Every time The Host comes up, I feel obliged to recommend the dir's previous thriller Memories of Murder. Especially to anyone who liked Zodiac, they're very similar films in many ways.
This was kinda the italian version of the above master piece, also starring David Hess and all in all not bad at all...
This one is amazingly good and a tour de force in the truest sense of the word:
any one of these movies shits all over Tarantino's entire work (past, recent and future) from a very large altitude.
Considering I'm also a big fan of this sub-genre I'm embarrassed to admit that I've never checked out either of these movies - will be hunting them down as a matter of priority.
This was kinda the italian version of the above master piece, also starring David Hess and all in all not bad at all...
This one is amazingly good and a tour de force in the truest sense of the word:
any one of these movies shits all over Tarantino's entire work (past, recent and future) from a very large altitude.
Considering I'm also a big fan of this sub-genre I'm embarrassed to admit that I've never checked out either of these movies - will be hunting them down as a matter of priority.
"Hitch-Hike" is the most essential one and even introduced the sub-sub-genre of "Mobile Home Invasion"!
It's really a beast of a movie that fucks with your head. Franco Nero and David Hess battling it out on various very low levels of human depravity... you will love it!
Edit:
I just checked for you and they are both available together at Amazon:
People are definitely dropping some gems. To take this discussion in a few different directions at once:
classy, atmospheric, vintage low-budget chiller:
I found this film's presentation of small-town life oddly involving in its simplicity:
if you enjoy late 70s/ early 80s "Anytown, USA" horror flicks like Humanoids from the deep and Phantasm -- and want a campy good time that doesn't descend into Troma levels of schlock -- these more recent films recall that era fondly IMHO:
I think the concept of this film was great, but the acting was just terrible. I had heard they were remaking this one, and I think if they do it right it'll work.
How's "Slither"? I looked up some info online and it seems to be strongly inspired by Cronenbergs "Rabid" which I remember having thoroughly enjoyed when I watched it many, many years ago...
This brings to mind another genre classic that can not be recommended strongly enough to anyone (if there really is) who hasn't seen it:
I think I posted something about this last summer, but I still find it to be one of the better "recent" horrors, or something along those lines. The atmosphere was fantastic. I also watched "Murder Party" which I hear is playing at Afterdark this week in Toronto. Not bad, but not great. Horror comedy like Severance, but not as good IMO.
I think the concept of this film was great, but the acting was just terrible. I had heard they were remaking this one, and I think if they do it right it'll work.
Well, I usually cut movies like this some slack on the acting front, especially as most European horror movies from this era were released dubbed in English, with actors cast mostly for their faces more than for their acting chops.
I think the concept of this film was great, but the acting was just terrible. I had heard they were remaking this one, and I think if they do it right it'll work.
Well, I usually cut movies like this some slack on the acting front, especially as most European horror movies from this era were released dubbed in English, with actors cast mostly for their faces more than for their acting chops.
I respect that. I guess I just recall sitting there thinking "this could have been SO damn good if the acting was better", but I'll admit I enjoyed the film a lot.
How's "Slither"? I looked up some info online and it seems to be strongly inspired by Cronenbergs "Rabid" which I remember having thoroughly enjoyed when I watched it many, many years ago...
I enjoyed Slither quite a bit. It definitely has a much lighter touch than Cronenberg, but it is gore-heavy, and I see the following similarity: Slither shares Cronenberg's fascination with the human body as a mysterious "other" capable of at any moment swelling into a festering abscess overflowing with blood, cum, pus, and/or shit.
How's "Slither"? I looked up some info online and it seems to be strongly inspired by Cronenbergs "Rabid" which I remember having thoroughly enjoyed when I watched it many, many years ago...
I enjoyed Slither quite a bit. It definitely has a much lighter touch than Cronenberg, but it is gore-heavy, and I see the following similarity: Slither shares Cronenberg's fascination with the human body as a mysterious "other" capable of at any moment swelling into a festering abscess overflowing with blood, cum, pus, and/or shit.
Yeah Slither is entertaining enough - made very much in a style reminiscent of eighties horror. Rather than the serious tone of Rabid I actually thought it was more like Night Of The Creeps with it's comical zombies and tongue in cheek gore. If you haven't seen Night of The Creeps and are a fan of OTT eighties horror I definitely recommend it.
