Horror 2016

[The Stingray]

48 minutes ago, somebody85 said:

The 2003 version is easily the best Platinum Dunes remake by a mile. I forgot if they did The Hills Have Eyes, but I don't think so. 

I loved the look of it. It seemed like a place that could actually exist off one of those exits you never take and it was well acted for once. They did really good work on the score too. Now the prequel wasn't good and then the 2009 version was terrible.

The Invitation didn't have atmosphere to me at all because I could see what was coming. They tried to throw you off of the predictable route it takes but it was always there. And the moment a certain actor shows up, I knew where it was headed. It was either going to go one way which could have been clever or go the way you can easily guess as soon as they walk in the door. Instead of feeling tense during it all I kept thinking was wow that guy really looks a lot like Tom Hardy. Also if that one scene did not happen, all of the plot falls a part. It's well acted, I'll give it that. But I found it dull besides that not tense. I expected it to be a lot better after the reviews and instead nothing really happens for about 75 minutes.

Then the final scene before it cuts to black is so ridiculous and far fetched that I had to roll my eyes. And I also strongly disagree about The Babadook which collapsed in the third act too.

 

I agree that TCM 2003 is the best Platinum Dunes remake, but that's not saying a whole lot. I dig The Hills Have Eyes remake, but that one is not PD.

 

I agree with you that The Invitation is somewhat predictable (I could see where it was going as well), but I still thought it was an effective, thought-provoking and tension-filled film. Your thoughts on the final scene are pretty spot-on tho.
 

[somebody85]

27 minutes ago, The Stingray said:

 

I agree that TCM 2003 is the best Platinum Dunes remake, but that's not saying a whole lot. I dig The Hills Have Eyes remake, but that one is not PD.

 

I agree with you that The Invitation is somewhat predictable (I could see where it was going as well), but I still thought it was an effective, thought-provoking and tension-filled film. Your thoughts on the final scene are pretty spot-on tho.
 

 

Yeah I definitely agree on the other Platinum Dunes remakes. I saw that one in theaters and have always thought it was a lot better then the reviews made it out to be. And yeah I loved The Hills Have Eyes remake. The trailer scene (when it all goes to hell) is still one of the most disturbing things I've ever seen in a horror movie. It felt realistic because of how well they built the family chemistry in a short amount of time.
 

Yeah man, I wanted to love The Invitation. I thought it would be another The Gift or It Follows after reading the reviews. I didn't watch any trailers or anything before watching it so I had no clue what it would be about (just that it was rated highly). Once they step in the door to the rest of the party, I could already tell what was going to happen. And that's fine. I like movies and shows (even though the most known one is as ridiculous as they come) about that subject. I thought the acting was mostly great (although I thought the guy who looks like Tom Hardy sure ignores his girlfriend a lot). The characters were believable people but I didn't really feel tense about anything. It never left that eerie vibe that something isn't right.
 

Then that scene happens where they try to throw you off and I thought hmmm. this could be like The Babadook and be about something entirely different then I thought. And then the big tense dinner scene occurs and I knew what was going to happen no matter how dramatic they made the music. Even the stupid cover of the movie gave away that something major was going to happen at this scene. I dunno it just didn't work for me. I wanted it too but the 3rd act wasn't worth all that buildup.

It would be creepy to go through in real life but I'm pretty sure everyone would have left at one point very early on. The main character and one other person wouldn't have been the only one feeling that things were off.

 

And yeah the final scene....I get they were going for creepy but the odds of that actually happening are about 1,000,000 to 1. As soon as you think about what it would take to make that happen, it immediately falls apart.

I'm glad you liked it though. I'm sure like me, you like more horror geared towards tension. I enjoyed Hush a lot more then this one even though that wasn't entirely original either. That had strong vibes from The Strangers & You're Next, but that was a positive for me because I like both of those a lot. I also loved the lead in that and cared about her fight.

 

Edited April 24, 2016 by somebody85

[somebody85]

43 minutes ago, The Stingray said:

I agree with you that The Invitation is somewhat predictable (I could see where it was going as well), but I still thought it was an effective, thought-provoking and tension-filled film. Your thoughts on the final scene are pretty spot-on tho.
 

 

Did you like Coherence?

i feel a lot of people missed that one since it was an indie film.

If you liked The Invitation and have not seen it, I do recommend it:

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/coherence_2013/?search=coherence

At an 88%, 79% audience score. (it's actually from 2014 though)

If you haven't seen it, like others it's best to go into it without watching any trailer.

[Krissykins]

8 hours ago, Treetrunk Special said:

Babadook is fantastic, it's the kind of horror film that is seldom produced these days. No stupid jump scares, no found footage, no teen angst. Horror IS and SHOULD BE psychological, it shouldn't just make you jump.

 

Oh the Babadook was awful. I found myself fighting to stay awake. And that was seeing it in the cinema. 

[Krissykins]

9 hours ago, somebody85 said:

I usually won't watch anything that is not a major release above a 6.5 on IMDB with at least a 1,000 ratings (so I know the studio isn't boosting the rating and writing fake reviews).
 

