Dario Argento and others thrillers/horror movies directors

[Master Ray]

Bumping this one!

Simply because I watched 'In The Mouth Of Madness' for the first time in the best part of three decades.  I did a big old retrospective of John Carpenter movies on this thread a couple of years ago which seemed to get some appreciation.  But I said I'd disliked ITMOM and never watched it again...

Blimey.  WHAT was I on when I first watched it!  It's a stone cold 90's classic!  OK, not on a par with The Thing (very new horror films are) but I absolutely loved it.  Great storyline, terrific performances, creepy as hell and it escalates into a terrifically odd ending.  Why the heck did I not love this one on first viewing?

Anyway, anyone else got any horror film / horror film director appreciations going on?  Let's get this thread going again...

[Guillaume]

Bumping this one!

Simply because I watched 'In The Mouth Of Madness' for the first time in the best part of three decades.  I did a big old retrospective of John Carpenter movies on this thread a couple of years ago which seemed to get some appreciation.  But I said I'd disliked ITMOM and never watched it again...

Blimey.  WHAT was I on when I first watched it!  It's a stone cold 90's classic!  OK, not on a par with The Thing (very new horror films are) but I absolutely loved it.  Great storyline, terrific performances, creepy as hell and it escalates into a terrifically odd ending.  Why the heck did I not love this one on first viewing?

Great to read that you liked it much more on a second viewing! It's a radical controversial unusual (in its storytelling) movie in Carpenter's career but now it seems it has a cult status/good reputation!

I remember watching the film the first time on vhs in 1995/1996 and  thinking it was a fantastic weird original unique creepy brillant movie from the opening credits to the end credits!
So i was also a bit frustrated/angry that  i watched it only on tv, on vhs, because at the time of its theatrical release i missed the last  screening  ..the film made a big impression on me when i watched it on vhs so i thought how much more powerful the film might have been on the big screen!

You're also right about the "terrific performances" and the "terrifically odd ending", the nihilistic ironic funny and creepy ending is brillant! when the poor John Trent finally realizes he is himself a character trapped endlessly in the writer's crazy world, and bursts into madness/despair...incredible!:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AUr3BtuRUI&ab_channel=ClayDavis90

I love the 'hard rock" main theme too...by the way John Carpenter has just released his last "Lost themes" album.

Anyway, anyone else got any horror film / horror film director appreciations going on?  Let's get this thread going again...

Last weeks i had again a "Phantasm" series mini marathon, i reallly like Don Coscarelli's works, i'm a big fan of the first "Phantasm", and "Bubba ho tep" and "Kenny and co" are pretty great too. I remember being a bit disappointed by his last movie "John dies at the end" but i just received the dvd to give it another chance soon.

[cthulhu]

It's great to give movies a second chance and to see something different in it than the first time. I love ITMOM also very much, because of its atmosphere and the slow and clever breakdown and disturbingly way of the protagonist going insane. And mostly because it has so much of Lovecraft in it. As The Thing has. Well, at least to me..;-)

Last weeks i had again a "Phantasm" series mini marathon, i reallly like Don Coscarelli's works, i'm a big fan of the first "Phantasm", and "Bubba ho tep" and "Kenny and co" are pretty great too. I remember being a bit disappointed by his last movie "John dies at the end" but i just received the dvd to give it another chance soon.

This surprises me Guillaume. I totally love John dies at the End. When i found out that this movie was done by Coscarelli, i rented it and it was one of those rare movies, where you get sucked in at the very first second and never get out of a flow of surprises and wonder and pure fun!
The acting is pure gold, so funny and Paul Giamatti brings so much to it in his little role.
I hope you will watch it again and give it another chance!


I want to recommend Below by David Twohy.

This one surprised me on many levels. I find it to be a very well craftet, very suspensefull and atmospheric movie. The submarine interior is well filmed, the actors are all very good, very intense. And you can see Zach Galifianakis in an unusual role.

[Guillaume]

This surprises me Guillaume. I totally love John dies at the End. When i found out that this movie was done by Coscarelli, i rented it and it was one of those rare movies, where you get sucked in at the very first second and never get out of a flow of surprises and wonder and pure fun!
The acting is pure gold, so funny and Paul Giamatti brings so much to it in his little role.
I hope you will watch it again and give it another chance!

I'm going to watch it again ASAP and who knows maybe i will use Master Ray's words about ITMOM: 

"Why the heck did I not love this one on first viewing?"

PHANTASM is still one of my favourite horrror/sci fi movies...again i watched it on vhs for the first time in the early 90's and the film totally "broke" me, i found it incredibly haunting, creepy, upsetting, and especially moving...the film is all about the fear of loss, loneliness, death, being orphan and i was 13 years old at the time so the film totally "spoke" to me!
The atmosphere and soundtrack in PHANTASM are amazing!

BELOW...i watched it in 2003 at the time of its theatrical release...i was a bit disappointed, but again, a second viewing on blu ray/dvd, who knows??

[cthulhu]

I just got this kind of deja-vu feeling...didn't we already discuss these...? But anyway, good to talk more about it.

I also regard PHANTASM as one of the real classics and a unique movie, which had some influence. I remember really liking the characters, found them so cool and touching and the whole summary of direction, effects and acting and music brought a wonderful atmospheric piece together.

Beware, the Sphere...;-)

Think you've said that you also own this 4-disc DVD edition...