Co-signs on Videodrome (and Cronenberg's first couple of films as well), Last House on the Left, Phenomena (more for young hottie Jennfier Connelly than anything scary) and Carnival of Souls (it gave me nightmares in my mid-20s!).
Maybe it's too obvious, but Texas Chainsaw Massacre has yet to be rivaled in my books for creepiness. The low-budget, grainy, lo-fi effects make me feel confused like the characters and everything just looks like it smells bad in the movie. So effective.
I saw a British B/W (from the 30's I think) a while ago and the name is something like Haunted House or Haunted Hill, it was nothing too scary, but quite good atmospherically and it must have slipped in at that time before decency laws/censorship took; when you could still show women running around half-naked and acting openly sexual.
These folks are caught in a storm and stop at a house where they spend the night. The residents act weird and suspicious and it comes out that there is someone hidden in the attic. If you know what this is, please tell me!!
Maybe because it's too obvious, but Texas Chainsaw Massacre has yet to be rivaled in my books for creepiness. The low-budget, grainy, lo-fi effects make me feel confused like the characters and everything just looks like it smells bad in the movie. So effective.
I guess no-one in their right mind would question the allmightyness of TCM.
I am also pretty sure that there was in fact a pretty bad smell on the set...
funny side note:
There used to be a 3-day horror-gore festival in the Bavarian town of N??rnberg every year... must have been the late 80s, early 90s. Once they had the great idea to show "street trash" (a pretty good movie for what it was) at the opening party on a junk yard. This is just to let you know how serious the guys responsible for this event were... Anyway... during the screening of TCM (which took place inside a real movie theater), when leatherface chases blondie through the woods, some guy comes running into the theater waving a (running) chainsaw above his head, frantically chasing through the aisles while the air filled with the fumes from the chainsaw's engine... hahaha... he had people running for the doors... ah, good times!
Larry Cohen's "God Told Me To" and "Q" are a bit on the chesse side, but entertaining and worth watching imo.
So is
And Bernard Hermann's score is great. Was that ever released on vinyl? The intro title sequence is so beautiful.
I will co-sign on the Suspiria defamation. Saw it for the first time recently and was very dissapointed. Some nice scenes, but overall it was kind of a mess IMO. Very sloppy ending. It's OK for what it is, but not the classic I thought it would be.
Not bad. has a few WTF? moments and an interesting take on modern French teen horror:
Sequel to Suspiria, which I also still like. This one makes even less sense, if that's possible:
From Argento co-conspirator Michele Soavi.aka Dellamorte Dellamore Not super-scary, but entertaining. A good Halloween flick:
Boxer's Omen doesn't have shit on this one. Also known as Shaolin Drunkard and features a bootleg Flash Gordon soundtrack ripped straight off the vinyl. Really.
Maybe because it's too obvious, but Texas Chainsaw Massacre has yet to be rivaled in my books for creepiness. The low-budget, grainy, lo-fi effects make me feel confused like the characters and everything just looks like it smells bad in the movie. So effective.
I guess no-one in their right mind would question the allmightyness of TCM.
I am also pretty sure that there was in fact a pretty bad smell on the set...
In my book, TCM has yet to be topped in terms of sheer pervasive creepiness. That atmosphere is quickly established, and then it never relents--and it doesn't even ease off at the end, it just gets sort of truncated (with the implication that it'll happen again as Leatherface doesn't get killed).
And that dinner table scene? Holy shit. That's the kind of thing that'll squick you right out of your skin. And the legendary story is that shooting that scene was a gross experience--not to mention a long one. It was already a balls-hot Texas summer, then you throw in the heat from the lights and all the equipment, and you're talking unbearable temperature. And there were all these scraps of meat on the table that the actors say they could watch putrefy as filming continued. They said the stench was unbearable and that people constantly had to run outside and puke between takes (or sometimes during).
There's a short (and very interesting) DVD about the making of the movie...I'm blanking on the name right now...but anyway, they interview the actors, and they all tell stories about shooting that scene and how grueling it was.
over-the-top, artful psychedelic/psychotronic/psychotic horror freakout fare its best.
