Horror Movies Thread

[Allison]

If anyone’s looking for a more light-hearted horror comedy Totally Killer was a very pleasant surprise!

 

[rageofthegods]

(Real Exorheads know that the Schrader one and Ninth Configuration are the best sequels)

But III is a ton of fun as well.

If anyone’s looking for a more light-hearted horror comedy Totally Killer was a very pleasant surprise!

Is it just me or is Blumhouse releasing fewer original movies in theaters? It feels like we're in a solid stretch now where we get maybe one original-ish movie a year from them when we used to get more. I'm wondering if it's because they have like ten TV output deals now.

Anyway, I haven't seen it yet but I think Nahnatchka Khan is a super underrated television creator. Will check it out.

 

[belloq87]

THE NINTH CONFIGURATION is a terrific movie, but it's so loosely connected to THE EXORCIST that I don't consider it part of the franchise at all. It's also not really a horror film.

The Schrader one... isn't for me!

 

[rageofthegods]

THE NINTH CONFIGURATION is a terrific movie, but it's so loosely connected to THE EXORCIST that I don't consider it part of the franchise at all. It's also not really a horror film.

The Schrader one... isn't for me!

The Schrader movie is definitely "a Schrader movie" more than it is a horror movie but as a Schraderhead, that's a big part of why I liked it. It's also imo the sequel most attuned to the philosophical and theological concerns that made the original so interesting.

 

[belloq87]

V/H/S/85 is one of the best of the series. Even the weakest of the segments have at least something interesting going on, and the good ones are really good.

 

[CoryLevy91]

V/H/S/85 is one of the best of the series. Even the weakest of the segments have at least something interesting going on, and the good ones are really good.

Strongly echo this. 4/5 for me! Not only is it in contention for one of the best of the overall franchise, I found only one of the stories to be lacking while the other 3 (technically 4) are all outstanding and really seriously worth expanding into full blown features. Dreamkill might be my favorite overall V/H/S segment and is legitimately better than the last two Halloween entries, I'd love to see that as a feature length movie.

For the first time ever I've committed to finally doing a month long movie marathon for October. I planned every single day out so it's been much easier to simply pull the movie up and watch it at the end of the day. Each week is it's own special sub-genre and here's my first week with a short review!

Week One: Laugh 'Till You're Dead
1st - John Dies at the End - 4/5 - Such a fun, lunatic, frenetic ride. Only partly as insane as the book series, what a great adaptation.
2nd - Tucker & Dale vs. Evil - 4.5/5 - A horror comedy classic, Tyler Labine and Alan Tudyk are amazing as the titular lovable hillbillies.
3rd - Villains - 3.5 / 5 - Amazing cast knocks it out of the park in every damn scene. Always love when a prominent villain playing actor gets to play the good guy!
4th - Drag Me To Hell - 3/5 - It's classic Raimi but it just feels like it's missing something without Bruce Campbell and without the more visceral effects.
5th - What We Do In The Shadows - 4/5 - Literally a laugh a minute classic. Just such a joy to watch and relive. Vladislav's botched cat transformation is legitimately one of the funniest sight gags ever, IMO.
6th - Death Becomes Her - 3/5 - A fun, light hearted romp through the insane depths some will go through for 'love' and fame and fortune.
7th - Jennifer's Body - 4/5 - What a great little crazy flick. First time watching and how it got so slammed down when it first premiered is beyond me. Bloody, funny, dark, with serious messages underneath its sardonic exterior, it's good this film has gotten such a nice critical re-evaluation in the recent years.

Week Two's heading is "All Hail the (Stephen) King"!

 

[Allison]

Is it just me or is Blumhouse releasing fewer original movies in theaters? It feels like we're in a solid stretch now where we get maybe one original-ish movie a year from them when we used to get more. I'm wondering if it's because they have like ten TV output deals now.

Anyway, I haven't seen it yet but I think Nahnatchka Khan is a super underrated television creator. Will check it out.

Personally, I haven’t noticed but if they have I’m grateful for it as streaming/VOD is much easier for me to consume than physically heading to a theater, but, only speaking for myself as everyone’s situations are different.

 

[belloq87]

Dreamkill might be my favorite overall V/H/S segment and is legitimately better than the last two Halloween entries, I'd love to see that as a feature length movie.

I was thinking this as the segment unfolded. It could be a really good foundation for a feature.

 

[Allison]

I’m not the biggest fan of the VHS series, but that final shot had me laughing so hard I teared up. That one segment gave hail Raatma a run for its money.

 

[Clive]

Is it just me or is Blumhouse releasing fewer original movies in theaters? It feels like we're in a solid stretch now where we get maybe one original-ish movie a year from them when we used to get more. I'm wondering if it's because they have like ten TV output deals now.

Anyway, I haven't seen it yet but I think Nahnatchka Khan is a super underrated television creator. Will check it out.

I meant to comment on this earlier, but as someone with some familiarity regarding how Blumhouse operates, I think I can speak to the trend you're observing.

