Italian Horror

Italian horror movies, for the most part are renowned for their visual style, surreal music and atmosphere. There is a long and rich history going back decades, from the gothic horror to the giallo and everything in between. It is not just all about the celebrated trilogy of great directors in Mario Bava, Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci. There are many other directors who are impressive in their own right. A lot of great ideas and themes came from the country.

Italian horror never disappoints me, even the bad ones! There is a certain charm to them. Here is what I seen and really liked, in order for the most part.


Don't Torture a Duckling
They Have Changed Their Face
Suspiria
City of the Living Dead
Il demonio
The Night of the Devils
Dark Waters
La setta
Kill, Baby... Kill!
The Spider Labyrinth
The House by the Cemetery
The Beyond
Zombi 2
Demons
Deep Red
Demons 6: De Profundis
Absurd
Nightmare City
Schock
So Sweet, So Dead
Mother of Tears
Dellamorte Dellamore
Inferno
Demons 2
Apocalypse domani
Zombi Holocaust
Buio Omega
Mill of the Stone Women
Strange Obsession
Cannibal Holocaust
Zombi 3
Black Sunday
Black Sabbath
Phenomena
The Church
Tenebre
Lo spettro
Lisa and the Devil
Deliria
Zeder
Door to Silence
A Bay of Blood
Le orme
The House of the Laughing Windows
Damned in Venice
The Iguana with the Tongue of Fire
All the Colors of the Dark
Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror
L'ossessa
The Devil Within Her
Antropophagus
Death Smiles on a Murderer
What Have You Done to Solange?
Demoni 3
Baba Yaga
Killing Birds


What are some of your favorite Italian Horror?

Anthony Perkins or Jeffrey Combs?

Both are actors that can portray mild mannered characters that perform horrific deeds.

But who do you like more?

The creepiest movies you have seen?

Okay, this might not be the most orginal topic around, but the other day I was trying to construct a list of all the movies that I genuinely found creepy. Obviously, I am a grown man and horror movies don't scare me anymore. However, once in a while, a horror will come along that I do find creepy. Here is what I found to be creepy, at least to me:

The Demon Murder Case (1983 TV Movie): this is a movie that I only seen for the first time this year, and already, I must have seen it at least three times. Supposedly, based on true events make it even the more sinister.It is full of many creepy outstanding scenes, including the greatest levitating scene to appear in a horror film that I have ever seen. Not many people have seen it, but I do find it to be more creepier than The Exorcist, for example.

Sole Survivor (1983): I said it many times before, and it is worth reiterating just how great this film is! Not only has it a great screenplay but it is also genuinely- terrifying. It packs in many jump scares where the protagonist could be carrying out unexciting tasks and then suddenly these deceased "people" who do not reflect any life behind the eyes begin to show up. The soundtrack is both eerie and distressing in equal measure to already heightens the bleak, atmospheric and foreboding tone.

Don't Go to Sleep (1982): Don't Go to Sleep is an astonishingly creepy made-for-television film, and one of the best made for television horror films that I've ever seen. Don't Go to Sleep pulls no punches with suspense and shocks, but it never resorts to outlandish and pointless gore to get its point across, but instead it relies on old-fashioned suspense, which is refreshing to behold. It is up their with Burnt Offerings and its ilk for a slow burner haunted house chiller.

Flower of Flesh and Blood (1985): Okay, this may be an odd choice, but I actually found this to be terrifying. I don't want to give away an spoilers, but 'cause of its sheer brutality...

Those are the main ones, that spring to mind, but here are some honourable mentions, that have their moments:

Tetsuo
The Woman in Black (orginal)
Hellbound: Hellraiser II
Hellraiser
Suspiria
Burnt Offerings
The Exorcist
The Poughkeepsie Tapes
Sleepaway Camp
Salem's Lot
The Evil Dead
The Mothman Prophecies
Messiah of Evil
Mutants
The Haunted (TV Movie 1991)
The Appointment
The Norliss Tapes
Demons 6: De Profundisiss
Mill of the Stone Women

What horror movies did you find creepy?

James Howlett... aka Logan... aka Wolverine

The X-Men series is a bit of a mess, honestly. The timeline doesn't make sense, not only because we did some time-traveling, but also because of lazy writing.

Here is my attempt at the series, chronologically speaking:
https://junkepics.com/calendar/timeline/?category=x-men (always changing...)

Some of the movies are turds. The original trilogy, for one, is kind of stupid, but goddamnit... Hugh Jackman is the man! After the third film left him nowhere to go, they made a shitty prequel that ruined a LOT of characters, and threw off the timeline of everything to buttfuckeryville. They also butchered Deadpool, but that's a whole different ballpark.

