Author Topic: Best Horror Movie Ever Poll - Quaterfinal 3 of 4  (Read 8436 times)

Swamp

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on: September 14, 2010, 06:39:00 PM
Last week, The Thing pulled out a coup d'état to beat out Silence of the Lambs.  I guess some of it may boil down to the distinction between psychological thriller vs. horror, or possibly a bias toward sci-fi.  All I know is that one can't rely on past polls in the series to predict the outcome.  It's actually kind of cool.

This week we have a very similar match-up.  Will sci-fi horror emerge victorius again?  How about everybody vote and we'll see how it works out.
« Last Edit: September 29, 2010, 04:08:24 PM by Swamp »

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DKT

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Reply #1 on: September 14, 2010, 06:42:07 PM
Yeeeeeeeesh. Last week's wasn't exactly easy, but this one is going to be really tough for me. I love both these movies so so much.


Scattercat

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Reply #2 on: September 14, 2010, 08:16:04 PM
I love Se7en a lot, but Alien just defines the horror movie for me, from the sense of isolation to the revelation of shared culpability to the lingering unexplained mysteries.  Se7en has a little bit too much Xanatos Roulette going on for me to fully endorse it, and it also relies too heavily on shocking gore for my taste.  I think Se7en has a stronger theme that is better incorporated into the work, but Alien is the superior piece of horror cinema.



DKT

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Reply #3 on: September 14, 2010, 08:42:46 PM
Whereas I agree with a lot of that, few films have disturbed me quite like Se7en did. I guess there was a load of gore in it, but at the same time it seemed less splatterific than most gore-infused films and relied heavily on other things to really upset/disturb. IIRC, we generally just saw the aftermath of the crimes, and sometimes that's more terrifying than seeing the actual events unfold.

(I'm also reminded that I really need to check out the last few movies Fincher directed. Yeesh.)


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Reply #4 on: September 14, 2010, 10:05:29 PM
Oh, I agree; "Se7en" is hardly the "Saw" series.  "Se7en" is at my limits for personal taste, as I dislike torture quite a lot; I think it uses it well and skillfully, but I don't like it.  "Alien" is action-y violence and gore, which is easier to deal with.



eytanz

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Reply #5 on: September 15, 2010, 11:02:48 AM
I, too, found Se7en a bit much for my tastes. It's definitely a good movie, and it uses Gore and torture to make a point rather than just exploitation. However, it was very difficult for me to watch. For me, it was *too* effective, taking it past the realm of horror entertainment and into the realm of things I don't particularly want to see.



FireTurtle

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Reply #6 on: September 15, 2010, 02:51:12 PM
I, too, found Se7en a bit much for my tastes. It's definitely a good movie, and it uses Gore and torture to make a point rather than just exploitation. However, it was very difficult for me to watch. For me, it was *too* effective, taking it past the realm of horror entertainment and into the realm of things I don't particularly want to see.

Whereas, you know, an alien bursting out of someone's chest at the dinner table is quite tasteful if well executed.  ;D

No, really, I am glad to see I'm not the only one who had trouble with the "ickiness" of Se7en. It falls into the same category as the Silence of the Lambs for me. Yeah, I can see that it is really a good film but I can't overcome my squeamishness to actually "enjoy" it.

Plus, I mean, although not particularly faithful, Alien is sort of an homage to Starship Troopers.

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Fenrix

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Reply #7 on: September 15, 2010, 03:01:21 PM
I, too, found Se7en a bit much for my tastes. It's definitely a good movie, and it uses Gore and torture to make a point rather than just exploitation. However, it was very difficult for me to watch. For me, it was *too* effective, taking it past the realm of horror entertainment and into the realm of things I don't particularly want to see.

No, really, I am glad to see I'm not the only one who had trouble with the "ickiness" of Se7en. It falls into the same category as the Silence of the Lambs for me. Yeah, I can see that it is really a good film but I can't overcome my squeamishness to actually "enjoy" it.

Plus, I mean, although not particularly faithful, Alien is sort of an homage to Starship Troopers.