The TV department actually operates completely separately from the feature film division - they have their own team and development/production pipeline. What's going on in features is a combination of factors. As Blumhouse continues to gain ground as arguably the premiere purveyor of modern horror, they get more cache and opportunities to take on powerful IP material like Halloween, The Exorcist, and Five Nights at Freddy's. When they make these deals with Universal Pictures (or another major distributor outside the boundaries of their first-look Uni deal), they typically include a theatrical distribution guarantee, so these IPs almost always get wide releases regardless of quality.

For the rest of Blumhouse's films, the company never commits to a distribution strategy until the film is done, tested, and evaluated. If the largely completed film scores high and is believed to have commercial potential, it gets the theatrical release and a strong push. A name director and/or actor here helps (i.e. Split) tip the scales toward theatrical. If the film tests poorly, it gets shopped elsewhere - usually a streamer release, sometimes to extremely obscure platforms (Blumhouse tends to have its hand in more films than folks realize).

Again, with IPs, theatrical is typically guaranteed. Sometimes, if they are concerned about the test scores, they'll do the simultaneous release on Peacock (see Firestarter and the Halloween sequels). Five Nights at Freddy's I believe to be an exception to this, as that film is in a tough position of being mostly popular with children who may not be able to convince their parents to take them to the theater. (I've also seen the film and think it's quite good, so I don't buy that it's scoring poorly.)

Long story short: Blumhouse still invests in a lot of original films and ideas, but their sink or swim/no room for error tiny budget production process produces a lot of duds that never see the theatrical light of day. Because they're working with more IPs recently, you're seeing more Blumhouse-backed IP stuff in theaters (plus sequels to their homegrown franchises like The Purge and Insidious).

 

[Lucky Planet]

‘Exorcist: Believer’ Gets Horrifying Reviews After Studio Gambled $400 Million for Rights

The first film in an ambitious planned horror trilogy is being read last rites by critics after Universal shelled out $400 million for the rights alone. But could strong box office tracking make the studio's faith pay off?

www.hollywoodreporter.com

Yikes...

I didn't love THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER, but it's definitely nowhere near as bad as the reviews make it sound. Good lead performance, some solid filmmaking. Unfortunately, it is just totally empty on philosophical and/or spiritual levels, with absolutely nothing to say. And given that the two best EXORCIST movies (the only truly good ones, let's be real) wrestle with big ideas, it's unfortunate that BELIEVER doesn't even make an attempt to engage on that level.

And I think bringing back Ellen Burstyn (and heavily promoting her presence in the movie) was a mistake.

So the hhn house is much better than the movie.

Strongly echo this. 4/5 for me! Not only is it in contention for one of the best of the overall franchise, I found only one of the stories to be lacking while the other 3 (technically 4) are all outstanding and really seriously worth expanding into full blown features. Dreamkill might be my favorite overall V/H/S segment and is legitimately better than the last two Halloween entries, I'd love to see that as a feature length movie.

For the first time ever I've committed to finally doing a month long movie marathon for October. I planned every single day out so it's been much easier to simply pull the movie up and watch it at the end of the day. Each week is it's own special sub-genre and here's my first week with a short review!

Week One: Laugh 'Till You're Dead
1st - John Dies at the End - 4/5 - Such a fun, lunatic, frenetic ride. Only partly as insane as the book series, what a great adaptation.
2nd - Tucker & Dale vs. Evil - 4.5/5 - A horror comedy classic, Tyler Labine and Alan Tudyk are amazing as the titular lovable hillbillies.
3rd - Villains - 3.5 / 5 - Amazing cast knocks it out of the park in every damn scene. Always love when a prominent villain playing actor gets to play the good guy!
4th - Drag Me To Hell - 3/5 - It's classic Raimi but it just feels like it's missing something without Bruce Campbell and without the more visceral effects.
5th - What We Do In The Shadows - 4/5 - Literally a laugh a minute classic. Just such a joy to watch and relive. Vladislav's botched cat transformation is legitimately one of the funniest sight gags ever, IMO.
6th - Death Becomes Her - 3/5 - A fun, light hearted romp through the insane depths some will go through for 'love' and fame and fortune.
7th - Jennifer's Body - 4/5 - What a great little crazy flick. First time watching and how it got so slammed down when it first premiered is beyond me. Bloody, funny, dark, with serious messages underneath its sardonic exterior, it's good this film has gotten such a nice critical re-evaluation in the recent years.

Week Two's heading is "All Hail the (Stephen) King"!

Jennifer's body is such an incredible movie with such a great story but I think it was trashed because of the casting
I remember people avoiding it because of Megan Fox. I remember comments on the trailer being upset at the casting

I meant to comment on this earlier, but as someone with some familiarity regarding how Blumhouse operates, I think I can speak to the trend you're observing.

