What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Going back to the discussion about The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and the rating, one of the major problems the BBFC had with the film was that there wasn't anything particularly "objectionable" and, even if a few moments of violence were removed, the overall sense of terror and oppression remained.

[Justin101]

Originally Posted by Nosferatu@Cult Labs

Going back to the discussion about The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and the rating, one of the major problems the BBFC had with the film was that there wasn't anything particularly "objectionable" and, even if a few moments of violence were removed, the overall sense of terror and oppression remained.

If I recall, the reason it was banned was because there was nothing to actually cut out of it, not much happens on screen it's implied violence. I agree with this, it's an absolutely horrifying experience to watch this film

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Justin101

If I recall, the reason it was banned was because there was nothing to actually cut out of it, not much happens on screen it's implied violence. I agree with this, it's an absolutely horrifying experience to watch this film

It is a perfect example in pure horror and there is no way of reducing the impact with a little trim here and there. It's an audiovisual onslaught which sucks you in and terrifies you.

[J Harker]

Murphys Law. J.Lee Thompson. 1986.

Charles Bronson plays an elderly cop framed for murder in this 80s thriller. Entertaining Canon nonsense.

[BAKA]

In the last weekend of August, summer’s last gasp before the dark nights draw in, FrightFest lurches into London’s Leicester Square. For years I’ve wanted to attend, and finally did so this year, and what a line up of films to pop my cherry!

Day One
Don Mancini, Jennifer Tilly and Fiona Dourif are in attendance for the premiere of Cult Of Chucky, and it feels more than a little bit special. Cult manages to avoid the pitfalls of Curse, closing in a more satisfactory manner, delivering the same blackly comic sensibilities, but in general just much more adept at doing so, it’s smarter and funnier. Death Note’s adaptation of the source material was disappointingly thin, understandably they can’t include everything, but what was left undermined the smart interplay between protagonist and antagonist. It was however, an entertaining, if stupid, ride, visually arresting, featuring a breathtaking chase sequence, it was paced perfectly. Psychopaths really lost the audience; a lot of people hated the movie. The narrative was all over the place, not at all coherent, but I adored the masks. Looking like a cross between those used in Sugar & Spice, and the Vault Boy from Fallout, the masks were creepy, and the film was brimming with atmosphere and effective scenes, just never able to sufficiently knit the pieces together.

Day Two
The audience really connected with Freehold, but I found myself unable to. It felt a little out of place and clearly not at all the type of film whoever commissioned the poster was hoping for. I felt it could have gone farther, stretched the boundaries more. For a film designed to gross out the audience, it felt a little twee to me. Sequence Break continued my split with the majority of the audience, I heard many people bemoan that the film went nowhere, but to me that felt very much a commentary on gaming and the old fashioned arcades at the heart of the film. I loved the film, it felt very much like a love letter to Cronenberg by way of Shinya Tsukamoto’s Testuo. I was a little disappointed no one brought up Tsukamoto in the Q&A. Radius has a silly concept, but executed in a captivating way. The mystery is engaging, and deftly unfurls to the viewer, until the groan inducing reveal. 68 Kill was an experience; the audience very much at their most boisterous. Matthew Grey Gubler and AnnaLynne McCord imbue so much life into this riotous thrill-ride of a film. It feels effortlessly funny, seek it out and sink a few beers. Leatherface was definitely an improvement over Texas Chainsaw 3D, understandably so given the pedigree of the talent working on it. Being brought to us from the team behind Inside, Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury, it’s hard not to be disappointed that it isn’t anything more than competent and enjoyable. The sleight of hand with the viewer falls a little flat too. Dead Shack sailed us through past midnight, and it was the perfect experience to do so. Hilarious, kooky and cool, with a core of endearing characters that feel straight out of an ‘80’s classic, mined in a similar fashion to Stranger Things.

