[oldkid]

I wish I had internet tonight so I could watch Apostle.  I guess I'll have to wait.

A Nightmare on Elm Street

My daughter and I are catching up with some classic horror films, at her request.  This one is a repeat for me, but I haven't seen it since the early 90s.

It certainly has lost some of the charm since then.  The acting was so wooden that it looks like everyone, including Johnny Depp, is trying out for Pinocchio. Mrs. oldkid speculates that the acting was purposely poor, imitating a 50's style to reflect the fashion and basic format going back to monster movies.  I disagree, but who knows.  I only know that the quality of acting and production was laughably noticeable.  Which is not what I expected of my scariest film of that era.

What I still love is the clever additions that weren't necessary, but shows the creativity that this production was filled with. The stairs becoming gloopy quicksand, Robert Egland's creepy joy and one-liners.  That's what makes this franchise so full of possibilities.  Possibilities that weren't really reached until the third film, if my memory is correct.  We'll see.

3.5/5

[1SO]

The Howling

Mostly agree. John Sayles co-wrote the screenplay, and this is often brought up as a sign of quality, but it's not a good script so maybe Horror isn't really Sayles' thing.

Revenge

The direction is bold, but not in a good way. More in a pretentious film school way. The most striking shots are the extreme close-ups with the exaggerated sound effects. I'd like to see Lutz prove me wrong by being awesome the next time out.

The Bay

Barry Levinson! Like with Sayles, he seems ill-suited to the material. There's an entertaining way to be gross in horror. This misses the fun of it completely. 

Demons

Demons is slightly less off-putting to watch than 2 Girls, 1 Cup. And it's about as professional in the technical qualities. Screenplay would be a tie.

Any remake would be better. It simply has to be.

I'm working my way through Mike Flannigan's The Haunting of Hill House and its the best new thing I've seen this Shocktober so far, but I don't want to write about it until I've seen the whole thing. Same goes for season 2 of Channel Zero, which I'm liking a lot.

I didn't know that was Flannigan. Now I'm certain to see it.

[1SO]

A Nightmare on Elm Street

It certainly has lost some of the charm since then.  The acting was so wooden that it looks like everyone, including Johnny Depp, is trying out for Pinocchio.

LOL! And yes. I always thought the acting was oddly poor and the production values low enough to often pull me out of the experience. I love Craven, but he was really doing his best with what he had and wasn't a strong director until Scream.

That's what makes this franchise so full of possibilities.  Possibilities that weren't really reached until the third film, if my memory is correct.  We'll see.

That sounds right. Elm Street 3 is the first one I really liked.

[Corndog]

Halloween

I saw this was playing at a movie theater near campus and was excited to see a favorite of mine on the big screen, especially given the wonderful experience I had at the same place a few weeks earlier with The Thing. Here's a word of warning, don't go to a movie theater near a college campus for a late showing of a horror movie on Friday night. The audience laughed every time Michael showed up on screen and howled through the kill sequences. It was the worst. The movie was still great, though.

A, F for audience

I will say I kinda hate seeing old movies on the big screen for this reason. I can remember going to see a Hitchcock (can't remember if it was The Birds, or North by Northwest maybe), and the audience laughing at the dated technologies. Laughter during a tense moment kind of kills the experience a little bit.

[Junior]

It can be hit or miss for sure. As a counterexample, I had literally just seen North by Northwest in the same theater half an hour earlier and it was a fantastic experience. When I saw Jaws a few years back the only dumb audience thing was multiple exclamations about smoking in a hospital.

[FLYmeatwad]

Plus you had to watch Jaws 

Watched The Evil Dead just now, and it felt very familiar. Turns out it's because, according to Letterboxd, I watched it before. Not for last Shocktober, unless I forgot to log the date, maybe the one before? Regardless, I still liked it a good deal and remained impressed by the camera (sometimes more in theory than in practice, but I assume that had to do with the budget), probably should watch the second one. Do wish I watched something new, though from what I've heard I'm right to put off Friday the 13th, and with the festival coming up my Shocktober may be nearing its end, but still, I like this movie.

Not giving it a Goosebumps book because I'm a bad fan and didn't go see Goosebumps this weekend.

[Sandy]

My Cousin Rachel (1952)[/size]

Oh Sandy!

I had not idea there was an Olivia de Havilland film you hadn't seen yet! If it's at my library, I'll try and get to it this month. It's close enough to the Schocktober theme for me!

[Sandy]

Scream

[1SO]

My Cousin Rachel (1952)[/size]

Oh Sandy!

I had not idea there was an Olivia de Havilland film you hadn't seen yet! If it's at my library, I'll try and get to it this month. It's close enough to the Schocktober theme for me!

I have 8 more to go, including Libel (1959), which I've had in my collection for about a year and That Lady (1955), where she wears an eyepatch. I've been sitting on My Cousin Rachel for the better part of a year, waiting for Shocktober to come around.

I would also remind you of Trouble For Two, which takes more of a turn into Shocktober and stars the safe hands of Robert Montgomery, Rosalind Russell and Frank Morgan.

[oldkid]

Errementari: The Blacksmith and the Devil

A fairy tale for grown ups by a Basque director.  This film's plot is simple enough for children, and dark and gruesome enough for them, as well.  Not something I would show to my ten year olds, but they would watch it late at night and shiver in secret, enjoying every minute. 

Sure the plot of souls swapped for love and devils who have a good side is sometime silly, but it's all in good fun. The sets, however, are worthy of del Toro, every scene a spectacle of black and red.

Tame enough for Sandy, fun enough for almost everyone.

4/5