The TV department actually operates completely separately from the feature film division - they have their own team and development/production pipeline. What's going on in features is a combination of factors. As Blumhouse continues to gain ground as arguably the premiere purveyor of modern horror, they get more cache and opportunities to take on powerful IP material like Halloween, The Exorcist, and Five Nights at Freddy's. When they make these deals with Universal Pictures (or another major distributor outside the boundaries of their first-look Uni deal), they typically include a theatrical distribution guarantee, so these IPs almost always get wide releases regardless of quality.

For the rest of Blumhouse's films, the company never commits to a distribution strategy until the film is done, tested, and evaluated. If the largely completed film scores high and is believed to have commercial potential, it gets the theatrical release and a strong push. A name director and/or actor here helps (i.e. Split) tip the scales toward theatrical. If the film tests poorly, it gets shopped elsewhere - usually a streamer release, sometimes to extremely obscure platforms (Blumhouse tends to have its hand in more films than folks realize).

Again, with IPs, theatrical is typically guaranteed. Sometimes, if they are concerned about the test scores, they'll do the simultaneous release on Peacock (see Firestarter and the Halloween sequels). Five Nights at Freddy's I believe to be an exception to this, as that film is in a tough position of being mostly popular with children who may not be able to convince their parents to take them to the theater. (I've also seen the film and think it's quite good, so I don't buy that it's scoring poorly.)

Long story short: Blumhouse still invests in a lot of original films and ideas, but their sink or swim/no room for error tiny budget production process produces a lot of duds that never see the theatrical light of day. Because they're working with more IPs recently, you're seeing more Blumhouse-backed IP stuff in theaters (plus sequels to their homegrown franchises like The Purge and Insidious).

I really wish that blumhouse and universal had taken over and purchased the rights of Friday the 13th or something. Like they did for exorcist...

I know there are talks about new Friday the 13th projects but nothing is really being made yet and it feels like it is still on limbo. Kinda sad.
There was a recent interview from blumhouse about Friday the 13th but it's still on limbo

 

[belloq87]

So the hhn house is much better than the movie.

I can certainly say that the house is full of stuff that isn't in the movie.

 

[Brian G.]

I can certainly say that the house is full of stuff that isn't in the movie.

From what I understand - they gave some fleshing out to the demon until they decided to make it more "anon".

I know the Excorcism scene originally featured some visuals that included the possessor and hellish ghouls breaking through walls.

I did like the film though, but definitely has some noticeable flaws. It's not the worst thing ever, but there are some weird decisions.

 

[Clive]

From what I understand - they gave some fleshing out to the demon until they decided to make it more "anon".

I know the Excorcism scene originally featured some visuals that included the possessor and hellish ghouls breaking through walls.

I did like the film though, but definitely has some noticeable flaws. It's not the worst thing ever, but there are some weird decisions.

I think this is a bad explanation for why it was cut, but it sounds like this was the demon we see prominently featured in the house on both coasts.

The Exorcist: Believer’s big demon was cut to keep the film realistic

Exorcist: Believer needed more Lamashtu, ‘a beautiful piece of art’ we barely get to see

www.polygon.com

 

[Brian G.]

I think this is a bad explanation for why it was cut, but it sounds like this was the demon we see prominently featured in the house on both coasts.

The Exorcist: Believer’s big demon was cut to keep the film realistic

Exorcist: Believer needed more Lamashtu, ‘a beautiful piece of art’ we barely get to see

www.polygon.com

Yeah, that's an awful excuse... but it lines up with some early chatter about some BTS stuff.

 

[Lucky Planet]

I think this is a bad explanation for why it was cut, but it sounds like this was the demon we see prominently featured in the house on both coasts.

The Exorcist: Believer’s big demon was cut to keep the film realistic

Exorcist: Believer needed more Lamashtu, ‘a beautiful piece of art’ we barely get to see

www.polygon.com

That article is funny because some of the biggest criticism of the movie was that it played it safe and there weren't enough crazy moments.
So they cut out the demon to keep it grounded. But that's what people are upset about, kind of.

Let's hope there's a deleted scene released eventually

 

[rageofthegods]

It's been alluded to elsewhere in the forum but this movie allegedly needed reshoots and the strike screwed those plans. Kinda wondering if the lack of a beastie is related to that.

 

[Clive]

It's been alluded to elsewhere in the forum but this movie allegedly needed reshoots and the strike screwed those plans. Kinda wondering if the lack of a beastie is related to that.

I'll update folks here if I'm able to pick up any of what happened.

 

[pumpkinbot343]

anyone got some horror films you refuse (or just are not interested) to watch not because of something like it’s “torture porn”, something bad happened behind the set or something like that; but because of something really stupid in it that it just turns you off from watching it?

 

[Lucky Planet]

anyone got some horror films you refuse (or just are not interested) to watch not because of something like it’s “torture porn”, something bad happened behind the set or something like that; but because of something really stupid in it that it just turns you off from watching it?

Which one is yours lol

I hate found footage movies because I get vertigo. I will never rewatch trollhunter because of the fart scene lol,