Whoops, sent too soon, with so many other examples why PoD edges out Halloween as favorite JC horror flick: the dissolving body in the parking lot, Alice Cooper, Dennis Dun, the swirling goo that drips upwards, Donald Pleasance, Jessie Lawrence Ferguson's cry/laugh reaction to being undead, Lisa Blount reaching backwards from the other side, the evolving content of the transmission, etc.
― the body of a spider... (scampering alpaca), Wednesday, 15 May 2019 17:47 (five years ago) link
it is just full of great terrifying ideas and standout performances and it's also a kind of slasher movie where the monster is entombed satan goo and aaaah
― american bradass (BradNelson), Wednesday, 15 May 2019 17:54 (five years ago) link
i really love the shot where the decomposed and satan-possessed kelly looks at her pocket mirror on the floor
― american bradass (BradNelson), Wednesday, 15 May 2019 17:57 (five years ago) link
Prince of Darkness is like a masterclass for depictions of the unheimlich... animate dead, eyeless living, physics-defying secretions, events proceeding contrary to time, airless mirror worlds, indifferent gods
― the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Wednesday, 15 May 2019 17:58 (five years ago) link
swarming insects, measuring devices vs the unmeasurable, explicit fate, that dude's mustache
― the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Wednesday, 15 May 2019 18:03 (five years ago) link
jesus was not human but an alien from a human-like species!!!! god i live for that shit
― american bradass (BradNelson), Wednesday, 15 May 2019 18:05 (five years ago) link
Okay, okay, you've all convinced me, I'll rewatch ASAP.
― Independent Living Ass (Old Lunch), Wednesday, 15 May 2019 18:07 (five years ago) link
I know my position remains controversial but Halloween is easily my least favorite of the Carpenter films I've seen. It does v v little for me.
― Independent Living Ass (Old Lunch), Wednesday, 15 May 2019 18:08 (five years ago) link
Most overrated horror movie by some distance. Although Suspiria is a not-too-distant second.
― Independent Living Ass (Old Lunch), Wednesday, 15 May 2019 18:09 (five years ago) link
what kind of horror do you like?
― mh, Wednesday, 15 May 2019 18:10 (five years ago) link
no judgment intended, just curious!
I probably am guilty of mostly liking non-horror horror
― mh, Wednesday, 15 May 2019 18:12 (five years ago) link
A very big and broad question! Actually don't think I'm that into slashers, for a start. I dig the first four Elm Streets but the Friday the 13th and Halloween series (minus my beloved Halloween 3) are largely snoozefests.
― Independent Living Ass (Old Lunch), Wednesday, 15 May 2019 18:15 (five years ago) link
But I love the genre on the whole. I think I have like 500+ horror movies in my collection.
― Independent Living Ass (Old Lunch), Wednesday, 15 May 2019 18:17 (five years ago) link
Possession is likely my favorite, so I'm also very into the horror-not-horror.
― Independent Living Ass (Old Lunch), Wednesday, 15 May 2019 18:18 (five years ago) link
i didn't *get* halloween for a long time but it's exactly like how it took me forever to *get* celtic frost, it inspired so much and has blended so thoroughly into the culture around it that it can be initially hard to see what's special about it. but the last time i watched it i spent the entire time enthralled by the gliding camera movements through haddonfield
but also yeah not liking slashers v much in general would be another obstacle
― american bradass (BradNelson), Wednesday, 15 May 2019 18:19 (five years ago) link
regardless i insist you get into bad '80s canadian slashers like the initiation ol, thanks ahead of time for altering your taste just for me
― american bradass (BradNelson), Wednesday, 15 May 2019 18:20 (five years ago) link
I get Halloween in the same way I get The French Connection, i.e. it was an innovator which has been so subsequently cannibalized that it loses much of its latter-day impact. I can appreciate its influence and place in horror history, it's just that my eyes kinda glaze over when it's on.
