Movies Welcome to Fright Night: the annual Sherdog Horror Movie Festival.

[Deaths Head]

just watched DellaMorte DellAmore (Cemetery Man) & it kinda fuckin’ ruled

I havent seen that since high school,that was a go to movie on late nights and a lot of drinking . Not many movies were around that were actually good with comedy and Zombies besides The living dead movies .

 

[HenryFlower]

I havent seen that since high school,that was a go to movie on late nights and a lot of drinking . Not many movies were around that were actually good with comedy and Zombies besides The living dead movies .

in a way, it’s like a campy amalgamation of early Raimi meets early Peter Jackson meets 70s/80s Italian exploitation

 

[ufcfan4]

Movie 9- The Changeling (1980)

Unlike most of the films I've watched during this run, I'd never seen this before. The Changeling is a legitimately good horror film that generally has that sort of look/feel of films like Rosemary's Baby and The Omen. That is, it plays like a serious drama with great production values and very strong actors giving good performances. George C. Scott plays a man whose wife and child die in a terrible accident on an icy road. A composer and educator by trade, he takes a post at a university and rents an old, nearby mansion, preserved and managed by a local historical society.

Scott finds that there are many unusual occurrences at the house. He consistently hears inexplicable house noises, he sees askew elements within the home, and he begins to see vivid images as well. Along with a worker from the historical society who helped him secure the lease, Scott starts to unravel the mystery of the house's history. In doing so, he finds that a restless spirit of a previous occupant is trying to communicate to secure help in bringing the truth to light.

This film has a very compelling slow-burn quality. There are times, paerticularly in the earlygoing, where scenes quietly focus on Scott exploring the house and starting to expose sectioned off areas of it feel like they could have easily been from a Twilight Zone episode. I consider that a definite compliment. That's just the beginning. As the film starts to really delve into the central mystery of the narrative, the director, cinematographer, editor, and Scott and cast build up the tension very well. There are even a couple of good jump scares, used so sparingly that they stand out. Also, the scene with medium jotting down scribblings and occasional words when communicating with the spirit was really well done.

I feel that this film was clearly influential within the genre. You can see that films like Stir of Echoes (though it's story predates this film) and What Lies Beneath certainly owe elements to The Changeling. Great actors George C. Scott and Melvyn Douglas command the screen and help to ramp up the intensity of the story line. Perhaps my only real complaint is that the film loses a very small bit of steam once it shows its hand and there are no more twists to be had. But, overall, this is well-made, unnerving, and effective.

Definitely a recommend for people who like slow-burn horror films, particularly fans of that 1970s/early 80s aesthetic.

8/10

 

[ufcfan4]

Movie 10- The Craft (1996)

I feel more favorably about this film now than I did after my first rewatch, which was years after having watched it on home video in the mid 90s. I liked it after said watch but was more critical of certain parts of the narrative and the last quarter of the film. My opinion now is that it is an entertaining '90s film with four really good lead performances. Basically, this film lives or dies by the quality of those actresses in those roles because even one weak link among the group would have made this film far less interesting and appealing. Fortunately, Balk, Tunney, Campbell, and True are all so good in it that they negate some of those narrative complaints that I have.

Tunney plays Sarah, a newly-arrived student to a Catholic high school in L.A. True, Campbell, and Balk are three outsider students who practice witchcraft but have yet to gain any real traction with it. After observing some telekinetic ability from Sarah, Campbell's character alerts the others, who befriend her, hoping that she will complete their group and provide the impetus to their attaining real power. Sarah does, in fact, have preternatural abilities that were evident prior to her learning anything formal about magic. Now with actual study of a book called The Craft and the support of the other three, the group begins to affect changes to help them deal with their individual difficulties.

Aside from the cast, this film is stylistically well made. I liked the production design, the cinematography, and several of the big set pieces (particularly the one on the beach which involves fast-paced rotating of the camera between the four actresses). It does not have that late-90s hip, Williamson-style quality to it but I think that's probably a good thing. In a way, the character interactions feel very authentic because they act like actual students dealing with various traumas. Witty banter and pop culture references might have felt out of place. That said, there are a few funny moments. Rachel True's great delivery helps sell probably the funniest line in the film.

Interestingly, one of the film's strengths is that it can go from pretty innocuous to starkly serious in a quick manner that is effectively jarring and unnerving. Perhaps this is most obvious in the subplot with Skeet Ulrich. Tunney's character casts a spell that makes him fall for her but it makes him obsessed with her to the extent that he seems to lack free will. At first, this is played for laughs but it goes awry abruptly in one of the film's most disturbing scenes.