20th Century Fox shrugged, and made another prequel. One to start a new trilogy of X-Men films. Also... two more Wolverine movies! So that's a trilogy of X-trilogies! Original, Wolverine, and New... which is ironically set in the past. See? This shit is confusing. However, through shit and more shit, Hugh Jackman was always bad-ass. After 17 years, he's getting a little tired, but he's going out with a bang.

---

Set in the bleak deserts of 2029, every mutant is dead except for him... and Professor X. That's right, they're all fucking DEAD. How old has that professor fuck got to be at that point? Think around 90 to 100-ish. Patrick Stewart is always great, and he plays a dying old man with dementia. The world's most powerful telepath now reduced to a senile old man. He plays it brilliantly, of course. He IS Patrick Stewart.

Then, we have the Jackman. I mean, we have Logan. Yeah, that's right. So James Howlett... I mean Hugh Jackman... comes into the picture. He's old, lonely, bitter, and most importantly... he's dying. Yes, even the Wolverine can die, but you don't want to know that here.

The big thing this movie has going for it is the freedom to go all out. Inspired by Deadpool's half a billion dollar box office intake, they said fuck it again, and let it ride. Also, they actually do say "fuck" a lot. They made Logan R-rated, and they made it bleak, dark, and gritty. The body count is huge. People get stabbed and sliced and shot and burned and stabbed and sliced, etc, etc...

This movie is depressing, because if this exists, then we know all our heroes from previous movies have died. Days of Future Past from 2014 was partially set in a post-apocalyptic future where things seemed hopeless, but we still had enough X-Men to fix things. Now, this isn't the case. There's nothing, and nowhere to go for these hopeless, lost characters. It makes you think.


20th Century Fox's Marvel movies have mostly been shit, but they're turning it around. They're making hardcore, brutal shit. Disney's Marvel is playing it safe. They play it safe with everything, and those movies have become formulaic. Entertaining, but kinda generic nonetheless. Fuck those clowns.

If you want a dirty road movie where people get fucked up... Watch this movie.

#NoSpoilers

Lucifer Valentine's Vomit Gore Movies

Thoughts?

If the aim is to repulse, then the movies definitely succeed.

In a way, that's something that a lot of horror doesn't achieve anymore.

They're even better when reviewed by a German!

Challenge of the Apes - Progress Thread

Now with New & Improved Bonuses! (see below in red)

This is where you'll keep track of your progress on Challenge of the Apes. Q&A and discussion can be found here:
https://trashepics.com/post/7/6/

General Info:

Please be sure you record the running time of what you watch and keep a running total of your points. Points are awarded based on running time of whatever you watch plus bonuses.

The Challenge of the Apes begins July 1st and ends at midnight on July 31st (based on whatever the time zone where you live).

What Counts?
Watch any film, short or TV show with apes or monkeys in it.
Read any book set in the Planet of the Apes or Kong universes (see bonuses below).

Bonuses awarded for the following:

Watch the original five Planet of the Ape films (POTA ('68), Beneath the POTA, Escape From the POTA, Conquest of the POTA, & Battle For the POTA) = 50 point bonus.
Watch the more recent extra crispy POTA films (Burton's POTA, Rise of the POTA, Dawn of the POTA & War For the POTA) = 50 bonus points.
Watch the 14 episodes of the POTA TV series from 1974 = 50 point bonus
Watch the 13 episodes of the animated Return to the POTA TV series = 50 point bonus

Watch any five Kong films from this official list and get a 50 point bonus.
EDIT: Since there are now twelve films on the list you can cherrypick and get this bonus twice:
KK (1933)
Son of Kong
KK vs. Godzilla
KK Escapes
King Kong (1976)
King Kong Lives
The Mighty Kong
King Kong (2005)
Kong: Skull Island
Queen Kong
Kong: King of Atlantis
Kong: Return To the Jungle


Read any novel or collection of short stories or comics set in either the POTA or Kong Universe and get a 50 point bonus! Each of the movie bonuses can only be claimed once but the reading bonus can be claimed for each book you read.

Beyond Re-Animator (2003)

The original is a classic.

Bride of Re-Animator I do enjoy quite a bit.

The third entry is the weak entry of the series but they still remained very creative with the special effects. I still enjoyed the film.

What do you think of it?

I liked it...what other terrible movies do you suggest?

🐰

(No, I don't really think this is a terrible movie, I own the 2-disc Tromasterpiece edition for crying out loud)

Fair-themed horror movies

The county fair was this past week where I live so I got to thinking about fair-themed horror movies. The two main ones I can think of are The Funhouse and Strangers on a Train. Carnival of Souls maybe fits to a point, since it was centered around an abandoned amusement park.

There has to be many others I don't know about.

Your thoughts on As Above, So Below (2014) ?

Obviously, I remember when As Above, So Below was out, but I have never seen it. I blind bought it today - it was only cheap. The reviews are quite mixed, from what I read.

Anyone seen it? What did you think of it?