2015 Track The Movies You Watch Discussion Thread

[horcrux2007]

Originally Posted by Giganticface

I also have a general mistrust of any kind of loosely-regulated "ride"-style entertainment, like carnivals and haunts. I just feel like bad things, both accidental and malicious, might happen at those places.

That's what makes it exciting! It's like one of those choose your own adventures ya know.

[Roiffalo]

Originally Posted by horcrux2007

I liked the characters as well. I just thought the pacing was horrible and the ending was them basically running around a haunted house. It seemed like the ending should have been much darker than it actually was. And was the whole thing supernatural or was it just some insane group of rednecks?

I agree with the pacing. When things started getting weird like seeing characters around from houses over 100 miles ago, that was intense and started to get exciting, but it took forever to get there, and then it went too fast and the ending felt rushed and as you said, could have been darker. It was good enough, but it felt anti-climatic. From the point of finding the masks on the windshield it lost a lot of the drama the pace was making. I really freaked over the filming at night part though. I did a double take and thought 'wait wasn't there five of them... who's recording?!' XD

Originally Posted by Giganticface

I actually kinda liked it. I don't think it's necessarily a great movie, but there were scenes that I found pretty scary. Maybe that's because the redneck genre works for me, and I also have a general mistrust of any kind of loosely-regulated "ride"-style entertainment, like carnivals and haunts. I just feel like bad things, both accidental and malicious, might happen at those places.

I didn't mind the possible supernatural aspect, nor the vagueness around it, however I didn't think it was necessary. Straight up bad guys would have been enough.

I don't know if I understand what you mean by redneck genre here...
But I do really love the idea for the movie, it being the idea of a haunted house alone as the scare. All the interviews and what not making it clear that these things can be taken too far and have gone too far. In that view it would have been fine without any supernatural aspect (if there even was, it was a bit vague to say if it was or not), but at least they kept it minimal.

[Giganticface]

Originally Posted by Roiffalo

I don't know if I understand what you mean by redneck genre here...
But I do really love the idea for the movie, it being the idea of a haunted house alone as the scare. All the interviews and what not making it clear that these things can be taken too far and have gone too far. In that view it would have been fine without any supernatural aspect (if there even was, it was a bit vague to say if it was or not), but at least they kept it minimal.

Sorry, i'm kind of a genre classification nerd - both for music and for movies. I did the genre definitions for http://screambox.com (also happened to build the site :) ... Btw, they don't necessarily apply the genres how I recommended).

I would classify films in the Redneck subgenre if the primary source of fear is caused by the protagonists being in an unfamiliar location, and being harassed by the locals of that location. That could range from total freaks like The Hills Have Eyes and Wrong Turn, to actual rednecks like Deliverance, to simply country bumpkins like Straw Dogs. Since the concept is similar, I would also include primitive humans like Offspring, Italian cannibal films, and even hoodie horror, like Ils and Eden Lake.

In Houses October Built, the threat doesn't really come from the haunts themselves, but from the local freaks that work and hang out there -- starting with the scene in the bar where the locals start shit, to them hanging outside the haunts staring them down, to finally tracking them down and capturing them. The characters actively put themselves in unfamiliar locations, and debate whether to continue the journey. If I remember correctly, however, the film does manage to avoid the trope of being stuck in that location because their car broke down.

[Roiffalo]

Oooo Hills Have Eyes is one of my favorites too... Been wanting to rewatch that lately but I digress.

I understand now, thanks very much. I was also relieved by the absence of the 'broken down automobile' trope too. To say it's been overdone is an understatement.

[Giganticface]

Updated.

[Roiffalo]

omg I'm always updating mine thanks to Netflix. Made my year to finally watch a few classics like the 'Scream' series, 'The Fly', and 'Re-Animator'. Never got to before and lawrdy do I regret it. Certainly going to need to rewatch them. Especially 'Re-Animator'. I think I have a new faaaaaaaavoriteeeeeeeee

[horcrux2007]

I've only been able to watch 2 movies so far this year At least summer vacation starts on Monday.

[MichaelMyers]

Originally Posted by horcrux2007

I've only been able to watch 2 movies so far this year At least summer vacation starts on Monday.

Great news horrorcrux. Hang in there and then begin the summer with a marathon.

[horcrux2007]

Originally Posted by MichaelMyers

Great news horrorcrux. Hang in there and then begin the summer with a marathon.

I haven't watch a single horror movie all month!

[MichaelMyers]

Originally Posted by horcrux2007

I haven't watch a single horror movie all month!

That changes now.