randomredneck
Well-Known Member
Well, that's all my suggestions watched. Woo hoo.
ZK's 31 Days of Terror: Resurrection
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ZetsubouKaiji
Well-Known Member
That's 24 movies down and 7 more to go! Well damn, we're down to our last week of this marathon and I'm still feel pretty damn good about it. There's been a good mix of different kinds of movies so I'm not feeling fatigued despite them all be horror films. There are lots of different genres of horror and you guys did a good job of picking out a variety of different kinds of films. Cheers to everyone that made recommendations and to anyone that's been following along reading my rambles.
ZK's 31 Days of Terror day #25
I've never seen this one before so I'm pretty hyped for tomorrow. I know it's a classic for introducing a bunch of fancy editing and filming techniques as well as it's surreal dreamlike atmosphere. That all sounds pretty damn interesting. Hopefully it can live up to its reputation.
ZK's 31 Days of Terror day #25
I've never seen this one before so I'm pretty hyped for tomorrow. I know it's a classic for introducing a bunch of fancy editing and filming techniques as well as it's surreal dreamlike atmosphere. That all sounds pretty damn interesting. Hopefully it can live up to its reputation.
ZetsubouKaiji
Well-Known Member
They were some good picks and this was a memorable one to end on.
The only one I didn't care for was Phantoms and even then I didn't hate it, just thought it was pretty mediocre. Of course suggesting The Thing is always a good move.
Lizardbitch
Well-Known Member
As random as it is, I thought I'd mention that the lead singer of Dead Or Alive, Pete Burns, just died of a heart attack. Saw you posted this and thought I'd mention it, just in case. R.I.P, Pete. You'll always spin people right round like records.
ZetsubouKaiji
Well-Known Member
The Cabinet of Dr. Calagiri
This is probably the film that I've most looked forward to this marathon. I've always been a bit daunted by the film's reputation, but this marathon made the perfect excuse to sit down and watch it. The film certainly does live up to its reputation in most ways and I can definitely appreciate it for the wide ranging influence it's had on cinema. At the same time there are some annoyances with the film that definitely took away from my enjoyment a bit. However, the stunning set design and the atmosphere of a reality twisted by madness were both awesome. The plot and characters are both pretty bare bones, but the look and feel of the film more than make up for it.
The Cabinet of Dr. Calagiri is the story of a man named Francis as he tries to investigate a string of murders connected to a carnival attraction run by Doctor Calagiri. The bulk of the story is told as a flashback by a haunted Francis and for the most part it's all fairly straight forward. However, what makes the plot a bit more interesting is this one of the first films to include a twist ending and a framing story. The twist ending is well executed and genuinely took me by surprise, but the actual use of the frame story was a bit shaky and could have been executed a better.
The other two smaller annoyances I had with the film are more problems I think most modern viewers will have when trying to adjust to an older film style. Shots always linger on just a bit too long and the subs stay on the screen forever. It's a silent movie, but people in the 1920s must have read slow as fuck if they needed this long to read the short bits of dialogue. Just as a test after finishing the film I put it on a 4x speed and had no problem reading the text portions. Both these complaints are really nitpicky, but eh I do think people not used to silent films will find them a bit uncomfortable to adjust to.
Of course the real reason to watch this film is the expressionist set design and editing of the film. The movie is shot in an interesting way that's always presented at odd angles that always feel a bit uncomfortable. Even though the film takes place in a small town it never feels quaint and we never get a good look at it in way that would let us orient ourselves with it. The sets are really gorgeous though and the dedication to making everything look twisted really adds a lot of atmosphere to the film. This film pretty much inspired all of Tim Burton's aesthetic decisions. I assume that this movie is what Burton thinks about when he touches himself. Hell, even Edward Scissorhand's design is pretty much just ripped from Caesar's look in Dr. Calagiri.
The second best thing about the movie is the soundtrack. There's obviously no spoken words or sound effects in the film so every scene is accompanied by music. The music used in the movie is pretty simple, but at the same time it's effective for giving the right mood to each scene. At first it was a bit weird to have the whole movie accompanied by music, but it helped absorb me into the film.