Does anyone of you know this very cool, old, strange film

Colossus - The Forbin Project

I cannot say this is a very good movie, but i found it very interesting and loved to watch it. It has some wonderful matte-shots, the sets are also very cool designed. But the story and acting and some directors choices seem strange sometimes and very outdated. It has the flair of a very good and well done low-budget project by a newcomer.
It is not really suspenseful, and you almost only can shake your head about the dramatics and the "acting" and display of the danger, the colossus computer.

But what i love about such movies, is to get a feeling of the imagination about the future of those days and the topics being adressed. This is the well known computer-decides-that-humans-are-too-stupid-to-survive theme, but his could be a very first one to adress that in such a way.
Also the camera work was sometimes outstanding, i found it a pleasure to watch.

[Guillaume]

I just got this kind of deja-vu feeling...didn't we already discuss these...?

ah ah very probably!
like Ulisse Moretti/Max Von Sydow is saying in Dario Argento's SLEEPLESS "my memory is playing me some bad tricks" 

The PHANTASM sequels are enjoyable but they all lack the poetic and touching mood of the first one, i think...ah if only Coscarelli had directed only one PHANTASM in his career!...the "twist" ending of the first one is great fascinating and strangely moving:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNvP3pJWTQE&ab_channel=VincentPrice

I have yet to watch his first movie JIM THE WORLD'S GREATEST and so, give another chance to JOHN DIES AT THE END and SURVIVAL QUEST.

Colossus - The Forbin Project

I've watched the blu ray a few years ago and i rather liked it!
Yes it's very early 70's "sci fi" so a bit "kitsch" but the visuals are interesting, indeed...the Scope cinematography and the sets. And the screenplay is interesting too. My favorite sci fi movie from the 70's and ever, i would say, is SOYLENT GREEN...very sad bleak disturbing movie.

COLOSSUS...was directed if i am right by Joseph Sargent, who later directed the brillant THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE and much later JAWS THE REVENGE.

[cthulhu]

ah ah very probably!
like Ulisse Moretti/Max Von Sydow is saying in Dario Argento's SLEEPLESS "my memory is playing me some bad tricks" 

Had to think about Lost Highway and Bill Pullman saying after being asked why he hates videocameras: "Because i like to remember things my own way"

COLOSSUS...was directed if i am right by Joseph Sargent, who later directed the brillant THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE and much later JAWS THE REVENGE.

Funny that you mention that, i've just ordered THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE on blu and i'm totally looking forward to this!

[Master Ray]

Well, after these comments I must revisit PHANTASM... I think I watched it in the 80's on VHS and remember little about it other than the orb drilling into the guys skull and re-distributing his blood all over the place... 

[cthulhu]

I totally loved "The Taking of Pelham 123" by Sargent and it was like a fantastic time-travel. It felt totally fresh, had this kind of old vibe to it, that seems to be lost in recent productions. Kind of a playful, improvised, feeling authentic conversations style. Don't know how to describe it.

The in re-watched the movie made by Tony Scott, with Denzel Washington and John Travolta...well...ok, i can say that i did enjoy it. It was a good re-work instead of a re-make and they had some very good scenes in it. But most of the action stuff was so over-styled that it just lacked tension. A good double bill though;-)

And i want to recommend "The Endless". Maybe it's been already recommended here, but i just saw it and it was really a very good, suspenseful independant horror-scifi-thriller. Not perfect and some flaws for me, but none of them were of that kind, that brings you out of the narrative while watching. Very promising duo that made that movie and both guys also star in that movie and they do it very good.

[Guillaume]

This is really a beautiful, clever Movie from that time and i hope to see it again with a good restauration and transfer.

There's still no FULL CIRCLE/THE HAUNTING OF JULIA blu ray yet, but i've read that the channel "Shudder" has shown it a few weeks ago so you can find a cool looking HD print of it, on line, somewhere...

I totally loved "The Taking of Pelham 123" by Sargent and it was like a fantastic time-travel. It felt totally fresh, had this kind of old vibe to it, that seems to be lost in recent productions. Kind of a playful, improvised, feeling authentic conversations style. Don't know how to describe it.

I have great memories of this thriller. The ending is especially great, and smart!

[cthulhu]

What a fantastic Title!

Beware!!!, here comes:

Totally enjoyed watching this. This has almost anything the lonely, nerdy old-school horror movie dumb nostalgic type of strange creature i am loves about those things: werewolves, attacking plants, vodoo combined with great played jazzy orchestra music and lots more...

Cristopher Lee and Peter Cushing are great to watch, as are the other actors like a very young Donald Sutherland. It was always joyful to watch, never boring and sometimes just really beautiful filmed and lit while the actors also seemed to have fun playing their roles.

[Ghosttrain]

A few years back British comedian Steve Cougan did a parody of that film called ''Dr.Terrible's House Of Horrible''....includes stories such as ''Frenzy Of Tongs'', ''Curse Of The Blood Of The Lizard Of Doom'',''Lesbian Vampire Lovers Of Lust''..........and my favourite title ''Voodoo Feet Of Death'' ......it is very funny indeed..

[cthulhu]

That sounds great! My favourite title there is definately "Lesbian Vampire Lovers Of Lust" 

[Guillaume]

The score was very good, sometimes on the edge of too cheesy, because at first it just drags you with it, so emotional, but when you're into the mood of the film, it works very well.

I've just found today these really nice covers of the soundtrack!:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxH04ei_SPk&ab_channel=hyperboreal

[cthulhu]

The score was very good, sometimes on the edge of too cheesy, because at first it just drags you with it, so emotional, but when you're into the mood of the film, it works very well.

I've just found today these really nice covers of the soundtrack!:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxH04ei_SPk&ab_channel=hyperboreal

Beautiful!