# Favourite Horror Film



## Rosemary Jest (Oct 11, 2020)

I couldn't find another an existing thread, so apologies if this has been done to death (pun intended), but since we're approaching Halloween, what is your favourite horror movie/film?

Not necessarily the best in terms of critical acclaim, but the ones which have a special place for you. I'll make a start:

Insidious: Seems to get a bad wrap from some, but I think it's a modern classic, with a bit of a twist on the usual clichéd horror genre. It's got genuine jump scares and is great imo.

From Dusk Til Dawn: Again, a bit of a classic, if you watch it for the first time not knowing the premise, you wouldn't realise it's a horror film, then it goes completely off the chart in terms of bonkers. The cast are great and George Clooney is an underrated actor, a wonderful film.

Hellraiser: maybe a bit of an obvious choice but it is a genuine nasty film, that ramps up the scariness compared to most. It's on another level compared to most horror films. The second one is good too, if not quite like the original.

Army of Darkness: just a fun, funny horror, with Bruce Campbell being his usual self, totally different to Evil Dead 2, but none the worse for it.

Bubba Ho-Tep: staying on the Bruce Campbell theme, this is a genuine off the wall film with Elvis, JFK and a cowboy mummy, that is heartwarming, scary, and just completely crazy. Makes me want to eat a Baby Ruth bar just thinking about it.

House of 1000 Corpse/Devils Rejects: I've lumped these together as they are both Rob Zombie films and both modern horror classics imo. Quite nasty films, with the feel of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The soundtrack of Devils Rejects is fantastic.

Jeepers Creepers: often discounted as a cheesy slasher movie, possibly because of the title, its a proper scary film, with a great baddie/monster. The second and third films are good too.

Honourable mentions:

Terminator: People often stick Alien in their list of favourite horrors, so I'm putting this one in there. It's got more in common with something like say, Halloween, than 2001 A Space Odyssey as a genre, so I'm allowed. A genuinely scary film, with some of the most believable acting from a film, wonderful special effects, and a monster that is terrifying and absolutely will not stop, what's not to love. And on that note, Westworld (the film) can also be included on the list too.

So what are your favourites? Share your gems.


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## krtek a houby (Oct 11, 2020)

In no particuar order

Razorback - Giant pig terrorises small outback community, very 80s
Dust Devil - disturbing killer roams the desert, (in South Africa?)
American Werewolf in London - the sillyness, the fx, the soundtrack and the Slaughtered Lamb
Dream Demon - Timothy Spall & Jimmy Nail, childhood trauma and a haunted house, very silly
Something Evil - early Spielberg, Sandy Dennis, possession 
Parents - Sandy Dennis again, with Randy Quaid on the joys of cannibalism
Poltergeist - Tobe Hooper directs (with a lot of input from Spielberg)... "they're here"
The Shadow of Chikara - Sondra Locke, Joe Don Baker, Slim Pickens. Civil War search for gold goes horribly wrong.
The Beguiled - another Civil War effort, Clint hangs out at a school, gets his just deserts
Scum - Savage indictment of the borstal system and the resulting depravity that occurs within those walls.


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## marshall (Oct 11, 2020)

Generally, I find horror films a bit silly; but 'Don't Look Now' messed me up when I first saw it.


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## dessiato (Oct 11, 2020)

Return of the Living Dead, it was the first film my wife and I went to see together. It might have been our first ”official” date, I’m not sure.

Dusk ‘til Dawn, for the same reasons as in the OP.

I’m not really into horror, I find it, as a genre, not very interesting. Mrs D loves horror films so I sometimes watch anyway.


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## Shellee (Oct 11, 2020)

I like my horror over the top and funny. Subtle, what's subtle? 

Shivers -because it was the first horror film I ever saw
Dawn of the Dead
The Hills have Eyes
Halloween
A Nightmare on Elm St
Carrie
The Shining
It (mini series)
It (film)
The Exorcist
The Omen
The Grudge 
Battle Royale
The Cabin in the Woods

Aliens and Terminator 2, but really I'd call them Sci-fi


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## Reno (Oct 11, 2020)

Huge horror fan here.

My favourite horror films are

Don't Look Now
Rosemary's Baby
Alien/Aliens

An American Werewolf in London
The Beyond
The Birds
The Brood
Calvere
Carrie
Cat People & Curse of the Cat People (the 40s films)
Dark Water (Japanese original)
Daughters of Darkness
Dawn of the Dead (original)
Deep Red
The Devil's Backbone
Eraserhead
The Exorcist III (yup, I prefer this over the original, especially with the recently released directors cut)
The Fog
Halloween
Hereditary
The Innocents
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956 & 1978)
It Follows
Jaws
Kill List
Left Bank
Let the Right One In
Lost Highway
Phantasm
Poltergeist
Possession (1981)
REC
Rogue (2007)
Suspiria (original)/Inferno
The Tenant
Thelma
The Thing
Train to Busan
Under the Skin
Vampyr
The Wicker Man
Wolf Creek
The Woman in Black (1989 TV movie)
Zombie Flesh Eaters

Most enjoyable and consistent horror franchise (where I even like the lesser ones): Final Destination


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## Johnny Vodka (Oct 11, 2020)

Generally speaking, the 70s/80s classics - Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Evil Dead 1&2, The Shining, Dawn of the Dead, The Hills Have Eyes, The Thing, Nosferatu (remake), The Dead Zone.  Cujo used to scared the shit out of me as a kid.  Probably still have a soft spot for Zombie Flesh-eaters.  David Lynch stuff like Lost Highway and Twin Peaks: Firewalk With Me if you accept those as horror films


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## Reno (Oct 11, 2020)

Rosemary Jest said:


> I couldn't find another an existing thread, so apologies if this has been done to death (pun intended), but since we're approaching Halloween, what is your favourite horror movie/film?



We have gazillions of threads on horror films btw. Search function on the top right ?

Here are just a few general ones:









						Good horror films
					

OK I know there is a more recent horror film thread but with many search terms I couldn't find it.   Just watched "Housebound"  A Kiwi dark comedy/horror and really enjoyed it.  There were a few points I would question but will see who else has watched it first.  Also watched "Horns" last night...




					www.urban75.net
				












						Horror films featuring a harbinger of doom?
					

that is, someone who issues a dire warning early in the film, which is routinely ignored. It could be a practical warning from a knowledgeable local, or a supernatural one from a clairvoyant or whatever.




					www.urban75.net
				












						Can you recommend me a good horror film?
					

Sometimes I just like to scare myself silly. Haven't seen anything particularly good in ages though. Can urbs recommend anything? TIA :)   ps not so much a fan of gore...




					www.urban75.net
				












						Can you suggest me a good horror film please?
					

As it's Friday the 13th and all :)  Not really into the kind where people get slowly tortured though :eek: Fine with gore and violence.




					www.urban75.net
				












						Fave horror films?
					

The Descent (Best British horror in years) Audition (what's in the bag?) Wolf Creek (truly disturbing) The Baby's Room (Spanish short horror flick - on again over xmas) Suspira (great soundtrack) Alien (it's all about sex) Carrie (Brian de Plasma's best)  There's prob a billion others I...




					www.urban75.net
				












						Horror Films
					

Hello.  Do you love Horror fils or what?  Which are your favorites?  Im really in to the Phantasm series at the moment. Have any of you seen these. There is seriously nothing out there like them. I would highly recommend you sit down and watch them all in a row. Its an epic tale.




					www.urban75.net
				




Can never have enough horror movie threads though as far as I'm concerned.


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## Reno (Oct 11, 2020)

Rosemary Jest said:


> Terminator: People often stick Alien in their list of favourite horrors, so I'm putting this one in there. It's got more in common with something like say, Halloween, than 2001 A Space Odyssey as a genre, so I'm allowed. A genuinely scary film, with some of the most believable acting from a film, wonderful special effects, and a monster that is terrifying and absolutely will not stop, what's not to love. And on that note, Westworld (the film) can also be included on the list too.





Shellee said:


> Aliens and Terminator 2, but really I'd call them Sci-fi


Many films are genre hybrids, so it's not an either/or. Alien is 50% science fiction and 50% horror. It's a horror film which happens to take place in space, a Lovecraftian monster movie with strong aspects of body horror. The structure of the film is identical to that of a slasher film and the space ship has a gothic "old dark house" vibe.

Aliens carries over those horror elements but adds action, so I'd say it's 33% science fiction, 33% action and 33% horror. Like Aliens, The Terminator is a science fiction/action film with strong horror elements. By Terminator 2, which introduces a lighter tone and massively amps up the action, I'd say the horror aspects are minimal. It wants to excite more than scare.


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## Sprocket. (Oct 11, 2020)

I enjoy horror films, but the one I enjoyed most was my first viewing of Carrie.
A group of us went to see it at the local laugh and scratch in the next town.
I do not think I am giving any spoilers away by mentioning after all the mayhem and carnage the scene at the end where the girl goes to place the flowers on Carrie’s grave.
The hand springs out!! One of the blokes with us, stood bolt upright in a packed cinema, shouting uncontrollably, ‘Fucking hell fire’ several times.
The place erupted in laughter.


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## Reno (Oct 11, 2020)

Sprocket. said:


> I enjoy horror films, but the one I enjoyed most was my first viewing of Carrie.
> A group of us went to see it at the local laugh and scratch in the next town.
> I do not think I am giving any spoilers away by mentioning after all the mayhem and carnage the scene at the end where the girl goes to place the flowers on Carrie’s grave.
> The hand springs out!! One of the blokes with us, stood bolt upright in a packed cinema, shouting uncontrollably, ‘Fucking hell fire’ several times.
> The place erupted in laughter.


As a fan of the Stephen King novel, Carrie was the first time I tried to get into an 18 rated film. I was 13 and I wore my mum's platform shoes to appear taller. I didn't succeed. I finally managed to get into an 18 rated film a couple of years later, with Halloween.


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## farmerbarleymow (Oct 11, 2020)

I've got a soft spot for the Excorcist.  Rosemary's Baby is good too.  But rarely watch horror stuff as it's not my cup of tea.


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## Steel Icarus (Oct 11, 2020)

I don't really like to be scared, so horror films aren't really a genre I care for or know much about. I've enjoyed a few zombie films and creature features but I think The Fog is the best horror film I've seen.

When watching Blair Witch with Mrs SI #1 I was disinterested but she was captivated, so just before bed she went to the loo and I turned off the bedroom light and stood in the corner facing the wall. She went fucking ballistic


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## Reno (Oct 11, 2020)

Horror is one type of film which is still going strong in the year of the plague. They tend to be low budget and don't make a loss when sold to streaming services.
New horror and horror-adjacent films I've seen this year:

Good to great:

The Lodge
The Invisible Man
Relic
The Rental
Becky
The Wretched
Why Don't You Just Die!
We Summon the Darkness
Gretel & Hansel
Alone
Come to Daddy
The Nightshifter
I'm Thinking of Ending Things
#Alive
Impetigore
Black Box
La Llorona (not the crappy US film, but the Guatemalan one)
Host (which has Covid 19 as a backdrop)

Decent:

Amulet
Death of a Vlogger
The Hunt
Underwater
Sputnik
The Platfom
1BR
Sea Fever
The Beach House

I didn't like these but they have their fans:

Color Out of Space
Train to Busan 2: Peninsula
VFW
I See You
After Midnight
Swallow
Yummy


On my to-watch list:

Blood Quantum
Koko-di Koko-da
Vampires vs the Bronx
Bad Hair
Scare Me
Uncle Peckerhead
Possessor
The Wolf of Snow Hollow
Antebellum
12 Hour Shift
Random Acts of Violence
Saint Maud

Best horror TV show:

The Outsider (also the best recent Stephen King adaptation)



AnnO'Neemus, you started a thread on Shudder recommendations. I don't have Shudder here in Germany, but many of these films are available on Shudder.


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## Johnny Vodka (Oct 11, 2020)

I thought 28 Weeks Later was pretty awesome, much better than the original IMO (dunno if that's a controversial statement).

The Witch - that was another good recent one.


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## rubbershoes (Oct 11, 2020)

Dead of night
Night of the demon
Kill list
Trian to busan
Let the right one in
Ringu
Blair witch project  
Tetsuo


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## Reno (Oct 11, 2020)

Johnny Vodka said:


> I thought 28 Weeks Later was pretty awesome, much better than the original IMO (dunno if that's a controversial statement).
> 
> The Witch - that was another good recent one.


Totally agree, the rare sequel better than the (slightly overrated) original. Also love The Witch but only really came round to it on a second viewing. The way it got promoted wasn't quite in line with the film itself.


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## Rosemary Jest (Oct 11, 2020)

Reno said:


> Totally agree, the rare sequel better than the (slightly overrated) original. Also love The Witch but only really came round to it on a second viewing. The way it got promoted wasn't quite in line with the film itself.


I've only seen it once and didn't find it great, in fact I can't remember much about it. Might have to watch it again.


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## Maggot (Oct 11, 2020)

Carry on Screaming


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## Knotted (Oct 11, 2020)

Regarding horror films of the last ten years or so. I don’t want to do some sort of iconic list but talk about how these films let me with my peculiarities into their twisted world and I'm not going to do older films, because we should focus our attention on now because now is a great time for horror films and we'll be here all day if I start going back to the 70's or the 20's.

I think the last 10 years (or to be more precise 7-8 years) have seen a real renaissance in horror films and it’s something that I have only relatively recently cottoned onto. I had lost interest in films and from 2000-2014. In that period I may have watched about 40 films in total of which only one was in the cinema. That’s purely a comment about me not cinema btw, it was a bad time in my life, I didn't have the money to pursue much in the way of hobbies and I have ADHD and often struggle to maintain focus for 2 hours. The main point is that I am now doing catch up. About 5 years back I started watching the Horror Channel and saw things like Hard Candy, Inhuman Resources, Creep Van, All the Boys Love Mandy Lane ie. films which were either great and if not great at least satirical or cheap and hammy but daft enough to be fun. It's a good genre of film to get into. Then I started seeking out the big classics of this really quite special time for horror that we're living in – The Babadook, The VVitch, Hereditary etc (I know about the old classics as well, I’m not ignorant of film (horror or otherwise), I just had a very long dry patch). So I have ten quite recent films I want to talk about so listen up… or don’t.


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## Knotted (Oct 11, 2020)

_A Field In England_ (Ben Wheatley 2013)

I am so behind with all this that I only got around to watching this a few of weeks ago. I’ve now seen it maybe ten times. I am completely in love with this film.

The way I see it is that film is not a faithful depiction of a sequence of events but a telling of a story. Most films are musicals (and we’ll talk about the few exceptions in a bit) and musicals are strangely artificial, people in reality don’t just start singing. Even when there is no singing in the film there is usually nondiagenetic music, and various theatrical artifices. Which is really the same thing as a musical. Most films use their artifices to make the film slip down your throat more easily, some films try to do away with artifice (again we’ll come back to these) and some films make their artifices a feature. I don’t want a film that slips down easy, if a film is doing the work for me and I will start thinking about something else – usually “why am I watching this?”

_A Field in England _is a film that doesn’t try to conceal its artifices but rather celebrates them and because of that it is glorious. Four English Civil War deserters meet up with a villainous alchemist and look for treasure in a field in England Wales. If you haven’t seen it, I could tell you the entire plot and it wouldn’t spoil it, but if I told you about the artistic decisions… now that would ruin it. Oh, this film is doing _this_ now. The effect is grubby, witty and psychedelic with strong characterisation – you feel you know these people by the end of the film. It keeps my distractible mind enthralled for the full run time; it’s not the difficult art house flick you might think it is.

PS Jim Williams is fast becoming one of my favourite film composers. See also Raw.


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## Knotted (Oct 11, 2020)

_Unfriended_ (Levan Gabriadze 2014)

In 2016 I worked out there was a thing called Netflix. I am slow on the uptake. Anyway, I watched this along with a load of other mostly trashy horror films. This is a trashy supernatural horror film at core, but it innovates (and properly commits to) a new style of onscreen horror. This style of film, like the found footage films, is a style that minimises cinematic artifice. There aren’t any dreamy montage sequences, or musical cues telling you what to feel or fancy camera work directing your attention. There are no polished performances or arresting images. It is pure drama. Eg. the drama of your applications not functioning the way they are supposed to or the drama of typing something and then deleting it and especially the drama of helplessly watching something unfold and of something horrible coming apparent on a busy computer screen. I find this film and its sequel to be endlessly watchable regardless of their flaws.


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## Knotted (Oct 11, 2020)

_Creep_ (Patrick Brice, 2014)

Another film that was sitting there on Netflix. I tried it and found I hated it and switched it off after 15 minutes or so. It’s about a neurotic “creepy” guy who is lax with personal space and too forward with embarrassing details. It felt uncomfortable, voyeuristic and almost exploitative even though it’s obviously fiction. But then I thought if this film has had such a strong affect on me it must be up to something, at the very least I realised that watching meant being unable to take my eyes off it. So (much later) I went back to it.

It’s a found footage film, again minimising cinematic artifice. Instead of substituting the poking and prodding of cinematic artifice with the plain poking and prodding of jump scares like many found footage films do it is a stripped-down character study. Two blokes with a camera.



Spoiler



If you’ve seen it, you know how it pans out. The creepy guy is really a serial killer and not a vulnerable odd ball (breathe a sigh of relief). The film is about ensnaring the protagonist while getting him to create a video diary of his own last few days as a kind of trophy (just saying that out loud – wow what a brilliant idea for a film). The second half of the film has some well-made spooky sequences and it’s a film that delivers more than it promises as a dirt cheap found footage flick. But what made me have to go for a walk around the block was the thought of a psychopath presenting as a needy neurotic. That would totally ensnare _me_. I think it’s interesting from a psychology point of view. Both in reality and in fiction, psychopaths are usually low in neuroticism, so it seems as if the creep is 100% ingenuine in the first half of the film and what is really being expressed is an uncomplicated desire to destroy and consume someone else’s identity. The real horror is the disguised cynical intent. Watch it a second time and watch Mark Duplass’s steely gaze behind all the antics.

In the sequel he is very much both a neurotic and a psychopath, so he is no longer a erm… rabbit in wolf’s clothing but more a rabbit-wolf hybrid. That unfortunately takes the edge off, but the sequel has its own awkward comedy charm and if anything is a better watch.


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## Knotted (Oct 11, 2020)

_The Witch _(Robert Eggers, 2015)

Or more properly know as _The VVitch_. A story of a 17th century New England puritan family too fervent in their beliefs for their community who go off to conquer the wilderness. This is actually a western in that it's an American frontier folktale albeit set two and a half centuries before most westerns when the frontier is quite a lot further east. And yes they get harassed by a coven of witches but it's not the film you think it is. The key to it is about allowing yourself to enter into the puritan mentality, which is something alien to most of us, but somehow the film allows you to do it and once you are there it is completely immersive. It's about sin and the lot of young women in 17th century America. It's a slow film with a lot of stillness but when the drama takes off, it shatters you. And that's the power of this "authentic" story telling.

My fascination with this film is so total, I will sometimes wake up in the morning thinking about it and I will go and watch clips of it on youtube. I love the little scene by the river where nothing very much happens but there is this interaction between the children, I love the twin's song about Black Phillip, the total hysteria of the exorcism scene, the witchy madness and that ending. And there's about five ways you can read it all.


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## Reno (Oct 11, 2020)

Knotted said:


> _A Field In England_ (Ben Wheatley 2013)
> 
> I am so behind with all this that I only got around to watching this a few of weeks ago. I’ve now seen it maybe ten times. I am completely in love with this film.
> 
> ...


Jim Williams is fantastic, I still listen to the Raw score.


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## Knotted (Oct 11, 2020)

_The Babadook_ (Jennifer Kent, 2014)

Yes I'm one of those horror film bores who goes on and on about _The VVitch_ and _The Babadook._ I know that neither of these films are to everyone's taste and that they are very critically lauded but I honestly love them. Because my god how emotional is this film? It's absolutely a film about mental illness as well as spooky hauntings. It explores grief, depression, sleep deprivation and dissociation as well as the struggles of a single mother coping with all this. This is very personal to me, because of somebody I know in my life. That blank look Essie Davis gives, it's not expressionless, it's numb. And I know that look. One of the rare instances in film where the depiction of mental illness is spot on. It really upsets me but in a sort of positive way.

And it's got classic stop motion action horror.


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## belboid (Oct 11, 2020)

Old Classics
Blood On Satan's Claw
Witchfinder General
The Devil Rides Out
The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari
Peeping Tom
Dont Look Now

Modernish Classics
Carrie
Alien
The Evil Dead
Ringu
Halloween
The Omen
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
Scanners

Recent
Us
It Follows
Cabin in the Woods
Midsommar
Raw
Devil's Backbone
Let the Right One In


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## Knotted (Oct 11, 2020)

_Under the Shadow_ (Babak Anvari, 2016)

I'm very sensitive to uninteresting non-diagenetic music in films or for that matter overly interesting non-diagenetic music in films. So it's good to have a film that's really minimal on that score. This is a good companion piece to the Babadook but whereas the latter explores mental illness, this explores the Iran-Iraq war, political dispossession, thwarted ambitions and women's dispossession in the wake of the 1979 revolution and some genuinely blood-runs-cold Djinn action. And although the political realist drama and the supernatural horror seem hopelessly at odds with each other, they are connected through every day frustrations and the child's mind's view.