As for the final stretch of the film, the one that I had previously been more critical of

Spoiler

I'm more ambivalent about it now. On the one hand, I think Fairuza Balk's villainous performance in that climactic scene is so effective and compelling that it's one of the more memorable sequences in the entire film. Her unrelenting cruelty toward Sarah really makes you feel for the protagonist and Tunney does a very good job at conveying the emotional pain of her former friends coming after her. It is well done. On the other hand, I think the film lapses a bit in providing a reason for things going south in that friend group so quickly.

With Balk's Nancy, I don't really have a gripe because the film convincingly shows that the power she invokes on the beach overwhelms and corrupts her. Prior to that sequence, she has a tough exterior but is a pretty likable character, along with the others. Subsequent to that, she is cold and lacking empathy. But the fact that True and Campbell go along with her viciousness toward Sarah doesn't really land, in my opinion. I suppose the argument could be that they Nancy is the ringleader and they follow. But even if Balk was the de facto leader, the earlier portions of the film showed True and Campbell to be very willing to assert themselves and, in no way, deferential to her.

I suppose the other argument is that none of these people had any power to speak of before Sarah arrived and that they all sort of get corrupted by that change. That's probably what the film is really going for but I don't think it quite lands.

Moreover, there are plot lines that are dropped- notably the whole thing with Christine Taylor where we don't see a payoff even though one is set up.

This is pretty light for a horror film, despite the R rating. It's not graphic or frightening. Actually the scariest part of the film is

Spoiler

how badly those friends end up turning on the person who was actively helping them. One thing that really struck me on this view is that Sarah is an open book to the others. She shares intimate details of her life and trauma with them without hesitation, clearly trusting them. The fact that they use that information to hurt her in the final scene is really offputting and unsettling.

Balk, True, Neve, and Tunney definitely enrich this film. Also, cool 90s soundtrack with covers of some solid songs like The Cars' Dangerous Type and Peter Gabriel's I Have the Touch.

7.3/10

 

[mb23100]

Movie 17: The Ring

My Rating - 5/10

This is a known classic of the 2000s but this was incredibly boring. This movie was spoofed so much I was partly expecting some of it to happen specifically with the weird kid. The opening scene was decent but the movie went downhill after that and didnt pick back up until the final act or last 10 mins or so. And even then the ending was lackluster. I liked this movie at the time but hard pass for me in ever wanting to watch it again. I nearly ranked pet Sematary 2 over this cause at least that was more entertaining.

View attachment 1116125

Ranked

(Great)
1. Train to Busan (16)
2. Smile 2 (24)
3. The Omen (76)
4. Nightmare on elm street (84 theater)

(Good)
5. Smile (22)
6. A Quiet Place (18)
7. Dawn of the dead (04)
8. Saw (04)
9. Candyman (92)

(Alright)
10. Halloween 4: Return (88)
11. From Dusk Till Dawn (96)
12. Pet Sematary (89)
13. Night of the living dead (90)
14. Jeepers Creepers (01)

(Average)
15. New Nightmare (94)
16. The Ring (02)

(Poor)
17. Pet Sematary 2 (92)

Wow, this surprises me. I haven't seen it in ages but i thought it was pretty good from what I remember. It was huge when it came out.

 

[GoodBadHBK]

Wow, this surprises me. I haven't seen it in ages but i thought it was pretty good from what I remember. It was huge when it came out.

Yeah I liked it a lot at the time but was utterly disappointed watching it again. Pretty bland and boring to me which is a shame.

 

[GoodBadHBK]

Movie 21: Bone Tomahawk



My Rating: 8/10

This is a western horror and while its not scary, it is a lot of fun, incredibly violent, and it has strong replay value. I could easily rank this #1 simply on my love for westerns and this being a great western from start to finish. Anytime you have Kurt Russell as one of the leads, im in. I do like Patrick Wilson and hes not bad in this at all but ive always felt Christian Bale would have really slain in this role. I never noticed James Tolkan is the drunk pianist in the bar. Again I feel its cheating a little to include this movie but it is considered a horror movie even if I feel like im just watching a western.


