Horror Movies

superfish

RopeDrink wrote: »

Read most of P1 and P3 - As expected in a thread with three pages, most of my suggestions have long since been posted...

However, I'll list them out anyways - I'm an avid horror fan but, like many, am pretty gutted at how tarnished and hackneyed it's become with Hollywood assuming a Horror is soley comprised of *OTT Gore & High Pitched Sounds to indicate 'omg something happened in the last 0.5 seconds' cheap tactics, or that it's always a good idea to just remake all the Asian Horrors rather than make their own.

List has a blend of old and relatively new.

The Thing - Absolute classic and the effects still look pretty decent to this day. "Isolation & Whoddunit" getting kinky with "Sci-Fi & Horror" to make one very enjoyable old-school movie. It's not scary per se, has it's jumpy moments, but it'll sure as hell give you the odd wide-eyed feeling.

Pontypool - Watched it last night. Low budget flick mostly rotating around 3-4 characters and relies heavily on atmosphere and tension over jumps and gore. A refreshing take on the Zombie Genre with a twist, absolutely loved it.

The Mist - Without a doubt a solid remake (Who thought they existed?) - Good use of bouncing the tension between what lurks outside and what those inside are capable of. Likeable characters and decent acting.

A Tale Of Two Sisters - This one's a bit awkward. I found it somewhat typical but thus far this movie still remains the only horror film to date that genuinely made my hair stand on end in one particular scene. Sure, some horror films make me antsy or hyper aware when I get into it and the tension is good, but I've never genuinely been 'scared' full on, and this movie did it. Goes a bit bat**** at times but overall an enjoyable movie.

Ringu / The Ring - Not much more can be said on this one. I will admit I didn't mind the remake, either, probably because I saw it in an absolutely packed cinema and got a kick out of the audience jumping at key scenes, but a lot of the remake is ruined by bad movie choices, like constantly cutting an attempted tense/scary scene to an annoying car chase/rush multiple times, ruining it. If you've not seen either one, make a point of doing so - But by all means prioritize the original/Japanese version if you get the choice.

The Eye - Another Asian Horror - As far as I know it was intended to be remade, or already had been remade (Suprise suprise) and I hear said remake is ghastly. The original version isn't half bad - Not as scary or as tense as other flicks but it sure has it's moments and was definately worth the watch.

Nightmare on Elm Street - Don't get me wrong - As an avid Freddy Fan, even I didn't mind the remake, but the person claiming the new Freddy has even a remote patch on Robert Englund's Freddy is insane - The first NMOElmStreet didn't rely as much on RE to carry it with the cheesy, fun, likeable Freddy Child Killer of later Elm Street movies because it was a genuine horror, at least mostly. If you're ever going to watch one, watch the first - But thats not saying SOME of the later movies aren't worth the watch even if for the cheesy fun of Freddy killing people in imaginative ways while throwing out funky one-liners, if you like that sort of thing.

The Descent - I have yet to see this movie, which is a shame considering I call myself a HUGE horror fan and also having heard nothing but PRAISE for this movie... But, thats just it, I've heard absolutely nothing but praise for it from everyone around me (Not talking about Boards) so even I'm curious to see it.

Poltergeist - Absolute classic. May not have dated as well as other older movies but this is still as likeable as ever and definately worth seeing if you haven't already.

The Birds - Never watched it fully, but it's one of those old-school classics that are always referenced to, always crops up and generally always gets positive remarks from most sides.

The Omen - Loved this old movie. It's not so much a horror but it has it's moments and also has some very memorable scenes - One in particular both me and my father always remember and enjoy anytime the movie is on despite both having seen this movie countless times and also when we were both young. This has also been remade and, in fairness, the remake isn't half bad though, like always, the original would be the one to see.

Splinter - Low budget, largely unknown movie I stumbled apon recently and watched with my girlfriend. It's gotten a lot of acclaim and positive reviews and it gave my girlfriend the creeps at times, though I wouldn't class it as too scary - Enjoyable, nonetheless.

