Originally Posted by Jamie89 (Post 9026131) And did anyone else scream at this... http://i.imgur.com/gizqME0.gif

I'm one of those typical remake haters (don't **** with the original /thank you Sidney) but I have been proven wrong with some pretty strong remakes and this one is definitely one of them.

The remake doesn't really capture that raw, gritty terror of the original, infact it feels more glossy which takes away from what made the original so effective and creepy but that is to be expected from a modern remake of a 70s horror film. That being said, the film still holds up on its own. The scene in particular where Leatherface turns around to Erin whilst wearing the Kemper mask is creepy and one of the more effective parts of the film.

The main characters bar Erin aren't all that developed and are pretty much just there to die (but that's not really a criticism as such because the same can be said for the original really). I mean Hoyt gets more airtime than almost all of the main characters. Speaking of which, Hoyt was a great addition to the remake. Morgan's character was annoying and should've died first.

Also I would've much preferred if Erin was forced to kill KEMPER out of mercy instead of Andy as I thought that would've been way more powerful. The deaths also could've been more gruesome I guess. But aside from that it's a pretty fun film and good by remake standards. Plus it features Jessica Biel in a tight white tank top :p

7.5/10

Originally Posted by Jason. (Post 9031734) [B] Plus it features Jessica Biel in a tight white tank top :p ]

Originally Posted by Cal. (Post 9031903) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) I have to disagree with Jason in my review - I think personally it captured the 70s feel the original had very well and it doesn't feel like a glossy new film to me at all.

Originally Posted by Jason. (Post 9032915) Well that's gone and bloody done it! https://media.giphy.com/media/3o7aTp...5T1u/giphy.gif

Trick 'r Treat

This is probably my favourite horror anthology film and definitely one of my favourite horror movies to watch around Halloween. I love everything about it and the fact it takes place on Halloween makes it all the more fun to me. The film captures the Halloween atmosphere flawlessly and I love how it's a throwback to classic Halloween horror movies. I also really enjoy the fact it dwells on the holiday's age old traditions.

The four stories are lots of fun and all offer something different. I really like how they're all interwoven and tie together with the presence of Sam who appears in all the stories whenever someone breaks a Halloween tradition. I love Sam. :flutter: He's adorable and I love his look - one of my favourite horror movie looks.

This film is just lots of fun tbh.

9/10

Originally Posted by Cal. (Post 9031903) You're Next (2011) So happy they didn't kill her off at the end like I thought they did - I would have been furious.

You're Next

I'd never seen this one before so I was looking forwards to watching something new. I went into this not really knowing what it was about or what to expect but I really enjoyed this. The film is a mixture of both slasher and home invasion and it combines the two effectively.

Despite the inconsistencies that Cal mentioned, the pacing of the film was fine to me. The first twenty minutes are just getting to know the family before they're all killed left and right for the remainder of the film. The majority of the characters are likeable. Erin is a great final girl; well-developed, smart, rootable, strong and badass. I loved her and I was so disappointed when I originally thought she was killed by her own trap at the end so I was relieved to find out it was infact the policeman that died.

The relationship between the family members are interesting and realistic. Although I feel the mother was killed off too soon and could've been used more </3 Felix and Zee being revealed as the ones behind it all with the hiring of the assassins to murder the family for their inheritance was a sick, yet satisfying motive (I love it tbh). Crispian being in on the plan was an interesting twist but I think it could've been executed much better.

There are some great kills in this too. Aimee's death where she runs into a wire that slashes her throat is a stand-out kill for me as that combined with the slow-motion of the scene made it all the more suspenseful. Kelly and Felix's blender death were also good ones.

My only flaw with this would be that I wish it was more suspenseful. The film wasn't overly thrilling and it didn't leave me on the edge of my seat despite being quite action packed in some parts.

7.5/10

Aimee's death where she runs into a wire that slashes her throat is a stand-out kill for me as that combined with the slow-motion of the scene made it all the more suspenseful.

Originally Posted by Cal. (Post 9036365) I thought this was hilarious. The fact they let the baby sister of the family go out to fend off the bad guys is an absolute scream when she has her father and 3 older brothers there.

You're Next: 8.5/10

I really wasn't expecting much from this so I was really impressed by how enjoyable it was. There's a brilliant atmosphere built up in the early portion of the film and the animal mask imagery is of course creepy as hell. The dark comedy aspect also works really well also, it manages to be genuinely humorous without delving into over the top parody levels.

The twists with Felix, Zee and Crispian were brilliant, did not see those coming at all. And even better is that it explains some quibbles I had earlier in the movie like Crispian's response to his family being slaughtered being oddly understated and Felix not volunteering to be the one to make a run for it.

