy in the cinema with us. But he was very, very drunk, and quite possibly confused about which screen he was supposed to be in. He definitely didn't enjoy the film as much as we did... :)

[Kirsten]

I was in the mood for silliness so I watched Freddy vs Jason and then Jason X

[Mr Mystery]

Excellent films both, if you're in the mood for horror comedy silliness.

As for Cube, I saw it on VHS after the frankly wonderful Vids (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vids), one of the last shows commissioned by Channel 4 before it disappeared up its own arse.

[Mr Mystery]

I think it's time for an uncharacteristic moan. Mostly to get stuff off my chest, but also partly to break up the fun, informative but a bit repetitive 'I watched this, it was ace!' posts we've fallen into (not knocking them, just going for a bit of variety.

Here goes.

Horror Movies - The misunderstood genre

As discussed already, I'm a definite horror movie fan. From the earliest examples such as Nosferatu, right up the most modern offerings and everything in between, I'll give it a watch. Psychological, Supernatural, Gorefest or understated, I'm happy to see what's on offer.

But.....

That is no excuse for poor, lazy or badly executed horror. Yet sadly, that seems to be what the general public most associate the genre with. Gore everywhere, paper thin plot if your lucky, and just overall pathetic attempts to shock people rather than scare them.

It detracts from those films that are well crafted - including those where perhaps the plot itself doesn't make much sense, but they still manage to build up a feeling of disquiet and foreboding. It seems for every masterpiece (Alien, Martyrs, Cube etc) there's about a thousand 'ALEIN BUTTSECKS FORM TEH PLENAT XZ' churned out on the cheap, often by film students looking to complete their degree. It may be meanspirited of me, but I really hope those who take such a tawdry route flunk their degree and wind up with a colossal debt.

Why so frustrated? Because cheap doesn't have to mean nasty. Horror is far from a genre known for lavish budgets, and often a higher budget will just detract from the film. That's not universal, but it is common enough. So why, why are so many just slung together and released? It does disservice to those trying to make if not necessarily original (100 years plus of cinema makes original hard to do!) then certainly competent scareflicks.

Lets look at the budgets of some rightly lauded films.

Alien - 1979. Estimated budget was $9,000,000 - $11,000,000 US. A classic in every sense of the word. Lavish visuals, sets that felt lived in and real, all done on a relative shoe string.

Terminator - 1984. Granted more of a SciFi film, but still rooted in the horror genre. Budget? A frankly piffling £6,400,000 US.

Hellraiser - 1987. Ready for this? Cue Dr Evil voice - $1,000,000 US. One. Million. And they crafted a mighty fine horror film, with some very decent special effects.

Rosemary's Baby - 1968. Shot on a budget of $3,200,000 US. Even allowing for inflation, that's a tiny little budget. That film won Oscars, and in 2014 was deemed 'Culturally, historically or aesthetically significant' and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.

Cube - 1997. $350,000 US. You'd struggle to buy a family house for that money, and we got one of the most interesting character works I've ever seen. (but don't bother with the sequel. It's terrible. Prequel? Stronger ground, but not essential)

Martyrs - 2008. One that Yorkie introduced me to in this very thread, and already one of my favourites. Budget? 2.8 million Euros (keyboard lacks the correct symbol for the currency). That's nowt. Absolutely nowt, and they still created a tense, thought provoking psychological horror film.

Paranormal Activity - 2007. $15,000. That's it. That was the budget. If I did overtime every weekend for a year, apart from having a nervous breakdown, I'd have enough to fund that on my own. Whilst it's myriad sequels have somewhat watered down it's originality and fear factor, this first (should have been only if we're honest) entry is frankly superb. Really, really effective horror film. Single camera, decent actors and inventive (if easily replicated) effects. Brilliant stuff!

And that's just my pick. I'm sure you'll all have your own favourites.

