What was that film?

[hugegadjit]

Donald Pleasance heading up what looks at first glance to be a harmless olde worlde reconstruction society, what is in fact a bunch of far right fruitcakes in armour dispatching 'undesirables' with swords, maces, etc etc. Can't remember damn film's name??

[jkdunham]

Would that be Trial By Combat?

[hugegadjit]

ahhhh that's the feller. Whatever happened to those after-pub friday night horrors on tv? Thanks for the response

[eddempster]

Yeah, that's a shame isn't it - there used to be at least one good horror slot on Saturday nights. Something by Hammer House of Horror, or Tales of the Unexpected, and that was back when we only had three TV channels. Now we've got hundreds, yet there's no strong horror. Only crappy things like Buffy spinoffs and the like.

I don't think you can beat a British horror production for creepyness. The yank stuff just doesn't have that spine tingling element.

[alansjf]

Jul 18, 2008 7:26:26 GMT eddempster said:

I don't think you can beat a British horror production for creepyness. The yank stuff just doesn't have that spine tingling element.

In general, I'd tend to agree, but there are exceptions of course. Robert Wise's The Haunting (a personal favorite) for one.

These days I rarely experience that 'ok, I'll go to bed, but maybe I'll just leave the light on for a while...' sense of dread that was the whole point of staying up late on a Friday or Saturday night watching horror movies on TV. I have come close a few times, especially watching Japanese or Korean films that understand the importance of atmosphere and suggestion when it comes to trying to really creep out your audience.

Though maybe I just scare easy...

[Craig Herbertson]

With you there eddempster. I love that stuff. I analysed my feelings about eastern tales of horror and ghost stories. Basically, I believe the alien culture produces uncertainty. There are universal horrors - fear of ghosts, the dead, pain but in an alien environment their unique cultural interpretation of what is horrible leaves the outsider with a certain amount of uncertainty as to what will happen next and why.

The uncertainty adds a piquant horror for the mature viewer.

I still rewatch Warriors of zu Mountain thingy every year. Best start to a movie since Indiana Jones.

[kale]

There's something about modern Japanese horror that never fails to pass me by. No matter how hard I try to relate to the plot it invariably seems to spiral into surreal nonsense...and by the end I am always find myself saying, 'what the hell was all that about?'
I think their fingers are on a different pulse altogether.

After saying all of that I must now contradict myself and recommend a film that did have my goosepimples rising.
Kaneto Shindo's Onibaba (1976) has a magnificently eerie feel to it. Set during Japan's fifteenth century civil wars, it focuses on two women who reside in the grass fields luring battle worn warriors to their deaths. I'd go into more detail but I have the habit of ruining plot devices, so I'll keep my mouth firmly shut.
Once again I apologise for going off on a tangent. I tend to get a little carried away once my fingers start hitting the keys...

[hugegadjit]

ah that's another film I was wondering the title of - must catch that again!

Kwaidan's another good Japanese one btw

Yes, dammit, I want my late night post-pub horror back! Has no one set up a good digital channel for it yet? What you need after a good skinful is 'Dark night of the scarecrow' or 'horror hospital'!

[benedictjjones]

'TRIAL BY COMBAT' - sounds great, i'll have to keep an eye out for it.
i remember when i was about 16/17 there always used to be hammer horror and its ilk on on a friday. i used to video them to watch on sunday afternoons.

[kale]

Sunday afternoons?
My word... was that after or before Bullseye?