Film Spooky September and Shocking October |ST| Crawl Into a Crypt of Creepiness: A Cinematic Survey and Scare-a-thon

[Phosphorescent Skeleton]

Greetings, FamiBONES! It's time once more for the 1st annual Spooky September and Shocking October: Crawl Into a Crypt of Creepiness: A Cinematic Survey and Scare-a-thon. As a professional skeleton, I'll be taking over as the mistress of scare-a-monies this time. In previous threads, we've given the definitive take on the cinema of Mario, we've plumbed the depth of madness to appraise every Transformers movies, and we went 20 rounds against that man with the very funny body, Arnold "The Stogieman" Schwarzenegger. But now we take as our muse not an Italian, not a robot, not a funny looking man, but the genre of horror itself, which has more than enough room for all these things...and more!? Now we ll know that the ivory tower critics, up in their ivory towers, would rather watch a Merchant and Ivory flopperoo than the exploits of Fred Kruger, Jason X, or the Castle Freak. But @Clov and I are but simple, common women with not a tower or even a piece of ivory between us. We seek to bring you only the definitive, objective, and perfect truth on this most "maudit" of genre, this Horror!
As always, we will be using the tradition 60 point scale

Horror or Borror: It all comes down to this (and the five other categories). Was the movie, in any way, actually scary? Can I imagine it being scary to a historical personage? Can I invent a theoretical, philosophical construct of a person who COULD be afraid of it? Or is it… nap time…

24 Dimensions of Fear: Horror was, as everyone knows, just about ghoulies and hobgoblins, gories and gross-outs, before A24 invented “themes”. But maybe there’s more than meets the eye to some of these schlockapaloozas.

All the Colors of the Dark: Can horror be beautiful? Can love bloom in a pumpkin patch? Of course not. Draculas and Wolfmen can never be beautiful. Maybe a Frankenstein. But a movie can be beautiful (see our Transformers thread for more details).

The Chimes at Midnight: We’re all afraid of things that go bump in the night; that is, if you are a small child (gottem!). Here we’re more concerned with sick-ass tunes.

Kill! Kill! Kill!: In real life when someone dies, it is a tragedy, unless it is someone we don’t like. But in the world of film, it can elicit anything from an AHHHHHHHHH to an “Ah hell yeah!” Sometimes though, we’re left yawning.

The Ghoulie Factor: Much like the Rareware classic of the same name, I’m looking to be “Grabbed!” by the ghoulies while watching a horror movie! I’m talking Freddy, I’m talking, Franky, I’m talking Riverbeast! I want a monster! But what if the real Monster…?

So join us for our deep dive into terror, share your thoughts, make recommendations, tell us how great we are, and stick around for plenty of tricks and treats.

"Reader beware, you're in for a scare!" - Stephen "Horrormeister" King

"Let the game's begin..." -Vincent "Dracula" Price

"Welcome to...a the dark universe..." Tom "I love movies" Cruise

 

[Ramune]

Yes! Yes! I thirst for blood and camp and delectable heebie jeebies.

Draculas [...] can never be beautiful.

Oh? What if the Dracula has a Lake.

I could never turn away old orange eyes.

 

[Phosphorescent Skeleton]

Suspiria (1977) [dir. Dario Argento]

A phantasmagoria of color and music and terror. A dance academy is haunted by...witches! Dario Argento's best movie, and maybe the best Italian horror movie ever made. The world got Star Wars fever in 1977, but they should have gotten Suspiria fever.

Horror or Borror: 10/10
I've seen this movie like, 6 times at least, and I'm not bored for a second. I found it very scary on my first watch, and while I know every beat now, I still tense up when those eyes flash, when the maggots squirm, when the hand grabs, and the wire cuts.

24 Dimensions of Fear: 10/10
The movie is haunted by the past, and in Europe that past means the ghost of fascism. A dance academy that seems so innocent is hiding unimaginable horror. The youth has a choice: apprehend and confront the fascism of the past by stabbing it in the neck, or die.

All the Colors of the Dark: 10/10
There are colors here you wouldn't believe! Wallpapers as beautiful as they are unlikely. A scene of an old professor talking about witches edited as striking as anything you've ever seen. Jessica Harper!

The Chimes at Midnight: 10/10
Music by "The Goblin". Prog rock screams, witchy whispers, symphonicly swelling sirens. Honestly just listen to this shit!


Kill! Kill! Kill!: 10/10
The first kill in this movie is one of the most beautiful moments in cinema, just the artistic height of artistic filmic murder. Also a girl dies in razor wire hell and I'm screaming "oh my goooood!"

The Ghoulie Factor: 10/10
Scary dog? Check. Scary hair arm? Check. Scary maggots? Check. Scary bat? Check. Scary witch? Oh, you bet your sweet ass that's a check.

Overall: 60/60

Verdict: This Argento fellow has a bright future. Surely he'll never make some kind of, I don't know, Dario Argento's Dracula 3D!

 

[Clov]

Suspiria (1977)

Horror or Borror: 10/10. All horror! From the scene with the blind man sensing a strange presence, to what seems like an escape snatched away at the last moment, this movie's got some pretty scary stuff! Not to mention, scariest of all; a spooky bat, which @Phosphorescent Skeleton once denied being in this movie!

24 Dimensions of Fear: 10/10. It's pretty obvious, but this is a movie about the lingering fascism behind historic/cultural institutions. The scene with the blind man and his dog really goes for the throat with that one, doing away with all subtlety.