But please don't get me wrong. I'm not looking to be snooty nor snobby about horror. I've got a massive soft spot for Italian knock off Zombie films. They're cheap. They look cheap. They act cheap. The effects and scares are cheap - but they're still inherently entertaining. Perhaps it's the god-awful voice dubbing (which, curiously, is the main thing that puts me off anime. Go figure!). Maybe its the 'well, they are all trying really awfully hard'. Never mind that the credits should all finish with 'AND THEY NEVER WORKED AGAIN'. The films are fun. They're silly. They're more than a bit bonkers. But they've been crafted with something like love.

Ah. I'm rambling again. Time to wrap it up.

So, yeah. Thanks to thoughtless directors who figure 'ah, we'll just chuck buckets of blood all over the shop, that'll put bums in seats. And the boobs will put lads in hands - PROFIT!' Horror is seen as an inherently tawdry genre. One not worth exploring because of the tripe it seems to generate.

And that's not at all fair. It's a great genre to explore. You just need to keep the faith that the good ones make it all worth it.

[Kirsten]

'ALEIN BUTTSECKS FORM TEH PLENAT XZ'

hey, that took me almost two hours to make I'll have you know. those carved foam planets and potato paintings don't do themselves.

[Mr Mystery]

Well, I managed about 30 seconds before my eyes vomited and my brain ran away shrieking.

[Kirsten]

mission accomplished.

[Mr Mystery]

You know what you are?

You're a Monster.

And not a good one. A rubbish monster.

[Kirsten]

you leave my Dr Who cameo out of this.

[Kirsten]

watching The Prophecy. I had forgotten I had seen it before, but you can't go wrong with some Christopher Walken

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

On the topic of budgets : Most of my monsters cost anyything from £80 up to £200, my sets so far have cost roughly £300 and will likely cost another £250 to get enough parts I need. Admitedlly these are all for puppet scale, but a full costume intended to be worn by a human costs me about £200 too. Theres always been a lie perpetuated by hollywood that you need a lot of money to make something look good and I think that is total bullsh1t personally. If you know people with good imaginations or those that have technical and engineering skills you can always find ways to accomplish great visuals. On the other hand I think a lot of so called high budget movies look like total crap for the money spent on them, but I won't name names.

[Mr Mystery]

If you've got lots of money, you don't use cunning or originality.

If you've not got money, you use cunning and originality.

Consider the original Alien suit. If we're honest, seen in daylight it looks like a bloke in a suit. But stick it in a dingey spaceship, with klaxon lights messing with your vision, and have it briefly erupt onto screen from the shadows? Fan. Tas. Tic.

Too much budget invested, and you're more inclined to show it off more, meaning it needs to look good on screen. You spend so much on making it look scary, it's easy to forget to actually make it behave scary, appear scary, and actually be scary.

[Kirsten]

if you have too much money you end up with the CGI monstrosity (not in a good way) that is Alien 3, where the alien is lit differently to the real set, or even worse, the Alien 4 alien...

[Mr Mystery]

I like Alien Ressurection though.

It's a bobbins addition to the series, but an enjoyable enough SciFi nonsense film...

[Kirsten]

kill it, kill it with fire

[Kaptain Badrukk]

Good job Mystery, didn't you know that every time someone expresses that opinion a baby film that doesn't nearly kill a franchise dies.

[Mr Mystery]

And I'm fond of AvP Requiem....

No, I'm not joking.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

If you've not got money, you use cunning and originality.

Well, thats one plus of me being poor then lol

[Mr Mystery]

Absolutely! Makes you think harder about how to achieve what you want with what you have, rather than what you want to have.

Actually a pretty good life lesson right there.

And as I sit here listening to choice songs from it, whilst it might not be particularly horror, massive shout out to The Rocky Horror Picture Show. If someone doesn't enjoy that film, there's something very wrong with them.

Random tangent? I'd love to see the Avengers cast do a charity event Rocky Horror Show. Tom Hiddleston as Dr Frank'n'Furter, Chris Hemsworth as Rocky, Robert Downey Junior as Eddie. It all makes sense you know.

[Al Shut]

Nonsense! The only acceptable Eddie is Jack Black.

