October Horror Movie Marathon

[Nordicdusk]

Film No.19

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Evan is an awkward bumbling idiot and a bit of a joke around the office. Convinced he will get promoted to sales manager when the boss calls everyone in for a big announcement his soul is crushed when its given to Max an old collage rival who stole his girlfriend and punched him out. Max is not the only change around the office when the staff start to go through some physical changes and its up to Evan to to save his co workers even if they are a bunch of self centered assholes.


A different sort of vampire film with some hit and miss comedy nothing special but it was a not a pain to watch not one i would watch again still a decent effort but there are better horror comedies out there not that i am a massive fan of the horror comedy trend. There are tons of blood but very little gore with not many actual kills on screen just the blood splashed and sprays all over the place. What actual on screen kills we see are done really well but it would of help to have seen more a lot more. I like the Tim character he had an awesome mustache

Baaaam Snap

5/10

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by bizarre_eye@Cult Labs

That all depends on how well they come out!

Once you stick a candle inside them they always look great.

I'm making a prediction at your pumpkin design.

[MacBlayne]

Hannibal

Ten years after the solving of the Buffalo Bill case, FBI Agent Clarice Starling is tasked with tracking down another mass-murderer – the man who aided (and analysed) her, Hannibal “The Cannibal” Lector (Anthony Hopkins). But, she’s not the only one. A surviving victim, Mason Verger (Gary Oldman), is seeking revenge and will pay anything to get Lector. Lector’s world is closing in, or at least, so it seems…

Ridley Scott’s follow-up to The Silence of the Lambs met with what could be charitably described as chilly reception upon its release. Audiences balked at all the allusions to classical literature. Moral watchdogs were foaming at the mouth about some of its more twisted moments. The critics that weren’t outright hostile towards the film still compared it in an unfavourable light to Jonathan Demme’s film. Hannibal was a box-office hit but it was (and still is) seen as a major misstep in Scott’s career after the success of Gladiator.

However, I disagree with this assessment. While I concede that The Silence of the Lambs is a decent film, it is a vastly overrated one. It is a film so worried about being seen as a mere horror film, that it shifts awkwardly from gritty procedural to Gothic camp. It is this writer’s controversial opinion that not only is Scott’s film the superior offering, it is one of the finest films of the 2000s.

Hannibal is one of those lucky miracles of the Hollywood system. Often, big-budget films are micro-managed by a committee so as to guarantee massive returns. But, Hannibal was different. It didn’t really matter too much what the film was about, as long as the film had Hannibal Lector and Clarice Starling. This creative indifference gave Scott free reign to make the film he wanted. The result is perhaps the closest a mainstream Hollywood film has come to arthouse.

Hannibal operates as reflection of Dante’s Inferno. With the exception of Starling, there are no innocents in this film. The characters that populate the world of Hannibal are ones consumed by greed, vengeance, violence and hate. Certainly, some are more sympathetic than others but as in Dante’s text, Hell doesn’t play favourites, and each meet their “righteous” punishment in the form of Lector.

The use of unsavoury characters as victims have led many to accuse the film of transforming Lector into a “kuddly killer.” And while this is an accusation I would happily throw at Thomas Harris’ book (who only wrote the book to shut his fans and publishers up), it is dismissing the film's thematic connection to the Divine Comedy.

As much as Alighieri loved Beatrice, so too does Lector love Clarice. To Lector, she is Heaven personified. She is beautiful, and she is (at least in his eyes) trying to stop the forces that pervert the world we live in. She represents the best of humanity, and is the exact opposite of those he punishes. However, for as much as they share an abhorrence for corruption, he too is guilty of sin and will never be worthy of her pureness. While discussing an opera based on Dante’s work, Lector asks “Could he daily feel a stab of hunger for her and find nourishment in the very sight of her? I think so. But would she see through the bars of his plight and ache for him?” It is these words that describe the tragedy and heartache of Lector himself.

Yet, before you think Hannibal is just a load of chin-stroking musings (or “artsy-fartsy” as Ray Liotta’s Paul Krendler would say), the film still delivers as entertainment. Whereas The Silence of the Lambs shied away from most of its horror excesses, Scott is happy to wallow in them. His film is a masterful example of Grand Guignol horrors and black comedy. Hannibal is rather sick in parts (one scene towards the end will turn anyone's stomach), but thanks to the liberal use of classical music and the stellar performances by the cast (both Hopkins and Oldman chew through more scenery than flesh is devoured), the film never feels overly sadistic.

Hannibal is an unfairly maligned film. The critics that trashed it were unable to get over that it wasn’t The Silence of the Lambs Part II. It’s their loss, however. Scott’s film is one of his most daring. His marriage of lush visuals (John Mathieson’s lighting in the lead-up to the pig-pen should have won him an Oscar alone), a haunting score (possibly Hans Zimmer’s finest work since Going for Gold), and a script front-loaded with references to classical literature (by Steven Zaillian), has created a cinematic experience that can be likened to opera.

If you haven’t seen since the film, or haven’t seen it since its release, give it another watch. I’m sure you will find it a much better film upon reflection. Don’t be afraid of the still-negative reception. As Lector’s mother would say “it is always important to try new things.”