All the Colors of the Dark: 10/10. Fun fact, Argento used natural lighting here, Germany just looks like this all the time

The Chimes at Midnight: 10/10. This features a pretty creepy score by Goblin/The Goblin/Goblins/The Goblins. So many great moments where the film starts really using the music to build up something happening... and nothing happens. But then as soon as the music slows and gets quiet... it gets you! Gets you right off your guard, each time. Oh, and who can forget the main theme of this one? "WITCH!"

Kill! Kill! Kill!: 10/10. This movie is brutal right from the beginning! The deaths are drawn out and nasty. Special mention to the girl who dies in the razor wire; gotta be one of the most painful looking deaths in a horror film I've seen!

The Ghoulie Factor: 10/10. WITCH!

Overall: 60/60

Verdict: How the hell did the guy who made this make Dracula 3D!?

 

[Phosphorescent Skeleton]

Yes! Yes! I thirst for blood and camp and delectable heebie jeebies.



Oh? What if the Dracula has a Lake.

I could never turn away old orange eyes.

I wish this movie movie was as good as the title.

 

[Deleted member 2258]

Tens across the board for Suspiria, you love to see it.

 

[Ramune]

Starting strong! Suspiria has one of the best opening sequences from any horror movie. That Goblin score scares the crap out of me! Still haven't got around to the remake, I wonder if it would lessen or intensify my Guadagnino hater compulsions.

I wish this movie movie was as good as the title.

Oh, I love it! It's so cosy and autumnal, and Kishida's demise at the end goes pretty hard. It's the only one of that 'trilogy' I've seen but I have The Vampire Doll and Evil of Dracula lined up for this October.

 

[Phosphorescent Skeleton]

Starting strong! Suspiria has one of the best opening sequences from any horror movie. That Goblin score scares the crap out of me! Still haven't got around to the remake, I wonder if it would lessen or intensify my Guadagnino hater compulsions.


Oh, I love it! It's so cosy and autumnal, and Kishida's demise at the end goes pretty hard. It's the only one of that 'trilogy' I've seen but I have The Vampire Doll and Evil of Dracula lined up for this October.

The idea of remaking suspiria is wack to me. Also, Vampire Doll has an extremely bs twist ending. Still gotta see Evil of Dracula myself.

 

[Deleted member 2258]

I put a hold on the Suspiria remake at my local library and they just gave me the original so I still haven't seen it. I do like Thom Yorke's score though.

 

[big lantern ghost]

Yes. I need this thread.

Also I cannot stop laughing at "Welcome to...a the dark universe..."

 

[Shroudednightmare]

parasite eve and kagen no tsuki are my all time fav spooky j-dramas

 

[Phosphorescent Skeleton]

Black Pit of Dr. M (1959) [dir. Fernando Méndez]

A beautiful, spooky, foggy Mexican gothic. The story of two doctors seeking the mysteries of death.

Horror or Borror: 6/10
Occasionally boring, as many gothic films often are. This movies has a surprising complex plot for its short run time, and can be a little hard to follow at times, but the last 20 or so minutes come together pretty well into a Twilight Zone like chiller.

24 Dimensions of Fear: 5/10
Pretty basic "there are somethings we aren't supposed to know", but that's always fun. It was good enough for Frankenstein. Maybe there's something deeper here, but I'm not Mexican and am missing out if so. Guess that's what the commentary is for! Will report back.

All the Colors of the Dark: 10/10
Absolutely gorgeous, the new Indicator bluray is a treasure of film resorstion. Deep blacks, beautiful lighting, amazing make up effects. If this shit was made in France it would be considered a classic of world horror cinema. That's right, the canon is defined by its exclusions, and those exclusions are often the result of racism.

The Chimes at Midnight: 5/10
There's a cool reveal involving someone playing a song on violin another character was playing earlier. Its clever, effecient story telling. Made me say oh shit. Otherwise serviceable gothic spook music, aside from one song that sounds a lot like Piccolo's theme.

Kill! Kill! Kill!: 3/10
Not a lot of kills. The few there are aren't that interesting. One guy falls down like 3 stairs and dies. There's at least a man on fire gag. Always love a man on fire gag.

The Ghoulie Factor: 2/10
This is a bit complicated. The main "monster" in this movie is a man with an acid burned face. The make up looks great, and its is grotesque looking, but its worth interrogating oneself about having reactions like that to people with physical differences. The movie also treats the mentally ill as terrifying and dangerous. Its a movie from 1959, and I'm not going to get toooo worked up about it, but it is what it is and it sucks.

Overall: 30/60

Verdict: Pretty good! I would recommend giving it a watch! Historically interesting and important, and a great looking film.

 

[Clov]

Black Pit of Dr. M (1959)

Horror or Borror: 6/10. There's some pretty creepy stuff here; guys popping out of graves, getting facefulls of acid... but also, it's a bit slow. And the story is complicated! At least, too complicated for me to really follow while drunk. Girl looks for her father, guy gets disfigured through acid, another girl gets murdered, guy gets executed, comes back to life in the body of the acid burned guy (who died after a fall???)... I don't get it!

24 Dimensions of Fear: 5/10. This one's all about the pretty well worn message, "People aren't meant to know what happens after death!". Which is like... okay, I guess! Is that really something that concerning to you? Here I am pondering the REAL big questions, like, "The intricacies of symmetrical docking" (if you get it, you get it) and "Can Pui-Pui Molecar be real?", and this is the best you've got?

All the Colors of the Dark: 10/10. Just look at that shot up there! Beautiful use of lighting, great photography. Creepy vibes all over the place.

