Do you like horror movies?

[raffie]

FulciLives, if you have any more of those obscure gems like the ones you pointed out, I would say: keep em comming

[guns1inger]

Targets (Peter Bogdanovich, 1968)
The Witchfinder General (Michael Reeves, 1968)
Scream and Scream Again (Gordon Hessler, 1969)
The Abominable Dr Phibes (Robert Fuest, 1971)
Mad Love (aka The Hands of Orlac, Karl Freund, 1935)
Freaks (Todd Browning, 1932)
The Raven (Louis Friedlander, 1935)
Flesh for Frankenstein (Antonio Margheriti, 1973 - and yes, I know the credits say Paul Morrissey)
Blood For Dracula (Antonio Margheriti, 1973)
Deathline (aka Raw Meat, Gary Sherman, 1972) (Ignore the recent remake with Fanke Portente)
Dead and Buried (Gary Sherman, 1981)
Patrick (Richard Franklin, 1978)
Razorback (Russell Mulcahy, 1984)
The Company of Wolves (Neil Jordan, 1984)
Xtro (Harry Bromley Davenport, 1982)
Humanoids from the Deep (Barbara Peeters, 1980)
Anything early from David Cronenberg (Shivers, Rabid, Scanners, VideoDrome, The Fly)

That should keep you busy for a while.

[nwo]

Targets (Peter Bogdanovich, 1968)
The Witchfinder General (Michael Reeves, 1968)
Scream and Scream Again (Gordon Hessler, 1969)
The Abominable Dr Phibes (Robert Fuest, 1971)
Mad Love (aka The Hands of Orlac, Karl Freund, 1935)
Freaks (Todd Browning, 1932)
The Raven (Louis Friedlander, 1935)
Flesh for Frankenstein (Antonio Margheriti, 1973 - and yes, I know the credits say Paul Morrissey)
Blood For Dracula (Antonio Margheriti, 1973)
Deathline (aka Raw Meat, Gary Sherman, 1972) (Ignore the recent remake with Fanke Portente)
Dead and Buried (Gary Sherman, 1981)
Patrick (Richard Franklin, 1978)
Razorback (Russell Mulcahy, 1984)
The Company of Wolves (Neil Jordan, 1984)
Xtro (Harry Bromley Davenport, 1982)
Humanoids from the Deep (Barbara Peeters, 1980)
Anything early from David Cronenberg (Shivers, Rabid, Scanners, VideoDrome, The Fly)

That should keep you busy for a while.

Did you just pull this weeks Zone Horror Listings.

[FulciLives]

I do so love FLESH FOR FRANKENSTEIN (1973) and BLOOD FOR DRACULA (1974) and it was a dream when Criterion released these (I have the LaserDisc releases then bought the DVD releases later on). Oddly the critics always seem to lean towards BLOOD FOR DRACULA as the better of the two but I find FLESH FOR FRANKENSTEIN to be the superior film in my view.

Speaking of which my favorite FRANKENSTEIN film of all time is actually an old made for TV mini-series called FRANKENSTEIN THE TRUE STORY (1973) and this was finally released on DVD just a year or so ago. It is an absolutely brilliant adaptation and while it does deviate from the book (THE TRUE STORY part is really a misnomer here) I still say it is the best version ever made.

While I am on a FRANKENSTEIN "rant" it seem I might as well make special mention of the Hammer film series. Most were directed by Terence Fisher (with Peter Cushing always as Baron Von Frankenstein). The interesting thing here is if you watch the movies in chronological order (and leave out the other Hammer Frankenstein films NOT directed by Terence Fisher) there is a definite and deliberate "story arc" that takes place and Cushing's Baron Von Frankenstein actually develops or evolves as it were as a character during the course of the movies. This really is I think a unique situation that is often overlooked. Watch them in order and in a relatively short time apart and you will see what I mean. This is the proper order:

1.) CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1957)
2.) REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1958)
3.) FRANKENSTEIN CREATED WOMAN (1967)
4.) FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED (1969)
5.) FRANKENSTEIN AND THE MONSTER FROM HELL (1974)

There are other Hammer FRANKENSTEIN films (including one with Cushing as Baron Von Frankenstein but NOT directed by Terence Fisher) that you want to leave out while watching the series as they don't "fit in" to the main story arc that the 5 films above encompass.