Day Three
The Bar was completely unexpected, I’d never seen anything from the director before, and I was even considering applying for a discovery screen ticket instead of attending, but I’m glad I did. It was hugely funny, very reminiscent of Almodovar, completely enthralled the audience, despite not being the type of film one would typically expect to see at a horror film festival. I was really looking forward to Alone, I didn’t need to read further than ‘From David Moreau, co-director of Ils/Them…’, but my heart sank when I came into the screen and saw the poster. Looking very much like a young adult adaptation in the vein of The Hunger Games and the Divergent series, I got the fear. But I found it very engaging, the leads and the interplay between them was endearing, and even a woeful twist didn’t hamper my enjoyment. Jackals was another I was really looking forward to, from that guy who did that Saw sequel that was actually good, a home invasion movie featuring creepy masks (those are always a plus). Disappointingly it never really did much to elevate itself from just being good. The family at the heart of the film were forgettable, the cult decoding elements were underdeveloped, and the set-pieces never really elevated beyond competent. I decided to skip Attack Of The Adult Babies, it looked horrifically bad, and I saw Redwood instead, which I’m pleased I did, judging from the reaction Attack Of The Adult Babies seemed to garner. Redwood does a lot of good with clearly very little. Nicholas Brendon’s casting elevates the script with a playful self-awareness, and a satirical wink, his last line takes on a completely new meaning in the actual film than to the trailer. He’s not in it a lot, but enhances what might have otherwise seemed very journeyman-like. Developed in secret for two years, Victor Crowley, the fourth Hatchet film received a glowing reception from the audience; the experience of seeing a film with such a reactive and receptive crowd is intensely fulfilling. It also helps that the film was really good, I think perhaps my favourite of the franchise. It’s disappointing to hear the distributor’s want to cut both the best kill and best gag in the movie. I pray neither get cut, especially the kill, as it’s ingenious, not just because of what happens, but because of who it happens to. It’s very much in the same vein as Hatchet 3, completely silly nonsense, not at all attempting to take itself seriously, or overly dredge us in the mythos. Game Of Death is a dark spin on Jumanji, and is a superbly executed experience, but one that ultimately feels a little smug. I can’t deny it’s a really good film, but something winds me up a little about it. I think it was the inordinately long spinning bullet sequence.

Day Four
I tend to be hit and miss with Ozploitation, I’m more of a fan of things like Patrick and Next of Kin, rather than things like Wolf Creek. Despite being more towards the Wolf Creek end of the spectrum, I enjoyed Killing Ground. It definitely lacked a bit of an edge though, and whole sub-plots seem almost pointless and end up going nowhere (the nightmares, the baby and the dog). The End? was a bit of a struggle, a film laden with a gimmick that would suit a short, but stretched, not even to 90 minutes, but 100! Compared to so much else at the festival it felt lacking in the experience it offered, it didn’t thrill, or scare, or even entertain all that much, to be honest. Double Date seemed to win the crowd back, but not so much me. I’m just not a fan of these English ‘blokey’ comedies. There’s a wonderful fight sequence, and the best friend raises the most chuckles, but little else was of worth. For years I’ve wished Joe Lynch would be as capable of making a movie as good as he is at talking about them. Finally he has! Mayhem is a lot of fun, significantly aided by the performances and chemistry of the two excellent leads, Steven Yuen and Samara Weaving. Lynch’s Q&A was a captivating experience too; his passion is endearing and infectious. The Villainess was one of my most anticipated films of the festival, and it didn’t disappoint in the slightest. The fractured narrative seemed to deter some people, but the breathless delivery left me gripped. The action sequences are a joy, the opening in particular like one of those old arcade light-gun games crossed with that sequence from Old Boy.

