Likes: 
Faceplams: I get why it wouldn't work for some, but I loved every minute of Malignant. The tone was so deliberately campy and I love how little the trailers gave away. You could tell that they had a blast making it... oh, and that soundtrack slaps!
Active Member
I get why it wouldn't work for some, but I loved every minute of Malignant. The tone was so deliberately campy and I love how little the trailers gave away. You could tell that they had a blast making it... oh, and that soundtrack slaps!
tempus est umbra in mente
I only watched the opening to Malignant, knowing nothing about it, and wasn’t pulled in. Gotta admit that when I saw that it was made by James Wan I got completely disinterested. Just in general I have never liked his style of horror. Maybe I should give it another shot though.
Active Member
I get it, actually I nodded furiously when writer Laird Barron called Wan's movies "horror muzak", BUT...Originally Posted by Jinsai
I just went through a phase of 80ies horror movies, like, not The Thing, not The Exorcist, not Evil Dead, but shit like Death Spa and Microwave Massacre. They're bad, really bad, and it's really fun. Malignant is a perfect tribute to those ones. It has huge "I don't give a fuck" energy, which I find actually refreshing coming from Wan. The guy has been building a slick Disneyworld of horror, with perfectly timed scares and rhythm, meticulously grimy decors and monsters, and then just goes and throws everything at the wall and just has fun. It's stupid and you'll cringe your way through, but I can't shake the feeling that the guy who made Saw and The Conjuring knows perfectly well what he has done. I just can hear him cackling.
As I said, I don't really like Wan's films. Too clean, too formatted to my taste. I need weirder, smarter, or dirtier stuff. But this one is a fun one.
Only By Night
Just got out of Malignant, and what a fucking movie. James Wan is hit and miss for me, but this one really brought it. It brings that clean, streamlined style that his films have; sometimes it feels like a campy b movie, other times it feels like an action film... Or just straight up horror here and there. At some point I found myself becoming a bit disinterested until things slowly started coming to light. There were definitely some V for Vendetta feels throughout the movie for me, but all in all, I had a blast and this one definitely will stick with me.
Just tickles my balls!
Just tickles my balls!
FATUM NOS IUNGET
tempus est umbra in mente
I’m taking a break near the end of the Candyman reboot (or sequel I guess) and while some of its messaging might be a little too on the nose, this is a very good movie. Much better than I expected.
Active Member
I introduced my wife to Hereditary tonight and she didn't like it. So now I'm stuck looking for a divorce lawyer. This sucks, cuz she really has been a lovely woman all these years.
Only By Night
I love what they did with the lore and expanding it. Although, I feel it was a bit messy at the end, but overall I loved the creepy scenes.
tempus est umbra in mente
it does lose its focus a bit and goes a little off the rails towards the end, but it didn’t lose me. While we are talking about Hereditary though, I started off liking it but as it went crazier I checked out. I actually really preferred Midgarsommer, though that’s not the popular consensus it seems.
Though lately I feel like I have been watching too much surreal / psychedelic horror, and maybe I could deal with a change of pace and watch something a little less crazy and heavy/serious. I wish there were more movies like Tucker and Dale versus Evil out there… that’s pretty much what I’m in the mood for
I was nobody. Nothing.
Wait, what?
Why?
It's PRETTY much a Rosemary's Baby remake.
And aren't you into all that slasher stuff? (forgive me if I'm mistaken.)
It wasn't THAT intense.
Edit: that being said, yeah, if you've had too much batshit crazy surrealism lately, I get it.
Last edited by elevenism; 09-23-2021 at 09:53 PM.
tempus est umbra in mente
I just felt like Hereditary turned ridiculous towards the end. It was just too absurd for me. Though really, it might have just been that I wasn't in the mood for it at the time.
Whereas if we're talking about Rosemary's Baby, the ending of that is one of my favorite scenes in a movie, period.
I was nobody. Nothing.
man, i think you're right.
I think you just weren't in the mood for it.
I mean, i guess there's the possibility that the movie "failed for you." I'm quoting David Foster Wallace regarding the ending of Infinite Jest: it doesn't mean that you didn't "get it." It's more that, perhaps, it ultimately isn't for everyone, OR, that you just didn't vibe with it, perhaps.
IDK.
i'd suggest giving it another try in a few years.
I'm VERY picky with horror movies, and i think that one was an instant classic.
tempus est umbra in mente
The conditions you watch a horror movie in and your mood really make a huge difference. I saw it in the theater and I’m a believer that horror movies and comedies are really different depending on the crowd and their reaction. With horror I feel you can sense the audience’s tension and fear, or be put off by a lack thereof.