― Independent Living Ass (Old Lunch), Wednesday, 15 May 2019 18:22 (five years ago) link
And specifically wrt the thread topic, it's lacking much of the random batshittery and goofiness that makes so many other Carpenter films so appealing to me.
― Independent Living Ass (Old Lunch), Wednesday, 15 May 2019 18:23 (five years ago) link
Good slasher pics off the top of my head: OG Texas Chainsaw, Tourist Trap, Pieces. I'm sure there are others. Even Black Christmas, though, doesn't do a lot for me.
― Independent Living Ass (Old Lunch), Wednesday, 15 May 2019 18:24 (five years ago) link
It hasn't been mentioned quite enough times on this thread how utterly terrible Vampires is. I remember Kent Jones writing something around the time it came out that John Carpenter has never made a movie he should feel embarrassed over and thinking, "Um, right here!"
― zama roma ding dong (Eric H.), Wednesday, 15 May 2019 18:26 (five years ago) link
I like Vampires. It's dumb as shit, but it's fun.
― shared unit of analysis (unperson), Wednesday, 15 May 2019 18:32 (five years ago) link
And it looks really good. Carpenter hadn't lost his eye yet.
― shared unit of analysis (unperson), Wednesday, 15 May 2019 18:33 (five years ago) link
My only enduring memory of that movie is James Woods saying "f*gg**" as much as he could get away with.
― zama roma ding dong (Eric H.), Wednesday, 15 May 2019 18:34 (five years ago) link
I'm kinda curious to watch his Masters of Horror episodes but also...not that curious?
― Independent Living Ass (Old Lunch), Wednesday, 15 May 2019 18:35 (five years ago) link
I kinda feel like, independent of the actual quality of the films in question, it might be difficult to watch any movie starring James Woods these days.
― Independent Living Ass (Old Lunch), Wednesday, 15 May 2019 18:36 (five years ago) link
Videodrome aside, yes.
― zama roma ding dong (Eric H.), Wednesday, 15 May 2019 18:36 (five years ago) link
"Cigarette Burns" is about as good as the show got, I'd say. Not his best work, but at least he showed up the rest of them. "Pro-Life" is less good and more grisly.
― zama roma ding dong (Eric H.), Wednesday, 15 May 2019 18:37 (five years ago) link
oh wait shit i forgot to mention this:
my wife has been dealing with her folks' financial stuff for several years now, and the guy who is the financial advisor she's worked with is Richie Castle, all grown up
https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/headhuntershorrorhouse/images/8/8f/Richie_meets_the_Shape.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20141001142055
― omar little, Wednesday, 15 May 2019 18:42 (five years ago) link
He doesn't appear to have grown up all that much tbh.
― Independent Living Ass (Old Lunch), Wednesday, 15 May 2019 18:47 (five years ago) link
They Live gets deserved credit for a honest depiction of Reagan's America, it's worthwhile for that alone
They Live is worthwhile as a big dumb goofy fun genre movie, but I always thought it gets waayyyyy too much credit as political/social commentary. It was 1988 after all - like yes, at last, a piece of culture that's finally brave enough to critique the greed and excess of Reagan's America, only a mere 8 years into Reagan's presidency. It's fun to see people fight weird gross monsters or w/e, but the idea of it as a piece of Serious Subversive Commentary always seemed a little rich to me. Would have worked just as well or better as a music video or an episode of Amazing Stories or something imho
I always thought of The Thing as the quintessential 80's/"Reagan's America" movie in Carpenter's filmography.
― One Eye Open, Wednesday, 15 May 2019 18:52 (five years ago) link
I assume that you mean that the Thing was the brave conservative simply trying to survive an assault on its values by a bunch of godless beardo hippie liberals who refused to conform to its dream of uniformity through assimilation.
― Independent Living Ass (Old Lunch), Wednesday, 15 May 2019 19:00 (five years ago) link
xp to Eric
I personally like to think James Woods died five minutes after the release of Videodrome. Tragic.
