Horror Movie Discussion Thread - Page 7

Cannibal Holocaust is definately a movie that stays with you a while. Just the animal killing scenes are enough to give you nightmares. Some people write it off as a simple exploitation film, but I do believe it does make a point about who are the real savages. It is one of those movies that I never know how to describe to someone. I also am not sure who I would want to show it to. I love showing shocking movies to people, but this may be a bit much for most. I do have trouble with the rape scene with the young native girl. Someone close to me was raped. The depiction is very real for guys in this situation that think they have the right to do whatever they want to do to these "savages". I personally couldn't wait to see the offending "member" removed! Although I did feel the need for a shower after watching this, I still feel it did have something to say, and was not just exploitation like I Spit on your Grave or another movie that is pure exploitation trying to pretend it is empowering for women.

As far as the new DVD, I heard that it is supposed to be unedited, but I have no details on the release.

We fans have been waiting for the upcoming Grindhouse DVD for so long that it got to the point where the DVD felt like nothing more than an urban legend. It is supposed to be the definitive version of Cannibal Holocaust on DVD. Needless to say, my copy is on preorder.

Like I said earlier in this very thread, as far as the cannibal subgenre goes, Cannibal Holocaust is the best IMO. No contest, its as simple as that. A true powerhouse of a film, and the score is absolutely beautiful. I bought the soundtrack recently, and have listened to it many times since. The film's social commentary (some people don't buy into it) is very relevant, and the film is one of the most disturbing I've ever seen. It never fails to amaze me how realistic the gore in this film is. There were even rumors that the girl on the pole was real, something the filmmakers actually came across and decided to film for the movie. Just rumors though.

Its not an easy film to watch, and I hate the scene with the tortoise, yet I still love the film as a whole. I love how it effects me. Its as gruesome as they come, but also with a powerful message, and a score that adds a sort of surreal beauty to certain scenes. Its very deserving of both its reputations as a classic and one of the most disturbing films out there.

I think the critism about CH being exploitation, pure and simple, is that it's trying so hard to convince you of it's message, that civilized man are the true savages. It's sort of like the porno films of the 60's disguised as how to documentaries. In CH's case, it so over the top in it's visceral violence, it's hard to buy into it's message, as the message is an excuse to dipict what the gore filled violence. Maybe it's a case of a heavey handed director, there is after all nothing subtle about this movie. Personally, I don't realy care about what the message is, I like a good horror film, which I'm not convinced this is, mainlly due to the points I previously listed (pacing/editing problems, as opposed to gore).

I have to admit, I'm getting curious to check this out again. I'm going to wait on a review of the upcoming GRINDHOUSE release before I buy.

I've never bought the "message" of CH. To me it's pure exploitation. Take away the violence and the movie isn't being talked about now. There are several cannibal films out there that are long forgotten. Why? There's no controversy to keep them alive. Another reason I feel CH is pure exploitation is because of the director's two previous cannibal films: MAN FROM DEEP RIVER and JUNGLE HOLOCAUST, both on DVD from Shriek Show. These two feature some animal deaths but they aren't thrown in your face like those in CH.

There is just so much wrong here...

http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/ap/2...009856000.html

Jason Vs. Freddy Vs. Michael Myers "Makes sense"????

Now Jason Vs. Freddy Vs. Ash makes sense, as Ash is a monster fighter, but what the hell well Michael Myers do in such a film? Jasons pretty much a rip off of Myers anyways, do we really need 2 killing machines in one movie?

I'm guessing they'll go the "Dragon Ball" boys manga route of story telling:

Freddy, mad at losing in FvsJ, recruites Michael Myers to get even with Jason, and to help him collect more souls. After Jason and Michael duke it out, they realize(?) that they are both just pawns, and unite to fight Freddy in a giant 3 way wham bam that ends with Jason and Michael walking off into the horrizon (abys?)with Freddies giant head floating in the sky looking down at them.


Did anyone check out the new Cannible Holocaust? I can't find it anywhere locally.

I was passing on this until I read Justin's review. I usually agree with what he has to say about films, so I began to look forward to seeing this. I love Argento and poker as well. I found this to be a very tight little thriller with a feel very similar to "The Silence of the Lambs". The police procedural stuff was well done and the suspense and action sequences were great. The camerawork also is also great as is typical for an Argento flick. I recommend this to anyone that liked "The Silence of the Lambs". I'm not saying "The Card Player" is as good as "Lambs" but there is definitely a similar vibe going on.

I also saw "Dead and Breakfast" recently. What a letdown. I'm moving to London if this is the US answer to "Shaun of the Dead".

Got my Cannibal Holocaust 2 discer in the mail. Planning to pop it in tonight. Really looking forward to it.

