Night Thirteen - The Babadook

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Okay this is an amazing modern horror film! Seriously like one of the best supernatural horror films I have ever seen. Australian horror movies are so underrated if this comes back next year I highly recommend we watched The Loved Ones.

The opening was effective and I did appreciate the slow build up towards it. I do think that most of the time when movies have a slow start they tend to make me lose interest but I think the odd behaviour of Samuel and Amelia's clear severe form anxiety and/or other mental health issues made me interested. I think also this is the type of film where a nice build up is absolutely necessary, a slasher can open straight away with deaths but in a supernatural you do need a background story. I think the backstory about the death of Samuels father was a nice touch and explained why Kate was so neglectful towards him at times as he just painfully reminded her of her tragic loss she had been faced with on the day of his birth. Moments such as when Samuel pushed his cousin from the tree house and when Amelia found the cockroaches in the wall kept me intensely interested and loads of these little things popped up frequently throughout.

I liked how the creators picked up on small amounts of detail to really make the film gel together well. The setting of the house was extremely creepy and Samuel's seizure in the back of the car was actually somewhat disturbing. The only thing I didn't like about the film and which part I didn't feel necessary was the graphic nature of the dogs death it was uneasy and uncomfortable to watch. That is my only one minute criticism of the entire film though.

The Babadook itself was such an odd yet somewhat rather fascinating creature and story. The blank pages at the end which ended up being completed were chilling when Amelia looked through them and opened the last page to see a cardboard version of herself slitting her own throat. I think Essie Davis was brilliant at portraying the contrasting sides of Amelia's character particularly her latter psychotic side. The young boy who played the role of Samuel was also great for a young child taking on such a heavy role. I think it must be hard for such young children to star in horror films.

The conclusion to the film I loved. Amelia's slow progression into the Babadook was filmed really well. I liked how slowly her character deteriorated from being slightly 'snappy' with Samuel telling him to eat **** to a full on psychopath wanting to murder her own son. Essie Davis really shone during these scenes I think she used every sort of acting skill she could to really pull off a character who was such a convincing lunatic. It was lovely seeing her finally bond with Samuel also the two finally celebrated his birthday and we saw them finally connect and understand each other at last.

Overall - 10/10

A fantastic modern horror film. One of the best out there.

Scores:

The Descent - 10/10
Scream - 10/10
The Babadook - 10/10
Urban Legend - 9/10
Scream 2 - 9/10
Sinister - 8/10
House Of Wax - 8/10
Scream 3 - 6/10
Scream 4 - 6/10
I Know What You Did Last Summer - 6/10
It Follows - 5/10
Black Christmas - 4/10
Friday the 13th - 2/10

It Follows

Rating 4/10

I was looking forward this film but it wasn't good at all, the characters were terrible and wasn't at all scary. The idea of passing the curse seemed smart but it was it seemed like drag me to hell kind of thing where she could have passed the cursed button along to someone else,

1.The Descent - 10/10
2.Scream(1996) - 9/10
3.Scream 2 - 9/10
4.Urban Legend - 9/10
5.Scream 4 - 8/10
6.Friday The 13th - 8/10
7.Sinister - 7/10
8.Scream 3 - 7/10
9.Black Christmas - 5.5/10
10.I Know What You Did Last Summer - 5/10
11.It Follows - 4/10
12.House Of Wax - 3/10

Thanks for your continued reviews everyone<3

Forgot to say - I'm adding up everyone's review scores for every film and will then do a rankdown based on the scores in the afternoon on October 31st.

It Follows - 9/10

A harrowingly interesting film that left my core quaking to the tooth enamel, it's an interesting and different horror film that has divided opinions strongly. I'm one in it's favour and personally thought it was addictive, compelling, chilling and entertaing.

The Babadook - 8/10

I really like this film, especially considering it's message that it sends with the villain.

Sinister - 9/10

I saw this in the cinema and it honestly scared e and made me jump so much, I really enjoyed tis film and think it's very underrated.

What's so good about the descent :worry:

It Follows

I really enjoyed it, I liked the decision to opt for long tense scenes over short cheap jumpscares and I think the premise of the film is quite unique and scary. The idea of a sexually transmitted curse that results in you being stalked by a relentless but slow creature is terrifying and I liked the symbology and subtext that the film provided.
I think my main issue that I have the film is that it felt anti-climactic. It was far too easy to dispatch the creature and the ending scene didn’t do much apart from potentially setting up a sequel. Despite the wishy washy ending though, I really enjoyed this film, I thought it was interesting and more importantly, innovative, which is rare when it comes to horror films. If it wasn’t for the ending I’d have easily given this film or 9 or a 10.

8/10

The Babadook

The Babadook is probably my favourite modern horror film. I find the premise of it terrifying and the Babadook itself is a really scary creation that's used extremely well throughout the film. I think what makes this film so scary for me is the fact that there's not a lot in the way of cheap scares, there's really only one (which also serves as the weakest part of the film for me) in which you see the Babadook's face, which is admittedly scary as hell but I would have preferred it to be unseen and shrouded in the shadows, imagination is the scariest monster of all and the most unsettling moments in the film for me are the parts when the Babadook is just out of sight or, when we see things from his perspective.

