I talk about horror movies I've seen

[Ben4]

Hello everyone who may be reading!
I have recently discovered that I actually really like horror movies. I grew up in a religious, so I didn't see very many as a child, but recently I have been watching and enjoying them, so this is my outlet where I will talk about them, since my girlfriend doesn't like them. I do not claim to be an expert on them by any means, as there are many classics of the genre that I haven't seen. Hopefully someday I will be able to consider myself a horror film buff, but until that day, I'll just talk about the ones I have seen.

In this entry I will be talking about The Conjuring (2013).

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Why start with this movie you ask? Well, because it is the one I have watched most recently. My thoughts on it? Well, I didn't like it all that much. I am reluctant regarding modern horror, I prefer older ones for the most part, but I had heard from somewhere that this one was a cut above most modern horror movies. Now don't get me wrong, it certainly isn't terrible, but it I personally didn't think it was anything special. It seemed like mostly just cheap jump scares. I am not the type of person who gets scared by movies easily, but I had pretty much lost interest in this movie by the time the ending came around, and I wasn't really invested in what was happening.

I found the pacing of this movie to be strange. It was weird to me that the main characters were the Warrens, but they don't even go to the house for like the first half of the movie. So while things are slowly getting spookier in the house, the main characters of the movie are pretty much doing nothing. I feel like we could have just had a few short scenes that show the stuff that was happening in the house, and then have the Warrens come to the house still in the first act of the movie, and maybe they could have been present for the escalation of spookiness.

While I do think the movie has an interesting visual style, I didn't find any of the visuals striking in the way I would want them to be in a horror movie. This is of course a matter of personal taste, but I found a lot of the stuff with the demons to be very bland and generic. Oh look, there's a thing there, but then when we look back it isn't actually there! This happens over and over again, and it makes the amount of danger the family is in unclear. I also thought it looked cheesy as hell when the girl was being dragged across the floor by her hair.

Some things I think the movie did well. I like that it was a period piece, and I liked the 70's look of it. It was competently directed, and there were some interesting shots in the movie, like the one long take moving throught the house in the beginning when they first move in, or the long take of the guy setting up all the cameras in around the house.

Probably the biggest fault of this movie was that I found the characters to be underdeveloped, and not particularly interesting. There are five girls, and it is almost impossible to get all of their names straight. I also feel like we didn't get enough time with Ed and Lorraine, and what we did get seemed like the screenwriter was phoning it in. The whole subplot of how something bad happened during a past exorcism so Ed didn't want Lorraine to go with him seemed half baked, and I'm not sure if the movie is better for it being in there. I mean I guess it's better than nothing, but when he said "I don't want to lose you" I was reminded of The Incredibles, and how much better of a movie that is, and how I would rather be watching that.

So overall, this is a competent, but not very memorable horror movie. There are some jump scares that will startle you, the plot isn't too stupid, and the performances are all solid, but nothing in this movie will really stick with you afterwards. So if you are looking for a horror movie to watch on Netflix, you could do a lot worse than this one. But you could also do a lot better.

Of course this is all my opinion. If you loved this movie and thought it was scary, then that's great. I just personally didn't find what I was looking for in this movie.

Side note, the whole movie, I found it distracting how much Ed Warren looked liked Saul from breaking bad. I also thought that Lorraine looked like the actress who plays Scarlett Witch in Avengers.

[Ben4]

Well, I watched The Descent today, and it was pretty good. Spoilers for those of you who haven't seen this movie.

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From the beginning this movie catches you off guard by killing of two characters. One thing the whole movie does particularly well is that the characters are never stupid the way horror movie characters can be. Sure they do stupid things sometimes, but not ridiculously stupid things that wouldn't be realistic in a situation like this. The characters always feel like real people, even if some of them are underdeveloped.

I think the best thing about this movie is how well it uses its setting. The sets are fantastic, and while watching the movie, I thought it was filmed in an actual cave. It also makes you feel extremely claustrophobic, and afraid of what you can't see. They do a very good job of using the darkness of the cave to create a scary atmosphere.

The monsters are pretty creepy looking, they kind of remind me of orcs from Lord of the Rings. The sounds they make are also pretty spooky. It's incredibly fun to watch the girls fight these monsters too, and it gets pretty gory, which is a plus. It sets up all the characters as pretty badass climbers and outdoorsy people, so it isn't completely unbelievable that they can kick some ass when they need too.