The Chimes at Midnight: 5/10. Mostly unremarkable, except for the song that sounds ALMOST like King Piccolo's theme

Kill! Kill! Kill!: 3/10. Some strangling, a guy gets sent to the gallows. Yawn. Snoreeeeee. (That's me imitating Phos). The best one is when the guy gets lit on fire!

The Ghoulie Factor: 2/10. So there IS a cool bit with this scientist who dies and comes back to life in someone's body! But mostly this is a movie about how the mentally ill and the disfigured are monstrous. Which of course was an extremely common way of thinking back then, and was very prevalent in media all across the globe. Guess what though? Still sucks! Better luck next time loser

Overall: 30/60

Verdict: That's right, it's half a Suspiria

 

[Phosphorescent Skeleton]

The Nightmare Before The Christmas (1993) [dir. Henry "Scary" Selick]

Horror or Borror: 10/10
Too short to be boring, and Oogie Boogie gave me nightmare's as a kid, as did that fishman mentioning finding a head in a lake. Oogie Boogie is frightening for different reasons now, and the song with that fishman is scary because I now know its the last good song in the movie. Ahhhhhhh!

24 Dimensions of Fear: 4/10
The message is being a goth all the time is exhausting to you and at best annoying to people who aren't goth, but you should do it anyways. Jack is a huge piece of shit. Also there's like, a ton of racist subtext with Oogie Boogie being a dice obsessed voodoo gambler who is distracted by his base instincts (hunger, being horny) and the only other black coded characters besides him are jive talking jazz zombies. I think Tim Burton's racial imagination might be a little limited.

All the Colors of the Dark: 10/10
Listen, this movie? Looks great! Before it became a part of the Disney Industrial Complex this was an incredibly imaginative and masterfully crafted stop motion animation, and damn it, they can't take that away! I'm mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take it anymore!

The Chimes at Midnight: 5/10
The first three songs are by far the best, real classics, and then its mostly a bunch of talk singing bullshit. Oogie Boogie's song is good, but he sings it to himself in the scene he first show up in. Should've been a climatic battle song! And the movie really needed a big show stopping final number, but we get more Danny Elfman talk singing. Bah.

Kill! Kill! Kill!: 10/10
Jack kills Oogie Boogie in cold blood to save his friends (a man who hates him and a girl he has met maybe one half of a time). He's clearly a The Joker at heart.

The Ghoulie Factor: 10/10
Fishman, wolfman, vampire, mudman, zombie, mummy, clown with a face that comes off actually? All here and all raring to go. The main character is some kind of skull of ton! Whowg!!!! Cool! Bug Bag Man! Thats woopw!

Overall: 49/60

Verdict: You've seen this and have an opinion on it already! Go take a shower and go to bed! You've got work in the morning. Let's get that bread!

 

[Clov]

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Fuck you if you think this movie's not scary


Horror or Borror: 10/10. I thought it wouldn't be scary even though this movie scared the hell out of me as a kid. You know why?? That guy's full of bugs, that's why!! What the hell, that's so creepy and gross and messed up, but I thought "I'm a adult, I've seen worse, scarier things than a children's movie", and I have, but guess what??? It's STILL scary that he's full of bugs! Jack straight up executes this guy (which is fine cause he's a jerk) but HIS BAG SKIN FALLS OFF AND HE'S JUST A TALKING PILE OF BUGS, NOPE CAN'T DEAL NOPE NOPE

24 Dimensions of Fear: 4/10. There's a lot of stuff going on here! Don't do a cultural appropriation (you've all read the countless articles written in the 2010s or something about that, right??). This also regurgitates a lot of old, racist tropes with Oogie Boogie's character, which honestly puts a damper on my enthusiasm for the movie. I think this movie is about Halloween or something

All the Colors of the Dark: 10/10. This movie really lives or dies on the strength of its visuals, and WOW it looks amazing! This is the definitive Hot Topic-core movie, it defined that mall goth look in the 2000s by itself! Yes I bought clothes at Hot Topic as a teen shut up the hoodies were comfy

The Chimes at Midnight: 5/10. The first three or four songs are BANGERS. This is Halloween is iconic. Jack's Lament? Good stuff! What's this (uwu)? Fantastic! Then it starts to decline in quality. Sally's song is especially disappointing because she's got such a cool design, but is a pretty flat character. This could have been an opportunity to give her a bit more depth, but instead it's just about how in love with Jack she is. I guess there's a sort of melancholy longing there, but you know what did that better? Jack's Lament! Do better, Danny!

Kill! Kill! Kill!: 10/10. No I'm NOT over how Oogie Boogie is filled with disgusting bugs and how Jack just fucking rips his skin off and all the bugs are yelling "BYE BYE" and they're all individually writhing around and I CAN'T DEAL NOPE NOPE NOPE

The Ghoulie Factor: 10/10. How can I NOT give this 10/10? It's FILLED with ghouls from top to bottom, from a skeleton, to a witch, and scariest of all, a police officer. Chilling stuff!

Overall: 49/60

Verdict: Ever think about how the mayor refers to the kids as "Oogie's boys", despite one of them having clearly transitioned already? Personally I don't think a transphobe like that has any business being in office

Overall:

Verdict:

 

[Phosphorescent Skeleton]

Phantom of the Paradise (1974) [dir. Brian The Palma]

Faust and Phantom of the Opera plus rock and roll plus Hitchcock plus new hollywood plus silent films. Banger.

Horror or Borror: 10/10
I'm so drunk and I wasn't bored for a second. Enthralling. If you're afraid of the 70s watch out! Ahhhhh! Paul Williams says a slur, and that's also scary.

