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     Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 213.158.199.132 |
* Basics * Movies and TV Apparently, according to a Horror internet newsletter I occasionally receive, Silent Hill will have a sequel to be released next year. I would also be interested in knowing if anyone has seen a horror slasher movie called 'Camp Sleepaway', which according to this newsletter has one of the great twist endings, though the film itself is reported to be awful. And last but not least, below are some movies they newsletter critic or whatever he purports to be, those films which deserve a remake. 20 Horror Movies That Should Be Remade Because Hollywood Has Already Redone Everything Else By Mark H. Harris, About.com See More About: * horror remakes * foreign horror movies * phantasm * pumpkinhead (Continued from Page 1) OK, "should" might be too strong a word, but these remakes make at least as much sense as the ones that have already been done or are currently in production. Some of these have great concepts that weren't fully realized due to budgetary or other constraints, while others are great as is but deserve to be exposed to a wider audience. Phantasm (1979) "Phantasm DVD"© MGM Although it's spawned three sequels, Phantasm hasn't really gotten its due of widespread notoriety. The original might suffer a bit from its semi-linear narrative and occasionally surreal nature -- not to mention the dated '70s look -- but it has such a rich mythology, with the iconic villain The Tall Man and an anything-can-happen supernatural flair, that today its out-of-the-box plot would stand apart from the glut of slashers, ghost stories and torture porn. Prince of Darkness (1987) "Prince of Darkness DVD"© Universal John Carpenter's provocative plot involving demonic possession, alien life forms, time travel, zombies, theoretical physics and the resurrection of Satan through a sentient fluid is a bit "out there," but it's a welcome risk-taker that can benefit from a remake's increased budget and scope. Pumpkinhead (1988) "Pumpkinhead: Collector's Edition DVD"© MGM Pumpkinhead is one of the great, truly intimidating movie monsters, but his films have never used him to his full frightening potential -- particularly the later direct-to-video efforts that rendered him in cheesy CGI. Why not "reboot" the franchise with the butt-kicking demonic glory that we know Pumpkinhead is capable of? Compare Prices Raw Meat (1972) "Raw Meat (Death Line)"© MGM This overlooked British flick is sort of like The Subway Has Eyes, with descendants of railway workers buried in a turn-of-the-century cave-in living in the subways and picking off stray passengers as food. A remake would infuse some adrenaline and twists into a simple story whose pace is slow, thanks to attempts to humanize a cannibal as a sympathetic Frankenstein figure looking for a mate. Compare Prices Road Games (1981) "Road Games"© Anchor Bay During the heyday of slashers, this Australian production dared to go a Hitchcockian route -- despite the presence of scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis -- in this tale of a trucker who suspects a fellow traveler of being a serial killer. Sort of like Rear Window on the open road. A remake could eliminate some of the talkiness and focus on the action, with an outcome along the lines of The Hitcher or Joy Ride. Compare Prices Shivers (1975) "Shivers DVD"© Image The movie that served as the springboard for David Cronenberg's career still proves thrilling to this day, but it suffers from a low budget. The apocalyptic mayhem of a disease spread through a contained apartment building -- later exploited in Quarantine -- combines with a social statement about sexual promiscuity, seeing as the parasite is spread through sexual arousal and contact. The Stepford Wives (1975) "The Stepford Wives DVD"© Anchor Bay Yes, it was remade in 2004, but how about we return to the original's darker, creepy edge and not go for the cutesy comedic angle? Compare Prices The Stuff (1985) "The Stuff"© Anchor Bay The Stuff, in which an ice cream-like food turns out to be a living creature that eats people from the inside, is like Invasion of the Body Snatchers (itself always ripe for a remake) with a dark comedic spin satirizing consumerism. A remake could provide fun commentary on our diet-conscious culture, fears about disease, the tobacco industry and the war on drugs, while also fixing the poor editing and cheap special effects. Compare Prices The Uninvited Guest (2004) "The Uninvited Guest"© HBO This challenging Spanish film has one of the most ingenious, yet most simple setups in recent memory: a man lets a stranger inside his mansion to use the phone, and after a few moments out of his sight, the stranger is gone. Slowly but surely, he begins to suspect that the man never left and becomes paranoid, obsessed with finding him. A series of intriguing twists makes for a delicious thriller that needs more exposure. Compare Prices Warning Sign (1985) "Warning Sign DVD"© Anchor Bay Warning Sign was something of a precursor to Resident Evil, with a government facility locked down after an experimental virus contaminates the workers, turning them into murderous semi-living beings. A remake could tap into the appeal of not only the Resident Evil films, but also pics like 28 Days Later and Quarantine. | ||
| Craig (Craig) Username: Craig Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 75.5.3.63 |
The UNINVITED GUEST sounds good... I've never heard of it... now I'm intrigued enough to Netflix it.... | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 213.158.199.132 |
