Author Topic: Best Horror Movie Ever Poll - Group 1 of 10  (Read 16557 times)

Swamp

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on: November 27, 2009, 02:41:56 PM
It may seem odd to start a horror poll on the first day of the holiday season, but the way I see it, yesterday was a day of horror for all those turkeys in the US, and more horrors may be witnessed by shoppers today on Black Friday.

This poll comes to you due to the wonderful response from this thread.  I'd say at least 80% of the movies here were nominated by the forums.  The rest or filled in by this top 100 list that deflective cited, and my own favorites from memory.

This will be the first of 10 polls for the initial culling of movies.  Then we will move into semifinal and final rounds.  Please vote for any of the movies you prefer.  Also, I made the poll period for two weeks because I wanted to give you time to check out some of the movies you may not have seen.  I thought about allowing you three weeks for this purpose, but didn't want to drag out the poll too long for those who don't plan on reviewing.  Most of the links I provided come with trailers so that may help as well.  Let me know what you think.

So enjoy and vote!
« Last Edit: November 27, 2009, 02:54:40 PM by Swamp »

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Alasdair5000

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Reply #1 on: November 27, 2009, 03:19:07 PM
I LOVE the Invasion of the Bodysnatchers.  Truly and deeply.  But...Kate showed me The Shining for the first time this Halloween.  No contest.



Sandikal

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Reply #2 on: November 27, 2009, 05:06:17 PM
I love "The Lost Boys" and "The Mummy".  I voted for them, but I don't consider either one to be horror.  They're just too funny.  In my opinion, "The Shining" is the scariest movie ever made.  C'mon, Stephen King and Stanley Kubrick?  How can you get scarier than that.  I also voted for "The Picture of Dorian Gray".  When I was a kid, we'd get 3 TV stations (before cable and color TV).  One of the channels always showed an old movies at 3:00, just about the time I got home from school.  One afternoon, I watched "The Picture of Dorian Gray" and that last scene just scared the crap out of me.  I rented the movie a few years ago and was really surprised to see that the portrait at the end was actually shown in color.  I didn't see that on my black & white TV.



Swamp

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Reply #3 on: November 27, 2009, 06:06:33 PM
I love "The Lost Boys" and "The Mummy".  I voted for them, but I don't consider either one to be horror.  They're just too funny. 

"The Lost Boys" is on the edge of the humurous side of horror, but I included it in this poll series because I think there are enough real horror elements to make it a contender here.  It was a judgement call on my part.

With "The Mummy", I hope you looked at the link to realize that this was the original Boris Karloff version, and NOT the Brandon Frazier action/adventure movie.

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Swamp

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Reply #4 on: November 27, 2009, 06:20:02 PM
Of course, I voted for "The Shining".  I also included "The Lost Boys", "Nosferatu", and "The Howling".

The only reason I voted for "The Howling" was becuase I had a huge crush on Dee Wallace in the '80's, probably since "E.T.".  Crushes aside, she has also been in many horror flicks, like "Cujo", "The Hills Have Eyes", "Critters", and "Popcorn", not all of which will appear in these polls.

I had never seen "Nosferatu" until it was included in the original thread.  Just the trailer available through the link did enough to scare me.

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deflective

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Reply #5 on: November 27, 2009, 11:23:31 PM
woo! ginger snaps! canada represent!

if you haven't seen it and don't mind crap quality you can get a feel for it on youtube.  it's actually a little depressing how suited canadian weather is to the genre.



lowky

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Reply #6 on: November 28, 2009, 12:13:54 AM
I voted for Amitiville Horror and The Shining.  I had read both first so there were some disappointments, but seeing some of the novels creepy scenes on screen was even creepier.  I still have some issues with Kubrik's version though, and I think it's part of why King remade it. spoiler Using an axe instead of a Croquet mallet took some of the "holy fuck he's gone batshit crazy" out of it.  The murderous intent is there but an axe is much more designed for murderous intent, thereby he's not as crazy. 
Though Scatman Cruthers helped make that movie I think, It's a shame he died because they were talking about doing a Hong Kong Fooey movie.


Sandikal

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Reply #7 on: November 28, 2009, 07:34:09 PM

With "The Mummy", I hope you looked at the link to realize that this was the original Boris Karloff version, and NOT the Brandon Frazier action/adventure movie.

DOH!!!!



Sgarre1

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Reply #8 on: November 28, 2009, 08:18:58 PM
"heh-heh..He went... He went for a little walk!"

Best scene in THE MUMMY!

Had to go with above and

NOSFERATU (Natch!  Saw it on the big screen accompanied by live music in DC on Halloween of 1998 - it's just so damn creepy!  The alternate soundtrack of an illbient score by the band Liminal is also very worth seeking out.  Dark beats!)

INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1950's America has never been summed up and critiqued so effectively.  And the pod in the baby crib! Ieeeee!)

THE SHINING (another natch!  One of the most hypnotic horror films ever made.  God, the King approved remake is terrible!)