Overall, I enjoyed The Cabinet of Dr. Calagiri quite a bit. I appreciate the film for its influence and cool aesthetic style, but I do think a lot of film buffs oversell the appeal quite a bit. I've seen a lot of people saying the movie messed them up or seriously freaked them out, and I find that hard to believe. I'd recommend this to people that like older cinema or want to watch something with a unique visual style. 7 out of 10
This is probably the film that I've most looked forward to this marathon. I've always been a bit daunted by the film's reputation, but this marathon made the perfect excuse to sit down and watch it. The film certainly does live up to its reputation in most ways and I can definitely appreciate it for the wide ranging influence it's had on cinema. At the same time there are some annoyances with the film that definitely took away from my enjoyment a bit. However, the stunning set design and the atmosphere of a reality twisted by madness were both awesome. The plot and characters are both pretty bare bones, but the look and feel of the film more than make up for it.
The Cabinet of Dr. Calagiri is the story of a man named Francis as he tries to investigate a string of murders connected to a carnival attraction run by Doctor Calagiri. The bulk of the story is told as a flashback by a haunted Francis and for the most part it's all fairly straight forward. However, what makes the plot a bit more interesting is this one of the first films to include a twist ending and a framing story. The twist ending is well executed and genuinely took me by surprise, but the actual use of the frame story was a bit shaky and could have been executed a better.
I felt the frame story that sees Francis telling a man in a park about the strange events he's lived through is fine, but I don't like that it employs the same visual style of the rest of the film. The big twist of the film is that Francis is actually insane and living inside an asylum. All the characters in the flashback are either fellow patients or staff members at the asylum. It makes sense that when the story is being told through an insane Francis's eyes the world takes on that crazy expressionistic look with everything being skewed and twisted out of shape, and all of the people wearing garish makeup because that's how Francis perceives the world. However, having the world outside of those flashback also look like an expressionist nightmare takes some of punch out of the twist at the end and makes the film feel ambiguous in a way that I don't think it was meant to be. It would have been a lot more straightforward to have the flashback portions look insane and then have the frame portions look normal.
The other two smaller annoyances I had with the film are more problems I think most modern viewers will have when trying to adjust to an older film style. Shots always linger on just a bit too long and the subs stay on the screen forever. It's a silent movie, but people in the 1920s must have read slow as fuck if they needed this long to read the short bits of dialogue. Just as a test after finishing the film I put it on a 4x speed and had no problem reading the text portions. Both these complaints are really nitpicky, but eh I do think people not used to silent films will find them a bit uncomfortable to adjust to.
Of course the real reason to watch this film is the expressionist set design and editing of the film. The movie is shot in an interesting way that's always presented at odd angles that always feel a bit uncomfortable. Even though the film takes place in a small town it never feels quaint and we never get a good look at it in way that would let us orient ourselves with it. The sets are really gorgeous though and the dedication to making everything look twisted really adds a lot of atmosphere to the film. This film pretty much inspired all of Tim Burton's aesthetic decisions. I assume that this movie is what Burton thinks about when he touches himself. Hell, even Edward Scissorhand's design is pretty much just ripped from Caesar's look in Dr. Calagiri.
The second best thing about the movie is the soundtrack. There's obviously no spoken words or sound effects in the film so every scene is accompanied by music. The music used in the movie is pretty simple, but at the same time it's effective for giving the right mood to each scene. At first it was a bit weird to have the whole movie accompanied by music, but it helped absorb me into the film.
Overall, I enjoyed The Cabinet of Dr. Calagiri quite a bit. I appreciate the film for its influence and cool aesthetic style, but I do think a lot of film buffs oversell the appeal quite a bit. I've seen a lot of people saying the movie messed them up or seriously freaked them out, and I find that hard to believe. I'd recommend this to people that like older cinema or want to watch something with a unique visual style. 7 out of 10
ZetsubouKaiji
Well-Known Member
That's 25 movies down and 6 to go!