These are the second half of the list. Yes, Craig, that one does sound tempting, doesn't it. (One of my dogs has had the snip today. He's sitting next to me and giving me the evil eye). A remake of the Japanese film 2LDK (and a few others on this list) would give America a much-needed peek into non-supernatural Asian horror and suspense. While remakes of Asian horror have so far focused on ghost stories (The Ring, The Grudge, Shutter, One Missed Call, The Uninvited), 2LDK is very much grounded in the living world, playing as a deliciously demented battle of wills between two young actresses who are living together in an apartment and trying out for the same role. Fists fly, as do knives, eggs and chainsaws in a darkly comedic thriller with juicy roles that actresses in real life would kill for. Compare Prices 13: Game of Death (2006) "13: Game of Death"© Dimension From Thailand comes this thriller about a mild-mannered office worker who receives a mysterious phone call that promises him millions of dollars if he completes 13 tasks. While the assignments begin innocently enough -- killing a fly and eating it -- they become increasingly violent and sinister. The movie is great as it is, but a remake would expose it to more people and could draw in a big crowd, seeing as it plays a bit like Eagle Eye crossed with The Game. Compare Prices Acolytes (2008) "Acolytes DVD"© Anchor Bay This Australian film has an intriguing concept -- teens who see a man burying a dead body blackmail him into killing a bully who's tormenting them -- but it degrades into overly quirky, artsy directions with unnecessary twists that don't take advantage of what could've been a neat cat-and-mouse game. A remake could fix that. Compare Prices Black House (2007) "Black House"© Genius Products The 1999 Japanese film The Black House has already been remade for the better as the 2007 Korean movie Black House, and I think the twisty, dark storyline -- about an insurance agent who investigates a customer who might've killed his own son for insurance money -- could work again in the US. It should, however, use the Korean film as the template, since the Japanese original infused an out-of-place comedic touch. Compare Prices Cemetery Man (1994) "Cemetery Man"© Anchor Bay I know, I know, a lot of people love this one. Although it's gained cult status, this Italian production about a man who serves as the live-in guardian of a cemetery whose residents won't stay dead doesn't take full advantage of its horror elements -- or its comedic elements, for that matter. Its slow pace, melodramatic tone and metaphysical content could be tweaked to make it more fun, along the lines of Shaun of the Dead or Dead Alive. Compare Prices C.H.U.D. (1984) "C.H.U.D."© Anchor Bay One of the coolest titles of the '80s (C.H.U.D. standing for Cannibalistic Humanoid Underground Dweller) goes for naught, as the humanoid creatures barely get any air time. Most of the movie is taken up by figuring out what's feeding on the citizens of the city and dealing with a cover-up by authorities. The monster design is good, but the makeup effects are cheap -- all things that could be remedied in a remake. Compare Prices Damnation Alley (1977) "Damnation Alley"© 20th Century Fox The story of military men trekking through a post-apocalyptic landscape, Damnation Alley is a sci fi/action film with elements of horror, but a remake could boost up the horror and survival portions of the story -- particularly the giant mutated insects and roving bands of savages -- and give the cheesy special effects (rubber cockroaches) a serious upgrade. Day of the Triffids (1962) "Day of the Triffids"© Pro-Active Though often lumped in with the glut of corny sci fi invasion movies of the era, Day of the Triffids can be seen as a precursor to serious modern fare like 28 Days Later and Blindness. Like 28 Days Later, a man awakes in a hospital to find society crumbling, and like Blindness, the population has been struck blind except for a select few. There just also happen to be maneating plants roaming around. The plot is rife with big-scale action that Michael Bay would love (a plane struck by blindness in mid-air), but the major roadblock would be making killer plants scary. Compare Prices Demons (1985) "Demons DVD"© Anchor Bay I love the original Italian gorefest, but it seems like a remake could have wide appeal, with its fast pace and over-the-top action. Like Dawn of the Dead, it could be repackaged for mainstream exposure as a tooth-and-nail battle for survival within an enclosed environment (in this case, a movie theater) in the midst of a potential apocalypse (at the hands of demons rather than zombies) The Food of the Gods (1976) "Food of the Gods"© American International Pictures We haven't had a good giant animal movie in a while, and this one has great potential, with a multitude of different animals -- from wasps to rats -- that eat the experimental "food," growing to enormous size. Plus, the title is just plain awesome. The original never got past the campiness of the cheap effects (i.e., real animals walking through miniature sets) and failed to take full advantage of the wildlife available. Imagine the stench from a 50-foot skunk or the bite of a gargantuan chipmunk! | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 213.219.8.243 |
'Sleepaway Camp' is mental - the ending has to be seen to be believed. Truly. | ||
| Craig (Craig) Username: Craig Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 75.5.7.140 |
The only movie I hate more than THE MIST and DONNIE DARKO - put together, x10, to the 10th power - is PHANTASM. | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 213.158.199.142 |
