horror films

[professor ganson]

In the past I would have said that horror films are among my favorite sorts of movies, but it's been a while since I remember enjoying one.

Among my favorites are: Halloween, The Shining, and Lost Highway (if that counts). I also enjoyed the first Scream movie when it first came out in the theater.

So which ones do you like? They don't have to be good ones.

[Acid King]

Dead Alive though it's a bit too comical to be called a horror movie. Still classic though.

Dawn of the Dead - The European version edited by Dario Argento (Zombi: Dawn of the Dead). It's got faster pacing and better music to boot.

Evil Dead and Evil Dead 2 - Do I have to say anything else?

Also, Suspiria and the Exorcist for good measure.

[jp]

If Lucio Fulci made it... chances are I love it.


But, my favs. are:
The Beyond
Cat in the Brain
Zombi 2
Day of the Dead
Hellraiser: Inferno
In the Mouth of Madness


I also like Dario Argento's work (i.e. Suspiria, Tenebre, Inferno, etc.), but I much prefer Fulci all around.

[Rob]

I really hate the ultra-campy horror films. I hate the Exorcist. With that out of the way, I thought The Last House on the Left was genuinely disturbing.

[sven666]

i was recommended dellamorte dellamore recently, anyone seen it? good?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109592/

sounds cool..

[captain ahar]

With that out of the way, I thought The Last House on the Left was genuinely disturbing.

to that i say indeed.
------------------------
i've only seen the trailer (sadly) but i'm already in love with Wild Zero.

evil dead 2 - that dear head still creeps the shit out of me.

Nightmare on Elm Street - i really like the first one. also i have to give an honorable mention to New Nightmare for creativity (plus the babysitter was hot).

many more, but i can't think clearly.

[Acid King]

I forgot about the Thing. I love that movie...

[CMoon]

That's funny, I find nothing campy about the Exorcist and think it is one of the most effective horror films ever made (that said, I saw it in the theatre so perhaps the experience is different.)

Strangely, one film I think that gets overlooked is Alien, perhaps because it is thought to be more sci-fi than horror, but I really think this is nearly perfect horror. The sets and atmosphere build a nearly unbearable tension, and the beast is actually hidden away until the very end of the film. Formula wise, this is pretty much hp lovecraft put to the screen; and if that isn't horror, I don't know what is.

I also am very passionate about The Thing, but it is clearly not without faults, and I hear the people here who consider it campy, or too dated. Once again though, atmosphere wins over various minor faults, plus a subdued score by Morricone just pushes it over the edge.

I do enjoy Argento and Fulci, though both are too guilty of pure forumula, and with Fulci, I feel like he often doesn't care about the plot. Probably 'The Beyond' is his best film. Argento typically has good plots that he destroys by the end of the film (3/4ths of Suspiria is one of the best horror films ever made!)

And then there are the zombie films, I'm pretty conservative on this and only relish the original night of the living dead and dawn of the dead. The rest seems pretty useless to me (though 28 days later was a nice little zombie renaissance.)

Other than these however, I find a lot of horror is not very good.

[Rob]

That's funny, I find nothing campy about the Exorcist and think it is one of the most effective horror films ever made (that said, I saw it in the theatre so perhaps the experience is different.)

I just saw the movie last year or the year before, and naturally I was expecting a "classic" as it has always been described. It was just boring, un-horrific/tame, and cheesy. I just recently saw The Exorcism of Emily Rose, and it was the same sort of jokey-supernatural crap. So maybe I just don't see the horror in the bed-ridden demonically possessed and the exorcism ceremony. So the "devil himself" has possessed this person and all that's being done is facial distortions, growling, self-cutting and windows/doors blowing open.

[Acid King]

That's funny, I find nothing campy about the Exorcist and think it is one of the most effective horror films ever made (that said, I saw it in the theatre so perhaps the experience is different.)

I just saw the movie last year or the year before, and naturally I was expecting a "classic" as it has always been described. It was just boring, un-horrific/tame, and cheesy. I just recently saw The Exorcism of Emily Rose, and it was the same sort of jokey-supernatural crap. So maybe I just don't see the horror in the bed-ridden demonically possessed and the exorcism ceremony. So the "devil himself" has possessed this person and all that's being done is facial distortions, growling, self-cutting and windows/doors blowing open.

Don't forget crucifix masturbation.

[PaCrappa]

I'm a huge horror fan. My mama started me and my brother on the Universal stuff (Frankenstein, Drac etc) at a very early age. I'm on my way out but I'll probably have something more to say later on.

Pa

[MOSQUITO FIGHTER]

Cannibal! The Musical

[it290]

Hmm, I like:

Dead films, especially the original Night
Evil Dead films
Rosemary's Baby -- this movie is just entertaining as hell for some reason, I dunno
Candyman -- I don't know why people don't like this more, I think it's a great horror movie and the ending is awesome.
Poltergeist (1st one only)
Halloween (1st one only)

What I don't like:

All these crappy Ringu-type movies that have been coming out lately, starting with The Sixth Sense I suppose. Despite the fact that I like Poltergeist, I just don't find the whole 'ghost with a vengeance' thing to be entertaining for the most part, especially when a little kid is involved.

