Posted on by 1000filmsblog

Bonus: Ramaskrik 2025

October is spooky month, and those who have followed us for a while are probably familiar with Norway’s scariest film festival – Ramaskrik in Oppdal. It’s been a tradition for us to attend this annual event in Spooctober for a while now, and the festival has been going strong for 15 years. Relatively small, it is an amazing horror movie bonanza filled with scares and laughs. As per (sort of) usual, here’s our recap and personal highlights from this year’s festival. Plus a bonus rant for those who enjoy these sort of things…

Overall, we managed to fit in 15 feature films as well as a couple of shorts between Wednesday and Sunday. The highlights for us were definitely Good Boy (2025), No dejes a los niños solos (Don’t Leave the Kids Alone – also 2025), Bernadette Wants to Kill (2024), Hallow Road (2025) and Onsen shâku (Hotspring Sharkattack – 2024).

Honorable mentions go to The Toxic Avenger (2023), Primate (2025, aka. Julius the horror version if you’re Norwegian), Trizombie (2024) and Exit 8 (2025), all of which we also thoroughly enjoyed.

There were others which we liked, but did not quite live up to their potential or just paled a bit in comparison with the others. However, the biggest (and frankly only) disappointment turned out to be this year’s biggest movie, The Black Phone 2 (2025). Now, we usually prefer not to talk too much about the movies we don’t like – we understand the concept of personal taste, and we don’t want to discredit the hard work put in by a lot of people to make any movie happen, and all of that. But we both (individually, without communicating) found ourselves getting increasingly angry while watching this. So allow us a moment to rant (and just skip reading it if this is not your thing – we won’t blame you).

It is important to note that we both loved The Black Phone (2021), and our MVP in that was definitely Madeleine McGraw’s Gwen. So a sequel focused on her should be a win, right? (Spoiler alert: it was not.) (Actual spoiler alert: if you haven’t seen it, we strongly advise you to do that before reading any more, as we will be discussing some important plot points.) Ok, so first off, the originality of the first movie is completely lost in this. Instead of a new and exciting story, we get a mash-up of A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) (or, probably more accurately, Nightmare on Elm Street part 3: Dream Warriors – 1987) and Stranger Things (2016). The (now dead) Grabber has become a masked Freddy Krueger, capable of invading people’s dreams and kill them inside them. (Except he doesn’t really do that much – he just shows up, scares them, stumbles around, makes threats, and then just disappears again or is easily thwarted by the kids. He is made less scary every time he makes an appearance, completely defeating the purpose.) The only one who can fight him (eventually), is the formerly headstrong and resourceful Gwen, now reduced to a scared and insecure teenager who worries about going mad and needs boys/men to protect her and tell her what to do and how to do it. A complete character assassination in other words. Even her “sassy” retorts, insults and swears seemed forced in this iteration, and not in keeping with the rest of her character as it appeared in this film. And let’s not even get into the stupid retconning of the circumstances of their mother’s death. Who thought that was a good idea?!?

You can see the difference in the posters as well: the attempt to make the mask look scarier in the sequel has only succeeded in turning it into a generic evil devil mask. The very human eyes and glasses featured in the original make it so much more unsettling.

Our other grievances include the dialogue – it felt like it was written by someone who had never had a human conversation in their lives; how easy it was to find the bodies of the missing boys who disappeared once someone ACTUALLY LOOKED FOR THEM! IN THE AREA THEY DISAPPEARED!!! (It took them two nights… After 30ish years… Sheesh. Clearly, nobody cared about finding them before); the stupid and unnecessary backstory of the Grabber, demystifying him and again making him more generic; and just the general soullessness of the entire thing. Is it all bad? Well, no. The production value is there, and the grainy dream sequences look good (despite their contents being utterly stupid for the most part). It starts off ok, and the acting is decent enough. But we’re left with the feeling that this was an entirely unnecessary movie which to some extent ruined the original which we really, really enjoyed. There, rant over.

Anyway, come to Ramaskrik next October! It’s great fun! In addition to showing new (and old) horror and horror-adjacent movies from all over the world, there are always special events and guests. For instance, this year there was a screening of Jaws (1975) in the pool, Troll Hunter (2010) in the woods, and The Descent (2005) with a visit from Neil Marshall, among other great happenings. It’s also cosy as fuck.

Tell us this doesn’t look like the perfect place to watch horror movies for a few days. And yes, it looks like this all the time, all over Oppdal. True story.

Posted on by 1000filmsblog · 4 Comments

#366 Pretty Poison

Watched: September 26 2025

Director: Noel Black

Starring: Anthony Perkins, Tuesday Weld, Beverly Garland, John Randolph, Dick O’Neill, Clarice Blackburn

Year: 1968

Runtime: 1h 29min

Dennis Pitt (Perkins) is released from the psych ward where he has been treated for “dangerous fantasies.” Foreshadowing, thy name be… well, “delusional fantasies,” apparently. Deemed ready to rejoin society as a productive member, he promptly starts his new life by creeping on a high school drill team, specifically 17-year-old Sue Ann Stepanek (Weld).