24 Dimensions of Fear: 10/10
Fame and success are a Faustian bargain. Sell your soul and make lots of money and worse art. I mean, the art will still kick ass, and a guy named Beef will sing it, but you'll still be a sell out. Kill the rich and embrace death.

All the Colors of the Dark: 10/10
Wow, this The Palma guy is going places. Beautiful images, colors, influence from old hollywood through a modern and experimental lens. Hope he doesn't use these powers to make a bunch of movies about how scary women are.

The Chimes at Midnight: 10/10
Every song in this movie is the best song I've ever heard. The Juicy Fruits are so good. Life At Last, Special To Me, The Hell of It...Paul Williams is a weird Muppety man with god like song writting powers. The way the film opens with silly, flashy, catchy pop music back to back with raw and soulful singer song writer music and they're both so good. Ahhhh, a masterpiece.

Kill! Kill! Kill!: 10/10
First Winslow gets Mush Faced and then Swan goes pizza faced and they bleed to death with that red red red 70s blood. Also Beef gets hit by a big neon lightening bolt and goes oooooooooffffff! And dies.

The Ghoulie Factor: 10/10
Winslow Leach as the Phantom is such a fucking look. Like, iconographic as Frankenstein, Freddy, and Jason. The silver teeth really push him over the edge.

Overall: 60/60

Verdict: Dedicated to Winslow Leach

 

[Clov]

Phantom of the Paradise (1974)

In which Griffith from Berserk makes a blood pact with a human muppet


Horror or Borror: 10/10. I definitely think certain people at the time would have been scared of Winslow Leech's eyeliner. Not me though, even though it IS a bit much. Anyway they try and Cask this guy but he just busts outta there Looney Tunes style. Scary stuff

24 Dimensions of Fear: 10/10. It's about selling out and losing your soul for the sake of success! It's about appropriating queer culture when it's convenient! It's about "what if a guy was named Beef"!

All the Colors of the Dark: 10/10. Not only does this look like it was made in the 70s, it actually was! A lot of great looks and costumes that would go on to influence some big hits. Like Legend of the Stardust Brothers

The Chimes at Midnight: 10/10. Everything here kicks ass. I love just about every song here. And unlike the last movie where the songs kinda gradually got worse, they save the best song in the movie for last! A song which I'll use every time some piece of shit musician dies, because the lyrics are kinda too perfect not to.

Kill! Kill! Kill!: 10/10. Winslow's face gets smushed in a hot record press! Paul Williams gets a crazy send-off courtesy of some portrait of Dorian Gray nonsense. Fun stuff!

The Ghoulie Factor: 10/10. While Winslow Leech, the Phantom, makes a perfectly great ghoul on his own, it's hard to beat Paul Williams, who not only resembles a simulacrum of a human being but also openly uses homophobic slurs. There's the real monster!

Overall: 60/60

Verdict: I'm at that point in the night where I've had so much to drink that I can't think of anything to say. Happy Halloween or something

 

[KingOnion]

One of my neighbors put up one of those giant yard skeletons but it’s of Jack Skellington, so that’s fun.

Anyway, good thread so far and I’m slightly annoyed the Black Pit of Dr. M doesn’t seem to be purchasable/watchable online anywhere.

 

[kvetcha]

@Phosphorescent Skeleton Do Kairo!

 

[Phosphorescent Skeleton]

@Phosphorescent Skeleton Do Kairo!

That and Cure are definitely in the cards.

 

[kvetcha]

That and Cure are definitely in the cards.

I eagerly await your verdict.

 

[Phosphorescent Skeleton]

I eagerly await your verdict.

Spoiler for cure

Spoiler

it's great!

Kairo will be a first time watch.

 

[Phosphorescent Skeleton]

One of my neighbors put up one of those giant yard skeletons but it’s of Jack Skellington, so that’s fun.

Anyway, good thread so far and I’m slightly annoyed the Black Pit of Dr. M doesn’t seem to be purchasable/watchable online anywhere.

Physical media maniacs stay winning!

But seriously, its a shame its not more widely available. Its part of this collection from Indicator:

Gets my highest recommendation, but collecting boutique blurays isn't a cheap hobby. Its a true golden age for physical media though, despite the fact that the average person probably thinks its dead.

 

[kvetcha]

Spoiler for cure

Spoiler

it's great!

Kairo will be a first time watch.

I just rewatched Cure last week and I’m still thinking about it. It makes the world feel like thin tissue stretched over a howling void.

I think you’re gonna dig Kairo.

 

[Phosphorescent Skeleton]

I just rewatched Cure last week and I’m still thinking about it. It makes the world feel like thin tissue stretched over a howling void.

I think you’re gonna dig Kairo.

I'm gonna have a lot to say about Cure. I know our other threads have been mostly goofin', think this tread by its nature will have more serious talk and engagement with some of the films. Not that the goofs are going anywhere.

 

[kvetcha]

I'm gonna have a lot to say about Cure. I know our other threads have been mostly goofin', think this tread by its nature will have more serious talk and engagement with some of the films. Not that the goofs are going anywhere.

Genuinely looking forward to it. Also, I’ve been meaning to ask, have you got a Letterboxd? I admire your diverse taste in movies and I figure it might help me deepen my Watchlist.

 

[Phosphorescent Skeleton]

Genuinely looking forward to it. Also, I’ve been meaning to ask, have you got a Letterboxd? I admire your diverse taste in movies and I figure it might help me deepen my Watchlist.

Yeag, I'm Glowing Skeleton on there

 

[kvetcha]

Yeag, I'm Glowing Skeleton on there

Cheers. Followed!

 

[Phosphorescent Skeleton]

Cheers. Followed!