Craig - Right, that fuckin' does it. I'm selling the flat and booking a ticket on the next plane over. PHANTASM!!!!! You hate it. Where's Weber...? Weber, mate, tag-team time. | ||
| Weber_gregston (Weber_gregston) Username: Weber_gregston Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 194.176.105.47 |
If this one doesn't scare you, you're already dead! I always thought that if that tag line is true, it demonstrates an amazing number of zombies on the planet - coz lets face it - it ain't a scary film. | ||
| Tony (Tony) Username: Tony Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.163.177.214 |
Sleepaway Camp is good, not great, but with moments of greatness. I found the end reveal quite sexy in a complete head-twist sort of way. | ||
| Weber_gregston (Weber_gregston) Username: Weber_gregston Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 194.176.105.47 |
I think this is one of those rare movies (the Saw films are the only others I can think of) where Craig agrees with me. | ||
| Weber_gregston (Weber_gregston) Username: Weber_gregston Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 194.176.105.47 |
Phantasm I'm talking about - crossed posts there with tony | ||
| Craig (Craig) Username: Craig Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 75.5.7.140 |
You did like the SAW films, right Weber?... Because I did (though I've not seen the very latest one). And - let's get this straight, once and for all - you agree with ME - oh, wait, I forgot, I've allowed you to think I'm agreeing with you - never mind then.... PHANTASM has one good head-drilling scene, and that's it for the whole movie. It's woefully slow, uneventful, and lame. It's just plain old awfuckingful. Now, in fairness, I've seen none of the sequels - the first was so bad, I couldn't stomach a potential repeat-experience. So... maybe the series gets better?... | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 213.219.8.243 |
PHANTASM is only great if you saw it at the right time - aged about 13 or 14, and on grainy VHS. I love the film. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 213.219.8.243 |
"Boy!" Weber, man, it's terrifying. | ||
| Craig (Craig) Username: Craig Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 75.5.7.140 |
You forgot the dropping acid part, Zed. And locking yourself in an old mansion. And falling asleep and having a nightmare until the movie ends. | ||
| Weber_gregston (Weber_gregston) Username: Weber_gregston Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 194.176.105.47 |
I saw it aged 14 on grainy VHS and found it tedious rubbish and about as scary as something not very scary. I'm flagging a bit. My similes aren't up to their usual standard | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 213.158.199.142 |
It does get better, it gets utterly surreal. Weber - you can fend for yourself now, pal. You bleedin' traitor. The only good SAW movie was the first, and that was when it was focused on Cary Elwes and the other bloke chained up in the basement. Craig - you have to look at Phantasm from a straight to video context, even though it was a cinema release at the time. It's like sifting for gold, a delicate but ultimately rewarding process. Phantasm part two is great. More money, a crazy story-line, and just plain old creepy. | ||
| Craig (Craig) Username: Craig Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 75.5.7.140 |
Alright, I'll give it a chance, Frank.... To be honest, I wasn't in the right state of mind when I saw the first PHANTASM: I was totally sober and in the mood for something scary. | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 213.158.199.142 |
Craig - dropping acid, or ingesting a space cake would definitely assist a grown man in finding the movie scary. Zed's right about this. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 213.219.8.243 |
It's a polarizing film. | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 213.158.199.142 |
True. But I'm still right, and Weber is still wrong...again! | ||
| Weber_gregston (Weber_gregston) Username: Weber_gregston Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 194.176.105.47 |
See how much I'm flagging at the moment. I couldn't even think of a good photography pun about polarizing film... | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 213.158.199.142 |
Weber - oh, dear. Seems that Craig finally wore you down. | ||
| Chris_morris (Chris_morris) Username: Chris_morris Registered: 04-2008 Posted From: 12.165.240.116 |
THE UNINVITED GUEST is very good indeed. It reminded me of a Brian Evenson novel. Creepy, intelligent, and thought-provoking. Still, don't remake it. Please. | ||
| John Llewellyn Probert (John_l_probert) Username: John_l_probert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.151.147.221 |
I KNEW my dear friend Zed would have seen Sleepaway Camp and he's probably seen Sleepaway Camp II & III as well, just like I have. I LOVE Phantasm! And I didn't see it until I was 22. There's something very strange, surreal and otherworldly about it, and it did take me back to my teenaged years. Maybe it depends on what sort of childhood you had. And yes mine did involve quite a few churches and graveyards where the idea of a Tall Man stealing bodies for another dimension would have been just perfect. | ||
| Chris_morris (Chris_morris) Username: Chris_morris Registered: 04-2008 Posted From: 12.165.240.116 |
For the record, I like PHANTASM too. If only there were more B-movies like that one ... | ||
| Karim Ghahwagi (Karim) Username: Karim Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 80.163.6.13 |