This is a horror film that really delivers on the scares without doing very much.


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## Knotted (Oct 11, 2020)

_Raw_ (Julia Ducournau 2017)

OK I will never think about my vet in the same way again. Is veterinary school even approximately like that?? But anyway this is really a cheeky little freak show of a cannibal film. Extreme hazing rituals and the sexy desire for human flesh, and yes a great (but understated) soundtrack. But more than anything I found this taboo breaking film hilarious in a nervous giggle sort of way. As shocking as it is, it is also really quite contrived, which is where it tickles me. Ironically enough, it's a scrumptious piece of cinema.


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## Knotted (Oct 11, 2020)

_The Killing of a Sacred Deer_ (Yorgos Lanthimos, 2017)

This was my first taste of a Lanthimos film and in the meantime I have watched _Dog Tooth_ which I quite like. But I really enjoyed this. With stilted, expressionless dialogue all the way through a surgeon is befriended and harassed by a young man with evil intent.  Somehow the very fact that it feels so artificially expressionless makes the psychological horror all the more direct. Although completely different to _A Field in England, _it is also a film that delights in its own artifice, ie. it doesn't try to conceal the fact that you are watching a film but here it is an effect of how understated it is. It's the strength of the story and the super flat but fascinating acting that does the trick. And the sometimes striking if ambient soundtrack doesn't hurt either.

Admittedly this is one for the art house crowd... but then I often find art house films easier to watch than block busters.


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## Knotted (Oct 11, 2020)

_Annihilation_ (Alex Garland, 2018)

Sometimes the most terrifying things are the most beautiful things and this sci-fi horror is exquisite. Five damaged women go on an apparent suicide mission into a strange warping, shimmering alien presence. There are underlying themes of self-destruction, self-harm, cancer, paranoia, betrayal. In fact there's a theme for each of the characters. And whereas if you analyse it, the story is quite contrived it's still a dream of a thematic nightmare that seeps into your subconscious. It's all sorts of disturbing but in a way that you can find a positive message.


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## Knotted (Oct 11, 2020)

There are other horror films of our times that I really like. Not all of them are great cinema, but they all have something to like about them. Including (off the top of my head)

Troll Hunter
Tucker and Dale versus Evil
Kill List
Cockneys versus Zombies
Sightseers
The Borderlands
The Girl with All the Gifts
The Wailing
Get Out
Prevenge
Hereditary
The Nightingale
Us
Midsommar
The Lighthouse

I've got a few more that I want to comment on but in the meantime here are some I haven't yet seen (but want to):

Berberian Sound Studio
Mandy
Train to Busan
Last Cut of the Dead
Parasite (not sure if it's a horror film or not but I want to see it anyway)


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## Knotted (Oct 11, 2020)

Reno said:


> Vampyr



Watched this the other night. It was mesmerising. Need to watch it again though.


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## Knotted (Oct 11, 2020)

_Climax_ (Gasper Noé, 2018)

This is the one and only Gasper Noé films I have seen, so I'm not one of his fans who seem to think he can do no wrong. A dance troupe have their punch bowl spiked and descend into a frenzy of LSD inflected sex and violence. Great big long dance sequence with extraordinary camera work in the first half of the film make this film a must watch in its own right.

The camera locks on behind various characters and follows them in their travails. The effect is to leave you feeling helpless as various other characters fall into trouble. You are left as a fly (not exactly on a wall but flying around the building) just watching the horror unfold, the effect mimicking the experience of the dancers as they too are all too caught up in their own troubles to do anything themselves. The music is entirely diagenetic as a DJ pumps out some really tasty tunes, but nothing is directing you through cues towards any particular incident, rather you are directed away from them and left with them nagging insistently at the back of your mind. A totally immersive film and it's horrible, empty and pointless. Thoroughly recommended.


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## Knotted (Oct 11, 2020)

_Little Joe _(Jessica Hausner, 2019)

A really subtle film about flowers and mind control. Emily Beecham stars and she even looks like one of the flowers with her striking red hair and her light green scientist's outfit. From what I'd heard about it, I thought it was going to be a slog to get through. But I thought it was fascinating in an, "is it all the mind" sort of way. Different clues seem to point in different directions and it asks you how you form beliefs while delving into questions of motherhood and estrangement. And it has the most extraordinary soundtrack you will ever hear. If you like your horror super subtle (and to be fair that's an unusual preference) then you can do no better than this.


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## yield (Oct 11, 2020)

Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) is perfect. Definitely my favourite. May watch it again later. 

The oppressive feel, the cut scenes to the abattoir, and of course the happy ending. 

Closely followed by Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), the superior remake.


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## killer b (Oct 11, 2020)

I haven't watched much horror in recent years so nothing new... I reckon Dawn of the Dead (Romero's, I've not seen the remake) is brilliant - I think the scenario of the besieged shopping centre is a particularly fruitful conceit.


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## Shellee (Oct 11, 2020)

I didn't get The Babadook, then. I thought the Babadook was real, not just in her head and the ending, where they were feeding worms to their pet 
Babadook, was a bit daft. It was good and creepy but that's why it didn't make my list. Like I said, I'm not good with subtle 😂


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## yield (Oct 11, 2020)

killer b said:


> I haven't watched much horror in recent years so nothing new... I reckon Dawn of the Dead (Romero's, I've not seen the remake) is brilliant - I think the scenario of the besieged shopping centre is a particularly fruitful conceit.


Zack Snyder's "Dawn of the Dead" remake from 2004 is pretty good. If you don't mind running zombies. 

The message is still the same.


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## Knotted (Oct 11, 2020)

Shellee said:


> I didn't get The Babadook, then. I thought the Babadook was real, not just in her head and the ending, where they were feeding worms to their pet
> Babadook, was a bit daft. It was good and creepy but that's why it didn't make my list. Like I said, I'm not good with subtle 😂



I think it's ultimately really an upbeat film about conquering your demons. It's definitely not a gorefest or even about scaring you (not that there is anything wrong with gorefests). That depression is so deeply a central theme to the film makes it not fun, so it's not for everyone.


----------



## Reno (Oct 11, 2020)

yield said:


> Zack Snyder's "Dawn of the Dead" remake from 2004 is pretty good. If you don't mind running zombies.
> 
> The message is still the same.


It's ok, as in "Zack Snyder's least worst film" It's not the running zombies which are the problem (always a dead-end argument) but that he overloads the film with characters and then he loses focus on them. The always excellent Sarah Polly is set up to be the heroine, but then she fades into the background as the film carries on. It also lacks the atmosphere of the Romero film. The first act is strong and there are a few decent action scenes but there have been better zombie films since, both of the running and shambling sort.


----------



## Knotted (Oct 11, 2020)

I think the Zack Snyder film loses the metaphor of zombies as people trapped in their every day lives and there isn't the meditation on consumerism. It's an OK zombie action film.


----------



## Knotted (Oct 11, 2020)

I got round to watching Hausu recently which is a totally bonkers 70's Japanese horror film. It's a kids film really, but it's so artful and so totally bonkers I think it might be one of my favourite films now.

My favourite horror film of the 80's is probably Videodrome. Just saying as nobody has mentioned it yet.


----------



## yield (Oct 11, 2020)

Reno said:


> It's ok, as in "Zack Snyder's least worst film" It's not the running zombies which are the problem (always a dead-end argument) but that he overloads the film with characters and then he loses focus on them. The always excellent Sarah Polly is set up to be the heroine, but then she fades into the background as the film carries on. It also lacks the atmosphere of the Romero film. The first act is strong and there are a few decent action scenes but there have been better zombie films since, both of the running and shambling sort.


Definitely "Zack Snyder's least worst film"! Sarah Polley is good in everything I've seen her in. Jake Weber, Ving Rhames, Mekhi Phifer all did well with very little.

No, I a completely agree. It's not a good remake. The first act is intense though.



Knotted said:


> I think the Zack Snyder film loses the metaphor of zombies as people trapped in their every day lives and there isn't the meditation on consumerism. It's an OK zombie action film.


Still think the underlying critique of consumerism is there. But perhaps I was looking for it.


----------



## Knotted (Oct 11, 2020)

yield said:


> Still think the underlying critique of consumerism is there. But perhaps I was looking for it.



To be fair I might just have forgotten it.


----------



## Johnny Vodka (Oct 11, 2020)

Knotted said:


> Berberian Sound Studio



Yeah, was going to mention that myself as not quite a horror film.  Another cracking recent not quite a horror film is Martha Marcy May Marlene.

Scanning my shelf as I write this - Santa Sangre is well worth a watch IIRC.


----------



## Indeliblelink (Oct 11, 2020)

Rosemary Jest said:


> Not necessarily the best in terms of critical acclaim, but the ones which have a special place for you. I'll make a start:


Apaches, the farm safety short film they went around schools showing to us kids in the late 70s/early 80s.
Proper terrified us (I guess that was the point), especially the kid drowning in a slurry pit scene.

The only other horror film that I think truly scared me was The Omen as I also saw that when youngish.


----------



## Knotted (Oct 11, 2020)

yield said:


> Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) is perfect. Definitely my favourite. May watch it again later.
> 
> The oppressive feel, the cut scenes to the abattoir, and of course the happy ending.



I feel I know this film off by heart, but I've only watched it all the way through once. I find it really gruelling to watch. Which is what it's supposed to be. The second half of the film is near constant screaming and it has a profound effect on me.

Here's a little video on the sound design of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre that I agree the fuck out of.


----------



## Johnny Vodka (Oct 11, 2020)

Grew up on the old Hammer films (them and video nasties at an inappropriately young age), though not seen any of them, or any similar period Brit-horror, for a while.  I remember when you'd get a double bill on the telly on a Saturday night and set the VCR.


----------



## Knotted (Oct 11, 2020)

To answer the thread title, it's probably now The VVitch. Used to be Dawn of the Dead or Texas Chainsaw Massacre or The Wicker Man or maybe The Cabinet of Dr Caligari. But no it's The VVitch now. I've never had an obsession over a film like that before or since.


----------



## marshall (Oct 11, 2020)

Anyone mentioned Bone Tomahawk yet? Does that count? Western horror, I enjoyed that one.


----------



## Reno (Oct 11, 2020)

marshall said:


> Anyone mentioned Bone Tomahawk yet? Does that count? Western horror, I enjoyed that one.


It's great. I could probably mention 200 favourite horror films.


----------



## kittyP (Oct 11, 2020)

I have been absolutely obsessed with horror films (and books, plays etc) since I was a little kid.
I think having had a an anxiety disorder since early childhood, I have find them quite a escape from the horrors of real life.

There are so many great horror films that are so different from each other that I find it hard to say what my favourites are.

But yes Reno the original TV version of The Woman In Black is an absolute masterpiece and was one of those responsible for if not starting then cementing my love of the genre.

Along with The Signalman.
Another made for TV film that was part of the amazing Ghost Story for Christmas  thing the beeb used to do so well.
It was a short story by Charles Dickens.
It has been, historically, when I have looked, been almost impossible or very expensive to get hold of on DVD
I suggest you watch it here before the pull it from dailymotion.
It is in my opinion genuinely chilling.
And only just over half an hour long


----------



## Doodler (Oct 13, 2020)

From Beyond (1986) is entertaining right from the opening titles, which show a seething mass of maggots (they have nothing to do with the plot whatsoever).


----------



## Reno (Oct 13, 2020)

Doodler said:


> From Beyond (1986) is entertaining right from the opening titles, which show a seething mass of maggots (they have nothing to do with the plot whatsoever).



It's fun, but I prefer the earlier Re-Animator by the same team. It's more outrageous if you've seen the uncut version and From Beyond goes off the boil somewhere around the midpoint.


----------



## Badgers (Oct 13, 2020)

Not that bothered with horror. 

The Shining is a great film
Dusk till Dawn is fairly ludicrous but great
Army of Darkness is all ludicrous but great 

Alien/Aliens are two of my favourite films but are filed under Sci-fi here.


----------



## rutabowa (Oct 13, 2020)

I've slightly lost interest over the last few years but still love the odd one... The last new one that really got me was "Incident in a Ghost Land", it is def not perfect but is properly horrific, particularly as I was expecting a kind of light suspense thing. Made by the same guy who did Martyrs I think, it isn't quite as amazing as that but it very effective.

Oh yeh I also enjoyed that newish one "Us", the plot is a bit of a mess but very entertaining, and I find the whole idea of doppelgangers really spooky. + it has great use of "I got 5 on it" in the soundtrack.


----------



## Badgers (Oct 13, 2020)

Johnny Vodka said:


> I thought 28 Weeks Later was pretty awesome, much better than the original IMO (dunno if that's a controversial statement).


Am a big fan of both films. They are horror for sure but I tend to file 'apocalypse' films separately. Horror is more supernatural in my head.


----------



## Badgers (Oct 13, 2020)

Reno said:


> Jaws


More a drama for me. 

Scared the shit out of a generation tbf


----------



## rutabowa (Oct 13, 2020)

Reno said:


> Huge horror fan here.
> 
> My favourite horror films are
> 
> ...


I love final destinations too!

and The Brood is my favourite david cronenberg.

and yes Exorcist 3 watched that recently and LOVED it. (seem to remember the end was slightly disappointing? but that is par for the course with horror films).

The remake of I Spit On Your Grave has stuck in my head as one of the most unpleasant vicious films to ever haunt my nightmares, so that is good in some way.


----------



## Badgers (Oct 13, 2020)

Knotted said:


> Troll Hunter


Brilliant film. Watched it several times.


----------



## Reno (Oct 13, 2020)

Badgers said:


> More a drama for me.
> 
> Scared the shit out of a generation tbf


Not sure Jaws qualifies as drama when it comes to genre.  It's a cross between adventure-and horror film. I wouldn't even dip my head under the water in a bathtub after I saw that as a kid. It ushered in a whole sub-genre of horror in the 70s, known as "revenge of nature" where all sorts of critters went after human prey.


----------



## Doodler (Oct 13, 2020)

Reno said:


> It's fun, but I prefer the earlier Re-Animator by the same team. It's more outrageous if you've seen the uncut version and From Beyond goes off the boil somewhere around the midpoint.



We'll have to agree to disagree on From Beyond going off the boil! Uncut Re-animator definitely is outrageous and one scene in particular will elicit cries of disgust from many viewers. If the re-animated stiffs count as such they're among the best portrayals of zombies. Both films look like they might have been fun to be part of too.


----------



## Jay Park (Oct 13, 2020)

Traditional type in ‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ followed by the post-modern ‘Cabin in the Woods’ which is more of a comedy per se


----------



## Doodler (Oct 13, 2020)

Another vote here for Hellraiser and its sequel, Hellbound. The first film is poorly directed in places but this is more than compensated for by Barker's original and imaginative approach to horror. Nothing like it had been seen before. Hellbound is good too, but the third sequel, Hell on Earth, is rubbish.


----------



## Reno (Oct 13, 2020)

Doodler said:


> We'll have to agree to disagree on From Beyond going off the boil! Uncut Re-animator definitely is outrageous and one scene in particular will elicit cries of disgust from many viewers. If the re-animated stiffs count as such they're among the best portrayals of zombies. Both films look like they might have been fun to be part of too.


That was a severed head who knows how to have fun.


----------



## cybershot (Oct 13, 2020)

Thought this was an old thread.

But I'll just mention Alien, again.

Hereditary was probably the most impressive recent horror I've seen.


----------



## platinumsage (Oct 13, 2020)

I am currently downloading Big Freaking Rat. I doubt it will be my favourite but I don't like most horror movies and this one apparently has a comedy element so who knows?


----------



## Rosemary Jest (Oct 13, 2020)

In terms of found footage films, Hell House LLC was a good one, well made and scary on a budget.

I quite enjoy the genre, even the terrible ones, as they tend to engage, even if you can tell that the actors are acting in the bad ones.

Also, I'm sure I've mentioned it on other horror threads, but Terrifier is brilliant, if only for the main character.


----------



## Rosemary Jest (Oct 13, 2020)

Doodler said:


> Another vote here for Hellraiser and its sequel, Hellbound. The first film is poorly directed in places but this is more than compensated for by Barker's original and imaginative approach to horror. Nothing like it had been seen before. Hellbound is good too, but the third sequel, Hell on Earth, is rubbish.



They're all terrible after the 2nd aren't they? I can't even say I actually enjoy watching the first two films in the traditional sense, they're that good at being horrifying.


----------



## rutabowa (Oct 13, 2020)

Knotted said:


> _Unfriended_ (Levan Gabriadze 2014)
> 
> In 2016 I worked out there was a thing called Netflix. I am slow on the uptake. Anyway, I watched this along with a load of other mostly trashy horror films. This is a trashy supernatural horror film at core, but it innovates (and properly commits to) a new style of onscreen horror. This style of film, like the found footage films, is a style that minimises cinematic artifice. There aren’t any dreamy montage sequences, or musical cues telling you what to feel or fancy camera work directing your attention. There are no polished performances or arresting images. It is pure drama. Eg. the drama of your applications not functioning the way they are supposed to or the drama of typing something and then deleting it and especially the drama of helplessly watching something unfold and of something horrible coming apparent on a busy computer screen. I find this film and its sequel to be endlessly watchable regardless of their flaws.


ohh I saw "Unfriended: Dark Web" recently, is that the sequel? Anyway I enjoyed it a lot! Cool idea.


----------



## purves grundy (Oct 13, 2020)

cybershot said:


> Hereditary was probably the most impressive recent horror I've seen.


Me too. I like my horrors to be based around the supernatural, to be sinister and macabre. _Hereditary _had that in spades.

Would plump for_ The Shining_ as an all-time fave.


----------



## Reno (Oct 13, 2020)

cybershot said:


> Hereditary was probably the most impressive recent horror I've seen.


Same here, my favourite horror film of the last decade. Let the Right One In is my favourite of the decade bevor. I love horror films where the supernatural or the uncanny takes root in circumstances and characters which are believable. Like the grieving family of Hereditary, where the film really digs into the psychology of these characters or the social realist backdrop of 80s working class Sweden in Let the Right One In.


----------



## Knotted (Oct 13, 2020)

rutabowa said:


> ohh I saw "Unfriended: Dark Web" recently, is that the sequel? Anyway I enjoyed it a lot! Cool idea.



Yeah that's the sequel. I think I prefer the first film, but there's not much in it. There's a recent film called Host out which is a similar thing, I haven't seen it but I bet Reno has. There's also Searching and I think a few others. I didn't care for Searching but I think others liked it.


----------



## Reno (Oct 13, 2020)

Knotted said:


> Yeah that's the sequel. I think I prefer the first film, but there's not much in it. There's a recent film called Host out which is a similar thing, I haven't seen it but I bet Reno has. There's also Searching and I think a few others. I didn't care for Searching but I think others liked it.


Didn't get the acclaim for Searching, thought it was dumb and Debra Messing was hilariously miscast as the tough cop. I liked the Unfriended sequel though and thought it was better than the first. There have been a few more films which take place on a computer screen, The Den was quite good.


----------



## Knotted (Oct 13, 2020)

rutabowa said:


> I've slightly lost interest over the last few years but still love the odd one... The last new one that really got me was "Incident in a Ghost Land", it is def not perfect but is properly horrific, particularly as I was expecting a kind of light suspense thing. Made by the same guy who did Martyrs I think, it isn't quite as amazing as that but it very effective.
> 
> Oh yeh I also enjoyed that newish one "Us", the plot is a bit of a mess but very entertaining, and I find the whole idea of doppelgangers really spooky. + it has great use of "I got 5 on it" in the soundtrack.



The use of Fuck the Police by NWA was a great gag.


----------



## rutabowa (Oct 13, 2020)

Reno said:


> Same here, my favourite horror film of the last decade. Let the Right One In is my favourite of the decade bevor. I love horror films where the supernatural or the uncanny takes root in circumstances and characters which are believable. Like the grieving family of Hereditary, where the film really digs into the psychology of these characters or the social realist backdrop of 80s working class Sweden in Let the Right One In.


hm this is one of the few films I don't share your opinion of... I thought it was ok, but nothing special. Actually I'm not than keen on vampire movies in general, maybe that was it, I can't think of one I like.


----------



## Knotted (Oct 13, 2020)

Reno said:


> Didn't get the acclaim for Searching, though it was dumb and Debra Messing was hilariously miscast as the tough cop. I liked the Unfriended sequel though and thought it was better than the first. There have been a few more films which take place on a computer screen, The Den was quite good.



Searching didn't commit to the format. Bugged the hell out of me.


