Once Bitten (1985) was cute. I love Countess Dracula (1971), and this comedic take on the story was a gas. I'm surprised I'd never seen this one, honestly. 80s forever.
Friday, September 18, 2020
Ready or Not (2019)
Eric came over for a backyard showing of Ready or Not (2019), which was awesome! A lively comedic horror film starring hottie Samara Weaving (from The Babysitter). Great satire with some hilarious characters, including an Otho-like brother-in-law. Some annoying horror no-nos*, but no dealbreakers. All in all, a fun, playful movie.
* I just can't stand it in modern films when people do any of these stupid horror no-nos:
- assume the killer is dead. SHOOT HIM AGAIN DAMNIT!!! like 6 more times!
- leave the weapon on the ground. So you knocked the gun out of his hand... NOW PICK IT UP, YOU NINNY!
- stop to comfort each other, inspect wounds, cry, or provide exposition. THERE WILL BE PLENTY OF TIME FOR THAT LATER, IF YOU SURVIVE!
- or any of the classics (split up, go toward the scary sound, etc.)
Haven't any of these people seen a horror movie?? 🤣
The Most Dangerous Game (1932)
Knowing we'd be watching Ready or Not (2019) tonight, I made sure to watch the original The Most Dangerous Game (1932) today in preparation. A pre-code classic horror film about a wealthy madman who hunts, you guessed it, people for sport. It was delightful actually. (Although in keeping with historical perspectives of women, the doe-eyed damsel of this film seemed to utterly lack interiority, but that's par for the course.)
Phenomena (1985)
Megan and I plunged into the abyss with Dario Argento's insane giallo Phenomena (1985). My all-time favorite horror film, Suspiria (1977), is by Argento, and this film stars the exquisite Jennifer Connelly one year before her appearance in Labyrinth, so I was pretty psyched for this movie. The narrative has been called "muddled," but that's a dramatic understatement. It starts out as a rational and linear (if fantastic) story, but abruptly devolves into visual and narrative chaos and depravity. The aesthetics of the film are great and characteristic of the genre, with intense colors, crazy zooms, and wild music (Iron Maiden, anyone?). I LOVED the movie until its utterly strange denouement... now need to sit with it a bit. Still, I'd recommend! // Oh also, there was some weirdness with the release of this film (they cut out 20 min and re-released in English as the widely-panned Creepers). We watched the so-called "hybrid" version, with ~6 min of footage where no English audio exists, so there were random Italian scenes. 🙄 These were supposed to appear with subtitles, but did not on Amazon prime, so brush up on your Italian!
Frenzy (1972)
Frenzy (1972) was terrific. I love Hitchcock. It's been years and years since I've seen most of his work (though I don't think I'd ever seen this one), it's incredible how shocking it still feels, nearly 50 years later.
A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)
Busy busy week and I'm behind on the horror countdown, but glad to be getting back on track with Sarah Jablonski tonight, watching A Tale of Two Sisters (2003)! This Korean horror film had great use of color and some very powerful shots. The story was interesting but confusing, maybe something was lost in translation -- had to read the wikipedia plot synopsis haha.
Recommended for fans of spooky, atmospheric, psychological thrillers (though some scenes are kinda gory). Vibes of The Others (2001). If you liked this, recommend Ich Seh Ich Seh (2014).
Penda's Fen (1974)
Penda's Fen is provocative, radical even, in its treatment of religion, sexuality, capitalism, and society. The production value was atrocious, however, and the copy I saw was probably even worse, looked like a VHS recording. (Ripe for a remake!!) I wouldn't really call this a horror film, although there were some creepy and shocking scenes.
"What is it that is hidden beneath this shell of lovely earth? Some hideous angel of technocratic death?"
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