Author Topic: Best Horror film ever  (Read 31944 times)

Talia

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Reply #50 on: November 08, 2009, 04:34:40 PM
I have problems with most horror movies. They're either going for the gore or too darn long.

Allow me to suggest Paranormal activity, then. 1) almost no gore at all. 2) 1 hour 40 minutes. :)



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Reply #51 on: November 08, 2009, 06:07:47 PM
I tend to enjoy horror/comedy (slither comes to mind, as does Fido) more then streight up horror.

Ooh, me too!  Haven't seen the two you mention, but I love:
Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness
House and House 2
A Chinese Ghost Story III
Dead Alive

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MacArthurBug

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Reply #52 on: November 09, 2009, 07:49:35 PM
I tend to enjoy horror/comedy (slither comes to mind, as does Fido) more then streight up horror.

Ooh, me too!  Haven't seen the two you mention, but I love:
Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness
House and House 2
A Chinese Ghost Story III
Dead Alive


Ok have seen (and LOVED) evil dead and AoD. So- will watch the others simply based on the awesomeness of those two.

Talia- I'll give yours a go too. I'd like something new it's just generally  a nightmare trying to get the heebie jeebies out of a movie.

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Reply #53 on: November 09, 2009, 08:14:33 PM
I tend to enjoy horror/comedy (slither comes to mind, as does Fido) more then streight up horror.

Ooh, me too!  Haven't seen the two you mention, but I love:
Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness
House and House 2
A Chinese Ghost Story III
Dead Alive


Shaun of the Dead, maybe?


MacArthurBug

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Reply #54 on: November 10, 2009, 01:48:40 PM
Shaun of the Dead, maybe?
Loved that too. If it's comedic horror, odds are good I've seen and enjoyed it (must see zombie land). IT's finding truly scary horror movies that aren't campy, gross, boring, etc that's gotten hard. Apparently I'm too picky on "true" horror movies.

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stePH

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Reply #55 on: November 10, 2009, 03:41:00 PM
Shaun of the Dead, maybe?

Haven't seen it, though it's been recommended to me by a couple of people.

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MacArthurBug

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Reply #56 on: November 10, 2009, 05:49:05 PM
Shaun of the Dead, maybe?

Haven't seen it, though it's been recommended to me by a couple of people.

It's pretty awesome. Witty banter, funny actors, some truly quotable moments. Plus -guys with british accents. Not that I think that'll do it for you but gosh darnit it did it for me ;)

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Fenrix

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Reply #57 on: November 10, 2009, 08:24:50 PM
For comedy horror, let me also add to the list:

Dead and Breakfast
Murder Party
My Name is Bruce (for over-the-top campiness)

But for the best horror I'd lean towards either Se7en or Alien or Aliens. Se7en does a real nice job of viewing the coarse underbelly of humanity, supplemented by stellar writing and acting. The effects hold up well to aging. The first two Alien films also have excellent writing and acting, with the effects aging less gracefully. For Anime horror, I'd pick either AKIRA or Perfect Blue. Both are well written and well drawn experiences.

I am predisposed against The Shining, since I had been expecting something closer to the novel. I love Kubrick's work, and I can appreciate the movie on its own merits, but I can't think of it as an adaptation of a Stephen King novel. It is well acted and well directed, but some of the scariest sequences in the novel were castrated. The hedge animals that only moved when your back was turned to them was a special flavor of mindbending terror. I was very pleased to see a stellar treatment of this concept in an episode of the recent Doctor Who series titled "Blink". There's some great horror episodes for both the new Doctor Who series and Torchwood that many of the PseudoPod fans would appreciate.

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Swamp

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Reply #58 on: November 10, 2009, 08:32:08 PM
I am predisposed against The Shining, since I had been expecting something closer to the novel. I love Kubrick's work, and I can appreciate the movie on its own merits, but I can't think of it as an adaptation of a Stephen King novel.

Yeah, I can see that.  I have not read the novel, so the movie is my only reference.