Amelia is a fascinating character and Essie Davis plays the multiple sides of the character really well and in a grounded fashion, even when she's possessed/psychotic, she's really sympathetic and you just want to see her pull through. I loved the subtext within the film and I like the open ended nature of the film. There's a lot of evidence for the monster being real and a lot of evidence that it isn't. It's up to the audience to decide and that aspect of the narrative is done really well.

The mark of a good horror film is when it doesn't lose any of it's fear factor on repeat viewings, this is the second time I've seen this film and I found it just as unsettling as the first time I watched it.

This film deserves to be considered a classic.

10/10

A Nightmare on Elm Street

In a sea of horror films desperate to be the next Halloween, ANOES stood apart from it's contempories in 1984. It's a deceptively smart film with an amazing concept and a great boogeyman in the form of Freddie Krueger.

The dream sequences are creative and eerie (the first time you seen Freddie in the alleyway with the long arms is a moment that I've always considered incredibly unsettling) and I like how the film flitters between dreams and reality almost seamlessly. I also quite like how most of the deaths are simple in their execution, something that was lost in the sequels in favour of outlandish and drawn out death scenes.

I think some elements of the film has aged somewhat but I still think it's still an entertaining horror film that's also incredibly creative.

8/10


Scores
A Nightmare on Elm Street - 8/10
The Babadook - 10/10
It Follows - 8/10
Sinister - 7/10
Scream 4 - 7/10
Black Christmas 6/10
The Descent 10/10
Scream 3 4/10
Urban Legend 6/10
I Know What You Did Last Summer - 2/10
Scream 2 - 8/10
House of Wax - 5/10
Friday the 13th - 3/10
Scream - 9/10

Night Fourteen - A Nightmare on Elm Street

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Comparing this to the original Friday the 13th it is leaps and bounds above it. They don't even deserve to be in the same sentence together. Both have made two of the most well known and famous horror film franchises known to man but ANOES is just something else compared to the dreadful first entry of Friday the 13th.

I found the film very compelling right from the initial first scene and throughout. What I liked about the film is that they didn't drag the film out and add unnecessary scenes in which I think some horrors can do a lot of the time just to make some more filler. I like how the film tricked the viewer into initially thinking that Tina would play the final girl role as she was given the opening scene and was the main focus for the first twenty minutes but her gruesome and gory death was such a satisfying twist. I think taking into account that the film was produced in the 1980s and on such a low budget I have to say kudos to the creators for the special effects.

Nancy has to be one of my favourite final girl characters also. I think the actress who played her was really convincing and I loved her and Glen's relationship. I was kind of hoping Glen would survive but his ever so pleasing death scene doesn't make me mad at the producers. Nancy's dreams were terrifying also and I liked the boundaries the film set between the make believe and the reality. I think this sort of slasher is different from all the rest and stands out most are usually just psychopathic killers wielding a knife but Freddy is so much more sinister and a real icon in the horror movie world. The boundaries are occasionally crossed also which combines the two worlds together but also focuses on the reality of how scary nightmares sometimes are.

The dreams were kind of scary but I do wish they would've lasted longer the majority of them were very quick and we didn't see much build up or suspense brought in. Tina's death being the only one with some sort of scale suspense behind it. Considering there was only three death scenes in the entire movie also this would've been very easy for the producers to do as it wouldn't have felt repetitive.

The backstory regarding why Freddy was preying on the likes of Nancy etc was such a fitting, creepy and totally believable concept. Glen's death scene and the gory nature of it as the blood filled his bedroom is very memorable and I will look forward to watching it again in the future.

The final scene in some ways is brilliant but also largely confusing to the viewer I think. Nancy pulling Freddy into the real world was the brilliant combination of the make believe and the reality combining and her final chase scene with the booby traps going off was so suspenseful and gripping! However despite this amazing final chase scene I do find the ending somewhat confusing because even though Nancy's mum is supposedly dead she comes back alive and even though Freddy supposedly can't get to Nancy he manages to trap her and her dead friends in the car? I just found it confusing because it didn't make it clear if she was dreaming or whether or not they were still in the real world.

Overall - 9/10


Scores:

The Descent - 10/10
Scream - 10/10
The Babadook - 10/10
Urban Legend - 9/10
A Nightmare on Elm Street - 9/10
Scream 2 - 9/10
Sinister - 8/10
House Of Wax - 8/10
Scream 3 - 6/10
Scream 4 - 6/10
I Know What You Did Last Summer - 6/10
It Follows - 5/10
Black Christmas - 4/10
Friday the 13th - 2/10

The Babadook

Rating - 6/10

I didn't really enjoy this film to be quite honest, even though the acting was amazing(reason why I rated it more than 5). It didn't really find it scary at all. It was interesting in times like the kid pushing the girl and the mum seeing the monster. I can see why it's popular but it's not for me.

