Movies: Horror Movie Discussion

[BostonBob]

Terrifier 3 - 5/10

This was easily the weakest of the three movies I've seen.

If you saw it in the theatre did you get one of these ???

 

[PK Cronin]

If you saw it in the theatre did you get one of these ???

No, and now I'm more upset by not receiving one than I am from anything in the movie.

That's a great little promotional gimmick though.

To just address the supposed public freakout to the gore in this one:

The level of gore and depravity wasn't far off from what we've already seen in the earlier movies so I tend to think the outrage/freakout is manufactured to help drive people to see the film.

Spoiler

What is different from most movies that could get people to say the director crossed a line is that murdering and dismembering teenagers is a perfectly acceptable part of horror movies, doing the same thing to children is generally a no-go. Sure, there are films that show children turn into zombies, demons, etc. or get killed off, but it usually happens rather quickly and/or off screen. That's where Terrifier 3 dared to be different, showing the audience children getting hacked to pieces by an overly excited clown in a Santa Claus outfit.

During the lead up I found myself wondering if they'd actually show it. I was definitely a little turned off by seeing it, but at no point did I think it crossed a line that would make me get up and leave or need to vomit into a bag. It was more of a, "wow, they really don't give a f***" and a "that's uncomfortable to watch" reaction.

Later on in the movie blows up a bunch of children but most of that happens off screen so it wasn't nearly as bad for the viewer.

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

I don't get appeal of Terrifier films

I love horror but this shit is just straight up trash and takes torture porn genre that I despise to even lower depths

 

[shadow1]

Friday the Thirteenth: The Last Chapter (ironically in the first half of films in the series) is such a good one, along with Part 3. The "He's killing me!" line is often made fun of online, but I actually think it's a really good one for that character. Nobody knows how they would ever act in a situation like that, and the absurdity and delivery of the line actually add to the realism strange as that may seem.

I was on vacation this past weekend and our cottage had a basement that looked just like the one where that character was killed in the movie. So of course I made myself go down there when it was pitch black with a little flashlight just to scare myself.

In addition to Hausu, which in retrospect I think I enjoy more now than upon first watch, I have also watched The Lighthouse and Mothman Prophecies as additions to this year's spooky season theme of "Atmospheric Horror." I can write reviews on them if people would be interested.

The former was something of a slog to actually get through, but it had some hilarious moments and some really thought provoking moments. It's the kind of movie you need to watch multiple times to get your head around, but frankly it's not very enjoyable (and that's not an insult) so I don't really feel compelled to do so. Thank goodness for YouTube video essays to explain things to me like I was a golden retriever (and that's not a compliment).

The latter was a cool early 2000s movie. It's billed a horror/thriller but I didn't find it scary or thrilling. However, Richard Gere gave us a fine performance and it made me wish Laura Linney broke out as a star earlier than she did. Nothing really special or memorable about the movie, but it has good enough performances from its actors and it's well-crafted. You lot could put much worse movies on your Halloween watch list.

Erich Anderson, Rob from that scene, just passed away from cancer recently. RIP.

 

[shadow1]

Bhoot (2003) - 6/10

A woman is possessed by the spirit of her apartment's previous tenant.

Ajay Devgn and Urmila Matondkar star as Vishal and Swati (respectively), a married couple who move into a high-rise apartment at a ridiculously low price. The reason? The previous tenant killed herself and her son inside the unit. Vishal initially keeps this fact from Swati, as he isn't superstitious. But once she finds out, Swati begins experiencing hallucinations and behaving strangely...

Bhoot was written and directed by Ram Gopal Varma. This was Varma's second horror film (the first being 1992's Raat) and broke a lot of Bollywood formulas, going against type by starring a woman, having no songs, and being relatively short (2 hours long). How does Bhoot fare?

It's pretty good! One of the better things I've seen recently. Bhoot is a very low-budget movie (less than $800K), and you can tell right away from the quality of the camera. It looks almost camcorder-esque... but I think it actually helps the movie. It gives Bhoot somewhat of a unique look, and reminds me a bit of Chungking Express (1994) . The camera quality ultimately doesn't matter because the film is well shot.

And well acted. The leads give good performances, as do Victor Banerjee and Nana Patekar, who were both memorable in their roles as a doctor and police inspector (respectively). This is important because this is a dialogue heavy film. There isn't a ton of set variety due to the low budget, but I was still sucked in to the story. The film does have one scene outside of the usual three or four locations we're stuck in, and I'd argue the scene is great. I'm going to remember it for a long time.