[Rob]

All these crappy Ringu-type movies that have been coming out lately, starting with The Sixth Sense I suppose. Despite the fact that I like Poltergeist, I just don't find the whole 'ghost with a vengeance' thing to be entertaining for the most part, especially when a little kid is involved.

The Grudge was the worst "horror" film I've ever seen. In that it was as scary as a Saturday morning cartoon and had no other reason to exist as far as I could gather. I think I actually enjoyed The Ring.

Another stupid one I enjoyed: Saw.

[J-Manic]

In the past I would have said that horror films are among my favorite sorts of movies, but it's been a while since I remember enjoying one.

Yeah, it seems like all the good ones are classics. I'm still waiting for a new horror movie that will really scare the shit out of me. It's been ages since I've had a good, true scare. The last movie to do that was The Thing, back when I was like 11 years old. I rank it as one of the all time best horror films ever. I wish John Carpenter would make a sequel.

I'll admit, The Exorcist did scare the shit out of me when I was little, but now it's just plain stupid, and at times hilarious. I don't even know why some call it the scariest movie ever. It may have something to do with me not being a religious person. Because I do not believe in possessions, demons, and all that jazz.


I thought these movies were good:

The Thing
Night of the Living Dead (original version)
Alien
Jacob's Ladder
When a Stranger Calls (original version)
Halloween
The Shinning
The Omen
American Werewolf in London
Trilogy of Terror
Ringu
Cujo

[MadSteelDarkness]

The last movie to do that was The Thing, back when I was like 11 years old. I rank it as one of the all time best horror films ever. I wish John Carpenter would make a sequel.

Agreed that this is a wonderful film (to this day, I wonder what some critics are smoking by saying it pales in comparison to the original Howard Hawks film), but I don't think a sequel should have been made. Horror movie sequels, by their very nature, almost always cheapen the memory of their predecessors. Sure, there are a few sequels that stand head and shoulders above the first films in the series (Evil Dead II, Dawn of the Dead, etc...),but it's much more the exception than the rule.

i was recommended dellamorte dellamore recently, anyone seen it? good?

This film is fantastic. Michele Soavi was an assistant /second-unit director for Argento (as well as on Gilliam's Baron Munchausen too ), and he learned a lot from the maestro, but I like this film more than most of Argento's. Think Fellini meets Fulci.

I'm still waitng for this to get a proper domestic DVD release. One was rumored a few months ago, but since then...nada.

I dig quite a few films listed so far. A few more (although I suppose some may not be considered "true" horror films) :

Martin
Hellraiser (1st one only)
Re-Animator
Videodrome
Opera
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Philip Kaufman's 1978 remake, natch)
The Return of the Living Dead (punk rock zombies!)
The Fly (Cronenberg's remake, of course)

And many more. I could go on and on for hours about horror flicks. They've always been a passion of mine.

[Acid King]

Yeah, it seems like all the good ones are classics. I'm still waiting for a new horror movie that will really scare the shit out of me. It's been ages since I've had a good, true scare. The last movie to do that was The Thing, back when I was like 11 years old. I rank it as one of the all time best horror films ever. I wish John Carpenter would make a sequel.

Yeah but you were 11. Nothings going to scare you like that again because you aren't a little kid anymore. In the past couple years I've only seen a few horror movies I liked; House of a Thousand Corpses, Saw, Cabin Fever and Hostel.

[umi]

Japanese horrors are by far the creepiest, and generally the best, if you're an introvert. I recently saw Saw 1 + 2 though, and they are two of the best horrors I've seen :P Fucking brilliant, loved them to death. Sleepy Hollow is also a beautiful movie -- not too gory, but I loved it, one of my fave movies. Also, I LOVE the old black and white horrors... they were just, so much scarier than the shit they bring out these days. They were genuinely creepy. As an example, compare the 1963 version of The Haunting to the modern version... no contest.

[neorichieb1971]

Texas Chainsaw massacre (origonal)
Last house on the left

Thats 2 I remember being disturbed at.


Spit on your grave was just ****ed up.
Basketcase
Evil Dead


The more Hollywood style ones, I liked the Final Destinations quite a bit actually.


I dont watch stuff like this though - http://filmforce.ign.com/articles/391/391675p1.html

Why anyone would watch that is beyond me.