BTW, am I right that no one's cosigned this one? I'm interested if people haven't seen it, or people have seen it and didn't like it. That latter would be truly puzzling to me, this is a highly unnerving film, and like Polanski at his best while there are supernatural elements to the story the real horror from the film comes from how very cruel human beings often are in their behavior to their loved ones.
Amazingly well-shot film, highly psychedelic and disorienting and times, uniquely unnverving and boasting a strong cult following (here in Bmore, anyway).
over-the-top, artful psychedelic/psychotronic/psychotic horror freakout fare its best.
BTW, am I right that no one's cosigned this one? I'm interested if people haven't seen it, or people have seen it and didn't like it. That latter would be truly puzzling to me, this is a highly unnerving film, and like Polanski at his best while there are supernatural elements to the story the real horror from the film comes from how very cruel human beings often are in their behavior to their loved ones.
Amazingly well-shot film, highly psychedelic and disorienting and times, uniquely unnverving and boasting a strong cult following (here in Bmore, anyway).
I've never seen this but when I was working in TV, I called Isabelle Adjani pretending that I thought it was her agent's number, knowing it was her house. I know that makes me sound like a stalker, but it was worth it. She was very nice and polite and her voice sounded wonderful.
Man, if you have that level of interest in her, rent this tonight! It's the performance of a lifetime. Sam Neil's great, too -- and I usually hate him.
Man, if you have that level of interest in her, rent this tonight! It's the performance of a lifetime. Sam Neil's great, too -- and I usually hate him.
I'd love to go and rent this out right now, only problem is that there won't be a video store in the radius of a couple of thousand of miles which will carry it... there's no netflix in West Africa either... let me tell you, video stores are pretty much the only thing I'm missing down here and I miss hem pretty badly.
I definitely put a few movies that got mentioned here down on my wantlist for my download-and-burn connection in Europe.
And on a related note: How come no-one gave their thumbs up for the Bell From Hell?
I'd love to go and rent this out right now, only problem is that there won't be a video store in the radius of a couple of thousand of miles which will carry it... there's no netflix in West Africa either... let me tell you, video stores are pretty much the only thing I'm missing down here and I miss hem pretty badly.
Sorry to hear that, that sucks. And btw, the "go out and rent it" was directed at Bassie, who fessed up to some Adjani psuedo-telo-stalking (and has lotsa good video stores in her city).
And on a related note: How come no-one gave their thumbs up for the Bell From Hell?
Terrible effects, hilarious acting, ridiculous story. Really fun to watch - considered the first slasher flick and surprisingly, this movie was banned in Germany..........in 2004!!
All the others are cool films, although some are questionable as "horror" (Vanishing, Erashead).
I know Roth was interested in remaking Wicker Man before the Cage/LaBute team took over. I hear the remake was awful, I have to imagine Roth would've done a better job.
All the others are cool films, although some are questionable as "horror" (Vanishing, Erashead).
I know Roth was interested in remaking Wicker Man before the Cage/LaBute team took over. I hear the remake was awful, I have to imagine Roth would've done a better job.
A remake of The Wickerman was totally, absolutely and completely unnecessary, no matter who wanted to do it.
All the others are cool films, although some are questionable as "horror" (Vanishing, Erashead).
I know Roth was interested in remaking Wicker Man before the Cage/LaBute team took over. I hear the remake was awful, I have to imagine Roth would've done a better job.
A remake of The Wickerman was totally, absolutely and completely unnecessary, no matter who wanted to do it.
I can agree with that, although as a former video store employee I can say from experience that crappy remakes at least drum up interest in the originals and get em seen by more people than would otherwise.
Maybe because it's too obvious, but Texas Chainsaw Massacre has yet to be rivaled in my books for creepiness. The low-budget, grainy, lo-fi effects make me feel confused like the characters and everything just looks like it smells bad in the movie. So effective.
I dont remember it smelling bad...but this dude I know in Austin has the set furniture from TCM...my band crashed at his house after a show and that stuff was creepy as fuck, kinda hard to get a decent nights sleep knowing how close you are to the chair grandpa sat him...
