Movies: Horror Movie Discussion

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

I don't watch many movies, but I love movies... I just am very picky about what I watch, but decided to throw on a few horror movies this week.

I watched Trick r' Treat, The Exorcist, Hausu (House) and Let the Right One In.

Some damn fine movies.

Let the Right One In is just such a fantastic story, one of the best horror stories, because there's a breadth of emotion to it, which the genre nearly lacks in its entirety.

The Exorcist of course is a classic and I hadn't seen it for 30 years. Better than I remember.

Trick r' Treat is so much fun. I love it. Takes some weird detours at times, but it's the kind of horror movie that makes the genre fun.

Hausu... what to say about Hausu. I loved it. Such a unique and weird flick. Give me more of that.

Hausu is one of my absolute favorite movies. The only bummer about it is ... there's nothing else like it. Only Hausu.

 

[The Marquis]

Hausu is one of my absolute favorite movies. The only bummer about it is ... there's nothing else like it. Only Hausu.

Yeah, considering I'd never seen anything like it and my film tastes veer toward the highly unusual, I was afraid it would be the only thing I'll ever see like that.

 

[Osprey]

Child's Play (1988) - 7/10

A six-year-old is tormented by a doll possessed by a serial killer.

Catherine Hicks stars as Karen, a struggling single mother to Andy (Alex Vincent). Thanks to a stroke of luck, Karen is able to purchase a popular "Good Guys" doll for Andy's birthday, but things quickly go awry after a death in their apartment building. Detective Norris (Chris Sarandon) suspects Andy is involved, but no one will believe the child's story: his doll is possessed by serial killer Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif)...

Child's Play was directed by Tom Holland and written by Holland, John Lafia, and Don Mancini. Originally titled Batteries Not Included, Child's Play went through numerous re-writes, with the final re-write from Holland being so extensive that he petitioned for sole credit. The movie went through further development struggles as it did poorly during test screenings, causing nearly 30 minutes of footage to be cut from the final film. The disappointing reception also led to Chucky's voice actor being changed from Jessica Walter to Brad Dourif, the latter of whom initially had to be replaced due to scheduling conflicts. How does Child's Play fare?

It's a classic, but you don't need me to tell you that. Or maybe you do. I've been a horror movie fan for my whole life, but the Child's Play series never particularly appealed to me. I vividly remember when Bride of Chucky (1998) was in theaters, but I never sought it or any of the other movies in the franchise out. And as I never recall them being on TV, this was my first watch of Child's Play (the biggest black eye to my horror street cred can start to heal).

Enough about me. The film is lean and mean; very simple and straightforward in a good way. It doesn't overexplain how Charles Lee Ray comes to possess the Chucky doll; the movie rolls with it, and it's easy to buy in...considering it's a movie about a killer doll. This entry plays things straight for the most part, though it doesn't take itself too seriously either. There's one scene involving a car which is (I think) unintentionally hilarious and stands out like a sore thumb against the rest of the movie.

Other than that scene, though, I don't have anything to nitpick with this film. The characters are likable, and more importantly, aren't idiots. Of course they don't initially believe that the Good Guy's doll is alive. But once the evidence starts piling up they're actually logical about it, whereas a lesser movie may have written them as frustratingly dense.

If you want to watch a killer doll film and like me haven't seen this one, you won't be disappointed. I'll mention this movie strangely feels like Candyman (1992), with both movies being set in Chicago, and part of the events involving characters investigating the city's underbelly to explain the unexplainable. Just a random shower thought.

Overall, Child's Play is a cult classic. The film earned $44M against its $9M budget and spawned six sequels, a remake, and an original TV series that has run for three seasons thus far.

"This is the end, friend... unless they do six sequels, a remake and a TV series."

Child's Play was the first horror movie that I saw at the theater. My dad took me to the local drive-in to see Iron Eagle II, but he misremembered the time and got us there an hour early. Child's Play was playing on the same screen, so I got to see the second half of it... and I was forever changed.

I'm looking forward to you going through the sequels. I briefly reviewed them all in this thread five years ago (here). They're of varying quality, but at least are never really boring. They shift between horror and comedy, so you never know which you're gonna get.

 

[shadow1]

Child's Play 2 (1990) - 6/10

A foster child is stalked by a possessed doll.