ZK's 31 Days of Terror day #26
Depending on who you ask this is either a stylish horror film full of mood and atmosphere or it's all Stanley Kubrick trying to let the world know that the moon landing was faked.
ZK's 31 Days of Terror day #26
Depending on who you ask this is either a stylish horror film full of mood and atmosphere or it's all Stanley Kubrick trying to let the world know that the moon landing was faked.
ZetsubouKaiji
Well-Known Member
I picked the best worst horror movie though, mirite?
At least, when I pick out bad movies, I usually try to pick out the non-boring ones.
Yup, Troll 2 is a bad movie classic. It's shittiness is at a constant enough level that the film never lags into boring territory. It's actually quite a skill to be that exact level of entertaining shitty for a movie's whole run time. Even other entertaining bad movies have their boring stretches or bits where things aren't quite bad enough to be entertaining.
Also, you recommended American Psycho, so you're like my favorite person* anyway.
*2nd favorite if my wife is reading.
ZetsubouKaiji
Well-Known Member
The Shining (1980)
Even if you've never seen The Shining it is one of those ubiquitous films that you just know about through cultural osmosis. Everyone's seen the Jack Torrance gifs that litter the internet, everyone knows about the creepy twins and the guy in the dog suit giving another guy a blowjob. The Shining is a film great at creating iconic moments. Kubrick's obsessive eye for detail was perfect for creating memorable sets and an icy atmosphere of dread that permeates the film.
Unfortunately this level of detail has also made The Shining one of the most over analyzed films ever. It makes it difficult to write about this film, because there's nothing new left to say about it. As much as I enjoy The Shinning and enjoy analyzing movies, I don't think this particular film is all that deep. I've definitely never gotten the impression that I'm supposed to be thinking "but what's it all mean?" while watching it. Instead I find it to be a rather straightforward horror film that's a cut above due to Kubrick's skillful direction and a fanfuckingtastic performance by Jack Nicholson.
If there's one reason you have to see this film it's Jack's delightfully unhinged performance that is by turns funny, terrifying and at it's best moments both. The rest of the cast is fine, but I do find Shelley Duvall's performance to be overwrought. However, it's Nicholson that owns the film.
When I say this is a straightforward horror flick I don't mean that as an insult. While horror is often used to explore various themes or fears there are plenty of great horror flicks out there that just want to be haunting and creepy. I enjoy both types of flicks and don't think the ones that aren't really about something are any lesser. The Shining sits above a lot of the genre because it's so good at what it does in trying to create a tense atmosphere of insanity and dread.
The other great aspect of the Shinning is its score. I know the screechy orchestral score is pretty cliche and overused these days, but this film uses it to great effect and it fits with the tone of the film because it matches Jack's unstable mental state so damn well.
Overall, the Shinning is a classic for good reason. It may not have the depth that some people ascribe to it, but it's an expertly made film by a legendary director in top form. Without Kubrick's direction and Nicholson's performance the film would be pretty pedestrian. However, with those two elements the film is memorable and haunting with lots of creepy imagery that will linger in you mind after you've watched the film. 8 out of 10
Even if you've never seen The Shining it is one of those ubiquitous films that you just know about through cultural osmosis. Everyone's seen the Jack Torrance gifs that litter the internet, everyone knows about the creepy twins and the guy in the dog suit giving another guy a blowjob. The Shining is a film great at creating iconic moments. Kubrick's obsessive eye for detail was perfect for creating memorable sets and an icy atmosphere of dread that permeates the film.
Unfortunately this level of detail has also made The Shining one of the most over analyzed films ever. It makes it difficult to write about this film, because there's nothing new left to say about it. As much as I enjoy The Shinning and enjoy analyzing movies, I don't think this particular film is all that deep. I've definitely never gotten the impression that I'm supposed to be thinking "but what's it all mean?" while watching it. Instead I find it to be a rather straightforward horror film that's a cut above due to Kubrick's skillful direction and a fanfuckingtastic performance by Jack Nicholson.