----------



## Reno (Oct 13, 2020)

rutabowa said:


> hm this is one of the few films I don't share your opinion of... I thought it was ok, but nothing special. Actually I'm not than keen on vampire movies in general, maybe that was it, I can't think of one I like.


You can't be a horror fan and not like any vampire films.


----------



## rutabowa (Oct 13, 2020)

Reno said:


> You can't be a horror fan and not like any vampire films.


I should rewatch "Martin The Vampire", that looks like I should like it, I remember it boring me when I was 13 or 14 though.

I never really explored any of the Hammer draculas.... not sure they will have dated all that well though, I've got the feeling I'd find them really slow.


----------



## Johnny Vodka (Oct 13, 2020)

rutabowa said:


> I should rewatch "Martin The Vampire", that looks like I should like it, I remember it boring me when I was 13 or 14 though.
> 
> I never really explored any of the Hammer draculas.... not sure they will have dated all that well though, I've got the feeling I'd find them really slow.



Yes, to both things (as in worth watching).

Best vampire film might be the Nosferatu remake though, or maybe Let The Right One In.


----------



## Reno (Oct 13, 2020)

rutabowa said:


> I should rewatch "Martin The Vampire", that looks like I should like it, I remember it boring me when I was 13 or 14 though.


Just _Martin_ (by George Romero) and yes, it's acclaimed but I too found it a little boring when I saw it in my teens. Its approach was new, it got  away from gothic horror and it made the vampire a modern psychopath who is probably just delusional.


----------



## rutabowa (Oct 13, 2020)

I expect you liked "We Are What We Are" too eh. (the mexican vampire family film). Saw that at Frightfest and it was "ok" too.


----------



## rutabowa (Oct 13, 2020)

Zombies, on the other hand, are nearly always up my street. but really I prefer either psychopaths or the catholic Devil as my embodiments of evil at the cinema.


----------



## Reno (Oct 13, 2020)

rutabowa said:


> I expect you liked "We Are What We Are" too eh. (the mexican vampire family film). Saw that at Frightfest and it was "ok" too.


They were cannibals. Yes, it was good, but I didn't like it as much as Let the Right One In.


----------



## rutabowa (Oct 13, 2020)

Reno said:


> They were cannibals. Yes, it was good, but I didn't like it as much as Let the Right One In.


oh CANNIBALS! i love cannibals usually....

I've got a really terrible memory for films.


----------



## Johnny Vodka (Oct 13, 2020)

Tobe Hooper's Salem's Lot is one that seems to stick in a lot of people's minds from childhood (if you grew up in the 80s).

Think it was shot as a TV show then edited into a film as well?


----------



## Reno (Oct 13, 2020)

Johnny Vodka said:


> Yes, to both things (as in worth watching).
> 
> Best vampire film might be the Nosferatu remake though, or maybe Let The Right One In.


One of my favourite vampire movies is Daughters of Darkness from 1971, but it's more camp than scary. The Hunger from the 80s ripped it off but took itself way too seriously.


----------



## Reno (Oct 13, 2020)

Johnny Vodka said:


> Tobe Hooper's Salem's Lot is one that seems to stick in a lot of people's minds from childhood (if you grew up in the 80s).
> 
> Think it was shot as a TV show then edited into a film as well?


I recently rewatched that. The horror aspects still work really well, those vampires are genuinely creepy. The character stuff is a bit of a drag (never one of Hooper's strong points)and that is 80% of the mini-series.


----------



## rutabowa (Oct 13, 2020)

Anyone seen Christine (film of the stephen king book)? I spotted that on netflix yesterday and wondered if it was worth a shot tonight.


----------



## Johnny Vodka (Oct 13, 2020)

There is also Martyrs.  Not sure how much I enjoyed that film and the explanation is sort of ludicrous, but I admired just how much it was willing to put its characters and audience through the wringer.  A truly gruelling film.


----------



## Reno (Oct 13, 2020)

rutabowa said:


> Anyone seen Christine (film of the stephen king book)? I spotted that on netflix yesterday and wondered if it was worth a shot tonight.


It was the first John Carpenter film which I found disappointing, it's watchable though. I really liked the novel, I remember and it left so much out.


----------



## Reno (Oct 13, 2020)

Johnny Vodka said:


> There is also Martyrs.  Not sure how much I enjoyed that film and the explanation is sort of ludicrous, but I admired just how much it was willing to put its characters and audience through the wringer.  A truly gruelling film.


I found that one very silly. I thought all the films of what was called the New French Extremely were a bit daft, torture porn with pretentious (I prefer my torture porn served straight). There was a Belgian film which preceded the movement called Calvaire/ The Ordeal and that one wipes the floor with Martyrs, Inside, Frontiers, etc but it's not as well known.


----------



## Johnny Vodka (Oct 13, 2020)

Reno said:


> I found that one very silly. I thought all the films of what was called the New French Extremely were a bit daft, torture porn with pretentious (I prefer my torture porn served straight). There was a Belgian film which preceded the movement called* Calvaire/ The Ordeal* and that one wipes the floor with Martyrs, Inside, Frontiers, etc but it's not as well known.



Pretty sure I've seen that one.  Good from what I recall.  I liked Hostel (and also Hostel 2) more than a lot of people if you're talking torture porn.


----------



## Orang Utan (Oct 13, 2020)

Paperhouse just cos no one else has mentioned it. Candyman is great too.


----------



## rutabowa (Oct 13, 2020)

Loved Martyrs, but thought the pretentious ending spoilt it a little bit, the first 2/3 or so was amazing though. Must check Calvaire. Didn't particularly like Frontiers, and Inside was only ok, but Martyrs was very effective. I wouldn't recommend it to people for a halloween watch unless I knew for sure they could handel though ha.


----------



## rutabowa (Oct 13, 2020)

ohhh Candyman! Might have to rewatch that. That properly terrified me at the cinema when it cam out.


----------



## ruffneck23 (Oct 13, 2020)

wolf creek
Nightmare on elm street ( the original )
Hellraiser
Event Horizon
Halloween


----------



## Johnny Vodka (Oct 13, 2020)

Reno said:


> One of my favourite vampire movies is Daughters of Darkness from 1971, but it's more camp than scary. The Hunger from the 80s ripped it took itself way too seriously.



Used to have a soft spot for some of the Jean Rollin erotic 'vampire' films, stuff like Fascination and The Living Dead Girl.


----------



## Reno (Oct 13, 2020)

Johnny Vodka said:


> Pretty sure I've seen that one.  Good from what I recall.  I liked Hostel (and also Hostel 2) more than a lot of people if you're talking torture porn.


I really like the Hostel films too, especially the 2nd one. I think they are great satires of capitalism, where the one percent are the monster. Got caught up in the usual tabloid outrage which coined the term torture porn again. But I'm all for horror films being disreputable.


----------



## kittyP (Oct 13, 2020)

Johnny Vodka said:


> Best vampire film might be the Nosferatu remake though,



Which one?


Orang Utan said:


> Paperhouse just cos no one else has mentioned it. Candyman is great too.



Oooh I thought I hadn't heard of Paperhouse but I have just watched the trailer and it is ringing far distant bells.


----------



## kittyP (Oct 13, 2020)

Reno said:


> I really like the Hostel films too, especially the 2nd one. I think they are great satires of capitalism, where the one percent are the monster. Got caught up in the usual tabloid outrage which coined the term torture porn again. But I'm all for horror films being disreputable.



I just found the Hostel films boring. 
I loved Martyrs though


----------



## Johnny Vodka (Oct 13, 2020)

kittyP said:


> Which one?



The Werner Herzog.


----------



## Doodler (Oct 13, 2020)

Rosemary Jest said:


> They're all terrible after the 2nd aren't they? I can't even say I actually enjoy watching the first two films in the traditional sense, they're that good at being horrifying.



I haven't watched any beyond the 3rd one, that was bad enough. The first two are quite strange and dreamlike on occasion, also maybe an influence on the 1980s modern primitives/body modification trend!


----------



## Reno (Oct 13, 2020)

I only really like the first Hellraiser, the second film is a bit of a mess and feels like there was no more of a story to tell. People just endlessly bumble round a hell-on-a-budget. I think Clive Barker's Lord of Illusion is underrated though, shame he stopped directing films after that.


----------



## kittyP (Oct 13, 2020)

Reno said:


> I only really like the first Hellraiser, the second film is a bit of a mess and feels like there was no more of a story to tell. People just endlessly bumble round a hell-on-a-budget. I think Clive Barker's Lord of Illusion is underrated though, shame he stopped directing films after that.



I find very little actually scares me any more in films so I am always chasing the high of a scare  
Weirdly I find the Hellraiser films are pretty much the only ones that leave me unnerved after watching, like looking under the bed type thing.  
Normally, even if things have made me jump/scared me while watching, as soon as I turn it off the spell is broken.


----------



## Reno (Oct 13, 2020)

kittyP said:


> I find very little actually scares me any more in films so I am always chasing the high of a scare
> Weirdly I find the Hellraiser films are pretty much the only ones that leave me unnerved after watching, like looking under the bed type thing.
> Normally, even if things have made me jump/scared me while watching, as soon as I turn it off the spell is broken.


Despite having watched gazillions of horror films I still scare easily, but only during the film. Hellraiser scared me when it came out but I've seen it too often to still have much of an effect on me. I've never been that captivated by the cenobites as most fans are. I like the film for Julia's character and think Claire Higgins gives a fantastic performance, going from bored housewife to serial killer. I find the scenes when she lures men back to the house the most chilling. Clive Barker wanted to make her the center of the franchise, but by the second film her character has nowhere to go, apart from becoming the equivalent of Frank from the first film. 

A lot of the film is a little wobbly. The producers tried to pretend the film takes place in the US by dubbing a few of the British actors and Kirsty feels like she's walked in from a totally different horror film, her all-American perkiness grates on me.


----------



## Jay Park (Oct 13, 2020)

I was putting Alien in the sci-fi thriller genre, but if you lot are having it then me too. Also it’s sequel can be an action horror. I even like the third even if it was panned and Fincher has distanced himself from it. The rest can sling it though. 

Anyone seen ‘It Follows’ ?


----------



## krtek a houby (Oct 13, 2020)

Neil Marshall's The Descent is pretty decent. Genuinely jump or squirm in the seat stuff.


----------



## Johnny Vodka (Oct 13, 2020)

Jay Park said:


> I was putting Alien in the sci-fi thriller genre, but if you lot are having it then me too. Also it’s sequel can be an action horror. I even like the third even if it was panned and Fincher has distanced himself from it. The rest can sling it though.
> 
> Anyone seen ‘It Follows’ ?



I like both Alien 3 and It Follows.


----------



## Sue (Oct 13, 2020)

rutabowa said:


> hm this is one of the few films I don't share your opinion of... I thought it was ok, but nothing special. Actually I'm not than keen on vampire movies in general, maybe that was it, I can't think of one I like.


I don't really do horror but I loved Let The Right One In. I also really liked It Follows in recent years.


----------



## The Octagon (Oct 13, 2020)

Some of these may veer into Horror-Comedy... 

The Shining
Psycho
Scream 
Monster Squad
Alien
A Nightmare on Elm Street (and New Nightmare) 
Jason X
An American Werewolf in London 
The Cabin in the Woods 
Evil Dead 2


----------



## Jay Park (Oct 13, 2020)

The Octagon said:


> Some of these may veer into Horror-Comedy...
> 
> The Shining
> Psycho
> ...



Yeah New Nightmare was cool


----------



## Reno (Oct 13, 2020)

Jay Park said:


> Anyone seen ‘It Follows’ ?


It's great, already a modern horror classic.


----------



## kittyP (Oct 13, 2020)

Reno said:


> Despite having watched gazillions of horror films I still scare easily, but only during the film. Hellraiser scared me when it came out but I've seen it too often to still have much of an effect on me. I've never been that captivated by the cenobites as most fans are. I like the film for Julia's character and think Claire Higgins gives a fantastic performance, going from bored housewife to serial killer. I find the scenes when she lures men back to the house the most chilling. Clive Barker wanted to make her the center of the franchise, but by the second film her character has nowhere to go, apart from becoming the equivalent of Frank from the first film.
> 
> A lot of the film is a little wobbly. The producers tried to pretend the film takes place in the US by dubbing a few of the British actors and Kirsty feels like she's walked in from a totally different horror film, her all-American perkiness grates on me.



I agree that there is a lot o criticise about the films. 
I don't think the first one really scared me the first time I saw it. But the times I have seen it since leaves me wobbly and I can't explain why.


----------



## kittyP (Oct 13, 2020)

Jay Park said:


> I was putting Alien in the sci-fi thriller genre, but if you lot are having it then me too. Also it’s sequel can be an action horror. I even like the third even if it was panned and Fincher has distanced himself from it. The rest can sling it though.
> 
> Anyone seen ‘It Follows’ ?



Alien 3 is bloody brilliant and so overlooked.


----------



## kittyP (Oct 13, 2020)

The Octagon said:


> Some of these may veer into Horror-Comedy...
> 
> The Shining
> Psycho
> ...



Ok but not Alien


----------



## Jay Park (Oct 13, 2020)

kittyP said:


> Alien 3 is bloody brilliant and so overlooked.



Charles Dance and Pete Postlethwaite !!!


----------



## krtek a houby (Oct 13, 2020)

Have a soft spot for anthologies like

The Monster Club - Vincent Price, Donald Pleasance

Tales From the Crypt - Joan Collins, Peter Cushing

Creep Show - Stephen King/George A Romero homage to EC comics

Cat's Eye - King, again. This time adaptations of short stories.

The Twilight Zone - Landis, Spielberg and Dante update Rod Serling with mixed results.

Grim Prairie Tales - James Earl Jones, Brad Dourif in a western horror anthology


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## yield (Oct 13, 2020)

Johnny Vodka said:


> Best vampire film might be the Nosferatu remake though, or maybe Let The Right One In.


Near Dark or Let The Right One In, I reckon.



The Octagon said:


> Some of these may veer into Horror-Comedy...


Evil Dead 2 or Tucker and Dale vs Evil for horror-comedy.


----------



## kittyP (Oct 13, 2020)

The last thing that had a moment that scared the bejesus out of me was the Netflix series The Haunting of Hill House. 
I really enjoyed the whole thing but there was one moment in one episode that made me scream "Jesus, Mary and Joseph!!" and all my hairs were standing on end


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## belboid (Oct 13, 2020)

Cronos deserves a mention in list of great vampire movies.  Rabid too.


----------



## Reno (Oct 13, 2020)

kittyP said:


> Alien 3 is bloody brilliant and so overlooked.


Its gone from "most disappointing sequel ever" to "interesting failure" in my book, but i'm still not on board with the "underrated masterpiece" fans. I like the bleak start and ending. Everything in between I find rather dull, with characters where I don't care whether they live or die.


----------



## Johnny Vodka (Oct 13, 2020)

belboid said:


> Cronos deserves a mention in list of great vampire movies.  Rabid too.



There's a remake of Rabid, and it's surprisingly watchable.


----------



## savoloysam (Oct 13, 2020)

1408. Literally the only film that has actually given me nightmares after watching it.









						1408 (2007) - IMDb
					

1408: Directed by Mikael Håfström. With John Cusack, Tony Shalhoub, Len Cariou, Isiah Whitlock Jr.. A man who specialises in debunking paranormal occurrences checks into the fabled room 1408 in the Dolphin Hotel. Soon after settling in, he confronts genuine terror.




					www.imdb.com


----------



## kittyP (Oct 13, 2020)

savoloysam said:


> 1408. Literally the only film that has actually given me nightmares after watching it.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I know I have seen it but I might have been under the influence of the 11th letter of the alphabet at the time and can't remember much. 
Might have to give it another go.


----------



## savoloysam (Oct 13, 2020)

kittyP said:


> I know I have seen it but I might have been under the influence of the 11th letter of the alphabet at the time and can't remember much.
> Might have to give it another go.



It was more the psychologal element that stuck inside my head in the same way Davd Lynch films like Lost Hoghway and Mulholland Drive do.


----------



## kittyP (Oct 13, 2020)

savoloysam said:


> It was more the psychologal element that stuck inside my head in the same way Davd Lynch films like *Lost Hoghway* and Mulholland Drive do.



That sounds like David Lynch crossed with Terry Pratchett


----------



## Rosemary Jest (Oct 13, 2020)

kittyP said:


> Alien 3 is bloody brilliant and so overlooked.


The director's cut is worth a watch for some different scenes altogether from the original film, if you've not already seen it.


----------



## Marty1 (Oct 13, 2020)

All 3 movies are good but first and 2nd are the best.


----------



## purves grundy (Oct 13, 2020)

Jay Park said:


> .
> 
> Anyone seen ‘It Follows’ ?


Thaaat’s a great film! Best opening scene / image for a horror, for sure.


----------



## yield (Oct 13, 2020)

Marty1 said:


> View attachment 234248
> All 3 movies are good but first and 2nd are the best.


Some "bored" police in a small Louisiana town used the Purge siren to signal curfew back in April. 



Spoiler: youtube


----------



## Reno (Oct 13, 2020)

Rosemary Jest said:


> The director's cut is worth a watch for some different scenes altogether from the original film, if you've not already seen it.


Not the directors cut, considering the director disowned the film. It’s an assembly cut, based on an earlier cut of the film, with redone special effects. It is superior to the theatrical cut with a few things making a little more sense.

The documentary on the blu-ray for Alien 3 is one of the best Making Of documentaries I’ve seen. It’s more gripping than the film itself as far as I’m concerned. It’s about the  many things which went wrong with during its making  and the participants don’t hold back when it comes to resentments and grudges.


----------



## ska invita (Oct 13, 2020)

Rosemary Jest said:


> Hellraiser: maybe a bit of an obvious choice but it is a genuine nasty film, that ramps up the scariness compared to most. It's on another level compared to most horror films. The second one is good too, if not quite like the original.


When was the last time anyone watched Hellraiser? I watched it earlier this year having had fond, scared memories...yeah the visual effects are still a lot of fun - brilliant in fact - but watching now it has zero suspense and most of it was boring low budget (bloody) melodrama set in one house that dragged on- not how i remembered it at all. I was disappointed tbh. Remember being shocked when i first saw it. Not aged well IMO

incidentally the film a year before Hellraiser based on Clive Barkers script was this:








						Rawhead Rex (1986) - IMDb
					

Rawhead Rex: Directed by George Pavlou. With David Dukes, Kelly Piper, Hugh O'Conor, Cora Venus Lunny. An ancient creature called Rawhead is awakened from its slumber near an Irish village and goes on a rampage killing anyone in sight.




					www.imdb.com
				



entertaining review of it here


more sexual blasphemy goings on

according to the review Clive was so annoyed at how bad (incorrect) the monster was and poor the effects were, that he got in the driver seat for hellraiser to make sure his vision got put on screen properly

Rawhead Rex:


----------



## kittyP (Oct 13, 2020)

I watch Hellraiser 1 & 2 about once a year


----------



## kittyP (Oct 13, 2020)

savoloysam said:


> It was more the psychologal element that stuck inside my head in the same way Davd Lynch films like Lost Hoghway and Mulholland Drive do.


I've just put it on 👍


----------



## 20Bees (Oct 13, 2020)

Scary films, not necessarily ‘horror’ films?

Straw Dogs
Race With The Devil
Carrie
The Wicker Man


----------



## savoloysam (Oct 13, 2020)

kittyP said:


> I've just put it on 👍



Enjoy. Let us know what you think of it. Apparently there are two different endings so you might get a different one to the one I saw.


----------



## D'wards (Oct 13, 2020)

My personal faves;

An American Werewolf in London
The Return of the Living Dead
Martyrs 
Hellraiser (dated but I love it)


----------



## rutabowa (Oct 14, 2020)

savoloysam said:


> 1408. Literally the only film that has actually given me nightmares after watching it.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


interested


----------



## T & P (Oct 14, 2020)

I love many classics of the genre (Exorcist, Psycho, The Thing) even though I seldom find them scary or chilly at all. So I will name those that left a lasting impression in my memory and creeped me out properly.

R.E.C. was fucking superb, one of the most tense and fucked up (in a good way) horror films ever. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a masterpiece and delivers a genuinely disturbing atmosphere with relatively little gore or OTT acts of violence.

The Evil Dead gave me nightmares when I first saw it as a teen (the thing in the basement, the characters’ voices when possessed), though now is just a horror comedy. And Creep is absurdly good and, er, creepy as the title suggests.

Final mention goes to a film that tends to be described as sci-fi-horror but certain scenes freaked me out no end: Event Horizon. Only saw it once, perhaps now it’d be no biggie...


----------



## kittyP (Oct 14, 2020)

savoloysam said:


> Enjoy. Let us know what you think of it. Apparently there are two different endings so you might get a different one to the one I saw.



I liked it although I don't find John Cusack that convincing in that kind of role. I find him quite a comedic person to watch. 