1.The Descent - 10/10
2.Scream(1996) - 9/10
3.Scream 2 - 9/10
4.Urban Legend - 9/10
5.Scream 4 - 8/10
6.Friday The 13th - 8/10
7.Sinister - 7/10
8.Scream 3 - 7/10
9.The Babadook
10.Black Christmas - 5.5/10
11.I Know What You Did Last Summer - 5/10
12.It Follows - 4/10
13.House Of Wax - 3/10

I'm watching TCM now, sorry about another delay. :laugh:

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

I've never really liked this film and rewatching it hasn't changed my opinion, I've always respected it's cultural impact though and the fact that it's one of the forefathers of modern horror films. I find the history of it and it's status as one of the first 'video nasties' to be more interesting than the film itself, although I do like some of the choices in the film such as limiting the gore in favour of creating a very tense atmosphere.

It is a classic film although I don't care for it all that much.

6/10

Scores
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre -6/10
A Nightmare on Elm Street - 8/10
The Babadook - 10/10
It Follows - 8/10
Sinister - 7/10
Scream 4 - 7/10
Black Christmas 6/10
The Descent 10/10
Scream 3 4/10
Urban Legend 6/10
I Know What You Did Last Summer - 2/10
Scream 2 - 8/10
House of Wax - 5/10
Friday the 13th - 3/10
Scream - 9/10

Brilliant review as always Lostie :clap2:

I have to retire from this. I'm gonna be on a cross country road trip and have no time to come on and check up. Bye y'all. x

Thanks for all your reviews chick x

I love The Crazies. :flutter:

I'll try and catch up on TCM and The Crazies tnite

A nightmare on elm Street (1984)

Rating - 10/10

Another classic film from Wes Craven.I enjoyed this movie throughout and the characters were amazing too. I didn't know Glenn was Johnny Depp wow Johnny Depp was hot in his younger days(can't say the same now). It looked like Tina was going to the final girl but it was actually Heather who did an amazing job at acting. The killing in your dreams is actually a good idea because it's quite scary tbh. It made me jump a few times and "1 2 freddie's coming for you" is so creepy. Glenn's death scene was the best scene of the movie.

1.A Nightmare On Elm Street - 10/10
2.The Descent - 10/10
3.Scream(1996) - 9/10
4.Scream 2 - 9/10
5.Urban Legend - 9/10
6.Scream 4 - 8/10
7.Friday The 13th - 8/10
8.Sinister - 7/10
9.Scream 3 - 7/10
10.The Babadook
11.Black Christmas - 5.5/10
12.I Know What You Did Last Summer - 5/10
13.It Follows - 4/10
14.House Of Wax - 3/10

Watching TCM now

Night Fifteen - The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

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So it isn't that I don't like old horror movies! It's just that Black Christmas and Friday the 13th are a pile of wank! This much like ANOES is revolutionary in the horror movie film industry and a classic which I would highly recommend to any horror fans especially those with a taste for slashers!

The film is so disturbing right from the opening, the grave digging and the dead bodies inserted onto one another on top of the headstone was so spine chilling. I definitely think that this is the scariest of any slasher film out there and Leatherface is such a weird creature and villain like no other. The hitchhiker was a good way to ease viewers into the film and allow them to get a grasp at what the film was about. The actor who played him was so good at playing a complete nut job! It was such a nice foreboding effect on the later tragedies the group would face. The film doesn't waste no time really getting involved and there is always this grim and macabre atmosphere surrounding nearly every scene.

The characters did fall into slight horror movie cliches I guess and we didn't really no any of them apart from Sally and Franklin so I guess that is one gripe I do have with the film. Sally is an okay final girl but unlike most final girls I don't think she is as easy to connect with as we don't really know her backstory or her at all till the last thirty minutes of the film. The character of Franklin is also incredibly infuriating and an annoyance I think. I also got the feeling that Sally would tend to agree with me :hehe:

Leatherface is a great horror movie villain though and such a disturbing one. The concept that he wears his victims skin as a mask is disturbing enough but his appearance and the fact he is mute furthermore adds to this to this disturbing character he is. The kill scenes are also rather different to each other and don't follow a boring pattern which I myself find as a viewer more interesting.

The final twist with the gas station assistant and the hitchhiker being Leatehrface's brothers is just a concept I never even thought of. The gas station assistant seemed so caring and so the film took a surprising but such a brilliantly clever turn when he attacked Sally and drove her to the house only for the hitchhiker to also be revealed as the third brother. The ending was also quite a chilling one with Sally laughing almost hysterically as if she has lost her mind as Leatherface swipes his chainsaw back and forth.

Overall - 8/10

It's a brilliant horror film what revolutionised but the characters let it down for me unfortunately

Scores:

The Descent - 10/10
Scream - 10/10
The Babadook - 10/10
Urban Legend - 9/10
A Nightmare on Elm Street - 9/10
Scream 2 - 9/10
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre - 8/10
Sinister - 8/10
House Of Wax - 8/10
Scream 3 - 6/10
Scream 4 - 6/10
I Know What You Did Last Summer - 6/10
It Follows - 5/10
Black Christmas - 4/10
Friday the 13th - 2/10

I've given so many films high marks but they deserved it <3 The list is so good tbh