Topic: Jimmy's - 2012 Ooctober Horror Marathon

[Achim]

Hard movie to watch you say,
just like the one i just saw? "I Spit On Your Grave" that was a hard one to watch
aswell.. A good movie, but hard to watch.

Yes, I think it will be the same kind of hard-to-watch. Although I imagine that Grave is more graphic with it's violence, Henry is just incredibly creepy and scary. Great film.

[Jimmy]

Henry is just incredibly creepy and scary. Great film.

Yeah, it's the general vibes of the film that made it that way. In fact there is only one scene who is really hard to stomach, I would even say that it make you feel heartless watching it. Every person who had seen the film know what scene I'm talking and why it make you feel like an heartless bastard...

[Piffi]

Oh, i see.. Interesting.. Hopefully they will ship it sometime tomorrow
and hopefully i will have it in a week or so. Sounds like a classic.

[Jimmy]

MOVIE / DVD INFO:

Title: The Church (1989)

Genre: Horror
Director: Michele Soavi
Rating: NR
Length: 1h42
Video: Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English
Subtitles: None

Stars:
Hugh Quarshie
Tomas Arana
Feodor Chaliapin Jr.   
Barbara Cupisti
Antonella Vitale

Plot:
In medieval Europe, crusading knights massacre a village full of suspected devil worshippers and build a large gothic church above the cursed remains. It is now present day, and this elaborate cathedral still stands. But when its sealed crypt is accidentally reopened, a group of people trapped inside the church become possessed by the fury of the damned. Can the blood of the innocent survive this unholy communion or will the ultimate demonic evil be unleashed upon the world?

My Thoughts:

This film was supposed to be the official sequel to Demons 2 untill Michele Soavi replaced Lamberto Bava as the director and with a new director at the helm this become something else... and what a boring something it become. Seriously I have seen it the last time five years ago and was unable to remember anything about this film. This isn't for nothing as it is a complete mess, if if was an exciting mess that would be fine but unfortunately this isn't case at all. After a good start nothing happen in the next hour and the something that happen isn't interesting.

Even with Asia Argento and a good musical score that one was a chore to watch.
   


Rating :

[Jimmy]

MOVIE / DVD INFO:

Title: Halloween (1978)

Genre: Horror
Director: John Carpenter
Rating: R
Length: 1h31
Video: Widescreen 2.35:1
Audio: English
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Donald Pleasence
Jamie Lee Curtis
Nancy Kyes
P.J. Soles
Charles Cyphers

Plot:
On a black and unholy Halloween night years ago, little Michael Myers brutally slaughtered his sister in a cold blood. But for the last fifteen years, town residents have rested easy, knowing that he was safely locked away in a mental hospital...until tonight.

Tonight, Michael returns to the some quiet neighborhood to relive his gisly murder again...and again...and again. For this is a night of evil. Tonight is Halloween!

My Thoughts:

Everybody know this film so I won't write a long review... A great low budget classic built more on the suspense than on the special effects. It was done over and over since than, but contrary of what many say and they even say it in the documentary on the disc this isn't the first slasher theme movie ever made (A Bay of Blood was the first one in 1971) or the first successfull one (Black Christmas was made four years earlier). Good cast on the whole but I feel it would have been better if Anne Lockhart their first choice for the Laurie part would have accept the role.



Rating :

[Jimmy]

MOVIE / DVD INFO:

Title: Halloween II (1981)

Genre: Horror
Director: Rick Rosenthal
Rating: R
Length: 1h33
Video: Widescreen 2.35:1
Audio: English
Subtitles: None

Stars:
Jamie Lee Curtis
Donald Pleasence
Charles Cyphers
Jeffrey Kramer
Lance Guest

Plot:
Picking up exactly where the first film left off, Halloween II follows the same ill-fated characters as they once again encounter the knife-wielding maniac they thought they had left for dead. It seems the inhuman Michael Myers is still very much alive and out for more revenge as he stalks the deserted halls of the Haddonfield Memorial Hospital. As he gets closer to his main target, Dr. Loomis (Donald Pleasence) discovers the chilling mystery behind the crazed psychopath's actions. Written by John Carpenter and Debra Hill, Halloween II is a spine-tingling dark ride into the scariest night of the year.

My Thoughts:

I haven't watch this film for quite a while, in fact the last time was 30 years ago. When I saw it the first time as a kid I loved it, but the problem is that I ain't a kid anymore

Not that it doesn't work as an horror film per se, in fact it would be call "Nightmare Emergency" or "Blood on duty" with a different killer that would be perfect. But I don't feel a sequel was needed as Halloween was fine as it was. In fact I think this movie try too hard to find a motivation for the return of Michael Myers (seriously if you have seen the film you know the link doesn't really make sense and by the way how the hell he would have known???). Of course this one isn't as ridiculous as what will follow in the future (and no I don't talk about Season of the Witch) and the film make sense even with its flaws.