Also I absolutely loved Erin, such a rootable protagonist :love: (I remember her from Home and Away :laugh:). Shame she'll probably be blamed for the massacre. :worry:

Ranking:
1. You're Next (8.5/10)
2. Carrie (8/10)
3. Jeepers Creepers (8/10)
4. The Shining (8/10)
5. The Hills Have Eyes (7/10)
6. Cherry Falls (6/10)

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: 7/10

This is alright for what it is. As far as horror movies go, it's extremely generic and unoriginal but if you're looking for something new then you probably wouldn't go for this anyway. It's a passable creepy movie with some legitimately unsettling sequences, like the documentary footage at the end (the grainy freeze frame of Leatherface is chilling) and the shot of Leatherface wearing Kemper's face works well.

But on the whole its scares are mainly derived from how grotesque and gruesome it can be, which doesn't do much for me if it's not backed up by much substance but for what it is, it could do a lot worse.

Ranking:
1. You're Next (8.5/10)
2. Carrie (8/10)
3. Jeepers Creepers (8/10)
4. The Shining (8/10)
5. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (7/10)
6. The Hills Have Eyes (7/10)
7. Cherry Falls (6/10)

Originally Posted by Jamie89 (Post 9038071) Happy Halloween everyone, and yes thanks Cal for doing this :love: Sorry I didn't end up having chance to watch them all (although I'm still going to for completions sake :laugh: it'll just be late) I've watched Jeepers Creepers and Trick R Treat though and I'll post my reviews for them tomorrow morning. (Trick R Treat was amazing :lovedup: )

Originally Posted by Jason. (Post 9038030) How bloody rude @ 15 people agreeing to be reviewers yet only about 5 people have stuck with it! Happy Halloween :love: Thanks for running this again Cal. You've put so much effort in and I've enjoyed it just as much as I did last year. :clap1:

Originally Posted by Jamie89 (Post 9038071) Happy Halloween everyone, and yes thanks Cal for doing this :love: Sorry I didn't end up having chance to watch them all (although I'm still going to for completions sake :laugh: it'll just be late) I've watched Jeepers Creepers and Trick R Treat though and I'll post my reviews for them tomorrow morning. (Trick R Treat was amazing :lovedup: )

Originally Posted by Lostie! (Post 9038077) :clap1: I adore it, a must for Halloween. Excited to watch it later :flutter:

Trick 'r Treat: 10/10

I don't usually give out full marks for anything but I just absolutely love this movie. It's absolutely perfect for Halloween, it captures the atmosphere perfectly. I also love that it's a collection of short stories that overlap with one another rather than one continuous story, this format works perfectly for this sort of movie (it's like Love Actually's evil twin :love:) and it's one of the most genuinely fun movies I can think of.

The way they play with the structure and the timeline is really cool and I love how it comes full circle with the opening scene being revisited in the end. And of course, each story having a big twist was great. The first time I saw it i was genuinely gobsmacked by the werewolf and bus driver twists (and when rewatching it, there are so many great lines of foreshadowing for the werewolves).

Sam is a brilliant character. The physical embodiment of Halloween going around as a young trick or treater punishing people who don't respect the customs is such a neat concept and his physical design (both his costume and real face) are great. I especially love how he just silently shows up at certain points throughout the movie leading up to his big reveal scene. Also his name being a reference to Samhain is a nice touch.

I know Halloween is the most iconic movie for, well, Halloween but for me, Trick 'r Treat is the movie to watch on the night.

Ranking:
1. Trick 'r Treat (10/10)
2. You're Next (8.5/10)
3. Carrie (8/10)
4. Jeepers Creepers (8/10)
5. The Shining (8/10)
6. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (7/10)
7. The Hills Have Eyes (7/10)
8. Cherry Falls (6/10)

Jeepers Creepers 7.5/10

I thought Justin Long was really likeable and a strong lead... and it's quite unusual to have a strong male lead in teen horror films like this, I can't think of many. It's only a small-ish thing but it's something that helps make the film stand out from a lot of others. In fact I found the gender roles quite interesting in general, like the scene near the beginning where the two of them are arguing over whether or not to go back and check the pipe, Justin is established as being moral and courageous, and the girl is established as a jerk :laugh: It just struck me as really unusual when one of the most common tropes in films like this is 'the final girl'/ingenue, and male characters tend to be portrayed quite negatively, in fact if you watch that scene and imagine the gender roles switched it comes across much more cliched. So I felt like they avoided some typical teen-horror stereotypes and that was a nice touch (although they could have carried it through to the end and had him be the one who survived - and by ending it the way they did I felt a bit like they were playing it safe). But anyway none of that really matters :laugh: it's just something that I noticed. Also, on the two main characters, I agree with what other people have said in that I liked their brother/sister relationship and that it was a really good dynamic to see.

The Creeper was a great character. After they ran it over and the wing shot out from it's body, I was genuinely freaked out. It was a great moment and I wasn't expecting it at all. And then learning more about it, they gave it a really good backstory. I loved the design of it too.

