Poltergeist bothered me so much, I have not seen a horror movie since (except for Blair Witch).
Why do people want to be scared?
I've never really understood the point of watching horror films to get scared either. Films that go out of the way to scare or shock people generally bore me pretty quickly. It's such a "seen one seen them all" scene for me.
That said, I like many horror films because they have unusual topics, and the horror genre is a really restriction-free genre. There's no need to put romance in there if it's not a part of the plot, you don't need to protect the star images of the actors generally because they have none, you don't need to put in jokes if you don't want to etc. Even stuff like pacing or shooting the story in unusual ways generally just serves to strengthen the audiences experience.
Horror films are also a bit unique in that they generally sell and become famous on the premise of an idea instead of the more traditional values such as cinematography and acting. (Unlike for example the action genre which is all cinematography, or comedy which is mostly writing and acting.)
Typical examples:
- The Saw. Crap film when it tries to find stuff to show beyond it's basic premise, but the image of two men chained together and a saw is powerful.
- Hostel. Crap film, but captures the ideas very well. (It's unfortunately also a really xenophobic film, but that often sells.)
- The Cube. Again, not a very good film, but a great idea for a film.
- Blair Witch Project. Pretty much the inventor of the "found footage" genre.
- The Descent. In the horror genre you can have an all-female cast, even without star power. How cool is that? It's also a pretty cool film set in a rare environment (inside a cave system).
Of course there are films which have both filmographic values and good ideas.
- Alien; redefined space travel from gleaming ships to claustrophobic loneliness. Also pretty much invented body horror.
- The Thing. Cold war paranoia taken to the extreme.
- Dawn of the Dead. "Thin veil of civility"
- The Others / Sixth Sense. (major spoiler in white) What might it be like to be a ghost? Also, alienation and loneliness.
Etc and so forth. It's not by accident that horror and scifi are so intertwined.
EDIT: I actually forgot to put in the point
My point was, a lot of art helps us think about and deal with what ever is going on inside our heads. It's for liberating to watch romantic comedies (another often ridiculed genre), since so many of us have so much anxiety when it comes to dating, sex, love and romance. Horror films do the same from a different angle. People have lots of fears. Horror films brings those fears into the daylight. Whether this is good or bad is a matter of opinion.
Personally I think it's an important measurement of how good the film is. For example The Hostel is IMO a terrible film because it's so strongly based on the idea that those people somewhere else whose language we don't understand might be up to some indescribable evils. The Exorcist on the other hand pretty obviously deals with some pretty dark fears about kids growing up and becoming strange and possibly evil creatures (among other stuff). Of course there are many films about the same topic done in a realistic way, but the Exorcist works much better exactly because it's pure fantasy. It allows us to tap straight into the fears and anxieties without getting sidelined by questions of relative morality and individual freedom. I mean the kid is literally possessed
(Of course a lot horror is still generic schlock just like a lot of scifi.)
Last edited by Itse; 08-18-2014 at 06:59 AM.
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A lot of the issue for me is the creepy, scary films that get under your skin are less common now, Horror has turned towards the gore films and they can be enjoyable but for me the true horror film is one that keeps you tense and scared, which is hard to do for us that have been watching horror films for decades.
This is why the Exorcist III stands out for me in the last few decades, as its the true sequel to the original and has this eerie feel throughout with excellent mood done with great sounds of evil demon growling, great cinematography and incredible acting.
Its got this incredible ability to get better the more you watch it, which is a rarity. I really hope any serious fan of horror in this thread give it a look and report back.
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I actually think horror films use camera work, lighting, makeup, and sound better than any other genre. The main point of these is to elicit an emotional response: Fear. They accomplish their goal so effectively through the use of the tools of the trade that having an actual acting performance is superfluous. All we need is someone that we can relate to as the main character, and this is why you see so many female leads in horror films now, to get that extra scare out of the female audience.