BLACK SABBATH ("A Drop of Water" and "The Wurdulak" are just so atmospheric.  "Wurdulak" may be the least seen vampire classic ever!)
« Last Edit: November 28, 2009, 08:26:19 PM by Sgarre1 »



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Reply #9 on: November 29, 2009, 12:20:52 AM
One afternoon, I watched "The Picture of Dorian Gray" and that last scene just scared the crap out of me.  I rented the movie a few years ago and was really surprised to see that the portrait at the end was actually shown in color.  I didn't see that on my black & white TV.

You and me both. It's one of my enduring memories


wakela

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Reply #10 on: November 30, 2009, 12:25:08 AM
I LOVE the Invasion of the Bodysnatchers.  Truly and deeply.  But...Kate showed me The Shining for the first time this Halloween.  No contest.
whoa, whoa whoa.  Surely, I'm not reading this right.  You saw The Shining for the first time in your life 30 days ago?!  Or do you mean "showed me" in the sense that Kate taught you to appreciate anew.

I predicting The Shining will nuke the whole poll. 

Lost Boys wasn't quite horror enough.  It wasn't really trying to be scary.  Was Lost Boys the origin of the cool kid vampire motif?  Was this when teenagers started wanting to become vampires?

The Mummy was a little campy for me.  Not the best of the Universal Horrors, IMHO. 

Note that there are two Nosferatus, too.  I assume "original" unless otherwise stated.  The original is fantastically creepy, I haven't seen the new one.  Anyone see The Shadow of the Vampire?






Sgarre1

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Reply #11 on: November 30, 2009, 01:01:34 AM
The 1979 (not recent enough to be called new) NOSFERATU is interesting but draggy.  Some nice bits (the plague of rats).

SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE is also very interesting, but I have problems with the ending.

Teenagers were wanting to be vampires since at least the 50's, when the SHOCK package put the Universals into every home late at night (spawning reaction films like I WAS A TEENAGE WEREWOLF, I WAS A TEENAGE FRANKENSTEIN, etc.).  There's a great Lily Tomlin skit called "Lud & Marie Meet Dracula's Daughter" which is a flashback to her petulant teenage self getting into a shouting match with her boring parents.  Funny stuff!



Fenrix

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Reply #12 on: November 30, 2009, 03:21:32 PM
I voted for Amitiville Horror and The Shining.  I had read both first so there were some disappointments, but seeing some of the novels creepy scenes on screen was even creepier.  I still have some issues with Kubrik's version though, and I think it's part of why King remade it. spoiler Using an axe instead of a Croquet mallet took some of the "holy fuck he's gone batshit crazy" out of it.  The murderous intent is there but an axe is much more designed for murderous intent, thereby he's not as crazy. 

Not to mention killing characters unnecessarily, removal of a ton of mood locations that could be easily integrated, and replacing the lurking danger of the hedge animals that will eat you as soon as you turn your back with a totally passive hedge maze. The hedge maze got way too much screen time and contributed far too little to the movie. The hedge animals would have been challenging to do at that point in time without the SFX looking cheesy, but then again it was brought to you by the man who did stuff in 2001 that is still visually stunning. 

The book is still superior to the movie, but the movie is really good if you can disconnect it from your perception of the book.

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wakela

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Reply #13 on: December 01, 2009, 01:49:57 AM
I voted for Amitiville Horror and The Shining.  I had read both first so there were some disappointments, but seeing some of the novels creepy scenes on screen was even creepier.  I still have some issues with Kubrik's version though, and I think it's part of why King remade it. spoiler Using an axe instead of a Croquet mallet took some of the "holy fuck he's gone batshit crazy" out of it.  The murderous intent is there but an axe is much more designed for murderous intent, thereby he's not as crazy. 

Not to mention killing characters unnecessarily, removal of a ton of mood locations that could be easily integrated, and replacing the lurking danger of the hedge animals that will eat you as soon as you turn your back with a totally passive hedge maze. The hedge maze got way too much screen time and contributed far too little to the movie. The hedge animals would have been challenging to do at that point in time without the SFX looking cheesy, but then again it was brought to you by the man who did stuff in 2001 that is still visually stunning. 

The book is still superior to the movie, but the movie is really good if you can disconnect it from your perception of the book.
The filmmaker's goal is not to make a faithful reproduction of the book.  Some things work in your mind's eye that don't work in your eye's eye.   An axe has more visual impact than a croquet mallet .  The sharp angles of the maze are stronger than soft lines of hedge animals.

Are these things that spoilery?  This thing is starting to look like gitmo interrogation report.



Fenrix

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Reply #14 on: December 01, 2009, 03:07:43 PM
Are these things that spoilery?  This thing is starting to look like gitmo interrogation report.

Beats the hell out of me. When in Rome...

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wakela

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Reply #15 on: December 01, 2009, 11:39:03 PM
Are these things that spoilery?  This thing is starting to look like gitmo interrogation report.