If there's one reason you have to see this film it's Jack's delightfully unhinged performance that is by turns funny, terrifying and at it's best moments both. The rest of the cast is fine, but I do find Shelley Duvall's performance to be overwrought. However, it's Nicholson that owns the film.
When I say this is a straightforward horror flick I don't mean that as an insult. While horror is often used to explore various themes or fears there are plenty of great horror flicks out there that just want to be haunting and creepy. I enjoy both types of flicks and don't think the ones that aren't really about something are any lesser. The Shining sits above a lot of the genre because it's so good at what it does in trying to create a tense atmosphere of insanity and dread.
The other great aspect of the Shinning is its score. I know the screechy orchestral score is pretty cliche and overused these days, but this film uses it to great effect and it fits with the tone of the film because it matches Jack's unstable mental state so damn well.
Overall, the Shinning is a classic for good reason. It may not have the depth that some people ascribe to it, but it's an expertly made film by a legendary director in top form. Without Kubrick's direction and Nicholson's performance the film would be pretty pedestrian. However, with those two elements the film is memorable and haunting with lots of creepy imagery that will linger in you mind after you've watched the film. 8 out of 10
ZetsubouKaiji
Well-Known Member
That's 26 movies down and 5 to go!
ZK's 31 Days of Terror day #27
This film could just be re-titled WHAT THE FUCK AM I WATCHING???
ZK's 31 Days of Terror day #27
This film could just be re-titled WHAT THE FUCK AM I WATCHING???
ZetsubouKaiji
Well-Known Member
The Possession (1981)
This...this is not a movie I will be forgetting any time soon. I watched this years ago when I was a teenager and really disliked it. Back then I wasn't into films that are allegorical so the whole movie being one big metaphor for the destructive nature of divorce was lost on me. Watching it now though I found the movie to be richly symbolic with a lot of meaning behind each scene that needs to be unpacked. If had more time I'd love to try to suss through what every scene was meant to represent. I'll be perfectly honest and say that while I got the metaphor of the film I definitely didn't grasp it all. This definitely feels like a film that I need to watch a few more times before I get it all. If anyone else wants to offer their interpretations of the film as a whole or just on a few scenes then I'd quite like to read that.
I think the first thing that needs to be addressed when talking about this film is the acting, because it is over the top to the point of histrionic. I enjoyed the acting, but found it to be a bit tiring by the end of the film. In every scene the leads are just a bit too game to throw themselves into the melodrama of the material. This type of acting isn't quite as good as a typically hammy performance like Zane's performance in Demon Knight because it feels a bit more amateur. However, it still leads to scenes that are impossible to look away from such as the subway possession scene. I'll drop it as a link because the ending is pretty gross and disturbing. Some of the actors in the movie are better than others, but I have a special love for Heinrich and his fucking weird, weird drug addled monologues and complete disregard for personal space. I can't find any links to his scenes, but I was often laughing out loud when he was on screen.
The plot of The Possession frankly doesn't make a ton of sense. There's a story that you can follow, but logic of the characters is shaky and the weirder it gets the more inconsistencies crop up. The basic idea of the story is a husband returns home after doing some secretive spywork during WWII to find his wife acting strangely and wanting a divorce. However, that doesn't really do the movie justice, because the movie that unfolds from that set up is much weirder than anything you'd imagine; murder, doppelgangers, pink socks, squid monster sex, the end of the world all happen in this flick and that's only the obvious weird stuff. All of these weird bits do serve a symbolic purpose though and fit into the film if you look at it as an extended metaphor rather than a literal interpretation.
The other thing I'd say about the story is that it is split into two distinct halves. The first half is a melodramatic drama about a couple's marriage that's falling apart. There are some hints of weirdness here and there, but it's not until nearly an hour into the film that things truly take a turn for the horrific. It is a very slow burn film, but I actually liked the Kramer vs Kramer melodrama of the first half of the movie, so I didn't mind the wait for the truly bizarre stuff to kick in.
