8 Films to Die for!

[doodude]

Ive just been in a mood lately so this weekend Ive watched a couple of Horror films.

From the '8 Films to Die For Horror Fest series' Ive seen "The Abandoned" which for a horror flick wasnt too bad & Ive still got "The Deaths of Ian Stone" to watch later.
Friday, I watched "Session 9" a low budget yet very cool psychological horror flick with David Caruso.

Can anyone suggest other Psychological horror films to see?
I emphathise psychological horror cuz Im trying to stay away from slasher, zombie, gore-fest that come off more stupid than anything.
I want something to freak me out not gross me out.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

For some mindless crazy fun, there's the upcoming Black Devil Doll horror flick. ^_~

Have you seen Series 9: The Contenders film? That is an interesting low budget film with players and participants in a real-time "run & gun" enviroment winner takes all senario. Players reach their breaking point about whether or not to continue playing -- and if not, will end up dead sooner or later. The action takes place in broad daylight and also at night as well. Who will win this time around with the grand prize -- walking away with their life intact? The night-time mall shootout scene was just plain fucking crazy.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[jp]

Hellraiser: Inferno pulls off what you're talking about really well. Its nothing like the first four Hellraisers before it, and its more of a psychological thriller than whatever the first four would be.

"In the Mouth of Madness" is another good one. It definitely makes you think.

[zinger]

Rosemary's Baby would be my favourite.

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Hellraiser: Inferno pulls off what you're talking about really well. Its nothing like the first four Hellraisers before it, and its more of a psychological thriller than whatever the first four would be.

"In the Mouth of Madness" is another good one. It definitely makes you think.

Ah yes, John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness with it's fun parodying Stephen King and his run-away success in the horror novel genre portrayed in the film.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Check out the Japanese horror film of Audition and tell me that is some sick and demented stuff towards the eventual conclusion. It starts off nice, slow and easy but takes an unexpected turn somewhere leading the film viewer on a trip, the director, Takashi Miike, is famous for pulling such twists and spins in his films. ^_~

If you have a good eye for detail, you can spot a special cameo apperance of Miike-san in the first Hostel film by Eli Roth.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Andi]

Have you seen Series 9: The Contenders film? That is an interesting low budget film with players and participants in a real-time "run & gun" enviroment winner takes all senario. Players reach their breaking point about whether or not to continue playing -- and if not, will end up dead sooner or later. The action takes place in broad daylight and also at night as well. Who will win this time around with the grand prize -- walking away with their life intact? The night-time mall shootout scene was just plain fucking crazy.

Actually, I think it's Series 7: The Contenders. I wouldn't call it a horror film of any sort but it is pretty amazing - a video oddity definitely worth checking out.

Can anyone suggest other Psychological horror films to see?

Dude, check out Dario Argento's Suspiria (if you haven't already). It has an excellent setting, chilling atmosphere, great music, and a very realized sense of style. It's set in this dance school for girls run by a coven of witches and throughout there is a sense of mysteriousness, strangeness, and paranoia.

[MX7]

Dude, check out Dario Argento's Suspiria (if you haven't already). It has an excellent setting, chilling atmosphere, great music, and a very realized sense of style. It's set in this dance school for girls run by a coven of witches and throughout there is a sense of mysteriousness, strangeness, and paranoia.

The best horror film ever made, imho. I think Time Out summed it up best:

"the movie [is] what horror movies seemed like when you were too young to get in to see them. Don't think, just panic."

I completely agree: The film is an irrational nightmare.

If you're looking for something a bit rougher, the Japanese Argento-a-like "Evil Dead Trap" is a weird, nasty little film that although is not for everyone, will certainly make an impression

[doodude]

Ive never heard of the Contenders tho' I just looked it up on Wiki & Ill try to find it.

Suspira is one that Ive just heard about but havent seen. Unfortunately it isnt in the movie download site I just joined. Neither is Evil Dead trap.
http://www.movie2b.com/ Heres the link if anyone dosent already know about it. Full movies for $2.99 with no limitations. Kewl!
But Ill go to BB & check 'em out...

[Nuke]

Hellraiser: Inferno pulls off what you're talking about really well. Its nothing like the first four Hellraisers before it, and its more of a psychological thriller than whatever the first four would be.

"In the Mouth of Madness" is another good one. It definitely makes you think.