The points you raise are pretty much why I voted for it. Alien is a great scary movie. Se7en profoundly disturbed me when I first saw it, and it still has an impact every time I rewatch it. Same reason I voted for Sielnce of the Lambs. I find the terrible things your fellow man can do more disturbing than monsters from outer space.

I'd quibble that it's a nod rather than an homage. Regardless, if it's an homage to Starship Troopers, Alien is more faithful to the book than the movie with that name.

Whereas, you know, an alien bursting out of someone's chest at the dinner table is quite tasteful if well executed.  ;D




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Talia

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Reply #8 on: September 15, 2010, 03:28:35 PM
I am shocked, I tell you shocked, that "Human Centipede" isn't a finalist.



eytanz

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Reply #9 on: September 15, 2010, 09:20:26 PM
I actually had a pretty different reaction to Se7en and Silence of the Lambs. They both disturbed and scared me (I saw each only once), but for Silence, I was able to keep more of the mental distance I need in order to be able to enjoy horror.

It's not the gore in Se7en (or Silence, or the chest-bursting scene) that got to me, by the way. It's rather the entire atmosphere. Both Alien and Silence of the Lambs present a world that has both good and bad aspects to it. It's a world where horrible things happen, sometimes to good people, but with enough resourcefulness and luck you may fight back. Some people will win the fight, and some people will lose, but life, in both these worlds, is worth fighting for.

In Se7en, there was exactly one good thing in the movie - Gwynneth Paltrow's character and her relationship with her husband. Everything else is grimy, disgusting, and evil. And the good in the movie is killed off off-screen, while everyone's attention is elsewhere. That's what really got to me about this movie. The horrific acts performed are really just a distraction; there's no real point to stopping a killer since life in this world isn't worth living anyway. Maybe for some people that makes it a better horror film, but for me it makes it something I just don't wish to engage with.



FireTurtle

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Reply #10 on: September 15, 2010, 09:44:03 PM
Quote
I'd quibble that it's a nod rather than an homage. Regardless, if it's an homage to Starship Troopers, Alien is more faithful to the book than the movie with that name.

Yes, "sort of an homage" = "nod" in Fireturtle-speak. No quibble neccesary. I am trying very hard to forget that "other" movie was ever made (you know the one with the title that is the same as the book). I die inside a little everytime I think of it.

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Swamp

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Reply #11 on: September 20, 2010, 11:25:45 PM
The poll will end tomorrow.

I am loving the discussion on the movies this round because 1) I find in interesting, and 2) it brings more voters in.

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kibitzer

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Reply #12 on: September 21, 2010, 03:12:23 AM
Hey Fenrix, that chest-burster picture is GOLD man! Had me laughing for quite a while.

Se7en seriously, seriously creeped me out. At the time I was a fair bit younger and had watched a lot less violence and darkness on the screen. Also, I was still clinging to the illusion of my religion and the whole seven sins theme added further to my discomfort. There's a few films I've watched where afterwards I've thought, "did I really need to see that?" This was one.

Having said that, I watched it again recently and didn't find it half so affecting. I guess it's a one-time thing? Hopkins' Hannibal Lecter, however, creeps me out every time. Boy, that guy can act.


kibitzer

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Reply #13 on: September 21, 2010, 03:13:59 AM
I am shocked, I tell you shocked, that "Human Centipede" isn't a finalist.

I'm afraid to ask whether you've seen it. I heard a review recently... based on that, I shall be nowhere near that particular cinematic experience.


Talia

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Reply #14 on: September 21, 2010, 03:18:13 AM
I am shocked, I tell you shocked, that "Human Centipede" isn't a finalist.

I'm afraid to ask whether you've seen it. I heard a review recently... based on that, I shall be nowhere near that particular cinematic experience.

Heck no. There are much better films to view, like the epic classic "2394 Hours of Watching Paint Dry."



Scattercat

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Reply #15 on: September 21, 2010, 03:28:32 AM
Some guy made a movie once where he just filmed himself sleeping.  That one's probably a better bet.



Swamp

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Reply #16 on: September 21, 2010, 08:19:24 PM
Quote from the winner:

"You still don't understand what you're dealing with, do you?  Perfect organism.  Its structural perfection is matched only by its hostility." - Ash, Alien

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