The central drama of this movie is between the characters Sarah and Juno. In the end Sarah stabs Juno in the leg and leaves her to die because she found out that her husband who died at the beginning of the movie was having an affair with her. Juno is a complex character, with many flaws. On top of the cheating, it is really her fault that they are all trapped in an unexplored cave, and she accidentally kills one of her friends and leaves her there. However she also doesn't want to leave behind Sarah when they can't find her, and does her best to help everyone out. You can't help but feel sorry for her when she is left behind.

The title The Descent refers not only to their descent into the cave, but the main character Sarah's descent into madness. She experiences trauma when her husband and child die in a car crash in the beginning, and while in the cave, she is put through more traumatic experiences. She has to kill the one of her friends who was accidentally injured by Juno, so that she wouldn't be left for the creatures to get to her. There are actually two endings to this movie. The US ending which is the one I saw as it is the one on Netflix is she escapes and as she is driving away she sees the ghost of Juno. The UK ending keeps going, and shows that she is trapped in the cave, and that her escaping was a hallucination/dream. While the US ending feels a little like a cheap jump scare, I didn't mind it, because it shows that she is traumatized beyond repair, and will always be haunted by her past.

So I would recommend this movie. It was good.

I guess since everyone on this site loves making lists, I'll start making a list ranking the movies I talk about here.

1. The Descent (2005)
2. The Conjuring (2013)

[Ben4]

Today I am going to talk about the 1968 classic, Night of the Living Dead.


This is the original zombie movie, and is also the first instance of many tropes used in horror films to this day. Strangers stuck in an old house without communication, having to work together due to a large threat, but still fighting amongst each other. The premise of the film is simple, the dead have risen and seek to eat the living, and our collection of characters are stuck in a house and need to decide the best course of action. Of course not everyone agrees on what the best course of action is.

One of the most memorable sequences is when Ben and those other two characters who's names I can't remember leave the house to try to get the gas. Due to an accident the truck explodes, killing the two in it. The two are then eaten. The other moment that is probably the best part, is when the girl from downstairs turns into a zombie and kills her parents.

I think the biggest negative of this film is how dated it is. Because of this some of the effects aren't great looking, and it is a little cheesy at parts. It isn't particularly scary by today's standard, but it is one of the films you need to acknowledge for its influence if you want to call yourself a horror buff. The ending of the film is perhaps what has made it stick with people, even though some of the other elements haven't aged as well. In the end, the scariest monsters of all are people. A simple idea like that sticks with you, and is scarier than any jump scare.

Ranking:
1. The Descent (2005)
2. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
3. The Conjuring (2012)

[Ben4]

I just watched Hellraiser and it was awesome.

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Where to begin? This movie had it all for me. It was about all you can ask for with a horror movie. Lots of gore, creepy visuals, intense sequences, cool costumes, everything. The movie has a very distinct visual style, and the effects look great to this day. The scenes where Frank is rebuilding himself are very cool and memorable. However the scariest things in the movie are the demons or whatever they are called, that are summoned by opening the box. They have a bdsm look that is super creepy.

If I had to name one flaw in the movie, it would be that at the beginning of the movie it seems like the main character is Julia, but then by the end of the film the main character seems to be Kristy. I think the climax of the movie would work even better than it already does if Kristy was made out to be more of a main character from the beginning. But this hardly detracted from my enjoyment of the film.

The movie has a great premise, which is probably why it spawned so many sequels. Even though there is a lot more that can be done with this premise, this movie balances that with having a rather simple story. It is paced very well, and isn't too scary right away. The first act of the movie is almost a slasher film with Julia as the villain, killing her victims with a hammer, but it transitions into the supernatural elements flawlessly.

So this one is a big recommendation from me. Probably the best horror movie currently on Netflix. It's gory, it's scary, and it's thrilling. What more could you want?

Ranking:
1. Hellraiser (1987)
2. The Descent (2005)
3. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
4. The Conjuring (2013)

[Ben4]

Yesterday I watched A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)


Overall, I was a little let down by this movie. This is one of those classics that everyone loves, but I found it a little bit underwhelming. Maybe it's because I watched it shortly after watching Hellraiser which I loved. I think for my personal tastes, that movie is more what I want from a horror movie than Elm Street was.