28 Days Later & 28 Weeks Later - One of the rare occasions I enjoyed the sequel almost as much if not equally than the original. Both these movies have quite a few memorable scenes and set-pieces, blend of outright scare tactics and plain tension, generally likeable characters to root for and, of course, moments of nastiness. I'd avoid if you're a bit squeemish though, it does have moments of just plain nasty gore though it's never really the focus point. Both tend to rush it near the end but overall an enjoyable watch on both occasions.

Dog Soldiers - Not a true horror - Has a handful of slight jump-scene attempts but ultimately it's all about rooting for the underdog's in a murderous werewolf setting. This movie is more of a testosterone fuelled fun-fest with some genuinely funny scenes ontop of the light survival horror. Was on TV recently and I watched it for the third time seeing as my girlfriend hadn't seen it and even she loved it, with her reactions to it proving to be all the entertainment I needed to keep on enjoying it. Didn't really think it'd be the type of movie to enjoy as a couple but yes, it turned out to be a good choice.

Creep - Quite enjoyed this. The concept alone is pretty basic (Girls falls asleep waiting for the subway, girl wakes up completely locked inside and finds there's more lurking in the dark than just rats). Has a few nasty moments but it's another one of those 'rooting for the underdog' movies that isn't getting buckets of blood lobbed all over it every 5seconds.


I'll leave it at that for now, I'm sure more will come to mind as I go.

Note, the above is listed based on the fact that I've seen them, and I enjoyed them. It doesn't fully take into account that the OP doesn't want gore and is more interested in the psychological but thankfully most of note are definately not gorefests.

wow Ive never been in so much agreement with anybody in my whole life, excellent taste in films I remember watching poltergeist at a young age it traumatized me but ive not been able to watch anything but horror since lol

another few id recommend is event horizon, I spit on your grave, pandorum,the collector and dead silence

Otis Driftwood

RopeDrink wrote: »

The Mist - Without a doubt a solid remake (Who thought they existed?) - Good use of bouncing the tension between what lurks outside and what those inside are capable of. Likeable characters and decent acting.

I presume you mean adaptation rather than remake.
Agree with you 100%,its an outstanding horror movie.Have you seen the black and white version?The one downside of the colour version is that the CGI can sometimes be a little bit intrusive but in B+W it integrates almost seemlessly.There are also some added and extended scenes in the B+W version that develop the charectors further.

RopeDrink wrote: »

The Eye - Another Asian Horror - As far as I know it was intended to be remade, or already had been remade (Suprise suprise) and I hear said remake is ghastly. The original version isn't half bad - Not as scary or as tense as other flicks but it sure has it's moments and was definately worth the watch.

Already remade.Even the pure hawtness that is Jessica Alba cant save it from being muck.

RopeDrink wrote: »

The Descent - I have yet to see this movie, which is a shame considering I call myself a HUGE horror fan and also having heard nothing but PRAISE for this movie... But, thats just it, I've heard absolutely nothing but praise for it from everyone around me (Not talking about Boards) so even I'm curious to see it.

I seem to be one of the few that werent overly enamoured with The Descent.Dont get me wrong,its an ok film but I really dont get the amount of praise it gets from alot of quarters.

IamMetaldave

Some awesome posts here, I watched Session 9 based off a post back a few pages, great yarn, I wasn't too spooked by it, but enjoyed it none the less.

I haven't seen it posted, but I highly recommend The Poughkeepsie Tapes, it's set out like a documentary you'd see on Discovery or something, dark dark film.

Nice to see Martyrs get such a mention, that film left me with my jaw on the floor! Absolutely loved it. Also, Them (Ils) really got to me.

Mike Litoris

RopeDrink wrote: »

The Omen - Loved this old movie. It's not so much a horror but it has it's moments and also has some very memorable scenes - One in particular both me and my father always remember and enjoy anytime the movie is on despite both having seen this movie countless times and also when we were both young. This has also been remade and, in fairness, the remake isn't half bad though, like always, the original would be the one to see.