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Reply #59 on: November 10, 2009, 08:58:53 PM
So, based on the previews for The Fourth Kind, I went to see it last weekend with my wife (WIMOMNH*), and was prepared to come back to this thread and add it to the list of scariest movies ever.  It was a good movie and it did have some creepy elements to it.  Unfortunately, the parts that would be the scariest and horrific were spoiled by the previews IMO.  I also think the sherriff character was either terribly written or acted, or both.  However if you were a strong believer in alien abductions (or became one as a result of the movie), you could leave the theater pretty freaked out.  I wasn't too affected.  Until yesterday...

My wife (WIMOMNH) comes in and says that I won't believe what our youngest son (WIMOMNH) just told her.  He was telling her that some monsters, with long black claws, came into his room at night and took him away.  He wasn't upset or anything, and he's been pretending to take out bad guys a lot lately.  But still, after watching The Fourth Kind, I can't stop but think "Holy Crap! What if..."  Now if he starts telling me about an owl in his window, I might have to start really freaking out.

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* "which I may or may not have"  - this is a funny bit from "Bob's Big Break", the animated short on the Monsters vs. Aliens CD.  General Monger is trying to prevent the monsters from getting personal information from him in case Bob is reading his mind.  It's become a private joke in our house.

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Swamp

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Reply #60 on: November 10, 2009, 09:51:30 PM
Okay, I've decided that this does deserve its own series of polls based on the movies cited in this thread.  I plan on starting the poll in a couple weeks, pretty much copying Ocicat's format.  Now is your last chance to put forth any remaining nominations.  I will try to include all serious nominations.  Sorry StePH, Spice World won't be on there. ;)

Also, do you think I should separate the comedic horror into its own poll or scatter them in with the rest?

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Fenrix

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Reply #61 on: November 10, 2009, 10:07:13 PM

Also, do you think I should separate the comedic horror into its own poll or scatter them in with the rest?


I think it would be unfair to have to pick between Sean of the Dead and The Exorcist. Putting the comedic horror in with the rest would introduce significant bias in any poll. Would Spice World make it to the comedic horror poll?

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deflective

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Reply #62 on: November 10, 2009, 11:45:03 PM
if you're gonna get serious about it then you should probably check out a couple online lists.

a few movies i don't remember seeing here (but may have missed) that should be included: freaks, the decent, the thing, scream (debatably belongs with the comedies), the host, ginger snaps, frailty.

i've also heard good stuff about a new swedish film, let the right one in, but it's an independent release so you pretty much have to download it if you want to see it.



Sgarre1

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Reply #63 on: November 10, 2009, 11:53:25 PM
Oh, okay then (leaving out tv movies like SALEM'S LOT, THE STONE TAPE, DON'T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK, THE WOMAN IN BLACK, etc.)

THE INNOCENTS
THE HAUNTING
VIDEODROME
TARGETS
SUSPIRIA
DEAD RINGERS
THE FLY
THE THING
DAWN OF THE DEAD (orginal)
NIGHT OF THE LVING DEAD (original)
THE EXORCIST
DON'T LOOK NOW
PHANTASM
INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (original and '78))
BLACK SABBATH
BLACK SUNDAY
HALLOWEEN (original)
TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (original)
PSYCHO
ROSEMARY'S BABY
BLACK CHRISTMAS (original)
NOSFERATU (original)
JAWS
THE SHINING
SILENCE OF THE LAMBS
EVIL DEAD
ALIEN
NEAR DARK
REANIMATOR
LET'S SCARE JESSICA TO DEATH
CAT PEOPLE (original)
THE DESCENT
THE RING
AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON
CREEPSHOW
KWAIDAN
ONIBABA
SESSION 9
DAGON

(and probably about 10 others I've forgotten)

With some minor exceptions, I imagine these are all equal to each other - not equally as GOOD, but they encompass a pretty wide range of what horror is capable of.  I wouldn't personally count ALIENS, as it's a war movie where the enemy are aliens (ALIEN, on the other hand, is pure monster movie) .  But then, action-horror in general is not my bag (if you can defeat the threat just because you get your hands on a bigger gun, well, that ain't horror to me.  Might be horrifying, but...)

I left off some personal faves (THE FOG, THE BLIND DEAD, CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI, THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER - Corman version, CARNIVAL OF SOULS - original), a spate of monster movies (like CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, THE TINGLER), and the Universals (FRANKENSTEIN def.), Val Lewtons (THE BODY SNATCHER - Karloff's best ever role!) and Hammers (CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF) because they wouldn't have a chance anyway.

