Looking for some new horror movies

[SteveSly]

According to director Jennifer Kent, this exact premise is the very essence of message in the film. She intended it as an allegorical play on feminist tropes of woman's damnation in being sole giver of birth and thus responsible for the lives of man and all of man's doings. Which is of course a burden of considerable latitude, seeing as "man" is inherently evil, as some would have it. Believe me, these are deeply profound theories in certain parts of humaniora academia, obscure to outsiders but totally dominant once you get inside and, when paired with various traits of existentialist and pessimist thought in philosophy, a crude definition of life.

The film is not about physical or metaphysical monster apparitions but our apparent understanding of and empathy with the increasingly manic and semi-psychotic mother's antipathy towards her son (who was bestowed on her by a man who then "allowed for himself" to be killed in an accident and thus freed himself from evil life) and the limits to where potential for fatal violence are set. The interactive "horror" of The Babadook is supposed to be what appears within yourself as sentiment while watching.

And the ending, in which the "monster" (i.e. that responsibility of woman) is shown to still endure albeit chained up, is a direct parable on how women are "chained" by restrictions in "cultural constructions" of sex and gender. You couldn't make this up; it's where it's at in the lowermost catacombs of intellectual desolation. I even went to a "lecture" (read: a sermon) here at the University of Oslo in 2018 in which The Babadook came into focus of vivid interpretation by an exhuberantly enthusiastic professor.

You can read all about this profile of the film in numeous interviews and cases of analysis, although fittingly most of them stem from after Kent had made her second work, the radically feminist The Nightingale (which is good and watchable, even if you don't align with ideologies apparent) - by which she was suddenly somehow "discovered" by folks of internally hallowed academic interest and put to test through scrutiny.

FWIW, I quite appreciated The Babadook. It's well made as a whole; nicely structured and brilliantly acted, especially by Essie Davis (mother) and the kid, Noah Wiseman. Although the latter didn't as much act as he acted out certain orders and instructions by Kent, who admittedly wanted for him to become as despicable as possible so that we would really feel for/with the poor mum.

Wow, thanks for the insight on the film. Very interesting stuff.

[battema]

Sorry for the bads

No apologies due from this end...sometimes it just sucks to hear, but it doesn't make it any less accurate/true/relevant. Ultimately, I appreciate the added context

[aith01]

FWIW, I quite appreciated The Babadook. It's well made as a whole; nicely structured and brilliantly acted, especially by Essie Davis (mother) and the kid, Noah Wiseman. Although the latter didn't as much act as he acted out certain orders and instructions by Kent, who admittedly wanted for him to become as despicable as possible so that we would really feel for/with the poor mum.

I agree!

Also, thank you for the info about the movie and its themes. I must admit I never thought about it in that regard about the burden that's placed upon women (and all that it entails), and it's an interesting line of interpretation. If/when I see it again I'll be watching from a different perspective.

One of my favorite "tricks" with this movie is how seamlessly the "sympathetic character" changes. In the first half the mother is our sympathetic POV with her "insufferable" child, and then almost seamlessly shifts our viewpoint in the second half to turn her son into the more sympathetic character, but without necessarily redeeming. It's a really nicely nuanced bit of film work IMHO.

On a more basic level, I love the look of the Babadook itself...talk about maximum results from minimal expense.

Yes! That is something I really liked about it as well; my sympathies shifted without me even realizing it until the movie was finished and I reflected on the whole thing. And the design of the Babadook was creepy as heck. Minimalist and impressionistic, and incredibly effective without showing much at all. Lots of moviemakers could learn from it.

If I want to remind myself that I'm condemned by nature to be a bad person, I can just go around the corner and look at my 2CD copy of The Quest from Yes.

As for The Quest, I haven't heard it yet. But I'll get around to it soon so that we can discuss it thoroughly in a separate thread of fierce power.

[Rick L.]

Not super new, but I forgot to mention Session 9. One of my favorites. I have recommended the soundtrack by Climax Golden Twins in the spooky/Halloween music threads.

[Klonk]

Not super new, but I forgot to mention Session 9. One of my favorites. I have recommended the soundtrack by Climax Golden Twins in the spooky/Halloween music threads.

The hospital was the star here. This is a slowwwww burn and one that requires a lot of patience, but it's got a great sense of dread and I loved it.

[Rick L.]

The hospital was the star here. This is a slowwwww burn and one that requires a lot of patience, but it's got a great sense of dread and I loved it.

No shortage of dark vibes.