The title sequence really should have been our first hint that this will not go the way it initially seems. Mea culpa.

He eventually plucks up the courage to approach her, but not as himself. Oh no, under the guise of being a secret agent – one in need of an assistant on his top secret, not at all fake mission – he tricks her into joining him to expose the environmenal crimes of the factory where he (actually) works. However, he may have bitten over more than he can chew with innocent high schooler Sue Ann.

“You work for the CIA but they do not provide you with a car, any equipment or a partner for what you say is a two person job? That does not sound suspicious at all. Hopefully, neither is my eagerness to join forces with you.”

We went in blind on this one, and we definitely recommend it – this was a wild ride from start to finish. In fact, you may want to watch it before reading this review… Pretty Poison is less well known than several other dark comedies from the era (at least to our knowledge), and it deserves a wider audience. Perkins is disturbingly good at being innocent and creepy at the same time, a perfect Dennis, and Weld is charming, chilling and chaotic as Sue Ann.

Additional shoutout to Perkins’ ability to look simultaneously 20 and 40 years old. We have absolutely no clue how old his character is supposed to be…

To us, it’s unclear how much of his fantasies and lies Dennis actually believes, and how much is just a way to manipulate a high school girl into a relationship with him. Whether or not he believes his own fantasies, we cannot escape the fact that he drugs and rapes Sue Ann, and then convinces his case officer to let him stay after breaking his parole because “he’s in love.” With a child. And that is apparently a good thing. What a world.

“I know I skipped our weekly meeting and moved away, thus breaking the conditions of my release, but you see I have met and fallen in love with a teenager, who I have convinced that I am a secret agent in dire need of help on my mission, help only a high school girl can provide mind you, and I have even tricked her into sleeping with me and I think I’m in love and you know that love is the great cure-all, so I clearly will not be a threat to society anymore!” “Well, why didn’t you say so? Go on and enjoy your life, my lad! I see no red flags here.”

Despite the sinister nature of Dennis’ manipulations and actions (regardless of his intentions and possible delusions – his reactions towards the end make us lean towards him being a manipulator and complusive liar rather than a mentally ill man who actually believes his own stories), things are not quite what they seem, and the twists and shifts in power dynamics make this a movie worth watching. The increasingly atonal march that keeps playing throughout the movie is a great illustration of Dennis’ breaking psyche, and we loved both their performances, Sue Ann’s car, Dennis’ landlady Mrs Bronson (Blackburn), and the dark humour which occasionally made us laugh out loud. Overall, a great watch.

Dennis is about to learn a lesson for the ages: nothing is scarier or more dangerous than teenage girls. This goes double for the pretty and popular ones…

What we learned: Don’t be fooled by a pretty face. Or a clearly fake cover story of spies and secret agents… And for god’s sake – don’t let your unstable, delusional ex-patients break all the rules of their parole because they enter a relationship with a minor! That is not a good sign!

MVP: Mrs Bronson. We just enjoyed her whole vibe. Or Sue Ann. What a ride!

Next time: Rosemary’s Baby (1968)

Posted on by 1000filmsblog

#365 Planet of the Apes

Watched: August 13 2023

Director: Franklin J. Schaffner

Starring: Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans, James Whitmore, James Daly, Linda Harrison, Robert Gunner, Jeff Burton

Year: 1968

Runtime: 1h 52min

Three astronauts crashland on an alien planet 2000 years after leaving earth. Luckily, hibernation pods have kept them from aging despite the years spent in deep space. Even more luckily, this random planet’s atmosphere is sufficiently earthlike for them to survive. That’s pretty much the end of their luck, though. They soon learn that a fourth crewmember, the only woman on board, did not survive the crash. In addition, their clothes are stolen and destroyed by what appear to be primitive human beings. And then the hunt begins…

Men. Absolutely no sense of danger or concept of personal safety. “Oh, look at us, stranded on an alien planet. Let’s abandon our things and go skinny dipping. I’m sure those life size Blair Witch monster thingies on the hill are completely harmless and not a bad omen of things to come. And while we’re at it, why don’t we eat this random fruit. La la la!” Please…

Gorillas on horseback raid the fields full of people, kill one of the survivors, Dodge (Burton), and capture the other two, Taylor and Landon (Heston and Gunner, respectively). Taylor is shot in the throat, impeding his speech, and then taken to a research facility in Ape City where he is made into a lab rat by intelligent chimpanzees Zira and Galen. It’s a world gone topsy-turvy!

“OK, since we’re both here, how about we propegate the species? It’s for the greater good, I assure you.”