I liked the claustrophobic churning of it. At one point I thought to myself "oh god it's like lots of elements pf Apocalypse Now condensed into a small room  



Spoiler: Ending



The ending was, he was rescued from the hotel room on fire, recovered and was back with his ex. He started listening to the Dictaphone and he heard his daughters voice. His (no longer) ex heard it to and dropped a box. They looked at each other and it ended.


----------



## kittyP (Oct 14, 2020)

T & P said:


> I love many classics of the genre (Exorcist, Psycho, The Thing) even though I seldom find them scary or chilly at all. So I will name those that left a lasting impression in my memory and creeped me out properly.
> 
> R.E.C. was fucking superb, one of the most tense and fucked up (in a good way) horror films ever. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a masterpiece and delivers a genuinely disturbing atmosphere with relatively little gore or OTT acts of violence.
> 
> ...



Yes I forgot about Event Horizon. 
I too have only seen it once I think, I went to see it at the cinema and it left me feeling unnerved after.


----------



## T & P (Oct 14, 2020)

kittyP said:


> Yes I forgot about Event Horizon.
> I too have only seen it once I think, I went to see it at the cinema and it left me feeling unnerved after.


Yes, we’ve all seen plenty of films when a character is taken over by an evil entity and rarely I find it scary or creepy, but in this film it was bloody chilling. Can’t even remember the particulars of it and what made it so effective, but for me it felt so genuinely malevolent and threatening it made Regan off The Exorcist feel like Miss Marple by comparison.


----------



## savoloysam (Oct 14, 2020)

kittyP said:


> I liked it although I don't find John Cusack that convincing in that kind of role. I find him quite a comedic person to watch.
> 
> I liked the claustrophobic churning of it. At one point I thought to myself "oh god it's like lots of elements pf Apocalypse Now condensed into a small room
> 
> ...



Same ending I saw I think. Elements of Jacob's ladder in there as well. Hopefully you will sleep well tonight


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## kittyP (Oct 14, 2020)

savoloysam said:


> Same ending I saw I think. Elements of Jacob's ladder in there as well. Hopefully you will sleep well tonight



Oh I haven't seen Jacob's Ladder in aaaages either. I often get bits of that and Altered States mixed up in my head. 
Thank you I am sure I will.


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## Jay Park (Oct 14, 2020)

Anyone mentioned Tony Todd in ‘the Candyman’

‘Helen! Helen!’


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## Detroit City (Oct 14, 2020)

kittyP said:


> Yes I forgot about Event Horizon.
> I too have only seen it once I think, I went to see it at the cinema and it left me feeling unnerved after.


totally worthless film


----------



## Detroit City (Oct 14, 2020)

Reno said:


> Its gone from "most disappointing sequel ever" to "interesting failure" in my book, but i'm still not on board with the "underrated masterpiece" fans. I like the bleak start and ending. Everything in between I find rather dull, with characters where I don't care whether they live or die.


totally agree, Alien 3 was sub-par and barely watchable


----------



## Johnny Vodka (Oct 14, 2020)

T & P said:


> The Evil Dead gave me nightmares when I first saw it as a teen (the thing in the basement, the characters’ voices when possessed), though now is just a horror comedy.



The remake is very good if you just want straight-up nasty horror rather than horror comedy.


----------



## Knotted (Oct 14, 2020)

Fwiw I liked Alien cubed though I haven't seen it for about 25 years. I liked the themes of redemption and self sacrifice and the desperate atmosphere. I thought the end of the second film went in the wrong direction and I thought the third film got back to the roots of the series. I appreciate the third film has it's problems, but they didn't bother me. I might change my mind if I saw it again now...

First and third films Ripley outwits the alien. In the second film she out punches it.


----------



## Rosemary Jest (Oct 14, 2020)

kittyP said:


> Yes I forgot about Event Horizon.
> I too have only seen it once I think, I went to see it at the cinema and it left me feeling unnerved after.



It's a great film, forgot that one too. Remember when it came out and a friend raved about it. Hellraiser in space!

Sam Neill is brilliant in it, as are most of the cast to be fair.

In a similar vein, Danny Boyle's Sunshine is often overlooked, it's very creepy and odd and has a greater atmosphere.


----------



## Knotted (Oct 15, 2020)

Just signed up to Shudder and watched the online horror Host last night. I've put this here just to underscore how bold the Unfriended films were.

Host doesn't have multiple windows with typed messages or frantic googling, it is purely a Zoom session with continual jump cuts to reactions to various spooky occurrences, the characters keep picking up their laptops and wandering round their houses effectively turning the film into a found footage film with all the contrivances that involves. It's an attempt to convert the online horror format into a more familiar cinematic experience.

Having said that it's a really effectively boo-scary-face/jump scare/found footage horror. It's easily the best of film of that type that I've seen. It will scare the bejeezus out of you.


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## Detroit City (Oct 15, 2020)

Rosemary Jest said:


> It's a great film, forgot that one too. Remember when it came out and a friend raved about it.


surely you jest RJ


----------



## Nine Bob Note (Oct 15, 2020)

Rosemary Jest said:


> It's a great film, forgot that one too. Remember when it came out and a friend raved about it. Hellraiser in space!



That would be Hellraiser IV


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## rutabowa (Oct 15, 2020)

kittyP said:


> I liked it although I don't find John Cusack that convincing in that kind of role. I find him quite a comedic person to watch.
> 
> I liked the claustrophobic churning of it. At one point I thought to myself "oh god it's like lots of elements pf Apocalypse Now condensed into a small room
> 
> ...


yeh I started watching this last night, I had to switch it off about half way through as it freaked me out too much, I assumed I couldn't be scared by anything with john cusack in and let my guard down. excvellent.


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## Reno (Oct 15, 2020)

Knotted said:


> Fwiw I liked Alien cubed though I haven't seen it for about 25 years. I liked the themes of redemption and self sacrifice and the desperate atmosphere. I thought the end of the second film went in the wrong direction and I thought the third film got back to the roots of the series. I appreciate the third film has it's problems, but they didn't bother me. I might change my mind if I saw it again now...
> 
> First and third films Ripley outwits the alien. In the second film she out punches it.



In Aliens the point is that Ripley survives because she is smarter than all the soldiers they send along with her and her smarts counts for more than all their firepower. She makes all the right decisions in that film, while the soldiers and the company man flounder and get picked off one after the other.

In Alien 3, once Ripley is impregnated, she has no card left to play but to sacrifice herself, so whether she's smart or not doesn't matter. I thought it let down what was the first big female franchise hero, she didn't deserve to be put in such a powerless position. Sure, the company doesn't get its hands on the alien this time round but the world it presents doesn't look worth saving. There is something admirably perverse about a Hollywood blockbuster daring to be so nihilistic, but I don't think it served Ripley well.


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## Rosemary Jest (Oct 15, 2020)

Detroit City said:


> surely you jest RJ



No jesting here! Seriously, it's a great horror sci fi film, can't think of many better to be honest, apart from the obvious big name ones.


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## T & P (Oct 16, 2020)

After talking about the film in question here in the last couple of days, I decided to watch Event Horizon again last night to see how it stood the test of time. I didn’t find it scary or disturbing this time around, but it still holds its ground perfectly well as a perfectly decent sci-fi horror flick.


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## T & P (Oct 16, 2020)

Also, honorary mention to the first Paranormal Activity. I don’t believe in any kind of afterlife, demonic possession or ghosts, so more the credit for finding some scenes rather unsettling. Even more credit for said scenes not relying on gore or jump scares but slow burning stuff. Such as the woman being possessed during the night, getting out of bed and just stand by her husband’s side of the bed for hours. Good quality horror there.


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## Reno (Oct 16, 2020)

T & P said:


> Also, honorary mention to the first Paranormal Activity. I don’t believe in any kind of afterlife, demonic possession or ghosts, so more the credit for finding some scenes rather unsettling. Even more credit for said scenes not relying on gore or jump scares but slow burning stuff. Such as the woman being possessed during the night, getting out of bed and just stand by her husband’s side of the bed for hours. Good quality horror there.


I actually prefer the first and second sequel to the original film, they capitalise better on the whole security camera set up and they actually move the plot on, rather than merely repeating the first film. On the whole its a fun series of horror films, only the so far last film was a total dud.


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## weltweit (Oct 16, 2020)

I remember being scared by horror movies as a youngster, then - for some reason - I stopped watching them. Now I live in a large old dark and draughty house and if I watched horror movies it would probably scare me just being here, so I am now quite happy not watching them at all.


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## kittyP (Oct 16, 2020)

Oh yes I really rate the Paranormal Activity films in that, they are not amazing examples of film making  but they do exactly what I want them to do, make me jump and hide behind a cushion


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## Knotted (Oct 17, 2020)

My favourite Paranormal Activity style found footage haunting films are probably Borderlands and Die Präsenz [The Presence]. The first of these is a haunted church scenario and I thought it had some strong characters and a really unnerving ending. The second is a haunted castle scenario and even though it's an utterly derivative film, I thought it worked better than the Paranormal Activity films. Those two do the trick for me. I do find all these spooky found footage films to be very watchable if not necessarily scary though.


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## Reno (Oct 17, 2020)

I too liked Borderlands and haven't seen Die Präsenz, as I've been burnt by too many terrible German horror films. If you rate it, I may check it out. The Irish The Devil's Doorway, which is about a haunted Magdalene laundry, in a similar vein to Borderlands is also quite good. I still like Paranormal Activity 3 better though, the best in the series and a prequel, it's basically Poltergeist as a found footage film. The scares really work.


Paranormal Activity 2 has one of the best and most tense scenes in the found footage genre, the one where they mount a camera on a fan which slowly moves back and forth, scanning the entire ground floor of a house.


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## Knotted (Oct 17, 2020)

Don't expect too much from Die Präsenz, it's an absolutely standard Paranormal Activity rip off but I just thought it worked well. Will check out The Devil's Doorway.


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## seeformiles (Oct 17, 2020)

I think the first horror films I saw were The Amityville Horror and The Wicker Man when I was about 12 (my mate’s parents had one of them newfangled VCRs and were out for the afternoon). The former film creeped me out for weeks and cemented my liking for films that use your imagination to conjure up things far worse than they could ever show on screen.


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## Reno (Oct 17, 2020)

My mother strictly forbade me to watch horror films, even into my teens, so of course it was the forbidden fruit which became my obsession as a kid. I spent most of my pocket money on books and magazines about horror films which I wasn't able to watch. One night when my parents were out for the evening, I was able to watch Rosemary's Baby on TV which scared the shit out of me and so I loved it of course. I think I was 11 or 12. At the climax I couldn't watch, I was so scared of the baby and then the next day I bragged at school how scary it looked. Till someone pointed out that they don't actually show the baby.


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## Knotted (Oct 17, 2020)

My evil mum recorded and got me to watch Damien: Omen II when I was 8 or 9. I don't know what she was thinking because it's pretty full on but I remember liking it and watching it several times.

Love you, evil mum.


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## D'wards (Oct 17, 2020)

Reno said:


> My mother strictly forbade me to watch horror films, even into my teens, so of course it was the forbidden fruit which became my obsession as a kid. I spent most of my pocket money on books and magazines about horror films which I wasn't able to watch. One night when my parents were out for the evening, I was able to watch Rosemary's Baby on TV which scared the shit out of me and so I loved it of course. I think I was 11 or 12. At the climax I couldn't watch, I was so scared of the baby and then the next day I bragged at school how scary it looked. Till someone pointed out that they don't actually show the baby.


My mum was pretty lax with the horrors as a kid, but she drew the line at Evil Dead for some reason, although probably the tree rape scene she had heard about 

My uncle brought the tape round, and it was there on the kitchen table. I had a look at it and was gutted I wasn't allowed to watch it.

It had skulls on the spools for God's sale! 

From that point my love of horror was born


----------



## Reno (Oct 17, 2020)

D'wards said:


> My mum was pretty lax with the horrors as a kid, but she drew the line at Evil Dead for some reason, although probably the tree rape scene she had heard about
> 
> My uncle brought the tape round, and it was there on the kitchen table. I had a look at it and was gutted I wasn't allowed to watch it.
> 
> ...


The Evil Dead was in the crossfire of tabloid outrage because it was one of the more high profile films caught up in the video nasties debacle, so your mum probably read or heard about that. There was a court case, it ended up not getting prosecuted and got released on VHS but heavily censored, with the tree rape missing.


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## D'wards (Oct 17, 2020)

Another example of the denial only piquing your interest,  is when a werewolf film came on one Friday night.
It was victorian and set on a ship in a storm at night. There was a box/coffin on deck and it split open and you could see a werewolf in it.
At that point I was sent to bed. For years I thought it was a Hammer but I think I asked for her film id on here and Reno identified it, but I've forgotten what it is.
Its something like Night of the Werewolf


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## Reno (Oct 17, 2020)

D'wards said:


> Another example of the denial only piquing your interest,  is when a werewolf film came on one Friday night.
> It was victorian and set on a ship in a storm at night. There was a box/coffin on deck and it split open and you could see a werewolf in it.
> At that point I was sent to bed. For years I thought it was a Hammer but I think I asked for her film id on here and Reno identified it, but I've forgotten what it is.
> Its something like Night of the Werewolf


I'd happily take credit for that but I don't remember. I would have said, it's a Dracula adaptation because when Dracula travels in his coffin to Whitby on the Demeter, he takes the shape of a large dog. Most film versions skip the voyage of the Demeter but the 1979 movie includes it:


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## D'wards (Oct 17, 2020)

Reno said:


> I'd happily take credit for that but I don't remember. I would have said, it's a Dracula adaptation because when Dracula travels next his coffin to Whitby on the Demeter, he takes the shape of a large dog. Most film versions skip the voyage of the Demeter but the 1979 movie includes it:



Yes, that's it!


----------



## D'wards (Oct 17, 2020)

.


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## D'wards (Oct 17, 2020)

Triple post madness


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## krtek a houby (Oct 17, 2020)

The two horror films that stand out from my youth were Psycho and, er, Zombie Flesheaters. The former scared me most and the latter I only saw the once. Do like Zombie films a lot, mind. Be they old b&w, Romero or the multitude of modern efforts.


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## QueenOfGoths (Oct 17, 2020)

I'm not a great horror fan as I get scared very, very easily. So I've not seen a lot of the classics but it is interesting that some of my favourite genre films, that I would put under Sci fi or maybe fantasy, have been mentioned. 

Alien/Aliens
The Thing (love this film and was obsessed by it as a young teenager) 
The Wicker Man
Night of the Demon

More recently Train to Busan was great and I did enjoy Cabin in the Woods. 

As to my all time what I would consider horror then "An American Werewolf in London". Imagine living in the Yorkshire Dales and walking home after seeing that!! 

Plus it was one of the first X rated movies I blagged my way into (I was 15 at the time) and Brian Glover is in it and he's fucking great!


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## T & P (Oct 17, 2020)

The Fly (the 1987 remake with Jeff Goldblum) is part sci-fi part horror, but fully deserving of a mention in in any horror film lists IMO. Not scary but a great horror tale all the same. I've never felt so sad about the fate of the 'monster' in a horror film as in here


----------



## T & P (Oct 17, 2020)

Oh I just remembered a film that I found generally freaky at times. 1408, a supernatural horror with John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson about a certain room in a hotel in which bad things are said to happen to anyone who stays in. The hotel doesn't hire out the room anymore due to said events but agrees to rent it out to Cusack, who is a journalist wanting to write a piece on it.

It's got a couple of proper jump-scare moments and a good, sustained tense atmosphere. Only seen it once but it was pretty satisfying as horror films go.

ETA: while I’m at it I might as well mention Devil. A group of (seemly unconnected) strangers riding a lift in a commercial/ office  building get stuck inside due to some fault. And things start to happen whenever the light goes out for even a couple of seconds, with everyone suspecting their fellow stranded lift passengers. Very effective and gripping film, and well written as most of it takes place inside the lift, so not an easy script to write.


----------



## Nine Bob Note (Oct 17, 2020)

Finally watched Hereditary and found it good... just good. Toni Collette was awesome as always, and the daughter was freaky as fuck. Need to step up my horror consumtion, being the season an' all


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## Orang Utan (Oct 18, 2020)

Saint Maud a late contender - very very good


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## kittyP (Oct 18, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> Saint Maud a late contender - very very good



I really want to see that


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## Orang Utan (Oct 18, 2020)

kittyP said:


> I really want to see that


glad I was wearing a mask as I would have bitten my nails right out


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## Reno (Oct 19, 2020)

Watched the sci-fi/horror comedy _Love & Monsters_ last night.  Good hearted and entertaining, it's about an earth seven years after a "monsterpocalypse" which has mutated many of the worlds insects, crustaceans, slugs, etc to 50s monster movie proportions. It's fun and it has a cute dog.


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## Knotted (Oct 19, 2020)

Oh no not a dog!

Are there any horror films where the dog doesn't die? Or the cat doesn't survive?


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## Reno (Oct 19, 2020)

Knotted said:


> Oh no not a dog!
> 
> Are there any horror films where the dog doesn't die? Or the cat doesn't survive?



The dog 



Spoiler



survives, it's too light hearted a film to kill off a pooch.


----------



## Marty1 (Oct 19, 2020)

Haven’t seen this in a long time but remember it being good.  Not sure if it will stand the test of time on a revisit.


----------



## kittyP (Oct 19, 2020)

Knotted said:


> Oh no not a dog!
> 
> Are there any horror films where the dog doesn't die? Or the cat doesn't survive?



You need this website Does The Dog DIe?


----------



## Part 2 (Oct 19, 2020)

The most memorable horror films for me as a kid were The Omen series and Amityville Horror. The Omen goes off a bit in the third film but 1 and 2 have so many standout scenes. I wasn't allowed to watch Hammer House of Horror on TV so they'd have been some of the first videos I saw at other people's houses I think.

Mum and Dad and Eden Lake are 2 British films that haven't been mentioned. Both particularly nasty if I remember right. 

A recent British horror I thought was really good was Possum. Sean Harris with a spider puppet.. St Maud is well up there though, best horror I've seen for years.


----------



## Part 2 (Oct 19, 2020)

Also Antichrist might have the best screaming in any film and The Woman in Black definitely deserves a mention.


----------



## Part 2 (Oct 19, 2020)

Where do films like Threads, Benny's Video, Funny Games, The Seventh Continent, I Stand Alone etc fit into a horror discussion?

Things like that are way scarier than typical horror, for me anyway.

Oh and Brimstone and Treacle.


----------



## Nine Bob Note (Oct 20, 2020)

Killer Klowns from Outer Space on now 🤡


----------



## Badgers (Oct 20, 2020)

Nine Bob Note said:


> Killer Klowns from Outer Space on now 🤡


Classic


----------



## seeformiles (Oct 21, 2020)

T & P said:


> Oh I just remembered a film that I found generally freaky at times. 1408, a supernatural horror with John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson about a certain room in a hotel in which bad things are said to happen to anyone who stays in. The hotel doesn't hire out the room anymore due to said events but agrees to rent it out to Cusack, who is a journalist wanting to write a piece on it.
> 
> It's got a couple of proper jump-scare moments and a good, sustained tense atmosphere. Only seen it once but it was pretty satisfying as horror films go.
> 
> ETA: while I’m at it I might as well mention Devil. A group of (seemly unconnected) strangers riding a lift in a commercial/ office  building get stuck inside due to some fault. And things start to happen whenever the light goes out for even a couple of seconds, with everyone suspecting their fellow stranded lift passengers. Very effective and gripping film, and well written as most of it takes place inside the lift, so not an easy script to write.



Sounds like a Stephen King short story I read a couple of weeks ago that was creepy as fuck


----------



## Orang Utan (Oct 21, 2020)

seeformiles said:


> Sounds like a Stephen King short story I read a couple of weeks ago that was creepy as fuck


That’s cos it is


----------



## seeformiles (Oct 21, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> That’s cos it is



Well there you go then 🙂


----------



## rutabowa (Oct 21, 2020)

1408 is my top find from this thread so far.


----------



## Nine Bob Note (Oct 21, 2020)

The Addams Family this avo.

Hardly a scary horror movie, I know, but deffo seasonal 👇


----------



## AverageJoe (Oct 21, 2020)

It's not really a horror film per se, but I love and have a lot of time for Warm Bodies.

It's the story of a zombie from the zombies point of view. He isn't sure how he became one, just that he is one now, and doesn't really like the whole eating brains thing.


----------



## AverageJoe (Oct 21, 2020)

Obvs in from the school of shit horro films, but noone has mentioned this absolute gem yet. 

If you like Tucker and Dale, you'll love this


----------



## stdP (Oct 22, 2020)

I wouldn't call myself much of a horror fan, because so many horror films are so predictable and/or trite that you can see them coming a mile off and/or they can't hold the suspense. As such I mostly prefer "sense of building unease in everyday surroundings" horror films of which I think all of the following have probably been mentioned already.

