#Thriller Films

[fallensapphires]

Genres: Thrillers

Thrillers provide the reader with a safe escape into a dangerous world where the stakes are as high as can be imagined with unpredictable outcomes.

[orpheuslookingback]

100 Essential Films: #100

The Vanishing (1988), dir. George Sluzier

[cillianmurphysdimples]

Early night because it's too cold in the house and heating is expensive. Hot water bottles, fluffy pjs and warm quilts for the kids and a biiiig hoodie for me 👍

Watching 'Retreat' tonight.

This is the max level of scruff I can take with Cillian 🤣 but he's gorgeous as always

[indianaterrors221]

Last month I started a summer vampire film binge. I'm not the greatest at sharing my thoughts on films when I'm going through so many, but I thought it would be fun to start some polls instead! There may be some movies here that I didn't have access to (or finish), but I'm really just interested to see everyone's opinions on these films:

[ruleof3bobby]

ENCOUNTER (2021) Grade: C-

I had an intriguing start, the 2nd act wasn't all that interesting after the 1st plot twist. Ending didn't save it. Good acting. #RizAhmed is a talent.

[adaptations-polls]

Which version of this do you prefer?

[90s-kid-sad-adult]

[world-of-puppets]

Even Marlowe’s Abruptio Update

All the way back in October of 2020, I wrote a post about the horror/thriller puppetry film, Abruptio, directed by Even Marlowe. Back then, the film was said to be released sometime in 2021. But 2021 came and went with Abruptio not getting so much as a trailer.

Recently, I decided to look into the film again to see if I could find any updates. As I feared the film might still be in development hell or had been cancelled.

However, to my surprise, not only did Abruptio finally have its worldwide premiere at the Santa Monica Film Festival on January 17 2023, according to Wikipedia, but the first trailer for the film also dropped just two weeks ago on the Chicago Horror Film Festival YouTube channel.

I gotta say. It looks pretty interesting. The tone seems to be a bit more serious and slow then I expected. Given the whole bomb implant the main character Les has that forces him to carry out dirty work for a mysterious puppet-master, I envisioned something more action-y and high adrenaline. The tone form what I can see in the trailer seems to be going for something more surreal and dreamlike, almost introspective. Les’s line at the end “I have a bomb in my neck… just like everyone else” plus the movies tagline “everyone’s a puppet” makes me wonder if the movie will use the neck bomb, and the puppetry medium as a whole, as some kind of deeper metaphor of some kind. Like how no individual person is truly in control of their own life and were all ultimately at the whim to larger, enigmatic forces beyond our understanding or control… or something along those lines? Or maybe I’m just reading too deeply into it.

The puppets themselves look… alright. As mentioned before, practical effects artist Jeff Farley worked as lead puppet fabricator on the puppets, and his expertise shows here, visually speaking. The realistic/semi realistic textures, scale and materials look pretty good for a mostly independent, non-Jim Henson puppetry film production. The puppet movements themselves I’m on the fence about. A lot of the movements look rather stiff and stilted, and some bits like the one where that guys head blows up in a warehouse looks very floppy crash test dummy-esque to me. This coupled with the very detailed and realistic yet slightly off look of the puppets, and I can totally understand why some people might be turned off by this trailer and the film itself. I will say though, given the surreal, unsettling feeling this film seems to be going for, making the puppets themselves off beat and uncanny looking/moving feels rather fitting. Though that’s just my opinion. Plus, most of what we’ve seen of the puppets in action is just this trailer so far, so maybe we’ll see some more impressive feats of puppetry performance in the film itself/future clips and trailers. We’ll have to wait and see…

[amesmonde]

In the Shadow of the Moon (2019) Review

In the Shadow of the Moon (2019) Review

Possible Spoilers A Detective becomes obsessed with tracking a mysterious serial killer who seems to be able to time travel.Jim Mickle skilfully directs this science fiction, it like feels high production from the off with sweeping cityscapes and a thrilling crash. Spanning over a number of decades, While the 80s cars are a little too clean as Shadow of the Moon” explores the theme of time…

[cineqhile]

LULU (PANDORA'S BOX, 1929) || AUDREY "LULU" HANKEL (SOMETHING WILD, 1986)

[schlock-luster-video]

On July 9, 2021, Drug Stories: Narcotic Nightmares and Hallucinogenic Hellrides and Remember My Name were screened as a double-feature on TCM Underground.

Here's some new art inspired by both features!

[onlymurdersintheafterparty]

6 International Mystery/Thriller Films to Watch on Netflix

Recently I've been trying to get more into the international side of Netflix to see what hidden gems exist in the other countries and they've got quite a bit! I decided to watch 10 films that grabbed my interest and made a list of recommendations. That being said, here's my list of 10 mystery films to check out on Netflix.

1. Murder Mubarak

Country: India

Language: Hindi

Director: Homi Adajania

When a murder occurs at a high end establishment called The Royal Delhi Club, ACP Bavani Singh and his sidekick officer Padam are on the case. To me this movie was a pretty solid whodunnit. ACP Singh and Padam gave me big Poirot & Chief Inspector Japp vibes and the club setting and its employees and wealthy guests gave me Knives Out vibes. It was kind of predictable but even then I found myself unsure who the murderer was. There was a brief graphic scene showing a dead cat as well as some shots of the same cat unconscious so just a heads up if you decide to watch it.

2. In Love and Deep Water

Country: Japan

Language: Japanese

Director: Yusuke Taki

Suguru Ubukata is a butler on a cruise ship that takes his job very seriously. A 42 day voyage that should go smoothly gets messy when not only does he discover his girlfriend is having an affair, there’s a murder that takes place on the night that the ship sets sail. It’s more romance than mystery in my opinion because a lot of focus is on the budding romance between Suguru and Chizuru Banjaku, the girlfriend of Suguru’s girlfriend’s lover.