Comments
super suprising and witty.
Every time The Host comes up, I feel obliged to recommend the dir's previous thriller Memories of Murder. Especially to anyone who liked Zodiac, they're very similar films in many ways.
Considering I'm also a big fan of this sub-genre I'm embarrassed to admit that I've never checked out either of these movies - will be hunting them down as a matter of priority.
"Hitch-Hike" is the most essential one and even introduced the sub-sub-genre of "Mobile Home Invasion"!
It's really a beast of a movie that fucks with your head. Franco Nero and David Hess battling it out on various very low levels of human depravity... you will love it!
Edit:
I just checked for you and they are both available together at Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Hitch-Hike-Franco-...0039&sr=1-1
beautiful poster for Hitch Hike:
i also enjoyed phenomena
the monkey is
classy, atmospheric, vintage low-budget chiller:
I found this film's presentation of small-town life oddly involving in its simplicity:
if you enjoy late 70s/ early 80s "Anytown, USA" horror flicks like Humanoids from the deep and Phantasm -- and want a campy good time that doesn't descend into Troma levels of schlock -- these more recent films recall that era fondly IMHO:
...especially...
...and to a lesser degree...
this one speaks for itself:
I think the concept of this film was great, but the acting was just terrible. I had heard they were remaking this one, and I think if they do it right it'll work.
I looked up some info online and it seems to be strongly inspired by Cronenbergs "Rabid" which I remember having thoroughly enjoyed when I watched it many, many years ago...
This brings to mind another genre classic that can not be recommended strongly enough to anyone (if there really is) who hasn't seen it:
I think I posted something about this last summer, but I still find it to be one of the better "recent" horrors, or something along those lines. The atmosphere was fantastic. I also watched "Murder Party" which I hear is playing at Afterdark this week in Toronto. Not bad, but not great. Horror comedy like Severance, but not as good IMO.
This should be in my mailbox this week;
http://www.rovdyrfilm.no/
I'm kind of interested in seeing that one.
Well, I usually cut movies like this some slack on the acting front, especially as most European horror movies from this era were released dubbed in English, with actors cast mostly for their faces more than for their acting chops.
I respect that. I guess I just recall sitting there thinking "this could have been SO damn good if the acting was better", but I'll admit I enjoyed the film a lot.
I enjoyed Slither quite a bit. It definitely has a much lighter touch than Cronenberg, but it is gore-heavy, and I see the following similarity: Slither shares Cronenberg's fascination with the human body as a mysterious "other" capable of at any moment swelling into a festering abscess overflowing with blood, cum, pus, and/or shit.
Yeah Slither is entertaining enough - made very much in a style reminiscent of eighties horror. Rather than the serious tone of Rabid I actually thought it was more like Night Of The Creeps with it's comical zombies and tongue in cheek gore. If you haven't seen Night of The Creeps and are a fan of OTT eighties horror I definitely recommend it.
Maybe it's too obvious, but Texas Chainsaw Massacre has yet to be rivaled in my books for creepiness. The low-budget, grainy, lo-fi effects make me feel confused like the characters and everything just looks like it smells bad in the movie. So effective.
I saw a British B/W (from the 30's I think) a while ago and the name is something like Haunted House or Haunted Hill, it was nothing too scary, but quite good atmospherically and it must have slipped in at that time before decency laws/censorship took; when you could still show women running around half-naked and acting openly sexual.
These folks are caught in a storm and stop at a house where they spend the night. The residents act weird and suspicious and it comes out that there is someone hidden in the attic. If you know what this is, please tell me!!
Agreed with some consternation and hesitation as I feel like she was probably around 15 at this point?
I guess no-one in their right mind would question the allmightyness of TCM.
I am also pretty sure that there was in fact a pretty bad smell on the set...
funny side note:
There used to be a 3-day horror-gore festival in the Bavarian town of N??rnberg every year... must have been the late 80s, early 90s.
Once they had the great idea to show "street trash" (a pretty good movie for what it was) at the opening party on a junk yard. This is just to let you know how serious the guys responsible for this event were... Anyway... during the screening of TCM (which took place inside a real movie theater), when leatherface chases blondie through the woods, some guy comes running into the theater waving a (running) chainsaw above his head, frantically chasing through the aisles while the air filled with the fumes from the chainsaw's engine... hahaha... he had people running for the doors... ah, good times!