Just the Blu-Ray itself worth the purchase as it is quite loaded and informative on the project. It also come with the TV version.



Rating :

[Dragonfire]

I thought that Halloween II worked pretty good overall.  Certainly better than the later installments with that young girl.  She just annoys me.  It still was more of a guy who completely flipped out and went on a killing spree to me instead of how in later movies it seemed like he turned into some kind of supernatural thing that couldn't be killed no matter.

I don't think Halloween III is a bad movie.  It was a unique, interesting idea.  It was just ...different from what people expected after the first two movies were focused on Michael Myers.

And how I have that stupid song running through my head.   

[Jimmy]

It's the movie I'll review next after I will have listen the commentaries...

So you can bet I have that jingle in my mind too

[Kathy]

So you can bet I have that jingle in my mind too

Which is why I'm not going to listen to it! 

[Jimmy]

[singing to the tune of "London Bridge is Falling Down"]

Four more days 'til Halloween, Halloween, Halloween
Four more days 'til Halloween, Silver Shamrock.
Four more days 'til Halloween, Halloween, Halloween
Four more days 'til Halloween, Silver Shamrock.

Repeat as many times as you wish

[Jimmy]

MOVIE / DVD INFO:

Title: Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)

Genre: Horror
Director: Tommy Lee Wallace
Rating: R
Length: 1h38
Video: Widescreen 2.35:1
Audio: English
Subtitles: None

Stars:
Tom Atkins
Stacey Nelkin
Dan O'Herlihy
Michael Currie
Ralph Strait

Plot:
When a terrified toy salesman is mysteriously attacked and brought to the hospital, babbling and clutching the year's most popular Halloween costume — an eerie pumpkin mask — Dr. Daniel Challis (Tom Atkins, The Fog, Night Of The Creeps) is thrust into a terrifying Halloween nightmare. Working with the salesman's daughter, Ellie (Stacey Nelkin), Daniel traces the mask to the Silver Shamrock Novelties company and its founder, Conal Cochran (Dan O'Herlihy, RoboCop).

Ellie and Daniel uncover Cochran’s shocking Halloween plan and must stop him before trick-or-treaters across the country are kept from ever coming home in this terrifying thriller from writer/director Tommy Lee Wallace (Stephen King's It).

My Thoughts:

The unlove Halloween movie... Why? Beat me. Seriously most of the fanboys who whined when this movie was made didn't understand the concept of the Halloween movies, the point was never to make the same movie over and over (as they will do starting with part four) but to make an halloween theme movie every year in october (wich was an awesome idea). I kind of understand why the fanboys expected to see a Michael Myers copy again because of the error they did with Halloween 2 (as I said a sequel wasn't necessary and it would have worked perfectly and probably better with a different killer). As we know the movie wasn't a success and not a flop like many wrote as this film did 6 times its budget just in the USA (I don't even talk about the VHS, DVD, laserdisc, TV rights in this).

As a stand alone film is as good as the first one, common it's Invasion of the Body Snatcher on the technical age (at least for the eighties) and had one of the most annoying brain sticking publicity spot ever made (I think I heard it at least 15 times in the film). The film had a 1984 (except it's corporate and not governement control) and a Westworld mood.

Really this film deserve a chance. It had a strong lead actor, non-annoying comic relief, good special effects, a bad guy who is a bad guy just because and a great ending.  



Rating :

and specially for Marie and Kathy

[Jimmy]

MOVIE / DVD INFO:

Title: Murder-Set-Pieces (2004)

Genre: Horror
Director: Tommy Lee Wallace
Rating: NR
Length: 1h30
Video: Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English
Subtitles: None

Stars:
Sven Garrett
Jade Risser
Valerie Baber
Andrea Mitchell
LeAnn Clinton

Plot:
A psychopath cuts a bloody swath across Nevada in this gruesome horror story from Nick Palumbo (NUTBAG) . The Photographer (Sven Garrett) is a nameless German fashion illustrator with an ugly past (his grandfather was a friend and associate of Adolf Hitler) and a profoundly violent nature. Working out of Las Vegas, The Photographer is a vicious serial killer who attacks men, women, and children with equal brutality.

