Id hold the following to be the best horror films (not necessarily films classified as ‘horror’, but have some of the horror genre criterion)
(Alphabetic order)
Alien Dawn of the Dead (1978) Eraserhead INLAND EMPIRE The Shining The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Most of these films have excellent soundtracks particularly ‘INLAND EMPIRE’ and ‘The Shining’ which both utilise Krzysztof Penderecki.
I do have a guilty pleasure for some of the cheap halloween films of the late 70s and 80s that I wouldnt bother me arse with if it were not halloween, but I cant stand these ‘Saw’ type horror films. They are so uninteresting. If a film’s sole purpose is to disgust, it’s worthless I feel.
That list is very good, I think mine might be almost the same. I’d toss Carpenter’s remake of “The Thing” on there and possibly Cronenberg’s “The Brood” in too. INLAND EMPIRE remains the most unsettling movie I’ve seen in a long time. Penderecki’s music works beautifully in there.
That list is very good, I think mine might be almost the same. I’d toss Carpenter’s remake of “The Thing” on there and possibly Cronenberg’s “The Brood” in too. INLAND EMPIRE remains the most unsettling movie I’ve seen in a long time. Penderecki’s music works beautifully in there.
Between 1976 and 1982 Carpenter was one of the best directors around. ‘Assault on Precingt 13’, ‘The Fog’, ‘Escape From New York’ and ‘The Thing’ are all quality. Even ‘Halloween’ is decent.
Cronenberg is a very interesting dude. While I wouldn’t say he was a very skilled filmmaker he is certainly very intelligent and thought provoking. ‘Shivers’, ‘Scanners’, ‘Videodrome’ and ‘The Brood’ are all cool films. ‘The Dead Zone’ is great and ‘Dead Ringers’ is not half bad either. He has a wider range of subjects than people may give him credit for too. ‘Spider’ was an excellent little film; very bleak but quite evocative at the same rate. His recent stuff with Mortensen is enjoyable but is fairly conventional compared to his previous work.
and ‘The Awakening of Jacob’ is one of the best pieces of music to be used in a horror film… ever.
Jaws - people didn’t even go into the ocean after seeing that movie.
Along with ‘Duel’ and ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’, ‘Jaws’ is the only decent Spielberg film I can think of. Well ‘Schinder’s List’ and ‘Saving Private Ryan’ have their merits but are afflicted with the “Spielberg sentimentality”.
I do beleive HELLRAISER is missing from your list…Hellraiser is probably my favorite Horror flick… as far as serious horror goes. For funny horror you can’t beat Freddy Krueger!!!
Most of these films have excellent soundtracks particularly ‘INLAND EMPIRE’ and ‘The Shining’ which both utilise Krzysztof Penderecki.
Couldn’t handle Inland empire… I fell asleep within the first 15 minutes it was soo dull and drab.
I cant stand these ‘Saw’ type horror films. They are so uninteresting. If a film’s sole purpose is to disgust, it’s worthless I feel.
Not to start a flame war but…For you to write this, tells everyone that has seen a saw movie, that you have never seen a saw movie…
You should just check out #1 if anything… low gore and and an excellent story… I will admit that as the series kept going the movies got gorier and gorier but I don’t think it detracts from the movie much…and I’m not a big fan of gore!
Couldn’t handle Inland empire… I fell asleep within the first 15 minutes it was soo dull and drab.
Not to start a flame war but…For you to write this, tells everyone that has seen a saw movie, that you have never seen a saw movie…
You should just check out #1 if anything… low gore and and an excellent story… I will admit that as the series kept going the movies got gorier and gorier but I don’t think it detracts from the movie much…and I’m not a big fan of gore!
Late,
grmpysmrf
IE was certainly not for everyone. I went to see it with a friend from college and he was in pain having to sit there and watch it.
On the topic of ‘Saw’, ive seen the first two. ‘Saw’ was patently better than ‘Saw 2’ and from what I hear much better than the suceeding sequels. I caught ‘Saw’ (when it came out in '04), thought it was ok but nothing special (and a waste of Danny Glover). Saw the second on dvd and it was crap (the only thing it had going for it was one of the chicks.)
i really liked inland empire ,myself, as confounding as it was. but i like david lynch.
rosemary’s baby scared the crap out of me. and of course the original texas chainsaw massacre.
He has a fetish for sticking metal inside of him and he transforms into a machine or something.
Yep, the asian horror is what’s been doing it for me lately.
I saw this film in '91 I think at a college film festival. Its one of my favs had it for years on laserdisc, then bought the DVD. It has one of the most inventive title sequences in a film I have ever seen. The color sequel is not nearly as good though.
I saw Midnight Meat Train last week on Fear Net, and it was pretty damn good, I was impressed. Its a shame Lions Gate were such turds about it, and released it only in $1 theaters for about a week. I would have liked to have seen it on the big screen. Barker’s Books of Blood have been grossly ignored for film adaptions imo.
Rosemary’s Baby
Texas Chainsaw Massacre (original)
Eraserhead
The Exorcist
Dawn Of The Dead (original)
Suspiria
Alien
Not really big on horror films and the ones made by Hollywood these days are absolutely paltry. Somebody mentioned the Saw franchise - that’s the epitome of what I’m talking about. Complete rubbish. Terrible scripts, shonky dialogue and an excuse to show plenty of gore…and maybe a little tit and ass.
I saw Hellraiser when it came out in 1986 and I almost walked out. It was that bad. Not scary at all. Drab and dull with a plot that had apparently been written on the back of a box of matches. Stupid, ugly and uninteresting. Ridiculous dialogue. Still leaves a bad taste in my mouth twenty odd years later.
The Thing
Videodrome
American Psycho
The Shining
Night of the Living Dead
The Mist
Aliens
Predator
Halloween
Halloween 3 Season of the Witch
The Fog (original)
Though I wouldn’t exactly classify it as horror (it’s more sci-fi than anything), “Fire In the Sky” was easily the most terrifying movie I’ve ever seen in my life.
As far as recent movies go the Spanish film [REC] is top notch, forget that craptastic US remake Quarantine. The actors are very believable, and once it gets going this film doesn’t let up. The last ten minutes are pretty unnerving, and puts a very demonic spin on the whole zombie apocalypse genre.
The Saw films, and others of that ilk Hostel…ect just don’t hold my attention the way a lot of foreign horror, or good old '80s slasher flicks do. The Dawn of the Dead remake was pretty entertaining, I liked it just as much as the last two Romero zombie movies. Diary of the Dead was sort of unnecessary with its blatant modern setting that was incongruous with the continuity established by the rest of the series.
Blair Witch Project was kinda creepy… Most of the movie was annoying but it had it’s moments. That bit at the end where the person runs into the house and sees that other dude is standing in the corner still gives me chills.
I laughed at that scene because I thought he was taking a whizz.
Videodrome
Wicker Man (original)
The Devil Rides Out
The Night of the Demon
Ringu
Santa Sangre
Dead Ringers
INLAND EMPIRE
Eraserhead
Alien
Der Todesking
Hellraiser
demonlover
Hostel (really dug the first one, never saw the second)
Bride of Frankenstein
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
Shivers (all other Cronenberg too actually, though Shivers has such great Ballardian sexual politics that I have to give it special props)
I know there’s a few other Hammer Horror ones that I’m forgetting and a few occult-y ones too (does Kenneth Anger’s stuff count?).
I don’t care for it but Salo was probably the most disturbing movie I’ve seen.
Now why hasn’t anyone listed Wicked Lake as their favorite???