Another classic horror film that often gets overlooked would be BLOOD ON SATAN'S CLAW (1971). ANCHOR BAY ENTERTAINMENT did a wonderful DVD remaster of this in the UK a few years back that should still be available but alas there is no official proper USA DVD release. Just one of many reasons to have a region free PAL to NTSC DVD player for those of you ... like me ... who live in the USA.

I've already mention MARIO BAVA and DARIO ARGENTO along with a few titles but these guys are probably the best of the Italian horror directors (along with LUCIO FULCI). The two MUST SEE Mario Bava films include BLACK SUNDYA aka MASK OF THE DEMON (1960) and BLOOD AND BLACK LACE aka SIX WOMEN FOR THE MURDERER (1964). Dario Argento essential movies include DEEP RED aka PROFONDO ROSSO (1975) and SUSPIRIA (1977) and INFERNO (1980). Lucio Fulci essential movies include LIZARD IN A WOMAN'S SKIN (1971) and DON'T TORTURE A DUCKLING (1972) both of which are excellent giallo films and for his later gore drenched days there is the "trilogy" (term used loosely) of ZOMBIE aka ZOMBI 2 (1979), THE GATES OF HELL aka CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD (1980) and his masterpiece THE BEYOND (1981).

Other Italian films of note include CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST (1980), SEVEN BLOOD STAINED ORCHIDS (1972), SPASMO (1974), BLACK BELLY OF THE TARANTULA (1971), WHO SAW HER DIE? (1972), SHORT NIGHT OF GLASS DOLLS (1971), THE FIFTH CORD (1971), WHAT HAVE THEY DONE TO SOLANGE? (1971), ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK (1972), STRANGE VICE OF MRS. WARDH (1971), TORSO (1973), THE HORRIBLE DR. HICHCOCK (1962), DELLAMORTE DELLAMORE aka CEMETERY MAN (1994), THE HOUSE WITH LAUGHING WINDOWS (1976), ZEDER aka REVENGE OF THE DEAD (1983), CASTLE OF BLOOD (1964) ...

I could go on and on LOL

I few other horror movies I would like to recommend that aren't Italian but would be considered "Euro Horror" would be: BLOOD ROSE (1971), NIGHT OF THE SORCERERS (1973), HORROR RISES FROM THE TOMB (1972), THE LORELEY'S GRASP (1973), CURSE OF THE DEVIL (1973), TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD (1971), FASCINATION (1979), THE BLOOD SPATTERED BRIDE (1972) and Jess Franco's VAMPYROS LESBOS (1971).

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[Bullworth]

I love horror, but not many of the mainstream ones. The ones I tend to like were the obscure ones I ran into just channel surfing late one night or recommendations from a friend or website. I hate that many of the ones I liked I wasn't able to get the title because it had already started. With a few exceptions I don't like remakes in general. They tend to change the plot too much and it ends up not being at all what the original movie was like. In most cases it's just a lot of blood and gore without any plot.
As far as Asian horror in general I like them because they are more cerebral in nature rather than showing the object of fear within the first 10mins. Just like the American ones there are very good ones and absolutely bad ones.
We might start to see an influx of European horror films now. Quarantine was a remake of a Spanish horror flick called REC (from the Record logo that flashes on video cameras) that came out last year. I saw that and enjoyed it but I'm not very interested in seeing Quarantine because it looks like it's almost the exact same plot from the previews that I saw. Seems like all it would be was American actors and some slightly better sfx.

[Nitemare]

I love the genre but it has been disappointing lately. I don't like the remakes for myself, but if they weren't making them, my kids wouldn't see any of the classics. (Dawn of the Dead anyone?) I live 30 minutes from Monroeville Mall (where the original Dawn was filmed). When I took my kid there, he was interested in seeing the film... for 5 minutes.

"This looks old!" He did see the remake and liked it.

In the past few years, only 3 horror films stand out for me.
"Wolf"... because Nicholson kicked ass in it and I love werewolves. It wasn't scary, but Nicholson really sold that thing.
"Jeepers Creepers" was good becasue it's one of the most original things I've seen in a long time. The sequel was okay for a sequel and currently has my favorite "death scene on film" in it. (dropping the road flares... no gore at all and an awesome death scene)
"The Orphanage" was subtle and creepy... gave me the willies in the way a movie hasn't done in years and years and years....

