[Jason.]

Carrie

This one is a timeless classic and a horror masterpiece in my opinion. It's been one of my all-time favourites ever since I first saw it and for a film that's forty years old, it still holds up pretty well actually. It does look and feel dated in some parts, but being a massive fan of 70s and 80s horror, it's not really a gripe for me as it really captures that 70s vibe which I love.

I enjoy everything about this film. The characters are all interesting and well-developed. Margaret's character was hilariously amazing. Even Chris and Norma are somewhat enjoyable, despite being school bullies. Chris plays the bitch archetype really well and the fact she gets her comeuppance in the end makes her character all the more satisfying. Aside from the flawless acting, the cast is also stellar for a 70s horror film, featuring the likes of Sissy Spacek, Piper Laurie, Betty Buckley, Amy Irving, Nancy Allen and William Katt. Heck, and John Travolta too.

One reason why this film is so powerful is because you really feel sympathetic towards Carrie and Sissy did a sensational job playing her. Sissy Spacek IS Carrie. Her transition from victim to villain is highly compelling and yet you still find yourself feeling more compassion for her. The prom scene was amazing and by far the best scene of the film. Just everything about it; the slow-motion of the string being yanked, the bucket tipping over, the sinister music in the background, the split-screen - all of which contribute to what an iconic scene in horror cinema it is.

The ending of the film is quite heartbreaking actually and one thing I've never really understood is why Miss Collins dies. Apparently in both remakes she lives and I feel if there was one person who deserved to survive, it should've been her, even though I do like Sue. One part that still that creeps me out to this day is when Margaret stabs Carrie and is walking towards her with the knife in her hand to stab her again. I don't know why but there's something so satanic about that scene.

But yeah this film is amazing and I love it. Oh and the soundtrack is great too.

10/10

[Jamie89]

Carrie - 10/10

This film Carrie isn't a horror so much as it is a tragedy, it's message/lack of hope being something that always has an impact on me when I watch it, and the character herself being one of the saddest, most tragic characters in any film I've seen. The depiction of her is what makes it so special.

The opening of the film I think is subtly genius and I'm always drawn in and get goosebumps whenever I sit down to watch it. The camera panning down onto the volleyball court places her literally as the outsider, her pathetic attempt to hit the ball and failing to take part/fit in, and her glancing around for approval before getting hit over the head by her team mate and being told to "eat shit"... if that 10/15 seconds isn't one of the most perfect character introductions, it sets up her insecurities, her outsider status... she's immediately sympathetic, relateable to anyone who's ever felt like that at school, you feel hope for her, and knowing how it all ends for her makes it all the more heartbreaking.

And the depiction of her telekinesis is done really well. From her smashing the ashtray out of frustration at the headteacher repeatedly getting her name wrong, to her shutting the doors and windows of her house because she wants her mum to stay and talk to her, it's not something she's doing just because she can, but more it's the embodiment of an emotional reaction. And it's the set up of that which stops her from becoming a villain during the prom scene, because we know that for her to be able to cause such destruction, she must be destroyed in herself. For her to still be empathetic even when she massacres a room full of people is once again genius.

I can't fault anything about this film, it's one of my all time favourites and I think it still holds up well today. It's aged in some ways but not to it's detriment imo.

Originally Posted by Jason.

The ending of the film is quite heartbreaking actually and one thing I've never really understood is why Miss Collins dies. Apparently in both remakes she lives and I feel if there was one person who deserved to survive, it should've been her, even though I do like Sue.

Originally Posted by Amy Jade

I have to say though my favourite character was Miss Desjardain. Infact her death is one of the only things about the film I really dislike, I understood Carrie had last her mind at that point but I never understood her killing one of the only people who cared about her welfair.

As much as I like the character too I think it adds to the 'no light at the end of the tunnel' message that the film has, as well as making you feel more emotional about the prom scene I think, because otherwise it would just be people you don't really know/dislike being killed. Killing her makes it more tragic. And when you think that Sue survives but even then, she's haunted and disturbed by what happened and the film ends with her screaming in terror, I don't think there's meant to be any positives in the outcome of the film and to make it so negative is quite a brave thing to do really.

Originally Posted by Cal.

