Topic: Confirmed: IGA not involved with Castlevania anymore. Europe helms the series.

[DragonSlayr81]

And, you know, Europe did Dracula.
Just saying.

... Bram Stoker, ...

Unless you mean, well, the man, Vlad III. 

[Flame]

Bram Stoker

Then came Dacre Stoker. let's not brush him under the rug. He was the PoR to Bram's Bloodlines. The DoS to Bram's Aria.

[DragonSlayr81]

Then came Dacre Stoker. let's not brush him under the rug. He was the PoR to Bram's Bloodlines. The DoS to Bram's Aria.

It was a point I made earlier in the thread. Just because they are Europeans also doesn't mean they are infallible. There's a reason I noted early career to 1980s Dario Argento:

Dracula 3D - Red Band Trailer [HD]

[Flame]

Also, while Europe making good horror is a legit thing, that was mostly classic Europe. Like, 19'th century Europe for the most part, unless I'm talking out of my ass. (which is likely)

I know nothing about modern European Horror outside of that one Russian I think? Movie about the reporter who disguises himself as a priest and has to spend three nights in an abandoned church to purify some dead evilchick or something. Shit was neat.

yeah, "Vedma" is the bame. AKA "The Power of Fear".

nice visuals.

here's a clip, set to Nox Arcana's music. (A neat gothic music band that you should listen to if you like Castlevania)

Nox Arcana - Vampire Exorcism

[Nagumo]

Just throwing it out there but it's been confirmed that Climax Studios is working on two next gen projects. One being a Prince of Persia style platformer and a horror game.

I saw screens of the horror game, and it's definitely not Castlevania, in case you were implying that.

[DragonSlayr81]

Also, while Europe making good horror is a legit thing, that was mostly classic Europe. Like, 19'th century Europe for the most part, unless I'm talking out of my ass. (which is likely)

I know nothing about modern European Horror outside of that one Russian I think? Movie about the reporter who disguises himself as a priest and has to spend three nights in an abandoned church to purify some dead evilchick or something. Shit was neat.

yeah, "Vedma" is the bame. AKA "The Power of Fear".


nice visuals.

here's a clip, set to Nox Arcana's music. (A neat gothic music band that you should listen to if you like Castlevania)

Nox Arcana - Vampire Exorcism

Can't say much about modern literature. The only thing I'm aware to come out of Europe that had some sort of international praise is the Harry Potter books. As for movies(horror), they are hit or miss. New Hammer(yeah, they've came back) isn't as good as old Hammer. Some Spanish films, like The Orphanage were pretty good. Others are really polarizing(either you find some really original and experimental, or you just find them pretentious arty shit). Personally, I do inch more towards the classic European horror(hell, even the original Hammer films of the 50s and 60s, and some of the 70s).

I said it before, but there's a kind of atmosphere those movies, even the literature(the classic ones) have that I personally find fitting for the CV series. One of the reasons I want a Victorian-set CV(I've been rallying for 3D CV set during this time) is to force this kind of atmosphere on the series by default(a lot of the horror stories are set in the 1800s and make good use of that era's moody atmophere and style). Something more soaked in horrific mood, eerie and forboding atmosphere. Again, I'm pretty biased regarding horror, in particularly horror movies. I'd love to see Dracula be Dracula again, not some guy named Mathias or Gabriel who becomes Dracula, but Dracula(who was always Dracula, then became a vampire but remained Dracula). I also said this(in another thread), the whole half-assed means of misdirection was really poor in both LoI and LoS. Imagine if the series gets rebooted and it's another origin of Dracula, but they get some other guy named, let's say, Carl Von Gustaf", and try again with the sleight of hand, only to eventually reveal, "Blah, he's DRACULA!!!". It's one of the occassions that, now, just bypass the bullshit and make the character named Dracula(as a human, or Vlad), then he becomes a vampire and he's still Dracula.

BTW, I still wanna see an origin that has some base on Stoker's Dracula, with the whole Scholomance thing aluded to(Dracula basically becomes the pupil of the Devil, who teaches him the dark artes and demonic rites).

I love Nox Arcana, as well as Midnight Syndicate! Always break out the tunes during this time of year in particular. Very great music for Halloween!!!

[Intersection]

Unless you mean, well, the man, Vlad III. 

Sorry, hadn't seen Stoker on the list.
The point is the same, though: without Europe, no Castlevania.

