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Post by slayrrr666 on Oct 24, 2008 10:12:51 GMT -5
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge-1985
Probably the one singular example I can think of that shows how overrated this series is, as a whole, since there's not a whole lot going on here. The initial scare aboard the bus is handled well, the resurrection from within his body is great and the pool slaughter is pretty fun, but I just don't really get the feeling that I should be scared of him. Freddy just seems like a joke in here, popping up to play practical jokes that turn deadly and it really takes the fear out of him. If you didn't know he was a killer from the first one, it's hard to take him as an imposing villain.
6/10
A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors-1987
I've always called this one as being one of the better ones in the series, and I think that still applies. It's definitely more fun than the first two before it, staying watchable through the dull initiations at the hospital and the family drama that occurs in the later half. It goes for the macabre much moreso than the others, such as the dream world doll scenes and the first chases through the house, the kills are actually a lot of fun and gruesome without too much trickery played, and the film just gives off a fun vibe. Some of the jokes tank, but that's to be expected.
8/10
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Post by LivingDeadGirl on Oct 24, 2008 20:42:28 GMT -5
Return of the Living Dead (1985) -Pretty cheesy, but not too bad, laughed through most of it. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre II(1986)- Haven't watched this one in a LONG time so decided to give it another viewing. Enjoyably campy and kind of over the top performance by Dennis Hopper and another great wacky performance from Bill Moseley. 
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Post by Heineken Skywalker on Oct 26, 2008 10:24:39 GMT -5
GHOSTBUSTERS (1984)
Box-office megahit about three parapsychology scientists (Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis) who decide to go into the business of trapping and removing ghosts. Great concept, funny movie. Murray, especially gets the majority of the laughs with his sarcastic little comments.
"Dogs and cats living together! Mass hysteria!"
8/10
THE EVIL DEAD (1981)
The old "spooky cabin in the woods" cliché got a nice shot in the arm thanks to director Sam Raimi and star, Bruce Campbell's low, low, low budget movie. Throw in one Book of the Dead and a little demon possession, and that there's fine entertainment.
8/10
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Post by slayrrr666 on Oct 26, 2008 10:49:05 GMT -5
An American Werewolf in London-1981
Personal issues only for this one (I can't stand the reluctant werewolf, I don't find them particularly scary and come off as just whiny and annoying) and the fact that I don't see where the 'werewolf' comes from as it's just a large wolf tend to lower this one, but it's still a little better than expected. The gore is decent, the suspense is more than expected, the humor is also apparent unlike The Howling and the finale is kinda fun. The transformation is kind of a letdown after The Howling, and most of the genre's other efforts for that matter, so it does lose a little, but it remarkably holds up rather well considering.
8/10
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Post by Quorthon on Oct 26, 2008 14:37:17 GMT -5
Primo 80's classic: Return of the Living Dead graced my viewing a couple days ago.
Also, but not relevant to the "80's horror theme," Monster House and The Strangers were also viewed. Along with 70's gothic-horror comedy Young Frankenstein, which was just added to our collection because it was hella cheap. Well, maybe not hella...
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Post by slayrrr666 on Oct 27, 2008 10:17:52 GMT -5
The Howling-1981
Before I get started with my thoughts:
Can someone, anyone (Q, Heniey, Bart, LDG, anyone) tell me what the hell is funny in this one? I've watched the film at least five times now, including twice with the commentary track on the DVD and read dozens of online reviews and I still don't get what the hell everyone is talking about when they say it's a hilarious horror film. I get the Corman scene in the phone booth, but beyond that, I've never laughed at this one and I need someone to answer this for me.
On with my normal thoughts-
I've always liked this one more than AAWIL, seeing as how this one has the werewolves that are actually vicious and want to have the curse (though I don't see it as being one personally) and love to splash the gore around. That, with a nice atmosphere, a rather fun sex scene, outstanding werewolf design (quite possibly my favorite of all time) and the de-facto transformation sequence in any film still manage to have some fun. A few misques (the sloppy stop-motion werewolves at the end is out-of-place and is quite noticeable and I've always hated the opening with the serial killer angle, just feels way too rushed when the potential was there for much more to play around with) do sink this one, along with the comedy argument, but really, only one of those flaws is detrimental.
8.5/10
Pet Cemetery-1989
Can I call a film overrated if I thought it was crap to begin with? Screw it, I'm doing it anyway. Never got the big deal with this one, too slow and dull for me to get sucked in, and only the last parts with the child serve any sort of horror scenes anyway, which didn't really register with me anyway. Not a whole lot here, didn't really care at all for it.
4/10
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Post by Bartwald on Oct 27, 2008 13:01:43 GMT -5
Can someone, anyone (Q, Heniey, Bart, LDG, anyone) tell me what the hell is funny in this one? To be honest - I wondered about that, too. I like the movie a lot but it's a great horror, not a great horror comedy, come on! I think people just see Joe Dante's name in the opening credits and immediately label the film as funny/scary. From what I remember there are two hilarious scenes in The Howling: a guy practising his speech in front of a mirror in the bathroom, and the scene in the bookshop with Dick Miller lecturing us on werewolves. That'd be all, I think. The rest is dark and sexy - exactly as it should be. |
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Post by slayrrr666 on Oct 28, 2008 10:10:55 GMT -5
Thank god someone else agrees with me. Though the sequence with Miller was funny? I found it the requisite explanation of everything going on in the movie, not really packed with laughs at all.