But speaking of horror movies I'm pretty fond of Silent Hill. Best video game adaptation I have ever seen. Absolutely captures the feel of the game.

[Kirsten]

yeah I love the Silent Hill film, far better than I expected

[Al Shut]

I only wish they would have gotten rid of the useless husband subplot. Or at least used that to handle the huge chunk of exposition at the end better.

[Kirsten]

but it is Sean Bean and he doesn't die

[Mr Mystery]

Sequel is....alright. Not terribly memorable, but not terrible.

[Kirsten]

I don't think I have watched it yet, keep meaning to

[Al Shut]

I'd call the sequel pretty forgettable. In fact I've been claiming that Shutter Island is a better Silent Hill movie than Revelation.

[Kirsten]

The Dark was rather good, filmed over here too

[Mr Mystery]

Is that the Sean Bean one with 'clean hell out of their skulls' thing?

If so, good film!

[Kirsten]

it is Sean Bean yeah

[Mr Mystery]

Can anyone recommend any decent TV horror series that aren't AHS or Walking Dead, as I'm up to date on both.

I also have the complete Tales from the Darkside, and Hammer House of Horror (well worth picking up on DVD. Low budget of course, but solid stories for the most part)

[Kirsten]

Garth Merenghi's Dark Place :D

[Mr Mystery]

Couldn't get on with that, sadly. I should like it, but it leaves me cold.

[Kirsten]

whaaaaaaat?

[Mr Mystery]

Just doesn't do it for me.

It's nowhere near as smug as The Mighty Boosh, but I have an identical level of ambivalence.

[Kirsten]

well you are wrong.

wrong wrong wrong.

a complete and utter wrong-un.

[YorkNecromancer]

Someone I know watched 'Darkplace' on magic mushrooms, having never seen it before, thinking drugs would make it funnier.

Suffice to say, he can't watch 'Darkplace' any more, on account of it's legitimately the scariest thing he's ever seen.


Just doesn't do it for me.

It's nowhere near as smug as The Mighty Boosh, but I have an identical level of ambivalence.

Same. It's not that I dislike it - largely because I can't entirely dislike anything with Richard Ayoade in it. But I never really liked it much. Raised a few giggles, but that's about all.

As for a decent horror series? Other than 'Black Mirror', I don't think there have been any.

The UK version of 'Being Human' is pretty great. 'Dead Set' isn't bad - but it's not good. 'In The Flesh' is more drama than horror, but it's pretty wonderful. Only good show with zombies in. 'TWD' wishes it could have as much pathos as ten minutes of 'In The Flesh'. 'The Fades' was fun, but sadly just too short.

Horror series never seem to last long if they're actually horrifying... :(

[Kirsten]

you are both declared excommunicate

[Mr Mystery]

Don't make us sentence you to non-stop re-runs of Mighty Boosh and 'Noel Fielding's Luxury Comedy'.

We'll do it. Don't you try us on this! We will!

[Kirsten]

Mighty Boosh is excellent, nobody liked Luxury Comedy

[Path Walker]

The slightest hint of a mention of Darkplace will cause me to a. Have "One Track Lover" stuck in my head for a week and b. Rewatch the whole thing at the nearest opportunity. Its a perfect piece of television.

[Kirsten]

yes it is.

[YorkNecromancer]

you are both declared excommunicate

https://33.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lnjlt1ZAOZ1qcak00.gif

[Kaptain Badrukk]

I loved boosh (since i first heard it on Radio 4), wasn't hugely fond of Dark Place (it was a solid 'meh'). American Horror Story's pretty good. Series 1+2 are even actually pretty horror oriented, series 3+4 less so but still ok.
However for pure horror tv awesome you need look no further than Hannibal.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

Still waiting for someone to make a decent horror tv series.

I want a 1920's x-files type show but instead of aliens it would be HP lovecraft's mythology and detectives. Something like that would be too awesome for tv networks to make though, they'd more likely do more f**king boring zombie s**t

Allthough saying that I'd still give the anime Parasyte a thumbs up with it's great body snatchers/the thing esque horror.
https://animetoastime.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/omgxzhm.jpg

[Kirsten]

just watched The Burrowers, really creepy monster film, a lot like The Descent, rather than cheapy bad b movies. I liked it.