So, why not a higher score? I want to go with a 7, but there are a couple things holding me back from rating Bhoot higher. Firstly, 30 minutes could easily be trimmed and it would help the film. This is a minor spoiler, but there's a side character who has a close family member pass away from a degenerative disease. This subplot is completely pointless and it's handled in a borderline hilarious way considering how fast the character moves on. Worse, it eats up enough screen time that it's worth mentioning as a negative. Additionally, the bigger negative is how quickly the ending comes together. For a film as long as Bhoot, it feels like the movie crams in narrative elements it could've introduced way earlier, and they lose impact as a result.

Overall, Bhoot is a solid ghost story. Though it meanders at times and the ending seems to partially materialize out of thin air, the film has memorable performances and one standout scene. Bhoot earned ₹239M against its ₹67M budget.

Laddaland (2011) - 5/10

A family moves into a new house and begins experiencing paranormal phenomena in the neighborhood.

Saharat Sangkapreecha stars as Thee, who's moved from Bangkok to the gated community Laddaland, where he's purchased and furnished a new house. He's soon joined by wife Parn (Piyathida Mittiraroch), teenage daughter Nan (Sutatta Udomsilp), and and young son Nat (Athipich Chutiwatkajornchai). Thee has a strained relationship with Parn and a very poor relationship with Nan, but hopes this move will be a reset for the family dynamic. However, following a grisly murder within the neighborhood, the family begins experiencing paranormal activity...

Laddaland was directed by Sophon Sakdaphisit and written by Sakdaphisit and Sopana Chaowwiwatkul. The setting, Laddaland, is based on an actual condo development in Chiang Mai, Thailand that is rumored to be haunted. How does it fare?

Ugh... this movie annoyed the crap out of me. Laddaland doesn't feel like a horror movie most of the time; it feels like a character drama surrounding Thee and his family. Here's the problem: Thee and his family are extremely unlikable. Thee is a gullible optimist who fails at almost everything he does because he's an idiot; Parn is a doormat and likely an adulteress; Nan is an angsty teen, but with more venom. Nat is fine, I guess. The point is you don't care about these people. They're probably realistic depictions, but that doesn't make the film entertaining.

I *think* Laddaland was going for subtext about the erosion of the middle class and suburbs, but I'm honestly not sure. If it is, it's not handled well. It's unquestionably a supernatural story, but the movie double dips between the paranormal and the realistic. For example, in one scene Parn notices bruises on her neighbor, obviously implying domestic abuse. If the ghost(s) had done it, it could've been a good allegory for domestic abuse, and made the ghost(s) symbolic of all of the issues struggling families go through. But no, it's later revealed her husband is just a wife-beater.

Yet, there are ghosts in the movie... for some reason. I'm pretty sure I'm on the money about their symbolic purpose in the film. But if I'm not, what I'll say is the ghost/supernatural storyline is half-cooked, with no motive or explanation for their actions. Laddaland has a story to tell, and whether or not it's full of subtext or just straight horror, it's an unenjoyable one capped off by a really crappy ending.

Overall, I didn't enjoy Laddaland. It's unquestionably a well-shot and well-acted movie. I get what it was going for (I think), but for me it was a swing and a miss. Though I couldn't find any budget information, Laddaland earned $5.7M worldwide.

The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976) - 4/10

Based on a true story, a serial killer stalks the border town of Texarkana in 1946.

This mockumentary film has no stars, but features Ben Johnson as Captain J.D. Morales, a Texas Ranger who is called into to Texarkana after a string of attacks by an unknown assailant. The assailant wears a bag on his head and strikes every 21 days, leaving the citizens of Texarkana afraid to leave their homes...

The Town That Dreaded Sundown was directed by Charles B. Pierce and written by Earl E. Smith. The film is based on a string of real-life 1946 killings, though it takes many creative liberties. The Town That Dreaded Sundown received backlash upon release, and production was sued by a family member of one of the deceased. How does it fare?

It stinks. Having Sundown in the title is good foreshadowing because this is one snoozefest of a movie. The Town That Dreaded Sundown starts off by presenting itself as a documentary. There's voiceover narration presenting facts like dates, names, and places as it tries to paint a picture of what things were like when these attacks occurred. Soon after, we get our first attack, but the scene is mediocre at best.

