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Good Horror Movies

Started by Hank Venture, August 19, 2013, 11:37:32 PM

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BlodwynPig

Quote from: billtheburger on August 20, 2013, 04:42:01 PM
But I could make a Paul Naschy horror film sound great if I did that.

Pig killings.


Turned me right off.

Marty McFly

Psycho II and Psycho III are cracking sequels, the third one especially which is even directed by Anthony Perkins himself. They're both coming out on Blu-ray soon with screenwriter commentaries as well.

Noodle Lizard

Quote from: zomgmouse on August 20, 2013, 08:53:21 AM
Out of the really, really early European ones I think I've only seen Vampyr and Nosferatu and, if you count it, The Phantom Carriage. Out of the Universal ones I've only seen Dracula and Frankenstein, and also the Spanish-language version of Dracula, which was, like a lot of other films at the time, made on the same set with the same script, but with different actors... and at night. In many ways, it's a more haunting rendition of the story than the Lugosi one.

You've not seen 'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'?  You should probably rectify that, post-haste!

Hank Venture

Hello again, my little wanklets.

I've been watching a YouTube series about cult horror movies, and have thusly amassed quite a collection of the feisty little buggers.

I'm starting Sleepaway Camp now.

Hank Venture

Ten minutes in... Is this a joke? It seems like utter shit. The mother in the beginning might be the worst actor I've ever seen.

I'm tired, continuing my swandive into the horror rabbithole tomorrah.

Noodle Lizard

Quote from: Hank Venture on August 21, 2013, 12:15:55 AM
Ten minutes in... Is this a joke? It seems like utter shit. The mother in the beginning might be the worst actor I've ever seen.

I'm tired, continuing my swandive into the horror rabbithole tomorrah.

... eh, I think you've probably got some ways to go before getting into the campy slasher movies.  Maybe start with some of the more serious ones included on my (and a couple of other) lists.

Noodle Lizard

Oh and if you haven't already seen it, 'Ghostwatch'.  Fucking 'Ghostwatch'.

Hank Venture

By the way, are there any similar English YouTube channels to this one: http://www.youtube.com/user/Filmjunkiene

They make lists of different kinds (Top 10 Slashers, Post-Apocalyptic Movies, Obscure Gems, Italian giallo movies, Eurocrime etc), review movies and take the piss out of sleazy b-movies a lot. They're film nerds talking about b-movies and cult movies, and are actually quite funny and charming whilst doing so, unlike a certain Cinema Snob, whom I find to be pretty insufferable.

Hank Venture

Oh, and films mentioned in the thread I've seen:
- The Cabin in the Woods (great, loved it)
- Tucker & Dale vs. Evil (very good)
- The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (very good)
- Scream (good)
- Kill List (good up until the end, which I didn't enjoy)

I've got Angst and Black Sabbath lined up for the coming days.

Noodle Lizard

Quote from: Hank Venture on August 21, 2013, 12:49:15 AMI've got Angst and Black Sabbath lined up for the coming days.

I should have mentioned, be careful which version of 'Black Sabbath' you get.  There's an American cut which is still widely-circulated in which the segments are inexplicably re-arranged and which does a good job of butchering one segment.  I'd recommend getting hold of the Italian version, though it unfortunately has the traditionally weird post-syncing (dubbing), which makes Boris Karloff's scenes fairly comical.  It may be useful to search using the original title: 'I tre volti della paura'.

I think there are only two versions, but put it this way:  if it starts with 'A Drop Of Water', you're watching the WRONG version and should immediately stop what you're doing and think about what you've done.

Rev

Quote from: Hank Venture on August 21, 2013, 12:15:55 AM
Ten minutes in... Is this a joke? It seems like utter shit. The mother in the beginning might be the worst actor I've ever seen.

I'm tired, continuing my swandive into the horror rabbithole tomorrah.

As mentioned, it's probably not the best recommendation straight off the bat if you're new to this stuff.  And yes, it's both deliberately and accidentally terrible, but glorious.

zomgmouse

Quote from: Noodle Lizard on August 20, 2013, 09:22:32 PM
You've not seen 'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'?  You should probably rectify that, post-haste!
Oh yeah! I forgot about that. Oops.

Quote from: Hank Venture on August 21, 2013, 12:49:15 AM

- Kill List (good up until the end, which I didn't enjoy)

But it's not really a horror film until the end, is it?

There's this list of the "top 500 horror films" according to the IMDb horror board, which is mostly pretty good (500 is a lot, so they can cover some more obscure things) but I don't entirely trust it because they list Deliverance and Straw Dogs as horrors.

