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Post by Knygathin on Jan 18, 2020 2:26:17 GMT
I did a Search on Vault of Evil for The Brood, and could not find any past comments about the film. That is odd. And did the same Search on a couple of other similar Internet horror discussion forums. Same results. Really odd. Nowhere has it been discussed. It seems people have rejected it, because it is too unpleasant. Surely most of you have seen this film at some occasion in the past? And hey, it's got Oliver Reed too! Anyone here who shares my enthusiasm for this masterpiece of the horrific? Or, perhaps you feel aversion towards it? It may not be entertaining or enjoyable, but at least it gravely unsettles you, and supernaturally to boot! And that is the most essential goal of fictional horror, isn't it?
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Post by helrunar on Jan 18, 2020 3:46:21 GMT
Did you see the announcement about this book? There's probably a full discussion thread elsewhere on this forum about the movie: www.tapatalk.com/groups/monsterkidclassichorrorforum/viewtopic.php?p=1503264#p1503264I generally don't care for 80s horror films and I am aware this is a bias--when they were coming out I'd see the trailers and they just looked tacky and poorly filmed. (I turned 30 in '88 but was already something of an "old coot" in my mid 20s.) Can't ever recall seeing anything about this movie--I was living out in Taiwan then. I've also never seen any of Cronenberg's films. Simple, ignorant prejudice is to blame for that. The director's production just did not sound like "my flagon of mead." One of the films of the period my friends keep telling me I need to see is The Fog by John Carpenter--I was interested until I watched the trailer. I'm sure others will comment. The book by Mr Bissonnette apparently weighs in at nearly 700 pages which is a lot to write about one movie. cheers, Helrunar
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Post by andydecker on Jan 18, 2020 9:24:41 GMT
I did a Search on Vault of Evil for The Brood, and could not find any past comments about the film. That is odd. And did the same Search on a couple of other similar Internet horror discussion forums. Same results. Really odd. Nowhere has it been discussed. It seems people have rejected it, because it is too unpleasant. Surely most of you have seen this film at some occasion in the past? And hey, it's got Oliver Reed too! Anyone here who shares my enthusiasm for this masterpiece of the horrific? Or, perhaps you feel aversion towards it? It may not be entertaining or enjoyable, but at least it gravely unsettles you, and supernaturally to boot! And that is the most essential goal of fictional horror, isn't it? I only have a hazy recollection of it. I must have seen it in the video-age. I am absolutly neutral towards The Brood. But if I am honest, the early Cronenberg's have all melded together in my mind. Brood/Shivers/Rabid. Must be 40 years or longer since I saw them. If I saw them. But I like Cronenberg a lot. (Or used to like.The last Cronenberg I saw was eXistenz, which absolutly didn't work for me.) My first Cronenberg which at once left a deep impression was Scanners, which was a kind of proto-superhero movie. Michael Ironside as the evil mutant was my hero, and after this I kind of followed his work. But Cronenberg's early work was at the time not avaiable in Germany or cut to pieces, back then original VHS was not in my budget. To buy instead to rent was ridiculous expensive, also you'd need to have a VCR which could play the things, which was also difficult to get.
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Post by andydecker on Jan 18, 2020 9:37:49 GMT
I generally don't care for 80s horror films and I am aware this is a bias--when they were coming out I'd see the trailers and they just looked tacky and poorly filmed. (I turned 30 in '88 but was already something of an "old coot" in my mid 20s.) A lot of them look indeed tacky and are poorly filmed. Coincidently I just watched a repeat of Friday the 13th:A new beginning on TV this week. This sure looks just cheap. But a few 80s horror have either withstood the test of time or are remarkably influential. Inferno by Argento; The Shining by Kubrik; Inseminoid by Warren; Scanners by Cronenberg; Nightmare on Elm Street by Craven; Re-Animator by Gordon. Just to name a few. The Fulci's and some other guilty pleasures like Lifeforce.
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Post by dem bones on Jan 18, 2020 10:03:36 GMT
I did a Search on Vault of Evil for The Brood, and could not find any past comments about the film. Steve Guariento devotes seven pages to the film and Richard Starks' novelisation of same in the excellent Light Into Ink: A Critical Survey of 50 Film Novelizations. That is odd. And did the same Search on a couple of other similar Internet horror discussion forums. Same results. Really odd. Nowhere has it been discussed. It seems people have rejected it, because it is too unpleasant. Or perhaps they just haven't gotten around to it yet? Or they didn't think they had anything original to add to the several books, magazine articles, etc. devoted to Cronenberg's cinema?