Day Five
The final day kicked off with Still/Born, which Alan Jones claimed was the most sold film at Cannes (which I assume means it didn’t sell the most, just to the most territories?), and you can tell why, it’s so bland and generic. It felt like typical multiplex fare, offering little in the way of originality, invention and content to leave the envelope un-pushed. Lowlife was perhaps the biggest surprise of the festival, not at all something I would expect to see at Frightfest, but definitely one of the most endearing experiences. Smart, funny, completely oft-kilter, and featuring the nicest character you’ll ever see sporting a Swastika on their face. It’s hard to talk about Better Watch Out without spoiling it; the film doesn’t quite go the way you expect. The film offers all the fun of Home Alone, grounded in a bloody reality over slapstick hijinks, with the psychopathy of American Psycho. I was genuinely shocked to hear Universal picked this up and intend to put it out for Christmas, it could definitely be very controversial. The Terror Of Hallow’s Eve doesn’t quite play to its own strengths, abandoning some stellar practical effects work for a partially CGI leaden antagonist that lacks anywhere near the same level of impact. It seems a confounding decision, as the Trickster hinges all the other set pieces together. The film’s heart was clearly in the right place, but one misstep seems to have sabotaged much of the good work. They saved the best for last with Tragedy Girls. It almost feels like this movie was made for me, I’ve always been a huge fan of films from that wave of referential, self-aware horror movies in the latter half of the nineties, the likes of Scream, and The Craft, hell when director Tyler MacIntyre name checked Jawbreaker I almost squealed! MacIntyre literally nails everything from the dynamic between the characters, the death scenes (‘That’s some serious Final Destination shit’), the caustic sense of humour and sharp script, to the pacing, which is completely on point. To see a film like this with an audience that appreciated it was an experience. I adore the **** out of Tragedy Girls, I’m going to hunt down MacIntyre’s prior film Patchwork, and set alerts to his IMDB page to ensure I don’t miss anything he does in the future. It’s that ****ing good.

There’s not a chance in hell I’m missing out on FrightFest next year. Coming to the end of the festival was so bitter-sweet, the selection of films for the most part was hugely consistent, and ending on such a high a note as Tragedy Girls just makes you never want it to end, but it’s a gruelling experience, surviving on very little sleep, living on fast food, because there’s very little time to grab anything else, and sugary soft drinks to keep you awake. It’s no way to live, but I kinda feel like I’ve found a home away from home and a second family.

Hopefully the ranking uploads in the right order, #1 Tragedy Girls to #25 Freehold, that's my ranking, not the order shown.

[Cinematic Shocks]

Raw (2016)

**** out of *****

The Dark Tower (2017)

I haven’t read the series of novels; I’m not familiar with the source material other than what I’ve read about it in articles. As I understand it, this is both a follow on from the books and a complete restart, so it works on two levels - for the long-time fans and newcomers to the mythology. The film is far from great, but the way I look at it, is that it’s like a feature length pilot for next year’s TV show that will continue the saga. Its primary concern is world building, and as a jumping off point that sets up everything for what will follow, it does it pretty well, and is an enjoyable 95 minutes.

*** out of *****

[gag]

Originally Posted by Nosferatu@Cult Labs

It is a perfect example in pure horror and there is no way of reducing the impact with a little trim here and there. It's an audiovisual onslaught which sucks you in and terrifies you.

Its the tonne of the film and how its portrayed.
Goes show you can make a film so Brilliant and effective without having to actually be controversial and having tonnes of actual violence and gore ..
Give me films like this all day long compared to stuff like msp or August underground films.
Same applies with first Human centipede the concept of the film was worse than the actual film itself .

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

An excellent Fright Fest diary, Baka.

Thanks for posting it.

Which ones will you be buying on dvd / Blu-ray?

[SymbioticFunction]

Watched an uncut Death Wish 2. Wrote some scathing opinion about Death Wish 3 a few days back but this film is quite different. Is well directed, photographed, edited and scored.

Am on holiday this week and had to watch the film on my own whilst wife is at work. She didn't want to revisit the film because of the rape scenes. I can actually understand that, as 35 years later they are still quite shocking (notably the first).

Film is quite a good follow-up to the superior 1974 classic. But two things really let it down - Kersey is nowhere near enough distraught over the death of his daughter and Jill Ireland is a pretty awful actress.

Film score - 7/10.

Watched this courtesy of a Death Wish 2/3 double bill blu-ray from Australia. There have been complaints about the compression on Death Wish 2 (it only gets around 14.6 gbs of a 50 gb disc) so be warned before ordering a copy.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

An excellent Fright Fest diary, Baka.

Thanks for posting it.

Which ones will you be buying on dvd / Blu-ray?

I agree with Demdike – it is an excellent read and will be a post I will revisit to make a note of the highly recommended titles for when they are available to rent/buy/stream.

I'm really glad you had a good time and hope you do the same next year!