I like the atmosphere of the older films, something most new Horror films lack. I am waiting anxiously for "The Wolfman" remake.

Imitation is what kills the horror genre. (although this isn't limited to horror... it is most obvious there) The Ring was stylish and interesting when it came out... now there's a dozen movies that look just like it. Back in the day, Friday the 13th might have stood tall if not for the hundreds of imitators that followed. It's interesting to note that there was no "masked Jason" until part 3 ... clearly imitating Halloween.

[FulciLives]

Your mention of THE ORPHANAGE made me think of THE OTHERS (2001) which is a great creepy atmospheric ghost film starring Nicole Kidman.

Can't recommend that one enough!

As for THE ORPHANAGE ... I haven't seen it yet but I've heard good things about it.

Another creepy film along the same lines is THE DEVIL'S BACKBONE (2001) which is a Spanish language film by Guillermo del Toro which he made after MIMIC but before BLADE II.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

P.S.
I need to rent me the Blu-Ray of THE ORPHANAGE so thanks for making me think of this film since I've been meaning to see it but kind of forgot about it oops!

[MJA]

are you talking about the french movie? I watched it last month.it's sad more than scary

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0464141/

[FulciLives]

are you talking about the french movie? I watched it last month.it's sad more than scary

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0464141/

Yes. You got it. Although it is a Spanish made movie not French.

I haven't seen it myself but I understand it is a ghost or ghost like story along the lines of the other films I mentioned ... at least in terms of the "feel" of the movie.

Then again I havent' seen it yet myself.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[julitomg]

Count me as a horror fan.....reading Famous monsters of filmland as a kid got me hooked, but as a weird side effect I developed an insane taste for low budget, amateur or just plain crapy films

[SingSing]

The best Horror movies don't contain much gore at all. They just make you pissed in your pants, and cause many sleepness nights. The best of the horror movies has to be "The ring" : http://www.ring-themovie.com/

Sorry SingSing, but IMHO it wasn't worth the plastic used for the DVD (thank God I haven't bought it )
I saw japanese version too, and although it was better than US remake, it still sucked

Liked the original (spooky, not scary), didn't think much of the remake. Like the Vanishing before it, it just seemed to be a dumbed down version for the mass market. Subsequent Americanisations of Japanese horror films have got limper and limper.

Okay, no more Mr. Nice Guy. E-mailed me a self-addressed envelope, and I will send you "THE TAPE"!

[t0nee1]

Horror fan here as well...I enjoyed THE ORPHANAGE,and now that you've mentioned it, I think I'm gonna watch it again...
And BTW,has anybody mentioned/rated 30 days of Night....

[FulciLives]

I've yet to see 30 DAYS OF NIGHT but now that you mention it I have another movie I'll have to rent on Blu-Ray

If only I can find my last two NetFlix movies and send them back ... they both kind of got "lost" somewhere in my apartment LOL

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[t0nee1]

Oh yeah! you won't regret viewing on Blu-ray.... 8)
And frankly,it's getting more and more difficult for me to watch anything but HD...
Damn them!

[mpack]

Now that I think about it, the only horror movies I really like are sci-fi horrors. That shouldn't be surprising as the two genres have always had a lot in common. Alien, The Thing (remake), even Terminator might fit the definition. These were genuinely scary movies when I first saw them - and Alien is a work of art for lots of reasons, so that is my favorite. Also, what about Jaws (first half anyway).

I quite enjoyed the first Nightmare on Elm Street, but generally the only fun you'll get from a modern teen slasher comes from rooting for the monster!

The old classic Universal horrors are fun to watch, but I never found them scary, even as a kid.

I'm afraid I got nothing at all from Friday the 13th, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: I know that some consider them classics, but to me they were just pointless gore.

[Nitemare]

Yes, "The Oprhanage" was more sad than scary, but it's creepy. There are no real "BOO!" moments.... just a gradual increase in tension that had you edging closer and closer to the edge of your seat as the film progressed.

julitomg wrote:

but as a weird side effect I developed an insane taste for low budget, amateur or just plain crapy films

Love 'em! The cheesier the better! I enjoy "B" movies, but it's a two-edged sword. A film with no budget and a lot of imagination deserves a little credit. ("SOULTAKER") Schlock for schlock's sake ("BLOOD SUCKING FREAKS") is almost always terrible... although I admit that many Troma films are a guilty pleasure of mine.