Awesome list first of all.

Good to hear someone not totally discounting this remake. Never liked the original but loved the remake, its one of my favourite horrors.

BTW, among the classics, I noticed the Exorcist missing from you list. Not a fan?

MiniSquish

The Last Exorcism was the preacher/demonic possession movie

Mike Litoris

kryogen wrote: »

any chance you could point me in the direction of that essay?

Couldn't see a reply to this but this guy does a nice analysis of The Shining. Check out his other stuff too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lEulbcXkgjo

superfish

MiniSquish wrote: »

The Last Exorcism was the preacher/demonic possession movie

it was also one of the worst movies ive seen in a long time along with paranormal activity why do they bother making this rubbish ?

MiniSquish

Earlier in the thread someone mentioned scary tv shows- I used to be obsessed with Buffy when I was younger and there were three episodes that I just found really freaky:

Hush :

These creepy demon men came to town and they stole everyone's voices so that when they went around harvesting peoples hearts no onecould scream. The whole episode was shot with no one speaking properly through out and they won awards for it because it was really well done.

Killed by Death:

There's this monster that stalks the childrens ward in the hospital killing off children suffering from the flu. Buffy has to inject herself with the flu virus in order to be able to see the monster and stop him.

Helpless:

As a test set up by the Watchers Council Buffy is stripped of her powers and forced to fight a super strong vampire to the death.

Harpers Island was a show that aired on Network Two for around 13 episodes. It was a like a game of Cluedo nearly involving a wedding party set on an island that had been home to a killer years previously. Every week someone got murdered and you had to try and guess who the killer was. I really enjoyed it, even though it was a bit cheesy at times!

Another film years ago that really freaked me out was House on Haunted Hill. All my friend would have to do is flash the cover at me in Xtra-Vision and I'd be thrown back to the terrified feeling I had while watching it

superfish

what about that tv series called walking the dead, has anyone seen this yet and is it any good, ive heard great things about it and am dying to watch it as zombies are my fave but cant find a decent download of it anywhere, will it be coming to irish tv or freesat ??

MiniSquish

I had never seen that Zombie tv series you were talking about or heard of it but I looked it up on Wiki there and it looks good. It says that the Season 1 box set was released on the 8th of last month. Maybe you could find it in HMV?

Otis Driftwood

superfish wrote: »

what about that tv series called walking the dead, has anyone seen this yet and is it any good, ive heard great things about it and am dying to watch it as zombies are my fave but cant find a decent download of it anywhere, will it be coming to irish tv or freesat ??

The Walking Dead is outstanding.

FX showed it a few months ago.There are only 6 episodes in season one so its a bit of a slow burner but it is excellent,then again I am a sucker for traditional zombies.

superfish

<snip>

Sad Professor

Superfish, please read the forum charter. Any discussion of illegal downloading is strictly against the rules of this forum. Don't ask, don't tell.

/mod

superfish

Sad Professor wrote: »

Superfish, please read the forum charter. Any discussion of illegal downloading is strictly against the rules of this forum. Don't ask, don't tell.

/mod

but I just said download a film I never referred to any particular site legal or ilegal ? Il know for future reference then

innocent until proven guilty lol

Hank Scorpio

Been mentioned a few times, but Eden Lake. Im a huge horror fan and this is one, maybe the only film in recent years that scared the crap outta me.

IamMetaldave

+ 1 For The Walking Dead, absolutely excellent. I'm not usually one for zombie anything to be honest, but at the same time they never call them zombies in it, not even once.

rossc007

nuxxx wrote: »

Been mentioned a few times, but Eden Lake. Im a huge horror fan and this is one, maybe the only film in recent years that scared the crap outta me.

Watched Eden Lake last night on the advise from this thread, great film, really enjoyed it, but not a horror IMO.