The film then shifts to the police investigation. None of these officers are memorable or have any character development, and the insight to their tactics is bland. Morales is the most notable of the bunch, but only because he's as red-blooded of an American as there ever was. These police scenes are interlaced with more attacks by the masked killer, which once again are mundane and poorly directed.

If that wasn't bad enough, The Town That Dreaded Sundown begins injecting a significant amount of comedy into the film. One officer in particular becomes the comic relief, and it works about as well as the clown music cops in Halloween 5 (1989). Actually, it's worse because this film is based on true events. Right before the ending, this film has the gall to do what Tombstone (1993) did and tell us where all of these officers eventually ended up, as if we give a shit.

Overall, The Town That Dreaded Sundown is a bad movie. It tries to be a documentary, horror movie, and comedy all at the same time and none of it works. Despite what I think of it, this film has a 6.0 on IMDb and 2.9/5 on Letterboxd, so take this review with a grain of salt. The Town That Dreaded Sundown reportedly earned $5M against its $400K budget.

 

[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.

So this event went down this past weekend. I was one for two on the mystery movies. One of them was Black Roses, which also wound up being the only one of the seven-movie lineup that I hadn't seen before. The other surprise movie was The Gate.

The organizer did such an on-point job that he coordinated the schedule around some of the events in the movies. Return of the Living Dead was timed to end at the time in the movie where it ends. Maximum Overdrive started at the time in the movie where that story starts. There might have been other little organizational easter eggs but those were the two I picked up on.

Of the lineup itself, as I said, I'd seen six of the seven before. Four of them I've seen on the big screen as part of previous horror marathons as well.

Trick or Treat and Return of the Living Dead are fun, reliable crowd pleasers. Deathgasm too though it suffers a bit from that modern horror movie issue of making sure you know the writer-director has seen and likes the same movies you do. It works here at least because it is legit funny.

Haven't seen The Lost Boys in god knows how long but I'd watched it so much when I was young I could still finish most of the lines. Perhaps a product of getting older, I felt for Diane Wiest being a good mom trying to do her best in a way that never resonated with me before. Also, Grandpa just drills three-pointers in every scene he's in including the movie's last line. I wondered if any of the rest of it would diminish for me, but it really didn't.

The Gate is this nice blend of 80s kid-venture and horror. Even has a sneaky bit of heart like the best of 80s kid-venture movies alongside some stop motion monster fun.

Maximum Overdrive starts strong (and hilariously) but drags in a couple of stretches between its big set pieces. I forgot this despite having rewatched it just last year.

Black Roses was the only completely fresh experience for me. It is rock-n-roll horror. It is a tad bit weird and has more than a little good-because-it's-bad elements (some of the acting is a little stiff). But if those elements normally appeal to you then I'm sure you'd enjoy this. I did. It's not a total WTF movie, but it flirts with it.

 

[KingsHockey24]

I don't get appeal of Terrifier films

I love horror but this shit is just straight up trash and takes torture porn genre that I despise to even lower depths

So is it basically like the Saw movies then?

 

[PK Cronin]

So is it basically like the Saw movies then?

It's nothing like the Saw movies.

I don't necessarily agree that it's torture porn, but I understand that take. The director is definitely trying to tell a story and develop the characters, especially in 2 and 3, it just isn't the best execution.

Saw has puzzles and has a detective element to it, where these absolutely do not have that. The tension isn't created by a timer but because the killer is interacting with people in everyday life and nobody knows exactly when shit is going to hit the fan. When it does hit the fan it's absolutely over the top gruesome, and some might say distasteful, but I personally don't think it's torture porn. I think the extended murder scenes do add something to the films and make Art the clown way more, excuse the pun, terrifying.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

So is it basically like the Saw movies then?

It's not torture porn (doesn't mean it's any good). As PK said, it's nothing like Saw (the ones I've seen anyway). The Saw films try to be somewhat clever, Terrifier doesn't. It borrows a lot from the slasher films, had it been made 30 years ago, it would have been a pretty good example of a "splatter film" - not too sure the term is used anymore.

 

[shadow1]

The Twins Effect (2003) - 5/10

A vampire hunter takes on a new partner, while his sister falls in love with a vampire.