As I've already said the film is an extended metaphor for a failed relationship so if you don't like allegorical horror then this is definitely not the movie for you, because if you don't buy into the metaphorical aspect of the film then you're going to be lost and bored as fuck, because weirdness by itself isn't going to be enough to sustain your interest. For my part trying to work out what each scene was meant to represent was an engrossing experience and by the time shit really started going down in the film I was totally engrossed.
I think my favorite aspect of the film are how it shows that a nasty divorce isn't just hard on the couple involved, but it effects everyone around them. By the end of the film everyone involved with the couple at the center of the story has been destroyed by the violent malestrom of their marital strife. Any time a serious relationship ends nastily there's always that tug of war as not just possessions are divided, but also the people in lives of the couple, friends and family choosing sides and whole other groups of people if infidelity is involved. A nasty breakup like this can poison a whole lot of people and that's where all the violent deaths in this film come into play. Everyone involved with this sordid affair end up dead.
As an extension of the above point the film in its darkest moments show how scarring the effects of divorce are on children. Bob doesn't get a lot of screen time, but scenes with him are always sad as his parents are so wrapped up in their drama that he's constantly being neglected. The movie makes a point to show that both his parents love him. They're not really shitty parents, but the situation is making them neglect their duties. Of course this is most obvious when the mother just leaves the kid alone for a few days to fend for himself, but even after his father takes charge of the son, things still aren't good as their apartment gets dirtier and dirtier as time passes and unless the kid comes looking for his father he rarely gets any attention. Of course the saddest part is
Now to talk about the most infamous part of the film the squid monster is used to represent a lot of things in the film. First and foremost it's meant to represent the main females shame at her own dark desires. She's long repressed her sexual desires due to her husband being away for such a long period of time. These desires have warped over time and have possessed her and turned her into something she can barely recognize. She's shamed by this monster, but attracted to it as well. Throughout the film she keeps trying to leave it behind, but in the end she must always return to it.
The Possession was made on a small budget, but it makes the most of what it has. The squid monster is sufficiently squicky and the other effects in the film are all pretty well done. I do think the director got a little overexcited with the cinematography at times with the camera swooping all over the place for little purpose, but it didn't really hurt my enjoyment of the film. It's just that the movie is very energetic and that translated into the camera work as well.
Overall this film is most definitely not for everyone, but I loved the fuck out of it. If you're into avant garfe cinema or just into bizarre movies that are more about metaphors than actual plot then you'll enjoy this. Otherwise you'll probably really despise this movie. The acting is mostly enjoyably over the top, the plot is full of melodrama and strange twists. and the film certainly ends with a bang. 9/10
Thanks to @Taekwondoin for recommending this one because it's another film that I really wanted to geek out about after watching it. Great pick, man,
This...this is not a movie I will be forgetting any time soon. I watched this years ago when I was a teenager and really disliked it. Back then I wasn't into films that are allegorical so the whole movie being one big metaphor for the destructive nature of divorce was lost on me. Watching it now though I found the movie to be richly symbolic with a lot of meaning behind each scene that needs to be unpacked. If had more time I'd love to try to suss through what every scene was meant to represent. I'll be perfectly honest and say that while I got the metaphor of the film I definitely didn't grasp it all. This definitely feels like a film that I need to watch a few more times before I get it all. If anyone else wants to offer their interpretations of the film as a whole or just on a few scenes then I'd quite like to read that.
I think the first thing that needs to be addressed when talking about this film is the acting, because it is over the top to the point of histrionic. I enjoyed the acting, but found it to be a bit tiring by the end of the film. In every scene the leads are just a bit too game to throw themselves into the melodrama of the material. This type of acting isn't quite as good as a typically hammy performance like Zane's performance in Demon Knight because it feels a bit more amateur. However, it still leads to scenes that are impossible to look away from such as the subway possession scene. I'll drop it as a link because the ending is pretty gross and disturbing. Some of the actors in the movie are better than others, but I have a special love for Heinrich and his fucking weird, weird drug addled monologues and complete disregard for personal space. I can't find any links to his scenes, but I was often laughing out loud when he was on screen.