Sees 5 star rating for Buster Keaton's One Week

This guy gets it!

 

[Ramune]

They removed Cure from streaming in my country last year, the same week I signed up to a service to watch it! I still really want to see it though, so I'm considering just buying or renting it. (Digital though, my only option for discs was the PS4, RIP sweet angel gone beyond the veil)

Also need to see Phantom of the Paradise so bad. I think it's cool how Brian De Palma made Ryuji Persona 5's metaverse outfit 40 years before the game came out. For real!

 

[Phosphorescent Skeleton]

They removed Cure from streaming in my country last year, the same week I signed up to a service to watch it! I still really want to see it though, so I'm considering just buying or renting it. (Digital though, my only option for discs was the PS4, RIP sweet angel gone beyond the veil)

Also need to see Phantom of the Paradise so bad. I think it's cool how Brian De Palma made Ryuji Persona 5's metaverse outfit 40 years before the game came out. For real!

Phantom of the Paradise also created Griffith Berserk and Purplehaze JoJo. Also listen to how hard the first song of thr movie goes:

 

[KingOnion]

Physical media maniacs stay winning!

But seriously, its a shame its not more widely available. Its part of this collection from Indicator:

Gets my highest recommendation, but collecting boutique blurays isn't a cheap hobby. Its a true golden age for physical media though, despite the fact that the average person probably thinks its dead.

Between books and games I’m already pressed for space I do have a very small collection of Criterion and Eureka blurays, but have arbitrarily limited myself to Asian cinema to keep it from becoming unwieldy.

I guess I’m not too surprised a niche Mexican horror film isn’t available online when most of the Hong Kong action films I own were only released physically in the UK…

 

[Phosphorescent Skeleton]

Between books and games I’m already pressed for space I do have a very small collection of Criterion and Eureka blurays, but have arbitrarily limited myself to Asian cinema to keep it from becoming unwieldy.

I guess I’m not too surprised a niche Mexican horror film isn’t available online when most of the Hong Kong action films I own were only released physically in the UK…

We just might be watching some Hong Kong action horror classics here....

 

[Ramune]

We just might be watching some Hong Kong action horror classics here....

I wonder if that includes the same Shaw Brothers movie I have lined up for a first time watch this spooky season!

 

[Phosphorescent Skeleton]

I wonder if that includes the same Shaw Brothers movie I have lined up for a first time watch this spooky season!

@Clov might be a little squimish for something like Boxer's Omen, but we might be able to do something.

 

[Ramune]

@Clov might be a little squimish for something like Boxer's Omen, but we might be able to do something.

Oh don't change your line-up on my account, I'm excited to see whatever you're watching! I love the mix of classics and curveballs in these threads. If I get around to Boxer's Omen I'll post my thoughts.

 

[slide's]

looking forward to any & all cureposting. kiyoshi kurosawa is absolutely one of the best to ever do it. i think i slightly prefer his horror-adjacent stuff like charisma & bright future at this point but cure is truly untouchable.

for now i'll recommend vera chytilova's film Wolf's Hole...seemingly underseen weirdo pseudo-horror ski-trip-gone-wrong semi-mystery thing. a lot of fun and a banger ending. it's on criterion channel!

 

[Phosphorescent Skeleton]

looking forward to any & all cureposting. kiyoshi kurosawa is absolutely one of the best to ever do it. i think i slightly prefer his horror-adjacent stuff like charisma & bright future at this point but cure is truly untouchable.

for now i'll recommend vera chytilova's film Wolf's Hole...seemingly underseen weirdo pseudo-horror ski-trip-gone-wrong semi-mystery thing. a lot of fun and a banger ending. it's on criterion channel!

From the director of Daisies! We should watch this

 

[Phosphorescent Skeleton]

Carnival of Souls (1962) [dir. Herk Harvey]

The only feature film directed by industrial film maker Herk Harvey, this is the gem of regional American horror. A movie inspired by Cocteau and Bergman, and a foundational text of the style now called "lynchian", this movie is a complete and original work of genius. The world must weep that director Herk Harvey was back to cranking out industrial films after this. He had the soul and vision of a poet.

Horror or Borror: 10/10
Only 78 minutes and something visually and dramatically interesting is always happening. Still has the power to frighten and unnerve. The scares are perfectly paced, it never feels like you're waiting for the fire works factory. Protagonist Mary is a super likable character, and she is beset by the horrors of suburban life, a sleazy neighbor, a church where she must sell out her talents, a world that often literally will not percieve her, and of course the lurking ghoulish spectre of...death? A better life? Coming to terms with your true self? Sublime.

24 Dimensions of Fear: 10/10
This movie is too smart, too subtle, too complex for A24 and their brand of so called "elevated horror" (I like some of those movies, don't @ me). Mary is the marginalized woman, the person who does not fit in. She doesn't care about church, or men, or dancing. She wants only to practice her art and enjoy life in her quite way, so to the world at large she may as well not exist, she may as well be dead. Of course there's a carnival out there for such people, a secret world, but escape might just be death after all. The scene where a man tries to psychologically analyze her and explain what she's experiencing only to reveal he's not a psychologist is an all timer. As a transwoman this movie strikes a deep chord.

All the Colors of the Dark: 10/10
Some of the most gorgeous black and white photography you will ever see. Truly eerie. The locations such as the organ factory and the abandoned carnival are to die for. You can see how Harvey was tapping into Bergman and silent films, but nothing else really looks like this. One of the benefits of regional films over Hollywood films is that you get a more real sense of the American landscape in all its beauty and horror.

