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What are your favorite horror movies?
03-11-2009, 07:55 AM (This post was last modified: 03-11-2009 02:10 PM by n107.)
Post: #1
What are your favorite horror movies?
I'm always looking for suggestions on horror movies that I may not have seen. However, taste in the horror genre is just as individual as that in comedies. Even so I think it's a good idea to share not only which movies we enjoy but also why we like them. It may help to give a fresh take on films we're already familiar with.

Here is my top 5. Positions 3-5 change frequently, but I think all the movies in this list are good enough to mention even if they don't always hold the same position in my opinion.

5. Ringu: The original Japanese film that led to "The Ring". Both films are similar, though they have a different side plot. I prefer the Japanese version to the remake as I'm usually a bigger fan of the "less is more" principle in horror. The special effects in the American version were good, but not always necessary. I don't think FX are needed to tell a good horror story and Ringu proves this. The movie is pretty cliche now and many of the themes that seemed new at the time have been copied 100 times over. Still it's a good movie in my eyes. I'd also like to add that I read the book that the film is based on and it is very different. I think I like the book more than the films, but the book is less horror than it is investigative mystery.

4. Evil Dead: The original Evil Dead is a great horror movie. Unlike the sequels which drifted into comedy (and are also very enjoyable movies), the first movie tried to be straight up horror (for the most part). It's low budget but filled with atmosphere and gore. Lots and lots of gore. I'm usually not a fan of tons of blood thrown into a movie, but it seemed to fit in with the simple nature of the concept. It's a movie that's best watched alone at night, but I'd recommend that for all horror movies.

3. Halloween: The classic slasher film. Although I own the recent Rob Zombie remake/reboot, it doesn't hold a candle to the original. What could be scarier than a silent, relentless maniac coming after you? The fact that he is not an imposing figure but somehow cannot be stopped makes it all the more terrifying. And that blank, expressionless mask really sells the feeling. Some of the film seems a bit on the cheesy side now after all these years but it does the job correctly. It's what all other slashers have tried to emulate with few ever coming close.

...

Ah, and now I have to go home from work! I'll have to write the rest later tonight when I'm online.

...

Ok, it's evening and I've had time to make mousse, play a round of AToE, watch a movie, and play Rock Band. Now back to the list.

2. The Blair Witch Project: This is one movie that I find people either love or hate. Luckily for me, I'm on the "love it" side. The thing that I love about it is that it is presented as realistic while obviously being a work of fiction. This is something that could happen: three students go out into unfamiliar woods, they get lost, fear takes over, and they're never seen again. Though we're led to believe that it may be the Blair Witch haunting them, we never get any proof that's what happened. It could have been anything from the supernatural to the ordinary. Perhaps there was a witch and they fell under her curse when they entered the woods. Maybe it's another specter of Native American lore that came after them for disturbing the stone markers (graves?). Another possibility could be one or more sadistic humans hunting down the easy prey and tormenting them until the end. Or it may be their frayed nerves and fears tearing them apart psychologically. As much as we get to see on tape we have to realize there's a lot more that was not on tape. The reason for their misfortune can be anything so it remains a mystery. That's what makes it so chilling: the unknown.
This movie does away with the garbage that Hollywood forces into a movie to make it "scary". There's no soundtrack waiting to blast your ear drums at certain moments to try to insist you should be scared. There are no overly made-up "ghosts" leaping into the camera in a cheap attempt to startle the audience. Those things are not scary; that's being annoying. Little brothers and sisters have been using those tricks to surprise family members for centuries. You don't categorize that as "horror". It's uncreative and unimaginative. The horror in the real world, the true horror that lies out there is what you do not know. It's what you do not see. It's the mystery surrounding how three vibrant youths can go out for a weekend and never been seen again. It's all the things that we can't explain and wonder if it could ever happen to us. That's the atmosphere of real horror.

