Loads to try there, cheers chief. =]
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Man, havenāt updated this thread in ages. What have I seen recentlyā¦
Frankenstein - finally bit the bullet and watched this. I guess I enjoyed it more than Nosferatu tbf? Thought this was fairly overblown and boring overall. Enjoyed the switch of perspectives halfway through, but still didnāt feel that this warranted 150 minutes. Some it looked great. Some of it looked like ropey cgi. Still not sure thereās been a really good Frankenstein adaptation (special dispensation for Frankenweenie obvs).
The Bride - why not follow up Frankenstein with another modern adaptation, only one that got very middling reviews and lost a ton of money? I like most of the stiff that Maggie Gyllenhaal has been involved in, but itās hard to really say what she was aiming for here - itās part feminist treatise, part doomed Bonnie and Clyde, part deliberately weird and equally part unintentionally weird. The whole thing is a hot mess. And yetā¦itās not unenjoyable. Jessie Buckley is great throughout, although this is another film that feels far too long at 125 minutes. Penelope Cruz is good value in her supporting role. Kudos to the director for casting both her brother and her husband in this too. Definitely more fun than Frankenstein however.
Forbidden Fruits - reviews of this one has mostly referenced the same touch points; The Craft, Mean Girls, Heathers. Itās definitely trying to channel all of those but fails to get close to any of them imo. I generally like witchy stuff, but this doesnāt really deliver on its setup of of a teen coven at all. The mystery elements and payoff are fairly unsatisfying. Attrative cast though.
Decibel - a film about a billionaire misusing the potential of AI? Dunno who this one could be based on. Was excited about this as it has an interesting premise, where a musician is whisked away to isolation to help train the perfect AI music/voice. Unfortunately the budgetary constraints are pretty obvious and this canāt quite deliver. Aleyse Shannon in the lead is very watchable however.
Citadel - got stuck on a train with decent wifi, so had a quick look at what were the best films available on YouTube and watched this one as Iām sure the director intended, on my phone. Super low budget, but makes the most of its grimy locations to create an unsettling atmosphere. Also features child endangerment which always gets to me. Features a young Wunmi Wosaku who has since gone on to do loads of good genre stuff outside of her MCU role (His House, Lovecraft Country, Sinners). Decent.
Wolf Creek 2 - love the original of this film but had always assumed the sequel would be garbage (despite being by the original writer/director) so had avoided it. Then I stumbled across an article on the best outback horrors, and I do adore an outback horror, which featured this on it. A quick check on IMDB revealed that this had a solid 6.2 so I gave it a go. It is, of course, garbage. Mick Taylor is a genuinely scary antagonist in the first one, but here heās given the Freddy treatment and spends the film cracking one liners as he dispatches hapless backpackers which makes the whole thing comical rather than frightening. I see thereās a TV series coming so hopefully that does better than this.
Affection - really enjoyed Jessica Rothe in the Happy Death Day films so was excited to see her back in horror. This is shot really nicely in a small number of locations with a tiny cast. Itās quite a vibesy film, but then pivots away from building tension to something a bit more sci-fiy and Iām not sure really sticks the landing. Decent enough, and gets an extra point for getting everything done in 90 minutes.
Over Your Dead Body - this is a remake of The Trip from a few years back starring Noomi Rapace. Here sheās replaced by Samara Weaving who continues to kick ass as she did in the Ready Or Not films. The script is blackly comic, thereās plenty of over the top violence and a nice mid film twist. However, given that in addition to SW this features Jason Segal, Timothy Olyphant and Juliette Lewis, itās never quite as good as the original.
Obsession - ah, the big one. Had managed, somehow, to not have this spoiled for me. Turns out that my 13 year old had already seen many of the key scenes as they have taken on life as memes. This has been a genuine sensation on a $1m budget so interested to see what the writer/director does next. Felt very Zach Cregger universe.Thought Inde Navarrette was genuinely great in the lead - equal parts manicly comic and terrifying. Film that actually deserved the hype.
Iron Lung - ah yes, another YouTube creator film. I donāt know the game, but this definitely had the vibe of watching someone play a puzzle out. Had some stuff that I liked - some of the visuals and the overall aesthetic was great. However, this was ponderously slow and the main guy (and writer/director) can not act. Plus another length complaint from me - did not justify 125 minutes.
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Also finished Widowās Bay. Man, I enjoyed this a lot. Went into it expecting some kind of episodic anthology but ended up loving it for the humour. All of the main cast are piss funny, but the incidental characters are also gold. Thought that the ending landed well while also leaving it open for another season. Might watch againā¦
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That came out ten years ago 
(From memory it is the films but longer)
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You are correct, itās actually a third film coming out!
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Oooh and itās even got a meaningless subtitle. Canāt wait!
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this was originally supposed to be about a relative of the German backpacker going after Mick, which I would have watched. Seems like theyāve completely changed that and are going for more of the same.
I did find the TV series oddly watchable and well made - also sick as fuck. If you can accept Mickās plot armour and go along for the ride
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watched this last night, hadnāt heard of it before. weirdly the Youtube version I watched censored every swear word which was a bit annoying but I agree, made good use of the location to hide the clear microbudget. quite liked at the heart of it was an almost 70s b movie explanation for it all , would like more of that
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After this, any recs for really bleak horror? Bit Eden Lake or Speak No Evil!
Angst, The Vanishing, It Comes at Night, Tony (I think, been about 10 years since I saw it), Deranged