I like that it's faithful to Lovecraft's story for the most part and showing the "earthly" things in grayscale was a clever move. However, this film fails miserably where it moves away from the source material.
Reviews
16 Reviews
The Color Out of Space
(2010)
Yet again Call of Cthulhu (2005) remains the superior Lovecraft adaptation
26 November 2019
Possum
(2018)
Starts good but ultimately unrewarding
26 November 2019
I enjoyed the first half. It was atmospheric, intriguing, bleak but beautiful. In the second half it starts rehearsing itself as if just to fill time. Very slowly leads it up to the exact conclusion you thought it would have. The latter isn't necessarily bad just feels unrewarding after sitting through so much filler.
The Ritual
(I) (2017)
Very annoying
21 November 2019
The creature design is the only cool part of the movie. I recommend to anyone who hasn't watched it yet to skip until the last 20 minutes or simply to look up the pictures of the monster and save 90 minutes of your life. Most of the film is just a cycle of flashbacks of the same scene (they happen like 5 times or even more) and characters arguing with one another (this also becomes very tedious because the characters aren't interesting to begin with). The plot itself is straightforward, predictable and very little is left up to speculation. The monster is basically an embodiment suppressed emotions, which is a concept explored in every second monster movie since the beginning of the genre. Except in the Ritual it's being bashed into our head like we're too stupid to understand more subtle ways.
On the Silver Globe
(1988)
Mean and hypnotic
21 November 2019
This is a very nihilistic saga that mocks spiritual misconceptions by means of anthropology, myth, religion put under a microscope. It's amazing how Zulawski managed to engage me in this three hour gibberish monologue. The whole thing is very reminiscent of performance art and butoh dancing. That's not to say that the cinematography was uninspired, it was gorgeous.
Visitor of a Museum
(1989)
death of the material world
21 November 2019
The visuals are amazing, the themes in it are interesting and relevant in many ways. However, this one was a bit too preachy and overstretched for my taste. This film isn't subtle by any means and sometimes even crosses over to the horror genre.
Marebito
(2004)
Haven't been creeped out by a horror movie since childhood until I watched Marebito
19 November 2019
Bleak, surreal, unsettling. I was genuinely creeped out by this one. It's exactly the right amount of gritty, low-budget to fell real and authentic without becoming unwatchable. The story is also refreshing - it's an allegorical take on depression. There's plenty to take away, if you're up for it.
Noroi
(2005)
Lame and not immersive
16 November 2019
The biggest problem with Noroi is that it doesn't look like a real documentary / found footage at all. The music ruins the immersion and in some places you can see that there were multiple takes. Immersion is the whole point of the subgenre and the lack of it made not scary and annoying. The Hori character is interesting to redeem the movie somewhat. Noroi had good buildup, a sense of mystery but the ending was cliche.
Forbidden World
(1982)
So fun!
11 November 2019
This movie had my attention when it managed to rip off 2001: a Space Odyssey and Alien AND Star Wars in the opening alone! It's no masterpiece even by b-movie standards but it has the funniest sex scene I've ever seen. It's fun exploitative ridiculousness. My only complaint is that the kills were a bit lame.
Boxing Helena
(1993)
Dreadful
11 November 2019
What had potential to be a dark psychological thriller was ruined by campy soundtrack and cinematography, a dull ending, "hidden" meanings being bashed into your head and uninspired characters. Still, I don't feel like I wasted my time watching this one. I think it's quite amusing and bold that Jennifer Lynch expected us to root for this couple or to find any of this "hot" or "romantic". If you want something similar but done better go watch The Skin I Live In (2011).
Perdita Durango
(1997)
Entertaining
11 November 2019
It's a Mexican variation of Natural Born Killers (1994), basically. The main characters have a bit more complicated relationship than in Natural Born Killer which made it interesting. If you enjoy grindhouse cinema than this is the movie for you.
The Secret of NIMH
(1982)
Beautiful and intense
24 October 2018
This animated film quite different from the more lighthearted stuff I watched as a kid but different in a good way. I love how they designed the environments and humanized the animals and the magic looks very pretty. The song "flying dreams" is touching. The story is intense. The main characters are always in mortal danger and it has more deaths than most cartoons. However it didn't stop me from rewatching it multiple times as a child and returning to watch it as an adult. "The secret of NIMH" will always hold a special place in my heart.
Gory lullaby
25 December 2017
Warning: Spoilers
I couldn't go to sleep yesterday so put on this movie to help me do so.
It was quite enjoyable! I loved the music and how it complemented the b&w medical aestheticic. It was like a gory lullaby.
However I have a couple of issues with the film:
1- The audio. You can't hear what the characters are saying.
2- The staff was killed off too easily.
3- The 'patient' doesn't give that much of a reaction to some of the rather painful 'pedicures' yet he was screaming and twitching when the doctor ran some spurs over his back. Really? The back isn't even a sensitive area. Maybe if he ran them over his balls that would've been more convincing. And fun too.
Phantasmagoria
(I) (2014)
Amateur crap
25 December 2017
What a waste of time!