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Post by bluetomb on Jan 18, 2020 11:29:01 GMT
Did you see the announcement about this book? There's probably a full discussion thread elsewhere on this forum about the movie: www.tapatalk.com/groups/monsterkidclassichorrorforum/viewtopic.php?p=1503264#p1503264I generally don't care for 80s horror films and I am aware this is a bias--when they were coming out I'd see the trailers and they just looked tacky and poorly filmed. (I turned 30 in '88 but was already something of an "old coot" in my mid 20s.) Can't ever recall seeing anything about this movie--I was living out in Taiwan then. I've also never seen any of Cronenberg's films. Simple, ignorant prejudice is to blame for that. The director's production just did not sound like "my flagon of mead." One of the films of the period my friends keep telling me I need to see is The Fog by John Carpenter--I was interested until I watched the trailer. I'm sure others will comment. The book by Mr Bissonnette apparently weighs in at nearly 700 pages which is a lot to write about one movie. cheers, Helrunar I revisited The Fog for the first time in 20 odd years last October as the first film in a John Carpenter marathon. Hokey, but in no way consciously so and hence quite charming in a rather older than 1980 sort of way. Almost 1960's, even. Also, Janet Leigh/Jamie Lee Curtis/Adrienne Barbeau power! Not a classic unless you're really into Carpenter or ghost pirates (I myself am both) but a nice sort of a film.
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Post by Knygathin on Jan 18, 2020 12:05:42 GMT
... One of the films of the period my friends keep telling me I need to see is The Fog by John Carpenter--I was interested until I watched the trailer. Helrunar
The Fog (1980) together with Salem's Lot (1979) are my two favorite films (any category). (Alien (1979) clocks in there too, but not quite on the same personal level.) That may have something to do with me seeing them when at my most impressionable age, at around 15, and the sentimental sensations connected. So it may be a biased choice, I admit. But not entirely. They both are extremely well directed, and atmospheric, with natural authority, in a way no one can make films anymore. Had some difficulty deciding which of the two is my absolute favorite. I must say Salem's Lot, because it is richer in texture; and I could closely relate to the characters, especially young Mark. The Fog is more of a simple ghost story, but relies very successfully on Carpenter's subtle handling; the excitement of the atmospheric drama is topnotch! John Carpenter is old-school master director, perhaps comparable to Alfred Hitchcock in technique? But I would say even better.
So, Salem's Lot (1979) is my absolute all-time favorite film!! Cheers!
That's not saying I necessarily think they objectively are the best horror films. And they are surely not the scariest. Or, ... are they? It's all really in the eye of the viewer's imagination. But they do touch and chill my imagination and emotions in the most pleasant ways.
By the way, the 1970s was my favorite decade, especially its last two fluttering years, before we completely lost it forever. The 1980s was ok, or tolerable. I abhor the 1990s, and everything after. Very rarely artistic gems have come along since then.
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Post by Knygathin on Jan 18, 2020 12:13:23 GMT
That is odd. And did the same Search on a couple of other similar Internet horror discussion forums. Same results. Really odd. Nowhere has it been discussed. It seems people have rejected it, because it is too unpleasant. Or perhaps they just haven't gotten around to it yet? Or they didn't think they had anything original to add to the several books, magazine articles, etc. devoted to Cronenberg's cinema? I was thinking of fan discussion. People tend to discuss things they like over and over again, even if they have nothing important to say. They, or we, simply want to share our enthusiasm.
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Post by Knygathin on Jan 18, 2020 12:48:46 GMT
I only have a hazy recollection of it. I must have seen it in the video-age. I am absolutly neutral towards The Brood. But if I am honest, the early Cronenberg's have all melded together in my mind. Brood/Shivers/Rabid. Must be 40 years or longer since I saw them. If I saw them. But I like Cronenberg a lot. (Or used to like.The last Cronenberg I saw was eXistenz, which absolutly didn't work for me.) My first Cronenberg which at once left a deep impression was Scanners, which was a kind of proto-superhero movie. Michael Ironside as the evil mutant was my hero, and after this I kind of followed his work. But Cronenberg's early work was at the time not avaiable in Germany or cut to pieces, back then original VHS was not in my budget. To buy instead to rent was ridiculous expensive, also you'd need to have a VCR which could play the things, which was also difficult to get.
I remember those past frustrations very well.
Scanners (1981) is a very interesting film. But I have only seen it once.
I bought The Brood on excellent DVD ten years ago, and later got it in high definition. I don't really re-watch it, because like with The Exorcist it unsettles me too much. But I want to see it again, and I shall.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) is another film that got completely massacred on VHS, in most cases banned, by government censors. It was presented by media as a complete turkey, an "amateurish garbage film of pornographic ultra-violence". It is a lot better than its reputation. Directed by the same person who did Salem's Lot, Tobe Hooper. But again, I don't re-watch it, because it is a bit too much for me to stomach. But it certainly has artistic qualities beyond inferior slasher films.