The Stuff- A blast from the past. The trailer disturbed me so much when I was a kid, that I never watched it. Never will...wait... But now that I am reminded of it, I must! | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 213.158.199.142 |
B movies are sometimes far more interesting than their A movie counterparts. Bestseller is a far better movie than Collateral. | ||
| Karim Ghahwagi (Karim) Username: Karim Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 80.163.6.13 |
And they really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really should remake Rawhead Rex, really. | ||
| Craig (Craig) Username: Craig Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 75.5.11.182 |
Karim: I'm about 45 minutes into MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN, and so far, I'm enjoying it. I think it's because I went it with the lowest of the low expectations possible: it could only do better than I assumed it would be. So far.... | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 213.158.199.131 |
Craig - MMT is f**king shit on a stick. Went to the cinema to see it. Worst movie of last year. | ||
| Hubert (Hubert) Username: Hubert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 78.22.224.228 |
'Sleepaway Camp' is mental - the ending has to be seen to be believed. Truly. Indeed, it's an incredible piece of acting for a young girl. Those of you who haven't seen the film: don't fall in love with Angela from the outset, like I did. | ||
| Karim Ghahwagi (Karim) Username: Karim Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 80.163.6.13 |
Craig I had mixed feelings about MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN. It had good things, but it also had some not so good things. In any case, Rawhead was originally made with two bulbs and some duct tape, so it could use a remake for sure, but it couldn't possibly be made on the budgets of the other BOB stories, especially if you consider the design that Les Edwards used in the graphic novel, which was really great, if not stunning. You would have to dig up Mr. Henson, give the body a shot of pure LSD 25 and let him run wild. And you'd have to add some very good CGI to boot. Anyways why all these remakes when there are so many new original stories out there? | ||
| Huw (Huw) Username: Huw Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 218.168.188.202 |
Phantasm is brilliant. I saw it when I was about 17 or 18, and feel the same way as John about it. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 213.219.8.243 |
Yep. | ||
| Huw (Huw) Username: Huw Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 218.168.188.202 |
Have you got the collection with the Sphere packaging, Zed? It's pretty neat. Not as neat as a remote controlled actual flying sphere with rotating brain-piercing drill would've been, but still... | ||
| John Llewellyn Probert (John_l_probert) Username: John_l_probert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 90.203.130.164 |
I've got the sphere packaging Huw! It's on my mantlepiece! Oh, and I thought Midnight Meat Train was bloody awful - 30 minute story steamrollered to 90mins and CGI blood. Stop it now you naughty children and get back to using real stage blood like your parents showed you! | ||
| Karim Ghahwagi (Karim) Username: Karim Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 80.163.6.13 |
John, then you should probably stay clear of The Book of Blood, which is a ten minute story steamrollered to 100 mins. and hear-hear on the real stage blood. :-) | ||
| Tony (Tony) Username: Tony Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.163.177.214 |
I just saw Uninvited Guest today for a pound at the market! Shit, why didn't I buy it instead of BIG? Funny I'd never heard of it, then there it is in Peterlee market the day it gets mentioned. | ||
| Tony (Tony) Username: Tony Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.163.177.214 |
I loved Angela all the way through Sleepaway, whatever. | ||
| Craig (Craig) Username: Craig Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 75.4.253.40 |
Well, when you go into something with super-low expectations, it proves to be a good thing, because then it can ONLY improve on them. But yes, I DETEST CGI blood - one of the great cultural slides of our time, the loss of red karo syrup and squibs. Just like the loss of dummy heads filled with spaghetti and set to explode. Just like the loss of full dummy bodies, to dress up like priests and fling off tall mountains (name the movie) or perhaps out of helicopters at upsurging ravaging zombies (name the movie).... | ||
| Tony (Tony) Username: Tony Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.163.177.214 |
She's STILL beautiful. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i40INOxcq20&feature=related | ||
| Craig (Craig) Username: Craig Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 75.4.253.40 |
I didn't like SLEEPAWAY CAMP. But you know, like PHANTASM, I came to these late - so my conclusion is, you have to be of a certain age to enjoy these films, and then the memories of such enjoyment delude the viewer into thinking they were quality films; even many, many years later, when one should know better. I'm fully prepared to admit many old horror films I love, are TOTAL garbage crap. But I liked them, and still like them. And so, PHANTASM is surely total garbage crap, weighed in the garbage-crap scale... but if you put liberal amounts of sentimentalism in the adjoining scale, it will weigh even.... | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 213.219.8.243 |