Am I the only one who didnt like the walking dead? I mean its OK but it hardly brings anything new to the genre... Acting isnt great either

superfish

just finished watching walking the dead all I can say is wow one of the best series ive ever seen so well thought out, does anyone know when season 2 is out ? mark my words this will be a classic some day

westies4ever

Spunge wrote: »

Not sure if already mentioned but The Orphanage is good.

+1 for the orohanage - very very creepy, original and ultimately heartbreaking - the americans are remaking it so catch it while you can!

Otis Driftwood

I watched Hatchet for the first time tonight and it is great fun.Its pretty much a standard deformed red neck kills for fun film but never takes itself too seriously,has cameos from Robert Englund and Tony Todd and has some super gory kills in it with not a single bit of CGI to be seen.

Pure cheese but thoroughly enjoyable cheese.

westies4ever

Otis Driftwood wrote: »

I watched Hatchet for the first time tonight and it is great fun.Its pretty much a standard deformed red neck kills for fun film but never takes itself too seriously,has cameos from Robert Englund and Tony Todd and has some super gory kills in it with not a single bit of CGI to be seen.

Pure cheese but thoroughly enjoyable cheese.

yeah its good fun but a lot more brutal than your average slasher! sequel recently released but havent seen it yet!

Otis Driftwood

Heard the sequel is pretty lame tbh.

westies4ever

will give it a miss though. am currently watching slumber party massacre - it was on the horror channle last week - not great! good horrors are so rare.

The King of Moo

I'm a huge horror freak so I'm really resisting the urge to post a list!
Instead I'm going to try to write the occasional post about a single horror film.
I'll start with one I don't think has been mentioned yet but is one of my favourites.

The Haunting (1963)

Based on a novel by Shirley Jackson (avoid the remake with Liam Neeson).
Fantastically atmospheric and very subtle. There's not a huge number of scare scenes in this film, but it has a fantastic sense of creeping dread and tension. This is achieved in simple, subtle ways, like the way so many shots are just slightly off centre, or the way the camera will linger on an statue for just too long to make it appear to move.
Yet it still has some great scary hair-raising moments, many of which tap into very basic human fears which means they're easy to relate to and don't require a great deal of suspension of disbelief.
It also maintains an air of realism by being ambiguous about the nature of what's going on, playing with the idea that it might all be psychological.

The director, Robert Wise, had cut his teeth working on the ambiguous, atmospheric and psychologically-based horrors produced by Val Lewton in the 1940s, and this film serves as a tribute to those films as well as an epitome of the style.

A brilliant combination of tension and shocks, with a fantastically creepy atmosphere.

Skinfull

Watched a movie last night called "Megan is Missing" and its one of those "found Footage" movies about two 14 year old girls who go missing within a month of each other.

The acting was cringy both on screen and voice overs but it was put together rather nicely. Insert of photos, news footage etc.

Rather a disturbing ending that was kinda over kill but had been building up to it for a while so more fool me for continuing to watch. The rape scene was way too much and quite tough to watch, but I don't want to say it was gratuitous as anything less would have been glossing over the situation. Then the burial at the end is chilling.

Horror? Maybe not. tougher to watch than Hard Candy, and tougher to "pigeon hole" too. I'm neither recommending you watch or avoid, I don't want to be responsible for anyone else watching it.

buck65

Anyone watch Let the right one in?

rossc007

buck65 wrote: »

Anyone watch Let the right one in?

I've seen it, and the English version, the original is really good.

trixie_belle12

rossc007 wrote: »

I've seen it, and the English version, the original is really good.

Haven't seen it but have heard good feedback on the original.

westies4ever

buck65 wrote: »

Anyone watch Let the right one in?

Its fantastic, havent seen the remake though. However, I recommend reading the book - while the film is excellent its doesnt even come close to the book - an amazing read.

Sugarlumps

Yeah, the book is amazing.