Rosemary's Baby - still as good as it ever was
Get Out - a few pointless jump scares is all that mars this one
The Wicker Man - had the ending spoiled for me by seeing Shallow Grave first, but that didn't mar my enjoyment of this film one iota.
Kill List
The Stepford Wives
Ring - sound design alone is terrifying
The Mist - "humans are the real monsters" shocker that's a massive improvement on the original Stephen King book thanks to some inspired casting (Marcia Gay Hayden as a religious bigot and Toby Jones as a shelf-stacking badass?!)
Perfect Blue - Satoshi Kon's manga about a would-be actress undergoing an identity crisis
The Lighthouse - could also be seen as a comedy TBH as it's two brilliant actors going completely over the top but it's got psychological horror seeping out of its pores. His previous film, The Witch, is another brilliant contender
Duel - Spielberg's classic evil truck driver
The Descent - more action-ey than meditative, but one of the vanishingly few films I've ever had to stop watching (I'm claustrophobic)
In the Mouth of Madness - rather shlocky Lovecraftian knock-off that's elevated out of the mediocre by Sam Neill
Event Horizon - another shlocky outing for Sam Neill, paired rather brilliantly against Laurence Fishburne and some of the most beautiful set design I've ever seen. I probably rate it higher than I should because it feels like a WH40K prequel.



kittyP said:


> But yes Reno the original TV version of The Woman In Black is an absolute masterpiece and was one of those responsible for if not starting then cementing my love of the genre.
> 
> Along with The Signalman.
> Another made for TV film that was part of the amazing Ghost Story for Christmas  thing the beeb used to do so well.
> ...



I'm lucky enough to have The Signalman on DVD (along with the rest of the ghost stories). It's a masterclass in dramatic tension based almost entirely on setting and a fantastic performance from Denholm Elliot. Network have, I believe, done a blu-ray remaster of the original Woman In Black which should be out shortly, I believe it hit some streaming service or other a few months back.


----------



## seeformiles (Oct 22, 2020)

rutabowa said:


> 1408 is my top find from this thread so far.



Just watched it (good HD version on YouTube) and am a tad disappointed at the cheesy ending. I suppose the book will always be better in most cases 🙂


----------



## rutabowa (Oct 22, 2020)

seeformiles said:


> Just watched it (good HD version on YouTube) and am a tad disappointed at the cheesy ending. I suppose the book will always be better in most cases 🙂


Apparently there's 2 different endings! it is meant to be random which one you get.


----------



## seeformiles (Oct 22, 2020)

rutabowa said:


> Apparently there's 2 different endings! it is meant to be random which one you get.



Just looked at Wiki - seems there’s three of them! Unfortunately none all that satisfactory - but trust me to get the extra cheesy one 😀


----------



## Saul Goodman (Oct 22, 2020)

rutabowa said:


> Anyone seen Christine (film of the stephen king book)? I spotted that on netflix yesterday and wondered if it was worth a shot tonight.


It used to be one of my favourites. Very good soundtrack and score.


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Oct 22, 2020)

Haven't read this thread, but...

Some of the films I return to again and again as I love them are:


The Wicker Man [1973]
Martin [1976/77 depending on who you ask] the supposed 'forgotten' Romero Vampire film
The Thing [1982]
The Shining [1980 ]
A Clockwork Orange [1971]
Psycho [1960]
The Silence of the Lambs [1991]
Manhunter [1986]
Lods more I've forgotten/can't bring to mind.
These films represent a cracking weekend in front of the TV


----------



## Reno (Oct 22, 2020)

stdP said:


> I'm lucky enough to have The Signalman on DVD (along with the rest of the ghost stories). It's a masterclass in dramatic tension based almost entirely on setting and a fantastic performance from Denholm Elliot. Network have, I believe, done a blu-ray remaster of the original Woman In Black which should be out shortly, I believe it hit some streaming service or other a few months back.


Had the Blu-ray of The Woman in Black for a couple of months now. Looks great !


----------



## Reno (Oct 22, 2020)

Apparently _Sinister_ is the scariest movie ever, according to science !









						Sinister dubbed 'scariest film' according to science
					

What to watch with the lights off this Halloween




					metro.co.uk
				




I thought the demon and the Super 8 films of family massacres were creepy but when it becomes another film about killer kids, with child actors pulling slowly faces, it stopped being scary.


----------



## Marty1 (Oct 25, 2020)

AverageJoe said:


> It's not really a horror film per se, but I love and have a lot of time for Warm Bodies.
> 
> It's the story of a zombie from the zombies point of view. He isn't sure how he became one, just that he is one now, and doesn't really like the whole eating brains thing.




Watched that earlier with the gf and we both loved it.


----------



## belboid (Oct 26, 2020)

I’ve just joined the 1408 gang.  Definitely worth it even if the ending (I got the directors cut version) makes Olins behaviour even more ludicrous.


----------



## Nine Bob Note (Oct 27, 2020)

Nine Bob Note said:


> The Addams Family this avo.
> 
> Hardly a scary horror movie, I know, but deffo seasonal 👇



Watched the AF Values yday, which doesn't look/feel as good at the first, but I was laughing my arse off way more. Christina Ricci was the standout, but Raul Julia - fuck, why does this man have to be dead? He should still be alive and be the biggest film star in the world. I'm gonna have to work my way through his film history. Huston was great too, even the kid who played Pugsley. Didn't like Lloyd so much - he was better playing not-quite Fester last time.


----------



## Reno (Oct 28, 2020)

Addams Family Values is the rare sequel which is far better than the original and while the entire cast is great, Joan Cusak is the one who deserve respect a special mention as Uncle Fester's homicidal love interest.


----------



## T & P (Oct 28, 2020)

Whereas I like The Addams Family films (first one much better imo though), they are about as much a horror film as Casper if we’re honest


----------



## Nine Bob Note (Oct 28, 2020)

We're enjoying Hallowe'en-themed films in this thread by my insistance, or else 💀


----------



## Reno (Oct 28, 2020)

T & P said:


> Whereas I like The Addams Family films (first one much better imo though), they are about as much a horror film as Casper if we’re honest


That has been acknowledged at the first mention. 
It's still connected to the genre, being essentially a horror comedy.


----------



## strung out (Oct 28, 2020)

Nine Bob Note said:


> Watched the AF Values yday, which doesn't look/feel as good at the first, but I was laughing my arse off way more. Christina Ricci was the standout, but Raul Julia - fuck, why does this man have to be dead? He should still be alive and be the biggest film star in the world. I'm gonna have to work my way through his film history. Huston was great too, even the kid who played Pugsley. Didn't like Lloyd so much - he was better playing not-quite Fester last time.


Watched this on Monday evening as a Halloween warm up and by God you're right about Raul Julia. What a loss - only a year after the film came out


----------



## Rosemary Jest (Oct 28, 2020)

Fright Night on Shudder is a decent remake/reimagining/reboot. It's an anthology series but really quite entertaining, if noticeably low budget.

Some surprisingly recognisable actors in their too.


----------



## Reno (Oct 28, 2020)

Rosemary Jest said:


> Fright Night on Shudder is a decent remake/reimagining/reboot. It's an anthology series but really quite entertaining, if noticeably low budget.
> 
> Some surprisingly recognisable actors in their too.


I only know the remake with Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell and David Tennant from 2011. I thought that was one of the very few modern horror remakes which worked but for a horror film it had a (noticeably) large budget, certainly far larger than the original.

Is there a new tv series as well ?


----------



## T & P (Oct 28, 2020)

I'd forgotten about Fright Night. Even if it's not fully a horror film, it certainly deserves a mention in this thread for this shot alone, which still gives me the chills... 



Spoiler


----------



## Reno (Oct 28, 2020)

T & P said:


> I'd forgotten about Fright Night. Even if it's not fully a horror film, it certainly deserves a mention in this thread for this shot alone, which still gives me the chills...
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler


That one is "fully" a horror film.


----------



## Orang Utan (Oct 28, 2020)

T & P said:


> I'd forgotten about Fright Night. Even if it's not fully a horror film, it certainly deserves a mention in this thread for this shot alone, which still gives me the chills...
> 
> 
> 
> Spoiler


I keep seeing people saying horror films aren’t horror films. Why is this? Is their definition of horror narrower than mine?


----------



## T & P (Oct 28, 2020)

Well, for me anything that might be seen as a hybrid or mixed genre, such as comedy horror films or teen horror films, are not strictly horror films per se. I don't mean that in a diminishing way, incidentally. But they are not strictly speaking in the same category as a film which only purpose is to scare, chill or disturb you.

I'm a big fan of comedy horrors, so much so that I see them as a separate genre rather than a subgenre.


----------



## Reno (Oct 28, 2020)

T & P said:


> Well, for me anything that might be seen as a hybrid or mixed genre, such as comedy horror films or teen horror films, are not strictly horror films per se. I don't mean that in a diminishing way; incidentally. But they are not strictly speaking in the same category as a film which only purpose is to scare, chill or disturb you.
> 
> I'm a big fan of comedy horrors, so much so that I see them as a separate genre rather than a subgenre.


That's a misunderstanding of the purpose of genre, though I see this a lot now on social media and forums, where people think everything is a matter of personal opinion and all opinions are of equal value.

Horror consists of many sub-genres, including horror comedy. It's not that being part of a horror subgenre disqualifies a film from being part of of the genre, the opposite is true and every horror film is part of a sub-genre of horror. Also, many films are genre hybrids, with makes them part of several genres, it's not an either/or decision (_Alien_ is horror _and _science fiction). The point of genre is to quickly communicate a mutually understood set of conventions, to explain what type of film/music/ narrative it is in one word. If everybody makes up their own definition, then "genre" loses its purpose.

While _Fright Night _has a comedic tone, the horror elements are played  completely straight. It's not a spoof or parody, it's a horror film which also includes comedy. Like_ An American Werewolf in London_, which I consider one of the greatest horror films of all time.


----------



## Knotted (Oct 28, 2020)

I would say a film is not a horror film if it is fundamentally upbeat which the Adams Family films are IIRC even if they are obviously horror related. Same with One Cut of the Dead which I saw recently which is absolutely playing with classic horror themes but its overall tone is a good feel film.

People talking about "post-horror" can go play with a flesh eating ghoul, though.


----------



## Rosemary Jest (Oct 28, 2020)

Reno said:


> I only know the remake with Anton Yelchin, Colin Farrell and David Tennant from 2011. I thought that was one of the very few modern horror remakes which worked but for a horror film it had a (noticeably) large budget, certainly far larger than the original.
> 
> Is there a new tv series as well ?



Yes, on Shudder, it was made in 2019 I believe. I didn't know it existed and thought it was just the original when I first saw it was on the channel.

I think it's an in house Shudder exclusive, it's worth a watch though obviously some stories work better than others.


----------



## Throbbing Angel (Oct 28, 2020)

Throbbing Angel said:


> Haven't read this thread, but...
> 
> Some of the films I return to again and again as I love them are:
> 
> ...


 And


Audition


----------



## tonysingh (Oct 28, 2020)

Knotted said:


> _Creep_ (Patrick Brice, 2014)
> 
> Another film that was sitting there on Netflix. I tried it and found I hated it and switched it off after 15 minutes or so. It’s about a neurotic “creepy” guy who is lax with personal space and too forward with embarrassing details. It felt uncomfortable, voyeuristic and almost exploitative even though it’s obviously fiction. But then I thought if this film has had such a strong affect on me it must be up to something, at the very least I realised that watching meant being unable to take my eyes off it. So (much later) I went back to it.
> 
> ...



I much prefer the 2004 British film Creep, set on the Underground. Brilliantly cheap and nasty even if you can see the ending coming a mile off.   

Also, a thread about horror films and none of youse have mentioned the Wishmaster films?


----------



## T & P (Oct 28, 2020)

The British and American Creeps are completely different beasts; I like them both.

The American Creep I thought it was superb- one of my all-time favourite found footage films. Ridiculously good performance by the main character.

I was very pleased with Creep 2 as well- a very worthy sequel, thanks to the unexpected demeanour of the would-be victim.


----------



## Nine Bob Note (Oct 28, 2020)

Just finished a rewatch of Tales of Hallowe'en and enjoyed it way more than first time. An anthology film with ten segments, the last also providing a kind of wrapper. Some are a bit shit, but the good outweigh the bad. Amazon Prime.


----------



## Nine Bob Note (Oct 30, 2020)

Terrifier was quite good. Prefer Art in the anthology format of All Hallow's Eve though. Watched the sequel to that y'day and he wasn't even in it! He's on the fucking DVD cover!

Put the Nun on this avo. Complete excrement


----------



## belboid (Oct 30, 2020)

Nine Bob Note said:


> Put the Nun on this avo. Complete excrement


I watched that last week, having completely misremembered the reviews. You're being too generous.


----------



## Knotted (Oct 30, 2020)

Regarding the British Creep (2004), I thought the first section was wonderfully atmospheric and there really needs to be more horror films set in the London Underground, but I thought it was one of those films that gets less interesting when you see the monster(s).


----------



## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Oct 30, 2020)

belboid said:


> I’ve just joined the 1408 gang.  Definitely worth it even if the ending (I got the directors cut version) makes Olins behaviour even more ludicrous.


I think I'm going to try this, never heard of it before. Three endings?


----------



## belboid (Oct 30, 2020)

ATOMIC SUPLEX said:


> I think I'm going to try this, never heard of it before. Three endings?


Go for the directors cut one if you can!  Which is not the one on youtube.  But it is the most common on DVD, so any good rip....


----------



## Little Piranha (Oct 30, 2020)

tonysingh said:


> I much prefer the 2004 British film Creep, set on the Underground. Brilliantly cheap and nasty even if you can see the ending coming a mile off.
> 
> Also, a thread about horror films and none of youse have mentioned the Wishmaster films?


I saw the British Creep at Peckham multiplex when I was 16. It was the best cinema experience I think I've ever had, completely raucous, everyone shouting at the screen and jumping in unison. 

Bit disappointed when I watched it again on dvd.


----------



## Nine Bob Note (Oct 30, 2020)

Nightmare Before Christmas and Trick 'R' Treat lined up for tmoz, as per usual 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 Christmas horror films start Sunday night, with Bill Goldberg in Santas's Slay "Hoes, hoes, hoes!!"


----------



## Marty1 (Oct 30, 2020)

Has anyone mentioned Event Horizon?

Laurence Fishburne was excellent in it.


----------



## Reno (Oct 30, 2020)

Marty1 said:


> Has anyone mentioned Event Horizon?
> 
> Laurence Fishburne was excellent in it.


Yes, several, several times. It's still rubbish.


----------



## Sue (Oct 30, 2020)

Nine Bob Note said:


> Put the Nun on this avo. Complete excrement



Thought that was very harsh and then realised we probably weren't talking Anna Karina/Jacques Rivette.


----------



## rutabowa (Oct 31, 2020)

Just watched two M Night Shyamalam films on Netflix, I am a sucker for his style of story, old fashioned twists. "Devil" was ok, not really very scary, but "the visit" was excellent. Really good acting and the twist was very effective, it was a proper heart drop.


----------



## rutabowa (Oct 31, 2020)

Addams Family Values was very enjoyable too, watched off the back of this thread. I'd never seen it.


----------



## Marty1 (Oct 31, 2020)

Reno said:


> Yes, several, several times. It's still rubbish.



How dare you!  

I know movies are subjective but I liked it, gets a decent enough audience rating on rotten tomatoes too fwiw.


----------



## Reno (Oct 31, 2020)

rutabowa said:


> Just watched two M Night Shyamalam films on Netflix, I am a sucker for his style of story, old fashioned twists. "Devil" was ok, not really very scary, but "the visit" was excellent. Really good acting and the twist was very effective, it was a proper heart drop.


The Visit is good fun and it's the only time Shymalan has shown that he can have a sense of humour. After several big budget flops he went and made a low budget found footage film and got his groove back. Devil isn't really a film by him, he produced it and came out with the story, but he didn't write or direct it.


----------



## rutabowa (Oct 31, 2020)

Reno said:


> The Visit is good fun and it's the only time Shymalan has shown that he can have a sense of humour. After several big budget flops he went and made a low budget found footage film and got his groove back. Devil isn't really a film by him, he produced it and came out with the story, but he didn't write or direct it.


Right I wasn't quite sure exactly what he did for either film, glad to hear the visit was properly his film. I like his big budget flops too though I don't get why they got reviewed so badly. E.g. I loved "the happening".


----------



## Nine Bob Note (Oct 31, 2020)

Wanted to watch House of 1000 Corpses, but it's nine fucking quid! Should've bought a 2nd hand bluray in good time tbf


----------



## stdP (Oct 31, 2020)

Nine Bob Note said:


> Wanted to watch House of 1000 Corpses, but it's nine fucking quid! Should've bought a 2nd hand bluray in good time tbf



I had the good fortune to see this in the cinema when it came out. Save yourself £9 and recreate the experience by watching The Texas Chainsaw Massacre or Last House on the Left whilst slowly inserting a corkscrew into your urethra.


----------



## Epona (Oct 31, 2020)

Just posted this in the Netflix Recommendations thread but worth mentioning here:

Just watched *His House* - a slightly surreal horror film which is as much about the trauma of civil war, grief, and ending up as an asylum seeker in the gears of the system here in the UK as it is about the supernatural. It is very well done with striking visuals and a claustrophobic atmosphere, and the main actors turn in a good performance. Well worth watching IMO, it might not be to everyone's taste (OH found it really depressing), but if you like horror that is in a different vein than the usual offerings, give it a go.


----------



## Reno (Oct 31, 2020)

rutabowa said:


> I loved "the happening".


A very niche horror film for those who find leaves on trees scary.


----------



## rutabowa (Oct 31, 2020)

Reno said:


> A very niche horror film for those who find leaves on trees scary.


I like the beginning where everyone is chucking themselves off buildings for no reason. Always found trees a bit sinister too, all those invisible roots underground.


----------



## Knotted (Oct 31, 2020)

Nine Bob Note said:


> Wanted to watch House of 1000 Corpses, but it's nine fucking quid! Should've bought a 2nd hand bluray in good time tbf



You can get it on Shudder. Coincidentally I have just watched it for the first time. Not sure what I make of it, very campy and some very … distinctive …, artistic/directional choices. I really liked the opener, but it didn't sustain my interest. Not half as shocking as it probably thinks it is.


----------



## rutabowa (Oct 31, 2020)

House of 1000 Corpses is lame.

Anyone seen "the dead dont die" (comedy horror from last year, bill murray is in it)? I was considering watching tonight.


----------



## Reno (Oct 31, 2020)

rutabowa said:


> House of 1000 Corpses is lame.
> 
> Anyone seen "the dead dont die" (comedy horror from last year, bill murray is in it)? I was considering watching tonight.


Jim Jarmush making a zombie comedy is great if you've never seen a zombie comedy before.


----------



## rutabowa (Oct 31, 2020)

Reno Err I have seen some zombie comedies before.... I'm not sure I understand what you mean though!


----------



## rutabowa (Oct 31, 2020)

I'm watching with my 10 year old, its between that and original night of the living dead if that makes a difference.

I know night of the living dead very well of course... it might be a bit slow for him. (We both watched The Visit last night and he Loved it, it was a bit scarier than I anticipated but he really enjoyed that and slept fine etc)


----------



## Reno (Oct 31, 2020)

rutabowa said:


> Reno Err I have seen some zombie comedies before.... I'm not sure I understand what you mean though!


It's like he wasn't aware that this is well throtten material as there are lots of comedy zombie films and I've seen it all before. It's watchable, but by his standards its pretty disappointing.


----------



## Reno (Oct 31, 2020)

rutabowa said:


> I'm watching with my 10 year old, its between that and original night of the living dead if that makes a difference.


Than he might find The Dead Don't Die more entertaining. Night of the Living Dead is a bit on the nightmarish side, would have freaked me out, but kids today....


----------



## Sue (Oct 31, 2020)

rutabowa said:


> Reno Err I have seen some zombie comedies before.... I'm not sure I understand what you mean though!


Bit of a one-joke movie, drags on and even a great cast can't save it.


----------



## Reno (Oct 31, 2020)

rutabowa said:


> I'm watching with my 10 year old, its between that and original night of the living dead if that makes a difference.
> 
> I know night of the living dead very well of course... it might be a bit slow for him. (We both watched The Visit last night and he Loved it, it was a bit scarier than I anticipated but he really enjoyed that and slept fine etc)


Little Monsters, Shaun of the Dead or Zombieland would be fun zombie films for a kid who can handle a bit of gore.


----------



## D'wards (Oct 31, 2020)

Watched Poltergeist today.

It's the best Steven Spielberg horror film which isn't a Steven Spielberg horror film although I strongly suspect its really a Steven Spielberg horror film, if you catch my drift.


----------



## rutabowa (Oct 31, 2020)

Ah I see... sounds like it was fun to make (edit: dead dont die)


----------



## Reno (Oct 31, 2020)

D'wards said:


> Watched Poltergeist today.
> 
> It's the best Steven Spielberg horror film which isn't a Steven Spielberg horror film although I strongly suspect its really a Steven Spielberg horror film, if you catch my drift.


If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck and....

I love Poltergeist.