[battema]

I saw Session 9 when it first appeared in the Blockbuster stores but it didn't connect. I revisited it just recently actually (maybe on Shudder? Can't recall now) and it was MUCH better than I remembered. Great pick.

[Rick L.]

I saw Session 9 when it first appeared in the Blockbuster stores but it didn't connect. I revisited it just recently actually (maybe on Shudder? Can't recall now) and it was MUCH better than I remembered. Great pick.

It was on Netflix fairly recently. Not sure now. Too lazy to check!

[battema]

Speaking of old favorites, I never get tired of this one. And I'm sure I've mentioned it here before, but I don't care Comedy horror, but good silly fun.

[zombywoof]

The Green Knight (2021)

I'm not sure if this constitutes as horror but its disturbing and deals with the theme of death. It seemed to slip right under most people's radar despite being released on A24. I have seen it a couple of times and really dig it. Artsy.

[battema]

^^ Green Knight looks fabulous for sure.

[Paulie]

Yes! The Green Knight is streaming on Showtime. Hell of a trailer. Thanks for the rec!

[zombywoof]

it's sorta like Tarkovsky meets Terry Gilliam. Director David Lowery said the greatest medieval film is The Holy Grail - Yeah, unmissable !!

[Scrotum Scissor]

^ The Green Knight features one of my face current actors, Sean Harris. I've followed his work for some 20 years now.

He was centerpiece of an extraordinary psychological horror/terror film a couple of years ago called Possum. Although it's arthouse as hell, it's a not-to-be-missed deal of future cult status, severely so because of Harris' performance. He's got that ambiguous but frail sort of uneasiness to his tackling of most roles, but here he's simply phenomenal.

[SteveSly]

The Green Knight (2021)

I'm not sure if this constitutes as horror but its disturbing and deals with the theme of death. It seemed to slip right under most people's radar despite being released on A24. I have seen it a couple of times and really dig it. Artsy.

I saw it in the theater when it came out. It was one of those movies that I wasn't sure what I just saw when I came out of the theater. I liked it for the most part though.

[Klonk]

Speaking of old favorites, I never get tired of this one. And I'm sure I've mentioned it here before, but I don't care Comedy horror, but good silly fun.

DUDE! One of my favorites right here thanks for the reminder. The only way to defeat the creatures is to get drunk

Speaking of horror/comedies, a more recent favorite is Tucker & Dale vs Evil...brilliant!

[battema]

I'll flip things in a slightly different direction....here's a trailer for the only film that I couldn't finish. Hell, I barely started it...the first sequence of the film made me so nauseous, I caved and shut it off.

The director went on to make Shadow of the Vampire, which I really like. But for this one, my eyes were bigger than my stomach as it were. The trailer is half press quotes which at least has a couple of surprising chuckles...but the visuals barely scratch the surface of what the film has (at least for me).

[Scrotum Scissor]

^ It's infamous, but in the end artistically realized. Unlike some other unwatchable films such as Philosophy of a Knife and the absolutely beyond disgraceful A Serbian Film. Whatever you do, just don't watch the latter. I was never inclined to see actual beheadings on film, so why the hell would I want this stupendously perverse shit?

There were edgy conceptions in arthouse cinema earlier too, even donning significant actors (think The Devils with Oliver Reed, Man Bites Dog with Benoit Poelvoorde and Gaspar Noé's extremely grating yet commendable Irréversible with Monica Bellucci), but they were never simply for degenerate display like A Serbian Film.

[battema]

^ It's infamous, but in the end artistically realized. Unlike some other unwatchable films such as Philosophy of a Knife and the absolutely beyond disgraceful A Serbian Film. Whatever you do, just don't watch the latter. I was never inclined to see actual beheadings on film, so why the hell would I want this stupendously perverse shit?

There were edgy conceptions in arthouse cinema earlier too, even donning significant actors (think The Devils with Oliver Reed, Man Bites Dog with Benoit Poelvoorde and Gaspar Noé's extremely grating yet commendable Irréversible with Monica Bellucci), but they were never simply for degenerate display like A Serbian Film.

Oh yeah...as someone who has quietly held a torch for Ms. Bellucci, I've never been able to bring myself to watch Irreversible, regardless of how "good" the film is. And yeah...thanks for the warning on A Serbian Film. Unlikely I'd come across it too easily but I'll make that one an explicit hard pass.

There's a film on Shudder right now called "Found" that is a low/no budget film about a young boy who discovers his older brother is a serial killer. It's very well done, especially given the budget limitations, but it's one that has my stomach in knots by the end. Somewhat from the actual gore rendered on screen but also just the sickening "inevitability" of the story, if that makes sense.