The Photographer periodically dates a woman named Charlotte (Valerie Baber), who has a younger sister named Jade (Jade Risser), but prefers to devote his spare time to mutilating Sin City's riffraff. Jade senses that there's something evil about her sister's boyfriend, and when Charlotte disappears, Jade begins playing amateur detective, unaware of just how dangerous her quarry truly is…

My Thoughts:

This movie is a great exemple of a public relation failure or to write it differently an exemple of what not to do to market a film. I think that I've to explain this statement a little bit. If you frequent genre film forum the chance are really high that this film title sound very familiar to you, since the PR was directed at those boards. Not that it was a bad idea since the usual member of these forum are the peoples who buy this genre of film. But, the marketing on the board was too much and all of this became a flame war and hate discussion when some employees of Nick Palumbo insult some people. In the genre film forum that I frequent (dvd maniacs) this is one of the worst discussion that we have had about a film (another subject is Victor Salva, but the majority prefer to ignore his project and yes I'm one of them) and Palumbo enter in the discussion and repair the bad job done by his employee the best that he can. Ok, now that I've precise this we can go for the film itself.

First there are 2 versions of this movie : the director's cut (the one I own and review here) and a R rated version release by Lions Gate (never seen it and I can see what rest of this movie with a R). This is a serial killer movie and probably one of the most violent that I've seen (so if you have found Maniac or Henry disturbing don't think to watch this film). The killer is what he is and they don't try to explain why (a lot of reference are made on his German background, but that it's not use as an explaination), I like that since in real life a psychopath is a psychopath because he is that's all. The killer when he lost control and kill talk  in German, I don't understand the language and I find that great (it bring a lot of insecurity when you are unfamilliar with a language and, don't take it wrong, this language sounds so agressive). The murder effects are well done, all is old school no stupid and unrealistic CGI. Two actors are especially good : Sven Garrett who play the killer (don't hope to see him in different role, he will be typecast) and Jade Risser, this is her first movie (she is 11 years old) and she is incredible (I've never seen a young actress that good, the young boy in the Sixth sense doesn't have half of her talent.). Tony Todd and Edwin Neal did a good job with their cameo. I can't say the same with Cerina Vincent, but she's a very weak actress with no real talent to begin with. One thing ,even if I don't have a problem with that, that risk to disturb some viewer is the fact that some children are killed too (one of them graphically).

In fact there are only two things that I don't like in the movie. The majority of the girls are not natural (fake breast and other chirurgy) and that's what I hate in the actual cinema industry (I don't like a lot of other things, but that's what I hate the much). The other happen when one woman is kill at her home and the killer go to see her baby. The baby is clearly traumatize by this : the actress is his mother and he is very affraid of Garrett and it's heartbreaking to see the child when he go to his dead mother.

I can't tell you if I recommand it or not. You have read the review, so if you like the genre you will like it. But as I've said this movie is hard to watch at times. The only recommandation that I can make is to avoid the R version, I've not seen it but it's impossible that this movie can be good with a R (75% of the film is easilly NC-17).  



Rating :

Note : I've wrote this review in march 2008, so the director cut is OOP and costly. Unless you are ready to spend almost 50$ forget about this film as the R rated cut always in print is a waste of money. Too bad as this film isn't bad for a relatively new movie.

[Jimmy]

MOVIE / DVD INFO:

Title: Hellraiser (1987)

Genre: Horror
Director: Clive Barker
Rating: R
Length: 1h33
Video: Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Andrew Robinson
Clare Higgins
Ashley Laurence
Sean Chapman
Oliver Smith

Plot:
In a place between pleasure and pain, there is sensual experience beyond limits. And in a world between paradise and purgatory, there is a horror that feeds the souls of evil. Welcome to the singular vision of Clive Barker and his landmark horror opus, HELLRAISER.

My Thoughts:

An old favorite of mine and a perfect exemple of how to do an effective horror movie. You just need a good original story, a dark mood, good acting and effective acting by veteran actors and new talented one. Too bad young today must have everything explain to them and everything but the book throw in their faces. Nothing beat practical effects and against this movie proove it (we all know how the CGI and the bad acting will ruin this franchise later).

Strongly recommanded, but who in his right mind would want to resolve that puzzle considering what is the reward for all that works  



Rating :

[samuelrichardscott]

Pinhead is one of my favourite horror characters though I haven't seen them all yet. I do think Hellraiser III is underrated though.

[Jimmy]

I don't remember a lot of the third one, but I'll watch it soon as I plan the Helraisers movie I have today. Like you I have not seen them all, in fact I've not seen most of the DTDVD releases (except for Hellseeker that I purchased because Ashley Laurence was back) and don't plan to get them either. They just feel to cheaply made to me