----------



## T & P (Oct 31, 2020)

I find some of the Final Destination ones quite enjoyable simply because of the ludicrous and amazingly improbable chain of unfortunate circumstances that leads to each of the characters’ deaths


----------



## Orang Utan (Oct 31, 2020)

rutabowa said:


> Ah I see... sounds like it was fun to make (edit: dead dont die)


More than it is to watch


----------



## Orang Utan (Oct 31, 2020)

Thinking of watching Train To Busan tonight. Any good?


----------



## D'wards (Oct 31, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> Thinking of watching Train To Busan tonight. Any good?


Yes, yes it is


----------



## rutabowa (Oct 31, 2020)

Thanks Reno  and Sue that was good to lower expectations, it was pretty shit and annoying but also fun to watch with kid and different and weird enough to just about make it worthwhile.


----------



## rutabowa (Oct 31, 2020)

On to Ghostbusters now


----------



## Reno (Oct 31, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> Thinking of watching Train To Busan tonight. Any good?


Fuck, yes !


----------



## purves grundy (Oct 31, 2020)

Just started watching Dark Skies. Looks like it’s gonna be mmm, alright.


----------



## TimDracula (Oct 31, 2020)

Sunshine...


----------



## T & P (Nov 1, 2020)

Though obviously as scary as afternoon tea with your auntie, and predictable and cliched to fuck, some of the Amicus 1960s films are superbly satisfying and unbeatable of a late Saturday night, glass of whisky at hand. This is a particular favourite of mine


----------



## tonysingh (Nov 1, 2020)

T & P said:


> Though obviously as scary as afternoon tea with your auntie, and predictable and cliched to fuck, some of the Amicus 1960s films are superbly satisfying and unbearable of a late Saturday night, glass of whisky at hand. This is a favourite of mine



Roy Castle? He of Record Breakers fame?


----------



## Orang Utan (Nov 1, 2020)

tonysingh said:


> Roy Castle? He of Record Breakers fame?


Aye, he’s in Carry On Up The Kyber too


----------



## tonysingh (Nov 1, 2020)

I treated myself to a dvd of a horror film I loved a few years ago. Just settled in to watch it and my god I had shit taste back then. 

Jason X.


----------



## krtek a houby (Nov 1, 2020)

Orang Utan said:


> Aye, he’s in Carry On Up The Kyber too



In that case, loved this as a kid


----------



## Indeliblelink (Nov 1, 2020)

Watched a Mario Bava film, Kill Baby.. Kill! (1966), that I hadn't seen before for my Halloween watch and it didn't disappoint.
Gothic horror about the ghost of a young girl who appears to villagers who soon afterwards meet a grisly ending, it has Bava's usual exquisite use of set design, colour and lighting to create atmosphere.


----------



## Part 2 (Nov 1, 2020)

I've seen this recommended in a few horror lists. The idea is a good one but I didn't find it that scary.


----------



## Part 2 (Nov 1, 2020)

Also just watched Angst. I'm not sure Id think of it as horror, maybe because it's based on a true story. Proper disturbing though.









						Angst (1983) - IMDb
					

Angst: Directed by Gerald Kargl. With Erwin Leder, Robert Hunger-Bühler, Silvia Ryder, Karin Springer. A troubled man gets released from prison and starts taking out his sadistic fantasies on an unsuspecting family living in a secluded house.




					www.imdb.com


----------



## kittyP (Nov 9, 2020)

/


----------



## rutabowa (Nov 16, 2020)

looking forward to this by david cronenburg's son


----------



## Reno (Nov 16, 2020)

rutabowa said:


> looking forward to this by david cronenburg's son



I wasn't a fan and thought it was rather dull, to be honest.


----------



## rutabowa (Nov 16, 2020)

Reno said:


> I wasn't a fan and thought it was rather dull, to be honest.


Was it the uncut one? I heard good reports...


----------



## Reno (Nov 16, 2020)

rutabowa said:


> Was it the uncut one? I heard good reports...


I read good reports too. There is no cut version, for the US they simply called it Possessor Uncut. It’s not even very gory.


----------



## rutabowa (Nov 16, 2020)

Reno said:


> It’s not even very gory.


ffs


----------



## rutabowa (Nov 19, 2020)

I assume everyone who would enjoy will already know about it but the film "The Monster Club" was amazing fun to watch last night: The Monster Club - Wikipedia

It is an anthology film with 3 stories, linked by Vincent Price as a vampire in a cool swinging new wave punk monster club with some great band performances. Super campy and stupid, if you are in the mood for something like that it is perfect. This is probably the musical highlight:


----------



## krtek a houby (Nov 19, 2020)

rutabowa said:


> I assume everyone who would enjoy will already know about it but the film "The Monster Club" was amazing fun to watch last night: The Monster Club - Wikipedia
> 
> It is an anthology film with 3 stories, linked by Vincent Price as a vampire in a cool swinging new wave punk monster club with some great band performances. Super campy and stupid, if you are in the mood for something like that it is perfect. This is probably the highlight:




Fecking love that film. As a kid, the reclusive guy in the mansion and the weird village cut off by mist scared the hell out of me.


----------



## rutabowa (Nov 19, 2020)

krtek a houby said:


> Fecking love that film. As a kid, the reclusive guy in the mansion and the weird village cut off by mist scared the hell out of me.


Yeh, it is totally stupid and funny but also manages to get some scares in! the ghouls in the last story are pretty awesome too. the scene where they surround him looks like a london squat party circa 2006.


----------



## Knotted (Nov 20, 2020)

Watched Koko-Di Koko-Da last night. It's a 2019 Swedish/Danish horror film with a Groundhog Day like time loop. It's one of the very few films that has really got to me. 






Just look at that guy. It turns out that the actor is one Peter Belli who is a popular Danish singer. Somehow a combination of his malicious cheerfulness, weird companions and the incongruity of his summery outfit in a dingy forest creeps the hell out of me. I hate that guy. I actually checked out some of his songs. They're alright, but I hate them. I hate everything about this guy. I think I would even hate his mother.

Anyway it's a really well made low budget film with some fantastic shadow puppetry and some emotional depth about over coming grief. It's brilliant. I hated every second of it. I may watch it again when I've built up the courage.


----------



## belboid (Nov 20, 2020)

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon 

a decent if not massively original mockumentary/slasher flick.  The best bits are about all the training required to be a decent serial killer (eg slowing down of heart rate, acting skills for the requisite scares, woodwork and electrical engineering), and just as those parts are getting a bit boring you move into the final straight slasher parts.  Entertaining enough.


----------



## Knotted (Nov 23, 2020)

Here is a fascinating and hypnotic video on the fascinating and hypnotic film and book Annihilation.


----------



## kittyP (Nov 26, 2020)

Not film/TV but I thought I would post it in here in case any of you horror fans might like it. 

A new series of The Lovecraft Investigations on BBC Radio 4/BBC Sounds. 
I absolutely loved the first 2 series, they scared the bejesus out of me at times, especially as initially I thought it was a real true crime podcast  
It is using several of Lovecraft's stories as a base for I guess a "found footage" style radio drama. 
There is something about the medium of radio that I find a lot more scary/atmospheric that watching horror. 

If you are new to it make sure you start at the begging of the 1st series The Case of Charles Dexter Ward.


----------



## Nine Bob Note (Oct 12, 2021)

First horror movie of the season, and definately a new favourite. Bright colours, costumes, comedy gore, detestable shits due a comeuppance, and, err, the soundtrack   

🍌 🎶 "Tra la la, la-la la la la, tra la la, la-la la la la...

Wasn't available on any of the 57 or so services I already subscribe to, so had to pay £8 for it, but worth it as I'll be watching it many times, err, more.

"One banana, two banana, three banana, four
All bananas make a split, so do many more... 🍌 🎶


----------



## T & P (Oct 12, 2021)

Oooh… this looks promising. Not out until next year though 



			Redirect Notice


----------



## DJWrongspeed (Oct 12, 2021)

Deathline because it's also a priceless timepiece of London. "Mind the doors...."


----------



## tonysingh (Oct 13, 2021)

DJWrongspeed said:


> Deathline because it's also a priceless timepiece of London. "Mind the doors...."




Creep is also on a similar vibe but not quite as good.


----------



## Shippou-Sensei (Oct 13, 2021)

6665may have said this before.  not sure the boundaries of the genre  but  for me  it's either aliens  as pure scifi horror  or  evil dead 2 as  horror comedy.

assault on precinct 13  is a great bridge between  horror and thriller

the thing  is in a league of it's own  that i acknowledge is  probably  horror  but  is so transendand  that i think labels  are diminishing.


----------



## Nine Bob Note (Oct 16, 2021)

Mother has given me permission for a Hallowe'en tree in the front room, but it's a little late to source all the Nightmare Before Christmas shizzle I'd want for it, so poss for next year


----------



## petee (Oct 18, 2021)

An announcement:
Plan 9 From Outer Space is in youtube.


----------



## Part 2 (Oct 18, 2021)

T & P said:


> Oooh… this looks promising. Not out until next year though
> 
> 
> 
> Redirect Notice



Trailer here. 



Any film about a kid being abducted is onto a frightening premise so hopefully it delivers. I thought I'd seen Sinister but couldn't remember it and mentioned it to my lad who said he didn't think it was that good.


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## Reno (Oct 18, 2021)

Part 2 said:


> Trailer here.
> 
> 
> 
> Any film about a kid being abducted is onto a frightening premise so hopefully it delivers. I thought I'd seen Sinister but couldn't remember it and mentioned it to my lad who said he didn't think it was that good.



Sinister isn't bad, but I think it falls apart in the last third. The film having recently been burdened with the reputation of being "the scariest movie ever according to science" doesn't do it any favours and sets up false expectations. Horror, like comedy is an individual experience and no one size fits all.









						'Sinister' Is The Scariest Movie Ever – According To Science - /Film
					

A new scientific study suggests that Sinister is the scariest movie ever, and you can't argue with science.




					www.slashfilm.com


----------



## Nine Bob Note (Oct 26, 2021)

*House of 1000 Corpses*

Finally got round to watching it (reluctantly bought the DVD, though I now know why there is no Bluray or HD streaming option). Hugely enjoyable, but started to drag towards the end. Disappointed with the final reveal. Devil's Rejects downloaded for Thursday night.


----------



## Knotted (Oct 27, 2021)

I'm hearing good things about Julia Ducournau's new film _Titane. _Like her previous film _Raw_ it's body horror it seems. Couple of youtube reviews.


----------



## Nine Bob Note (Oct 30, 2021)

*Stitches*
Downloaded this ages ago and forgot about it, but as it was on Prime I thought I would give it a go. Ross Noble as a psychotic vengeful clown carving up teenagers? Why yes 🤡 🗡️🩸


----------



## kittyP (Oct 30, 2021)

Nine Bob Note said:


> *Stitches*
> Downloaded this ages ago and forgot about it, but as it was on Prime I thought I would give it a go. Ross Noble as a psychotic vengeful clown carving up teenagers? Why yes 🤡 🗡️🩸



I enjoyed that far more than I thought I would


----------



## May Kasahara (Oct 30, 2021)

Part 2 said:


> Trailer here.
> 
> 
> 
> Any film about a kid being abducted is onto a frightening premise so hopefully it delivers. I thought I'd seen Sinister but couldn't remember it and mentioned it to my lad who said he didn't think it was that good.



This is taken from a great Joe Hill story, from his collection 20th Century Ghosts which I heartily recommend.


----------



## Nine Bob Note (Oct 31, 2021)

Stuck to the old favourites today: Addam's Family Values, Nightmare Before Christmas and Hocus Pocus. Still gonna squeeze Trick 'R' Treat and Tales of Halloween in the next couple of days before I turn into the Christmas Creature


----------



## kittyP (Dec 9, 2021)

The Signalman is currently up on the iplayer
Truly in the tradition of a chilling ghost story for Christmas


----------



## Nine Bob Note (Oct 5, 2022)

Time to start queuing them up


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## Reno (Oct 5, 2022)

Favourite horror films of 2022 so far:

Speak No Evil
The Innocents
You Won't Be Alone
Men
X
You Are Not My Mother
The Sadness
Scream 2022

Watchable:

Watcher
The Black Phone
Bodies Bodies Bodies
Fresh
See for Me
Prey

Looking forward to:

Pearl 
Barbarian
Hellraiser 2022
Smile


----------



## Nine Bob Note (Oct 6, 2022)

I might watch the the new Scream and Hellraiser (if I have access to them). I enjoyed the first two Scream films, but feel no loyalty to the franchise, so I don't especially care if the new one is shit. Hellraiser is another matter. Doug Bradley IS Pinhead, and it'll take some persuasion to convince me otherwise. Incidently, I just read that Candyman is meant to be a Cenobite


----------



## Part 2 (Oct 6, 2022)

You won't be alone is amongst my top films of the year. Shame it doesn't seem to be getting a cinema release.


----------



## Ming (Oct 6, 2022)

Most genuinely horrific? Martyrs, Audition or Irreversible. Mind bleach for all those please.

Favourite? The Exorcist or American Werewolf in London.


----------



## ska invita (Oct 7, 2022)

you might enjoy this new podcast
UNDERRATED BRITISH HORROR WITH EDGAR WRIGHT​








						Pure Cinema Podcast: Underrated British Horror with Edgar Wright
					

The Pure Cinema Podcast discusses underrated British horror with filmmaker Edgar Wright.




					thenewbev.com


----------



## Reno (Oct 9, 2022)

Watched the new Hellraiser last night which is so-so. Made with a larger budget than the previous films, by an up-and-coming director, it still feels like just another Hellraiser sequel.


----------



## WhyLikeThis (Oct 10, 2022)

Just watch Smile. Wanky but watchable. The young cinema audience weren’t put off by cheap jump scares, though there was a pretty good one in amongst the trash. Some even clapped at the end. Deprived youth of today.


----------



## contadino (Oct 10, 2022)

Part 2 said:


> Trailer here.
> 
> 
> 
> Any film about a kid being abducted is onto a frightening premise so hopefully it delivers. I thought I'd seen Sinister but couldn't remember it and mentioned it to my lad who said he didn't think it was that good.



Watched this on Saturday and thought it was pretty good. Interesting filters used, enough of the storyline kept me guessing to the end, an intriguing vibe...


----------



## Knotted (Oct 11, 2022)

Reno said:


> Favourite horror films of 2022 so far:
> 
> Speak No Evil
> The Innocents
> ...



I haven't seen X but I've heard good things about Pearl, want to watch both of those now.


----------



## WhyLikeThis (Oct 11, 2022)

Knotted said:


> I haven't seen X but I've heard good things about Pearl, want to watch both of those now.



I really liked X. Might rewatch it tonight.


----------



## Reno (Oct 11, 2022)

If _Boogie Nights_ meets _The Texas Chainsaw Massacre_ sounds like your cup of tea, then _X_ is for you


----------



## belboid (Oct 11, 2022)

Part 2 said:


> You won't be alone is amongst my top films of the year. Shame it doesn't seem to be getting a cinema release.


Other than a quibble about one of the _bad things that happen_, I’d say the same about The Innocents, absolutely brilliant movie.


----------



## Part 2 (Oct 11, 2022)

belboid said:


> Other than a quibble about one of the _bad things that happen_, I’d say the same about The Innocents, absolutely brilliant movie.


Ah yea, I liked that one.


----------



## Reno (Oct 22, 2022)

After watching the tedious mess that is _Halloween Ends_ a couple of nights ago, *Terrifier 2* is the Halloween set slasher sequel which truly delivers. The first _Terrifier_ was an ultra low budget splatter movie with impressive gore effects and a ruthless way of going to extremes. This sequel is a big step up in terms of filmmaking, it's on a larger scale and better made and acted, while still going as far with the gore as possible (there have been reports of audience members passing out and puking, see below). Some have complained about its 2 hours 20 minutes running time but I was sitting there in shocked delight for the entire time. The effects work is very impressive, the heroine is among the more likeable final girls I can remember and it has a great retro-synth score.  If you like your horror extreme, aren't easily offended and have a strong stomach, this is for you.

:edit: I just read that this was made on a paltry budget of $250.000 and it looks almost as good as _Halloween Ends_, which was made for around $25 million. I have no idea how they pulled off the elaborate prosthetics and make-up effects, let alone deliver a professional looking movie with decent production values. Colour me well impressed.

View attachment 348244









						Killer clown horror ‘Terrifier 2’ is causing people to pass out in cinemas
					

The sequel is released in the UK later this month




					www.nme.com


----------



## ska invita (Oct 22, 2022)

The always cyncial RLM guys really liked Halloween Ends and felt it waranted a two part analysis to boot


they make a strong case for a clever well-made film with a studio pressure ending forced on it


----------



## Reno (Oct 22, 2022)

I never have the patience for youtube videos, I prefer podcasts, so won't watch this. They certainly are in a minority of those who think this is a good film, the movie got slated. I wrote a little about _Halloween Ends_ here:









						What DVD / Video did you watch last night? (pt3)
					

Halloween Ends, the last film in David Gordon Green‘s Halloween trilogy, which feels like he lost interest in the whole thing along the way. For 90 minutes this is a film which has almost nothing to do with Halloween (in terms of plot this is closer to Carpenter‘s Christine), introducing a new...




					www.urban75.net
				




David Gordon Green started out as a filmmaker of well regarded indie movies, then he made a few Hollywood comedies and dramas to mixed success and now has turned his attention to horror franchises. He certainly is a more skilled filmmaker than many of those behind previous _Halloween_ sequels, it's just that with _Halloween Ends_ he didn't seem interested in making a _Halloween_ sequel. He also never seems to have grasped what is great about the original _Halloween_. So why didn't he make that film without any connection to _Halloween_ instead ? The film is frustrating for _Hallowee_n fans as anything _Halloween_  (Michael Myers, Laurie Strode) is pushed to the sidelines. It also doesn't work as the "revenge of the oppressed" horror film in the tradition of _Christine, Willard_ or_ Carrie_, he wants to make because eventually this has to tie into Halloween, which isn't suited to that type of film. Even if this had been a stand alone about the character of Corey Cunningham, it probably wouldn't have been a very good film of its type. With _H20_, there already exists a superior _Halloween_ sequel which brought back Laurie Strode to deal with her PTSD in a more complex and realistic manner than the plot line Green conceived for her over the last 3 movies.


----------



## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Oct 22, 2022)

Reno said:


> I never have the patience for youtube videos, I prefer podcasts, so won't watch this. They certainly are in a minority of those who think this is a good film, the movie got slated.


I have only heard the plinket one so far, but they don't say they love it, they just point out interesting ideas (that may or may not have worked) and make a case for it. . . they also amusingly tack on the sum up of the end in one throwaway sentence. 
In regards to podcasts vs you tube. . . most (including RLM) are really just podcasts painted with moving pictures pasted over the top. I never 'watch them'.


----------



## rutabowa (Oct 22, 2022)

I recommend the free Roku Channel on your tv box if you can get it, it is packed with trashy horror films. Hells Highway is a strong recommendation


----------



## Reno (Oct 22, 2022)

ATOMIC SUPLEX said:


> I have only heard the plinket one so far, but they don't say they love it, they just point out interesting ideas (that may or may not have worked) and make a case for it. . . they also amusingly tack on the sum up of the end in one throwaway sentence.
> In regards to podcasts vs you tube. . . most (including RLM) are really just podcasts painted with moving pictures pasted over the top. I never 'watch them'.


I'd agree that there are interesting ideas in _Halloween Ends,_ but they aren't executed well and good intentions alone don't make a good film. BTW. has anybody here actually seen it (or the previous two) apart from me ?


----------



## Reno (Oct 22, 2022)

_Halloween _started out with a movie made on a miniscule budget, which has since become a classic due to paring down the horror film to its essentials (three girls, two houses, one killer) and because of John Carpenter's sparse, stylish direction. None of the sequels came close, but some are better than others. Now it's become this  (for horror films) big budget Hollywood money maker, divorced from its low budget roots, with a prestige director imposing his thematic sensibilities on a franchise which is poorly suited to them. I think they still are watchable as Green has talent but they are frustrating films, pulling in different directions.

_Terrifier 2_ on the other hand is far more in the spirit of the original Halloween, with a young, talented  filmmaker eager to show what he can do on next to no money. _Terrifier 2 _may go down a different direction, more focused on excess than style, but its can-do spirit and movie making passion are far closer to the original Halloween than the Hollywood machinery which now pushes out these bloated sequels. 

...it's also the film Rob Zombie thinks he is making, instead of the horror-fanboy drivel he churns out.


----------



## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Oct 22, 2022)

Reno said:


> I'd agree that there are interesting ideas in _Halloween Ends,_ but they aren't executed well and good intentions alone don't make a good film. BTW.


Indeed, and it doesn't say that they are or that it is a good film (far from it). 


Reno said:


> has anybody commenting on it here actually seen it apart from me ?