It was a point I made earlier in the thread. Just because they are Europeans also doesn't mean they are infallible. There's a reason I noted early career to 1980s Dario Argento:

Dracula 3D - Red Band Trailer [HD]

Ah, yes. You could even say there was something... amateurish about that movie.

here's a clip, set to Nox Arcana's music. (A neat gothic music band that you should listen to if you like Castlevania)

The music is very interesting. The clip, more predictable.

But 'Nox Arcana'? I'll have to look into that band in the future.

Can't say much about modern literature. The only thing I'm aware to come out of Europe that had some sort of international praise is the Harry Potter books. As for movies(horror), they are hit or miss. New Hammer(yeah, they've came back) isn't as good as old Hammer. Some Spanish films, like The Orphanage were pretty good. Others are really polarizing(either you find some really original and experimental, or you just find them pretentious arty shit). Personally, I do inch more towards the classic European horror(hell, even the original Hammer films of the 50s and 60s, and some of the 70s).

Horror isn't interesting anywhere nowadays; it isn't only Europe. And, after all, there's only so much novelty you can infuse into 'classic' horror. As for the recent chain of "free-for-all" horror movies, they offer precious little in the way of true entertainment. There's a limit to the amount of mass-produced gore you can take in before the whole experience glazes over.
For the moment, the movies that still remain interesting are usually the more subtly disturbing ones, the ones that prefer a more muted psychological effect to your stereotypical knife-plunged-in-heart horror.

[X]

the ones that prefer a more muted psychological effect to your stereotypical knife-plunged-in-heart horror.

They call these flicks 'Slashers'. I don't really consider them horror, but more of a film that leaves a "bloody mess" in your mind rather then a spine-chilling thriller that you get from traditional horror.

[Flame]

They call these flicks 'Slashers'. I don't really consider them horror, but more of a film that leaves a "bloody mess" in your mind rather then a spine-chilling thriller that you get from traditional horror.

Slashers are generally exploitation horror. They are not horror in the traditional sense, but in that they exploit gore and blood and violence to get a reaction from the crowd

The music is very interesting. The clip, more predictable.

But 'Nox Arcana'? I'll have to look into that band in the future.

they did a whole album titled Transylvania

Nox Arcana. Transylvania 1 - Transylvanian Overture

neat shit. they like to tell a story with their music, so every track is basically, like, a different stage or part of the musical story.

[The Silverlord]

...Something more soaked in horrific mood, eerie and forboding atmosphere. Again, I'm pretty biased regarding horror, in particularly horror movies. I'd love to see Dracula be Dracula again, not some guy named Mathias or Gabriel who becomes Dracula, but Dracula

Got to agree mate.  I'd love to see a traditional Castlevania in the sense of just letting the characters keep whatever mystique they have.  They don't need to be complex.  They can work well off one another (e.g. Belmont, Death, Dracula, Alucard, whomever) without some convoluted or contrived background.  Hammer did this really well in their movies--the characters were often one-dimensional, offering little dialogue, but they worked well off another in those marvellous settings and castle/countryside habitat.  Simple stories, but powerful imagery and over-arching themes.

As much as I liked Lords--and I do think Gabriel is a terrific (and complex) character--I did not like its exhaustive narrative, its 'twist', or those shoe-horned-in Castlevania references.  I did not appreciate Lament's story either.

[DragonSlayr81]

Slashers are generally exploitation horror. They are not horror in the traditional sense, but in that they exploit gore and blood and violence to get a reaction from the crowd

I consider then horror. Horror is great and varied, and while I love horror, I don't love every single movie. There's quite a few I get irked from.

they did a whole album titled Transylvania

Nox Arcana. Transylvania 1 - Transylvanian Overture

neat shit. they like to tell a story with their music, so every track is basically, like, a different stage or part of the musical story.

I have that album on my iPod! Love it!!! While I recommend all their albums, the one that has the closest feel to Transylvania is Darklore Manor. Nice and spooky sounding tunes!

[Flame]

There's nothing to consider, they ARE Horror. Just a different type.

Which is not my type. I really don't have the heart for exploitation horror, or modern Horror in general.

Give me Vincent Price, an Edgar Allan Poe piece, an old Universal flick, or hell, a thriller horror flick, like Woman In Black. but I don't like shit like Freddy or Jason or Chucky, or any of the modern day exploitation horror films. I just can't stomach them.