It's cheap but not in a fun b-movie kind of way. The storylines are dull and predictible, the characters suck even by low-budget horror movie standards, the cinematography and acting are amateurish, it's not scary, atmospheric or even shocking. The dialogue is the worst part. Normally, I would try to find at least something good even in a crappy movie but in this case I just had to fast-forward through most of it and won't even waste my time writing a more in-depth review.
Original but overrated
8 December 2017
I first heard about this film on youtube. It would often pop up in reviews and top lists. I recommend you not to believe the hype and watch the movie with an open mind. Otherwise you risk being disappointed like I was.
The source material for this movie is amazing. Folktales are a horror goldmine and it's a shame you don't see it being used so often. The movie draws you in with it's original concept and stetting.
The approach to horror itself is very unorthodox in the sense that most horror movies nowadays rely on obscurity or grotesque visuals. This movie shows horror in broad daylight, the camera is steady, there are no monsters, no gore. So what good is it? - Realism. Especially in the supernatural scenes. The rawness of theses scenes is the best part. You're always asking yourself 'is this superstition or is this real?' and 'who is the real villain?'. Of course that's until the charm is ruined by the bullshit ending where those questions are answered in the worst way possible. If they left room for speculation and stuck to the subtle approach I would've given this film a 6 or a 7.
'The Witch' had some good ideas but it's far from perfect. I feel sorry for people who claim that this movie is some 'masterpiece'. Apparently they've been watching only shitty movies this whole time. The cinematography was dry and even felt effortless. I liked the composition in only one shot: the dinner prayer. The picture lacks tonal contrast to compensate the lack of color. It just fails at grasping your attention. Only parts where the dryness benefits the movie are the horror scenes, all the other shots are just tedious and repetitive. Sorry, but it needs to have style or at least some visual value before it can qualify as a 'masterpiece'.
The actors did a great job. My favorite was Kate Dickie as Katherine who I think came off as more threatening then the actual witch.
You can tell that 'The Witch' was heavily inspired by Stanley Kubrick's work (sadly Eggers doesn't take notes from his shot composition though). Not only has it similar motives to 'The Shining' but also a soundtrack that resembles Ligeti's 'Requiem' form '2001 Space Odyssey'.
The source material for this movie is amazing. Folktales are a horror goldmine and it's a shame you don't see it being used so often. The movie draws you in with it's original concept and stetting.
The approach to horror itself is very unorthodox in the sense that most horror movies nowadays rely on obscurity or grotesque visuals. This movie shows horror in broad daylight, the camera is steady, there are no monsters, no gore. So what good is it? - Realism. Especially in the supernatural scenes. The rawness of theses scenes is the best part. You're always asking yourself 'is this superstition or is this real?' and 'who is the real villain?'. Of course that's until the charm is ruined by the bullshit ending where those questions are answered in the worst way possible. If they left room for speculation and stuck to the subtle approach I would've given this film a 6 or a 7.
'The Witch' had some good ideas but it's far from perfect. I feel sorry for people who claim that this movie is some 'masterpiece'. Apparently they've been watching only shitty movies this whole time. The cinematography was dry and even felt effortless. I liked the composition in only one shot: the dinner prayer. The picture lacks tonal contrast to compensate the lack of color. It just fails at grasping your attention. Only parts where the dryness benefits the movie are the horror scenes, all the other shots are just tedious and repetitive. Sorry, but it needs to have style or at least some visual value before it can qualify as a 'masterpiece'.
The actors did a great job. My favorite was Kate Dickie as Katherine who I think came off as more threatening then the actual witch.
You can tell that 'The Witch' was heavily inspired by Stanley Kubrick's work (sadly Eggers doesn't take notes from his shot composition though). Not only has it similar motives to 'The Shining' but also a soundtrack that resembles Ligeti's 'Requiem' form '2001 Space Odyssey'.
Crimson Peak
(2015)
A tribute to classic horror
8 December 2017
Warning: Spoilers
This what I like to call 'your mom's horror movie'. It's a love story set in a previous century, there's some mystery but zero intrigue and occasionally you get some spooky (don't mistake for scary) scenes. It's not everyone's cup of tea but I don't think this movie deserves any less than a 6. It is a stylish little peace that leaves you with a slight feeling of melancholy as Del Toro's films tend to do.
The story follows the Gothic novel formula: an old mansion, a family secret, some ghosts and romance. Apart from the hustle, it doesn't bring anything new to the table. In fact I think the story would've been much more entertaining if it focused more on the villains and their scheme instead of showing it to us from the victims point of view(because each step that the heroine takes is predictable). Ironically the antagonists turned out to be more interesting and developed characters compared to her.
The design of the ghosts is actually pretty interesting. Sadly, they appear just for scares. The ghosts are merely metaphors just like it was stated in the begging of the movie. It would've been more interesting if they played some role story-wise like persuade the heroine to avenge their death by killing off the Sharpe siblings.