There were a lot of things that I did like about this movie. I liked most of the dream sequences, and how surreal it got at times. I really liked the part where Nancy is running from Freddy, and is running up the stairs, but the steps are turning into goo or quicksand or something. I liked the part when she unplugs the phone but it still rings, and then his tongue comes out of it. I liked the part when he was on fire and jumps on the mother, and then her skeleton slowly sinks into the bed.

The horror elements of this movie were all well done enough, but there were other elements that I didn't feel were as well handled. The character elements were a little lacking. For example in order to convey to the audience that the mother is an alcoholic, she is constantly seen holding a bottle of booze. I think that after the scene where Nancy calls her out for her drinking would be enough.

The ending is problematic too, since it in a way undoes what just happened in the climax of the film. It's like the anti "it was all a dream" ending. It's the "it's still a dream" ending. Something about her defeating him by turning her back on him, to in the next scene get taken away in a car that he is clearly somehow controlling seems counter productive, and makes pretty much everything that happens in the film pointless.

Ranking:

1. Hellraiser (1987)
2. The Descent (2005)
3. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
4. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
5. The Conjuring (2013)

[Ben4]

Today I'm going to talk about Evil Dead 2.


The best word to describe this movie is fun. It is just a blast from beginning to end. The tone is so perfectly balanced between scary and funny. There are moments that will scare you, and moments that will make you laugh out loud.

I think the best part of this movie is when Ash is alone at the cabin for the first section of the movie. The scene where he disposes of Linda's corpse, the scene with his hand, the mirror jump scare, and the laughing scene are some of the most memorable scenes in the movie.

Once the others show up things are still fun, and you get some cool costumes as they have to face more and more demons. There is an obvious Night of the Living Dead influence with the strangers all stuck in the cabin who don't all agree about what to do. A lot of really cool surreal type stuff happens, like when the cabin starts bleeding, or when the trees start attacking. I don't think I've ever been caught off guard by the ending of a movie as much as I was by the ending of this one. I am looking forward to watching Army of Darkness.

Bruce Campbell's performance in this movie is great, and is much better than his performance in the first one. He fits the tone of the movie perfectly, and really sells the scenes where he is starting to lose his mind. If you don't enjoy watching him fight his possessed hand and smashing plates on his head, then you are probably not a very fun person. Sam Raimi's directing is praiseworthy as well. There are a lot of really cool shots, and with a bigger budget than the last movie, he was able to do more to achieve his vision.

So in conclusion, watch this movie! It's awesome.

Ranking:
1. Evil Dead 2 (1987)
2. Hellraiser (1987)
3. The Descent (2005)
4. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
5. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
6. The Conjuring (2013)

[bobbyb5]

I like reading your reviews. They get right to the point.
My experience with Night of the Living Dead probably explains why it really stuck with me to this very day. The first time I saw it was when I was probably 9 or 10 years old and my father took us to the Drive-in to see it. It was already old by this point, but was still a popular drive-in movie. Needless to say, it scares the shit out of a 10 year old. And this Drive-in we went to was right across the street from a cemetery, and I was even afraid of cemeteries when I was little. So you could imagine how freaked out I was. That drive-in theater is gone now, but every time I drive by that Cemetery I have flashbacks and start bugging out because of Night of the Living Dead.

[Ben4]

Today I am going to talk about Brian Yuzma's Society.

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The briefest description I can give of this movie is that it is extremely weird. It is possibly one of the weirdest movies I've ever seen. It is far from a perfect movie, but its qualities far outweigh its faults in my opinion. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, and if your tastes are similar to mine you will too.

As a fan of 80s body horror type stuff, this movie was right up my alley. The movie's biggest strengths are its visuals and effects, especially at the climax. I also really like how the movie is paced. It doesn't get too scary too quickly, which gives the ending even more of a punch. But all through the film there are things to make you feel uncomfortable, or uneasy, even if you don't know exactly what is going on yet. The film has some very off putting sexual undertones, which in my opinion worked very well in making the movie scary in a unique kind of way.