The Chimes at Midnight: 10/10
Haunting other worldly church organ death drone. Silence. Disembodied ADR dubbing used to artistic effect. A sound as unique as its look.

Kill! Kill! Kill!: 10/10
One of the best movies about death! Don't want to spoil it too much!

The Ghoulie Factor: 10/10
Packed to the gills with pancake face make up ghoulies. Look at the image I posted up there! That's the quintessential ghoul! He's really scary! The platonic ghoul!

Overall: 60/60

Verdict: Very few movies we watch for this are going to live up to how much this movie means to me or how much I've thought about it. Only one other really comes to mind.

 

[Clov]

Carnival of Souls (1962)

One of my all-time favorite films! I've seen this countless times, and I appreciate it more with every watch.

Horror or Borror: 10/10. Terrifying, but not in the way you'd expect a film that influenced Night of the Living Dead to be. Yes, the ghouls (especially the head ghoul, played by director Herk Harvey) are very creepy looking. From his unforgettable first appearance out the side window of Mary's car, to him slowly rising up out of the water of the abandoned carnival, there's some obvious surface level chills. But that's not what really makes this movie work so well. What's truly frightening about Carnival of Souls are the way its themes cut me so deeply, which I'll get into below.

24 Dimensions of Fear: 10/10. This is a movie that perfectly sums up the feeling of being marginalized; the failure of the medical world to understand you, the outright rejection of the religious world, the squeamish discomfort of forcing yourself to fit in. Mary's neighbour is a sleaze who just wants to fuck her; he is not above manipulating her when she is at her most vulnerable to get his way. Mary herself isn't even interested in having a relationship, but after losing her job, and the stress of being constantly pursued by ghouls nobody else can see, she wants somebody, anybody, to keep her company. One way to read this film is that it's about the horrors of compulsory heterosexuality (a theme it shares with another horror favorite of mine we'll watch another time). The most striking scenes in this film to me are where Mary, in a sense, becomes invisible. It happens twice. Everyone stops noticing her. She stops being able to hear what everyone is saying. She ceases to be part of the world. So often, being queer feels like this. When Mary visits the carnival, she sees the ghouls dancing with each other, and she sees herself as one of them, dancing and spinning too. Is that what we are meant for? Does embracing ourselves for who we are make us dead to the world? Perhaps. The conclusion in this film is ambiguous.

All the Colors of the Dark: 10/10. Astounding. Herk Harvey was not only fortunate enough to find the perfect locations to shoot at, but his talent frames them beautifully. The carnival itself is a location I'll never forget. Haunting in its sense of sheer isolation at first, and perfectly mysterious once its inhabitants rise from its waters to embrace each other once again. Even the busier parts of town, shot in broad daylight become chilling in the right context. The excellent photography on display is one of two things that make this film feel haunted, the second being...

The Chimes at Midnight: 10/10. Carnival of Souls primarily features pipe organ music, and wow does it work well! There's some sort of quality to it that I can't place. It never feels corny or overwrought; it's haunting, it's eerie, it feels like going somewhere you shouldn't.

Kill! Kill! Kill!: 10/10. This is a film about death, literally and metaphorically. About how it calls for us, and though frightened as we may be, we can't help but draw closer and closer towards it. See the film for yourself to see what I mean; Criterion has an amazing restoration, but as the film is in the public domain, you can actually watch it all on Wikipedia!

The Ghoulie Factor: 10/10. It's almost not fair to rate this based on its ghouls, because these are THE ghouls. It's hard to feature creatures that embody the word "ghoul" as much as the ones in this film do, from their cakey makeup, to their sinister grins...

Overall: 60/60

Verdict: Simply put, this is one of the greatest movies ever made. Where did Mary go when her destiny embraced her? If queer people like me are seen by the world as monstrous by nature, as inhabitants of that condemned and closed-off carnival, I can only hope that she's ended up somewhere where she's as happy as I am.

 

[Phosphorescent Skeleton]

The Return of the Living Dead (1985) [dir. Dan O'Bannon]

Punks, moticians, goths, new wavers, and zombies in one hell of a good movie.

Horror or Borror: 10/10
This is one of the best horror comedies in that the horror and the comedy are so intrinsically linked. Its funny and scary at the same time. Send more paramedics is funny but its also like, oh shit, this is a hopless situation. Their first encounter with a zombie is funny because they react so realistically. The tarman is one of the most fucked up thing I've ever seen but also he gets 3 stooges'ed.

24 Dimensions of Fear: 10/10
A parade of officer downs. This movie hates cops and it hates the army. The cops just keep coming to get killed, they're fucking idiots just like in real life. The army accidently created unstoppable zombie as part of the war on drugs, and they have a dumbass solution that just makes everything worse. The most likable person in the movie is a black punk dude. The events portrayed in this film are all true. The names are real names of real people and real organizations.

All the Colors of the Dark: 10/10
The practical effects in this movie are so fucking choice. God Dan O'Bannon. Seriously, the tarman cooks AND pumps. Just a perfectly directed and editited movie. Horror edited as comedy or comedy edited as horror?

The Chimes at Midnight: 10/10
The main theme is Goosebumps core and its filled with songs about dancing with zombies and like, surfing dead, and its very good. Punks vs zombies, no matter who loses, we win.

Kill! Kill! Kill!: 10/10
So gnarly the gore here. Head chewing, brain spilling, corpse chopping. You get it all. Plus, like 100 cops get chomped.

The Ghoulie Factor: 10/10
Tarman, naked zombie goth, skelotin, split dog, pickled naked zombie, send more paramedics zombie, old lady half corpse pinned to a table. Obatalian baby! Iconic stuff.

