garmonbozia

I have heard many people on this forum say they had this film and have read some favorable reviews on other sites saying that it was really scary, creepy atmosphere, etc...

Opinions please. What other films would you compare it to?
How's the dvd.

Thanks.

Adam Tyner

I have a review up at...

http://dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?id=1172

I don't know what I'd compare it to. I haven't seen a haunted house film that even comes close.

MrBEAViS

I haven't seen it in a while but I remember it being really good, and creepy. There was this especially good part involving...I won't say it...it might be a spoiler, and I can't remember.

garmonbozia

Well that certainly is a ringing endorsement. Thanks for posting the link.

Any other opinions?

ckolchak

saw this one in the theater as a kid, and even though i'd already experienced the Exorcist and Halloween and Alien, in the dark on the big screen the year before at the tender age of 12, this one STILL ended up spooking me pretty good.

i wasn't planning on picking up the dvd since it was bare bone in the extreme (not even a trailer) and from the packaging it didn't even make clear the aspect ratio or if it was anamorphic (it is, tho).
must've been a real slow week 'cause i eventually bought it and it was worth every penny!
there has only been a handful of movies i've watched at home that i've really enjoyed as much as this.
maybe due to the fact i hadn't seen it in such a long time. it's not an earth-shaking event-movie, but it is exceptionally well crafted and told. characters have motivations, histories, dimensions and that really sells the 'supernatural' aspects of the story. it may even be that because it has a smaller, more intimate scope, that the home theater is the perfect enviornment to experience it.

to talk to much about it would either
1) make you expect too much and possibly leave you dissapointed
2) spoil the experience of living thru the story as it unfolds for the main character.

it's a great movie, i hope you get the chance to see it sometime!

Adam Tyner

Special features are nice, but I'd never let a lack of extras stop me from buying a good movie.

sfsdfd

[offtopic] Not even if a loaded SE was confirmed to be in the works for some unspecified future time? What did you do in the "Princess Bride" dilemma? [/offtopic]

- David Stein

Adam Tyner

David,

I don't have a clear-cut answer. It really depends on the movie and the special features involved. I'm not overly passionate about "The Princess Bride", so I have no problem waiting for something better to roll along. ("The Princess Bride" is also in non-anamorphic widescreen, and although that's not a total deal-breaker, such discs tend to be low priority.) A special edition announced before the bare-bones disc streets would depend on the supplements and the wait. I wasn't willing to wait for the upcoming version of "Almost Famous", so I bought the currently available disc and have every intention of 'upgrading' when 'Untitled' streets.

sfsdfd

Just checkin'. Interesting response to Princess Bride, though: casual fans faced with this problem either think, "I'm not wild about the film so I don't need to pay extra for a bunch of stupid supplements" and buy the bare-bones disc -or- think, "I'm not wild about the film so I'm perfectly content waiting for a more polished product" and back-burner it.

- David Stein

bboisvert

For me, I think the key is "unspecified". If I here rumors that a SE is coming, say, a year or two later... I'll still buy the DVD. If I know that it is coming in a few months, I'll probably wait. Although this can still mean waiting a long, long time (re: Dogma).

In the specific case of THE PRINCESS BRIDE, I've waited. But that's because I already have the Criterion LD (which has a commentary track and other extras). The mediocre, bare-bones DVD didn't even tempt me.


In the end, you have to consider that most DVDs can be found quite easily for around $15. They also re-sell on eBay/Half/etc. for around $15. I'm not risking or losing anything by picking up a bare-bones DVD. If a SE gets announced, I can always dump my old DVD and usually make a small profit.

I just recently traded in THE CROW to http://www.spun.com for $15 in store credit and then found a mint copy of the new 2-disc version in the used bin at Electronics Boutique for $10. I sold A FEW GOOD MEN on eBay and it finished at $22. I sold THE FUGITIVE for $16. These prices will be more than enough to buy the new editions. The current eBay prices for the DIE HARD trilogy or WILLY WONKA or THE TERMINATOR would be enough for you to buy several copies of the new editions.

Movie-only DVDs don't scare me off at all. And in the case of an obscure (but wonderful) title like THE CHANGELING, we should be happy to get the DVD in the first place, extras or not. The picture/sound transfer simply blows away the LD and VHS versions. The fact that there is no trailer or "featurette" really didn't bother me.


Added to keep this on-topic: garmonbozia, I can definitely recommend THE CHANGELING. It is a great, creepy movie. It tends to get a bit too "plotty" near the end, but it has some really great parts and I consider it to be one of the best haunted house movies ever. I try to watch it every October.


[Edited by bboisvert on 04-03-01 at 09:10 AM]

garmonbozia

thanks for the replies. I put this on my to buy list.

RDYoung

Very worth it! It is one of my favorite creepy movies. Great ghost story with a definate twist, and generally, I enjoyed the movie. There's not much on the disc but the movie and actor bios, but that's enough, I think.

I'm sure the review above will do the movie justice. Definately a movie to get!

Robyn