[Nuke]

Evil Dead 2
Hellraiser 1
The Thing (the second one)
The Fog (first one)
The Shining (not the re-make)
Session 9
Jacob's Ladder
Ringu
The Eye
The Cube
In the Mouth of Madness
The Mothman Prophecies
Stir Of Echoes
Ugly
Night Flier
Storm of the Century
Candyman

....to name a few

[IlMrm]

Phantasm 2

[Neo Rasa]

Too tired to think straight so I'll list a bunch of my favorites, I'll elaborate later if anyone cares:

Alien
The Blob (both versions)
Candyman
Dawn of the Dead
Exorcist
Exorcist III
Eyes without a Face
Faust (1926)
Halloween
Hellbound: Hellraiser 2
The Haunting (1963)
Jacob's Ladder
Jack the Ripper (1988)
New Nightmare
Night of the Living Dead
Nightmare on Elm Street III: The Dream Warriors
Nosferatu (both 1921 and 1979)
Onibaba
Opera
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
The Thing (both versions)


Least favorites:
Exorcist: The Beginning
Grudge
The Haunting (1999)
House of 1,000 Corpses
Ring in all its incarnations both western and eastern
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)

[J-Manic]

Yeah, it seems like all the good ones are classics. I'm still waiting for a new horror movie that will really scare the shit out of me. It's been ages since I've had a good, true scare. The last movie to do that was The Thing, back when I was like 11 years old. I rank it as one of the all time best horror films ever. I wish John Carpenter would make a sequel.

Yeah but you were 11. Nothings going to scare you like that again because you aren't a little kid anymore.

Yeah, you're right. But I still have yet to see another scary movie like that. Even if it was back when I was a kid, it still creeps me out to this day. Not too many movies can do that.

John Carpenter had the guts to show the audience something so bizarre, something they've never seen before, and he didn't give a shit about impressing the critics, offending people or winning an award. He just wanted to scare the shit out of the audience anyway he could, which was what he did. And that's rare nowadays.

Anyone remember Scanners and The Howling? Two good classics IMO.

[MSZ]

I dont watch stuff like this though - http://filmforce.ign.com/articles/391/391675p1.html

Why anyone would watch that is beyond me.

Don't forget Men Behind The Sun and Cannibal Holocaust too. Some of the gore scenes are just unwatchable in those movies.

[Acid King]

I dont watch stuff like this though - http://filmforce.ign.com/articles/391/391675p1.html

Why anyone would watch that is beyond me.

Don't forget Men Behind The Sun and Cannibal Holocaust too. Some of the gore scenes are just unwatchable in those movies.

I've never seen Men Behind the Sun, but Cannibal Holocaust is pretty nasty, as is another movie mentioned in that article, Salo:120 Days of Sodom. I heard that one of the animal parts in Cannibal Holocaust was real, I think it's the part where the guy cuts up the turtle for food, but how true that is, I don't know.

Of the Guinea Pig movies I've only seen the Devils Experiment, which was pretty fucked up. Interestingly enough, one of the tortures they put the girl through is putting headphones on her and playing what sounds like Merzbow or some other Japanese noise artist at a high volume. The thing with the Guinea Pig movies, and the various harakiri movies, is that they're not that interesting to watch. You watch them once, see the gore, and you pretty much have no reason to watch them again, unless you're trying to spot the places that give away the fact that they're fake.

[NTSC-J]

I actually got a copy of Cannibal Holocaust a few days ago, and after a couple of viewings I'm not sure I can watch it again. Pretty burly stuff. All of the animal deaths are real. They fuck that turtle up. I wasn't too put off by the gore, there's certainly better out there, but all the rapes and the asshole characters makes it a pretty uncomfortable experience. I also read that the director was taken to court and had to prove that people weren't actually killed during filming.

The scene where the 13-15 yr old girls yank on some guys dick sort of answered the question I had of why I hadn't seen this at Blockbuster. I liked the anti-colonialism angle, even if it was pushed a little hard. Not to spoil anything for those that haven't seen it, but at the very end, one of the guys says of the asshole Europeans "savages...they're the real savages" then it pans away to show the twin towers. Truly ahead of its time.

[neorichieb1971]

I'm not sure if i've seen Ferox or Holocaust.

Ferox is the one with the penis chopping scene right?

Holocaust I think i've seen, do the cannibals want the guy in the plane to fly at the end, with his arms and there is a scene where a woman gives birth and throws the baby to a crocodile

[NTSC-J]

and there is a scene where a woman gives birth and throws the baby to a crocodile

Yea the cannibals are creative with their abortions.

[J-Manic]

and there is a scene where a woman gives birth and throws the baby to a crocodile

You've gotta be kidding me? I've got to see this movie now. It sounds very entertaining.

[neorichieb1971]

Entertaining?????

That scene is only 3 seconds long and from a distance..


The most entertaining scene in movie history has to be the knife in the bath scene of Spit on my grave. I bet you cannot watch that without holding your balls tightly. Its well done because the apprehension and director obviously keeps you waiting a few more seconds than necessary...

Actually, I think the UFO scene in the Colby's was the most entertaining thing i'd ever seen, but its not horror so its off topic.