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Post by Knygathin on Jan 18, 2020 13:46:20 GMT
Thanks for your replies regarding The Brood. It is interesting to note that the films of the 1970s and 1980s seem to be largely forgotten today. I didn't expect that. It's not like that for me at all, for me they are very central. I am not in the least interested in what came during the 1990s (I watched a few, and they appeared kitsch; the producers had taken over too much control), and later. Perhaps also partly because by then I was completely immersed in reading newly discovered authors, which I found much more satisfying than film.
At least there still appears to be a lasting and active interest in the Hammer films of the 1950s and 60s.
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Post by helrunar on Jan 18, 2020 22:40:21 GMT
Hi Knythagin, I see lots of interest in horror films of the 1970s and 1980s in social media film groups I am on. There are also plenty of blogs that discuss films of those two decades, and some forums such as the one I linked to in the earlier message--the so-called "Monster Kids" forum. Here's a list of 80s horror movies on a magazine page--I've seen similar ones done for the 1970s and the 1990s, in various places: www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a35169/the-50-best-horror-films-from-the-1980s/A couple of years ago I participated in submitting entries for two books, Unsung Horrors and Son of Unsung Horrors, which focused on films released mostly from the 1920s through 1979. Here's a page about that: unsunghorrors.co.uk/son-of-unsung-horrrors/I also think the eminent gentlemen behind the Seventies edition of Scarred for Life are working on a volume devoted to the 1980s... it may already have been published (I tend not to pay attention to 80s stuff). Thanks Andreas for the interesting notes about Cronenberg. I have on my list of "films to watch eventually" the one he did with Barbara Steele--I think that may have been Shivers--and Scanners would be interesting to check out at some point. I think Cronenberg said in some article I read, probably in Video Watchdog, that the Canadian Film Board paid for the production of Scanners. Another interesting site to explore is Cinema Retro which runs a blog. Their coverage used to end with the 70s but they have probably included some 80s titles as well now--quite a few pubs and groups have ventured into that terrain. cheers, Steve
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Post by Knygathin on Jan 19, 2020 0:03:38 GMT
I find the late 1970s films superior. The beginnings of the 1980s perhaps, a few were good, but this decade quickly turned into something very very different; it was the beginnings of superficial kitsch. (That's why I am divided about Fright Night (1985), for example, because it doesn't take itself fully serious.) I have never, before or after, experienced such a clearly contrasting and sudden social transformation, as when we stepped from the 70s into the 80s. That was a major dividing line. It was quite horrible, like I was robbed. After that all has been downhill in the same direction of false pretending.
Of course, when looking at the 1970s, there was also the hippies and all that drug romantic shit, ... but art was still genuine and largely independent standing and free in its expression from capitalistic pressure.
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Post by andydecker on Jan 19, 2020 16:19:27 GMT
I find the late 1970s films superior. The beginnings of the 1980s perhaps, a few were good, but this decade quickly turned into something very very different; it was the beginnings of superficial kitsch. (That's why I am divided about Fright Night (1985), for example, because it doesn't take itself fully serious.) I have never, before or after, experienced such a clearly contrasting and sudden social transformation, as when we stepped from the 70s into the 80s. That was a major dividing line. It was quite horrible, like I was robbed. After that all has been downhill in the same direction of false pretending.
Of course, when looking at the 1970s, there was also the hippies and all that drug romantic shit, ... but art was still genuine and largely independent standing and free in its expression from capitalistic pressure. I see what you mean. The impact of a few 70s movies is staggering. The Excorcist; Rosemary's Baby (which is 1968, still ...); Suspiria; Don't look now; Dawn of the Dead. But also you got And Now the Screaming Starts or Dracula A.D.1972. Which are forgettable compared to those classics. The 80s were so much flashier and indeed more shallow in their approach. One could argue that The Evil Dead is as much a self-parody as Fright Night. It is the usual cycle, I guess. A high concept work of art - which wasn't conceived as a high concept of art but just happened, as all good art does -, swallowed and digested by the mainstream. Still it is hard to generalize. I have become a major fan of the Italian Giallo and Horror of the 70s, which I nowadays like much more than the British or American counterparts. It may be generally dismissed as badly made sleaze, but movies like Malastrana or Don't Torture a Duckling have an impact which most of the competition didn't put on the screen.
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Post by andydecker on Jan 19, 2020 16:32:23 GMT
Another interesting site to explore is Cinema Retro which runs a blog. Their coverage used to end with the 70s but they have probably included some 80s titles as well now--quite a few pubs and groups have ventured into that terrain. cheers, Steve Over the years I have bought a few issues of Cinema Retro. They used to be interesting, and some of the special editions like The Wild Bunch or Where Eagles Dare were a lot of fun. But the last ones I bought I thought rather blah. To me it seems they are loosing steam and material.
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Post by Dr Strange on Jan 19, 2020 18:10:33 GMT
If we are talking 1980s vampire films, then Near Dark (1987) would be my first choice. Serious and arty. And romantic. And scary. In fact, it is probably my all-time favourite vampire film.
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