It's the kind of horror that (for me) is less about jump scares and haunted house concepts, and more about a story that leaves a little stain on your soul.

[Scrotum Scissor]

^ When I saw Irréversible in the theater at Saga kino here in Oslo in the fall of 2002, there was an incident where a guy in one of the front rows actually skulled down his girlfriend/date due to what was apparently an argument over the movie. I've never experienced anything quite like it.

It's an ugly, nasty and dirty viewing experience. T. Bangalter's music is set to coagulate at abstract levels on consistently below 20hz, meaning that it's actually intended to invoke a physical reaction in the viewer. But what's terrifying about Irréversible is the state of rage it generates, especially during that notorious rape scene. Actor Jo Prestia, who is also a former martial arts champion in Paris, was chosen because Gaspar Noé assumed he'd be thick-skinned enough to take the inevitable piss afterwards. Prestia kept his flag atop for a decade before admitting to pressures of threat and disdain even with established bureaucrats of culture in France. He has since complained that the job/role in Irréversible practically ruined his prospects of a future career in French film, pointing to Klaus Kinski and Mark Frechette as apparent guiding lights so far as singular dots of extremity goes, but obviously not totally comprehending how winds have blown.

On seeing that rape scene from Irréversible again now, I can still feel the immense and intense corruption of fine morale. You want to kill not just the character, but the actor/whore who's sick enough to portray him convincingly and conjure up his spectre. It's a frightening posture, but devilish acumen needs seed and that anger of violent intent doesn't go away after you've seen this film.

[dropforge]

Since it was the only way to see it, I bought Irreversible when it appeared on DVD. Yeah, it's not an easy watch, because of "that scene," but I wasn't swept away by the expositional gimmick, either. I don't casually recommend it to anyone.

[Progatron]

The thing about Irréversible to me is the sheer beauty of the final scenes, and how that beauty is tainted in our minds knowing what is to come in those characters' futures. I found it an intensely gripping experience (I bought the DVD *after* seeing the film first and lent it out to friends - none of whom liked it). I wasn't affected the same way by Enter The Void or Love, but Noé is certainly a born filmmaker.

As for A Serbian Film, I saw it after it was recommended in a list of shocking films, and indeed it is a bridge too far. I'd rank it alongside the most disturbing Japanese films I've seen, some of which make Saw look like Peewee's Big Adventure.

[Scrotum Scissor]

The thing about Irréversible to me is the sheer beauty of the final scenes, and how that beauty is tainted in our minds knowing what is to come in those characters' futures. I found it an intensely gripping experience

Absolutely.

As for Japanese torture/expressionist horror, they never really reached me. Men Beyond the Sun was a nuissance even when I was a teenager in the 80s, and while the core subject is horrendous beyond belief (Unit 731 and the likes), the film itself always struck me as sincerely campy.

Quite possibly the toughest experience I had watching a film was with Snowtown, a 2011 Australian hyper-realistic currency on a real-life group of working-class serial killers operating in the alleged service of common social morale by murdering everyone they came across seen as "deviant"/"weak"/"potential nonse", including even family members and folks they befriended along the way. There's a scene in the film in which they reenact the torture killing of a man in a bathtub, and it's arguably the single most truly disturbing thing I ever saw in drama. It's still a good work, but you can never forget those depictions.

[aith01]

I'll flip things in a slightly different direction....here's a trailer for the only film that I couldn't finish. Hell, I barely started it...the first sequence of the film made me so nauseous, I caved and shut it off.

The director went on to make Shadow of the Vampire, which I really like. But for this one, my eyes were bigger than my stomach as it were. The trailer is half press quotes which at least has a couple of surprising chuckles...but the visuals barely scratch the surface of what the film has (at least for me).

Wow... Just that trailer alone was unsettling and haunting. I don't think I could handle the whole movie...

[battema]

Quite possibly the toughest experience I had watching a film was with Snowtown, a 2011 Australian hyper-realistic currency on a real-life group of working-class serial killers operating in the alleged service of common social morale by murdering everyone they came across seen as "deviant"/"weak"/"potential nonse", including even family members and folks they befriended along the way. There's a scene in the film in which they reenact the torture killing of a man in a bathtub, and it's arguably the single most truly disturbing thing I ever saw in drama. It's still a good work, but you can never forget those depictions.

Oooooh...the trailer for Snowtown is in front of a few other DVDs I own. Never sought out the actual film though. Pretty sure that one would cost me more than a few hours of sleep.