I can almost always overlook budget limitations for a GOOD original story. A good budget on a crappy story (any "SAW" movie) doesn't save it.
mpack wrote:

I'm afraid I got nothing at all from Friday the 13th, Texas Chainsaw Massacre: I know that some consider them classics, but to me they were just pointless gore.

I agree with you on 'Chainsaw'. I thought the "classic" sucked so bad that I had no interest in the remake. I didn't hate "Friday the 13th" when it was new... but I haven't watched it since then so I guess I'm not a fan of that either. (I was a teenager when it was new... a gore-fest of nude actresses wasn't something that bored me back then...)

There are many well respected films and film makers that I just have no appreciation for and I can't understand where their cult status come from. For example: IMHO, the best film Wes Craven ever made was "Swamp Thing". I've seen "Last House on the Left"... it has one genuinely shocking scene amid the worst crap-fest I ever watched. I was angry at the lemming that insisted that I "must" see this film! It reeked!....The first "Nightmare on Elm Street" was only fair and "The Curse" ... what WAS he thinking? People act like Craven took a wrong turn when he made "Scream". He's been churning out crap since the 70s!

and don't get me started on recycle-my-own-stuff-until-I become-my-own-caricature Kubrik... it's hard to say what his best movie is because he has snippets from every movie he's done in every OTHER movie that he's done... like that creepy silent scream from "The Shining"... or was that from "A Clockwork Orange"? (answer: yes to both)

It's THIS kind of "originality" that makes Hollywood (and the horror genre) look stupid. Some of these cult movies and director's should remain "cult" entities. Moving them into the mainstream has lowered the genre as a whole.

[dLee]

The first movies that really horrified me were industrial films made by the cold warriors, such as "Duck and Cover" (pretty sure it's available at archive.org) and the atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll. I had trouble going to sleep for years because I was sure that the planes passing overhead were about to deliver their payload. When I could sleep, I used to have a recurring dream of waking up, walking through the house to the front porch just in time to watch the detonation of an atomic bomb over downtown. Probably just the reaction that the filmmakers were hoping for.

My current favorite is "They Live" by John Carpenter. For me, it plays more like a documentary on everyday life in the US rather than a horror film.

More naturalistic, not really considered part of the horror genre, are "Paths of Glory" and "The Third Man" - horrifying in their depiction of human nature.


Other favorites:

"Henry - Portrait of a Serial Killer" by John McNaughton

"Dead Ringers" by David Cronenberg


Somewhat obscure:

"Nadja" by Michael Almereyda


Finally, my pick for the worst horror film ever made (possibly the worst film ever made):

"Malatesta's Carnival of Blood" by Christopher Eric Speeth - starring Herve' de Villechaize

[mikel]

The Haunting (1962)

....a classic...so much... done with so little.

[t0nee1]

An old favorite of mine...Well old for me....

THE LEGEND of HELL HOUSE (1973) starring Roddy McDowall... 8)

[kato51]

An old favorite of mine...Well old for me....

THE LEGEND of HELL HOUSE (1973) starring Roddy McDowall... 8)

My favorite also. Another one is Salem's Lot.

[t0nee1]

Yeah, SALEM'S LOT.....Funny how,as we go along, you start remembering more old faves..
'SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES' comes to mind....

[FulciLives]

SALEM'S LOT scared me so bad I couldn't sleep for a week unless I had a cross on my chest and of course as soon as I would start to nod off I would shift and feel the cross (which was this big heavy thing) start to slide off of my upper chest and that would only wake me and thus that cycle would go on for hours it seemed LOL

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[Steve Stepoway]

The Haunting (1962)

....a classic...so much... done with so little.

Oi, yes! Thought by many to be the scariest movie of all time. Black & white. No blood. You won't sleep for a week, especially if you are in a house alone.. Don't Look Now (1973 -- also based on a story by Daphne Du Maurier) comes pretty close. Plus it's got Julie Christie!

Steve

[Gramps]

Speaking of which my favorite FRANKENSTEIN film of all time is actually an old made for TV mini-series called FRANKENSTEIN THE TRUE STORY (1973) and this was finally released on DVD just a year or so ago. It is an absolutely brilliant adaptation and while it does deviate from the book (THE TRUE STORY part is really a misnomer here) I still say it is the best version ever made.

