Rec - One to rent
These days most horror films aren't scary. This is:
'Rec' has been around for awhile but only just made it into my local DVD shop. It's a Spanish film with English subtitles, but don't let that put you off. It's intense.
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In complete agreement.
[rec] is one of the few really decent horror films to appear in the last few years. Highly recommended. It does a much better job at using the handheld digicam footage than Blair Witch Project, Diary of the Dead or Cloverfield ever did. And avoid watching the US remake (Quarantine) first. The original Spanish version is a much better film in every way.
Diary of the Dead
Hi Dave. I was so disappointed with Diary of the Dead (and Land of the Dead before it). I had what I thought were justifiably high hopes for Romero's new zombie flicks, but they just stumble and fall within the first 30 minutes. I've seen the first films in the trilogy (for me it's still a trilogy) about a million times each. I remember Dawn of The Dead was the first 'X' film I ever saw. I was fifteen and I wore big boots to try and give me a few inches extra height so I could get into the cinema.
I also liked Savini's remake of Night of the Living Dead, which I think deserves a lot more recognition. And I enjoyed the remake of Dawn of the Dead, despite the fast zombies, which I think it would have been better without. I'm in total agreement with Simon Pegg on the fast zombie issue. If you haven't read his article, you can do so here: Pegg on Zombies
No on Diary?
Wow, you guys really didn't like Diary of the Dead? I thought that one was really fun. However, I also really liked Cloverfield and Blair Witch. Otherwise, I agree that most new horror sucks. I can't stand the Dawn of the Dead remake, because it's one of those movies that my brother-in-law and sister-in-law love, but they roll their noses at stuff like the original, or any of the old-school horror. He actually tried to argue that Rob Zombie's Halloween was better than the original.
I haven't seen this one, and unfortunately, it's not on Netflix yet, so I'll have to wait a minute. Quarantine was at the discount-cinema within about 2 weeks of it's release, which made me think it's either fantastic or really awful :)
BTW, have you guys seen The Host? I watched the first hour with it dubbed in English, thought it was so-so, then switched to Korean w/ English subtitles, and enjoyed it much more. Amazing what a difference that can make.
RIP Romero
Land of the Dead and Diary both disappointed me. They felt stale and the social aspects to the films were poorly represented when compared to his original trilogy. I don't have much hope for his newest film but I hope to be pleasantly surprised. I actualy thought the UK film The Zombie Diaries did a better job than Diary of the Dead. Other personal favourites include Fulci's Zombie 2, Let Sleeping Corpses Lie, Dellamorte Dellamore, Braindead, 28 Days Later (technically not a zombie film but still great), etc etc. The Dawn of the Dead remake actually wasn't bad. Pegg has the right idea about Zombie films, which is why Shaun of the Dead was such a great film.
Don't mentioned Rob's Halloween.
I really enjoyed The Host. Generally foreign horror films are much better than the stuff coming out of Hollywood at the moment. Films like Martyrs, Inside, Pan's Labrynth and The Orphange capture the real essence of Horror. Even films based on books by guys like Clive Barker are really disappointing despite the quality of the original material. I am looking forward to The Children though. Should be one to watch.
Hollywood horror
To be honest, I'm quite surprised when I like a new USA horror film.
Pan's Labyrinth was such a fantastic movie. I agree on Let Sleeping Corpses Lie, Dellamorte Dellamore, 28 Days Later, and Shaun of the Dead. I'd like to add Halloween 4 (campy, but quite underrated), The Beyond, Demons, and Hostel. I know people say it's not really horror, but I'm saying it's scary as hell simply because it's so plausible. I haven't seen Zombie Diaries, Zombie 2, or Braindead.
I dislike the Dawn of the Dead remake because it was entirely unnecessary. If you're going to do a remake, pick something that sucked the first time around, or at least needed some improvement. For that reason, I almost cry a little every time I hear the rumor about the possible remake of Suspiria.
horror flicks
I haven't seen The Zombie Diaries, Let Sleeping Corpses Lie or Dellamorte Dellamore. Zombie 2 was called Zombie Flesh Eaters over here and was banned for about fifteen years. I saw it before it was banned (another big boots outing to the cinema) and picked up a copy recently in a set called 'Box of the Banned' which also has The Evil Dead, Last House on the Left, I Spit on Your Grave and Driller Killer, which were also banned in Britain in the eighties and early nineties. Enough people have warned my off Rob Zombie's Halloween, so I haven't bothered with it. I did see The Host (in Korean) and really enjoyed it. Same with Pan's Labyrinth and The Orphanage, though I haven't yet seen Martyrs so I'll keep an eye out for that one.
I enjoyed Cube and Cube 2 (though Im still to see Cube Zero). And I liked the remake of The Hills Have Eyes, though in general I agree with Chris on the whole re-make issue. I thought the re-make of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was pointless, as was (doubly so) The Hitcher. I see also that the team responsible for the TCM and Hitcher remakes have done a new Friday the 13th, which while it may be utterly pointless, looks quite good from the trailer - ahh, but then it would, wouldn't it. You'd think I'd know better by now ;-)
Not quite a horror movie....
.... but I thought with all the mention of piss-awful remakes, I had to mention Transformers. Michael Bay should be tarred & feathered for that pile of crap, along with the entire cast and crew. What an amazing example of how speical effects will convince the movie-going public that good writing and acting are not necessary.
Hills Have Eyes 1 & 2 were both good, and believe it or not, I thought When a Stranger Calls was good. I'm probably in the minority on that, but I liked it. I actually liked the remake of The Hitcher, up until the end. After rewatching the original (I hadn't seen it in forever), it definitely does seem unnecessary, though.
Is Hellboy 2 as good as the first? I knew nothing about HB until I saw the first one, and loved it.
Fiendish Villainy
I watched Transformers with my friends' kids. They are about 12 or so. They told me it was the best thing ever. I disagreed. They told me I was old. I threw my pipe and slippers at them.
I have the original When a Stranger Calls, and hey - here's a really obscure nerd fact for you. The villain is the guy who played the most camp, over-the-top baddie in the entire history of Dr Who. The actor was Tony Beckley and the Doctor Who he was in is one of my absolute favourites 'The Seeds of Doom'. Beckley plays Harrison Chase, a fabulous character who plays the (Phantom of the Opera-type) organ, wears black gloves and is gloriously insane. If you haven't seen 'The Seeds of Doom' you should, it's truly brilliant. I couldn't believe it when i saw him in When a Stranger Calls, I kept expecting him to adjust his black gloves and say something fiendish.
Hellboy 2 I haven't seen, but I enjoyed Hellboy.