The problem these days seems to be that the same tricks are used over and over again to get a visceral response from an audience. The last new idea brought to the game was Blair Witch Project, which has been repeated ad nauseum ever since. Genuinely creepy horror films have gone away in exchange for more gore and quick scares. There was a time when Hitchcock was considered the master of the scare, and his films look relatively tame compared to modern films, but his mastery is still there for anyone that cares to watch someone truly understood how to get a reaction from his audience.
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Well here's my top 5, since most of you have listed what I consider the best, I'll try to add a few that might not be in your lists, since really there is for me 10 films which could make my own top 5.
1. Exorcist III - The one film that still lingers for me after over 20 viewings, superb, nearly perfect film.
2. In the Mouth of Madness - Sam Neil's characters development is so well done, from sane skeptic to madness, so many great characters and one of the truly scary films ever made.
3. 28 Days Later - The first time we see fast zombies, the movie moves from quite calm to intense sequences with an incredible music score to add to the intense atmosphere.
4. Audition - When I was first introduced to Takashi Miike with Ichi the killer I fell in love with his work, its a must for all horror fans to check out his films, they are really unique in a genre full of repeated material. This is his best one, very tough to watch but truly a hidden gem.
5. Event Horizon - Horror and Sci fi, the best marriage of the two best genre's! This film is so good, you feel the isolation and darkness throughout, very scary and atmospheric film.
Honorable mentions: Pet Cemetery, Stephen King's IT, High Tension, Drag me to Hell, Stake Land, The Serpent and the Rainbow, The Descent, and 2 recent films that a worthy of mention, maybe not top 10 though, The Ruins and Pandorum.
Oh wanted to edit this in, highly recommend besides the above checking out the Korean horror from 2010 I saw the Devil, its a great introduction to Korean horror films (there are many great ones) and of course to remind everyone to seek out Australian Horror films, again many unseen in North America and lots of great ones out there:
Poltergeist bothered me so much, I have not seen a horror movie since (except for Blair Witch).
Why do people want to be scared?
I remember watching it when I was a kid and it seemed scary, but it didn't really stand up to the test of time IMO. I watched it as an adult, and it seemed pretty light and corny now.
They are doing a remake/re-imagination of the original. Sam Raimi is behind it and I believe Sam Rockwell is going to be in it.
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4. Audition - When I was first introduced to Takashi Miike with Ichi the killer I fell in love with his work, its a must for all horror fans to check out his films, they are really unique in a genre full of repeated material. This is his best one, very tough to watch but truly a hidden gem.
Honestly, although I enjoyed Audition I didn't feel it lived up to its hype. I'm not sure why exactly, but I wasn't blown away by it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Thor
2 recent films that a worthy of mention, maybe not top 10 though, The Ruins and Pandorum.
Good call on both of these. Pandorum got bad reviews IIRC, but I enjoyed it. Felt like a mix of Event Horizon + Aliens.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Thor
Oh wanted to edit this in, highly recommend besides the above checking out the Korean horror from 2010 I saw the Devil, its a great introduction to Korean horror films (there are many great ones)
Another fantastic recommendation. I had I Saw the Devil in my top 5 overall films, but didn't include it in my top 5 horror films as it's more of a psychological thriller I suppose. Either way, I love this film.
As an aside Thor, what other Korean horror/thriller films would you recommend? I've seen (and loved):
Bedevilled, Thirst, The Host, The Vengeance Trilogy, Memories of Murder, Mother, The Man from Nowhere, The Chaser, A Bittersweet Life, The Yellow Sea, and a few others I can't recall at the moment.
Last edited by AC; 08-18-2014 at 02:07 PM.
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I wish we had more movies like Fire in the Sky. There are few alien abduction movies that do it right, but when they do, it's so effective and chilling. And it's a subject whose potential hasn't been fully exposed yet. They could do some great things with a modern Close Encounters type film. I'd eat that stuff right up. That's why I loved Dark Skies that came out last year. Wasn't perfect, but had some effective scenes. Actually made my top 10 for movies last year, but I always reserve one spot for a horror/thriller. I have a soft spot for movies that can genuinely freak you out, even if for a moment or two.