Overall: 60/60

Verdict: we need to start watching some worse movies! Watch this though! Its so good!

 

[Clov]

The Return of the Living Dead (1985)

The best zombie movie ever made? Probably!

Horror or Borror: 10/10. There isn't a single boring scene across this whole film. It's creepy, it's gross, and it's extremely funny! The sheer terror and panic the characters show, and a lot of the stupid decisions they make... are completely understandable, but so funny to see play out. Like, of course they'd think destroying the zombie's brains would kill them, that's what the movies said! They have no way of knowing that nothing short of complete incineration can kill the zombies, and what the consequences of that would be...

24 Dimensions of Fear: 10/10. Who's to blame for the mess in this film? We can blame the stupid business owner for accidentally opening the container, we can blame his boss for not returning the containers to the military... but ultimately the government here is to blame, having developed the corpse-resurrecting chemicals... as part of an attempt to make a chemical that would destroy marijuana crops. It's a movie about how an inept government causes the suffering of the masses, and about how fucked up it would be if you were dancing in a graveyard naked when zombies and skeletons popped out of the ground and started biting you.

All the Colors of the Dark: 10/10. I gotta hand it to the people who did the effects work here, because everything looks fantastic. There's some really gnarly looking zombie makeup here, and some great puppetry as well. The creepiest, nastiest effect has to be the "Tar Man" zombie, the first one that gets let out of containment, looking half-melted.

The Chimes at Midnight: 10/10. The music is a lot of fun, ranging from a cool synthy theme song to punky dance music. Very fun choices that contribute a lot to the great vibes.

Kill! Kill! Kill!: 10/10. There's some nasty stuff in this one! Brains spill, limbs are severed, faces are burned... but this isn't just a horror film, it's also a comedy, and some of these deaths are hilarious. The poor paramedics that the main characters can only watch from a distance, begging them to leave, as if they're us, watching a horror movie! ...and then the two get swarmed by an absurd amount of zombies. And it's not the only time they pull this!

The Ghoulie Factor: 10/10. The zombies here are fantastic. From the monstrous Tar Man, to the eerie, mostly rotted woman who explains what being undead is like... what helps make these zombies so memorable is that they're all smart! Even the Tar Man demonstrates this early on, showing an understanding of how to use the tools his environment provides. My favorite example of this is the zombies earning themselves an extra meal, with one phrase whispered through a radio... "Send more cops!"

Overall: 60/60

Verdict: My favorite zombie film, and the funniest out there. Maybe even the funniest horror comedy? It's up there with the Evil Dead films for me, at least.

 

[PixelKnight]

There’s definitely something about horror and comedy that go hand in hand. Army of Darkness, Dog Soldiers, Brain Dead, The Lost Boys, Fright Night, Shaun of the Dead, if there’s something I love to return to in the spooky season it’s all that kinda stuff!

I’m sure I went through a phase of boring people with rundowns of Romero’s social commentary in Living Dead, Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead etc, let alone all the subtext in various vampire/werewolf films, but these days I do like to smile along with the chills.

Fright Night I always remember as my dad would take me to the video rental store as he liked horror films, and I thought its cover art was scary (hey I was a kid in the late 80s alright!). It was only when my dad said ‘yeah that one’s hilarious’ that I trusted him and sat and watched it (rather than leg it up to bed or hide behind the sofa). After that I was a tentative horror fan.

Fright Night - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[Chie]

We just might be watching some Hong Kong action horror classics here....

Perhaps a film with seven gold vampires and a British horror icon?

 

[PixelKnight]

The Return of the Living Dead (1985)

The best zombie movie ever made? Probably!

Horror or Borror: 10/10. There isn't a single boring scene across this whole film. It's creepy, it's gross, and it's extremely funny! The sheer terror and panic the characters show, and a lot of the stupid decisions they make... are completely understandable, but so funny to see play out. Like, of course they'd think destroying the zombie's brains would kill them, that's what the movies said! They have no way of knowing that nothing short of complete incineration can kill the zombies, and what the consequences of that would be...

24 Dimensions of Fear: 10/10. Who's to blame for the mess in this film? We can blame the stupid business owner for accidentally opening the container, we can blame his boss for not returning the containers to the military... but ultimately the government here is to blame, having developed the corpse-resurrecting chemicals... as part of an attempt to make a chemical that would destroy marijuana crops. It's a movie about how an inept government causes the suffering of the masses, and about how fucked up it would be if you were dancing in a graveyard naked when zombies and skeletons popped out of the ground and started biting you.

All the Colors of the Dark: 10/10. I gotta hand it to the people who did the effects work here, because everything looks fantastic. There's some really gnarly looking zombie makeup here, and some great puppetry as well. The creepiest, nastiest effect has to be the "Tar Man" zombie, the first one that gets let out of containment, looking half-melted.

The Chimes at Midnight: 10/10. The music is a lot of fun, ranging from a cool synthy theme song to punky dance music. Very fun choices that contribute a lot to the great vibes.

Kill! Kill! Kill!: 10/10. There's some nasty stuff in this one! Brains spill, limbs are severed, faces are burned... but this isn't just a horror film, it's also a comedy, and some of these deaths are hilarious. The poor paramedics that the main characters can only watch from a distance, begging them to leave, as if they're us, watching a horror movie! ...and then the two get swarmed by an absurd amount of zombies. And it's not the only time they pull this!

The Ghoulie Factor: 10/10. The zombies here are fantastic. From the monstrous Tar Man, to the eerie, mostly rotted woman who explains what being undead is like... what helps make these zombies so memorable is that they're all smart! Even the Tar Man demonstrates this early on, showing an understanding of how to use the tools his environment provides. My favorite example of this is the zombies earning themselves an extra meal, with one phrase whispered through a radio... "Send more cops!"

