Chrono's Horror Movie Marathon Week 3: VAMPIRES

[Straker]

Dracula '58 and The Curse of Frankenstein are the best places to start, both are well worth a watch. Even if you watch them and end up hating them, they are still both so iconic its still worth watching them as a reference point. I'm sure you'll love them both though, but then again, I cant imagine how any horror fan could not love Hammer.

[anglewitch]

I watched horror of Dracula it was awesome. They based some stuff off the book I think.

***SPOILER WARNING***



There is the beginning when that guy (forgot his name damn) goes to Dracula's castle and gets killed by Dracula, then there is the part where he attacks the same family that the guy was from.



***END OF SPOILERS***

Believe it or not I have all the hammer Dracula movies.

Originally Posted by Straker

Dracula '58 and The Curse of Frankenstein are the best places to start, both are well worth a watch. Even if you watch them and end up hating them, they are still both so iconic its still worth watching them as a reference point. I'm sure you'll love them both though, but then again, I cant imagine how any horror fan could not love Hammer.

Yeah someone would have to be crazy not to like hammer. The other day Chrono posted a message on the hammer thread I made and said WE DEMAND PHOTOGRAPHIC PROOF! Then she said "Wait what a I doing here I have never watched a hammer film in my life". We where talking about a hammer film that we could not find.

Chrono Girl is gonna kill me now.

Moderator Note: Please use the MULTI quote feature and the EDIT button if posting within 30 minutes. Also, add a Spoiler Warning for those who haven't seen the mentioned films yet.

[ChronoGrl]

Originally Posted by anglewitch

The other day Chrono posted a message on the hammer thread I made and said WE DEMAND PHOTOGRAPHIC PROOF! Then she said "Wait what a I doing here I have never watched a hammer film in my life". We where talking about a hammer film that we could not find.

Chrono Girl is gonna kill me now.

Yeah. I'm pretty funny. I should really quit my day job and become a comedian.

[realdealblues]

I finally can comment on one of these threads...lol. Last night I finally got to sit down and actually watch a movie. I haven't had time to watch one in a couple weeks and it just so happens I watched a vampire related one.

Dario Argento's Dracula

For those who haven't seen it, don't...lol. Save yourself 2 hours of torture. In all honesty It actually seemed very much like a throwback to Hammer's films with the sets, costumes, color of blood, etc., but the special effects and story played felt more like an Asylum production for the SyFy Channel.

Spoiler: Dracula can turn himself into a "Giant" Praying Mantis now. Unfortunately it wasn't as cool as it sounds.

Had the film been treated more as a comedy in the vein of a SyFy channel movie, I might have actually gotten a kick out of it, but the seriousness of it made it more boring than anything. Dario's Phantom Of The Opera was pretty "dry" but this was a "desert" compared to that.

[Sculpt]

Originally Posted by realdealblues

Dario Argento's Dracula

For those who haven't seen it, don't...lol. Save yourself 2 hours of torture. In all honesty It actually seemed very much like a throwback to Hammer's films with the sets, costumes, color of blood, etc., but the special effects and story played felt more like an Asylum production for the SyFy Channel.

Spoiler.......................................
Dracula can turn himself into a "Giant" Praying Mantis now. Unfortunately it wasn't as cool as it sounds.

Had the film been treated more as a comedy in the vein of a SyFy channel movie, I might have actually gotten a kick out of it, but the seriousness of it made it more boring than anything. Dario's Phantom Of The Opera was pretty "dry" but this was a "desert" compared to that.

Gak! Sounds dreadful. When I saw a clip of the insect, looking faker than CG from early 90's TV, I was weary. But not a big loss to me, as I'm not into the doesn't-make-any-sense nightmare films anyway.

[ChronoGrl]

LOL! Yeah, I've heard that Dario Argento's Dracula is simply awful... But I gotta say...I'm really amused by the praying mantis CGI...


SO last night I watched

Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)





In short, I really loved it - It's beautiful, meticulous, and moody, colorful vignettes - This version of the vampire story tells it from the perspective of vampires who are almost too long for this world, suffering from beautiful ennui.

Tilda Swinton was absolutely stunning - Like a China doll out of time... And Tom Hiddleston was beautiful and perfect as the beautiful and suicidal aging rocker...