The plot of The Possession frankly doesn't make a ton of sense. There's a story that you can follow, but logic of the characters is shaky and the weirder it gets the more inconsistencies crop up. The basic idea of the story is a husband returns home after doing some secretive spywork during WWII to find his wife acting strangely and wanting a divorce. However, that doesn't really do the movie justice, because the movie that unfolds from that set up is much weirder than anything you'd imagine; murder, doppelgangers, pink socks, squid monster sex, the end of the world all happen in this flick and that's only the obvious weird stuff. All of these weird bits do serve a symbolic purpose though and fit into the film if you look at it as an extended metaphor rather than a literal interpretation.
The other thing I'd say about the story is that it is split into two distinct halves. The first half is a melodramatic drama about a couple's marriage that's falling apart. There are some hints of weirdness here and there, but it's not until nearly an hour into the film that things truly take a turn for the horrific. It is a very slow burn film, but I actually liked the Kramer vs Kramer melodrama of the first half of the movie, so I didn't mind the wait for the truly bizarre stuff to kick in.
As I've already said the film is an extended metaphor for a failed relationship so if you don't like allegorical horror then this is definitely not the movie for you, because if you don't buy into the metaphorical aspect of the film then you're going to be lost and bored as fuck, because weirdness by itself isn't going to be enough to sustain your interest. For my part trying to work out what each scene was meant to represent was an engrossing experience and by the time shit really started going down in the film I was totally engrossed.
I think my favorite aspect of the film are how it shows that a nasty divorce isn't just hard on the couple involved, but it effects everyone around them. By the end of the film everyone involved with the couple at the center of the story has been destroyed by the violent malestrom of their marital strife. Any time a serious relationship ends nastily there's always that tug of war as not just possessions are divided, but also the people in lives of the couple, friends and family choosing sides and whole other groups of people if infidelity is involved. A nasty breakup like this can poison a whole lot of people and that's where all the violent deaths in this film come into play. Everyone involved with this sordid affair end up dead.
As an extension of the above point the film in its darkest moments show how scarring the effects of divorce are on children. Bob doesn't get a lot of screen time, but scenes with him are always sad as his parents are so wrapped up in their drama that he's constantly being neglected. The movie makes a point to show that both his parents love him. They're not really shitty parents, but the situation is making them neglect their duties. Of course this is most obvious when the mother just leaves the kid alone for a few days to fend for himself, but even after his father takes charge of the son, things still aren't good as their apartment gets dirtier and dirtier as time passes and unless the kid comes looking for his father he rarely gets any attention. Of course the saddest part is
at the end of the film when the kid decides to drown himself rather than watch a repeat of his parents failing marriage played out by his parents' doppelgangers. Of course the kid's death was foreshadowed during the entire movie with all of the scenes of him holding his breathe under water. Throughout the film this kid spent so much time in the bath that he must have been the cleanest kid in the universe. It's an extremely dark ending, but doesn't feel edgy or just there for shock value. Divorce is something that marks children very deeply.
Now to talk about the most infamous part of the film the squid monster is used to represent a lot of things in the film. First and foremost it's meant to represent the main females shame at her own dark desires. She's long repressed her sexual desires due to her husband being away for such a long period of time. These desires have warped over time and have possessed her and turned her into something she can barely recognize. She's shamed by this monster, but attracted to it as well. Throughout the film she keeps trying to leave it behind, but in the end she must always return to it.
Eventually the squid monster evolved into a doppelganger of her husband, but an idealized version rather than the flawed human version that she's currently having problems with. I think one of the reasons she's so attracted to the squid monster is that it needs her. The squid monster is weak as it's making its change and it is up to her to protect it. It's stark contrast from the husband that's been away for years with little to no contact with her.
The Possession was made on a small budget, but it makes the most of what it has. The squid monster is sufficiently squicky and the other effects in the film are all pretty well done. I do think the director got a little overexcited with the cinematography at times with the camera swooping all over the place for little purpose, but it didn't really hurt my enjoyment of the film. It's just that the movie is very energetic and that translated into the camera work as well.