Alex Vincent returns as Andy, who following the events of the first movie has wound up in the foster care of couple Joanne (Jenny Agutter) and Phil (Gerrit Graham). Along with new foster sister Kyle (Christine Elise), a rebellious teenager, Andy tries to readjust to normal life. However, Andy is dealing with trauma from his previous encounter with the killer doll Chucky (Brad Dourif). Psychological torture quickly turns into physical torture when it turns out Chucky is still alive...

Child's Play 2 was directed by John Lafia and written by Don Mancini. Child's Play director Tom Holland was asked to return but declined due to a personal conflict with the producers. Lafie and Mancini were then brought back, both of whom wrote drafts of the original Child's Play movie, with Mancini being responsible for originating the Child's Play concept. How does it fare?

It's a pretty good sequel. Child's Play 2 mostly plays it safe, sticking with a similar concept and story beats as the first movie. The one area where things are changed up is the addition of more comedy, both in terms of Chucky's dialogue and some of his kills. Otherwise, it delivers on the same concept as the original movie. If you enjoyed that one, you'll probably like this one.

Child Play 2 is a step down from the first movie, though. In the last film, Chucky motivations were more complex, but here have been whittled down to just being after Andy. Meanwhile, unlike the last film, the people in Andy's orbit are a lot more hardheaded. Characters behave illogically and/or ignore clear evidence Andy is telling the truth, making it easy to figure out who's going to eventually bite the dust. That issue is pretty common in horror movies, so it doesn't hurt the film too much, but it does make it a worse overall film than the original Child's Play. I was disappointed by the way some of the characters who survived the first movie were written out of this one (despite a bigger budget), but I digress.

Overall, Child's Play 2 is a solid sequel. Though I think it's a little derivative, it once again delivers on the killer doll concept and should satisfy those who enjoyed the original movie. Child's Play 2 earned $35.7M against its $13M budget.

"This is the end, friend... unless they do six sequels, a remake and a TV series."

Child's Play was the first horror movie that I saw at the theater. My dad took me to the local drive-in to see Iron Eagle II, but he misremembered the time and got us there an hour early. Child's Play was playing on the same screen, so I got to see the second half of it... and I was forever changed.

I'm looking forward to you going through the sequels. I briefly reviewed them all in this thread five years ago (here). They fluctuate in quality, but are never boring. They shift between horror and comedy, so you never know which you're gonna get.

So far we're chalk, lets see how long I can keep the streak going.

 

[Bench Clearer]

Horror movies are mostly dumb. Ask yourself "how long would this movie last if the protagonist had a loaded 12 gauge?" The correct answer is mostly "as long as it takes the protagonist to point it at the villain and shoot."

I was watching Friday the 13th with cousins one time and mentioned how stupid it was for that reason. "But Bench Clearer you don't understand, bullets can't hurt Jason" bitch please.12 gauge shells would blow his body parts clean off....end of movie, period!

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

Horror movies are mostly dumb. Ask yourself "how long would this movie last if the protagonist had a loaded 12 gauge?" The correct answer is mostly "as long as it takes the protagonist to point it at the villain and shoot."

I was watching Friday the 13th with cousins one time and mentioned how stupid it was for that reason. "But Bench Clearer you don't understand, bullets can't hurt Jason" bitch please.12 gauge shells would blow his body parts clean off....end of movie, period!

But Bench Clearer, you don't understand, bullets can't hurt Jason!

 

[Osprey]

Horror movies are mostly dumb. Ask yourself "how long would this movie last if the protagonist had a loaded 12 gauge?" The correct answer is mostly "as long as it takes the protagonist to point it at the villain and shoot."

I was watching Friday the 13th with cousins one time and mentioned how stupid it was for that reason. "But Bench Clearer you don't understand, bullets can't hurt Jason" bitch please.12 gauge shells would blow his body parts clean off....end of movie, period!

Did you expect us to disagree? We've just learned to embrace the dumb.

 

[shadow1]

Horror movies are mostly dumb. Ask yourself "how long would this movie last if the protagonist had a loaded 12 gauge?" The correct answer is mostly "as long as it takes the protagonist to point it at the villain and shoot."

I was watching Friday the 13th with cousins one time and mentioned how stupid it was for that reason. "But Bench Clearer you don't understand, bullets can't hurt Jason" bitch please.12 gauge shells would blow his body parts clean off....end of movie, period!

Jason absorbs multiple shotgun and .357 Magnum rounds from close range... because he's an undead zombie.