[Mr Mystery]

Kicking it proper old school, I just picked up the Universal Monster's collection on Bluray for a piffling, A PIFFLING I TELL YOU, £13.99.

Luvverly.

[Mr Mystery]

Slaughter High tonight.

Not bad, but not great. One for Slasher fans only.

[Kirsten]

just watched the 2012 Texas Chainsaw, first half was a fairly mundane slasher, the second half was actually much more creepy and interesting, just when I thought it couldn't be saved. it wasn't bad really

[Wolfshade]

Was that the one directed by Rob ZOmbie?s

[Kirsten]

No idea

[Mr Mystery]

Speaking of Rob Zombie, I can recommend House of 1,000 Corpses, and its sequel The Devil's Rejects.

Neither is ground breaking, but they're both good fun!

[Kirsten]

just watched A Girl Walks Home Alone, and it is absolutely amazing. It is an Iranian vampire film, but not what you would expect, much more like Let The Right One in. Black and white, subtitled, great score that covers all sorts of genres. you never know what is going to happen next, and in some ways not a lot does happen, but it is brilliant.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

just watched A Girl Walks Home Alone, and it is absolutely amazing. It is an Iranian vampire film, but not what you would expect, much more like Let The Right One in. Black and white, subtitled, great score that covers all sorts of genres. you never know what is going to happen next, and in some ways not a lot does happen, but it is brilliant.

Ooo that does sound good, will check that one out!

[Kaptain Badrukk]

Watching 'Zombeavers' right now. It is amazingly ****.

[Mr Mystery]

Currently got 'Two Evil Eyes' playing.

Loose adaptations of Edgar Alan Poe stories across two films, the first directed by George Romero, the other by Dario Argento.

Really quite spooky tales the pair of them, though the second story is my favourite of the two.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

Has anyone been watching the Evil Dead television series? Am quite impressed with it so far, definitely captures the "feel" of evil dead and love all the other actors in it too.

[Kirsten]

not tried that yet. I watched The Bay last night, it was awful.

[Mr Mystery]

Now watching 'It Follows'

Kind of low key, but really rather creepy. I recommend!

[Mr Mystery]

Quick 'duh, thicko' question....,

The Starbeast of Alien fame...

Is it just me, or is not unti Aliens that we find the Starbeast shares the Facehuggers acidic blood? I really don't recall it being shown in Alien?

[Kirsten]

starbeast?

[Mr Mystery]

Gribbly Xenomorph.

[Al Shut]

I don't recall it either, as far as I know nobody managed to hurt the Alien in 'Alien' so no blood, acidic or otherwise

[Mr Mystery]

That's what I was thinking?

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

Watched the live-action version of "Attack on titan", not sure if it was better/worse than the anime, I think I liked it just as much and the special FX were pretty impressive for a japanese movie. Like the anime, it sure knows how to tap into that primal fear of not being #1 on the Food Chain.

Shall watch the part 2 film later on...

Defo recomended if you want a good fantasy-horror.

[Mr Mystery]

Currently watching Turbo Kid. Not a horror film, but shall follow up with Hellions :)

[Kirsten]

Watched the live-action version of "Attack on titan", not sure if it was better/worse than the anime, I think I liked it just as much and the special FX were pretty impressive for a japanese movie. Like the anime, it sure knows how to tap into that primal fear of not being #1 on the Food Chain.

Shall watch the part 2 film later on...

Defo recomended if you want a good fantasy-horror.

I am curious about that, by and large the fans hated it, but the original Attack on Titan creator loved it, which is quite strange.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

I am curious about that, by and large the fans hated it, but the original Attack on Titan creator loved it, which is quite strange.

I havent seen part 2 yet so can't comment on that. Were there any common criticisms of why they hated it? Personally I do not mind the changes as I do not want to watch the same exact story again and also given the format I tend to expect some things to be taken out/cut too...