I finally got around to seeing "The Last Horror Movie" and am a little dissapointed. It left me a little flat for 2 reasons:

1. The gimmick of the picture doesn't work on DVD.5-7 years ago it would of worked better.

2. Maybe I'm a jaded bastard, but it was really tame to me. For a "Fangoria" release, this had very little gore, and the murders themselves were not all that shocking. I can understand if that was the point of the film makers, as it could be a coment on how fleeting life is, but for the reputation this film has as being disturbing, it didn't work. "Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer" was much more effective. I'm actually wondering if there's a harder directors cut.

Has anyone had a chance to check out the new Canibal Hollocaust 2 disc? I have it attached to an order shipping in a a couple weeks, and would love some feed back if it's cut or anything so I can cancel it.

RG

That's for the recommendation on CH, I guess I'll keep my order going. Good to hear the extras are solid, that's the main reason I'm ordering.

I guess I was just expecting more gore in LHM, I hated how the camera kept moving away. I was expecting more on a Fangoria DVD. I think if it was more gory, it would of been more effective. By graphically showing the murders in all their awful glory, it would of made the killers later comments more damning to the viewer. Not a waste of time by any means, but kind of a missed opportunity to me.

The new CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST disc does offer an "animal death free" version but there wouldn't be any point in watching the film without it.

Looks like there might finally be movement on the long rumored "Third Mother" film from Argento:

http://www.fangoria.com/fearful_feature.php?id=5097

The Video Dead (1987) - a television set from who knows where allows zombies to enter into the real world. A brother and sister are readying their new house while the parents are on a trip. The former discovers the set in the attic and mayhem ensues. For some reason, this has garnered a cult following over the years. There are scenes that try for stupid humor but fall flat, while other scenes are unintentionally stupid. For example, the cowboy sets up a plan to have the brother hang helplessly as bait while he hides in a shed and picks off the zombies. So, what does he do as soon as he's in the shed? He sits down and goes to sleep. Brilliant move. Speaking of the brother, his acting is atrocious. Just watch the scene where he's talking to the guy on the TV and try not to laugh. None of the acting is good here, but wow. That whole scene is really bad though. Another poor scene is when a maid is killed. It's done in a ridiculous manner and seems to go on forever. The effects are okay for the most part, though one sequence with a severed zombie hand is pretty bad. I did like the way the sister deals with the zombies in the climax. That made for some hearty amusement. The ending was good too, but as a whole, there's nothing I can see here to warrant such popularity. The charm of something like Night of the Comet just isn't there.

The Redeemer (1978) - this interesting little curiosity from the 70's happens to be one of my absolute favorite slasher films. Released mere months before Carpenter's Halloween would kick-start the genre, it's also an extremely eerie picture. There's a sense of the foreboding here that is more prevalent than in most horror films I've seen, let alone slashers. For the uninitiated, it's about a mysterious morality killer who tricks a group of "undesirables" into attending a fake high school reunion, only to pick them off once they get there. If you think this sounds a bit like Slaughter High, you'd be right, though this came first and is the far better film. It's religous subtext alone makes it more intriguing. Once the 80's slasher boom arrived, it was retitled Class Reunion Massacre to help it better cash in on the craze via home video.

The six so-called degenerates include a lawyer, a gay actor, a lesbian, a rich snob, a cute girl who takes pride in her appearance, and a cocky former football jock with a tendency to pig out every time he gets the opportunity. Despite negative comments about the acting at IMDB and in a horror reference guide of mine, I found nothing to complain about. The six main characters are perfectly believable in their roles, and all but the glutton wind up being quite likable. The Redeemer himself comes off as a little over the top at times (the scene in the auditorium for instance), but this actually works in the character's favor, as it really makes him seem like an absolute lunatic.

Indeed, the Redeemer is a very creepy individual. Throughout the film, he dons many different costumes (as Terror Train's killer did a few years later), each one representing an aspect of each victim's life. These costumes are quite creepy, and really add to the film's effectiveness. Perhaps the creepiest scene in the entire movie is when the lesbian is yelling for a man to let them out of the school, and that man turns out to be the Redeemer dressed up as the Grim Reaper. He proceeds to pound on the bars with his scythe, toying with her, and it always sends a chill up my spine.

This film also has a weird surreal feeling to it that I love. The above mentioned sequence is all the creepier because it comes off as rather dreamy in a way. The film's opening and closing sequences, as well as the moody score, reinforce this feeling tenfold. This film also has an unnerving atmosphere, and I wouldn't hesitate to call it one of the most atmospheric slashers in existence. The eerie school, the rural area surrounding it and the surreal feeling all add up to one unique experience.

The Redeemer is a bleak slasher that never has been regarded all that highly. Personally, I think it's easily one of the best films of it's kind, second only to the original Black Christmas. There really isn't very much gore in this movie, but it more than makes up for that with an interesting premise, a surreal tone, a very creepy killer, likable characters and a unique utilization of religous themes. This one is well worth rediscovering. Hopefully one day, someone like Blue Undergound or Synapse will get ahold of this one