Someday we will be at a point in the list where each movie has received more than one vote. Today is not that day. To be completely honest, we're not even close to that day yet! That's okay, though. Everyone knows that it is but one voice that is the loudest.
That doesn't make any sense, sorry. I need more coffee.
220. The Eclipse -- 2009, Conor McPherson
219. Jack and the Beanstalk -- 1974, Gisaburo Sugii
218. The Haunting of Julia -- 1977, Richard Loncraine
217. Darkness -- 2002, Jaume Balaguero
216. Threads -- 1984, Mick Jackson
215. Hell of the Living Dead (aka Zombie Creeping Flesh) -- 1980, Bruno Mattei
214. The Fly -- 1958, Kurt Neumann
213. V/H/S -- 2012, ten dudes
212. Phase IV -- 1974, Saul Bass
211. The Mothman Prophecies -- 2002, Mark Pellington
I like that the alternate title for Hell of the Living Dead is just a bunch of words. Sure, "Hell of the Living Dead" doesn't make much sense either, but "Zombie Creeping Flesh" makes me think it came together in some sort of meeting room:
Suit 1: Okay, we need a title for this zombie movie. When I say "zombie", what words come to mind?
Suit 2: Flesh!
Suit 1: That's good! Alright, keep 'em coming.
Suit 3: Creeping!
Suit 1: Perfect! That'll give the kids a scare. We need one more.
Suits 1, 2, and 3: ...
Suit 1: Come on, guys, one more word. When I "zombie", what do you think of?
Suits 2 and 3: ...
Suit 2: Zombie?
Suit 1: EXCELLENT. Let's see, we have "Flesh Creeping Zombie". Hmm, it doesn't have that pizzazz...
Suit 3: Why don't we put the three words in a hat and then whatever order we pull them out, that will be the title?
Suit 1: THAT IS GENIUS LET'S ALL HAVE A RAISE.
Anyway.
I've never seen Threads, but of course I've seen America's contribution to the mid-80s Made-for-TV nuclear holocaust-scare genre, The Day After. All I really know about Threads is that it blessed the world with The Saddest IMDb Page, so at least the Cold War was good for something.
"Jack and the Beanstalk" was from me. Suffice to stay that if you saw this animated Japanese version of the classic fairy tale in the late 1970s or early 1980s as a child, you never, ever forgot it, or Madame Hecuba. This was NOT comfort-food fairy-tale telling for children.
ReplyDeleteYou mean this Jack and the Beanstalk, right?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yT14LUuSEm8
The madame even has her own Facebook page. I don't know why: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Madame-Hecuba-the-Wicked-Witch/181044868632361
ReplyDelete'Threads' is brutal, which is just how it needs to be. 'Zombie Creeping Flesh' is the title we suffered in the UK though you must admit that 'Hell of the Living Dead' isn't much of an improvement!! How about 'Radioactive Rat-bite Zombies'?! Now, that has a certain ring to it, eh? :)
ReplyDeleteV/H/S was terrible. Did people really like that movie?
ReplyDeleteOh well, at least it was better than CHILLERAMA, which was unwatchable.
Oh man! The Eclipse is awesome! However, I feel I must warn you... It's basically an above average drama, love story starring the absolutely awesome Ciarán Hinds. The beauty of this film is in making the viewer completely complacent and then suddenly scarring the everloving FUCKING SHIT OUT OF YOU!!!!! I am not overstating this. Watch it in the dark.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'm a liker of V/H/S. It had it's strengths. I just saw part two this week and it is so much better than the first. I loved it!
ReplyDeleteThe Eclipse is SOOOO good, it's an Irish drama, but with supernatural elements and a couple really good scares (I totally know why this was chosen; good choice). I Recommend it; it was one of my favorite movies of 2009.
ReplyDeleteSounds like I need to see THE ECLIPSE.
ReplyDeleteLike a lot of people I first noticed Ciaran Hinds in his small role in THE SUM OF ALL FEARS.
Even though I had never seen him in anything before I could just tell that this guy was a master actor. It was like seeing Alan Rickman in DIE HARD.
That version of "Jack and the Beanstalk" creeped me the hell out when I was a kid! http://www.postmoderntrashaeology.thezombified.com/?cat=136
ReplyDeleteYes, Vampy. THAT "Jack and Beanstalk." It messed with me. Badly.
ReplyDeleteThreads is still the most nightmarish nuclear holocaust film I've ever seen, partly because it's just coldly accurate. It doesn't try for scares, it doesn't have to. The hospital scene... dear god, the hospital scene.
ReplyDeletehttp://youtu.be/_MCbTvoNrAg?t=1h13m44s