Define crap. To me, crap is Michael Bay. It's all relative, baby... | ||
| Tom_alaerts (Tom_alaerts) Username: Tom_alaerts Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 194.78.35.185 |
Don't quite see how a remake of "Prince of darkness" would improve upon it - one of the best Carpenter movies in my not so humble opinion. Yes the dialogue is a bit clumsy in places, but overal it's so very good with its elegant wide screen compositions and slowly increasing pace. However, I do see an opportunity for a sequel. | ||
| Stephen Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.72.14.113 |
I am now at the point (actually far beyond the point) where any new Hollywood remakes of CLASSIC unbetterable horror movies that are released I blank from my mind like they never existed. Unless... the trustable word-of-mouth vibes (e.g. this message board for one) overwhelming indicate that this is something VERY SPECIAL indeed (an increasingly rare phenomenon). Then I will go see it with everything clenched hoping to be proved wrong. Honestly, how many truly worthwhile horror remakes can anyone here list? Off the top of my head I can only think of: The 70s version of 'Invasion Of The Body Snatchers', Carpenter's 'The Thing', Cronenberg's 'The Fly', the repressed remake of 'The Blob', Savini's underrated remake of 'Night Of The Living Dead', the inspired for three quarters of its length remake of 'Dawn Of The Dead', ...ummm, any more? | ||
| Chris_morris (Chris_morris) Username: Chris_morris Registered: 04-2008 Posted From: 12.165.240.116 |
FWIW, Rob Zombie's next project is a remake (a re-remake?) of THE BLOB. In a recent interview, he said this about the project: "My intention is not to have a big red blobby thing -- that's the first thing I want to change," Zombie said. "That gigantic Jello-looking thing might have been scary to audiences in the 1950s, but people would laugh now." Unfortunately this is not a joke. Rob Zombie honestly wants to remake THE BLOB without a blob. Seriously, someone take away this man's cameras. | ||
| Weber_gregston (Weber_gregston) Username: Weber_gregston Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 194.176.105.47 |
Aja's The Hills have eyes was a good remake. Is the remade Hills have Eyes 2 any good? I can get a box set of the 2 for a fiver in tesco but I'm not sure if I want both films... | ||
| Weber_gregston (Weber_gregston) Username: Weber_gregston Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 194.176.105.47 |
http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/news/rob-zombie-remaking-the-blob-without-a-blo b-like-thing-robhr.php# I think this says it about as well as it needs to be said. | ||
| Craig (Craig) Username: Craig Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 75.5.8.62 |
THE HILLS HAVE EYES 2 is fun escapist horror. It's like eating a candy bar: you eat it, and enjoy it, but you don't wax on and on about its scrumptiousness many weeks later. ... Which is meant as a reply to Stephen as well. Horror movies are for the most part fun, transitory pleasures. There are the few gems - they are noted. There are the few truly awful wretched turds - they are noted. The rest, are just there to momentarily amuse and distract us from the REAL horror of daily existence on planet fucking Earth.... | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 213.158.199.142 |
Tom - I once wrote a synopsis for Prince of Darkness as an entry to a competition that the long defunct FEAR magazine held. Carpenter himself was to judge the competition, but alas the magazine folded shortly after, along with my ticket to Hollywood. | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 213.158.199.142 |
Craig - The Hills Have Eyes Part Two...the original? I ask because you can't polish a turd. And please will you and Weber stop agreeing. It's no fun when you too start doing that. | ||
| Hubert (Hubert) Username: Hubert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 78.21.233.78 |
Judging from the comments accompanying the parts of Sleepaway Camp (and its handful of sequels) which are on YouTube, the target audience for this type film is very young indeed. They're mostly preoccupied with the short shorts the boys in this early 80ies film are wearing ("They're all gay!"), can easily identify with a character being picked on, etc. Any youngster with homosexual feelings will be very troubled by Angela. A remake with a bigger budget? Why not, but this ending simply cannot be bettered . . . | ||
| Stephen Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 82.4.18.104 |
I haven't seen Aja's 'Hills Have Eyes' yet and am waiting for it to come on the telly. Still highly dubious though. As for Craven's own sequel from 1984 it sucks to high heaven! He always made as many turkeys as he did decent films and if it weren't for 'Swamp Thing' this would be his very worst! Shudder... A remake (irrespective of genre) has to be an unimpeachable stone cold classic before it can justify being made at all imo. Even a "decent" remake of a brilliant original is a waste of time and film for me. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.240.106 |
Aja's 'Hills Have Eyes' is remarkably good (and I'm a huge fan of the original). The original sequel and the remake sequel are both rubbish, but I'd take the former over the latter any day. | ||
| Huw (Huw) Username: Huw Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 218.168.182.54 |
I'm not sure I agree with this notion that certain things can only be enjoyed or appreciated at a certain age. I love Phantasm today just as much as I did when I first saw it nearly thirty years ago. People often say Lovecraft can only be enjoyed by adolescents, but I find his best work just as powerful today (in my 40s) as I did when I first read it. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.240.106 |