So is
And Bernard Hermann's score is great. Was that ever released on vinyl?
The intro title sequence is so beautiful.
I will co-sign on the Suspiria defamation. Saw it for the first time recently and was very dissapointed. Some nice scenes, but overall it was kind of a mess IMO. Very sloppy ending. It's OK for what it is, but not the classic I thought it would be.
Not bad. has a few WTF? moments and an interesting take on modern French teen horror:
Sequel to Suspiria, which I also still like. This one makes even less sense, if that's possible:
From Argento co-conspirator Michele Soavi.aka Dellamorte Dellamore Not super-scary, but entertaining. A good Halloween flick:
Boxer's Omen doesn't have shit on this one. Also known as Shaolin Drunkard and features a bootleg Flash Gordon soundtrack ripped straight off the vinyl. Really.
and...
In my book, TCM has yet to be topped in terms of sheer pervasive creepiness. That atmosphere is quickly established, and then it never relents--and it doesn't even ease off at the end, it just gets sort of truncated (with the implication that it'll happen again as Leatherface doesn't get killed).
And that dinner table scene? Holy shit. That's the kind of thing that'll squick you right out of your skin. And the legendary story is that shooting that scene was a gross experience--not to mention a long one. It was already a balls-hot Texas summer, then you throw in the heat from the lights and all the equipment, and you're talking unbearable temperature. And there were all these scraps of meat on the table that the actors say they could watch putrefy as filming continued. They said the stench was unbearable and that people constantly had to run outside and puke between takes (or sometimes during).
There's a short (and very interesting) DVD about the making of the movie...I'm blanking on the name right now...but anyway, they interview the actors, and they all tell stories about shooting that scene and how grueling it was.
BTW, am I right that no one's cosigned this one? I'm interested if people haven't seen it, or people have seen it and didn't like it. That latter would be truly puzzling to me, this is a highly unnerving film, and like Polanski at his best while there are supernatural elements to the story the real horror from the film comes from how very cruel human beings often are in their behavior to their loved ones.
Amazingly well-shot film, highly psychedelic and disorienting and times, uniquely unnverving and boasting a strong cult following (here in Bmore, anyway).
I've never seen this but when I was working in TV, I called Isabelle Adjani pretending that I thought it was her agent's number, knowing it was her house. I know that makes me sound like a stalker, but it was worth it. She was very nice and polite and her voice sounded wonderful.
I'd love to go and rent this out right now, only problem is that there won't be a video store in the radius of a couple of thousand of miles which will carry it... there's no netflix in West Africa either... let me tell you, video stores are pretty much the only thing I'm missing down here and I miss hem pretty badly.
I definitely put a few movies that got mentioned here down on my wantlist for my download-and-burn connection in Europe.
And on a related note: How come no-one gave their thumbs up for the Bell From Hell?
Sorry to hear that, that sucks. And btw, the "go out and rent it" was directed at Bassie, who fessed up to some Adjani psuedo-telo-stalking (and has lotsa good video stores in her city).
haven't seen it, but it's on my list now.
Terrible effects, hilarious acting, ridiculous story. Really fun to watch - considered the first slasher flick and surprisingly, this movie was banned in Germany..........in 2004!!
I haven't seen Pieces or Who Can Kill a Child?
All the others are cool films, although some are questionable as "horror" (Vanishing, Erashead).
I know Roth was interested in remaking Wicker Man before the Cage/LaBute team took over. I hear the remake was awful, I have to imagine Roth would've done a better job.
A remake of The Wickerman was totally, absolutely and completely unnecessary, no matter who wanted to do it.
I can agree with that, although as a former video store employee I can say from experience that crappy remakes at least drum up interest in the originals and get em seen by more people than would otherwise.
I dont remember it smelling bad...but this dude I know in Austin has the set furniture from TCM...my band crashed at his house after a show and that stuff was creepy as fuck, kinda hard to get a decent nights sleep knowing how close you are to the chair grandpa sat him...