Recommend a horror film

CMoon · Post by **CMoon** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 3:12 pm

OK, so yes I searched first. There's probably something down there somewhere, but damn!

I'm definitely in a mood for a good horror film, but we all have different tastes, right?

Generally speaking, mood and atmosphere mean a lot more to me than gore; same for cheap scares. I like the slow build before the descent into perpetual night! I have to admit that I think 90% of horror is crap. What isn't, is on a really short list, though I'm sure my Horror knowledge is filled with lots of holes.

A few things on my A list:

The Thing
Alien
The Descent
(all of these are the same kind of idea in a way)

The Beyond (not really a big gore fan, but this makes gore an artform!)
Rosemary's Baby (some people don't think this is horror anymore; personally I think it is more commentary on women, but whatever)
Exorcist (fucking awesome in the theatre!)
Yeah, I've seen a lot of Argento's films--they're OK, but not really what I'm looking for.

Not so much interested in exploitation (not ready to watch Cannibal Holocaust yet, holy shit!) but am looking for the descent into visceral/primal fear as atmosphere becomes overpowering/evil!

Where is this movie I am looking for?

moozooh · Post by **moozooh** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 3:15 pm

Eraserhead, perhaps? The atmosphere is really morbid there.

Michaelm · Post by **Michaelm** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 3:25 pm

Maybe you should check out the news ?

sjewkestheloon · Post by **sjewkestheloon** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 3:31 pm

moozooh wrote:Eraserhead, perhaps? The atmosphere is really morbid there.

QFT

Also, have you ever seen Audition, the Tikashi Mike (sp) film? Not sure it fits the bill with what you have listed there but it is a damn fine film in my opinion.

Post by **system11** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 3:32 pm

Pan's Labyrinth.

That one really put me on edge, although it's not strictly speaking a horror film.

CMoon · Post by **CMoon** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 3:35 pm

Cut my teeth on Eraserhead. Almost saw The Audition. I'll need to add it to my netflix queue. Maybe I should have mentioned that I have enjoyed a lot of the Japanese horror that has all centered around the idea of atmosphere and build (IE The Ring, Dark Water, etc.) but wasn't necessarily what I had in mind.

Michaelm: Ha! there's truth to that.

Edit: RE: Pan's Labyrinth. Actually preferred Devil's Backbone. Del Toro's definitely an up and coming director though. I can't wait to see his take on The Hobbit.

Nuke · Post by **Nuke** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 4:58 pm

Session 9
Jacob's Ladder
Cigarette Burns (A Masters of Horror episode directed by Carpenter)
Cronos (the first part in the Devil's Backbone/Pan's Labyrinth "trilogy")
The first two Hellraisers
Candyman
In the mouth of madness
Nightflier
Storm of the Century
Deathwatch
Suspiria
...etc.

8 1/2 · Post by **8 1/2** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 5:05 pm

If you're looking for a schlocky modern horror film, I saw The Ruins recently and it's a pretty good take on the old "watch a group of young people get slaughtered one-by-one." Very much in the same vein as The Descent, with some solid visual effects and gore.

If you like classic horror, check out The Beyond. It's by Lucio Fulci who did Zombie 2 as well. Very atmospheric with some fantastic gore for the time and budget they had.

markedkiller78 · Post by **markedkiller78** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 5:07 pm

Of the new releases Rec is very good. Spanish horror filmed the same was as Blair Witch, Cloverfield etc

I second Pans Labarynth & The Orphanage, again both Spanish

JBC · Post by **JBC** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 5:17 pm

"How will your God judge you? When there is no more room in hell... the dead - will walk the Earth."

Zack Snyder's 2004 "remake" of Dawn Of The Dead is one of the greatest horror movies of all time. Considering that i've always been a hardcore fan of the Romero original and that this movie has nothing in common with that but a mall and zombies it's saying alot that i would dub it so.

