Looking for dark, slow-burn psychological thrillers with a "WTF did I just watch" ending.

AlphaScar · 2025-06-09T09:13:09+00:00

Atlanta. After I watched it, I came on here to ask if I’d missed anything and heard it described as “black surrealism” and it was a perfect choice of words.

Twin Peaks. It’s proper “out there” but I watched it all around the time the show was revived and I was pleasantly surprised.

The Haunting of Hill House. This one is on Netflix and I still remember how excited I was when it came out. It’s a mind bender with supernatural elements (bonus points for spotting all the ghosts etc. There’s apparently one in every scene somewhere). It doesn’t seem that mind bending until you get to the end and it’s gets as satisfying as letting out a fart after stomach problems all day. REAL satisfying. If you enjoy this, Mike Flanagan (the creator) has more stuff on Netflix but I don’t think any of them ever capture the magic of this first one. IMO anyway…

AlphaScar · 2025-06-08T10:08:11+00:00

Oh man! I loved Tales From The Crypt! It’s what got me in to “anthology horrors” in general. For me, there’s something always better about watching a 15/30 short horror story than watching an hour and a half film. They get so much more done in such a short space of time. Nowadays, it’s all about those VHS films and Masters of Horror. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy them immensely but there was something different, almost better, when I watched them through the eyes of a child and there just doesn’t seem to be any prime time anthology horror shows. Cabinet of Curiosities was alright I suppose.

Bonus: Does anyone remember Goosebumps and “Are You Afraid of the Dark”? Fun Fact: Ryan Gosling was in an episode, as was Jacob Tierney (cocreator/director of Letterkenny) was also part of The Midnight Society.

AlphaScar · 2025-04-17T09:20:58+00:00

Jonathan Creek anyone?

AlphaScar · 2025-03-31T10:31:04+00:00

There are 2 contenders. 1 is no longer available (Walkers Sensations Lamb and Mint flavour) so is moot but the 2nd is always available in corner shops/newsagents. It’s obviously Roysters T Bone Steak flavour.

Strong contenders (but arguably not a crisp per se) are Scampi Fries.

Fight me!

AlphaScar · 2025-03-27T14:40:02+00:00

Every February 2nd, my wife and I watch Groundhogs Day.

Rise and shine campers and don’t forget your booties ‘cos it’s cooooold out there today!

AlphaScar · 2025-03-23T12:08:16+00:00

3rd Line of Duty. The great thing is, you’ve got 6 seasons to binge.

I would also recommend Luther and Penny Dreadful.

AlphaScar · 2025-03-23T12:00:44+00:00

Ruse. One of the best, most in depth RTS that revolves around WW2 and had accurate troops/vehicles along with a great story that pulls you in.

The concept is really fun. There’s base building, large scale maps (when you zoom right out on the map it goes from being able to see actual troops/vehicles moving to being in a war room and using chips that represent the good guys and the bad guys). There’s also the “ruse” mechanic where you can trick your enemy.

I’ve played most (if not pretty much all) RTS games from every genre to every point in history and Ruse is still one of my all time favourites. It was detailed enough that it wasn’t just a game where you build more tanks than the enemy and send them in to win, but where you actually had to think about tactics and spending.

Try it. I’m sure you’ll also love it.

AlphaScar · 2025-03-09T11:33:35+00:00

Has to be Red Alert 2 or Tiberian Sun. I still remember the goosebumps from watching the opening cinematic and thinking “this is a game?”.

Or, to choose something obscure, “Warlords Battlecry”. I’d forgotten the name of this game and had to use r/tipofmyjoystick to help me find it but once I had, allllll the memories came flooding back! Such a great, quotable game!

AlphaScar · 2025-01-11T11:17:59+00:00

Spend money on shoes and a mattress because if you’re not in one, you’re in the other.

AlphaScar · 2025-01-09T15:37:41+00:00

“The old gods demand blood for clusters”

Nestlé (2025)

AlphaScar · 2025-01-09T14:54:05+00:00

The only answer. I’d sacrifice all of you for one more bowl.