1. Noroi (The Curse): This one is by far my favorite horror film and it's been at the top of my list since the first time I watched it. It can be described as being similar to the Blair Witch, although that really isn't fair. But I love the movie for most of the reasons that I listed above. Unlike the Blair Witch Project, this one definitely delves deep into the world of the supernatural. We're never left wondering if there was a ghost or a curse, we see it happen. For those unfamiliar with this Japanese film, it is mostly revealed through the footage of a documentary filmmaker named Kobayashi. He had done many documentaries on ghosts and spirits around Japan when he started to follow up leads for a new story. What we see in the movie, Noroi, is the completed documentary of his last investigation. The movie begins by telling the audience that after finishing "Noroi", Kobayashi's wife died when his house burned down while the director disappeared without a trace. Then we get to watch the documentary itself. Kobayashi's own footage (filmed by a professional cameraman, so there's very few "shaky cam" moments) is intermixed with segments from TV shows, news programs, and other film footage. All this seems unrelated as it comes up, but as the mystery begins to unravel we can see how all these events and people are connected. As creepy as his investigation is, it cannot compare to the final footage that was discovered after Kobayashi vanished.
Again, this is another movie that people seem to either love or hate. A lot of the complaints come from the long running time as well as the fact that no one is holding the audiences hand, telling them when to be scared. I think I love this movie because I'm a fan of both scary films and documentaries. If you watch this movie as a documentary, where you become engrossed in the material, you may find yourself sucked in to the disturbing horrors. That's not to say the film is without fault. Actually, the only things I don't like about the movie are few of the parts where you can see the supernatural happening on camera. Save for the end of the movie where I thought my stomach jumped for the last time at what I saw, only to rewatch the film and notice one more thing lurking in the background. It still gives me chills remembering the first time I saw it.
This movie is dear to my heart. I've shown it to all my friends and my family and they loved it too. The amazing thing is the only copy I have is, obviously, in Japanese with no subtitles. Even with me only roughly explaining what was going on from scene to scene, the movie was powerful enough to frighten those I've shown it to.

Well, there you go. I hope you enjoyed reading about the kinds of films I like and I really hope you all share your own with me. Of course, I should say that even though I love these films and call them "horror", I really don't find any movies scary. "Creepy" and "unsettling" are usually the strongest emotions I can pull from a film, but I appreciate the movies that can be original and effective without relying on cheap tricks and cliches to get the job done. I may post more later, but I need to catch my breath and read about other people's favorites first.
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03-11-2009, 01:47 PM
Post: #2
RE: What are your favorite horror movies?
I am not a fan of slasher flicks. Sure, I've seen plenty of them. They are frightening and gory, and all, but I just can't call myself a fan of them. I absolutely hate the 'torture porn' genre that these movies have morfed into.


I'm not sure what my 'favorite' is. I like the movies that give me chills. I really enjoyed Blair Witch Project. I found it scary and atmospheric. Lots of people I talk to said it was stupid, and NOT scary. Maybe it's because the first time I watched it was on a dark stormy night near Halloween....I agree with you about the 'realism' there.

The Ring freaked me out, but not as much as The Grudge did. Something about that little boy....eeek!

The one movie that is etched into my mind, and actually I won't even watch it again, is the EXORCIST. Something about that movie scares the hell out of me. I know it's just a flick, but still.

All that said, I tend to like my horror as 'creature features'. My all time favorite (right now anyhow) is SLITHER.

But, I enjoy things like Cloverfield....(not a great movie, but fun).

I'll have to check out a few of yours, but I'm not sure I can take it....maybe if I watch them on a bright sunny day!!!
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03-11-2009, 05:45 PM
Post: #3
RE: What are your favorite horror movies?
I can't really say that I have one favorite horrormovie in particular. I have many movies I like and it also depends on my own personal mood.
Never been a fan of the japanese ghost movies though (and don't even get me started on those stupid american remakes and the hype that came allong with those things).

Just out of the top of my head some movies that left an impression on me.

The Descent made me move around uneasely in my seat, never liked cramped spaces and those things that live underground had an awefull way of showing themselves for the first time. That scene where you see one standing behind someone in a flash...yikes...

Alien, the first one, also gave me that creepy "WHAT THE f IS IT!!???" feeling. I love that Zombie17

I also like movies that just shows true human nature. Like Texas Chainsaw Massacre and House Of A 1000 Corpses. Totaly no respect for human life and they only have one personal agenda and that is pleasing themselves.
On the other hand movies like Hostel are just brainfood for idiots, I despise it that they show those in theatres here and never show any of the good stuff.

