Horror Movie Discussion Thread (1 Viewer)

[Michael Elliott]

The IFC version of SUSPIRIA is somewhat of a middle ground. It's not the complete version and it's not the shorter, American version either. It's basically the American version with all the violence/gore from the complete version. The only thing it's missing is some useless dialogue. Many people prefer this version, although I don't think it features the correct AR.

I enjoyed the Bravo special and it was great seeing some of the lesser known movies get talked about. Several of them were shown on American TV for the first time.

For those who liked the rawness of LAST HOUSE, you might want to check out CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST but be warned that it contains a lot more violence, some of it real. HOUSE ON THE EDGE OF THE PARK, also with David Hess, is a rip of LAST HOUSE but I actually liked it more. Shriek Show released this as did EC overseas as well as Brentwood in one of their 10-movie packs.

 

[RyanPC]

Greatest horror film: The Haunting (1963) - The amount of tension this film creates is unbelievable, considering there are really no visual terrors to be found. It was either this, or Night of the Living Dead... but in the end I just to go with this classic.

Scariest horror film: Suspiria - With all the freaky colors and sounds, it just scares the hell outta me every time I see it.

Favorite horror film: Dawn of the Dead - It's not particularly scary (at least until the end), but it's a fun ride all the way through... you really connect with the characters and by the end of the film they feel like old friends. Also, being a Pennsylvania native, it's somewhat strange to see an area that looks so familiar being overrun by zombies. Aside from that, I'm just a big fan of Romero's static, restrained-style camerawork and I love everything in most of his scripts. I actually have two favorite horror films (Dawn and Carrie), but I used this one for my answer because there is not one thing I would change about it.

 

[TedT]

Greatest: The Shining. Haven't seen it since I was a kid though, but it's pretty chilling and well directed.

Scariest: Hellraiser 2. This one gave me nightmares for six months after seeing it. And I watch horror films pretty regularly. The atmosphere in this film just does something to me.

Favorite: Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. This was the first movie I saw that really combined humor and gore. The first dozen or so times I saw it, it was pretty disturbing, but somehow funny. Now I find it pretty funny. There's great one liners all over the place in this movie.

 

[Rennie Cowan]

Resident Evil and The Grudge. In the spirit of "Ringu", the Grudge had all the right scares for me. The ending had a lot to be desired, however, and honestly, I was waiting for Sarah Michelle Gellar to do some hard-core Buffy action. Buffy reruns were spinning in my head despite itself. The first Resident Evil film paid decent homage to the ultimately fun-driven video game. The second one, not as great. But how can you ever beat the first movie, in any situation, hmm...? I'm thinking I will not like SAW at all...I have yet to see it, but haven't heard good feedback. Jeepers Creepers...it was surely creepy but the story didn't entice me to watch the film twice.

Favorite Horror Movies:
"Amityville Horror" part II, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Brainscan.

 

[Matt Stone]

Just queued up House on the Edge of the Park. Thanks for the suggestion, Michael.

I've heard things about Cannibal Holocaust, but have never seen it. Netflix doesn't appear to have it, so maybe I'll pick it up if I see it somewhere.

I ordered a few horror flicks from the DDD 20% off sale. Most notably was Lucio Fulchi's Zombie, which I've never seen. Also snagged Pet Semetary, Children of the Corn, and Deep Red (Which I also haven't seen). All under 10 bucks. I also ordered the Monster Legacy packs of The Mummy and The Creature from the Black Lagoon.

I'm looking for the Monster Legacy Collection with the Sideshow Busts (Frankenstein, Dracula, Wolf Man) if anyone is looking to get rid of it

 

[Matt Stone]

Glad to see someone on this God forsaken forum agrees with me

 

[Brook K]

Matt, if you want to get a "taste" of the cannibal genre, Netflix does carry Jungle Holocaust, Eaten Alive, & Cannibal Ferox. Eaten Alive is the best of the 3.

I really can't pick a greatest, I could maybe narrow it down to 5 - Nosferatu, NOTLD, The Shining, TCM, or Rosemary

Scariest - TCM & The Shining

Favorite - Again I can't really pick between NOTLD, TCM, Dawn, or The Shining

 

[ChrisDixon]

Isn't Cannibal Holocaust the one with real killing of animals
? There is something about anything "real" that sort of bugs me. I've never watched Faces of Death or any of those because I like my horror to be an escape, not reality. I still may check out CH some day though.

About Dawn of the Dead: I too live in Western PA (not far from Monroeville mall where it was filmed). There was also a rumor when I was growing up that the cemetary very close to my house was used for the opening sequence of Night of the Living Dead. I'm guessing that was just urban legend, but does anyone know where they filmed the cemetary scenes?

Chris

 

[ChrisDixon]

On another note: did anyone find it amusing that the Bravo scariest scene marathon showed all manner of graphic violence and gore (including disebowling and a closeup of an eye being pierced) but they had to blur the breasts of a woman in a black-and-white still shot? Do they really think that the FCC would get complaints about grainy nipples and nothing about 30 gallons of blood?

Chris

 

[Brook K]

Chris, all the cannibal films I've seen have some manner of animal killing/mutilation scenes. One of their favorites is to show big snakes eating birds or other animals.