I remember when I first saw The Blair Witch Project in the theater and people were snickering and whispering jokes about how lame it was. I walked away hating it. A few years later I was sick and stuck in bed by myself and I randomly had a dvd copy of it lying around. Still don’t remember how I got that. Anyway it scared the living shit out of me. Watching that alone in the dark on my junk TV set while fighting nausea with an intense headache… totally different experience
Last edited by Jinsai; 09-23-2021 at 11:44 PM.
Stubby Member
Well Rosemary's Baby is a timeless classic,Hereditary...it is what it is. Ari Aster so clearly just wants to makes dramas and excells at that portion of the story while phoning in the horror aspect. Hereditary is just comical in some of it's "scary" scenes.
Only By Night
See, the scenes people found funny, I found absolutely creepy and terrifying. I watched Hereditary with really good headphones in a dark af room with no one home but my dog around 12am. There is this quiet reverb throughout the entire film and I thought it was just my audio, but it's there, and it sort of subliminally keeps your anxiety level up if that makes sense. You definitely need to watch it in a better setting.
You're just as clueless as Annie is, and once things start to slowly reveal themselves, it just makes it that much more fucking creepy. There are little details scattered throughout the movie I sure didn't catch the first time, but once you are through the eyes of Peter, and things go absolutely bonkers, that was where my head couldn't take it anymore. The hiding in the corner, up on the ceiling... Weird naked guy, Annie running out of the corner, it was a lot to handle and I felt out of breath. You feel as helpless as the family does and that is why this movie really hit me and stuck with me. It's an instant classic in my eyes.
Not to mention, the juxtaposition between her models and the way it was directed as if we are watching them in their little sandbox just adds to the allure.
Throbbing Member
But the horror works because the drama is effective. It's why the conjuring universe does nothing for me. Horror doesn't matter when there are no stakes and jump scares are on screen every few minutes. I'd rank Hereditary as the second best horror film this century. What Rosemary's Baby was Hereditary is. And for what it's worth, while I acknowledge Rosemary's Baby as a classic and a masterpiece of a film. I think it is deeply lacking in horror to the point it's barely a horror film in my mind. Film is extremely subjective so I'm not saying you are wrong to dislike Hereditary but to say the horror in it is phoned in I think is just flat out wrong.
I think it's also worth keeping in mind that seeing a theatre full of people laugh at any particular element of a horror movie tells you more about the crowd you are in than it does the film itself. Hereditary wasn't designed to be an everyman crowd pleaser. Neither was Rosemary's Baby and they'll both stand the test of time because of it.
And to piggyback on what Self.Destructive.Pattern said. Yeah, pretty similar experience to mine. The levitating in the corner with no cheap sound effects or zoom ins, just letting the audience realize what is happening was very effective for me. The sound design is great. The burning of the husband. It's one of only three films to cause me to lose sleep in my adult life. And I watch a ton of horror and films in general so I'm pretty desensitized. I'm thrilled whenever I come across a film that can do that because its so rare.
Only By Night
Pretty much, all of this lol.
Trollhunter
I’m 3 episodes into Midnight Mass on Netflix.
I don’t want to spoil anything but I’m really liking it so far.
UPDATE: It’s been kicking my ass since episode 3. I’m about 2/3 of the way through episode 4 now. Goddamn, this is something.
Last edited by Swykk; 09-25-2021 at 04:17 PM.
Active Member
I know it'll sound like I'm making this up, but I believe some of the stuff that might seem comical is actually meant to be. The more I've seen it and Midsommar, the more some of the dark and twisted humor in them has come to the surface (moreso in Midsommar, but Hereditary has its fair share). I don't think they're horror comedies, but there is definitely a sick sense of humor at play when you watch them. They're not 100% serious.
I was nobody. Nothing.
Malignant was fucking awesome.
I caught the "big twist" pretty early on, but it was still badass.
I was nobody. Nothing.
Sorry for double post, but great observations and writing above, @burnmotherfucker!
Throbbing Member
So I just got done watching this movie. And it sucks so bad. But kinda in a good way? I had to check it out because of all the hype around it and maybe because of that I was a bit let down. I will say that balcony jumping scene was cool and the women's prison scene was also nuts. But for me the movie took too long to build to that point and then once it showed it's cards it just kinda went on a bit too long. Fun but I don't really see myself watching it again.
And yeah the "twist" is kinda telegraphed waaay too much early on. I mean the "cut the cancer out" opening followed by multiple references to pregnancy and miscarriages. And if that wasn't overkill on foreshadowing, the Pixies' 'Where is My Mind?" cover kinda spelled it out. So most of the movie I was just waiting for it to catch up to what it telegraphed.