Also didn't include quasi-horror like THE WICKER MAN or THE SEVENTH VICTIM, or horror comedies (like RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD, DEAD-ALIVE or THE ABOMINBABLE DR. PHIBES) or recent faves (SAUNA, FEARS OF THE DARK, LET THE RIGHT ONE IN - thanks for the remind, Deflective!).

I'm kind of the opposite of Ms. Mac - I trend backwards and find most modern horror films unsatisfying (which is not to say that there haven't been some good ones recently) and the older stuff to have more meat, atmosphere, depth, creativity and honest emotion.  Modern horror films are suffering a dilemma both long term (cultural trending from superstition to science), economic (movies cost more, and formulas assure money, so formula is what you get) and, most obviously, creative.  The fact that director's/screenwriters frequently fail the audience (rote plot, uninvolving characters, standard scares) is matched by an audience that almost as frequently fails good movies (the death of "willing suspension of disbelief" as a fruitful stance, as that gives up too much control to the filmmakers, and hyper-criticality of audiences that demand "authenticity" but easily accept pandering).

My prediction as per a poll is that the monster movies and psychological horrors fall off first, then the subtle ghost movies and slasher movies, leaving in the end the masterfully WTF pieces, whatever their subgenre, and the childhood faves.  If pressed, I know what the top 5 would be for me, but they encompass the five corners of horror and each would likely be unsatisfying to someone - horror is just too darn big top have a greatest!

PS - if this is considered last minute dumping, please just ignore the whole thing.

« Last Edit: November 11, 2009, 12:01:25 AM by Sgarre1 »



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Reply #64 on: November 11, 2009, 04:19:30 AM
Let me add [REC] to the list.  it's actually one of the best done creepiest zombie movies I have seen in a long time.  There is a sequel either out or in the works.  It's a Spanish film, but I was able to find a dubbed (by Brits) version.  It's done with a lot of shaky cam, so if you don't like shaky cam stay away.  Many of the zombie scenes are shot as if by a news team, hence the shaky cam.  It's really good, I can't recommend it enough.


Bdoomed

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Reply #65 on: November 11, 2009, 04:41:18 AM
[REC] was goooooood.

I'd like to hear my options, so I could weigh them, what do you say?
Five pounds?  Six pounds? Seven pounds?


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Reply #66 on: November 11, 2009, 07:32:04 AM
goddam. I would love to play but I'm SOOOOOO outta my league.


Sgarre1

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Reply #67 on: November 12, 2009, 02:44:42 PM
Oh, there is no league, just fun and games.

And I apologize again for an overwhelming response, but I've been ardently watching horror films since 1975 when I started my childhood habit of sitting down with the new TV Guide and circling every movie labeled "Horror", "Fantasy", "Sci-Fi" and "Mystery" (oh, and "Thriller" and "Suspense", forgot about those) and then plotting as to how I was going to be able to convince my parents to let me watch all these things (because back then, if you didn't see it when it was on, you might never get the chance again!).

Luckily, my parents were very good about this (I have a fond memory of my Dad staying up until 1 AM to watch DESTROY ALL MONSTERS with me, and then they showed the reels out of order, putting the climax in the middle of the broadcast, so he had no idea what was going on!  Luckily, I had audio taped a previous broadcast onto my little shoebox tape recorder and listened to it over and over again - Akira Ifukube's music in all the Toho monster films is phenomenal - and so I could tell him what was happening and why).

Unlike the book polls, people can probably bang out watching a 90 minute Netflix rental they've never seen before fairly easily, so maybe with a slightly longer voting window, the results might be very interesting.  And while it's unrealistic to expect everybody to like everything, none of the films I listed could honestly be considered a waste of anyone's time.
« Last Edit: November 12, 2009, 02:46:59 PM by Sgarre1 »



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Reply #68 on: November 12, 2009, 02:57:31 PM
And while it's unrealistic to expect everybody to like everything, none of the films I listed could honestly be considered a waste of anyone's time.