No, I've not actually seen any Halloween films. . . but equally you are dismissing the review and appear to be imagining what it contains. 
Don't get me wrong, it's not a 'must' see, or a 'work of genius' review. . . (and having not seen any of the films I can't say if I agree with any of it or not), just making an observation


----------



## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Oct 22, 2022)

Reno said:


> _Terrifier 2_ on the other hand is far more in the spirit of the original Halloween, with a young, talented  filmmaker eager to show what he can do on next to no money. _Terrifier 2 _may go down a different direction, more focused on excess than style, but its can-do spirit and movie making passion are far closer to the original Halloween than the Hollywood machinery which now pushes out these bloated sequels.
> 
> ...it's also the film Rob Zombie thinks he is making, instead of the horror-fanboy drivel he churns out.



I am now pretty keen to see these two films. Previously put off by the likes of Mr Zombie. His shite output has blurred my image of what a modern low budget horror movie is. . .


----------



## Reno (Oct 22, 2022)

ATOMIC SUPLEX said:


> Indeed, and it doesn't say that they are or that it is a good film (far from it).
> 
> No, I've not actually seen any Halloween films. . . but equally you are dismissing the review and appear to be imagining what it contains.
> Don't get me wrong, it's not a 'must' see, or a 'work of genius' review. . . (and having not seen any of the films I can't say if I agree with any of it or not), just making an observation


ska invita posted the review as "strong case for a clever well-made film". I'm not imagining anything, I gave you my take on the film and I responded to your statements based on a review of a film which you haven't watched. I'm not that interested in those youtube reviews because _Halloween Ends_ doesn't warrant much more of my time and I'd rather spend my time watching films than youtube reviews of films.


----------



## Reno (Oct 22, 2022)

ATOMIC SUPLEX said:


> I am now pretty keen to see these two films. Previously put off by the likes of Mr Zombie. His shite output has blurred my image of what a modern low budget horror movie is. . .


As a celebrity Zombie had a far easier way into the film industry and than most, but he has always remained a horror movie fan who doesn't understand how good horror movies work. Sure, there are horror fans who just want to see a "cool" monster/killer butcher people in gruesome ways but that doesn't make for an effective horror film in my book. Zombie never shows any interest in the characters who are the protagonists, the victims and the survivor/s. They have no personality with no purpose other than for the meat grinder. Instead he idolises his redneck killers, Zombie seems like the kind of guy who grew up thinking Charles Manson was cool.

If I'm not engaged with the protagonists and am hoping they'll make it, the film has no human engagement, no suspense or tension and it isn't scary to me. That's why I think Terrifier 2 is less mean spirited than anything Zombie has made, despite being far more gruesome. It has likeable characters who I was rooting for, while in Zombie's movies you are supposed to root for the psychos.


----------



## Nine Bob Note (Oct 22, 2022)

Waiting for Terrifier 2 to be delivered on Blu-Ray. I guess a digital copy would have been cheaper and quicker, but my Internet's been fucked all week, and I WILL be watching this on Monday


----------



## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Oct 22, 2022)

Reno said:


> ska invita posted the review as "strong case for a clever well-made film". I'm not imagining anything, I gave you my take on the film and I responded to your statements based on a review of a film which you haven't watched. I'm not that interested in those youtube reviews because _Halloween Ends_ doesn't warrant much more of my time and I'd rather spend my time watching films than youtube reviews of films.


Well I was wrong X2 anyway. I watched the plinket review (same people) which seemed to suggest though it was flawed there were some decent ideas that could have made a decent film. 

I listened to the the actual review this afternoon while deep cleaning a guitar, and it seems they did actually like it. I had no idea there were so many films. 
I think I have the first one on DVD somewhere as part of a press issue of a carpenter box set. . . but never got around to watching it.


----------



## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Oct 22, 2022)

Reno said:


> As a celebrity Zombie had a far easier way into the film industry and than most, but he has always remained a horror movie fan who doesn't understand how good horror movies work. Sure, there are horror fans who just want to see a "cool" monster/killer butcher people in gruesome ways but that doesn't make for an effective horror film in my book. Zombie never shows any interest in the characters who are the protagonists, the victims and the survivor/s. They have no personality with no purpose other than for the meat grinder. Instead he idolises his redneck killers, Zombie seems like the kind of guy who grew up thinking Charles Manson was cool.
> 
> If I'm not engaged with the protagonists and am hoping they'll make it, the film has no human engagement, no suspense or tension and it isn't scary to me. That's why I think Terrifier 2 is less mean spirited than anything Zombie has made, despite being far more gruesome. It has likeable characters who I was rooting for, while in Zombie's movies you are supposed to root for the psychos.


I remember being actually a bit angry about the house of 1000 corpses when it came out. . . pretty much for the reasons you give. He thinks just loving horror movies is enough, but doesn't understand what was good about the story or how to actually direct  a film (or anything about the filmaking process for that matter). . . . I think I was mostly angry that I had to sit through the film to review it.  

But yes. Terrifier. . . I'm going to have to check it out.


----------



## Reno (Oct 23, 2022)

*Pearl*, the prequel to _X_, which explores the origin story of its killer. I enjoyed this a lot and may like this even better than _X_. While the first movie is a rural slasher in the tradition of _The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,_ this is a psychological horror film along the lines of _Whatever Happened to Baby Jane_ or _Repulsion_ about a woman going from slightly nuts to homicidally insane. Set in 1918 Texas during the flu pandemic, it has the heightened style of a 50s Technicolor movie made about the past. Mia Goth is great fun in the lead and she co-wrote the screenplay with Ti West. Mostly in supporting roles till now and always a striking presence, reminiscent of Shelly Duvall, hopefully Goth will be getting more lead roles from now. A third film in what is a planned trilogy _MaXXXine_, is in production.

Martin Scorsese gave this high praise: Martin Scorsese: A24’s ‘Pearl’ Is So ‘Deeply Disturbing’ That I Had Trouble Falling Asleep Afterward


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## cybershot (Oct 23, 2022)

Agree Halloween ends was pretty poor. The worst out of the 3 modern versions, not that any of them were masterpieces. Hovering around the 6/10 mark. 

Will give pearl a go after seeing X.


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## Reno (Oct 23, 2022)

*Piggy*, Spanish horror film which got some praise (I guess for its theme, the body shaming of girls), but which despite a good premise isn't executed well enough. It's about an overweight teenage girl Sara, in a Spanish small town, who gets bullied by the other kids for her weight. When a serial killer starts butchering his way though the population and abducts the three girls who are her main tormentors, Sara has to decide whether to go for help or for revenge.

Characterisation is very thin, we never really get to know our main character apart from that she stress-eats and suffers from all the taunts. It doesn't help that the lead actress isn't very good and 20 years older than the character she plays, though I can see why they couldn't cast an actual teenager. None of the other characters register beyond the one function each has in the plot and while I don't mind the use of the boxy academy ratio, here it makes no sense. Unlike other recent uses of the format (You Won't Be Alone, The Light House) the film isn't visually distinguished enough for this to seem anything other than slightly pretentious.


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## Part 2 (Oct 27, 2022)

ATOMIC SUPLEX said:


> I am now pretty keen to see these two films. Previously put off by the likes of Mr Zombie. His shite output has blurred my image of what a modern low budget horror movie is. . .


The short is also worth watching.


----------



## kittyP (Oct 27, 2022)

For what it's worth, I really didn't like Terrifer at all. 
I was bored for most of it and confused about what was happening. 
I don't think I'll bother with the second one unless it's significantly different.


----------



## DaveCinzano (Oct 27, 2022)

Orang Utan said:


> Paperhouse just cos no one else has mentioned it. Candyman is great too.


I've just checked - out of 43* mentions of the excellent low-key British horror film _Paperhouse_ on this forum, you, May Kasahara, myself and the much-missed Upsidedownwalrus were responsible for a whopping 33**  Bernard Rose should have had us on retainer 

* Now 44
** Make that 34


----------



## WhyLikeThis (Oct 28, 2022)

Just watched a documentary on the BFI Player about the classic Ghostwatch.

Worth a watch.


----------



## Reno (Oct 28, 2022)

kittyP said:


> For what it's worth, I really didn't like Terrifer at all.
> I was bored for most of it and confused about what was happening.
> I don't think I'll bother with the second one *unless it's significantly different.*


It is !


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## bmd (Oct 28, 2022)

I have only just got into the Horror genre. I've never shied away from them, more that I just don't bother until I've nothing else to watch. I recently watched Hereditary and thought it did what a horror film is supposed to do, like The Exorcist. I was reading a review of a film that I didn't really think was horror and it said that there were elements of horror in it, which made me think. It was a war film. War is packed with horrors, so I guess that's correct. Like the Bear Jew scene in Inglorious Basterds.


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## Reno (Oct 28, 2022)

bmd said:


> I have only just got into the Horror genre. I've never shied away from them, more that I just don't bother until I've nothing else to watch. I recently watched Hereditary and thought it did what a horror film is supposed to do, like The Exorcist. I was reading a review of a film that I didn't really think was horror and it said that there were elements of horror in it, which made me think. It was a war film. War is packed with horrors, so I guess that's correct. Like the Bear Jew scene in Inglorious Basterds.


Hereditary is probably my favorite horror film of the last decade.


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## Part 2 (Oct 28, 2022)

Just watched Barbarian, it's great, definitely recommend seeing it


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## Knotted (Oct 28, 2022)

I actually didn't care for _X_. First half looked really promising, really caught that _Texas Chainsaw Massacre_ vibe, but I thought the ideas behind it were dreadful. Still going to watch _Pearl._


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## T & P (Oct 28, 2022)

Part 2 said:


> Just watched Barbarian, it's great, definitely recommend seeing it


Been looking forward to it. I am guessing you watched through unorthodox channels? Or is it available to stream or rent already?


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## Part 2 (Oct 28, 2022)

T & P said:


> Been looking forward to it. I am guessing you watched through unorthodox channels? Or is it available to stream or rent already?


I did...it's in the pictures though so might be streaming. It would be a good big screen film though I reckon.


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## Reno (Oct 28, 2022)

Part 2 said:


> Just watched Barbarian, it's great, definitely recommend seeing it


I also just watched that. Great fun, I enjoyed the unexpected turns it takes.


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## Steel Icarus (Oct 29, 2022)

I want to watch The Sadness but I'm not sure I dare


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## Reno (Oct 29, 2022)

Knotted said:


> I actually didn't care for _X_. First half looked really promising, really caught that _Texas Chainsaw Massacre_ vibe, but I thought the ideas behind it were dreadful. Still going to watch _Pearl._


_Pearl_ is very different, it's another sub-genre of horror and I thought it was better than _X_. The two things I didn't like about _X_ were the obviously old age make-up and I thought that it was silly that they shot the porn film without lighting in very dark lighting conditions. They weren't supposed to be that inexperienced, were they ?


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## rutabowa (Oct 29, 2022)

Need to find a few horrors that can be watched with a 12 year old. So no sex and no extreme gore, but also scary not stupid. We watched The Visit last year, was perfect (i do Love all m knight shyamalan films tho, particularly the "shit" ones).


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## rutabowa (Oct 29, 2022)

I started watching Room 1408 with john Cusack. Had to actually turn it off as i got so terrified, can't remember exactly why... maybe I'll watch that with him.


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## Reno (Oct 29, 2022)

rutabowa said:


> Need to find a few horrors that can be watched with a 12 year old. So no sex and no extreme gore, but also scary not stupid. We watched The Visit last year, was perfect (i do Love all m knight shyamalan films tho, particularly the "shit" ones).


That is one of his few films which aren't shit, though its most horrific moment involves shit. 

_Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark_ and _Ghostbusters: Afterlife_ are recent horror film which are kid friendly. If your kid watches older movies then how about _Poltergeist _or _Tremors ?_ I'm a huge fan of the underrated Aussie killer croc movie _Rogue_ from 2006, there is nothing too traumatising in it and I like _Super 8 _a lot which basically was the blueprint for _Stranger Things_. The Irish horror comedy _Grabbers_ should be better known and I don't think there is anything too unsuitable in it apart from a severed head and bad language.


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## rutabowa (Oct 29, 2022)

We watched tremors! Def along the right lines, he found it a bit slow tho. Poltergeist might be good... anything old is a slight barrier tho. Super 8 could be perfect actually he loved stranger things


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## Reno (Oct 29, 2022)

There also is this thread, though I think there are quite a few unsuitable recommendations:









						Horror Movies for kids.
					

I let my boy aged 8 years old watch Evil Dead 3 last week. He loved it, it's now one of his favourite films.  OK, I know it's a 15 but it really doesn't deserve that rating.Theres one swear word in it and some scary faces.:eek:  Any more reccomendations for horror films for kids? Nothing...




					www.urban75.net


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## rutabowa (Oct 29, 2022)

I think my favourite bit in the visit, both our favourite bit, was


Spoiler



When the kid is on the phone to his parents and they're like "those aren't your grandparents"


that stomach lurch moment when you realise everything is terribly wrong, I LOVE that feeling in films, and we both got it at exactly the same time. I guess it has to be unexpected though.


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## rutabowa (Oct 29, 2022)

"incident in a ghostland", that is a really great horrific film from not long ago... same director as "martyrs" but a lot more traditional horror than that (equally disturbing tho). 

Obviously the opposite of suitable for kids though.


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## Reno (Oct 29, 2022)

rutabowa said:


> I think my favourite bit in the visit, both our favourite bit, was
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> ...


I thought it was one of the better found footage films and a return to form for Shyamalan. His next one _Split_ was also very good but since then he's slipped back to his bad old ways. _Glass_ was a mess and _Old _was awful.

Speaking of Shyamalan_ The Sixth Sense_ could be ok for a 12 year old, though it's themes about regret and grief may be too adult.


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## rutabowa (Oct 29, 2022)

ohhh "split" might be a goer... pg-13, psychogical. I won't read any more about it.

6th sense would be just about ok, but I've seen it and I want something neither of us saw!


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## rutabowa (Oct 29, 2022)

Split is on netflix. Was pretty good... not as good/fun as the visit, def not boring but it didn't quite have the dynamics of the visit.


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## Nine Bob Note (Oct 29, 2022)

Still haven't seen Terrifier 2, as Amazon immediately went out of stock the day it was supposed to be posted, and it's not available everywhere else. Must be the most successful horror release in years - evidently Art the Clown is the new Purge/Saw. Not paying ten quid for a digitial copy that I can DL for free off Sky Movies in three months time. I'm annoyed, but I have a bunch of Hallowe'en favourites I'll be watching as usual


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## Part 2 (Oct 31, 2022)

Just watched Speak no Evil. A middle class Danish family on holiday in Tuscany meet a Dutch family and are invited to go and stay with them for a weekend. 

This is great horror with unease and discomfort that builds up so gradually and at times you might be watching a dark comedy. Then when it comes, the climax is brutal. Definitely recommend watching.


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## Reno (Nov 2, 2022)

V/H/S/99, the 5th in the series of found footage anthology films. Not as good as the one which came before (V/H/S/94) but still decent. 3 of the 5 segments are fun, the last one, about a couple of blokes hired to shoot a black mass on video, accidentally ending up in hell, is brilliant.


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## Knotted (Nov 4, 2022)

_Speak No Evil _- That sudden feeling of "oh shit this is really going to go there".


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## bcuster (Nov 4, 2022)

_Pandorum_ (sci fi horror film) really scared the crap out of me..


----------



## friedaweed (Nov 4, 2022)




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## Nine Bob Note (Nov 4, 2022)

Watched the remake of Candyman y'day. What. A. Load. Of. Shite.


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## cybershot (Nov 4, 2022)

Went to see The Thing at the cinema on Monday. For a 40 year old film it was the most rammed I'd seen a cinema screen since pre covid.


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## DaveCinzano (Nov 4, 2022)

cybershot said:


> Went to see The Thing at the cinema on Monday. For a 40 year old film it was the most rammed I'd seen a cinema screen since pre covid.


Went to see _The Lost Boys_ the other day - same deal!


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## T & P (Nov 4, 2022)

cybershot said:


> Went to see The Thing at the cinema on Monday. For a 40 year old film it was the most rammed I'd seen a cinema screen since pre covid.


Fucking masterpiece and no mistake. For starters, the ultimate exponent of why practical effects rule if any scene in which they might offer a feasible alternative to CGI. And on the overall artistic merit of the film, it retains a higher degree of gripping tension and horror through great storytelling than most thriller-horror flicks can only dream of.

Countless superb scenes to choose from, and I wouldn’t even want to elect any of them above the others. But for me the one when Kurt Russell ties everyone next to each other, and draws blood from all of them to work out who among them might be the alien impostor is one of the all time greatest cinema horror scenes. I wish I could forget the outcome so I can watch it afresh again and again.


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## Reno (Nov 4, 2022)

Nine Bob Note said:


> Watched the remake of Candyman y'day. What. A. Load. Of. Shite.


Actually a sequel and I thought it was not bad.


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## Indeliblelink (Nov 4, 2022)

Just watched this Bangladeshi film 'Moshari [Mosquito Net]', vampire horror, which wasn't bad for a 20 min short.


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## Magnus McGinty (Nov 4, 2022)

krtek a houby said:


> Scum - Savage indictment of the borstal system and the resulting depravity that occurs within those walls.


More social realism than horror? (as a genre. I agree it's horrific).
Halloween probably shit me up the most when I watched it way too young to be doing so. And Amityville. Black Christmas was a bit grim also. I think I'm mostly a Carpenter fan. The Fog was good if less scary. TV wise The Hammer House of Horror series shit me up a bit. As did Salem's Lot and The Shining by King.
I think by the time I watched Nightmare on Elm Street the magic had gone and it was just some guy in a costume.

I suppose now if I had a 'favourite' - I always thought Misery was pretty good. And Duel is something I'd watch forever. Although maybe that's just a thriller?


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## Reno (Nov 10, 2022)

_Soft and Quiet_ which made me squirm just as much as _Speak No Evil, _which I didn't think would be possible. It may be questionable if this even is a horror film in the conventional sense, even as it is more genuinely horrific and far more tense than most and it was produced by Blumhouse who specialise in horror. It's a "one shot" movie playing out in real time about a primary school teacher who organises a meeting of women, who it turn out to be white supremacists. They get to gripe about not being free to be as racist as they like in public and how all the black and brown people take their jobs and opportunities. Then they stop by a convenience store owned by one of the women to get wine, where they bump into a couple of sisters who are at the receiving end of their resentments and things quickly escalate. Confidently directed debut feature by Beth de Araujo, this is the rare "one shot" movie which justifies its conceit (and rather wisely wasn't entirely shot in one take)

The trailer a bit spoilery:


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## rutabowa (Nov 13, 2022)

Speak No Evil is up there now, I see it has been mentioned on the thread a few times.

Definitely not one to watch with a kid on halloween though.... that would require therapy later in life.


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## donkyboy (Nov 14, 2022)

Indeliblelink said:


> Just watched this Bangladeshi film 'Moshari [Mosquito Net]', vampire horror, which wasn't bad for a 20 min short.




i'll watch this tomorrow.


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## Nine Bob Note (Nov 16, 2022)

Finally watched Terrifier 2 on Sunday and loved it. Yes it's too long - some have called it the longest slasher film in history. We have a plot this time, and an actual final girl heroine! The torture porn has been toned down (with one obvious exception), despite reports of sickbags and ambulances. Would have liked (given the run time) more on how Art the Clown is still alive given all the supernatural bollocks, and WTF was with the ending with Chris Jericho?


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## Reno (Nov 16, 2022)

_Smile_ is well made and creepily entertaining while it lasts but it feels like empty calories afterwards. The premise, about a curse which gets passed on, is too derivative of other films, in particular _It Follows_ and _The Ring/Ring_ and then it ends rather predictably. The lead actress is good, the score by Cristobal Tapia de Veer (_The White Lotus_) is probably the film's best asset and despite reservations its worth a watch.


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## Reno (Dec 3, 2022)

_Skidamarink_, a highly experimental Canadian horror film. It barely features actors and mostly consists of dark, grainy shots of the interiors of a house, where two small children are watching creepy 30s cartoons and where some malevolent entity appears to be taking over. At a 100 minutes this is an odd mixture of scary and boring, I nodded off a couple of times only to wake up to something rather unsettling. The film requires you to stare at long shots of video grain in the dark, where you are never quite sure whether you are really seeing something or your mind is making it up. Definitely interesting but not for all.

With Chantal Akerman's _Jeanne Dielman_ having just made the top of the Sight and Sound poll of greatest films of all times, this is the _Jeanne Dielman_ of horror films.