Overall: 60/60

Verdict: My favorite zombie film, and the funniest out there. Maybe even the funniest horror comedy? It's up there with the Evil Dead films for me, at least.

Apparently this has at least 4 sequels? Amazing how many horror series end up with tons to straight-to-video/DVD sequels. There’s something like 8 (!) The Howling films and at least two sequels to The Lost Boys, when I only ever knew of the original for decades. Thanks, internet!

 

[Ramune]

Apparently this has at least 4 sequels? Amazing how many horror series end up with tons to straight-to-video/DVD sequels. There’s something like 8 (!) The Howling films and at least two sequels to The Lost Boys, when I only ever knew of the original for decades. Thanks, internet!

Part 2 is actually the first one I saw, and one of the first horror movies I ever saw because my parents had it on VHS! It's widely considered to be terrible, largely because it is not subtle about ignoring its certification and content and aiming itself squarely at children, but I liked it when I was a child so I'll always have a soft spot for it. It is definitely just a bad retread of the first though.

Part 3 has Julie Cooper from The OC (!) and is a Brian Yuzna film (!) so I think it's held in higher regard. Good ending!

I never saw the 2005 TV movies so can't comment on those.

 

[oomoepoo]

So many highscore movies so far, impressive. It's absolutely not my genre but I'm really enjoying your reviews

 

[entut1]

edit:wrong thread

 

[Phosphorescent Skeleton]

Frankenstein (1931) [dir. James Whale]

This is one of the big ones. The first sound horror film that wasn't boring (take that Dracula!).

Horror or Borror: 10/10
Its an interesting thought experiment to think about how watching this in 1931 must have felt. Audiences wouldn't be unused to such morbid subject matter in general, after all the book Frankenstein was over 100 years old, but seeing these sights in live action, with sounds, its well documented that people were scared out of their wits. Reportedly even the sound of dirt hitting a coffin and a hanged man being cut from a noose were beyond the pale for some people. And the sight of the monster! He's iconic and replicated endlessly through mass culture to the point that its easy to forget how good the make up and Karloff's performance is. And lets be honest, its still shocking to see the creature murder (accidentally) a child. Not scary to a modern viewer, but you can still see its power there. The pacing gets a little funky at time, but still a joy to watch.

24 Dimensions of Fear: 3/10
The subtext here is not even close to being as interesting as the sequel, and some of it is regrettable. First off, this is maybe the prototypical "science has gone to far" scare film, but the stuff about "abnormal criminal brains" stinks. You can read the film as undermining it to some degree (the monster is placid until Fritz starts torturing him, and even then, its an ignorant mob that finally drives him to be a monster). Despite this, the eugenics that were in the air in 1931 found their way in, even if the monster is the most sympathetic character.

All the Colors of the Dark: 10/10
James Whale's German expressionist influenced lighting, use of dynamic angles and tracking shots would really define the look of Universal Horror and the generic idea of horror going forward. The matte paitings, the windmill, the bizarre machines shooting sparks and arches of lightning, the mouldering graveyard. Elemental cinema.

The Chimes at Midnight: 2/10
Music only in the begining and end credits as was typical with early sound films. While this doesn't have the static airless feel of many of the early talkies, music would definitely help move things along.

Kill! Kill! Kill!: 10/10
Frankenstein the Monster is a bunch of killed guys, he kills a guy, he kills a little kid, and he himself is killed (??????!). That's a lot of kills if you ask me!

The Ghoulie Factor: 10/10
Frankenstein, along with Dracula, a Mummy, and a the Wolfman, is one of the four heavenly kings of the Ghoulie world (怪人世界の四天王). Karloff is king baby!

Overall: 45/60

Verdict: Looks like everything will be okay as long as that awful Dr. Pretorius show up. Watch this one for sure.

 

[Clov]

Frankenstein (1931)

Horror or Borror: 10/10. While this might not be scary to me, I can imagine someone finding it scary. It's got a lot of scary stuff. Coffins! Creepy castles! A tall guy! Someone named Fritz!

24 Dimensions of Fear: 3/10. Sure, this movie is about things. Lots of things! It's about the way society treats outsiders, whether it's just because they look different or because of the circumstances of their birth (being made of corpses). It's about the dangers of "Playing God" (pshaww). It's also about how one can have an "abnormal brain" that invariably will drive them to commit criminal acts. Hm. Don't like that last one. A common belief at the time, sure; but a stupid one!

All the Colors of the Dark: 10/10. There's a lot of beautiful black and white photography here; dark castle interiors, the decadent residences of barons, the claustrophobic windmill, the town of unclear time and place... much like Karloff's monster himself, it's all become iconic enough to be cliche. I love it!

The Chimes at Midnight: 2/10. They're not giving me much to work with here, given that there's no music in this movie. Some cool thunder noises I guess. Throw me a bone here, James Whale!

Kill! Kill! Kill!: 10/10. Even if nobody else died, this is an instant 10/10 for when the monster kills that horrible Fritz! I hate him so much, that little jerk!

The Ghoulie Factor: 10/10. Frankensteins are one of THE Halloween monsters. They're in costume shops, they're in your cereal, they're lawn decorations (??). Once October rolls around, there's no avoiding the lovable guy, alongside his fictional companions; Draculas, Werewolves, Bats, Lagoon Creatures, and Skeletons.

Overall: 45/60

Verdict: If you thought this was good, just wait till you see him fight Barugon