Once the scientists discover that Taylor can talk, their entire world view changes. Perhaps human beings are not just savages after all, but capable of culture and reason? (They’re only about halfway right…) Soon, Taylor finds himself in the middle of an ape culture war. And Landon finds himself lobotomized.

It was either that or join a gorilla barbershop quartet. The choice was easy

The success of Planet of the Apes sparked a whole series of sequels, prequels and other -quels. And while many of them are worth watching (there are definite variations in quality), the original remains the best one, in our opinion. The score is great, the costumes, make-up, sets and landscapes are all very impressive, and the plot is compelling and intriguing.

The characters are fine as well, but again, as mentioned. who in their right minds would see these things, on an alien planet nonetheless, and then proceed to just frolic in the water?!? We question their judgment and the clearly lax screening process for becoming (fictional) astronauts in the sixties.

The first hunt is chaotic, brutal and shocking, as are several of the revelations throughout and the treatment our main character receives. Does Taylor make for a sympathetic protagonist? Well, not necessarily. He’s a bit of a cynical douchebag with seemingly no qualms about rape, for instance. Still, even he has some very good points to make about humanity and the society he left behind as well as the one in which he now finds himself. In addition, Heston had ridiculous presence on screen, which makes you root for him despite some of his character’s less desirable qualities…

Believe it or not, in this instance beastiality is a major positive step in his character development! (Discussion point: Is it still beastiality if the “beast” in question shares your level of intelligence and communication skills? Taylor’s so-called relationship with Nova, the mute and primitive human woman he “courts,” seems a lot more problematic than this one, for sure.)

We love horror and sci-fi as social commentary and (unfortunately) the themes in Planet of the Apes are still (or again?) current and relevant. The people in power, and pretty much everyone over a certain age, are conservative zealots who’d rather erase anything and anyone that do not support their world view than be open to changing their minds. Thank the gods we as human beings have moved on from this and are now governed by reason, compassion and altruism.

They would be so proud of us

What we learned: Religion has no place in science. Or in politics. Or in law making. In fact, like genitals, your own are best kept private until asked to share.

MVP: Zira

Next time: Pretty Poison (1968)

Posted on by 1000filmsblog

#364 Once Upon a Time in the West

Watched: August 14 2023

Director: Sergio Leone

Starring: Claudia Cardinale, Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson, Jason Robards, Harmonica’s harmonica

Year: 1968

Runtime: 2h 45min

Mrs McBain (the recently departed Claudia Cardinale) arrives in Utah to find her brand spanking new husband and stepchildren dead. The main suspect: notorious local bandit Cheyenne (Robards). But is he being framed? Other dodgy characters in this classic western include drama queen Harmonica (Bronson) and gun-for-hire Frank (Fonda).

Claudia Cardinale in all her glory. We seem to remember enjoying her character immensely!

So, full disclosure: we watched this over two years ago, but then never got around to actually writing the blog while it was still fresh in our minds. And now, due to everything leading to us taking a hiatus from the list in the first place, we have a little bit of amnesia. We did, however, take notes while watching it! Thus, we present to you: Our Impressions Of And Thoughts On The Film Based On Cryptic Notes Written Two Years Ago (or OIOATOTFBOCNWTYA for short):

Pictured: characters from the film. About 99% sure that’s Henry Fonda up front. And they definitely look like the bad guys, so that tracks. Probably about to do some serious mischief.
  • Very good at creating tension! (we’re pretty sure we’re talking about Leone here)
  • Love when people make their own soundtrack! (referring to Harmonica, probably?)
  • #Harmonica4Lyfe! Such a drama queen. Love!
  • Absolutely love the “vastness” of the production – epic scale. Good world building.
  • He (probably Leone again) just loooooooves people staring at each other.
  • Beautiful, epic, suspenseful and possibly a tiiiiiny bit too long… But hey – if you wanna be dramatic about it and make an absolute epic, you go girl! (We guess we’re referring to Leone here as well…)
Harmonica doing god’s work providing (more or less) appropriate ambient sound to a dramatic scene. Again, we suspect that’s what’s going on based on vague, watercolour memories.
  • With the notable exception of the Lord of the Rings-movies, very few films need to clock in at almost three hours…But this stays interesting and engaging throughout, so it kind of pulls it off.
  • So. Much. Staring.
  • Ok, even on Blu-Ray, film is definitely different from digital. The texture of this! Hard to describe… It feels substantial and kind of gritty.
  • Was this movie sponsored by the oil industry? The car industry? Never seen so much vilifying of railways.
  • Sometimes it’s best to just stay a single, rich widow.
“I know you’re developing some Stockholm syndrome feelings for me, but I’m saving all my sexual tension for my new best bud Cheyenne. Besides, Clark Olofsson won’t be born for half a century yet, so I don’t even know what Stockholm syndrome is.”

What we learned: Never trust Big Railway™

MVP: Ennio Morricone, Cheyenne and Harmonica’s harmonica.

Next time: Planet of the Apes (1968)