[Kirsten]

well the criticisms were about part the first. I can't remember specifics, but pretty much every bit of it I think :p

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

Oh well, I often tend to go against the masses, I'm just too cool obviously :P /hipstermode

[Mr Mystery]

TurboKid is pretty mental :)

Definitely worth a watch - mostly because of hilariously impressive practical effects.

[Mr Mystery]

Final Girls.

It's alright. Kind of a Scream/Cabin In The Woods mashup.

Nothing scary at all, but witty enough to be worth a watch. Maybe a Netflix job

[Mr Mystery]

And today I'm watching the Insidious trilogy. They're actually pretty cool, and certainly a less common take on the paranormal than we usually get.

But that aside, I want to go off at a tangent, and discuss Trailers.

See, when I got into Horror, it was the mid-90's, just a few short years before DVD came along and wiped out VHS as a format, and with hindsight took the like of Blockbuster with it.

Why do I say this?

The Trailers.

Once upon a time, it was far more cost effective to rent VHS than to buy them, and this of course meant a wee trip to your local video rental shop.

Being of limited means, I'd go for the best deal I could find, which usually meant the older tapes in the section. Quite often these would be rent two, get three. And things being things, you could bet your arse that you'd only find two you really wanted to see. So there you'd be, going through the slim pickings, looking for something that looked halfway decent or inventive. Sometimes you'd get lucky, and the 'mystery third' would be the best of the bunch. Most times it turned out to be a right turd in the punch bowl of your evenings viewings.

But the trailers? Oh the trailers never disappointed. Films you never heard of. Casts that never worked again. Thinly veiled rip offs of much better films. And of course Big Bob Voiceover declaring 'In A World That' before introducing the setting. Oh glorious, glorious days. It was through these trailers (and you can bet the best were on Mystery Third Tape, every time) that you found your next viewing list.

Except.....except there was always at least one film trailed you could never, ever find. It either never existed, was never released in the UK, was already rented, or worse - so mind blowingly awesome it was rented once, and then never returned, it's leasee found dead 20 years later, their brain asploded, the tape still in their machine, long since turned to dust by the sheer awesomeitude that man had foolishly tried to contain between its spools.

These days of course.....well they're just trailing films I've either seen, or own. Very, very rarely do I get the thrill of OH MY GOD THAT LOOKS WELL ACE. And that's a real shame. Because of VHS trailers, I never got into formal reviews, instead letting Big Bob Voiceover seduce me into watching yet another slightly ropey horror or SciFi. In the modern day I've tried using the Internet's to find review and recommendations. That didn't end well because of people like Harry Knowles.

You know Harry Knowles. Looks like an Orangutan, responsible for the opinion Blair Witch is great, when in truth is only marginally preferable to watching some ****er drown unwanted kittens. In short, the Internet chats an awful lot of ****.

Without Big Bob Voiceover (FOR THAT IS HIS NAME), I'm utterly lost for cool, random stuff to take a punt on.

RIP the cheaply made trailer for the cheaply made film. Your guidance is sorely missed.

[YorkNecromancer]

Seen the first two horror films I'd recommend in a good long while.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGjjK5SMbJA

'We Need To Talk About Kevin': best horror film I've seen in a very long time. I mean, sure, it's billed as a drama/thriller thingy... But it's as pure a horror film as you'll ever see. Deeply uncomfortable viewing from start to finish, and with no easy answers.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=668ZdEbXlPY

'Spring': essentially, a Lovecraftian romance. Really rather good... Although the ending was a bit of a cop-out, which loses it a few points from me. Still, otherwise, a beautifully shot, superbly constructed piece.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

Lovecraftian romance? how does it compare to haiyore nyaruko-san? :p

[YorkNecromancer]

Ummm... favourably?

I don't know. My four second reading of the Wikipedia article about 'haiyore nyaruko-san' suggests that 'Spring' is significantly better, but honestly, I have no idea.

So let's say... 7/10 chance it's better.

That sounds reasonable.

[Mr Mystery]

The Green Inferno tonight.