Fido was good as well, I enjoyed that one Watchmen02 Domesticated zombies Zombie17

Shaun Of The Dead, comedy but good british stuff.

The Thing, awesome movie and a very creepy 'don't trust anyone' type of flow. Excellent special fx as well. Concidering the movie is now 27 years old Watchmen02

An American Werewolf in London Coyotes? There are no coyotes in england... :cool:

@n107, check out the spannish movie .Rec, I liked this one more than the Blair Witch. Ofcourse now you have again an american remake of it called Quarantine but I have not seen that one. Nor do I plan no watching it.

There are really to many movies I enjoy watching, again and again.

I am the reason God stopped watching.
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03-11-2009, 11:21 PM (This post was last modified: 03-11-2009 11:28 PM by n107.)
Post: #4
RE: What are your favorite horror movies?
supervike Wrote:I am not a fan of slasher flicks. Sure, I've seen plenty of them. They are frightening and gory, and all, but I just can't call myself a fan of them. I absolutely hate the 'torture porn' genre that these movies have morfed into.


I'm not sure what my 'favorite' is. I like the movies that give me chills. I really enjoyed Blair Witch Project. I found it scary and atmospheric. Lots of people I talk to said it was stupid, and NOT scary. Maybe it's because the first time I watched it was on a dark stormy night near Halloween....I agree with you about the 'realism' there.

The Ring freaked me out, but not as much as The Grudge did. Something about that little boy....eeek!

The one movie that is etched into my mind, and actually I won't even watch it again, is the EXORCIST. Something about that movie scares the hell out of me. I know it's just a flick, but still.

All that said, I tend to like my horror as 'creature features'. My all time favorite (right now anyhow) is SLITHER.

But, I enjoy things like Cloverfield....(not a great movie, but fun).

I'll have to check out a few of yours, but I'm not sure I can take it....maybe if I watch them on a bright sunny day!!!

The Grudge was ok but, again, I prefer the Japanese version. The thing I don't like about the US version is they try to make Sarah Michelle Gellar into the star and heroine. The story isn't supposed to have a hero. The star of the Japanese movie is the curse itself. That's the way it should be. I get sick of Hollywood trying to convince the audience that one beautiful 20-something is enough to take on a non-corporeal manifestation of evil.

Slither... what is Slither... I can't remember. I'll have to look it up but it sounds very familiar.

Oh, I did see Cloverfield and I think it's a fun movie, too. I don't really like typical giant monster movies, but this one isn't typical so it was fun.

One more thing, never watch a horror movie on a bright sunny day! Even if your heart can't take it, you owe it to yourself to see the stuff alone in the dark! Zombie03


Emp Wrote:I can't really say that I have one favorite horrormovie in particular. I have many movies I like and it also depends on my own personal mood.
Never been a fan of the japanese ghost movies though (and don't even get me started on those stupid american remakes and the hype that came allong with those things).

Just out of the top of my head some movies that left an impression on me.

The Descent made me move around uneasely in my seat, never liked cramped spaces and those things that live underground had an awefull way of showing themselves for the first time. That scene where you see one standing behind someone in a flash...yikes...

I watched "The Descent" and really hated it for most of the reasons why I also hate Hollywood movies. I thought the idea was great but the execution was terrible. Just wasn't my thing.

Quote:Alien, the first one, also gave me that creepy "WHAT THE f IS IT!!???" feeling. I love that Zombie17

I love it too. I even love "Aliens" though it moves from horror to action, still those were two very good movies for two different reasons.

Quote:I also like movies that just shows true human nature. Like Texas Chainsaw Massacre and House Of A 1000 Corpses. Totaly no respect for human life and they only have one personal agenda and that is pleasing themselves.
On the other hand movies like Hostel are just brainfood for idiots, I despise it that they show those in theatres here and never show any of the good stuff.

I do like the original TCM but I never watched House of 1000 Corpses the whole way through. I only caught bits of it years ago and it didn't hold my interest then. I'd like to give it another shot now when I specifically sit down to watch it, but I'll have to be in the mood for it.

Quote:Fido was good as well, I enjoyed that one Watchmen02 Domesticated zombies Zombie17

Shaun Of The Dead, comedy but good british stuff.