My all time favorite as well. James Mason's effete characterization of Polly-Dolly ( ) bugs me a bit, but otherwise an amazingly well done film.

The Thing (remake) is one of my all time favorites. It's loaded with suspense, paranoia, and some of the best gross-out effects ever. I still love the chest full of teeth and the spider head scenes.

[HemLok]

Dark psychological horror movies where you pushed back in your seat and yet on the edge of your seat at the same time and any unexpected sound you hear in your environment makes you jump is a good movie.

Gore? Meh. Not interested and frankly I find them too disturbing to watch. I don't need to see a death, a re-enactment of a death, or portrayal of it in graphic detail.

The best horror is left up to the imagination. The key is to get you, the viewer, to imagine what happens without actually showing the gore.

[yoda313]

wasn't LOTR director Peter Jackson originally a horror director? Did any of his reach cult status???

[FulciLives]

wasn't LOTR director Peter Jackson originally a horror director? Did any of his reach cult status???

1.) BAD TASTE is his first movie. Legendary cult status. I use to have the IMAGE ENTERTAINMENT LaserDisc release. I now have the USA Anchor Bay Entertainment DVD release. The remastering they did was very nice because this really is one low budget film although it never did look "bad" per se but boy the remaster made it look a lot better than the old releases. This is one crazy zany film about aliens and it is gore drenched yet has a very odd wicked sort of humor. Peter Jackson actually has two roles in this movie!

2.) MEET THE FEEBLES is another movie he did (his 2nd I believe) and it takes the idea of "THE MUPPETS" to the extreme. For instance it asks the question WHAT IF the muppets were real. It's a behind-the-scenes look at who is having sex with who ... who is doing drugs ... who is making a porn movie ... etc.

It's wild and crazy and gory and sexy (if puppets turn you on) and totally insane! Alas this is very hard to find on offical DVD (although apparently one was made but is now ... I think ... out-of-print)

3.) BRAINDEAD aka DEAD ALIVE is probably the best known Peter Jackson film. The movie is more akin to BAD TASTE in that it has gore galore and yet is funny in a zany EVIL DEAD II kind of way but even more zany and insane. The USA version (called DEAD ALIVE) is not 100% uncut but close enough. There are numerious import DVD releases that are 100% uncut. Most of those use the title BRAINDEAD (the original title ... why it was changed in the USA is anyone's guess).

All of these are well known by cult horror fans (the real hardcore group anyway) so the whole idea of him doing the LOTR movies was rather mind blowing way back when ... but hey he pulled it off!

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[Nitemare]

Jackson also did "The Frighteners"... too scary to be a comedy, too funny to be a true horror film... like most of Jackson's work.

FulciLives said it best..."the whole idea of him doing the LOTR movies was rather mind blowing way back when ... " I totally agree.

Something Wicked This Way Comes---great film. I almost listed it. Salem's Lot still rocks... haven't seen the remake. Anyone?

[FulciLives]

Something Wicked This Way Comes---great film. I almost listed it. Salem's Lot still rocks... haven't seen the remake. Anyone?

I liked SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES but I saw it originally at the theatres and according to the IMDB that would have been circa 1983 when I would have been all of 11 years old so YES I found it a bit creepy etc. and liked it but I haven't seen it since so who knows what I would make of it now. I barely remember it now.

I saw the SALEM'S LOT mini-series remake with Rob Lowe and I thought it was OK. Remakes are always hard when you know the original well (plus I read the book once but that was a LONG time ago) but I thought they did a decent job with it although the ending was somewhat unsatisfactory but I had heard that they ended it in the way they did because there was a chance they were going to turn a it into a series ... yet that never happened.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[DereX888]

Okay, no more Mr. Nice Guy. E-mailed me a self-addressed envelope, and I will send you "THE TAPE"!

What is that!
Is it some new large solid state memory? How do you connect it? Whats the transfer rate?
Man, I love the built-in display on this SSD

My current favorite is "They Live" by John Carpenter. For me, it plays more like a documentary on everyday life in the US rather than a horror film.

LOL so true
Great flick, but I always thought it is sci-fi first rather than horror.

Someone mentioned it earlier - Takashi Miike's "Audition". Thats a horror, one of very few good ones, and IMHO this director's #2 film ever (after Koroshiya-1 of course )