(I absolutely love PJ Soles' Norma and I think Norma is one of the best characters of the film, I can't explain it I just really enjoyed her character and I'm glad none of the other adaptations tried to make the Norma character a leading role like this version did because it makes PJ Soles' role even more memorable).

I know what you mean, she's not really an important character at all but I love her too, little things about her like how she even wears her red cap when she's at the prom <3

[Lostie!]

So is this over or something because I need to know whether to bother with my The Shining review

[Cal.]

Originally Posted by Lostie!

So is this over or something because I need to know whether to bother with my The Shining review

Chill your beans babes I was getting ****ed up

[Lostie!]

Originally Posted by Cal.

Chill your beans babes I was getting ****ed up

That's a funny thank you for reviving your dead thread

[Cal.]

Originally Posted by Lostie!

So is this over or something because I need to know whether to bother with my The Shining review

Originally Posted by Lostie!

That's a funny thank you for reviving your dead thread

Throwback to this vicious attack when the only thing I was guilty of was letting me hair down after a stressful week.

[Lostie!]

Originally Posted by Cal.

Throwback to this vicious attack when the only thing I was guilty of was letting me hair down after a stressful week.

If I was gonna viciously attack you it would be over not scheduling Trick 'r Treat closer to Halloween you monster

(Btw I'll watch Cherry Falls tomorrow )

[Ross.]

Originally Posted by Cal.

Chill your beans babes I was getting ****ed up

[LukeB]

I'm going to watch The Shining tonight.

[Daniel-X]

Cal's at a party.

[Lostie!]

Okay so no idea if anyone else is watching it but I didn't watch The Shining last night when I desperately needed sleep for nothing so

The Shining: 8/10

The Shining's main strength is the uncomfortable, tense undercurrent running throughout the entire film. Even when something bad isn't happening, it doesn't feel completely "right" and I put a lot of that down to the atmosphere established right out of the gate. The opening sequence is one of my absolute favourites from a movie, it's simple but so effective with the foreboding music and sweeping camera pans. The score throughout the whole movie is brilliant actually and never fails to set me on edge.

One thing I wasn't hugely keen on was how cryptic they made the plot points with Charles and Delbert Grady and Jack appearing in the photo at the end. It's not that I need everything spoonfed to me but I'm never a big fan of these big mysterious moments that are hard to make sense of never getting actually explained. I have read theories and so I have a couple of ideas of what I think the whole deal was but I think more actual clarification on it in the movie itself would have been more rewarding rather than the whole "Leave it up to the viewers' imaginations" thing. Also, I wish Jack was portrayed as more likeable before his descent into madness (as I believe he was in the novel if I'm not mistaken), that would have made his personal story more powerful.

But yeah, on the whole I think The Shining is one of the most effective horror movies at creating a genuine feeling of unease and dread but I can see why it's not for everyone. Everyone has their own personal tastes when it comes to what works as a horror film and if the slow build isn't your taste, this movie will probably not work for you. But for me, it does.

Ranking:
1. The Shining: 8/10
2. The Hills Have Eyes: 7/10

[Jason.]

I've been so busy lately and I haven't gotten around to watching this yet.

[Jake.]

The Shining: 6/10

I haven't read the book before and, until tonight, I hadn't watched the film either. I had always been intrigued by it; many recommend it as one of the greatest horror films of all time. Therefore, it is safe to say that I sat down tonight with rather high expectations. Perhaps they were too high, or maybe I would have been better off reading the book instead.

The performances are a mixed bag. Nicholson superbly plays Jack Torrance's descent into madness, whilst Lloyd does an impressive job with young Danny. Duvall as Wendy is a bit of a mess, and almost makes the whole thing comical. I would have liked to seen more of Dick Halloran, but to no avail.

Maybe it's because the times have changed, or perhaps more modern horrors capture what I crave most; sadly I just didn't find The Shining all that scary, or intriguing. What with such an abrupt ending, you can only wish that the producers had stuck a bit more closer to the book.

[Jason.]

Shelley Duvall's character was a mess but I think that was more down to writing rather than her acting. Having both read the book and watched the film, the character of Wendy in the book is written as a beautiful, blonde woman who hadn't really faced any problems in her life, which makes her experience at the hotel all the more scarier. In the film, she seems more emotionally vulnerable. Plus she's much stronger in the book as opposed to the film and she challenges Jack on several occasions whereas in the film all she does is scream and cry.