Ah yes, John Carpenter's In the Mouth of Madness with it's fun parodying Stephen King and his run-away success in the horror novel genre portrayed in the film.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

Cigarette Burns. A Masters of Horror short by JC himself. Probably his best film since the Thing and it expands nicely on the themes he was working on in The Prince of Darkness and In the mouth of madness.
Click!

[DBH87]

Check out the Japanese horror film of Audition and tell me that is some sick and demented stuff towards the eventual conclusion. It starts off nice, slow and easy but takes an unexpected turn somewhere leading the film viewer on a trip, the director, Takashi Miike, is famous for pulling such twists and spins in his films. ^_~

If you have a good eye for detail, you can spot a special cameo apperance of Miike-san in the first Hostel film by Eli Roth.

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

that was a shit film, what a letdown no gore till 5 mins before the end.

[jp]

If you wind up liking Suspiria, check out the other two entires in the "Three Mothers Trilogy" (of which Suspiria is the first):
Inferno
Mother of Tears (which came out not too long ago actually)

[BIL]

I don't know a horror movie more polarising than Audition. I enjoyed it, but it seems 50/50 on whether the next person will love or hate it.

Regardless, it's definitely a horror movie that relies more on psychological manipulation than slasher antics or jump scares. It gradually becomes impossible to gauge the protagonist's surroundings, or just how much danger he's in; a paranoia-inducing effect I'm always fond of in horror. It has some extremely sadistic violence at times, but that's never the movie's focus. I'd suggest it if you're prepared to watch a horror movie with infrequent (if nasty) violence and a deliberately unstable narrative.

[MX7]

I don't think I know anyone who doesn't like Audition

While I don't think it's my favourite film of all time, or even in the top 20, it is certainly one of the best films ever made. I would even go as far as to describe it the best film Hitchcock never made

[doodude]

If you wind up liking Suspiria, check out the other two entires in the "Three Mothers Trilogy" (of which Suspiria is the first):
Inferno
Mother of Tears (which came out not too long ago actually)

It seems that Mother of Tears is available for download at movie2b.com. Should I start with the last one or would it be better to start at the beginning?
Are they connected sequentially?

[BIL]

I don't think I know anyone who doesn't like Audition

While I don't think it's my favourite film of all time, or even in the top 20, it is certainly one of the best films ever made. I would even go as far as to describe it the best film Hitchcock never made

Yeah, I'm exaggerating more than a bit. It's just, I've recommended it a few times and gotten rather contrasting opinions. ^^ A major point of contention seems to be the cheerful opening act... stories like that are all about the slow descent from relative comfort into horror, though.

[PainAmplifier]

that was a shit film, what a letdown no gore till 5 mins before the end.

No thanks. I'll pass on your opinion if the only criteria you seem to care about is the frequency of gore in it.

Plus the OP specifically asked for non-gore-centric films.

I'm a bit indifferent to most films these days, but I'm a huge reader. And for sheer disturbingness few things surpass the works of HP Lovecraft. The downside is that although his work has been used quite extensively as source material for movies, or as influences, very few of those have actually lived up to their source material.

On the other hand there are some HPL derived flicks that do deliver a good dose of that creepiness. I'd suggest checking out "Dagon" or "From Beyond". (Recently re-released.) There was one other decent one, that I want to say is called "A shadow over Innsmouth", but I'm not sure that was the exact title of the movie. (I may be confusing that with the aforementioned "In the Mouth of Madness".)

[jp]

If you wind up liking Suspiria, check out the other two entires in the "Three Mothers Trilogy" (of which Suspiria is the first):
Inferno
Mother of Tears (which came out not too long ago actually)

It seems that Mother of Tears is available for download at movie2b.com. Should I start with the last one or would it be better to start at the beginning?
Are they connected sequentially?

Suspiria is the best of the three in my opinion. In all honesty, despite the fact that all three films are excellent, they do drop in quality as they move along.

And no, they're not connected sequentially. They just have similar themes.

[doodude]

I don't think I know anyone who doesn't like Audition

From Wikipedia: Among filmmakers, notable horror directors including John Landis and Rob Zombie found the film very difficult to watch, given its grisly content.

I doubt if Mr. Zombie is disturbed by this film if I would much enjoy it.

A bit of blood & violence in order to set the scene or the mood is one thing but if you have to resort to graphic shit just for the sake of shocking the viewer then the story is probably weak & needs it to reach that audience.