Ekin Cheng stars as Reeve, a vampire hunter who works for the Anti-Demon Federation. He's assigned a new partner, Gypsy (Gillian Chung), who's inexperienced and impulsive. Meanwhile, Reeve's lovelorn sister, Helen (Charlene Choi), meets and falls for Kazaf (Edinson Chen). Unknown to Helen, Kazaf is a vampire prince...

The Twins Effect was co-directed by Dante Yam and Donnie Yen (yes, that one), and written by Hing-Ka Chan and Wai-Lun Ng. The film's title comes from the fact that stars Gillian Chung and Charlene Cho were in a band called "The Twins," as there are no twins in the movie. Additionally, there is an alternate cut of this film called Vampire Effect, in which 20 minutes of footage is cut but new scenes are added. How does The Twins Effect fare?

It's okay as star-studded, mindless entertainment. The Twins Effect is comedy-action-horror, in that order. The film starts off focusing on Reeve and Gypsy and has a pretty decent atmospheric opening scene. After that, their plot line is largely pushed to the periphery as the movie instead focuses on the oddball relationship between Helen and Kazaf as the duo tries to navigate the challenges of human and vampire dating. Some of the comedy was cringe, but some of it worked, and I wasn't bored.

When the film finally does get back to Reeve and Gypsy's mission, I was perplexed as to who the villain was and what they were trying to accomplish. I talk about one-dimensional characters a lot, but the villain in this film, The Duke (Mickey Hardt), set the bar even lower. The ending, which is easily the worst part of the movie, has some dire special effects. It really hurt the overall product, even more so because I thought the visuals were one of the stand-out parts of The Twins Effect. There are some unique camera angles at times, and it has that early-2000's look (that I used to dislike but has really grown on me).

But I'm burying the lead. Yes, Jackie Chan is in this movie. Yes, his scenes are the best part of the movie. I was actually surprised that he was in two scenes. His action scene in this movie is well known, but there was also a roughly 10-minute comedy scene involving Chan. Based on the first scene, I thought he was playing a fictionalized version of himself, but actually he's just some random ambulance driver with extremely athleticism/Jackie Chan-powers and is named Jackie. All-in-all, Jackie's probably in a solid 15-20 minutes of this movie, which is even more than Anthony Wong, another very famous actor whose character is integral to the plot, yet pretty much only appears at the beginning and end of the film. I watched the "Vampire Effect" version, so I'm guessing the "Twins" version is more coherent but with less Jackie. Not that I had a choice, but you know which version I'd have chosen (is this movie going to reignite my Jackie Chan film review series? I hope not).

Overall, The Twins Effect/Vampire Effect is a flawed popcorn movie. What starts off as an interesting action-horror film morphs into a quirky romance movie, and it all ends up being overshadowed by the weight of Jackie Chan's star. The Twins Effect was Hong Kong's biggest movie of 2003, earning $3.8M. It was followed by a sequel, The Twins Effect II, in 2004.

 

[CDJ]

I don't get appeal of Terrifier films

I love horror but this shit is just straight up trash and takes torture porn genre that I despise to even lower depths

The practical effects are sensational and I think David Howard Thornton does great physical acting

If i am looking for a good movie it wouldn’t be my first place to look though- still I find them very watchable. Don’t think it’s like Saw or Hostel at all beyond having intense gore, very different kind of vibes. It’s hard to describe the Terrifier series- like they for sure aren’t comedies but there’s an unserious nature to everything. I think that’s in large part due to the work Thornton does. I feel far more dread when watching Hostel and more suspense when im watching Saw.

 

[John Price]

Watched through Child's Play (1988) for the first time it's pretty humorous despite all the innocent people getting killed

To be fair he going after his partner was warranted, guy bailed on him lol

"He also said Aunt Maggie was a bitch and got what she deserved."

 

[CDJ]

Watched through Child's Play (1988) for the first time it's pretty humorous despite all the innocent people getting killed

To be fair he going after his partner was warranted, guy bailed on him lol

"He also said Aunt Maggie was a bitch and got what she deserved."

Brad Dourif is awesome. Perfect voice for Chucky. Sneaky awesome resume too- Child’s Play, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, Mississippi Burning, Alien Resurrection, the final 2 Lord of the Rings movies, RobZombie Halloween, and a bunch of prominent TV appearances

Not bad for a guy whose known for voicing a doll

 

[Dubi Doo]

Slightly off topic, but is there any show that's as scary or scarier than The Haunting of Hill House?