 

[Satans Hockey]

Horror movies are mostly dumb. Ask yourself "how long would this movie last if the protagonist had a loaded 12 gauge?" The correct answer is mostly "as long as it takes the protagonist to point it at the villain and shoot."

I was watching Friday the 13th with cousins one time and mentioned how stupid it was for that reason. "But Bench Clearer you don't understand, bullets can't hurt Jason" bitch please.12 gauge shells would blow his body parts clean off....end of movie, period!

You can insert almost anything into this if you're gonna look at things this way. All animated movies, all action movies, almost all of it can be looked at as mostly dumb.

Hell I watched the Chimp Crazy documentary and that was all about a mostly dumb actual person who loves chimps lol

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Horror movies are mostly dumb. Ask yourself "how long would this movie last if the protagonist had a loaded 12 gauge?" The correct answer is mostly "as long as it takes the protagonist to point it at the villain and shoot."

I was watching Friday the 13th with cousins one time and mentioned how stupid it was for that reason. "But Bench Clearer you don't understand, bullets can't hurt Jason" bitch please.12 gauge shells would blow his body parts clean off....end of movie, period!

Maybe watch something else than F13.
Also, they did blow Jason to pieces and it didn't stop him. I guess you're f***ed.

 

[The Marquis]

The best sign of a great horror movie is that it doesn’t insult your intelligence.

Another sign of a great horror movie is that it insults your intelligence so much that you have to suspend all logic and reason and just have fun. Basically, like pro wrestling.

 

[BostonBob]

Horror movies are mostly dumb. Ask yourself "how long would this movie last if the protagonist had a loaded 12 gauge?" The correct answer is mostly "as long as it takes the protagonist to point it at the villain and shoot."

I was watching Friday the 13th with cousins one time and mentioned how stupid it was for that reason. "But Bench Clearer you don't understand, bullets can't hurt Jason" bitch please.12 gauge shells would blow his body parts clean off....end of movie, period!

So it's you.

 

[shadow1]

Child's Play 3 (1991) - 5/10

Killer doll Chucky invades a military academy.

Justin Whalin stars as Andy, who is now age 16 and attending Kent Military School. Still battling the psychological demons caused by Chucky's (Brad Dourif) multiple attempts to kill him as a child, Andy struggles to fit in. Andy's fears soon become reality when Chucky is reborn and travels to the school. However, this time around the killer doll has his sights set on 8-year-old Ronald (Jeremy Sylvers)...

Child's Play 3 was directed by Jack Bender and written by Don Mancini. Due to studio pressure, development for the third Child's Play movie started prior to the release of Child's Play 2 (1990), with the film released theatrically only 9 months after Part 2. The tight schedule impacted the overall product, causing more complicated ideas to be scrapped. How does it fare?

The degradation continues. All of the first three Child's Play movies more-or-less have the same plot, but the concept has progressively been thinned out and dumbed down. In Child's Play 3 the well is really starting to run dry. The filmmakers implement a huge time jump (8 years) and significant setting change (Military School) to try to change things up, but it's really just the same movie with a new coat of paint.

Except, it's worse. Child's Play 3 does what a lot of bad movies do, which is create characters we're supposed to hate for the sole purpose of killing them. I'm all for non-villain antagonists in horror movies, but that's not what Child's Play 3 does. This movie will introduce a flaming one-dimensional jackass and kill them not long after - sometimes in the same scene. It's filler, plain and simple.

For Chucky's part, the character is getting really cartoonish in this entry. More one-liners and lots of monologing, even if there's no one around to hear it. Worse is how messy his character motivations are also a mess. Early on, Chucky discovers he no longer needs Andy to achieve his goal, but sticks around trying to accomplish his goal within Andy's bubble, which makes zero sense considering how obsessed the latter is with stopping him. Even with that in mind, Chucky has many chances to accomplish the task at hand, but dilly-dallies or gets distracted and ends up having to regroup. It's apparent the filmmakers were trying to stretch out the run time in this one. Lastly, something is off with Chucky's face. It's all scrunched up, like he's trying to hold in a sneeze the entire movie.

