Rate the Last Movie You Saw

[dannyboy121070]

I've been on a Halloween tear since October 1st, trying to watch some Horror or Horror adjacent stuff every night. I've already lost track of everything I've watched, but here's what I can recall:

I finished the last few episodes of WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS. They somehow managed to make me laugh my ass off and tear up a few times, especially in the last episode. The Laszlo/Baby Colin Robinson relationship was hysterical and poignant. I'll really miss these characters until season five premieres.

SPEAK NO EVIL has been getting a ton of buzz, so I had high hopes. It IS very off-putting and disturbing, but....I must just have seen too many movies, because I saw the end coming a mile away. The characters also made one HUGE, dumb mistake that took me right out of the movie.

V/H/S: I finally got around to watching this, and it was SO FUCKING LONG. Waaaaay too long. I was underwhelmed. One good story, a few predictable ones, and at least one that seemed like it was shot by a kid for a budget of five bucks.

THE CURSED was marketed as a Werewolf movie, and it kinda/sorta was.....not quite, but close enough. Aside from the cheesy CGI on the creature, this was a very good film. Atmospheric, creepy, well-acted, great-looking. This would probably be my highest recommendation out of what I've watched so far this season.

THE CURSE OF ROBERT THE DOLL is a Travel Channel special about the famous cursed doll. Good for what it was. (I love this kind of stuff!) My wife was terrified.....

HELLRAISER premiered this past Friday on Hulu, and was....OK, I guess. Nice to see the franchise get a budget finally. There was a lot I liked (Good effects, decent acting), but, again....SOOOOO LONG. This could have lost, at LEAST, 30 minutes and not suffered a bit. I was not in love with the new Pinhead, but she did her best. The kind of movie you watch and then instantly forget.

X.....Aside from the short in V/H/S, this was mu first Ti West film. Very predictable, but at least it was different. A horny geriatric woman killing people is a first for me. This also seemed a little longer than it needed to be, but it moved along quickly enough, had some good acting and effects, and has me interested in seeing the prequel, PEARL.

I also watched a three-part documentary on Hulu called SASQUATCH, about a triple-homicide that fingered the titular beast as the killer. The first episode does a deep-dive into Bigfoot mythology, and the last two go to some VERY disturbing places. Overall, a very compelling mini-series that I highly recommend.

And I've been dipping in and out of the new Shudder 101 SCARIEST HORROR SCENES, which is totally misnamed, as its more a rundown of FILMS, not scenes. Again, my wife was scared/disgusted, and walked out, lol. I have no one to share the Halloween season with.....

[Sock Monkey]

Halloween Horror Movie #1:

FINAL DESTINATION: I kicked off my annual horror movie watching with an oldie but a goodie: the original FINAL DESTINATION. I haven't seen this movie in probably fifteen years, but I always had good memories about it. And after watching again last night, I can say that it still holds up, especially that scene on the airplane at the beginning of the film. The movie was never particularly scary--even when I saw it the first time--and the character development is pretty much nil, but it is a lot of fun and whips through it's brisk 97 minute runtime. A good way to kick off the Halloween season before I dig into heavier movies.

Grade: B

[Ben Staad]

dannyboy121070 I have never heard of this movie and it sounds like a psychedelics fueled fever dream. Thanks for mentioning it. I will be on the look out for this oddity.

[dannyboy121070]

Wow, I just saw THE weirdest movie.......SHANKS.

I first learned of this bizarre film when I saw it listed on TCM a few years back. It was on way too late for me, and I've had my eye out for it ever since. TCM ran it again last week, in the dead of night again, but this time they have it available on their Watch TCM app. It's available until 9/12, and I can't recommened it enough. If you're on this board, you'll really appreciate this film.

What's it about, you ask..? I spent the whole running time imagining how it could be described.

(Spoilers will follow, so if you're interested in this film, I guess don't read the rest of this post!)

SHANKS is a 1973 mime/Horror/fairy tale concoction starring Marcel Marceau (!!!), and directed by the legendary William Castle (!!!!!).

Marceau stars as Malcolm Shanks, a deaf-mute living somewhere in the midwest, with his harridan sister-in-law and her alcoholic second husband. (All three are french, and living in bumfuck America, for some reason.) Shanks is hired out of the blue as an assistant by a weird old recluse (Also played by Marceau), who is perfecting his method of re-animating dead bodies. (!!!!)

The old man dies, setting off a bizarre series of events resulting in Shanks' family being killed and re-animated as his slaves (!!!). There's also Shanks' creepy relationship with a little girl who is probably 13 or 14. "Mom,. can I go on a picnic with this 55 year old mime?" Sure, no problem!

The little blonde girl goes off with Shanks to the old man's castle, he dresses her up like a bride, and uses his corpse slaves to throw her a birthday party. Of course, the party is crashed by that old 70s B-movie bugaboo, the biker gang. The bikers beat up Malcolm, rape and kill the little girl (!!!!!), and the stage is set for the mime zombies vs bikers finale.

This is a jaw-droppingly weird film. TCM host Alicia Malone said that Marceau made Castle tone down the horrific aspects of the film, and make it more of a fairy tale. I'd hate to see how dark it was before the changes, since this fairy tale features CHILD RAPE AND MURDER!!!! You really have to see this to believe it.

I'd love to hear if anyone else has seen this film....

I can almost guarantee that you've never heard of this creepy little oddity, and this description does not even begin to touch how weird it is.

[Ben Staad]

3D gives me a migraine. So I pass on them as well. IMAX also bothers my head but I think that has something to do with the enhanced sound systems in IMAX theaters and not necessarily the screen. IDK but very loud and booming noises don't work well with me in the theater. Feel similar when watching or listening to an orchestra in person. Headache city.

Weird thing is firing my gun or setting off fireworks doesn't bother me.

I believe it was national cinema day across the country. Saw Jaws for the first time on the big screen in IMAX for 3 bucks as well. Never been a fan of 3D as it causes me motion sickness or something there of the like.