I have to say Evil Dead was a waste of my time.  Evil Dead 2 was the movie its predecessor should have been.

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Sgarre1

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Reply #69 on: November 12, 2009, 03:37:30 PM
Oh well, YMMV, obviously...

While the EVIL DEAD films become slicker and, in a technical sense, "better" as they go on, they also more openly embrace Raimi's comedic sense.  DEAD BY DAWN is wonderful, but it's arguably a horror comedy, standing right on the line where TALES FROM THE CRYPT-style macabre cynicism tips over into outright comedy.  ARMY OF DARKNESS is total fantasy/action-comedy (love the Harryhausen tribute).

So the original, to me, is still a pure horror film (not without it's funny moments) but it's pulpy, comic book approach to horror (see also CREEPSHOW) is not something a lot of people want out of a horror movie (the claymation stop-motion decay effects always seem to be the last straw), especially nowadays (and, of course, they flub that tone with the tree sequence - as admitted by Raimi.  Hideous violence is okay, sexual violence not so much).  But the stalking, Raimi demon-cam and pell-mell/ramshackle approach to horror, and the stripped down setting and plot were such an influence that people were remaking EVIL DEAD under other names (much as they were remaking HALLOWEEN after that was such a big hit) for years afterwards.

Also, I love the ominous build-ups (the drive down the trail, the porch swing pounding, the professor's tape, the card counting) before the chaotic craziness in EVIL DEAD - Raimi was one of the last people to remember that suspense is an integral part of horror.

But, yeah, YMMV.  As I said, not all of these are for everybody.
« Last Edit: November 12, 2009, 03:39:53 PM by Sgarre1 »



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Reply #70 on: November 12, 2009, 09:20:57 PM
Oh yeah, for more recent stuff if we aren't excluding the foreign films, let me put in a good word for Guillermo del Toro's movies, "The Devil's Backbone" (which, it seems to me, should have been translated as "The Devil's Spine") and "The Orphanage".  I liked "Pan's Labyrinth" too, and although it definitely rides the dark-fantasy line -- I'm pretty sure it's too brutal for kids.  And if that thing with eyes in its palms isn't a scary monster, I don't know what is.



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Reply #71 on: November 12, 2009, 09:58:28 PM
Oh yeah, DEVIL'S BACKBONE and PAN'S LABYRINTH were aces (agree that the latter is probably Dark Fantasy, and that the creature is great, although man that's a sad ending!).

THE ORPHANAGE was pretty good, but the end dripped treacle.



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Reply #72 on: November 13, 2009, 03:59:16 AM
And while it's unrealistic to expect everybody to like everything, none of the films I listed could honestly be considered a waste of anyone's time.

I have to say Evil Dead was a waste of my time.  Evil Dead 2 was the movie its predecessor should have been.

My understand is Evil Dead was Raimi's Senior Thesis in University.  It was a horror movie, then he took the exact same script and reshot it as a comedy basically for Evil Dead 2.  He didn't have money for fancy special effects so he strapped the camera to the hood of the car and hence the birth of Demon Cam as Sgarre1 called it.  It was so popular that a slightly more stable modified version of it is still used in many films today. 


lowky

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Reply #73 on: November 13, 2009, 04:01:04 AM
I very much enjoyed pan's labyrinth, will look for the Devil's backbone.


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Reply #74 on: November 13, 2009, 06:37:01 PM
My understand is Evil Dead was Raimi's Senior Thesis in University.  It was a horror movie, then he took the exact same script and reshot it as a comedy basically for Evil Dead 2.  He didn't have money for fancy special effects so he strapped the camera to the hood of the car and hence the birth of Demon Cam as Sgarre1 called it.  It was so popular that a slightly more stable modified version of it is still used in many films today. 

Minor nit pick, but the car cam and the demon cam were two separate techniques if memory serves me correctly. Demon cam (the one along the ground and through the woods that knocks over the occasional tree) is a camera strapped to a two-by-four with a guy on each side running with the contraption.

Evil Dead 2 gives a brief summary of what happened in the first film and starts off right after the end of the first film. Much like the beginning of Army of Darkness gives a brief overview of what happened in the Evil Dead movies. Thematically Evil Dead 2 it is very similar to the first film.

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