The weakest thing about this movie is the script. It wasn't too big of a detraction for me, but there were a few moments with dialogue that sticks out. For example the word "butthead" is said more than once in the movie. This does have a payoff in the end, so it isn't to big of a problem. I think the line that stuck out the most was when one of the characters in the end says something along the lines of "the rich have always been sucking off the poor" which I found to be a little too on the nose.

Overall I would suggest this movie, mainly for how off the wall bonkers it is. It is one of the most truly bizarre experiences I've had, and I have tried not to give too much away in this review. It is best to go in with no expectations of what is to come. So if you have amazon prime, watch this movie!

1. Evil Dead 2 (1987)
2. Hellraiser (1987)
3. Society (1989)
4. The Descent (2005)
5. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
6. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
7. The Conjuring (2013)

[badseed]

Just discovered this. Really cool. I like the style of this. Might steal it one day on Facebook or something. The reviews are refreshing. Everything you've watched so far is must see in my opinion. Night of the Living Dead is the real standout though, easily #1 from the bunch and one of the true landmarks of the genre. After that it's a toss up between the rest as I think they're all in the 4 out of 5 star range, all awesome flicks with a flaw here and there but a blast nonetheless. I look forward to this continuing regardless of how good the next film is.

[Ben4]

Last night I watched Re-Animator and I really liked it.

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This movie, like an Evil Dead movie, seems to know exactly what it is, and balances very well a comedic yet scary tone. It is basically a B movie, but it is very well executed in my opinion. Based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft, and in many ways inspired by the works of Mary Shelley, the story is about a scientist who wants to cheat death, by re-animating the dead. The only problem is they come back as mindless zombies if you wait too long after killing them to give them the serum. Just a heads up, there will be spoilers in this review, and if you haven't seen this movie, I would suggest seeing it before reading.

Director Stuart Gordon started out in the theater, and this, his first film, in many ways feels like a stage play. There are really only five main characters, with a few extra faces with lines here and there. Each of the main characters plays a part in pushing the story forward. The story is paced extremely well, and the progression of events is believable, in spite of a ridiculous premise.

There are some genuinely funny moments in the movie, like when Jeffrey Combs has a cat puppet on his back, or when he props up the disembodied head by impaling it on the thing on his desk (I don't know what those are called), or when the headless body is stumbling around. It is also very scary in my opinion, particularly at the ending when the decapitated doctor brings back all the disfigured dead back to serve his biding. This scene was very reminiscent of Night of the Living dead. There is also a scene that was very uncomfortable to watch, and to me actually made the movie less enjoyable. If you've seen the movie you know what scene I am talking about.

There is a lot of great gore and campy effects in this movie. One scene in particular is when Jeffrey Combs' character Herbert West decapitates the doctor with a shovel, and then reanimates the head and body separately. The effects are very of the time, but as someone who enjoys these kinds of effects, this was a positive.

For me what really made this movie was the final scene. When Dan is taking Megan through the hospital, and then they start working on her and it is just like the first scene where we meet Dan. Then we see Dan decide to use the serum on her. In a way, this movie is a tragedy, and it is about the fear of death, and unwillingness to accept death. At the beginning of the movie, Dan is a bright young med student, who wants to help people by entering the medical field. Herbert West is the mad scientist who wants to cheat death, and convinces Dan to go along and help him with his experiments. At the end of the film Dan has lost his fiancé, and has reached the point where he himself would use the serum, even after witnessing all the craziness using the serum caused in the first place. This ending elevated the movie in my eyes.

So while overall this is a very enjoyable movie, there are a few things that stick out in a bad way. One is a scene that will make you very uncomfortable, and the other is the score. It is literally just the score from Psycho. Literally. It's a little bit ironic since the villain of the movie is a plagiarist who wants to steal West's work, and then the score of the film was plagiarized from one of the most iconic soundtracks of all time. It's not a huge deal, but it is worth mentioning. Overall impression: watch this movie!!

Ranking:

1. Evil Dead 2 (1987)
2. Re-animator (1985)
3. Hellraiser (1987)
4. Society (1989)
5. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
6. The Descent (2005)
7. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
8. The Conjuring (2013)

I have decided that Night of the Living Dead was better than The Descent the more I think about both of those movies.