 

That is the dumbest thing I've ever read.

 

You should approach films differently and try and be more independent. 

[baumer]

8 hours ago, Treetrunk Special said:

Babadook is fantastic, it's the kind of horror film that is seldom produced these days. No stupid jump scares, no found footage, no teen angst. Horror IS and SHOULD BE psychological, it shouldn't just make you jump.

 

But there's nothing scary about it and there's no real danger.  It's just some woman tormented by something that isn't real.  Horror should at least have something that could do something bad to you.  Saying Babadook is horror is like saying Planes Trains and Automobiles is a teen comedy because the guy who stole their wallets was a teenager.  

[Jake Gittes]

I can't think of many things more real and scary and dangerous than losing a grip on your sanity because of grief and depression, and endangering your child's life in the process. Maybe you don't find that scary, or find the way it was done in The Babadook scary, but other people certainly do. I was actively fearing for both main characters for the entire runtime. It's not jump-scary or sleep-with-your-lights-on-afterwards scary, but horror isn't and shouldn't be limited by that. 

[somebody85]

38 minutes ago, Krissykins said:

 

That is the dumbest thing I've ever read.

 

You should approach films differently and try and be more independent. 

I understand your point but when you have as many horror movies being released weekly as there are, there is only so much time in the day to devote to watching films. I would rather go with films that are already well reviewed on both IMDB and RT. That means there is usually something there and I side with the majority of the critics in most cases (not The Babadook, The Witch, Spring or The Invitation though).

 

And these studios really do fake the score on a lot of indie releases on a lot of these movies when it comes to IMDB. I do end up watching a lot of the indie horror stuff since a lot of it does land over 6.0 or 6.5 through the year. It's been the right choice in the past so I've stuck with it.
 

Again there really is a ton of choices and if I see something with a 4.9 or a 5.2 on IMDB after a thousand or so reviews, I'm probably going to agree with them.

Do you have any horror/thriller films that you have seen in 2015-2016 that you would recommend?

I'll watch every major studio release regardless of the score.

Edited April 24, 2016 by somebody85

[baumer]

6 minutes ago, Jake Gittes said:

I can't think of many things more real and scary and dangerous than losing a grip on your sanity because of grief and depression, and endangering your child's life in the process. Maybe you don't find that scary, or find the way it was done in The Babadook scary, but other people certainly do. I was actively fearing for both main characters for the entire runtime. It's not jump-scary or sleep-with-your-lights-on-afterwards scary, but horror isn't and shouldn't be limited by that. 

 

I found the entire premise to be silly and rather juvenile.  I'm not criticizing you or anyone for liking it.  Who am I to say what you should be frightened by.  But for me personally it did nothing for me and at the end when I found out what the Babadook was, it made me angry.  I felt like it was a cheap gimmick.  But we all like different things.  I just kind of hated this film.

[somebody85]

Like just for clarification here are all of the horror films I saw in 2015:

Krampus (Horror Comedy? - I guess)
The Final Girls
The Gift
It Follows
What We Do In The Shadows (Horror Comedy)
Starry Eyes
Crimson Peak
Scouts Guide To The Zombie Apocalypse (Horror Comedy)
The Visit
Creep
We Are Still Here
Faults
The Nightmare
Goodnight Mommy
Clown
Knock Knock
The Green Inferno
Dark Places
Poltergeist
Unfriended
Maggie
The Town That Dreaded Sunset
Spring (man I would not consider this horror though)
Insidious: Chapter 3
The Lazarus Effect
The Woman In Black 2: Angel Of Death
Paranormal Activity 5: The Ghost Dimension
Sinister 2
The Gallows
The Voices
Into The Woods (easily the scariest movie of the year - it just wouldn't end lol)

So yeah, I really do watch a lot more then that sentence led on about reviews.

Edited April 24, 2016 by somebody85

[baumer]

I have seen most of those as well.  I haven't seen The Town that Dreaded Sundown.  I liked the original....how was this one?

[somebody85]

15 minutes ago, Baumer said:

I have seen most of those as well.  I haven't seen The Town that Dreaded Sundown.  I liked the original....how was this one?

It was actually pretty clever! It references the original film a lot in unique ways that pay it tribute. I believe Ryan Murphy had something to do with it and you can tell. I think I rated it a C.

Main issue I had again was the 3rd act being predictable but it's been awhile since I've seen it. It's worth watching though.

The one that a lot of people miss is Starry Eyes. I liked that one a lot and it dared to mess with the satanic connections in Hollywood conspiracy. It wasn't right to the point as it could have been but it still had a lot of good tension. The lead actress there was really likeable too and I thought the slow burn worked. Plus it had one of the most brutal scenes of the year (seriously that would be an awful way to go).

Some of my favorite indie horror is stuff like The House Of The Devil.

I also loved the prosthetic effects of We Are Still Here if you haven't seen it.