Ranked

(Great)
1. Train to Busan (16)
2. Smile 2 (24)
3. The Descent (05)
4. The Omen (76)
5. Nightmare on elm street (84 theater)
6. Bone Tomahawk (15)

(Good)
7. 28 Days Later (02)
8. Smile (22)
9. A Quiet Place (18)
10. Dawn of the dead (04)
11. Saw (04)
12. Candyman (92)
13. 28 Weeks Later (07)

(Alright)
14. Halloween 4: Return (88)
15. From Dusk Till Dawn (96)
16. Pet Sematary (89)
17. Night of the living dead (90)
18. Jeepers Creepers (01)

(Average)
19. New Nightmare (94)
20. The Ring (02)

(Poor)
21. Pet Sematary 2 (92)

 

[KnightTemplar]

Underworld: Awakening

When the existence of Vampires and Werewolves is revealed, the human race carries out a purge - no, not that one - and hunts both Vampires and Lycans to the point of extinction...or so they think.

Selene is captured along with her Vampire/Lycan Hybrid lover, Michael. She wakes up in cryogenic suspension 12 years later to find Michael has disappeared but she now has a daughter. The girl is a VL Hybrid like her daddy, and the Lycans want her to develop an immunity to silver from her DNA.

You pretty much know what you're getting with an Underworld film: Matrix-style fights, guns that almost never run out of ammo, lots of blood and gore. And Kate Beckinsale in skin-tight PVC. What's not to like?

Charles Dance and Steven Rea are in the supporting cast. Both are clearly having fun chewing as much scenery as they can sink their fangs into.

7.5/10

 

[Highway99]

10/13: The Company of Wolves (1984)

"A teenage girl in a country manor falls asleep while reading a magazine, and has a disturbing dream involving wolves prowling the woods below her bedroom window."

The Company of Wolves - IMDB

A wonderful fairy tale with striking visuals. The forest in this movie looks great and there is a wedding party sequence that is awesome.

7.5/10

 

[GoodBadHBK]

Movie 22: A Nightmare On Elm Street Remake (2010)



My rating: 5/10

This would actually be a decent/good horror movie if Freddy wasn't so weird, deformed and silly looking and they didnt make him a peeedo. The cast itself was mediocre at best but I did like some of the kills, set ups, and the switch from reality to dream land. Also kind of funny Gus from Pet Sematary 2 is in this lol this movie definitely had potential but it fails hard with Freddy Kruger. Its really its only flaw although the biggest flaw you can have in a horror movie.


(Side note: I have decided to bump pet Sematary 2 up to a 5 strictly because the ring is easily the most boring movie on this list and the one I didnt enjoy at all watching. Pet Sematary 2 is a bad movie thats still fun to watch)

Ranked

(Great)
1. Train to Busan (16)
2. Smile 2 (24)
3. The Descent (05)
4. The Omen (76)
5. Nightmare on elm street (84 theater)
6. Bone Tomahawk (15)

(Good)
7. 28 Days Later (02)
8. Smile (22)
9. A Quiet Place (18)
10. Dawn of the dead (04)
11. Saw (04)
12. Candyman (92)
13. 28 Weeks Later (07)

(Alright)
14. Halloween 4: Return (88)
15. From Dusk Till Dawn (96)
16. Pet Sematary (89)
17. Night of the living dead (90)
18. Jeepers Creepers (01)

(Average)
19. New Nightmare (94)
20. A Nightmare on Elm Street Remake (10)
21. Pet Sematary 2 (92)
22. The Ring (02)

 

[Long Dark Blues]

Dueling sequels today, Battle of the Threes...

10/1 - Phantasm
10/2 - The VVitch + 28 Years Later
10/3 - I, Madman
10/4 - The Incubus + World Word Z
10/5 - Bring Her Back
10/6 - Train to Busan + Color Out of Space
10/7 - 976-EVIL + Pumpkinhead
10/8 - The Brood
10/9 - Vamp + Gothic + Silver Bullet + The Lost Boys
10/10 - The Thing (2011) + John Carpenter's The Thing
10/11 - The Night Eats the World
10/12 - IT (2017) + Gremlins
10/14 - Halloween III: Season of the Witch + Friday the 13th Part III

Vacation is officially over, buds. I've got to go into the office tomorrow.

But, the fright-fest continues!

 

[ufcfan4]

Movie 22: A Nightmare On Elm Street Remake (2010)

View attachment 1116523

My rating: 5/10

This would actually be a decent/good horror movie if Freddy wasn't so weird, deformed and silly looking and they didnt make him a peeedo. The cast itself was mediocre at best but I did like some of the kills, set ups, and the switch from reality to dream land. Also kind of funny Gus from Pet Sematary 2 is in this lol this movie definitely had potential but it fails hard with Freddy Kruger. Its really its only flaw although the biggest flaw you can have in a horror movie.


