Movies that have that Ravenloft feel

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alhoon
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Re: Movies that have that Ravenloft feel

Post by alhoon »

Thank you all!
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Re: Movies that have that Ravenloft feel

Post by Rock of the Fraternity »

alhoon wrote: Tue May 02, 2023 1:29 pm Any good werewolf-horror movies? That are not cheesy AND the werewolf is the bad guy that needs to be killed with silver and stuff?
Silver bullet, based on the Sttephen King novella.
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Re: Movies that have that Ravenloft feel

Post by High Priest Mikhal »

Rock of the Fraternity wrote: Wed May 17, 2023 3:14 pm
alhoon wrote: Tue May 02, 2023 1:29 pm Any good werewolf-horror movies? That are not cheesy AND the werewolf is the bad guy that needs to be killed with silver and stuff?
Silver bullet, based on the Sttephen King novella.
There's also Dog Soldiers but that's more of a soldier movie with werewolves in it. And we never see much of said lycanthropes.
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Re: Movies that have that Ravenloft feel

Post by IanFordam »

High Priest Mikhal wrote: Wed May 17, 2023 7:07 pm There's also Dog Soldiers but that's more of a soldier movie with werewolves in it. And we never see much of said lycanthropes.
Dog Soldiers is a seriously intense movie, and I mean that in the best way.
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Re: Movies that have that Ravenloft feel

Post by Manofevil »

I kn ow this is all fluffy and musical. but with all the spells and wishes it still feels pretty Ravenlofty.
https://archive.org/details/1977-once-u ... hers-grimm
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Re: Movies that have that Ravenloft feel

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I don't know if anyone mentioned it yet but:
"From" is a 2022 tv series that gives MAJOR Ravenloft vibes - even though not Gothic Horror from what I have seen.

The premise is more or less a domain (hard to call it anything else) where people can't leave. If you drive you end up back in the same town as if you drive in circles or as if trying to escape Dementlieu when the borders are closed. There are CLEARLY artificial elements (similar to Ravenloft) like lamps etc working without copper in the wires and cows and sheep appearing out of the woods once a while. On top of that, there are nasties that trick and kill people. I haven't watched far enough to know if they are undead or fey but they are clearly supernatural (I.e. they are not aliens or genetic mutations or what-ever-else from sci-fi).
Difference is that EVERYONE in the domain is an outlander. Some are there for a few years, some for a few months. Honestly, the "old guard" are people that survived for more than 2 years or something with people saying "Listen to X. He/she is trapped here for over 3 years!" with most of the people mentioned being there for a few months to a year.

There are some elements of Gothic Horror - mainly nature being uncaring about your plights + decrepit locations but that's the gist of the Gothic Horror elements from what I have seen. Of course there are the not-just-gothic horror elements of isolation and nasty monsters that kill people brutally and violently.


As a series, the premise is good, the world-building is good, the effects are good (not too much, not crappy) and the acting is... meh. I wouldn't call it cringy or downright bad, but some actors are simply not up to the task.
Period-wise, I honestly wish the setting was in the early 19th century. Frankly, it would make MUCH more sense. Instead of "We have phones, radios etc that don't work" and "cars are useless since they bring us back" and "look, the lamps and appliances that work, do so mystically." it would make more sense to be in the 19th century. The usable technology is more or less at that level anyway, due to isolation. Yes, there is a health center that lacks most things you will see in a modern one.
I don't say 16th century because there is a kind of democracy (even though the rules are brutal by necessity), people are literate (not that it matters) and there are photographs. But 1820s? Yeah, it could be 1820s and nothing would practically change, tech-wise.
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Re: Movies that have that Ravenloft feel

Post by Manofevil »

This is Disneyfied and sterile but the book it's based on is much more hardcore. The point is, this smells of Ravenloft.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQEG4AaTuSE

Edit:
This guy also smells of MotRD
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Syn
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Re: Movies that have that Ravenloft feel

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https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0464141/

This movie, Orphanage, was presented to me as a good, modern take on Gothic Horror. I am ... doubtful since Gothic Horror is quite peculiar. Anyone can verify whether it is indeed Gothic Horror?
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Re: Movies that have that Ravenloft feel

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I actually hesitate to post this because it's much more comedic than horrific but The Boneyard (1991) has some things that fit well with Ravenloft. The curse that Mr. Chen and his ancestors labored under keeping kyonshis (properly chiang-shi, since Mr. Chen is Chinese) pacified to prevent them from going on a rampage from hunger by feeding them pieces from his "clientele" as a mortician is something I can see in Ravenloft.

The creatures themselves are more like ghouls than vampires, given they feed on living and dead flesh rather than blood. But their portrayal drives home how defenseless ordinary people against even "weak" monsters. What happens to Phyliss Diller's character after they force feed her some of their flesh (how they spawn) looks like the end result of ghoul fever, though the "monster" Miss Poopinplatz becomes is a total caricature. Same with her poodle.
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Re: Movies that have that Ravenloft feel

Post by KingCorn »

While too nonsenicle to really have a Ravenloft fell, the Lucio Fulci 'Gates of Hell' trilogy (City of the Living Dead, The Beyond, House by the Cemetary). His style was very much dream-like, with story being secondary to terrifying and enthralling the audiance. In a way, this makes it great for some of the more dream-like domains such as the Shadow Rift or the Nightmare Lands.
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Re: Movies that have that Ravenloft feel

Post by High Priest Mikhal »

KingCorn wrote: Wed Apr 10, 2024 8:44 pm While too nonsenicle to really have a Ravenloft fell, the Lucio Fulci 'Gates of Hell' trilogy (City of the Living Dead, The Beyond, House by the Cemetary). His style was very much dream-like, with story being secondary to terrifying and enthralling the audiance. In a way, this makes it great for some of the more dream-like domains such as the Shadow Rift or the Nightmare Lands.
I would say they're more "gory" than "nonsensical." Fulci is known for being graphic. I've also mentioned how City of the Living Dead has a scene that shows how horrific a Spawn of Kyuss really is (the car scene with the girl).
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