3. A Deadly Invitation

Country: Mexico

Language: Spanish

Director: José Manuel Cravioto

Agatha Hernandez, a true crime fan and co-host of a podcast called Unsolved Crimes, unexpectedly gets an invitation to visit her estranged sister Olivia at her mansion. The reason for the invite? Olivia wants to play a deadly game. She lays everyone’s dirty secrets out on the table and the reasons they would have to kill each other. To no one’s surprise Olivia is dead before morning and it’s up to Agatha to solve the murder. It gives me The Last of Sheila (1973) vibes because of the similarities such as the secrets being revealed by the host on a yacht, but I think overall it does end up being it's own film. It's a straightforward mystery with minimal violence and gore and in my opinion has a satisfiable ending.

4. The Lost Patient

Country: France

Language: French

Director: Christophe Charrier

Thomas Grimaud, a 19 year old, falls into a coma for 3 years after his entire family is murdered except for his sister who disappeared without a trace. When he awakens he has no memory of what happened or where his sister is. With the help of a psychologist, Thomas tries to piece together what happened to his family. To be honest the film is a bit predictable but even then I found the ending to be a little bit confusing. It resembles the plot of a film that came out a couple of years before and I don’t want to spoil it so if you’re interested it’s listed at the end of this post.

5. The Postcard Killings

Country: England

Language: English

Director: Danis Tanović

Jacob Kanon, a detective with the NYPD, travels to London to find answers after his daughter and her husband are killed there while on their honeymoon. The police refuse to give out answers and when discovering that their deaths were committed by a serial killer who targets other newlyweds and leaves a signature post card, Jacob decides to investigate on his own. When an American journalist Désirée Lombard receives a postcard in Sweden, Jacob seeks her help to track down the killer and get justice for his daughter and all of the other victims. As Jacob closes in on the killer’s identity it becomes a game of cat and mouse and a race to prevent another couple’s death.

TW: Body Horror

6. Killer Book Club

Country: Spain

Language: Spanish

Director: Carlos Alonso-Ojea

A group of college students with a book club for horror novels are stalked by a killer in a clown suit after a revenge prank leads to a death. The killer clown is writing a story about the murder and devotes each chapter to one of the club members being punished killed. The concept of a horror book club being the target of a killer is an interesting new take on the slasher film genre. Since it’s a slasher film you can expect a lot of gory scenes. Some parts of the movie were predictable but I don’t think it took away from what was a simple slasher film.

TW: Sexual Assault

SPOILERS FOR THE LOST PATIENT

The movie that the Lost Patient resembles and imo executes the amnesia aspect and plot twist way better is Forgotten (2017) also on Netflix and starring Kang Ha-Neul.

[laferrassie]

*please rb w reasons or elaboration! i'm curious

[lilaclunablossom]

The Dead Zone (1983) Review

Well, my life got a little messy, but now I’m gonna finish reviewing these October horror marathon movies. Even if it kills me, god dammit. Next up, David Cronenberg’s 1983 adaption of The Dead Zone by Stephen King.

Before the marathon I had only seen 1 Cronenberg movie, that being Crash. Fucking weird movie, but that’s not what we’re talking about. I’m sure most people still know who Cronenberg is; he made The Fly, which I also watched for the marathon, and he’s known for kickass body horror… which this movie contains almost none of. But it’s still amazing.

The script was written by Jeffrey Boam, who wrote Lethal Weapon 2 and 3, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. It stars MOTHERFUCKING CHRISTOPHER WALKEN as the main character Johnny, and Martin Sheen plays a guy who wants to be president. I can’t get over this, because the idea of Martin Sheen being president is fucking terrifying.

Johnny has a wonderful life, with a fulfilling job as teacher and a girlfriend named Sarah, but then gets in a serious car accident and enters a coma. He wakes up 5 years later, has to go through physical therapy to regain the use of his legs, and finds out Sarah has a husband. To top it off, he now sometimes sees sudden visions of peoples’ past or future when he touches them… because it’s Stephen King. Definitely more of a thriller, but it has at least one pretty gory moment.

This wonderful plot results in a meaningful story about lost hope and self-discovery. I can’t help but make the connection to Taxi Driver, especially with Martin Sheen’s character in the mix. I love how Johnny and Sarah’s relationship is handled; Johnny is heartbroken but doesn’t blame her, and they’re both written very realistically overall.

All the acting is great, but Christopher Walken is completely unstoppable. He’s one of the greatest actors ever born, and he’s possibly at his BEST here. Martin Sheen also does a fantastic job. I mean, I love him as an actor, he’s just batshit crazy. Which turned out to be perfect casting for his character. There’s a scene involving him near the end that’s one of the WILDEST fucking things I’ve ever seen, and I was laughing my ass off the whole time.

The cinematography is great, and the editing when Johnny has his visions is jaw-dropping. It’s sudden, and really makes you feel like you’ve been randomly transported to a different space and time.

The soundtrack was made by Michael Kamen, who scored so many movies it’s kind of ridiculous, including Lethal Weapon 1 2 and 3, The Iron Giant, 101 Dalmatians, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. It’s satisfyingly haunting. 4.5/5

[ruleof3bobby]

A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE Grade: B-

More of a character movie than a action but a solid thriller movie. The leads are great. I already liked #LupitaNyongo but #JosephQuinn won me over. Ending wasn't too bad.

[lambyrotting]

Hellraiser II: Hellbound (1988)