(Side note: I have decided to bump pet Sematary 2 up to a 5 strictly because the ring is easily the most boring movie on this list and the one I didnt enjoy at all watching. Pet Sematary 2 is a bad movie thats still fun to watch)

Ranked

(Great)
1. Train to Busan (16)
2. Smile 2 (24)
3. The Descent (05)
4. The Omen (76)
5. Nightmare on elm street (84 theater)
6. Bone Tomahawk (15)

(Good)
7. 28 Days Later (02)
8. Smile (22)
9. A Quiet Place (18)
10. Dawn of the dead (04)
11. Saw (04)
12. Candyman (92)
13. 28 Weeks Later (07)

(Alright)
14. Halloween 4: Return (88)
15. From Dusk Till Dawn (96)
16. Pet Sematary (89)
17. Night of the living dead (90)
18. Jeepers Creepers (01)

(Average)
19. New Nightmare (94)
20. A Nightmare on Elm Street Remake (10)
21. Pet Sematary 2 (92)
22. The Ring (02)

Yeah I remember being surprised at how hated this one was. I think part of it was that people just didn’t like anyone other than Englund in that role on principle. But I thought Haley was actually pretty good.

The big reveal there- which is highly disturbing- also probably factored in. From what I recall they also did a whole thing to set that reveal up where it introduces some ambiguity, implies that the parents might have been wrong and killed/burned an innocent person.

Rooney Mara is a really good actress, in my opinion. She apparently hated making this movie.

 

[Plissken]

Ended up watching High Tension on UHD then The Nesting on UHD on the 11th.
Watched Jason Lives and House by the Cemetery on UHD on the 12th.

 

[Kardashians]

tonight i watched one of the movies on vhs that i hadnt seen before, at least not any time recent enough to remember it (think i seen this one when i was 14 now that i think of it). anyways, amityville 2: the possession

what crap. it was just domestic violence, child abuse, and incest. my favorite part was the murder scene, which was a dream? but also actually happened i guess. idk. nothing about it really stood out to me.

i have another amityville film on tape that i havent watched yet, but i think im going to put that off and hit up the halloween series starting at 4 (i watched the previous 3 films recent enough to remember them). anyways i dont expect them to be great either, but eh, whatever.

 

[Cid]

Movie 13 - Saw

View attachment 1115963

My rating: 7/10

The first time I watched this it blew me away. How everything lines up and then the huge reveal at the end was excellent. I could argue this movie would be #2 on this list if I did see it for the first time. But I already know what happens and how it plays out so while its still good it doesnt hit the same on rewatch.

The first half of the movie felt boring to me. I didnt care at all about watching the movie. But once more clues are revealed and the story progresses, my interest started to climb. Cary Elwes shines the most and really carries the movie. Danny Glover was awesome as usual and I liked the dude from Lost who always plays the devious, mischievous character extremely well.

I like James Waan who directed this and other horror movies like Insidious & The Conjuring. But I dont really care for the saw movies in general. I do like the first saw and only the first saw. I do not care to rewatch them all again.

Ranked

(Great)
1. Train to Busan (16)
2. Nightmare on elm street (84 theater)

(Good)
3. Smile (22)
4. A Quiet Place (18)
5. Dawn of the dead (04)
6. Saw (04)
7. Candyman (92)

(Alright)
8. From Dusk Till Dawn (96)
9. Pet Sematary (89)
10. Night of the living dead (90)
11. Jeepers Creepers (01)

(Average)
12. New Nightmare (94)

(Poor)
13. Pet Sematary 2 (92)

SAW was a horror movie based the idea around something they could get funding for in the horribly funded Australian film industry. The movie is almost entirely shot a single set. Very cheap.

Still couldn't make it happen. Then it turned into a franchise.

 

[Cid]

Kingdom (series) (SK)

Throwing this show up because it baffles me how this got overlooked compared to how awesome it is. More people need to watch this.

Just as a concept sticking Zombies (not those shitty slow ones either) in an area and time where guns aren't common and the fighting is done predominately with older weapons is a great concept.

Where the show really stands out though is that it makes the ham fisted social commentary that you get in more popular shows like the walking dead look like utter garbage.

Class systems, rural towns, royalty, 17th century South Korea drama.... and zombies... fast ones.


GF hates zombie movies/shows and is talking about watching it again as I type.

 

[GoodBadHBK]

@Kardashians did you know Gus from Pet Sematary 2 is Mr Crabs from SpongeBob lol

 

[KnightTemplar]

It's been a busy day; gym and then work. I haven't had time to watch a full movie, so I watched a couple of Supernatural episodes instead.

S2/E4: Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things.