Overall this film is most definitely not for everyone, but I loved the fuck out of it. If you're into avant garfe cinema or just into bizarre movies that are more about metaphors than actual plot then you'll enjoy this. Otherwise you'll probably really despise this movie. The acting is mostly enjoyably over the top, the plot is full of melodrama and strange twists. and the film certainly ends with a bang. 9/10
Thanks to @Taekwondoin for recommending this one because it's another film that I really wanted to geek out about after watching it. Great pick, man,
ZetsubouKaiji
Well-Known Member
That's 27 movies down and 4 to go!
ZK's 31 Days of Terror day #28
The title is a lie. The games aren't funny at all.
ZK's 31 Days of Terror day #28
The title is a lie. The games aren't funny at all.
randomredneck
Well-Known Member
I've only seen the remake of Funny Games. Didn't think it was that great.
Taek
Well-Known Member
It's isn't, and the original is one of the hardest films I've ever sat through, true psychological and torture horror. It has its place in the pantheon of classic horror though, it was a game changer for sure.
Gens
Database Moderator
As much as I have to be in the appropriate mood for an art house film, Possession is really damn good into drawing you into it's pretty disturbing and surreal atmosphere. I remember this wide angled shot always made me feel extremely uncomfortable and pretty anxious:
While funny games isn't my favourite film ever, I do admit it has it's place. But for psychological and torture horror, I think Martyrs is always going to be my number one pick and most preferred for this. That film is still pretty devastating to me and I feel like I have no doubt, you'd "like" it, which I use loosely, because your soul is going to be crushed into tiny pieces afterwards.
While funny games isn't my favourite film ever, I do admit it has it's place. But for psychological and torture horror, I think Martyrs is always going to be my number one pick and most preferred for this. That film is still pretty devastating to me and I feel like I have no doubt, you'd "like" it, which I use loosely, because your soul is going to be crushed into tiny pieces afterwards.
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ZetsubouKaiji
Well-Known Member
As much as I have to be in the appropriate mood for an art house film, Possession is really damn good into drawing you into it's pretty disturbing and surreal atmosphere. I remember this wide angled shot always made me feel extremely uncomfortable and pretty anxious:
It gets even creepier because just a little bit later the shot gets repeated with his wife. There's something very clinical about the pose and the shot. It's not a father touching a son or a husband touching a wife, but rather someone study a stranger trying to recognize them. It makes sense since he's been away for so long that he's a virtual stranger to his son and his wife has changed so much that she's a stranger to him as well.
Forgot to mention this in my review, but Tents spent the movie drooling over how attractive the wife was or at least until things started to get weird. They certainly filled the role with a very attractive actress.
Schizm
Well-Known Member
Funny Games is awesome because it has Naked City in it. Best movie opening ever.
You watching the original or the remake? They're both pretty good.
You watching the original or the remake? They're both pretty good.
Gens
Database Moderator
That opening is hilariously awesome, but I know for a fact ZK absolutely hates John Zorn's more crazy ass shit, that one time I tested something like this on him.
ZetsubouKaiji
Well-Known Member
Yeah, it's a film that's designed to piss you off by throwing your expectation right back in your face. It pisses all over the rules of storytelling in a way that's both completely intentional and absolutely frustrating. It's all meant as a commentary on how complacent people have become with all the expected rules of movies. It's a movie that's shocking because it goes all the way in smashing the rule book.
That's also the main problem with the remake, it's a years too late. The idea behind the film and the message was a lot fresher in 1997 than it was in 2007, when fourth wall breaking horror movies with genre savvy characters as much more the norm.
I'm watching the original 1997 version.
That opening is hilariously awesome, but I know for a fact ZK absolutely hates John Zorn's more crazy ass shit, that one time I tested something like this on him.
True, I definitely don't dig that style of music, but in this case I think it's really fitting to the movie. Plus, I think it juxtaposes nicely with the clean cut preppy look of the murderers.
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