I still don't mind her character in the film though.

[Lostie!]

Originally Posted by Jason.

Shelley Duvall's character was a mess but I think that was more down to writing rather than her acting. Having both read the book and watched the film, the character of Wendy in the book is written as a beautiful, blonde woman who hadn't really faced any problems in her life, which makes her experience at the hotel all the more scarier. In the film, she seems more emotionally vulnerable. Plus she's much stronger in the book as opposed to the film and she challenges Jack on several occasions whereas in the film all she does is scream and cry.

I still don't mind her character in the film though.

Shade at the time she knocked him out and locked him in the pantry?

[Amy Jade]

I wont watch because I honestly can't stand Shelley Duvall in the movie - she utterly ruins it for me and I've tried twice. It actually annoys me how much credit she gets for her shocking performance.

Jack Nicholson was outstanding and i understand why he gets critical acclaim but its just a film I cant enjoy because of Duvall.

5/10

(Could have been much higher with a better actress in the role of Wendy)

[Cal.]

Thank you for all the reviews so far! Will post my review in a bit!

[Cal.]

Saturday 8th October- Carrie (1976)



In this chilling adaptation of Stephen King's horror novel, withdrawn and sensitive teen Carrie White (Sissy Spacek) faces taunting from classmates at school and abuse from her fanatically pious mother (Piper Laurie) at home. When strange occurrences start happening around Carrie, she begins to suspect that she has supernatural powers. Invited to the prom by the empathetic Tommy Ross (William Katt), Carrie tries to let her guard down, but things eventually take a dark and violent turn.

[Jamie89]

The Shining - 9/10

It's almost the perfect horror movie for me. I've seen it countless times and it's never lost it's impact when I watch it. It's genuinely creepy throughout and at no point resorts to cheap scares/shocks to keep things moving. The music score, direction, and central performances all lend to the atmosphere of it and it builds perfectly, there's no jump where Jack suddenly turns crazy, it's crafted thoughtfully and paced beautifully and deserves a great deal of credit for achieving all of that.

I absolutely love Shelley Duvall's performance of Wendy, and the scene where she's holding the baseball bat and backing away from Jack while he's intimidating her is one of my favourite scenes of any film. The character isn't portrayed as a typical horror heroine and it's quite an unusual performance she gives so I get why it doesn't appeal to everyone, but I don't think that's a sign of bad acting, and it just really appeals to me personally. (Maybe it's the fact she runs like Phoebe Buffay idk.)
Jack Nicholson is fantastic also, I really can't imagine anyone else pulling off his role and have it be as effective.

The final scenes are some of the most frantic and intense of any horror movie and I felt completely invested in them and i think that's due to the build up being executed so superbly and the development of the relationships between the characters. It's not just a bunch of teenagers running away from a faceless knife wielding killer (no shade at Scream - I love those movies too) but this is kind of on another level to that for me because so much of the story is devoted to 'the killer' and his descent, and I always feel more emotionally involved with the characters when I watch the Shining, than I do most other horror movies, which makes the threat greater and the film scarier for me.

I wish that Halloran had a more prominent role in the final act though. I feel like there was a lot of build up with him first of all sensing trouble due to his 'shining', then the phone calls, and seeing him on the plane etc, I mean all of that just to see him enter the hotel and immediately get an axe to the chest. That's always a big disappointment and it's the film's main downside for me, that and the fact there are other horror's I enjoy more is why I give it a 9.


On the book, my opinion is that it's even better than the film, so if you haven't read it and are at all interested in the story after watching the movie then I highly recommend it! (I first read it after I'd already seen the film so I don't think the fact you've just watched it will ruin your enjoyment of it).

[Jason.]

Originally Posted by Jamie89

(Maybe it's the fact she runs like Phoebe Buffay idk.)

[Jamie89]

Can't wait to watch Carrie again

Originally Posted by Jason.

-To Danny- "Come on, that's not running, let's goooooooooooo"

Originally Posted by Amy Jade

It actually annoys me how much credit she gets for her shocking performance.

Originally Posted by Cal.