Never seen Fido but Shaun of the Dead is great. Part comedy, part horror, part drama, all enjoyable. Always a fun watch.

Quote:The Thing, awesome movie and a very creepy 'don't trust anyone' type of flow. Excellent special fx as well. Concidering the movie is now 27 years old Watchmen02

Always wanted to see it, never have. I can't believe it myself with how old it is and how frequently it had been on TV. Still, I never watched it. If I stumble across it soon I have to remember to pick it up.

Quote:An American Werewolf in London Coyotes? There are no coyotes in england... :cool:

@n107, check out the spannish movie .Rec, I liked this one more than the Blair Witch. Ofcourse now you have again an american remake of it called Quarantine but I have not seen that one. Nor do I plan no watching it.

There are really to many movies I enjoy watching, again and again.

Ah, An American Werewolf in London... I haven't seen that in ages but I loved it at the time. Creeped me out, too. I wonder how that will hold up in a modern viewing when compared to my fond memories...

And I have a copy of .Rec. Great, great, great zombie movie for all the reasons that BWP and Noroi are great ghost movies. Sadly I couldn't convince myself it had a place in my top 5 for this list, but I did put a lot of thought into it. Something should be said for a movie that instant jumps to the top of the "best zombie movie" list after only one viewing.

Thanks for sharing these movies, please post more!

EDIT: Found the trailer for Noroi on YouTube. If anyone is interested, take a look: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7A5VNsEeAMY
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03-12-2009, 12:47 AM
Post: #5
RE: What are your favorite horror movies?
I can't say I have too many horror movies in my head that stand out. I'm not keen on slashers/gorefests, to be sure. I guess I remember 28 Days Later (haven't seen weeks...) as being great, at the time. Let me look at my Netflix ratings... Religoius thrillers (like Stigmata) rate high. A lot of horror films are in my "saw once, waa good, but never see again" list. Session 9! I remember that one scaring me bonkers.
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03-23-2009, 01:17 AM (This post was last modified: 03-23-2009 01:18 AM by zombie67.)
Post: #6
RE: What are your favorite horror movies?
I have been meaning to reply to this but there are so many I could list. I am a real Horror buff, owning hundreds (maybe over a thousand) horror DVDs. I love all horror from early silent films right through to modern torturefest films like Saw & Hostel.

So I'll just list some off the top of my head in certain categories from my collection!

All time favourite film and not just horror is the original Dawn of the Dead.

Silent

Phantom of the Opera (Julian)
Nosferatu (Murnau)
Der Golem (Wegener)

Universal

Bride of Frankenstein (Whale)
The Old Dark House (Whale)
The Mummy (Freund)

AIP

The Fall of the House of Usher (Corman)
Masque of the Red Death (Corman)
The Abominable Dr. Phibes (Fuest)

USA

Halloween (Carpenter)
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Hooper)
The Exorcist (Friedkin)


UK

The Wicker Man (Hardy)
Theatre of Blood (Hickox)
Event Horizon (Anderson)


Italy

Zombie Flesheaters (Fulci)
The Beyond (Fulci)
Opera (Argento)


Japan

Ringu aka The Ring (Nakata)
Pon aka Phone (Ahn)
Kairo aka Pulse (Kurosawa)


Spain

[.REC] (Balaguero & Plaza)
Day of the Beast (de la Iglesia)
The Orphanage (Bayona)


Oh well, that's a few to be going on with. This list could go on and on but I stuck to 3 in each section and posted the ones off the top of my head.