Horses for courses - it applies to me, but everyone's different. I enjoy Phantasm now mostly because of what it did to me back then. Ditto Star Wars. Phantasm is a damn good film, IMHO, - imaginative, clever, creepy - but it's dated badly. It does, however, summon up within me a wonderful and almost overpowering sense of nostalgia whenever I watch it. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.240.106 |
And the problem I have with much of Lovecraft is that it's a bit childish (IMHO, of course). I only read most of his stuff in latter years, and sense that I would have enjoyed his work more if I'd read it earlier. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.240.106 |
I repeat: IMHO. This is all true only of me; it isn't a generalisation.  | ||
| Craig (Craig) Username: Craig Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 75.5.5.118 |
All I know is, I'd rather watch DONNIE DARKO and THE MIST in a heartbeat - twice, three times - than watch PHANTASM again, even once. And I'm being serious here. PHANTASM committed the most egregious sin of all, the Unforgivable Sin, as far as I'm concerned: it simply and utterly bored me. | ||
| Stephen Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 82.4.18.104 |
'Phantasm' is a superb film but by heck those sequels got dull... | ||
| Craig (Craig) Username: Craig Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 75.5.5.118 |
Huh. Another yea vote. Maybe I watched a wholly-different PHANTASM, from the one that people actually enjoyed. | ||
| Chris_morris (Chris_morris) Username: Chris_morris Registered: 04-2008 Posted From: 98.220.97.79 |
Zed's right: PHANTASM is dated. Maybe to respect it you had to first encounter it in the late-70s/early-80s? Nonetheless, I'm sure the film can't live up to the reputation it ultimately garnered. Craig, if you had expectations of greatness when you first saw PHANTASM, I'm not surprised you were disappointed. Still, when I watch it now I'm struck by the film's zestful looniness. It's so aggressively quirky ... the pieces don't really hold together ... the characters aren't more than placeholders ... and still, despite all of that, it achieves at times the quality of genuine nightmare. I suppose I'll always be fond of it. Lovecraft, tho: Well, I first discovered his work when I was a teenager, but I never really found my way into him. Some of his stories have merit, to be sure, and I have some admiration for his documentary-style approach, but his sins as a writer were always too numerous for this reader to overlook. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.240.106 |
I'm struck by the film's zestful looniness. It's so aggressively quirky ... the pieces don't really hold together ... the characters aren't more than placeholders ... and still, despite all of that, it achieves at times the quality of genuine nightmare. Nail hit squarely on head, Chris. I even enjoy the sequels (especially Phantasm II). It strikes me that, more than any other kind of film, horror cinema is very subjective. These films worm their way into our hearts, and how and why they get there is a mystery. | ||
| Stephen Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 82.4.18.104 |
I knew 'Phantasm' by word of mouth reputation for a good 10 years before I actually saw it and I wasn't disappointed. As for Lovecraft I consider him the absolute pinnacle of horror/fantasy fiction at that time. Everything that went before had been leading up to him though writers like Jackson, Aickman, Campbell, Klein, Carroll & Barker (for me) have successfully moved the genre on since his day. I first encountered Lovecraft as an awestruck teen and have reread him several times since with increasing pleasure as I get older... | ||
| Seanmcd (Seanmcd) Username: Seanmcd Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 86.171.240.130 |
I first watched Phantasm at age 16 and loved every surreal moment. A wonderfully imaginative mix of horror and sci-fi which just totally entertained me from start to finish. For me this movie has always been about imagery and design not to mention sound. The pristine almost surgical interior of the mausoleum. The sphere itself and the resulting mess. The creepy hooded dwarfs. The glimpse into another dimension. Not to mention the slow motion ploddings of the Mortician himself. The synth soundtrack is,for me,a pure joy. Right up there with Carpenter's finest synth themes and the 'Zombie Flesh eaters' dread inducing tones. | ||
| Stephen Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 82.4.18.104 |
Surreal, nightmarish and quirky sum up the film's appeal perfectly. It's like the pulp horror movie David Lynch should have made - utterly barking. The sequels failed for me in having none of the sense of inescapable cosmic terror of the original. They were merely light hearted action pics by comparison that diluted the effect of the first film a little more with each subsequent release. | ||
| Seanmcd (Seanmcd) Username: Seanmcd Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 86.171.240.130 |