Overall it was a well made film, it had a good atmosphere, good characters and premise... I dunno though, I just don't feel that enthusiastic about it. Like I have no real faults with it, but at the same time I could quite happily never watch it again. So maybe a stingy 7.5/10, maybe it deserves more than that. I'd recommend it to other people... but although I appreciated it, it didn't really grab me beyond that.

Trick r Treat - 9/10

Trick r Treat was such a nice surprise :flutter: Totally different to what I was expecting (I'm not sure what I was expecting really, just a typical horror I suppose). It felt more like an ode to horror films though, and in particular, Halloween as an event. And as a big fan of Halloween that's something that totally connected with me. And as an ode it worked brilliantly! It was like one long advert for Halloween in a way :laugh: In fact this film, more-so than any other that's been in the countdown (or any that I can think of off the top of my head) put me in the mood for Halloween, and I know that it will now be one that I'll want to watch every year to get me in the mood - so thank you Lostie for suggesting it and everyone who voted for it as otherwise it might have completely passed me by.

It's so hard to fault because everything it does, it does well. It was scary/funny/eerie all in good measure. Like Jason said, it's sense of fun really stands out, and it's just very enjoyable throughout. It was a film full of surprises in the plot, and each segment led seamlessly to the next - and back again... I mean it could have been confusing had it not been handled so well but even though you were going from one story to another, it just worked. It all slotted together perfectly.

In terms of plot surprises, my favourite one was the reveal of the women being werewolves. But literally all of the stories were great and the surprises executed wonderfully.

The core concept of this film, I just think is brilliant in it's simplicity. Basically there's no reason for the people to die other than just the fact that it's Halloween. It's not a killer with a convoluted storyline :laugh: It's like it's Halloween itself taking people out for not respecting it, and I love that!

The only reason I'm not giving it a 10 is because I'd really only give it that depending on it's re-watch value, and obviously I can't judge that yet... I will be able to next year though so if when it's on the list again next time I might! :p

Originally Posted by Jamie89 (Post 9039733) Jeepers Creepers 7.5/10 Justin is established as being moral and courageous, and the girl is established as a jerk :laugh:

Originally Posted by Lostie! (Post 9039347) Trick 'r Treat: 10/10 I know Halloween is the most iconic movie for, well, Halloween but for me, Trick 'r Treat is the movie to watch on the night.

Originally Posted by Jason. (Post 9039922) Halloween is iconic all year around! But yeah you and Jamie have kinda inspired me to start watching this on the actual night of Halloween as opposed to a few days before so I'll be doing that next year. :spin: Trick 'r Treat first and then Halloween (and II) followed straight after!

Originally Posted by Jamie89 (Post 9039761) Trick r Treat - 9/10 Trick r Treat was such a nice surprise :flutter: Totally different to what I was expecting (I'm not sure what I was expecting really, just a typical horror I suppose). It felt more like an ode to horror films though, and in particular, Halloween as an event. And as a big fan of Halloween that's something that totally connected with me. And as an ode it worked brilliantly! It was like one long advert for Halloween in a way :laugh: In fact this film, more-so than any other that's been in the countdown (or any that I can think of off the top of my head) put me in the mood for Halloween, and I know that it will now be one that I'll want to watch every year to get me in the mood - so thank you Lostie for suggesting it and everyone who voted for it as otherwise it might have completely passed me by. It's so hard to fault because everything it does, it does well. It was scary/funny/eerie all in good measure. Like Jason said, it's sense of fun really stands out, and it's just very enjoyable throughout. It was a film full of surprises in the plot, and each segment led seamlessly to the next - and back again... I mean it could have been confusing had it not been handled so well but even though you were going from one story to another, it just worked. It all slotted together perfectly. In terms of plot surprises, my favourite one was the reveal of the women being werewolves. But literally all of the stories were great and the surprises executed wonderfully. The core concept of this film, I just think is brilliant in it's simplicity. Basically there's no reason for the people to die other than just the fact that it's Halloween. It's not a killer with a convoluted storyline :laugh: It's like it's Halloween itself taking people out for not respecting it, and I love that! The only reason I'm not giving it a 10 is because I'd really only give it that depending on it's re-watch value, and obviously I can't judge that yet... I will be able to next year though so if when it's on the list again next time I might! :p

Originally Posted by Lostie! (Post 9039949) Oh I found Trish annoying too :)

:clap1: I think the fact that I only watch it once a year adds to my enjoyment too, it never gets boring.

Originally Posted by Jason. (Post 9039964) I'm sorry. https://media.giphy.com/media/3o7aTp...5T1u/giphy.gif

Originally Posted by Jason. (Post 9039964) I do that too. I'm like that with the Halloween films also. Despite loving the original and franchise so much, I just can't watch them in June or any other time than October / during the run-up to Halloween. I think it's because the Halloween atmosphere is so strong in Trick 'r Treat that it just feels odd watching it outside of Halloween really. And like you say the boredom thing as well, it makes you look forwards to it more when you watch it once a year at a certain time - it's like tradition.