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## DaveCinzano (Dec 3, 2022)

Reno said:


> _Skidamarink_, a highly experimental Canadian horror film. It barely features actors and mostly consists of dark, grainy shots of the interiors of a house, where two small children are watching creepy 30s cartoons and where some malevolent entity appears to be taking over. At a 100 minutes this is an odd mixture of scary and boring, I nodded off a couple of times only to wake up to something rather unsettling. The film requires you to stare at long shots of video grain in the dark, where you are never quite sure whether you are really seeing something or your mind is making it up. Definitely interesting but not for all.
> 
> With Chantal Akerman's _Jeanne Dielman_ having just made the top of the Sight and Sound poll of greatest films of all times, this is the _Jeanne Dielman_ of horror films.
> 
> View attachment 354042


Can't be any worse than watching the kids watch videos of FGTeeV playing Bendy And The Ink Machine 😵‍💫


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## seeformiles (Dec 3, 2022)

rutabowa said:


> Need to find a few horrors that can be watched with a 12 year old. So no sex and no extreme gore, but also scary not stupid. We watched The Visit last year, was perfect (i do Love all m knight shyamalan films tho, particularly the "shit" ones).


How about “Amityville Horror” - most of the horror is implied and the music is wonderfully creepy. I first saw it when I was 12 round at my mate’s house. They had a VCR and his parents were out for the day so we borrowed “Amityville” and “The Wicker Man” but the former creeped me out for weeks afterwards.


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## Reno (Dec 3, 2022)

seeformiles said:


> How about “Amityville Horror” - most of the horror is implied and the music is wonderfully creepy. I first saw it when I was 12 round at my mate’s house. They had a VCR and his parents were out for the day so we borrowed “Amityville” and “The Wicker Man” but the former creeped me out for weeks afterwards.



It starts promisingly but it fizzles out in the second half and by the end I wanted my money back. The scariest thing about it is Lalo Schifrin's score, which deserved a better horror movie.


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## Seymour Butts (Dec 3, 2022)

Top 5:

Miracle Mile.
Videodrome.
Profondo Rosso.
Suspiria.
The Changeling.


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## rutabowa (Dec 3, 2022)

seeformiles said:


> How about “Amityville Horror” - most of the horror is implied and the music is wonderfully creepy. I first saw it when I was 12 round at my mate’s house. They had a VCR and his parents were out for the day so we borrowed “Amityville” and “The Wicker Man” but the former creeped me out for weeks afterwards.


Yep I have the same memory... not sure I should rewatch, might ruin it. But that was the kind of thing I wanted to show him.


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## seeformiles (Dec 3, 2022)

Reno said:


> It starts promisingly but it fizzles out in the second half and by the end I wanted my money back. The scariest thing about it is Lalo Schifrin's score, which deserved a better horror movie.


I’ve watched it since and I agree with you but I’m just thinking it’s a good entry level horror for a 12 year old.


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## kittyP (Dec 3, 2022)

Just rewatched The Mezzotint on iplayer from last Christmas. 
Proper old style Ghost story for Christmas", by MR James adapted by Mark Gattis and starring Rory Kinnear. 
I thought it was really well done 



Spoiler



Apart from they just showed slightly too much of "creature" at the end for liking. Could have done with it slipping through the window and then Kinnear's panicked face and cut


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## Ming (Dec 3, 2022)

If you like schlock horror Cronenberg type body transformation movies this one is quite good.









						Bite (film) - Wikipedia
					






					en.wikipedia.org


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## belboid (Dec 4, 2022)

I caught up with _Terrifier 2._

What a piece of absolutely unremitting garbage. Witless, brainless, pointless. Its single merit is that most people involved seem pretty competent. The fx dude clearly got a new 'innards' box to play with and he enjoyed doing so. But the 'script' - it would be almost interesting to see how some of that incoherent drivel was written, if there was any appearance of making sense.  The film is meant to last a bit over two hours (!) but it was even longer as I had to keep rewinding to go 'eh, where did that come from?  It's just jumped from one scene to another as if it were the same one. wtf?'

Not even so bad it's good.  Just bad.  Very, very, bad,


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## marshall (Dec 4, 2022)

Agree, incoherent, plot free…great marketing though


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## PricelessTrifle (Dec 4, 2022)

belboid said:


> I caught up with _Terrifier 2._
> 
> What a piece of absolutely unremitting garbage. Witless, brainless, pointless. Its single merit is that most people involved seem pretty competent. The fx dude clearly got a new 'innards' box to play with and he enjoyed doing so. But the 'script' - it would be almost interesting to see how some of that incoherent drivel was written, if there was any appearance of making sense.  The film is meant to last a bit over two hours (!) but it was even longer as I had to keep rewinding to go 'eh, where did that come from?  It's just jumped from one scene to another as if it were the same one. wtf?'
> 
> Not even so bad it's good.  Just bad.  Very, very, bad,



what were your thoughts on the first one? and, assuming you saw the first one, what on earth would lead you to believe the second wouldn't be an utterly terrible movie? 

i've not seen terrifier 2 yet - been on the fence about watching it, bc i enjoy gore, but the first was a very, very bad film. i enjoyed it well enough though, because i knew what i'd signed up for - which was little more than a very well done exercise in practical effects. i've heard that the sequel is a bit more irritating in that it thinks it has an actual story on its hands, and focuses a lot more on trying to flesh out annoying characters that no one gaf about - but also that it has 'possibly one of the top 5 gore scenes of all time,' and at the end of the day, that's what people are watching terrifier for. i'll likely catch it eventually, for that reason alone.


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## belboid (Dec 5, 2022)

PricelessTrifle said:


> what were your thoughts on the first one? and, assuming you saw the first one, what on earth would lead you to believe the second wouldn't be an utterly terrible movie?


Hadn't seen the first one, having heard I didn't really need to and that this one was much better. 

It does not have one of the top five gore scenes ever, I have only a vague idea which one they mean and it wasn't really that _gory_, I've seen far worse.


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## kittyP (Dec 5, 2022)

I have probably said here before but I have only seen the first Terrifer and I just found myself baffled. 
I didn't care about any of the characters at all, I wasn't remotely routing for anyone. 
I wasn't grossed out or scared at all. 

I'm not going to bother with the second one.


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## PricelessTrifle (Dec 5, 2022)

belboid said:


> Hadn't seen the first one, having heard I didn't really need to and that this one was much better.
> 
> It does not have one of the top five gore scenes ever, I have only a vague idea which one they mean and it wasn't really that _gory_, I've seen far worse.



oh, really? well that's kind of disappointing. it's been quite a while since i saw the first one, and as i said it's a terrible film, but i thought the gore was extremely well done, was hoping to be able to look forward to that aspect at least if i caught the second one. there was also a scene in the first that i found to be absolutely hilarious, although i think it was intending to be more disturbing than anything - and then, i may just have a bizarre sense of humor and been the only person who found it funny. i was going to say if you enjoyed the gore (and you're a 'fan' of it) then the first is worth watching, as that's truly all the movie brings to the table. plus it's apparently far shorter, and doesn't presume to take itself as seriously (so i've heard).

i also heard that it was better than the first one, but if you'd seen the first one then you'd know that doesn't really mean much. i was fully expecting a terrible, terrible movie with creative, well done gore scenes before i heard even the first review.

a clown killer/monster movie that's actually pretty good - not _great_, but a masterpiece compared to terrifier - is 'clown' from 2014. pretty sure it's still on netflix. the description on imdb doesn't give it away, just says 'a loving father finds a clown suit for his son's birthday party, only to realize that it's cursed,' so i won't spoil it - not that the premise is groundbreaking or anything, but. i'd recommend it, if clown movies are your thing for whatever reason.


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## Reno (Dec 5, 2022)

The first Terrifier was made on next to not budget and pretty much revolves around its gore sequences and those were incredibly well done. Terrifier 2 had a budget, even if it was a minuscule one and in terms of filmmaking it's a big step up from the first one. I cared about the family at its centre, thought it had one of the better "final girls" in slasher movies and the gore still is gnarly as fuck. I can see why that type of film isn't for everybody, but there is filmmaking skill there. Terrifier 2 looks like a labour of love for its maker, however counterintuitive this may seem.

Whenever I say I love horror films I have lost all cultural credibility in the eyes of many (especially here in Germany, where culture has to be so bloody high minded and they don't have a grasp on pop culture at all) and at best they'll counter, "I don't mind them if they are subtle, it's much more effective if you don't see anything" which makes me want to strap them down Clockwork Orange style and have them watch Braindead or Re-Animator. There is a place for poor taste, balls out gore films, they are the punk cousins of the genre. For me horror films are a safe way of confronting my mortality and I enjoy a film that is able to shock me in the way Terrifier 2 does, not because I wish harm on others, it makes me laugh because I go "well, I hope it's not going to be _that_ bad!"


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## belboid (Dec 5, 2022)

Braindead and Re-animator do actually have some wit about them tho.   This was just shit for idiots.  And just not gory.


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## Reno (Dec 5, 2022)

belboid said:


> Braindead and Re-animator do actually have some wit about them tho.   This was just shit for idiots.  And just not gory.


Obviously I must be an idiot then (as are all the critics who gave this surprisingly good reviews). Always a pleasure conversing with you.


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## belboid (Dec 5, 2022)

Each to their own. I didn't find it shocking in any way at all and am utterly bewildered as to how anyone could.  It's was _boring. _


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## kittyP (Dec 5, 2022)

Reno said:


> The first Terrifier was made on next to not budget and pretty much revolves around its gore sequences and those were incredibly well done. Terrifier 2 had a budget, even if it was a minuscule one and in terms of filmmaking it's a big step up from the first one. I cared about the family at its centre, thought it had one of the better "final girls" in slasher movies and the gore still is gnarly as fuck. I can see why that type of film isn't for everybody, but there is filmmaking skill there. Terrifier 2 looks like a labour of love for its maker, however counterintuitive this may seem.
> 
> Whenever I say I love horror films I have lost all cultural credibility in the eyes of many (especially here in Germany, where culture has to be so bloody high minded and they don't have a grasp on pop culture at all) and at best they'll counter, "I don't mind them if they are subtle, it's much more effective if you don't see anything" which makes me want to strap them down Clockwork Orange style and have them watch Braindead or Re-Animator. There is a place for poor taste, balls out gore films, they are the punk cousins of the genre. For me horror films are a safe way of confronting my mortality and I enjoy a film that is able to shock me in the way Terrifier 2 does, not because I wish harm on others, it makes me laugh because I go "well, I hope it's not going to be _that_ bad!"


I agree with most of what you say. 
Recently my mum was talking to me about a TV drama, Industry, about young people breaking into the banking world. 
I said I would rather watch the Texas Chainsaw Massacre than a programme about bankers. 
And that is true. 
I love horror films and agree with you about low budget gore films and being the punk cousins of the genre. Braindead and Reamimator are great examples. 

I just don't personally agree about Terrifer, I thought it was baffling and like belboid ,a bit boring. 

Maybe it's because I'm older now, my tastes a changing a bit 🤷


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## Hazardous Mata (Dec 5, 2022)

William Lustig's Maniac (1980). A nihilistic classic.

In a similar vein, Buddy Giovinazzo's Combat Shock and Romero's Day of the Dead.


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## Reno (Dec 5, 2022)

kittyP said:


> I agree with most of what you say.
> Recently my mum was talking to me about a TV drama, Industry, about young people breaking into the banking world.
> I said I would rather watch the Texas Chainsaw Massacre than a programme about bankers.
> And that is true.
> ...


Terrifier or Terrifier 2 ?


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## kittyP (Dec 5, 2022)

Reno said:


> Terrifier or Terrifier 2 ?


The first one.


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## Johnny Vodka (Dec 5, 2022)

I watched the first Terrifier just recently and thought it was great.  Pretty disturbing/creepy and looked just like an 80s video nasty.


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## Reno (Dec 5, 2022)

kittyP said:


> The first one.


After I first wrote about big ass post on Terrifier 2 here you asked whether the sequel is different from the first film and I answered you that I think it is. In everything I wrote about Terrifier 2 I pointed out what a step up from the first movie it is. I wasn't a huge fan of Terrifier either, I thought it was a decent show reel for impressive make-up effects but I think Terrifier 2 is a movie with well developed characters and an actual plot.

Also belboid has a chip on his shoulder when he disagrees on a film with me, throwing around insults like I must be an idiot for liking something he doesn't, as he did above in the post of his you "liked" (on a film you haven't seen).


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## Johnny Vodka (Dec 5, 2022)

Hazardous Mata said:


> William Lustig's Maniac (1980). A nihilistic classic.



I remember "enjoying" the remake, pretty dark and nasty for a film starring Frodo.


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## kittyP (Dec 5, 2022)

Reno said:


> After I first wrote about big ass post on Terrifier 2 here you asked whether the sequel is different from the first film and I answered you that I think it is. In everything I wrote about Terrifier 2 I pointed out what a step up from the first movie it is. I wasn't a huge fan of Terrifier either, I thought it was a decent show reel for impressive make-up effects but I think Terrifier 2 is a movie with well developed characters and an actual plot.
> 
> Also belboid has a chip on his shoulder when he disagrees on a film with me, throwing around insults like I must be an idiot for liking something he doesn't, as he did above in the post of his you "liked" (on a film you haven't seen).


My apologies, I was going by you saying that you thought stuff about the first one was incredibly well done.

I was also sort of replying to belboid but didn't really write and quote very well. 

Appologies again


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## belboid (Dec 5, 2022)

Reno said:


> Also belboid has a chip on his shoulder when he disagrees on a film with me, throwing around insults like I must be an idiot for liking something he doesn't, as he did above in the post of his you "liked" (on a film you haven't seen).


I was unaware you'd watched it until you made your post.  I simply, detested it with a vengeance.  It's okay to have different opinions (even from lots of reviewers).


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## AverageJoe (Dec 5, 2022)

I like Renos posts about films. 

I trust his reviews more than Barry Norman.


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## kittyP (Dec 6, 2022)

AverageJoe said:


> I like Renos posts about films.
> 
> I trust his reviews more than Barry Norman.


Oh I concur.


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## rutabowa (Dec 8, 2022)

me too


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## Knotted (Dec 20, 2022)

You might all find this useful. Just a list with no judgement, short clips and a short summary. The great and the terrible. 100 2022 horror films. She has Reno levels of knowledge.


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## Knotted (Dec 28, 2022)

I've just caught up with _Men _and I feel I need to say something about it. It's a very direct, uncomplicated me too era film about abuse, harassment and stalking and the way men effectively close ranks. The talking point is the third act where the narrative structure breaks down and metaphor takes over completely.  It's very on the nose and really paint by numbers in terms of messaging but there is something else going on and I think it's to do with the decentering of the various creepy characters which is the opposite of the usual horror style where the monster becomes more and more _the _central threat and I think the intent is to show how structural the problem is.

Alex Garland did something a bit similar in his previous film _Annihilation _but this goes all out and there's some ... interesting imagery, I think there's now a definite Garland style that's been developed of metaphorical visual poetry and I'm looking forward to any future work.

Not sure if it made a good horror film as such. It also didn't make me think very much, as it's so very plain in its objectives. But there's a lot imagery to process, some of it very obvious, some of it not obvious at all. I'm inclined to compare it to _Titane _which had a lot going on, _some_ of which was along similar lines but that made me think, because it's not obvious how it all fits together and there's something profound but ungraspable about it. I've seen it suggested that AG should have made some of the male characters more complex and had made a less polemical film, but that would have been something completely different. The directness was the key to the artistic vision and I'm happy to have seen this and happy it exists as it is.

The best sequence wasn't at the end btw. There is a fantastic but slow sequence near the beginning of tranquility and growing threat, absolutely excellent film making.


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## poppy60 (Dec 28, 2022)

_I am a big fan of horror movies and finding my favourite is impossible,but recent offerings are french movie called RAW_


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## T & P (Dec 30, 2022)

belboid & Reno and anyone else… Of all the arguments and handbags that have been had on Urban, none is sillier and more pointless than those regarding personal opinions of films and TV series  I certainly hope no participant in this thread or any other in this sub forum stops contributing as a result of past disagreements.

Going back to the OP of this thread, I’m tempted to propose we evolve it to encompass both recommendations of one’s favourite horror film, and new horror film recommendations. The Shudder one has kind of served that purpose well, but of course it’s limited to Shudder.

We could just create a separate ‘recommend me a new horror film’ thread. But I reckon this thread could accommodate those better, as it is well established. And if from time to time someone recommends a film you think of as dreadful, take it on the chin or at least don’t start a handbag fest about it.


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## nightowl (Dec 31, 2022)

Bit of a fan of old school horror from the likes of Hammer and Universal so something like The Devil Rides Out is up there for me. In terms of modern stuff, Ringu is just so atmospheric throughout.


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## Reno (Jan 1, 2023)

T & P said:


> belboid & Reno and anyone else… Of all the arguments and handbags that have been had on Urban, none is sillier and more pointless than those regarding personal opinions of films and TV series  I certainly hope no participant in this thread or any other in this sub forum stops contributing as a result of past disagreements.
> 
> Going back to the OP of this thread, I’m tempted to propose we evolve it to encompass both recommendations of one’s favourite horror film, and new horror film recommendations. The Shudder one has kind of served that purpose well, but of course it’s limited to Shudder.
> 
> We could just create a separate ‘recommend me a new horror film’ thread. But I reckon this thread could accommodate those better, as it is well established. And if from time to time someone recommends a film you think of as dreadful, take it on the chin or at least don’t start a handbag fest about it.


I've had an exceptionally shitty year topped off by an exceptionally shitty thing to happen over christmas, so I'm currently rather thin skinned and am taking a break from U75. 

Have a great 2023, you all and I may or may not be back one day.


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## DaveCinzano (Jan 1, 2023)

Reno said:


> I've had an exceptionally shitty year topped off by an exceptionally shitty thing to happen over christmas, so I'm currently rather thin skinned and am taking a break from U75.
> 
> Have a great 2023, you all and I may or may not be back one day.


Sorry to hear that, best wishes and hope things get resolved 👍


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## WhyLikeThis (Jan 1, 2023)

Reno said:


> I've had an exceptionally shitty year topped off by an exceptionally shitty thing to happen over christmas, so I'm currently rather thin skinned and am taking a break from U75.
> 
> Have a great 2023, you all and I may or may not be back one day.



You’ll be missed.


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## Throbbing Angel (Jan 1, 2023)

Reno said:


> I've had an exceptionally shitty year topped off by an exceptionally shitty thing to happen over christmas, so I'm currently rather thin skinned and am taking a break from U75.
> 
> Have a great 2023, you all and I may or may not be back one day.


Sorry to hear this.

See you soon, I hope.


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## kittyP (Jan 1, 2023)

Take care Reno.


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## belboid (Jan 3, 2023)

Reno said:


> I've had an exceptionally shitty year topped off by an exceptionally shitty thing to happen over christmas, so I'm currently rather thin skinned and am taking a break from U75.
> 
> Have a great 2023, you all and I may or may not be back one day.


Sorry to hear you've had a bad time and my apologies for if/how much my prickliness has contributed to it. You're a good un' with lots of very interesting things to say.  I hope you'll be back.


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## Knotted (Jan 3, 2023)

Watched _Soft and Quiet_ last night and I thought it was really excellent. Felt real in large part because it's politically literate. It probably would have passed me by if it hadn't been for Reno, thanks if you're still about.


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## CNT36 (Jan 3, 2023)

Reno said:


> I've had an exceptionally shitty year topped off by an exceptionally shitty thing to happen over christmas, so I'm currently rather thin skinned and am taking a break from U75.
> 
> Have a great 2023, you all and I may or may not be back one day.


I hope 2023 is a better year.


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## AverageJoe (Jan 3, 2023)

Don't go Reno. We need you x


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## Knotted (Tuesday at 3:14 PM)

I rewatched _Soft and Quiet_ last night and I've coming to the conclusion that it's truly great. The characters and their dynamics, the camera work, some of the subtle artistic choices... It's absolutely fantastic. But also horrible. The second half of the film is brutal but not in an over-the-top way but in a really sickening this-could-really-happen sort of way. In part the ideology but also in part that particular combination of characters.

I think it really understands its subject matter and exposes a certain tension that people who don't follow it might not realise exists and that may go over some peoples heads. It's that best kind of polemic that doesn't straw man.


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## cybershot (Tuesday at 7:50 PM)

Do we just talk about general horror in here too now?

Watched Barbarian and thought it was quite good. Anyone else seen it?


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## Part 2 (Today at 2:53 PM)

This looks promising. Due for release soon from what I can gather.


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## T & P (Today at 8:58 PM)

cybershot said:


> Do we just talk about general horror in here too now?
> 
> Watched Barbarian and thought it was quite good. Anyone else seen it?


Yes. It went on a completely different way I was expecting from the initial 25-odd minutes, which was great because otherwise it would have been completely predictable and done to death.

And as for your first sentence, we don’t have a regular thread for horror films so this will do fine.


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## T & P (57 minutes ago)

And on that note, I was somewhat underwhelmed by *Smile*. I’d heard good things about it, and it undoubtedly has a handful of properly freaky moments, but the overall plot was very formulaic imo. I correctly guessed the outcome not even at the halfway mark.


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## CNT36 (47 minutes ago)

I enjoyed Smile and Barbarian but just don't find 


Spoiler



tall, monstrous and gangly women


 particularly scary. In fact I find the whole thing kind of funny undermining the terror quite a bit.


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