While it is icky and I find it bizarre that 70's viewers found this sort of thing entertaining (or at least I assume they did since the Italians kept making cannibal films for at least 8-9 years), I can't work up much outrage about it either. I fully support the slaughter of zillions of cows, chickens, turkeys, pigs, etc. each day and dissecting animals in science class is as much about entertainment as it is education.

 

[RyanPC]

--Matt, if you want to get a "taste" of the cannibal genre, Netflix does carry Jungle Holocaust, Eaten Alive, & Cannibal Ferox. Eaten Alive is the best of the 3.--

Actually, most people (including me) happen to think that Eaten Alive is the least of the three. Cannibal Ferox is the least serious of the bunch... it's fun, but at the same time still rather disturbing to watch. Jungle Holocaust is certainly the most realistic and brutal of them, and Eaten Alive... well, I don't really know what that movie is.

 

[ChrisDixon]

I don't mind the killing of animals. I just don't really want to see it if it is real. If it's fake, I want it to be as realistic as possible! Kind of odd I guess. That's what film making is about for me: pulling me in and creating atmospheres and situations that elicit an emotional reaction (ie. uneasy anticipation and possibly fear in the case of the horror genre). A gory film that is really over the top (ie. Evil Dead, Re-Animator, etc.) can be fun to watch, but I can't really be drawn in psychologically. Here's a question for you all: what is the grossest, goriest scene in a movie that still has a sense of realism?

Chris

 

[Michael Elliott]

I'd say any scene in SALO. This is the only film where I came close to turning it off. Everything from the rape to the murders to the eating of shit seemed all too real.


If you want to see a cannibal film without the real animal violence then you could search out CANNIBAL TERROR but this is without a doubt one of the worst films I've ever seen. A group of thugs rape a woman and make a run into the jungle where they are attacked. Then there's Jess Franco's WHITE CANNIBAL QUEEN, THE DEVIL HUNTER and MONDO CANNIBAL 4.

MOUNTAIN OF THE CANNIBAL GOD is on various public domain labels but the AB version includes a bonus scene of a guy raping a pig.

 

[Kevin M]

Well don't ever watch Apocalypse Now then!



I just blind bought an Italian horror film called The Church and I haven't seen it yet...I was wondering if I made a mistake?
Mind you I loved another of Argento's produced/written classics Demons so I thought I would take a gamble on this one...any opinions?

 

[RyanPC]

--I'd say any scene in SALO. This is the only film where I came close to turning it off. Everything from the rape to the murders to the eating of shit seemed all too real.--

I'd have to agree with you. Just saw this film for the first time and it has to have been one of the most disturbing viewing experiences of my life. However, I did enjoy it and would gladly pick up a new DVD should anyone decide to release it again.


--I just blind bought an Italian horror film called The Church and I haven't seen it yet...I was wondering if I made a mistake?
Mind you I loved another of Argento's produced/written classics Demons so I thought I would take a gamble on this one...any opinions?--

I can't really speak for you, because you might end up loving the film, but after liking both Stagefright and Dellamorte Dellamore, I was supremely disappointed in it. It didn't really engage me on any level and the story was rather dull, IMO.

 

[Alex Spindler]

Finally found them!

Haute Tension trailer

The Devil's Rejects

 

[Matt Stone]

Thanks for the links, Alex.

Damn, too bad that Haute Tension one isn't savable.

 

[Brook K]

I like Eaten Alive better because it tried to do something a little different storywise. Jungle Holocaust and Cannibal Ferox are basically "people go to the jungle, find cannibals, get captured, some are eaten, some escape".

Is the horrible but funny "City of the Walking Dead" on DVD? It's zombie makeups are little more than Mushmouth hats.

I have too many Criterions to buy to grab much horror in the deepdiscount sale, but I'm going to finally pick up the Dawn of the Dead set and maybe Tenebre and/or Opera as well. I may pick up Onibaba too. That's a film I wasn't too enthusiastic about when I first saw it, but a lot of images and scenes have stayed with me.

 

[Justin_S]

Soavi's would-be Demons sequel is truly bizarre, and doesn't make too much sense, but I still like it. Perhaps Soavi's most stylish film, and its pretty much style over substance. There's some truly gorgeous imagery, as well as some morbidly fascinating imagery. The film starts out coherently enough, but halfway through, it changes focus, discards characters, and goes crazy. There are really weird sequences galore, and with their bizarre charm, as well as the magnificent imagery, they are quite fun. Its no Dellamorte Dellamore (what is?), but I like it.

On another note, I have to agree about Salo. Definitely the most a film has disturbed me, it was quite hard to get through on my first viewing. As far as Last House is concerned, I do find it rather disturbing, though I've seen plenty worse. Either way, I think its a great film. Any fan of it should definitely check out Aldo Lado's Night Train Murders. I like it even more, and find its violence just as disturbing if not moreso. It even includes some nice underlying commentary.

As far as the cannibal subgenre goes, Cannibal Holocaust is the best. No contest, its as simple as that. A true powerhouse of a film, and the score is absolutely beautiful.

 

[Tim-H.]

ComingSoon.net reports that Sam Raimi & Bruce Campbell are remaking Evil Dead. Sounds like Raimi will only produce. Good news? Bad news? Potentially groovy news? I'd imagine many fans would prefer ED4 or even that 'Ash vs Freddy vs Jason' idea that was floating around a while back. But remakes are making a LOT of money, which could pave the way to something else (like the DoTD remake and Romero's Land of the Dead).