My only complaint (POTENTIAL SPOILERS)...


Part of what should be one of the more interesting parts of this movie is how this couple has influenced famous figures in history... For example - Christopher Marlow is actually a character... Which is a bit on the nose when it comes to saying HEY THESE GUYS HAVE BEEN WITH FAMOUS FOLKS IN HISTORY - I'm not a huge fan of wrapping famous icons into movies unless its done well... It would have been a bit better if, say, they referred to him just as "Kit" and his history as Marlow just unraveled slowly and was a fun reveal in the end...

A minor complaint; I really did love this.

[metternich1815]

I did not manage to watch Only Lovers Left Alive last night, but I plan to watch it sometime this weekend.

Shadow of the Vampire- I have seen this film once before. There were some top-notched performances, an excellent premise that was well-executed, and a great pace. Really good film, if you have not seen it and are curious it is streaming on Netflix Instant (U.S.).

* SLIGHT SPOILERS*


I also managed to watch Let's Scare Jessica to Death for the first time, which fits in this sub-genre surprisingly. I really liked it. At times, it felt a little standard, but that changed as the film went on. I was definitely wondering exactly what was going on throughout the film. I figured out certain things, but did not know what they meant. I definitely did not see the ending coming. Another thing was I was able to connect with the characters particularly Jessica. I often wondered if what was happening was real or imagined. They played that angle real well. I definitely agree that the film had a very eerie and creepy feeling. I was definitely on edge at several points. This was enhanced by the simple, piercing score. The film also seemed to posses a somber, depressing feel like as if the situation was hopeless. Overall, an excellent film.


*END SLIGHT SPOILERS*

[Sculpt]

Originally Posted by ChronoGrl

LOL! Yeah, I've heard that Dario Argento's Dracula is simply awful... But I gotta say...I'm really amused by the praying mantis CGI...

I love Praying Mantids. I could watch them all day. Amazing creation.

SO last night I watched

Only Lovers Left Alive (2013)





In short, I really loved it - It's beautiful, meticulous, and moody, colorful vignettes - This version of the vampire story tells it from the perspective of vampires who are almost too long for this world, suffering from beautiful ennui.

Tilda Swinton was absolutely stunning - Like a China doll out of time... And Tom Hiddleston was beautiful and perfect as the beautiful and suicidal aging rocker...

My only complaint (POTENTIAL SPOILERS)...


Part of what should be one of the more interesting parts of this movie is how this couple has influenced famous figures in history... For example - Christopher Marlow is actually a character... Which is a bit on the nose when it comes to saying HEY THESE GUYS HAVE BEEN WITH FAMOUS FOLKS IN HISTORY - I'm not a huge fan of wrapping famous icons into movies unless its done well... It would have been a bit better if, say, they referred to him just as "Kit" and his history as Marlow just unraveled slowly and was a fun reveal in the end...

A minor complaint; I really did love this.

I had to look up the word ennui. It certainly sounds strange to read, "suffering from beautiful ennui". Curious what you mean by that? Guessing... I can appreciate that in the sense of experiencing the destitution of many human/worldly pursuits, 'righteous indignation' of it, and suffering for a good cause. But I'm guessing they couldn't find a good cause, right?

Originally Posted by metternich1815

* SLIGHT SPOILERS*

I also managed to watch Let's Scare Jessica to Death for the first time, which fits in this sub-genre surprisingly. I really liked it. At times, it felt a little standard, but that changed as the film went on. I was definitely wondering exactly what was going on throughout the film. I figured out certain things, but did not know what they meant. I definitely did not see the ending coming. Another thing was I was able to connect with the characters particularly Jessica. I often wondered if what was happening was real or imagined. They played that angle real well. I definitely agree that the film had a very eerie and creepy feeling. I was definitely on edge at several points. This was enhanced by the simple, piercing score. The film also seemed to posses a somber, depressing feel like as if the situation was hopeless. Overall, an excellent film.

Indeed I thought the sound, score & 'blurry' cinematography were very eerie. And also the film 'seemed to posses a somber, depressing feel like as if the situation was hopeless'. When I watched a second time, many years later, I got the feeling there wasn't a destination.