Could it be that we finally have an alternative to a crappy SAW film this year?  Magnet Pictures is on a roll and this looks like a great throwback to 70s/80s horror cinema.

http://www.apple.com/trailers/magnolia/thehouseofthedevil/

Orbit DVD - 06 October 2009 03:42 PM

Could it be that we finally have an alternative to a crappy SAW film this year?  Magnet Pictures is on a roll and this looks like a great throwback to 70s/80s horror cinema.

http://www.apple.com/trailers/magnolia/thehouseofthedevil/

Well, Magnet—essentially a branch of Magnolia—is pretty much just reliant on what they buy from someone else, which means reliant on what’s for sale. The real question here is whether or not anyone is actually booking this.

Ok, their acquisitions department has been on fire lately.

Since The Carolina has been carrying a ton of Magnolia films, I expect it there.

FTFB:
Sam (Donahue) is a pretty college sophomore, so desperate to earn some cash for a deposit on an apartment that she accepts a babysitting job even after she finds out there is no baby.

I couldn’t even read past that point. I mean, come on. Is there no suspension of disbelief anymore? I can accept stupid teenagers who, in a panic, might consider the cellar (or attic) a better escape option than, say, the back door….

But this is just mighty high-powered stupid.

While I admit that it probably wouldn’t be too hard to eat a video camera with a side of pug guts and shit out a better movie than Saw and its ilk, I doubt seriously that this is really going to be any different than any number of other “scary” movies of the past.

I mean the new indie-darling of the moment, Paranormal Activity is several orders of magnitude more plausible than this.

mat catastrophe - 06 October 2009 09:52 PM

FTFB:
Sam (Donahue) is a pretty college sophomore, so desperate to earn some cash for a deposit on an apartment that she accepts a babysitting job even after she finds out there is no baby.

I couldn’t even read past that point. I mean, come on. Is there no suspension of disbelief anymore? I can accept stupid teenagers who, in a panic, might consider the cellar (or attic) a better escape option than, say, the back door….

But this is just mighty high-powered stupid.

While I admit that it probably wouldn’t be too hard to eat a video camera with a side of pug guts and shit out a better movie than Saw and its ilk, I doubt seriously that this is really going to be any different than any number of other “scary” movies of the past.

I mean the new indie-darling of the moment, Paranormal Activity is several orders of magnitude more plausible than this.

We horror fans get by on the hope that there is still a great American film out there… don’t ruin that for us!

There probably is—or will be—another great American horror film out there, but I have a sneaky hunch the biggest name in it won’t be known for being in a couple mumblecore movies.

Ken Hanke - 07 October 2009 04:37 PM

There probably is—or will be—another great American horror film out there, but I have a sneaky hunch the biggest name in it won’t be known for being in a couple mumblecore movies.

So, since the season for “scary” movies is upon us, Mr. Hanke:

What are the Top Five Great American Horror Movies?

I’d say Halloween (yes, the original you gimps), Blair Witch, and Evil Dead 2 (except it isn’t a horror movie, but it is, but it isn’t).

And then I’m pretty much done. I don’t much care for the horror genre. I did really like The Ring, but I doubt an American remake of a Japanese film counts.

Also, who are you talking about with the “mumblecore” thing? I thought Altman died.

Oh, sorry. I said Five movies, right?

Well, I think Alien should be on that list. It is a genuinely creepy movie and is edited brilliantly to make you constantly think you are just about to see something and…then you don’t. And then they do it over and over again until you decide it must be ok to stop jumping so much and then, Bang! Alien.

Oh well. That’s only four. Like I said, not a fan of the “blood and gore” genre at all and really not much of a fan of scary movies in general. I view them much like amusement park rides - sure everyone says the fun is knowing that they are really safe and all that but, really, I can have fun and enjoy movies without my heart rate going up or fearing that someone near me is going to barf in my lap.

OK?

Ahhhgggh, we just watched a “Masters of Horror” compilation on Bluray DVD featuring a piece of cinema by that sick Asian bastard that did “Audition.” This was called “Imprint” and now I hate myself for watching it.

brebro - 07 October 2009 11:59 PM

Ahhhgggh, we just watched a “Masters of Horror” compilation on Bluray DVD featuring a piece of cinema by that sick Asian bastard that did “Audition.” This was called “Imprint” and now I hate myself for watching it.

Someone gave me a copy of Audition on CD or DVD once. Haven’t watched it yet. Heard it was awesome creepy.

brebro - 07 October 2009 11:59 PM

Ahhhgggh, we just watched a “Masters of Horror” compilation on Bluray DVD featuring a piece of cinema by that sick Asian bastard that did “Audition.” This was called “Imprint” and now I hate myself for watching it.

An Orbit classic!

Miike is incredible. Over the top to be sure, but awesome none the less.
Haven’t seen Imprint yet though. How was it Orbit?

bobaloo - 08 October 2009 09:15 AM

Miike is incredible. Over the top to be sure, but awesome none the less.
Haven’t seen Imprint yet though. How was it Orbit?

I loved Imprint.  His sick sense of humor was all over it, but I can see why Showtime didn’t air it on tv.

The Masters of Horror series was a good idea that quickly wore out its welcome.  There’s some great episodes, but most suck.

bobaloo - 08 October 2009 09:15 AM

Miike is incredible. Over the top to be sure, but awesome none the less.
Haven’t seen Imprint yet though. How was it Orbit?

You think? Miike is really hit and miss for me. I really liked “The Happiness of the Katakuris” and “Osaka Tough Guys,” but I found “Audition” to be greatly overrated as a horror movie. Almost everything else I’ve seen by him is more an interesting mess than what I’d refer to as great filmmaking. I’d say I like about one out of every four movies of his. Then again, he directs like three or four a year these days, and it’s probably a bit much to expect all of them to be good.

Oh definitely. Even films like “Ichi the Killer” are hit or miss within the movie but taken as a whole are, to me anyway, awesome.
Have you seen DOA?

bobaloo - 08 October 2009 09:50 AM

Oh definitely. Even films like “Ichi the Killer” are hit or miss within the movie but taken as a whole are, to me anyway, awesome.
Have you seen DOA?

No. I went through a phase where I saw maybe seven or eight of his films in a few months, but I really haven’t seen much of his work since then. Is it worth the effort?

Back to the question of the Top Five American horror films—that needs to be broken down into eras or something because if we’re talking of all time, there’s nothing in the selections I’m seeing here that I’d let in my house, let alone on any such list with the possible exception of Gore Verbinski’s The Ring. (Since it’s an improvement in every way on Ringu—as far as I’m concerned—I don’t see why you couldn’t include it. Alien is a remake/ripoff of It! The Terror from Beyond Space, if you want to get technical about it.)