Edited April 24, 2016 by somebody85

[The Stingray]

@somebody85

 

Yeah, I guess I'm more into horror films geared towards mood and tension. Though I will always have a soft spot for '80s slashers.

 

Haven't heard of Coherence. I'll check it out.

 

And yeah, Hush was pretty solid.

 

[somebody85]

29 minutes ago, Baumer said:

 

I found the entire premise to be silly and rather juvenile.  I'm not criticizing you or anyone for liking it.  Who am I to say what you should be frightened by.  But for me personally it did nothing for me and at the end when I found out what the Babadook was, it made me angry.  I felt like it was a cheap gimmick.  But we all like different things.  I just kind of hated this film.

Yep, that's how I felt. Loved the scenes with the so called actual Babadook in them (and there are very few). They were well done....the payoff was not.

I didn't find the big revelation that the mother was going crazy frightening (for one I was really annoyed by the screaming kid so I kind of don't blame her), I felt like I got conned and I hated the basement ending.
 

I couldn't believe it scored as high as it did. A lot of people dislike It Follows but it least that had atmosphere in spades right from the opening shot.

Edited April 24, 2016 by somebody85

[baumer]

I will definitely have to find Starry Eyes. The Hollywood satanic connection really fascinates me. So it sounds like it would be right up my alley. I'm not sure if you like this kind of film but I'm a big fan of the remake for I Spit on Your Grave with Sarah Butler. The first one was amazing the second one was decent and I watch the 3rd one last night and it goes way off into a different direction kind of like a Death Wish vigilante kind of thing. But I actually really enjoyed it. I think part of my enjoyment of it is I think Sarah Butler is so sexy LOL but there's also two deaths in the movie that literally made me cringe. The first one actually made me scream so loud that my roommate knocked on my door and asked if I was okay LOL so if you're into those movies I definitely recommend the third. It's not nearly as good as the first but it's definitely worth seeing.

[The Stingray]

Starry Eyes is pretty good. It's kinda like Mulholland Drive-lite.
 

[somebody85]

16 minutes ago, Baumer said:

I will definitely have to find Starry Eyes. The Hollywood satanic connection really fascinates me. So it sounds like it would be right up my alley. I'm not sure if you like this kind of film but I'm a big fan of the remake for I Spit on Your Grave with Sarah Butler. The first one was amazing the second one was decent and I watch the 3rd one last night and it goes way off into a different direction kind of like a Death Wish vigilante kind of thing. But I actually really enjoyed it. I think part of my enjoyment of it is I think Sarah Butler is so sexy LOL but there's also two deaths in the movie that literally made me cringe. The first one actually made me scream so loud that my roommate knocked on my door and asked if I was okay LOL so if you're into those movies I definitely recommend the third. It's not nearly as good as the first but it's definitely worth seeing.

Yeah the only other movie that got near to touching it was Mulholland Dr. I believe but it was much more in your face here. But don't expect it to play exactly to what the conspiracies state. I really wish it had because I think it would make an awesome movie. But like you that stuff is so fascinating to me (like vigilantcitizen, etc) so I was glad to see someone FINALLY make a film alluding to those themes.

 

Starry Eyes is good because it gets the audition process right and you see what Sarah is willing to do for fame. There's areas I don't like but it's definitely worth seeing.

And yes I have seen the remake of I Spit On Your Grave. I thought it was great and definitely brutal. The lead actress again there was believable and held it all together. And yes you got to see a lot of Sarah Butler (who is sexy as hell) lol! Pretty sure I liked the remake sequel too even though it was a different actress. I remember the basement scene where she's held up but not the murders that came after it. I however did not like 3. I can hardly remember it but I know it brought Sarah back. It was just too violent to be violent for me and I thought her character had turned more evil then originally (which was to be expected after the trauma of the original). Thanks for the recommendations though.

 

Like if I remember she tries to attack some body builder and almost gets taken out. I was kind of rooting against her in that one because I didn't feel much sympathy for her anymore.

 

If you have anymore recommendations feel free to shoot them. I've seen a lot of the ones most say are the best like Session 9, The Orphanage, REC 1,2,3, Martyrs, The Descent, Grave Encounters, The Bay, etc.


 

Edited April 24, 2016 by somebody85

[The Stingray]

Absentia, Beyond the Black Rainbow (more sci-fi than horror), In Fear and, above all, Kill List are some more underseen quality horror films from the last few years.

 

[baumer]

The bodybuilder she attacks is the guy who raped Oscar's daughter and got away with it on a technicality. That's why she goes after him. And yeah it was violent and yes she was definitely a little bit more unlikable in this one. But at the same time as she sees the justice system failing her. She sees the authorities trying to find the killer of the rapists more than they are trying to find and make sure the rapist go to jail. So you can see why she has become twisted. Again, horror is subjective just like anything else..... I just thought it was a good progression of her character. The scene where she bites the guy's dick and then cuts it off that is the one that made me scream LOL I thought it was incredibly well done.

[baumer]

Martyrs is tough to watch. Anything Grand Pierre produced is disturbing