Agree with you wholeheartedly Stephen regarding the recent glut of Hollywood remakes. The last straw for me was when i heard 'The Wicker Man' was being remade with Nicolas Cage. Is nothing sacred ? Seventies classics have been raped and plundered ! 'The Omen' , 'Halloween', it goes on. I can see it now, a remake of 'The Exorcist' with CGI demon. As we have discussed before, imagine republishing a classic horror book with the names,dates and minor plot changes to appeal to the 'yoof' of today calling it a rewrite ? Pointless. As you said in an earlier post a waste of film. While we're on the subject i noticed in town today a 'sequel' to Dracula written by one of the Stoker family. The publishers calling it an 'official' sequel based on Bram's notes,etc. Is this a good thing or not i wonder ? | ||
| Stephen Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 82.4.18.104 |
I for one don't like the sound of that at all Sean! I'm only surprised this idea to cash in wasn't thought of by the family sooner. Were you aware there was a new, repressed in the family vaults until now, John Wyndham novel recently published? 'Plan For Chaos' about cloned Nazis returning to form a Fourth Reich or something? That's much more exciting news to me! Was written around the time of 'Triffids' and held back due to subject matter and legal wrangles. Like his early 60s sequel to 'The Midwich Cuckoos' which still lies finished but unpublished apparently. Only a few chapters left of 'Ancient Images' and it's definitely one of my favourite Ramsey Campbell novels now. With this and 'The Influence' before it he must have been near some kind of peak at that time. Really looking forward to 'Midnight Sun' next... after 'The Maltese Falcon'. Must meet up for a natter and a pint or two soon. | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 213.158.199.144 |
Do you two really live near to each other, or was that a private in-joke? Talking of Triffids, have either you read Simon Clarke's 'The Night of the Triffids?' I only heard about it yesterday. Actually, not heard, I googled Mr Clarke for a look at some of his later works, and came across it by mistake. | ||
| Stephen Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 82.4.18.104 |
We've been mates since our schooldays Frank and both live in Belfast. Us horror buffs must stick together! I'm really not a fan of sequels to famous works by different authors and tend to avoid them as unimaginative cash-ins. That includes non-Conan Doyle Holmes stories, non-Howard Conan stories, non-Chandler Marlowe stories, non-Fleming Bond stories, etc. Any reports I've heard on 'Night Of The Triffids' weren't overly positive. | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 213.158.199.144 |
Stephen - That's great, mate. Do you two have significant points of argument when chatting about horror? I mean is there anybody whom you admire that Sean doesn't, and vice-versa? Yes, I'm not a fan of these kind of sequels, though I've always wanted to read Stephen Baxter's 'The Time Ships', the 'offical' sequel to Wells' 'The Time Machine'. So, you two have a local I would guess. I ask because a story idea just raised its vague, as yet unformed head in my direction. | ||
| Stephen Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 82.4.18.104 |
We live in different parts of the city and meet up centrally every so often - as I said on another thread it's actually safe to do that here. We disagree on loads of stuff and agree on even more lol. Is it true the skies are always so blue in Poland? Had a couple of friends working here (now returned home) who actually started to get ill because of the constant grey skies! | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 213.158.199.144 |
Stephen - depends on which part he was living. Constant grey skies? I don't know. I lived in a town called Zielona Gora for nine years, which is a beautiful little place surrounded by miles and miles of forest, punctuated with hundreds of lakes. In summer the temperature was blistering for long periods, but recently it's dropped off (climate change?), so the skies were gorgeously blue. Of course in winters past the sky was choked with severe snow storms, etc; I experienced 30 below one night, though that was a freak for that part of Poland. But just like summer, winters have also dropped off, with only a week or two of snow. I'm sure it's different in the East, but I haven't been there so I really couldn't say. It depends where you live and what kind of person you are. I had a colleague who left after three years because he became so depressed in winter. The sad fact was he loved Zielona Gora and Poland in general. But the winters were too much for him. I guess a lot of people don't see beyond blocks of flats. It's a mentality thing because in Britain we associate no-go areas with blocks of flats. Here in Poland the majority of people live in blocks. But people take care of their blocks, their little patches, so once you're inside one, you begin to see they're nice, cosy little communities. A lot of houses are being built now, and some of the locations are amazing. I went for a walk in a forest a year ago, and stumbled across this some super modern village which had sprung up. I was so taken aback that I returned there with a couple of people. Of course (my favourite opening to any sentence), these people are the new afflunent Poles. | ||
| Seanmcd (Seanmcd) Username: Seanmcd Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 86.171.240.130 |