"Session 9" is a good ( & recent ) example of this.
The violence was implied. The blood was a result of the implied violence.
It was no less disturbing to me & probably more so because of the implied violence. I have a pretty good imagination & I dont need to see the graphic wounds.

I was more creeped out because I didnt completely understand what was happening till the end.
And even after the movie was over I was still putting the pieces together.

Thats good psycho horror to me.

[BIL]

A bit of blood & violence in order to set the scene or the mood is one thing but if you have to resort to graphic shit just for the sake of shocking the viewer then the story is probably weak & needs it to reach that audience.

You're getting the wrong idea about Audition (and I'm no gorehound either, but more on that below*). Hostel would be an example of a movie that uses violence or fear of violence as the main attraction, where that's really all there is to scare the audience. Audition's fear is much more to do with a growing feeling of being lost, and unable to judge the protagonist's surroundings or the story's direction. It tries to create a lingering but constant unease that rears up unpredictably, and never quite defines itself. The unravelling plot is responsible for most of this movie's nightmarish atmosphere.

As I said, there are spikes of extremely sadistic violence, and one in particular will horrify most. But it's a horror movie that involves violence, not one that revolves around it like Hostel (which I found rather dull, being neither scared nor entertained by blood and guts). I was pretty uneasy throughout Audition's final two thirds, despite it having only infrequent violence (as DBH87 mentioned).

*but yeah, do avoid Audition if you're bothered (not just annoyed) by violence; it's vicious at times. I was practically wincing in pain at several scenes.

[MX7]

Audition isn't gory. It is, however, very hard to watch. The tension is incredable, and it's achieved through sheer filmmaking skill as oposed to ketchup being flung everywhere. If you want real, grueling psychological horror, you could do a lot worse than Audition.

[doodude]

Ill probably rent it based on that analogy Bill.

I can always turn it off if I dont like it. Cant I!?

[BIL]

No! Your username would have to be changed to chickendude! :p

Nah, I wouldn't bother with it doodude. It's certainly a movie that aims to get under the viewer's skin without gore, but it can't be called a movie that dispenses with violence. It goes far beyond implications into graphic horror, more than once. Its storyline is also not quite the lasting enigma you mention enjoying with Session 9.

Consider it by all means (it is, as MX7 says, a psychologically intense movie with minimal violent scenes). But I'd suggest other recommendations here before Audition, based on what you've said.

[charlie chong]

another vote for rosemary's baby here... dont look now is also great and lastly i reccomend night of the hunter (it's in black and white but it's real beautifully shot and quite scary for such an old film)

[Andi]

I forgot to mention a really good one: Carnival of Souls. It's an early 60s black and white American movie. The plot is about this girl who gets into this car accident where the car flies off a bridge. Days later, she comes out of the river, apparently alive. However, she is trapped between this world and the world of the dead...possibly. It's ambiguous and that's what makes it great. Extremely atmospheric with interesting psychological content. Oh, and George Romero cited it as an influence at one point.

[doodude]

Oh no, Im gonna brave the Audition now that youve questioned my chick...um, manhood. Man!

Think Ill go this weekend & look for the suggestions given...

No big plans for me as I always have a 3 day weekend every week. I do my 40+ hours Mon-Thur & FO for 3 glorious days. Ahhhhhhh...

[PC Engine Fan X!]

Oh no, Im gonna brave the Audition now that youve questioned my chick...um, manhood. Man!

Think Ill go this weekend & look for the suggestions given...

No big plans for me as I always have a 3 day weekend every week. I do my 40+ hours Mon-Thur & FO for 3 glorious days. Ahhhhhhh...

I used to have those cool "3 day weekends" that you mention of...they aren't to be taken lightly. Then it was back to the daily grind of working five days a week with a measly two days off. Just think of how nice it would be to take another one of those 3-day weekends off. If offered it, don't pass it up. ^_~

PC Engine Fan X! ^_~

[Ed Oscuro]

Freaking ZOMBIE DEMONS from Outer Space

("drowning in blood was cool!")

[caincan]

some very psychotic mind movies :

watch these at 3am and you'll feel hmmm.. spatial? psychotic? aware?

-Divided into zero
-Subconscious cruelty
-Begotten
-Pig

[doodude]

some very psychotic mind movies :

watch these at 3am and you'll feel hmmm.. spatial? psychotic? aware?

-the unforgiven

Would that be the Clint Eastwood or the Burt Lancaster version!?

Ive just come across "The Machinist" & it looks hella wicked.

Anyone seen it?