But even with all that said, the movie isn't horrible. Parts of it are, though. The first third of the movie was an absolute chore to get through; so much so that I ended up viewing Child's Play 3 in two sittings. The middle chunk of the film is a bit more serviceable; not great, but you also won't be playing solitaire on your phone. The final third of the movie is actually pretty good and satisfying. I actually like the ending of this one better than Chucky 2's ending, which had a decent ending of its own. If I were to nitpick, I'd say very little of the earlier events did much to contribute to the solid finale (considering there's a significant change to setting), but I'll stop complaining.

Overall, Child's Play 3 is a mediocre entry in the series. It's a film that gets progressively better the longer you watch it, but a strong ending can't ease what is overall a very flawed movie. Child's Play 3 earned $20.5M against its $13M budget.

 

[Osprey]

I put Child's Play 3 as 2nd worst of the franchise. It isn't horrible, as you said, just mediocre and uninspired. By rushing it into production, they almost killed the franchise. There were many more sequels eventually, but I'm pretty sure that CP3 was the last to be released theatrically.

I'm looking forward to what you have to say about the next one.

 

[Satans Hockey]

I put Child's Play 3 as 2nd worst of the franchise. It isn't horrible, as you said, just mediocre and uninspired. By rushing it into production, they almost killed the franchise. There were many more sequels eventually, but I'm pretty sure that CP3 was the last to be released theatrically.

I'm looking forward to what you have to say about the next one.

Bride and Seed were released in theaters. The later two movies, curse and cult were not.

I don't like 3 either but Bride and Seed went the comedy route and I really don't like either of them. Curse and Cult and the TV series went back to more of the original formula of 1 and 2.

 

[Osprey]

Bride and Seed were released in theaters. The later two movies, curse and cult were not.

I don't like 3 either but Bride and Seed went the comedy route and I really don't like either of them. Curse and Cult and the TV series went back to more of the original formula of 1 and 2.

I stand corrected. I must've assumed that 'Bride' was straight to video because it followed a 7-year hiatus.

 

[shadow1]

Bride of Chucky (1998) - 6/10

Killer doll Chucky and his former girlfriend team up to collect a magic amulet.

Brad Dourif returns as Chucky, who is revived by his former girlfriend Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly) after she has finally tracked him down after 10 years. After Tiffany ends up in a doll of her own, she and Chucky plan to get out of their doll bodies by using a magical amulet located in the grave of Charles Lee Ray, Chucky's human body. To get there, they trick young lovers Jade (Katherine Heigl) and Jesse (Nick Stabile) into driving them cross country...

Bride of Chucky was directed by Ronnie Yu and written by Don Mancini. Following Child's Play 3 (1991), Mancini and series producer David Kirschner decided against bringing back series protagonist Andy in an attempt to shake things up. Inspired partially by Scream (1996), the two wanted to reinvent the series and ended up with a considerable amount of genre-blending, with a heavy focus on comedy. How does it fare?

It's pretty good! I was a little worried when I saw Yu's name in the opening credits because I really disliked his direction in Freddy vs. Jason (2003), but I thought he did a good job here. Bride of Chucky very clearly has the highest budget of any of the first four entries, and you can watch 30 seconds of it and figure out which era it was made in. Aesthetically, it can be lumped in with every other late-1990s post-Scream movie, like Halloween H20 (1998), I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), The Faculty (1998), etc.

Visuals aside, Bride of Chucky is also a departure in terms of story. Chucky's character motivation remains the same, but turning the movie into an adventure/odyssey movie was a welcome change after three movies (relatively) straightforward slasher movies. The second big change is the introduction of another killer doll, and Jennifer Tilly knocks it out of the park as Tiffany.

The final and most notable big change is the reliance on comedy. Chucky had one-liners in Part 2 and (especially) Part 3, but this movie is in full-on humor mode. At no point in time are you worried about, or even care about, protagonists Jade and Jesse. Their storyline exists only to chauffeur Chucky and Tiffany... whose goal you also don't really care about. Chucky's motivations in this film as are stale as ever, but all of the other changes make Bride of Chucky feel fresh, even if the tradeoff is a watered-down story. It's a popcorn movie that's all about the journey, not the destination.

Overall, Bride of Chucky is a change of direction for the Child's Play franchise. Though I personally prefer the horror approach to the series, this movie is an upgrade after a stale 3rd entry. Bride of Chucky earned $50.6M against its $25M budget.

 

[Primary Assist]

Horror movies are mostly dumb. Ask yourself "how long would this movie last if the protagonist had a loaded 12 gauge?" The correct answer is mostly "as long as it takes the protagonist to point it at the villain and shoot."