Everything that this movie does, it does with excellence. The pacing is perfect, Tyler Bate's music is awesome, the cinematography is dynamic, the actors are excellent, the script never falters, the effects are great and - from the moment you turn it on it never lets you go. I went to the theater expecting to hate this movie with a passion and have probably watched it a hundred times since then.

But the reason i mention it, even though it's not considered 'hardcore' and whatever, is that i know exactly what you are looking for because the ominous calm at the beginning is always my favorite part of a horror movie myself. The buildup actually doesn't last long in this movie at all (and i mean at all), but it's very powerful and when the action hits it's like opening a door and being socked in the face.

Daigohji · Post by **Daigohji** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 5:37 pm

Prince of Darkness. If you liked The Thing, this is another Carpenter classic. It really nails that atmosphere of escalating dread that I think you're looking for.

Candyman. Easily the best horror movie of the 90s (not that it had much competition). It brings back the idea of the monster as a seducer, albeit a twisted one. Just don't bother with the sequels.

Jon · Post by **Jon** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 6:23 pm

The french flick High Tension wasn't too bad. The original Texas Chainsaw Massacre will also remain a personal favorite although just about everyones already seen that gem.

Also a big +1 to circuitfaces recommending the Dawn of the Dead remake (dont mix it up with the inferior Land of the Dead released shortly thereafter.) Great movie and probably the only horror film along with Pans Labyrinth that I actually bought on DVD.

Jon · Post by **Jon** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 6:25 pm

Double post. Sorry.

KindGrind · Post by **KindGrind** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 6:27 pm

Well, you could go for The Shining, which I'm sure you saw already, but I'm mentioning anyways.

I liked the original Omen, too. The sequels and the remake were terrible, but the original still holds up pretty well.

The Coop · Post by **The Coop** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 6:33 pm

The Shining- It's three people taking care of the Overlook Hotel, all alone, for the entire Winter. It's also Jack Nicholas going slowly insane. It may not have been the best book to screen translation in some people's eyes, but it's a great flick.

The Fog- Not the 2005 remake, but the 1980 original. An entertaining little revenge movie.

The Car- Big black car chases (and runs) people down. It's silly in a way, but it was a fun late 70s horror flick.

Duel- A mysterious truck driver taunts the hell out of a seemingly "everyday" guy. A simple film in concept that's actually more than the sum of its parts thanks to the psychological aspect.

Prince of Darkness- An obscure Carpenter flick that's as strange as it is gory at times. It's loaded with "we're trapped!" atmosphere, and you might not look at mirrors the same way after watching

Poltergeist- While it's not that gory beyond a few parts, it's still most certainly a horror flick thanks to the building "What's happening?" vibe, and the overall plot. One of the better ghost stories to come of the 80s. The sequel is pretty good as well, thanks mostly to the man who plays Kane. Avoid the third film at all costs.

Dead Alive- Despite not being very atmospheric, I'm throwing this in for the hell of it. A tongue in cheek gorefest that goes absolutely over the top at times. It has the same type of feel as the Evil Dead movies. Be sure to watch the unrated version.

Post by **system11** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 6:58 pm

The Coop wrote:Duel- A mysterious truck driver taunts the hell out of a seemingly "everyday" guy. A simple film in concept that's actually more than the sum of its parts thanks to the psychological aspect.

Overlooked film, very enjoyable.

Kaiser · Post by **Kaiser** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 7:08 pm

Black Christmas - Recent 2006/2007 version (If i remember correctly), it's pretty cool, scary and twisted as shit, it's basically classic "Killing one-by-one" and has really awesome ending which i won't spoil

t0yrobo · Post by **t0yrobo** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 8:07 pm

They are more thiller than horror movies but park Chan-Wooks revenge trilogy is pretty good and scary enough. I think it's worthwhile to watch them in the order they came out. Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Oldboy, and Sympathy for Lady Vengeance. With the exception of Oldboy (for the most part) they can be rather pretentious and arty, but overall they're all pretty good.