Beats the hell out of me. When in Rome...
Yeah, I'm with you.  If you're contributing to a Best Horror Movie discussion and don't know that Jack wields an axe then you need to never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and desert you...



Bdoomed

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Reply #16 on: December 02, 2009, 06:45:49 AM
^lol.

um I don't think those are spoilers... I mean... come on, famous-ass-scene first of all, second of all, the movie's been out for... forever.

and who here is NOT highlighting the friggin spoiler black boxes?  anyone? raise your hand and we shall continue with the CIA report.

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 #17 on: December 02, 2009, 03:26:22 PM
Yeah, I'm with you.  If you're contributing to a Best Horror Movie discussion and don't know that Jack wields an axe then you need to never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down, never gonna run around and desert you...

 :D Congratulations, wakela.  You are the first to ever RickRoll me... nless you count the time that my wife and I were shopping at a local dollar store and "Never Gonna Give You Up" came on the sound system.  (Next time we were in there, another Rick Astley song played; does that count as a RickRoll too?)

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Ocicat

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Reply #18 on: December 02, 2009, 07:59:58 PM
So Swamp, what are the details on how this poll is run?  How many films are going to be in the semifinal and final rounds?  How many from each group?  Are the semifinals going to be 1-vs-1 or another set of groups?



Swamp

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Reply #19 on: December 03, 2009, 05:15:14 AM
So Swamp, what are the details on how this poll is run?  How many films are going to be in the semifinal and final rounds?  How many from each group?  Are the semifinals going to be 1-vs-1 or another set of groups?

Top 2 from each poll move to the 2 semifinal rounds (also groups of 10).  Top two from the semifinals will make it to the Final Four and a winner will emerge.

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kibitzer

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Reply #20 on: December 03, 2009, 09:38:32 PM
^lol.

um I don't think those are spoilers... I mean... come on, famous-ass-scene first of all, second of all, the movie's been out for... forever.

and who here is NOT highlighting the friggin spoiler black boxes?  anyone? raise your hand and we shall continue with the CIA report.

Actually, I wasn't since I haven't seen a lot of this stuff. Well but yeah I have seen the Shining.


wakela

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Reply #21 on: December 04, 2009, 12:41:11 AM
Glad that Nosfertau is getting some love.  I happened to stumble across this article on it written by Roger Ebert.



Swamp

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Reply #22 on: December 10, 2009, 02:25:34 PM
I made the poll period for two weeks because I wanted to give you time to check out some of the movies you may not have seen.  I thought about allowing you three weeks for this purpose, but didn't want to drag out the poll too long for those who don't plan on reviewing.  Most of the links I provided come with trailers so that may help as well.  Let me know what you think.

So, just a check.  Is anybody trying to watch the movies before they vote?  Should I continue to give the poll a two week voting period, or should I shorten it to a week per group?

One day left for voting on Group 1
« Last Edit: December 10, 2009, 02:27:16 PM by Swamp »

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Effie Collins

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Reply #23 on: April 15, 2010, 06:26:08 PM
LOL... I was warned that this thread was over 120 days old. Talk about a resurrection!

Nosferatu... I have no words. Simply a beautiful movie. I don't know why so many films went on with such horrible attempts at makeup jobs afterward, but this one was great. The black and white is kiss-my-fingertips good. It adds to the authenticity of the film. Just good movie, right there.

But cluck me till I cry, y'all. The Shining? Really? Most of the story wasn't even there! Not to mention that awful little finger-wiggling-croaky thing they had going on. WTF? That was not, in any way, even close to Tony. Tony was supposed to be an older version of Danny, for Krispy-Creme's sake! Not a wiggling finger! *shakes head* Even as a stand alone film, without the comparison to the novel, it's a sad horror film that doesn't even begin to seep into my top 100.

Oh well. As the late, great Swayze said in Road House... opinions vary.

ETA: I don't know how to do the spoiler cover thingy... that's new to me. If someone will explain, I shall cover the little tid-bit in here up. Please and thank you so verra much.
« Last Edit: April 15, 2010, 06:29:22 PM by Effie Collins »

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Swamp

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Reply #24 on: April 15, 2010, 06:55:25 PM
Well, since my love for The Shining is really what started this whole mess, I should at least stand up to defend it here.  ;D

First off, full disclosure, I have not read the Stephen King book, so maybe having nothing to compare it to has a lot to do with it, but I think Kubrick really put together a masterpiece.  Its patient, disturbing, from-your mind, not in-your-face horror.  Of course, at the end, you have the chasing with an axe, trapped in a room, will-they-make-it kind of action, but it is in no way a slasher movie.  We see the development of madness and understand the dreadful history of the setting.  With a small cast, closed quarters, and the errie music throughout made for absolute creepy.  And yes, Nicholson really sold the crazy guy, but I don't think it is just him.

Like say, I'm sure the book does a much better job of getting into the history and immersing the reader into the madness even more, but for me, the movie did a great job.  I've said this before, but the trailer for this movie alone made my little sister cry and shake with fear.

I understand it's not the same for everybody.

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