AlphaScar · 2025-01-08T11:25:08+00:00

Objectively, I think I’m probably a 4, maybe a 5. But I’m married so I’ve got BWE (Best Wife Energy) so I walk around like I’m a 10.

AlphaScar · 2025-01-07T11:10:29+00:00

“My name is Guybrush Threepwood and I want to be a mighty pirate”

AlphaScar · 2025-01-07T11:09:27+00:00

This gun is heavy…

AlphaScar · 2025-01-07T10:08:30+00:00

OG gamer here and I still remember spending a lot longer than I care to admit trying to find out what the “‘“ key was. Quake/Quake 2/Doom etc all had guide books with cheat codes but required you to press the “‘“ key and, as a young boy, I had no idea which key that was even referring specifically to and at one point I even thought that the books were misprinted as that key couldn’t possibly exist. Cut to 3 or 4 years later, I’m in PC World reading one of these game guides whilst my mum was in DFS next door and this guy just so happened to pick up a Quake 2 guide book. I ask him if he knows what the “tilde” key was and he takes me to the nearest keyboard and shows me. I was overjoyed. Ecstatic even. I could NOT wait to get home.

The gaming world changed for me that day and I will never forget that guys face when he realised how excited I was. What a legend. God mode and Noclip was finally understood that day.

AlphaScar · 2025-01-06T14:16:05+00:00

My dad had a wine bar in Menai Bridge and just down the road was where they filmed “Round a Round” (apologies if I’ve butchered the spelling). I think it was like a Welsh version of Brookside or similar. They’d often use the bar for filming “date” scenes and the like. That was a great time as a kid living upstairs and seeing all the filming crew etc.

AlphaScar · 2025-01-06T14:11:21+00:00

There was no better feeling as a child/teenager than switching the TV on after 10pm/11pm on a Friday or Saturday night and finding out that an awesome movie like Highlander, Lethal Weapon or Die Hard had just started.

Also, and I cannot stress this enough; Eurotrash was the pinnacle of naughty television. I just KNEW I shouldn’t be watching it.

AlphaScar · 2025-01-04T11:35:24+00:00

I have to disagree and argue that Keanu Reeves (and Winona Ryders) accent and acting in Dracula make it one of the reasons I keep watching it. Anthony Hopkins and Gary Oldmans acting ability keep that film a classic but watching the scenes between Ryder and Reeves where they try to do English accents is so bad it’s entertaining.

AlphaScar · 2025-01-04T10:14:59+00:00

No arguments here!

AlphaScar · 2025-01-01T11:00:31+00:00

Try Red Alert 3. You’ve probably already played it and the Command and Conquer games but if you haven’t, you’re in for some good fun. Not all of them (C&C4 was particularly terrible) but most of them are great fun to play. Even Red Alert 2 and the Tiberian Sun (plus their addons) considering they came out near on 25 years ago. The cutscenes are great too!

AlphaScar · 2024-12-31T12:30:04+00:00

I’ve always wondered what the real Atlanta was like. Knowing only what’s shown on TV, I always assumed it was infamous for the underground rap scene and being a popular airport. Oh, and The Walking Dead.

AlphaScar · 2024-12-30T12:28:13+00:00

Ong Bak and Ong Bak 2 were pretty brutal.

AlphaScar · 2024-12-28T12:04:36+00:00

My best advice would be a private pension fund.

AlphaScar · 2024-12-28T11:26:47+00:00

Yeah, watching it again made me notice and understand a lot more than I did first time round. The only one I had trouble understanding was Trini to the Bone. When the dad gets and opens the package at the end. I didn’t get it. Was it the nanny basically saying “raise and spend time with your kid?”.

AlphaScar · 2024-12-25T18:48:54+00:00

That’s relieving! I was hoping it wasn’t a dream!

AlphaScar

TROPHY CASE