Frank, we agree on what makes for great horror and seem to have almost exactly the same tastes when it comes to the genre hence our mutual admiration of Ramsey's work and a hell of a lot more besides. I guess it's all down to being children of the seventies in Belfast and the exposure we had at the same age to classic movies,TV,literature and comic books of the time. Then there was also an overwhelming need for pure escapism due to our bleak surroundings at that time with the troubles and starting in a new christian brothers run school and a devoutly catholic over protective mother. That pressure had to go somewhere. So I thanked the stars for Doctor Who, Thriller, Hammer Horror, EC comics and what books i could smuggle home. I was fascinated by the macabre in a healthy way, of course ! Yes Stephen, you mentioned that John Wyndham book before. I didn't realise it was out already. I would have though it would have been advertised more prominently in the local bookshops. I haven't seen it anywhere. | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 213.158.199.83 |
Sean - I envy you both. I always wanted somebody to share in the love I have for the books, films and TV which defined me as a child. I have that now, friends, and of course my girlfriend, but as a child I was enamoured, as I am now, with many of the things you've mentioned, but had nobody to share it with. It's wonderful that those things brought you together in friendship, and that that relationship is still going strong today. I can only imagine what it must have been like in Belfast then, which just goes to show all those puritanical conservatives, i.e. those who feel offended by anything remotely connected to horror, fantasy or science fiction, its redeeming qualities. Not that we needed to be told that at any point in our growing up. You guys must be either the same age as me, or just a little older. I say this because you mentioned 'Thriller', which I would have been too young to catch even in repeats, that is if there were any? | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 213.158.199.83 |
Excuse my grammatical sloppiness. My relative clauses and relative pronouns are all over the shop. | ||
| Stephen Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 82.4.18.104 |
'Plan For Chaos' is currently only available as a limited edition hardback costing £65!!! I'm sure it will get a paperback release eventually. Now if only they'd release 'Midwich Main' then all his works would be available. Belfast was a surreal place to grow up in the 70s & 80s Frank. I have nothing but happy memories of that decade and just thought armed soldiers and military vehicles on the streets with searchlight swinging helicopters overhead was the norm. What we have now is like Nirvana by comparison! | ||
| Stephen Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 82.4.18.104 |
By that decade I mean specifically the 1970s and genre literature, TV and cinema played a large part in that. I have the complete collection of 'Thriller' on DVD. Some cracking horror episodes in there with 'Nurse Will Make It Better' being my current favourite. I've always loved those kind of TV anthology shows and no one had a better mastery of the format than Brian Clemens. | ||
| Seanmcd (Seanmcd) Username: Seanmcd Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 86.154.130.181 |
That Brian Clemens 'Thriller' box set is still top of my most wanted list, Stephen, along with Nigel Kneale's 'Beasts' and season 2 of both 'The Twilight Zone' and 'Alfred Hitchcock presents'. I also think season 2 of 'The Night Gallery' has been released. If only Universal would get their act together and release Boris Karloff's 'Thriller' series ! | ||
| Mick Curtis (Mick) Username: Mick Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.176.7.50 |
...and we're just back from FCon and the highlight for me (apart from meeting all the lovely folk) was seeing Steve Jones interviewing Brian Clemens. The Avengers is my all-time favourite TV show, and Thriller was pretty good too, so I was in TV heaven on saturday! | ||
| Stephen Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 82.4.18.104 |
Also looking 'Twilight Zone' S2 & 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' S2 at an affordable price as well as 'The Veil', 'One Step Beyond', 'Night Gallery', 'Beasts', 'Hammer House Of Mystery & Suspense' & 'Masters Of Horror' - which has been resurrected for a third series with full details on one of the other recent threads! I wouldn't bother with the updates of TZ & 'The Outer Limits' as they pale beside the originals. Yep, 'Boris Karloff's Thriller' and Hammer's 'Journey To The Unknown' are keenly awaited! | ||
| Stephen Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 82.4.18.104 |
I love what I've seen of 'The Avengers' too and was a big fan of 'The New Avengers' at the time. Also already have 'The Professionals' on DVD - brilliantly un-PC gung ho entertainment. The vast majority of 1960s 'Avengers' episodes I have never seen and would love to collect on DVD. Are they even available? | ||
| Mick Curtis (Mick) Username: Mick Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.176.7.50 |
Stephen - they were available on region 1 DVDs from A&E for some time, although these may now be out of print. These are the ones I bought years ago as none had then been released in the UK on DVD at the time, although most (possibly all) were released here some time after the A&E discs. However, Brian Clemens said at the interview that they were being remastered and to be released again so possibly worth hanging on for that. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.240.106 |
Clemens was lovely wasn't he, Mick? I was a bit starstruck when I shook his hand. I haven't washed it since (well, that's my excuse, anyway). | ||
| Mick Curtis (Mick) Username: Mick Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.176.7.50 |
He was indeed, Gary, and so on the ball - hopefully he'll be writing for a long time yet. | ||
| Stephen Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 82.4.18.104 |
You guys are so lucky getting to Fantasy Con. Hopefully next year I can make it... |