 

[Indrid Cold]

Slightly off topic, but is there any show that's as scary or scarier than The Haunting of Hill House?

Probably not, but maybe check out The Terror? It's not so much scary as the tension and anticipation are off the charts. Great cast with Jared Harris, Ciaran Hinds and Menzies.

 

[Satans Hockey]

The practical effects are sensational and I think David Howard Thornton does great physical acting

If i am looking for a good movie it wouldn’t be my first place to look though- still I find them very watchable. Don’t think it’s like Saw or Hostel at all beyond having intense gore, very different kind of vibes. It’s hard to describe the Terrifier series- like they for sure aren’t comedies but there’s an unserious nature to everything. I think that’s in large part due to the work Thornton does. I feel far more dread when watching Hostel and more suspense when im watching Saw.

I forgot where I saw someone say it and I'm only halfway through the first movie but I saw someone say that Art the clown is basically a horror/murderer version of Mr. Bean and I can't unsee it now lol

 

[The Marquis]

Climax, a French film directed by Gaspar Noe was friggin tremendous. Get through the performance art of the first half of the film and you're treated to a one of a kind glorious nightmare.

 

[shadow1]

C.H.U.D. (1984) - 6/10

A rash of disappearances in New York City seems to be tied to the sewer system.

This ensemble cast features John Heard and Kim Greist as photographer-and-model couple George and Lauren (respectively) living in New York City. George is working on a project that focuses on the city's homeless population and is aghast when a badly wounded homeless man seeks his help in acquiring a firearm. Meanwhile, police Captain Bosch (Christopher Curry) is dealing with a wave of missing persons cases, and is being asked to cover them up by his superiors. Unable to turn away any longer, Bosch seeks help from A.J. "The Reverend" Shepherd (Daniel Stern), a homeless shelter cook who has information that the NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) has been operating in the sewers for weeks...

C.H.U.D. was directed by Douglas Cheek and written by Shepard Abbott and Parnell Hall. The film was shot in New York City, with some sources suggesting the film was inspired by news reports of alligators living in the NYC sewers. How does C.H.U.D. fare?

I can't believe it's taken me this long to watch this film. I remember almost buying it from Circuit City when I was in middle or high school, but for whatever reason it's alluded me until now. Having now seen it, as evidenced by my score, I think it's a pretty good movie. The creature design is a standout, as is the acting. The main cast is really good, with Daniel Stern stealing the show. This film takes place before he tries to steal John Heard's kid, obviously. There were also a lot of familiar faces in bit parts, like John Goodman, Sam McMurray, and Patricia Richardson.

C.H.U.D. has an "A" and "B" plot. The "A" focuses on George and Lauren, and more specifically George's photography project. But really, without spoiling it, this plot doesn't go anywhere. George and Lauren are kinda pushed to the side until act three, as the film instead focuses on Bosch's battle with police bureaucracy and his off-the-books investigation with Shepherd. This is the plot line where we learn what's going on in the sewers and the plan to stop it all.

And the movie is interesting, don't get me wrong. But my major critique would be that there's not a ton of horror in this film. There's some horror eventually, but C.H.U.D. feels like all set up and little payoff. It never feels like "oh my god, what are we going to do?"; it's more like "we know what we're going to do, but we can't let the citizens of NYC know." This is a film where the humans are the bad guys, which is disappointing considering the cool look of the creatures. I also thought one character was way too calm about a significant member of his family going missing, but that's a nitpick.

Overall, C.H.U.D. is a good science fiction horror movie. It didn't do much in theaters and bombed critically, but has since gone on to be a cult hit, inspiring films like Us (2019) and being referenced in shows like Archer, Castle, and The Simpsons. C.H.U.D. earned $4.6M against its $1.25M budget.

Kill, Baby... Kill (1966) - 6/10

In the early 1900's, a doctor is summoned to a small village to conduct an autopsy, but the superstitious residents want him to leave.

Giacomo Rossi Stuart stars as Dr. Paul Eswai, who is requested by police to conduct an autopsy in the village of Karmingam. The residents of the town are cold and dismissive to Eswai, but he's assisted in the autopsy by Monica (Erika Blanc), a med student who's only recently returned to the area and also notices the bizarre behavior of the village. After an unexplainable discovery during the autopsy, Eswai learns that the residents believe they're being haunted by the ghost of a local dead girl...