(Speaking of Woman In Black, that shit was real good. great atmosphere, and some of the scares, although sort of cheap jumpscares, were well played)

[Abnormal Freak]

They call these flicks 'Slashers'. I don't really consider them horror, but more of a film that leaves a "bloody mess" in your mind rather then a spine-chilling thriller that you get from traditional horror.

There are many slasher flicks which have heavy mood and horror beyond "stabby stab-stab." Many of these are gialli (Italian murder mysteries) and what you could call "proto-slasher," but they bear much in resemblance to the recognized slasher/bodycount genre.

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
Opera (and all of Argento's '70s/'80s gialli)
Psycho
Halloween
Seven
Black Christmas
Candyman
Intruder
A Lizard in a Woman's Skin
What Have You Done to Solange?
The Girl Who Knew Too Much

Those are a few of the more chilling slasher-type movies.

To call slashers "not horror" is erroneous; horror doesn't have set characteristics—bullet points that need to be hit in order for it to count. Exploitation movies are just as much horror as Hammer.

And there are plenty of good horror movies coming out if you know where to look.

Signed,
The resident horror movie fanatic

[DragonSlayr81]

There's nothing to consider, they ARE Horror. Just a different type.

Which is not my type. I really don't have the heart for exploitation horror, or modern Horror in general.

Give me Vincent Price, an Edgar Allan Poe piece, an old Universal flick, or hell, a thriller horror flick, like Woman In Black. but I don't like shit like Freddy or Jason or Chucky, or any of the modern day exploitation horror films. I just can't stomach them.

(Speaking of Woman In Black, that shit was real good. great atmosphere, and some of the scares, although sort of cheap jumpscares, were well played)

There are a lot of slashers I like. I like the A Nightmare on Elm Street series a lot, if anything, the ones that Wes Craven had more of part of(NOES1, NOES3 and New Nightmare), and love the slicing between dream and reality, and how dreams can feel bizarre and natural at the same time(and how you don't immediately realize you are in a dream, even though illogical occurences happen before you). Hell, I think dream horror in general is an untapped genre. There are so many cool possiblities you can do with the subconscious and hidden demons, being at the will of your own mind and creating your own monsters. Dreamscape did a little of that, and there's been scarce few to try.

I love John Carpenter's non-Halloween work(particularly Prince of Darkness, The Thing, In the Mouth of Madness, though not really horror, I love Big Trouble in Little China, which almost feels like it could be a BEU video game movie). I love the works of David Cronenberg(Scanners, The Fly reboot, Videodrome, The Brood,...) and "body horror". Even horror comedies like Fright Night(well, horror with comedic qualities), Return of the Living Dead, Night of the Creeps, and Monster Squad(I always though Dracula was badass in that one). My taste seems to vary from the old horror to the 80s(mainly). There's some other movies I like scattered throughout the 90s and 00s(even a few now), but I haven't found that many good ones lately(compared to older ones). Even the more schlockfest cheesy b-movies of the 50s-80s have more heart than the same caliber films of today. SyFy original movies just don't do it for me. It almost feels like modern b-movies just miss the point and charm completely. 

Talking about good atmosphere and bringing up Woman in Black(the original, which I think is superior to the Daniel Radcliffe remake), I think the movie The Changling(1980) has some damn fine atmosphere and tension. Doesn't hurt that it also stars the awesome George C. Scott!

The Changeling (1980)

There are many slasher flicks which have heavy mood and horror beyond "stabby stab-stab." Many of these are gialli (Italian murder mysteries) and what you could call "proto-slasher," but they bear much in resemblance to the recognized slasher/bodycount genre.

Not to mention Phenomena, which inspired the Clock Tower series. Horror and horror video games tend to go hand in hand. Clock Tower was inspired by Dario Argento's Phenomena:

Remembering: Phenomena (1985)

Splatterhouse was inspired by Evil Dead, Deadly Spawn, Poltergeist and Lovecraftian creations. Castlevania was inspired by classic Universal(and Hammer) horror, and as I said elsewhere, probably even continued to be inspired by horror movies up until OoE, as Leatherface was obviously nodded to:



Interestingly enough, it's based off the original Leatherface(not the reboot one):

[Abnormal Freak]

I love when it's obvious in a video game that the designers had big boners for horror movies, whatever the era, and put in whatever references they can. Another game along those lines is Blood. Heck, the very first spoken line is "I live...again!" from Army of Darkness.

Blood - Easter Eggs Collection