― mh, Wednesday, 15 May 2019 19:06 (five years ago) link
xp Old Lunch, plus theres the obvious reference to the time that William Casey's stomach opened up and bit the arms off Ed Meese
― One Eye Open, Wednesday, 15 May 2019 19:09 (five years ago) link
woods is good in salvador
― mark s, Wednesday, 15 May 2019 19:11 (five years ago) link
I think the credit it gets is for the on-screen depiction of Reagan's America, not necessarily the critique
― the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Wednesday, 15 May 2019 19:12 (five years ago) link
Love this pic of Dario Argento and John Carpenter at Cannes this year:
https://scontent.fman2-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/60197465_2348460075235529_5242926505905881088_n.jpg?_nc_cat=105&_nc_ht=scontent.fman2-1.fna&oh=ce89c4adecbbd30560327fc7abb37a3a&oe=5D71C203
― Ward Fowler, Wednesday, 15 May 2019 19:35 (five years ago) link
they live
― mark s, Wednesday, 15 May 2019 19:36 (five years ago) link
id never seen precinct 13
its bad
― phil neville jacket (darraghmac), Tuesday, 20 August 2019 20:41 (five years ago) link
no movie which features a kid getting shot dead in the first couple of minutes can be entirely bad iirc
― Andy Jones, Earth-Born Angel of Love (bizarro gazzara), Tuesday, 20 August 2019 20:42 (five years ago) link
Nah, it's good, just kind of formative.
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 20 August 2019 20:43 (five years ago) link
i promise you ive just seen it, its bad
― phil neville jacket (darraghmac), Tuesday, 20 August 2019 20:48 (five years ago) link
Great score at least.
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 20 August 2019 21:19 (five years ago) link
yep
and girl moment and slow setup are good
performances are shockin tho
― phil neville jacket (darraghmac), Tuesday, 20 August 2019 21:29 (five years ago) link
dun-diddle-dun-dun a-dun-diddle-dun-dun dun-diddle-dun-dun dun-DUN-diddle-dun-dun
― And according to some websites, there were “sexcapades.” (James Morrison), Friday, 23 August 2019 01:51 (five years ago) link
‘Assault.. ‘ is great! What a movie! I always loved the story of how it did nothing in the States but then became a big hit in Britain at festivals where everyone went crazy over it. I hated Dark Star which is about as funny as a pin through the eye, so it tickles me that his co-writer on that hated ‘Assault..’. Interesting to note it currently has 98% on Rotten tomatoes.
It was a cast of as-good-as-unknowns so that explains the unpolished acting I suppose.
― piscesx, Friday, 23 August 2019 04:08 (five years ago) link
feel i normally align with darragh on films but Assault on Precinct 13 is good and James Morrison makes an excellent point.
― Fizzles, Friday, 23 August 2019 05:24 (five years ago) link
oh deems is talking about the *performances* lol.
― Fizzles, Friday, 23 August 2019 05:25 (five years ago) link
ha, develop that
i love any other carpenter ive seen, and was really looking forward to this so am willing to be talked round a bit.
― phil neville jacket (darraghmac), Friday, 23 August 2019 08:18 (five years ago) link
well i’m ion a train but yes i don’t think the performances are v good but probably don’t need to be. saw this when i was 15 and that’s where it’s status for me comes from. but if i give it a bit of thought i’d say the escalation of violence, from initial incident to gradually coalescing threat is v well managed. that threat coalesces into the specific impacts of bullets etc on the claustrophobic precinct but they’re only ever loosely linked to that brooding presence just beyond the visible iirc. in that respect it’s much like the early parts of the fog.
― Fizzles, Friday, 23 August 2019 08:44 (five years ago) link
hmm this is all fair tbh
i hate to be that person doing that thing where youve seen a genuinely bold and influential effort after all the movies that have done it since (and tbf often better, which of course given budget and a template is easy done) and therefore seeing mainly the faults...but i think im that person this time
― phil neville jacket (darraghmac), Friday, 23 August 2019 09:13 (five years ago) link