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Post by ZapRowsdower on Oct 28, 2008 11:20:13 GMT -5
Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982, Tommy Lee Wallace)
Why the Hell would you make a Halloween movie without Michael Myers? This movie is like if they took Indiana Jones and replaced him with a shovel. It just doesn't work. Here's a clue: masks by themselves - NOT scary. Especially ridiculous-looking masks that kids would not want to wear. I'm sure even back then, most kids were more interested in being Superman than a generic Pumpkin-head. And that commercial? My GOD was that annoying. I wish they made an MST3K for this - it's ripe for the bashing. 1/10
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Post by Heineken Skywalker on Oct 28, 2008 11:44:53 GMT -5
Slayrrr,
The humor in THE HOWLING isn't supposed to be the knee-slapping fall out of your chair kind of funny. It's way more subtle and not obvious jokes.
There are lots of inside jokes. For instance, the following characters are all named after werewolf movie directors: George Waggner, Roy William Neill, Terence Fisher, Freddie Francis, Erle C. Kenton, Sam Newfield, Charles Barton, Jerry Warren, Lew Landers, and Jacinto Molina.
The Roger Corman cameo which you already mentioned. There's also a cameo by Forrest Ackerman (The publisher of Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine) as a customer in the bookstore. He's holding a few issues of Famous Monsters and the cover features Henry Hull in Werewolf of London. Double joke!
John Sayles, the writer of this movie, as well as PIRANHA, plays a morgue attendant.
If you're paying attention there are all kinds of little visual jokes throughout the movie too. There's a copy of the book "Howl" seen next to a phone. In another scene, there's a can of Wolf brand chili. In the doctor's office, there's a framed photo of Lon Chaney Jr on the wall. If you know who Lon was, that's pretty funny. There are scenes where characters are watching tv and we see scenes from THE WOLFMAN and a cartoon featuring the big bad wolf.
The Dick Miller scene is funny because as usual with Miller, it's his attitude and the way he says things. He's notorious for ad-libbing a lot and I'm sure most of what he says in that scene was ad-libbed.
Some choice lines from the bookstore owner (Dick Miller):
"We get 'em all: sun-worshippers, moon-worshippers, Satanists. The Manson family used to hang around and shoplift. Bunch of deadbeats!"
"Silver bullets or fire, that's the only way to get rid of the damn things. They're worse than cockroaches."
"What am I an idiot? I'm making a buck here."
That's funny stuff.
See his scene in the original THE TERMINATOR as the gunshop owner to see more of the same type of humor. I always liked to imagine that Miller is playing the same character in both movies. After THE HOWLING he sold the bookstore and bought a gunshop, only to have The Terminator walk in one day. ;D
See? It's that kind of humor. It's just supposed to make you smile if you catch it, not crack up. I think it enhances the moviewatching experience, but it doesn't ruin the experience if you don't catch all the little jokes.
It's definitely not the kind of humor that makes the movie switch gears from horror to comedy.
Unlike my next movie:
AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON (1981)
John Landis, mostly known for directing comedies like THE BLUES BROTHERS and ANIMAL HOUSE, tried his hand at werewolf movies and delivered a true original of the genre.
The chemistry between stars David Naughton and Griffin Dunne as college buddies backpacking across Europe is very good and funny. Jenny Agutter, mostly known for LOGAN'S RUN, was a "sexy nurse" love interest. And of course, Rick Baker's werewolf effects are pretty stellar. In my eyes, only overshadowed by the werewolf effects in THE HOWLING.
Ironically, Baker was the original special effects makeup artist on THE HOWLING, but left that movie to work on AMERICAN WEREWOLF and left his assistant Rob Bottin to take over on THE HOWLING. IMHO, Bottin outdid him, and of course, then went on to work on the awesome effects in THE THING.
8/10
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Post by Heineken Skywalker on Oct 28, 2008 11:47:00 GMT -5
Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982, Tommy Lee Wallace) Why the Hell would you make a Halloween movie without Michael Myers? This movie is like if they took Indiana Jones and replaced him with a shovel. It just doesn't work. Here's a clue: masks by themselves - NOT scary. Especially ridiculous-looking masks that kids would not want to wear. I'm sure even back then, most kids were more interested in being Superman than a generic Pumpkin-head. And that commercial? My GOD was that annoying. I wish they made an MST3K for this - it's ripe for the bashing. 1/10 Couldn't agree more with everyone of your points. Truly awful, awful movie. |
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Post by LivingDeadGirl on Oct 28, 2008 15:50:20 GMT -5
This weekend:
The Burning- Not too bad, but I agree with slayrr about the weak ending..
and some I haven't watched in awhile...