So far so Eli Roth, but haven't got to the gore so far.

Characters are the usual, but well done, mix of people you kind of like, and total arseholes you hope have a seriously super nasty fate.

[Mr Mystery]

So far, so little tension.

Gore effects are good, plot is reasonable.

But I have to say, Cannibal Holocaust did it all so much better all those years ago.

[Mr Mystery]

Overall, 2/5.

It's all been done before, and done better. Saving grace is the general cinematography, and the gore effects are well done.

It just lacks the shock factor of Cannibal Holocaust - which has a surprisingly good plot to boot, and is not for the faint hearted at all.

There's also confusion between Cannibal and Zombie attacks in parts.

If like me you're interested in the niche genre, definitely a Netflix job.

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

Am kind of sick of the horror genre and the lack of loveraftian mythological movies lately. I wish people would make some good adaptations or better an anthology tv series like Outer Limits ect.

Theres never been a single movie with a shoggoth, polyp or yithian - and boy am I sick to death of undead. And it's not like it would be difficult to realise those monsters (The Thing, Alien, Necronomicon and more have done similar enough creatures well, hell I can make monsters like that for £20-£500 so low budget movies have no excuse either in my book) and worse no ones ever adapted a non-lovecraft mythos film. There are loads of good stories by Thomas Liggoti, Robert E Howard, Robert Bloch, Lin Carter, Brian Lumley, Clark Ashton Smith, Leigh Blackmore - most of which are better than Lovecrafts stuff too.

Most are period set detective tales with cults, ancient grimoires, and the creatures aren't that difficult to do so it's not like there are weird barriers. Get on this sh1t movie makers.

[Mr Mystery]

Have you seen The Cabin In The Woods?

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

Have you seen The Cabin In The Woods?

Actually I haven't I dont think! I probably should do eh?

[Mr Mystery]

Without explaining why?

I think you should. It's pretty original, in so far as Horror can be these days and still actually get a certificate! And really good fun.

[Mr Mystery]

Intruders tonight.


Kind of home invasio thriller, but not as you might expect.

It's pretty cool so far :)

[Kirsten]

how do they get in? intruder window...

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

This Cosmic Horror short ain't too bad, the creatures are a bit hit and miss for me but generally liked it :

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

[Asymmetrical Xeno]

I can't believe it's taken them this f**king long to do
http://www.indiewire.com/2016/07/hp-lovecraft-anthology-series-legendary-tv-the-call-of-cthulhu-1201707939/

H.P. Lovecraft’s influence can be felt in countless writers, musicians and artists who’ve followed in the “weird fiction” exemplar’s footsteps, but the author’s work has rarely been directly adapted. Bleeding Cool reports that this may soon change, as Legendary TV is said to be answering the call of Cthulhu and creating an anthology series based on 16 of Lovecraft’s best-known works.

Per the report, Lorenzo Di Bonaventura and Dan McDermott will serve as producers on the show — the first to receive the Lovecraft Estate’s blessing — with a pilot script from Matthew Francis Wilson. Key stories being adapted include “The Call of Cthulhu,” “The Shadow Over Insmouth” and “The Dunwich Horror.”

Much of Lovecraft’s fiction concerns mankind encountering knowledge and/or beings that far surpass our understanding as mere humans. (If you’re wondering how to pronounce “Cthulhu,” don’t bother — it’s unutterable by human tongues.) No other details on the series are presently known, but if done properly it make for an arresting viewing experience.



ill of course be skipping the rubbish "call of cthulhu" since cthulhu is a piece of utter trash and should not exist in the mythos. otherwise, TOTALLY Excited :D Hope they do the dunwich horror and shadow over innsmouth well. I want my full on cosmic horror creatures.

[Mr Mystery]

The Witch.

Period horror drama thing set in the colonies. So far, so nicely understated. Also nice to hear non-US accents, given the era.

[Mr Mystery]

Yep. It's superb. Quite slow burn, very understated, but very very well made, especially give it's the director's first serious big film type thing.

Seek it out!