Bon Appetit!

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

A terrific review of Hannibal, Mac.

I am one of those who hasn't seen it for years. However unlike most i do really like it. (I like all three films that came out as 'sequels' or on the back of Silence of the Lambs)

The classical motifs really struck a chord with me in particular the parts set in Florence and it's Uffizi gallery. I was awestruck when i went round the gallery, it was just wow and along with Rome and Verona one of my favourite cities.

I'm not going to watch it yet but i think during November it will be a definite rewatch.

[MacBlayne]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

A terrific review of Hannibal, Mac.

I am one of those who hasn't seen it for years. However unlike most i do really like it. (I like all four films that came out as 'sequels' or on the back of Silence of the Lambs)

The classical motifs really struck a chord with me in particular the parts set in Florence and it's Uffizi gallery. I was awestruck when i went round the gallery, it was just wow and along with Rome and Verona one of my favourite cities.

I'm not going to watch it yet but i think during November it will be a definite rewatch.

Cheers, Dem. I've always loved this film (this and Manhunter are some of my all time favourites) and it's nice to know that I'm not the only one.

Hannibal is a very Catholic film in its themes of guilt and redemption, and it really sits well with the Florence setting. Interestingly, Dante's home was Florence but he was forced into exile due to his political affiliations in Florence. As much as he longed to return, he would have been burned at the stake. In a way, Florence represented both his Hell and his Heaven.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by MacBlayne

Cheers, Dem. I've always loved this film (this and Manhunter are some of my all time favourites) and it's nice to know that I'm not the only one.

Hannibal is a very Catholic film in its themes of guilt and redemption, and it really sits well with the Florence setting. Interestingly, Dante's home was Florence but he was forced into exile due to his political affiliations in Florence. As much as he longed to return, he would have been burned at the stake. In a way, Florence represented both his Hell and his Heaven.

I was absolutely wasted at a party the night before on the outskirts of Florence. the next morning we overlooked the city from one of the hillside touristy locations all i wanted to do was throw up and scoop the inside of my head out, Hannibal style,i felt so rough.

I've never been so thankful to see a Mcdonalds in my life. There's no way i could have appreciated the city and gallery without fries, cola and several burgers to kill the hangover from hell.

[mr 420]

Originally Posted by Inspector Abberline

Watch all 3 Its Alive and have a quadruple deformed baby festival, plus Combat Shock just to lighten the mood.

You're forgetting about the daddy of them all, the fantastic Eraserhead.

[trebor8273]

trick or treat. 7.7/10




Halloween 3 Season of the Witch. 6.9/10

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

I echo Demdike's sentiments about your review of Hannibal, Mac. It's a film I haven't seen in a long time but, when I did, remember liking some of it, but not others. I love Julianne Moore as an actress, but it was jarring to adjust to her, rather than Jodie Foster, playing Clarice Starling. Thinking back, it is probably Giancarlo Giannini, who was recently found fame in a couple of the Bond films, who impressed me the most.

I should probably revisit all the Hannibal Lecter/Lecktor films in chronological order, starting with Hannibal Rising, then Red Dragon and Manhunter, then The Silence of the Lambs, and finally Hannibal. The one I'm least looking forward to watching is Hannibal Rising, a film which left me distinctly underwhelmed at the cinema (the revelation about the reason for Hannibal Lecter's psychopathy and predilection for eating human flesh was a complete WTF? moment which really didn't make sense).

[MacBlayne]

Originally Posted by Nosferatu@Cult Labs

I echo Demdike's sentiments about your review of Hannibal, Mac. It's a film I haven't seen in a long time but, when I did, remember liking some of it, but not others. I love Julianne Moore as an actress, but it was jarring to adjust to her, rather than Jodie Foster, playing Clarice Starling. Thinking back, it is probably Giancarlo Giannini, who was recently found fame in a couple of the Bond films, who impressed me the most.

I should probably revisit all the Hannibal Lecter/Lecktor films in chronological order, starting with Hannibal Rising, then Red Dragon and Manhunter, then The Silence of the Lambs, and finally Hannibal. The one I'm least looking forward to watching is Hannibal Rising, a film which left me distinctly underwhelmed at the cinema (the revelation about the reason for Hannibal Lecter's psychopathy and predilection for eating human flesh was a complete WTF? moment which really didn't make sense).

I honestly don't remember much of Hannibal Rising. My friend said it was horrible so I had a few drinks and went to an empty screening of it. I know I laughed a lot but I'm not sure why.

Red Dragon is meh to me. It lacks the exploration of identity that Manhunter explored - Dollarhyde creates an alter-ego in which he feels safe as he is the most powerful incarnation in this world. Graham is worried that he is losing his identity to this powerful force.

Also, Brian Cox is just magnificent as Lecktor.

For me the preference goes:

- Manhunter
- Hannibal
- Hannibal (TV series)
- The Silence of the Lambs
- Red Dragon
- Hannibal Rising

Also, Giannini does have the most complex role. He commits an evil deed yet he does so out of love more than malice.