While I'm on the topic, there needs to be some kind of embargo on when a film gets to use that Pixies song. None of the movies are even as good as the song and Fight Club is the only film that lives up to its use. I love that song but if your movie ain't as good as Fight Club then pick another tune. I mean it's at the end of Knock Knock, it was used in Fear Street (along with 'Hey' by the Pixies which was also used in The Suicide Squad) and now this cover of it pops up in this movie. The Pixies deserve to be in better movies dammit. lol
Only By Night
^^^ Funny you bring up "Where Is My Mind" (And I know I will get roasted for this like I always do) because I never understood the worship for that song and roll my eyes super hard whenever it is used. It's the go to "Hey! Rememeber this song! Isn't it cool?" that's the feeling I get whenever a movie uses it and is usually way too on the nose for me; Embargo the damn song out of movies at this point.
Edit: Throw "Everlong" in there as well.
Last edited by Self.Destructive.Pattern; 09-26-2021 at 08:19 AM.
Throbbing Member
I don't really know either but I do love that song. I think it's just one of those recordings that seem perfect. The simple complimenting riffs, the weird background vocal harmonies, the off kilter singing and the lyrics that are pretty vague and can be read as either a descent into madness or an epiphany. It just works as a pop tune. Kinda reminds me of Creep in that way that it shouldn't work so well but it just does.
But these bad movies are making it cliche. Fight Club is the only one I give a pass to. And the way its used in Malignant actually somehow seems like a ripoff of how Jordan Peele used the Luinz in US. So it's a double ripoff haha.
House Always Wins
Come on.
I was nobody. Nothing.
@burnmotherfucker! I see what you mean about Malignant, but it worked for me. It didn't SCARE me. It put a big ass grin on my face. I feel like there was a TOUCH of social commentary going on there, too.
I think James Wan wanted to make a different kind of horror movie, and trick people into thinking it was something else.
I also liked it because it seemed like an insane indie movie with a big budget.
Throbbing Member
Yeah for sure, I get that. I thought it had a good punchline but that it just had a meaningless setup to it basically. And if he wanted to fool people he should have cut out the first couple scenes that let you know right away we aren't in Kansas. A few people had told me the last act is soooo crazy and that it was a love letter to giallos and b movies. I can see why they may have said that but it set up expectations for me that weren't met. Expectations can kill a movie so its probably a me thing. But it was way to visually dull for me to compare to giallo even if the killer had a black glove in one scene. And when you invoke b movies of the 80s I need to see more practical effects and WAY less cgi. And the director himself claimed it was inspired by Cronenberg which just makes me think he doesn't really get Cronenberg. I mean I see the silliness of the "monster" could fit a Cronenberg film but the thing is even his most basic and silly horror films still had a lot of depth and commentary on human behavior. Something like Rabid or the Brood is ridiculous in every way but there is just enough there to chew on whereas this just felt like a 2 hour long joke.
But there's also a good chance I just missed something. I'd be curious to know what you found in it that could be social commentary?
And I mean I've been pretty consistent in my dislike of the Conjuring universe and what those films have done to ruin and water down horror movies, but I'm not a James Wan hater or anything. I still think the original SAW movie is good and I'm glad he's trying something new with this. And it is a fun movie. Idk, I guess I just get disillusioned when what I think are mediocre horror films become the cultural touchstones for what the genre now is. I'd trade all the Paranormal Activities, Conjurings, Malignants, Purges, and Quiet Places for a few more VVitches, Hereditarys, House of the Devils, Blackcoats Daughters, or on the flipside even some more lighthearted stuff like The Wolf of Snow Hollow, Terrifier, or Psycho Goreman. At the end of the day that's more on audiences than it is film makers though.
Sorry for that long rant I'm sure nobody asked for or needed, lol I tend to talk way to much about movies. But I'm posting this anyways.
I was nobody. Nothing.
Man I can't get into the social commentary without spoiling the movie. But, you know, a woman saying "I CAN do this without you; I'll no longer have to be who you want me to be" to a male figure: there was a bit of that in there.
The Conjuring was fucking great. The spinoffs are hit and miss.
I, myself, love Insidious and Paranormal Activity and Sinister, as well as, say, Absentia, Berberian Sound Studio, Exists, Occulus, The Eyes of my Mother, Host, Skinwalker Ranch. I could go on and on. I dig pretty damn deep for horror movies.
I honestly think that Wan was trying to do something more like an indie movie with this one. I think he was going AGAINST the very tropes he created with The Conjuring.
It looked like a big budget indie horror to me. Maybe it was a bit too long.
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