A young woman dies in a car crash while arguing over the phone with her boyfriend, who was cheating on her. Her BFF decides to take Friend Zone to a whole new level and bring her back to life using ancient Greek magic. As Dean puts it,

"I know some guys will do anything to get laid, but you take the cake, pal".

Things don't end well for him, as his Zombie Girlfriend wants revenge on her ex and the girl he was sleeping with. Sam and Dean, who are in town to visit their mother's grave, have to find a way to make the zombie dead again. Spoiler alert: headshots don't work like they do in Walking Dead.

7/10

 

[revoltub]

@GoodBadHBK wanted me to repost this in this thread. From the Rate last movie thread.

I Decided to do a Leprechaun run this year. I've seen all beside the last 2. I always had a lot of fun watching these. Warwick Davis completely owns this character. Whenever he is on screen it's pure magic. They were talking about a candyman crossover, but I think one with Freddy would be better. Could you imagine Davis and Englund's back and forths?


Leprechaun
-
Aniston has played the same exact character for years. She does a good job though. Could've been a good scream queen. Davis is great. The Cat in a tree scene might be the best horror scene in the whole franchise. Arguably the best one, maybe.


Leprechaun 2
- Introduces the concept of putting Leprechaun into more exciting settings. For this one, LA and Hollywood. Has maybe the best 2 kills. Really enjoyed it.

Leprechaun 3
- Takes things to Los Vegas. And introduces a sort of Frodo becoming Gollum thing with the main guy becoming a Leprechaun because of the gold. Actually kind of a fun romp through Vegas, the other characters are memorable. Liked it more this time around when watching them.

Leprechaun 4
- is just batshit camp. It's basically aliens meets Leprechaun. Super tongue n cheek. Blofield Cyborg guy is great. You almost have to see this one to believe it.

After space, the only place left to go is of course, Da Hood. Enter

Leprechaun - in Da Hood
- this might be my favorite one. It's cheesy but not a camp as 4. And the 90s hood drama meets Leprechaun is a lot of fun. And the film does decent stuff with it.

It also has one of the dumbest main characters in a film.

Spoiler

Definitely the funniest one IMO.

Leprechaun - back to Da hood.
-
Didn't like it as much as "In Da hood" but it has its moments. Bong kill is great. I would put this on the lower tier though overall.

Then we get a reboot with

Leprechaun Origins
- this might be the second worst film I've ever seen. It is a disgrace to the franchise. Not only does it not have Davis, it tries to be edgy and fails miserably. The leprechaun is a joke and most of the film you barely see it. They basically turned him into chupacabra. Straight junk!



Finally there is

Leprechaun Returns
- while it doesn't have Davis, the original character returns with a new actor and the film returns to its horror comedy roots. Linden Porco does an alright job taking over the mantle but it is a further reminder of how Warwick Davis IS Leprechaun. It's way better than Origins though.

Rankings I think would be

Leprechaun in Da Hood
Leprechaun
Leprechaun 3
Leprechaun 2
Leprechaun in Space
Leprechaun back to the hood
Leprechaun returns
Leprechaun Origins

Overall a 7.5/10 franchise. I had a lot of fun watching them. Beside Origins which I shouldn't even include.

 

[KnightTemplar]

Movie 21: Bone Tomahawk

View attachment 1116444

My Rating: 8/10

This is a western horror and while its not scary, it is a lot of fun, incredibly violent, and it has strong replay value. I could easily rank this #1 simply on my love for westerns and this being a great western from start to finish. Anytime you have Kurt Russell as one of the leads, im in. I do like Patrick Wilson and hes not bad in this at all but ive always felt Christian Bale would have really slain in this role. I never noticed James Tolkan is the drunk pianist in the bar. Again I feel its cheating a little to include this movie but it is considered a horror movie even if I feel like im just watching a western.


Ranked

(Great)
1. Train to Busan (16)
2. Smile 2 (24)
3. The Descent (05)
4. The Omen (76)
5. Nightmare on elm street (84 theater)
6. Bone Tomahawk (15)

(Good)
7. 28 Days Later (02)
8. Smile (22)
9. A Quiet Place (18)
10. Dawn of the dead (04)
11. Saw (04)
12. Candyman (92)
13. 28 Weeks Later (07)

(Alright)
14. Halloween 4: Return (88)
15. From Dusk Till Dawn (96)
16. Pet Sematary (89)
17. Night of the living dead (90)
18. Jeepers Creepers (01)

(Average)
19. New Nightmare (94)
20. The Ring (02)

(Poor)
21. Pet Sematary 2 (92)

You had me at, "Kurt Russell".