I was watching Friday the 13th with cousins one time and mentioned how stupid it was for that reason. "But Bench Clearer you don't understand, bullets can't hurt Jason" bitch please.12 gauge shells would blow his body parts clean off....end of movie, period!

100% agreed. I remember watching Contagion and thinking I could save the world just by shooting that virus in its face with a shotgun and sending it back from wherever it came from. Which according to my geopolitical knowledge is whichever country the US happens to be feuding with at that time.

Elsewhere, do you all really recommend Hausu? It's made it to my short list to watch this week and if someone gives me another endorsement of it then it will seal the nomination

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

100% agreed. I remember watching Contagion and thinking I could save the world just by shooting that virus in its face with a shotgun and sending it back from wherever it came from. Which according to my geopolitical knowledge is whichever country the US happens to be feuding with at that time.

Elsewhere, do you all really recommend Hausu? It's made it to my short list to watch this week and if someone gives me another endorsement of it then it will seal the nomination

Does me re-endorsing it after previously endorsing it above count?

 

[BostonBob]

Here's the schedule for the upcoming FearFest ( September 28th to October 31st ) on AMC.

Check Out the Full Schedule for AMC's FearFest | AMC Talk | AMC

It’s that time of year again, ghouls and goblins! We've got some epic marathons coming your way and it all starts on Saturday, September 28th.

www.amc.com

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

For the first time in five years, a local theater where I live is hosting an overnight horror marathon in October. Past versions were 11-12 movies and a full 24 hours. This is a little shorter, 7 movies over 12 hours. It's got a rock 'n' roll/killer soundtrack theme.

Five movies have been announced:
The Lost Boys
Return of the Living Dead
Deathgasm
Trick or Treat
Maximum Overdrive

Final two movies are a surprise that won't be announced until they play. That's a fun element I haven't encountered before. My friends and I have been speculating about what they could be. More literal rock-horror like Slaugherhouse Rock or Black Roses? Music is key to The Lords of Salem. Or something more akin to The Lost Boys or Maximum Overdrive, i.e. horror with memorable soundtracks.

I'll report back.

 

[BostonBob]

EarFest ???? Maybe they'll just keep showing that one scene from Reservoir Dogs.

 

[Osprey]

Though I personally prefer the horror approach to the series, this movie is an upgrade after a stale 3rd entry.

I feel the same way. I'm not a fan of the campy approach (and avoided watching 'Bride' for the longest time), but have to admit that I did find it somewhat entertaining (at least the second half, once the female doll appeared). It knows exactly what it's trying to be and doesn't take itself seriously at all. Also, I kind of admire the creativity. After a disappointing entry and a 7-year hiatus, a lot of filmmakers would've tried to go back to and replicate the original, but Mancini and company came up with something fresh, instead.

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

For the first time in five years, a local theater where I live is hosting an overnight horror marathon in October. Past versions were 11-12 movies and a full 24 hours. This is a little shorter, 7 movies over 12 hours. It's got a rock 'n' roll/killer soundtrack theme.

Five movies have been announced:
The Lost Boys
Return of the Living Dead
Deathgasm
Trick or Treat
Maximum Overdrive

Final two movies are a surprise that won't be announced until they play. That's a fun element I haven't encountered before. My friends and I have been speculating about what they could be. More literal rock-horror like Slaugherhouse Rock or Black Roses? Music is key to The Lords of Salem. Or something more akin to The Lost Boys or Maximum Overdrive, i.e. horror with memorable soundtracks.

I'll report back.

ROTLD in a theater with other fans of movie would be fun experience I imagine

Wonder if you will get this as one of your mystery movies



Such a weird movie experience to watch as a kid and still weird as an adult. Tone was completely different from 1st movie

Of note it is also stars Crystal Bernard before her Wings success and the drill killer is son of Mike Ilitch

I could see SPM2 being a fun theater experience just for its absurdity and camp

 

[The Marquis]

ROTLD in a theater with other fans of movie would be fun experience I imagine

Wonder if you will get this as one of your mystery movies



Such a weird movie experience to watch as a kid and still weird as an adult. Tone was completely different from 1st movie

Of note it is also stars Sandra Bernard before her Wings success and the drill killer is son of Mike Ilitch

I could see SPM2 being a fun theater experience just for its absurdity and camp

That’s Crystal Bernard. Still such an awesomely bizarre film.