Noodle Lizard

Quote from: zomgmouse on August 21, 2013, 03:38:08 AMThere's this list of the "top 500 horror films" according to the IMDb horror board, which is mostly pretty good (500 is a lot, so they can cover some more obscure things) but I don't entirely trust it because they list Deliverance and Straw Dogs as horrors.

Ehh ... they sort of are, aren't they?  I mean, no, but sort of.  They are, really.  In one way.  But not really horrors, no.

Famous Mortimer

Quote from: GeeWhiz on August 20, 2013, 02:28:49 PM
I put together a list of overlooked Brit horrors for Den of Geek, which inevitably brought out the nerd rage for not being obscure enough. Link is here:

http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/18165/10-overlooked-british-horror-curios
"Death Line" is in it, therefore I approve. The baddie's rendition of "Mind the gap" means whenever I hear that phrase I repeat it in his voice, which occasionally weirds people out (should I be near them when it happens).

Despite a promising opening 20-30 minutes, Excision ended up being rubbish. Thanks guys.

biggytitbo

Quote from: Thomas on August 20, 2013, 01:54:26 AM
Well, I just watched this one, and -
Spoiler alert
wobbling child actors and general eighties-ness aside
[close]
- it chilled me more than any horror films I've watched recently.

If we're talking TV, 'Mirror, Mirror' the Scorcese directed episode of Amazing Stories is pretty chilling.

biggytitbo

Quote from: Famous Mortimer on August 21, 2013, 08:36:09 AM
"Death Line" is in it, therefore I approve. The baddie's rendition of "Mind the gap" means whenever I hear that phrase I repeat it in his voice, which occasionally weirds people out (should I be near them when it happens).


Donald 'un' Pleasence is particularly brilliant in Death Line too.

alan nagsworth

Does 'Night of the Hunter' qualify? I found it to be deeply unsettling with a distinctly woozy and dreamlike quality to it that makes the whole thing seem like an extremely vivid nightmare. It is of course regarded as a masterpiece in brooding terror nowadays and an obvious precursor to the works of David Lynch and the like.

Robert Mitchum absolutely blows it out of the water, playing a role that I imagine for its time was very unconventional and shocking. The fact that it was all filmed using indoor sets, including the frankly beautiful and haunting riverboat scenes, really adds to that odd dreamlike quality of the film and echoes the vibe you'd get in Michel Gondry's work nowadays, albeit a lot less fantastical, but still leaving the viewer with as much of a geographical and psychological pinpoint as the children in the boat themselves. Truly unique and wonderful film making for its time.

'Rosemary's Baby' will always be my go-to horror movie shout-out, being a true masterpiece of trembling edge-of-the-seat suspense that still puts most films that came after it to shame. Told entirely from the point of view of the protagonist, keeping the viewer almost entirely in the dark the whole way through, without any silly jump scares and nearly totally void of any visual nastiness altogether. It starts of as an idyllic portrait of a young and ambitious couple completely in love and slowly descends into complete and total despair and paranoia.

I fucking adore the 'what you don't see' element to good horror movies and regard it to be an all too forgotten method of great film making, and 'Rosemary's Baby' really is the absolute pinnacle for me. The same would apply to 'The Wicker Man' too, if it weren't for the climactic scene being plastered all over the posters and covers, which I still think was a bad move. That film is terrifying and suspenseful enough as it is, and I can only imagine how much greater it would have been if it weren't for that one revealing image.

Danger Man

Quote from: Hank Venture on August 20, 2013, 10:40:13 PM
I'm starting Sleepaway Camp now.

Cheesy B-movie with a surprisingly creepy ending.....

I watched Blow Up under perfect conditions and found the 'photography' bit one of the creepiest things I have ever seen.

The ending of Ring (Japan, 1998) is also a cracker.

Hank Venture

One of the camp bullies just got assaulted with a wasps nest while mid-shit.

The film is quite boring and, to be honest, shit - until the deaths come along. The corpse effects are quite good, the make-up and that. Liked the snake coming out of the mouth of the drowned guy.

grassbath

Have you managed to finish it yet? That's the crucial question when it comes to Sleepaway Camp.

I'd recommend Possession (1981) with Sam Neill and Isabelle Adjani. I'm pretty sure there's a full version up on YouTube. I thought it was a little slow initially but was not at all disappointed by where it went. Some seriously excellent grotesque and creepy acting by Adjani as well.