Kill, Baby... Kill was directed by Mario Bava, and written by Bava, Romano Migliorini, Roberto Natale. The film was improvised from a script of only 30 pages, and was the first Bava film to star Italian actors. As it was distributed by a small company, Bava had more creative control compared to his previous works. How does Kill, Baby... Kill fare?

This review may be libelous, as I'm decidedly lower than the community on KBK. I think this is the first Bava film I've seen that I've given lower than a "7", but this film didn't do it for me as far as being one of his best works. It's a fine movie, with a classic 1960's look and good atmosphere. Early on, KBK is able to convey a sense of foreboding about what's going on beneath the surface at this village.

But it never does anything much with it. There are a couple of cool scenes here or there, my favorite of which being the "repeating room" scene. But for the most part, I didn't think there was a lot of meat on the bone. Dr. Eswai is your classic fish-out-of-water, but he has no influence on the events at hand. It reminds me of Children of the Corn (1984) in the sense that the main events would go down almost exactly the same way if you removed the main character from the movie.

Another movie I was reminded of was The City of the Dead (1960). The plots are a lot different, but the premise of an outsider ending up in a town where something is amiss were similar. I haven't seen The City of the Dead in a while, so if my memory is off then forgive me, but I found that film to be better because of how it handles the underbelly of the town. In that movie, like the main character, you're left in the dark almost the entire movie. By comparison, in KBK, you almost always know more than Dr. Eswai, which doesn't do the tension any favors.

Overall, Kill, Baby... Kill is style over substance. It has that moody, atmospheric look you might've seen in films like Black Sabbath (1963) or House of Usher (1960). But unlike those films, I didn't think there was enough horror or story to elevate the film higher than my rating. I'm roughly a full star worse than IMDb and Letterboxd, and Martin Scorcese once called this Bava's best film, so take this review with a grain of salt. Kill, Baby... Kill earned $113K against its $50K budget.

Black Sunday (1960) - 6/10

Two centuries after being executed, a witch seeks revenge on the descendants of her executioners.

Barbara Steele stars as Asa, a vampiric witch who's executed in the 1600s by her own brother. Before her death, she uses sorcery to curse her family's bloodline. Two hundred years later, two doctors - Dr. Andrej Gorobec (John Richardson) and Dr. Choma Kruvajan (Andrea Checci) - stumble across and open up her tomb, freeing her spirit. Asa's spirit begins tormenting her descendants, with her sights set on possessing look-alike Katia (also Barbara Steele)...

Black Sunday was written and directed by Mario Bava, and was based on the story Viy by Nikolai Gogol. This was the first film written or directed by Bava, who had previously spent decades working as a cinematographer. The film was inspired by the success of Horror of Dracula (1958), and was released as "The Mask of the Devil" in Italy to capitalize on the commercial success of 1953's House of Wax ("The Wax Mask") and 1957's The Curse of Frankenstein ("The Mask of Frankenstein"). How does Black Sunday fare?

...Ok, so two "6's" for Bava this morning. I liked it better than Kill, Baby... Kill, but I'm going to continue tarnishing my reputation in this post. It was interesting to learn of The Horror of Dracula roots because that's exactly what Black Sunday reminded me of while watching it. Like vampirism, Asa's curse can be passed around from person to person, so Black Sunday deals with different characters becoming infected and the doctors trying to cure them. The big difference is the doctors have no clue what's going on, unlike Van Helsing.

I thought the opening scene, set in the 1600's, was great - a 10/10 - and I thought there were a number of moody scenes along the way. One scene in particular that has that great gothic look is a suspenseful carriage ride in the middle of the film. The movie looks great overall, which is its greatest strength. As for the plot, it started off okay, but I felt things progressively lost steam as the movie wore on. Without going into specifics, the story starts getting stale and losing momentum, and the end of the film is anticlimactic - especially when contrasted with the opening scene.

Overall, Black Sunday is also style over substance. It's a good movie, but not as good as the promise of its opening scene. In my eyes, this is "Diet" Horror of Dracula. But my eyes may be deceiving me, as both IMDb and Letterboxd are a healthy 1-1.5 stars higher than me. Black Sunday is considered to be an extremely influential film, largely due to its opening scene, so once again take this review with a grain of salt. Black Sunday's budget is believed to be between $60K-$100K, and it reportedly earned $78K.