Which leads me to the final problem I had with 'Crimson Peak'. It builds up as this stylish and refined horror but in the end Lucille gets killed off with a shovel to head like it's 'Evil Dead' or something and Edith even delivers a one-liner after wards. The part where she gets Lucille to turn around is silly. The whole scene is just comedic and out of place. So was the sex scene but I don't even wanna get into it. It would've been smarter if Edith fixed Lucille's tea and gave her a taste of her own medicine if you know what I mean.
Despite it's flaws I liked the movie's appreciation of classic horror. The acting was good. I'm not really fond of Mia Wasikowska but the others were great and Mia looks good in vintage gowns. The use of color and texture keeps you focused on the screen from beginning to end. Most modern horror movies just make it as dark as possible and put a teal color filter on it. Some people compare its style to 'Suspiria' but I would say that it's much closer to Mario Bava's 'Blood and Black Lace' and the third episode of 'Black Sabbath'. You'll see not only the similarities in style but even where inspiration for the ghosts came from.
The story follows the Gothic novel formula: an old mansion, a family secret, some ghosts and romance. Apart from the hustle, it doesn't bring anything new to the table. In fact I think the story would've been much more entertaining if it focused more on the villains and their scheme instead of showing it to us from the victims point of view(because each step that the heroine takes is predictable). Ironically the antagonists turned out to be more interesting and developed characters compared to her.
The design of the ghosts is actually pretty interesting. Sadly, they appear just for scares. The ghosts are merely metaphors just like it was stated in the begging of the movie. It would've been more interesting if they played some role story-wise like persuade the heroine to avenge their death by killing off the Sharpe siblings.
Which leads me to the final problem I had with 'Crimson Peak'. It builds up as this stylish and refined horror but in the end Lucille gets killed off with a shovel to head like it's 'Evil Dead' or something and Edith even delivers a one-liner after wards. The part where she gets Lucille to turn around is silly. The whole scene is just comedic and out of place. So was the sex scene but I don't even wanna get into it. It would've been smarter if Edith fixed Lucille's tea and gave her a taste of her own medicine if you know what I mean.
Despite it's flaws I liked the movie's appreciation of classic horror. The acting was good. I'm not really fond of Mia Wasikowska but the others were great and Mia looks good in vintage gowns. The use of color and texture keeps you focused on the screen from beginning to end. Most modern horror movies just make it as dark as possible and put a teal color filter on it. Some people compare its style to 'Suspiria' but I would say that it's much closer to Mario Bava's 'Blood and Black Lace' and the third episode of 'Black Sabbath'. You'll see not only the similarities in style but even where inspiration for the ghosts came from.
Livid
(2011)
Generic
7 December 2017
The production design is the only good thing about this movie. If you enjoy spooky victorian-esqe imagery you might sit through this film without getting bored to death. Everything apart from the production is just dull.
So the opening credits take us to a cold morning shore and we see decaying corpse in the sand promising us gruesome gory scenes yet to come (they won't). We meet our heroine on her first day of work as a caregiver... and then her boss spills out 90% of plot within the first 15 minutes. At this point the film starts losing it's intrigue and you're just left hoping that at least it'll deliver some scary scenes. Sadly, it doesn't.
The visuals are the strongest part of the movie but they could've looked better without the heavy color filters. The premise is generic. The acting, cinematography and music are dull. There's no suspense what whatsoever. The death scenes lack any scene of threat or struggle. The victims as well as the villains are killed off too easily. It's like watching a cooking show where vegetables are getting cut. There's no good gore to make up for it either.
Finally I wanna address that the whole thing is marketed as a movie about scary ballerinas but apart from girls wearing tutus that theme isn't utilized much. I think the movie could've done plenty with it but there isn't even any dancing in the film. If you wanna see it done right in a horror/thriller movie I suggest you watch 'Black Swan' (2010) or 'Suspiria' (1977).
I was pretty disappointed that this came from the creators of 'Inside' - an actually entertaining horror movie with tons of re-watch value.
So the opening credits take us to a cold morning shore and we see decaying corpse in the sand promising us gruesome gory scenes yet to come (they won't). We meet our heroine on her first day of work as a caregiver... and then her boss spills out 90% of plot within the first 15 minutes. At this point the film starts losing it's intrigue and you're just left hoping that at least it'll deliver some scary scenes. Sadly, it doesn't.
The visuals are the strongest part of the movie but they could've looked better without the heavy color filters. The premise is generic. The acting, cinematography and music are dull. There's no suspense what whatsoever. The death scenes lack any scene of threat or struggle. The victims as well as the villains are killed off too easily. It's like watching a cooking show where vegetables are getting cut. There's no good gore to make up for it either.
Finally I wanna address that the whole thing is marketed as a movie about scary ballerinas but apart from girls wearing tutus that theme isn't utilized much. I think the movie could've done plenty with it but there isn't even any dancing in the film. If you wanna see it done right in a horror/thriller movie I suggest you watch 'Black Swan' (2010) or 'Suspiria' (1977).
I was pretty disappointed that this came from the creators of 'Inside' - an actually entertaining horror movie with tons of re-watch value.
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