Everyone acts like it's an iconic performance etc

Does she really get that much praise for it though? (apart from from me ) I've always considered Jack to be the one who got the attention for this movie, and he went on to have a continued successful career etc where as, as far as I'm aware, she didn't really do much of note afterwards or get that much attention at the time?

[Jason.]

Originally Posted by Jamie89

Does she really get that much praise for it though? (apart from from me ) I've always considered Jack to be the one who got the attention for this movie, and he went on to have a continued successful career etc where as, as far as I'm aware, she didn't really do much of note afterwards or get that much attention at the time?

I don't even think her performance was that bad either tbh. I feel really sorry for Shelley Duvall actually (both in the film and the actress). From what I've heard she had an awful time behind-the-scenes of the film. Apparently throughout filming, she suffered from nervous exhaustion and lost all her hair and became physically ill. And Stanley Kubrick would pick on her and lose his temper and say that she was a waste of time and tell everyone else on set to not give her any sympathy in order to make her feel hopeless. She apparently considers this as the hardest performance of her career and even Jack Nicholson said that her performance was fantastic and the toughest role he'd ever seen any actor have.

It's quite sad given by the sound of things, she had such a hard time during the making only to be criticised heavily for her role and even be nominated for Worst Actress because of it. :/

[Jamie89]

Originally Posted by Jason.

I don't even think her performance was that bad either tbh. I feel really sorry for Shelley Duvall actually (both in the film and the actress). From what I've heard she had an awful time behind-the-scenes of the film. Apparently throughout filming, she suffered from nervous exhaustion and lost all her hair and became physically ill. And Stanley Kubrick would pick on her and lose his temper and say that she was a waste of time and tell everyone else on set to not give her any sympathy in order to make her feel hopeless. She apparently considers this as the hardest performance of her career and even Jack Nicholson said that her performance was fantastic and the toughest role he'd ever seen any actor have.

It's quite sad given by the sound of things, she had such a hard time during the making only to be criticised heavily for her role and even be nominated for Worst Actress because of it. :/

I didn't know all that, sounds awful It's be enough to put someone off acting!

[Cal.]

The Shining (1980)
The first time I watched this film I really didn't like it. Having seen it since then, it's certainly grown on me but I do think that it's a very slow film and I don't think the climax is a big enough pay off for the slow majority. I get that there's suspense building and the film has to be slow to show Jack's deteriorating mental state but yeah it was boring. Perhaps I'm just more into slasher type movies than suspense/thriller/supernatural kind. Shelley Duvall as Wendy is certainly eccentric. Everyone acts like it's an iconic performance etc but she just comes across weird and out of place in the plot in my opinion. Jack and Danny are played superbly well mind. I actually like the ending with Jack in the photograph, it's not very popular but I think that the idea that there will always be a 'Jack' at the Overlook hotel is disturbing and creepy. I'd give the film a 6/10. It's boring in places but the overall iconicness and some creepy moments save it for me.

Carrie (1976)
I absolutely love this story and this film is my favourite adaptation of it. Sissy Spacek is amazing as Carrie and I adore Piper Laurie as Carrie's mother. You really feel for Carrie (I don't think this was captured as much in the recent remake of Carrie at all) and become involved with her story which you really don't in most horror movies. Most of the characters in the film are memorable with avid Christian Margaret, the nice Miss Collins teacher and the two bitches Chris and Norma (I absolutely love PJ Soles' Norma and I think Norma is one of the best characters of the film, I can't explain it I just really enjoyed her character and I'm glad none of the other adaptations tried to make the Norma character a leading role like this version did because it makes PJ Soles' role even more memorable). The prom scene is iconic and a lot better than the remake which is surprising. The only thing I don't like with this version is that I don't think Sue is likeable enough. She kind of feels like a plot device and I kind of wish that Miss Collins had been spared in this version instead of Sue if Brian de Palma wanted to move a bit further away from the book. But yes, I love this film and it's one of my favourite horror movies despite the fact I said earlier I prefer slashers but whatever. I'd definitely give it a 10/10

[Jason.]

I haven't seen the remake of Carrie but I love the characters in the Original. Even Norma and Chris were amazing characters despite being bullying bitches. Chris is probably one of my favourite movie bitches of all time tbh.