FrightFest

Is there a horror film you have reevaluated after you first saw it and why?

(When I first saw Lake Mungo, I was irritated by a jump scare. Really irritated, as I thought it broke the suspense. However, after the intricacies of the plot buried into my brain, I thought the film was one of the most rocking ghost stories I've seen and it was one of the main characters' faces that I saw every damned time I closed my eyes for weeks...)

Inferno - really didn't like it the first time I saw it. It was the first Argento I saw (probably not the ideal starting point). But it nagged at me, and nagged at me. A few years after was lucky enough to see it projected and decided it was a truly great and original horror film.

Do not expect to do a 180 on Giallo though;)

Saw - advertised as the new Seven, well it was NEVER gonna be that good but I was more disappointed when the flashbacks started taking us out of the grotty bog. I had expected CUBE but never got it. Preferred it when Bousman came on and steered the ship but I know appreciate the original a little better than the first time I saw it.

@MaxRenn

What do you think would be the ideal Argento starting point and why? I'm having a devil of a time getting into him (I know! Heresy ;-)!

DoctorKaren wrote:@MaxRenn

What do you think would be the ideal Argento starting point and why? I'm having a devil of a time getting into him (I know! Heresy ;-)!

I rate Suspiria, Inferno, Phenomena, Opera and The Bird With The Crystal Plummage. I could really leave the rest. I saw Phenomena first by accident but I think Suspiria is the ideal Argento but besides Inferno he's never done anything close to that style. He has been remaking Deep Red in various forms and it's quite good but nowhere near the stylistic Suspiria.

What's the best scene in the best Argento film?

I did like the opener of Susperia (although it did remind me of The Gossip's video for "Standing in the way of Control" *ducks the flying implements*).

Don't tell anyone but I've always thought Argento to be somewhat overrated. Perhaps this has something to do with the fact that I saw most of his films for the first time on dodgy pirate videos. Pan and scanned 3rd generation grainy wobbly VHS really didn't do justice to his work! Having said that I do really like: Inferno, Phenomena and Tenebrae. (Come to think of it 'Giallo' might actually improve on an old mis-tracking VHS!)

Catweazle wrote:Don't tell anyone but I've always thought Argento to be somewhat overrated. Perhaps this has something to do with the fact that I saw most of his films for the first time on dodgy pirate videos. Pan and scanned 3rd generation grainy wobbly VHS really didn't do justice to his work! Having said that I do really like: Inferno, Phenomena and Tenebrae. (Come to think of it 'Giallo' might actually improve on an old mis-tracking VHS!)

You could tape up the VHS tab and then tape over it it with Hollyoaks and Giallo would actually improve!

daveroughcut wrote:

Catweazle wrote:Don't tell anyone but I've always thought Argento to be somewhat overrated. Perhaps this has something to do with the fact that I saw most of his films for the first time on dodgy pirate videos. Pan and scanned 3rd generation grainy wobbly VHS really didn't do justice to his work! Having said that I do really like: Inferno, Phenomena and Tenebrae. (Come to think of it 'Giallo' might actually improve on an old mis-tracking VHS!)

You could tape up the VHS tab and then tape over it it with Hollyoaks and Giallo would actually improve!

Some of the storylines Hollyoaks has, I'm not surprised! Soaps are wierd things for horror - periodically they chuck it in like too much paprika. Most extreme I've seen was a speeded up, close up facial decomposition on Sunset Beach! Any higher bids? ;-)

DoctorKaren wrote:

daveroughcut wrote:

Catweazle wrote:Don't tell anyone but I've always thought Argento to be somewhat overrated. Perhaps this has something to do with the fact that I saw most of his films for the first time on dodgy pirate videos. Pan and scanned 3rd generation grainy wobbly VHS really didn't do justice to his work! Having said that I do really like: Inferno, Phenomena and Tenebrae. (Come to think of it 'Giallo' might actually improve on an old mis-tracking VHS!)

You could tape up the VHS tab and then tape over it it with Hollyoaks and Giallo would actually improve!

Some of the storylines Hollyoaks has, I'm not surprised! Soaps are wierd things for horror - periodically they chuck it in like too much paprika. Most extreme I've seen was a speeded up, close up facial decomposition on Sunset Beach! Any higher bids? ;-)

Mmm Susan Ward. She should do more horror.

Does Sunset Beach count as a normal soap though, as it was such a spoof?

I seem to remember one full-on Halloween episode they did involving a cursed necklace/brooch - told from the point of view of the dog!

Back in the olden days, Hollyoaks used to more of that kind of thing too, before they decided to go all "normal soap" - shame! There was one brilliant and pretty horrific one a couple of years back involving arson at the pub that was really well done...

For something that has free reign with gore, Casualty doesn't seem to be that horrific, though there was a recent one in a mental hospital that looked the equal of most psychological horror...

Hmm... does Corrie's tram crash count? It could probably be said that the tone of the average episode of Eastenders is roughly akin to any torture porn - or maybe the torture is on the watchers

Sunset Beach was ace! You could watch it, not watch it for 3 months and then go back and find you haven't actually missed anything

Argento/Giallo - I see giallo like maybe a form of music or a band I didn't first like but may go back in a few years time and actually appreciate what it's about. Or if not then at least give it credit for it's influece

I am as a rule a believer in first impressions and when im giving you upto 2 hours of my life to entertain me and do what it says on the trailer or dvd cover I'd at least expect you to fulfill that promise. If you don't then I don't always see how a second or third evaluation will change my mind...

DoctorKaren wrote:@MaxRenn

What do you think would be the ideal Argento starting point and why? I'm having a devil of a time getting into him (I know! Heresy ;-)!

a friend is buying all argentos films on blu-ray for me starting with deep red and suspiria so i suggest you start there. i grew up with his films and remain angry to this day how the frightfest audience sniggered and guffawed its way through giallo and ruined it for me. the best argento scene is the chase sequence featuring the dog from tenebrae . also one movie i adore of his is called the stendhal syndrome so if you havent seen it check it out and i will always love creepers for cementing with in me my love of horror movies. a group of us watched amer as part of our alternative to glasgow this weekend and it all came flooding back.

brad1000 wrote:i grew up with his films and remain angry to this day how the frightfest audience sniggered and guffawed its way through giallo and ruined it for me.

Had you not read anything about Giallo before going in..?

I grew up with Argento too, and had a blast that night.

sherbetbizarre wrote:

brad1000 wrote:i grew up with his films and remain angry to this day how the frightfest audience sniggered and guffawed its way through giallo and ruined it for me.

Had you not read anything about Giallo before going in..?

I grew up with Argento too, and had a blast that night.

that was just the problem.....i just wasnt in on it i guess. i could rant about it again but whats the point....it just wasnt that funny all the way through some bits where people were laughing uncontrollably just came off like some kind of weird group hysteria.
if the movie was that bad why did frightfest waste a slot on it ???