I really recommend anyone who is at all interested in horror to check out some of the films being produced by Spanish directors both in Spain and in the US. [.REC] and The Orphanage are two of the best films I have seen in a long while.
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03-23-2009, 02:16 AM
Post: #7
RE: What are your favorite horror movies?
I'll check out "The Orphanage" as I also loved [.REC]. "Kairo" was also a great movie, but the horror aspect faded to a different form of terror in the second half. But the atmosphere of the whole film is very foreboding.
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03-23-2009, 05:57 AM
Post: #8
RE: What are your favorite horror movies?
Ryuk Wrote:Hi n107,
I too, have been wanting to reply but have been over-analyzing my response: Is that a horror movie, creature feature, slasher flick, etc.?
Trying to list some suggestions of movies you might not have seen:
The Thing: Way near the top of my all-time favs. I know you've said you've wanted to see it. Can't recommend it higher. Great suspense with great actors.
Wishmaster 1 & 2: I really liked these. Neat horror fun with some cameos from stars of other horror flcks. Be careful what you wish for!
From Beyond: Crazy H.P. Lovecraft horror with one of my favorite actors- Jeffrey Combs. Bi-zarre!
The Others: Not so much horror, but a great haunted house story that made me jump out of my chair at the end and yell, "Holy jumping Kidmans! Never saw that coming!"
Fire in the Sky: Again, not sure if this is horror but I don't think any other movie gave me quite the case of the creeps as this alien abduction movie did.
Favorites:
Glad somebody finally mentioned The Exorcist. Gotta be in the top five.
Now I'm puzzled? What is my favorite? Oh well....... Hope this doesn't ruin my credibility... no one's mentioned it yet. I'm a big fan of ... Hellraiser! HR 1 & 2 is a great two-part movie. I don't know why, but I can't get into or even bring myself to watch movies like Hostel, Saw, ... anything with just humans killing other humans. But demon-people from the dimension of pain who arrive to 'share the pain'? Yes! Have always loved HR1 & 2. HR 3 is OK. HR 4 is really good. 5 was just awful. And 6,7,& 8 have sat on my shelf for ages... never watched them. I guess the shock of how bad 5 was,... put me in pause on my Hellraising.

Well, been wanting to get these thoughts posted.
Have you already watched any of them?

Thanks for the suggestions. I've seen "Fire in the Sky" and "The Others". I liked "Fire" at the time, as I really read a lot of books about UFOs, aliens, and whatnot. Also I've seen their story on Unsolved Mysteries before. It was a good movie but, like most 'true stories', the more I look into it the worse it gets. "The Others" was a decent movie, but I just didn't care for it. I can appreciate it for what it is, but it didn't do naything for me.

As for "Hellraiser", I've only seen bits of the first film and never watched any of the others. Maybe I'll get around to it someday.

"From Beyond" might be fun. I'm a fan of H.P. Lovecraft stories. Or the atmosphere of them, to be more accurate. And Jeffrey Combs is always fun. I did rent "Dagon" once, but I tried watching it when I was very tired so I fell asleep about 3/4 into it. It really seemed to be made by a true fan of Lovecraft. For a low budget film, the parts that I saw were good enough.

And, of course, I still intend to see "The Thing" eventually.

Thanks again for the ideas.
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03-24-2009, 07:56 PM
Post: #9
RE: What are your favorite horror movies?
I know it may sound heretical, but I can't stand any of those Jeffery Combs 'HP Lovecraft inspired' tales.

Don't get me wrong, I really like HP Lovecraft, its just that those movies are so 1980'ish in feel and cheesefactor. I recently watched From Beyond, and couldn't believe how bad it was!

I remember seeing Reanimator back in the 80's on cable, and just didn't care for it....

However, DAGON, I felt was pretty damn good, as was another called Dreams in the Witch House.

I like discussing these films, but I think the brushstrokes are too broad. Maybe we should break up the Horror Genre into categories and discuss them?

Anyone up for that?
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03-24-2009, 11:46 PM
Post: #10
RE: What are your favorite horror movies?
supervike Wrote:I know it may sound heretical, but I can't stand any of those Jeffery Combs 'HP Lovecraft inspired' tales.

Don't get me wrong, I really like HP Lovecraft, its just that those movies are so 1980'ish in feel and cheesefactor. I recently watched From Beyond, and couldn't believe how bad it was!

I remember seeing Reanimator back in the 80's on cable, and just didn't care for it....

However, DAGON, I felt was pretty damn good, as was another called Dreams in the Witch House.

I like discussing these films, but I think the brushstrokes are too broad. Maybe we should break up the Horror Genre into categories and discuss them?

Anyone up for that?

If you want to discuss any specific part of horror genre, feel free to start the topic that interests you the most. I'll chime in with whatever I can contribute. I'm here to converse so let's have a conversation.
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