Friday the 13th
Prom Night
Psycho 2
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Post by Heineken Skywalker on Oct 29, 2008 7:58:55 GMT -5
THE BLOB (1988)
Remake of the 1958 campy horror/sci-fi cult classic about a gelatinous blob from outer space which crashes to earth inside of a meteorite, attaches itself to a curious old man's arm, and then proceeds to consume him, and everyone else, who get in its way. Meanwhile, teenagers who know what's really going on, try to warn the townsfolk, who, of course, don't take them seriously, until after most of the town has been eaten.
While not nearly in the same league of 80's horror remakes as THE THING and THE FLY, this is a cheesy fun ride, just like the original.
The original is mostly known for being the big screen debut of future major star Steve McQueen. Kevin Dillon stars in this version and needless to say, he's no Steve McQueen, but he, Shawnee Smith, and the rest of the cast, give good B-performances in what is essentially a big, loud, B-movie with much better effects. Fast paced fun.
7/10
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Post by slayrrr666 on Oct 29, 2008 10:18:26 GMT -5
Slayrrr, The humor in THE HOWLING isn't supposed to be the knee-slapping fall out of your chair kind of funny. It's way more subtle and not obvious jokes. There are lots of inside jokes. For instance, the following characters are all named after werewolf movie directors: George Waggner, Roy William Neill, Terence Fisher, Freddie Francis, Erle C. Kenton, Sam Newfield, Charles Barton, Jerry Warren, Lew Landers, and Jacinto Molina. The Roger Corman cameo which you already mentioned. There's also a cameo by Forrest Ackerman (The publisher of Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine) as a customer in the bookstore. He's holding a few issues of Famous Monsters and the cover features Henry Hull in Werewolf of London. Double joke! John Sayles, the writer of this movie, as well as PIRANHA, plays a morgue attendant. If you're paying attention there are all kinds of little visual jokes throughout the movie too. There's a copy of the book "Howl" seen next to a phone. In another scene, there's a can of Wolf brand chili. In the doctor's office, there's a framed photo of Lon Chaney Jr on the wall. If you know who Lon was, that's pretty funny. There are scenes where characters are watching tv and we see scenes from THE WOLFMAN and a cartoon featuring the big bad wolf. The Dick Miller scene is funny because as usual with Miller, it's his attitude and the way he says things. He's notorious for ad-libbing a lot and I'm sure most of what he says in that scene was ad-libbed. Some choice lines from the bookstore owner (Dick Miller): "We get 'em all: sun-worshippers, moon-worshippers, Satanists. The Manson family used to hang around and shoplift. Bunch of deadbeats!" "Silver bullets or fire, that's the only way to get rid of the damn things. They're worse than cockroaches." "What am I an idiot? I'm making a buck here."That's funny stuff. See his scene in the original THE TERMINATOR as the gunshop owner to see more of the same type of humor. I always liked to imagine that Miller is playing the same character in both movies. After THE HOWLING he sold the bookstore and bought a gunshop, only to have The Terminator walk in one day. ;D See? It's that kind of humor. It's just supposed to make you smile if you catch it, not crack up. I think it enhances the moviewatching experience, but it doesn't ruin the experience if you don't catch all the little jokes. It's definitely not the kind of humor that makes the movie switch gears from horror to comedy. Wow, not to sound like a prick, but those elements are supposed to be funny/humorous? The werewolf-movie naming thing I don't find funny at all, it's just an homage to them, the constant wolf scenes don't do much of anything and the cameos I don't see the humor in either. I guess, like ANOES, we'll have to agree to disagree on this one as a comedy, since that isn't exactly what I would call humor. Poltergeist 3-1989 A ho-hum entry, one that I can watch without feeling bored or overly impressed with it. Tends to just drag on without really accomplishing anything other than a few nice scenes here and there, though the hallway trick is still a nice jolt that I forgot where it was. Still, nothing too terrible or harmful, just can't match the original. 6.5/10 The Evil Dead-1982 My favorite American horror film of all-time, in my top 5 for the genre overall, and still an absolutely flawless film, except for the fake-looking gore, but when there's so much of it, I can look past it. 10/10 |
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Post by Heineken Skywalker on Oct 29, 2008 10:51:38 GMT -5
Wow, not to sound like a prick, but those elements are supposed to be funny/humorous? The werewolf-movie naming thing I don't find funny at all, it's just an homage to them, the constant wolf scenes don't do much of anything and the cameos I don't see the humor in either. I guess, like ANOES, we'll have to agree to disagree on this one as a comedy, since that isn't exactly what I would call humor. Actually, you sound like a humorless prick.  ;D You completely missed my point. I never said the movie was a comedy, or even a horror/comedy. This is a horror movie first and foremost. The writer and director just had a little fun within that context. If you're really paying attention, know a little film history, can recognize the cameos, etc. there's some fun stuff there. And if you don't catch any of that stuff, it's still a great horror movie that can be enjoyed on that basis alone. I'd have to disagree with anyone who calls THE HOWLING "a comedy", but I would have to agree with anyone who calls it a horror movie with a sly sense of humor. My advice to you: Just enjoy it as a horror movie and stop worrying about what everybody else thinks is so funny. |
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;D