Imhotep · Post by **Imhotep** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 9:18 pm

Dagon (Lovecraft, by the Eraserhead guy)

Dance of the Vampires (Polanski)

Uzumaki (strange Jp movie, village gets obsessed with spirals)

moozooh · Post by **moozooh** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 9:23 pm

The "Eraserhead guy" is David Lynch, and he has nothing to do with Lovecraft or Dagon.

Dance of the Vampires is more commonly known as The Fearless Vampire Killers. Great movie, btw. It's not really scary, rather pretty humorous. :)

MadSteelDarkness · Post by **MadSteelDarkness** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 11:24 pm

Might be a bit on the tongue-in-cheek side of things, but Slither is the best horror film that I've seen in like...I don't know, forever.

It's kind of Night of the Creeps meets Re-Animator meets something else I can't quite put my finger on? Really nails that eighties gore/camp/horror vibe. Also, it was written and directed by the guy (James Gunn) who wrote the Dawn remake.

Oh, and I dunno, Jodorowsky's Santa Sangre, maybe?

Eh, none of those are really all that atmospheric or actually scary, I suppose. To me, you really can't beat Alien or The Thing.

evil_ash_xero · Post by **evil_ash_xero** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 11:50 pm

bloodflowers wrote:Pan's Labyrinth.

That one really put me on edge, although it's not strictly speaking a horror film.

You know, the violence in that movie was one of the VERY few that had me wincing. And it's a fantasy movie for f*ck's sake.

s/m

Plastic · Post by **Plastic** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 12:19 am

[REC]

One of the most genuinely terrifying films I've ever seen.

... That is, unless you watch the abomination that will be the American remake, "Quarantine".

EDIT: And as far as exploit films go, Cannibal Holocaust is nothing

Double Edit: [RES] Sounds EXACTLY like what you're looking for. The full-feature used to be on Google Video, but has been removed. Here is the trailer:

http://tinyurl.com/5guo74

(note that the film DOES have subtitles)

Andi · Post by **Andi** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 2:49 am

Carnival of Souls is under-appreciated genius. It's atmospheric and eerie and is an excellent demonstration about how you can do a ton with very little (I don't think there is a single effects shot in the entire thing). I cannot recommend this movie highly enough.

Other than that: the Phantasm series is pure gold. It's best if you see all of them.

Kollision · Post by **Kollision** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 4:25 am

One of the greatest old horror movies I've seen lately is Spider Baby (Jack Hill, 1968). Creepy, with a very sexy leading lady.... The most amazing thing is that it's a genuinely warped American movie - not like anything else made during the 60s.

Ed Oscuro · Post by **Ed Oscuro** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 4:26 am

jormungand · Post by **jormungand** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 4:55 am

+1 for The Shining, Duel and Poltergeist.

One movie that totally got under my skin recently was August Underground. It bugged the holy fuck out of me.

Lawfer · Post by **Lawfer** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 5:17 am

CMoon wrote:Edit: RE: Pan's Labyrinth. Actually preferred Devil's Backbone. Del Toro's definitely an up and coming director though. I can't wait to see his take on The Hobbit.

Hey you know your stuff on spanish movie, maybe you should try The Dark Hour (I didn't really like it though) or The Night of the Sunflowers (okay not really horror that one, mostly thriller but very good) I uploaded both of these on mininova with english subs.

As for good horror movies I think you should try:

Isolation

innerpattern · Post by **innerpattern** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 6:07 am

Just watched this movie "Angel Heart" (1987) with De Niro...not technically a horror movie but it was seriously fucked up! Highly recommended if your in the mood for a dark, twisted story. Holy hell!

CMoon · Post by **CMoon** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 7:55 am

Andi wrote:Carnival of Souls is under-appreciated genius.

True enough. I'm not sure the film is amazing through and through, but it is definitely great stuff and completely not understood when it came out.

Lawfer wrote:Hey you know your stuff on spanish movies

Just some lucky recommendations from friends. Always open to more recommendations, that's why I ask...