Hank Venture

Hahaha, that ending was grand. 6/10 for Sleepaway Camp.

zomgmouse

Quote from: Noodle Lizard on August 21, 2013, 03:45:05 AM
Ehh ... they sort of are, aren't they?  I mean, no, but sort of.  They are, really.  In one way.  But not really horrors, no.
That's the thing. The line is so flimsy here. Obviously it doesn't have to be a supernatural element that provides the horror (otherwise slashers would be... slashed... from the genre) but how "regular" can you make it without it just being a thriller of sorts? Psycho's another one - is that really a horror film? I also get annoyed when people put Freaks into the horror category - to me that's more of a melodrama.

Much as I liked The Night of the Hunter, I'd say it's stretching it a bit to call it a horror film. But is it? Now I'm not sure myself. He is a serial killer, after all. But does making a film be about a serial killer necessarily put it in the horror category? Or is that just a crime film? Of course it doesn't just have to be one or the other and incessant categorisation is often fruitless, but on the other hand, where is the line?

Mini

People are often so snobby about horror that they refuse to call "good" or "artistic" films horror films, even when they definitely are. Psycho for instance is definitely horror. Well not definitely, that's not how it works. But I'd always classify it as such.

As for Sleepaway Camp, it is total crap surely? All it has is the admittedly effective ending.

Noodle Lizard

Quote from: Mini on August 22, 2013, 02:02:32 AM
People are often so snobby about horror that they refuse to call "good" or "artistic" films horror films, even when they definitely are. Psycho for instance is definitely horror. Well not definitely, that's not how it works. But I'd always classify it as such.

Almost everyone classifies 'Psycho' as a horror film.  It's in every 'TOP 10 HORROR FILMS!!!' list there is.  'Deliverance' and 'Straw Dogs' are trickier, and 'Blow Up' just isn't a horror film.  It's nothing to do with snobbishness - though usually they'll throw "psychological thriller" at a horror film they don't want to call "horror", like 'The Shining' and such.

Like obsessing over subgenres of music though, after a certain point it really does become pointless.

QuoteAs for Sleepaway Camp, it is total crap surely? All it has is the admittedly effective ending.

It fits very nicely into the campy slasher genre, it's not pretending to be any better than it is.  But the ending is surprisingly creepy for a slasher, a genre that never usually gets to me as much as supernatural stuff.

Sivead

Quote from: Hank Venture on August 21, 2013, 12:38:16 AM
By the way, are there any similar English YouTube channels to this one: http://www.youtube.com/user/Filmjunkiene

They make lists of different kinds (Top 10 Slashers, Post-Apocalyptic Movies, Obscure Gems, Italian giallo movies, Eurocrime etc), review movies and take the piss out of sleazy b-movies a lot. They're film nerds talking about b-movies and cult movies, and are actually quite funny and charming whilst doing so, unlike a certain Cinema Snob, whom I find to be pretty insufferable.

You probably already know but Red Letter Media's Best of the Worst can be a hoot, if only for the tubby guys laugh.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJ_TJFLc25JR3VZ7Xe-cmt4k3bMKBZ5Tm

Famous Mortimer

And RedLetterMedia did at least one surprisingly decent film of their own - "Feeding Frenzy". Low budget as hell, of course, but lots of fun.

Lyfjaberg

Carnival of Souls: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnival_of_Souls

"It has been cited as an important influence on the films of both David Lynch and George A. Romero."


The low budget spareness is handled masterfully. The principal actors all bring complementary qualities, to the point that even naked over-acting seems to fit in. The world created is so desperately naked it's almost skeletal, so the film just pops from the screen.

The horror is unsettling and overwhelming, oppressive and complete.


There is a Rifftrax, but I'd watch the original first. I watched the Rifftrax with my wife, and she was then desperate to watch the original, as she enjoyed the film so much.
A DVD rip of the original is torrentable, but it took me a few days to get it due to a small number of seeders.

Ignatius_S

Quote from: Lyfjaberg on August 22, 2013, 09:47:19 AM
Carnival of Souls: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnival_of_Souls

....A DVD rip of the original is torrentable, but it took me a few days to get it due to a small number of seeders.

The film is in public domain and is freely available online to watch and/or download.

For those who don't mind spending money, the Criterion version is a worthy investment.

*edit* The comment about money wasn't aimed at Lyfjaberg, btw - this is a film that can be obtained for free or next to nothing, but if you can stretch to it, I really do recommend the Criterion release.

Famous Mortimer

Completely agree with Ignatius_S (the Criterion version was the thing that made me start collecting Criterions).

Not only is there a Rifftrax of it, there's also Mike doing a commentary on the Legend Films release (colourised, so they could claim copyright on their original work). Mocking an absolute classic just doesn't work, and coincidentally it's the film that broke me of my Rifftrax purchasing.

I can't be complimentary enough about this film, really. The location is perfect, the acting all works well, the atmosphere of it all is thick and oppressive, it's just a gem of a film.